life is so fragile..

This story happened last week, to be exact was on Good-Friday. When tornadoes touch down at my city. It was a huge mess, so devastating to see resident lost their property, the tornadoes blew everything away, our International Airport was shutdown for weekend. The report said that Good-Friday storm was the worst the region has seen in more than 40 years. People are going to remember this for a long time. :(

photo courtesy of : AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

My heart's broken when i passed the tornadoes-area this morning, which is just 5 minutes away from my place ..property damage was significant, many homes destroyed with major damages. That give me a real lesson, that life is so fragile. Life just turn up side down in a second. to get more information about 'good-Friday' tornadoes or like to make any donation please check this website : KSDK.COM or AmericanRedCross

So, how are you doing ? is your life been busy lately ? when the last time you called your friend, family, mom, dad, sister, just to say HI ? please call .. and you will be glad that they always fine. And this might what our friends feel when they know that we are doing OK.

This time I would like to say thank you to Mable Tan, who sent me a very pretty postcards, OMG .. her postcards made me hungry .. there is a lot of food pictures from her kitchen :) Check her site, and you will know what I'm talking about :) Thank you, dear..

Chocolate Chips Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

chocolate-ginger biscotti & mural painting

OOH .. WOOWW.. !! Spring is really here, nice weather, still chilled a bit , no complain for sure ! flowers are coming, birds are chirping .. what a lovely weather. And I've been busy around home , let see .. what I've done so far ? painting a spare room , cleaning around the garden, preparing veggie patch .. well, all kind activity i never imagine to do by myself before. Well, back to the time I lived in my country, we spoiled by the maid, yuup . don't think that we are come from rich people .. NO..NO, overseas *in my country i talked about* almost every household has maid. The labor expense are so cheap , no surprise everyone spoiled by maid :O

Not, here ... in US , everyone need more active and creative. Well .. you can pay helper, but the cost will make you pull hair for sure :)

Anyway, after wait for long time, finally, i got an empty room on basement. I tought it will be nice if i have a craft room and playing room for my daughter, so I decide to paint a little bit. But you know, type of me .. can't stop doing things. I know i will get bored with plain color pretty soon,and than i got an idea to add some picture on it.. after 3 weeks, the mural painting still going.. hmm, between.. painting, cooking, baking, taking picture, take care of husband and kid ^LOL^ what you can expect ?? finishing on the time ? NO WAY .. but that is ok to me, little by little i try to catch everything.

here we go i give you a sneak peak , my craft room (wanna be :P )

OK! Back to baking, for sure I still doing that but not take many pictures anymore. This time (and again) I bake another batch of biscotti . And I remember how my sister complained about biscotti recipe, she said, even dog can chew them. I was laughed so loud, I forgot to tell her that we need to bake for a shorter time to make them softer than the traditional version. Well.. Me, too .. I loves soft biscotti *this will avoid you to see your dentist often too .. right ? :O

Chocolate-ginger biscotti

Ingredients: Makes about 15-20 cookies

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp table salt

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a baking sheet, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, beat until well combine, scrapping down sides of bowl if necessary

Mix in oil and vanilla ; add flour mixture, and stir to form a stiff dough. Stir in chocolate, nuts and ginger by hand.

Because the dough is too sticky, I keep into the refrigerator for a while until dough is easy to handle. Divide the dough in half and roll into logs about 12 by 4 inches.

Place onto cookie sheet lines with parchment

Bake until slightly firm, about 25 minutes, cool on wire rack for about 5 minute.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

On a cutting board , using a sharp serrated knife, but biscotti diagonally into 1-inch-tick slice. Arrange biscotti, cut sides down, on baking sheet, and bake until crisp but still slightly soft in the center, about 8 minute.

Remove and cool at room temperature