Big Boy Bawang

I used my Qantas points to book flights for my latest trip to Manila.  I was thrilled to have a 30kg limit for my check-in baggage since I usually only have 20kg when travelling on budget flights.  Seems the carry-on baggage weight limit is usually 7kg for economy and goes up only if you are flying First Class.  Needless to say, I was working with 7kg after I packed everything else in my luggage. 

Before leaving for the airport on my return flight, I did a cursory baggage weight check using the small scale I bring when I travel. I had to reshuffle things between my luggage and hand-carry bags to keep within the allowable limits.

I had left the house early to be at the airport 3 hours ahead of the 8:35PM flight.  When I got to the airport, the total weight of my check-in luggage was approximately 30kg.  I was just happy that I did not get charged for the reported excess of 0.2 kg. They did not ask to weigh my handcarry so I did not offer. They handed me my ticket, I went on my merry way.

I headed towards the boarding gate soon after I got through security screening and emigration.  I was so early that the people boarding the flight to Dubai were still waiting at our assigned boarding gate. In my mind, once these people board their plane, it would be our turn.  

I still had a lot of time to kill.  There were restaurants and kiosks near the boarding gate. I expected dinner would be served during the flight so I was not looking to get dinner. Although if there was a Jollibee at the departure area, I would have reconsidered.  Sadly, there was no Jollibee in sight. 

I decided to check out the stores.  I wanted to find extra stuff to bring home. There were a lot of interesting things available but I refused to buy anything that was super overpriced which is quite common at the airport. The pulvoron was overpriced.  The dried mangoes were overpriced. Then I spotted a big bag of Boy Bawang Cornick. I hadn't checked the price of Boy Bawang at the Philippine groceries but figured it would be cheaper than getting this big boy in Australia. That was a good option however I knew that I was already at my 7kg hand-carry limit.

I sent out a query to the family group chat:

Mom : Are things you buy at Duty Free subject to total cabin baggage weight limit?

Son#2 : After you get to duty free they don't weigh again, right?

Mom: Any requests?

I expected my next step would be to board the plane and since the feedback I got was encouraging,  I decided to go for the Boy Bawang.  I tucked my latest purchase in my duffle bag and returned to my seat at the boarding gate.

I did not mention this acquisition in the family group chat.  I wanted it to be a surprise.  It would be a big surprise. I was quite excited.

However, my excitement was short-lived.  Soon after I sat down, the airport team started moving seats around.  They lined up several chairs beside me to essentially close off the whole section of our  assigned boarding gate.  They rearranged the remaining rows of chairs into sections then they started herding people out of the boarding area.  When the area was emptied, they put up numbers beside the chairs to indicate the boarding group assignments to match what was found in the boarding pass.   

I was sure that when I left the house, my total carry-on baggage was just slightly under the 7kg limit.  I looked at my newly purchased Boy Bawang.  

500g, it said.  That is HALF A KILO!  

As I moved out of the boarding area to line up with the other passengers, I started to worry.  I kept thinking, 500g!! 

The line was getting longer because they hadn't started to let people in.  I wondered what they were waiting for. The answer came a few minutes later.  I relayed the news to our group chat : Don't look now but they set up a weighing scale at the boarding gate!!

I looked through my bags and started taking out clothes I could wear and things I could stuff in my pockets. I was still thinking, 500 grams!  

The line started to move. I wondered what would happen if they weighed my stuff and it was over by 500 grams. 

My thought bubbles were saying, thank goodness I did not tell the family about the Boy Bawang.  They would have been disappointed if I told them about it and I ended up coming home without it.

I knew that I could find Boy Bawang back in Australia if I REALLY wanted some but I didn't want to have to buy a replacement, especially since I literally had one in the bag.

Anyway, I had tried my best to reduce my baggage weight.  The song in my head was now, "Que sera sera.  Whatever will be, will be."

My turn eventually came and my bags were opened but not weighed.  

Whew! Our Boy Bawang was safe. 

