...in a whiz

Cakes of Year End 2011

2012-01-09T16:03:00.009+08:00

It feels awkward to write here again after such a long absence. For the missing time here I was instead near, tucked away in my house mostly jamming in my kitchen with whisks and spatulas in my hands drumming to the beat and rhythm of the noisy kids during their school holidays.

Before Yanie calls me for the 6thth time asking me the same question why I haven't updated my blog, I better fill these pages with some cake pictures. So this post is for Yanie and also Aida.

I would like to thank those who have ordered whose names I have misplaced. Thank you all so so much. It was a pleasure making these cakes. There were many cakes that didn't make it here due to my forgetfulness, for that I am so sorry.

There are many tales to regale about all the cakes done, especially the last one featured here. But after much consideration, I have settled with the thought that life is more than all the harsh words received from a person. I thank you for the experience and believe that things happened for a reason.

Jules, thank you so much for coming to my rescue. Get well soon.

Welcome 2011. You are now complete.

It's Here!

2011-11-23T02:17:00.006+08:00

You know it's here ...

when food in the fridge disappears before noon,
when the television is switched on way too soon,

Thanks so much Hariz' mum!

when many cushions fly across the hall,
when you trip over little things and fall.

Thank you so much Adam Izz' mum!

when night takes too long to start,
when fights are launched due to a single fart,

Thank you so much Zara's mum!

when you can't seem to hear yourself speak,
when you have to give chase with that familiar stick.

Thank you so much Adriana's mum!

when whines and cries end up in stares,
when "No" only means you are not being fair,

Thank you so much Althea's mum!

when taking sides means you love the other more,
when your feet, hand, nose, elbow ache and sore.

Thank you so much Ali's mum!

You know it's here...

when hugs and kisses are the preferred currency,
when the faces you grow to love are all you see,

Thank you so much Maryam's mum!

when lonely moments leave you at their sight,
when you are theirs exclusively day and night.

wiz

It's here! The school break is here!
Have fun with the kiddos folks!

My Loaf Story

2011-11-10T16:21:00.007+08:00

My love story, as many a time written and expressed here in words only decorous to me, is only one. However my loaf stories are aplenty to talk about. I am as I would like to think myself as, a good baker, not excellent but good enough to pull a few tricks here and there to make the baked goods look presentable if not pretty. I have baked quite a storm in my oven, ranging from cakes to pies to pastries, but nothing will satisfy me enough until I bake my own fluffy shop like bread. My attempts to making my own bread started before I baked cakes. I set my own standard as a woman and to me a wholesome woman should be able to pull out a homebaked bread from the oven to be served to the family every morning. Ini adalah influence daripada cerita Heidi bercampur Little House on The Prairie bersama Waltons. Ya, saya bayangkan diri saya memakai gown kembang bersama apron putih sambil membunyikan loceng triangle tu untuk memanggil suami yang bekerja keras dan anak2 yang bermain dengan lembu dan kuda untuk santapan pagi bersama keluarga.

My loaf affair isn't a bready tale. It can be categorized a a horror film, too disturbing to be shared in this space and time. The many loafs that didn't get to reach my table were not thrown away but were fed to the fish and crows at the nearby lake. There were times I could swear to you, I thought I saw the fish and the crows turned away from the pieces of my hard bread dispersed to them. errrrkkkk.

Amongst the many unsuccessful affairs, one loaf story shall be told with great delight and the recipe of this relationship shall be shared. This is a recipe for those who have never baked, who have little time and who like me dislike complicated steps and procedures to baking anything. This is something your husband can do, second only to boiling a pot of water. Super easy!

Hokkaido Milky Loaf
original recipe taken from Angie

1. 540gm Bread flour
2. 60gm cake flour
3. 10gm Instant yeast( I used 1 packet of mauripan yeast)
4. 30gm Milk Powder
5. 80gm sugar
6. 9gm salt
7. 1 large egg
8. 250gm fresh milk( I used Low fat Milk)
9. 150gm whipping cream.

The method is very straight forward. You need to put in your mixing bowl in the sequence of the number above. Put in the flour first, then the yeast and so on and so forth. Mix one after another and use the bread hook, like captain hook punya tangan tu, to start kneading the dough. it will be sticky at first but keep kneading until it forms an elastic ball. If you have a bread machine just set it to sweet bread function.

Knead until it forms into a ball and doesn't stick to the side of the bowl.

Once that's done, leave the dough in the mixing bowl and let it rise for an hour. After the dough has risen, place it on a lightly floured surface and give it a punch! Dushum! to deflate it. Divide into 6 balls and put them aside for 20 minutes.

After that, take each ball and roll out and do the folding method as seen in this link. and place the dough in a loaf tin. Wait for another 30 minutes till the dough has risen double its size and brush them with egg and milk wash. It is 2 tablespoon of milk and 1 egg yolk mixed together and brush the mixture on top of the dough.

Once ready bake at 180 degrees Celsius around 30 minutes or till golden brown.

The before and after. Wooohooooo I got bread, I got bread!

The verdict is supposed to be cottony soft and deliciously addictive. Mine turned out to be not so cottony soft. It is on the heavy dangdut side, which I love and the taste is similar to potato bread sold at Tesco and Carrefour tu. Nice. I had two loaves last night, now I only have crumbs stuck at the side of the pan. Siapa habiskan mama punya share ni!!!!!??????!!!!!!

Must make again.

Before the end of this Loaf Story, these were the last few slices.

You Know You're Old ...

2011-11-01T01:38:00.004+08:00

Thanks so much Ita!

...when

1. ...you find dressing up is a chore.

2. ...you think the mirror is being mean to you.

3. ...you take longer to rest than to get tired.

4. ...you only watch the beginning and the ending of a tv show.

5. ...you find your children the same height as you.

6. ...you ask your 8 year old child how to work an electronic gadget.

7. ...you can't live without your glasses.

8. ...you answer your kids with "because I said so!"

9. ...you only ask for a back and foot massage as your birthday and anniversary presents.

10. ..you begin to sound exactly like your mother!

I am all that and more!!!!!!

Thanks so much Min. Hope he felt like your rock star!

That Rainbow, Somewhere.

2011-10-29T02:04:00.014+08:00

I never once looked at a rainbow and thought of the prism theory. The scientific explanations do not do justice to the brief appearance of a rainbow. To me, it's there for a reason, it's there for us to see and to experience the short stance of happiness it brings.

Rainbow influences everyone in a beautiful way. It calms the crying soul, it remedies the blemished aura, it nurses the wounded heart and it balms the bruises of any falls. It's those seven colours we seek after the rain, be it in our heart or outside our window pane. It is also a present we wished we could bring and give to someone whose life is a little bit troubling.

I did a rainbow cake wrapped in a Van Gogh piece of artwork. It's a gift from a dear to her dearest. The colours of the rainbow present in the cake were supposed to ease his sorrows and I do so hope the taste would mend his broken heart too.

Thanks so much Natasha!

It's a far cry from the original work of Van Gogh. I was indeed crying when I did this! To achieve the same palette of colours was almost impossible with buttercream.

Another rainbow cake I did was for a one year old. At that age, everything is a rainbow :o)

Thanks so much Ita!

Rainbows are not difficult to find, it's that pot of gold that's been luring us away from the true beauty of the sky tapestry is! ;o)

U Want Anything?

2011-10-18T16:47:00.008+08:00

Thanks so so much Emy!

He texted me the other day asking if I needed anything. I was at home preparing dinner and chasing the kids to take their baths after school. He was at Mydin's getting things he didn't tell me about. He likes to buy things right after he gets his salary. It is his way of celebrating his family, I can feel it sans so many words.

I texted back "...no thanks, saya dah masak dah. What I want, you can't give, so I shall not ask.;o)"

I knew he would call me back to decipher my message, and so I waited all ready with my answers.

"...What things that you said, you shall not ask from me?" he sounded bemused with my answer.

Impossible things, I said, like a tree house, a trip around the world, an island in my kitchen and my impossible list went on and on. I wasn't trying to be a spoilt one or the ungrateful one, I was just being silly for the sake of initiating a response from him other than the usual greetings and everyday predictable conversations.

There was an eclipse of thoughts in his silence and just before I wanted to say "gotcha! saya main2 je la" he breathed out "...if I can afford it, I would give the world to you, your tree house your trip around the world, anything,you know I would kan?" I know he knows that I know. And I said "...just come home already!"

But he got me better things. Better than the tree house, better than the trip around the world or any of those silly stuff I wished for. He came back with a tub of Walls double dutch ice-cream, which he carefully hid from the children's view, and a plastic bag of mangoes which I love. The mangoes we all shared after dinner, the ice-cream, we had to wait for the kids to hit the hay before we took the tub out and just spent some quality ice-cream time together, kekekeke.

As we were about to enjoy our ice-cream, him with the spoon and me with my index finger, just the way I take my nutella, I said to him, you know what sayang?

"what?"

"...I am sooooo into this Groupon thing and they help little people like us enjoy cool things we know we would never consider of buying on any normal day. I think I have sent you a couple of emails regarding all the deals, some of them that I like very very much." hinting mode on.

"I'd buy you the tree house if they ever have discounts on it at Groupon!"

Set! I said affirmatively.
ermmmm.... If only he knew the things I have already bought or plan to buy via Groupon!

To know all about Groupon do visit their facebook page here.

Thanks so so much Marissa!

Super Something

2011-10-04T23:58:00.008+08:00

Thank you so so much Zurina!

You see, I haven't been feeling super lately. It's like I was sitting in the midst of something, when everything just seemed to pass me by. Just like the song, I was watching my dream only from a distance with little allowance of guilt. I spared some time and waited but nothing came out of it. Perhaps, I didn't know what I was waiting for. Perhaps, I missed it when I wasn't looking.

For right now, I feel the need to be a Super Something so I could go on feeling super in need. I need an agenda, a new wardrobe, and maybe a whole new world to save.

And whilst I am at it, better pack an extra cape and some disposable masks, just in case. ;o)

Up up and away!

Yuna, striking a "super something" pose after her performance at Petronas Philharmonic Hall. Great voice, wonderful personality.

In One Breath

2011-09-26T23:39:00.008+08:00

I have never been on a hiatus before but this sudden discontinuity attack was the result of my inconsistent internet connection. It gets disconnected for no reasons at all and most of the time when I am trying to update my pages here. I am still here folks, alhamdulillah, baking and chasing after the sun rays. There were also times when I felt the sun was chasing after me, I got heated up several times, ;o).

Raya this year was all about receiving and meeting special people. Close friends, long lost ones, present and past all came together beautifully. The people who planted smiles on your face and cared to see them grow. I felt blessed when far away friends came for a visit despite their tight schedule. Having Fasha and her kids at my house was indescribable really. We spent the whole day laughing insanely and enjoying the little spread I had prepared. My sis came over too and with her kids, mine and Fasha's, the house was filled with Raya atmosphere. Seronok sangat. Thanks so much Fasha for making time to visit us here. Tahun depan harus datang lagi!

My absence here was made up with my presence elsewhere. I spent a lot of time with my cousins in preparation of our Family Reunion Event which successfully took place from the 23rd to the 25th of September. The things we did were simply unbelievable. I enjoyed those late nights of jamming sessions with them trying to sound as presentable as we possibly could. We were not born as performers, hence our baking endeavour. The Reunion was a time and place to be together as well as to let our kids mingle and know each other better. We managed to accomplish what we set out to do and that has sowed a big garden in our hearts, hopefully we will make time to harvest it annually.

At the Reunion with dearest uncles and aunties and cousins.

All smiles! Thank you for the most wonderful time everyone. Love you guys to bits and pieces.

A Drive

2011-08-26T11:47:00.007+08:00

Thank you so so much Alia!

The house is still in disarray. Rooms are messy, kitchen Topsy turvy, the front lawn bushy and the heart weary. I will not make haste this time even though Eid is a couple of days away. The floor to my kids' bedroom cracked terribly with broken pieces of tiles all over the place. It was a mini earthquake that one day and looking at the condition, it requires immediate attention. And so we will have the flooring people to do the fixing for us tomorrow and hopefully the kids' room will be ready a day before raya. There goes our duit raya this year.

The duit raya also goes to the servicing of the car. I hope everyone has done the same before going back for Eid. The maintenance of everything just sucks the life out of you kan? For a family who has a meager combined income like us, life can be expensive. I can't imagine the poor who struggle to feed and to school their kids. Even for us, it's a battle. I also hope we have contributed in sharing the little that we have with the poor. There are many pertubuhan kebajikan yang memerlukan. One is listed on my right column, another is Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Perlindungan Nur Qaseh Malaysia. The orphanage was started around 5 months ago and depends solely on public donations. There are 27 kids under this roof from babies to young teens. To donate please contact Pn Roslida at 0197614992 Akaun BSN : 1410041000160444. Mudah-mudahan beban mereka dapat dikurangkan. Kita tolong sama2 k. Terima kasih kawan2.

A note to my husband and also to everyone else who is driving during this festive season, please drive with extra care. You are not driving in a race behind a Subaru Impreza. You are driving with kids and lots of raya goodies bound for kampung halaman. So do take extra care of yourself and everyone else in the car.

Alright folks, my family and I would like to wish everyone a beautiful Hari Raya with good company and love all around. Have a safe journey home and back. See you soon.

Ps. If you are interested to buy last minute hari raya cookies, I have several extra bottles of Tart Nenas, chocolate chip cookies, bittersweet, Vanilla buttons and cornflakes. Choc fudge cake is also available. Interested please email me at wizcakes@gmail.com

Heartfelt thanks.

Kuih Raya Buat Mak Final Part

2011-08-26T09:56:00.006+08:00

If you have followed me and have been baking together, you would have yourself a container of egg whites from the tart recipe. I have been making a lot of tarts lately and have gathered a basin full of egg whites. No, I am not going to whip macarons, it is a feat frivolous to attempt on my part. However, I will do something much simpler and more delicious than any macarons tower put together mwahahahahaha...yer saya ialah pemusnah impian macaron anda sebab saya tak reti2 nak buat.

I adapted the recipe from Allrecipe, reduced lots of sugar, sebab ini kuih untuk mak saya, put lots of almond sebab ini juga kuih untuk ayah saya and chuck cups of chocolate chips sebab ini kuih untuk anak-anak saya juger. Below is the easy peasy recipe, click on the link for the original one.

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
adapted from here

4 egg whites
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1 cup cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup of crushed sliced almond
1 cup of dessicated coconut

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 150 degrees C.
2.In a medium bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar, vinegar and vanilla while whipping to stiff peaks. Fold in chocolate chips.

This is how a stiff peak looks like.

Drop by spoonfuls onto the prepared moulds.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are brown dry.

The texture is crunchy outside and a little bit chewy inside. I love the light texture and the many surprises inside. You will be munching on the melted chips, the crunchy almond and the flavourful coconut. I had 20+++ of these last night and at that point I am sure I would gain all my weight back. shrug. Inilah pengorbanan seorang pembuat kuih, kami terpaksa lupakan bentuk badan yg menarik semata2 untuk menghasilkan kuih2 yang menarik lagi sedap kehkehkeh.

Feelings

2011-08-25T09:40:00.007+08:00

Thank you so so much Nik Ja!

A friend of mine Anita, asked openly one day why she wasn't feeling the raya mood this year. She is thousands of miles away from her hometown and millions of steps away from the embrace of her mother and I think that is largely the reason why. But for some, perhaps it is just too easy to get melancholic when you are older and amazingly at times it creeps in for no reasons at all. It isn't exactly melancholy but more of "syahdu" and unfortunately there is no English word equivalent to it.

I think when you get to that certain age, like my age, you become more reflective and pensive of practically everything. It bothers you and teases you at times you need it least. Just imagine, nak masak nasi...syahdu, nak bawak kereta tetiba syahdu, nak lipat kain pun syahdu, nak basuh bilik air harus syahdu juger lol! Sangat mengada, especially syahdu ni wujud terlebih extra time Raya! And please stay away from the radio with all the syahdu lagu Raya, pengsan!;o)

Just thought of putting up a soothing picture of my cypcakes to ease the syahdu period.

ps. Nik Ja, I was syahdu when I relinquished the cupcakes to you the other day. Syahdu sebab dah almost 15 tahun tak jumpa.

Next: Final part of Kuih Raya Buat Mak.

