KakNgah's Short Update On What's Happening

   I am most definitely sorry for the lack of updates. It's the month of Ramadhan, and what I've been doing mostly for the past three weeks was to visit other blogs, leave some comments, and that's all. Here's what I've been doing for the last few weeks:

1. Started going for driving lessons
    I just got my L and my first real lesson is on Wednesday. My teacher wanted to start on Sunday, but since I had to come to KL (yep, still here, going back tomorrow) I asked for it to be postponed. I can't wait.

2. Been busy baking... and baking... and baking...
    I've always loved baking, but have never really been that good at it. Ingredients are always expensive too, so...When I came back from Melaka, I started with one recipe, then followed it with another, and another... and I loved it so much I decided to start a new project, which I won't talk about just yet because I'm not ready. Maybe sometime in the future. Here are some of the things I made (picture quality's not very good, sorry. I only had a phone camera to take photos with):

Classic Victoria Sponge

Banana Brownies

Peanut butter Brownies

Butterbeer blondies

Chocolate Chip Whoopsie (Whoopie) Pies

Congo Bars a.k.a. Chocolate Chip Blondies

Batik Cake

Lemon Chiffon Pie

3. Been enjoying Ramadhan
    I do not if  I have been more productive during this beautiful month compared to the last. I hope I have. May Allah guide me.

4. Went to IIUM
    I'm in KL at the moment (going back tomorrow). I'm crashing at KakYing's place. Today I went to visit IIUM (or UIA as some people know them), but I didn't have a lot of time to visit all my favourite spots. Besides without the students the place seemed a little empty. But peaceful, really peaceful. I wish I had had more time to spend there, but I managed to snap a few pics with the camera I borrowed from KakYong, hehe... wish I had had time to take more though.

They're building some new buildings at the Putra/Gombak LRT Station.
Probably for parking.

The new student mall or something, situated in front of Kyros.
Booths for students interested in generating some extra income

Corridor leading to lecturers' offices.
Familiar stepping ground for me hehe.

The ever faithful elevator at INSTED.

The new Azman Hashim complex.
All the banks operate in this building now- Bank Islam, Ambank and Bank Muamalat.

They also have signboards put up everywhere now! Most convenient.

The beautiful IIUM mosque... majestic looking and of course my photo does no cre
dit to it

5. Planning on buying a car
    Though it'll be some time until I get my license, I'm already planning to buy a car since Insya-Allah if all goes well I'll start working soon. I've fallen in love with the new Myvi, hehe, and it also helps that they have one in purple! Now that I've started becoming interested in cars, I can't help visiting this site again and again... haha.

My dream car, hehe

   That's all for now. Happy Ramadhan!

Chocolate Fudge Pie

   I do feel rather guilty actually. I intended my entries to be more on information and reviews on Islamic matters, but what I've done most so far is write all my dark and gloomy thoughts on life as well as about food. I actually have several entries on my baking adventures pending their posting, but I've held back because it seems rather frivolous to think and write about food all the time!

   But when you're wolfing down vanilla ice-cream topped with home-made chocolate sauce at the unearthly hour of 12.00 am, you don't stop to think much. I'm afraid I don't have any fat to worry about any fat building up by eating in the middle of the night, and if I get indigestion I'll just bear with it when I do.

Vanilla ice-cream + homemade chocolate sauce @ 12 a.m.

   

   After finishing two cups of irresistibly delicious vanilla ice-cream, I decided to share this lovely recipe for chocolate fudge pie!!! Oh it isn't mine of course, but it's lovely so there you are! It also happens to be one of the easiest thing to make in the whole world wide world, which is perhaps exaggerating a bit but oh well.

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Ingredients:

(Can I add it's so easy that I remember the ingredients without having to look at them again?)

2 cups sugar

1/cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 all-purpose flour

1 cup butter (I used margerine. Worked out okay.)

4 eggs (beat 'em in a bowl first using a fork)

How to do it:

(Can I say it's so simple you can practically do it with your eyes shut? Well, maybe that is going a little too far)

1. Whisk sugar, cocoa powder and flour in a bowl

2. Melt butter (or margarine) in a saucepan over medium heat. 

3. Cool butter a little, then pour into dry ingredients (or the other way round. Doesn't matter [I think] as long as they're mixed. Hah!) 

4. Beat in eggs. Beat using a whisk or whatever comes in handy (not your hand!!!) until well mixed. 

5. Pour into 10-inch pie pan (I used a 9-inch tart pan) and bake at 170 C until a crust forms on top.

(Or you could stick a cake tester or toothpick into it, and when it comes out clean and dry, it's done!!!)

