EggRoll Spinach

We went to the Farmers' Market on Saturday, and bought a big pack of spinach which cost US$2. Spinach, is the other vegetable which the kids like, besides broccoli and cauliflower. The kids like omelette too, so I combine the spinach and omelette together to form an eggroll =)

Season the egg with a little salt.

Melt a little butter in the frying pan.

Fry the omelette. Let cool.

Blanch the spinach. Remove the water in the spinach.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on the sushi mat.

Place the cooled omelette on the wrap.

Place a small piece of nori sheet on top of the omelette.

Place the spinach on the nori sheet.

Sprinkle the spinach with furikake.

Roll the egg omelette with spinach, sushi style.

Another 'fast" way of eating spinach .. the kids finished their vegetables in a flash and asked for more ... but there was no more left ...

Cucumber Plants

The cucumber seeds which we put into the pots have germinated!

Cucumber plants are vine plants. 

We will need to put a wired stake into the pots soon.

I love looking at the plants every morning ... new leaves, holes on the leaves, leaves with different shapes, first flowers. 

Each day is an opportunity for me to learn something new. 

Fried Bee Hoon

This is one dish I missed greatly after entering the woods! Once in a while, I will cook beehoon, as beehoon wins hands down over spaghetti anytime!

The summer vacation has started, and the kids love going outside to play with our neighbours. It is sometimes difficult to get them to come home, just so I can cook their lunch. It is equally difficult to cook lunch, while trying to monitor their whereabouts outside. The solution? To cook lunch in the morning, before I let them out, while hubby dear is still at home.

So this morning, I fried some beehoon, with beef and vegetables, for lunch.

I packed some for hubby's lunchbox, together with some leftover fried chicken breast strips from last night's dinner. Threw a bunch of freshly picked chinese parsley (cilantro) from our pots outside the apartment! Lovely! The orange container in the lunchbox has ketchup inside, for the fried chicken strips.

Bee Hoon

• Soak beehoon in hot water for 15 minutes.
  
• Strain and remove soften beehoon and put aside.

Beef

• Cut beef into thin strips. Add grated ginger.
  
• Season with salt and pepper.
  
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan.
  
• When oil is heated, pour in the beef and stir to cook.
  
• Do not overcook the beef.
  
• Add a tablespoon of Shaoxin wine if you like.

Vegetables

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a big frying pan.
  
• Add the diced onions.
  
• Add the fresh button mushrooms, broccoli, and cauliflower.
  
• Add salt to taste.
  
• Remove and set aside.

To fry the Bee Hoon

• Heat up the wok and add a tablespoon of olive oil.
  
• Fry the diced onions.
  
• Fry the beehoon.
  
• Add 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce and mix evenly.
  
• Add the vegetables and beef.
  
• Mix well. Add a little sugar to taste.
  

The taste is different from the beehoon I get from the hawker centres.

But I guess, this is one dish which the kids can tell their friends ... my mom's creation?

Beef Fried Rice

Darling sons just recovered from their high fever and both were coughing. So I tried to go light on oil and food. Had been serving seafood, pork and beef for the last couple of days. A simple meal for dinner, since both the boys had not much appetite.

200g Thinly sliced beef (I sliced those thinly cut beef steaks)

2 eggs Lightly beaten

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 Yellow Onion, finely diced

4 tsp Light, Low Sodium Soy Sauce

2 tsp Sake (I replace with Shaoxin Wine)

1. Cut beef into very thin strips.
   
2. Saute the beef and onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
   
3. Season with salt and pepper and remove from pan when done.
   
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to thepan and scramble the eggs.
   
5. Add the rice to the pan and stir fry, breaking up the eggs.
   
6. Stir in the meat mixture.
   
7. Add the soy sauce and sake.
   
8. Top with nori, and serve with blanched spinach.
   

You don't see the spinach in the photograph?

It's hidden under the pile of rice =)

My Family 2

Another drawing by my little boy this morning.

No, he didn't make me angry this morning =) 

He just likes to draw. 

See the Up-arrows on both sides?

