iPad

Finally - our very first iPad..... 

Purchased from MAChines in Mid Valley Megamall for RM1499 with 32GB memory. Initial plan was to buy the RM1199 entry level model with 16GB memory but it was already sold out. Since Apple has already started selling iPad2, they no longer manufacture iPad. The price of iPad has also reduced in Malaysia so as to clear stock to make way for its successor. 

We also bought an Ozaki iCoat iPad case from Epicenter, Pavilion.  Hubby likes the cork motive on the far left but I prefer the white woodgrain one beside it. So hubby bought what I like. RM179 for the microfibre case which can prop up the iPad.

The kids enjoy playing games (what else?) and drawing on the iPad. Evan also practiced his Chinese spelling on the iPad - as requested by him. First time preparing for ting xie. Now I know it's on every Monday and the characters to be tested is copied in a small booklet. Was very blur before this. Ejaan is on Wednesdays and English spelling still remains a mystery.

Lego Creationary free iPad/iPhone/iPod game

Anyways...... so far downloaded some free apps. Probably with all the downloading, our YES usage bill shot up to over RM100 this month! Yikes! 

I've got Jamie Oliver and Martha Stewart apps on the iPad now. Really cool apps with how-to videos, recipes, shopping list etc. Of course, for the full range of recipes and all, have to fork out $ for it. Hubby says there are Dora and Maisy books available for purchase at the apps store. Probably will get them if not pricey.

Martha Stewart Makes Cookies free iPad app. Comes with about 10 recipes with beautiful mouth-watering photos! For all the recipes, videos etc have to upgrade and pay $ for it.

Of Birthday Cakes & Cupcakes

Marissa's 3rd birthday will be in June and I am planning a simple birthday do for her at home. Just order a cake and have family members come over. Marissa said she wants a Cinderella birthday cake. OK..... so I bought a Precious Moments Cinderella figurine holding a birthday cake from ebay USA as the cake topper. The figurine is still in transit - hopefully will arrive here in one-piece! Paid about RM130 for it - which is much cheaper compared to buying Precious Moments figurines here in Malaysia - would cost approx RM200 plus or more. Anyway, couldn't find this particular figurine here to compare the exact price but similar ones are expensive.

I asked for quotations for a butter cake covered with fondant - similar to the cake on the figurine. 

At 19 Culinary quoted me RM180 for a 6" round cake. The Haute Food Co. quote me RM390 for an 8" round cake. Lillian Wong's price list states : RM300 for a 2kg fondant sculpted cake. Since I have a brand new kitchen and a brand new oven.... I thought I might as well bake & decorate the cake myself! And if I am good at it, I will bake Evan's 6th birthday LEGO cake too! By the way, I was quoted RM400 for a 2kg Lego brick fondant sculpted cake by Mama Min.

I tried baking my very first butter cake and it turned out well - hooray! Then I felt adventurous and experimented with cupcakes this time. Got the recipe from MarthaStewart.com. Phew! It turned out well too. Evan ate butter cakes and cupcakes for three days in a row for snack time at school. Marissa also loves snacking on the cupcakes.

Now I need to learn how to make fondant and decorate the cakes/cupcakes..... maybe I can join a baking/decorating class. Done some research and wow.... quite a number of places offer classes.

Oh and I need to buy a stand mixer too! Too many colors.... which one is nice?

Mother Garden Wooden Toys Review

I bought two sets of Mother Garden Wooden Toys for the kids - mainly for Marissa - but Evan also enjoys playing with them. Well, was very tempted to buy the wooden kitchen set too but the kids already have a kitchen set.... too bad.....anyway, Marissa prefers the Strawberry Chocolate Party Set. She can play by herself for some time. She cuts the velcro tabbed cake and swiss roll with a wooden knife..... drinks tea, assembles the magnetic ice cream and chocolate bar, decorates the swiss rolls..... cuts the fruits and vege..... assembles the velcro cream biscuits etc etc etc. When she's done, she will clear up everything back into the wooden box.

The wooden toys are quite realistic looking. The chocolate treats look good enough to eat! As the toys are hand painted, there are some minor imperfections. Some of the food has stickers on it e.g. the ice cream cone. If painted, it would look nicer. The paint are all non-toxic and meets safety standards but having said that, it's still not recommended to give these wooden toys to very young children as they tend to chew and put toys into their mouths. 