Kuih Raya Buat Mak Part IV

2011-08-22T22:15:00.002+08:00

I was feeling a bit like the Incredibles family the other day. The resemblance is simply uncanny to describe. I felt I was suppressing my super powers, using it only to control my anger towards my super hero kids. I didn't want to create collateral damage from doing a good deed by spanking them, but sometimes this pear shaped super hero mum is forced to do what she hates to do.

The baking supply shop was brimming with people. I brought along my two super heroes to help me carry some of the heavy load. Adnin aka Dash is fast on his feet and is able to run from one end to another to grab as many bags of flour needed for the job. Iman aka Violet is most of the time invisible. She can tune herself out simultaneously generate spherical force fields to protect me when I am making my dangerous rounds at the busy shop. Errr, those were my thoughts when I saw these two characters and the way they were behaving then. Grrrr. As I was walking along the flour isle, my son dashed next to me knocking 2 bags of flour. Believe me, I so wished I had the power of Elastigirl and be able to stretch my hand to pinch the tush of my son! But he was too quick for his own good.

I picked them up hoping they would be the type of flour I wanted, semestinya tidak. One was tepung kentang and the other was tepung sagu. Argggghh.

I paid for them still, even though I didn't know what I should do with those two types I have never used. The thought of just pushing the two bags under the shelf did enter my mind for a split second though, ish ish ish. I know, saya rasa sungguh bersalah walaupun hanya berfikiran begitu untuk seketika.

Anyway, the tepung kentang or potato starch has been made to good use just now. I found a biscuit recipe which uses a lot of it in one mix.

It is a simple biscuit recipe, one which you can whip up in 2 minutes, I promise you, provided that you have the potato starch.

Here is the recipe folks! I changed some of the measurements to fit my liking. The original recipe can be obtained from the link below.

Swedish Potato Cookies
Taken from here

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups Potato Starch
250gm butter
1/2 cup Castor sugar
1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
A pinch of Salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions

1. Soften the butter
2. Add a pinch of salt and vanilla.
4. Add the sugar, stirring until thoroughly mixed.
5. Slowly add the flours while stirring.
6. Gently but thoroughly mix the ingredients by kneading or mixing.
7. Preheat the oven to 170 Celcius.
8. Pipe the dough onto a lined baking tray.
9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.

I used this nozzle to pipe the soft dough. You can also roll it and refrigerate it and later slice the dough just like the original recipe indicated.

The piped dough.

These cookies are buttery and crunchy and yet simple enough to make. You can turn them into colourful morsels or sprinkle some sugars on them but I like them just the way they are.

The tepung sagu? Saya masih ragu-ragu. ;o)

Kuih Raya Buat Mak Part III

2011-08-20T17:55:00.004+08:00

My Mak used to sit cross legged on the kitchen floor with a spread of kuih ensemble before her. She mixed the dough all by touch and texture, kneaded it and wrapped the dough with a damp towel before slicing and frying it. We were never allowed to help, this was the only kuih she did all by herself. It was our most favourite kuih of all time and I have never seen any other families beside ours who served this kuih at their houses.

Mak has forgotten the measurements and as she said, she has lost the touch and energy to sit down to do the kuih for us. My yeop suffered the worst symptoms of withdrawal :o), this was the only kuih I ever saw him hugging the tin whilst sitting in front of the tele enjoying every single bits of it. We were given a tin each so would not argue for our shares, but still there were always others who dipped their little hands into other people's tins tau!

We called it Kuih Krup. The onomatopoetic name fits the kuih perfectly. I can't remember the last time Mak made this kuih but I knew I had to recreate for the sake of continuing the tradition.

Since Mak found it hard to remember, she only narrated the basic ingredients used for this kuih. She said I needed to balance, the flour, the water, the salt and the onions. That's about it she said so nonchalantly.

I searched the Internet for biscuits with the said ingredients as mak equipped me with and discovered the origin of this kuih is from the northern part of the Middle East. In that region it is called Lavash. The only difference was we had lots of onions whereas they lavish this thin biscuits with sesame.

I also found out this biscuit is perhaps the best thing to snack on. It is not fried unlike how mak prepared it and has olive oil with wholemeal flour and ingrained with lots of sesame seeds. I am not a fan of sesame seeds, but when I took my first bite of this crunchy healthy biscuits, I was hooked and terus perasan sihat dan kurus sekejap.

Alright before I write a thesis paper on Lavash, and bore you further,I better show you how to make it and let you be the judge of it.

Lavash

as seen in Free range cooking show.

You need

1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup wholemeal flour
2 tbsp black sesame and 2 tbspn white sesame seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt ( I used sea salt)
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1/2cup water

To finish:

virgin olive oil
flaky sea salt

Mix the flours, sesame seeds, oregano and salt. Combine the oil and water together, give it a quick stir and add to the dry ingredients. Use your hand to form the mixture into a soft pliable dough.

Roll thinly

Take a portion of the dough and roll it on a floured surface as thinly as you possibly can. Cut the dough into strips of desired length. I cut mine just nice to fit my jar.

Peel the strips and put them on a lined baking tray. Brush them with the olive oil and lastly sprinkle the sea salt. Try to use sea salt as too much of table salt is not good for you. Sea salt on the other hand has medicinal properties. Bake the strips for 15 to 20 minutes depending on your oven. I baked mine at 170 Celsius for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

They taste as good as my mum's kuih krup but it is better as it is actually good for you. You can google the benefits of sesame seed and sea salt. I am sure you already know the goodness of olive oil.

Instead of the butter laden and oil laden kuih raya, this is an alternative for those who are health conscious. I would like to think that I am but I enjoy them purely because it tastes so so good.

Happy baking folks.

Ps. Yeop, there's a balang for you along with other biscuits as well. ;o) yes Ida, you too.

Saying It Best

2011-08-19T10:24:00.007+08:00

Nana, you are as sweet as the person you are. Thanks so much for the order!

The cake was ready to be decorated right in front of me. I was standing clueless in the kitchen pacing up and down for ideas. This was a cake for someone dearest to Nana, it had to be special, it had to say LOVE, it had to encapsulate the idea of love and family. Those were the thoughts which come into play every time I take to see the pages of history Nana created for her family. The videos of their new baby, the adventures of her new role as a mum and how her husband fits in so snugly in all the arrangements the family has made. The cake wasn't just to celebrate the birthday of her husband, but also to celebrate the love they have for one another.

As I was about to drape the cake, at that time still clueless of what I wanted to do, Ronan Keating was singing in the background. I followed the rhythm carefully, thinking of gardens and swings and flowers in between. I remembered the long walks I took with my husband and resting our weary feet on one of the many benches at the park whilst humming the same song. True to the lyrics of the song, no words were exchanged during that time but somehow it felt as though we had the best conversation ever.

I installed the swing last after the bird nest resting at the top of the tree and consolidated the park bench with bamboo skewers for the extra support. Somehow I wasn't worried if it was going to collapse or topple before it reached Nana. When the foundation is strong and the feeling is happy, it's going to be alright.

The cake was all ready to be delivered and I had the song playing over and over again when my other half walked in humming to the music. He had that flustered look on his face and with a higher pitch than usual he sang with all his heart and there I was ready to feel so romantic when he blurted out...

"...I think it's best when you say nothing at all!"

Cis!

Kuih Raya Buat Mak Part II

2011-08-17T23:41:00.007+08:00

The almond crisps didn't manage to reach mak last weekend. They are buried deep in the tummies of the belly dancers of this house. I will have to make some more for Mak before the arrival of Syawal so she has more variety of kuih raya to decorate the dining table and to be shared with friends, relatives and neighbours.

My quest to make more raya cookies for mak this year continues on. I replaced the almond crisps with Tart gulung nenas and presented them to her when we were there last weekend. Both my mak and ayah were convinced I had pulled their legs, knees and all their joints into a knot as they believed I had tricked them with a store bought one. I didn't know how to react but I reacted anyway with the thought that, those tarts I made, must have been looking and tasting that good kehkehkeh. My parents are not people of many words. They reserve good words in a compartment sealed in their hearts. Only criticism comes out to ensure we improve and strive better. We know they like something when they are silent or mummed by our gestures. They were pleasantly quiet when they had my tarts so I am guessing they liked them very much. Either that or the tarts were such a mouthful. ;o)

The recipe for the dough is a combination from a few recipes. But the bulk of it was taken from the same book of the Almond crisp recipe. The jam was store bought. I didn't make my own kerana saya tidak lah sebegitu rajin lagi.

Tart Nenas

250gm mentega(saya guna buttercup sebab saya sukakan rasanya yg tidak terlalu lemak)
40gm gula aising
2 biji telur kuning size A

putar sehingga kembang

340gm tepung gandum
1 sudu besar tepung jagung,
1 sudu besar susu tepung.
1 sudu besar tepung kastad,
secubit garam,
sedikit esen vanilla

jem nenas yang secukupnya yang telah digentel membentuk selinder seperti dibawah.

Masukkan sedikit demi sedikit bahan kering ke dalam bahan basah, putar sehingga menjadi doh yang lembik.

Letakkan doh tersebut dalam alat ajaib yang berbentuk seperti alat musik recorder ini dan tekan secukupnya untuk membalut jam nenas yang telah digentel tadi.

Setelah terbentuk tart gulung sapukan sedikit telur kuning sebagai hiasan.

Cara untukmenikmati tart nenas.

Masukkan keseluruhan tart ke dalam mulut.
Tutup mulut dan bernafas melalui hidung. (Anak saya percaya dia boleh bernafas melalui telinganya.)
Kunyah perlahan2 sambil membenarkan air liur anda menggaul bahan yang dimakan tadi secara rata. Pada saat ini, mulut perlulah sentiasa tertutup untuk mengelakkan sebarang kejadian yang tidak diingini.
Telan dan bersihkan mulut anda untuk bersedia dengan penerimaan tart yang seterusnya.

Untuk menikmati tart nenas dengan kepuasan maksima, sila makan dibalik pintu dapur atau di dalam bilik stor yang tidak berhabuk.

Selamat Mencuba.

;o)

Ps. Yes Ida Zentell, I made one bekas for you.

Tempat Mengadu Hati

2011-08-12T20:02:00.005+08:00

Thanks so much Intan Juwita!

I wanted so much to write more words other than just the thank yous but time got the worst of me. The pictures have been kept for far too long and I just had to say my thanks before I forget the names of the kind people who ordered my cakes.

After I published the pictures, I packed some cookies and went straight back to tempat mengadu hati. I went back to Ipoh to berbuka puasa dgn mak, ayah, abang dan keluarga beliau.

Sometimes I let myself forget how nice it is to come home to friendly surroundings and to familiar screams of my mum. "Cepat change the channel tu, mak nak tgk ......"

It was good to be back.

PS. Rafiah!!!! I went to your shop and was hoping to see you. Maybe next time my dear friend. Next time insyaAllah k.

Thanks so much Hanim!

When I Was 21

2011-08-09T11:01:00.003+08:00

Thanks so much Milia!

I held a secret. A secret I packed tightly inside of me and was never exhaled out to anyone until recently. Not even to my better other, not even to my own shadow. It brewed many unwanted emotions in this heart, ones I could actually do without.

When I lightly opened up to my better other about the said secret, we played a guessing game. I didn't want to tell him yet just to prolong the suspense ala2 cerita Hindustan mixed with Indonesian sinetron plus Malay crekarama. His ridiculous guesses however had me in stitches and as I was sewing myself up again he looked at me and we locked stares before he said "...nooooooooooo!"

I knew what he was thinking and just to play along I nodded to his thought of

"...yes chamee, I was once a man, and my name was Wizzudin"

He collapsed at the side and said "... no wonder. That explains the facial hair."

Cis!

Weeeeeeeeeee

2011-08-05T06:11:00.009+08:00

I have always been a slide person ever since I empowered my momentum to carry my weight in acceptable speed. I love slides at playgrounds and when I was younger I tried them all. My favourite would definitely be the ones at Taiping Lake Garden, yang dibuat daripada batu tu. They were wide and tall, many could slide down or roll down together holding hands if the kids wanted to. I had memorable, wonderful times with my sibblings and cousins there. And if I was to go back, I would still climb up the batu slide and weeeee down a couple of rounds before my husband realized I made it up there without his consent. Dia menjadi sangat pemalu orangnya apabila saya bertindak sebegitu. kehkehkeh

During those times, slides were just straight ones, mana ada yang spiral2 ni. I have always wanted to go down on one just to know how it feels. But my age does not permit me to do so, followed by my weight as well as my husband. I understand his plight every time I asked to go on a slide at any playgrounds with the kids, before I could say anything he would "...please la, awak dah besar la, and this is for kanak2 shj." Besar could be interpreted as besar dari segi size dan juga besar dari segi umur. He prefers to remain vague in this stance. Cis!

Anywayyyyyy...

the weekend before puasa, I managed to convince him to let me go down one a spiral slide after he saw it could carry my besar issue. I bought the ticket via Groupon days before and all of us were too excited to weeee down. I am such an addict to Groupon! They always offer irresistable deals which grant little people like me the experience to indulge in big places that I know I could not afford on any normal days.

I was quite skeptical at first. This IS the tallest slide in the world stretching 5 storeys high and 50 metres long. But after watching a few kids before our turn who went down very slowly in the tube on the green mat, I was ok with the thought of shooting down the confined alley. I was concerned because I had with me my handbag which equalled the size of a medium hand luggage with leftover food squashed inside. But the bro kat situ cakap, "...tak per makcik, boleh peluk kuat-kuat beg tu." Makcik? nasib baik tak pakai baju kurung, if not mesti dah kena panggil opah! another cis!

My kids went down first with my husband waiting at the other end. When it was my turn, the bro kat situ cakap "...untuk orang besar, kita bagi lagi best. Kita guna kain lapik lain, kain hitam." Before I could ask what difference it would make, the bro said ready? and he pushed me down. I held on to my bag and could not even scream for my life because it went like an orbing machine. Swoosh swooosh swooosh and I was terpelanting to the other end. The world went spinning on me for awhile. You are not advised to stand immediately, especially a makcik like me. It had me laughing after with my kids relating how fast we went and what fun we had. My husband too got on it and enjoyed the ride down. If it wasn't that expensive we would have probably gone on it 10 more times after the first try.

The other end. Waiting for the sight of my husband. I had this fear that he might choose to orb to some place else in this orb machine. lol!

If you would like to give this ride a try, make sure you go during the happy hour, much cheaper. If not it would cost you RM12 each. But thanks to Groupon, everyone in the family get to catch a ride in the tallest slide.
The Lex slide can be found at the Empire Shopping Gallery Subang Jaya.

What is Lex Slide?

The LeX Slide – First of its kind in Malaysia, the LeX Slide is a five-storey high and 50 metres long indoor structure. Fully customised, designed and built by German engineering technology and experts, it is digitally accessorised by LeX with audio speakers, Ipod docking system and digital cameras. LeX customers can take a joy ride on the slide and experience the state-of-the-art audio system for a 10-seconds escalated sensory escapade.

Taken from here.

Oh yeah, the kain hitam? You have got to try to know.

Kuih Raya Buat Mak Part I

2011-08-03T11:55:00.005+08:00

Almond Crisps

I have been trying quite a few biscuit recipes these couple of days. Some came out well, some didn't. Ones that I like are simple in ingredients, methods and tastes. I am not a complicated person, either that or I am super lazy! ;o)

I bought this inexpensive biskut raya book the other day, hoping to make more than the normal chocolate chip cookies and cornflake biscuits this time around. This act was spurred by my mum who actually asked "cher buat biskut jenis lain. Ni ida gives me choc chip cookies of her version, and you also give me choc chip cookies of your version...asik2 chocolate chip cookies jer." I was like "...okkkkk, I will make you in different colours!" Indeed I did try that, the same batter but in many colours but then kesian pulak mak saya tu. Hence the purchase of the book.

Recipes there look simple enough for me to make. There are many old favourites like tart nenas and biskut gajus. But what caught my attention was this biskut badam rangup or I have named it Almond Crisp. Please don't try to order this biskut from me folks, I will do better. I will share the recipe here with you so you can do them and pass to your mum.

Taken straight from the book.
Bahan:
160gm mentega
1 biji telur putih
100gm gula aising
90gm high protin flour
1 tbsp tepung jagung
2 bibi kuning telur
secubit garam
1/2 esen badam
badam secukupnya uuntuk hiasan.

Step 1 is to pipe the batter onto a tray. Step 2 is to place the almond in any fashion onto the piped batter. Hope the picture helps.

