Thank You

It's been a month since my neighbor, John, passed on. And I just want to take this opportunity to thank those of you, whether you left me a comment, called me, or just dropped by and read about how wonderful he was, and how much he meant to our family on my previous post. A BIG THANK YOU to all of you. It meant a lot to me, to know that we all still TAKE time out to CARE for others.

John's funeral service was on May 7, a week after he took his last breath. It is still difficult to believe that he is gone, that we will no longer be able to see him. It's not something that is easy to do...I can't imagine what and how Retha must be going through. Even for me, the fact that when I look out the window now, he's not there in his garage fixing his dental equipments; or when his son or daughter-in-law, unlocks his car with the keyless entry remote, the sound that goes "churp-churp" reminds me of John...cos' that's what I have been hearing all the years, and knowing it was John!

We're all moving on with our daily lives. Retha has gone back to her routine, though I know it won't be the same for her...there will be some "new" routine for her from now on...but she's trying her best. She's going back to her aerobic class and oil painting class, so that's good. I have also gone back to my routine, and getting busier than ever with our big trip back to Malaysia closing on. We all know that John would want us to move on and be happy...like he had told me the day the kids and I visited him at his home --- that he is in PEACE with what was coming, and don't be sad.

So, once again, THANKS to all of you who cared. Your kind words and thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Daring Bakers' Challenge - Apple Strudel

S'more with a sprinkle of Pistachio

It's the time of the month we all have been waiting for!! Ta-ta-da.... This month's challenge is APPLE STRUDEL --- no to be confuse by streusel (sounds kinda alike)

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

I have to say that because of what I was going through the day before the challenge was announced, I almost forgot about checking in! When I finally did remembered later in the day of the announcement, I was glad that I had something to distract me. I have never had a apple strudel so, I didnt' know what to expect. However, after reading the post in the private forum for the members of the Darling Bakers, I felt intimidated once again. This is definitely NOT something I would try on my own will!! I mean, are u kidding me? This is something where you have to STRETCH the dough out AS THIN AS YOU CAN, TO READ A LOVE LETTER (or newspaper or whatever you want to read) THROUGH IT??? I may look "petite", I may have small hands, but being "gentle" IS one of my weakness!!!! I was so sure I am gonna TEAR the damn dough, even though we've been advised by Linda and Courtney that "a few small holes in the dough is not a problem, as the dough will be rolled" HA-HA!!!

So, I put off thinking about the dough...I'll deal with it later. Let's think of the fillings!!! Hmmm....the possibilities you can have to stuff in to the strudel dough, will stuff you crazy. I was thinking about what I wanna stuff in it all day...while driving (not a very good idea...any distraction while driving isn't good, I admit, but don't worry, I didn't get myself into any trouble), while cooking, walking down the bus stop...I couldn't stop thinking even when I went to bed. Had a bad headache after that! :P So, you'd think that, since I KNOW what the challenge was for the month, that I would start my challenge EARLY. NOPE...I did not...well, I did have really good excuses. Although it was exciting to imagine all the possibilities, I wasn't quite in the mood to do anything...I needed time to grief....then I needed time for my other commitments...then so on and so forth! In conclusion, I did not do my challenge until 2 days ago!!! THAT'S so typical of ME!

The dough

The dough is R-E-S-T-I-N-G...do not disturb! ;) I wished I could do the same! :P

Anyway, enough said. So, two days ago, when I started with the dough, I was nervous! The recipe is simple, and really easy, no problem. But when it came to the stretching...that made my hands shake. I did my best, carefully, and slowly stretching the dough from a rather small ball of dough into this giant stretch of super thin dough, with only minimal holes!!! Yiipppeeee!!! =D The feel of the dough is really soft and stretchy. It was SO easy to stretch the dough, and I REALLY mean it, IT WAS EASY --- it just LOOKS difficult, that's all!! ;) On the other hand, maybe I SHOULD say "oh boy, it was SO difficult to stretch this dough" --- so that I can "impress" friends and family!! (ha-ha) ;)

Roll it, roll it, roll it...

Stretch it...

Stretch it...

Stretch it...

