5 Friday's To-Dos!

∞ Clean the house so that we can relax and rejuvenate in a clean home!

∞ Do all laundry so that I don’t have to laundry over the weekend (done enough throughout the week already)

∞ Close the kitchen for the weekend because cooking for 5 days is more than enough although cooking thrills me but sometimes too much of something is not always good!

∞ Wash hair squeaky clean and blow it dry and nice and look pretty for the weekend.

∞ Redeem time off from the hubs and enjoy some ME time this evening (hopefully)

What about you? J

*picture sourced from google

Cooking ~ Chili Anchovies Pasta & ABC Cream Soup

I cannot get enough of anchovies in olive oil. I like it in salad, on top of pizza and in pasta. Chili and anchovies also make very good combination. Since this ingredient is a luxury and I don't buy them very often, I will make sure I have enough of them whenever I go for any buffet treats. (yeah, I very kiasu!)

This is what I made today for dinner. And to go with it, I made ABC creamy soup. ABC is known as soup with carrot, potatoes and tomato, Chinese style. Today, I converted it to Western style.

Chili Anchovies Pasta

Ingredients:

1. Pasta (Cooked in lightly salted boiling water till al dente and set aside)

2. 1 big red onion (diced)

3. 4-5 cloves of garlic (chopped)

4. 1 red chili (sliced)

5. Approx 2 tsp of chili flakes *optional

6. 1 can of anchovy fillets in olive oil (I used John West's)

7. 5-6 pcs Swiss brown mushrooms (sliced)

*picture sourced from google*

This is the anchovy fillets I used today

Seasonings:

1. Salt and pepper (adjust to taste)

2. A pinch of sugar

3. 3-4 tsp of balsamic vinegar (if not available, replace with 1 tbsp of lemon juice)

Method:

1. Heat oil and saute onion & garlic till soft and fragrant.

2. Add in red chili and chili flakes. Stir for about 20 seconds.

3. Pour in the whole can of anchovy fillet. Stir and combine well.

4. Add in mushroom and stir.

5. Add in salt, pepper and sugar. Let the ingredients caramelise a little.

6. Now, add in the balsamic vinegar and let it simmer just a while, approx 20-30 seconds.

7. Now, in goes the cooked pasta. Mix to combine well.

8. Dish up and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. (what is pasta without the cheese eh?)

ABC Creamy Soup

Ingredients:

1. A bowl of stock (Today, I made stock using anchovies/ikan bilis) *optional. If not available, can be replaced with stock cubes or just plain water

2. 2 medium sized potatoes (diced)

3. 1 carrot (diced)

4. 1 tomato (diced)

5. 2-3 cloves garlic (coarsely chopped)

6. 1 big red onion (diced)

7. 2-3 tsp of evaporated milk or cream *optional

Seasonings

1. Salt and pepper (adjust to taste)

2. 2-3 tsp of tomato ketchup/paste

3. 2-3 tsp of balsamic vinegar (can be replaced with lemon juice)

Method:

1. Saute onion and garlic till fragrant.

2. Add in diced potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. Stir to combine well everything.

3. Add in water or stock. Simmer for approx 10-15 mins.

4. Depends on how creamy or chunky you prefer your soup. I like it half creamy and half chunky. So I remove half of the soup and let it cool before I blend them. Pour the blended portion back into the pot and simmer for another 5 mins.

5. Season well and add in cream. Stir well and ready to be served.

6. This is optional - Add a dollop of cream or yoghurt before serving.

Results:

DH - Love the soup!! But where is the anchovy in the pasta?

Me - I love them both because I love anchovy fillets (anytime at all) and tomatoes!

DS - Hao Ji!!! (She asked for the recipe - music to my ears!)

We Are Home...

After 3 nights in the hospital, we are home finally! Isabelle was given green light to go home. :)

Thank you for all your kind wishes and prayers, my friends!

