Lemon Squares with Nestlé Yogurt

*this is a sponsored post by Nestlé*

When I saw that I have to cook with yogurt, immediately I thought of something zesty and tangy. I love love love lemons if you do not know by now and I was busy looking for recipes for lemon and yogurt, both of which I major love.

I found this recipe online and I love that it incorporate both lemon and yogurt and also cause it will bring me back the taste of the fudge I fell deeply in love for when I went to NZ few years back.

Nestlé's yogurt is one of the yogurt I take on a regular basis whether for cooking or just direct consumption. I love adding yogurt into dishes especially cakes because of the extra tanginess. I even use them for dips.

Anyway, back to my Lemon Squares. Below is the recipe.

This recipe should give you 16 squares. Else you can cut smaller squares and have more pieces. I love to have them small so that I can eat two. Although I will eat two even if they are big squares =x

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup margarine, softened
2 tablespoons Nestlé low-fat plain yogurt

Topping:
 3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg white
1 lemon rind, grated
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons icing sugar

Method:
1. First, combine flour, sugar, margarine and yogurt in food processor or blender. I used my Thermomix for this.
 2. Pour the mixture into a lightly-greased 8-inch-square cake pan. Press evenly.
3. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until golden.
4. For the topping: Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, egg, egg white and lemon juice and rind in a food processor or bowl.
5 Mix well.
6 Pour topping over base and bake an additional 35 minutes or until top is set. Sift icing sugar over top when cool.

Recipe taken from here.

Love the base because I added this. Smells super awesome! I could just eat the raw crumb! Although I don’t think it will taste nice cause it is flour but the butter and the Nestlé Yogurt makes it smell so good!

My topping while waiting for the base to cook.

 My Lemon Squares bubbling in the oven. Yums! Smell awesome already.

My Lemon Squares with Nestlé low-fat plain yogurt.

 OMG I LOVE LEMON + YOGURT. Love the base although I would put MORE Nestlé yogurt if I were to do it again but I love yogurt + lemon. Gimme moar! In fact I think I am going to try few more dishes with Nestlé yogurt!

For more information about Nestlé's product, click here

Life updates

It has been almost a month since I last blogged here. I find my life fairly mundane and there's nothing much that I can blog about so I stopped blogging. But I turned my attention to Dayre where I update like nonsense every day.

Anyway, Christmas is like....1 more week! I have done nothing Christmassy at all cause I don't have the tradition or more like stopped the tradition of getting gifts for people. I realized that I am not much a giver and spend most time being a taker instead. So being a giver will be my resolution for next year.

I really hope Daniel and I will get our own house soon cause I don't know, that is like my aim for the very near future. I pray that God will provide us with everything that we need. As of now, I will have to clean my room which has been like a dump for like forever!!!

So,

1. Get a house.
2. Be more of a giver than a taker.

New year resolution. ^^

House Hunting continues

We brought Daniel's mum to the 70sqft house and she said no. She didn't like the toilet as it was too small. She said she has to walk backwards to enter the toilet.

Anyways, then she said that we should get one that is nearer to my working place so that I don't have to endure traffic jam every day. So we finally found one that the size is good for us and his parents like.

Nothing is confirmed yet but I am happy with that house! Thank you Lord for bringing us to this house.

House Hunting

So we have been house hunting for a while now but not actively looking yet. We've seen a few houses. So far I've seen one that I like it more than the others but I don't love the location. Anyways, the house was sold.

Yesterday the boyfriend and I went to look for another one and let's just say I am okay with the location but I would love to have a slightly bigger one. The condominium opposite is 900sqft but also RM125k more expensive.

The one we saw is 700sqft. I am OKAY with the house but it is definitely not my dream house. And whatever that I envisioned my house to have..let's just say with that house, I can't have it. But...the price is a hugeeee factor here. With the unimpressive size, it's already almost RM400k. If I were 4 years older and I knew Daniel 4 years ago, I think I would be able to get a better one 4 years ago. With the current price, I could have gotten a 1000sqft one 4 years ago.

I cannot complain to Daniel cause it will break his heart and makes him feel that he couldn't provide. It's not him. I just dream too much. =(

House hunting SUCKS! =P

My choice of weekends

Cancelled my Saturday class today and I am actually enjoying the day off. FINALLY!!!

Teaching makes me feel good and bad at the same time. I enjoy it when my students makes me laugh and treats me like one of them. But I still need them to respect me. I don't want them to be afraid of me. I just need respect.

