life love and me

Because I AM THE MOM!

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Letting Go and Accepting Myself

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:36:00 +0000

Chocolate Chips, Oreo Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 05:50:00 +0000

The girls were on cloud nine. I made them Chocolate Chips and Oreo Muffins for tea yesterday. The younger one was literary skipping around the kitchen, trying to imagine two of her favorite ingredients in a muffin. The "excitement" was just too much for her!

Both of them loved it ALOT and made me promise to bake more soon! The man had it for dessert after dinner and surprisingly loved it too. It was not too sweet and the chocolate chips and Oreo combo was good, according to him. We were shocked because he never liked Oreo. He must be very stressed-up at work and badly needed a pick-me-up.

Chocolate Chips Oreo Muffins
(Recipe from HERE)

1 large egg
120ml milk
55g butter, melted
170g plain flour
80g sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
70g semisweet chocolate chips [i used 60g]
70g Oreo cookies, crushed [i used 60g as well, and discarded the cream filling]

1. Beat the wet ingredients in a bowl - egg, milk and melted butter
2. Throughly mix the dry ingredients in another bowl - flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients gently. Do not overmix.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips and crushed Oreos.
5. Spoon into muffin cups and bake at 200C for 15-20 minutes or till skewer inserted comes out clean. [i baked at 160C for 25mins]

VERY EASY Chin Kiang Black Vinegar Pork Ribs

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:15:00 +0000

The man loves pork ribs but I have never cooked it at home. I thought that it would be very difficult.

I could not believe my luck when I stumbled upon this recipe last week. I read and re-read it to make sure that I was not dreaming. Just these steps? Brown the ribs, pour in the seasoning and clear your Netflix queue while waiting for the ribs to simmer for about 45minutes. Cool, right?

The man came back from work and was pleasantly surprised that I did not serve him his usual butcher block for dinner.

He was even more surprised that it actually tasted delicious ......finger lickin' good. He was so touched that I spend so many hours (hehe!) in the kitchen.

Chin Kiang Black Vinegar Pork Ribs

(Recipe from HERE)

1kg pork ribs
2 tbsp Chin Kiang black vinegar
Sesame seeds (toasted)

Seasoning;

¼ cup Chin Kiang black vinegar

¼ cup Shaoxing wine

¼ cup Tomato sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Chili flakes

1-2 pieces of rock sugar

1. Heat up wok with a little oil.

2. Brown ribs, a minute on each side.

3. Stir in the seasoning, bring to boil and simmer on medium heat for 45-60 mins or until meat is tender and sauce is thick.

4. Stir in 2 tbsp black vinegar.

5. Dish out on a serving plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Because He Lives ...... Happy Easter 2013

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 06:00:00 +0000

God sent his son, they called him Jesus.

He came to love, heal and forgive.

He lived and died to buy my pardon,

an empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future.

And life is worth living,

just because He lives.

Blessed Easter, my dearest brothers and sisters in Christ!

it's Good Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 06:15:00 +0000

Blessed Good Friday and Easter Weekend to my mom, sister, brother-in-law and two lil cutie-pies in Beijing ......the man, my two girls, my BSF cell group members, my baptism class friends, Pastor Ting, Siew-Hong, Lee-Fuang and all my other Christian friends.

Keep Riding On

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Friday, peeps.

Here's to a great weekend ahead with lots of fun and laughter with our family and loved ones!

[Source]

Easy Pumpkin Fried Bee Hoon (Fine Rice Noodles)

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I love fried bee hoon and has been on the lookout for one done the way I like it for years.

Of course, I never found it. Because I have ~~weird~~ unique taste-buds;

I do not like the taste of peanut oil used in frying the noodles. I prefer olive or sunflower oil,
I do not like fish cakes and oyster sauce added to my noodles,
I do not like commercial soy sauce (tends to be very salty) but prefer "first draw" soy sauce.

I knew that I had to do it myself if I wanted my "dream" plate of bee hoon. I tried frying it a few years back and it was a disaster. Half of the bee noon stuck to the wok and the remainder clumped up into soggy balls. I binned it. My second attempt was just as bad.

I hardly ate any fried bee hoon after that. I just concentrated on my other favorite food.

Last weekend, I stumbled upon Bee Yinn's Pumpkin Rice Noodles and was inspired to try it. Her version looked so good and inviting. After reading her recipe, I was pretty confident that I could execute it without any major mishap.

