Bake Sale
Bake Sale
lovely chewy chocolate chunk cookies tt my mummy helped me to pack nicely into my cookie jar. hehe.
Claire my baking buddy a.k.a the waffle girl.
Enfin! the long awaited bake sale has drawn to a close. After some hardcore slping and weak attempt to catch up with work, i can finally sit myself down to complete the blog entry regarding this event. as usual, emotions ran on a straight line with a negative gradient. After much baking and slogging away at the oven, i was filthy, sticky and not to mention dusty from the clouds of flour and cocoa powder flying ard the kitchen. I had managed to bake roughly 200 cupcakes in 7 flavors, 16 crumbles (blueberry, apple), 45 jumbo-sized cookies and 2 large cakes. All these performed under a serious lack of sleep and hardly any rest in btw. But all the hard work paid off just by catching a simple smile or satisfaction on a customers face or the gushing compliemts of a returning buyer. one of those, and WHAM..i was one happie cupcake momma.
Damages done: a burn mark on my forearm when the hot tray in the oven slide onto my arm after coming out of the oven. *OUCH*
lovely chewy chocolate chunk cookies tt my mummy helped me to pack nicely into my cookie jar. hehe.estatic from the 3 days of business, i must say tt i'm rather proud of Claire and I at managing to pull off the booth with little experience under our belt. as we pieced everything together, arranging the different bakes on the table top, it began to look rather wholesome, lyke a table top of wholesome goodies tt appealed to mostly girls and the rare occasion of a guy stopping by to purchase something for a girlfriend or perhaps to appease his sweet tooth. But then again,we learnt the hardway about logistics and tt lots more preparation and listing had to go into the project in order for everything to run smoothly. all was well throughout the 3 days albeit for the minor mishaps tt occured in the midst. we wldn't have made it if not for the help of a few precious ones. Thanks to Zhiheng for the immense effort invested on us, ferrying me from home to nus, helping with all the heavy stuff, logistics, sales and welfare.. hehe. Reallie sorrie about the wheel clamping incident too. definitely weighs heavy on my guilt conscience. and to my ah yi as well for helping me loads. for the markers, spare change, stationary and boxes, etc... cldn't have done it w/o u guys.. of coz to my darling Claire, my pillar as well as my baker in crime. WE DID IT! *woots*... hehe. rest well k dear..u deserve it after all tt hardwork... *=)*.
Claire my baking buddy a.k.a the waffle girl.so after the 3 days of hardcore baking and sales, the gushes and shrieks of the girls as they walk past the table laden with goodies were nothing but ordinary. 'is it real?', 'oh..SO CUTE!'.. in fact, i was kind of getting sick of those... there were the exclusive few though tt struck me truly sincere. had a few request for catering and even a caucasian girl who came back everyday asking for my caramel banana cake. at the end of the 3 days, she asked if i cld have my recipe saying tt it was the best she had ever had. oh well, how cld i say no? haha... it was a tad hard though deciding wat to bake for the nus crowd though especially with the severe time contraints i had. Hence the menu for the 3 days were as follows, caramelised banana cake, blueberry cheesecake, Chewy Chunky Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Cupcakes, Vanilla Cupcakes (a.k.a anything cupcakes), and Oreo Cupcakes all on the first day. 2nd day, Berry-in-love cupcakes(white chocolate strawberry cupcakes with white chocolate coated berries), Apple crumble and Blueberry Crumble and jumbo Peanut butter cookies. 3rd day was deemed cupcake day and i baked 3 premium flavored cupcakes, the malibu pineapple cupcake, cappuccino cupcake and last but not least the caramel banana cupcake.
Observations made: whole cakes didn't go too well with customers and hence we stopped selling them after the first day. Best seller wld have to be the cookies as well as the chocolate, oreo and banana cupcakes. pple loved whimsical designs on theirs..bright colors appealed to everyone... i had mega fun decorating those as well!!!
a tribute to my cupcakes
another good point about having a bake sale in nus is the opportunity to meet old frens. i had the chance to meet up with jc frens vim, stef, greg and mel and kritikaa at their school. it was mega fun catching up with old times and toking crap lyke we used to...
overall, the bake sale had brought Claire and I much experience as well as enjoyment. Baking though pleasurable on its own, having pple appreciate ur baking is definitely a major plus point. seeing the smiles on people's faces and having pple actually purchasing and praising ur bakes was like a little taste of heaven... if only we cld conduct a bakesale in NTU, tt wld be the best!!!
run and hide
Labels:
cookies
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Chunky Chocolate CookiesQn: What does Sihan do when she's feeling down and out?
