Monday, May 31, 2010
Two Failed Attempts
I baked Orange Chiffon Cake twice. Sad to say, it was two failed attempts.
I only have one word for my first attempt in baking chiffon cake - DISASTER!
My Orange Chiffon cake cracked at the top and then sank and shrank & wrinkled like a prune when I removed it from the oven. And the bottom of the cake was dense.
However, it was edible, just that it did not taste like chiffon cake at all. It tasted like normal orange flavoured cake.
1st attempt - cracked top
1st attempt - wrinkled like a prune
My second attempt was better.
I followed a different recipe which calls for the egg whites to be beaten to the soft peak and not stiff peak. However, I think I still overbeat it as it takes seconds to reach from soft peak to stiff peak. By the time I stopped to have a look, I think it crossed the soft peak stage. Blueks.
Anyway, my chiffon cake shrank too, but not too bad as my first attempt. The cake was nicely browned all over although it did not rise as much as I hoped it would.
Therefore, my cake was only a few inches high and was not as fluffy. But it was light enough and taste was even better than my first attempt. And there were NO big holes in it. Yay!
2nd attempt - nicely browned all over
2nd attempt - did not rise high enough and thus only a few inches high
2nd attempt - no large holes which is good but then not fluffy enough to pass as a chiffon cake
I finished baking the cake at about 3.30pm. In less than 3 hours, the whole cake was gone. So I guess even though it is considered a failed chiffon cake, it was not too bad, huh? :)
I only have one word for my first attempt in baking chiffon cake - DISASTER!
My Orange Chiffon cake cracked at the top and then sank and shrank & wrinkled like a prune when I removed it from the oven. And the bottom of the cake was dense.
However, it was edible, just that it did not taste like chiffon cake at all. It tasted like normal orange flavoured cake.
1st attempt - cracked top
1st attempt - wrinkled like a prune
My second attempt was better.
I followed a different recipe which calls for the egg whites to be beaten to the soft peak and not stiff peak. However, I think I still overbeat it as it takes seconds to reach from soft peak to stiff peak. By the time I stopped to have a look, I think it crossed the soft peak stage. Blueks.
Anyway, my chiffon cake shrank too, but not too bad as my first attempt. The cake was nicely browned all over although it did not rise as much as I hoped it would.
Therefore, my cake was only a few inches high and was not as fluffy. But it was light enough and taste was even better than my first attempt. And there were NO big holes in it. Yay!
2nd attempt - nicely browned all over
2nd attempt - did not rise high enough and thus only a few inches high
2nd attempt - no large holes which is good but then not fluffy enough to pass as a chiffon cake
I finished baking the cake at about 3.30pm. In less than 3 hours, the whole cake was gone. So I guess even though it is considered a failed chiffon cake, it was not too bad, huh? :)
Sunday, May 30, 2010
He Was A Beautiful Butterfly
Shern continues to learn. Shern continues to demonstrate what he learned.
As mentioned in my previous post, Shern likes the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. This book ends with the words '.....he was a beautiful butterfly!' on its last page.
I used to lift both of Shern's arms to flap it like the wings of the butterfly to end the story.
photo source: http://determinedtoshine.files.wordpress.com
Starting last week, he amazes me by flapping his arms by himself everytime I turn to the last page of the book.
Shern listens. Shern sees. Shern demonstrates. *proud mummy* :D
As mentioned in my previous post, Shern likes the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. This book ends with the words '.....he was a beautiful butterfly!' on its last page.
I used to lift both of Shern's arms to flap it like the wings of the butterfly to end the story.
photo source: http://determinedtoshine.files.wordpress.com
Starting last week, he amazes me by flapping his arms by himself everytime I turn to the last page of the book.
Shern listens. Shern sees. Shern demonstrates. *proud mummy* :D
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sucking From A Straw
We just realized Shern knows how to suck from a straw about a month ago. We were in QBM and we bought a cold drink there. Shern made a fuss and wanted to have it too. So we offered the drink with the straw in it to him, thinking that he would not know how to suck from a straw.
