How to bake a carrot cake for dummies

Baking carrot cake is really simple, and it gets easier if you are really hungry and hankering for one.

This is a no-fail recipe, taken from my mother in-law's cookbook.

For those who never could bake, this..is THE carrot cake recipe for you!

WARNING :
This recipe makes a HUGE cake (picture below). I usually use half of the ingredients and it makes a medium-sized cake.

Numero uno, kitchen appliances, must-haves:

1) standard measuring cups (preferably plastics , because they are just cheaper). Mine is not this nice, mine is just white, and i was too lazy to take a picture of measuring cups!

measuring cups

2) a mixer and a big bowl
This is my mixer! love it. Sunbeam.. and since its just hand-held its kinda cheap..compared to the one with the bowl attached.

mixer

3) A convection oven. Or a microwave with a convection oven. Whatever. Just don't microwave  the batter ok?

So, lets get to work ! Now, get your shopping baskets and get ready to shop for ingredients.

FOR CAKE:

2 cups all - purpose (plain) flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

That is what shredded carrot looks like

4 cups finely shredded carrot
1 cup cooking oil
4 eggs

Optional:
can add 1/2 cup raisins or chopped nuts, if you want.

1) In a bowl, combine everything and beat with electric mixer.

Just throw everything in there and brrrrrrr

2) Pour into greased pan (ie. a pan which you grease with butter all over)
3) Preheat oven to 180 degrees  and bake for 35 minutes til a toothpick inserted near the centres come out clean.

Philly cream cheese

4) Remove cake from pan.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 of 3- ounce packages cream cheese
(If you use this type of cheese, just use the whole packet. Or if u want to be exact, use 3/4)

1/2 cup softened butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
4- 4 1/2 cups icing sugar (sifted)

1) In a bowl beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla til light and fluffy
2) Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating well.
3) Add in enough remaining sugar gradually to make frosting the right consistency.
4) Cover the cake with the topping you made.

Ta - da!

Happy 27th Birthday to my husband, Afif : )

'Selamat mencuba !! ' :)

Whatever will be, will be :D

Ever woke up one day and suddenly realised,

It's another year, and it feels like just a day. Another birthday, another wrinkle. Did I do all the things I promised to do at the midnight of the new year? 

me birthday

Well, since my birthday is catching up, lets review a list that I did wayy back in 2008 right in this blog, titled, "things to do before I turn 25."  (refer here)

1. NOT get married.  - haha. this one's a sucker. How would I know.

2. Finish med school.  - yeay!! So happy to say that I didn't have to repeat any year of my med school (thank god).. And I'll be done in 2 weeks! Can you believe it? Neither can I! Please start calling me doc Irma okay after this. hahaha just kidding.

3. Ride rollercoasters with my eyes open all the time - Yes! One time!!! Wohoo!

4.Bungee jump - Nope. Not yet. Never. I learned last year that it could cause retinal detachment! And also, yeah, you could die if the rope snaps. I'm scared of heights. Why is this on the list again?

 5.Travel to a foreign country with friends - I cheated on this one. Went to Australia with my husband. :P

me husband afif

6, 7 : Yes, yes.  and 8, 9, 10, 11 : No No No. 14, 15: I'll figure out one day <3

12. Make my own icecream 
I have two months to my birthday, so I can still make it, hopefully
p/s : I just found the ice cream recipe (without using icecream maker) here !
For those who are interested, lets make em together ! :D

13 . have a peek at the stars thru a telescope
Such a beautiful thought. I really should do this.
I know there is one planetarium at Uni of South Australia (UniSA)!  I'm not sure if they have a telescope (or is it a common knowledge that a planetarium has a telescope ? -- i have no idea. But I'll definitely call them up and see.

taken at brighton beach

So.  
I completed only a quater of this list.
But I'm not disappointed at all, because while I didn't do things that I thought it was important for me 3 years ago, I did some pretty amazing things (and also non-amazing things) that are not on the list.

Reflecting back, I think writing a to- do list is like planning a trip on a tiny raft with a sail on a windy day. You generally know where the wind is blowing on the start of the trip, but have no idea where is it taking you.

I'll definitely write another list again in the future.

Would you? :)

Lorong Titiwangsa 9, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, KL. 1992

How you going?

