Introducing the QA inspector

Do not underestimate her even though she stands at only 84cm,and weighs merely 11.9kg,and cannot speak properly yet,she walks with her hands behind in an authoritative manner,inspecting the goods through that fussy taste buds of her,fortunately,she decided that our tarts deserved a clap for she enjoyed the little cherry,morsel of the tart shell,giving us her broadest grin,haha...we passed the test,phew...
Baking with friends make my afternoon an enjoyable one,to me,spending time with friends is a way for me to recharge,to catch up on the latest gossip and generally involved in one another's life...I am very blessed to be surrounded by supportive friends,and somehow,over the years,I learn that if a person is negative,not because of a bad patch,but generally is pessimistic in nature,that will emits out bad vibes which goes round affecting others,oh,dear,usually,I will steer clear of them,life is tough,I want to surround myself with positive aura,hence this small small gathering of creating lovely chocolate fruit tarts...hehe..I had a great time ,what about you?



Recipe for fruit tarts
Tart shell
220g butter
360 flour
1 tsp baking powder
120g sugar
2 eggs

Filling:
fruit cocktail/peach/sardine with chopped onion,chilli,lemon juice with cheese/any other desired topping
melted chocolate
whipped cream/custard

Methods:

1.Cut butter into cubes,rub into flour till it resemble breadcrumbs.

2.Add in eggs,make into a dough,if it is still too dry,add a little cold water.

3.If dough is too soft,place inside freezer to firm it a little,roll out pastry to 4 mm thick,cut using pastry cutter.

4.Line the tart cases with dough,prick surface using a fork,weigh it down with beans on greaseproof paper before baking it blind for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius.

3.Remove tarts,remove beans and paper,bake it blind again for about 10 minutes till the centre is dried.Leave to cool before adding in melted chocolate and top with fruit cocktail.(Due to time shortage,we made it into chocolate tarts,if time permits,pipe some whipped cream or custard before topping up the fruits)

4.Glaze with either agar-agar solution or apricot glaze.
(Note:I used strawberry jam as glaze as I do not have apricot,which seem to have dull the colours of the tarts.It will be better to use apricot jam instead)

Cry Foul

"Injustice,I am no plain jane" Er...oh...oops,I supposed if these citrus egg tarts were given a voice,thats most likely what they will be yelling...I certainly need lots of practice on the asethetic aspect,even my lao gong had a hard time -deciding on the photograph so as not to potray a poor image on himself-the hard-core photograpy enthanastic...haha..Fortunately ,whats lacking in the looks department is more than make up for in the sensory aspect...The tarts shells were buttery,melt-in the mouth,with a tinge of orange with each bite,whereas the custard,though slightly overdone,provides a satisfying lemon scent...Nice,however,it is boring doing it alone,hence I think it will be a rather long time before I attempt tarts again...haha...
Citrus Egg tarts recipe(yield about 15 egg tarts):
(Adapted from AMC cookbook with modifications of my own)
pastry shells
125g cold cubed butter
225g plain flour
1/2 beaten egg
1 tbsp sugar
orange rinds of one orange
Methods:
1.Sift flour,rub butter in flour till it resemble breadcrumbs,Add in beaten egg,orange rinds and shape into a dough.Pinch a ball from the dough and shape into tart mould.

2.As the dough may appear wet and hard to shape,freeze it when it becomes too soft and sticky for a short while before shaping into mould,bake empty shells into preheated oven at 180 degree celcius for about 10 minutes,I weighed down the shells with greaseproof paper and beans to prevent the shells from puffing up.

3.After 10 minutes or so,take out tray,remove the beans,and bake it blind again for 5 mins till centre of shell is dry too.Pour egg mixture into shells,bake for 10-15 minutes,centre should still be wobbly,which I made a mistake by overbaking till centre is completely firm.

Tart filling:
70g sugar
150ml milk/water
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 egg yolks,3 egg whites
Methods:
1.Stir sugar into boiling water or milk till dissolved.Add in lemon juice,leave to cool.
2.Beat in eggs,filter mixture using a sieve,pour into tarts shells to bake.


