My new blog: For those who came here for the cake pop class, I've created a new blog with updates on classes and photos over at guiri in the kitchen



Sunday, February 15, 2009

I feel good!

After several months of absence, due to weather, procrastination...etc.. Je suis toujours plein d'excuses, I finally resumed my weekly hiking this morning with my mom (well, re-started was more like it). SS and Joseph joined us to... which was nice... the more the merrier :) We went to the small hill near Ketumbar Heights (needed something easy to warm up the old engine). First 10-15 minutes was hell...but after that I felt really good... ahhhh...

It is very encouraging to see a lot of really young faces during the hike today. Some were as young as 4-5 years old, perhaps there are even younger ones that I have not noticed. I guess there are still parents out there who realise the importance of outdoor activities instead of just occupying their kids with Playstation, Wii or even the infamous idiot box.

Well, anyway, I better pull my socks up! My second attempt to conquer Mt. Kinabalu isn't too far away. This time I have to make sure that I succeed (at the mercy of the weather of course).

*Update 29/2/2009 - Now already at the 3rd week and I'm still consistently doing it... hooray for me! :D

Friday, February 06, 2009

Somethin' Urby

Wall deco, anyone? Lyne recently teamed with her brother and set up Somethin' Urby, a creative company that helps transform your wall from a Plain Jane to Va-va-Voom. Having worked with Lyne for the past 2 years, I have no doubt that her creative juice would be an invaluable source to the success of this company.

Somethin' Urby wall decals basically stick to anything smooth and flat, be it a wall, a mirror, a door, even the refridgerator! The material is so thin that it looks almost flush to the surface it is placed on. You can easily peel it off without leaving any mark behind. How cool is that? I'm really looking forward to my first set of Urby decals. Will update with some photos when they are ready!

Thursday, February 05, 2009

White Chocolate-Lingonberry Cheesecake Bar

Everyone was back home for CNY, which also means it was a perfect time to bake a cake. Guinea pigs!!! Heee hee hee... Neither my sisters nor their bfs have tried my cheesecake before, so I decided to experiment with another recipe from Kraftfoods. I made some changes to the recipe to suit what I had in my fridge.

The result? I had lots of approvals, though it was possible that they were simply hungry after several rounds of rummy games.

Anyway, here's my own version improvised from the original recipe:

Ingredients

1 packet of Oreo cookies, finely crushed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 squares White Chocolate, divided
500gms (16oz) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup lingonberry jam (from IKEA)


HEAT oven to 350ºF. Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch square pan. Melt 2 chocolate squares in a microwave on High for 20-30 seconds.

BEAT cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 25 to 28 min. or until center is almost set. Cool 5 min.; spread with lingonberry jam (or any other preferred preserves. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over cheesecake. Cool cheesecake completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.

*Tip: It helps to line the pan with aluminium foil first for easy cake removal. Apart from acting as a handle, it makes cleaning easier too!

Monday, February 02, 2009

A New Toy!!!

Yeay! Me just got me self a new toy... the Lenovo Ideapad S10 :D Well... it's actually a gift from me hubby... 10Q veli muchie darling! *muaks*