Comel bangatttt

Since takde orang lain nak puji anak I, mari I puji anak I sendiri. (Notice how if it is related to cuteness and all round good behavior, they're my kids, otherwise, they're our kids).

'Aatikah yang comel gile tak tahan





Sa'eed at around the same age...



BTW, Krispy Kremes is finally opening on Monday at Berjaya Times Square! yummehhhh

Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

As per some requests, here is the recipe for the delicious cinnamon rolls. This was copied verbatim from here.


Have you ever been shopping at the local mall when suddenly you smell something overwhelmingly delicious? If you follow the scent of cinnamon and butter you will usually end up at a Cinnabon kiosk with gigantic hot cinnamon rolls covered in gooey icing! That's what these taste like, only better! These are a little more cooked on the inside than the typical Cinnabon and a little less sweet, a little more cinnamon and spice... I pretty much followed the recipe below with the following exceptions: i added more spices (cardomon and clove) to the the filling and then i mixed it all together to form a paste and spread that onto my rolled dough. The other change i made was to roll up the dough into a log and then cut in half, wrap well in saran wrap and foil and put into zip lock bags so that i could freeze them for a few days. I took the frozen logs out and let thaw in the fridge... then cut the logs into rolls, put into a baking pan and left on the counter to proof for a few hours, then cooked. They turned out just as good as the fresh-dough cinnamon rolls and its great to be able to make the dough in advance and then have cinnamon rolls whenever you feel like them. Next time i think i will actually cut the dough into individual rolls and freeze those in bags of four... then when the urge for buttery cinnamon hits i will be ready!

Cinnabon™ Knock-off Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:

1 pkg. active dry yeast (1/4 oz. size or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 c. warm milk (105º to 110º F.)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. margarine, melted (used butter)
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 c. all-purpose flour

Filling:

1 c. packed brown sugar
2 1/2 TBS. cinnamon
1/3 c. margarine, softened (used butter)

Icing:
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) margarine, softened (used butter)
1/4 c. (2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 TBS. whole milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. lemon extract

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl
Mix together the sugar, butter, salt & eggs. Add flour and mix well
Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands lightly dusted with flour (i used the KitchenAid with the dough hook and kneaded for about 10 minutes). Put in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough flat until it is approximately 21 inches long and 16 inches wide. It should be about ¼ inch thick.
Preheat oven to 400º F.
For the filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough, and then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly over the surface (i mixed my sugar and spices together with the softened butter to create a spread).
Working carefully from the top (a 21 inch side), roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
Cut the rolled dough into 1 ¾ inch slices and place 6 at a time, evenly spaced, in a lightly greased (i used Pam) baking pan. Let the rolls rise again until doubled in size (about 30 min.). Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden on top (i baked mine for about 15-18 minutes to get them nice and browned on top).

While the rolls bake, make the icing by mixing the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then add the milk and flavorings. Mix on high speed again until the icing is smooth and fluffy.
When the rolls come out of the oven, let them cool for about 10 minutes. I scooped up the gooey, melted caramelized cinnamon butter mixture from the bottom of the pan and drizzled over the top of the rolls for more flavor and texture. Then I coated each roll generously with the icing.

Good Luck!

Anak siapa tuu....

Pic ripped from Sarah's

Sa'eed is becoming cheekier by the minute! And he knows a lot more words now. The latest ones being:

1. taaaa-tiiihhh, accompanied with stomping motions coz that's what I do with 'Aatikah
2. mars, courtesy of Aunty Ruqayyah
3. tido, suruh Aunt Rumaisa tido
4. nyaa, which means Nyang for his Tok Nyang

And yesterday he showed his ability to totally own the iPhone. He knows how to unlock it by sliding the 'lock' thinga-majig. Slide sana slide sini, pasang lagu. Slide sana slide sini, call aunty kat US.