This picture of hers got me all excited. ;)

Here is what I came up with. What do you think?

I was thrilled beyond words. There were no clumpy, soggy balls and it tasted just the way I like it. I found my perfect plate of fried bee hoon. YAY!!

None of the bee hoon stuck to my wok! Double YaY!

I never imagined that pumpkin and minced pork could combine so well with bee hoon. Even the girls (not big fans of bee hoon and pumpkin) and the man agreed that it was good. He even saved some for his lunch the next day. I was amused because he never liked pumpkin ..... and was seldom enthusiastic over my kind of food.

Thanks Bee Yinn for sharing such a good, versatile and fail-proof recipe. Even noobs in the kitchen like me could handle.

Pumpkin Rice Noodles
(Recipe by Bee Yinn)

100g dried rice vermicelli
2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
100g pork, minced
100g pumpkin (or kabocha), diced
½ cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
3 dashes white pepper
100g bean sprouts, rinsed [i used white "chou sum"]

1. Soak the dried rice vermicelli in warm water for about 20 minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
2. Heat up the oil in a wok and add the garlic. Stir-fry the garlic until aromatic before adding the pork and pumpkin.
3. Add the water, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, white pepper and bring to boil.
4. Add the rice vermicelli into the wok, stir to combine well with the ingredients in the wok.
5. Add the bean sprouts and continue to stir fry the rice vermicelli until the sauce is dry and the vermicelli is cooked through. Dish out and serve immediately.

Helpful Kitchen Tips

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I Believe!

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I love this quote, shared by my friend Ashley.

It made me stop, pause and appreciate everything around me. I feel blessed and loved. And I am thankful to be alive. Thank you, God for creating this wonderful world!

Happy Birthday to Me!

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:15:00 +0000

I celebrated my birthday last Monday.

This was my birthday meal ...... lovingly cooked by the man. No kidding!

I love, love and love instant noodles tossed with dark caramel sauce.

And I love, love, love and love grilled SPAM.

But I am not allowed to eat them. Doctor's orders ..... no processed food due to my health condition.

On my birthday every year, I get to pick two items from my long "Do Not Eat" list as presents from my doctor. He claims that it is his reward for being such a obedient patient all these years.

[Source]

Happy Monday peeps. May your week be a healthy one!

Happy St Patrick's Day

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

I have been spending a lot less time online recently. I rekindled my friendship/relationship with God and we had lots of catching up to do. No, I am not going through a major crisis in my life. I am not running to God for shelter. It just happened. God called out to me. And I answered. I never knew that having God in my life can be so comforting and calming. I like the feeling.

We celebrated St Patrick's Day one day earlier and made this for dinner yesterday. It was fuss free and the easiest stew that I ever put together, just as described by Yen aka Baby Sumo. It was delicious! The girls and the man loved it. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Yen!

Irish Lamb Stew
(Recipe from Yen)

600-700g stewing lamb, in thick chunks [i used stewing mutton cos i was trying to clear my stock in the freezer]
1litre lamb or beef stock [i used 350ml Guinness + 650ml of homemade chicken stock]
2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and freshly milled black pepper
350g onions, quartered
225g carrots, sliced
2 medium leeks, washed and sliced [i added two stalks of sliced celery as well]
1 large potato, peeled and sliced [i used 2 large potatoes]
1 tablespoon pearl barley [i omitted]
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

To garnish;
2 spring onions, sliced thinly at an angle [i omitted]
Fresh parsley

1. Wash and pat the meat dry with paper kitchen towels. Dip them in the seasoned flour. Put a layer of meat in the bottom of a large saucepan, followed by some onion, carrot, leek, celery and potato. Season with salt and pepper. Add another layer of meat and continue the layering process until all the ingredients are in the pot.

2. Sprinkle the pearl barley on top of all the ingredients, if using.

3. Pour in the stock and bring it to boil. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 2 hours, with lid on.

4. Test taste. Add more salt and pepper, if required. Garnish and serve.

I am submitting this to "Cook Like Delia Smith" blog-hop event organized by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Mich of Piece of Cake.

Live Life on Purpose

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000

I stopped writing resolutions many years back. Can't remember why? Maybe I was too ~~lazy~~ busy to work the list so I gave up.

