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Dec 31, 2012

Click manga

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/click/
http://www.mangatraders.com/manga/series/1288

I was looking for this story. I couldn't remember the name, I know that the genre was gender bender, and manhwa. But I wound it because the stroy's situation was similar to The Day of Revolution which I looked up at mangaupdate for the recommended category.

MANGAHERE SUM:
Joonha is a normal, healthy boy of sixteen who’s cruised through life without too many problems. So imagine his surprise when one day a routine trip to the bathroom reveals that he’s not normal at all! With a shriek, he discovers he’s suddenly missing… well, something he never thought he could live without. The truth is, his family is abnormal in the weirdest of possible ways: after puberty, their bodies undergo a mutation that converts them into the opposite sex! Now Joonha has to leave behind his life as a boy and live as a girl – in the middle of high school!

Operation Liberate Men manga

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/operation_liberate_men/
http://www.mangatraders.com/manga/series/1598

MANGATRADER SUM:

Operation liberate men is an interesting series. In this series, you must keep one thing in your mind. Women are men and men are women in this series. The setting appears to be a fantasy medieval era. Men are sex machines and used only as slaves. Women are kings and all other powerful people are also women.

Our main character is SuHa. (I will not discuss her last name in this review.) Su Ha is a miserable boyish looking girl who just failed high school entrance exam. On her way to home, Su Ha encounters a beautiful boy (or man) with weird outfit. The beautiful man takes her to a fantasy world where women are men and men are women. (Note that Su Ha's world is our world.) Su Ha experiences many events that she could never dream of. Since she dresses up like a boy, she was mistaken as a man. Therefore, she was treated as a slave. As she spends more time, she begins to see the true face of the "fantasy" world she was dragged in...

Love Stage Manga

LINK:
http://mangafox.me/manga/love_stage/
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/love_stage/

September Scanlations SUM:
With a father who’s a singer, a mother who’s a movie star, and an older brother Shougo who’s the lead vocalist for the super-popular band ‘The Crusherz’, Sena Izumi–an otaku college student–is the only dull one born into this super famous and talented family. He loves “Magical Girl LalaLulu” and is working hard to become a mangaka, but one day he winds up appearing in a TV commercial he just can’t turn down. There, he’s reunited with Ichijou Ryouma, the super-popular young actor he costarred with on a project ten years prior.

Sekirei manga

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/sekirei/

I don't know but I like the anime when it can out and I really wanted to see the second season but I haven't got the chance yet. This might be on the list of mangas I like to read some time, maybe

SUM:
Sekirei are 108 beautiful ladies of unknown origin, who together with their Ashikabi (human partners), must battle with one another in order to determine who will ascend and claim the "prize." What is the larger purpose of this event? What are the plans of the event's overseer, the same individual who found these Sekirei and introduced them into society? Enter Sasashi Minato, 19 years old and approaching his 2nd year as a ronin. He is about to give it all up and return home, when quite literally, Musubi falls into/onto his life. An extremely well endowed, energetic, simple and sweet girl in a short miko outfit. Suddenly he finds himself as an Ashikabi, living with a girl for the first time in his life. And this is just the start of his new crazy life, which at most times is more than the poor Minato can handle. This extremely ecchi, yet relatively innocent manga geared toward young men was brought to us by an established yaoi mangaka, Gokurakuin Sakurako!

Ingenuo manga

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/ingenuo/
Sequel:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/steel_rose/

I just remember that it was a long manga and I was impatient and whated to know how it ended. So I looked and downloaded the chinese raws. At that time I was beginning to learn some characters so I didn't know the content of the raws, even if I read the raws now I would only understand 1/8 or 1/10 of the content...

And the art work changes during series.

Esthétique SUM:
Ding Jiayu dreams of being a photographer. Her idol is none other than Yung Jo. When Yung Jo’s photography company holds an audition to find a new photographer, Jiayu decides to take a chance. The thing is, Yung Jo’s company doesn’t hire women, so Jiayu has no choice but to dress up as man and enter. Yung Jo takes great interest in Jiayu's talent and makes her his apprentice. It may seem like a dream to work with your idol, but for Jiayu, it's nothing of the sort. She takes a beating from Yung Jo everyday, and since all the crew members think she is a guy…

sequel sum;
He is Europe's most sought after bachelor, worth over 10 billion in assets and the most handsome young master: Louis. Yet he fell in love with the Kickboxing Champion Lee Le Ting. So Louis tries all he can to get closer to her... A spin-off from ingenuo, with the previous main characters coming back as side characters

Meru Puri Manga

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/merupuri/

I remember it being cute and love the art work.

MAGNAHERE SUM:
High school freshman Airi Hoshina has her life goals all planned out - meet a wonderful boy, get married by age 20, and enjoy an ordinary, loving family life. However, Airi's plan breaks down when she loses an heirloom hand mirror she carries on the way to school. She finds it in the hands of a lordly little boy named Aram, who just used it as a portal from a magical world. Aram has come to Airi's world in hopes of outrunning trouble at home, but it soon becomes clear that he can no more accomplish that than he can keep Airi from getting mixed up in it. From Viz: All high school freshman Airi Hoshina ever wanted was to someday live in a cozy home with a loving husband, and find joy in the little things in life. As a result, she makes it her daily mission to get to school on time because school legend has it that the longer one's non-tardy streak is, the better boyfriend one will find. But just when her daily routine is working like clockwork, an occurrence of fairytale proportions threatens to disrupt her grand plan.

Blue Wars manga

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/blue_wars/

This manga is the cutest story ever. I think the message is don't judge a book by its cover. and be nice to plants and flowers.

MANGAHERE SUM:
Almost two years have passed since Ryousuke made his wish to become a girl. Though he has faithfully tended the plant that will grant his wish, the miracle fruit has yet to appear! What lengths will Ryousuke go to in order to make Gunma fall in love with him?! Is it possible that Gunma might actually return Ryousuke’s feelings…?!

Hoosamguk Gokyo manga

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/hoosamguk_gokyo/

I really like this story too when I started it but there hasn't been any new translation of the next chapter for many years now. The translation group must of dropped it or the manga is on hiatus. I remember that the chapter ending was a epic hang cliffier.

Vampire Knights SUM:
Alice is the heiress to the famed Han Gan clan. She returns to Korea to search for a husband who can then lead the clan, and has her hands full with competitive suitors, each fighting for the coveted position more than for Alice herself. What they don't know, however, is Alice's true motive...