Ummi dia first time pegang iPhone pun pegang terbalik...haha

Mega project

Hehe...alhamdulillah this time menjadi jugak the cinnamon rolls. The first time I attempted to make it, I uneventfully killed the yeast by dousing it with hot milk. This time I made sure the milk was only warm.

Looks delicious kan...hahahaha

Ummi, not too close please...

Honey, you're only two and yet you've started to resist public displays of affection....

*hadoiii*

*kerana ku terlalu cantik maka gambar ini telah di-delete...hehe

At Treats, TTDI.
Picture courtesy of Kak Sarah

The Giants vs Smallville

When we were in highschool, Hawa and I always joked that when we got married, we'll get kids as big as a soccer team. Then our kids could play against each other. After a while, we toned it down to a basketball team each.

Both of us ended up marrying in our early 20s but neither of us married our 'old flames'. Hawa's husband has 13 other siblings while my husband has 5 other siblings. I thought my husband's family was big but as you can see, Hawa's husband's family is even bigger.

Come April 2007, Sa'eed was brought into the world and later in October of the same year, Hannah came along.

When I found out in February 2008 that I was pregnant again, Hawa said "ala bestnye pregnant sekali lagi. Makes me want to have one too". And that was exactly what she did. Our girls were born about a month apart.

So, are we on track to have our soccer/basketball team? Perhaps, but that's not in our hands.

But, since hubby and I are both baka gagah perkasa, our kids are quite chubby and tall. Hawa and hubby are both comel lote, so their kids follow suit. And so, I have arrived to the point of this post:

From L to R: Sa'eed, me, 'Aatikah, Mr Z, Kols, Sophie, Hannah and Hawa
Picture by Aini

Here are both our families and notice the size differences...hehe. Oh well, kalau manusia sume tinggi berat sama, tak thrill la kan.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, SA'EED!

Wife: So, are we going to buy that house?

Husband: I'm not sure. I think it's too far from the workplace.

Wife: Ok. Which area do you think is best then?

Husband: Hmmm....why don't you find out. It's in your portfolio.

Wife: Huh? Since when? What's in your portfolio then?

Husband: Human Resource.

Wife: !!!


So, to our first HR recruit......

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, SA'EED!

You have grown by leaps and bounds and will continue to do so.

Please be kind to your sister and everyone around you.

Jadilah anak yang soleh.

And please don't throw your parents in the old folks' home...har har

XOXO

This not so little baby boy

Credit: Makcik Aini

Just look at the kid. He's absolutely exploding with cheekiness. And as cliche as it may be, time really does fly by. Tomorrow he will turn 2.

It seems like only yesterday I delivered him (although yesterday we were gallivanting around town). Not too long ago I was nervously holding him, amazed of this teeny tiny body that just popped out of me.

His hair was thick, which grew very very slowly once we shaved him bald. His small body quickly ballooned in the next 6 months but after that he started to become one slim child due to his activeness and non-stop running all day long. His once long fingers are now short and stubby.

I still remember the nervousness as parents when he was admitted for jaundice. We were at the hospital for quite some time and diagnosis after diagnosis came when his jaundice just wasn't going down. Breastfeeding was also a challenge in the beginning where I had to wake him up every so often and it was exhausting because he would constantly doze off. But after about a month, everything started to fall into place and he was breastfeeding like a champ.

This little boy has developed his own personality. He likes to go to the kitchen and pretend to cook, but at the same time yells "gooooaaaaaall" whenever he sees people playing soccer on the tv. He sometimes whacks his sister but absolutely loves to cuddle with her and doesn't even mind if he gets kicked in the face. He loves his greens and lauk masak lemak. He loves playing in the water but is petrified if it's cold. He enjoys eating and can eat all day long if given a chance, but he doesn't gain not even an ounce. He quickly warms up to people and will introduce his sister to them too.

Sa'eed, you're one truly delightful boy even though your poop smells like no one's business..heh. It has been an adventure with you and it will continue to be one. Maybe we don't say this enough but we love you to bits.

