The Christmas Song
Lyrics by Mel Torme

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos

Everybody knows a turkey and some
Mistletoe help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa's on his way
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies
On his sleigh
And ev'ry mother's
Child is gonna spy to see if
Reindeer really know how to fly
And so, I'm offering this
Simple phrase to kids from One to ninety-two
Altho' it's been said many times
Many ways;

"Merry Christmas to you"

70's Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

It's been a while after my previous post. I've been flat out re-organizing my time since my dad being hospitalized and I went overseas to attent an exhibition. Not to mentioned my son's nanny went back to her "KAMPUNG" for slightly more than 2 weeks. But glad they were over...*fiuhhh*

Now I'm back to my baking mood. Looking for something to accompany my lovely afternoon in front of my MAC :), I found this unique recipe. According to the one who post it, this is quite famous during 70's when she was very very young. And it took her a while to find out what's in it to make the texture so special. When I read it for the first time, it says that the cookies is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, well I came to think of it why don't give it a try since it doesn't take too much effort anyway.

To my surprise, the result was superb. Chocolate chip cookies are not longer my fave :)
Herewith, I present you my new fave cookies:

Ingredients:
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 Cup Crushed Corn Flakes
1 Cup Walnut, chopped
1 Cup Quick Cooking Oatmeal
4 Cup Flour
1 TBS Baking Soda
1/2 TSP Salt
2 TSP Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 175C
2. Cream Butter, Sugars & Egg
3. Add Oil
4. Mix in all dry ingredients
5. Add in Vanilla Extract
6. Take a spoonful and form into a walnut sized balls.
7. Place on baking sheet and flatten with a fork dipped in water
8. Bake for 10-12 mins
9. Transfer wire racks

Note: Since Brown Sugar is quite hard to find, you can always substitute with white sugar but be careful with the moist of the dough. If you planning to do the above, here what you need to do to obtain a chewy cookies :
1. Reduce the flour to 3.5 Cups
2. Add 1 more smaller size egg.

Japanese Choux Pastry a.k.a Kue Soes Beard Papa

After a long search & several baking attempt *which resulted overall 3 dozens kue soes bantat* on couple of recipes I found. I beginning to give up. Kue Soes is impossible to make, especially with traditional oven (nick name: Otang -> Oven TANGkring) I own. All methods have been done, a right type of flour, a right amount of baking powder, a right time to mix the eggs in. Well, it just like a curse. 

Finally, I decided to give it another try and today, the curse is lifted. YAY!!! I finally succeed and it was as easy as counting 123.  The recipe I used is from someone called PAK SAHAK, I dont know who he is, but one thing for sure his recipe is really TO DIE FOR!

Actually this is much  much easier than original Kue Soes. Give it a try & make your day ! :)

The recipe is written in Indonesian.

Ingredients:
Bahan A:

100 gr Butter 
130 gr Air
3 btr Telur
110 gr Terigu protein sedang

Bahan B (topping):

50 gr Butter 
50 gr Gula Halus
1 sdm Air
50 gr Terigu protein rendah

Bahan Isi:

250 gr DCC, potong2
100 gr Susu cair
250 gr Whipcream, kocok sampai mengembang


Directions:
Bahan A: 
- Masak air dan butter sampai mendidih.
- Masukkan tepung terigu ke dalam campuran air dan butter sambil diaduk rata. Angkat dari api, aduk sampai kalis. Sishkan sampai hangat (tidak panas lagi).
- Masukkan telur satu per satu ke dalam campuran di atas sambil dikocok sampai rata. Sisihkan.

Bahan B:
- Campur semua bahan jadi satu, lalu kocok sampai lembut.

Bahan Isi:
- Campur DCC dengan susu cair lalu dimasak sampai larut dan dinginkan, kemudian masukkan ke dalam whipcream yg sudah dikocok, aduk sampai rata. 

Penyelesaian:
- Semprotkan bahan A di loyang yg sudah diples mentega (or alasin aja pake wax/parchment paper, jd nggak usah repot2 ngoles2 mentega) membentuk bundaran (boleh juga pakai spuit spt wilton 1M trus dibentuk swirl, or kl mo gampangan ya ngga usah pake spuit trus dibentuk aja seperti obat nyamuk tapi nyusun ke atas or "men-tumpeng" gitu deh).
- Semprotkan bahan B (topping) di atas bahan A. (yg ini dibentuk melingkar2 spr obat nyamuk persis di atas bahan A tadi).
- Panggang dengan api 180C selama +/- 35 menit atau sampai matang. 
- Setelah matang dan hangat2, masukkan bahan isi (caranya: masukkan bahan isi ke piping bag yg dilubangi ujungnya or bisa jg pake spuit semprotan itu yg lancip panjang ujungnya, trus buat lubang kecil di kue sus nya, kmdn semprot deh isi nya). 

Sleepy Hollow ~ a.k.a Roti Bolong

This is a pretty simple recipe for breakfast. I remember the very first time I tried this when I was still in Grade 2 (wayyyyy back then :)). My untie just made it for me and she even didn't have a name for this meal. So I just made one up.


Ingredients:

2 pcs breakfast bread
1 pc Kraft singles
1 egg
1 tsp butter or margarine


Directions:

1. Make a sandwich with Kraft singles in between the bread.
2. Make a square right in the middle of the bread (3 cm x 3 cm) 

3. Melt butter on non-stick pan, put sandwich in
4. Pour the egg in the middle of the square, wait until the bottom of the egg
half done, turn over to the other side until done.
5. Serve with ketchup.

Nigella's Cupcake

Thanks to Nigella! I made this cupcake for my son 1st B'day goody box.
There were 5 mini cupcakes in an acrylic box. After couple trials on
recipes I found, I finally "tap my hammer" on Nigella's recipe.

Why? It is not because I love her show :D, the texture of the cake is
unbelievable soft, it just remind me of Hong Kong style butter cake.

Yet is not too creamy and solid, more like a sponge cake but it's not
too spongy. Well, I know, the more I try to decribe it to you, the more
confuse you will be :).

You just have to try it yourself & see what
I meant. On the recipe below, I reduce the amount of sugar & I add a
little bit more vanilla extract.


Ingredients

* 125 g self raising flour

* 100 g caster sugar (originally 125 g)

* 125 g soft unsalted butter

* 2 eggs

* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (originally 1/2 teaspoon)

* 2 tablespoons milk


Directions

* Preheat the oven to 200C and line the tin
with the muffin cases.

* It couldn't be simpler to make cup cakes: just put all the
ingredients except for the milk in the processor and then
blitz till smooth.

* Pulse while adding milk, to make for a soft, dropping consistency,
down the funnel. Or using a bowl and wooden spoon, cream the
butter and sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time with a little
of the flour.

* Then add the vanilla extract and fold in the rest of the flour,
adding the milk to get the dropping consistency as before.

* I know it looks as if you'll never make this scant mixture
fit 12 bun cases, but you will. I promise you this mixture is
exactly right to make the 12 cup cakes, so just spoon and scrape
the stuff in, trying to fill each case equally, judging by eye
only of course.Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or
until the cup cakes are cooked and golden on top.
As soon as bearable, take the cup cakes in their cases out of the
tin and let cool, right way up, on a wire rack.

~ Source : Nigella Lawson's website www.nigella.com