My pleasant and scrumptious 22nd birthday

I turned 22 yesterday. Geez, time really rockets past fast! I still remember last year when I organised my 21st birthday celebration. And one thing that stuck in the deep recesses of my grey matter is the food. The glorious spread of food made possible by my aunts. But that was last year. This year I didn't bother organising one because I was too busy.

However, that didn't mean that I had a boring birthday. It was quite the contrary. You'll understand why at the end of this post! haha...

There's only one word to describe my 22nd birthday and that's "scrumptious". Seriously!

From sundawn to sunset, I'd been fed with food so delicious that I could rewind yesterday over and over again. Before you start thinking I've gone bonkers, allow me to guide you through yesterday's 'adventure' of sorts:



Mum wanted to treat me to a meal and since I was only free in the morning, she brought me and my sister to Din Tai Fung - that's why there's a picture of chilli crab xiao long bao up above! :)

I would love to post photos of what we ate but alas, I was told by the restaurant staff that no photography of the food and utensils was allowed.

Yes, I hear you asking how I got the two photos then? Ha. I took them before they told me to stop. Oh well. I guess you all just have to imagine what the food looked like.

It was my first time to this well known dim sum restaurant (apparently ranked by The New York Times as one of the World's Top Ten Best Restaurants) and I know that they are famous for their xiao long bao. And you know what? Whoever said that was darn right.

We had the chilli crab xiao long bao and loved the juicy part after you bite into the skin. What else did we have? Brace yourself and read carefully because you might want to go there and try it for yourself:

- steamed vegetable & pork dumplings
- steamed yam paste dumplings
- special braised beef noodle soup with beef tendon
- stir fried dou miao with garlic
- glutinous rice shiu mai
- dan dan mian (noodles in peanut sauce)

*These dishes are supposedly the most recommended ones...

All of us were stuffed after that. But hey, I left there a happy person. This was the best birthday lunch ever! Oh, and the tea served is really good too. Din Tai Fung's dumplings are top quality and the cutest thing is that you can watch the chefs at work because all that separates you from the kitchen are glass panels. Cool stuff!

Could you ever have guessed where I went for dinner later on?

Well it wasn't really 'dinner', but it was so filling that it just had to be dinner because I couldn't stuff anything else down my throat.

JF brought me to Haagen Daz (at my suggestion.. hehe) at the Esplanade and we had a chocolate fondue! I did blog about their chocolate fondue way back but it has improved quite a bit. Their portion is bigger (at a higher price naturally), and they serve the fondue with different dips! Check out the photos:






Cake, cookies and chocolate biscuit sticks to dip in pure molten chocolate! What more can a girl ask for?




Bananas, strawberries and green apples go oh-so-well with chocolate...




The heavenly and absolutely divine icecream balls. Ooooo, these are fab with melted chocolate. Ahhhhh....

I was so so stuffed after the fondue that I felt as if I couldn't eat chocolate for an entire week. Ha. But it was good. I love Haagen Daz's chocolate fondue. I'm still dreaming of it now...

JF certainly enjoyed it too, but I think his threshold for all things sweet and chocolatey is not as high as mine. At the end, it was only me finishing the rest of the melted chocolate left in the bowl.

And if you thought that was the end of my yummy birthday, you thought wrong.

After fondue, we went to shop in Orchard for a while and then JF suddenly asked me if we could drop by Pitstop Cafe at Circular Road to attend a friend's birthday party. Apparently his friend's birthday was also today. haha, I did believe him at first, until he said he needed to get a cake.

I smelled something fishy and knew then, that something wasn't right and how right I was! HAHA. Come on, Pitstop Cafe was where I held his surprise birthday party last month. It didn't take much for me to put two and two together. But you know what, it didn't matter whether it was a surprise in the end because I enjoyed myself thoroughly! All of us played games like mad and it was great just being around all my dearest friends.

Since Leonard & Cassilda's birthdays were also in July (just a days before and after mine!), this celebration was for the 3 of us and here's us blowing out the candles on the cake:




Actually, that was a posed shot. Haha, you were wondering how the photog captured the moment so well right? :P

The cake (from Panderia at Jason's Marketplace) was yum and so was the company and the stupid moments we had:



We played Uno, Imaginriff, Taboo, etc. I think the owners of the cafe are gonna go deaf soon. The entire place was filled with excited bursts of laughter and hoots and screams! So allow me to apologise to the kind people of Pitstop - thanks guys for putting up with our noise pollution... and sorry once agaiN!