Anyway I sat down today and wrote on the areas that I would like to work on in 2013.

1) I need to make more time for myself.

I tend to be very hard on myself as a parent. I cannot recall how I became such a dedicated hands on love my children more than myself type of parent. I used to be a selfish go-getter in the corporate world. My dedication to both my girls has become both my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. I always push aside my own needs and told myself, "it can wait". It snapped last year. I am going to make time for myself and my hobbies, this year.

Source

2) I need to make time for God.

I wrote a little about my spiritual life HERE and shared my doubts. I am happy to let all my worried friends know that I finally made a commitment to God and a promise to myself last Christmas. I will go to church every Sunday. I have successfully woken up and gone to Sunday service since then and I hope and pray that I will continue to do so.

3) I need to put in more hours of sleep every day.

I have very bad sleeping habits. I am determined to work at this year and clock in uninterrupted 6 hours daily.

4) I need to think before I speak.

By nature I am a brutally honest person and would speak my mind without thinking twice. I would like to make an effort to be more sensitive in my choice of words so that I do not make a few of my extremely sensitive friends unhappy, unnecessarily.

5) I need more coffee breaks.

Whenever I take off for some me-time, I feel guilty. I am going to learn to chill-out without guilt this year and enjoy my alone time to the fullest.

6) I need to unpack all my baggages from my past

My growing up years were not easy. It was tough physically and emotionally. I have been working very hard at unpacking all my baggages from my past. I am stuck at the final two pieces for years. I am going to make more effort to remove them from the attic and unpack them once and for all.

Source

7) I need to believe that I am unique, special, beautiful ........

I am a perfectionist and set a high bar for myself (other than cooking, haha!). I have never met my own expectations and often feel that I fall short as a parent and wife. My better half thinks I am nuts. I am going to try not to be too hard on myself, not to be an OCD, and to love myself more.

Yummylicious, indeed!

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:45:00 +0000

Hi peeps!

I discovered this more healthy than normal, super-yummy and EXTREMELY value for money burger place recently. The best part ....... they deliver right to your door-step with a negligible fee, without comprising the quality of their food.

The girls and I had a blast over the long Christmas holidays. We would wake up at 10am (or later) every day, head straight to the couch and be glued to the TV. Think Homeland, True Blood, Real Housewives, Game of Thrones, Fringe, Project Runway and Grey’s Anatomy. We ate cereal and yogurt whenever we were hungry and only had breaks for toilet runs. It was pajamas day every single day. No need to change as we never left home. We were a riot!

I miss those December days. The realities of life is a bummer. It has only been a week since I got back to my daily grind. And I am already moaning and grumbling. :(

During one of those blissful December days, we finally got tired of our daily dose of cereal and yogurt. But we were too lazy to cook lunch. And we were not willing to settle for Dominos, Pizza Hut or McDonalds. They were blah!

We googled for interesting places to ring for delivery. There were none! We almost gave-up until I read a re-tweet on @yummylicious on my feed. I checked their facebook page, got their contact number and rang up for our order. I did not even bother to read their menu. I just wanted to quickly place my order and get back to my couch/TV. Thinking back, I wonder what the guy who took my order thought of me?

Me : Hi, can you please deliver three of your best sellers?
Yummylicious : *silence* Which one would you like?
Me : Three of your bestsellers!
Yummylicious : Oh, ......... we have this, this and this.
Me : Okay ..... the three that you mentioned then. What else do you have other than burgers?
Yummylicious : Homemade pies.
Me : Two of those please.
Yummylicious : I need to check whether we have the chicken or beef.
Me : I am not fussy. Just send whatever you have. Thanks. Bye!

When the burgers arrived, we were a little skeptical. Well, it was our first time ordering online based on a tweet without any recommendation from our friends.

After we took our first bite, we were wowed, "ooohhh... aaahhhhh.... THIS IS GOOD!!" It even got the nod of approval from the man, the biggest burger fan in the house. He decided to come home for lunch so I gave up my burger (such a good wife, huh?) and ate the pie.

Best. Lunch. Ever! Totally worth the drive home.

My family love the burgers from Yummylicious cos; we found that the burgers tasted much healthier .... if there is such a thing for burgers. They do not have a greasy and oily after taste and yet tasted deliciously good. I felt that the patties were made from better cuts. The buns were pretty decent too. It has just the right bite to go with the patty. All in all we were happy campers.

