On a Bento frenzy

Magic Pot cooking again!

2011-09-25T16:47:00.000+08:00

I've been having a ball with my magic pots!!!

Last week I made some spaghetti sauce. Usually I would have to simmer the sauce over low fire for a couple of hours. This time, I tried using the Magic pot! The results were amazing as always!

This was the sauce before going into the Magic pot!

This was the sauce after 6 hours in the Magic pot. It tasted even better than cooking over the gas top!

See the delicious Bolognese sauce below!!!

Bento 319

2011-09-25T16:35:00.001+08:00

This bento was made last week! It's got spaghetti and cheese in it. There are pieces of mango and carrot cake! Yeah! In a desperate need to feed my child some 'vegetables', I made carrot cake! Obviously the little girl didn't know it was carrot cake because I didn't divulge any information. LOL!

The two boxes behind were filled with spaghetti for her friends! There was a small bottle of enzyme for her. I have since gone on to buy a small bottle to contain enzyme!

Bento 318

2011-09-14T21:23:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since I made a Bento. It's also been a busy few months preparing #2 for Uni. Now that both the elder girls are off, I have a lot of time on my hands.

Today's bento was for #3 and I! UPSR ends tomoro and we'll have a lot of time to spend together doing fun stuff. Look out for some cooking experiments! LOL!

Sweet mangoes, Tonkatsu and some delicious rice! Salad and cherry tomato for garnishing!

One of the two Bentos I made, from a different angle!

New Experiments!

2011-09-10T15:46:00.000+08:00

I've been busy experimenting with dehydration! I've been successful dehydrating large Red and Yellow onions under the hot sun. I use them when I boil soup and it's really tasty and has a wonderful fragrant smell!

Dehydrated Red and Yellow onions

I'm drying ginger this time round. I was at Genting yesterday and managed to buy some ginger. Last night, my maid and I skinned, cleaned and sliced the ginger. We sorted it out nicely on these large basket like trays (compliments from my mother!).

Dehydrating ginger

After one morning in the sun, it's a little shriveled up already!

Does this look like an over rated "expensive" mop bucket?

I've also been making "enzymes"!

My God son's mother introduced me to this "expensive" bucket which shortens the fermentation time to a quarter of the time required to "process" the enzymes! My eldest daughter went on a little 'rampage' and said that I spent a small fortune for a 'mop bucket'!!!!

Hahaha! This is my second batch of enzymes! The first batch went too fast! This has become a fast family favorite! Well, after enjoying the first batch of enzymes, my children didn't have much to complain about the bucket except that the second batch wasn't ready as yet! LOL!

This bucket doing it "magic"!

More "Magic" cooking!

2011-08-25T18:55:00.008+08:00

I used my Thermal "magic" pot to cook "Ham Yee Chee Yoke Farn" (pork slices, salted fish and rice).

Last night, I washed one and a half cups of brown rice and left to soak overnight. This morning I drain dry the rice. When I was ready to cook the rice at 3pm, I set it to boil in 2 cups of water over a medium fire (after it came to a boil) for 15 minutes.

In another pan, I fried some garlic, marinated pork (soy sauce, dark sauce and pepper), salted fish and some chopped carrot bits. When done, I added some freshly cut spring onions and a quarter cup of water. Add pepper and soy sauce to taste. Go light with the soy sauce if you are using salted fish! Once that is done, transfer all the meat and sauce into the pot of boiling brown rice (after cooking on the stove for 15 minutes).

I had dinner at 6.45pm and ta dah... rice in a pot...all ready! The rice was tender and didn't taste like brown rice in its original flavor at all! Tasted very much like the regular "Ham Yee Chee Yoke Farn!".

The last picture below shows a bowl of soup which I used my 5lt "magic" pot to cook! Yummy!

Random

2011-08-25T01:07:00.006+08:00

Sorry for the recent hiatus! My eldest daughter was home for the summer holidays and life has been one busy trail of "catching up" with friends, eating, shopping and planning.

I was browsing through some pictures from the time I last visited her and I found some more bento pictures amidst others! These were seen in London!

Dinner for the kids!

2011-07-24T11:24:00.003+08:00

Last couple of Wednesdays, I've been cooking dinner for some of the kids in our youth group at Church. I was watching Martha Stewart on TV, on Wednesday morning when I decided that I would make "Chef Bao's" Sloppy Bao!

Check out this funny video:http://www.marthastewart.com/351496/sloppy-bao#

The recipe is here: http://www.marthastewart.com/351496/sloppy-bao

Below the shallots and lemon grass!

I improvised on the toppings, I just mixed them all together. I topped slices of baguette with this meat sauce and the kids loved it!! It's an amazing flavor!

I also made macaroni cheese today. I used my magic pot to cook the macaroni by putting it aside for 6 minutes (per instructions on the package) only after it came to a boil on the stove.

Result? Perfect macaroni!

Baked macaroni cheese!

Fried some Chinese style meehoon too!

Sarawak Laksa

2011-07-24T10:57:00.005+08:00

My friend gave me a few packets of Sarawak Laksa paste and it's been in my freezer for a while. I have no idea how to cook Sarawak Laksa!

Definition from Wikipedia:

Sarawak laksa (Malay: Laksa Sarawak) comes from the Malaysian state Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. It is actually very different from the curry laksa as the soup contains no curry at all. It has a base of Sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass and coconut milk, topped withomelette strips, chicken strips, prawns, fresh coriander and optionally lime. Ingredients such as bean sprouts, (sliced) fried tofu or other seafood are not traditional but are sometimes added.

Last weekend at the coffee morning sales, my stall was sold out quite early so I had time to sit around to chat with some old friends from Sarawak. Gina who is the grandmother of my Godson taught me how to cook the Sarawak Laksa.

I cooked the pork bones and chicken stock in my magic pot one day ahead. I used my 8 L pot, brought the water to a rolling boil, added the bones and kept it boiling for 10 minutes. I left it in the magic pot for more than 10 hours.

The stock turned out excellent and clear!

After clearing the scum, look at the clear soup!

Look here for a similar recipe. I am lazy to re-write everything and this recipe posted by Hochiak! seems similar to how I cooked the Sarawak Laksa.

I cooked a sambal which Gina taught me.

1 packet of chili boh

1 cup of dried prawns

some oil from the Sarawak Laksa

Method:

1. Cook the chili boh in some oil from the Sarawak Laksa.

2. Soak and pound dried prawns coarsely.

3. When chili boh darkens to a dark red/maroon color and smells fragrant, add the dried prawns and cook for a while. Add salt to taste if necessary!

Coffee morning sales

2011-07-24T10:50:00.002+08:00

Last weekend I sold American Breakfast at our Church coffee morning sales in aid of the parish PIHD (Parish Integral Human Development) fund.

My target sale was for 100 pax. It was a fun morning!

Below is a tray of mixed vegetables which I boiled in salt water and coated in butter. Next is a tray of scrambled eggs.

There were chicken nuggets, sausages, baked beans, fries and not forgetting a huge hamburger bun! (not in picture).

Sold out by mid morning.

Thermal Magic Pot curry chicken

2011-07-14T16:48:00.003+08:00

I decided to cook curry chicken today in my Thermal Magic Pot. I actually did the cooking in another clay pot first before transferring the contents into the insert pot.

In the clay pot, I sauteed some ground shallots, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and chicken curry paste until fragrant.

Then I tossed in the chicken, the coconut milk, potatoes and salt and allowed the contents to come to a boil. Immediately, I transferred the contents into the insert of the Thermal Magic Pot and allowed the curry mix to come to a boil.

As soon as it came to a boil, I covered the insert with it's lid and transferred it into the outer pot.

Three hours later, the curry is cooked and delicious!

I tested the potato, it was intact but soft in the center. Perfect cooking.

Life can be a breeze with a little planning!

Hijiki

2011-07-14T14:13:00.005+08:00

Today, after a long time, I decided to cook Hijiki.

Perfect brown rice cooked in Thermal Magic pot!

This was my lunch today. Home cooked Hijiki, store bought Korean Kim Chi and brown rice topped with some toasted sesame seeds.

Close up on the Hijiki.
Note: I cooked the Hijiki minus the sugar and mirin for a healthier version by adding only shoyu and a dash of sesame seed oil.

Kim chi.

Consuming brown rice makes me feel good!

Onigiri to go

2011-07-14T14:02:00.002+08:00

I made some Onigiri to go yesterday.

I was in a hurry and so I used the plastic molds to make the Onigiri. It's got a Salmon filling inside and sesame seeds and salt in the rice.

I cooked the Calrose rice in my large Thermal Magic Pot and it turned out perfect! I packed them in the Onigiri plastic wrappers I bought from Daiso.

Convenient stuff to bring around!

Cooking soup with my Thermal Magic Pot

2011-07-14T13:42:00.004+08:00

I cooked pork bones soup on Tuesday. Very simply blanch the pork bones in a smaller pot of hot water and transfer into the insert pot.

