Baked Sea Scallops

I saw this recipe at Big Boys Kitchen and decided to give it a try since I just bought some sea scallops. I have not try steaming scallops before so this easy method really interest me. However instead of steaming, I just baked it in the oven because this is easiest as I don't have to wash the steamer. :P I was contemplating of whether to steam it in the oven or bake it and ended out baking this little babies.


Ready to bake in the oven.


All ready to be eaten!

I baked mine in preheated 450'F oven for 8-10 minutes. Do not overcook the scallop as it would get tough.

Thanks to chef. Steven as now I found a new and healthier way to enjoy the sea scallops. :o)

What Do You Think About Me Tag!

I got a tag from SueSue and she wanted to know what I think about her. :o)

A) LIST OUT THE TOP 5 PRESENTS YOU WISH FOR :-

1. A happy and healthy life.
2. Love from hubby and daughters til the end.
3. Travel around the world.
4. Spending more time with girlfriends.
5. Get to see my parents and siblings more often.

B) THE PERSON WHO TAGGED ME IS: SueSue

C) YOUR 5 IMPRESSIONS OF HIM/HER:

1. Tired of her current job.
2. Mom who loves her kids very much.
3. She value her time spent with her girlfriends.
4. She is a great cook.
5. She loves to bake when she has time.

D) MOST MEMORABLE THINGS HE/SHE HAS GIVE/DONE FOR YOU
-Put me in her blog roll. :o)

E) THE MOST MEMORABLE WORDS HE/SHE SAID TO YOU
-Not yet I guess.... :P

F) IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR LOVER, YOU WILL
- No thank you, not into lesbian. LOL!

G) IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR ENEMY, THE REASON WILL BE
- Don't foresee it in the future. :o)

H) PASS THE QUIZ TO 5 PEOPLE THAT YOU WISH TO KNOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT YOU :

1. V's East Meets West Kitchen
2. Lily's Wai Sek Hong
3. Daily Affairs
4. Daphne- More than Words
5. Saucing Around, Jo's Deli

Addictive Chocolate Clusters

If you want a quick and easy yummilicious little snack for your afternoon tea, this is it! So easy to prepare and yet so satisfying and scarily additive. You will gain pounds with this cookie if you don't have self-control, so beware! ;o) This chocolate clusters is chocolaty, crunchy from the cornflakes and slight chewiness from the raisins with hint of peanut butter. Mmm...Mmm...so good!

Cream Cheese Bread Take 2

Tried this bread again using whole wheat flour, brown sugar and added raisin. Using my breadmaker whole wheat bread function. Total cook time was 3 hours 40 minutes. When I peep into it around 2 hours, I had a nice round doom on top of the bread. Not sure why it sank down when it's time to bake? Perhaps I forgot to reset the setting, this was baked at 2lb and medium color instead of 1.5lb and light color setting. I only realized my mistake 30 minutes into the cycle and it was too late to do anything then.




The texture of this bread was again very soft but dense. Will attempt again with dough function to see whether it will provide me with a better looking and fluffy loaf of bread. This bread remains soft up to three days.

Original recipe taken from here.

My Twist on Macaroni & Cheese

I was left with half a packet of cream cheese from making cream cheese bread. Thought of making cream cheese soup but I was out of milk. So, I put it in my macaroni & cheese! I was really happy with the result. Delicious!

Toadally Awesome Award

I received another award from Rainbows. Thanks sister! :o) And according to her this award is awarded to the blogger(s) who left me the most comments. Or my frequent visitors who always leave me comment. This is the time to tell you, YOU ARE TOADALLY AWESOME!!!

Daphne- More than Words

Daily Affairs

Tigerfish - Teczcape

V's East Meets West Kitchen

Beachlover's Kitchen

Retno's Kedai Hamburg, Germany

Big Boys Oven

The Art and Science of Food

Cream Cheese Bread

I first saw this cream cheese bread at Peony's blog. And according to her, this bread is really soft and fluffy just like the Hokkaido Milk Loaf. And since I have all the ingredients at home, I told her I'm going to give this a try soon. Why mine turned out looking like that? Oh well, I decided to experiment with the ExpressBake function on my bread machine. It means the bread will be ready in 58 minutes as compared to the usual 3-3.5 hours.



Original recipe is taken from here. I replaced the bread flour with whole wheat flour. I got to say this bread is really soft but mine turned out not as fluffy, perhaps because I used the ExpressBake function? That taught me, one can't really rush the process of bread making. As with ExpressBake, it really didn't provide enough time to prove the bread, and thus my bread looking like the above. Nevertheless, I am going to make more bread using this recipe, but with the normal bread and dough functions. Just to see the difference (in texture and look). :o)

Malaysian Should Watch This!

