Vegetable, White Bean, and Orzo Soup

I had a busy day and didn't have a lot of time to make dinner so I decided to use up what I had on hand and make a big pot of soup. I found carrots, zucchini, squash, spinach, and onion in the refrigerator (and luckily my neighbor had some celery I could have - thanks Cheryl!). I found some white beans and orzo in the cupboard and decided to throw them in the soup too. It was quick and super easy to make and tasted fantastic. I served my soup with feta cheese sprinkled on top but my kids preferred it without cheese.

Vegetable, White Bean, and Orzo Soup:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 1-2 tsp of olive oil
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 cups of chicken broth
• 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup of orzo
• 1 cup of zucchini, diced
• 1 cup of yellow squash, diced
• 2 cups of baby spinach
• Feta cheese, garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, dried basil, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes; add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then cover with a lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Add orzo and cook for 8 minutes then add the zucchini, yellow squash, and spinach. Taste and re-season if needed. Cook for 2 minutes then ladle into bowls. Top each bowl of soup with feta cheese and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this soup - For the Love of Cooking.net

Mango Yoghurt Ice Cream

Weather has been so hot lately - thought of trying to make ice cream
Since I have never made one before, a simple and easy recipe was the one I looked for, especially knowing I don't own an ice cream maker

Mango is in season now, Thai honey mangoes is everywhere at a cheap price
I have 2 giant ones and apparently also 2 not so giant Thai rainbow mangoes

Found the recipe at Small Small Baker, this easy to make ice cream is really delicious!

What you need:

500g fresh mangoes - I used 1 Thai honey and 1 Thai rainbow mangoes (original recipe = 300g, I added another 200g which I pulsed in a blender to form tiny chopped mangoes)
50g sugar (original recipe = 100g but my mangoes were so sweet that I had to reduce the sugar by half)
125g mango flavoured yoghurt (original recipe = 100g)
200g non dairy whipping cream
(original recipe used 1 tsp mango essence but I didn't use)

Blend 300g of the mangoes with sugar til it becomes puree
Mix in the tiny chopped mangoes, followed by yoghurt
Beat whipping cream until stiff and fold into the mango mixture til very well incorporated
Pour into a container and freeze overnight until it's firm

I'm submitting this yummy and healthy ice cream to "Aspiring Bakers #5 : Fruity March (March 2011)" hosted by Bakericious at this LINK

Crusty Italian Bread

I wanted to make a loaf of bread to serve with the Beef and Mushroom Ragu over Rigatoni. I decided to try a different recipe other than my French bread. I found this recipe online at Allrecipes and when I saw all of the great reviews for this Italian bread, I was excited to give it a try. I halved the recipe because I only wanted one loaf. It turned out absolutely delicious and paired nicely with the rigatoni and a green salad.

Crusty Italian Bread:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by Allrecipes

• 2/3 cup of warm water
• 3/4 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 1/8 tsp yeast
• Cornmeal
• 1 egg + 1 tbsp water

Place the water,olive oil, salt, brown sugar, flour, and yeast into a bread machine pan in that order. Turn the bread machine to the dough setting and push start.

Once the dough cycle has completed (mine lasts 1 1/2 hours). Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle then roll up jelly roll style and pinch the seam closed. Place the loaf onto a silpat mat that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with a cloth and let rise, until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the egg with the water and beat until thoroughly mixed. Brush the egg mixture on the top of the loaf. Carefully slice a long single cut down the center of the loaf with a very sharp knife. Place the silpat mat onto a baking sheet.

Place into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

My First Blog Award

Big thank you to Doris for dedicating my very first award!
I appreciate it so very much! :)
She's one of my inspiration - please check out her blog for many wonderful creations of hers!

Here are rules to abide accepting this award :

1. Post linking back to the person that gave you the award
2. Share 7 random things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered blogs
4. Drop them a note and tell them about it

7 things about myself - among so many :)

*is a SAHM whose first priority is family's wellbeing - family comes first!