The ingredients for today's soup!

I added Arrowroot, some dried oysters, dried scallops, some red dates and dried octopus.

Bring the pot of soup to a rolling boil and remove the scum.

About six hours later...

I removed the scum, brought it back to a rolling boil and added some salt to taste. Delicious hot soup.

Experimenting with my Thermal Magic Pots

2011-07-11T21:59:00.007+08:00

Today, I experimented with my Thermal Magic Pots again! This morning I did a quick run to the supermarket to pick up some topside cubes. Most of what I needed was in my fridge, so when I got home mid morning, I began preparing to make a beef stew.

Usually, I would sear the beef over the stove or in the oven and cook the other vegetables a little before simmering the beef stew over the stove or in a crock pot for three to four hours. This time, I simply cut up the vegetables, like you see in the picture below.

Clockwise: cherry tomatoes, chopped celery, one potato, a box of button mushrooms, one carrot, one yellow onion and some herbs. On the side was a pack of beef topside.

I have very poor photography skills, neither can I figure out what to do with a camera other than make sure it's on auto and press the button as instructed. Sorry for the blur pictures which follow!

Fill 1/5 of the insert pot with water.

Add all the vegetables and beef cubes into the pot.

Bring to a rolling boil. Scoop away the scum.

Put the insert into the outer pot.

I left it for six hours. This was the result.

A closer look at the beef stew. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

I tried cooking brown rice using the Thermal Magic Pot. I had soaked the brown rice for 3 hours prior to cooking. After 3 hours, when the water came to a rolling boil, I allowed it to cook for 10 minutes on a simmer.

After two hours in the outer pot, the rice turned out "PERFECT!" I was completely surprised! I couldn't believe it! Brown rice is a tricky grain to cook but this is too good to be true!!!!

Look at the fluffy and not too wet brown rice!!! It was cooked through!

Aghhh!!! I don't know why the color of this picture turned out like this!!

Look at the beef, tender and delicious. All the vegetables weren't mushy and well cooked through! What a successful attempt! I LOVE THE THERMAL MAGIC POTS!!!!!

The beef stew was delicious and the brown rice was cooked beyond my expectations!

Thermal Magic cookers

2011-07-09T15:45:00.005+08:00

My friend Emily introduced Thermal Magic cookers in her blog sometime last year. I was curious and asked that she help me purchase two pots.

Being first time user, I obviously didn't read enough how the pot worked to attempt continuous usage! What a waste!

I gave one pot to my mum which she uses to cook rice and I found use for mine, making yogurt! The yogurt is really easy to make in this pot and it turns out like magic! LOL!

Just fill the inner pot three quarter way with whatever type of milk you like and heat over the stove. Test the temperature over the back of your hand and if it feels warm then it's ready to add the yogurt "mother". Turn off the fire, stir in the "mother", close the lid and pop it into the outer pot and 'lock'. Leave for about 4-6 hours and you get deliciously smooth yogurt.

My mum gave me a 5L pot last year which was kept on my kitchen shelf. I had surfed the net about using the thermal pots and I didn't find very much encouraging information.

So, more than a year has passed and why all the sudden interest? I met a friend last week end and saw that she was using a 6L thermal pot. I was curious and asked her if it really worked?

She was a world of inspiration, recounting all the different methods and recipes which she had used the thermal pot. I was awed and my jaw dropped. To imagine that the thermal pot could actually do all that and save so much cooking gas? Seriously? I had to try it out!

I woke up the next morning and began preparing to cook a fish stock for dinner that night. I didn't know what to do so I just brought the water to boil in the inner 5L pot. I added the fish bones, two onions, some ginger, some ikan billis and freshly pounded white pepper. I allowed the water to come to a rolling boil for 5 minutes and popped the inner pot into the outer pot. Left it there for 6 hours before I opened it. Actually I was ready to bring the family out for dinner if this became an epic failure.

The result was a great surprise because after I scooped out the scum from the top, I tasted a clear and delicious soup! I was immediately sold to cooking soup in thermal pots!!!!

In my home, we drink soup every night at dinner. Regardless of whether it's a Chinese, Japanese or Western meal, we'd have miso soup or mushroom soup or something soup! When I boil soup a la Chinese then I usually boil the soup over a gas stove for at least 3 hours.

On the same day I tried cooking rice for lunch and so I washed one cup of rice and added one and a half cup of water, brought it to a rolling boil over the stove. Popped it into the outer pot and left it for 2-3 hours.

The rice turned out deliciously fluffy.

A closer look at the fluffy rice!

Since then, I've experimented with three different soups and each turned out surprisingly delicious. I've cooked chicken, ginger in sesame seed oil, soy sauce pork and more rice in the smaller pot and each time the dish turned out really nice!

I need to experiment more! *grinning happily*

Bento 317

2011-07-04T16:45:00.003+08:00

I made a bento from leftovers for myself today. Just a bunch of raw vegetable sticks (celery, kyuri and carrot), some roasted vegetables (peppers, zucchini, button mushrooms, onions etc) and some white rice.

There were some pieces of left over lamb and a piece of corn.

#3's lunch is the usual soy sauce pork, some garlic bread and white rice. I bought a new flask for soup.

Bento 316

2011-06-30T17:12:00.003+08:00

This was a bento from this week. Just two home made burger patties sandwiched between burger buns, cheese and some Japanese mayonnaise. There was some seedless grapes and a handful of BBQ chips!

Home made burger patty recipe here.

All boxed up and ready to go!

I had this for lunch, Nigella Lawson's meatloaf which I made from one of the weekend BBQ's!

The white bits are fresh bread cubes. I Googled for Nigella Lawson's website but the recipe I used for this meatloaf wasn't posted up.

Nevertheless, I searched for meatloaf and out came a full page of recipes! Here's the link. This is the closest except for the instant coffee!

My favorite sights of Madrid

2011-06-15T16:27:00.003+08:00

Mr SandMan, although #1 insists that it is a Mrs SandWoman!

Mr Goatie here earns money just looking colorful and clicking his lips!

A lovely string quartet! Kept us at the sidewalk entertained and trilled enough to drop some coins into the violin case!

Ghost busters needed here!

Every kids fantasy! Monstrous soap bubbles in display!

These guys were mesmerising, professional and top notch musicians!

Street surprises! Scared a few ladies in the process!

Colorful but non descriptive!

Most fun and entertaining! Live music and live dancing! So fun, it was hard to tear away!

My favorite quotes!

2011-06-15T16:07:00.001+08:00

Sweet memories from London, Liverpool station!

Wuwuwu!

Random post

2011-06-15T16:00:00.002+08:00

When I was in Paris during the Easter holidays, even Bento boxes and accessories couldn't elude me! LOL!

It was temptation everywhere!!!

Bento 315

2011-06-15T14:10:00.003+08:00

This box was from Monday when school re-opened. #3 has soy sauce braised pork and cut watermelon with some rice topped with pork floss. Simple hearty lunch.

This is 2's lunch box consisting of (clockwise) Ratatouille, a slice of baguette, fettuccine, some cut watermelon and beef stew. The Ratatouille was cooked by #2. It was a simple recipe from here and tasted good for a beginner.

Bento 314

2011-06-15T13:43:00.004+08:00

Today is Wednesday again, so it's two boxes for #3 and her friend. They stay back for dance class at school and been friends for almost 'forever'!

#3 asked to pack rice for her friend and so there's some BBQ chicken, cut orange slices and plain white rice.

This is #3's box! Some sliced oranges, chocolate coated biscuits and BBQ chicken rolled in store bought tortilla. Tortilla is a recent introduction to #3 and she's taken to it well so now there's something new in her "menu".

This is #2's box. There's chili con carne wrapped in tortilla. There's some more chocolate coated biscuits and cut kiwi.

This recipe of chili con carne was from a M&S easy cookbook which #1 bought for me from her last trip back. #2 is learning to cook and picked the chili con carne, which turned out quite good actually. It was simple and she needed very little supervision, just follow the recipe!

Bento 313

2011-06-02T20:13:00.007+08:00

#3 has extra classes for the first week of school holidays in preparation for the upcoming UPSR! What a stressful time for me! The positive thing is, she's in school for only half a day so we can still spend some valuable "mother-daughter" time together.

This bento is for #2. There's fish stew, fettuccine carbonara with beef bacon and mushrooms, a brioche and some yellow zucchini and grapes.

Quite a delectable meal I believe!

Bento 312

2011-05-25T19:39:00.005+08:00

I"m back blogging! This is my first bento post after months of hiatus! Actually, I've not stoped packing for my kids but just didn't have time to blog.

Today, I packed three boxes. Two for #3 comprised of rice topped with chicken floss, tonkatsu and sliced mango.

Every Wednesday I pack two boxes for #3, one for her and one for her friend to share.

