Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

A different and yummier version of the ol' classic Mashed Potatoes :)

Ingredients:

3 Large Russet Potatoes
1-2 slices of Cheese (e.g KRAFT Singles)
Salted Softened Butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup Milk
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chopped Celery or Spring Onion

Directions:

1) Boil large potatoes for 30-35 minutes in a saucepan with 1/2 tsp of salt. (Medium: 15-20 minutes) Test with fork and drain saucepan. (opt.: Place 2 layers of Kitchen Towelettes over the potatoes for a fluffier texture for around 5 minutes) Cool for 5 minutes. While boiling, cut up the Cheese slices into small strips and put aside.

2) Peel the potatoes, removing the eyes and sprouts. Place them in a bowl and mash them up (when still warm/hot) finely with a pair of forks.

3) Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, add in the butter and some milk and mix well. The mixture will turn out a little dry and lumpy. Pour in the rest of the milk and cheese. The potato has to be hot or else the cheese will not melt. Continue mixing till a thick batter-like consistency is formed. As the cheese cools, the potatoes will turn sticky.

4) Garnish when serving. Recommended to serve warm although chilled will be fine as well.

Serves 2 people as a main dish and 3-4 people as a side dish.

Stir-Fried Xiao Bai Cai with Garlic

"Qing Cao Xiao Bai Cai"



Ingredients:

150 grams of Xiao Bai Cai
3 large cloves garlic/4-5 small cloves of garlic (Peeled /and chopped)
Cooking Oil
Tiparos Fish Sauce
Water (or Stock)

Directions:

1) Wash the vegetables thorougly to remove any dirt. Soak in water for about 15-20 minutes and cut off the hard end of the stalks. These hide a lot of dirt and worms so make sure you cut it off. Do not soak the vegetables any longer as this will result in the loss of Vitamic C. Rinse them once you've peeled the bundles into separate leaves and drip dry in a basket.

2) Stir-fry garlic in hot oil till golden brown. Throw in Xiao Bai Cai and stir fry under medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. Lower the fire and add Tiparos Fish Sauce to taste and a couple of ladles of water. Stir fry for a minute or so and dish out onto plate. Serve warm.

Serves 1-2 people as a side dish.

Luo Han Mi Zhao Cooling Tea

A concoction of refreshing Cooling Tea for a hot humid day or to dispel the "heatiness" within your body. This is unlike other cooling teas which are bitter because of the addition of Mi Zhao (Honey Dates) into the drink. Luo Han Cooling Tea is already not bitter on its own, and Mi Zhao enhances the taste by sweetening it a little and suitable for diabetics. (My Mom is a diabetic and very strict about her diet but she drinks this with no complaints)

Luo Han Guo has a mild natural sweet taste and is commonly used with other chinese medicinal herbs to treat cough and sore throat as it moistens the lungs, eliminates phlegm, stops cough, and promotes bowel movements of the intestine which can induce a mild laxative effect.

This recipe makes a rather concentrated brew and isn't diluted which then dispels heatiness more effectively. Kid-friendly because it's sweet tasting.

Ingredients:

2-3 Dried Luo Han Guo (Broken & Crushed)
1/2 cup Mi Zhao (Honey Dates)
Water

Directions:

Rinse the Luo Han Guo and Mi Zhao in water. Break and crush the Luo Han Guo and place both ingredients in a large pot. Fill with water and cover with lid, simmer on medium-low heat for at least 3-4 hours.

Can be drunk chilled or warm. If you are nursing a cough, consume it warm.

ABC Soup

Grew up drinking this soup which my Granny always likes to cook. A very simple to make clear soup with easily available ingredients and easy on the palate. Kid-Friendly and Sick-Friendly. It's a comfort to drink this when you are ill!

Why I think it's called it's called ABC Soup:

1) It contains Vitamin A (Carrots), B (Potatoes) and C (Tomatoes)
2) Cooking this is as easy as ABC!

