Dear readers,

Thank you for leaving your comments on my previous post. I really appreciate the kind understanding from all or you. Thanks for cheering me on!

My purpose of putting up that post was not to highlight the negative comment, but to use it as a platform to express my appreciations to Cassie, someone I do not know, and yet took time to read my blog and hear me out.

I have no issues with the way the negative comment is worded. I was from the corporate world, I am well trained to brace myself against those comments. Life is not a bed of roses! The only thing is, right from the start, I believe the person is living at another side of the world. No mothers will feed their children to see them growing up to suffer from diabetes or heart problems. However, due to the differences in our culture, the person may not know that rice, noodles, wheat (flour) is our main staple. The majority of our population (hope I am not wrong?) have rice almost every day. It was only these recent years that we get to see more varieties of commercially made wholemeal or multi-grain bread available at the supermarket shelves. During my short-term stay in the states 10 years ago, I was really amazed at the range of delicious multigrain loaves available, I even thought of bringing loaves of bread home. For those of you living in the western part of the world, you will be surprised that most of the local bakery stores here are selling bread and buns made with white flour, you can hardly find a bun that is made with wholemeal flour at the neighbourhood store. If you were to walk along the baking supply shelves in our local supermarket, don't be shock that sometimes you don't even see wholemeal flour on the shelves. Most of the time, I have to make special trips to the baking supply store just to get it.

To increase the intake of complex carbohydrates, I compensate by cooking a mixture of white and brown rice, and I was lucky that my kids have no problem eating it for the past year. We switched to soft multi-grain bread once they acquire the taste. I have also started tweaking recipes to introduce wholemeal flour or oats in the bakes I made. I don't follow recipes that call for a whole block of butter, and if a whole cup of sugar is required in the recipe, I'll either stay away or reduce the amount. I make muffins instead of cupcakes laden with buttercream or icing and till now, I could not bring myself to frost a cake with fondant. I baked bread more than cakes and cookies, yes, even though the bread and buns I made consisted mainly of white flour, but if we were not to eat this, I don't know what else to feed my children for breakfast. What's the point of giving them cereals if they would rather choose those 'kids-friendly' cereals which is hidden with sugar, over muesli?

I am not trying to make any justifications as there is no need to do so. However, I have to highlight this fact that my blog posts are just snap shots of what we had at that point in time...my kids diet changes as they grow older, what I have written almost 3 years ago may not give a fair representation of the present.

I'm the sort of person who usually leaves things as it is, just like the Chinese saying 清者自清 (meaning: it is not necessary to explain or clear things up if one has not done anything wrong). However, I just felt so compelled to voice this:

Blogging makes our world smaller...it makes the world bordlerless, bringing us closer, and yet, everyone needs to understand that we are still physically apart, some of us are living thousands of miles away. We have to try to understand there is always differences in our cultures, not everyone on earth speaks the same language, eat the same food. So, instead of giving one's views based solely on one's perspectives, we have to take a step back...look at things from a macro point of view and try to understand the differences before making any judgmental comments. Seek first to understand then to be understood.

Ok, that's all I have to say, thanks for reading, and I hope this won't offend anyone.

与所有读者共勉之，
HHB

(会看中文的读者不要笑hor, 我觉得最后那段好像选美赛宣言leh！不过不吐不快说了心中才感到痛快，可是长篇大论后又觉得在对牛弹琴，真是自相矛盾! 希望ah lau 没有突击检查，让他看到一定会给他笑死！)

No, no, no, not this one, but this one here:

Here's sharing with you the joy of blogging. 

Someone left a not-so-nice comment on my blog post here. I do get this kind of comments once in a while. I usually get a little upset initially (yes, go ahead call me 小气, petty-minded), but I would choose to ignore them and not be bothered with it...after an hour or so ;)

Although that post was written almost 3 years ago, to a certain extend I agree with that person's comment about me not feeding my kids with nutritious food. I wrote a rather childish reply (^^''')...even though I know that the person would likely not return to my blog. After posting my comment, I thought the case is closed.  Little did I know it is a classic case of the Chinese saying '赛翁失马,焉知非福' (aka 'The Lost Horse' in Chinese folktales).

