Tres Leches Lemon Cake

Tres Leches Lemon Cake

It's nice to end a meal with a slice of cake, a BIG slice. I think I have had too much of those fudgy and dense cakes. A few days back we had the oat blondies, which was chewy and fudgy so this time around wanted to sample a fluffy, spongy cake. But it has to be all moist and full of flavour as well.

...and I found this in the net! It is a Spanish cake which literally means three Milk Cake and there's no lemon in the Tres Leches cake of course but I had lemon in hand so letak je la for an added flavour. Did not regret the decision a single bit.

There's a video on how to make it at the end of this post. It is a recipe you have to try and make, at least once in your life. :o)

Ingredients.

1 cup of Cake Flour

1 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 egg yolk

5 egg white

slightly less than 3/4 cup of castor sugar

1/3 cup of full cream milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.

To Drizzle on cake

1/2 cup of evaporated  milk

1/3 cup of full cream milk

1/2 can of condensed creamer

Juice of one lemon

Frosting

1 cup of non dairy creamer beat with the juice of half a lemon till spreadable consistency. If it becomes too thich, just put a few tablespoon of milk to get the ideal texture.

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Grease a deep rectangular dish. .

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with the sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until stiff. 

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The cake will fluff up so you really need a deep dish. Leave the cake to cool.

Whisk condensed creamer, evaporated milk, full cream milk and the juice from one lemon. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture in its cake pan. I did not take the cake out.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes.

To ice the cake, whip 1 cup non dairy whipping cream with the juice of one lemon until thick and spreadable. If it becomes too thick, just add a few tablespoon of milk.

Spread the cream over the surface of the cake. Chill the cake for at least half hour before serving.

Here's a video on how the cake is done. The recipe I have provided here have been altered to suit my taste. My recipe of this cake should not be overly sweet.

 Have a good week ahead folks!

Making Things Work

Standing in my kitchen, missing a few breaths, I looked at the mess created before me. In haste, things do get thrown, stashed and shoved for convenience. My disorganization  sometimes forces me to steal extra minutes to even get basic things done. Simple things like tying a ribbon onto cake boards can get frustrating, especially when the matching  ribbon could not be found in the piles of eighteen thousand others. ;o)

 I just needed one and for that one to resurface I had to ransack several decks of drawers. Sangat tidak mengujakan di umur yang sebegini.

So this had to stop and stopping means changing some ways of doing things and creating better avenues of self expression in different forms.

and I did this.

Reclaimed a container which was once used to store durians. Made slits using hot knife and arranged all the ribbons inside with a little, jutting out from the slits for future use. In this way, the ribbons will never get mixed and lost. It will always be in its slot and easily be seen for identification by the ribbon police.

taaa daaaa!

can you imagine there are eighteen thousand ribbons in here? cher kira cher kira.

Making things work prevents many mishaps and frustrations for a person who is devoid of patience like me. The other day, I was all pumped up to make Durian Crepe, yes this recipe crepes me out! but due to the missing types of flour I had to just make cream puff instead.

Durian Cream puff with fresh cream, durian, toasted almond flakes and a dust of icing sugar.

below is the basic cream puff recipe for your perusal taken from Joy Of  Baking

1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) (57 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup (120 ml) water

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For directions please visit the site. There's a video to guide you through the process.

Hope it is not too late to wish everyone a Happy New Year. My resolution for this year is simple...

"Let's Make Things Work!

Check me out on Instagram for new cake updates. Add me wizwahid. See you there! 

My Heart is Full

Congratulations Lil!

While I am writing this my son is sitting close to me slurping his share of the instant curry noodles. The gravy, runny and thin, the noodles slightly soggy with an egg poached in the centre makes staying indoor in this rainy season such a treat. Come evening, heavy showers clean our porch diligently. Big puddles decorate our grassy patch making them the perfect natural pool for sneaky feet to trample on. In the background, behind the screen of my laptop, the bigger kids are throwing the big cushions on the floor. One has dressed up as Batman, the other is stretching the skipping rope as the main obstacle. From the looks of it, they are probably making some sort of a safety net to cushion their precarious jumps.

