Hokkaido Cupcakes

 

Chiffon cake
3 egg yolks

20g castor sugar
35g corn oil
60ml full cream milk
70g cake flour
3 egg whites
25g castor sugar

1tsp cream of tartar

Filling
100g or about 150ml dairy whipping cream
20g icing sugar
1 tbsp instant custard powder
Icing sugar, for dusting

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 170C.
2. Arrange paper liners on baking tray.
3. Using an electric hand mixer, whisk egg yolk and sugar till pale in colour.
4. Add in corn oil and milk, mix well.
5. Sift in cake flour, stir to combine.
6. Beat egg white until foamy, gradually add sugar and cream of tartar, continue beating till soft peak form.
7. Take 1/3 of egg white and using a spatula, mix it into egg yolk batter.
8. Fold in the balance egg white with a spatula till well combine.
9. Scoop batter into pre-arranged paper liners to about ¾ full.
10. Bake for 20-25 mins at middle rack. Rest cool on wire rack.
11. Beat whipping cream with sugar till firm and stiff.

12. Add in custard powder, mix well.
13. Pipe custard cream into cupcake and dust with icing sugar. Decorate as per desire. Refrigerated before consume.

 

Notes:

I like to prepare the egg whites first and set aside while moving on to the egg yolk batter. I find this easier and quicker. 

As for the filling, you can just use thickening cream + icing sugar.

 

這不僅是一本適合兒童閱讀的繪本，更適合家長們閱讀……

書 名：《鱷魚愛上長頸鹿》系列之《搬過來，搬過去》
出版社：湖北少年兒童出版社
作 者：達妮拉·庫洛特 (Daniela Kulot)
譯 者：方素珍
譯   者：方素珍



