Baking quickie...

Was home alone today... Gloria is spending some quality time with her grandparents (coz since I'm a temp SAHM now, they see her less than before). I initially wanted to try and bake Walnut Bread. Inspired by the ones Jaya Jusco sells... my parents lurve it. They buy one nearly every time they go to Jaya Jusco.

Let me digress a little here. Did you realise that if you get the Walnut bread at smaller Juscos it's cheaper? It's like 1.69 or 1.99 (I need to ask mum the actual price).. But if you get it like in Midvalley, it's over 2 ringgit. Location, location, location I tell ya! Though... I do feel that there's more walnut in the MidValley version.

OK back to my story.

Anyways, I went to the baking supply shop and saw a 'New Year Cookies' recipe book. Flipping through it ... I fell in love. The recipes look simple and the pictures of the cookies looks absolutely fab. It didn't cost an arm and a leg... and it's by a Malaysian chef (don't think he's well known.. but I guess being a Malaysian the taste would suit our palate.. different from the angmoh kind) There was this ONE cookie that I thought I could whip up

Mock Watermelon Crisps...

I just love how they look ...

Definitely making these as gifts :)

Cake experiment

It all started when I decided that I'll bake Gloria's FIRST birthday cake. How difficult could it be right? I'm sure Gloria'll be thrilled with ANYTHING that is produced. Ah but then there'll be photos snapping the soon coming event... And I wouldn't want my daughter looking back at the old photos and asking me... 'Mummy, what's that pile of thing that I'm posing behind of?'.

I shared my idea with hubby... who then said
'Make it in the shape of number ONE'

'Shape like number ONE?' a little shocked that hubby actually pitched an idea and not grunt in acknowledgement.

'Yeah.. so that when we look back at the pictures we'll know that it's her first birthday'

Yeah makes sense.. though the number of candles on the cake would've be indicative..

However, it's a challenge I cannot shy away from.

Now how would I decorate the cake?

First thought.. Fondant (Sugar Paste)... very pretty ... but well... it's just sugary. Anyhow, I managed to find some ready to roll sugar paste *go self!*

So a few Friday's ago, my sis and I whipped up a simple sponge cake and decorated it with fondant (well, I did set my sis up for the task by introducing her to this blog)

Anyhow, to cut long story short... this was what we came up with

OK... handling fondant was not as tricky as I thought it would be... and we definitely need to experiment more hehehe... when we were done... we didn't have the heart to cut the cake... so we had to let my dad do the honors :P

A week later, we baked a chocolate cake with cream cheese and peach filling (YUMZ!) and decorated with butter cream. This time, I experimented on assembling the cake into the number ONE shape. Cake was yummy...decoration was well... amateur hehehe..

I have 1 more month to go before the REAL event. I think there'll be a few more experiments to do hehhee....

Next mission... mousse cake? Or maybe layered sponge cake with sweetened whipped cream. Wish me luck

To do list

Before I embarked on this sabbatical, I though I would do MILLIONS of posts into this blog.. hahaha.. how wrong I was.

In fact I've been online LESS than before! The first week was a little difficult. I think I had Internet Withdrawal Syndrome. Thank goodness Gloria kept me occupied enough to keep my mind off it. Now that I am computer-enabled (temporarily)... I still haven't found the time to blog..

oh the eternal procrastinator in me! :P

Dejavu

Did you feel it?

It's my turn to ask now.. This morning at approximately 8 a.m., I was in the hall with my lil bee, waiting to say 'bye-bye' to hubby. Then I felt it.

At first I thought I was still sleepy and feeling dizzy.

Hold it!

The water in the air purifying machine was moving. And the machine WAS NOT TURNED ON!

Then I felt it again... the room felt like it moved centimeters to the left and then to the right. And the water sloshed gently in the machine.

Whoah!..

Malaysia... earthquake?!