Penguin Revolution manga

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/penguin_revolution/

MANGAHERE SUM:
High school student Yukari Fujimaru knows a potential star when she sees one because she sees the special "aura" they give off, in the form of angelic wings. Yukari's fellow student, the beautiful and responsible student body vice president, Ryoko Katsuragi, has a small pair of wings herself, and is one of these aspiring talents. She's so talented, in fact, that no one even knows that "she" is actually a boy in disguise. Due to a series of events, Yukari has come to discover Ryoko, or rather, Ryou's secret, and is hired as a manager for Ryou by the president of the Peacock Talent Agency. Living together with the promising Ryou and his rather dashing room mate, Makoto Ayori, the number one star in Peacock who is also the lazy, ruffle-headed student body president, is bound to be an adventure! Now, to make her own down-to-earth dream come true Yukari must help her new friend become a star while doing her best to protect both her beloved room mates.

W Juliet manga

http://www.mangahere.com/manga/w_juliet/
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/w_juliet_ii/

I really like this story when I started this. I was chasing the chapters when they have been release and translated.

MANGAHERE SUM:
Since the day her mother died, Ito Miura has dressed and acted like a guy; growing up with three brothers, she has always found girly clothes and mannerisms stifling. Now in high school, she wears her hair cut short like a guy's and dresses in the boys' uniform (much to her teachers' chagrin). This, combined with her tall stature and low voice, makes mistaking her for a boy easy; unless she told you, you would never think she was a girl. Stunningly beautiful transfer student, Makoto Amano and Ito quickly become friends when Makoto joins the school drama club, which Ito is a part of. The two find a surprising number of similarities between them such as their tall stature, both of their families' homes being dojos and their passion for theater. Ito soon discovers the shocking truth about her new "girl friend."

Tokyo Crazy Paradise

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/tokyo_crazy_paradise/
http://www.tenmanga.com/book/Tokyo+Crazy+Paradise.html

I love this story when I started it. It's the same mangka as Skip Beat!

MANGAUPDATES SUM:

It's the year 2020 AD, and Tokyo II is a city infested with crime. Women can no longer go out in the streets alone without being victimized. Not wanting their daughter to suffer the same fate, Tsukasa Kozuki's cop parents raise her as a boy. When they are suddenly killed by one of the yakuza's in-fights, Tsukasa is left orphaned on the streets along with her three brothers. With no other options, she goes to the only person she can think of for help: pokerface Ryuji Shirogami, her classmate of 8 years and also the head leader of the powerful yakuza group, Kuryugumi. Ryuji, whose father was also a victim of the same yakuza fight, agrees to take her on as his personal bodyguard. As they set out to find their enemy, Ryuji slaps an increasing amount of debt onto Tsukasa, using all manner of ploys to keep the reluctant Tsukasa by his side.

The Day of Revolution

LINK:
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/the_day_of_revolution/

MANGAUPDATE SUM:
Kei is a normal--if very pretty--young boy in high school. One day, he falls ill and is taken to the hospital. They find, much to everyone's surprise, that "he" actually has a female genotype even though "his" phenotype is male!! A little bit of surgical work solves the problem, and cool male hero Kei becomes innocent female heroine Kei. And what a female! "He" was cute before, but she is a beauty now.

Bakings general rules from Joyofbaking

BAKING POWDER AND SODA:
1 teaspoon = 5 grams

The general rule of thumb for amount of baking powder in recipes: 1 to 2 teaspoons (5-10 grams) of baking powder leavens 1 cup (140 grams) of flour.  The amount will depend on the ingredients and how they are mixed.

BUTTER:
1 cup = 226 grams
1 tablespoon = 14 grams

Note: Can substitute 8 ounces (226 grams) of lightly salted butter for 8 ounces unsalted butter, but remove 1/2 teaspoon (3.5 grams) salt from recipe.

TIP:  Room temperature butter means the butter should only give slightly when pressed with index finger.

CREAMS:
Heavy cream (30-40% butterfat):
1 cup (240 ml) = 232 grams
Milk, Buttermilk, Sour Cream, and Half-and-Half:
1 cup (240 ml) = 242 grams

EGGS:
Freshness Test:  Place an egg in water mixed with a little salt. If the egg is fresh it will sink. The quicker or farther it sinks, the fresher it is. If the egg floats, it has spoiled.
TIP:  Cold eggs are easier to separate than warm eggs.

TIP:  To achieve maximum volume when beating eggs, have them at room temperature.
TIP:  Always use large eggs in recipes where egg size is not given.



Dec 30, 2012

No Bake Cheesecake filling

LINK:
http://joyofbaking.com/NoBakeCheesecake.html

LIST:
One 8-ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream(contains 36-40% butterfat)

Cream Filling with marshmallows recipe

Cream Filling:
1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream (contains 35-40% butterfat)
1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (160 grams) miniature marshmallows (homemade or store bought)

LINK:
http://joyofbaking.com/barsandsquares/CherrySquares.htm

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

LINK:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/no-bake-peanut-butter-pie/
http://allrecipes.com/video/974/no-bake-peanut-butter-pie/detail.aspx

This looks very good and easy to make without a lot of ingredients.

LIST:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts

METHOD:
Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm

Mini Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecakes


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer cookies, finely crushed
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
4 oz (1/2 cup) strawberry yogurt
8 oz (1 1/4 cups) semisweet chocolate, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in 24 mini-muffin tins.

2. Combine butter and cookie crumbs; divide evenly and press into the paper liners in the the muffin cups.

3. Beat cream cheese with sugar until well blended.

4. Beat in egg; slowly add yogurt and melted chocolate.

5. Bake 25 minutes or until set. Cool on rack and refrigerate overnight.

New York Cheesecake different serving style Recipes

http://joyofbaking.com/Cheesecakes(Individual).html


http://joyofbaking.com/barsandsquares/CheesecakeSquares.html


http://joyofbaking.com/Cheesecake.html

Chinese Egg Tart

LINK:
http://herfrozenwings.blogspot.com/2011/08/flaky-egg-tarts.html


Water Dough
230 high protein flour, sifted
10gm custard powder, sifted
100 margarine/butter
4 tbsp castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
4-5 tbsp water

Oil Dough
150g plain flour, sifted
100gm shortening

Filling:
240ml boiling water
120gm castor sugar
3 eggs ( size A)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp vinegar ( helps to set the filling)

Method:
Filling: Add the castor sugar to the boiling water, stir to dissolve the sugar and leave aside to cool.

Water dough:  mix flour and custard powder together and rub in butter/margarine until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add in the sugar, mix well and put in the egg and 4 tsps of water, mix all with hand until it forms into a dough. Knead the dough by hand, will take several minutes to knead until it becomes a smooth dough.( i used food processor to make this dough, add in all the ingredients except egg and water, put on pulse to achieve breadcrumbs alike consistency, add in the egg and water and pulse again until it forms a pliable and smooth dough.). Leave the dough aside or put in the fridge.