這是長頸鹿。她非常高大。

這是鱷魚。他非常矮小。

他們的身高整整差了兩米又四十三公分。




盡管如此，他們是一對真正的愛人。

當然，真心相愛的人都希望有一幢房子，這樣他們才能夠生活在一起。




於是，他們搬到城市的邊緣，搬進鱷魚的小房子。




不過，那裡並不理想，一點也不理想！
長頸鹿走到哪裡都會撞到頭。





當她睡覺時，只要伸展一下身體，她就完全看不到鱷魚了。




當她想要坐得舒服一點時，同樣的事又發生了！



鱷魚先生：「要不然，我們搬到你家去，住大房子總比住小房子要好得多吧。」





他們為了愛情，於是，搬到了城市的另一邊，搬進長頸鹿的大房子。

但是，住在那裡困難也非常多。




看，鱷魚先生要怎麼在這張桌子旁邊吃東西呢？

也許他需要一張高高的椅子吧！




他們改用一張比較矮的桌子，但是那又不適合長頸鹿小姐。




看！長頸鹿小姐家的樓梯對鱷魚先生來說實在是太高了。
想要開下門都很困難。





最令鱷魚先生煩惱的是，每一次上廁所嗯嗯的時候，都像玩雜耍一樣，危險又緊張。唉！



曬衣服也是在徒手走鋼絲……





牠們在一起的生活越來越困難了，再這樣繼續下去，彼此都不能忍受這一切。




唯一沒有問題的就是躺在床上。

只有這時牠們才能平視對方。

只有這時才可以望著彼此的眼睛，給對方一個最甜蜜的微笑，就像當初一樣的快樂。

於是，牠們想出了一個解決問題的好方法。




第二天早上，陽光燦爛，鱷魚先生和長頸鹿小姐在花園裡制定了一項偉大的計劃。




為了讓彼此的幸福生活得以延續，牠們開始挖一個巨大的坑。

相互分工，相互合作，又是敲又是鑽。

各種各樣的木板、玻璃和樹幹……




辛苦的同時，長頸鹿小姐還把自己當作滑梯呢！




終於，每件東西都洗乾淨都擦亮了。




最後，巨大的水罐車開過來，往坑裡裝滿水。




現在，鱷魚和長頸鹿住在游泳池裡。

在水中，他們高度相同。

他們可以一直互相對望，給對方最甜蜜的微笑。

最前面有牠們最愛的照片，上面寫著：偉大的計劃



仔細觀察，不光是出現了一個水池，馬桶、樓梯、晾衣架、床、門也都設計成了適合牠們倆的樣式。

靠著床的牆上，掛的是他們各自的曾經住所照片：）

你讀到了什麼？

這本繪本名為《鱷魚愛上長頸鹿》，原本是給4-6歲的孩子讀的，這個階段的孩子很多都會經歷一段婚姻敏感期，這個時期他們會對婚姻關係產生興趣。

我們給孩子種下對婚姻關係的美好嚮往，同時，這個故事也告訴你：

婚姻唯一的哲學就是並肩作戰。

鱷魚和長頸鹿因為相愛而生活在一起，但住在一起之後，他們卻發現彼此間有太多不同，他們都很不快樂，他們覺得「不能再這樣繼續下去了」！

把這樣的故事搬到現實生活中，這樣的兩個人大抵是要離婚的，但鱷魚和長頸鹿沒有分手，他們一起想了個好辦法，解決了那些在生活中遇到的各種難題，最後幸福地生活在一起了。

大多數夫妻，當初是確定另一半是自己的理想伴侶才攜手步入婚姻的。只是走著走著，淹沒在柴米油鹽的生活中，便淡忘了當初為什麼要在一起。

糟糕的是，他們還越來越發現，對方的性格或生活習慣是自己沒辦法接受的。兩人之間漸行漸遠，這時候只好分道揚鑣。

需要說明的是，在婚姻中彼此委屈求全並不是最好的辦法。

就像鱷魚和長頸鹿一樣，最開始他們彼此遷就，他們住在鱷魚的房子裡，可是鱷魚的房子太小了，長頸鹿住得很不舒服；鱷魚就提議搬到長頸鹿的房子裡去住，但是長頸鹿的房子又太大了，對於鱷魚來說，也有諸多不便。

