Christmas Cakes

Christmas celebrations begin every year after the midnight vigil mass and rounds of cheers, hugs, kisses and warm wishes are passed from one to another.
The presents and chattering takes place after, followed by a feast!
Oh yes, even at the chimes of the clock at midnight and where strict dieters may frown upon, we enjoyed our indulgence and most importantly the family time.
In recent years, our Christmas celebrations have been graced by the beautiful and exquisitely made cakes and pastries by our lovely and aspiring family baker, and in case you are wondering, it was not me :-)

Her cakes were crafted with details and love, as she works her way to bake these cakes for the family.

This year's we were treated with a sinful and decadent chocolate fudge walnut cake, adorned with wild berries and red currants atop the melting goodness of choc.

Berry Choc-a-licious (my little name for the cake)



An exotic combination and a picture of sinful temptation, it was a cake which melted everyone's heart besides melting in the mouth, that is.

The star was definitely the cake, but the next little goodies did share that fair bit of the limelight as they managed to squeak out a few squeals of delight when they appeared (oh, mainly from me :-)

Sweet Berry Chiffon Cakes



These are mini chiffon cakes; a close spin-off cousin of the Hokkaido cakes but I am liking this more.
Topped with strawberries (my all-time favorite!), almonds and playfully decorated with the rich chocolate (again) - this is yet another delightful and light treat.






With beautiful and enchanting little treats of goodness like these, who minds that extra few pounds or just letting the hair down for just one night, right?
And what is Christmas without the sweet treats, family time, laughter, and catching up?

All the more reason to love Christmas besides the birth of Christ....
Happy Birthday Jesus!



P.S: Thank you dearest Elyn for your wonderful efforts :-)

Chili Con Carne, Pizzas and Satay

Gatherings are always fun, as they usually mean catching up with people close to us; such as friends and family, lots of laughter and not to mention, FOOD, as well.

A fortnight ago, I was invited to a friends' party at her new place and the kind hosts had bought the food, and also made some (she's just learning to cook :)
Here are some of the food which we had that night:

Appetizers
Fried wantons


Sweet candies to help ourselves to


Satay

This is a type of Malaysian delicacy; and is skewered chicken/pork/beef/lamb meat which were marinated and barbecued. The meat may taste a little sweeter due to the marinating sauce.
This is a favorite among Malaysians and can be found in a lot of places.
One of the most famous places to have this would be in Kajang, Selangor which boasts of having one of the best satays in Malaysia.
This is exactly where the host got it; the Kajang satay version.

Satay sauce - made of ground peanut with chili oil paste

This is the special sauce (and must be rich with the peanuts' content) to dip the skewer sticks of satay into.

Alternatively, there is also a Spicy chili sauce dipping


Cool cucumber slices to go with the satay pieces

Due to the barbecue process, satay is considered to be of 'heaty' nature, and the cucumber slices act to strike the balance.

Lumps of rice cakes to serve with satay


The main highlight; as this dish was prepared by the hostess herself who had just learnt it from the master chef, Jamie Oliver (on TV)

Chili Con Carne

I found that the meaning of the name was derived from the Spanish words; and pretty much meant chili, or spicy stew.

It is a type of Mexican food/stew, and is made from chili peppers, garlic, onions, cumin, grounded beef, green peas.

Served with tortilla chips

Too bad that I don't take beef, but it was a really fragrant spicy dish and I enjoyed the chips though :)

Domino's Pizza
Hawaiian chicken


Beef Pepperoni


Garlic bread


Maltesers for dessert


We proceeded to games and just chatting after that; a lovely night indeed and I am looking forward to more party gatherings with more lovely friends :D