At that point I was not sure if it was sheer luck or the silent prayers that allowed me to go through that extra security check.  What I do know is that this time around, I did not have the usual smuggler as my carry-on, and all the bags that went through the weighing scale were rectangular suitcase-like luggage with wheels.  If I had brought the smuggler, the chances of that getting weighed would have been quite high. 

For this particular trip, I had brought the green duffle bag which belonged to MacGyver's dad.  It was a much lighter bag which I had never used for an international trip in the past.  It is entirely possible that even from the great beyond, Daddy is watching over us, allowing the extra pasalubong to travel across the seas.

Stop and Go

I was on my way home from church. 

As I approached the stop light, I saw this bird sitting on a stop light.  

The light was green and the bird was just perched on the stop light.

When the light turned red, the bird flew away.

I guess the bird was going in the opposite direction.

Fly away, beautiful bird.

Hands

H A N D S

These are the hands that held us as babies

These hands braided our hair

These are the hands that buttoned our shirts  

These hands bathed us with care.

 

Her arms hugged us tightly

And her hands held us close 

When we were worried or scared

She'd be on her toes.

 

These hands planted flowers

These hands sowed some seeds 

These hands wrote books and manuals 

And filled diaries with her deeds.

 

 These hands are quite tired now

Her body needs rest

Each movement takes effort

Everything is a test.

 

Prayerful hands

Caring hands

Loving hands

My mother's hands.

I love you, Mom!

Coffee Sugar Cookies

When people go out for coffee, the fancy cafes sometimes place a small cookie on the saucer for the coffee drinker.  I am not an avid coffee drinker, but I am a self-confessed cookie monster.  

This is my latest go-to sugar cookie recipe.  I typically roll, cut, shape and freeze. That way, when I feel like baking cookies, I can pull something out of the freezer.

COFFEE SUGAR COOKIES

3 c flour

2 t baking powder

1 c cubed salted butter

(or 1 c unsalted butter + ¼ t salt)

1 c sugar

1 egg

1 T vanilla extract

2 T espresso powder

 

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Combine flour and baking powder in medium bowl.

In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar.

Add egg and vanilla until combined.

Add in flour mixture slowly.

Add espresso powder and mix until dough forms a ball.

Roll out to 3/8” onto floured surface.

Cut and shape.

Bake 7 – 10 minutes. (Do not overbake.)

Banana Recipe Please

You have to believe me, I only bought a few bananas.   The bananas were on sale, so of course I had to get some.  How was I to know that they were going to go from green to yellow to brown in such a short time?  OK, I admit it, I knew that would happen if we ate the apples ahead of the bananas.  I tried to delay the inevitable by moving the bananas to the fridge when they had turned yellow but I now realise that it only worsened the situation.  You know, out of sight, out of mind. Yes, those bananas got left in the fridge a little longer than they should have been.  After several days in the fridge, the bananas had gone from overripe to very overripe.  

The bananas had to go but I wanted to try a new recipe.  I knew my sister Mindy has a  tried and tested banana bread recipe so I sent out an SOS.  She promptly sent me a picture of John Harper's Banana Nut Bread recipe.  Looking at the picture of the cookbook page she sent, and all the smudges that came with it, one could tell that the cookbook was opened on that page a lot. I took that as a sign to give the recipe a go.

Mindy said that she lessens the sugar, uses coconut oil instead of shortening, and added that her kids don't like walnuts.  The original recipe called for  3/4 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening.  I followed Mindy's reduced sugar path and used butter, instead of either coconut oil or shortening. I used a bundt pan, instead of a loaf pan.  It turned out well.   

BANANA NUT BREAD

1/2 c softened butter

1/2 c sugar

1 large egg

4 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed (2-3) ripe bananas

1 c walnuts, coarsely chopped 

1. Preheat oven to 350F 

2. Cream butter and sugar.

3. Beat in egg and lemon juice.

4. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

5. Fold the mixture into the batter and blend well.

6. Stir in mashed bananas and walnuts.

7. Pour mixture into greased and floured bundt pan (or 9x4x3-inch loaf pan) and bake 60 to 70 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the centre of the pan comes out clean.  

