Cookies for Christmas

I bought some nice cookie cutters for this Christmas. Time to take these cookie cutters out to bake some nice shortbread cookies for my friends as Christmas gifts. I've never baked shortbread cookies before. The nearest one to it is the cookie of the pineapple tarts that I bake every year. They are very similar in ingredients except that these shortbread cookies do not use eggs. They are pretty easy to make except that the dough needs some cold, tender loving care in order that the shapes come out nice and clean.

Yuletide season - Blackforest Log Cake

 

'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la. Christmas is here. Season of feasting and being merry in the company of loved ones and friends. But it is also a time to remember that our saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, came down to earth to give us light and hope. This Christmas, we are invited by Candy and her family to her home for dinner - Taiwanese braised pork rice (卤肉饭), her specialty. There are four families here and all our hubbies were army friends. We always look forward to meeting up with each other, together with all our kids. But as our kids grow up to become teenagers, I bet our future gathering will be just the adults. As the baker, it's always my pleasure to bake a log cake to add to the atmosphere.

Yuzu Chiffon Cake

 

 

Yuzu (柚子) or Japanese citron is a large orange-like fruit. It is related to its smaller cousin - the mandarin orange or tangerine (mikan). It is tart in taste, not sweet and is not peeled and eaten as it is. I was persuaded by the sales promoter at Isetan supermarket o buy a bottle of yuzucha (ingredients are yuzu, honey and sugar). You just need to add water to a teaspoon of it to make a drink to soothe your throat. I tried it out and I liked the taste. It's refreshing. You can even spread it directly onto your bread, just like jam. And I thought to myself - I can bake cakes or make desserts with it too.

Lemon Pistachio Cupcakes

 

8 Decemeber 2012 - cell group BBQ day. Checked my email after I got back from a short holiday in Hong Kong with my family on late 5 December. I'm assigned to get satay. That's an easy task; no need for me to marinate any items and I ordered the satay from City Satay. Job done. Then I started thinking what I should bake. I wanted something lighter and refreshing. No chocolates. Actually thought of a Christmas log cake, but that would be a little too heavy considering the amount of food we are going to have. After flipping through a cupcake magazine I bought recently, I settled on Lemon Pistachio Cupcakes.