Oatmeal Cookies

My son must have hated his oatmeal breakfasts.

I hated it too when my mum cooked it for us when we were young. Oatmeal breakfasts just sucks! Its a torture to start our day with a bowl of yucky oats.

But then, it is an easy, quick and healthy breakfast idea for a lazy mum like me. I have been feeding Shun oatmeal for breakfasts since he was 10 months to 12 months until he decided that he had enough of it. Maybe he hated it so much and came up with a revenge plan. He took out the box of oats from my cupboard while I was not looking and spilled it all over the kitchen floor. He even happily bided farewell to the oats when I cleaned up.

I used the spilled oats to bake oatmeal and raisin cookies tonight. The cookies were a hit. Boy munched on 1 with a satisfactory grin and mum decided that he is going to eat that tomorrow morning with his milk.

By the way I do love crispy oat prawns. Its hard to imagine that its actually the same yucky oats that I hate so much.

Apple Ring Bread

1 apple down. 26 more to go.

My first apple pie

This is my first apple pie! Its hassle free because I used ready made pie dough.

Filling
3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
10g butter
3tsp sugar
80ml water
1tsp ground cinnamon

Pastry
2 sheets of ready made pie dough(to be thawed)

My pie was embarrassing easy. I just stir fried the apples in butter and added sugar water. Stew for about 15 mins till the apples are tender and leave this mixture to cool down completely. Then I rolled the pie dough big enough to fit into my pie pan. Poured the apple mixture onto the pie pan and laid dough strips on top.

Glaze the pie with egg before placing in the oven. Bake for about 3o minutes at 200 degrees or until golden brown all over.


Voila! My sweet pie.

Cheese crackers

I have been abandoning my oven and baking tools for a long time. Saw a simple cheese cracker recipe and tried baking since I had some free time today.

The ingredients are simple. Parmesan cheese, a stick of butter, an egg yolk, and some flour. It’s a sticky awful mess when you mix to form the dough but the end result is a light flaky, crisp cracker with a robust cheese flavour.

The cracker is delicious but I am not supposed to eat too much now as I am desperately trying to fit into one of my cheongsams for my sister`s wedding 2 weeks later. Lost most of my pregnancy weight but still stuck with some stubborn belly fats due to pure laziness and lack of exercise. Guess I have to take the short cut this time by going on a crash diet and sleep earlier to avoid snacking at night.

Egg Tarts

My craving for egg tarts started when I found out that the KFCs in Matsumoto were unable to obtain the stock from HQ due to over popularity. This afternoon, I went through my recipe book and decided to bake since I had all the ingredients required in my fridge.


INGREDIENTS: (8 tarts)
Pastry:
110g flour
50g non salted butter
20g sugar
2 tablespoon of egg mixture

Custard Filling:
3 egg yolks
110cc water
15cc evaporated milk
20g fine sugar

Pastry : Rub in butter into the sifted flour,sugar,egg mixture until it forms into a dough. Roll the dough into a large ball, cover with wax paper and refrigerate while preparing the custard filling.

Custard : Heat 100cc water in saucepan and add the fine sugar. Cook until the sugar has melted and allow to cool. Lightly beat in the eggs and stir in the evaporated milk.

Roll out the dough and cut out circles. Fit the circles into the tart shells.
Pour the custard filling into the greased shells.

Bake at 220 degrees in preheated oven for 8-9 mins until the crust turns slightly brown. Cover the tarts with aluminium foil and continue baking for another 5-6 mins. Cool before removing the tarts from the shells else the custard will sink. ENJOY!

Lesson #4,5,6

I have completed all the 6 lessons in Stage 1 bread baking. Most of my classmates will be continuing with Stage 2 but I`ve decided to take a break as I probably won`t have enough time to complete all the lessons before my baby`s due date. Here`s an update of what we baked.

#4 Pizza & Wholemeal bread

Wholemeal breads are healthy but I don`t really fancy the texture.

#5 Pullman Loafs

The pullman loaf is a square-edged loaf also known as the "sandwich loaf". According to Wikipedia, the name is derived from a resemblance between the loaf (or its pan) and the Pullman railway car.

#6 Butter Rolls

We also made some egg mayo salad to go with the rolls. Had 3 of these for my lunch after the lesson.

Dinner and a not so successful chiffon

I had two pieces of pork tenderloin and some leftover mini tomatoes in my fridge.

