A Busy Week

Yup! Yours truly had a very bz week yet enjoyed every second of it ;-) ...Infact, I do have a brownie baking in the oven as I'm typing this. A former colleague, SD, called me late last night & wanted to order an Almond Brownies for her friend's birthday. Of course I'll be happy to do it...Knowing my brownies will be a part of a special occasion just bring me joy! Thanks SD for your order. Hope to receive more order from you...He...he...he...

Well, while waiting for my brownies to bake, I thought why not use the time to update my blog...I've been lagging in my baking / cooking journal due to my bz week recently. So, here's what I've been up to...

Remember the gingerbread order I told you in my last post?...Well, I'm happy to say that MM is so happy with it. She even told me she didn't even manage to look at each & every one of it as all her office mates couldn't wait to 'adopt' the gingerbread people! So MM, here's some of the 'people' for you to feast your eyes on ;-)

MM's order

Gingerbread Football Team

This was deco in honour of my Idol - Ballack ;-)

Individual Package

 

Apart from MM, I did receive another order from my 'sister', FD...She wanted some gingerbread to be given as a gift to her boss. It's such a good feeling knowing my 'people' will be a part of someone's special occasion...Thanks FD for your support! I sure hope your boss will love his gift. Hey, who knows he might just give you a Christmas token...Ha...ha...ha...

 

FD's Gift For Her Boss

Small Package Ordered By FD's Office Mate

Not only was I bz with my gingerbread orders, I was also 'attacked' by brownies orders...SA & hubby, M, two of my loyal supporters & 'cheer leaders' ( he...he..he...) wanted to try my Marshmallow Brownies, so the lovely couple ordered one for their family. Thanks SA  & M for your order. Here's d photo for your viewing pleasure. Many thanks too to my other strong supporter & loyal customer, sweet Miss SHAR for ordering 2 brownies ( Almond & Marshmallow ) within a day. Really glad that you enjoyed it. Oooowh!!! I'm also happy to say that Mr. C ( from my previous post ) loved his Marshmallow Brownies! Thanks Mr. C & sure hope your brownies will arrive safely to Iraq ;-)

Marshmallow Brownies

                

Almond Brownies Order By SHAR

In the midst of my hectic schedules, I still squeeze in some time to do other products...Here's some of it ;-)

Oreo Cheesecake - Plain

Oreo Cheesecake - With Chocolate Topping ( Double D Chocolaty Taste!!! )

Trying my hand on a local recipe - Kek Sarang Semut aka Kek Gula Hangus

Previously I always loved to prepare popia aka spring roll for friends who come to visit me...Usually I'll serve it with my special homemade chili sauce. I love eating those & now it's also a favorite of my good friend aka 'Son", RYSC. Few friends had requested that I do a frozen version so that they could always have it at home...What an idea & I'm happy to say that it is now one of my bestseller! Thanks guys for the idea & support ;-)

       

Frozen Popia With Homemade Chili Sauce

Alrighty...Need to go now as I could smell my brownies is about ready...Catch up soon & have a great day ahead! To those celebrating Christmas, have a merry & joyous celebration! Those not celebrating it, have a good holiday with your family & friends...Maybe it's d time to catch up on those zzzz or even re-runs of CSI ;-) Merry Christmas everybody!

Gingerbread Oh Gingerbread!

My hands had been so itchy from wanting to type in my new cooking journals...Unfortunately yours truly was quite bz with a sudden wave of brownies orders...Yeayyyyyyyy!! Not that I'm complaining coz it sure makes my day to hear people going ga-ga over my brownies ;-) Infact, I just delivered my Marshmallow Brownies just a short while ago...Thanks SA for your repeat order & your continuous support. It means so much to me! Next week I have another special brownies order from a customer. He would like to send his order to Iraq & requested for a special packaging...I'm just so happy that Mr. C finds my brownies good enuff to be send to his friends in Iraq. Thanks for your support Mr. C! Hhmmm, my brownies flying off to Iraq without me?!!...Huh! So unfair...Ha...ha...

With Christmas being around d corner, going to any shopping malls these days, one cannot run away from hearing all those Christmassy songs & jingles. I was somehow sucked into those frenzy & suddenly had these urge to bake some gingerbread man...Errr, I called it gingerbread people as there's a whole lot of them!

To be honest, while I was decorating it, it was really, really, and I mean REALLY hot that I decided to decorate my 'people' a bit different from the usual gingerbread man...My apologies if some of you out there might find it a bit offensive...Wasn't trying to create havoc or issue but I was influenced by the weather ;-)

Good news though...Some was really keen with my version of gingerbread people that I've been getting some inquiries! Yeayyyy!! Infact, I got a few orders next week, one being from a good friend, MM of Celcom. Thanks MM for being cheeky enuff to order my version of gingerbread people! Ha..ha..ha...

