Recipe For Peanut Butter Cookies

Formed cookies have a stiffer dough than drop and pressed cookies. The dough can be prepared beforehand, rolled in greaseproof paper and stored in the refrigerator. Slice the dough when you are going to bake it. The dough can be shaped into balls, flattened, rolled in chopped nuts, sprinkled with sugar or cut to different figures as desired.

Recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients :

• 112g butter
• 112g crunchy peanut butter
• 120g brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 170g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• castor sugar for dipping

Method :

1. Sift the plain flour. Then re-sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda. Set aside.
2. Beat butter, peanut butter, vanilla essence, sugar and salt until fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Lastly, add in the flour.
3. Shape the dough into small balls and place about 4 cm apart on a greased baking sheet. Dip a fork into a dish of castor sugar and flatten the balls with the fork.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes in a moderate oven.

Save Money On Groceries and Gas : Click Here

Recipe For Almond Ring Cookies

Pressed cookies are made by pushing the dough through a cookie press. The dough is rather soft. Here is a recipe that shapes the cookie to a ring using a cookie press.

Recipe for Almond Ring Cookies

Ingredients :

• 225g plain flour



• 1/2 teaspoons baking powder



• 170g butter



• 85g castor sugar



• 30g ground almonds



• Small pinch of salt



• 2 tablespoons beaten egg



• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method :

1. Sift the plain flour. Then re-sift the flour with the baking powder. Mix in the ground almonds and set them aside.



2. Beat butter, castor sugar and salt until light and fluffy.



3. Add the egg and continue beating. Add the vanilla essence. Slowly add the flour and ground almonds, mixing thoroughly. Press this soft dough through a cookie press. You may use a star pattern in the cookie press. Pipe small rings of dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet.



4. Bake in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Be careful not to over bake the cookies. These cookies may turn too brown quickly.

Save Money on Gas and Groceries : Click Here

Image by BeautifulFreePictures.com

Recipe For Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a recipe of 'drop cookies'. The dough is stiffer and has more butter or liquid than other types of cookie dough. Teaspoonfuls of batter are dropped onto the baking sheet. Leave ample space between cookies as they spread during baking.

Recipe for Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients :

• 125g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 112g butter
• 100g brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1/4 teaspoons water
• 1 egg
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

Method :

1. Sift the flour. Re-sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda.
2. Mix in the nuts and chocolate chips.
3. In another mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla essence, salt and water till fluffy. Add the egg and beat well.
4. Add the flour, chocolate chips, walnuts and mix thoroughly.
5. Drop small teaspoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
6. Bake in moderate oven for about 10 minutes.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas : Click Here

Picture from http://tututina.blogspot.com

Cookies For The Festive Season

Firstly, I would like to thank my first follower, Loren for her interest in my blog. Feel free to comment on my posts and I had looked at the 'adsense tips' blog that she is following and I think the information there is helpful. Thanks for sharing, Loren.

Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked cookies from the oven in the festive season. Cookies are simple to make. As long as you get the measurements right and oven temperatures right, your cookies are likely to turn out right.

There are basically four types of cookies.

1. Drop cookies
2. Pressed cookies
3. Formed cookies
4. Rolled cookies

Use tins with low sides for baking cookies. Line the tin with cookie sheet, grease the sheet with a thin layer of oil for easy removal of baked cookies.

The oven is too hot if your cookies brown too quickly. The cookies can turn out raw in the centre and not crisp as a result of the high heat. A moderate oven gives crisp cookies with a good colour. An oven that is too slow gives tough cookies. When the cookies are baked, cool them on a wire tray and store in airtight containers.

I will share some recipes for the four types of cookies in my next posts.