And stretch it... no love letter here, and no love notes...just my favorite pastry mat! ;)

So, for my 1st trial, I had a mascarpone cream cheese with cherries and a thin layer of almond paste and a sprinkle orange zest as filling. We were puting the monkeys in bed while it was baking in the oven. When I came down to peek into the oven....YIKKKEESS!!! The mascarpone had LEAKED out!!! *sigh* I don't know if mascarpone cheese was too soft for a sturdel or I didn't add enough egg and/or other stuff to thicken it, like in a cheesecake. I had used one pound of mascarpone and 1 large egg in the fillings. The leak of the mascarpone was good for my friend, Diana, as I have forgotten that she DOES NOT like cream cheese --- and I had made her come over to try it! ;P Anyhow, it still tasted YUMMY. ;)

The next strudel I made was inspired by a combination of a snack and a flat bread sold in street stalls back home in Malaysia --- roti tissue and Apam Balik (also known as Ban Jian Kuih). I figured that if this strudel can be stretched to THIS thin, it'd be like Roti tissue, and the fact that I LOVE Apam Balik, why not combine these two together?! I tried it over the stove instead of baking it. NOPE, it didn't turn out as well as I had imagine. I also did not put enough sugar in it. Thank God, I made only ONE piece to try out. BUT I do think that you can use the filling from Apam Balik, which is toasted chopped peanuts, sugar, a bit a salt, sweet creamy corn, and toasted coconut flakes (optional --- which I opt out), and roll it up. Maybe next time I'll try again ;)

Nd (Lee) suggested folding it like an envelope

The following strudel is also inspired by another snack sold in the street stalls back home --- Curry Puffs (I wonder what is the difference between a curry puff and a samosa besides their shape?! :P) I've been craving for curry puff for a while now, but the samosas that are sold in the stores here are expensive! So, why not wrap it up in the strudel dough?! ;) I used my mom's curry paste and cooked curry chicken for dinner. I made a lot more than I needed for the night and scooped out a big bowl with as little gravy as I could for this. We had it for breakfast this morning. I tell ya, when you miss home, and especially if you've been craving for your hometown food, you'd know how I feel when I took my first bite this morning! Ahhhhh.....




And last but not least, this morning, after dropping Lucas in school, I came home making another version of the strudel. This time, it's S'mores! Mmm...mmmm...do I need to say more??? The kids even got to make their own when they go back home from school! They had so much fun stretching the dough. When it comes to eating it, it was a MESS but it was really priceless seeing how happy they were...especially since they made them. =D

S'more-del (?!)

So, this is where you can get the full recipe. I will include below the recipe for the dough and the notes/tips from Linda and Courtney.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.

Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the
mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.

Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Tips
- Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try;

- The tablecloth can be cotton or polyester;

- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves;

- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;

- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

Both Courtney and I did a trial run on making the strudel. Below are our notes:

Courtney's notes
- She couldn't get it to stretch to 2 feet by 3 feet, it turned out more like 2 feet by 2 feet. But the dough was tissue thin nevertheless;

- She got some serious holes, but after rolling it wasn't noticeable;

- She used a large cheese cloth which helped manipulate and stretch the dough more than a heavier cloth would have.

Linda's notes
- I made the dough by hand, just mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Kneaded it for about 5 min like you would bread dough. This worked as well. Haven't tried using a stand mixer so I don't know how it compares.

- Instead of cider vinegar I used red wine vinegar;

- I used bread flour;

- Picking up the dough to let it stretch didn't work well for me, holes appeared pretty much instantly. Instead I stretched the dough while it was lying on the tablecloth by putting my hands underneath and stretching it out further and further.

And these are my notes ---

• Don't be afraid to try making the strudel! It is easier than you think, or wanna believe. ;)
  
• If you have one of these Roul' Pat Pastry Mat, it works just as well --- actually worked better for me, because when I first used parchment as suggested by another member, it did not work for me. The parchment moved about, same as the cheese cloth, but I did not try it on a table cloth though. However, you'll have to be careful with the size of your dough, and which way to stretch it on the mat.
• If you don't have a wet filling, it is not necessary to sprinkle breadcrumb, instead, you can use sugar, nuts, seeds, whatever that you desire and goes with your filling.
• You can mix the dough, let it rest, then store it lightly oiled and tightly wrap with cling wrap, and store in the fridge to be used the next day. Just bring it to room temperature before stretching. I initially wanted to try freezing stretched dough, cut into pieces --- sort like the Phyllo dough you get from the freezer aisle, cos' I thought it'd take SO MUCH time to prepare, if I wanted to serve it on the same day. Obviously I was wrong...it's only the resting time that takes a while, which you can use to prepare the filling too.
  
