Too old for school? Absolutely not!

  

There is a period in my life when I am faced with huge decision - one that not only affect my life, but the lives of others....  Its tough.  I have to go into full-force, be aggresive and be proactive.



This is what happened when one is deprived from sleep for two days!
.... catching my 40-winks in front of exam hall..!

Of going back to school, my mother always says:

"....You just have to keep going and put yourself out there to other people because you'll never know what comes back to you when you do, the outcome is very rewarding and your hardwork will pay off..."

By deciding to go back to school really proved to me that I am never too old to learn. 

Thank you Mak...

..here..I am picking up blogging again...

 

For the past few months have been quite hectic...extremely hectic... and still hectic!  This added to my natural lazyness, meant I had no time to post and upload photos of my cakes, cuppies and cooking here.  But things happened... oh boy, Yes, they happened..!

 

I think the fact that I've neglected my blog has taken me way beyond the valley of sad. I miss posting and baking so much, but I'm taking so many baking courses and continuing my part time study at university, along with 9-5 working hours - I find myself at a lack of energy constantly.

 

Until I do organize my time a bit better (and I promise I will!) I will have to post whenever I find myself a good lazy day where I'm only lounging about at home. Meanwhile, feel free to rummage through my older posts and use those to your liking, and I'll be back as soon as possible with twice as much energy to post more frequently.

 

 

 

 

Taking bakings to the next steps...

A lover of books and baking  and this blog is a place where I share baking passion, success and disaster!

 I am not a complicated baker, but having my recipe featured in a prominent online magazine is awesome...Check this out here for my basic and no frill cupcakes recipe.

 

 Now, I need tomorrow off to recover from my busy little weekend! 

Healthy, Hearty Supper.... my way..

I love eggs benedict, so I played around with couple of different light versions to come up with the best yet simple which led me to this deconstructed salad and eggs benedict dish.

A (not so) perfectly poached egg.... accompanied by a field green salad and shredded purple cabbage, with grilled zuchinni, cherry tomatoes, onions, and strips of stir fried beef added just enough texture and flavour variety to complete it - no need dressing (remember... I am on diet..!)

The creamy, rich egg yolk...

..for the sake of friendship...

I was blessed enough that I was available to do a semi last minute cake order for a dear friend of mine - for her daughter's birthday.  Either he forgot to order earlier or just want to add pressure onto me...hmmm...

Anyway, sorry the late entry Fendy, coz K/lang was soooo buzy with exam... !

 

Happy Birthday Aleesya...

...and thank you Affendy for the order.

Helloooo World...!

Despite their meticulous planning my Boss' wife, Rachel, went into labour last night ....

... evidently Junior can't wait to see the world...

A very proud sister now have a very handsome little brother...

...William Harry. 3.7Kg, born at 09.05 today @ Gleneagles Medical Centre

... a little something from us...

Congratulations Boss...!

Buttermilk, Parsley and Mushroom biscuits...

These are decadent, flaky biscuits and pretty to look at (to me at least..LoL..!), with green parsley and fresh mushroom it it.

  

 

 There's really nothing hard about making them. 

  The secret to making great and flaky biscuits is not to overwork the dough...

 

 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of Plain Flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

125 gm cold butter – cut into cubes

3/4 cup of buttermilk (or mix 1 tbspoon vinegar + 3/4 cup fresh milk)

3 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1 cup of sliced fresh button mushroom

Few sprigs of Chives

Fresh Basil  (optional)

1.  In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sliced mushrooms add basil.  Allow cool then chopped it roughly and set it aside.

2.  Pre-heat the oven to 400 degree F. Line the baking sheet with parchment papert. 

3.  Combined flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix well. Add cold butter, mix, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 

4.  Add in  the chopped parsley and chopped mushroom. Mix well. Add in the buttermilk and stir until it forms into a dough if not you can add a bit more buttermilk to it.

5.  Pour out the dough on a well floured work surface and knead the dough 4-5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle shape. About 9 x 5 inches.

6.  Lightly dust the top of the dough with floured then folds the dough crosswise into thirds (like folding a letter). Re-roll the dough into rectangle again. Lightly dust the top with flour again and fold it into thirds again (this is to creates the layers).

7.  Gently roll the dough out into ¾ inch thick, cut it into square with a knife or biscuit cutter to form the biscuits. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet, 1” apart from each other.

