Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

Loving this song at the moment.

l

Me and my iPad

Yes I've joined the ranks of those disgusting people that has an iPad ! In fact I'm blogging from it right now. I must admit at first I wasn't that interested in it but what got me was when Apple announced that soon you can actually play Farmville on it. That was the clincher !

Since Apple has yet to launch it in Malaysia, hubby got a friend of his to buy it in US. It's pretty cool and can do most things a regular MacBook can do (except Flash related matters). The downside is that you need all these applications that needs to be purchased in order to do everything that would otherwise be free on a notebook. For example to blog with attached photos requires an app called Blogpress as the iPad version of Safari cannot upload photos. There are also lots of free apps but mostly they're games or lite editions of the paid apps.

Mine is the 3G version so we went to Maxis to get the micro sim card and a broadband account. Also I couldn't resist to have it engraved with my name when we saw that it was available at the Mybytes store in Tropicana City Mall. Soon I will also be busy accessorizing my iPad with various covers and cases but currently there's not much in the market as it's not officially here yet. So for now I have to be happy with this red patent leather case.

Can't wait for the Farmville app that's due to be out later this month and when that's available there'll be nothing that can part me and my iPad :P

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tie me kangaroo down mate !

Two weeks ago hubby and I packed our bags and headed down under for a well deserved break, for him of course as everyone knows I'm permanently on a break ! We were off to the Gold Coast, Australia's favourite holiday destination. The airfare was a steal as we had booked and paid for them more then 6 months ago when our favourite budget airline had one of their sales. Accommodation was at a one bedroom apartment in Broadbeach, at a place called Hi Ho Beach Apartments. True to its name, they were located just across the street from the beach and park.

Hi Ho Beach Apartments

The weather was perfect as it was sunny in the day and cool at night, certainly not what you'd think winter would be. The sky was so blue and the clouds were so white that it reminded me of the intro to the Simpsons.

Surfers Paradise

Blue skies and white fluffy clouds

This was our 3rd visit to GC so by now we've been to all the attractions available in this area. This visit was meant for lazy days doing nothing in particular and the day was spent doing whatever we fancied be it shopping, driving around taking photos, walking along the parks and beaches or watching TV in the apartment. Speaking of shopping, Australia was having their EOFYS (end of financial year sale) when we were there. To encourage spending the retailers had huge discounts for existing stocks. Stores like Myers & David Jones had minimum 30% discounts on everything. According to the news reports the best discounts were on ladies shoes, especially on those expensive designer shoes, some were even 60% off. Unfortunately Jimmy Choos and Louboutins were not available in GC :( However we did stock up on our Bonds undies.

After a few days of our arrival in GC, Apple launched the iPad in Australia. Of course hubby indulged in one, as no one knows for sure when they will be coming to our shores right ? Unfortunately for me at the moment it can't play Farmville but Apple has announced that soon a Farmville app will be released for the iPhone and the iPad .... yeay !!

As for food, I took the opportunity to indulge in many pavlovas, cakes, scones and ice creams while there. During one of the strolls along the Surfers Paradise night market I found an Elmo cupcake which I couldn't resist.

Elmo cupcake which was not only cute but also delish

The 13 days we were there flew by so fast and soon we were at our day of departure. As always we were sad to leave the lazy halcyon days to face reality at home but I guess too much of a good thing is not good either. Oh well there's always the next vacation to look forward too.

All in the Name of Vanity

Today I had an appointment with the lady that does my eyebrows. Over a couple of sessions she has expertly shaped my eyebrows into a natural looking arch to rival the clients of Anastasia Soare in Hollywood. All it requires is a little waxing and some plucking and you too can have beautiful eyebrows. Oh and it kinda hurts if you have a low pain threshold but I was told that the pain is minor if compared to treading.

I have now found another thing to obsess and spend money on. First it was the hair, then it was facials, after that came manicures & pedicures and now it's the eyebrows. I swear ladies as we get older there's more and more things to be maintained! Stuff that you never think about when you were younger, well I certainly didn't. Also when I was younger I wasn't able to indulge in all these treatments on my measly salary.