Boy, we were wrong! After a moment or two, you can see the water rising up through the almost-transparent straw. Shern was sucking from a straw!
And today, Shern is drinking diluted Vitagen using a straw. Btw, he has this tear-stained face because we went to dilute the Vitagen with water (to make it less sweet) and he thought we were taking the Vitagen away from him. So he was wailing away there for a minute.
But after giving the Vitagen back to him, he is back to his smiley, cheeky face.
Boy, we were wrong! After a moment or two, you can see the water rising up through the almost-transparent straw. Shern was sucking from a straw!
And today, Shern is drinking diluted Vitagen using a straw. Btw, he has this tear-stained face because we went to dilute the Vitagen with water (to make it less sweet) and he thought we were taking the Vitagen away from him. So he was wailing away there for a minute.
But after giving the Vitagen back to him, he is back to his smiley, cheeky face.
After drinking the Vitagen, we were rewarded with a wide smile from Shern!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Remote & Hello
Shern can understand what a remote and a phone is for.
I was trying to get him to say hello by asking him to put the remote near his ear. He responded by aiming the remote at the tv and pressing it, showing me that the remote is for the tv.
And when I passed him my handphone, he knew and put it near his ear to indicate 'hello'.
OMG! My boy has been observing what we are doing!
On the other hand, I am so happy that my little baby is learning!
I was trying to get him to say hello by asking him to put the remote near his ear. He responded by aiming the remote at the tv and pressing it, showing me that the remote is for the tv.
And when I passed him my handphone, he knew and put it near his ear to indicate 'hello'.
OMG! My boy has been observing what we are doing!
On the other hand, I am so happy that my little baby is learning!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pail vs Walker - 11 Months
Shern is already an expert in crawling and can cruise pretty well. He can even stand up on his own for awhile without holding anything for support.
At 11 months, Shern is now learning how to walk.
Let the videos do the talking:
This is another video on Shern using the pail again as his walker. Look at how he managed to 'manuever' to the direction he wants go.
This last video is Shern walking using his real walker.
I guess a pail is just as good as the V-tech walker! :)
His legs are now getting stronger and stronger. Looks like it won't be long 'til I need to RUN after him, huh?
At 11 months, Shern is now learning how to walk.
Let the videos do the talking:
This is a video on Shern using a pail as his walker.
This is another video on Shern using the pail again as his walker. Look at how he managed to 'manuever' to the direction he wants go.
This last video is Shern walking using his real walker.
I guess a pail is just as good as the V-tech walker! :)
His legs are now getting stronger and stronger. Looks like it won't be long 'til I need to RUN after him, huh?
Monday, May 24, 2010
20 years ago...a little card for me
I found this card when I was cleaning my stuff to be moved to the store room downstairs.
It is a card from my little sis, Wen.
She should be just a little girl when she drew this card for me. She drew it on a piece of normal white paper using colour ink pens. She was trying to write in cursive. Hehe.
The card should be more than 20 years ago.
front of the card
inside of the card
It's a little heartwarming when I see this.
It reminds me of how we two used to play all sorts of games when we were little.
Now Wen is in South Africa. Choosing the life she wants. Choosing her own path in life.
She is a big girl now. But she will always be my little sister.
I miss you!
(more than when you were in Malaysia :P)
It is a card from my little sis, Wen.
She should be just a little girl when she drew this card for me. She drew it on a piece of normal white paper using colour ink pens. She was trying to write in cursive. Hehe.
The card should be more than 20 years ago.
front of the card
inside of the card
It's a little heartwarming when I see this.
It reminds me of how we two used to play all sorts of games when we were little.
Now Wen is in South Africa. Choosing the life she wants. Choosing her own path in life.
She is a big girl now. But she will always be my little sister.
I miss you!
(more than when you were in Malaysia :P)
Now You See It, Now You Don't....Slurp!
Shern's lunch - a bowl of moi with meat juice, fish and carrots.
He eats fast. After all, he doesn't really chew.