Watch this video and this video before you go in to vote! Or go to YouTube and watch video clips from dapkl.


"Go VOTE!"

I can't vote but you can, so do your part and vote for a better Malaysia and equality to all Malaysian.

Broccolini

You can read all about Broccolini at Tigerfish's blog here. I first saw this veggie at her blog and thought this veggie looked divine. While I was doing my grocery shopping recently, I spotted this broccolini was on-sales as Manager's Pick of the week. So, I quickly grabbed this opportunity to try out this new breed of veggie.



Coincidentally, I cooked this just like how Tigerfish cooked her. Guess great mind thinks alike huh? LOL! Anyway, after trying this broccolini, I still prefer my HK kailan. Not sure whether I undercooked it or the veggie a bit old because it was quite tough on the stem (fibrous?). I paid $1.50 for what you see above but normally I think it is priced around $3.50. At that price, I can buy a big bag of kailan already.

Just for fun

I saw this while browsing through Camemberu's blog and decided to play along, just for fun, if you tried it, post it in your blog ya!

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Chocolate Pull-Apart Sticky Buns

Have you ever tried to reinvent a recipe on your own and it turned out great? I was checking my e-mail and came across an ad. from Pillsbury.com, clicked on it and got inspired by their Grands Cinnamon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake. I think I have seen this kind of coffee cake before and thought that it's really interesting but never attempted in making it. What got me into the baking mood was I did have a can of refrigerated biscuits sitting in the refrigerator.



So, I said to myself why not since my mind already racing through the ideas of how I should get it done and thus that was no stopping me. Since I was tailoring to my kids taste bud, I decided to use cocoa powder instead of cinnamon powder, made it into a mini version and pray for the best.



The finished product looked great! You just pull it apart piece by piece to savor it. Oh man, the crust was toasty and the inside was soft and it's chocolaty and sweet, I just fell in love with it.


Want a piece?

Since this is such a delectable and easy recipe, I'm going to share it with you here. I hope you will fall in love with this recipe too. My version is not as sweet as the American version but just sweet enough for our Asian taste bud. Great for breakfast coffee or an afternoon tea, even unexpected guests since it's so easy to prepare and screams Eat Me! Eat Me!

White Peppered Pork

I tried Cooking Ninja's White Peppered Pork some time back. Made one change. Instead of pork slices, I used ground pork. I made it into thin patties and pan-fried it until cooked. Looks like pork slices right? If I didn't say, would you know it's made from ground pork?

Verdict: Not bad at all. Thanks Cooking Ninja for sharing. :o)

House Brand: Chinese Mabo Tofu Sauce

I decided to product testing this House brand of Mabo Tofu sauce. I actually got to sample this at H-Mart last year and thought it tasted pretty good. I didn't buy it then but two weeks ago while I was grabbing some Jap. curry, I decided to grab two of this to try.

Verdict: Not as good as I remember. It's only so-so and not hot at all. My little Edda finished everything I put on her plate, she ate it just like that with a little rice. Good thing is my girls can eat this kind of mabo tofu. If you asked me to cook my own, it will sure be too spicy for them.

Shhh...P, if you are reading this, it's better to buy the LKK hot bean sauce instead of this, cheaper that way.

*Verdict is by my own opinion*

CNY Gift from a Friend :o)

Less Sweet Teh Tarik 3 in 1 and Pandan Kaya.


Assortment of Delicious Looking ChanHong Brand Products. BTW, I loved this brand!


OK, this is my favorite group because I'm a cookies & snack junkie!! Can't wait to try the Beloved Biscuit because it looks so different. But first of all, need to open the Chicken Biscuit now!


Hmmm...first time seeing this type of Chicken Biscuit! Had a bad experience with the previous chicken biscuit that I ordered from myTOA.


So fat fat one!


WOW! I Loved it! I loved this type too, very fragrant and even my hubby gave a thumb up. Ok, only got six in a packet, so order more if you like this biscuit. Hubby said, "3 for me and 3 for you". I said, " Then what about the kids?" LOL!




Thank you so much for your generous gift. You got the heart, we got the tummies! :P

For my readers, you can always order it online at myTOA.com. Just a click away to sample all these M'sian goodies yourself at home! ;o)

Butter Cornflakes Cereal Shrimps

Ingredients:

15 large shrimps, deveined
Cornstarch to coat the shrimps before deep-frying
4 Tbsp. butter

(A)
3-5 bird eye chilies, sliced
A handful of curry leaves (omit this if you can't find it)

(B)
1 cup of cornflakes, lightly crushed
3 Tbsp. non-dairy creamer (powder form)
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chicken stock granules (add more salt if omit this)
Dash of white pepper

Method:

1. Measure and mix (B) in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Coat the shrimps with cornflour and deep-fry in hot oil until golden and cooked. Dish out and set aside. Throw away the oil.