8. Turn out on a rack to cool.

(I've indicated 1 cup of walnuts in the recipe because I used the original 1/2 cup from the original recipe and felt that the banana cake could definitely use more walnuts.) 

See You Later, Alligator

Saying good-bye is not always fun.

Right before Christmas last year, I got a post card from Sunshine.  It was an unexpected surprise. 

It made my day.  

A few days after that, I was in a call with Mother and Z.   As we were saying good bye, Z said, "See you later, alligator!"  

I replied with the most logical reply I could think of, "In a while, crocodile!"

The repartee was brief but it made me smile.  I wanted to have other witty replies for future good byes  so I went to google and found this in youtube.

I gathered up a few more lines and with MyGirl's help (and Apple's emojis), we came up with this collection in time for Christmas.  I had them printed out in Kmart as pictures and fridge magnets.

We have one of the prototypes in our fridge ready for the next call.  

Toodle-doo, Kangaroo!

Real Men Don't Read Instructions...But They Know The Instructions Exist

MyGirl came up to me earlier and said that something in the Snoopy blogpost struck her.  She looked back at the post and told me which part got her thinking.  The blogpost read:

It was only after I had completed the puzzle and disassembled it, that I discovered instructions inside the box that would have enabled me to finish the puzzle in less than than five minutes.  

(Personally, I enjoyed the challenge and would not use the cheat sheet if I had to do the puzzle over again.)

She said, "Mom, of course there would be instructions."

"But it is a puzzle!"  I argued and pulled out the box to show her CRYSTAL PUZZLE in big bold letters. 

"Mom," she calmly continued, "why would you think there wouldn't be instructions?"

I was still thinking jigsaw puzzles.  They don't come with instructions.  They come with a picture of the completed puzzle in the cover of the box.  And that is what the crystal puzzle had -- a picture of Snoopy and Woodstock standing on a green platform.  In my mind, here is what the completed puzzle is meant to look like.  Go forth and solve the puzzle.

In a matter-of-factly, yet loving tone, she drove the nail home by saying, "Would they sell Lego without instructions?"

I started to laugh. (Lightbulb moment!)  

Of course she was right!  It would be like selling IKEA furniture without assembly instructions.  

It made perfect sense now.  Clearly, instructions would come with this puzzle.

Can I just use the "Instructions were in Japanese" card?

Growing Up in the Same Asylum

Coming from a family with ten children, I'd like to think I get a free pass in the crazy department.  In other words, it is inevitable to end up a tad crazy if one is growing up with nine other siblings.  I always like to say that there is method in our madness but that is just my way of saying that there is a whole lot of madness in each of us and we'd like to pretend that we know what we are doing.

When we were kids, we always looked forward to Christmas.  When Christmas break started, we would plan out our Christmas program for our parents, schedule it with them, turn on the aircon in the study room if that was the program venue, set the stage and present our creative genius to the two people who would best appreciate our talent.  

One of our notable Christmas programs included a nativity play complete with Joseph and Mary (with a pillow under her shirt) knocking from door to door because there was no room at the inn, until the baby Jesus (a baby doll) arrived. This was followed by our version of the "Eight is Enough" pyramid.  If memory serves me right, we settled for a base with three kids and carried the lightest child safe enough to put on top of the pyramid. We were ambitious but we knew our limits. One year, someone came up with a script and we did a Peanuts segment with Charlie Brown (Eldest Sis, I think), Snoopy (Sister Deer in a big white t-shirt), Lucy (London Eye waving to her queendom), Linus (was it me that draped a security blanket over my shoulder).  You get the picture although I should go through old albums to find some proof of who played who in that Peanuts production number.

