Slow Cooker Pumpkin Porridge

It's time challenging for a working woman to take care of household chores after her 9-to-5 job, let alone cooking dinner during working days. Cooking itself takes time, and preparing the ingredients too. I'm always searching for ideas on quick-prepared food for me and my husband.

I got the slow cooker porridge idea from some mommies' blogs. They have to take care of their toddlers (especially busy if they are not sleeping) and at the same time prepare porridge for them, have to make sure the porridge doesn't overflow or dries up/overcooked, and most importantly have to make sure they remember to turn off the stove when it's done. So boiling porridge in slow cooker with a timer solves all the problem.

 And I use this idea to get my dinner prepared when I'm out to work. 

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

I like baking chiffon cakes. While the cake is baking, I always look through the oven door every 10 mins, wishing for the cake to rise, rise, rise. When I take the cake out from the oven, overturn it on the table and look at it, I wish: don't fall, don't fall, don't fall.

But this time (this is my 4th or 5th time, lost count), it still falls. It's too heavy for a chiffon cake, and it falls out from the cake tin immediately when I overturned it to cool it.

Thankfully, friends and family who ate it still considered it nice :)

The cake fell off the cake tin, but still intact.

Croquette (可乐饼)

I watched a cooking program on TV some time ago and this dish was introduced. It's very popular in Japan and Taiwan, especially among kids, I think because of it's crispiness.

I forgotten about it and only recently, when I'm out of idea what to make for a less time consuming dinner, I thought of it. I adapted the recipe here.

Shanghai mooncake

I made the lotus paste using Christine's recipe. I used white lotus seeds so the paste is fair in color. The texture of the paste is not so right. It's too dry to be considered as paste, probably because I cook it for too long. I like the taste, not too sweet, unlike the commercial ones.

I used SeaDragon's recipe for the Shanghai mooncake. I made plain and egg-yolk version, and everybody (who had eaten) prefers the egg-yolk version. The skin is a little too moist, it would be better if I can make it a little more flaky.

For the egg-yolk version, I used half salted egg-yolk per mooncake. The egg-yolk is pre-cooked in the oven, 180C for 10 mins. I topped it with some black sesame seeds for decoration, also to indicate it's egg-yolked.

After our lantern session, we had some mooncakes with hot tea.

中秋节快乐!

Jelly Mooncakes

I've made jelly mooncakes a few years ago, but totally forgotten how was it. This year I planned to try making it again since nowadays commercial mooncakes are getting too expensive.

I started with the simplest one which is jelly mooncakes. It actually should be called mooncake jelly because it's really just jelly, with the shape of traditional mooncake.

Simplest in the sense of ingredients and steps. The tricky part of making jelly mooncake is timing. Making the 'filling' at the center of the 'skin' requires good timing. Too soon (when the first layer of jelly not readily set), the filling will drop to the bottom of the mould - causing the 'filling' to be on top of the mooncake; too late (when the first layer is set and 'dries up'), the second layer of the skin will not stick to the first layer - causing the mooncake to split into half when done. This I learn from the hard way, trial and error to capture the correct timing.

Another miskate I made is didn't bring the liquid mixture to boiling point before taking off heat and pour into the mould, the jelly did not set, it remains liquid after refrigerated for one night.

I used the recipe from here. And modified it accordingly to the flavour/ingredient I like. The recipe is enough to make 6 'filling' jelly (I use muffin tray as mould) and 4 mooncakes.

A: 'Filling'
1 1/4tsp Agar-agar powder
40g castor sugar
100ml evaporated milk
200ml water
1/8tsp salt

B: 'Skin'
1/2 tbsp Agar-agar powder
70g castor sugar
350ml water
100g dragon fruit (blended)

'Filling'
Mix all ingredient A together and boil it, then pour the boiling mixture into the muffin tray. Let it set, to be used later.

'Skin' and assembly
B: Mix Agar-agar powder and castor sugar, then boil it in water with the blended fruit, scoop some boiling mixture into the mooncake mould, about 20% full, let it slighty set in room temperature, then place the 'filling' at the center. Pour the remaining mixture into the mould till full. Can poke a few holes in the jelly with toothpick to avoid the bottom and top part split off. Let it set in room temperature, then refrigerate it overnight. 

Clear Water Cake

What is simpler and easier than baking muffins? This, the Clear Water Cake, I think it's a direct translate from its Mandarin name - 清水蛋糕

Even for a baking novice like me, I only used 10 mins to prepare the batter and send it to the oven. A perfect quick cake for breakfast or tea-time.

