Biskut Cornflakes Madu

Seriously, this is the easiest biskut Raya to make, but yet the most addictive. Nama jer biskut Raya, tapi usually tak sempat Raya pun dah habis. *chuckles*

It's also Hubby's favourite, tapi I usually terjebak sekali; sometimes munching up to 10 pieces in one go. Especially dangerous when eating in front of the TV - you won't realize that your hand is reaching for yet another cos your eyes are glued to the screen. Such an insidious diet breaker! *sigh*

The kids helped make a mess too!

Muka tak bersalah kacau Mummy buat kerja.

Before I start, let me give you some friendly advise. Invest in the proper Kellogg's Cornflakes instead of the Nestle ones, what more the cheaper ones typically sold at baking shops. Also, if you want to reduce the sweetness, reduce the sugar instead of the honey. If you do not add sufficient honey, the cornflakes will not bind.

Oh, and if you're planning to come to my house for Eid, this is the only homemade biskut Raya that I will serve... biskut lain semua biskut tunjuk yer! *grins* Anddddd here's the recipe:

Biskut Cornflakes Madu (Honey Cornflakes)

5 tbspn honey
50 gm caster sugar (reduced from 100 gm)
150 gm butter
250 gm Kellogg's Cornflakes
Almonds or coloured sprinkles/beads (I chose almonds)

• Combine the honey, sugar and butter into a pan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. 
• Add the cornflakes and almonds into the melted mixture. Mix thoroughly until the cornflakes is coated evenly.
• Ask your kids to spoon the cornflakes into individual mini baking cups or cases.
• Top the cornflakes with coloured sprinkles or any topping of your choice (if using).
• Bake at 175degC for ten minutes.
• The cornflakes will bind together after cooling off. Store in an air-tight container to maintain its irresistible crunchiness!

Before it goes into the oven.

Easy peasy! So that's one biskut Raya done, and many more to do buy! As always, happy baking! :)

One Week Down!

In just a blink of an eye, we're done with a week of Ramadhan. One week down, three to go!

It is pretty quiet in the office. Surprisingly, I am not swamped with work, which is great because that means I can join my colleagues for their lunch escapades; visiting bazaars at various shopping malls, cuci mata with all the pretty baju raya, accessories, tudung, shoes yada yada. OMG but it's not easy to tahan nafsu! I kept telling myself not to shop, especially since my flight out for my business trip will be on the 3rd day of Eid. I managed to convince Hubby to make it a family trip so InsyaAllah it will be Ian's first trip to Disneyland. (We literally bought tickets just five days ago. If I have to spend Eid away from the family, I might as well bring them along!) But that also means that by the time we come home it will be the third week of Syawal. Nak buat ape baju raya banyak banyak??!! 

Anyway, how was your weekend? I spent Saturday buying Ducks (not the literal kind) in the morning, and in the afternoon we headed for KL for our first iftar buffet. We had a good time at Grand Hyatt KL; food was good especially since they had a pasta station which was a major game changer for Aiden (he turned down Impiana Hotel's durians in favour of Grand Hyatt's pasta). His favourite? Carbonara.

Grand Hyatt!

But in all honestly, our tummies are no longer programmed to have that much food in one sitting. When we first started eating, I was so confident that I could sample everything. Wrong. I was stuffed just after two rounds. On the third round I started with desserts, but itu pun dah macam nak muntah because I was so full. Then it occurred to me that I hadn't tried their famous nasi ayam, so Hubby and I made a pact to share it. I think we managed like two small bites? *sigh* Reminder to self, next year don't splurge unnecessarily on Ramadhan buffets.

Sunday morning rolled in, and we spent it by having a Raya photo shoot! It was a blessing in disguise that I decided that my store-bought kurung would be my official outfit for Eid, hence we were all dressed up in coordinated colours during the session. Kalau nak tunggu baju from tailor, confirm at least two more weeks baru siap. We got such great photos during the photo shoot - Aiden was understandably, already a pro at posing... but Ian surprised us all but cooperating too! Nanti gambar ready, I'll share, okay!

We allocated the afternoon for research on our impending trip to Europe. Finally booked hotels, trains and tickets to Disneyland, so the tough part of the journey is done. Need to start packing though, my helper is leaving in less than a week so my aim is to be done with both Raya packing and Europe packing before she leaves.

Disneyland, here we come!

Yesterday during lunch, I managed to visit Seloka Raya at Publika. Rambang mata! Since I can't buy, I'm sharing my top picks so we can salivate together *giggles*

I'm quite into batik but I just can't handle the price!!!

Love this kebaya flair paired with a batik kain. I especially like the red top contrast with the turquoise kain.

Mokara top, modern butang baju Melayu, and I've been eyeing the Naelofar sejadah for a few weeks now. Ah dugaan...

Till my next post! Ciao! *smiles*

An Empty Nest

If you watched my Insta-stories last night, you probably understand why I'm feeling lonely.

My two boys decided that they were going to do a sleepover at their grandparents' house. Aiden, I'm not surprised. Occasionally we would allow him to sleepover, provided that it's not a school night. Ian on the other hand, NEVER wants to sleep away from home. Even when Hubby and I were away for our 10th Anniversary Europe trip, Ian would only sleep at my in-laws' when accompanied by my helper.

But this time around, it was different! When Aiden requested to go to my in-laws', I told him he could go after he was done with his public speaking, tuition and mengaji classes. Hence we packed his bag and made plans for my SIL to pick him up last night. However, as soon as Aiden said goodbye to Ian, he insisted on following too!

