white bread

March. someday..

I baked white bread two weeks or so ago.

When I leaned bread-baking at school, what we, the students, used was fresh yeast. It looks like a bar of butter in a package and the color is pale purplish brown when you open it. Because it is fresh, it is much more moist than dry yeast.
Thus, the recipe noted that you should add more water when you use dry yeast.

.. I scaled water exactly as the recipe indicates although I used dry yeast.

The dough was pretty tough that I had to knead with all my weight on. I sweat a lot with my face blushing.

I finally realized that I needed more water after a while.
Doesn't it look good? I think my hard work paid off.
I melted-butterwashed instead of egg. It made the bread smell better.

apple pie; two days later

Feb.28, 2005

This pic is a piece of apple pie that is taken two days passed from February 26.
Putting it in the fridge for two days seemed to allow it nicely settled.

As I wrote on Feb. 26th diary, I made the apple pie for guests on the day I have them over. It was still warm when I served it. The juice flowed out as I cut it. I was disappointed that I thought I failed.
I served the drenching apple pie anyway but I was not at all happy... It tasted kind of bland...

However, take a look at the picture!
The liquidly stuff has been set and the taste turned nice'n sweat.

ebay

Mar.13, 2005 /

I was outbid today.

I have been hunting for Kitchenaid's stand mixer as cheap as it can be. From my research so far, getting it at ebay seems the cheapest.
The model I want costs the recommended retail price of C$ 499-. The same price at Sears, the department store. Around C$300- at some Canadian online shop. I went to a cheap kitchenware store in Yonge × Bloor, which sells stuffs at remarkably low prices. ( Regrettably, I was an idiot that I haven't known of it for my entire life in Toronto.) This store carries only a cheaper model in store at $288-. It should cost more if I order the one I want.
At ebay, you could win one of the brand new model less than half price! (... if you are really lucky.)

Have you ever heard of ebay, the American auction site, by the way? Check it out if you haven't.

I am a total stranger to bidding. It took weeks for a timid beginner like me to start bidding. I checked and checked the possible items and I found 5 of them and added in my list.
Letting them go tiwce, being Outbid twice, what I learnt was that "二兎追うものは一兎も得ず" The Japanese proverb means that you can get none rabbit if you greedily try to get two.
I found this item without the picture. It seemed that no one noticed it because people bid higher prices at other same items. I was bidding another one that was much cheaper than the first one, and that would end three hours later.
As time was running out, the second one got more expensive and the prices competed. When bidding of the first one ended, the second one slightly cheap and I was the higher bidder at the time.
In case I bid it off, I gave up the fist one.
... You may have already guessed, the second one got more pricey. Going up more than C$200-, which was my fixed highest price.
Considering the shipping charge and customs (as most of the sellers are based in the States.), It must be less than C$200-.

I learnt from the lesson. I will go for the finest one!!!

キッチンエイドを買おうと奮闘中（笑
なるべく安値で手に入れようと、ネットオークションをチェックしてるのです。
…なんとも…。はひー。
オークションなんてど素人なのでかなりビビりながら（もともと小心者だし）、ここ数週間いろいろ調べていたのですが、今日、ついに出陣！
そして戦績３戦２敗１進行中。。
目移りしてていいお値段を時間切れで逃してしまったり、締め切りのずっと前からビッドして無駄に値段を釣り上げたり（売り手の思うつぼ（笑））、やっぱり素人丸出すィ～な戦い方に終始。
これを教訓に、長期戦でがんばります～。

…でもオークションちょっと楽しい。
ハマりそぉですょ！

kitchenaid

Feb.28, 2005

It was the end of February.

What I was doing in this whole afternoon was searching for a mixing machine sold good deal. I went on eBay.ca and other Websites looking for a brand new Kitchenaid stand mixer.

I want the one comes with a 6-quart bowl or the one with a 5-quart bowl. The biggest two of all types.
Why big? In case I open a bakery or pastry shop! Heh, heh!

I found that e-bay appears to be the cheapest.
Since the mixing machine companies are based in the states, ebay.com (U.S.) carries cheaper ones but... Unfortunately, most of the sellers don't ship oversea when it comes to brand new items to hunt.
I wanted the cheapest but gave up. I went on ebay.ca (Canada), where the sellers who ship to Canada are registered. Hmm... The price range for 6-quart is C$350 - 400, that for 5-quart is around C$230. Both before tax and shipping charge.
Hmmm, I am so confused.
I am looking for cheap enough yet good quality.
Should I go for Canadian wholesale store ? Or e-bay??? It is hard to make a decition.

....I am a geek, aren't I?

soggy apple pie

Feb.26, 2005

I baked an apple pie this evening.
.... Gosh, I partly screwed it up ...

There was a dining out this evening with Yoshi's friends near our place. Yoshi and I planned to invite them after dinner. The apple pie was supposed to be for dessert coming with coffee.

The apple pie didn't go well because I used the wrong kind of apples, I suppose.
I got the recipe from Baking Basic, one of the continuing education courses at GBC. It is what you are required to take ahead of all other baking courses. This apple pie sit in the very first page in the hand-out.
According to the recipe, apples named Northern Spy, Wealthy or Rome Beauty would be suitable for pies. I couldn't find any of those so I just got ordinary Red Delicious.
I am so sure that the apples made the pie soggy, nearly drenched. They have too much juice for pies!

The filling feels like hundreds of sliced apples in sugary cinammon-y water. It should have been much more jammy. It is consoling to think that the pie dough came out quite nice'n crumbly, though. And, I really appreciated that the two guests ( ... "pretended to" ...?) enjoy the pie. I thank they said it was yummy.

I declared that I will learn from the lesson and bake another apple pie in the future. "Don't bake it when you have nobody to eat them up...," mumbled Yoshi looking fed up. Heh, heh..

Oh, by the way, we went to a Korean BBQ restaurant for dinner.
They serve tender nice meat and other delicious Korean food. I love that place!!!
I have been living here for almost two years but I have never been there. Can you believe it? The great restaurant is just around the corner from my place. I have missed it!!

アップルパイを作りました。
…失敗しました。。
使うリンゴの種類を間違えた模様。。
必要以上に汁じゃーじゃー。
ジャム状になるはずだったのに～～！！
（私の持ってるレシピでは、リンゴは生のままパイに入れることになってます。）

S：「よし！今度は正しいリンゴを使っておいしいパイを作るぞ！」
Y：「…食べるヤツがいるときにしてくれ。。」（疲）