Happy Birthday Mum!!!

Mum is getting older, and she's gonna reaching her 50s in a few years time.
Today is her special day, she is one year older.
Bet she must be enraging if she knew what I'm saying about her.


That's true. No matter how much you lie about your age, trying as hard not to let the others know about it, deep in heart you still know that time doesn't wait for people.



I always place this sentence in my heart, "Cherish the people around you when they're still around".


As for her birthday this year, I spent S$100+ for her present that included a shirt and a set of skincare products for her hyperpigmentation.
You may think that S$100+ is a little peanut. Mind you, I was penniless and up to the extent that I'm indebted. No matter what, to make them feel the presence of happiness and warmth from family, money is not be part of any consideration.


Pictures of euphoria

Thanks to Meng gor for the Bakerzin's blackforest cheesecake and tiramisu!

Preparing to light up the candles

Singing Birthday song

With chen and Edmund

Laiyi and cousin Chen Chen

I love you Mum!

Pumpkin cheese spring 'square'

I told my mum that I'll come up with something creative for yesterday's dinner and she was quite doubtful about it. Ya, that's the mindset of my parents who think that youngsters can't really make it for cooking nowadays.
To prove to her that the younger new generation are equally capable and competent, I cracked my brain hard to come up with a new dish.

At the same time, I do feel sick and tired from the same dishes everyday and to come up with something new and creative has what I always wanted to do.


Mum had bought plenty of pumpkins home and I was thinking what I can come up with it.
Rummaging the fridge, I found a packet of frozen spring roll pastry (which mum bought it for the sake of buying it) and a leftover mozarella cheese.


There's the creativity came in. The combination of pumpkins, cheese and breadcrumbs ( gives the extra crispiness) wrapped with spring roll gives a perfect match! This recipe is also smashing easy!


Recipe

• 1 packet of defroze spring roll pastry
• 1 packet of mozarella cheese ( or cheese of your choice)
• 1 packet of breadcrumbs
• half a pumpkin, sliced
• enough oil for deep-frying

1. Heat up oil at medium heat.
2. Place one piece of pumpkin on the center of the pastry, topped with cheese and breadcrumbs.
3. Fold the edges of the pastry to the center, enfolding the toppings.
4. Deep-fry the pumpkin cheese spring squares till golden brown.
5. Serve warm!

Dad extoled that it was a ingenious way to handle this dish since the spring roll pastry allow longer time before the pastry soften and lose its crispiness. The alternative way of coating with batter will be soggy after they're cooled to room temperature.

Chunks of pumpkin cheese spring square!

The pumpkin is soft yet not too mashy.

You can be more generous with the cheese to create a cheese melting out effect!

I L-O-V-E pizza!

Visiting pizza hut has been our family's joyous and anticipated moment, and we never miss to order our all-time favourite- The Hawaii Pizza!


I've been hooked on to the simple yet delicious hawaiian pizza ever since my childhood.
I'll always remember my mum bringing me to the nearest shopping centre at Holland road after  chinese dance to have a fufilling pizza meal at Pizza Hut, and we'll always order Hawaiian pizza.
All that was nostalgic, the shopping centre undergo renovation and the place where I had pizza for the first time was no longer there. * Sad *


I was greatly influenced by my family's lifestyle, I acquiesce to the way my parents bring me up, which includes the types of food they like. Over the time, what has been their favourite, has also become mine.
As I grow up, I tried other types of pizza but  none can replace my fondness for Hawaiian pizza.


However, all of the above was empty talk as I'd tried out different type of pizza.
Initially, I wanted to make Hawaiian Pizza but I was prompted by my mum that there was leftover fish paste which she bought to make noodles.


To clear up her leftover, I added it to my pizza, and this led to the creation of a unique pizza.
 I named it as "Landing in a sea" pizza. You'll know the reason why I named it this way later.


Recipe ( make one large 8" pizza)

Pizza dough:

• 2 cup bread flour
• 2 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup water

Toppings:

• 4 sausages, thinly sliced
• 200g fish paste (marinated with salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and parsley flakes)
• 1 large onions, chopped
• 3 garlics
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 packet of mozarella cheese/grated parmesan

For dough

1. Mix 2 tbsp warm water to yeast, and let it stand for 5 mins.
2. Sift flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and stir in yeast mixture.
3. Add in olive oil and water.
4. Mix till all ingredients combined and start kneading till the dough get smooth and elastic. (It'll be sticky in the beginning).
5. Proof dough for 1 hour or till it doubles in size in a warm place with a damp cloth covered on top. ( I placed it in my heat-off oven)
6. Punch dough to release air. Shape dough into round ball and let it rest at room temperature for 5-10mins.
7. Roll the dough into adequate thickness and rest it on the baking pan for 30mins (second proofing).
8. Punch the dough lightly and brush on olive oil to the surface.

