The weight loss tips I live by #flabtofab

I have been plump through most of my childhood. In fact, my childhood nickname was "pui Mei" (fat girl). For a  few years I was also in "TAF" club in my school. In case you didn't know what TAF is, it stands for "trim and fit" and is designated for fatty kids like me to do more activity to help us regulate our weight and bring it to the healthy range. I can't remember exactly how heavy I was, but is remember at 12 years old my waistline was 30 inches, because that was when I had to buy new uniforms when I went to secondary school. To me and my mom's sheer horror, when the uniform seller use a measuring tape to measure my non-existent waistline and it shows 30", it felt like someone has rudely smack a big piece of wet smelly fish on my face.

However, by 15 I had slimmed down and my waistline hover around 24-26". Over the years, My weight have gone up and down (at one point I was close to 70kgs and I am only 158cm tall), but experience has help me gain insight to what works and what doesn't, well at least for me. As each of us are different in body and mentality, there is no 'one size fit all' weight loss plan. You will need to try and experience it for yourself to gauge whether it is working for you or not. However, some methods just simply won't work, and here's some:

Things that does not work

#1 - Slimming cream/gels/lotion

If it was such a simple case of just slapping on some weird products and fats magically disappears, then plastic surgeons and gyms will have to 'close shop'. Keep your money in your pocket and stop buying these products. I once worked as a cosmetic promoter for one of the luxury brand, and in between serving customers and housekeeping the store, I actually spent my free time reading product labels at work. Most of these products contain caffeine, which 'dehydrates' you. Have you ever had so much coffee that you develop 'coffee breath'? That's what it does it leaves your body dehydrated and thus your mouth becomes dry. What these slimming products does is to get rid of the water retention in your body, not fats. All of us have water retention to a certain extend. By massaging the products into the skin, you actually improves your lymphatic drainage which helps to move the water retention, so you will experience some amount of 'inches loss' temporarily, but never alot.

Another thing I notice is that gels are more popular than cream, which comes as no surprise because mainly in tropical countries nobody want to look and feel like a greasy donut as cream does become sticky and uncomfortable, which gel dries up very fast. But in my opinion, if you are going to buy something as useless as a slimming product might as well get a cream one because at least if it does nothing to slim you it will moisturize your skin and make it supple. Gel ones dry up fast, and leave behind a 'film', which acts like an invisible pantyhose on your skin, making it appear smoother and thus slimmer. It is very much similar to those 'peel-off' mask effect where you experience skin tightening but once you wash it off you're back to square one.

#2 - Starvation

Unless you are able to have the determination enough to help you develop anorexia, most of the time you will just give up, rebound and gain weight. I don't think I need to tell you why this will not work over a long term, because it is simply very very difficult to achieve. However, some people have successful lose weight through what they think is starvation, but is actually more of 'change of diet' which I will cover on later. To starve is really just leaving off only water and perhaps a carrot or a biscuit, which I am pretty sure most of us can't and will give up after a day or two, losing about 1-2 kgs, only to regain it back within the next few hours when you resume normal eating.

#3 - Corsets

The corset does not magically make you lose weight. However, as a side effect of its awkward death grip, you do have trouble eating more than a small bowl of rice. It is like a giant squeezing you to the point that even AIR have trouble staying inside you, much less food. If you do not wear your corset tight enough, then you will not lose weight. That's it. Really.

Things that work sometimes, with a change in attitude

#1 - Change of diet

All of us have tried this at least once, eating more healthily, eating salads, not drinking carbonated drinks. Sure, you lose weight, but you also lose happiness. You forever feel unsatisfied, 'hungry' even though you had like 5 kgs worth of vegetables (incidentally, if you really eat so much veges you will gain weight and not lose weight). Then you release the 'demon', and you ravage through the fridge snacking on all the forbidden. Back to square one again. So once again not a very future proof plan, but one that might work in short term, like say 3 months. So I would say this method works sometimes. 

#2 - Slimming centers

I once went to a FAMOUS slimming center, and paid a few thousand dollars with no results at all. What they did to me was firstly, ask me to chart and list my meals for a week, and the following week, they sat me down and went through the list with me, circling things that I should not eat, which is like 95% of the list. The remaining 5% was plain water, in case you are interested. Then they 'recommend' me for some food that resembles and tasted like Styrofoam. After which I started my "slimming program", which requires me to strip naked and an aunty with a pail of cold herbal mixture will come in, wet some Sarah wrap with the mixture and proceed to wrap me up from ankles to chest. After that, they wrap me with cling wrap again covering my whole body. For a moment, I felt like some ham waiting to be roasted, except that I was made to sit in the cold, air-conditioned tiny cubicle, wet and lonely while I wondered if the woman in the next cubicle feel as miserable. I have friends who were made to lie down in a hot hot thing that looks like those you find in a tanning salon. Alas, the only thing that lose weight was our wallet, not our body. Logically, if you had followed their meal plans for you, then you should lose weight just by the changes in the diet, but then again you didn't need to pay thousands of dollars for someone to tell you what to eat and what not to eat. 

#3 - Exercise

You must be wondering, why is this here, isn't exercise the #1 thing for weight loss? In an ideal world, yes. You should exercise to lose weight and keep fit and tone. If it was that easy, we would all be parading our fab and tone body around, and not stuck in a rut. Now you should realize why exercise is in the section "works sometimes but with a change in attitude". Unless you change your attitude and adopt exercise as part of your daily regime rather than a frenzy 3 month spurs, going to the gym every other day, only to lose it all in a couple of months down the road, this will not work. I have tried going for a two hour swim twice a week for 4 months, only to give it all up when I couldn't take it. Unfortunately, most of us approach exercise with the type of attitude and mad obsession, only to fizzle out after a short time, burnt out. So again, it will only work for a couple of months.


Things that work really well for me

#1 - Switch meals around

Instead of having oats/porridge for breakfast, I have it for dinner and have my MacDonald for breakfast. Why would you want to stuff yourself with high calories food at night and have a heavy dinner when your metabolism is low and you are so close to bedtime? I also eat higher calories food in the day and once the day past 5pm, I stop snacking. So you will see me eating chocolates in the noon and nearer to daytime instead of supper. For dinner I will have a smaller portion and a fruit to 'fill up'. So you can still have your cake and eat it, except that you are eating in the earlier part of the day.

#2 - Sleep more, sleep early

If you are better rested, your body function better to breakdown food and metabolism rate is regulated. Your mind is also clearer so that you make better food choices. Also, if you sleep early, you reduce the chance of eating supper. If you start your day at 8, five hours later have lunch at 1, five hours later have dinner at 6 then when it is five hours later at 11pm you will definitely be up for some supper. So don't do it, do yourself a favor and go sleep at 10.

