Boiled Fruit Cake

Christmas Fruit Cake 

This is a boiled Fruit Cake

It is easy to make

It is tender and soft

Simply delicious

I have adapted this from my sister-in-law Pauline Cheng’s recipe 

Ingredients:

85g butter

70g brown sugar

2 eggs

75g plain flour & 1/4 tsp baking powder 

1/2 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon ground almond

60ml maple syrup or honey

50ml sweet liqueur 

1 orange (juice & zest)

350g mixed fruits

1) put all ingredients except flour and eggs into a pot, slowly simmer to boil, stir consistently

2) mix in flour and beaten eggs to the cooled mixture 

3) pour into a lined or greased small loaf pan

4) bake in preheated oven 160’C for 1.5 to 2 hours

5) when done, let cool

6) brush with sweet liqueur & wrapped up to age in fridge

7) ready to cut and share after 5-7 days.

 

EMMANUEL GOD WITH US

Emmanuel

God with us 

Today is 30th November 2022, I am sharing with you what happened on last Friday 25th November.

I dropped my spectacles one day ago. Early in the morning I decided to walk the same route in search of my lost spectacles alone. It was a usual route that I go for morning walk.

Full of hope and expectation, I walked and my eyes were looking left & right hoping to catch a glimpse of the orange colour spectacle box.  

All of a sudden, ‘Bong’ I found myself down on my knees & my right shoulder on the floor, supporting the half fallen upper torso, on the five foot way ! 

All I could remember was calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. I could not remember how many times I called Him, and I also heard myself kept thanking the Lord for being there for me. 

I was able to stand up with bruises on my knees, hands, arms & shoulder. I applied antiseptic on both of my palms & my knees, and I was able to complete the journey & came home. 

(These photos taken today, 5 days later)

I cleaned the bruises & applied some oil, and my husband and I were on our way to meet my sister Veron in Tampines Mall, by bus. Veron came to Singapore with her friends since 22nd Nov. We could only meet on this day because of her tight schedule. We had a great time talking, and sharing over a simple lunch. The time was well spent, with lots of catching up. Thank God for the wonderful time together. 

(the bruise on my knees) 

As we parted, we came home by bus too. There was no pain in the bruises, in fact all this while I was having arthritis pain in the thumb & the trigger fingers. 

Today is the fifth day after the fall, and the bruises had not given me pain or problem. I just realised that God has given me a sign that  He was with me when I fell - a cross on my right shoulder! 

This is our God. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is always there for us as we call on His name. Praise Him. All glory and honour unto our God the Mighty God of heaven and earth, amen 

KOMBUCHA BREW

To make 2 Litres Kombucha: 

(A) 

1.5L pre-boiled water, left to cool overnight

(B)

3 tea bags @2g each of black tea 

100g sugar

500ml (2cups) water

(C)

From previous brew:

1 Scoby 

250ml starter tea 

Method:

1) boil 500ml water 

2) once the water boils, turn off heat & add tea bags. Let to steep for 10min

3) remove teabags, and add 100g sugar 

4) stir the tea until sugar dissolves. 

5) allow the tea to cool to room temperature, 1/2 day 

6) to assemble: 

    Into a large bottle add:

     1.5L overnight boiled water

      500ml sweetened cooled tea

      250ml  starter tea

      Scoby

7) stir, and cover the bottle with cloth as Scoby needs to breathe

8) wrap the bottle with cloth or newspaper to cut off the light

9) F1 - allow the tea to sit for 1 - 2 weeks (depends on the taste that you prefer) 

10) F2 - drain the tea into bottles to ferment at room temperature for 2 days

11) store bottles in fridge after F2

Notes:

1) cut fruits or juices may be added during F2 to add flavour & colour to the drink

2) never fill bottle to the brim as pressure is created during F2 fermentation. The tea may shoot up or even burst the bottle ! 

3) if you prefer fizzy drink, screw the cap tight during F2, but be careful when opening.

Happy Brewing! 

You will love its colour as you  enjoy a glass of cold fizzy kombucha.

    

When God Opens Doors

 When God Opens Doors

COVID has brought much fear and anxiety into our lives, especially when my husband and I were in Ipoh, Malaysia, while all our 4 daughters are here in Singapore. The Restrictions in movements; the fear of contacting COVID; the worry for our girls and their families; affected us so badly that our weight have gone down by the 10s of kilogram. With the number of COVID cases multiplying, the anxiety made us weak and soon affected our health. We were sickly and weak. The thought of coming to Singapore has been shattered with the close of the borders; restrictions in flights; and the tedious application and preparation to exit Malaysia and entry into Singapore.

Nothing could be done except to fall on our knees and seek God. During my quiet times, and in tears, I asked God why He has brought our 4 daughters to Singapore by providing for them; giving each of them an ASEAN scholarship to study here; and lovingly watching over them all these years from teenagers to adulthood; and having their own families? Why He has forgotten about us? Doesn’t He want to unite us with these 4 lovable girls? I kept asking God. Though there was no immediate reply from God, I could feel some peace within me after talking to Him.

Soon everything came as a surprise when God opens the door. Airline started selling tickets, flights resumed, borders opened with restrictions, and with COVID test requirements. Application to exit and entry procedure have been made possible online. So our daughters helped in the online applications and the bookings and payment of Arrival Covid tests. 

One marvellous thing that God did was to alert my brother in law Doa Ming. By His divine appointment, he dropped by to visit us. Realizing our urgent need he took us to KL to do the ART tests before sending us to take the flight to Singapore. 

Our God works in a miraculous way that we are not aware or comprehend. He knows our needs and works in ways to provide for us. In March last year, our youngest daughter was impressed by God to buy a 2 bedroom apartment. Both she and her husband, on seeing the convenience of the location, they bought it without hesitation. When we reached Singapore in January this year 2022,  the apartment was already  renovated, furnished and ready for occupation. Praise God for a his provision. 

This is our God. He knows our needs, trust Him and He will soon make all things beautiful in His Time, amen