A Date with Rugelach

Rugelach, is a type of Jewish pastry. I call it puff pastry, easier to understand. It is pretty easy to make rugelach, but it does take time as the dough needs to be refrigerated and then rolled out. The dough may be prepared days or weeks ahead of time and frozen; you can also shape the rugelach in advance and refrigerate or freeze them. They can then be baked without thawing.

I am using cream cheese as a base to the dough, and rolled around walnuts and cranberries....So, it is called Cranberry Walnut Puff Pastry...

Ingredients (makes 48 rugelach):

Conversion calculator for measurement--> http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/tools.measures/Measures.cfm

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened (I don't have enough cream cheese, so substitute with some sour cream)

1 tbsp plus 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

8 tsp butter, melted

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup cranberries

1 large egg yolk

1 tbsp water

Instructions:

1. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter and cream cheese until blended and smooth. Beat in 1 tbsp sugar and vanilla. Beat in flour until blended.

2. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each in waxed paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit. Line two large cookie sheets with foil; grease foil (I am using non-stick baking mat, so skip this). In small bowl, stir together cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup sugar.

4. Keeping remaining dough refrigerated, on lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of chilled dough into 10-inch round. Brush dough with 2 tsp melted butter. Sprinkle a generous 2 tbsp cinnamon-sugar mixture over dough. Sprinkle one-fourth of walnuts and one-fourth of cranberries over top; gently press filling into dough.

5. With pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut dough into 12 wedges. Starting at curved edge, roll up each wedge jelly-rolled fashion. Place, pointed-side down, 1/2 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheets.

6. In cup, stir together egg yolk and water. Lightly brush egg yolk mixture over rugelach.

7. Bake about 40 minutes, until golden. Immediately transfer rugelach to wire racks to cool.

8. Repeat with remaining dough, melted butter, and fillings, one-fourth at a time.

Rugelach ingredients...

The cream cheese based rugelach dough...
Walnuts, cranberries, ground cinnamon and sugar mixture....
Rolled dough, with fillings....
Roll up from the curved edge...
Place 1/2 inch apart, the rugelach will rise to bigger size after baked.
And....this is rugelach....I like them...

轻松的心情写重要的一天。。

今天是很重要的一天，想说一定要写些东西，酱我就可以记得这一天。。为什么很重要我就不说了，写写我的心情。

老公那里是7.16am，还在睡觉吧！想说提醒他，今天是特别的一天，所以在他的msn留了一个offline message。希望他醒来看到的时候，至少笑一分钟，心情就会好一天。

厨房的oven里面在bake着一个大大个的cheddar cheese bread,刚刚去看了一下，涨到很大个。为什么我酱喜欢baking和cooking，因为当我看到面包涨到很高，食物煮到好吃，我会很开心，很有成就感。如果我不做engineer,你问我喜欢什么工作，那应该是任何与baking或cooking有关的吧！虽然我不一定会煮，可是我就是喜欢花时间在这方面。我在美国六个月了，看电视时四分之三的时间都在看food network channel。Food network channel的节目很好看，“Iron chef America", "The next food network star", "Cupcake wars"很多很多可以看，真希望Malaysia有这个channel。我听过一个厨师说, "I don't need a measuring cup for my recipe, because it is all coming from a school called "This and That". A little bit of this, a little bit of that." 我很喜欢这句话，有多少个人可以像他这样。。

还有三个礼拜就回家了，其实是很兴奋的。在这里呆够了，玩也玩够了，是时候回家啦！最不舍得的就是我的apartment。住了六个月，有感情了，真希望它是mobile apartment,可以ship回Malaysia，哈哈。我走的时候，应该会流下两滴眼泪，然后kiss一下墙壁说bye bye。。。

