Saturday, December 25, 2010

Blessed Christmas!

A tribute to the Reason for the Season!


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Homemade Alphabet Soup

Ahh...alphabet soup - the ultimate comfort food! I remember that Campbell's canned alphabet soup would be a staple in our home growing up..hot steaming yummy bowl of fun alphabets to form words on your tongue or on the side of the bowl. Having decided to reduce the amount of processed food we consume, I was determined to make this comfort food from scratch (for my girls to take forever over their dinner because they are playing with their alphabets, LOL)
And made it I did, and I must say it tastes just as yummy minus the MSG :) Hoorraay for homemade!
Homemade Alphabet Soup Recipe
Bones from 1 chicken
2-3 carrots - cubed
2-3 yellow potatoes - cubed
2 stalks of celery - cubed
1 large yellow onion - cubed
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup fresh corn (cut from the cob)
minced parsley
salt & pepper
1 can of tomato puree
Alphabet pasta
water - enough to cover veggies in the pot!

1 - Boil the bones until the icky brown stuff floats up. Pour away the water, put fresh water in and bring to the boil
2 - Add carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, salt & pepper
3 - Boil veggies with bones for 30 mins
4 - Add tomato puree, peas and pasta to the soup. Boil for another 20 mins
5 - Remove chicken bones. Add corn and parsley and boil for another 10mins (or until it alphabet pasta is plumped and taste is right!)
6 - Enjoy your homemade alphabet soup!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Chocolate Whole Grain Cereal

Here's another gem of a cereal I found :) Whole grain and Chocolate flavored too! They have a super brittle crunch which is really nice I thought on something like ice-cream so - this was the treat we had with the cereal sprinkled on top.

That's sliced banana, strawberries, M & Ms and cereal on a scoup of vanilla ice-cream... mmm...mmm...mmm! Can't think of a better way to enjoy our whole grains!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Simple Apple Tarts

Isn't this pretty? :) Thanks to my cg members, I get to present my tea-time treats with this lovely 3-tier caddy! Love you guys!! Muaks!

The Simple Apple Tarts are on the top tier... very easy to make and delicious!

 Step 1 - Wash 2-3 very small apples (you'll see why you need very small apples later)

Step 2 - Core the apples using an apple corer. The one I used is from Ikea.

Step 3 - Slice the apples about 1cm thick and add 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tbs of brown sugar and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Mix well.

Step 4 - Cut out round shapes from pre-made puff pastry

 Step 5 - Brush the pastry with some beaten egg then place apple slices on it. Now you know why you need very small apples? :)

Step 6 - Bake for 18-20mins at 190C or till nicely browned. Serve on a pretty plate! Best enjoyed hot from the oven or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream :)


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Happy Cupcakes!



Doesn't Cookie Monster look happy?? :) His fondant eyes were made with choc balls and white fondant. His happy mouth with half a choc round and his fluffy fur with desiccated coconut colored with blue coloring and a bit of water. Like his shocked expression above? Ran out of chocolate rounds so I used an upside down choc chip :)


Rainbows make me happy too :) 


Oh and funny faces - this is N's creation with Kashi's cereal


And finally my snowball cupcakes with colored balls just for fun :)


Chocolate cupcakes with some buttercream on them.


Dunk them in a bowl of desiccated coconut and walah! Yummy happy cupcakes :)



Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Super Easy Meat Puffs

Ok. By now you'll know that I'm into simple. Simple but yummy. And oh - must must do justice in the eye candy department ;) Here's what I whipped up in under 15mins prep time for a tea party this morning. Of course the filling was already made the night before.

Step 1 - Grease your muffin tin with some oil and line it with pre-made frozen pastry squares. I used the Kawan brand puff pastry squares. (See picture here)

Step 2 - Fill with meat (or whatever filling you fancy - tuna/curry/peaches/apples) Here I topped my meat filling with some grated cheddar

Step 3 - Brush some beaten egg on the exposed pastry corners and bake for 20mins at 190C. The result!

Meat Filling Recipe
200-300g minced meat
1 can chopped mushrooms
Bunch of frozen peas
1 clove of garlic
1 mid sized onion
1-2 tbs oil 
1/2 cup of chicken or beef stock
1 tbs flour
1 Bay Leaf
1 tbs Dried Parsley flakes
Worchestershire Sauce
Salt
Pepper

1 - Mince garlic and onion. Heat oil in pan.
2 - Add minced garlic & onion, bay leaf and parsley. Saute till soft
3 - Add minced meat and brown. Season with Worchestershire sauce and salt and pepper
4 - Add mushrooms and peas. Add stock. Simmer for a few mins.
5 - Add a tbs of flour to thicken sauce. 
6 - Serve over butter rice/pasta and use the leftovers to make beef pies :)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

I "Heart" Whole Grain Cereals!