Save Money on Gas and Groceries : Click Here

Picture from http://tututina.blogspot.com

Recipe For Deep Fried Crispy Duck With Pickles

This duck recipe is good enough to be the main dish in your lunar new year celebrations :



Recipe for Deep Fried Crispy Duck with Pickles



Ingredients :

• 1 duck about 1.8kg


• 80g ginger


• 5 stalks spring onions


• 2 stalks parsley


• 1 cucumber


• 1 red carrot about 80g


• 2 white carrots


• 4 red chilies


• 1/2 teaspoons peppercorns


• 6 star anise


• 5 cm cinnamon


• 1/2 tablespoons cloves


• 1 tablespoon rose wine

Method :

1. Clean the duck, removing the intestines and beak.
2. Peel and chop the ginger into fine strips. Wash and chop the spring onions and parsley into one inch strips
3. Peel the red carrot and white carrots. Remove the seeds from the red chilies. Chop the carrots, cucumbers and chilies into strips. Add in 2 tablespoons of salt. Mix well. Leave for half and hour. Wash away the salt, drain and dry with a clean cloth. Soak in the *sugar and vinegar dip for three to four hours.
4. Wash the peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon and cloves. Put all the spices into boiling water to bring out their flavour.
5. Marinate the duck with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons mono sodium glutamate, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine. Rub thoroughly both the interior and exterior of the duck's body. Let it stand for about 25 minutes. Then cover the back of the duck with a clean piece of muslin cloth. Place the parsley, spices, spring onions and ginger on top of the muslin and steam for two hours or until the duck is done. After that, remove the muslin cloth with all the marinating ingredients and drain the duck off any sauce and liquid.
6. Deep fry the duck in smoking hot oil till crispy. Remove and serve with the pickles.

*Ingredients for the sugar and vinegar dip :

• 6 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons sugar

Boil all the ingredients above, cool and soak the pickles in it for three to four hours.

Save money on gas and groceries - Click here

Recipe For Savoury Pearl Sago Cake

Pearl sago is widely used in Asia as an ingredient in desserts. When cooked it will turn translucent. Here, I'm sharing with you a savoury version of a pearl sago cake.

Recipe for Savoury Pearl Sago Cake

Ingredients :

• 228g pork



• 76g shallots



• 17g dried mushrooms



• 37g dried shrimps



• 150g uncooked peanuts



• 600g pearl sago (small size)



• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour



• 1 chili, chopped for garnishing



• a little chopped parsley for garnishing

Method :

1. Cook the pork and cut into strips



2. Soak the mushrooms to soften them. Cut into strips.



3. Soak the dried shrimps to soften them and chopped.



4. Slice the shallots.



5. Heat a frying pan, add 5 tablespoons cooking oil. Fry the shallots till fragrant and remove.



6. Add in the strips of pork, mushrooms and chopped shrimps. Fry till fragrant and add in 3 teaspoons of white pepper, 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 teaspoons of monosodium glutamate and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Fry all the above thoroughly and set aside.



7. Wash the pearl sago, drain and add in 2 bowls of water and the tapioca flour, mixing thoroughly.



8. Grease a tin for steaming the cake, add in the pearl sago mixture and all the fried ingredients in point number 6. Mix thoroughly using a wooden spoon and steam for about 45 minutes.



9. Fry the peanuts. Using a wooden pin, crush the peanuts finely. Sprinkled them on the steamed cake with the chili and parsley.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Recipe For Pumpkin And Yam Dessert

Pumpkin and yam seem to be an unlikely combination. Both of them can be mashed, though. Try this recipe and see how it turns out.

Recipe for Pumpkin and Yam Dessert

Cooking time : 35 minutes Serves 4 - 6 persons

Ingredients :

• 1/4 pumpkin (about 400g)



• 2 yams (about 600g)



• 700ml coconut milk



• 250g gula melaka



• 2 pandan leaves



• 2 tablespoons sugar



• salt to taste

Method :

1. Peel the pumpkin and yams. Cut them into small chunks and put in a microwavable dish. Add 300ml water to it and microwave for 15 minutes. Remove the pumpkin and yams and allow to cool.