All he does is open mouth, close mouth, swallow, then open mouth again for more.
He eats fast. After all, he doesn't really chew.
All he does is open mouth, close mouth, swallow, then open mouth again for more.
So,
Now You See It.....
and in about 10 minutes later,
Now you don't!
SLURP!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Smoothies: Magnificent Mango
Mangoes are everywhere. I bought a few ripe mangoes to make a mango smoothie.
Recipe: Magnificent Mango (from Smoothie Heaven)
1/2 ripe mango, peeled, stoned and chopped, extra pulp reserved to decorate ( I used 1 ripe mango)
2 scoops mango sorbet - (I replaced this with low-fat yoghurt to make it more creamy)
175ml (6oz) full cream milk
1 tsp lime juice
lime wedge, to decorate
Place the mango in a blender and process until smooth. Add the sorbet, milk and lime juice and process for 30 secs. Pour into the glass and garnish with the lime wedge.
Serves: 1
Recipe: Magnificent Mango (from Smoothie Heaven)
1/2 ripe mango, peeled, stoned and chopped, extra pulp reserved to decorate ( I used 1 ripe mango)
2 scoops mango sorbet - (I replaced this with low-fat yoghurt to make it more creamy)
175ml (6oz) full cream milk
1 tsp lime juice
lime wedge, to decorate
Place the mango in a blender and process until smooth. Add the sorbet, milk and lime juice and process for 30 secs. Pour into the glass and garnish with the lime wedge.
Serves: 1
Friday, May 21, 2010
It Did Not Go Very Well
Yesterday, we took Shern for his fifth haircut since he was born. Yeah...already his fifth! His hair grow very fast and it became too long and unruly since Shern has stiff and spiky hair!
Anyway, this time around, it did not go very well. Shern was howling the whole time. Although the pretty miss that cut his hair is pretty efficient and fast, Shern was terrified of her and kept pushing his head away from her.
So, in the end, Shern has got very short hair. Almost botak-like. I guessed she cut it too short this time, since Shern was being so uncooperative.
21 May 2010
Sigh. Will Shern still look like this on his birthday?
Anyway, this time around, it did not go very well. Shern was howling the whole time. Although the pretty miss that cut his hair is pretty efficient and fast, Shern was terrified of her and kept pushing his head away from her.
So, in the end, Shern has got very short hair. Almost botak-like. I guessed she cut it too short this time, since Shern was being so uncooperative.
21 May 2010
Sigh. Will Shern still look like this on his birthday?
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Smoothies: Classic Banana
Finally, I decided to buy the Lebensstil Blender, which has a jug made of glass and a motor strong enough to crush ice.
I wanted to make smoothies and milkshakes and ice-blended.
My first smoothie - Classic Banana.
I have a bunch of bananas hanging in the kitchen, so this is the first smoothie recipe I tried out.
This recipe is probably the oldest shake of all. This recipe yields out a thick and creamy banana smoothie, just what I expected.
It was an instant hit with my hubby. Great quick breakfast!
Recipe: Classic Banana (from Smoothie Heaven)
1/2 ripe banana, peeled and chopped (I used 1 ripe banana)
250 ml (8 oz) full cream milk
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
grated nutmeg to decorate
Place the banana, milk, ice cream, sugar and lemon juice in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into glass and decorate with grated nutmeg and banana slices.
Serves: 2
I wanted to make smoothies and milkshakes and ice-blended.
My first smoothie - Classic Banana.
I have a bunch of bananas hanging in the kitchen, so this is the first smoothie recipe I tried out.
This recipe is probably the oldest shake of all. This recipe yields out a thick and creamy banana smoothie, just what I expected.
It was an instant hit with my hubby. Great quick breakfast!
Recipe: Classic Banana (from Smoothie Heaven)
1/2 ripe banana, peeled and chopped (I used 1 ripe banana)
250 ml (8 oz) full cream milk
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
grated nutmeg to decorate
Place the banana, milk, ice cream, sugar and lemon juice in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into glass and decorate with grated nutmeg and banana slices.
