29 September 2008

Balik Kampung

Today is the last day we'll be here, at home. Tomorrow is 'balik kampung' day. This year, my kampung first. Well, parents' kampung actually. They are staying here in Klang Valley, so we are going back together. Kelantan first two raya, then Terengganu next two days. Saturday will be back, and off we go to hubby's kampung in Klang.

Yesterday, after distributing home baked cookies to my mum, my sis & my mother in law, there were only a few jars left for our own raya! Oh, not forgetting the kids had munched some! So, Kak E made a final visit to the baking supply store, and made 4 more jars yesterday! Here's biskut batik, revised edition. More yummy...



After terawikh, Kak E packed the cookies nicely, to give as gifts for all my mokcik & pokcik at kampung... The first 4 rows of cookies (from below) were the ones made yesterday. Choc chips, nestum crunch, biskut batik & coffee crunch. The top row was peanut cornflakes made last week. Waa.... am getting better at this....




Hmmm... sudenly have plans for early retirement....


For those yg balik kampung, hati2 di jalan raya. take care all.

24 September 2008

Pizza & Selamat Hari Raya

Well, well, well... a proud mum bakes again... Err... did i bake because my kids said they loved the food? or did they say they loved the food because they want me to bake more? Hmmm....


Anyway, a few nights ago, a 'square-pan' thick crust pizza came out of my oven! To make it, took more than an hour. To swallow it, within minutes!





Yesterday was the last batch of raya cookies i made. Wouldnt want to have too much variety. Expecting exchange of cookies with Opah, Umi, etc.... So, here are mine (with additional 3 types, on top of previous posting):









SELAMAT HARI RAYA. MAAF ZAHIR BATIN to all from Kak E & Family.

22 September 2008

It's Baking Time!

Santai at home this weekend! The festive mood is in the air! Got myself a new electric breadmaker oven! So, to prove that this new equipment is worth buying, Kak E & kids began to utilise it on Saturday. The first trial was chocolate chips cookies. Owh, the smell of vanilla....
Perfecto! Nice crunchy choc chips cookies. Very2 nice... Made 2 containers, and guess what? One container gone by last night! Want to try? Recipe here, in my other blog. I have modified the original recipe a little. See under 'comments' in that posting.
While waiting for the cookies being baked, we made other treats as well, which do not require baking & easy to make. This is the Honey Cornflakes. It turned out too sweet, so if you were to follow the recipe here, reduce the sugar to half its suggested amount! And add a little more honey to it... Also commented my own recipe....
Another non-baked cookie is the Biskut Batik. Something a bit like brownies... Very easy to make as well. Just mix cocoa powder, milo, condensed milk & butter over low heat in a pot, then add 'biskut marie'. Recipe here. Again, I amended my own recipe...

The most challenging task for the day is: make my own white loaf bread, for the first time ever! And it did turned white! You see, the breadmaker function is quite a straight forward function in the oven, but Kak E decided to play around a bit with the recipe, and some oven functions (a.k.a. trying to be smart!)... so, the loaf was finely cooked, only that it didn't brown enough, perhaps due to the low temperature used. Anyway, the texture was just nice, if not perfect, and most importantly, it was edible, and unlike the white loaf we used to buy, this was gone in less than 48 hours! Tasty, puffy, dense white loaf, "so good, you can eat it on its own.. " hmmm... where did I here that before?

Great cookies, (not so) great bread, seems like Kak E is motivated to do her own Raya Cookies this year, unlike other years, it was all 'biskut tunjuk'. Going to try a few other recipes today. After all, practice makes perfect!

01 September 2008

Ramadhan Al Mubarak

Today is 1st Ramadhan. This year, my 7 year old kak ngah is trying to fast for the 2nd attempt. She made it thru 10 days last year! Ever so excited to fast, she woke us all up at 4am for 'sahur' though my alarm was due 15 minutes later. After sahur, she slept again and woke up at about half nine this morning. She then came downstairs and asked me, "What's for breakfast, Ma?" She totally forgot she is fasting today, but Alhamdulillah, she's still hanging on there and will try to fast til maghrib....

'Selamat berpuasa' to all Muslims. May this Ramadhan brings you His rahmah and baraqah.