Memories Treasure Chest

Gerbino Pasticceria, Ashgrove One day I was craving for some baked goods particularly the dessert kind and after noticing that Brewbaker is closed on a Monday, I found Gerbino under my radar. Quickly with the little one while she is still awake, we drove there. Parking is by the street and thankfully quite adequate. Walking into the shop, you would not expect a lavish shop. Rather, it was quite old and I was quite comprehensive at first. They sell mostly Italian baked goods like biscuits of different sorts, to hot pies, quiche and even some cakes. There is also an ice cream stall attached next to the shop with a connecting door, and I wonder whether it is part of Gerbino's? Anyhow, that day my eyes were attracted to the dessert especially the different types of cannoli (chocolate, vanilla and ricotta). I chose the ricotta cannoli and I became a happy mommy. The pastry was flaky and crunchy and the filling was just delicious! Not overly sweet as well. As for my second dess...

Brewbakers, Albion Since re-locating to the North Side, I have been wanting to try out some new bakeries and finally located Brewbakers at Albion. As I am still new to the north side, I had to take few turns to finally find the entrance of the parking lot (in front of Brewbakers). You had to drive further past the building complex, turn left and go behind the buildings to get to the parking lot. Makes sense?? Hehe.. Well, I read that their bagels were really good so I opted for the poppy seed bagel sandwich, together with some random delicacies which include a sourdough doughnut, chocolate chip bagel and a blueberry custard like cake. Poppy seed bagel- ham Jam sourdough doughnut, chocolate chip bagel and the cake The service was warm and friendly, always so patient with the indecisive me. I really enjoy their bagels whether it's savoury or sweet, and the mini cake was so moreish too. Well, I am looking forward to returning soon. 

Flour and Chocolate, Morningside I heard that pregnant ladies have cravings and some people ha ve extremely weird cravings ! Luckily I d id not have any crazy cravings e xcept for the occasion al h unger for desserts. So, I made my way to F lour and Chocolate in Morningside and got myse lf some goodies. I had to resist m yself to finish all and await Mr from work so he can have his share. I f I hadn't had GDM (gestational diabetes ), I would have bought more ! Everything is just so tempting in Flour and Chocolate. F inally, afte r much deli b eration, I bought a pistachio eclair, custard doughn ut and an almond cake with raspberry. My fa vourite among those would be the custard doughnut. Th e soft pillowy doughnut with the smooth custar d was just so yummy ! While the eclair was good, I just found the pistachio flav ouring to be a touch artificial. The almond cake was good as well. As I am writing this, I co uld not wait to return and may have to try thei...

What's the best way of finishing a whole tub of peanut butter? =) ~ ~ ~ Why not make cookies using peanut butter and might as well add some chocolate chips too? That's what I did! My Kraft Peanut Butter! I like mine crunchy.... Don't worry, the peanut butter doesn't expire until 2012! =) Recipe (Adapted from  Joy the Baker  ) 2 1/2 cups of plain flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt pinch of ground nutmeg 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup crunchy peanut butter (smooth is fine too) 1 cup brown sugar ( I reduced it to 3/4 cup) 3/4 cup caster sugar ( I reduced it to 1/2 cup) 2 eggs Dark chocolate chips Preheat oven to 180 C. Line tray with baking paper. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Using a mixer, in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 more minutes. Add the eggs one a time...

Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Bread Recipe (from  Joy the Baker  ) 1 1/4 cups of plain flour 1/2 cup of brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp cinnamon 3 tsp canola oil 1 large egg, beaten 2 medium egg whites, beaten 3 large bananas, ripe 1 cup of quick oats Dark chocolate chips Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients including oats and cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Add oil and whole egg and mix thoroughly. Mashed Bananas (Add more bananas for more flavour) Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Batter will be fairly thick. (I added dark chocolate chips into the batter too) In another bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs whites until medium stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions. (I think the egg whites allow the batter to be less dense and not so thick) Pour batter int...