• Any scrap dough cannot be RE-stretch.
• Uneaten strudel can be store in the fridge, wrapped up. I reheat mine in the toaster oven and it is still crispy. However, the bottom part of the mascarpone-cherry strudel was a bit soggy.
  
• Split the dough in half for easier handling. Plus that way you COULD use some metal spatula or cake/brownie serving knife on each end to transfer the baked strudel onto a cooling rack to help maintain the crispy bottom crust--- but of course, use your own judgment on how solid your strudel feels before transferring.
  

Thanks Linda and Courtney for the challenge!!! =)

Starry Glasses

Last month, we were invited to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. In the party favor bag was this starry glasses. I was surprised that Lucas wore it the WHOLE day! ;)

Happy 55th Anniversary John & Retha... A Happy and Sad Story...

John and Retha live across the street from us. They are in their 80s and 70s respectively. They are one of the loveliest couple you'll ever meet.

When we decided to stay back in U.S. and start our family, we knew that the kids are going to miss out on growing up with grandparents. Both Nd(Lee) and I, grew up living part of our childhood lives with our grandpa and grandmas, so even thought we know how precious those times were, it was something that we had to sacrifice. So, when we moved to our current house almost 7 years ago, we felt like a blessing for us to have them just across the street.

Our kids call them "grandpa John & grandma Retha" simply because we didn't want them to be referring them by their first names, and calling them Mr. and Mrs. would be way too formal (this is one of the cultural difference that I often have to explain to others WHY my kids are referring every adult as aunty or uncle even though we aren't related).

When we move here, Yesmin was just about 2 years old. We visited them now and then (not as often as I should have), help each other here and there, like any neighbors do. Retha is always willing to babysit for me, even though some times it's last minute. They'd bring gifts for the kids on their birthdays and Christmas. And when their grand kid, who's Yesmin's age visited, he'd come over and play too.

As for John, like ALL grandpas, he'd be the one that spoils the kids (not that Retha doesn't, but I guess as a mom herself, she knows 'more' on what to and not to). Every time Yesmin and I went over, John is ready with a lollipop! I often wonder how MANY lollipops does he have? Cos' their grand kids are in Texas and California. And I was also cuirous if HE eats that much lollipop to have 'em around every time we're there?! I mean, he was in his late 70s back then, as healthy as he could be (mowing their steep lawn, reparing dental equipments in his garage, shavoring snow in winter), but still, sure he's gotta becareful with all the sugar if he's eating them. Finally, one day he 'confessed' to me that, every time he went to the bank or post office, if they have a basket of candies on the counter, he'd take one home and save it for when Yesmin visited. It didn't stop with Yesmin of course. When Lucas came long, he didn't have so many lollipops, but still, I remembered once when they babysitted Lucas, that boy gotta enjoy ice-cream & a cookie with John! ;) *still shaking my head, smiling each time I think of it* --- see how blessed we are?!
Oh, by the way, they have a photo of the 2 of them taken in a studio some years back where, the 1st time I saw it, I really thought John look like Richard Gere, just an older Richard Gere. =)

About 2 years ago, one day, I realized that John has suddenly aged. Still, he was out and about doing his things, except for mowing the lawn. He pays our other neighbor's teenage son do it, which I was really glad...cos' the slope on their front lawn IS steep! Anyway, other the usual cold, arthritis (cos' of old age), he was fine...it was usually Retha, who has asthma that needed more medical attention.

A card with an angle flying to John and Retha's house - Yesmin made for John after our Monday visit with him.

