chocolate chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies

cookies & milk. brings back fond childhood memories ^^
this chocolate chocolate chip cookie was the first ever thing i attempted baking on my own after beings mummy's helper for awhile.
this cookie is very very simple to make.
i used to help mummy make this for any parties at school (where we had pot lucks for childrens day etc) and also for chinese new year. and i remember twe could only eat the cookies TWO days after baking cos it was still "heaty" and i'm so ever prone to sore throats! >.<

the recipe is so simple, i even have it at the back of my mind
(why oh why doesn't this seem to work for me when I'm trying to memorize glomerular diseases)

ingredients
4 ounce butter (at room temperature)
3 ounce Castor sugar
1 egg yolk
6 ounce all purpose flour + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 1/2 ounce chocolate chips (or more..heheheh)
nuts (optional). i choose to put yummy macadamia nuts this time =)

mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (can do it manually or using the electric mixer)
add the egg yolk and beat till well mixed
sift the flour, baking soda and cocoa powder into the butter mixture.
add chocolate chips and nuts.
mix well.
take a thumb size ball of dough, roll it and slightly flatten it.
place it on a greased cookie tray.
bake it a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 15-20 minutes







this would be my 96th post. going to reach 100!!
next friday is RENAL ASSESSMENT. and im sooooo not ready. still blogging somore. aih.
9 more days until our 2nd year anniversary.=)

sweet treats-sago pudding!

here is one of my favourite traditional (is it?) dessert of all time!! =)
sago pudding! yummy!
simple yet sinfully rich and delightful
I've always been fascinated by sago. how they look so pretty like little pearls.
and their soft chewy texture is just mmm-mm. ok, i'm exxagerating a little ;p

some simple instructions on how to make this.
you need:
sago
gula melaka
coconut milk
mould

first boil a pot of water. then add the sago and cook until the sago becomes translucent.
drain excess water and let the sago cool down. it should be transparent now.
then scoop the sago into moulds (can use the ones for making "lo mai kai" or whatever) or put it in a dessert cup.
let in cool in the refrigerator.
meanwhile, grate/chop the gula melaka into small pieces and melt it over a double boiler (heat a wok of water over the stove and place a smaller pot over the water with the gula melaka)
to assemble, unmoluld the sago on a plate, drizzle desired amount of gula melaka and coconut milk over.

pot of sago

my masterpiece!

yup its fattening but its okay to indulge once in awhile =D

'tis the season to be jolly

one more month till Christmas and i can feel the festive mood already.
i love listening to all the Christmas songs and really enjoy seeing the lavish decorations put up in the shopping mall.
makes me happy, warm and fuzzy!

and of course, giving is always better than receiving...
so take this opportunity to to your part for charity.
go to the ground floor of IMU, in front of the CSU, there is this Christmas tree decorated with heart shaped and Christmas tree tags each with an item...simple things like toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, sugar, cooking oil,milo, detergent etc. take your pick, purchase the items and hand it over to them...and it will all go to charity homes. a simple act of kindness goes a long way.

me in front of the xmas tree. i picked bath soap and sugar!

went to pyramid and the xmas deco was up already.
cute little and huge snowman, lighted reindeer and simple yet beautifully decorated xmas tree
enjoy the pics!

frosty the snowman

modern day "xmas tree"

cute fluffy teddies! eeee :D








can't wait to check out the deco in other malls.
Christmas tunes are already spinning in mind!

2 weeks till renal assessment. uh oh.

happy birthday bubu chu!

actually is a belated birthday cos her birthday was on 21st November!
see, i remember ok!
just that since i was busy yesterday i didn't wish her
so, today when i was "nerding" in the library after CSU, i suddenly remembered and quickly sms her hoping its not 12 yet in UK.
and by dedicating this post to her...is it enough to make it up, boo? LOL

i got to know this fantastic girl when i was in secondary two. she was sitting across the aisle. and i remember asking her for her art book. and thinking...wow! her drawings are GOOD! ahaha. after that we could just click and together with yiu ti (i wonder how you're doing...) we can just babble and laugh non-stop.

and now even when we are so far apart, we still do keep in touch by chatting online, long winded emails occasionallya and catching up when she comes back to malaysia.

miss Alicia chu you have been a truly great friend to me. thanks for listening to ALL (almost!) my problems and and giving me philosophical advice ;)

hope your birtday was great..i know its not the same as having your family and friends back in malaysia (ahem*me me!!!*) but..hey, didn't you get a cake before you left...in september?? ;P
and may you have a wonderful year ahead. best wishes from jala hiew! hahahha
those were the days!!!

