Birthday cake

Happy sweet 16th!!!

A friend's 16th birthday, her party theme was "Denim and Diamonds". I made a cake for her, it was a chocolate mud cake with "very blue" buttercream icing and lots of edible decorations - even the belt!

Gingerbread House

It is all about GIVING in Christmas

Christmas is such a wonderful season, it is of course celebrating my wonder Saviour's birth at this time. Also, a time when the family get together. I love how everyone is so generous and being so thoughtful. Some of my customers from the pharmacy gave us Christmas cards with lovely messages, I felt love and appreciated!!

I made a gingerbread house for someone as a gift this Christmas. It wasn't as hard as I thought. Once I started it, my creative juice was just flowing, I started doing a bit more here and there until I had enough!

So here it is. The dough - instead of the traditional windows, I thought some flower windows would be nice and different...


This is the house - EVERYTHING is edible, even the floor!!!! :))) My friend was very impressed and speechless.. her family thoroughly enjoyed it... apprently all the adults turned into a little kid again when they were digging into the house - priceless!

I LOVE Summer!!

Mango overdose!!!!!

I love summer, not so much of the heat (especially in Queensland), but the beautiful weather that I can go to the beach and sunbathing!!! Of course it is mango season!! I have been overdosed with mango lately: mango smoothies, mango ice-cream, frozen mango (tasted just likeWeis bars)... for dessert last night, I made mango cheesecake!! I was not a cheesecake person, but I made a few cheesecakes during the competition, and I really enjoy it now!

Korean culture

Korean

Our young adult group went to Korean BBQ last week. I was inspired by the flavour, colours and texture of the food we had, so I thought I would give it a go last night.

At the Korean resturant, they served us about 8 different side dishes (called banchan in Korean), I could only recongise 2 of them - the kimchi and bean sprouts. One of them tasted kinda weird, something like horseradish with mayonnise!

Well, I picked the green bean sprout for this trial. This is called Sukju Namul Muchim in Korean. It was really simple, some seasame oil, toasted seasame seed, soy sauce and garlic. I thought it would take a long time to get the flavour, but half an hours was all it needed. I really like it, but I will say I like kimchi better, because of the hot and sour flavour tickles my platelets!!

For main: I prepared bulgogi and bibimbap. Bulgogi basically is marinated beef tenderised and flavoured with spring onion and garlic, cooked on a hot plate and sprinkled with sesame seeds.I marinated the beef for about 4 hours. It was worth it!! The beef was mashitda!!!!!!!! (delicious in Korean apparently :D)

Final dish

Fettuccine with Mussels and Roasted veggies

Sorry guys, I haven't posted anything for so long. I did not get to the top 6. I was very disappointed, my heart was shattered ::>_<:: I haven't been cooking much in the past few months as a result...

The winner of the Home Cook Challenge was announced in the latest issue early this month. When I saw it, I think the winning dish looks delicious (althought I thought I need to taste it to believe that her is better than mine!) She looks very happy too in the photo, holding the Golden Whisk trophy. Good on her for all the afford she put in!!!

I had a great time during the competition anyway. When I was having a break from cooking (a time for my heart to recover!), people from work were looking for morning tea, they were very cute!!! I really need to thank them for all their encouragement and "endurance" with all the taste testing!

Well, here is the dish that I made for the final - Fettuccine with Mussels and roasted veggies!

By the way, bloggers, I am in the Top 20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something to celebrate with... Mandy's ferrero rocher very chocolatey chocolate cake!!! I made 110 recipes all togther in 8 weeks.. WOOHOO!!!

First risotto

Mushroom, baby spinach and chicken risotto..

I never really had many risotto dish before. Knowing that one of the recipes in the magazine, I was quite scared, because risotto is like one of the hardest things to make according to the Masterchef judges. So for me, who do not have a fond memory of what a perfect should taste like, this can be a difficult task.

Fortunately, Pastor Christine came over for bible study and I was just preparing this dish. She is like a risotto expert, telling me what I should look for: taste, texture, temperature and the moisture... the first batch wasn't too great, because I did not use enough chicken stock and we did not eat it straight away. So I attempted it the second time, it was creamy, soft with a bit of crunch still.. full of flavour!! Amazing

Something for the eyes!!

Vegies frittata

I never made frittata before, but it is one of the recipes in the magazine, so I gave it a crack!