*loves almost all kinds of food yet quite a long list of 'will never touch' food

*used to know nothing about kitchen activity - not even sure how to cook rice, but since 7 years ago has been so passionate in cooking and baking

*has a long list in excel file of bookmarked recipes - result of being a silent readers from many food bloggers even before starting my own food blog

*always prefers simple easy preparation but curious about the complicated ones too

*wishes to have time to take course in cooking and baking

*needs to lose weight quite a bit, has been in almost no carbo diet since November last year

With so many wonderful blogs around, it's rather tough to choose 15 of them to pass the award

Anyway, here they are in random order...

01. Angel from Cook.Bake.Love

02. Mama from MamaFaMi's Spice n Splendor

03. Rita from Mochachocolatarita

04. Cathy from Cathy's Joy

05. Jess from j3ss kitch3n

06. SSB from Small Small Baker

07. Joyce from Chunky Cooky

08. CG from Cooking-Gallery

09. Zoe from Bake for happy kids

10. Ann from Anncoo Journal

11. Vivian from Vivian Pang Kitchen

12. Sonia from Nasi Lemak Lover

13. Lena from Frozen Wings

14. Edith from Precious Moments

15. NEL & KL from The Batter Baker

I really wished I could pass to more than just 15!

Thanks again for this honour! :)

Beef and Mushroom Ragu over Rigatoni

We woke up to a dreary, cold, and rainy day which made me want comfort food. I had lean chuck roast to use up so I decided to make a ragu sauce with mushrooms. Ragu sauce is typically made with red wine but I didn't have any on hand and I didn't feel like going to the grocery store so I substituted beef broth. I cooked the sauce in the oven for 4 hours until the meat was shredded and tender. The sauce was so flavorful and delicious! I loved this dinner and so did the rest of my family.

Beef and Mushroom Ragu over Rigatoni:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 sweet yellow onion sliced into strips
• 7-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced thickly
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 lbs of lean chuck roast, cubed and trimmed of most of the fat
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 28 oz can of whole plum tomatoes and juices, crushed by hand
• 2 cup of beef broth
• 10 oz of rigatoni, cooked per instructions
• Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Heat 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, mushrooms, crushed fennel seeds, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cook, mixing often, for 2-3 minutes. Remove the mixture from the Dutch oven and set aside. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven. Once it is HOT add the cubed beef; season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Add the mushroom and onion mixture back into the Dutch oven. Add the tomatoes, crushing them by hand, and their juices; add the beef broth and stir the mixture. Cover with a lid and place into the oven for 4 hours or until the beef is tender and shredded. Taste the sauce and re-season if necessary.

Cook the rigatoni per instructions making sure to season the water well with sea salt. Drain and place into a serving dish. Spoon the ragu over the top and finish with a bit of Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Crunchy Chocolate Choco Chips Cookies

Taken from Kitchen Snippets, I modified a little since the kids don't fancy nuts
What attracted me was because these cookies included coffee as one of the ingredients
No regret! The cookies are crunchy and a little chewy at the centre, very chocolaty too - yum!

I did little pressed balls (left), a little bigger pressed balls (right) and drop cookies at the centre
I prefer drop cookies, the kids loves the little balls :)

What you need:

21/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp instant coffee
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups (16 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda and set aside
Beat the butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Scrape down bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy
Add vanilla, instant coffee and beat for 5 seconds
Add half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds
Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest in the fridge for an hour
Preheat oven to 190 degC. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use your hands to shape the dough into one inch sized balls, or you can choose to do drop cookies too with a spoon
Place on prepared baking sheet, 1-inch apart. Bake for around 15minutes
Remove baking sheet from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes
Transfer the individual cookies to the wire rack to cool completely

Note: for more crunchy texture, you may shape to a flat round shape

Back to cooking....

...tomorrow.

We just got back from a week long adventure and we are all happy and exhausted. We traveled in our motor home all throughout Washington's Olympic Peninsula. We stopped at many beautiful places on our journey and we were in awe of Washington's scenic beaches and forests. During our road trip we visited Ocean Shores (where we celebrated my most amazing friend Tiffany's 40th birthday), we went to Quinault Lake, First Beach at La Push, Ruby Beach, Crescent Beach, Sul Doc Hot Springs, Hoh Rain Forest, and then ended our journey back in Oregon at our favorite place, Cannon Beach, before heading home. We had a fantastic adventure and really enjoyed being together in our motor home playing games, watching movies, walking on the beaches, swimming, and reading. We had a wonderful spring break but it's good to be home.

