Make your own: Play dough

We discovered a Youtube clip that showed us how to make our own play dough.

Since I'm a baker, the ingredients needed were already in my kitchen. Aha! Cheap toys that makes toddlers happy! (It's definitely a WIN-WIN situation).

The play doughs that I made.

Our boy was superbly excited!

Hubby made these animals. 

And I naturally, made a "cake".

Who said play doughs are only for children? :P

Here's a clip on how to make your own Play Dough:

There are plenty more that you can find on Youtube. I followed this one.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp cream of tartar
1 cup salt  (do get those cheap salt cause a cup of sea salt will cost you a bomb!)

Steps:
1) Mix all ingredients into a saucepan before you turn on the stove.
2) Then stir under medium heat til it's all combined and sticky.
3) Remove it from pan onto a board. (I used an old chopping board.)
4) Knead the dough while it's still warm.
5) Break them into a few doughs.
6) Add 2-3 drops of colouring onto each dough and knead til colour combines.

Last but not least... PLAY! :D

Oh of course, it's edible because it's made of edible ingredients. (I'm not encouraging you to feed your toddler with it but in case your toddler accidentally puts it into his/her mouth, you won't panic that badly.)

Enjoy!

Full Moon Packages

Sorry that I've disappeared for a while. Not that nothing is happening in my kitchen but perhaps there's just too many things happening and I just can't sit down to blog about it.

Just to update some mini projects that I did for Baby's Full Moon Package.

Here's for a baby boy:

All blue and boyish!

Two Chocolate Dipped Brownies, two Red Eggs and two Cupcakes inside each box.

Here's for a baby girl:

Sweet and pink!

4 cute cupcakes inside each box.

So you can tell that there were a lot of baking going during that period. :)

For more update (a prompt one) on my baking journal, do go to my Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/cikumuffin

Oh.. and LIKE it, so you'll get the update on your timeline! ;)

My new love

I've been making "tong sui" (sweet drinks) lately with my new love.

I just have to dump ingredients into a barrel, add water in the bucket and then set it on a timer to be cooked the next day.

I usually set it at 8hours. So it starts cooking at about 6am.

Then it'll keep warm for 90 minutes.

So by the time I'm up and ready to start my day, it's still hot.

I'll just have to remove the top from the bucket.

Here's the barrel where I put Ten Multi Grain/Sesame Seeds/ Pumpkin Seeds/ Soya bean/ Pumpkin/ Oats and etc in. After cooking, all the raw ingredients will be grind really fine til it become a paste like this.

Here's the blender, the knife that grind everything so fine.

 With these simple steps, I get 1700cc of healthy "tong sui".

Since it's only hubby and I in our household that takes this, I would always divide them into these warmers and spread the healthy drink to family, friends and neighbours.

If I want to have some for tea, I'll just cover the top of the bucket with another cover that keeps the drink warm for 3-4hours.

There you go! My healthy drink for breakfast/tea/dessert.

I'm in love with it because it's just so easy to make such drinks with it.I made soya bean milk with it too! YUMMMM! :D I've yet to try making tofu with it (which you can).

Cikumuffin was not paid to write this post and has no interest in marketing this machine. Just sharing what has been happening in my kitchen lately. ;)

Dear Avocado,

I love you!

I started eating Avocado when I was a teenager. My dad became a vegetarian then and he started researching what should a vegetarian consume to maintain the nutrient that is needed. So he started eating Avocado.

At first I didn't like how tasteless it is but after a couple of times of sharing a half of Avocado with my dad, I loved it!

Lately the Avocado bug bit me again and I add avocado in most of my meals.

Avocado with Alfalfa and Sardines on toasted 7 grain bread.

Avocado with Alfalfa, Tuna and Eggs on toasted Cranberries Wholemeal Bread.

Avocado on toasted Cranberries Wholemeal Bread for breakfast.

Avocado and Oven Baked Herb Chicken on toasted Cranberries Wholemeal bread.

Avocado, I <3 you ! :D

Fancy something flourless?

I had some cream cheese (ok, not some, 500grams of it!) that were about to expire. So I had to quickly search for a recipe to make something out of it before it expires. Luckily it only expires after my mum's birthday.

As usual, I searched online and found something new and different (at least for me). Found a nice recipe by Erica Lea.

Here's how my Flourless Chocolate & Cream Cheese Marble Cake turned out:

I made two! 

One with Rum and one with Espresso.

Because I had 500grams of cream cheese and one recipe only calls for about 250grams of it.

Always try to avoid throwing ingredients away.

It was very well received! 

I made one for my mum's birthday and the other to be given to my guinea pigs.

I loved it and I wouldn't mind buying more cream cheese to make it again. 

(Not only when my cream cheese expires again.)

If you'd like to try this recipe, click here!

Enjoy! :D

Cikumuffin has been making desserts ("tong sui" and soya milk) with her new found machine! Shall show you my new love in my next post! ;D

Confetti Cupcakes

My brother-in-law's wedding was held last week and I had the privilege to bake some cupcakes for guests who arrive at my in-law's house in the morning.

Weddings are always cheerful, joyful and colourful (?).

I found these confetti sugar decoration in the baking store. 

 Aren't they just colourful, cheerful and happy?

When you place them in a batter...

The colour contrast is just.. so fun! 

(Reminds me of the cartoon Up!)

Mix them up...

and you'll still see them swimming in your batter.. all cheery and happy!

You bake them and you find them in your cupcake..

 and eat them with a big smile on your face...

Like this boy!

You may find the recipe for this fun and cheerful cupcake by Sweetapolita  here.

or just add half cup of these sugar decorations into your favourite Vanilla/Butter cupcake recipe! 

Enjoy! :D

Peanut Butter Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze

I have a jar of peanut butter at home. Hardly touch it. I don't know why. So I figured that I should make use of it before it expires.

Also because I bump into this recipe by Recipe Girl.

 I just love baking with chocolate chips. See how lovely they are swimming in the batter.

My Peanut Butter Pound Cake!

Look at the drizzle... make you drool.

It's a dense cake. 

Not many people like dense cake but I did enjoy a slice of it.

Many commented that it's very sweet. So you may want to try having it without the glaze.

If you are BIG FAN of peanut butter, try this recipe!

Enjoy!