Ingredients:

200g pork ribs
Water
3-4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks (Russet Potatoes recommended)
1 Small/Medium sized Salted Vegetable (Kiam Cai)
1 Medium onion
1 carrot, peeled, cut to bite-sized chunks
1 stalk of Celery, cut into pieces.
1 tomato
1 Sweet Corncob, "dehusked" and cut in large chunks. (opt.)
White Pepper (crushed whole pepper/powder) to taste
Salt to taste
Fish Sauce to taste

Directions:

1. Blanch pork ribs in boiling water in a saucepan for about 2-3 minutes to remove blood and fats, then rinse with cold water until clear and set aside. Do not turn off the heat when blanching.

- For Lean Pork (Qia Bak), pour boiling water over it in a bowl. (Distribute water evenly) Mix the pork a little to sure even blanching. Leave for 1 minute and drain, rinsing pork with cold water. Set aside.

2: Throw in the ribs, potatoes, onions, carrots, and crushed whole/powdered white pepper (/+ corn) into stock pot, fill up with water to 3/4 and cover with lid, under high fire. When the stock and ingredients are boiling, reduce heat to low still covered. Simmer for 1 hour.

3: Season with salt and some fish sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add in some more water for more soup if necessary. (Do not add water while simmering or stock will not be concentrated + add a little more seasoning after adding of water) Remove from heat and serve warm/hot.

Serves 2-3 people.

Mashed Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large Russet Potatoes
• 1/2 cup salad dressing (Miracle Whip/Mayonnaise)
• 1/4 cup minced onion* (opt. / +/- to taste)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/6 cup white vinegar (opt.)
• 2 Large/Medium sized Eggs
• Salted/Unsalted Butter to Taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Potatoes
1) Choose potatoes of an equal size and put them into a saucepan with enough water at room temperature or cold, boil gently at medium-high heat until tender. Test by using a fork.

- 30-35 minutes for large potatoes
- 15 -20 minutes for medium potatoes

2) Remove as soon as tender, if they are left in the water, they become waxy or watery. (Remove saucepan from heat and drain. Cover potatoes with two layers of Kitchen Towelettes for fluffier boiled potatoes) Cool them for about 5 minutes and start peeling them, removing the skin and "eyes" or sprouts.
3) Mash them using a pair of forks (best done when warm/hot) and put aside. If you like lumps in your potatoes do not mash them so finely. This salad tastes nicer with a few lumps here and there ;)

Eggs
1) Use eggs of equal size. Place them into saucepan along with potatoes and add 1/2 tsp of salt if taken immediately from the refrigerator.
2) Boil for 10-15 minutes and drain.
3) Peel the eggs and place them in a bowl. Mash them with two forks as per the potatoes. Mashed Eggs need not be as fine as the potatoes.

Continue..
1) Combine the mashed eggs and potatoes together in a large mixing bowl. Add in half of the milk and mix with fork.
2) Sprinkle salt and softened butter and mix it well.
3) Serve chilled or warm.



combine hot mashed potatoes with salad dressing, onion, milk and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish mashed potato salad with spring onion/celery.

IKEA's Chocolate Daim Cake

Daim Cake

- 3 C (360g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp (1 envelope) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 11 oz (300g) Daims
- 1/4 C (22g) ground almonds (a.k.a. powdered almonds or almond meal)
- 2 sticks (220g) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 C (300g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 C (35 g) light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (I use vanilla paste from Trader Joe's)
- 1 C (250 ml) plain yogurt
- Confectioner's sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 10-inch cake pan (I use one with a removable bottom).

Unwrap the Daims and chop them roughly with a knife, not too thinly: you want Daims chunks, not Daims powder. In a medium mixing-bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and ground almonds. In a smaller bowl, toss the chopped Daims with a tablespoon of the flour mixture.

Cream the butter in the food processor for 3 minutes. Add in the granulated sugar and mix for 2 minutes. Add in the brown sugar and mix for another minute. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add in the vanilla extract and mix again.

Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating them with the yogurts in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Avoid overmixing the batter. Stir in the chopped Daims, and pour the batter into the cake pan, leveling the surface with a spatula.

Put into the oven to bake for 55 minutes to an hour, until the cake turns brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest for five minutes on a rack, unmold and return to the rack to cool completely. Dust the top with confectioner's sugar if desired --