Bento 322

Saturday was "Hari Anugerah" (Prize giving day) at baby's high school.  She was part of the presenting Choir.  It was an eventful day for her meeting with parents of friends and sharing joy with recipients of excellence certificates and book prizes.

I packed her some pancakes this morning.  I actually fried the pancakes the night before so that I didn't have to wake up so early to do this.  In the morning, I got it out of the fridge and smothered one pancake with Nutella and the other, I peppered some cinnamon sugar on it.

 

A simple box of "rolled" pancakes and seedless grapes again! :(

 

Bento 321

Last night my baby came back from tuition and made her tuna mix for this mornings break time box.  I used to do this but since she learn to make it, she's been making it since.

It's basically just a can of tuna in Olive oil, some chopped large yellow onions, chopped gerkins, a hard boiled egg, mayonnaise, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  It's easy enough for a 13 year old to manage.

This morning I  just had to split open two croissants, slip in a lettuce leaf and load up the tuna mix.  Before I cut them into pieces, I had to secure the individual parts with some skewers.  There was still some seedless grapes (which you will often see because that's about the only fruit or two which she consumes) and the box was done.

This box couldn't take both the croissants so the balance made up my breakfast before I slipped back into bed.

  

Freshly toasted croissants loaded with lettuce and tuna mix.

There's skinned, seedless grapes at the back of the top box.

Bento 320

This morning I packed a homemade hamburger patty between a country multi-seed bun layered with salad and cheese.  On the side was some seedless grapes and in the top box, some home made cornflake cookies a.k.a. melting moments.

 

Unfortunately I was in a hurry to pack the box (as usual) so when I took the picture, the burger and it's layers couldn't be seen.  I'll try to do better next time!  This box follows my youngest "baby" to school for her break time.

 

Hello world!

It's been eight months since my last post.  Many of you who have been regular visitors over the last five years must be wondering what happened to this blog.  I wonder too!

A lot have changed since I began blogging in 2007 for the sole purpose of packing lunches and meals for my children.  My two elder daughters who were eating from the bento boxes from On a Bento Frenzy blog has progressed from high school to University students now.

My husband and I are blessed with our youngest daughter who is turning 13 this year and still living with us, regularly providing us the uncommon upheavals of teenage dramas.

I cook a lot less these days because there are only the three of us and our maid in the house (besides the two dogs, two turtles and a school of fish).

Life is a lot more relaxed and orderly (the way I like it).  My middle child has been bugging me to re-start blogging.  "When are you going to start blogging?, Why you not blogging any more?", Mummy! Your blog is dead! Start blogging!" These were some of the intermittent questions posted by my middle child during our Skype conversations.

I was intending to begin a new blog with new interests and new life but decided that it took too much effort! (laughs at self!).  So, I thought that I'd try to re-invent this blog - not a very good idea but it suits me.  The last eight months has seen me go back to my first love - crafting!  Cooking with the "magic pot" has been quite a "magical" experience also.  I've saved a lot of gas with some planning.  I've managed to loose 5kg from some selective and specific meatless meal consumption which seemed a gradual and natural process.  My diet is not completely meatless but at this point of my life I have a preference for more vegetables than the former.  Nonetheless, do not be deceived!  I eat most of what comes my way but in a more discerning manner.

I wake up at 6.15am on school day mornings to pack a break time box for my youngest "baby".  It's her first year at high school.  Canteen food to my children seem unpalatable!  Besides, my baby is a picky eater.  That boils down to the reason why I cannot focus this blog on her meals.  (laughs out louder!).  Any attempt to introduce new food into her diet would result in sulking, moody body language and an array of "l won't eat this" attitude.

I've made some changes to the blog skin of this blog.  Pictures on the banner header depicts my current loves; magic pot cooking, packing meals and craft work.  I cannot promise that I will blog daily but let's see what comes my way.

Cheers!!

Magic Pot cooking again!

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!