Serves: 2
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Dinner for Family
Saw this delicious Grilled Mayonnaise Black Pepper Wings recipe in My Kitchen Snippets and was drooling all over the photo. There and then, I knew I had to try it out. The recipe seems easy enough so I decided to make it for the whole family for dinner.
But my chicken wings turned out so-so only. It was a bit dry. I It did not '..melt in your mouth, fall off the bones..' as mentioned in her blog but it was still '..finger licking good..'
I think either I baked it too long or the temperature was too high.
But flavour-wise was flavourful and tasty enough. Mum added a little lime on top for a twist though.
I also made Roasted Pumpkin and Cucumber with Sausages, adapted the recipe from Food & Travel mag May issue.
I used Butternut pumpking and Japanese cucumber. For the sausages, I used black pepper cocktail sausages.
I like this dish better. I like the sweet yet salty taste and the different texture.
So this is what we ate for dinner just now. Plus another side dish of taugeh/beansprouts with salty fish cooked by ahyee. And we had rice with it as well.
Roasted Pumpkin and Cucumber with Sausages, and Grilled Mayonnaise Black Pepper Wings
But my chicken wings turned out so-so only. It was a bit dry. I It did not '..melt in your mouth, fall off the bones..' as mentioned in her blog but it was still '..finger licking good..'
I think either I baked it too long or the temperature was too high.
But flavour-wise was flavourful and tasty enough. Mum added a little lime on top for a twist though.
My not-so-successful chicken wings
I also made Roasted Pumpkin and Cucumber with Sausages, adapted the recipe from Food & Travel mag May issue.
I used Butternut pumpking and Japanese cucumber. For the sausages, I used black pepper cocktail sausages.
left: diced pumpkin, cucumber & sausages
right:
right:
I like this dish better. I like the sweet yet salty taste and the different texture.
So this is what we ate for dinner just now. Plus another side dish of taugeh/beansprouts with salty fish cooked by ahyee. And we had rice with it as well.
Roasted Pumpkin and Cucumber with Sausages, and Grilled Mayonnaise Black Pepper Wings
p/s - Shern recovered from fever. I guessed he got hit by the fever wave due to him teething. I saw a BEEG tooth at the back of his mouth erupting anytime!
Monday, May 17, 2010
His Fingers Touching Mine
His hot little fingers touching mine.....
My baby is sick now - having fever. Hope he gets well soon.
My baby is sick now - having fever. Hope he gets well soon.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Thomas
Yesterday, Shern took an afternoon nap so that he would be all active and hyped up to cheer for our Malaysian team in the Thomas Cup 2010.
He was even wearing his Thomas' T-shirt *wink*
He was even wearing his Thomas' T-shirt *wink*
In the evening in Pho-pho's house...watching Datuk Lee Chong Wei vs Lin Dan (Malaysia vs China) in kong-kong's lap.
Eyes gotten a bit small and losing hope - but still cheering for Malaysia team!
One hour later, Shern got fed up and ignored the tv. He preferred to play with the pail instead. More entertaining and fun! ;p
So this is the first Thomas Cup Shern watches and Malaysia got kicked out in the semi-finals. Sigh...
Friday, May 14, 2010
Yiu-Shern - 10 months
24 April 2010
Yiu-Shern's 10 months Milestone
The photo above shows Shern biting into some plastic-y thing with all his might. It is actually the table corner backets/protectors that Shern somehow managed to pull them out.
Paediatrician
Shern's growth measurement:
Age - 10 months @ 19 April 2010
Weight - 9.20 kg
Length/Height - 74 cm
Head Circumference - 48cm
Shern seemed to have grown quite a lot based on the measurement taken at Tanjung Bungah clinic. However, this time round, we went there almost the middle of the month, thus it was more than a month and a half since his last measurement, thus explains the growth spurt.
Cheeky Smiles
I love Shern's cheeky smiles here. He looks so happy. And his botak head somehow makes him look even cuter. Hehe.