Oil dough: Mix the flour and the shortening until it comes together. ( it's a little tough to form into a dough, just keep gathering the flour and rub in shortening till it forms a rough dough ). Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Preparing the pastry
pic 1: water dough ( yellow dough) and oil dough
pic 2: Flatten water dough. Place oil dough in the center of water dough and wrap oil dough in water dough as shown in pic 3.
pic 3: Oil dough wrapped in water dough.
pic 4: Roll the dough flat into a rectangle shape.
pic 5: Fold one end of the dough up to 2/3 of the dough.
pic 6: Fold the other end of the dough ( remaining 1/3 )on top of the folded dough.
pic 7: from the side, the dough will look like this.
pic 8: Turn the dough 90 degree .
pic 9: Flatten the dough once again and roll into a rectangle shape. Repeat these steps ( pic 5- pic8 ) 2 times more.

a) Put the dough in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, you can make the fillings. After the sugar solution has cooled down, add in the eggs, vanilla essence and vinegar . Stir to combine well and sieve the fillings. Discard remaining egg whites left on the strainer. Leave it aside.

b) after 30 minutes, take the pastry out from the fridge, if you find it a little hard, you can thaw it for 10 minutes before shaping the tarts. Roll the pastry out to a big dough with a thickness of 0.3cm. Use a round cutter ( slightly bigger than your tart ) to cut the dough out. Place the dough onto the tart case, pressing the bottom and gently pressing the sides of the tart. Repeat until you finish lining all the tarts. Preheat the oven at 200C

c) Pour the filling about 70% full and bake for 25-30 minutes. Pls check the appropriate temp for your oven, it's really hard to advise. I baked mine at 200c for about 25minutes

Lost On Journey 人在囧途



My mum was watching this movie and was laughing her butt off. I also joined her and was laughing my butt off too.

filmbiz.asia SUM:
Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, just before Chinese New Year. Though his mistress Manni (Li Man) wants him to spend the holiday with her, Li Chenggong (Xu Zheng), CEO of United Doll Culture Group, feels he must visit his wife Meili (Zuo Xiaoqing), young daughter and sick mother at their family home in Changsha, 1,200 kilometres south in Hubei province. Arriving at the crowded airport, he finds he's mistakenly been booked in economy class, where he sits next to first-time flyer Niu Geng (Wang Baoqiang), senior milker at Happy Dairy Farm, who's also flying to Changsha and is owed back wages by his manager. After taking off, the plane has to turn back because of heavy snow at Changsha airport, but Li manages to acquire a train ticket from a tout. On board, he finds he's been sold a fake one - and for the same seat that Niu has also bought. Next morning, when they have to leave the train in the middle of nowhere because of a landslide, Li and Niu find themselves travelling the remaining 490 kilometres together as one after another mishap overtakes them.

LINK:
http://www.gooddrama.net/chinese-movie/lost-on-journey

Dec 29, 2012

I Made Sweet Potato Rice Donuts

I finally made it. It taste absolutely yummy. It's chewy and gooey in the inside and crunchy sweet on the outside. I'm very happy about it, both my parents like it. I forgot to take some pictures of the my beginning process of making the dough but I took the end process. I'll be writing about my preparing and cooking process and some "problems" I faced and noted down. The recipe is from BK

I follow the ingredient amount. I tried using the body weight we have to measure 3/4lb of sweet potato but that didn't work, it was a digital, so I just wing it with 3 medium size sweet potato. I cut the s. potatoes diagonally in half, so it would boil faster, while it's boiling I mix the flour mixture in an large bowl. I drain the water boiling the sweet potato when my chopstick can poke through it. I peeled the skin, which was easy to do and hot, into another bowl and smash it to mush. I was still debating how much is 3/4 lb was when I remember in BK's picture she used 2 s.potatoes so I used about 2/3 of my mashie. The mashie was cool then because I had the wait for my mother to come home from work. She was bringing the baking powder which we didn't have at home. Then I used my hand to knead the flour mixture and mushie. I then microwave the milk until foams build up and was about to overflow, it was 3 minutes or near it. Like BK instructed you want "bread dough-like consistency." My dough was plenty moist so I pour a little bit of milk and used a spoon to mix because my hand would burn. I don't know how it happen but my mum help me pour more milk inside. The dough became sticky so I had to add more rice flour until most of the dough didn't stick onto my hand when kneading.





















I fill the pot with oil we had out. The heat should be on medium or less then medium heat, you don't want the oil too hot or it will burn fast and raw inside. I test the oil by dripping a drop of water to see it it cracks. When you add the dough get the utensil ready to roll it around so it wouldn't stick at the beginning. When it wouldn't stick anymore I just rolled it to the other side every few minutes until the outside is a brown color. My mum doesn't like cinnamon sugar so I had a separate batch coated with just plain sugar.

okay, I had some that I made too large that the inner inside was still raw. You can taste the difference and see the difference too. the rawness is off orange color, like what the dough color was. The fully cook gets a tint darker(oranger)






This is what my hand look like after being washed once from kneading but not from making the dough balls. My dad took this picture. He chuckled and said it looks like an old wrinkle woman's hand.

And I still have some s. potato mush left...

Dec 28, 2012

JoyofBaking: Crust recipes

Pie Crust:
2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (4 grams) salt
1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 - 120 ml) ice water



Sweet Pastry Crust:
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten



Shortbread Crust:
1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (35 grams) confectioners sugar (powdered or icing sugar)
1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

whipped cream frosting different flavors recipe



LINK: http://www.joyofbaking.com/WhippedCreamFrosting.html

I don't like the cake frosting you but at the supermarket. It's too sweet. So I like the whipped cream frosting its not that sweet. But making your own, you can control of the content.

Whipped Cream Frosting:
1 cup (240 ml) cold heavy whipping cream  (35-40% butterfat content)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons (15-25 grams) granulated white sugar, or to taste

Raspberry Whipped Cream:
Make the Whipped Cream Frosting and
Add: 1/3 cup (80 ml) chilled raspberry puree or seedless raspberry jam

Strawberry Whipped Cream:
Make the Whipped Cream Frosting and
Add: 1/3 cup (80 ml) chilled strawberry puree or strawberry jam

Lemon Whipped Cream:
Make the Whipped Cream Frosting and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup (60-80 ml) chilled lemon curd

Chocolate Whipped Cream:
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 - 4 tablespoons (35-50 grams) granulated white sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch processed)
1 cup (240 ml) cold heavy whipping cream

Mocha Whipped Cream:
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 - 4 tablespoons (35-50 grams) granulated white sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch processed)
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1 cup (240 ml) cold heavy whipping cream

H-Mart: Limited Offer 28-30th: Zojirushi Rice Cooker

I have the NS-ZCC10 the 5 cup one. And it make the best rice ever. If you eat rice daily this would be a fine investment/asset. And it's easy to work it once you get to know the buttons. I also read a review on amazon that it cooks brown rice wonderfully, it's not hard or dry. I haven't cook brown rice yet, but from the wonders, I believe it. I don't know about the other rice cooker if it's good or what's the difference. But the price for NS-ZCC18 is super low price. I compare it to the amazon price which is about $170, I bought my 5 cup one this summer for $160. So the price is very good. If your rice cooker is broken or need a rice cooker I would recommend the NS-ZCC18 while the offer last. 

