Vanilla Cupcakes For Saturday Tea...

Vanilla cupcakes with simple rose and swirls for tea ordered by Zira for tea! I have known Zira from the time I started working and that was like since 1993! Her hubby was my boss....since knowing Zira, we have kept in touch and now we are pasar tani buddies, always going for breakfast meeting afterwards at Kak Jee's..thanks Zira for the order!

Valrhona...oh Valrhona....

SIL asked for my help to make cuppies for her hubby's birthday...and she didn't want vanilla cakes or carrot cakes...but chocolate cakes! I immediately jumped at the idea of trying Valrhona chocolate...to me it is the king of chocolate because of its cocoa content, hence, the deep taste!

Since hubby had a meeting in PJ on Friday, I mintak tolong from him to pop by Cake Connection to get the expensive black brown oval pieces of Valhorna chocolate...they were RM22.80 for 250 gm!

I made Chocolate Mud Cupcake and the result was the above! And the taste of the cakes....it was like rocket going to be launched......heavenly, dark and sensual...da bomp!...Happy Birthday Yeop!

Banyak Membaca Jauh Perjalanan

I couldn't really sleep last night, after the baking and doing the swirls in the colours that I really love (the adrenaline rush that I get from baking, ha ha)...so I sat on my bed, glancing through In Style magazine that I purchased in the afternoon and Donna Hay! Next to my bed are 2 stacks of books that I barely read these days.....time is no excuse actually!

And, I thought of the books that I have read, impacted me, my thoughts, my behaviour....I have never been an avid reader, up until reading law in uni, I very much preferred to resort to Nutshells....think they still exist until today...However, my path crossed with some very important people that have changed my life to READ!

And, so I began reading, sometime in 2001! Before that, the books that made me become more confident and to change the course of my life, from a career in banking to my vocation now, were The Magic Of Thinking Big and Who Moved My Cheese!

Then, I started reading Today Matters...brilliant book, it taught me to assess my finances (no, I tak jadi millionaire yet...far from it, but...)my health, my attitude towards my loved ones, my religion.....

Then, I read Failing Forward...hmmm, I even managed to get John Maxwell to autograph my copy, the company I work in actually sponsored his trip to Malaysia then, I had to sort documentation for him and my company...and he is a very fatherly figure, full of wisdom!

There was also Personality Plus, it made me understand me better...I was not the same tactless person as I used to be, if I do , now, it's by choice, ha ha I do that sometime!!

Then, it was Tuesdays With Morrie.....you value your loved ones once you read this book!

I bought Don't Be Sad during my trip to Mecca...saw the Malay edition here, but fell in love with the English version.....it's my daily comfort and guidance, the book is full of scribbles and notes, by me!

Daily Drucker...equip me to go through working life and how to behave with other colleagues, love it love it, love it!

Of course, there was also Mr Richard Branson...the "just do it" man....he taught me simply...to just do it! Well, over the years of reading, I was doing more thinking and pondering, but very afraid to make any first step at all, in the things that I want to do....they are many...you'll see it happening one by one...shortly and surely!

Hmm, coming back to the stack of books...there were The Last Lecture, The World Is Flat, Freakanomics, Awang Goneng, Built To Last....the Holy Quran.....

The Colours Of My Life....

I love yellow...not lemon yellow, buttercup yellow, mauve, rose pink, violet and champagne.....I had an order for small cupcakes 120 of them, simple design for tea for young ladies and gentlemen in MPH, PJ..they have a budget to play around with...so I came up with vanilla cuppies with buttercream swirls in the above colours...think they are perfect for a Friday afternoon tea!

Dark Sensual Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes.....

No wonder Siti Nurhaliza is crazy over strawberries dipped in chocolate...they are like.....dark mysterious thing but sensual at the same time....hmmm, can't describe it, you have to taste it for yourself!

Today, I decided to let my hair down, take a breather, Hajar was not well last night, so I too didn't really sleep last night, so I took the day off! After sending the boys off to school, I took Hajar to a GP (the owners are our dear Bad's sister and BIL), had breakfast at Kak Jee's, did some editing, went out again to get Umar, Khadijah, Aiman and Aqiel from school...usually it is Yati's routine, but, I thought since I'm at home, I'll give her a breather.