I marinated the pork with salt, pepper and coated it with bread crumbs for frying. Then, I decided to whip a quick tomato sauce to go with the pork. Diced half an onion and stir fried with olive oil till golden brown. Added in the tomatoes,1 tbs of ketchup, a pinch of salt, a dash of black pepper and dried basil, 1 tsp of mayo and worcestershire sauce. No exact recipe here.


Earlier in the afternoon, I baked an orange chiffon cake.
The taste was light with a citrus smell, good enough to call it an orange chiffon.

Unfortunately, I made some regretful mistakes. The recipe stated that I should add in 2 tablespoons of grated orange peel but greedy me didn`t want to throw away the rest and threw in double the amount of peels actually needed. The result is a cake full of orange peels causing a big hindrance to my lovely cake. Sigh..I need to perfect this chiffon because I want to serve it to my guests someday. Gotta find another day to practise baking it again.

Exact measurements are very important in baking unlike cooking. A little too much or too little will cause stupid mistakes. From now on, I will follow my baking recipes religiously.

Lesson #3 + Extra Lesson

Every Tuesday is my bread baking day. In lesson #3, we were taught how to bake loaf breads. Loaf breads are definitely more economical and healthier than store-bought because I would know what was in it. If you noticed, most store packed loafs are added with preservatives for a longer shelf life.

There will be no lessons next week due to the Golden Week holidays. I will probably try to practice baking the raisin loaf while my memory is still fresh.

Standard English Loaf
Raisin Loaf

Royal Milk Tea Loaf

Extra Lesson

I took an extra lesson after lesson #3 last week. Though I was feeling a bit tired after the morning lesson, I didn`t want to miss this. It was a bit troublesome fixing the parts of the bear`s face but this bread will put a smile on anyone`s face.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

I wanted to bake chocolate muffins initially but chanced upon a chocolate lava cake recipe.

I am not good at cakes and wasn`t sure whether I could create the `lava` effect in the middle. Surprising, this cake was very easy to make, and turned out to be incredibly moist and rich. The most important factor is not to overbake.


This is the recipe that I used(Makes 5 cakes)

Ingredients
70g bittersweet chocolate (85% cocao)
70g milk chocolate
4 eggs
60g sugar (the recipe stated 130g)
80g all purpose flour
100g unsalted butter

Preheat oven at 180 degrees.
1. Break the chocolate in small pieces and melt over small heat with butter. Stir occasionally until well combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. In another bowl, beat the eggs with sugar and mix with flour.
3. Slowly fold in the chocolate butter mixture.
4. Divide the chocolate mixture in lined muffin tins.
5. Bake at 250 degrees for 9-12mins. The outer will form a crust but the center should remain as a thick chocolate liquid.
6. Serve hot with whipped cream or ice cream.

Lessons learnt : The cake was sweet enough though I have reduced the sugar by 50% from the original recipe. For health purposes, I think I can still cut another 20g since the chocolate lava itself is sweet enough.

Overall, the cakes tasted sinfully good but beware of the high calories. Its okay to indulge occasionally but remember every 100g of this evil cake will add 347 calories to your diet!

Cream cheese buns

I made cream cheese buns today using the recipe and all the methods that I have learnt in my baking class.
Though it was time consuming, (took me more than 2 hours) the shape, texture and taste were almost perfect for an amateur like me.
I feel a great sense of satisfaction and adore the yeasty aroma that filled my kitchen.

Lesson #1 and #2

I have officially signed up with the cooking school, paid 20,000yen (S$260) and completed Lesson #1 and #2.

There are 6 students in my class and the teacher is a polite lady in her early 40s. In the class, everyone makes their own bread by themselves, from kneading the dough to shaping. We also get to chat and eat our freshly baked breads with tea after the lessons.


I have been baking bread at home with mixed results. By attending the lessons, I hope to learn the correct kneading method that will yield consistent results.

In Lesson #1, we baked sausage rolls and a kind of German breakfast bread called Brotchen. Brotchen is a plain chewy bread with a semi hard crust. It goes really well with cream cheese.


In Lesson #2, we made 3 different kinds of bread - cheese, green bean and red bean buns. The kneading went well and I am satisfied with the results.

My husband is skeptical on whether I can produce the same results at home. As such, I am going to experiment with the cheese bun recipe tomorrow. Will I succeed without my teacher`s help ? Stay tuned....

Homemade Bread Trial Lesson

This Sunday afternoon, I attended the homemade bread trial lesson conducted in Matsumoto. I have always wanted to learn bread making from the fundamentals and this was indeed a great opportunity.

