Tip: How to Cut A Cake Perfectly and Cleanly, Everytime

Ever felt frustrated when you slice into your cake and end up making a mess of it? Well, here's a kitchen tip / hack you can try at home, so that you can cut your cake perfectly and cleanly, everytime. You'll end up with neat looking slices of cake, just like the ones you find in the cafe. #LikeAPro

Watch our video to find out how (click here to watch in YouTube):

The Oreo cheesecake featured in this video is from Sweet Passion Premium Cakes. You can check out more of their cakes here.

How to Cut Cake Perfectly How to Cut Cake Perfectly How to Cut Cake Perfectly How to Cut Cake Perfectly How to Cut Cake Perfectly How to Cut Cake Perfectly How to Cut Cake Perfectly

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Pandan, the new Food Trend and Making Onde-Onde

Have you heard the news about the latest food trend about to hit UK and US? Yup, apparently pandan is set to overtake avocado and matcha, according to Nigella Lawson.

A common ingredient in Malaysia, we use pandan to make all sorts of local desserts aka kuih such as kuih ketayap, kuih seri muka and onde-onde. We also use it to make pandan swiss rolls and pandan chiffon cakes, pandan kaya, mooncakes as well as a natural food colouring. When making Malaysia's national dish, nasi lemak, we also add pandan leaves to the rice for extra fragrance.

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Earlier this week, BabySumoKids made onde-onde for our teatime snack. Such trendsetters, these two! :P  For this local dessert, we use pandan essence or extract. So if you can get your hands on a bottle of that, try this easy recipe, guaranteed to please.

BabySumoKids did a great job making all these onde-onde, all by themselves ;) I'm super proud of them for demonstrating such confidence in the kitchen.

Onde-onde in a halved coconut shell bowl ;)

For the onde-onde recipe, please visit this page.

You can watch BabySumoKids make them on my IG account or via this YouTube recipe video.

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Feeding the Giraffe at Lost World of Tambun, Ipoh

One of the most amazing, coolest thing we did during the recent school holidays was getting to see, touch and feed Rain the Giraffe upclose at Lost World of Tambun, Ipoh. Rain is a 2-year old male giraffe born in Zoo Negara on a rainy day (hence the name). Now, Rain lives with other safari animals such as zebras and ostriches at the Giraffe & Friends section of the park.

Before this, BabySumoKids have only seen a giraffe from afar at the zoo. Here, you will get the chance to feed Rain and also pet him on the head .... he is so gentle and soft like a soft toy. His keeper called him over and he would put his head in between the wooden slits on the balcony. You can purchase some food (ie carrot sticks) at the counter for only RM2 per bucket. Giraffes have super long tongues; Rain would use his tongue to gently take the food from your hands. (Interesting fact: Apparently they use their long tongues to clean their ears too!). Truly a wonderful, memorable experience for the kids (and us adults too!).

Here is a short video I captured during our trip there, sharing the amazing moment between us and Rain. :)

Definitely one of the things you need to put on your bucket list!


Other related posts from Lost World of Tambun:
Glamping at Lost World of Tambun
Zip line & kayaking - Lost World Adventure Park
Feeding the Giraffe at Lost World of Tambun
Lost World Tin Valley & Dulang Tea House
Lost World Hot Springs & Onsen Noodle House
Lost World Hotel - Super Suite

12 Awesome Things to Do at Lost World of Tambun
Lost World Luminous Forest
Feeding the Camels at Lost World of Tambun
Lost World Amusement Park
Lost World Ipoh Street
Lost World Crystal Spa

Gua Datok Exploration

Lost World of Tambun is open on weekdays from 11am to 6pm; weekends, Public Holidays and School Holidays from 10am to 6pm. Closed every Tuesday except PH and SH.


Location: Lost World of Tambun, No.1 Persiaran Lagun Sunway 1, Sunway City Ipoh, 31150 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (Parking RM1 per entry).

Tel: 05-542 8888

Website: https://sunwaylostworldoftambun.com/

GPS Coordinates: 4.625842, 101.154697



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*Note: GoodyFoodies reached 11 million page views on 21/4/2017 :)

Homeschooling: How to Make Giant Bubbles at Home

Last week, we took our kids to see Dr Bubble with Milkshake show at PJ Live Arts in Jaya One. This interactive storytelling show features all things bubbles - we got to see monster bubbles, bubble in a bubble, smokey bubbles, and much more.