I'm excited when I find a cereal that's whole grain and tastes good! Perfect for a snack on the go for the girls. They get their crunch, and best of all, the host of antioxidants that's good for them. Did you know that some antioxidants can only be found in whole grains and not even in fruits and vegetables?? Imagine that - every time you choose a whole grain slice of bread or in this case, cereal, over the refined stuff, you are choosing a superb source of antioxidants and vitamins :)

Here's the find of the month!

Kashi's Honey Toasted Oat Cereal - whole grain oats and other grains sweetened with honey. 

Really yummy and crunchy! Not sugar laden and no added coloring! I must say they reminded me of the dog food pellets I used to feed my dog as a child :P Not to worry though, looks can be deceiving - these babies are yummy, crunchy and have even have heart shaped ones - awww.... ;)

Found this gem at Cold Storage Solaris.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Black Sesame Avocado Smoothie

This has got the be my favorite avocado based smoothie so far! I love the nutty flavour of black sesame, and I love the fact that this little gems are packed with calcium and a host of other benefits! It went together perfectly with Avocado's smooth creamy mellow taste :)

Here's what I used - 100% pure black sesame powder. Hey, I could use this in cookies, bread, etc. Super!



The result! The yummiest potassium (from the Avocado) and calcium (from the black sesame) packed smoothie. Did I mention it's my favourite smoothie so far?? 

Black Sesame Avocado Smoothie Recipe
1 ripe Avocado - peeled and cored, cut into chunks
1 frozen banana - chunks
1 ripe Packham pear - peeled and cored, cut into chunks
1-2 cups Organic oat milk
2 tbs Organic Soya Powder (Cane Sugar Free)
2-3 scoops of Black Sesame Powder


Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Pretty Fondant Cupcakes

Ta-dah! My first attempt at making fondant cupcakes. Made them for my ol friend from school days - for her daughter's 7th birthday. I didn't realize how much time it takes to mold 25 cupcakes, until I molded 25 cupcakes! But I had fun making them. For an amateur like me the following tools were indispensable.

My stainless steel rolling pin with 1/8" washers on either side. I have tried in the past to roll fondant "free-hand" and unless you have precision of a machine(or have years of fondant rolling experience - which I don't!), I dare say it is nearly impossible to get it the same thickness every time - much less for 25 cupcakes! So yes, the tools do make a difference - especially for amateurs like me :) Those purple babies helped me roll out the fondant perfectly even every time before I cut out the shapes.

The washers came in a small pack for RM2 at Bake With Yen. The pink washers are half the thickness of the purple ones - to make more delicate shapes like leaves/flowers. I had seen them before and always wondered what they were used for. So for those of you who had the same question - now you know :) 
Alphabet cutters were a steal too! RM5.50 only for the whole alphabet at Chang Tung! You can probably guess how the other cutters were used. 

Cupcakes. Pretty. Birthdays. Satisfied! 

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Step by Step Chocolate Smoothie

Here it is - the fruit that's in almost all my smoothies. The Packham Pear! I get 5 nice large ones at the wet market for RM10. We just love this pear when it's ripe and has a melt-in-the-mouth texture. My girls loved it when they were babies just starting solids and they love them now! N can devour a whole large pear in under 3 mins, and that's saying a lot since she takes so much longer eating any other food :)

Here is simpler version of the chocolate smoothie minus the orange juice. Tastes just as creamy and yummy as the first recipe. Try it! 

Step one - remove skin from 1 Packham pear, core and cut into large chunks. Place it into the blender together with one banana.

Step Two - Add about 2 cups of Organic Oat milk, 1-2 tbs of  Organic Soya powder and 1-2 tbs of cocoa powder. 

Step Three - Blend away and pour out into a glass to enjoy :)

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Baked Fries Recipe

Baked not Fried!