[You can get the original recipe and instructions here]

   What did I tell you? Easy as a pie. Oh, I forgot. It is a pie! Well, sort of anyway. It's actually a fudgy kind of brownie, stickier. And very, very sweet. Too sweet, actually for me, though Dad loves it of course. He's got a sweet tooth. Mum though, says I should halve the sugar next time. I think I will, or at least only use 1 and 1/2 cups instead of 2.

   I would advice using granulated sugar or castor sugar because you're just mixing everything by hand. Otherwise you can taste the sugar in the pie while eating it (at least I did). And yes, one of the lovely things about this dessert is you only need one measuring cup, one bowl, a hand whisk and a saucepan. Cleaning up was a breeze, as of of the reviews said!

   The centre of the pie will puff up a bit even though there's no baking powder used, but it'll sink back down once you take it out. At least mine did.

My Chocolate Fudgy Fudge Pie. Hah!

   Hold on! We're not done. You have to make the chocolate sauce that goes with it! Actually, I came across this recipe when I searched for a chocolate sauce recipe that did not use chocolate bars. We've run out of those, but we have plenty of cocoa powder. Too much of it, actually, I've used quite a number of recipes using cocoa powder and the one packet we have hasn't run out just yet!

   Anyway, I found a nice and simple recipe for the sauce on www.food.com which is a pretty cool site where home-makers share recipes with each other. This particular sauce got pretty good reviews from the people who've tried them, and one recommended making them to be eaten with the fudge pie above. I was delighted out of my wits when I saw the recipe. Just 5 ingredients! And all easy-to-be-found ones too! The chocolate sauce looked pretty simple too.

   Okay, I'll stop and give you the recipe:

Dark Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 pinch salt

How-to-dos:

1. Whisk and combine cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a deep pan or pot.

2. Gradually pour in water and stir until well combined.

3. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for three minutes while stirring continuously; reduce heat if mixture looks like it wants to jump out of the pot.

4. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

5. Strain through a fine strainer into an airtight container. Keep in fridge and use when needed (how practical that sounds!)

[You can get the original recipe and instructions here]

   Easy!!! Make sure you use a pot that contain three times as much as the whole ingredients after they've been mixed before you cook them. I used a pot that could carry only twice the amount, and when the sauce started boiling I nearly lost half of it because so much had boiled over! It was a mess, and one that I had to clean up or little critters would be all over it in the next hour. But it was worth it! I'd never made chocolate sauce before (or at least as far as I remember) and this one was really good- not too sweet, and the consistency just fine! Not too thick or too watery. You can keep it in the fridge for quite some time. We still have a lot left since we didn't too much of it.

My Version of Dark Chocolate Sauce

   And here's how you eat 'em!

Well, okay, this was taken from the original recipe. Not mine.

This is mine. Not bad, huh? Haha.

   Delicious! 

   I think I'll go and have another helping of ice-cream. They say vanilla ice-cream is excellent for toothache. I don't know how true that is, but I say excellent!  It goes so well with the chocolate sauce and the fudgy fudge pie. And just as excellent with just the sauce.

   Happy trying!

Writing Words Worth Reading...

   There are usually two sides to everything. To a piece of paper. To an empty plate. To a person.

   Sometimes there are more than just two.

   You may choose to look at only one side. You may choose to look at all. Or you may choose to simply walk away. If you stay, I thank you.

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   [Warning: This entry, once again, contains a lot of words. Even more than the last. Only read if you like reading. And you may comment if you find that my words were worth your effort in reading and my effort in writing them. Use as many words as you like. I do not mind. Thank you.]

   KakNgah here.

   It's been a few days since I last posted anything. Hmmm... am I getting tired of it? Definitely not. I'm probably just too busy dreaming or doing other things to actually sit down and write something worth writing.

   That's it. Writing something worth to be written. My dilemma these few days. Perhaps I should explain.

   I've spent quite a lot of time visiting blogs here and there. Some of the ones I found were such gems- entries written so beautifully that you can feel how earnest the writer was when she/he wrote it. Some were very beneficial- perhaps a little stiff but full of information nevertheless. Some were full of humour, both good and bad. I found myself tickled silly at the clever little ways that some people have in writing. I could probably not do that very well. Some blogs were full of life. Hardships, problems and dilemmas- not to forget rejoicing, happiness and warmth.