Sometime around mid- late March, John was diagnose with Pneumonia, and was admitted to the hospital for a couple of days. I didn't even know until after he came back. We all assumed he'd be fine then. Then came early April, he was admitted again for Pneumonia, but came back with a shocking news. The doctors have misdiagnose his symptoms. He is such a fighter that he doesn't complain about his pain! The truth is John has lung cancer! He doesn't even smoke, nor his family history that he knows of, has any form of cancer. That week, happened so to be spring break for schools in California. All of their kids (the 2 youngest, and the oldest one from Bend) and sons and daughters-in-law and grand kids were back here to visit them, thank God! The doctors didn't know how long the cancer has been there, but they now know that it wasn't just arthritis that has been keeping him awake at night, or doing some other activities, but the cancer has been the culprit - it has moved into his spine and bones. The Wednesday after the kids' visited (their oldest son and his family now lives with them, they moved from Texas right before his 1st trip to the hospital for the Pneumonia), they had an appointment with the Oncologist. They were told that John would have 3-6 months time... It was hard to accept that kinda news, but still, at least they'd still have SOME time left to be together AND to handle things, both physically and psychologically - not emotionally, cos' I don't think anyone can ever prepare for that.

The kids and I went to see him the Monday afterward. He laid on the couch, tired, but was still talking to us...telling me how well I have raise them, telling them how well behave they are, and how hard working Nd (Lee) is. He said he was happy that we had come to pay him respect!! He spoke like it was the last time he'd be talking to me, and that BREAKS MY HEART!!!

On Wednesday, the hospice service sent a portable potty and a walker for him. I went over to see if Retha needed a hand (both their son and their daughter-in-law works, so they're by themselves). John was in bed. And as a gentleman that he is, he wanted to STAND UP to greet me! I had to stopped him. He spoke a little...he was so tired, and he had barely eaten since Sunday, just water, and Ensure!

The next day, I got a call from Retha, not wanting to give me a shocked or wonder what was going on, told me that later that afternoon, there'll be an ambulance here to pick John up, and they'll be bring him to a facility to get the medical care that he needs. She also told me that things didn't look good, as he has been sleeping a lot, and not eating, barely drinking. She had also asked the hospice nurse, based on her experience, how long more John has...and she said a few weeks, no more than a month. I started sobbing... I called my other 2 neighbors who are also close to them, and inform them of the situation. Called Nd(Lee) at work to come home early, so that he could go visit John before it's too late, as he (Nd/Lee) had planned on visiting him on the weekend. Later, our neighbor Diane who's a nurse, went over to check on him, only to find out that the hospice nurse had told Retha to give him a very strong pain medication, that he hasn't taken YET (he has been taking 2 others), the full doze (it was anywhere from 1-4 pills) as Retha had called them because John had been very anxious and agitated the whole morning. So, Diane, figured (based on his color, his breathing, and his heart rate) that it could be the medication that has knocked him out. We all crossed our fingers and toes, and prayed that, that was just it. He was still asleep when Nd (Lee) got home, and we went over with Yesmin to visit him (Diane has graciously volunteer to babysit Lucas as it might not be the right time for him, and I am so thankful for that). John barely woke up.

Next day, Lucas and I dropped by late morning to see him again. He was SO MUCH better. Retha told me that he was awake earlier in the morning, drank more water and Ensure. So that was GOOD! That's a good sign! Also, their other 3 kids (they have 4 kids) who live out of town, would be here on Sunday. Saturday, we stopped by again, with both kids and Nd(Lee). John, though was tired... still knew us, remembered all of us, but could barely talk...it was mainly mumbles. All these happened just LAST WEEK!

We all have been telling him to hang on, and hang in there, as today, April 30th is his and Retha's 55th Wedding Anniversary! And the night before he was admitted to the medical care center, he had told Retha his last good-by...Retha asked him, if it was time? He told her no, not yet...

You see, about 4 years ago, I saw these pair of fondant love birds on the book cover of "Fun & Fancy Cake Decorating" by Kate Sullivan. And the first couple that came to my mind was John and Retha. I SO wanted to make them one for their anniversary, to surprise them...but for 4 years, I DID NOTHING! NOTHING! WHAT THE F#$@ WAS I WAITING FOR???

2 nights ago, I had started baking the chocolate cake...John likes chocolate...once I had made truffles and send some over, Retha told me she has to keep an eye on HIM & the truffles! Though I knew he would not be able to eat, I was hoping, wishing, and praying that he would wait, wait till after their anniversary and that he could at least take a small crumb of it. I finish decorating the cake late last night, going to bed, hoping that I won't be too late.

