Sweetest Love Song

Freddie, the greatest singer ever with the sweetest love song....

Love of my life - you've hurt me
You've broken my heart and now you leave me
Love of my life can't you see
Bring it back, bring it back
Don't take it away from me
Because you don't know -
What it means to me

Love of my life - don't leave me
You've stolen my love and now desert me
Love of my life can't you see
Bring it back, bring it back
Don't take it away from me
Because you don't know -
What it means to me

You will remember -
When this is blown over
And everything's all by the way -
When I grow older
I will be there at your side to remind you
How I still love you - I still love you

Ooooo
Hurry back - hurry back
Dont take it away from me
Because you don't know
What it means to me


Love of my life
Love of my life ...
Oooh, ooooh...

Rainbow Cupcakes

Christmas is just around the corner and I am already planning of what to bake to give away or sell (if there are orders). For sure I will be baking Red Velvet cupcakes.  Today, I experimented on Rainbow Cupcakes which I picked from the internet.  Instead of buttercream or marshmallow icing, I used the same Cream Cheese Frosting that I use for the Red Velvet Cupcakes. (refer to Cream Cheese frosting posted with the Red Velvet Cupcakes)  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:  (makes 24 cupcakes)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1.2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

red, blue, green, yellow food coloring

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12 cup muffin pans with paper baking cups. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until evenly blended; set aside.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
3. Divide the cake batter into four separate bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring into one bowl of batter and stir; add more food coloring, if necessary, to reach the desired shade. Repeat with the remaining colors and bowls of batter.
4. Using a different spoon for each color batter, spoon a small spoonful of each color into the cupcake liners, until 1/2 to 3/4 full. Do not mix the batter once it is in the cupcake liner. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes clean, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Bibimbap Run

Dolsot bibimbap with squid

The first time ever for me to try bibimbap was during my visit to Korea last September.  I ate bibimbaps five times during my four-day stay!  Bibimbap is a Korean dish that literally means "mixed rice".  It is warm white rice topped with namul (sauteed vegetable) and gochujang (chili pepper paste).  A raw or fried egg and slivers of meat are common additions.  The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. 

Dolsot version already mixed up

Vegetables used in bibimbap include cucumber, zucchini, mu (daikon), mushrooms, doraji (bellflower root), gim, spinach, soybean sprouts, and gosari (black fern stems).  Dubu (tofu) and lettuce may be added.  Chicken or seafood may be substitited for beef.

A variation of this dish, dolsot bibimbap, is served in a very hot stone bowl in which a raw egg is cooked against the sides of the bowl.

The unglamorous  looking bibimbap served in an aluminum bowl was the cheapest but yummiest we have tried!

Beautiful bibimbap served at the museum coffee shop : so-so...

Night Out: The French Concession, Shanghai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:  The Shanghai French Concession (Chinese: 上海法租界; pinyin: Shànghǎi Fǎ Zūjiè, French: La concession française de Shanghaï) was a French concession in Shanghai, China from 1849 until 1946, and it was progressively expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The concession came to an end in practice in 1943 when the Vichy French government signed it over to the pro-Japanese puppet government in Nanking. The area covered by the former French Concession was, for much of the 20th century, the premier residential and retail districts of Shanghai, and was also the centre of Catholicism in Shanghai. Despite rampant re-development over the last few decades, the area retains a distinct character, and is a popular tourist destination.

My friends and I were lucky to be brought to this place on our first day in Shanghai.  It is a quaint place with cute shops selling various knick knacks.  There are various discoveries in every alley.  Here are some of our photos:

Nanxiang Steamed Bun

One of the xaiolongbao places to be checked out in Shanghai we were told was Nanxiang Steamed Bun restaurant.  We were warned about the long queue but is surely worth the wait-  food is good and reasonably priced.  

View from inside the restaurant

On our visit to Yuyuan Garden, we saw a long line of people waiting to buy xaiolongbaos to go.  There were a lot of food shops in the place but we were intrigued of the queue.  We completely forgot that this was the xialongbao place our friend described to us days before.  After going around the garden and the shops, we decided to dine-in (queue was much shorter!). 

The ambiance may not be like Din Tai Fung's.  The steam baskets were a bit greasy. The xialongbaos were not as delectable  as Din Tai Fung's but Nanxiang is a good place to fill stomachs of hungry tourists like us.

But be forewarned - just beside Nanxiang is a place with quite a queue of people waiting to buy stinky tofu!

Matt Does It Again

Matt never ceases to amaze me.  While I was "away," I had come across his new video "Where the Hell is Matt 2012."  His videos always inspire me, I keep watching them over and over.  Not only are the videos amazing, the songs that he dances to are inspiring as well.  

Trip the Light

If all the days that come to pass
Are behind these walls
I’ll be left at the end of things
In a world kept small
Travel far from what I know
I’ll be swept away
I need to know
I can be lost and not afraid
We’re gonna trip the light
We’re gonna break the night
And we’ll see with new eyes
When we trip the light
Remember we’re lost together
Remember we’re the same
We hold the burning rhythm in our hearts
I'll find my way home
On the Western wind
To a place that was once my world
Back from where I’ve been
And in the morning light I’ll remember
As the sun will rise
We are all the glowing embers
Of a distant fire
We’re gonna trip the light
We’re gonna break the night
And we’ll see with new eyes
When we trip the light
Come on and trip the light
Music: Garry Schyman ©
Lyrics: Alicia Lemke and Matt Harding ©

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I love Red Velvet cakes and was thinking of giveaways when cupcakes came up.  I researched and found a good recipe from Portuguese Girl Cooks.  She shared Georgetown Cupcake's Red Velvet recipe.  For TLC viewers, DC Cupcakes stars two sisters who own Georgetown Cupcake.

Here's the recipe:

Red Velvet Cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake
Makes about 24 Cupcakes   
3 1/4 cups all-purpose 
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 tablespoons liquid food colour, preferably no taste food colour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons natural cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Cream Cheese Icing
Makes enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes or one 2 layer 9” cake
16 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners sugar
16 ounces cream cheese (2 bars), cold and cut into 8 pieces
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the cupcakes:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffins tins with paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and the sugar together and cream on medium speed until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the food colouring, cocoa powder, and vanilla together until throughly combined and no lumps remain. Very slowly add to the mixer, and mix at low speed until well combined.
6. Add in one third of the flour mixture, mix until combined, then add in one third of the milk. Mix until combined and repeat adding in the flour then milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
7. In a small bowl, add the baking soda to the vinegar. Mix well and add to the batter. Mix until just incorporated, about 10 seconds.
8. Scoop batter into the muffin tin, filling them two-thirds full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost when completely cool.
For the icing:1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and confectioners sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add in the cream cheese, 1 piece at a time, until well blended, about 30 seconds. You may need to scrape the bowl after every other addition. Add in the salt and vanilla extract. Whip the icing on high speed for about 1 minutes to make it light and fluffy.
3. Use immediately, or refrigerate until ready to use.
Cupcakes from The Cupcake Diaries: Recipes and Memories from the Sisters of Georgetown Cupcake and frosting from Cooks Illustrated; Holiday Baking 2010