#2 is interning in a PR company and yours truly is still packing lunch for her! I'm happy to do so! Her box has "Nasi Ulam", tonkatsu, beef serunding and some watermelon.

The three boxes which I used was sponsored by Rubbermaid from the Naturel workshop.

Easter break with #1

2011-04-16T02:51:00.007+08:00

Spent two days at Bicester Village (outlet shopping) with #1 in England last week. They have all the major branded names like Ralph Lauren, Kipling, LOccitane, Accessorize, Timberland, Salvatore Ferragamo , Prada etc, etc. Look here.

Took a break and had some crepes. Ham and cheese and Sugar and lemon.

We were at Borough market. Lots of freebies for tasting. At the rate we were going round tasting, we were spoilt for choice!

Macchiato!!

Banoffee pie!

Cod fish burger!

Fried Risotto ball!

Chorizo, rocket and roasted pepper burger!

Raclette sandwiches made out of these!

Lots of fresh food stuff for sale!!

At Changi and trying to blog!

2011-03-30T13:00:00.000+08:00

I'm now at Changi Airport waiting for my flight home. I tried to post some pictures via my Blackberry to no avail.

I took #2 for an early birthday treat for a short trip to Universal Studios and to watch Lion King at Marina Sands.

If you have a chance, Lion King shouldn't be missed!
Hopefully, I'll post some pictures when I get back!

Blogging via Blackberry

2011-03-17T13:55:00.000+08:00

Test!

#2 downloaded an app for me to blog via Blackberry because I've been so busy lately.

I'm trying it out for the first time. Actually, I'm bored waiting in the car while my husband is sorting out some utilities matters. So here's me trying my hand at blogging via Blackberry!

Hopefully, my posts become more regular after this.

Last weekend at JLSM

2011-02-27T22:13:00.009+08:00

This was my last class with JLSM which took place last weekend. I've got a hectic two months ahead and have requested for a break. Green Tea Tiramisu and Oden!

I might resume in May when my commitments ease a little. It's really an enjoyable teaching experience at JLSM. All the participants are adults who attend Japanese Language lessons there on a regular basis. The staff are very polite and helpful and allow me to do what I love best - cook! The best thing of all is, I don't have to wash! LOL!

Busy weekend with the kids

2011-02-27T19:31:00.004+08:00

Saturday saw #3 and I at 19 Culinary Studio in Damansara Heights attending a bread "baking" session!

I read a short article in the newspaper on Friday about baking bread. I mentioned it to #3 and she got all excited and insisted that we should attend.

We did and we learnt to "bake" frozen breads. It was delicious and really crusty. I believe they take the frozen breads from Hiestand. They look exactly the same from the ones I order from a nearby bakery.

Delicious Croissont

Thawed pastries from the freezer

Baked and ready after 18 minutes

#3 and I enjoyed an array of freshly baked breads and pastries

On Sunday, #2 and #3 spent the morning with me at a fund raiser at Church. I sold American Breakfast again! Raised a tidy sum for the ministry!

#2 helped at the Smoothie store. One of her friends brought his mothers Vitamix. Worked like magic! #2 raved about it's "powerful motor" and amazing speed!

#3 was busy playing 'assistant' to a professional make up artist doing tattoos using an airbrush spray gun.

We all had lots of 'bonding time' and fun as we spent our money and time for a good cause!

On a "Naturel" journey

2011-02-22T18:19:00.019+08:00

This morning began in a rush. There was a Bento box to be packed for #2 and yoghurt blended smoothies to make. To top it all off, I was going to attend a"Kids eat right with Naturel Bento" workshop at Bayan Indah to be facilitated by Rohani Jelani.

(My pictures still suck! I was running late and I simply took picture of this morning's Bento!)

This Bento was filled with some brownies, some ham sandwiches and a mixed veggie and fruit slaw. There was a piece of fish pie from last night - recipe, courtesy of Gordon Ramsay from his book : Passion for Seafood

This event was organized by "Naturel" produced by Lam Soon. I always had this impression of Lam Soon being a very China man company and so I was quite surprised when I found out that they produced Naturel! LOL!

I've been using Naturel for 2 years and I really prefer it to most oils. In fact, I switched to Naturel at the advise of family friends who had business in the cooking oil industry.

I was informed that Naturel was made of 100% pure and natural ingredients with a balance ratio of Omega 3 and 6. Incidently, it's supposed to be cholesterol-free!

The Omega 3 and 6 are Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) that cannot be produced in the body but must essentially be obtained from food. Naturel also contains monounsaturates and are also suitable for vegetarians.

At the workshop, there were about 16 bloggers who were invited to this event to have a hands on cooking session to put together a healthy lunch box.

It was a simple task for four of us to a work station, cooking two seperate recipes. I was paired with Intan from The New Straits Times and mother of 3 kids.

We baked some "doughnuts" (don't be confused with it's name because it tasted more like a tasty piece of cake than a "doughnut" - some would look at it as a good alternative as it is baked instead of deep fried!).

We also made some minced prawn tamagoyaki and some Onigiri with Salmon Teriyaki filling.

This picture shows Intan making Onigiri.

Picture shows the lovely Rohani Jelani helping out with the minced prawn Tamagoyaki

Meeting Indra Balaratnam, a Consultant Dietitian was a personal affirmation for me that packing a balanced and nutritiounus meal for my children to bring to school was the most important decision I have ever made!

Sometimes, I may cook Burgers and chocolate chip cookies, home made bread sandwiches with roasted chicken/ham or Spaghetti Aglio Olio with home made carbonara sauce and currently lots of home made Yoghurt! These may seem "commercial styled" but these are mostly home made or home cooked and definitely a "better alternative" than the same type of food bought over counters.

Our lunch boxes displayed!

When the organizers asked me if I used Naturel oil, I said that I'd been using it the last 2 years. What I didn't realize was that Naturel also produced EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), my favorite kind of oil!

Honesty be told, I liked it when I tried it but found it expensive, like most premium brand of Extra Virgin Olive Oil after it's promotion price! So I wait for promos to make my purchases by the half dozen bottles. People argue about how good stuff comes with a price, but consumers like us have a budget to work within and every dollar makes a difference, especially now with the ridiculous inflation. My eldest daughter once spoke to me about how some of my friends wouldn't flutter an eyelid to purchase a 8K handbag but whine and grumble about the price of groceries even though they are stick thin and look like they are hardly the same people who would consume any food at all! I guess cheap or expensive is really relative to what is ones priority! LOL!

Rohani got her team to cook a variety of a mostly vegetable lunch for all of us, using Naturel oil. There was herb rice, pasta topped with a mushroom and tomato sauce, grilled fish and pepper on skewers, some salad and vegetable popiah. It was a light and refreshing meal.

It was an enjoyable experience and a pleasant one at it.

Thanks must be mentioned to Josh and his team at Advertlets who consistently kept in touch and kept us updated.
The team from Jireh Consult and Miss Tania Lee were ever so courteous and helpful.
Thank you also to Rubbermaid who generously sponsored a wide range of containers for the bloggers to pack their food.
Last but not least, thank you Lam Soon for producing Naturel!

Another class at JLSM

2011-01-23T18:54:00.005+08:00

Today I taught Mochi, an Italian dish with fettucini and Green Tea jelly (Harumi's recipe - tweaked) at JLSM.

Store bought anko.

Plain white mochi.

Macha flavored mochi.

The students were very good at making mochi. There are plans to color them pink and give away for Chinese New Year! So cute!

The Italian dish. This was a hot favorite.

Forgot to take pictures of the delicious green tea jelly!

Bento 311

2011-01-20T22:30:00.004+08:00

This was #3's lunch yesterday. Homemade burger patties.

Fresh meat patties frying on a pan.

I covered the pan with a lid and allow it to cooked over minimum fire.

Mini burger buns laden with sliced cheese.

Yummy, delicious and juicy burgers!

Three burgers and some bananas topped with cinnamon sugar.

Bento 310 and fresh meat patties

2011-01-18T20:57:00.005+08:00

Everyday there's extra classes for #3 and I've decided to send her lunch. She's grown a whole lot over the last holidays and looks more 16 than 12!

Her appetite is revenous and a third of her school bag would be filled with food if I didn't send her lunch!

This was her lunch today...(clockwise from the bottom) fried rice with bacon bits and egg. Some chicken nuggets with cheddar cheese, a bowl of hot ABC soup, a quarter of an orange and some Japanese chocolates.

After much cajoling, I finally agreed to make some meat patties for burgers. #2 and #3 helped me make it in the middle of getting dinner ready tonight.

It was really quite easy with their help and we finished it in a zippy.

The ingredients were roughly the following:

1 kg minced beef

500g minced pork

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs

5tbsp of milk

1 white onion - chopped in bits

pepper and salt to taste

8 slices of bacon cut to bits and fried till a little crisp

Method:

Mix all the above well together and pack them in sizes which are suitable for your use.

The two girls had five burgers between them and it was "yummy"!