This morning, after I dropped Lucas off at school, I went to Party Depot to pick up some plates and utensils for them to celebrate their anniversary there in the center. I came home, took the photos of the cake, and head back out to John's. As I walk to his room, I was optimistic and at the same time, also had a weird feeling in my stomach. His room door was closed. I knocked. Retha opened the door, I mumbled Happy Anniversary, only to realized that the hospice nurse was there talking to them, I felt like I was invading their privacy, but it should be fine...at the same time, I got a split second look at John and everyone else in the room...he's got oxygen tube hooked on his nose, everyone (all 4 kids) eyes were red and watery....I crumbled...I walked to the side, and quietly ask their oldest daughter, Denise, what's going on? She told me, this is probably "the day"....

No, no way, this can't be true! I was sure they got it wrong. After all, his condition had been going up and down, sure he'd turn around later, if not tomorrow! --- They figured that their dad, had been really HANG-ON to his dear life until TODAY, THEIR 55TH ANNIVERSARY, like he had silently promised his wife. The people from the center came in with flowers and card for their anniversary, and Retha was relating all these to him, describing all the details of the flowers, card and the cake I made. I felt like SHIT! And she was still SO STRONG, holding on to all the emotions. His youngest son wanted to go out and get champagne to celebrate their parents anniversary, cos' his older brother had to leave soon to go back for a meeting or something, and I had to go pick Lucas from preschool. I told him not to and that, he should stay put, and Rod, the older one suggested that he'd pick it up after the meeting, on the way back. We sat around chatting, Denise walked out to answer a call. I got there at 10:25am...at about 10:45am, John's breath started to get very short and slow, LONG INTERVALS...all I heard was someone said "Oh no, this is it"....I still can't believe...I didn't know what to do, Retha wanted to go call the nurse, I told her I'd do that, and got Denise.

In my heart, I feel like maybe John has lost track of time and date, but soon after Retha told him about how we all brought things over to celebrate their anniversary, and that his son will bring in the champagne, he then knows that he has kept his promise, and he has done all that he could - to hang on for ONE MORE YEAR with his wife. On this beautiful sunny Spring morning, at 10:55am, John passed away peacefully, with his wife of 55 loving years - Retha, and his kids - Denise, Rod, Glenna, and John Jr. by his side.


HAPPY 55th ANNIVERSARY TO YOU- JOHN AND RETHA. OUR DEEPEST, DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO YOUR FAMILY. YOU WILL BE MISSED DEARLY, JOHN. IT'S BEEN OUR HONOR TO KNOW YOU AND BE A PART OF YOUR LIFE. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE YEARS YOU HAVE SPOILED OUR KIDS, TAKEN CARE OF US, TREATED US LIKE WE'RE PART OF YOUR FAMILY. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS. WE LOVE YOU!

Jenny, Lee, Yesmin and Lucas

Spring Break in White Pass (Another late post)

The black and double black diamond trails that I WOULD NEVER EVER take! ;P

Last year, our neighbor, D told us about the place they have been going for the past 5-6 years, during Spring break. White Pass is a ski resort in southeast Washington. Honestly, I am not a big fan of skiing or snowboarding. I don't like the speed and I don't like the height - I'm a chicken! ;P I only did it once during our college days. But of course, I am MARRIED to one who LOVES snowboarding. So, like in all relationship, you take some, you give some. (brownie points)

After D, our neighbor told me more about this place --- the "magic carpet" which is like a conveyor belt, where you stand on it, and it brings you up a small kiddy slope...kinda like for 1st timers, and little kids; and the "platter"- where you hold on a vertical bar, in a standing position, with a disk on your behind, it'd drag you up the beginner slope; PLUS since White Pass is in Washington, and they have their Spring break one week after ours, the resort is not crowded. So, I figure, this is probably something that I could "give" in our relationship! :P As of last year, we have made White Pass our destination for Spring break.

The drive to White Pass from our house is about 3 hours. Although Mt. Hood is only 1 & 1/2 hours drive from home, the road condition makes it difficult and some times dangerous to drive on.

Snoozing...

