Kev's Midnight Bakery - Orange Marmalade Cake

Its 9 minutes past 11pm, its raining cats and dogs outside. Always love to stay indoor when its raining. While waiting for my phone to get updated with iOS4.2, I thought its time for me to BLOG! This time its about Orange Marmalade Cake...a new creation from the Food Monster~

Sweet Sour Orange Zest~

My colleagues keep asking me to make something for their afternoon tea with some restrictions and these are what I have to bear in mind: No banana, no dry fruits (which is my favourite), no berry-based fruit conserved. Well, guess orange is an universal fruit that can stay safe within the acceptance zone. Started baking only at 9.30pm on Sunday, I'm kind of tired to get myself to move my heavy limbs. Such a lazy FM... After an hour of weary baking session, it turns out like this....

Freshly baked Orange Marmalade Cake...Anyone?

The overall texture is surprisingly great and spongy with enough moisture and sweetness. The fragrance of orange is so strong until my 2nd bro left his beloved PC and approached me to have a peep on what I am doing. Yea, nobody would able to resist the piping hot and fresh cake, especially at such late hours (time for some supper, no?). The only downside of this cake is that the butter is not enough as I have forgotten to put an extra of 50g that is supposed to be in the recipe. The base of the cake gets too dry until it has affixed at the bottom of the baking pan ;(
Lesson learned: Must gather all the ingredients beforehand if you are after for a perfect creation!!

Jingle bell, Jingle bell...X'mas is on the way~

The cake is well-supported by my hungry and glutton colleagues. Within 10 minutes, my container is empty and I could barely have one slice for myself. Being the smart FM, I have kept a few slices in advance for mum and bros at home. *Wink*
Guess I am done for the day. Sweet dreams and nitez.

Love,

Kev XOX

A Day to Remember~

The earth is moving, the time is flowing and my heart is pumping irregularly. Just a glimpse of eye, it has been a year! A year that I have to start my lifestyle differently, having had to adjust myself without you around, dad! Things are alright at home, everyone seems trying their best to get back on track...Live strong in life. Mum is cheering up to have herself occupied with Yoga classes but somehow will be quite emotional when she thinks of you...Dad, you never been forgotten by everyone here, instead living in our hearts ever since before! Ya, still have a lot to learn in life, wish you were here when I need you ~ Not to worry, we will take good care of ourselves here...; )

Lovely Dad & Mum@Lotte World, Korea (2004)

Right before going off for work, all my mind is just flashing back all the moments that we have spent together, from young till the day you left us~! It has been a tough day here with 2 colleagues on leave at the same time! Wish Wei recovered soon with her sprained ligament. My concentration tends to distort at some point of time but the heavy workload immediately steered myself back on track to keep things focused. Well, guess I just need more rest for myself...after working in staggered hours for almost a year too!

Trio-shot@St. Paul, Macau (2008)

Dad, I miss you so much...

Love,
Kev XOX

Sleep Debt

Guess the phrases above is no stranger to everyone out there? People accumulate sleep debt surreptitiously without any sense of consciousness. We tend to have "sleep debt" when we are in a rush for due date reports or presentations and all sorts of reasons that you can find out for yourselves, just to make you feel better. Sleep debt, by definition, is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get for each day.

Sleepdex.org has said that a person who loses ONE night's sleep will generally be irritable and clumsy during the next day. After missing TWO night's sleep, a person will have problems concentrating and will begin to make mistakes on normal tasks. THREE missed nights will cause a person starting to have hallucination and lose grasp of reality "like the one we get to watch in L.Di Caprio's recent creation - The Inception." Studies have found that sleep deprivation leads to worsened vision, impaired actions in daily lives and trouble remembering. Chronic effects include obesity and heart disease.

