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Time: 9pm
Weather: Light rain... 12 deg
Venue: Verona, Italy
Mood: Just like the pic above.. am down with fever and flu - yikes! i shouldnt hv laughed when i saw a sign on a pharmacy in Luzern.. "Are u ready for flu season?" grrr
Peak Agenda: Not much... hubs has been gone since half past 7 in the morning.. i hv been in bed eversince nursing my flu and fever.. i am determined to get better or i will be stuck in this two storey loft apartment for the next couple of days.

We got into Verona safely after a 5hrs car ride.. it was indeed a smooth ride.. we decided to leave early simply bec the weather was super cold and its not that fun to be outside; nevertheless Sonia got to feed the ducks and the naughty swan one more time.. why naughty swan? it bit the ducks and tried to attack me and hubs! grrr

Anyway here are the pics taken yesterday on our way here... will rest well and take more pics of the city of Verona tmrw.. cheerios!


I posted this beautiful photo of my little Sonia on my fb.. got to love the Autumn colours ey


Took her to the nearest playground and she had a blast eventho it was 0 deg


.... all grown up... why oh why do our kids hv to grow up so fast! i will miss this when she no longer wants to follow me everywhere... when she no longer asks "why" on every single thing she sees..when she no longer allows me to kiss her lol


Feeding the ducks and the naughty swan.. do u know that swans do the hissing sound just like cats when they are annoyed? its not that we were trying to attack it.. we only wanted to feed it and it went bonkers! geessshh


One last pic bef we left Luzerne.. it was pretty foggy that morning and all i wanted to do is to run back to our hotel room lol


Road trip to Italy has always been a nice experience with some awesome picturesqueness.. u get to see the swiss alps.. u get to see lake como and so forth.. we did a quick stop for sonia to play with the snow since we knew that she will probably not be able to experience it again on this trip..


Sonia said... "Mama I can eat it.. it looks like ice khacang!" hehe


Hubs and his fav Diesel Audi rental car and lil Sonia's fascination of the snow lol


The only pic that i managed to take when we got into Verona... its a beautiful city with lots of places that i need to explore.. first i hv to keep myself warm.. get better.. eat my flu and fever med and fight the cough bug huhu.. after all its just Sonia and me this week...
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Time: 7:00am
Weather: Nice... cooling... 1 deg
Venue: Luzern, Switzerland
Mood: A little tired but a one happy lady.. Jet lagged - while others were abt to fall asleep.. i woke up - yikes
Peak Agenda: We got into Frankfurt around 6am and drove straight to Luzern.. it was abt 400km and hubs got us here within 3hrs.. he loves driving here simply bec theres no speed limit (in Germany) and the drivers here are a lot more "consistent" compared to our drivers back home.. once u reach the swiss border... u hv to drive like a max 120km/hr which hubs followed diligently  lol.. we dont want to get a ticket for no reason.. right? ahaks..

Anyway on this trip.. i noticed that Sonia ear is a lot more sensitive than bef.. she has been having prob with her ear whenever the plane takes off and lands and now that we hv to drive thru the Alps.. i noticed that she has the same probs again which reminded me of Hairi when he was young.. up to tdy.. Hairi still needs ear plugs whenever he has to take a plane ride.. i can imagine how painful it is for Sonia cos she was in tears huhu

When we got to the Radisson Blu Hotel.. our room wasnt ready.. we decided to take a quick look around Luzern since most of the shops here close at 4pm on Sat ::o)




Standing here for the 2nd time in my life brings back memories... Sonia was still a baby and i was 15kg heavier lol.. we met hubs school buddy, Kim, here for a quick coffee.. back then he was still single and looked a lot like Tom Cruise lol - err he still does actually hehe


Lucerne ( /ˌluːˈsɜrn/; German: Luzern, [luˈtsɛrn] (listen); French: Lucerne, [lysɛʁn]; Italian: Lucerna, [luˈtʃerna]; Romansh: Lucerna; Lucerne German: Lozärn) is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people,[3] Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and a nexus of transportation, telecommunications, and government of this region. The city's urban area consists of 17 cities and towns located in three different cantons with an overall population of about 250,000 people.[4]
Due to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne (der Vierwaldstättersee), within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps, Lucerne has long been a destination for tourists. One of the city's famous landmarks is the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century. - Wikipedia


Lake Lucerne - Lake Lucerne is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. The lake has a complicated shape, with bends and arms reaching from the city of Lucerne into the mountains. Wikipedia

Pretty scenery!