Check out her Sexy pose

The weather is so scorching hot nowadays,the fiery sunrays beating down mercilessly which make me keep clover indoors,dresssing her in sleeveless tops and dress do help to cool her down,since she is so prone to heat rashes,yet her nose is sensitive to air-con...Hmm..will the clouds please gather more often around here?haha...

Bak Kwa Pizza

Went to visit my uncle and was presented with bak kwa,the bbq sweet meat..We hardly consume bbq or canned foods,yet I accepted the gift with good grace,for fear of offending...So that was that...now the inevitable question of how/what to do with the meat?Serving it alongside with porridge or rice is fine,but I like to prepare something simple before the big cookout for the night,as I am expecting nine guests for dinner...and it will be a one woman-show for me..haha..

Since we love pizza,so why not let bak kwa be the topping?Nowadays,along with rising food cost,it seem that the price of wheat is going to be on all-time high,I prefer to make my own with a fraction of the cost compared to commerical pizza,and I get to choose and pick our favourite toppings,and most importantly avoid overeating,haha...Usually,I can get so tempted with the side order that grilled chicken wings,garlic bread is added,the drink seem to be at a reasonable price too?well,bring it on...haha.

If you like to try your own pizza,heres the recipe for the dough,it is so simple that only 15 minutes is require,but one hour is needed to proof,so usually I will just prepared my dough much earlier then leave it under the sun covered with aluminium foil or cling wrap to let teh yeast work hard(warm,sweet,moist environment is best for yeast),while I play with clover or do my own stuff..hehe..

Pizza Dough:
(Adapted from 500 all-times great recipes)
1 1/2 bread flour
1 tsp dried yeast
1/2-3/4 warm water,warm milk(If using milk,omit sugar as milk contains lactose-milk sugar)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt(I omit)

Methods:
1. Sift flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.Stir in the yeast.Make a well in the centre,pour in warm water,warm milk and oil.Mix into soft dough.

2.Knead a dough lightly onto lightly floured board for about 8-10 minutes till it is smooth and elastic.

3.Place in another clean greased bowl,cover,and leave to double in size for an hour.Shape it to pan,bake in preheated oven at 200 degree celcius,poke the dough lightly all over using a fork,bake in oven for about 5 minutes,before placing the toppings,and bake again for about 20-25 minutues.Enjoy.
2.

Recipes for Us..

Over the years,I have lost count of the number of recipes and recipes that I hoarded,some were carelessly flung asides,some were well-thumbed,trusted upon when I am expecting guests,many of which,I am somewhat embrassed to confess,will have to wait for their turn,to be proven on how delicious it can be,before deciding to keep or dump...

However,in my quest for searching for that "perfect" recipe of a particular dish,which of course do not really exist ,for we all have different perspectives of taste.I have stumbled upon two recipes of which I like to practise and honed my "skills"upon,one of which is a cake,whereby,with experience and sufficient baking time in the oven,will yield satisfactory result,the other being a stew of which we all know require long cooking time,slow fire to produce a thick,not too cloying dish that I just could not get enough of,haha...enjoy..

Happiness Cake(RECIPE BY Ajahn Brahmavanso)
Adapted from Be magazine
*take half a tablespoon of inner peace
*mix with half a tablespoon of service to others
*Sweeten to taste with many heaped teaspoon of loving kindness
*Sift out the lumps from the fault-finding mind
*Add plenty of nutty jokes and fruity wisdom of the sage
*Bake a lifetime in the oven of daily experience until happiness cake is light and happy
*But nibble some of it now,lest past and future steals it...

Marriage stew
(Unknown author)
Adapted from so fat,low-fat and no fat cookbook

2 concerned persons
2 cups love
2 pinches understanding
2 teaspoons patience
2 cans of trust
2 well-rounded measures of sex
plenty of honest friendship

Combine the 2 concerned persons and 2 cups of love.Blend with understanding and patience.Beat lightly with a spoonful of laughter.Add 2 cans of trust and pour mixture into the casserole of life.Add in tears,dreams,soft touch and remembering.
As mixture is simmering,saute sex in tenderness.Cook to taste,garnish with a heap of kisses and serve with honest friendship.

