Strawberry Sandwich (Wha..? No way!)

It has been so long that it felt like I forgot how to write to you guys. Half an hour later, I decided it's best to just bear my heart. It hasn't been easy, will never be easy, to change. To align yourself to your surrounding, to mould yourself to someone else's theories and to change. "Difficult" does not even cut it close. How then, do you keep your self? 

Fortunate for some of us, if you have some berries, a scoop of ice cream, tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, it might just reenergise you for your battles tomorrow. That was how this sandwich came to be. Some self-healing.

Cheese Loaf Bread - Birthday Post

You might be wondering. A bread for birthday? No, we had cakes but i baked bread and there were birthdays.

25th & 26th were both my girlfriends' birthdays. They are my special people and that's all needed to be said. So happy birthday, you two. After knowing you for 20 years, I believe i'll still strive my best to give you a surprise birthday!

I took the recipe from Clockwork Lemon (a recipe I have wanted to try for so long), used Cheese instead and voila.

Pandan Kaya Bread Pudding

You see, when you start working, everything becomes a little harder to get through. Especially for a boring person such as myself. 

So you fatten yourself up, preparing for the long hibernation we call "Holiday". Holidays for me (reminder: boring person) is to sleep, eat mac & cheese, occasionally dragged out of the room for hygiene purposes and movies. Oh, and of course popcorns. 

I would of course refuse to get my hands on baking, with a determination equal to that of an addicted hippie holding a roll of weed swearing to quit after one last round.

Unfortunately, no, I do not smoke weed because I'm a boring person.

Two Type Rolls with Cinnabon-like Dough

I started reminiscing this morning. The days when "chilly" weather exists, when wearing a scarf was not "silly", when walking home is a leisure. Be glad that you've touched snow and made snowman and snow angels and snow bunnies!

Then I began thinking further back, the innocent years I've had. Mostly not really that long ago until I started waking up at 3 am only to find out that the public media isn't at all appropriate. Dem you channel 9, give me back my innocence!

Years having my family around, conned by my brother and his friend to a buy-2-get-1-free drink (yes, I paid for both, no, I wasn't trying to impress his friend, yes, I'm just an idiot.). Even in those days, I was not worry-less. Yet, we bring our asses to gather around the table to have a dinner together.

I return to those memories, though fading and blurred by hurts and mistakes, missing those few people who actually mattered. Gradually, nothing of the little disagreements mattered. This was a family. Blood is thicker than water. This is my family.

Indeed i would like to try a different approach in my future which i have yet to consult with the Mr who claims a proposal doesn't have to be done with a knee and a ring then presumes that silent means consent. I kid. No, really, we girls want rings! Holla if you agree (so that i'll get my ring).

Anyway, due to high demand in the house, this is my third "Cinnamon" roll. By now, you should gather that I love my variety, so I made two versions. In simple steps, make dough, make 2 filling, divide dough, roll, spread butter, sprinkle filling. Of course you can skip dividing the dough. However, garlic and bananas might not complement each other. 

Pizza Dough - Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

Over the years, I've slaved more for cookbooks than clothes, make-ups and so on. It hasn't changed. However, I looked at the neatly lined array of books on the shelf. They're new yet so old, so dusty. I realized, I had bought them to look at their pretty pictures.

 My recent book-buy was Peter Reinhart's "The Baker's Apprentice". By "recent", I mean like 5 months ago (scoffs). The book was heavy, pictures weren't the most interesting, and so...many...words... ! Nevertheless, I've decided this I-bought-an-expensive-book-for-pictures-thing has to stop. I opened the book and started reading. Of course, it was an amazing book, why I bought it.

You know when it gets ridiculously hard to understand, your mind just reads through the sentences reading and reading but nothing gets through until you read a sentence that was ridiculously simple at which point you re-connect? Yea. That's a devil. I had to come back to each sentence to really understand Peter. That's persistence, ladies and gents, thank you very much.

Hence, I decided that I will no longer wait and finally use a recipe from the book.

I was never a big fan of the traditional thin crust pizza. I love myself a good thick carbohydrate. As awkward as this may sound, i went against the better judgement of Mr P and made myself some thick Napoletana pizzas. To my humour, it was great!  

Soft Garlic Breadstick - Pizza Hut look alike.

She 1: "There are famous frogs, no famous wells!"

She 2: "There are famous Wishing wells"

She 1: "See, people find wells when they need something!"

Me: "People find frogs to dissect (smirks)"

This was how my day begun. Frogs versus wells.

These girls were a different experience from my original habitat. Because of them, I learned how to be a girl. Sharing salads, going jelly when faced with BIG RED "50%", binge eating on mini cupcakes, comment each others' make up, advise each others' haircuts and of course, taking ridiculous amounts of pictures. 

She 1: "Frogs pee in the well!"

Me: "Wells hold their bladders!"

She 1: "Frogs produce tadpoles and will all pee in the well!"

Me: "... Stop peeing already!!"

That was how the discussion ended.Now that we are in different parts of the world, to all our nonsensical moments, we shall give a toast. 

Onto these breadsticks, crazy good! Its a one-hand snack, easy to make, easy to re-heat and compatible with almost anything. You can pretty them up by cutting different shapes or use different herbs All I'm saying is, this is the basic of basics.

Cream Cheese Infused Cinnamon Roll Dough, filled with Gula Merah (Dark Palm Sugar), Choc Chips and Apple Bits.

There are usually lots of things on my mind. Aside from being a female and as occupied as that already is, I tend to think even more. I think ahead and as far as that goes, i forget whats right in front. Hence, when someone told me that metabolism rate increases with the work of your brains (aka thoughts), I would have to politely scoff.

With that amount of brain-work, comfort food, dessert bingeing and random tubs of ice cream nights are mostly necessary rather than an inability to control (maybe not but its a good excuse). The only problem is when these cravings necessities affect the people around you.

Because, sweeties from all around the globe, when you're on your baking experiments, (and seeing as how delicious your works of art are) people eat. When people eat, they gain weight. When they gain weight, they blame people. Who else to blame but the person who thinks "hmm, chocolate with chocolate would taste great" (they are a match made in heaven by the way). 

You might then question yourself, "but we eat the same goodies as well or even more". Good news for all of us, we may have gotten used to it! Yay! So, let's get down to business. 

Recently, as much a craze I have for chocolate, I have been addicted to using Dark Palm Sugar or Gula Merah (translation for Red Sugar in Bahasa Indonesia). This sugar easily melts at body temperature. When baked, it turns into a nice browned crisp with a gooey inside and of course, the smell is just intoxicating. Surprisingly, unlike how it seems, it is  not as sweet as our usual white sugar. 

I added plenty amounts of dark chocolate chips just to give it that bitter cocoa bite. I have apple bits in there as well, after all, they're cinnamon's best friend. However, i keep the fillings to personal choice. Instead, I'm here to introduce this amazing Cream Cheese infused Cinnamon Roll Dough by Joy the Baker

For clearer instructions, please visit her link, they're much better looking as well.