A “LOVE LETTER” TO MY HUBBY

Dear Darling Hubby,

As always, I agree wholeheartedly with you that flower, chocolate and romantic dinners aren’t the only sweet ideas for Valentine’s Day. So, this year, I have a brilliant Valentine’s idea to share with you. It’s a lovely breakfast meal that is extremely easy to make, yet tasty and healthy. Also, not pricey! It’s a winning combination of my two favourites: egg and toast which are presented with novelty. Wikipedia lists many interesting and funny names for this dish: egg in toast, toad in a hole, egg in the hole, cowboy eggs etc etc. I’m not sure which one to pick. Maybe we just call it “egg in a basket” first and create a more fun name after that.

I know you have a hidden talent in cooking and are seriously searching for ideas on what to cook for me. How about giving this lovely breakfast a try on this Valentine’s morning? If both your son and I see this dish on our dining table, we will definitely jump in joy and give you loads of irresistible kisses and hugs. But please don’t surprise me with a messy kitchen.

To make sure you succeed in making this special toast, I have prepared a detailed instruction with tips and steps and steps photos which you can find in page 2 of this post. Don’t worry if your first attempt doesn’t turn out well. (It took me 4 attempts to perfect mine). We will still appreciate your efforts from the bottom of our heart and devour a dish that is made out of your love, care and patience.

Just to let you know, I have stored plenty of eggs and bread in the fridge for you to experiment with. So, have fun and enjoy!!

Love,
XOXO
Yours forever

PS: Psssst! If you love this dish as much as I do, please pass it on to your circle of friends and colleagues (especially guys). You know what I mean, right?

For more information about egg, please refer to this post.

Let me share with you my two recipes that were featured online this week. The featured posts are as follows:
- Braised taro and dried shrimps featured on SHAPE – 5 tasty meals you can make with taro
- Oven baked fries featured on Yummly – Guilt-free versions of your favourite junk foods

—> Get the recipe and step by steps photos for egg in a basket (egg in toast) at PAGE 2 BELOW.

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Hi everyone, Happy New Year !!

Time flies! It has been three months since my last update. Sorry to keep everyone waiting, but thanks so much for your kind patience and continuing support!!!

During this period, life was exceptionally hectic with many unexpected things happened. Last December, instead of having Mr Santa, sick bug paid us a surprise visit. I had to battle with a persistent fever for 3 consecutive weeks. It was initially caused by the dengue virus but led to further complication with pneumonia. For this, I had to be hospitalized. Soon after this episode, it was my son’s turn to have a throat infection and fever. So, it was quite a miserable and unforgettable month for both of us. Nevertheless, we feel blessed that we have finally recovered and are back in good health now.

After taking such a long break, I can’t wait to start my baking again especially making my homemade bread. Though I love making bread a lot,  I dread kneading bread dough with hands. The reason is that I always ended up with a pair of arching arms. Having a KitchenAid standing mixer is really a great relief to me. However, if the amount of dough is small, it would be more practical to knead with hands than machine. This simple breadsticks recipe is a good example for kneading bread dough with hands.

This recipe was adapted and modified from a basic thin crust pizza recipe. Hence, you have a choice to make either one of the options or both. The recipe is very simple and easy to follow. With just a few basic ingredients, you can begin almost immediately, perfectly suitable for any first timers to have some hands on experience in kneading bread dough. I hope this recipe will give them a boost of confidence in their bread making journey in future.

As compared to my cheesy breadsticks, the texture of these sticks is not soft like bread but crispy and crunchy like cookies. Based on individual preference, the dough can be easily shaped into strip or stick. Both types taste equally great. My 6 year-old son had so much fun rolling the sticks.

These sticks can be eaten on its own or even go well with dips. Thus, it makes them a tasty snack for both kids and even adults too. If you are looking for some healthy and guilt free snack for your toddlers, this little treat will surely bring a smile to their face.

Chinese New Year is just two weeks away from now. I am counting down the days!!! Aren’t you? Are you going to bake any festive cookies for your family and little ones this year?  I had baked my hubby’s favourite cookies and will share with you in my next post. Do stay tuned!

