HOT FROM THE OVEN

By SS

Since we have not used the oven since we moved in, I decided to start a baking project right after I completed my high school, which was around four years ago. I was still in China, just a few months from returning back to Malaysia. I was lazying around the house, without doing anything productive.

I am such a brownies junkie. I love brownies, complete with chocolate fudge. When you live in China, the only time you can have a bite of those delicious brownies was during the International Day. Of course hotels around China serve brownies, but it is not 'authentic'. It does not have that extra 'kick'. I love the brownies baked by those American expat.

I have no idea how to bake brownies from scratch. I then decided to go to Oliver's (which is a supermarket which sells imported goods!) a box of Betty Crocker's Brownies. I must admit, it's cheating to bake something from the box. All I needed to add was some water, eggs, oil, put it in the oven for a while and voila, I'm done! I did pretty well on my first try. Delicious and tasty. Even my maid was amazed at my baking talent. Friends of my mum would come to the house and my mum would force me to serve my brownies. Even they had no clue at all.

It's been a while since I last bake some brownies. Considering that you can practically get everything in Kuala Lumpur, I decided to put my baking talent on hold. Delicious brownies can easily be found in most western restuarants. It may be pricey and they are simply irresistable.

Mum has been following The Martha Stewart Show on Ntv7 and I have been following The Apprentice: Martha Stewart on 8TV (the winner was announced recently! It's Dawna, publisher of Her Sports magazine!). I decided to go to http://www.marthastewart.com/ and try out one of her cupcake recipes.

My mum and I bought all of the ingredients for the vanilla cupcake at a store called Bagus. We just wanted to try the recipe and it was for our own consumption. I may get Ken to try the cupcake considering that we might meet tomorrow.

I did not play an important role in the kitchen. Mum prepared all of the ingredients. I was there to mix the ingredients using the mixer and I thought it was an easy task. I used the hand mixer and boy can it be tiring! The cupcakes are a bit sweet but I think it was good enough on our first try.

Baking can be fun! (Except for the cleaning-up bit!!). Perhaps I should try chocolate cake next.