Little Sandwich

This morning I went to supermarket and saw some lettuce, so fresh and green. So I bought it and decided to make some sandwiches for lunch today. I have some tomatoes, cheese and eggs in the fridge. My daughter likes ham, tuna with mayonaise, so I bought all the ingredients as needed.
Here are some cut-out sandwiches. To make my daughter happy, I decorate it with seaweed. Guess what's that seaweed? HAHAHA... it's my daughter's favourite snack, Tao Kae Noi Tom Yam Flavoured Crispy Seaweed. My daughter was very happy!
I beat some eggs with sugar and light soya sauce. I use a frying pan to make some omelettes.
See... the sandwich is smiling... hahaha!!!

8 minutes work out

I have to do this everyday. Hopefully I can get back my figure. hehe...

Steps on wrapping a rice dumpling

Read more about bak chang

Chocolate Chips Cream Cheese Muffins

This muffin is so yummy! I have read some good reviews about this muffins from Lee Lee (Hugbear) and Jestina. It's so tempting! So I decided to bake some to try. The result is fantastic! If you like cheese, this muffin taste heavenly and you will not stop eating.

Thanks Aunty Yochana for sharing her wonderful recipes generously with us.


Here's the recipe. I did some changes to minimise the washing and cleaning (need to look after baby). Making muffins is easier than baking a cake. The difference is for muffins, batter must be lumpy, as for cakes, we have to make sure the batter is creamy.

This recipe yield 10 small little cuppies.



Ingredients:
80 g Sugar
2 eggs

Sift together:
180 g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

60 ml fresh milk
70 g melted butter

Mix all the fillings together:
100 g Cream cheese - softened
1 1/2 tbsp castor sugar

Some chocolate chips for sprinkling


Method:
I use wooden spoon to cream eggs and castor sugar. Add in fresh milk and melted butter into mixture and lightly mix it. Sift flour ingredients into the mixture and mix till well mixed.
Spoon batter into paper cups and then scoop a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture on top and some batter to cover the cheese, then sprinkle some chocolate chips on top.
Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for about 20 minutes or till golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Serve warm with a cup of tea/coffee.

I had 3 muffins for breakfast. *burp*!

Substitutions

If you're short on ingredients, try these substitutions before running to the store:

1 tablespoon cornstarch = 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or 2 teaspoons arrowroot

1 teaspoon baking powder = 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup butter = 1 cup margarine OR 7/8 cup vegetable oil or vegetable shortening

1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup plain yogurt plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar or
lemon juice plus enough plain milk to equal one full cup measure

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour = 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons unsifted all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk = 1 cup skim milk plus 2 tablespoons butter

1 cup tomato juice = 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water

Vanilla Extract - If you run out of vanilla extract or flavoring, you can substitute maple syrup, teaspoon for teaspoon.

Parents' wish

http://parentswish.com/site02/big.html

Chinese version.
《当我老了》——写给孩子的一封信
当我老了，不再是原来的我。
请理解我，对我有一点耐心。

当我把菜汤洒到自己的衣服上时，
当我忘记怎样系鞋带时，
请想一想当初我是如何手把手地教你。

当我一遍又一遍地重复你早已听腻的话语，
请耐心地听我说，不要打断我。

你从小的时候，
我不得不重复那个讲过千百遍的故事，
直到你进入梦乡。

当我需要你帮我洗澡时，
请不要责备我。
还记得小时候我千方百计哄你洗澡的情形吗？

当我对新科技和新事物不知所措时，
请不要嘲笑我。
想一想当初我怎样耐心地回答你的每一个“为什么”。

当我由于双脚疲劳而无法行走时，
请伸出你年轻有力的手搀扶我。
就像你小时候学习走路时，
我扶你那样。

当我忽然忘记我们谈话的主题，
请给我一些时间让我回想。
其实对我来说，谈论什么并不重要，
只要你能在一旁听我说，我就很满足。

当你看着老去的我，请不要悲伤。
理解我，支持我，就像你刚开始
学习如何生活时我对你那样。

当初我引导你走上人生的路，
如今请陪我走完最后的路。
给我你的爱和耐心，
我会报以感激的微笑。
这微笑中凝结着我对你无限的爱。

文章择选自墨西哥《数字家庭》2004年11月号

Raisins Scones

Makes about 12 scones

Ingredients:
2 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp castor sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup milk
1 beaten egg for glazing

Method:
Preheat oven at 180 deg C with a lightly greased empty tray in it. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Rub butter lightly into flour to get a bread crumb-like mixture. Stir in sugar and raisins. Get a clean and dry 4-cm round cutter ready. Add in the milk in the flour mixture and mix well to form a smooth soft dough. Do not over-mix. Pat with your hand or roll out to 2-cm thickness and cut with floured cutter. Place on heated baking tray. Brush the scones with egg for glazing. Bake in hot oven at 180 deg C for about 15 minutes or till brown. Serve with Jam, butter, cream, maple syrup or cheese and a cup of tea. Enjoy!!



Note:
If you do not have self-raising flour, use 2 cups of plain flour with 3 teaspoon of baking powder.
If the dough is a bit dry, add milk a little at a time, make sure the dough is smooth and not sticky.

To make cake rise

DO
Remember the cake-making is a precise science. No agak-agak if you want to avoid disappointment.
Follow recipes closely.
Use baking tins of the correct size to ensure even cooking. For sponge cakes, the nine-inch cake tin is recommended for best results.
Do keep to simple equipment. All you need for lovely cakes is a mixer.

DON'T
Open the oven door during the first 20 minutes of baking.
Overmix.
Overbeat egg whites.
Be disheartened if your cakes don't always turn out perfect.

