MELTHONEY

My Carrot Thoughts...

2012-01-02T13:32:00.002+03:00

Salam & Hi

Alhamdulillah...we are in 2012.

It is good to reflect oneself at the end of the year so that the new year resolution is more achievable ; ) But am not gonna talk about all that here. I think most of us are familiar with such ritual and those big word.. I asked my Cheekyface, what is his new year's resolution and his straight answer is " I wanna have another birthday party!" :D Now that is do-able,InsyaAllah...may Allah bless him and all of us another year to live well, happy and free.

I started 2012 with my first bake of the year, the Carrot and Walnut cake, specially made for my Cheekyface who has requested this for more than a month now. He made a strong emphasis that it has to be a cake, not cupcakes, so here it is...welcoming the new year in all its goodness and awesome cream cheese blanket!

I only get to enjoy a slice of it this morning and while scooping through the entire slice, I read on some new year thoughts. Found this lovely thoughts on How to Stay Young at this site of which I'm sharing with all of you along with some "Carrot" thoughts of my own:

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her. - Disagreed. I want to be there to play with my grandkids and the numbers are essential to me. I am happy that towards the end of 2011, I am finally on the right track (well, except for the last week of large feast of potluck nasi kandar - irresistable! ; P)

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.- Hmm, maybe I should edit and update my FB friends list...go finger!

3. Keep learning. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's. - Learning how to cook better Malaysian dish/kuihs..already in the pipeline. Wanna learn more on photography and taking up art skills again...or perhaps learning Arabic too? Wish me luck!

4. Enjoy the simple things. - Yes, more of something that does not involve eating, maybe? Like sitting out at my balcony in the cold winter and just breathe. Like closing my eyes for few seconds and smile to the next person I see....or lie on the carpet and look at the ceiling, thinking of my loved ones back home...

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.- Well, I certainly don't wanna die laughing, but perhaps smiling. That's it! To smile without any reason more this year ; )

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is God & ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive. - I believe so. I did cry on some occasions last year and still there would be this year, am sure. That is part of life one should accept and redha'. Sometimes good things do fall apart for better things to fall together. Allah knows best. Let's just be brave and carry on and try our very best to be better everyday, in every way.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge. - Indeed. So is this Melthoney. It keeps me going ; ). And faith in the Almighty. you get nowhere without it.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.- Isn't this contradictory to item no.1?I thought so! I'm on my way to running on the treadmill! Yayyyy!

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is. - This is deep. Perhaps it isn't all bad. Guilt trip is ok to reflect and refresh with asking for forgiveness. "I am sorry", I should say that more eventhough I am not guilty per say. Sometimes, it just make other people feel better, happier. So let's be :)

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. - Oh dear, I love u, I love u, I love u like a love song and I keep hitting re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat!

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.- Well said. Me love it!

Well, just my Carrot thoughts of the Day..Here's wishing you the very best of many great things to come in 2012. May Allah bless us all with true love, great health, more wealth and warm hearts to receive His Nur and hidayah...InsyaAllah.

And thanks from the bottom of my heart for keeping Melthoney on your side to this new great ride. Enjoy your piece of cake lovelies....Hugs!

Tillykke!

2011-12-26T20:19:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi
It's been almost 2 silent months on my part. I know, my bad...Actually the iPad2 is bad..it made me very lazy to open the laptop and type type type....hehehe

But silence does not mean I do not have any exciting to share. It means I had too many, too much to actually type and press "post"! Hahahaha

Well, let me start with this belated post of cupcakes order by my dear friend, the lovely Sania for Niels, her Danish hubby's birthday in end Nov.

This is Real Chocolate cupcakes in chocolate ganache swirls with lots of little flags provided by the Mrs herself.

Sania said the Danish are really proud of their flag and always parade it in their celebrations including birthdays... ; ) Hmm that surely made my work easier hehe

Tillykke (pronounced te-luu-keh) means Congratulations! That is how you wish someone Danish on his/her birthday.

So, Tillykke bro Neils! May u be blessed always. Am sure it was all fun and thrilling smooching these cupcakes in that Hummer limo ride that day...hehehe.

...and to Sania, thanks a lot for the order and forever telling me to believe in myself more ; )

xoxoxox!

Cheekyface's StarWars Birthday Battle & Sleepover Party

2011-11-02T17:46:00.002+03:00

Despite my excitement to share this post with all of you, I got caught up in a cooking frenzy lately and preferred posting pics over typing anything on my laptop. Sorry, my bad! I've been trying new recipes of Malaysian dishes on daily basis now – those who has me on FB list would notice that I had been posting some pics of my experiment results haha..so much so that I had to tell myself to pause for a while and get back to my blog…

Well, hi there..Greetings!

On October 6, we finally had Cheekface birthday party at home and everything (well, most of it!) was also homemade. In 2010, we had a big farewell and birthday bash for him..so big that I think it drove me nuts at some points haha..So for this year, we decided to keep it small but very personal.

Cheekyface requested for Star Wars theme this year..A big leap from Toy Story, last year ; ) Therefore everything for the party had the force of Star Wars. I let him picked the theme colour too and he chosed the Black, Yellow and Blue - as you can see in the balloons and overall party decorations. To decorate the walls, we used posters from Cheekyface's StarWars magazines/books collection and black garbage bags studded with glow-in-the-dark star for that starry magical effect ; )

I made the place cards, each bearing the guest's name and had them held by various StarWars figurines. Cheekyface helped to pick the colour coordinated parties supplies and set up the table for his guests too. So rajin, knowing that it was going to be his party kan? hehe

The party was restricted to only boys since we were having the sleepover party too. Out of 8 invitees, only 5 turned up but it was still a blast! When the boys arrived, each of them was given a Jedi robe (we got a part-time tailor to sew them in standard size of 2 metres brown cotton fabric which I got from the souq. I’m very bad at sewing lol!). …and that surely put everything else in the mood!

The party kicked off at 6pm.While waiting for the guests to arrive, the boys played Playstation until dinner time. The party menu was in StarWars names too ; ). I made Mac & Cheese in cups (Coruscant Cupcakes), Chicken (Blaster) Wings, Marshmallow Crispies Bars (The Ewoks’ Food), Lime Syrup Soda (Yoda Soda) and Lightsabers breadsticks (which also served as the centrepiece and taken home as party favors. We also ordered take outs for pizza and shish tawook (chicken wraps). Well, the boys certainly enjoyed the galactic pizza the most!

Cheekyface, enjoying the YodaSoda ; )

Then came the Game-Time. Honestly, my Luv and I are not StarWars fan at all. But that night we both had to be the Jedi Masters (complete with costumes too okay..;P) and thanks to the power of Googling, we managed to create our own training for the boys. We divided the boys into 2 teams - Blue & Yellow and the one that collected the highest total points from all the games, won.

Beginning with The Blind Jedi (cover the Jedi’s eyes and let him hold a picture of StarWars character. He must name the character based on the clues given by his teammates), we later had our living room ransacked by the boys during the Asteroid Rocks Search (I wrapped candies and little gifts in aluminium foil and got them hidden around the room (the boys got to take home the gifts and candies and at the same time earned points for their team). It was funny to see how such little hidden treasures got them excited and thrilled!

The ultimate test came next in the Jedi Obstacle. We turned the whole living & dining rooms into a little camp with the help of decorated boxes, chairs, floor cushions and a play tunnel! The lights were switched off too-just adding to the suspense and thrill! At the end of the obstacle, each Jedi took turns to shoot the bad guys (got them all pasted on our bedroom’s door, each marked with different points too ; ) with a Nerf gun. The boys loved the obstacle so much that 4 of them actually repeated the test so that they could keep shooting off the Darth Vader and other criminals! Hahaha kecoh!

In the end, all Jedis graduated with flying colurs and each of them received a Jedi badge (again, I googled the logo, printed and pasted it on shop-bought badges. The boys were so proud when they got it embedded onto their robe – both of which they got to take home as party favors. We also made copies of StarWars movies downloaded from the net, complete with StarWars CD cover and included it in each party bag.

The Yellow Team won the overall challenges. We had a lucky draw too which assured every Jedi felt lucky and went home happy ; ). We had special award for Best Jedi which went to the most obedient and kind hearted Jedi Syafiq, the eldest in the group.

After the game, the Jedis gathered around the table for cake cutting. I made almost 3 kg cake for the night, the 2D Captain Rex Helmet Strawberry cake, Cheekyface’s fav! I could tell that he was proud of Mommy making the cake for him…siap promote kat his friends to order cakes from me after this hahaha…so sweet!

The boys had their share of cake and then moved on to opening up the presents by the birthday boy and more and more Nikon moments of Cheekyface and his besties. Two Jedis left early and skipped the sleepover but the rest of the gang camped in Cheekyface’ room for the night. Cheekyface was the first one to dozed off, leaving his friends watching movies till midnight..Qeh! He was too tired from all the fun time - jumping and crawling!

One Jedi down........zzzzzzzzzzz.......

The kids woke up early the next morning, watched more movies, had breakfast and continued playing games until their parents came to pick them up at around 10a.m. The boys truly had a blast and they kept talking about the party for weeks! As one of his friend quoted, “It was the best birthday party I had ever been to!”. I also received texts from few moms who said that their boys couldn’t stop talking about the party! hehe…That surely put a big smile on my face..after such pain in the neck and sleepless nights!

Honestly, I didn’t sleep well for 2 weeks before the event. I hope these pics are self-explanatory to my agony…haha, not really..I really love party planning and I wanted to make the best party for my darling Cheekyface. The one that he will cherish forever…I hope this one did.

My special thanks to my sweetest Yummy Mummy for being there when I needed a friend (and a helper too!) and for these awesome snaps of true blast ; )

For those who plans to have StarWars party, here are some inspiring links for you to check out:

http://partyplanningcenter.blogspot.com/
http://www.chiff.com/entertain/star-wars-party.htm

http://aimingtobeawellroundedwomen.blogspot.com/2011/09/adams-star-wars-party.html
http://www.freeprintable.com/free-printable-name-tags/star-wars-name-tags
http://thecellardoorstories.blogspot.com/2011/03/light-saber-pretzel-rods.html
http://justjennrecipes.com/star-wars-food-place-cards/2011/09/27/

Here's to my Cheekyface! Happy 9th Birthday, boy! Yes, we all had a blast... May The Force be with you always. Rock on, my Aniq-in Skywalker! We love u lots xxxxx

The Icy Lava Planet Cake

2011-10-19T22:26:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

As promised, here's the post on the cake I made on my Cheekyface 9th original* birthday. (*original cuz this one was made on his real birthday date). He's just very happy to have had few birthday celebrations this year (Read here). At first I wanted to bake some red velvets cupcakes with cute little fondant lightsabers for him to celebrate with friends at the school but he stopped me before I even go further saying that, "I don't feel like celebrating at school, I am in KS2 now, Mommy...only KS1's kids do that." Hmmm..so much from a boy who just turned 9!

And instead of cupcakes, he requested me to make him an ice cream cake, like the one I've done before.........but in strawberry flavour. I've had friends asking me how to make this simple ice cream cake, so here's how I did it.

However, for this time, I added some crazy ideas which turned out pretty cool for my StarWars-crazy-Cheekyface! I wanted to make him the Planet Mustafar cake, like the one I saw on one of the many websites/blogs about star wars party ideas but it was slightly difficult since he wanted an ice cream cake and that meant no buttercream or fondant to deco! Well, Mommy had to be extra creative la kot...

I used a shop-bought sponge cake to make the base of the cake. Cut the cake and placed it into a springform tin ( I used 9x3 inch square tin) lined with clingfilm (both in the bottom and sides of the tin). As for the ice cream, I mixed approximately 1.2liter strawberry ice cream with about 300g chopped frozen strawberry (let it softened at room temperature before chopping); stirred them up slowly and later scrapped the mixture onto the cake base, flattened it like a cake and froze it up in the freezer overnight.

And so, on the next morning (on his birthday), I made strawberry filling/topping (I added some chopped dried cranberries too) and few drops of red food colouring to make it more lava-like, let it cool, took out the ice cream cake from the freezer and poured the topping in. It looked like thick pool of red lava on top! I put the cake back in the freezer for another couple of hours before I went on to the next step i.e. to make the chocolate topping.

I melted 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet milk chocolate chips and mixed it with 1/2 cup of thick cream. Popped the cake out from the freezer and while it was still warm, I put dollops of the choc topping onto the 'red lava topping'. I wasn't sure how to do it so I had my friend to shape the choc topping like torn pieces of land on the Planet Mustafar!

