Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Do you like soft cookies, or crunchy ones? Personally, I like the texture that lies in between; not too soft and not too hard. The baking time, hence, plays a major role in determining the texture of cookies. I usually bring cookies out of the oven when they start turning brown on the side. The cooling process allows them to harden some. Therefore, cookies will taste crunchy but soft for chewing ;)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 + 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
1 + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs, vanilla extract, and honey.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. Next, gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture from step (1). Stir until well incorporated.
3. Lastly, stir in the rolled oats and raisins, just enough to mix.
4. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cookies start to brown. Remove from baking sheet and cook on wire racks.

* Adapted from Allrecipes.com

It has been a long haul before the nice weather finally arrived! Nonetheless, I’ve to admit the fact that this year’s winter was short and we don’t usually get 10+ degrees until closer to May. I won’t complain too much, for all I can say :P

Last Thursday was a sunny day; a good day for me to try out my new camera lens *v*

On the walking bridge, which used to be a railway.

The sun was shinning brightly.

The seagulls were enjoying the sunset too :)

This guy has already started roller skating!

People were taking a stroll at the park.

Running….

The moon was gorgeous, almost a full moon, but not quite. Focusing on the branches, blurring the moon.

Focusing on the moon, blurring the branches.

A second attempt of the same idea. Focusing on the branches, blurring the moon.

Focusing on the moon, blurring the branches.

The Happy Baker is looking busy, with a basketful of breads, cupcakes, and other delightful goodies!

The cakes on display, look delicious.

Cream-filled croissant, drizzled with chocolate sauce and dusted with icing sugar.

A closer look at the croissant.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Tart.

Smiley face cookie, with raspberry jelly sandwiched in between.

The Raspberry Surprise Tart.

Hot cross bun and lemon tarts.

Aromatic coffee beans on sale too. A complimentary “Happy Baker” bag on a minimum purchase of $20.

When it comes to food catering, cakes for parties and weddings etc., The Happy Baker is certainly one of the best in town. Although it can be a bit pricey, the pastries are super delicious and certainly a nice treat to the taste buds! Try it, and you’ll love it!

The broken ice chunks on the Nashwaak River, Fredericton North about two weeks ago.

Very abnormal winter indeed! I remembered there were times where Fredericton was visited by snowflakes in mid-April. This year, however, there were some relatively warmer days (above the freezing point) in January that bike enthusiasts were out riding their bicycles!

This past weekend, it was a record-high temperature of 15 degrees Celsius in the winter month! People were out in t-shirts and shorts, and started outdoor barbecuing! As of last Saturday, Fredericton area received about 135 cm of snow, as compared to the norm being 225 cm. The same time last year, there had been 275 cm snow accumulated in this capital city. In other words, the amount of snow we received thus far was only half of what we got in the last winter!

Cooler nights (below freezing) and warmer days (above freezing) for the past two weeks turned out to be good news for maple syrup harvest! The tappers couldn’t ask for better weather condition. Once the night temperature rises above freezing point, the maple saps will divert into new buds and leaves, which then ends the harvest season.

Welcome to the Malaysian Cultural Night 2010! About 30 students from the Malaysian Students’ Society of University of New Brunswick have put together a cultural night in the city of Fredericton on February 20th, 2010.

It was part of my university life; joining the board of committee and organizing events for the society members, as well as the community. The highlight was no other than the cultural night, which I considered as something of great challenge, knowing that the preparation work can take up to 3 months, if not more. Thanks to the society members who put in time and effort to make things possible, despite their busy schedules as full-time students.

This year, I was invited to be one of the masters of ceremony (a.k.a. emcees), while Miles filled in as a photographer.

It was a good-size crowd of 150 people; students, faculty members, and people from the community.

The backdrop of the stage.

Clementines! Yes, it was still Chinese New Year…

Red packets (a.k.a. Ang Pau)! They contained numbers for lucky draw.

A big and gorgeous bouquet made of “Bunga Telur” (a.k.a. Egg Flower). These flowers were given out as door prizes.

Rangoli, sandpainting with finely ground coloured powders, is known as a popular form of Indian art.

The Malaysian flag.

Food…food…best of all, it’s Malaysian food! Limited ingredients, restricted hours of preparation, and lack of manpower; despite all these, the food was made possible, scrumptious, delicious, appealing…. *thumbs up*

Want to find out more about Malaysian culture? Check out the exhibition section.

Performance of Silat, Malay martial arts.

Chinese Umbrella Dance.

The great finale–Lion Dance!

