Hati Seorang Isteri.......

Last week we got a very disheartening news, Puad, our neighbour in Ayer Baloi had stroke, not once but twice! I spoke to Ina, his wife last night who was taking care of him in Sultanah Hospital in JB...apparently he was having tea ("ngeteh") at the waroung in front of their house on Deepavali night when this happened. His two other friends who were with him did not realise this until Ina went to get him to come home for dinner! He was restless, could still move but was walking aimlessly up and down their house, not talking or recognising Ina and was looking for water. He refused to go to the hospital until later....the stroke left his right limbs numb, at first he couldn't even reconise his family, his wife and children, and his blood pressure was 230...now , according to Ina, his BP had gone down to 170, but it has not reduced since then...he can now recognise his loved ones, but couldn't speak still....Ina had to accompany him at the hospital as at times he went aggrasive ...the other day he fell off the bed....

Ina sounded very strong last night, I couldn't imagine what I would do if in similar situation...she also spoke about her plans for her family....I can only imagine Puad no longer roaring his big bike next door...Ina asked for our doas and asked us to take good care of ourselves, our health...apparently Puad had neglected his medications for a few years already......

hmmmm.....let's ponder that.....and before I forget let me share with you this recipe...there was a kind of funny twist to this recipe, as I looked at the wrong recipe for the crust, and to make it worse, I tweaked the recipe (as well) as usual....hmm....

Chicken Pot Pie

For The Crust (which I should have used Martha's all purpose crust! yikes!)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

pinch of sugar

1 tsp salt

3/4 cups cold butter, cubed

1 large egg yolk, plus 1 large egg yolk for egg wash

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1 tbsp heavy cream for egg wash

For The Filling

1 kg chicken fillet, I used breast

1 large onion cubed

3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

1 leek, sliced

2 sprigs rosemary, from my kitchen

300g shitake mushrooms, sliced

sprinkles of black pepper

3 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt to taste

cooiking oil to sautee

Method

Uisng a fork cut the butter into flour, cheese, sugar and salt mix until it resembles coarse meal. Add 1 egg yolk to combine, still using the fork, drizzle in 1/4 cup water, a tbsp at a time until the dough comes together. Never never knead! Add water if the dough is still crumbly. Divide the dough evenly between ramekins, I used those that were given by Tina for my birthday! I got 6 ramekins....refrigerate for about one hour.

In the meantime, prepare the filling...Sautee garlic and onion until fragrant, brown the chicken flesh, add, milk, cream, mushroom, pepper, leek, salt to taste. Let simmer for about 10 minutes and remove from fire. In the mean time preheat the oven at 170C.

Remove the dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, I lined my kitchen top with baking paper and roll the disk of dough 1/4 inch thick. Divide the chicken filling evenly between the ramekins, and cover with the crust. Brush crusts with egg wash. Bake until crust is golden brown 30 to 35 minutes!

The pies were meant for lunch the next day...I had one for my sahur, and the kids finished them during breakfast! Tq Tina for the wonderful book and I love love the ramekins!

Life is short, let's do things that are important to us, and let's make doa for Puad and Ina and their family....have a fruitful week ahead...tqs for reading you alls!

Vanilla Cupcake with Creme Fraiche

I guess I am old fashioned....the cake that I like most and can never be sick with is Vanilla or Butter cake! So far, I really love the Victoria Sandwich cake! And, I have been trying recipes to get the perfect one, in terms of taste and most importantly, the texture. It has to be dense, at the same time moist, even if stored in the fridge for a few days.

I found this recipe from dailydelicious, and Pook actually uses creme fraiche, ie a French sour in the batter. I followed her instruction and made my own creme fraiche. I love the cake, and of course hubs was crazy about it.....he loved this like Dorie's Perfect Party Cake! Except that this cake is more yellow, of course it uses whole eggs, unlike Dorie's Party cake that uses egg whites only!

Ingredients

125g butter, I used Salted Anchor butter

125g sugar

125g selfraising flour

2 eggs

3 tbsp creme fraiche

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Cream butter and sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one by one until just combined. Add creme fraiche and fold in self raising flour. Bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 160C.

Creme Fraiche

1 cup whipping cream

1 tbsp natural yoghurt

Mix them together and let them rest on your kitchen counter top, but not hot for a day, and chill in the fridge over night before using.