Cara membuat:

1. Putar mentega hingga ringan dan gebu.
2. Masukkan telur dan gula dan putar hingga kembang.
3. Masukkakn selebih bahan kecuali badam.
4. Masukkan doh kedalam puiping bag. Tekan ke atas dulang pembakar.
5. Taburkan badam ke atas nya.
6. Bakar pada suhu 160 celcius sehingga kuning keemasan.
7. Sejukkan sebelum cuba untuk ngap.

Verdict: The cookies are very light and crispy. The kids prefer them without the badam. Haih. The husband ate them like it was already hari raya.

A New Day

2011-08-01T12:01:00.003+08:00

Thanks so much Yati!

When Ramadhan comes, I am enveloped with this brand new day feeling. A fresh start every time to make things better, more fulfilling and emerge as a new improved person at the end of the process. I have laid out rules for the kids to abide and I have set myself to observe similar regulations as well. First and foremost, we will try not to get angry at each other and hopefully the rest comes easily once the anger and irritation are dealt with.

I am hoping this will be a better Ramadhan from last year in many aspects.

And my wish goes out the same to all of you folks out there. Kita cuba jadi yang lebih baik daripada yang sebelum2nya ok. Kita cuba sama-sama ye. InsyaAllah.

A Hunch

2011-07-28T10:38:00.005+08:00

Just the other day, I looked up to see the clouds forming your beautiful face and I felt the wind teasing me of your name.

and I stood still.

Last night, I saw your smile up on the moon with splashes of the stars resembling your aura. I knew I had to run to you.

I believe nature has a way of speaking and the signs are all lined up for me beautifully.

And my hunch tells me it's you.

Selamat Pengantin Baru to all especially to friends of wizcakes.

Ps. Kak Lin this song is for you and for me to perasan sorang2 ;o)!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much Ennie!

The words above are translated from the lyric of the song Firasat from Marcell. Nothing compares to the malay version. Bahasa melayu sememangnya sangat indah dan halus.

Kemarin Kulihat Awan Membentuk Wajahmu
desah Angin Meniupkan Namamu
tubuhku Terpaku

semalam Bulan Sabit Melengkungkan Senyummu
tabur Bintang Serupa Kilau Auramu
aku Pun Sadari, Ku Segera Berlari

reff: Cepat Pulang
cepat Kembali, Jangan Pergi Lagi
firasatku Ingin Kau Tuk Cepat Pulang
cepat Kembali, Jangan Pergi Lagi

alirnya Bagai Sungai Yang Mendamba Samudera
ku Tahu Pasti Kemanakan Ku Bermuara
semoga Ada Waktu, Sayangku

ku Percaya Alam Pun Berbahasa
ada Makna Di Balik Semua Pertanda
firasat Ini Rasa Rindukah Atau Kah Hanya Bayang
aku Tak Peduli, Ku Terus Berlari

dan Lihatlah Sayang
hujan Terus Membasahi
seolah Turun Air Mata

Sedetik Lebih

2011-07-26T03:49:00.005+08:00

Thanks so much Wan!

It takes that sedetik lebih to make all the difference.

The heave of each breath which resonates silently in your heart, the unyielding thought which occupy every room in your mind, shape the motives in your life. In your wakes and in your dreams, when the unsettling vision of your loved ones tickles by the side, you continue loving them for all of their shortcomings.

Love is all you have and with sedetik lebih that you give every time, your only hope is to come out stronger than before. Yanie, I know it is hard for you right now but everything will work out fine, insyaAllah it will.;o)

It is that sedetik lebih which created all of the cakes in these virtual pages. The thoughtfulness of a person who has more than the usual, prompts the generous act of cake giving. If you are the recipient of special cakes, do take a moment to appreciate the gesture and reciprocate accordingly.

You are indeed special but it takes someone more special than you to offer the lingering sweetness.

Thanks so much Novee!

Taking Time To Realize

2011-07-19T15:18:00.009+08:00

He looped the loop and made ribbons, tight enough to tie his shoe laces. While I looked on and observed just in case I needed to bend down to help him decode the string work. I didn't have to. The knot was secured, in contrast to my insecurity in letting him dash to the pitch to play with the rest of the older boys.

I had vicks and inhaler in my knapsack, just in case he'd come running back for extra puffs.

He didn't.

The night before, when I thought I was all alone in the heat of the oven, I saw in a distance a head bobbing at the dining table. I peeped through the kitchen window to see her sewing away her badges. I looked on and observed just in case I needed to bend down to help her decode the thread work. I didn't have to. The badges were secured, in contrast to my insecurity in letting her manage her chores.

I had my sewing kit out just in case she'd come whining for an extra hand.

She didn't.

For all the little things my kids are able to do, I am proud in tremendous value. They are their own persons now and I am still taking my sweet time to realize this sudden warmth crashing down in full view.

I have the best seat in the house and I plan to enjoy the show of watching them grow.

Head Stuck In The Clouds

2011-07-15T11:36:00.006+08:00

Thanks so much Ida Zentell!

Many moments in time, that's where my head is. The clouds serve as a barrier to things I do not wish to see or hear. It is more than a make believe for me, it is real, so real that I think I have a strong idea of how clouds taste like. Please abandon the concept of seeing me floating up there. I do not float, dalam air pun susah nak mengapungkan diri lagikan atas awan lol! At all times, consciously I make sure I have my feet fastened to the ground. I walk, stride, stroll, skip, tread, march, saunter and simultaneously my head wanders through the clouds above. It's indescribable really but if I can put words to the feeling, it is similar to you walking alone lost in your thoughts and dreams.

The motion is identical to you swaying to the rythm of love.

I have been walking alone literally every evening right before I fetch the kids from school. From a walk I used to dread under the sun, now it has become a walk I look forward to.

I just hope it is cloudy today, then I would have more clouds to myself.

The taste of the clouds you asked?

candy flossy and marshmallowy of course. ;o)

Our Love To Pay The Bills

2011-07-13T00:30:00.003+08:00

Thanks so much Azyan!

It was on that thought that we agreed to be together in marriage. Love conquers all they say, just like it is scripted in many movie lines. Love was the currency in which we settled our bills, paid our dues and worked our ways through life. We thrived on love alone and multiplied from it. Like magic, from two, love became four. :o)

Believe it or not, love still pays for our bills now. A lot of things got done due to it. If it wasn't for love, I wouldn't be here, still writing. If it wasn't for love I would never continue baking. As much as I wished for the house in the South of France and be rich enough to buy nice sweaters for everybody and teach them to dance, I would be more grateful if we spent the time helping each other read books and soothe one another's worried looks.

But of course it would be really really nice if we could build our house on a mountain one fine day just so we could make everybody look like ants from way up there.

Yes Chamee, just you and I, you and I.

These Shoes Are Made For Walking

2011-07-08T13:08:00.009+08:00

Thanks so much Nina!

I don't normally put on proper footwear when I go out. It has always been those comfy rubber shoes wherever, whenever. My feet are those that are hard to please. The size is quirky and the shape is archy, walking can be an arduous affair for two feet stuck in the wrong walking compartments. But when I find one that fits and pleases I tend to not wear them as often for fear of them wearing out too soon on me.

Yes, that is the daily confrontation of my soulful feet.

I am going to be very honest with you. I have only 3 pairs of shoes. One is an orange original crocs bought at only 3 pounds,(orange because that's the only colour left) another is a pair of running shoes cum travelling shoes and the last pair is kasut in which I wear my baju kurung with, a proper looking slippers with heels which have graced the last 5 rayas. That's about it. In a shoe cabinet in any households where the mum's shoes should dominate the shelving space is unlikely the case here.

Buying shoes is an emotional affair for me everytime. I don't get the liberty to choose a design that I like, it all depends on the pattern which has my size. And when I am lucky to find one that speaks to the heart, I get emotional the second time when the shoes are all worn out with my husband begging to throw them away. Sedih.

Anyway, I know I will be engulfed with emotions soon enough with these pair of shoes. They are my prized possessions at the moment, a companion during my travels and a comfort during my sole searching. I have been putting them on more now as I need them in my rounds at this lake. Kunun2 nya nak mengecikkan apa2 yang besar la, so kena la jalan lebih sikit.
;o)

Shoes are made for walking pun kan. So walking I am now.

That's The Way It Is

2011-07-08T11:22:00.002+08:00

Thanks so much Siti!

I am still here minding the mind, mending the house, making the cakes, marking the kids, marrying the letters and mashing the all. It has been quiet without the band playing in the background, but I still have songs in my heart which accompany me when the melody chooses not to hum so harmoniously.

I love coating everything with sugar, it gives that extra sweet crunch that makes any ordinary spread super special. I had an extra spoonful of sugar on top of my toasts these couple of days, and that got me through the day. The energy it provides is inexplicable but I am most definitively not intrigued deep enough to untangle the effects of it. I just let it do its trick and breathe in the moment before I start all over again.

This time I will make haste. I've got my running shoes on. See you at the Lake!

Thanks so much Khaz!

Cerita Pakcik

2011-06-29T01:43:00.008+08:00

Thank you so much Nur Zahrah

Saya bukan seorang yang pandai menulis, jauh sekali untuk berkarya. Cerita-cerita yang terkumpul di sini semua melibatkan perasaan tak tentu hala dan syok sendiri saya sahaja. Saya menulis dalam bahasa asing bukan kerana hendak menunjuk lagak, jauh sekali takbur dengan penguasaan saya yang tidak seberapa ini. Niat sebenar ialah untuk saya terus menggunakan bahasa yang saya pelajari dengan susah payahnya seumur hidup. Saya tidak mempunyai otak bergeliga dan menyedari tentang hakikat itu saya perlu berlatih dan terus berlatih. Suami saya selalu mengatakan saya menulis mengikut emosi, tapi saya rasakan saya menulis mengikut gerak hati atau dalam kata lain, "pakai boh je". Saya tidak memilih untuk menulis dalam bahasa ibunda kerana karangan saya akan berbentuk seperti tulisan kanak-kanak darjah enam.

Apa-apa pun, saya kagumi cara dan penulisan seorang Pakcik ini. Olahan beliau terhadap sesuatu tajuk sangat menghiburkan lagi menjana ekonomi rumah tangga. Sudut pemikiran beliau diibaratkan seperti melihat pelepah kelapa ditiup kipas angin yang kekuatannya di takuk ketiga. Walaupun beliau tidak setuju dengan nama persatuan Brownie yang berbunyi seperti makanan, beliau masih mengekal intergriti sebagai peminat sukan nombor 2 Malaysia. Dan disebabkan itu, hanya itu, saya mengangkat topi Brownie saya untuk beliau!

Take it away Pak Kordi!

Thank you so much Liza!

Lagu ini ditujukan khas buat suami saya dan Pak Kordi sekeluarga jugerrrrr.

Ekonomi Rumah Tangga

2011-06-27T13:19:00.002+08:00

Thanks so much Nazia!

It's a subject I never took when I was in my secondary years. We had a choice between Perdagangan or ERT and for some undomesticated reasons I took the former. Two classes after, I regreted my choice as our teacher Miss Lee's enthusiasm was a notch milder to Hurricane Katrina.

I could never remember learning anything from her class. We were either too stunned of her voice or too frozen to connect any brain activities. It was the exact scenario when you have your ghosts infested nightmares, you just don't dare to move a single muscle for fear of being noticed. Everyone sat still, praying she didn't point her index finger to our faces during her question and answer sessions. I found out much later after I left school that she was admitted to an asylum. I knew those eyes were too deep a stare. I am glad she went to place that could make her feel better.

My daughter is currently taking ERT and it was not of her choosing. The system goes by name fortunately. I am thankful she was forced to take the subject as I want her to be more domesticated than I was and anyway I was always curious of the lessons taught in this subject.

Yesterday morning she made us breakfast. A plate full of skon titis was served for us to enjoy and scrutinize. I had a smile on my face for her effort, it's a good sign. We thanked her for what looked like American pancakes but she was adamant it was skon titis. But we enjoyed our breakfast nonetheless whatever name it deserved to be called.

The syllabus of ERT focuses on among other things the many types of Malaysian cooking ranging from the traditional kuihs to some modern ones. I flipped through her book and felt very relieved that this should be a subject she could do well in. Names like kuih rengas, lompang, seri muka, pulut inti, lopes, keria, tepung talam, tepung pelita to name a few ring many bells in my ears. There are recipes too which jolted me with the excitement to try. But my happiness was shortlived when she produced me her exam result for this subject. She just managed a 65. The bells that rang in my ears were missing in hers. She didn't know most of the kuihs mentioned above, neither did she know what are they made of nor how they looked and tasted. Uninitiated, she just could not produce good understandings, hence the poor results. And I haven't been the exemplary mum either to introduce these interesting kuihs to her. Sigh.

So yesterday, I brought her to the pasar malam and we bought one of each of the kuihs mentioned in her book and later had a tasting session. As expected, she didn't like most of them and I ended up eating all of them. ;o)

And these thighs now resemble more of Robocop's. Semua gara2 ERT!

Thanks so much Asyida!

Lazy, Mazy, Hazy, Dozy

2011-06-22T21:54:00.005+08:00

Thanks so much Meiza!

I am guilty of many terrible things in this life. Some are too horrific to mention here. Just yesterday, I grazed the car against the awkward pillar which stands in the middle of my porch. Some neighbours had it deposed instantly when they moved in due to the bad feng shui but ours is still standing tall. I had dark brown paint at the side of a white car, yes white!!!! Now am so regretting the colour choice. Even if I had worn a sexy lingerie in front of the scratch, I am sure my other half would still spot it a mile away. So before he came home yesterday and before he got the chance to drop his jaw sighting the horrendous effect I custom made on the car, I quickly moved myself into action. Sprayed some cheap perfume on a tissue and wiped away the dark brown paint on the car. So only a tiny scratch was visible. Oh, Saya rasa saya sangat pandai ketika itu sebab dapat menghilangkan warna calar di kereta famili kami. I can skip the sexy lingerie part safely. Phew. ;o)

Another thing I am guilty of is my lack of productivity lately. I have come to a point that I didn't feel it. There was no emotions in my craft. I was doing it for the sake of doing it. To tell you the truth, I was afraid of what I was feeling. I was immensely passionate about my work, I remember being excited and enthused with cake projects. But now, it is as though I just recovered from a massive heart attack(nauzubillah), numbness all over. I barely got through last week. Hence the brief road trip.

I am writing more now, churning my brains for words and ideas. Not here though, somewhere else. That's the real reason of my absence. I have been punching the keys on this keyboard just as much as I would like to bash a punching bag, extra hard even though I know I would hurt in the end of the course.

Hope to find my mojo back, my stardust, my sugar, my joy powder. I want to be high again in what I used to love so much.

Thanks so much Watie my royal sugar highness, the Queen of Sugarflours Kingdom.

T'was Father's Day

2011-06-20T21:29:00.012+08:00

Thanks so much Ardena!

Father's Day this year almost got away. I woke up like usual that Sunday, basuh kain and nak siapkan breakfast before I summoned all those sleepy heads down. The laundry was done when I heard footsteps near the hallway. I knew instantly it was my other half's from the creaky snaps of the joints. The sound of maturity I call it, I have them too and they are probably called warning clicks by my kids as the sound would forewarn them of our grand entrances. They are constantly up to mischievous pranks, too much time on their hands.

Anyyyyywaaaayyyyy...

Tetiba jer teringat it was Father's Day that Sunday. I quickly texted my father thanking and wishing him a beautiful day and quickly jumped into action next trying to prepare something for the baba of my kids pulak. If you know me I like to do things with a cheeky surprise grin on my face.But it was difficult this time around since my husband was just in the next room. So I quickly assigned him to hang the clothes outside, knowing that it would take him at least 30 minutes to do so. He is a perfectionist in terms of clothes hanging and he takes pride in doing so. So off he went and off I ran to fetch the kids telling them about the surprise breakfast due in 30 minutes!

I had a cake baked the night before for this day, his favourite marble cake. The kids had their cards ready. All I needed to do was finish up the sandwiches, dress the cake a little bit, make tea, make a computer card with all of our pictures in, set the coffee table, choose his favourite Dream Theatre song and spray a lil bit of perfume onto myself. It was done under 25 minutes with a lot of noise and a lot of bumping against each other. He was done with the clothes and he tried to get in but the kids pushed the door as I wasn't ready just yet. That made him very angry! The more he tried the more the kids pushed back until his strength was too strong for the kids to hold their fort. When he finally got in fuming mad, that's when all of us screamed with all our might "Happy Father's Day Baba!!!!!!"

