macarons, and random shots :D

as i mentioned in my previous post, i made earl grey tea macarons with honey buttercream. they were absolutely delicious, however, they were slightly on the sweet side. 

in the future, i'd just reduce the sugar to 2-3 tablespoons. you will still be able to recognize the earl grey tea in the cookie, so no biggie :)

but of course, if you have a sweet tooth, feel free to follow the recipe.

as this was my first attempt at making macarons, i took my time, and carefully performed all the procedures of the recipe. 

'yoyomax12', a cooking channel on youtube posted a video on this recipe a while back. the video shows you step by step procedures, as well as tips to making perfect macarons. 

when i took the macarons out of the oven, i was overwhelmed with joy. the meringue cookies not only had a smooth and shiny surface, but also the frilly bits on the bottom, also known as 'feet'.

the texture of the cookies were also perfect - crunchy on the outside, and chewy in the inside is the consistency you are looking for. 

courtesy goes to yoyomax12 on youtube: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18PlAZS3Tc0

and yoo-eatz.com: 

http://www.yoo-eatz.com/Earl-Grey-Macarons-Honey-Buttercream-Filling-Recipe-15579665

 

the meringue cookie on the middle slightly cracked when i was transferring it from the oven to the cooling wire. 

TIP: be patient, wait for it to completely cool down before transferring! > :D

ha, that's me.

you may be wondering why there suddenly is a shot of my hairy fingers and two wire rings. maybe you have forgotten that this blog also features my crafts and other random snapshots of my life! haha

the 'love' and 'heart' rings are made out of silver wire i got at a local stationary shop. using a variety of pliers and fingers (the best tool in the world, no pun intended), i played with the wire until i obtained the desired shape and size.

i really enjoy making wire jewelry (rings, necklaces, particularly bracelets). although i do not wear them, wire bracelets are great for layering up with other accessories you have, as 'arm candy' is really trendy this season :0

okay. another shot.

as i mentioned in my previous post, i will be leaving for singapore on monday, which is actually today! (haha) the taxi will come and pick us up 30 minutes later, so i'd better get changing.

on airplanes, i usually wear quarter length sweatpants, a tank top and a cardigan (and two blankets for me to bundle up like a burrito)

-

okay, my dad is calling me. 

i will be posting random snapshots of my vacation in singapore when i am in taiwan. (if that makes any sense)

and when i am back from taiwan, i will be uploading photos again. (if that makes any sense, because it does not to me) 

byebye :)

requests?

these few days, i have been thinking about what sort of posts i want to upload on this blog. i will be visiting singapore and taiwan in the coming month. after i get back, i will write posts regarding the trips, as well as post photos i took during the vacations.

what sort of posts would you like to see on this blog?

feel free to comment below(:

PS: i made french macarons yesterday. keep an eye out for an Earl Grey Tea Macaron post i will be uploading on sunday.
-- they were absolutely delicious:D

aprilfoodsday:)

below are some of the foods i made earlier this year (in april, specifically)

you know how there are monthly favorites on youtube where gurus showcase their favorite makeup/hair products during the end or beginning of a month? i think i should do exactly the same on this blog, except, it is the recipes i make! what do you think? > :)

anyways, here are the photos :)

above are mini chocolate cupcakes i made, dressed in a creamy rich chocolate ganache, and sprinkled with heart shaped decorations (:

they were absolutely delicious! :3

fruit tart 1

fruit tart 2

above are photos of fruit tarts i made from our school's annual Fruit Day, an event that promotes healthy eating across the campus. as complicated as these babies look, they were very easy to make. this recipe only consists of three components:

- the shell, which is a basic buttery pastry crust

- custard

- fresh fruits

there are many variations of fruit tarts on the internet. i am sure you can find one that suits you perfectly :)

potato balls 1

potato balls 2

potato balls 3

potato balls 4

potato balls are one of the most delicious treats you can have. whether or not you are a professional chef, everyone has the ability to make these mouth-watering snacks. my mum and i came up with this recipe a few years ago, and our family have been eating these bite-size treats ever since.  these potato balls are perfect for any children's party. 

