My Baby Necessities (Part 4)

Fun With Baby

Aloha, friends!! It has been another busy week. Our baby just turn 3 months few days ago, so we brought him to his monthly check up at our pediatrician in Kuching Specialist Hospital. He was given his first dose of Rotavirus vaccine and luckily he was being a good boy. He did not cry when the doctor feed him and he even smile at the doctor! LOL...

Rotaviruses are the leading cause of severe diarrhea among infants and young children. The doctor explained that we can choose either the 2dosage vaccine or 3dosage vaccine. We chose the 3dosage (given consecutively for 3 months) as it provides wider coverage against the viruses.

Then, it was our 2nd year wedding anniversary. Hubby and I had a romantic dinner at Hilton Hotel Kuching. It has become the place where we celebrate our wedding anniversaries, birthdays, valentine's day. engagement and so much more.... it is a place we recall our memories and fond thoughts of each other...    =)

Here are our baby's belongings. Our baby sleeps with us in our bedroom. Ayden sleeps on our big bed as well as in his baby cot. 

Ayden's baby cot and his toys. He take naps in his babycot and play inside the cot. He sleeps on our big bed beside me at night for easier feedings. ( I do not have to crawl out from my bed anymore but it will be hard to train him to sleep on his own when he grows older)

His playmat. Highly recommended as he loves rolling and moving around the playmat. It enhance his curiosity and helps  build his motor skills when he tries to touch the toys hanging on top.

He loves this Winnie the Pooh sticker. It might sounds silly to you, but this Pooh Bear  calms him at night when he has difficulties falling asleep. He will babbles his "sorrow" =P to Pooh Bear and slowly fall asleep.

His grandma made this for him. I hang it on higher places so that he can look at the pictures. Fun and educational.

His favorite toys. The caterpillar, moon-moon, seal rattle, lion and puppet.

When Ayden is asleep, I like to record his "first-times" and any special or funny behavior on this Baby's First Year Book. As a new mom, I have concerns and worries so I love reading these kind of books for more information.

Well, these are what we have for our baby. There are so many toys and entertainment in the market which claims to be educational which can cost an arm. But what baby needs most is us to be around them. So go ahead, sing for her, talk to her, play, hug, kiss her!! Your voice are soothing and calming to her!!!

Have Fun~

My Baby Necessities (Part 3)

Baby Clothing

This will be a fun filled blog as I'm going to share some of the basic clothing that I bought for Ayden. When we think of a newborn, automatically our mind will be filled with sweet thoughts on how to dress up the little one. Of course, as seen in the market, baby girl has more interesting and cute designs of clothing, ranging from hair accessories, hair clips, ribbons, dresses, skirts, laces, cute bags and you name it!

For boys, it is a bit boring as the range of clothing are limited to shirts and pants. However, you can spice things up with belts, scarf or even a cute cap. But I personally think that its always safer to wait till baby is at least 6 months before accessorizing them, as belts and scarf can be a bit tight and stuffy on their body.

This picture shows the towel, different sizes of handkerchiefs and cloth napkins used to clean Ayden.

The pictures below are some of the clothing Ayden wear on daily basis.  

Different kinds of rompers for newborn. When buying a good rompers, make sure the neck area are elastic, flexible and wide enough for your baby's head.

Short sleeves are great for day time since Malaysia's weather are hot. Buttons at bottom for easier nappy change.

These are cute for special occasion.

Botties, Mittens, Socks, Shirts and Pants worn on daily basis.

Long Sleeve Shirts and Long Pants for nightwear.

**Have Fun Dressing Up Your Baby ^_^**

My Baby Necessities (Part 2)

FEEDING NECESSITIES

Hello again! 

In Part 2 of My Baby Necessities, I will share information on Ayden feedings needs. I breastfed Ayden exclusively unless hubby and I go out for meals or to run errands. My mother-in-law will babysit him for us and will feed him formula milk.

