Sis went to the States for a work trip but came back with tons of kitchen gadgets & goodies for me & clothes for Kailee!??!! :)  You go figure what work she was doing!

Anyway, thanks Sis for all the presents! *hugs*

Used the espresso powder she bought me to make Hazelnut Espresso Cookies. Although I'm no coffee drinker, the smell of the cookie was heavenly. Taste was not bad either. Note to self: have to remember to toast the hazelnuts 1st. Recipe taken from leitesculinaria.com/35177/recipes-hazelnut-espresso-cookies.html
                               

Also made Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta using a full cup of Nutella! Yummy! Very smooth & chocolatey. For once the gelatin did not play me out and set nicely. Phew! Recipe taken from The New York Times.
                              
 
 

Honeydew melon for mixing with rice cereal for Kailee's breakfast and chicken stew for her dinner. She likes honeydew but not the stew! Urrghhhh....
                        
 

Hubby signed up for the Aviva 70.3 which took place on Sunday 21st March at East Coast Park Singapore. The only way I could help him in his preparations was to carbo load him a week before race day.




Menu for the week:
1. Prawn chowder on potato mash
  
2. Beef red curry with lychees served with rice
  
3. Rösti topped fish pie
  
4. Home style fried rice
  
5. Sakura ebi linguine
  

Brought Kailee to watch her papa in a backpack/baby carrier thingy. She was ok throughout. No fussing around. Looks like it's time to hit the Bukit Timah walking trail! :)


  

Kailee's got 2 new flavours on her menu this week - beefy broccoli and watermelon. Loves one but not the other.

Minced beef was fried in a non stick pan till no longer pink, then added to a pot of diced broccoli stems and leaves. This was cooked in beef stock for 20min till the broccoli was soft and then blended into a brownish green puree. Looks yucky, smells wonderful and tastes yummy. She loves it.

Since the weather's been so hot lately, I have a stash of watermelon in the fridge. Blended some to get watermelon juice, which I used in place of water to make rice cereal for Kailee. I'm surprised she doesn't like it too much since the cereal's nice and sweet. Humm, this confirms my observation that she likes savory food rather then sweet or sour!
                                                                                 

Have grown a little tired of ang moh salads lately. Yearn for something with a little more punch & crunch. So it's Asian style salads that I turn to for a simple but satisfying lunch.

First up is an adaptation of Fish Leong's Thai Style Grilled Pork Salad. I marinaded the ribeye pork in hoisin sauce, shaoxing wine and white pepper for a 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, I cut the cucumber and bell pepper into pinky finger sized slices. Blended together fish sauce, lime juice, bird's eye chilli, garlic, chicken stock, sugar, coriander stem, leaves and roots for the dressing. Put the pork under the broiler and grilled for 10min till cooked. Sliced up cooked pork and arranged over cucumber and bell pepper pieces, poured over dressing, then garnished with mint leaves.

                                                                             

Next I tried an Asian Style Shredded Chicken Salad. Marinaded chicken breast with ginger juice, shaoxing wine, salt and sugar for at least an hour. Chicken was steamed for 10 min, left to cool, then shredded. Cucumber and carrot were cut into batons and shredded chicken placed atop. Dressing was made by boiling some chicken stock with oyster sauce, sugar, pepper and sesame oil. Finished salad with a sprinkling of thinly sliced spring onions and coriander leaves, and chopped toasted peanuts and sesame seeds.
                                                                             

The smell of uncooked shrimp paste can be unappetizing to many. Shrimp paste is a common ingredient used in SE Asian cooking, with the different countries having their own variations of this condiment.

According to Wikipedia, shrimp paste is made from fermented ground shrimp, sun-dried then cut into fist sized blocks. It is not designed, nor customarily used for immediate consumption and has to be fully cooked prior to consumption since it is raw. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces.

However upon cooking, this pungent smell mellows into the background, and becomes an afternote of seafoody goodness.

This dish - Steamed Shrimp Paste Pork is a classic example. It's simple to prepare but tasty to eat!

                                                                      

It's been so hot (34C) & humid lately that my brain's got addled. Don't know what possessed me to make a spicy hot soup for dinner!? Hubby & I were both dripping with perspiration when done. It's not that it wasn't good, it's just the wrong thing for this crazy weather!

Boiled some chicken stock with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves & cilantro roots for 30min. Then added the shrimps, clams, sliced fresh mushrooms, red bell pepper & bird's eye chilli till everything was cooked. Poured this tasty broth over fresh kway teow noodles. Sprinkled chopped cilantro leaves over just before serving.

                                              

To make amends for the cholesterol building & artery plugging meal on Monday, I made myself a healthy lunch of Tofu Cod Fishballs. Diced cod fish pieces were mashed up with drained japanese tofu & crunchy water chestnuts. The paste was then squeezed into balls after seasoning. Balls were steamed, then served with a piquant sauce comprising of garlic, shallots, ginger, spring onions, soy sauce, stock & chilli. The balls were garnished with ebiko & spring onions. So who said healthy food cannot be tasty?

                              

I love one dish meals for weekday nights. Who has time for anything else??? Tried a new recipe last night - Oven Roasted Chicken Cacciatora.

According to Wikipedia,

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. In cuisine, "alla cacciatora" refers to a meal prepared "hunter-style" with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, herbs, often bell pepper, and sometimes wine. Cacciatore is popularly made with braised chicken (pollo alla cacciatora) or rabbit. The salamino Cacciatore is also a small salami, popular amongst Italians.

I tweaked the recipe I found on the net here & there, using the ingredients I have on hand - chicken thighs, Kalamata olives, salami, red bell pepper, tomato, garlic, onion, preserved lemon, red wine and  various herbs & seasonings. End result was yummy tasty. Served with honey roasted carrots & baguette. Considering how easy & how little effort was required, this one is a keeper! Gotta jolt down what I used last night! :)

                             

 

Came across this recipe for sauteed chicken livers & mushrooms on toast & it immediately sparked a craving. Have not had such an old fashioned, home style dish in ages. Cooked it for lunch since hubby won't dig it.

It was YUM YUM YUM! Was so glad I made it but the thought of the cholesterol & fat levels make me cringe in guilt.  Aiya, once in a blue moon lah!