{Rice Krispies Treats and A Decision}

If you really know me, I'm sure that you are aware of the fact that I am very, very indecisive. I was pondering about whether I should continue this blog or not. I mentioned before that this blog was supposed to be used only for the summer, so that I could improve my baking and photography skills. Sometimes unexpected things happen - who knew that I would eventually end up loving making recipes from scratch, blogging, and taking pictures of all the food too? I thought that now that school has started I wouldn't have any time to bake anything, which then filled me with melancholy. When I thought about ending this blog, I felt devastated.

What I realized was that I just couldn't stop baking and blogging. I think that I have gotten so used to baking and blogging that I could not imagine not doing it anymore. This is basically the reason why I woke up this morning and rushed straight to my laptop, eager to write this post. Baking is something that I would never want to stop doing. It helps me to unwind and feel cheerful, and I always feel elated whenever I accomplish a new recipe.

The only problem is, I do not want to spend all my time baking. I know that I need to make time for different things. Ever since I started high school, I have been cautious with my schoolwork and what I do after school, because now everything counts. This is why I have decided to post a new recipe once or twice every week from now on, so that I will still have time to focus on other things I have to do. I am aware that in summer, I had plenty of time to bake, blog, and take pictures, but I kind of like this challenge because it is teaching me how to balance time. Thanks for understanding!

Quite possibly one of the stickiest treats I have ever made...

Yes, I'm back, and I brought a Rice Krispies Treats recipe with me!

Yeah! Back to Baking!

I can make this easy treat whenever I want after school for a quick snack (if I have the ingredients on hand).

Only three ingredients are required for this recipe: 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal, 3 tablespoons of butter, and one package of regular marshmallows.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1. Put the butter on a large pan over low heat. Once butter is melted, add in marshmallows and mix until they are fully melted. Remove the pan from the heat.

2. Pour in the cereal and mix until fully covered in marshmallow.

3. Put mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Once cool, cut into desired sizes.

{My Last Post For The Summer}

Sometimes I like trying something new. A peculiar looking dish that my parents claim is delicious, a new hairstyle, a book that everyone is raving about - I am glad to say that sometimes trying out new things have actually helped me to discover things that I have been missing out in life.

I never thought that this summer some of the new things would be baking, learning about photography, and starting a blog.

Before this blog, I have to admit that I have never baked from scratch. I always used the boxed mixes because I thought that they were really easy to use, and buying and measuring all the different ingredients for a recipe would be a hassle. I thought that it was alright if I used a boxed mix because something wrong might happen if I made something from scratch. I remember watching shows on TV wherein a character would make a cookie or a cake and their result would be a burnt, rock-hard, inedible mess with a smoke-filled house and an oven on fire. When I first made a cookie from scratch , I was a bit anxious because I worried that my cookies would become a disaster. I was afraid that something would go wrong, but now I have realized that it is alright to make mistakes. They have really helped me to learn, and now I am a lot more confident whenever I make something in the kitchen.

After I bit into the first cookie (from scratch) that I made, I just could not believe that I made that cookie. My mother was with me at the time, and I told her how the cookie tasted - soft and chewy, with the flavors more pronounced than any cookie that I had made with a boxed mix. I was thrilled because my cookies tasted like the ones she always makes from scratch too.

At that moment, I felt a weight lifted from me. All the fear I had was withdrawn. I was anticipating the next time that I could bake again. I imagined what I would make next... Brownies? A cheesecake? More cookies?

Before baking anything else, I had to make something so that I would always be able to remember what I made this summer. I immediately thought of a blog - a fun background template, an easy way to organize my recipes, and a way to access what I baked almost anywhere. I thought about a few other options, like a journal, but I realized that a blog would be the best choice.

I then thought about what I would need to add in my blog. I have read so many food blogs, and they almost always have pictures of food. I did not know the first thing about photography. Sure, I knew how to use my point and shoot camera and how to upload pictures to my laptop, but I did not have an idea in the least about things like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. I did not know what a DSLR was, and my mother actually had one!

For the first five posts, I used my point and shoot camera (I started using a DSLR for the chocolate chip scones post). I researched about photography, and reads lots of articles about the basics of photography. All that information that I learned may have overwhelmed me a bit, but I am so thankful that I know now a bit about photography. When I first tried taking pictures with the DSLR, I was a bit nervous. I had to read about a lot of the settings, like what "A" or "P" meant. The camera was unlike any that I had used before, but eventually I got the hang of it. I actually looked forward to taking pictures whenever I had to bake.