When Cheekyface got home from school, all he wanted to see was his cake and I let him placed his figurines on the cake. Boy, was he proud to parade his skills too :P

It was a small little celebration at home - thanks to my dear friend Yummy Mummy and her two little MONsters who rocked the sudden unplanned party :P Babe, thanks for the pics too, I love 'em so much!

There was no writing on the cake, no special deco whatsoever, but just what he wanted - his Strawberry Ice Cream cake of which Mommy made special - The Icy Lava Planet Cake!

Like this cake? Coming up next is ....Cheekyface's Birthday Battle & Sleepover Party...all Star Wars style! Keep reading peeps...I love u all!

A Lucky Birthday Boy

2011-10-18T19:09:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

It took me so long to update and for that I am terribly sorry.
Been busy since we got back to Doha; mostly due to my Cheekyface's belated 9th birthday party 2 weeks ago (I will update it soonest, promise!). It was a belated one cuz I needed the time to prepare (plus my stuff from Msia was only couriered here a week before the party - so more unpacking was to be done besides the 4 suitcases which flown with us). Besides, I think he's had more than one birthday celebrations thrown for him this year...the most he's had so far...!

My baby turned 9....awwwhhh...so big now!

The first one was at our Family Day during Eid (early Sep) at my aunt's home in Kedah. We celebrated all family members who were born in August & September.The Chocolate Indulgence was a really nice surprise for Cheekyface...p/s we do miss Secret Recipe here in Doha ; )

The second one was at our farewell dinner just a day before we departed to Doha...Special thanks to Opah for the wonderful treat and to MakLong Dyna for the thought and effort. And to Pak Su and Pak Long for the warm farewell...We miss everyone dearly... hukhukhuk!

wif Pak Su, Adeq, Aiman and Tsara...

The third one was a splendid treat by The MONs at Chili's (apparently one of Aniq's fav places here in Doha). Thank you to The MONsters haha...we love u all lots!

The fourth one was on his actual birthday i.e 25 September. Since we wanted to make it special on the day itself, I made him an ice cream cake (I'll post this one in details separately, ok?) and put up a little celebration with our MONster family!

...with the world's cutest MONsters...

And the final big gig was Cheekyface's Star War's Birthday Battle and Sleepover Party on 6 Oct......and again, I'll post it separately soonest!

So my dear Cheekyface, aren't you one lucky boy? Who has 5 birthday celebrations in a year? No one but only YOU! This means everyone loves you dearly....and wants you to be happy ; )

Baba and Mommy love you so much and may Allah bless you always..A wonderful person, always has a wonderful life. And, so shall you. ..We and everyone closed to you certainly wished you a very happy and sweet birthday and many more stars to come your way.... XOXOXOX!

My Cheekyface at 3. He grew up so fast!

Sawattdee ~ Krabi!

2011-09-28T10:29:00.000+03:00

Sawattdee-Kaa!

I'm back!!!!......in the dusty land after spending 2 months at the homeland....I am sad to part with my lovely families and friends back in Msia but yet happy to be back in Doha to continue the journey seorang perantau....qeh!

Eid was great...and I've hoped that yours was the same or even better! Filled with lots of love, exchanging stories and gossips..(haipppp!) and loads of good good foooooood! I think we ate a lot, despite the fasting month. And the 5-day trip to Krabi during the last week of our holiday was the tip of the icing! Aiyooo....I think I have to be on strict diet for 1 year straight kot lepas ni...Help!!!

How nice would it be if we can wake up to this view every morning?@Bamboo Island, Krabi

For this post, I wanna share about our Krabi get-away which was a bliss.....Alhamdulillah.
We needed a beach retreat after surviving the hot summer here in Doha and Krabi was the closest deal we could get at the last minute. We stayed at Sala Talay Resort, in between Aonang and Nopparatthara Beach (check out Booking.com for good rates!). The resort was very very pleasant and their pool access rooms are awesome! So eventhough it rained almost everyday when we were there (where swimming in the sea is impossible), the pool was still our best escapades!

Or at least like this for that matter? @ Sala Talay.

Since we were a big group (Mama/my bro/wifey/ baby Airiel tagged along) we rented a mini van for sight- seeing on the 2nd day there. However, there was nothing much to see in the stop-and-go rain throughout the first 3 days, so we ended up renting motorbikes instead. We also fully utilised the "Tuk-tuk" rides of which we can easily get in front of the resort to the nearby Aonang for dining or night shopping.

Me loving my Tuktuk ; P

Muslim food can be found at Aonang area. One should look out for the crescent and star sign which means halal food displayed at the stalls/restaurants. It's good to ask again for confirmation though ; ) The nasi campur meals is available during the daytime at many stalls located nearby Aonang tourist spots. The further up you go towards the end of the town, the cheaper the food is, I think ; ) But do be careful of the extra spicy dishes ya....Sangat pedasss okkayyy!

Top: Lovely Prawn Cakes,
Mid: Fried Calamari, Thai Pineapple Fried Rice & Krabi-style Goreng Pisang
Bottom: Sea Bass in 3 Flavours Sauce (3 Rasa la tu... ; P)

We enjoyed our dinner the most and savoured great sea bass dishes every night we were there, steamed or deep-fried. I wasn't really craving for any Thai food since we had great ones here too in Doha but I've had the nicest prawn cakes and pineapple fried rice there in Krabi - we don't have these in Doha, I think ; P

As for the street food, we found a very yummy goreng pisang stall in front of one of the small Muslim restaurant in Aonang and I swear it was the best ones I've had in my life! And I loved indulging the banana pancakes with nutella (okay, that justified the weight gain-lah!), with my Luv after a short ride on the bike along the beach at night! We've had this too in Phuket last time. I believe it's a very popular street food of Thailand. You should try it whenever you're visiting - Do ask for less oily version cuz it can be too oily at times ;P

I took Mama for a spa treatment on the 3rd rainy day. It was cheap yet very good. It’s true that spas (not massage centres) along Aonang tourist spot is so much cheaper than the one in the hotels, yet the quality is not much different. We’ve had ours at Let’s Sea:Let's Relax, a very simple yet serene place to relax and get pampered ; )

My bro getting a fish spa @ a small operator along Aonang street...

In case you are wondering, we didnt get any elephant ride or visit to the safari. Mama said she wouldn't even set her foot or nose to the safari...hahaha. But on my bro's request, we did go looking for the safari, so that he can see what's it all about. We followed some signboards that led us to this small operating safari (couldn't remember the name) but what we found in that spot inside the rubber plantation was devastating to the hearts. The elephants were still babies, very dirty and looked like they were in complete sadness and pain - some even got their ears chipped! Would we find joy in riding these ellies? Hell no!

Definitely not our choice for a joyride....

We thank Allah for giving us the chance to experience the island hopping around Phi Phi islands on the 4th day we were there. It was the only day the sun came out shining and not a rain dropped. The weather was wonderful and kind and the tour took us to Bamboo Island (I love this one!);

Following his Baba's footsteps.....@ Bamboo Island

Maya Bay, made famous by The Beach movie (very beautiful white sand but still too crowded for a low season and overrated, I think!);

Cheekyface @ the magnificient Maya Bay...

Viking Cave (where you can get a glimpse of the swift birds' nests thriving industry; from inside the boat) , Monkey Island (watching big monkeys ruling the island, again from the boat) and experience the open sea snorkelling around Phi Phi islands.

I didn't go down but I took these pics from my boat!

The tour was okay for the price we paid i.e. THB 900 per adult (50% reduction due to low season) inclusive of a buffet lunch. But it would have been even better if we could spent more time on the island (instead of the congested speed boat!), enjoying the beautiful scenery and snorkelling at our own pace – like the one we had in Sabah last time….

But no regrets, still we had a great time in Krabi. Maybe not so much of soaking up the sun but we got to spend more time with our loved ones before we flew back here sob! sob!

And as for this cruise to Krabi, the award for the Best Crew went to our little champ, Baby Airiel! Yayyy!!!

Airiel was such a sport throughout the trip, never once being cranky; bringing smiles to all of us in every of his. We heart you Adeq..........! And right now we all miss you berry berry much!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rendang Ayam Cili Padi Chik Anish

2011-09-05T12:43:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

Selamat Hari Raya to my fellow readers, friends and families.
How's raya this year?
As for me, balik kampung this year is so much different. Since we now live far away from Malaysia, the whole balik kampung experience is something grande and to be celebrated in every way possible. And yes, we love food...it is part of that celebration as well ; )

For Eid this year, Chik Anish (that's what my nephew & nieces fondly call me) was given the honour to cook one of the raya dish for the entire family....One of my brothers requested for a dish from the Middle East as one of the menu but since I've not mastered anything grand, I had to postpone it to next year, InsyaAllah ; )

Mama asked me to make our own favourite - the ever so delicious Rendang Ayam Cili Padi for the special day. I remembered the first time making this dish in Doha for a breakfast with my female friends. I made 2 whole chickens for 5 of us to be served with hot nasi lemak and it wasn't enough!

The recipe is extracted from a book by Esther Foo (my ex-classmate from a Wilton class) but I've modified according to my Malay tastebud ;P

Rendang Ayam Cili Padi

1 whole chicken cut into 12-14pieces

2 tbsp cooking oil (optional)

1L thick coconut milk, extracted from 2 coconuts
1 pc turmeric leave/daun kunyit
4-5pcs kaffir lime leaves/daun limau purut
3-4 pcs dried slices of tamrid fruit/asam keping/asam gelugor
Salt & a pinch of sugar to taste

To be blended to make rendang paste:
2 medium sized onions
3-4 cloves garlic
50g galangal/lengkuas
20g ginger
25g turmeric/kunyit hidup
50-80g green bird's eyes chilli/cili padi (depends on how hot you want it to be)
4 sticks lemongrass/serai (use 2-3 sticks to make paste, the balance is to be bruised and fry with the paste)

1. Fry rendang paste in cooking oil (optional) along with bruised serai till slightly soft and fragrant.
2. Add the coconut milk, mix well by stirring gently.
3. Add the chicken pieces, stir and cook under high heat. Bring it to boil.
4. Once boiled, add in asam keping, salt and sugar. Turn down the heat, let it simmer.
5. Cook for another 11/2 - 2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes. Check the taste and adjust according to your liking.
Tips: You may fry the chicken pieces to slightly browned before putting it inside the coconut milk as to avoid them becoming crushed/hancur in the whole process of making the rendang. As for me I like it all crushed!

Serves 4-6 people

So, how was the verdict, you may asked?Alhamdulillah, everyone in the family loved this rendang so much - refilling it at least 3 times in a row hahahaha....My aunts and cousins loved it too and kept asking for the recipe. Well, do download from my blog ni ok?

As for me, I fell in love with this rendang the first time I made it. It is soo easy to do and the end-product is just awesome! Don't be scared of the cili padi in its name - it is not as spicy as it may sound! To me the amount of cili padi used in the recipe is on the mild side. If you want it to kick harder, do maximise the cili padi volume in the paste ; )

This rendang is good with anything, be it nasi lemak, ketupat, pulut kuning or even a plain white bread. If you ask me, I prefer it most with the "square/cubed rice" a.k.a nasi himpit!

Again, here's wishing you

Eid Mubarak: Selamat Hari Raya: Maaf Zahir & Batin

Hugs from Melthoney ♥

Red Velvet, finally!

2011-08-30T08:43:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

My dear friend Yummy Mummy & family came for iftar at our place last Tuesday, just 2 days before we left for balik kampung. It was superb! We had great time enjoying the grilled ikan keli and cencaru (dish of the day!), all the nice Malay kuehs from Ramadhan bazaar, the pure & sweet Air Tebu (kat Doha takde nih!) the bunga api, the special desserts and of course, each other's company.

I made the Red velvet for desserts....finally! Yes yes..this is the first time of me making red velvet. The recipe is taken from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, again. I think it's very easy to understand and follow, unlike some recipes I found online. Click here for recipe.

I used 1/2 tsp of No Taste Red Gel Icing Color from Wilton to get this colour.

