Simple Cooking Ideas

This dish is delicious for a change. I stewed the fish instead of boiling soup with black beans. Dont buy the small catfish. Get the weight around 1 kg or more. It is very fleshy and the bones can be easily discarded when you eat. To clean the fish, you have to run boiling water and lightly rub with salt to get rid of the slime.

Ingredients:

1 kg catfish ( clean and cut into big slices)
4 or 5 dried chillies, cut into 1-inch piece
2 big onions, cut into wedges
5 ginger slices
1 cup oil for frying
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon beanpaste (tau cheong)
1 table soy sauce
1 teaspoon black sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cornflour to mix in a little water
2 spring onions cut into 2-inch length

Method:

Add oil in a wok. When oil is hot, fry catfish pieces till evenly light brown. Dish out and put aside. Take out the oil and remain 2 tablespoon oil in the wok. Fry onions, ginger and chillies until fragrant. Add in the beanpaste, stir fry to mix and add 1 cup water. Put in the fish and a mixture of soy sauce, black sauce and oyster sauce. Simmer in low flame for half an hour or till the meat is soft and smooth to taste. Add cornflour mixed in a little water. Stir in to thicken the gravy. Sprinkle in the spring onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix and dish out on a plate to serve.

Here is another recipe using watermelon skin. Keep the skin of the watermelon and do not throw away. You keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two if u do not have the time to prepare the dish on time.

Ingredients:

300 gm watermelon skin
2 fried ikan kembong (mackeral)
2 fresh chillies
6 shallots
1/2 teaspoon belacan (shrimp paste)
salt to taste

Method:

Scrape the green portion of watermelon as near the skin as possible. Soak it in water and drain well before use.

Pound chillies with two shallots and belacan. Slice the remaining shallots. Shred ikan kembong.

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Mix thoroughly and add salt to taste. Serve with rice.

Here is another delicacy of glutinous rice. It can be found in popular stalls selling kueh , cakes and pancakes. Do try this dish if got a little spare time.

Ingredients: Serve 5- 6

500 gm glutinous rice
100 gm chicken- diced
1 cup dried shrimps
4 pieces dried mushroom
4 shallots – sliced
3 pip garlics – crushed
3 cups water
salt, pepper and light soya sauce
chopped spring onions and parsley
5 tablespoon oil

Method:

Soak glutinous rice for half an hour. Wash and drain in colander. Soak mushroom till soft and diced.Washed prawns and discard any grits or shell. Season chicken with a little soya sauce and a pinch of salt.

In a wok , add 2 tablespoon oil and lightly brown garlic and onion. add chicken, mushrooms and shrimps. Stir and fry until they are well mix and chicken is cooked. Dish out and put aside Add the remaining 3 tablespoon oil on the wok. When hot, add in the rice. Stir and fry until the oil is mixed and well adsorbed into the rice. Add all the fried ingredients and mix well using a “lifting movement” with a pair of chopsticks, with moderate heat as the grains are mixed and lifted. Add water alittle at a time in between, cover the wok and stir occasionally and wherever water is added.This is to prevent grains from sticking to the wok and getting burnt. After all the water has been used, cover the wok and turn to low heat, and the grains will be well cook on its own steam. Then lift the cover and loosen the rice in a lifting movement. Season to taste and garnish with spring onions and parsley.

Pajeree is a spicy, sour and sweet taste of pineapple in thick gravy sauce which is just superb when eaten with crispy salted fish, freshly fried from the frying-pan. Well, do try this on a not so busy day.

Ingredients:

1 pineapple, cut in slices
1 coconut- half for the santan and the other half to be make into fried, shredded coconut
1 packet meat curry powder
1 tablespoon jintan mainis (aniseed)
1 inch cinnamon
3 pips garlics
100 gm small shollots to be grinded
5 shallots for fring
1/2 inch ginger
10 dried chillies soaked and claen
1 tablespoon sugar
salt to taste
2 fresh chillies

Method:

Grind the dried chillies and the spices, garlic and small onions. Add in the first coconut milk and the fried coconut and the curry powder. Mix well.

In a sauce pan, fry the shallots for a minute and add the ground ingredients and continue to fry till dry and fragrant. Add in the rest of the coconut milk and the pineapple.. Simmer over low heat until the pineapple is cooked and the gravy thicken. Put in the sugar, salt, cloves and the fresh chillies. Continue to simmer for further 5 minutes. Remove and serve.

