Of Little Morsels of Delight
I think I found the perfect basic cupcake recipe. It's so moist you don't even need frosting. Just throw in nuts, chocolate chip, fruits, whatever takes your fancy. Pictured here is Chocolate Chips Orange Peel Rum Cupcakes. Of course, instead of vanilla essence, I used half a pod of vanilla bean. Capture a little happiness today, bake some cupcakes!
Of Berries and Orchid
Nothing announces the arrival of summer like the beautiful, luscious berries screaming "Pick me, pick me" from the market stalls. And so I ended up with a packet each of huge blueberries and strawberries.
The blueberries, I made them into muffins with cinnamon streusel topping. The gooey mess of the berries combined with a subtle hint of cinnamon is a delight.
Then I made a batch of vanilla cupcake with strawberry buttercream frosting using an ingredient I have never used before - vanilla pod. Vanilla is the only edible fruit of the orchid family and it's something that is hard to get in Malaysia and finally, I've managed to lay my hand on one - it's like discovering the G-spot in baking. The smell is just heavenly!
The cupcake is so pink I decided
to name it Miss Dior Cherie Cupcake
See the black specks? Those are vanilla seeds.
The blueberries, I made them into muffins with cinnamon streusel topping. The gooey mess of the berries combined with a subtle hint of cinnamon is a delight.
Then I made a batch of vanilla cupcake with strawberry buttercream frosting using an ingredient I have never used before - vanilla pod. Vanilla is the only edible fruit of the orchid family and it's something that is hard to get in Malaysia and finally, I've managed to lay my hand on one - it's like discovering the G-spot in baking. The smell is just heavenly!
The cupcake is so pink I decidedto name it Miss Dior Cherie Cupcake
See the black specks? Those are vanilla seeds.I went slightly crazy with the vanilla, using them not only in the cupcakes but for the frosting as well. Hey, a girl's gotta make up for lost time, right?
Half a pod is still sitting in the fridge. Vanilla milkshake, anyone?
Half a pod is still sitting in the fridge. Vanilla milkshake, anyone?
Of Bear-y Bored
I made a batch of
Those
Edit: I just found out those are not blackberries but mulberries. They are similar in appearance except that mulberries are oblong in shape. And to think mulberries only exist in nursery rhyme.
Of What's Your Style?
I love porn. Especially high-quality porn done tastefully like this - they just send me hyperventilating and mess up my pulse rate.
Of course I'm talking about food porn. What were you thinking?
Of course I'm talking about food porn. What were you thinking?
Of Lucky I Found Dessert
My absolute favourite dessert shop in Hong Kong - Lucky Dessert.
Because they serve ass-kicking durian soup. With two ulas of durian in thick, creamy durian paste top with pomelo sacs.
Durian soup
While you're there, do try the Mango Pastry Roll. Sweet, juicy mango flesh rolled in a layer of sponge cake and flaky filo skin (they do durian and banana as well, but the banana one is the best).
Mango pastry roll
Alex, you've been told.
Because they serve ass-kicking durian soup. With two ulas of durian in thick, creamy durian paste top with pomelo sacs.
Durian soup
Mango pastry rollAlex, you've been told.
Of Not Quite Swiss Miss
According to a survey conducted, Zurich is the best city to live in as far as quality of live is concerned. It's hardly surprising as Zurich excelled in all the quality of living criterias such as personal safety and health, education, economic and environmental factors, transport and public services and political (one can vote for everything under the sun and Swiss generally go voting once a month!). Which is super for people living there, but for visitors like The Princess, it will burn a big hole in the wallet.
Expensive or not, The Princess went exploring nevertheless. She and Thembe, her South African colleague, went touring up to the highest mountain in Switzerland, Mt. Titlis. They passed by Zurich and Lucern before reaching Engelberg. One thing she noticed, roads in Zurich are all quite narrow. And Swiss like holes. How else do you explain the numerous numbers of tunnel found?
Yeah, saw sakura in Switzerland (tee hee!)
