Strawberry Pancakes

 

Last week, the boyfriend insisted on having pancakes at McDonalds for breakfast. Having eaten pancakes less than 5 times in my entire life so far (I kid you not) and also not that big a fan, I wasn't too pleased about waking up early just to have pancakes. I am SO not a morning person! ;) Anyhoo, thereafter I went hunting for a simple but awesome-tasting pancake recipe. Why pay, when you can make some yourself in the comfort of your home? Furthermore, I'm willing to wager two dollops of ice-cream on a bet that you already have the following ingredients for a pancake rendezvous at home without knowing! 

Ingredients (make sure all are at room temperature!)

1 cup plain/all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons of fine sugar 

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup of strawberry milk 

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Directions

• In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and sugar using a whisk. 
• Make a well in the center before adding the egg, vanilla extract, milk and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Mix until well combined. 
• Oil a non-stick pan or griddle lightly with the last tablespoon of vegetable oil and turn up the heat. 
• Scoop approximately 1/3 cup of batter and pour onto the pan. Once you see air bubbles rising to the surface, gently flip them over and they're ready to be served when both sides are brown. 

Notes

• I used Meiji Strawberry Milk. 
• The recipe makes approximately 6 servings. 
• Entire preparation & cook time takes less than 20 minutes.

I made these yummies a few days ago for the boyfriend. Initially, I planned on baking him a surprise cake but what the heck, I decided that he had eaten too much of my cake so I might as well try something new such as strawberry pancakes since he loves strawberries too. These are light and fluffy (& probably even more so had I used buttermilk instead; I'll try that out soon!) and the strawberry taste is pretty subtle. I'm not a fan of strawberries so these are perfect for me. 

I served them with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream and strawberry syrup; the boyfriend was a happy camper. :) Same goes to Lissy, who turned up later at my place for pancakes and took the above photo. 

Happy cooking! :) 

Classic Cheesecake

Hello hello! :) My bad for the lack of updates; April was absolutely hectic and so stressful that I pretty much don't have time for anything. It was assignments and projects and finals back to back. I had a nervous meltdown but it's getting better now. =) I am now unofficially graduated from university and also unemployed at the same time lol. Besides combing for jobs online and offline, I have had more time to spend with the boyfriend and his family and indulge in some baking. But you don't want to hear me rattle on and on; I'm here to share with you a Classic Cheesecake recipe that I found on kraftrecipes[dot]com but I've make some minor changes to mine. My two young cousins and my grandmother gave me the thumbs-up for the cheesecake yayyyy. But, as of now, I've yet to let the boyfriend try it so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping he really likes it because I baked it specially for his birthday. =]

(I had these 2 sticks because, you know, I had to try it first before giving the rest to him. ;) #excuses)

Hmmmm.. this reminds me of cheesecake sticks that were sold at an exorbitant price at Parco Bugis Junction eons ago. Those massive gorgeous slices of cheesecakes that you see at Starbucks, dessert buffets etc look intimidating at first glance but the baking process is really easy once you get the hang of it and of course, an understanding of your oven. For example, you switch it to 180 degree celcius but the temperature is actually 170. Or 190. Best to buy an oven thermometer if you have the extra cash. I don't, so I eyeball. Eyeballing isn't ideal for temperatures but I've more or less worked out my cranky oven and my baking adventures passed.

Mostly.

Before we start, just a reminder that all ingredients have to be at room temperature, especially for desserts such as cheesecakes and macarons. My preferred method is to cut the required amount of cream cheese and butter into cubes first and let it sit on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes.

Ingredients 
Digestive biscuits (or Graham crackers)
4 tablespoons of butter
500 grams of cream cheese
170 grams of fine sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 eggs
200 ml of sour cream

Directions

• Preheat oven to 170 degree celsius. 
•  Melt butter in a double boiler or microwave oven. Once melted, set aside for it to cool. 
• Place digestive biscuits in a ziploc bag and crush it finely. Make sure you have 1 1/2 cups worth of crumbs.
• Mix the cooled melted butter and crushed biscuits together in a bowl before pressing onto the bottom of a springform or baking pan. Put pan in the freezer once you're done for 15 minutes. 