I love the balance of sweet and sour in the cupcake. The cupcakes were also very the gebus.... ;D
Again, the recipe by Martha didn't let me down. Hmmm, now I'm in love with the book even deeper :P

Some of the menu for the iftar, in clockwise: Kerabu Daun Selom, Cencaru Sumbat, Udang goreng, Keli Panggang ; )

Looking at the pics above, overall, it was East met West menu for the iftar. Am glad our guest loved them all. As for the kids, nothing lifts the Hari Raya spirit like the bunga api and little 'pop pop' firecrackers did...Yay Yay..Selamat Hari Raya!

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

2011-08-28T20:15:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

Ahahahhah..yes it's cheesecake in cupcakes form!
I actually baked this on the same night with Strawberry Ripple cupcakes. Yes, I baked at night lar...kesian plak my Cheekyface if I bake during daytime......cannot tahan the smell from the oven nanti batal puasa plak :P. Anyway, these cupcakes were baked specially for Rozaimi-san and family who had invited us for iftar at their place...Thank you and we love you all lots! (Btw Yatie, we love your ayam masak merah ...sgt sgt marvellous!)

I found this recipe in Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. It's a good book y'all! I just couldn't wait to try out all of the recipes soon! Actually, I had came across this book at MPH last year but I somehow put it back on the rack for no solid reason...sigh! So when I saw it again last month, I just grabbed it and never let go heheheh!

I think having this Oreo cheesecake in cups slightly save you some calories, if compared to having one whole slice on a plate; provided that you eat only one cupcake.

Question is, can you? hehehehe *evil laughs*....'cuz the best part of this treat is the oreo cookie on the bottom of each cupcake itself. It was like plunging your ultimate pleasure right to the bottom while savoring the oreo bits inside that smooth cream cheese in between....aaaaaahhhh.....HEAVEN!

Here's the recipe for grab!

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

From Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
Makes 30 (I used 2.5oz souffle cup where Oreo fit in nicely)

Ingredients:
42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (Yes, 275 NOT 375 degrees).Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

I've got to admit that mine was baked at 375 degrees F, just because I thought that there was a typo in the recipe. So my cheesecakes seemed to be overbaked and they were slightly 'kemek' in side the souffle cups...sigh. Lessons learnt: Need to get the temperature right and fill each cup almost to the top!

As for the recipe, I personally think that the measurement and all is just perfect. But if you are an avid Oreo fan, you may add more oreo bits into the cream cheese if you want ; P

As for ours, we added some Cookies & Cream ice cream on top to serve...Go drool...!

Strawberry Ripple

2011-08-27T20:56:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

My Luv arrived home safely on 18 Aug...Alhamdulillah.
So we were back in Shah Alam for about a week and I took the opportunity to satisfy my needs for baking..!

We had a special guest coming for a visit on 19th. ...a very old friend from my campus days.
Owh...the last time we saw each other was 5 years ago....and how time flew, eh...
I always appreciate Jaleque's and his wife's support for Melthoney, although they live so far away in Kuching..meow meow...

So for Jalek & Shila, I made this Strawberry Ripple Cupcakes, my latest creation!

This is vanilla cupcakes with strawberry filling in the batter and topping....in ripple effect ; ) Personally, I think they are yummy and very pretty... ;D

My tools are in Doha, so I just made the best out of whatever I have in my old kitchen here...

Before baking..

Ready to fly to Kuching!

To Jaleque, it was nice to see you again. You are one of those true friends that I'll cherish forever. May Allah bless you and family always...Hope to see u, Shila and the handsome Adib again soon. Till then, keep rockin' beb!

Iftar @ CheekPah's

2011-08-20T12:30:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

Last Monday, we had iftar at Chik Pah's place in Alor Setar. Although it was at late notice, she and her sous chef, Cuya cooked out the storm ....working their magic, as always!

Our dish of the day was the Ikan Keli Panggang (Grilled Catfish). Cheekyface and I had been having ikan keli for berbuka on every alternate day now. I'd call it great little luxuries since there is none to be found in Doha...Hahaha, we ate so much...rasa mcm dah jadi cat pon ye... ;P

Cheekyface & the fish!

I said "keli panggang" because the fishes were cooked on electric grill, very modern but still with that classic taste. With just garam kunyit and splashes of serai santan....mmmmm they're simply delicious!

Very hensem ikan keli!

Besides, ikan keli cicah air asam, our next fav dish was this Kerabu Siam that Chik Pah made. It's basically grilled beef slices in tomato and onion salad with tamarind & lime dressing. Hehehe am not sure if I've described the dish correctly but whatever it is, it's just awesome!

Other dishes served and made with love ~ from clockwise: - Fish Head Curry, Homemade Bingka Jagung Ayam Rose Pandan and Milo Ais (the household fav!).....NICE!

And for supper a.k.a moreh, we went the extra mile....slurping the Laksa Kedah that Cuya had prepared for us. Aduss.....heaven!

Alhamdulillah....another great treat, very homemade by my favourite peeps...

Thank u & may Allah bless u always.

p/s We'd definitely drop by again for raya soon! ;D

Sushi 4 Supper

2011-08-15T14:23:00.004+03:00

Salam & Hi

We've spotted a new sushi restaurant here in SP... We've passed the place few times before deciding to check it out on Friday, after iftar, together with my brother and SIL and little baby Airil...

Cheekyface was the most excited one, probably because it's the first time that we'd be able to have sushi in SP! So I have to thank the owner of the place for having the courage to open one in this town. I think there are other sushi places here too but this one is easily accessible. Located at Village Mall, SP - Ido Ichi Sushi can be spotted right on if you are coming from the southern side of the town.

We had yummy time there starting with this one - Salmon Tatak Maki. The sushi was rolled up with lightly grilled salmon ......to perfection!

We sampled some sushi from the counter and also had them made for us via the menu, which I can say very versatile. Ido Ichi serves various types of sushi, some of which I have never had before. They also have soba, ramen, teppayaki, tempura and bento sets and Japanese fried rice ( in different types as to cater for local tastebud, I think). There is also Pizza Sushi, something I'd like to try out in my next visit!

We had quite a large spread of sushi that night...so much that we had to tapaw some home for sahur..kenyang!!!

Vege Kakiage - This was OK but I've had crunchier ones before.

Soft-shell crab Temaki - I'd say it's overfried and not fresh..so thumbs down for this one :(

Unagi Nigiri - our fav!

Prawn Norimaki - they're really big!

Our sushi spread...

Overall, I like the place, nice and cozy. The staff are friendly and polite. The food is sedap especially the Salmon Tatak Maki but some can still be improved (that includes my miso soup ; P)

Ido Ichi is still new in town ...just 2 months in the market. I think it deserves a second visit and I hope it will still be there when I come back next year. I'd like to drop by the place again before we leave SP after eid next month and will try my best to get the seats next to the windows. They look very inviting from both sides, in and out!

Of Chives & Cucur Udang

2011-08-08T18:18:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

Yesterday, Mama finally made the Cucur Udang I had requested since I got home. Together with its kuah kacang...yumms! I helped, of course...mentally jotting down the recipes as well :P

To make the cucur udang, you'd need wheat flour, a little rice flour for that crispiness, turmeric powder for the colour, fresh beansprout, prawns and chives - the fresher, the better. As for Mama, her chives came straight from the pots in her garden - freshly plucked!

Prawn fritters or jemput2 udang is my oldtime favourite. But this cucur udang is the savoury I'd crave for once in a while. I am not sure the real difference between the two. Perhaps, the first one is smaller in size, served with sweet chilli sauce whereas the later one is bigger with lots of chives and beansprouts in the batter and served with fried tofu, fresh cucumbers and sweet peanut sauce (kuah kacang).

The art of frying the cucur is to laddle one scoop of the batter, topped with prawns (we used the small ones this time) and gently letting it go into the hot oil.

Taadaaaaaaa....dah siap!

Because of its size, cucur udang needs to be sliced and it is usually served with fried white tofu and freshly cut cucumbers (sorry, we ran out of it pulak ;( ) and dipped into the delicious kuah kacang....ooh la la !

This one is MINE for berbuka.....

....and washed down with this lovely Lin Chee Kang we got from the nearby Ramadhan bazaar.

Alhamdulillah, syukur nikmat ; )

Warm Welcome

2011-08-04T11:56:00.000+03:00

Ramadhan Kareem to everyone!

It's the 4th day of fasting. Am not sure if I'd be going to the Ramadhan bazaar this evening.

I went on the first day and became a greedy hungry bear, trying to feast everything on my favourite list until Aniq stopped me, saying "Mommy, esok kan ada lagi..." :P Yes, talk about refraining one's desire...Thank you for reminding, Cheekyface ; )

Anyway, here's to share some of the good food we had at my Aunt - ChikPah's, a day before Ramadhan.

She cooked the storm out that day along with her sous chef, Cuya, my forever cheerful auntie ;)

Owh, we felt so like VIP la that day heheheheh

Tiramisu Milo Pudding, upon arrival.

For lunch: Nasi Daging complete with dalca, kerabu timun and ayaq asam. Awesome!

Ice- cream Goreng!

Cheekyface had earlier requested his TokSu to make him ice-cream goreng (fried ice cream) for dessert. And so she did...Cheekyface finished 3 pcs at one go! Hahaha..I had 2 too...it's just sooo irresistable....demmm yummy and sooo easy to make! This one is a definite take-home recipe for me :D

Towards the evening, my PakChik Taha brought home some Chempedak King fruits and straightly asked ChikPah to make chempedak goreng for the afternoon tea. According to PakChik Taha, the name Chempedak King was given to chempedak trees which grow next to the Sultan's orchard. Am not sure if this is for real but the Chempedak King goreng was marvellous lah! I fished out few ketuls hot from the kuali tau!

Everything was later washed down with freshly plucked rambutan brought in by my SIL, couple cups of hot tea and the oldtime stories.....Mmmmmmm....nothing beats the homey feeling, great food and great companies!

To ChikPah and Cuya and the whole family - thank you for the warm welcome home...Ni yg I sedih bila nak balik nanti ni....hukhuk!

ABC Opah

2011-08-01T12:07:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

I'm now back in my hometown, Sg Petani, Kedah, celebrating Ramadhan with my family (and missing my Luv at the same time). The hunt for our favourite food is still on..some of which we'd find at our favourite eating spots and some of which Mama would make.

The first day we're back, Cheekyface actually claimed what his Opah had promised him few months ago i.e. to make him a big bowl of Air Batu Campur (A.B.C)..................homemade @ Opah's...and so she did :D

Mama bought an ice shaver machine last year and making an ABC is now as easy as A.B.C at home.. (hmmm, maybe I should get one to bring home to Doha nanti.... ; P).

Anyway, the ingredients for ABC depends on what you'd like in your bowl. The usual ones are the grass jelly (cincau), jellies (the more colourful, the merrier it'll be), some lychees, sago, Azuki beans, cendol, fried groundnuts and topped with the creamy corn and delightful syrups..............slurrppp!

For this time, Opah used only cincau, clear jelly, lychees and some creamy corn to top with homemade pandan syrup.

I am not really an ABC person, so if I'm having one, I'd like to keep it as simple as possible. Mine would be the one with just some lychees, cincau and a little syrup on that big bowl of ice - like this one!

Hehehehe...Cheekyface was the happiest that day....slurping all the love and joy of Opah's homemade ABC. Slurpp...Slurpp...Slurrpp.....................!!!!

Oreo Cupcakes & M'sian Breakfast Buffet ; )

2011-07-22T18:42:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

This post is on the last makan2 we had (last Friday) before we left Doha for the summer holiday. It was the ultimate Malaysian breakfast homemade buffet spread (yumms!) which ended up till late lunch for a bunch of crazy-fun-loving peeps hihihi ; )

Spread of Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng Berempah, Pulut Kuning, Rendang Ayam Cili Padi, Roti Paratha & Fried Noodle.

We also decided to throw a little surprise for our 'Uncle' Noordin, who celebrated his birthday a day earlier, alone; since his 'mata air' and 'cahayamata' sudah balik kampung the week earlier hukhuk..kesian Noordin...

I wanted to make some Oreo Cupcakes for the occasion since Noordin is well-known among us as Oreo's biggest fan) but I was feeling very lazy to bake anything, particularly because I ran out of my baking supplies already (and asyik teringat nak balik Msia jer by that time huhuhu). But the thought of sharing the pretty and yummy Oreo Cupcakes with our favourite peeps before bidding farewell made everything else easy peasy....

I made this from scratch at the venue with my fellow girlfriends. It's been a while since I last made Oreo Cupcakes. It's one of my favourite, actually. I just love the colour contrast when the crushed oreo started mixing in with the batter and how the cookie crumbs sitting flirtatiously on top of the icing, ready for that one big lick.....

or an enourmous bite like this!