I'm debating whether I should buy it for my parents but I called my mom about it and she said we already have one and don't need it....

LINK:
http://www.hmart.com/shopnow/shopnow_special.asp?id=zojirushi

Dec 27, 2012

Shuumatsu no Laughter Manga

LINK:
http://mangafox.me/manga/shuumatsu_no_laughter/

MANGAFOX SUM:
A girl named Haru and her big brother suddenly appear in town. Her brother, being an akuma, is shunned by the people. But, he gets them to bring him to the chief of the town where he offers to bury the akuma - Godot - who has been living in the town for 5 years. Can this "akuma eater" accomplish this task?

Dec 26, 2012

GIRL by Hwang Mi Ri

LINK:
http://mangafox.me/manga/girl_hwang_mi_ri/

MANGAFOX SUM:

“You must never let anyone find out that you’re a girl! If you do, the entire world will be after you.”

Due to a strange biological catastrophe that affected the X-chromosome, there are no girls being born in the world!
The only girl left unaffected by this is Kang Ho Soo, who woke up 30 years later from a preserved sleep to find the world filled with men!

Now she must hide her identity as a female not just from the whole world but also from the school's biggest troublemaker Park Yoo Ah who also happens to be her roommate! Will she be able to survive the school year?!

Idol Clubs Manga

LINK:
http://mangafox.me/manga/idol_clubs/
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/idol_clubs/

Tofu Rare Cheesecake 豆腐のレアチーズケーキ



60g Graham Crackers or substitute Unsweetened Biscuits (2.1 oz)
30g Melted Butter (1.05 oz) - Salted or Unsalted
100g Cream Cheese (3.5 oz)
100g Firm Tofu (3.5 oz)
100g Plain Yogurt (3.5 oz)
50ml Whipping Cream (1.7 fl oz)
50g Sugar (1.75 oz)
1 tbsp Lemon Juice

5g Gelatin Powder (0.18 oz)
50ml Hot Water (1.7 fl oz) - approx. 80°C/176°F

Cake Pan with removable bottom (15cm/5.9 inch diameter)

Japanese cheesecake recipe video



Necessary Equipment:
6-inch square brownie pan
(9-inch square brownie pan makes 18 flatter cheesecake bars)

Ingredients:
Crust:
120g (4.2oz.) vanilla wafers
40g (1.4oz.) butter (softened)

Cheesecake:
200g (7oz.) cream cheese (softened)
60g (2.1oz.) sugar
2 egg
150cc fresh cream (or whipping cream is okay)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. flour
20g (0.7oz.) butter

Directions:
Crust:
1. Line the brownie pan with waxed paper or parchment paper.
2. Smash vanilla wafers in a Ziploc bag, add butter (softened), and mix well. Press firmly into the brownie pan. Chill until set.

Cheesecake:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
2. Beat cream cheese with wire whisk. Add sugar, beaten eggs (little by little), fresh cream, lemon juice, flour (sift in), and melted butter, and mix until smooth.
3. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the brownie pan and bake at 180C (350F) for 35-40 minutes.
4. Allow to cool to the room temperature and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Cut into bars.

The best way to cut a cheesecake is to use a long knife that has been warmed in hot water. Dip the knife in hot water, wipe, and cut. Repeat this each time you cut!

Dec 24, 2012

Cheongdam-dong Alice

LINK:
http://www.viki.com/channels/10591-cheongdam-dong-alice
http://www.gooddrama.net/korean-drama/cheongdamdong-alice


KOREANDRAMA SUM:
Han Se Kyung (Moon Geun Young) is a talented young designer with a very positive character. She wins many designing contests and finally joins a clothing company. But She only does errands and chores rather than design at work. Meanwhile, the wife of the upper management in this company humiliates her. The wife is actually her former high school classmate who didn’t do better than her in school. The situation change until she met Cha Seung Jo (Park Shi Hoo), who is a president of a luxury brand shop in Cheongdamdong and he will change her life after that.

Dec 23, 2012

Fried Man Tou with sweet condense milk

by newyork.seriouseats
I had this dessert for the first time 2 summer ago at a Korean restaurant in China. The inside was soft and fluffy while the outside was crunchy. And dipping it in sweet condense milk made it heavenly yummy.

Okay I was looking for the recipe and it's really simple to produce.

Method:
Make the mantou from scratch or buy the frozen ones at the asian store; then steam it. Then fried it to a nice golden brown. You can buy sweet condense milk or make your own, you just need milk, sugar and butter, here are some links:

http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/recipes/healthy-homemade-sweetened-condensed-milk-without-powdered-dry-milk/

http://www.justasdelish.com/homemade-condensed-milk/

http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-sweetened-condensed-milk-14062

Ellen has fun with Andy with "Can He Say That?"



I laugh really hard while watching this.

Ellen's Got Clumsy Thumbsy

Bad Gifts from Facebook

Dec 22, 2012

19 People Who Are Having A Way Worse Day Than You

This is hilarious. Laughed my butt off. ^^

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/people-who-are-having-a-worse-day-than-you

One Mom and Three Dads

very funny to watch, a drama I would recommend. ^__^

spoiler alert:
My mum ask me who might the father be, I guessed the dead husband. I just had the feeling and I was right. That's a first.

WIKI SUM:
Song Na Young and her husband, Jung Sung Min, desperately want a child but her husband is unable to get her pregnant. Her husband's friends decide to help them. But Na Young suddenly loses her husband in an accident and she gives birth to her daughter but does not know which of her husband's friends fathered her child. The father of Na Young's child can either be Han Soo Hyun, Choi Kwang Hee, or Hwang Kyung Tae.

LINK:
http://www.gooddrama.net/korean-drama/three-dads-one-mom
http://www.dramafans.org/drama/three_dads_one_mom

Roll cake filling

filling:
120ml whipping cream
50ml condensed milk

whisk whipping cream and condensed milk together until stiff peaks. 

