7 Traits: An Award/Meme

I've been given this Meme from my gal Palidor over at http://crazyasiangal.blogspot.com/, thank you very much... I haven't done a meme in quite some time :)

Here are the rules of this Meme:

1. Acknowledge the person who gave you the award (thanks Palidor!)
   
2. Nominate 7 other blogs
3. Share 7 personality traits

Here are my nominees... I'd sure love to find out what there 7 personality traits may be.
- Steph at Obsessed with Baking
- Small Small Baker at Small Small Baker
- Camille at Rtemis
- Gattina at Kitchen Unplugged
- Irene at Irene's Rumbles
- Sheryl at Crispy Waffle
- Belachan at Little Corner of Mine

And now one with rule #3... listing my personality traits

1. I guess one would call me a realist. In terms of guessing what the future holds, I'm not really an optimist, or a pessimist but I like to analyze the situations around me in order to determine what would be the most rationally occurring event. If you ask me whether the glass is "half-empty" or "half-full" my response would have to be in relation to the question... "well, did you recently pour water into the glass or take a sip from the glass?"

2. Obsessive, I am definitely an obsessive individual. Once I've set my mind to complete something I must do it, or else I will most definitely beat myself up about not completing it. I can never do anything without putting my whole heart and all my effort into it... if I go for a run with the mentality of completing a 10k, I can't cut my run short or else I feel like a lazy bum.

3. Perfectionist, this is probably the best/worst trait for me to have. Whenever I bake and something goes right I am very proud of myself and ready to great the world head-on... however, when something goes wrong during my time in the kitchen, everything goes downhill. I start to get bummed out because I start believing that I can't accomplish my baking/cooking task, and then my mind starts to wander which results in the inevitable baking/cooking failure... an impossible to present dish

4. Egocentric, again, not a very nice trait but it is me none-the-less. Although I do occasionally enjoy making others around me happy I am a very self-centered individual. If I'm not happy, I really must remove myself from big social settings, lest I make the rest of the group uncomfortable... yes, I'm sometimes a downer who always wants her own way.

5. Thrifty, this is probably the most prominent trait I express. I am Asian through and through, I will often stop by the supermarket even if I don't intend to purchase anything, simply so that I can walk through all the aisles and gather coupons that can be utilized at other times when the products are on sale... because on sale + coupon = major savings!! I am one of those people who take shampoos/soaps from hotels; asks for extra packs of peanuts on planes and saves them for an off-flight snack sometime during my vacation; and yes, I have asked for a refill on my "bottom-less fries" simply to ask the waitress to pack them to go... Also, my fave place to shop is called McFrugal's... so that's saying something :P

6. Distractable, it doesn't really take much to get me off topic and keep me off topic. I don't know what's wrong with the rails in my brain, but one's you hit the track-switch I'm off on a tangent with no capability of return unless you remind me where I was. I blame the internet, who invented this "tabbing application"? It is seriously a major cause for ADD. I can go on the web with the only intention of checking my e-mail, and then randomly end up on facebook, craigslist, ebay and attempting to buy merchandise from thinkgeek.com!!! AAAAHHH!

7. Indecisive, it seems that my friends and I share this trait. Don't ask us what we do on our nights out because we certainly don't know until we're actually doing it! Many of our conversations go a little something like this...
"Do you guys want to see a movie?"
"sure, if you want to"
"I'm okay with going, if you are"
"I guess we can go then"
"why not" ... and so on, and so forth... crazy, no?

Anyways, so that's pretty much me. Woah, I never realized that almost all of my traits are negative... dude that's not cool. Oh well, I'm not going to bother changing it... so I guess my 8th trait would have been laziness :P

What to do during a heat wave??

AAHHH!! Just managed to survive a 6-day heat wave with my sanity intact, but just barely. I actually took a girls-only trip to Whistler with a couple friends and the heat was so intense (reaching aroung 40C) that we actually saw a forest fire on the mountain!!! I can't believe that this is going to be the site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games! Hopefully there'll be more cool weather and some real snow by the time the games roll around.