Before I end, here's the final photo which more or less tells you the magnitude of the noise level:



Yep, that's the whole lot of us. I love you all! Amplify Ministry rocks! Thank God for each and everyone of you.

So there you have it, a detailed account of my totally scrumptious 22nd birthday. I really enjoyed myself and of course, the company of all my beloved friends, and not forgetting my family and dearest JF.

THANK YOU!

How best to start a fire in your belly

Golden Mile Complex is known to be a popular haunt to Thai nationals and I've heard alot about the food outlets there. Apparently they serve authentic Thai food that'll beat Thai Xpress hands down. And you know what? I kind of agree. Not only is the food there ever-so-delicious, it's reasonably priced as well. So you can forget about being nervous when asking for the bill. Ha.

Naturally, I wouldn't vouch for anything unless I've tried it myself and lo and behold, I actually made my maiden trip down to the complex with JF and Leonard & Cassilda, our close friends. Both of them are Easties like us so it's so convenient to meet up and makan together. Besides, the East has so much yummy food! Think Joochiat, Siglap, Geylang, Katong, East Coast, Changi Village, etc. hahaa... :)

Okay, I'm pretty sure all of you are curious as to which stall we patronised. I tell you, it was a tough decision! We took about 15 minutes just walking up and down the place, trying to let our gut instincts lead the way. And finally we picked Diandin Leluk. Why? I don't know. Maybe it looked promising? hahaa.... well not that we regretted it.

As we were seated, the waitress handed us the menu and to be honest, we were kinda wary at first because it did look like another Thai Xpress copycat. But the moment our dishes came, I had to eat my words.

Check out the food we ate:



This is fried minced pork with basil, served with rice and egg. Leo & Cass ordered this. Both of them love spicy food so they asked the waitress to tell the chef to make theirs extra spicy. And erm, I think they kind of regretted it after. That's because they really did just that, perhaps just a bit too much. But hey, chilli IS good. That's the beauty of it all. One can love and hate chilli at the same time. Trust me, I know!




Ta-dah, here's what I ordered: Claypot Olive Rice. I was actually a bit hestitant because the menu didn't say much about what was going to be in this claypot. So I quizzed the waitress and she told me that it contains cashew nuts, lime pieces, minced pork, onions, and chilli. I tell you, I was sold the minute she finished her sentence so I ordered that. Did I live to regret my decision? Not at all! But the portion was really huge though. It's enough to feed two people. Haha so about half of it ended on JF's plate. And I had to take the chilli out of his portion because the fella isn't that much of a chilli-lover like me - or rather, he doesn't have the threshold!

What I love about this rice is it's aroma. They used olive I know, but the fragrance was amazing. And each mouthful I take, it just gives me a sense of satisfaction. The crunchy nuts gave it texture and so did the lime - it refreshes the palate and the chilli padi really woke me up! I'll definitely order this again next time.



Pad Thai, the must have dish on every Thai eatery menu. JF ordered that and he said in passing that it did taste a bit like char kway teow. Haha.... that boy, I think it's because it's his first time eating pad thai! I was too busy with my olive rice to taste his pad thai but i thought it looked a bit lack-lustre. But maybe it's just because I was too overwhelmed by my olive rice.



Oo-la-la. Check out that sambal kangkong! We asked them to make this extra spicy too. And our verdict? It was scrumptious. Yummmm... i loved it. Well it's really hard to go wrong when you add sambal to kangkong doncha think?



The main event: the crab! Someone recommended Cass the baked crab with tanghoon and we tried that. This crab was huge. It was just nice for the four of us. And I loved the tanghoon. They actually seasoned the dish with plenty of ginger and peppercorns. It gave me a heady effect, more so because I kept crunching on the peppercorns. I know, it's hot, but hey, I love it. I love starting fires in my belly. It's just that kick I get, out of that spiciness. That sounds crazy I know but hey, if you were weaned on sambal belachan, chilli padi and curries since you were a wee toddler, you had better know how to handle your chilli and yes, peppercorns well!

What a feast we had last night! Oh but before I end this post, I want you all to play a little game of 'spot the mistake'. It's not my intention to embarrass the person who typed this menu but I just want to see how obvious the mistakes are, because it was to me! And yes, this was at Diandin Leluk:



All right, after poking fun at their drink menu, allow me to make up for that, and rave about their iced tea:



This has got to be the best iced tea ever. There's something about the colour too! All four of us really loved how it tasted as well. It was awesome stuff. If anyone knows where to get tea leaves that give this kinda of colour, let me know! Because I know Lipton tea never gives you this colour. Especially after you pour the milk in; the brown will be vaguely visible. But this one which we tried, the brown-orangey hue was a sight!