#3 - Take 30 minutes everyday for light exercise

Take a jog for 30 minutes everyday. I swear by this. If you do not see any difference after doing it for 1 month, call me. Not into jogging? No worries, you can do skipping, hula hoop or target body workout at home. Also, another tip is to start with a low target, but gradually increase your target every 3-4 days. For example, today you do 10 sit-ups, and 3 days later, you target yourself to do 15. Don't get all crazy and try to achieve 60 sit-ups in the beginning because not only you will not be able to do it, but when you fail your morale will crumble and you will not feel so motivated after that. Even if you are able to achieve 60 on the first try you will be so sore and it will hurts so you will be put off by it. I started jogging for 5 minutes, then slowly i push myself to 8 minutes, then 10 and so on till i reach 45 minutes.

#4 - Do it your way, improvise

For some reason, I always find it easier to exercise at night. Maybe it is because i hated the sun and also I am not a morning person. Another thing is I believe if I exercise in the late noon or evening, I pump up my metabolism rate which would otherwise have reduce in the later part of the day when I am tired after a long day. If you feel comfortable doing something but slightly different from others, do it anyway. It might just work for you. But please do some research to find out if it has any ill-effects just to be safe.

--------- To be continued -----------

Happy Birthday, my sweethearts

Time flies, before I knew it they are already 2 years old. How have I survived the past two years!? While people have always tell me it will be easier to take care of them as time goes by, I find that to be extremely untrue. Haha. The easiest time for me would be when they were just newborns. Sure, the 3 hourly nightfeeds and all, but because I did not put them through sleep training, I am still waking up in the middle of the night to feed them now. -________-!!

 Also, since now they can express what they want and is starting to understand the world around them, I have to bargain with them and explain copious times to get the message across! LOL, just the other day my daughter just told her daddy this excuse "kate kate scared thunder, papa bao bao" because she didn't want to walk but wants to be carried.

Although there are times that I really want to 'vomit blood', screaming bloody murder when they misbehave, but there's also times when they surprise you. Just the other day, when both of them were eating some biscuits and Emma tried to pick up a toy, Kate turn to Emma and told her "eat biscuit hand ditty (dirty) no touch toy toy!". Secretly I am pleased, FINALLY they understand!

Sometimes I wonder what life would be without them, how carefree I will be. I could wake up any time, do my work as I wish, and go anywhere without a worry. Now I am mostly stuck at home without an income, doing housework and cleaning after them, entertaining them when my eyes can barely open, but I am happy. To see them grow up, I wouldn't trade my life now for anything else. Because I know they will eventually grow up and I wouldn't want to miss any part of their milestones right now.

So for fellow SAHMs, hang on! We are all doing a great job even though some days it just feels like we are not appreciated, but trust me, your kid(s) love you.


To my twins Emma and Kate, mommy love you. Happy Birthday my babies.

Top 5 most annoying Facebook users I cannot stand

The following post contain my personal opinion:

I have been invited by some of my friends to join some mommy Facebook groups ever since I have become a mother. While the idea is great, sharing news about child bearing/rearing, technics about handling the children and just general discussions, the truth is most of the time it is peppered with annoying personal ranting such as a straying spouse and soliciting "opinions" of other mothers and how they would have dealt with the spouse problem, or questions that could have easily been googled. Here's a sample of a question that makes absolutely NO SENSE to most mothers who bothered to at least read just a little about pregnancy and what to prepare for when their child arrives:

I mean seriously, I don't know what is worse, the fact that this could have been easily googled, or the fact this mother actually wanted to extend her 3 weeks old 3-hourly feeding schedule. She might as well just use a feeding tube then the feeding is continuous and fuss free. 

Why do people bother to ask in Facebook something rather than google the questions? I am not gonna mince my words here, but don't they know it makes them look dumb and stupid? I can understand if you are trying to ask mommies opinion of which twin stroller is better so it makes perfect sense to ask in a Facebook group/page for mommies, but if you are asking how many cups of flour is equivalent to 240gram of flour, I think it's best to ask google, not Facebook. 

These are the top 5 most annoying Facebook personas. I absolutely detest:

5) the go everywhere but only take photo of your face type of people

- this Facebook user goes to places,but will only take zillions of photos of their face, with just a little background. The worse is every photo almost look identical to another, wearing the same clothes. At least if you just want to show your face, change your makeup, your hair or your clothes la! 

4) the too personal photo exhibitionist

- seriously, your whole album is dedicated to your making out session with your boyfriend or multiple partners. STOP RIGHT NOW! I couldn't care less if you want to French kiss your cat and dogs, but please do it discreetly and keep the album private! It is very disturbing to see you and your boyfriend's tongue touching each other. Even typing this out and having the image in my head is enough to make me cringe and lose my appetite for the next 12 hours.

3) the bragger

- yes, we get it. Good things happen to you ALL THE TIME, your hubby/bf is the sweetest person in the whole wide world. I am not saying you should keep happy things to yourself only, but if you update your status everyday and all of it contains what sweet diabetic gestures your partner did and thanking him in the status, I think it would makes more sense to thank him in person instead of over social media.

2) The public dirty linen washer

- No, seriously, stop. If your partner finds out what will he/she think? Not only does it makes your partner look bad, but it makes YOU look bad, because you are with the piece-of-crap that you are complaining on public networks. It will only make you look like the loser here. Why give your so-called "friends" a chance to gossip behind your back and make your story a talking/laughing point? How many of the Facebook friends are really your friends? I bet not even 20% of them would lend you a $100 bucks even if they had it. Whatever your story is, the same consoling piece of advice usually contains one or more of the following: 

- have a talk with the person you are having a disagreement

- leave the relationship

- think about what this relationship will bring you

- think of the kids(if any)

- speak to a professional counsellor 

Nobody knows your story more than you and your partner. There is not much that others can do. I understand that sometimes you just need a place to rant. But I also need to shit, and I use the toilet for it, behind closed doors. So some personal things are better to discuss with a close one or a professional, definitely not on a social platform where even strangers can see and comment. 

1) the one who doesn't do a google check before asking on Facebook 

Sometimes you are so hooked up on Facebook that you just type things you actually want to google on Facebook and ask people the question. Guess what? Most of us will just google your issue and type it back to you. Then most people will wonder at your idiocy. 

What about you? What's the most irritating type of Facebook users you can't tolerant?

Copycat! Sausage mad-muffin

Can you make english sausage muffins at home? Yes you can!

Original recipe calls for buttermilk but since i didnt have buttermilk i just add 1 tbsp of white vinegar to a cup of milk as a substitute.

Ingredients for English muffins

1 cup buttermilk (for substitute add 1 tbsp vinegar + 1 cup of milk and rest for 10 minutes OR 1/2 cup yoghurt + 1/2 cup milk)

1 tbsp sugar

3 tsp instant yeast

2 cup plain flour

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp salt

instructions

Warm up the milk so that it is warm to the touch but not scalding, you don’t want to kill the yeast. If you are afraid it is too warm, let it cool to room temperature.

