Awake!

Its been over a year since this blog was rendered inactive. Through the shifting process, I just lost interest in cooking or baking AND taking pictures...

Taking pictures.. that would be nearly impossible now, as my beloved Canon is broken. My heart broke with it!

But having said that, I need to start this blog up again, even without pictures...

We're Off the Net

Yes, I guess we are. That cute lil townhouse we moved in and settling in quite nicely is without fixed-line facility. I still can't imagine it!

BUT it is and so we must embrace it! At least I will have to. The kids and I have agreed to make weekly trips to a cybercafe to get connected to the rest of the world.

Anyway, its been a crazy month - brother's wedding reception, my sister's visit, us moving house...its crazy. I can't wait to feel 'settled' again - to start sewing, scrapbooking..baking again!.....

My pantry items and baking equipment are still in boxes on the kitchen floor- my shoe cabinet 'pantry' is coming..the end of the month!

I just remembered my curtains....must make them soon! Currently, my bedsheets and tablecloths are displayed across my windows!!

Finally

After 5 months, we found a cute little townhouse! Its 5 minutes from Mom's and 2 minutes from the airport; ironically central for us! Rent is good too; intermediate rent for a corner block! Great landlord too. I dare say it's providence!

Only problem is, we aren't able to move in till next week - we were meant to move in this week. OH well. I think its called Divine Plan; gives us more time to sort through the massive pile of boxes (picking out what comes with us and what stays)PLUS gives us time to shop for my kitchen furniture. Been looking for a Kitchen/Work bench around Karamunsing and found this 'half-solid' 1.43m bench going for RM550. The salesgirl 'graciously' gave us a $20 discount! I told her I'll think about it; secretly I knew it was the 'best' yet from my search. I am also in need of a pantry but I notice they don't sell freestanding pantries here like they do in Australia. Which resulted in me browsing through the shoe cabinets;

salesgirl: miss, what are you looking for?
me: pantry (of course she doesn't know what THIS is).. a place I can keep my sardine and maggie mee packets!
salesgirl: but miss, these are shoe racks....*befuddled look*
me: yes, I know...(proceeding to ignore here)..and they make the best kind!

I am missing IKEA!

Anyway, it was quite by chance that C mentioned to a friend that we've been busy hitting the furniture shops hunting for 3 seater sofas and kitchen furniture.

"eh, I got friend whose a furniture broker. Go see him" says E

Which was exactly what we did this afternoon. That same kitchen bench going for RM550, I got for RM 360. In short, I bought 4 pieces from them for the a total of RM980!! RM980, I still can't believe it!

When we've settled, going to have a dinner party for E and his family!

On a complete irrelevant matter, brag-brag-brag again! Bugs me to high heaven! So annoying!

Privatised

I have privatised this blog. Been meaning to do it for a while now. The time has come!

Of late, SO many girls I know, near and far, are now into the cake business. OMG! They are coming out of the woodworks in gargantuan proportion! Well, not exactly but you catch my meaning!

Granted some are truly worth admiring in awesome wonder. Very exquisite work and one can't help but really be inspired by them. These cool chicks don't ever blow their own trumpet and their creation & commendation of others speaks for her! No trumpet calls here!

Yet there are those who are just plain mediocre that I even wonder what possessed them to get into the business in the first instance. Oh wait, its their deluded ego that did it! What a joke! These daggy gals go on and on about how great their cakes are! I guess they'd have to if their cakes are just BLAH! Yup, trumpet calls galore! Cruel, huh? Sadly yes and it must be said in the privacy of my now private blog. :)

Anyway that was NOT the reason for this post! What was it?

Oh yes, that's it.

I am happiest and most fulfilled when I have created something; be it a finished quilt, scrapbook a page or an album, needlework, playing a song, baking a cake..whatever. I figured that with all this 'time' at home full-time with the kids, I am going to have to perfect my craft (and finish them!!) And pick up others along the way. For example, weaving is one skill I have always wanted to learn. Being Iban, its a shame if I couldn't! (Its already a shame I do not know how to ngajat) With the master weaver, my grandma, sick I am depending on my aunts. Weaving shall be conquered......soon....

So I have privatised this blog to display my wares in confidence that my ideas will not be copied or be scoffed at.

And also to 'air' my thoughts......

Yet I still like to read comments :-)

That's it...

So what's been up?

Lots but like at Pemberley, can't seem to find the words nor the mood to write about anything.

