Gong Xi Fa Chai! Happy Chinese New Year :)

Hi everybody...

Just a quick post to wish you all a very Happy Lunar New Year
May dragon year will be a year full of blessings and prosperity!

Wish you all a great time!
Mine hasn't been so good, had a quite bad flu since the eve of New Year, today is slightly better but still not back to normal wew...

Btw, this was my dinner on the eve..a must have steamboat :)

Gotta go now...See ya! :)

Cinnamon & Choco Rice Pull Apart Bread

I've been craving for something with cinnamon for the past few days
Bread should be a healthier option than cakes and such, I supposed so :)
So I baked this bread, been in the list since Christmas time last year :)

Do you agree with me that this bread look like some kind of alien? LOL

And this is the choco rice version for my kids since they don't fancy cinnamon

This one pretty clearly looked like bread :)

Original recipe is from Joy The Baker's site whom did this bread so beautifully, unlike mine *grin*

I wan't really convinced with the usage of 100% all purpose flour so I didn't follow the recipe

Instead I used this recipe I did before

It must have been the reason why it's not so easy to roll the dough thinly, I guess it'd be much easier if following the original recipe - in my amateur opinion :)

Perhaps next time I'll try the original version, just to satisfy my curiousity, but I think it'll be a kind of bread nice to eat on the day it's made :)

Aside from that, this bread was very well received by family, except Ian

Despite loving choco rice, he didn't fancy this bread, tried a bite and he said no *wew...

It's soft texture, even til the next day

One thing to take note also to reduce the amount of sugar used for the cinnamon mixture, it's way too sweet to our liking

Can you see how soft this bread is? :)

Recipe for the bread is from my previous bread posting

For the filling:

1 cup sugar (next time I'll use 1/2 cup caster sugar)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted til browned (next time I'll use 1 ounce)

Whisk together sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Melt butter until browned. Set aside. Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch  loaf pan. Set that aside too

You may view the step by step pictures on how to shape and arrange this bread HERE

Will keep you posted once I try the original version :)

I'm posting this for Sweets For A Saturday #52

Bake Along #16 - Black Glutinous Rice Flour Steamed Brownies

I've eaten this brownies which is very popular in Indonesia, it was quite sometime back and was hooked by the taste and texture
I managed to find the flour in Indonesia, it's easily found in any baking shops anywhere. It's possible to make the flour but it's too troublesome to me
Finally I could make this yummy brownies :)

Original recipe uses chocolate rice as filling, I used shaved dark chocolate and grated cheddar cheese, yum!

Chocolate and cheese.. perfect combination I can never live without :)

Recipe is from Ricke's site

What you need:

6 eggs

200g sugar

1 tsp ovalette (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp sweet condensed milk

250g black glutinous rice flour

20g cocoa powder

100g chopped dark chocolate

200g canola oil (or melted butter)

Filling:

enough shaved dark chocolate (or chocolate rice)

enough grated cheddar cheese

1. Heat up steamer, wrap the cover with clean cloth. Sieve black glutinous rice flour and cocoa powder together, set aside. Grease pan, line with baking paper and grease on top. I used 2 pans of rectangle brownies pans sized approximately 20 x 10 x 4cm
2. Melt chopped chocolate together with oil, mix well and let cool
3. Beat eggs, sugar, ovalette and salt on high speed til ribbon stage. Lower speed, add in vanilla, mix well, followed by condensed milk, mix well
4. Add in sifted flour gradually on low speed til well mixed (not so long, around 1 minute)
5. Add in 1/3 of the batter into the chocolate and oil mixture, fold in til evenly mixed and then pour to the remaining batter, fold in gently
6. Divide the batter into two, pour one portion to the pan, steam on medium fire for 10 minutes, sprinkle chocolate and cheese on top, followed by pouring the remaining one portion of the batter, let continue steaming for 25 minutes
7. Remove from steamer and take out from the pan immediately, let cool on the cooling rack