Add the sugar and yeast and stir. Let rest for 15 minutes, you should see that the amount of milk will increase due to the yeast.

Sieve the flour in a large bowl.

Add the yeast mixture and the melted butter in and stir. Mix well. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Add salt and mix well, the batter is ready for the pan.

Heat up a non-stick pan or griddle if you have one. Using a soup ladle, scoop up the mixture and drop in the pan. (for a nice and round look like macdonald’s, you need to get a metal ring. You can get it from daiso)

Cook for 5 minutes each side.

ingredients for sausage

300 gram minced pork or chicken or beef or mixture of beef and pork
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage or any of your choice of herb (rosemary, basil, oregano)
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1 egg white
Pinch of black pepper
Mix all together and let rest for 15-20 minutes to marinate.

instructions

Shape into patties and pan fry them for 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on how thick you make them to be.

note to arrange them just cut the muffin into halves, then spread butter, add a slice of cheddar cheese and the sausage, topped with the other half of the muffin bun.

hush little baby don't say a word...

Just the other day I was singing this nursery rhyme:

Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass.

And if that looking glass gets broke,
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat,

And if that billy goat don't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull.......

*My hubby interrupted me and said "mommy can you stop buying things?"

What hilarious things have your partner said to you?

Copycat! Chicken madnuggets

After seeing the scary video of what is in macdonald nuggets, I decided maybe I should try to make my own? I mean, how difficult can it be right? And true enough, it wasn't difficult at all! Now why did we have to buy those frozen ones where we don't even know what they have added into the nuggets to make it more profitable?

These nuggets can be flavored anyway you like with your choice of spice and herbs , but since I was trying to replicate macdonald nuggets (based on my memory of the taste) I stick with only garlic and onion powder. Here’s my favourite list of flavours that goes well with chicken:

Rosemary

Basil
Honey and soy
Oregano
Garlic
Paprika
Masala

Ingredients
1/2 cup Flour
1 egg, whisked
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
Pinch of pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp marmite
200 gram chicken, minced

Mix all the ingredients except the flour and egg in a bowl and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes

Roll chicken into balls about 1 tbsp each, then press down slightly, coat in flour, then coat in egg, then back to the flour again. Place coated nuggets on floured plate or n parchment paper.

Heat oil and deep fry for 7minutes or till golden brown, taking care not to overcrowd the frying area.

Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

I read online that the secret to the taste might be just a little marmite mixed into the chicken, but since I didn’t have any marmite on hand I skipped it. The verdict? Very tasty though not able to replicate the macdonald signature taste. But it was good! I will definitely not be buying any frozen ones anymore.

ingredients

instructions

Hot Cross Buns!

Hot Cross Buns!

Hot Cross Buns!
One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters, give em to your son
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!

This is a nursery rhyme song that I always sing with my twins. Why one bun and two buns cost the same I can never understand, but then again I can't understand the new generation of pop songs nonsensical lyrics anyway. (Seriously If you don't know what I'm talking about you should see this video)

I have never had a hot cross buns though I have heard of this bun before, so this is my first attempt at making them and eating them. but let me tell you, it is actually just a spiced raisin bun. I made it using the 'water roux' method so that the buns will stay soft for many days.

Ingredients
350 gram bread flour
50 gram sugar
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp milk powder (optional)
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, whisked
1 tsp mix spice or cinnamon
125 ml milk
30 gram butter, softened
100 gram raisin
120 gram water roux (see below)

4 tbsp plain flour
2-3 tbsp water

To prepare water roux
Water roux should always be 1:5 flour to water. So for this recipe since we require 120 gram of water roux, just stir 20 gram bread flour to 100 gram water and mix well. Put in a non stick pan and heat it up over medium flame and continue to stir. The mixture will start to thicken. When the temperature hits 65 degree or when your spoon cuts through the mixture and you can see the bottom of the pan take it off the heat immediately. Cool in to room temperature before using.

Instructions

Place the bread flour, yeast, milk powder, salt, sugar, mix spice in mixer and mix well. Then add in 3/4 of the whisked egg, reserving the rest for the egg wash later and place in the fridge. Add in the milk and water roux and mix. When the dough has come together, add in the butter and knead for 10 minutes. Add in raisin and knead for 5 minutes until dough is elastic. Form the dough into a ball, grease and covered in oiled bowl and let rise for 40minutes or till dough double in size.

Deflate dough and knead a few times. Divide dough out into 12 pieces and roll into balls and place on a lined baking tray, 1 cm apart. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Mix the plain flour with the water to form a paste. Brush the left over whisk egg as egg wash on the bun. Put the paste in a piping bag or plastic bag and cut away the sharp tip to squeeze the paste out. Form a cross over the buns with the paste.

Bake for 15-20minutes or when bun turns golden brown.

Aromatic Cinnamon Rolls

Ahhhhh, where are you my sweet sugar bun?

I can't stop eating these orgasmic soft cinnamon roll when they just got out of the oven. I love anything cinnamon and the sweet sticky fillings really gets me all crazy as I devour 3 in a row. These babies take only 90 minutes from start to finish so it isn't really that bad, since there's 30 minutes of waiting time for the bread to rise and 30 minutes of baking. So technically you're only hand-on for 30 minutes.

Ingredients
180ml milk
55 gram butter /margarine,
400gram all purpose flour
7 gram instant yeast
50 gram white sugar
1 tsp salt
60ml water
1 egg

For the filling
220gram brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
115 gram butter /margarine, softened
Raisins (optional)

Instructions

Heat milk and melt butter in pan. Take off stove and cool completely to room temperature

Mix the flour, salt, yeast, sugar. Add in egg water and butter milk mixture. Mix well and knead for 5-7 minutes.

Oil bowl and let dough rise in covered bowl for 10 minutes. In the meantime prepare the fillings by mixing it in a separate bowl.

Roll out dough to 12 x 9 inches wide. Spread fillings, and roll up starting from the longer side of the rectangle. Pinch seams to seal. Cut into 12 pieces and place in muffin cups, or place side by side in rectangle pan with the cut side up.

Let rise for 30 minutes. Then bake In Preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20-30 minutes or till browned.

Note
The filling tend to bubble and ooze during cooking so it's important to catch the dripping by placing another pan below to catch the drippings. Because of the high sugar content the dripping can catches fire really easily so just watch it when it bakes!