Here's some sneakpeek of what happened in the hospital throughout the 3 nights 4 days, besides me enjoying the surprisingly delicious food (for hospital standard) and was always waiting for the delivery staff to send in the food trays 4 times a day.

1st Evening & 2nd day

~Isabelle was given 4 hourly nebuliser treatments including midnight.

2nd & 3rd day

~ Doctor reduced nebuliser treatments to 6 hourly.

~ She was given cough syrup to suppress the cough and phlegm in order not to disturb her sleep.

Multitasking - Watching tv while taking her nebuliser treatment

Overall

~ What is best is, she didn't even need antibiotics and was only given cough syrup twice throughout the whole stay. We were a bit skeptical when we see no antibiotics prescribed. Doctor convinced us that Isabelle does not need it and true enough, she didn't need it at all.

~ No IV and drip required.

~ Isabelle was such so cooperative she didn't struggle at all when given the nebuliser mask and she even help herself by holding it.

Conclusion

~ Isabelle is recovering well and is happy to be home

~ I am tired, sleepy but happy because my little baby is alright and I can sleep throughout the night without the nurses coming in to check on Isabelle's temperature every 3 hours. Amen to that!

Jelly time

Ipad-ing

Croup.... Why Did You Visit Us Again???

Isabelle had fever and sorethroat yesterday evening. Monitored her through out the night and I only earn 4 hours of sleep due to getting up to sponge her at 5am. Her fever shot up to 39.3 degrees and she felt like a ball of fire right beside me.

This morning, her temperature remained the same but subsided a little after a dose of Brufen. But her voice was completely gone and even there is any left, it was only her hoarse voice. I was terrified and I prayed it is not going to be another round of croup.

But yes, it was. Croup, again! Doctor advised us to get her admitted so she can get regular nebuliser treatments and it will clear up her narrowing airpassage faster.

So yeah... I am checking out of home and checking into our 'room' for a few days.

*picture sourced from google

Till I return with Isabelle's clean bill of health, here's wishing you a good week and lovely weekend ahead with your loved ones... and please keep Isabelle in your prayer, would you? Thank you so much.

Stay healthy!

Cooking ~ Creamy Butter Prawns

This is one dish I like to order when we eat out. Sinfully tasty (and pricey) and aromatic.

Found curry leaves, evaporated milk (left over from my kuey jagung recipe) and prawns in the fridge and why not Creamy Butter Prawns cooked in claypot.

Ingredients:

1. Medium sized prawns (about 10 pcs)

2. Chopped garlic

3. Chopped shallot or red onion

4. Some ginger

5. 1 red chilli (sliced) or chili padi

6. A handful of curry leaves

7. 1/2 cup of evaporated milk

8. 1/4 cup of water

9. 1 tsp of butter and 1 tsp of oil for sauteing

10. 2 stalks of spring onion *optional

Seasoning (to adjust to taste):

1. 2 tsp fish sauce *optional, can be replaced with salt

2. 1 tsp sugar

3. a pinch of salt

Method:

1. Saute ginger, onion and garlic till fragrant (not brown) in mixture of oil and butter

2. Add in milk and seasoning, simmer on low heat for about 1-2 minutes

3. Add in curry leaves and red chili. Add water if sauce is too thick to your liking.

4. Now, add in prawns and simmer till prawns is thoroughly cooked (but not overcooked)

5. Add in spring onion.

5. Done.

Result:

Me ~ I really think this is yummy. Wont order this dish in restaurant again due to the price they charge whenever prawns are in the bill.

DH ~ NICE!!!