But anyways, after coming back from the Whistler trip with my friends, I decided to treat my family to a recipe that we hadn't enjoyed in a long time. Something simple, easy and refreshing to help us cope with the unbearable heat. Ais Kacang!! YEAY! My sisters simply love this dessert, the shaved ice and evaporated milk, ice cream and other various ingredients. My youngest sister really loves grinding the shaver and watching the little snow-like pieces of ice drop from the machine... soo cute!!

I also made some cendol because I love the pandan flavor, and it tastes so good with the coconut milk and shaved ice!! It reminds me of being in Singapore! AAHHH!! I really want to go back sometime soon. The recipe for Cendol I used can be found at Rose's Kitchen. The only alterations I made to this recipe were to add about 1/4-1/3 cup of rice flour to the mix, in order to make a firmer and more chewy cendol. I know they look like greenish-turds but they are seriously delicious!

The ingredients we used for our Ais Kacang were: shaved ice, coconut milk, evaporated milk, gula melaka syrup, cendol, halo-halo, jackfruit, sweetened red beans, vanilla ice cream, and creamed corn!! It would have been nice to have some grass-jelly or durian to add in, but all-in-all it was a great way to beat the summer heat, and a lot of fun to design our own personal desserts... we must do it again soon!

AAHH! Sorry for the lack of postage...

I know it's been quite a while since I last posted a recipe or anything on my site, but don't worry. I'm not about to close-shop on my beloved blog. I'm just a bit caught up with the condo move-in at the moment. I'm planning to move in by the end of August; the mortgage has gone through and all the financing looks to be in order so now all I have to do is find some affordable furniture to stock the place with :P Well, just to keep you guys interested I'll post a couple pics of the place... and the kitchen! It's a 3-bedroom condo with a huge living/dining room and a kitchen that comes with a stainless steel fridge, microwave and OVEN!! My place is on the 2nd story of this 4 story building, which is good because I'm not a huge fan of heights. Yay! I'm so excited to be moving into my new place, but also a little freaked out by the entire process... well, anyways... here are the pictures.

Oooo, so bright and cheery!! Can't wait to move in for good :)

This is the spacious living room... a beautiful "blank canvas", just imagine the design possibilities

What cooking adventures will be had with this new oven?? We'll have to wait and see!

Yup, I'm quite excited about my kitchen... probably the first room in the condo that will be completely furnished within the first week of moving :P

A beautiful walk-way just beside my new residence, it leads out to the nearby shopping center and movie-plex!

YEEEEE!! I'm so excited to move in and start being more independent. I will have to have my family and my little doggie over to visit as much as possible... otherwise, living alone and cooking for myself will become uber-tedious! AAHHH and imagine all the crazy bakes that I won't be able to share with my family :( I guess I'll just have to do a lot more surprise visits (with treats in-hand) to my family and friends.

Tamara's Block Party '09

Hmmm... what do you do, when you're bored at home and need to beat the summer, mid-week blues?? Head out to your local new-channel's block-party of course :P


On July 15th, my family attended the local news-station's bbq, picnic, block-party, shin-dig hosted by their weather woman. The party was held at Queen's Park and incidentally the weather was perfect, not too sunny and not too cool. Normally, I'm not one to stand in line for 1 1/2 hours to be one of the first 1,500 people to a party but this was a different story. You see, my family can never pass up the chance to get free food :P And if you were one of the first 1,500 people at the party you'd get a free dinner made by Mr. Mike's Steakhouse and Grill. Also, this party was the site of the release of the 3rd collectors pin for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics... and, having already collected pins 1 and 2, we couldn't just pass up the chance to get the next installment! That'd be crazy!

We had no idea how many people would actually be attending this bbq/picnic thing, but when we arrived (an hour and a half before the tents opened) the line up was already about 400people long. By the time the block-party opened it's doors, the line up had grown to triple it's size! The entire park was filled with a really squiggly, swervy line-up of probably more than 1,500 people! I sure hope that everyone who took time out of their day to line-up got at least a pin or a free-meal... I know I would be peeved if, after waiting 2+hours in the sun, I ended up getting nothing.