Oh no, is it that serious? Need not worry, there is still numerous of solutions to tackle such intricate issue! The good news is that, like all debt, it can be repaid with proper work being done. Having enough of sleep will enable your brain to undergo a restorative period to maintain the balance within your endocrine system and allows your organs to be back on track to function in an ordinary way.  Tacking on an extra hour or two of sleep a night is the way to catch up with the arrears of sleep. Go to bed when you are tired, and allow your body to wake you in the morning (NO alarm clock is allowed). Experts say that needing an alarm clock in order to wake up is a sign that you are sleep deprived. Yea dear, I shouldn't been complaining all my daily lives frustration and put them into excuses for my "sleep deprivation" throughout this year…Sorry for being emotional and rant over you! I will not starve myself again too. Well, I definitely need to start from here…(; 

I have attached here with a free sleep calculator, please have a go to calculate the right sleep hours for yourselves --> Sleep Calculator

For more in depth research, please visit Can You Catch Up on Lost Sleep and How to Pay Back sleep debt in Smart Way

Fun facts: It is known that law enforcement pros employ forced sleep deprivation to get people to have lower resistance to truth telling. It is hard to lie when you're sleepy…!!

Blue Diamond No.17 Pineapple Tart - even have special certificate to prove it is all man-made from organic pineapple! Thanks Joshua for such lucrative souvenir from Taiwan!! For more info, please visit Dawn Cake.


Yang Can Bake - Sr. 1: Apple Crumble

Was traveling to Ipoh for a day trip with my mum yesterday. I have brought along my Master Chef mag that I've got in Australia last July to avoid those "Foreseen" boredom…Haa, not that serious yet d; Then found a recipe by Junior Master Chef, thought I can be a master chef too?! Therefore, I grabbed the opportunity to make the Apple Crumble that I've been craving for so long.

Zesty Oranges - Subtle magic juice

Crispy crumble top that resemblance crunchy butter cookies~

Warm Apple Delight out from oven freshly~ Anyone?

Will post up the recipe here in the same post, please stay tune ^^ !! Till then, need to wash up all the utensils and dig-in my Apple Crumble...Yum yum yum...One more please !!!  
Just remember, Hot Crumbles are just the ticket for cold nights (;

Love,
Kev XOX

SHYANG Can Cook - Sr. 1: Mexican Night~

Buenas noches (Good Evening in Spanish - FYI: Mexicans speak Spanish), all the lovely people out there! Have you ever heard of Yan Can Cook by Martin Yan before? He is just my childhood hero that has influenced me to become the Food Monster today...!! Wonder why I would used YANG instead of Kev?! Because, it is given by my special one...*nod nod - Yes, you are the ONE~*

I thought it will be a great timing for me to make the kitchen alive by cooking a meal for my family. Hence, I have this in mind....Let make it a Mexican Night...

Bienvenido - Old El Paso Fajita Kits
All the cooking steps are just simple like a Finger Flick*
 
I have promised mum that I won't make a mess in the kitchen and I've become the Head Chef **Grin** Without any hesitation, I took out those frozen minced meat for it to defrost beforehand. Below are those ingredients that are compulsory (its more like a "regulation" for such staples?!):

From left and clockwise: 3 beaten eggs, chicken sausages, bell pepper/capsicum cubes & strips and sweet onions slices

YANG can FLIP! Pan-fry omelet - will provide another subtle texture for Fajitas~

Apart from those raw materials stated above, I thought omelet will be another great enhancement for our dinner, especially with the crispy outer skin and slightly pan-fried fragrance...The normal Fajitas don't seem to satisfy the much-demanding FM, so I gently arranged all the Fajita rolls onto a baking pan and sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese before putting into the oven for 15 minutes. Tick-tock, tick-tock...YIPPIE, time for DINNER, folks!

The Roasted Crispy-skinned Fajitas with Salsa as flavouring sauce...
Is someone knocking the door, asking for some tasting sessions?! d;

Mexican or Italian?! My brain can't even have a justified answer! It tasted exactly like the homemade Italia Pizza~ Mumbo Jumbo...I'm loving it! Everything seems so perfect except the Mexican flavouring powder which is towards the salty side, need some water to quench the thirst~

I really love cooking, baking and of course, EATING! But, when Rationality become a Liability, nobody can escape from the Chef's worst nightmare - CLEAN THE DISHES~ No exceptional even if you have produced a great dinner. Therefore, I have to wash all the cookery and plates by myself....~ Haaa! Ya, let's make dinner as a good practice as it will train up your patience, explore your knowledge on food handling to the widest and so on...at least they are healthy in the way that YOU are the one who knows what ingredients/flavourings that are being used in those dishes~!