Try this all-in-one dish if you don’t feel like cooking a meal.

Ingredients :

1 egg beaten
1 bowl white rice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 slices ginger
3 sea prawns – do remove the head and shelled
30g fish fillet, sliced
30g fresh cuttlefish, sliced
1 red capsicum ( small) and cut into pieces

Seasoning :

200 ml water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soya sauce
¼ tablespoon salt
Dash of sesame oil and pepper
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
1 stalk spring onion, cut into short strips
2 tablespoon water, mixed with 2 tablespoon of corn flour for thickening

Method :

Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil, add in beaten egg and stir-fry for a short while.
Add in white rice and stir well. Then dish it up.
Heat up a little oil and fry chopped garlic and ginger until fragrant.
Add in the remaining of ingredients, seasoning and bring to boil.
Add in spring onion and thicken with corn flour water.
Pour over fried rice and is ready to serve.

Yee Foo mee is a crispy fried noodle sold in Chinese Noodle Store. It can be bought in a bundle of four pieces neatly fried like a bird’s nest. One round noodle is just enough for one person. Scald the mee in boiling water and drain before use.

Ingredients :

4 round crisp fried noodles, scalded and drain
1 tablespoon minced garlic and small onion
1 thin sliced fresh ginger
150 gm green vegetable such as shredded cabbage or choy-sum or mustard leaves
300 gm medium size prawns, deveined and shelled
200 gm chicken breast,sliced finely
enough chicken stock
10 black mushrooms, soaked to soften, cleaned and sliced
4 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons light soya sauce
1 tablespoon thick sweet soya sauce
Salt and pepper to tast
1 tablespoon with 2 tablespoon water to mix

Method:

Heat the oil in the wok on high heat and fry the minced onion and garlic till fragrant. Add chicken and fry for 1 minute and then add prawns and the mushrooms and fry for further 1 minute. Stir in the chicken stock and the seasoning, both the soy sauce. salt and pepper to taste. Add the noodle and bring to boil and stir in the cornflour mixture to thicken gravy and cook for about 2 minutes. Serve hot with chilli sauce.

My elderst daughter, her husband and two kids are planning a vacation in December. I suggested to her to rent a vacation home Orlando which is the best choice. My daughter is excited about it and make her booking. Encantada’s town vacation homes attracted her, a brand new Mediterranean style two-storey with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms and fully equipped kitchen with major appliances are just ideal to stay with six in a family including my husband and I. Encantada is a gated community situated in the center of Orlando and is very close to all the attractions and excitement. I can go to nearby grocery stalls to buy ingredients to cook simple dishes when we stay home to relax and one of the dishes I wish to cook is Stewed Rice with Chicken and Mushrooms.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients: Serve 6 persons

1 big plate of cooked rice
300 gm chicken breast meat
1 tin mushroom cut to pieces
500 ml chicken stock cooked with 1 cube chicken essence (Knorr Swiss)
1 tablespoon chopped onion or garlic
1 tablespoon wine or brandy
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon cornflour mix with 2 tablespoon water

Method:

Cut chicken meat, and mushrooms into strips. Season them with salt, pepper, wine or brandy.
Fry chopped onions or garlic for 3 minutes and add chicken meat, mushrooms and stir-fry for 3
minutes and add chicken stock. Bring to boil and thicken with cornflour mixture Simmer further 5 to 10
minutes. Spread this mixture over rice and serve while is hot.

Transparent noodles or cellophane noodles can be bought at Grocery stores and supermarket.
They are make from starch of green mung beans.They are sold dried and have to be soaked in water breifly before use. This dish needs 20 minutes to prepare and cook. I use mixe vegetables( green peas,cubed carrot and maize) bought in grocery store or super markets.

Ingredient:

50 gm transparent noodles, sooked to soften, drained
50 gm chopped lean meat
50gm chopped prawns
50 gm mixed vegetables
1 onion, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
salt, sugar and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon stock
1/2 beaten egg
oil for frying

Method:

Put enough oil in a wok to fry noodle, drain excess oil and spread on a serving dish. Pour excess oil oil and leave 1 tablespoon to fry garlic until fragrant. Dicard garlic and fry onion slices for 1/2 a minute and stir fry chopped pork and prawn for 1 minute. Add the mixed vegetables and toss to mix and keep stirring till dry. Add in the seasonings, soya sauce, sesame oil, stock and egg, stirring to mix and heat them through. Scoop the mixture of meat over the noodles and serve immediately.

