I Made New Friends!

I'm miserable at my uni. Despite my desperate attempts to make new friends, they are just not the same as we were at uni.

There's no one to have lunch with at uni.
There's no for me to poke fun of random people with.
There's no one to hang out with after uni.
There no one to do the stuff we did while we were at foody's uni!

So, I've decided to stop trying to make friends with the anti-social bunch at my uni. I've decided to bake my own friends. My new policy is 'Why make em' when you can bake them'.

So old friends, let me introduce to you some of my newly made baked friends.

Hobby: Running
Favorite expression:

" Run, run, as fast you can.

You can't catch me. Coz I'm the gingerbread man!"

Hobby: Playing golf

Favorite Expressions:

"Thank you to the fans.
I do movies for you.
Practice safe sex and drive hybrids if you can."

Hobby: Making girls drool
Favorite Expression: "Annyong ha shimnikka." or " Saranghae."


Hobby: Lookin' Hot
Favorite expression: "That's Hot!"


Hobby: Collecting children
Favorite Expression: "I'm a 36C."

Don't they look like a great bunch? They even smell better than those at uni. I'll never be lonely at uni anymore! If only i could refrain from biting them ...

Remember ... Why make em' when you can bake them!

New (gingerbread) friends
makes 24, 6-inch friends

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup unsulfured molasses
• Currants
  

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Add flour mixture; combine on low speed. Divide dough in thirds, and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (a French nonstick baking mat). Set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough 1/8-inch thick. Cut into gingerbread people shapes. Transfer to prepared baking sheets.
4. Cut out desired decorations and place on cookies. Press currants into dough to create eyes and buttons. To create hair, roll a piece of dough into a ball and pass through a clean garlic press. Attach hair to heads. Bake until crisp, but not darkened for about 20 minutes. Let cookies cool on wire racks.
5. Decorate.

Royal Icing
makes 2 1/2 cups

• 2 large egg whites, or more to thin icing
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, or more to thicken icing
• 1 lemon, juiced

Beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Add sugar and lemon juice; beat for 1 minute more. If icing is too thick, add more egg whites; if it is too thin, add more sugar. The icing may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.


Recipe from www.marthastewart.com

There's Always a Healthier Option!!!

Foody's LOVE chocolate.. that's the fact of life.. and this mini cake is all about chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!!! We all know that choc cakes are enemy number one for dieters alike.. but who can resist the temptation of a warm, fragrant, melt-in-your-mouth, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate fudge cake topped with melted chocolate topping..? The best thing about this cake is that it's healthier (less fat, more fiber)... so you may indulge yourself with a healthier treat..

Chocolate Fudge Cake
makes 12

• 50g cocoa powder
• 200g firmly packed brown sugar
• 125ml boiling water
• 100g courverture (chopped finely)
• 2 egg yolks
• 30 g almond meal
• 50g wholemeal plain flour
• 4 egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Lighly grease muffin pan.
2. Combine sufted cocoa and sugar in a large bowl; blend in the water then chocolate, stir ultil smooth. Stir in egg yolks, almond meal, and flour.
3. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture, in two batches; divide mixture among prepared holes of muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Chocolate topping: 50g dark chocolate (melted)

Or you may turn it into a mocha indulgence by adding coffee syrup instead of choc toppings

Coffee syrup

• 165g firmly packed brown sugar
• 180ml water
• 1 tablespoon coffee powder

1. Stir sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves; bring to boil.
2. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, without stirring for about 15 minutes until syrup thickens.
3. Stir in coffee; strain syrup.

Put Your Oven Mits On!

The head chef better be on her baking toes.
Or else ...

not-so Famous Amos

When mentioned the name Famous Amos, I can't help but to be reminded the mind-blowing greed inducing smell, each and every time I pass a Famous Amos shop. Even after I have have purchased the tiny-shallow-bottomed bag it can never fulfill my hunger for more. So needless to saw when i was passed this 'secret recipe' I had to try it immediately. I quickly recruited my sous baker, Marina and in a flash we whipped up a batch. After waiting for a eternity (10 minutes) we were promptly disappointed as there was not even a whiff of the signature smell. But after tasting these frangraceless cookies, we were pleasantly surprised how good these cookies were. They were not Famous Amos cookies but they were good enough.

I'll get your recipe soon Famous Amos! I've been hinted by a few its in the butter. I'm thinking nutmeg...

not-so Famous Amos cookies
Yields 122 Cookies

• 2 cups butter
• 4 cups flour
• 2tsp. baking soda
• 2tsp. baking powder
• 2cups brown sugar
• 5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal & blend to fine powder)
• 2oz. chocolate chips
• 1tsp. salt
• 18oz. Cadbury bar(grated)
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups chopped nuts (optional)
• 2sp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 180degrees.
2. Cream butter and both sugars.
3. Add eggs and vanilla.
4. Mix in flour,oatmeal,salt,baking powder and soda.
5. Add chocolate chips bar and nuts.
6. Roll in balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 10 minutes.
   

I Never Knew That ...

I never knew that the skin of a kiwi was edible

Gone, are the days of Lavender and Coriander.

In a land far, far away there was a village named Herb-acia. In Herb-acia lived many varieties of herbs. There were parsley, sage, marjoram, thyme, mint, oregano, basil, dill and many more. But this story is not about the other herbs, this story is about 3 herbs who gather every Saturday in a little herb cottage on a Drum-Drum St which was clandestinely hidden behind the Saf-U-Way Mountain.

From this little herb cottage every on Saturday at not so precisely 2pm, if you listen closely enough you can hear the beat of the latest MTV entwined with the sound of a whizzing mixer. These were the sounds of 3 happy herby bakers baking; they were Lavender, Coriander and Rosemary. The head herb baker was Lavender the cupcake-baking-bee-stung-lips-purple- loving herb. There was of course Coriander the walking-talking-manual-mixer- dishwasher and photographer, who able to multi task all these task while spying on Basil who lived upstairs. And finally there was Rosemary; Rosemary even though consisted of the two girl’s names (Rose and Mary) was a boy herb. Rosemary was a very common boy-herb name in Herb-acia. Rosemary baked pies.

Every week they move from category to category of the baking index. They conjured up magnificent patisserie feats like amazing fridge magnet profiteroles, the all outstanding tasteless pies and also the oh-so-magnificient fridge magnet cookies. They baked all though spring, summer and autumn and had the most herbaextraordinary time .

However their herbalicious time was coming to an end; as winter was approaching. As Lavender and Coriander were annual plants who could not withstand the cold blistering winds and rain of the dreaded Jack Frost. They had to pack their bags and journey for warmer climates; but Rosemary who was an ever green plant and had no choice but to stay behind. Just a few hours after Lavender and Coriander’s departure, Rosemary had found more happening and fun herbs to be around with and had soon forgotten about his old friends. (Just joking). Rosemary felt all alone reminiscing on the herbtastic time they had, hoping spring would come soon so they could all meet again.

Bye Coriander! Bye Lavender!