Caprese Pasta

This marks my first post for a non-dessert type of food. When I first made this blog many moons ago, I was single, living with my brother, and LOVES to bake. I did cook, not intensively, but never thought about making it pretty or put it in a blog.

Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread) with Yudane Method

The second method I tried in making this Shokupan is yudane method. This method is similar to its more popular relative, Tangzhong. Tangzhong requires the flour and liquid to be boiled until it forms a paste that is then cooled to room temperature before using. The ratio of flour and water is typically 1:5.

With Yudane, the ratio varies a bit, but at most I've seen 1:1.5 and instead of boiling the two together, the water for yudane has to be boiling and you pour it on the flour and mix it to form a dough. The dough is then refrigerated overnight or at least set aside for a few hours. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will develop. The idea behind these two method is to create a gelatinized mixture from the gluten as you mix it with boiling water, creating a chewy bread.

Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread) with Poolish Method

I have been baking bread quite often, really often in fact, with most of them being Asian buns with assorted fillings. Two or three years ago, I even made bread a few times per week for months during Summer to test out different methods, recipes, experimenting different proportions. This time, I made something different. Basic white bread. Not just any white bread, but Japanese milk bread. 

Double Fromage Cake

Hello and Happy Fall!

Thought I'd pop in here while the baby is napping to do a quick update.

We've had a routine now (yay!) after maybe months of scrambling around with different things. Sophie is now in Kindergarten and Kathryn is now (very) mobile! She is hilarious and definitely has an attitude! Stubborn and very strong-willed (I'm sure she gets this from her father :D).

I haven't been actually completely hiatus from baking. In fact, I have been actually making more cakes, less entremet this time.
One thing doesn't change is that I have been cooking non stop. With each person in the family having different appetite, I try to make different things that they would eat. This is killing me and I am trying hard to simplify this, but we'll take a step at a time. With that many cooking, the positive side is that I get to develop more and more recipes, branching out to other cuisines, perfected it to my taste, took a picture of the final products, hoping someday I will be able to make it into a cookbook for my girls when they grow up.

Now, let's talk dessert. I made this a while ago and meant to post it for you guys since this is one of those winning desserts. The pictures don't do this cake justice as it was really dark and cloudy when I took this, but trust me, you'll love this.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

For as long as I remember, I am not a muffin person, except for my trusty banana muffins (which I am still making in regular basis, a lot). Nothing is really wrong with it, I just thought that they are usually firm and dense, and it makes me want to chug a glass of water after.

But here I am posting another muffin recipe, the second muffin recipe I've ever posted since I've started baking. This muffin recipe was created as a result of desperation. Sophie attends a Christian program every Wednesday night, and it was her turn to bring snacks that week for 20 kids. It was a busy time and with me preparing the upcoming international trip for the whole family, the snack duty got forgotten, until the night before, when I see an empty snack bucket that she brought home the week before.

Meyer Lemon Tart with Lemon Macaron

I am finally writing a new post! Life with two babes are definitely not something one would take lightly. The only way I could write this post is when the two kids miraculously nap at the same time, and I am pumping while writing this post before they wake up (sorry for TMI).

I am not baking as much since Kathryn was born, but I cook way way more. She is almost a year old now, and ever since she was 6 months, I have been cooking four different meals! So to say that there isn't enough time in one day or enough energy on one's body, is not an understatement.

Valentine Cake Idea - Raspberry Rose Lychee Cake

It's Valentine's day today and while it might be too late for anyone looking for Valentine cake idea, at least this can be an inspiration for other occasion, whether it's the decor idea, or the cake idea. You can change up the shape as you'd like, such as numbers, circles, alphabets, or anything at all.