For starters, I need to take my photography more seriously. Goodness, my pictures are appalling compared to some of the masterpieces around!

Anyway, my baking tools have been packed away, at least until we move house! After which I have strings of cakes to attempt.

And Kylie Kwong's to try.

Need practice!

Gawai

it means festival. And for the ibans (and other locals) of Sarawak, end of May/beginning of June is a time for some serious merry making, thanking the gods for a year of bountiful harvest. And for the men, downing as much Stella Artois or cheap brandy as possible on the day and days to come!! Not that much different from Kaamatan for Sabah locals, I must say. For the longest time, I remember not 'liking' this time of the year. The 1 part of the iban and dusun culture I am ashamed and angry about! Too much drunks and fights breaking out after. Alcohol and Gawai don't mix!

So we spent a quiet and idylic Gawai with Mom's folks. Mom's longhouse is technically NOT a longhouse anymore but individual standing houses. So a much safer environment then it was way back when. Back in real longhouse days, if a drinking session is held in one bilek, the fights ensuing would 'spill' to the other 'bilek's. Next thing, the whole longhouse is in 1 gigantic battle! Not good!

Still ate way too much local delicacies! My cousin made some plain 'pulut pansuh' out of the glutinous rice she planted and harvested. Young bamboo segments are filled with glutinous rice and smoked over charcoal (don't know if I am describing it well!). When cooked just right, the pulut is fragrant and moist. As my cousin didn't add santan to the pulut, it kept for days! My meals would consist of half a 'stick' of pulut. To eat the rice, one would have to crack and 'tear' the bamboo open - Dad would always comment how very 'tedious' the eating process is.

An aunt also gave us some pam, a steamed coconut cake wrapped in Banana leaves. Too bad she didn't give enough! And no the kids, didn't care for any of it!

If only I had some pictures to show!

Apple-Pineapple-Walnut Cake

Yup my hiatus didn't last that long, did it?

Saw some apples in the fridge and 2 tins of cubed pineapple in the pantry; been there since don't know when! Thought to put it to good use! So here it is: Chunks of apples and pineapple meets chopped up walnuts with light cream-cheese filing and topping.

With V's short visit back home from Perth, I promised her a liquer ridden cake - this time, I
will 'drench' it with Kahlua (thanks to my Melbourne trip, I stocked up on liquer!!)

M's attempt at 'shooting' me cut the cake...

On Hiatus

Cappucino Squares with White Chocolate Frosting

M insisted that she helped with the cutting!

Till next time...

Gateau Tiramisu

Always wanted to make Tiramisu but the thought of using store-bought-pre-made cakes in a cake, never appealed to me. Even the yummy-ness of Tiramisu wasn't enough to entice me then. Yes, of course I could've baked my own cake for the purpose of Tiramisu! This recipe didn't call for a store-bought-pre-made cake, so I was game.
Told J & M, this was an 'adult' cake, seeing that it is doused in bailey infused coffee syrup! :-)

I will bake this especially for V when she comes a-visiting!

Tele-pathetique?

We laugh about this!

The BFF and I have this weird thing going, dunno how to explain it. But if you've had the rare privilege of having one, you'd know what I mean. To the 'untrained' eye, it would seem that we 'copy' each other. That could and would be true in high-school when we saw each other 24-7..or almost! But 2o years down the road, having established our 'own' lives and living apart for ALL those years, its pretty hard to keep 'copying'....

Anyhoo....

One of the very few shopping items of mine upon coming 'back' from DownUnder were your typical baker's ingredients...your creams, butter and of cheese! Why? Been meaning to re-attempt my cheesecake and that alluring Gateau Tiramisu, I have reading up about for months in my recipe book!

Yes, those ingredients are still in the fridge!! This morning going through the 'stuff' I would need to pack away with me into my 'new' home, I see all these lovely ingredients (I searched all over KK to find!) and thought ..

" I really must try that gateau before these cheeses turn blaaah - either later this week or next!..."

And so it follows during my usual house-hunting-running-errands escapades today, I get an sms from the BFF about her Tiramisu. I smile and thought "how uncanny....again" but it doesn't surprise me. Incidents like these are not new to us. Aye?

Anyway, I may just hold back till next week to make the gateau but with Melbourne trip impending, I might not get the chance to and my cheese might just get a visit from Mr. Mouldy!

Stay tuned for Gateau Tiramisu! Am thinking if I should go get Kahlua as called for by the recipe but I have Baileys in my pantry. How lah?