I tried giving him bottle but he is so smart and cheeky, he will turn his head from the bottle and busily search for my breast. Breast or formula, here are some basic necessities that I use for feedings.

1. Simplisse Manual Breastfeeding Companion: Since mid-pregnancy, I started to hunt around for a gentle and easy-to-use breast pump. There are so many brand and good offers on the market and it took me months to decide whether to buy a manual, battery-operated or electric-operated pump. Manual pump is suitable for mummies like me, who rarely pump out milk for storage. It's because manual pumping can be tiring to your hands and slower. If you are a regular pumper, I would not recommend a manual pump. Simplisse pump is easy to use and gentle on my breast. I do not feel sore after pumping. However, I face a problem with the suction cup. It is too wide thus sometimes the suction will slips off. It comes with a bottle and a bottle stand to store breast milk.
2. MAM feeding bottle: BPA free bottle. I use this bottle when Ayden drinks formula milk. It comes with various color. It has silk teat which is soft and is 'flat' (not round shape). It is anti-colic and design for easy switching between Mum and MAM. The disadvantage of this bottle is the amount of parts that needs to be clean everytime after a feeding. It has 6 parts which needs to be disassemble/assemble, and it will take some time to clean the parts if you are using lots of bottles in a day. Another downside is it starts with 2Oz mark, so you could not measure a 1Oz.
3. Mamex Gold Milk Powder (0-12months): Ayden tried Enfalac A+ and it is too 'heaty' for him and his digestion, so we change to Mamex Gold which has Oligosaccharide mixture which claims to help improve the intestinal immune system of babies. Ayden likes the taste of this milk powder, however he only drinks formula when my mother-in-law babysits him. It only comes in 400g tin and once open could store up to 3 weeks only.
4. Pureen Liquid Cleanser: This cleanser has mint and orange flavor. I bought the orange flavor and loves it. It does clean milk stains easily and has a nice smell. I also use it to soak vegetables and fruits. The price is affordable too.
5. BPA free bottle, Thermos and plastic container is necessary to store bottles and warm/hot water in our bedroom.

There are various brands of sterilizer in the market. We bought Pigeon Rapid Steam Sterilizer as it was on sales that time. It comes with a measurement cup (in pic) and a plastic tongs. It only takes 6 minute to sterilize the bottles. It has 2 compartments  for storing equipments and accessories for sterilizing. It also will automatically switch off if it does not contain enough water inside. This product is a good investment.  We use MAM plastic bristle brush to clean our MAM bottles. 

Well, here are the items I use for Ayden's feedings. You might need extra equipments if you exclusively bottle feed your baby. We are considering to buy a bottle warmer if Ayden drinks from bottle more often. We also had prepared additional teats which are 0mths+ (slow flow) and 2mths+ (2 flow) teats. You might also want to use soother for your baby.

For Mommies who plan to breast feed your baby, "It might be difficult and frustrating at first! Allow yourself and baby time to learn the process of latching. Before you know it, you will feel the Love and Special Bond through breastfeeding"

Happy Feeding!^^

My Baby Necessities (Part 1)

Baby Basics

Hello!! =)

Congratulations to the readers who are pregnant and expecting a baby at home soon.

These upcoming blogs are also useful for friends or family members who are thinking of gifts to buy for your loved ones who are expecting. It is always good to buy gifts that are useful for both mummy and baby. (Trust Me, ALWAYS ask what the expecting mummy needs before buying a gift or else your gift might end up in the store room or worst still up the attic. If you are reluctant to ask, then just buy a 'safe' gift like baby clothing or toys made from safe materials for baby)...

My upcoming blogs will contain information that might be useful for first time moms like myself. But of course, this is a personal preference and everyone has different thoughts on what is needed for their baby. Oh, and another thing, I am living in Malaysia which is hot and humid all year round, so do excuse me for not sharing stuff like keeping your baby warm and similar topics, ok?! =D

Again, I wanted to emphasize that this is just a sharing of what I am using for my baby. I will also write some product reviews on my blogs.