Decadent chocolate banana bread

Quick and easy to make, this banana chocolate cake is almost fool-proof. If you want an unadulterated taste of banana just skip the chocolate chips.

ingredients
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 ripe bananas
1 tbsp milk
1 cup sugar ( I used light brown fine sugar)
1/2 cup butter (113 gram )
1 tsp cinnamon ( optional)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

instructions

Preheat oven to 175 degree. Cream the butter and the sugar together till it turns light and fluffy. Add in one egg at a time, mixing well.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt in a separate bowl. In another bowl, mash the bananas with the milk and vanilla extract.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed butter and mix well. Then add the flour mixture in and mix. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour mixture into a greased bread pan or into muffin moulds and bake immediately. Bake for 50 minutes if you choose muffin moulds or 60 if you choose to use bread pan.

Are Strollers Hazardous to other MRT Commuters?

Recently when browsing Facebook someone shared this article, taken from ST:



This article has angered quite a few mummies and honestly speaking, I find it
veryquite offensive as well. Reason being that this writer obviously sounded like someone who has never taken care of children before.

As a mother of twins and also a owner of a compact twin stroller, I am quite appalled by the writer's view of stroller on board. The letter is wrong on so many levels I can't even comprehend! While I understand that some parents might hoard the entrance/exit and blocking the way, I'm sure most of us would give way if you could just politely ask us to move slightly to facilitate traffic.

Here's some of the things I couldn't agree with:

Claim

1) Writer claims the size of strollers are getting bigger.

Is it really? Actually I was thinking it is more like the opposite! In a country where there are limited spaces, a lot of barriers,small lifts and a lot of people, we parents will always try to get something that is as compact as possible, IF possible. I have even changed my stroller from a side-by-side to a front and back tandem stroller just so I can move about faster as there are many areas that are not so stroller-friendly. In addition, I noticed an increasing number of people buying the really lightweight stroller that makes it look like the child is going to fall off, like this:



I am just being paranoid, I'm sure the stroller is completely safe but it is extremely compact. Probably for older children. Speaking of lifts, in a country where a lot of abled-bodied people board the lifts instead of taking the elevator, how can parents afford to get a damn huge stroller and never be able to fit into the available lift space?

2) Writer claims the size of the stroller will be hazardous during an emergency.

In an emergency, shouldn't the young and old be allow to leave first? And also, during an emergency do you really think we can possibly park the stroller near the door and obstruct the passage way? We will be inclined to push the stroller and get out of the carriage first, right?! Having the children in the stroller will definitely be helping the situation in an emergency because moving out of the carriage (and also out of your way missus) will be quick and fast, imagine dragging scared children out of the carriage will probably take much longer isn't it?

3) Writer asking for stroller to be folded up like bicycles on train

why are you even breathing? Have you ever carried a child and fold a stroller at the same time, and carry the stroller on board? Nuff' said.

4) Writer think stroller should only be for babies, toddlers who can walk should walk

Sure, both my twins are toddlers now and they can walk fine. But trust me, you don't want to be walking behind them, because it will take FOREVER. Simply because they are small and walk slow, that is why parents prefer for children to sit on stroller. Do you really think we love to push that damn thing out in the street? (By that damn thing, I mean the damn stroller, not the kid).

I rest my case. What do you think?

Savory and Fragrant Turnip Cake

I love turnip cake since I was young. I just love the taste of the fragrant turnip/radish. The recipes seems a little daunting initially but for the love of radish, I'm willing to do anything! Haha, just kidding.

Getting the ingredients ready. These are the Chinese "four treasures".
Stir frying the diced ingredients before adding the turnip and flour mixture.
After steaming and letting to rest before cutting.
Pan frying the cake, delicious!

I usually make a big portion and eat them over the next 1-2 days. You can pan fry them and eat it with sweet sauce and chilli, or cut them up into smaller pieces and stir fry it the 'black carrot cake' style.

ingredients
1 kg radish(approximately one large radish)
150 grams rice flour
25 grams corn flour
3 dried mushroom
1 Chinese waxed sausage
4 dried medium size scallops or 8 small ones
30 gram dried shrimps or hei bi
3 small shallots, sliced
seasonings
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp oil

instructions

Shred the turnip/radish and place in a colander for approximately 30 minutes to drain and collect the juice. Save the juice.

Wash the dried shrimps, mushroom and scallops and sausage. Soak them in hot water separately for 15-20 minutes, saving the soaking water from the mushroom, sausage and scallop and add to the juice from the radish. Keep approximately 1 3/4 cup of the total collected fluid and discard the rest.

Remove and discard the stem of the mushroom and dice up the mushroom. Dice up the sausage and shred the scallops. Slice the shallots finely and roughly chop the shrimps if they are big.

Marinate the diced mushroom, shrimps and scallops in 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of hsiao xing wine. (Or hua tiao wine). Marinate for 10 minutes.

In the mean time, heat up 3 tablespoon of oil in wok. Sauté the shallots till fragrant, then add in the sausage. When the sausage is fragrant, add in the marinated dice mushroom/shrimps/scallops mixture and continue to stir fry. When everything is turning golden, add in the shredded turnips and seasonings. Add the two flours to the liquid from the soaking/draining and mix well.

Stirring occasionally, the turnips will begin to produce liquid and be soft when cooked. Cook it a little longer and mix the flour mixture in and stir immediately. Keep stirring till the mixture turns very sticky and paste-y, almost dough-like. Turn off the heat and scoop into a metal tray for steaming.

Steam for 40-50 minutes. Cool and cut.

note
When the cake is Cooked it will be a little sticky, let it air dry and cool for a while before cutting. Chilling it will make it easier to cut.

Quick and Easy Granola Using Only 4 Ingredients

I finally got around to clearing the cabinet which was stuffed full of snacks and biscuits. I bought them when I didn't know how to cook back then ( I only started picking up cooking around 6-8 months ago?) and now that I know how to cook I hardly ever eat any processed foods like biscuits because I would make my own and eat the ones I baked.

Back in the days when I was still living off takeaways, fast foods and processed food, I have always wondered what's the big deal about home cooked food. Only when I have started cooking successfully and churning out dishes and dishes of delicious home cooked fares that I come to truly understand why people prefer home cooked food. It just taste..... Different! And in a good way! No weird plasticky taste, no MSG that makes everything taste more or less the same.

But I digressed, so back to the cabinet story, while cleaning out and throwing away those uneaten and probably expired snacks, I found two large bags of rolled oats, totally forgotten and I can't even remember when I bought them. I quickly checked the expiry date and they were still good for another year. Seriously what am I going to do with two big bag of oats that nobody is going to eat?! Then I suddenly had a eureka moment, I can make them into granolas!





Granolas are super food in my opinion, they taste way better than corn flakes, and can be use as breakfast, snacks, or even as ice cream or yoghurt toppings. Store bought granolas are not cheap, so why not make your own? I estimate my cost of making these granolas to be just 1/5 of the price I would have paid for a box of granola from the supermarket. Granolas recipe are also very versatile, you can add any nuts of your choice or dried fruits such as coconut, apricot etc.

ingredients
2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup condensed milk + 1/4 cup water/milk
Raisins (change to another dried fruit or nuts of your choice if you want)
Cinnamon (optional)

instructions
Heat up the condensed milk in a pan plus the water/milk.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together, adding more water/milk if needed to coat the oats evenly. Just ensure the oats are coated. You can also add honey if you like.

