Recipe For Easy Strawberry Tiramisu

Last two weeks, I was thinking of eating tiramisu. But I was imagining a different type of tiramisu, the one filled with strawberry. I've bought the ingredients last week, but I just couldn't find time to make one. Lately, I'm experiencing morning sickness (again), and my pregnancy is already 29weeks old. Oh.. how fast time flies! Another 11weeks to go for.. I've started this nauseous feeling, again, with a bloated feeling, plus shortness of breath. I find it quite difficult to be comfortable during bedtime. I've tried different sleeping position, using plenty of small cushions to assist my sleeping posture. Yes, they do help a bit, but I still find it quite difficult. I know I need to make up with what I have.

Again, to the topic. This is my first attempt making 'Strawberry Tiramisu', and honestly, it's a purely trial and error project! I'm quite pleased with the result, as I was imagining the process to make it for almost two weeks, and mind you, it's pretty easy to make. I didn't google for the recipe (not kidding!). It's originally comes from my imaginations! So please take note, the amount I wrote here to make this tiramisu is roughly measured, as I didn't actually measured them.. hehe..

And here is the Ingredients :- (approx. for 2-4 person)

.Ingredients.

1. Mascarpone Cheese in 250g box (I used half portion)

2. Double Cream in 250g box (I used 1/3 portion)

3. Whipping Cream (I use about 1/2 cup)

4. Sugar Icing (about 1 cup @ until cream is thick enough)

5. 1 tsp strawberry flavouring

6. 1 tsp red colouring

7. 2-3 tbsp instant cocoa (mix with approx 1 cup warm water

8. Fresh Strawberry (sliced thinly)

9. Ladyfingers biscuit (I used 10 pcs, 5 pcs in each layer)

10. Strawberry Syrup

11. Square Flat Bowl/ Flat Plate/ Casserole Dish Serving/ etc (I prefer square bowl, easier to arrange the biscuits)

.Methods.

1. Whipped together Ingredients 1-3 in a big bowl, until they become creamy and fluffy. Add in the strawberry flavouring and the red colouring. Gradually, add in sugar icing until the cream becomes thick enough to make a soft peak.

2. Pour the cocoa mix into wide bowl (wide enough to dip the biscuit horizontally). Prepare the plate/ tray to serve. Quickly, dip the biscuit horizontally, upside and down, and carefully arrange it on the plate, side by side, and one by one, creating one layer of biscuits. (You have to do this quickly as the biscuit is easily melted and easily break) Make sure the biscuit is fully dip and arrange as closely to each other on the plate.

3. Carefully, using a wide spoon, spoon a spoonful of cream on top of the biscuits, and try to smooth it evenly using a spatula. Be extra careful as you may break the biscuits.

4. Arrange the sliced strawberries on top of the cream, and don't forget to squeeze some strawberry syrup on top of the cream and the sliced strawberries.

5. Repeat step 2-4, carefully in each step. In this recipe, I managed to make 2 layers of biscuits and 2 layers of creams and strawberries, and I used 10 pieces of ladyfingers. (5 pieces in each layer)

6. Finally, smooth evenly the cream on top layer of the tiramisu. You may then decorate it with the leftover sliced strawberries, and creatively squeeze the strawberry syrup on top of it. Or, you may smooth the cream evenly all around the biscuits, creating an image of ice-cream cake, and then decorate it as you wish.

7. It'll taste better when you left it in fridge for at least 1-2 hour before serving, or you may left it overnight in fridge, covered.

.Some ideas/ tips.

1. Mascarpone Cheese is essential to make a good tiramisu.

2. If you wish to exclude Whipping Cream and Double Cream, simply use the whole portion of mascarpone cheese, plus 1/3 portion of 250g cream cheese.

3. You can also make your own icing sugar by finely blend sugar until it become powdery.

4. You can also make your own strawberry flavouring by simply blend fresh strawberry with a little water until it become thin and watery, and filter the mixture, taking only the juice.