For topping

1. Spread on tomato paste and sprinkle with pre-stir fried onions, garlic, marinated fish paste and sliced sausages to the top.
2. Sprinkle generously with cheese on top and sent in preheated oven at 180C for 15-20mins.

Doubled in size dough

I used the foccacia method to imprint 'dimples' to my dough, I added in breadcrumbs to increase the texture while tasting.

Spreaded with tomato paste

Fish meat with sausages- Landing in a sea ( land = chicken sausage, sea = fish paste)

Sprinkled with bounteous amount of cheese. Hmm, I love cheese!

Vegetarian pizza- without meat

For the meat lovers!

Soft bread and crunchy top!

Pizza hut's pizza crust always have the buttery taste and I was inspired by it after nomming on my less-buttery version. This went straight away to my mind that I should have rub in butter after mixing all the ingredients for my dough at the first place! Why didn't I think of that?!

 * Disheartened*

I'll improve on my recipe and suceed on a real imitation of pizza from pizza hut soon!

Btw, I really want a food processor for my dough. After looking at bloggers that made their own dough with FP, I was drew over by it.

Simply with a FP, a dough can be made in 1 min as compared to the hand knead that requires more than 10mins.

 It's so energy and time consuming!

Oh gosh! I really feel that my 2 'little mouse' on my arm are growing bigger!

I went to Harvey Norman to look for a FP earlier this morning, and I landed my eyes on a Philips HR 7620 FP that cost $107.

I got moody when I was thwarted by my mum whom insisted that I shouldn't be impulsive and hasty in making a decision, and she deemed it as superfluous and useless to get a FP. :(

Please mum! You'll know its advantages after using it, and I really really really want it!!! Arghh!!!

Banana oatmeal raisin muffin

Banana has been one of my favourite fruit and a fruit ingredient for baking because of its unique aroma that gives off during baking. Besides, it consists of high fibre that aids in digestion and clearing of bowels. 2 medium size bananas are fulfilling enough for an early breakfast!


I've always wanted to bake a wholesome banana muffins and I can't get to find one good recipe on the websites. There, I came up with my own recipe which I added in other ingredients that I like by conducting a mini kitchen experiment.
Thanks god! I didn't create havoc in the kitchen and the muffins turn out to be delectable!


Recipe (makes 8 muffins)

• 50g butter, softened
• 40g brown sugar
• 3 small-sized bananas, mashed
• 1 egg
• 1 cup cake flour
• 7 tbsp rolled-oats
• 4 tbsp raisins
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 175C.
2. Cream butter and sugar till smooth. Beat in egg till light and fluffy.
3. Mix in mashed bananas, cinnamon powder and vanilla extract.
4. Add in oats to the banana mixture.
5. Sift in cake flour, baking powder and salt to the banana-oat mixture.
6. Lastly, stir in raisins.
7. Divide the batter into 7-8 muffins cups and bake for 20-25mins or till golden brown.

Light and fluffy

Happy 15th birthday little bro!

Today is my little brother, Adon's 15 birthday. He isn't very avid and particular about his celebration with lotsa yummy food as all he cares about is the amount of angbaos he received. Haha!
Kids nowadays tends to be more witty and shrewd when it comes to something that  tantalized them.


To celebrate his birthday, I was entreated to make a cake for him and since it was a rapturous event, I wanted to concoct something special for him.


My family is a fan of bakerzin's cakes and we're totally spellbound by their chocolate cakes.
I decided to bake one which is somewhat similar or an imitation to the hazelnut chocolate mousse cake.

Assorted nuts given by aunt nancy

Almonds and hazelnuts wanted!

Hazelnut praline chocolate mousse cake

Adon with his birthday cake

Candid shoots with family

Loves mum and dad

My cousin, Wei chen was trying to steal the limelight!

Perturbed by danny bro who pinch his face apart. Haha!

With hazelnut crunch base

Wei chen indulging and glutting himself with his slice of cake

Thumbs up from him!