Beef Bacon Cheese and Chives Scones!

....so I was not well on Tuesday, started having back pains and runny nose from Monday afternoon, at work. The whole works came on Monday night, I couldn't even clean my kitchen....Ibraheem kindly helped washed the dishes! I jumped on snoozeland. On Tuesday, I went to the GP, took my breakfast and the medicine and dropped by the Inland Revenue. Have to sort out the bill of RM20k and file in this years returns! Done that, and I headed home. Hajar and Muhammad were at Aunty Roopa's.....I dozed off a bit, got up groggy and made this savoury scones! What prompted me to make this? The delicious savoury scones that I had with Sheriza some two weeks ago were still lingering in my taste buds!...and you know, to make scones is super quick!

Ingredients...recipe from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen!

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp cold butter, cubed, I chopped!

1 cup grated cheese, I used mature cheddar

1/3 cups chives, chopped

12 slices bacon, I used beef bacon, chopped and sautee without oil until they are dry

3/4 whip cream , and 2 tbsp milk to brush, I used my fingers and dabbed the scones before baking!

Method

I mixed all the ingredients together using my fingers, and later rub the butter until they are well incorporated in the mixture and resembles bread crumbs. Then, I lightly knead the dough to form a ball and press into an 8 inches round cake tin. Dab the dough with milk and bake in a preheated oven at 200C for about 20 to 25 minutes! Awesome, sedap, enjoy! How can I describe them!

...and some cakes I made last week!

Rainbow cakes for Aunty Buntat and Asmah!  

Made this macarons for Nita and Pidah!

Devils Food Choc Cake with Choc Ganache and Peanut Butter cheese with Maltesers for Zam Aiza! 

Devils Food Choc Cake for Farrah and Adillah!

Red Velvet Cakes for Najihah from JB and Wahida!

Najihah also ordered a small Victoria Sandwich Cake!

Thank you beutiful peeps for this orders and for reading :p

Peanut Butter Choc Chip Brownie

....I ordered my Berjaya oven on Saturday. But, the one that I wanted was out of stock, so I have to wait till  mid May, the earliest time before I got mine! In the mean time, my dad called me yesterday and insisted that I should stay with my current employment and forget the quitting drama that has been going on!????!!!

...and we are all in a sombre mood, my Tok Yam our pillars of strength was hit with a massive stroke on Friday in her bathroom and only discovered on Saturday late evening....don't think she will recover. Her blood pressure is okay, she is semi paralysed, her right limbs are gonner, but the massive hemorrhage in her brain has left her in a state of almost vegetative...I wanted to go back to Baling, but Ayah asked to stay put for now.....there will be decisions to be made between my mom and her siblings as someone has to mind my Tok Wan who is already senile and another person has to care for Tok Yam. Adik has decided that Tok Yam came here and we'll hire a nurse to care for her..I pray for the best for my Tok Yam...couldn't imagine a person like me lying down motion and emotionless, hmmmm.

I made this Peanut Butter Choc Chip Brownie last week, after I saw this in Bakerella's blog. It was super easy to make and I thought that this was the peanut butter version of Congo Bars! So , if you loved Congo Bars and you loved Peanut Butter, make this!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp butter, soft

1/2 cups peanut butter, I used chunky skippy's..that's all i had!

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup (or more) dark choc chip

Method

Preheat oven at 160C, prepare a square 8x8 cake tin, greased and lined with overhanging baking paper.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Beat butter and sugar till light, add peanut butter, and beat. Beat in eggs one by one, add sifted flour and baking powder and salt. Lastly, fold in choc chips. Bake for about 30 minutes. I didn't do the topping, having this squares on their own were good enough!

I made this macarons to send to Aireen in Ipoh and Maizatul in Kemaman!

...and decided to try this Red Velvet Cake made using butter! My version of Red Velvet Cake uses corn oil, I love them both in terms of taste and texture. Super yumms! 

A Red Velvet Cake....

A Devils's Food Choc Cake with Choc Ganache and sprinkled with Milo...

....and a Victoria Sandwich Cake ordered by Chor Pee Anwarul & Co for their clients!Tq hubs!

...made this Red Velvet cupcakes for Kak Faezah my senior during Alevels, Tq Kak Faezah!