5. To make your own strawberry syrup, simply heat 3-4 spoonful of strawberry jam with some water in a small saucepan, until it become thick syrup.

6. You may substitute instant cocoa with instant coffee, nescafe, milo etc.

7. You can also create another different version of dessert using the same ingredients, but substitute ladyfingers to shortcake, to make a Strawberry Shortcake. The different is, usually Strawberry Shortcake exclude mascarpone cheese in the recipe, but use only whipped cream and strawberry syrup, and sliced strawberries in each layer.

8. You may as well sprinkle a crunched cornflakes on top of the layer, creating a unique taste of tiramisu.

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Questions, comments, reviews are mostly welcome.. Happy Tiramisu-ing!

p/s I've just had a slice of it, soooo yummylicious!!

Celebrating the day, today

Today is 14th February 2011, one most sought day from all the days in a year, for most people in the world. It is believe that this is the most romantic day to celebrate endearing everlasting love, and the most perfect day to express true feeling to their love ones. Most of these people, they race to buy bouquet of flowers, box of chocolates, planning a romantic candlelight dinner in the most expensive and most beautiful decorated restaurant, only to celebrate this 'day of love'. To most grownups, this is the chance to show their inner passion in most intimate way. And during this day, most company will look forward to sell their products in 'valentine's theme', pinks and reds, and whites with thousands of heart. Some will raise the price as high as triple the normal price, claiming that the demands are so high, when in fact it is actually one of the most reliable tactics to get extra incomes throughout the year. A single red rose on normal day may cost as little as 50cents a stalk, but on this particular day, it could be as much as 5dollar a stalk.

The question here, should we or should we not celebrate the day?

Personally, I believe as a human being, we should be allowed to practise freedom as much as we want, as long as those are still accepted by the society. Accepted in my point means from local views, cultures and common religious belief. We live in cultured society, which obeys rules and regulations, and it is our duty as a responsible member of society to always respect those laws.

Again, to the question. When we look back to the date of Valentine's Day, it's clear that the celebration is never recognize in Hijri Calendar. The historical value of the day itself is never mention in Quran. As a faithful Islam believers, Muslims are expected to practise Islam in their daily life, and focus on most important things in world; to be a good Muslim, keeping faith and spreading Islam teachings with wisdom and love. Therefore such celebration as Valentine's Day, it doesn't count in Islam events, so Muslims are never encourage to celebrate it. And a good Muslim should make his or her own decision independently whether it is appropriate for them to celebrate the day or not. I'm not going to elaborate more from religious side of this celebration, as I don't have great knowledge to write this from Islam's view, but for those interested, please click HERE. (It's written in Malay)

Living in multicultural society like Malaysia, we could not deny the fact that some of Malaysians do celebrate the day, no matter in what ways, by exchanging gifts, going out for date, or movies, romantic lunch or dinner, hanging out with friends etc. But when youngsters, some are as young as middle school teenagers, some of them thought that they should celebrate the day as if a grownups should (to a certain extend, as a married couple should), the celebration then turns to be very upsetting and perhaps become the source of annoyance to some concern citizens. Some kids believe and swear the only way they could express their 'true love' are by giving up their virginity (to girls) or proposing an intimate relationship (to boys). In simple word, committing adultery. That what rages most parents in Malaysia, when that act does promotes a high teenage problems such as underage pregnancy, abortion, etc.

I think the best way to manage this unwanted yet harmful situation is to reeducate our youngsters with good moral knowledges, and encourage them to practice the true religious teaching. Thinking about it, we should also reeducate our society, with a good moral teaching on which practice is acceptable in local view. In Islam, these kids need to be taught the Islamic teaching as early as the parents could, and the responsibilities lies to the parents until they reach puberty. Whereas in Malay cultures, these teenagers, the responsibilities to teach and protect them (especially to girls) lies to the parents, until they finally get married.

