A View from Below cc ARTicle

A View from Below

Found this wonderful post about a young 4-year-old artist Sophie K. How she gives a fresh eye on the paintings that have been hanging in the gallery for years.
I like how Kids are brave about creativity, and opinions. They never fear of failures, right or wrong, or what others thing about what they say -the genuine spark of passion.
I like how "She liked Pollock’s “colorful mud puddle” and thought that touching it might feel rough “like glitter glue.”" and how artists like us get reminded that there are so many inconceivable ways to present Art. For example, why can't we create something that allow viewers to touch like “touch blocks”? With Art - sky is the limit.

This also reminds me that..I have an art project pending for my home in Chicago. Alas, there's no time to waste!

You can't resist the RED VELVET CUPCAKES!

Okay. I got compliments from a dear friend that she claimed there is nowhere to find red velvet cupcakes which are as tasty as mine. That's really encouraging! I first encountered red velvet cupcakes when I browsed the website of a well known bakery in London. The color, texture and the frosting of the cupcakes just drew my attention. I wondered how it tasted like. But then when I was looking for recipes, I was a bit shocked that it asked for red food coloring in the recipe. But my curiosity drives my hands to the usual steps and I first made my batch of red velvet cupcakes. AND IT BLEW ME AWAY! The light and fluffy texture and the slightly chocolaty flavour explain why this cake takes on the world. It has become my very personal favourite and I keep making myself some once in a while.

What makes this recipe so special is that it needs sour cream or plain yogurt while most red velvet cupcakes recipes ask for vinegar. Using both will be fine but the flavour will be different. Just try and see what you prefer. Remember experiment is the top mission of bakers? Enjoy baking!

To whoever is reading and my co-blogger, I didn't give up on here! I just had some problems and now it's been dealt with perfectly and now I'm moving on very well. All my friends told me it is my turn to update here.(Elfy are you waiting and actually you have a lot to update here? LOL) But I guess we don't take turns. No we don't.

What's the most important about baking? I mean to all the enthusiastic bakers, that's very clear that sharing what they bake with the beloved ones is a drive to get them moving and trying more new recipes. But are your beloved ones honest? They love you so much that they don't want to hurt your feelings and upset you. Personally I love honest comments and needless to say my beloved ones got to try all the failures I did when I first started baking. They were very honest and told me what they thought. That's essential for me to improve. Eventually you will notice the preference of your beloved ones. Like my parents, they have absolutely no interest in any kinds of cheesecakes or mousse cakes. They just like simple and light sponge cakes, chiffon cakes and basically cakes without cream or frosting. They are not easy to please with as they can be quite picky sometimes. But I just love how honest they can be when it comes to tasting my food.
To make sure I get music to my ears, I only serve them what they like. My brother is a very typical example. He normally likes all the things I bake. I think whatever I bake from butter, flour and eggs, he likes it. He is my all-time favourite judge!

Okay, back to the subject, what failure did I face all the time when I started baking? Don't think about something fancy and sophisticated. Think about basic and simple.

Give me a C!

Soooo I am desperately waiting for the cupcake kits to arrive. Originally it was Sarah's idea, but I decided..why not? Might as well just get another set for myself! That will probably encourage me to make some cupcakes myself :)

But before that..I really need to share this blog with ya'll...the incredible cupcake recipes!! (credit to Dianna Lee, who shared this blog wayyy back months ago)

Like the last blog I recommended, this is the one that I am longing to share with everyone.

I am definitely trying the cupcakes with filling: cupcake 18 or 23!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/8LLian/mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com//r:f

what will be your favorite? Make a shout out and I will make that for you :) ....

Time for some frosting BABY!

Anyone is reading here? I wonder. Well at least my best friend Elfy.(Elfy I miss you so so so so oh oh much!)

Been talking a lot about cupcakes, I feel such a need to finally share what I have experimented in my cupcake journey. I still remember the first time I figured out what buttercream is, I actually wanted to throw up. WHAT?!? It is butter mixed with icing sugar and flavourings. That is so not healthy and I can't help thinking picking up a stick of butter and chewing it directly. YUCK! From that day on, I don't make buttercream at all. Neither it tastes bad, it gets this oily shiny outlook one day after being frosted on cupcakes.

I felt relieved when I knew I could use cream cheese to frost cupcakes. That's so much better and it actually tastes way better than buttercream! These days butter and cream cheese are pretty at the same price so there is nothing to worry about. I am going to share the basic cream cheese frosting recipe and what you can do to make different types of frosting. There are so many variations you can have. Get inspired and make your personal frosting! It requires a lot less icing sugar than usual recipes and most importantly, you should use the legendary vanilla bean paste if you can afford. It makes such a huge difference. I will talk about it later here. Enjoy frosting!

