Little Joy Factory

This cheese loaf was a hit with my family. I've made it almost every week. The crust was crisp, but the bread was soft with awesome cheese flavor. I usually make the bread to go with some tomato or mushroom soup, and it was the perfect accompaniment. 

Sea bass is the most sort after food-fish in Singapore. Locals calls it Jin Mu Lu. Sea bass has low calorie, low cholesterol, high protein and omega-3 fatty acid content, it's the fish equivalent to chicken breasts. Sea bass is often used for steaming in Chinese cooking.  I never thought of grilling the sea bass until I saw a photo from " beitaichufang ", a gourmet lifestyle and food magazine based in China. The grilled fish looks so delicious !

2015转瞬即逝, 2016 也已过半 ，已经整整一年没有光顾我的快乐工坊了！忙啊忙，都市人的通病。。。 终于有时间坐下来写点东西， 思绪不禁飘到去年7月份。 去了趟欧洲出公差，当地人文、历史、古迹和风景，深深地吸引着我。和美国的粗犷壮丽相比，欧洲精致小巧，犹如一幅古画。遗憾的是，由于大量移民的涌入，社会治安问题堪忧。 即使今年二月又去了一次，也因心有余悸, 很多地方都没能光顾。或许是在新加坡这个小岛上呆得太久了，安全意识淡漠,  难免对自己生存能力是否退化产生疑虑。新加坡之外的世界也许才是更加真实的。希望女儿有一天也有机会去别的国家求学、工作或者生活一段时间， 锻炼一下思维，开阔视野，让自己的人生更丰富。 8月开始，为布置新家，一头扎进淘宝，漂洋过海地从中国买家具和各种“神器”。不仅仅是价格的因素，对于我这个宅女来说，能避开新加坡的人潮，随时随地在网上讨价还价，吃顿下午茶的功夫就把宝贝买到手，很有满足感。更何况 同样的产品，选择如此之多,  真是受宠若惊呢。 如今中国魅力四射，内心对她既熟悉又陌生。随着离家越来越久, 情感上的归属感也越来越模糊。在外二十载，不知不觉中, 已是“边缘人”。然人生没有“如果”，从不喜回头看，唯有前行。无论选择了哪一条路，都会有不同的风景，有不同的人相伴而行。无所谓好与不好，一切皆是上天的安排。 今年又赶上孩子小六毕业考，很难专注在“小悦工坊”里。烘培一放下，就是一年了。如今，毕业考在即，孩子也在自觉地做最后的冲刺。在陪读间隙，拿起以前的食谱，烤了这个肉桂苹果蛋糕面包。喜欢这款蛋糕因为它用吐司盒来烤， 很别致。烤的时候，肉桂的香味飘满厨房和客厅。很久以前烤过一次，没想到时隔这么久，挑剔的小女儿竟然把它列到最想吃的食物的第一位。觉得有必要分享一下。也许很久没有开炉，孩子们竟然一口气点了好几样她们以前吃腻的东西。想想之前每次都是我主动征求意见，现在两个女儿竟然要猜拳来决定先做谁点的食物，感觉自己“美食博主”的地位瞬间高大上了。 Cinnamon Apple Fritter Bread Ingredients: 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter, soft...

I baked this flaxseed sourdough bread with my whole wheat sourdough starter yesterday. I noticed sourdough starter made with whole wheat flour is much more active than the one made with all-purpose flour.

最近，我迷上了西式的酸面包。用自己培养的天然酵母引子(sourdough starter) 成功地烤了 普通酸面包 之后，我上周又接连烤了几个核桃果干酸面包。果干是以前就一直用朗姆酒浸着收在冰厨里的，现在派上了用场。刚出炉的酸面包, 芳香四溢，外脆内软，有嚼劲。 面香、酒香、盐香、果香、乳酸香, 沁人心脾!

When I first read about the sourdough bread, it reminds me of  Chinese old dough  mantou  (老面馒头), a steamed bun with wild yeast starter before commercial yeast was commonly used. Growing up in northern China, I have been eating old dough mantou as an alternative staple to rice during my childhood. 

I love homemade bread, I always do. Under such a hot weather like today, it's the perfect time to bake bread at home.  The yeast is activated easily, and dough rises really fast.  I plan to try a different recipe, and I am glad I did.