Gingerbread House

It's Christmas once again. My preparations for the much awaited Christmas brunch are in full swing. I am in-charge of all the sweet treats there is. I spent weeks stocking up on my supplies, making sure I got everything needed before the big event. I planned and organized the tasks assigned to me and focused on their completion on time. I do not want a repeat of the past two Christmasses where my work was behind schedule. (That's what happens when someone works alone).  Besides, with my family and  friend visiting, I want to be ahead of the game so I can at least spend time with them.

A Little Treat For A Birthday Girl

 Here's another  white chocolate and raspberry cake  made for a little ten year old girl. Each layer was filled and frosted with classic vanilla butter cream.

I didn't come up with the design. The parents requested I follow the design  in the picture they sent. Basically it's a princess cake. The original has a tiara on top. Instead of putting the headpiece, they asked if I could write the message "Happy 10th Birthday Elena".

White Chocolate And Raspberry Cake

White chocolate and raspberry cake is this year's favorite.  Since I made it for  a couple  on their wedding day, it has become the most requested cake.  

I didn't have all the things called for in the original recipe which made me do a bit of tweaking.  I normally use medium size eggs in baking. That went to my batter in place of large eggs.  I made my own self-raising flour because it's way cheaper than buying the original. Here in the tropics, getting access to fresh raspberries is impossible. I used frozen raspberries instead. Some suggests not to defrost frozen raspberries if used in baking. As for me, I  let it thaw  and leave in a strainer to drain all the liquid before adding it to the batter. This has always work for me.

The cake peaked while baking. I got rid of the dome (which I happily munched after everything is set) before filling and frosting the cake with vanilla butter cream. I can say this is one of the nicest cakes I made. Try it for yourself.

Post Birthday Celebration

It was my birthday. I went to Bangkok to be with  friends and family as I did not want to celebrate it on the island alone. I invited everyone  for a meal  but not all of them could come. A  few days past my birthday, a friend who missed the gathering, rang me up and asked if  me, my sister and cousin could join him for lunch. It was his treat to celebrate my birthday. My sister was still down with the flu so only me and my cousin were able to meet him.

On my cousin's recommendations, we went to this place called On The Table - a Japanese Cafe serving both Italian and Japanese food at their The Mall Bangkapi outlet. It hasn't been that long when she and my sister discovered the cafe. They have visited it a few times already. She loves the food.  Now, she couldn't wait for us to try it out.

China White Thai-Chinese Restaurant On My Birthday

It's the time of the year again when I celebrate another year added to my life. It's a time when I get to break free from work and reward myself for working hard. My birthday is a national holiday in Thailand. I took the opportunity to fly back home to Bangkok and gather my family and friends who all had a day off of work  for a celebration.

I made a last minute decision to do it at the restaurant instead of hosting  a party at home. It would be less hassle for me. Besides, I really needed a good rest.  I chose a restaurant called China White at Central World. They serve hawker-style Thai-Chinese fusion dishes. I've been there numerous times. They have good food and the price is inexpensive. The service can be really bad during busy hours so I suggested we go there way  before lunch time.