So when will it stop ? The constant grooming and preening and spending on stuff that men will never understand. Visits to the hair saloon every six weeks, monthly facials, fortnightly manicures and pedicures and now eyebrow shaping every 3 weeks. Will we ever get tired of it all and let it be au natural ? Probably not as only women can understand. The goal is not to defy the aging process but to age gracefully and expertly groomed ;)

Anyway it's a boost to my self esteem when other women see me and say "she's a bit chubby but she has beautiful hair/skin/nails/eyebrows"..... hahahaha.

For those interested :

Benefit Brow Bar

Parkson Suria KLCC

03 2164 2187

Awana Porto Malai Langkawi

This is the view from our room at Awana Porto Malai Langkawi. Not too shabby, the view not the room! The room itself has much to be desired which I shall not dwell on as I'm not paying for it. The problem with this place is that it's in the middle of no where and if you don't have a car you're basically stuck here with limited options for food (was told my the hotel staff that the cab fare to town was RM28 for a single journey). Oh there's no beach too ! If you're looking for sun, sand, sea and surf this ain't the place for you babe. Tomorrow I might make an attempt to go into Kuah, providing there's a taxi service in these parts.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device via Vodafone-Celcom Mobile.

Testing Mobile Blogging with Photos

I just wanted to test how this works, emailing with an attached photo.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device via Vodafone-Celcom Mobile.

Close but No Cigar

There you have it fans of American Idol, Big Mike got eliminated !!! Despite his powerful vocals (especially on this song) he got voted off and instead Casey with the so so voice got into top 3.

Does this elimination reflects the demographics of the voters for American Idol ? Young, white, teenage girls ? Or is it just the fact that Americans are still racists ? Out of 8 previous winners of American Idol only 2 are black and we all know how talented African Americans are when it comes to singing ...... sigh.

Fortunately this doesn't mean it's the end for Big Mike, as seen in past "losers" of AI that are more successful now then the winners. I know I won't be buying this year's Idol winner's CD whoever of the 3 it is but when Big Mike's album comes out I'll be the first in line ;)

Mobile Blogging

I've just discovered how to blog using my blackberry. How cool is that ??? Now I can immediately blog when on the move. You know just incase I think of something fantastic that I need to share when I'm not near a computer hehehe!

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device via Vodafone-Celcom Mobile.

Porto Romano

Today was our 12th Anniversary and we decided that we didn't want to do anything fancy and so we ended up having dinner at one of our favourite Italian restaurants, Porto Romano in TTDI. It's not a fancy place but it's quiet and initimate.

Bruschetta

For appetisers we had bruschetta which were lightly toasted ciabatta and tomatoes drizzled with olive oil. I always love bruschetta and the ones here were quite good.

Beef Carpaccio

Next we had beef carpaccio served with butterhead lettuce and some mustard. The beef here is sliced very thinly and served raw but you can't really tell when eating it. I wouldn't say that it was my favourite dish here but it was ok.

Spaghetti Porto Romano

For the mains I had Spaghetti Porto Romano which was seafood spaghetti in spicy tomato sauce. The serving was large and I couldn't finish everything but had most of the seafood which were calamari, prawns and clams.

Spaghetti Arabiatta

Hubby had spaghetti arrabiatta with added chicken breast as originally it came without.

Panna Cotta

For dessert we both had the same thing Panna Cotta, which is our favourite dish at this restaurant. Panna Cotta is a smooth vanilla pudding which is served with a coffee caramel like sauce and toasted walnuts. This is delicious and anyone dining here must leave space in their tummy for this !

Overall it was a great night and we came home with very full stomachs :)

Porto Romano

28, Persiaran Zaaba,

Taman Tun Dr. Ismail,

60000 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel/Fax : (603) 7710 0509

Lisa Fischer - How Can I Ease The Pain - Music Video

Do you remember this song ? If you do you're as old as I am !!!!! hahahahaha

I used to love this song, it was even nominated in the Grammys. I wonder what happened to Lisa Fischer.

Chanté Moore - Bitter

Chante Moore is a great singer that has some how gone beneath the radar of most R&B fans as she is not featured on MTV. I was introduced to her music by a friend in 1994 and has since been buying her CDs. This unfortunately has been quite difficult as most of the time they are not available in Malaysia.