Toast with creamy mushroom sauce -
Expensive ballz, cost about CHF 5
Toast with ham and cheese -
Ohmigod, the cheese is to-die-for
Sugar pack in pink karer
Thembe and I camwhoring in the bus
Typical scenery in Switzerland
Swiss Alps covered in powder white snow
A beautiful lake on the way to Mt. Titlis
Mt. Titlis beckons
We then boarded a cable car to half-way of the mountain, before switching to a revolving cable car Rotair. Rotair is able to hold 60 people at one time (skiing gears and all). There's a revolving platform in the middle, presumably for hooking up with girls/guys (Nah, just to give a 360° view of the scenery unfolding down there). Cool concept, though.
The view from the cable car
We finally reached the highest point the cable car could carry us at 10,000 ft. And it was so cold I could have kicked myself for forgetting to bring gloves along. But not as so hai (stupid) as one girl she saw lar. See, she went up to snowy mountain wearing only tights and dress-top and high-heeled boots. This is what you call "oi leng mm oi meng".
Brrrr....
Swiss come out to play -
Don't know lar how that girl handle the coldness
Skis, skis everywhere
Thembe was worried my hand would get glued to the
cold pole (I was not using my tongue, dear)
My butt was frozen and raw afterwards
Another attraction of Mt. Titlis is the Glacier Grotto. Visitors could walk into this cave and through the 150m long tunnel down to 20m under the glacier's surface. The glittering ice walls, bathed by changing colourful lights are amazing. There's even a jukebox near the entrance should you have the sudden urge to listen to Bach or Negaraku (yes, Malaysia anthem) while admiring the ice walls.
See, I no bluff one, Malaysia anthem is really here
The glittering ice walls
At first I was standing and posing....
Then I fell down the slippery ice but
managed to control kiutness
America's Next Top Model
Some info about the Ice Grotto
Stopped for a cuppa to warm the tummy
Santarina lives here
I actually suffered from altitude sickness as the
cable car climbed higher and higher (ironic, I know)
For some inexplicable reason, I attract Indian guys. Like this over-friendly uncle, kept asking me to take picture with him. We took like 3 shots together lor. Uncle, don't cut out my face and paste on some naked woman's torso hor. Princess here can curse pretty darn well. Nanti mati pun tak tau kenapa.
My tour guide is a jolly old man
Zurich downtown
And then we took the train back to hotel. Totally devoid of passengers except for the two of us.
Scary....
Expensive or not, The Princess went exploring nevertheless. She and Thembe, her South African colleague, went touring up to the highest mountain in Switzerland, Mt. Titlis. They passed by Zurich and Lucern before reaching Engelberg. One thing she noticed, roads in Zurich are all quite narrow. And Swiss like holes. How else do you explain the numerous numbers of tunnel found?
Yeah, saw sakura in Switzerland (tee hee!)
Toast with creamy mushroom sauce -Expensive ballz, cost about CHF 5
Toast with ham and cheese -Ohmigod, the cheese is to-die-for
Sugar pack in pink karer
Thembe and I camwhoring in the bus
Typical scenery in Switzerland
Swiss Alps covered in powder white snow
A beautiful lake on the way to Mt. Titlis
Mt. Titlis beckons
We then boarded a cable car to half-way of the mountain, before switching to a revolving cable car Rotair. Rotair is able to hold 60 people at one time (skiing gears and all). There's a revolving platform in the middle, presumably for hooking up with girls/guys (Nah, just to give a 360° view of the scenery unfolding down there). Cool concept, though.
The view from the cable car
We finally reached the highest point the cable car could carry us at 10,000 ft. And it was so cold I could have kicked myself for forgetting to bring gloves along. But not as so hai (stupid) as one girl she saw lar. See, she went up to snowy mountain wearing only tights and dress-top and high-heeled boots. This is what you call "oi leng mm oi meng".
Brrrr....