Gotta go now as I have another batch of gingerbread people to bake...Owh! My gingerbread people did have some time to pose for the camera recently, so feast your eyes on their photos  & hope it will cheer up your day ;-)

A Whole Village Of Gingerbread People

  

                    My Gingerbread People

 Gingerbread Couple

  

 Gingerbread Beach Babes

                                                                                                     Gingerbread Beachwear Couples 

                                                                    

             

 

 

My Favorite - 'Lil Miss Polka Dot Bikini

                                                           Packaging Sample - Small

                     Packaging Sample - Big

What's New From My Kitchen

Hey there food lovers!

As of right now, right this minute, I'm just extremely excited over the baking that had been going on in my kitchen...For those who missed out on my latest development aka news, I am now a full time, 24-7 cook!!! Yeayyyy!! It was quite frustrating working 9-5 & then to reach home all tired to do any baking / cook...

Hence, for the love of my passion, I did the craziest thing & resigned!! A gal just need to follow her heart, rite?...Anyway, I've been cooking up a storm in my kitchen & here's my latest creation...I just delivered a 'cake cuppies' ( read more to find out what this is..wink..wink.. ) this afternoon & I'm so happy over it!!

A birthday cake which was ordered by my good friend, RYSC...

An Aidil-Adha cake ordered by my friend, ZRZ...Believe it or not, d cake traveled all d way to Kelantan! Not fair as even I didn't get to travel that far for my raya...Sigh!

My Aidil-Adha gift to my Aunty & her family...A boxful of colorful mini cuppies! Sure hope they like it...

And my latest project was a 'cake cuppies' which was ordered by my Sissy - a nickname we called each other ;-)...Honestly, this is my first time making it but I sure had fun baking & decorating it...

Owhhh! Believe it or not that while baking the cake cuppies at 2am this morning, I went into a baking frenzy ( as usual!! ) & baked myself a marshmallow brownies!! Unfortunately, the aroma was too inviting that I cudn't help myself having it once it's out from the oven!! The marshmallows just melt in my mouth & it's super duper yummy!! I think this is d best brownies I've ever baked...Ha...ha..ha...The photo?...Errr! I was too bz eating it & licking my fingers that I totally forgot to snap d pix...Sorry! My bad!! Maybe next time, ehh...

Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity to convey my sincere gratitude to all my family & friends who supported me ever since I started "Ritz Passion"...Your vote of confidence by purchasing my 'comfort food' is greatly appreciated & I hope to give more good & yummy 'comfort food' in years to come. I already have a few ideas up my sleeves ;-)

No Guts, No Glory!

No guts, no glory! The exact motto I had to keep telling myself in order to 'master' this recipe...You see, this particular recipe is somehow so, so 'far fetched' for me ;-) For years I've been hearing stories on how getting a perfect outcome from this recipe is nearly impossible! It even stated that the way to judge a good cook is by how he/she makes this recipe. So, it's no mystery on why I keep delaying doing it...Just reading the technique of getting the dough right is enuff to discourage me!!

You might be wondering what recipe am I talking about ehh?....What could it be that I actually need to pep myself up into doing it...Scones, my favorite snack and to those who knows me well, they will tell you that it sits way up in my ranking of good food!!! The mere mention of scones is enuff to make me daydream of the idyllic sidewalk cafes in the midst of London town....Imagine sitting in one of those cafes, basking in the scenery while sipping on a cup of tea & snacking on some scones with jam & butter...What a perfect, perfect day that will be for me...Sigh!

Back to reality, let me tell you it is not easy to get the perfect scone...A good scone should be crumbly and light...I had always loved scones and yesterday, or shall I say this morning (?!!), I decided that I've succumbed to my fears long enuff already...Like an army heading for battle, I 'geared' up & knead my very 1st batch of scones - at 1:30am!!...I was unsure if my techniques are correct but heck, 'no guts, no glory', rite?...

I knead, cut my dough, brush it with milk & bake it...Que sera sera, what will be, will be....And 15 minutes later, here's the outcome...Owh! Thanks to my great friend, RYSC, now I get to share all my cooking photos instantly with all of you as I was given the greatest gift for my birthday - my own DSLR!! Thanks so much RYSC!! 

As for my scones, in my own personal opinion, the taste is good but I think I've over kneaded it as the texture is not as fluffy and crumbly as what I would like it to be...Another good excuse for me to try it the next time ;-)

As usual, I love to put my own twist in every recipe that I've tried and I already have tonnes of ideas for this particular recipe...For now, my newly baked scones is yummy enuff for me to have it with butter and jam at 3am!!!!

By the way, on another note, to those who would like to try one of the best scones, please head up to Cameron Highland and try the scones at Bala's Chalet (http://www.balaschalet.com/). It's a bit pricey but I guess the price is inclusive of the wonderful experience that you are going to enjoy  there - a quiet and cool little nook surrounded by beautiful trees & flowers...I've tried scones mostly everywhere & Bala's is my personal favorite!

Bon appetite!

Ritz Comfort Food

After years of baking & cooking for friends, I recently received a non-stop urging from family members & friends about posting details and photos of food that is available for them to purchase...I have to admit this request is a bit so nail-biting for me as I've only been baking & cooking for my own consumption all these while...These days, each time I meet up with my friends, they keep asking me the same old question - "when will I post the details?!!!" I simply can't run away from their 'chanting' any longer and so, to fulfill their request, here it is, an introduction to "Ritz Comfort Food"...