Cooking ~ Kuey Jagung (Corn Pudding)

A friend was asking for suggestion of what to make for her daughter's school party. She wanted to make something simple, hassle-free and requires no reheating before serving. I thought of this Kuey Jagung. Just need to cook the ingredients, steam and chill.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of custard powder

2. 1 cup of sugar (I used only 3/4 cup)

3. 1/2 cup evaporated milk

4. 1/2 cup coconut milk

5. 1/2 cup water

6. a pinch of salt

7. 1 cup of creamed corn

8. 1/4 cup of sago (Boil in water until they turn translucent, drain off water and keep aside)

8. Pandan leaves (screwpine)

Method:

1. Mix well ingredients No. 1-6 in & pandan leaves a pot and simmer over low fire.

(Note: Keep stirring to avoid burning the mixture)

2. Once they start to bubble, add in corn and sago. Stir and combine well.

3. Transfer mixture into a lightly greased mold and steam for about 15 minutes.

4. Let it cool and chill it in refrigerator.

(Note : Do not slice the kuey before they are completely cooled)

Result:

Isabelle ~ Hao Chi.. nice.. Mummy!

Me ~ Not bad but a little sweet. Will cut to 1/2 cup sugar in future attempts.

DH ~ Hmm... Nice. Can make for guests next time.

Thankful Monday

What better way than starting the week being thankful for what we have!

1. A home

2. Our husbands/wife and our family

3. Our parents and their unconditional love

4. Food on the table

5. Education

6. Great friends and bloggy friends too!

7. A job, career and the pay check

(not that I have one unless SAHM is considered a career)

8. Holiday (even it is only occasionally and time off)

Have a joyful & blessed week ahead my friends!

Me.. Tagged! :)

Apart from getting tagged in facebook, I now got tagged in blogs too. And it is cool! Thank you Germaine for tagging me! :)

1. Do you think you're hot?

Due to the 24/7/365 hot weather, I have my long hair chopped off into this bob thing since 2008! So yeah, I have been hot for 3 whole years!

2. Upload a picture or wallpaper that you are using at the moment.

My wallpaper picture is actually my blog's profile picture. Am lazy to copy and paste it here. So why don't you get to know me a little and go to my profile and take a peek?

3. When was the last time you ate chicken?

Last night! At Kayu's, tandoori chicken! You got to try it out! Tender, juicy and really, the tender-est tandoori chicken you can get.

4. What was the last song you listened to?

Babytv's Mice Builders.....arrggghh..

5. What were you thinking while doing this?

I need to get eggs, yoghurt, broccoli, fish.... after Sunday Service

6. Do you have any nicknames? What are they?

Guru Besar (Principal - English). Yeah, you can guess. I am a bossy mom, wife and sister.

Till then and my next post, have a cheerful and happy Sunday folks! :)

Once Upon A Time, I Love...

*all pictures sourced from google search

Any of you out there comes from my generation and era? Does any of the names (or faces) above ring any bell or somehow feels familiar to you? If not, what genre of music, movies, series or singers did you grow up going nuts about?

Oh, now you would be able to guess how old I am won't you? Gee... I am really getting old!

Cooking ~ Braised Pork Belly

Today my kitchen smells and feels like Mom's here, right next to me. I finally learn and tried cooking one of her signature dish. The dish we grow up eating. Just the aroma itself feels so fond, warm and familiar... the glorious Tau Eeu Bak.

Didn't manage to take picture of my attempt. Here's a picture sourced from google I find resemble my dish most.

Ingredients:

1. Pork Belly Strip (Can't remember the weight but it was about 10cm length)

2. 5 whole cloves of garlic

3. 5 shallots

4. 1 small piece of ginger (slightly bruised)

5. Spring onion

6. 1/2 tsp sugar

7. 2 pc of tau kua (bean curd)

8. 4-5 pc of chinese mushroom (soaked in water and stems removed)

Marinade:

1. 2 tsp of Shao Xing wine

2. 1 tsp of soy sauce

3. 1/2 tsp sugar

4. pinch of pepper

5. A dash of sesame oil

*Marinade pork belly strip for approx 1-2 hours preferably.

Sauce:

1. 2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2. 1-2 tbsp oyster sauce

3. 1/2 tbsp sugar

4. peppercorns or just pepper

Method:

1. Pan-fried beancurd and keep aside for later use.

2. Slice off the fattier part of the pork belly and pan-fried it in a non-stick pan (without oil) to extract the oil.

*This step uses less or no extra oil at all but optional. Otherwise, just use about 1/2 tsp of oil to saute.