Sheperds In Jackets

Sheperd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes

(recipe and photo from www.rachelrayshow.com)

I was watching the Rachel Ray Show this morning and saw her cooking this dish. It looked interesting and delicious.

Ingredients

4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Salt

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped, divided

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 pound ground sirloin or ground turkey

1/2 pound button quartered

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups beef stock

2 tablespoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, for sprinkling on top

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400oF. On a baking sheet, toss the potatoes with a hearty drizzle EVOO and some salt. Bake in the oven until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool. Turn the off oven and pre-heat the broiler.

2. While the potatoes are cooling, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the bell pepper and half of the onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, then cook until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl.

3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice lengthwise off of the top to expose the inside. Scoop out the potato flesh, taking care not to pierce the wall of the potato, and transfer to the bowl with the veggies (reserve the potato shells). Add the sour cream and paprika to the bowl and mash. Reserve warm.

4. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the ground sirloin or ground turkey to the pan and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to turn golden brown, 4-5 minutes.

5. Add the remaining onion and garlic to the pan and cook until all the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes more. Push all of the ingredients to the edge of the pan and add the butter to the skillet. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock, mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes.

6. Fill the potato shells with the beef and mushroom mixture, then top each of them with the reserved mashed potatoes. Transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cheese. Pop the potatoes under the broiler until the cheese is melted and tops are golden brown.

Fourplay feat. Chaka Khan "Between The Sheets"

This is a great song originally by the Isley Brothers and this version is even better with Fourplay and Chaka Khan .

Las Vacas

Today I had the most fantastic steak at this little restaurant in Kelana Jaya called Las Vacas. Actually it's not even a restaurant but rather a butcher's shop that also does dine in for their customers. What you do is pick out the steak from the butchery and they will cook it for you. It's nothing fancy just the steak served with a salad and a slice of ciabatta garlic bread. No gravy, no sauce and no potatoes. The steaks were of such good quality that you didn't need the other stuff. It literally melted in your mouth. They even had wagyu steaks at a fraction of the price you'd pay in Prime, hubby had a rather large one for only RM136. The owner recommended that I try the grain fed ribeye and it was so so good. To me it tasted better then the wagyu and only cost RM45 (well it was a smaller piece).

If you're a steak lover, this place is a must try. The owner mentioned that they were going to open another branch in Mont Kiara .... yeay nearer home !

Las Vacas Meat Shop

No.23, Jalan SS 5A/11, Kelana Jaya

47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Tel: 03 78740711 Fax: 03 78740655

closed on Mondays

London Calling

It's been a while since I last bloged, put it down to sheer laziness !

Last February I paid a visit to one of my favourite cities in the world, London. Actually my last visit was April 2009 but I never get tired of London as it's full of memories of my time as a student there. Yea I know it's often cold, rainy and miserable but somehow being in London brings back the good times of when I was young and carefree.

Fortunately London Bridge did not fall down !

Being February it was of course freezing but that didn't stop me from making my way to Oxford Street everyday for the obligatory window shopping ! For the days when the weather was extra horrible, Westfield at Shepard's Bush was the answer.

Somewhere near the London Eye where the que was endless

This time we were there for two weeks and because there were many of us we decided to stay in a short lease apartment. The apartment was in a great location, Lancaster Gate and it was literally 30 steps to the tube station. Great or what ! It was also right in front of Hyde Park not that we went there alot. I think throughout the stay I went across once.

Fountain House

A walk in Hyde Park

We also went to Oxford and it was even colder then London. We stayed in a B&B which was so so. Of course no visit to Oxford would be complete without going to Bicester Village the outlet centre. It's not as big as the outlets in US but I just loved all the European brands available there. Celine, Tods, Burberry, Furla, Jimmy Choo, Ferragamo, Dior, Anya Hindmarch, Gucci ... you name it !

Total damage done was only a bag from Celine & Tods, while hubby got himself a Tumi computer bag.