I had tuna sandwich and salad for lunch, solat..lepas tu I was toying with the idea whether to continue with my editing, tidy up the book-racks upstairs or bake this wonderful recipe that I have been admiring ever since hubby bought the Domestic Goddess book many many moons ago (hubby bought the book to make trifle!) By the way, I made Assam Pedas Ikan Tenggiri in the morning, request from my children!

I thought since Hajar, Khadijah and Umar are happily doing their work upstairs and the older boys are still in school, I'd take the opportunity to try the recipe....it was very simple...

Chocolate-Cherry Cupcakes

125 g butter
100 g dark chocolate (the next time round I will use Valhorna chocolate)
300 g morello cherry jam ( I used 150 g dark cherry and 150 g dark cherry jam, so the cake weren't very sweet)
150 g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
150 g self-raising flour

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celcius...I used 150 degrees Celcius, my oven had gone wild lately!

Put the butter in a pan, and heat, slowly just to melt, take off the heat. Stir in the chocolate, that you have broken to pieces, until both are smooth and combined. Add the cherry jam, the dark cherries (which I chopped to very tiny pieces), sugar and eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon , when all is amalgamated, stir in self-raising flour (sifted first). Distribute evenly in cake liners or souffle cups. This recipe makes 12 regular cupcakes or about 40 size 8 cupcake liners. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool on rack.

For the icing/topping chocolate ganache I used 100 g dark chocolate with 100ml double cream, double boiled, whisked and pour on the cakes. Since I couldn't find fresh black cherries, I used strawberries instead......the result, muah! You have to try it...smooth chocolatey taste with a bit of that bitter cherry taste and semi sweet nice strawberry aroma....sedapnya! The cake is dense yet light and moist! I love it!

The batter, distributed in the cupcake liners.
Cupcakes, cooked!
The sucker ("saka" really!), ready to be indulged in!

Silence Is.....

when my physical can't move faster tham my thoughts, when I'm under the weather, when I lost my voice, when I can't retrieve my pictures from my computer, when my computer kapoot, when I'm thinking deeply and pondering, .....hence, enjoy the photos that were taken during my BIL's reception last Saturday....I lost my voice that night after so much talking with aunties and cousins and MIL's friends...

BIL and my new SIL

Kitchen Guardian, Dad of Four + 1 (soon will be +1+1), Hajar and KG's mom.
Hubby and Hajar (no. 5)

Yusof (no. 2) and Lukman (Kak Pudi's son)

Umar (no. 4) and Ibraheem (no.3)

Umar and Nabil (Meor and Azura's son)

Shaz, hubby's nephew, singer, managed to get to AF semi finals...Yusof wants to follow his footstep...after obtaining his degree that is!

Hattan, BIL's close friend, I love his voice!

For their children, I will make the wedding cake!

MIL, FIL, BIL, SIL (I used to be slim like SIL when I got married, ha ha!)

All in the family except for ....., no close-up picture of Khadijah (no.1) above, she tak suka ambik gambar!

My Wants....

It used to be handbags or shoes...I used to spend hours of my free time browsing web looking for the latest design in the market..berangan or save up to purchase one!

Nah, not anymore, nowadays I spend hours looking at flicker photos of who's who in the baking world, admiring how fondant and sugar paste works can be such an art...am not an artist...can hardly draw a stick man ("orang lidi")nor draw a flower, how on earth am I going to create those lovely roses and figurines??!!!

As my birthday is coming up next month,I'm not thinking of any of those bags or shoes but the above...tools that I need to indulge in my latest passion...baking!

The World Seems Smaller Without My Laptop...

Yes, I have been rather quiet since Wednesday last week...my laptop gave up on me. Actually the laptop doesn't even belong to me...it's my employer's....first, there was problems with the adapter, then, the display went bongkus, then the whole couldn't start at all. And my IT guys couldn't spare me a replacement laptop or desktop....I was totally frustrated....

I had a "technical" workshop in Cyberjaya on the day the mishap took place, so tak terasa sangatlah....then on Thursday...I still didn't hear anything from my IT people....I was bored, so I decided to make noise....and on Friday found an old laptop which I call batu belah batu bertangkup....it's damn heavy, but thank god, it's taking me to doing things that I should be doing....like blogging, he he!!!

