Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

It was a windy afternoon. The higher elevation we went, the stronger it wind was. Needless to say, the wind was deemed to be blowing crazily at the bare mountain top. I thought I was going to lose balance due to the strong gusts of wind!

Miles was posing while slowly making his way up to the peak.

The paranomic view of the mountain range at the provincial park. Some mountains even have trails connected to each other!

What was he trying to do?!

The lookout station (used to be a fire watch tower back in the old days) at the far right was where we intended to go. We had to first overcome the hurdle!!

A hiker was admiring the view from the summit.

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks…on our way down.

As we move further away from the summit, the path was less rocky.

A victorious (and exhausted) post after the hike. It took us about 4 hours. It was a fabulous one!

Yes, a quiet and relaxing break is always a nice one. However, to me, the joy from adventures brings forth contentment and fulfillment. I know this may sound crazy to most people…who wants to stay in the wilderness and be bored without Internet for a vacation?

It’s always a nice change of pace for me, not having to worry about the worldly things. I just have to make sure to dress appropriately, bring a first aid kit, pack enough food and drinks, a good stamina to complete my journey, and not to forget the map, and also a camera! :)

After a simple and quick lunch, off we went hiking again! This time around, was the Mount Carleton that we were conquering. No doubt, Mount Carleton is the highlight of this provincial park. It attracts many nature lovers and hiking enthusiasts alike to explore the surroundings, especially in the summer and fall seasons.

The starting point of hiking Mount Carleton. We took the left trail to start off.

Maple leaf started to change colour. Very neat!

It was a very enjoyable hike, with a brook running beside the hiking trail. Very scenic, indeed.

A running brook with fallen leaves around it.

The cool air in the fall helped to deter bugs. It was a bonus!

The hike was pretty straightforward and flat. It was totally different from the steep and challenging trail at Mount Sagamook, until we saw this…

Guess what? Of course we went for the more “exciting” part of the trail. Rock ridge it was!

The hiking journey began… We first challenged ourselves with Sagamook, which known to have the most challenging terrain in this park. Sitting at 777m above sea level, it offers a breathtaking view from the peak, overlooking the Nictau lakes.

Miles and I saw a photo of the marvelous bird’s eye view from mountain top exhibited at the Welcome Centre. We then decided that we were going to make it there.

We started our hike around 8:15 a.m. The air was a little cool to start off with, but our bodies warmed up as we hiked along and made our way to higher elevation. 

Return trip is about 6.2 km in distance; 2.5 km for the Western route and 3.7 km for the Eastern route. We were advised to take the Western route first, as it’s a more difficult part of the trail. The route also offers side trails for sightseeing off the rocky clift.

Fallen tree trunks. Perhaps from the storm brought by Hurricane Earl?

Spectacular view from the lookout spot, just before reaching the mountain top. Was it just me, or did you see the heart-shaped island too?  

The Nictau Lake. It looked so calm and peaceful.

Watch out for the muddy and squishy spots!

A birch tree with dry and peeling bark, which can be used as kindling for starting a fire.

It’s sad to see wounded birch trees along the route. Obviously, some irresponsible people “slaughtered” the tree and harvested the bark for fire. Poor trees…they may get killed!

It took us about 3.5 hours for the entire hike. It was certainly a smart decision to make hiking up the steeper part, and ensure an easier descent. It certainly brought back my memory of mountain climbing in Malaysia. The advantage of a day hike? We didn’t have to carry too much on our back ;) We were fortunate to have a smooth hike, despite the heavy downpour over the weekend.

I’m sure many would agree with me that we all need a break from the same routine day in and day out. Some choose to lay on the beach, some might spend time with family and friends, or participate in different activities. For me, there were times where I needed a break and wanted so badly to visit a big city, and there were times where I wanted to spend time in the wilderness.

It was end of summer, days were a lot cooler. It was probably my last chance to engage in long hours outdoor activities. How long is long? Hmm…2 days 1 night. It was a short but fulfilling hiking/camping trip that Miles and I went on. Our goal was to conquer the highest peak in the Maritimes, Mount Carleton!