他們都不能忍受這一切。所以，想要婚姻/戀情長久，盡量不要委屈任何一方。

其實，在婚姻中碰到任何難題，都不必驚慌。

只要兩個人是相愛的，彼此離不開，只要並肩作戰，一起努力去解決問題，終會守得雲開見月明。

「不要養成 綿羊式聽話的乖孩子！」 德國專家：會頂嘴的小孩，有這 7項優點！

大家總覺得小孩子
見識少、閱歷淺、不成熟...
又是自己生養的，
於是認為：
「大人說話，小孩子不可以頂嘴」

絕不允許小孩與父母爭辯，
否則就是「違背父母」、「大逆不道」。

其實...
父母與孩子 頂嘴是件有益的事，
還有以下 7項優點，
往下看看！


孩子頂嘴，並不是壞事！
會和爸媽頂嘴的小孩，
以後會比較有自信、創造力和合群。

德國心理學家 安格利卡·法斯博士證實：
「頂嘴，對於下一代來說，
是走上成人之路的重要一步。」

1. 有助孩子 找到界限

會和爸媽頂嘴，
能讓孩子有機會學會自我評估。
讓他們知道：自己的能力和界限！

2. 形成 自己的想法

孩子在與父母 頂嘴爭辯後發現，
父母並非總是正確的。
討論的勝利，
能讓孩子獲得「成就感」，
進而形成 自己的想法。

3. 學會 應付衝突

頂嘴，有學習的效果。
孩子學到「討論的藝術」。
日後，在學校、社會、工作中，
和同伴、同學、同事的關係中
總是會發生爭執，
也代表，這種學習 對小孩是重要的！

4. 愛、在乎的表示

爭執，是向對方表示，你對我是重要的。
一個人如果總是與世無「爭」，
他就是向周圍的人表示，
你們對我無所謂。

但是！
如果孩子長期和爸媽頂嘴，
而且還對爸媽毫無禮貌，
這個時候，請爸媽們不要隨便原諒
孩子的這種無理行為。

對待無理的頂嘴，爸媽該及時反擊，

讓孩子明白 其中的過錯。

5. 有助孩子 提升自信

孩子們在頂嘴的時候，
反駁的是正確的思想，
那麼說明孩子們善於思考。

思考，有利於孩子們的智慧。
所以爸媽們在孩子頂嘴時，
首先，不要亂朝孩子發火。
記住孩子們的頂嘴，
可能讓孩子們智慧更進一步。

6. 刺激智力

孩子和父母頂嘴的直接原因，
是他們語言能力的進步、意識的覺醒。

頂嘴時，
孩子必須使用 語匯和表達方式，
他們得 表達自己的欲望、觀點，
這將刺激孩子語言能力的發展。
通過頂嘴，
孩子也可以學到討論、辯論的邏輯技巧。

7. 有助 語言表達

爸媽們也可能發生「錯誤」！
所以，孩子們有不同的想法，
不要一昧斥責孩子，
而應該讓孩子們把話說完。

善於頂嘴的孩子，
一般來說是「有自己的想法」，
而且還會「善於表達自己」。
所以當孩子反駁，不要去責罵孩子，
而要認真的思考孩子的想法。

不要只把 孩子的頂嘴，看作是對 長輩的不敬！

明智的父母
通常不把自己的意志強加在孩子身上。
而是在頂嘴時，
循循善誘，以理服人。

孩子頂嘴 沒關係，

別養成 綿羊式的聽話孩子。 

Almond Butter Cookies

 

Ingredients
2 tbsp cornflour
210g plain flour (I used self raising flour)
250g butter
100g icing sugar - sieved
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g almond powder
Some chocolate chips


Method
1. Preheat oven at 160C. Lined baking tray.

2. Sieve cornflour & plain flour together. Set aside.

3. Beat icing sugar, vanilla and butter till light and fluffy. Add in both flours and continue beating until well combined. Then add in ground almond and mix until well combined.

4. Tranfer to piping bag and pipe out desired shapes. Place a piece of chocolate chips in the center.

5. Send to bake for 12-15min till golden brown.

Hokkaido Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

6 egg whites

6 egg yolks

100g caster sugar (40g for whites and 60g for yolks)

**you may reduce the sugar portion according to your sweetness level

1 tsp cream of tartar 

70g corn oil

120ml milk (room temp)

140g self raising flour

Filling

200ml thickened cream / whipping cream

Icing sugar  

Frosting - Cream Cheese
 

**Made about 35 cupcakes with medium size cupcake mould

Method:

1. Using an electric hand mixer, beat whites with high speed. Gradually add in sugar and cream of tartar, continue to beat till stiff peak. Set aside.

2. Beat yolks and sugar till pale yellow. Add in oil, milk and mixed well. Sift in flour and combined well with a spatula. 

**Can add in drops of vanilla essence or any flavor as wish

3. Fold in whites into yolks batter, gently using a spatula and combined well.

4. Divide batter evenly into cupcake mould and bake at 170C for 20-25mins till golden brown or skewer comes out clean.

**Temperature may differ for different oven. Try not to open the oven door as it may cause the cake to sink.

5. Let oven door slightly ajar and allow the cupcakes to cool down about 5mins before taking out from the oven. 

6. Beat cream with high speed. Add icing sugar according to your level of sweetness and continue beating till stiff peak. Make a tiny hole n the cupcake and pipe the cream into it. Decorate as per desired. Chill before consumption.

Oreo Chiffon Cake

 

Ingredients

6 egg whites

60g caster sugar

1 tsp cream of tartar

80g cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

14 pcs oreo biscuits (removed cream, lightly crushed into small pieces)

6 egg yolks

30g caster sugar

50g extra light olive oil/canola oil

80ml milk

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C.

