Picture of My Day: enRoute

My friend is coming back and I will be going to pick him up from the airport right after work today!!  =D  It's now 4:44pm, his flight is scheduled to be arriving at around 5:50pm!!  Yay!!  Then we are gonna have dinner (don't know where yet).  As you can see his flight is somewhere over Wisconsin now (I think that's Wisconsin, not 100% sure)  No mood to work now eventhough I still have a file to work on...  Well, here is a very good example to show you what the hell I do at work most of the time!  LOL!!!

工筆畫（母親大人臨摹作品）

 這輯工筆畫是母親大人想當年的傑作。'想當年' 的我只有幾歲。依稀記得當時在大枱上滿佈毛筆和顏色碟，中間放了宣紙、紙鎮，則邊應該放了老師的作品（方便臨摹吧）。繪畫一幅這樣的畫我真的不知道需要多少時間；可能要用上一個星期，或許只需幾天這我就真的不知道了。再加上表畫，這是一件十分費時的事。母親佳作很多，可是表起的畫寥寥無幾，可見表畫其實是一樣很高深的學問。隨了這些工筆作品以外母親大人還有一些其他的'粗筆'作品（我不知道那些畫法叫什麼），日後有機會我會再把她其他的作品 post 在這裏。

 母親大人喜歡自己'表畫'。她說這幾幅畫表了很久。

 吳宮維燴？？維吳燴宮？？ Or 吳維宮燴?? 或是其他字句？？

這幅畫個人覺得畫得不錯，筆工細密。母親說這幅畫當年曾經一度參展。

近鏡。可見鬍鬚畫得非常細緻。

這條魚也畫得很生動。舉高的那手臂上毛髮每條都能清楚見到。

全圖。

這是什麼花我就不知道了。拍照時天色已暗，所以顏色可能差了一點。

花蕊的近鏡。

花蕾...

這又是什麼花呢？荷不像荷、蓮不像蓮？但它又有類似荷葉的東西？！

花的近鏡。如果你知道這是什麼花，請告之。

另一朵花的近鏡。

蓮葉？

這是牡丹？！但牡丹的葉好像不是這樣的啊？！

花蕾實在又似牡丹呀？！

難道是單瓣牡丹？！

花莖的顏色層次分明。

向日葵，這個一看便知。

葉的顏色也是有分層次的。

花蕊近鏡。

水仙。這幅畫母親沒有把它表起，可能她不太喜歡這幅畫吧。

近鏡。好像沒有之前的畫得那麼好？！

Chinese Walnut Cookie 合桃酥

合桃酥是一種我幾喜歡吃的酥餅。其實，為什麼合桃酥要叫合桃酥？整個酥餅只有一粒細小的合桃，食譜中也沒有說過要用什麼合桃油或合桃粉之類的東西呀。本來以為它一定加進了杏仁油，結果沒有... 在美國時很難找到這種酥餅，倒是來到加拿大後發覺中國點心、食品非常普遍。在超市中買過一盒八塊裝的合桃酥，但味道真的有點兒那個！有一種一盒有兩至三塊超巨型的倒可以接受。Mom，希望你能夠研究出那種又厚又爆花的那種合桃酥吧～

材料：

麵粉plain flour                         10安士oz                  臭粉ammonia powder            1/4茶匙tsp
梳打粉bicarbonate of soda     1/4茶匙tsp                糖caster sugar                        6安士oz
豬油lard                                   4安士oz                    雞蛋egg                                   1隻
蛋黃egg yolk                            1隻                           合桃walnut                               適量

麵粉、梳打粉一同過篩。

如圖。

然後放進其他材料：臭粉、糖、雞蛋、菜油 shortening（我們用菜油取代豬油）。

拌勻。（菜油太凍，所以要先把它壓碎。）

然後拌蛋。

繼而麵粉。

把它堆成一個粉團。

完成～

這個食譜可以做三、四十個迷你合桃酥，我喜歡食比較大的酥餅，所以母親大人只把這個粉團分成十多份。

把粉團先搓圓後壓扁。

完成～

在中間篤一個窿，如圖。

掃上蛋黃。

再放上一笠合桃。

Done~

預熱焗爐250°F，將整盤放入已預熱的焗爐中間，用210度焗10分鐘之後，見餅發大瀉開即將焗爐轉為300度再焗約10分鐘至餅面呈金黃色。

完成～

..........

扁笪笪...為什麼....

Mom 說蛋黃塗得不夠多，所以表面不蛋黃分佈不平均。

哇哈哈哈～～～ 給你看看我是如果拍照的～～ ^^

切開一半內裏如圖。

合桃酥口感非常鬆化，而且味道適中。如果能夠做得厚身一點加上爆花就最好了。

謝謝母親大人在這裏為我們示範做合桃酥。

Strawberry Banana Muffins

This strawberry banana muffin looks very similar to the strawberry shortcake cookie that Mom made weeks ago.  Mom loves cooking banana loafs or muffins with extremely ripe bananas, which they give more flavors than those 'raw' ones.  To do so, she usually freezes the bananas while they're half riped.  I was supposed to take 4 muffins home...I've already wrapped them individually but I must have forgotten to put it in a bag...  By the time I realized this, it was already too late...Mom has given all muffins to her friends...  =*(

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries                           2 tablespoons sugar, to toss with strawberries

2/3 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)               1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup 2% milk                                                   2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons vegetable oil                                 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour                                       2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon                          1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Sliced fresh strawberries

Toss strawberries with 2 Tbsp sugar and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir banana, remaining ½ cup sugar milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla together.

Like this.

In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Stir dry ingredients into banana mixture just until blended.

Like this.

Fold in strawberries.

Keep folding...

...But don't over-fold (complicate huh!)...

Done!

This is Mom's baking mold.

It looks like this on the other side.

Mom has greased the baking mold then coated it with flour.

Scoop the mixture into the baking mold.

Like this.

Done.

Alternatively you can scoop it into the muffin cups as well.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. . Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Almost there~  =)

Done! Allow to cool for 15 minutes before turning out.

It looks okay to me.

Flip it over and it looks like this.

This is what it looks inside.

Here is a closer shot.  Taste light and not very sweet.  Its texture was a bit chewy when it first came out from the oven, but I'm sure it will get soft & moist on the 2nd day and onwards.

Thank you Mom for making such a wonderful muffin.  Hey, remember to save some for me next time!  =)