Can't remember the name of the B&B

Bicester Village the "before" picture, after that I was too busy to pose :P

After Oxford the shopping continued in London where I got myself another Mulberry bag at Selfridges. Visted Harrods once to have the fantastic ice cream and encountered a celebrity. It was Brian May of Queen and he was looking at a Versace handbag with a lady friend (well maybe it was his daughter).

Mango Swirl Cheesecake

Mango Swirl Cheesecake

(recipe from www.kraft.com.au)

For the base:

1 1/4 cups digestive biscuit crumbs

80g melted butter

For the filling:

500g Philadephia cream cheese soften

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

3 teaspoons gelatine dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup cream lightly whipped

2 large mangoes chopped

1. Combine biscuit crumbs and butter and press into the base of a greased 22cm springform pan.

2. Beat the Philly* and sugar using an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the lemon juice, rind and gelatine mixture until well combined. Fold in the cream and 3/4 of the mango.

3. Pour mixture over prepared base. Puree remaining mango, drizzle over the cheesecake, then using the tip of a knife gently swirl into the cheesecake. Refrigerate 3 hours or until set.

Orchids

These are my current favourite things, beautiful orchids in bloom. The best thing about them are that they're indoor plants with minimal maintainance. They only need watering once a week which is perfect for a lazy bum like me. They are suppose to stay in bloom for about 6 weeks but we shall see. Well at least I'm attempting to plant something other than the stuff in Farmville! Anyways once the orchids wilt and die, I shall get new ones :)

I love them as they add colour to our living room. Can't wait to add more to the collection, maybe some white ones next. It's simple things like this that makes living in the tropics so worth the heat.

Tomato Chicken Stew

Tomato Chicken Stew a.k.a. Ayam Masak Merah

(recipe from Malaysian Women's Weekly and photo from www.pixieate.blogspot.com)

This is my favourite recipe for ayam masak merah, delicious served with tomato rice. Will post my own photo for this recipe soon.

1 kg Chicken chopped into 5cm pieces

Pinch of salt and turmeric powder

½ cup of oil for shallow frying

2 onions sliced

1 small can tomato puree

2 large tomatoes quartered

1 tbsp salt or to taste

1 tbsp sugar

Spices (ground finely)

10 shallots

5 cloves garlic

7-10 red chilies, seeded

1 lemongrass, plump white portion only

3 cm knob of ginger

1. Rub chicken with salt and turmeric powder and shallow fry in batches

2. In remaining oil, stir fry ground spices until fragrant and oil separates

3. Add onions and stir-fry until soft. Stir in tomato puree and bring to boil

4. Add chicken and mix. Pour water to cover chicken by three quarters (about 2 cups). Bring to a boil

5. Reduce fire to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chicken is tender and gravy is thick. Season to taste with salt and sugar.

Curry Mee

Curry Mee

(recipe from www.rasamalaysia.com)

I've actually tried this recipe and it's good. Even my father who is not fond of curry mee liked it.

Ingredients:

600g shelled cockles/bloody clams (optional)

500g prawns, steamed and shelled; use the heads to sweeten the stock by liquidising them with 500ml water

3 to 4 pieces soaked cuttlefish heads

200g fried soya bean cubes/tow pok (halved or quartered)

300g shredded, cooked chicken meat

500g blanched bean sprouts

600g blanched yellow noodles

300g blanched vermicelli/rice sticks

1kg grated coconut, mixed with 4 litres water and squeezed for the coconut milk to be used as main stock

Seasoning:

4 tbsp salt or to taste

1 1/2 tbsp rock sugar

1/2 tbsp MSG (optional)

Spices (finely ground):

100g shallots

25g garlic

3 tbsp coriander seeds

4 tbsp chilli paste

2 tbsp sliced lemon grass

10 peppercorns

1/2 tbsp belacan granules

Chili oil:

110g chili paste

25g garlic, pounded

175ml to 200ml oil

Method:

Heat 1/2 cup oil to saute the spices till fragrant. Add in salt, rock sugar and 500ml general santan and bring to a low boil till sugar dissolves. Add in the rest of the coconut milk and tow pok. When soup comes to a boil, add prawn stock and seasoning, then bring to just boiling point. Remove from fire and use stock as a soup for the yellow noodles and vermicelli. (Should the gravy or stock curdle, strain it.)

