Creamy Macaroni Cheese

we went to the Alexandra Fire Station two Saturdays ago with some friends and their kids. lunch was nearby at the Disney Cafe in Anchorpoint. everything there is Disney theme. the pizza came in mickey shape. Matthew had macaroni cheese and we gave Jo some. Both of them loved it, so i decided to try and make it last weekend. Not bad, but a little too creamy. M even ate all the vege i added.

Creamy Macaroni Cheese
1/2 cup macaroni
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp flour
broccoli
cauliflower
button mushroom
1 cup milk
60g cheddar cheese, grated

1. Cook macaroni, following directions on packaging. Add broccoli and cauliflower to cook in the same pot. Drain and put aside.
2. Melt butter in a oven-proof pot on a stove. Quick-fry the mushroom.
3. Add flour, stirring, creating a roux. Stir in milk to create a creamy base.
4. Add macaroni and vege, stirring well.
5. Add 2/3 of the grated cheese. Mix well.
6. Place in 180oC oven for 20min. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Serve hot.

Yummy Nonya Kaya

i found this Nonya Kaya receipe from a food blog by a NTU undergraduate. simple enough, so i decided to make Kaya tonight. i don't have a breadmaker, so i used the traditional over-the-stove method. because i'm a very careless and impatient person, it has to be double boil method, so that i won't burn the bottom! wahahahaa...

conclusion, it tasted just like how my 外婆 used to make it when we visited her in JB many many years ago. as i was stirring my kaya, i was reminiscing those times. i'm going to ask my uncle to bring home a bottle for her, with a big ang pow for CNY.



Yummy Nonya Kaya
1 cup or 250ml coconut milk
1 cup or 250ml egg, beaten (approx 4 eggs)
3/4 cup sugar
10-15 pandan leaves

1. Wash, dry and tie the pandan leaves in bundles (or alternatively use Pandan juice, see below).
2. Put all ingredients into a stainless steel pot placed over a bigger pot with tap water (double boil method).
3. Heat up till water is boiling. Allow the water to continue boiling over a small flame. Top up water if necessary. Stir the kaya mixture continuously. This will take up to almost an hour.
4. Kaya will be curdy and watery. Allow to cool before blending. Store in glass jars.
5. Enjoy Kaya on a slice of toasted bread with butter. Yummy!

i used my stick blender (Braun MR4050), so i could actually blend the kaya right in the pot while it's still hot.

pandan juice - blend 10-15 pandan leaves (cut into small pieces) with just enough water to cover the leaves in the blender. strain using a sieve.

Cupcakes

I bought a TupperChef fryer on offer recently. This fryer is good as you can actually bake over the gas stove (which would be cheaper than electricity). It has been a long time since I baked cakes. Reason being I'm not a very patient person and making cakes need patience and time, so for most times, my cakes failed. I prefer to make muffins, as it's such a simple method of mixing the wet ingredients with the dry ones.

I was inspired by some blogs I read last night, so in the wee hours of 1-2am, I was in the kitchen baking cupcakes! I had to close all the doors so that my cake mixer won't wake the kids up. The quantity was not a lot and it was much easier to control the consistency of the mix. I guess with my experience in muffins, I was able to know if I added too little flour or if I needed more liquid.



Easy Cupcakes (adapted from DianasDesserts.com)
makes 6 jumbo or 9 std

1/2 cup plain flour, sift with baking powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 cup or 30g butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 egg, beaten
1/4 (8oz) carton plain yogurt or sour cream
1/4 cup rasins

1. Preheat oven to 180oC. Line muffin cups with paper cups.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter on high speed for 30sec. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well mixed. Add beaten egg, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in flour mixture and yogurt alternately and finally fold in the rasins.
3. Spoon batter to fill up to 1/4 cup. Bake in preheated oven about 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove from oven and cups and allow to cool completely.

Sandy's Baked Rice

This is one-dish meal which I cook / bake very often. It's nutritious and tasty and the whole family can eat. The method of cooking is standard and you can throw all sorts of ingredients into the dish. Here's my 1st version...

SANDY'S BAKED RICE I - enough for Matthew and Jo
Carrot, chopped
Shimeiji Mushroom, chopped
Broccoli, chopped
Cauliflower, chopped
Minced chicken or small pieces cod-fish
1/2 cup rice
1-1/2 cup stock or water
Shredded cheddar cheese, if desired
Olive Oil

1. Add olive oil to a heated saucepan.
2. When the oil is hot, add carrot and mushroom. Stir fry till moist (the moisture comes from the mushroom).
3. Add some stock to the saucepan. Allow the stock to boil.
4. Add meat and allow the meat to cook before adding rice.
5. Stir fry rice and add remaining stock and veggie to the saucepan.
6. Turn down the flame to small and allow the rice mixture to simmer till almost dry. Stir occassionally, taking care that the base does not burn.
7. Transfer the rice mixture to a ceramic baking dish or a corningware. Cover with foil and bake at 200oC for 20-30min, till almost dry.
8. Remove from oven and spread shredded cheddar chesse on the rice, if desired.
9. Serve warm.

Notes
* Qty of ingredients as desired.
* Minced garlic and/or shallots may be included.
* I prefer to use shimeji mushroom as they are small and I just use scissors to cut them into small pieces.
* Based on my experience, for 2 adults and 2 kids, rice quantity would be 1-1/2 cup and water/stock quantity would be 4-1/2 cup. For baked rice, liquid qty would be 3x rice quantity.

Cheddar Cheese Muffins

This was my 1st attempt baking savoury muffins. We've bought some before from the shops and thought it was quite nice. My go at it turned out quite well. I modified from this original recipe i found online and halved the quantity. Here goes...



CHEDDAR CHEESE MUFFINS - makes 6 jumbo or 9 std
7/8 cup or 100g plain flour (preferably sifted)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 small egg
1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup or 30g butter, melted (can also use olive oil)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 or 9 small cubes cheddar cheese (quantity depends on how many muffins you are making)

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and shredded cheese ; mix well. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
2. In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and melted butter; add to the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin tins 1/3 full, place a small cube cheddar cheese, then spoon to two-thirds full.
3. Bake at preheated 180°C for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack, before removing muffins from tins.

Notes
* you may need a higher temperature and longer time for bigger ovens, do watch the muffins during 1st attempt, this is my ideal temperature and duration for most of my muffin recipes.
* You may "sprinkle" some shredded cheese on the muffins after removing from the oven.

Love for cooking... cooking for love

One of the greatest joys is to cook for my loved ones, namely my hubby Mike, my son Matthew and my little gal Joanne.

Mike's not particular about what he eats, but I do enjoy putting food on the table for him.

Matthew hates veggie, like most kids, so each weekend I would try to come up with new ideas to add veggie to his food. He has a very sharp tongue and we can't "hide" veggie in his food, he knows!

Joanne is not quite 1 year old, so for her I can't add seasonings into her food. She has yet to reject the food I put in her mouth, but she doesn't like food that she can't chew. The best is to be able to cook something which I can feed both Matthew and Joanne.

So what about me? I'm not really particular about what I eat, but I love fishballs and Japanese food.

Why this blog? Many mommy friends from Mar07 thread on the Singaporemotherhood.com forum asked me for recipes, especially those for babies. I would be very happy to share, but not just those recipes for babies, but also for toddlers and adults.

HAPPY COOKING! :)