Anyway, last week was slightly worse than the second as I actually scolded my students 3 times. Twice for one class and once for another. And I hate that feeling. It makes me feel like crap. I hate scolding them. I believe English should be fun and there should be no need for me to raise my voice since they are already old enough. But no, they have to prove me wrong.

I hope next week will be better though I dread entering the class I scolded twice cause....they are good kids, but sometimes...just sometimes...And I hate to have that feeling cause they are good kids. I need to pull myself together.


NO.SCREAMING.NEXT.WEEK.

I can use some Saturdays off you know? If my students one day decide not to continue with the tuition, I might just grab that offer. Until I get my own place and maybe work in USM (future plan). Going to students' house for tuition is time consuming and tiring.

Anyways, to a great weekend ahead. <3

Monday blues

ARE REAL! And they HIT HARD.

I was so down the whole day except when I was in class (thank God for mischievous who are just well..kids..). Now when I can go back, it is raining heavily. Don't think I am able to get out of here any time soon. =( Need to wait until the rain stops.

Monday, please go away.

Week 3

Entering week 3 in a few hours time and already dreading the lesson planning part.

No life I tell you. NO LIFE.

I don't care. I am going out on Tuesday nights or Wednesday nights. Just go shopping and buy something nice for myself. I need that!

I don't go out a lot but I would really love to sit down and not have to worry about my slides or exercises or lesson plans. T_T And they say it is normal for the 1st year. SAY WHAT??? Means I have another....11 months to go? And knowing myself full well, I will still edit and change my slides here and there even if I am repeating the same course next semester.

Need.to.FIND.a.HOBBY.to.KEEP.me.SANE.


God, I not very demanding one. I just ask for one thing la..after all these hard work, can you grant me weight loss? Ok ma hor my request?

Week 2

It's just the 2nd week working here. However, it feels like I've been working for years. It's not that I don't like my students or I don't know the things that I am doing or that I don't like doing what I do, it's just....it just feels long.

Worse is that I only have 15 hrs a week, which is much lesser than my friends. So I have lesser excuse to complain. My grandma said that I am a super woman. Cause I can go to work, come back, go for meetings and all. I can also go straight to the hairdresser and get my hair done after work. Maybe that's why. I've been running around and not resting after work.

I would wish to rest if I don't have to prepare my lessons after work. T_T It will get better. Pay day will come and it will get better. No wonder people pamper themselves after getting their pay. Can I take RM50 and pamper myself too? I need a new laptop, like NOW! Okay, maybe I can wait a few weeks more.

So back to work. Each class I enter, I must remind myself that it's for the future!

Things I do

like I wrote

"Congratulations. Again."

- Ping -

on a bouquet of flower that my boyfriend's mum asked me to get for my boyfriend on behalf of her. So I had to cancel my name and write

- Mum and Dad -

ho ho ho WHY I LIKE THAT?

Week 1 of working is so far so good.

Students have been quite ok except for one class. But I think I can handle them.

I got it

For your information which is really just for my information 

since I am practically the only one reading it.

I got the job.

Got the call just now,

Will go over tomorrow for briefing

And then will commence on Monday.

Nervousness creeping in, bit by bit.

Interview done

Not confident

But it's in God's hands now.

So I'm not gonna do God's job and worry too much.

He has His plan.

I've done my part.

Love the beautiful clouds.

Need them once in a while.

Love the sun although the weather is still slightly chilly.

Love Mummy for dropping me and waiting for me throughout the interview.

Boyfie for making me send my resume,

Maureen and Kalai for encouraging me to apply.

Maureen for giving tips and saying awesome pawsome stuff.

And whatever it is, God has His plans for me.

Now I'm off to Extreme Makeover Home edition marathon while preparing Saturday's lesson plan.

^^

Interview?

Basically sent in my resume yesterday

Got a call today to go for 

Interview tomorrow!

Mad things happened in 3 days.

And I was like "Aiya, all my friends got the job already,

I am sure they have filled up all the positions.

But it's okay, I'm gonna send in my resume just in case they need people in the future."

And got 4-5 missed calls this morning!

I was driving so I didn't hear it ringing AT ALL.

Checked my phone once I got out of the car and 

ta-daaaaa so many missed calls

Called back and got greeted with the automatic call-operator.

Called back and asked for a few people and in the end got to the person who called me.

Tomorrow interview.

"God, You quite amazing hor?

I'm gonna believe this is from You cause I really gave up hope already.

But you gave me this. I was thinking, what else am I good at? 