If we were lucky, we would be able to organise some sort of Anniversary or Christmas project that we could give to them. It could be as simple as folding several sheets of bond paper into a booklet or as thematic as something shaped into a heart.  Some of these have survived having been kept by Mother, including a lion-shaped book, where each kid was given a lion-shaped piece of paper to fill up with whatever they wanted, tied together by a piece of yarn that served as the lion's tail.  Someone recently discovered Slash-M's version of  O' Henry's The Gift of the Magi. (His version is an absolute classic but that is for another post.)

Anyway, as we have gotten older and gone our separate ways, we still try to gather forces with projects we could give as a gift for a special occasion.  I can't remember all of our projects but I remember that for Sister Deer's 40th birthday, we collated Walk Down Memory Lane for her, we did Countdown to Fifty for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, we had the Slash-M Fifty Project.  We routed a birthday card around the world for Mindy's 50th birthday.  That was planned way in advance.  I got the card which J started with Lego-like strips forming the number "27" (official age) from Sunshine in December 2021.  By that time, it had gone through the siblings in Asia and Europe.  It was more than half a year away from her actual birthday and my job was to mail it to the US.  This particular card arrived on time.  It was hand-delivered by Jersey Girl when they visited Mindy in July.) We did a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY collage which was our parents' screensaver for many years before it got updated in 2008.  This 2008 version got included in the Christmas letter that year.  We managed another family collage for Sister Deer's 50th.  J's brilliance really made this collage special because he managed to convince Sister Deer to join him in a photo holding up her name.  In 2017, a collage of the grandchildren signing the letters HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Mother's birthday got upgraded to include the children becoming a double birthday surprise.  We updated that collage in April 2023 to include the in-laws.  Another project involved collating our Christmas letters into a book which we gave to Mother for her birthday in 2018.  

So each of these projects would start off as a germ of an idea, someone's articulated thought bubble,  often driven by the notion that 'we should do something special for (fill in the blank with the name) because it is (fill in the blank with the occasion).'  You only need  to convince one person to start off the project. Once you are able to get a sibling to agree that it is a good idea and a worthy endeavour, you can call in the reinforcements.  This will lead to more coordinated (covert) discussions, numerous requests and incessant follow-ups if we want to see the project to completion.  

Our latest project was for Sister Deer's 60th birthday. The Search for 60 Starts Now took off in October for her December birthday.

Sister Deer is turning 60 in December.  She will join the ranks of dual citizenship and will be getting discounts she can claim. 

We all know we tend to be forgetful now that we’re all over 30. What more when you are twice that?

So to help remind Sister Deer of her new age and to celebrate her new privileges, please take a selfie against all the 60’s you find between now and November. 

We don’t know yet what the final gift will look like.  I might leave that with the creative ones. But at least we’ll have some material to work with. 

The final gift to Sister Deer came in the form of a blog with over 60 pictures of family members from several continents, countries, and states, posing against the number 60.  We presented this to her in a zoom call before her birthday.   

RD and I were talking about these projects today and he said, "Your family has a certain kind of crazy," to which I replied, "But Auntie Sister Deer liked her blog." 

"Sure Mom, if one crazy person in your family has an idea, of course, another crazy person in the family will appreciate it.  You know, if you all get raised in the same asylum, it's no wonder you all think you are sane."

(Got to love this son of mine.  Although he would rather not think about it or have to admit it, he knows for a fact that he is walking around carrying half of my genes.)

In Love with Snoopy

I am not really sure what gave the kids the impression that I like Snoopy.  Don't get me wrong, I love Snoopy.  It is just that it is not really something I have announced to the whole world until now.

Last Christmas, MyGirl got me a Snoopy t-shirt from Uniqlo.

(She got it for the Snoopy, not for the jogging.)

When MyGirl and I went to Japan in May, I took this picture in one of the stores we visited.

(I just realised that there is no H cup in Snoopy's house. I wonder why.)

When GI went to Japan this September, he brought home some presents for me, including two Peanuts items with Snoopy and Woodstock -- one figure and one puzzle. 

 This figure has been on the shelf since it was given to me.

(Yes, Snoopy's love for Woodstock is unique.  They understand each other.)