 As I look on, I can't help but wonder about my own safety net. Have I created one for the kids if ever something were to happen to me. Would they be alright in my absence? There will be many falls in real life and if I could not be there for each one of them, the best thing to do is to equip them with a good pair of feet. So whenever they fall, they would fall strong and jump back to safety.

...and grooming them into Batman is a good start. :o)

I am listening to this song below with the kids. Part 0:46 is so so so so true.;o)

 .

Alllooooooooo!

I'm here. Is anyone there?

Berlalulah Sudah Ramadhan

 Sebulan genap kita berpuasa,
Semoga digolongkan pada orang berjaya,
Diperintah sudah oleh Yang Berkuasa,
Sesudah berpuasa kita beraya.

 Aidilfitri hari kemenangan,
Kejayaan menempuh pelbagai halangan,
Mengenali erti nilai kesenangan,
Bagi mereka yang serba kekurangan.

 Aidilfitri hari kemaafan,
Menghapus kesalahan sesama insan,
Memupuk perpaduan sesama ehsan,
Mengikat kuat tali keakrapan.

Jelita sungguh Puteri Barbie
Berkain cindai cantik dipandang
Meriah menyambut Aidilfitri
Sahabat handai datang bertandang

 Memukul gendang pelbagai gaya,
Amat meriah riang gembira,
Ramai bertandang di hari raya,
Tersenyum riang sanak saudara.

Negara kita aman sentosa

Jangan dilupa orang terinyanya

Makan sudah baju bergaya

Orang fakir jangan dilupa

 

 Tanpa mengira miskin kaya
Pangkat kedudukan hamba shaya
Sama-sama menyambut raya
Maaf-maafan dihari bahagia  

 

Sungai disusur sehari-hari

Dalam gelap menangkap ikan

Kami menyusun sepuluh jari

Salah dan silap harap maafkan

Adik tersayang segak bergaya

Mengait kuih di atas para

Suasana riang di hari raya

Bermaaf-maafan riang gembira

 

Gemersik takbir mengundang hiba,

Salam diutus tanda ingatan,

Syawal dinanti menjelang tiba,

Salam diutus pohon kemaafan.

 

Dalam kerendahan hati ada ketinggian budi,

Dalam kemiskinan harta ada kekayaan jiwa,

Dalam kelembutan lidah ada juga keterlanjuran kata, 

Dalam gurau & senda tentu ada khilaf & dosa.

 

 Mohon ampun dan maaf jika ada terlanjur kata,  terkurang rasa, dan terburuk rupa.

Terima Kasih kepada yang menempah kek dan biskut raya drp wizcakes.

 

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri,

Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

wiz dan keluarga.

Koleksi pantun drp google.

1, 2...Juice!

I bent down slowly to squat on my toes and peered into the lower half of the fridge just to check if I had enough greens for that day. The basin I brought with me always seemed too small to carry my harvest. I ended up coming back for a second round. The plucking began with the green  and red apples, pears, lemon, oranges, and a very ripe guava I managed to grab at a "reduced to clear" price. The vegetables consisted of broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber and a dozen of belalai gajah leaves. I never peeled the fruits but only cut them in chunks before cramming all of them inside the blender. Blitzed the beautiful content a couple of seconds before the sieving process began. I normally get a big jug of the green juice leaving me a bowlful of the fibre behind. I try not to discard as much, most of the time using the remnants for our dish for that day. Our food centers around the fruits and vegetables used and so far I have done variations of curries, nasi goreng, currypuff, poppiah, murtabak, nuggets, all using the leftovers for our iftar. It saved us many trips to the pasar ramadhan. I reckoned, we would have enough food on the table for iftar this year by just surviving on veges and fruits alone.  My kids who have never given vegetables a second look prior to this project, have eaten all that I have prepared, maybe because they were just hungry to be fussy and alhamdulillah for that.

