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...

And..he is leaving on a jetplane...

He is leaving on a jetplane...

送他到机场，那段路程并不遥远，可是我驾得很慢，希望可以再多说几句话....

载着你很舍不得的人到机场，看着他的背影越来越远，是什么感觉？我很不喜欢这种感觉，对送行和离开的人都很残忍..只是我还是把眼泪忍住了.

回家的路上，下起毛毛雨...看着雨打在挡风镜上，真的很想哭....可是要张大眼睛看GPS，所以又忍住了...

他回去了，把冬天也带走了...

Miss you...

我。。在他乡的日子

在美国两个月了。。。
一个月前，我下定决心要写一些我在美国第一个月的生活，因为有好多话要说，好多心情要写。只是，一个月过去了，部落格还是空空的。。。
当工作开始忙的时候，不知不觉已经过了两个月。明天，他来了。。。分开了两个月，终于等到了。
曾经日子很难过的时候，躺在床上摆个“大”字，还是觉得那张床很大。所以我不常进房间，除了睡觉。虽然很想念，可是我觉得短暂分开可以让两个人更了解自己和对方。换句话说，让他可以“放假”，没有人天天在耳边唠唠叨叨。。嘻嘻！
离开家里8883 miles，一切都不一样。驾驶方向不一样，见的人不一样，吃的东西不一样，看的电视节目不一样，天空的颜色不一样，而自己好像会为了适应这些不一样而改变一点点。。。想家的时候，泡一杯浓浓的milo,很有家里的味道，而我还是原来的我。一个人的生活简单明了，一个人的生活是宁静的，但一个人的生活不够充实，就像一双在墙角的拖鞋，有点孤单。。
他在Changi airport等待转机，我就在家里等待明晚的到来，迫不及待。。。