A picture really is worth a thousand words. I may not be the best photographer, but I am glad that my photography has improved immensely since I started taking pictures. Now I know what a good photo should have: things like good composition and lighting, for example. After my mom upgraded to a newer DSLR, she gave me my first DSLR - a Canon 40D. It may not be the latest model, and it may not be able to take videos. I know that the camera does not make the picture - the photographer does. Some pictures that I have taken with my point and shoot have been just as good as the pictures that I have taken on my DSLR. The reason why I decided to continue using the DSLR was because of all the features and settings that it has that my point an shoot camera does not. I like challenges, and using this camera really made me think. Should I increase the aperture? Is there enough light in the picture? Can anyone tell that that yellow blob is actually a lemon bar?

I really want to give a big thanks to all of you who have been reading my blog. I mentioned in the About page that I intended to use this blog just for this summer only, but I have really enjoyed blogging. I had a wonderful experience - my blog even gave me an excuse to try and bake things that I thought I would never be able to make. I enjoyed everything - taking photographs, writing about why I decided to make a certain dessert, and even making mistakes, because they really have helped me to improve my baking.

I have baked cookies so many times during this summer time that now I know the recipe by heart.

Here is a list of my favorite recipes from this blog.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Blueberry Cheesecake

Lemon Bars

Chocolate Chip Scones

Key Lime Pie

Before summer started, I would head over to the sections in the grocery store where the packaged cookies and boxed mixes were in. Now, I head on over to more than just one section, with a shopping list full of ingredients in hand, ready to purchase what I need in order to make something new.

{Universal Studios Singapore}

As I looked around me in a chilly cabin, I could see my little sister breathing slowly, deep in sleep, and my mom absorbed in an engrossing book. I could hear snippets of a conversation between my dad and my brother about soccer (defense, scoring goals, how renowned soccer players were transferred to other teams...). As the plane launched into the sky, I knew I was ready for it to take us to our desired destination. After a few hours of flipping pages of different books, listening to a variety of music, from classical to rock to pop, and (unsuccessfully) trying to fall asleep, my family and I finally arrived in Singapore. The first two days there were full of shopping and devouring delectable food, but on Monday we went to Universal Studios on Sentosa Island for the first time. Universal Studios had different zones in it: New York, Ancient Egypt, Madagascar, Hollywood, Far Far Away, Sci - Fi City, The Lost World... even the shops were nicely themed!

I always feel elated when I am in a theme park - everything is so bright and colorful, and there are numerous things you can do there in just one day. Whenever I look at something elaborate there, I can imagine the hard work that was put into it to make others feel like they are in a very cheerful place. I was able to take a lot of pictures there, but being in a euphoric place like that one felt bittersweet to me. I had a fantastic time, but it was my last day in Singapore, and one of the last days of summer.

Sometimes I thought about how many more days I had until school started - it would be the end of sleeping late, waking up late, and reading whenever I felt like it. Arriving at the beach, feeling the cool and comforting breeze, seeing the trees lazily sway in the wind, and the familiar feeling of sand between my toes. Being able to bake more than twice a day, and taking photographs whenever I wanted to. I realized that I had to have as much fun as possible there, because even though I was leaving that place soon, I should always remember every moment I have had that was filled with bliss.

First up - Madagascar!

We then went to the Lost World Zone. One of our favorite attractions at the theme park was Waterworld.

It was filled with breathtaking stunts and amazing explosions!

Yes, he really is on fire!

I was so surprised when the plane crashed in - I'm glad I was able to take this picture!

This part of the show was really action - packed. People were falling in the water, riding on jet skis, and more! I can't believe that I took this photo while he was midair. Some of my pictures were taken once the people in the show had already fallen in the water!

It was so cool whenever someone was thrown into the toxic waste!

This big explosion occurred at the end of the Waterworld show.

I really like New York and Hollywood - it really felt like I was in the actual places!

Everybody was kung fu fighting, na na na na na na na na na na!

This is where we ate for lunch. We had dim sum, chicken satay, fried rice, and a barbecue platter with roast duck, suckling pig, roast pork, and soy chicken. Delicious!

Hopefully we can eat here next time - pizza, pasta, salad...yum!

