My 1st bundt cake

The other day when Tangs was having 12% rebate, i decided to pop down to take a short skincare shopping spree as my products are running low.

Little did i know that i will actually come back with a bundt pan on top of what-i-was-supposed-to-buy :P

As most bakers who got their new toy, i couldn't wait to try the pan out. Hence, a coffee butter cake in bundt pan in making..

Coffee butter cake

Yummy yum~~

I love the shape of the cake lots. So pretty..

Really glad that the pan didn't give me any problems. Initially i was really worried that the cake might come out black, get stuck here and there or refuse to come out etc.

However, i do have 1 small headache though. The pan is slightly too big for my liking. The amount of batter used to fill the pan is equivalent to amount of batter used to fill in a 9" cake tin. Abit too big for my family to finish at 1 go for breakfast. I wonder if all bundt pans come in standard size?

If anyone sees a smaller bundt pan anywhere, please please, let me know yeah?

Thanks! :)

p.s: i'm so happy! Something happened yesterday but because of its uncertainty, i will only disclose the good news once everything is confirmed. Hopefully everything will go as planned :D


Coffee butter cake by Alex Goh

A -

275g butter
200g sugar ( i cut down to 160g)
230 flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp of coffee paste

B - 5 eggs

C - 60g almond flakes

D - 1 tbsp rum

1. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add coffee paste and rum.
2. Add in the eggs one by one till well mix.
3. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder till well incorporated.
4. Lastly, pour the batter into a greased and lined 9" mould. Sprinkle with almonds.
5. Bake at 180 for 45 mins. Cover the top with aluminium foil half time if you wish to prevent browning.

Note: pardon me for the short and simply instructions. I usually copy my recipes in the shortest sentence possible :P

Christmas wishlist

This year, i only want 1 thing for X'mas..

All i want is.. for my maid (the old one) to call me and say that she is ready to come back to work for me in Febuary 07 and hopefully to work on for the next 4 years or at least 2 years with the same personality and attitude nevertheless.

I do not need any other fanciful presents.

Just that will do and i'll be the happiest person on earth.

Dearest Santa, please let my wish come true. I promise i'll be real good *pray* - been praying everyday actually. Still no news- :(

The husband

bought me this! *smile*

Olympus Stylus 740

Or rather, the husband surprised me with it ;)

Hb knows i've been wanting a slim digicam for the longest time. I have somehow stopped liking our current bulky digicam which was bought 5 years ago that costs us a whopping $1.7k then.. To me, lugging the bulky camera everywhere is really no fun so, yeah.. *grin* the complainssssssssssssss.. :P


Last week when we were at Orchard, we were given by the roadshow girls the Olympus digicam promo flyer. Then casually, hb asked which one i would prefer. After thinking for sometime, i said the one which costs $399 since i am not a pro photographer and i will use it to shoot mainly food, kids and outings, hence, no need for an extra expensive and high end one. Save $$$ ya!

We even went to the booth after our dinner to take a look but that was it.

2 days later, hb came home with my new camera BUT it was not the camera i pointed out earlier. It's Stylus 740 which costs $599.. I really never expected it.. but i did suspect hb would do so though. Hahahaa.

I was of course, touched to no end and couldn't stop smiling that night and the day after. Grin :P

Hmm.. i wonder if this is my X'mas pressie? But hb never says anything leh.. so perhaps, possibly, maybe, i might get another surprise for my X'mas pressie?? Lol! *greedy me*


An overview of the camera..


Incredibly thin. Powerful zoom. Irresistible. 7.1 Megapixels effective. The Stylus 740 is the thinnest 5x optical zoom camera in its class, and it boasts all the quality features you expect from a Stylus. With an amazing 28x total zoom, Digital Image Stabilization (DIS) and Bright Capture Technology, you'll capture near-perfect images every time.

More info?

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1265

BEWARE..

of bogus/fake monk!

Sad to say, i'm one of the victims who kena conned by the fake monk, yesterday *roll eyes*

It was totally unexpected!

My kids and i were on the way to the carpark from our house, going for my gynae appointment when i saw this monk walking as though he was going somewhere, with a destination in mind. So when he stopped me and curtsy a little, i thought he was just gonna ask for direction and i stopped too but instead, he handed me a small charm in a paper form and said it was for 'ping an'. As it was totally unexpected, i actually took it and he walked away.

However, in less than 1 second, he turned and called to me, as though he has forgotten to ask me to write down my name for taking the charm. He was indeed pretty smart. He actually showed me the paper with the names on it but covered the amount donated part. I didn't feel comfortable writting my real name in Chinese words as others did in that piece of paper so, i wrote my English name instead.