Crepe and Whipped Cream recipe

BY: http://www.kandeej.com/2011/06/worlds-best-crepe-recipe.html

Crepe recipe:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 table spoons butter (melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

MIX ALL THESE TOGETHER in a bowl then stir in 1 cup of flour. In pan or griddle put a little (or a lot) of butter pour batter then swirl pan so you cover then whole pan in a "paper-thin"-ish batter coating....cook until top side looks dry and bubbly..flip then fold in thirds, flop on your plate...put a little more butter, sprinkle with powder sugar....and then, if you dare...make this whipped creme...and go to flavor heaven!

whipped cream:
1 small carton of heavy whipping creme (about 1 cup)
2 teaspoons vanilla
(extra tip: put bowl and whipping cream in freezer for a couple minutes before whipping it)

whip together with mixer on med-hi speed until it start to form peaks
add in slowly 2 tablespoons of powder sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting

FROM: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Cream-Cheese-Frosting-MyRecipes-266404

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Milk

Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla; stir well. If frosting is too thick to spread, thin with milk, adding 1 teaspoon at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency.

Sturdier Whipped Cream

FROM:
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Sturdier-Whipped-Cream-Recipezaar

8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

Beat cream cheese, sugar & salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl often. Add vanilla and beat for 30 seconds.

With speed on low, gradually add the heavy cream in a slow steady stream. When almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2-3 minutes more.

Pistachio-Chocolate Buche de Noel Roll Cake

FROM: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Pistachio_Chocolate-Buche-de-Noel-Martha-Stewart

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, separated, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 pints pistachio ice cream, beaten until spreadable
Chocolate Wood-Grain
Chocolate Leaves Chocolate Leaves, for garnish (optional)
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper; spray paper. Into a small bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk yolks and half the sugar until thick and pale. Beat in vanilla. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites, with clean whisk, until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining sugar; beat until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture in three batches; add flour mixture with last batch.
Spread batter evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake until cake springs back to touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Run a small, sharp knive around edges to loosen, and invert cake onto clean kitchen towel dusted with cocoa powder. Peel off parchment paper. starting at a short side, roll into a log, incorporating towel. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool, about 1 hour.
Unroll cake; spread ice cream evenly over top, leaving 1/2-inch border on all sides. Reroll (without towel). Arrange, seam side down, on parchment -lined baking sheet; freeze until ice cream is firm, at least 1 hour. Run a serrated knife under hot water and pat dry. Trim ends of log as desired.
Wrap log in chocolate wood-grain: Tuck one end of chocolate-coated acetate under cake while lifting other end up and over cake (chocolate side should be facing cake), being careful not to let chocolate touch the cake until the sheet is ready to be tucked under at other side. Place, seam side down, on an inverted baking sheet, and return to freezer. Let stand until the chocolate has hardened, about 10 minutes.
When ready to serve, remove cake from freezer. Carefully peel acetate from cake; gently break off ends of chocolate wrapping to line up with ends of cake. Garnish with chocolate leaves, if desired.

Red Velvet Cake Roll

RECIPE LINK:
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Red-Velvet-Cake-Roll-Recipe-Leite_s-Culinaria-41040

Pumpkin Cream Roll

FROM:http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Pumpkin-Cream-Roll-My-Recipes
3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2/3 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 1/2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 15-by-10-inch jelly-roll pan. Line pan with parchment paper and grease paper.
Make cake: Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger and 1/4 tsp. salt.
With electric mixer on high, beat egg yolks, granulated sugar and brown sugar until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. On low, mix in pumpkin and then dry ingredients.
With a clean bowl and beaters, beat egg whites and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter in 3 additions. Scrape into pan; spread evenly. Bake until springy to touch, about 15 minutes.
Dust a clean kitchen towel with confectioners' sugar. Loosen cake from pan; turn out onto towel and peel off parchment. Roll cake lengthwise in towel; turn seam to bottom and let cake cool.
Make filling: Beat all 5 ingredients on high until smooth, about 3 minutes. Unroll cake, spread filling evenly and reroll. Trim ends diagonally and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Chocolate Roll Cake

FROM: http://www.yummly.com/blog/2012/12/how-to-make-a-roll-cake/
1/3 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbs cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
4 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (or your frosting of choice)
15×10 inch jelly roll pan
wax paper
clean dish towel
whisk or electric mixer

Bake the Cake
These instructions are specific to this recipe. If you’re using an angel food cake, sponge cake, or chiffon cake, just follow those instructions.

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan with waxed paper. Grease and flour the lined pan, and tap out the excess flour.
Combine the the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, mix, and set aside.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites vigorously until foamy. In small installments, add 1/2 cup sugar, and continue beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until fluffy.
Fold 1/3 beaten egg whites into egg yolk mixture to lighten. Alternately fold in remaining whites and flour mixture.
Pour batter into pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, or until cake springs back when lightly touched (about 14 minutes).

*Now would be a good time to make your desired frosting!

Assemble the Roll
This strategy works for pretty much every roll cake!
Dust a clean cloth with the powdered sugar. While the cake’s still hot, turn it out onto the prepared cloth and peel off the waxed paper. Trim cake’s edges.
Starting with a long side, tightly roll up cake with the cloth.
Transfer cake, seam-side down, to a wire rack to cool. Unroll cake; remove cloth.
Spread your frosting over the cake to within 1 in. of edges. Roll up again and place so that the seam side is down. Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving!

Swedish Meatballs Recipe

BY: foodwishes
This looks great. It reminds me of a classmate's homemade meatballs in class for a cultural thing


Ingredients for 4 large portions:
For the meatballs:
2 tbsp butter
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
pinch of cayenne
1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground pork
*Note: you can always cook a little piece to taste for salt, and adjust from there.
Brown meatballs in 425 degrees F. oven for about 20-25 minutes.

For the sauce:
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp  all-purpose flour
3 1/4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Dec 21, 2012

Egg Custard Pastries (Cheating Version of Egg tarts)


BY: christinesrecipes

I personally didn't like egg tarts when I was little. So, I'm not sure how I would react now. The final product of the pastry looks like paper. >.<

Ingredients:
6 pieces Pampas’s filo pastry, at room temperature
100ml whipping cream
75ml milk, room temperature
40gm caster sugar
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 tsp cake flour, available at supermarkets or Asian grocery stores

Method:
  1. Prepare the filling: Use a sauce pan. Mix cream with milk, add sugar. Heat over low heat and cook until the sugar dissolves. Let cool completely. Stir in the egg yolks and flour. Combine thoroughly. Drain through a fine sieve. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 200C (395F).
  3. Carefully fold one end of the filo pastry to match the opposite end. Repeat and fold once more. Then you’ll get a 4-stack pastries as picture shown. Use a pair of scissors to cut along the folded lines. Then cut each stack into 4 equal squares. You should have 16 stacks of little square pastries.
  4. Line a muffin tray with the square pastries. My muffin tray only can bake 12, so I have to place more pastries for some tarts and use up all the pastries.
  5. Evenly pour the filling into the pastry shells. Carefully transfer into the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry turns brown. Don’t leave them unattended while baking. If the egg custard puffs up, open the oven door a few inches. By doing this, the egg custard would not shrink too much once the pastry cools down. It’s normal that the filling shrinks a bit though.