"Hey !
How u guys going? "
Its how Australians greet you whenever you come into shops.
First few days here, I was quite stupefied. What the? How am I going?

Should the answers be:
A. Got here by car
B. Not going anywhere
C. Can u please repeat the question, I didnt get you.
D. Hi ...?

So for quite sometime, my answer was D.
Further observations for the past months found that the correct way was something like either : "I'm good, How you going." OR "Not too bad myself, How you going. "
Oh well. There should be a handbook somewhere.

Anyway. Why am i talking about this.
Just to update that..I sat my IELTS exam last Saturday!! Wehoooo.
I promised myself I wouldn't freak out but I did.

I'm Yours

Procrastinators, Unite! Tomorrow.....

Hi guys. How are you? Wherever you are, hope it is a wonderful day out there.

Anway, today is Friday, and tomorrow is my IELTS exam day !!! I'm so freaked out...!!!

 And it didn't help that for the past month I haven't been doing much to rectify the problem. Which brings to the next question: Why didn't I? Which brings us to ..

            "the procrastination theory"


I have always been a firm believer that when you procrastinate to do something, there must be a reason behind it. Usually, its because, you-don't-want-to-do-it, but-you-have-to-do-it. (d-oh!) Yeah, but why?

Five years ago, I had a major procrastination going on.

It was when I was doing my A-Levels. I was good at my subjects, have super wonderful friends, the upmost amazing teachers, but one day I just felt that something was off.  Just off. Interest just flew out of the window. I felt like I want to deliberately fail my A Levels.

Its strange. It baffles me. Then it dawned on me that I didn't want to go to India. Not because I'm scared, just because I didn't want to. U get the point right?

So here I am again, procrastinating again, in fact has been procrastinating for the past month. I think it has to do with the probability of me passing the requirement. If I fail to meet the requirement, I'd happily happily go back to Malaysia ! On the contrary, if I pass, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital will give me a job. The job offer will arrive at my doorstep. And I'd get a major headache.

And some of you might be saying: If you don't want to work there, then why are you taking the test? Well, this smartypants didn't know what she wanted a month ago. And since this smartypants can't get her money  back, she might as well sit for the exam.

Anyway, lets not think about the big grey cloud behind all the conspiracy going on in this world. Lets just shoo it outside, bring the sunshine in, and take a big canvas paper, and write :

Dear Irma, you are taking this test just because. That is all. Nothing more. 


Hopefully I will able to get something done tomorrow. Please pray for me.
And make my husband's AUD330 worth it.
Gosh.

Wishing my life away...

Good morning! Its such a wonderful day here in Adelaide. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and I'm still under the covers, enjoying my day off !

Well, well. I have a confession to make. I didn't really suddenly woke up one day missing my blog. Ha- ha. The main reason that I re-started my blog is that I have an English test due in a few days, and I need some real practice. Yes. An english test. The pain in the arse test.

Anyway, lets get it over with. Have you ever had a wish?

Things you want to do, places you want to visit, or simply a house to call home?

I do. I have a wish. Since its just a wish, lets just enjoy! 

I wish right now, I am sitting in a beach in Kuantan. It is a beautiful Friday afternoon and the sun is just setting. I have an icecream in my hand, and holding my husband's hand in the other. There are children playing at the edges of the water,one of the boys is digging a small moat for his sandcastle, and his sister just threw some really big chunks of sand on his back. And he chased her, giggling. After finishing my icecream, we both get back into our own bicycles. (Yes! I would love to have 1!) My bicycle has white wheels, and a white frame, with pink handles. My husband's bike is more of a racer bike, black in colour.

Since there wasn't much of a traffic in Kuantan (that's why we moved here!), we arrived home safely in just 10 minutes. Our house is a small double storey house, not too big and not to small, with a short grey gate. My cat comes up to me and meows as she is hungry. Being a beautiful white-with-grey-spots shorthair cat that she is, I can never say no to  her.

After completing our Maghrib prayers together, we ate dinner at home. Afif made steak and we had cream caramel for desserts. We cleaned the kitchen together completely since we have quite a full weekend ahead of us! - We are going to Redang Island!

image credit here

Okay. I cant imagine anymore since I've never been to any island in the world besides Langkawi. (Singapore, Borneo, and Australia not counted, huge islands they are). How did I go? Was it a good wish? 

Do you have a wish? :)