 If you are concern about allergy and safety issues, please refer to your Pediatrician or ObGynae. 

Ok.. enough of my babbling~ Here it goes ^_^

Items My Baby Use After Bath.

1. Fiffy Rubber Mat : I love this cooling mat both suitable for nappy change, cloth change or tummy time. However, there is a rubbery smell which will stick on baby's skin.
2. Pureen Baby Powder : There are debates on safety issues using powder on baby as it could cause suffocation, allergy and worsen asthma condition. If you wanted to use on your baby, do buy those made from "PURE cornstarch" or if you have a higher budget, purchase Baby Powder "Liquid". This baby powder is watery based and in liquid form thus the powder would not fly around and your baby will not sniff into his lung.
3. Sebamed Baby Series Protective Facial Cream : Ayden has dry skin and rashes and this is quite good for his skin. Though it is for face, I apply the cream on both of his thighs and belly area where it tends to get dry and spotty sometimes due to hot weather. The lipid compound and panthenol safeguard against dryness around baby's mouth from saliva. It is also very absorbent and not greasy at all. The downside of this product is it contains fragrance and might cause allergies on baby.
4. Baby Cotton Tips : I bought 2 varieties from Guardian, Protector Baby Tips and Children Cotton Tips. I use both of these to clean the outer part of my baby's ears and nose. However, some doctors do not recommend us to 'dig' the ears or nose as it can be quite dangerous when the baby is moving around.
5. Facial Square Cotton : I like to wet these in lukewarm water and use it to wipe my baby's face after feedings.
6. Chicco Hair Brush (a set of two): Ayden has long spiky hair =) so I bought this brush for him. It is really soft and easy to use on baby's scalp.
7. U - I - Oil, Sesame Oil and Anti-wind Powder : All these items are applied on his navel to prevent "tummy wind" or colic. This method is taught by my mom in law, first apply a bit sesame oil on the navel, then the powder and use the oil to massage baby's tummy area and back for warmth.  

Items Use At Nappy Change

Ayden wears cloth diapers in the daytime and disposable ones at night. Cloth diapers are breathable and is good in preventing nappy rashes and sensitive skin. Disposable ones are easier to use, less messy and more expensive. 

1. Anakku and Pureen Cloth Napkins : I use both brand but I personally prefer Anakku cloth napkins as the material is softer.
2. Plastic Pants : This is use together with the cloth napkin to prevent urine from leaking out and staining your bed or baby cot. It is elastic but do buy a bigger size since baby grows fast.
3. Baby Nappy Liners : This is an insert on the cloth napkin. Urine is absorbed into napkin keeping baby nappy liner dry thus your baby will stay dry and prevent nappy rash. I personally like the thicker type and I think Tenderly and Pureen brand is good and affordable. Some brands also offer organic material.
4. Safety Napkin Clips/ Nappy Fastener : In old days, my mom uses safety pins to fasten our cloth napkins. But due to safety reason, safety pins are not recommended nowadays. I bought both types and I prefer Nappy Fastener. It is easier to use, light in weight and elastic. 
5. Disposable Diapers : Again, these depends on what fits the baby's bottom. I tried a few brands like Drypers, Diapex, Huggies and MamyPoko. I love both Huggies and MamyPoko. Huggies offer a better fitting on my baby's bottom and did not leave a red mark on his thighs. Meanwhile, MamyPoko is slightly wider than Huggies. Both could absorb similar amount of urine.