Speaking of sight! Allow me to show how much we enjoyed our food:



Ah-huh, so much, that we cleared EVERYTHING. Boy were we all stuffed! And I know I was on a chilli-high. All of us agreed that it's as if there were a fire in our bellies! So guys and girls, if you ever want to experience a fire in your belly, you know where to go....

Oh, and before I forget! Allow me to wish Cass a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It's her birthday today. What a coincidence ya know, just a day before mine! And Leo's birthday's on Monday. We're all July babies and are Leos as well. And this uber spicy meal you saw in photos right here? It was a treat from Cass. Thank you Cass. Enjoy your special day! :)

________________________________________________________

Diandin Leluk
#01-67/68/69
Golden Mile Complex
5001 Beach Road

Dark Chocolate Digestive Biscuits

This caught my eye the moment I stepped into Marks & Spencers today:



Instantly, my brain just told me to get it.

I didn't have to bat an eyelid or hestitate; I just knew, it had to be in my mouth. haha.

Seriously, I love digestive biscuits. Most often than not, I'd always have them plain and I like the ones by McVities. I didn't really like the chocolate coated ones simply because I found it too sweet. That's because they use milk chocolate. And you know how partial I am to dark chocolate and how stubborn I can be. I really like my chocolate dark. These days, I won't eat much milk chocolate even if you pay me to. Just personal preference I guess.

So, I was actually there with Christine, my younger sister and we couldn't take our eyes off everything at Marks & Spencers. We love checking out the food section and almost wanted to buy the whole store back. But alas, we decided to narrow it down to one. No prizes for guessing what we got in the end....



My verdict? It's uber yummy. Not as dark as I would have liked it to be, but much better than the milk chocolate ones I must say. Geez, I had four pieces in a sitting! But hey, you can't fault me, it tastes really good and besides, I had just finished my kickboxing lesson and was so hungry! Yay, Marks & Spencer will be seeing alot of me (not that they haven't), I still want to get more of their unsweetened fruit & nut muesli. I just found out they have a 1kg pack ($11.70).

The dark chocolate digestive biscuits are a dream. They cost about $3.50, which is quite reasonable I would say. Good enough for an occasional treat.

Allright, I'm really tired... off to bed!

Depot Rd Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa

Boy was I a happy camper yesterday! Just check out that hungry smile on my face...

Nothing, and I do mean nothing, beats a good scrumptious meal (that's also cheap! haha).

I dare say, having a yummilious meal always sets the mood for the day. It makes me smile more, laugh more, burp more maybe? hahaha, just kidding.

And so, I have to rave about this awesome claypot laksa I savoured yesterday at Alexandra Village Food Centre.

It's seriously da bomb!

I think I prefer this kind of laksa - with a thick and rich orangey fragrant coconut milk gravy with plenty of sambal. Katong laksa pales in comparison and simply fades into oblivion the moment I tuck into this one of a kind claypot laksa.

What makes this laksa so fantastic? First of all, I adore the colour:



Second of all, I can't get enough of its aroma. The gravy is thick like curry! And man, a $3 bowl is enough to fill me up. If you like big portions, there's also the $4 and $5 choice.

It's my first time eating claypot laksa and man, I'm hooked! This stall is uber famous for their awesome claypot laksa:



Check out the queue. They've been featured in various media as well.

Ahhhh.... thank God for claypot laksa! I've finally tasted laksa heaven. Seriously, it beats all the other laksas I've eaten. If only they had a stall in the East! This one is simply too far. I was only there yesterday because I went to Ikea and Queensway Shopping Centre.

Was there with JF and Leonard. Leo ate the laksa and loved it as well. But JF decided to skip it and ate this from another stall instead:



I think it's some nasi lemak with orange coloured (weird! it's not even briyani) rice. But it tasted really good too! He only paid $2.50! Man, I must come here more often. The food there's just so delicious....

Anyone knows any other yummy stalls there? Let me know ya!

Okie, I gotta go... I hope you try out that laksa soon. You won't regret it, I promise :)
______________________________________________________

Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa
Block 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-75, Alexandra Village Food Centre
Open Tuesday - Sunday: 8.30am-3pm

Step-by-step guide to making fishballs

Remember my post about me dad's fantastic homemade mackerel fish balls?

