Good time management

I always believe if you have good time management, you can actually do plenty. Not that I am very good at this but I guess I am not that bad. The short getaway was wonderful. Even though I didn't get to eat my favourite Black Hokkien Mee, I wasn't disappointed as I met some wonderful people during this trip. It was good to meet up with new friends and good for catching up with old friends. I wish I can stay longer. The journey up and down was also very smooth. In fact, it was bliss. Kind weather and smooth ride, best of all, there is no traffic policemen that try to pretend that you have been speeding. You don't see me blogging the past few days as I was also trying to do some last minute revision with my little one. Yay, two more days and we are done. On top of that, my Cupcake Fantasies commitment too. This time round I even get my son to help out as the theme was Halloween. Something to keep him occupied for 10 mins? Enough said, I have a request to do some corporate logo. Since the quantity is small, I didn't get those edible print out. To help D save cost too, I hand painted the logo. I haven't been holding a paint brush since secondary days and I really hope that D will find that it is as close to the original. D, please don't sue me if I didn't do a good job.

Time is running out

I am taking a short break this weekend and before I leave, I need to complete all my toppers for requests that will be coming in after the weekend and also to revise with my little princess on her Final year exam.

Initially I thought I will have plenty of time to do these because after all, I don't have to BABYSIT my son while he studies. Unfortunately, I am not that lucky. My daughter's teacher started returning all worksheets to us. I realised that this little one is desperate in need of help.

I doubt she will be able to make it if I don't revise with her. I have been wondering what her form teacher been doing these past months. My daughter started remedial lesson with her since July and yet I don't see improvement at all. Her response is that my daughter is faring well among the group.

She hasn't a problem with her work but SHE doesn't know why she fared badly in mock tests. Instead, she is now trying hard to push the responsibility back to me. Gauging from little one's this term worksheets.

She is falling way behind and this old teacher is clueless as to how to guide my little girl. Yes old and due for retirement. Now, a teacher with that number of year in the teaching industry hasn't a clue why a child can't perform in test, I am wondering am I expected to know?

Blame it on princess's luck, her Term 1 Chinese teacher was moved to another group to teach the weaker kids. Actually my poor baby was doing very well under her guidance. As she did pretty well for her mid year, she was transferred to another class to a more senior teacher. Bad move, my little one didn't develop under this senior teacher's teaching. In fact, it has been sliding down the drain in turbo speed.

Now, instead of at least excel in one subject, now three subjects are at risk of a Red alert. This system is driving me nuts and I seriously don't want to put her into the bandwagon like many who are flooded with tuitions and enrichments.

Actually to my surprise, the school does have a school counsellor. I wonder in what situation a teacher think that a child needs some emotion support. The thought of a 11 years old just flew out of a block of flat because of exam stress is making me think twice as to whether I should just let her fail and not pressure cook her for this stupid exam.

Enough of my frustration with this AWESOME education system of ours, I need to distract myself with some new recipe. I have some salmon left and had been thinking about Salmon Patties for nearly a week.

With K joining us for dinner tonight, I decided to have a break from my helper’s boring menu.



What you need:

300g salmon, pan fry without oil,
flaked 450g potatoes,
mashed 25g butter
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp chopped dill
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg, beaten

Method

Mix salmon with mashed potatoes.

Add in butter, pepper, salt, lemon juice, egg and dill. Mixed well.

With a lightly flour, shaped into a round flat cake.

Lightly pan fry the patty till golden brown.

********* I have received some enquiries on what dill looks like. Here is a picture to show you all.



I love this herb very much as it is extremely fragrant. As I don't take spring onions, I generally replaced that with this for my fish dishes.

Am I lonesome?

When the cat is not around, the mouse is out to play. Well not really, the mouse still have to do her main chorus before she can go out to play.

Since GC is in town and I won't be available just before her departure. I thought it is better to catch up and have lunch before she leaves.