But just as i was gonna finish writting, i uncovered the covered section and saw the amount donated and asked if he was asking for money. He then took out a photo of a temple saying they need money to build the temple bla bla bla, then only i realised that he is one of the bogus monks which i've read in the paper last week!

By then, it was too late. I wanted to cancel my name off but he refused to let me and actually turned pretty aggressive saying once i wrote my name on the paper, i cannot simply cancel it off. It's for my 'ping an' etc in a irritating manner.

I was getting pretty pissed at that point but because of my situtation, pregnant and with 2 young children around plus, it was a very quiet morning in the neighbourhood (i didn't see a single soul at that moment), i decided to just give him what he wants..

$2.

That too, i was too pissed to pass it to him myself. Instead, i asked my son to do it and walked away with him still talking.

It's not the matter of $2 that got me pissed off. It was the way they deal with the whole situation. So cunning and aggressive! Plus, they really ruin the good name of Buddhism. Real monks don't ask for money. Gggrrr...

If not because i was with the kids and pregnant, i would have just ignored him, shoved the so called charm back to him and ran away!

So, word of advice : When u see these monks, do walk towards another direction. They really do not appear as though they'll ask u for donation for they don't carry any donation box or bowl or anything at all. Do be wary of them!

The bogus monk. UGH!

If only the Straits Times article were to publish yesterday instead of today. The monk in the picture looked the same as monk who conned me! Ok ok.. not sure if it was the same person but they definitely dressed in the same clothings, same colour as well and bald :P

Abalone

Every year without fail, mil will give us 3 cans of abalone during Chinese New Year.

Like most of the peeps, i'm the kind who will keep and keep until year end comes not because of any particular reason but mostly because i 'bu she de' to eat them. Lol.

This year is no different than the years before. This month alone, we've eaten 2 cans! Haha.. as for the other can, hmm.. maybe i'll open it when my mom comes *wink*.

Just the other day, mil offered me another can but i declined politely. Really running out of ideas what to eat them with! Lol.. think both of us are trying to clear the old stock before new stock comes in :PpPP

I know nuts on how to cook abalone. Hb usually likes to eat it just like that, without cooking. He likes the original taste. So what i do is, cook porridge or mee sua to go with it and sometimes, even instant noodles! :P

Personally, i prefer the Horse Brand abalone, which we've been eating for the past few years. This year, fil bought New Moon brand instead. I find it a tad too tough for my liking. Told mil this and i was told to cook the whole can (unopened) in the boiling water for 3 hours to get the best out of it.

Hmm.. perhaps i'll try this with my next can aye?

New Moon brand abalone

Abalone to go with minced pork porridge. Splendid!

Minced pork porridge with dried scallops, dried abalone, dried oysters and garnished with fried shallots and tong chai. Too bad i didn't have chopped spring onion nor parsley..

Madness

I've gone mad recently. I think it's because i'm seeing too many advertisements and beautiful window displays on Christmas this and Christmas that until the shopaholic in me has been unleashed, after more than half a year of persevering. Lol.

So, what do i do when i see nice and cheap clothings online and sprees are being held?

JOIN of course :P

Even though i am huge beyond words and still have no idea if i could ever get back to shape after delivery. Kiasu right? But but, i cannot take it anymore *lol*.. and hoping by buying these clothings, i will somehow be more motivated to lose weight and exercise accordingly :)

Below are my recent buys from online stores. Can't wait to receive them in the mailbox!

Gojane olive dress but i got it in brown though

VS Henley racerback tee

VS bra top cami

Mandee pinstripped cropped pants

Mandee O-ring gaucho for sis in law

Smocked waist gaucho in brown

Mandee wide waist gaucho in black

Last but not least, lemming for this top! But the price is slightly on the high side, i'm still thinking about it.. hehe. And i do not know how the front looks like too. Furthermore, i've got a similiar piece which is also in white with a different design at the back.

Should i get it? *blink*blink* :P

VS crochet bra top

p.s: If u have no idea what dress to wear for this festive season, check out Her World Dec 06 issue, the Marina Square shopping little booklet. The dresses are simply droolicious. Aihh.. if only i'm not pregnant now. So many beautiful dresses and clothes now! Eeeshhh.. :P

p.p.s: If u have not changed to Blogger beta, please do not do so. It's really frustrating to use. Definitely unstable and problems keep occuring. I want back my old Blogger! Ugh.