Because I had no idea what I ordered, the man and the girls had a fun time trying to guess what they were eating ;) We read menu after we finished our meal.

The man's burger - Jiro Burger or Chicken Teriyaki Burger made from 28 ingredients. It requires three different stages of cooking and three hours of preparation, cooking and grilling. [Source]

Yoda Burger or Shrimp Burger was made from imported European sweet shrimps, tiger prawns and their special tartar sauce. Topped with green tea buns freshly baked from a Japanese patisserie. [Source] My elder girl had this and she loved it to the bits!

Royal Swiss Mushroom Oblong Burger, made from 100% premium Australian beef and lamb, imported Portobello Mushrooms, imported gourmet Swiss Cheese and Artisan Bread baked by a Swiss Gourmet Bakery with local vegetables flavored with special YummyLicious sauce. [Source] The little one allowed her daddy and me a bite each, and she finished the rest all by herself!

I had their Mushroom Curry Pie made from premium imported Australian beef, fresh mushrooms and curry paste. [Source] It was super yums. I loved it!

Just in case you are wondering, I do not work for Yummylicious, my family do not have any vested interest in their business venture, we paid for our food and I am not their spokesperson.

I am just sharing a day in my life in December last year. ;) xoxo

Be Filled with Joy in 2013!

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:15:00 +0000

Source

May joy and peace surround you,

Contentment latch your door,

And happiness be with you now

And bless you evermore.

"Irish Blessing"

Happy New Year everyone!! May 2013 be a great year for all of us.

Guangxi Style Steamed Chicken - the Simpler Way

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:30:00 +0000

WOW!! It's 11.30pm. The final 30 minutes of 2012 .......... how did that happen? I am kind of happy bidding farewell to 2012. Nothing went according to plan this year. I was beaten. I broke down and "ran away" to Beijing to my sister's place for 2+ weeks. That little break did wonders for me. It was me-time 24/7 and it was heavenly. (thanks again, my dearest wonderful sister for having me)

Despite the physically exhausting and extremely stressful year, I am grateful for God's many blessings. I counted my blessings everyday and reminded myself that "be thankful, it could be worse".

Here's hoping that 2013 will be welcoming me with less surprises. ;)

Anyway.

Let me share with you one of my current favorite dishes. The original recipe was to steam the entire chicken intact without cutting. I simplified it. I used de-boned chicken drumsticks instead. It was quick and simple to put together and tasted wonderful.

The kids and the man was happy with my version - no bones to handle. I was thrilled.

Guangxi Style Steamed Chicken
(Recipe from Wendy)

Steam Chicken
500g chicken drumstick - deboned
1 tbsp shao xing wine
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Sprinkle salt onto chicken and rub gently. Roll it up with the skin facing outward.
2. Wrap the chicken with aluminum foil and steam on high heat for 30 minutes.
3. Unfold the foil and serve hot with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce
1 pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced ginger
4 tbsp scallion (finely chopped)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp sesame oil

Method
1. Mixed everything together except both types of oil
2. Heat up the oil (either in the microwave or on the pan) and pour onto mixture.

I am submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest, Pahang Month hosted by WendyinKK of Table for 2….. or More

Eat Drink KL

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

If you have been following my blog you might have guessed that I am not a big fan of Chinese cuisine. I have Chinese meals out of obligation. I have it with the man because it's his favorite cuisine. I have it during wedding dinners because it's the norm. I have it during friends' gatherings because I am the minority.

Over the years of sitting through Chinese meals, I learnt to like stir-fried vegetables and tofu dishes. The one dish that I could not eat out of obligation was steam fish. And .... it has to be the man's favorite. Big sigh. I tried to have it on a few occasions. I hated it. It was just "too fishy" for me.

The man came from work one evening and I was waiting for him at the door;

Me : Shall we go out for dinner tonight?

Him : You were stuck to your Air again?

Me : Nah .... I was craving for Chinese food the whole afternoon!

Him : Huh???? What happened? Are you okay?

Me : I am fine. Must be Dr Lu's treatment and medication! Where shall we go?

Him : Sean wrote about some cottage place at Publika.

I ate this still looked like it's alive fish at Chinese Cottage. I loved it! It did not taste fishy. And I did not feel sick like I always do after that. It was my first!! Must be Dr Lu treatments. Chinese Cottage was another of Sean's review/recommendation that we loved.