8. Brush the top of the biscuits with a bit of milk; sprinkle the top with a bit of chopped chives or parsley.

9. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool down for a few minutes and enjoy it with some butter.

Note: With this basic biscuit dough you can add any type of herbs, cheese, nuts, strips of fried sausage, etc.... to it.

Maggie Meat Kepal... My way....

A new job, demanding and stressful, has left me feeling depleted and quite drained off late. On the home-drive, ideas run through my head for dinner, full well knowing SO will also be expecting some sort of sustenance for the evening dining experience. In my head, I create a wonderful meal. Something homemade would be great, but just not from "my" home. Yet, I find myself too down to even drag myself into the grocery I'm driving by to grab something from the ready-to-go entree section. The next thing I know, I'm in my driveway and now I'm too tired to think about cooking.

At times,I walk into the kitchen and all I want to do is walk right out again.  Honestly, if I didn’t have a hungry household expecting me to keep them alive, I’d pack it all in.

Sound familiar?

We've eaten a lot of Maggie Mee and eggs and that's OK, but someone else in this house may be getting a bit tired of that. Lets see...packets of Maggie Mee in the cabinet... How difficult is it? This thing has been around since before I was conceived. And besides, it did say "'Fast to cook, good to eat", right? I'm a career woman, I dont really have time to go over cookbook details...! (LoL)

 

 

My Ingredients:-

I paket Curry Maggie Mee (keep the flavour sachet)

200 gm Minced Meat

2 tblspn Maggie 'Cukup Rasa'

2 tblspm Black Pepper (grounded)

1  Red Chilly (chopped, add more if you prefer hot & spicy)

1 large Egg

1 Carrot  (grated)

50 gm Cilantro (chopped)

50 gm Parsley and Scallion (chopped)

1/2 bulb Large Onion (diced)

Salt to taste

My Method:-

1.  Boil Maggie noodles (leave out the flavouring) - seive

2.  Add all other ingredients and mx well, add the maggie flavouring

3.  Shaped the meat/magge mixture into balls

4.  Arrange on baking pan/caserole and bake until golden brown - Done!

5.  You can eat this with salad.

If you think this is too plain to eat with salad..lets  'improvised'...

Yes,  why not..??.    

...second batch....

....my improvised version - topped with boiled potatoes and gravy...

Ingredients for improvise version..

4  Potatoes - peel, cut into half and boil till soft

Cheddar cheese 

Salt to taste

For the Gravy..

1 small bottle Prego pasta sauce

1 small can Tomato Paste 

Cara:-

1.  Mix pasta sauce and tomato paste

2.  Pour onto the Maggie Meat

3.  Arrange the boiled potatoes and sprinkle Cheddar cheese.

4.  Bake in 200 deg oven for ten mins or until cheese melted (no need to bake too long as the meat and potatoes are already cooked)

 

.hmmm didnt even get the chance to snap photo, household already plate-it up...!

Easy, Right? 

Aaaahhhh....Life is soooo beautiful when one is innovative..! (*chuckle*)

Kuih Cara Manis...My way...

 Simple, fast and easy to make....

.

My Ingredients:

200 gm Plain Flour

200 ml Coconut Milk or Fresh Milk

2 large Eggs

1 1/2 tspn Salt

Brown/white sugar for filling

Few Screwpine leaves (Daun Pandan) blended with 200 ml water

(or you can substitute with Screwpine's essence, add few drops of green food colouring)

The Pan

My Method:-

1.  Add all ingredients, mix well.

2.  Add screwpine's juice (or essence + few drops of green food colouring) - mix well

3.  Heat up the pan and brush with vegetable oil.

4.  Pour batter into individual compartment, half full, add 1/2 teaspoon sugar on top and top/cover with batter again.

5.  Bake in 100 deg (low) to prevent the Kuih from burning as this Kuih cooks very fast - around 5-10 mins.

Enjoy...!

Mini Quiche.... My Way...

This is an easy mix-it-up-one-bowl and cook Quiche recipe.  Just made it for my snacks tonight... Yeap, my snacks while revising for my exam...

(To my classmates.... I wish you were at my 'crib' to enjoy this...jangan marah..... lol)

 

If you are a vegetarian, you may substitute with chopped spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus if you wish.  Almost anything can be added to make this dish conform to your tastes, or it can be left plain for those with simple tastes. That rule does not  apply to my household..!

 

Before

all plate up...!