There are a few spelling mistakes on the toys e.g. Chocolate was spelled as Chocolat and Hamburger was spelled as Humberger. But overall, a nice classic wooden toy for boys and girls alike..... great as photography props too!

If you are interested to buy Mother Garden wooden toys, drop by my blogshop : Huiwearn Kids Store. Just mention 'Prayers Hugs & Diapers' in your order email to enjoy free delivery on any Mother Garden wooden toy.

Yummy Breads & Croissants!

Finally tried baking the breads and croissants which I bought some time back at the Freeze Bake Eat workshop conducted by At 19 Culinary Studio. The croissants were the most delicious! Very buttery and absolutely delectable! They are sold 5 in a pack.

These are the bread rolls - an assortment of 4 in a pack. Also very nice and yummy! Just thaw the breads/pastries and then pop them in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes. Fast and convenient! Gotta go order some more croissants!

National Science Center Dinosaur Exhibition

As mentioned in my previous post, hubby brought the kids to the National Science Center. Tickets cost  RM10 per adult and RM5 per child. Kids below 3 pay nothing.

  The 'cage' area is actually the playgym. 

 

In a separate room, there were even more dinosaurs! It was darker there.... and Evan said that he was a little bit scared whereas Marissa said she's not scared at all!

Besides the scary stuff, there are also other exhibits to explore....

The Mirror Maze. Can you find out your out?

Photo taken in the mirror maze.

The kids had fun dancing and jumping on the oversized keys.

I believe the Science Center has some interesting activities lined up for the upcoming school holidays. The dino exhibition is still on until May 2011.

Freeze Bake Eat Workshop at 19 Culinary

At 19 Culinary Studio is a new cooking school located on 19, Jln Dungun, Damansara Heights.... hence their name. I recently attended one of their Freeze Bake Eat Workshop on a Sunday afternoon while hubby and the kids check out the dinosaurs at the National Science Center nearby. 

Cost is RM20 for the workshop and each participant received a goody bag of frozen bread and pastries worth RM10. The workshop was conducted by Han, the resident cake decorator. Helen and Angelin who are the owners of the culinary studio were also on hand to assist and promote their cooking classes (of course!).

Helen started off by introducing the various frozen breads and pastries they have in stock. These frozen foods are fully imported from Switzerland - all freshly baked and quick freezed to retain the flavours with no additional preservatives. Ideal for busy moms to whip up a gourmet breakfast or tea in a jiffy. Great for unexpected guests. Just remove from freezer, thaw, bake and eat.

The range of breads and pastries available is quite extensive. Photo above shows three types of danish pastries : apple strudel, pineapple danish and hazelnut swirl. All breads and pastries need to be thawed for about half an hour to one hour before baking. Pre-heating of the oven is also necessary at 180 degrees. The pastries are all in dough form. To ensure it's tasty and crunchy, place it inside a steam oven to bake. If you have a conventional oven, spray some water on top of the breads and pastries and also place a tray of water in the oven to steam bake.

As for the loaves of bread, they are 75% baked. Same procedure applies, pop them in the oven for 12-15 minutes and ta-daaaaaaaa the fresh aroma of gourmet breads will fill your entire kitchen! 

Yummy and delicious bread rolls, croissants and chocolate pastries. The breads are all crusty on the outside but soft on the inside. All participants got to taste the various breads and pastries. Another tip that was shared during the workshop is the use of apricot glaze on the danishes for a shiny and more appetizing look but then, it's just another layer of sugar and most people will do without it.

At the end of the workshop, I bought RM25 worth of bread and pastries to try out at home. The loaves of bread are quite big so I was told that I could just thaw the bread, cut the amount that I need, then re-freeze the balance. How convenient. Each loaf of bread costs RM8 or RM9 depending on the type. Each bread roll/pastry/danish/croissant costs approx RM1 each. These are usually sold in a variety pack of 4 or a pack of 5. If purchased from gourmet bakeries, the price is about RM10 for the bread and RM1.50-RM2.00 for the pastries. If you are interested to attend the workshop, there are a few more scheduled throughout March and April. Just go to their website and check out their class schedule. You can find them on facebook as well. Members and Kuali readers pay RM20 while non-members pay RM30. I booked my workshop online at their website and quoted 'Kuali reader' to enjoy the lower price. Payment can be done via M2U or cheques.