Carrot Cake With Walnut & Cream Cheese Toppings

As everyone who knows me, I HATE VEGETABLES!!!! When I first heard about carrot cakes, I simply rolled my eyes!! It was my late mum who practically insisted ( several...several times!! ) that I try it & since then I'm hooked!!! But the one I tried didn't have the frosting that I like, so over the years, I have created my own version of carrot cake & cream cheese toppings...And here it is - a dedication to my mum ;-)

Almond Brownies With Chocolate Toppings

To those who is as crazy about chocolate as I am, this is the food that I crave for especially during rainy days...Imagine having a very chocolaty & nutty brownies with a hot cup of coffee...Yummy!!!

Orange Poppy Seed Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm crazyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy over cupcakes but honestly, the one I usually purchase, somehow is always so plain...As usual, I decided to try make my own twist & I came up with this...It's something orangy & the frosting is a bit lemonish...I love having this when I'm feeling down...A real booster for me!

Moist Chocolate Chip Cupcakes With Chocolate Ganache & White Chocs Toppings

A real treat to those chocolate lovers - very very chocolaty indeed!!

Vanilla Corn Muffins

A light snack which I love to have while watching tv @ dvds...A light vanilla flavor muffin with corn pieces inside.

Rock Cookies

A crunchy chocolate base cookies. I baked this for my last Hari Raya & was a hit among family & friends...

Honey & Nuts Cornflake Cookies

My version of the normal honey cornflakes biscuit...

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My family's favorite...A crunchy chocolaty cookies packed with lots of chocolate chips & pecan nuts.

Chocolate Cornflake Cookies

Another one of my family's favorite & a 'must have' EACH Hari Raya!!

Apart from the above, I do other kinds of food such like fried @ frozen popia, unfortunately I do not have the photo of it :-(

Well, to those interested to know more, please feel free to drop me a note at the 'comment box' or you can contact me at 012-9251292...If I do not pick up your call, please leave a message @ sms me as I might be in the kitchen - baking :-)

Baking Madness!!

Dear oh dear! To those who's wondering where the heck I've been, my apologies for not updating my blog for quite some time...

Yup! I was 'attacked' & 'possessed' by the BAKING VIRUS!!! You just wouldn't believe the hours I practically spend with my one & only loyal oven...Luv it! Luv it!!!

I practically had to tear myself away from my oven today as I have been receiving lots of 'complaints' from friends & family for not updating my blog...Sorry guys for being off radar...

Well, to make it up to you ( actually as proof that I WAS really attacked by the baking virus!! Ha..ha..ha.. ), here are some photos for your pleasure...

Remember I told you about the birthday cake that I made for my dad?...I went for a 'child' concept thus the free-hand childish kind of writing on the cake...Ha...ha...ha...

Then I got into this own 'home-schooling' thingy on how to decorate cakes...So, seriously, those 'off radar' moment, I actually was bz practicing decorating cakes...Remember that basket-weave pattern I tried to learn? Here's the result after several batches of wasting icing...Ha..ha..ha...

Come to think of it, you should really thank your lucky stars for not seeing me during those time! What a sight!!! Me with my hands full of icing, trying to figure out which tip does what pattern...The mess I did on the table!! Thank god my house wasn't attacked by antssssssssssssssssss!! Here's the latest photo of my carrot cake...Believe it or not, I actually received orders for it ;-)

As for my latest project - cupcakes ( I call it cuppies )...My, I had lots of fun doing this!! Would you believe it if I tell you that I was soooooooooooooooo into doing this I didn't even realized that I actually burnt the night away 'playing' with my cuppies...Imagine, at 2:00 am I got the urge to make cuppies & by the time I finish 'playing', the sun was already up!!! I wanted to try something new, so I did this orange poppy seed with lemon cheese frosting on it...Since the cake are orangie, I opt for something lemonish for the toping...Result? I think the cuppies turns out yummy - a good combination between orange & lemon I might say.

And as I love to have varieties when it comes to food, I even made myself moist choc chip cuppies with choc ganache & white choc toppings....Ha...ha...ha...Sounds so fancy ehhh?!!

A funny story though, I actually gave some of my cuppies to this Aunty who sells the bakery items...She had been so helpful to me all this years & I thought what better way to say thank you than to give her something that I baked...Guess what I received in the end?....A non-stop thank you, a smile that just warms my heart & 2 bags of Oreo cookies!!! I was practically on cloud nine yesterday...

My boxful of cuppies...

Recently I was invited to one of my close friend's house. It was her hubby's birthday & since I do not know what to get for a birthday gift, I made brownies...Unfortunately, I totally forgot to snap a photo of it :-P I hope they like my gift...

Well, time to start another project - Oreo Cheesecake...Yup! Gonna use that 2 bags of Oreo to good use ;-)

I do have tonnes of stories which I saved in my draft box...Lots of things to update yet so little time to edit it! Hope to be able to post it soon...

Oppss!! My oven is calling me...Gotta go!