3. Heat wok, add in the butter, stir til it melted and add (A). Fry til fragrant. Then add (B), stir continuously to mix (be careful not to burn the creamer) and add the shrimps. Mix well and dish out to serve. Enjoy!

This dish is spicy from the chili and infuse with the fragrant of butter, curry leaves & milk and crunchy bite from the cornflakes and a tad sweet from the sugar, definitely worth a try!

Steamed Pandan Cassava Kuih

I made this for a party and it was well received.  I was thinking instead of the baked cassava kuih that we were used to, I wanted to try a steam version.  The steamed version was not bad too and easy to make.  You can also make this with gula Melaka/ palm sugar for a different fragrant, color and taste instead of using pandan paste.

Tagged: Before I was a Mom and An Award!

I got this meme from East Meets West Kitchen. Here it goes.

The rule to the e-mail was that, once you have been hit, you have to hit 5 pretty Moms, including the one who thought of you today & sent it to you. The idea is that if you get hit again, You will know you are really pretty!

So I thought lets just turn this into a tag instead. But that “hit” part won’t work very well in a tag. So instead of giving a “hit” to the one who tag you, you add your name at the bottom of the tagged persons list, and without bumping the person at the top or bumping anyone off and let the list grow. Hit 5 pretty moms on your list to let them know they are pretty!

Before I was a mum; I went to the cinema with my hubby every other weekend.

Before I was a mum; I had ladies day/night out.

Before I was a mum; I shopped for myself.

Before I was a mum; I didn't know I am going to be a strict mom!

Before I was a mum; I got to go to the toilet alone.

Before I was a mum; I always wonder what our life would be like with kids.

*Hope I didn't scare anyone to become a mom! LOL! Seriously, it's rewarding and fun too!*

The first chain of tag:

1. Lovelymummy
2. Pek Imm
3. Momisodes
4. Ling that’s me
5. Janicepa
6. AnnieQ
7. Allthingspurple
8. Montessorimum
9. clumsy mommy
10. Sandra
11. KittyCat
12. VivianZ
13. Sweetpea
14. Sasha
15. Giddy Tiger
16. Wen
17. Jo-N
18. Janice Ng
19. ViEmwk
20. Little Corner of Mine

I would like to tag the following pretty moms :
Cocoa-Masakan Istimewa
Ling's Passion
Retno's Kedai Hamburg, Germany
Baking Fiends Unite!
Beachlover's Kitchen


~:AWARD:~

I totally agree with her 'peace above love', but then again you have to love in order to find peace. If everyone can 'love thy neighbour as thyself' ( Leviticus 19:18) as the scripture says, there will not be wars in the world.

I received this Peace award from Singarishgirl. Thanks girl! :* And I would like to pass it to:

Lily's Wai Sek Hong

Soy and Pepper

Beachlover's Kitchen

Cocoa-Masakan Istimewa

Chap Goh Meh, 2008 Dinner

My last day of CNY dinner spread. I told my hubby I'm going to cook something special tonight to celebrate the last day of CNY. I added one more dish into my usual two dishes.


Steam fish fillets, nothing special, I cooked this all the time, but this is one of my hubby's favorites.


Stir-fry Sweet Snap Peas with Chinese Mushroom, Baby Bamboo Shoots and Carrots. Hmm... I cooked this all the times too but not in this combination.


Butter Cereal Shrimps. Ha! this is something special as I normally don't cook so much shrimps for ourselves (I always sanction 3-4 for me and 4-5 for him, just want to be in moderation). But since this is the last day of CNY and it was my first time cooking butter cereal shrimps from scratch, what the heck right? Better enjoyed it! My hubby was actually shocked and asked me how many shrimps did you cook? HAHAHA.... So, I had to explain to him and also tell him don't expect any shrimps from me next week. So, we indulged! I will share my version of Butter Cereal Shrimps recipe in another post, if you want my recipe, stay tuned! :P If cannot wait, just do a search on Google lah, so many recipes on the net wat. :D

Sweet Red Beans + Tang Yuen Soup

Time flies, it's already the end of CNY. Today is the last day of CNY where we called it "Chap Goh Mei", the 15th day. Usually people will have a feast on this day and eating tang yuens to signified "tuan tuan yuen yuen", or togetherness, unity in the new Lunar year.

Since I wanted something different from my usual brown sugar ginger syrup, I made red bean soup to go with it. Added some mini tapioca pearls, dried orange peels and glutinous rice as well.



