Happy B'day Yan Yan & hello 2010. byebye 2009.

My princess turn 16th this year.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND MAY YOUR WISH COME TRUE.

Happy moments with her few friends, who gave her a surprise!


yes, a quick tea time for the kids.
my lychee sponge was quite a big hit. :D

We celebrated my daughter's birthday a day earlier as there was a dinner at my sister's on new years eve in her new house. A birthday cake with compliments from Promanade hotel, thank you so much. it was a strawberry cake.

Birthday cake given by my sister and first time celebrate with the Chey family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Merry Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas everyone!

May this Christmas be filled with Peace, Love, Joy and May the New Year bring you Health and Happiness.

My colleague went to Taipei on a vacation and bought me this DIY Christmas Ginger Bread House. The kids and I were having such great fun and enjoy fixing this Ginger Bread House. Thank you Eliza.

Yong's Family Reunion + X'mas BBQ Dinner

Birthday Bento

Today is my 46th birthday, and to my surprise I saw a bento box on my side table. My children have made me a bento box which I believe is filled with love.
Usually the children wakes up late during school holidays, but it seems today was different for them.

Though it was a simple bento, but it is the thought that count.
Nobody ever made bento for me and this is my 1st bento!

I was told by my ling that the children made STAR SHAPE BREAD represents that mum is the SUPER STAR TODAY! Wooh, today I really did felt like a super star! Keep it up children! Mum is looking forward many more super star days to come. :)

This afternoon I was treated by my sister for lunch and my children plan to treat me for dinner but instead my friend settled the bill. Thank you My dearest sister and Mr Chin.

Peking Duck with pancake wrap

Salted Vegetable Beancurd Soup

Ginger & Onion Fish Slice.

Sabah Vegetable (Sayur Manis with Eggs)

Duck with Ginger & Onion

Peach Mousse Cake

My niece came back from USA for holiday. We make this Peach Mousse Cake together.

Cheesecake

Today I bought two bottles of sparkling wine to celebrate with my daughter who had just finished her SPM exam. Everyone was so relieved for her. Now they are planning for the KL shopping trip, and chatting with their friends in the net. To celebrate with a slice of cheesecake would be just ideal, so in goes the wine for the chill, and the cheesecake was ready to serve within half an hour.

Base
150g butter - melt
10 pieces Digestive Biscuit - crush

Filling
7g Gelatin
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
250g cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract or lemon juice

1. Base: Mix well butter with biscuit and press into the bottom of a 6 inch spring form pan.

2.Mix gelatin and sugar in small bowl, add boiling water and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, about 5 minutes.

3.Beat cream cheese and vanilla with mixer until smooth, slowly beat in gelatin mixture.

4. Pour into prepared crush.

5. Refrigerate firm, about hour. Serve cold and garnish as desired.

Potato Pizza

My niece bought a new Yum Yum magazine and I like some of the recipes. This Potato Pizza look delicious and so I decided to bake this pizza for dinner tonight (slight change on the recipe)



Pastry (Base)
200g pain flour
5 g instant dry yeast
100 ml water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp Castor sugar

Topping
150 g tomato puree
2 potato, peel skin and slice thinly
250g cook ham
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp oregano
300g grated Danish Mozzarella cheese

Method
1. Pastry : Combine all ingredients and mix into a dough, cover and rest for 30 minutes. Roll out into a thin round shape and place onto a baking tray.

2. Place tomato puree on top and sliced potatoes, sprinkle pepper, oregano, cook ham onto the base. Lastly sprinkle grated cheese on top.

3. Bake in a preheat oven at 200 C for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Remove & served hot.

Scallop Abalone Chicken Soup

Today my eldest child, Wannie, had her last paper in the SPM exam 2009. Oh what a relief ,for her as well as the family. For being the mother it's just as stressful seeing her going through that three weeks period. She was literally stretched out, physically and mentally. The timing was all wrong, her monthly p......, caught a fever from me and having rashers all over her body at the same time. Concerned , and consulted the elders, I was told that her body is weak. All I need to do is nourishes her back to health. Well I remembered having this particular soup cooked by mother. It's called Scallop Abalone Chicken Soup.A simple no fuss cooking process. Put two pieces of chicken together with three slices of dried abalone, four dried scallops into steam pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, some gogiberry and salt to taste. Double boil for five hours. I'm pretty sure you will like it.....you don't need to wait till you're sick before you try this recipe !

Fried "Wan Tan" (Wonton)

Ingredients

Wontons:

• 300g Minced pork or chicken
  
• 300g Diced or whole prawn (shrimp)
• 1/2 tsp Sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• /2 tsp chicken stock

wonton wrappers
oil for deep fried

Directions

1.Combine the wonton ingredients in a large bowl and mix it together thoroughly.