The mixed emotion he wore on his face was just priceless. Of course he laughed upon seeing the kids jumping up and down with a cake on the table. It was a simple do for that morning. Just would like to mark the day with an unpretentious event starring the kids. The special treat for our extraordinary guy was due by lunchtime. I made his favourite nasi beriani with all the side dishes.

As much as I care for his health and his arteries, I can't help but enjoy looking at him eat the food I prepare, with relish. He wins this heart of mine every time he does that, even when this heart brews exasperation and vexation. All will melt away with the sweat trickling down my forehead as soon as I see him savour the food and all will be good again. I am simply a softy. There I said it!;o)

The simple do for Father's Day breakfast.

Happy Father's Day!

We're Alright

2011-06-19T17:17:00.001+08:00

For Khairina ...

Thank you for asking. :o)

I needed to find out how much I would miss blogging and making cakes so I decided to go on a short road trip.

It should be a trip where we put all our clothes, in just one knapsack and pack a little bit of food to last us in the car and enough cash to fuel up our vehicle. That sounded like an impromptu plan, and I loved it.

Destination?

North!

The kids thought they had me figured out and they were ready to end up in Aki and Opah's house but when we continued on passing Ipoh on our left, they became noisy and inquisitive. We took their questions like bullet shots, fast and furious. They never found out about the destination until they spotted the sea on both sides of the bridge.

Penang????? before they vociferously screamed yeay!!!!!

We took a longer drive than the usual 3 hours up north. It rained a couple of times in between the strong rays of the hot sun. My husband and I were perhaps just as excited as the kids. We were there last when we could still fit in our dark blue school uniforms, that's how long ago it was. After 15 years of marriage with two kids in tow, we made it again to the place that was special in so many ways. I knew I loved Penang for its food and its ferry and my husband loved it for its pasembur and sandy beaches!

We managed to secure a room for the night at the affordable Hydro hotel. We were told that it was the last room available for the day. After prayers we quickly checked out the beach across the hotel.

Miami Beach, Penang.

We were ravenous by the time we arrived and the best place to entertain our big appetite was Padang Kota Lama laaaaaaaaa! Guess what my husband had? and guess how much he had to pay for it? I reckoned the price was equivalent to his ration of the food for his entire lifetime! lol!

I had sotong kangkung size s.

The next morning after an early ocean dip, we checked out and made our way to Penang Hill. A new funicular was just installed a couple of months ago and looking at the long winding queue outside the station we were convinced it would be worth the trip up.

It was to our surprise how efficient the service was. It didn't take us that long to board the funicular as the trip to and fro only took 6 minutes each. So the crowd was immediately dispersed each time. The ride was pretty fast, maybe a tad slower than the roller coaster at any theme parks but it was considered a speedy one with quite a few screams audible from the passengers. My husband too gave my hand a tight squeeze as the funicular seemed to shoot to the sky.

The view?

...was a heart stopper.

We took the ferry home and enjoyed the sea breeze on our faces. The kids were expecting a supersonic transporting machine but nevertheless they enjoyed the slow moving ferry just the same. It wasn't a cruise ship like they had thought either, one that had a swimming pool and rooms to sleep in. It was difficult to explain what a ferry was until they saw it with their own eyes.

After Penang we made another trip to Manjung. A quaint town which serves the best Apam Balik in the Apam Balik universe. I had 6 in one sitting, one representing each flab on my tummy hukhukhuk.

Did I miss blogging and baking folks?

Alas no.

Thanks so much Noor for the order.

But what I realized I had missed were precious times where I should be doing more of the the above.

Here And Now

2011-05-27T03:04:00.007+08:00

I am here now, reaching out to you before I take a one breath break before more out of breaths take place again next week folks. The past week had my hands going in so many directions. I became a form one student researching for 20page project, a standard 3 pupil trying to sketch the most vicious looking snake for the art exam. It also felt like I was sitting for my mid year assessments memorizing bentuk muka bumi and the names of banjarans as well as figuring out my way in mathematical mysteries of a form One book, which I failed miserably. Fractions using whole cakes didn't work either for my 9 year old. I couldn't afford to break the cakes into pieces as I needed to use every single crumb!

If you could not see me, I bet you could hear me! I was screaming most of the time trying to search for my own voice to listen to. The kids were somehow hyper last week in a race to finish their projects and also to study for the midterm exams all at the very last minute. The mixer was going a tad too loud for my liking and as a result I could not hear anything the kids were trying to tell me. They find it most opportune to inform me of the most important stuff during my time with the mixer. And I would go "...O ok, hmmm iyer, sure" with a big nod at the end just to get them away from my working area. My nodding would always get me into trouble sooner that I thought.

But that itself deserves another page of another episode of "Mumsaster"

Have fun with your children and Happy Holidays folks!

Thanks so much Ika
This blue cake was inspired by a picture my customer sent me. If this is yours do contact me so I could give you a proper credit here. Thanks

I came to realize it's 4am here and now and I just could not keep my eyes open to iron the last few pieces of clothes. Till later folks!

Down And Troubled

2011-05-25T01:21:00.007+08:00

Thanks so much Mazyu!

Slowly in the pace of these jaded feet, I learn that things are not as idyllic as they appear on the shiny surface. It isn't sugar and spice, and all things nice for someone who is invariably immersed in the sweetness of her wares. There's a lot more that meets the eye. But no matter how hard a day is for me, I know I always have a piece of leftover cake to savour at the end of it all. But for some of my friends, a piece of cake isn't exactly a piece of cake.

To my dearest friend who is reading me all the way from Down Under, this song is for you. You know that all you gotta do is call.

This is also to Yanie, and Maizura. I'll race you in Central Park! Better keep up with me girls!

You've Got A Friend

When you're down and troubled
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

If the sky above you
Should turn dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together
And call my name out loud
Soon I'll be knocking upon your door

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there

Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend
When people can be so cold
They'll hurt you, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them
Oh, but don't you let them

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

Thanks so much Suzana!

Cinta Jangan Kau Pergi

2011-05-20T10:14:00.014+08:00

I pulled myself forward from the reclining sitting position just to get closer to the computer screen right in front of me. The second hand office chair was a bit wobbly and not as sturdy as it used to be. It takes extra effort to get it to go in the direction you would want it to go. Just like shopping trolleys at Tesco, 1 out of 5 is faulty and has its own mind, choosing to be steered in the opposite direction to where you wished to take it. I am sure you know what I mean. ;o)

Thanks so much Adilah and family!

It was supposed to be an exceptionally beautiful day that day. I would like to make believe it was, as it was my birthday. No fancy celebrations, or gatherings or even a dinner out, I was just too busy to be taken away from my kitchen. But in my heart, I acknowledged the day in a big way, accepting the fact I am getting older if only wiser. The cakes however took me away from the computer, my window to the outside world, long enough for me to be ambushed from all directions from the people called strangers. My work was scrutinized and disparaged and my ethics were questioned. It all happened when I took a step away from that worldly window of mine...on a day only special to me.

Thanks so much Dora!

It seems that I have poured angst onto a very talented cake decorator who took claim that I copied her cake design. The similarities are very much questionable though, as I myself could not see any likeness of my cake to the cake she made. The common trait was perhaps the general idea of a globe and a woman placed on top. The rest was poles apart. But she was still enraged to the extent of posting my cake pictures on FB and let All be the judge to the incrimination thrown at me.

Thanks so much Eina

A good friend came to my rescue, defended me as she would have guarded her own life. I only got to know much later that evening the whole story of the real story of how I was made guilty to the eyes of others. No matter what I say or try to say, once an impression is made it will leave a permanent mark if not an unsightly dent. Even though she later came to her senses and apologized, I know for a fact that I was left dented, chipped and broken into several pieces but I also know I have to gather the pieces together in order to move on.

Thank you so much Anne!

She didn't initiate the apologetic gesture, I did, I wrote to her and in my writings I asked the reason to why she had chosen to berate me publicly. In her defence, she said she wrote to me but failed to get my reply, hence her reason to share my insidious crime with others.

It is just a cake for goodness in the world sake! I was copied many times, and some even took my pictures, exact ones and displayed as their work of art in their blogs! I took it as a compliment, with a pinch of grrrrr of course but who am I to judge.

The last few exchanges of words, I said all is forgiven but it would take time for this to be forgotten. That's all I could offer her right now.

P.S.

1. NO, I did not copy her design. I have never been to her blog except for the time to see the cake she claimed I copied.

2. No, I did not receive her email.

3. Thanks so much Nina for being there in my absence and helped clear the air for me. I can't thank you enough.

4. I told her that I would not tell this story in my blog... I changed my mind. I thought, I better write it down and get it over and done with. Sorry!

What Sits There

2011-05-16T20:01:00.008+08:00

Once a whole family sat there, the grandpa, the grandma, aunties and uncles, nephews and nieces. They sat staring at me with their familiar friendly poses. Some graced this ivory isle to become husband and wife and many have gotten engaged with the promise to unite in a holy matrimony one day. Bears become my most loyal companion when lonely nights creep in. They love playing dress up, ever willing to be decorated in any attires chosen. But most left this isle in their wedding best, malay traditional wedding costumes, complete with the keris, tanjak and long shawl for the female bear bride.

My kitchen counter top or the ivory isle as I fondly call it have made home for so many loving characters. I always make sure they are in their prettiest smile and dashing look before they make their way to their final venue for others to appreciate.

When I let go of my creative presentations, I relinquish simple hopes of making things better, making days more beautiful after. My hopes were high for the cake below as it was there a husband kneels on one knee strumming a guitar, gazing at his better half's beautiful face with feelings only their hearts could fathom. It takes more than a cake to celebrate 13 years of meaningful companionships but a cake with all its pictorial representations is always a good start to begin with. :o)

For all the words that matter, the lyrics from 11 Januari by Gigi made it most memorable.

Happy happy 13th Annivesary Aizi and Min. Semoga dipanjangkan umur, dimurahkan rezeki dan bahagia hendaknya ke akhir hayat. Take good care of each other like always. Thanks so much for the order Aizi.

And Happy Teacher's Day to all the teachers who took the path of becoming one. Please know that you are very much appreciated.

Leftovers

2011-05-14T20:57:00.012+08:00

There are only four of us in the house and sometimes no matter how little I cook, there will still be leftovers. Freezing them is easy, what's difficult is serving them...again. The chicken tend to get chewy, the pasta, soggy, the soup and vegetables are just unattractive the second time. What's left for me to do is to recreate new dishes in order to salvage the still good to eat food.

I have been collecting a few dishes of chicken leftovers, ayam masak kicap la, goreng kunyit la, masak kari la, roast chicken la, round them all up, bits and pieces of them, and began to carik the flesh. Whilst carik-mencariking, thought to dish up a new presentation of the chicken flesh. Yes, the flesh, the chunky ones. And below was what I came up with.

Chicken Cobbler

Cobblers are basically savoury scones. There are a complete meal in one dish and requires minimal preparation- I loike.

Prepare your chicken, you can use leftovers or boil the fleshy parts of the chicken before tearing them to pieces. You need around 10 big fleshy pieces.

My leftover chicken. I washed them up first.

You also need a stick of carrots(grated)
2 sticks of celery, (thinly sliced)
Yellow onion, also sliced or cubed.
you can add mushrooms or any other vegetables you like. I only had carrots at the time.

Half cup of milk
half cup of water mixed with 1 tablespoon of cornflour
1 tablespoon of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
A sprinkle of shredded cheese, the more the merrier
salt and pepper to taste

Lightly fry the onions till fragrant. Add the carrots and other vegetables and let it blend with the onions for 5 minutes. Pour in the milk and the cornflour mix. Then add in the tomato and the Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Cook till everything is well incorporated and has thickened. Remove it from the wok to your oven dish. Leave it to cool.

It should look like this.

For the cobbler

300gm of all purpose flour,
1/4 teaspoon of salt,
4 teaspoon of baking powder,
100gm of chilled butter(cubed)
1/2 cup milk,
1 tablespoon of Mayonnaise,

Sift all the dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking powder. Rub in the butter until it crumbs. Pour in the milk and mayo and knead everything till it forms a workable ball.

Refrigerate for ten minutes. After that just roll out and drape it over your oven dish with the chicken filling tadi. Traditionally cobblers ni are formed into balls just like scones and place ontop of the cooked chicken. But I was too lazy to do that, so I just rolled it out like a pie dish.

Brush the top with yolk and pierce the surface with your fork to let the steam out whilst cooking.

Cook at 200 Celsius for 20 minutes (please pre heat your oven first k for at least 15 minutes.) Serve warm.

We finished the whole dish in one sitting! That was today's dinner folks.
Have a good weekend.

Ocean Deep

2011-05-11T01:48:00.003+08:00

Thank you so much Zurina!

Thank you so much Noni!

"...a little love is all I ask,
and that is all."

Ocean Deep

Cliff Richard

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T00:31:00.003+08:00

Mai, thank you so so much for the order. Appreciate the gesture more than you will ever know.

Every year when mother's day makes its presence, I seldom let myself go and enjoy the day. But most of the time, I worry if I have been the best I could be to my kids. The more I think, the more horrible I feel. Sometimes I feel they deserve better.

I wrote this poem a long time ago in 2007. Just thought it is apt for me to share again with you today.

What makes a good mother? I am often bothered by this question.
Especially after feeling guilty of punishing my children.
Does a good mother only listen and never whack?
Does she reserve herself to only watch and never smack?
Does she only whisper and never shout?
Does she only believe and never doubt?

A good mother is all that is good and bad.
She is in for the happy times and also the sad,
She may be stern at the same time understanding.
She can be strict and yet compromising.
She is serious and silly all together.
She is full of tears and overflowing with laughter.

Am I a good mother? That is a question I will always ask.
Especially when I am bothered,
If I have carried well this god given task.

wiz
Happy Mother's Day especially to Hajjah Fatimah Azizah and to all mothers out there.

Fast Sale

2011-05-04T20:36:00.003+08:00

Dearest Readers,

I am having a tripple combo cupcake sale selling at a promotional price of RM50 per box. There are 16 medium sized cupcakes, 3 flavours, chocolate fudge, vanilla dream and luscious red. The chocolate is drenched in chocolate sauce, the vanilla is topped with fluffy buttercream and the red velvet is dressed in cream cheese swirls.

All three wonderful flavours all in one box!

If you would like to indulge and treat yourself or your loved ones with these special cupcake edition, do write to me here wizcakes@gmail.com with the title Tripple Combo Pack.

You can come and pick them up or have them delivered(fee applicable according to location) Friday or Saturday 6th/7th of May.

It is first come first serve basis.

Thank you so much.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T00:20:00.005+08:00

Guess which one is my favourite.
Thanks Nina for sharing this video!

Thanks so much Sofia!

Thanks so much Ira!

Thanks so much Izzie!

Salam Rindu

2011-04-29T09:21:00.005+08:00

Problem ...

A dearest friend was missing her family back home and she could feel the rindu yang teramat sangat from her mum too. But distance, the culprit, is always the triumphant one when the feeling of longing sets in. If she could fly, I knew she would run and take flight, and if she could beam, I knew she would appear at the first thought of her family in seconds. However, since all of that are only the capabilities of a super human, she had to wait and let time fly in its own course.

But...

as if by magic...

she did fly...

with family...

in thoughts, in spirits and in all the warmth of her heart.

I made sure I packed all of those in a box and deliver them straight to the people who have been missing her and did a surprise delivery one hot afternoon.

The chocolate wasn't the only thing seen melting that day, but I could sense that the rindu melted away with it too.

solved!

Take care Fasha!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-27T09:08:00.004+08:00

Thank you so much Shima!

Thank you so much Mysarah!

Thank you so much Mala!

Thank you so much Iffah!

Trying

2011-04-22T23:19:00.006+08:00

I am trying to remember how it was moments before then. But the flaw in me ceased to grasp the ever changing dispositions of my self assurance. Things need to be reassured from time to time lest we might forget. I reckoned it could never be of old age, or lack of tribute, but perhaps it's due to something that has long withered.

I am finding time to salvage what is left in this space and time. There's a lot to do and I am not sure if I can do it all but at least I know for a fact that I am TRYING.

Thank you so much to the sweet people who ordered the cakes below. The flaw in me has stolen your beautiful names, but I am thankful for the orders nonetheless.

We're Gonna Be Just Fine.

2011-04-19T09:53:00.005+08:00

Thanks so much Haida!

