Salam Aidil Adha

It was a rather quiet Raya Haji this year. Mak and Ayah and Adik went back to Alor Setar, but we stayed back as Khadijah's busy preparing for her SPM...6 days to go! I made Coconut Cupcakes with Pineapple Cream Cheese and Lapis Legit Prune Chocolate and Nasi Tomato with Ayam Masak Merah for juadah raya. After Solat Raya, we had breakfast and then went to Tok Bik's house in Kg Melayu Subang, went to Salwa's to see Mak Arah and came home....tired! I made some macarons for Aida's mom to bring back to her friends in Sg Petani, and this Banana Choc Chip Bread!

I cleaned my house yesterday, boiled some bones from the daging kurban given by division secretary and fried some beef for dinner last night, made some fondant and slept...bliss!

Banana Choc Chip Bread(recipe adapted from Nigella's How To be A Domestic Goddess)

175g all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

1/2 tsp salt

125g butter melted

2 large eggs

150g sugar

4 very ripe bananas (or about 300g bananas without skin)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped dark chocolate, I added

(I omitted rum, sulatanas and walnuts)

23x13x7 cm loaf tin

Method

1. Preheat oven at 170C, prepare loaf tin.

2.Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Melt (not boil ya!) butter, let cool, add sugar and eggs one by one. Stir until all well mixed. Add vanilla and mashed bananas.

4.In 3 additions, I folded in the flour mix, last the choc chip.

5.Pour into prepared tin and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.

Aida loved this and so does my family...it's easy to make but super yums!

Here's some pics of my children during raya at Tok Bik's...the older ones stayed back at home! 

Ibraheem...

Umar and Nabil

Hajar and Muhammad

Almond Macarons with Passion Fruit White Choc Ganache, Dark Choc and Salty Peanut Butter for Aida's mom, tqs aunty, tqs Aida!

Apple Strawberry Crumble (Gluten Free)

The last couple of nights have been free and easy nights for me. The order that was supposed to be for Friday was delivred on Tuesday. I have been getting inquiries and orders, most of which I had to turn down....I have been having this throbbing headache since Friday night, flu came on Saturday and went off, but the body ache and headache stayed, only to ease after I pop some Actifast...not good, eh!...and today the flue came again....I'm sorry peeps, I hate to turn you down, but I just have to....

Anyway, I made this last night. My first try a gluten free bake. This goes especially to my dear friend, who people usually think is my sister, Liza who has turned to be gluten free due to some health reasons...and Dena, who has a child who's on a gluten free diet, as well!

Ingredients (recipe was adapted from Canelle Vanille's recipe)

Almond crumble

100g butter, soft

100g sugar, next time I will use organic sugar

100g flour, I used Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour

120g ground almond

80g raw almonds, chopped

pinch of salt

Method

Cream butter and sugar until pale. Add flour, ground almond and salt, mix and add chopped almonds. The mixture will be sandy. Refrigerate for about an hour.

Apple Strawberry Filling (it was supposed to be blackberries and cherries, none was available at Hock Choon last night)

160g green apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

250g starwberries, hulled and quatered

10g flour, I forgot !

20g vanilla sugar

zest and juice of one lemon

pinch of salt

Method

In a large bowl toss the fruits together with sugar and mix with lemon juice and zest.

I divided the fruits filling and topped them with the almond crumble. Baked at 170C for about 40 minutes or until the juices from the fruits overflow!

I couldn't wait thill this morning to savour this! It was so, so,  good! Of course the crumble was crumble as almond and gluten free flour did not have any starch, but yup it was really good...I'd do my crumble this way always! ...and I have fallen in love with the ramekins that Tina gave me...cant get enough of them!

This are for Liza...Dena is away performing her Haj!

....some macarons...

120 pieces of macarons, Red Velvet, Double Choc, Salty Peanut Butter, Coconut, Mixed Berries jam (homemade) for Ayu, we did Alvels together, only met after she was referred to me by Tina, alhamdulillah. Tqs Ayu, tqs Tina!

Salty penut Butter and Mixed Berries Jam macarons for Zira, tqs Zira!

Bye, tq! Tqs for reading!