This 37 piece puzzle was sitting around until I opened the box yesterday and completed the puzzle this morning.  It was extremely enjoyable to complete this Snoopy puzzle. It was only after I had completed the puzzle and disassembled it, that I discovered instructions inside the box that would have enabled me to finish the puzzle in less than than five minutes.  

(Personally, I enjoyed the challenge and would not use the cheat sheet if I had to do the puzzle over again.)

I guess the kids know a lot more about me than I thought.

 

Wickedly Good

I wanted to go and see Wicked (the movie).  RD and MyGirl were more than willing to go watch it with me.  Last weekend,  MyGirl checked online and figured that ticket prices on Tuesday are half price.   So it was a date!  

MyGirl asked whether we should go for the reclining seats for an extra $3.  It didn't really matter to me because I was primarily interested in watching the movie. Watching in style was secondary.  In the end, the kids decided that experiencing a movie in reclining seats would be best when tickets are half-price.  Let's do it.  Go reclining seats!

Armed with the decision of the date and the reclining seat, MyGirl began finalising the ticket booking. She called over to her brother and asked if it was ok for them to split my ticket cost.  RD said, "Sure, no problem."   

When the transaction was completed, she said, "You can just Beem me, Kuya."   

"I can pay for my ticket," I offered.  This immediately triggered a duet of "No!" from the kids.  

Oh yeah!  Awesome kids!  Reclining seats!  Free ticket!  We're going to see Wicked!  

We followed the yellow brick road.

As an added note, I was really happy that we were able to see the movie and the fact that we watched on the seventeenth of December was particularly significant.  One year ago, on Sunday 17 Dec, MyGirl was in Melbourne, GI and RD were at home, but I was at the Emergency Room in Westmead with MacGyver. I honestly thought my number was up when I couldn’t move my arms and legs without focusing and thinking.  It was scary! 

I was fortunate enough to watch the Wicked musical with London Eye back in 2018 and I am extremely lucky to have watched the Wicked movie with the kids last Tuesday.  

Lost and Found Trinity Cross

I saw this crucifix by Z's computer at home when I visited in 2022.  It was my first encounter with a Trinity Cross.  I had never heard of a Trinity Cross before. The moment I saw this, I fell in love. 

It is so beautiful.  There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

She said she got it as a Thank You gift.  When I returned to Australia, the image of the Trinity Cross was still in my mind.  I wondered where I could find one for myself.  I think the first one I got was an ebay purchase.  Eventually, I discovered that the local Pauline Books and Media at the city sold these small crucifixes (40mm x 18mm) at the counter along with the other medals and religious articles.

When I got one, I wanted it to be with me as I went about my day.  One often forgets that there are three persons in one God. I wanted this cross to remind me not only of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross but also of the reality of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, and the constant presence of God. 

I found a way to attach the cross to my phone.  I figured that even if I go out wearing something without a pocket, I would most likely still bring my phone.  

And so it was, the cross attached to the phone was my constant companion.

Then yesterday, as I was coming back from the mall, I realised that the cross was missing.  It was raining, so I had an umbrella in one hand and grocery bags on the other.  I had gone to church in the morning then walked around the mall before picking up some grocery.  I considered retracing my steps but it was raining, I was carrying grocery, I was only a few minutes away from home.  I concluded that it was such a small cross and since I had gone to so many places, it would take a miracle for me to find it.

For me, it was not so much that I had lost the cross, but that the cross had fallen somewhere and someone might have stepped on it, kicked it, or thrown it away.  What dreadful thoughts!  Plus there was the guilt that I had not noticed that it was missing.  I remember that I considered putting my phone on my back pocket as I was leaving the house but decided to place it my bag because I had to hold on to the umbrella. In other words, I did not have my phone in my hand for most of the morning.  However, I realised that I would have pulled out my phone to complete the payment when I went to the grocery and did not notice the missing cross at that point.  (Sadness.)

