Spring Break - Play Time!

The one week Spring Break had finally arrived!
Lovely weather .... beautiful blue sky, and sunny!

We walked to the school playground, to spend the afternoon there.

"Monkey" Time!

"Monkey" up the bars, instead of sliding down.

Ending the climb with a "Monkey" face =p

"Monkey" swing across the bars! WOW!

"Monkey" dance ... whose the "Monkey" and whose the "Tree"?

What's with that unhappy "Monkey" face? Thumbs down indeed =(

Hungry monkeys are angry monkeys ... Ok, Snack Time!

Two happy smiley faces after snacking =)

Time for some soccer!

Taking turns to be the goal keeper!

I guess this is what school holiday is about ... to be out of the house and to run about, having loads of fun, and free from school work!

Happy Birthday, Janice!

It's my friend, Janice's birthday, and she mentioned that she would not be baking a cake for her birthday. Like me, she's a stay-home=mom, and is always baking and cooking for her family. How can she not have a cake for her birthday?! So I told her, I would bake a cake for her and her family to enjoy!

Another recipe from the book "Baking From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan. Instead of baking it into a square, I used a round pan. It's in every way, a simple cake. All I needed to do was to get ready the ingredients, mix it in minutes by hand, and 40 minutes later, I get a nice looking and tasty cake! Wonderful!

For the cake :

1 1/4 cups Sugar (I use 1 cup)

1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon

1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

3/4 cup Whole Milk

2 Large Eggs

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

10 tbsp Unsalted Butter, Melted and cooled

Pinch of Salt

For the filling :

2 tbsp Sugar }

2 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon } Stir together

3 oz Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp Instant Espresso Powder (I omit this)

For the frosting :

6 oz Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped

2 1/2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, cut into 4 pieces

Getting Ready :

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
• Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Place the pan on a baking sheet.

Making the Cake :

• In a large bowl : Whisk together the flour, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, baking powder, salt and 1 tbsp of ground cinnamon.
• In another bowl : Whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla.
• Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and gently whisk until you have a homogenous batter.
• Using the whisk or the spatula, fold in the butter with a light touch.
• The batter should be smooth and satiny.
• Scrape half of the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
• Sprinkle the 3 oz of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate over the batter.
• Dust with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
• Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top again.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or till the cake is puffed and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for 15 minutes before unmolding it onto another rack. Peel off paper, invert it onto the first rack, and cool to room temperature, right side up.

Making the Frosting :

• Melt the 6 oz of chocolate with the unsalted butter.
• Be careful not to overheat the mixture so much that it thins out.
• The chocolate should be smooth,very shiny and spreadable.
• Using a spoon, or a table knife, spread the frosting in generous sweeps and swirls over the top of the cake. Allow the frosting to set at room temperature, then cut the cake into 9 squares, each about 2 1/2 inches on a side.

There was some leftover frosting. I had some not-so-sweet strawberries sitting on my dinning table. I dipped the strawberries into the frosting and let the frosting set. My boys had them as their after-school snack ... my elder one who was not a fan of strawberries, actually asked for more!

I hope Janice and Family enjoys the cake as much as I enjoy baking it ... Happy Birthday, Janice!

Banana Cake

"Mama, can we have banana cake for snacks tomorrow?"

asked my little boy.

"Ok, since the bananas are over-riped." I told him.

"Yeah, we are going to have banana cake tomorrow!"

... chatted the little one, over and over again!

Sometimes, when I have no idea what to bake, I will ask the boys what they would like to eat. So far, they have requested for chocolate cake/muffins/cookies, cheese cakes and doughnuts. The banana cake came as a surprise to me. I suppose the two over-riped bananas must have looked yucky to the little one, and to get rid of it, he requested for banana cake? He knows I dislike throwing away food, leftovers especially, and that I have been using over-riped bananas in bakes ... kids are observant, and we adults, sometimes, have to be on our best behavior too =)

Since I was at Little Corner of Mine searching for a soup recipe, I took the opportunity to search for a banana cake recipe as well. It was worth the search. The loaf of banana cake rose beautifully in the loaf pan. Although the amount of butter used was a little too much to my liking, I gave myself the excuse that I needed that little extra "fuel" to lift my rather low spirits .... eating and seeing the people around me enjoy my bakes definitely helps to lift my low spirits and bring on a smile.

7 tbsp Butter, softened

1/2 cup Sugar

1 Large Egg

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 Big Bananas, mashed (I use 2 medium bananas)

1/8 cup Whole Milk

1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence

• In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
• In another bowl, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
• Add egg, beat till smooth.
• Add milk, vanilla essence and mashed bananas. Mix well.
• Add the flour mixture.
• Beat till combined.
• Pour into a lined 9" x 4.5" loaf pan.
• Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes, or till a pick inserted comes out clean.
• Tent the cake with a piece of aluminium foil if the top browns before the cake is baked.
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
• Invert and let cool on cooling rack.
• Store in an air-tight container.

The cake is really soft! It took a little longer than 30 minutes to bake, as I added two bananas instead of one. My bananas were not too sweet, so it was just the right amount of sweetness in this loaf. The crust was crispy, and the inside, soft. Hmmmm ... definitely a keeper, despite the high butter content.

党参药材鸡汤

Another cold winter day, another day for soup =)

I was surfing the web for new recipes when I chanced upon "Tong Sum Chinese Herbal Soup" from Little Corner of Mine. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I love chicken soup, and I love 党参. Plus, I am able to use most of the chinese herbs I have in the pantry =)

党参 and wolfberries, when soak in warm water for a couple of hours, yields a drink with mild herbal sweetness. Hence, whenever hubby dear needs to stay up late into the night to do his work/study, I will make a flask of it for him to bring to school. It is best consumed a few hours later ... the drink is sweet, and especially warming on a cold winter day in school. If you need to work late into the night, feel tired easily, have a lack of appetite ... you can give it a try.

