Easy Pizza on a LAZY Sunday evening

It was a Sunday evening and I did not feel like doing a lot of cooking nor do I want to dress up and go out for dinner or buy takeaway.  I was very lazy and just wanted to flop on my couch and watch a movie with my Quay Lo. I had some tomato sauce which I made a few days ago and a last piece of ready made pizza dough in the fridge. Those two were perfect for preparing an easy and quick dinner.  It only took me 30 mins to get the pizza ready to be served.  I served it on paper plates and we ate our meal with our fingers. The most thrilling part for me is no dishes to wash. Oooo I loved it!! I didn't think I could have done any better at being lazy could I? LOL!

Ingredients:

(A)

½ cup black olives, sliced
1 tbs thinly sliced sundried tomatoes,

5 cloves thinly sliced garlic

1 medium onion thinly sliced in rings

1  8-in ready made pizza dough

(B)

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Ingredients for the sauce:

½ tsp chopped garlic

2 shallots, thinly slices

1 can plum tomatoes (drain off ½ the juice)

1 tbs tomato paste

½ bullion chicken stock

½ tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp olive oil

Method to prepare the sauce:

Heat oil and sauté garlic and shallots till fragrant. Add plum tomatoes and juice. Break up the tomatoes as much as possible with your ladle.  Lower hear to  medium and let simmer for about 10 mins. Add chicken stock, ground black pepper, sugar and tomato paste.  Mix well and side aside.

Method to assemble pizza:

Brush the sauce onto the pizza dough and add (A) and top with grated mozzarella cheese.  Bake in the pre heated oven at 220 degrees C or 450 degrees F for 10 – 15 mins or when the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

My mum's stew chicken feet for the Birthday boy

Today, my son, Nick turns twenty three years old. Each year on his birthday I will go through all the photos in "Nick's folder" and reminisce about his growing up stage. While doing so recently, I found this photo. I did not realize then that he had already discovered music when he was hardly one year old.

Then, I found this slide show that I made for him when he was nineteen. It is just a collection of his accomplishments during the first year of his college studying Performing Arts. The song “Maybe” playing in the background was his first attempt to compose a song. He had arranged the music himself and played the guitar and sang it. This song was recorded in his bedroom with his computer software. The guitar you see at the end of the slide show is his first guitar which is one of Nick's most loved Christmas gifts from his Dad. He too is a music lover and through him, Nick was exposed to all kinds of music at a very young age. When both father and son talk about music, I become an outsider. LOL!

Although Nick is twenty three now but to me, he will always remain my child, just like I will always be my mum’s child. Now at fifty six, my mum still nurses me when I am sick and worries for me when I am sad. No matter how old we are, we are still their treasured child in our parent's eyes, do you agree? My mum still asks me where I am going and what time I will be back when I go out alone. Some of us might not like the repeated questions from our parents and think they are nagging. That is probably because we misunderstood their intention. They ask not because they wanted to be intrusive but because they care. It is when we become parents ourselves we start to understand and appreciate them more, don't we?

Nick is Popo’s (my mum) apple of the eye and each time when she knows Nick is coming home to visit, she will always prepare his favorite dishes and stewed chicken feet is one of them. To Nick, Popo's cooking is the best in the world.

Ingredients:

10 pcs chicken feet, cut into two

1 tbs Maggie chicken stock

2 cups plus 2 tbs oil

3 pcs. Cardamon seed

3 pcs. Clove

1 pc. Star anise

3 stick cinnamon bark

1 ½ cup water

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs oysters sauce

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 tbs sesame oil

Method to deep fry chicken feet:

Wash, drain and wipe dry chicken feet. Heat 2 cups of oil on high heat and fry chicken feet till golden brown. Drain off the oil and dip chicken feet into cold water for 20 mins. Drain off water and set aside.

Heat 2 tbs oil in wok and fry garlic till fragrant. Add star anise, cardomon seeds, cloves and cinnamon bark and stir fry till fragrant. Add chicken feet and stir fry till all coated with oil. Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oysters sauce, water and bring liquid to boil. Then add chicken stock and pepper. Transfer everything to a deep pot and add more water till water covers all chicken feet. Stew on medium heat for about 1 to ½ hours till gravy is thicken. Turn off heat and add sesame oil and mix well before serving.

Mad grape cake lived up to its name

This recipe was sitting in my “not posted” folder for a long time and I had completely forgotten about it. When I was doing housekeeping on my laptop this morning, I found it. Tell 
me this is not a sign of old age. LOL!