I served my cakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream and top with store bought daffodils sugar icing...just love the subdued yellow colour...reminds of spring in Aber....even though it feels like autum in KL now with the rain and wind and gloomy weather, haha!....let one's imagination go wild thinking about the days in Aber, in London....haha!

My exboss requested me to make this cakes for her son's birthday last week...I tried to shy away, as I couldn't possibly make Angry Birds out of buttercream, no way hose...my hands are too stiff....so I googled and had pictures of Angry Birds on my phone while doing this in fondant...not bad huh? For one who was not born to be a sugar artist, wakaka....I can't believe I'm doing this, actually!

I decided to make Oreo Cuppies as Choc Cuppies would be too plain!

Of course Pn requested for her Devil's Food Choc Cake, whic I tooped with chopped Snickers, voila...wish I could pinch some...and she requested that I made some extra cuppies for her staff......have not heard from her or bumped into her, but I heard from my counterpart at the other office that the cuppies finished in almost a blink...hehe , good! Happy to hear!

Have a wonderful weekend peeps! I am just amazed with the blessings from Him...and yup I do believe in self talk, the power of  subconscious mind...if every thing goes well, I will share with you some news (exciting), later...hehe....just wait up!....and phleaze try all this simple recipes ya! Tqs for reading!

Singapore Chicken Laksa (Using Angel Hair Spaghetti)

So many things happen the past few days...but lately as I ponder on the goals that I set early this year....I have a lot to achieve! I have done a lot , but, yeah, there are many more that are far from reach! I will not meddle more into that, until the time is appropriate, but now is not the time...perhaps at the end of the year!

Let's look at what I made last Saturday.....Singapore Chicken Laksa using angel hair spaghetti, using a recipe that I adapted from ribbonandcircus's beautiful works of art of her blog page, pictures and food! She is just so talented, looking at the site, one can tell so!

The laksa was very easy to prepare, of course I had to do my magic by using short-cuts, haha...but yeah, the taste was awesome. I love this laksa as it is akin to curry laksa, but has a nyonya twist to the taste. It is spicy but not hot! The whole loved it, including Hajar and Muhammad who savoured their share with intermittent sips of water!....so here goes!

Ingredients

Rempah Paste

20 Asian Shallots

10 cloves garlic

10 dried chillies, soaked in warm water

10 fresh red chillies

6 candlenuts (buah keras)

2 tsp belacan- prawn paste

3 tbsp dried prawns, soaked in warm water

3 tbsp curry powder, I used Babas fish curry powder

5 tbsp oil

3 stalks lemong grass, bruised, I used 5...with lemon grass, I feel the more ie merrier, haha!

3 sprigs curry leaves, I used 1

1 litre chicken stock, I just boiled the entire cut chicken pieces with the soup!

1 litre thick coconut milk

salt to taste

Condiments

Lime, sliced

200g tofu puffs, cut into halves and I added into the soup

300g bean sprouts, blanched

2 pieces fried fish cakes, sliced and I added to the soup, as well, hehe!Short cuts, I love them!

12 large cooked king prawns, hehe, I sheeled my prawns and they also went into my soup!

12 seared scallops, I skipped

3 hard boiled eggs

600g rice vermicelli, I used spaghetti angel hair

Sliced torch ginger, I added....I like!

Fried Asian Shallots, I added....I like!

Method

1. To make the rempah paste, blend all the ingredients in a blender, you can pound them with a pestle and mortar, too!

2. Heat up oil in a soup pot, sautee the rempah paste with lemongrass and curry leaves.

3. Add water, let it boil, I added the prawns, chicken, tofu puff.

4. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, add coconut milk and salt to taste.

5. Boil spaghetti and serve!

Chilli Paste (that is good to serve with just about anything!)

110g chilli paste, I used cili boh...ada malas sikit to blend my own chilli!

25g garlic, i pounded with..

...50g dried shrimp, soaked in warm water

abt 200ml oil

Heat oil, sautee garlic, add chilli paste, fry until fragrant. Iadded 2 tbsp brown sugar (I use brwon sugar at home!), then add the punded dried shrimp. Add salt to taste and fry utnil the chilli disintegrates and oil floats to the surface.

