Namsan Tower Seoul Teddy Bear Museum

Went to Seoul for 14 days Holiday in December. So, I am updating pictures to show all the Teddy Bears I have seen in Seoul. There are many of them but I will only pick a few to show you.
Namsan Seoul Tower Teddy Bear Museum showcase historical of Korea. Most of their bears are dressed-up in Korean clothes.

 To get there: get off at Myeongdong Station Line 4, exit 3. Climb up the hill behind the Pacific Hotel. Once you climb up the staircase of the hill, turn right and walk to the end and you will see the cable car. Take the cable car up to the Tower. Coming down, we took bus No 5 to Myeongdong Station instead. We have to walk down a steep hill to the bus station.

By Bus: take a bus at Chungmuro Station (line n. 3 or 4) or at Dongguk University Station (line 3), which will take you to the parking area of N Seoul Tower. Buses run every six minutes from 8am until midnight. You still have to climb a steep hill up to the Tower.


More information, go to this website:  http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=260067

Cookies_Chocolate Macadamia Nuts

My first New Year 2011 post.....a cookies recipe. These cookies tasted soft on the inside and crisp on the outside and yet have a crunchy taste due to the macadamia nut.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Ingredients:

250 gm butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped (100 gm/pack)
200 gm white chocolate, roughly chopped

Method:

1.     Preheat oven to 160 degC. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper.
2.     Medium bowl: sift flour, baking powder, set aside.
3.     Large bowl: using electric mixer - beat butter, sugars and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4.     Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing well. Using spatula, add nuts and chocolate, stir till well combined.
5.     Drop heaped of tablespoons of mixture onto baking trays. Bake 1 tray at a time for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden and firm to the touch. Repeat with remaining trays. Once tray is taken out of oven, let stand for 5 minutes to cool before transfering to a wire rack to fully cool the cookies before storage.

Makes : 36 cookies

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

I did this into a muffins and it came out wonderful. The cake has a crunchy taste and the marshmallow toppings make it a softened taste. Have already lessen the sugar content so you need not lessen it anymore.

Ingredients are for 8 rectangle muffins or 1 square cake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

57 gms unsweetened chocolate

1 cup cake flour

1/2 tsp baking flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup applesauce/jam

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 package Corniche Mega Marshmallow pink/white

1/4 cup raisins and walnuts (optional)

Glaze:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp butter

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Microwavable bowl: melt butter and chocolate in the microwave and stir until smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.

2. Medium bowl: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. set aside.

3. Large bowl: Electric mixer - beat the eggs, sugar, applesauce and vanilla. stir in chocolate mixture.

4. Using spatula - gradually add dry ingredients and raisins/walnuts - mix well.

5. Pour into a greased 9 x 9" baing pan or muffins tray lined with baking paper.

6. Bake at 180 degC for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

7. Set aside 1/2 cup marshmallows for glaze. Cut and Sprinkle marshmallows over the cake. Return to the oven and bake for another 1-5 minutes or until marshmallows are softened.

For Glaze: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, milk and butter. Bring to a boil for around 1 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and reserved marshmallows until melted. Quickly drizzle over the cake (glaze will harden as it cools - use ziplock bag as piping bag to drizzle the topping).

Cranberry/Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins

This muffins or cupcakes (didn't feel like putting icing on top) taste really soft and moist. Especially like the cupcake liner from Ikea. Hope they sell more of these liner as it is so useful and cheap.




Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cup cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 160 gm butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup marmalade
- 3/4 cup fresh milk
- 1 bar nestle white premium chocolate, chopped
- 1 packet dried cranberry/blueberries
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)





Method:


1. Preheat oven to 180 degC and line muffins tray. Set aside.
2. Medium bowl: sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Large bowl: Electric Mixer - blend butter and sugar till fluffy, add egg, vanilla and marmalade. Mix well.
4. Add dry ingredients alternating with fresh milk to wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Using spatula, add in chopped chocolate and dried fruits.
6. Scoop into muffins tray and bake at 160 degC for around 20-15 mins or until stick comes out clean.


Hope you like this cupcakes, cos I love them and will definitely add nuts in it the next time I make them. Yummmmm.......................