With your hand or electric mixer on low speed,

• Beat softened cream cheese for a minute before adding the sugar (slowly) followed by vanilla extract.
• Add in the 3 eggs one at a time. Stop beating once they are all incorporated into the batter because overbeating will result in more air bubbles, causing your cheesecake to crack in the oven. 
• Remove pan from freezer and pour batter over the crust. Use a spatula to spread the batter as evenly as possible and bake for an hour. 

To check for doneness, give the pan a gentle shake. The center should have a little jiggle and the edges lightly browned. Don't worry if the center jiggles because the cheesecake is still continuing to be baked in the pan even though you have switched off the oven. Let cheesecake rest in the oven with the door ajar for half an hour, before transferring it onto the counter to cool. Once it's cooled, put into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (best overnight) before serving.

Notes

• I use Australian cream cheese bought from Phoon Huat. They cost $3.90 for 250grams, and $6.90 for 500 grams. 
• I use Bulla Premium Sour Cream, bought from Cold Storage. 
• I use Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract. I wouldn't say to avoid vanilla essence completely, but when you use extract, the flavoring is so much stronger! 
• To avoid that nasty crack in your cheesecake, in addition to not over-beating it, you can place your pan in a larger pan and fill the larger pan with boiling water until halfway through, before you place the entire set-up into the oven. This is called a water bath. I've read from food blogs that it more or less guarantees you a crackless (ha) cheesecake but of course, that is also subject to you using room temperature ingredients and not over-beating it man. We really do not want our typical Singaporean trait - kiasu, to come into place when we are making cheesecakes. :) 
• If you are not using a springform pan but the usual baking pan, let your knife stand in a small pot of hot water for about 10 seconds before running it around the edges. This helps to release cheesecake neatly. 
• In between cutting, do the same above to get that really clean and neat look for each slice.

Remember to store it in the refrigerator at all times and consume within three days! :) 

Book Review: The Upper Hand: Winning Strategies from World-Class Negotiators by Michael Benoliel

 

One of the modules that I am taking this semester centers around International Management; I wanted something along the business line in addition to the slew of Communications modules that I have already taken. It was a good decision; I learnt loads from my professor who flew in from New York and I found an interest in Negotiation. 

We all negotiate everyday. Spouses negotiate whether they should buy takeaways or cook, employers and employees negotiate the latter's salaries, property buyers and agents negotiate over pricing; it is an intricate skill which requires sharpening. I was very intrigued by my professor who related her experiences with negotiation; the Japanese would want this and the Americans would want that. Some of the proceedings would drag on for months with no conclusion in sight. 

This is the second book that I read regarding Negotiation. I went to Goodreads and surprisingly, there were no reviews, save for two users who rated it on the lower end of the spectrum. I do not think this book deserves such a low rating so here's a book review from yours truly! Also, I seldom write reviews for non-fiction books so.. be easy on me. :D 

The book opens with a brief introduction to Negotiation and argues why it is extremely important to prepare for it. In the business world, preparation is key. Not only do you and your team prepare yourselves thoroughly, it is also essential to prepare about the opposite team. Knowing their background adequately and what makes them ticked for instance, are crucial to negotiation and winning it. 

There are a total of ten chapters altogether; each chapter highlights a principle. It opens with a quote and ends with a summary of key points in bulleted form. Besides the principles, the book is also chock full of stories from famous and experienced negotiators. There is a good variety of fields, ranging from the sporting world to media to politics and diplomats. 