In a lined baking tray, press the mixture into the tray and make it spread evenly. Preheat oven to 130degrees and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Cool before cutting and storing. These granolas store well in air tight containers.

updated: I just made a fresh batch yesterday with addition of sliced almond and sunflower seed and it tasted even better! Also, instead of just condense milk and water in the pan I mixed maple syrup, cooking honey, condense milk, milk, a little vanilla extract. Super duper delicious!

Crunchy Curry Puffs!

My hubby has been bugging me to make curry puffs for several weeks, so last week he sort of 'tricked' me into making them by sneaking potatoes and curry powder into my shopping cart while we were at the supermarket.  I only realized that when we got home.  The thought of making the filling and the pastry seemed like a lot of work and put me off making curry puffs (been feeling lazy recently, hehe).



Honestly, I have never made curry puffs so I didn't know it was not as really as tedious as it seems!  For a rather noob cook like me, I would probably rate it 2 on a scale 1 to 10 for difficulty (10 being most difficult) but perhaps cleaning up would be more work than making the puffs as I fried these delicious munchies so the kitchen was really oily. Luckily, this recipe allows you to bake these puffs for a easier and healthier fuss free option. And the best part? You can make a huge batch ahead and freeze them to store. So you can have fresh, hot and crunchy curry puffs whenever desired. You can also replace the potato fillings with anything you like. I have tried putting otah inside (my hub's fav) and my favorite would be sardine. I am contemplating to make them into apple puffs as well because the pastry skin actually taste like the apple pies at MOS BURGER.

Ingredients for the puff skin

250 gram plain flour

50 gram tapioca flour (or corn flour)

50 gram rice flour

50 gram butter (omit the salt below if your butter is salted)

50 gram vegetable oil

130 ml icy cold water

1/2 tsp of salt

Instructions for the puff skin

1. Melt the butter in a pan with the oil. Do not let it bubble, but just to melt the butter. Leave aside.


2. Combine the 3 different flours and mix well with the salt in a large bowl.


3. Pour the butter/oil mixture in and stir. The resulting dough will be crumbly.


4. Slowly mix in the icy cold water bit by bit till the dough comes together.


5. Cover the dough with cling wrap and set aside for at least 30 minutes.


6. Divide the dough out into 12 or more depending on how big you want the puffs to be.

Ingredients for the potato fillings

3/4 medium sized potatoes, or 600 grams in total. Peeled and diced

1 onion, diced (i personally prefer to use red onion because they are sweeter but it is up to you)

2 tbsp curry powder (for seafood/chicken)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

some curry leaves (optional, I didnt add in during my first attempt)

1 cup water

salt to taste

Instructions for potato fillings

1. Heat oil in pan or wok, stir fry the onions and curry leaves. Stir fry till the onions turns translucent.


2. Add in the potatoes and cook till the edges of the potato changes colour.


3. Add in the curry powder. If you prefer a spicier filling you can add in chilli paste at this point.


4. Mix well, cook for 2 minutes. Add in water and let it boil.


5. Add salt and reduce heat and let simmer with the lid on, till potatoes are cooked through and soft.


6. Most of the liquid should have been boiled off as you do not want the filling to be too watery. The end result should be a little dry and paste-y. Leave to cool before wrapping.

Instructions for wrapping and frying

1. Roll the dough in a ball shape and flatten out using a small wooden roller or your palm. The dough should be around 1/2 cm thick or thinner, depends if you like a thicker or thinner crust.


2. Place the filling in the middle and fold the dough in half. Pinch the seams to seal.


3. Using your thumb and index finger, pinching one end, fold in and 'crimp' the folded area. Then move your finger to the next available space along the seams working through it.


4. The puffs are now ready for frying or freezing. Do not let the puffs touch each other at this point as they will stick together.


5. if frying immediately, heat oil up and when oil is heated slowly slide the puffs into the oil.


6. Fry till golden brown. Remove from oil and dap exceed oil off on paper towels.

NOTE

Do not let the puffs touch each other at this point as they will stick together. If freezing, place them apart on a tray or plate and place in the freezer for 1/2 hour - 1 hour, then remove them and place in ziplock bags. They should not stick together by then.

If you are frying frozen puffs, start placing them frozen in cold oil and then heat up the oil together with the puffs. This is so that the fillings will be warmed up while the external skin is being fried. When the puffs starts to brown, turn up the heat so that the skin will be crunchy and not soggy.

Simple Mooncakes and Tender Piglets Biscuits

Personally, I don't like to eat mooncake because I think it is too sweet for my liking, but I really like to eat those cute little piglets that are usually on sale during the mid autumn festival each year. These piglets usually cost between 40-70cents each and I usually buy many of them as I can eat three in one sitting! It didn't occur to me that they were just moon cake skin shaped in a pig's form!

I decided to try my virgin attempt on making mooncakes this year to give to my relatives. Although I had a few hiccups initially, the process wasn't that bad as the ingredient list is really short and cheap. I have listed some of the hiccups that I encounter so that you can avoid them.

Since now I can make my own piglets biscuits I guess I won't be buying any store bought ones anymore. Hehe. But they are really 'heaty' so do take more fluids if you happen to eat a lot of these yummy piglet biscuits!

Ingredients
110gram Hong Kong flour or top flour ( you can use regular flour, but it will not taste as tender)
25 gram peanut oil
1/2 tsp alkaline water
60gram golden syrup
Store bought paste fillings
Egg for egg wash

Instructions
Mix the oil, syrup and alkaline water together.

Mix the flour in and using a spatula, mix well till it forms a soft dough. Make sure there is no flour lumps.

Cling wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or maximum 3 days before shaping.

Shape fillings into balls and weigh them. The proportion of the fillings to dough should be 4:1. So if you have 100gram of fillings you should use approximately 25gram of dough. The weigh depends on the mould you are using to make the mooncakes, so do check the weight with the store.

Divide out the dough and wrap the fillings with the doughs and press them into the mould.

Knock the moon cake out on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 180degree for 10minutes, then take them out immediately and brush with egg wash and return to bake for another 5 minutes.

Cool on wire rack. Keep the mooncakes for two days for the skin to soften. The mooncake will taste hard and crunchy initially so you will need to rest the mooncakes for 1-2 days.

NOTES
I suggest making one and baking it before you mould the rest out because depending on your measurement/human error etc, the dough might become too soft and melt in the oven before the dough is even cooked! I learnt that the hard way on my first trial, all my moon cake melted and went out of shape before it was cooked. This is due to too much oil or too little flour. If you find your dough melting too much, just add a little more flour to the dough to mix and chill for 60 minutes.