Who wouldn't be happy to have this on their birthday kan? Especially if you are Oreo's avid fan!

Uncle Noordin was speechless when he saw the cupcakes ...ahahaha..And the rest of the gang were just restless..cannot wait to NGAPPPP!

Me too ; D ......I just had to strip this one naked, baby...and EAT!

Farewell Ice Cream Cake

2011-07-21T20:37:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

I am home safely...here in Malaysia...Alhamdulillah. It's really good to see my fav peeps again...XOXOXOX!
Thanks for those who've came to visit, or called or messaged me. I love u all!
I'm still adjusting my bed time here (Doha is 5 hours later than Malaysia)...I found myself very sleepy around 4-5pm in the evening...does that justify? I have no idea... ; P My house still feels and smells the same as I'd left it (Thanks to my best buddy Yus, my guardian angel!), KL is still suffocating, as much as I remember it and some people just never change ; P

Nevertheless, it's still SUPER GOOD to be back!

In this post I'd like to share this super yummy Ice Cream Cake I made for a makan2 with my beloved Doha family (I miss u all!) last 2 weeks; as we bid farewell to Imah & Danish who were leaving for their home country....

This is quite deceiving though. There is no cake in this cake..it's pure icecream with lots of perks! I got this idea from my Nigella Express, (click here for recipe) my favourite reference whenever I want to make something simple yet yummy for lots of tummies! But then of course I had to make do with whatever I had in store.

For this time, I've made Maltesers as the ultimate sinner for the cake ; P (My Cheekyface had a great time pouring the whole pack in!). Then I crushed some left-over chocolate & choc-chip cookies and sprinkled the magic as I stirred, stirred, stirred.....

I also made Nigella's Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce to serve with this cake and it's just super yummy!

P.E.R.F.E.C.T!

Little Danish finished the whole slice by himself....hehehe!

F.I.N.I.S.H.E.D!

I am definitely making this again soon..! It's super duper easy and effortless. All you need is to sprinkle and stir....and make the sauce in less than 3 minutes! I still think you should make the sauce instead of using the ready-made one..Homemade is still the best, kan?

Especially when you are making it for your favourite peeps.....owhhhh....I miss you already, FFF!

*Live well, laugh often, love much*

XOXOXOXOXOXOX!

Am Coming Home....

2011-07-16T17:07:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

It's like 1 hour before I depart from my cosy home here in Doha to the airport. Am flying home tonight, bebeh!
I cannot wait to:
- see and hug all my favourite peeps - you know who you are! XOXOXOX
- meet my newest nephew Baby Airiel who I haven't seen in person since born
- jump in my fav sofa in my BS home and hug my not so old fridge!
- take Cheekyface to all our favourite dining spots...(He has made a list!)..and EAT!
- smell the seas and taste the tropical climate again!!!

The list is endless actually...Got other few things to take care of as well. But I'd definitely be missing my Luv...so sad to leave him back in Doha for 1 month before he goes home to Malaya mid next month. Cheekyface has been quite emotional lately, perhaps he's missing his dad already...

Still, we are so excited to go balik kampung this time...The feeling is different cuz we've never been so apart from our beloved friends and families this long...huhuhuhu....

I'll be on hiatus till mid September, so no orders till then. But I have a feeling, I'd still be baking and cooking throughout my holiday nih...since I 've got few requests from my fav peeps already ; )..InsyaAllah.

Will try my best to keep posting in Melthoney...Kindly excuse me now, I've got a very important flight to catch................Malaysia, here we come!

Airiel, wait till we come and gomoi2 you okkayyy ; P

Baked Stawberry Ricotta Cheesecake

2011-07-14T15:52:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

This is a follow-up post to my Sushi Splendour post. This is the dessert I made for the little Japanese lunch and sushi making party at my place last week.

This Cheesecake uses the mixture of part-skimmed Ricotta cheese and cream cheese. Initially I was quite a bit skeptical about using the part skimmed Ricotta - I mean ricotta itself is naturally low in fat, about 4-10% (read more about ricotta cheese here) and there's always a myth that if you use low fat cheese, your cheesecake will somewhat be less sedap. But then, my trick is always to mix them up with cream cheese (yes, I still believe in the myth!) Well, at least you still have the delicious cheesecake minus few calories...;P!

This recipe is inspired by a Cranberry Cheesecake recipe I found in a cake book but I've adjusted (as always) with whatever I have in my kitchen. So, here's my recipe, peeps!

Baked Strawberry Ricotta Cheesecake
Crust:
200g digestive biscuits crumbs ( I used McVitie's light)
1/4 cup (60g) butter melted
a pinch of brown sugar
a pinch of ground cinnamon

Filling:
425g part-skimmed ricotta cheesecake )(can use normal ricotta cheesecake too)
300g cream cheese
1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 large eggs
1 cup (250ml) sour cream
3/4 can Comstock strawberry filling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter a 10-inch (25cm) springform pan
2. To preparethe crust, mix the crumbs, butter, sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Press into the bottom and partway up the sides of the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 8-10 mins or until lightly browned. Cool completely in the pan on a rack.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C)
5. For the filling, beat the ricotta & cream cheese and sugar with electtic mixer at medium speed until combined & smooth. Add in egg, one at a time beating until just blended after each addition. Then add in vanilla essence, flour and lastly the sour cream. Spoon the filling into the crust
6. Spoon dollops of strawberry filling in to the filling. Use your own creativity to form any pattern on the cake as you wish.

This is how mine looked like before baking....

6. Bake for 50-60mins, or until set and the sides of the cake looks brownish. Cool the cake in the pan on rack.
7. Place the cooled cake in the fridge. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight for ultimate awesomeness!.
8. Before serving, spoon some more strawberry fillings on top of the cake. Trust me, you can never go wrong with any good strawberry filling anywhere!

Serve 10-12 very deserving people including yourself ; )

Mine before serving....

Baby Lulu...couldn't wait for her slice!

All my guests last Wed loved this cheesecake. It's easy on the calories yet still have the subtle cheesecake sensation. Sgt sedaps! My true verdict, this recipe is a definite keeper besides my Ricotta Berry Cheesecake recipe of which I've left in one of my folder back home in Msia. It's my mission to find it when I go home this weekend!

Oh yea..I AM finally flying home this Saturday for the summer holiday and I haven't packed anything as I am typing this on...my my....I'd better go now.

And if you ever going to make this cheesecake, do save me a slice k....cuz juz like my fav Baby Lulu's mantra....I WANT THIS (too) !!!

Sushi Splendour

2011-07-13T17:49:00.003+03:00

Konichiwa....!

I finally had my sushi lesson and a little Japanese lunch party at my place last Wednesday. I'd been wanting to learn making sushi for so long now. Sushi in Doha is costly, I'd say. Perhaps because I keep comparing them to the ones I've had back home. I remembered tapawing boxes of sushi for my Cheekyface from Isetan every now and then and enjoying our sushi Sunday lunch at Sakae Sushi (without his dad lar kan..he won't even smell sushi!) and the price paid was worth the treat.

Hello Sushi!

Well, that isn't the main reason I wanna learn making sushi. I just love the art of it and how you can be creative with the filling....And the whole process of it...it's somehow very therapeutic!

We made variety of fillings....yummy!

I had my Sushi Shifu - Mrs Olpin-san to teach me and some of my girlfriends that day - from preparing the sushi rice, to slicing the cucumber & carrots, to thinning the omelette, to mixing the filling and finally slicing the sushi.

...my first time rolling it!

It's true that one can spend the whole afternoon rolling sushi but takes only few minutes to clear the plate! The kids were the most frequent customers to the table, snatching away piece by piece as they were running and playing around while the moms were still rolling some more hehe!

I also made Chicken Teriyaki and some vegetable teppanyaki with rice for lunch too....especially for some friends who do not really eat sushi and that included my Luv ; )

For dessert, I made the nice Strawberry Cheesecake for everyone.....I'll share all about it in my next post, ok?

As for the sushi class and party, I really had a great time! It was a bit tiring and I think I did smell like the crabsticks at the end of the day but it was all worth it! My Cheekyface was so proud that Mummy can finally make homemade sushi after this! Hahaha... ; P

To my girls who joined in the fun - Yan, Imah, Sania and the ever delicious YummyMummy - I hope you all loved it as much as we did k... Special thanks to my shifu - Olpin-san for your tunjuk ajar....Tomo arigato...!

I guess I was still caught up in the sushi splendour so much so that I did some more sushi yesterday. Yes, again!!! This time I did it alone...from scratch! And I'm so proud of myself that I did...fuhhh..kembang hidung sat noh.... ; p Check out the results : )

From left: Crabstick Vege, TunaMayo with cucumber & scallion, Crabsticks & mayo and CrabmeatMayo with scallion

My friend, Yummy Mummy helped to nicely sliced the sushis...Thank u babe ; )

I even made the Gunkansushi with crab & tuna mayo fillings! Idaina migi? Hihihihi...I like the gunkansushi the best!

Well, enough posting ya..I think the screen is starting to smell like sushi now! Don't forget to read my Cheesecake recipe next, ok? Sayonara for now.... ; )

Shake My Lamb Shank!

2011-07-09T23:03:00.002+03:00

Salam & Hi

Last Sunday I took up the challenge my Luv put me into. He bought 3 lamb shanks of which I later left sitting in the the freezer for few days for I couldn't find the right (the easiest one actually) recipe to try on. I do not own a slow cooker at the moment but only a very modest oven, so what I need is a real easy recipe to get me going and finally get the shanks shaking me some good time!

I've searched Nigella's and Jamie's recipes but they seemed a bit too much for me. I just want to have a simple lambshank- nothing fancy or too spicy. Again, thanks to the power of Google....! I found this really super easy recipe on The Good Food Channel. I guessed the tip is to just google as precise as possible. To find this recipe, I actually typed in "Really Easy Lamb Shank Recipe" and there, voila!

Do click on this link for the recipe. As much as the recipe goes, I didn't put the leek and bay leaf (no stock at home) but I did add few more sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary (love love them!). Red wine omitted and replaced it with a cup of apple juice (I used Ceres - no sugar added). I also added in 2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

These babies then went into the oven at 12.30 noon @150oC and slowly braised until 6.15p.m. In the meantime, I went to pick up Cheekyface from the school, had take out for lunch with some friends and our kids, did my things and burnt some extra calories in the gym dulu then...baru makan! ;p. One tip though, I did turn down the heat to 100oC , one hour before the cooking time ended - just to make sure that the shanks would still be warmed and juicy by the dinner time!

I put everything on the plate - the vegetables and the sauce......so no waste! Luv got us some whipped potato from the nearby KFC (note to my Malaysian friends, the KFC whipped potato here is just haven!) to put on the side too ; )

WARNING! to those on strict diet, please click away from this page now!

The verdict:

This is SUPER EASY. Prepare everything and just dump it in the oven for 5-6 hours.

The outcome:
Gorgeous looking homemade lamb shanks, bathed in the beautiful delicious sauce, melting in your mouth ......walla!

And the unshaken truth - it 's a sure winner to melt your loved ones heart. I know I did cuz Luv sure gave me the winks *.*!

Danish's Cute Mickey Party

2011-07-08T00:41:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

A very cute Mickey Mouse living next block had invited us to his birthday party last Friday, July 1. How could we not go, right? Especially when his mommy asked me to make the birthday cake in his favourite flavour - Real Chocolate. And for him, I made this special Real Chocolate cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting....yums!

The theme was a colourful Mickey party so I had the help from the colourful fondant and M&Ms to bring on the colours on the very dark and very chocolatey cake. And yes, I did FBCT of Mickey on the cake and it turned out even better this time - the FBCT image rested nice and flat on the cake.

For this party, there was a very naughty Donald Duck and cute little Minie Mouses....

and of course the very cute Danish Mickey!

His front hair is too long lar..wished I could paint the Mickey ears.... ; (

The highlights of the day was during the birthday cake cutting...So kecoh & funny! The little ones were battling their ways trying to blow the candles, while the adults kept singing the birthday song 5 times in a row!

And the very best part was to see Danish enjoying his birthday cake, like nobody's business!

Auntie Nish is very happy that you really like the cake, Danish!

To Imah & Din, thanks for the good Mickey party... We all had fun! And to Danish, again a very Happy Birthday dear Mickey...we love you very very much!

Pool Partayyyy!