It was an eventful day. By the end of the evening, I was ready to hit the sack. What a wonderful way to introduce the Malaysian culture to the crowd which comprised of different nationalities, Canadian, Thai, Indian, Filipino, Chinese, and many more. Furthermore, it was a rewarding experience of tasting the Malaysian cuisine, learning Malaysian cultures, as well as enjoying cultural performances, without visiting Malaysia :)

I love this. What a great way to promote the city public transit! The chart doesn’t only provide the difference in total cost by owning a car and riding the bus, but the detailed information also gives the general public an idea of what really adds up. The final line is a good one too: increased daily costs with usage of car, BUT decreased daily costs with usage of bus. Finally, “It Pays to Use Transit.”

Whoever came out with this chart, I’m hoping that he/she is taking the public transit him/herself. Owning a car is expensive. That’s very well true. Better still, keeping a car costs more. Depending on the manufacturer, condition, etc., a ten-year-old used car can easily be purchased at merely $3,ooo, or even less. According to the chart above, the total cost to maintain the car is far more than the cost of the car itself. $6,500 (total cost from the chart) - $2,820 (leasing cost) = $3,680.

Let’s do the math. Divide the annual estimated cost by 12. $3,680/12 = ~ $307. Come to think of it… how many of us spend $307 on groceries each month for one person? Are we spending more on the car than on ourselves? Does it mean that we treasure the car more?

I know not everyone agrees with me. Owning car for the family is one thing, but owning car for just one person seems almost ridiculous! Of course, if you have no other debts to look after and that you can afford it, why not?

Having said that, car is a necessity nowadays, especially if you don’t live close to workplace. Taking a bus costs less, but I’ve to admit that the traveling time is not very flexible. In a small city like Fredericton, be ready to wait for another 30 minutes to an hour for the next bus. Worse still, limited buses on Saturdays, and no bus available on Sundays.

To own a car or to ride the bus? The decision is up to individuals. I considered myself fortunate that I can ride the bus to and fro work during the cold months, and ride my bicycles during the warmer months. Nonetheless, when I can finally settle down in the city some day, having a car is a nice treat.

Tim Hortons, the all-time favourite “kopitiam (coffee shop)” in Canada. I don’t visit Tim Hortons very often, but I make an effort to take some pictures when I’m there. Here are some of the pictures from Tim Hortons for the past six months or so.

The fall treats from Tim Hortons. Pumpkin spiced muffin and doughnut. There was even pumpkin spiced tea offered, around the Halloween season.

Cinnamon raisin, blueberry, whole grain, plain…. lots of options available for just a bagel. Can’t make up your mind? Try this “everything bagel.” Toasted “Everything bagel” with cream cheese (choice of plain, strawberry, or garlic & herb).

Hot breakfast sandwich, with a seasoned egg patty, a slice of processed cheese, and choice of sausage or bacon, on freshly baked tea biscuits.

Yummy breakfast sandwich!

Hot breakfast sandwich for the bagel lovers!

Candy Cane Doughnut; chocolate doughnut with chocolate glaze, and candy cane sprinkles. Needless to say, it was for the Christmas season!

Pastry filled with cream cheese and topped with raspberry jam.

Caramel Apple Fritter, made of chunks of apple and spiced of cinnamon.

Canadian doughnut, in conjunction with the Winter Olympics Games 2010 held in Vancouver, British Columbia on Feb. 12th to 28th.

It was just a business project created for his MBA entrepreneurship class, but 6 years ago, Naz made his business plan a reality by opening up the Caribbean Flavas Restaurant. An award-winning restaurant nestled in the heart of downtown Fredericton, this casual fine dining restaurant offers cuisine that is influenced by different cultures; African, Asian, European, as well as Indian.

The tropical decor reminded me a lot about tropical countries such as Malaysia. Miles and I went to this restaurant during lunch hour and enjoyed their lunch entree. It was a pleasant experience. We had the choice of mild or spicy for our food. Needless to say, we opted for spicy! Miles who used to take Canadian spicy has improved on his tolerance for spicy food dramatically by getting used to savouring the authentic hot & spicy Asian food ;)

Miles ordered this “Trini-Curry-Wrap up Roti (Indian flat bread).” A choice of chicken or tofu in cashew curry sauce with chickpeas and vegetables, wrapped in roti and served with garden salad tossed with in-house mango vinaigrette.

I had the “Twist of Jamaica.” Crusty Pastry filled with seasoned ground beef and Tandoori onion rings, drizzled in sweet chili sauce.