If anyone were to ask me, what is the kids' favourite food using the remnants from our juice, it would definitely be pizza! It was the only food that they were confident enough to eat without any alarming thoughts of braving through a sea of veges.  They looked victorious and enjoyed every slice and finished one large pan in one seating. Then came the expected question "...guess, what's inside the pizza?" :o)

This is my trusted pizza base recipe. I tweaked the pretzel recipe and came up with this. 

You need to prepare the pizza base first before the filling. The recipe is in the picture. All you need to do is mix the packet of yeast into the lukewarm water and leave it for 10 minutes. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well until a soft dough is formed. Leave to rise for 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the pizza filling by slicing a large yellow onion. Then lightly fry it till fragrant. Scoop about 4 tablespoon of chillie sauce and 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce and fry together with the onions. Put in a teaspoon of oregano leaves, pepper and salt to taste and lastly your minced veges from your juice. Mix well until it looks like a thick tomato paste.

Take the dough and knead it well. Roll it thinly and stretch it evenly onto your pizza pan. ( I just used my tudung periuk, not the ones yang pandai menari lagu putera mahkota, though.) Spread the vege paste onto our pizza base before the generous amount of the other cooked ingredients like sausages or chicken and beef strips. For a little bit of sweetness you can go Hawaiian by adding pineapples. Then comes the cheese, put as much or as little as you want and sprinkle a little bit of chilli flakes before baking.

Not baked yet.

ready to be enjoyed.

The first thing my son said after his first bite was "...sedapnya Ma! first time mama buat tak der sayur2 yg Anin nak kena kluarkan."

keh keh keh ...and so he thought.

The Gift of Giving

 The gesture of giving something meant to be given, 

Makes any day, a meaningful celebration.

Gifts come in big packages, some in  boxes so petite, 

Others are conveyed via words, in any way, they are alwiz a treat.

Some like them pretty, others like them plain instead, 

But  I love mine in paper bags with a simple ribbon to decorate.

It's all about what's inside, but please don't be mistaken,

The gift comes secondary, what's  inside your heart is more important.

So give, give, give, not just presents wrapped in a fancy decoration.

Give your time, your effort, your kind words that need to be mentioned.

Give a nod of appreciation if you are least in the mood,

Or simply give a smile ...when you know you should and you could.

Give a prayer to strangers, wishing them good things in your heart,

And the angels will offer the same prayer for you, whilst you are in their guard.

It needs not be an expensive gift, or an extravagant present,

A sincere salam to the toll lady would lift her spirits up to heaven.

And once you have given all that the heart speaks true,

There will come a time when all the gifts will return to you.

A friend offers her time to hear you out,

When sometimes you feel like you want to shout.

Another comes running to your rescue,

When she stays back to finish your work with you.

When your car breaks down and you have the urge to cry,

A helpful stranger from nowhere, suddenly drops by.

And in some moments when work buries you in your place,

A smile from the kids turns that frown into a happy face.

Feel free to give as much as you know how,

And you will receive so much more, ... maybe later, maybe now.

And if I could help you choose a gift that stays in someone forever,

And remembers you, not only  for your lovely gesture,

I would hand you a piece of my heart and my soul goes into them too.

They are the core ingredients of all the cakes that I do.

All packed in the way I like to see them best,

Flavours of the delicious three, in a simple paper bag.

Try and give them to your colleagues

And witness a smile from their faces so big.

Your boss I'm sure would fancy them too,

He is just too shy to say it to you.

Your family would be delighted if you bring these back,

You can enjoy three different flavours all in one stack.

And when you feel you have given enough to all the people that matter,

Let's not forget to reward yourself later.

Take a spoon and open a pack with unabated relish,

For it's alright once in a while, have the cake to yourself and  be selfish!

                                                                               ~wiz~

Cake bars in white paper bags,

All three in one stack.

Some come in brown packages tied up with string,

These are a few of my favourite things.

Flavours of the three:

1. Choc fudge cake drenched in chocolate fudge sauce with couverture chocolate shavings.

2. Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting sprinkled with crunchy toasted almond flakes.