The writing is simple, but easily comprehensible. Personally, I think that a writer has succeeded when he is able to use simple words to convey powerful and strong messages to people of all levels. You don't need to use big bombastic words just because you are going to deliver something important. I vaguely remember reading an article some years ago for the subject General Paper, where one of our politicians handed back a document to his subordinate and insisted that the latter re-worded it in simple terms. I also remember this incident between me and my significant other who's a science major in a local university; he showed me one of his assignments and asked for my take. I thought it was a pretty good piece of writing because I could follow his argument and this was coming from someone who has scant knowledge about Biology.  

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. - Richard Feynman 

The key lies in having a good structure and using simple words for easy comprehension. I believe that the book will still be able to appeal to people who already have a certain amount of experience in negotiation such as businessmen and diplomats because of the way it is written and supported, thus making it a powerful read. As a college undergrad, I enjoyed the book (especially the stories) thoroughly and it has expanded my knowledge about Negotiation. I rate it out of 5 likes: 

Book Review: The Charm Bracelet by Melissa Hill

Set in New York City, single mom Holly O' Neill works at a vintage clothing shop called Secret Closet where members of the New York High Society send in designer clothes and accessories to be sold for charity or commissions. She loves her job and her young son Danny though she constantly frets that Danny will miss out from not having a fatherly figure in his life.

While sorting out a new batch of clothing sent in to Secret Closet, Holly chances upon a charm bracelet in the pocket of one of the pieces. Having a charm bracelet herself which she treasures, Holly postulates that the owner of the charm bracelet found in the clothing will be distressed by its loss. Determined to reunite the charm bracelet with the owner, Holly pulls out all the stops even if the only clues that she has are the charms themselves.

Greg Matthews, a banker at a top Wall Street brokerage firm in Lower Manhattan is no longer content with his plushy job despite the high income that he commands. Burned out, he decides to pull the plug on his job and chases after his passion - photography, instead. With his savings and girlfriend Karen's job, he is confident that they will be able to get through the first few months while he scouts around for photography jobs. However, after he breaks the news to Karen, she is less than delighted and worries that they may not have enough to get by.

As usual, I am not going to spoil the ending for ya. :) It is sweet and perhaps yes a lil predictable, but I love it nonetheless. I actually bought this book at a bookstore after work on a whim because the boyfriend wasn't too happy that he just spent 30 minutes with me at the bookstore and we were about to walk off empty-handed. *shoots him a baleful look* But I AM glad I did because having read the novel last year, it is going to one which I am going to re-read over and over again in the time to come. Moving on to what I like -

The characters which the author has created are very real instead of fluffy duffy (which I had the misfortune of reading from other novels)- it could have been anyone out there with the same concerns as them. I can identify with Karen's displeasure when she found out about Greg quitting his job without discussing it with her.

She breathed heavily, as if she suddenly felt the weight of the world rest upon her shoulders. She looked around at their well-appointed living room, as if trying to figure out what they'd need to sell first. 

"Baby, come on. Think positive. We are going to be fine." Greg stood up and reached for her. "I have faith in myself. I believe in what I can do. I thought you did too?" He hated how pleading he sounded. This is not how he pictured this conversation. 

Karen locked her eyes on his face and she said, blankly, "I do have faith in you, but I also thought that you considered me an equal partner in this relationship." 

"I do!" He said defensively. 

"I'm not so sure, Greg. You just put a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and you didn't even care about my opinion enough to consult me before you did it. You just ASSUMED." 

My favorite characters in the novel have to be Greg's parents - Jeff and Cristina, who are a loving couple. They set the stage for true love. In fact, love is a recurring theme in this book. Within Greg and Karen, Holly and her son Danny, and eventually, Holly and Greg whose paths are crossed when the novel is approaching the conclusion. A favorite quote of mine from the novel about love would be -

"Skating, it is a bit like true love - both parties must move fluidly in tandem together in order to achieve true perfection."