This brownies is considered fudgy type, even though it's not as rich as those baked fudgy brownies

Taste chocolaty, and even though the batter feels sandy cos of the type of flour used, but the brownies doesn't have any sandy texture at all

Soft, and easy to eat, really addictive.. I definitely will make this again :)

And it's good to know that oil is used instead of butter, and the flour is definitely much healthier than just normal plain flour

This brownies is dedicated to Bake Along No. 16 : Theme - Brownies

Please hop on to the hosts wonderful brownies creations: Lena and Zoe

Joyce is also one of the host for this fun event, but she has some personal matter to attend for this time, hope everything is settled for her and we can see her again the next event :)

M & M Cookies

We were having friends come over for dinner and I wanted to whip up a quick and easy dessert that would please everyone.  My children had a ton of m & m's leftover from their Christmas stockings so I raided their stash and baked some cookies.  Thankfully my kids didn't mind me taking their candy, especially since they loved these tasty treats!  I didn't personally try one but I was told by each and every kid that they were terrific and totally blog worthy.  Side note: I used a bit of whole wheat flour in this recipe just to make myself feel better but you can use all white flour if you prefer.

M & M Cookies:
Recipe and photo made by For the Love of Cooking

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups of m & m's, divided

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl then set aside. Beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, egg yolk and vanilla with a mixer until creamy.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until just mixed. Stir in most the m & m's by hand. Drop by the spoonful onto a greased or lined baking sheet.  Push more m & m's into the top of each cookie.

Bake for 14-17 minutes or until the edges look golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 4-5 minutes (so cookies can set) before moving to a rack. Enjoy.

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

Moving on to a new website

I can't believe it's finally finished but thanks to the hard work  by Lindsay at Purr Design my new website is up and running.    It will take some time for me to get used to Word Press but I am excited to see all of the great things it has to offer.

Something for you to check out:  Click on the Recipes tab up on the top right side of the blog and see the new recipe index.  Click on any of the categories to view photos and links to every single recipe I have on my site.  Having more than 900 recipes made it difficult for people to find their favorites but that is no longer a problem with this awesome recipe index!

Also, how cool is the new header?  Watch it for a minute and see the picture change a couple of times.  Love it!!!

The downside to switching to the new Word Press blog is that all of you, my loyal readers & followers through Blogger, will no longer be getting an e-mail notification when I post a new recipe.  If you would like to continue getting these notifications, which I really hope you do, simply follow me through the RSS or e-mail link in the upper right hand corner of the website.  You can also follow me through Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest as well.

Another downside is that we were unable to transfer the comments from the last 25+ posts, so I am sorry that those recipes won't have the wonderful feedback that my other recipes have.  A small price to pay for a great new site.

I hope you enjoy the new website as much as I do.  I really wanted to make it as reader friendly as possible and I think Lindsay has done a terrific job!

I'll be back to posting a new recipe tomorrow, until then, sit back and check out the new site!

Cheers,

Pam

Cream Cheese & Cranberries Buns

One of the ever popular buns, one of my favorite buns too, can be found in many bakeries nowadays
Seeing some postings about these buns made me wanting to give this a try too

Not satisfied with the overall look, you'll know what I mean if you know how those sold in bakeries look like
It should be flatter and more pale in color
But tastewise, it's really close, yum.... :)

Recipe for the bread is from HERE

No eggwash before baking and brushing with butter after baking

Recipe for the filling is from Sonia's site

What you need:

160g cream cheese

40g sugar

enough dried cranberries, soaked in water for 30minutes

Beat cream cheese and sugar til creamy and light

To shape the buns:

1. Weigh dough to 75g each, shape like balls, and rest for 10minutes
2. Flatten the dough, spread 1 heaped tbsp of cream cheese
3. Sprinkle dried cranberries on top of cheese , seal the dough, place on the baking tray, press gently to lightly flatten the dough, rest for 40mins
4. No egg wash, bake in preheated oven of 160degC for approximately 20 - 25 minutes at the lower rack