I remembered we met at this little small Japanese restaurant for our first meeting. So I proposed we have another go at the same place. Afterall, the food is not bad.

AK buzz me the other day and told me about a new book arrival. Hey, I heard about this author. She used to teach but has since returned to Japan.

Being someone who had problem attending classes. I quickly went about searching for this book.

Perfect timing. I can grab this book in Ion and have lunch as well. Geesh this book is really hot.

I am sure the author must be thrill to see it flying off the shelf so quickly.

This will be my bed time story book, thank to a new pair of reading glasses (thanks J for leaving it behind).

Tonight, my sister and family will also be dropping by. mmmm... are they concern that I am getting lonesome? LOLz.

I still have a few bananas, so I decided to bake a Chocolate Banana Cake that gotten pretty good reviews. I topped it off with Ganache.

Though it is soft but it is too crumbly for me. Perhaps I have overbaked it. I still prefers the one that I tried years ago.

Will give this one another try. Recipe adapted from e's joie.



What you need:

160g butter
140g castor sugar
2 eggs – beaten lightly
225g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
220g bananas – mashed
50g whipping cream
1/4 tsp Banana essence

Method:

Cream butter and sugar till light and creamy.

Pour in eggs gradually and beat till creamy.

Add in whip cream, mashed bananas and banana essence and mix well.

Add in cake flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and beat for a while only.

Pour into an 8″ round tray, and arrange sliced bananas on top.

Bake at 175C for about 50 to 60 mins. or until cooked

Ganache

200g whipping cream
200g
chocolate 30g butter

Method

Heat whipping cream to a boil. Pour into chocolate. Let it sit for a while and then gently stir till all the chocolate has melted.

Add in the butter and stir further.

Let it cool a little before frosting the cake.

Alone for long weekend?

This morning, hubby and his staff are off for an off site meeting. Unfortunately for us, he is doing it on the long weekend. Initially we wanted to join him but I would love very much to go up to KL next week too.

I can't be away for both as my daughter is not done with her Final year revision. Thus it is better we work first and played later.

Mid Autumn Festival is over and there are abundant of Pomelo is the market. Son had some during our last dinner at mom’s place and when he saw it, he requested for one during our grocery shopping.

I plan to make Mango & Pomelo Dessert (楊枝甘露)again. Unfortunately before I can give further instruction, the helper already sliced the mango for our dessert.

Too late, I have to get more mangoes.

Wasn't near a supermarket till today and just nice I am having two buddies, J & G over for lunch and I think Mango & Pomelo Dessert (楊枝甘露) goes well with the Kim Chi Fried Rice that we will be having.

For this dessert, I simplified the steps further and makes it healthier. You see, in Aug, I was telling J that she can prepare Kim Chi Fried Rice for her National Day celebration but I think she ended with something she is comfortable.

To show her that this dish is really an easy dish to prepare, we had this for lunch. I am glad that the ladies like the rice as well as the dessert I prepared.

I also had great fun showing J & G how easy Snowskin Mooncake can be done. Not that I am good but with the right tools, it is really easy and best of all, it is freshly made.

For a first timer, I think J is so much better than me when it was my first.

It was truly an amazing afternoon. I am glad that G could take half a day off to be with us. Finally I am able to catch up on G's life. I still can't believe it that we were once kinder classmates. How time flies.

As for J, hopefully, she learnt something new today and perhaps the next Mid Autumn Festival, she don’t have to pay rocket high price for a piece of mooncake. She can easily made some and show them off to her hubby.

Have a safe trip home and see you next year.

What you need

1kg mango (without the seed)
300g pomelo (removed seeds and skin, break them into tiny pieces)
1 carton of mango juice

Method

Cut the mango into cubes leaving 300g to liquify.

Put the 300g mango into a blender and add in half carton of mango juice. Blend.

Mix the mango cubes, pomelo and mango juice.

Chill and serve cold.

I did it!