Lights, Camera, Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg

This was a really great attraction from Universal Studios. We witnessed how special effects were used for a scene wherein a big hurricane was about to hit New York City.

I wasn't aware of the people in the background until now!

There were two attractions that we went to that were in this castle: Shrek 4-D Adventure and Donkey Live!

Donkey was hilarious He made a lot of jokes and interacted with people from the audience!

As we were leaving Universal Studios, we stopped by a Hershey's store. Giant Hershey Bars were being sold there - they are so huge compared to the regular Hershey's bars!

I have put all these pictures and the other pictures on my blog into a flickr account that I have just made recently. Do any of you have a flickr account? If you do, please tell me in the comments section below so that I can add you as a contact.

Here's to the end of a magnificent summer. I hope that this upcoming school year will be even better!

{Banana Ice Cream With Just One Ingredient}

Usually when I get a cookbook I flip over to the desserts section first. Banana Caramel Chocolate Walnut Brownie Pie... Strawberry Shortcake... Cinnamon Raisin Bread... they all seem so delicious, but today I wanted to make something perfect for one of the last few days of summer. Finally, I found a recipe for Banana "Ice Cream", but I did not remember seeing this recipe in the cookbook before. I could not believe how easy it was to make, and it even claimed that this "ice cream" really looks and tastes like the real thing! I had to find out if it was true.

All you need are 3 to 4 medium sized frozen bananas (they must be very ripe), a rubber spatula, and a food processor!

1. Dice the bananas and place them in the freezer.

2. Put the bananas in the food processor once they are frozen and blend them up. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula.

At first, the bananas might become very chunky or look like crumbs, but if you mix them up a bit more they will become very creamy. I was very surprised once I tasted the "ice cream", because it really tasted and felt like real ice cream. Now, I can have a very healthy treat that I can eat whenever I want!

This "ice cream" tastes really good, but you can make it even better by adding more ingredients. Try eating it with honey, peanut butter, chocolate syrup/chips, maple syrup, cinnamon, or more fruits!

{Peanut Butter Cookies}

Peanut butter has been with me ever since I was a little girl. Peanut butter with chocolate fudge, peanut butter sandwiches - I was even able to try peanut butter frozen yogurt once! I remember when I tried my first peanut butter cookie a few years ago. It was soft, chewy, and had just the right amount of peanut butter, and I have wanted to try and make them ever since. I found a good recipe, but it had a plethora of different ingredients. This is why I was very surprised when I found another recipe that only needed three ingredients. I was delighted to find out that I had all of the ingredients on hand, and went straight to work.

Adapted from Kraft Recipes

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

1 egg
1/2 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius).

2. Beat the sugar, eggs, and the peanut butter until well combined.

3. Refrigerate this for 30 minutes.

4. Once out of the fridge, roll into 15 balls, and place them on a cookie sheet.

5. Flatten each ball by making a criss-cross pattern with a fork.

6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

I was not sure what to expect with these cookies. I had a feeling that they would become hard and very crunchy, which i something that I never like in a cookie. I might try the other recipe sometime, but I was so curious about how the cookies from this recipe would turn out that I just had to try it.


Unfortunately, the peanut butter was very oily, and I needed to use paper towels to blot the oil from the cookie sheet. I also had to shorten the baking time, because they would have burned if they stayed in the oven for a few more minutes. The cookies were surprisingly chewy, and not crumbly and crunchy like I expected them to be. I think that although they turned out not quite what I expected , they were pretty good for my first try. I think that the next time I make peanut butter cookies, I will try and take out most of the oil that comes with the peanut butter.

{Brownies}

Recipe adapted from Hershey's

I bought some Hershey's Cocoa Powder the other day, and normally I use it to make hot chocolate on a chilly night. After searching the Hershey's website, I found a brownie recipe using the Hershey's Cocoa Powder. You can add more ingredients to this recipe, like chocolate chips and/or nuts. The recipe says that you can frost the brownies if you want, but I decided not to since the frosting would make the brownies too sweet.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa

4 eggs

1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract together. Add the eggs and cocoa. Beat all of the ingredient until they are fully combined. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix. Put this batter into the pan.

3. Bake the batter for 30 to 35 minutes. After they have cooled completely, cut into desired sizes.

Remember not to bake it for too long, or you will get a very dry brownie. You might even get a very crunchy outer crust, so be careful!