It was really nice, the vegetables is nice and juicy. Creamy ricotta and eggs. Served with a quick salad dressed with balsamic vingar. Even though I wasn't too hungry that afternoon, my mouth was dribbling.

I think my photography skills improve as well as my cooking skills during the competition!

Something that is tasty

Angel hair pasta with salmon and poached eggs

First time I tried the angel hair pasta. It is really delicious. Of course, combining my favourite smoked salmon and rocket. Perfect poached eggs - when the egg yolk ooze out and mix perfectly in the pasta... words can not describe!

Does it make your mouth water?

Some proud moments during the Cooking Challenge

Perfect souffle!!

Three times - three times fail! Practice made difference and here is the result :)

Chocolate sauce drizzle over light as feather souffle - 10 out of 10 winter dessert!

Asian fusion: Chilli meatballs with risoni

One of the ultimate challenge: I used my favourite sauce (sweet chilli and soy sauce, add the new favourite spice, cumin) to the meatball... because of the sauce - that make it the Asia part. With the risoni, being pasta - that's Italian. Mixed in baby spinach. Sprinkle with finely grated parmesan. Hence, Asian fusion!

Thi is supposed to be baby brussels sprouts slaw - just cut up baby brussels sprouts with mustard dressing...

No one really like brussels sprouts, so know that it will be quite "dry" and "boring" to just have the hazelnut and brussels sprouts - only 2 textures... did not think it is enough...

So I half boiled some eggs, mix some paprika and chilli flakes in olive oil to roast some cashews. The perfect cook eggs, the yolk ooze out and drip on the brussels sprouts. A mouthful of that, will a hint of spice from the chilli and mustard. I was laughing with my mouthful LOL.

Cookie monster

Chocolate drizzled cookies

Kinda completely random. This recipe is from the Good Taste magazine, for the competition that I entered recently.

The picture from the magazine has a few zigzag chocolate drizzle on the cookies. The one I created.. not just a few zigzag like. I created some faces, write a few messages.. Shisei did some too.. the Doraemon is his creation!
This my favourite!!

Birthday Cake

Lady Beetle for little princess Sienna
Vanessa's daughter's 5th birthday today. She asked if I could make her a cake - to be specific, she wanted a "lady" lady beetle cake.
I took the challenge and ta-da...

I made a vanilla sponge cake. Used buttercream icing with red and green colouring... for the spots, I used freckles... to make it more "lady" like, I used white chocolate to draw a tiara - PERFECT!!!

Little flower and chocolate heart on the side for decorations. LOVE IT!

Desserts

Dessert: Who doesn't like dessert?
Part of the Home Cook Challenge is making these delicious goodies.

Molten chocolate puddings - with soft Lindt chocolate melted in the middle...it is like party in your mouth


Rhubarb and strawberry crumble:

Never had rhubarb before - quite acidic, which is perfect when I served with ice cream!



White chocolate & raspberry self-saucing pudding

What a perfect dessert to finish off in this cold weather!

Perfect Italiano

Perfect Italiano



At Next Level - our young adult group, we have been cooking up a big storm - Greek, Indian, Mexican... This week is Italian!

The previous week, the service time was delayed by about 2 hours. So I decided to finish on time. The clock started ticking and Shisei was our judge...

So we had 2 hours to prepare the entree and the main course. I prepared th desserts earlier as it takes time to set.

So entree: Gnudi with pancetta, broad beans, pecorino & balsamic vinegar. The Gnudi was made out of ricotta, pecorino and flour. Kinda like gnocchi, very soft! The broad beans was sweet, so it balanced perfectly with the salty pancetta. The vinegar just gave a good punch of acidity. I added mint leaves, but I could not really taste the mint.. :(

Main course: Linguine with garlic prawns & mussels

I never purchased or cooked with mussels before, I gave it a good. It was great, everyone love it! The mussels pop opened as it should. The aromas from the onion, garlic and white wine was awesome!!!


Trio of desserts:

Ginger creme brulee

Pistachio brownies

Tiramisu "coffee" cups

Other than the food tasted great, we also finished on time!

Home Cook Challenge

Macaroni Cheese

After a stressful afternoon at the pharmacy with a "no reason to be angry customer" and an "uninvited" mouse... I decided to cook away!

I heard of this dish a lot, but I have never really wanted to make it. There is just something about Macaroni...

It was relative easy dish. Boiled the macroni, cut up the broccoli, made the white sauce, stirred in the wholegrain mustard, added in corn and cheese, baked - DONE! Tasty!