2. Tie a knot in the middle of each of the pandan leaves. Cook the pandan leaves in a casserole with the coconut milk, gula melaka, sugar, salt, pumpkin and yams for about 20 minutes.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas : Click Here

Free Pictures Available at http://www.bigfoto.com

Recipe For Steamed Rice Cakes

Steamed rice cake with dried radish is a popular Chinese dish in Singapore. The plain taste of the rice cakes contrasts against the salty taste of the dried radish, bringing out the unique flavour of this dish. It is often consumed in the morning as breakfast.

Recipe For Steamed Rice Cakes

Ingredients :

• 1 cup of uncooked rice


• 3 cups of water


• 1/2 teaspoons of salt

Method :

1. Soak the uncooked rice in water overnight.


2. Pour away the water that is used for soaking the rice. Add the 3 cups of water and salt to the rice. Blend the mixture into rice paste. Cook the rice paste for about 3 minutes till thickens, stirring constantly.


3. Pour the rice paste into small moulds. Steam in high heat for 15 minutes until cooked. Serve with dried radish. (Fry the dried radish in oil with shallots first)

Save Money on Groceries and Gas : Click Here

Recipe For Beancurd With Hot & Spicy Peanut Sauce

This is a popular Malay dish, known as Tahu Goreng (fried bean curd) in Malay.





Recipe for Bean curd with Hot and Spicy Peanut Sauce (Tahu Goreng)





Ingredients :

• 10 pieces of bean curds



• Oil for deep frying

Sauce :

• 3 tablespoons pounded garlic



• 10 red chilies, pounded



• 8 green chilies, pounded



• 10 to 20 chili padis (little red chilies), optional



• 4 to 6 tablespoons dark soy sauce



• 6 to 8 tablespoons sugar



• 4 tablespoons gula melaka



• 4 tablespoons dark sweet vinegar



• 625g peanuts, fried in oil and pounded finely



• 570ml water

Method :

1. Deep fry the bean curds in oil until golden brown, remove from heat and drain.



2. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce. The water should be added in last and gradually. Mix the sauce thoroughly and serve with the fried bean curds.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas : Click Here

Recipe For Steamed Fish Head

Here is another dish using fish head as the main ingredient. The braised fish head recipe in last month's post was a Cantonese dish too.



Recipe for Steamed Fish Head



Ingredients :

• 1 fish head, about 900g


• 5 tablespoons fermented black beans - soak in water, drained and grinded


• 18g shredded young ginger


• 1 tablespoon white vinegar


• 1 tablespoon ketchup


• 1 tablespoon chili sauce


• 1 tablespoon sugar


• 1/2 tablespoons cornflour


• 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil


• 5 garlic, finely chopped


• 2 red chilies, shredded

Method :

1. Clean the fish head, add in all the ingredients except the red chilies. Lastly, add in 2 tablespoons of cooked oil.


2. Steam for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add in another tablespoon of cooked oil.


3. Garnish with the shredded red chilies and serve hot.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas : Click Here

Recipe For Marble Cake

Marble cake is called a marble cake because when you cut it, the pattern on the cake resembles the veins of the marble stone. Marble cake is widely available in bakeries like butter cake.

Recipe for Marble Cake

Ingredients :

• 340g flour
• 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 453g butter
• 1/2 can condensed milk
• 10 eggs
• 340g castor sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoons vanilla essence

Method :

1. Sift flour with baking powder twice.
2. Whip butter and condensed milk till white in colour. Add the vanilla essence.
3. Separate the egg whites and egg yolks
4. Beat egg whites with sugar, adding in the yolks gradually. Beat till the the mixture is white and fluffy.
5. Add in the butter mixture to the egg batter quickly. Then add in the flour.
6. Mix 1/3 of the batter with the cocoa powder thoroughly.
7. Line a cake tin with greaseproof paper. First, add in a layer of white batter, then add in a layer of cocoa batter. Repeat until all the batter is used up. The topmost layer should be white.
8. Put the cake into preheat oven at 350 deg F for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 275 deg F and bake for another 30 minutes until done.

