What we have for dinners pretty much reflects what are on sale in the grocery store on that particular week. Being a poor pHD student's wife means we are living on a shoestring budget. (ok, maybe I have exaggerated a bit, but you get the idea) Unlike the time when I earned my own paycheck, I have to forego some of the luxury I took for granted last time. Having said this, I am still pretty amazed by how well we are fed with the limited allowance.
I think the key is really to stock up when price is low, and buy more fresh products. It's more expensive to buy processed food here, which is good news to us. This is because we hardly buy processed food! We may be short on money, but time is what I have. Plenty of time, if you ask me. So, I really don't mind spending some time to skin and bone the chicken thighs, and peel the prawns! And nothing gives me more satisfaction than cooking and baking from scratch! Errr, ok, most of the time. Sometime, I choose the shortcut to make life a bit easy for myself.
This week for example, we bought 2 pounds of ground turkey. First pound was being used in a new recipe that I saw from Giada De Laurentiis's "Everyday Italian". I am familiar with beef meatballs and meatloaf, but turkey meatballs? I never heard of that. Still, I am curious how it will turn out, as turkey is much leaner and healthier than beef.....
The ground turkey was first mixed with onions, garlics, parmesan cheese, egg, milk, crumbs, salt and pepper. Use hands, if you want everything to mix really well. Then, the mixture was rolled into golf balls size and dropped into the heated skillet. It was a slow process, especially when you have lots of meatballs. My 1 pound recipe required me to repeat the process 3 times.
After the meatballs were cooked, I drained the oil, and deglazed the pan with tomato basil sauce. The meatballs were then returned to the pan. We were pretty pleased with the meal, and I am surprised that this turkey version has just as much flavour as the beef meatballs. This will definitely return to our dinner table soon.
The total cost of this meal is less than 3 dollar. And we have it for dinner and next day lunch. This brings the cost per person per meal to less than 1 dollar. Isn't that pretty impressive?
Penne with Turkey Meatballs (adapted from Giada De Laurenttis)
1/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated Romano
1 onion,minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 cups tomato sauce
1 pound dried penne pasta
In a large bowl add bread crumbs milk and mix until well combined. Mix in eggs and 1/2 cup Romano cheese, onion and garlic and mix well. Add turkey and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Shape into golf-size balls.
In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. When almost smoking, add meatballs and without moving or turning the meat, allow it to brown for about 3 minutes. Turn meatballs and brown other side. Continue to cook until all sides are golden brown, about 8 minutes total. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow meatballs to simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and keep warm on stove. Be careful not to overhandle the meatballs since they are soft and fragile.
In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water since you want to retain the pasta natural starches so that the sauce will cling to the penne.
Remove meatballs from sauce and place in serving bowl. Pour some tomato sauce over meatballs, but leave about 1 cup of sauce in skillet. Place the cooked penne into the skillet with the remaining sauce and toss well. Pour sauced pasta into a large serving bowl. Serve alongside the meatballs.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Penne with turkey meatballs
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Picnic!
Thank God the weather is lovely, so we can go picnic! It's such a simple wish, but we never really get around doing it. Back in Singapore, it seems too luxurious a thing to do on a precious precious Saturday....
But on a bright sunny Spring morning, we overcome our inertia to finally do picnic. Nevermind it's just going to a nearby park.....I packed some sandwiches, cookies, cake, chips and fruits for our first ever picnic. It's a 15 mins walk from our apartment, to a spot with shade and fountain.
Not many people are there, so we find ourselves a bench facing the fountain, and tuck-in!Such a serenity day, with no crowd and no place to rush. We eat quietly, listening to the fountain and birds chirping and twittering among the trees. We can't make out what kind of birds they are. But they sing the most harmonious song in the nature. Time becomes still, until the sun moves above us and shine directly on us. A sign that we should go.
How I wish we can go picnic more often...
A walk to the park....
First, we must walk into the unknown wood.
Then we see the steel bridge.
And see the train track beneath it
"Don't get distracted! or we will never reach the fountain" said OCT
"Hey, there's another bridge! Errr...are we there yet?" I am getting a bit hungry already.
"See, here's the fountain!"
"Err.. can we find a bench to sit down first?"
"See, I make you roast beef sandwich" 
And lemon cookie in heart shape! 
Don't take my picture when I am eating! 
"OCT do you like picnic?hey, that's my coffee!" 
"see, is this a heart shape?"