   Those were the good ones. The ones I could learn from. The ones who made me feel that it's worthwhile going blogwalking just to come across such delicious pieces of writing.

   I've had my share of coming across the bad ones. People who are good writers, but who forget that words (as I have once written somewhere), are powerful, non-living beings that affect anyone who encounters them in the most surprising ways. We forget, that these black, lifeless things on white backgrounds (you may think of other colours, for I am speaking quite generally) can come to life and either touch the hearts of the people they meet, or twiSt them. It is quite true, for this is what I have experienced.

   It saddens me to see how some people can be so shallow-minded when they write. I am no judge, perhaps, but I do read a lot, and one can differentiate quite easily between people who write because it means a lot to them, and those who only seek to poison other people's minds. Oh, I am not talking about those who rage and run amok in their little online worlds, spouting fire and vengeance- ranting at the world in general. I understand. I get angry too. And for some, writing helps throw off the steam. I get it. Though I do advice a little caution. Be angry, but know your limits.

   What I am referring to is actually those who look at life as if it is a mere playground. A place to have fun and forget all their troubles in the world. Forget those aims and goals. What is the purpose of life anyway? Everyone will surely die in the end, and who knows what will come after? Oh, if only these words (or the essence of it) came from non-believers, I would perhaps not feel as bitter!

   Yet these are people who claim to be believers. They claim to be Muslims, to be more precise. Yet they exhibit words and not to forget pictures, that leave people who read their entries wondering, are these people really who they claim to be? "I am a Muslim woman , they say." "Oh people who say bad things about Islam anger me!" "How can others NOT believe that Islam is the true din?"

   Look at yourselves, ladies. Look at yourselves gentlemen. Do you carry yourselves as Muslims should? Do your photos portray how Muslims are like? You claim to wear the tudung, but you wear them with your nighties. Is it a wonder that other people look at Muslims the way they do nowadays?

   I am not perfect either. How can anyone possible be?

   I have made a lot of mistakes myself. Been drowned in a dream world, knowing that nothing there is real but letting myself drown anyway. I know. I know what it feels like to be carried away by worldly temptations. And I still face these challenges. It has been an uphill battle.

   Look at me. I started off meaning to write about something else, but here I am, ranting on and on nothing in general. Nothing? Oh I do not know, perhaps those who read this can judge.

   What I meant to say from the very beginning is, I want to write words worth reading. I want to write words that can capture and captivate people's hearts. I want to write words that can move people to want to be good and do good things. I want to write words that can help people remember Islam. I want a lot, don't I? Perhaps too much, even.

   Perhaps that is why I have been holding off posting new entries. There are so many things on my mind, so many things that I want to write about that it makes me feel dizzy. Yet, at the same time, it makes me afraid. I do not want to merely write, just for the sake of posting something. But I am afraid that if I stop writing, I may never take up the pen again (or in this context, touch the keyboards again).

   I know that I should not let fear take hold of me.

   Oh, what is the matter with me? Perhaps the thought of having to leave home is making me frantic and stopping me from writing sensibly. It is only six days more that I have until I leave. It is only a few weeks more until I enter that new 'adult' world. Being looked up to be children, if they look up to me at all. Being the centre of attention in front of a large group (though perhaps not so large in my case). Being assessed and tested. Being with other people again...

   ...

   .............

   .......................
 
   .......................................

   ...........................................................................

_______________________________________________

   There are usually two sides to everything. To a person.

   Sometimes even more.

   This is the bright and cheerful side. I guess.

   Hallo. Did you just come from that gloomy world up there? Oh well. Just your luck, I guess. Really do not know what's the matter with her. Let her be.

   Let's read about me, shall we? I've actually a few entries which are patiently bidding their time to be released into the online world. However, I have not quite finished writing in each one, so perhaps these few pictures can  you occupied for now:

You're laughing as you look at these. Stop.

You're laughing again. Please don't.

Ah, that's more like it.

My crowning glory!

   As you can see, they're all about my baking adventure, which is probably why that gloomy girl up there has been doubtful about posting. She wishes this blog to be well-balanced between Islamic materials, baking adventures and life experiences. Perhaps she's right. Personally, I think she just thinks too much... uses up her time thinking rather than writing. Well, she'll come around and hopefully these pending entries (and other ones) will make their appearance.

_______________________________________________

   Just though I'd clear up some things. Of course, it's rather doubtful that anyone even came down this far to read this, but I'm writing anyway.