In choosing a mould, it is better to go for the plastic ones as they slip out more easily. Get the press out type instead of the wooden mould and save you energy from all that knocking! I made the mistake of buying the wooden type as I was feeling all gung-ho and wanted to be traditional, only to regret it later with a sore arm and ugly disfigured moon cakes.

If you find the mooncake surface cracking it means the temperature was too high, as seen in my piglet photos, so you just have to lower the temperature by 10 degree or so.

You can make your own golden syrup actually, just google it there are many recipes for it. It's essentially just lemon juice, water and sugar cooked to a thick consistency.

How Music Affects Studying

A few weeks ago, I paid a surprise visit to my sister at her home. She looked confused initially, then she started crying out:"Oh no!  M is having her exams this week!".

M is my niece and she's having her PSLE this year. My sister and my brother-in-law have been vexing and worrying about her performance in her exams. While M is nonchalant about the on-going prelim exams, both her parents have been losing sleep over it. "Problem with her is, she is always on her earphones listening to music! How to study with the music blasting? How can she concentrate?", my sister laments. I just kept quiet, nodding my head. But in my head I thought of how I studied when I was still in school and I realize I was exactly like M, listening or watching tv while studying. And I begin to question whether music is really detrimental to studying and learning? After all, I survived all my exams by this method! Most people can agree that studying and poring over textbooks is boring and sleep inducing, which is why I understand why my niece is listening to music while studying; to kill her boredom and to stay awake.



Ever since I became a mother, music is still a big part of my life, albeit it has taken a different route; nursery rhymes and children songs (hi-5 anyone?). I have been singing to my twins because firstly, it's something I do best. I can remember a lot of songs and lyrics and we usually play a game that whenever we see an animal I will sing a song related to it. Furthermore, my kids enjoy listening to my singing and we will do the jiggly dance to the head & shoulder song, or skeleton dance. We could do this for hours, while my hubby disgruntle at the annoying songs. Thirdly, singing nursery rhymes actually help children in expanding their vocabulary. It also helps in memory development.( find out more here). So in a way, songs can capture the attention more which is why children learn songs lyrics fast because as it is catchy and fun.



Looks like music is good for younger children, but what about for older children or even adults? In younger children, singing helps them to learn as the songs are part of the 'learning materials', but if you were studying for your maths exam how would it actually affects your ability to learn? After reading many journals with regards to this, I found that music can both hurt OR help learning at the same time. How is that possible? Well, firstly we all have a fixed cognitive capacity. When you do both things at the same time, both task will require your attention, so you will have less attention to focus on each. However, music helps to keep us awake and interested and reduce stress, so we are more likely to finish reading a textbook if the music was on than if the music was off. For boring, repetitive tasks/chores, music actually help make the task easier or more enjoyable so you finish it faster.

In that case, what does that leaves us with? To studying with music or not? I personally believe in creating an environment that arouses you enough to stay awake but not distracting enough to disturb your studying. When I was still in school, I remember going to a nearby not-so-crowded fast food restaurant to study. The background noise and unfamiliar environment create a moderate arousing environment so I won't be able to fall asleep. If that is not possible, perhaps you can make a playlist of songs that doesn't contain any lyrics so that it will not interfere with the "language department" in your brain, as you need that for reading.

 

Pros of using music while on a task:

1) Reduces stress and relaxes the body and mind, allowing better performance on task.

2) According to studies, if you listen to a familiar music while learning/studying a subject, recollection of the song will aid in retrieval of the information studied.

3) Keep the body and mind arouse to allow for task completion

4) Make the task more enjoyable.

Cons of using music while on a task:

1) Distraction as the brain has to concentrate on both task. You definitely do not want to do this on important or dangerous task!

2) Songs with lyrics are more distracting during studying because it takes up the language capacity needed during reading.

3) Newer songs or unfamiliar songs are more mentally taxing and distracting.

 

Therefore, I have come to a conclusion that is:

• If it is possible for you to not listen to any music while studying or doing a task then don't start!


• If you need to listen to music while studying new information, then choose a playlist of familiar songs that does not contain lyrics so that it will not interfere with reading.


• If you need to listen to music while doing a boring and familiar task, such as mopping the house, it doesn't matter if the songs is lyric-ed or not. Also does not matter if the song is new or old as the task is more or less "auto-pilot".


• If you are reading and comes across some information that are important, pause your music so that you can concentrate and absorb the information.

 

PS: Read here for more information about what music does to productivity if you are interested!

Also, you might be interested in reading this article if your child does not seem to adapt well to the traditional "mugging" type of studying. I will write about this another time when I have more time because I think it is really important!

 

Blueberry Muffins

Woke up late on a Saturday morning. No, I didn't have a hangover from a Friday night party but was up "entertaining" my twins when they refused to sleep after waking up at 2am in the morning! And both my hubby and I had to be up with them till 6 in the morning before they willingly go to bed. By the time we woke up again, it was past 2 in the noon!

Quickly, I ran through my mental list of "fast food". Not as in macdonald or KFC, but just quick cooking food that is easy to whip up. My usual go-to scramble eggs and pancakes does not seem that appealing to me that morning(or should I say noon?), so I went to the fridge to get some inspiration. Looking into the fridge and saw the punnet of blueberries and the thought of aromatic blueberry muffins comes to mind! I quickly get set to bake them.

ingredients
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup caster sugar
100gram blueberries
1 tsp vanilla essence
80 ml milk
45 gram butter, soften

instructions
Put the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix evenly.

Peheat oven to 200 degree. Add in the wet ingredients except for the blueberries and mix briefly. The consistency should be lumpy and not smooth. Over mixing will result in a tough muffin. I usually just stir it slowly so that the flour have some time to absorb the liquid, resulting in less stirring required.

Fold in the blueberries and scoop the batter into muffin tray or muffin paper cups. Fill up to around 80% of cup.

Bake for 20 minutes or till golden brown.

HANDS OFF STRANGERS!

If you see a stranger with lovely hair, would you go to the stranger to stroke her hair and compliment, "Wow your hair is magnificent!!!"? What about a woman who was carrying a bag from your favorite brand, would you go touch her bag and hold it?

My guess is most likely you will not.



But then what makes it so different when it comes to seeing a very cute baby? As compared to someone's hair or a handbag, most mothers I believe will prefer you not touch their child if they do not know you personally. And I do not understand why people like to 'shake babies' hands, don't they know that it is not very hygienic? The worst when they try to pinch or touch your child's face, and it sets off the omg-is-that-hand-clean? Alarm in mommies' heads. Trust me, most mothers will, though most will not want to voice it out. Even the fruit seller aunty at the market will shoo you away if you start poking and probing her oranges or mangoes, so what makes it OK for you to pinch my child's cheeks?