...and made this Berries Tart for my Regulatory and Legal Div pot luck on Friday!

.....in my mind right now is my Tok Yam and this old house....let's pray for the best for Tok Yam, amin!

As The Days Pass By.....

....I take one small step and one single action to make myself closer to my goal! I have listed down the things that I need to do, and I try my best to do at least one from my list! It is scary, but like Dato Shaz said...sometimes one has to have faith in something that one can't see!

I didn't oblige many orders last week, knowing that I have fulfill this orders from Maybank! 360 assorted flavors cupcakes for their high-tea for Maybank's Malaysian Golf Open 2012! Boy, was I flattered...of course I was! I made Vanilla and Red Velvet Cupcakes on Saturday and made Vanilla and Malt and Choc Malt Cupcakes for Sunday!

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes ....recipe from www.spicyicecream.com.au

Ingredients

195g butter, soft

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla bean, I used 1 tsp vanilla essence

195g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

120g Horlicks or Milo for Choc Malt

60ml milk

60 ml boiling water

Method

Preheat oven at 170C. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, add vanilla. Sift flour and baking powder and Milo together, fold into the butter sugar and egg mixture. Fold in milk and lastly fold in hot water. Divide between cups and bake for about 15 minutes.

I topped them with Caramel Buttercream...yummss!

It didn't occur to me that the whole event was a world class event, hence, my cakes...LOL, until Kak Nana reminded me of this...so I kembang sekejap (was flattered!!)

...and yes, I hope to see them again in 2013, inshaallah...in the mean time I have to prepare my invoice, LOL! Yup, haven't done that yet!

I made this for Leanne, a Turquoise Rainbow cake, tis Leanne!

...and made some macarons, the fillings were Peanut Butter Cheese, Passion Fruit, Caramel Buttercream, Blackcurrant and Vanilla...tqs Muzal, Ju, Suhaila...

I also experimented with this Macaron Pyramid...awesome! Neat and easier to assemble compared with a Macaron Tower! But I love them all the same!

I made this Rainbow Cake in Purple for Zira and some Cupcakes for her niece's Hantaran...tqs Zira, for always being there for me with or without your Pulut Mangga or Kuehteow Teng or Laksa Perglih!

I didn't do any baking on Sunday after I delivered  the Cupcakes to KLGCC, but made this for another special person who puts others before her...Happy Birthday Shila Superwomanwannabe....she is indeed a supermom ya!

...ok some update that I'm typing using my new "Apple"...guess what???? I have to install Photoshop and get back my camera from the workshop and make full use of this superb machine, made by its superb creator, the late Steve Jobs! Nites...oops...morning...I have to go to MARA to found out about Khadijah's scholarship :p

Today Matters

After a series of events that have taken place lately, I have gone back to my roots....I realised that today matters! If you loved your children, show them that you loved them, today! If you are soul searching and not knowing where to go, don't wait till tomorrow, do it today! Well, after the tsunami warning yesterday (I was filling my macarons and setting up a macaron pyramid), I realised that I have kept postponing this part of my life, and this is a big one...sigh! If health matters to you, start by looking at your diet and scrutinise your food intake...yeah telling me who bakes and crave my own bakes....we have to start somewhere, but do it today!

And another big one, I have never really bothered about my finances, really! As long as I have the means to pay my bills and create some more bills and spend and splurge, I was fine....but last Tuesday, I sat down and started looking at my finances...counting my liabilities and some teeny weeny assets.....there is a rm20k bill from the Inland Revenue saying that I did not pay my subscription last, year...I will sort that out next week...all documents to back me up are ready....and no....I don't earn so much from my bakes....

And....I have come to a point where I am seriously considering baking full time! That is a "today matters" matter to me now....I'm strategising and making all efforts to make that happen....I think a series of people whom I came across this past few days were all "planned by Him"...I spoke a lot about passion and uncertainties with Saiful Nang! and when we had our Managemnt Employee Meet last Tuesday, Dato Shaz spoke about he had achieved in the last 2 years, and his aspirations for the company in the next 4 years...."Sometimes you have to have faith in what you can't see"....so true! So inspiring.....and in the latets Donna Hay's issue, Donna who started with publishing her own book and got noticed by Marie Claire magazine said, "...a little drive, a dash of perfectionisim, and a willingness to roll up your sleeves never goes unnoticed"....yup, today matters and am taking action!

