Greek Baked Chicken in Yogurt (Diana Henry)

Greek Baked Chicken in Yogurt (Diana Henry)

I was so glad I baked this chicken dish for dinner with my hubby and 14m2w toddler. It was easy to bake and I believed all three of us has lots of yummies in our tummies. Hahaha!

Recipe adapted from Pure Simple Cooking by Diana Henry or here.


Ingredients:
(Serves 2 adults and 1 toddler)

2 large chicken breasts, skins removed, cut into fillets
A little salt & ground pepper (because my toddler will be eating too)
2 tablespoons rice bran oil (you can also use olive oil, grapeseed oil, or virgin coconut oil)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup Greek yogurt (I used the full fat version)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled (I used Arla's snack pack version with mixed herbs)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


How to:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Season chicken with salt and ground pepper. Add rice bran oil to a frying pan and brown chicken over medium heat on both sides (they do not need to be fully cooked). Remove chicken and place on a plate. Add chopped onions to the pan. Saute until golden.

2. Combine yogurt, egg, flour, feta, and garlic in a large bowl. Mix well.

3. Lay onion and chicken on the bottom of a baking dish. Spread yogurt evenly on top and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 minutes. The yogurt will turn golden and custardy.

4. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

5. Serve with side dish (I serve with a side of lightly buttered cauliflower, broccoli, and peas).

The golden and custardy yogurt top.

Succulent, moist, and tender chicken fillets.

Served with lightly buttered cauliflower, broccoli, and peas.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, What Came First? ... The Chicken or the Egg?

20

Buttermilk Cocoa & Flaxmeal Bread (baked in bread maker)

Here's my latest loaf of homemade bread baked in my Cornell Bread Master bread maker.

Buttermilk Cocoa & Flaxmeal Bread

Recipe adapted from "Fresh Bread & Bakes from Your Bread Machine" book, p. 143.


Ingredients:
(Makes a 2lb bread)

1 cup buttermilk (I use powdered buttermilk reconstituted into liquid by adding water)
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 tablespoons molasses sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup flaxmeal (ground flax seeds)
2 cups white bread flour
1/3 cup wholemeal bread flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast


How to:

1. By following the bread maker's manual, I have listed the ingredients' sequence correctly - in terms of which ingredient goes into the bread maker first - in the list above.

2. Close the lid, select the "sweet" setting, loaf size (2lb), crust type (light), and press start.

3. Once the baking cycle is done, remove the bread pan from the machine to cool down.

Note: Please add the ingredients into the bread pan by following your bread maker's manual.

Buttermilk Powder (bought from iHerb.com)

The lovely signature dome top of a well-baked loaf.

Soft & fluffy bread with chocolatey goodness!

Note: I have also blogged about how to retain the freshness of your homemade bread loaf.

4

Buttermilk Bundt Cake (Nigella Lawson)

Buttermilk Bundt Cake (Nigella Lawson)

It was a national public holiday in Malaysia yesterday. A friend who just gotten married last month invited us over to her house for a small gathering.

At the mean time, over at I Heart Cooking Clubs, it's Pot Luck week and we can choose to cook anything from these chefs: Diana Henry, Nigella Lawson, Mark Bittman, Giada de Laurentiis, Jamie Oliver, Tessa Kiros, Rick Bayless, Madjur Jaffrey, Yotam Ottolenghi, Donna Hay, and Nigel Slater.

And so, I chose to bake Nigella Lawson's famous (and fail-proof!) Buttermilk Birthday Cake (I baked it in a Bundt pan, so I named it Buttermilk Bundt Cake) to bring over.

Recipe from Nigella's "How To Be A Domestic Goddess" cookbook or here. 

Ingredients:
(Makes one cake in a 23-cm ring mold cake pan)

1 & 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (I used 2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (omitted)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk*
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar (I used demerara sugar)
3 large eggs

* If you don't have off-the-shelf buttermilk, you can substitute with 1/3 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup low-fat milk. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before using.


How to:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 23-cm ring mold cake pan. Note: I used a 10-cup Bundt pan, so I also sprinkle some flour after greasing it. By the way, the 10-cup Bundt pan is a bit too big. I've yet to find out which size will be more suitable.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

3. Pour buttermilk into a measuring cup and stir in vanilla extract.

4. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.

5. Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between additions.

6. Add alternating increments of the flour mixture and the vanilla-buttermilk, blending well after each addition; this should take 3 to 5 minutes.

7. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes (30 minutes if using layer cake pans) until the cake is beginning to shrink away from the sides and a cake tester comes out clean. If using a mold with a lot of patterning, leave to cool for 20 minutes.

8. Loosen the sides of the cake with a round-bladed knife and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

My hubby said, "Look, a giant doughnut!" LOL!

Initially, I planned to drizzle some frosting on it but in the end, I didn't do so. Something like praline frosting would be nice. Hmmm...

Moist and super yummy!

Thanks Nigella! Even my non-cake-eating-hubby said the taste is really good! Yay!

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, October Pot Luck!

 

I'm also submitting this post to Cook-Your-Books #17 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

16

Baked Pumpkin & Zucchini Cheesy Chicken & Egg Cutlets

Baked Pumpkin & Zucchini Cheesy Chicken & Egg Cutlets

We are going to a friend's house in the afternoon, so I make these cutlets because they are easy and convenient to pack. Not only so, they are also excellent finger food for toddlers and on-the-go quick bites for adults.

Ingredients:
(Makes 14-16 small cutlets)


1/2 cup chicken breast, minced
1/2 cup pumpkin, chopped finely
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped finely
1/2 cup pre-cooked mashed potato
1/4 cup alphabet pasta, pre-boiled and drained
1/4 cup oats flour
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Rice bran oil, to drizzle 


How to:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking sheet.

2. Mix minced chicken, pumpkin, zucchini, mashed potato, pasta, and oats flour in a large bowl. Combine well with hand. Add more oats flour if necessary until everything stick together.

3. Heat up 2 tablespoons of rice bran oil in a frying pan and stir fry the minced chicken and vegetables mixture until the chicken turns white. Add grated cheese and stir fry until melted. Off heat and set aside to cool down a bit.

4. Pour the cooked chicken and vegetables into beaten eggs and coat evenly. Roll into balls, flatten them on your palm and place onto the prepared baking tray. Drizzle with rice bran oil.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes until golden.

Lovely golden cutlets.

These cutlets can be addictive!

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up (October 2014 Event: Pumpkin) organized by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids), Doreen (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Eileen (Eileen's Diary).

4

Why do I limit sharing stuff about my kid online

Photo source

Do I blog about my baby online? Do I share my baby's photos with my circle of friends online? The answer is yes. Why? Here's why: Like so many other parents, I want to let the world know that I have given birth to the smartest, cutest, handsomest, yada yada yada baby in the world.


Why do we share stuff about our kids online?

The underlying factor - as highlighted by PBSParents.com - is this: social media has triggered an onslaught of parental insecurities. INSECURITIES. Ouch. This is somewhat similar to what I'm thinking: "I think I'm doing a good job raising my kids… but let me find out for certain [by sharing on] Facebook."

This explanation, by psychotherapist Nathan Gehlert, summarizes us, the parents perfectly, "In many ways, we're biologically wired to promote our children, and the Internet and social media provides a convenient and effective way to do this." 

Apart from Facebook, blogging is another way for a new mom like me to share about motherhood and baby stuff. Technically speaking, I'm not really a mom blogger because I don't blog about my baby every single day. So far, I have blogged about my birth story, breastfeeding journey, and bits and pieces of my baby's growth and milestones.


Reasons NOT to over-share stuff about our kids online

#1: Privacy, consent & safety issues

When we blog or post our kids' photos online, we might be violating their privacy and safety. We must always be vigilant not to post (even if it is unintentional) any indication of date of birth, place of birth, full name, or tagging of any photographs with a geographical location – basically anything that could be used by somebody who wanted to steal your kid's identity. It's dangerous!

About the issue of consent, what type of information would your kids want to see about themselves online in 20 years' time?

Heather Mann, a mother said, "As parents, we're the custodians of our children's personal privacy until they are old enough to take over. Just because I am interested in sharing personal details of my life online doesn't mean my child will be."