I am not sure about you but usually before using my hands to pick up food, I would wash my hands or wipe them. But unfortunately for a baby, they will put their hands and anything their hands can grab, in their mouth at EVERY opportunity. And yes, they will put the hand which they have just shook hands with a stranger straight into the mouth, without cleaning them first, ignoring all the consequences, simply because they are babies and will not know any better about hygiene.



YES, very cute. But also very UNHYGIENIC!

 

It really gets on my nerves when a stranger touches my kids hands, because they are forever putting their hands in their mouth even when they are only 20 months old. And every time a stranger touches them I have this strong desire to whip out my wet wipes and clean them immediately, but I usually resist the urge so as not be seen as rude, but then I will quickly push the stroller or scurry the kids away at any opportunities, usually citing that I'm 'in a hurry'. But truth is I just didn't want my kids to be touched all over by a stranger.

I know they meant no harm and they are just being really friendly (Er hm) but there are ways to play and interact with the kid without touching right? It can be so easy to assume your hands are clean when they really aren't. Just looking at this link of top 10 dirtiest common things and I am already guilty of touch almost all of them within the past 1 hour as I am writing this post now! And with the plethora of germs spreading around nowadays, I really do not need another one on my list - my children has just recovered from cough a couple of weeks ago and It took them 2 weeks to recover and a $130 bill to boot. Though they can also get the infection by air borne particles but I would really like to reduce the likelihood. Which is also why I prefer to go to indoor playground where it is more routinely cleaned (or so I would like to believe, that I am paying good dollars to go to a 'playground', it had better be kept in good condition. Sigh.) than an outdoor one. I know some people would think that I am being overprotective, but it's no joke handling 2 sick toddlers.

So please dear strangers, will you stop touching my children already?

Toasty Savory Focaccia Bread

I was taking a shower while waiting for my focaccia bread to be ready in the oven when I heard the bell went off. By the time I got out of the shower( which is just merely 3 minutes), there was only half the loaf left, thanks to my sneaky hubby and babies who polished off more than half! That's how good this focaccia bread was and that's how I ended up with this photo.

This is a another quick bread for the busy mommies. Total preparation time to cooking is only 1 hour, including rise time of 30 minutes. This focaccia bread is excellent for making open faced sandwich or even as a pizza base. But my hubby's favorite is to slather butter and eating it hot.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp white sugar
Assorted herbs (1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp rosemary. All herbs are optional and you can adjust to your liking)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to sprinkle

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients except for the olive oil and salt for sprinkling. You can do it by hand or by stand mixer.

When the dough has come together, knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and coat with oil. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 200 degree. Punch the dough down, and fold a couple of times. Place dough on a greased tray or on parchment paper and shape roughly in an oval shape with thickness of about 1/2 inch.

Using your finger tips, make indents on the bread. Drizzle the olive oil over it and sprinkle the salt.

Bake for 15 minutes or till golden brown.

Tips
You can adjust the herbs to your liking or availability of herbs. You can also add Parmesan cheese on it, or sundries tomatoes at the last step before baking.

Crunchy Thumbprint Jam Cookies

While clearing the fridge, I found an unopened jar of fruit jam sitting at the back of the fridge. I believed I got it for free when I purchased something some time ago, and since nobody in my family fancy jam on bread, I went online to search for some other recipes that would have a use for it. I found this gem recipe, I doubted the credibility of the recipe initially because

1) it was my virgin cookie baking

2) it only uses 5 ingredients! (You can replace the jam with any jam you like, or skip it all together to get just a nice crunchy vanilla cookie)

Ingredients
225 gram all purpose flour, sieved
175 gram butter, unsalted
115gram fine brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
Jam or any topping of your choice

Instructions

Cream the butter and sugar till pale. Add in vanilla extract and combine.

Add in the sieved flour and salt bit by bit, mixing well. The dough may be a little dry but it is ok.

Rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. Then using your hands, pinch a little out to roll into a ball. Place on a baking tray that is lined with baking sheet. Take a little jam with s teaspoon and using the back of the spoon press down slightly on the ball of dough and transfer the jam to the dough.

Repeat for all the dough.

Preheat oven to 175 degree. Bake for 10-15 minutes or till light golden.

Transfer to rack to cool before storing.

How I Manage My Twins. ALONE.

Are you a twin mommy or going to be one soon?

Most people I know can't even handle just one child, let alone taking care of twins. A full time stay home mom to multiples is no joke, it really drains you all some times and you're basically on duty 24/7.

I hear you now, and I feel you.

People have always wondered and asked me 'how do you manage to take care of twins and doing it all by yourself?!' Most of the time my reply will be 'Chuan dao ciao tou zhi ran zhi' (things will pan out). Here's some ways that I believe made my mommy life easier.


Cooking for one.
I know some parents cook separate meals for adults and babies. While I do admire your dedication, why put unnecessary cooking and washing to your already long list of household chores? Cooking for one means cooking food that allows you to cook in the same pot or dish, reducing washing and preparation. Look for recipes that allows you to cook things together in a dish or pot. For example, chicken clay pot rice is easy and delicious with very little prep time. (I will share my recipe next week), or delicious comfort stews.



Shower power
One of the popular questions I am always asked is how do I manage to bath everybody. If you intend to bath one at a time, you're gonna have a hard time. The moment my kids are able to stand with assistance (7-8months), they have always been in the shower with me. I will bring a sturdy stool (got mine from IKEA) into the bathroom, they will stand there and play with the water while supporting themselves with the stool, and I shower. Once I am done, I will shower them. When they are slightly older and bored of just playing with water you can bring some toys in for them to play. An excellent 'Toy' would be just a cup and a pail, which they will use to fill up and pour out.
If you are concern about them slipping when they are very young, you can place non slip mats for them to step on, and after shower just stick the mats up on the tile walls to dry.


breastfeed as long as possible
While this is more of my style of parenting, I prefer to breastfeed. Not only is breast feeding a lot cheaper, it is fuss free. I am able to dash out of my house with just diapers and wet wipes. I have always cringe when I see my friends with a diaper bag full of milk bottles, milk powder, hot water flask etc. Breastfeeding definitely made traveling easier and a lot lighter. Also, there is no need for washing of milk bottles. One thing about breast feeding that I really like is that during night time feeding there's no need to wake up, switch on the kitchen light, and with your eyes squinted against the sudden brightness you try to prepare the milk bottle while the baby scream the house down. The down side is that they will wake up slightly more often for night feed as breast milk is not as filling on the tummy, but I am hardly full awake to feed as they sleep beside me and all I need to do is to roll on my side and feed them lying down. I usually sleep between the two of them, so that whoever wakes for feed I will just roll toward her and feed lying down. Another plus point I found is when they were very young, breast feeding meant I could feed both of them at the same time without assistance. All I need is to put them on pillow support. Also, because I feed them both at the same time, my hands are usually free to hold my phone or iPad. And that is always a plus, keeping me sane with my "me" time.


