cosyouaremygal

On Tuesday, we had a very spontaneous gathering for a great meal made with so much love by a great home chef aka friend's husband. A girlfriend put up a request to bake a cake, which I agreed as it will be a great opportunity to be baking for my beloved girlfriends since it's really hard to come by. So the requested cake to be baked was this infamous Condensed Milk Cheesecake. Similar meringue cake recipes have been going around on the internet and have been very popular. I have also tried a few recipes myself, most turned out fine except for one that failed. One of them would be the Golden Sponge Cake . But I think this turned out to be most perfect. Before I baked, I thought this should be rather fail proof because of the use of condensed milk, as it should give creamier texture and cake will probably hold better, just like we normally use it to make ice cream without ice cream machine. This is adapted from Baking Mom . I followed the recipe exactly except for the oven te...

Let's #throwback. I have been liking Starbucks muffin for some time and almost every flavours. However, I really like their Red Velvet and Chocolate Crumble ones. Their muffins are really moist, soft, fragrant and filled with surprise.  Like I always do, searching for a good rating with helpful comments of a simple recipe and I found this Blueberry Muffin recipe . Like most who commented, this recipe makes blueberry muffins that taste really good and not very sweet. Also from one of the comments, I added streudel topping, just like the Starbucks ones! The most important thing is that this is really easy to make! A 2.5 years can, so can you.  5 is such a wonderful age, they can get the hang of almost everything!  I can't wait to bake this again and explore other flavours using the same recipe. The kids love it very much, so do I! For Streudel Topping (attained from of the comments) 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar (I replace with brow...

We have always been up to something on Sundays. I haven't been very adventurous with the kids when it comes to cooking, it was most of time pancake that we were making and I realised I haven't shared it here before. For pancake, I always go to this recipe . It has never failed me. On one Sunday, we made pizza and I only decided to do so because I found this really simple recipe online. I tend to look for "easy" recipe so its easy for kids. A homemade hawaiian pizza it is. So here are the recipe for the dough. Less the toppings and tomato paste. Kids putting the toppings over the pizza. For such simple and fun way of making pizza, it definitely tasted delicious! It's always a favourite for the kids. Lucas finished almost half of it! No kidding!

Emotional strength is lacking this week. I am really thankful for those who really kept me occupied and one who heard me out. It has been so long since my last late night bake. Actually not really, I tried once on mother's day eve but the cake went kaboooomb! That was a planned but really rush one as it was already around 2am when the cake went into the oven. Tonight, it was yet another therapeutic one. Through the silence of the night, my mind was immersed into baking this golden sponge cake. From precision in separating the egg whites, because the meringue will not work with teeny bit of yolk. Combining the yolk mixture to perfection. Whisking meringue to stiff peak especially stimulates the senses, as it becomes more and more foamy till more and more creamy. Gently and patiently folding into the yolk batter, it's all one need to ease every tension. My mind seemed to have gone through one round of clearings. The perfect golden top was ruined when cooling. Neverthel...

It's Sunday again! The day that I probably most look forward to out of 365 days. It is probably also the most tiring day of an entire week, at this period. However, also the happiest day of every week. These are all because I get to have all my time with my two precious. Well, I love Sunday too because it is probably the only day I can bake or cook something for my love ones that always make me feel a little accomplish as a mother, a wife or even a daughter. To begin with, I am not great in baking and dread all the many steps. These days, there can be found many easy and simple ingredients recipes online for almost anything you wish to do… so glad for that. Also, I have been making do with whatever is available in my kitchen. While we all know that scones are probably one of the easiest to bake with the simplest ingredient that most household would have. The most critical part is probably the rubbing-in method. However, I ever came across using metal knife and forks to do the c...

We spent a very occupied Sunday at home. The children did not really settle down for a good 15 min except Leanne when she took her nap for a good 2 hours. By evening, I was near half dead but it felt so good with time well spent. It was the usual routine like every morning, just that we dragged and lazed, took it slower as there is usually no morning activities on Sunday unless pre-planned. The kids had their breakfast and spent their morning wandering in the house. Leanne idolises her brother so much, she practically imitates whatever the big brother does. It was such fun to watch them at a side. Like every other Sunday, I tried to make a little something with Lucas, be it baking, arts and crafts, etc. No difference, today we took the idea from Mister Maker "Frame it",  where Mister Maker makes something 'ever so good' that the viewers will be able to Frame It.  As you can see it is music related. Lucas has started playing piano since beginning of this year...