When I first stepped in-line, at around 3:00pm I wasn't hungry at all. But, by the time we actually got into the "free-food" line-up, it was 5:00pm and the smell of the freshly grilled burgers was tantalizing my taste buds and making my stomach grumble. I had never tried Mr. Mike's before, I often drive by their Langley location but have always brushed it off as being "just another steakhouse". Sadly, they did not serve up steak (I didn't think they would, because that'd mean grilling up 1,500 steaks for free... probably putting them in debt :P). But, they did serve up a mean burger with a side of caesar salad. The burger was "Mike's Classic", an angus steak burger placed on a bbq-toasted garlic frenchbread, topped with cheese, a pickle and an amazing burger sauce (I'd say even better than White Spot's Triple-O sauce! *gasp* I know!). The burger was huge, and I actually needed help finishing it off... the bread was so delicious, and has now made me a fan of serving burgers on garlic baguettes. Great idea Mr. Mikes!! Great idea :) When I move into my condo, I'll be closer to the local Mr. Mikes, so maybe I'll become a regular... I wonder if they'll serve just the french bread just by itself??

AAHHH!! This burger was AMAZING!

Anyways, the block-party itself was fantastic. The musical performers were called "Dr. Strangelove" and they played an amazing array of oldies, but with a contemporary twist. A couple MJ songs were played, some Aerosmith, some Janice Joplin and a couple folk-country-tunes. It was fun to see the little tykes running around the playground and the water-park section of Queen's Park. All-in-all, this was a fun outing for the family... sometimes it's tough to convince my sisters to get their butts out of their computer chairs and get some fresh air :P

Water Chestnut Cake

Yesterday was a very hot day, the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. In the sweltering heat, I decided to take a break from baking and wanted to make a more refreshingly cool dessert. I had this package of water-chestnut flour in my pantry and decided that this would be the perfect moment to experiment with making one of my mom's favorite chilled desserts... water chestnut cake. I had never used this chestnut flour before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect upon opening the box. The flour was a bit different than rice flour, potato flour and tapioca flour... instead of the powdery texture, this chestnut flour was a bit more clumpy and in little crystals.

I used the recipe on the back of the chestnut flour box, and the dessert came out very nicely. The recipe uses very few ingredients, and is almost no effort at all. It just takes time to have to steam the dessert, and then chill it in the fridge... so if you want to eat it for dessert, it's best that you make and steam it well ahead of time so that you have adequate time to get the cake to it's perfect chilled temperature before serving.

Water Chestnut Cake
Yields 1- 8inch round cake

Ingredients:
- 250g water chestnut flour (half of the box)
- 500ml water
- 1 can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped
- 750ml water
- 1 1/4 cup - 2 cups rock sugar/golden rock sugar (depending on how sweet you like your cake)

Method:
1. Combine the flour with the 500ml water, mixing thoroughly until all clumps are dissolved.
2. In a large sauce-pan, dissolve the sugar with 750ml of water over medium heat.
3. Once boiling, add in the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Add in the chopped water chestnuts, stirring until they are evenly distributed.
4. Pour the thicken cake "batter" into a greased 8-inch pan, and steam on high for 30minutes.
5. Once cooked, allow to cool to room temperature. Then place cake in the fridge until firmed and cold throughout. Slice and serve.

My mom was so excited that I had prepared this dish. She's a fan of the "not-so-sweet" chestnut cake, and so I didn't add too much sugar. With so few ingredients needed, this recipe is a breeze to make and yet has such a wonderful flavor to it. Water chestnut itself is quite refreshing, but in this cake form it was divine!

Iced Lemon Cookies

So, I had one small little lemon lingering about in the crisper drawer of my fridge and decided to make something out of it before it went soft and mushy. Yet, in scouring the gazillion recipes online that use lemon, most of them required 2 lemons for the recipe to be completed. I was not about to go out of my way, drive to the store, and buy one lemon in order to simply finish up the one lone lemon I had left over, so I kept on searching the internet. Finally, I came across this recipe for Lemon-Honey Drop Cookies on Myrecipes.com.

Just looking at the photo made my mouth water. And all I needed was one lemon! Score!! The recipe was very simple and quick; it only took about 5 minutes of prep work (to squeeze the lemon juice, and grate the rind) and then 5 minutes of mixing... pop it into the oven for 12 minutes and voila! deliciously fragrant and refreshing lemon cookies!

