France’s MOST BEAUTIFUL Red Train Ride to the Glaciers

It's an unforgettable journey in Chamonix. You must visit Montenvers - Mer de Glace - Ice cave! Take a ride on the Little Red Train to the Sea of Ice - Refuge du Montenvers. Experiencing the Montenvers Train and the Mer de Glace, the largest glacier in France. Prepare for an exciting 20-minute journey on the famous little red cogwheel train to the renowned Mer de Glace and its ice cave. No other train, Uber, or car can access this location. It may be snowy up there, but surprisingly, it’s not colder than the summit of the Aiguille du Midi. The ticket for the Mer de Glace Adventure: Train + Gondola + Ice Cave
For the two of us, that totals 100 euros, and it’s absolutely worth it.

What is the name of the glacier in Chamonix? It is known as Glacier la Mer de Glace, situated in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. The Mer de Glace is created from the glaciers of Leschaux and Géant. It is the largest glacier in France, extending 7 km in length, covering an area of 40 km2, with a thickness of 200 m, and is located at an altitude of 1913 m. The charm of the Montenvers site enchants us even before our arrival. Every 30 minutes, the little red cogwheel train transports you to an elevation of 1913m from Chamonix!

We decided to spend a night at the 4 star hotel Refuge du Montenvers because we wanted to experience staying on the glacier and fully immerse ourselves in the mountain ambiance. I will guide you through the hotel, showcasing both the exterior and interior, including a tour of the room.

Breakfast is included in the package, and the prices are surprisingly not overpriced, contrary to what we might expect. Please note that the red train is not included. The daily rates vary, with our classic refuge double room priced at £220 for free cancellation and £180 for a non refundable option. We received a very warm welcome and found the room to be spacious and extremely comfortable, offering a magnificent view.

It felt like stepping back into the 19th century with its vintage style. However, the room had no kettle and no hairdryer, and it was a bit chilly.

No worries, though; we always bring our travel kettle on holiday, as having hot water and tea is essential for us. As for our room, there is no TV and no room service, so you can't order anything to your room. You have to head down to the restaurant if you’re hungry, but at least WiFi is included.

Wow, just take a look outside! The views are absolutely stunning and leave you speechless. We made ourselves some really warm lightly fragrant jasmine green tea and settled by the window, watching the snowflakes fall alongside the breath-taking mountain scenery. It feels like a scene from a movie!

We're really happy, and it definitely helps keep our minds in a good place. It's such a magical experience that we love to dive into again and again! The heavy snowfall outside our window is absolutely stunning. We're a little concerned though because the red train has stopped selling tickets for tourists on their official site.

Luckily, we discovered during breakfast that all hotel guests and staff can arrange to hang out in the area after checking out. This way, we can all head down to the city of Chamonix; otherwise, our plans would be totally messed up!

If you're thinking about staying overnight at Refuge du Montenvers, it's best to avoid taking risks in the last couple of days. If the weather turns bad, the red train might get cancelled, and you'll have to wait for better conditions. If you're in a rush, it's smarter to just grab a one-day pass and stay in the city of Chamonix.

I will show you a tour of the breakfast buffet area; this is what it looks like. The breakfast is not bad and not good either. You can boil your own egg but it is just so so, not as fresh as what you’d expect as free range golden egg yolks, We had visited to the Champery village in Switzerland and the boiled eggs are super yummy if you have watched our breakfast review video last month, the breakfast there are really amazing!

There are freshly made orange, mango and apple juices, and yes, it's sour in taste. also there are no good quality teas to choose from, unlike other four-star hotels in Chamonix. There is no sencha tea, no green tea, no black tea. The waiter said they only have homemade teas, which taste weird. so drinking hot water is fine. but since they come with the hotel package, it’s not a big deal!

Overall, it’s neither great nor terrible; at least the chocolate croissants are freshly baked, and I really liked the pain au chocolate, eating two of them and feeling somewhat full afterward. When I took a bite, it was still warm and soft, like it had just come out of the oven. The pain au chocolate has a nice crispy outside and a fluffy inside.

