Our Camping Trip (Part 2)

These two campsites had the best view of the lake, but not shaded all day long though.


Let's walked down to the lake.


The forest.


Finally the lake was in sight!


Beautiful blue sky and clear water!


So clear.


Lots of people fishing and boating too!


Let's have some fun!


Evy loved it! She kept saying the water was not cold.


Now, let's have some camping food! I wanted the meal to be easy to cook and delicious. Instant broccoli rice, low fat, low sodium SPAM and...


Fried eggs!


Enjoying their lunch.


Let's washed our hands.


Marshmallow dessert after dinner. Too bad hubby didn't take picture of our easy dinner of instant INA pan mee with fish balls and broccoli. Yum!


Rolling up her sleeves to wash her hands. Look at her marshmallow face!

In the end, it was a fun and relaxing trip. Both my girls loved it and they liked the camping food too. It was raining on our last night there, luckily it stopped for 3 hours just enough for us to have our dinner and some marshmallow treat for the kids before it started to rain into the night again. Hopefully we can do another camping trip before the summer end this year.

Our Camping Trip (Part 1)

After 3.5 years of camping hiatus, we finally geared up for our long awaited camping trip. It was Evy second time and Edda first. We love camping in the national forest where there was some distant between campers and lots of shades. This seem to be our favorite place to go camping as it had everything, a trail to a lake, lots of trees & shades, restrooms, fire pit, water supply and the basic necessity for a camper site. Now, I will let the pictures speak for itself.


Our campsite.


Lots of shades, it's shaded all day long.


The campground.


Our SUV was packed to the brim! This is what we called car loaded camping.


Inside the tent. Edda was happy sleeping in her Dora cushion bed.


Evy was helping me taking the water out from the truck.


Edda wanted to be a little helper too!


Enjoying their breakfast of apple juice and matcha castella cake.


Happy, happy!


Let's pose for the camera!


Trying to build a wood castle from the pile below.


Heeya! KungFu fighting jump!


I thought this was super cute!


Haha, now I could see you!

Stay tuned for part 2 when we walked to the lake and what's serving for our camping lunch!

Green Tea Castella or Matcha Kasutera

We were going away for a three days two nights camping trip and I wanted something easy to serve as breakfast. What easier than having two pieces of cake and a cup of instant 3 in 1 coffee or milk tea? Since I made the Castella cake earlier and we all loved it, that sponge cake was my easy picked. I read that the original Japanese sponge cake does not called for oil/butter/margarine so I was interested in experimenting. However, I was too careful to remove all the oil because I was afraid that it might be too dry thus I reduced half of the oil and some sugar. I added 1/2 tablespoon of green tea powder for a change too. Since I reduced the oil, I also tried the method mentioned in my previous post that was to place the cake in the refrigerator while still warm but I didn't brush the top with honey water (I didn't want it to be sticky).

The resulted cake had fine crumbs and more compact than my previous one. Still soft and light like a sponge cake with the tint fragrant of green tea. Still tasted good after reducing the oil.

POM Pomegranate Juice

My parents' house used to have a pomegranate tree and I remembered my siblings and I used to pluck the pomegranate fresh from the tree and eat it. It was fun time back then where all kinds of fruit tree can be found at my parents' yard and we just ate from what we grew. Pomegranate tree is very common is Asia where the weather is hot all year round. But when I moved here, it was pretty scarce and those carried in the supermarket can be quite pricey as it's hardly go on sales. Then, POM came along and made this 100% pure concentrated Pomegranate juice. For me, it is easier to drink the juice then eat the fruit itself (tedious don't you think?).

What is so wonderful about this Pomegranate juice is its' antioxidant potency, where better than green tea, cranberry juice, red wine, concord grape juice and blueberry juice. Not only that, it also proved in a $25 million scientific research that by drinking 8 oz. of 100% pomegranate juice daily, one can experience significant improvement in heart (increase blood flow, decrease arterial plaque, lower LDL oxidation), prostate and erectile health.

Thus far, the only brand that can guaranteed to contain 100% authentic pomegranate juice is POM Wonderful where they grow their own fruit, pick it by hand, squeeze it with their own proprietary presses and even manufacture their own bottles all the way in California's Sunny Joaquin Valley. Their juice is all-natural with no added sugars, preservatives, colors or cheap filler juices. I saw the interview on T.V. about POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice before but I forgot which station already. They definitely trying to create and raise awareness about this wonderful juice. I found this juice to be on the strong side so I had to dilute it with ices. Drink for our health ya!