The grapes used in this recipe were part of a gracious fruit basket gift from Reese of Reese Kitchen when she came to lunch at my home a few months ago. (Do drop by her blog to see all her mouth-watering bakes). A few days after the lunch meet, the grapes had begun to look unnoticed as just Mum & I were home. I began to look at grape recipes in the hope to find one that I could use up all the grapes in one go. BINGO!! I found this cake recipe submitted by Sharlene. This is the most simple cake to bake that uses lots of grapes. Yes, LOTS! 500gm! The only tedious thing to do is to remove the skin from each grape. I googled on what is the best way to peel the skin. I found a method to do so. Click here if you are interested to know. After a boring half hour peeling off the skin from each grape (YAWN), it was painfully accomplished. The rest that needed to be done was a no brainer. What I like about this recipe is, there is no oil, shortening or butter used and and it also featured much less sugar than many other cake recipes. One might expect the cake to be dry and dense without any fat used but surprisingly it came out moist and tasty. This is one healthy cake to bake if you want one that is low in sugar and calories. Equally surprising was that my mum loved it. I will definitely make this for her again because I know why she enjoyed this cake so much. She does not take any butter or any food with butter as an ingredient. So 
this one is her kind of cake

Adapted from Sharlene’s recipe

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3/4 cup castor sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

1 lemon - rind and juice

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

500 grams grapes (seedless and remove skin)

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla essence, lemon rind and juice until thick. Add sifted flour. Stir until evenly mixed. Gently stir in grapes. Put in a greased and floured 23cm round tin. Reduce oven to 180 deg C and cook approximately 30-40 minutes. Leave for 3 minutes before turning out. Dust with sifted icing sugar.

Note: For those who do not mind the calories, serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Bak Kut Teh (Pork bone tea soup)

Few months ago, Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover gave me few packets of  Bak Kut Teh (BKT) herbal mix and only yesterday I finally got to use it.  Sonia, thanks again for being so thoughtful.


My mum had made this dish many times in the past with BKT herbal mix that she bought from the Chinese Medical hall but the taste of the soup made from Old Grand BKT herb mix has a distinctive difference. The soup had a stronger “dong quai” taste which is the most important ingredient in Bak Kut Teh soup. “Dong quai” is an herb that has been used for centuries in China. It has a strong celery-like odor and a sweet taste. This herb is believed to have balancing effect on the female hormonal system but taken in high doses, may increase your sensitivity to sunlight and cause skin inflammation and rashes.  "Dong qui" takes three years for the plant to reach its maturity and maybe this is one reason why it is expensive. Most commercial ready made BKT herbal mix contain very little of it but in the case of Old Grand BKT mix, there is a right amount in it and that makes the soup perfect.

With the instruction clearly printed on the packet, it is so easy to do.  I followed the recipe but I added a stick of sugar cane and the outcome is mouth-watering worthy. When the soup and pork ribs were ready, I added two sheets of "foo juk" (bean curd sheet) before I serve the dish with "youtiao" (deep fried strip of dough). If I have some straw mushrooms, I would have added those too. You may add other ingredients like "tau pok" (fried bean curd) or even lettuce. BKT sold outside has all kinds of pig's internal organs which I prefer not to put in mine. LOL!


Note: A tip from my mum. - blanch the pork ribs before cooking them in the Bak Kut Teh soup to get a good texture and by doing so it will eliminate the porky smell. 

Method:

Classic Meat Loaf – Its the American way

I did not know what meat loaf was until one day my Quay Lo (that American guy of mine) introduced this “Very American Thing” to me. From what I read in the “Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink”, meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food, a dish that brings back fond childhood memories for many American families. There are a varieties of preparation ranging from an ordinary meatloaf of just ground beef and chopped onion to one that is enhanced with herbs, flavours and "secret sauce" toppings.

Meatloaf is almost like saying "stew", almost a generic name, in its versatility, and lets the cook exhibit their creativity. Some basic notes however are worth heeding: To get a moist meatloaf, use only soft bread crumbs. To make your meatloaf more attractive, you may consider topping it with mashed potatoes or your favorite cheese. If cheese is used, don’t forget to return the meat loaf to the oven to bake for an extra 5-8 mins to let the cheese melt before serving. Also, be sure to keep any left over’s to use for sandwiches or crumble it in chilli sauce or tomato sauce to serve as an appetizer. My American thinks meatloaf is one of those dishes that ages in the fridge overnight to yield something far better the next day. He also thinks the meat should not be ground too fine. "If you want pate' go to France" is what I think he muttered as discussed the preparation for my first meat loaf.