After breakfast we make our favourite jasmine green tea and take a moment to enjoy the view one last time before checkout time approaches. If you are curious about the specific type of jasmine green tea we brew everyday after meals, just ask. This isn't a promotion! It's genuine my favourite teas that I want to share with you all, it really helps lift our spirits.

If you enjoyed my honest review and found my travel video useful, the best way to support me is by leaving a like or a comment. In fact, we all deal with stress, and maintaining our mental health can be tough at times, but there are ways to cope. It's important to spread positive vibes, especially since you're alive and healthy. Focus on the good things, watch uplifting content, and everything will come your way soon. Take care and goodbye, my friends!

I had this super strange experience on a train where a woman sat next to me, and her shoe kept hitting the seat in front of her. What do you even do in a situation like that? It's really not hygienic or courteous. If you were in my position, what would you do? Drop a comment and share your thoughts!

1,003 words 5,481 characters

千錘百鍊 炸空心油條 The World's Best Hollow Fried Dough

Today, I'm going to teach you how to make a hollow fried bread dough. This is a healthier version and it’s not what you might expect when it comes to the ingredients, shaping, frying oil, and the entire process.

There are no weird flavours here; it’s crispy on the outside and soft and hollow on the inside. The magic is in the dough itself, along with the right fermentation and frying temperature.

(This recipe makes 8 oval-shaped pieces).
You can double or triple it to make more if you want.

In a bowl, mix together 90 grams of cold milk, 2 teaspoons (which is 12 grams) of sugar, half a teaspoon (about 2 grams) of dried yeast, and 125 grams of cake flour combined with half teaspoon of baking powder.

Makes 8 Oval Shaped
90g cold milk
2 tsp / 12g sugar
1/2 tsp dried yeast
125g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

You can either mix everything in a bowl or use a bread maker for convenience to knead the dough. Let it ferment using the dough setting for about 30 to 45 minutes until you hear the signal that it's ready to shape.

After that, let it rest for a second fermentation for at least 15 minutes. If you're not in a rush, it's fine to let it ferment for up to 30 minutes!

You can easily make your own cake flour at home with just two ingredients; check out the video recipe link in the description box below. Using cake flour ensures that when the fried bread dough cools down, it remains crispy on the outside while still being soft and pleasantly chewy inside. Shaping the dough is super easy this way. The oval shape looks great.

In a pan, add some olive oil for frying (not the salad type. This is the best cooking oil I've discovered so far for frying, cooking, and baking). I set a timer for 15 minutes for the first round of frying the bread dough. My cooking hob ranges from low 1 to high 9. Heat the pan on medium-high at '7' for 3 minutes, then maintain that medium-high '7' for another 3 minutes while deep frying. After that, switch to medium heat '5'. It's best to adjust the heat if you don't have a thermometer; cover the pan just in case, and keep an eye on it until they puff up and turn golden brown. Be careful, your hands should be dry—no water, as it’s dangerous if any water drops into hot oil.

If you’re not sure how to use chopsticks, don’t attempt it (use heatproof clips instead for easier handling; if the fried breadsticks dough falls into the hot oil, it can hurt you and create a mess).

There’s no smoky oil flavour, and you can control your frying temperature well. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes, and keep the kitchen feeling less greasy by ensuring all windows are open for good ventilation. Now you can make your own crunchy, airy fried bread dough.

Frying with olive oil is seen as a healthy cooking option. It holds up well at high temperatures due to its high monounsaturated fat and antioxidant content, which helps it resist oxidation better than vegetable oils. It boosts nutrient absorption and stays nutritious even after being heated.

And yes, Olive oil it’s pricier but it is also high quality is the strongest and healthiest choice. It is reuse safely: Olive oil can be reused more often than other oils because of its stability. Beware don't overheat!

