Archive for the ‘Bonding : Food’ 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”

8) 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?

herbal roasted duck

mongolian spare ribs

steamed fish

Source of photographs from Dian Xiao Er.