.....ahhh what food styling!!?? This was how I had mine...sedap you! Will make this again!

Some macarons I made last week, for Sara and Kak Cik, tq lovely sweety pies!

Mini Cakes for a Wedding Hantaran, tq Azura!

Till the next post, tra!:p

Happy Deepavali...I'm A Hopeless Blogger.....

Yup! Am a hopeless blogger....whenever  I draft my contracts, time is of the essence would be a mandatory clause. But, I couldn't seem to apply that to my own domain...I have been scrambling for time for as long as I can remember...my days start as eary as 3 or 4 am, provided that I tuck in early the night before, and will go on till I hit the sack again at around 10 pm or 2 am, if I didn't nap earlier....and in the office, it's the last quater where my internal clients will use up their budgets, so, I become a contract churning machine, almost! Haha....

Anyway, yes, I have not replied your comments, I have read them on my berry, and some emails that came in this week. But, I managed to try a few recipes over the weekend, and the sneak peek ....

Chicken Pot Pie...my way!...and Tina's ramekins and pie book!

Some macarons!

I cried while peeling this, for Singapore Chicken Laksa! Yummeh! 

I conceived Hajar and Muhammad when I made this drink a ritual...have started taking them again, and I feel good! 

I'm not a blue person, but I love this blue! French Meringue Macarons shells using Jill Colonna's recipe! 

Love the colour, love orchids! 

Got this from Pontian when I started doing sugarpaste figurines...sitting on my notebook scribbled by Muhammad...

Wrong aperture, wrong speed, wrong iso everything wrong...but they are the righteous of my life....

Happy Deepavali, let there be light in your life :p ...enjoy the midweek break you alls!

Of Unconditional Love.....

....so, I went for my check up and my pap smear yesterday. The hospital APSH (been coming for my antenatal checks since carrying Yusof! Yusof is now 14) was surprisingly rather quiet yesterday...good, but I spent close to half a day there! I don't particularly like hospitals or going to the hospitals, but I felt relieved(maybe I should'nt be saying this) to hear other people are also having common worries....it was nice meeting Kak Ram, Dr Ashar's PA, and we chatted about our children...the last two years she was sort of struggling with her eldest teenage girl, now in college and doing Dentistry and happy and living calmly! Challenges are now from her second boy....oh boy! Tell me about this...me and my Yusof, tell me about it!Yeah Khadijah has settled down to working hard for her coming SPM, and I need to bring her for her HPV injections, soon...been reminded by Kak Ram time and time again....

...and when I saw Dr Ashar, he too spoke about his son, yikes...this days boys driving without having a driving licence is a normal phenomena...yeah I must use this word, as I don't think it was a normal thing during my days...we drove when pass the driving test, right! Of course we also discuss my on off spotting (i'm menopausal already???nah....), bla, bla, bla and my anti-pregnancy device is due to be taken out next year (after that what happens??)....of course also about boys coming home late at night especially during the weekends.....common thing eh.....and about which school to send the kids to, and whether we have given them enough for them to live on their own....but the thing that made me think hard yesterday was when he said....."I dont know if I'm doing all this for me or for them!"......and there's this thing called unconditional love, especially with your children, what you do becomes secondary...you gave your heart and soul and everything there is to give because of love that warrants no conditions! ...and I said to him, "Doc, you have two, I have six children!".....something to ponder over the weekend about unconditional love, folks.....

Anyway, here's my thank yous to all those lovely peeps...

A 7 inch Victoria Sandwich Cake for Engagement Hantaran....

Some White and Turquoise Blue Macarons.....

...and about 50 pieces Macarons for makan-makan, thank you Aisyah!

Vanilla Cuppies using Creme Fraiche...

and Red Velvet Cuppies, ordered by Maizura, my song bird who's leaving for Haj, soon...my gift for her kenduri doa selamat...

Some Marbled Macarons and some Dusty Rose and Fuschia Macarons...

...and some Red Velvet Cuppies for Elsa, tqs Ely!

...some Macarons for Syamil and Fadzrain and Razlyn...tqs peeps!

.....have a wonderful resting weekend peeps, I will!