There’s no smoky oil flavour, and you can control your frying temperature well. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes, and keep the kitchen feeling less greasy by ensuring all windows are open for good ventilation. Now you can make your own crunchy, airy fried bread dough.

Drain them on kitchen paper. Lightly coated with caster sugar! If you’re not sure how to use chopsticks, don’t attempt it (use heatproof clips instead for easier handling; if the fried breadsticks dough falls into the hot oil, it can hurt you and create a mess).

My absolute favourite way to enjoy it coasted with sugar, appreciating the textures while eating, paired with assam milk tea, my favourite homemade royal milk tea. I’ll make a video of it in the next upload, so keep an eye out. It’s a delightful afternoon treat for relaxation and food therapy. It’s truly my favourite for a tasty treat at home.

Happy spring, happy cooking, happy eating, and happy weekend, good bye my friends! I hope you enjoy this recipe. Don’t forget to hit that like button for me, and I’ll share more delicious, no fail recipe videos for you all. Beautiful tulip flowers for you guys, all the best!

Perfect for Breakfast - My Healthy Way to Make Crispy & Tasty Youtiao 油条 Hollow Fried Dough Recipe (Fried Breadsticks)!

Today, I am going to teach you how to make healthy and tasty Youtiao. This is healthy version, different from what you might expect in terms of ingredients, shaping and frying oil and process, and trust me, there are no weird flavours, it's crispy on the outside and soft and chewy with a honeycomb texture that's a bit hollow inside because it’s enough fermentation and frying temperature are a key.  

(This recipe yields 4 pieces)
In a bowl, combine 90 grams of cold milk, 2 teaspoons which is 12 grams of sugar, half teaspoon about 2 grams of dried yeast, and one hundred twenty five grams of cake flour mixed with half teaspoon of baking powder. On the side, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, but make sure not to mix the salt directly with the baking powder and yeast.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, or use a bread maker instead for convenience way, to knead the dough and let it ferment by using the dough setting about at 30 to 45 minutes until you hear the signal that it's ready to be shaped. 

You can make your own cake flour at home, just using two ingredients, check it out the video recipe link on this video below description box. If you use cake flour, it will make sure when the fried bread sticks are completely cool but still not hard, it's still fluffy and nice chew.

If you have any leftovers, just store the fried breadsticks in an airtight container in the freezer. When you're ready to eat, no need to defrost—just pop them straight into the air fryer or oven to reheat and serve.

It's easy to shape the dough like this way, and I  uses dough scraper to cut it in half makes it quicker too. Let it rest for second fermentation at least 15 minutes before deep frying. If you want the texture with hollow inside it’s important to enough fermentation, a basic secret!

In a pan, pour in some olive oil for frying (not the salad kind. This is the best cooking oil I've found so far, for frying, cooking, and baking). I set 15 minutes for the round 1 frying fried breadsticks dough. 

My cooking hob heat temperature from low 1 to 9 high. Heat the pan on (7) medium high for 3 minutes, then keep the temperature at (7) medium high for another 3 minutes while deep frying then switch to (5-6) medium heat, It's best to adjust it without heat thermometer, cover the lids just in case, keep an eyes on it, until they puff up and turn golden brown. 

Beware your hand are all dry, no water, it’s dangerous if any water drop onto hot oil. There’s no smoky oil taste, good control your frying temperature, wear sunglasses to not hurt your eyes, the kitchen also less greasy feel, make sure kitchen is all window open and good ventilation. 

Now you can make your own, crunchy, airy fried bread dough, fried breadsticks, which is what youtiao means in Chinese. Drain them in kitchen paper, if you don’t know to clip chopsticks then don’t use it.

My absolute favourite way to enjoy plain and see the textures while eating and with sencha or jasmine green tea or it’s perfect to eat fried breadsticks cut into pieces and put over the topped with rice congee for a brunch. It’s made me pure savoury satisfied and I love to dipped with soup rice noodles. 

You can also cut the fried breadsticks into small pieces and dip them in soup or dry noodles or rice congee, my favourite for a delightful treat! Happy cooking, happy eating and happy weekend my friends! 

