Graduation!

“Graduation is only a concept.  In real life every day you graduate.  Graduation is a process that goes on  until the last day of your life.  If you can grasp that, you’ll make a difference.” – Arie Pencovici

I was both looking forward and dreading this day. Of course after all the studying, crying, complaining and all the hard work and sweat put into the whole year, traveling for hours, I was really looking forward to wear the gown, the hat and walk down that stage and get my certificate. But the thought of not having my family there to see me graduate, did make me dread the day. Thankfully, I had baby with me. And bless him for his willingness to skip 2 hours of his lecture to attend my graduation, so I won’t be alone. (: And thank you Cheok for coming after to snap some shots with and for us!

I was really nervous before the ceremony cause baby was running a little late (cause the dearest went to get flowers! hehe) and I went in not knowing what time he will arrive. and soon enough, he did! (:

and when I saw him, I couldn’t stop smiling (:

thank you for making my day !

(sorry that some of the photos are grainy, reduces size is not good when using the bigger cam. haha)

THE stage!

shaking the hands of the Chancellor.

front view. NOT GOOD. haha

I’m a Graduate! (:

Thank you both for coming (:

going back to the stage to snap some shots

hehe switch the hat onto baby’s head!

the never give a proper nice smile guy. haha

going down to the first level to take photos! love the colour of the flowers!

love this shot. hehe

see my heels? this is the second time I’ve worn them. The first time was during my first graduation. haha

thanks again sweetie (:

BIMBO moment. hehe.

At the end of the day, I did enjoy myself. Though still a little sad the family wasn’t here. But they were in spirit and they will be here for my next graduation. (: Yes I know. 3 grads, 3 unis. Nice.

There is no one else I want to thank but my parents, my brother, my family, baby and friends who have supported me throughout this long and stressful year. THANKYOU.

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HappY Mini Cupcakes

You might wonder why my H and Y of’ ‘happy’ in my title are in caps. That’s because the person who has inspired me to make these cupcakes have initials HY. (: So this is just a small way to thank you! hehe

so we were speaking one day, and she asked if I ever made cupcakes with rhubarb. and suddenly, it dawned on me that I’ve never tried cooking with rhubarb and I’ve only tried rhubarb once! So on Sunday when we went to the Farmer’s Market at Melbourne Showground and saw organic rhubarb, I couldn’t resist! and I’m so glad I didn’t, cause these little things were yummy! hehe and pretty!

at first we thought about one combination which I will definitely try in time to come, but searched around and saw a post by Cannelle et Vanille which I just couldn’t take my eyes off it and so I just had to give it a try!  (:

It has quite a number of components to it, and I must say all the different steps and time taken to make them is well worth it! The cupcakes came out perfectly! I know I shouldn’t praise my own work, but when I tried these little yumminess, the cupcake base was soft and moist, the poached rhubarb filling wasn’t too sweet, and the strawberry taste in both the cupcake and icing was prominent and they taste distinctly of strawberries!

alot to spare and share !

So there are 4 components to this small yummy cupcakes :

1) Strawberry yogurt cupcake

2) Poached rhubarb filling

3) Strawberry yogurt and cream cheese icing

4) Rhubarb jelly

and this is how it will look when u slice it into half!

Click on the picture above to get the recipe! (:

Potato Gnocchi : Masterchef Inspired

Gnocchi. Little pillowy potato magic that when made and cooked properly would make you smile, and make your tummy very happy. (: Baby and I recently watched Masterchef Australia and saw Matt Moran’s dish of Gnocchi with burnt butter and sage and just couldn’t stop thinking about it. So we had to make it, and we had to make it for lunch today. hehe

Being ANZAC Day today, it was really difficult to get the ingredients we needed cause the supermarkets don’t open until 1pm. So we had to go to all the small marts to gather the ingredients and already that took a long while! There was a lot of prep work, and by the time we got lunch ready, it was already 230! But I think all the effort preparing the gnocchi was worth it! It was pretty yummy! hehe though we haven’t really had gnocchi at restaurants before, so there wasn’t a benchmark to compare it with! hehe But for a first attempt, it was pretty superbly yummy! hehe

so instead of the quail that Matt Moran had with his gnocchi, I made Nando’s roast chicken! (: It went pretty well! hehe although I’m very sure the quail would be better. But we had to substitute since we couldn’t get hold of the quail, plus, one quail would not be enough protein for the boys. haha

For recipe, Click Here !