However, the drive to White Pass, you won't even believe that you're driving towards a ski resort! There isn't a lot of up hill or winding road. You won't even see much snow until almost 1/2 hour before reaching the resort! And it's not a fancy ski resort like Timberline or Mt. Hood Meadows...there's the day lodge where there's a small retail shop, ski rentals, child care (another feature that attracts me), L&F, restrooms, and food. During Spring break, just a small potion of the food court is open. Across from the day lodge is the Village Inn, which is the slope side lodging, and where we stayed, and it has a large outdoor hot tub!! (another attraction! Will remember to take a photo of it next year)

Village Inn with the slopes on the backdrop

During our 1st trip back in '08, Yesmin and I took 2 lessons. It is so true about the place not being crowed. We took the group lessons, since it's SO MUCH cheaper than private...and we still end up having the instructor to ourselves. We learn to ski a little...did a lot of the "magic carpet"(10' vertical, 70' length) and some on the Platter (70' Vertical, 520' length)- just half way though. This year, we took one lesson. Again, we got the instructor all to ourselves, for the price of group lesson. ;) Amazingly though, we only ski ONCE a year, both Yesmin and I still remembered quite a lot. The instructor took us all the way up to the top of the platter this time. Yesmin was excited, I wasn't! She, like all kids, just skied down hill in high speed! A few times, I was so worried she's gonna fly off the slop or crashed into someone! I, on the other hand, almost lose control...I tell ya, I was praying so hard as I skied down! :P But finally on the last day, I did go to the top of the platter slope a couple of times and actually REALLY enjoyed it!

Yesmin's light saber

We stayed there for 4 days 3 nights. After the lesson, which we took on the 2nd day (didn't skied at all on the 1st, cos' we arrived late...but went to use the hot tub! ;P), we skied by ourselves. By the 3rd day, Yesmin was tired of getting off in the middle of the platter. She wanted to go all the way up to the platter slop, but I didn't allow her too...cos' for one, I wanted her to learn to maneuver herself, so she could avoid crashing into others who fell in the middle of the slop, and to reduce her speed. I also told her that she could only go all the way up if daddy goes with her. So, once she was able to maneuver better and knows how to slow down as she gets down to the slop, Nd(Lee) and her went up to the top of the platter, while I still stuck to my mid way. She kept on encouraging me to go all the way up...but mommy was too chicken! I don't know how many times that girl when up then down, then up then down again. So many times that even the guys who helps grab the platter for those of us who are too short to reach, knows her by her name, AND knows that she likes them holding back the platter for a longer time then release it, so that she gets a boost up! *sigh*


Nd(Lee) and I took turns babysitting Lucas in the magic carpet, and we did chucked him in the childcare one day for just 2 hours. We rented skis for Lucas too! Last year, he was just HORRIBLE! Nd (Lee) would ride with him on the magic carpet, and the "slide" down with him, while holding him from the back. Lucas, "the prince" would just lean back and put all his weight on dad! Nd(Lee) had such a sore back after that! :P This year, he did the same thing, the 1st two times Nd(Lee) took him up. Then he finds Nd(Lee) annoying for holding him! He told Nd(Lee) in an angry tone "LET ME GO!! I CAN DO IT MYSELF!!!" :P But Nd(Lee) was worried (huh? HE worried?? THAT IS NEW to me! ;P ) Seeing Lucas getting so annoyed, I told Nd(Lee) to let him go, at most he'd just fall on his bottom (cos' he leans back a lot).

Lucas on the Magic Carpet

And so he did, and Lucas just skkkiiii down all by himself!!! :D We were all so excited, proud and glad to see him do that...and you could just see it in his face too, that he was mighty proud of himself! ;D

Weeee..... I did it!!!

So, he kept on going for a LONG time...until he met a little girl! :P She's our neighbor's friends' daughter, who also goes there every spring break, name Viki. That's when Lucas didn't wanna ski anymore, and just wanted to play in the snow with Viki! :P

This year, one of our friends were supposed to join us...but didn't make it. We sure hope they can do so next year. Their daughter P and Yesmin are good friends, and I think it'd be more fun to have a friend to ski together. However, our friend Mark came from Seattle to join us, even though he was recovering from a cold. I think he felt obligated, first of all, he had promised to join, secondly, my mom had passed some food stuff to his dad, when his dad went back to Malaysia. We all just feel bad for him, cos' not only did he not skied much, he also have go through the torture of hanging out with my 2 monkeys!! Nevertheless, we appreciate him coming over. :)

