ayonecan-cook

Thank god the thyme and the Italian parsely I had bought in 2 little packets 5 days ago have not wilted to a day over useless. To quote (with a twist) season 10  Idol judge ST. Finally I got down to making this fantastic looking cheese bread that I spotted at the lovely Sugar and Everything Nice by Jo . It looked incredibly irresistible I had to make it. It was one of the most savoury quick 'breads' I have ever eaten. The pepper, the saltiness, the slightly chewy sun dried tomatoes and the parmesan cheese added soo much flavour. I loved it. So good for breakfast as I am simply not into sweet breakfasts.  I thought the flavour of the spring onions was quite Asian and it instantly reminded me of cucur udang or prawn fritters. Moist pink minced prawns played havoc on my mind. I imagined a shrimped, hot peppery, herb-y, cheesy quick bread. Wow. No? Wow yes. The recipe.......... Very much like a muffin in method and texture. I omitted the olives though because olives are not a sta...

There are bananas and then there are bananas. Anyone who lives in a tropical country will know that there are at least four kinds of bananas commonly sold in fruit shops this side of the globe. And anything in the shape and form of a banana is a banana. So plantain has always been one of the most puzzling words in my vocabulary. Until I googled it and came to know that they were bananas after all.  No? The only difference being that you cook them rather than eat them raw. But they are bananas just as cooking apples are apples....yes? I rest my case. My favourite eating banana is the miniature golden banana or Pisang Emas . It is sweet, it is mini, it is cute and it deserves its name. My least favourite banana is the Rastali. Its skin is spotty, its texture kelat.... a taste impossible to describe in English and I won't even try. It simply doesn't dance on my tastebuds. But there are many who love it. The banana I often buy though is the Pisang Berangan (Dreamy Banana). Beca...

Colours make the world go round. In my world.  Two days before the cake was to be picked up was a period of intense focusing, ups and downs, debating, changing of plans and finally, the night before, a feeling of relieved exhilaration.  I made a brocade design over the fondant covered delicate yet rich velvet butter cake and topped them with  three romantic hues of pink roses. However the colours did come at a cost. There was plenty of gum paste kneading and mixing of food colours until I was satisfied with each hue. But it will always be my favourite part....creating colours. I was so relieved the bride loved it. Although she had requested for a replica of the wedding cake that I had made before I couldn't concede to her request. On the last day I had to make a drastic change of plans because I realized that the cake was too large and the roses not large enough. I had also made the roses all of the same size which meant that I did not have the variation of sizes that I d...

No I haven't vanished. Again. I've been busying myself making sugar paste roses, hydrangeas and leaves for a small wedding cake that I had agreed to make. I have to say I've lost a little bit of the passion I had had once....a few years ago. I wonder why, myself. But I think it has a lot to do with cleaning up after. Sleepless nights. And stress. I guess. So it was very timely that I visited Cake Connection a few days ago to get some supplies. Cake Connection is located at Jaya One and has a beautiful supply of gum paste flowers and cake decorating ingredients and tools. As I was paying for my electric and apple green food colours  I was introduced to A World of Roses sugar paste class. I felt a flutter of excitement. So I enrolled almost immediately. My first sugar paste class ever!  With the class coming up I had a feeling that all I had taught myself was going going going down the drain. I know that I had probably picked up some wrong techniques, some weird habits and ...

I attended accounting classes many years ago. It almost drove me insane. I sat at my chair, back rigid, knuckles white from squeezing my pen and my eyeballs glued to the whiteboard as the lecturer rummaged with numbers and rattled incessantly. Then I blinked. And I lost everything. Each time I crawled out of that class I felt beaten up. My back hurt, my fingers numb, my eyes dry and mostly my mind and spirit beaten to a pulp. That's what accounting and finance did to me. I'll never forget and forgive finance. So financiers .....the name in itself brings me to little hell. I would never dream of making them. Eating them. Smelling them.The word conjures up in my mind thin bespectacled men in severe black suits squishing little cakes with thin lips, legs crossed and a cane in one hand. Ready to beat the pulp out of me. Totally devoid of humour, heart and humaneness. BUT of course one must never runaway with one's imagination. So once I made these Cherry Cupcake 'Financiers...

I'm elated. These cuffins made TOP 9 on Foodbuzz to day 23rd February 2011. Happy Buzzday. Thank you Foodbuzz Foodies! Beat me. Hit me. Flog me. But please don't fog me.  Don't those foggers annoy the nonsense out of you? I appreciate them coming around but they really should give a warning before they do. I am forever leaping and flying from one end of the house to the other. Shutting our doors and windows the moment I smell the sudden pesticide-y hiss from the fogging truck. Just so we won't get ourselves fogged and drop like the mosquitoes. Or inhale pesticides for a pre-dinner high. I digress.  Let me try again. Beat me. Hit me. Flog me. But wait! I made these cuffins. I hope that makes up for lost time and blogging lapse. I've been bad. But when that squishy parcel landed in my arms I knew I wouldn't be bad any longer. Dear Sarah-Jane of Silicone Moulds.com has again inspired me. Again. She designs the most amazing moulds and silicone bakeware . She sent...

You could say I started the new year off with a big slump. Not in a bad way. Just a lazy way. Too many New Years too fast makes me wonder whether I'm coming or going. New Years  seem to be standing around every corner and jumping out at you these days. And before you've had time to be done with the old one you find yourself standing and talking to a new one. And wonder where the old one went. Nevertheless, I made some of Jamie's pizza dough yesterday, rolled them out in discs, half baked them and stacked them in the freezer in plastic bags so that FMs could make their own pizzas when they're hungry. But this morning I made a sweet pizza. A quick apple pie pizza. Apple slices cooked in a skillet with a knob of butter and some brown sugar, topped the pizza discs with them and gave them a quick basking in the oven.  In what has seemed a long time I had a quick, guilt free, crusty apple pie for breakfast. It wasn't bad at all. The recipe ~ Pizza crust reci...