Coffee & Chocolate

I've baked many version of chocolate cakes, with varying results. Some extremely disappointing, some luxuriously decadent. 'Old Fashion' chocolate , that turned out dry; triple chocolate coffee that was so moist and rich; hazelnut chocolate brownie (my all time favourite!), the most gooey brownie ever, just to name a few!

Anyway, this week's baking was this beautiful piece of work; a moist , nutty and 'dense' chocolate cake topped with Chocolate Icing. As you know, I don't 'really' eat my baking but this one, had to be an exception to the rule. It's simply divine. Would be 'divin-er' if the icing had been purely dark chocolates. Next time, it would be!

Had them with Coffee. OMG moment!

Baking & Packing up

I very rarely bake the same cake twice, safe for some 'favourites' and special requests from friends.

Ironically, the baking experience for me isn't so much about the cake! I bake to serve to others and 'rarely' eat what I bake. I get a kick from scratch-baking and trying out different recipes while exploring baking methods and secrets. Of course its also about perfecting the art of dressing up the cake - giving it the 'professional' touch.

My mother shakes her head at my penchant for trying out new recipes JUST for the sake of trying them out. To my pragmatic mother, baking means 'using up those carrots, pineapple leftover' after she'd juiced the living daylight out of them suckers! A pile of flour and a stash of molasses, and voila, you have cake! That's mom! Her cake takes on the nature of a toffee more than anything else! Everybody loves it, yours truly included!!

But this is me. The more tedious, the better. I've also come to realise that anyone who cares to take the trouble to bake a cake, CAN actually bake. No doubt about that. Trouble is, very few venture into the abyss of baking!

Baking is not only about technique or skills (through practice, anyone can master either) but also (perhaps even more so) about recipe in your hand. If you get a 'good' and well recommended recipe, you certainly luck out! Armed with a few basic skills and tools, teamed with a tried and trusted recipe, you can truly make an impression! If you have the misfortune of landing with junk ones, then you are left high and dry with an embarrasment of a cake sitting in the fridge till your friendly friend, Mr. Mould turns up! Thank goodness, Mr. Mould doesn't make his appearance on my cakes! Thanks to my killer of a fridge AND I my innate ability to 'coerce' others to eat up my 'experiments' , quick smart! * wink*

Baking is also about freshness and quality of ingredients required by a recipe. Honest to goodness, I only recently realised Mom's Bicarb Soda that I've been using, expired in 2006! You'd think I would notice but nooo....tsk! That sodden bottle was quickly tossed out with the rest of the garbage!

The ingredients here are also less than sub-standard! Even the condensed milk, very much needed for my signature cheesecake, isn't the same kind that I am used to! You'd think with the same 'brand' it wouldn't care which on continent you're baking on, it SHOULD be same! But nooo..the ones here are more runny, less creamy and disgustingly sweeter...blech! Don't get me started on the creams! Even TH and cake supply shops fail to stock simple ingredients like these!

Oh but they stock piles and piles of flour! Flour of every kind! Flour! Flour! Flour! Coming out of their ears! No wonder their cakes here are so lacking in flavour and texture! Its all about the flour and not about the INGREDIENTS! Flour! Flour! Flour! Flour and sugar! That's what cakes here are made off!

Ok, that's enough.

So today's chocolate cake (pics coming up!) would probably be the last of my cakes for a while. I am packing up in view of my 'new' home!

Then it's off to Melbourne for a week! My shopping list is growing by the day!

Btw, vpa73 what would you like me to specially bake for your visit back? :-)

Miss M Torte

It was not Sacher Torte that was to be today; it was this gorgeous little number....

chocolate cake, layered with buttercream laced with a splash of orange!

Albeit named after my little angel, this cake is actually what the BFF and I would 'classify' as a sinful indulgence. Yes, repentance is almost always required, simply for falling into temptation of indulging and in some case, over-indulging!!

The chocolate cake lends itself to be dense, very textured and light tasting (no cooking chocolates here, just your average drinking chocolate powder..). But paired with the delightful orange buttercream, it's what indulgence is made off!! The buttercream is light, airy, smooth and melts in your mouth!! Yet, holds its shape well even when piped on to the cake!!

Anyhoo, we had this for dessert tonight, after a satisfying meal of Bah Kut Teh, Soto Mee and Sambal Brinjal. Don't you just love the West-meets-East fusion? or CON-fusion??

M had 2 servings of 'her' cake. I was pleased!!