Together we promote the Healthy Life~

POCKY Zone:

Thanks Big-Bro Hooi, you are awesome!! POCKIES all the way from HK~

Limited Edition Pocky Winter Chocolate - Melt in your HEART~

O.o Time will never wait for people but its us who need to grab the best out of it! Its time for me to head off to bed...A simple yet meaningful weekends, I'm delighted. :D
Tomorrow will be a better day~ Don't you agree people?! Till then, Adiós!!

Love,
Kev XOX

Rhapsodie de Fruit Loaf

Yea, TGIF~ Everyone is ecstatic as tomorrow will be a worldwide public holiday - Labour Day~ It is such a devastating week here and FM is furious to get more YUMMY food to compensate with the tiredness. Due to popular demand and peer pressures, I have decided to have another creation to keep everybody delighted in both visual and physical fulfillment. ;P

Let me present.........Rhapsodie de Fruit Loaf

I have decided to name this recipe as fruit loaf rather than fruit cake as this flour-product contains less moisture. Thus, it creates a great texture which sits right in between a cake and a bread. YUMMY!

Food Monster is also running out of fresh ideas lately. He needs to observe the surroundings and hopefully get to churn out some incredible senses. This time, I have scooped out a portion of the ready-bake batter and added in with some premium cocoa powder from the Dutch Chocolatier - Van Houten. Then, I have combined both portions right before sending it into the oven. It turned out to be.....

A chocolate-butter swirl fruit loaf with my favourite Dried Cranberries~

Cranberries have moderate levels of vitamin C, dietary fibers and essential dietary minerals as well as a balanced profile of other essential micronutrients. Folks, let's tuck in and promote a healthy life around our communities....Alright, perhaps another closer shot for you to drool even more x-p

Comments are most welcome...Food Monster is thinking hardly to improve his current techniques by trying a few more complicated oven-creations!! Hmm, guess I need to fully utilize these much anticipating weekends. They are truly precious for all the workmates, don't you agree?!

POCKY Zone:

 















Well-fitted in this post  -  Pocky MARBLE

Alrighty, time for the FM to catch back some comfort sleeps in this cooling night. Guess I will put an end for this post, hope you guys like it. Good night, people ;)

Love,
Kev XOX

Tourist In Hometown

Hey pals, have you ever come across such situation where you need to be a tourist in your hometown?! Well, it did give me some hard times when my friend planned to come over Penang, Malaysia for holidays!! A warmth welcome for the special guests, ShanMin and ShuMin from our neighbour land, Singapore.

I've to hook up to the net and google for some local tourist spots...but those attractions can't really interest me much as being a local, there isn't anything much to see?!! ShanMin keep asking me why is the place is not worth-going, why is the area not reachable and so forth. Arh...FM is having headache! She tells me that I need to think like a tourist, not from the locals' point of view! Ermm, OKIE~ **FM is discontented**!! Haa....

I sort of complaining this to Bee and she convinced me back with just a single and simple good reason --> They are my FRIENDS! Thanks dear, you've got the point...and I will always listen to you...Muacks!! Yeap, they are indeed my friends, so I need to learn to be a good tour guide and put on a good smile to all the Penang visitors!

First tourist spot that I could think of is...Fort Cornwallis. Actually, this is my second trip to this well-supported tourist spot since my first time when I was in primary...!

British Fort and Canon...

Tour guide for the S'poreans!! I'm paid with double! LOL...

ShanMin had a request for me to bring them to the film-taking spot in Church St., Penang. I was like...is there any special? But, the reminder kicked in --> we must think and see from tourist-point of view. Alrighty, be a good girl and I shall grant your wish...Here we go to the Pinang Peranakan Mansion! Somehow I feel ashamed of myself, how could I don't know the road in Penang but yet I'm a Penangite! Arh girls, please forgive me...I will train harder and learn by heart next time!

Baba-Nyonya Style Mansion over 100 years ago

Window to the heaven...

Walking Down the Alley of Time...

If only I could Turn Back Time...

The SG people is hard to be satisfied...:P Therefore, I brought them to our proud beach at Batu Ferringhi!! The weather is just suitable for outdoor activities and everyone seems so happy to be here to enjoy the smooth, cooling breeze...