I know I promised to tell you how he makes it ya?

Anyway that's what this post is going to about: fishball making.

It's a relatively easy task actually. Or maybe my dad makes it seem so easy.

He's so cute - he bought some mackerels and then called me to the kitchen to take photos of him making the fishballs. He thought it'll be fun for you guys to see how it's being made.

And so, here I go... with a step-by-step guide to making authentic fishballs sans chemicals and what not:

1. First of all, you got to remove the fishie's innards. That includes the eggs, stomach et al. How do you remove them? You got to take a scissors (use a strong kitchen scissors please), and cut the side of the fish like so:



See the egg sac and all? Remove them.

2. Lay your precious fishie on a chopping board and then with a chopper (or any knife... just be careful with your fingers! haha), slice the flesh off the bones:



Do it for both sides of the fish and then you'll get this:



3. Now, with a spoon, scrape the fish flesh off the bones:



Make sure you don't waste any flesh. Scrape clean! But be careful to remove all bones. Now, you will keep the flesh in a bowl:



There will be quite a bit of flesh. That photo above was taken before Dad finished scraping all the fish meat.

4. What do you do with all that flesh? Simple. If you have a food processor, great, if not, a kitchen blender would do as well. What you want to do, is to make a fish paste out of the fish flesh. So do ensure you blend/process/mix the flesh well. After which, you season it with some salt and then viola - you have homemade fish balls! Trust me, it's that easy. Now you can scoop balls of it and add them to your soup.

But wait, what about the rest of the fish? In case you don't feel like wasting the rest of the fish, here's what you can do:



Chop up the fish skins and dip it in some egg and flour and fry it, for something to munch on before dinner.

You could also use the fish head and fish eggs to make assam pedas:



Gorgeous eh? My dad made it. He's a resourceful and wonderful cook.

Check out the fish head:



Mmmmmm.... i'm drooling at the pictures right now as I type this. I love the orangey hue. It speaks of the sour tang and spiciness of the dish. Amazing.

Dad rocks! And oh, guess what, he made Ayam Buah Keluak for dinner last night! Argh, but I haven't tasted it yet... cos I had dinner plans already. Nvm, I will have some later.

So anyway, hope you find this basic guide simple enough to spur you on to making your own homemade fishballs. Good luck and have a great weekend!!!

Yong Tau Foo

You got to admit that it's hard to find heart-healthy food at hawker centres. Every corner you turn, there are stalls selling char kway teow, laksa, fried carrot cake, and many more oily but very tasty food! Don't get me wrong, these local favourites I love to eat but it's definitely not advisable to eat them all the time. Usually when I'm out, I'd rather eat at hawker centres because it's cheap and yummy at the same time. Thank God food in Singapore is so cheap! Seriously, it's a food paradise here.

Anyway, my whole point is that, while the food is cheap and tasty, it tends to be on the more oily and unhealthy side. That's why I am so thankful for all the yong tau foo stalls all over the island. Haha, Singaporeans, you should know what I mean. Every food court and hawker centre has one. It's so convenient and it doesn't taste bad at all. Well maybe because I love veggies and tofu!

For the uninitiated, yong tau foo is actually a soup dish with Hakka origins. The fun part is that you get to choose what you put in it. But there's normally a fixed but varied selection that includes tofu, chilli, ladies fingers (okra), bitter gourd, kang kong, quail eggs, bean sprouts, sea weed, fish balls, cuttlefish, lettuce, crabsticks. Also, most of the ingredients are stuffed with fish paste and that gives it a chewy factor that I love. So after deciding what ingredients you want (you actually use tongs and put them in a bowl yourself), you let the stall vendor know how you want it served - with soup, dry, with bee hoon (rice vermicelli), egg noodles or with rice.

To find out more about Yong Tau Foo, check out this useful website.

As always, I have my favourite stalls whenever I go around eating my favourite dishes and one of my fav yong tau foo stalls is located at the hawker centre opposite Parkway Parade. I love the stall's name: Kara OK Yong Tau Hoo. And you know what? It's really cheap there as well. One piece of ingredient costs only $0.25. Normal prices elsewhere can range from $0.30 to $0.40. So for example, one bowl like this:



Set me back by only $2.20. Okay, I know it looks darn healthy. But it usually comes with a saucer of chilli sauce and sweet brown sauce, so you dip the ingredients in as you like it. I love having soy beans in my soup too, that's why I like this stall at Marine Parade. It's awesome. I know you can't go wrong with yong tau foo since it's so so simple but hey, you got to have a good soup base and fresh ingredients or else the entire dish wouldn't taste good!