Friday, May 19, 2006
Shrimp Florentine with Caramelized Garlic
First the cleaned and skinned garlics were roasted in a 350F oven for 25 min while I went on to prepare other ingredients. Because I used raw prawns, I had to peel them. But this was worth the effort as raw prawns have more flavour than the cooked one. I reserved and freeze the prawn shells for use in seafood stock next time......Ok, i shouldn't bore you with the detail.... you can see it all from the recipe I attached. More importantly, in my opinion, is that it's a simple and delicious meal. Nothing out of this world, but certainly satisfying. We like the caramelized garlics in our pasta. I will definitely go through the trouble to roast them again when I need some intense flavor in my pasta. Maybe I will also stirfry some chopped garlic in the skillet with the rest of the ingredients next time. What can I say? I am a garlic lover. In place of the half & half and chicken broth, I used milk + white wine. And omitted the butter in the recipe. I reckon that it may not have substantial flavour, so I added in 8 oz of baby portabella mushrooms (which coincidentally is what I like, and was on sale last week!)
Well, maybe I have made far too many changes to the recipe that it no longer taste anything close to what it should taste. Maybe it would have tasted better if I adhere closely to the recipe. Maybe next time I should measure all the ingredients as suggested insteads of follow my instinct. Whatever. At least now I know roasted garlic tastes good in pasta.
Shrimp Florentine with Caramelized Garlic
Garlic:
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
20 garlic cloves, peeled
Cooking spray
Shrimp:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon butter (omitted)
3/4 cup half-and-half (sub with milk)
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (sub with white wine)
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups frozen loose-leaf spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
4 cups hot cooked linguine (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
*I also added 8 oz of sliced baby portabella mushrooms*
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare garlic, combine 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and garlic in a bowl. Place garlic mixture on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.
To prepare shrimp, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Remove shrimp from pan.
Heat one tablespoon of oil in the same skillet, saute mushrooms until they are no longer hard. Stir in half-and-half, broth,(milk and wine, in my case) cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper, and black pepper. Cook 1 minute or until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp and spinach; cook 1 minute. Combine shrimp mixture, garlic mixture, and pasta in a large bowl; toss well. Serve immediately.
Yield: 3 servings
Absolutely Malaysian Food: Popiah
Yesterday night, we had popiahs (fried spring rolls), some leftover chicken soup with rice for dinner. I was feeling really guilty for not making a more elaborate dinner for OCT...but I was really exhausted after the baking and cleaning! So I thought I would just make popiahs using the almost expiring broccoli shaw and leftover chicken from previous dinner. Luckily OCT was home late, because dinner was only ready around 8:30p.m....
Popiahs, from a Malaysian point of view, are always deep fried. I was shocked when presented with an unfried version in Singapore a couple of years ago. And the filling was sometime different from what we have in Malaysia too. So, this version that I made for OCT was absolutely Malaysian's.
The broccoli shaw was first stirfry with a bit of oil and salt, pepper to taste. Chicken was being diced into small cubes and added to the veggie. All the filling was then cooled and wrapped in the egg roll wrappers and deep fried. The store bought broccoli shaw was definitely a time saver! Think how much time I have saved from slicing the cabbage, carrot etc...
Although this is not the healthiest meal we have ever had, I must admit that I have a good time eating these sinful and high fat popiahs for dinner. Oh, and I have eaten 6 or 7 egg rolls on my own!
Lastly, a little confession: I think my version is tastier than mum's. hahaha....
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Happy Lemon Day!
I have a craving for lemon related pastries and having a hard time to decide whether I should bake lemon cookies or lemon cake. So guess what! I baked BOTH. hahaha. The lemon cake recipe comes from my to-try-list. After having a huge success with Ina Garten's Lemon Cake, I wonder how the Cook's Illustrated Version compared to the invincible recipe. As for the lemon cookies, I have been finding a tried and tested recipe for ages. This morning, I found my answer from Anna's Cookie Madness blog. The lemon cookie recipe even used wheat germ that I bought on sale last week.
Perfect! I thought. I will bake both, and have enough lemon pastries to curb my lemon craving once and for all. Since both recipes provide clear instructions, I thought I will just post pictures of my final products insteads of bore you with the details.
I even cut the cookies out in heart shape! Later, I have to abandon the idea as the dough was really sticky....
