Christmas Balls

For Christmas, I decided to make some of my decorations. One of my projects was the Christmas balls made from paper. I found several sample of these balls from Pinterest. It was easy and fun to do!

Materials: strips of crafts paper, puncher, fasteners, pair of scissors, and embellishments like sequins or glitter (optional).

Procedure:

1. Cut 8 strips of paper (1 1/2 inches wide & 6 inches length).

2. Gather them together and punch a hole on the top-center of each narrow end.

3. Put the fasteners on both ends.

4. Fan-out the strips until it forms a ball.

Additional idea:

You can add glitter or sequins on each strip before punching them.

Have a Blessed Christmas! May the love of God be our reason to celebrate this season!

Chocolate Mousse Cake

This was one of those days when Carlos and I were craving BADLY for chocolates. Checked our pantry and found almost a kilo, yeah a kilo, of various chocolates (mostly dark). I had Lindt, Ikea, Nestle, and Cadbury. As much as we love chocolates, we were also doing our best to cut down on sweets. Best solution - Chocolate Mousse Cake. Two reasons, it only had a tablespoon of sugar and flour (I didn't add the golden syrup).

This recipe was from Taste which was easy. Minimum effort for maximum impact!

Ingredients

500g dark chocolate

2 tbs golden syrup

125g unsalted butter

4 eggs

1 tbs caster sugar

1 tbs plain flour, sifted

Melted chocolate, to decorate

Chocolate sorbet, to serve

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round spring-form cake pan with non-stick baking paper.
2. Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Place eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer or use an electric hand beater and beat on high for 10 minutes until very thick and pale. Gently fold in the flour then fold in the chocolate mixture until combined. Pour into the cake pan and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Remove collar from cake pan and transfer the cake to the fridge for 1 hour to cool (this step is important as it sets the middle of the cake).

Wow! I skipped dinner last night so I could treat myself to a slice of this temptation. Opps! I also skipped hopping into my weighing scale this morning. 

Quin enjoyed it too!

Fire Truck Cake

Our little man, Quin, turned 3! As part of our family tradition, I baked a cake based on the request of the birthday celebrant. He wanted a fire truck! I remember a few years ago my brother and I also made a fire truck cake for Ian. 

Ian volunteered to be in-charged. He looked for the design (of the truck itself) that he liked and drew his plans on how to decorate the cake. 

For the cake I used my usual Chocolate Cake recipe that is moist and not too sweet.

For the truck design, we followed this video from YouTube.

For the butter icing, I used 1 cup butter (room temperature) and about 1 1/4 cup icing sugar (sifted). Mix them together using an electric mixer then slowly add drops of red food coloring, until you reach your desired color.

For the decorations, we used Oreo cookies (wheels), M&M's, chocolate sticks, assorted candies, candles, and writing icing.

I had a great time with the boys in making this cake. Ian was the designer and I was the kitchen assistant.   

Definitely, this experience is a treasured memory.

Wall Art from Toilet Rolls

Carlos and I love to recycle things that we normally discard. Part of my collection is a bunch of toilet rolls. When I started keeping them early this year I didn't have any specific project in mind. I think I just saw their "potential". After months of accumulating this treasure, I saw a picture posted on Facebook by one of friends that used toilet rolls as a wall art. Chaching! I "Mitchinized" it.

Materials that I used for this project were toilet rolls, ruler, pencil, glue, clothes pegs, scraps of crafts paper, craft paints, and blue tack.

Directions: First, I painted the rolls. Then, cut each roll into  5 pieces, petals, (the height of the roll was 10cm so each petal was 2cm). Glued them together and I used the clothes-pegs to clip them together. Last, I stuffed the middle with scraps of crafts paper to form a bud. I attached them to the wall using blue tack.

It wasn't just fun for me but Ian also enjoyed helping mem by painting some of the toilet rolls.

For this version 2, I added details on each petal.

Recyle. Recreate!

Dressing up our lamp shade

Hi! When I initially started my blog, my intention was to share recipes with friends. Overtime, I found myself doing other things such as crafting. I want to share with you the project that I just finished last night.

It was past midnight and I was still wide awake. So, I browsed Pinterest, my latest discovery, for dream houses, decorations, and finally, crafts. There were many great ideas that I wanted to try unfortunately, I fell asleep. The next day, inspiration hit me and I decided to 'Mitchinized' our lamp shade. We got it from Ikea, the shade was white and the stand was black (too dull for my taste).