I'll definitely give this a try again til I get the shape it's supposed to be, or at least close to it :)

I'm posting this for Sweets For A Saturday #51

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

I was recently sent some Kikkoman products and I was excited to make some recipes using them.  I loved the Ginger-Honey Pork Tenderloin that I made with the soy sauce and I REALLY loved these crab stuffed mushrooms using their panko crumbs.  My husband and I gobbled these mushrooms up and enjoyed them very much. My kids tried them but didn't like the crab - silly kids! 

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms:

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

Recipe inspired by Kikkoman 

• 12 button mushrooms, stems removed
• 2 tsp olive oil (divided)
• 2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup of lump crab meat
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (divided)
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, optional
• 1/4 cup of panko crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a round baking dish with cooking spray.

Remove the mushroom stems and dice them finely.  Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat then add the onion and diced mushroom stems.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender and soft; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and let cool.

Combine the crab meat, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, most of the fresh parsley, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, and a dash of lemon juice in a bowl.  Add the cooked mushrooms and onion mixture then gently stir until well combined.  Fill each mushroom with the crab filling until overflowing; repeat with the remaining mushrooms.  Place the mushrooms into the prepared baking pan.

Combine the panko crumbs with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and the last bit of parsley then mix until well combined.  Sprinkle the panko crumbs evenly on top of each mushroom.  

Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and the panko is golden brown.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy.

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

Xmas & New Year's Eve 2011

Hi everybody! I hope it's still not too late to wish you a Happy New Year! :)

This is my first post of the year 2012, finally I can sit down and have ample of time in front of computer

Phew...just done with the first week of Abby's primary school
As much as her, the whole thing has drained me out too wew...
The jump from 3.5 hours in kindergarten to 6.5 hours in primary school does give her a big pinch
Poor girl, it's a struggle for her to open her eyes every single morning :)
Was quite anxious initially, but I guess she's been fine so far, still adjustment period, but she's fine
So proud of her :)

                                           Her first day... ready to go! Look at her sleepy face :)

Her second day, in PE attire, just reached school, also still sleepy :)

As for Ian, he's in K1 now, still in the same school, so there's not much of a problem
The only thing is now there's homework for him every Friday, hope I can make him sit still and do his homework LOL

Well, I hope everybody had fun during the festive season
I did...and going to share what's our festive meal on Xmas...
Kitchen was real busy on that day :)

My sis baked Noel Nutballs I posted before...
I made Milo Agar Agar I ever posted before too.. Also White Xmas Log Cake posted recently

My mum cooked Steamed Rolled Meat With Sauce, accompanied by Mini Croquette, Blanched Veggies and Pickled Cucumber, yum yum yum!
In Indonesia, we call this Galantine, I'm pretty sure it's originally from Dutch

Recipe is from my mum

What you need:

For the rolled meat:

350g minced chicken
1/2 can of luncheon meat
250g fine breadcrumbs
250ml fresh milk
7 eggs
salt, pepper, nutmeg, sugar, approx. 5 tbsp (heaped) blended fried onion

1. Mix all of the above ingredients, shape into a roll on lightly greased aluminium foil, wrap tightly
2. Steam on high heat for 30minutes

Note:
Batter has to be soft enough so the steamed rolled meat will not be hard
If you think the batter is still not soft, you may add more milk or breadcrumbs

For the croquette:

5 medium potatoes (I used Indonesian Brastagi potatoes), steamed, peeled and mashed
salt, pepper, nutmeg, sugar, 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp butter, 1 tbsp sago flour*
*sago flour used when the mashed potatoes is too soft, otherwise you may omit that

For the coating:
enough fine breadcrumbs
enough egg whites, lightly beaten and mix with a little water

