What we did last weekend....

Last weekend was a domestic madness at home... a good one in that sense :) I started off the morning with making vegetable stock from scratch. It was wholesome goodness I tell you. I made a whole pot of the stock, cooled it, then freeze them in small batches. I did not realized that vege stock is comparable to chicken or beef stock until now. You must try. All you need is garlic, onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes, parsley and some thyme. For optimum stock, bring it to boil for 1 hour, and not more than that.

We then started to paint our bedroom. This time round, it's gonna be white with Tiffany blue focus wall. Hence the light breezy feel. The environmental friendly nerd side of me insist on Mr Paint Man's Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) & Low Odour paint.

Half way through painting, I left hubby to the task and made this for lunch with my vege stock of course. I must say it was yummy :PI opened the 'container' cabinet and saw this. Oh well, I ain't perfect. I got distracted and start re-organizing. Lucky hubby got to paint the room on his own.

With a strike of Eureka, I have a sudden urge to bake almond cookies.But instead, ended up drinking coke. Please note the little yellow sign behind in the kitchen says "Eat" but ironically, from certain angle it looks like "Fat". Is God trying to tell me something??

To make up to hubby for 'abandoning' him with the painting task, I made him salad with dried cranberries, tomatoes and papaya for snack. I experimented with new dressing for this sweet salad (whisked up Orange juice, lime juice, olive oil and some soya sauce). It turned out well.With our new love for Fuji apples, this Ikea CHARM apple slicer is our new found BFF. Like its namesake, it works like a charm.

Since I am re-organizing, I also clean up my dining area.Went back into the bedroom to continue painting the ceiling. Again, halfway thru, I 'left' to make Wild mushroom soup with cheese sticks for tea time. I need to feed my man.We finally finished the painting job. I give all the credits to my dear husband. Turned on some music, lighted some candles and burn some essential oil. Our nest smelled good....

I tidy up the work space. This room still need some improvements. See that desk and shelf, I am proud to say, it was our own creation and also our first hack using Vika Amon top sometime ago to accommodate our needs. And tend to my little lucky bamboo plant at the corner of the room. With the new year around the corner, I hope it brings us luck :)

Took a quick shower and we are off to have dinner with a group of friends at some good food 'chu char' place followed by 'yum char' session. It was a good productive weekend. I hope it will be even better this coming weekend... :D

Lunch for 7

I successfully served lunch from my kitchen for a party of 7 couple of weeks back. Can you see me doing my winning somersault and back flip move? :P

My menu:

Potato and ham salad

Garden salad with balsamic vinegar

Grilled chicken

Angel hair pasta

Wild Mushroom Soup

My pot of wildmushroom soup.

Chicken Soup for the Tired Soul

Home-cooked wholesome chicken soup with potatoes, mushrooms and dash of parsley served with toasted baguette for dinner.

Hot Chicken Salad

I marinaded chicken breast overnight with terriyaki sauce, some oyster sauce, thyme, oregano, salt & black pepper. Then grilled it till tender.
Serve on top of cold salad with balsamic vinegar dressing. Delish! It is simple yet yummy. Hubby wiped clean the plate. Will definitely prepare this again.

Bruschetta

Vegetarian bruschetta is my hubby's all time favorite. It is also relatively easy and fail-proof to prepare.
Ingredients:
Baguette
4 Tomatoes
Mozzarella / Cheddar cheese
Olive Oil
Basil
4 cloves of Garlic

Method:
Topping
1. Remove seeds from tomatoes. Chop tomatoes to desired consistency / size.
2. Chop garlic finely.
3. Mix the tomatoes and garlic (or you can use food processor). Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and 2-3 teaspoon of basil. Mix well.

Base
1. Cut baguette diagonally 1.5cm thick. Drizzle olive oil (I use basil infused olive oil). Toast / bake in oven for about 5 min. Turn over and bake for another 7 min.
2. While the baguette is still hot, place cheese on top (Melted cheese is yummy-licious) and add on with the tomato toppings. You can also garnish with fresh basil leaves.
3. Serve hot.

Chicken Porridge

Not in the mood for rice but would like have something hot... simple porridge for lazy weekdays.

Ingredients:
1 Salted egg (Hard boiled and cut into pieces)
1 egg (Hard boiled and cut into pieces)
2 pcs Chicken thigh
Ginger (Cut to strips)
1 cup of rice

Seasonings:
Sesame Oil
Light soya sauce
Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Wash rice and drained. Coat the washed rice with 1 tsp sesame oil. Let it stand for about 20 min.

2. Boil chicken thighs for about 20-25 min. Remove the chicken thigh and place into bowl of ice cubes. Keep the stock. Shred chicken thigh into pieces using a fork.