That's how you use the nappy fastener! It's Easy & Safe~

Items Use At Nappy Change

1. Cotton balls : I like to wet a few of these in warm water and use it when cleaning his delicate area after passing stool. It is cheap and gentle on baby's skin.
2. Huggies Baby Wet Wipes/ Guardian Baby Wipes : Wet Wipes are a must to clean baby's bottom after his poo poo. I prefer non-alcohol, fragrance free baby wipes. Do buy a few travel packs so you can put it in your diaper bags when you go shopping.
3. Drapolene Cream : This is a trustworthy, money worth it nappy cream to help prevent nappy rash. Apply generously on baby's bottom after bath and at nappy change.
4. Bepanthen Ointment : This provides faster recovery if baby's bottom area has nappy rashes or red spots. A small amount will be sufficient since it is quite oily.

Baby bathtub, Pureen non-slip mat, plastic stool, towel and handkerchief.


I use Buds Infant Head to Toe Cleanser and Johnson & Johnson Top To Toe  Wash on alternate days. Both are gentle and non-irritating on baby's skin.

I also bought Pureen Sterilising tablets, Chicco thermometer (with flexible tip and non mercury) and Tommy Tippie Nail Set for my baby.

I only use these sterilising tablets to sterilize containers and storage area for my baby. These tablets has a strong chlorine smell but are easy to use and convenient to bring when traveling.

I like my Chicco thermometer as it has a flexible tip for easier application and it only takes a few seconds for result. It has a reliable measurement of temperature.

I love the Tommy Tippie round edge nail scissor as its easy to use when cutting baby's toenails. The nail clipper is OK but I wouldn't mind one with a magnifying glass on it for easier nail cutting.

Don't forget to have a few of these cute colorful containers or adjustable drawers to store your baby's clothing, neccessities and toys.

Hope you enjoy reading this blog and find the information here useful. Do take a look at my Part 2, coming soon...

** A Child is the greatest joy, the ultimate Blessing!** 

I'm Back!

I was so lazy to begin writing for my blog again but I keep telling myself that I should continue doing this, I shouldn't give up half way.. I should have given myself some "Me-time" since taking care of my lil baby full-time.. So I was thinking to myself and then my brain started to fill with ideas of things I could write.. As everyone has been saying that "Sharing is Caring" rite...

Anyway... My recent life has been all about my boy.. He is 2 months and 2 weeks now.. Which also means that my under-eye-bags are also getting blacker, thicker and wider! Despite the hardships and backaches, I am glad and I am definitely very happy to have my lil' boy with me, to be able to cuddle him, and to witness the moments of him growing up, the never-ending laughters and surprises that he continually gives us.

By the way, I have not introduce my Honey Bear yet.. His name is Ayden..

So, I promise myself that after writing this short update of myself, I will take photos of some interesting things and will upload here and hopefully the upcoming blogs that I'm going to write will contain useful info and is entertaining for my dear readers.

Ooh.. and not forget to mention, that's me in the photo... thats my 26th weeks being pregnant. My belly starts to show visibly and the little navel of mine is protruding... Looking back then, time really flies~

Till my next blog, See you !!

Strawberry Fruit Tart (EASY)

I have stopped baking for quite many months since the "side effects" of pregnancy hits me. I've been getting tired easily and nonetheless I sweat like a Polar bear out of ice cold water. Hot humid weathers or enclosed area seems to give me a headache and blocked nose too~

Anyway, back to the recipe, I bought a can of Strawberry Filling "long long" time ago (which also cost me RM12++ coz its imported from U.K.) so I thought I should make good use of it before its expiry date. I ended up doing mini fruit tarts with the Strawberry fillings.

I used the same Hong Kong Egg Tarts pastry crust recipe that I've shared earlier, so I won't be re-writing it here. I've searched for various types of crusts recipe on the web and I found that this egg tart crust is the easiest, simplest and yet delicious to eat! It is a 99% non failure crust recipe. However, I did alter the ingredients a bit, using more flour (80gm) and an additional 1tsp of beaten egg.

So, after baking the empty crust according to its directions (remember to sting holes on the unbaked crust and put bean weights on the crust while baking to prevent the crust from rising), I let it cooled.