-> Get the recipe and step by step tutorial at PAGE 2 BELOW.

My hubby and I are great fans for coconuts but our 6 year-old son is definitely not. Early this year, he tasted steamed nian gao (年高, a sticky cake served during Chinese New Year) coated with fresh coconut flakes for the first time. Within minutes, he threw up. Whew! that was scary! It made me wonder if the taste of fresh coconut flakes is really that terrible to him. Until now, I still couldn’t figure that out.

Beside this particular incident, my son still eats coconut if I play the “camourflage” game well. All of my previous recipes that include either coconut milk or desiccated coconut (such as power packed oat bars, coconut butter cookies, banana muffins and steamed pumpkin muffins) were well received by him. Not a bad achievement though. Maybe it’s time to stop the hiding game and take a bold step for a change. So for this recipe, I decided to double dare him with more coconuts (coconut milk plus desiccated coconut) and even topped the muffins with extra desiccated coconut. Will I succeed? You bet!

This muffin recipe was originated from Daily Delicious. As these muffins are super easy-to-make, I actually baked them three times within a week and shared some of them with my “external testers”. After taking into consideration their kind feedback, I made some slight modifications to the recipe to suit my personal taste bud.

Unexpectedly, the modified recipe yields a very satisfactory result! The muffins are absolutely awesome as they have the right balance of sweetness, texture and taste! It’s the kinda coconut banana muffin I would die for! They tasted unbelievably delicious and packed with strong aroma of coconut. The desiccated coconut toppings, when baked, add a lovely crunchy and fibrous texture to it. Another important ingredient that contribute to the success of this recipe is banana. It blends perfectly with coconuts in baking. Banana doesn’t only enhance the coconut flavour but also provides a moist texture to the muffins even if they are left overnight. When my picky eater first saw the coconut toppings on the muffins, he was quite reluctant to eat it. After much persuasion, he agreed to try a tiny bite. And the verdict is he loved it! After his first sampling, he even asked for more. “Coconut isn’t that bad after all.” he commented. Hooray!! One step closer to achieve my mission!

This recipe is using mixing method, so you can easily whip up these muffins by hands with the help of a balloon whisk and a spatula. As long as you pay close attention to the tips I mentioned in the recipe, I can assure you that your muffins will turn out great even you’re a novice in baking! They are great to be added to lunch boxes or packed to office as teatime snack. Why not treating your kids (and yourself) with some tasty coconut banana muffins!

Get the recipe with step-by-step tutorial at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Mini dollar pancakes are those small round pancakes with 3-4cm in diameter. My son was treated with these mini dollar pancakes by his 2nd aunt during our last trip to Penang. It was love at first bite for him. Ever since then, he kept reminding us of  his memorable food experience. Knowing that he loved these pancakes so much, I started my mini pancake experiment. After a few rounds of trial and errors, I finally found the secret to making perfect mini soft and fluffy pancakes! Yay! Regardless of  which pancake recipe you follow, place more emphasis on the technique as it helps to produce soft and fluffy pancake texture without having to add too much baking powder.

For these mini fluffy pancakes, I use a simple recipe that calls for all the basic ingredients. What makes it so unique is how the eggs are beaten. Eggs are first separated. Then the egg whites are whipped up to form peaks and folded into the batter. This method will help to create more air bubbles in the batter. When the batter is cooked, the pancakes will puff up magically. Being a person who always flunks science exams, this is indeed a great discovery for me. Hehe!

You may think making mini round or fun shaped pancakes is difficult. In actual fact, it’s not only easy but the most fun part of all in making pancakes. I learned a cool and neat trick on how to do it from this VIDEO. By pouring the batter into a refillable ketchup plastic bottle (refer to the photo in PAGE 2 BELOW), you can control the flow of your batter with ease when creating the size or shape of pancakes that you prefer. Why not get your kids involved and share the fun too? I’m sure they will be very proud to present you with their very own pancake creations. If you can’t find the ketchup bottle, you can also use cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. That’s what I did for the mini love shaped pancakes shown in the photo above.