This is an unusual dish as fish and any type of noodles are served with bean sauce. Cooking in Szechuan style, it is sweet, spicy and sour to the taste. Suitable type of fish to cook with are Red Snapper, Threadfin, Silver and Black Pomfret, etc. You can select fish that does not have fine bones in between the flesh. I like to use transparent noodle or rice noodle and other types of noodle also can be used in this dish.

Ingredients:

1 red snapper, about 1 kg
100 gm transparent noodle
4 tablespoon tau pan (bean paste) sauce
1 tablespoon chopped ginger and garlic
1 tablespoon chilli boh (chilli paste)
2 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Maggi Concentrated Chicken Stock
500 ml fresh chicken stock

Method:

Scrape off fish scales and remove entrails, then rinse fish and dab dry. Grill fish on both sides until half-cooked. Heat cooking oil in pan. Saute ginger and garlic for 2 seconds and add bean paste, chilli boh, tomato sauce and sugar. Stir-fry till fragrant. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add in fish, then simmer for further 5 minutes. Remove fish and place on the serving plate and ladle sauce over fish. Meanwhile, place noodle in boiling water. Drain and arrange noodle around the fish. Serve hot.

Tomato rice is tasty and appetising. It turns out perfect too in a rice cooker. Cooking in the electric rice cooker is just perfect to the taste. My grandchildren love to eat the rice without adding any vegetables or meat.

Ingredients: (serves 4 to 5 persons)

2 cups rice, washed and drained
1 tin chopped tomatoes with their juice
1/2 can of tomato puree
2 cups water
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon salt
4 cloves
2 inch cinnamom stick
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Method:

Put the washed rice with 2 cups water into the rice cooker. Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Cover with the lid and cook. When the on/off setting of the rice pops up,leave the rice in the pot for at least 30 minutes before serving. Stir well to mix and serve hot.

Nowadays busy moms can cook a dinner in a jiffy when they come back home from work with Maggi ready mixes, In less than half an hour she can prepare her dinner for her family. Here is a simple dish using Maggi Keruntuk paste.

Ingredients:

75 gm Maggi Kerutuk Paste
6 hard-boiled eggs
4 large cooked potatoes, skin removed and cut into half
1 red chilli
1green chilli
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 cup ready fried shallots
1 1/2 cup water

Method:

Combine Maggi Kerutuk paste with water in a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil and lower heat and potatoes ,chillies and coconut milk. Simmer and stirring gently for 5 minutes. Add eggs ans stir to combine with the sauce and potatoes. Add fried shallots just before serving.

Pickled papaya is an appetizer that goes well with curry, preserved eggs or add into salads and you can just eat it alone without accompanying any dish. Raw papaya which is just turned pinkish but not ripe yet is more suitable to prepare this pickle.

Ingredients:

1 raw papaya
2 red chillies
2 thin pieces ginger cut into strips
2 tablespoon salt
150 ml vinegar
salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Peel skin and slice the papaya thinly. Season papaya, chillies and ginger with salt and set aside for at least half an hour. Rinse papaya together with chillies and ginger strips. Squeeze out the water and set aside. Mix vinegar, enough sugar and salt to taste. Stand for half aday before serving.

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-Shun lifetime warranty

-Pattern Damascus cladding adds to the strength and aesthetic aspects of the knives

-Stylish, sleek, and easy to hold

-Thin sheets of a nickel alloy and stainless steel are folded and fused together to Create true Damascus steel clad over the high-tech powdered-steel core

-Should you be a kitchen enthusiast, you can choose from the following products:

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To date, it is considered to be Shun’s best line. All things considered, you really get your money’s worth if you purchase this product. It is basically made with the same blade as the Elite with the SG-2. The difference is that is has the Damascus patter of the classic. It holds the edge much longer and with practice, you can even learn to sharpen the knife yourself. The handle is innovative and in time, you can easily get used to the type of hold it requires. If you want a great bargain for the price, the Shun brand is the way to go.

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The Kaji Fusion is what the Shun knives are known for. It belongs to the pinnacle of the company’s latest technology. The knives were designed with the Ken Onion handle design. But what makes the knife a class of its own is its SG-2 powered steel core. For the Elite series of the brand, it boasts of the Damascus VG-10 super steel. The knives are exclusively sold to WS, but if you want to order your own set, you must know that pricing may vary. Though the cost of shipping may be added, you can also get a good deal on the knives. You just have to know where to look. Nonetheless, you will be paying for its superb quality.