If the weather allows,maybe we will go to the park near our place for a little picnic this weekend. Something that I wanted to do for sometime but couldn't get around to do. And guess what's OCT 's concern since I suggested picnic this weekend? The food! He kept asking me what we are going to eat for the picnic! Now that we have some lemon cake and cookies, we will definitely bring them along.
Coming back to the baking. I think these 2 recipes are really design for one another. Let me explain. First, the cake called for 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk, while the cookies called for 1 egg and 1 egg white. Can you see how well they compliment one another? If I only make the cake or cookies, I will either have the white or egg yolk left! And the cookies have to be frozen in the freezer for an hour before it could be rolled out. While waiting for the cookie dough, the cake is baking away in the oven. When the cake is done, it's the cookies' turn. It's just right to bake both on the same day.
Much to my delight, both the lemon cake and lemon cookies are delicious! And I can't decide which one I like better....
Chicken breast roasted with honey, pine nuts and thyme
This is a recipe from Leslie Revsin's Come for Dinner. The chicken breasts are first browned, and finished off in the oven with flavourful mixture of honey, lemon juice, worchestershire sauce, thyme and pine nut. White wine is then pour into the roasting pan to add some complexity to the sauce. I particularly like the idea of using white wine as sauce. It makes the chicken taste so sweet. Ok, maybe sweet is not the appropiate word for a savory dish.....But it's nice....when I have run out of ideas of what to do with chicken breasts.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Lunch
Lunch was my not so successful Mango Cheesecake. I was really hungry after working out in gym for an hour. Because the cheesecake wasn't exactly tasty, I ended up eating most of it myself. (instead of giving it away)
I tell you, the amount of fat in the cake is unbelievable. I think I need to hit the gym to burn off more fat tomorrow.....
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Diner Meat loaf "muffins"
These mini meatloaves are cute, and good for gauging individual serving. OCT seems to like it a lot. Normally when he doesn't like a dish, he will just eat without any comment. Even when being asked, he will just said "it's ok". However, this time, this diner meatloaves really scored well with him. He even said "thank you". He must be really pleased. Here's the recipe:
Diner Meatloaf "Muffins"
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)
1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Yield 16 muffins.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Roasted asparagus, potatoes and leftover chicken
That's what we have for dinner tonight. Asparagus is in season, and hence cheaper and fresher. I have bought 3lb altogether and have cleverly incorporated in our dinners for 2 consecutive nights. Last night, we had stir-fried asparagus with oyster sauce. Today, we had them roasted.
Oh, and I love roasted asparagus! It's so simple to make but yet so tasty. We paired them with the leftover chicken from yesterday night. For carbo, we have roasted potatoes. Equally yummy! Not a bad way to start off the week.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
This week's baking disaster
There are 2 actually, which happened on the same night. It all started when the novice baker thought she was no longer a "novice baker" and wanted to try her hands on something new. The recipe was decided long before I was sick, that is No Bake Mango Cheesecake. It was a recipe I saw from a Hongkong blog site. It featured a really cool cake where there's a layer of mango jelly in the middle. After gathering all the necessary ingredients, I thought I would make it on a Saturday night, so I could bring it to the church and shared with friends on Sunday...
Because it didn't turn out as it should, it was still sitting in our fringe. This is the thing: when the food doesn't turn out as it's supposed to be, we can not give it away. However, because it's not inedible, we can't throw it away either. (at least not in Ong's residence) In another word, I have to swallow my failure, literally.
That's mistake number one. I then proceeded to make a batch of strawberry scones after the cheesecake was in the fridge. This is a new recipe, from one of my beloved source. I got OCT to wash all the bowls and what not while I measured the ingredients for the strawberry scones. The process and ingredients was pretty standard, so I went through motion to make the dough and freeze them for breakfast this morning. Later that night, I realised that I forgot to add in 1 tablespoon of sugar. Calmly, I consoled myself that one tablespoon of sugar was no big deal and it probably is not going to have a make or break effect on my scones.....and I went on to zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
This morning, I baked a few and was greeted by the promising look of my sugarless scones. Boy the one tablespoon sugar less was a Huge mistake! The scone was soooo salty that I have absolutely no doubt of sweeping them into the waste bin. And as for the cheesecake, it was edible, as I have mentioned earlier, but not as delicious as I would have imagined.
After all this, I must say I am a much humbler person now and last but not least, still a novice baker.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Roast chicken and chicken soup
I always shy away from preparing a whole chicken. It was too scary an undertaking for me. Yes, I said SCARY. The 5-6 pounds chicken is as big as a baby's corpse. I am not a pervert, but I am just imaginative and very timid, unfortunately.