When the crust has cooled, melt some chocolate (dark/milk/white) in a small bowl (i use 5 small squares of cooking chocolate), and using a small pastry brush, brush an even layer of melted chocolate on the insides of the crusts. ( This will prevent the fillings from making the crusts soggy).

Chill till ready to use.

Pour strawberry fillings into the prepared crusts. Spread evenly. You can use any kinds of fruits fillings you like. You can even substitute it with fresh or canned fruits and glazed the top with some gelatine or unflavoured jelly.

Fridge till ready to serve.

Easy Peasy... and you have a mouth-watering sweet desserts to impress. =D

Happy 1st Anniversary with Hubby

No Matter Sadness or Happiness, We Gonna Stay Together Forever (caption by hubby)

Time flies and waits for no one! Hubby and I celebrated our 1st anniversary being a married couple on the 20th September. We had a quick reflection the other day and I'm very happy to say that together, we visited a few interesting places since our marriage till this year.

We visited my hometown in Sandakan last October, then in Kota Kinabalu for Chinese New Year celebration. This year was also our very first year giving "out" red angpows rather than receiving. In April, we went for our sweet sweet honeymoon in Japan and had te most amazing adventure and experiences in life. In June, we witnessed one of my best girlfriend's wedding in Kota Kinabalu and later on head on a Virgo Cruise to Singapore and Pulau Redang in July. It was a surprise gift from my hubby for my birthday.

During Hari Raya Puasa this year, hubby and I chose to go to Genting Highlands to have our "1st wedding anniversary vacation". Despite the crowd in KL Central and Genting Highlands, we enjoyed ourselves to the max in Genting. We also had a really nice dinner at a restaurant named "Vietnam House" found in First World Plaza.

The Hoi An Bridge to Vietnam House

Vietnam House is situated in the middle of the Venice Gondola Ride. With the continuous soft music and dim lighting, I found that this place is indeed quite romantic for a table for two. Nonetheless, it is suitable for family gathering too as it serves a wide variety of Vietnam cuisine. Vietnam House also offers great value for freshly cook meals, being that we are in Genting Highlands where food are usually more expensive than in the city.

This is the entrance to the Vietnam House

The place is well decorated with beautiful and brightly lit silk lanterns and lotus, which is the national flower of Vietnam.

The staff are friendly and services are quick. The menu offers a great variety of Vietnam cuisine and we had to struggle choosing our favorite dishes. We wanted to try so many different dishes but since there's only two of us, we ended up ordering an entree, soup, meat and vegetable. Thumbs Up for all the dishes and its prices are reasonable.

And here's the photo of our dishes. Please excuse my poor Vietnam language. I tried to remember the names and copied them down in my phone later on after I had finished my dinner.

Entree: Seafood Salad Mango & Agar (Goi rau cau, xoai, hai san)

Soup: Sour Prawn Soup (Canh chua tom)

Main: Pork Belly and Egg Braised in Coconut Juice (Thit heo kho trung voi nuac dua)

Vegetable: Grilled Egg Plant with Onion Sauce (Ca tim nuong muo hanh)

I would definitely be going again if I visit Genting Highlands again. Oh, by the way, I ordered my favorite iced sweet basil lemonade for my drinks. What a Full-tastic Night!!

Most of the photos were taken by my hubby, so the credits go to him. I also love how he capture this Merry-Go-Around ride. I loved the colors and the 'motion' he's able to capture!

Paris-Genting at First World Plaza

Morning View from our room at First World Hotel

And finally, a shot of the cable car going up when we are departing from Genting Highlands

Spending time with the one you loved most is what matters most. May Our Love Be Blessed and be Strong always. Happy Anniversary To Us!!~

This is another healthier options for muffin lovers. It is easy to make, adopting the basic method in making muffins, which is to mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. All you need is clean bowls, a spatula or spoon and a kitchen scale.

The muffins are really moist, smell great of walnuts and the insides are fruity with the sultanas. If you don't like walnuts in your muffins, you can substitute it with sunflower seeds. You might also want to substitute sultanas with raisins or any other types of dried berries. It is so versatile yet yummy to bite.

