It's time to quit blogging...

Dear Readers and Friends,

I have finally arrived at the decision to quit blogging altogether, for reasons best known to myself and a few of my cyber friends.

I will, however, continue with my hobby to try new recipes for my three dear ones at home, post food photos in my photo album and MAYBE the food forums (with links to the sources only) - a hobby which will take up much less of my time, effort and most important of all - zero responsiblity.

The entries for this blog will be permanent for as long as blogspot doesn't forfeit my account.

Thanks for your support on this blog.

Lemon Cheese Cookies

I love lemon and cheese, and the combination of these two ingredients in this Lemon Cheese Cookies recipe is incredible. The whole kitchen was filled with the aroma of lemon and cheese during baking. My two naughty ones popped so many freshly baked cookies into their mouths that I had to shoo them out of the kitchen, to prevent them from getting sore throat.

Recipe is from Joy of Making Cookies by Alex Goh.



Lemon Cheese Cookies

Ingredients:
100g cream cheese
60g Cheddar cheese, grated
200g butter
150g caster sugar
1/8 tsp salt
lemon zest from 1 lemon, finely grated
1 egg

Dry Ingredients: (sift together)
300g plain flour
20g corn flour
1 tbsp milk powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

100g flaked almonds (for coating)


Method:

Cream the cream cheese till smooth. Add in grated Cheddar cheese and mix till well blended.

Add in butter, sugar & salt and whisk lightly. Then, add in the grated lemon zest & egg and cream till smooth.

Add in the dry ingredients, mix till blended. Chill in the fridge for an hour to firm up the dough.

After an hour, take the dough from the fridge and knead lightly to become pliable.

Divide the dough into 4 portions. Shape each portion into 28cm long triangular log.

Coat all the sides of each triangular log with flaked almonds. Wrap it with plastic sheet and chill overnight.

Remove the dough from the fridge and cut into 3mm thick slices.

Place the slices into a greased tray or a tray lined with baking paper.

Bake in preheated over at 170 degree Celsius for 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Note: Do not cream the mixture till light and fluffy.

Sweet & Sour Pork Chop

My children like pork chops cooked in this way and to date, I have tried with different ingredients for the sauce, but every time, they never failed to polish up the whole dish. This is no exception. I only ate a small portion because my appetite has not been in top form lately, but the two finished up every bit of it as well as the soup and stir-fry vegetables for dinner.



Sweet & Sour Pork Chop

Ingredients:
350g Pork Chops, cut into slices of 3/4" thick
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 green capsicum, sliced
some pineapple cubes

Marinade:
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 egg
1 tbsp potato starch
a dash of black pepper

Sauce:
3 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp vinegar
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 cup water

Thickener(optional):
some potato starch with water


Method:

Tenderise pork with millet or back of a cleaver.

Marinate pork for about an hour.

Deep-fry the pork with hot oil till golden brown. Drain and set aside. When slightly cooled, cut into bite size.

Heat wok with 1–2 tablespoons oil and sauté onion till softened. Add capsicum and pour in the sauce ingredients. Bring to boil.

Return pork chop pieces to the wok and add pineapple. Thicken sauce with potato starch mixture (optional).

Cook for a while before dishing out to serve.

Salmon Potato Rolls

Made this simple Salmon Potato Rolls for dinner. Gene and Ni were delighted. This is a modified recipe of Salmon Potato Patties.



Salmon Potato Rolls

Yields 16 rolls

Ingredients:
400g potatoes
1 can salmon (185g), drained & flaked
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp garlic, chopped
75g big onion, chopped
2 tbsp spring onion, chopped
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
Oil for deep-frying

Seasoning:
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp curry powder

Coating:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs


Method:

Boil potatoes till cooked. Peel and mash the potatoes.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry garlic and onion till lightly brown. Dish out and leave to cool then add to the mashed potato. Add salmon and stir in the seasoning. Mix well.

Add spring onion, coriander leaves and chilli. Combine well and shape into longish rolls.

Dip into beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs.

Heat oil till hot and deep-fry the rolls until golden brown.

Drain on absorbent paper. Best served hot.

Coconut Chick Peas Pudding

This pudding recipe is from Adaw of Leisure Cat. The recipe is so popular among the forummers there. Cantonese name for this pudding is called 椰汁馬豆糕 , pronounced as Ye Chup Ma Dau Gou. I was told that 馬豆 Ma Dau is actually called Chick Peas in English, so I shall name this Coconut Chick Peas Pudding. A very tasty dessert indeed. I like the smooth texture of the pudding.





Coconut Chick Peas Pudding
椰汁馬豆糕

Ingredients:
100g chick peas
about 160g-170g evaporated milk
300g caster sugar
400g coconut milk
170g corn flour
5 cups (1250ml) water


Method:

Wash and soak chick peas with some water for about an hour. Boil to soften the peas and discard the water. Set aside.

Mix corn flour with coconut milk and evaporated milk. Blend well.

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and add in the sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, stir in the corn solution gradually (I lowered the heat when I stirred in the corn solution). Keep stirring the mixture until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir in the softened chick peas and mix well.

Pour into a mould which has been rinsed in icy cold water. Let it cool before putting in the fridge.

Note: Can substitute the chick peas with sweet corns or red beans. When substituting with red beans, use the red beans water to replace part of the water in the recipe. Must add sugar to red beans.