Baking tip :

When adding the cocoa batter, every layer should be smaller in quantity. That is, if the first layer is 4 tablespoonful, the second layer should be 3 tablespoonful and so on. In this way, the baked cake will have patterns that resemble marble veins.

Save Money on Gas and Groceries : Click Here

Recipe For Chicken With Chestnuts And Dried Oysters Casserole

This is a Chinese dish cooked using the microwave oven. Dried oysters are commonly used in Cantonese dishes and soups. Most of the time they are soaked in water to soften first before cooking. In this recipe, they are microwaved to save on the soaking time.

Recipe for Chicken with Chestnuts and Dried Oysters Casserole

Cooking time : 55 minutes

Serves 4 - 6 persons

Ingredients :

• 1 chicken weighing about 1 kg


• 300g chestnuts


• 150g dried oysters


• 2 tablespoons dark soya sauce


• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper


• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce


• 1 tablespoon sesame oil


• 500ml water


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon sugar

Method :

1. Marinate the chicken with dark soya sauce and white pepper for 1 hour.


2. Place dried oysters and chestnuts into a microwavable dish. Pour in the water and microwave for 15 minutes. Separate the oysters and chestnuts from the water.


3. Stuff the oysters and chestnuts into the chicken cavity. Place the chicken in a casserole and surround it with the remaining oysters and chestnuts.


4. Mix the water from the microwavable dish with the oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt and sugar. Then pour the gravy over the chicken. Cover the casserole with its lid and microwave for about 40 minutes.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas : Click Here

Tips On Choosing Durians

Durian is called "The King of Fruits". People who love this tropical fruit claim that durian is a 'must' try whereas those who hate this pungent fruit simply cannot stand the smell of it, not to mention to eat it.

myLot User Profile

Tips on Choosing Durians :

1. Avoid a durian with holes. This indicates the durian is infested with worms.



2. A lighter durian is fleshier than a heavier durian of the same size.



3. Press the durian's spikes. Fresh durian has hard spikes while older durian's spikes are softer.



4. Smell the middle or body of the durian, not the top or bottom.



5. A big and solid stalk indicates a mature and good durian.



6. Press the middle of the seed to test its fleshiness, not between the seeds.


7. Do not taste the durian. The smell that linger around your mouth will confuse your sense of smell when you test other durians.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Recipe For Coconut Pudding

This sweet dessert uses coconut milk as the main flavouring agent. Store the pudding in the refrigerator as the coconut milk turns bad easily in room temperature.

myLot User Profile

Recipe for Coconut Pudding

serves 4

Ingredients :

• 3/4 cup rice flour




• 1 tablespoon tapioca flour




• 1/2 cup sugar




• 1 cup coconut milk




• 1/2 cup pandan juice

Sauce :

• 1 cup coconut milk




• 1 1/2 teaspoon rice flour




• 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar




• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or chestnuts

Method :

1. Mix ingredients and pour into moulds. Steam for 15 minutes. Cool and remove from moulds.




2. Cook all the ingredients for the sauce in low-medium heat. Stir sauce till thickened.




3. When sauce is cooled, pour over the pudding and serve.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas : Click Here

Image from BeautifulFreePictures.com

Recipe For Braised Fish Head

This recipe for Braised Fish Head is a Cantonese dish. The meaty fish head is cooked with roast pork, adding much lard fragrance to the dish.

Ingredients :

• 1 fish head about 900g




• 1 pc ginger, about 10 cm long, sliced




• 4 squares of white beancurd (toufu), cut to large cubes and deep fried




• 2 tablespoons cornflour




• 5 shallots, grinded




• 10 red dates




• 5 mushrooms




• 1 egg




• 110g roast pork

Gravy :

• 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine




• 1 teaspoon dark soya sauce




• 3 tablespoons light soya sauce




• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce




• 4 rice bowls water




• salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Method :

1. First, clean the fish head with water, pat dry. Marinate with 1 tablespoon of ginger juice and grinded shallots for 20 minutes.




