Macarons: Take II

My remaking of macarons was a success. My heart fluttered when I saw the shells rise to its feet in the oven, like they were all standing up to greet me! The shells were crispy and chewy although they were rather sweet and the chew was a little hard.

The filled macarons in the fridge waiting to be eaten.. Some chip-offs at the sides because I piped them too near and they got stucked together while left to rest.

Darlie requested for a new batch as he wanted it less sweet and not too hard. So I tried replicating the whole process with lesser sugar and more almond meal. The macarons turned out to be like my first and second failed attempt..

It was already midnight and I ended up throwing the failed ones away.

The baking of macarons is making my mood swing like a stock on the exchange market and it is at a record low now!

Macarons: Take I

After some research and grocery shopping, I laid my hands on making macarons again. Only this time, the texture looks slightly better. I'm waiting half hour more for the shell to harden and no longer tacky to a light touch before sending them to the oven.

Hopefully, it turns out well this time!



thought of the day

The love of money is the root of all evil.. One's greed is a fundamental element of any atrocious act..

just thinking..

When I speak to a caucasian, I get especially nervous.. I really need to brush up on the English language!

Spent half of the day walking around Orchard Road hoping to get inspirations for CNY.. But none of the clothes from the stores interest me. Even my planned shopping trip to Bangkok was fruitless.. Wondering what's wrong with the fashion trends these days? Or is it just me?

Wants and needs in the next few years..

a Kitchenaid stand mixer
a Canon DSLR
an OSIM foot massager
a sewing machine

He's definitely gonna get naggy!

Troubleshooting: Macarons Making

Just finished washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen from the mess I made.. The macarons were disappointing!

After trying the home-made ones during his cousin's recent housewarming party, I got inspired to give macaron making a second chance. King's sarcastic jokes about my baking skills further provoked me to prove him wrong. Got hold of the praiseworthy macaron recipe and thought I won half the battle...

Despite the simple ingredients in the macaron recipe, a mistake in the making process can damage the end results and is irreversible. Given my last failed attempt several weeks ago, there were indeed certain parts of the process which set me thinking hard. I took extra care to follow the recipe as closely as possible. No missing of steps from the recipe, no overmixing, reduced the amount of sugar by 20% as usual... The texture came out well when I piped the batter onto the parchment-laid trays and the shells rised properly while in the oven. I thought happily that this would be successful. Unfortunately, the macarons shells fell minutes after I removed them from the hot oven and shrinked to flat pieces of pink crisp. I had problem removing them from the parchment paper and had part of the based stucked to it and broken when lifted. The surface of the macarons felt moist and sticky after being left to cool. The rim of the shells browned slightly. The almond taste was strong and good, but the sweetness was overpowering.

Possible reasons for failure:
- not aging the eggwhites
- not using egg white powder
- using a plastic bowl for beating eggwhites instead of copper ones
- cooking the macarons with stronger heat
- macarons were undercooked

I'm gonna conduct more reseach on macarons before I give it a third try when I return from my bkk trip.

Just wish me luck!

We are 6!

It has been 6 years since the day our heart met. I still feel the excitement the night before our date.. I hope the weather will spare us for the series of activities we have planned!

Happy Anniversary to us! :)

Some inspirations from Ikea

Right after our xmas staycation at Changi Village Hotel, we dropped by Ikea, Tampines for some inspirations on furniture pieces..

The living room

Darlie says he wants a classic house with simple furnitures of black, white and red theme. On the other hand, I love a cosy house of elaborated furnishing, preferably the "victorian style".. Here our ideas clashed directly, and we needed something that compromise.. I thought a black sofa would be good against a red wall in the living room. This piece, with button-tufting on leather finish, stands out among the boring others and exudes a luxurious feel..

The kitchen and dining area

He says he'll leave the kitchen to me.. The kitchen would be small, with fitted appliances already. I would have not much to play around with except the dining area. I see the dining area as a place where the family could have quality time together, sharing experiences while we eat. I would also love to have guests in the house in future. So a bigger dining table is necessary. A table of 6 would be perfect - 4 seaters on 2 sides, and 1 add-ons on the other 2 sides. These tables are perfect for candle light dinner too! whhahaha..

A hanging lamp to add wonders to the atmosphere would be nice.

And of course, my cakes, scones and sandwiches would deserve a good stand for afternoon teas or when I have visiting guests on weekends..

Our bedroom :)
We have a little space for a mini walk-in wardrobe. Darlie and I both have lots of clothes. So we really need good storage solutions to pack everything into a small room. I love the mirror that is clinged onto the side of the wardrobe. And the back of the mirror has compartments for storage of accessories, socks and such..

These would be good for our bags! And the bottom racks are for shoes.

These small compartments would come in handy for our belts, undies, socks and accessories. :)

I saw this victorian style dressing table while he was at the toilet and I fell in love with it immediately. It's downright simple, with drawers left right centre. I do not need to sit down while I dress myself. Just need a table to put all my facial needs, cosmetics, perfume and accessories.

Toilets
Although we wont be doing much to the build-in toilets, we would still love to have a "his" and "her" basin. some ideas.. But I thought they were a little small and too cramp.

Building a home together can be really fun. I'm looking forward!

He calls me TT Ling..

Since the last quarter of 2010, I found myself sink deeper into the mid-20s crisis..

If you have been thinking hard about what you want in life day-in day-out and still havent figure it out... and...
you have trouble keeping your abs firm and thighs tight... and worse..
you find bunch of hair strands on the floor of your bedroom and bathroom...
then you are like me!

I'm a Tu Tou Tai Tai with Thick Tummy and Thunder Thighs..

Yup! He calls me TT-ling.

T_T

I'm all excited!

I had just register myself for the 1 week CPA course and I will sign up for the 42.195km Sundown Marathon within the early-bird period.

I'm heading Bangkok for business ideas and to get new clothes for this CNY.

Just hope I can get a job I want real soon to settle my above expenditure.

A happier 2011.

As the screams of ten to one filled the neigbourhood and overpowered the splashing sound made by the shower, I realised that I just spent the last few minutes of 2010 in the bathroom, scrubbing myself and thinking of the things I have done and fretting over those that I have not done..

31 December 2010 marks the official last day of my first job. It feels like I'm graduating from kindergarten class and moving on to primary school. At least, I hope I've graduated.. Over the week, I attended few farewells with closer team mates and bid many goodbyes.. It seems like I'm all prepared to take a breather, even an hour long of heart-to-heart talk could not bring my heart back. A faster progression route does not appeal to me now. I rather climb the corporate ladder at a comfortable pace, and save the time on other precious things. In my next step, I want to start afresh, and do something I could excel in and have the drive to work hard and of course, spend more time with myself and my loved ones. I have not found a good "primary school" til date.. No such luck.

Nevertheless, I'm looking on the bright side, and I pray that 2011 would be a better and happier year for me.