3. Jaffa cake, an orange cake drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with orange cream and choc chips.

All these for RM50

Have a prosperous month of giving, and as we know it already, tis' the most beautiful thing.

To order, please drop me "The Gift" email addressed to wizcakes@gmail.com 

Thanks.

Once Upon A Crime ( Part 1)

Thanks so much Tok Ma!

 It rained that evening, setting a cosy mood to unwind with friends over a bowl of instant noodles. The best seat of the house was always by the window, on my roommate's  bed, overlooking the road down below, just so we could  watch some seniors  crowding the uncle's van for some knick knacks! There was no entertainment in the house other than Shake's radio and Sheila Majid was constantly singing "Lagenda",  the DJ's favourite song choice, hence the gawking at the handsome seniors who always happened to be buying their ration at the uncle's van. Perhaps they knew there was an appreciating crowd above them every time and perhaps they liked the undivided attention. "Perhaps...", I was in my  third perhaps when I spotted my cousin's car in a distance approaching the parking area, happy, i jumped out of Shake's bed and ran down to meet her. At that time there was no such thing as handphones or emails and we communicated with the outside world by lining up at the phone booth patiently. I didn't know she was going to visit neither did I know how that night would  change the course of my life, ( putting this in exaggeration actually). And so  the story began...

The chilly night created a happy mood for everyone. The other students were walking about, chatting with packets of snacks in their hands, munching noisily. You could actually hear the crunches each time they took a bite of the Twisties or Cheezels or Roller Coaster. I was tempted to grab a packet from the uncle but I was too excited to see my cousin and  desperately hoping she had brought better food to be shared with me in the car. I hastened my steps to reach her car and to my surprise she brought my other cousin who just came back from the UK with her. 

"...kakyong!!!!!, awak pun ade? bestnyer!" Both of them were smiling from their seats and welcomed me with endless  chatters only cousins would be able to understand.

Kak Lin and Kakyong are my two elder cousins, the people I shriek,  and roll my eyes to, for communication. There was never a time, when we meet that we do not shriek in between chuckles or roll our eyes to something. There are often important stories to discuss and to analyze with great intensity on how they would affect the world we live in, including the green house effects as well as the environmental issues relating to them. :o) With our analytical views towards anything and everything, our chats are very animated, with hand gestures flying in the air and shrieks and laughters that could penetrate any sound proof windows. I reckoned, it did that night, when we were in the car, talking endlessly as if we would never see each other again. I remember kakyong was reading an airmail and sharing the content with the rest of us when there was a loud knock on the passenger's seat window.

"Keluar! keluar!"

 I searched the face who directed me to exit  the car and it was the male security guard for the girl's block who was on duty at that time.

"Kenapa pakcik? ada apa? I asked in bewilderment. He then asked for my matric card and looked at me with disgust and bent down to look at my cousins in the car.

"...ni baru pukul 10 lebih ni jer, belum curfew lagi pakcik." I defended my action as if I needed one. He then said out loud and directed me to go in right away. "Masuk!, masuk sekarang!"

And at that moment time stood still for me. The handsome seniors weren't no longer the attention, but I was. The 50 metre stretch from the car to the gate was the longest one I ever took. I hung my head with humiliation, dragging my legs to walk the walk of shame. Everyone stopped at whatever they were doing and turned to look at me with ill thoughts. It was on their faces, before the murmuring began. "tu la, buat lagi, sapa suruh duduk dlm keter dgn boyfriend?" I heard it coming from one of the boys. Perplexed,  I left my cousins without a word. They didn't know why I was sent back to the hostel in such a revealing act, ...neither did I. 

Thanks so much Ida Zentell!

...to be continued.

In A Galaxy Not So Far Far Away...

The long fought battle has been won! The green aliens have been conquered once and for all. It is no longer a struggle for this Mommy Monster to accomplish her daily mission. She has conquered once and she thrives to conquer all, right after the very first victory. All is good now,  at least for  this side of the universe. Even Baba and The Star Command joined forces to install a better Universe for the new generation, a stronger and healthier  generation which beams goodness from the core of their existence.