Boasting with an elevation of 820m (2,690 ft), Mount Carleton is situated in the Mount Carleton Provincial Park, north of Fredericton. The estimated driving time is about 4 hours and 20 minutes from Fredericton. Despite the heavy downpour the day before (affected by Hurricane Earl), I was adamant about going on this trip. Off we went, leaving a small city and indulging ourselves in the wilderness adventures.

It was after 2 p.m. when we finally got there. The air was chilly, especially in shaded area. We got to the camp site and started a campfire, with limited resources that we scouted around the campsite; twigs and birch barks. They were moist and resulted in crackling sounds as the fire engulfed them. It was nice and toasty staying close to the fire source.

Miles kept the fire going with additional resources I found for kindling.

Barbequed marshmallows are the best. Burnt? Remove the outer burnt shell and it will taste just as nice. Some might prefer burnt marshmallows though.

Tent was setup on a wooden platform. No uneven ground surface!

Scenic view facing the Big Nictau River. We went into the water for a quick dip after supper. Brr….it was freezing cold!!

After a cold night sleep, I was woken up by a cozy, blazing fire set by Miles at the campsite. We had breakfast and packed everything away before we began our long and exciting adventures.

What’s your favourite summer activity? There are lots that I enjoy doing; biking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing etc. I often find summer short; two months, if we’re fortunate. Not only that the hot summer days remind me of the scorching hot climate in Malaysia, but also a better change of season from the brutally cold winter.

It was end of August. The low water level of Saint John River was a convincing evidence of the dry summer days. You could literally walk across the river! It was a canoeing trip that Miles and I went to, on a Saturday afternoon. We couldn’t have asked for a better weather;  a cloudy and warm day. There were ten of us in the group, and two in each canoe.

Canoes loaded with food for a picnic bbq.

Miles was paddling hard while I busy shooting pictures :P

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream……

Scenic view along the Saint John River.

Despite some rocky and shallow sections of the river, we had a marvelous time canoeing. The picturesque river has made the hard paddling worthwhile. It was a good 4-hour canoe trip, with an hour break in between. Canoeing, a great way to appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature!

Cool breeze, red and yellow fallen leaves… These are certainly signs of an early arrival of fall! Believe it or not, this was speculated in late July. I was thinking: if the season is shifting at this rate, we’d see snow in the fall!

The weather has gone whacky this year. Just as I was hoping for a longer summer days, the heat wave hitted Fredericton on the first week of September! On the night of September 1st, the heat was unbearable in my room (for someone like me who grew up in the hot climate to say “hot,” it means really hot). After a few minutes of toss and turn, I fianlly got up from bed and decided to find out my room temperature with a fridge thermometer.

I was right… I was reading it right… 36.5 degrees Celsius in my room! Trying to fall asleep in the body temperature-like “sauna” room was driving me nuts! How I wished I had an air-conditioning unit at that very instant! I convinced myself that it was a “warm-up” for my next visit to Malaysia. Thank God I didn’t get up till the alarm went off in the morning as soon as I fell asleep.

I was truly blessed by the dry summer; biking almost every day all summer long! Having said that, the water level was at an alarming stage where people can literally walk across the river.

The heavy rainfall from last weekend, partially affected by Hurricane Earl has helped with the drastic transition from summer to fall, once again…

It has been ages since my last post ;) Here is a recipe for delicious Mexican coffee buns (a.k.a. Rotiboy) I’d love to share!

These buns are a big hit in Malaysia and Singapore. Customers will patiently wait in line to savour the buns fresh from the oven! Bakery shops usually have such a great turnover, specially during lunch or rush hour that these buns are instantly gone within minutes after coming out from the oven!

Despite the tedious process to make these buns, it was well worth the effort ;) Hope you’ll enjoy them too.