The cookies turned out more like mini scones, in that they were fairly moist and soft and the lemon glaze was nicely tart. The cookies puffed up nicely in the oven, and retained their height... If you're a fan of lemons and soft, tender scone-like cookies then this recipe is a must try!

June Daring Bakers Challenge: Bakewell Tart

Well, the move from my house into my new condo seems to be throwing me off just a little! Can't believe I just realized that it was July!! I was so busy June 30th.... working a 12hour shift at the hospital; and then on July 1st I was doing a 10k run, followed by hours of moving furniture into the new place, so I didn't even think twice about posting my challenge. I did complete the challenge however so here it is... my bakewell tart!

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Bakewell Tart ... er pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)

Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz)) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)

15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened

125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in color and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow color.

These tarts/pudding pies were absolutely fantastic! I loved the almond flavor and texture imparted upon the filling, and it was paired so well with the mixed berry jam. Since my younger sister is allergic to ground-nuts and tree-nuts I used my ever-favorite substitute for a half of the batter... ground up pine nuts! She enjoyed the dessert as much as the rest of my family and even had seconds :P

Well, it's time to organize and de-clutter more of my belongings in order to bring them over to the condo!! AAHHH, I never knew that I was such a pack-rat... it's kind of crazy! Oh, and FYI all of my baking utensils are definitely coming with me to the new place :) ... can't live without baking!

Chive Buds and Shrimp

Woah, it's been one crazy month. Not much time has been spent in the kitchen... other than attempting to pack up all of my baking utensils and staple baking ingredients for the big move on JUNE 30th!!! AAAHHH I still can't believe that I'm moving to my own place by the end of this month!! In a way I'm super excited, but in other ways I'm completely stressing about how I'm going to adjust to living on my stoney-lonesome :( I'm gonna miss the random noises that my silly sisters make, the crazy daily conversations with my mom and dad and especially the yappy barking of my little doggie.

It's not like I'm moving too far away, in fact my condo is only about 15 minutes from my parents house if you take the highway. I suppose that sooner or later moving out was an inevitability but who knew that it would be the former. Anyways, amongst the chaos of cleaning up my pantry and re-arranging the cupboards of their crazy clutter I managed to whip up a simple and tasty lunch for myself. I had bought some "reduced-to-clear" chive buds from the local asian supermarket the day before today, and decided that I'd better use up the buds before they go completely limp and lifeless. So I chopped and pan-fried the chive buds, tossed in some seared shrimp and allowed the entire mixture to heat through. Mmmm, delicious and healthy... just the way I like it.

Spicy Chive Buds with Shrimp
(Yields enough for 2 servings)

- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup frozen shrimp, thawed
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp spicy hot-pot paste
- 4 cups chive buds, chopped into 3-inch long sticks
- 1 tbsp soy sauce

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a deep-sided, non-stick frying pan and fry up the garlic until fragrant
2. When pan is sizzling on medium-high heat, add the shrimp and sear on one side for a full minute. When cooked on one side, flip shrimp over to alternate side
3. Add in the chicken stock to help deglaze the pan, and add in the spicy hot-pot paste.
4. Continue cooking mixture over medium heat and add the chive buds. Fry up the mixture until buds are heated through, but not limp. Add soy sauce to taste and serve.

This recipe was really simple to create. I simply used the random ingredients that were inside my fridge. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to turn out, but I actually quite enjoyed the spicy, garlicy flavor. This dish will definitely be made again, especially when I have little time to cook up anything too fancy.

Mushroom, Spinach and Gouda Pork Loin Roulade

The other day I decided to make dinner instead of bake! Don't ask me why I had that crazy idea, but to tell you the truth it was probably all those endless summer-nights watching the food network that got me going. Anyways, I was rummaging through the deep freezer and came across this interesting hunk of meat, and unsure of what it was I read the label... pork tenderloin! Hmm... just looking at the piece of pork I already knew that I wanted to try out a recipe that I'd been keeping my eye on. I'd always wanted to make a roulade out of some sort of meat... be it chicken, fish or pork. And now was my chance!

