Strawberry Shortcake

The weather has been so warm that I am constantly drinking ice water and bath several times a day.  I would fill the shopping cart with loads of different fruits each time I go for my grocery shopping.  Fruits are sweet and always taste great when served cold.

I have been trying to pick up baking again and bought a few books on cakes and cookies.  Since there are plenty of fruits at home, cake recipes that incorprate fruits seem the most apt now.   For someone who have not baked for 20 over years, making a strawberry shortcake would be a difficult task to complete.  But I can't resist the juicy strawberries I have just bought.

Tried to follow strictly to the recipe I found online, I baked my very first strawberry shortcake and although the sponge cake didn't rise as high as it should be, it was a delicious cake to savour at home especially after it is chilled.

Mint leaves are harvested from my little pot :-)

Rachel K CC Cream

There has been a raving trend for BB (Blemish Balm) cream and there are so many different brands of BB cream that you can choose from nowadays.  Even I own 3 brands of BB cream.  They are lighter in texture, blend onto the face easily and control oil a little bit better than two-way cake.  BB cream was formulated to protect the skin of laser surgery patients in Germany.  You can google and get lots of reads on BB cream.

I also love to visit the pharma stores overseas especially in Australia and New Zealand as you can find many organic beauty products on the shelves.  I noted that that Watson and Guardian stores have now stocked many more different brands of beauty products from various parts of the world, including organic products from Austalia and New Zealand.  It also seems that Taiwanese and Korean products have made its way into these stores.  Our consumers have more options now and that is always a good thing.

Back to BB cream.  A new generation seems to have emerged and it is the CC Blemish Balm.  Rachel K Mineral CC cream has been retailed at various Watson stores for a few months now.  "CC" stands for "Colour Control".  CC cream aims to provide the properties of BB cream plus to give an even more effective skin coverage.  So, CC cream is:

• Less oily
• More whitening effect
• More brightening effect
• Better coverage
• No breakouts
• More moisturizing
• More long lasting
• Better stability

I bought a tube to try out the effect.  I have combination skin with a oily T-zone and visible open pores especially on the nose.  Here is my verdict of the CC cream.  It has a very light and smooth texture and it applies easily on my face with minimal effect for an even spread.  However, the coverge of the pores on the nose is just average.  After 3 hours, my T-zone becomes oily.  This cream does not control the sebum secretion as well as the other BB cream.



You can read more on Rachel K CC cream on this website Rachel K Cosmetics.

Pork Trotters Bee Hoon

My first taste of the fried bee hoon with pork trotters was at a pot-luck party.  Love it and I gather it would make a delightful weekend meal for the family.

Based on Sweetpea's recipe, I cooked this delicious fried bee hoon with pork trotters for the family as a Sunday lunch.  I briased the pork trotters in light & dark soy sauce with some garlic, cinnamon, star anise and sugar over mid-level heat for 3 hours.  Cool them and shred the pork trotters.  If this is all too much work, it can be substituted by the ready canned pork trotters or pork ribs.  Fried the bee hoon with cabbage and carrot, then add in the braised pork trotters.  Walla!  Savour the yummy Pork Trotters Bee Hoon :) and it goes very well with sambal belachan.

Sweet & Sour Fish

Home-cooked food will always be my choice over any fine dining, simply because it warms one's heart and stomach.

I don't cook as often as I should have and I resolute to do better this year.  An aspiring chef of the Yeo's home kitchen, making references to cook book and recipes from internet plus performing experiments in the kitchen are a joy.

Sweet & Sour Fish is a common dish you can order from a "zhi cha" stall.  I have not cooked this dish as it involves frying, a process I don't enjoy.  Since the aim is to cook more often and to prepare different dishes for the family, here is Sweetpea's Sweet & Sour Fish.

Such a great dish to have for the enjoyment of both adults and kids.  Goes very well with rice and it is filled with a variety of food nutrients with fish, cucumber, pineapple, onion and chilli.