I think he was thinking about Nintendo when he was drawing, ha ha.

My Family =)

I made Mama angry this morning, and I drew this picture for her to say "sorry" ...  My Family. Can you see my Mama? Papa? Gor Gor? And me? 

Seafood Lunch

Since the two boys were getting better, I thought fried omelette with prawns, since they like omelette, and sweet salmon would boost their appetite a little. The above portion was for my dear hubby. I topped the rice with furikake and homemade pork floss. Darling sons had broccoli instead of spinach. I blanched both the vegetables.

Sauce for salmon :

1 tsp Sugar

1 tbsp Mirin

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1. Heat up the frying pan.
   
2. Pan fry the salmon with skin side up.
   
3. Turn over and pan fry the side with the skin. Add a little of the sauce.
   
4. Slowly pour the sauce into the pan.
   
5. Spoon the sauce over the salmon as it cooks.
   
6. Let the sauce gradually reduce to a glaze.
   

The boys were feeling alot better today.

They finished all the food on their plate.

I'm a happy mom!

Spring Fever

I was running a fever at high 39C on Thursday. 

I felt better after taking the fever medicine, and was happily hopping to pick my gor gor up from school in the afternoon. But the fever went up to 40C at night. I felt so weak the next day, my Papa brought me to see the doctor at the urgent care clinic. Doctor said it was likely due to a viral infection (Spring fever) and my fever should come down in 48 hours. I should continue to take the fever medicine. I felt weak the whole day, and all I could do was lie in bed. 

Today, my temperature went down to high 37C! 

Just like what the doctor had said! 

I was very happy. I talked and I danced around the house in the morning. But my gor gor was starting to fall sick ... his temperature was going up! 

It was at high 38C by lunch ... Gor Gor would have to sleep with Mama tonight, as she would sponge him if necessary. Poor Mama, it's her third day on night duty ..

I hope Gor Gor get well soon. We can then go out and play together! 

GingerBREAD Boy

My little boy had been sick since yesterday.

Temperature went up to 40C.

He was still able to eat, which was a good sign.

Besides drinking water and Gatorade, I tried to make meals interesting for him. One can't be eating porridge for the whole week he is sick, right? Since he had scallop porridge yesterday, and rice in miso soup with broccoli yesterday, it would be good if I can prepare something colorful to cheer him up. Pizza bread, in the shape of the gingerbread boy ... little darling's favorite.

1. Cut bread using cookie cutter.
   
2. Be careful not to break the sides of the bread when cutting.
   
3. For the 'frame' : Spread butter and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on it.
   
4. For the 'boy' : Spread pasta sauce. Sprinkle with sliced ham, button mushroom, shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded cheddar cheese.
   
5. Place the 'boys' and 'frames' onto baking sheet.
   
6. Bake in oven at 350F till browned.
   
7. Let cool on cooling rack before serving.
   

No, the gingerbread boy didn't run away ;p

Our Plants

These are the pots of plants we have outside our apartment.

Do you see the long pot, at the far end, with just the potting mix?

We put in the cucumber seeds recently. Wonder if the seeds will germinate.

So what other plants do we have?

Clockwise from the top left :

• Cilantro! Sprinkle a bunch over noodles and they were delicious!
  
• Peppers : When will they fruit? They look like they are growing well.
  
• Cherry Tomatoes : Planted these late. No sure if they will fruit. 
  
• Big and Sweet Tomatoes : Notice the hairy stems and chopsticks?

From left to right:

This is the marigold plant darling son brought home from school.

They learnt about seeds and plants in May. 

This is my present ... for Mother's Day.

The tiny plant had since grown from two leaves (shoots) to a healthy plant! 

Wonder when the flowers will bloom?

Recognise the leaves? Nice oval-shaped leaves.

That's the pepper plant again. We transplanted it into a yogurt container as we did not have enough pots. We didn't expect it to grow to so tall and big. Looks like we have to transplant it again into another bigger pot .... 

We will going away for three weeks, and I hope that they will continue to grow well during our absence ...