2.Place 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of each wonton wrapper and fold a triangle shape.

3. Heat oil in medium fire and fried until it is golden brown.

4. Serve as snack with tomato sauce or you may serve with soup.

Waffles For Breakfast

Schools're out,Yannie and Kelvin are ever busy chatting to their friends, while Wannie is figuring in her SPM physics paper exam I decided to make some waffles for breakfast.It's been quite awhile since I last tried making a gooo..di.goo.di waffle.
The smell, oh! it's just amazing.The best waffle I'd ever eaten was in Darling Harbour, Sidney, Australia.They serve really great waffles. Toppings to your liking, from fresh cream to mango jam.Today I am serving it with honey and lots of butter. Yummmie...

Beef Goulash

I was down with fever for the past two days and thus confined to the bedroom. Hubby took the opportunity to put on the apron and cooked a meal for the kids.I was really surprised that this partner of mind can churn out such a fine presentation.The kids were just as amazed.A simple dish, beef stew called 'Beef Goulash' in European countries.He said this particular dish is commonly eaten by the lower income group because cheaper cuts were used.And during his students days in London,cheap cuts such as beef flank, breast of lamb,belly of pork are the regulars on his dinner table.Methods or ways of cooking were restricted to boiling, steaming and stewing.Frying was definitely out, because of the smell being confined in a bedsitter's environment is quite unbearable.So a meat stew is the best he can do.
Beef 'top side' was used in this dish.Cut meat into big cubes and seasoned with corn starch,pepper,oregano,parsley and Lea & Perrins sauce. Heat oil in stewing pot and cook meat cubes till slightly brown. Add water to cover meat.Lower heat and simmer till tender.Salt to taste.Serve with any veg. Potatoes and carrots were used in this case.European normally cook the meat and veggie together, and serve with bread.

Chicken Herbal Soup

There's an old chinese saying that a good bowl of soup will nourishes one's ageing body.Sad to say,nobody seem to have the time, or bother to cook a proper soup these days. They either buy those can or packet for a quick-fix soup.Many of us however do consume 'essence'of chicken to replenish our body.I for one like to cook my own chicken herbal soup. Not much of a hassel actually, just put chicken whole or chopped pieces into pot, add herbal mix [best from Chinese herbal shops] or ready packed from supermarkets.Add water and double boiled for four hours.My suggestion,use the old chicken,the soup will turn out clearer and without doubt more flavour.

Deep Fried Beancurd Delight

Recipe:

300g minced Chicken or prawn (finely chop)
1 packet beancurd (300gm)or 2-3 pieces white beancurd
60g Nestum
1 egg
1 tbsp Light soy sauce
1 tbsp Corn flour
1/2 tsp Pepper
oil for deep fry

Method:

1.Marinade meat(minced chicken or prawn) with light soy sauce, egg, corn flour and pepper.

2. Mash the beancurd and mix well with the meat and Nestum. Divide into small pieces.

3.Heat up wok with oil and fry the mixture paste (scoop into pieces) until golden brown, lift up and put aside.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups cubed fresh pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Toasted bread cubes.
  

Directions

1. Cut pumpkin into cubes.
2. Heat stock, salt, pumpkin, onion and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes uncovered.
3. Puree the soup using a food processor or blender.
4. Return to pan and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 15 minutes, uncovered. Stir in heavy cream. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and toasted bread cubes.

Salted Chicken "Yim KuK Kai" #1

The children wanted to eat out at Lucky Restaurant, Old Penampang Road. They liked the crabs served in that particular shop , a viariety of flavours. Hubbi suggested that we have the "Yim Kuk Kai" dish [ Chicken Baked in Salt ] instead, for dinner tonight. It'd been a long time since I last cooked this dish. This is one of my Chey family favourite dishes, whenever I cooked YKK, the aroma reminds me of my late mum [ GOD blessed her soul ]. My mum used to cook this dish very so often for us. Those wonderful time we spent with her, so much laughter so much fun. (suggestion, you eat with your fingers) She was such a good cook, so much so that she could cooked up a dish without referring to a single recipe. I dearly missed her and her cooking of course.

Ingredients

2 kg chicken (whole/quarters chicken)
6 kg coarse salt
2 tbs of wine or cooking wine
pinch of salt
rice paper for warping

Method
1. Seasoning chicken with wine and pinch of salt. Set aside.
2. Heat salt in wok, keep frying for 15 minutes. Take half of heated salt out from wok.
3. Warp chicken with rice paper and place on top of the salt still in the wok. Fill up the wok with reminding heated salt.
4. Cover and cook for 35 - 45 minutes.
5. Serve hot or cold with white rice.