Shopping Suggestions

Even if you are not planning to entertain, keep your larder stocked with:

Staples like rice, noodles, spaghetti and bread.
Life-saving tinned goods like soup, mushroom, tomato, young corn, peas, fruits, sardines.
Dried goods including dried mushrooms, wood ear fungus, red dates, dried shrimps, ikan bilis (anchovies), Chinese sausage, dried chesnuts, lentils, preserved vegetables and dried chillies.
Perishables like onion, shallot, garlic, carrot, turnip, potato, eggs, fresh fruit
Frozen meat - always come in handy.
Seasoning, garnish, sauces and of course beverages like coffee and tea.

Fruit Punch

Fruit punches are a refreshing alternative to the usual aerated beverages.

Ingredients:
One 3-litre can pineapple and orange juice
2 sliced oranges
1 sliced lemon
Pulp of 3 passionfruit
1 chopped red apple
Thinly pared rind of 1 large cucmber
1 bottle dry ginger ale

Method:
Pour pineapple and orange juice into a punch bowl. Add all other ingredients. Top up with ginger ale just before serving.

Agar Agar Talam

Ingredients:
1 packet of agar agar strips
some fresh pandan leaves (split and tie into knots)
1 -1/2 cups castor sugar
1 packet of Coconut Cream (200ml)
a pinch of salt
a few drops of green food colouring
2 litre Water (or slightly more)


Method:
Cut agar agar strips into small pieces. Soak in cold water for a while and rinse.
Boil the agar agar strips in a pot of boiling water together with the fresh pandan leaves. Add sugar into the pot and stir gently until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour half the mixture into a baking tin and add a few drops of green food colouring and stir. Let it cool and set for a while.
Add coconut cream, a pinch of salt into the other half of the agar agar mixture and let it come to a boil.
When the first half of the agar agar mixture has set, pour in the other half of the agar agar mixture (coconut), chill in the fridge for a few hours. Serve.

Danish Cookies

I use baking paper as piping bag. After "squeezing" out some twenty cookies. I took a photo of it.

Baked Danish cookies. Oh no! The pattern has disappeared! Next time I will use up all the flour (300g). A lesson learnt. Normally I add the flour bit by bit until the mixture is ready to pipe. The taste of the cookie is quite nice. My dd likes it. I'm quite happy because usually she doesn't like to eat cookies.

I set the temperature to 160 deg C. It takes about 15 minutes to bake the cookies.
Before putting in the oven.
The result. sigh!

Saw Tweety02 posted this recipe at M4M forum. The cookies she baked were very beautiful.

I managed to bake some cookies when my hubby is at home.

Thanks Tweety02 for the recipe.

Ingredients
150g unsalted butter
75g shortening
40g sugar
80g icing sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
300g cake flour

Decoration
chocolate chips

Method
Add melted unsalted butter, shortening, sugar and icing sugar.
Beat till mixture is fluffy and pale yellow.
Pour in beaten whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla essence over 2-3times.
Sift in cake flour and mix to form batter.
Fill batter into pastry bag with large flower shaped nozzle. Squeeze out round moulds.
Deco with choco chips. Bake at 170-180deg for 15mins.

Icing and Buttercream for Cupcakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 2/3 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp water/milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
Cream butter and icing sugar in a mixing bowl. Add vanilla essence and 2 tbsp milk/water and beat until smooth and fluffy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COCOA BUTTER ICING
Ingredients:
300g butter
500g icing sugar ~ sifted
75g cocoa powder

Method:
Beat the above ingredients.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VIENNA CREAM
Ingredients:
125g / 4 oz butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar ~ sifted
2 tbsp fresh milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
1. Beat butter till soft.
2. Add in icing sugar
3. Add in fresh milk, ONLY IF the icing is hard

Buttercream

Ingredients:

1 cup of shortening

1 cup of creamwell - (can use cream mixture)

3 table spoon of milk

8 cups of icing sugar- sieve

1 teaspoon almond essence

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

Beat shortening and creamwell until fluffy. Put in the icing sugar bit by bit. Next add the almond & vanilla essence. Pour in the milk bit by bit also (see the consistency of the mixture). Buttercream is ready to be used. You can keep the balance buttercream in the fridge and if you want to use it, just beat it again. If you want to put colouring, just use the color paste. Not advise to use the liquid type of colouring as the buttercream might become a bit watery.

Source: http://www.kitchencapers.net/phpbb/index.php
krimwell is just a special margarine for making buttercream. You can buy these kind of margarine at Ailin in Tanjung Katong Complex (Geylang) or at Lee Bee in Jurong West. Brand they sell is Kake and Marianne ...

Fondant (Sugar Paste)
8g gelatin powder mix with 50 ml water (room temperature)
50g corn syrup
450g powdered sugar
10 drops of light vegetable oil

Source: Imperial Kitchen

Cupcake

Yesterday I baked 12 cupcakes. I have given 2 cupcakes to Sue Jean's best friend, Charlene. Also 6 cupcakes for my husband to share with his colleagues this morning.

Butter Cake
Ingredients
250 gm butter
220 gm caster sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
300 gm cake flour (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder (sifted with flour)
150 ml milk

Method
Preheat the oven at 160°C.
Use electric mixer and beat the butter and caster sugar til creamy.
Crack all the eggs in a container, stir and mix roughly.
Pour the egg mixture into the batter gradually and mix well.
Pour 150ml of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla essence into the measuring cup and add it into the batter and mix well. Lastly fold in sifted cake flour and baking powder into the batter and mix well.
Scoop 2 table spoon of batter into a paper cup in the baking tray (6 paper cups).
Bake for about 30 minutes or till the cake is in golden brown.


The recipe of the cake is adapted from Lee Lee (hugbear).
Thanks Lee Lee for this wonderful recipe. I will use it again and again.