Little Mermaid Cake

I am still a novice when it comes to cake decorating.  However, when a friend of mine came and asked me to do a birthday cake for her daughter, I gladly said yes! Furthermore, she is a darling and I don't want to break her heart as she came with her Mom to ask me. My friend told me that something simple will do as its so last minute. Her daugther wanted Little Mermaid...as she said "Just Ariel will do" but  must have my name on it, Aunty! And that's what I did..."just Ariel" and her name...ha!ha!  I didn't had much time as they only gave me 2 days warning (as I call it)...ha!ha!

The cake which I made is from my Grandma's recipe - Fruit Cake. I covered it with a layer of buttercream and then wrapped it with fondant. Ariel is from gumpaste and the rest is piped with buttercream. I was worried that her daughter will not like it but when I got a call from my friend telling me that everyone was asking for my contact and how happy her daughter was (MMS-ed me a photo of her daughter and the cake)...I could breathe again...:)

Here's a photo which I took before my buddy came and took the cake for the birthday party.

That's all for this post...nothing much to add! Just so glad that I didn't ruin a girl's birthday!

Till next time....happy baking!!!

White Bread Loaf

My 2 precious were asking me if they could have some white bread and there was only 1 piece left. Hence, I decided to bake another 2 loaves of bread. My Prince has begun to request for egg sandwiches, chicken nugget sandwiches (made from home, not deep fried, baked), etc. However, he did say that he wants the bread to be as soft as those commercial ones. For me, I am trying my best not to let them eat too much chemicals add-ons (preservatives).

I have been trying quite a number of recipes...somehow, when I give it to my kids, they will immediately know its not from Breadtop. This is my quest...to make homemade bread and its similar to the commercial ones and my kids will not be able to tell the difference immediately. Gosh...this is just so hard for me.

Made another 2 recipes for white loaf bread...
It was OK for the 1st two days (very soft, just like the commercial ones)...but on the 3rd day.......... :(

Onwards...my quest for the homemade bread which is like the commercial bread continues....
Till next time...happy baking!!!

Bak Kut Teh, Pig's Trotter in Sweetened Vinegar and Salted Vegetable

I remember those nights when DH and I went out and ate bak kut teh, chee keok chou, salted vegetables and yau char kway when we went back to our homeland.  These BKT stalls open till wee hours and as we were in a way "tourists"...we can neglect our sleeping time and makan all the way. When we got home, we missed those times as 99% of the shops close after 11pm.  Now and then, we will make our own version of bak kut teh  and chee keok chou. However, we never made 2 of the dishes together.

This week, we were talking about it and was thinking of whipping up these 2 dishes together...trying to re-capture those memories of the good old days. We made both...Chee Keok Chou and Bak Kut Teh.  Here's the 2 photos which I managed to take before a group of us (including our peng yu) ate it all up...ha!ha!

We also made steamed veggies with oyster sauce to go with our rice...must have our veggies!!!

Till our next food adventure....ta-daa!!!