Stir Fried Nai Pak (Asian Green) with Fish Balls

I had some leftover fish balls from my previous night noodle soup so what better way than to slice it up and cook with the veggie planned for the next day. Just sliced the fish balls into four pieces and added them in when stir-frying the veggie, as easy as that! I had some thinly sliced carrot for my napa cabbage so I just used that instead of cutting another carrot. For the real Chinese cooking, the carrot would be cut into a flower shape, or circle for better presentation of the dish. We are quite particular about the way we cut our ingredients, for even cooking and presentation, but for home cook food within my family, I won't care that much. :P

Castella Cake (Japanese Honey Sponge Cake)

Yup, my turn to make the Castella Cake (Japanese Sponge Cake). I was made aware of this cake because of the special ingredient used, honey! My hubby drink a glass of honey water before he goes out for his sport so I always have a bottle of honey at home. Honey Sponge Cake sounds good to me as I like the soft and spongy texture of sponge cake. I got the recipe from Notes From My Food Dairy and made a few changes to it. I just wanted to try the original taste of this cake before attempting other variation. Would certainly love to try the matcha flavor next time. The Castella Cake is all soft to goodness spongy. This cake has fine crumbs and very irresistible because it is so light and soft, I just want to eat more.

You can read more about Castella cake at Wikipedia here. I also found an extract here that is useful for my next attempt:

"In the meantime, mix together the 1 tablespoon of honey and a little hot water, to make a glaze.

As soon as the cake is out of the oven, brush the top with the honey-water mixture.

When it's cool enough to handle but still warm, lift it out of the pan, paper and all, and put into a plastic bag. Seal the bag and put into the refrigerator, for at least several hours. This step is critical to ensure the kasutera has a moist texture. If you let it cool to room temperature before putting it in the plastic bag, it will end up a bit dry." Extracted from Just Hungry. Cool tips ya! :) 

Seaweed Soup with Fish Balls, Tofu and Chicken

I was so happy I found another way to enjoy the Chinese seaweed. Before that I only know one way to enjoy the seaweed with eggs and dried anchovies. It is definitely a benefit for me when someone posted pictures of the food they eat while vacationing in Malaysia or Singapore. It gave me ideas or ways to cook a certain food that I have not thought of before. My hubby loved this type of seaweed, which I called Chinese seaweed instead of the Korean green seaweed. He just won't touch those at all. So, I was glad that I found another way of preparing this soup.

Cheesecake Cups

I loved to buy cream cheese when it was on sales, just for the "just in case" I need it moment. Then, often time because of my laziness, the cream cheese will left untouched. I really need to do something before the cream cheese past the expiration date and I found this mini cheesecake cups very easy. I used my roasted edamame cookies as base for these cheesecake cups, if you asked me, any round cookies would do. Then prepare an easy cheesecake mix and it was all set. I would recommend you to decorate the cheesecake cups as you desired as it will make it prettier and more presentable. ;) This is definitely an easy party dessert or treat for little kids. I like the bite size serving too!


Plain ones

Microwaved Ground Pork

While I was at a ladies gathering, I noticed that my girls loved this pork dish. Lily made this dish with a Chinese preserved vegetable and she told me it was very easy, just used the microwave or put it in the rice cooker 5 minutes before the rice is cooked. This is one familiar home cook dishes in Malaysian households as my mom used to make this dish too, along with the steamed eggs. You can also find it at the place where they sell porridge or economy rice. But for some reason, I just never make it, perhaps finding steaming takes too much time. Anyway, now I learned that it takes 4 minutes in a microwave, I have no reason not to make it anymore. Since I don't have the Chinese preserved vegetable, I substituted it with salted turnips/ "chai por" and used my seasonings since I couldn't remember what Lily told me already (she was busy cooking and spoke so fast that it just went in my right ear and came out my left ear, LOL!). Got to say, it turned out delicious and very flavorful. "Chai Por" is a very good substitute.

Spicy Stir Fried Shrimps

This dish is so simple yet delectable. Minimal seasonings required yet packed with flavors. I love to chew on the shell of these shrimps because that's the best part. Even my Evy who hardly eat shrimps asked for more. Edda who complaint too spicy finished her share after I told her to eat with white rice then it won't be too spicy anymore. :P If you have a bottle of Szechuan peppercorns at home, this will be a great way to use it. Can substitute the shrimps with chicken too.

Nyonya Chap Chai (Nyonya Mixed Vegetable)

This is a Nyonya style mixed vegetable which uses preserved bean paste. This dish is normally served during Chinese New Year and is associated with festive dishes. Since I have all the ingredients, I gave this dish a go (first time trying). My glass noodle disintegrated and almost melted following the recipe in the cook book (not sure brand of glass noodle plays a part or not). The taste did not come out well too and something was missing. In the end, I had to add a few more seasonings to bring out the taste and had to change the method in the cook book for my own record, so that one can still see the glass noodle once this dish is cooked. Believe it or not, I always refer back to my blog for my own recipes because most of the recipes I created out of the blue and often time I forgot what I put into the dish. So, these recipes are not only for my girls but for myself as well.