Mushroom, Wild-rice, Spinach and Gouda Pork Roulade
(Yields 1 Roulade, 6-8 servings)

1 large piece of pork tenderloin
1 cup fresh button mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup cooked wild rice+brown rice mix
8 slices of smoked gouda
Additional 2 tbsp canola oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
A mixture of root vegetables (yams, carrots, potatoes, zucchini) sliced

1. To prepare the filling, heat oil in frying pan and fry garlic and onions until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms, chopped spinach and continue to heat mixture until vegetables become tender. Remove mixture from heat, place in a medium-sized bowl and mix in the wild rice and parmesan cheese. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
2. Prepare the meat by butterflying the fillet and using a meat-tenderizer to flatten out the pork
3. Leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge of the pork, place the 8 slices of smoked gouda down (overlapping is okay).
4. On top of the gouda, spread on the mushroom, spinach, wild-rice mixture.
5. Roll the pork "jelly-roll" style and secure the meat with butcher's twine. Rub the outside of the roulade with oiled hands, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Heat the additional 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan (large enough to hold the roulade). Once hot, place the roulade, seam-side down into the pan. Sear the seam and then rotate the roulade to sear the entire outside of the pork roll.
7. Well-grease a large, tall-sided baking pan and place enough sliced root vegetables to cover the bottom of the pan. Reserve the remaining vegetables to add later. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper, and any herb you enjoy. Place the seared roulade on top of the vegetables and bake at 375degrees for 45 minutes. Once the roulade has only 30minutes more to cook, add in the remaining vegetables.8. Once cooked, remove roulade from oven and allow to cool for 10minutes minimum before slicing. Once cooled, slice the roulade and serve with the vegetables and enjoy!

My parents were very impressed with the presentation of the meal. Really, a roulade is so easy to make and provides an amazing wow-factor for any occasion. Try making one tonight and your family will be very impressed by both the look and the taste!

Daring Bakers May 2009: Apple Strudel

This month has been one crazy one, it's taken me up until the last minute to complete this challenge. I've been condo-shopping with my parents for the last 15days and we have finally settled on a place! It's sooo crazy!!! So, between talking with lawyers, notaries, mortgage brokers, real-estate agents and condo-owners I found it a bit difficult to complete this months challenge... but thankfully I did it! I modified the recipe to include strawberries, because I had tons of strawberries lying around the house (in my fridge to be exact). All I did was place 2 cups of sliced strawberries in a small sauce-pan and cooked them over medium heat with 3 tbsp of granulated sugar. I waited for the strawberries to excrete their juices, creating a beautiful, thick and syrupy strawberry compote. I simply mixed the strawberries with the apple-raisin-rum filling and voila! Strawberry-Apple Strudel

Apple Strudel

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Preparation time
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes

15-20 min to make dough
30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling
20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough
10 min to fill and roll dough
30 min to bake
30 min to cool

The beautifully flaky, pastry layers

Close-up of the layers within the score-marks

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Mmmm, the luscious filling of apples, strawberries, raisins and rum.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

The strudel is rolled-up, scored and placed on the baking tray

I had a lot of fun rolling and shaping the strudel dough. It was actually a lot of fun! The pasty was wonderfully light and tender, especially after letting the dough rest for quite some time. The filling was perfect! Not too sweet and not too tart... just right. My sisters are still at school right not, but when they come home I'm going to serve up a nice slice of strudel with a scoop of ice-cream on the side... mmmm, what a perfect summer-time snack.

Boy are my parents and siblings going to miss me when I move out. I mean, who's going to surprise them with tasty bakes on random occasions when I'm not around?? And who's going to eat all of my tasty bakes when I make them all on my lonesome?? Wait... I've got it! Thank you Daring Bakers... you'll give me an excuse to invite my family over at least once a month to enjoy a relaxing hang-out and treat-time with me in my new condo. Yay!

Using the bread machine to make PIZZA!

Lately I've been seriously craving pizza. I normally enjoy trying out new pizzerias in my area, in search of that perfect crust+topping combination (that reminds me, I'll have to post some reviews for my local pizza shops) but being kind of broke and too lazy to drive out in search for the perfect pizza I decided that I'd make it myself. Now, you may be saying to yourself... "if you're too lazy to drive and buy pizza, how are you possibly un-lazy enough to spend time making your own pizza". Well, my first response would be... I am so dangerously addicted to baking and cooking that I don't even see it as work, and it actually invigorates me... and gives me more energy to power on through the rest of the day. Weird eh? And my second response would be... I have a bread machine to do most of the hard work for me! Yeah!

