Baked Goods and Such

It had been a good 3 weeks since I logged into my blog. Had baked brownie, pizza and most recently cinnamon raisin bread yesterday. The bread was rather dense and did not have the desired mouthfeel in my opinion. I have gotten another recipe and trying it out now. Onto its second rising, it looks like I will be done only when nearing midnight though The Emmy Awards will be accompanying me.

Brownie

Super easy and from Rose Levy's Christmas Cookie Book

 

Pizza

From Rose Levy's The Bread Bible whose pizza recipe requires minimal kneading. The tomato sauce recipe that came with it was yummy though I substituted with dried basil instead of dried oregano. For the topping, I used spicy sausage. You could use chorizo who would have a smoky taste due to paprika, which I absolutely love. Try sprinkling some on ham and cheese, slathered over wholemeal bread and microwave for 20 seconds. Pure heaven! Rocket leaves is an inspiration taken from pizza parlours one of which I love is in Greenwood Avenue. The name slipped my mind but it was started by the group behind Les Amis. The salad leaves cuts through the rich taste of the sausages and mozzarella cheese.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread (1st Attempt)

Also from Rose Levy's The Bread Bible! As you would already guess by now, I am a huge, huge fan of Rose. It is disappointing that the recipe did not quite out the way I wanted though all her other recipes that I have tried had been completed without much glitches.  

I took time to attend a cupcake and layer cake class in Aug 2010 at Shermay Lee's Cooking School and it was real fun! The pictures I took were fabulous and I can't wait to bake them! As usual the recipe pack is super comprehensive and together with the Christmas cookie class I attended 3 years ago, I am sure my attempts will turn out okay. The silver foil cupcake cases look absolutely festive as is the topping and dried lemon slices on top.

Me Time
With age, I have come to appreciate me time. Case in point running by myself 2 weeks ago. I found that I relish the experience of spending time with me. It is like slowing down my heart beat to hear what my soul is saying. Often, its whispers gets forgotten and lost among the noise of everyday life. So now, I make the effort to meditate and do yoga prior to bed every day. Such activities allow me to wind down for the day and be thankful for each day that God had bestowed onto me. Thank god for each sunrise and sunset and the possibility for me to enjoy what I can within the 24 hours.