Wanna shake hands?

All along I have a habit of disinfecting the toys,using dettol soap to wash our hands,purchasing antibacterial detergent and consuming more fruits and vegetables to enhance immunity...Now more so when HFMD is in the rage...it is better to be cautious,for the pain and suffering is not worth it...the worst of all is to be a "prisoner" in my own house,eeks...a SMALL price to pay in exchange for a peace of mind,despite disinfectants cost slightly more....The protection does not end there,for everytime clover used the public highchair or change her diapers,I will swap it thoroughly before letting her use it...If all else fails,I suppose it is a case of bad luck?haha....Yet,just when I thought I had nearly every area covered,friendly clover develop the habit of shaking hands,making friends with anyone and everyone...It does not matter if she is seeing the person for the first time,she will gladly extend her hand out and give you a warm handshake,somewhat like a celebrity...haha...Rejections does not matter,she will simply moved on...Ignoring that her poor mummy is frantially searching for the wipes everytime she does that and wipe her hands discreetly,no offence to all the strangers/friends who return her handshake happily,still,I feel it is best to be careful,I suppose other mummies will do the same?...haha..

Hi,Mandy,thanks for visiting my blog and your kind compliments....

Clover the cook and grocery shopper?

Coming from a traditional family background,whereby women in my household must be competent enough to hold a "spatula and a pen",it is deem important to know how to cook a complete meal in my family.In fact,my relatives will shower praises upon me when they know their niece can cook,my parents will beam proudly...."Oh,you will make a good wife,guys like women who know how to cook" is a saying emphasis often enough to me ,though seriously,I doubt their words....

A quick look around me,hey,guys do not look for women who can cook to judge whether they are a potential dating partner,do they?Most women nowadays do not cook,besides,being surrounded in a food haven,there is no need to,after slogging hard at the office,who has the energy to really whip up a gourmet meal and do the tedious cleaning up afterwards?To add on,my guy friends have assured me that they do not need a "cook",knowing how to dress up and laugh at their wacky humour score points....haha...superifical,or visual creatures?A mixture of both,maybe....

So,when my parents say,oh one day ,u have to teach clover how to cook,bring her grocery shopping with you...To this,I will leave it up to her,teaching her nutritional food choices is a must,but to cook?hmmm.....

Hi,anonymous,I bought a book which require blening of veg/fruit juice to whip up dishes,if you like,perhaps next time can upload more fruit and veg recipes...hehe..hence,I was simply toying with the fruits I have and recipes I keep to come up with a combination....

Pineapple mandarin drumsticks

From a nutritional viewpoint,cooking with fruits is usually not advisable,for the high heat will literally destroy all the vitamin C,which is very unstable in heat,however,when faced with a tub of canned pineapple rings and some fresh mandarins,I cannot possibly leave the fruits to rot or turn mouldy,food wastage if I can,I will keep it to the minimial..(Canned fruits normally do not have much vit C left,unless it is added)..In addition,I was eager to clear my fridge before electricity supply get cut off tomorrow for a few hours,not that my lao gong did not pay the bills...haha...but rather some works are going to commence tomorrow affecting the whole block....This mean that frozen meat has to be gotten rid as soon as possible,for thawing the meat and refreeze again is a good breeding ground for bacteria,and affect the texture of the meat...Though the recipe called for the sauce to be simmer till theres hardly any left,I choose to simmer it till the drumsticks are cooked,before garnishing it with the rest of pineapple and mini mandarin....for my lao gong loves to ladle sauce onto his rice...yum...Heres the recipe:

6 chicken drumstick(I peeled off the skin and slit)
Marinade:
1 tbsp light soya sauce
dash of pepper
one knob of ginger
Juice of half an orange

Marinade the chicken for at least one hour in the fridge(I marinate for at 5-6 hrs)

Gravy:
5 pineapple rings(I used canned ones)
3 mandarin and half the remaining orange
Juice the fruits.
Add in 1 tbsp of honey and 1/3 cup of water

1/2 onion,garlic(chopped)
1 tbsp of oil

1.Heat up oil,fry onion and garlic until fragrant.
2.Pan fry the drumsticks till brown.
3.Remove the drumsticks,add in the marinade.Once it starts boiling,toss in the drumsticks again,and the gravy.Stir once in a while,simmer for about 40 mins over low heat.Serve and enjoy.

Finally...

after months of "struggling" to find a good caregiver ,weighing out my options,we settle on employing a maid,and well,its been so far so good...Getting a good ,trustworthy maid is really a stroke of luck,a test of interpersonal relation skills,but I like to believe that the maid is happy with us,geez,at least that is what I been told by her personally...In time to come,I hope to share happy stories instead of mindless grumbling and rantings...haha...

Having a helper for now does make a whole lot of difference,for once,my house is clean everyday,I get to sleep in more,cook/bake more often without having to do the unenjoyable cleaning up...haha...Just like a tai tai blah,haha..Every morning,I will be greeted with a cup of steaming,hot coffee,when I go shopping,there will be someone who help me out with my shopping bag,or grocery...life of luxury,huh?In return,I show my appreciation by buying clothes,her favourite brand of toiletries,bring her out to enjoy local fare....keeping my fingers crossed that she will handle clover with care and patience...sigh,it take two hands to clap,after all...