See what I mean?? Lucas tried to use tissue(Kleenex) to "dry" Uncle Mark's hair! (and oh, Mark is available! ;))

When it was time to leave, we felt really sad...but our bodies are shouting "FINALLY??!!!" Can't wait for next Spring Break! :)

More Cheesecake -- Japanese Cheesecake

When the April DB challenge was announced, I was excited, but at the same time, I knew I wasn't exactly a cheesecake person. The only cheesecake I like is Cheesecake Factory's Craig's Crazy Ccarrot Cake-Cheesecake (almost half of it is carrot cake), and a mascarpone cheesecake that I get occasionally from Safeway, which, is too sweet for my taste, but I get it anyways, for a quick fix! :P To me, cheesecake or the famous New York style cheesecakes are too rich, too dense, too heavy. After a few bites, I often feel like gagging...not because it doesn't taste good, but just the feeling in my mouth, makes me feel that way. So, I wanted to look for something lighter --- a mascarpone cheesecake (for the challenge) and a Japanese style cheesecake. I set my sail up (my search engine- google), in search for the yummy and light cheesecake. I came across a couple of blogs for Japanese cheesecake, and finally settle on dock with Cotton Soft Japanses Cheesecake submitted by Irene Oon in Diana's Dessert.

Japanese cheesecake is very much like a souffle or a chiffon cake. It doesn't call for a huge amount of cream cheese, in fact, only one part of it - just enough for a light taste. The main component here is the eggs being separated, and the whites are whip till medium-soft peak and gently folded in to the rest of the batter. This creates the light and fluffy, soft souffle like texture. It is the PERFECT type of "cheesecake" for me.

I was nervous though, knowing that I could easily deflate the egg whites! And I believe that it is true, when you feel nervous before you even begin the process, this is the result you'd get! :P

Eeekkkk!!!! My deflated 1st attempt on the Japaneses cheesecake!

I knew this was gonna happened even before I set it into the oven....as I could already see how "liquidy" instead of fluffy, when I pour the batter into the pan! :P But I was determine to get it right. So, the next day, I talked myself into not allowing the egg whites to "intimidate" me! ;) And...ta-da!!


Finally! They rise (this time, I made them in a 7" spring form and a 6" regular cake pan) and DID NOT collapse! Wooohooo!!! ;) I was so happy, I did a little dance in the kitchen! - too bad no photo nor video clips! Ha. It taste really yummy! So soft, not a whole lot of cheesy taste, and SOOO MUCH lighter, that my husband had some for breakfast! :P

The dense, deflated Japanese cheesecake (R) and the light and fluffy, cotton soft Japanese cheesecake (L)

However, I do have to say that the deflated one was pretty good too! It taste more like a Southeast Asian form of "kuih"!! So, we ate up the deflated one, and gave away some of the good looking one to some friends. I mean, we had 3 cheesecakes (one for the DB challenge, one deflated Japanese cheesecake and one fluffy soft Japanese cheesecake) within 6 days! How can I NOT share 'em??? So, if you don't like cheesecake because of its tangy taste, or its dense and heavy texture, give the Japanese style cheesecake a try...you might be surprise! :)

This was taken on a gloomy day...I think I should have turn the whole plate the other way so it's not so dark on the blackberries! :P

Here's the recipe submitted by Irene Oon to Diana's Dessert.

Cotton Soft Japanses Cheesecake

Servings: 12

Comments: This cheesecake really lives up to it's name. It is very light and soft. My family and friends like it and I hope you do too.

140g/5 oz. fine granulated sugar (I reduced it to 4oz.)
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
50g/2 oz. butter
250g/9 oz. cream cheese
100 ml/3 fluid oz. fresh milk
1 tbsp. lemon juice (I added lemon zests)
60g/2 oz. cake flour /superfine flour
20g/1 oz. cornflour (cornstarch)
1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions:
1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. (I whisked till medium - soft peaks for my 2nd attempt)

3. Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and mix well. Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). (In my 1st attempt, I used a 9" spring form pan, on the 2nd attempt, I used a 7" spring form & a 6" regular round cake pan)

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C (325 degrees F).

Makes 1 (8-inch) cheesecake, 12 servings.

