Brotherly Love

Being the baby in the family, you tend to get all the attention and everything from the elder siblings. Ameera and Husayn always fights over who got the biggest hug from their little brother, or who Hisham wants to play with for the day or who can put on his little shoes.

Old Picture

 New picture but a bit blur

Last weekend, while getting ready after giving the kids a shower as usual, I put on Hisham's shoes straight away. This time though, being the big brother, Husayn insisted that he wanted to put it on Hisham himself.

After a few attempts that took more than 15 minutes, he finally succeeded!

Yay!!!

Running Out of Food!

 I was super busy for the past few days.

This entry is about the day before Christmas.

The door bell rang. I quickly ran downstairs to open the door. It was stuck! Yup...our door was stuck shut because of the heavy snow all week and I couldn't open it from the inside. Luckily, the visitor that morning, Mrs. AngeliNatasya sends her kids to my house and after a bit of pushing and shoving, managed to get the door open. If not, we would have been stuck indoors until Mr. Sunshine decides to come along and melt all the snow and ice. Hahaha..

That wasn't the worst of the news though. Bread, butter, milk and cereal were all gone and there was nothing to eat for breakfast that morning. Due to the severely bad weather, I don't think driving my Peugeot to the shops would have saved the day. It could have made it far worse as instead of being just hungry, I would have been cold, hungry and terribly embarrassed as I got myself stuck in the middle of the road somewhere. Thank God for Miss Pinky. The stand mixer came to the rescue as I made Roti Canai for the kids' breakfast and some hot chocolate minus the milk.

This time I made Ro ti Canai using this recipe. My husband liked TTM's Roti Canai taste better than this as this one tastes more like a traditional bread. Emmm..  I ate it with leftover sempoi tomato fish curry that I had made just the day before. What a heavenly combination.

Straight after breakfast, my husband decided to walk to the shops to get some important things like my baby's nappies and some basic groceries to last us for the next few days. Phewwwwwwwwww..

Ah well, anyway, this is a video of the kids I took last week on the way back from school...

Thank God, the weather is getting better as I write this and at last, we managed to get out with our car.

Snowing...Again!

It's been two days now. Two days of constant snowfall and it's getting really bad. It seems that everything is completely covered in snow. It also seems thicker than before too and I don't know how long it will take to clear up. Even when the snow has melted away, the roads can become very icy and that makes it even worse to drive.

Adah.. gambar usayn tuk kau!! Ahaks

Thankfully, yesterday was Husayn's last day of playschool for the year and he had a mini concert to perform in. It was impossible for me to drive so we walked to Husayn's school instead. It felt like going to war in Siberia...Haha. I'm exaggerating of course, but it was really hard to push the pram in the fluffy and thick snow. Better than ice, I suppose.

Fortunately, we safely arrived at the school but the way back was a disaster of sorts. A quick phone call and my husband managed to come to my rescue as I was stuck in the snow in the middle of the footpath with my three kids.

Anyway, back to the concert. They just sang a few famous Christmas songs for the parents who came. The rest of the event involved taking pictures with all the friends before another long holiday!

Me myself Teacher & the kids

Here's a video of one of the songs performed on the day...

A "Xmas" Present All the Way From Oz

Guess what I received in the post today?

Drum roll please...

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Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

My one and only early "Xmas" present all the way from Oz. From my dear blogger friend who lives there and who just happens to have the same name as me... ;-) Nana.

Awwwww...that's very nice of you TTM. Lap you so much. Sorry to trouble you but, the good thing is, every time I make cream horns, I will always remember you. Hehehe...

So, without wasting any time, I made these using the cream horn moulds.

Having a bit of a sweet tooth, I even used some Oreo as suggested by TTM for the sweet filling.

And for my hubby, some savoury ones: Minced Beef Curry with Cheddar Cheese and Sweet Chilli Sardine (with a touch of spring onions) fillings.

Amacam TTM boleh pass tak? Ada macam kedai you punya Cream Horns tak? Hehehe.. comotlah sikit, saya budak baru belajar.