Goma Ice-cream

2011-01-18T20:12:00.005+08:00

My mum decided to spend Chinese New Year in Penang at my sister's home this year. Before she left, we took her for dinner at Sushi Tei in Tropicana City Mall.

The food is pretty decent and the price is reasonable. I had this for dessert that night. It's black sesame ice cream with some anko and glutinous rice balls.

It was quite enjoyable!

More Books! Insanity is setting in...

2011-01-14T19:10:00.006+08:00

My husband wanted to get something from One Utama last night but didn't because it was not available.

Instead, #2 and I had a blast of a time picking books to our hearts desires! I bumped into the Popular book store and found that they were relocating and books were going for a ridiculous 70% discount. Newly published books were available at 30% discount.

The prices were so ridiculous that #2 and I couldn't stop ourselves from picking and picking and picking books of our choice.

All these Japanese cooking books were bought at a fraction of their original prices!

Some books for #3.

General interests and specific needs.

#2's choice of books....I think these were 30% off.

More 70% less books!

These were a mix of 30% and 70% discounted books.

I couldn't help myself! I had to buy two of each because the price was just too good a steal to ignore! Perhaps I will plan to give them away or something via my blog. I need more time!!!

Bento 309 and Affogato

2011-01-13T17:30:00.005+08:00

This was #3's bento for yesterday. Just fried sausages with wholemeal bread drizzled with some kewpie mayo and Oreo. #3 is really picky and hard to please.

Sometimes she can just eat the same food day after day. Admittedly, she's improved this year, trying new food stuff and acquiring new favorites. Problem is, it's at snail's pace and takes a toil on the patience!

This is our latest 'fix'! Affogato! After paying RM8.50-RM12.00 for this sweet taste of paradise, we decided to make it ourselves.

I used " coffee" with a plunger! Yummilicious!

Shopping at Daiso

2011-01-11T14:41:00.002+08:00

#1 had some things to pick up at Daiso. As always, I'm excited too!

Picked up some carving tools. I know I won't be using them because I don't have the passion for Charaben. Just letting my blog readers know that it's available at Daiso at The Curve.

Have fun shopping!

Food galore

2011-01-10T18:33:00.005+08:00

#1's last two days at home before returning to the grind of self sufficiency! We're on a gastronomic tour of local food and favorite deserts!

I the "technologically challenged dork"

2011-01-09T21:13:00.007+08:00

I've been without internet access for the last couple of weeks. Nonetheless, the world of 'possibilities' is quite large! Making good choices result in good returns.

Three months ago, the whole family invested in a Blackberry each because #1 was going off to UK to study. I'm technologically challenged so I just went with the flow. Three months later and quite a satisfactory owner of a Blackberry Bold with an unlimited access plan under my belt, I've found that I can still just plug in my Blackberry or BB in short to access the internet.

Hubs says that the Unifi plan is accessible to our area soon and we're going to subscribe to it. Beats me, but I'm fine with that!

The fact that I'm back blogging and having posted two posts already makes me happy!

Since #1 left for UK to study, nobody has been using the Canon EOS40D which hubs bought. I found it clumsy with the zoom lens and #1 suggested we invest in a smaller lens...okay I'm game for that too.

Hehehe! My new toy! (If I can figure out how to use it first).

Kids day out baking!

2011-01-08T23:43:00.015+08:00

We started out early to the God sister's house for a day of fun and baking. Made some scones, Apple pies and Tiramisu. Days are packed with activities and programs until #1 flies back to UK for her second semester.

Pictures says them all....

BZ books galore!

2011-01-08T23:07:00.007+08:00

These are some cook books and recipe keepers I got over the holiday season. Some were bought locally, others were brought back from London by #1. There are a couple more scattered all over the house...

Goodbye 2010 & Hello Bento 308

2011-01-06T18:29:00.007+08:00

#1 was home for Christmas. Lots of presents for everyone! The God brothers had lots of exciting stuff! The sisters were basking in new clothes and chocolates. I was drowning in cook books. It's been a busy three weeks.

It's been a wonderful year and 2011 looks exciting and blessed. I'm looking forward to it.

I put together a quick fix bento for #2 today. She has another semester to go before she has nothing to do until September. Lucky thing she extended her foundation course for another semester otherwise she's be completely at a loss what to do for 2011! *shakes head*

Oh well! This was it...store bought 'chee cheong fun' a.k.a as rice flour noodles. The accompaniment is some stuffed ladies fingers, 'foo chook', pigs skin (fried) and some meat balls and fish balls. Some pineapple to go too. Looks like Thursdays are good for bentos!

Halloween cupcakes

2010-11-02T16:42:00.002+08:00

A friend passed me a box of cupcakes on Sunday. Personally, I don't celebrate Halloween but I have no issues with people who do.

Thank you anyway!

Some pumpkins which caught my eye! Never seen such expensive and huge pumpkins before!

Profiteroles

2010-11-02T16:23:00.004+08:00

I made these with #3 for her class party last Friday. I've been making creme puff with this recipe for ages. This is really easy after the first time. I used the recipe from the "Cook's Bible".

This one is almost similar and I'm sure it's as good if you want to try it.

Bento 307 - JLSM

2010-10-28T13:40:00.002+08:00

I taught this Bento two weekends ago at the Japanese Language Society. This was a mixed salad in sesame dressing.

Some bunny apples.

Pancake 'wraps' with teriyaki chicken, mushroom and salad filling.

Bento 306

2010-10-28T13:18:00.004+08:00

#2 likes to eat 'wraps'. This was one of those bentos in a rush!

Nicely packed in a bento!

"Sometimes we gotta pick up our courage and face life"

2010-10-13T10:52:00.005+08:00

"Sometimes we gotta pick up our courage and face life"
(something in that context...)

It's been almost two weeks (30th Sept 2010) since #1 left to further her studies in UK. Last night was the first time we'd properly had a conversation on Skype. It's been a busy schedule on the BBM the rest of the time.

Things have settled in, routines have begun and exams are expected soon. Many people asked me "why UK", why not Australia? There are so many advantages if she goes to Australia, blah, blah, blah. "To each his own", I say!

I told #1 to update her blog with some pictures, she re-directed me to a new pictorial blog which she directly blogs from her new BB. The weather has been cold and then hot, it's been a merry go round with the temperature. She's learnt to cook 'perfect rice'. A few dishes which she learnt via BBM has given her the comfort of 'home cooked food'.

"WE WOULD HAVE FEWER SOCIAL AND PERSONAL PROBLEMS IF WE COULD ONLY UNDERSTAND THAT, WHEN OUR BELIEFS ARE CONTRADICTED BY EVIDENCE IN THE WORLD, IT IS BETTER TO ADJUST OUR BELIEFS THAN TO DENY THE EVIDENCE AND CLING TENACIOUSLY TO DYSFUNCTIONAL IDEAS."

Stanovich (2004)

Bento 305

2010-10-12T08:19:00.005+08:00

I've been trying to find an excuse to bento! Nobody wants a bento...*sigh* (so sad...).

Made this for myself today. It's "nasi ulam", some leftover "perut ikan" and a plum.

A close up picture of this delicious meal. I made the "nasi ulam" out of left over herbs from cooking chicken rendang. I don't have a recipe because I estimate my ingredients but I've linked a recipe in the top for those who may want to try it out. It's quite close to how I do it except that there's no hard and fast rule about using the specific herbs and quantities. I just estimated and improvised and each time, the "nasi ulam" is as delicious!

The "perut ikan" was a 'gift' from mum's Taichi friend. Very delicious and authentic. I haven't learnt to cook it yet. Next project to learn from my mum. *wide grin*.

Bento 304

2010-10-07T16:23:00.002+08:00

This bento was sent to #3 at her day care center. I make it a point to send her food at least 3 times a week. Other times she orders from the neighboring Deli.

Clockwise: Campbell mushroom soup, some nests of spaghetti and tonkatsu. Cubes of orange and a small box of Mayo for the spaghetti.

Bento 303

2010-10-07T13:22:00.003+08:00

I made this for #2 today. It was her lunch for after college. That's Caesar salad tossed in a home made sauce. I finally made Apple Strudel from an old recipe from one of Betty Yew's classes taught from her home umpteen years ago. There was also some nests of spaghetti topped with beef furikake.

A simple and delicious lunch!

It's been almost one week since #1 left for her studies in UK, with her dad to help her settle down.

God has been good and all things has traveled it's course, life goes on....

Japanese cooking class

2010-10-05T10:31:00.005+08:00

My friend Alice who is now working in Japan used to teach Japanese cooking at a Japanese Language center down town. When she was seconded to Japan, she asked if I could help to take over the 'sinseh' (teacher) role. I was reluctant at first because of my weekend commitments but relented for the sake of helping a friend.

The Language center, JLSM offer several levels of Japanese language proficiency courses, Akido, Chirimen, Odori, Origami and other festival activities and fun.