I was soooooo not ready for it. We tried to pujuk him, but he insisted. He wanted "to make karipap" at his grandparents' house. I asked him whether he wanted to sleep with me (he's always asking to sleep with me ever since we moved them to their own room) but surprisingly he said no. I even claimed that we were going to sleep at a hotel, but he did not sway one single bit. In the end we played dirty by telling him that he needed to pack his clothes so my helper brought him into the house while I waved my SILs goodbye. (He exclaimed "Wait for me!" before disappearing into the house.)

He came out with a handful of clothes that he had actually handpicked himself (according to my maid). Upon discovering that they had left him behind, he got extremely upset. And I mean extremely! I've never seen him cry in sadness before, so it was quite unnerving to see him wail pitifully that way. In the end I relented and called my SILs to pusing balik and pick him up. As soon as they arrived, he face lighted up and he started packing his toys in a bag. He even stuffed in some drawings that he had drawn earlier and said, "Later Datuk want to see!" *sigh*

I don't think Datuk wants to see those scribbles of yours, Ian!

Cucu tauke karipap, hard at work! *chuckles*

Ian and friends, at his first unaccompanied sleepover.

So he's having the time of his life, but I on the other hand, am feeling so lonely at home. There is this horrid physical ache in my heart that can only be cured by watching videos of the boys on my phone. The house is so quiet without them fighting, shouting or climbing on each other! Even my helper is sad... She actually asked for me to bring Ian home today. (Dia jaga Ian since he was born, so she has quite the bond with him.) For the first time, Hubby and I buka puasa berdua jer. We actually ended up talking about the kids during dinner! Balik from terawih pun, senyap jer rumah... So hollow and empty. Tidur pun awal, since we didn't have to wait for the kids to sleep before we tiptoed into our room.

I've made up my mind, I'm taking my kids home tomorrow. I miss them tremendously. This empty nest business is no fun.

Salam Ramadhan

Salam Ramadhan everyone!

Alhamdulillah, today is the 4th day of Ramadhan and it is going smoothly without a hitch. So far, so good. This is Aiden's 2nd attempt at puasa penuh (he did so well last year!) so I hope this year he'll nail it again.

We spent our first day of Ramadhan at Jakel Shah Alam and then Jalan TAR in KL. Hubby and I couldn't decide on a colour for the first day of Eid - grey vs dusty blue. We finally settled for the latter, so for the first time in a longggggg time, my 1st Eid outfit will be a simple store bought dusty blue kurung (versus a tailored triple lace grey modern kurung which has been relegated as a second day outfit). The entire experience was very challenging (and tiring!) for Aiden but he behaved well after I promised to buy him a 'fidget spinner' at the end of the day. After we found everyone's baju melayu, sampin and songkok, it was finally my turn to shop. I needed to find some anak tudung and magnetic pins. Just my luck, it started pouring cats and dogs. We decided to continue to the USJ Bazaar Ramadhan and then to our final destination; our first iftar at my in-laws' place.

In the end, I bought my anak tudung online - Naelofar's Warda inners are the best! Although I am salivating over the Duck inners... *sigh* And I really need to make a stop at KLCC to get Arzu magnetic pins... I read somewhere that their magnets are really strong...

As for my baju raya... I went quite overboard on Zalora. In the end, I managed to convince myself to return most of them. Especially since I have three outfits at the tailor (I completely forgot that I sent all my Sari material that I bought in India) and also because........ my boss told me that I will be flying for a business trip on the 3rd day of Eid, and away for two weeks! *cries* I digress...

The second day of Ramadhan was very laid back. Aiden and Ian had just recovered from a nasty fever/flu combo, so naturally poor Hubby and I were the next in line to be infected. Thanks to Cetrizine, right after sahur and Subuh we knocked off until mid-day! After Zohor, we went to the Shah Alam Bazaar Ramadhan, and three separate stores for groceries. Why three? Because none of the three had any squid nor tempe... the entire Klang Valley makan sotong goreng tempe agaknya? Nasib baik ade sikit lagi sotong in the fridge so we still managed to fulfill Aiden's request for salted egg squid for iftar. My in-laws' visited us for iftar too, so we had quite a spread that night! I also made some creme brulee for dessert - recipe here!

Aiden wanted to try caramelizing the sugar on his own creme brulee.

The spread for 2nd Ramadhan. Can you spot Aiden's favourite sotong telur masin?

The third day of Ramadhan (yesterday) was a working day. I signed Aiden up for a public speaking workshop, so I dropped him off before heading to the office. During lunch, my colleagues and I went to BSC to visit Hidaya International's booth (Neelofa's favourite jubah). Nak pengsan tengok the price... I just splurged on a pair of Ferragamo heels so lupakan sajalah niat nak shopping! Need to save for the Eid Duck too! *sobs*

After work, I fetched Aiden from his public speaking workshop. I am so glad I decided to send him to the two-day class! In the car, he animatedly recited his 'story' that he was going to present the next day (today)! He made so many new friends, and fasting didn't reduce his energy one bit. He even politely declined a biscuit that his friend offered to him! *so proud* Yesterday he practiced long and hard for his session today, and as I am typing this, he is in class, practicing for the parents' presentation, due to start in just under an hour. Johan Speaking Academy, thank you for such a wonderful program! You certainly boosted Aiden's communication confidence! *smiles*

So proud of my boy!

Anyway, before I run off to watch Aiden speak, I would like to wish my Muslim readers happy fasting. May we appreciate and make the most out of this blessed holy month. To my non-muslim readers, enjoy the scrumptious food at the bazaar Ramadhan. It's a once a year affair, so enjoy it while it's here!