I was into the mood for making bread. So while trying to knead the dough in my mixer, I burnt my Kitchen Aid. Am I furious? Not really because I was expecting it I guess. I always feel that the machine is heating up whenever I try to use it longer than 10 mins. It always doesn't give me a good feel.

Luckily, I have a Kenwood Chef Classic as a back up. If not, I will be a dead duck for this forthcoming weekend order. I doubt the agent can repair that in time or will there be someone that can loan me a mixer too.

Between these two brands, I still prefer my Kenwood. It is not only quieter, it is also more stable. I don't get flour or batter splattering out without the guard when I uses the Kenwood. I can't say that for Kitchen Aid though.

I am more pissed because now I have to find time to send this little machine for repair and hopefully it is repairable if not, I will cry coz it is only 2 years old. As compared to my trusty grey machine which I had it 4 years ago.

Enough said, as I was surfing for the meatball recipe which came from Jamie Oliver's.

I chanced up this Banana and Honey Bread. Well, I needed to use up the banana quickly as it is nearly fit for the bin. Just this week, we had two bunches of bananas and I guess the family had enough of raw bananas for a week.



What you need:

1kg strong bread flour
625ml tepid water (liquidify 5 bananas and top up the rest with water)
10g instant yeast
4 tbsp runny honey
2 tablespoons sugar
1 level tablespoon fine sea salt extra flour for dusting

Method

Pour the flour into the mixer with a dough hook.

Add in half the liquid and add in yeast, sugar and salt and mixed together. Continue to knead till the flour become a stodgy, porridgey consistency – then add the remaining water.

Continue to mix until it's stodgy again, then you can be more aggressive, bringing in all the flour, making the mix less sticky. Certain flours need a little more or less water, so feel free to adjust.)

Start to knead until you have a silky and elastic dough (about 10 mins)

Flour the top of your dough. Put it in a bowl, cover with clingfilm, and allow it to prove for about half an hour until doubled in size – ideally in a warm, moist place.

This will improve the flavour and texture of your dough and it's always exciting to know that the old yeast has kicked into action. Second prove.

Once the dough has doubled in size, knock the air out for 30 seconds by bashing it and squashing it.

Divide the dough into 10 balls.

Then pack these next to each other in a flour-dusted baking tin where they will prove together. **Leave it to prove for a second time for 30 minutes to an hour until it has doubled in size once more.

Before putting in the oven drizzle generously with the rest of the honey so that the top of the bread will caramelize, going nice and golden.

Bake in your preheated oven at 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5 for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for a little while, but it's best served still warm with lots of butter and a glass of milk for breakfast while you read the paper.

Also fantastic used in bread and butter pudding or simply heated up with a bit of ice cream.

**This is the most important part, as the second prove will give it the air that finally ends up being cooked into your bread, giving you the really light, soft texture that we all love in fresh bread. So remember – don't fiddle with it, just let it do its thing.

Don't slam the door or you'll lose the air that you need. Bake according to the time and temperature given with your chosen recipe. You can tell if it's cooked by tapping its bottom – if it sounds hollow it's done, if it doesn't then pop it back in for a little longer.

Note: I still prefers my 17 hours dough method but I can't deny that it is good while fresh out of the oven. After when it turned cold, it is still soft and has this chewy texture.

