Peach vanilla jam

For the past two years, the Lunar New Year period always bring about a good bounty of fresh fruits. My family visits the wholesale vegetables and fruits market a few days before the Lunar New Year festivities start, to purchase the requisite mandarin oranges, and a few other fruits that are in season. Cartons of peaches (about 20 peaches in all!), big ripe cherries, strawberries and other various fruits. I would just like to say that the peaches during this period always smell and taste so good. Biting into a ripe peach, plenty of sticky peach juice dribbling down your chin, and the heady peachy aroma that envelops you - I reckon that's as good as heaven can be.

 Peach vanilla jam

S'mores cupcakes

I made these S'mores cupcakes a while ago for my gathering with some friends (the same one where I made the crab rangoon pastry spoon shells). I had cleared out the refrigerator and used the leftover graham cracker cookie dough and was thinking of incorporating them into a dessert. Thus, the S'mores cupcakes were born.

 S'mores cupcakes

Vietnam: Around Hanoi

When I was in Hanoi, we traveled to some areas a few hours drive away from the main city. On our third day there, we visited Perfume Pagoda.

Map of the Perfume Pagoda region (Chùa Hương)

Vietnam 2012: Hanoi

I was in Vietnam last month for a short (okay, maybe not that short, but you know how holidays always seem short once they are over...) vacation with a girlfriend. Our itinerary consisted of the three Hs - Hanoi, Halong Bay and Ho Chi Minh City.

First night in Hanoi

Earl grey crème brulée

We kept postponing due to conflicting schedules, but Evan managed to finally drop by my new place for a long overdue baking session. We had planned to have brunch and make crème brulée together (something that we've not much experience at making so far).

 Earl grey crème brulée

Chicken salad sandwiches

I had a craving for chicken salad sandwiches. Even though I've never actually had any chicken salad sandwich ever before. Yeah, weird, I know. But oh well, I set about to making some  and had it for lunch two work days in a row. :)

 Chicken salad sandwiches