Cranberry & Orange Teabread

oooohhh I loved this bread loaf so much! Light & moist texture with tangy fragrant! Again this recipe requires no mixer, just a manual whisk & spatula is more than enough! The steps is like making muffin except that instead of filling the batter into individual muffin cups, the batter is baked in a loaf pan :)

Yesterday night after settled down my little girl to bed and my boy still hanging around at 9pm plus, I went ahead to start making this loaf. From juicing to measuring all the ingredients finally putting the loaf to oven, I think it took me abt 30mins or less...fast hur? After putting the loaf to bake, I shoved my boy to bed 'cos is already 10pm!! While my 2 kiddos finally in bed and I can finally relax and watch my CSI series and wait for my loaf to be ready! :)

This morning packed this snack box for my boy to bring to school!

Ingredient

• 225gm plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 115gm sugar (I used 90gm only)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large orange zests
• 160ml fresh orange juice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 75gm butter, melted
• 115gm fresh cranberries (If using frozen cranberries, thaw before using)
• 50gm walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Line a 9 x 5 " loaf pan with baking paper and grease. Set aside.
2. Sift plain flour & baking powder twice in a mixing bowl. (This ensure the loaf texture is soft & fluffy)
3. Stir sugar, salt & orange zests. Make a well in the centre.
   
4. Add orange juice, eggs & melted butter. Stir from the centre till ingredients are well combined. Do not overmix. Add the cranberries & walnut and fold till blended
5. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. (Tips : use a spatula cut through the middle section of the batter so that the loaf will not form a high dorm) Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 45-50mins until a skewer inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10mins before transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
   

Chicken Pinwheels

What to do when a 3.5 year old kid refuse to eat greens? So everyday I've to crack my head on what to serve him!! This is the first time I let him try raw celery and he manage to accept it when I prepared this cute little chicken pinwheels for today breakfast! He requested for a whole roll instead of the cut ones! Luckily he did not unroll the bread and picked out the celery hahaha....

Finally tomorrow he is going back to school again after the long June school holiday! With balance of some celery in fridge, I've prepared a Tuna version one for him to bring to school!!

Ingredient

• Wholemeal Bread
• Chicken breast meat, steamed & shred finely
• Celery, finely chopped
• Raisins
  
• Mayonnaise
• Lemon juice
• Dash of black pepper

Method

1. Mix shredded chicken meat, celery, raisins, mayonnaise, lemon juice & pepper evenly.
2. Trim away crust of the bread. Using a rolling pin, flatten the breads slightly.
3. Spread salad mixture over bread, roll up firmly. Cling wrap tightly for each roll and chill. Slice into bite size before serving.
   

薄荷炒虾球

Ingredient

• 20 medium prawns
• 50gm mint leaves (wgt excluding stem)
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp water
  
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
  

Method

1. Clean, peel and de-vein the prawns. Pat dry with kitchen towels. Marinate lightly with salt & pepper. Keep in the fridge for ½ hour.
2. Heat up some oil in a frying pan. Layout all the prawns over the pan and let them fry untouched until they turn pink. Flip over the other side and continue frying until the prawns turn pink and curl up. Do not overcook prawn. Dish up and place on kitchen towels to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
3. Return heat to medium high. With remaining oil in pan, sautée garlic until fragrant. Add in mint leaves, prawns & seasoning. Quickly mix till evenly combined for 1min. Dish up.
   

Green Pea Chiffon

No distinctive taste for this chiffon except that one way of introducing more greens into my boy's diet :P

Ingredient

• 4 egg yolks
• 50ml corn oil
• 100gm canned green peas
• 50ml milk
• 90gm sugar
• few drops green colouring
• 120gm self-raising flour
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Method

1. Blend green peas with milk. Whisk yolks with 40gm sugar till sugar dissolves. Stir in oil. Sift in flour and mix till smooth batter form.
2. In a separate clean mixing bowl, beat whites with cream tartar on medium speed till frothy. Gradually beat in sugar on high speed till stiff peak form.
3. Fold in 1/3 egg whites foam into yolk batter. Mix evenly. Pour batter into the balance whites foam and fold gently.
4. Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg for 35 mins. Remove from oven and invert cake on table to cool completely before unmoulding.
   

Mango Yoghurt Swiss Roll

Making swiss roll is really a dead spot for me! Either underbake or crack when rolling up! Therefore you will see I seldom post any swiss roll recipe on my blog heeee....is not that I never bake, baked quite a few times but ALWAYS FAILED!!! I saw this swiss roll recipe in Kevin Chai's recipe book, saw that the batter is being pipe into the pan instead of the usual spreading method. Decided to give this recipe a try as I presume that I will be able to roll up the cake without cracking it too much :)

YES!! I manage to roll up the cake without destroying it ^-^ I am using a 9x9" square pan as my oven can only fit in this size pan, therefore the rolling pattern is not as visible as normal swiss roll. But overall I'm glad that this roll turns out well this time round!