Who is Sean?

A friend? Most definitely. Someone that we have not met .... but have grown to love .... his work.

He is the man behind the very successful Eat Drink KL. The title of his blog says it all. He eats and drinks at food outlets in KL, then writes about them.

I stumbled upon Sean's blog end last year and became his ardent fan since then. I like his picture based review style. He would take shots of the outlet, his meal for that day and other observations that caught his attention. There is no lengthy, emotional/defensive write-ups of the food, just a short and simple description accompanying each of his food shot. I like that his food pictures are taken as served by the food outlet. There are no illusional food styling by the outlet to encourage traffic (when they are PR sponsored meals). And his pictures are not heavily photoshopped, my biggest pet peeve.

Additionally I like his choice of restaurant reviews. They are places that I would go, clean surroundings with air-conditioning. Most of my friends (the man included) don't mind eating in not very hygienic places, even next to dirty drains if the food is good. I just can't do it. To me, ambience is equally important to ensure an enjoyable eating experience. The man would love me to loosen up and enjoy ~~dirty food~~ street food but he knows where to pick his battles.

I especially love the fact that Sean reviews food outlets in all nooks and corners in and around the city, and not merely focusing on the seen-again-and-again hawker food (aka street food) and the few hotels that repeatedly sponsor bloggers for their write-ups.

From Sean, we discovered quite a number of our favorite hangouts. Here are some of my current favorites. All the photographs below are taken from his blog.

Swich Cafe @ Hp Towers. It's just opposite the man's office but we never knew of its existence. Thanks, Sean! We love this place. For his full review, please click *HERE*

Fru-T-Pop @ Hartamas. They make popsicles from fresh fruits without adding any yucky not good for you stuff. It's 5 minutes from my place. And I needed Sean to tell me about them. Click *HERE* for his full review.

LOKL Coffee Co. I love, love this cafe. I love their coffee, salads, sandwiches ........ everything about this place. Please click *HERE* and *HERE* for Sean's write-ups of the place.

Ichiro Sushi Bar. The man and I love this place ALOT. We love their food and non-pretentious yet comfortable set-up. We dine here at least once a fortnight. Click *HERE* for Sean's write-up.

I have been following Sean's blog for a while now. I love his work. I am a big fan of his but I have never commented on his blog. Bad manners, I know. I should have at least left him a thank you for all your wonderful reviews. *hides face in shame*

In case you are reading this post Sean, unlikely, but just in case you are, THANK YOU very much for Eat Drink KL, and your generosity in sharing.

Easy Baked Chicken Drumstick [Jamie Oliver]

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:40:00 +0000

I love one pot meals.

I love one tray bake meals even more.

Point here is ..... the less time spent putting dinner on the table and cleaning up the better.

I did try for a few years to like cooking but I just can't. All the crazy work involved just to have a meal was just not worth it for me. I rather have toast and coffee anytime. The man tried to encourage me. My friends too. But however hard I tried, the magic did not happen. I never found the joy (and therapy) that they claimed existed from chopping vegetables and stirring pots. But reality is I still needed to cook dinner at home. We cannot afford to eat out everyday or hire a cook. Hard fact to stomach and it was no fun.

I made Jamie Oliver's baked chicken with tomatoes and basil last week. It was my second partially failed attempt. The chicken was tender and flavorful. The man and the girls loved it to the bits, literary. And complimented me till my face and ears turned bright red. So, what was wrong? I did not tell them that the skin was supposed to be crispy not limp and soggy! *hides face in shame* I had no idea what I did wrong. I read and re-read Jamie's recipe and yet could not figure out the problem. After stressing over it for days, I gave up. I decided that this would be my version and the skin is NOT supposed to be crispy!

I thought the non-crispy skin would remain a mystery forever. One of my friends (a damn awesome cook) came over for coffee recently and I told her about it. She took a look at the picture above, chuckled and told me, "You shouldn't put the tomatoes and basil on top of the chicken. All their juices will prevent the skin from crisping up. You should tuck them between the gaps." It was a light-bulb moment for me.

Tender and Crisp Chicken with Tomatoes and Basil
(Recipe from Jamie Oliver)

• 4 chicken legs, preferably free-range or organic, jointed
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a big bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
• 2 big handfuls of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved, and ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
• 1 whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves
• 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
• olive oil

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Season your chicken pieces all over and put them into a snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in your tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chilli and drizzle over some olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath. Place in the oven for 1½ hours, turning the tomatoes halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone.

