Let’s Bake! (Ensaymada Edition)

I haven’t done a post like this in ages! I have done lots of baking, but nothing I felt like sharing on the blog. I should have taken photos of the russian fudge I made last week as I got lots of questions about it. I’ll keep it in mind for next time!

So Ensaymada was first introduced to me by a Filipino parent at the centre I work at. He brought these in during a family xmas party and I loved it. It’s a light, fluffy little muffin thing, covered in buttercream and topped with lots of cheese. It is so good, so I decided I wanted to try make some.

Anyway, I followed this recipe from Foxy Folksy, a blog run by a lovely couple. I had never worked with yeast before, so I was nervous but I had always wanted to try. So once the dough was all made, I left it in the kitchen for a few hours to see if it would double in size. It did!

I didn’t have a before photo, but it was way less than what you see above. The next step was the most fun. Lots of rolling and kneading to get 16 pieces, which is how much the recipe makes. Then you roll out those pieces again and coil them up to get the shape.

They don’t take too long to bake, and the house smelt so good while they did. After 20 minutes, they were all golden, so I took them out to let them cool.

Little pillowy buns! I whipped up some buttercream then grated some cheese. All these final touches took around half an hour, then we dug in! It was delicious, before we ate more though, I wanted to take some pretty pictures.

Yummy! These ones were not as light as I had tried before, it was a little more denser. More like a muffin texture, but it was still delicious. Both sweet and savoury at the same time, each one felt like a mini meal. Breakfast was set for the next few days!

Have you baked during the lockdown much? I’ve loved trying out new recipes, and also pulling out old trusty ones too!

Angela.

 

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Weekly Wonders #7

Another week, another post talking about the highlights.

Paddling Pool Fun

Got Naomi another new toy, which will hopefully be in use for years. This inflatable paddling pool/ball pit. Naomi likes to chill in their and bring in all her friends. This includes stuffed toys and her baby.

We also put in water the other day and let her have a splash around in the warm sunroom.

Ensaymada

I followed this recipe as well as I could. I’ve never worked with yeast before so I was worried it wouldn’t rise well,  but it did! The end result was delicious and quite filling. I might make mini  versions next time. I’ll probably make this a full post to share later in the week cause I’m really proud with how they came out!

Walks

Still love to get out when we can and get that fresh air. This morning I took photos in was a little chilly as we had just had a cold snap that past day.

Selfies

One of Naomi’s favourite things to play with is the selfie mode on my phone. I like to hit record and see what she does. I’m always adding these on Instagram. Also, it’s just fun to stop and take a selfie.

Keeping Busy

Again, still playing lots of animal crossing. I’ve given in and decided to also get a switch cause the new horizons game is just calling me. This lockdown has caused me to spend more money than is probably wise, but I’m thinking of it as an investment.

Also been squeezing in daily yoga still and occasionally cross stitching.

Feels like all my spare time has been taken up lately. But I’ve still been able to do lots of fun stuff so I’m happy.

What have you guys been up to this past week?

Angela.

Weekly Wonders #6

Another week has passed us by. I haven’t been taking as many photos or going outside as much, as the weather has been getting a bit gloomier. Also, the sun has been setting earlier so our days are feeling shorter.

Baking

I didn’t bake as much this week. I wanted to try bread, but I couldn’t find any yeast at the store. So I tried some different baked goods I hadn’t made before. Chocolate brownies and russian fudge. Both came out really well!

A New Toy

I ordered a toy kitchen for Naomi and it arrived this week. We have a similar one at daycare and she loves it, so I thought it would be nice if we had one at home. She’s been having lots of fun with it.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Pictured on the left here is where I’ve been spending a lot of my time. Sitting on the couch playing Animal Crossing. It’s been a lot of fun, and I keep on expanding my house.

Tattoo Craving

This was a weird title for this section, but it was all I could think of. I got my last tattoo in December 2017. It’s a small delicate flower on my left wrist. In July of that same year, I got my favourite tattoo, this shoulder mandala. I had actually made a booking to get a new tattoo a few weeks back, but what with the current situation, we had to reschedule. It’s now for the end of this month, and I’m hoping we’ll be able to stick with it but who knows?

That’s all that happened for this week. I haven’t been spending too much time on social media, so I’m really behind on reading everyone’s posts. I’m still doing yoga videos everyday, working from home when I can, reading a little and just riding this out. Hope you guys are all doing well.

Angela.