Ocean Shores:

Quinault Lake:

First Beach at La Push:

Crescent Beach:

Sul Doc Hot Springs:

(note the salmon jumping up the falls)

Hoh Rain Forest:

Cannon Beach, Oregon:

Fruit Tarts

This recipe is one of those been in the list for loooooong time :)
Finally I made them - first baking with my new mixer - yes, finally I found my mixer heheh....

I saw this recipe from Edith's site and I know I had to make them
I did today :)

I just followed the recipe to the dot and realized halfway that it'd yield many mini tarts - it did!
I made 24 not so mini tarts and 1 18-inches tart!
Those not so big eater or of a small family, half recipe will be more than enough :)

Look at them - aren't they pretty colors?
Well, I have used wrong mould since they're the only one I had for mini tarts - should invest in better quality and reusable ones rather than those disposable foil type :P

And this is the big pie...

I really love the colors I could not stop taking pics of them...

What you need:

Tart shells:
250g butter (room temperature)
110g caster sugar
½ egg
500g plain flour

Cream the butter with caster sugar until white and creamy
Add egg and continue to beat
Fold in flour until it becomes a dough
Line the small tart tins with dough. Poke holes using a fork on the tart shell
Bake at 175°C for 10 mins or till golden brown
Slide tart out and let it cool down

Creme Patissiere:
1 litre milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
10 egg yolks
250g castor sugar
50 plain flour
50g corn flour

Heat the milk and vanilla essence gently until just boiling. Remove from heat and cool slightly
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick, then stir in the flour and cornflour
Gradually stir the milk into the egg mixture
Pour the custard into the saucepan and heat gently, beating continuously until mixture thickens and boils
Boil for 1 min, stiring continuously, remove from heat and cool
Scoop the cooled custard into each tart shell, decorate top with fruits (I used strawberry, kiwi, canned peaches)

For topping, you may glaze the fruits with strawberry jam mixed with a little hot water or you may prepare (as directed) 1 pack of  white agar agar and pour a teaspoon to each tart

I love the crust, the creme, the fruits, the glazing...everything! :)

I'm submitting this tarts to "Aspiring Bakers #5 : Fruity March (March 2011)" hosted by Bakericious at this LINK

Soft Butter Bun

This is my 4th time making buns and my 1st successful one - thanks to my breadmaker
I have given my white flag for manual kneading, it's too tiring and too time consuming for me, lazy busy mum with 2 too energetic young kids :P
And even though many do with stand mixer, I just don't have the heart to see my mixer does such a tough job hehe....perhaps next time I won't feel this way when I own a heavy duty mixer :P

My 1st try as well as 2nd try were far from satisfying
My 3rd one - I didn't even bother to post, it went straight to rubbish bin - the worst among all!

This recipe is from MamaFami's blog (found through Melly), the texture was nice and soft, but it's not too soft that it'll turn flat and stuck at the roof of your tongue when eaten :P
And it still has the same texture the next day!
Not too sure whether it will stay the same for the third day cos mine was gone the next morning! :)

I baked them 2 days ago on Friday morning
Wrong decision to start baking these cutie buns a little late and only left not much time before my kids got back from school
By the time it's time for me to do the shaping, it's time for me to fetch the kids
No choice, kids comes first *grin*
Reaching home, quickly prepared their lunch and while they had their luch, I decided not to follow the lovely shapes in the original recipe I planned to try and just did the simplest one - next time I will, when I have the whole day for myself :)

Aside from the shaping, I was very happy with the result..I got soft fluffy little buns! :)

I put 3 different fillings: dark chocolate, strawberry jam and pineapple jam
Below is the one with dark chocolate filling:

What you need:

140 ml water
1 egg
30g caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bread improver (original recipe: bread softener)
250g bread flour
50g superfine flour
2-1/2 tablespoons milk powder
1-1/2 teaspoon dried instant yeast
30g margarine, at room temperature

filling as desired - I prepared dark chocolate buttons, pineapple jam and strawberry jam
(original recipe used chocolate, sausages, red beans)

For glazing:
1 egg + 1 tablespoon fresh milk
margarine - for brushing after the buns are out of the oven

Using bread maker:

Pour water, egg, sugar, salt and bread improver (softener) into the bread maker pan. Top it with bread flour, superfine flour, milk powder and yeast

Set the breadmaker to Dough function

Once the dough is just combined, add in margarine and leave the breadmaker to continue doing it's job. This process will take about 1 1/2 hour including prooving

Divide the dough to 55g each and shape into small balls

Let them rest for 30 minutes (original recipe = 10mins)

Ready to be shaped - do as desired. Let rise until almost doubled in volume

Before baking, brush the dough with egg wash

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 C, or until the bread is golden in color

Once out of the oven, brush with a bit of margarine

Let cool. Keep in an airtight container

Banana Chocolate Cheese Puffs (Molen Pisang Keju Coklat)

After participating as a member in LBT Indonesia since mid February, seeing many talented Indonesian new friends with their wonderful bakings, being reminded of many nice yummy food I havent eaten for ages, makes me craving for many things

One of them is this snack - very famous in Bandung originally
Got the recipe from an avid cook and baker - Ricke, easy to make and yummy too!

Happened to find the puff pastry when I wandered around supermarket a few days ago, so I decided to get the bananas too - saba bananas - with luck on me this time

Unfortunately photos couldn't be produced with natural daylight, dun want to wait til tomorrow either, a little doubtful the object is still available hehe....

There's so much work to do for the presentation - especially compared to the original ones, but can't complain about the taste
Crisp puff with sweet juicy banana and chocolate balanced with salty cheese - yum! More than enough to satisfy my craving :P

What you need:

ready to use puff pastry, to flatten with rolling pin on a lighlty floured surface and shape into 10cm x 10cm square (approx)
ripe saba bananas - steam for around 20mins and cut the length into 4
chocolate rice
Kraft cheddar cheese (the blue box) - cut the same length as the banana (shape like french fries)
1 egg yolk mixed with a little vegetable oil for glazing
grated cheddar cheese and chocolate rice for sprinkles

Prepare a square pan, lightly buttered also the sides, put a parchment paper and lightly butter on top of the paper ( I used 22cm square pan enough to arrange 12 pcs)
Arrange 2 banana slices and 1 cheese slice on the pastry, add 1tsp chocolate rice on top
Close the pastry to envelope shape (close top, bottom followed by left and right)
Arrange the puffs on the pan with around 1cm distance in between each puff
Brush the tops with egg yolk mixture, sprinkle with grated cheese and chocolate rice
Bake in preheated oven of 200degC for approx 25-30mins or til golden brown
Let cool

Indonesian Style Noodle Soup (Mi Tektek)

Got a sudden craving for this, so decided to make for today...

What you need:

Blend:
5 cloves of garlic - cut
1 tsp salt
5 candlenuts - cut small and fry in a pan without oil
1/2 tsp white peppercorn

250g medium prawns - deshelled
half small beijing cabbage - julienned
1.5 litre water
1 tsp chicken stock powder
2 tbsp kecap manis
500g flat egg noodles - cook as directed
4 eggs - lightly beaten
1 chicken breast - boil til cooked and lightly fry both sides - shredded
salt, pepper, oil

Garnish with: cut spring onion and fried onion

Heat oil in a cooking pan, stir fry the blended ingredients til fragrant
Add in prawns til color changed
Add in water, chicken stock powder, salt, pepper, kecap manis
Bring to boil
Add in shredded chicken and cabbage, stir well for 1 minute, add in beaten eggs slowly while keep on stirring til eggs cooked
Transfer the cooked noodles on serving plate, pour the soup over the noodles

Garnish with spring onion and fried onion
Serve hot
For those who like to eat this noodle spicy, can add crushed green bird eye's chilli (chilli padi) into the bowl

Such a hearty meal! :)

Strawberry Pudding

Couldnt resist when I saw many boxes of pretty Korean strawberries in the supermarket, I bought 2 punnets without knowing what to do with them - I was thinking worst case I can just eat them straight :P

Happened to see this pudding recipe a few days ago - looked so delicious,  and a kind of being reminded about it when I reached home, so decided to give it a try

Adapted from Cook.Bake.Love this pudding tasted heavenly

Made a silly mistake...knowing this is a creamy pudding but using agar agar mould instead!
In the end, I couldn't take it our from the mould - of course, hence the ugly presentation - tried my best to beautify it a bit here and there :)

Look at this - stuck in the mould *grin*

The creamy texture is so wonderful!!!
You know sometimes you can eat something and you can't go on for the second bite cos you just feel you have enough...not this one - instead, you'll want for more - so refreshing!