Thanks again, babe. I owe you one.

A Week of Tasks for Miss Pinky

It has now been a week since I officially became the owner of my all-new Pink KitchenAid stand mixer (I'm calling her Miss Pinky). I've been experimenting with few recipes using the mixer as a tool.  Adapting a few bits from Dari Dapur Maisya this is what I've made over the last few days...

Impressive isn't it?  Macam kedai roti pulak Ahaks I am just so proud of myself. Hehehe.To be honest I've made a few buns and bread before but none of them have ever turned out as soft as these ones. Even after three days, the buns i baked were still soft without having to reheat them. Is it because of the new Miss Pinky or I did I just not get the right recipe right before this? Hmmmm... I wonder. The first batch of buns and bread I made were finished in one go.  I thought I had made too much but that certainly wasn't the case. I had to promise the kids to make some more again really soon.

I even made some doughnuts with it. My husband said it tastes just like original sugar/maple glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts except for its miniature size.

And not to forget breakfast, with my first ever home made Roti Canai  from TTM with Beef Dalcha. Nyumm... I don't have the picture as my hands were covered in oil and everytime each piece of bread was ready to eat, it's gone in one second without me having a chance to take a picture of it.

Well, that's what Miss Pinky is for, Iin't it? I'm just so glad that my husband bought it for me and I am pretty sure he agrees with me too. So get ready for the next job, Miss Pinky!

PS: Dubliners are who interested to try some home-made Curry Buns, Sambal Ikan Bilis buns, Tuna Buns, Sausage Rolls, Potato bread, etc. can contact me via private message  hokey! I'm ready to take all your orders...

NDMNS Eid Party

As I had mentioned before, a few weeks ago, Ameera had celebrated Eid in school. All the parents were asked to bring something to school for the celebrations. So, as requested by Ameera, I made her favourite chocolate cupcakes for the school celebrations along with some vegetable spring rolls. Not exactly a dish one would associate with Eid but they've always been popular with the non-Malaysian kids so, I made the rolls anyway.

The celebrations started with a short talk about Hajj and then...the party began.

 Husayn keeps on saying that this is his Big Brother, can you see his hand trying to reach Harris' shoulder, to give him a hug in the pictures...Hehehe

Hooked on Auntie AngeliNatasya's iPhone

Ameera with her class teacher (right) and friends

Straight after the Eid Party, Auntie AngeliNatasya invited us to her house. While the kids played both mums gossiped until late in the day. And guess what? On the way home, I got lost (again!) even though I was only a few short miles away from home. Hahahaha....See I've told you I am so bad when it comes to directions. Ah well, the kids had so much fun during the whole day and that's what's most important.

Free Coffee Anyone?

I got this in the post today. 

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It's not like it's a mind-blowing gift but I still am so happy!

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It's All Over

Ever since I was blessed with 3 kids, I have barely followed anything on TV. Not even my favourites like all the Saturday cooking shows or the E-News channel. The exception to all this is, the X Factor and Desperate Housewives which, I try my best not to miss.

But, all good things have to come to an end and this week, both shows came to their respective conclusion for the season. X Factor finished on Sunday and tonight, it's going to be the last episode of Desperate Housewives. So, there we go again. I will be TV-free until next autumn. My husband invited me to watch football with him as a replacment. Errr... Sorry darling...the obvious answer is No.

The finalists who were in the Final of X Factor

The results of the X Factor were as expected. Do you remember (the late) Paul, the World Cup Octopus? Yup...he is dead but his cousin(?!) predicted that Matt Cardle would win the competition this year and Yes he did. Hehehe...Sorry One Direction, you are guys are so cute whether you win or not. My Hisham will never fail to watch you on You Tube even until this day.

One Direction perfoms with Robbie Williams

Honestly, I didn't mind who won this year. They are all good, but the truth is, I think Cher Lloyd is Amazing. She's only 17 and she's perform like a real pop star. I know she doesn't sound that great and seemingly has a bit of an attitude problem but, she is a really talented kid.