 

2. Use a large clean mixing bowl, without any trace of oil or water, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until bubbles form. Add the cream of tartar. After mixing well, add the 60 grams of sugar in three batches, about one-third at a time, and beat well between additions. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. (I just poured in the sugar and cream of tartar together)

 

3. Sift the cake flour and baking powder, mix well.

 

4. Whisk the egg yolks with the 30 grams of caster sugar, until the sugar completely dissolves. Stir in the oil, bit by bit, until completely combined. Add the milk and stir well.

5. Sift the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, in three batches. Combine well.

 

6. Fold-in the beaten egg whites with a spatula and gently combined well. Add in oreo biscuits crumbs.

 

7. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. After baking the first 15 minutes, if you find the cake surface gets browning, reduce heat to 150C. Continue to bake until cooked through. A needle comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

 

8. Remove the cake from the oven. Invert the pan immediately on a wire rack. Let it cool completely.

 

Mini No-Baked Cheese Cake

Recipe:-
The base
200g McVities Digestive Biscuits (8-9pcs)
80g Unsalted butter
50g Icing sugar

1. Crush all the biscuits till it become almost like sand texture (crumbs) and mix it with the icing sugar.
2. Melt the butter. Pour the butter into a mixing bowl together with biscuits crumbs. Mix it well. (add more butter if the mixtures are too dry)
3. Compress it evenly on the base of the cupcake mould. Put in the fridge for at least 1hour or till it is hardened.
4. Make some small holes all over the base using a fork (this is to ensure the cheese sticks to the base).

The Cheese content
500g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia brand) 
1 cup of fresh yogurt (your desired flavor)
150g (or 1/3 of a small tin) of sweetened condensed milk
8 teaspoon of gelatin powder, with 200ml water

**using a small size cupcake mould (5cm diameter), made about 50 mini cheesecakes

Methods
1. Let the cheese cool down to room temperature. 

2. Pour the water into a small pot and heat up under low heat. Then, pour the gelatin powder into the pot and stir it thoroughly until melted. The end product is a very thick and sticky gelatin mixture. Set aside for use. 
***if you are using only 50% of the ingredients, then put 4 tsp of gelatin powder with 100ml water***
 
3. Using an electric hand mixer, blend the cheese well to make it soft.

4. Next pour in the sweetened condensed milk and mix it well. Then pour the yoghurt in as well. Blend it well and thoroughly.

5. Quickly pour this gelatin mixture into the earlier cheese content and then mix it well.

6. Finally, pour the final cheese content into the earlier prepared cupcake mould. Decorate as desired.

7. The cheese cake should remain in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight) before consuming. Enjoy!

Happy 1st Birthday to MARSHEL PTY LTD

On 17.8.15, we celebrated our first year of business operation. It was not an easy journey but once again, our mighty God know our needs. When we first came over to Brisbane, we tried looking for jobs but no luck. Then, God made a way for us. Hubby saw this business opportunity from the newspaper and after much research, we bought over the business and Ta-Da, one year had passed and it was a blessed one.

It was pretty excited as it was our first time becoming Mr & Mrs Boss, haha...We need to set up a company in order to run the business. Hubby came out with this fantastic name - MARSHEL PTY LTD, which was the combination our names, MARk & SHErene + Lee/Lin. And our Accountant advised us to run the business as a family trust..so Hubby came out with another brilliant name, WOODSEED (木子 = 李） Family Trust. 

Many of our friends were very curious about what we have been doing in Australia as a living. So I think I shld blog it and direct them to my blog for more info. (too lazy to explain 'N' times, :P )

Q: Hey Mark, heard you are doing business now in Brisbane. What business are you in?
A: It's a bread run business, ie, bread delivery, Roti Man..haha

Q: Wow..from an engineer to Roti Man..180 degree change! Your wife bakes and you deliver?
A: Oh no..we got our supplies from a regional bakery based in Gold Coast. My wife can't bake so many. I deliver more than 300 breads a day!

Q: So you need to travel to Gold Coast to get the breads?
A: No. I go to the depot which is about 15mins away from my house to collect the breads. Then sort them out according to the customers' orders and start delivering. There are more than 400 varieties of bread and pastries! White/Meal/Multigrain bread, Hotdog rolls, Hamburger rolls, croissants, danish, pizza base, tortillas, muffins, dinner rolls, ciabatta etc..