2011-07-04T13:14:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

My ever delicious friend, Yummy Mummy held a pool party at her residence last week and we had a blast!
It was on a short notice, baked some cupcakes the night before, topped with some pretty umbrellas and hurried to her place on a very lazy Tuesday morning (cuz bangun lambat!) for the early dip in the pool (yes, or else it would be too hot to handle!)..........Aaaaahhhh.....Blisss!

Well, for Aniq lar...hahahaha. He skipped class that day just to join in the fun. No worries though cuz he had finished his exam the week before, so no more lessons at the school. I didn't get to jump in the fun as I was still holding my red flag at the time (sigh sigh sigh!), so I ended up being the cameragirl, as always ;P

I made Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese toppings for the party, pictured here with cuppies little avid fan, Baby Lulu ; ).. She crawled out of the pool the moment she saw me bringing the cupcakes tray to the table..super cute!

There were the usual yummy Malaysian breakfast on the table that morning including my fav Karipap (lupa nak amik gambar cuz so busy munching n chatting ; P)

Instant roti canai with chicken curry by Yummy Mummy.

Nasi Lemak by Mummy LC...I love the sambal sooo much!

All the kids had blasting fun time in the pool from 8.30 - 11.30 a.m - swimming, jumping in various styles, splashing and posing for the cam too! Seronok tak hengat okkayyyy.....

So much so, that they had to be bribed with juicy homemade popsicles in order to get them out of the pool! ; )

The party continued with picnic lunch in front of the TV, while the mummies chit-chatting in the kitchen hehe ; )

And then came in the ultimate dessert of the day - the cuppies with the pretty umbrellas..They just drove the girls ga-ga hahahahha

To Yummy Mummy and all the other beautiful mummies - Zaleha, LC and Lilly - thanks for the company and a very fun party. Hope to do again soon, next summer, maybe ; )

In A Flash Baby Shower Bash

2011-06-28T22:54:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

My friends and I had been meaning to throw a baby shower party for our preggie friend, Yan since last month but it always got postponed again and again. Since we are all leaving Doha for summer holiday by mid next month and Yan is going back to Malaysia to deliver her baby by then too, we had to make it happen as soon as possible now.

We had thought earlier to surprise her over a morning breakfast but she told us that she was too lazy to go out in the sun nowadays (yes, it is scorching hot now) ...So, what was meant to be the usual dinner get-together last Sunday was turned into a white & blue party for the 2nd time mommy! The funny part was that Yan & family arrived at the venue earlier than the rest of the surprise-party crew ; P...(We didn't even tell the hubby about the surprise because we wanted him to be surprised too hahahahha)

So what to do...? We just laughed over it and started pumping up the balloons at the venue, in front of the not-so-surprised two! Terrible party-planners, huh!

But the surprise did came when the waiter came in bringing the dessert afterwards.

I made Yan the Earl Grey Cupcakes with Cream Cheese toppings (one of her fav!)

Hahahaha both Nik & Yan were surprised to see that box of cuppies so the overall mission WAS accomplished!

Ahaks! It was a pretty hectic day for me. Since morning to late noon, I was out on the quest to find Yan the perfect baby gift (got distracted by the crazy summer sales happening everywhere now too ; p).

I actually started baking the cupcakes only by 4.30pm (dinner started at 7.30pm), finished it off with the topping and had less than 30 minutes to decorate it (thanks to my ready made teddies toppers!). I wasn't really happy with the overall deco but what to do, this surprise party was planned in a flash too!

But still, we were all verrrry happy that Yan really loved the party and she was so touched that she actually shed tears that nite...Awwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhh........sweet Mama!

To Mama Yan, we certainly hope you have a safe & smooth delivery soon, ok? And congratulations in advance to the Niks!!!
p/s : My Cheekyface can't wait for the new baby boy to join the gang. "We need more boys on the team-lah Mommy!" ☻

Mai, mai....my Thai Chicken Laksa!

2011-06-23T20:52:00.004+03:00

Salam & Hi

This week I've been trying some new recipes but I feel very much obligated to share with all of you this next one. It was awesome!! I made it recently; on Monday and I am still drooling over the sight and taste of it in my mind...uurghhh..sangat kronik!

I am an avid laksa fan. My old-time favourite is of course, the Penang Asam Laksa. I've tasted and fell in love with other laksa like Laksa Johor, Laksa Sarawak, Laksam and Nyonya Laksa but I have never heard of Thai Chicken Laksa until I saw it in this new Thai cook book I got from Virgin last weekend.

I was intrigued to try it immediately but the recipe in the book wasn't very clear (lesson learnt: next time when buying a cookbook, read through some of the recipes - see if the instructions is really clear). I later then googled and found some other versions of this laksa. Aiyo.....camner ni? In the end I decided to play my own Masterchef - mixed and matched some recipes and made the best of it ~ my way!

So, here's the recipe to share ; ) :

Thai Chicken Laksa

Ingredients:

500g chicken fillet or 4-5 chicken breast, skinned and cleaned
To make paste/marinade:

5 cm Galangal/Lengkuas
5 cm Ginger
4 Garlic Cloves
2 Medium sized onion
2 Red Chilies
5 green bird's eye chilies (cili padi)
3/4 cup coriander (root, stems and leaves)
1 tsp Ground Coriander

about 1 1/2 tsp shrimp paste

2-3 stalks lemongrass, bruised
1 Litre light coconut milk
3 cups Chicken Stock
60ml Sesame Oil
60ml Fish Sauce
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste (I added this to enhance the colour of the gravy and of course the authentic Thai taste!)
Juice from 1 lime

The Laksa & its garnishing:

Rice Noodle/Vermicelli (I used Mee-hoon)
Fresh bean sprouts
Onions, sliced
Spring onions, sliced
Cucumber, julienned
Lime wedges
Coriander or Mint leaves for the perfect picture touch

Soak noodles in cold water until soft. Drain and then soak in hot/boiling water for 3 minutes or until cooked. Drain and set aside.
Divide the chicken into 2 portions. Take one portion and slice them thinly (I chopped them coarsely) - this one is to be used in the gravy.
Using half of the paste, marinade the other portion of the chicken fillet and keep them covered in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Heat the sesame oil in a pot. Fry the lemongrass and the rest of the paste till fragrant for few minutes. (You may add the red curry paste now, if using). Then, add the chicken, fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring well.
Next, add the coconut milk and chicken stock; bring to boil. Let it boiled for few minutes before turning down the heat to simmer and cook it for 10 minutes.
Then add the fish sauce and further cook for another 5 minutes.
Lastly, add in the lime juice (it is almost visible that this step helps to cut down the fat in the coconut milk ; )) and mix well. Taste and ready to serve.
In a grill pan, grill the marinated chicken till tender and cooked. Once cooled, slice them diagonally to serve as garnishing for the laksa.
Now, take big deep bowls, put the noodles, laddle the gravy in and top it with all the garnishing.
Read your prayers, think of me *wink* and eat your laksa with joy in your heart.

Serves 4 lucky people.

What I like the most about this laksa is the gravy of which I'd like to think as somewhat perfect marriage of tomyam and nyonya laksa (I've been craving to make this one for some time now)....And of course, the grilled chicken with the authentic marinade, dived in the gorgeous gravy is just pure haven. My Cheekyface had ordered Mommy to make more of the grilled chicken next time and cut off some from the gravy, of which I took in as a completely great suggestion ; )

Owh... I am definitely making this one for our Eid gathering this year. To my lovely friends & families, I hope to make this for you soonest. Do try it on your own too and let me know how it turns out ok?

Until then, keep droooooooooling ....peeps!

A Father's Love

2011-06-21T11:05:00.000+03:00

It was Father's Day on Sunday.
Mommy made rib-eye steak, Baba's favourite.

No fuss, no fancy party. But just a nice candle light dinner. Very homemade.
Mommy sent Baba out to buy something so that we could set up everything.
Cheekyface helped Mommy to set up the table as always.
And we lighted the candles together.

We waited for Baba to come home....and then SURPRISE!!!
Baba smiled, he was glad.
Very humble as always.

Cheekyface read the prayers before eating.
"May tomorrow be better, make us better people.
Thank you Allah for this blessing and father's love."

Thank you my Luv, for being there always.
A dear husband and a loving father, loving us unconditionally.
Happy Father's Day, dear! p/s Am so happy u loved my steak! ; )

And I am pretty sure, if my Baba was still here today, he'd love my steak too...
Not a day goes by when I don't think of you...I miss you dearly, Baba. Alfatihah.

The DXB Weekenders

2011-06-16T12:02:00.022+03:00

Salam & Hi

It all started over a Nasi Kerabu pot luck party 3 weeks ago. It was just a crazy idea I've been having in my head - to drive to the nearest Ikea store. There is no Ikea yet in Doha (soon to be in 2012) and the nearest one is in Dammam City, Saudi. But a smarter friend suggested to add extra more miles and we'd get to Abu Dhabi or further up to Dubai. So, after further exploration to the idea, we voted for Dubai. Yes, we are driving to DXB, baby!

..All buckled up and ready to go!

So off we went last Thurs, 9 June - our second roadtrip to date (the first one was during our Omra to Mecca and Medina in Feb this year). Packed with some shish tawook and Nutella cuppies, we hit the road at 4.30pm and finally reached the destination at almost 4a.m. local DXB time. Yes, it took us longer than we had estimated, but then, when travelling with kids and crossing borders (Qatar-Saudi-UAE), one couldn't really predict.

Since we had less than 48 hours to spend in Dubai, we had to prioritize the itinerary lar...(had to close one eye to those delicious-looking summer sale all over the malls...demm!). Firstly, we went to DubaiSki located inside the Mall of Emirates, one of the largest shopping malls in the world. It's funny that Cheekyface's and my first encounter with snow had to be here - indoor! But we surely had fun - both kids and the grown-ups hehe

Later in the evening, we took an aqua tour at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo which sets Guinness Record for the 'World' Largest Acrylic Panel' at The Dubai Mall. Well now, everything has to be super grand here in Dubai, right?

Personally, I still prefer Osaka Aquarium, Japan - the biggest one in the world. ....I miss u Kaiyukan!

We saw the famous Burj Khalifa few times while roaming the city, so the only shots I have of it was through my car window. Hmmmm....definitely have to come back for a longer stay to see the rest of the landmarks here ; )

Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world.

The very next day, we started off early - rushing to Ikea for breakfast and shopping spree...finally!

My Cheekyface was all 'Longface' during this time ...serba tak kena tau...(most probably exhausted dah by this time ; P), so Mommy could't shop in peace....sigh! But still, sgt puas hati, to get to be there, to smell and taste Ikea again.....hahaha that's how cronic I am missing Ikea, eh?

We left DXB in the noon on Sat and reached home at around 11pm. Alhamdulillah.....

Some people may feel that it's not worth it to spend a weekend in Dubai, especially via roadtrip.Well, that depends on how one sees it. To me, it isn't really how much time we had for the trip but WHO we spent time with during the trip.

So, here's to my fellow DXB Weekenders - We might be crazy to have done this, but we did it, TOGETHER! Clap...Clap...Clap!

I just love this candy store I found in Dubai Mall...kawaii...

XOXOXOXOX

Nuts over Nutella

2011-06-14T20:28:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

Last week, my Cheekyface came back from school and asked me if I could make him some Nutella Cupcakes... "My friend said, take a muffin, slice it in the middle and put some nutella in between...sedap Mummy!" Ahaks! Pandai pulak kawan tu mengajar dia...

But since I told Aniq I can do better than that (ehem! ehem!), I spent some hours on the net looking for the right recipe. Some I found sound just like his friend had described it to be, some are either wayyyy too fattening (did I just type this word?) or consist too much hazelnut in the batter....so finally, I decided to whip up my own version!

I used the usual vanilla cupcake recipe but I reserved 1/3 of the batter to be mixed with half tbsp of cocoa powder and 2-3 tbsp of nutella. It was like marble cupcakes but the chocolate batter is using nutella! As for the nutella, you may put more if you are really nuts about it ; P!

For the filling, I mixed 8-10 tbsp of nutella (warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds on medium heat to soften it a little) with 125ml of whipping cream. Whisk it and then wallllaaaa! Once the cupcakes were cooled, I piped in the filling (inserted in the middle of the cuppies), anxiously, wondering how would they taste melting slowly in my mouth....gulp!

The cupcake in this pic was using the left-over chocolate batter from the marble cupcake -so it's purely nutella!