I was inspired by one of the lamp shades at Houzz. I used crafting paper and my son's drinking glass as a template. 

Basically, I just cut circles (around 230 pieces) and glued them on the lamp shade.

I invite you to look at my Pinterest for other amazing and creative craft ideas.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Carlos, my hubby, went home with a box of chocolate chip cookies from the supermarket. That's a NO-NO in my kitchen. We always have home-baked cookies but I didn't realise that we ran out of stock. To retaliate, I'm baking his favourite cookies and I plan to enjoy eating them. May be I'll share some with him. (Of course, I'm baking for him)

I turned to a very reliable recipe from  Ghirardelli that made us happy has for almost 10 years now. I used dark chocolates instead of semi-sweet chocolates.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield:  4 dozen cookies

Ingredients: 

11 1/2 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips 

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups unsifted flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and lightened in color. Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: The 11 1/2 ounces of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips can be substituted with any variety of chip flavor (i.e.- Milk Chocolate Chips, 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips, etc.)

This is always a big hit not only to hubby but to my kids as well, especially Quin. I think he's planning his strategy on how to attack the cookies. 

Baked Potato

What a busy day! We went out for Ian's drawing classes, came back to do some housework, and did some fun activity with the boys.

By late afternoon, I realized that my 30 plus energy level was no match with my growing boys. I couldn't wait to sit down and read. But, hey! What about dinner???? Unfortunately, I have hungry boys to feed. Best solution - easy dinner.

Baked Potato

Ingredients

1 kilo of Potatoes, cut into quarters

5 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons of dried rosemary 

2 teaspoons of dried oregano

1/3 cup of Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated

Procedure

In a pot with water boil the potatoes until a bit soft (half cooked). Remove from heat and drain.  

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. On a separate bowl, mix the garlic, herbs, and olive oil. Toss the potatoes on the bowl with the mixture until fully coated. Spread the cheese on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the golden brown. 

I complemented it with Grilled fish (Barramundi). No fuss easy meal.

Trivia: Barramundi (also known as Asian seabass) is from Australian Aboriginal language which means large-scaled river fish. (resource wikipedia)

Chocolate Bliss

It's been our family tradition to bake birthday cakes for our kids. Then, I thought, why not make one for Carlos? Hmmm, seemed to be a good idea. When I started baking the cake, I was still waiting for the "bulb" to turn on so I just followed my 'creative instincts' based on Carlos' favorite sweets.

I used the Chocolate Cake recipe from Ina Garten, one of my favorite chefs from  Food Network. I like this recipe because it's moist and not too sweet (and a good cup of coffee).

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pans

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups good cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. (I used a special cake pan-oval)

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

In the original recipe (link above), Ina included a recipe for Chocolate frosting. I tried it before and it's a recipe that you can add in your book.

For frosting: I used Cream cheese and coffee

  1 pack of Cream cheese, room temperature

  About 1/4 cup of butter, room temperature 

  About 3/4 cup of Caster sugar

  1-2 tsp instant powder coffee 

Using a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the sugar and coffee until they are well incorporated. Spread it evenly on top of the cake. 

The most exciting part was decorating it since I was free styling. I looked at Carlos' sweets on hand - dark chocolate chips, honey comb, cocoa powder, Cadbury with nuts, slivered almonds, pine nuts, and cashew nuts.

Layer 1: I covered the frosted cake with chocolate chips

Layer 2: I noticed that I could see the pale brown color of the frosting so I sprinkled cocoa powder to cover it. NOTE: I think it would be better if I first sprinkled the cocoa powder before I added the chocolate chips.

Layer 3: For the middle part of the cake, I put some roughly chopped honey comb and Cadbury chocolates, then, I sprinkled chopped pine nuts and cashew nuts.

Side Layer: I put roasted slivered almonds around the cake.

Layer 4: I made dark chocolate ganache and poured it on top. 

I was pleased with the outcome...very unique and appealing. 

The best part was eating it! We just couldn't stop. It's that good! Worth every EXTRA and EXCESS calorie!!!

P.S. I originally called this Death by Chocolate then, I realized that it was ironic since I made this for hubby so I renamed it to Chocolate Bliss. 