Nothing goes to waste in this galaxy. Every bit of the shredded greens is turned into fuel for our  everyday consumption. The juice from the green and all those fibre leftovers get to be relished. Initially, it was hard to convince the skeptical minded that anything that does not look good does not necessarily taste bad. But now after much practice of the trickery, everyone is eating and drinking healthy. 

Without much persuasion, when I put something that looked like these the other day on the table, an empty plate was the only thing that was left in a few minutes. I call these Vege Nuggets, made from all the leftovers from our green juice.

We have been having these every evening now and for the first day the kids thought they were home made chicken nuggets. I just wanted them to give it a try and like them without force and alhamdulillah they ate them all! They were only told about the content the very next day, not only surprised but it had grossed them out for a little while. But since they have tasted and liked them, they continued eating them whilst saying how unbelievable for them finishing the sayur and liking it too.

Here is the simple recipe.

Ingredients:

All the leftover veges from your green juice.

The one in this picture was made from

1. One whole carrot,

2. One whole cucumber

3. One bunch of Sawi

4. A fistful of baby tomatoes

5. A cup of brocolli

6. 4 oranges

7. A cup of honey dew

8. One whole guava

All these are mixed with

1. An egg

2. Roughly about a cup of wheat flour, maybe more.

3. Minced onions

4. 2 tablespoon Wheatgerm

5. half teaspoon of oregano leaves

6. salt, pepper and turmeric powder to taste.

Once shaped into discs, coat them with corn flour before lightly frying them in canola oil.

Other than vege nuggets, you can also use the green leftovers to thicken soups, gravy and even curries. It gives more flavour and packs a punch of vitamins and nutrients to any simple dish.

I think the kids will fast better this Ramadhan insyaAllah with 2 weeks of prepping them  with the green juice. Their energy level has increased tremendously and hopefully they would not be as tired  and lose so much weight this time around.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you a blessed Ramadhan dan juga ingin memohon kemaafan jika ada kata2 saya disini yang menyinggung perasaan. Semoga Ramadhan tahun ini adalah yang terbaik dari segi amal ibadat, rezeki dan kesihatan. Let's strive for the best one this year!

Goodness Gracious

Thanks so much Rini!

I have been going to the hospital for my follow up once a week and I think this will be the pattern of my new routine. It's all about health now and at the age when numbers do count other than the wrinkles on the faces, your well being becomes suddenly important. You start noticing things you  never bothered to scrutinize before, that bag under your eyes, those visible lines on your hands, the dry patches everywhere and constantly you would then fall sluggishly on your bed mumbling "...I'm old...".

I am now 40 and this new age hit me the most when I realized that I was seeing the doctor more than I was seeing my husband ... for lunch that is.:o). There are many tests to be taken, blood to be withdrawn and I have been scanned too many a time that I feel I should have a personal bar code already. ;o). In the meantime before another operation is due to take place, I am eating and practising  a healthy lifestyle, not just for me but  for the whole family as well.

 I have been reading a lot about the benefits of juicing and even though I do not have the juicer machine of my dreams such as below, I am still determined to make juicing part of our daily routine. The most challenging quest isn't making full use of the ordinary blender but forcing the small kids and the grown up one to drink up and liking the green concoctions. After more than a week of juicing I think I am getting better at reducing the bitterness of some of the vegetables by including lots of sweet fruits and honey. Some vegetables have this very raw chlorophyll   after taste and it is quite a challenge to try and camouflage the taste and make it drinkable.

The kids would normally down their juices immediately after they reach home. They have to drink it 30 minutes before their meals for the body to absorb all the nutrients efficiently. Do not drink your juice with food as fermentation would occur, well that's what I found out from many of the articles. For my kids who hate vegetables and not so much into fruits, I think juicing is a great idea to ensure they get the required portions for the day.