I received the second comment from Cassie the next day. I felt so touched with her words! If you are a blogger like me, and if you are unlucky enough to encounter similar experiences, I am sure you will feel that everything you have put up on your blog is worth the effort and time. It is those words from readers like you that kept me going...and I am so glad that I have found another friend. Dear Cassie doesn't have a blog, and if I don't keep one, I will choose to be a silent reader, like many non-bloggers out there. I believe, it is not 'second nature' to leave comments on someone else blog if you are a non-blogger. The point I want to make is, she has chosen to break the silence just to 'stand-up' for me and cheered me on. I really don't know whether I would  be able to do the same. 

I am no good with my words at all. With my limited vocabulary, I am not able to express my heartfelt thanks to her in my reply...and I tend to digress in my replies! So, I am dedicating this post to Cassie to show my appreciation. We are total strangers and yet I felt like talking to a friend next door. I used to find it amazing that my mother could chat up with a stranger at the market as though she knew that person for ages. Now I know why aunties can 'click' so easily!

Once again THANK YOU Cassie!!!

Recipe source: courtesy of dailydelicious. Thanks Pook for sharing such a wonderful recipe!

A big thank you to everyone who took part in my first ever blog giveaway. Thank you so much for your keen participation, making it such a successful event :)

To give is always better than to receive. Prior to this giveaway, I have no idea that there are many readers who have been silently following my blogs these years. I am thankful that you have broke your silence and took time to leave your comments. Through your comments, I found myself landing on so many wonderful blogs. It is very unlikely I have the chance to stumble upon them since I have to cut down on blog-hopping so as to be a more responsible mother, tuition teacher, cook, housekeeper, etc, etc!

I am delighted to know that there are actually many people out there in our region, who share the same interest like me...creating delicious homemade cakes, breads and desserts for their families and friends; and for those who keeps a blog would generously share their wonderful tips and recipes with the rest of the world. Not everyone I know share the same interest. I only make it known to three of my friends that I am keeping this blog, anyway, they were the ones who encouraged me to start a blog in the first place. Reading your comments warms my heart, it makes me want to believe that I actually have so many friends out there.

Since this is the first time I am hosting a blog giveaway, after assigning a running number to each participating reader, I thought of ways to pick the lucky winner. Initially, I have wanted to do it in an old fashioned way, ie, writing the names in slips of paper and get my kids to draw the winner. I even thought of using a Bingo game set to spin out a lucky number! But, I had to drop the idea when the number of participants went past a hundred! I have never expected such an overwhelming response. In the end, I have to fall back to the online randomizer to generate pick the winner. It is not as fun, but it does serve its purpose...

and the lucky number that appeared on my screen is...Number 16!

Congratulations to Hearty Bakes, you have won the bottle of Nielsen-Massey's pure vanilla extract! (Please leave a comment stating your mailing address and email address and I'll send the gift right over to you.)

To the rest of you, I hope you are not too disappointed. One reader, Pris, left a comment saying that the vanilla extract is available at Phoon Huat (Hougang branch). For local readers who are interested to get the vanilla extract, you may want to check with that store.

Ever since I started baking scones, I have formed the habit of collecting scones recipes whenever I chance upon them.

This particular recipe caught my eye right away as the scones are made with some oatmeal. I like the idea of baking with oatmeal, somehow it makes the baked goods appear more healthy. It is only recently that I began introducing oatmeal into our daily diet...especially for myself and my better half. I think we really need the help from this nutritious food at our age!

So, what's so great about oatmeal?
1. Oatmeal 'soaks up' the Bad cholesterol and gets rid of it from your body, without affecting the good cholesterol.
2. All the nutrients in oatmeal are good for you heart.
3. Oatmeal also helps you lose weight! It is high in fiber but low in fat, and it stays in you stomach longer and hence reduces any cravings for snacks or junk food.
Besides all these, it is also a good source of nutrition to help children grow strong and healthy.