Dr Bubble at PJ Live Arts (full screen here)

It's school holidays this week, but ironically, BabySumoKids requested that we do "homeschooling" on the first day of the school holidays. First lesson of the day was Science, and for Science, Hubby was the teacher-in-charge, and he decided to let them learn and play with bubbles, as inspired by Dr Bubble. You too can have a magical day of bubble fun at home with your kids - I guarantee that they will love it!

You can see easily buy bubble solution in the stores, which usually comes with a bubble wand. However, you can also DIY your own bubble solution - simply mix washing liquid with water in a shallow container / plate. For the bubble wand, we used a variety of apparatus to achieve different bubbles. The best one we made today was using an old badminton racket (with no more strings in the centre) to make giant bubbles. The racket was bent at an angle to enable the kids to easily dip it in the bubble solution, and then create lots of big bubbles. If you do not have an old racket in the house, you can buy a cheap one at Daiso or DIY for slightly over RM5.

 Yay we can make giant bubbles too! :)

Our giant bubble!

We also used mesh to create multiple bubbles in one go, as well as straws to create "caterpillar bubbles" (ie several small bubbles attached to one another to look like a caterpillar).

We sure had fun experimenting with bubbles today :)



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3 Ways to Maintain Good Bone Health

If you are a regular reader of GoodyFoodies, you will be familiar with my eating habits and lifestyle choices, as it is all well-documented here :-) Health and well-being of my family are important to me, and are what I hope to achieve as a parent, whilst also trying to live life to the fullest. I certainly do not take my health for granted; in fact the lifestyle and the choices I make are carefully selected for overall good health and maintaining healthy bodies for my family.

However despite my relatively healthy lifestyle and diet in terms of food intake and exercise, I would like to share my personal experience regarding height loss post-pregnancy.

In order to grow strong bones, an unborn baby needs a lot of calcium. The fetus gets his or her calcium from what the mother is eating. If insufficient calcium is present for the unborn child to develop, the mother may lose the balance from her own bones in order to provide for the child. Maybe if I had been alerted to this phenomenon during pregnancy, I could have supplemented my diet with sufficient calcium in my daily diet. After the birth of my two beautiful children, I now stand 2cm shorter in height.

It is not only mothers that should be aware of calcium requirements. As we grow older, both genders are susceptible to osteoporosis, a low bone density condition which can result in broken bones. A broken bone can really affect your quality of life and can impair daily tasks such as walking, bathing or cooking, leaving the individual with great disability during the healing process.

The best way to prevent weak bones is to work on building strong ones. Regardless of your age, the best way to achieve/maintain strong bones is to eat a calcium-rich diet every day. Some foods which are calcium rich include sardines, salmon, broccoli, spinach, milk, cheese, tofu and yoghurt. The daily recommended calcium intake for adults between ages 19 to 50 is 1000mg per day.

Some of the calcium-rich food we would eat - cheese and dried figs are two of my favorites,though this is a once-in-a-while indulgence

Spinach is good for you too

Firm tofu is one of the best calcium-rich foods

When considering calcium intake, it is also important to consider Vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium. Vitamin D is produced in your skin when it is exposed to sunlight. You can also get Vitamin D via foods such as milk, salmon and egg yolk, however a normal diet is unlikely to provide sufficient Vitamin D.

Egg yolk is a source of vitamin D

Although I cook and do meal planning regularly, it is still difficult to know for sure if we meet the recommended daily calcium intake through food. That is where health supplements can play an important role in achieving and maintaining a healthy body.

Blackmores Calcium + D3 "one-a-day" tablet is one such supplement aimed at meeting your Calcium and Vitamin D3 requirements. It is an improved formulation containing 600mg of Calcium and 500IU of Vitamin D3 to help absorption of calcium in an easy-to-swallow tablet. This way, I can rest assure knowing that I have given my body a great start to the day and henceforth supplement my body with calcium-rich food throughout the day.