Tofu with Ground/Minced Pork Asian Style

This is one of the common household dishes. Most Malaysian Chinese families should have their own version. I cooked this dish often for my family and I was surprised I haven't posted this recipe before. This is a good one dish meal too but often time I would serve it with another Asian green with or without a chicken herbal soup. I often cook a minimum of two dishes, one make up of protein/seafood and the other of fiber and about 2 soups in a week, one is herbal, and the other one can be of anything.

Kai Chai Beng (Chicken Biscuits)

I love Kai Chai Beng or chicken biscuits, not sure why it is called that because no chicken is used in the recipe, but this cookie is crunchy and fulled of flavor. In Malaysia, we have two types of chicken biscuit, the fat variety (softer in texture) and the thin variety. Even though I like it but I never thought of making it myself because I don't buy Nam Yee. Then, on this recent trip to the Asian store, I spotted Nam Yee was on sales and it was placed in the front, so I just grabbed one, like it was calling me to pick it up. By the way, this chicken biscuit is different from the Western chicken biscuits that we see in the supermarkets.



Today, I am making the thin variety as I like it crunchy. I got the recipe from Lily's and I modified slightly to use what I have in the house. I cut down on the salt and added more dark soy sauce to compensate the honey that I substituted. The chicken biscuits turned out so crunchy and delicious, even my hubby could not stop snacking on it. Now I really have no reason to buy anymore since the homemade one is so good.

Chicken Sambal Balado

For some reason, Balado (an Indonesian sambal sauce) left an impression on me. I had some Chicken Bumbu Balado at a ladies gathering and I couldn't stop eating this dish. The sauce came in a bottle so it is on my next buying list. The next day, I saw Brinjal Balado at Gert's blog and she told me why buy when it is so easy to make at home. But you know me, I would still love to buy the sauce if I can but sadly I couldn't find it at my local Asian store. Frustrated, I IM Lily about it and she told it was like sambal tumis and asked me to make my own. I told her yeah it is like sambal tumis with added tomatoes but I don't buy tomatoes. But I know I can substitute it with ketchup, so here is my version of homemade chicken sambal balado with added red bell peppers, carrots and lemon grass. Next time I should add yellow onion or more shallots because it is so good with the sauce. Quite spicy too I might say!

Stir Fried Thin Spaghetti with Spam

Do you loved luncheon meat? We do as we grew up eating pan-fried luncheon meat. My mom used to pan-fried slices of luncheon meat, some sunny side up eggs and toasted bread for us to have as lunch. It was really a treat then because instead of the usual rice and dishes, we got to eat western food and with ketchup. As a kid, I was really looking forward to it. Now that I am older, I only buy SPAM luncheon meat, no more luncheon meat made in China for me anymore. Better yet, SPAM Lite where there is 50% less fat, 33% fewer calories and 25% less sodium and still tasted great, how cool is that? I stock up when it was on sales for $2 each, just for a day when I feel like cooking SPAM.

Today was the day as I have half a packet of leftover thin spaghetti and mee rebus sauce and a Presto Pasta Night event to catch. So, I sliced some carrots, washed some Chai Hsin (a Chinese veggie) and chopped some garlic to whip this up.

Banana Pineapple Cake

Banana and pineapple pair well together and I simply adore banana pineapple cake. I happen to have some leftover crushed pineapple and some banana at home so what a great way to use up my crushed pineapple and make this delicious cake. This cake would be our breakfast and afternoon snack. :)

Scrambled Eggs with Shrimps and Asparagus

Have you tried scrambled eggs with asparagus or asparagus omelet? Let me tell you, it is delicious. I happened to discover it by accident three plus years ago when I was trying to finish few asparagus left in my refrigerator. Now, I used it often to fry eggs. Try my omelet recipe here.

Ingredients:

• Asparagus, about 10, chopped
• 8 large shrimps, cut into small pieces, 4 in 1
• 1/2 carrot, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 cup of chopped cilantro (optional)
• 3-4 large eggs, beaten, season with soy sauce and white pepper
• 1 tsp. chicken stock granules
• Oil for cooking (olive or canola)

Method:

1. In a wok, heat up some cooking oil. When heated, add in garlic, fry a little while, add in shrimps. Cook until shrimp is almost cooked, add in chopped asparagus, carrot and chicken granules. Stir-fry until asparagus is cooked.

2. Add chopped cilantro (if used) in the seasoned beaten eggs, mixed well. Pour it on top of the asparagus and shrimps in the wok. Stir fry the eggs and mixture together until eggs are cooked. Serve hot.