Simple Fried Spaghetti

Chinese New Year is always the season to feast in rich food. Visiting relatives and friends during Chinese New Year also involve lots of titbits and soft drinks. After this festive season, it's time to return to a light, healthy and balance diet.

Ingredients:
Single portion Spaghetti Noodles
4-5 cloves Garlic, chopped.
1/4 Capsicum, thin-sliced.
1-2 Shiitake Mushroom, thin-sliced.
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper

Method:
1. Boil spaghetti noodle until cook.
2. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Fry chopped garlic until lightly gold. Add in capsicum. Then lastly add in mushroom.
3. Add in and fry cooked noodles with all the ingredients. Add in salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve it hot.

Simple yet satisfying...

Cornflake Cookies

Why cornflake cookies are popular during Chinese New Year? I think it's because the crushed cornflake on the outer layer of the cookies resembles golden flakes. It's all about prosperity :)

This is the last batch of Chinese New Year cookies I'm baking for this year. Surprisingly this is the simplest recipe. Original recipe is from Rasa Malaysia, but I needed a lot more cornflakes than suggested in the recipe.

Ingredients:
200g butter
150g castor sugar
2 eggs
300g all-purpose flour
130g cornflakes (coarsely crushed, I used the end of a rolling pin)
1 tsp vanilla essense
30g corn flour

Method:
Beat butter and sugar till pale and creamy.
Add in vanilla essence. Mix in the lightly beaten eggs.
Fold in the flour and corn flour with a wooden spoon. The dough is moist and a little sticky but still able to be shaped using fingers.
Using a teaspoon, scoop out about 1 teaspoon of the cookie dough and roll it into the crushed cornflakes. When coated with cornflakes the dough is easier to be shaped. Roll it into a small ball and place it on a baking tray lined with baking sheet, then lightly pressed it to form a flat round cookie shape.
Bake for 20 minutes at 180°C or till golden brown.

The cookies aren't too sweet but it's fine to my taste. The outer layer is crunchy and the cookie inside is light and crispy.

Golden Pineapple Roll

Now I understand why Pineapple tarts/rolls are sold more expensive than other Chinese New Year cookies. It involves 2 main effort - the filling and the pastry. After making the filling (pineapple jam) and the pastry dough, we need to shape the dough, using a cookie presser (for pineapple tarts) or pipe it into rectangular piece (for pineapple roll) or roll it into a small ball (for pineapple cookie). Then place the filling on top or in the dough and bake it. The steps are more tedious than the other cookies and the ingredients cost more too.

I got the original recipe from Fresh from the Oven. I made some modifications for a more moist dough so that it's easier to pipe and roll/shape it.

Ingredients:
Pastry:
220g butter
360g all purpose flour
2 egg yolks
25g icing sugar
25g castor sugar
1 egg yolk, for egg wash

Filling:
2 cans cube pineapple, drained and crushed
1/4 cup castor sugar
1.5 teaspoon cornstarch

Method:
Pineapple filling:
I used Ayam brand canned pineapple, the drained weight for 1 can is 245g. I crushed the pineapples using blender for just a few second, not too fine.
Using medium heat, cook the drained crushed pineapple and sugar until most liquid has evaporated, and the mixture turned golden. Stirring constantly using a wooden spoon to avoid burning. Taste, and add more sugar when needed. Add in 1.5 teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken the mixture.

Pastry:
Sieve all purpose flour and sugar into a medium bowl. Beat butter in a mixer until it turns light in color and fluffy. Add in egg yolks until well combined. Mix in the flour mixture with wooden spoon until just combined. The dough should be moist but doesn't stick to the bowl.

Pipe the dough into a long piece, place an adequate amount of filling on the dough piece then roll it. Apply egg wash on each roll and bake it at 160°C for 15 mins or until the color turns lightly brown.

I followed the step-by-step instruction for assembling the pineapple rolls here.

With this recipe, I made about 64 cookies.

It's a messy and time consuming process but the end result is worthy :)

Chinese New Year Butter Cookies

This is the second Chinese New Year I'm baking cookies instead of buying. Not only it's more economical, I enjoy baking and seeing people eating the end product of my baking. It has more of a 'sharing' sense.

I tried 2 different recipes and I think this is better. The cookies are crispy and it melts in the mouth because of the correct composition of icing sugar and corn flour.