Brownie Cookies With Peanut Butter Filling

Hi you alls!...it's a delayed post! But better late than never!well, am well immersed in my work and baking....have decided to limit orders and am doing orders that have been placed much earlier only and been very selective with new orders... time is not on my side...there are so many things that I want to put up here, but I have to push to another day and time which I can't tell when...just bear with if you larat....

Anyway, I made this last Monday before I got ready to work...it's super easy and super fast...I'd not put something that is rocket science here, haha!Let's take a look at the recipe first and we bla bla bla later.....

Ingredients

For Brownie Cookies

350g dark chocolate, chopped, I used 250g Lindt's 70% Dark Choc and the rest dark choc chips from Bagus

40g butter

2 eggs

2/3 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 plain flour, sifted with1/4 tsp baking powder

For Peanut Butter Filling

1 cup icing sugar

1 cup smooth peanut butter

80g butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 single (pouring cream), I used evap milk

I added a pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat oven at 180C, prepare baking trays with baking paper.

2. Place 200g of the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir until all melted and smooth. I turned off the heat once the butter started to melt and stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. I used my wooden laddle.Add to the melted choc butter mix.

4. Stir in sifted flour and baking powder, and remaining chocolate into the mix. Allow to stand for 10 mins.

5. Spoon tablespoons of the mixture onto baking trays. Bake for about 8-10 mons until the brownie puffed and cracked. Let cool completely on trays....at which time, I went to take my shower...muahahhha...

6. To make the peanut butter filling is no brainer, just mix all the ingredients and stir vigorously until you get a creamy texture....yums, I could just lick them all!.....I've only discovered the peanut butter heaven, you see!

7. Spread half of the cookies with peanut butter and sandwich with the remaining cookies!

Recipe from Donna Hay's 10th Birthday Collector's Edition Magazine, I love the clean cut and simple yet delicious in her magazines!

I got about 15 sandwiched cookies, had one for breakfast, brought 2 to office, gave one to Razlyn....and when I return home that day, there were only 4 left....Yusof ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!" Ma, this is the best brownie I have ever tasted",said Yusof...and I think so too....it's excellent for that lazy Sunday afternoon, or to unwind with a cup of coffee after a long day's work :p

p/s am lacking with my replying of emails, I will before Friday ya!

The Week That Was....

Devils Food Choc Cake with Cream Cheese< Choc GAnache and Strwberries, tq Amizah!

It was a chaotic week last week! With office load and Muhammad and Hajar were not feeling well...think I had about 3 hours sleep daily! I took Tuesday off, thought of finishing my macaron shells and went for some pampering and menicure pedicure.....but the weather? It rained and was super damp that day, or the egg white or the ground almond was moist....I busted 4 batches of macarons that Tuesday morning (there were feet and all but they were very gritty and the feet was not even!)...and I busted 2 more batches in the afternoon...shouldn't have used the same stuffs when the whole thing was wrong....grrrrrr to say the least!

A very last minute orde....25 pieces Red Velvet Cuppies for Engagement Hantaran, tqs Liza

Anyway...I had all those orders and pick ups on Thrsday, Friday and Saturday....life has to go on, the show was on...I made some  more macarons that night using new ingredients, fresh egg whites, and the night after and the night after........

For a young boy's birthday party, Strawberry Shortbread Tarts and Moist Choc Cuppies with Choc Ganache and M&M's, tqs Yong! 

I cooked Beryani Udang for makan-makan at the office on Wednesday...but Thursday morning we were woken to hub's uncle's passing...Pak Uteh dah cukup hukum, I put everything down, and left for Muar...It was a day trip, and we got home at past 11.30 that night....penat can't describe how we felt.....but well...life moves on....

For a sweet baby sister's engagement! Tq much Tuty...Tuty came to one of my Macaron Tutorial classes! Macarons with Lemon White Choc Ganache!

I managed to complete all these orders, but a bit kecoh on Saturday when I realised that I didn't do a "Happy Birthday" wordings nor have any appropriate candles, while the person picking up the cake was already waiting at my doorstep and I was having my brucnh....oh my! Thank God for a very understanding Amin and Amizah...in a dash I drove to Bagus to get some candles....

Macarons with assorted filling...Pierre Herme Bitter Choc using Valrhona Cocoa, Salted Caramel, Salty Peanut Butter, Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Passion Fruit White Choc Ganache and Teh Tarik...tqs Aunty B, Niza and Amizah!