Did you ever wonder where the story ends, and how it all began,
I do.
Did you ever dream you were the movie star with popcorn in your hand,
I did.
Do you ever think you're someone else inside,
when no one understands you are,
And wanna disappear inside a dream but never wanna wake, wake uuuuuup
Then you stumble on tomorrow, and trip over today

Would you be happier if you were someone together
Would the sun shine brighter if you played a bigger part
Would you be wonderful if it wasn't for the weather
You're gonna be just fine (gonna be just fine)

Are you not afraid to tell your story now,
when everyone is done it's too late,
Was everything you've ever said or done not the way you planned,
mistaaaake
So you promised that tomorrow, be different than today

Would you be happier if you were someone together
Would the sun shine brighter if you played a bigger part
Would you be wonderful if it wasn't for the weather
You're gonna be just fine
I think you're gonna be just fine
You're gonna be just fine
So don't worry baby

You're racing for tomorrow, not finished with today

Would you be happier if you were someone together
Would the sun shine brighter if you played a bigger part
Would you be wonderful if it wasn't for the weather
I think you're gonna be just fine

Would we be happier if we were someone together
Would the sun shine brighter if we played a bigger part
Would we be wonderful if it wasn't for the weather
I think we're gonna be just fine
I think you're gonna be just fine

Don't worry baby
Gonna be just fine
Don't worry honey
Gonna be just fine
Don't worry baby
Gonna be just fiiiiine

The Corrs

Thanks so much Dear.

Crunchy Thots

2011-04-12T09:41:00.010+08:00

Thanks so so much Julia. Hope to meet you in person next time.

On days when the seconds are heavy and the hours are long, when the steps are stiff and the heart doesn't sing you a song, it's time to indulge in some sweet treats to boost the immune system. The recipe is simple, just sprinkles of this and a dash of that, not to forget a dollop of those and a cup of good power mash. They are called crunchy thoughts, words that are too sweet to pass and too delectable to ignore.

Crunchy Thots Recipe

Making them is pretty simple, all you need is an air tight jar or a small tin(you may decorate them if it pleases you) and colourful papers cut into strips. Google some nice sayings and quotes from the internet, words that uplift you, ideas that push you through the day. They can be in Arabic, German, English, Malay, as long as you understand what they mean, collect them and once you have enough(around 50 or more) begin to write it one by one on the colourful strips tadi. Or you could do it on a daily basis, write at least one a day and put it in the crunchy thoughts jar and let it build up in numbers over the months. Once the jar has filled up, make it a point to open the jar in the morning before you and your family start your day and let each one take a piece of the paper you have collected.

Read what it says on the paper aloud to each other and learn from the beautiful words together as a family. Below are some of my favourite quotes by famous people which I have been collecting and filling up my jar.

Inspirational Quotes
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
James Baldwin

Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.
Emily Dickinson

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. Henry Ford

Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind. Leonardo da Vinci

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Michael Jordan

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. Henry Ford

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.
Aristotle

The greatest inspiration is often born of desperation.
Comer Cotrell

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing that you will make one. Ellen Hubbard

Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.
Art Linkletter

Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field, frozen with snow. Langston Hughes

If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember this whole thing was started by a mouse.
Walt Disney

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt

We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails.
Anonymous

We must become the change we want to see.
Mahatma Gandhi

When you do not know what you are doing and what you are doing is the best -- that is inspiration.
Robert Bresson

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
Confucius

and some good ones below written by people like you and me.

Birds sing after a storm, why shouldn't we?

You'll always gain more from what you discover than from what you're simply told.

Stand tall without standing on someone. Be a victor without victims.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

The four things we can not recover: the stone after it’s thrown, the word after said, the occasion after the loss, the time after it’s gone.

And this makes the best sense.

I don't have time to hate people who hate me, coz I'm too busy loving people who love me :)

Have a good week folks. If you wished for the rainbow, you would have to put up with a little bit of rain first.That's from me.;o)

Happy Friday!

2011-04-08T01:45:00.007+08:00

Thanks so much Azimah!

I am in the "entahlah" mood ni and trying so hard not to sink even farther down into the "argh" mood. It's not good to sigh and to whine, even if I do it inside my heart, audible only to myself. My woes are perhaps a speck of dirt caught in the eye if I make the brave comparison to a lot more of other people out there who have a world of worries on their shoulders. Let's take the Japanese for instance. Despite the horrific catastrophe they just hurdled, the people still come out strong and composed. They have been recognized and praised for their patience and their exemplary attitude. Maybe we can learn some values from them. I got this list below from a good friend of mine. Thanks Salina.

10 things to learn from Japan.

1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY
The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.

10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly!

And I would also like to share a Swedish proverb this beautiful Friday. This serves as a reminder to my forgetful self.

"Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours."

Happy Friday folks! and have a fantastic weekend!

Life's A Mac!

2011-04-05T16:51:00.012+08:00

When you are in good company, the heat of the Sunday sun becomes almost bearable. There was abundance of laughter all around despite having to give our attention to the teacher who was trying to steal our focus that day. She was a generous host with endless of knowledge and experience to share with the rest of us the Macabees and of course we loved her for that. But deep in our hearts I believed the laughter was to hide our anxieties to attempt the Mac. As easy as it may look, there was still the possibility of the macarons turning into amaretti biscuits and I have been there and done that...once. After the first failure, my egg whites became too precious for anymore of the Mac attempts. But Yani convinced me otherwise. She is a living proof that doing the macs is as easy as 1,2,3 if not a,b,c.

Cikgu Yanie showing how a hard peak should look like.

We were armed with colourful spatulas, courtesy of our sweet teacher.

And so, that eventful Sunday all 6 of us Edi, Zura, Lyein, Putri, Mai and yours truly made a date with the Mac Master to learn the tricks of the trade, the proper techniques of handling meringue and making pretty skirts in the oven.

After the demonstration by our Master Chef, each one of us had to take turns to equally produce the same results. I volunteered to go first as I needed to leave early to deliver a cake later in the afternoon. I was going Mississippi 1...2...3 all the way folks and of course I haaaaaad to have the colour of the macs to match my baju, like?!?!?

Edi happily whisking away! weeee

In between the airing and the baking of the macs, kami telah dihiburkan oleh ahli2 muzik proffesional, Putri dan Zura. They serenaded us with their own renditions of Sheila Majid's songs. ...saya suka! I don't have many pictures to share but there are some fantastic shots from Edi in her blog.

I would like to thank Yani, Edi, Zura, Lyein, Putri and Mai for a wonderful afternoon. I wished I could stay longer and devour Yani's out of this world nasi lemak for the second round and chit chat with all the beautiful ladies but unfortunately I had to make my exit for a cake delivery. It was nice meeting all of you and hope to catch up on your Mac adventures real soon.

As I sit here today, in front of a bowlful of macs from the class, my mind started to wonder if I could repeat the perfect outcome of these colourful morsels sans teacher, sans friends, sans cheer.

Let me down this moment first with a mug of tea and a bowl of macarons. ;o)

macs by wiz

Yellow For You

2011-04-01T11:19:00.010+08:00

Thanks so much Idamurni!

Some instances in life are just picture perfect! They capture the conducive mode to make you smile the whole day. Some cakes have that certain effect on me, and the one above is one of them. And when you share that good vibe with a cake, the ones receiving it get splashes of it too, I hope. Thanks so much Ida for allowing me to capture some happy motions of your happy family.

Have a wonderful weekend folks!

That Little White Cafe

2011-03-30T10:55:00.011+08:00

It was a beautiful morning and we were looking for something fun to do and yes baby, we found a place we could go to.

I am not sure if it was the look in the kids eyes or was it their dancing juice, but who cares baby, I knew what I had to do.

Well I know this little cafe in Bangi we could go,

Not many people know, Come on Girls!

Who cares if we’re trashed, got a pocket full of cash we can blow,

A few shots of patron, And it's on Girls!

Don’t say no, no, no, no-no;

Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah;

And we’ll go, go, go, go-go.

If you’re ready, like I’m ready.

Cause it’s a beautiful day,

We’re looking for something different to do.

Hey baby, Let's eat there and we bring the kids too.

Before the food arrived.

Pancakes and blueberries,

Chocolate cake, a bit too sweet.

Apple pie, also too sweet to my taste. Maybe it's the age. I am old.

We also ordered a few more items on the breakfast menu. But I suggest for you to visit this place in time for tea as this is the place to enjoy your desserts more than your breakfast I think. They have interesting tea sets with delectable spread of sweeties for the patrons. You can read a good review here. But I love the place, the deco, the friendly and accommodating staff. Those are definitely the plus points. The food was several tads too expensive for me. But I don't earn enough, maybe to a lot more other people out there, the price is reasonable. But do check this place out for an outing with your girlfriends, enjoying a time of endless giggles.

My sis and the kids, outside the quaint cafe.

I Think I Wanna Marry You.

2011-03-28T13:46:00.007+08:00

Thanks so much Nur Izwani!

I spotted him from afar, he was standing with his friends lining up for the briefing. There were many people there but I just saw him as though there was light beaming on his being. The rest moved in the darkness of my vision.

"It was such a beautiful day and I was feeling dumb too. But who cares baby, I knew I wanted to marry you!"

Thanks so much Ezza!

15 years later...

"I'm so glad that I married you!"

Is The Grass Always Greener...

2011-03-25T20:05:00.008+08:00

Thanks so much Masdiana!

...on the other side of the fence?

It seems so to the naked eyes. Not only the grass, the flowers too, at most times growing beautifully on someone else's lawn. And no matter how hard you tend to your plants, they would never match the ones on the other side. They always manage to turn much greener but not as green as your eyes though..

Thanks so much Nadia!

I used to see things that way. But now, I make sure I carry enough water with me whenever I cross over. And make sure I tend the grass wherever these feet decide to land on. At the moment however, these feet desire only to land on a big grass of bed and snooze all day long. ;o)

Thanks so much Zakiah!

Have a great weekend Folks!

The Everything

2011-03-21T10:45:00.013+08:00

The lacework of the cobwebs at the corner of the ceiling, seemed thicker than the last time I gazed upon it. It was beautiful as it was, the intricate pattern, the gentleness of it all. Somehow, I let it be in existence far longer than my mum would allow it. She is the sawang destroyer, simply ferocious. She'd freak out if she saw what's been hanging at that same corner for a tad too long. I told myself to have it cleaned sometime later, soon, said my heart, before I headed to the kitchen minding the sugarpaste that needed much caressing that morning. It has been a hectic week if not impossible for me. Cake orders which came in last minute took a lot of my focus and time. I was baking and cleaning non stop in between ferrying and screaming the kids around. They had their exams at the very same time, that alone was a frenzy.

I was also running to Alamanda for the demo and running back just in time to fetch the kids and send some cakes out. Just like a deflating balloon going crazy in its direction, that was me last week.

The last day of the demo at Alamanda, I came with sore feet. I was knackered. My fingers were all purplish due to the food colouring . I just hoped the audience didn't notice the taint and thought eeeeeuwww kotornya jari dia. So I kept talking to take away their attention from my fingers, hope it worked. When my session was over an hour later, I just surrendered to my appetite and ate like I have never seen food before. It felt good.

But I felt way better when I heard my husband humming Buble's number "I haven't met you yet". Confused was more like it actually, come on, my heavy metal guy humming to a Buble song? I looked at him and smiled. "What's up with you?" Apasal lately ni nak nyanyi lagu Buble jer? He smiled back and said "...sajer jer, he is in town now you know. Awak suka dia kan?" "Biasa2 je la, tak de la sampai nak pergi tengok concert dia. I like the songs not so much of the person. Even if S.M Salim yang nyanyi pun, if the song is good I'd like it." I mumbled at the same time munching the cookies I bought.

"... I guess, I have to find someone to buy the Buble tickets from me then."

" You did not!!!!. Please, tell me you did not! His tickets are expensive!" I fussed tapi dalam hati sukerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnyerrrrrrrrrrr.

"Awak ni kan. I bought it much cheaper from a friend la." He chided in an almost merajuk kinda way.

I wasn't used to this kind of gesture, I was in shock. It was just so thoughtful of him to do what he did which left me speechless for the next couple of minutes. The excitement soon crept in. I was skipping on my sore feet home. Texted my lil sis that she was given the honour to babysit my rowdy kids heeeeeeee. And went back to get ready for the show.

At the concert...

The rear view from where we sat nuuuuuuun jauh di atas. Ini pun setelah difocus 15 x ganda.

I asked Michael to say hi to you gals. So here he is saying "Hi!"

My favourite part of the show was definitely when the audience got up, yes including my better other, to sing "Everything". It was funny to see him sing the only line he knew "you're my everything, you're my everything" even if he was doing it out of mockery. But it was good enough a line for me to be able to hear him sing my kinda song and believed for that moment in time I was his everything.

Itulah sahaja ceritanya.

What a week folks from cobwebs to Michael Buble. Life is intricately sweet.

Vielen Dank Liebling!

ps. Thanks so much Noni for the cake order.

Out Of Line

2011-03-15T23:31:00.004+08:00

I do not think it is out of line for me to say this but my Internet provider sucks mega time! I am viewing every page via the basic html format in super slow snail pace mode. To get to this page where I am writing now took me half the night and uploading the picture below was another quarter of it.

Will write and upload pictures more once the Unifi people have installed everything and upgraded the speed of things around here.

On a much brighter note, I would like to wish you many thanks for your presence at the Sugarflour's booth last Sunday. It was nice to see friends of similar interest taking the time to be with sugar and spice and all things nice.

Watie!!!!! you should have been there! Thanks for the invite.

Heartfelt Thanks

2011-03-10T01:04:00.003+08:00

Thanks so much Kak Zaiton!

Thank you so much for coming down to see me at Alamanda. I know some of your names but to those whose names I didn't manage to catch, I would like to express my gratitude for your presence as well. I hope to see all of you again real soon.

My next demo will be on Sunday at 1.30pm. It's for those who are thinking of venturing into the cupcake decorating world but with limited funds to invest in proper tools. Come and see how flowers get done sans tools.

Edi, you came!!!! thanks a mil for the cupcakes. Haven't had the chance to have a bite though. thank you thank you thanks you!

...and don't forget your handbags too!

2011-03-08T11:23:00.005+08:00

Thanks so so much Meeza's friend. Sorry I didn't catch your name.

See you at Alamanda Folks!

Bring Your Cameras

2011-03-07T10:00:00.009+08:00

Thanks so much Nur Adibah!

It's time to aim and shoot! You will have this opportunity to capture still shots or record videos of Sugarflours' highly trained staff conducting free cake decorating demos. The sweet ladies of Sugarflours would be more than happy to answer any of your queries regarding the matters of all things cake and would even be happier to show you some tricks of the trade using their interesting and indispensable tools.

Do make time to come and see all of us at our "sugar and spice" spread at Alamanda Centre Atrium from the 3rd to the 8th of March in conjunction with Mum's Baking Needs programme. Below is the schedule to some of the demos that have been prepared for you.

My demo is all about "beautiful things do not have to be complicated" in the hantaran cupcakes segment. If you like simple things like I do, please please come.

It'd be super nice to see you there!

Oh yeah, Farida and Kelvin will be there too!

Simple Things

2011-03-04T00:15:00.008+08:00

Thanks so much Ida Rosario!

I was in the company of professional women one day, dressed in my best. Definition of "best" would perhaps be understood as ordinary plain Jane to many others but to me, best is more of an internal thing, as to how I am feeling. Whilst exchanging our life's adventures, I saw one of them peering to look at the brand of my handbag. They didn't look at my shoes though, as it was clearly seen from afar, the croc like version of comfort. I didn't try to hide the brand less wares I had on me, in fact I took time to tell them I got the handbag from my mum's closet. When my phone beeped a sound, I saw them checking it out. No, it wasn't the Blackberry, neither was it the iphone or some gadget filled application handphone. It's just the basic Nokia with the black and white wall. The one I can't take pictures with, send or receive mms. Itu pun, the kids could still pick a fight on who gets to play snake on my handphone!

I live within my means, amongst simple things which have probably gone obsolete to some people. My kids too are made to live the same way, sans PlayStation, electronic games and astro. I want them to engage more on games that we used to play when we were kids, games that made us run, jump, sweat and laugh at each other's silliness. Games that did not cost so much. They know I don't have much to spend and I am thankful that they never asked for things their friends have.

We don't have much, but we do have these though...

Our exercise machines. We also turned the dining table into ping pong table and play many rounds of this game when we are not eating there, of course.

The Dart. The place where we hope and try to aim for better things on daily basis.

The old fashioned game of Carom. The room would turn wangi as many splashes of bedak would be used to ensure smoothness of the game. It's the same place where we play board games and cards.