distractions >.<

its the second week of renal system...
and renal is so so killing me.
its much more difficult than i expect it to be!
and also having to organize a event for AMSA.i really hope things will work out. sigh.

not to mention, i have very very interesting storybooks. far more appealing than notes. hmp.

went to a book warehouse sale and bought lots of books. from my favorite authors!
Nicholas sparks (2 books) and marry higgin clarks (3 books) and this new book called the memory keeper's daughter by kim edwards. I'm 1/3 through this book. its really good and very addictive! argh!!!help! have to study and try to comprehend physiology...

blueberry cheese tarts!

new recipe.
yep, blueberry cheese tart.
something i usually make for parties and stuff
quite simple but very tedious!
it took me two hours! phew~
this is a slightly modified recipe (just the measurements), after many trial and error. cos i find that i always had too much filling.

ingredients & method
for the sweet pastry
187 gram butter
90 g sugar
1 egg yolk (use a big egg)
375 g all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 teaspoon vanilla essence

cream butter, sugar and vanilla.
add egg yolk and water then continue creaming for about 2 minutes
lastly fold in the flour and ensure it is mixed evenly
grease the tart moulds with butter (so that its easier to remove after baking)
and press out the pastry (might take some time to master it. the pastry must not be too thin, or it might break easily. neither should it be too thick, there won't be space for the filling then. so try, try and try again!)
bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees celcius

for the filling
250 g cream cheese (at room temperature)
20g butter
60 g sugar
1 egg

blueberry pie filling
glaze (optional)

cream cheese, butter and sugar until fluffy
add egg and beat till well mixed

to assemble:
spoon the cheese filling into the baked tart moulds
add some blueberry pie filling and swirl it with a toothpick to create a pattern!
spread some glaze on top
bake for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees celcius

and viola~ you have yummy blueberry cheese tarts!


can use any size moulds. smaller ones are cuter of course but takes lots of time and patience!
grease, press out the pastry, put the filling and the topping!


dissolve the glaze over hot water


happy baking! =)

my very eventful holidays =)

wah, never enjoyed so much after exams before!
4 whole days of holiday. lots of time to have fun and recuperate (and get ready for renal?)
went out with my darling today.to sunway pyramid.
watched 2 movies!!
stardust..was really really really GOOD! i could watch it another time. i was mesmerized from the start right till the end.

then we watched another movie. THE BEE MOVIE!
haha, so unexpected.
but surprisingly, it was not bad. not that kiddy. and the jokes were funny. LOL

and bees can talk. in English! hahah. but yet i still don't like bees, even after this movie! eeek! I'll start screaming if i ever see one!
then when we were walking around, we saw this bunch of people, dressed up in really fancy, extravagant costumes. and everyone was so amused my them! then James went up to them and ask to have a photo with them...i really liked all their costumes! so cool~


had a long and tiring day.
but it was so much fun!
more post soon to come! since now is the only time i have to blog! (maybe first week
of renal also la) =)

random-ness!

some weird photos. hehe =p

this is what happen to kangabit. it shrunk and unraveled. and became like this
hm. not bad la. can last for so long
looks like a mutated seahorse


this is my 3 rabbits. the 3 stooges after their bath. minksy (the orange) binksy (the brown) and winksy (the grey)

aglio oglio!

new pasta recipe!
but it will be a little incomplete (no measurements)

this is my sister's version of aglio oglio.
simple, spicy and very delicious!

what you need: (for a serving for four person)
Lots of garlic (about on whole garlic, the more the merrier!) peeled and chopped finely.
Dried parsley
Dried basil (about one tablespoon each, alter accordingly la)
(can get from any supermarket or ingredient shop)
Dried chili (about 5 pieces) soaked it hot water, seeds removed and pound it using the mortar and pestle to get small shreds.
olive oil
1-2 Sausages, thinly sliced (i recommend the AYAMAS FRANKFURTER with mushroom. the bigger types. there are 6 pieces per pack. and about less than 4 bucks each pack)
*alternative is to use bacon*
canned button mushroom, thinly sliced
fine salt
black pepper
capsicum, sliced (if desired)

here is how to cook!
cook the spaghetti (follow the instructions on the packet)
heat some oil and fry the sausages and mushroom until cooked. set aside
heat some oil, fry the dried chili, spices (basil and parsley) and the garlic until fragrant.
put the spaghetti in to a large bowl.
add the sausages and mushroom
add the fried garlic, chili and spices
sprinkle salt and pepper to taste
mix it well.
keep tasting it until its just nice
you can keep adding spices also, and alter according to taste.