I asked my bread lover husband to join me so that we can experience the joy of bread making together. The 2 hour lesson was cheap, only 500yen per participant!

We made two kinds of bread with 150g of bread flour - sesame custard and cheese bread. They looked and tasted absolutely delicious.


Hopefully, I will be able to produce the same results with my home oven.

I have already decided to sign up for the 1st step of homemade bread course (6 classes) conducting on every Tuesday. The school`s flexible system will allow me to change the lesson to Friday if I couldn`t make it on Tuesday.

Really looking forward to my first class starting on April 10th.

Bread Making Session

I haven't been baking for quite some time. Since Takashi will be very late today, I decided to `surprise` him with some fresh bread when he comes home.

I was in an unusual adventurous mood and tried to make two kinds of bread with 200g of bread flour.


There was a packet of mini sausages in my fridge so I rolled the bread dough around the sausages and sprinkled parsley leaves on it.

I pleated the remaining bread dough and added some almond chips.

The sausage rolls tasted really great, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.

Very satisfied with today`s baking results.

Earl Grey Chiffon Cake

I bought my electrical mixer last weekend from Yamada Denki at only S$18.

Today, I finally got to bake the earl grey chiffon cake that I always wanted to try.

The cake came out good with a light sponge like texture.

An interesting part is that you have to invert the cake over a bottle and let it cool completely before removing it from the tin.


My recipe :
60g Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
30g Sugar
50cc Oil
50cc Tea
1 tablespoon of earl grey tea leaves
3 Egg Yolks


For the egg foam :
50g sugar
4 Egg Whites

1. Whisk the sugar with the egg yolks until thick

2. Add the oil, tea and whisk until the batter is well combined.
Add in earl grey tea leaves.

3. Add in the sifted flour and baking powder and combine well.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with electric mixer until foamy. Divide the sugar into 3 portions and gradually beat in the foamy mixture until stiff peaks form.


5. With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites mixture into the
batter without deflating the batter.

6. Pour the batter into the ungreased cake tin and bake at 170 degrees for 35-40 mins.

7. Invert the cake tin immediately upon removing from the oven.
This cooling process is necessary else the cake will shrink and lose its volume.

Chocolate Chips Oatmeal Cookies

This afternoon, I was craving for some `sinful food`.

I can`t find any chocolate chips in my fridge so I chopped my Meiji chocolate bar into small pieces.

These cookies are easy and fun to bake, requiring not more than half an hour in the kitchen.

Recipe (makes 20 cookies)
1. Cream 80g unsalted butter together with 50g soft white sugar (the recipe
stated 70g but I thought it would be too sweet for me)
2. Add 1 beaten egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract into creamed butter mixture


3. Add 170g of plain flour and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder(sifted)into mixture
and fold lightly
4. Mix in 40g rolled oats (healthy), 60g chocolate chips (sinful)
5. Pick up 1 tablespoon of mixture, roll into a ball, flatten and place on baking
tray leaving 2 inches between cookies
6. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for abut 16-18 mins until pale golden brown
7. Cool cookies on wire racks
8. Store in air tight container and enjoy slowly.

** Next time, I would like to add in more chocolate chips.

Marble Cake

Takashi and I made this marble cake together.

It was hard work as we do not have an electric mixer to beat the batter.

Takashi helped in all the manual whisking which requires much energy.


The marble cake is made with alternating layers of vanilla essence batter and batter mixed with cocoa powder.

50 mins of baking in the oven.. and voila!

Butter Rolls

My husband is a bread lover.

He simply can`t resist the smell of fresh baked bread.

For him, I decided to try making some.


This is my 4th time baking butter rolls.

Its the most basic bread in the recipe but you need at least 2 hours for the fermentation process to complete.

**Baking your own breads is a wonderful way to save money.

These butter rolls have become our regulars on weekend breakfasts.

Curry Puffs

I miss the Old Chang Kee curry puffs at only $1 each.

Its impossible to buy in Japan so I tried to make some today.

The puffs are filled with curried potatos,onions and diced chicken.

Took me 2 hours and lots of patience to complete this snack.

Here`s the result.

Blueberry muffins

I am into baking ever since we came to Japan.

Had always wanted to try baking in Singapore but we didn`t own an oven then.

This is the second time I made blueberry muffins.

Baking is fun but washing up is tedious.