3. With the extracted oil, saute the garlic, onion and ginger till fragrant.

4. Add 1/2 tsp sugar and let it caramelise. Make sure heat is low to avoid burning.

5. Add in the pork belly and coat each side of it with the caramalising sugar. Let the meat brown and sear all sides.

6. Add in the sauce mixture (together with the balance of the marinade) and a few tbsp of water. Let it simmer and thickens.

7. Now, add in about 1/2 bowl of water (or just enough to cover the pork). Simmer.

8. Add in mushroom, beancurd and spring onion.

9. Continue to simmer till pork is tender. Approx 30-40 minutes.

10. Slice the pork into smaller pieces just before serving.

Result:

DH - Can fight restaurant's dish!

Isabelle - Rice... more.. more..

DS and me - Just like mom's!!!

Mom, thank you for passing down such a delicious and wonderful recipe to me that I will treasure all my life. Love you!

Baking ~ Marble Banana Cake

It is the beginning of another long week. I am already feeling a little bored. Then I saw this bunch of golden bananas riping away fast! It is quite a big bunch and I don't think we will be able to finish it before it goes bad.

Banana cake came to my mind. Then I saw this glorious bar of cooking chocolate in my kitchen cabinet and my craving for something chocolatey started to blink non-stop. Thus, ta da... Marble Banana cake!

Dry Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cup flour

2. 1 cup brown sugar

3. 1 tsp baking powder

4. 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

5. 1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

1. 3/4 cup butter (melted) or vegetable oil

2. 1/2 cup milk

3. 1/2 cup yoghurt

4. 1 tsp vanilla essence

5. 2 eggs

6. Approx quarter of a cooking chocolate bar (melted in a bowl over a pot of boiling water)

Others:

1. 2-3 medium sized bananas (mashed)

2. A handful of hazelnuts (or any type of nuts preferred) *optional

3. A handful of raisins (Remember to presoak them in water before adding them into the batter. This is so that they don't absorb moisture from batter) *optional

Method:

1. Sieve all dry ingredients except sugar and set aside.

2. If creaming method is used, then beat butter and sugar till creamy. (Otherwise, just mix wet and dry ingredients separately in 2 bowls, then combine well both ingredients as posted here)

3. Add egg one at a time and sieved flour/dry ingredients alternately.

4. Add in wet ingredients and mix well.

5. Remove 2-3 scoops of batter into another bowl. Add in melted chocolate into this batter. Mix well and set aside.

6. In the plain batter bowl, add in mashed bananas, nuts and raisins. Use spatula to mix well.

7. Pour plain batter into lightly greased mold. Scoop a dollop of chocolate batter and drop them into the plain batter. Use a chopstick to swirl the chocolate around.

8. Bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes or until the stick comes out clean.

Note : * Preheat oven for 15 mins at 200 degrees but different type of oven may need different settings and baking time.

Result

Isabelle - I started baking before she went for her nap and let the oven do its job while she naps. She asked for cake the moment she woke up and gobbled down 2 pieces of it.

DH - 'Can make some for me to bring to office?'

Me - Very very moist!!

DS - Yummy! So soft and fluffy!

Our Sleeping Child

*picture sourced from google search

Since we move into our new home, Isabelle graduated to her own bed but still in the same room as us. And still sleeping right next to me, undivided by any crib or railings (I have shared in my older post about our effort to try to put our co-sleeping to a stop). This too allows DH to finally migrate back to our bed and off the mattress on the floor. DH has been sleeping on another mattress so that Isabelle and I could have the whole bed to ourselves. And I have been sleeping in guilt for the past 23 months! Sorry my dear for what we put through and thank you so much for your unconditional love and sacrifice. Really appreciate it and glad that you don't have to endure the 'nightmare' anymore. :)

Isabelle's transition from co-sleeping with me on my bed to her own bed was smooth and she took it in real well. I still remember the first few nights, when we tested her and ask if she want to sleep with us on our bed, she just waved goodnight to us (ignored our question) and walk straight to her bed, climb in and tuck herself in.