Finally

Finally my dear prince is done with the First hurdle of his life. I can't imagine myself going through another one of such year. This year definitely had been very trying, for the kid, the siblings and the parents. Despite having two Mandarin tutors who all didn't last more than 3 months. We didn't get any other tutor for him till the middle of this year. Having tutor is also very trying as you don't know how reliable and trusty he or she is. For us, our luck isn't there when we had our first one this year. He is definitely not a responsible one and a committed one per se. After a few months, I know I had enough so I changed to another. Whom I am glad to say that at least she is responsible and best of all, she gelled with my son. She is able to teach and yet bond with him. We will have to gauge by the result of this year to see whether we will have her for son's secondary education path. When one's child turn teens. Being parents, we have to adopt the next set of parenting style. In the next two years, I will have to spend more time understanding him. I was told that generally, next two year, the child will start to detach from the family, seeking his own identity. The kind of friends he mixed with will play a big role in his life. Listening from all experienced friends who been there done that. I definitely heed well and will put them into good practice. I am lucky in the sense because I volunteered in his school. I am able to get to know his classmates and his buddies. I am able to share my opinion on each boy's character or personality with son. Thus when there is a news article about child delinquency, I am able to use real life example of certain behaviour to teach him. Towards the last few days of the examination, son was already planning how to “celebrate”. Initially I was hoping that he will have a day out with his buddies. For a movie or for a luncheon, at least I don't have to prepare anything at home. LOLz. But he still opted for having his friends over for lunch and some computer games together. I think this is good too as I will be able to get to know the boys better in a different environment. I decided to make Meatball Pasta as I know son loves the Meatball Sandwiches in one of the deli nearby. It wasn't as hard as I thought it will be making meatball. In fact, it is relatively easy as I already have all the ingredients on hand. I just adore the fresh smell of the Rosemary and English Basil. Give it a try, your kids might like it too. Adapted from Jamie Oliver's site. What you need: 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary 1/2 cup bread crumbs 2 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard 500g good-quality minced beef, pork, or a mixture of the two 1 heaped tablespoon dried oregano 1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper olive oil a bunch of fresh basil 1 medium onion 2 cloves of garlic ½ a fresh or dried red chilli 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 400g dried spaghetti or penne Parmesan cheese, for grating Method To make your meatballs • Pick the rosemary leaves off the woody stalks and finely chop them • Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits up with your hands • Add to the bowl with the mustard, minced meat, chopped rosemary and oregano • Crack in the egg and add a good pinch of salt and pepper • With clean hands scrunch and mix up well • Divide into 4 large balls • With wet hands, divide each ball into 6 and roll into little meatballs – you should end up with 24 • Drizzle them with olive oil and jiggle them about so they all get coated • Put them on a plate, cover and place in the fridge until needed To cook your pasta, meatballs and sauce • Pick the basil leaves, keeping any smaller ones to one side for later • Peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic • Finely slice the chilli • Put a large pan of salted water on to boil • Next, heat a large frying pan on a medium heat and add 2 lugs of olive oil • Add your onion to the frying pan and stir for around 7 minutes or until softened and lightly golden • Then add your garlic and chilli, and as soon as they start to get some colour add the large basil leaves • Add the tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar • Bring to the boil and season to taste • Meanwhile, heat another large frying pan and add a lug of olive oil and your meatballs • Stir them around and cook for 8–10 minutes until golden (check they’re cooked by opening one up – there should be no sign of pink) • Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer until the pasta is ready, then remove from the heat • Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions To serve your meatballs • Saving some of the cooking water, drain the pasta in a colander • Return the pasta to the pan • Spoon half the tomato sauce into the pasta, adding a little splash of your reserved water to loosen • Serve on a large platter, or in separate bowls, with the rest of the sauce and meatballs on top • Sprinkle over the small basil leaves and some grated Parmesan

Guts out

I have been coughing for nearly a month. Yes, I detest coughs. Perhaps it is due to my asthmatic background but when a cough starts, it usually takes me ages to get well. Sometime I can cough till my stomach’s muscle aches and sometime; the toilet bowl is like my best friend. Haiz. Someone was saying that this kind is call the 100 days cough. Yay, I heard about that. Anyway, a dear friend recommends me to take this as it is handed down by her late granny. Yes, I heard about ginger's healing properties. I couldn't believe it, after taking it twice. I can feel that I got much better. The chesty feel was gone. Unfortunately, that night, I took some cabbage which my mom said it is a "cooling" vegetable and believe it or not, my cough comes back again. So this time round, I am more obedient and listen to our Asian beliefs. After all, we have such genes and why defied it and let our health suffers. I made my son drinks this too because he too was having a similar cough as me and he too is showing good sign of recovery. It is not that difficult to drink. In fact it is sweet! Just that it has this "spicy" feel to it. So if you have a nagging cough and your phlegm is white and bubbly. Try Ginger with egg Soup because you are having a "liang" (cool) cough. What you need: 300ml water 3 walnut sized ginger (grated and extract juice) rock sugar for taste 1 egg Method Boil water with ginger juice and rock sugar till sugar melt. Beat egg lightly and add into the boiling water. Stirring continuously. Wait for a few seconds for bubble to appear on sides of the pot. Turn off heat and pour into a bowl. Drink lukewarm.

