Wednesday Special 11

Congratulations to all the winners of June DMBLGIT! And thanks to Nidhi of Snacksgiving for appointing me to be the judge for the event. I would also like to express my gratitude to all participants who have submitted photos and helped save the contest. My special gratitude to many foodbloggers who have taken the step of submitting photos for the first time on behalf of good intention. Thank you all!

The contest managed to collect 95 submissions. Apparently there were many great photos to assess and it was hard to choose the winners when they were all good. Well, fortunately there were Meeta, Vero, and Tania... The final decision was drawn from the highest total points accumulated from all judges.



Meanwhile, the good news is I just got myself a new laptop that would give me 24 hour access to this blog. So pleased to finally get a full insight into what is going on with my blog and other's. Definitely will say "Hi" more often to everyone and no more reason to skip posting on a weekend. Now my blog update is just a few clicks away :-) Yes!



Just got to learn about the exciting photo contest from Deeba's Passionate About Baking. Check it out, you might be interested to join....





See you for more updates. For now hope you enjoy my non-food photo shoot. Have a great day!

Wednesday Special 10

Thanks so much to you all for good wishes on my bazaar. I definitely have to do my best in showcasing what I baked for that event: Yellow and Green Kiwi Cheese Cake, Sacher Torte, Oreo Banana Cheese Cake, Butterscotch Almond, and Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes. Hope you enjoy the photos...





As I said in my last post that in the middle of a long-hour hectic baking, I wanted to quit. I couldn’t resist the urge because it was true and present, but as usual, once the work was done I always managed to sleep it off. I mean really slept it off and never took it seriously, although I seemed to realize that if I do pick up this baking thing as a major profession such as opening up a bakery, I do need to give it a second thought, a serious one!



The other fact is that at the end of the day when I got the passing-by customers in the bazaar to drop by my booth intuitively and see what were on the display, ask about the cakes and buy them, that just paid off everything – every drop of sweat, and every ache in my muscle. I was standing by my booth introducing my cakes with every bit of enthusiasm, with a wide smile on my face and of course deep in my heart. That showed the customer action meant so much to a baker :-)



It was a hot Saturday and despite the fact that T was supposed to work on that day, he decided to ask for half-day leave to be with me at the booth. For that I appreciated it so much. And this is another fact that I would not be quitting a commercial baking in another bazaar, if any. Thanks T, you are the best!

Wednesday Special 09

Sunday turned out to be another hot sunny day, and lucky enough we had prepared containers to put ice replicating emergency refrigerators. With T’s help I managed to bake 1 Cheese Cake, 1 Kiwi Chocolate Cake, 1 Vanilla Chocolate Cake, 1 Fresh Cream and Fruit Cake, 15 cups of Stawberry Panacottas, 10 cups of Orange Panacottas, and 36 Vanilla Cupcakes. Gosh, I was actually impressed with the range we produced within the available time. By the way, Panacotta was T’s idea since he liked it the last time I made Vanilla Panacotta from the previous post.



Arriving at the spot, we were pleased to find out that we got a space shaded under the building and with a nice table for setting up our cake stands. And the organizer actually gave us the first counter next to the entrance. There were about 20 counters selling various merchandise from clothes, books, shoes, to durian snacks. The latter belonged to the counter next to ours, taken care by a nice young lady who happened to be staying in the same building with us.





We finished setting up around 2:15pm and it was a bit quiet at the beginning. At one point I was actually cracking my head thinking what should we be doing if our cakes weren’t sold at all. The ideas varied from giving away to the orphanage, neighbors or the event organizer. Eventually people, I mean buyers did come, slowly but surely. Our first customer came for a cup of Strawberry Panacotta. It was a hot day and everybody needs a cold dessert. And the way we displayed these Panacotta cups in a transparant ice filled container did attract the eyes in such weather. A second buyer was a handsome guy came for a slice of Cheese Cake, a slice of Kiwi Cake and a Cupcake. What a generous purchase! And then more and more buyers were coming by.





T and I were busy slicing the cake, placing these slices in cake boxes, putting the boxes in plastic bags, giving to the customers, collecting money, and giving change. And of course having a little bit of chit chat with familiar faces. And T happened to be very good at having small talks with the customers or showing welcoming gestures to passers-by. Thanks to T we managed to sell 90% of the cakes within three and a half hours!



And yes, of course a post will not be complete without a recipe. So I will share my Strawberry Panacotta in the following post. See you!

Wednesday Special 08

Thanks to all of you who have sent your concerns regarding my and T’s safety. We are fine, spending a lot of time at home and continuously follow the news. In fact T has been resting at home since his employer felt it was safer for everyone to do so, don’t know until when - assumingly when there is a further notice. I myself have been working (and blogging) as normal.



Yesterday there was a curfew so all of us were allowed to leave the office at 4 pm. My Australian colleague who sat in the same room decided to leave straight away. And as he was walking out from the room I said "See you tomorrow!" as I always do. He replied "No, I will see you when I see you!" That is the true expression of the uncertainty we are facing these days. Curfew might go on until the next couple of days.