From then on, she made real good friends with her bed. Some mornings, I would wake up to her singing to the ducks and sheeps cartoons on her sheets and pillows. Music to my ears and heart. And on some nights, she would (maybe unconsciously) snuggle into our bed. I like having her next to me but unfortunately, our little 5 ft width bed cannot accommodate 3 of us through the night.

*picture sourced from google search

But on top of all that, this is working well for us. Isabelle gets her own space. I don't get bruises and all from her kicks (kidding! But she does really turn 360 degrees and kicks A LOT). DH gets to sleep on a real bed. Most importantly, I have my two babies right next to me.

I won't rush into training her to sleep in her own room just yet, until she is ready to. Co-sleeping, sleeping in the same room, the need for us to tuck her into bed, diapers, these are signs of their neediness and reliability on us. All these will diminish as they grow up. I want to cherish these little things as long as I can, for, as they grow older, they will need us less and less and these will be just memories.

Dessert ~ Lychee Mint Drink

I have almost half bunch of fresh mint in the fridge, left over from yesterday's curry mee adventure. And also I had balance of canned lychee from making lychee yoghurt popsicle last few days. What's more fun than to use both of these ingredients to make a drink?

Some recipes calls for blending method. I am lazy to clean up extra tools so I just mix everything in the glass.

Ingredients (for 1 glass):

1. 1/2 glass of Soda (I used ice-cream Soda)

2. 2-3 tsp of lychee juice from the can

3. 3-4 pc of lyhcee

4. 6-8 mint leaves (slightly pounded) and keep a few for garnishing

5. 2 tsp of lemon juice

6. Ice cubes

Method:

1. Mix ingredients 1-5 together. Stir well.

2. Add ice cubes.

3. Garnish with a few mint leaves.

Results:

DH - Refreshing!

Isabelle - More!!

Cooking ~ Curry Mee

I try to make something different for dinner, besides dishes & rice. And today I have the calling to make it a Curry Mee day.

Since I uprooted and landed in KL, the only chance I get to eat authentic Penang curry mee is well, yeah, whenever I visit Penang. I love it with cuttlefish strips, coagulated blood, cockles & tofu puffs and not to mention the dark slightly burnt aromatic sambal. Soulful combination! One of a kind and it is hard to find such authentic version here.

Of course, my curry mee is the easy peasy version. I could not afford to grind the spices from scratch. I am actually clueless about spice. Salt and pepper is all that I know.

INGREDIENTS

Soup:

1. 1 packet of instant curry paste (I used Adabi's Chicken Curry Paste)

2. A handful of curry leaves

3. 2 lemon grass stalks (white parts only - smashed)

4. Water or stock (I made anchovies and dried prawns stock)

5. 1/4 cup of coconut milk

6. 1/4 cup of evaporated milk

7. 1/4 tsp of palm sugar/sugar

8. 1/2 tbsp of fish sauce or 1/4 salt

9. Tofu puffs

Toppings/Garnishing:

1. Fish cake (scalded and sliced)

2. Prawns *optional (scalded)

3. Mint leaves

4. Fried shallots

Others : (scalded)

1. Yellow noodles

2. Meehoon/vermicelli (or whichever type of noodles preferred)

3. Beansprouts

METHOD - Curry Soup :

1. If you are using stock, prepare the stock in advance. Let them simmer for atleast 1 hour before using them.

2. Heat oil, saute curry leaves till fragrant.

3. Add in lemon grass stalks.

4. Pour in curry paste. Stir till fragrant.

5. Add in stock. Let it simmer for another 15 mins.

6. Add in coconut and evaporated milk mixture. Simmer for another 5 mins on low fire.

7. Add sugar and fish sauce. Adjust to taste.

8. Add in tofu puffs.

9. Keep on simmering on low fire till ready to serve.

To serve:

1. Scald noodles and beansprouts in a pot of boiling water.

2. Scoop curry soup together with tofu puffs on top of noodles.

3. Garnish with previously scalded fishcake slices, prawns and mint leaves.

Result

DH - Woah, like the shop wan ler.... healthier version. Anymore for supper?