This cross had been lost before.  My prayer to St. Anthony was heard at the time and I found the lost cross in my work bag.  Seems the link that attached to the cross had opened, providing a wide enough gap for the cross to slip out.  I replaced the link with one with several loops and re-attached it to my phone.

I was confident it was secure until I lost the cross yesterday.  

I prayed I would find it, but as I said earlier, my conclusion was that it would take a miracle to find it.

Then this morning, my prayers were answered and I experienced an honest to goodness miracle. We were about to go to mass.  The green car is in the shop so MyGirl was our designated driver.  MacGyver passed through the garage while RD and MyGirl went ahead through the front door to go to the car.  I was the last one out the door and as I was about to step out, I looked down to find the missing cross on the door mat.  It did not look like it had just fallen.  It look like it had been laid out carefully.

I was in awe.  

I had gone out yesterday afternoon and not seen the cross on the floor.  The kids had just walked out the door and did not notice it.  It was as if it magically appeared when it was my turn to go out.

Needless to say, I thanked St. Anthony for helping me find my Trinity Cross. 

I re-attached the cross to my phone one more time.  I hope I don't lose it again.  I imagine I am already on St. Anthony's repeat offenders list.

Thank you, St. Anthony.

THE CROSS IN MY POCKET 

I carry a cross in my pocket.
A simple reminder to me,
of the fact that I am a Christian,
no matter where I may be.

This little cross is not magic.
Nor is it a good luck charm.
It isn’t meant to protect me
from every physical harm.

It’s not for identification.
For all the world to see.
It’s simply an understanding
between my Saviour and me.

When I put my hand in my pocket
to bring out a coin or a key.
The cross is there to remind me
of the price he paid for me.

It reminds me, too, to be thankful
for my blessings day by day
and to strive to serve ‘him’ better
in all I do and say.

Prayer by Verna Mae Thomas

Pikachu Cake

It was on sale and I have to admit that I could not resist getting one. I got the Twirl Bundt Pan version.  

There are 3-cup, 6-cup and 12-cup recipes for the Bundt pans. The recipes do not disclose the diameter of the pan that would be needed for any of the recipes.  

According to the label, this magnificent pan measured 23.5 cm diameter by 8.7 cm high, but it did not indicate which recipes would work for the pan. Luckily, the internet taught me how to figure out how many cups the pan could hold.  It was actually quite simple.  I should have known that all I needed to do was to measure out how many cups of water would fit in the pan.  

After I discovered that my new pan could hold 6 cups, the next step was to find a recipe. What better place to find a good recipe for a Bundt pan but from the home of the Bundt pans itself?  

I tried out the recipe in the Nordic Ware website using a tad less sugar and the blueberry yogurt that was in the fridge. We brought the cake to our monthly Saturday potluck dinner.  We sliced up the cake and when someone asked for a slice, she called out, "Can I have a piece of the Pikachu cake."

"Huh?"

"The Pikachu cake."

We took one look at the cake and said, "Oh, yeah.  You are right.  It's a Pikachu cake."

(The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of sugar and plain yogurt.  It still works well if sugar is reduced to 1 cup and peach yogurt is used.

VANILLA POUND CAKE (6-cup Bundt pan)

INGREDIENTS

 1 ½ c flour

 ½ t salt

 ¼ t baking soda

 ½ c butter, softened

 1 c sugar

 4 eggs

 1 t vanilla extract

 ⅔ c plain yoghurt

  

 1 Preheat oven to 175°C/350° F..   Grease and flour the Bundt pan.

 2 In small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

 3 In another bowl, cream butter and sugar then add the eggs.  Add vanilla, yogurt and the flour mixture.  Blend until smooth.

 4 Pour batter into your prepared Bundt Pan.  Tap gently on the counter to release air bubbles.

 5 Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre of the cake comes out clean.

 6 Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.

 7 (Optional) Dust with powdered sugar or top with a glaze.

All Paired Up

I was thinking about buying thin socks when I went to the mall this weekend and saw this box on sale.

Why anyone would wear unpaired socks is beyond me.  It destroys all sense of balance and harmony.  And yet here was a box of socks for sale where none of the socks made a pair.

