Archive for the ‘Munch & Sip’ Category

 

Unlike my teenage days when baking and cooking skills can only be learned from the home economics class in schools, young children today have many opportunities to learn. There are baking and cooking classes conducted in schools and at many other places.  As I have mentioned in my earlier post, Darren’s school also brought them to the baking industry.

 

Recently, I came across some baking and sushi making classes, at affordable fees, conducted at the Community Clubs. As the classes are full, we did not manage to enrol for our boys. Hence, to make it fun and educational at home, we spent a brief one hour in a learning process, together with the boys to bake CUPCAKES.

 

First we visited one of the specialty stores of Phoon Huat & Co in Singapore. Phoon Huat owns many specialty stores in Singapore at different locations at Ang Mo Kio, Bedok North, Bencoolen Street, Clementi, Geylang, Holland Village, Hougang, Simei and Toa Payoh, selling bakery and confectionary items. It is such a convenient one-stop station for us where we purchased all the baking items we needed.

 

 

 So we had the boys to take turns to mix and whisk the ingredients together, while we did the final touch, and finally here is our product.

 

Here are the ingredients for 4 CUPCAKES as it is just nice for the family. Considering it as our first attempt at home, it is not too bad huh? Most importantly, it tastes good.

  Ingredients

Plain Flour – 210g

Baking Powder – 1.5 teaspoons

Sugar – 140g

Eggs – 3 pieces

Vanilla Essence – 1 teaspoon

Unsalted Butter – 125g

Salt – ¼ teaspoon

Fresh milk – 70ml

 

I would also add raisins, M&M chocolates or bananas in future.

 

Enough for 4 medium sized muffin cups.  Oven set at about 180 deg celsius and baked for about 25 minutes. Three Cheers to my 3 muskateers for their successful first attempt in baking at home:)

 

Schools nowadays offer interesting field trips for students which are in line with the topics of study in school. Though parents often have to pay a subsidised fee for the trip, I will usually let the boys participate in these trips because I believe that it is important that we expose the boys to new environments, actual hands-on instead of picking up knowledge mainly in class and from books.

Since Darren’s project work is on “Cake”, the School organised a trip to Baking Industry Training Centre (BITC) in Singapore today.  BITC is one of Asia’s premier baking academy.

The trip was a fulfilling one as the students were introduced to the followings:

1) the types and function of the ingredients used for making different cakes

2) weighing  the ingredients needed with the guidance of the instructor

3) hands-on demo on the mixing processes

4) moulding and shaping of the dough by the students

5) baking of cookies

6) uses and functions of the baking equipment and utensils

7) a peep at the “big refrigerator”

packing of the cookies

Darren came home very excited and with his bag of chocolate chips, baked during the 2-hour workshop on Baking of Chocolate Chips Cookies.

Here’s the recipe on baking  of chocolate chip cookies with courtesy from BITC.

Ingredients

1. brown sugar - 270 g

2. butter - 230 g

3. vanilla essence - +/-

4. eggs (2 nos) - 105 g

5. plain flour - 395 g

6. cocoa powder - 22 g

7. baking soda - 5 g

8. baking powder - 5 g

9. salt - 4 g

10. chocolate chips - 300 g

11. walnuts - 150 g

Preparation

1. Cream the butter, brown sugar and vanilla essence together.

2. Add in the egg.

3. Add in the sifted dry ingredients

4. Add in the chocolate and nuts last.

5. Shape the cookies by hands.

6. Place on a tray and bake at 170 deg celsius for about 20-25 minutes.

It was really a week of good news last week. First Brendan got good news for his CA1 and then next. boss gave me a “surprise news” that I have got my promotion! Although I must admit that I have really worked very hard juggling between work and family, the promotion was a pleasant surprise as I know it is not easy in the Organisation.

The kids were too young to feel happy when I broke the news to them. I decided to share the reward with my family in the form of a dinner treat. We happened to be at Marina Square catching a movie and we decided to dine at Dian Xiao Er (somehow miss its roasted duck specialty since we last dined there a year ago).

I think luck must be on my side because I was the first customer to arrive at the restaurant at 5.30pm and received a “pleasant surprise” that we have won ourselves the early bird discount! Greeted with this lucky news, we further enjoyed our dining experience. We had a good spread of food ranging from different types of duck meat, pork ribs, fish meat, vegetables, to soup. Darren ate almost two bowls of rice while Brendan got busy almost finishing the whole dish of roasted duck!

Papa Ed also finally regained his long-lost appetite. Was the food too delicious or was it simply that we are all in good mood?

 

Source of photographs from Dian Xiao Er.

“Happy Birthday to Papa Ed!” Although the kids are both at home to spend the birthday with Papa Ed, I had to be in office …. Papa Ed wanted a simple celebration and so the most important is to capture the cake-cutting photographs.

