If only...

...our passport could last us our lifetime. And with enough pages to record all our travel history, with all the different stamps from different countries. So when we reach 80, we could sit back with a cup of jasmine tea and reminisce about our adventures around the globe. And we could turn these adventures into bed time stories for the grand kids...if only...

coffee & walnut cake

This is my all time favourite...and hubby's too. I made this last week for the ladies at work. It's a practice here to bring something to work when it's your birthday. Like a treat or something. So I made this and blueberry muffins (recipe in next post). Oh, hubby has just requested if I could make this today...for my FIL...it's his birthday.

Cake ingredients:

225g margarine, softened

225 g caster sugar

225 g self-raising flour

4 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1½ tbs instant coffee, mixed with 1 tbs hot water

75g walnuts, chopped

Walnut praline:

2 tbs water

50g caster sugar

50g walnut pieces

Butter icing:

75g butter, softened

250g icing sugar, sifted

1½ tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1½ tbs hot water

Lightly grease 2 (20cm) sandwich tins and line the base with baking parchment. Pre-heat the oven to 160^o. Measure all the cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat until thoroughly blended. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins and level the surface.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cakes are well risen, golden and beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tins. The tops of the cakes should spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack, peel off the paper and leave to cool completely.

To make the praline, put the water and caster sugar into a small pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook slowly until the sugar turns to a nut brown. Be careful as the sugar can burn quickly, so watch the pan like a hawk.

Turn off the heat, stir in the walnuts, then pour the mixture out on to baking parchment or an oiled baking tray and leave to cool completely. Roughly break up the cold, hard praline with your fingers. Save the best pieces for the top of the cake, then chop the remainder to add to the icing for the middle of the cake.

To make the butter icing, put the butter, icing sugars and dissolved coffee into a small bowl and mix well until evenly blended. If the icing dries up too quickly before you could iced the cake, heat it up in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften the icing into spreadable consistency.

To assemble the cake, spread half the icing on one of the cake and add the chopped praline. Place the second cake on top and spread the remaining icing. Spread the icing evenly, then decorate with the reserved walnut praline pieces.

Happy baking :)

Dinner at Chaophraya

Initially, I thought this will be a straightforward post - put up some food pictures and talked about my birthday meal. However, after 2 cups of coffee and different versions of opening line, I can't decide what to write. It's been more than 30 minutes and I'm still not getting anywhere. These 3 pathetic sentences has been deleted and re-wrote at least 10 times. You know what, I will let the pictures do the talking...

Tropical fruit punch and Chaophraya Beach cocktail

Spicy mango salad with soft shell crab

Pork and crab dumplings

Grilled duck with plum sauce

Stir fry chicken with panang sauce

Sweet sticky rice with mango

Verdict - Loved it!!! This is my favourite Thai restaurant, and I always enjoyed myself whenever we decide to dine here.

Oh, I just remembered - there was a couple sitting not far from us. I think they were on their first date. The lady was fiddling with her noodles and eating really really politely, as in few strands of noodle each time. At one point, I really felt like telling her please stop playing with your food and leave your poor noodle alone if you have no interest in eating them. Food are meant to be eaten, not to be used as a tool to look sexy. And then she proceed to feed her date with her mushed up and cold noodle across the table *slapping forehead*...is this what they call young love or brainless courting antics??!!?!?!?!?!?!

week at the gym

Received this from a colleague today, and it made me laugh so much I nearly choked on my scone. Do read and spread this among friends...


Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, I purchased a week of personal training at the local health club. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Christo, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.

Friends seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

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MONDAY:Started my day at 6:00 am. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Christo waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god - with blond hair, dancing eyes, and a dazzling white smile. Woohoo!!!

Christo gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skilful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!

Christo was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around.

This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!

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TUESDAY:I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Christo made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. His rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.

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WEDNESDAY:The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.Christo was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. His voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Christo put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Christo told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other shit too.

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THURSDAY:Asshole was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late - it took me that long to tie my shoes.He took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. He sent some skinny bitch to find me.Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine - which I sank.

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FRIDAY:I hate that bastard Christo more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anaemic, anorexic, little aerobic instructor. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it.Christo wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

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SATURDAY:Satan left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrill voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing his voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel...

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SUNDAY:I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my husband will choose a gift for me that is fun - like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!


Have a nice weekend

orange, almond and chocolate cake

It was hubby's birthday last Monday, and this year he requested a chocolate and orange cake. So his beloved wife, yo, did some research and baked this orange, almond and chocolate cake. It wasn't as good as I had hope for, but hubby is really happy with it. So I guess it's still acceptable. The next time I'm baking this, will definitely make some changes to the recipe.

Happy Birthday darling hubby!!!

Have a nice day

quiche lorraine

Went to John Lewis last weekend and got myself a dream food processor that can do magic. This is seriously so cool. No more painstakingly slicing potatoes into 1/2 inch slices, or kneading dough for ages. Now I have a trusty food processor that can do all the hard work within seconds. It's all thanks to all the wonderful people out there for their lovely wedding vouchers.

While I was there, I got myself a flan dish and I told hubby - "Whether you like it or not, I'm making quiche for dinner tomorrow. It's not open up for discussion". Hahaahhahaha...So here's my first ever quiche lorraine - love it!!!

If anyone will like the recipe, buzz me :)

Have a nice day.

pork belly rice

Whenever I misses home, I will definitely make this dish. The aroma is so nostalgic, and it's so tasty I can eat so much more than my usual intake of rice. I always warn hubby no smart comments about me pigging out on this dish. And I always make sambal ikan bilis to go with it. It's never the same without the sambal.

If anyone wants the recipe, buzz me :)

Have a nice day