Ingredients:
150g butter
50g icing sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
140g plain flour
40g corn flour

Method:
1. Cream butter and icing sugar until the colour turns a little pale.
2. Add in vanilla essence and mix well.
3. Mix in plain flour and corn flour using a wooden spoon. Batter would be a little moist.
4. Using a piping tip, pipe out the cookie onto a baking tray lined with baking sheet.
5. Top with chopped cherries (for a merry look).
6. Bake at 160°C till the cookies turn slightly brown (original recipe suggested 15 mins, for me I checked on the oven from time to time until I get the desired color of my cookies).

I got the original recipe from e's joie. I doubled the scale of the ingredients so I can bake more cookies in 1 shot, and it works :) I get about 100 cookies for my modified recipe, each cookie about 1/2 tbsp batter.

Making Tang Yuan (汤圆)

I made the same mistake I made last year, bought the wrong rice flour. The dough made from normal rice flour is much harder, and couldn't get cooked even boiled for a long time, it looked cooked outside, but raw inside.

Only around 10:15pm last night I realised I made this mistake again. And quickly we went to the nearest supermarket when they were closing, but they had their glutinous rice flour sold out. We then went to an indian grocery shop and fortunately they still have a few packets left. To make it more dramatic, it started raining when we stepped out of the house.

Remember, use Glutinous Rice Flour, there're 2 types of rice flour.

I do not have a particular recipe for this. I mix the flour and water gradually to get the desired dough texture (Firm enough to roll and do not stick). Add and mix in coloring when needed. Roll the dough into small balls. Cover them with cling paper (to avoid losing moisture from the dough balls) and keep them in the refrigerator for the next-day's use.

Today is Winter Solstice Festival, 冬至. Chinese celebrate it, family members gather togather and eat Tang Yuan, symbolizes reunion.

In the morning, I boiled the Tang Yuan in a pot. When the Tang Yuan floats onto the surface of the water it means it's cooked. I scooped the cooked Tang Yuan and into a bowl of cool water to avoid them from sticking to each other.

I used Gula Melaka (coconut sugar), boiled in water, made the dessert soup to eat with the Tang Yuan. Too bad I did not prepare some Pandan leaves to go with it, if not it will be more fragrant. Again, no complicated recipe, just boil a small pot of water, stir in the Gula Melaka bit by bit until I get the desired sweetness.

冬至快乐!

Baked macaroni and cheese

Ingredient

200g Mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/2 of it, another 1/2 diced
1 1/2 cup macaroni
1 broccoli, diced
2-3 Shitake mushroom, diced
Olive oil, salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Boil macaroni.

2. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil and fry broccoli and mushroom until half-cooked. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to deep baking try (I do not have casserole dish so I used baking tray).

3. Preheat oven to 180°C.

4. When macaroni is almost cooked, drain and add to fried broccoli and mushroom. Add the diced cheese. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and gently mix together.

5. Cover with the sliced cheese and bake until cheese is melted and the top slightly browned, about 15 minutes.





Enough for 3-4 servings.

Cheese Tarts

Ingredients

Pastry

125g butter
65g castor sugar
1 egg yolk
250g plain flour
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Filling

250g cream cheese
20g butter
60g castor sugar
1 egg

Method

Pastry
1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence.
2. Add in egg yolk and water. Continue creaming.
3. Fold in flour and mix.
4. Wrap pastry in plastic bag and chill in refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
5. Roll chilled pastry to circular shape and cut with pastry cutter and line in tart molds.
6. Prick some holes on the base of the pastry using a fork. Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes or when the pastry starting to turn yellow.

Filling (while baking pastry in oven)
1. Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar together till light, add in egg and beat till well mixed.
2. Spoon mixture mixture into baked tart shells.
3. Mix 1 tbsp cocoa powder with a small amount of water (I add bit by bit until I get the correct paste texture). Mix into a paste.
4. Dip the tip of a chopstick into chocolate paste and draw circle on top of the cheese.
5. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes or when the pastry turned light brown.

Either my tart mold is too big or I made my pastry shell too thick, I'm only getting 11 tarts with the ingredients above (15 is the number suggested in the original recipe).



PS: best eaten when chilled.

Oreo Cupcakes

It's been a long time since I last baked. I've prepared the packet of Oreo in my kitchen a while ago and have been waiting for the right mood for baking.