Got to love the salty croissant fm Bachmanns!



Love love love this pic to bits!


Hehe why on earth is my ass looking like the swiss alps on this pic! muahahhaa..  Macs oh macs.. my first bite was four years ago.. back then i had no clue what "macs" all abt.. i know for sure that i bought home boxes of it lol.. got to love the swiss macs.. its tiny abt 3/4" in size and the fillings are to DIE for! not too sweet and oh so yummeh! Here they are called Luxemburgerli. I think i will run down and get a few boxes since our htl is located near train station and there is a Bachmanns there too! yehaaaaa


After munching on bread and macs.. we hv to work it off by walking lol


... and walking - love it! 


Stop by to feed the swans and ducks


Bright and sunny and cold at the same time!


Whenever i see ducks.. all i can think is Cik Som ahaks

Ok kiddoes.. going down to hv a quick breakfast and do more sightseeing bef we continue on our journey to Verona, Italy..where Hubby will start his work.. the weekends are the only time we have with him :( .. now for a 5hrs drive i think.. ciao


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I am leaving on a jetplane...


Yes yes.. finally its here.. my long awaited hols.. for the first time in my life.. i am really looking forward to my trip.. maybe bec this year i traveled a lot less than bef but hey that makes it more interesting...


One thing's for sure.. I am going to look after my belongings.. am going to look after my precious camera like as tho I am looking after my kids.. we will be flying off to Frankfurt first and will be driving straight to Lucerne.. the last time we were in Lucerne was 4 years ago.. Sonia was only 6 months old and it was rainy and cold .. brrr... this time around the temp is gonna be slightly better .... now with a better camera on hand.. am looking forward to take a few good pics there.. so stay tuned peeps!


And bef i go.. as promised... this is the English fruit cake recipe which i had promised to post.. hv a wonderful weekend to all my lovely readers.. see u guys in Lucerne .. cant wait to smell the fresh air..  the roasted chestnuts... cant wait to visit all the Christmas markets .. I hv a long list of what to buy fm u know who lol.. See ya!

Ingredients
(A)
250g butter - i used salted SCS
200g brown sugar

(B)
4 eggs

(C)
200g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
80g almond powder

(D)
100g dried crandberries
100g red cherries
450g black raisins
100g orange peel
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
80g orange juice
1 no orange zest

(E)
60g plain

Sugar Syrup
100g orange juice
50g water
80g sugar

Method
1) Mix (D), set aside for at least 2hrs or leave overnight
2) Cream (A) with flat beater at medium speed until light. Add (B) one at a time and cream until light and smooth. Stop to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula after each addition.
3) Add (C) and mix until well blended
4) Toss (D) with (E) to coat the fruits with flour. Then add it into (3) and mix until well blended
5) Pour it into 3 greased and lined 6.5 x 3.5 x 2.5 inch loaf pans
6) Bake at 170C at the bottom rack of the oven for an hr. Remove the cakes fm the tins and brush with sugar syrup and set aside to cool. Wrap with aluminium foil. Keep for min two days then serve
7) Sugar Syrup: Cook all the ingredients until boiling

Source: Fab Cake Business by Alex Goh

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Salam Maal Hijrah to all my muslim readers... been a year already ey... how time flies... it seems like yesterday that I was wishing the same to my readers.. soon our kids will start their school hols and bef we know it... we as parents will be busy preparing our kids to go back to school... this is our cycle of life.. it is like a wheel... it goes round and round.. of cos while its spinning u will hv a few obstacles and of cos u will try ur best to go thru it and keep the cycle going.. sigh.. soon i will be 44yrs old... what hv i achieved so far? i wud hv say... Alhamdullilah... I hv my family with me... my parents are in good health... both my sisters are well..


Its not even the end of the year and I am having flashbacks... this year has seen better days than the year bef eventho there were times when i wished i didnt hv to go thru it - nevertheless i am happy... am happy that i wake up every morning to see my family in good health :o)


So ok.. bef i go on and on abt life.. i just wanna thank every single person that has ordered thru my online store and my bakes... i enjoy what i am doing right now and Insyallah will try to bring in new things into my store.. am hoping that i will get to source diff things while in Europe... so do keep a lookout yah..