   I know that The World We Live In does not have that many readers. It's quite doubtful that we have any silent readers even (and I am not quite to dream about that. Too much dreaming can be quite harmful). And as you can see, it has only been KakNgah during these last few weeks (a statement which I have been repeating over and over again). I wish KakYong and KakCik were here. It gets pretty lonely. 

   However, no need to brood over that. I'm sure they'll come soon.

  What I wanted to say was that although we do not have many followers, we (as of now, 'we' probably refers to KakNgah), we appreciate every single one who are. In fact, KakNgah has come to regard them as friends. I do not know how often they visit here, but I certainly visit their little worlds often. 

   Sometimes I leave comments. In fact, I'd like to comment on every entry they put up, because I love it when people comment on my entries, but perhaps that feeling does not reply to everyone. So I try to restrain myself from making too much comments. Just read, KakNgah. Just read. Only comment when you have anything worthy of writing.

   Apart from following our followers, I also follow other blogs. Quite a number, in fact. Two or three I follow because they belong to people I know, but others I do because I like them. I mostly do so silently. It does not matter that these people do not know that I exist. I read their entries because I like them. I leave comments because I feel their entries worth commenting, not because I want them to click on my name and see who I am. No. That is the truth. If anyone does come and visit this little world of ours, then alhamdulillah. Thank you. If you take the liberty of following our stories, whether officially or silently, I thank you. Thank you.

   I refrain rather, from following blogs belonging to male bloggers. Perhaps there are one or two, but that's about it. Call it ego, I do not know. There are some very good male bloggers out there, but I only visit silently. Sorry guys. You've already got hundred of followers anyway, so what difference would our following you make? Perhaps this will change later. Who knows?

   I have also not listed any favourite blogs. As I have said in that little note at the top of the page, I don't own the right to do so. I'm sorry if this is wrong in the blogging world. I truly do not know. But perhaps I can make a list titled 'Blogs KakNgah likes.' Maybe!

   Thank you, by the way, to http://reminderformenyou.blogspot.com for listing our blog under your 'teman's or friends. Perhaps you do it for everyone, but this little gesture means a lot to me! Thank you!

   Thank you. Alhamdulillah. That is all I can offer.

_______________________________________________

   I wonder. Should I turn this into three entries rather than just one? It is dreadfully long.

   Oh well.

   Allah knows best. Wallahua'lam.

Double Chocolate Brownies

   Salam.


   Hello! Notice the new look? It took me a whole day to do this, and a lot of it spent on surfing on the internet looking for templates, how-to-dos and whatnot. Pheww!! Anyway, I don't suppose it looks as great as other people's blogs, but I guess it's ok. Besides, I stumbled on a blog that had EXACTLY the same template as ours here, so that had to go! Well, of course it's not wrong to look the same, but if you can afford to look different, why not?


   I definitely like this look better than the last one.


   Well, I was supposed to post an entry on Baking Blues a few days ago, but I forgot, so here it is. I actually made two attempts at baking something after the blondies (which I absolutely love and am definitely going to make again when I have the chance), but I'll write only about one now.


   I made a sister to blondies- brownies!


   How many kinds of brownies do you know?


   I know three. YEs, the italics were necessary.


   First, I know of the edible brownies. I'll talk about that first since that's my original intent. I used another from Martha Stewart Cookies recipe book, and it was really good. Well, I did overbake again (the oven gets really hot so easily!), but they turned out well nevertheless. If you really like chocolate, then try making this. I suppose the name is 'Double' Chocolate Brownies.


   Here's what Martha's look like:

Lovely! (Source)

   And here's, ahem, how mine look like. Excuse the picture quality- the lighting was rather bad... so you probably can't see how good they look all that well. haha....

Lovely too! Haha

   Well, they DO taste nice. Especially if you really, really like chocolaty stuff. They cooked a little too quickly, and the edges got cooked too quickly too, which was why I had the burnt edges, I guess. But I cut them off... honestly you could would have broken your teeth off if you did. What? No, I did not take any picture.


   If you notice, they have a sort of shiny coating at the top, which I had not expected to see at first, but I think they're supposed to have them. Anyway, this got good reviews from my family, haha. Alhamdulillah, I should say. The brownies are really chewy. And chocolaty. Did I mention that already?


   Anyway, you can get the recipe by clicking on 'Source' under the picture of Martha's brownies (not under mine. Joke.). Or you might just as well click here. However, there's a slight variation between the online recipe and the one in the book, so I've put the book one here:

____________________________________________________________

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Ingredients:

6 tbsp unsalted butter + some more for pan

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp coarse salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (which is 176.67 Celcius according to Google). Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang. Butter lining except overhang.