Butter Buns (with Tips on making fresh buns for breakfast)

BY: Christine's Recipes

Ingredients:
250 gm bread flour
25 gm cake flour
5 gm instant dry yeast
15 gm milk powder
40 gm caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
100 ml water, about 36C/97F
80 ml milk, about 36C/97F
40 gm butter, softened at room temperature
whisked egg, for egg wash

Method:
  1. Mix all ingredients (except butter) in a bread maker or knead by hand. I used my stand mixer this time. When all the ingredients come together, knead in butter until the dough passes the thin membrane test. (The dough could be stretched to a thin membrane, as shown in the above picture). Roll it into a ball. Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let it proof until it's doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  2. Transfer to a clean floured surface. Deflate and divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Knead each into a ball shape. Place them evenly in a lightly greased baking tin (shown as above picture). Cover with plastic wrap and let it proof until doubled in size, crowded together, almost reaching the rim, about 1 to 1½ hours.
  3. About 5 to 10 minutes towards the end of proofing time, preheat oven to 170C/ 335F. Egg wash the dough portions. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the buns from the oven and let it stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn them out from the tin onto a wire rack. Serve warm with butter if you like. The leftovers can be kept in an air-tight plastic bag or container, at room temperature.
Notes:
The texture of these butter buns is wonderfully soft and fluffy. The leftovers can be kept soft overnight. Just reheat them with your oven and they taste like those fresh from oven.

Don’t have time to knead the dough but you still want fresh buns for breakfast? Here’s a workaround. Make the buns the night before, up to the point where they're shaped and put in the tin for the 2nd round of proofing. Wait until the dough has risen halfway, almost touching one another. Yet don’t wait until they are fully risen. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and refrigerate. The next morning, remove the buns from the fridge, and let warm and rise, keeping them covered, for an hour or so. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the buns as instructed in step 3.



Water Chestnut Cake

BY: tastehongkong

I had this in a seafood buffet, but didn't know what it was called. My mother love the taste of it and the water chestnut's crunchiness. I can't wait to make this.

Ingredients:

70g water chestnut powder
4 pcs fresh water chestnut (or from canned) – here is another recipe for using water chestnuts
70g rock sugar
2 cups water
2 tsp custard powder (dissolved by 2 tsp water)
These portions of ingredients altogether fit well into my rectangular baking dish of 17(W)x11(D)x4(H)cm

Custard Powder is Optional:
I like to have this firm-jelly-like water chestnut cake looked translucent and slightly yellowish, therefore rock sugar (for transparency) and custard powder (for the yellow color) are used. If not, just omit the custard powder and substitute rock sugar by brown sugar, which will give the cake a brownish appearance.

Preparation:
Grease the dish for steaming. Wash water chestnuts; peel and dice them right before cooking, if not, soak the peeled water chestnuts in water to avoid turning rusty.

Dissolve water chestnut powder with one cup of water (cold water). Put diced water chestnuts, sugar with the remaining one cup of water into a pot, bring to boil.

As soon as the liquid boils and the sugar dissolves, turn off heat. Immediately, stir in the dissolved water chestnut powder and custard powder. Like using corn starch for thickening, if the powder settles to the bottom, give it a good stir before mixing it into the hot water. Stir well with efforts to achieve a lump-free and pasty mixture.

Pour the mixture into the dish, flatten it into the same height.

In a wok, set up a rack to hold the dish above 4 cups of water, cover and steam for 15 minutes over high heat. To make sure if it is perfectly done, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.

Serving the Cake:
Steaming : After steamed, let cool the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. After stored in fridge, steam the cake again if to serve hot again. Or, it is also good to serve cold.

Pan Frying : After cooled and sliced, they can be re-heated and caramelized by pan-frying. And this is the way the famous Cantonese dim sum – pan-fried water chestnut cake – is prepared. If it is the first time you pan-fry chestnut cake slices, try to do it with a small portion first and see how it works out in your pan. Their sugary content can cause easy sticking, but a decent pan that is heated hot enough shall help. Adding corn starch (about 1/10 of the total powder) shall make the cake firmer and easier to fry, I didn’t do this because I love to have the pure taste of water chestnuts.

Sharp Cheddar Cheese Crackers

BY: joythebaker
LIST:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cold water

For Chili Cheese Crackers (these amounts will spice half of the cracker dough) :
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

METHOD:
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, cheese, salt and pepper.  It may seem strange to blend butter and cheese, but it will come together in a soft ball.  With mixer on low-speed, slowly add flour.  Mixture will become dry and crumbly.  Add two tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time.  Beat until mixture just comes together into a ball.  The mixture may take an extra teaspoon of water, but don’t add too much.  The dough should be moist but not wet.

Divide the dough in half and add chili seasoning to half of the dough.  Knead the spices into the dough.  Leaving streaks of the seasoning is just fine.  Wrap each disk of cracker dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (an hour is better).  The dough can also be frozen for future use.

While dough chills, place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough very thin, about an eighth of an inch thick.  Dot center of cracker with a fork or the end of a paint brush.  Place crackers on prepared baking sheets.  The pieces can be close together as they won’t expand much when baking.  Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until fragrant, golden brown, and crisp.  Allow to cool before serving.

The crackers can be stored in an airtight container for two or three days.

Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken

BY: foodiebaker
This looks tender good. The pretty red color.

Cooking Note: Firstly, I made this recipe for 2 – the original recipe apportion some sauce to marinate, some sauce to bake, some sauce for dipping but I didn’t apportion it at all, so I used much lesser sauce than stated in the recipe (also, I served the chicken as sides, so I used lesser chicken than stated). Secondly, I  have no Worcestershire sauce and cider vinegar, so I substituted it with soy sauce and lemon juice respectively. Next, I had also added a chili for some kick (you can use paprika or cayenne pepper if you have them). Lastly, just 5-10 minutes before they’re done, I turned them skin side up, place it on the highest rack and turn up the heat to the maximum so that the skin is slightly charred and crispy. Let me know what other variations you’ve made!

LIST:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 chilli, snipped into small pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
4 to 6 chicken drumsticks, weighing about 300 to 450 grams

METHOD:
In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice and chilli. Season generously with salt and black pepper.

Line a baking tray with aluminum foil (for easy clean up later on). Rinse the chicken drumsticks and pat dry with paper towel. Place them in the tray and pour the sauce over the chicken, tossing to mix them up, and marinate the chicken for several hours. (I will marinate the chicken overnight the next time I make it).

