John's 8th Birthday

Whenever his birthday is approaching, he always get excited. I guess every kids are like that. Looking forward for birthday presents, having birthday party and fun with their friends and having to buss the Pinatas. As he loves candies.

Here is a quiet birthday treat for him. His dad doesn't want to give him birthday parties. Nevertheless, I baked him a cake.

Opening his birthday present.

This is the cake I baked and decorated for him. It's a little bit messy on the frosting there... as I am not a professional baker yet.

Blowing the birthday candle.

He likes football, so that's why I decorate it with these bits of footballs.

Happy Birthday my dear. Hopefully, next year we will have a Birthday Party for you.

God Bless you.

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Roll

I tried this recipe on Vietnamese Spring Roll which I learnt from a video broadcasted on you tube. It's very simple and easy. My husband like to eat spring rolls. Whenever we go to eat at Kimson Restaurant, he will never miss the spring rolls.

This was my first time tried it.

Ingredients:
8 Rice round paper (brand name : Banh Trang)
2 oz. Rice Vermicelli (soak in hot water for 1 or 2 seconds or till soft)
24 medium Shrimps (normally I bought the already peeled frozen shrimps from walmart)
2 Green leaf i.e. lettuce (slice the leaf into half or whatever size you like)
1 carrot (slice thinly at a length of 2 inches.)
1/2 Cucumber (slice thinly as the carrot)
1/4 cup of any fresh herbs (i.e. basil, parsley, mint leaves) chopped
1/4 Sweat red or green onions (slice thinly)
Some stalks of spring onions for garnish (optional).

1). Peel carrot & slice it thinly at a length of 2 inches. Set aside. (Some people like to blanch the carrots in hot water, then rinse it under cold water and drain well) .

2) Cook the rice noodles in pot of boiling salted water for about 2 - 3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain well. Set aside.

3) In a large shallow dish of warm water soak the rice paper wrappers (one at a time) for about 4-5 sec. and remove from water and place on clean dry work surface. (I put mine on a large plate).

5) Place one lettuce leaf over the surface of the rice paper. On the bottom half of the roll, place approx 4 tbs of the noodles, 1 tbs each of bean sprouts and carrots and several shrimps. Sprinkle with the green onions, parsley and basil or mint leaves.

6) Fold the bottom of the rice paper over the vegetables. Tuck in the sides and continue to roll (like making cabbage rolls). Place 1 stalk of spring onion as you roll the spring roll. This should form a tight cylinder. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

7) Place on a large platter and covered with a plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, cut in half on diagonal for appealing presentation.

For your information, you can also put chicken or pork with it, whatever that suits your appetite.

Easiest way to it, is to have the wrappers just moist enough so that they are easy to roll, if it's too wet they tend to fall apart when rolling. Once you're comfortable with the procedure, they are quite easy.

Not bad, right?

Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cp rice vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs water
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-2 tsp chilli paste
1 tps sugar
1 tbs roasted peanuts, chopped
1 tbs fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients except cilantro into bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use. Sprinkle cilantro over just before serving.

Delicious Apple Nut Cake

I have tried baking apple nut cake few times, as my husband like it very much. Sometimes, it came out nice, sometimes... not so good. Nevertheless, still my husband like to eat it. So last Monday (MLK's Day), I tried this recipe which I found in one of my recipe book. It was delicious... but one thing, you can minimise the sugar content. I don't like it so sweet.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 tsps. vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 delicious apples (finely chopped and not peeled)
1 cup chopped walut

Methods
1. Preheat oven at 350ºF (175ºC).
2. Beat sugar, oil and eggs together. Beat well & Add vanilla extract. Put aside.
3. Sift flour, salt, baking soda & nutmeg together. Add the chopped apple to sugar mixture and beat well. Stir in flour mixture and beat well. Lastly, stir in the walnuts.
4. Pour batter into greased and floured 2 pound baking pan. Bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes.

2 cups of sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs & 2 big apples (unpeeled & chopped)

Beat sugar, oil & eggs together.

Add vanilla extract to the mixture.


Sift flour

Add salt.

Add nutmeg.

Add baking soda.

Then addthe apple to the sugar mixture. Then add the dry ingredients to it and beat well then lastly, stir in the walnuts. (No pictures included).

Pour the batter in a greased and floured baking pan.
Then bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes. This is how the cake look like. Cool it and then you can slice it and eat.. may be whipped cream. hehehe yummy. (but I don't like to eat it with whipped cream).

I just eat it plainly like this... but still yummy to me.

Crazy Chocolate Cake

This recipe was given to me by a friend named Linda, (actually, she is my mother inlaw's adopted daughter) recipe is very simple and there's no egg required in it. For those of you like reduce your cholesterol intake. I have tried it few times and it tasted very delicious.