 2. Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate have melted. Let cool slightly.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. 

Put sugar, eggs and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale (about 4 minutes). 

Add chocolate mixture; mix until combined.

Reduce to low speed and add in flour; scrapping sides of bowl until well combined.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid centre and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet (about 35 minutes.

Lift out; let cool slightly on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Storage:

Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

_____________________________________________________________

   I tried as much as I could to follow the recipe to the letter, but of course I couldn't. First of all, my chocolate wasn't exactly 6 ounces- I only had a small slab of chocolate on hand, so I just the whole lot in. It was probably short of a few ounces, but it didn't really affect the taste.

   The method for mixing the ingredients for both the online and the book recipe is more or less the same, but the amount of ingredients differ a bit. I've listed them below; the ones in blue are the online amounts, while the ones in pink are the book amounts:

1 cup (8 tbsp) = BUTTER = 6 tbsp 

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp = ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR = 3/4 cup

none =  BAKING POWDER = 1/4 tsp

1/2 tsp = SALT = 1/4 tsp

3 = EGGS = 2

none = VANILLA EXTRACT = 2 tsp

   I don't know how the results would be different, but I guess I'll try the online recipe next time to see. But the book recipe is quite good; just be sure to watch over your brownies as they bake, or at least take a peep now and then to make sure they don't burn. You may want to reduce the baking time and temperature, depending on your oven.

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COCOA POWDER

I also looked up what Dutch-process cocoa powder are, and how they are different from not-Dutch processed ones. Personally I just chuck in whatever is available, and I don't know it makes a difference, but maybe it does. As far as I know, what I've been using is Dutch-processed powder. I'm too lazy to write about it here, but you can read about it here. You can also Google it on the internet, it's quite interesting.

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   Well, this is a pretty long entry. I still have to tell you about the three different brownies. Here we go.

BROWNIES 1 :

(edible ones, yum2)

Brownies (Food)

"A chocolate brownie is a flat, baked square or bar introduced in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century and popularized in both the U.S. and Canada during the first half of the twentieth century." (Read more about them here.)

BROWNIES 2 :

(human. and nope, not edible. No way.)

Brownies (Girl Scouts)

"A Brownie is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations for girls from their seventh birthday to their tenth birthday. Exact age limits are slightly different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Cub Scouts. (Read more about them here.)"

BROWNIES 3:

(not human, and certainly not edible since they don;t even exist...?)

Brownies (folklore)

"A brownie/brounie or urisk (Lowland Scots) or brùnaidh, ùruisg, or gruagach (Scottish Gaelic) is a legendary creature popular in folklorearound Scotland and England (especially the north, though more commonly hobs have this role). It is the Scottish and Northern English counterpart of the Scandinavian tomte, the Slavic domovoi and the German Heinzelmännchen." (Read more about them here.)

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   I hope this was a good post, albeit a very, very long one and certainly quite tiring to make! I plan to make something tomorrow... so pray for another entry on Baking Blues!


    Wallah'alam.

Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies

   Bismillah.

   Another entry for Baking Blues.

   This time I made an attempt at making blondies, using a recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cookies recipe book which my brothers borrowed from the library. I (and they) probably spent hours and hours poring over the book and licking our lips. They (the cookies, not my brothers) look simply delicious!

   The thing is, I haven’t exactly been baking a lot recently. My first attempt during these holidays was an apple pie.

   …………………………………..

   I think there’s no need to say anymore.

   But after my success with the egg tarts (if you can call it a success, that is) some of my courage came back and I thought, maybe I should buck up and try out other recipes. So that’s what I’m trying to do.

   Starting with blondies. Of all things.

   I actually came across some recipes for blondies a while back. I wondered what they were since I'd never heard of them before. After a while, I decided that they were probably a ‘blond’ version of brownies. As my friend Tasha put it, they’re actually brownies, only without chocolate.

   The problem is, I’d never even made brownies before, although I’d always hankered after it.

   Nevertheless, I put these things out of my mind and went at it. There happened to be a packet of cream cheese in the fridge. It'd been sitting there since the last Eid. My youngest brother had been egging me to make a cheesecake, but I decided to use it for the blondies instead.

   Anyway,like I said, I took the recipe from a book, but you can to this link and get it there. I love looking through Martha's recipes, my tummy just rumbles everytime I do it.

   Oh, and of course I didn't forget photos. How could I forget photos?