Blueberry-Peach Custard Kuchen

Kuchen - means cake in Germany. So you see, I found this recipe in the "Christmas Baking" magazine. The picture looks so delicious that I decided to try it. Sorry for the little burnt look but overall, the cake is easy to make and with added more sugar, it should taste better. So, if you wanna try this recipe, here goes........

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 package 11 gm active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar (add another 1/2 cup if you want it sweeter)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sliced and peeled fresh peaches or frozen unsweetened peach slices, thawed (used can peaches instead, just make sure to dry them before using them)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries, thawed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup half & half or light cream

Method:

1. Grease 9" pie plate. Set Aside.
2. Large bowl: combine 1 cup flour and yeast. set aside.
3. Sauce pan: heat 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 tsp salt -stirring just until mixture is warm and butter almost melts.
4. Electric mixer : pour mixture (no. 3) and 2 eggs to flour mixture (no. 2). Beat on low to medium speed for 30 minutes, scraping side of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes or until smooth. Beat in as much of the remaining flour as you can to make a stiff batter.
5. Spread batter into prepared pie plate. Top with peach slices and blueberries. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size. (about 45 minutes)
6. Preheat oven to 200 degC.
7. Medium bowl: combine 1 egg, 2 tbsp sugar, vanilla essence, 1/8 tsp nutmeg and 1/8 tsp salt. Whisk in half & half milk and pour over the fruit batter.
8. Place kuchen in a preheated oven over a baking sheet and bake at 160 degC for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack before cutting into pieces.
   
   

Latest Oct Bear

01 October 2010, Friday - Golden bell is fully stuffed with polyester filling. She has no joint. A one piece bear with suede for her foot paw.

5 October 2010, Tuesday - Robin is a tiger bear. He has a movable head and limbs. Robin loves to jump like Winnie the Pooh, Tigger. He is one-of-a-kind lovable mini bear.

St Bernadette Flowers

15 Oct 2010, Friday - Did our church flowers with Elsa. We started from 12.30pm and finishes up at 3.30pm. Besides the above, we also did extra 3 small arrangement for the sacristy and with left over flowers, we also did 2 more table arrangement. EL ordered green spider lily, orchids (didn't know we have 2 types until almost finishing), yellow phoenix, song of india and ferns. The arrangement looks kind of "government" look..............those that you attend at community centre or polytechnic, maybe under PAP influence?????

OMG! Oh my, it's been so long? From July to October? almost 3 months??? I have not been updating my blog..........................???????? I do not want to give excuses but really, have been so lazy lately.

You see, July was the time for painting and upgrading my 2 bedroom for my girls. When it's done, I sort of like get tired of going on the computer and typing again. Sometimes I wonder how those young people out there, 'including my 2 girls', can actually sit infront of the computer and type, watch video, play games or twitter/facebook/msn all day long???? How can they do that?????? Hey, you know, the longer you sit on the sofa/chair or floor even, the seat actually becomes warm from your butt? And sometimes you even feel so coup-up that you just want to stop whatever you are doing and not come back to the screen again!!!

Anyway, I have been sewing the bears, but have not yet stuff them. I have also been baking but when I look back on the photos, I kind of forgot what I have been baking. Hahahaha........... hilarious ha!!!

Well, had better keep up the sewing and stuffing soon. More recipe to come too..............

Pumpkin Moist Muffins

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (uses cake flour instead)

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup oil (uses corn or soya oil)

1 cup pumpkin, steamed till soft and smashed

1/2 cup dried cranberry, soaked for 15 minutes in hot water and drain, then dry

white chocolate, chopped

Pumpkin seeds, for sprinkling (optional)

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180 degC. Line muffn pan with paper baking cups.

2. Medium bowl: combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. set aside.

3. Large bowl: hand whisk egg + oil, add in sugar and mix well. Then add in smashed fresh pumpkin and combine.

4. Add in dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk till well mix. Stir just until all dry ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be lumpy)

5. Throw in cranberry and chop white chocolate, mix well.

6. Pour batter into muffin pan, dividing evenly. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top and bake in oven at 160 degC for 20 - 25 minutes. Use a satay stick to test the middle of muffin. If the stick comes out clean, then its done. Remove from oven and let cool.

NB: Can make 16 muffins in medium muffins pan. These muffins are moist and tasted soft and sweet when warm.

2nd July 2010, Friday - Flowers Arrangement for St Bernadette Church