Q: Who do you deliver to?
A: 2 major supermarkets - Woolworth and Coles, then snack bars and cafe. Gotta make about minimum 30 stops per day. 

Q: Wow..making big money!
A: Hard job my friend. I work odd hours and I drive a truck now, haha! Wake up 12.45am, and come home around 9.30am, sometimes 12pm (busy days). Then will sleep again in the noon till dinner time and sleep again around 8.30pm and the cycle starts again. 7 days job!

Q: So, how did the customer make orders?
A: My wife helps me with the ordering. They will call everyday to make orders for the next day. Then, my wife will compile all the orders and call to the bakery to order all the breads required.

Praying for another fruitful year ahead!

Butter Cake

Ingredients
230g Salted Butter, room temperature
4 egg yolks
150g caster sugar
200g self-raising flour, sifted
60ml fresh milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
50g caster sugar

Instructions 

1. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it turns light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Be patient and let the machine do its work!

2. Add the egg yolks, one a time and beat it in before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract. 

3. Fold in half the flour.

4. Add the milk and mix. Add the remaining flour and fold until just incorporated.Scrape the bowl and give the batter one final mix. Set this aside.

5. In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until it turns foamy. Slowly and gradually, add the sugar, whisking all the while. Whisk this until stiff peaks form.

6. Transfer 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk batter. Beat this in. Gently fold the remaining egg whites in 2 batches until all the egg whites have been incorporated.

7. Pour this into a lined and greased 8×8-inch baking pan.

8. Bake at 170°C for 45 minutes.

9. When the cake is done (insert a skewer it the cake and if it emerges cleanly it is done), let the cake rest for 5 minutes in the pan before carefully transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut into slices and enjoy!!

adapted from here

Shepherd Pie

500g lean lamb minc

4 large potatoes (800g)

1/4 cup light milk (60ml)

1 tbsp butter (25g)

2 cups mixed vegetables, diced (280g)

1 x Masterfoods Shepherd's Pie recipe base

150ml water

1. Preheat oven to 200C.

2. Cook potatoes in water until tender, drain. Melt butter in pot, add in mashed potatoes, milk and salt. Stir until dry. Set aside.

3. Place mince in fry pan, cook until brown. Add in mixed vegetables, recipe base and water. Gently simmer for 10 mins.

4. Place mince mixture in an ovenproof dish, then potato mixture on top. Bake for 20mins or until golden brown.

Ian's 4th Birthday

One-pan baked chicken & churizo

2 tbs olive oil

8 chicken thighs fillets, halved

2 churizo sausages, thickly sliced

Baby potatoes, halved

1 red onion, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves

1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced

Cherry tomatoes

Flat leaf parsley, to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 220C.

2. Place oil in a large roasting pan, Arrange chicken, chorizo, potato and onion in the pan. Hit garlic with the flat side of a large knife to bruise and add to pan with lemon rind. Season well with salt and pepper. Toss to coat chicken in oil.

3. Cook for about 25mins. Add lemon juice and tomatoes and cook for a further 10mins or until golden and cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Thanksgiving Day #1 to #30 of April 2015

Thanksgiving Day #29 & #30 of Apr:
Gosh, it's the last day of Apr! For the past few days, we were so occupied with all the application to-do list, running errands to get things done. Thank God for helpful people and pray that everything will go smooth according to the timeline.

Thanksgiving Day #27 & #28 of Apr:
God answered prayers according to His timing. We wanted to give thanks for the good news this morning. This is only the first step and we continue to ask God for His guidance.
Today, I baked the 4th and also the last cake for the month. It was a repeat order from a church friend for her daughter's birthday. I was quite happy with the doll on a cake design. Hopefully my baking hobby will slowly turn into a small business and make some earnings.