It has been three weeks since I last blogged. Bad…bad…bad…! Anyway, it has been a lot going on for the past couple of weeks; Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Malaysian Cultural Night, Engagement Party etc.

Here are some sweet pictures I’d like to share from the engagement party that Miles and I attended last weekend. The colour of the theme was YELLOW!!

The main cake and multiple cupcakes displayed in tiers.

Yellow roses icing on top. Very nice!

Food…food…and more food!

Elegant cupcakes; white cakes with buttercream icing. Yummy!

Elegant flower arrangement on the serving table.

One of the many dessert trays; lemon tarts, sugar cookies, cherry squares, red velvet cupcakes, cherry balls, chocolate peanut butter balls, and Oreo balls.

Shrimp (a.k.a. prawn) cocktail with seafood sauce in a shot glass, garnished with dill leaves.

Saint John, the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, with its population of approximately 70,000. It is also known as the oldest incoporated city in Canada.

The night scenes in Saint John, on a quiet evening.

Craving for some Chinese food? How about savouring some authentic Chinese food? Mei’s Restaurant is one of the places to visit! Located in the heart of downtown Fredericton, the restaurant has received lots of good reviews after it has been changed under the new management. *Thumbs up*

Out of all the dishes we ordered, dessert was the only one exempted from the hot & spicy category. A warm, hot, and spicy lunch on a cold, windy winter day :)

 Fish in soup with numbing spice. The more you eat, the tastier it is! And of course, the more intense burning sensation is on tongue!

 Thick and yummy beef soup with eggs.

 Fatty pork with mixed veggie. Does this remind you of bacon?

 Ma Po Tofu. Tofu and pork cooked with hot spices.

Crispy Milk for dessert. The crispy texture resembles the Chinese doughnut, filled with soft and sweet glutinous rice. It tasted great on its own, even without dipping in condensed milk served on the side.

A soft, squishy texture of this special dish has granted itself a unique name, otak-otak (meaning brain in Malay). Otak-otak is a fish cake prepared by blending fish fillet, onion, coconut milk and a mixture of spices (turmeric, lemon grass, galangal etc.) into a fine paste, wrapped in banana leaf, and then either steamed, grilled, or baked. It is a popular dish in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

The otak-otak recipe caught my eyes one day and I decided to give it a try. Sure enough, it reminded me a lot of the Malaysian otak-otak. Yummy!

Ingredients:
(A)
~ 500g fish fillet, chopped
1 medium onion
1 tsp belacan chili
1 tsp lemon grass powder
1 tsp galangal powder
4 dried red chilies
180 ml thick coconut milk

(B)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 egg
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Grind ingredients (A) with a kitchen blender until a fine paste is formed.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the fish paste and turmeric powder. Add the rest of the ingredients (B) into the fish paste. Beat the mixture until smooth.
3. Rub some oil on the banana leaf. Pour the fish mixture onto a 20 cm x 20 cm banana leaf. Wrap around tightly.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, or until firm to touch.

Serimuka, one of my favourite Malaysian desserts! I had a craving for it last week and decided to make some. Yumm…the soft texture and sweet pandan flavour of the egg custard layer compliments the salty, coconut flavoured sticky rice layer at the bottom very well. It’s a labour intensive process to make the dessert, that’s why it’s considered a special treat ;)

The recipe can be found here. Enjoy!

Source: Canada.com

Living in the small city of Fredericton with the population of 51,000, I’ve been quite blessed with the reasonable cost of housing here. What can you do with $675? Perhaps a monthly rent for a comfy and spacious bachelor apartment, or a decent size two-bedroom apartment. Of course, as you’ve expected, kitchen, living room, bathroom will be included as well.

Imagine… an apartment unit in the above picture is all you can get in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. How big is it? About the size of two parking spaces!! The 270 sq. ft. “micro loft” includes kitchen and bathroom too. Amazing! It really makes me wonder, if we’re now following the footsteps of some congested cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The whole idea of these “micro lofts” is to allow low-income individuals to be able to afford a place of their own. Nonetheless, living in an apartment about the size of a standard bedroom will certainly drive me nuts!

I came across with this Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe last week and decided to give it a try. This is definitely a keeper! 

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp hot water
1/2 tsp salt
2 + 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
2. Next, dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to the batter along with salt. Stir in flour.
3. Lastly, stir in chocolate chips. On a ungreased cookie sheet, drop cookie dough by large spoonfuls, about an inch apart.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes, or until edges are lightly brown. For crunchier cookie texture, extend baking time for another one to two minutes.

* Yield: ~ 4 dozens