2. Beat the egg, dip in the fish head, then coat with the cornflour. Deep fry the fish head till golden brown, remove from heat and drain.




3. Heat a wok or frying pan, add 3 tablespoons cooking oil, fry the ginger and shallots till fragrant. Then add the mushrooms, red dates, roast pork, ingredients for the gravy, beancurd, cooked for 15 minutes and sprinkle with chopped spring onions and parsley.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Free Photos Available at http://www.bigfoto.com/

Recipe For Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple tarts are available for sale all year round in Singapore. They are considered lunar new year treats as pineapples' Mandarin pronunciation symbolises wealth.

Recipe for Pineapple Tarts :

Ingredients for the fillings :

• 2 pineapples



• 250g sugar



• 5 cloves



• a sprinkle of cinnamon powder



• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Ingredients for the pastry :

• 125g butter



• 250g margarine



• 600g flour



• 3 egg yolks



• 1 egg white



• 6 tablespoons water



• 1/4 teaspoons salt



• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for greasing the baking tray

Method :

1. Peel off the skin of the pineapples, grind the flesh. Separate the pulp and juice with a strainer, stand for about 10 minutes to obtain half a cup of pineapple juice.



2. Fry the pineapple pulp in a non-stick frying pan with sugar, the half cup of pineapple juice, lemon juice, cloves and cinnamon powder in slow heat, stirring constantly. When the pineapple filling can form a ball, remove from the heat to cool.



3. Preheat oven at 180 degree C/350 degree F or Reg. 4. Start making the pastry.



4. Melt margarine and butter, mix them to the flour, turning the mixture to a dough.



5. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks, egg white, water and salt in medium speed for about 5 minutes. Then pour the mixture into the pastry dough and mix thoroughly.



6. Place the dough on the table, flatten it using a rolling pin to about 1 cm thick. Cut with pastry cutter. Put a ball of cooled pineapple fillings onto each tart. You can use the excess pastry to cut into small thin strips to lay across the fillings on each tart.



7. Place the tarts on the greased baking tray. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven to cool on the cooling rack.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Image by BeautifulFreePictures.com

Recipe For Strawberry Fresh Cream Cake

If you mention 'cakes' to me, I will think of chocolate cakes and strawberry cakes. My children love chocolate cakes with thick chocolate. If I want a lighter treat, I would like to have a strawberry cake, and it is always such a 'girly' thing.

Recipe for Strawberry Fresh Cream Cake

Ingredients for cake :

• 5 eggs



• 100 g castor sugar



• 2 tablespoons self-raising flour



• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence



• 100g flour



• 20g cornflour



• 125g melted butter

Method :

1. Mix eggs and flour using electric cake mixer in high speed for 10 minutes until mixture is creamy white and fluffy.



2. Add in self-raising flour and vanilla essence. Then pour mixture into a mixing bowl.



3. Sift flour and cornflour together, fold them into the creamy white mixture using a wooden spoon in the same direction.



4. Add in melted butter when the flour is thoroughly folded into the mixture.



5. Pour the mixture into a 26-cm diameter round cake tin that is laid with greaseproof paper. Bake in a pre-heat oven (Reg.5 -6, 350 degree F or 175 degree C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cake from oven to cool, then slice it into 2 halves.

Ingredients for Strawberry Filling

• 250ml water



• 60g castor sugar



• 250g fresh cream



• 150g gelatin powder (jelly powder)



• 250g chopped fresh strawberries



• 12 whole fresh strawberries



• extra whipped cream for cake decoration

Method :

1. Boil water, add sugar and gelatin powder, dissolve, remove from heat to cool.



2. Beat fresh cream using high speed until its volume is increased 2 to 3 times. Add half-cooled gelatin mixture to the cream.



3. Add in the chopped strawberries, mix well. And when the jelly mixture is about 90% solidified, sandwich the jelly mixture between the 2 slices of cake, spreading evenly. Put the cake into the refrigerator to harden the filling.