   But first I'll list down my blunders, just to please myself. Therefore you'll know why my blondies looks like this:

   and not like this:

Martha's blondies (Source)

   The things is, before this I always- or sometimes- or most of the time, just chuck in the ingredients without really measuring properly. Oh of course, I do make the measurements, but I don't do it the correct way, like say, spreading flour using a knife or spatula across the top of the measuring cup to ensure correct measurements. I just dump in the flour, nod at the fact it fits into the cup, and dump them in the mixture or batter later.

   This time however, I really grit my teeth and tried to measure properly. I even used the measurements in the book (using spoons for butter, which is really messy) and googled to find how much 1 stick of butter is in grams. I really tried my best, and followed the instructions to the book.

   Or so I thought.

   First of all, I mistook  the amount of flour for 1 1/2 cup. It's supposed to be 1 2/3 cup.

   Next, I used baking powder that's supposed to have expired. It looked all right though, and it seemed a shame to just throw them away.

   The recipe called for 6 ounces of cream cheese. The whole packet of cheese is 8 ounces which is equal to 250 grams. At first I only put in 6 ounces, as directed. But then, after the cheese mixture was all mixed, I thought it was a shame to leave the rest of the cheese just like that. WHo knows when I'd use them again.

   So I chucked in the rest of the cream cheese. 

   Then I had a hard time understanding how I was supposed to put the batter and cheese mixture together, so I just followed my instincts, and got this:

My rather awkward swirlies. Sigh.

   Then (I think), I overcooked the blondies.

   Which is why they look like this when they came out of the oven:

I guess I should have stayed by the oven instead of Facebooking

   Haha. However, my brother tasted them and said they were really good. And they are!

   Oh, and how could I forget. I forgot to put sugar in the cream cheese mixture. Which resulted in a sour-like taste in the cheese part of the blondie. However, it's still edible, and the sour taste kinds of create a contrast the the sweetness on the brown parts. Maybe I'll try making them again in the future. This time, I'll follow the instructions word-for-word.

   I especially love how the cheese sort of created that wave in the blondies.

Look at the cheesy cheese waves. Forget forgetting the sugar.

   My verdict: An absolute must try! But you better follow the instructions exactly to the word!

   Anyway, I cut the blondies nicely, but into very small squares. The recipe is supposed to make 9 large pieces or 6 small ones, but I cut mine into very small ones, probably about 40 to 50 pieces, like this. Besides,you know how everyone is like in our family... we eat desserts like we eat rice. No kidding. So small pieces equals to more chances for everyone to have more than just a small taste.

Cutting my blondies. Maybe they're not that blond because I'm NOT blond? Haha. Bad joke.

   I think I'll try a hand at chocolate chips cookies after this. I've never been able to get them right either. Oh, yeah. You're right. Don't forget to follow instructions.

   Now, let's eat!!!

Yummy!!

KakNgah's blondies. Period.

Egg Tarts!!!!

  In the spirit of keeping this blog regularly updated... I am writing my second post in one hour. Yeah.

  But let's get to the point. I have finally managed to make egg tarts! Yes! Egg tarts! I absolutely love egg tarts, and I can never get enough of them. In fact, I love all tarts, but egg tarts are the easiest ones that you can find at bakeries (plus they're a lot cheaper compared to fruit tarts and blueberry cheese tarts). Just look at these... heavenly...

Love these! Source

I am going to die just by LOOKING at these! Source

When am I going to try at hand at these? Source

  Let's see. My first attempt was about first years ago. I was spending a lot of time at home ( I had a six-month plus holiday, waiting for my SPM results), and I had a lot of time, so I spent it baking. Well, actually that's not quite true. I probably spent 0.2% of my time baking. Anyway, one day Mum brought home this egg tart recipe, so I decided to try and make some.

  And yes, they did NOT turn out that well. As far as I remember, the pastry was not that well-cooked, and neither was the filling, but they were still edible. To top it off, as soon as I'd popped the tarts into the oven, my mum had guests. Great. It was one of her regular customers, and she'd brought along some of her family. Her father took to chatting with me; I remember he was a really nice, grandfatherly sort of person. So of course he had to smell my tarts baking. He said his teeth were not doing too well, but he didn't think he could go home without biting into one of my egg tarts.

  I gulped. I looked at Mum pleadingly and desperately. My first ever egg tarts, and they weren't even cooked yet! But of course, you must always give the best treatment to your guests, as is the Sunnah, so if they want undercooked, first-attempt egg tarts, what should we do but serve them what they want? I dragged myself to the kitchen and got the tarts out. I don't think they were that bad, but they were certainly not that great looking either.