I am relatively okay in teaching and I would love to try other things but for now, 

whenever I go to jobstreet, I will reluctantly scroll back to teaching cause that's what I know. 

And when I was typing the cover letter, I found back the reason why I wanted to teach in the first place. Whatever it is, I surrender it to You. You are so amazing You can do anything la!"

So off to prepare for my interview tomorrow.

 

GUILTY!

Are you guilty of this? I'm most guilty for the waking up and before sleeping one! Boyfriend always complains that when he wants a cuddle, there I was, playing with my phone. =x How about you?

Counting my blessings

Was eating my diet meal (consisting of lots of vege and some chicken breast) when my little grandmother sat beside me.

"Eh, no eat rice ar?"
"No, today eat chicken and vege"
"Why no eat rice?"
"Heee..don't want to eat rice."
"Eh, yesterday you cook that pork, very nice lo."
"Is it? You like it ar?"
"Ya...the taste just right. Sometimes when we buy outside not so nice one."
"Ya lo, this one we cook ourselves ma, so we can cook the way we want it lo."
"Ya, very nice. I eat that one only enough already."
"Like that I cook for you some more okay?"



I am going to count the little blessings every day. This is the 3rd time my grandmother praises my cooking with Thermomix.

First was Fried Bee Hoon.

Second was Sambal Dried Shrimp. My aunt told me that my grandmother keep saying it is nice.

Today she praised me of my Dark Soy Sauce Pork Belly (which really is Char Siew without garlic and shallots cause I was too lazy to marinate them the day before but she loves it !)

If you know my grandmother enough, you would know that she is a VERY (very is an understatement) fussy eater. So those who wonder can Thermomix cook what we cook daily and make it good? My answer is, it can cook EVEN BETTER! Cause it's not only tasty (approved by a fussy grandmother), it is HEALTHY with less oil and it is EXTREMELY EASY with no need of spring cleaning after cooking even after cooking Sambal Dried Shrimp which was IMPOSSIBLE before this.

Looks like I've got to cook more stuff for my grandmother with Thermomix so that she can have good meals every day. Besides, it requires little effort. Our little naughty grandmother sometimes refuse to eat cause the taste is not up to her liking. So it's a blessing for me to be able to cook for her and make sure she eats well. Motivated to cook even more!

Staying Positive

Taken last Sunday in the car in SP. Beautiful clouds. Came back to Penang after that to haze and rain.

At times like this, it's difficult to stay positive.

Especially when your close ones are not helping.

Lots of self-hating, self-loathing, frustration and anger.

And then I am reminded of what I told my students in Sunday School.

"Is our God BIG?"

"YES!"

"Is our God GREAT?"

"YES!"

"Is there anything our God can't do?"

"NO!"

"Can God help us with our problems?"
"YES!"

"What must we do when we face problems or difficulties?"

"PRAY! TALK TO GOD!"

Yet here I am, trying to do all things MYSELF, relying on my own human strength.

Of course God works in wonderful ways, ways we never imagine or even thought of.

He may not work the way we expect Him to work but His plans never to destroy us.

I can only do so much myself, but with Him, I know He will bring me to where He wants me to be.

Need to stop being a hypocrite. Telling my kids how wonderful God is and yet I myself struggle to understand this simple thing that God wants us to do.

Our God is a GREAT, BIG GOD who created all things wonderful. Just look at the clouds!

He who can create all wonderful and powerful things can help me.

And He who creates the sharks, the crocodiles, the beautiful clouds, sunset, sunrise,

all types of fish, birds, animals, the sea and the land, the ENTIRE UNIVERSE from NOTHING

is willing to walk alongside with me, guiding me. 

God who is willing to go BEFORE me and bring me with Him will never fail me.


ps: A good and very comforting article
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/5-lies-every-twentysomething-needs-stop-believing

Packing my bags again

Last weekend I was packing for my trip down to KL for training. Today, for a camp in SP.

This kind of carefree lifestyle is gonna end soon!

Part of me is happy cause it sucks to be so carefree when everyone else are busy. =P

Working hard till the very last minute.

All thanks to a very "good quality" audio that I have to transcribe and also 

Pretty Little Liars that managed to tempt me out of doing my work.

They did that while I was rushing for my Master's Thesis a while back.

Anyways, I'm done with Season 4 and now waiting for Season 4B

to start in October (I know right?SO LONG!!!)

Took me 5 minutes to pack and now I am back to my work. 

Need to get them done by 12pm so that I can relax a little before leaving for SP.

Life of a work from home girl. =P