4. To decorate the cake, we can cover the cake with some more whipped cream on the sides and top. Using a cream pipe to pipe some cream patterns onto the cake and place the whole strawberries all round the cake's top.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Image by BeautifulFreePictures.com

Healthy Drinking Water - Part 3

In Part 3 of the topic "Healthy Drinking Water", lets bring out the third type of healthy drinking water - Ionised water.

3. Ionised Water - The ionised water device produces alkaline antioxidant water. The device filters tap water, removing bacteria, particles, chemicals and heavy metals. Then it adds calcium and other minerals to the water, ionises and makes it alkaline. Ionised water is believed to make our body absorb minerals in the water easily, enhancing our stamina, improving hypertension, diabetes, gout, asthma, rhinitis and dermatitis.

All the 3 types of devices separate impurities and minerals in the tap water first, either boiling or filtering it. It reminds me of the scientific experiment done in school, where we use simple containers filled with layers of pebbles, stones, sand, starting from big to small. Then we passed the water through all of them. The impurities in the water are trapped in the layers of stones and what comes out is a purer form of water. The devices are of course more complex forms of the simple filtration system used in the school. Isn't that interesting?

To judge whether treated water is better is rather subjective. In my opinion, drinking more water and cutting down on other caffeine and sugary liquids surely help towards maintaining a healthy body. Furthermore, in Singapore, we are fortunate that water is safe and clean enough to be drunk directly from the tap.

Save Money For Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Free Photos Available At http://www.bigfoto.com

Healthy Drinking Water - Part 2

In Part 2 of this "Healthy Drinking Water" topic, lets go into details about 1. distilled water and 2. energy water.

1. Distilled Water -The distilled water device treats tap water by boiling it, obtaining the water vapour and leaves behind the minerals (such as calcium and magnesium) and deposits ( such as iron and copper). Hence distilled water is purified water. It is believed to prevent arthritis, hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, gallstones, cataracts and weight gain.



2. Energy Water - The energy water device filters tap water, removing metals, chemicals, pesticides and impurities. Then it breaks the water molecules into smaller clusters. It also magnetises and ionises the water to increase the oxygen and calcium levels. Energy water is believed to detoxify the body, strengthen the immunity system, improve the body's metabolism and digestion, skin, relieve certain illness such as high blood pressure, rheumatism, migraines, diabetes, gastric and menstrual pain.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Free Pictures Available at http://www.bigfoto.com/

Healthy Drinking Water - Part 1

I remembered when I was young, my mother used to urge my brother and I to drink warm boiled water. I always find warm water leaves a strange unpleasant after taste. On the other hand, boiled water that has cooled down does not taste that bad, as it is normally tasteless. My mother insisted that warm water was healthier than cold water because our internal body is warm and is more receptive to warm water while cold water tends to make us ill. Her reason given was simple. Splash a heated pan with cold water will surely cause a great sizzle!

Seventy percent of our body is made up of water. We need to drink about eight glasses (250ml per glass) of liquid a day. Our body loses over two litres of water a day just through breathing, sweating and excretion. I feel that plain water will be just as sufficient if you lead a normal life. You may need not to drink water fortified with vitamins or minerals. Mineral water or bottled water is just treated tap water, not necessarily better than tap water.

There are many devices in the market that claim to treat tap water to healthier drinking water. They include the following :

1. Distilled Water
2. Energy Water
3. Ionised Water

Save Money On Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Free Photos Available at http://www.bigfoto.com

Coffee Tips

Need a better cup of coffee to brighten up your day? Follow these coffee tips :

• Good ingredients will contribute greatly to a good cup of coffee. Buy good quality coffee beans from reputable and trusted stores.



• For a fresh blend of coffee, use your coffee beans within 10 days after roasting, or they will lose their fragrance.



• Only grind all that you can consume. Coffee beans lose their flavour and aroma half an hour after grinding.



• Store coffee beans in airtight containers and not in your refrigerator. Beans will absorb whatever smell in your fridge. Keep them away from sunlight will help too.