A good example would be if you ordered the 7″ santoku. With tax and shipping, it could come out to a total of $270 on average, depending where you want the set delivered. With its normal pricing plus 11% for shipping, and some tax, you could even a lot. You just have to consider the incremental before you make the decision. Who knows, you could even save yourself a few dollars.

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Vinegar has been playing an important role since time immemorial. The chinese brew vinegar from thousands of years to use it to treat illness to be taken orally or externally. During the SARS outbreak in 2003, there was a mad rush to buy vinegar by people in China and Taiwan. Nowadays consumers are hunting for good vinegar products on the shelves of supermarkets and organic shops. As study says vinegar helps to regain your body’s vitality. Would you like to brew good vinegar? Here is a recipe I have practised to do is Garlic Vinegar. Garlic is good for the heart, relieves cough and cold and is a natural antibiotic. Other organic ingredients can be used in this method.

Ingredients:

50 gm organic garlic
1 bottle organic Brown Rice Vinegar (600cc)

Method:

Quickly run through water with the garlic and rub dry with a clean towel. Then peel of the skin. You must let the garlic dry completely. Place garlic in a wide mouth bottle and pour in the brown rice vinegar. Put in a cool place out of sunlight. Soaking period is 45 days. In the early stages of brewing, you may notice the garlic will turn to green colour. This a normal process but it will soon return to its normal colour

After 45 days, mix 2 tablespoon garlic vinegar with 10 times cold water. Drink it after meal once a day. You can even eat the garlic directly.

Would you like to try this Noni fruit enzyme? This fruit can get in the market in Malay stalls. I use to get my fruit from my daughter’s house just living nearby. Everyday I see this fruit wasting away dropping down, so I pluck them to prepare enzyme. This enzyme is good for arthritis and joint pain as the old folk says. You can drink 2 tablespoon daily to look after your health.

Ingredients:

8 to 10 Noni fruits,depending on its size
2 big yellow lemons
1 packet ‘pean tong’(brown bar sugar)
Oligo 4 tablespoon
1 big size Horlick bottle

Method:

First you have to clean your bottle and dry it in the sun. All the fruits have to be washed clean and dry. On a clean chopping board, cut the noni fruit in slices and fill the bottle about 1/3. Then add the lemon slices and follow by 2 bars of brown sugar which you have to break up to smaller pieces. Add 2 tablespoon Oligo. Repeat as follows. Cover cap tightly and leave it in a cool dry place for two and the half weeks. Shake lightly everyday to cover the sugar with the liquid.

This dish is a simple roasted cod fish that you can prepare for the coming Chinese New Year especially for the busy mothers. Cod fish is expensive imported fish that can be bought in the supermarkets. It is fleshy and smooth to the taste. The Chinese must have fish for the reunion dinner.

Ingredients:

2 pieces cod fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
1 big tomato, cut into slices
1 tablespoon chopped chives, cut into 1/2 inch long
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fried onions

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Meanwhile season cod with salt and pepper and put a side for 10 mins. Place cod, tomato slices on the roasting tray, follow by spreading chopped chives on top. Drizzle olive oil and roast cod for 20 minutes. Top with parsley and fried onion. Serve at once.

You can get cauliflower easily and stock up in the fridge. For a quick dish you can bake it and top with cheese. you can choose any type of cheese. Here I use Mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients:

400 gm cauliflower
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 large onion. sliced thinly
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped spring onion and parsley

Method:

Soak the whole cauliflower for some time. Rinse and cut into florets. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Bring water to boil on a gas stove and blanch cauliflower for 3 minutes or just firm and tender. Remove and put a side to drain. Spread cauliflower on oven proof dish and sprinkle onion slices and garlic over cauliflower. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 20 mins or until cheese has melted and lightly brown.

This is a simple recipe which is suitable for breakfast and snack. You can make and store them in a container and can last two to three weeks. These chewy bars are more enjoyable as snack for the young people to bring to work and children to bring them to schools to eat at intervals.

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked rooled oats
1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour
1 cup chopped black currant and raisins
1/2 cup chopped almonds or cashew nuts
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoon maltose
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil ( Canola)

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Grease a 9×13 inch tray. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. The mixture should be moist enough to form a ball. Put the mixed ingredients into the tray and press flat on the surface. Bake for 30 mins. Divide into bars before it gets hard when cool.

