Fairy Cupcakes

Back when I delivered Javier and when he started weaning, I knew nuts about cooking for children so I bought the ANnabel Karmel's New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner. It has recipes for weaning to those catered for toddlers.
It was an expensive book, about SGD40? But, today, I know I have made the right choice, cos I used it so extensively, it has torn pages, pages with batter... haha... and perhaps, saliva from both my boys.

Today's recipe is good for those lazy days... Try it. and I think it's also good for the simple cupcakes for birthdays too. Just ice the cakes according to the theme and viola!

Well, here's the recipe.
Makes 10 cakes

140g softened butter
140g golden caster sugar (Can't find it in FL, so I used caster sugar)
3 eggs (60g each)
1tsp pure vanilla extract
125g self raising flour

[1] Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celcius.

[2] Line the muffin tray with muffin cases.

[3] Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat for about 2 minutes until smooth.

[4] Divide the mixture between the cases so they are filled two-thirds of the way up.

[5] Bake for 18 - 20 mins until they are lightly golden and risen.

Then ice it if you like or simply eat them with tea.

* I reduced the sugar to 120g. I find 140g too sweet. You can try the recipe and adjust accordingly.

Happy Baking!

Easy muffin recipe

I'm posting this easy muffin recipe because a friend of mine asked me for it. They've come to visit before I went home for a holiday and missed how simple this recipe was.

This is the basic muffin recipe and you can add any ingredients you like to suit your palette for the day.

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
3 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:
[1] Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius
[2] Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. In a small bowl, beat egg with fork. STir in milk and oil. Pour all at once into the well in the flour mixture. Mix quickly and lightly with a fork until moistened, but do not beat. The batter will be lumpy. Pour the batter into paper lined muffin pan.
[3] Fold in the filling you like. E.g. you can fold in 1/4 cup of crisp cooked bacon, broken into bits.
[4] Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Quick and easy idea for breakfast or project with kids.

Recipe for Orange Chiffon Cake

I got this recipe off the internet and i simply reduced the sugar.
In Finland, I can find neither soya bean oil nor corn oil. So, I used a common flower oil that I find here. Hmm.... i am illiterate here, so I don't know the name of the flower. Ha... Anyway, the cake was really soft, moist and fluffy. The Ngs wiped them out in a day and my dear asked for me to bake this again next week. I think it's a foolproof recipe. So try it! No pictures cos my camera is in my SIngapore house... we forgot to bring it back.

Ingredients:
115g Cake Flour
3/4 tsp Baking powder

85ml Warm orange juice (Put orange juice in hot water bath)
Finely grated zest of 1.5 large orange

5 egg yolks + 30g castor sugar + Salt 1/4 tsp
5 egg whites + 40g castor sugar + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

60ml Corn oil ( I substituted with flower oil)
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence or 2 tsp Rum

Method:
1. Sieve flour and baking powder.
2. Use hand whisk to whisk egg yolk until creamy and light in colour.
Add in corn oil then warm orange juice and rum.
3. Add in flour mixture into yolk mixture lightly. Add in orange zest.
4. Beat egg white with electric beater until big bubbles formed.
Sprinkle in cream of tartar and beat until it is white in colour.
Add in 50g sugar 3 times (a little at a time) and beat until stiff perks
formed. About 8 - 10 minutes for 150w egg beater.
5. Pour 1/2 egg white into flour mixture in (3) and blend well.
6. Pour flour mixture into the rest of the egg white and blend well.
7. Bake at 175C for 45 minutes or until cooked.
8. Invert the cooked cake during cooling process.

PS: Let the cake cool and fall onto the rack itself. DO NOT attempt to shake the cake out, it will destroy the shape of the chiffon cake. 

Simple Lunch Idea 1: Fried Rice with sausages and broccoli

Simple Lunch Idea 1: Fried Rice with sausages and broccoli

This is one simple lunch recipe that has all the nutrients in it.

I used broccoli, eggs and sausages as I have leftover rice from last night.

You can change the recipes according to what you see in your fridge. 

Ingredients:

Broccoli – 1 (remove the skin and cut into bite size)

Eggs – 3 (put in a bowl, marinate with soy sauce, white pepper and sesame oil; all in moderation)

Cooked rice – I had about 1 big soup bowl of it

Big onion – 1 (cut into small pieces)

Garlic – 3 cloves (chopped finely)

Oil – 3 tablespoons

Marinade:

1 tbsp of soy sauce

1 tsp salt

Portion for 3 adults

Instructions:

(1)  Heat oil up in frying pan.

(2)  Fry the egg and cut up into small pieces as you fry them.

(3)  Stir fry the onions. When they are soft (not brown), add in the garlic and stir fry for 3 mins.

(4)  Add in the broccoli and fry for another 4 – 5 mins. Add the rice in with the marinade. Fry till the marinade is evenly coated on rice.

(5)  Add in the sausages and eggs.

(6)  Fry for another 6 mins.

(7)  Dish up and serve.

You can also easily transform this dish into baked rice. Continue doing the following.

(1) Place the fried rice in a baking dish.

(2) Use mushroom soup (Campbell or here in Finland, they have Knor) and spread it on top of the rice; similar to spreading jam on bread.

(3) Put a thick layer of grated cheddar cheese, mozzarella and some paramesan on top and pop it into the oven.

(4) Bake at 170 degrees celcius until the cheese turns brown.

Hope this can become a good idea for leftover fried rice.

Cheers,

Gillian

Chinese Fish Maw Soup

Fish Maw is a Chinese ingredient that is beneficial for the human body. My husband grew up eating fish maw as his uncle was a fish maw producer in the past and they get free supplies of it throughout the year. Unfortunately for me, the uncle has stopped doing this business and so I must buy the fish maw. This soup is listed as one of my hubby and son’s favourites.

Ingredients

Fish Maw - 3 pieces about 20cm long each

Chicken - Half

Chinese mushrooms (rehydrated in water) – 8 pieces

Chinese cabbage (大白菜) – half

Carrots – 2 pieces

Dried scallops – 2 pieces

Dried oysters – 3 pieces

Chicken breast – 1 piece

2.3 litres of water

Portion for 4 adults

Instructions

(1)    Soak the fish maw in water and squeeze out the oil when softened. Cut into 4cm pieces.

(2)    Chop the chicken into big pieces.

(3)    Remove the stem of the mushrooms that have been soaked in water previously.

(4)    Cut the Chinese cabbage into large pieces (10cm)

(5)    Cut the carrot into 5cm pieces.

(6)    Wash the dried scallops and oysters in water and set them aside for use later.

(7)    Cut the chicken breast into strips.

(8)    Use hot boiling water to scald the chicken. Make sure the skin has turn white and the water is not bloody. Drain the chicken and use cool water to rinse through the chicken.

(9)    Place the chicken from step (8), along with the dried scallops and oysters into a soup pot. Use high heat to boil the soup. Once the soup starts boiling, turn the flame down to medium heat and continue boiling. Continue boiling for the next hour. If you have more time, use small heat and boil for 2 hours.

(10) Add the carrots into the boiling soup and continue for 1 hour.

(11) Add white cabbage and mushrooms. Continue boiling for 40 minutes.  

(12) Add salt and soy sauce to soup. Taste and adjust to your family’s taste.

(13) Remove the chicken pieces from the soup. Discard.

(14) Add the chicken breast and fish maw to soup.

(15) Boil for another 30 minutes or until the fish maw becomes transparent. Remember not to over-boil as some poor quality fish maw will dis-integrate into gluey stuff.

(16) Serve the soup with hot white rice.