J's 3rd Chinese New Year

It's the Lunar New Year again! In 2013, J was born and he celebrated his CNY as a new born, who then only knew how to drink milk and sleep. Last year, 21014, we didn't come back for new year, coz didn't get to grab cheap ticket. So we spent J's 2nd CNY at Genting. This year, 2015, we are back to Kuching again. Although J is 2 years old, he has spent 3 CNY, so, according to the Chinese Calendar, he's 3 years old. Well, it doesn't matter coz no matter how old he is, he is always my little boy.

Last minute pre cny shopping at The Spring

Family portrait before attending Cousin Issac's full moon dinner

J expressive face in the car

J at City One

J at one of Kuching landmark

J with Ivan gor gor

J with Joshayne didi

J first gamble

It was an enjoyable New Year as J starts to know everything. He explores, plays, grow and had lots of fun, especially with his Ivan gor gor. J even knows how to shake hand with people, take ang pow and signs gong xi gong xi. Isn't he a big boy now? I'm so touched :)

CNY 2015: 4th bake of the year, kek lapis Horlicks

Never in my life I think I will be able to bake a kek lapis. Since young, people around me has been telling me how hard it is to bake, how tedious and time consuming it is. That's why everyone would rather buy than to bake it themselves. The thing now is, I'm at a place where I do not know where to get nice kek lapis so I have no choice but to bake it myself. I googled and found that the traditional kek lapis require 30 egg yolks! Imagine what u gonna do with the 30 egg whites.... Then, I came across this recipe which only require 10 eggs. Thanks to Guai Shu shu blog. I didn't know if I should follow the original version or healthier version, so I came up with a half half version...

Ingredients:
200g superfine flour
230g Horlicks
120g icing sugar
350g butter
1 can condensed milk (390ml)
9 grade A eggs

Method:
1. Sift the flour and Horlicks, put aside
2. Cut the butter into cubes, add in sugar and cream till pale and creamy
3. Beat in eggs 1 by 1, making sure it's fully incorporated before adding another 1
4. Add condensed milk
5. Lastly add in the sifted flour and Horlicks and mix well
6. Preheat oven at 200 Celsius, set oven to top grill.
7. Prepare baking tin of 9'x9', layer with baking paper and grease the sides with butter
8. Preheat the baking tin for 1 minute
9. Pour in first layer (thicker), approximately 8 small ladle (my ladle size is like a bigger spoon)
10. Bake until slightly brown (about 7 minutes), remove from oven and flatten it and poke using tooth pick if there's any bubbles
11. Repeat the process until batter finishes (bake each layer about 5 minutes)
12. For the last layer, reduce temperature to 160 Celsius, top and bottom grill, for 8-10 minutes
13. Wait for the cake to cool down completely before cutting it

Note:
1. Recipe calls for flour, but I still have superfine flour so I used them, recipe too uses sugar but I have icing, so it'll end up the same
2. I've added Horlicks by 30g because i saw someone commented that the Horlicks smell is not strong enough. You can always use other flavor
3. Grease the side of the baking tin about 1-2cm and grease it repeatedly as it takes up to 1.5 hours to reach the top of the tin
4. Do spare at least 2 hours to make this cake, it is not hard but laborious
5. The cake tastes better after a night or two in the fridge, as the Horlicks small slowly infused into the cake and it won't taste as sweet as freshly baked

Butter cut into pieces

Condensed milk

Sift Horlicks and flour

Butter and sugar ready to mix

Piping hot lapis from oven

Horlicks lapis ready to cut

CNY 2015: 3rd bake of the year, Cornflakes mix in a cup

This is my 3rd bake for this CNY. Last week's bake, which was meant for CNY is all gone. Looks like I will have to bake again sometime next week so that I'm able to bring them back for my mother in law to try. Well, this week, I'm going to try something I've been wanting to try but lazy to do. Cornflakes mix in cup. I am not sure how to name it, so I'd just name is as how it looks like. Recipe as follow:

Ingredients
Honey 70g
Sugar 80g (I used brown sugar and will reduce as I find it too sweet)
Butter 90g
Almond strips 50g
Cornflakes 180g
Thousand island decorative sugar (to sprinkle)

Methods:
1. Mix honey, sugar and butter in a saucepan then melt them with low flame.
2. Pour in almond strips and cornflakes into the mixture
3. Mix them until all cornflakes are costed with the mixture. (I smashed the flakes while mixing)
4. Scoop out the mixture and put them into small paper cup
5. Sprinkle the decorative sugar (any type will do)
6. Bake at 160 Celsius for 7-9 minutes until cornflakes is golden brown

Note:
1. Remember to wait for the cornflakes to cool down before trying it because the sugar and honey is very hot and it will stick to your tongue causing injury
2. U can add in other nuts or raisins into the mixture for more variety
3. Pre heat oven before baking
4. You can change the amount of sugar and honey to your taste, likewise, you too can omit sugar and increase honey
5. You can lightly break the cornflakes before mixing, I choose to do it while mixing
6. Total time used to bake this is 30-40 minutes, so it is an easy bake. You can also ask your kids to help you with it, my son did it with me and he end up munching those cornflakes mixture before I'm able to bake them.

Baking in progress

Cooling it

Into the container they go

J running away after stealing my pre baked cornflakes mixture!

Jaevyn's 2nd birthday

J's 2 years old! I must first congratulate myself for giving birth to J, then congratulate myself again for taking care of him for 2 years. It is definitely not an easy job as a SAHM but it's worth it. Enough of congratulating myself, i must congratulate J for being the best son for the past 2 years, all the laughter and joy he has brought to us. I never fail to smile everyday despite how tired I've been. The sight of him takes all worries away.

We did not really celebrate his birthday coz he's still young and I don't think the money will be well spent. Wait till he's old enough then will let him celebrate the way he wants. We got him an ice cream cake coz he loves ice cream. It's RM48 for 750 grams. Chocolate flavor, bought at a cake shop near Wonderful, Alma. The ice cream tastes quite nice although not as delicious as Baskin Robbins', but hey, it's 50% cheaper than BRs'.

J posing with candle lit

J clapping hand while we sing him Birthday song

J cutting his cake 

J with mummy

J with daddy

One happy family

J is able to blow out his own candles! Isn't he a big boy now? He cuts his own cake, eat them by himself! 

No words can describe the happiness I feel now. Just by staying together, being there for each other is already heaven to me. If there's anything else I can ask for, it'll be more of these time for me. More of us being together, doing nothing, enjoying each other's company.

This is what FAMILY is. All sacrifices are well worth.