Save Money on Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Free photos available at http://www.bigfoto.com

The Different Flavours And Types of Milk

Nowadays, milk comes in many different flavours. Apart from the normal flavours like strawberry and chocolate, there are papaya and banana too.

Besides cow's milk, we have goat's milk, soya bean milk, almond milk, rice milk, malt milk and oat milk, just to name a few.

Some people are allergic to cow's milk protein. Goat's milk is a good substitute and it tastes closest to cow's milk. Soy based milk is lactose free and can replace cow's milk too. Infants and children who are recovering from diarrhea should drink other types of milk instead of cow's milk. Rice milk is made from brown rice extract, while malt milk is made from malt extract.

Save Money For Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Image by BeautifulFreePictures.com

Singapore's Famous Crab Dishes

Some of Singapore's famous crab dishes include :

• Black pepper crabs from Long Beach Seafood, Quayside Seafood



• White pepper crabs from No Signboard Seafood



• Chilli crabs from Jumbo Seafood, Palm Beach Seafood, Quayside Seafood

Apart from these spicy versions, I do like the plain steam crabs cooked by my mother. Steaming the meaty crabs with a generous handful of ginger brings out the rich original flavour of the crabs. The ginger is used to drive out the cooling effect of the crab as believed by the Chinese.

Save on Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Free photos available at http://www.bigfoto.com/

Can You Name Some Famous Hong Kong Dishes?

Recently, there's much talk in town about which famous dishes in Singapore originate from Malaysia and vice versa. As I walked past one Hong Kong themed cafe the other day, I couldn't stop wandering what famous dishes represent Hong Kong.

I know Hong Kong is famous for their

• wanton noodles (dumplings filled with prawns and/or meat to go with noodles)




• bo lo bao (a bun that looks like a pineapple, some comes with a slice of butter as a filling)




• tong soi (sweet soups)




• thick French toast that resembles a pillow




• yuanyang (an unique and clever mix of coffee, tea and milk)




• slow-brewed soups




• gongzhai noodles (instant noodles accompanied by luncheon meat)

Save Money on Groceries and Gas - Click Here

Free Photos Available at http://www.bigfoto.com

Healthy Ways To Cook Fish

Here are some healthy ways of cooking fish :

1. Baking - Seasoned fish with herbs, lemon juice and olive oil, wrapped with foil and placed on lightly greased baking dish. Bake at 180 degree Celsius.

2. Frying - Coat fish with cornflour and flour batter, shallow fry in medium heat.

3. Grilling - Cut slits diagonally on the fish for even heat distribution. Place fish on preheated
grills, brushing with butter frequently.

4. Simmering - Place fish in cooled liquid before bringing to a light boil, simmer till done. Unsuitable for flaky fish.

5. Steaming - Steam fish with natural seasonings such as ginger, spring onions and tomatoes.

Save Money On Groceries and Gas - Click Here

For Free Pictures, go to http://download-free-pictures.com

Fish As A Healthy Source Of Food

Fish contains a rich source of protein, vitamins, minerals such as iodine. On the other hand, fish contains less calories than other meats. Most types of fish have little cholesterol and hence consuming more fish is good for preventing high blood pressure and heart diseases. The Omega 3 in fish can effectively reduce cholesterol in our body, reduce blood pressure and prevent the blockage of blood vessels in our heart too.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish help to maintain a healthy heart. DHA also helps to promote brain and eye developments in children. Daily intake of 200 to 600mg of omega 3 will be helpful. The types of fish that are rich in omega 3 includes salmon, sardine, tuna and trout.

However, deep sea fish such as the sea bass and other big fish may be contaminated with high levels of mercury. It will not be advisable for pregnant women, breastfeeding mums and women planning to conceive to consume these fish.

When choosing fish from the market, look for fish with bright eyes, firm meat texture with nice natural fish smell. Avoid those with dull eyes, soggy meat and foul fishy smell.

Save Money on Groceries, Gas - Click Here

For Free pictures, go to http://download-free-pictures.com