Coincidentally whole chicken was on sale in my local grocery store last week. The price was irresistible for this frugal housewife. So I went ahead to buy one, thinking that after roasting the chicken, I can use all the bones to make a nourishing soup on the following night.
On Tuesday night, I took the chicken out from the fridge and got down to do what was needed to be done. I put on the plastic glove so that I didn't have to be in direct contact with the chicken. I took a deep breath and remove the cover. Next, I needed to remove the giblets inside the bird's cavity. Oh my God! I was so so scare! Because even with the glove on, I can still feel the body of the bird! I couldn't even dare to lift the bird, let alone inserting my hand into its cavity. I was so close to the verge of throwing in the white towel and called it a day.....Then I started to sing some hymns out loud to summon up the courage that I badly need and distract myself at the same time. It was not easy. I managed to clean, remove the giblets, massage the marinate and position the bird on the baking tray.
It was worth it! The bird came from beautifully from the oven and lasted us for 3 nights! Here's my first roast chicken:
After crafting out the meat, the bones and drippping was reserved for soup tonight. I haven't have chicken soup for a long time that I have almost forgotten how tasty one can be!
I think we will buy whole chickens again next time, but I will definitely wait till OCT is around to roast it.......
Monday, May 08, 2006
Strawberry Bread
It's Monday, and I am feeling a bit better. I want to bake something, preferably something simple, to make up for the baking that I missed during last weekend.
I chanced upon this recipe from the internet, using strawberry. Perfect, I have a whole box of Strawberries in the fridge, screaming to be used! So, I went on my business and whipped up a loaf of strawberry bread! Simple but flavourful.
Strawberry Bread
(makes 1 loaf)
1.5cups flour
1 /2teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cups fresh chopped strawberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
In large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Add egg and oil; mix well. Stir in berries and nuts until evenly distributed - batter will be thick. Grease & flour two 9" loaf pans and divide batter evenly into each. Bake at 350 approx. 1 hour. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
I am sick :(
It all started with a seemingly harmless runny nose. And as usual, I failed to see it as a sign of something serious. I went ahead to do my grocery shopping, through the painfully long school shuttle route and cooked a good dinner, as a responsible wife would. We had semi home-made pizza, using Pilsbury pizza crust, and top it with lots of spinach, roast red pepper and a mixture of Gorgonzola and mozalrella cheese.
Maybe it's a bad choice, though we really think it's a good meal. The pizza aggravated my already sore throat. For the whole night, I couldn't sleep. My throat was so painful that I can't even swallow my saliva.
On Saturday morning, I was experiencing serious block nose, and sore throat. I can't do anything but sleep most of the time, and took in plenty of liquid. Arrgh, the last thing I want to happen is to fall sick on a weekend!! OCT was relieved that he didn't have to go out shopping with me, as planned. He got to play computer at home. Oh, and following the Singapore post-poll day report.
When I am sick, I eat porridge and plain white bread. OCT being a loving husband decided to cook me something nourishing. and this was what I had for lunch- steam cod with porridge:
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Spaghetti with Asparagus, Parmesan and Ham
The original recipe called for bacon actually, but I forget to grab a packet at grocery just now. (I was too focus on getting the flour!)
I really like this pasta that I adapted from this month's Cookinglight. I made a few changes to the original recipe but the pasta turns out to be one of the best we have ever had. Using 1/2 cup of water, some white wine and lemon juice as sauce, it has been quickly absorbed by the spaghetti. It may seems dry at the outset, but a bite into the spaghetti assures us that it is indeed very flavorful.
I made so many changes to the original recipe that I can't help but want to claim this as MY OWN recipe....
Spaghetti with Asparagus, parmesan and ham
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2- 1/3 lb uncooked thin spaghetti
1/2 packet of turkey ham(8 pieces), diced into cubes
1 vidalia onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in halves (or 2 normal tomatoes, cubed)
1/2 cup water
1/4- 1/3 cup white wine (or pour from bottle, count to3)
salt and white pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice from half a lemon
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded Parmesan cheese
Cook asparagus and pasta according to pasta package directions, omitting salt and fat.(Note: add the asparagus when the pasta is almost done.This is because the asparagus cooks very quickly.) Drain when the color of asparagus turns bright green; set aside.