Instead of using buttercream or fresh cream as filling, I research on other recipes and whip up a yoghurt filling for the swiss roll. I prefer to use natural set yoghurt as it does not have any sugar added. The mango puree will attribute natural sweetness to the yoghurt filling :)

Ingredient (I halve the recipe to fit into my 9x9" square pan)

• 4 egg whites
• 100gm sugar
• 4 egg yolks, light beaten
• 125gm plain flour
• 200gm unsweeten plain yoghurt
• 1/2 cup mango puree
• 4 tsp gelatine
• 2 tbsp water
• some diced mango
  

Method

1. Dissolve gelatine with water. Mix yoghurt, mango puree and gelatine together. Chill in fridge until use.
   
2. In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks, gradually add in sugar and beat on high speed till stiff peak form.
3. Stir in egg yolks (do not beat). Sift in flour and fold gently till evenly mixed.
4. Spoon batter into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle (I used a wilton 824 piping tip). Pipe into a lined 10 x 14 in cake pan in rows.
5. Baked in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 10-15min till golden brown. Cool slightly.
   
6. Spread yoghurt filling over smooth side of the cake. Sprinkle some mango cubes over. Roll up.
   

Peach Cheesecake

Today is Father's Day, we have a small dinner gathering at my father's place :) 7 adults & 3 kids manage to wipe off the cake, only 2 slices left end of the day...they give me face and comment the cake is nice, some like the cheese fillings, some prefer the biscuits base and some prefer the jelly!! hard to please everyone hur! hahaha...But one mistake I've made is the wrong proportion of the gelatine added causing the cake not setting properly....is not firm enough in the middle!! Luckily the cake taste light and not too cheesy, will definitely take note of this mistake made in the future!!

Ingredient

Base:

• 150g digestive biscuit crumbs
• 60g unsalted butter, melted
  

Filling

• 500g Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 60gm cup sugar
• 2 tbsp gelatine
• 1/4 cup warm water
  
• 500gm canned peach, pureed
  
• 200gm fresh cream, lightly whipped

Topping : 1 cup peach flavour jelly liquid, cooled

Method

1. Combine biscuits crumbs with butter and press into the base of a 8" loose based cake pan. Chill for 30mins.
2. Dissolve gelatine in warm water.
   
3. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add gelatine mixture, beat until well combined. Fold in peach puree.
   
4. Fold in whipped cream and pour over prepared based. Chill for 1.5hrs before pouring the jelly liquid over. Chill again till completely set.
   

Pumpkin & Zucchini with Prawns

Ingredients

• 12 medium sized prawns
• 125gm zucchini, sliced thinly
• 125gm green pumpkin, sliced thinly
  
• 1 medium sized tomato, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  
• 4 tbsp water
• 2 tsp sugar

Methods

1. Clean, peel and de-vein the prawns. Pat dry with kitchen towels. Marinate lightly with salt & pepper. Keep in the fridge for ½ hour.
2. Heat up some oil in a frying pan. Layout all the prawns over the pan and let them fry untouched until they turn pink. Flip over the other side and continue frying until the prawns turn pink and curl up. Do not overcook prawn. Dish up and place on kitchen towels to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
3. Return heat to medium high. With remaining oil in pan, sautée garlic until fragrant.
4. Add in zucchini & green pumpkin slices and stir-fry for 1 minute.
   
5. Add in tomato wedge and stir-fry for another 1 minute until the tomato turn slightly soft.
6. Add in seasonings and mix well with zucchini and tomato. Lastly return the cooked prawns to coat with the rest of the ingredients. Turn the heat to high and stir-fry quickly for 8-10 seconds. Dish up and serve.

Recipes adapted from Food4Tots

Peanut Butter Chiffon

Nutty flavoured chiffon. Small quantity so can consume within 1 day!!

Ingredient (yields 3 mini chiffon cakes)

• 2 eggs, separate
• 50gm peanut butter
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 50ml milk
• 50gm sugar
• 60gm self-raising flour
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Method

1. Melt peanut butter & oil over low heat. Cool. Whisk 20gm sugar & egg yolks till sugar dissolves. Stir in peanut butter mixture and milk. Sift in flour and mix evenly till batter form.
2. In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar till foamy. Beat in 30gm sugar gradually till stiff peak formed.
3. Fold in 1/3 egg white foam into yolk batter. Mix evenly. Pour the batter into the balance egg white foam and fold till combined.
4. Scoop batter into ungreased tube pan and bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 25mins. (I use 3 mini chiffon tins). Remove from oven and invert pan to cool completely before unmoulding.
   