To increase your success rates in making these mini pancakes, remember to apply the following three basic rules:

1. Use a good non-stick pan so the pancake can be loosen easily.
2. Make sure the pan is hot (but not smoking hot) before you put the batter – simply sprinkle a few drops of water onto the pan. If they sizzle away, the pan is hot and ready for use.
3. Set your heat to medium low.
4. Make sure the heat is well distributed so it will give your pancake a more even colour.

I had also included extra tips in my recipes at PAGE 2 BELOW.

These pancakes are perfect for both breakfast and tea time snack. You can serve them with your choice of topping and filling, be it sweet or savoury. I love to serve them with yogurts (sometimes sorbet or ice cream) and top with fresh fruits and roasted nuts. I hope this fun filled food experiment of mine will bring you and your kids much joy this September school holidays. Let’s get into action now!

Get the recipe and step by step tutorial for Mini Fluffy Pancakes at PAGE 2 BELOW.

What’s your favourite finger food? If I were to name one, it would be fish fingers (or fish sticks). Who doesn’t love fish fingers? Not even a picky eater.

Trust me! Making your own fish fingers from scratch is very easy and they taste absolutely delicious too. Besides, you have full control in the selection of the type of fish and seasoning. If you have 30 minutes or so to spare for cooking, then this recipe is something you shouldn’t miss. Undeniably, the classic deep-frying version offers the ultimate crispiness that neither the baking nor pan-frying versions can replace. But for my family’s overall wellness, I’m pretty satisfied with my baked/pan-fried version.

 (I love playing with food. Do you?)

I have a little confession to make here. This is one recipe that I had silently kept for the longest time (Yes, there is still a long list of other recipes as well. I blame my lazy bones for this procrastination.). Whenever I baked these fish fingers, they ended up pleasing my stomach first and made me quickly forget to share with you in my blog. Hmm! That’s so selfish of me. So, if you have tried it and liked it, I hope you would share it with others and don’t be like me.

These fish fingers, when served warm, are extremely irresistible – crunchy and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are so good that waiting for them to cool down is kind of mental torture. That’s the favourite comment my hubby loves to give before gobbling down his share (and more).

These fish fingers are perfect for the entire family. They can be eaten just about anytime and anywhere you like. For a healthy version of fast food experience, you can serve them with oven-baked potatoes wedges, peas or mixed vegetables, and don’t forget to go with some delicious dips like mayonnaise, tartar sauce, ketchup of chili sauce. Bon appetit!

A word of caution! We know that fish is a great source of lean protein but it also contains traces of mercury with varied degree.  So, pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children (under 6) must be very careful about the amount and types of fish they eat. There are four types of fish with high level of mercury that this group should not eat: sharks, swordfish, tilefish and King mackerel. For more reading references, please go through the following suggested links:

• Babycenter -  Should your kids eat fish? How they can avoid mercury and still get their omega-3s
• What to expect - Fish for toddlers
• US EPA -  What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish
• Momstatic – Wholesomebabyfood – Wholes Is Fish an Allergenic food for Babies and When Can Babies Eat Fish?
• Business Week -  Too Much Mercury in Canned Tuna – Or Is There?

It’s good to serve your toddlers with a variety of fish with low mercury contents two to three times a week, with quantity ranging from one to three ounces of fish per serving depending on your child’s age. For more info, please go to this LINK. Remember, if you are uncertain of the mercury content in any type of fish you plan to introduce to your toddlers, please consult your pediatrician beforehand. Better be safe than late!

Get the recipe and steps by steps photos for oven baked fish fingers at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Being a curious person, I always love asking questions. Since becoming a mom, a home chef and a food blogger, I have even more questions to ask – more than ever before! Unfortunately, most are still unanswered.   But I believe if I keep asking questions, it will surely lead me to some pleasant discoveries.

“FROZEN TOFU” – I found this “mysterious” ingredient in Wendy’s post when browsing her great blog. True enough, the very next moment, my mind is overloaded with question marks.