Cook ham in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until lightly brown; cool slightly. Remove ham from the pan. Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in the same skillet and add onion, garlic, and oregano; sauté 4 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Return the ham into the skillet. Add water, white wine and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Stir in salt, and pepper; remove from heat.
Place asparagus and pasta in a large bowl; add tomato mixture and juice from the skillet, tossing well. Top with shredded cheese.
Feed 2 very hungry adults, with leftover for one adult.
Orange Pound Cake
This is the cousin of the Lemon Cake, a recipe from Ina Garten as well. I wanted to make something else actually but I was left with only 1.5 cup of flour. The thought of not having enough flour was appalling. I promised myself that I will go out and get 2 bags of flour tomorrow, rain or shine. The only reason I didn't go out yesterday was the thunderstorm.
Coming back to the Orange Pound Cake. It was nice, as expected. But it is too predictable, and doesn't offer us any surprise as the Lemon Cake did. Needless to say, I like the Lemon Cake better. I must make another batch one day. Orange pound cake, like the lemon cake is one refreshing treat on breakfast table. Not a bad accompaniment with a cup of tea at tea time either. To make this Orange Loaf Cake, just follow the recipe of lemon cake and use orange zest and orange juice instead of lemon.
Ina Garten's version embellish the loaf with a generous coat of glaze, which I think is too sweet and fattening for myself. But it does make a more professional presentation, especially when you are entertaining for breakfast or tea. I think I will do that when I am giving this as gift....
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Mushroom & Spinach Frittata with Goat Cheese
Finally I got round my inertia to try out a new recipe from my subscribed Cookinglight magazine. Mushroom & Spinach Frittata is the first frittata recipe I try. Basically the term Frittata means dish with eggs as its major ingredient. Though I don't particularly love to eat eggs on their own, I enjoy eating quiche and omelet, and occasionally, scrambled eggs.
My first attempt on frittata is not a huge success. It seems ok from the photos, but it tastes a bit off to me. Something is lacking, I don't know what. The dish just doesn't shine despite its deceiving appearance. Maybe it's the hash brown I used to replace the shredded potato as specified in the recipe. Other than that, I pretty much adhere to the recipe. I don't know, I guess this is just not the winner frittata recipe I will repeat.
Read more...
Back to usual dinner
I haven't make any plan for new recipes. So we keep going back for some tried and tested recipes. Not exactly in creative mode, but will definitely sit down to plan for something new soon. I asked OCT what was his favorite so far, and guess what he said:"Everything"! ok, when your husband gives "everything" as the answer for your question, it means he wants you to leave him alone. To me, MY question was not answered... Maybe afterall, nothing really leaves an impression on him. To be fair, OCT is never a picky eater. I am not sure if this is good or bad for me. I shall continue to be my hardest critic for the time being. Meanwhile, this is yesterday's dinner: 
Sauteed spinach and baked chicken drumstick marinated with curry powder.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Curry Chicken Pocket
I bought some Pilsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls last week when they were on sale. Since then, I have been looking up recipes to try them on. Of course the simplest use of it would be to roll them up as the shape of a typical crescent roll and bake them. But I want to use them in a more creative way....Oh, and I am flummoxed by the choices available at the Pilsbury website.
In the end, I decided to be even more creative! I decided to make my very first Curry Chicken Pocket. I am not sure if this is a good name for it. But I really couldn't decide what they look like... 
I think there are still plenty of room for improvement, but OCT seems to like them a lot....I think I will make one batch for OCT's next lab meeting, together with the tomyam rolls, to make it an Asia breakfast!
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Ben & Jerry Free Cone Day
Last Tuesday was Ben & Jerry free cone day. Coming from Asia where nothing is free, I was thrilled to learn of this exciting opportunity! We asked our friends Sean and Adeline over for dinner, and headed straight down for our free scoop of ice-cream after the meal.
The free cone event started from noon, and lasted till 8p.m. At around 3 p.m, I could saw line of queue from my apartment! I was pretty worry that we might miss the boat if we went down too late.....Luckily we managed to be there 20 mins before it ended. There was a queue, but it moved fairly quick. I was impressed with the efficiency of the BJ staff, who must have worked non-stop since 12.... From the time we went into the shop till we came out, it was merely 5 mins. I have anticipated a longer wait, like what we experienced when queing to buy Hello Kitty from Mc Donald in Singapore.