Children's Day

I am glad that this week I was able to relax a little as for the past two weeks, it sure been hectic. I am satisfied with my productivity and the most memorable moment was able to meet my school principal, Sister Elizabeth.

Though at 82 years old, she is in better health than I am. She seems taller to me then than now but her beautiful blue eyes remains.

We had such an enjoyable event despite a horrible jam that got us delayed in reaching our destination by an hour, all because of F1. The lovely bunch of girls just waited patiently for me to brave the jam to deliver our lovely principal to the dinner venue. The evening was simply great.

Though PSLE is just round the corner, I still wanted to bring both kids out for a special lunch as a Children's Day treat but because nerves were still raw inside me over what happened last night, I decided to leave son at home as the tutor was supposedly to come and "counsel" him. In the end, she called in sick.

When we were finally home, dear son came to apologize. I really hope he meant it and understand my harshness as my meant well intention. This is the final week that my dear son can “touched up” on those missing pointers for the PSLE. I am sure that he is looking forward to the end of it.

I just wish that I had a choice NOT to push him that hard. Since this year will be my son's last Children’s Day as he embarked onto Youth Day next year. I decided to bake a cake from Sweet and Simple Bake's challenge and some cookies with them instead.

A quiet celebration with them is better than nothing. We had an enjoyable evening, "dressing" up the St Clement's Drizzle cake aka cupcakes.

What is a better theme than these cuppies being decorated by the kids themselves. Aren't they lovely?



What you need:

175g caster (superfine) sugar
175g softened butter
Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
4 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
175g self-raising flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C /fan 160oC/gas 4. Grease and line the base of 1 large (900g) or 2 small (450g) loaf tins.

Place the caster sugar, butter and zest of the lemon and orange in a bowl and beat together until pale and creamy.

Add the milk, and then beat in the eggs, one at a time, with a spoon of flour to prevent the mixture from curdling.

Mix in the remaining flour.

Spoon into the prepared tin/tins and level the surface flat.

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes for a large cake or 30 minutes for the smaller cakes until they are golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.

While the cake is cooking, place the lemon and orange juice in a saucepan, bring to the boil and allow to reduce in quantity to about 3 tablespoons.

Leave to cool, and then stir in the granulated sugar so it just starts to dissolve.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, prick several times with a skewer, then slowly pour the lemon and orange sugar all over the top, letting it soak into the cake.

Leave to cool completely in the tin before turning out and cutting into slices to serve

***************************

They also helped with these Chocolate Chip Maple Pecan Biscuits. Little princess was turning them from round to heart shaped. What a sweet.



To all the kids out there, Happy Children's Day.

This phrase of your life is the best, enjoy it.

What you need:

175g unsalted butter, room temp
140g brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 egg, light beaten
300g self raising flour
100g chocolate chips
100g pecan nuts, chopped

Method

Cream butter, maple syrup and sugar till creamy and light.

Add in egg and beat further till incorporated.

Put chocolate chips and pecan nuts into flour.

Fold in flour mixture and mixed till well combined

Shaped dough into a long log and chilled for 2 hours or more. Preheat oven to 200°C.

Lined cookie sheets.

Sliced them into 5mm thick and bake for 10 – 12 min or till golden brown.