We imagined that we are celebrating the birthday in the jungle or zoo as the kids couldn’t stop running or messing around like two cute little monkeys…

 

 

We had Japanese meal yesterday as my treat for his birthday…Papa Ed preferred to eat sushi instead of Chinese or Western food.

 

 

 

 

Papa Ed’s wish for birthday is what huh?????

 

Our wish for Papa Ed’s birthday is Papa Ed to spend more time in Singapore with the family.

 

It never occurs to me before that I need to master my culinary skills or at least learn some basic skills for survival. My dad has been a GREAT Cook and we are so lucky to have readily cooked and delicious home cooked food. He has imparted some of his skills to my domestic helpers.

I have been pretty particular over my boys’ diet and prefer healthy home cooked food for them except to have a change of taste over the weekends to savour other delicacies.

Lately, I have been enthusiastic over trying out new cooking menu so that we could have new varieties for the family. Darren has been choosy over food and this is another reason that urges me to squeeze a little time out to explore cooking menu. Although sad to say that my domestic helper is the one wokking up all these dishes for a busy mummy who has to rush home from work everyday, I am the one who hardworkingly plan every meal for the family. It has become part of my routine in life to prepare the weekly “food to cook list” one week ahead, with cooking and ingredient instruction for my domestic helper.

This is one of the new menu that we have savoured.

Ingredients

1 piece boneless chicken breast meat

1/2 tbsp sliced garlic, 5 slices ginger

2 tbsp fermented black bean, soaked, chopped

1 green capsicum, sliced

1 onion, sliced, 1 red chilli, sliced

Marinade

1 egg white, 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsb light soya sauce, 1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp water, 1 tbsp corn flour

Seasoning

1/2 tsbp oyster sauce

1 tsp light soya sauce

1 tsp dark, soya sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp water

1 tsp corn flour, mixed with 2 tbsp water, for thickening

Method

1) Combine chicken breast with marinade and season for 30 minutes. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown. Dish and drain.

2) Heat up 1 tbsp oil, saute garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add in fermented black beans and stir-fry until aromatic.

3) Add in green capsicum, onion, red chilli and stir well. Addd in seasoning, chicken cubes and mix well. Thicken with corn flour water and dish up.

Source: Hawkers’ Fair Simplified

This desert means alot to me as it is an usual desert that my dad will prepare on Chinese New Year Eve.  The family was on overseas vacation during Chinese New Year this year and did not manage to taste it.

Hence, I got my domestic helper to cook it for us after giving her some simple instructions…oops… just imagine I am a mummy who can hardly find time to cook.

The result is that I am glad that the family enjoys it as much as I do and it tastes especially good when served cold (after refrigeration)!

Ingredients

1.    gingko nuts

2.    white fungus

3.    dried longan

4.    rock sugar

5.    red dates

The boys protested :”Huh…. why you don’t want to eat with me?” and “Unfair! Where are you going without us?” Usually I will soften my heart and feel guilty but this time we have decided to take a short break to celebrate this special day of our lives — Our Wedding Anniversary.

Sunset view at the East Coast Beach

I feel satisfied dining at the seafood restaurants here and is definitely recharged just smelling the fresh air surrounding the sea especially after the rain. Of course, I have not forgotten to capture some pictures to share with the boys:)

After reading, I learn that I cannot be a “Superwoman” in managing so much loads on my shoulder and learning how to establish healthy boundaries will help in my life.

Darren seems to be uninterested in food recently. His eyes light up only when he sees potato chips, french fries, biscuits and of course his favourite apples.

While sourcing for interesting food recipes, hopefully to find something to improve his appetite, I visited http://www.thefoodcoach.com.au.

Must say that it is a very informative site and found many interesting recipes, and tips and tricks of food selection there. It features videos on how to choose a fresh apple, avacado and many others. This knowledge is definitely very useful to me especially when I have to do my weekly marketing.

Will remember the tips learned and try some of the recipes there.

This poster, publicising a “Food and Science Fair ” at the Singapore Science Centre, caught my attention while dining near the Kallang Old Stadium. I went through the website for further details and extracted this information.


Date: 28 Feb to 1 Mar 2009
Time: 11.30am to 7pm
Public Rate: $16 per adult, $10 per child (3-12 years old)

This is a 2-in-1 event where food and science are happening together. To make your money and trip more worthwhile, there will be an all day unlimited buffet spread of over 60 dishes prepared by Sakura International Buffet Restaurant. The event offers cooking demonstrations, healthy recipes, interactive food exhibits and candy-making for children. Check it out! Why not? if parents and children can walk away from the event feeling fulfilled…you eat and get educated at the same time.