Oatmeal is a perfect morning meal for me as I usually have my breakfast at 6am, and by mid-morning I am tortured with constant cravings for food to keep me going before lunch! By having just a small bowl of oatmeal, it will keep me full for the rest of the morning. This helps to cut down on unwanted calories from snacks or junk food. However, I have not really acquired the taste for this miracle food. The truth is, I find the texture too sticky, chewy and slimy! Even though I started with instant baby roll oats (with no added sugar ), which is smaller and thus less chewy, I still finds it hard to have it for breakfast every other day. While my elder child has no problem finishing up one bowl, my younger one turned his nose up and has since named the bowl of gooey stuff...'the yucky porridge'. I guess it will take a long while before I could advance to regular, old fashioned, roll oats (^_^")

Contrary to the undesirable taste of eating oatmeal on its own, using it for baking creates a nice texture to the bakes. I have since been using oatmeal to bake cookies, scones and even muffins. Sprinkling some rolled oats on a bread dough just before it goes into the oven will not only magically transform it to a rustic looking loaf of bread, but also provide that little extra fiber in your diet.

As usual, I baked these scones with my younger child. Like me, he enjoys playing with flour and sink his hands into a pile of soft dough. He loves to help me with the sifting...an activity which usually lands up with more flour on the table and kitchen floor than the mixing bowl!

These scones are a perfect breakfast treat, of course they also taste delicious any time with tea or coffee. However, do not expect a very soft and fluffy texture compared to scones that are made with buttermilk (an ingredient which really helps in making lighter and tender baked goods). While scones are usually served with jam or clotted cream, however, if we do run out of homemade jam, we are fine eating them plain.

The tricky part about baking scones is how to serve them warm, freshly baked, early in the morning. Unlike muffins, scones only taste best on the day they are baked. Even if you were to warm any 'left over-night' scones in the oven before serving, they just don't taste as good. My way of getting around the problem is to make the dough the night before, usually on a Friday night, and keep the dough, cling wrapped, in the fridge. The next morning, while the oven is preheating, I'll finish up with the remaining steps of cutting the dough into wedges and brushing the top with milk and they are ready to get into the oven. In less than half an hour, my family gets to wake up to a nice aroma of scones baking in the oven, and the 'gurgling' sound of coffee brewing in my coffee maker. What a great way to welcome the weekend, and this also happens to be one of the many precious moments in my life :)

Here's one good news!

To thank frequent visitors to my blog, I am doing a little giveaway! I used to do little giveaways 'privately', especially during my blog anniversaries, by giving away cookie cutters, bottles of vanilla extracts to a handful of blogger pals. This time I would like to make it a public event and extend it to the rest of you.

I got my better half to get me one extra bottle (4 oz) of Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla extract on his recent trip to the States. So this is the little gift that will be given to one lucky reader. The only restrictions is, you need to have a  local (Singapore) mailing address, or an address in Malaysia, because it really doesn't make sense if the postage comes up to be more expensive than the gift itself.

If you are interested to participate in this giveaway, just leave your comment with this tag: 'I'll love to have it!' before 5 July and I will use an online randomizer, to pick the lucky reader. (Note: You need not leave your email address in your comments, I am worried your email address may get spammed.)

All that I ask from the winner is...bake something with the vanilla extract and share it with your families and friends :)

Cranberry Oatmeal Scones

Ingredients:
(makes 6 ~ 8 scones)

200g cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons caster sugar
one pinch of salt
65g unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
30g instant oatmeal (I used instant baby rolled oats)
100ml milk (I used low-fat fresh milk)
50g dried cranberries (or raisins)
some orange juice or water for soaking

Method:

1. Cover dried cranberries (or raisins) with some orange juice (or water) and soak for 10mins. Drain well and set it aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together cake flour and baking powder. Mix in sugar and salt. With finger tips rub the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (It is important that the butter be cold so when it is cut into the flour mixture it becomes small, flour-coated crumbs. I use a fork to work the butter into the dry ingredients. If the butter starts to melt away during this process, stop and place the mixture in the freezer for 10-15 mins to prevent the butter from melting further. Continue the process when the mixture is well chilled.
3. Mix in the oatmeal and dried cranberries.
4. Make a well in the centre and add in milk. Stir with a spatula until just combined. The mixture will be sticky, moist and lumpy. Gather up the mixture and place it on a lightly floured surface and give it a few light kneading (not more than 10 seconds) so that it comes together to form a dough. Do Not over work the dough. (Only mix the dough until it comes together. Too much kneading will cause gluten to develop, and the resulting scones will turn hard and chewy. Knead only until the ingredients come together into a combined mass.)
5. Pat the dough into a round disc about 3/4 inch thickness. With a sharp knife cut the dough into 6 wedges (cur into 8 wedges for smaller scones).
6. Place scones on baking sheet (lined with parchment paper), space them apart. Brush the tops with some milk.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 200 degC for about 12- 15 minutes or until they are well risen and the tops are a light golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm.

Recipe source:adapted from Smile! 幸福小点心, 山王丸由利绘

I must be out of my mind when I decided that I should make a Baked Alaska just 3 days before my son's birthday. He had asked for fried ice cream as a birthday treat...right after reading one of those 'Horrible Science' series. He explained the 'science' behind why ice cream won't melt when it is deep fried...something to do with baking soda, which is added to the batter that is used to coat the ice cream before it is deep fried. As I don't do any deep frying at all, I told him I would make him a baked alaska. Instead of deep frying ice cream, I thought it would be easier for me to 'bake' it!

After spending the whole night searching the internet for tips and how-tos, I managed to make him this baked alaska just in time on his birthday!

It is not the most impressive cake I have made, with my lack of skills and experience, it was the best I could come up with, plus, it was the first ever baked alaska I have ever baked! After hearing how this delicious dessert is served at restaurants (btw, I have only tried it at the Shashlik restaurant), my boy was more than willing to set his cake on fire. However, I was against the idea, as some photos of flaming baked alaska I have seen on the internet got me really worried!

After hearing my concerns, my good-natured son was equally happy to simply light it with a candle.

If you were as clueless as me when it comes to making a baked alaska, this series of video clips over here will set you on the right track.

To make a baked alaska, you would need to prepare at least one day ahead. The ice cream and the cake base would have to be prepared in advance. In order to create two layers of ice cream, and to create a nice dome, the ice cream has to be molded into a bowl and left to freeze, best over night. After checking with the birthday boy, it was decided that the ice cream would sit on a layer of brownies instead of a sponge cake.

Making the ice cream and brownies layers was no sweat! The only thing I had no confidence was making the meringue. I tend to over-whip egg whites...and without exception, the same thing happened to me. I though I had beaten the egg whites to soft peaks, but no, that extra few seconds of whisking got it almost to the stiff peak stage. The next challenge was to cover the ice cream and cake base with the egg whites...this has to be done quickly before the ice cream starts to melt in the heat. I have to thank the heavy downpour that morning, as it was a cool late afternoon when I was ready to make the meringue. All went well except that my slightly over-whipped egg whites started to separate('weeping') when I tried to make decorative swirls and peaks with the back of a spoon. I had no luck in getting any nice tall peaks except for a few swirls and small 'hills'. It could also likely due to the method I have chosen to prepare the meringue. I opted for the easier way...beating egg whites with just sugar and some vanilla extract. I should have taken the trouble to make an Italian meringue (egg whites beaten with sugar syrup) just like the lemon meringue pie I made sometime back.

After I had given up hope with the swirling, I popped the entire cake back into the freezer again so that it would be ready for the grand finale that night.

The final step calls for baking the cake in a very very hot oven for 3 minutes or so. I cranked up my oven to 250degC and let it preheat for about 20mins. Just before sending this 'space-ball' into the hot oven, I dusted it with some icing sugar as suggested by some recipes I came across. Actually after baking, I realised this is quite redundant!