Kak Nana's gift to her friend's daughter's Hantaran....love this colours, tqs Kak Nana!

....that was Saturday...come Sunday, while I prepared my ground almond for the coming orders I made this Fruit Pastry Cake (recipe frm Rima!)...awesome!

Fruit Pastry Cake

100g butter, soft

200g caster sugar

50g sour cream, I used 2 tbsp natural yoghurt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp lemon zest

210g plain flour sifted with 1 tsp double acting baking powder

500g fruits, i used raspberry, starwberries, blackberries, prunes

Method

1. Prepare an 8inches sq cake tin, I used a loose bottom cake tin. Preheat oven at 170C. Wash fruits and toss with sugar.

2.Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest, and yoghurt until light and fluffy. I used my good old wooden ladle.

3.Add vanilla, add eggs, mix just to incorporate them.

4. Pour in cake tin, scatter fruits on top, but do not press the fruits into the batter.

5.Bake for about 60 to 70 minutes.

The cake was a family favourite, but for a slice that I kept for Razlyn, it was gone the next morning!

....to conclude...I need a new oven and a new fridge :p...tra!

Pink Chocolate Macaron Pops!

I have been so busy, and I have missed MacAttack two months in a row...definitely did not want to miss this month's Pinkarons...a tribute to Cancer.....

To me fighting cancer is like fighting another war...but the enemy is one that sleeps in and slip in! I lost two loved ones after their brave battle with cancer last year, my dear sister in law who was only 31 lost the fight against acute leukemia and a dear blogger friend lost when her cancer relapsed...I can never forget the daunting moments.....

I guess what one can do is just be cautious....live a healthy living, cancer thrives on sugar, so to reduce your sugar intake....easy to speak but how can one shy away from sugar when one enjoys baking and indulging in desserts...yikes...and that one person is moi! ....apart from this sugary goodies i only take a third of a teaspoon of sugar with my coffee, but i cant live without rice...my sins...

...after dodging my check-ups all these years, I have started going for my routines from last year, yup a pap smear is a must for all childbearing women, for this year mine's due this month! What a coincidence! I have been told by my gynae that for a woman who has delivered several times, the risk for ovarian cancer is high...whoaa....but god forbid....I'll do my pap smear...and so must you!

....and for MacTweet...here's Pink Chocolate Macaron Pops...I added vanilla bean seeds and a teaspoon of cocoa powder and added some pink colour powder in the shell to result in this! The filling is Dark Chocolate Ganache using the locally made Beryl's Dark Chocolate Chips...awesome yes...but not so happy for those who are battling this sickness cancer..... 

...here's to mac-attack-24-pink-october-macarons ! Have a fabulous week you alls!

Pierre Herme's Bitter Chocolate Macaron

It's going to be Friday tomorrow, and what a week had been for me....CHAOS is the (and read:comments not replied yet....sabar ye!) word !....anyway, more stories on that when I updates and cakes on bakes! For now, let's talk Pierre Herme's macarons....Choc Macarons and the much talk about book that now is printed in English...woot! I got my copy last week, and what better opportunity to give this recipe a shot when I have to deliver some orders, too!...so here goes......

The ingredients involve melting dark chocolate into the ground almond icing sugar mix...and I used Valrhona's 64% Manjari cocoa buttons......

I decided to halve the recipe, and used the technique that I learnt from Nathalie's class when preparing the sugar syrup so as to avoid the sugar from crystalising. During mixing too, I did exactly what Nathalie taught us! And baked on baking paper instead of my Silpat or silicon sheet....

I made this macarons after I got home from office, settled the kids dinner, tidied my kitchen but voila, I guess      it was very dry that night, that it took only 40 minutes for the shells to dry! I didn't dust the shells with cocoa powder, but used Valrhona Manjari buttons and President whipping cream for the ganache!

...and the verdict....it was delicious, chocolatey...yet I prefer Nathalie's Chocolate Macarons which have cocoa powder in addition to the melted dark chocolate in the batter...but hey, it's definitely nicer to indulge in your own homemade macarons!

....so, grab hold of the book and make this at home!Hmmm...I can't wait to try some other flavors from the book!