Options:
1) She skips school.
2) She sobs and pouts.
3) She goes out clubbing and partying the night away.
4) She bakes... cookies the size of her moon-shaped face!
Ans: 4!!!! and perhaps a little of 1 as well. haha..but i do revise my work at home okie?!!!
Decided to do something drastically different today, whipped out of recipe book and weighed the chocolate out. Having a serious famine in supplies of chocolate chips back home, i settled for chocolate chunks which i figured wld better help to satisfy the chocolate cravings in me. soon, the smell of freshly baked chocolate cookies had fill the whole house. the cookies as anticipated had spread themselves out nicely on the baking sheets..and at tt moment, looked extremely appetising if not devilishly seductive. my heart was stolen once i rested my lips against the crusty cookie..one bite sent me into chocolate heaven as chunks of smooth dark chocolate swirled about in my mouth. Utter bliss...
heart condition improve by ten-fold with every bite... *smilez*..so kids, follow my advice, bake when u're feeling blue, its the best medicine yet. haha. and of course no baking adventure is complete without a love story... so here goes nothing...
*smilez gleefully*
cherry blossoms
Delicate Lemon RhapsodyCherry blossoms, beautiful flowers that bloom with utmost beauty and poise. Devastatingly, they only have a week to live before they cascade lyke snow when the first strong winds or rain comes along. Yet in their short lifespan, the bring happiness and joy to the hearts of the many who have travelled far and wide to see them. For me, they remind me of peaceful moments and the beautiful mornings which were shortlived as well. While falling would only mean death to these gems, the sight of paper-like flowers cascading like snow in the lightest wind, is indeed be a captivating sight, though i've yet to see one. Beautiful disaster as they would call it.
In light of this beautiful scene fixated in my mind, I had the inspiration to bake a the bdae cake meant for order the next day. I thought about how this cake could capture the imagery of cherry blossoms falling from the trees. and I envionsed a fluffy white frosting, like a pile of delicate cherry blossoms. perhaps a light flavor that encompassed happy notions yet a melancholic nature. Slowly, the cake began to take shape and I knew what kind of cake i wanted to bake. A soft white cake with the sublime taste of lemon, filled with the slightly tangy yet delightful lemon curd and frosted with the most beautiful marshmellow frosting with a sprinkling of shreded coconut down the sides... Perfect for a joyous occasion.
Recipes derived seperately, soft white cake (from Martha's Stewert's baking handbook), lemon curd (taken from joyofbaking.com) and the marshmellow frosting (from betty crockers baking book).
Pray tt the guys will lyke it tmr. waiting for their verdict ( which i fear slightly due to my particular thresehold of tart lemons as compared to others... perhaps the taste test during the making wld be slightly biased?) Pictures will be showcased tmr as well...
preview to the upcoming bakesale being held at nus! *jumping ard*..so exciting! pls do come down and support Claire and I.run to you
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a lovely song by the powerhse whitney houstan from her movie 'the bodyguard'. One of my most fav films of all time...
I know in my heart you'd find
A girl who's scared sometimes
Who isn't always strong
Can't you see the hurt in me?
I feel so all alone
i want to run to you...
end of the road
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Dior Shower
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Dior Shower
mummy shower up today with a little surprise! guess wat peeps? its a Dior flight makeup palette! the limited edition! my gosh..its soo pretty! the pure white casing, lush and sexy beckon'd out to me. irresistible... thanks mummy dearest. love it to bits though i still can't bear to tear open the wrapping... haha
took some pics of the dior range of mini perfumes as well which i had recieved on a different occasion.. c'est tres beau! j'adore bien!on the inside as featured on a photo i stole off the web, the kit includes 6 different shades of eyeshadow (totally adore the shade of colors carried), lipgloss and blush, brushes to apply them all with and a mirror - all packed into the leather-like, carry-sized case. handy dandy! i like!