Me - I like it because it is not as oily as what we get outside. Not overly rich with coconut milk as I replaced half of it with milk.

Cooking ~ Tempe in Light Curry Sauce

*picture sourced from google search

Information from the google:

"Tempeh (/ˈtɛm.peɪ/), or tempe (Indonesian), is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty. Tempeh is unique among major traditional soy foods in that it is the only one that did not originate in the Sinosphere.

It originated in today's Indonesia, and is especially popular on the island of Java, where it is a staple source of protein. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities.^[1] Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. It has a firm textureand an earthy flavor which becomes more pronounced as the tempeh ages.^[2][3] Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue."

Tempe (fermented soy beans) is a good source of protein to replace meat and it originates from Indonesia but has spread its popularity all over Asia. A good choice for vegetarians. It is as good as tofu but a lot of more dense, solid and lots of texture.

I cook this dish once every week or fortnight atleast. Usually just stir-fry with onions and chili. Tonight, we had it in curry.

Ingredients:

1. A packet of tempe - cut into rectangular sized cubes

2. French beans - cut into about 4-5 cm length

3. Anchovies - 1/4 bowl (rinsed and pat dry)

4. Red Onion - sliced

5. Red chili - sliced

6. Roasted belacan *optional

7. Fish sauce - 2 tsp *optional. If not available, replace with salt

8. Sugar

9. Coconut milk - 2 tbsp

10. Tamarind juice or lime/lemon juice - 2 tsp

To blend:

1. Garlic - 4 or 5 cloves

2. Red onion - 1 medium size

3. Red chili - 2 pc

Method:

1. Blend the ingredients and set aside.

2. Heat oil. Fry anchovies till they are fragrant and crispy. Remove and set aside.

3. Use the same oil to sear the french beans for about 1 min. Remove and set aside.

4. Use the same oil (to replenish if not enough) and panfry the tempe pieces. Once they turn golden, remove and set aside.

5. Heat little bit of oil. Saute blended ingredients till fragrant (about 2 mins).

6. Add sliced onion and fry for about 1 min.

7. Add in belacan and saute till fragrant.

8. Add in chili.

9. Add in the pre-fried french beans, tempe and anchovies.

10. Add just enough water to let it simmer for not more than 2 mins.

11. Add in seasoning and add in tamarind/lime juice. Adjust to taste.

13. Add in coconut milk and simmer for another 30 seconds.

14. Serve.

Result

DH- "You should cook tempe in this curry more often and then cook more rice"

DS- "This is tasty. I would hardly order or grab this dish when I eat out. But this is nice and the french beans complements the tempe!"

Me - I will definitely cook this again. :)

Cooking ~ Pumpkin Cauliflower Soup & Croutons

Susan and little Shawn was here today to visit us. I made this soup for lunch. And getting a thumbs up from a restaurateur is as good as getting a distinction for a subject I wasn't prepared for!

I have made this soup previously with broccoli. This time, I used pumpkin and to add texture to the soup, I toast some bread (aka croutons) and it turns out well.

Croutons (toasted bread cubes)

Ingredients:

1. Bread of any type (cut into cubes)

2. Butter and oil

3. Garlic *optional

4. a pinch of salt

Method:

1. Mix butter (room temperature) with some minced garlic. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven 150 degrees.

