boxing day 2016

kj is so sweet

im on a le creuset craze now and i lamented to hubs that we do not have a teapot! how do i make tea?

kj says " zhe yang xi huan le creuset, mai le creuset lah"

awwwww....isnt he sweet!

he says "always le creuset le creuset "-_-'''

but he said it so kindly and lovingly that i am taking it positively.

i have been shopping (online/ at home) and kids are all ears even when they are doing their things! dang!
it is a topic of discussion with hubs so kj knows what is my current interest. *shy*

quick and simple meal for lunch today, while mummy shop a wee bit boxing day!

who can resist ? right?!?!

i did the fried rice on the le creuset skillet but it got a little messy so i quickly transfer into my old tefal.

baked beans with tomato!

cooked in the skillet 26cm and transfer into the flower casserole to serve :D

i missed the date of winter solstice this year! when i got to know , it was on that morning! when i came home from work, i ransacked the fridge and find that i have all kinds of flour except glutinuous rice flour. :(

kj mentioned about tang yuen a couple of times and i reminded myself to do it this morning.

red bean dessert was cooked in my new toy in the kitchen, noxxa pressure cooker!
i soaked the red bean for a couple of hours, until it got puffy, and cooked for 30mins in the pressure cooker.
it wasnt soft and mushy as expected.
i still need to experiment further.

previously i would cook my beans in my slow cooker, and without needing to soak the beans, they come out perfectly soft and thick.

if any of you come across any blogs on the pressure cooker, do drop me a msg!
many thanks

Raw Lemon Cheesecake

Raw Lemon Cheesecake

recipe from Coconut mama

the base

1 cup medjool dates, 1 cup almond

omitted desiccated coconut. dont have that and we dont fancy that

cashew nut (soaked)

raw almond (soaked)

blend the filling

3.5 cup cashews

8 TB coconut oil

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup lemon juice

zest of 2 lemon (i threw the entire skin into thermomix)

1tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

done!

i forgot to add in honey!

so i dribbled honey on top.

the coconut oil that i used was from Mildura, has a very unpleasant coconut taste.

one fine day when im free again, i shall try to make with our new coconut oil.

fresh salmon for omega

FRESH SALMON!

bought one whole fish of 4.75kg.

paid RM218.50!

 one slab for lunch today

can even eat as sashimi!

 big mistake.

i thought we were going to pan fry or grill so i asked him to cut this way.

argh.

next time i should ask him to fillet (i think most people fillet since he asked if i want to fillet the fish).

they cut so thick! i had difficulty slicing this slab into 3.

got stuck at the middle bone.

next time, we can de-skin the fish and deep dry it!

oh man! DELICIOUS!!

like keropok, i hope kj would eat it!

all the healthy fats!

alpha omega 3 and what not!

i was told salmon has alpha omega and flaxseed has gamma.

so kj needs all the fatty acids!

and get the bones for bone broth!

i can already imagine all the goodness from the entire fish!

 lazy to take out the grill pan.

so just pan fry on tefal pan.

seasoned with salt and pepper.

i ordered for a medium done!

gah.

chef insisted it was MEDIUM.

-_____-

looks entirely cooked to me.

hehe

anyway, the skin was yummmmmy! although not crunchy like those u get in japanese restaurants, it does not have any fishy taste at all!!!

it was creaaaamy!

well, i freeze the rest.

what to do?

:)

if it wasnt for KJ, we wouldnt get to eat this!

we tumpang-ed !

:D

extra reading:

Is farm-raised salmon as healthy as wild?

edition 8/9/13:

i defrost another bigger slab this morning.

just placed it on a plate on the kitchen counter.

after a few hours, the entire slab was soft.

chef cooked it medium done and they were fabulous!

correction: i should mentioned i bought CHILLED salmon, instead of fresh salmon. to clear some confusion.

Spinach Fritatta

 simplest meal ever!

and nutritious!