The biggest no-no

While at DSH, I ran into one of my seniors in the States. So it was the usual chatter. At that point of time, I didn't even remember her name.

"Buat apa kat sini? Check up ke?" said the senior.

"Tak lah. Ni anak nak kena jab ni." I said to her while pointing to 'Aatikah.

*at that point I was racking my brains trying to remember if she's already married. Since I couldn't remember, main hentam je lah*

"You kat sini untuk check up ke? Pregnant eh?" I innocently asked her coz she kinda looked...umm...well rounded.

"Eh tak lah. Dah deliver dah"

*I could literally feel the daggers from her eyes* oooppps

"O ye ke? Baby berapa bulan?" *lame attempt to cover malu*

"Sebulan je baru"

"Oh..tgh maternity leave lagi lah ni"

*'Aatikah started crying*

"Ok lah...baby nak nyusu nih...gi dulu ye"

*Thanks 'Aatikah for saving your Ummi from further embarassment*


For men who don't get why this is a big deal, it is considered an insult to say a non-pregnant woman is pregnant

Selamat Hari Tua beb

Happy Birthday!

Semoga kau belanja aku makan kenyang-kenyang.
Ok la, in all seriousness,semoga panjang umur dan diberkati Allah selalu.
May all your wishes come true.
Dan sila hadirkan diri ke office ye :D

Haha...terharu tak aku wishkan kau kat blog aku?


Happy Birthday, Sarah a.k.a adik ipar tapi lagi tua

Sa'eed di zaman kegemilangan lemak2 di badan berposing dengan Sarah.

Once in a while

Last night was one of those nights where 'Aatikah wanted to nurse a billion times. I don't think I did quite fall asleep at all. She would toss and turn in her sleep and nothing would put her back to sleep except for nursing.

To top it up, Sa'eed was tossing and turning too. And all the while he was holding on to his new car (or khorr, according to Sa'eed). So whenever he tossed and turned and accidentally let go off his car, he would scramble to find it. One instance he draped his hand over me while holding the car. When he drifted to sleep of course he eased his grip on the car and it fell.

Sepantas kilat dia bangun, climbed over me dan terus menyambar kereta nya itu. Sempat pulak point at 'Aatikah and said 'Kah...kah'. Then he went back to sleep.

Dan begitulah cerita di malam hari.

This morning....

As usual, this morning I took the LRT to the office. Standing nearby was this young chap, wearing a gold chain, tight shirt and jeans. Looking very cool listening to his iPod. His hair was dyed brown and his hair was spiky. Kinda looked like someone you would avoid if you were ever walking alone on Petaling Street.

Anyways, suddenly his phone rang.

"Ye, adik kat dalam train nih"

"Hari Jumaat pukul 11 pagi adik sampai la kot"

"Ok bye...assalaamu'alaikum"

So, all is not lost with the youngsters :)


Oh yeah, btw we went to Masjid India to tempah baju on Saturday. That was the first time all four of us went and oh my goodness....nak carik makan tempat yang decent pun payah. If it were the 2 of us, I don't think we would mind eating at a dodgy looking place. But with the children, we have to be extra careful since Sa'eed needs to eat too. We ended up eating at Restoran Yaseen near Jakel. Then we headed to Wisma Yakin to the tailor's with the in-laws.

Parking was ridiculous too. We ended up going to the stinky covered parking area which cost us RM 11 for 2 hours. Next time naik LRT je la kot.

Then on Sunday we had lunch with my parents, brother + family, maktok, pakngah + family at d'Cengkih. The food was excellent. All the food were Johor specialties. The service was fast too...hehe...except for one time when my brother waved to get the waiter's attention and the waiter just waved back! hahahahahaha

MmmMMmmMmm-meeee

Aha...yes.

"MmmMMmmMmm-meeee"....which I would like to think it means Ummi.

Yup yup yup...Sa'eed can pronounce it already.

And of course I am extremely happy :D