Choc version of Buche

Added cocoa powder to the whip topping along the way to make choc cream frosting, that's all. But the cake itself is a little overbaked, because I was ambitious and baked a double batch. Oven was not well-controlled.

This half is for a neighbour.

Buche De Noel

My first try at this, really! Recipe from Allrecipes.com, as usual, at least I used the part for the cake itself. Frosting is this Red Man Whip Topping available from Phoon Huat. The lady assured me this was the same one used by all the cakeries around, and that the real "Heavy Whipping Cream" wouldn't work. But while you're whipping it, it smells like coconut milk with added sugar, eew.

Ray and I tried some of the roll itself before we frosted it, and it was of the melt-in-the-mouth variety. I didn't believe at first that you can make a cake without flour, but according to Allrecipes' Cook's Encyclopedia, a sponge cake is traditionally made entirely out of the "power of eggs", no flour. Well, all I can say is, you've gotta try it to believe it!

And how much does a Yule Log cost these days at the bakeries? $50? Gosh... I probably spent less than $10 for everything... 6 eggs though, go easy on the cholesterol, said HL when he heard.

Will be served up this Sunday evening at our family's Xmas gathering with the extended relations.

Have you seen the stars lately?

We've been having storms every other day or so, but after the heavy rains come clear skies.

About 2 weeks ago, I was putting the kids to bed (or trying to), when I happened to look out my bedroom window and see the stars shining so brightly in the night sky. There was no moon at the time, and the nearest streetlamp was kinda blocked by the corner of the wall, so there were no bright lights to mute the radiance of the stars.

Orion was the most obvious constellation (ok it is also the only one I can recognise), and I could even see the stars that make up the sword. No clouds, breathtakingly beautiful. I MAY have seen the arrow/crossbow stars, but I recall my Astronomy senior saying that those are usually difficult to see without a telescope, so I must have been imagining a little too much.

Got the kids to come look too (they love any excuse not to go to bed), so we stood at the window pointing and chatting for some minutes.

Since that first night, I've been trying to remember to do some star-gazing every night, except on a very few nights when it was slightly cloudy.

And we saw a halo in the sky under the full moon, from the garden, a few nights ago. It was almost magical, especially five minutes later when my mom, who was still standing in the garden feeding mosquitoes, pointed out that there were 2 thin trails of smoke crossing the halo, most likely from some rocket or something. She wondered whether it was a sign...

So I've been to the new IKEA Tampines

I went on Monday 4 Dec, thinking, shouldn't be so much of a crowd, since the opening sale was JUST over the day before. It was ok actually.

However, the disadvantage was that a lot of popular (and most of all CHEAP) items were sold out, or as IKEA states on their shelves, "Temporarily Oversold". I went with a list of items to buy, including a new swivel chair, some blue plastic tubs which I need more of, the children's stools, and a grill pan, and they were all gone. I was informed that these should be restocked about 2 weeks later.

Great. Oh well, I can get my ergonomic pillow then, U.P. $39, 18-22 Dec only $19. We've got one, and HL and I are often fighting over it. And we hate this other "support pillow" we bought from Mustafa some time back. Very slippery, slides from under your head and off the bed if you so much as lie down on it with a little more force than an ant's footstep. Plus the Tampines store is much nearer than the Alexandra store. Just go early, and clear out after lunch to avoid the queues.