• fry onions with tomatoes. set aside.
• throw spinach into pan and stir fry till they wilt and become soft.
• beat 5 eggs in a bowl. add some salt and pepper.
• add some milk into beaten egg
• mix in the tomatoes and spinach into the egg
• pour them into a baking mould and BAKE!
• 180 celcius, 20 mins

i dont have accurate measurements because i cook this way. everything is agak-agak.

adapted from bbc good food.

most importantly,

my fussy son loves it!

What to do with Bone Broth

the consistency must be gel like when kept in fridge.

then it showed you have succeeded in preparing the BONE BROTH.

this pot is chicken bone stock as it looks whiter.

beef bones stock would look browner.

(Refer to beef bone stock pic)

there is another good post on How to make bone broth at Wellnessmama.

she also explains what is broth and why broth.

 Many societies around the world still consume broth regularly as it is a cheap and highly nutrient dense food.

Besides it’s amazing taste and culinary uses, broth is an excellent source of minerals and is known to boost the immune system (chicken soup when you are sick anyone?) and improve digestion. Its high calcium, magnesium and phosphorus content make it great for bone and tooth health. Bone broth also supports joints, hair, skin and nails due to its high collagen content. In fact, some even suggest that it helps eliminate cellulite as it supports smooth connective tissue.

It can be made from the bones of beef, bison, lamb, poultry or fish and vegetables and spices are often added.

Anyone who has read Gut and Psychology Syndrome knows the many benefits of bone broth and how it can improve digestion, allergies, immune health, brain health and much more.

What isn’t as well know is that broth can help reduce cellulite by improving connective tissue, increase hair growth/strength, improve digestive issues andremineralize teeth.

Broth is also helpful to have on hand when anyone in the family gets sick as it can be a soothing and immune boosting drink during illness, even if the person doesn’t feel like eating.

Broth is very high in the amino acids proline and glycine which are vital for healthy connective tissue (ligaments, joints, around organs, etc). The Paleo Mom has a great explanation of the importance of these two amino acids: Read more from Wellnessmama

beef broth, onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, 2-3 bay leaves, peppercorn, sea salt

kj's meal

i did not add in flour which most western recipes call for.

flour would thicken the gravy

beef ribs for the adults

recipe of this pasta soup is the same as listed above except for celery.

u can add in anything that u have in the kitchen.

that is a cup of tahini milk.

1 tsb tahini, 3 banana, 2 cups of water = blend.

main reason why i cook bone broth is this:

Dr Weston Price thinks teeth is a growing material. It can erode and it can grow back, hence the idea it can remineralize and close cavities if proper nutrition is given (going back to the olden day natural diet)

i shared in Facebook:

Shia Million thank u for sharing this soup recipe.

ive always boiled my soups in the slow cooker overnight because im a lazy person but some colleagues told me that slowcooker soups are not as tasty as stove soups. whopps.

guess i will go back to my slow cooker after reading this.

plus, ds was breastfed until 2 plus yrs old and his teeth started to decay at 1.5 y.o. i was a little disappointed initially because people say bf-children has very healthy teeth and bones but it was not the case for him.
dh blamed me for night-feeding, so i was suppose to ignore him at night and just give water. he wanted night feeding even at 2 yrs old. daddy says no other food or drinks besides water after he has brushed his teeth.

in addition, he doesn't junk at all. hence food is definitely not a culprit.

we started going to the dentist at 1.5 yrs old till now, 3 y.o.

thankgod we cancelled the anesthesia appointment once last sept.

just last month, we tried to fix his teeth. we have been using Toothmousse and the tooth was arrested, which was a good sign. then we can now proceed to 'restoration'? it is like glueing a cap on the rotten tooth. but he was all cheeky and wiggly inthe clinic so the cap slid off the moment we reached home. well the dentist has warned us about it.
sigh. we have been a regular at the dentist, started since young so that he can get himself familiar with the dental process and etc. we told them that aesthetic is not as important.
the choice that she gave was, to use the toothmousse and arrest the decay and wait till he is old enough to sit through the whole dental process, or to go though NS and get a beautiful set of teeth.
parents who wants their children to have beautiful smiles will then need to go through the NS to get the procedure done, for such young children.