The little Muhammad in the oven has started giving me braxton hicks...and I'm only coming to 26 weeks...so that is nature telling me to slow down a bit.....no....my Kitchen Guardian Too blog for ordering desserts will come up as planned ie end on April and my dear Whiz will be coaching me sugar flowers soon.....I can't wait to do that and figurines.....bestnya!

In the mean time, am also harassing my technical guys to settle all contracts in preparation for my leave nanti in July!!! Don't like to leave work not settled when I am not around!

It's been wet but refreshing in KL lately...am not complaining because with a body temperature of two I so lurve the weather now!! Have a brilliant week, can't wait to catch up with you all in this blog world............

Of Cupcake 101 and Baby Shower Cupcakes.....

The above are my my hasil kerja kerastangan, the result of a 2-hour Cupcake 101 teaching that I got from Nancy Tan of Cake Connection in PJ.

Last Saturday, I decided to enrol myself into 2 cupcake decorating classes! Hubby and the girls were not around as they left for Muar for a khenduri tahlil at MIL's. I had signed up for the classes earlier and furthermore I had to ferry Ibraheem and Umar for their Lorna's classes on Saturday, and Yusof's tuition on Sunday. So, apa lagi, after I did my usual marketing at Pasar Tani and roti canai breaky with hubby, I left my house heading towards my father's house in Shah Alam...I had to ask dad's favour to send the kids to Lorna, as I wouldn't have time in between the classes to do that.

I reached Cake Connection at around 9.40, and was very nervous...what if I'm the only one who's a true beginner?? And I didn't know anyone else....

Well, there were 8 or 9 of us, 2 very young girls who had just finished their SPM..they were taking notes and asking questions like real students....moi??? I just listened and observed and ask very few questions. The class was good fun, we broke the ice amongst each other when we started decorating the cakes.

For someone who had not baked before (I love to cook to baking, as with cooking, you can just campak...and somehow, the dish will turn out ok!) Nancy gave her recipe for vanilla cupcakes, which I tried yesterday....sedaap...it has the texture and the milky creamy taste that I have been looking for! She also gave tips on making buttercream to set and have a more consistent texture.....love it love it love it...and of course the correct way to do swirls....they are my favourites...yes the class was very basic, but I learnt heaps that day...instead of finishing at 12.00, we finished at 1.00. I, of course had to make some purchases from their shop, I have to make 100 cupcakes for a little girl's birthday next week...so I bought those cute doll candles, and some other baking stuff...... This is the kitchen top where we had our fun time learning and decorating 6 cupcakes....i love the lemon yellow and lilac colour!!
Those are my works from Baby Shower Cupcakes class...

Next, I dashed around the corner of Section 17 and head towards Section 14, pulak. It is where ICCA, Wilton's shop and training centre is located. Found a parking spot, dropped by their retail shop first to get a small rolling pin, brushes and angled spatula, before going up to the Baby Shower Cupcakes class.....I expect people who were already in the industry to be in this class....so I was even more nervous...and to top it off, I have never handled fondant before, ayya ya!!

There were so many of them, from my risik-risik, they are already making and taking orders for cakes and such.....I thought hmm...bulldoze ajelah, pretend that I pun like them.....I sat next to this Japaneses lady, Kyoko...who had completed Wilton's decorating classes from Module 1 until 3!!! Dah boleh jadi instructor tu!!

The class was fun, but very hectic and taxing, we had to do 4 designs in 2 hours!!! Knead, roll, tekan, colour, paste...I heaved and pant, but was very very satisfied. The instructor Lyn Hassan and her assistant Aza were fabulous! And I couldn't be happier at the end of the class, now that I have learned to make that cute bear, yeehah!!! I also made new friends, bakers and I have to see their works..That day, ada yang brought along their cupcake caddy, fuyoh!!

Ok, I think enough of those classes, next I will be learning from Whiz, sugar flowers, fondant flowers, miniature cakes and how to cover whole cakes....can't wait, can't wait. You can look out for Whiz's works at inawhiz.blogspot.com. I will doing Wilton's Module 1 until 3 after I deliver and I'll decide if I'll go for an instructor course after that.....I think despite all that being tired and kelam kabut, the classes were very calming and therapeutic! And I think baking and cooking is where I belong!!