Shine On.

Keep on when your mind says quit
Dream on ‘til you find your living it
I’ll be right by your side.

the climb.

I got to be strong, just keep moving on.

Not So Traditional Moussaka

My first time having a Moussaka was a vegetarian one and I had it at the best place to have vegetarian food, Original Sin. I have been wanting to make my own moussaka for ages, and finally got down to it! (: I’m so glad I did, cause even though it was time consuming to grill the vegetables, it was all worth it! It was yummy!

Eggplant-Potato-Ricotta-Cheese-Meat Sauce-Eggplant (you get the idea!)

It’s very rich when you have it on it’s own, but have it with a cucumber raita, and it’s just one of the best combination you will ever have on a plate! With this combination, you would never feel too overwhelmed and could just keep eating!

My moussaka, however, is not the traditional kind you find at Greek restaurants. I improvised it a little, adding a little bit of mexican flavour (in a tin) to the dish. I was afraid the flavours might clash, but instead, it gives the dish just the slightest bit of spiciness and the kidney beans gave a good bite with every spoonful! I do apologise if you think it’s not the right way to cook it, but I do enjoy this version quite a bit. hehe

so give it a shot, and let me know if you still do prefer the traditional way of cooking it or the taste (:

Click here for the recipe !

Thank You.

never too late to receive a card (:

see you soon! huacks.

Reaching My Goal

I look forward to our evening walks and jogs every day (:

Food Post : French Toast

what is your favourite meal of the day? Breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper? Tea maybe? hehe without a doubt, mine is breakfast. Especially having breakfast with my loved ones. We could sit there for an hour or two just enjoying our food, coffee (probably a chai latte) and talking about everything that is happening around us.

my favourite kind of breakfast? Anything that has fruits and eggs and toast! Combine them together, I would say my favourite thing to have for breakfast is French toast or pancakes! hehe But I wouldn’t say I will turn down a good eggs benedict either! haha (:

we went to Safeway a couple of days back and we saw this loaf of bread that I just couldn’t resist. Scones is a big favourite of me and my mum’s and when I saw scones toast, I had to get my hands on them! hehe and the only thing I want to make with them, is french toast! hehe and I did today (:

the thickness of the toast was just right and the fresh bananas complimented the sweetness of everything. Absolutely loved how it turned out! A perfect piece of toast for this dish!

For recipe CLICK HERE!

Baking Post : Marbled With A Twist !

I’ve been in a celebratory mood lately. If you haven’t heard, I got into the course of my dreams : Masters of Education and I can’t be any happier! (: It starts in July so I am really looking forward to that! hehe Plus my significant other has found a job he really really loves, so everything is just falling into place now and I couldn’t be happier!

with happiness, comes my wanting to bake of course! Love to share my love and happiness with the things I cook and bake. I think that’s how the name of my blog came about. (: A couple of weeks back, I read Laureen’s post on roasted banana bundt cake. and I have been craving for banana cake for the longest time! The fact that she roasted her bananas before mashing them, I was intrigued by it and really want to give it a go! so what goes really well with banana? Chocolate! haha actually, I think chocolate goes well with almost everything and anything! SO I decided to make a marble cake, with a twist!

that’s right! Banana and chocolate marble cake! (: I think it’s a perfect combination! I was really excited cause I got a new bundt cake tin and was itching to use it! hehe and the cake came out beautifully the moment i overturned it! hehe

Banana cake has been a family favourite and I think it’s probably one cake I can safely say many people love. Baby and I went for a walk around the neighbourhood and walked into a fruit shop and the bananas were just starring at us! hehe So I had to get some and immediately I thought about Laureen’s banana cake. hehe so today was definitely the day to bake this yummy cake! hehe

For the recipe , CLICK HERE !