My handphone cum favourite snake game yang menjadi rebutan, haih.

The fav place in the kitchen, where the kids and I swing our woes away.

Happy Friday folks and enjoy your weekend!

The Street Before Wisteria

2011-03-01T21:09:00.012+08:00

I once lived on a street very familiar to everyone else in this world. Friends were aplenty then and never once we questioned the colours of our skin. It didn't matter whether you were blue, red, orange, brown, green or whether you were grumpy, happy or funny. You could also be in many sizes: petite, small, tiny, big, tall, huge and still be accepted to play and be the person that you are. Each and everyone who treads on the street is special.

I sang and twirled and believed there was only good in this world. I think I might have seen you, yes you, on the very street. You were there, weren't you? I remember, you had those two pony tails and your hair was always braided, sometimes neatly but at other times messy. You sometimes forgot to take your bath and ran along with the others.

Do you know how I knew?

...because I was always there in my pyjamas too!

Thanks so much Farah and Fadya!

Time Can Never Mend

2011-02-28T00:45:00.012+08:00

Some stories need to be mended for friendship sake. I am mending mine today, leaving only cake pictures to blow whispers to you carefully.

Have a good week ahead folks!

Thanks so much Murni!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-23T10:30:00.002+08:00

Can't Fight This Feeling

2011-02-22T01:00:00.006+08:00

Chocolate nibs oatmeal cookies. Adapted from the Grandma raisin cookies in previous entry.

I could not fight it. It was running in circles in my mind for almost 5 days in a row now. I have been singing to this Reo Speedwagon song and when I was not humming it, the world somehow took charge singing it for me! Menderita saya. It was playing over the radio station, at the supermarket, on TV. And as much as I tried to fight singing "I Can't Fight..." the more it fought to be sung over and over again.

I tried to delve into the probable causes of this enigma. Questions like below hovered bubbles above my head in between my singing and baking.

1. Is my better other looking more and more like Kevin Cronin, the vocalist of RS then, bushy hair and all? No.
2. Have I formed an attraction to Kevin after many years of listening to his band? Erm No.
3. Am I fighting any kind of feelings right now? Yes many!
4. Am I nearing that time of the month? Yes.
5. Am I craving for something to eat? All the time!

I figured it is the combination of 4 and 5 and a little bit of 3 as well. Honestly I have been on a low sugar diet for almost a week now. My appetite has been on the loose for quite sometime and putting it on a leash came naturally. So the menu was all about greens, fruits, tofu and wholemeal bread. No more fries, crisps, asam jeruk or cookies and ice cream in between instant noodles. I know! horrible eater I was and it doesn't help with me baking cakes and cookies all the time.

After a week of abstinence from all things sweet and fatty, I finally succumbed to this feeling of missing my all time favourite food. The pictures are here to guide you through my gastronomic quick escapade for now. I closed my eyes savouring every bite of the cookies and the wedges and guess what?

It stopped! the song finally came to rest, leaving me in peace...but not long after that, Careless Whisper got turned on. :(

Cheesy Wedges

Cheesy Wedges

5 big Potatoes unpeeled, cut into wedges.
Coat them with salt, kunyit powder, pepper,lots of corn flour and curry powder.
Fry to a golden perfection.

For the Cheesy sauce.

Double boil 1 tablespoon of butter,
2 tablespoon of mayo,
1 tablespoon of thousand island,
2 tablespoon of lowfat milk(oh sungguh menyihatkan sebab ada lowfat milk, lol!)
2 slices of cheddar cheese or more if you like.

Once everything has turned gooey and creamy, turn of the heat and drizzle over the fried wedges.

Dig in!

Have I Told You Lately...

2011-02-16T17:10:00.000+08:00

...that I love you.

Thanks so much Airmy!

Thanks so much Kat. Kat is a Filipino hence the few words of tagalog seen on the cupcakes.

Thanks so much Nurul!

Thanks so much Liyana!

Thanks so much Ixora!

Falling in Love

2011-02-14T10:15:00.005+08:00

...with sifat-sifat terpuji Ya Rasullullah(saw).

When I read the article below shared by my dear friend from Australia, I was smitten all over again with the simplicity this great man whom we all call our prophet. Please make time to read and allow the recitations of your selawats humble you and spark more love towards this remarkable individual and superiorly towards our beloved religion, Islam, insyaAllah.

5 Characteristics of Greatness

“I believe if a man like him (Muhammad) were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring much needed peace and happiness. I have studied him - the man and in my opinion is far from being an anti–Christ. He must be called the Savior of Humanity. I have prophesied about the faith of Mohammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today.”

George Bernard Shaw - The Genuine Islam Vol.No.8, 1936.

The lunar month of Rabi-ul-Awwal is the month in which the birth of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is commemorated. George Bernard Shaw is one of many scholars who have paid glowing tribute to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The article ‘5 Characteristics of Greatness’ is a tribute to the exalted character of the Prophet (pbuh).

-----------------------------------------

Why was the character of the Prophet (saw) great? His character was great because he had one purpose in life.

One of the great scholars of tafsir (commentary of the Quran) explained why the Prophet’s character was great.

He said ‘The Prophet (saw) was a great man with a great character because his only concern was Allah.’
What does this mean? Because the Prophet (saw) lived the most active of lives – he was a successful business man, a very successful husband, the most successful leader that humanity has seen, everything that he did he was tremendously successful in. No one achieved more in this life than he did, (saw). What made him great was his concern of the pleasure of Allah (swt). This is the challenge. Guide us to the straight path, guide us to the way in life that gets us straight to you and that’s the way of the Prophet (saw).
And this is the question someone who is striving to achieve something in this life to truly bring benefit to themselves in the next life, should ask themselves. Am I seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt)? Where am I going in my life? Allah asked us ‘f’ayna tathabin?’ So where are you headed?
We should be headed in a straight line. What’s that straight line? Seeking the pleasure of Allah. That straight line is straight forward, because you can do anything in life within certain limits but do it for the sake of Allah (swt) and do it with excellence, which is the way of the Prophet (saw). These are the two aspects of greatness: the first is to make a commitment in life to seek the pleasure of Allah, secondly to follow the example of the Prophet (saw).
Ibn Rajab, one of the great scholars of Islam asked the question ‘What was the character of the Prophet, what is it that made him great?’ and he mentioned five things that made the Prophet (saw) a great man:

(1) The first is fulfilling the rights of others.

There are people whom you owe rights to – fulfil their rights. So for example, your parents, your siblings, your relatives, your friends have rights over you – fulfil their rights.

(2) The second: avoid harming people.

This is the second part of the excellence of Prophetic character. The Prophet (saw) – he did not even harm his enemies. And this is the second aspect of good character. This is common sense.

(3) The third aspect of being great is the way you act with people.

How did the Prophet (saw) act with people? He was positive and cheerful in his dealings with people. He was positive and cheerful. He would be walking down the streets of Medina and little girls would grab him by the hand, saying that they wanted to show him something. They would be play, skip and jump around him, telling him they wanted to show him something. The Prophet (saw) would not let go of their hand until they let go of his.
He’d be walking down the streets of Medina, and can you imagine the Prophet having nothing to do? No. He would be extremely busy, but he’d be walking down the street and if anyone greeted him, as is mentioned in the books that describe the Prophet (saw) ‘If he turned to someone, he turned completely.’ He wouldn’t just say ‘wa ‘alaykum Al-salam’ hurriedly. If someone greeted him he would turn completely to that person and give them his complete attention. Many of the Sahaba (companions of the Prophet) thought they were the most beloved to the Prophet (saw). Why? Because he dealt with everyone in a positive way.
The fourth and fifth aspects of good character are a little more difficult. It is not so hard to smile although you'd think that in the religion there was something to say that it was bad to smile too much. But there isn't. The Prophet (saw) was always cheerful, but always full of concern. There were always things he was thinking about, but he was always cheerful. People think that if you get religious, you had better start frowning. Sometimes when you go to the mosque it feels like everyone has just died. But no, the sunnah (way of the Prophet) is to smile. The Prophet (saw) said Your smiling at another is an act of charity.Ãs something pleasing to Allah (swt).

(4) The fourth aspect of good character is to respond to the good that others do, with good, or that which is better.

We don't fully appreciate what others do for us. How many times do we really thank our parents, or any one of our friends, and this is an important Sunnah. The Prophet (saw) warned that anyone who doesn't thank people hasn't thanked Allah. This is another aspect of good character.

But these four are not that difficult.
The test of good character, of greatness, the test of whether you are really someone seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt) is not just being good to people which is a summary of what these four things are.

(5) The fifth aspect of good character is that you respond to the wrong of others with nothing but the good.

And this is the greatest thing you will find in the Prophet (saw).
You will find many people who did many great things in life, but you'll find no one who unfailingly responded to the bad of others with nothing but the good, like the Prophet (saw). Look at every stage of his life. People threw garbage at him, people threw their slippers at him, people hurt him, harmed him, did all kinds of things, and how did the Prophet respond?

You saw nothing but beautiful action in response. The Prophet was firm; he didn't act like a door mat. He was a firm man, he knew exactly what he had to achieve in life and he took steps towards that and when he was opposed he stood firm both in Mecca and Medina. He stood firm in the face of opposition, but with excellence. And even when people came and were unreasonable with him, you see nothing but beautiful conduct.
When he entered Mecca again after the conquest of Mecca, all of Qureysh were under the power of the Prophet (saw); he could do with them as he wished. What was prevalent at that time when you conquered a city: blood bath. People were scurrying into each other's houses, going here and there, but what did the Prophet (saw) say to them? He said to them something the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) had said to his brethren, because the brothers of the Prophet Yusuf tried to get rid of him and move him to a well, but when they reunited the Prophet Yusuf forgave them and said this to his brothers. His brothers. The Prophet said it to those who had been opposing him for 20 years. He said I say to you as the Prophet Yusuf said to his brothers, there is no blame on you today, we are brothers. May Allah forgive us and you.' And he did not take any of them to task even though he could have. He could have done anything he wanted with them and the customs prevalent at his time would not have prevented that. They were expecting a blood bath and nothing happened.

Dreamings Done...

2011-02-11T09:28:00.016+08:00

...at Alam Impian.

We wanted to go somewhere during the Chinese New Year holidays but the daunting thought of packing up a household and travelling across the country with other holiday goers put us off. Linda my sis in law, suggested us to go to Bukit Cahaya Alam and a few more other places but somehow the idea didn't catch on, maybe we were still too tired after our Amazing Race journey or perhaps it was just the feeling of laziness that has seeped in.

Despite our lack of interest to budge from our comfort zone to indulge further in our inactivity, my sister suggested for us to spend a day at her mother in laws leisure house at Alam Impian Shah Alam.

It was a beautiful day which moved according to our slow mo pace. It was as if we were dreaming a dream relaxing under lushes clouds accompanied with simple home whipped food and home moulded chocolates by Aunty Linda and out of this universe cookies by Ovengigs. The rest was made by makyang.

Enjoy the pics folks and have a pretty weekend!

Makyang made sausage rolls,

Brunettes Makyang called those,

she made pizza with extra cheese and meehoon with no chillies,

so kids could enjoy with happy feelings,

and adults could indulge in Mak Da's offerings.

Alang played like it was a test,

As usual Mak Da posed her slim best,

Ayeop threw with much zest,

Aunty Linda minded with Izz' mess.

Whilst Aiman, our security guard, took care of the rest. lol!

Happy days, lazy days at Alam Impian.

Thanks Tok Ma!

Guess What?

2011-02-08T20:32:00.008+08:00

I did it again.

Neither a pinch of remorse

nor

a dash of guilt,

I just sat there

with a single weapon in hand

ready to engage myself

in a battle of...

Woman

versus

Cake.

Chocolate Tofu Cake

If you know me, you will also know that I would try to make all my food and cakes healthy or pretend that they are healthy to a certain extent, so I could eat more sans the guilt. I think I managed to do exactly that with my experiment above. The second attempt I tried to reduce more calories by eliminating the unnecessary fat and lessen the sugar. It worked without compromising the overall taste. Below is the updated version of the Chocolate tofu cake which I would like to call now as The Angel cake as opposed to the Devil's food chocolate cake.

Please refer to the recipe in this entry and compare with the few changes I made below.

I decreased the sugar from 1 1/2 to 1 1/3 cup, I think you can reduce it further to only 1 cup jer. I included a teaspoon of baking soda, increased the flour to 2 cups. I also did not mix a teaspoon of nescafe to the one glass of water. And instead of using milk for the ganache, I just used water. I was too lazy to fill up those ramekins and also malas to think I needed to wash them up later, so I produ jer all the batter inside a big oven dish.

Please give yourself a treat, dig in and allow your senses to run free savouring every single scoop of this innocent delight.

Saya puasa hari ini, so right now I am replacing the lost calories and allowing what's free to run... go wild.

Jom lari sama!

More Than Words

2011-02-08T14:29:00.006+08:00

Thanks so much Muhzill. You surely made your mum happy.

They aren't just words, I kept reiterating the same fact to my better other, that words add more value and weight to any gifts. They are somehow woven into the hearts of the recipients and will remain there nurturing the nature of love itself. You remember events and cherish memories better. I am all for words, beautiful and comforting words and when they come from someone you love dearly, the gifts transform into priceless extarordinary gems.

Thanks so much Mohar, I hope Zurina loved your thoughts behind this.

Butterscotch Walnut Bundt Cake

2011-02-06T14:45:00.009+08:00

I had a little bit extra of everything the other day, the eggs, the milk, the flour, the brown sugar and the most important ingredient of all, that big uncontrolled appetite! The mouth is always craving for new tastes and the will power is always caving in to creating mouth watering treats and with all the right combinations in hand, a recipe is born. That's how things happen in the kitchen, I reckon.

If I were to write a cake book, I would certainly include this recipe below. A hearty mix of spring and autumn served on a summery plate, a few slices of this would send you to hibernate soundly in winter months! It's just the way I felt when I was doing this, neglecting the fact that it is always summer here, on this part of the world. ;o)

Before I missed to remember the measurements of the ingredients, here it is for your reference and for my keeps.

Butterscotch Walnut Bundt Cake

180gm of Vegetable oil,

120gm of packed brown sugar,

3 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1 tablespoon of golden syrup

1 tablespoon of black treacle

1/4 cup of Low fat milk

1 cup of toasted walnuts (half cup to be included in the batter and another half to be sprinkled onto the cake later)

A Tablespoon of each.

120gm of this.

Mix all the wet ingredients until light and fluffy.

In another bowl,

sift 180gm of all purpose flour with

1 Tablespoon of Baking powder and

1/3 teaspoon of salt.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet one and mix until the batter is smooth. Lastly, put half cup of toasted walnut into the batter.

I baked mine in a bundt pan at 175 Celsius for about 30 minutes.

The cake is not sweet, therefore to add a little bit of pleasure, do whip up the butterscotch sauce below.

Whilst cooling the cake, prepare the butterscotch sauce.

Go here for the recipe.

Pour the butterscotch sauce onto the cake and lastly sprinkle some toasted walnuts or any of your favourite nuts on top.

And if you are like my sister in law, pregnant and needs the Extra calories to cushion her baby, do have this with vanilla ice cream and with Extra drizzle of the sauce.

Linda, I am eating this with all the extras on your behalf!

A Rabbit's Wish

2011-02-02T09:57:00.004+08:00

Thanks so much Fazley!

Here's wishing everyone who is celebrating the new calender of The Chinese Year,

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Phang, this wish goes especially for you, wherever you are.

Drive safe folks and happy holidays!

ps. Yani, thanks so much for the cake moulds. This was the first time I used them.

All You Need Is Love

2011-01-28T09:38:00.006+08:00

Thanks a dear, Azura!

If you were to say to me the title above, now, after almost 15 years of marital bliss, I would cringe a little bit. You need more than that. Please don't just pack "Love" in your suitcase before you take his hand in marriage, include also your minty chewing gum, asam masin, groundnuts and many bars of bittersweet chocolates.

For you need the mints to freshen up your breath after a misunderstanding, your asam masin to neutralize the taste buds again, the groundnuts to crack open and enjoy the addictive crunch and the bittersweet chocolate to remind you that there's sweetness at the end of each bite.

If you were to guess what are my favourite food and take a peek in what I carry in my handbag most of the time, I think I have just laid out the clues to you.