Thanksgiving Day #26 of Apr:
Beautiful morning and both kids were so excited to go church. Today is Sunday School Sunday and Abby (together with other children) presented a song. The speaker also gave a very good sermon and I think everyone, including the children, understood the message preached.

Thanksgiving Day #25 of Apr:
It's Anzac Day (public holiday) and Hubby spent time with the kids, playing Playdoh. In the noon, we joined CG for outing at Capalaba. I prepared grilled chicken wings and baked chocolate muffins. It was a nice park and both kids had so much fun, playing with other kids in the park.

Thanksgiving Day #23 & #24 of Apr:
Praised God for fast recovery. Weather was not as cold as few days ago. Abby was one of the fast learner in the class and was given a different set of sight words. Hope that she will be humble and will get along well with all her classmates.

Thanksgiving Day #22 of Apr:
I caught a cold from the recent unpredictable weather! Pray that I won't spread the virus to Hubby and the kids. Today, we also made an important decision and asked that God will continue to give us His guidance and blessings.

Thanksgiving Day #21 of Apr:
It's the second month of Autumn but weather today felt like winter! So windy and freezing cold. Pray that God will grant us with healthy body and strong immune system, so that we will not fall sick easily esp the kids.

Thanksgiving Day #18, #19 & #20 of Apr:
Last weekend, we just relaxed at home. Hubby finally had the chance to watch Fast n Furious 7 while the kids and I went for shopping!
Today is the first day of school (term 2) and weather was quite cold in the morning. Each time when I fetch Abby back from school, she will have lots of stories to share with me - what did she learn in school / play with friends / interesting events happening etc. Glad to see that she loves going to school.

Thanksgiving Day #17 of Apr:
Today marked the 11th month of our life here in Brisbane! We are experiencing God's grace and mercy everyday. Thank you to our Lord, the almighty God!

Thanksgiving Day #16 of Apr:
Today, we went to see our accountant for some professional advices. It's always a nice conversation between us as we learnt lots of him, and to me, he is like a grandfather, sharing his experiences and knowledge to the grandchild. We are happy to know him!

Thanksgiving Day #14 & #15 of Apr:
Yesterday's choir practice was an enjoyable one. God bless the choir with some new friends.
Baked the 3rd cake for the month, special order (with Frozen theme) from a church sister for her daughter's 6th birthday. I did some research on google search and were too complicated for me. So ended up with just Elsa & Anna on the cake.





Thanksgiving Day #11, #12 & #13 of Apr:
Been lazy these few days, probably due to the cooling weather. Nothing much happened for the past 3 days. Spent some quality time together as a family and also fellowship with CG members. Today I baked egg tarts and was very happy with them. Gave some to a friend and he wanted to order cakes for all his 3 children during their birthdays! Haha, made my day!


Thanksgiving Day #9 of Apr:
Abby & Ian went to the library for some sch holidays activities and they specially enjoyed the story telling session. I was happy to see Ian's spontaneous response to the questions asked, quite funny. Then, they came home with a big bag of books and Dvds!

Thanksgiving Day #8 of Apr:
Chilled weather today. We had to wear jumper and sandals in the house. Praying that we will have healthy body throughout Autumn and Winter.
I went to see the dentist for check up and praised God, my tooth were all good!

Thanksgiving Day #7 of Apr:
Today we had a sweet celebration for Ian's 4th birthday. Yesterday while baking the cake, Abby asked if I was baking a special cake for Ian, just liked how I baked the Barbie doll cake for her. Early in the morning, she quickly passed a birthday card (hand made by her with sweet messages inside) to Ian and wished him Happy Birthday.
I was happy to receive good comments on Ian's cake and didn't expect to have more than 250 Likes in Baking's Corner! Thank you all for your encouragements. Will need to bake two more cakes this month and hopefully everything goes well.

Thanksgiving Day #5 & #6 of Apr:
First Easter in Brisbane and it was a great experience. I was in-charged of refreshment for our Preaching Point church service. I baked a cake (1st cake of the month) and also prepared some decorative eggs.
First day of school holidays. Abby helped me with some house chores and played with Ian the whole day. It was a joy seeing them played/interacted/quarreled with each other. Also baked a birthday cake (2nd cake of the month) for my darling boy's birthday tmr!