1. Mix all the ingredients for croquette
2. Shape as desired (mine was oval shape as shown in the pic above, some like it round)
3. Roll each croqutte on the breadcrumbs til evenly coated
4. Dip the coated croquette into eggwhites mixture
5. Roll one more time on the breadcrumbs as final coating
6. Fry the croquette til golden brown on medium fire

Note:
Make sure the oil really hot before start frying the croquette, otherwise they're really easy to burst
Frying process should be fast

For the sauce:

a pot of chicken stock (I just boiled chicken bone with a pot of water, discard the residue and simmer for 30minutes)
half of large onion, chopped
butter to sautee the onion
dark sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)
worchestershire sauce
tomato ketchup
salt, sugar
cornstarch mixed with a little water as thickener

1. Sautee onion with butter til fragrant and soft
2. Pour onion into the chicken pot, add kecap manis, worchestershire sauce, ketchup, salt, sugar
3. Stir well and adjust taste
4. While stirring continuously, pour in the cornstarch mixture til getting the desired consistency

For the veggies, they were french beans and carrots, cut and blanched, seasoned with salt and pepper
For the pickled cucumber, just peel and cut cucumber, seasoned with white vinegar and sugar, stir well and keep it chilled for a few hours before consumed (mine was kept in the fridge overnight)

Oh, another cake my sis baked, with my help, is Victoria Chocolate Pudding Cake which I ever made before
I did take a snap with my Blackberry phone

On that day, it's really a feast! We were really stuffed!
And to end the day, there were still bottles of Corona and Ben & Jerry's ice cream! LOL

Okay, for New Year, we didn't really cook or bake
In fact, it's just one dish I baked, it's Indonesian style baked macaroni
Indonesians call this dish Macaroni Schotel, derived from Dutch influence we have
It's actually slightly different from the common baked macaroni
Macaroni schotel has more dense and firm texture, it can be cut into slices

Recipe is from a very old Indonesian magazine, Femina

What you need:

225g macaroni, prepare as directed

1/4 can luncheon meat, diced

200g breakfast ham, cut square

150g boiled chicken breast, diced

5 eggs, beaten

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, chopped

6 tbsp breadcrumbs

30g plain flour

500ml fresh milk

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp dijon mustard

enough butter to sautee garlic & onion

enough grated cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top

1. Heat up butter and sautee garlic and onion til soft and fragrant
2. Add in plain flour and breadcrumbs, mix well. Add in milk gradually while stirring continuously til smooth
3. Season with pepper, nutmeg and mustard. Mix well. Add in ham, luncheon meat, and chicken as well as eggs, bring to boil
4. Add in boiled macaroni, mix well. Adjust the taste
5. Pour onto greased baking dish, sprinkle the top with grated cheese
6. Bake in preheated oven of 180degC for approximately 35minutes til golden brown

Nice dish long time forgotten *slurp*

A great choice to welcome the new year :)

Pan Grilled Ginger-Honey Pork Tenderloin

I found this recipe in this month's Cooking Light magazine and it was super simple to make - perfect for a weeknight dinner.  The pork was tender and delicious and the sauce was really flavorful.  You can't beat a 5 ingredient dish!

Pan Grilled Ginger-Honey Pork Tenderloin:
Adapted recipe and photo by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Cooking Light - Jan/Feb 2012

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled & grated
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste 
• 1 pork tenderloin, silver skin removed

Combine the ginger, honey, lemon juice, and soy sauce together in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat and coat well with cooking spray.  Season the pork with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and garlic powder to taste.  Add the pork to the grill pan; cook the pork, turning occasionally, so all sides are cooked evenly while basting frequently with the sauce.  Cook for 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer registers 145 degrees or until desired degree of doneness.  Remove the tenderloin from the pan and set aside.  Pour the remaining sauce into the grill pan and boil for a minute, stirring constantly.

Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing and drizzling the slices of meat with the remaining sauce.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy.