3. Cook rice and add stock from step 2. Once porridge is done, add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve in bowl and add shredded chicken, salted egg, egg and ginger strips. Drizzle some sesame oil & soya sauce.

Bah Kut Teh

A bowl of piping hot bah kut teh can be so yummy-licious and satisfying. Especially with only all my favourite ingredients ;)

Ingredients:

A1 Bah Kut Teh

Pork ribs

Meat balls

Button mushroom

Enoki Mushroom

3 cloves of garlic (crushed)

2 Tbs Oyster sauce

1 Tbs Dark soya sauce

1 Tbs light soya sauce

Dash of salt & pepper

Dipping sauce:

Chopped garlic

Cili padi

Dark sauce & soya sauce

Method:

1. Bring 1.5L of water to boil. Add in 2 sachets of A1 Bah Kut Teh spices and 3 cloves of crushed garlic.

2. Add in pork ribs. Simmer about 15-20 min.

3. Add in meat balls, mushrooms and all the sauces. Cook for another 8-10 min (or until all is cooked).

4. Prepare chopped garlic, cili padi, dark sauce & soya sauce for dipping.

5. Serve with white rice

Fish Ball Tang Hoon Soup

Tang Hoon (aka Glass Noodle) is one of my favourite, be it fried or in soup. It is a bonus that it is low in fat/calories.

Ingredients:

1 small bundle of Tang Hoon (Glass Noodle)

Vegetables

Fish Balls

Minced pork balls (pre-seasoned with cornflour, garlic powder, pepper, sesame oil, soya sauce)

Chicken stock / Vege stock

Seasoning:

Soya sauce

Shallot oil

Method:

1. Soak Tang Hoon until soft. Cook Tang Hoon in boiling water until translucent. Set aside.

2. Blanch vege and cut into desired length.

3. Prepare boiling chicken stock or vege stock. Add in meat balls and fish balls. Add seasoning to taste.

4. Place Tang Hoon in bowl and add blanch vege. Add in piping hot soup with meat and fish balls.

5. Add a few drops of shallot oil.

6. Serve.

Steamed Herbal Chicken

Ingredients

4 drumsticks (Remove skin)

Kei chee

Black raisins

Tong kwai

Chicken stock

Seasoning

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tsp cooking wine

Salt

Method

Wrap all the ingredients in aluminium foil. Steam in high heat for 20-30 minutes. Serve hot with rice. Instant quick meal for lazy days.

Stir Fry Mixed Vege

Ingredients
2 cup Cauliflower
1 cup Sugar snap peas
½ cup Prawns
4 Shitake Mushroom (soak & sliced)
1 clove Garlic (chopped)

Seasoning
1 tbsp Oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
Salt & Pepper

Method
1. Blanch cauliflowers & sugar snap peas and set aside.
2. Heat wok and fry garlic till fragrant.
3. Add in prawns. Stir fry lightly.
4. Add in cauliflower, sugar snap peas and mushroom.
5. Add seasoning. Stir fry.
6. Add some water. Close lid and simmer for 3 minutes.
7. Serve with white rice

Fast -'Break-Fast'

A quick and easy breakfast set; scrambled eggs with ham and croissant set.

- Chopped sweet onion. Fry till fragrant with some butter. Add in beaten eggs with milk, cheddar cheese and a dash of pepper and salt. Scrambled.

- Toast butter croissant in toaster.

- Brown ham in a non-stick pan.

- Sliced some tomatoes. Croissant should be ready by now.

- Arrange all on plate and serve with coffee (for me) or tea (for hubs).

Oriental Stir Fried Angel Hair

Juggling with work and my ambition to be a Domestic Goddess, cooking a one dish meal is a life line ;) . Note to self: Time saved can be used in front of the TV catching up on my fav series.

Here's something I've concocted on a busy weekday with whats left in our larder: Oriental Stir Fried Angel Hair.

Ingredients:
Minced Meat (Seasoned with pepper, salt & sesame oil)
White Cabbage
Red Chilli
Tomato
Chopped Garlic
Oyster sauce
Cooking wine
Boiled Angel Hair Pasta with some olive oil and pinch of salt

Method:
1. Fry some chopped garlic till slightly brown, add in seasoned minced meat.
2. Add in cabbage, chillies, tomatoes and some water. Close the lid and let it cook. Stir occasionally.
3. Add in Angel Hair Pasta. Stir fry with oyster sauce. Add cooking wine and season to taste.
Voila! Dinner is ready....

Lazy Sunday Lunch

After a late Sunday breakfast, and too lazy to go out, I decided to cook a simple lunch for hubby & I. Being and amateur cook, I'm rather proud of the simple dishes that I managed to whipped up to go with rice :)

Stir Fried French Bean with Minced Meat

Sharkfin Melon Soup with Pork and Abalone

Fresh Watermelon Juice