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Bake the chicken drumsticks in the middle rack for 30 minutes, tossing the chicken halfway through until the chicken are cooked. Turn the chicken drumsticks skin side up, transfer the chicken drumsticks into the highest rack, turn up the heat to the maximum and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the skin is slightly charred and crisp. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Homemade Pickled Swatow Mustard Green

BY: tastehongkong

I love this snack. When I vacation to china, I go and buy a jar of pickled swatow. It's crunchy, juice and sour the way I like it. It's awesome. I would  eat it plain like that or it is usually a side dish for rice porridge.

Ingredients:
1 swatow mustard green, ~500g
1 tsp sea salt

Solution for pickling:
100g rock sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
2 cups water


Method:
Soak the vegetable in a basin of water for about half an hour. Cut the vegetable vertically into two equal portions (trim away any brown spots) and wash it under running water until clean. Make sure the areas in-between stems are also washed.

Massage the mustard green (especially on its cut surfaces) with 1/2 tea spoon of salt and let it stand for about an hour. This helps draw out bitterness from the veggie.

Mix salt, sugar and water for pickling in a pot, swirl over heat to melt them down completely. Remove from heat, let cool and mix in vinegar.

Bring about 3 to 4 cups of water in a pot to the boil; put the salted mustard green (but discard any juice) in the pot to blanch. The water shall stop bubbling as soon as it is loaded with the vegetable. Wait till the water boils up again, about 1 to 2 minutes, then dish up the mustard green. Drain excess water, let cool and cut each half vertically into two equal portions.

Get a sterilized bottle or jar (with cover) which is large enough to contain both the solution and vegetable (mine is about 1 liter in volume). Plunge in the cooled mustard green into the bottle, and pour in the solution. Make sure the vegetable is fully submerged in liquid. Cover.

The mustard green shall turn yellowish the next day. Wait another 2 to 3 days at room temperature for the flavors to develop further before serving (see below). For storage, transfer to fridge.

Tip:
Make sure every thing used to handle the boiled vegetable is cleaned, or you may found molds growing with the pickle.

You may check the taste of the pickling solution before filling it into the bottle to see if it suits your taste.

Crispy Roast Pork Belly

BY: noobcook

That looks so good.

INGREDIENTS:

750 grams pork belly uncut slab
2 tsp sea salt divided
1/2 tbsp five-spice powder
1/4 tsp white pepper powder
water

INSTRUCTIONS:
  1. Use kitchen tweezers to pull out stray hair on the pork belly skin, if any. Use a knife to scrap the skin for a few minutes to remove impurities. Rinse pork belly stab and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Holding a small knife in a stabbing action, make short diagonal slits with the tip of the knife on the surface of the skin (but not cutting into the meat) at random. I asked the market butcher to help me with this step when I bought the meat.
  3. Combine 1 tsp salt, 5-spice powder and white pepper in a small bowl. Rub the marinade all over the meat portion only. If any marinade gets on the skin, rub it off with a paper towel.
  4. Rub the remaining 1 tsp salt on the skin. Place pork belly on a plate, uncovered, skin side up and let it marinade for a few hours or preferably overnight in the refrigerator. The purpose is to dry the skin thoroughly and also to allow the marinade to seep into the meat.
  5. When ready to roast, first place a ramekin in the center of a semi-deep roasting tray (I am using a bread tin). Fill the tray with some water and place the pork belly on the ramekin. Be careful not to let the skin get wet, if that happens, pat dry with paper towel.
  6. Bake the pork belly at preheated oven of 220°C for 30 minutes to get the blistering on the skin started.
  7. By this time, the skin will be softened and you can see some blistering on the skin. Using a bamboo skewer, poke as many holes as you can on the portion of the skin which is still soft.
  8. Return pork belly and roast at 200°C for another 90 minutes, or until the skin is roasted to crispy perfection. At every 30 minutes interval, top up the water in the tray and poke holes with a bamboo skewer on the portion of the skin which is still soft.
  9. Place the cooked pork on a wire rack and allow the meat to rest for about 15 minutes before cutting.
  10. Scrap off charred areas from the skin, if any, with a knife. Place the meat on a chopping board, skin side down. Slice a strip of pork, and further cut the strip to smaller, bite-sized pieces.
NB'S Cooking Notes:
1. Tips for getting perfect crispy skin:
- The skin has to be very dry and hence it is recommended to dry it in the refrigerator for a few hours, preferably overnight.
- The slits and holes made on the skin (not so deep that it cut into the meat) helps it to crackle, so make as many as you can but do not cut into the meat.
- Roast the pork on a higher rack closer to the heating coil.

2. The water helps the meat to be tender and moist, while allowing the oil to drip directly onto it for easy cleaning.

3. Before the meat has been cooked, the skin is very tough and it is difficult to make cuts on it. Some recipes suggest blanching the meat first but I find that after blanching, the meat will not absorb the marinade well. Hence I use my method of first making slits on the raw skin with the tip of the knife by holding the knife in a stabbing action (I saw my butcher doing so). After the meat has been roasted for 30 minutes, the skin will be soft and it will now be very easy to poke holes on the skin using bamboo skewers.


Potato Pancakes

BY: Foodwishes

Swan Cream Puffs

BY: herfrozenwings

This is so cool. Look at that, very nice.

Ingredients:
85gm water
50gm butter
60gm plain flour
125gm eggs ( about 2 eggs )

For filling:
Vanilla custard cream from Quay Po Cooks and some whipped cream.

Method:
1.Boil butter and water till boiling. Put in all the flour and stir vigorously using a wooden spoon till paste is not sticky and leave the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and let it cool till lukewarm.
2.Stir in eggs and mix till it becomes a smooth paste. Scoop out 4-5 tbsps of paste set aside to make swan necks. Fill the rest into a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe onto the baking paper. Bake at 180C for about 20-25 mins, puffed up and golden, turn off heat and leave in the oven for several minutes before removing them out. ( i baked at 200C for 10mins, reduced to 180C for around 15 mins)

For swan necks:
Fill them into a piping bag, snip off the end of the piping bag leaving a small hole and pipe out the neck shape. Bake for around 10-13 minutes.

Pepper Jack Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

BY: Joythebaker

2 sandwiches
 
List:

5 jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 slices bread

Direction:
Let’s first work with the jalapenos. Char jalapeno skins by placing them over a low open flame, and rotating them until blackened all around. You can also place jalapenos under the broiler and toast until blackened on all sides. Remove from the flame (or oven), and allow the peppers to steam. I placed my hot and blackened peppers in a small pot with the lid on. You can also loosely wrap the peppers in foil. After peppers have steamed for about 10 minutes, place on a clean work surface. Use the sharp edge of a knife to scrape the skin off the peppers. Once clean of skin, slice off the top, cup dow the center vertically, and use the knife to scrape out the seeds. Coarsely chop and set aside.

use a knife to peel and de-seed the jalapenos. It’s best to touch the peppers as little as possible, or wear plastic gloves.