Speaking of the conclusion, I love it when novels wrap up nicely instead of a hasty harried one & Melissa Hill has done a great job with this novel. :)

The author has an adept way of making words come alive - I could clearly picture each scene in the novel with her descriptive and engaging lines even though I've never been to NYC before! Fans of chick lit will undoubtedly enjoy this one. It's my first time reading a book by Melissa Hill and it's certainly not going to be the last. :)

I rate it out of 5 likes:

 

Book Review: It Started with a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson

 

As the singer in a wedding band, Romily Parker has seen her fair share of happy endings, even though her own love life isn't quite as simple. On the last Saturday before Christmas, (shortly after disastrously declaring her love for best friend Charlie), Romily has a brief encounter with a handsome stranger whose heart-stopping kiss changes everything. 

Determined to find him again, Romily embarks on a year-long quest, helped (and sometimes hindered) by enthusiastic Uncle Dudley, cake-making Auntie Mags and flamboyant Wren. Will she find the man of her dreams? Or could true love be closer than she thinks? The ONLY book that you'll want to curl up with this winter -- perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Sophie Kinsella. 

I vaguely remembered seeing this novel recommended to me on Goodreads & I made a mental note to check that out from the library should it be available. The cover was the first thing that caught my eye; with the pretty pink & white wintery jacket, it definitely struck several points with me. :) I'm big on image & presentation, especially when you consider the plethora of books out there demanding to be read. Furthermore, I'm a visual person; it's always the cover that catches my attention first. 

Having a crush on her best friend cum bandmate Charlie for 3 years, 29 year-old Romily decided to follow her heart and confessed to him just before Christmas. However, it backfired and Romily fled, only to collide into a wooden stall some distances later, causing fluffy stuffed toys to rain all over the floor. 

"Crazy woman! Look at this mess! It is ruined, ruined!" 

Thoroughly embarrassed, I scrambled to my feet, wincing as my bruised limbs creaked and groaned back into an upright position. 

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," I mumbled, grabbing armfuls of toys and wishing I could disappear. 

A man, who was subsequently named PK (Phantom Kisser) in the book, stopped to help her and gave her a kiss before disappearing off with his mate. Struck by the kiss, Romily decided to search for PK within a year. She was aided by Uncle Dudley and wife Auntie Mags, who acted as surrogate parents to Romily. CCTVs were watched, a blog was set up, even an advertisement was created in the papers! Charlie wasn't too pleased with Romily's fixation with PK either; what followed was rocky periods between the two best friends. 

I'll not spoil the ending for ya, you HAVE to read it for yourself :) It's an amazing read, chick lit at its best. Besides Romily's quest, there was also a significant amount of pages dedicated to Romily's best friend Wren and bandmates Jack, Tom and manage D'Wayne. Called The Pinstripes who played at weddings, they were extremely close and they put their efforts into the band wholeheartedly, making sure their clients got more than what they paid for. 

Romily acknowledged that her year-long quest to hunt down PK could be seen as a lil desperate, but she argued on the basis of doing something for herself before she turned thirty years old. The theme - searching for that elusive PK, was constantly addressed in the novel. But I think the author had done an excellent job in ensuring Romily did not appear too desperate despite the trickiness of it all. 

The conclusion (just before Christmas Eve) was sweet and heart-warming. What I loved was, the conclusion wrapped up nicely instead of a rushed and harried one. If you were to watch a movie, you would want it to end on a decent note too right ?! :P 

I can totally identify with Romily wanting to do something for herself. The novel really is about being there for your friends regardless of conflicts and being true to yourself and chasing after what makes you happy.  It's something which I have been thinking about for the longest time ever; I still can't quite figure out what is it that I truly want. Which was why I was totally rooting for Romily in her quest. 

As soon as my salary is here, it's straight to bookdepository to order a copy of this novel  :) I love it soooo much ^^ 

My rating out of 5 likes:

I know Christmas just whooshed past us almost 3 weeks ago BUT if you are looking for an awesome Christmassy chick lit novel, this is right up your alley and I hope you will love it as much as I do! :)