Japanese Food @ NYC

Hi Sarah! I am finally here :) miss you very very much too!!

Ever since my crazy Chicago life kicks in, the last time I baked was my Birthday!

But that doesn't stop me from snooping around for new food :)

Round#1 NYC adventures on 7/4 weekend:

The more I am away from Home, the more I missed the authenticity of Asian food..

Glad that US has everything. There are even great immigrants who became chefs and provide us food t

hat taste even better than the original. And for some reason, we decided to make a quest for Japanese food.

1. Ippudo NY

Hands down the best ramen miso base I ever tried...Red miso fuse with tonkotsu broth..flavorful, silky, rich yet doesn't overpower the ingredients. The amazing layer of burnt garlic oil, sesame flavor, tonkotsu richness and a hint of miso - AMAZING

With the combination of their Nitamago and the "al dente" ramen noodles is just heavenly (the salted running egg, yumm)

Another featured appetizer is the Hirati pork buns. Pieces of fatty pork belly marinated in scallions and spicy sauce inside a soft bun. As a Bread lover..this is very hard to resist.

It was a late lunch at 3pm because of a 1 hour wait. But it's totally worth it.

Price ~$25 USD

Round#2 Sake Bar Hagi

NYC is definitely a night city...our flight was delayed till midnight, but we s

till had the luxury to enjoy a late night snack @ Hagi.

Their snacks are very fresh and delicate. W

e tried the soft shell crab, grilled squid, tako yaki, yakisoba...soft shell crab is my most favorite.

Price: ~$20 @

Round #3: Chikalicious

Twas a legendary dessert bar with a nice buttery aroma. We were lucky to make it in time before the crowd crashed in the place. This is actually my first time trying Affogato. I have always curious about this A la Mode Italian Dessert, but I always get distracted by other sweets like Tiramisu or Penna Cotta. This is definitely a nice modified version with soft vanilla bean ice cream infuse with fresh espresso and adding a hint of J

apanese coffee chocolate crispies on the top. Softy is always my favorite ice cream..so smooth, milky and rich. Plus, the strong and flavorful texture from the expresso..it's beyond imagination how delicious it is when two becomes one...next time if I ever have a fresh coffee maker, will definitely try to create this dessert my own.

I didn't get a chance to try the mother restaurant. Will definitely go there again next time!

Price: ?

Round #4: Cupcake Food Truck!

This is a Gift to Sarah! :)

NYC is filled with all kinds of food stands...not to mention CUPCAKES!

We randomly came across this food truck on our way to SoHo. Mini cupcakes are a great hit in NY. Maybe we should think of making some minis for tea party?

Price: ?

3 hours, 1 dozen

Last night my brother and sister unintentionally called on the same day. They are having their summer holiday and told me they got nothing to do. As a result, they came over very early this morning to have a cupcake workshop guided by me! HAHA! I have to say they are really the role models of teenagers nowadays in time management. They were so on time and probably arrived ahead of the scheduled time. BRAVO!

Since I had to work at 2pm, we cracked on the cupcakes right after they arrived. These two are really greedy people. They wanted variations in the flavours of frosting and the cupcakes also! And so we tried this vanilla-chocolate-cupcakes-in-one-bowl recipe. I am so happy now because the cupcakes turned out so good! This recipe is ideal if you want to make 6 vanilla and 6 chocolate cupcakes. It is so convenient and you do everything in a single bowl. For the cupcake itself, the texture is so moist and fluffy. If your family has a battle between vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, this is for you! I added plain yoghurt to give the cupcakes a twist so they taste more lovely. You can substitute it with sour cream or milk!

Vanilla and Chocolate Cupcakes In A Bowl

(Yields 12 cupcakes)

80g unsalted butter
120g sugar
2 large eggs
45ml milk
90g natural plain yoghurt
130g plain flour
1g salt
2g baking soda
10g unsweetened cocoa powder

1) Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Make sure butter, eggs and milk are in room temperature. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2) Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.(It usually takes 5-8 minutes.)
3) Beat in eggs. One at a time. Make sure it incorporates well.
4) Gradually stir in the milk and yoghurt. Mix well.
5) Add flour mixture and beat until everything JUST incorporates. DO NOT OVERMIX!
6) Fill the first 6 lined muffin holes with batter.(Fill each hole about 2/3 full to ensure a flat cupcake top.)
7) Put the tin into the oven and immediately turn down to 150 degree celsius. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8) Transfer the tin to a wire rack to cool.
10) For the remianing batter, sift in cocoa powder and mix well gently. Fill another 6 lined muffin holes.
11) Put the tin into the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
12) Transfer the tin to a wire rack to cool.

