Extra knowledge

My cute piggy socks

Got this socks for 50 pence
(actual price is 5 pound which is way too expensive)

Cream cheese pound cake

I was trying to make steamed buns today but no luck cos I forgot to do the most important part; kneading. The buns ended up in the dustbin. So I want to make myself feel better by trying another recipe I copied online. This baked cheesecake is a success and I am so happy cos finally I can make a 'baked' cheesecake instead of 'soft refrigerated' cheesecake. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened - 113g
3/4 cup sugar - 150g but I use 130g 
1/2 pkg (4 oz) cream cheese, softened - 113g
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
1/2 tbs baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt


Method

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Beat butter in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition, until very light and fluffy. Add cream cheese, beat 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, beat to mix.
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture. Beat for 1 minute till it is well blended. Pour batter into greased and floured 8 1/2 x 3 1/2 loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes (I use 7-inch round baking tin and bake for 35 minutes). 
3. Insert a stick into the cake to check whether it is well baked - if it comes out clean, then the cake is done.

 A bit cracked on its top but nvm cos it still tastes nice and not too sweet this time

*I edited my post cos I baked another cream cheese pound cake today and the 'tbs' is accurately followed. No more cake sinking problem*

Global bag tag

This bag tag costs £9.95 each and will be given free if you tweet or blog about it.

Check out more via this link

I love UK freebies!

*update: Guess what, I blogged about this last night and I got it today in my mailbox. THANK YOU!*

Pineapple tarts

Pineapple tart is a must for CNY. "Ong lai" = money comes. Haha. I really envy myself *pat pat* for my determination to bake my own CNY goodies. What to do...can't buy it anywhere here so have to learn. It's a good thing to learn new skills. I think I can graduate from my kitchen with honours already. Haha

My pineapple tarts

Got my recipe from Little Corner of Mine

=Ingredients=

Pastry:
265g butter
2/3 cup icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

3 cups plain flour, 3/8 cup cornflour- sift together

1 beaten egg for glazing, beat with a little of water -as egg wash


Filling:
2 can crushed pineapple in own juice 20 oz, drained
1 cup sugar
1 or 2 cinnamon sticks - I use 1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 star anise
6 cloves


Method:

Start making pineapple filling the night before,

1. In a saucepan with medium heat, pour in the drained crushed pineapple and add in the rest of the ingredients.
2. Stir occasionally until the jam like consistency is achieved - dry and sticky. This process takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. Discard the spices and store the jam in the fridge until ready to use. It will thicken more in the fridge.

Next day, start making pastry,

1. Cream butter and icing sugar until light. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Add vanilla extract and salt and beat until fluffy. Fold in the sifted flours and mix into a dough. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before use. (Handle the dough with care as it's very soft. Roll immediately after taken out from refrigerator)
2. Preheat oven to 175°C.
3. Roll the dough out about 1/2 cm thick and cut with a cookie cutter. Place the jam in the middle. Brush the top with the egg wash.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes (golden brown on edges) - I bake for 12 minutes
5. Cool on a wire rack.

My first trial with different types of pineapple tarts. 

Decided to make 'open' tarts cos they are easier and faster.

I use mini measuring spoon to form a 'slope' for the pineapple jam.

Pineapple tarts with the egg wash (the glossy effect)- ready to go into the oven.

I like this recipe a lot cos the pineapple jam is not too sweet. They smell and taste nice. The end product of pineapple tarts are wonderful - 'melt in your mouth' texture.  

Chinese dried meat -Bak kwa

Couldn't find 'bak kwa' anywhere in Glasgow so I try making one. So happy that my bak kwa making is a success even though it's my first trial.

I learn the steps from various recipes online - Lily's recipe, Tazz's recipe but the main recipe is from Pig Pig's Corner.

My first homemade bak kwa. Hubby said yummy and he likes it.

Ingredients

500g minced pork - I try using minced beef
1 1/2 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs thick dark soya sauce
1 tbs light soya sauce
1 tbs kicap manis (sweet soya sauce)
1 tbs Shao Xing Wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tsp oil


Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use a spoon to mix them all together until a gluey paste is formed (I use my clean hand to mix it- even faster)
2. Cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.