Trust me, these taste as good as the fried stuff but so much better for you and your family! I love simple dimple recipes - ways to prepare good healthy food for your family in the simplest way. Hey, when you're preparing A-Z plus washing up - simple is the way to go ;)

Baked Fries Recipe
3-4 medium sized yellow potatoes - skinned and cut into thick fries
Hot water
Salt
Paprika
Olive oil

1. Bring to boil a pot of water. Add a tsp of salt.
2. Add the cut potatoes. Boil the potatoes till they are just about tender. Don't overboil them if not they will be mushy fries!! 
3. Drain the potatoes in a colander. Sprinkle paprika over the potatoes and drizzle olive oil over the potatoes as well.
4. Give the potatoes a good shake in the colander and pour them into a lined pan.
5. Put in a pre-heated oven 180C for about 30mins or until the fries are nicely browned.
6. Enjoy this side dish with grilled fish and a side of steamed veg!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Simple Pretty Cupcakes Technique

Aren't these pretty? 

And so simple to do... 
Use a star tip and pipe small stars with your usual buttercream frosting all over the cupcake. Make a mistake? Just pipe cover your mistake! Top with a slice of fruit, and wa lah! Irresistible pretty cupcakes that will impress your tea guests. Thanks TC for the great idea!

 I will definitely be using this technique again ;)

Friday, June 25, 2010

Couldn't Resist - another Bazaar find

I love vintage!

There's just something about having something that's handed down from someone else that gives you a sense of history... and well for lack of a better word, connectedness. Maybe it is because I grew up with hand-my-downs most of my childhood being the youngest of four girls! LOL!

This darling, oh so darling tray isn't quite vintage but it looks it doesn't it? M's response when he saw this - "It looks old! Is that rust??" Pretty convincing I must say :) The rust spots look almost real, but they are carefully painted on to give it that weathered look. 

I couldn't resist. Just couldn't. Vintage. Cute. Cupcakes. I was sold! 

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Making it Personal

We were blessed to be hosted by our friends over the June holidays. Before we left I searched for a simple but practical gift for them. And of course it had to be cute too :)

Here's what I found at a Bazaar - a pretty darling vintage metal box to keep notepads or whatever else they fancied.


I personalized it by adding a clear label with a simple Thank You note from all of us...


...and added a stack of home-printed and designed note paper stationary to place inside! These were cut carefully from A4 paper with a small cutter by my most helpful assistant, N :)


We had a great time - and our hosts were so wonderful! Can you imagine stocking up on snacks for the kids so we could bring it along on our outings?? Thanks again D and LP! Hope you liked the simple personalized gift from us :)

Monday, June 21, 2010

Father's Day Desert


Scrummy apple mango cranberry pie topped with vanilla ice cream! 

To celebrate Father's Day for the girls' awesome daddy, M, we decided to prepare him a delicious home cooked meal :) While he relaxed with a good book, N and I got our elbows dirty and prepared dinner and desert! K was blissfully taking her nap but I promised her she will get to put the finishing touches on Daddy's meal. 

Apple Mango Cranberry Pie Recipe
4 small green apples - cored, skinned and cut into cubes
1 small apple mango - remove skin and chop flesh into cubes
Handful of frozen cranberries
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1/2 tbs molasses (or brown sugar)
3 small squares of frozen puff pastry

1- Put the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and molasses in a bowl and mix well. Add the mango and cranberries and mix again. N helped to cut the apples and mix everything together.

2 - Spray or coat the baking dish with oil

3 - Pour the fruit into the baking dish.

4 - Tear the small squares of puff pastry sheets into small pieces. N did a great job of this altho her fingers felt frozen after a while :)


5 - Place the pieces evenly onto the baking dish of fruit


6 - Add a few bits of butter unto the pastry



7 - Pop it into a pre-heated oven 180C for 30mins till pastry is nicely browned


8 - Serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream and enjoy it with your kid's hero :)



Saturday, June 5, 2010

This Hits the Spot! Strawberry Sorbet on Vanilla Ice Cream

Last week we had a couple of people over and at the end of dinner the ultimate question was posed - Any dessert? I had the boring option of grapes or vanilla ice cream. Then it came - why not have all the above with an added zing! 

Vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry sorbet and grapes... All I needed for the sorbet was 
1 cup of frozen strawberries
One packham pear - skinned and seeded
About 1/2 cup of organic oat milk

 Threw all that into the blender and ta-da! Lovely strawberry sorbet to top a scoop or two of Bud's Vanilla Ice Cream. Perfect! As my dear friend said - she was looking for something to fill this "hole" in her tummy, and she found that this simple dessert hit the spot! It sure hit the spot for me, although I didn't even know I had one to hit :)

Here's a not so pretty picture I almost didn't take cause we were all too busy enjoying this yummy dessert!




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