My earlier fear of ending up with a tray of melted ice cream was unfounded. My ice cream bombe was still intact, fresh out of the oven! The meringue was not evenly browned as my small oven burnt the top before the lower part had time to turn brown. I was left with no choice but to remove the cake from the oven as I didn't want to end up with a black bomb. I am sure a bigger oven or a blow touch will do a much better job.

Despite the burnt top, the ice cream inside remained frozen (this picture was taken more than 10mins after the cake was taken out of the oven)...

even the cake slicer got stuck when my child tried to cut it...I had to use my bread knife to cut into the cake ;)

Even though it sounds like a lot of work involved, breaking up the preparation into different stages make the whole process easier. As for the taste, if you like ice cream, brownies and marshmallowy meringue, I am sure you will enjoy this icy cold dessert. If the bombe were to be drenched with rum or brandy, and flambé, I bet the show and the extra alcohol will bring your taste palette to greater heights!

I can't believe the tremendous speed at which my child has grown...from a 3.6kg (almost 8 pounds) new-born baby to a 36kg, 12 year old boy! On this special day, I want to thank him for being our child.

Happy Birthday, my son, what a precious gift you are to us!

That's what my elder child would usually ask me over lunch. He will ask about lunch when he's having breakfast and about dinner during lunch. How I wish he shows the same amount of enthusiasm when it comes to his studies (^^')

I had planned to cook some angel hair with meat sauce, but only realised that there was less than 1 serving of noodles left. Luckily, there was still half a pack of elbow macaroni. I told him dinner would just be macaroni with bolognese sauce.

"Oh, ok, that will be great! But can you bake it with cheese please?"

"Hmmm...yes, I do have a pack of cheese, but I have not done it before. Let me google and see whether I can get some idea, but I can't promise it will turn out well."

So, that was how our pasta with tomato sauce got evolved into a baked version.

I was surprised at how easy to transform the dish...and was even more delighted when the baked version turned out to be so delicious!

I cooked the macaroni and the bolognese sauce as usual, and as usual, I rely on ready-made pasta sauce. I guess it will be several years before I would venture into making homemade pasta sauce, to me, store-bought sauces are really time savers.

Instead of serving the macaroni right away, to make the baked version, I had to layer the macaroni and bolognese sauce in a baking dish...ie, one layer of cooked macaroni followed by half of the bolognese sauce, then the remaining macaroni,  and top it off with the remaining sauce...

followed by a layer of shredded cheese...

before baking it at 190 degC for 15~20 minutes, or until the top turns brown and bubbly.

I wish you were in my kitchen when this pipping hot dish was taken out of the oven. The fantastic aroma from the mozzrella cheese and the bolognese was unbelievable. My oven has got hot spots, this photo happens to show the 'fairer' side of the dish (^_^''')

That was our dinner last night. Both my kids love this tasty, simple and quick to prepare everyday meal. If one dish meals are a mother's best friends, I am glad I have stumbled upon this new found friend. I am sure it will become a regular family friend very soon :)





Baked Macaroni with Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients
(serves 3)

2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs (optional)
200g minced beef
1 tomato, chopped into small chunks
1 1/2 cups ready-made pasta sauce (I used Leggo's)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust according to taste)
1 teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
150g macaroni
100g shredded mozzarella cheese


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly grease (I used olive oil) an ovenproof dish. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the garlic. Let it cook on low heat for 1 minute. Add the dried mixed herbs (if using). Cook for another 1 minute.
2. Add the minced beef and cook for 5 minutes, breaking up lumps as it cooks, until well browned. Add in the tomatoes, stir and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the pasta sauce. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, sugar and dried parsley (if using).
4. In the meantime, cook the macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain well.
5. Spread half of the cooked macaroni evenly into the prepared dish. Top with half of the bolognese sauce, then the remaining macaroni, followed by the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the top with some extra dried parsley, if desired. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 15~20 minutes, until the top turns brown and bubbly. Serve warm.

(Note: this recipe serves as a rough guide only. Adjust the ingredient amounts according to individual preference.)