#2: It's difficult to erase digital footprint

TheGuardian, in an article, highlights this: "Every time you post about your child on social media you are helping to create for them a data-rich, enduring and potentially problematic online profile."

Once you post something on cyberspace, it's most likely that it will stay there forever. It's phenomenally difficult to have zero digital footprint. If one day you decide to delete all your kids' photos, you will find doing so almost impossible.

Even if you don't post anything at all, (which is quite unlikely, agree?) can you guarantee that your friends won't tag your kids' photos? (Of course you can request to remove the tags but it's still a violation.)

#3: Over-sharing is not caring

This is my personal opinion. The saying goes, sharing is caring. I agree. But, over-sharing is not. Over-sharing is a sign of a few things: addicted to attention and crowd affirmation, insecurities (as mentioned in the intro paragraph above), showing off (which comes from the need to promote well-being), and depressed (motherhood is not a bed of roses).


How do I limit sharing stuff about my baby?

#1: Be vigilant with what photos to post

I don't post my baby's face on my blog (which is open to public). If I have to post, I use photos that don't show his face clearly. For other social media networking tools, I control who can view when I upload his photos. Another thing, I don't post compromising and embarrassing photos.

#2: Don't be too detailed 

I don't blog about my baby's every single development on a daily basis. I think that's overbearing; it's just my personal preference. I go by less is more. And of course, being a working mom, I prefer sleeping if I have some spare time to kill.

#3: Be careful when posting to Facebook open groups 

As much as I want to post photos of myself breastfeeding to the breastfeeding network Facebook group or my baby eating like a champ to the healthy food for my baby Facebook group, I don't do so because these two groups are open groups. Any Tom-Dick-and-Harry in cyberspace can view the uploaded photos and do whatever they want with them! Gosh! What if a pervert downloads the photos? Child porn is not a myth.


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If you want to share a piece of your mind, feel free to comment in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading.

Read more:

• Do We Reveal Too Much About Our Kids Online?
• Does sharing photos of your children on Facebook put them at risk?
• Five reasons NOT to share pictures of your kids online
• 5 Things You Should Never Post on Facebook
• Instagram and Kids: A parent's guide to privacy and safety
• Comparitech: latest useful guides and information regarding net security, privacy and antivirus information

0

Passion Fruit & Honey Jelly with Buttermilk Cream Pudding

Passion Fruit & Honey Jelly with Buttermilk Cream Pudding

This recipe is adapted from Diana Henry's Blackberry jellies with buttermilk cream. This jelly is supposed to have a tart layer of blackberry jelly on top of creamy buttermilk pudding. But mine turns out to be the other way round. So, let me tell you what happened.

It's quite hard to find fresh and frozen blackberries in a tropical country like Malaysia. At first, I planned to substitute with fresh blueberries. But when I was rummaging through my fridge, I saw a bag of fresh passion fruits given to me by my mother-in-law. So, I ended up with passion fruit instead.

About the layers, I used a bundt pan to hold the jelly. I should have poured in the clear honey jelly layer before adding the buttermilk cream layer. But somehow, I forgot about the sequence and ended up with the cream layer on top after I turned the jelly out from the bundt pan.

So here you go, this is my Passion Fruit & Honey Jelly with Buttermilk Cream Pudding. Luckily, albeit this mishap, the jelly tasted really cooling and refreshing! The buttermilk layer is milky and creamy; the honey layer is cooling; and the passion fruit's tartness provides an extra burst of flavors in my mouth! Phewww!

Ingredients:
(Serves 6-8)

For the buttermilk cream layer:
20g (1 packet) agar-agar strips
3 cups water
1 cup Paul's thickened cream
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons light brown sugar

For the honey jelly layer: 
10g (1/2 packet) agar-agar strips
2 cups water
1/4 cup pure honey

1 cup fresh passion fruit


How to:

To make the buttermilk cream layer:

1. Soak agar-agar strips in a bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes to soften. Drain.

2. Pour 3 cups of water in a pot. Bring to boil, then add agar-agar strips and light brown sugar. Cook until all strips and sugar dissolve. Set aside to cool slightly for 10 minutes.