Being active also helps to slow bone loss, improve muscle strength and in the long run, keeps your bones strong. An example is yoga - which I picked up about two years ago. This is my favorite Tree pose which stresses and stimulates the bones of the hip, pelvis, spine and shoulders. It also improves balance and hence reduces the likelihood of falls.

For more information on the Blackmores Calcium + D3 product, click this link.

*This is a sponsored post. 

Game Review: Horlicks NutriQuest

I'm sure by now you have all heard the news that the evil Dr Greedy is actively trying to stop children from being Tall, Strong and Sharp by taking over the Horlicks factory and henceforth depriving kids of Horlicks, a source of 23 vital nutrients for growth and development.

We downloaded the Horlicks NutriQuest game a few weeks ago and have allocated 1 hour after dinner each day combining our efforts as a family to unlock as many levels as we can.  Hubby has continued playing some evenings even after the children are in bed to surprise them the next day with his progress.

To take on Dr Greedy in the game, you can play as one of these four heroes - the friendly Damien, brilliant Omair, sporty Akin and the quick-witted Ida or customize the character to look like yourself.

Horlicks NutriQuest Main Menu

The game is definitely very playable and seems to have fulfilled the design criteria of engaging children and providing them with information regarding the important role nutrients play in their development. By playing this game, it also encourages our children to think of the best strategies to complete each level as well as stimulate their cognitive activities.

Tip from #BabySumoKids:

There are lots of useful information in the Handbook in the Main Menu. We strongly advise you to refer to the handbook as you progress through the game.

The Quest will take you through 3 different zones - City, Jungle and Factory, with 10 levels in each zone. The aim is to navigate through all the obstacles in your path, while collecting coins and if possible, collecting stars and hidden trophies along the way.  

Tip from #BabySumoKids:

Initially focus your efforts on passing the level, collecting as many coins as you can.  The coins can be used to upgrade your skills and health (number of lives available).  After you have familiarized yourself with the level and boosted your coins collection/upgraded yourself, you can repeat the level to search for the stars and the trophies, as well as collecting more coins.

You will encounter Tall, Strong and Sharp boosters while playing the game. Use these to your advantage to make progression to the next level easier.

The Tall booster will enable you to jump higher allowing you to climb onto higher platforms to progress and to collect stars/coins/other boosters.

The Strong booster will allow you to smash through some walls and throw boxes further.  In some levels you will not be able to finish the level unless you find and use the Strong booster.

The Sharp booster will allow you to extend your time in the "Virtual Reality" world.

Tip from #BabySumoKids:

The Virtual Reality world is entered by pressing the JoyStick icon that will appear when you stand next to the arcade machine.  Often, you will find keys in the Virtual Reality world that will unlock escalators/elevators allowing you to progress once you go back into the city, jungle or factory zone.  It is definitely worthwhile using the Smart booster to explore the Virtual Reality world.

If you are keen to enter the 4th Dimension but impatient to collect all the coins from NutriQuest gameplay, it is possible to purchase one of the limited edition Horlicks packs containing NutriCoins. With every purchase of a 200g Horlicks pouch, you are entitled to ONE NutriCoin, 400g pouch or 440g Horlicks jar to TWO NutriCoins and 1kg of Horlicks pack to THREE NutriCoins.

Each NutriCoins unique code can be used to unlock the 4th Dimension World and additionally the NutriCoins can also be used to redeem awesome Horlicks NutriQuest prizes (keychain, baseball cap, watch), essential items this school holidays for all NutriQuest players.  You can redeem the prizes via this website here. 

To summarize, each level must be completed by reaching the podium marked with a flag at the end of that level.  Once the first 10 levels are completed, you can only unlock Level 11 if you have collected enough stars and similarly at Level 20. The game will alert you as to how many stars you still require when you attempt to play level 11 or level 21 respectively. You will need to go back and play the preceding levels to collect more stars before you can advance.

Tip from #BabySumoKids:

To defeat the Crank Tank on Level 10 you will have to climb up all the platforms to get the Yo-Yo before attacking the Crank Tank.  To defeat the Slazer on Level 20 you will have to get the Smart booster then enter the virtual world to activate the Canon to attack the Slazer.