I have been following the Cook Like A Star blog hop event for awhile now but never participated. This is my first entry for the event, organized by Bake for Happy Kids.

Osmanthus, Red Bean Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 06:30:00 +0000

I learnt how to make this traditional Chinese snack from Florence of Do What You Like a few years back. My family loves it and it has remained a firm favorite of theirs over the years.

This snack is extremely easy to put together and tastes delicious. I brought this for a potluck gathering that we attended last weekend and our friends loved it.

Osmanthus, Red Bean Pudding
(Recipe from Do What I Like)

Red bean layer:
280g red beans
400ml red bean water
60g rock sugar
30g - 40g caster sugar
20g gelatin sheet (soaked till soft)
8g agar agar stripes

Method:
1. Soak red beans overnight. Cook till soft. Drain and reserve 400ml red bean water for use later.
2. Wash and cut agar agar stripes into small pieces and soak in water till soft.
3. Add rock sugar, caster sugar and soften agar agar into red bean water and cook till agar agar dissolved. Add in the soften gelatin and drained red beans, stir to mix well. Cool the whole pot of mixture in cold water.
4. Pour cooled mixture into a 15cm x 15cm x 6cm tray that is rinsed in cold water.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before topping it with the osmanthus layer.

Osmanthus layer:
1.5 tbsp sweet osmanthus
300ml water
80g rock sugar
25g - 30g caster sugar
15g gelatin sheet (soaked till soft)

Method:
1. Cook osmanthus with rock sugar and caster sugar in 300ml water till sugars dissolved and the aroma from the osmanthus is released.
2. Stir in the soften gelatin till well mixed. Leave aside to cool.
3. Pour cooled osmanthus mixture onto the chilled red bean layer and refrigerate till set.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #20: Asian Dessert Buffet! (June 2012) hosted by Moon of Food Playground

All time favorite from Steve Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This is my all time favorite from Steve Jobs.

My Principle in Life

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

When I saw this on Google Images I laughed to myself. This is me in a nutshell.

My too opinionated and brutally honest character do not gel at times in the Asian society ....but I am grateful that my family and close friends love me, just the way I am.

Counting my Blessing!

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Thank you Jesus for my family, my beautiful home and the many blessings in my life!

4pm Chicken Rice

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

It was 4pm ....the dreaded hour of my day.

I was staring at my wide opened refrigerator wondering what to cook for dinner. I defrosted two chicken drumsticks and I had absolutely no idea what to do with it. I cooked chicken porridge the last two days. Don't think I could get away with another day of chicken porridge. Yikes!!

I dashed to my notebook and googled for easy chicken recipes. I landed on Extra Virgin Chef's blog with this title;

Hainanese Chicken Rice, in 5 Terrifyingly Easy Steps. No fuss. No kidding.

I checked to see whether I had the ingredients; salt, garlic and shallots. I was like, that's it ? Oh, she added ginger too but I omitted it to avoid spoiling the girls' dinner. As I read through her recipe I could not help chuckling to myself. Super easy to prepare and all the cooking done in the rice pot. Minimal washing. YAY!!

Was the chicken rice good? Oh, yes ..... it was! The man thought that it tasted extremely good even though it was a simpler version (and healthier too!) of the hainanese chicken rice. Simplicity at its best, according to him. My younger girl complained that I cooked too little. She made me promise to cook again, soon, with three drumsticks and more rice!

Once again, I copied her recipe here for my own reference. I strongly encourage you to visit her blog as she has pictures of all the cooking steps involved. While you are there, take some time to read through her recipes. She has a huge collection. I have bookmarked some of the easier ones to try out.

Super Simple Chicken Rice

(Recipe from Extra Virgin Chef)

3 Free-range Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks
2 Cups Jasmine Rice with 2 Cups Water
1/2 tsp Salt to rub on meat
1-2 tsp each of Minced Shallot, Garlic and Ginger
2 Tbsp Oil
A Pinch of Turmeric Powder for colour (optional)

Instructions

1. Prick chicken with a fork and rub salt all over. Set aside for half an hour.

2. Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.