Well, they tasted sooooo gooood!!! Especially when the gooey nutella filling hit your tongue....mmmmmm slurp! slurp!

I made 2 dozens of these last Thursday. They were packed up for our Dubai roadtrip on last weekend with some fabulous friends.

Well, Nutella cupcakes and an awesome weekend. I surely hope yours too were as good as mine ; )

Cheers!

Woo-hoo Sago!

2011-06-02T23:47:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

I'm excited to share my first victory of making a Malay kuih recently....hahahaha..poyo jer...
I made Kuih Sago - yes the red pink one last week for our usual makan2 with friends. This was my first time doing any Malay kuih from scratch and all by myself. Woohoo! Sgt bangga okkayyy........

I had done Onde Onde (Buah Melaka) with a maid and Kuih Keria (Fried Sweet Potato Donuts) with my Mama before. Honestly, I never really bother to learn or try or make any Malay kuih before because I can easily get them anywhere near my place. I remember going to La Cucur @ KLCC for breakfast with my officemates whenever the craving for kuih hit me. There were also some nasi lemak stalls near my house which sell many types of kuih in the morning and afternoon (just buy them, pour some tea and you can welcome your guests at anytime!) Another place to get them is at the Pasar Malam (Night Market)....Oh my...I really miss the smell and sights of real pasar malam!

But since we've moved to Doha, those are no longer privileges to me. If the craving for kuih hit me or anyone in the family, I have to brave myself and make them! When my Mama was here recently, I asked her to show me some simple Malay kuih that we love and one of them is this Kuih Sago.

Mama showed me ways of doing the kuih but she doesn't have the exact measurement for the recipe (well, she does everything using her instinct - agak2 jer). Which is why I am so grateful to find the recipe at this Lemony Kitchen. Note to Lisa, thanks a lot for sharing this on your blog ; )! Mine was not as perfect as Lisa's but I am damn proud of it hehehe!

My Cheekyface was so impressed with his Mommy making his favourite kuih Sago. I remember 'fighting' over this kuih with him during last Ramadhan (beli Rm4 pon tak cukup okayyyy..). Well, fight no more, I can make the whole tray for everyone from now on hehe ; )

What to Say....?

2011-06-01T15:30:00.051+03:00

Recently, a friend of mine informed me that she's undergoing a surgery (the critical one, I'd say) and I just went speechless.

I texted her, showing my support and all but I didn't think that was enough. I didn't call because I didn't know what to say to her. I didn't visit her when she was in the hospital because I didn't know what to say to her. But deep inside I knew I've got to see her. She is like a sister to me now, how could I not say anything to her?

So last Friday, I brave myself along with a box of cupcakes, to go see her at her residence. She looked tired and pale but as always, she welcomed me with a great hug. (Gosh! I was so scared that I might have just crush her small body with my big bear hug!) Then we sat and talked. She was so opened about her experience (I wouldn't say illness), her fear, her feelings; yet she was so positive; so strong; so determined to not let this stop her from doing anything she loves doing. Throughout our conversation, I could not help admiring her faith in Allah and embracing her spirit of a fighter!

Still, I was searching for words to say to her, if I could in any way encourage her.....but..."I don't know what to say to you, seriously, I don't." (Whattt?????) I couldn't believe that I actually said that outloud to her. But then, I felt relieved having said that to her. It was the simple truth and the honest feeling I had inside. She just smiled at me and nodded. We salam and hugged and I told her to rest well.

I didn't know what to say to her cuz I didn't know what is it like to be in her shoes right now. But I want her to know that I care. I do. I sincerely and truly hope Allah grant her and her family, the never ending faith, love, all the strength and patience they'd need during this time of deep trial. May Allah bless u always sis..I pray for your speedy recovery and for the best to come your way. If you ever need me for anything, am just a click of a button away......

Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.

Qur'an 94:5-6

Barney Bits

2011-05-31T18:17:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

I did this for last Thursday delivery to Pn Azni Noni of QNB. Thanks K Noni for the order ; )

These were Real Chocolate cupcakes in buttercream and fondant deco.

It was for K Noni's daughters- Kak Ngah is 12 and Adik is 2. Happy Birthday, girls!

This was my first time doing Barney & friends using fondant. I don't really fancy Barney but I must admit, those little faces are just adorable, right? ; )

So....it's SUMMER!

2011-05-23T18:55:00.000+03:00

Oh, you bet it is!
The verrryyy short Spring in Doha is ending and now Summer is here to stay for a verrrryyy long time! Almost everyday now, the temperature is >40°C. There are days that it even hit 49°C!
Who am I to question, the Most Powerful and Most Merciful who owns the Universe, for Him I should be thankful for this whole new experience of mine. This is officially my first summer, ever! Yes, I come from the warm and lovely Malaysia, so Heat is not really a new thing. It's just that the Heat HERE....takes the word HEAT to a whole new level, okkkkayyyyy ....(am typing this while the sunny afternoon sun roams in my balcony, fiercely!)

One thing I learned over the past one week is to stay hydrated, as what my dearie friend YummyMummy keeps reminding me, "Drink Up, Nish!". I thought I did, but I guess it wasn't enough....sigh ; (

Watermelon juice to quench that thirst - Cheekyface's fav!

Last week was officially my sick week. I was down with fever and sore throat at the beginning of the week and over the weekend, I was down with suspected food poisoning. It was really terrible... I could barely eat anything on that day and I couldn't even walk properly. When we got to the clinic that Fri evening, they rushed me to the treatment ward and I was put on a drip immediately......seriously macam drama daaaa........... ; P

My Cheekyface had tummyache the whole day on Friday and followed by my Luv on Saturday. So we weren't very sure of whether it was something that we ate together or something else in our diet?? I dunno. But we are all okay now... Alhamdulillah.

Was this Nasi goreng Sardine made by Luv on Fri morning, the culprit? I took this photo earlier cuz he rarely cooks in this house, so ini siap garnishing semua...how could I not take photo la kan...? ; )

The water is very hot too. To wash oneself is like a torture. One must be very careful everytime the tap is turned on...cuz it's like boiling water pouring out for tea! I take my evening shower at nights now, even so, the temperature of the water is still warm. Oh how I wished that this compound we live in has build-in chiller too and not just heater.

And when the master is sick, so were the plants. I wasn't really caring for my little balcony garden for few days over the week, so they went from these beautiful blossom (which my Mama helped to plant when she was here last few months..she's the green thumb, of course!) .............

....to THIS!

Uh-Oh.....I think Mama's gonna freak out if she ever sees this on my blog...She was nagging me to water them frequently and to never miss it or else they'll die off. Well, I missed it Mama...nak watcamner....

And I know what she's gonna say to me after all....

Earl Grey is my cup of Cupcake!

2011-05-17T21:29:00.002+03:00

Salam & Hi

I was craving for some tea-flavoured cupcakes recently and started to google for the recipe online.
I found few of them, all almost similar yet a bit different in one way or the other.
So I gambled.....carefully mixing my own recipe and walllllaaaa!

Say hi to my first ever ~ Earl Grey Cupcakes!

I used my usual vanilla/butter cupcake recipe; just omit the vanilla essence. Warm 1/2 cup of milk and soak in 5-6 teabags of Earl Grey Tea for 15 minutes. Let it cool a bit before you mix in the cake batter (alternately with baking flour). I also tore one of the teabag and sprinkled the content into the cake batter to give it more ummmmphhh!
You can also Click here if you want a full recipe.

These cupcakes have that sweet smell of earl grey. My Luv said it somehow had the aroma of Malaysian Teh Tarik! Hahaha..I think he misses a good tehtarik very much kot...(sorry la Sayang..my teh tarik is still below the Mamak's grade :P). Cheekyface said this is one is now gone straightly into his favourite list! Some friends who came over for a little afternoon tea that day could not guess what flavour the cuppies were at first. And when I finally told them, they were like "Whattt???!!!"...ahaks!..but they were all very much thrilled with the taste ; )

If you ask me, I am an Earl Grey tea lover so this cupcakes suits me perfectly. Oh...I loved every bite of it...along with my lemon creamcheese topping....Aaaaaaah....(drool drool drool....again!)

Okay enough post. I feel I need to bake another batch, NOW!

Apple Cheerios Cranberry Crunch

2011-05-17T15:46:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

Lately, I've been trying few cookies and cupcake recipes. Some I fell completely in love with and some I've adjusted to suite my tastebud ; p

This one I'm going to share with all of you is a complete haven!
I made this when my Cheekyface was under the weather last week. His Opah has gone back to Malaysia early this month (Mama was here on visit for almost 3 months) and he misses her so dearly...So to cheer him up, I thought of baking him some crunchy cookies ; )

...before baking

I had a half jar of left-over Apple Cinnamon Cheerios on my kitchen table that had been sitting there for almost a month now. We didn't really like how it tasted with the milk so we ignored the jar eversince. But I didn't want it to go to waste just like that (apparently, breakfast cereals are NOT cheap here!). Inspired by a recipe from my sweet friend, YummyMummy, I created this ....:

APPLE CHEERIOS CRANBERRY CRUNCH COOKIE

100g of butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg yolk

100g Apple Cinnamon Cheerios cereals, crushed

3/4 cup self-raising flour

1 cup chopped dried cranberries (II just LUURRRRRVEEEE cranberries!)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Preheat oven at 170Celcius and line your baking sheet with baking/parchment paper.

Beat butter & brown sugar till just well combined , then add egg yolk & vanilla essence.

Beat for another minute then add Apple Cheerios, cranberries and flour.

Slowly mix them all together to combine.

(I scooped my cookies using the ice cream spoon onto the baking sheet) and bake for 20 minutes or until the cookie turns golden brown.

Makes 12 large cookies.

Hot from the oven...couldn't wait to taste 'em,,,

This is really yummy! You should try it... Very crunchy and loaded with cranberry goodness ; )

By the way, Cheekyface and his Baba got me a lovely card and this bouquet on Mother's Day. And these cookies just add to the sweetness. Such a bliss..:)

Happy Mother's Day y'all (it's the whole month of celebration vs. everyday appreciation, right?) and Happy Baking!

Crown Takes the Cake

2011-05-13T23:38:00.000+03:00

This is a continuation to my earlier post on the Cinderella cupcakes.

Just 2 days before the surprise little birthday celebration we (a group of friends) planned for Yan, Nik requested that I make another small cake for their private celebration at home. And he wanted a crown cake!

Alamak....sempat ke ni?

Alhamdulillah, sempat.....

This is a 6” Vanilla Gala cake with buttercream and fondant deco. Chantek tak?

My Mama was still here when I was making this cake and she was checking me in my lil’ cake studio every half an hour or so; sooooo anxious to find out how’d the crown cake turn out…..hehehe..chommeyyy!

When she finally saw this cute and sweet cake, she was thrilled!

Well, I guess it's okay for my first. More practise to make it better, right? I’ve done crown cupcakes before (click here if you wanna see) but this is the first time that I made a crown.... Cake!

And the best thing is, the birthday Cinderella, Nik and their cute Princess Nina (who likes to wear her crown wherever she goes) all loved it! *awww.....me so happppyyy*

(Nik, I tag this one from ur FB ya...Thanks!)

For his Cinderella...

2011-05-13T22:20:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

My friend, Nik NW asked me to make a set of cupcakes for his wife, Yan's birthday on April 22. He booked me wayyy in advance as to make sure I can make one for him...hehehe...and yes I did.

Nik wanted a Cinderella theme for the cuppies. I chosed blue, white and silver for the decoration as to give the cuppies a glimpse of elegance. I remembered my Cheekyface kept complaining on the silver pumpkin, "Mommy, the pumpkin should be in orange colour!"...Well, so much of my young critic ; p

These are Shake Me, Strawberry cupcakes with buttercream and fondant topping.

I asked Nik, why Cinderella theme?
Well, apparently Ms Wifey had iterally said she felt pretty like Cinderella since they moved to Qatar...No longer working since she got here, she's now a full time homemaker - cleans, cooks and mops the floor..The only things missing are the stepmom and sister and the big castle!

I made this one especially for Yan....hehehe

I laughed so hard when Nik told me that......hahahahahaha. Truth is, I do feel that way sometimes...but at least we know that Cinderella married her Prince Charming, right? And mine is as handsome and somehow as bald as Prince William (opps! sorry Sayang...;P)

To Yan, Happy Birthday, dear...Your Prince Charming is so sweet to think of this cute theme for you...And he can buy you some great shoes too....*wink*wink* ; D

Istanbul-lah!