 

Thanksgiving Day #4 of Apr:
Nice weather in the morning and managed to dry up all the clothes. (Been sitting in the laundry basket for 3 days!)
Attended a birthday party this noon and Malaysian food was served!
Tomorrow it's the resurrection day of Jesus Christ. Lets all prepare ourselves and worship Him with joyful heart for He is risen!

Thanksgiving Day #3 of Apr:
It's Good Friday and we attended a special church service. I would say service today was really different from all the Good Friday services I attended before. It was a good experience.
因祂受的刑罚，我们得平安；因祂受的鞭伤，我们得医治。以赛亚书53：5b

Thanksgiving Day #2 of Apr:
God answered prayer again! It was not raining this morning. Abby had a fun time at school and today marked the last day of Term 1, which meant I will be having 2 weeks of holidays too! Clap clap clap!

Thanksgiving Day #1 of Apr:
Welcome the month of April. (Malaysians might not felt so due to the implementation of GST, lol)
This morning was raining. Both Abby & Ian gotta wore their rain coat and walked to school. Haven't seen Mr Sun for 3 days already! Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny day coz Abby was looking forward to her Easter Parade. (walking from school to the mall next by)
Today, I baked mini Hokkaido cupcake and added orange essence into it. Yummy!

 

黑人vs白人

這是發生在美國的真實故事。

一位白人婦女帶著6歲大的兒子出遠門，叫來了計程車，司機是位黑人。

這6歲的兒子從未見過黑人，心中非常的害怕，問媽媽：『這人是不是壞人，怎麽會長得黑魯魯？』 黑人司機聽了很難過。 此時白人婦女告訴兒子：『這位司機叔叔，不是壞人，他是一個很好的人。』

兒子沈默半晌再問道：『既然他不是壞人，那他是不是做了什麽壞事，所以天父在懲罰他』黑人聽了淚水在眼眶中打轉，他很想知道這白人婦女怎樣回答？ 媽媽說：『他是個很好的人, 也沒有做壞事。 咱們家花園的花、有紅、有白、有黃…是不是？』

『是啊！是啊！』

『那花的種子是不是都黑色的？』孩子想了一下，『對啊！都是黑的。』『黑色的種子，開出色彩鮮美的花朵，讓這世界多采多姿，是不是？』 『是啊！』孩子恍然大悟地說： 『那司機叔叔不是壞人喽！感謝司機叔叔，您讓這世界多采多姿，我要爲您祈禱。』

天真的孩子在壹旁禱告著，黑人司機的淚水奪眶而下，心想：『爲黑人被世人瞧不起身，今日，這位白人婦女如此溫婉地教導孩子，解除孩子心中對我的恐懼，爲我祈禱與祝福，真得好好的謝謝她。』

此時，目的地到了，黑人司機堅持不收錢，他說：『小時曾問過母親同樣的問題，母親說我們是黑人，注定低人一等，如果她換成妳的回答，今天我定會有不同的成就。』

Chocolate Chips Muffins

(Make 24 muffins)

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, room temperature

180g caster sugar

5 eggs, room temperature

500g self raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

250ml milk, room temperature

Chocolate chips (I used Nestle Milk Choc Chips)

Methods

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line muffin trays with paper cases.

2. Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs gradually and mixed well.

3. Fold in flour and baking powder (in 3 additions) and milk (in 2 additions) and mix gently. (Note: too much mixing will make the mixture tough) Add in chocolate chips.

4. Pipe mixture into prepare muffin trays. If desired, decorate with almond flakes, chocolate chips or raisins.

5. Alternatively, pipe mixture into one-third of the muffin cup, add 1 tsp of blueberry fillings as centre filling and pipe more mixture to fill about 80% of the cups.

6. Bake for 15-20mins till golden brown or skewer comes out clean.