Prepare your chicken salad at home for lunch or dinner. You can eat with bread bun and rice. You can go to the market and get fresh chicken breast or go to a shopping mall to get it. Write down a list of the ingredients to prepare the dish.

Ingredients: 4 persons.

600 gm cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup water chestnuts.
1/2 cup sliced small red onion
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon apple cider (optional)

Method:

Soak vegetables, onions and water chestnuts for awhile and rinse them clean. Cut them into small cubes and slice the onion thinly. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise, pepper and salt to taste. Add in the apple cider if you want the salad to taste sour. Mix well. Cover and chill before serving.

I have tasted a dish of prawns with butter and cheese sauce in a restaurant a week ago. It was delicious and after a few days I cooked this dish for my family. Would you like to try it?

Ingredients:

10 pieces of big prawns, devein and cut off feelers, unshelled
40 gm butter
100 gm grated Parmesan cheese or Cheddar cheese
cornflour with a little water
Half cup evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Melt butter in a saucepan over gentle heat. Fry the prawns till cook and fragrant. Dish out and put on a dish. with the same amount of butter add cornflour mixed with a little water to dilute, add half cup evaporated milk and cook gently over fire until thicken. Stir in the cheese until it melts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over prawns and garish with chopped parsley.

Fish paste has its many ways to cook. Here I use it to make fish rolls, stir fried with asparagus. Asparagus can be bought in shopping mall or wet market. You soak asparagus in water for 15 minutes and cut to bite size. Discard the old stalk. Choose the young and fresh portion.The fish fillet can buy in wet market or chopping mall. You can make your own too. For this dish I bought in the wet market.

Ingredients:

300 gm asparagus cut into 2 inch length
1 packet fish paste
5 shitake mushroom, soaked until soft
2 fresh chillies sliced thinly
some sliced spring onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic and ginger
2 tablespoon oil
salt and pepper to taste
cornflour with a lttle water added
1 tablespoon soya sauce

Method:

Asparagus rinsed clean and cut into 2 inch length. Blanch in hot water and puT a side. Mushroom soften and clean. Cut into thin strips. On a cutting board spread fish paste about 2 inch wide and about 3 inch length. Put a strip of mushroom, a sliced of chilli and spring onion. Then roll the fish paste. Continue to do until all the fish paste has finish. Put them neatly on a plate grease with oil. Steam for 10 minutes in a steamer.

In a wok. add oil and fry the chopped garlic and ginger til fragrant. Stir in the asparagus and fish rolls. Add a little water and cornflour to make a thick gravy. Add soya sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Dish out to serve.

Wan yee is a type of fish reared in ponds and lakes. Here is a dish of the steamed fish head using wan yee head which is smooth to the taste. The head is small and I ask the fishmonger to cut at least 1/3 of the whole fish with more meat attached. Combine with alot of minced ginger spread on top of the dish to be steamed.

Ingredients:

500 gm wan yee head, cleaned
100 gm minced ginger
3 tbspoon rice wine
3 tblespoon white soya sauce
1/2 cup water
Msg to taste
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoon onion oil
2 tablespoon chilly slices, chopped parsley and spring onion

Method:

Put fish head into steaming dish, cover and steam over hot boiling water for 15 minutes. In a sauce pan, add onion oil (oil fried in onion), minced ginger. Stir fried for awhile, add water, soya sauce, Msg, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and add in the the rice wine. Pour the gravy into the steamed fish head. Decorate with chilly slices, chopped parsley and spring onion. Serve immediately.

Selesih or ‘yee heong’ is a herb that can be easily obtained in the wet market and can even grow in your garden. It has a strong fragrant smell that I like it very much. I add woodear strips which can be bought in a vegetarian shop. Here adding more ingredients to cook the green peppers will make you eat more rice.

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized green pepper – cut into strips
1 bunch selesih – 50 cts – pluck the leaves only
150 gm streaky pork – cut into strips
20 gm woodear strips – soaked in water to soften it
2 tablespoon minced bean paste
1 red chili, cut into slices
2 tablespoon Canola oil
2 tablespoon Heinz ABC sweet black sauce
1 teaspoon cornflour with water added

Method:

In a wok, add oil and fry the pork for 5 minutes, add the bean paste, stirring well. Add the woodear strips, continue mixing and stirring for 2 min. Add in the green pepper, selesih and chili strips. Keep stirring till well combine. Stir in sweet black sauce and sprinkle a little water if the mixture in the wok is dry. Mix in the cornflour with water to thicken the gravy. Simmer and well blend, then dish out to serve. Goes well with plain hot rice.