i am now going to boil more bone soups and pass them to the babysitter so that he can drink more, instead of having the privilege to drink only on weekends when he is with us 
May 2013

How i prepare beef broth

 beef broth

chuck in whatever leftover vegetables that u have.

after boiling in the crockpot for a night, i found white radish the next morning so i dumped it in as well.

gives a very aromatic stock!

i always cook a whole pot of crockpot and keep the remaining soup in the fridge.

how to use the broth?

see this plate of vege, throw them into the broth and let it simmer.

best if u have ceramic pots like these.

i've bought but they havent reached my hands.

why do we need to prepare bone broth for more than 24 hours?

Read : why is bone broth beautiful?

beef bones differ from the other bones in that u have to roast the bones before putting them into the crockpot.

u can use other bones such as pork or chicken.

best if u can get the bones with lots of marrow and u can throw in some chicken feet for the gelatin.

do not remove the skin.

do not discard the layer of oil formed on top of the soup.

they are healthy oil if u use genuine kampung chicken or grass-fed cow.

i try to be consistent in preparing bone soup for KJ and now i need them too for we both need to increase our calcium intake.

KJ : to remineralize his decayed teeth

Me: im breastfeeding

the power ingredient is APPLE CIDER VINEGAR.

the acv leeches out the minerals from the bones into the water.

i prepared my bone soup from Nourished Kitchen recipe and the Nourishing Cook.

it’s a lost art.  

As the bones cook in water – especially if that water has been made slightly acidic by the inclusion of cider vinegar – minerals and other nutrients leach from the bones into the water.   Homemade broth is rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace minerals.   The minerals in broth are easily absorbed by the body.   Bone broth even contains glucosamine and chondroiton – which are thought to help mitigate the deletorious effects of arthritis and joint pain.     Rather than shelling out big bucks for glucosamine-chondroitin and mineral supplements, just make bone broth and other nutritive foods a part of your regular diet.

Further, homemade bone broths are often rich in gelatin.   Gelatin is an inexpensive source of supplementary protein.   Gelatin also shows promise in the fight against degenerative joint disease.   It helps to support the connective tissue in your body and also helps the fingernails and hair to grow well and strong.

Read more: http://nourishedkitchen.com/the-benefits-of-bone-broth/#ixzz2di5ualim

Hong Yi is in town!

i met Hong Yi!

who?

Red Hong (ohiseeRED)

actually i got to know her (i know her but she doesnt know me) through her mom.

her mom's blog actually.

u see, im quite a greedy person.

i love to cook and bake.

i love children.

i love gardening.

my goodness. with these few things i listed above, if enough to kill my 24 hours in a day.

there are sooooo many topics to read about regarding those things.

cooking and baking and family and children branches out to many things.

there are plenty of recipes, parenting, gardening (new hobby), and lots of related general things to read. so my safari is always busy. it is never empty.

since we are sharing computer, we have come to agreement that i use safari while my partner uses chrome.

well, sometimes when my safari is too full, i will hop over to chrome. heh.

anyway, back to hongyi. aunty terri has always been my idol.

please hop over to her blog Daily Obsession.

i follow her blog since uni days and guess what! i am at KK, where she is! and guess what again, i went to her house once when she had a party! :p

that is how crazy i am.

u must look at her cookings. her bakings.

she herself is a terrific person.

and she has brought up a terrific daughter.

so the whole family went to support her in Sutera Harbour Resort ;)

look where creativity leads her ...

i believe aunty terri has brought her up well...

i wish to do that to my children too! :D

Aung sang suu kyi

she uses flowers - carnation and soaked them in dyes.

i was a little shy.