Indian Feast

Indian food - fabulous feast of sumptuous flavours, colours and aromas!!!

Started with this chai lassi. This drink is lightly spiced with yoghurt, this is supposed to be served at the start of the banquet or as a palate cleanser between dishes. Our foodies, except one, did not quite like the flavour. It was good to have a go though!!

Entree: Vegetable bhaji and Garlic Naan

Deep fried vegies (Carrot, eggplant & cabbage). Kinda like Japanese tempura. The difference is that this has cumin seeds, garlic and chilli in it.

The Homemade Garlic Naan... really can't think of any words to describe it, otherthan "AWESOME". The Naan - full of the garlic aroma and soft. It was a perfect starter and it was perfect to wipe clean the curry on the bowl!

Main Course: Chicken Korma and Golden Egg Curry

They are not just "look" great, but taste fantastic!!

Dessert: Rice pudding with sultanas

Feast without dessert is NOT a feast at all!!!! The Indian feast is spiced to the last bite with this pudding, include crushed cardamon and cinnamon!! A bit of toasted almond flake, added some crunch to this silky creamy rice!! What a way to finish this feast!!

Cupcakes

Cake Mix

I thought I would never use another cake mix ever again since I watched Masterchef. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with cake mix... just that there is a "taste" to it that homemade cake does not have... it taste like "cake-mix cake"!

Well, the recipe from the Good Taste Mag is to use the White Wings Sweet Heart Chocolate-Vanilla Cupcakes. The advantage to use the cake mix is that I have extra time to play around with the decorations.

AWESOME!!! They look so Pretty!!!

Rogan Josh

Day 3 of Home Cook Challenge 2011

I made this Rogan Josh curry... whatever Rogan Josh is.. it comes in a can, so that is EASY!!!

From my "trusted" Wikipedia, "Rogan josh is from Kashmir, very popular in India, Pakistan, Singapore and UK. Rogan means oil in Persian, while Josh means heat, hot, boiling or passionate. Rogan josh thus means cooked in oil at intense heat."

It tasted kinda differ to the other curry e.g. korma, red/green etc... it has a bit of bitter taste to it.

Very interesting fact is that - According to Wikipedia, "traditional Kashmiri Pandit recipe which strictl EXCLUDES onions." So, the Good Taste mag (recipe, add 1 brown onion) is not so traditional! Anyway, the spices that are used in Rogan Josh includes cardamom, cinnamon, clove, ginger, cumin, aniseed, saffron, fennel, red chillies, garlic, tomatoes and almonds.

Day 2 Cooking Marathon

Cooking Marathon DAY 2

I am actually quite excited. Cooking for fun and there may be a prize at the end! Taking photos of my creation - that's what Asian do anyway, so I think I may have a chance to win!!! LOL This journey, however, people may pick up extra kg on the way... my advice as a pharmacist would be - just don't go and have a cholesterol and blood glucose tests during this month!

So Day 2 - continuing with the Japanese theme "Oknomiyaki".

Okonomiyaki is such a traditional Japanese dish. Apparently, there are two different types - the Osaka and Hiroshima styles.

Basically, the main ingredients are cabbage, flour and eggs. Then you can add whatever you like e.g. pork, chicken, seafood, vegies etc... very fun to make and quite simple. The difference between the two styles is that Hiroshima way cook with yakisoba noodles, while the Osaka way doesn't. This recipe from the Good Taste mag is the Hiroshima style! Very nice, but if you don't cook the batter straight away, the noodle gets soggy! ボナペティ

Good Taste Home Masterchef Challenge

Good Taste Home Cook of the Year Challenge

What am I getting myself into? I saw this ad on the Courier Mail (don't normally get the paper, only because of the cookbooks...another story) Anyway, saw the ad about Home Cook of the Year challenge with the Good Taste Mag. What this challenge is that you cook as many or as few as you wish. Cook the recipes exactly as they appear in the mag or give them a "clever, personal touch" (which doesn't make sense, you either cook exactly or do your own..) Anyway, the judges are looking for the skills as well as the creativity. There is also a prize for the one that make the most afford (with most recipes).

I started off with this "Stir it up", which titled Yaki Udon with Chicken & Mushroom. It tasted delicious, everyone emptied their bowl!

Looking at the mag though, I counted 84 recipes in the book. This is going to be a marathon cooking.... Well, one down 83 to go. GO MANDY!!!