“What is it?  How does it taste?  Why do I need to freeze it?  How do I freeze it?  How can I cook it?”

Driven by curiosity and without giving much thought, I immediately went ahead to freeze a block of tofu. I felt so amused with this impulsive act. Anyway, I spent some time to explore further. After cooking this frozen tofu, I find myself prefer the texture of frozen tofu over that of the fresh ones. Why? Just read on.

Frozen tofu, also known as “Thousand Layer Tofu” (千葉豆腐), is nothing new if you go to dig more from Wikipedia (Yes, I know. I’m so slow to learn this.). Freezing tofu will not affect its nutritional value but would trigger a change in its texture from smooth and creamy to spongy and porous. Large ice crystals developed within the tofu during the freezing process cause the formation of large cavities which appear to be layered. Frozen tofu will take on a yellowish hue. When thawed, the tofu loses a fair amount of water. At this point, you can easily squeeze out any excess water from the tofu. This will give the tofu a greater capacity to absorb whatever flavour you’re cooking or marinating with.

Though you can freeze any types of tofu, the firm or extra firm ones (for silken tofu) are much easier to handle and work best. It’s also important to drain the tofu before freezing. This will ensure little moisture is retained in the tofu, which will make it structurally more stable and firm after being thawed.

Learning how to freeze tofu is as simple as it sounds. Simply follow the step-by-step tutorial in PAGE 3. Tofu can be frozen as a whole in its original container, or drained and wrapped in plastic wrap until it’s needed. The former produces a softer consistency texture than the latter. Or, you can also choose to cut it into slabs or cubes prior to freezing, separating them with greaseproof or plastic paper. The method chosen will depend on how you plan to use it.

Due to its “leathery” texture, frozen tofu is not suitable to use for creamy dishes such as smoothie, spread or dips. However, it’s perfect for stir-frying, grilling, addition to soup, stews or salad, and sandwich filling. It can also be sliced, breaded and pan-fried like cutlets. If you are looking for a vegetarian substitute that produces a chewy, meat-like texture, then frozen tofu is a good option.

I make frozen tofu salad for my family recently. It’s such a refreshing meal to enjoy during this superhot weather. After the tofu is thawed, I cut the tofu into cubes and pan-fry them till nicely brown. To give this salad a colourful touch and crunchy bite, I add cherry tomatoes, Japanese cucumbers and sweet corns. A sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds over the salad will add some wonderful aroma and crunch too. Feel free to try out other ingredients of your choice. You can eat this salad either at room temperature or chilled from the fridge. You can also include some cooked pasta and turn this salad into a wholesome one dish meatless meal.

I concocted a Japanese creamy sesame dressing to compliment this salad. The dressing is burst with fragrant sesame flavour. For a creative twist, you can prepare this sauce as a delicious dip and serve it with mini vegetable skewers or colourful vegetable sticks. It’s another effective way to encourage your little ones to eat more vegetables. This simple salad is so good – healthy, easy to assemble and flavourful. I told myself that I could eat it everyday.

A happy ending to my new discovery!

Other recommended reading references:
- 100 things to do with tofu
- Frequentlt asked questions about tofu
- How to freeze tofu wit tips and its benefits
- How to freeze tofu (cooking information and techniques)
- Can you freeze tofu?

Get the recipe for FROZEN TOFU SALAD WITH CREAMY SESAME DRESSING at PAGE 2 BELOW

Learn HOW TO FREEZE TOFU with step by step tutorial and tips at PAGE 3 BELOW

Most kids love cookies – my son included. But, he often gets a nose bleed if he eats them too often. For this reason, I seldom offer him cookies. Lately, a recipe with flower shaped cookies in a cookbook caught his attention. He was so amazed with its appealing appearance that he kept pestering me to bake some for him. Of course, I was quite reluctant initially but finally relented as the recipe sounded simple yet wholesome to me.

