Time to wear my lucky bra

Last month, I entered the Discovery Travel & Living "Fly & Feast" contest sponsored by MAS Airlines, hoping to win a plane ticket (for two) to New York City. The prize also includes a 2 -night stay at a 5-star hotel and dinner at Les Halles. And I think the winner gets to meet the infamous Les Halles' enfant terrible chef, Anthony Bourdain.

Ok, it's not because of Anthony Bourdain. I'm not crazy about him. Yeah, he eats all the unimaginable street food and has the wittiest comments on food and cooking. He's blatantly honest, original and true to his cool, cynical New Yorker self. Really, I do love him for that and watch "A Cook's Tour" just for his witty comments.

But it's my ultimate dream to visit the famous Magnolia Bakery at Bleecker Street, NYC.



I must, must, must visit the original bakery which made cupcakes in vogue. The first cupcake recipe I made was Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes with Butter Frosting. The recipe is amazingly good and just so wholesomely old-fashioned. The kitchen smelt like a retro 60s kitchen with the warm vanilla scent wafting from the oven. I felt like I was a little girl again, transported to my grandma's kitchen with her mint green, clunky fridge with a heavy handle that you'd have to yank down to open the fridge.

Plus, I want to eat their Red Velvet Cake, Banana Pudding Pie, Ice Box Cake, Cherry Jubilee and sigh, all their baked goods. I know, I know, I can easily go bake their cakes from their cookbook. But nothing beats the original thing.

The contest results are not out yet and I've been keeping my fingers crossed . And yes, I've been wearing my lucky bra ever since.