fruity mixed rice

Oops,my blog has been sitting idling far too long,I suppose it must have acculumulate much cobwebs by now...haha...Work had started ,but as I must have been a "HDB tai-tai"for far too long,I could not really adjust to the demanding schedule,it took me nearly half a year to adapt,even then I think I have neglected my health alot lately,having binge on junk food nearly every week,no time for anything and simply too tired,too stressed,I am no longer the "old" me....

Recently went for a body assessment of health,the results was not that promising,I had much more internal body fats,and my organs are aging rapidly than me,in fact ,they turned out to be much older than me....Oh,my,what have I done?I surely do not want to fight for my life 10 years down the road,I want my old life back....urgh....

Taking baby steps for now,the first thing I need to cut back on is really my coffee,gosh,the amount I need daily is ridiculous,at least 3 cups of milk coffee daily,and add in all the refined flour products,well,I am literally a walking time-bomb...So for this holidays,ok,so its not really a holidays for the teachers,but at least I do not work for 12 hours straight...I tried to prepare some light meals for my lao gong and myself last night for dinner,this is easy to put together,time-saving and served with double-boiled papaya chicken soup,easy on the palate and health...hehe...

Organic wild rice with mixed fruits
2 tbsp of dried mixed fruits(I used organic goji,apricots,raisins and mango,pre-soaked in chicken stock to pump them up and for taste)
2 cups of pre-cooked organic wild rice blend
1 golden fresh pineapples(non-organic,I simply peeled and cubed)
3 slices of honey-baked ham(rinsed to remove excess sodium)
shredded cheese
1.Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
2.Get ready a glass casserole,add in the rice,mixed fruits,pineapples,ham and mixed well.
3.Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in oven till cheese melt.Serve with blanchedshanghai greens.
(Note:I did not add in any seasonings at all,much prefer the natural sweetness of the fruits and the saltiness of the ham and cheese to bring out the best flavour)

Our X'mas feast

Freshly baked orange chiffon cake
(for recipe,please refer to www.cuisine-asia.com under cakes)



Creamy ham and mushrooms pasta with pumpkin cheese sauce



Baked char siew chicken with fresh salad greens

A time to make merry is here again...hehe..This year,I tried to prepared healthier meals,hence,the dishes are slightly less sinful than ones served in restaurants...Besides,eating outside can be rather costly,and since cooking at home allow me to have total freedom,so why not?Heres what I did:
Baked char siew chicken
approx 1.5kg chicken
2 dsp char siew sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 dsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 dsp oyster sauce
some shredded ginger
Methods:
1.Remove the skin,trim off all visible fats,wash and pat dry.Marinate using the seasonings as stated in glass bowl,covered and store in fridge overnight.
2.Wrap chicken tightly in aluminium foil,bake in preheated oven at 200 degree Celsius for about 30 minutes.Do remember to pour sauce over chicken and baste it after 20 minutes of baking time.
3.Make a slit on the foil and expose the chicken to let it brown for about 10 minutes.Serve with fresh salad greens,I choose not to use any salad dressing to reduce fat,sodium content,instead I use the sauce from chicken as salad dressing..yum

Creamy ham and mushroom pasta with pumpkin cheese sauce
Approx 3/4 pack of spinach fettuccine
(Boil in water till al dente.I realise that with constant stirring,no oil or salt is required to separate it)
assorted fresh mushrooms,approx 350 g
300g cream(I used 170g cream and fresh HL milk,this helps to lower amount of fat)
50g butter(I used 20g butter and extra-virgin olive oil)
1 cup chicken stock?(I boil 1 bowl of chopped pumpkin,blend it to replace the stock)
2 slices of low fat cheese
1 bowl of shredded chicken ham
1/2 bowl chopped spring onion
1 onion,3 cloves of chopped garlic
pinch of black pepper
Methods:
1.Melt butter,add in olive oil.Fry onion,garlic till fragrant,add in ham,mushrooms.
2.Pour in cream,milk,stock,lower the heat to simmer.Add in 1/2 the amount of chopped spring onions.Once mushrooms are cooked,add in cheese,black pepper to taste.
3.Drain the pasta,and toss to coat in sauce.Enjoy!!
(Do note:In terms of mouth feel,it still lack the creamy,rich taste as compared to 100 % cream being used.However,the calories is reduced,otherwise,I will have to work much much harder to get rid of excess bulges,haha)