Golden sunset view at dusk...Looking at the sky, longing for someone special! I really miss you!

Coming to the Food Heaven without having authentic delicious food is just can't be compromised! I'll just show some photos here because...Penang is full of local delicacies! If you want to know more, come here and you will get to savour all of these great gifts from the locals!

Nyonya-style Chicken Masak Lemak@Mama's

Oyster Pan-cake....Crispy, crunchy, tasty, yummy and dreamy!

Mouth-melting Tiramisu@Bella Italia...Simply Irresistable!

Well, I hope my performance is satisfied for the much-demanding guests!! Hee...I am more than happy to see you guys again! Next time will be my turn to invade the Lion City...!! Thanks for visiting ya!

POCKY Zone:

Pocky Dessert - Tiramisu Flavour

Remembrance of Daddy:

Dear Dad, these few days have been emotional for everyone in the house, we keep thinking about you and all the ups and downs that we had together are etched indelibly in our mind! Really thanks for everything that you have done for me...Love ya lots!! 

Alright, it is time for me to help out in the kitchen!! Crispy Pork Belly, please wait for me to turn you to be a great dishieeee...Till then, I will be back to blog more in frequent...Cheers buddies!!

Love,
Kev XOX

Sweet Cravings - Banana All-Mighty!!

Hello fellas, how's it going?? Its Sunday March 21st...I know some of you will just think about the upcoming working week! But, not for me, because I'm going to fully utilize my last day of the weekends here!! Recently, the Cookie Monster has been baking alot for her houssies!! One good reason that she gave was...Sweet Cravings!! Hmm, yea, it is such a great excuse for that huh!! So do I, I'm craving for sweet stuffs like desserts so BADLY!! I did hesitate if my current oven functions well...and shortage of baking utensils could be another worst nightmare that I've ever faced before~ Well yea, ignore it and let's do it!!

Fortunate enough to have this dear buddy to help me out with all the cutting works...

Awesome German cut-ware since 1731 -- Zwilling J.A. Henckels

After about 120mins of mixing+baking time and having a havoc in the kitchen, let me show ya...

The Mighty....errr...wait a second, take a look at this first!

Can you guess what I've baked?! **Hint: Look at the thin yellowish line...

The Mighty Banana Loaf with Cranberries~ A healthy option for all the sweet-tooth!! Thanks for the great work, Oven pal~

Mouth-watering?! Take orders? Nah...I will only bake for someone...**Giggling**

Yeap, that's my great Sunday noon...I just want to try my best to make everyone smile with my small little influential effort!! Well, Johnathan just called me up for the futsal session at 5pm! Arh...I need to get going and continue with my read up! It is just a week away till I have my Trade Finance Exam!! Wooot....\O.o/ Till then, I will catch up with you all again soon~~!! Cheers mates!!

P/S: Please stay tune for the recipe, I will update it in this same post too!

Recipe Corner:

Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 1 tsp of salt (No salt is needed if salted butter is used)
• 120g of sugar (Alter to your liking as banana is sweet too)

Others:

• 3 eggs
• 270g self-raising flour
• 120-140mL of full-cream milk
• 3 well-smashed ripe banana
• Dash of vanilla essence and cinnamon sugar power

Options:

• Dry fruits (e.g. cranberries, raisins)
• Chocolate shavings for decoration and taste

Methods:

1. Add the combination A and mix well in a prepared batter bowl.
2. Add 3 eggs, each at a time and mix well with the batter.
3. Sieve 270g self-raising flour into the batter. 
4. Add in the well-smashed banana and mix 'em with the batter.
5. Add the prepared milk into the batter (adjust based on the softness/moisture of the desired cake/according to personal likings)
6. Add a dash of vanilla essence and cinnamon sugar powder if possible.
7. Pre-heat oven at 180 Celsius for 5 minutes.
8. Turn mixture into prepared baking pan and bake in oven at 180 Celsius for 40 to 50 minutes or until done when the wooden skewer comes out clean. Decorate with chocolate shavings or icing sugar on top of the cake.

Original recipe by Shyang - The Food Monster~

POCKY Zone:

Latest Limited Edition Pocky - Apple Yogurt

Love,
Kev XOX