In the meantime.. lets feast our eyes on this donut hehe.. The first time i saw this chubby donut was when Nor loaded it up on her FB wall.. her donut looks so chubby that on the very next day.. i had to get myself a bag of sweet potatoes.. knew that it would best to share it among my sisters.. doubled the recipe and got myself close to 40pcs... took it to moms place during Deepavali and got a hundred likes fm everyone ahaks.. ty Nor for sharing it with us... Donut was chubby and stayed soft even on the next day :o)


Ingredients
320g flour
2 tsp instant yeast
60g sugar
180g sweet potato - boiled and mashed
1 egg
90ml water
1 tbsp condense milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

Method
I used my breadmaker to do the job.. u can of cos do it manually.. once its done its course.. u take ur dough out.. gv it a light punch and start to divide ur dough into balls.. each ball at 40g.. roll ur ball.. press it a little and take ur round cutter to cut a hole in the middle.. place ur donut on ur tray.. cover it with a cloth and let it rise for the second time.. once it has doubled in size.. prepare ur oil.. heat it up and start to fry..

Below is the recipe in Bahasa fm Nor of Secubit Garam... Original recipe is fm KWan.

Bahan:
320 gm tepung gandum
2 sudu kecil yis segera ~ k.nor guna mauripan
60 gm gula castor
180 gm keledek rebus ~ k.nor guna keledek oren
1 biji telur A
90 ml air
1 sudu besar susu pekat manis
1/2 sudu kecil garam
1 sudu besar butter
~
minyak
gula castor secukupnya

Cara-cara :
Lecek/lenyek keledek yg direbus tadi hingga halus. Ketepikan.
Masukkan tepung, yis, gula dan keledek. Gaul sebati.
Masukkan pula telur, garam dan air (air perlu dimasukkan sedikit demi sedikit), gaul hingga membentuk sebiji doh.
Kemudian masukkan butter dan uli hingga menjadi doh yg lembut dan tak melekat pada mangkuk.
Tutup mangkuk dgn tuala lembab atau plastik cling dan biarkan adunan naik sekali ganda.
Bila adunan dah naik, ambil sedikit adunan (lebih kurang35 - 40gm) dan bulatkan.
Letak atas papan pencanai yg ditabur sedikit tepung dan tekan2 hingga sedikit leper (lebih kurang 1 1/2 cm)
Tekap bahagian atas doh tadi dgn menggunakan mulut botol air mineral/minuman utk membentuk lubang pada tengah2 doh.
Keluarkan doh yg dibahagian tengah tadi dan ulang sehingga habis adunan.
Rehatkan doh yg dah dibentuk lebih kurang 20 - 30 min (atau sehingga doh naik/mengembang kembali - doh akan lebih cepat naik kalau cuaca panas)
Panaskan minyak dengan api yg sederhana dan goreng donut hingga masak.
Angkat dan toskan.
Biarkan seketika kemudian barulah disalutkan dgn gula castor.



Last but not least.. pics of Sonia doing what she does best.. playing with batter hehehe... i will try to do this Angry Bird steamed cake again when we get back fm our trip .. wanna share this recipe.. cheers!
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Weekend came and went so so quickly and bef u know it.. 2012 will end soon.. am counting the days down to our trips.. woot!! cant wait to put my apron away :op

Last weekend was my first borns' bday.. hes 22yrs old now and we did it in a small way.. took both my kids to watch the International 7s Rugby tournament and to an Indonesian restaurant.. oh and if i hv the time i will load some pics of the tournament yah..


I on the other hand hv been busy ever since i started baking.. this week is no exception.. i baked hudreds of mac shells and also threw away three batches of em.. i dont know if it was bec of my egg white.. or maybe my almond powder .. or cos of the wet weather.. it cud also be bec of me .. shrugs.. bottom line is... i never gave up and i managed to bake it for my customers.. I've also steamed a couple of steamed fruit cakes for a wedding this weekend..

The only cake that i managed to bake last wkend for my family was this cake... i hv bookmarked it like many months back and only got to bake it now.. Ty Hesti for sharing a wonderful recipe.. the cake itself was rich .. moist and fulfilling.. i added salted caramel chocolate ganache for topping.. yumms!


