Easy and Yummy Eggs

Making nice food has always been a mind-easing activity for me, like painting nails. Yesterday was a tough day, and I very much needed something to empty my mind. So I did both.

My nails are pink now. And in terms of food, I made egg - simple but classic.
If I had a list of cheerful food, sunny side up eggs would definitely be on it. I love eating and looking at the perfectly made ones -- with perfect shape, perfect color, and the egg yolks have to remain runny. But much as I loved it, I always hesitate to make it. ( I am not super patient generally) So I was very happy that I did it yesterday, and it really cheered me up!

The recipe for the second "egg sandwich" is from this post in A Cup of Jo. I was totally tempted the first time I saw it. And especially because it looks so doable and friendly. So, I made it for my friend last night. She loved it. There is no real tips on making this one, the only thing you need to keep in mind is to eat it Right Away! Better eat it before serving. There will be melting cheese coming out! You know what I mean.

On the side, we had some grilled nuts, garlic baguette, fruits and vegetables.

Experiment with weird vegetables

Romanesque Broccoli -- if you google weird broccoli, you will find it too.

It is a rainy day here in Hong Kong, another rainy day this week, and we are staying in with some nolgastic music and casual readings. It has been a nice Sunday afternoon so far.

Sunday makes people lazy, so I am not going anywhere for dinner tonight. I am going to stay home and eat the dinosaur broccoli I encountered and bought yesterday. It looks so interesting that I had to buy it. I had no idea how to make it. Anyone?

Weekly dessert: Fluffy Earl Grey Cake

It’s Iris’s birthday today. She’s a very good friend of mine, a former college roommate and also one of the sweetest girls I know. So I decided to make her a special cake, one that goes well with her warm personality. What can be better than a classy Earl grey cake with white snowy frosting, I thought. So here it is – the fluffy Earl grey cake.

Well, we haven’t got a chance to taste the cake yet, as birthday dinner is tonight, in a Belgium restaurant where they make very juicy mussels and pig knuckles, and we will have the cake as dessert after. I am very looking forward to it.

The recipe is adapted from the Earl Grey tea cake from “the apron archives”

Ingredients:

4 Earl Grey tea bags
1 cup boiling water
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups caster sugar

3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almonds (chopped)

A pint of salt

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 cup whipping cream 

2 tsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

coconut powder

      The cake

• Pour the boiling water over the tea leaves iand set aside to steep for at least an hour.  Strain the tea and discard the leaves.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cake pan with parchment.  Butter the parchment.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating the egg into the wet mix.
• Fold in the flour, salt vanilla extract, and almonds.
• Finally, add the tea and mix everything.
• pour the mix into the cake pan and bake for one hour. Test it with a cake tester ( something long and very thin) until you feel the cake is all solid. 
• When done, remove from the oven and cool it completely. 

     Frosting

• Keep the bowl and beater in fridge for at least 30 minutes before beating the cream.
• Pour whipping cream in the bowl and beat at low speed until frothy. 
• Add vanilla extract and sugar gradually. Keep beating until frosting is stable. 
• Coat the cake with cream (important: wait till the cake cools down completely)
• Dust coconut powder on. Be generous!

Enjoy!