My Ingredients:

Slices of White Bread - (wholemeal, or any bread you desire)

6 eggs

1 cup fresh milk

2 cups minced meat (or any chopped seafood or chicken)

1 cup Broccoli - chopped

1/2 cup large Onions - diced

1 clove Garlic - chopped

1 Red chilly - chopped coarsely

1 tbspn - Olive Oil

Spring onion (Scallion)  - finely cut

salt & pepper to taste

Cheddar cheese - shredded

Permesan cheese - optional

My Method:

Preheat oven to 200 deg F.

1. Trim edges of the bread (if you want) - or you can leave it as it is (why waste!) - flatten the bread thinly with a rolling pin and fit them in a muffin tray.

2.  In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg + milk, add a pinch of salt - set aside

3.  Fry minced in olive oil, add onion, garlic and red chilly. Add salt & pepper to taste. 

4.  Once meat is cooked, spoon into the 'bread pastry', sprinkle with chopped scallion/spring onions and cheddar cheese.

5.  Bake for 20 mins on until eggs are set and top is golden brown.  And its ready...how simple is that..!

Enjoy...!

Salmon Fish Head Curry - My way...

Cooking curry fish head is easy and this is a very simple, tasty and healthy dish.  I do not use coconut milk in all my curries. I use plain yoghurt which makes a healthy meal. This curry is best eaten with Basmati Rice or Roti. It tastes better the next day.

...that head part is mine, mine and all mine...!

I like to use salmon fish head to cook curry because I like it loaded with lots of omega 3 fatty acids, which means it is oil-rich hence tasty, it also matches well with some vegetables to become one pot dish to serve the entire family.  I garnished with some chopped cilantro (daun ketumbar) only, but you can try with mint leaves - it really makes a significant difference! Its worth trying! .... go ahead...!

Ingredients A: 
2 pcs Salmon Fish Head
2 pcs of Salmon cut

Ingredients B:
I bulb yellow onion - diced
2 inch ginger - sliced thinly (Julianne)
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
3 tbspn Olive oil

Ingredients C:
1 pc cinnamon stick
3 pcs cloves
3 pcs cardamon

2 sprigs curry leaves

1 tspn  cumin - grounded

Ingredients D:
2 tbspn  Fish Curry Power (any brand will do, but I like Baba's)
1 tbspn Cili Boh
1/2 cup of water to mix into paste

Ingredients E:
3 cups water
2 tbsp plain yoghurt

Salt to taste

Optional: (I skipped this)

2 round egg plants - cut into quarter

2 tomatoes - cut into quarter

Method:

Fry (B) in 3 tablespoons of oil for about 1 min; or until onions become translucent.

Add (C) and continue frying until fragrance.

Add (D) and stir well over low flame until fragrance

Add (E) stir well and add fish and egg plants (if using) - cook for 5 mins or until eggplants are soft.  Add tomatoes and cover for 2 mins.  

Check  seasoning, add cilantro and Curry is and ready to be served.

Enjoy...!

...so what's on your fridge...?.

My only child, and she wanted to do something special for me on Mother's Day as I have always been her rock and she considered me one of her best friends. Unfortunately, I had a presentation whole day today at the University and felt bad that I was not able to be with her. 

For the past years she bought me pretty cards and she will get a large frame which she will fill photo of us.  This year she said its gonna be something different.   When I got back from my class, I saw a nicely, neatly, wrapped box on my study table.

 She knows I spent most of my time in kitchen baking and cooking, so she bought me  this fridge magnet just to remind me of myself 25 years ago... 

Girl, this is sooooo cool.... Mummy loves it!  

Thank you for reminding me that I have 'grown sideways..!

...and yes, I will definately stick it onto the fridge...

...and yes.... I love you too..  mmmuuuaaahhhh...!

Asparagus and Shitake Mushroom Claypot Rice

I haven't had much  time cooking in my favourite clay pot for the past 4 months.  Two days ago, when I was at the Malaysian International Tourism Blogger Awards, my friend told me that I should be sharing more everyday home cook recipes on my blog —meaning homey recipes that can be served on a constant basis. Truth be told, I cook and eat mostly everyday dishes at home. I mean, blog aside, most of the recipes I make are simple, humble, everyday dishes that you will want to eat over and over again, without ever getting bored. This Asparagus and Shitake Mushroom Claypot Rice is one of them. I don’t know why it has taken me this long to share this wonderful recipe; I guess the notion that it is not that visually appealing is the main reason.