Meanwhile, I think both I and T need a little sanctuary to escape to in the midst of daily stress and disruptions. Especially now that we are mostly bound to be spending more time at home. Besides the fact that the political turmoil has further worsened and invaded into our used-to-be free and easy lifestyle and it is not safe to travel to areas that we used to go, we also deeply need a place that is natural, calm and peaceful for our eyes and mind in our own residence.



So we have purchased a rectangular cement receptable and transformed it into a mini artificial pond where fish can swim freely, lotus blooms to its fullest glory and the morning sunlight reflects on the the crystal clear water surface like a mirror. I and T can just sit at our balcony, in front of our pond enjoying the sanctuary and for that particular moment, the peace is back within us.

Wednesday Very Special 07

I would like to share my happiness with you all today. Wow, so happened it is the "Wednesday Special" day! And the weather is pretty good today too! The news is one of my earlier posts "Lychee Mousse Cake" has appeared in Dessert Magazine issue 14 page 68-69! I have to admit that I knew about this like a month or so, but the news could not be shared not until the post has become a real article physically, right? So, here I am...



And the other thing is I am actually thinking about quitting Daring Cook Challenge (don't worry, I will remain a Daring Baker) and dedicate the time to do more baking or desserts. With a full-time job and a relationship, at first I think I could spare sufficient time for baking, cooking, styling, and photographing. But I realized I could only have a certain duration of time no matter how I wished I could have more... So if I must eliminate one less favorite activity of the four and concentrate more on the other three, maybe I will end up getting better baking results and at the same time become more productive. Don't you agree with me?



All in all, I have had a great one year of Daring Cook Challenge. I should thank all of you who have given me advice and guidance that have make it possible for me to survive the challenges. Kudos to all the DC Challenge hosts and Audax of Audax Artifex! To show my gratitudes, Let me share with you a small dessert that will complete your perfect dinner! Enjoy :-)

PEACH VANILLA PANACOTTA
Makes 6 glasses



1. Vanilla Panacotta

Ingredients:
- Hot water > 25 ml
- Gelatine powder > 6 grams
- Whipping cream > 525 ml
- Granulated sugar > 65 grams
- Vanilla essence > 1 tablespoon

Method:
- Dissolve gelatine powder in hot water. Set aside.
- Combine whipping cream, granulated sugar and vanilla essence in a saucepan. Heat moderately until sugar is fully melted. Add the dissolved gelatine and mix well.
- Remove saucepan from fire. Leave to just warm and strain cream mixture through a fine sieve into the prepared glasses. Chill for 2 hours or until just firm enough.



2. Peach Jelly

Ingredients:
- Peach puree > 170 ml
- Lime juice > 2 teaspoons
- Gelatine powder > 6 grams
- Gooseberry – halve > 6

Method:
- Mix peach puree, lime juice and gelatine powder in a saucepan. Heat moderately until gelatine is dissolved.
- Set aside to just warm. Strain it through a fine sieve into top of panacotta. Garnish with 2 pieces of gooseberry halves into each glass.
- Chill for an hour.



3. Peach Coulis

Ingredients:
- Peach puree > 120 ml
- Granulated sugar > 25 grams
- Gooseberries, kiwi fruits or other fruits > to decorate

Method:
- Heat peach puree and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Set aside to cool, strain into top of jelly layer, and chill.
- Decorate with fruits and serve.

Wednesday Special 06

It has been a terrific week with so many public holidays here in Bangkok. Despite the political turmoil, we still could find peace and happiness by getting away to the countryside. Managed to travel with T and his friends to the floating market and a beautiful clay workshop in Chachoengsao. Just in those moments, we forgot about all the chaos and enjoyed the trip to the fullest.



Meanwhile, the April's DMBLGIT host - the beautiful and talented Julia of Melanger Baking had sent me the award for winning the contest. So excited! Thanks to Julia, the judges Dominique of De vous à moi, El of Fresh, Giao of Kiss My Spatula and Mowie of Mowielicious. And Andrew of Spittoon!



It is another Wednesday Special. I would like to share a simple dish that mostly served on my dining table. T and I loved this easy-to-cook rice accompaniment and we hope you will too. And feel free to substitute any ingredient if you have your prefererred vegetable or meat in mind!

FRIED PRAWNS WITH SWEET GREEN PEAS AND GINKGO NUTS
Serves 2



Ingredients:
- Olive oil > 2 tablespoons
- Garlic - slice > 2 cloves
- Big prawns - remove head and feet > 4
- Sweet green peas > 100 grams
- Bean sprouts > 100 grams
- Ginkgo nuts > 25 grams
- Tomato - slice > 1
- Salt > 1/4 teaspoon
- Granulated sugar > 1 teaspoon
- Worchestershire sauce > 2 teaspoons
- Coriander or mint leaves > to granish



Method:
- Saute garlic in olive oil until golden brown and fragrant.
- Fold in prawns and fry for a while.
- Add green peas, bean spouts, ginkgo nuts, and tomatoes, followed with the salt, sugar and worchestershire sauce. Stir occasionally until cooked.
- Place in the serving plate. Garnish with coriander or mint leaves.
- Serve.