Swiss come out to play -Don't know lar how that girl handle the coldness
Skis, skis everywhere
Thembe was worried my hand would get glued to thecold pole (I was not using my tongue, dear)
My butt was frozen and raw afterwardsAnother attraction of Mt. Titlis is the Glacier Grotto. Visitors could walk into this cave and through the 150m long tunnel down to 20m under the glacier's surface. The glittering ice walls, bathed by changing colourful lights are amazing. There's even a jukebox near the entrance should you have the sudden urge to listen to Bach or Negaraku (yes, Malaysia anthem) while admiring the ice walls.
See, I no bluff one, Malaysia anthem is really here
The glittering ice walls
At first I was standing and posing....
Then I fell down the slippery ice butmanaged to control kiutness
America's Next Top Model
Some info about the Ice Grotto
Stopped for a cuppa to warm the tummy
Santarina lives here
I actually suffered from altitude sickness as thecable car climbed higher and higher (ironic, I know)
For some inexplicable reason, I attract Indian guys. Like this over-friendly uncle, kept asking me to take picture with him. We took like 3 shots together lor. Uncle, don't cut out my face and paste on some naked woman's torso hor. Princess here can curse pretty darn well. Nanti mati pun tak tau kenapa.
My tour guide is a jolly old manWe then made our way down the mountain and back to Zurich. Didn't manage to try any cheese/chocolate fondue, but went to Marché Restaurant (yes, the Swiss chain restaurant with the cow mascot that can be found in The Curve). But it's much more cool here lar, cos they have smoking section here (an important criteria for The Princess). Besides that, nothing much to shout about.
Zurich downtownAnd then we took the train back to hotel. Totally devoid of passengers except for the two of us.
Scary....
Of Smooching, Parisian-Style
I witnessed the longest French kiss in, where else, but Paris recently. I could only sit for as long as 30 minutes in the park before leaving, so I can't exactly tell how long the tonsil tennis went.
Just don't catch pneumonia, lots of saliva-exchanging going on there.
I thought this pic is kinda nice
I had the yummiest baguette in Paris. Usually, I get my bread from Paul, but this time as usual, while I was ambling around in Marais, I passed by this boulangerie with a long queue. And everyone was buying baguette. So I bought one myself and voila, I finished the whole baguette without me realizing as I walked around. Damn, I have to re-trace the route the next time I'm in that area cos I didn't get the boulangerie's name.
Spring is truly here
Didn't do much in Manchester, just managed to have dinner at Wetherspoon. The weather was really bad, raining on and off. My friend summed it up when he said, "Weather in the UK changes faster than you can cook Maggi mee". Nice.
Lamb shank in very "extraordinary" (so ordinary it's extra) sauce
Steak and ale pie
Bought all the flavours of cookies from Mark And Spencer for Mama Tju. And happily brought a packet onboard, thought of having them for breakfast. Mana tau this tau si yu crew finished all of MY cookies. Actually, all the JC crew ate lar, but I was damn not pleased with this lazy tau si yu so I put all the blame on him.
Just don't catch pneumonia, lots of saliva-exchanging going on there.
I thought this pic is kinda niceI had the yummiest baguette in Paris. Usually, I get my bread from Paul, but this time as usual, while I was ambling around in Marais, I passed by this boulangerie with a long queue. And everyone was buying baguette. So I bought one myself and voila, I finished the whole baguette without me realizing as I walked around. Damn, I have to re-trace the route the next time I'm in that area cos I didn't get the boulangerie's name.
Spring is truly hereDidn't do much in Manchester, just managed to have dinner at Wetherspoon. The weather was really bad, raining on and off. My friend summed it up when he said, "Weather in the UK changes faster than you can cook Maggi mee". Nice.
Lamb shank in very "extraordinary" (so ordinary it's extra) sauce
Steak and ale pieBought all the flavours of cookies from Mark And Spencer for Mama Tju. And happily brought a packet onboard, thought of having them for breakfast. Mana tau this tau si yu crew finished all of MY cookies. Actually, all the JC crew ate lar, but I was damn not pleased with this lazy tau si yu so I put all the blame on him.