Cooking is already hard as it is without having to
deal with defective cooking materials and equipment.
Besides, not only will you slow down the cooking
process when you buy substandard materials, you will
also put your family and your house at risk of fire
and other injuries that defective appliances and
cooking materials may cause.

Good cooking equipment need not be expensive. Just as
the ingredients that you use for your meals, cooking
materials should not be the top of the line. You can
make do with the cheaper versions as long as you make
sure that the quality is good and it is new. Below are
some shopping tips when buying cooking equipment for
your home.

Buy new ones. Yes. You can support thrift shops but
you can support them in other ways without having to
sacrifice the health of your family and also their
safety. Cooking equipment from thrift shops are often
from homes that have been either sold because the
owner died or have been donated because they have
served their purpose well in the household. In other
words, they are worn, dirty and old. Would you want to
prepare meals for your family using those kinds of
cooking materials?

Go for Sales. If you want cheap prices and yet have
new stuff to use, watch out for mega sales and
discount sales on the items that you want. They often
cut their price down when they have new models that
are coming out or have a lot of stocks that they have
to get rid of. Factory outlets are also great places
to find great bargains. You just have to have the
patience to hunt for the items that you really really
need.

Use an alternative If a cooking material is outside
your budget and you just cannot afford to buy a new
one, you can always use an alternative. If your mixer
broke down, use the old-fashion way of mixing- with a
spoon! Measurements need not be done with measuring
cups and spoons. You can always use the cups that you
have in the pantry or the teaspoons and spoons that
you use for eating. Be imaginative.

Test it. One common mistake of people is to not test
an item before buying it because they feel that they
can return it anyway if it does not work. But because
of their busy schedules, most people will not bother
to go there and return the item. The money they paid
for the item is actually the same as the gas money
that they will spend if they go to the store. So if
you do not want the hassle anymore, try it out first.
It will not cost you anything but a few seconds.

Metal are better Hands down, if you have the money to
spend, go for equipment that are stainless steel. They
are rust proof and are easier to clean compared to
plastic materials. They are also safer because they
are not easily breakable unlike glass which may be
dangerous to kids. One disadvantage though of
stainless steel is the fact that they are not easily
handled because metal can be hot on the surface. Other
than that, metals are great materials to cook your
food in.

So before you buy your cooking materials, remember
these tips to make sure that you get the best bargain
that you can have.

A pumpkin is very rich in beta-carotene, as study says may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protection against heart disease. It is suitable to all people, young and old. Here I have prepared the pumpkin soup for the kids.

Ingredients:

500 gm pumpkin, peeled, remove seeds, cut into cubes
1 stalk leek sliced thinly, only the white part
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 liter water
2 tablespoon mushroom stock granules
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely slice parsley and spring onion

Method:

Steam pumpkin in a steamer until soft. Mash pumpkin finely. In a pot, fry garlic and leek until fragrant. Add water and bring to boil. Put in the mashed pumkin and stir to mix. Add mushroom stock granules, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and spring onion. Serve immediately.

When all you have done in your life is eat the food
that is already prepared, cooking it will be very much
like waking up in a world that you are not familiar
with. This is where recipes and cookbooks come in.

These self-instructional guide to different dishes is
your answer to that confusion. The cook book will give
to you a step by step account of what you should do,
from preparing and gathering the ingredients to
actually cooking the dish.

You actually don’t need to ask anything because
everything is already provided for you. But despite
the blow by blow account of what you should be doing,
many still find cooking with a recipe arduous and
confusing. Some do not get the results that they want.
Others do not get to cook it at all, stumped at the
first step in the recipe.

Here are some tips that will help you breeze through
this cooking manual and make cookbooks your bestest
cooking buddy in the world.

1. Know the terms

Recipes may tell you what to do but they may not
always be as simple to follow. Some cookbooks use
terms that only seasoned cooks know.

Words like batter, medium rare, tablespoon, minced and
cubes will be like alien words for those who do not
have any experience with cooking a dish.

One solution to this is to always have a dictionary
with you. That way, you can look at the meaning of
each word and then proceed from there. You don’t have
to panic when you see those words. They are all in the
dictionary, I assure you.