Above is  the winning combination of the week with 12 ingredients made in one jar!

The ingredients:

1. purple cabbage
2. tomatoes
3. carrots
4. celery
5. sawi
6. cucumber
7. oranges
8. pineapple
9. apples
10.lemon
11. honey
12. dates

blend with adequate water.

After sieving this is what you get ...

...Ribena, well that's what I told the kids!

It's a different juice everyday and I know I am giving myself and my family something good. In the morning before they go to school I make them chocolate shakes with walnuts, almonds, oats and wheatgerm blended with milk and cocoa powder and you instantly see them roaring to school.

After 10 days of juicing I noticed the improvement in everyone's mood. I get more smiles and they are less irritable. My daughter mentioned that she does not suffer from headaches anymore whilst my son said he is less tired after school. My husband lost 1.5kg and I on the other hand did not lose anything unfortunately, huish. It is a great way to start and end your day and I am sure you would try juicing soon. You need not have any special gadget, just your ordinary blender. Try not to use the same one for your chilies though. :o)

For more juicing ideas please visit here. Happy juicing everyone!

Kain Batik Opah

Kain Batik Opah

   "...pilihler yang mana berkenan" Mak was pointing to the a pile of kain batik inside a plastic bag. They were folded immaculately, untouched by time and smelled so familiar. In an instant I knew they belonged to my arwah Opah who just passed away. "...I love the turqoise one." I said, taking hold of it and trying to find if it still had Opah's scent. Mak said "...sorry the turqoise one is mine, mak dah chup dah yang itu." I rolled my eyes and smiled something mak is very used to seeing ever since I was small, a side effect of having irritating brothers! So, I settled for the purple one instead in the end. Mak also took out some of Opah's long kebaya, beautiful, multi-coloured kebaya which all looked lovely on her. Only Opah could wear them perfectly as she had the prettiest skin tone. She was a fair lady and anything looked good on her. 

 My sister and I loved watching Opah getting ready to dress up. She would wear her best during kenduri kahwin and hari raya time. She would sit in front of her wardrobe and each time she opened the door, our eyes would light up upon seeing the treasures that she had kept inside. If we were lucky, she would regale some stories about the trinkets she so lovingly kept. The same old stories were told but never once they bored the little life out of us. We were kids who loved to be told again and again. The stories about Tok whom we never got the chance to know, about the mischief of our uncles and aunties but most of all, my favourite story was the ultimate love they both had for one another. Tok was the love of Opah's life, taken away too soon from her, hence the countless memorabilia of Tok's belongings preserved in that small cupboard. "...ni kain songket CikTan, Opah tempah dulu. Kain songket penuh ni." Opah said proudly as she began her descriptions. "...Yang itu sapa punya?" I reached for the maroon one. "...yang ni mak awak punya ler. Dia pake masa dia berinai dulu. Esok, lusa, nanti awak pulak yang pake. Cuba terai, entah2 dah selok dah." I springed up and put the beautiful maroon kebaya songket on. It fit me nicely and from then on, I remember looking forward to the day I would be clad in the same maroon songket. While I was looking admiringly in the mirror, opah teased me with "...itu dah gate nak kawin le tu!" "...mana ada laaa Opah!" and we both laughed.

Opah was also proud of her kain batik. She kept many of them which were mostly given by her kids, relatives and friends. She arranged them perfectly, nothing was jutting out of place, as if a ruler was used to ensure its neatness. "...cantiknya kain batik Opah...pande nya Opah susun" I was already in my early teens then but kain batik was never my interest. I didn't even know how to tie one on my waist. "...nanti Opah dah takder esok, hangper pake ler. Tapi hangper ni bukannya reti nak ikat kain. Macam mana ler nak kawin nanti, ikat kain pun tak reti!" She grimaced. She then took one out and taught me how to wear it. I complied but only for a few minutes before I ran to the back to join my sister who was in the kitchen munching on something. Where else would my sister be!