My most expensive ,worthy catch

After having my caeffein fix upon completion of walking a mere 1.6km(anlene mile),the distance is nothing to boost about,but for me,it is a good headstart,in addition,I get to catch up with my girlfriend,peipei...hehe..Not many shops were open then at plaza sing,well,we were the early birds,headed to the supermarket,where we stumbled upon a good bargain,or so I thought,fresh cod and salmon were on offer...yum yum...But the catch was this,I had to purchase the whole fish in order to qualify for the offer,woa,what a big,heavy fish to lug home..nevertheless,I was delighted at the offer.this is OMega-3 at its purest form,good for clover brain,skin development,besides,it is a good opportunity for me to showcase my culinary skills,putting my collected,almost turning yellow recipes to good use...haha..so that was it,the most expensive catch I ever bought.but the fish were really fresh,will I buy again?For sure,I will..haha...




Presenting to you my 2nd slab of salmon,orange teriyaki salmon,the flesh was flaky,not too salty,yum,I like it...The night before,my helper took one chunky slice,cut half to add into clover's porridge,which she detest as salmon has a particular milky taste,which can be lessened by using some seasonings..Clover took no more than 2 bites before she refuse the whole bowl..the rest my helper fried it till the salmon was blackened,which upset my lao gong so much that he complained to me via sms...80 bucks is slowly disappearing into black soot,haha...Oh well,to compensate him,I whipped up this salmon and this whole chunk was specially reserved for him...haha...

Heres the recipe to try:
2 thick salmon slices
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
skin from 1 whole orange,sliced thickly
chinese parsley,handful,chopped to release aroma
1/3 cup orange juice
3 cloves of garlic,sliced,reserve one for frying
1/2 tomato chopped
1/2 large onion,for frying

1.Use a eyebrow plucker to remove the splinters without tearing the flesh apart.Rinse and marinate the salmon using the orange skin,juice,parsley,garlic and sauce for 3-4 hours using glass bowl.Flip every now and then.remove the orange peel before cooking.

2.Heat pan,add in 1 tbsp of olive oil,add in garlic,add in salmon and marinate,add in some water if it appear dry,garnish and serve once cooked.enjoy.

Hi,all,thanks for your comliments on the chocolate cupcakes,glad you all like it.Sorry Joanne,but I have to decline your request,this recipe was somewhat created after numerous attempts and I like to guard this recipe,letting it remain a secret...haha...

Oreo chocolate cakes

Oreo pieces floating


Intense chocolate cakes

Out of impulse,I bought two boxes of oreo cookies,intending to try out a non-baked chocolate oreo cheesecake,only to discover later that I have no idea how to pack it if I were to meet my friends without risking the cheesecake becoming a runny mess...haha..Hence,I turn it into chocolate oreo cupcakes instead,but as this is only a trial as I was worried that too many oreo cookies may cause the mixture to be too dry,fortunately my worries was unfounded,the next time when I baked this again,I will definitely add in more oreo cookies,thats for sure...haha...Out of the 12 cupcakes,I gave all away,leaving my lao gong and me with only one cupcake to share,which my lao gong then claimed that "one person one bite,relationship not broken"..haha...which I think if you have heard of the famous hokkien song in 881 show,most likely you know what I am referring to...haha.

Citrus cake for clover,family,friends and more,,,,

Hmm...who took a big chunk of the slice?


Eat,drink,play,be merry

I am intrigued by the wide choices of dishes that can be prepared for a toddler,which somehow inspired me to create my own too,haha...Oh well,and there you see it,a citrus cake prepared using her milk,for fibre intake,I added in 2 tsp of blended prunes(from baby food),oats and reduce the sugar intake since I intend this to be a somewhat healthier than normal cake...haha..The result is well-received by both adults and clover too...not too sweet,crumbly with the uplifting tangy taste..yum yum...Nice but well,it is never good to consume too much..hence,this morning,my lao gong brought the rest to share with his colleagues for tea...haha...