After my bread machine pumped out some amazingly tasty sticky-buns, I was ready to try making something on the more savory side. I was ready to find out how the machine would fair in making a pizza crust... and it did not disappoint.

Homemade Bread Machine-Assisted Pizza
Yields 2 pizza crusts

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water (warm at around 90F)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 1/4 cup bread flour (I used 3 1/4 cups AP flour + 1 cup whole wheat flour)
- 2 tsp active dry yeast

Method:
1. Measure ingredients into bread pan, in order listed
2. Select DOUGH setting.
3. Press START
4. Wait for bread to finish and COMPLETE SIGNAL to sound
5. Remove dough from the pan, place in a large ceramic bowl that has been well greased. Cover bowl with cling-wrap and let dough sit for 10 minutes.
6. Divide dough in half, roll each half into a circle large enough for your 2 pizza pans. Grease the 2 pizza pans with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal.
7. Place one rolled-dough circle onto one pan, pinch edges to make a crust and then top with pizza sauce, cheese and your choice of toppings. Repeat for second rolled-dough circle.
8. Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes, or until edges are golden and cheese is bubbling.

This bread machine is a wonder! It made the most fluffy, beautiful smelling and delicious tasting crust I have ever made or tried!

This pizza was designed by my sisters; they enjoyed onions, Italian sausage, Ukrainian sausage, pizza sauce and lots of cheese.

My mom and I designed this pizza. It's an all-veggie one, topped with zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, green olives, tomato sauce and cheese.

My mom and dad really enjoyed the pizza! They were surprised at how much it tasted like an authentic pizza from a classy Italian pizzeria. It tasted much more fresh than those frozen Delissio pizza we usually eat. And since we made the crust ourselves, we were able to put whatever we wanted on the pizza which is always fun! By making our own pizzas, we can guarantee the freshness of ingredients, and also guarantee that no body will be picking topping pieces off of their slice! I'm glad I tried out this recipe, and I think my parents are starting to appreciate the money I put in to buying the bread machine... whew! When you're parents begin to accept that a pricey purchase is truly valuable, that's always a good thing :)

The BMO Vancouver 1/2 Marathon

I know that the race took place on May 3rd, but I just haven't gotten around to posting about it. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited and all but it just totally slipped my mind with all the craziness of May that's going on. Mother's day, my dad's b-day, my b-day, working casual as a student nurse in hospital, doing some condo-shopping and trying to have a life :P

So anyways, this post is quite late but I'm still very proud of my accomplishment even though it happened 2 weeks ago. I did it! I ran my first 1/2 marathon ... a whole 21.1k done in under 2hours (1 hour and 49minutes to be exact)! My dad was amazing as well, he finished the 1/2 marathon in under 2 1/2 hours! I'm so proud of him, he's such a trouper.

Surprisingly, I wasn't psyched out the day of the run. The moment I woke up on May 3rd, I was ready to run. I scarfed down a hearty breakfast of low-fat yogurt, whole wheat toast and a banana and of course coffee. I fueled up with a butt-load of water and encouraged my dad to do the same. We had to wake up at 5:30am in order to get to the skytrain station by 6:00am and be at the race in downtown Vancouver by 7:00am. Thankfully the weather was amazing; not too hot and not too cold. I wore my gloves just because they always freeze when I run, and they look cool as well :P

When we arrived at the starting area of the race, we were quite surprised that one of the sponsors was McDonald's... I thought to myself, "probably not the most health motivating franchise" but whatever, they were giving out free coffee! The thing I love about races is not just the event, but it's the atmosphere. There were so many racers hustling and bustling along the busy street, all ready and all eager to show their enthusiasm for health and fitness. There were young and old, new runners and the seasoned professionals... and yet, all were equals on this field. Everyone was happy, chatting away with people they had never met before... but that was okay because runners all have one thing in common, a love for the sport.

Look at all the runners! Who knew that there were so many?? They must've all been hiding indoors on their treadmills (like moi) until race day.