Daring Bakers' Challenge - Cheesecake!!

Lemon-Chambord Cheesecake with Toasted Almond Crust

The fun of taking part in the Daring Baker's Challenge is that, you don't know what's waiting for you the following month. This is my 2nd challenge, but I believe, every month, after we get our challenge up on our blog, we're all sitting in front of the computer, waiting for the next month's challenge to be revealed (though we know WHEN they will be posted)! :)

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Many people have tried baking cheesecake, and many more that have shied away because a baked cheesecake is a lot trickier. If you have tried, or have talked to some others who have baked a cheesecake, you'll hear all those "nightmares of baking a cheesecake stories" --- the cracked top monster and the soggy crust devil! :P So, you might wonder "what's so challenging about this challenge??" Well, in this challenge,with the basic recipe in hand, we are "unleashed" to use our creativity to the max in terms of flavorings, the crust, and the decoration! (you should check out some other Daring Bakers HERE ~ there are some REALLY interesting flavors that I wished I could just reach into the screen and take it out of the pictures! ;P )

Also, this is not any cheesecake. If you have baked a cheese cake before, you'll be surprised by how "liquidy" the batter is! It is very creamy, unlike the New York style cheesecake that I often feel like it's too dense, dry and heavy ~ just one bite and I've have enough. Plus, with this recipe, you don't have to prebake the crust - one step eliminated!! ;)

Here's the recipe:

Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:

Crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cheesecake Filling:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!

In this months challenge, one of the topic the members discussed most was the water bath issue. In almost every cheesecake recipe you find, you'll be told to wrap the the bottom of the pan with layers of foil up to the sides, then place the cheesecake into the water bath. In my experience, EVERY TIME I follow THAT instruction, my crust comes out soggy, no matter what! Then I read some where, a anonymous reviewer for a mascarpone cheesecake recipe mentioned the idea of placing the water bath on the LOWER rack of the oven, so I tried it. It worked! :) -- no cracking mosters or soggy devil!!! My cheesecake came out beautifully! However, in the discussion, this is not the original intentional way of baking a cheesecake. It seems like the hot waterbath is to gently bake the cheesecake and to bake it in the low temperature. So, I will try this method once again in the future to see if I was just lucky! ;P Another way is to do as Jenny & Abbey have suggested under Pan Note.


Anyway, I didn't stray away too much from the original recipe. Only a few substitutions.

• I liked the taste and feel of mascarpone cheesecake, they are lighter. So, I substitute one part of the cream cheese for on part of mascarpone, which, in the future, I would try with 2 parts.

• I also added lemon zests.
• Omitted the lemon juice and vanilla - replaced with Chambord - note: NOT ENOUGH Chambord flavor!!!
  
• Cut down on the sugar to about 3/4 cup.
• Replace 1 cup of the gramham crackers with finely ground toasted almonds.
• Cut the butter for the crust to 6 Tablespoons.

Besides, I am also a person who likes sauce with majority of my food, dessert included. I think this habit comes from the time when I was growing up, as a typical Malaysian-Chinese family, my mom would mix all the dishes into my bowl/plate of rice, with gravy/sauce or soup. Come to think of it now, it doesn't look appealing at all, and it is exactly what I do for Lucas too! :P I did not do this with Yesmin back when she was younger, and now, I am always told by her to NOT put her dishes on top of her rice! ~ while Lucas could careless! Anyway, back to cheesecake... so, since I love sauce, I made a chocolate sauce and a raspberry sauce to go with my cheesecake.

with raspberry and chocolate sauce

Chocolate Sauce (Chef Raymond Ost of Sandrine's, MA, published in Chocolatier magazine)

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 Cup heavy cream
1/4 Cup whole milk

Place chopped chocolate into medium bowl. Combine cream and milk in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Immediately pour the hot cream/milk mixture onto the chopped chocolate, gently stir till smooth and blended.

Raspberry Sauce

1 bag of frozen raspberry
sugar to taste

Place frozen raspberry into a saucepan, bring it to a gentle boil. Add sugar to taste. Pass raspberry sauce through a fine sieve and discard the seeds. Chill it in the fridge before serving.

Thanks Jenny from JennyBakes for this fun challenge, and thanks to Jenny's friend Abbey for this recipe! :)