HAPPY & SWEET 2012!!!

Happy New Year!!!!


It had been quite an eventful and exciting Yr2011 for my family.

1) Forsake my beauty sleep to do the night toilet train for JK.. imagine he's already 5 and yet my mum says it's ok to wear diapers to sleep.. *slap*
He's such a fast learner.. get it over & done with within a month.
2) Hubby achieved a significant move in his career. *clap clap*
3) Done my 5th trip to Taiwan - just one word SHIOK... and the 6th one coming soon hahaha
4) Celebrate our Tin Anniversary in style - 14days Europe tour/shopping trip (at least for me :P) Talking abt that.. I still have not upload the photos.... sigh... talk abt time management


I feel abit left out by not doing up the usual family Christmas dinner since Hubby said it was too rush and tiring since we were just back from the trip. In the end, we had Kenny Rogers ta bao instead... not that fulfilling.


So decided to cook for the family for New Year instead hahaha...



It's SLOW COOKED BACK RIBS / SHRIMP SALAD / GARLIC BREAD



Saw this unique way of cooking ribs here.
Using slow cooker to stew the pork ribs till tender before grilling them with the essential sauces.
However, I tweaked the recipe a little using a new found ingredient: APPLES!

You see, during my trip to the Swiss Alps, we are accomodated in one small homestay resort. We had the most simple yet delicious dinner there. The stewed pork + potatoes were excellent. You can really taste the real pork taste. It was stewed in the simplest ingredients: packaged meat stock + apples + olive oil... no browning of meat, no garlic, i.e. no hassles.



Slow Cooked Back Ribs
Ingredients:

1. 1 kg of Prime Ribs


2. 1 litre of stock (I used the packaged Campbell Chick stock)


3. 2 apples


4. Approx 120ml of BBQ sauce & 50ml of Plum sauce or Hoisin sauce for the coating & grilling

Method:

• Use a 4.5-5 litre big of slow cooker for this cooking


• Clean the ribs and chunk the apples


• Put everything in the slow cooker and put on LOW mode to cook for the next 5hours


• Then you can sit back and relax :)


• Once the ribs are tender (not falling off from the bones), take them out and discard the stock OR you can use the stock to prepare a soup dish which I did.


• Mix well on the sauces together and coat on the ribs.


• Put the ribs into the oven & set grill mode for the next 10-15mins till they are browned. Do remember to coat them with the sauces from time to time during the grilling


• Then you are set for the dinner !!!

A Near Mishap in the Kitchen!!!

Suddenly had a urge to do something more challenging over last weekend since hubby was away in KL for his annual staff retreat...

Yes... must wait for hubby to be away before I engage in something challenging else I will have to enjoy his "naggings" throughout the day :P

Decided to work on Japanese cheesecake again since I failed on my 1st try...

Failure analysis - did not manage to fluff up the egg whites.. I'm really an amatuer then.. nevermind things improved :P

Was browsing through and saw those nice pics and recipe/tips from The Little Teochew.

LET'S GO!!!!

All prepared and mixture done...

Here comes my near mishap...

My convection microwave oven cannot take the weight of the waterbath + tin with cheesecake mixture!!!!!

When I press the start button, out comes the ugly cracking sound of the turntable... URGGHHH.. no choice but to stop the microwave oven. But what to do with the mixture? I still have to bake them right, so wasteful... THEN I saw my ever trustworthy toaster oven sitting at my tabletop :P IDEA!!!! but the tin is too big for the small toaster oven... AGAIN IDEA!!! put them in the cupcake holders...

VIOLA!!!! a original 8"round Japanese cheesecake become 12 small Japanese Cheesecake Cupcakes hahahaha and just in time for me to submit this bake to Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011) hosted by Min of Min's Blog

Verdict: SUCCESS!!

JK ate one whole cupcake and end up no place in his stomach for dinner @ my niece's full month's celebration...

Hubby ate his today and say I can tried on Macha flavor next round :)

Oh yah nearly forgot... Here goes the GREAT recipe.

Adapted from The Little Teochew

Makes about 12 small cupcakes or 1 8" round tin

Recipe

- 140g fine granulated sugar

- 6 egg whites

- 6 egg yolks

- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

- 50g butter

- 250g cream cheese

- 100ml fresh milk

- 60g cake flour (can also use plain flour)

- 20g corn flour

- 1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven at 160°C. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, salt, egg yolks and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

3. Add the egg whites to the cheese mixture to and fold well. Pour into a 8-inch round springform cake pan or removable-bottom cake pan (lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). Wrap the base of your cake tin with aluminium foil, to prevent seepage
4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hour 10 mins or until set and golden brown at 160°C.

5. Leave to cool in oven with door ajar, about 30mins to 1 hour. Sudden changes in temperature may cause the cake to cool too quickly and collapse.

Yr2011 Project of the Year

Project: Doing up JK's Birthday Cake for his class celebration
Start: 03 Nov 2011, 1030pm
End: 04 Nov 2011, 0400am
Duration: 5.5 hours
Verdict: Kids with satisfied look after their teabreak :)

Recipe modified from the Steamed Moist Chocolate Cake

What you need (Makes est 10 small cupcakes or one 9" round cake)
180 g butter
200 g caster sugar
200 g full cream evaporated milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten with fork
100 g plain flour
50 g cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla essense2 tbsp of rum (optional)

What to do!

Combine caster sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla extract or essense and butter in a saucepan.

Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, turn off the fire and keep warm.

Add the beaten eggs into the slightly cold evaporated milk mixture and stir till well mix.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl, then pour the eggs mixture over the flour and stir till well mix (cake batter should be runny) :)

Heat up the steamer.Lined and greased a 8 or 9 inch round baking pan or cupcakes holders.

Pour the batter into the lined pan and place the pan into the steamer and cover the top of the pan loosely with a piece of aluminium foil.

Cover the steamer and steam over medium heat for 45 mins.

Cool the cake in pan before turning out for further decoration.

Glaced Icing & Angry Bird Toppers:

2 cups of icing sugar

2 tbs of butter

2 tbs of boiling water

Combined & mix well till smooth

Spread mixture on top of cupcakes & put on the toppers.... VIOLA!!!

I'm submitting this bake to Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011) hosted by Min of Min's Blog

Ah Meow's DayDreaming Starts......

Decided to start another blog again to record my daydreams & realities...

Don't ask me why, just feel like doing it...

Life is so full of ironies...