If a dictionary will not work for you, you can always
buy a cook book that are especially made for the
novice. Some cook books even have a section, where all
the cooking terms are explained not only in words but
also in illustrations. If a dictionary is not for you,
you can always buy these simple cookbooks instead.

2. Always arm yourself with measuring materials

Measurement is the most important part in cooking a
dish. If you have not measured your ingredients well,
chances are your dish will not taste as it should be.
Too much of flavoring and you will have a too salty or
too sweet a dish. Too little flavoring and you will
have a bland-tasting dish that your kids will not
touch for a million years.

3. Go slowly.

Great food is never achieved in speed. If you want
great tasting dish, let the meat boil for an hour and
not 15 minutes shy of an hour. The quarter of an hour
that you did not boil the meat will spell a lot of
difference in the meal that you are cooking.

The same goes for instances when you are over the time
frame. That is why it is important to always have a
clock in your kitchen counter or if possible a timer.
This will make timing the food a lot easier as you can
always put an alarm to remind you. It is also a good
idea to put more lead time for you to cook the food.
If the recipe book says, 1 hour, then allot 30 minutes
more. Do not be in haste to cook the food as this will
only spell disaster.

This simple cheesecake is tasty and easy to make. Get ready all the ingredients a day earlier. Lay out all the ingredients on the table and grease the bottom of the pan with a little butter and put aside. Meanwhile switch the oven and start preparing your cheese cake.

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
3 tablespoon butter,melted
600 gm cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Method:

Mix together wafer crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch non-stick pan. Bake at 350 degrees F., 10 minutes. Combine cream cheese, sugar and flour, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in sour cream and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips and pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees F., 55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill. Garnish with whipped cream.

Kids love to eat pizza. Prepare pizza crust when you are have time. Freeze them and take out when you want to eat. Add any topping you like.

Ingredients:

1 cup water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon Active dry yeast
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
parmesan cheese to spinkle

Method:

Add all ingredients (except) second parmesan cheese to breadmaker in order listed by the breadmaker machine recipe book. It is better to put the garlic down inside the flour so that it does not slow down the yeast. Set breadmaker on dough setting. When complete, form two crusts on pizza pans. sprinkle with pamesan cheese, cover and let to rise again. Bake 5-10 minutes at about 450 F until light brown. Cool. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze pizza. You can prepare more to freeze so that when you have not much time to prepare dinner, pizza is the best meal to eat. Add the toppings of your choice.

Some of you may like to eat glutinous rice or lor mai kai very much. You can eat it at breakfast tim sum restaurant. You can try to prepare it at home during your spare time when your children are at home to give a helping hand. Here I use chicken fillet and Chinese dried mushrooms as fillings. The mushrooms have to be well soaked until soften for smoothness.

Ingredients:

glutinous rice, shoaked for 1 hour and drained
500 gm chicken fillet, chopped to bite-sized pieces
100 gm of Chinese mushroom, soaked until soft and smooth
2 tablespoon chopped garlics
1 large big onion, chopped finely
5 tablespoon Canola oil

Seasoning for Chicken:

1 tablespoon ginger juice
2 tablespoon rice wine
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soya sauce
1 teaspoon dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoon water

Sauce to Combine:

2 tablespoon light soya sauce
1 taespoon black soya sauce
2 tablespoom oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fine brown sugar
1 cup water

Method:

Steam glutinous rice over hot water for 45 minutes. Set aside until ready to use. Marinate chicken with seasoning ingredients for 1 hour before use. Clean mushroom and cut a way the stalks. Cut mushroom into half-sized.

Add 1 tablespooon oil in the wok over medium heat and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Dish out and put aside.

In the same wok, add the remainder oil and stir-fry onions until fragrant. Add in rice and the combined sauce. Mix well and turn off the fire.

Lightly greased 10 to 13 bowls with vegetable oil. Put one or two mushrooms and two slices seasoned chicken. Then fill with glutinous rice until 3/4 full. Press rice firmly into bowl. Steam over boiling water for 40 mins. Turn over bowl upside down and garnish with chopped parsley and spring onion. Serve glutinous rice hot with chilli sauce.

Based on clinical studies, a balanced diet is one that contains food or drink choices from the five main Food groups. They are carbohydrates (i.e.rice, noodles, bread, potato, etc), Protein and Meats (i.e. meats, seafood, poultry, vegetable proteins,such beans,etc); FruiT Group; vegetable group; Dairy Group (i.e. milk, yogurt, cheese). All the 5 food groups contribute various important nutrients that together give you the foundation for a healthy diet.