My hubby found that it is still moist and tastes as good the next morning. He enjoyed 3 muffins for his breakfast with a cup of hot milo.

I made 16 muffins instead of the usual 12 cause I had used slightly smaller muffin cups.

I don't usually use expensive muffin cups as its rather a waste of money, but when I went to the bakery ingredients shop the other day, I couldn't resist buying these cute-sy muffin cups. I guess, it is alright to spoil yourself sometimes, right??? =P


Sultanas & Walnuts Muffins

Ingredients
140g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
115g soft light brown sugar ( I use 50g castor sugar + 50g dark brown sugar)
140g porridge oats ( I use Quaker Quick Cook Oat)
100g sultanas
100g crushed walnuts
2 eggs
250 ml skimmed milk
6 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
1) Preheat oven to 200degree C/400degree F/Gas Mark 6. Line 12-hole muffin tin with 12 paper cases. (I wanted a prettier effect so I used muffin cups with designs on it) =)

2) Sift together flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in sugar, oats, sultanas and 60g  of the crushed walnuts.

3) Place the eggs in another large bowl and beat lightly, then beat in milk, oil and vanilla extract.

4) Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten liquid ingredients. Stir gently until just combined; do not overmix.

5) Spoon mixture into paper cases. Sprinkle the remaining crushed walnuts over the tops of the muffins.

6) Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until well risen, golden brown. (My oven takes 17 minutes only)

7) Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then serve warm or transfer t a wire rack to coo completely.

Quad-C (Choc Chips & Cinnamon Cookies)

My hubby bought me a set of baking books that is published by "LOVE FOOD" Parragon Books Ltd. The books are full of beautiful pictures and the recipes are mainly easy to follow. I can't wait to try out the new recipes I found in these books.

The very first recipe that I tried is the Chocolate Chip & Cinnamon Cookies (Quad-C). These are simple to make and is perfect with a cup of herbal tea. The light coating of cinnamon also gives additional flavor to the cookies. 

However, I have a huge problem with the settings of my oven. Again, I have to reduce the temperature and the baking time. The first badge of Quad-C I made brown too fast and the edges are burnt.

So, if you are using a small oven like mine, you might like to adjust the temperature and time accordingly. This cookies also stored well in an air-tight container.

Recipe for Quad-C Cookies

makes about 35 medium sized cookies

Ingredients

- 225g/8 0z butter, softened at room temperature

- 140g/ 5 0z castor sugar

- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

- 2 tsp orange extract

- 280g / 10 oz plain flour

- pinch of salt

- 100gm / 31/2 oz plain chocolate chips (I just use a handful)

Method

1) Preheat oven to 190degree C/ 375F / Gas Mark 5. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper. (I have to reduce the temperature to 170degree C in my oven)

2) Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.

3) Then beat in the egg yolk and orange extract.

4) Sift together flour and salt into the mixture, add chocolate chips and stir until thoroughly combined.

5) To make cinnamon coating, mix the sugar  and cinnamon together in a shallow dish or plate. 

6) Scoop out tablespoons of the cookie dough, roll them into balls, then roll them in the cinnamon mixture to cat. Place them on the baking sheets, spaced well apart. (The cookie will expand when bake)

7) Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15minutes or until golden brown. ( I reduce the baking time to 10 minutes)

8) Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely before storing.

** To make White chocolate & spice Cookies, simply replace the plain chocolate chips with 100gm/ 31/2 oz white chocolate chips and replace the cinnamon with 1 tbsp of ground mixed spice and 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg.

*Photos credited to my lovely hubby, Stanley*

Honeyed Cornflakes Cups

This is a very easy recipe to follow and is even more delicious to eat. It makes a lovely gift for friends and relatives on festive times as it does not cost too much and most important it is a 100% failure proof recipe.