my secret garden
Labels:
food,
restaurants
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a visit to my secret garden
The ambience of the restaurant were chilled and laid-back. The lovely intimate settings of the courtyard beckoned to its patrons to perhaps order a glass of wine and enjoy it under the cosy lightings. The cobbled pavement, stark wooden benches and hanging willows added to the magical touch of the place. it was indeed wat u would describe as a secret garden amidst the chaos of the streets outside.
as we were ushered in quickly, i noticed that the inside of the resturant held a different feel to it. Packed, it made do with whatever space was available, often squeezing tables close together. Hence not too good for intimate dates as close-by table conversations could be overheard easily. the eceletic choice of art pieces on the wall created an arty feel and a wonderful atmosphere for light-hearted conversation which tend to get a bit loud with the addition of a bit of wine into the chemical formulae.
The appetisers were good, however, the smoked salmon was a bit disappointing as it wasn't served cold enough and held a bit of fishy aroma as a result. the portabello mushroom on the other hand were gorgeous and i savoured every bit of its earthy taste with lust. special mentions goes out to my bro's (a.k.a the spoilt son's) orders of thai chicken wings. a large appetising serving of chicken drumlets and wings fried to crisp perfection accompanied by a bowl of wonderfully tangy sweet thai chilli sauce. Great way to start off the meal.
The mains were served in just about the right timing with an interval to allow for a free flow of conversation and sharing. I had the cilantro chicken which was essentially chicken thigh served with a a sauce on top which i recognised to be a mixture of sour cream, cheese and a generous sprinkling of cilantro, all this served on a bed of mashed potatos and grilled vegetables. the tangy flavour of the sauce complimented the juicy chicken thigh really well and i enjoyed every bite as it lasted. the other courses as ordered by my dinner companions were delightful as well, served in generous portions, I must admit it was value for money.
from the top left hand (clockwise): smoked salmon, beef burger, mysg sandwich, cilantro chicken
my apple pie... yummy! served with a generous heap of chunky blueberry puree on the side. looked gorgeous..tasted even better...
All gone... *burp*My Secret Garden
161 Middle Road, Singapore 188978
tel no: 6334-8334
weekends come ard again
had to make my delivery early in the morning before tuition..*yikes*..before the evil lizards got to the cake first of course. it was a mad rush to cck...mishaps.. rawr..
anyhow, i recieved a pleasant surprise ytd from one my students tt deserves mention. Yumunah surprised me with this gift ( a lovely little candle fitted with a blue sequined heart in it)... LOVELY! she wished me happie tutors day too! aww..tt was very sweet. thanks a lot gurl! reallie love the little gift! hope u get well soon too yar *=)* (its amazing how i never get sick considering the proximity and the frequency of lessons we've been having lately..hmph... strange..haha)
next up, after another whirlwind of events and a very filling lunch, i set out to bake my second cake for the day. an order from a classmate of mine for his gf who had read my blog and requested the same cake as one tt i baked for Ruth's bdae previously. special requests were made to lower the sugar content in the cake due to my fren's intolerance of sugary stuff, to which i gladly obliged. the strawberry charlotte was easy to bake but tough to assemble. a true creation of Sihan's from scratch, i dare say i was proud of it. and i'm glad tt the couple enjoyed the cake as well. *smilez*... Guess this cake wld be put on sale soon on my webby so do look out for it. it has named Garden of Eden due to the lovely handful of strawberries (lovingly picked out by me) tt grace the top of the cocoa dusted cake. its resemblence to a garden with lucious strawberries blossoming and bursting out from the ground has lead to its name. for me, everything was perfect except for the consistency of the vanilla scented cheese mixture tt dorned the middle of the cake. was a bit too soft for my liking and of course the strawberries on top of the cake shld still have their stalks intact. dang, shld have washed the berries myself instead of handing them over to aunty Nora who happily took the liberty of plucking out the lovely green shoots which wld have otherwise further enhanced the impressionistic view of the garden. But nonetheless it was a gorgeous cake... more for the hopeless romantic with sensitive taste buds...
more pics of the Garden of Eden
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