Ingredients :

1½ cup of all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp. coco powder (Hershey)
5 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup water
1 tbsp. white vinegar

1. Preheat oven at 350ºF (175ºC).

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat sugar and vegetable oil till fluffy and then add vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture, then add water. Mix well, then add the white vinegar. (As you add the white vinegar, you will notice that it bubbles - don't worry). Then beat the batter for another 2 minutes.

3. Pour into 8 x 8 inches pan (greased & floured) and bake for 35 minutes.

(You can put whip cream on it).



Emmm.. yummy.

Chicken & Dumpling Roll

This recipe, I learnt from my mother in-law when my son and I went to spend two weeks holiday with her in Clayton, Ohio during summer 2007. It's very simple but quite messy when you do it.

Here are all the ingredients you need :

INGREDIENTS :

1 chicken (or depends on how much you want to cook for your family). Normally, I only cook half chicken.

Clean the chicken well and take off the chicken and cut it into few big pieces. Then cook it in about 5 - 6 measuring cups of water. Boil till tender. Then take the chicken out and bone it and put aside. Do not throw the broth from the pot but let it simmer in a low heat. This broth will be used to cook the dumplings and chicken later.

INGREDIENTS FOR ROLL & DUMPLING:

3 Cups of all purpose flour.
½ Cup of vegetable shortening (pls do not use butter).
1 teaspoon of salt.
1 egg
1 cup of milk. ( or chicken broth).

(Please prepare the dumplings while you boil chicken).

Instruction.

1. Mix the flour and shortening (mix well).

2. Add the salt, the milk or broth and egg.

3. Mix it well and roll it into a dough (on a clean table or clothe) and cut the dough into two. Roll both
doughs into ball shape and then flatten it with a roller... till it is thin. (Roll as thin as possible). Well some
people like it thin some like it thick. (My mother inlaw like it thin but my husband like it thick) .

4. Then, cut the dumplings into an inch square size. After you have done that, drop the dumplings one by
one into the simmer boiling chicken broth in the pot. Drop all the dumplings till finish. After a few
minutes, you will notice that the dumplings will float to the surface. Boil it covered for 10 minutes. After
that take the lid out and continue boil it in a medium heat.

5. Lastly, put the chicken meat that you have bone and stir it from the bottom and continue to cook it on
medium heat for 1 to 2 hours. You can add the salt to it or you either can put a 1 can of cream of chicken.

3 cups of all purpose flour, 1 egg and 1 cup of milk.

1/2 cup of vegetable shortening. (As shown above and below)

This is how the shortening look like, incase some of you doesn't know.. hehehe

This is how it look likes (see picture above) when you mix the flour and shortening. Mix well.. Then you add salt, milk and egg

After mixing everything, divide it into two and then roll it into a ball... like this (see above picture) and then flatten it with a roller.

After you flatten it cut it into 2 inches sizez and thereafter drop it into the broth in the pot one by one..

This is the kind of Cream of Chicken that you might want to put with your dumplings. Sometimes, I put it or I just put some milk & chicken cubes. It depends on your taste..
Some people also put carrots in it.

This recipe is especially dedicated to my friends, that's why I put my effort to show the steps and also the things you need.

Christmas 2007

The year 2007 was my second time spending Christmas in USA, away from my Family - back home in Miri, Sarawak (Malaysia). We have been going back to Ohio to spend Christmas with my mother inlaw who has been living by herself. She is a sweet & nice lady. She still very active playing bowling, gardening and teaching sunday classes eventhough she is in her 80's. That really surprised me. While we were there, she would do all the cooking , washed dishes and never let me do it, as she is used to be on her own. I can't complain, and I should be happy to have such a nice mother inlaw.

We have a nice Christmas service at their local church.. and some nice christmas presentation i.e. singing by choir group, sunday school kids and also a nativity scene played by the Youth. That was so awesome too. I feel very touched with the message too that God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to this world to save us sinners. "I love you Lord Jesus". It also made me feel homesick thinking about it.

Early on Christmas morning, we opened our christmas gifts. John II was the most excited, when come to opening the presents as he got the most from his grandma. He even open one of the present two days before the Christmas day, as he can't wait any longer.

He is excited to open the two bags...

She cooked nice food for us at Christmas dinner and invited her adopted daughter to have dinner with us. (sorry I didn't take any picture of us having dinner together).

We have great evening together and playing dominos and scrabbles. That's fun.

They are playing dominos.

Although I missed being with my family back in Miri but I am happy and blessed to be with my family here too. My thoughts and prayers are always with you all mom, dad and everyone. Miss you all. Have a prosperous year in 2008.. and God bless you. Amen.