My little growing garden May 7, 2009

Waiting for moss to grow

I wanted a person, not an object nor an animal, I wanted something calming and I found this spout of a lady with a barrel!  Perfect!  I even got it for more than 50% discount because there is a small chip on the nose but who cares, you won’t notice it once it all covered with moss.  Now all I have to do is wait for the moss to grow.

Rico spends a  whole lot of time on the deck.  He thinks it’s like having a picnic here.  Here he is enjoying the view with his beloved brown bear

The is the second water feature is made of re-cycled old water barrels left by the previous owner and it worked well.  The water here flows back to the main pond.

Overflowing water barrels

Showing off his painting on the swing chair

Halloween Finger Food November 6, 2008

Here’s bringing the true meaning to finger food.  Got these ideas through the net.  It did scare some trick-or-treat-ers away.  Evil!!!

These spiders were made of mini oreo, mini M&Ms and the legs are made of crispy noodles.

Mango sago dessert October 25, 2008

This dessert is refreshing and easy to make.  Hong Kong’s Hui Lau Shan’s taken this dessert to a pop star level but I think it has got too much coconut milk in it which isn’t healthy.  Here’s a healthier version, if not tastier

Mango sago dessert

1 bottle of mango juice.  If you have lots of mango, you can do without bottled mango juice and instead, puree your mangoes and add water

1 can of evaporated milk. Use low fat ones

2 pieces of mango, cut in cubes

1 cup of cooked sago balls

1 cup of peeled pomelo (optional). You may also use grapefruit instead

To cook sago balls, boil a large pot of water.  Pour sago balls slowly into the pot and cook until the balls are transparent, stirring it consistenly.  If water run low, add more water to pot.  Drain cooked sago and run over tap water to remove some of the starch.  Mix everything in a large container.   If you like it sweeter, you can add some sugar.  You can adjust the consistency by adding more water, or more juice or more mango.  Whatever, however you like it.  Chill and serve.  Isn’t it great?

Simple Wanton Noodles October 25, 2008

Here’s a simple wanton noodles, but no wanton this time round.  Instead of wanton, I’ve got our prized family favourite ‘hea-chor’ which roughly translates to prawn balls.  I have master this recipe yet. You will need quite a lot of ‘arm power’ to make this.  It is made of prawns and some pork fats.  The prawns have to be shelled and really dry before you mince them.   The next step, needs real arm power to smack minced prawn by throwing them in small quantities against a hard surface like a large pot.  You’ll need to repeat this many times to create bouncy balls.  If you don’t do it right, your prawn balls will have airy pockets and will not be bouncy. Anyway, for now, I’ll leave this recipe to my aunts and uncles who have mastered this recipe.

Sauce for wanton noodles

1 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tbs light soy sauce

1 tbs oyster sauce

dash of pepper

1 tbs of fried shallots and its oil

Mix all ingredients well and add to cooked egg noodles

Additional meat topping

100g minced pork

1 handful of woodear fungus, cut in strips

prawns

Fry minced pork and add in prawns and woodear fungus.   You may opt not to put any seasoning.  Lastly, toss cooked egg noodles with the sauce and add meat toppings.  You may add boiled vegetable or fried wanton if you wish

Rico the Builder October 2, 2008

Rico’s obsessed with Bob the Builder nowadays and hence, this birthday cake.  We ordered a blackforest cake from Pine Gardens and asked them decorate just the base.   Green for the hills, blue for the sky and white clouds.  They did a pretty good job for it.   I then added the Bob, Wendy, Scoop, Muck and Roley and the banners.  The soil is actually Oreo’s cookies.  The banners are made with MS PowerPoint.  And of course, the birthday boy was more excited about the toys than the cake

This other cake was Rico’s first birthday cake. The cake is steamed chocolate cake and the frosting is cream cheese.  The cupcakes are also steam chocolate cake. The lego astronaut was borrowed from Joshua.

Quilt August 15, 2007

When I first told my boss AN, that I was pregnant, she was so excited for me and she almost in the next breath, promised to make a quilt for the baby. How often is that …that you get your boss to make a quilt for your baby! Guess I am one of those rare lucky one.

More than a year later, boss presented me with this lovely quilt. If you see it yourself, you will not believe that it’s homemade! I can’t even imagine how it’s done nor how she has the patience and I’d say, talent to make a quilt like that. Rico loves it, we all love it.

Thanks, boss for this very lovely quilt.

Another Day, Another Bread August 12, 2007

I’ve been spending quite a lot of money for bread from Japanese bakery, Provence at Holland Village. I thought I could save some if I can ever made bread close (repeat, close) to what they make. So, when I saw this recipe, I was excited to try it. I turned out more cake-y than bread-y, maybe because cake flour is used and it’s not as soft as it claim. The first time I tried it, I thought maybe because I missed some steps or didn’t proof the bread enough. So, I tried again. The result was as disappointing. Nevertheless, here’s a picture of it.

Guess, I’ll still be spending money at Provence. Provence, here I come. Save those black sesame puffy pastry bread for me and of course, the blueberry cheese buns too.

My Favourite Picnic Food August 12, 2007

Got a movie event at Fort Canning last evening. Immediately, I knew I have to cook my favourite picnic food ….fried mee siam. I’ve cooked mee siam umpteenth time, for picnic, for parties, for new year or simply when I crave for it. Even my domestic helper now knows how to cook it.

Photos to follow soon.

Vanila Pods August 12, 2007

I finally bought vanilla pods after hearing and seeing so much of it on TV and in blogs. I saw it at Phoon Huat and bought it without having any idea what to do with it, and it has been sitting in the freezer for a month or so. And when I saw the vanilla cream recipe for a fruit tart ..Bingo! I knew that was the recipe I’ve got to try. I’ve been wanting to try fruit tart and it cream looks wonderfully yummy.

The result was fantastic. The vanilla cream is so yummy and the smell of fresh vanilla is just so amazing. And knowing that it’s a light cream, ie just a little butter, makes it even better. And one thing lead to another. With vanilla cream, I knew only fresh fruits would do, so I bought a punnet of fresh raspberry. The result ….. a beautiful creation. I’ll surely make this again especially to a gathering. Invite me, and I’ll bring this fresh vanilla cream fruit tart with me.

Recipe for vanilla cream
500ml whole milk
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
a generous pinch of salt
4 tablespoons of cornstarch
110g sugar
2 large eggs
40g butter, cut in small cubes

Cheese Buns April 14, 2007

Made these tonight. The choice is limitless on what you can put into these sweet bread dough. However, I’ve got a mental block tonight and so, it ended with shaved cheddar cheese. Anyway, it’s the first time I try to recipe. The bread is wonderfully soft.

This photo is taken using Sonny’s new lens. Cool eh?

Ingredients

A)
480 gm bread flour
120 gm plain flour
110 gm castor sugar
20 gm milk powder
4 tsp instant yeast

(B)
1 egg
300 ml cold water
(C)
60 gm unsalted butter
10 gm salt