Final perfomance

Emmmm...I will be spending a few quiet nights from now on. What do you think I should do then? Any suggestions ladies?

My Super Generous Husband

It was a very long time ago. Maybe ever since I've been living in Ireland because it was then I started to bake a lot. And, since then, I've always wanted to buy a KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer for myself. However, due to the price of it that's really expensive (for me anyway), I just forgot about the whole idea but kept it on top of my wish list, hoping that one day maybe, just maybe I could win a competition or somebody became generous enough to buy me one.

A few months back, my husband mentioned to me that this year, his company was kind enough to allocate a bit of a bonus for all its staff. OK,  don't start imagining a 5-figure sum or even a 4-figure amount. But, the company's staff did get a few hundred worth of department store vouchers in lieu of a proper cash bonus.

My husband was so nice. Instead of buying something for himself, he remembered about my KitchenAid dream of sorts and asked me whether I still wanted it. Without thinking twice, I said YES!!! Of course I wanted one. So, when the time came and he got his voucher, he was all excited to buy it for me.

Thinking about it, Ameera's birthday present is a Pink Nintendo Dsi, and I've got my early birthday present and it's PINK too. Am I lucky or what?

So, now the pressure is on. I have to make it all worth it. I have to start baking. Urghhh...... Tak dapat pun salah, dapat pun salah. Eh, I am so grateful and happy. Thank you Yang for making one of my dreams come true. Wink...wink, there's more on my wish list, you know. Ahaks! Thank you again. I love you Darling. Muaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Here's hoping everyone else's desires come true sooner rather than later...

How To Make an (Instant) Barbie Cake

On Ameera's birthday, I had planned to make her Barbie-themed cake. The thing about living in Ireland is, I don't have that much choice to buy the tools or any other fancy baking stuff that you can easily find back home in Malaysia. Even if there I find a few, they normally turn out to be just so expensive and not worth it because I won't be using it that often. In this case, I didn't have those a big round baking pan to use as mould for Barbie's skirt.

Fortunately nowadays, there are lots of tips and new ideas on the internet.  I came across Betty Crocker's site which gives you different ideas for making kids' birthday cakes more interesting, from scratch without having to use special tools or moulds.

For example for my daughter's Barbie cake...

Si Barbie yang Katek

Of course, as a start, you need a Barbie doll Next, I'm sure you guys have a glass bowl (an oven-proof because we'll be baking in it) for the top part and a normal baking pan for the bottom. Maybe you'll need more than 1 baking pan. A different size for the bottom if you want to make the skirt longer. Unfortunately, I was too lazy so I just used one and that's why I have to break the Barbie princess' legs. Ahaks! My daughter screamed when she saw it. Sacrificial Barbie. Hehehe...

Eh OK, maybe you could just watch this for yourself...

This is the inside of what my cake looks like. I made a blueberry muffin cake for the top and chocolate cake for the bottom. Don't think they go to well but like I said, I was running out of ideas and was just plain lazy!

There are so many other options and ideas from HowdiniGuru including the Dinosaur cake for Husayn's birthday last month. You'll be surprised yourself and it's very easy.  Happy baking.

To the Barbie lovers out there: Ameera's old Barbie doll went through re-constructive surgery and is now her normal cheerful self again, two legs and all!

Thank You Everyone

Thank you for all the nice wishes on behalf of my daughter. Alhamdulillah, she is what she is now and I'm hoping it will last forever. Maybe because she was born a month premature or the fact we were living in a foreign country with no other families around us forced us to learn to be independent. And that somehow, rubbed-off o Ameera...?

Anyway, due to the severe weather conditions, I honestly didn't make anything for my daughter on her birthday. I wasn't feeling too well and I don't think anybody else could come anyway if we had a party on Monday. Fortunately, I felt a bit better a day later and so, I decided to throw a small party anyway on Tuesday night. It's easier as Heidi and Harris were at home with us anyway and I just invited another 2 of Ameera's friends who lived nearby to join in the celebrations.