3. Add cream and buttermilk. Whisk until dissolve over low heat. Don't boil.

4. Pour the mixture into a 10-cup bundt pan and leave to set in the fridge overnight.


To make the honey jelly layer:

1. Soak agar-agar strips in a bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes to soften. Drain.

2. Pour 2 cups of water in a pot. Bring to boil, then add agar-agar strips. Cook until all strips dissolve. Set aside to cool slightly for 10 minutes.

3. Add honey and stir until dissolve. Leave to cool, but not too long that it starts to set. Pour the mixture on top of the buttermilk layer. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.


To assemble:

Un-mould the jelly and drizzle with passion fruit generously.

I think this jelly looks pretty.

The jelly's cross-section.

Another cross-section.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) for this week's theme, Icy Cold!

12

Introvert, Extrovert or Ambivert?

Introvert or Extrovert: Test Yourself With Our Personality Quiz

I scored 39 points. So, I'm an Introvert with some Ambivert functions.

 
Introvert

While not necessarily shy, you prefer to spend a lot of your time alone to recharge your limited energy. Quite simply: people drain you, and you prefer your own inner world of thoughts and passions to the external world of people and events. As such, you tend to have few close friendships, and are very selective when it comes to relationships. You prefer to think before you act, and people describe you as being thoughtful, cautious, quiet, and introspective.

To summarize, these are some of your defining characteristics:

• Private
• Enjoys solitude
• Energized alone
• Has a rich internal world
• Thinks before speaking and acting
• Prefers a few intimate friends
• Doesn't enjoy loud, sociable situations
• Independent

 
Ambivert

As a fairly equanimous person, you display both introverted and extroverted characteristics. While on some days you like being surrounded by many people, on others you prefer to relax on your own and take some time out. As such, you can easily relate to both extremes on the personality spectrum, and have an easier time delving in and out of the internal and external worlds. This may lead to feelings of confusion as many times you feel like a "walking contradiction", feeling one thing one moment, and another thing the next. Your friendship circle tends to consist of 3, 4, or 5 people.

To summarize, these are some of your defining characteristics:

• Equanimous
• Enjoys socializing, but also being alone at times
• Behavioral decisions usually rely on "how one feels", or the context of the situation
• Usually has a small group of friends
• Flexible
• Changeable
• Ability to appreciate both inner and outer worlds
• Easygoing

3

Chocolate Horlicks Greek Yogurt Cake with Black-n-White Chocolate Chips

Chocolate Horlicks Greek Yogurt Cake with Black-n-White Chocolate Chips

My younger sister helped to babysit my toddler last Saturday evening while I made her favorite chocolate cake. I added Greek yogurt because I wanted a moist and chewy cake.

This yogurt cake actually reminded me of the Chocolate-Zucchini Cake that I baked a few months ago.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
(Makes a 21-cm round cake)

Dry ingredients:
1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chocolate-flavored Horlicks
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (with extra for dusting)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup light brown sugar

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs, room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups Greek yogurt (I use Sunglo's full-fat Greek yogurt) 
1/4 cup rice bran oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Other:
1/4 cup duo-colored (black & white) chocolate chips


How to: 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 21-cm round angel cake pan and dust with cocoa powder.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, Horlicks, cocoa powder, baking powder, and light brown sugar until well blended.

3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, yogurt, rice bran oil, and melted butter for 3-4 minutes until well combined.

4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Fold with a rubber spatula until the flour mixture is just moistened. Don’t over-mix.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

The dry ingredients.

Stir chocolate chips into the batter.

Scrap batter into the angel cake pan.

Freshly baked!

The good thing about baking a cake is that my humble kitchen will be filled with wonderful tantalizing aroma that lingers for a while. One more thing, I love to eat my cake cold, so I store some in the fridge. Biting into a slice of cold cake while sipping a cup of hot latte is pure awesomeness. Bliss!

Note: The cake tasted more chocolatey the next day. My sister gave thumbs up! Hehe.