Last Sunday, I taught Cha Soba and Gyoza. I was told that the JLSM committee members were holding their meeting at noon and was asked to help to cook extra for their lunch. Honestly, it is quite a task to make 'extra' gyoza in the short period we had but somehow all things went well and not only did the lesson finish, we managed to cook enough for lunch for another 10 people as well!

Below is the "Cold Cha Soba"

You can see the condiments laid in front of the metal tray of Cha Soba
(L-R) Sesame seeds, Spring onions, Quail eggs and a tube of Wasabi.

There were two pots of "Cold dipping sauce"

A pot of boiled Gyoza (the fried ones had long gone into the student's stomachs and take away boxes)

A pot of Miso soup.

Donburi

2010-09-20T21:48:00.002+08:00

Left over minced pork, some eggs and French beans made a delicious donburi.

Snack Bento

2010-09-20T19:06:00.004+08:00

This was a snack bento, prepared in a jiffy. In it is a "kai tan kow" (steam egg cake - a la Chinese style), some grapes and papaya cubes.

Onigiri on the go

2010-09-13T20:42:00.004+08:00

Today, #2 travels down south with a college mate and several college staff. Apparently there are scholarship interviews taking place in two states and assistance is required.

#2 still struggles with her braces and asked that I make some Onigiri for her to take along just in case.

The large triangle ones are filled with Salmon and Avocado.
The barrels are mixed with furikake - a variety of beef and chicken.

The top box was packed with a croissant filled with Avocado, Mayo and Salmon.

The croissant cut into three pieces and packed in cling wrap.

A close up of the Onigiri.

Bento 302

2010-09-13T20:19:00.004+08:00

I packed this box from left overs, one of those random days when a quick lunch bento was necessary.

This bento was mine and I had rice, some left over minced pork, vegetables and bits of waxed meat.

I really enjoyed it.

Korean Mandu aka Gyoza

2010-09-02T15:54:00.001+08:00

Over the last week, I learnt how to make mandu. It's Korean dumplings.

Ingredients required:
Glass noodles
Bean curd
Taugeh (bean sprouts)
Onions
Garlic chives
Green onions
Mushrooms

Mix the above with pork or beef or both. Add an egg if necessary.

Wrap in ready made wrappers or home made ones.

Boil in a pot of soup stock comprised of Anchovies powder, garlic and onions.

Yum Yum!

Dinner Post

2010-08-24T22:28:00.003+08:00

One of those random days when I cooked a really quick dinner in a great hurry. I had a large pot of water boiling the spaghetti.

And then I had another pot sauteing the onions and mushrooms before I added the cream and Swiss meatballs from IKEA. I peppered the cream sauce and added salt and chopped basil for more flavor.

I also made Chirashi Sushi in a separate casserole from leftovers.

Yummilicious!

Bento 301

2010-08-23T15:16:00.002+08:00

It'a been a lonnnggggg while since my last post on Bento. Below is a simple lunch for #3.

Clockwise: ABC soup, piping hot rice topped with some sakura denbu (for color) and a box of chicken karaage and lots of grapes. You'll notice there are no vegetables because #3 doesn't eat them!

The "TIGER" flask all ready to go.

Of Birthdays and family

2010-08-23T13:50:00.006+08:00

Last week, #3 turned 11 years old. We had a small family celebration in the midst of a everybody's busy schedule. Dad-in-law was in town and brothers-in-law too. Lots of men. (and a Holy man)

Mum and I planned the menu. As usual, mum has the last say and she very quickly eradicated my list of choices. In the end we had a braised duck, prawns and petai sambal, Ginger wine and chicken, braised pork, vegetables, pickled carrots, cucumbers and chillies, braised tongue and a pork bones and arrowroot soup.

My collection of bone china casseroles.

Braised tongue. Had raving reviews for this dish.

Mum braised duck for the first time and it was simply delicious.
A great cook always becomes a greater cook!

Sambal petai and prawns. Yummilcious!!

Dishes served...

"Death by Chocolate" by Just Heavenly.
Happy Birthday baby!

Julie Andrews shares @ 69

2010-08-17T11:35:00.004+08:00

So, an anonymous comment in my inbox tells me that this article I received and published here was a hoax (thank you).
Apparently snopes.com debunked it ages ago.

Nonetheless, I like this parody of "My favorite Things" because I'm beginning to be able to relate to it. *Bleah*

Thanks Em for sharing!

It wouldn't be funny if it weren't so true... Julie Andrews turned 69 and to commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan 's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favourite Things" from the legendary movie "The Sound Of Music."

Here are the actual lyrics she used:

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Cadillac's and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favourite things..

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favourite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short, shrunken frames,
When we remember our favourite things.

When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores.

Steam Boat dinner

2010-08-05T18:31:00.004+08:00

Last night was one of those rare evenings we could have a long dinner together and not rush off for some appointment or other. I made some fish cake (the longish looking ones), the other two fish balls and mushrooms came from Jusco.

There was fresh squids, prawns and fish in the menu.

Delicious home made pork balls mixed with chopped prawns, more mushrooms and straw mushrooms.

Simply dunk into a hot pot of delicious stock.

Grocery shopping

2010-08-03T20:21:00.003+08:00

If you haven't heard from me or I've yet to respond to your e-mail, know that I'm rushing around a lot lately. There are lots of runs and errands to catch up on.

Today was most fruitful though. Thanks Alice and Celia for all the effort to enable me to stock up my Japanese pantry.

Sometimes thing aren't the way it should be or look the way they should look or even seem the way they are expected to BUT so what! Life is too short to snort or get all hot to rot! Hahaha! I'm happy all the same.

My giant bag of Tuna Katsuobushi.

Frozen Unagi, Ebiko, Natto, Tako and a box of Chuka Iidako.

All the different sauces and condiments, teas and Japanese noodles, seaweed and rice (not in picture) necessary for cooking more Japanese dishes.

Updates!

2010-07-28T12:26:00.008+08:00

Long absences and infrequent posts spell trouble for my blog. It's been despairingly neglected.

We've had guests over for dinner a couple of evenings. Between that, I've had to get my darling husband to show me the way to the new JLSM center. I have no idea how to get to Jalan Ipoh and it took three trips before I could find the place. *grin*

My dear friend Alice who moved to Japan permanently was back for about ten days and was facilitating an Obento class and we had scheduled to meet then. I really enjoyed her class and the company. It was fun meeting other 'students' passionate about cooking Japanese food.

I forgot my camera and had to use my hand phone camera. Obviously not a good option! I tried turning the picture around and saved it but it kept coming out on my post this way! Hmmmm...

Japanese vinegared egg yolk with crab stick and spinach

Simmered fried sanma fish curry

Strawberry and red bean roll

There was a second session in the afternoon but we were against time because some students arrived late. We were rushing and I forgot to take pictures. *sad face* Overall, both the sessions were interesting and new skills and tips were adopted.
Thank you Alice for the wonderful fellowship over lunch.

Random:
Below was lunch after my husband bought a bunch of petai from Pangkor Island. Yummy!

Home made Pasta

2010-07-14T15:53:00.010+08:00

We eat a lot of pasta at home. It's easy to finish 6 boxes of 500g of pasta in a month, sometimes more even. I've tried making pasta a couple of times but never left me wanting to do more.

I was reading an old magazine and came across a simple recipe.

600 g high gluten flour

5 medium eggs

Mix and knead.

Allow to rest for at least 25 minutes.

Roll flat and wide.

Roll them together and cut to the size required.

Nicely falls over the knife when lifted up.

Nice pile of Fettuccini.

Made some Lasagna sheets too.

Freshly cooked Fettuccine. Fresh pasta took less than 5 minutes to cook till al dante.

Can't wait to try the Lasagna sheets!

Nothing tastes better than fresh pasta!
I think Barilla just lost a loyal customer.

Paella

2010-07-14T12:57:00.004+08:00

Since I was still on a Spanish or Hispanic (from #2) dish experimental journey, I tried my hand at Paella. I Googled for Paella and found this recipe.

It looked simple enough and I did have a Paella pan which I had not broken into yet.

To break into the Paella pan, I first washed with soapy water and then dried it. Heated it over medium fire. After that I poured in some oil and rubbed it in. Heated it through for about 5-7 minutes and allowed it to cool down, then washed off the oil with warm soapy water. Ta-da! Paella pan ready for use.

Saute-ing the onions.

In went the red and green peppers.

The chicken cubes with salt and pepper.

In went the rice and liquids.

Added the prawns and crab meat (I improvised a little).

Okay truth be told, it wasn't as great as it should have been. Being first time doing this I thought that I had to cook it the way I cook our local 'one pot rice' and so I ended up with a little burnt bottom. BUT...it tasted pretty good or so from the feedback from my husband and #2. #1 wasn't very excited about it and opted to eat the optional white rice I cooked for 'just in case'.