Ingredients:

(A) Sweet Bun Dough
500 g (~ < 3cup) bread flour
20 g (~ 2 tbsp + 1 tsp) milk powder
75 g (~ 1/2 cup) icing sugar
6 g (< 1 tsp) salt 8 g (2 + 1/4 tsp) instant yeast 1 egg, lightly beaten 270 g water 60 g (~ 1/3 cup) butter, softened

(B) Coffee Topping
200 g butter, softened
160 g icing sugar, sifted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
1 tbsp warm water
Pinch of ground cinnamon
200 g (> 1 + 1/2 cup) all-purpose flour, sifted

(C) Filling
200 g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
70 g (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) brown sugar

Directions:
(A)
1. Dissolve icing sugar in warm water (about 40 degrees Celsius). Add yeast and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine bread flour, milk powder, and salt, in a mixing bowl.
3. Make a well at the centre of the flour mixture, gradually pour in the yeast mixture from (1), egg, and butter. Knead dough for about 10 minutes.
4. Shape dough into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl covered with plastic wrap. Keep in a warm place, for about one hour, or until dough doubles its size.

(B)
1. Beat butter and icing sugar with electric hand mixer for about 5 minutes, on medium speed, until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in eggs gradually.
2. Next, dissolve instant coffee powder in warm water. Pour the coffee into the mixture.
3. Sift flour into mixture and mix with electric hand mixer on low speed until it’s well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.

(C)
1. Beat butter with an electric hand mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed. Blend in salt, vanilla extract, and brown sugar.
2. Refrigerate the filling until firm.

Finally……
1. Divide the bun dough into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Flatten the dough, insert filling from (C), and pinch the edges of dough together.
2. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes in warm place, until the size doubles.
3. When the dough is ready, scoop the topping mixture from (B) into a piping bag and pipe the topping in a spiral pattern onto the buns.
4. Bake them in a preheated oven at 400 F for 12-15 minutes, or until the buns are lightly brown.
5. Let the buns cool. These buns are best to serve warm! (*drooling*)

Polo bun is one of my favourite buns by far; filled with yummy taro paste. Delicious!

Ingredients:

(A) Sweet bun dough
1 tsp dry active yeast
70 g water
10 g icing sugar
150 g bread flour
1 tbsp milk powder
1/4 tsp salt
15 g butter, soften
1 tbsp beaten egg

(B) Polo skin
30 g butter, soften
25 g sugar
1/2 tsp milk powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp beaten egg
50 g all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. Heat up water in microwave until temperature reaches around 40 degrees Celsius. Dissolve icing sugar in warm water. Add yeast and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. While waiting, combine bread flour, milk powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. Make a well at the centre of the flour mixture, gradually pour in the yeast mixture from (1), butter, and egg, while kneading. Knead dough for 10 minutes.
4. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Rest the bowl in a warm place. Allow dough to rise for about one hour, or till 2.5 times bigger.
5. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Divide dough into four equal portions. Insert filling (optional) into the bun dough. Taro paste was used here. Place bun dough on a non-stick baking sheet and let rise for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the polo skin by beating the butter with a hand mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed. Mix in sugar, milk powder, salt. Stir well. Pour in the beaten egg 1/2 tbsp at a time to ensure that it’s well mixed.
7. Then, pour in all-purpose flour into the egg mixture from (6). Mix just enough to combine.
8. Divide the polo skin dough into 4 portions. Press each skin dough onto the bun dough. The top surface of bun dough should be covered by the skin dough.
9. Brush the surface of polo skin dough with remaining beaten egg, with a pastry brush. Cut pineapple patterns on the top surface with a sharp knife. Let dough rest in a warm place until the size doubled.
10. Bake them in a preheated oven at 355 F (180 degrees Celsius) for about 15 minutes, or until the buns turn light brown.
11. Enjoy the buns while warm!