The next day,

1. Preheat the oven to 125°C.
2. Oil an upside-down baking tray. -refer to Lily's recipe for step by step instructions
3. Use a chinese rice bowl to measure a bowl of marinated minced pork.
4. Place minced pork in the middle of the tray and top with a little oil to facilitate movement.
5. Use your fingers and palm to spread the meat to the edges of the tray.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes (125°C)
7. Then increase the temperature to 175°C and bake for about 20-30 minutes (or until the sides are charred) -I bake for 18 minutes. Keep a close watch as it burns easily now.
8. Cool and cut into pieces. - I use a pair of clean scissors to cut. You can use pizza cutter too.

*Can be kept for 3 days in a plastic container for consumption* 

If you want to make the one that can be kept in freezer and bbq, refer to Lily's recipe.

You should try making one if you are staying abroad for CNY and can't get 'bak kwa'. It's fun but involves a lot of washing and cleaning *v*

Mocha cookies

The original recipe is Coffee cookies but I used Mocha to replace the coffee and it became my Mocha cookies. Taste "crispylicious" = crispy and delicious.


Coffee Cookies (adapted from From My Kitchen)

My starry Mocha cookies

Ingredients:
1 egg
250g butter, softened - I melt it using double boiler method
170g caster sugar - I use 150g
1 tsp vanilla extract
330g plain flour
1 tbsp instant coffee powder - I use instant Nescafe Mocha powder
some chocolate rice for decoration


Method

1. Beat sugar and butter till white and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla extract, egg and coffee powder and mix well.
3. Once the mixture is well blended, add in the flour.
4. As the dough is very soft, it is advisable to use a piping bag to shape the cookie or refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes for easier shaping by using a cookie cutter (I just cut it straightaway without refrigerating it and my fingers got very sticky and messy. Haha. I will refrigerate it next time)
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C till the cookies turn golden brown. (I bake it for 13minutes at 175°C cos my oven is the fan-assisted type)

I manage to fill up 3 medium sized containers with these cookies. Going to keep one for myself and hubby, give one to my flatmate and another one to my Thai friend. "Sharing is caring" By the way, the way to stay slimmer is to feed the people around you. Haha

Thinking of using the different cookie cutters but the sticky dough dampened my spirit. So, I only used the orange star cutter for this recipe.

Before baking

After baking. *Do you notice the missing star? I ate it for tasting purpose*

P/S: I just bought assorted mini cookie cutters today. Guess how much is it? Cost me 4pounds. So expensive if I convert to RM but it is still cheaper compared to ebay and in fact the cheapest I can find in Glasgow.  Somemore there are 20 cookie cutters in the box. Hmm, so I think the quantity is worth it.   

Chocolate oatmeal cookies

Crazing for cookies today so decided to try out this recipe with my new digital scale (Salter Slim Design Electronic Platform Kitchen Scale).             So happy cos I paid it using vouchers, meaning it's free. Somemore, it has 15 years guarantee. Wah, I don't even know where will I be during the 15 years time. Ok, back to the cookies ^^

 Not looking good but they are nice

Chocolate oatmeal cookies (adapted from Happy Home Baking)

90g butter
25g caster sugar
25g brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
100g plain flour
100g oatmeal - I use 70g instant oats
20g dark (semi-sweet) chocolate, finely chopped- I use 60g 'After Eight mint chocolate' left in my room
60g mini chocolate chips- I omit this
50g walnuts, chopped


Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Line baking tray with baking paper. 
2. Using a manual whisk, cream butter and sugar (caster + brown) in a mixing bowl until the mixture turns pale and fluffy. 
3. Dribble in the egg gradually. Mix well after each addition. Add in the salt and vanilla extract, mix to incorporate into the batter. 
4. Sift the flour over the batter, fold in with a spatula. 
5. Add oatmeal, chopped chocolate, walnuts. Mix well with spatula. 
6. Drop tablespoonful of cookie dough onto the baking tray. 
7. Leave some space between the cookies (for spreading). Flatten each cookie dough slightly with the back of a fork (I didn't use the fork, that's why my cookies became out of shape)
8. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden colour. 
9. Let them cool and store in air-tight containers (eat them after 15 minutes cos they will harden and become crunchy cookies)

My minty chocolate oatmeal cookies.
I ate two pieces and my stomach is full already, thanks to the oats.

Healthy Food for a Healthy Body

*I love this forwarded email*

 

BROCCOLI – CANCER
Close-up, the tiny green tips on a broccoli head look like hundreds of cancer cells.
Now scientists know this disease-busting veg can play a crucial role in preventing the disease.
Last year, a team of researchers at the US National Cancer Institute found just a weekly serving of broccoli was enough to reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 45 per cent...
In Britain , prostate cancer kills one man every hour.