Hope you enjoy this recipe, don’t forget to press that like button me and I will share more unique recipes every week.

Soft and Fluffy Steamed Buns - Red Bean Bun Recipe

Let's make incredibly soft and fluffy steamed buns, filled with delicious sweet red bean paste. The steaming time varies based on size; these mini buns weigh around 27-29g each.

Ingredients
90g cold milk
2 tsp / 12g sugar
1/2 tsp dried yeast
125g cake flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
or you can skip it

In a bowl, add 90 grams cold milk, 2 teaspoons it is 12 grams caster sugar, half teaspoon of dried yeast and 125 grams cake flour mix with 1/4 teaspoon baking powder or you can skip it.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl to mix and knead, or use a bread maker for the same process. Then, let the dough ferment for 30 minutes. Once the dough has doubled or tripled in size. Take the dough out and shape it.

Whenever I make red bean soup, I always prepare a little more than I need. This way, I can blend it into a fine consistency and then simmer it in a pan to thicken it by evaporating some moisture and adding sugar to achieve the perfect sweetness.

These buns are incredibly soft and fluffy, filled with sweet red bean paste. You can use the same bread dough for steaming, deep frying, or pan frying. I'll demonstrate that in the next video. You can find the exact red bean paste recipe video link in the description box below this video, so feel free to check it out.

After shaping, let it rest for 15 minutes in the steamer on low heat, then steam on medium-high heat for 15 minutes. This will yield 8 small pieces. This is my all-time favourite bread dough that I've been using for 20 years, and this is the improved version. Try out this recipe; I bet you'll really enjoy it, and it's super easy to make. Plus, you won't have to buy the frozen buns from the grocery store anymore.

Happy cooking, happy eating and happy weekend my friends. Thanks for watching.

How to Make Perfect Dumpling Dough - Easy Dumpling Wrappers / Skin Recipe 自制饺子皮 做法和窍门

How to Make Dumpling Dough, Dumpling Wrappers, also referred to as Dumpling Skins Now, let’s get started. Using a bowl to mix and knead by hand or a bread maker simplifies the process significantly.

Ingredients
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup hot boiling water
1 tsp olive oil (for frying and baking not for salad)

Start by adding 1 cup of cake flour, a half cup of very hot, boiling water, and a teaspoon of olive oil suitable for baking and frying (not the kind used for salads). Feel free to use this same recipe to double or triple the quantity.

Creating your own dumpling wrappers is definitely the best option; this homemade dumpling recipe is simply outstanding. Additionally, it’s a much healthier alternative when you make it yourself. You know exactly what ingredients are included, with no preservatives like those found in store-bought varieties.

I’ve been using this dumpling wrapper dough for over ten years, and I ensured it was 100% satisfying before I documented the complete recipe and shared the video.

I didn’t just test it once or twice, but multiple times to refine it. I also apply the same technique for making green onion pancakes, noodles, beef pies, and lasagna.

Take a look at my recipe for Homemade Crispy Potstickers, and green onion pancakes which I created 8 years ago. They are perfect for pan-frying and capture the spirit of street food right in your kitchen. You can find the video instructions and the recipe link in the description box below.

To begin, you will need cake flour. You can easily create your own cake flour at home by mixing plain flour with corn flour. Be sure to check the video description box for the link to the recipe on how to make cake flour.

This recipe makes 50 medium sized dumplings, so if you double it, you’ll have 100, and if you triple it, you’ll end up with 150 pieces.

My husband enjoys making extras and storing them in the freezer for quick ready to eat, pan fried or boiled dumplings, which are perfect for brunch or late-night snacks.

These are homemade dry dumpling noodles, which are also eggless wonton noodles. Chewy noodles tossed in a tasty sauce made from oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and sweet soy sauce, topped off with spring onions, coriander, fried shallots, and a splash of chili oil. The taste is incredible, and the texture has the perfect chewiness.