Last Sunday, we chose to stay at home. Since daddy was not at home, Lucas is still recovering from his fever and Leanne still needs some extra attention to her wound. It can get overwhelmed with 2 kids making so much noises, happy laughter, grouch or whines. And to refrain from too much tv time to keep both of them sane (the adults too), we had to separate them for their own activities or to have activities that both of them can play well together.  So while my helper took Leanne to play, I kept Lucas busy in the kitchen.  We did this frequently, but this time he took charge following my instructions. I prepared all ingredients while he poured whatever I gave to him, and he's supposed to tell me whenever he thinks it's ready for the next ingredient. He was very serious about it indeed. The cake turned out to be a little soggy. Doesn't look undercook, or maybe overbeaten. However, it tasted great. And he gets to enjoyed a teeny bit because we restricted  h...

This space needs a revamp! So that I can update faithfully! Oh really?! Haha.... I haven't baked for the longest time. Supposedly Sunday is good but playing with the 2 kids are weary enough. So, just last Sunday, I decided to have a baking session with big L. Ever since he started his new school, he does not get to have experience cookery lesson weekly like his previous school, so this was a great fun for him. Nutella muffin! Yea, you heard it. He got a chance to hold the mixer while I added the ingredient. And the rascal within came when he stated licking the Nutella jar while I was scooping into the batter.  After all, the simple recipe, Nutella muffin turned out a great hit. Big L and Big D had 2, my mum liked it. Will do it again for kids party for sure!

Tadah! Welcoming to this post with a picture of the cake baked for my father's birthday. The colours turned out really pretty after a simple garrnish. It was one of Jaimie Oliver's recipes . Really rich and creamy. However, the usual crowd still prefer the usual New York Cheescake  recipe I always used. I agreed to that. There is nothing much that I can really share about. The days were usual slack and lethargic, with work still incomplete. :( It was the masseur who lightened my day, rather evening. And that made the journey home on the road chirpy, zipping in the car all alone, singing my lungs out and no one would have known. :D Great hangout session accompanied with cutesy of drizzling art on our kopis, I have tons of them but these are the essential. My messy kit. I am full of raves with the RMK pressed powder, blusher and liquid concealer. Pouring activity is never boring with these sea animals rubber toys, which he took them out from the toilet. ...

Off days activities are becoming dry. I am lacking of motivation this week. It's just more paints and paints play. He was not very interested as well. In the end, he found joy cleaning up the tools. Diligently holding it when I said clean up time. Looking serious but what mummy saw was water play. Found a new play area.. Finding joy in sitting on cardboard. I have not been stepping into the kitchen to bake because I am on a slimming program. I am glad that I was able to discipline my calorie intake every meal. There is not strict diet. All I am doing now is to have more calorie first meal in the day, lesser for lunch and no starch, more greens and fruits for dinner. Dinner has to be early and I try to have it before 6pm. If I happened to be hungry by night, I will take some yogurt, fruits or skimmed milk. Today, I baked for my father's birthday tomorrow. It's Jaimie Oliver baked cheesecake recipe recommended by my cousin. It's chilling now a...

Just want to update a post before the closing of lunar calendar year 2011.  ~ First and foremost, I think if jogging is one that will take a person's mind off for a moment, mine would probably be baking. Not that I always do it and do it well. I only realised it when I was trying to bake these pineapple tarts.  Because it's already a method which I do not like and forgetting I am dealing with more amount of ingredient, the first batch of flour and butter went into the bin. Almost wanted to give up but I woke up like 6am to make them (because I have been dozing off with little Lucas that gives me no time in the night). Thus, patiently, I started working on the second batch. I was not sure how I manage to drag my tired mind and body to start right from scratch again, which is probably because I was not even thinking about it. Thank goodness, I rubbed in the butter into the flour using forks, following the instructions obediently (like finally!). The dough wa...