Because I was so happy that day, I let Ibraheem and Umar bullied me, I took them to have meatballs at Ikea, even though I was so bruised that day!

Senandung Semalam......

As I was reading the post by Serenity Now - Naz, about the April Fools tricks we had on our teachers.....moi just observed then, as moi was a Prefect...sane konon and cut off (done by self) and busy with chores and school activities, I remember that I loved this song by Alleycats....this song also reminded me of the petang-petang that I like to gaze outside my house No. 152, Taman Nakishah, Jalan Datok Kumbar, Alor Starq, I looked as far as I could and could see the glimpse of Tort's Ita's house in Lanngarq at the far end of the padi fileds and smell the padi fields....I never joined the other kids playing at the playground, I'd rather stay at home belek the mango trees and its blossoms and the orchids that I planted and do revision, school work.....and I thought then, what would become of me when I grew...also at the back of my mine, I wanted to hold the Piala Pidata Perdana Menteri and go to London to see the Queen and London Bridge......enjoy this song, have a brillaint weekend you all!!

Dari Nogori to Austrolia..........

This morning I decided to cook Masak Lemak Jaundice (Maizura Life Bloom's and moi's term) Daging Salai. Maizure who is orang Negeri is supposed to do a demo on how to prepare this dish sometime this month...well, can't wait until then, so here's the recipe....very easy and it goes very well with Jantung Pisang Rebus, Sambal Belacan and Tempeh Goreng with Sambal Kicap...

Masak Lemak Jaundice Daging Salai...Yani's style...Zaitgha and Life Bloom tolong betulkan!

Ingredients:
500 gm daging salai...I got it from my local fresh beef supplier at my weekly pasar tani
2 in fresh turmeric
5-10 cili padi kampung (depending on how hot you want it to be)
cream of coconut...santan kelapa-lah tu...from 2 coconuts...no Yani was not counting calories this morning!
salt to taste

Method:
Tumbuk the fresh turmeric and cili until lumat and fine. Add the paste to sliced daging salai, add the coconut milk...simmer over low fire, add salt to taste.

I used to make masak lemak and have onions, bawangputih, serai and daun kunyit in it, but I feel the above recipe is the best...simple and very sedapppp!
Yesterday, on the way home from work, I stopped by Bagus, my baking supply shop to get some stuff to bake this weekend....and they had macadamias...I terus teghingat the choc brownie recipe that Anedra tried over the weekend and was raving about it!

So, apa lagi, after I settled the kids and hubby, had dinner and solat, I turned myself into a baker by night...and started preparing the ingredients to make the brownie. The recipe is from Australian Women's Weekly March 2009 issue, which copyrights belongs solely to them....

Over The Top Chocolate And Macadamia Brownies.....very easy to prepare!

Ingredients:
275 g dark chocolate, chopped finely
150g butter, chopped
2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 cup (75g) self-raising flour
2/3 (90g) unsalted macadamias, lightly roasted, chopped coarsely
100 g milk chocolate, chopped coarsely
100 g dark chocolate, extra, chopped coarsely
icing sugar, to dust

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celcius. Grease and line the base of a 20 cm x 5 cm square pan with parchment paper ( I used baking spray)
2.Combine chocolate and butter in a medium pan, stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat, let cool for a while.
3.Stir in sugar, then eggs and mix well. Fold in the combined sifted flours, then macadamias, milk chocolate and the extra dark chocolate.
4.Spread mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for about 35 minutes or until moist crumbs cling to a skewer inserted in the centre. Cool in pan. (I let mine a bit gooey, but this morning it was cooked but a bit moist, the kids didn't complain, and I brought mine for me to enjoy during lunch, kejap lagi....)
5. To serve, cut into small pieces and dust with icing sugar.(I omitted this, the kids would be hyper enough with the brownies, kalau tambah icing sugar...jadi circus rumah I, ha ha!)

I have a few other brownies' recipe that I want to try later, but this one is really muah, and not over the top, but you have to try it to rasa the divinely delicious taste...thanks Anedra for introducing this recipe.....next, I will attempt the Mocha Cupcakes which has almond meal in it and will post the recipe for you to terliurq, ha ha...have a brilliant day ahead....I will, because I have to mengadap the CEO in the afternoon!! Apalah yang dia nak!!??