Green Tea Milk Loaf

No bread at home but want to eat bread with the pork floss I bought so how? Have to take out my breadmaker and start making bread. Since it's freezing cold over here and I'm too lazy to shape and prove my bread, the easiest way is to let the breadmaker do everything. Yeah, I don't want to wash the extra pan nor turn on my oven!



I decided to play around with the recipe again and turned this milk loaf bread into Green Tea flavor. This is the recipe I used because I'm out of heavy cream and I really like milk loaf. I used 1 whole egg instead of 35g of egg, what am I going to use with the leftover half an egg huh? I also used 2% fresh milk instead of skim. In addition, I also added 1/2 tsp. green tea powder and 1 tsp. bread improver. Set my breadmaker to Basic, Light Crust and 1.5 lb. and have my bread ready in 2.5 hours.



Not bad at all. It's soft and fluffy with green tea flavor. My girls ate half of the bread while it's still warm so only got five pieces left for tomorrow breakfast. By the way, I find cutting the bread is a challenge, when do you supposed to cut the bread, when it's still warm or when it's cool down completely? The bread is so soft so I basically have to squeeze the bread to cut it with my serrated knife when it's still warm (the side crust is still a bit hard so I can grab hold on it). I'm afraid when it's all soft I will have no way to slice it. So, I sliced my bread when it's still warm and put them in an air-tight container. When and how do you normally slice your bread?

Hmmm...should have used the timer so that I can wake up with a fresh loaf of bread huh?

Fried Fish Paste You Tiao

This is what happen when a craving strike! I really like the one that stuffed with sotong paste like commonly served in M'sia. But since I don't normally buy squids and also I think it's healthier with fish paste, I tried it out with the ready made fish paste. I seasoned the fish paste with sesame oil, white & black peppers and chopped scallion. Stuffed it in the you tiao and spread some sesame seeds on top and deep-fried until cooked.

Oh, do forgive my clumsy job with the mayonnaise! It's not supposed to be like this, supposed to be thin strips over and across the you tiao and made it really pretty. Little did I know that my mayo cap is the wide type and can't really do any pattern on it. Thus, look so ugly! LOL! My failed attempt on presentation. :P

When I tried it, only then I knew it's the wrong Mayo! Did they use the Japanese mayo in M'sia? Because it's certainly not the American mayo. The mayo served supposed to be on the sweet side and really compliment the fried you tiao well. Not the American mayo though, it just didn't suit and I resorted to eat it with the Thai sweet chili sauce instead. I was thinking either the Japanese mayo or they added honey or other stuff in the mayo. Anyone care to enlighten me?

It turned out crispy and good but it can be better with perhaps ground pork + shrimp paste. Fish paste is not as sweet in my opinion.

Here's to my last post of 2007. Tomorrow will be a new year to look forward to.

May the New Year brings us much joy, health and wealth!!

A Moment Captured!

I was busy preparing dinner and Edda came looking for me. She wanted me to carry her but I told her, mommy cannot carry you now because she needs to cook dinner, why don't you go where your daddy is. And when I turned around and I saw the scene below. I though what a moment and quickly grabbed my camera and took a few shots.

How sweet right?

I am really amaze at how much she understood me. Even though she only know how to say mama, papa, paopao (carry) and make the sound of lion roar, sometimes dog and cat but she can really understand me very well. Whatever I told her to do, she will do it for me. For example, when we were at my friend's A house, I was telling her Edda seem to understand what I said and to illustrate, I took out a jar and a cup from the playset and asked Edda to pour me some water (this was at 13 months). She would take the jar and pretend to pour the water in the cup and set the jar down. Then I told her to bring the cup for me and she did just that. How impressive was that for a 13 months old to do? My friend A said Edda is the most advance toddler she had ever seen, because not only she understood, she acted upon it with precision. I was like really, that's good to know. I was complaining that she hardly say much and then someone said the 2nd one would speak later because the 1st one tends to speak it on her behalf and thus making her least likely to talk. It does make sense or because this mommy didn't read for the 2nd one, that's why! *blush*

Edda, look here! As for daddy, need to censor a little bit....LOL!

Vertical Chicken Roaster

I wanted to show Beachlover my stand rack for roasting chicken. I bought this ages ago, probably with me for 10 years already and I have been using it to roast my chicken. So, not sure whether you can find this in the market these days because the one I have seen on the market now is the one Beachlover's got for herself.

With this, I have to use my own Pyrex pie plate, covered with foil for catching drips and easy cleaning. I also spray my rack before placing the chicken in for ease of cleaning too. I use my convection oven to roast my chicken and each time the skin of the chicken is crispy which my hubs loved. Since the chicken is standing up so the skin is crispy all over and making the chicken really tasty.

So, arm with this great tips, go buy a stand rack if you happen to see it. :)

Almond Mixed Fruit Scones

I made some cream scones again. I have a little of the heavy cream left and I wanted to use it before it expired. I remember this cream scones recipe is very easy and yummy, no beater needed, just a fork/spoon to mix the dry ingredients and lastly pour in the heavy cream (or use a food processor). Form a dough, cut and bake, very easy.



I added raisins and candied pineapples in my almond scones this time. Oh mine, this scones are just so delicious, so good when it was still warm and also very good when it's cold or days later (if it can last that long). I offered my hubby a piece when it was still warm, he refused to eat it. I was like this is a very tasty stuff, still he shakes his head, oh well more for me and the kids then. Guess what, he came home today and decided to try one, less than 3 minutes later he came out from the studies and took the whole container (only 2 left), I had to yell at him, you got to save one for me ya, don't finish all! LOL! It is that good, can even convert my hubby!

Pumpkin Cake

I happen to try some delicious store-bought pumpkin cakes at my friend's house recently which prompted me to make one myself. Since now is the season for pumpkin, the Libby's 15oz canned pumpkin is on-sales for $1 each. So, I grabbed some. After some research, I decided to try the Pumpkin Cake I posted at allrecipes.com.



The alternation that I made was I cut down the sugar to 2 cups. It turned out just nice for me, not overly sweet. I omitted the allspice because I don't have any and I also omitted the walnuts, easier for the kids to eat.


This cake is delicious, best eaten the next day when the crust has soften, easier to slice too. I store my cake in air-tight container.


Just want to show how moist and soft this pumpkin cake is! The spices are not too overpowering, just nice. A very festive cake indeed!


Lastly, while presenting you with this Pumpkin Cake, I want to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year! For those who don't celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays to you too! :)