As the party was just for the kids, I just cooked something simple and as usual baked, some cakes. Ameera did request an iCarly cake but it was quite impossible for me because I'm not good at drawing and I couldn't find any iCarly rice paper for the cake. So I made this Barbie cake with whatever tools I had. I'll let you know how in my next entry. I promise.

The kids seem to have enjoyed the party and to top it off, a big thank you to Auntie AngeliNatasya, Uncle Iyeh, Heidi and Harris for the wonderful gift she got. The gift had always been on her wish list for a long time but I didn't think that it would be be fulfilled anytime soon. Only God can repay your kindness and murahkan rezeki InsyaAllah. Amin.  I guess Ameera is such a lucky girl. Thank you again and thank you everyone.

8th Birthday Today!

Here's a typical conversation that happens almost everyday...

Mummy: Ameera, Mummy needs to take a shower. Can you come upstairs and mind Hisham for a while? Errr...don't forget to turn off the TV, switch off the light, close the door behind you and bring Husayn along here.

Ameera: OK Mummy, I'll be right there in a minute Mummy.

Mummy: And, after that, remember to take a shower. Bring Husayn along for one as well and put on his clothes.

OK, I  lied. Not every day maybe just every other day but, she is a really good daughter and I can really rely on her even at her age.

I'm just so proud of you Princess.

Thank you very much for all your help. I'm not doing this to burden you, one day you will understand the benefits of it. I am so glad Allah gave me a daughter like you. No matter how many birthdays come and go, you'll always be my little girl and I will always love you.

Happy 8th Birthday Darling!

May Allah bless you so that you become a solehah Muslimah and a good daughter, InsyaAllah.

Sardine Rolls

Thank God, the snow has now stopped (for the moment at least) but we still went to do some shopping at the shops near us by walking there with the kids. On the way back we saw this...

Isn't it cool? Later today, for the first time in the whole week we're actually heading out by car to a friend's house for satay. Wish us luck and pray that we won't get stuck in snow and ice along the way.

Anyway, earlier this week, I realise that I bought too much white bread. Sometimes, it gets so unpredictable. When there is a little bread at home, everyone asks for it like there is no other food around the place. When I bought some extra bread, nobody wants to even look at it. So, even though I had already made Sardine Rolls last Friday, as there was still some leftover bread this week, I decided not to waste it and made more. Here's how you can make this quick snack for yourself.

You will need...

White bread (whatever you have left)
Eggs (enough to coat the bread)
1 can of sardines in tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt, cracked black pepper and sugar to taste
1 tbsp of cooking oil

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Pour in sardines and continuously mash it with a fork while you cook it. When finely mashed (depends on what the initial fish was like and how you like it) put all the other ingredients in the mixture. Stir it for approximately 2 minutes.

Take a piece of bread and with a wet rolling pin, roll the bread until it's completely flat. Put one tablespoon of cooked sardines and roll the bread like you're making a swiss roll. Dip the roll in a bowl of beaten eggs and deep fry it in until golden brown.

Husayn and his friends

Oh dear, it's been almost a week since the snow started to fall and the snowfall is getting heavier and heavier by the day. Our back garden was fully covered with snow and the kids made an even bigger snow man. No school and no going out whatsoever. Yes, unfortunately as we don't own a 4-wheel drive vehicle (or something equally useful in the snow) our one and only car has been stuck in front of the house for these few days. To make things worse, for the first in a very, very loooong time, I had to walk to the shopping centre. Walk!

But, the kids enjoyed themselves immensely no matter what, I guess.

Anyway, on one of the snowy evenings, before getting ready to go to bed, Husayn and I had a chat about his friends at school. Because of the weather, Husayn has missed the whole week of school and I suppose, he somewhat misses his buddies...

Who is this mysterious Hanok? Errr...and he still miss his one and only girl friend.

Nadine's Mom, when is Nadine coming back???