Be rest assured, even though I am lazy, I never sacrifice taste or authenticity when it comes to my cooking...*wink-wink*

Clay Pot Rice with Shitake Mushroom and Asparagus

Ingredients:

3 cups Basmathi rice

8 pieces boneless chicken breast, thigh or wings, cut into bite-sized cubes

8 dried shitake mushrooms (I boiled about 20 mins, keep the water to boil the rice)
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
3-inches knob of  peeled ginger, cut into slices
2 cups water (from the boiled mushroom)
2 stalks scallions, cut into 1/2 inch lengths

10 stalks of Asparagus (you can use Broccoli if you like)

1 teaspoon grounded black pepper
Salt to taste

Marinade:

1/2 tablespoon Dark soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon corn starch

Sauce:

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper
A few drops dark soy sauce, optional, for coloring purposes

Method:

Marinate the chicken for 15 minutes. Mix all the ingredients in the Sauce in a small bowl, set aside. Boil  the mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes or until softened.  Remove the stems and slice the mushrooms(I sliced the mushrooms 'coz my household does'nt like to see whole mushroom in a pot or on their plate!).

Heat up the clay pot with the oil. Add in ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. Add rice and stir until it becomes translucent then add the chicken into the clay pot and stir for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and do a few quick stirs. Pour in the sauce, stir to combine well. Add water (from the boiled mushroom) and lower the heat to low. Cover the clay pot and let cook and simmer for about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer with the lid on. After 10 to 12 minutes, when the rice has absorbed most of the water (as indicated by lack of water bubbles), add asparagus and allow it to steam in the rice for 3 to 5 minutes, then turn off heat. Add scallions, stir for a few times and the Asparagus with Mushroom Claypot Rice is now ready to serve. If it’s not salty enough, add a little salt to taste.

Enjoy...!

Easy and Moist Carrot Cake

I've tried many carrot cakes, and this is my favorite recipe. If you don't like pecans, feel free to leave them out.

Carrot Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs (about 50gm each)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup walnuts or peacans (or both)


Method:

Beat the eggs and sugar until it dissolves and become pale in colour.  Add vegetable oil. Then add the vanilla. This is much wetter than creamed butter and sugar together and helps make the carrot cake moist. 

Next add in the sifted flour, salt, baking soda and powder and your spices. After those are combined mix in the nuts and grated carrots, with spatula.

You can grate the carrots by hand or with a food processor. Peel them and cut off the top and bottom before grating for the cake. I usually grate by hand because the food processor grates the carrots finer than I like.

Greased baking pan, and lined with baking sheet.  Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 Farheinet in a 8x8x3 in pan about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top of the cake is firm to the touch.

Enjoy...!

...T for teadies and teacher...!

Baby face cupcakes...

These cupcakes are so sweet and cheery, and  I made it as perfect gift for my neighbour, Shikin, who recently gave birth to a baby boy... 

(sigh..!)I still suck at low light photography so bare with me...

These were vanila cupcakes frosted vanila icing to give it an even canvas.

I used rolled fondant and coloured them  baby blue and light ivory..

Baby hats were rolled flat, cut out with a round cutter then cut in half.  Eyes were drawn with edible pen...Too cute to eat don't you think.?

 

Congratulations Shikin & Haider

 

..away for too long....

  

Hello all,

 

     Wow, it has been well over three months or maybe longer since I have been away and blogged.  I hope you all have been keeping up through face book and tweeter.  Not sure why I have not blogged but I have missed it.  If this is your first time reading one of my bloggs please take the time to read all of my past bloggs.  Some of them have recipes, some are just about me, and some I am sure do not make much sense at all.  No matter what I hope they have helped you and have entertained you all. 

My visit to United Nations, Vienna...

...in front of United Nations building....

...typical me, myself, I and food....

(aahhh... love this pic..!)

...for my little bumble bee niece...

This cake is a tribute to both the elegance and ingenuity of honeybees, which are in terrifying danger of disappearing...

 

The shape of this cake is based on an ancient beehive called a skep.

Under the hovering fondant bees are layers of vanilla-butter cake and honey scented buttercream.

...and couple of dozens vanilla cuppies to go with it for her friends at school ...

Happy Birthday Dania...

I will be away...

I will be away ....

 

...will blog again... soon....