Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my favorite recipe for making dark chocolate chip cookies that are soft on the inside, yet crispy on the outside.

The whole recipe takes less than 1 hour from start to finish, and made ~60 mini bite-sized cookies:

Ingredients:

1. 2+1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1/2 teaspoon salt
3. 1 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1/3 cup cocoa powder (*** Omit this if you don't want double chocolate cookies***) 
5. 3/4 cup granulated sugar
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7. 1 cup (= 2 sticks) butter, softened
8. 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
9. 2 eggs
10. 2 cups semi-dark chocolate chips (I like using Guittard's or Ghiradelli)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.
3. Beat together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy.
4. Add eggs to the liquid mixture, and beat well.
5. Gradually add the flour mixture, and mix well. (The dough will become rather stiff)
6. Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly mixed.
7. Drop by rounded teaspoon-fuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (Or use your hand to pinch off and round off a small chunk)
8. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned, or the top has hardened and cracked.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Enjoy! The cookies will look like little round mochi balls.

It's all about the crockery

The size of the plate and cup determines how much you will eat and drink.

I greedily choose a large cup for my juice and now I'm bloated.

Also a good principle to remember for those on a diet. It affects how much you perceive yourself to have eaten!

Funny post about how lunch can make or break your day..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/9900230/My-entire-day-can-be-spoilt-by-a-badly-chosen-lunch.html

My first Omu Rice!

Made my first omu* rice today =) Paired it with japanese curry, what a simple yet delicious dinner!

*translation: Omelette-wrapped rice 

  

Things don't have to be perfect to have a good time..

Sometimes we think that, to have a good time, the event we had planned must execute perfectly. I don't deny occasions when I've become a wet towel when things didn't go as I had anticipated. But one should realize, most of the time, it's not the things you do, but the people and the time that you spend doing those things with, that really make all the difference!

During my last trip to Hong Kong, my mother and I tried to make pork floss springrolls for our family. It turned out to be a frustrating process, as the springroll skin from the supermarket was too dry to roll and stick to itself. Nevertheless, it was one of the most memorable experiences I've had this trip, amid all the family visits and catching up with old friends, because we just ended up having fun making different shapes and experimenting with what would work with the skin (read: creativity at work!). Also it was a rare time where I could sit down with my mum and make things with her (I'm away so much during the year), so it really meant a lot to me.

The photos probably doesn't look like much, but the feelings behind them weigh a ton.

when i'm bored on the flight....

i read the home and furnishings magazines, and found interesting recipes to try!
(just uploading for my own reference)

took sia on my way home to singapore, i must say their food is getting more decent now. the pre-touchdown breakfast dimsum was actually close to street-side quality, instead of gag-i-don't-want-to-absorb-this food