 MUSHROOM – EAR
Slice a mushroom in half and it resembles the shape of the human ear.
And guess what? Adding it to your cooking could actually improve your hearing.
That’s because mushrooms are one of the few foods in our diet that contain vitamin D.
This particular vitamin is important for healthy bones, even the tiny ones in the ear that transmit sound to the brain.

 

 BANANA (SMILE) – DEPRESSION
Cheer yourself up and put a smile on your face by eating a banana.
The popular fruit contains a protein called tryptophan.
Once it has been digested, tryptophan then gets converted in a chemical neurotransmitter called serotonin.
This is one of the most important mood-regulating chemicals in the brain and most anti-depressant drugs work by adjusting levels of serotonin production.
Higher levels are associated with better moods. 

 

 GINGER – STOMACH
Root ginger, commonly sold in supermarkets, often looks just like the stomach.
So it’s interesting that one of its biggest benefits is aiding digestion.
The Chinese have been using it for over 2,000 years to calm the stomach and cure nausea, 

while it is also a popular remedy for motion sickness.
But the benefits could go much further.
Tests on mice at the University of Minnesota found injecting the chemical that gives ginger its flavour slowed down the growth rate of bowel tumours. 

 

 CHEESE – BONES
A nice ‘holey’ cheese, like Emmenthal, is not just good for your bones, it even resembles their internal structure.
And like most cheeses, it is a rich source of calcium, a vital ingredient for strong bones and reducing the risk of osteoporosis later in life.
Together with another mineral called phosphate, it provides the main strength in bones but also helps to ‘power’ muscles.
Getting enough calcium in the diet during childhood is crucial for strong bones.
A study at Columbia University in New York showed teens who increased calcium intake from 800mg a day to 1200mg – equal to an extra two slices of cheddar - boosted their bone density by six per cent.

 BEANSPROUTS – SPERM
The stir-fry favourite bears an uncanny resemblance to the images we see of ‘swimming’ sperm trying to fertilise an egg. And research from the US suggests they could play an important part in boosting male fertility.
A study at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio showed that to make healthy sperm in large quantities, the body needs a good supply of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that protects cells against damage by harmful molecules called free radicals.
Just half a cup of bean sprouts provides 16 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of 

vitamin C for a man.
It’s not just dad but baby too who could benefit.
Bean sprouts are packed with folate, a vitamin that prevents neural tube defects, where the baby is born with a damaged brain or spine.

 GRAPES – LUNGS
Our lungs are made up of branches of ever-smaller airways that finish up with tiny bunches of tissue called alveoli.
These structures, which resemble bunches of grapes, allow oxygen to pass from the lungs to the blood stream.
One reason that very premature babies struggle to survive is that these alveoli do not begin to form until week 23 or 24 of pregnancy.
A diet high in fresh fruit, such as grapes, has been shown to reduce the risk of lung cancer and emphysema.
Grape seeds also contain a chemical called proanthocyanidin, which appears to reduce the severity of asthma triggered by allergy. 

 TOMATO – HEART
A TOMATO is red and usually has four chambers, just like our heart.
Tomatoes are also a great source of lycopene, a plant chemical that reduces the risk of heart disease and several cancers..
The Women’s Health Study — an American research programme which tracks the health of 40,000 women — found women with the highest blood levels of lycopene had 30 per cent less heart disease than women who had very little lycopene.
Lab experiments have also shown that lycopene helps counter the effect of unhealthy LDL cholesterol.
One Canadian study, published in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine, said there was “convincing evidence’ that lycopene prevented coronary heart disease. 

 WALNUT – BRAIN
The gnarled folds of a walnut mimic the appearance of a human brain - and provide a clue to the benefits.
Walnuts are the only nuts which contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.
They may also help head off dementia. An American study found that walnut extract broke down the protein-based plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at Tufts University in Boston found walnuts reversed some signs of brain ageing in rats.

Meaningful thoughts

*Another forwarded email*

 

 

 

 

 

Lifetime

Sharing nice forwarded email that I received long time ago.

 

Thank God that I have a great life! Praise the Lord!