What follows is a classic meat loaf served with mashed potatoes and brown gravy. No extra ingredients, no tricky flavour enhancements yet the taste is truly like a down to earth home style meatloaf. Yet, I suspect it is almost a holy experience for some Americans. Mine kept pausing, and sighing between mouthfuls, apparently in some kind of rapture and I am thinking what is this? It's just ground beef, it''s not like it's abalone in XO sauce...right?

Largely adapted from Janet Caldwell’s recipe
Classic Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 egg

1 onion, chopped

1 cup milk

1 cup soft bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and bread OR cracker crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 5x9 inch loaf pan, OR form into a loaf and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour.


Largely adapted from Linda Larsen
Mashed potatoes
Ingredients:

2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup light cream, warmed

1-1/2 tsp. salt

ground black pepper

Method:
In a large pot, place potatoes. Cover with cold water by about 1". Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce heat to low and simmer potatoes until tender when pricked with a fork. This should take 20-30 minutes. Drain potatoes in a large colander; shake gently. Return potatoes to the hot dry pot and place over very low heat. Shake potatoes over the heat for 1-2 minutes to dry them. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or put through a ricer. Then stir in butter with spoon until well mixed. Add light cream, salt, and pepper to taste and mix well. Serve immediately or hold over hot water as directed above. 8-10 serving

Brown gravy
For convenience, I use Bisto rich brown a product from Australia. To make the gravy, just follow instruction on the box.

I have been tagged to celebrate Easter

 I was tagged by Ping of ping's pickings, and like her, I have not played this game for a long time too.  Kind of nice to join in the fun to celebrate Easter. Thanks Ping for the invitation.

I have to come up with a suggested menu of 5 - 10 items. and upload these photos from my previous posts and link them to their recipes.  After that, I have to tag 10 of my blogger friends to do the same.

Here is my Easter Menu (to get the recipe, please click on the photo):

Cocktail drink: QPC Snow White

Appetizer - Cabbage Roll

Soup - Clam Soup

Main Course - Stew Beef Brisket

Dessert - Creme Brulee

I would like to invite the following friends to join in the fun:

 1) Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

 2) Shirley ofLuxury Haven

 3) LeQuan of Love to eat

 4) Alan of Travellingfoodies

 5) Belle of Ooh Look

 6) Elin of elinluv's sweet delight

 7) Jeannie of Baking Diary

 8) Joelyn

  9) Ellie of Amost Bourdain

10) Daphne of More than words

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL

Honey-Lemon Rack of Lamb - Thanks to all the tips and advice from fellow bloggers!

If you remember, the first time I attempted to make a braised lamb shank, it was a disaster. Then, I received lots of tips and advice from fellow bloggers who were experienced cooks and they helped me solve my problem. They were so generous in sharing their knowledge with me. My "Quay Lo" has often said that my stubbornness has a good side, and that is that I don't give up easily. Like everyone, I have had my share of curve balls in the past and have been taken by surprise more than I can recall. I think I have found that stubbornness, or perhaps a better word is tenacity, leads to persevering over obstacles. However, the trait can be a two edged sword. In the face of an obstacle that is impossible to overcome, stubborness is stupid. There can be virtue in knowing "when to leave". In military terms this is "strategic withdrawal". While this idea is not unknown to me, believe me, there were many times I was stubborn to the point of stupid. I admit that I wondered if this was a case of doing that, but all the wonderful tips and advice from you steeled me to go at it again. I am so glad that I did. I think I got it right this time and I definitely learned along the way. My hubby says the most lasting lessons we learn come from trying and failing, and trying again. HOORAY!! The featured recipe today, with it's crusty pecan on the outside, and the tender lamb inside, is a match made in heaven. I proudly declare that this is a keeper lamb recipe. Try it!

Honey-Lemon Rack of Lamb featured 

on AFC (Offcial Facebook page on 

19 July 2012

Adapted from Diana Rattray recipes

Ingredients:

2 racks of lamb, 4 to 5 ribs on each

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut in thin slivers

½ tsp salt

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

6 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbs fresh chopped mint leaves

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Method:

Heat oven to 325°F or 160 degree C

Cut small slits all over the lamb and insert garlic slivers. Place the racks, bone side down, in a shallow roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine honey, brown sugar, lemon juice, and garlic powder in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring, over medium-low heat, until sugar is dissolved; remove from heat. Stir in lemon peel, mint, and pecans. Spoon the honey mixture over the lamb. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, for about 30 to 45 minutes longer, or to about 160°F. on a meat thermometer for medium.

Note: To use a meat thermometer, insert it in the meat so that the tip is in the center of the meat and not touching bone or the roasting pan.