Although the recipe uses wholemeal flour, the cookies turns out surprisingly crisps and delicious!!! Every bite has a wonderful nutty and buttery taste! My son loved it so much that he kept coming back for more even before the cookies were completed cool down. Not only my son, both my husband and I also enjoyed them every much. I baked another batch and shared some with my son’s classmate as her birthday treat. Later, I was told by her mother that it was a hit among her two elder daughters. Both finished the entire batch without leaving any to share with her youngest daughter (who is the birthday girl). Although I felt sorry for the little girl, I was heartened by this resounding response.

This kid-friendly recipe is very easy to make and doesn’t require much effort at all. You can even ask your kids to join the fun of making them. If you choose to halve the amount of the recipe, you can use a hand whisk to beat the batter. But I won’t advise you to do so as the amount of cookies will definitely not be enough. You will end up craving for more, I assured you. Make plenty as your entire family, not just the tots, will fancy them too. If you do not have the flower cookie cutter, feel free to use any type of cookies cutters to cut out shapes.

These cookies are ideal as snack, and suitable for picnic and party too. They also make great gift for your friends and relatives during special occasions. Why not give your loved ones a surprise with these edible flowers?

=> Get the recipe and step-by-step tutorial with photos at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Hi everyone, we are nearing the June school holidays! So, what have you planned for your children for this month-long holidays? For me, I intend to engage my son with more cooking/ baking activities. My son loves playing the role of “master chef” and is always finding ways to make my kitchen his playground. During our past culinary adventures, we had so much fun and happy moments.

Cooking/ baking with your children is not limited to bonding but it is something that you can help to make the most out of this fun activity. It gives you a good opportunity to teach them a valuable lifetime skill. At the same time, it also helps to impart healthy eating habits, stimulate your children’s creativity and introduce mathematics and science in a practical sense. After all, cooking/ baking is every bits about counting, chemistry, art and taste. It is also a great time to instill on them the virtue of patience, responsibility, ownership and confidence. At the end of the cooking/baking process, the entire family will be rewarded with the labour of love.

However, remember to do proper planning beforehand and assign the appropriate tasks to your child according to his/ her age and ability. Otherwise, you may end up with a messy kitchen!

This almond crisps recipe is very suitable to be used as a parent and child baking project at home. The steps are simple and easy-to-follow. If you read through the recipe, you will find many similarities with the sesame crisp recipe I featured earlier. Mix your ingredients with hand whisk and spatula (yes, no electrical mixer is required!), spread the batter on the baking tray (in any shapes you like) and then put the tray straight into the oven. Sounds easy peasy, right? While waiting for the end product, you and your child can do washing and cleaning up together.

These crisps are incredibly addictive and highly rated by those who had tried them out. This included my mother-in-law who doesn’t have a sweet tooth. I have reduced the original amount of sugar by 30g so the sweetness is just right for our taste buds. If your child is not ready or allergic to nuts, feel free to substitute almonds with pumpkin seeds. It tastes good as well.

The key to get a crispy crisp is to spread the batter as thin as possible and make sure there is no overlapping of seeds. It’s also crucial to keep an eye on these crisps towards the last five minutes of baking so as to avoid any incidence of over-burning. I also strongly recommend the use of quality baking paper such as GLAD BAKE for this recipe for easy removal of these crisps from the paper after baking.

To all my readers, I will be away for a short 10-day break starting this Friday. Do bear with my slow response to your comments or queries as I will have limited access to the internet during this period. I know some of you may be wondering how I can go off a week before the start of the school holidays. Well, as my son is still in preschool and there will not be many lessons left during the last week of this school term, I managed to get an “informal” approval from the class teacher to “play truant”. Hehehe! So, till then, Happy Baking and Bonding!

Some simple recipes that you can use for parent and child baking projects are:
- Sesame crisps
- Banana muffins
- Oatmeal banana raisin muffins
- Cheesy cookies
- Cornflake cookies
- Coconut butter cookies
- Power-packed oat bars
- Homemade snack bars (no baking required)
- Japanese egg salad sandwiches (no baking required)

=> Get the recipe and step by step photos for ALMOND CRISPS at PAGE 2 BELOW

Broccoli is one of the few vegetables that seem to have an universal appeal to children. Given its vibrant colour and distinctive flavour, toddlers are often happy to pick it up as part of their meal. That explains why many mums told me that they had the least headache when introducing broccoli to their children at an early stage even for those who were fussy on eating greens.