I adopted the recipe from here. I prefer vanilla cupcake so I used 100g self-rising flour instead of 75g flour + 25g cocoa powder and castor sugar instead of brown sugar.



I followed the method for making the frosting but I couldn't get the correct texture, so I spread the frosting onto the cupcakes instead of piping, but I really would like to try to pipe pretty frosting onto my cupcakes one day.



The frosting has the correct sweetness that I like, and the crispy base is a brilliant idea. Simply yummy~

Strawberry cheese (cup)cake

I only left with 250gm cream cheese, so I scaled the original recipe to make only 6 cupcakes.

250 gm Philadelphia cream cheese
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup castor sugar
3 disgestive biscuits
1 tbsp (melted) butter
3 strawberries
strawberry jam

1. Crush the digestive biscuits. Combine the biscuit crumbs with melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of each cupcake mold.
2. Mix cream cheese, sugar, pure vanilla, egg and beat till creamy.
3. Fill each cupcake mold (3/4 full) with the cream cheese batter.
4. Bake at 175°C for 15 mins.
5. Remove cupcakes from oven and cool individually on wire rack.
6. Place half strawberry on top of each cupcake and drip with strawberry jam.
7. Refrigerate the cupcakes before serving.

Homemade Strawberry Jam

I bought a lot of strawberries from Cameron during the weekend trip. Besides eating them fresh, I used some of them to made strawberry jam.

I used:
12-13 big strawberries (cleaned and halved), smashed with a potato masher.
1/3 cup of castor sugar.

1. Pour the sugar into the smashed strawberries, mix it, then pour into a sauce pan.
2. Keep on stirring over medium heat.
3. Boil the mixture till it's slightly thicken (the mixture will get further thicken when it's cooled down).
4. Pour the mixture into a sterilized bottle (I re-use a preserved vegetable bottle and boiled it in hot water).
5. Close the bottle tight, place it in the fridge after the jam is slightly cooled down.

Spaghetti with homemade sauce

200 ml Cream
125 gm Pamersan Cheese (I think it's too cheesy, should have just use 100 gm)
Some chopped Broccoli, Shitake Mushroom and Onions.

1. Oil the sauce pan with 1/2 teaspoon butter.
2. Fry the onions and mushrooms. I prefer the vegetable to be fresh and crispy so I didn't fry it together with the ingredients here.
3. Pour in cream and bring it to boil.
4. When almost boiling, lower the heat and pour in cheese (I should've chopped it into smaller chunks so that it's easier to melt), keep stiring till all mixed well.
5. Pour in boiled spaghetti and broccoli.
6. Mix well and serve.



I love the creamy texture. I tasted it while cooking and it was just nice, but it was too cheesy when mixed with the spaghetti and eat it mouthful. Seriously have to reduce the cheese the next time I make this :p

Homemade yogurt

During our Korea trip, 1 of the morning we had breakfast at a hotel that served fresh strawberry yogurt. Not those individual can that we buy from supermarkets. It was served in a big bowl like soup, with toppings like almonds and nuts. I had it with pieces of fresh oranges.

After coming back home, I miss the fresh yogurt. I then searched for the recipe on the net, surprisingly it's so easy! The only thing I needed to buy was a food thermometer.

I reused a spaghetti sauce glass bottle for measuring the amount of milk I need and to store my yogurt. I do not have a heating pad, I wrapped the bottle of warm milk + yogurt starter with towels, then put inside a food warmer bag and left it at a corner in my kitchen.

I didn't want it to be too sour, so I left it for about 9 hours (overnight). I woke up in the morning, sliced some strawberries, mixed it in the yogurt, and placed it in the fridge.



Homemade yogurt is not as thick as the commercial ones. It tastes great with the appropriate sourness yet feels so fresh especially to eat it with (lots of) fresh fruits.

Cupcakes with orange cream cheese frosting

I found the best simplest cupcake recipe (I added vanilla extract but not baking powder). The texture and taste are both great!

There're left-over oranges in the fridge, so I thought of making some orange flavoured frosting.

I used the frosting recipe here, with some modifications. I used the whole block of PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese (which is 250g), fresh juice instead of extract, and added the icing sugar to the sweetness I like(around 3/4 cup).

Chocolate chips cookies

After finishing a packet of Famous Amos, I felt like baking some chocolate chips cookies. I used the recipe from Joy Baking.



Why the recipe uses un-salted butter and salt? So that we can adjust the saltiness? Anyway, I used salted butter (that's what I have at home) and skipped the salt :p