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

Chicken and Grilled Corn Tortilla Soup

I love tortilla soup and I have a really tasty version of Ina Garten's soup that I love to make.  We were recently dining at a local Mexican restaurant and I really enjoyed the way they made their tortilla soup.  It was very simple with chunks of chicken, grilled corn, creamy bites of avocado, and crispy tortilla strips.  The star of the dish was the flavorful broth.  I decided to re-create it at home by simmering a leftover roasted chicken carcass with some chicken bouillon, cilantro, an Anaheim pepper, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and spices.  I let it cook for 6 hours covered then boiled it for 10 minutes uncovered to help reduce it down and make it even more flavorful.  I strained the broth then added bits of chicken, grilled corn, tortilla strips, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro.  The soup was a huge hit in my house and we all devoured it.  I had the leftovers today and it was just as tasty!

Chicken and Grilled Corn Tortilla Soup:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Inspired by Chevy's

• 7 cups of water
• 1 chicken carcass, skin removed (I left some of the thigh meat on for more flavor)
• 2-3 tbsp chicken bouillon granules
• Handful of cilantro
• 1 Anaheim pepper, seeds removed and chopped
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp cumin, to taste
• 1/2 - 1 tsp dried oregano, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large Dutch oven over medium low heat.  Cover and simmer for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.  Taste and re-season with seasonings if needed/desired. Strain the broth through a very fine mesh strainer.  Let the broth cool for 10-15 minutes then remove the layer of fat off of the top of the broth.

Other Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 6 corn tortillas
• 1 cup of frozen corn
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Leftover roasted chicken breasts, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• Cotija cheese, grated
• Fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray both sides of each corn tortilla with cooking spray.  Lay them on top of each other then carefully cut them into thin strips.  Spread them out on a tin foil lined baking sheet that is coated in cooking spray.  Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.  Place into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let them cool.

While the tortilla strips are baking, heat a grill pan over medium high heat.  Coat with cooking spray and once the pan is really hot, add the corn.  Let the corn sit for 2-3 minutes without stirring;  season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the corn is cooked through and has grill marks.

Ladle the broth into a bowl.  Add some leftover roasted chicken breast, grilled corn, and diced avocado to the soup then top with tortilla strips, cotija cheese, and cilantro.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy.

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

Chocolate, Banana, and White Chocolate Chip Muffins

It's so good to be back!  We had a very busy last few weeks.  First we had friends come stay with us for the weekend before Christmas.  My sister, her husband, and two boys came the following week to celebrate Christmas with us in our new home.  Another set of dear friends came this last weekend to help us celebrate New Years Eve.  We have had a full house and it's been wonderful spending time with our close friends and family.  I hope you all had a fantastic holiday break too!

I found some VERY ripe bananas in the refrigerator while cleaning it out so my daughter decided to do some baking.  She made chocolate, banana, and white chocolate chip muffins.  She didn't add nuts because she's not supposed to eat them while wearing her braces.  I talked her out of adding marshmallows because they were already sweet enough.  The batter was really thick and the muffins took a bit longer to cook.  They turned out super moist and so amazing!  They reminded me of a cupcake without frosting.  Both of the kids loved them so much they chose them for dessert after dinner too.  I have a feeling these muffins won't last long.  My daughter was extremely proud of her creation and deemed it blog-worthy.  Needless to say I am quite proud of my little baker.

Chocolate, Banana, and White Chocolate Chip Muffins:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking

Recipe made by my daughter

• 1/2 cup of butter, softened
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed up
• 2 cups of flour
• 1/4 + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup of white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla then continue beating until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt together, mix well. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Add the 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips then gently mix them into the batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin tin. Add the last 1/4 cup of the remaining  white chocolate chips  equally to each muffin, pushing them in gently.

 

Place into the oven and bake 22-25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool on a rack. Slather with butter, if desired, and enjoy!

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