Wednesday Special 05

The passion to bake, cook, and shoot has kicked in soon I arrived in Bangkok. I have seen many things in Jakarta , rested and recharged my energy. It is funny how I and T missed Bangkok and our home so much , and whilst the end of holiday approached we couldn’t wait to reach home. A three-hour-and-fifteen-minute-flight felt like a long drag.



One good thing about this holiday is that we managed to escape the extreme heat in Bangkok for 10 days. The weather in Jakarta was great, nothing like the sizzling heat that causes headache everytime we get ourselves exposed to the sunlight. And now we are back in this “sauna room” and get to adapt ourselves to it again. Yesterday I had a headache since I dared myself to have lunch outside my office. I have learnt my lesson and decided to stay in for lunch today.



Well, despite the heat and all…… we are glad to be back. And I am so relieved to be able to blog again. For this Wednesday Special, I like to share Grapefruit and Orange Salad with you. I rarely made salad before, but now with T around, I am considering of doing it more often because I have the assurance that T will help me finish it since he is really into vegetables and salads.

GRAPEFRUIT AND ORANGE SALAD
Serves 2



Ingredients:
- Large grapefruit > 1
- Orange > 2
- Steamed red kidney beans > 2 tablespoons
- Pistachio boar terrine or other ham – thinly slice and coarsely shred > 100 grams
- Baby salad leaves > a few
- Cilantro > a few stems
- Chopped roasted almond > 1 tablespoon
- Italian salad dressing > 2 tablespoons



Method:
- Peel grapefruit and remove pith. Slice horizontally.
- Peel oranges and remove pith. Cut into clean segments.
- Mix grapefruit and oranges with red kidney beans, ham, baby leaf greens, and sald dressing.
- Garnish with cilantro and chopped almond.

Wednesday Special 04

Gosh, I just remember it is again another Wednesday. Hope you guys enjoy these photos as much as I am enjoying my holiday. T and I wish you all the best from the tropical capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta.



By the way, I have found so many new background paper (Thanks to T for helping me carry them around under the heat). "So tired but can't refuse to do such chore!", said T who is sitting next to me right now. You will see these great backgrounds very soon in my near-future posts :-)

Wednesday Special 03

Two Fridays away, on the way back home I passed by Seven Eleven and there were 2 little kids – most probably 5-6 years old sitting at the side of the mini mart selling jasmine buds. One whole tray of these fragrant flowers. Despite I didn’t really know what I could do with them, I ordered one bag. They were so happy for successfully making some money. All I could think of was that I had to take photograph of these little cuties the following morning.



Storing them in fridge overnight, they were ready to pose for me the next morning. Snap snap snap…. I had so much fun. Since it was a Saturday and I was totally free (T works on alternate Saturdays) I could indulge myself in exploring shooting angles almost endlessly. No work, no time pressure, no appointment, it was just me and my jasmine buds.

Wednesday Special 02

Thank you all for your condolences. They meant a lot to me and T. Today is the day his dad was cremated. Took place at 5 pm but the whole ceremony started from 11am. For that I took leave from work. It was an opportunity to know everyone in T's family, his colleagues, friends, neighbors, old classmates and even exs. It was also a rare occasion where I could have a conversation with his sisters, aunts, and relatives.

This week has been a very hectic week with a lot of things to deal with. For T it is not over yet - tomorrow he has to wake up early to join his family in the temple to collect his dad's ashes and attend whatever ceremony following that. For me, I will go back to work as usual.



Don't worry I still remember my Wednesday Special. For that, I have kept these few shots I took last week and like to share 2 of them with you. T was too tired to have dinner and has fallen sleep while I was still finding time to send this post. Anyway, here you go.... Hope you all have a great Wednesday and enjoy these photos! Your suggestion and criticism are mostly welcome.

Wednesday Special 01

Today is Wednesday and seems like a perfect day - the middle of the week, to post something special. Something that is out of the routine, featuring photos of my interest, could be food related or something else.

This is all due to my decision to learn and practice more photography in the scope of food, still life and lifestyle. Haven’t done much enough and therefore, I have been restless and constantly triggered to make use of every second that I have to shoot something new. Have accumulated a number of photo shots and thought of sharing them with you.... on every Wednesday.



And that is how the “Wednesday Special” came about. So to all of you, my friends..... I hope you enjoy what you see and your criticism is mostly welcome!

Meanwhile, I like to thank Tanja of Tanja's Cupcakes who recently passed the Sunshine award to me. It has been a great pleasure and really a sunshine of my day. Thanks for considering me, Tanja :-)



And these are the 12 blogger friends I like to share the Sunshine with…
- Fitri of Mommy Nisa
- Sue Sparks of Munchkin Munchies
- Mandy of What The Fruitcake?
- Simone of Junglefrog Cooking
- Vicky of Sweets at Vicky’s
- Deeba of Passionate About Baking
- Anita of Leave Room for Dessert
- Barbara of Movable Feasts
- Valerie of The Chocolate Bunny
- Jennifer of Maple and Cornbread
- Katie of Something Sweet
- Wolf of Wolf’s Den