Moderation is the key,input must be balanced by output(not through the other end of the body,haha) to achieve energy balance..Attended my first kickboxing class last night,verdict:gosh,its whole lots of fun,I enjoyed myself thoroughly,I guess the feeling is different working out alone versus one group of women breaking into a sweat....somehow,looking at others exercising make me carrying on too...Now that my lao gong has agreed to accompany me to participate in SAFRA shear bridge run,it has brought our family fitness to a new level,hehe...Life is good,haha...

Interesting dish indeed

Can you figure out what this mixture is?When I saw this was what my helper had cooked for lunch,I was skeptical...firstly,it is savoury,using lean pork and soya sauce,secondly,it is not the dish I am used to,bittergourd and green beans...hmm...either I cook bittergourd soup or green bean sweet dessert,but not married the two together...Nevertheless,the curious side of me took over and I took a bite...Hmm..not too bad,though I would not say it make my list of favourites in the near future...haha...

However,this is a good dish/meal for detoxifying(minus the lean pork)..haha...for green beans and bittergourd is cooling and good for lowering cholesterol,cleanes the blood,I have read that bittergourd is effective against constipation,fever and cough...in fact,I ought to consume this more a more frequent basis,without the pork or soya sauce next time....For a good,clear complexion maybe?haha...

Why worry,be happy

For the longest time ever,I noticed that clover's right eye somehow seem misaligned with the other,the eye appear to be drifted off the line of vision,worry that she may have lazy eye,or inherit poor vision as well,since both my lao gong and I wear specs,I slot an appointment with an eye specialist to check her eyes thoroughly,to my relief based on the detailed report,the findings show that she is normal,as her face is growing,it appear as though her right eye is not focused ,but in actual reality,she is phew,having good vision...To which my lao gong says"I told u so",oops,is my anxiety getting to a suffocating level?

At times,I thank my lucky stars that I have only one child,or else my worries may seem endless,but then again,having more kids may also mean I am more experienced and less likely to let such trivial stuff truffle my feather,haha...gosh,am I contradicting?haha...Boy,am I always worry over clover?Hmm...wondering if my mummy friends can testify to my list,haha...I worry when :
1.clover don't flip,then when she does,I worry if she will fall off the bed
2.clover don't poo,then when she does,I will observe the poo closely to see if shes having constipation,undigested food particles,never had poo become a subject of interest till she comes along..haha..
3.clover don't eat solids,then when she does,I worry about what to cook,whether she will eat,or if she choke...
4.clover don't know how to walk independently,then when she does,I worry about whether she will bump into things or knock her head..
5.clover refuse her milk,then when she does,I worry if I am overfeeding her...haha..
The list gets longer as time goes by,but hey,why worry so much?Things will sort itself out,I really must learn to put worry into perspective....easier say than done...haha..Hey,I must change it to can be done,slowly...haha...

Strawberry jam in orange cupcakes

Pretty much ordinary-looking

Filled with Low-sugar strawberry jam -yummy


A morsel for my baby

For the past two weeks,all my baking and cooking have come to a halt when I caught the flu bug,seem like the flu season is here again,what good timing when GSS is hovering too...haha..The flu certainly put a damper on my shopping spirits.After completing a course of antibiotics,which does no wonders at all for my pestering flu and ever-irritating cough,left me with no option but to revisit the doctor again...This time round on a stronger dose of medication,which boost a speedy recovery,my mood perks up,making me uplifted enough to try out baking...Since clover is due for her MMR vaccination,I was advised to give clover some eggs and egg products to test for risk of allergy...hmm...what a perfect reason for me to bake then...haha...Baked a couple of these cupcakes for a dear old friend of mine,who recently become a grandmother herself,congrats,Amy,and hello,sweet little lotus...unlike most of us,her daughter and grandchild stay far away in the states,hence they only get to see each other once or twice a year,being separated thousands of mile apart,geez,am I lucky then to be surrounded by my family...hehe...to me,nothing beats the feeling of sharing a good hearty meal with family and friends...more cakes for you,clover?hehe..