Next time round I won't worry about 'cooking down' the liquids! I would also add more seafood and meats because my paella pan had 2 cups of rice and had a wee bit too little seafood and meats. One more thing, I like my peppers with a little crunch, perhaps they should also go into the pan later and with less saute-ing time. Till the next attempt...Buen provecho! (Bon Apetite!)

Alioli

2010-07-12T20:26:00.005+08:00

Tomorrow night my two elder girls complete their 3 month Spanish classes at UTAR.
To celebrate, the class and lecturer decided to have a little fellowship. Obviously the theme is "Spanish food".

I searched for ideas on the internet and found "Bread with Mushrooms and Alioli", a tapa.
The recipe seemed simple and making mayo actually is my forte.

Ingredients

4 or 5 ounces mushrooms, stems removed and sliced thin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon sherry wine
Alioli (garlic
mayonnaise)
French bread, sliced into rounds

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a pan that has a cover. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, salt and sherry. Cover, and lower heat. Cook until liquid is released from the mushrooms, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Toast bread slightly, just to dry it out a bit. Spread with alioli and top with mushrooms. Broil for about 30 seconds or until alioli starts to bubble.

I did some research on the internet for alioli and eventually concoted my own method.

This stone pestle is an "ancestral heirloom". It was my grandmothers and then passed to my mother's second sister and then my mother and finally became mine. It's a 'giant' of a stone pestle. I have 3 sizes and this is the largest.

There are about 10 garlic cloves in there.

The pestle is huge and heavy. *pound, pound, pound*

The first few drops of Extra Virgin Olive oil mixed in the crushed garlic.

Adding spoons full of Extra Virgin Olive oil.

Mix, mix and mix!

Managed to yield two bottles of Alioli.

Tastes fantastic! Can't wait to cook the mushrooms tomorrow now that the Alioli is done.

Bento 300

2010-07-09T15:20:00.003+08:00

So I reached my 300th bento today. Thought I should take a break and buy my favorite meal instead. Lui Cha is basically lots of chopped veggies fried in dried prawns and garlic. Makes a healthy and hearty meal. Love the mint and basil concoction of tea leaves, peanuts, sesame seeds, etc.

Busy weekend ahead.

Bento 299

2010-07-08T14:48:00.003+08:00

I was free mid day because classes were going to be long today. I made myself a bento.
Clockwise: Tonkatsu topped with mayo and tonkatsu sauce, steam rice, some more fried gyoza with dipping sauce and finely shred ginger and garlic tossed French beans and cherry tomatoes. Wow! What an awesome lunch!! The gyozaaaa...was delicious beyond words!!!

This Chicken and five vegetable dish was packed in a side dish. It's got lotus root, mushroom, carrrot, delicious Burdock, daikon and Konnyaku.

The Burdock is so, so delicious!!!

Lunch again

2010-07-08T11:18:00.004+08:00

I brought home two boxes of Strawberries and before I could use them, almost 70% went soft and couldn't be used. So sad!!

The five I salvaged were wrapped with home made Anko for Mochi. I halved the strawberries and managed to yield 10 mochi.

The mochi was served as dessert for lunch yesterday.

Friends enjoyed a meal of Cha Soba and home made fried Gyozas.

Good friends and good food makes good company.

Bento 298

2010-07-07T14:38:00.003+08:00

My internet was down yesterday so I had to do without indulging in my favorite pastime (or waste time as some would say).

This was #3 tea bento yesterday. A simple ham and Ciabatta sandwich. Nestled in between are some peanuts in a cup and surrounded by some cheese biscuits. There was a bottle of Yoghurt drink packed together.

This is the view of the closed box with a transparent cover.

No Charaben today, just lunch!

2010-07-05T21:41:00.004+08:00

I feel stifled by limited ingredients and confined taste buds!
Charaben isn't working for me because it takes a whole lot of time for the same purpose.
The kid needs to have more variety if she wants to have Charaben!

I made Zaru Soba today. Boiled Japanese buckwheat noodles, made a dip and fried some Korean dumplings and crab cakes. Notice the ice-cubes? Didn't plan ahead so had to make do.

#2 and I enjoyed a simple lunch.

Roasted Bell peppers

2010-07-05T14:27:00.004+08:00

This basket of Bell peppers cost RM5/= (US1.55) in Cameron Highlands. I decided that I should roast them before they get rotten. I love roasted bell peppers with sun dried tomatoes and pasta.

I halved them and rubbed some oil on each half and placed them on the oven pan. The seeds I set aside for planting.

After 15 minutes in the oven at 250 deg C. It smells sweet and smokey (heavenly too!).

I scrapped the roasted peppers into a metal bowl and covered it with cling wrap for it to self steam so that the skin will tear off easier.

Skin removed from the roasted bell peppers. The flesh is tender and sweet. Still smells smokey and tastes delicious!!! YUMMY!!

RM5/= worth of bell peppers yielded a whole bottle of roasted pepper. I filled the 680g bottle with Olive Oil to keep the freshness of the roasted pepper.

Bento 297

2010-07-01T20:24:00.004+08:00

Confession! Trying to pack charaben bento is no simple task! It takes time, lots of effort, mind boggling bento accessories for mind boggling shapes. But the effect to my kid is just AWESOME! #3 keeps bugging me to continue to pack cutesy food for her. She's been eating everything I pack (also because it's within the confines of her palate choice).

I got this idea from a burger bento from Yum-Yum Bento Box.

This was yesterday's 3.00p.m. meal. Home made beef burger patty.

I had a challenging time with the 'face' because they wouldn't stick to the bun! Anyway there were some home made cookies and some jewel skewered seedless grapes on mangoes.

I used this Hello Kitty box because I didn't want the 'face' on the hamburger crushed.

#3 loved this and said that I must keep packing her cutesy food. Geeezzz...I don't know how long I can do this!

Bento 296

2010-06-30T08:57:00.007+08:00

This morning at 6.15a.m. I flicked through the pages of Yum-Yum Bento Box for ideas. Okay, so it wasn't the best time to be browsing a Bento book of pictures looking for bright ideas to strike!

I had sushi rice left over and normally, I would mix sakura denbu and Kewpie mayo together with the sushi rice and pack it into a box for #3 to bring to school.

After yesterday's excitement over her bento box, mummy had to rise to another challenge today to pack a cutesy bento. Page 72 of Yum-Yum Bento Box struck my eyes!

I have some rice molds too and I could get out of my (lazy) comfort zone and begin using them...*wrinkles face*

I stuffed the rice with some tuna, chopped onions, mayo and freshly ground pepper. Topped each one of the different shapes with some sakura denbu. #3 kept nagging me to make an extra one for her to try, which I did and that resulted with Ooooo....s and Aaaa.....s. *so nice! so nice!* she exclaimed!

I used the triangle pocket bread mold to mold some tuna sandwiches. After yesterday's tonkatsu 'face' balls, it's starry eyes and a smiley face sandwich. *grins*

You would notice that there are no greens, that's because #3 doesn't eat any greens and anything green in the bento box would be a waste (at this time anyway). I filled the gaps with cubes of watermelon and stuck a skewer for her to use.

Bento 295 and Yum-Yum Bento Box review

2010-06-29T15:55:00.011+08:00

Last week, I received a copy of Yum-Yum Bento Box for review from their publisher
- Quirk Books.

Yum-Yum Bento Box: Fresh Recipes for Adorable Lunches, by Crystal Watanabe (Adventures in Bentomaking) and Maki Ogawa (cuteobento).

I've posted close to 300 bentos in this blog over the last three years and seldom do you find charaben in my posts. No, it's not that I have anything against charaben but limitation of time, effort and creativity does douse any enthusiasm. Imagine trying to be creative at 6.00a.m. in the morning or close to midnight the night before drawing and plotting a charaben bento for the next morning.

I am a practical, no frills bento box packer and it's almost come to the end of my journey packing for my second daughter who is in her first year of college. All was well until she had her braces fitted and it's made her even more selective of what she eats. Of course each new semester welcomes a new and more active timetable, sometimes with classes back to back from one end of the long corridor to another.

I now have another challenge...to begin packing for my 11 year old girl. She's picky and selective about what she puts in her mouth. This year has been a little better because she's learn to eat a few new types of food besides her regular fish, soup, rice, tuna sandwiches and fried drumsticks. She's eating hamburgers, hot dogs, "bak kut teh", lasagna, chocolate muffins, bacon sandwiches and one or two more variety. She's okay with some fruits and some biscuits. With all the limitations, it's been really difficult to even think of beginning to pack for #3!

I think Yum-Yum Bento Box comes as almost an answer to my prayer. It's got a whole variety of cutesy display of food in colors, shapes, sizes and flavor. I doubt I will replicate any bento exactly (limited by food choices) but I should be able to use the authors ideas and variety to pack some 'eye candy' bento for #3.

I found this cute Ladybug Picnic bento on page 64 and I started out making it since I had some sushi stuff left from last night's dinner.