For the chili oil: Saute garlic and chili paste in oil until the chili disintegrates and oil floats to the surface. (Use this to garnish when serving.)

Tom Yam Goong

Tom Yam Goong

(recipe from www.rasamalaysia.com)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups shrimp stock


10-12 shrimp or 8 oz (head-on and shell-on but chop the eyes part off. Devein if you wish)


3 tablespoons lime juice


6 bird’s eyes chilies (pounded)


3 slices galangal


6 kaffir lime leaves (bruised)


2 tablespoons nam prik pao (Thai roasted chili paste)


2 teaspoons fish sauce or to taste


1 stalk lemongrass (use the white part only, pounded with a cleaver)


6 canned straw mushrooms / fresh oyster mushrooms / fresh or canned button mushrooms

Method:

In a pot, bring 3 cups of water to boil. Then add a big handful of shrimp/prawn heads. Boil the shrimp head until the water turns slightly orange in color. Press the shrimp heads with spatula to extract the “goodies” from their heads. Let the stock reduce to slightly more than 2 1/2 cups. Drain the shrimp stock and discard the shrimp heads.

Add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, bird’s eye chilies, mushrooms, nam prik bao to the shrimp stock and bring it to boil. Add in the shrimp and fish sauce. Lastly, add the lime juice (if you add lime juice too early, the soup might turn bitter). Boil until the shrimps are cooked, dish out and serve hot.

Daging Hitam

Daging Hitam

(recipe from of www.friedchilies.com)

Ingredients:

1 kg beef (sliced against the grain)

500g shallots

345ml bottle sweet soy sauce

20 dried chillies

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin

4 tbs of oil

Method:

Slice shallots into slivers.

Marinade beef in sweet soy sauce for at least 2 hours.

Wash chillies and blend it with a little bit of water until it becomes a paste .

Dry fry the cumin and coriander seeds so it becomes fragrant.

Heat oil in wok and fry your shallots until soft. Lift it out before it becomes too crunchy.

In the same oil fry chilli paste until fragrant. Then add in spices and marinated beef.

Cook beef for about half an hour until it softens. You can add in a little salt if needed.

Add back the soft-fried onions and mix it well.

Allow to simmer for about an hour.

Results:

After about an hour, the beef gravy will be black from the initial dark chocolate colour.

Scatter some crispy fried onions on top for a little bit of crunch.

The beef should be soft and tastes wonderful, naturally sweet from the onions balanced by the savouriness of the soy.

What I'm Reading

I started reading all these books and have yet to finish one of them. I also have another 2 books that I've recently bought and have yet to read.

Looks like I'm gonna finish the Marian Keyes book first as it's very entertaining and funny. She's one of my favourite authors and I always buy the hardcovers because I'm always dying to read her latest books. If anybody is a fan of Marian Keyes let me know, I have all her books .

The Time Traveller's Wife is very long and not that entertaining but I must finish reading it before I watch the movie.

The Associate is the usual John Grisham. I will probably finish it last.

One of the books that I recently purchase is this one by Cecelia Ahern. She is also a favourite author of mine. I think I'll probably start on this book after I finish the Marian Keyes' one.

Recently I discovered Jodi Picoult, it started when I saw my niece reading My Sister's Keeper. I went out and bought it the next day and finsihed reading it in 2 days. I'm ashamed to say I cried through out the whole book. Later I watched the movie while on the long flight to Los Angeles and yes I cried again while watching the movie! The movie was great and adapted the book very closely except for the ending where it was totally different.

Mysore Chicken

I saw this recipe in the Star and tried it. It tasted pretty good and delicious served with Chapatti.