very very simple! can cook in about 30 minutes!



enjoy! =)

friends

they make your life colourful
they make you smile when you are down
they come from all walks of life but somehow you can relate to them.
b.f.f
best friends forever.

let me tell you about some of these people that has really made a difference in my life.
hmm..my first memory of my best friend was back when i was in primary one
(sadly i can't remember my days in kindergarten)
first day of school was naturally scary for some kids. including me.
i remember feeling lost, apprehensive and all i wanted was my mummy.
and then there was this sweet girl who was sitting next to me. she was all calm and composed and being friendly to me and trying to cheer me up.
and so began our friendship.
we spent lunch time together, sometimes joining the others in a game of "ice and water" or jump rope and stuff like that (ah~ the good old days!)
but we also had a "world of our own"
being very creative and imaginative, we named and describe places all around the school, giving them elaborate names and all. i remember there was this netball/basketball court and there was a few little palm trees at the sides. we pretended they were different island and would visit one everyday.
if I'm not mistaken, we also made up our own "language"
and i was a sensitive kid back then (still am, but less now) and i got easily upset when things go wrong. she was always there for me.
there was once i missed my school bus, and was already in tears. she waited for me until someone came to pick me up and assured me that everything was going to be fine.
we were in different class the last three years of primary school, so we didn't get to see each other often. and sadly, we went to different high schools.
we did keep in contact with each other, writing snail mails, posting greeting cards and all. but we soon got too busy with our lives and started to fall out.
well, we met up again during Chinese new year and she has changed so much! in a good way! although, regretfully, we can't be as close as we were before when we were kids..she will always be my very first best friend!

part two soon to come.
don't know why i'm getting so nostalgic!

photos of phing phing's 21st birthday party

ok! as promised here are the photos

one with the birthday girl =)

one with my dear dear who is looking so hot. hehe =p


the birthday cakeeee!

glorious FOOD! supply energy for us to run around sunway lagoon!


group photo!

another group photo, with phing phing being lifted up!
the benefits of being a cheerleader!lol

fun fun day, nice ending to the raya holidays =)

afternoon tea

finally got a two-tier afternoon tea set after hunting high and low. wanted a three tier one but quite difficult to find. and i saw one in metrojaya. three tier and with gold rim and hand painted romantic Victorian style flowers. ahem. lets not get into the price.
anyway, this one is good enough


can't wait to have afternoon tea now~
but need to stock up on ingredients.
oh, look out for another recipe. something that is a favourite among my friends.
BLUEBERRY CHEESE TARTS! muahahha

thinking of scones, mini muffins, brownies, finger sandwiches and tarts

omg, im so going to get FAT.

i'm back!

after a few "short and weird" posts,
here is a proper one =)
repro is done and finshed with (not really, hmm..just for now) exams was just O.K.
feedback was scary >.<

and now 4 WHOLE DAYS of HOLIDAY!
YIPPEEE!!!
then back to work.work.work!

HAPPY DEEPAVALI to all =)

one day before the repro exam, we went to celebrate my sister's 22nd birthday at the ITALIANNIES, in ONE UTAMA (there is also a branch in THE GARDENS, MIDVALLEY and another in THE CURVE)

very nice atmosphere. my parents said it was very "Italian-ish"
the deco was really nice. cosy homely feel.

the food!
the portions are HUGE! so goes their tag line.."bring lots of friends and a big appetite" or something like that.
they have a new menu, with salmon fish
quite a wide variety, pizza, pasta, salads, cute appetizing starters and meat.

first is their specialty.
Roast Chicken Italiannies. very herby and nice special taste. not cheesy at all, so mummy was happy! and the roast(or baked, whatever) potatoes was simply yummy!!!


our second dish was a pasta. seafood fettuccine, filled with mussels, fresh prawns, la-la, juicy tomato chunks and lots of other stuff, the sauce was really authentic.


two dishes were just enough.
and enough space for desert.
tiramisu!
sponge cake layered with mascarpone cheese and laced with liquor.
the liquor taste was a tad bit strong for me. the trick is to eat a little by little. then it would taste good =)


the bill came to about 100 plus.
overall, the service is good and the food was excellent =)
but just not something you would eat so often.