Hehehe! It didn't quite end up there though. I thought that punching twice using the eye and mouth puncher from 100 Yen would suffice instead of working with all the Lady bug spots and Nori accessories. So, I got something different and I'm just as happy because for me it was easy and fast.

Inside the pink balls (sakura denbu) of sushi rice is some chopped Tonkatsu and Mayo. There are two chocolates and a sliced orange.

Instead of cutting the sausages into Tulips, I simply used some cute skewers (which are usually in a drawer somewhere) to enhance the aesthetic view.

I worked on another bento box for #2. Usually, I would just chop up all the ingredients and mix it with the sushi rice to make it a "Chirashi sushi" style.

This time it's sushi balls filled with chopped Tonkatsu and Mayo surrounded with the various fillings for sushi. There's sliced simmered mushrooms, some edamame beans, sliced tamagoyaki, some skewered kyuri and carrots and left over Tonkatsu.

Picture taken with the box closed with a clear cover.

Food tastes better when they look good!

Yum-Yum Bento Box even appeals to a non charaben bento packer like me because I see that it provides me a variety of ideas, options, easy or detailed, to expand the way I want to with the availability of food and colors which appeals to my growing child.

I'm not sure if it's available locally at the major book stores but I'm sure you can order via Amazon.com or Kinokuniya at KLCC.

#3 came home ecstatic about her first 'charaben' bento today. LOL! She said that she wanted the same bento for dinner. *faints*

Other reviews or information found here:
Bentolicious
Bentozen
Hawai'i's Bento Box Cookbook
Maisie Eats Bento
Mothering Corner
Yum-Yum Bento Box

Bento 294

2010-06-03T13:16:00.003+08:00

I was at the supermarket yesterday when I decided to make gyoza. I quickly picked up the necessary ingredients and went home to begin.

First I made the dough and set it aside. I don't have a formula for this but it's come out right each time and it makes me happy just like that.

Then I set out to make the filling which comprise of chopped leek, spring onions, Chinese cabbage, minced pork, ginger juice, sesame oil, salt, pepper and corn flour. I don't have a standard recipe for this either. I just put together what ever which is available and what I remember. So you can imagine, the taste of the gyozas do vary from time to time. LOLs!

I made about 60 pieces of these babies.

Testing time...boiled gyoza...yum yum!

I made today's bento from last night's leftovers again. Clockwise: Sliced oranges, some tonkatsu and some fried gyoza. Finally a small portion of clay pot rice.

A fulfilling meal indeed!

Bento 293

2010-06-02T15:15:00.002+08:00

This bento is basically put together from last nights leftovers.

I made a delicious beef stew in the crock pot. I didn't use any recipe, just saute the onions, carrots, button mushrooms, celery, beef chunks and put everything into the crock pot with basil, beef stock and a can of chopped tomatoes. To finish off, I flavored it with salt and freshly ground pepper and then I added a small box of cream - that did the magic!

Clockwise: Mixed veggies in sesame sauce dressing, some cut apples, pieces of baguette and awesome-mest beef stew.

Bento 292

2010-06-02T12:16:00.004+08:00

The food in this bento is completely store bought except for the extra cellophane noodles (tang hoon) which I added to the soup and the ladies fingers.

All the ingredients are made out of tofu and fish cake so there are fish balls - both boiled and fried, stuffed tofu and tofu skin and delicious soup to complete the meal.

Bento 291

2010-06-01T12:45:00.004+08:00

This is my lunch today. It's a huge bento with a full silicon cup of rice. Ladies fingers again and some chili fried aubergines/eggplant/brinjal as we call it locally.

Fried tofu is oyster sauce and some sweet sour pork. A hearty meal for a busy mother.

Bento 290

2010-05-31T13:24:00.001+08:00

It's been a long while since my last bento post. Finally had the opportunity to do one for #2's lunch today.

Basic spaghetti in Aglio Olio. The meat balls are from IKEA, matched with a homemade sauce, some blanched ladies fingers (Okra) and some deliciously sweet oranges.

Fianally a food post

2010-05-14T15:46:00.003+08:00

Finally managed to squeeze a food post in between rush hours.

Made this for #2 when she got back from College today. SASA had a Law talk today.
It's basically spaghetti topped with NATTO and a poached egg. I sprinkled some cut nori around the spaghetti. Yummy! Yummy!

#1 and I were at BVII and we bought our favorite carrot cake from Marmalade for #2's dessert.

Harvesting Bell peppers from my garden

2010-05-05T16:35:00.004+08:00

Will be away for another camp this weekend. Busy with lots of paper work and long shopping lists!
One consolation, my bell peppers has been growing well and today I harvested a couple of them again. Here are some pictures.

I love this!

2010-04-27T17:19:00.001+08:00

Back and busy

2010-04-26T15:44:00.004+08:00

#2 is on a short Semester break and we were away for the weekend to Mount Kinabalu. Weather was wonderful and so was the local food and amenities.

Picture taken from our cabin balcony in Kinabalu Pine Resort. It was a nice break from all the hustle and bustle of the daily routine back home.

(No we didn't climb the mountain and we don't intend to *grins*)

We're back to the grind of things rushing around before we leave for Sarawak this weekend for an exciting experience.

Tiramisu

2010-04-15T15:47:00.006+08:00

There was Tiramisu for dessert at last night's meeting. I had made it a day ahead so that it could set properly. I'm fussy and particular about Tiramisu, and because it's one of my favorite desserts I have experimented with many versions and recipes.

This one in particular, I like very much because it's just simply delicious. Every time I make this, compliments pour in non stop.

Below, whisking egg yolks with sugar and Mascarporne cheese.

Dipping sponge fingers in double strength coffee, sugar and Khalua.

Lining the sponge fingers for the base layer.

Spreading the cheese mix and whipped egg whites on the first layer of coffee laden sponge fingers.

Beginning the second layer.

The recipe yielded a second bowl of Tiramisu. *grins*

Sponge fingers should NOT be dipped through. The center should be like this, dry and clean of coffee.

The first bowl of Tiramisu dusted with Chocolate powder.

The second bowl of Tiramisu.

This is how it look from the sides over night from the fridge.

Another side view.

Spam Musubi

2010-04-14T23:26:00.004+08:00

I hosted a meeting at my home tonight. I made an array of food stuff. Amongst them was Spam Musubi.

I posted the recipe about a year ago and recently I tried a different recipe which I read from Adventures in Bentomaking. I tried looking back to find the specific post but couldn't find it. Anyway I remembered the recipe for the sauce which said half cup sugar, half cup shoyu and half cup water. The best thing was, her recipe recommended 'boiling' the spam in the sauce instead of frying the spam. (saved all the splattering)

Picture below shows the 'boiled' spam.

This is the final outcome. The spam musubi was delicious. I liked it. After I opened the cling wrap, I drizzled some kewpie mayo on the sliced musubi before serving. I liked the added flavor.

For method and more pictures of my previous post, click here.

#3's lunch

2010-04-13T14:34:00.003+08:00

Just posting a picture of #3's lunch today. It's her favorite sushi with sakura denbu and kewpie mayo. That's the only way she eats sushi. When we patronize Japanese restaurants, we have to specially order specifically this or she will not eat.

Every where we eat, most chefs know who they are cooking for when 'her order' goes into the kitchen. Oh No! It's nothing spectacular, just unusual and out of the ordinary. LOL!

Bento sabbatical and my Moussaka

2010-04-12T17:10:00.005+08:00

I'm taking a sabbatical from posting bentos for #2. She had her braces fit last Friday and has not been able to eat anything other than juices, smoothies, soup and more juices.

She missed a hi-tea party on Saturday because her teeth hurt too much and missed my Uncle's 90th big birthday party last night too. Not only does her teeth hurt, she's in the midst of finals as well. #2 has really been good, complained very little and has been juicing up all her own meals.

I literally filled a fridge full of fruits and vegetables to be at her disposal. I tried to cook some porridge for her but it didn't appeal. Oh well, exams end on Wednesday and she's on term holiday for a fortnight and then back to college. As usual, her holiday is already packed to the brim with activities.

I made Moussaka today. It is something like Lasagna without the pasta sheets but with lots of vegetables. It was delicious but took a long while to make.

This is the ready baked Moussaka hot from the oven.

A view from the side of my glass dish. Visible are the layers of vegetables, beef and cheeses.

The pictures were taken in a hurry because we wanted to dig in and this was the only portion which we managed to capture before it went into the stomachs! Verdict? Delicious, textured, light flavored vegetables and flavorful cheeses drove the taste buds wild!

Yeah! #2 couldn't resist and managed to eat two servings of the Moussaka. Her first proper meal in three and a half days.

This is quite a huge portion so half it if you're trying it for the first time. I made a full portion because we love this!