Artpack Brownies

As I forgot to preheat the oven at 200 deg cel, the crust of the brownies is not as crispy as it should be! But still manage to feel some crunch with slightly fudge in the middle :)

Ingredient

• 100g chocolate (I used Hershey Unsweetened Chocolate)
  
• 70g unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200gm sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
  
• 65gm plain flour, sifted
  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 deg cel.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate over low heat in a saucepan.
3. Beat the egg with salt. Add the sugar continue beating with mixer on high for 8 minutes till thick & creamy.
4. Add chocolate and butter mixture and vanilla essence,beat at low speed just until mixed.
5. Fold in flour quickly, until there are no white streaks.
6. Pour batter into a lined 8 " square and put in oven. Immediately turn oven down to 180 deg cel and bake for 20 minutes.

Recipes adapted from Ruth Reichl

洋葱棒棒鸡腿

Ingredient

• 4 chicken drumstick, excess fats removed
  
• 1 large onion
• 2 small carrots
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• dash of black pepper

Method

1. Season chicken drumstick lightly with light soya sauce, sesame oil & salt for 30mins.
   
2. Peel onion & carrots. Cut into chunks.
3. Heat some oil in deep pan. Add chicken drumsticks and brown all sides evenly. (no need cook till done) Remove from pan.
4. With remaining oil in pan, add carrots & onion. Stir-fry for 5min till soften. Add drumstick and mix evenly.
5. Add water, light soya sauce, salt, sugar & black pepper. Bring to boil. Cook till chicken is cooked through and liquid reduce half.
   

Mayo Choco Muffin

Extremely moist & fluffy texture unlike some muffin which may be dense after baking. No eggs nor butter is required . Think I overfilled the cases, see the muffin overflowed over the edge of the cupcases. Looks kind of ugly but nevermind, the taste compensate the unappealing appearance :)

Ingredient

• 110g mayonnaise
• 125ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 120g plain flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 110g sugar
  

Method

1. Place the sugar and sift flour & baking soda into a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the mayo, vanilla essence and milk till smooth.
3. Add mayo mixture to the flour and mix till the batter is smooth.
4. Spoon batter into muffin cases and bake at preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 20-25 minutes.

Snack for Toddler

Besides having bread or muffin as snack, I've to think something else to prepare for my boy's snack. This salad will be a good choice 'cos it contains all nutrients like protein, minerals & fibers....

Ingredient

• potatoes
• carrots
• sweet corn kernels
• hardboiled egg, cubed
• ham
• mayonnaise
• salt to taste

Method

1. Peel potatoes & carrots. Cut into small cubes. Steam over boiling water till soften.
2. Mix all ingredients together. Serve warm or chilled.
   

Old-Fashioned Marble Cake

This marble cake not only appealing to the eyes but also taste great! fluffy & moist texture....better than what I've bought at those neighbourhood's confectionery shop ^-^ so next time whenever I crave for a marble cake will bake one myself! I love the different swirl on each slice, therefore took so many pictures for this particular cake :) I will definitely bake this cake again & again using different flavour like Green Tea, Coffee, Berries.....oh this cake gives me so much inspiration!!

Ingredient

• 250gm unsalted butter
  
• 200gm sugar
• 4 eggs
• 250gm self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 tbsp condensed milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp cocoa, sifted
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp warm water
• 2 tbsps finely chopped mixed peel

Method

1. Line the base of a 8" round cake pan and greased the sides and base.
   
2. Dissolve the cocoa powder & baking powder with warm water till smooth. Set aside.
   
3. Cut butter into small cubes to make creaming easier. Place butter & sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat at low speed till butter & sugar is evenly combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for 5mins or until mixture is pale & fluffy. Do not overbeat (overbeat will cause butter to melt)
4. Add eggs one at a time beating for 1 to 2 mins in between each addition. The batter will be light & fluffy.
   
5. Combine condensed milk, water & essence together. With a balloon wire whisk, fold in half of the sifted flour and milk mixture. Fold in remaining flour & milk. Do not beat or stir the mixture. Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions.
   
6. Fold in cocoa mixture into 1 portion. Do not over-mix. Add the mixed peel to the other portion.
7. Spoon alternate batters into the cake pan. Using a knife swirl the batters twice to achieve a marbled effect.
8. Bake in preheated oven at 160 deg cel for 60mins - 75mins or till a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. (Note : Cover cake surface with a foil at the last 10mins to prevent over browning, my oven took 70mins to bake) Cool the cake in tin for 10mins before running a knife around the edge and turning it out to cool completely on a wire rack.

