MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

31st December
Another year of success and happiness has passed. With every new year, comes greater challenges and obstacles in life. I wish all of you courage, hope and faith to overcome all the hurdles you face. May you have a great year and a wonderful time ahead. God bless you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends and family members. The glitter of bright decorations, the sound of joyous Christmas carols, the happy children and the cheerful "Merry Christmas" greetings. Do take this opportunity to tell your loves one how much they mean to you.
Forget the things that made us sad and remember those that made you glad.
Forget the troubles that passed your way and remember the blessing that come each day.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy *wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Greeting cards from Lovely friends Mai Soon, June & Sheoh.

Beside cooking and baking, let's me share with all of you my other past time wonderful hobbies.

DIY Stocking flowers, my new hobby.

Various colour stockings and wires. Brought large amount last week at rock bottom price cos one of the shop closing down sales offer. Can't wait to start this craft......

Crochet handbag

This the nylon net I used, black netting is a bit on the stiff side.

 

Or you can use white netting which its softer.

 

My first crochet handbag. I'm a lefty, the lady who thought me crochet is right handed. I've to used my own imagination to crochet from the left side. LOL

The various designs of crochet bags and hats using cotton thread or Hamnaka Eco Andaria yarn. I already ordered my Hamnaka yarn but yet to arrive. 

Cross stitches, my collection of DMC threads and cross stitch material.

My abandon project since....... don't know when!!! hahaha......

Left one quarter to go, hopefully I can finish it by end of 2015. Keep my fingers and toes cross but hopefully when I finish my eyes won't cross!!! hahaha....

28th December 2014, brought all these at rock bottom price cos today last day closing down sale.

And cross stitch materials.....I brought all the leftover that's in the shop. Shop Uncle gave me 1 meter free.  

To make cross stitch greetings card, fold the A4 colour paper into half.

Use a strong adhesive to glue the cross stitch design in the middle of the card.
You can make your own birthday card, Christmas card, wedding cards, etc....

Patchwork....., just starting to do another blanket.

To make a queen size blankets, you need to make at least 5000 to 6500 x 2.5cm hexagons pieces.

This is the design I'm going to hand stitch. Pattern contributed by FB members@ Fat Fat Wan in Patchwork club. This will take me sometime to finish but wandering if I can finish in 1 year time cos I got so many hobbies to play.

This is my virgin patchwork, I hand stitch this queen size blanket 25 years ago.

 Still using my faithful blanket. hahaha.....

 

My other craft books collections. So little time but so many fun stuff to play.

And nothing better to do, I love to sew my own curtains. These hooks and heading tape, I brought at rock bottom price too.

Another nothing better to do hobby, cutting beautiful liqueur and wine bottles pictures from magazine.

Haven't decide what to do with it but I just enjoyed collecting those beautiful liqueur pictures from magazine.

My stamps collection, some are from my pen pals 35 years ago. Not fanatic about it, now just collect what I can get from my office.

Let's go back to my kitchen......my all time favorite dessert. Recipe courtesy from my good friend.

Rose, Rose I love You Pudding

1 packet agar agar powder ( 13gm )
1000 mls water
1 cup milk/ thick coconut milk
180gm sugar
80gm sago
1 egg white
3 pandan leaves  ( optional )

1/  Wash the sago and soak in water for 30 mins. Then drain off the water.

Sago

2/  Mix the water with agar agar powder, sugar and mix well.
3/  Throw in the pandan leaves and put to boil until sugar melted.
4/  Scoop out half cup of the agar agar solution. Divide into 2 parts and add red coloring to one portion and another portion  green.

Agar agar powder

Rose brand agar agar, this is one of the best brand.

 Scoop the red colour to the rose mold follow the design.

Color the leave with green agar agar mixture. Leave it to set.

5/  Add sago to the rest of the agar agar mixture. Boil until transparent, keep stirring to prevent burn.
6/  Add the coconut milk + pinch of salt or milk and mix well. Keep warm.
7/  Beat the egg white until stiff, mix the egg white to the agar agar mixture in batches. Mix well.

The egg white will float on top the jelly but it doesn't matter.

8/  Pour the entire mixture slowly to the rose mold. Cool completely and chill in fridge.

9/ Remove the pudding from mold and serve chill.

If you don't have rose mold for this pudding, you can use the dessert cup to make rainbow layers.

Put 1/2 tbsp of red agar agar mixture, chill in the fridge to let it set. 2nd layer scoop a tablespoon of the white mixture, chill until set. 3rd layer scoop 1/2 tbsp of green agar agar mixture and chill till set. Repeat another 3 times.

Delightful and refreshing pudding.