What you need:

250g fresh strawberries

2 tubs (280g) strawberry yoghurt

1 cup strawberry milk
3 tbsp whipping cream (need not whip)
4 tbsp sugar to taste (or more, depending on the sweetness of the strawberries)
2 tbsp gelatin powder
6 tbsp water
extra fresh strawberries to be served with the pudding

Measure water into a bowl and sprinkle in the gelatin (without stirring). Set aside to allow the gelatin grains to swell (approx. 10 mins) before setting the bowl over a pot of simmering hot water. Stir with a spoon and once the gelatin melts, remove the bowl from the pot and set aside to cool to room temperature

Cut strawberries into small chunks and blend with the rest of the ingredients till smooth. Add the gelatin solution, mix well
Now the mixture will have a lot bubbles on the surface. Pour the mixture in cups/moulds over the back of a spoon (one hand holding the mixer jug while the other hand holding a spoon, facing down), this way you will get smooth mixture without bubbles

Cover with cling wrap and leave to chill in the fridge till the pudding is set. Serve immediately once remove from fridge

Note: Whipping cream is optional, you may omit it but it gives the pudding a creamer texture

Abby loves this pudding so much, she asked me to sprinkle chocolate rice on top and she'd say "Mmmmm...yummy!"

Mission accomplished! :P

Egg Enriched White Loaf (Bread maker)

Soooooooooooo happy finally I got my breadmaker last weekend :P
Today tried to bake my 1st homemade bread, and since it's my first time baking bread using breadmaker, I decided to try the simplest among all, basic white bread - but I chose egg enriched type after I found out I have no milk powder

Was very excited during the 3 hours waiting, and even more excited after taking it out and waited for 45minutes to let it cool

Finally can cut...

Can't complain at all, the texture is soft and crusty outside - yum!

What you need:
(for 750g loaf)

1 egg + 1 egg yolk -> mix with water up to 300ml
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
450g bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried yeast
Using breadmaker:
Add all ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed above
Choose basic programme for 750g white bread with medium crust
Take the loaf out from the pan as soon as it's finished baking, and leave to cool for 30 - 45mins before cutting
Keep the balance in airtight container or sealed plastic bag
Can last for 2 days

Spring Break!

Since my children are taking a week off of school for spring break, I decided to take a week off of cooking/blogging so I can hang out with my kids. We are going to play games, watch movies, read books, and relax. Here are a few links to some of my favorite recipes... I'll be back to blogging next week.

Bacon, Egg, Sharp Cheddar Bagel Sandwich - A great way to start your day.

Peasant Omelet with Potatoes, Mushrooms, Bacon, and Cheddar - This omelet takes me back to my childhood.

Banana, Coconut, and Pineapple Muffins - Created and made by my daughter. Absolutely delicious.

Banana, Raspberry, and White Chocolate Chip Bread - So good you won't be able to eat just one slice.

Kung Poa Chicken - Way better than take out.

Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca - Lemony, light, and so delicious

Grilled Steak with Avocado Sauce - This is one of my very favorite ways to eat steak.

Gemelli with Turkey Italian Sausage and Roasted Vegetables in a Parmesan Cream Sauce - Need I say more?

Chicken Parmesan - This is sure to please any dinner guest.

Mexican Lasagna - Another dish created and made by my daughter.

Green Chile Chicken - One of my husband's very favorite dishes.

Spinach Salad with Soy Ginger Dressing - I re-created one of my very favorite restaurant salads.

Avocado and Tomato Salad - This salad has me dreaming of summer.

Turkey, Swiss, and Vegetable Sandwich - Filled with great flavors and textures... this sandwich always makes me smile.

Portobello and Havarti Burgers with Caramelized Onions - Light yet filled with amazing flavors. Love this one!

Strawberry Galette with Homemade Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream - a delicious and decadent dessert.

Peach Crisp - Such an easy and delicious dessert that is sure to please anyone.