there are some many variations you can make to this recipe, but this is our family's favorite:

1. mash a few potatoes 

2. add in butter and milk/cream until smooth

3. season with salt and pepper to taste

4. throw in some diced onions and shredded cheese (parmesan and cheddar) into the mixture

5. sprinkle with additional shreds of cheese

6. bake

7. enjoy! :)

i love food.

i love food so much, most of the crafts i make are food related, including the 3 photos below. all of these charms are made from a japanese brand of clay i got from a local stationary shop. the quality is not as great as polymer/sculpey clay, but it still works anyhow :)

macarons in (from left to right) pink, blue, green and brown

- the color of the clay does not look very solid and even. this is because i colored white clay with felt-tip markers (hobo style! :D)

chocolate molten cake with ice cream drizzled in caramel sauce

- i must say, this is the best looking clay charm i have done in a very long time. i personally think i did a great job with the textures, especially the ice cream! if i had the liquid sculpey clay (or squeezable silicon), i would have colored it brown and applied it in the cut (opening) to make it look like the 'lava' is oozing out of the cake :)

i have never seen a rainbow cake in my whole life. using my imagination, i created a rainbow cake with layers of different colors. afterwards, i rolled out a piece of white clay and covered the cylinder structure to make it look like fondant or icing. 

- i love this charm very much. one improvement i could make is to use a smaller-tipped tool for the textures!

it's 11pm. got to go sleep!

butt says good night :D 

ever since i discovered Laura Vitale on youtube, my love for cooking blossomed. i enjoy the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction i get from completing a meal (or a snack/dessert/anything edible and homemade) 

below are three culinary treats i made throughout the week:

nutella has always been my all-time favorite naughty sweet treat. i dip it in strawberries, drizzle it over crepes, spread it on cookies, and spoon it over ice cream. nutella can go with literally everything. like boiled vegetables, i tried it before ;)

what better way to fulfill my sweet tooth by making nutella cookies. they were chewy on the outside, and soft in the inside. they weren't too sweet, but were just right with the taste, texture and consistency, which makes me love these cookies even more.  

i rate them 9/10.

tip: serve cookies warm with cold milk. perfect combination.

above are meatball sliders, also a recipe by Laura Vitale. out of all the foods i made this week, this wasn't my best work. the meatballs were slightly overcooked and dry, whereas the ciabatta was... EH. ): nevertheless, i had a great time making it, especially the sight of seeing the mozzarella cheese melting - an absolutely magical sight. 

i'd have to rate them 6/10. don't get me wrong, it is definitely my fault. i should have bought two different kinds of meat to give the meatball more flavor and definition (such as sausage and beef). not only that, i should have bought a better quality bread loaf, in order to fully taste the beauty of this dish. one more tip: remember to use meat that is over 30% of fat. this is not the time to be on a diet. this is the time to splurge > :D

my italian chicken burger and sweet potato fries were by far the best dishes i made this week. the burger was absolutely amazing. although i slightly overcooked the meat, the mozzarella cheese melted beautifully over the two pieces of fillet, whereas the store-bought pesto sauce brought life to the dull chicken.

this recipe is originally by sorted food on youtube. however, i slightly altered it, as i was unable to find red pesto sauce in my local supermarket. nevertheless, it turned out great. the down part of this meal were the sweet potato fries. as shown in the photo, the fries were slightly burnt on the edges, due to my lack of attention and observation while the fries were roasting in the oven - i was too busy frying my chicken fillets. i know i can do a much better job than that, as i made sweet potato fries a various amount of times before. 

rate: 8/10

the burger itself was really great. good tip is to slightly toast the ciabatta right before it is served :)

excuse my spelling/grammatical mistakes. it is getting pretty late at night :/

butt, aka rachel :D

welcome!

posting on blogs for the first time is always very exciting, especially this one. croire-reve is a place where i can upload photos taken on my own, particularly the crafts i DIY and the desserts i bake. this blog will also include some random shots of my personal life, and diary entries.

i am very excited to share my life with all my loyal followers!

if you came here because of my tumblr page, please give my post a comment! 

:*

butt, aka rachel :)