Who would get this box knowing that they would never end up with matching socks?

I honestly thought I would be the LAST person in the world to buy this box until I found a second box.

Problem solved.  

Order has been restored to the world. 

I can rest easy now that each of the six socks has a matching pair. 

 

Gnome is Where the Heart Is

Gnomes are often found in the garden. They are associated with good luck, positive energy, bountiful harvest by providing guardianship over animals and families.  

I have this (not so) secret fondness for gnomes. I don't know when it started or what it is about them I love. All I know is that I find them so cute.

My kids already call me the crazy clock lady.  So I take pictures of interesting gnome merchandise instead of purchasing them so I don't end up being the nutty gnome mom.

We passed by a Christmas store while we were in Banff, Canada. Check out the price tag for the 6-piece gnome pageant. This is definitely a 'take picture' gnome, rather than 'take home' gnome.

I was tempted to buy this Christmas mat since the price tag was kinder to the budget but I reminded myself that I would not know where to put the mat and that I would probably have a hard time cleaning it when it got dirty.  I snapped a picture of it before leaving the store.  I'm glad I did because when I passed by the store the week after, they were all sold out.

I have a lot more gnome pictures on my phone but I still have to dig them up. These are the more recent ones.

Ensaymada for the Win

I was all set to make Japanese milk bread the other week because RD is home for the Christmas/New Year break. I had placed flour + yeast + sugar + salt into the mixer bowl and was about to add the egg when I realised that added all-purpose flour instead of bread flour.  Not wanting to risk coming up with a sub-standard loaf of milk bread due to the insufficient protein content of the flour, I decided to start over.  

I poured out the flour mixture into a tupperware, measured out a new set of dry ingredients, and proceeded to make the milk bread.  The milk bread turned out fine but the tupperware with the flour was left sitting on the counter for ages.  

I googled and flipped through bread recipes and figured I could probably use the flour mixture for ensaymada.  The decision was made last Saturday, when I asked the kids what they wanted me to bake.  I started with "What do you guys want, ensaymada or...." 

I did not even get to finish my question because both RD and MyGirl answered "Ensaymada!" without waiting for the other option. 

On Sunday, I started the dough in the afternoon before we went out for dinner.  I added other ingredients as I went along, not really following any single ensaymada recipe.  I punched down the dough and formed the ensaymada when we got home.  They were done before 10PM.

The recipe needs to tested several more times but I am documenting it before I forget what I did.  It made 16 pieces about 60 g each.

Ensaymada for the Win  

2 ½ c          all-purpose flour

1 to 1 ½ c   bread flour

¼ c              sugar

1 T              yeast

1 t               salt

2                 eggs

½ c              warm milk

¼ c              unsalted butter, softened (cut into cubes)

               

1.       Combine dry ingredients in a stand mixer bowl.

2.       Mix for a few minutes to combine.

3.       Add eggs and milk into the mixer.

4.       Beat about 5 minutes on low, scraping down sides as needed.

5.       Add butter a few cubes at a time.

6.       Beat on medium for 5 minutes.

7.       Increase speed and beat additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Add flour a few tablespoons at a time as needed.   Do not add too much flour. 

The dough should not be dry and not completely non-stick.

Do the window pane test (stretched dough does not tear) and aim for sticky-tacky dough (pressing  the dough will cause it to stick but it easily releases without leaving much dough on your hand/ finger).

8.       Let dough rise until double in size.

9.       Punch down dough.

10.    On a floured surface, divide into 16 pieces about 60 g each.

11.    Roll dough piece into a log and coil.  (Alternatively, form into a dough ball after folding dough over itself several times and rotating 90 degrees.)

12.    Place into greased moulds and let rise 30 minutes or until double in size.

13.    Bake in pre-heated oven at 350F for 12 – 15 minutes.

14.    Once out of the oven, remove from moulds and let cool on rack.

15.    If desired, serve with butter, sugar, and grated cheese.