I am a HUGE fan of Jamie Oliver!

I don't ONLY make desserts and actually I cook pretty much the same number of savory dishes. Very close friends of mine should know that I am a BIG fan of the genius British chef Jamie Oliver.Because:

1) He was hot when he was young and now he's got this typical chef happy body(YOU KNOW WHAT!)
2) I like the way he appreciates food and he only uses what is in season.
3) Okay! He has the British accent!

That's why I have a whole set of his DVDs at home.(But still I haven't watched them...teehee!)

One very typical Jamie style is that he cooks in such a casual way and you never think you can't replicate what he did in your own kitchen. Here's one of my favourite recipes from him and I can say it is way better than what is served in many so-called professional western restaurants. Give it a try! It is so great as a light lunch and I like to cook a bit more so I have some leftovers for the next one or two days. It gives a little kick to the soup if you serve with warm garlic bread!

Simple Storecupboard Minestrone

(Serves 2)

1 small potato
2 small red onions
1 small carrot
2 cloves garlic
1 stick celery
100g kale or cabbage
2 rashers pancetta or bacon
1 small bunch of fresh parsley
1x400g tin of chopped tomatoes
500ml chicken stock
10g Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
black pepper

1) Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely slice the parsley stalks and reserve the leaves. Put aside.
2) Peel and dice the onions, carrot, celery and potato. Put the potato in a separate bowl.
3) Heat a tiny bit of olive oil in a pan.(A pan which you can cook soup with.) Finely chopped the pancetta or bacon. Add into the heated pan and fry for a couple of minutes.
4) Add the garlic, onion, carrot, celery and parsley stalk to the pan. Cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes until they have softened and are starting to caramelised.
5) Add the tinned tomato, potato and chicken stock to the pan. Bring to boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Pop the lid on and cook for about 20 minutes.
6) Meanwhile, wash and chop the kale or cabbage. Add it into the pan and bring to boil again. Turn it back to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
7) Season with black pepper and sea salt. Stir in the chopped parsley leaves just before served.

Cupcake Experiments

Have you ever had this feeling that you can't find your perfect recipe for a particular kind of food? I have. Cupcakes have come into my life this year and my brain has all the ideas of trying out different recipes. But I was let down quite a lot of times.(Dry and hard cupcakes or too sweet or too bland!) I got a few ideas from some cookbooks written by famous bakeries but still I can't get what I want. Believe it or not, I have tossed at least 5 dozens of cupcakes into the trash.

There is a saying that the simplest is always the hardest. I second that! Do you think plain vanilla cakes are easy? It is so not a piece of cake! I have tried loads of recipes. Either I got dry and tasteless cupcakes or the cakes itself aren't vanilla-ish enough! And one very important thing about cupcakes is that the shape. The cupcake should have a nicely done, flat surface for you to frost or pipe on.

I am so proud to have a very own vanilla cupcake recipe!

 

Nice, flat and so vanilla-ish!!

 Vanilla Cupcake

(Yields 12 cupcakes)

Unsalted butter    110g
Sugar                  150g
Eggs                    2 pcs
Milk                    120 ml
Vanilla Extract     1 tablespoon
Flour                   250g
Salt                     2g
Baking Powder   1 tablespoon


1) Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Make sure butter, eggs and milk are in room temperature. Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius.
2) Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.(It usually takes 5-8 minutes.)
3) Beat in eggs. One at a time. Make sure it incorporates well.
4) Gradually stir in the milk and vanilla. Mix well.
5) Add flour mixture and beat until everything JUST incorporates. DO NOT OVERMIX!
6) Divide batter into the lined muffin tin. (Fill each hole about 2/3 full to ensure a flat cupcake top.)
7) Put the tin into the oven and immediately turn down to 160 degree celsius. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8) Transfer the tin to a wire rack to cool.

Dear friend Sarah

No Worries, this blog is not forgotten!
Yes blogging takes a lot of commitment and I don't want to make false promises..let's do it!
Before we set this public, let's do some experimental postings...

Maybe we can start off with cupcakes :) our HUGE project *hint*
What do you think?


Topic: Wedding Cupcakes

Cupcakes are a huge thing in America..at least I know everyone is crazy about the colors, frosting, flavors and endless variety of combinations...it's just a heavenly gift for people who love to bake and eat.

But there's nothing as fascinating as the cupcakeblog..Quality in presentation and flavors. I wonder what inspiration can I get from his blog for my wedding? Purple and Green?

Let's get it started...

Dear Elfina, my best friend and co-blogger,

I want to take the first step to blog here as I really think we should get our plan going! I hope we can find the joy blogging, baking and sharing here and never let here stop:)


Your best friend and co-blogger
Sarah