We are currently working on our strategy to defeat Dr Greedy on Level 30. Despite reaching Level 30 we have only discovered 5 hidden trophies, let us know if you find more :-)

You can connect with other NutriQuest gamers and NutriQuest game developers on Horlicks Facebook page for assistance, helpful hints and tips.

Download the games here with Google or Apple app store. For more info on Horlicks NutriQuest, please visit https://www.horlicks.com.my/nutriquest


The Horlicks School Education Programme will also be visiting 100 schools to bring fun and excitement through an educational approach. Students will be taught how to conduct fun science experiments by being taller, strong and sharper and defeat Dr. Greedy!

Read more about the Horlicks NutriQuest roadshow here.

*This is a sponsored post.

5 Fun Halloween Crafts To Do with Your Kids

Halloween's coming, and this year, Hubby was excited to involve both our kids in some Halloween arts and crafts. An especially fun activity, and great time-filler since school was closed for quite many days due to the terrible haze in KL.

Here are 5 fun and easy Halloween crafts you can do with your kids:


1. Halloween characters - using toilet roll

This is a really easy one, all you need are toilet rolls which you wrap in different colored paper, and then draw on the eyes (+ features) for the Halloween pumpkin, ghost, and Frankenstein. For the mummy, first you will need to cut out a small piece of black paper, and to it stick two small yellow rounds and then draw the black dots. Then wrap the toilet roll with white corrugated art paper for the bandage effect - remember to cut out the rectangle (where you will position the eyes) so that you can see the eyes.

Things you'll need:  Art paper (white, green, orange, black and yellow), Glue / double sided tape, Scissors, Black marker pen, Corrugated white paper.

Time required: 30 minutes


2. Skeleton - using cotton buds

You will need one piece of large art paper (brown or black preferable), and lots of cotton buds. Arrange to form a skeleton as per the picture.

Things you'll need: Art paper (Brown or black), Cotton buds, Scissors, Glue, Craft eye (x2).

Time required: 15-20 minutes


3. Frankenstein head - using cardboard

The head is crafted from a single piece of cardboard, large enough to either go round the wearers head or at least 3/4 round. To create the curved shape score lines on one side of the cardboard at say 3cm interval. These lines will be used to help make the mask bend into shape without creasing. Another piece of cardboard say 5cm wide is required to hold the 3 elastic band in place that will fasten the mask closed.

Use the craft glue to stick the large and smaller pieces of cardboard together, sandwiching the 3 elastic band at evenly spaced intervals down the back of the mask.

Glue the green paper onto the front of the mask and use the black marker pen to draw on the hair and facial features. We used 2 wooden dowels to fasten elastic bands closed once the mask is worn.

A toilet roll is cut in half and used as Frankenstein's neck bolts. By stuffing the rolls with tissue paper then soaking the paper with craft glue the bolts were stuck to the mask.  Alternatively holes could be cut in the cardboard and the tubes pushed into place.

The back of the Frankenstein head

Things you'll need: Cardboard(x1), Green art paper A4 x3, Black Marker Pen, Elastic Band (x3), Tissue paper, scissors or art knife, white craft glue, toilet roll.

Time required: 25-30 minutes


4. Black cat - using paper plate

Using spray paint, colour the paper plate black and allow paint to dry. Or you can paint it by hand using black paint, or cut a large circle from black art paper.  Cut a small circle out from the plate, and then a circular strip from the smaller circle, which will made up both head and tail. Stick on the smaller circle to the body, then stick on eyes and whiskers (you can use white art paper, cut into long strips). Stick on tail. Using scissors, cut out ears from the head.

Things you'll need: Paper plate (x1), Black Paint / Spray paint, Glue/double-sided tape, Scissors, Craft eye (x2), Art paper (white).

Time required: 30 minutes


5. Bats

Go to Google and search for "Bat Templates", and you will find loads under "Image". Print out and then cut out on cardboard or heavyweight art paper in black.Then, cut out according to shapes, and then paint using black paint or spray paint if paper used is not black.


Things you'll need: Cardboard or thick art paper, Scisscors, Paint/Spray paint in black.

Time required: 15 minutes

Boo! Have a spook-tacular time!

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