Recipe:
Eggplants (Brinjals) - 500 grams, sliced slanting 1/4 inch thick
Zucchini - 1 kg, sliced slanting 1/4 inch thick
Pepper and Salt to taste
EVOO as required
3 tsp of chopped garlic
50 grams of fresh basil leaves - torn in bits
1 box of fresh button mushrooms - slice
500 grams ground beef
1 can of crushed tomatoes
Cheddar cheese as required
1 box 250 grams spreadable cottage cheese

Method:
1. Salt the zucchini and eggplant with generous amount of salt in a large container for 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add two tbsp EVOO in a pan and saute the garlic over low fire to soften.
3. Add the ground beef to cook and then add the sliced fresh button mushrooms.
4. Throw in the torn basil leaves and pour in the can of crushed tomatoes.
5. Bring to boil and slowly cook down for about 20 minutes until it gets dry.
6. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
7. Pre-heat oven to 230C.
8. Once times up for the zucchini and eggplant, rinse out well and dry well. Coat vegetables with 3tbsp of EVOO.
9. Lay all the vegetables by slices in a large oven tray lined with wax paper. Put into oven and roast for 20 minutes until soft or brown.
10. Once ready, begin layering a 9 by 11 inch oven proof dish. I used a glass dish so I can see the layers cooking.
11. Layer vegetables first and then the meat and top with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. Begin the second cycle with the same layering method of vegetables, meat and sprinkling of cheddar cheese until it tops with a meat layer.
12. Give the spreadable cottage cheese a good mix in it's box and spread it out on the top meat layer. Sprinkle generously some more cheddar cheese.
13. Bake for 17 minutes and broil and cook for 3 minutes to brown the top. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before cutting to serve. Enjoy!

Gossip

2010-04-09T00:52:00.006+08:00

I spend a lot of time conversing with my kids whose age range from 11 to 21. Lately I hear a lot of 'stories' which really are 'gossip' from some form of speculation formed from eavesdropping or by sight and thus drawing random conclusions.

When I hear these type of topics surface from our conversations, I am adamant about 'terminating' such frivolous talk. No, I'm not a self righteous goody-goody primp. I just think that it is my responsibility as an adult and parent to discourage young people in entangling themselves in such talk.

It is so easy to gossip about other people to create speculations from impressions when one is on this side of the fence. What if one was the subject and center of gossip and speculation? How would one feel? Such irresponsible and 'free' speculation lead to hurt, tears and sometimes end up even with suicides.

It takes discipline and even will power to avoid and to END the gossip when it reaches us. It needs a brave heart and a compassionate heart to trust that the gossip needs to end not only by my not repeating it but also to share with the one who 'informed' me why it should not continue.

Sure, it feels good to be in possession of some juicy gossip and it feels powerful to be the one who spreads it. But...can we really be responsible for it's consequences? Sometimes a lost friendship, a devastated loss of trust, even a potential suicide on our conscience?

Laugh at my face and say I'm calling bluff and I only have this to say, when you are young and the world is at your feet you have the privilege to make choices, thus make the right ones. END gossip now.

Bento 289

2010-04-09T00:18:00.007+08:00

There's a great similarity in #2's palate and mine. We like strong cheeses, Natto and a whole lot of food that #1 and hubs dislike.

Right now, blue cheese rides high on our fave food list. #2 and I were at Sid's Pub in TTDI, two weeks ago for a drink which later led to an order of blue cheese and mushrooms and a brownie. The blue cheese and mushrooms were absolutely awesomely delicious. The brownie was 'biasa lah' (normal tasting, nothing spectacular).

I'm one who likes to be adventurous and so I indulged a little and bought a block to try experimenting. It's been two days in a row where blue cheese and mushroom spaghetti appears. #2 wiped clean the balance sauce which was in the fridge.

The bento below doesn't need description but if you want the recipe, it's after the picture.

Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic - sliced
5 button mushrooms - sliced or cut into chunks
1 cup of cream
1 tbsp of blue cheese

Method:
1. Add one tbsp of EVOO into a pan.
2. Toss the sliced garlic over low heat to soften and NOT brown.
3. Add the button mushrooms and saute.
4. Pour the cream and add the blue cheese.
5. Mash the blue cheese into the cream (it will easily soften and mix into the cream).
6. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
7. Once bubbles appear, switch off the fire and serve with spaghetti or toast.

Don't say I didn't warn you, this dish is not for the faint hearted!

Bento 288

2010-04-07T10:04:00.004+08:00

I'm still packing bentos, actually more than I can handle now. This year, #3 has extra classes daily and school ends after 3.00p.m. I pack one box for #2 and two boxes for #3.

Recently, I registered #3 to a day care to help her cope with her homework and tutor her with her weak subjects and being her, she didn't want the day care lunch package. So mummy has to send the third food box over.

I'm excited and look forward to packing more bentos, only problem is #3 is picky and fussy about her food and it's a routine limited to a dozen or less variety. This is a challenge and I'll have to see how to deal with it.

Today's bento for #2 is a mix of broccoli and cauliflower for veggies and two nests of spaghetti coated and topped with a delicious blue cheese and mushroom sauce.

This box has a mix of peas and tuna mayo and half an orange.

Bento 287

2010-04-05T12:51:00.004+08:00

Today's bento was easy as usual. The bottom box had some sliced sesame seed bread from The Loaf. I concocted a new pasta and veggie mix which was light and tasty.

Grapes surrounding some sliced button mushrooms and tofu fishcake.

Bento 286

2010-04-05T12:31:00.005+08:00

This was a quick bento for Saturday. Another 3 hours at a SASA event.

A quick and simple take away box of fruits, some sliced bread and pudding from The Loaf at Pavilion. Greedy as we were, we finished all the cheese cakes before the pictures could be taken. I still like the Durian ones. *yums*

Interesting read:

How to green your lunch: Top 5 tips

New Daiso outlet

2010-04-02T13:28:00.002+08:00

I was at 1U yesterday trying to buy some essentials when I saw a new outlet of Daiso. I don't know how long it's been open but that was the first time I've seen it since my last trip to Cold Storage at the new wing.

I told #1, let's have a quick tour first before we move on to shop for our other stuff okay? She looked at me and said "Huh! Quick? You...mum?". Yeah! That's the reaction I get from my kids when there's a Daiso or 100 Yen store around which I want to have a 'quick' browse. *sigh*

But...I did have a quick browse (just to prove #1 wrong) hehehe...

Anyway, for those of you who don't know yet, the new Daiso outlet is next to Cold Storage in the new wing of 1U. It's packed with the same stuff as in the Curve. For me it's more convenient because I prefer to shop at 1U and for those of you who live around there, have fun!!

Bento 285

2010-04-02T12:10:00.002+08:00

This was yesterday's bento. Today is Good Friday so it's good ole "Hot Cross Buns".

There are some fried 'ikan bilis' and a mixed salad in some salad cream in the top box.

Left over spaghetti Aglio Olio and some seedless grapes.

Bento 284

2010-04-01T16:14:00.002+08:00

Just practical food for bento again. A can of mackerel from Daiso and some papaya for desert. The top box has some Adventist 7 grain sprouted bread to go with the mackerel and some fried chives.

Simply packed...

Bento 283

2010-03-31T12:24:00.004+08:00

I'm still packing bento.

#3 wasn't well the last couple of days and I've neglected taking pictures of the packed bento. Anyways, here's one of those which I did take a photo of.

This is banana topped with cinnamon sugar. This item has been 'missing' for a while because #2 commented that it would get wet and liquids from this spill out. I packed this again and so far another similar comment hasn't arise yet. *grins* There are two slices of banana cake I bought at a fund raiser in Church.

Her favorite 'ladies fingers' (Okra) and some spaghetti mixed with a blend of sun dried tomatoes, basil, cream, chopped onions, roasted peppers, salt and pepper. Yummilicious!

Bento 282

2010-03-25T12:07:00.003+08:00

I was at BSC yesterday and #1 and I picked up some small cakes. The banana tart was the most delicious tasting custard filled dessert!

I packed one third of the banana tart and some freshly made Oden in the bottom box.

In the top box there was a freshly steamed salmon, de-boned for easy eating.

Bento 281

2010-03-24T13:46:00.003+08:00

This morning I managed to quick fix this bento because I didn't plan for it last night. It was a long and late night of checking and booking of flight tickets for the kids.

I simply boiled the fish cake to rid the oil and used some 'well hidden and long forgotten' bento accessories to brighten the scene.

A bear faced hard boiled egg surrounded by boiled okra (ladies fingers), a bottle of shoyu and half an orange cut in wedges.

Quickie bento!

Bento 280

2010-03-24T13:28:00.003+08:00

So I've been really busy with some personal stuff and fixed runs which only moi can accomplish.

This was one of the bentos which I packed but didn't have time to post. It's the vegetable of this season for the two elder girls. I usually buy two heads of each, broccoli and cauliflower and they never tire of it. In this box, the florets has been slathered with some salad cream and colored with some carrots.

The basic tuna sandwich and some grapes for another long day.