I have not been baking leaisurely for some reasons, and time is one of the reason. Anyway, I made this delicious so called bakery style Vanilla cupcakes. I came across the recipe from Sweetapolita blog which originates from the Food Network...

Bakery Style Vanilla Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups self raising flour, sifted with ...

...1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

 1 cup (227g ) butter

2 cups, I used 1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup (250 ml) milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt , I added

Cream butter and sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one by one,  add flours in 3 additions , alternate with milk in 2 additions. Bake in souffle or muffin cups for about 20 minutes at 160C. 

....and here's some bakes I made the past couple of weeks! Notioce that they were all from my Instagram...I have to send my camera and lens for servicing...they were mouldy, there were fungus....hmm...another "today matters" thingy....I must get a box with silica gel and store my cameras and not allow them to just sit on my kitchen top :p 

Hantaran macarons, Tqs Idrina!

Barbie Princess! Tqs Zalifah, you too look like a princess!

Apple Crumble Tart....

...and a Victoria sandwich Cake, tqs Jamaliah!

A Hummingbird Cake for Anita and Anissa!, tqs lovely peeps!

A Hantaran Set for her secretary...

...and some macarons for her, tqs Muzal! and tq muahs muahs for those who have been oreding my macarons!

A Turquoise Rainbow cake, tqs Leanne!

....aome macarons for her father...

...and her and her neighbour, tqs Farida!

I have been making quite a bit of macarons lately, tqs to this KitchenAid (and tqs to Rima for ferrying her from Spore), the wire whisk is superb for making meringues!

Think this picture could be used for a Silpat advert, LOL...

Have a brilliant week ahead, hope I can update more often!:p:p:p 

The Art Of Seeing!

I always believe that when the student is ready, the teacher will arrive! Attending The Art Of Seeing workshop was what I did over the weekend till Monday, late afternoon. 

Attending Saiful Nang's Zero To Pro was one of the many classes that I wanted to do this year. At first I wanted to attend a food photography workshop overseas. But I thought, I'd better start from home! And after coming across SN (that's how we address Saiful Nang)'s Program and seeing all his gorgeous shots, I knew I could learn a thing or two from this guy!

......hmmm, I didn't learn a thing or two....the whole workshop made me think,  and ponder and strategise! And move on! Yes, there were 10 guidelines, rules sort of when taking shots, but during the workshop I learnt leadership, marketing, self motivation, discipline and the importance of love that begins from home!

From the videos that SN shared with us of his work, you could see that he is very passionate about his work! We begin at 8.30 every day after breakfast with a session of tutorial sort of, and then, for the rest of the days we went to outing to get our shots.....you wouldn't want to see my pictures that I took on the first day!...they were just pictures....with some technical flaws....urgghh.....

....my pictures improved a bit after our first outing...but f course to SN they were still "sampah" (rubbish) apart from probably one shot! So, at the end of the first day and after the first critic session, I got hold of my technical flaws.....I took some 'moment' pictures on day 2, some portraits and food pictures. But, on the last day, when we went individually to shoot, SN asked me not to focus on food photography, but everything else. We had to edit via Photo Shop...which I really have to master from now on!I have zero knowledge on this!

But then, to me the whole workshop was everything else about your life....picture taking is only a medium that you capture moments.......and how you do that, one must master the art of seeing! SN also taught us about creating our own media.....I love this part as well! And the part that he is so loving with his children and wife....he is a leader, a visionary! "Be passionate about what you do, and the money will flow..." I will always remember that...and create your own media!

Unfortunately, my memory card was corrupted at the end of the whole session....I still have to retrieve some pictures. But to me the workshop was not about the pictures alone. Well, at the end of the 3 days with the team and SN, think I have come out a brand new person with a different perspective. Sure, my pictures have still a long way to improve, but now I know what went wrong...and at the end of the day, one must master "The Art Seeing" in all aspects of one's life! Creativity can't be taught, but with push and pressure one will be creative and perform...enough said, let's do our work!

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UPDATED! Let's see this Vimeo! Enjoy!!

ZERO TO PRO 8 : Sekilas Pandang dari Kursus Fotografi Paling Lengkap from CandidSyndrome Film on Vimeo.