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Flip the bread so the butter is facing down. Spread half of the cream cheese on two slices of the bread. Sprinkle diced jalapenos atop the cream cheese. Divide the shredded cheese atop the jalapenos and cream cheese. Top with remaining bread slice, butter side up.

Grill sandwiches in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat. Flip and cook until golden brown on each side. Slice in half and serve immediately.

Chicken,Mushroom & Leek Pot Pie with Creamy Potato...

By: Jessie-CookingMoments

Chicken Pie Ingredients:
25g Butter
1/2tsp Cooking Oil
250g Skinless+Boneless Chicken Thighs, cut in small pieces
1/4tsp Dried Thyme Leaves
2 Rashers Rindless Bacon, chopped
1/2 Leek, sliced
125g Button Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 clove Crushed Garlic
1/6 cup Plain Flour
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/4 cup Corn Kernels
Salt & Pepper to taste
1tbsp Cream/Greek Yoghurt
1tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped

Method:
1. Melt 10g butter & oil in a non-stck frypan. Panfry chicken with dried thyme leaves until cooked through. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Melt the remaining butter in the same frypan, sautee bacon, leek, mushrooms & garlic over medium heat until the leek is softened & the bacon is slightly golden & caramelised.
3. Add flour & cook, stirring continuously for 15 seconds. Remove from heat & gradually stir in stock.  Add chicken, corn & seasonings & cook until the mixture is thicken & comes to the boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer to bowl, stir in yoghurt & coriander & let to cool down.
4. Oil each ramekin. Divide filling among 5 ramekins.

TIP:
Do not over-fill with the meat filling or the sauce will spill out while baking in the oven. 90% full is perfect.

Creamy Potato Ingredients:
1/2kg Potatoes, peeled
20g Butter
2-2.5tbsp Milk
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender, drain & mash until smooth.
3. Add butter & milk & mix well. Add salt & pepper to taste.
4. Place mashed potato in a piping bag with a star nozzle tip fitted(Wilton 1M). Pipe it on top of the chicken meat filling.

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until some parts of the potatoes are golden & crisp.

Kung Pao Chicken

By: Roti n Rice


Ingredients
8 to 10 dried red chilies
20 oz (560g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into quarter inch thick
slices
2 tbsp canola oil
1-inch knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium size onion, peeled and cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp ground Szechuan peppercorn
1/3 cup (50g) dry roasted peanuts
3 green onions, finely sliced
1 tsp sesame oil

Marinade:
1 tbsp Shao Hsing rice wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp pepper

Sauce:
1 tbsp black/balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp corn starch
2 tbsp water

Instructions:
Break dried chilies into half. Shake off seeds and soak in warm water for 20
minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
Marinade chicken with rice wine, soy sauce, and pepper for 20 minutes.
Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Heat up wok or large fry pan. Once wok is heated, add canola oil followed by
ginger, onion, minced garlic, and dried chilies. Fry until ingredients are fragrant,
about 2 minutes.
Add Szechuan peppercorn and marinated chicken and fry for another 3 to 4
minutes.
Pour sauce mixture over chicken. Sauce will become thick and bubbly. Stir to
get chicken well coated with the sauce.
Finally stir in roasted peanuts, sliced green onions, and sesame oil

Little Chicken and Mushroom Pies

BY: Bake for Happy Kids

Make 8 x 7.5 cm pies

Shortcrust pastry:

150g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
300g plain flour
2g salt
7ml vinegar
85ml water, chilled
Remove butter from the refrigerator 20 min before you start mixing - butter should be just soft but still very cold.

Crust Direction:
Mix flour and salt in a large bowl and toss through the butter. Use fingertips to rub butter into flour to partly combine. Turn out the floury mix onto a clean surface and gather the mix together.

Combine the vinegar with the chilled water and sprinkle over the flour mixture. Use the palm of your hand to smear mixture away from you across the bench. Repeat this smearing process once or twice to combine the dough together.
The original recipe mentioned that at this stage, we should see steaks of butter marbled through the pastry which gives a slightly flaky texture to the final product but I can only see this effect when I rolled the pastry.

Divide into two even sized portions and shape into two round disc about 2 cm thick. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hr or overnight.

The Pie Filling:
80g eggplant, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
20ml extra virgin olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
250g skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3 cm cubes
20ml verjuice
200g button mushroom, quartered
1/3 tsp white pepper
1/3 tsp salt
20g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 small handful basil, leaves torn

Egg wash, for brushing:
1 egg yolk
50ml milk

Bechamel (French) sauce:
40ml milk
5g butter
4g plain flour, sifted

Direction:
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan forced. Put the eggplant cubes in a single layer on a tray and sprinkle with a little salt. Set aside for 10 min, then rinse well. Put the eggplant on a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle with half of the olive oil and cook for 15-20 min or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and cook for 5 min, or until softened, Add the chicken and cook for 5 min, stirring often. Add the verjuice and stir for 30 sec, or until reduced slightly, then pour in enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hr or until chicken is tender.

Add the mushroom and baked eggplant to the chicken mixture and add the white pepper and salt. Cook for a further 10 min, or until the mushrooms have cooked through, then strain off the liquid into another saucepan, reserving the chicken mixture in a large container. Continue to cook the liquid over high heat or until reduced by half.

To make the bechamel sauce, heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat so it is slightly warm. Melt butter in a separate saucepan and add flour, stirring until mixture catches the edge of the pan.

Slowly pour in the warm milk and whisk until smooth until smooth and thick. Remove from the heat and pour into the chicken mixture and stir through. Add the Parmesan and stir to combine, then adjust the seasoning. Allow to cool before stirring through the torn basil leaves.

Remove pastry from refrigerator 20 min before you wish to roll it. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll the pastry away until you get a flat round disc about 3 mm thick. Cut the rolled pastry into eight circles with 10 cm diameter and use them to line the base and sides of the pie tins.

For the pie lids, cut out the rolled pastry into six circles with 7.8 cm diameter. Using a little chick cookie cutter, cut a hole in the middle of each pie lid to allow steam to escape while baking.

Spoon the mixture into the pastry-lined pie tins, filling them to the brim. To attached the lid pastry, brush the rim of the pastry base and lid with a little egg wash and lay the lid over the base. Gently press the circumference edge with an end of a fork in order to make a good seal. Brush the top of the pie lid with egg wash.

Reduce oven temperature to 160°C fan forced and bake the pies for 30-35 min or until golden brown on top. Remove the pies from the tins and leave to cool for a few min before serving.