During the run, there were many times when I felt like slowing down and walking parts of the course. But, my determined side pushed through and forced me to keep my speed, dig deep and even run up the toughest parts of the course (i.e. the giant hill at Prospect Point). I'd been training for this run for the past 6 months, and I think it went very well. I wasn't sore at all the next day and upon completing the race, I was actually very invigorated and energized.

My dad always enjoys the post-race freebies that accompany each race. After finishing, we were treated to gatorade, water, electrolyte water, Bear Paws, Dare cookies and crackers, fresh fruit, Cozy Shack pudding, yogurt, mini bagels, baby carrots and McDonald's iced coffee. I'm pretty sure my dad spent about one hour snacking and perusing the post-race arena after the race, and of course I had to join him :P By the time we left Vancouver, it was noon and we were ready to head home with our plastic bags full of free snacks.

My future goal is to possibly run a full marathon, although that is quite ambitious. I'm not sure how well I'd fare if I had to run 42k... although I love running, I think that 3+hours on the road might burn me out and make me go crazy. But anyways, back to the present... most of the craziness of May is over... oh and I probably should think about completing this month's Daring Baker's challenge before the month ends. TTFN

A Mother's Day Pancake Bar!

I actually spent a lot of time trying to decide what to treat my mother to for this Mother's Day, I thought that I'd pretty much done it all... french-toast, breakfast stratas, crepes, omelets, eggs Florentine, potato latkes, finger sandwiches. But then in discussing it with my younger sister, she mentioned that I never really made the traditional pancake breakfast. She's a genius!! So, with my menu pretty much figured out all I had to do wat figure out how I wanted to prepare my pancakes... and I thought what better way than to create the customize-your-own PANCAKE BAR!!

What You Need:
- Pancake Recipe (see below)
- "Mix-in" ingredients
- Topping ingredients
- Super sweet sauces to cover all of the above :P

The "Mix-Ins" included: crushed pecans, chocolate chips, blueberries, butterscotch chips, toffee bits, cookie crumbs and flaked coconut.

The topping choices included: fresh strawberries, apple cinnamon compote, pineapple chunks, bananas and freshly made whipped cream.

I had a lot of sauces available to choose from... I made a strawberry compote, a chocolate fudge sauce, the classic maple syrup and some caramel sauce.

Super-easy Pancake Recipe
Yields 8 large pancakes

Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 egg
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk (or 1 3/4 cup milk + 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar)
- 3 tbsp shortening, melted

Method:
1. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
2. Mix together the buttermilk, eggs and melted sugar.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until just moistened.
4. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for at least 5 minutes (this allows for the baking powder to react and produce nice bubbles, which create the fluffiness)
5. Heat a frying pan or griddle on medium heat. Grease the pan with margarine or butter, using a 1/4 cup sized ladle, spoon the batter onto the pan.
6. Scatter the "mix-in" (1/4 cup mix-in per 1/4 cup pancake batter) ingredients on top of the pancake batter, continue frying the pancake until he bottom is nicely golden. Flip the pancake and cook the other side.
7. Once the pancake is cooked, plate and serve with toppings and sauce!

Here's the batter in the pan with some mix-ins on top... mmmm blueberries, coconut flakes and crushed pecans.

Flipping the pancake over, the blueberries are still kind of visible!

So, the way I set up the bar was that I provided each family member with 2 small dishes (labeled with their names) that were approximately 1/4 cup. I let them know that each cup would be for one pancake, and that they could mix and match whatever "mix-ins" they wanted into one pancake. After selecting their "mix-ins", all they had to do was hand me their dish and I would make them their personalized pancakes right on the spot. With the frying pans already heated and ready to go, each pancake only took about 3 minutes.

Here's my mom's lovely looking pancake. It looks so delicate and elegant, just like my mom :P

This is my pancake, a bit of a mess... all hodge-podge with whipped cream, fudge, caramel and fruits on the side... hehehe, strange looking yet super tasty.

These pancakes were amazing, they were very fluffy... even more so than the ones made using a pre-mix. I don't think I'll ever use that pre-mix stuff again; besides, making pancakes from scratch isn't that difficult. The pancake bar was a success, my sisters really enjoyed it and my mom was excited that she didn't have to cook (or clean)... all-in-all it was a fantastic mother's day breakfast!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM!! WE LOVE YOU LOTS ~_~