But for now, I am happy to have chicken soup for dinner tonight!

淮山 4 sticks

北芪 2, cut into halves

党参 4 sticks, cut into 1" length

Wolfberries 1 tbsp

Red Dates 10 pcs

Dried Logan 5-6 pcs

Water 1 litre

Chicken Thighs 4 pcs

• Pour 1 litre of water into a pot.
• Put the chinese herbs, except 北芪 and 淮山, into the pot of water.
• Soak these chinese herbs for half an hour to an hour.
• Remove skin from the chicken thighs.
• Wash and clean the chicken thighs.
• Blanch the chicken thighs in boiling water.
• Rinse the blanched chicken thighs in cold water.
• After an hour, add the blanched chicken thighs, 淮山，北芪 to the pot with the other chinese herbs in it.
• Bring the water to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours.
• Add salt to taste before serving, if necessary.

The original simmering time is 4 hours, with no soaking of chinese herbs required. I do not have a slow-cooker, and I need to pick the kids up from school and can't leave the pot of soup on the stove cooking while I am out. Hence, I took a short cut ... I soaked the chinese herbs (all except 北芪 and 淮山 ) in water for almost an hour, before cooking it. Instead of 4 hours, I am going to simmer the soup for 2.5 hours.

Hmmmm ... the pot of chicken soup is simmering away as I am writing ... and the entire apartment is filled with the aroma of herbal soup .... I can't wait for dinner!

莲藕汤

I was at the Asian Mart on Sunday, and picked up a section of the lotus root. Old Man Winter had been sending the biting cold air over the Midwest, and a bowl of warm Lotus Soup would cheer us up after a day out in the cold.

The recipe is from Cuisine Paradise.

Thanks for sharing the recipe!

My kids love this soup!

1.2 lb Country Style Pork Ribs

1.5 litres Water

4-5 pcs Red Dates

1 tsp Wolfberries

5－6 pcs 淮山 (or fresh 山药 15-20cm long)

1-2 stalks 党参 (cut into 1" strips)

2 pcs 北芪 (cut strips into halves)

1 莲藕 (cut thinly into wheels)

• Wash and clean the pork ribs.
• Blanch in boiling water.
• Remove and rinse in cold water.
• Put all ingredients into the pot.
• Bring to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer for 1.5 hours.
• If using fresh 淮山, add it in before drinking the soup. Bring the soup to a boil and turn off heat. If it is left in the soup for too long, it becomes very soft and break apart, turning the soup milky.
• Add salt to taste if necessary.

No photograph of the soup?

Well, I was so eager to drink the soup and start dinner, I forgot all about taking photographs of the final product! The meat was very sweet, and the soup tasted good, especially after I removed most of the oil in the soup =)

Chicken Rice and Oyster Sauce Bak Choy in Garlic Oil

The kids had to attend Chinese lessons this afternoon, and hence, it was a good time for me to drop by the Asian Mart. I saw this packet of Bak Choy (小白菜) and thought it would be the perfect vegetable to go with our dinner this evening ... Chicken Rice.

I would usually blanch the Bak Choy and pour some sesame oil and oyster sauce over them. But thanks to NoobCook, I decided to use a different sauce ... Garlic Oil and Oyster Sauce Bak Choy!

Garlic Oil

• Heat up 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan.
• Finely chopped 8 cloves of garlic.
• Fry the chopped garlic till light brown.
• Remove the pan from the heat immediately when the garlic starts to turn a light brown. The garlic will continue to cook in the hot oil. Take care not to burn the garlic.

Oyster Sauce Mixture

• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon of hot water
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Garlic Oil

Pour the garlic oil over the blanched Bak Choy, followed by the Oyster Sauce Mixture. Mix well and serve. I cut the stalks of Bak Choy into halves, as it is easier for the kids to eat. I like my vegetables to be crunchy, but the kids find it difficult to chew. Hence I blanched the vegetables longer to soften them. It still tastes great with this sauce! Most importantly, the kids love it and it goes well with my dinner ... Chicken Rice!

Oh, how I miss the Chicken Rice back home. I have been relying on the packets of Chicken Rice premix, and sadly, I am down to my second last pack! Chicken Rice is definitely on my "To Eat" list when we return home for visit this June!

Fried Noodles

It's the weekend, and for a change, I decided to have fried noodles for dinner. It was one good way for me to use up the leftover pork from cooking soup, and broccoli was all I had in the fridge!

The leftover pork turned pork floss was pan fried after lunch. All I needed to do for dinner was to cook the noodles in boiling water, then fry them!

• Finely chopped some garlic and shallots.
• Wash some broccoli florets and microwave them.
• Do not microwave the broccoli florets for too long. They should be crunchy to the bite and not soggy.
• Prepare a heated pan and pour two tablespoons of vegetable oil in.
• Add the chopped shallots and fry till fragrant.
• Add the chopped garlic and fry till fragrant.
• Be careful not to burnt the shallots and garlic.
• Add the cooked noodles, and fry for a couple of seconds.
• Add some chicken broth, and stir well.
• Do not add too much broth, or your fried noodles will turn soggy.
• Add the pork floss and broccoli. Mix well.
• Turn off the heat.
• Season with salt if necessary.
• Serve warm.

A plate of fried noodles, plus a bowl of warm miso soup.

How does that sound to you?

Good enough to keep us warm on cold winter nights =)