Pesto sauce (basil pesto)is a paste made by blending together fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese and salt. This sauce is ready for use without the need for cooking. If you love the aromatic smell of basil leaves, then this pesto will surely suit your palate. You can either DIY at home or buy the off the shelves ready packed ones at the supermarket. If you...

  My guest and I got acquainted through a parenting forum 4 years ago. Like me, she also has a son of the same age. We share many common interests and chat online almost everyday with our never-ending topics. It was through her encouragement that I got started on blogging. She is my personal advisor in cooking, baking, and a handy solver for my problems with Adobe Photoshop and highly complicated html...

  Over the past two months, Singapore and Malaysia are hit by dry spell with no sign of abating anytime soon. Although it’s usually hot this time of the year, but it’s particularly bad this year. The weather is extremely hot and humid. I could feel the heat penetrating my skin when I went out to fetch my son from school at noon. Even walking under the shades along the pedestrian walkway,...

  Quite often I heard from some mommies that they always run out of ideas when it comes to preparing teatime snacks for their preschoolers. I consider myself lucky as my son’s kindergarten provides teatime snacks. So far, he hasn’t complaint anything about the snack served in school. When I “interviewed” him on his preference between mommy’s cooking and school lady’s cooking, he cheerfully...

  You probably heard a lot about Omega-3, the polyunsaturated fat that is essential in life. It protects against heart disease, promotes healthy skin and joints and is essential for proper neurological development in unborn babies and young children. The American Heart Association’s (AHA) dietary guidelines recommend that adults eat at least two servings of fish high in Omega-3 per week.  If you want...

Popcorn is high on fiber, low on calories, but also packed with energy. Compared to sugar-filled candy or chocolate bars, popcorn is still a better (if not the best) choice for snack. If prepare correctly and eat in moderation, it can be considered a healthy snack for kids. You should consider making your own popcorn rather than buying from outside. Firstly, the corn kernels are inexpensive. Secondly, it’s...

  “LEARN, TOUCH and TASTE” are the three key steps I strongly recommend parents to follow if they want to get their kids to love food. Of the three, “TOUCH” is considered the most challenging. With the thoughts of all the potential mess and disaster kids can create in the kitchen, most of us parents would cringe at the idea of letting their kids help out in cooking. To me, much of that can be avoided...

I have been making scones quite often as they are extremely easy to make. Without having to bring out the electrical beater, I can easily whip up a batch of warm scones in no time for breakfast, brunch and teatime. The key to the making of a good scone lies in the technique itself.  Do not overwork the dough as it can make the scones hard.  This cranberry scone recipe is adapted from Farmgirl’s Cranberry...

  Avocado 酪梨 (also known as butter pear 牛油果or alligator pear 鳄梨/) is rich in the antioxidants beta carotene, vitamins C and E, magnesium, potassium and monounsaturated fat which can boost your immune system. Not only does it bring many health benefits to adults, it is an excellent weaning food for babies too. I introduced this fruit to my son when he got past 1 year old. He enjoys very much...

  “Do you know you can make a cheesecake without having to bake one? And, you don’t need to use an electrical mixer too!” said J.   “What? No oven? No electrical mixer? Are you sure?” said F4T.   This was my first re-action when J (an ex-colleague) shared her non-baked lemon cheesecake (a.k.a. icebox cheesecake) with me many years ago. As a person with zero knowledge in baking at the...