This video shows you how to create a dry boiled dumpling noodle dish that's similar to eggless wonton noodles. If you found this video useful, go ahead and hit that like button. I can't wait to create more tasty recipes for all of you. Enjoy cooking and eating, see you later, friends.

How to Make Chinese Pan Fried Buns 脆皮冰花 水煎包

How can you make the bases of buns and dumplings extra crispy and add a lacy skirt? This video shows you how to create a crispy lacy skirt for your buns and dumplings.

As food lovers, we all love chili oil and crispy fried shallots, which are essentials in our comfy home, don’t you think? Especially when they’re made from scratch. They truly add an extra addictive touch to every dish.

I’ve put together a recipe video for chili oil and crispy shallots, so don’t hesitate to take a look in the video description below. If you have any questions, I am happy to help.

You can use frozen buns or dumplings right from the freezer without thawing them, or you can go for freshly made ones like I did on this video. You could also try searching for Big Bao, char siu bao, or steamed buns Josephine recipes on YouTube.

They are my absolute favourite. These snacks are absolutely delightful! When you're looking to relax, just make some rice porridge and enjoy it with these fantastic crispy bao or dumplings.

It will surely boost your mood and give you that warm feeling of home. I absolutely love making bread and dumplings; it is so therapeutic. I almost do it everyday at home. There's nothing quite like the satisfaction of creating it from scratch.

Here’s how I shaped my meat buns! I will share my buns recipe video in the description box below. As for the chewy meat balls, I will also include that in the next video, so if you’re interested, keep an eye out for it!

Start by adding oil to a pan and heating it to medium-high. Place the buns in the pan and cover it with a lid for 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of flour (you can choose from cornflour, potato starch, plain flour, bread flour, or rice flour). I’ve found that using just one teaspoon of corn flour with a rice bowl of water works well, or you can mix bread flour with rice flour for a super crispy result without needing much oil.

Keep the heat at medium-high. Cover the pan and steam until the water has evaporated. Once the water has evaporated, turn off the heat and let them cook for another 2-3 minutes to make sure the bottom is golden-brown instead of just soggy.

This is one of my go-to brunches for a lazy Sunday, featuring rice porridge or some late-night snacks. I hope you enjoy watching, and have a fantastic weekend filled with happy cooking and eating!

Swiss Breakfast with Mountains Views in Switzerland

The views from our balcony are absolutely stunning. It's like a dream. We decided to upgrade to the Privilege suite for our last day because it’s expensive, but definitely worth it at £500 for one night.

The suite has a balcony and terrace that give you an amazing view of the stunning Dents du Midi mountain range.

The hotel staff are always cheerful and super accommodating. This breakfast tray is incredibly heavy. When I lift it, it strains my waist, causing discomfort at night. A heads up to everyone here, you really need to be careful with how you handle such heavy stuff.

The wooden tray is heavy; it may be stable, but it's surprising just how heavy it is. But those wonderful ladies are just fantastic!

Maintaining a long-term relationship can be tough, but it's crucial to do things together, even if it's just sitting in silence while soaking in the beautiful views and sharing breakfast. We all know that, life is short, so let's concentrate on what we cherish, enjoy our time, and keep in mind that self-love is essential, isn't?

We totally love these free-range golden egg yolks. I prefer my fried eggs a bit runny, served on a slice of bread, and every bite is just amazing. The boiled egg, also half-cooked, is simply delicious. It’s straightforward but really high quality, just like it was picked fresh this morning from the farm's hens. I'm addicted to Jasmine green tea; the view of the Swiss Alps and a pleasant aroma of Jasmine green tea really boost my mood. 

It's a wonderfully floral tea that smells and tastes extraordinary. Once again, it is really, really lift my spirits. Oh, Thanks for joining us for breakfast today! 

I hope you enjoy watching, and remember to find peace. If you're going through tough times, don't worry; healing takes time, just like it has for me. Sending my best wishes to all of you for 2026! Good bye, my friends!