离开美国，就像把一本写好的日记，写到最后一页关起来，满满的经验，甜甜的回忆，全都装在里面，把它带回家。

回到Malaysia，有很多事情要做，要开始准备人生大事啦！希望一切都顺利，酱才能享受那个过程。。。

知足。。。

在做puff pastry。。。他等我等到在沙发上睡着了。看着他睡着的样子，心里有两个字。。。“知足”

Chocolate-Filled Russian Tea Cakes

在美国的生活，假日不出门的时候我就会想做一些自己喜欢吃的饼干或者蛋糕。成功的话就会分享给朋友。如果朋友很喜欢吃，我的自信心会大大增加，然后继续地bake。。。我在baking这方面很没有天分，也没有自信心，找到了一份recipe,我还会去google看别人的recipe是不是一样的，如果不一样，我就开始担心到底哪一个比较accurate。其实这样是很多余的吧，反而会失败呢！

最近买了几本recipe book. 所以今天就做这个 Chocolate-Filled Russian Tea Cakes。Tea Cakes, 通常是在圣诞节的时候吃的。我放的是chocolate filling，它的texture像是融在口里的butter cookies.真正的recipe是趁热时把tea cakes滚进糖粉，给它裹上一层甜甜的糖粉，看起来就像snow balls。可是我不喜欢太甜的dessert，所以我的tea cakes的卖相和真正的tea cakes不一样。

Ingredients:

Conversion calculator for measurement-->http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/tools.measures/Measures.cfm

1 cup butter (softened)

1/2 cup powdered sugar for tea cakes

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip

1/2 cup powdered sugar for coating

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit. In large bowl, beat butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed.

2. On low speed, beat in flour, salt and walnuts.

3. For each cookie, shape scant measuring tablespoonfuls dough around chocolate chips (I use 5 chips for one cookie) to make 1-inch ball.

4. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

5. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until set and bottoms begin to turn golden brown.

6. Meanwhile, in small bowl, prepare the powdered sugar for coating.

7. Immediately remove cookies from the cookie sheets, roll in sugar coating.

8. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 30 minutes. Roll in sugar coating again.

My tea cakes ingredients...

With mixer, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract...
After beat in flour, salt and walnut. The mixture form a sticky dough..
Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips for filling...
Place each ball 1-inch apart, the tea cakes will rise while baking..

Done baking, remove from oven.
I sprinkle powdered sugar on the tea cakes instead of rolling them into the sugar. The tea cakes will not be too sweet doing this way.

每天都要吃早餐...

卢广仲有一首很废的早餐歌,可是我却很喜欢...

里头有几句歌词.."我决定每天都要吃早餐,太阳每天依然在. 看到你的同学,请他一定要早睡早起,加上吃早餐,因为身体健康也是一种,也是一种rock'n roll 的 style..."

能够每天吃早餐,真的是一件很棒的事情.

早餐决定我一整天下来的心情,所以我很珍惜吃早餐的时间,特别是加一杯浓浓的coffee....

我很喜欢和他吃早餐. 有他在,我的早餐总是很好吃. 一个人在美国的日子,少了吃早餐的乐趣,所以他在这了,我的早餐又变得好吃了...

Chocolate Dipped Scottish Shortbread

Shortbread....is one of my favourite cookies..and I am making some melted chocolate as the coating for my shortbread today.

Ingredients:

Conversion calculator for measurement-->http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/tools.measures/Measures.cfm

2 cups (260g) all purpose flour

1/4 tsp (2g) salt

1 cup (2 sticks or 226g)unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (60g) confectioners sugar

1 tsp (4g) pure vanilla extract

For chocolate dipped shortbread:

6 ounces (180g) semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions:

1.In a large bowl, sieve the flour, mix with salt and set aside.

2. In the bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute).

3. Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes).

4. Beat in the vanilla extract.

5. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated.

6. Shape the dough into two logs, and wrap them in wax paper.

7. Chill the dough for at least one hour.

8. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven.

9. If logs are frozen, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Slice the logs into thin slice cookies. Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets (I am using nonstick silicone baking mat).

10. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

For chocolate dipped shortbread:

1. Place 3 ounces (90g) of the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water.

2. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. Add the remaining chocolate and stir with a spoon until it has completely melted and is smooth and glossy.

3. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookies in the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Once all the cookies have been dipped into the chocolate, place the baking sheets n the refrigerator for about 10minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.

Bought a new kitchen scale...

The dough..

Dough is frozen in the freezer, for easier cutting...

Baking..

Melted Ghirardelli chocolate...

Shortbread goes well with a cup of hot coffee...

Dear John....

Dear John, tell me everything. Write it all down, scribble it in a notebook. Type it out, email it to me... I don't care, but I wanna know everything. Then we'll be with each other all the time, even if we're not with each other at all..

I love this quote, simple yet meaningful...I love the movie, it is so touching....and I love this song...

I love this place

But it's haunted without you

My tired heart

Is beating so slow

Our hearts sing less

Than we wanted

We wanted

Our hearts sing 'cause

We do not know

we do not know

To light the night

To help us grow

To help us grow

It is not said

I always know

You can catch me

Don't you run

Don't you run

If you live another day

In this happy little house

The fire's here to stay

To light the night

To help us grow

To help us grow

It is not said

I always know

Please don't make a fuss

It won't go away

The wonder of it all

The wonder that I made

I am here to stay

I am here to stay

Stay

Vanilla CuppyCakes with Frosting

It is weekend, and the gang will gather for board game and wiiiiii...

So, thought of making some cupcakes for the tea break.

I like cupcakes, but just cupcake, without topping...I always think the topping/frosting is too sweet. Today I am making vanilla cupcakes with vanilla butter cream frosting, because I thought other people might prefer some toppings on top. So I reduce the amount of sugar, for both the cupcakes and the frosting, just want to make sure it is not too sweet....

Ingredients:

Conversion calculator for measurement-->http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/tools.measures/Measures.cfm

Vanilla Cupcake

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature but not too soft)

1 cup sugar (I use 3/4 cup)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

1/4 cup butter

Pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups icing sugar (I use 1 3/4 cups)

4 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

Vanilla Cupcake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Beat sugar and butter at medium speed with stand mixer until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until yellow disappears after each addition.

4. Beat in vanilla extract.

5. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

6. Beat at medium-low speed just until blended after each addition. The batter will be thick (do not over mix).

7. Line a 12-cupcakes pan with paper cupcakes liners. Fill the liners until 2/3 full.

8. Bake for about 20minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool on rack before frosting.

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

1. Beat butter, vanilla extract and salt at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy.

2. Gradually add icing sugar and milk, beating at low speed until smooth, creamy and spreadable.

Ingredients for cupcake...

Ingredients for frosting...

And....I am really not good in decorating...

English Muffin Bread

One of the checklist to get in US....The kitchenaid...and currently it is sitting handsome-ly on my kitchen...

我叫它黑马，一直都很想买，可是malaysia实在卖得太贵了，而且也没有pro到有必要买这么high end的mixer...只是在这里呆了一阵子，时常看food network，每个人都在用它。。所以就把它抱回家了。。

我比较喜欢做面包，因为面包可以有很多种吃法，不会腻。。

所以就选了english muffin bread...

Ingredients:

6 cups of flour

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 cups of milk

1/2 cup of water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Grease two load pans and sprinkle with a little cornmeal to coat the bottom and sides (I didn't put cornmeal).

2. Combine 3 cups of flour, yeast and baking soda and set aside.

3. Warm the milk, water, sugar and salt until just warmed.

4. Combine the milk and flour in mixer, add the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix.

5. The dough will be very sticky, scoop it out and put evenly into bread pans.

6. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

7. Cook in 400 degress oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Take out pans immediately and cool on a wire rack.

This type of bread is good to grill in a pan. Put some toppings and make it a meal...