Ingredients:

5 tbsp cooking oil

500g chicken cut into pieces

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 1/2 cm cinnamon stick

3 cloves

4 cardamoms

1 star anise

2 sprigs curry leaves

1 1/2 tsp garlic pounded

2 big onions, sliced

2 tbsp curry powder mix with 3 tbsp water

125 ml water

1 red chili seeded and cut into squares

1 green chili seeded and cut into squares

Mix together :

6 tbsp tomato sauce

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp light soya sauce

pinch chicken granules

pinch pepper

Method:

1. Heat oil and fry mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise and curry leaves

2. Add garlic, fry till fragrant and add onions and curry paste

3. When fragrant add chicken. Fry for a few minutes. Add mixed sauces into pot together with water.

4. Cook till chicken is tender and the sauce is thick. Add chillies and leave for 2 minutes. Dish out and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Chicago the windy city

Been travelling again , this time to the great US of A. Chicago more specifically, land of Obama. Hated the travelling but once there it was great. Went shopping at the outlet mall the second day we were there and I spent money at the Ferragamo outlet. It was relatively cheap, well at least cheaper that Asia!

Since this is my second visit to Chicago so didn't do the tourist thing as did it last year. Most of the time I was on the Magnificient Mile a.k.a. the shopping mile ! Must have lost some weight as I walked at least two miles a day window and actual shopping. In total I bought 10 Coach bags but alas only two were mine. My best buy of the trip was my Ferragamo ballerina slippers, love it.

Best part of the trip was my visit to Harpo Studios home of The Oprah Winfrey Show and a visit to the Oprah Shop of course. Wish I could have been an audience of the show but no luck this time.

Well now I'm back to the normal routine and to face the credit card bill.

Next trip, Melbourne and Jaipur !

The Great Malaysian Sale

Lately I've been shopping more than usual due to the sales. It started off being just a pair of comfortable trousers from MNG recommended by Dura then it went to another pair of trousers from British India that were 50% off. Then came the tops at MNG, Gap, M&S and Zara ! I'm running out of space and now need to get rid of stuff that's just lying there.

Now I want an Ed Hardy T shirt ! Maybe I can get the hubs to get me one when he's in Seattle next month.

Fit Flops

I got myself a pair of Fitflops , yes the supposedly gym in a shoe flip flops.  Aren't they cute ???

I don't know if it will actually make my legs toned or my bum smaller but I just love the bling !

Comfort vs Style ?

Been busy lately , weekends away and all so didn't think to blog. Was in Port Dickson one weekend and Sabah the next so am now longing for a quiet weekend at home. Nothing particularly exciting happening and no forecast of travelling abroad to be excited for.

Learnt a new revelation from a good friend recently . My friend is one of the funniest person that I know (apart from dearest) and being around her is always a joy. She told me she's tired of wearing too tight clothes and too high heels. Comfort is the key word here, style is secondary (well girls must be girls right!) It's ok to be fat and eat whatever you want as long as you're healthy. Why should you be miserable in order to be seen as stylish ? It's all material and external isn't it ? 

To me life is too short to care about what people think about the external material you. What matters is what lies in your heart and how you treat others. The latest 2.55 Chanel doesn't make you a kind person and a pair of red soled Louboutins doesn't bring you love from those who matter. 

Our favourite saying ? Let it all hang out ...... ;)

Awesome Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is not a my favourite cake but this recipe is great. The cake is moist and delicious due to the pineapple bits inside. Try it out it's really easy and you won't even need a mixer.

3 cups grated carrot

2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 tsp bicarbonate soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs (grade B/medium sized)

1 1/2 cup corn oil

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 175 C . Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan or 2 round pans.

2. In a large bowl combine grated carrots, flour, sugar, bicarbonate soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon

3. Stir in eggs, oil, vanilla, pineapple and walnuts.

4. Spooned into pans

5. Bake cake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/3 cup icing sugar

250g cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

1 1/4 vanilla extract

In a bowl combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

My first ever blog

At first I turned up my nose at blogging. To me it felt too much like writing in that little diary you had when you were ten years old. Yes ladies you know the one, it had hearts on the cover and a tiny lock and keys. It was only when I had the task of developing a commercial blog for ChanktekGifts's spin off that I really discovered the world of blogging. 

Honestly the main reason why I decided to blog was because of the cute and adorable layouts and backgrounds available free on the web. I also decided that a blog was a convenient location to store my recipes and wish lists online which I could share with my friends. 

Anyways I've always been an aspiring writer of novels so I guess this is the first step. Enjoy !