My Baking and Cooking Diary

The mid year school holidays will be here in two days' time and it's amazing how the second term of school is ending.

We have been here for more than six months and I just couldn't believe how much I have done in the last few months. I enjoy cooking and experimenting new dishes and baking is my new found passion in the kitchen. Yesterday, I whipped up some mini oreo cheesecakes and they turned out yummy. Clayton likes it and so do I. DH wished that they are bigger cos I had made them 'bite size'!

I have been keeping a dairy of my food photos in Facebook and I like the fact that my iPhone can post those photos so easily. With all the smartphones in the market from htc sense to blackberry, posting and sharing photos is as easy as ABC!

Two weeks ago, I made a Pandan Souffle Roll with Toasted Coconut Cream and it was delicious! After discovering that recipe, I went on to purchase a book by Keiko Ishida from Amazon. Many bloggers had adapted Keiko's recipes from the book Sweet Treats and I just couldn't helped but wanna buy the book and try out all the yummy desserts! The next dessert on my to-bake list will be the Green Tea Swiss Roll :) First, I would need to buy a can of good green tea powder from the Asian store. And oh yes, I was glad to find frozen pandan leaves and pandan taste from Yuen's since my pandan leaves are growing fast enough for my baking!

Ok for now... the night is getting cold and it's just not right to still sit in front of the computer!

Cooking and Baking in Brisbane

It's been ages since I last wrote and the month has passed so fast that we are already at the last week of June 2011.

This has been a very exciting and busy month for us as our close friend from Singapore came to visit us with her two girls. They are our first visitors in Brisbane and it was nice seeing familiar faces and spending time together. I only wished it was school hols for Clayton as we had to plan trips around his school time table. Nevertheless, they had a good break here and the kids didn't wanna go home!

I've been so busy cooking and baking this month and I was inspired to delve into a Pandan chiffon cake after watching Masterchef one evening. I snipped off my pandan leaves in the garden and went online to search for the 'best' recipe for a Pandan chiffon cake. So many entries came for that search term and I started experimenting with the first which led to the second, the third and so forth. To date, I had made 5 pandan chiffon cakes and I can almost say which one is the most yummy Pandan chiffon cake. For me, a good Pandan chiffon has to be soft, cottony, moist and a smooth texture.

This evening, I made my 5th pandan chiffon cake and it turned out to be the best I had made so far :) It was very soft, fluffy and delicious.... I am delighted! The next time, I will experiment with different kinds of chiffon. Perhaps I should also learn how to make sugar free truffles during the school holidays! Truffles are always a favourite in the family and what more, sugar free ones!

Enough said, my love for cooking and baking is growing everyday and I am simply thankful for these wonderful experiences and indulgences in Brisbane.

Busy with Friend's Visit

I have been busy the last few days as our first guests arrived from Singapore for a visit. My good friend had come to visit with her two girls and we have been doing quite a few things in the last few days.

For me, it's a busy time in the kitchen cooking dinners most nights except tonight and making sure they have enough to eat and visit some of the sights around Brisbane. Clayton has been so excited that he's been very distracted. It's hard to contain the excitement within him so I just have to make sure he's not crossing the boundaries too much!

I'm glad that I can find a little time to sit down and do some online work when everyone is resting and retiring early. It's my moment of space and quietness, something I treasure very much. We did have a lot of wonderful moments together and I wish we can do more while taking things easy. It's hard cos it's not school holidays and we have to plan all the sightseeing around Clayton's school time and schedule.

Now that I can put my feet up high, I'm ordering some Sambucol online for Clayton. Then it's an early snooze and let's hope my kitchen can rest and close tomorrow! I just don't like to cook or clean on the weekends and I hope DH will appreciate that.