Incidently this was also Mr. Darcy's and my 10th anniversary 'celebration' cake......

Indulgence

Need to make some Sacher Torte!! So need some almond meal!

Earlier this week I was hankering (or rather Mom was) for some Tiramisu. Truth be told, I've never attempted it before! Going to use some of the Baileys sitting in my cabinet but needed to duck down to the shops for some Mascarpone.

Still no Mascarpone.

Sacher Torte looked more err...sinful. I think repentance is called for now!

Next up..

I am thinking maybe, fiddling with flower paste next. Those beautifully crafted flowers used on some cakes are so intriguing! Don't you agree with me? So I got myself some 'tools' and supplies for the purpose of trying this out one day.

I don't think I have any lily petal and leaves cutter (that's for the Melbourne shopping list!) but I do have daisies/gerberas. That would be lovely too, don't you think?

Now if only there was a reason to bake a cake, just so I can test it out! Anyone willing to help out here?

.....Anyone....?

Back to Basics

Made more sample cupcakes today. Scratched baked "Back to Basics" vanilla cupcakes chocolate buttercream. I was proud of it!! The buttercream is so silky smooth, simply divine!!
This was my 'contracted' cuppies project for the BFF's little girl's birthday. It was premixed devil's food cake and vanilla/cheese frosting. Fondant lettering. A mediocre result.

Hazelnut Anzacs

Mr. Darcy's been asking for Anzacs biscuits for ages now. Battling with what to sample bake today, I thought it quite an opportune time to try this out. Firstly, would be something we could send across the state to Mama and seeing that hazelnut meal sitting pretty in the fridge, I had to use this in the recipe somehow. Perfect to substitute the dessicated coconuts! Alas, the last tray of Anzacs was a little over done as I had forgotten to set the timer! I know it looks rather prosaic and so uninspiring, but Mr. Darcy, J&M enjoyed them.

update: cookie jar is empty!

Jaffa Chocolate Cream Cupcakes

There were leftover frostings from a previous CCC sample I had made earlier this week ,sitting pretty in the fridge. So before I embark on another frosting recipe, I had to rid of this one! So my Jaffa Chocolate Cream CC was born.

2 thumbs up from J & M. That's all that matters for me :-)

Old Fashion Chocolate Cupcakes with Skippy Buttercream

So I had some guineapigs, err guest over for dinner tonight. As with tradition, I would always take the 'chance' to try out some new found recipes on my unsuspecting, err..gracious guests.

Tonight, it was this internet-found-very-much-tweaked-by-me recipe. Being an 'internet' recipe, I must have wrongly copied the recipe because to my horror this morning, there was NO measurement for flour, of all things! Try as I may, I couldn't trace back the link!! Hence the 'tweaking' by mua!

Anyhooo, my guests were gracious and honest with their comments :-). WHICH by the way, were my exact sentiments to begin with!

Chocolate Cupcake: yes, old fashioned indeed..it was a little dry and boring! I've made better chocolate cupcakes than this!
Skippy Buttercream: way too sweet. Although J, M & T loved it, the others weren't too excited about it. Which is why I am never too fond of buttercreams in general. ALL the recipes I've come across and tried are damn sweet and I have trouble "unsweetening' it!
Next on the card, Hazelnut mini-cakes!! That's for Monday's swim-date with the BFF and her little clan!

My Plain Chilled Cheesecake was also served but as with these cupcakes, I was not too please with the turn out too! Yes, too sweet! I had failed to use Thickened Cream, as called by the recipe! Dammn, tweaking!!

Hazelnut Shortbread Hearts

I promised J & M yesterday morning that I would bake with them later in the afternoon. Alas, I got caught up unpacking my boxes. It all started with me rummaging through my many boxes labelled "kitchen" in search of my cookie sheets. Hmm, I am still missing my angel-cake tin! Where is it??! Still can't find it! I was really looking forward to baking my Pandan Chiffon Cake with REAL pandan! Tsk!

Anyway, after church today, I baked them this yummy shortbreads! I made deliberate omissions to the original recipe; it had called for orange rinds (hello, not when the oranges I see are from China!), Mixed Spice (couldn't find them to save my life!) and Brandy (err, nearly used Frangelico instead but opted simply for vanilla extract).

I had reprimand my "tasters" to keep away until I finished filling and sandwiching the shortbreads with buttercream!

Result? Delicate melt in your mouth cookies devoured in a jiffy!