Also reserved some to eat with my favorite peanut + sugar coating. Evy really loved it, she "sapu" (finished) all below, asked for more and later ate her daddy share!! I think I managed to eat three balls only! Later I served her the red bean soup with tang yuens and she finished all the tang yuens in the bowl and asked for more but left the red bean soup basically untouched.



I am glad that I got to meet all my girlfriends this CNY. :) Extra big hug to V for purposely drove all the way down to "pie nian" with me, I am really touched and it showed what a great girlfriend she is. Wait for me to make the "kuih kapit" okay? :D

Dinner Feb 13th, 2008

One of my special CNY dinners.


Soup with bamboo fungus, dried beancurd sheet and enoki mushroom.


My "Mung Kwan Char" (stir-fry jicama). Not "Ju Hur Char" because no dried squid was used. This is a traditional CNY dish for us but I slightly adapted it my way. This dish is delicious and tastes better the next day. We used to eat it wrap in lettuce, with a piece of baked chicken and spread with homemade chili sauce (sambal), wrap it and enjoy! Delectable! I'm traditional like that, I need to eat my "mung kwan char" every CNY.


Emperor Baked Chicken. My house smelled absolutely divine when this chicken was baking.


Can see the crispy skin or not? Baked with my vertical roaster stand. Tigerfish, here's the pictures I promised you. Moist and juicy chicken with crispy skin, my hubby's favorite!

London Almond Cookies

Cooling on rack.


Covered with white chocolate and sprinkles.


Covered with semi-sweet chocolate and almond bits.

I saw this cookies at Rainbows and it really got me interested. I have not seen this kind of CNY cookies before because I have been living in the States for a very long time. Thus, I only familiar with the traditional CNY cookies. Luckily, I know how to bake and can always make whatever cookies that strike my fancy. So, here is it, my first ever London Almond Cookies. As I was lazy, I melted the chocolate using the microwave and perhaps that's why my melted chocolate was fairly thick and it won't spread nicely like the one in Rainbow's blog. She said the skill of making this cookie is in melting the chocolate. Guess I can't really do a short-cut if I wanted my cookies to look like her. Tastewise, no different but for the presentation itself, huge difference. LOL! :P

Verdict:
This cookies is on the sweet end, as the white chocolate is sweet. However, this easily can be any children favorite, but very messy when given to toddlers.

Baked Red Bean Nian Gao

I decided to make this red bean nian gao to bring to Lily's party and to serve at my party. This recipe was shared by Lin, and it is so worth a try. Thank you Lin for sharing this fantastic recipe. :*



This is seriously good. Tasted so much better with the added red bean, I will make this again next year. Oh yeah, have you spotted my mistake yet? I forgot to swirl the red bean paste around the batter when I dropped it in and thus some part had red bean while other didn't. Not pretty too but look can be deceiving! ;) Anyway, I learned from my mistake. 

Tagged: 10 Things about Little Corner of Mine

I got tagged by Daphne to do this meme: 10 Things about Me.

1. Little Corner of Mine loves to : travel.

2. Little Corner of Mine hates to: socialize (homegirl by choice).

3. Little Corner of Mine loves to: hang around with best friends.

4. Little Corner of Mine hates to: clean the bathroom.

5. Little Corner of Mine loves to: try new recipes, either cooking or baking.

6. Little Corner of Mine hates to: cook everyday. (Thus I'm having days off)

7. Little Corner of Mine loves to: cuddle her daughters.

8. Little Corner of Mine hates to: do laundry.

9. Little Corner of Mine loves to: spend more time with her parents and siblings.

10. Little Corner of Mine hates to: live so far away from Malaysia.


Now, I would like to tag:

V's East Meets West Kitchen
Ling's Passion
Big Fish
Tigerfish - Teczcape
Cocoa-Masakan Istimewa

Remember to link back to me when you do the tagged ya.

My Yi Lu Fa Cai

This is my copycat dish of Chef. Steven "Hou See Fatt Choy". I added some wolfberries for extra color effect. Whether it's a good idea or not, I don't know but wolfberries is good for us, so why not? Why I didn't name mine "hou see fatt choy" you might asked. That's because I couldn't find any dried oyster here. Nada...not one in sight. So, have to make mine without the dried oyster and gave it a new name which I read at Tigerfish's blog. This is the dish I brought to Lily's house.



Does this dish looks appertizing to you? I would really love to know because my hubby thinks this dish is soooo unappealing that he didn't even bother to try one. *Sorta pissed to learn later that he didn't even bother to try one of my CNY dish creation because to him it looks unappertizing, my own hubby!* You tell me!

Lastly, I want to wish my readers a "Happy Valentine's Day" !
Hubby wants to bring us out for dinner and so no cooking for me. :)