The few things that you need to start making your own "honeyed cornflakes cups" is a big heat-proof bowl (I use a stainless bowl), a medium sauce pan, a teaspoon, a whisk, a rubber spatula, mini paper cups (or you can use regular paper cups), an oven and baking trays.

As I am making the "mini" version of these honeyed cornflakes cups, the most time consuming part is filling the honey coated cornflakes into the mini paper cups. Filling too little and it looks empty, filling in too much and it will spill when baked. Despite the trouble, I had no regrets going mini because it doesn't only look beautifully cute but it is a one-bite temptations.

Okay, enough of mumbling and here's the recipe. I hope you will try it out because it is really easy to make even with kids around.

Recipe for Honeyed Cornflakes Cups
makes 100+ mini cups or about 50 regular cups

Ingredients
- 5 cups cornflakes (lightly crushed with a rolling pin or clean dry hands)
- 120g unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 3 tbsp honey ( I reduce to 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla essence)
- crushed nuts (optional)
- sprinkles ( I use hundreds and thousands)
- adequate amount of baking paper cups












Method
1) In a large saucepan, combine and melt butter, sugar and honey on slow fire. (becareful not to burn the butter and sugar). Stir with a whisk.

2) Turn off flame, immediately add cornflakes and nuts (if using).

3) Stir to coat the cornflakes evenly in the butter sugar mixture. (Sugar mixture will thicken when cool, so you must stir while it is still hot)

4) Place cups and spoon a tablespoon of mixture into cups. (This is the tricky part if you are using mini paper cups, I recommend using a teaspoon)

5) Bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes at 350 degree F or 175 degree C. (I reduce the baking time to 7 minutes in my oven)


6) Remove from oven. Leave on the baking tray for a few minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely before storing.

The Salvation Army (Kuching Branch) Annual Sale Of Work

Yearly on the 31st August, Malaysia celebrates "Hari Merdeka" (Malaysia's Independence Day). No doubt, it is a public holiday in Malaysia.

Every year on this same date, The Salvation Army in Kuching held their Annual Sale of Work Day. In other words, it is a fund raising day which took place in The Salvation Army Kuching Boys' Home. Every year, the public will work together with The Salvation Army Children's Home, Boys' Home as well as the Church and the Community Services to sell tickets, collect fundings and find sponsors for this activity. People from all walks of life come together to lend a hand for this meaningful activity.

The annual Sale of Work event this year saw 110 stalls raising funds for the homes. Last year in 2009, the home manage to raised RM140,000. This year, Major Francis Ng voiced that a special learning centre should be set up in the homes to allow the children to pick up on their studies at their own pace and eventually be at par with the others. (Source from: STARMETRO,Wednesday,1September 2010).

This is because the children admitted to The Salvation Army's care mostly had irregular school attendance beforehand. In some cases, the child never received formal education till the day of admission to The Salvation Army. Thus, many children become the victim of illiteracy.

This year, an idea sparks me. I should open up a stall and try my very best to contribute back to the society. Since I used to work in The Salvation Army Children's Home and now as a volunteer, I was very happy to be able to continue to help in different ways.

My friends and relatives are very supportive for this cause too. They gathered money and even help baked items for the stall to sell. These are some of the photos I had able to snap before all of us were busy selling, shouting and trying our best to attract customers to visit our stall =D

This is our stall number. Lucky 97.. 


The cute banner was a girl's effort from The Children's Home. Isn't that cute?

These are the food items for sale.

As you can see, there are home-baked choc chip banana muffins, home made cookies, peppermint herbal teahome made Konyaku fruit flavored jellies in cups, and  home made fruit flavored puddings.

A close-up picture of the home made mini hot dog buns and cream buns.

Here's another picture of the home-made Hawaiian pizzas. The rest of the buns and cakes are donated by The Southern bakery shop (which is located at 2 1/2 mile in Kuching, next to Alliance Bank and Maybank).