Cheese tarts

My smiley cheese tart

Ingredients (for the crust):
225g plain flour
125g butter
50g icing sugar
1 egg, whisked
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients (for the filling):
250g cream cheese
20g butter
50g castor sugar
1 egg


Method (making crust):

1. Place the butter at the room temperature until softened (if you stay in cold country like me, you better melt it using the stove or microwave cos this is faster). Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer over medium speed until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and light in colour.
2. Add in the whisked egg, half at a time, beat over low speed. Add vanilla extract and mix it well.
3. Sift in flour in 2 batches, make sure all ingredients combine well. Knead into a dough.
4. Roll out the dough to a 1/2 cm thickness. Cut the dough with a cookie cutter (a bit smaller than your tart tin - I use the cover of my hot cocoa. Haha. No need purposely to go out and buy a cookie cutter). 
5. Line the dough in the middle of the tart tins. Lightly press dough with your thumbs (I use my fingers as well), starting from bottom then up to the sides. Trim away any excess dough (using a small spoon).

*I copy and paste those steps from my egg tarts recipe*

Extra final step is--Bake them for 10 minutes at 180°C (pastry turns yellow)

For me, my tart shells shrink after baking and I need to use my thumb to press them into the original size of tart shells. *Caution: Be careful of your thumbs - burning hot*


Method (making the filling)

1. Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar together till light, add in egg and beat till well mixed.
2. Spoon mixture into baked tart shells.
3. Mix 1 tbsp cocoa powder with a small amount of water (until you get a thick paste).
4. Dip the tip of a chopstick into paste and draw circle on top of the cheese or you can use your creativity to draw anything.
5. Bake them for 10 minutes at 180°C (pastry turns light brown)

Have fun baking and eating *v*

Bye 2010, Halo 2011

I smile to myself when I recall what I have achieved and done in 2010.

1. The best achievement is I got married to my lovebird. Haha. Call me MRS T (sound so old lol).

2. Got my Master in Educational Psychology. Sound so professional but I could not put it in use here (thinking of upgrading to British level but they close the offer already). Never mind. Life is always full of obstacles and I will seek for other alternatives. 

3. Stay in overseas (imagine the feeling of walking among 'angmohs' and the cool weather. It feels like the English drama setting is real to me. Wearing coats, boots, gloves, scarves and winter hats)

4. Experience the extreme weather (UK experienced the worst snowfall in 2010)

 

5. Play with snow for the first time in my life.

6. Start baking. Since the oven is provided in my flat, all that I need is recipes, baking tray, ingredients etc.

7. Eat a lot of UK local products (they are very expensive in Malaysia and I must pamper my stomach with all the good food) and learn to cook them for the first time.

8. Create a new blog and start writing it (since I'm so free now and must jot down my life experience in UK)

9. Start to take good care of myself - indulge in day cream, night cream and eye cream (I am too lazy to buy and use those in Msia)

10. Use all types of heaters (oil heater, halogen heater, convertor heater, fan heater - I think we almost bought all types of heaters available in the market already). Haha. Contradict to what Malaysians use - aircon. 

11. Train my body to sustain coldness. I can sustain any temperature above 5°C. I think I will 'melt' when I return to Malaysia.

12. Participate in various market research panel in United Kingdom and get rewarded with vouchers.

13. Become an experienced shopper aka explorer in Glasgow city centre (tell me what you want to buy and your budget, I will guide you to there). I am really good at this! 

I will achieve MORE this new year and change myself to a better person.


*Hopefully Year 2011 will be a better year for all of us*
 
Happy New Year!

Baked chicken thighs

Been in and out these few days for window shopping. Finally bought few things today. Feel so happy - bought few branded things at cheap prices. I thank God for giving me the chance to stay in overseas. I am one lucky girl cos I get the chance to go overseas and stay there with hubby.

As for my kitchen, my baking mode is off for the past few weeks and it is finally on now. I would like to share my baked chicken recipe - I like to bake this chicken as it is so easy. I just marinate it the night before and the next day, I can bake it straightaway.

One of my so-called signature dishes

Ingredients

800g chicken thighs or chicken wings
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soya sauce
2 tbs Shao Xing wine
1/4 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp onion
1/2 pepper


Method

1. Rinse the chicken thighs and pat them dry.
2. Marinate them with the rest of the ingredients in a container for overnight. Put inside the refrigerator.
3. The next day, pour them onto a tray and bake for 50 minutes at 180°C (turn over the chicken carefully using two forks after the first 30 minutes).
4. Serve it together with the remaining sauce from the tray.

Yummylicious ~