BunBun

Wow, your place looks more like couple pad de, the kind where couples who aren't married yet, with individual bachelor/bachelorette style infused to the house style. That's just what strikes me - the 1990s meets 2000s age. Those rainbow stripes on the wall look a bit reflective... reflective paint or acrylic glass?

Wow leh, your roast chicken dish will tempt my hubby 'cos he will surely like to eat! Mickey, you got a good deal - savings of S$150 right? Actually the FZ 62 C.1 IX & FZ 73C 2IX are similar in terms of capacity and programming except that the FZ 73C one has a nicer appearance & comes with Oven accessories compared to the FZ 62C. I think the FZ 73C is the improved & newer version of the FZ 62C since both are Catalytic Self-Cleaning Ovens

Haiya, remember to post pictures of the food! I will be out of town during that weekend

Yeah, we can be good friends in mutual food tastes! I'm like 1/4 vegan though - I don't even touch certain meat types except for pork ribs & mutton. Wierd right? New : your cushion story very drama but I think it should be fine since it is the skin having problems. Scary if the chair had worse problems than the skin, then it will be super drama with the furniture people

Mushrooms? I absolutely love mushrooms esp the fried button mushrooms manhattan fish market has. I totally fell in love with the fried mushrooms. Actually mushrooms has alot of benefits - good for preventing cancer cells, particularly reducing the no 1 killer cancer of women. It even is low in saturated fat, high in fibre, reduces blood cholesterol levels(good for those with hypertension on a diet), vitamin D, high in proteins and being has good source of three essential B-vitamins: Vitamin B2, B3 & B5.

Wah all take leave also. Me very ke lian too work full day today - co dun even have half-days for xmas eve & new year eve. Somemore, almost all my colleagues in my dept on vacation leave. I also sama sama as mickey, envy all who are on half-day today! Happy new year to all in advance

Wah, i will have to give this outing a miss... haiya timing clash again. no fate to see new's lovely place

Hello there! No wonder so power go food court look for the tim sum guy. Or else you'd probably expose the guy online with incriminating photos + any agreement + evidence of what transpired. But at least your house is done up in time for CNY. 2009 sure pass by in a flash.

Yo Char, finally see some pictures. I like the MBR part best 'cos that area near window.. can put a study table for lappy or dressing table there But didn't catch the whole story about $$ and cockroaches entirely.

You're welcome. I used a normal spoon last time to dish out the batter into the cups but it was pretty slow, so can identify with you on this part. Then I got the ice-cream scoop after looking through alot of food blogs. I think it is definitely faster now with the ice-cream scoop, can also agar agar how much is the cup filled by then. For the baking king, he can eat the pastries anytime FOC.

Lucky Rondy to enjoy your cupcakes . Actually you can fill 2/3 of the cups with an icecream scoop. 1 and a half scoop does the trick neatly and faster this way

Yup I remember it. Very special also. PJ, you're welcome. Just curious, wouldn't it be better to fill up to 2/3 for your cupcake?

Shortening is a semisolid fat used in food preparation, especially baked goods, and is so called because it promotes a "short" or crumbly texture (as in shortbread).Shortening is basically just fat or lard from an animal or vegetable. ... while butter is a solid fat made from churning the fat from milk or cream until it solidifies. It is a water-in-oil emulsion, comprised of over 80% milkfat, but also containing water in the form of tiny droplets, perhaps some milk solids-not-fat, with or without salt (sweet butter Shortening is 100% fat. Butter and margarine contain 80% fat. Hydrogenation produces trans fats, which are the unhealthy fats known to cause heart disease. The advantage of shortening over butter or margarine is its smoke point (higher temperature before burning). Another advantage is its has a higher melting temperature. During the baking process of cookies it helps dough hold its shape longer. This allows the flour and eggs to set, keeping the dough from spreading too much. Butter is better - It contains many nutrients that protect us from heart disease & wins over shortening in the flavor department as Shortening has no taste so it varies. For eg; sweet pastries like cakes, cookies uses butter. Mooncake recipe uses shortening since the flavour added to skin (pingpi) & filling gives the mooncake that taste. Hope it helps!

I remember Rondy post his picture of the volcano cake he made and I posted the link on possible causes why it became like that, in response. Have to look for the link if I remember where i posted that link in? Anyway, one of the possible reason is the temperature, it could be too high. One other reason is, it could be due to the baking soda. But I think it is pretty normal as not all cupcake recipes are for flat surface cupcakes.

WAH! your cookies look great, angel81. So does rondy's muffins and worldangel's cookies. I'm salivating all over now. Sheesh this season sure going to pile up on the Kilograms. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

You know, you could try honey as another alternative too. Come to think of it, honey is also used as a glaze for certain things during grilling, roasting & baking.

Looks good. How does it taste with the tangerine syrup?

As long as the flour is incorporated into the mixture, it should be okay. Besides there will be bits of nuts and the dried fruits in the mixture looking like lumps too. You try the results again this time, follow the correct steps and you can omit certain things like the nuts or reducing the amount/adding in your special ingredient. After that, you can think of what to omit next time when you've tasted the end results. I usually like to follow the recipe for the first time, then think of what is good to my preference to suit with the recipe and taste.

There will be a few lumps when folding, but it is normal. If there's alot of lumps, did you add all the flour straightaway? If so, it should be added slowly in small amounts during the fold method.. This way, the mixture is not so lumpy this way.

Okay, first the texture of the cake should be something like Sara Lee pound cake, the ones you see in supermarket, except that fruit cake is slightly a bit more dry than Sara Lee pound cake since it is a moist cake plus it last longer than any cake in the fridge due to the preservation agent, I think is brandy itself. Secondly, cake flour has the least amount of gluten of all wheat flours, making it best for light, delicate products such as sponge cakes, genoise, and some cookie batters. So this type of flour shouldn't be used for heavy/rich cakes.. you can try either self-raising flour or all purpose flour. thirdly, your method of folding using spatula is the correct one because the method is used to help incorporate more air into the mixture and for gently mixing ingredients as well. So if you choose to omit some steps in making fruit cake, the omitted nuts and the use of dried fruits are fine, its just that the steps you choose to follow in your way is one reason. For eg; "Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the brandy, juice and zest of the orange, and zest of the lemon." -> the flavour is enhanced first with the brandy, juice and zest of orange, lemon. so it is more obvious. The flour with salt mixture is folded in later, its not supposed to be blended in with a mixer, just lightly mix it in.

Any picture of your cake? Can't see what is the problem also based on your description too. Just curious, how did you fold in the ground almonds, chopped nuts, and all the dried and candied fruits? If its not grainy enough, it should be the problem how you fold the method? Fruit cake is the heavy and moist type so it will be a little dry and appear a bit crumbly cos of the dryness.

I'm going to bake cheesecake & some brownie cupcakes for an xmas party for my department but yet to see any christmas decorated cheesecake(the baked version) so any suggestion on how to decorate a cheesecake? The brownie cupcakes part is the easiest.

The type of cookies you're aiming at, thin or slightly thick ones? It will depend on how crunchy you want it? Actually I have a cookie recipe book with me, if I see something else that sounds good and turns out crunchy to eat, I post it here. I haven't done much baking lately -> work's a killer & then the things that need to be done will be taking a long while to follow up.

I've never made durian dessert before, let alone durian cakes. Can check out the recipe books.

It boils down to supervision but no matter what, they still try their best to help you out. Its a bonus plus considering few IDs go the extra mile. I believe it work out well in the end for both of you in your home reno.