It's either I am in full realization of my feelings or I am constantly craving for snacks in between meals. I think it is the latter! ;o)

Who am I kidding folks, yes the main ingredient is love. If you harbour love in your heart, insyaAllah everything will work out beautifully, happily ever after.

Happy Friday Folks! and have a wonderful weekend with love all around.

When They Smile...

2011-01-26T01:24:00.011+08:00

...looking at the special cakes presented before them, you somehow know for that brief instance, your heart is the closest to theirs. And when the hearts meet, everything would fall beautifully in place, naturally. Thank you mums for knowing, for believing, for giving and for loving.

Thanks so much Nadhrah!

Thanks so much Huda!
Thanks so much Yaya!

Thanks so much Suraya!

Awarded by Fasha

2011-01-25T00:42:00.004+08:00

Truthfuly, I am not a deserving recipient of this award. My cooking skill has only reached the teething stage and by no means I could wear an awesome chef title. However, since a dearest friend has thoughtfully tagged me, I would answer the questions posted with a little twist favouring the genre I am in right now. Hope it's ok Fasha.

1. Apakah kek pertama anda dan bilakah anda mula berminat untuk membuat kek?
Kek pertama saya ialah kek coklat menggunakan resepi lama yang saya terjumpa dalam buku masakan ibu saya. Masa itu saya berumur 14 tahun dan kejayaan percubaan pertama itulah yg menarik minat saya untuk membuat kek.

2. Siapa yang menggalakkan anda membuat kek?
Tiada siapa. Saya mula membuat lalu menjual kek atas desakan hidup (macam bunyi drama swasta plaks lol!)

3. Apakah kek yang anda suka buat dan yang digemari oleh orang2 kesayangan anda?
Kek kuning mak saya yang telah saya kongsikan resepinya disini beberapa ketika yang lalu. Orang2 kesayangan saya tak pernah tak suka makan kek, walaupun apa juga kek yang saya masak, semuanya akan dimakan denga sukarela.

4.Tag 5 orang blogger masak yang sering berkunjung ke blog anda..
Jangan risau kalau anda tak ada masa atau malas untuk membuat soalan di atas, kumpulkan saja award ini dan tampalkan di dinding Blog anda!

i. Yanie of Kitchen Guardian. Seorang yang cekap memasak dan membuat kek sambil menyelesaikan masalah negara dalam satu nafas shj.;o)
ii. Zue- Seorang yang mempunyai 36 jam dalam sehari. Beliau sentiasa ada masa untuk memasak, membuat kek yang jumlahnya menyamai pengeluaran industri kilang kecil.lol!
iii.Edi-seorang yang selalu mempunyai masa untuk membuat kek dan memasak walaupun beliau sibuk dgn pelajaran dan melayan anak2 dan pada masa yang sama menepati tempahan cupcakes.
iv. Kak Lin- Seorang yang amat suka memasak dan mencuba pelbagai masakan yang ada di dunia ini dan terus menjadikan semua masakan itu specialty beliau. Masakan beliau sentiasa lemak berkrim dan disukai ramai. ;o)
v.Tati-Tukang masak tersohor dari negeri Hang Tuah. Mempunyai hati bertahtakan berlian dan bersulamkan benang emas. Seorang yang sentiasa merayakan tetamu dengan masakan2 5 bintang dalam suasana yang mendamaikan di singgahsana cukup mengujakan disetiap sudut.(kalau tak dapat ayam bali ni tak tau la nak cakap apa lol!)

Setakat ini sahaja coretan saya pada kali ini. Saya harapkan yang terindah buat anda di minggu terakhir di bulan Januari. Selamat bertugas dan memberikan terbaik dalam apa juga yang anda kerja kan.

Ida dari Putrajaya, sila pusing dan lengkapkan tugasan anda ataupun buat2 seperti anda sedang mendalami permasalahan yang diberikan. Jangan pandang belakang, boss sedang memerhatikan anda.

If

2011-01-23T16:41:00.009+08:00

If a kiss was a rain drop,
Then I'd send you a shower.

If a hug was a second,

Then I'd send you an hour.

If a smile was water,
Then I'd send you the sea.

If you needed love,
Then I'd send you ME!

*************************

Muhzill,

If I was the girl who received this,
Then I'd send you love for eternity.

Thanks for the order Muhzill. Semoga cinta anda diberkati dan dipercepatkan jodoh hendaknya Amin.

Chocolate Tofu Cake Pudding

2011-01-21T16:31:00.008+08:00

I promised earlier there will be more tutorials this year, that is considered one of my new year resolutions. Another one is to write less and to show more, you won't find any of my nukilan rasa here (my brother described my blog just that, cis abang saya), instead, descriptive posts of recipes tried and tested at home. The operative word is Healthy Recipes and hopefully you would find them useful and helpful in creating nutritious dishes and desserts at home.

I have an Indian next door neighbour and they are vegetarians. I have been making them vegetarian cakes and there were times I was not too impressed with the results. They were good but not as good as the eggful ones. I googled for some answers to find substitutions for eggs and one of them is Silken tofu. Intrigued, I tried adapting normal chocolate cake recipes, tweaking here and there and substituting the eggs with the silken tofu. The tofu is the same one I used for my Chuchore recipe in my previous entry, though I wasn't sure if the one I used is the exact version of the substitute. Taram je la.

Here was what I did.

Make ready:

1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon of baking powder,

1 teaspoon of salt,

3/4 cup of cocoa powder,

1 1/2 cup of Castor sugar

whisk all together and make a well in the middle.

Pour these wet ingredients below in the well:

1 cup of milk(you can use low fat milk)

1 cup of vegetable oil

1 cup of water mixed with 1 teaspoon of nescafe

1/2 cup of soft tofu (no eggs no eggs!)
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Then, blitz everything together.

Don't be alarmed, the batter will be a bit runny. Prepare greased and floured ramekins and pour the batter 3/4 way up. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 180 Celcius until the skewer comes out clean.

For the topping or the chocolate sauce. Make some ganache of 1 portion of milk to 2 portion of chocolate chunks. Let simmer 125gm milk (double boil method) and add 250gm of cooking chocolate. Mix untill the ingredients are well incorporated. Leave to cool.

Once the cake pudding is baked you can instantly pour the ganache on top and serve warm or cold whichever way you fancy them. My kids took charge of the pouring and they did it with such a kiddo finesse, in superfluous fashion! (Haih, it's the weekend tomorrow, let them enjoy what they like best.)

Verdict: The cake pudding is dense but smoth all the way. It tastes better than the eggless recipe that uses vinegar. Tastes like a decadent chocolate mudcake. It's a weekend dessert best shared amongst family and friends.

Hope you try this at home and show pictures of the chocolate tainted rows of teeth to me alright.

Enjoy!

Made To Order

2011-01-21T10:50:00.003+08:00

Orders made far back in the calender. I'm sorry for the missing names in the credits. But thank you so much for the orders, sweet people!

Pushing The Edges

2011-01-20T20:00:00.003+08:00

The edges in this house always get cut, trimmed and pushed away. It's a blatant waste I realize that, but at times when you are in constant battles of perang saudara with picky eaters, you are just thankful, that they, at least want to eat the sandwiches made with or without the edges intact. You just want to avoid the drama in front of rezeki and get on with the rest of your day.

But I am a sore loser and a control freak all rolled into one loaf. So lose not, want not, I concocted the recipe below simultaneously made the kids eat allllll the ingredients of their nightmare... willingly,cheerfully.

ChuChore Recipe

250gm of bread edges
1 cup of shredded carrots
half portion of silken tofu
2 Tablespooon of shredded onions
3/4 cp of milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 cup of shredded cheese( I used mozzarella, that's all I had)

250gm of the edges, a weeks ration of leftovers!

The soft tofu, use only half of the packet.

Mix everything together till smooth.

Fry to golden crisp.

Ready for tea. My kids finished these with no questions asked.

This is a one bowl recipe. Put everything inside a deep mixing bowl and mix everything up till smooth.

Fry until golden brown and serve with your favourite chili sauce. Don't skip the cheese, that makes the Chuchore crispy.

And see how the kids pop one after another in their mouths, bright eyed and compliment you that this is the best chuchore you have ever made.

Don't you just love winning?!?

Pinang Dibelah Dua

2011-01-19T12:14:00.002+08:00

Thanks so much Rahah! Didoakan semoga bahagia hingga ke akhir hayat bersama.

Peachy Sets

2011-01-18T16:57:00.001+08:00

Thanks so much Tok Ma!

Thanks so much Farhana!

Better Left Unsaid

2011-01-17T19:51:00.001+08:00

There used to be so much room inside, where I keep words to myself. Space just created itself to accommodate all the words unspoken. I have somehow mastered the technique of storing words over the years, by swallowing hard the remnants which plugged my throat. And as difficult as it was shoving the words down, I managed to do it regardless, with water in my eyes.

Then came the blog. I poured some of the words here, the extra ones, the ones that didn't matter. A good friend said that my writing was very personal. She said she could feel the motion, the beating of the words as if she was in the experience. I relayed to her that it was a deliberate intention, that I wasn't just writing on my own behalf but of others too, especially for ones who have been keeping things inside, hence the common emotional feeling.

But now the words need not be swallowed, kept or poured. They just evaporate and disappear and I am left with none to share. I am all depleted but what shall remain are all the cake pictures for your viewing pleasure. Cake pictures will be my words here and like they say a picture is worth a thousand words. I hope not only to make a picture but insyaAllah more than a thousand and allow you to conjure up the thousand and thousand of words in your mind.

Soon, when the words do come back, I will share with you again, the words that don't matter, the words that are only decorous in nature to this space, most definitively...indefinitely.

But speak I shall, more wordy than ever, to Him, the One and Only and let this silence beget a stronger bond which is only natural between The Creator and His subject. Amin.

Thanks Yaya for the order and Izanie for the picture.

Perfect Days

2011-01-11T14:38:00.009+08:00

Perfect days aren't always perfect. Mine are sometimes full of shouts and screams and geram in between of the unsuccessful exchanges of thoughts. Kids act up, machines break down, students foul up, fondants fall off and everything could go in the opposite direction with you still standing amidst it all.

But what makes it so perfect is when extra clouds exist to cushion your falls, when shady days like these blow cool wind on your face, when food aroma teases your olfactory and when familiar songs trigger fun memories. Despite the hardships, days like these often end with good humour, exactly when you sit down and reach out to your better other.

Alhamdulillah, a yet again perfect day for me and here's hoping you are enjoying yours too!

Thanks Siti for the order!

Design inspired by this moment in time.

My Pudgy Fingers

2011-01-11T11:22:00.001+08:00

I love carbs. I am my happiest around this type of food group. Patatoes, bread, pasta, noodles, cucur, you name it and I love them all. The starchier the better. Saya suka! This food group is also the cheapest and the most convenient to prepare. You can go miles and miles with a bag of flour or a kampit of rice, feeding an army along the way and still have some left over for a late night snack.

My fingers? yes... they are known to be pudgy not lean or long, as a result of my love towards carb. Let's just concentrate on my fingers now and not elsewhere ;o(
So to celebrate my pudgy looking fingers, I would like to share with you a recipe I named just that. Like any of the other recipes I have had the opportunity to share here, the operative word for all of them is Super Easy! This one's too!

Pudgy Fingers

1 1/4cup of warm water
1 packet of the Mauripan Yeast
Put these two together in a large bowl and leave it for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, sift ...
3 3/4 cups of flour to 4 cups of flour
1/2 cup of icing sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt,

and pour the wet ingredients of yeast and warm water into the flour mixture,

and mix and knead til the dough is soft and elastic.

Leave for 30 to 45 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size like the above picture.

Then take a portion, knead again to make a long tube like shape. Cut to the length desired or you can even shape them in any way you fancy.

In another bowl, dilute

1/3 cup of baking soda with

2 cups of warm water and immerse the sticks in the soda bath.

Arrange the sticks on the oven trays lined with aluminium foil.

Make sure there are rooms in between one stick to another

as they are likely to double in size.

Bake at 210 Celsius until the top is golden.

Serve as ...

Desserts

Dip in chocolate

or coat in

Cinnamon Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar mix with 2 teaspoon cinnamon powder.

Savoury

Coat with butter and sprinkle some salt

garlic powder

and serve with mushroom soup.

These pudgy fingers are similar to pretzels. Since pretzels have an odd shape and take up a lot of tray space in the oven, I altered the shape, so many can be baked at one go.

My Pudgy Fingers

I know I have lots of your cake pictures unpublished yet. Promise will do it right away in the next entry k.

Grandma Goodness

2011-01-08T11:05:00.006+08:00

The first week of New Year was pure bliss. I didn't have any orders to make me prance around the kitchen, worry head over heals for the outcome. I am a worry pot as my cousin calls me and I embrace the given title with such finesse! So in the week of nothingness I did what all mums out there dream of doing, bake healthy for their kids.

My kids are big cookie people. They would have cookies for breakfast, for snacks in between meals, for desserts and for munches at school. And I love it when I can pack them all the healthy goodness from home. I am sure all mothers feel the same way and with that thought, I'd like to share the recipe below which is soooo good in taste and much better in nutrition, all packed in one great big biscuit.

Grandma's Chewy Raisin Oatmeal
Big Cookies

1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup plain water
put these two in a blender and puree it.

In another bowl
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Beat all till fluffy and then add the raisin puree and beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl combine
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoon baking soda,
(sifted)
2 cups of oats of any kind,
1/2 cup of almond flakes or any type of nuts,
3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon,
1 teaspoon of salt,
3/4 cup of raisins.
(recipe adapted from Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipe Book)

If your kids do not like raisins you can substitute with chocolate chip.

Scoop the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and blend till everything is incorporated.

The batter will be thick. Drop a tablespoon of the batter onto a prepared baking sheet and flatten in. The cookies are supposed to be big but if you like smaller versions you may just use a teaspoon of the batter for uniformity.

Bake in a pre heated oven of 170 Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes or until your cookies come out golden. This is a chewy cookie but if you prefer them to be a little bit crunchy, just leave the cookies in the oven perhaps 5 minutes longer.

My kids are not crazy over raisins and cinnamon but they were quite taken with this one. They enjoy the cookies most with milk and due to the large amount of oats in the cookies, they stay full for much longer.

My outdated camera doesn't do justice to any of the baked goods I put up in my blog. It is not meant for food photography. For my cakes I always have to transport my cakes outside so it gives a better picture. If I have a better camera, I thought of doing more recipe sharing and maybe simple tutorials. Need a DSLR for that.

I think I need to bake another batch, they have been bringing these morsels to school.

Have a beautiful weekend folks!

Dreaming A Dream

2011-01-07T16:42:00.008+08:00

In my rare moments of silence, I stand tall, all 158cm of me, constantly trying to penetrate deep into the unseen future. My fingers are always meddling with sugar and flour constructing the present, as my mind drifts far floating along with the many dreams I have formed amongst the clouds. Yes, I am a dreamer, a serious dreamer of all things quaint and cozy. Dreams that only appear in my wakes and never in my sleeps. Dreams which forever stay idyllic despite the unyielding pressure of the present time.

My good friend Anita and I talked about dreams one day and how we wished it would shape our future. They weren't just dreams and as crazy as they may sound to others, dreams are the sacred hopes and aspirations to achieve the best in this single chance we have in life. It is our birth right.

I am not the best person to talk about dreams Anita, but as I wrote to you I keep mine in my pockets, close with me at all times. And if you would like to know what dreams I have dreaming up my sleeves...

"I always bring mine in my pockets and each time I send the kids and my husband off, I would blow kisses together with my dreams to them. So you now know I have three big dreams. Dreams of me and my better other, dreams for my daughter and dreams for my son. InsyaAllah the dreams are my dua."

And my friend Anita has 7 kids! I am sure she's been dreaming up a storm, kan Nita kan?

I assumed a more forgiving posture when assignments are completed for the day and suddenly the unyielding pressure of the present time melted away when the kisses I blew at the start of morn came home bringing dreams of their own to tell.:o)

Thanks Juwa for the order. I hope I have made one of your dreams come true. Cake inspired by pinkcakebox design.

At My Heart's Invitation

2011-01-02T20:55:00.006+08:00

It was an early morning after Christmas. The neighbours' lights were still sparkling, lighting up the not so christmas trees around their houses. I wished I could feel the festive air and the holiday mood everyone was in but I was too tired and was still trying to recover some leftover energy I had left after the nonstop week of baking. The kids were not up yet. They took to bed very late the night before as they were excited to receive special Aussie guests for a sleepover at our house.