Sweet Potatoes Sago Dessert

We loved this dessert. When the sweet potatoes is on sales in the supermarket, I will buy some to make this dessert for my family. It is like killing two birds in one stone. I get to enjoy the Chinese brown sugar with ginger drink with the super food sweet potatoes! I will cook a big pot and enjoy it for couple of days. A small bowl for afternoon snack and another one after dinner. Ha! I think I will gain a pound or two whenever I cook any Chinese dessert. :P

KangKong Belacan (马来风光)

I think all Malaysian adore this dish. It is served in almost all restaurants and we could never get tired of it. Kangkong is also called water convolvulus and it has an empty filling so Chinese called it 空心菜. I love to cook this dish in my short-cut version. So, sharing with you my short-cut version with ingredients easily available at the Asian supermarket.

Condensed Milk Pound Cake

I decided to try this cake because of the rave reviews. Also my fellow blogger friend did such a great job on this cake that it prompted me to try. Her cake texture was so fine and yummy looking, check it out here. Her recipe was in gram which I converted to cup to suit myself. My cake didn't turn out as fine texture as her, not sure what went wrong (maybe it's my conversion?). I did over bake this cake resulted in my middle sinking and a bit dry, which I checked at 32 minutes. So, I reduce the baking time for that size of loaf pan to 25 minutes. Just check the cake when you can smell the cake fragrant emits from the oven. Nevertheless, this cake tasted great with the fragrant of condensed milk. I will make this cake again.

Spicy Eggplant with Ground Pork

This is one of Malaysian favorite dishes. I love eggplant stir-fry with ground pork and in spicy chilies. Yet, my hubby dislike the taste and texture of eggplant, thus I haven't bought an eggplant for ages. However, recently while reading Rita's blog, she mentioned that to soften her eggplant, she just sprinkle it with some olive oil and salt and bake it in the oven. Now, why I haven't thought of that? I used to stir-fry the eggplant in oil to soften it and found it very oily because the eggplant will soak up all the oil. But with the new knowledge, I went to buy an eggplant. I had this dish for two days and it was yummy!

Nai Pak (Asian Green) with Albacore Tuna

This is definitely my East Meets West dish. I loved to buy canned tuna when it is on sales and keep it in my pantry. Canned tuna is high in omega 3 fatty acids and store well so it is one of the canned foods that I loved to keep in my pantry. Nai Pak is an Asian green that only available in Asian supermarket. I loved to buy this veggie for its vibrant green color leaves. This can be easily served as one dish meal with some brown rice for a healthy and nutritious meal. Looks kind of messy and not as appetizing isn't it? But trust me, it tasted good.

Roasted Edamame Cookies

This is the cookie I invented while making my green pea cookies. While making that cookies, I remembered I still have half a bottle of dry roasted Edamane in my pantry. This is definitely a great way to finish my roasted Edamane as this cookie is delicious, way better than munching the roasted Edamane alone. This is an Asian Chinese style cookie. The cookie is very delicate and when you bite into it, it is crunchy with bits of Edamane and yet it has the melt-in-the-mouth feel. Sooooo good! Now, I am going to use my unfinished roasted Edamane to make this delicious cookies, it will make such a great gift for my healthy friend too. If you love dry roasted Edamane, you will love this cookie, go ahead give it a try! :) My girls and I totally loved this cookies.

Everything In Soup

Are you wondering why I named this soup Everything In? For pure simple reason because we needed to go away for a 4 days vacation to South Dakota and I needed to clear my fridge. I had some tofu leftover, half open canned of button mushroom, some leftover baked chicken breast and a packet of Enoki mushroom that won't keep long in the refrigerator, so I just dumped everything in a pot of chicken stock. I added a canned of corns, a bundle of "Tang Hoon" (vermicelli) and 2 beaten eggs. I also thicken the soup with potato starch and tada, a bowl of yummy and feeling soup to last us for a day. So good for cold weather too!


Closer look of my ingredients.

I made similar soup before which was named Golden Prosperity Soup by a reader. I made that for Chinese New Year.

Rice Dumplings/ Zongzi

Zongzi is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival which falls on the fifth day of the Fifth month of the Chinese calender. You can read more about it here. I decided to make Hokkein Bak Chang this year (Meat Dumplings) as it was easier to prepare for me. All items ready for wrapping. I added dried scallops with my dried shrimps this year. The other ingredients were Chinese dried chestnuts, Chinese dried mushrooms, 5-spices pork and for my glutinous rice I added mung beans in it.


Nicely wrapped waiting for boiling. For the rice that was soaked overnight, the boiling time was only 1.5 hours. However, I didn't prepare enough rice, so I had to use the glutinous rice that was not soaked and for that the boiling time took 3.5 hours.


Zongzi that was done and ready to be served.


The inside was packed with ingredients. I didn't make Zongzi last year and I sort of lost my touch because my Zongzi turned out not salty enough. Luckily it can be saved by sprinkle some salt on top before serving. Enjoy and Happy Duan Wu Jia!