0

Pumpkin Fries with Salted Egg Yolk

Pumpkin Fries with Salted Egg Yolk

I was thinking about salted eggs when I remembered this dish that I had a long time ago at one of those fancy-schmancy Chinese restaurants. So, I made a plate of this delightful snack for supper.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)

1/2 small pumpkin
2-3 salted egg yolks
1 small fresh egg
1/4 teaspoon fine Himalayan salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Rice bran oil for frying


How to: 

1. Steam salted egg yolks for 8-10 minutes. Mash with a fork and set aside.

2. Cut pumpkin into strips that resemble fries.

3. Beat an egg lightly and stir in pumpkin strips. Add salt. Mix and set aside for 10-20 minutes.

4. Mix both flours and baking powder in a bowl. Coat pumpkin strips evenly with flour.

5. Heat rice bran oil in a frying pan until hot and fry pumpkin strips until golden. Remove from the pan and drain excess oil with paper towels.

6. Heat 1/2 tablespoon rice bran oil in another pan; add in mashed salted egg yolks. Stir fry until light and fluffy (foamy). Add in pumpkin fries and stir well.

7. Garnish and serve immediately.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up (October 2014 Event: Pumpkin) organized by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids), Doreen (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Eileen (Eileen's Diary).

11

Black Sesame, Chia & Flaxmeal Bread (baked in bread maker)

Here's my latest loaf of homemade bread baked in my Cornell Bread Master bread maker.

Black Sesame, Chia & Flaxmeal Bread

Black sesame powder, chia seeds, and flaxmeal are high in protein and omega-3. They are great milk boosters* for breastfeeding mothers!

*Results will vary depending on individuals.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
(Makes a 2lb bread)

1 cup milk, room temperature
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon chia seeds, soaked in 2 tablespoons water
1 & 1/2 teaspoons fine Himalayan rock salt
1/2 cup black sesame powder
1/2 cup flaxmeal (I grind 1/2 cup flax seeds into powder)
2 cups white bread flour
1 cup wholemeal bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast


Note: You can easily buy organic chia seeds, black sesame powder, flax seeds, and Himalayan rock salt at organic shops.


How to:

1. By following the bread maker's manual, I have listed the ingredients' sequence correctly - in terms of which ingredient goes into the bread maker first - in the list above.

2. Close the lid, select the "basic" setting, loaf size (2lb), crust type (light), and press start.

3. Once the baking cycle is done, remove the bread pan from the machine to cool down.

Note: Please add the ingredients into the bread pan by following your bread maker's manual.

Cute dome top.

Packed with all things good.

A useful tip to retain homemade bread's freshness.

Use food grade zipper bags with air-tight seal.

2

How to help picky eaters enjoy food (BFM podcast)

Photo source

Growing children need their nutrition, but what happens when a child staunchly refuses to give any ground and eat something just because it's 'good for them'?

Dr. Rajini Sarvananthan explains how we can help our picky eaters enjoy the culinary wonderland that is Malaysia.

You can download this MP3 to listen on your device.

0

Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese

Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese

I found this recipe by Jenna Weber of Eat, Live, Run with this description: Give mac and cheese a seasonal twist with this recipe for baked pumpkin shells and cheese.

Ingredients:
(Adapted from original recipe to serve 2)

1 cup dry macaroni (elbow) pasta
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups fresh milk
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs


How to: 

1. Preheat oven to 190°C.

2. Cook macaroni pasta in boiling salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

3. In a sauce pan, melt butter and add flour over medium-high heat. Whisk together and cook for thirty seconds. Add 1 cup milk and whisk until smooth. Add another cup of milk and continue to whisk. Cook for about 3-4 minutes while whisking. The mixture will become thick and lumpy.

4. Add grated Cheddar cheese (reserving about a handful of grated cheese) and stir well until it melts. Add salt, pepper, and pumpkin puree.

5. Once everything is smooth, add cooked macaroni and toss well. Pour into a lightly greased 8x8-inch baking pan. Top with breadcrumbs and the remaining grated cheese.

6. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling!

A lethal combo: pumpkin and cheese!

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up (October 2014 Event: Pumpkin) organized by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids), Doreen (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Eileen (Eileen's Diary).

0