In true Islamic teaching, there is no concept of courting before marriage as commonly practice in most western country. Muslims believe that their spouses are already written in the God's Holy Book, and every Muslims believe that marriage is a bless for them to strengthen their faith, a legal way to release their physical need and at the same time to be able to continue living as true Muslim. But of course, as a religion that teaches with wisdom and love, every mature Muslim has their own right to do what they want, as long as they never cross the border of teaching in Islam. I also believe that other religion as Christian, Jew, Buddha, Hindu, they also encourage their believers to avoid adultery before marriage, especially to the youngsters.

My advice especially to Malaysian's youngsters out there, please and please think twice before you finally decide to do something that requires 'ultimate sacrifice' to express true love, as you'll never sure whether the love you have is truly the 'true one' or not, or whether it's worth all the things in the world (and after world as well). I've wrote about this in my previous post, please have a look at it. LOVE TALKS.

For those celebrating the day, may the love you have now do forever be your true love. For those married couple, may your marriage blooming ever since, not only on this day. To dating couple celebrating the day, everyone knows that you are wise enough to make your own decision. And for young lovers, I should have good faith on you to be wise.

Be wise, and keep wise. Your choice.

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My version of 'Valentine's Day' is celebrated all day in a year, and next year, and next year and next year.. As always, I love my dearest husband..

What Makes 'Charming'?

I've read this book. This Charming Man, by Marian Keyes. It's interesting to read, on how four women shaped their life out of love with this particular man. He's a politician, a looker, as described in the book, and very influential, or in easy way, charming. The book described the life of these women, how they carried themselves after various depressing incidents and finally get along together creating a strong friendship. Some parts were written in diary style, some in monologue, but nonetheless, it's really moving, and I was easily fastened to the feeling of writing, and really, it does shows different sides of women in reality. To girls, and ladies out there, I urge all of you to have a look at this book, as it's really entertaining. There's not many laughing parts, but I'm sure you'll be captured by the feeling and its warmth created in it.

But here, I'm not going to talk about the book. I'm more interested to write about what makes someone charming. Sometimes in life, one couldn't help but being charming. It's the way they live, and they are just being innocently charming, people somehow couldn't help but being attracted to be near them. Sometimes that person actually doesn't have a clue how he or she magnetized people around them. Being charming here, I mean when someone doesn't have the need to be handsome, strikingly beautiful, bubbly and perky. Actually, it is difficult to define. I found an interesting article that could define charming. Please click HERE.

I read somewhere, some people were born with special pheromones that normally attract different gender to circled them, and of course making some other people, usually with the same gender turned green whenever this 'magnetic person' is around. But nonetheless, this trait can also be learn. LINK But to those who is said to be born with this trait, they usually have no idea, what make them so attractive. That person may not be handsome, perhaps not so good looking, or pretty, but their attitude, personality and their warmth keep people want to be close with them.

I have my own set of stories, which I believe partly were the work of the charm. But I don't think they're appropriate for me to disclose thorough here, as they won't do anything good for me, or to those related. And if I revealed them, they may only scratch the old wound. Enough for me to say, there were events (long time ago) when some people did try to depress me, during my 'young, single and available' time. I was hurt, VERY, as I was falsely accused anonymously to flirt with this senior, when actually the fact are I never meet him or talk to him or knowing his face, until now.

And one unforgettable occasion, when my superior bragged about my jobs, there were people trying to look that as the result of me being brown nosing with him. Found out that person twisted the matter to the wife, and they fought. I managed to straightened the matter eye-to-eye, and that person has apologized. Until I got married, then the story finally ended.

On the positive side, looking at the previous history, I believe that was 'the work of the charm' (trying to be positive; my way). I believe that I do have the charm, how much? I'm not sure. Well, I suppose I can say that I am charming. And that's enough to me. And please don't hate me because I am charming. But of course there's always room for improvements. And I am planning to polish the charm in me.

We should always believe we are as who we want us to be. Who else will boost our confidence if not ourself. Though there may be someone questioning, saying different things, perhaps annoyingly, we have to accept that we can't deny their right of freedom to speak. Let them. It's what we think matters, and of course, we should always walk the talk!