* Yield: 4 buns
* Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes
* Overall time: 2.5 hours

Ingredients:

1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (around 40 degrees Celsius)
2 cup bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
8 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp water

Directions:
1. Prepare the warm milk with by heating up milk in the microwave. Dissolve sugar in the milk. Stir well. Add the yeast and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine bread flour, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Mix well.
3. Make a well at the centre of flour mixture, pour in the yeast mixture from (1) gradually. Be sure to combine them well.
4. Next, reserve 1 tbsp of beaten eggs for later. Add remaining beaten eggs and vegetable oil into the dough from (3). Knead dough for 10 minutes until it is soft and smooth.
5. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Rest the bowl in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough doubled.
6. When dough is ready, punch down the dough at the centre to release air. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 10 to 15 minutes until it is soft and pliable. Divide dough into 12 portions. Roll the dough out to get a circular shape with a rolling pin. Wrap dough with your favourite filling (e.g. red bean paste, meat filling etc.). Make sure to seal the filling well by bringing the corners together and pinching down the dough.
7. Let the dough rest on a non-stick baking tray in a warm place for an hour, or until the size doubled. Wrap tray with plastic wrap.
8. Remove the plastic wrap. To prepare egg wash, mix the 1 tbsp beaten egg with 2 tsp water. Brush the egg wash on dough with a pastry brush. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for about 20 minutes, or until the surface of buns are lightly brown.

* Yield: 12 buns
* Prep time: 1.5 hours
* Overall time: 3 hours

Sausage sandwiched in a sweet bun, sprinkled with sesame seeds. A delicious snack!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 + 1/2 tbsp sugar
100 ml milk
1 + 1/2 tbsp butter, soften
2 egg, lightly beaten
2 + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
10 sausages
1 tbsp water
3 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Microwave milk for about 30 seconds, until temperature reaches around 40 degrees Celsius. Dissolve sugar in milk and add yeast into the mixture. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together flour and salt. Make a well at the centre of the flour mixture. Pour in the yeast mixture from (1), butter, and one egg.
3. Mix all ingredients well with hand until they are well combined. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes.
4. Leave dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl, and cover with a plastic wrap. Rest the bowl in a warm place for an hour, or until the dough doubles its size.
5. Meanwhile, prepare a pot of boiling water and cook the sausages. Drain off the water in the pot and let sausages cool off.
6. When dough has doubled, punch down the centre of dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable.
7. Divide dough into 10 pieces. Roll the dough into individual rod shapes. Wrap dough over the each sausage.
8. Place them on an ungreased baking tray. Cover tray with plastic wrap. Leave them for 20 minutes in a warm place.
9. Add 1 tbsp water into one lightly beaten egg. Apply egg wash on the dough and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in preheated oven at 355 F (180 degrees Celsius) for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

* Yield: 10 buns
* Prep time: 1 hour 20 minutes
* Overall time: ~ 2.5 hours

What do I miss from Malaysia? Tons! The place, culture, people, food, and the list goes on… In terms of food, sweet buns are some of the food I’m missing so much. They bring back nostalgic memories from my childhood and teenage years. I remembered the wonderful aroma when I stepped into the bakery shop in Malaysia, and the mouth-watering that my eyes feasted on. That was why, I won’t complain to go shopping at the bakery, picking up my favourite buns for breakfast and snacks.

In Canada, however, there’s no fresh Asian baked goods in small cities. In order to satisfy and taste buds and fulfill my cravings, I have to do something….I have to make buns on my own from scratch! Sausage buns, sweet buns with red bean paste, Polo buns, Mexican buns etc., I love them all :)

The Golden Cake recipe used in preparing the Checkerboard Cake.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
2. Subsequently, beat in milk and vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Beat in the flour mixture gradually with the wet ingredients from (2), just enough to mix.
5. Pour batter into a lightly greased and floured 8-inch round cake pan.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for about 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Let cool in the cake pan for 10 minutes before resting the cake on a cooling rack. Wait till the cake is completely cool before cutting.

For the chocolate layer, substitute 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour with cocoa powder. Follow the steps above.

I have the liking of checkerboad patterns. One of my favourite childhood cookies is checkerboard cookies. Wouldn’t it be nice to have checkerboard cake too?