3. Heat oil in pan and add in garlic butter.

4. Add in cubed breads. Toss and mix well.

5. Remove from pan and switch them into baking pan. Lightly sprinkle salt on the bread cubes.

6. Spread the bread evenly on the pan and bake till they turn golden brown.

7. Remove and let them cool.

8. Serve with soup.

(To store, ensure to let them cool completely before storing into containers)

Result

Shawn & Isabelle ~ They didn't want the soup at all and only wants the croutons! I guess they are good. :)

Cooking ~ Potato Salad

Made our all time favourite dinner yesterday evening. Tomato tuna pasta. Recipe here. This time I used spiral pasta. To go with it, I made potato salad with home made 'sour cream'.

Ingredients:

1. 2-3 medium sized potatoes (remove skin and diced)

Sour cream

1. 2-3 tbsp of yoghurt

2. Sliced spring onions

3. 1/2 tsp lemon juice

4. Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Steam diced potatoes till al dente. (approx 5-6 mins. Steaming time depends on type of potatoes).

2. Set aside. Depending on preference. If you like cold salad, keep them in fridge. Otherwise, just keep aside while you prepare the cream.

3. Mix well the sour cream ingredients.

4. Toss the potatoes with sour cream mixture and serve.

Baking ~ Chocolate Chips Cupcakes

Mom gave me an electric mixer some time ago (being a fan of high-tech kitchen gadgets, she don't need this mini tool for a mini baker like me). But due to the busy schedule of moving house and the renovation, I have not had the time to test it out although I felt the itch to start using to sharpen my baking skills. My previous attempts with cakes/muffins requires no gadgets. Just a spatula. Plus, I finally manage to get a cupcake mold that fits my mini oven.

Today, I finally had the chance and time to put the mixer to the test. Boy, it was fun!!! Isabelle was very interested in it too :)

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cup flour

2. 1/2 tsp salt

3. 1 tsp baking powder

4. 1/2 tsp baking soda

5. 1/2 cup yoghurt

6. 1/4 cup milk

7. 3/4 cup sugar

8. 1/2 cup melted chocolate

9. 1/2 cup butter

10. 1/4 cup vegetable oil

11. 1 tsp vanilla

12. 2 eggs

13. Handful of chocolate chips

Method:

1. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside

2. Beat sugar and butter till creamy on medium speed.

3. Add in eggs, yoghurt, milk, vanilla, oil & melted chocolate. Combine well.

4. Add in flour/dry ingredients into the wet batter and mix well.

5. Pour batter into mold (greased) and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.

6. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 10 mins, then lower temperature to 150 degrees and bake for another 10 mins.

Note : * Preheat oven for 15 mins at 200 degrees but different type of oven may need different settings and baking time.

Before

Done

Dessert ~ Strawberry Yoghurt Popsicles

Yes! I finally made something different than cooking and baking! I made Isabelle her favourite treat! Ice cream, popsicles, fro-yo (frozen yoghurt), whatever we call it, this is one healthy and refreshing dessert :)

And I am so into it that my head can't stop thinking what flavour to make next. Coconut + Lychee, Chocolate, Pineapple, Banana....

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of plain yoghurt (I used Greek yoghurt because it is creamier. Sunglo is just as nice)

2. 1/4 cup of fresh milk

3. 5-6 strawberries (frozen or fresh - coarsely blended)

4. 1 tbsp of honey or sugar syrup *optional. Add if mixture is too sour and adjust to taste

5. 1 tsp of lemon juice

6. Popsicles mold or whatever you can find at home (I don't have the proper mold so I used Isabelle's old milk bottle cover and some disposable stirrer - picture below)

Ingredients

Method:

1. Coarsely blend strawberries.

2. Add honey and lemon juice to the blended strawberries. Mix well and set aside.

3. Mix yoghurt and milk.

4. Mix both milk/yoghurt and strawberries. Combine well.

5. Pour into mold or cup. If you are using cup, freeze it for about an hour then poke icecream sticks or whatever that you are using into the centre of the half frozen mixture.

6. Let them sit in the freezer for another 5-6 hours.

7. Enjoy!

Results

Isabelle ~ More... Ice-keeem.... Mummy... Mummy take more...

DH ~ Nice! I feel so healthy! :)

DS ~ Good!