10 April 2010
Mirror
Shern is no more fascinated by the mirror. Maybe this is because mum's place is full of mirrors and he got bored looking at them.
16 April 2010
Sleeping Styles
I like taking photos of Shern sleeping. His sleeping styles make me laugh. The 3rd picture shows Shern really knocked out - he is so into dreamland.
17 April 2010 & 21 April 2010
In this picture, Shern looks so relaxed here. Like lying down on a hammock in Hawaii. :P
21 April 2010
Books
Shern likes books. He likes me reading to him. We established a good bedtime routine of me going through a few of his favourite books just before putting him to sleep.
One of his favourite books is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Look at how Shern pokes his finger into the holes.
16 April 2010
Grills
One of Shern's favourite places in the house is the balcony grills. He likes to stand and hold on to the grills while he cruises and plays there.
23 April 2010
Snacking Time
Occasionally, I give Shern a snack or two. Be it yoghurt, or apples or Heinz's Teething Biscuits. This picture, Shern is having Farley's Rusk.
15 April 2010
Bumbo Seat
This seat is really great. At 10 mths, Shern is still sit in his Bumbo Seat. His high chair is in mum's place. But when he is at home and I need to feed him, I popped him into the seat.
Sometimes he do tries to get out, but luckily the tray in front of the seat blocked him from getting out.
17 April 2010
New Toy
I bought this wooden loop-y toy for him 2nd hand online for RM25 including delivery. Shern likes the blocks in it and knows how to loop the beads through the loops. This is an educational toy which helps him on hand and eye coordination and creativity.
19 April 2010
Wide Smiles Showing All Of His Teeth
I love it when Shern laughs and smiles and giggles so wide that you can see all of his teeth. However, whenever he does that, his eyes became so small! :P
Ain't he the cutest?
18 April 2010
More Mobile
Shern is getting very mobile now. He crawls everywhere in the house. He started crawling a few months back but I should say that he really master the crawling skill this month. He can crawl very fast and seldom slips. But sometimes he still do because he drools and his saliva wets the floor and made it slippery.
Standing up holding to things is also easy-peasy to him. He is now cruising - taking slow steps holding on to furniture.
Little Things Amuses Him
All he needs is just something which is not his usual toys. He wants new things. This time is a blue plastic cup.
Shern is so happy just playing with the cup. Exploring it. Pinching it. Licking it. Biting it.
This makes him happy, and most importantly, occupied for at least the next 15 minutes.
24 April 2010
Grabbing With His Fingers
Shern can now grab things with his fingers, and not only with his whole hands. He can pick up objects using only his thumb and index finger. He is especially intrigue with small things, and this includes dead insects and dust, which sometimes he picks them up and into the mouth they go.
Strong Teeth
Shern sometimes wants to show off how strongs all his 8 teeth are. He bites things just using his teeth, only his teeth. No hands.
And not to forget, almost everything goes into his mouth.
Arghhh.....
15 & 17 April 2010
Graco Swing
We received a used Graco Swing from Su Li. Took Min & I more than an hour to assemble it. Hey, pardon us ok, coz we do not have any assembly instructions. Tried googling online and very few matches for our searches because it is a very old model.
After assembling it, we were exhausted but proud of ourselves. It is a very good design. No screws, thus don't need any screwdrivers.
Everything just need to click on the right spots, and yet every click is so firm and sturdy!
Shern is sitting on it happily. Not sure whether he understands that he is on a swing.
But I personally find the swing swings a little too fast.
18 April 2010
Clapping Hands & Waving Bye-bye
Shern can now clap his hands. And he can wave bye-bye to people. Shern starts learning and responding.
Play
Whenever Shern is in a good mood, he likes to go into his playpen to play with all the colourful balls in it.
And Shern likes to mess up my stuff. Look at the mess that Shern created with my name cards. Sigh.
21 & 18 April 2010
Gaya
I like this photo because I find Shern sits on the floor with such style. Gayanya!
24 April 2010
How Is Mummy Doing?
Is still having lack of sleep because Shern still does not sleep through the night.
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