Miles and I attempted two checkerboard cake in the past, one of which is the Festive Birthday Cake for our friend, Josie. Finding the cake cutters of different sizes was one of the greatest challenges. We found stainless steel sheet from the hardware store and made ourselves some.

Next, the recipe. Regular moist cake recipe doesn’t work too great as the cake will be too soft to handle. Hence, we tried the pound cake recipe. The texture turned out fabulous! However, I find the cake too dense. It’s not enjoyable to be eating a dense cake. Now, I’ll have to get a cake recipe that will give me a cake that’s firm enough to handle, but also moist enough to taste good. I think I’ve found one!

This recipe is modified from a golden cake recipe, and it works wonderful for making checkerboard cake!

Our second checkerboard cake attempt, with a pound cake.

The third attempt, with a golden cake recipe.

Many might wonder, how is checkerboard cake prepared? An easy answer to this: you’d need a chocolate cake and white/yellow cake. The tricky part is assembling the cake.

8-inch golden cake that was cut into half in height. Rings of various sizes (6, 4 and 2-inch) were used to cut the cake.

The same idea applied to the chocolate cake.

The nerve-racking moment was to assemble the cake. Chocolate and golden cake rings were placed in an alternate fashion. Decorate the next layer starting from the opposite color of cake ring. Icing was used to keep the rings intact.

It has been a rainy week this week. Although there are tons of things on my -to-do list, I didn’t feel motivated enough doing them. Hence, I decided that I should experiment on a self-improvised checkerboard cake recipe to relax my mind.

Here is my latest creation. Happy Summer!

*hope the rain will soon be gone*

Time was ticking… It was our last day to wander around the city. We were leaving for Los Angeles the next morning, through Greyhound bus.

After our lunch at Bouldin, we continued on walking along The Embarcadero and visited the Ghirardelli Square. Domingo Ghirardelli, the son and apprentice of an Italian chocolatier, established his first chocolate factory in San Francisco, in year 1852.

Busy traffic along the street. Hooters Restaurants seem to be popular in major cities, primarily owe to their attractive waitresses.

An extremely eye-catching gigantic Levi’s jeans on display.

The cable cars are part of the culture in San Francisco.

Here we were! At the Ghirardelli Ice-cream and Chocolate Shop!

Ice-cream with hot chocolate sauce and topped with whipping cream and a cherry. Yummy chocolate sauce….it’s a must-try!

The Ghirardelli Square.

Buying chocolates on a hot sunny day can be a disaster. Keep in mind not to expose them directly under the sun. You want them to melt in your mouth, not your hands, or purse ;)

A crowded cable car. Stand still, hang on to the bar, clench your teeth, and say “cheese!”

The Grace Cathedral, a renowned San Francisco landmark. It’s located at Nob Hill, on California St.

The interior of the cathedral.

Next, Ernest and I walked to the Cable Car Museum on Washington St. Very informative museum with the history of cable cars in the city. And best of all, free admission!

A cable car was moving along Washington St.

After the museum visit, Ernest and I went back to the Chinatown on Grant Ave. and explored parts that we didn’t get to go during our first visit when we just arrived. We went grocery shopping, mainly for our favourite snacks that we didn’t get to taste since we left home.

Since our previous “painful” experience of not able to find a restaurant just before 9 p.m., we’ve learned that we had to find a restaurant sooner for supper. Steps of Rome Cafe was on our list, highly recommended by the locals. We went to the cafe on Columbus Ave. A fine dining Steps of Rome Restaurant can be spotted on the same street too.

Bruschetta. Toasted sliced bread topped with diced tomatoes, garlic, basil, and extra virgin oil.

Ravioli with spinach that Ernest had.

I had a dish of grilled chicken breast with potatoes and greens, topped with creamy sauce.

Dessert time…the “Steps of Rome Famous Tiramisu” is to die for!!

Tiramisu lovers, listen up. This is a MUST-try when you visit San Francisco. It’s the BEST tiramisu ever!!! Very smooth texture, not too sweet, and quite filling! *Two thumbs up*