So there you have it, a heart-healthy dish that ranks rather high in my favourite foods list. I just had another bowl today, after running at East Coast Park. Yummm... Try it out, why don't you.

One tired baker and many many cookies and cupcakes

Pardon my lack of posts for I've been slogging in the kitchen for the past week.

Been baking till my hands have that perpetual butter smell! And I burnt my finger too. I'm so careless I tell you.

Nevertheless, it was a very satisfying experience as always. No matter how much I tire myself out by baking endlessly (and I do mean endlessly! try baking from 7am to 9pm) till I feel like I'm working in a factory, churning out thousands of cookies and stuff, I love it.

You'd think I'm crazy but alas, I'm from a different planet. There's more to baking (and cooking) than just the process. Believe it or not but I actually find baking to be rather therapeutic. I take joy in baking with my heart and soul (yes it sounds cheesy but seriously, this is where i'm coming from) and knowing that others will get to enjoy the fruits of my labour.

So anyway enough rambling... here are some photos in case you're curious about my bake sale:



Brandt ovens are great! Erm, but too bad this is not mine. It's my aunt's. She bakes alot too and thus the good oven and amazing Kitchen Aid Mixer which ahem I got to use. Thanks aunt, you the best. She's actually coming home from her holiday to Norway today! and yay i've cleaned the entire place till it's spick and span.



Check out the Nutella! That's before I swirled it with a toothpick. I tell you, baking really makes you hungry. It's so tempting to just lick the spoons after you're done with it. This time, I didn't even have time to do that because I literally baked back to back. Ie. once one batch is ready, I immediately pop the next one in and so on. Really like a factory!




Nutella Frosted Cupcakes, after they're swirled. I love to do the swirling. It's fun! :)




My "Nuts about Nuts" cookies! These peanut butter cookies are awesome. I've gotten good feedback about these little crumbly rich babies. Oh and in case you're wondering, yes I use Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter. I tell you, the smell of baked peanut butter cookies emanating from the oven is to die for. Delicious.




Chunky Choc Cookies were quite popular too and I had to bake loads of them! I've baked so much of it that I can actually tell you the recipe from memory; no kidding!



Check out the chocolate chunks. This beats chocolate chips anytime. Mmmmm...




Man, check out the number of bottles! This is not all. There are actually more but most of the time, my hands are too occupied with baking that I tend to not take any photos. What backbreaking work! I really should train my sister or heh even JF to be my assistant baker! I could really do with some help. Maybe I will... the next time I hold a bake sale.

So there you have it, a peek into what I was so occupied with the past week. Here's a shout-out to all of you who ordered something from me: it was a pleasure meeting up with each of you and hearing your feedback. Hope you enjoyed my baked goods and I'll inform all of you again when I hold my next bake sale. Thanks loads for the support ya'll! It means alot! :)

Tea for me

You know what? I love mornings and as much as I love waking up to the warm sunshine bathing my skin as I open my eyes, I really wish I had more control over my body clock.

Yes, I can hear most of you going, 'huh?'. Well thing is, no matter how late I sleep each night (or morning for that matter), I always end up waking very early. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. But I need my rest! Take for example, yesterday, I slept at around 2am and just like clockwork, I opened my eyes around 7:30am.

I really envy those who can sleep however late they want! It's so weird you know! I need to reset my body clock so badly.

The thing about waking up so early and not being able to just close my eyes and go back to sleep is this: a sluggish me. And I just hate that! So I usually drink a strong cup of coffee. But you see, too much coffee is not really good. I don't want to be hooked on caffeine either.

So these days, I depend alot on teas to kickstart my days or mornings.

Teas have that effect on me - a refreshing wake-me-up that is light and not so unhealthy as coffee is (or maybe I'm just deluded! haha).

Alot has been said about teas - how it has anti-oxidants which reduce free radicals blah blah blah. And you know what? I kinda believe it. I'm sure those of you who have read my previous posts on tea know that I do have an affinity for tea. Especially in the afternoons. Tea goes well with pastries too!

I do have a few favourites and I have this habit of checking out new teas whenever I go to a supermart or a teashop. In fact, I have this tin box that I use to store all my tea bags.