Because we went down in a rush, I forgot to take my camera!!!Arrgh....this would have been a more interesting entry with the pictures....Anyway, we were offered to choose from a few flavors on the menu. I was disappointed that Black & Tan was not one of them. I would have tried that if it was there. Since it was free, I decided to try something that I will not risk to buy a whole pint. So I went for the Lemonade Sorbet. And OCT ordered a Mango Sorbet. Our more experience friend Adeline ordered a Phish Food, which I initially heard as "fish food", and Sean got a Chocolate ice cream.
Well, the Lemonade sorbet was a bad choice. It tasted funny. But OCT's mango sorbet was not bad. I exchanged mine with his, and was being reprimanded for my choice. He said it tasted like ENO. hahaha.....But he finished it nevertheless. Well, it's always better to try something like this when it's free, rather than spending 4 bucks on a whole pint later (which is still cheaper than in Singapore....)
Apparently, the BJ store in Singapore was also given away free cones on the same day! I asked my friend June for the detail, so that I can tell the rest of the world about it. Unfortunately, it was only for those who have coupons....which Ben & Jerry distributed on an earlier date. What an anticlimax. But I can't blame them. They have to adapt to the "Nothing is free" culture in Asia....
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies
Ok, that's it. This is THE Oatmeal cookies recipe that I am going to keep. The one from Quaker's website was not too bad, but this one is my official favorite! And I am so going to repeat this soon for our friends.
This is a recipe from American Test Kitchen. I used cranberries, instead of the usual raisin. I love raisin but the combination of chocolate chunk + cranberries + walnut is really heavenly.....As usual, I cut down on the sugar required in the recipe, as Americans generally have VERY sweet tooth, but it still turns out sweet.
Last Sunday I baked a batch of chocolate hazelnut cookies for OCT's colleague who had gotten us some nice ice-cream. Apparently, it was not very well received....OCT told me that it was shared during their lunch hour, and there was still some leftover that was being casually left on the table. Well, to be honest, I didn't think that's the best cookies I have ever made. But nevertheless, I used the best ingredients I can ever get, and baked just the night before to ensure freshness. OCT was quite mad about the unfortunate fate of my cookies. But what really bothered me was the cookie itself. The texture was not right. I can't pinpoint on what's wrong, but I don't feel right about the cookies. Anyway, it bugs me so much, and I keep thinking about what's wrong with the cookies...So much so that I decided to bake another batch, from another source. And I am delighted that this batch of Oatmeal Chocolate cookies turn out really well! 
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Makes sixteen 4-inch cookies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups rolled oats , old-fashioned, (3 1/2 ounces)
1 cup toasted walnut(4 ounces), chopped
1 cup dried cranberries(5 ounces), chopped coarse
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped into chunks about size of chocolate chips (about 3/4 cup)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar (10 1/2 ounces), preferably dark
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, stir together oats, walnuts, cranberries, and chocolate.
3. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until no sugar lumps remain, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl; with mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture; mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on low, gradually add oat/nut mixture; mix until just incorporated. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.
4. Divide dough evenly into 16 portions, each about 1/4 cup, then roll between palms into balls about 2 inches in diameter; stagger 8 balls on each baking sheet, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using hands, gently press each dough ball to 1 inch thickness. Bake both baking sheets 12 minutes, rotate them front to back and top to bottom, then continue to bake until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will seem underdone and will appear raw, wet, and shiny in cracks), 8 to 10 minutes longer. Do not overbake.
5. Cool cookies on baking sheets on wire rack 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Another 1/2lb of macaroni
I didn't use up the cooked macaroni in the previous dish, so I was left with another half a pound of cooked macaroni... What I did with the rest? I decided to bake them, with tomato-based sauce and lots of parmesan and mozarella cheese! We had baked cheesedog and macaroni on Monday night.
I needed something real fast as we were meeting our friend, kind Vikas who offered us a lift to do grocery shopping. I decided to use cheesedogs because they are almost expiring....Plus, I figured that if I used cheesedogs, i probably didn't need to care too much about seasoning.
This was really a time saver. And I like it!
This was how it looked when it came out from the oven...
As it rest, the cheese harden, which is good. That way, it's actually easier to serve. I should have taken a photo of how the cross-section looks. But we were too hungry and couldn't wait to dig in. I felt sorry that we coudn't share this with Vikas, as he doesn't eat sausage. I should have asked before I baked this.....Instead, I baked him some no-fail scones.