And now, I believe the charming trait has somehow pass down to my son. To my eyes, he's so adorable. When we took him to playground, some kids somehow attracted to play with him, followed him here and there, jumping and running and climbing, as if he's the leader of the groups, though he's the smallest of all.

My dearest husband had always reminds me, there would be lots of challenges in the future for our family, and to face them, we have to stick together, keeping our family strong from those potential green-eyes monster out there.

To my dearest one, I love you so much. Thank you for being a charming husband, and a charming father, and giving me a charming son.. perhaps our next coming child do have the share of charms as well..

And thank you God, for these charms. May Our Family Live Happily, and Grow Stronger Each Day.

Long Live My MALAYSIA!

Dearest someone you know who you are, please, I wish to share this. I copy this from your notes in facebook. The words chosen really speak my mind to what happen now. I really honoured the writing, and I always respect the way of your thinking.

For all my love and support to my country, I wish to share this writing to all my blogger friends out there.. It's written in Malay.

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Saya menulis ini kerana saya sayangkan Malaysia.

Bukan niat menunjuk diri jauh sekali untuk mengeji.

Ini sekadar berkongsi rasa hati.

Dalam ratusan doa yang diutuskan kepada saudara-saudara kita di Mesir, memberontak hati ini tatkala membaca kiriman doa yang mahukan keadaan yang serupa berlaku di Malaysia.

Logik yang diberikan cukup gampang, Kerajaan Pak Najib sama seperti Kerajaan Pak Hosni Mubarak yang menindas rakyatnya justeru harus pantas ditumbangkan.

Apa benarkah begitu porak-perandanya Bumi Malaysia?

Malaysia bukan Mesir. Mesir juga bukan Malaysia.

Persamaan pasti ada namun perbezaan juga nyata.

Mentadbir negara tidak semudah bergebang di gelanggang politik.

Banyak nyawa perlu dipelihara dan banyak hati yang perlu dijaga.

Tidak ada satu aturan yang bisa memuaskan hati semua rakyat jelata.

Kecuali aturan yang Maha Kuasa.

Memang ini Fitrah dan Fikrah manusia. Berbeza pendapat dan tingkah dalam semua perkara.

Molek bagi saya,

Mungkin tempang pada saudara,

Mungkin pincang pada mereka.

Cukup bagi saya,

Mungkin kurang bagi saudara,

Mungkin berlebihan pada mereka.

Adil bagi saya,

Mungkin paksaan pada saudara,

Mungkin penganiayaan pada mereka.

Memang serakah duniawi kita tiada bertepi.

Namun hajat tidak pernah memperkenankan cara.

Jangan kerana ghairahkan kuasa, rakyat ditimpa malapetaka.

Marahkan nyamuk mengapa kelambu jadi mangsanya.

Saya jahil ilmu agama. Namun saya pasti. Pasti bahawa tidak ada satu agama pun didunia yang menganjurkan penganutnya mendoakan kemusnahan sesama penganutnya. Biar sejauhmana berbeza ideologi politiknya!

Semoga Malaysia sentiasa di dalam rahmatNYA.

DIGARHAYU Tanahairku!

SNAM,

Brussels, 1 Februari 2011

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I pray, O Allah, our Mighty Lord, Bless my country Malaysia and the people. Save our heart, save our soul. Let us live in peace and harmony. Amen.

Long Live My Country!

What Really Matters In A Relationship

This is not my original writing, in fact, I'm not sure who's the original writer of this sad and very touching story, but I believe it's worth a thousand pieces of gem to share.. I've read it almost everywhere, in Malay version, and English version, in first person format and third person story. Finally I decided to share this with my blogger's friend. I copied this from this link in facebook. (please click HERE for the original copy)

Happy reading..

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now. The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again. In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outsidethe door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.

My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you. If you do, you just might save a marriage.

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

p/s every marriage has its own ups and downs, and what really matter to keep a marriage strong is how we respect and value each other, and most important, have faith in each other loves. if we can't avoid arguments, please understand it's always manageable, as long as we want it to be solved.