Chocolate Trivia: Recent study has shown promising results that chocolate might be good for the brain and heart. (ref Forbes) Before we get too excited, a word of caution, MODERATION (easier to spell than to do). Enjoy your sweet indulgence!

Fettuccine with mushroom Bolognese

One of my joys as a Mom is having a shared passion with my children. For us (Ian and I) that would be cooking and baking. He is very enthusiastic to help around the kitchen especially tasting. 

His interest was caught by the commercial of Chef Curtis (feed your family under $10) on how to make Fettuccine with mushroom Bolognese. Ian loves pasta and he knows that I like to work on a budget. It's a win-win situation. I promised to help him by chopping the ingredients. 

Fettuccine with mushroom Bolognese

(original recipe)

Ingredients:

1 small brown onion,finely chopped
3 Tbsp Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
250g cup mushrooms, sliced
500g  minced regular beef
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
400g can Italian diced tomatoes
350g fettuccine
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 loosely packed cup of fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Procedure

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan until hot. Cook onion and garlic for 2 mins, then add the carrot and cook for 1 min, or until just softened. Add mushrooms and cook for 2

mins. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Add the beef and stir over high heat for 3 mins, or until lightly browned and no lumps of meat remain.

3. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, allow to bubble for 1 min. Add the tomatoes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine according to packet directions. Remove 1 cup of the pasta water carefully and add it to the sauce. Cook the sauce for a further 10-12 mins, until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat and add the extra virgin olive oil. Drain the fettuccine.

5. Add the fettuccine to the sauce in the pan and mix well. Scatter over the basil. Divide between four bowls and serve with the Parmesan cheese.

Ian and I had fun cooking. I was amazed with his enthusiasm and attention to details (e.g., measuring the volume and weight of the ingredients). He is also gifted with a sensitive palate, he knows what seasonings and spices to add. Well done, Ian!!!

As a homeschool mom, I think cooking a great tool to teach math (measurements), science (chemical reactions and nutrition), reading and comprehension (following instructions), and creativity (food presentation) to name a few. 

Word of Encouragement:
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Strawberry Jam

For the past two years, my breakfast has always been coffee, a pair of toast with butter and STRAWBERRY jam. Call it a habit, routine, obsession, compulsion, fascination, fixation, enjoyment, or whatever but that's my brekky. Of course, my youngest son, David, has followed me. 

So, I thought of making my strawberry jam. This recipe was created with two considerations. First, I only have a small amount of strawberries (because I devoured the rest, very sweet). Second, I want to see how this adventure turns out before I make big batches.

Strawberry Jam

(Enough to fill a recycled bottle with 370g capacity)

Ingredients

330 g (about 1 1/4 pint baskets) fresh strawberries, leaves removed and sliced

1 Cup of sugar

2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon 

Procedure

Using a wide  10-12 inch skillet, put all the ingredients together. Bring the mixture to boil.

Lower the heat to medium for 15-20 minutes or until it thickens. 

Testing for the set (ref. Preserving by Oded Schwartz)
Wrinkle test: Pour a little hot jam on to a cold saucer and leave it for a few minutes to cool. Push the jam with a finger; if it wrinkles it has reached the setting point. 


There are two other methods namely using a sugar thermometer and doing a flake test. For my recipe, I used the wrinkle test. 

I like this recipe because it's not too sweet and there's a bit of tart taste from the lemon. I recommend to adjust the amount of lemon juice according to your preference. You can also omit the lemon zest.

Cultural Trivia: Brekky - means breakfast for our Aussie friends

Apple Pie

It was a stormy winter morning, I was so tempted to stay on the bed (drink my freshly brewed coffee and toast while reading). But I had so much energy waiting to burst and a promise to fulfill. I promised Carlos that I would bake Apple Pie for dessert tonight. 

I tried several Apple Pie recipes so far this is the family favorite.

Apple Pie 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/apple-pie-by-grandma-ople/detail.aspx

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 1 - 9 inch pie

 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

 1/2 cup unsalted butter

 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 1/4 cup water

 1/2 cup white sugar

 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. 

2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Note: My oven has a fan so I dropped the temperature to 180 degrees C for the first 15 minutes then reduced it to 150 degrees C for another 25 minutes.

Recommendations:

• Toss the apples with about a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg
• Brush the bottom crust with egg whites to prevent having a soggy crust
• Mix the syrup with the apples instead of pouring it over the crust, but save enough to glaze it over the top crust