A raw beauty at Sekeping Tenggiri

Sekeping Tenggiri ... as poetic as it name, me and hubby truly falling head over heels in love with this place. Upon stepping into this exotic house, visitors will have a view of plants of all textures, shapes and sizes, hanggin from the roof. Great views and natural ventilation from these landscapes brings out the relaxation effect for those who stay here. The retreat is a corner double storey link house which is the refurbishment of 2 original linkhouse units and feature a “back to basic”concept designed by the exceptional local landscape architect, Seksan.

We booked Courtyard Room since Skyview Room that we want not available. But we just falling in love with this room as we step-in. 

Welcome to our room, Courtyard Room ... 

As you can see, the walls are unrended and the colours of brick walls provide a cozy ambiance. The interior is adorned with very interesting pieces of local art. The fixtures and fittings are salveaged materials  from old malay kampung style houses (I truly love this concept).

While their attached bathrooms are roofless, guest can enjoy a warm bath beneath the clear blue sky.

Night scene also breathtaking ... even though we still in the city, Sekeping Tenggiri kept away from the hustle and bustle of the city life.

I choose this gorgeous retreat as our 3rd Wedding Anniversary mini retreat, a 'surprise' gift for three of us. If you interested on the idea of invitation, you can download 'DIY Valentine Popcorn Invitation' from here. While for 'DIY origami heart love note', you can download from here, and 'DIY Je t'aime coffee cup wrappers' at here. You can personalize any DIY project with your own style. I just loved these kind of cute way to make your day much more special.

I seriously enjoyed my time in Sekeping Tenggiri, so does hubby and Zafran. Definitely gonna visit this place again. Every room is worth the stay, if you appreciate uniqueness. I always inspired by Seksan Design, me and hubby truly adore the architecture and wish our own house like this (early exposure to our becoming architect aka Zafran ... hehehe).

The address is 48, Jalan Tenggiri, Taman Bukit Pantai, and you can see some pictures here and read an interview with Seksan about it here. Here is the video tour for you. I wish I can be a lodging reviewer, introduce a different lodging experience from the usual hotels. Till then, wait for my next recipe post, special recipe for our wedding anniversary. 

Gorgeous Mini Treats

A bite-sized or cute mini treats are my all-time favorite, especially when they are easy to make and work against the clock (which is EXPRESS!). I've made this lovely mini treats a couple month ago and totally forget to share with you. So, let's me introduce to you Cherry and Almond Loaves. 

According to the recipe, you need to use 12 section silicone loaf tray 7x5 cm or 3x2 inches. Alternatively they can be made individual metal tins, which I'm using it ... then cut it into smaller loaves. And makes sure you add an extra 5 minutes' cooking time. To experiment, I also made them into mini cupcake cases, and it's look really cute!

These are spectacular loaves! Great to enjoy during tea-time while it still warm.

Recipe adapted from Mini Cakes by Joanna Farrow (makes 12):

Prep: 15 minutes, plus cooling

Cook: 20 minutes

85g lightly salted butter (softened, plus extra for greasing)

70g caster sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

70g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp almond extract

55g ground almonds

55g natural glace cherries, roughly chopped

2 tbsp flaked almonds (I use extra because I love the crunchiness texture when you bite the loaf)

55 g icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180 degree C. Place a 12-section silicone mini loaf tray on a baking tray, or grease and base line individual mini loaf tins. Put the butter, caster sugar, egg, egg yolk, flour, almond extract and ground almonds in a mixing bowl and beat together with an electric hand-held whisk until smooth and creamy. Stir in cherries. Using a teaspoon, spoon the mixture into the tray sections and level with the back of the spoon. Break up the flaked almonds slightly by squeezing them in your hands and scatter them over the cake mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes (25 minutes if using tins), or until risen and firm to the touch. Leave in the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

*Beat the icing sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl and drizzle over the cakes with teaspoon. Leave to set.

OR

Serve lightly dusted with icing sugar.

Then ... the other day, I've tried a different version by changed the cherries to blueberries. What fun to experiment in the kitchen. Indeed, it's super duper yummy. 

After all, this heart shape traditional cake really stolen my heart away while I dig deep to the bottom of it, mmm... delectable!

Brownies Affair

Brownies have always been one of those late night snack foods for me (lately!). I'm all for baked goods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and every space in between), but brownies have always held a particular time slot for me, maybe it's easiest to make and got a lot of ready made variety sell in the hyper market.

Since there are fresh blueberries in my fridge, I'm decided to make a brownie. I'm supposed to make  pancakes using blueberry, but somehow not enough ingredients to make this so called 'home-made blueberry pancakes'. So, I just made these, and I would like to say that they are fantastic! Here is the recipe which I forgot I outsourced from where because I just wrote it in a paper. Neway, thanks to the owner of this yummy brownie!

Click to enlarge

These blueberry brownies are very cakey and light, also springy (is that a such term for a brownie???). Here is the 'pyramid of pleasure' - as what Nigella said.

But if you are a die-hard chocolate lover, you can always make them more chocolaty by adding chocolate chips. I'm prefer a nutty brownies as always. The blueberries add a rich dimension to the chocolate and the cinnamon brings warmth (which I was a bit skeptical about omitting it, but I was not disappointed). You will need a glass of milk with these.





My little boy 'helped out' and always accompanied me during any of my baking project. 

Mama, are you doing it right? -Maybe that's what he might say...hehehe

These brownies are so much better the second day, after all it's a better combination for supper between the best ice-cream and superb brownies. 

Okay, I'm finished!