When I sent My special guests to their car that morning to continue on with their journey, after a hearty breakfast of nasi lemak and roti canai(from the nearby mamak shop ), I realized that this was the first time I stepped out of the house after more than 2 weeks of serious baking. The sunlight gripped me by surprise and the cool breeze of December air resonated my senses. I recognized that wholesome feeling and the next thing to do was just too obvious. Rounded up the kids, packed up some finger food and off we went in search of a place to visit before 2010 bade us Adieu.

On our way there...

we captured this picturesque view,

drove through winding roads,

saw a bird on a tree,

dozed off and dreamt of this for tea,

crossed an old bridge,

and before we could wipe the drools off our faces, we were there already!

It was our very first time to Fraser's Hill and we didn't know what to expect. Since this was an impromptu trip, I didn't get to google for information about this beautiful destination. Fraser's Hill is a quaint little town complete with Balai Polis, small tourist shops and food stalls, lots of hiking trails. Places of interests are aplenty like the Paddock where you can enjoy the company of horses, a small lake where you can boat and fish, a children's playground where you can rent mini motobikes at 5rgt for 5 minutes and if you would like to put up a night or two there are many 3 star hotels and other types of accomodations for you to choose from.

the lake known as Allan's Water

But what stole my breath away that day was its own little Ye Old Smokehouse. It was one of those places you'd like to immerse yourself in and take sips of tea the whole day whilst enjoying a good book under a shady tree. Since we were only guests for tea not guests for the night, we weren't allowed to snoop around, but... I snooped anyway. So here are some pictures of the nook and corners of the place .

at the entrance

the verandah

the terrace

the dining room

the back

After snooping around, our tea pun sampai. We ordered the Devonshire tea set which came with a small pot of tea, two scones and cream, strawberry preserves and butter. The kids had chocolate lava cake and ice cream.

The Tea Menu

The scones are a must try if ever you make your way up here and with a perfect view as a backdrop setting I am sure you would not give this place a miss.

I'm glad I accepted my heart's invitation to go for a little escapade. The short trip was very relaxing, a breather in times of my wheezing. It didn't require much in terms of preparations and expenditures but the effect was as good as going on a fancy trip. Hmmm I might go again!

It has come to be the New Year of 2011. I haven't even said goodbye to 2010 and I do not wish to. I would just say "welcome 2010, you are now complete."

For the year of 2011, my hopes and dreams will decorate it nicely insyaAllah, with pretty cakes, sweet offerings and fancy projects.

And I hope so too your 2011 will be just as beautiful if not more beautiful as how I imagined mine to be.

Rally

2010-12-23T17:29:00.008+08:00

When there’s nothing I can say to make things better
I sling my arm around your shoulder like a sweater
Try to bear some of the burden that you're wearing
But I can't seem to lift you

There's nothing that makes me smile like your laughter
But this is not quite your happily ever after
Comedy or tragedy, we'll write this one together
I'll be there for you

We’ll rally, rally
We’ll rally around you
We’ll rally, rally around you.

When every gift I'd give is not befitting
And I see it in your eyes, the thought of quitting
I gather all my strength and then the people who love you
We're here now for you

We’ll rally, rally
We’ll rally around you
We’ll rally, rally around you.

A band of two keeps warmer than just one
And a strand of three is not easily broken

We’ll rally, rally
We’ll rally around you
We’ll rally, rally around you.

Thanks so so much to everyone who ordered.

Thanks PakNip for introducing me to Allie Moss

Up and Giving

2010-12-20T00:48:00.010+08:00

Thanks so much Suhail!

The pain still persists and the sore has developed into ulcers. I shun from verbalizing my thoughts and with little said, little gets understood and almost none gets done. Since I couldn't eat much, I should be losing a whole lot of weight and so I wished. But in my recuperation, the best thing to take is ice cream, so, instead of losing I might have probably piled on some more. I love ice cream. Ice cream makes me happy tee hee hee. So tak pe la, it is a consolation of some sort.

The kids and I are most of the time inside the house. We hardly go out, not even onto the porch. They never asked to be outside, somehow contented just looking out. They are always running up and down conducting science experiments, placing foreign items into the freezer or soaking things in a sink of soap, trailing ants to their nests and when they are done with everything else they would just bury their faces in my flabby arms and tummy before running back to the adventure they put on hold. Their rooms become Noah's Ark sailing perpetually into the horizon. I do scream when they take it outside their room and Noah's Ark transforms to be tongkang pecah and that is surely not good in a mother's tired eyes.

When days are shady and windy like these, I get melancholic and reflective for many reasons. Reasons that take me far into my past where friends were scarce and friendships were expensive. This feeling was spurred when I opened a box full of old letters and found revelations to how things worked out the way they did. How a separation took place, how new beginnings took charge. Amongst other things I rediscovered thousands of words my better other had for me. Comforting words composed in intoxicating sincerity and honesty, surprisingly never once too overwhelming to the soul. But it does leave me to wonder in extreme curiosity, could one be deprived of words over a period of time, could one run out of what to say after a while? I never ceased to wonder in this silent mode of mine as it is my turn to be robbed of words

... but unfortunately not at all of thoughts.

**********

I AM being a friend and I DO wish you all the happiness in this world. But could you say the same thing to me some 16 years ago?

I Just Wanna Be Ok

2010-12-17T03:21:00.007+08:00

Thanks Diyana!

It's been three days now and it doesn't look like the pain is going to subside anytime soon. I haven't been smiling lately, neither have been eating properly to the dismay of my big appetite. Talking is done only when necessary but most of the time forced, to hush the screaming kids who are forever fighting over who pushed who first. My throat hurts, my gums swell, my cheek droops and I could hear the nerves around the oral area pounding at every beat of my heart ait mcm bunyi lyric lagu plaks.

I took a considerable amount of pain killer these past few days and somehow it has affected my sleeping pattern, and so I think. I find it hard to sleep now. It's 4am when I am writing this and I am wide awake enjoying the rhythm of the other half's audible breathing. I might as well wait for subuh prayers and do a little bit of work here and there.

The trip to the dentist was a long over due one. I had a cavity the size of Niagara Falls in my molar for more than a month. I knew it would have cost me more than I was willing to pay, hence the delay. But at last I decided to follow a friend thanks aunty Ida yang lawa who recommended me to go to a klinik kerajaan if I wanted it to be done free of charge. I only had to pay 1rgt for registration and for 1rgt you can't really ask for a red carpet treatment can you? You get what you pay for of course, and I am not complaining only thankful. Beggars can't be choosers.

I am just glad that the worst is behind me. I look forward to feeling ok again, hopefully soon. I miss smiling, I miss eating, I miss screaming at my kids, I miss laughing at their silly jokes and mostly I miss talking to the better other. But you know what? I get the feeling he is enjoying this quite period. Benc tau. Tapi tak per, saya akan qado balik and he will have triple of my talking ration in days to come.

Thanks for the opportunity!

Happy Friday everyone.

This Old Love of Mine

2010-12-15T21:54:00.000+08:00

...was once the greatest in what he loved best. He trained hard, played harder but took defeats the hardest. When he plays, he plays to win, even at friendly games, even at petang2 memanaskankan badan untuk orang2 yang berumur 35tahun ke atas matches, even at kids' football and sports events, even at lari dalam guni runs! Owhhh, you should see him shout.

During these times, I would be the one standing very far, seated at the end corner of the stadium or sometimes at kids' sports day, not present at all, sebab maluuuuuuuuuuu. His over zealousness would either bring out the best or the undesirably worst in you.

anyway......

when Malaysia played against Indonesia the other day, he was in front of the tele with my nephews who came to spend the holiday with makyang. In a nutshell, Malaysia was playing, like Malaysia always plays, not up to the expectation. He verbalized his disappointments, frustrations and anger so animatedly in front of the boys and I could hear the boys' silence, drowning in my other half's loud support for the country.

The very next day, when my husband was out to work, my nephews came to me and asked. "...makyang, terror sangat ker Alang tu main bola?" I responded with "...kenapa tanya?" "...idaklerr, sebab masa tengok Malaysia main semalam, aaaaAlang (my nephew ni gagap sikit) tu marah sangat, jerit2 panggil pemain2 tu anak kambing." I mmbbeekk-ed with laughter and quickly smsed the loud half about this and his answer was "...bring em boys to the stadium petang ni, and tengok Bapak Kambing main macam mana!"

So, pada petang yang bahagia itu, merangkaklah anak2 kambing bersama ibu kambing untuk menyaksikan bapak kambing bermain dalam final match of his University league.

Antara anak2 kambing yang hadir bukan untuk memberi sokongan tapi untuk menantikan kekalahan Alang dalam perlawanan ini.

He was the captain and this was after the tossing of the coin.

Let's play ball!

Alang was running up and down chasing after the ball, and the kids and I could see that he was giving his 200 % against a team which consisted of younger players. The highlight of the game was when he scored the first goal right before the half time whistle and all of us stood up and jumped from our seats clapping and cheering.

The waterboy and the captain during half time.

The second half saw the team performing even better. The opposition's goal keeper missed 2 more goals and that determined the winner of the final match with a 3 - 0 score. I think it was one of the best games I have seen him played so far. And I also think he owed it to the anak2 kambing for making that questionable statement which pushed him to do his best.

Everyone was in high spirits after that. My kids were very proud of the father's win, I was even prouder and my nephews, well, they then knew how serious and how meaningful football is to their Alang. It also proved to them that Alang indeed played for the country before, which all this while they thought was just a hoax. I could just write and write how good a player he is but nothing would compensate the time he missed not playing for the country.

Regaling the team's win.

No matching cake pictures for this entry folks. More of that in the next entry insyaallah.

Fear Factor

2010-11-29T19:29:00.010+08:00

Thanks so much Haziq's mum. So sorry I didn't get your name.

I live in a constant fear that every time I crack an egg, a little embryo is going to plop out. And being a baker doesn't help to ease this anxiety any better. I crack eggs more than 40 times a week and each knock sends a shudder down my spine. I close my eyes every time the need to do so arises and will take a peek through a half closed eyelids to check if there are any blood spots in the bowl or worse still a half formed chick. I think I develop more wrinkles around my eyes compared to anyone else my age due to the never ending cringe. That is also probably the reason why I don't include cake lapis in my wares. Each cake has like 30 egg yolks in them, imagine doing 4 cakes a week, that's more than a 100 times of cringing.

Another silly phobia I need to address everyday is opening cupboards. A host of creatures are feared to jump on my head or crawl on my feet or slide in my baju. Not to mention the phobia of when I have to go out and put my shoes on. Lizards, creepy crawlies or even rats might take refuge in my shoes. It has all happened before, the plopping of embryo, the jumping of spider on my head and the squashing of lizard in my shoe. Semua dah jadi dah. Itu yang saya takut tu.

If you think my phobias are a little too silly, I would like to invite you to take a look at a long list of even funnier phobias that exist in this world.

But the worst phobia of all the phobias that I have, is pentheraphobia. Destructive in nature, the scariest of them all. Do google to find out.

Ablutophobia- Fear of washing or bathing (my kids have this, haih)
Aerophobia- Fear of swallowing air
Ambulophobia- Fear of walking
Anablephobia- Fear of looking up
Anemophobia- Fear of wind
Anthrophobia- Fear of flowers
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof ofthe mouth. (apakah?)
Arithmophobia- Fear of numbers (my sis and I have this, hahahaha)
B

Batophobia- Fear of being close to high buildings
Bibliophobia- Fear of books
Blennophobia- Fear of slime
Bogyphobia- Fear of the bogeyman

C
Cathisophobia- Fear of sitting
Catoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors
Chromatophobia- Fear of colors
Chronophobia- Fear of time
Chronomentrophobia- Fear of clocks
Cibophobia- Fear of food (my sister and I definitely do not have this)
Clinophobia- Fear of going to bed

D
Deciophobia- Fear of making decisions
Dendrophobia- Fear of trees
Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body
Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of school

E
Eisoptrophobia- Fear of mirrors
Eleutherophobia- Fear of freedom
Eosophobia- Fear of daylight
Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge
Ergophobia- Fear of work
Ereuthophobia- Fear of the color red

G
Geliophobia- Fear of laughter
Geniophobia- Fear of chins
Genuphobia- Fear of knees
Geumaphobia- Fear of taste
Graphophobia- Fear of writing (my son is having this or more of, not wanting to write at all)

H
Heliophobia- Fear of the sun
Hemophobia- Fear of blood
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words (they might just as well put all the alphabets there)
Hypnophobia- Fear of sleep( my mom, definitely doesn't have this)

I
Ichthyophobia- Fear of fish
Ideophobia- Fear of ideas

K
Kainophobia- Fear of anything new

L
Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables( oh, if my kids knew this term, they would use it on me so everyday!)
Leukophobia- Fear of the color white
Levophobia- Fear of objects to the left side of the body
Linonophobia- Fear of string
M
Melanophobia- Fear of the color black
Melophobia- Fear of music
Metrophobia- Fear of poetry
Mnemophobia- Fear of memories
Mottephobia- Fear of moths

N
Nephophobia- Fear of clouds
Nomatophobia- Fear of names

O
Octophobia- Fear of the number 8
Ommetaphobia- Fear of eyes
Oneirophobia- Fear of dreams
Ophthalmophobia- Fear of opening one’s eyes
Ostraconophobia- Fear of shellfish

P
Panophobia- Fear of everything
Papyrophobia- Fear of paper
Paraskavedekatriaphobia- Fear of Friday the 13th
Peladophobia- Fear of bald people
Phengophobia- Fear of daylight
Phobophobia- Fear of fear
Photophobia- Fear of light
Phronemophobia- Fear of thinking
Pogonophobia- Fear of beards

S
Sciophobia- Fear of shadows
Selenophobia- Fear of the moon
Siderophobia- Fear of stars
Sophophobia- Fear of learning

T
Triskadekaphobia- Fear of the number 13

X
Xanthophobia- Fear of the color yellow

Sib baik I don't have phobias for cakes! lol

Thanks so much Sherene!

Just The Way He Is

2010-11-28T17:20:00.011+08:00

Thanks Dear!

"...If only." fussed my sister.

The two words were then followed with a train of thoughts which gushed out from our system. My sister and I just rolled our eyes accepting the fate that has befallen us. We somehow knew, never in our lifetime will we ever be bestowed with such a sweet gesture from our husbands. I chuckled at the very improbability of ever receiving such a response from my better other and would laugh out even more if he did find this entry to his comprehension. I guess it is just not in his faculty of understanding to attempt such a thing. It is just the way he is.

But the song I am hooked to right now oozes the "aaaww" reaction at every corner of the melody. I listened to it out loud, in my heart, in my mind, turning the volume extra loud in the presence of my husband whilst he was driving and singing it again in the shower, in the kitchen just to ignite any kind of curiosity from him. Sometimes upon failure after failures, I would unashamedly suggest that he'd play this song with his band and maybe just maybe he'd take notice of the lyrics and go "...hey, this is something I would like to say to my wife!, what a cool song." But of course, that structured line would be something you hear in Sesame Street only LOL!

Anyway, after major hint drops which resulted in more catastrophic disappointments, I voiced out to him pathetically, "...Awak tak nak dedicate lagu "Just The Way You Are" by this Bruno guy kat saya ker?" He swerved to look at me and said, "...ok sure!" and continued triumphantly with "...awak nak saya dedicate lagu apa lagi, cakap jer, nanti saya dedicate kat awak k!" without even trying to listen to the song first or asking me what the song is all about ...TAU! hahahahaha.

It is just the way he is. Love him to bits though.

So marilah saya perasan sorang2 diri dan let my imagination run wild with him singing me this song, minus the bruno hat.

Hit it Bruno!

*Latest update: I had this song on when my son came from the back, singing along with his feet and hands all over the place, twirled to me just in time to sing "...you are amazing, just the way you are." Lagu ni ingatkan Anin to mama la. huhuhuhu

Thanks Sis!

Just The Way You Are

Oh her eyes, her eyes
Make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair
Falls perfectly without her trying

She's so beautiful
And I tell her every day

Yeah I know, I know
When I compliment her
She wont believe me
And its so, its so
Sad to think she don't see what I see

But every time she asks me do I look okay
I say

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

Her nails, her nails
I could kiss them all day if she'd let me
Her laugh, her laugh
She hates but I think its so sexy

She's so beautiful
And I tell her every day

Oh you know, you know, you know
Id never ask you to change
If perfect is what you're searching for
Then just stay the same

So don't even bother asking
If you look okay
You know I say

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

The way you are
The way you are
Girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are