Baked some orange yoghurt cranberry cupcakes on sun,the cakes remain wonderfully moist with the sweet smelling aroma of orange which perks me up on a sheer-blue monday morning...Even the maid like it too,or is she just pleasing me?haha....

No longer a baby,not yet a toddler...

After "seemingly endless" exhausting days and nights,I remembered turning to my lao gong lamenting about how clover refuse to sit still,happily poking her little finger into every nook and corner of the house,exploring the "wonders" of the remote control,seeing that with a flick of the finger,the TV will be on and images changed rapidly with another flick...haha,climbing up and down endlessly on the steps of the platform while I followed closely behind,all the time hovering over her like a hawk eager to swift her away should danger strikes...At times,she will rub her eyes,which make me hopeful that she will doze off after a bottle,but thats only false hope,because as soon as she finish her bottle,shes all raring to go again,flinging things,and exploring on her amazing journey again...haha...Even when it is past 10pm,she still show no signs of slowing down,until I insist on quiet time-out...Gosh,the notti little one will scream and cry wanting to play,and if I relent,she will merrily play till midnight or 2am....afterwhich she gets so exhausted,she will just nod off....
I try to console myself that all this will just be a passing phrase,it is tiring,no doubt,but seeing her smile,wave and performing all the funny tactics,I suppose it all comes in a package of being a parent,haha.....It can be frustrating,but most of the times,I manage to take it in my stride....because after all,good times,bad times,it will pass....hehe..So ,I shall do what my gynae advise,cherish the happy,fun moments and forget the tiredness...haha...

My fast food

Pizza hut topped my list of favourite fast foods,and though my version will never be as good as the popular pizza joint,but at least it will be a healthier choice...haha...Furthermore,the fact that I can choose my toppings without having painstakingly to pick out each olive is enough to tempt me to bake one myself....haha...Lost my old recipe which I used before,this version is pizza-licious and relatively easy...hehe...Plus,the time spent on it to bake and assemble(minus proofing ) is shorter than most delivery time which can be anywhere between 45 minutes to one hour...Perhaps,next time I will hold a pizza-making bonding session at home...hehe..

If only.....

I could turn back time,I would have been able to share this baked rice recipe with my fellow colleague,a lady who wanted to cook baked rice for her hubby...A simple task indeed,to dig out recipe and pass it to her,isnt it?But well,she want a sample of the baked rice before trying it out herself...what a tall order,when I do not have the luxury of using the kitchen then(was staying with my in-laws then)...haha..Time flies and much too soon,we parted ways,shes now staying far in the east and I transfer to a new working environment...We lost touch...sigh,I wonder if she did try cooking baked rice after all....Gave some to clover,who adores cheese but not the rice,haha...While she used to tuck in with great gusto last time,that seem to be a thing of the past now,instead what to feed her become my "headache",as she is so so picky...refusing porridge,rice,she loves noodle for now,it wont be long before she will refuse it as well...haha...One of the challenges all parents encounter,I suppose?haha....

Anyone keen for cheesecake?

Initially,I wanted to cut a slice and garnish it before uploading it,but was too eager to meet up with my friends and share this cake,that I make do with this photo...oops...A cake which is easy to bake with a electric hand mixer,it is delectable and light on the palate...It is a crowd-pleaser,unless your friends are the hard-core creamy ,rich cheesecake fans,else I am sure you will enjoy it too...HP and friend,this recipe is specially for both of you...enjoy...

(Recipe is taken from Women's Weekly(Singapore) and I modify it slightly)
Orange,fluffy,spongy cheesecake
250g cream cheese,room temperature
240ml milk(I used soya milk)
110g butter
80g sifted plain flour
20g sifted corn flour
50g caster sugar
1 orange,zest and juice
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
60g sugar

1.Preheat oven to 155 degree celcius.Line a 25cm square pan with baking paper.(I used round baking tray)
2.Combine cream cheese and milk in saucepan,melt cheese over low heat,stirring frequently,add in butter to melt.Turn off flame and cool it.
3.Add plain flour,cornflour,cream of tartar,50g caster sugar,orange zest,orange juice and egg yolks to cooled cheese mixture,stir well.
4.Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar till soft peaks form.Fold into cream cheese mixture.
5.Pour into baking pan,place pan over a tray half-filled with water.Steam bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes till top is golden brown.
6.Leave cake to cool before removing it from the tin.Slice and serve with tea.

Going Nude....

Being married,there are many things to get accustomed to,each other quirks,or dining habits...Most of the times,I try to remove the skin of the chicken before cooking,unless it is deep-frying,and try to trim off visible fats...The first time I presented a "naked"chicken before my lao gong,after some poking around,he went"I prefer mine with skin"haha...There goes my lecture of why skin ought to be removed because it is all fats,blah blah......For which,he gave a shrug,and continue tucking into his meal....haha...Now and then,maybe I will spare the skin,hopefully,in time to come,he will also feel that "nudity" is not a bad thing after all...haha