Baking Weekend

This weekend paksa Syirah belajar masak laksa, her first attempt with Mama's guidance. Abah, the laksa connoisseur kata sedap. Next time Mama can just holler....Syirah...buat laksa! Mama can goyang kaki tengok TV. Gambar laksa tak sempat nak post here sebab sedap sangat Syirah masak, habis licin.

Meantime, I also tried 2 new recipes. The recipe for Congo Bars is from Kitchen Guardian's blog (thanks KG!). I don't know her personally, merely through her blog. Her recipes are tried, tested and absolutely yummy. I've been making her version of Devil Chocolate Cake too. Anyway, back to them Congo bars, they're so very sedap. Imagine Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice-cream in a baked version and a cross between brownies and choc chip cookies. I bet my darling Jaja will love this as she likes soft choc chip cookies. Will definitely make loads of this the next time she's here.

Imagine eating this warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream......mana la love handles tu nak menghilangkan diri!

Congo Bars (with many thanks to Yani of kitchenguardian.blogspot.com)

2 3/4 cup plain flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter
8 oz (1 1/2 cup) light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup pecans (optional)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
Stir brown sugar into softened butter (room temp) in another large bowl until butter dissapears.
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well.
Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Bake in a 13/9 inch pan at 170C for about 30 minutes until top is golden brown.
Make sure you don't overbake.

RED VELVET BEETROOT CAKE

I have been wanting to bake Red Velvet cake for a long time. This recipe from allrecipes.co.uk was given to me by my SIL (thanks Ani!). This original version using beet root as part of the ingredients is also a keeper. The outcome is a very moist, flavourful cake with wonderful reddish brownish colour.

Ingredients :
2 tsp lemon juice
135 gm beetroot, boiled and grated (I used bottled ones)
310 gm plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp bicarbonate soda
400 gm caster sugar
50 gm unsweetened cocoa powder
285 gm unsalted butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
2 tbs honey
125 ml milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
(I added a tsp of red colouring for the extra colour)

Icing :
3 tbs cream
75 gm cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
450 gm icing sugar

Method :

1.Grease one 23x33 cm or similar sized baking dish. Preheat oven to 180 C/ Gas 4. Sprinkle lemon juice over beetroot, set aside.

2.Combine flour, 1 tsp salt, bicarbonate soda, caster sugar, cocoa, melted butter, eggs, honey, milk, 2 tsp vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir in beetroot.

3.Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed of mixer. pour into prepared dish.

4.Bake at 180C/ Gas 4 for about 40 minutes. Cool and frost.

To make frosting, combine cream and cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla and pinch of salt. Add icing sugar, beat until fluffy. Spread on cake. Add nuts if desired.

Walking down a lane called Memory

This was our unit at the students' apartments

The best fish & chips at the Quayside Sunday Market, tambah2x it's been ages since I had the authentic English ones complete with soggy chips and mushy peas...this definitely adds to my existing love-handles and muffin tops!

Tak tentu hala dibuatnya tengok second-hand English novels going at 3 for 5 pounds at the Quayside Sunday Market. Managed to hangkut 6 of them thick ones. Wished I could buy more than that tapi takut overweight bag, dah la naik Ryan Air. Dekat Hannover susah nak dapat English story books.

Hakeem rubbing salt into Angah's wound.

Since we put up a night at Premier Inn Manchester Trafford Centre which is very near to Old Trafford, singgah sekejap just to snap some pictures. We didn't go for the stadium tour sebab dah pernah masuk dulu2x. Hakeem sajer nak bagi Angah jealous coz Angah yang teringin sangat nak pergi.

We had this as dessert at the ice-cream shop Moonlight opposite the beriani place. This one is called faluda... vanilla ice-cream topped with rose syrup and pink cendol. A bit too rich for my liking but since it came highly recommended we had a go at it, share 3 orang. The various ice-cream flavours are good though, Hakeem loved his mint-choc chip flavour until he saw the bubble gum ones.

This truly is the best nasi beriani ever, way...way lagi sedap dari those served at the restaurants in Malaysia. The rice is so flavourful that makan sajer pun sedap. Having it with close friends like Hj Khairy and Rose and their family makes it more memorable. Restaurant dia Al Jazeera di Manchester kecik jer and very unassuming.

Abah habis hati catching up with his Surau and golf buddy Hj Khairy dari Subang Jaya and Mama with his wife, Hjh Rose.

Prices for seconds at these 2 factory outlet stores (Wedgewood/ Portmeirion) are amazingly cheap. If you have an eye for mixing and matching discontinued items/ slightly imperfect items you'll get a full tea/ dinner set at a steal. A Wedgewood soup tureen by Vera Wang that cost 150 pounds are priced at only 18 pounds but then you have to look for other pieces from a different design to complete the set. Rose and her daughter Hani memang pandai look for bargains and artfully mix-and-matched them.