Orange Bran Bread

Yipee,I finally succeed...haha...In achieving the soft,fluffy interior with a crusty,chewy crust that goes well with jam,peanut butter or just plain warm,freshly baked...Peipei,if you are reading this post,I am proud to say I did it,this is much better than my first attempt...haha...Lets bake bread together one day,shall we?hehe...

History of tomato pumpkin rice with salmon

Believe it or not,everytime I toss food out,theres always a pang of guilt that overcome me,promising to shop according to the grocery list,which unfortunately has been unachievable till now...sigh...I am such an "auntie" who can sniff out the best deals,pouring over the ST thur best supermarket offers,never mind if its the third time this week that I am patronising the supermarket,albeit a different one though,from giant to NTUC to shop"n"save,the offer is too enticing to be missed...oops...
Bad habit or an underlying disorder huh?Whatever it is,it sure is costing me unnecessary spending,wastage of space and food,so I have decided that the next best thing is to improvise and create...Having friends over for pizza-making was wonderful,but leaving me with extras is not...haha...A little bit of this and that,this appetizing tomato,pumpkin rice with salmon was born...hehe...Created from "leftovers",such as tomato pasta sauce and fresh sliced tomatoes from pizza-making,flaked salmon bits from the bony salmon "spare-parts"(er...fresh salmon is on offer again at giant,haha),orange sweet-potato from making ondeh-ondeh,pour out some white wine,chicken stock,pre-cooked some rice(use less water than usual,so that the grains do not break up when frying)...Well,lets just say I did my best...haha..

Failure mua chee

This has to be one of my lao gong much loved snack,for everytime we pass by pasar malam stalll,he never fail to get one to satisfy his craving...Hence,after making some tangyuen,I attempt to make some mua chee-which did not pass the test...hmm..It turned out to be rather dry,tough,not soft or chewy,in addition,I made the mistake of purchasing pre-packed grounded peanuts,which taste like well,dry powder without much fragrance,case in point-this certainly needs much improvement...Anyone knows of a better recipe?hehe...Or maybe we just ought to settle for the pasar malam version?hehe..

Parents-Not just a title

Picture this"Your child is in distress,whos the person the child runs to?Whos the child's playmate?"Pardon me,but I believe it ought to be the parents,not the maid..While more hands mean light work,allowing me the luxury to have more time on my hands to take a break,enjoying my cuppa or catch up on errands,it certainly does not mean I intend to let my helper taking over the mum's role....I am proud to say this,I am still clover's mummy and she is clear about that...no doubts at all..haha..It is sad indeed to read about some kids addressing the mum as auntie,and the maid as mummy...Ouch..Personally,I have witness that,with a red-faced mummy trying to clear up the air...While I decline to provide names,my lao gong and I have no qualms about that,we are the parents and not just in titles only...Clover is our responsibility,not the maid nor the grandparents,for which I receive pathetic looks whenever people say"oh,u poor thing,no grandparents to help you out"
Tired?Who isnt?As all hands-on mums know,we complain,we vent,BUT,we know we are not ALone...theres still joy beneath it all,the peaceful look on our child when we pat the child to sleep,the ability to soothe tears and replace it with joyful laughter..To that,mummies,lets rejoice and say good job!!haha...

Free day treat

After nearly 3 months of taking a break from baking,I finally found the perfect excuse to get my butt off the couch and get it moving...haha...Bananas are on sale evrywhere,humble-looking bananas that seem to beckon me,I must laid my hands on at least one bunch...haha...heres one lemon banana quickbread for viewing,hehe...
Moist and chewy,I like it and was happy to be able to try it out on my designated "free-day"(read:to heck with calories),haha...Will post the recipe after obtaining permission from the owner...Have some patience,will you?hehe...