  So these aunts and the grandfatherly pakcik were either telling the truth or just trying to be nice- they 'oohh'ed and 'ahhh'ed at my tarts and ate them, saying how clever I was and all. Anyway, I gave up trying to make egg tarts after that. I did NOT want to be caught in such a situation again.

  This time however, when I decided to try my hand at it again, I thought I'd look up a good recipe in the internet. I've been quite interested in these cooking blogs that a lot of people have up on the Internet, and since the pictures that they post of their cooking are genuine and look really good, I thought I could probably rely on the recipes as well.

  I typed 'egg tart recipes' on Google and got a number of results, but I chose this one from Aunty Yoochana. I've visited her blog several times and she's quite popular, so I thought her recipes are probably good. Her reviews were good too, so why not? Here's what her tarts look like:

Aunt Yoochana's egg tarts. Source

  My first attempt (last night) resulted in this:

My first attempt... they don't look that good, but they were good!

  The reason they don't look that good was because I my pate sucree (that's what the pastry is called) did not turn out that well. It was too crumbly and sticky, and I could not figure out how I was supposed to put them into the tart pan. The recipe said I should "press dough into small tart moulds", so I did that, but it was rather tricky and I was feeling all sticky and hot. However, when they came out of the oven I felt so glad that they at least looked cooked, and without waiting for them to cool down I immediately dug one out and tasted it.

  It was delicious! Haha. I'm definitely not complimenting my own baking skills (which are not that good) but I guess I was just glad that they tasted okay despite their poor appearance. I brought some along for a testing session with my parents, and my Dad had three! One after another. Haha. I managed to make 20 tarts out of it, and by the time we all went to sleep only 6 were left. They disappeared quickly the next morning too.

  I guess getting at least something right in baking this time went to my head and I decided to make some more. Besides, Mum and Dad were asking for it, and how could I say no? This time, however, I resolved to make nicer looking ones. The original recipe was okay, and most people left really good comments about it, so I figured there was probably something wrong our weighing tool or something. 

  I decided to make several changes to the recipe. So, this is my variation of the original recipe. Mum said I should make more, so I increased the amount of flour and butter. Remember, I am an amateur in the egg-tart-making world, and I simply dunk in the amount that I thought was suitable, so it might not be the best version. But it worked for me, and you can see the results from my photos. And be prepared for my long ramblings and explanations in the recipe. You can always skip to the original recipe to make it quick (but please don't, haha).

Eggs Tarts

What You'll Need:

(a) Pate Sucree

140 gm. butter

70 gm. icing sugar

1/2 egg white

1 egg yolk 

230-250 gm plain flour

1/2 tsp. vanilla essence

(b) Filling

280 gm. fresh milk

160 gm. sugar

3 eggs (large ones)

1/2 tsp. vanilla essence

How to Do It:

(a) Filling First!

1. Heat milk in pan on stove.

-I was puzzled at first because the recipe said to measure the milk by gm. But our cup had gm. on it, so it was okay. Is 280 gm. equal to 280 ml.? I have no idea.

2.Add in sugar. Turn off heat as soon as sugar has dissolved.

-I actually reduced the amount of sugar because the first time I made them, the filling turned out to be too sweet for my liking (but my Dad loved it, of course; he loves sweet things). I used 150 gm. instead of the required 160 gm. If you like, you could taste the filling before pouring them into the shells to see if it suits your tastebuds enough.

3. Whisk the eggs and pour into the milk-and sugar mixture. Whisk away.

-There's a part in the original recipe which I don't understand. It says to "whisk eggs and pour into the milk mixture" and to "not whisk till frothy". Does that mean to pour the eggs into the milk-and-sugar and wait to see bubbles before whisking, or to whisk but to stop before the mixture turns frothy? I have no idea. Just put your heart into it and trust yourself, I say!

4. Add in the vanilla essence.

-Yup. I just dunk in the vanilla without measuring again.

5. And voila! It's done.

p.s. To be honest, there was some left over filling from the first tarts. In addition Mum told me to finish some evaporated milk that was in the fridge. 

So what  I did was to reduce the amount of fresh milk I used, add in the evaporated milk, and when the filling was ready, I dunk in the leftover filling from my first attempt. 

The result? Delicious! 

I think evaporated milk works just as well on its own. Mixing it with the fresh milk gave the filling a thicker texture (or at least that's what I notice). 