And now, after Opah is gone, we are here to share the kain batik she left us so abundantly. Some retained Opah's sweet powdery scent, the same scent that triggered my olfactory when I saw her last."...wanginya Opah ni!" I remember saying that to her all the time when I was small and I also remember saying the same thing in my heart when I kissed her farewell.

Al-Fatihah

Opah in the middle with great grandkids and Makngah during our last reunion organized especially for her.

When Life Throws You Lemons

...you make Lemon Meringue Pie!

I love lemons and I don't really mind if life throws me a lot of them continuously . They are expensive here and  having them in my kitchen makes me feel rich and regal somehow.

The yellow fruit was going at 40sen each at Carrefour the other day and I bought a plasticful! There is a story behind my love for lemons, yes there's always a story with me.;o). When I was expecting my second child, I needed to have the scent of a lemon close to my nose. If I could not get hold of the real fruit, I would settle for the scented lemon soap. I would have it in my handbag and constantly in my hand when I was in the delivery room. It allowed me to focus and calmed me down nicely. So from then on I was hooked.

I  made this pie twice already this week in anticipation of Zue's visit actually. But she could not make it since I don't drive that far out to her sis' place. Sorry Zue, maybe next time k.

So here's the recipe.

Lemon Meringue Pie

The crust (A recipe inspired by my kemalasan maksima)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt of rock salt
2 tablespoons of cold milk mixed with 1/2 cup of canola oli.

You need to whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix the oil and milk and beat till frothy. Then add the wet ingredients slowly to the dry ingredients and knead until a ball of dough is formed. It should be soft. Press the dough onto your pie mould. This would spread perfectly onto an 8 inch pie mould. And pop it into your oven 180 degree Celsius until the crust turn light yellowish.

The Lemon Custard. (I tweaked from Yanie's Lemon Bars recipe)

1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 large egg yolks (keep the whites for the meringue)

Zest from 1 lemon and Juice from 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

a pinch of salt

Mix all the dry ingredients together then add the the yolks and the zest and mix well. When the pie crust is ready turn the oven to 150 degrees Celsius and  pour the custard onto it and bake till it does not jiggle in the centre. When the custard is baking in the oven, prepare the meringue.

The Meringue

2 of the remaining egg whites

3 Tablespoon castor sugar,

1/2 tablespoon cornflour,

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the egg whites till frothy and put in the castor sugar and the rest of the ingredients and continue beating  till the meringue forms a stiff peak. When the custard is ready just spoon the meringue onto it in any way you like, piped or spooned, and bake with the top heat at 150 Celsius till the meringue is golden brown.

And...

Enjoy enjoy enjoy!

Zue, missed having this with you today!

About Everything Else

Thanks so much Zurina!

Opah passed  away peacefully on the 26th Of April. She was 89. She was to me wanita melayu terakhir. The epitome of kelembutan, kecantikan luar dan dalam. Her cooking skills were unmatched and I wished I had learnt from her before she got sick. All her granddaughters  felt that way, I believe. But even if we did learn from her and some of us did try, I reckoned none would still come close to the perfection of her traditional cooking. Air tangan Opah, lenggok tangan dia, inimitable. She was a beautiful person. Hope to share stories about her one day.

I found myself writing less and less here as I was busy taking care of myself, something I have been neglecting  to do before this. I had this condition at the back of my head that needed prompt attention. Had to undergo an operation to remove all three of them. I was not able to leave the house as my whole head was  bandaged and to be seen would only invite endless stares. Didn't want to scare the kids. ;o).  I am still recuperating now nicely. The pain still persists and I can only sleep in certain positions for now. Alhamdulillah, I am feeling better and hope there will be no recurrences as this was actually the second operation. Like they say if it does not kill you, it will make you stronger.

Baking still continues on. But at times like this, I do apologize if I decline orders that require too much from me. Exertion is not prescribed by the doctor at the moment, hence the easy orders.

Thank you so much for still dropping by and checking out my page. I appreciate it.

Have a good time entertaining your kids this school break. And kids! be nice to each other k.

Thanks so much Na!