3. Heat up empty cooker, pour oil in and saute minced shallot, garlic and ginger till fragrant.

4. Add rice and water. If you're using turmeric powder, mix it into the water.

5. Place chicken on top of uncooked rice in a single layer. Cover lid.

6. Don't open the lid so heat and moisture will not escape. Wait another 10 minutes after rice is cooked.

7. Remove chicken and fluff up rice gently so as not to break each grain.

Kung Po Chicken, the easy way

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:15:00 +0000

Kung Po Chicken is my family's favorite dish to have with a bowl of piping hot rice.

They claimed that the best Kung Po Chicken are at the "tai-chow" stalls. Tai-Chow refers to street side restaurants preparing Chinese dishes mainly to go with rice. Such stalls are found in Chinatown and the older parts of Kuala Lumpur. I am not a fan of theirs because their dishes are normally very greasy, cooked with lard and pretty unhealthy. The few times we went there I was practically sulking because of the heat (no air-conditioning) and the not very clean environment. The man, a big lover of tai-chow stalls, complained that he is missing out the best of chinese cooking .... because of me. He has no choice but to beg his work colleagues whenever he has the urge for such meals. Going to that part of town during lunch hour where the traffic is horrendous makes such visits rare for him as well. Poor guy! I feel sorry for the man. I do. He loves rich and flavorful food but I have yet to acquire it after trying for many years.

When Ashley shared her recipe on Kung Po Chicken last year, I made it to surprise my family. It was healthier than the tai-chow version and super simple to cook.

I loved Ashley's Kung Po Chicken. It was delicious without a greasy after-taste. I expected to finish the dish over a few days by myself. It was nowhere near the super unhealthy (my opinion) tai-chow version that my family love. Surprise, surprise ..... the girls and the man (still shocked!) loved it. I guess their taste-buds must have changed after years of eating my lousy cooking (it's a fact!) and my insistence of less oil, less salt and less chili whenever we eat out.

I have copied Ashley's recipe here for my own reference. I strongly encourage you to hop over to her blog. She provided a detailed step-by-step together with pictures of the entire cooking process.

Ashley's Kung Po Chicken

(Recipe from Lilblueboo)

2 chicken breasts
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp red chili flakes
4 green onions
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar or Splenda
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanut

[Optional:- 1 tsp red chili oil, 1 small pinch 5 spice Chinese powder and 1 small zucchini sliced and quartered]

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken breasts into small pieces and coat with cornstarch. Add the vegetable oil, sesame oil and chicken to a wok and cook the chicken just until it’s cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside.

2. Cut the bottom of the green onions off and into small 1/2″ pieces. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the wok and move around the bottom of the pan until heated and the add the green onions. (Note: if you like your kung pao chicken with zucchini you can add it at this step, before adding the green onions, just make sure to cook it thoroughly before adding chicken in the next step)

3. Mix the rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar (or Splenda) together and add to the wok. Stir until heated.

4. Add a small pinch of 5 spice Chinese powder, and a tsp of red chili oil, if using.

5. Add the chicken to the wok and mix into the sauce and onions, then add the peanuts.

6. Turn the heat to high and mix together until the kung pao chicken is hot and the sauce thickens.

Frozen Bananas

noreply@blogger.com (celine) — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:15:00 +0000

The weather has been scorching hot lately.

It was no different today ... terribly hot that makes me lethargic, ~~lazy~~ tired and sleepy.

After sending the man his lunch at work, I spent the rest of the afternoon hibernating at home. The air conditioner was turned on at full blast to keep us sane.

Housework was calling my name but I ignored it. I tended to more interesting stuff.

I sat for hours editing the photographs that I took in Beijing. We were there in March visiting my sister and her family. It was winter then. Looking at the pictures made me forget the heat temporarily.

Photo Credit: My brother-in-law

I love this picture ALOT. I can't take any credit for it, unfortunately.

It was taken by my brother-in-law. Never knew that engineers have such a good eye for photos.

The pictures brought back many wonderful memories of our trip. I hope to blog about it soon.

While I was working on the computer the girls were busy in the kitchen.

They were making their favorite afternoon snack the 5 minute frozen bananas ice-cream.

Put three frozen bananas (for three servings) into the blender/food processor and blitz for 2 minutes. Scoop into bowls and enjoy!

It was a simple and healthy treat .... cold, creamy and yummy.

It kept us happy on a hot Tuesday afternoon.