So the actual recipe for my second egg tart filling was:

-100gm. evaporated milk

-150gm. gm. fresh milk

-150 gm. sugar

-3 eggs

-an estimated guess of 1/2 tsp. vanilla essence

-the leftover filling (I don't remember the amount, but on its own, it would probably have been enough for about 4 to 5 tarts)

(b) Pate Sucree

1.  Beat butter and icing sugar until well mixed.

2. Beat in the yolk and egg white.

 -To be honest, I probably put two-thirds of the egg white in instead of one-half. I don't know why you have to use only half of the egg white, but I suppose it's so that the mixture doesn't become too sticky.

3. Add in vanilla essence

-Another truth. I didn't measure. I just tipped the bottle and made a guess at how much 1/2 teaspoonful is.

4. Add in the flour.

-So far I had used the electric mixer to mix the ingredients, but I beat the flour in with a plastic scraper because the mixture doesn't mix so well in the mixer.

-The original recipe called for 200 gm. of butter, but the mixture was too sticky. So what I did was to add the amount of flour to about 240 gm. If it was still sticky, I just added more flour. I don't know if this is right, but my tarts turned out better the second time than the first time (during which I added just a little flour)

5. Mix the ingredients well until you can form a ball with the dough without too much sticking to your fingers.

6. Take a small ball of dough and press it into your tart mould.

-This is a bit tricky (well it was for me, anyway), but start by pressing the dough from the centre of the mould and work your way up to the sides. Makes sure the bottom is not too thick and the sides not too thin.

7. Bake the pate sucree in the oven for approximately 5 to 10 minutes.

-Make sure you've heated the oven for about 10 minutes beforehand. 

-The temperature, as Aunt Yoochana said in her recipe, will probably vary for different ovens. She suggested 175C . However, the first time I made them, the tart shells got cooked too quickly before the filling was done, so I changed it to 160C. This worked better, but took longer time.

8. Take the pate sucree out from the oven and pour in the filling.

-Make sure the pate sucree has turned a sort of white colour or has at least dried a bit. This is so that they don't become soggy from the filling.

-Make sure you don't overfill the shells. When you put them back in the oven, make sure the filling doesn't spill. Otherwise you'll have a hard time digging the tarts out later (the filling will cause the shells to stick to the pan if they spill).

Half baked tart shell + filling

9. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.

-I used both the top and bottom fire (or heat or grill or whatever it's called) for the first 5 to 10 minutes, and then changed to the bottom fire for the rest of the cooking time. This is so that the tarts get cooked from underneath and the top part doesn't get cooked too quickly before the bottom part does. 

Our oven... where delicious food is made (including my tarts!)

10. When they're done, take your tarts out and cool them before digging them out.

-Watch your tarts carefully during the end of the cooking time. When the filling has sort of puffed up into a ball, it means they're done. Take the tarts out. The filling will quickly sink back to their original state (and sometimes even lower).

Just look at these tarts!!!

11. Eat the tarts!!!

  And lo and behold, this what they look like. They look a lot better than my first attempt, huh? I admit I went overboard in taking and posting the pictures, but oh well! Remember, they taste a lot lovelier than they look...

Oh, yum!

I love these because there is more filling than bought ones! I guess I put more 'feeling' into it. Get it? Get it?

Lalala... I may open an egg tart store in the future!

  There was still some filling left, so just for fun I filled one of the empty moulds with only the filling -just to experiment and see what happens. It didn't turn out as nicely as the ones poured into the shells, as I don't think they're meant to be baked on their own. They tasted nice anyway. I put the rest of the filling back on the stove and stirred in some custard powder. It didn't turn out that well, so I'm not going to show you how it looks like, but it's still edible.

Egg tart filling on its own

  Anyway, Mum started talking about selling these tarts... you know how Mum is... and Dad wants to take some to work tomorrow. Hehe...

Just for your interest, I Googled 'pate sucree' and came across this definition from here:

pâte sucrée
[paht soo-KRAY]
A French term for a rich, sweetened short pastry used for desserts such as pies, tarts and filled cookies.

  I also found a Martha Stewart recipe for pate sucree! Since she has a reputation for being a very good cook and baker, I think I'll try this one next time. 

  And so with that, I end my entry for this time. You can see how good I am at blabbing. No wonder I'm afraid to write here, it takes me hours because i just HAVE to write everything down, and it's not like anyone is reading. Anyway, I leave you with this very lovely image of delicious, must-have egg tarts.

They'll be gone by the time I wake up tomorrow, huhu. Just look at the glow!

KakYong, I promise to make some for you when you come home next time!