Curious to know what teas I drink? haha... here's a peek:



I discovered this relaxing organic chamomile limeflower and lavender tea at Marks & Spencers. I really love the aroma of chamomile and the calming effects lavender gives to you so you should know why I had to get this. Besides, the box looked so purple and pretty! :p

Here's more of the other teas I drink:


From left: Moroccan Mint Green Tea, Korean Brown Rice Green Tea, Tazo Oolong & Green Tea, French Camomile Tea, Powered Green Tea.

So now all of you know what kinds of teas I drink. Tea is magical. There's just so many different types of infusions one can create. With so many choices available in the market right now, you'll be spoiled for choice!

Now you know why I like tea parties so much? Haha, it's not just the cakes and pastries I love, but teas are so up my lane. Now, time for me to get my tea fix. Cheerios!

Unsweetened Fruit & Bran Muesli

Yes, yes, I'm going to talk about breakfast AGAIN.

And yes, it's also about oats and stuff. This time, I have to recommend this great find to all of you - especially those who love hearty and healthy breakfasts.

I'm a big fan of muesli but am always put off by the sweetness of most museli mixes. I just can't stand the artificial sweetness that's caused by the amount of extra sugar some brands add. It's really an oxymoron to me. Sure, muesli is healthy but then the amount of sugar offsets the heart-healthy factor don't you think? The same thing that applies to supposed 'fat-free' foods! More often than not, they end up being sweeter than usual because they add more sugar to hide the lack-lustre taste due to the 'fat-free' factor.

Okay, before I start rambling on.... back to the topic. I just discovered Marks & Spencer's Unsweetened Fruit & Bran Muesli and I'm hooked. Have been having it for breakfast the past few days. It's filling and doesn't make me feel sick because there isn't any sugar added. The natural sweetness comes from the dried fruit in it. It costs $5.50 and i think it's worth a try - if you're a muesli girl like me. :)

Cookies, Scones & Cupcakes! - An afternoon tea by yours truly

I got to tell you, as much as I love eating dark chocolate by the bar, I think I'm soon to be a purist no more.

Dark chocolate can be enjoyed even in cookie form as I discovered today. What in the world am I talking about? Why all you can do is to look at the pictures and imagine then. Or you could try out the recipe too.

It all started with the idea of having an afternoon tea with my closest girlfriends and yesterday seemed perfect. Lina's birthday was on Tuesday anyway so this tea I organised doubled up as a quiet birthday celebration for her. Happy Birthday once again babe! :)

Afternoon tea is quite English and I've always loved to go for one. I've only been to a few proper English high teas but I gotta tell you; nothing beats having your own high tea. I know I've always wanted to hold one but couldn't find the time or my friends would be busy! But yesterday was an opportune time and I baked Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, Cranberry Scones, and Nutella Cupcakes.



I was pleased that my scones turned out all right! I actually used Molly's Scone Recipe I came across on Everybody Likes Sandwiches. You can add any flavour variation like currants, grated coconut, or even orange rind but I went for cranberries because I love the sweet yet tangy taste to it.

Again, I wanted to try a new chocolate recipe and was sieving through my recipe folder in my laptop when I found this Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie recipe from Epicurious. I baked them and my verdict can be summed up in one word: Phenomenal. Anyone who loves dark chocolate should definitely try these cookies. Mine was really really rich because I used Droste's 72% dark chocolate on top of the Cailler Cocoa Powder my aunt brought back from Switzerland the other time. These cookies are heaven-sent. I'm so glad I chose this recipe! I'm still thinking about the cookies. Mmmmm.... I think I'll have some for breakfast!



I had to bake nutella cupcakes especially since our dearest friend Shivani just came back from Perth after finishing her studies. Lina, Shivani and I have been best friends since our mass comm days at Ngee Ann Poly and it's amazing how our friendship is still as strong. Haha, Shiv actually saw pictures of the cupcakes on this blog of mine and wanted to try some. Of course I had to bake them! It was really good, having a nice long chat with your close friends while enjoying some cookies, scones and cupcakes. I tell you, I couldn't have asked for anything more homely and comfortable.

Lina baked gingerbread and it was really good! I should get the recipe from her and try it our myself one day. Anyway yesterday's afternoon tea was a great success... oh Shiv even brought tiramisu her bro bought. It was yummy!

Ahh... nothing beats spending a lovely afternoon catching up with dear ol' friends. I like afternoon teas. It gives one an opportunity to stop for a while, relax and enjoy the moment. Lovely!