2011-05-07T01:17:00.004+03:00

Salam & Hi

It's been a month..but my memory of Istanbul still lingers..The only reason for my delay on updating my travel notes is simply because I have wayyyyyyyyy toooooo many photos to sort out and choose for this blogpost ..ahaks!

Istanbul was one of the many places on my wishlist. So having finally flew there and settled for a week was heavenly. Alhamdulillah...(Thank u, Luv!). Initially, we planned to go there this November but my friend suggested that Istanbul is more spectacular during spring cuz the tulips would be blooming! Oh Tulips + Istanbul? = Heaven on earth!

We were there from 1-8 April 2011. It was still early spring...so we still got cold wind (down to 7 degree woooo!) and rains here and there for the first 3 days...But the weather got kinder everyday till the day we left.

Istanbul is great for sight-seeing..There are lots of interesting beautiful historical buildings ~ some are beyond imagination! And the flower of springs....owh! They're just amazingly beautiful. I can't describe them in details here but I do hope these pics would speak the unspeakable...Enjoy peeps!

...the majestic Blue Mosque

me inside Blue Mosque.

The historical Hagia Sophia.

..inside Hagia Sophia, from a church to a mosque and now a museum.

..one side of Dolmabache Palace.

...blooming tulips @ the Ataturk Park.

...magnificent murals @ Cora Museum.

...entering Topkapi Palace.

..a lil' shopping @ the Grand Bazaar.

..the closest we ever got to Pamulkale was at the Miniaturk ; p

...inside Basilica Cistern...this place gave me goosebumps!

...cruising @ Bophorus tour...

...the artworks...

...the sweetest things...

...the taste of Istanbul...

...the many blooms of Spring!

One thing I must share was that we had tough time finding Asian food (by that I mean, plain nasi!) in the city. Most of our menu was of the doner (kebabs), bread, soup and roasted stuff....and for that still, Alhamdulillah..we managed to lose few pounds from the carbs cut-off and lots and lots of walking around the beautiful city. So bravo!!!

The best thing of this trip was that we had our friend, YummyMummy & family (our tourguide & at least somebody familiar to snap our photos hahaha) and of course, my beloved Mama along. It was pretty tiring trip but overall it was all worth it!

Mama just went crazy with the tulips!!!

Painting Rainbow

2011-05-04T18:35:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

This next post is still regarding the Rainbow Party for the YummyMummy's babies.

Besides making the cake for the party, YummyMummy had also asked me to do face painting for the little guests. So you can imagine how thrilled it was for me to be doing the things I love the most -

d e c o r a t i n g !

...the background poster that YummyMummy and me made together, so cute kan?

It was my first time doing the face painting for a party, so it was quite a sweaty experience for me...fuh fuh fuhhh!

me @ work...breathe! breathe!

The very cute birthday girls...

Some of the beautiful rainbow girls I managed to capture on my cam...

...and of course there's a Rainbow Clown too!

The best part in any birthday parties is to see the happiness on the children's faces...

...and also their mommies'!

Great partttayyyy, dear YummyMummy! Am so happy to be part of it!

Oh FBCT!

2011-05-04T11:57:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

This was supposed to be the immediate sequence to my last post but somehow it got tangled in between me juggling this and that but here goes....

My dear friend YummyMummy asked me to make a birthday cake for her April babies' party last April 15. She wanted me to draw the girls and their daddy on the cake with rainbow on the background. Bubble, her eldest daughter kept talking about this rainbow party she was going to have since February, so to dissapoint such a cutie and her mummy would be a huge crime, right?

...my colourful tubes all set and ready to work...

I was never scared to draw freehand on a cupcake cuz I can easily erase one and re-do it. But on an iced cake??? I really think 100x! I cannot imagine to re-do the whole thing especially to frost the cake all over again (this was a buttercream cake, btw) ; P

A friend suggested that I use Frozen Buttercream Transfer (FBCT) technique, something I'd never done before. She briefly explained how to do it and the rest of it I found on the youtube, of course!

As I was doing the rainbow, I could not tolerate any noise or movement near my working table....Takutss!

For me, the hardest part of FBCT is to smoothen the painted picture and make it flat so that it will be placed nice and flat on the cake later...Once done, I made the final outline, put them in the top freezer, freeze it overnight and tried verrrrry hard not to worry how it was going to turn out the very next morning!

Taadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Alhamdulillah, they were all good!

I was overjoyed when I finished this whole cake. Here's why:
1. This was my first time doing FBCT technique

2. It was the BIGGEST cake I've done so far. This was almost 5 kg Shake Me! Strawberry cake with

fresh strawberry buttercream layer.

3. This was my first cake for sale in Doha.....introduction to my Doha market hahahahah ;P

But all the butterflies in the tummy went away when I saw the look on YummyMummy's face when I brought the cake to her..."It was exactly like I had in my mind," she said. Hahahaha, well, great minds think alike kan hihihihi ; )

And the sweetest thing was when I had several guests at the party came up to me and told me how much they loved the cake - the look and the taste! THAT was like getting an award after a long worried journey from start to finish ; P

To YummyMummy, thank you for the trust you have in me ; ) and to my Mama who was cheering for me while I was doing the whole thing, the amazement on your face keeps me wanting to make more lovelier cakes than this, definitely!

My New Love

2011-04-14T11:30:00.000+03:00

Ahaks!

I have found new love here in Doha.
No, am still in love with my Luv...but this one I found just got me hooked from the first time I tried it.
Guess what???

It's Face Painting!

And my very first model was Bubble!

She really stood still throughout the process...hahahaha....

I tried the butterfly & flower design on her...

She really loved it!

And there of course, my Cheekyface.

He wanted me to draw a mouse on his face at first. But Eeeeeeeek! Mommy is scared of mouse or lizard or anything creepy like that..

Frogs are also yucky to me .....

But a Frog Prince? It's a whole new different view heheheheh

Hmmm, am thinking, maybe I should divert from cake making to face painting yeah? It is so much easier and funner! Especially if it involves working with kids! Or maybe I should diversify my portfolio?

Yes, to diversify it is! cuz I still love making cakes ; ).
Ehem! I have my first face painting job tomorrow, let's see how it'll turn out okay?
Suspensed? Yes...but I just can't wait!

Fun Affair!

2011-03-16T10:23:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

Last Friday 11th, there was a fun fair at Aniq's Newton British School (NBS). I am not a really active mom in the PTA but I thought of making some lovely cupcakes for the event. It was a fun way to donate as all sales would go to the PTA fund.

This time I made Blueberry Hella Berry cuppies with little flower fondant and Real Choc cuppies with Chocolate ganache with little butterflies fluttering by.....

We were the only stall selling various type of food across the globe, so you can imagine how hectic it was.... ; ). There were lots of food, from chicken samosa to hotdogs and Arabic sweets to Toffee Apples!

There were other cupcakes too...what a sight of joy!

It was a fun affair I must say as we got great returns from the sales. And what thrilled me the most was that my cupcakes were all sold out! Alhamdulillah....Nothing beats the joy of seeing your baked goods being admired and loved so much ; )

I shall post more pics on my FB soon. I didn't get to take so many snapshots cuz I was at the stall most of the time...but I did manage to snap this one. .. ; P

Here's to NBS PTA especially to Mrs President Karollanne and the ever hardworking Oja, you girls rock!

Month to Month

2011-03-10T23:02:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

I am finally back in blogging. I was blocked with limited access to wifi for months since we moved in to our rented apartment here. It was supposed to be up by end Dec but until now, there is none. I could go on and on about this but I've told myself to complain less about things lately....cuz I am blessed, no matter what.....
Yes...Blessed with lots of love from people around me, some really nice friends I've made here and some strangers who had become my online friends via my sweet Melthoney, despite my terrible terrible terrible long silence in updating! To these people, I could never thank you enough... ; )

From Dec to now, I've done some bakings here and there..I got some to share with you all here, but nothing fancy cuz I hadn't unpacked my tools yet (yes, they are still in the little boxes.....lazzzyyy me!)

There were some Lemon Cuppies for our picnic in the park...(it's nice when it's winter here!)

The first cupcakes I baked in Doha were these Chocolate Chips Cuppies...

and then there were also Orange Cuppies for our trip to the dunes

and a specially baked Apple Moist cake for Auntie JJ's birthday..I baked this cake a couple of times here but I could not seem to find the other pics in my saving...(sorry)

a Baked Ricotta Cheesecake with homemade strawberry topppings (this one is Aniq's fav!) to celebrate our completion of Omra last month...

and of course for my Luv's birthday also in Feb, Chocolate Mud Cupcakes with Rich Choc Ganache, yumms!

So people............am still here okkayyyy.................just keep the light on for me................

I AM STILL HERE ; )

2 for 2nd

2010-11-15T12:41:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

This next post is veryyyy much overdue.

As the words got around that we were leaving for Doha, Nani and Azni of my ex-colleagues at Petronas requested for a cupcake class @ Melthoney.

Well, as you all might know by now, all classes I conducted is only by request. And since these girls are my great supporters, I was more than happy to do it.

This was the second class I had. This time we made 16 different designs both with buttercream and fondant.

Azni's work - Great one for first timer, kan?

Although the session ended later than scheduled, we all had good time giggling away and of course with little gossips sprinkled on top. Hehehehe!

Nani's work - Sgt chomel!

To Nani and Azni, thank you for your never ending love and support for Melthoney. I value that with all my heart. Hope you girls can make your own cupcakes by now, ya....Have to wait for a long time before I come back.... ; P

Take care my sweet sisters!

Please & Tease!

2010-11-11T12:59:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

This was actually the last order received by Melthoney.

Specially requested by my old matric classmate and sweet friend, Eida for her En Hubby (as she fondly called him on FB). Fyi, Eida only sees her hubby on the weekends since they both work in different states. Well, all those time apart is definitely like little sparks that set things on fire over the weekends! ^ ^

When Eida asked me to make some cuppies just for their pleasure, I suggested the 18SX cuppies, something to please & tease and really spice things up! Hahaha, actually dah lama tau nak buat this design. It's just that I hadn't got the chance....Eida jumped at the idea, and booked the last slot right away!

So take a peek, fellas!

These was Vanilla Gala cupcakes in Buttercream deco.

I didn't let Aniq see while I was drawing the details, but he did take a peek while I was putting them all in the box! Hisssshhhh!

To Eida, thank you babe for giving me the chance to do this : )

Oh yes, even if she didn't tell me I knew Eida and En.Hubby definitely had a good time that weekend. Over my cuppies, of course!

^^ You bet! ^^

Alice in Minis

2010-11-10T12:56:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

Here's sharing the second last order I had before I left my Melthoney studio back home.

These cute cuppies sets were made for the very humble Datin Habsah or Kak Habsah, as we fondly called her at the gym ; )

Kak Habsah asked me to make a birthday mini fondant cupcakes set for her daughter's 10^th birthday in Alice in Wonderland theme. The colour code given was light blue, pink and white.

These were Shake Me, Strawberry! minis in fondant. I tried to keep the design simple yet pleasing to the eyes... ; )

Kak Habsah also ordered a box of Hella Berry Blueberry cuppies for everyone at the gym to share; Personal Trainers (PT) included. It was super great to see those PTs gobbled my cuppies without counting the calories!

The guys even had 2-3 pcs at once, claiming that mine was less sweeter than they ever tasted before.

Wow, that sure made me happy...! But I was somehow sad that day because it was my last day at the gym.

To Ming, my PT (if you ever reading this), I MISS U, leng ma! I hadn't put your photo up on my refrigerator door. I don't need to. Your advice keeps humming in my head everytime I shop now :P!

And btw, Kak Habsah, thank you for your orders. Keep doing those lunges, Hot Momma!

No Tooth Fairy

2010-11-08T18:21:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

Am still here...Just a little under the weather.

We have recently marked our first month in Doha. Yay! Hmmmm. my cake stuff is still not here yet..waiting to be demob from Malaysia once we have our permanent address here. So in the meantime, I've been playing the Domestic Goddess 247. Cooking is an everyday task too which I alwas love to do. It's just that there are days that I would be stucked...wondering what's next on the menu. But thanks to the Google, of course. Finding new menu is just at our finger tips, right?

Anyway, just to share with the world out there ^^....the second week I was here, I had terrible toothache. Grrrrrrrr........! The first time to dentist here, I was warned not to be surprised of the rate they would be charging. I hesitated at first, but what to do, the pain had to go away.....HELP!!