Rich and Moist: Sour Cream Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

from: Savory Sweet Life

Ingredients
1 stick of salted butter, softened to room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 large ripened bananas mashed ( or 2.5 small bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 cup of mini chocolate chips (regular chocolate chips work too)
optional 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts - i didnt use

Instructions
Preheat over to 350 degrees - 175C
Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan, or 2 mini pans with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Stir in egg, mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla until well blended.
Add baking soda, cocoa, and flour.
Mix everything until well incorporated (about 3 minutes in a Kitchenaid mixer).
Add chocolate chips and nuts (if applicable).
Pour batter into loaf pan(s) and bake for 50 minutes – 1 hr.
Insert a tooth pick into the center of the loaf and check to see if it comes out clean when you pull it out.
Remove from heat and allow bread to rest in the loaf pan for 10 minutes.
Invert the loaf pans onto a cooling rack. Enjoy warm or cold.

PS: I did one and half recipe to fit my bundt pan and baked it 15mins longer

Original recipe is fm here
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Boooooo!!! hehehe I am not into all this spooky thing.. i dont even know when the last time was that I watched a horror movie... i think i stopped watching ever since i got to know hubs... he once said this to me... "I dont see any reason why we shud watch a horror/thriller movie and feel scared after that.. might as well not watch it" - Err muahaha .. the truth is i think some ppl are "allergic" to horror movies ahaks

..


Once upon a time I loved horror/thriller movies... each time theres a new movie.. mom and dad wud take us to the cinema... i remember watching Jaws at Rex cinema .. i was young and i felt traumatic after watching all the blood thingy... nevertheless it didnt deter me fm watching the following sequels.. Then it was Piranha.. The Evil and so forth.. The Exorcist.. my my... i think that was the best horror movie of all time.. I remember i got nightmares after watching it... up to now.. i still cannot watch that movie without turning away my face each time the camera focuses on Regan (Linda Blair).


During the 80's saw producers making more and more horror/thriller movies... Friday the 13th, nightmare on elms street, City of the living dead, Boogeyman, Canibbal and so forth.. during the 80's my fav was Poltergeist .. did u guys ever watch it?? hahaha now i feel old :op

Anyway enough abt all this horror thingy.. we dont want someone to get nightmares .. right?? I decided to do this entry bec of Sonia.. she had her school Halloween Party two days ago and i decided to bake spooky cuppies for her school mates.. recipe is pretty straight forward and cuppies turned out fab.. the texture was nice.. the cuppies rose well and they didnt crack or even become lopsided .. the liners that i used was fantastic and i am definitely gonna go and get myself the same liner and use the same recipe for my chocolate cuppies.. Awesome recipe!


Prettier view?? muahahah Recipe i got fm Ambrosia and she got it fm Epicurious.. frosting is fm Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook.. i also frosted half of my cuppies using swiss meringue buttercream.. in total i got 30 cuppies..


Devilish Devil's Food Cupcakes
cupcakes from Epicurious, frosting from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

 Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature

For the Frosting

4 cups confectioner's sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons whole milk
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract (to taste)
Wilton gel colors


Directions

To make the cupcakes, begin by preheating the oven to 175 degrees C, and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa powder until smooth. Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a standard electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Begin to add in the flour mixture and the cocoa mixture to the creamed butter, alternating between the dry and wet ingredients, and making sure to begin and end with the flour mixture. The batter may look slightly curdled, but don't worry, this is what you want! Mix together only until just combined.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the cupcake tins. Bake the cupcakes in the oven until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Set the cupcake tins on wire racks, and allow the cupcakes to cool in the tins for about five minutes, before removing them and allowing them to cool completely on the racks.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In the bowl of a standard electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the confectioner's sugar and butter until the mixture begins to come together. Lower the mixer speed, and add in the milk and vanilla extract. Increase the mixer speed to high, and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.


For swiss meringue buttercream recipe u can get fm my previous post.. I did a two toned frosting and piped frills on my cuppies..


My little Sonia as Hawaii Hula Girl..


Her spooky spider cuppies without legs lol.. grrr why is it so so difficult to find the strap licorice here! blaahhh

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About Me

My photo
Hi.. I am a SAHM to 2 kiddoes..19yr old boy n 2 year old girl.. met my Austrian hubby here in Singapore and hv been living here all my life... my love for baking started when i was 6mths preggie to my daughter, Sonia... my addiction to baking has not stop eversince.. I hope to learn as much as i can abt baking and decorating and then share it with u along the way..