Speaking of the grocery trip. He brought us to the World Food Market, where they sell lots of food from different ethic groups. Some really cool Italian, Greek, Russian, Mexican and Asian stuffs. As usual, I went crazy to stock up on some hard to find ingredients, and bought some new condiments. It was really a fruitful trip. I feel empowered to cook up a storm again!
Read more...Tuesday, April 25, 2006
My macaroni
I must not forget to include this dish in my blog. Because I am proud that I created this on my own! It all began from the cancellation of our planned trip to vineyard on Sunday. Intending of having a lovely picnic on site, I had cooked some macaroni for a pasta salad. Due to the bad weather forecast, we decided to pospone it till a later date. And so, I was stucked with a 1 lb cooked macaroni in the fridge....
Since I don't have to cook something tried and tested for the picnic, I decided to experiment with some odds and ends found in the fridge. Also, inspired by OCT's homemade instant noodle sauce, I added ketchup in my sauce.
The combination is diced carrot + diced yellow pepper+ diced pineapples +diced ham + macaroni + sambal oelek + ketchup + dash of soy sauce + splash of rice vinegar. Just throw in the ingredients in this order, and I get a yummy macaroni meal. A bit spicy, a bit sweet, and we both love it! I am so sorry for not including a more detailed recipe, but I guess all the amount on ingredients can be adjusted to suit individual preference......
Oh, and we find it nicer the next for some unknown reason. Maybe I will make more next time, so that we will have some leftover for the next day!
Chicken with Lime Sauce
Sunday night, I tried a new recipe: Chicken with Lime Sauce from Cookinglight, while OCT went for his soccer game.
It was a sweet and tangy dish, and fairly simple to put together. Maybe because I didn't measure the ingredients for the sauce, it came out tasting a bit off, and certainly too watery for only 2 chicken breasts I used...The recipe called for dijon mustard, personally I have never been a big fan for mustard. So maybe that's why I didn't really enjoy this dish. Having said that, I was astonished by the reviews of other cooks who tried the recipe. They thought it was indeed very good and worth repeating. Well, one man's meat is another man's poison. So, I guess I shouldn't rely so much on other people's reviews in the future..... So are you. You should give this dish a try, if you like the combination of lime + dijon mustard.
I also cooked a stirfry mushroom with celery dish on the same night, which I liked a lot. However, it only received a lukewarm response from OCT. I used rice vinegar + sugar as sauce instead of the soy sauce that he is accustomed to. That's why he thought it was an ok dish, not really an excellent one. What to do, he has a wife who likes to experiment with new condiments. Recently, I have been experimenting with rice vinegar. You know, the kind you use in sushi. It lends a very complex flavor to the dish. Sometime when I used it in some dishes, they gained approval from OCT. Well, before he knew what was used, of course.....
Chicken with Lime Sauce
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
Cooking spray
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.
Add chicken broth, sugar, 2 tablespoons juice, and mustard to pan; cook over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; stir well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens slightly. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and butter, stirring until butter melts. Return chicken to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Walnut Coffee Cake
I want to make this for OCT's coming lab meeting, so I used a bundt pan; so that it will be more presentable than my usual square pan. As usual, the process of weighing, mixing and cutting was fun! And I was rewarded with a Walnut Coffee Cake in lesser than the expected time mentioned in the magazine!
See how unassuming the cake looks in the bundt pan....
After inverting it onto a large plate
I wonder how the interior looks, so I cut out 2 pieces, one for OCT and one for myself :)
See the brown sugar streak? Isn't this interesting?
As if this is not attractive enough, I quickly went into the kitchen and mix some powdered sugar + milk to give it a final touch.
ok, it looks much better now....
Nice eaten warm, we find this coffee cake tastes even nicer the next day. Having said this, I still prefer Ina Garten's Sour Cream Coffee Cake over this. Maybe because her version's sweeter and more tender. This coffee cake, however, offers a healthier alternative. It will be nice with a cup of coffee. I hope OCT's colleagues will like it.
Walnut Coffee Cake
(Adapted from Cookinglight April 2006)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 14 1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
10 tablespoon butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups nonfat buttermilk
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well combined (about 3 minutes). Add eggs; beat 3 minutes or until combined. Beat in vanilla.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating well after each addition and scraping sides of bowl. Spoon half of batter into a 10-inch Bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle half of brown sugar mixture evenly over batter; spoon remaining half of batter into pan. Top with remaining brown sugar mixture.
Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