Go for fruits and vegetables with bright colours. Researchers claimed that the natural colours in these fruits and vegetables determine the phytochemicals found in these food as powerful antioxidants that help to counter free radicals in our bodies. You can also make tasty juices with fruits and vegetables into your diet.

Water is important to our body. Therefore, drink at least 8 glasses everyday to quench your thirst, helps to digest your food, keeps your colon healthy and hydrating your cells.

Drink tea for health. Research also proves tea contains polyphnols which act as antioxidants in our body. tea has no colories, fat, or sodium. Tea is an ideal health drink. Black Tea contains half of the caffeine of coffee. It is rich in potassium and maganese. Green tea contains less cafeine than black tea. Tea has several B vitamins, carotene, Vitamin C, folic acid, iron, floride and calcium.

One of the health concerns is many of you do not chew your food well. Many of you will gulp your food down without even tasting it. These would result in having indigestion, heartburn and over-eating that leads to obesity. If you could be wiser and chew every mouthful of food, not only you will digest the food better, and magically, you will end up eating less. Study says as you chew your food, powerful enzymes from your saliva are released and pre-digested process begins in the mouth. Therefore, your stomach has less work to do and you will have less gas and indigestion. The chewing motion also helps your brain get the message to release gastric juices in your stamach. In this way , your stomach will be protected against ulcers.

Another health concern is always keep yourself active. Simply start moving. Try to develop a mindset that makes it a routine for you to stay in motion. For example, take the stairs instead of lift. Park your car further away from any place you want to go. Try to have half an hour of exercise at least three times a week. Fitness expert says that it is more important to be consistent than to overdo your exercise routine. Never work out to a point of exhaustion.

Try this nourishing soup which is quick to prepare. It is good to have soup for every meal in a Chinese family. You can boil fast soup of your choice. Some soups take longer to boil. Here is one you can prepare in a short while using cod or sole or any other fish fillet of your choice which you can find in wet markets and shopping malls.

Ingredients:

300 gm fish fillet, cut into cubes
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 big onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped into cubes
1 leek, cut into half inch
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 potatoes, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon parsley
2 tablespoon white wine (optional)
1/4 cup yogurt (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat oil in the pot. Fry garlic and onion for a second and add in carrots, potatoes,leeks and tomatoes. Put in 1 litre of water. Cover lid and bring to boil until potatoes and carrot are soft. Add in fish cubes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add wine and yogurt and reheat without boiling. Serve hot in individual soup bowls. Garnish with parsley.

If you are dealing in machinery or maintenance, repair and operations, think of the industrial products where to get good offers. Spend a little time to take a look at the website, where you can easily find in their color-catergories to help you order your materials. They offer Industrial Equipment Supplies; Workholding Products; Industrial Knobs; Clamps; Bearings; Magnets for everyday use and much more. Read more of their reviews to understand better.

Sitting on your chair in the comfort of your home, you can go shopping online for women’s clothing and other accessories. These are online stores on women’s apparel and personal care products where you can shop with satisfaction. Clothing with discount prizes are there for you to select including pants, skirts, sweaters, cardigans and fashionable dresses. Shop online for the summer clothing now up to 70% off.

This jelly is prepared for the picky eaters including the kids. They eat little when refuse to eat the food they dislike. This nutritious jelly is made from agar-agar may attract them.

Ingredients:

1 (37.5 gm) packet agar-agar strip
150 gm rock sugar
1500 ml water
1 cup Milo
1/2 cup hot water
1 packet full cream milk or low fat

Method:

Wash agar-agar strips and boil together with sugar till done. Meanwhile add hot water to milo and stir to dissolve. Add milk and pour mixture into agar-agar and stir to mix well. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour into moulds and leave to set.

You can find the best binoculars here if you take a look and read the reviews of some of the major brands including Alpen, Bushnell, Nikon, Orian, Pentax, Takahashi, Tactical Gear and more. Many binoculars are specially design for wildlife observation, bird watching, night vision binoculars, military binoculars and self-focusing binoculars are some of them which you have to choose your order carefully for more suitable to use.

This recipe is sent by Laura. Here I thanked you so much and I will try to get the ingredients to try out the muffins. Welcome to my blog.

Laura wrote:
One) 8 oz. jar SWEE D PIE Pie Base
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
½ cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup SWEE D PIE Apple Butter

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until done. Check with toothpick (until it
comes out clean).

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