Fried Macaroni

First time stir-fried macaroni instead of cooking the usual soup based. Simple ingredients & seasoning makes a complete meal :)

Ingredient

• 10 medium prawns, shelled & deveined (pat dry and season lightly with salt, chill in fridge for 30mins)
  
• 100gm chicken fillet, cubed & season lightly with sesame oil, light soya sauce, pepper & cornstarch
  
• 3/4 cup mixed vegetables
• 2 cups cooked macaroni
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp light soya sauce
• dash of black pepper

Method

1. Heat up a greased pan, fry prawn for 1 min on each side till cooked. Set aside.
2. Add 2 tbsp oil in pan, saute garlic till fragrant. Add chicken and fry for till golden brown.
   
3. Add mix vege, macaroni & prawn. Stir in seasoning and mix well. Add more water & seasoning if necessary. Remove from heat.
   

Braised Chicken with Yam

Ingredient

• 1/2 chicken, chopped
• 400gm baby yam
• 2 slices ginger
  
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
• 2 tbsp chinese cooking wine
• 1 stalk spring onion, chopped
• cornstarch water
  

Method

1. Marinate chicken with oyster sauce & sesame oil for at 30mins.
   
2. Peel yam and cut into chunks. Deep fried till golden brown. Set aside.
3. With 2 tbsp oil in pan, saute ginger until fragrant. Add chicken pieces and brown for 5mins.
4. Add yam and mix evenly. Add water, soya sauce and wine. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15mins or until chicken is tender. Stir in cornstarch and toss in spring onion. Remove from heat and serve.
   

Yeast-Free Bread

After this batch of successful bread making without using any yeast, it motivates me to make more bread in the future !! :) great aromatic of the bread during the baking process too! The dough can also be rolled into flat disc to make a pizza base. This recipe really saves a lot of time as no proofing is needed and though not as fluffy as normal yeast bread but is still soft.

Mix dried cranberries with some natural yoghurt to get the filling....

Basic Yeast-Free Bread Dough
Ingredient (makes about 13 small rolls)

• 350gm plain flour
• 12gm baking powder
• 20gm sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 80gm egg, lightly beaten
• 125gm natural yoghurt (use Pauls brand)
• 80gm fresh cream (I used Bulla Pure Cream)
  
• some beaten egg yolks for brushing the surface (optional)
  

Method

1. Sift plain flour & baking powder into a mixing bowl. Stir in sugar & salt. Make a well in the centre of the bowl.
2. Pour the wet ingredients into the well. With a scraper, mix in flour gradually into the wet ingredients.
   
3. When a dough is almost form, knead the dough till smooth. The dough should not be sticky to the hands.
4. Divide dough into 50gm each and wrap with fillings of your preferance.
5. Baked in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 15 mins or until golden brown.
   

* Note : all wet ingredients must be in room temperature.

糖醋鸡柳

I love this dish!!! is so appetising with a bowl of warm rice :) The taste is just right, not too sweet nor sour...fish fillet or pork ribs can be replaced with chicken.

looks like chicken pop corns :) will try making 咸酥鸡 another day when get hold of some basil leaves which is a crucial ingredient for this dish.

Ingredient

• 300gm chicken fillet
• 1/2 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp light soya sauce
• sweet potato flour for coating (地瓜粉)
  
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small white onion, sliced
• 50 gm carrots, sliced
  
• 1 small green pepper, sliced
• 150gm pineapples, cubed
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 tsp sugar
• 4 tbsp water
• cornstarch water

Method

1. Cut chicken fillet into small chunks. Marinate with light soya sauce & egg for at least 30mins. Coat evenly with sweet potato flour.
2. Heat some oil in wok. Deep fried coated chicken in batches till golden brown. Drain on kitchen towel.
3. Mix tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar & water together. Set aside.
   
4. In a clean wok, heat up 2tbsp oil. Add garlic, white onion & carrots. Stir-fry till carrot & onion is soft.
5. Stir in sauce, bring to boil. Drizzle cornstarch water and stirring constantly till sauce thicken.
6. Toss in fried chicken, pineapples & green pepper. Mix evenly. Remove from heat.
   

Steamed Salmon on Tofu

Ingredient

• 200gm salmon
• 1 block silken tofu, drain away liquid
  
• 1 tbsp sliced ginger
• spring onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
• salt & pepper

Method

1. Remove skin & bones of salmon. Slice abt 1cm thick.
2. Slice tofu into halves. Place salmon over the tofu.
3. Season lightly with salt & pepper.
4. Place over sliced ginger & spring onion. Drizzle over mirin & soya sauce.
5. Steamed over boiling water for 6mins.
   

Pan-fried Sesame Prawn

Ingredient

• 12 medium prawn, shelled & deveined
• 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
• white sesame seeds for coating

Method

1. Season prawns with soya sauce for 15mins.
2. Heat some oil in pan, coat prawn with sesame seeds and pan-fried for 1-2mins on each side or until cook.