May the good times and treasure of the present become the golden memories of tomorrow.
Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wander what you are,
Up above the world so high like a diamond in the sky,
Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight,
I wish I my, I wish I might have the wish tonight.

Have a wonderful holiday.
Amelia

And for those whose weakness, handbags........

One step up from perfume, the handbag is also the most accessible item an ordinary working woman can afford from a very exclusive house. Status bags are a cheap thrill, comparatively speaking, for those who want business class but are living coach.

 I bake one instead......

Presenting my designer bag.

“Our purses shall be proud, our garments poor: For 'tis the mind that makes the body rich; and as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, so honor peereth in the meanest habit” William Shakespeare.

This size of this cake is width 10 inch x height 5 1/2 inch x diameter 3 inch

Chocolate Mud Cake

375gm butter
300gm dark chocolate
3 cups castor sugar
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp espresso
1 1/4 cup self raisin flour
1 1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 large eggs

Ganache Coating
300 gm chocolate
100gm double cream
50 gm butter
1) Double boil the ganache ingredients until chocolate melt. Cool slightly and spread on cake.

1/  Add butter, dark chocolate, castor sugar, water, espresso together  in a pot cook in low heat until chocolate and sugar melt. Cool for 10 mins.
2/  Sift the two type of flour and cocoa power together, stir into the butter mixture and beat gently.
3/  Beat the egg lightly but do not injure your wrist.
4/  Add the eggs to the flour mixture and mix gently.

5/  Lined the 10 inch square cake pan with grease proof paper. Pour cake batter into cake pan and bake in pre heat oven at 170 deg c  for 1 1/4 hour hours or until cook.
6/  Leave the cake in the cake pan until completely cool.
7/  Remove grease proof paper, cut the cake into 3 pieces.
8/  Apply a thin layer of chocolate ganache in between each stack.
9/ Chilled in the fridge until chocolate set.

To make the handbag cake
Ready made white fondant 1 kg
Scissor
Knife
Basic fondant tools
Rolling pin
Tracing wheel
Wilton Christmas red coloring paste
Wilton green coloring paste
2 small paint brush ( soft type )
water as glue
Edible gold dust 18K

Roll 1/8 inch x 2 inch and loop 2 together to form into chain link. Make 21 pairs  plus 2 single rings and logo for the bag. Brush with a little tiny bit of water and use a dry brush and paint with edible gold dust.

Use red fondant  make a 1 inch leather strap and run 2 sewing lines on the side with a tracing wheel. Make 24piece.

Lay the chain link on the bag and thread the leather strap through it. Press lightly.

Pinch both end of the leather strap  and shoved into each link, press lightly.

Bake the cake 1 day a head. Cut the 10 inch cake into 3 pieces. 2 pieces cut 2 1/2inch  width x 2 inch height, 1 piece 2 1/2 inch x 1 inch height and stacked together. Apply a thin layer of chocolate ganche in between each tier. Coat the cake with chocolate ganache  and smooth it with a spatula. Chilled in the fridge until set.

 When you try this cake make sure husband  don't disturb.

Roll the fondant to 1/8 inch thick, run the tracing wheel on the fondant to make the quilt design.

You need 2 pieces of fondant for the front and back of the bag. While you wrap the cake with fondant, cover the top part of the cake with cling wrap to prevent chocolate stain all over the bag.

2nd part cover the side of the bag, make a 1/2 inch fold  as per picture to make it look slightly bulging.

Roll another piece for the top part of the bag, fold in 1/8 inch for all the four edges to make it look like the seams on the real bag. Remove the cling wrap. Covered the back of the bag about 2 1/2 inch and went up and over the front of the cake for the flap.

The front flap is about 3 inch. Pinch the edges of the fondant with your fingers.

Use the white fondant to make the bag logo and stick on  a 1 1/5 inch small flap. Glue with a little water just below the flap. 

Roll a 1/8 inch piping to seal the 4 corners of  the bag.

 

When a man meets catastrophe on the road, he looks in his purse, but a woman looks in her mirror.

The piping for the edge is completed.

Lastly lay the chain link and leather strap to the bag.

My bulging bag which it's full of cash.

Fondant Roses 

Roll the fondant to 1/8 inch thick and cut 8 pieces of tear drop shape and 1 piece of  oval shape. Press the edge of petal slightly to make it thinner.

Roll the oval shape petal to make the rose bud.

Wrap the 2nd piece of petal on the rose bud and the 3rd piece facing the 2nd piece petal.

Repeat the 4th and 5th piece and fold down the petal slightly to make it more realistic.

Attach the7th and 8th piece of petal and press firmly. Trim of  the excess fondant at the rose base.

My fondant rose.

Have a fabulous week ahead.