Set a time table for household chores
There's no need to sweep and mop the floor everyday. I know some people do that, but personally I find it unnecessary. I usually sweep every two or three days apart and mop twice a week. Also, if I am pressed for time, I usually vacuum on one day, and I mop on the following day. I also try to plan around my cooking so that I use as little dishes as possible to reduce washing, and I wash all my dishes only once in the evening, meaning after lunch I do not wash up but I just soak the dishes till evening.



get the child involved
My children hardly allows me to do anything in the house, unless I get them involved. That means that when I am washing some lettuce for my salad, I give them a piece of leaf to play and munch on. If I am busy cooking, I will let them play with some plates and bowls (unbreakable ones of course), or some plastic containers. Keep some toys in your kitchen cupboard and store them in a clean container, so that whenever you need them you can pass the toy to them as entertainment. If I'm taking out the laundry to dry, I will pass each of them a piece of laundry to help me bring it to the drying area. Then I will make them pick up the laundry and pass it to me while I'm hanging it out to dry.


Relax. Breathe
Actually I think we women always scares and doubt ourselves more than we should. I know some parents will try not to bring the kids out by themselves because they think it will be disastrous. But truth is, there's always a way to deal with the kids. And what's the worst that could happen? A meltdown? A lot of parents are scared of such scenarios and the embarrassment it brings, but truthfully anybody who is also a parent will empathize with you, although the real question we should think about is does their opinion really matters? So I say you should just try to relax and have fun and bring them to the lovely park for an outing! In all honesty, my twins have always behave better when I bring them out alone, than when I bring with out with another adult. It is like they know when to throw a tantrum. Weird right?

diverting attention
When a crying session is about to begin, I usually try the diverting attention method. This works 1000 times better than you trying to 'hush' your child or worse, tell them 'don't cry', it NEVER ever work. Either I draw their attention by pointing out to them there's something 'interesting' in some random direction, or I play peek-a-boo, or I sing a nursery rhyme, or give them a snack or drink. If all else fail, then it is ok to let your child cry for a while. Really. Even when the whole mall is looking at you. Don't worry, it won't scar anyone emotionally except you. (See the relax. Breathe. Tip above).

So thats my not-so-secret tips for handling my twins. do share with us any tips for handling twins as well. Stay strong mommies!

Weekend Pancakes

Start your weekend with some breakfast in bed. Here's a nice pancake recipe for those who prefer a crispier pancake. But this will be so good you'll be eating it anyday and time!

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour, sieved

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter (if you are using salted butter, then skip the salt above)

1 cup milk

1 large egg

Instructions

1. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and mix well in a large bowl.


2. Using a nonstick pan, on low heat, gently melt the butter. The butter should not bubble or sizzle. When the butter is melted, pour in the milk and warm it up gently for about 1-2 minutes, the mixture should be just slightly warm. Stir gentle to avoid spilling.


3. In the flour mixture bowl, created a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour the milk mixture in. Break the egg in as well, and using a whisk to mix the batter. Do not overmix, a few lumps are fine. You want the pancake to be fluffy and not chewy. Over mixing will result in a chewy pancake.


4. Using a kitchen towel, wipe up any remaining residue on the non stick pan you used earlier. Heat up the pan to medium heat.


5. using a ladle, scoop up the batter and spread in the pan. When you see bubbles on the pancake top, you can flip the pancake to cook the other side.


6. serve warm with your choice of topping

Tips
Some good topping ideas are fruits, ice cream, whipped cream, cinnamon sugar.

Ebi Rice Burger with Sesame Dressing

I was dining out on Saturday at this Japanese restaurant and we had this awesome Japanese sesame dressing for the salad. So I came home and did some research and testing, and I came up with something that was almost similar! Very yummy dressing for salad or as a dipping. I made a tasty shrimp patty for the burger and used the dressing for the burger, it was very tasty.

sesame dressing ingredients
3 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
1tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp Mirin
1/2 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted and grounded
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce

instructions
Mix it all up!

Ebi patty
12 prawns, shelled and deveined
Dash of Salt to season
Dash of Pepper to season
1/2 cup panko or any bread crumbs
2 tbsp panko
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika powder
Oil for frying

instructions

Smack the prawns and flatten it with the side of a knife. Alternatively you can use a food mallet to flatten the prawn. If you prefer a more minced type of patty you can grind the prawns up in a food processor

Mix the 2 tbsp panko into the meat and combine. Once combined, take half of the meat and shape into a patty, making sure the patty is as even in thickness for even cooking. Place on a plastic sheet and wrap up, careful not to mess up the patty. Do the same for the remaining meat. Place both patties in the fridge and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Break the egg in a bowl and beat lightly. Place the 1/2 cup panko in a separate dry flat dish and mix in the onion, garlic and paprika powder. Place the flour in another dish. Take the prawn patties out, sprinkle salt and pepper over the patties, and carefully coat the patty first into the flour dish, followed by the beaten egg, lastly the panko mixture.

Fry immediately. Repeat the step above for the other patty.

Place on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Serve warm.

tips
I shaped my Japanese rice into rice disks and use it as a 'burger'. You can choose to use burger bun or just eat the patties by itself. Remember to drizzle the yummy dressing!

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Mrs Potato Moments

That's me, if I were a caricature. I would be a potato. Or so my hubby told me.

I believed I birthed some parts of my brains out when I was birthing my twins. How else can you explain why women become more scatterbrained after they have child(ren)??!!

Would someone please enlighten me?

I am unable to count the number of times I have forgotten to bring my phone out. It's either one of these scenarios: left phone at home when going out, charged phone but forgotten to turn it on, forgotten location of phone and phone ran out of batteries so there's no way to call it to locate it. Or even worse, losing it in public. My record for losing phone is amazing; the time that I lost both my phone AND my hubby's phone WITHIN the same week takes the cake.

And today yet another hilarious incident. My hubby told me this incident will go down in history.

I was busy preparing lunch for my hubby and I was packing the food. Just as I was leaving the house I called him, and over the phone I told him I was leaving the house and where to meet him etc etc, and my brain is like busy checking and making sure I got everything; my wallet, the kids, money, phone (that is on my ear at the moment) and the lunch. Then I locked the door.

Seems like I have gotten everything and as I was hanging up the phone, I reached for my purse and realize it is very 'light'. I opened it, oh no I forgotten my keys! Oh well, never mind I shall just take my hubby's when I meet him. As I stuff my phone into my purse, I realize it couldn't fit. Then it dawn on me I had taken our house cordless phone instead -______-

Seriously!!?!

When was the last time you had moments like that? Care to share? We would love to hear it!

P.S. my hubby always call me his big potato, because I am clumsy and blur like a potato. and he just called to tell me tonight he will come back and water his 'big potato'.