Little Joy Factory

Do you feel that time is flying every day? Can't believe it's end of July already. I asked my younger daughter the same question the other day, she told me she felt time has been very slow!  Well, I understand how she feels. She can't wait to go for an overseas cultural immersion trip organized by her school in November.

There are sometimes when I just don't know what to do with vegetables.  I usually stir-fry them with meat. However,  my daughters are getting more and more fussy nowadays.  One just takes Chinese cabbage, and the other just takes broccoli.  What about those vegies in my fridge?  That's when I turn to baked frittata as I can add whatever vegetables I have on hand. Baked vegetable frittata can be served as a vegetarian main course or a tasty side. It's easy to make and delicious.  In this recipe, I used two long leeks, 1 can of button mushrooms, and 1 pack fresh oyster mushroom.  My daughters loved it and asked for seconds!

I enjoy making delicacies from different cultures in my kitchen.  It gives me a feeling of having an exotic vacation without travelling.  When I browse through  Über mich's blog ,  it feels like I am on a French food tour. The beautiful array of French food in her blog look so tantalizing.  The blog is written in German and French, I used Google Translate and managed to get a few recipes in English.  I started "food sampling" with this Savory Crème Brûlée. The traditional Crème Brûlée,  which is also known as burnt cream,  is topped with hard caramelized sugar.  Über mich's recipe   creates a savory version by adding herbs and cherry tomatoes.  Simple ingredients, pleasant and rich taste! Egg yolk, whipping cream, cherry tomatoes and some dried herbs are all you need to make this famous French appetizer. 

How much a slice of cheesecake cost in Singapore nowadays? $6-$8. Quite steep to me,  which gives me a good excuse to watch the calories.  However,  as a fan of cheesecakes, I can't help baking at home occassionally.  I have tried different flavor of cheesecakes at home, e.g blueberry cheesecake , chocolate cheesecake , Oreo cheesecake and peach cream cheese cobbler . By far the most popular one is still peach cheesecake with digestive biscuit streusel. 

Everyone seems to be getting sick right now!  In fact, it is very common to get sick during this warm and humid period.  Outside temperature is as high as 34-35°C, while the air-conditioned room is at 23-25°C.  Really have to take extra precautions when walking in and out the air-conditioned rooms as sudden changes in temperature affect the respiratory system. Other than regular exercise to keep our immune system up and running,  we need to watch out our intake to have balanced and healthy meal.  You probably know that lemon is high in Vitamin C, which helps to boost the immune system. Do you know that garlic is powerful against infectious diseases like cold and flu? It all thanks to its antioxidant , antiviral and antibiotic properties.  That's one of the reason I decided to cook fish fillets with lemon and garlic today. Both lemon and garlic are powerful immune boosters. They are the best cold re...

炎炎夏日，你如何度过？朋友以为，我在新加坡这个热带岛国呆了十几年，应该对夏天习以为常了。其实不然。   新加坡的气温常年在26 －30 摄氏度之间徘徊，可是最近骤升到34度。看看家里的电费快要爆表了，就知道躲在有空调的地方是我们"防暑" 的唯一方法。在家开空调，上班公司也有空调。出门无论是驾车还是搭地铁巴士，一路上都有空调。反而在空调的环境生活久了，难得出汗。只好去Gym 做做有氧运动，出出汗，排排毒。 天气热，周末大部分时间躲在家里。去了趟超市采购了一周的水果蔬菜之后，闲来无事， 正好烤个蛋糕。买了几个新鲜的柠檬，驾轻就熟地做了个孩子们最爱的柠檬蛋糕。鲜艳的黄色，看起来很配合夏日的氛围。最喜欢淋在上面的柠檬糖汁，酸酸甜甜，使整个蛋糕绵软润泽，既有牛油的香浓，又不失柠檬的清 凉 。 用了Bundt 烤盘，这款家常蛋糕，华丽大变身，成为一道正餐后亮丽的甜点。 坐在藤制的躺椅上，手里端着杯lemonade , 品尝着自己亲手烘烤的美味蛋糕。看着夕阳西下，此刻才真正体味到“心静自然凉”。。。 FRESH LEMON BUNDT CAKE For the cake 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 250g unsalted butter (softened) 1 cup sugar 3 eggs zest of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 200ml sour cream For the glaze: Juice of a lemon 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 cup icing sugar DIRECTIONS To make the cake: Preheat your oven to 180 DegC Mix flour, baking powder and the salt in a bowl. Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add eggs one by one. Beat well after ...

Knowing that I bake muffins, a friend recommended me to try the muffins from Chocolat N' Spice at Shunfu market.  He said Shunfu market - a neighbourhood hawker center,  is famous because of the muffin store.  The snake queue in front of  the muffin store has become an unique scenery of this quiet hawker center. People queueing for muffins? Out of curiosity, I dropped by the store one day during lunch time. Over the one hour stay at the hawer center, I observed an average of 8-9 people in the queue. It has never shortened until all the muffins were sold out.  I bought one box of 6 muffins of different flavours,  priced from $1.30 to $1.60 each.  I chose Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, Banana Walnut,  Blueberry, Mocha and Cheese . These freshly baked muffins are large, soft with golden domed top, so enticing. Shared with colleagues, everyone was asking me when I would make the next the...