“The filling on your poor tooth had chipped off and that caused easy access for infection, so I need to do new filling for you,” said the Indian dentist.

“And how much would it cost me?” I asked politely.

“ Qr 550”.

I was not so surprised cuz I'd been warned.

Perhaps these nice dessert I had during the first week I was here triggered the pain...oh my!

But I was upset because the pain did not go away....That very night, I realised that the real pain was in the upper molar (tooth), Oh my, where's my tooth fairy?

But since I was in pain, the dentist that we went to the next day. put me on antibiotics for 3 days of which was the longest 3 days ever for me!

And of course I did ask my Luv to stand by with the cash.

“QR1200, dear.”

That was how much it cost for the extraction.

I was there!

It took the dentist less thatn 10 minutes to 'rob' me off my achy breaky tooth. As I left the clinic, I couldn't help feeling guilty of not listening to the voice in my head to actually visit my own dentist back in KL before I left for Doha...oh Sigh! Sigh! Sigh!

As I was healing, I even got some mouth ulcers on the side to top it all. It was a hell of a week for me, you bet!

Ironically, the very next day after I got my tooth removed, there was an article in the local newspaper about the expensive dental cost in Doha and that many people are complaining about it. My Luv showed me the article and scoffed, “You just added to the statistics, honey!”

Yes, I did. God knows how much I'd missed my old dentist back in KLCC. Here's to Dr Sue of Twin Tower Medical Centre, KLCC - You are still the best dentist ever!

Little Kingdom, Big Heart

2010-09-30T13:44:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

This next cake I am about to update had kept me excited for great length of time.

Aniq and I both loved to watch the Little Kingdom show on Nickelodeon every morning before I send him to school. It is about a little fairy Princess Holly, her kingdom and her friend Ben, who is an elf. They have a pet, a ladybug called Gaston. I just love the very cute little characters but with big hearts and their accent very very much he3....

So when my favourite customer and friend Azlinda of Petronas asked me to make a birthday cake for her princess Danya's 1^st birthday, I swore I almost jumped at the opportunity ~ to make Princess Holly!

And I did!

This was a Real Chocolate cake with Chocolate Ganache layers in fondant deco.

I made Princess Holly figurine leaning against her huge big crown huhu!

Linda also ordered 2 set of 36pcs minicupcakes of which I made in Princess theme:

Cupcakes were in Oh! So Orange and Shake me, Strawberry! flavours. Yumms!

I remembered Linda texted me the moment she got her order delivered, that her colleagues at the office just fell in love with the cake & cupcakes. But so sorry ladies, Melthoney would not be available in Malaysia for a long while NOW : (

To Linda, thank you very very much for your support and love for Melthoney, dear.

And thanks a lot for coming to Aniq's birthday party the other day too.

Am gonna miss having a great customer like you – who eventually turn out to be a lovely friend too... : )

Hmmm, looks like this Princess Holly is taking a long break...... ; )

Poised...

2010-09-30T13:26:00.002+03:00

Salam & Hi

Just to share with all of you, some cute cupcakes I did for MJ, my lovely auntie in last July.

MJ ordered these for her favourite customer and the working team at Poiseproducts @ Kimberly-Clarks as to thank them for their support to her company, ZNS Services.

The first batch of 36 cuppies was for her customer of which she asked me to make in boy& girl theme:

And the second one was for the Poise team bearing its logo:

These were Vanilla Gala minicupcakes in buttercream.

To MJ, thank you for your support to me too and all the best with your ZNS ok.... Love ya!

Also inserted in here is a set of cupcakes ordered by my childhood friend, Hazlinda Hashim for her kids' simple indulgence:

Thanks Linda. I was glad to be apart of the enjoyment ; )

Don't cut my cake!

2010-09-30T13:12:00.000+03:00

Salam and Hi

I've been wanting to write about Yus' big boy, Munir.

This is the greatest admiration I felt anyone ever had on my creation, hehehe..

Munir came to pick up his cake along wif his sister's Princess crowne Cupcakes and his auntie's Little Heart cupcakes. Yus told me earlier, Munir is a very reserved boy and do not speak to anyone but his families.

He is one of a kind, said Yus.

His first response when he saw his cake was ...”WOW.....!” : )

So I was happy even when it was just a word he muttered.

He then sat next to me on the sofa, quietly while he finished a bowl of sweet grapes I gave him; while his sister, Izzah wandered around my house.

This cake was specially ordered for Munir who has this obsession over purple Satria car with this specific plat number of BFM 7425. Don't ask me why this number...it's just what he has on his mind all the time...

This was a Shake Me, Strawberry cake with fresh strawberries layer.

Yus told me later that night that the big cake was never cut. Munir was firmed to not let anyone touch it. “Jangan potong, ini kek saya!” was all he said to everyone at the party. Luckily, there were the other 2 birthday girls celebrating with the cupcakes. So at least, there were cakes for the party. Hahahaha....HARU!

The cake was then kept in the fridge where Munir would take a sneak-peek of it everyday before he went to his pre-school and after coming back from the school. It was finally cut 3 weeks after the party. Yus asked me, “ Do you know what he said to everyone who finally got to taste the cake aftter 3 weeks?”

I said, “ What??”

He said “ Kan saya dah cakap, kek ni sedap!”

Hahaha!

The car on the cake does not resemble much of a Satria cake, I know.

But such admiration for the creation, is an admiration itself.

Thanks Munir. You've lightened up a very different joy in my heart. It is unexplanably, sweet.

Am in Doha, and I miss baking!

2010-09-28T18:14:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

How is everybody? Hope all of you are doing great!

Just to report, I AM IN DOHA, QATAR!

Today marks our first week in Doha. Alhamdulillah...so far, we've survived the hot weather (although according to locals, it is not so hot compared to last July and August ;P). It is hot and dry....The skin around my lips and nose actually chapped during the first 3 days....Ewwww...! And I got fever usually during day time for the first few days---- Adjusting.

The water temperature is also high, so bathing, washing and cleaning take patience to the whole new level...Qeh!

Aniq celebrated his 8th birthday on Sep 25 with new friends. We threw a big advanced party for him on last 31 July of which I am yet to update ...my bad ; (

At the moment, we are residing at Al-Bayyan Gardens, the company villa. We hope to find our own home sweet home anytime soon since this villa is wayyy to big for the 3 of us!

I am trying to update the last few cakes I made before finally closing up my studio in August. I will! I will! I will update k....Right now I really miss baking! My tools will only be sent to Doha once we got our own address here and buying it beforehand will not be a wise move since everything seems to cost more over here....huhuhu!

Until then, here's a picture of my last baking, done before raya. Happy munching, everyone!

Don't Cut My Cake!

2010-09-28T14:40:00.001+03:00

Salam and Hi

I've been wanting to write about Yus' big boy, Munir.

This is the greatest admiration I felt anyone ever had on my creation, hehehe..

His first response when he saw his cake was ...”WOW.....!” : )

So I was happy even when it was just a word he muttered.

He then sat next to me on the sofa, quietly while he finished a bowl of sweet grapes I gave him; whereas his sister, Izzah was busy, wandering around my house.

I said, “ What??”

He said “ Kan saya dah cakap, kek ni sedap!”

Hahaha!

The car on the cake does not resemble much of a Satria car, I know.

But such admiration for the creation, is an admiration itself.

Thanks Munir. You've lightened up a very different joy in my heart. It is unexplanably, sweet.

Princess Crown Cuppies

2010-09-17T12:46:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

Selamat Hari Raya everyone!

Am so sorry for staying away from the updates for so long (AGAIN!).

Hope you can understand since we are in the midst of moving to a new country and things got pretty busy with Raya celebration..Hope you all had a nice and sweet Raya, ya...

Back to the updates, this was another part of my friend, Yus' orders.

This was for her favourite little pincess, Izzah for her 4th birthday celebrated last July.

I first saw this crown cuppies while browsing some books at Popular Bookstore with Yus and WHOAAAA!!! She asked me to make this design for Izzah's birthday right away! Alhamdulillah, jadik hiihihihi!

These were Vanilla Gala Cupcakes in Buttercream and Fondant deco.

Izzah came together with her brother, Munir to pick up the cupcakes and she was so thrilled to see her Princess Crowns........

Auntie Nish was also thrilled cuz she got an extra RM50 from Auntie Yus who was so pleased with the outcome. Hahaha, I guess hard work and great effort did pay off...Hehehe so happy when people really appreciate my work..so so happy...☻

To Yus, thanks so much for this little challenge..I loved every minute of doing it! Hugs to Izzah n Munir please.....Mmmuuaahhh!

Little Hearts

2010-08-27T11:06:00.001+03:00

Salam & Hi

My childhood bestfriend, the ever lovely Dr Yus decided to shower her favourite people with cake and cupcakes for their birthday celebration which took place on the same day i.e. on last 17 July. However, I will breakup the stories of it in 3 different post, alright?.....Starting with this one.....

This was made for Mimah, Yus' pet sister. Mimah who was turning 23 requested for cupcakes with little hearts deco...

These were Vanilla Gala cupcakes in Chocolate Ganache. Yus told me Mimah loved the cuppies so much she even hid some in the box for her ultimate personal indulgence!

Well, who would't? Hee Hee Hee... ☻

Birthday Boss

2010-08-27T10:30:00.000+03:00

Salam & Hi

Still clearing my older posts...am so sorry..been busy clearing up my closets too ---> packing!

My dear friend Az'z Rahman from campus days ordered this next cake on behalf of her officemates for their Boss, Mr Lee's birthday celebration at Shogun on 16 July.

Az'z requested for the rossette design I made earlier. Actually, I was somehow surprised that this design had won many "Like" when I posted the link on my FB. It was just a simple sweet design, I guess...
But since the cake was for a Mr., I made it even simpler, in blue colour!

This was a Shake Me Strawberry cake with fresh strawberry layer....yums!

To Az'z, thanks for your support and love for Melthoney all this time. Last year Mr Lee got his cupcakes and this year a cake pulak hihihihi...but next year I guess you have to find another baker la yer..hehe...Sorry for that... = P. Btw, we had great time during iftar at your place recently and I will sure tell all about it in my post soon!

*HUGS*

Dora for Dudek

2010-08-18T13:35:00.007+03:00

Salam & Hi

My dearie friend Ayu Rozaimee ordered these EI cupcakes for her 2nd daughter, Iman Kadeja @ Dudek's 4th birthday celebration at her kindy last 13 July....This time it's Dora theme for Dudek!

Ayu told me Dudek had tough time deciding on the theme. She was all "rambang mata" after browsing my blog..."Semuanya dia nak!," said Ayu. Finally she agreed to Dora theme.. hee hee so cute!

Ayu also got a dozen additional for indulgence at home ☻

Cupcakes were all Shake Me Strawberry! in buttercream ...very the yums!

To Ayu, perhaps these were the last order from you, for now. My sincere thank you to you my dear friend for your continuous support and love for Melthoney since the very beginning.

I ❤ U much girl! Here's wishing you all the best for your upcoming delivery, ya.. ❤

Buzz Lightyear is here!

2010-08-18T12:16:00.004+03:00

Salam & Hi

The ever so talented and hardworking businesswoman, Pn Siti Shuhada Abu Bakar or Ms Shue (as I fondly called her) from Surea Chocolate requested me to make full figurine fondant cake for her son's birthday last July 11. She emailed me via FB and from then on I worked according to the theme she wanted...........Toy Story!

It took me 3 days to mould Buzz and the LGMs...the hardest part is to make Buzz's arms...they kept falling off as I used only water to paste 'em to the body. But if finally sticked after 4x attempts! Pheewwww!

TO INFINITY & BEYOND!

This was a Pure Butter cake in fondant deco. Yes, I admit, Buzz did look kinda heavy in this one...☻

I had fun making the Aliens, really...they are SUPER CUTE! and easy to do ☻

Amil was still having fever when I delivered this cake to Shue that day but his eyes were all lightened up once he saw Buzz and the rest of the crew....hihihi ☻

Shue's sms to me after the party: " Birthday boy too excited sampai cucuk pisau awal2..Cakenyer sedapp n everybody loves it. good work..! ; )"

To Shue, thanks for giving me the chance to do this Buzz Lightyear cake. It was all my pleasure to do it for you ; )

Nothing beats the joy of making something so cute, smiling back at me like this..☻