cant imagine im doing it.

but she is an amazing lady!

thats KJ boy, hooked to the pond.

all kids are amazed with fishes.

the koi s are beautiful.

if i have a pond at home, i'd rear koi. no other fishes :)

26 Jan 2013

homemade fishball

home made fish balls!!

we dont know how to estimate.

so ended up with two huge bowls of fish ball soup!

they are pure balls.

haha.

no other additives.

just fish, salt, and pepper.

kacangma soup? let's call it a dish

 a parcel for me!

something is in the brown packet.

recipe on the pink paper,

and a card for us :)

thank u L!

3 packets of kacangma inside the brown mahjong paper! 

kacangma?

yes, also known as Motherworth Herb

or 益母草 (yi mu cao)

most sarawakians will know what this is.

i can't confirm but seems like u can only get this in sarawak!

the exclusiveness of it!

how to cook?

plenty of recipes available online.

i even came across a few blogs in bahasa, so not only the chinese are consuming this herb!

my mom thinks the cooking steps are quite tedious nevertheless i am gonna take up the challenge and try to cook this again myself.

worst comes to worst, i'll direct chef leong to cook for me.

the goodness of this dish?

it benefits postnatal mommies especially,

and it can also be served as a dish on normal days.

try it!

homemade soy milk

how to make soya bean drink?


 these are organic soy bean

wait. so it is soya bean or soy bean? hmmm...

i soaked for a night on the kitchen counter. they would swell and some skin will burst! :)

this batch of beans had all their skins removed.

previously i did not remove the skin but i have decided to do so after a while so that they wont produce that much pulp. the skin won't be contributing anything to the soy milk, will it?

 
 KJ does not like unstrained soy milk. so no choice, i have to strained it, using a cheap cloth strainer.

 

if the little one is not drinking, i could serve unstrained soy milk to the father, which is a hell lot simpler. and less washing :p

what i do is, soak the beans overnight, remove the skin, blend in the thermomix with water, strained, cook for 20 mins with pandan leaves (if i can remember) and some rock sugar or brown sugar. ready to be served.

somehow i find the taste of this home made soymilk to be a little raw. either they are not sweet enough to cover the taste or it could be due to the organic beans? means because it is organic? i have not tried on the normal soy beans.

well, drinking soy bean is so debatable these days that i don't think i would make them again. am i paranoid? not that much. but because i have lots of recipes on my sleeve that i dont think i can ever finish trying them.

google and read up more, especially if you are a soy lover. do not over do it.

some mothers share their stories which horrifies me.
the debate was:
-too much soy causes breast cancer : broadcast in a Breast cancer awareness talk
-could cause other cancers as well
-GMO soy vs non-GMO

i know, moderation is the key.

hence i will only permit drinking soy milk when they are outside (how frequent can it get?) and i'll make other nutritious drinks at home.

someone else loves pancake too!

the father's idea. obviously i wont have the urge to make pancake this way on a saturday morning!



u saw that dirty piece of pancake beside the stove?

the father couldnt be bothered to throw it and guess what happened after a while? it was gone! how magical!

our house rat ate it! *grhh*


his favorite triceratops!


montessori says to allow the children to do what they can do for themselves.




i will never be satisfied with the pancake recipes. there are so many variation out there and i failed to keep track of which that i have tried was good and which was not.

the pancakes above are Scotch Pancakes from Little Teochew. originally from Gordon Ramsay.

For the Scotch pancakes
- 100g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 80ml buttermilk (pour 80ml of whole milk and add 2 tsp fresh lemon juice)
- 50ml cold water
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- Sunflower oil (or any neutral flavoured oil), for frying

i dont quite like it, maybe because of my ingredients? i estimated them however trying to stick as close to the measurements given.

i prefer my pancake to fluffy and thick, like american pancakes.



this was on another occasion. used simple recipe, one cup of each.

beginning to pose in front of the camera these days ;)