And these are the Team, the spirits behind our stall's success. Without good teamwork, we would not be able to raise a total amount of RM1471. Thanks buddies!!

Most of our items were sold within 4 hours. The last half and hour, we sold the remaining buns for RM1. We also gave some to the children. All gone and Nothing is Wasted!!!! 

GREAT WORK!!

Melting Moments

Oh My! Oh My! Oh My!! It has been quite a while since I last wrote on my blog. Been busy baking for a charity sales that will be held on 31st August, this coming Tuesday. Well, my friends and I had decided to open up a stall selling a variety of bakery items. I called up to several friends and kind people asking for donations of all sorts. And guess what, there are still Unconditional Love in this world =) Love does exist after all ! ~_~

Just few days after my first attempt of cold calls and cold emails, I got good news. A friend of mine are baking hot dog buns and cream buns for us to sell. A bakery shop are going to donate all freshly baked items that are still on the shelves at the end of Monday evening, 30th August. Relatives donate monies, shops gave special discounted prices for ingredients and containers. A cousin are baking his delicious home made pizzas for sell. There are all kinds of help that we happily received. Words of encouragements are showered onto us =)

Now, let's review what we had gathered at last. I love to call it "Project 318". All in all, we had successfully gathered 4 pizzas (32slices),  20 bags of mini hot dog buns, 30 cream buns, 96 banana muffins, around 50 packets of pudding and Konyaku Jellies, 19 containers of Melting Moments, 16 containers of Kellogg's Honeyed Cornflakes cup, Cordial Drinks and more buns, cakes and muffins from the bakery shop.

I choose to bake Melting Moments for this fund raising as it is fairly easy to prepare and require simple ingredients. The main problem I faced is the timing it takes to bake in my oven. The original recipe from Happy Home Baking and Joy Of Baking web asks for 12 minutes, but it burnt in my little oven, so I have to reduce it to 8-10 minutes for the perfect Melting Moments.

If you are a Malaysian, Melting Moments' texture is similar to Kuih Momo, but this is more buttery and the sweetness depends largely from the dusting of icing sugar on the top.

Ok, enough of my mumbling (= Let me share with you the recipe I had taken from both website. I followed the recipe to the tip but I substituted unsalted butter and the baking time.

Oh, and another lovely thing about these Melting Moments is that it stored well for up to 2 weeks. I'm going to bake it again for the upcoming festive seasons! It's definitely the PERFECT giveaways for family and friends =)

Recipe for Melting Moments
 Ingredients:
A 
( Put the ingredient in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, cream the ingredients till pale and fluffy. Then, add vanilla essence and beat for another few seconds.)
- 175g unsalted butter, room temperature (I use salted Golden Churn butter)
- 40g icing sugar
-1/2 tsp vanilla essence

B  
(Sift flour together into a dry and clean bowl. Set aside.)
-175g plain flour
-40g corn flour

-extra icing sugar for dusting

Method:
1) Sift B over the butter mixture. ( I found that by double sifting, the dough appear smoother)
2) Gently mix the flour and butter mixture with a silicon spatula. (This prevents the flour from flying when being mix later)
3) With a hand mixer, mix the flour and butter mixture till smooth.
4) Scrap down all the dough from the mixer and sides of the bowl.
5) Cover with a cling wrap and fridge the dough till firm. (about 1 hr)
6) Preheat oven at 180degree C for 10minutes.
7) With a teaspoon, spoon mixture into a ball. ( For fancy melting moments, you can pipe it into shapes).
8) Line baking tray with parchment paper.
9) Space each ball well apart so it does not stick when bake.
10) Bake for 12 minutes or until pale golden color. (My oven takes 8 minutes)
11) Leave the baked melting moments on tray for a few minutes to firm up before transforming to wire rack to cool.
12) When cooled, sprinkle icing sugar on top. ( I use a small sifter).
* Store in airtight containers and can be kept for 2 weeks. Melting moments are fragile, so please handle them gently.*