Broccoli is a member of the *cruciferous family that is well known for its substantial immune-boosting nutrients such as vitamins C, vitamins A, folic acid, calcium, iron, fiber and sulphoraphane. Thus, we, as parents, should feature broccoli regularly in our child’s diet. (*Cruciferous vegetables include cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choi, radish, turnip, watercress and Brussels sprouts.)

Broccoli is a versatile vegetable that can be served in different ways. Some kid-friendly broccoli recipes include puree, finger food, stir-fry, casserole, soup, salad and pasta (as featured in this post). My family prefers to have them blanched or steamed. For young picky eaters who enjoy “playing” with their food, an effective method to encourage them to eat broccoli is to turn them into something fun like “hair” of a face, “mini tree” or “little flower” or just about anything based on your creative imagination.

This recipe is an easy and hassle-free pasta dish suitable for busy parents who are looking for a quick, light and healthy meal for their kids. This pasta dish is so eye-pleasing and easy to handle by our little ones. Broccoli and bow-ties pasta (farfalle) are cooked in advance and then tossed with a lemony sauce. If you are bored with creamy or tomato sauce, then you must give this tangy and refreshing sauce a try. When I prepared this dish for my family, I was so surprised that it passed my ‘lemon-hater” hubby’s taste test too!! Although Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts are optional, these additions can definitely bring the dish the extra boost of nutrients and flavour. For those who are not keen on meatless meal, you could add some cooked chicken, shrimp, bacon, ham or sausage for a tasty twist.

=> Get the recipe and step-by-step photos for Broccoli and Bow-ties Pasta at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Each time we had dim sum in our favourite Chinese restaurant, we would surely order their best-selling mango pudding. Unlike others, this restaurant used fresh mangoes to make their mango pudding instead of canned mangoes or mango essences. Both its texture and taste of the pudding pleased our palate very well. So, whenever my hubby and son suggested the idea of making this dessert at home, I would refuse by saying that no matter what, mine can never be as good as theirs. But, they still insisted and kept pestering me to give it a try since mango was in season now. Finally, I “surrendered” and agreed to fulfil their request.

After trying it out myself, I was surprised to discover some great things about homemade mango pudding. It was so easy-to-make (30-40 minutes to prepare plus a little bit of patience to wait for the puddings to set), incredibly cheap (only 1/3 of the price charged by the restaurant), and absolutely delicious (as endorsed by my resident testers!).

My family was so satisfied with my homemade mango pudding. They claimed that it tasted just like (if not better than) the ones served in the restaurant. Even my sister and her family gave it a thumb-up after sampling this dessert.

This heavenly desert offers a combination of fresh mango and soft pudding indulgence. Its creamy and smooth texture compliments well with the rich and fragrant mango flavour. You also get to savour plenty of tiny mango cubes when you dig into this pudding. Oh, gosh!! It’s so satisfying and refreshing!!

One thing I like to emphasise is that, it’s important to use good quality mangoes if you want to produce a perfect mango pudding. This is because mango is the key ingredient (making up about 90% of the ingredients) of this recipe. I find that the best time to make this dessert is during mango season when good quality mangoes are easily available. I use Thailand honey mangoes for this recipe as they are bountiful in Singapore now. Other varieties that I like are Arum Manis (Indonesia), Alphonso (India), Chansa (Pakistan) and Bangapali (Pakistan). You are free to use any varieties of your choice as long as they are fragrant, sweet, less fibrous, fully ripen and fairly soft.

For those who are great fan of fresh mangoes and fruit-based pudding, this one guarantees to please your palate. It makes a perfect summer dessert for your family too!

>>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Mango Pudding Recipe with step by step photos…………………