Spinach Dip (Reindeer's Nose)

Christmas is coming.. I'm inspired to do this healthy and tasty dip for a Christmas party and make it like reindeer's nose. The cream cheese in this dip was from Happy Cow and the ricotta cheese was from Perfect Italiano. As mentioned in my 5 Cool KitchenGadgets under $12, I used the stick blender to mix ingredients in one bowl, simple.

Spinach Dip (Reindeer's nose)

250g baby spinach/frozen - washed and drained (for frozen, thawed  in microwave)

150g ricotta cheese

1 portion of cream cheese triangle

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp parsley

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 punnet cherry tomato - for garnish

Put all ingredients in a bowl and use a stick blender to mix (you can also use food processor). Serve with your favourite crackers and top with cherry tomato. Enjoy!

Beef Salad

I tried this salad in Evia Yoghurt for the first time and fell in love straight away. The smell of coriander, succulent beef and tasty vegetables are the treat you'll get in one bowl.  Then I tried to make my own with little twist and modifications, and the results had always been great, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Here it is:

Beef  Salad

2 pcs cucumber - diagonally sliced

2 pcs tomatoes - cut into wedges (you can also use 250g cherry tomatoes)

3-4 leaves lettuce - coarsely chopped

1-2 bunch coriander leaves  - coarsely chopped (use the stalks for dressing)

3-4 stalks spring onion - diagonally sliced

1/2  red capsicum - thinly sliced

300g grilled beef steak - thinly sliced (you can also use leftover beef)

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic              }

1-2cm ginger                }put in the food processor

coriander stalks           }

1/2 stalk lemongrass  }

lime juice

soy sauce

palm sugar - diluted with lime juice

sesame oil

Garnish:

a handful of toasted peanuts - coarsely crushed

Combine the ingredients with dressing and garnish with toasted peanuts. Enjoy!

Bean Salad

This lovely salad is so refreshing, you could eat this by itself or with your favourite meal. Here I use Aldi Five Bean Mix, they includes red kidney beans, green baby lima beans, great northern beans, small borlotti bean and small chickpeas.

Here is the recipe:

Bean Salad

2 pcs cucumber - seeded & diced

2 pcs tomato - diced

3-4 leaves lettuce - coarsely chopped

3-4 stalks continental  parsley - finely chopped

3-4 stalks spring onion

1/2 green capsicum - diced

a quarter of Spanish onion - finely diced

some mint leaves -  finely chopped

a can of Five Bean Mix - drained & heated (in the microwave)

Dressing:

2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

lemon juice from 1 lemon

salt & pepper - to taste

Mix all ingredients and dressing until all well combined.

5 Cool kitchen Gadgets under $12

1.      Stick blender

To me, this is the coolest kitchen gadget ever! It is wonderful to purée soup, smoothen your dips, whip the cream, make fruit smoothies or even froth your milk. One big advantage is, you don't have to transfer your ingredients, it can be used right on your pan, cup or bowl. It is so easy to clean, too, just use soap & water. Love mine so much and it's very affordable. I think every kitchen should have this. Big W $12.00.

2.     Julienne slicer

How we hate chopping carrots and slicing them thinly, I always can't get it right. This thing makes my job easier, it slices carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, etc. effortlessly and efficiently. It comes in two sizes, coarse or fine, you can also buy the holder so it won't hurt your finger. Street shop $7.50 each.

3.     Chips/Pizza Crisper

These things are the new hero in my kitchen. I used to fry the chips because my family like them crispy, but now I just put them in the oven using the chip crisper and they will be crispy on both sides, just like we wanted, healthier too! And the use is limitless, not just for pizza and chips, we can use them for pastries, nuggets, roasted vegetables, etc. Don't forget to brush some oils on the base of the tray to avoid food sticking on it. Aldi (promotional) $2.90 each.

4.     Mini grater

This is the little thing that makes your meal perfect. Use it to grate parmesan cheese for  garnish, grain your nutmeg, zest your lemon/orange for extra flavour, or grate your ginger/garlic  for making sauce. They are available in plastic or stainless steel. Hot Dollar $2.50.

5.     Dumpling mould

Being Asian, I make dumplings a lot, so having this thing is a must. Just put the skin first then the filling in the middle, press it, and voilà.. the dumpling is done! You can get it from 2 dollar shop or Daiso. It's a delight! Daiso $2.80.

If I were a Jewellery Maker

I was introduced to jewellery making by the local group and loving it since then. It's amazing how you could put together beads and string to create something new. You don't have to be an expert, even an amateur like me can do it.

You will need:

 - Crimping Tools

 - Beads

 - String/wire, elastic  or chain

 - Hooks & pins

Here are some of the things I've made.

Bracelets with elastic

Blue beads

Clear pink beads with matching earrings

Clear green beads with matching earrings

Bracelets & necklace with chains

Clear blue and white beads with ring connector

Blue & white beads with gold chain & matching earrings

Clear colourful beads with matching earrings

Necklaces with wire

Red & black beads with matching earrings

Silver & clear beads

Necklaces with string

Earthy beads with ring pendant and matching earrings

8 necklace

Nail Buffer: The Wonder of Home Manicure

Ever thinking to do your nails but don't have time to go to nail salon or don't want to spend the money or not comfortable with sharing equipment with others. Not to worry, now we can do it ourselves, at home!

A 4 way Nail Buffer is the one tool to do the job, they normally have 4 sides and labels of which one to use first. They are very affordable, price is vary from as low as $2.50 to $10.00. I have mine from  Daiso which I love and cost only $2.80.

Before you do this, please make sure that your nails are free from nail polish, then wash and dry your hands.

Here are the steps:

Step 1 -  File

Use the emery board surface to shape nails. This is to be used on the side of the nails, not the surface.

Step 2 - Smooth

Rub across the nail surface in one direction to smooth away ridges. Complete this step monthly, doing it too often can wear away the nail surface and weaken it.

Step 3 - Buff

Buff the nail surface in one direction to create a lovely satin finish. Complete this step weekly.

Step 4 - Polish/Shine

Buff nail surface in one direction until nail achieve a super glossy shine. This step can be completed daily if desired or as often as nails need a shine lift.

Happy Manicure!

Chicken Caesar Salad

I love salads during hot days, and it was 31°C in my area. So I decided to make Chicken Caesar Salad. My lucky day, the local supermarket offered bbq chicken for only $6.49 each, so that's settled.

My recipe is really simple, instead of croutons, I used honey mustard pretzels I bought from Costco, they'd make a tasty combination, here is the recipe.

Chicken Caesar Salad

1 bunch Baby Cos Lettuce - torn

a handful of Honey Mustard Pretzel - coarsely crumbed

1 single Breast Bbq Chicken - sliced

Caesar Salad Dressing

Grated Parmesan Cheese - for garnish

Put lettuce, pretzels & chicken in a bowl, put the dressing according to taste, toss them around and garnish with grated parmesan cheese. Bon appétit.

Seafood Salad

So I still have the prawns, celery & red capsicum, one thing that came to mind is Seafood Salad! Some people will prefer more prawns or seafood flakes but I like to make them in proportion, so everything is balance. It's really up to your preference, you could make it either way. This one is really tasty, here is the recipe.

Seafood Salad

250g cooked prawn - peel & cut into half

250g frozen seafood flakes - boil until separate & soft

1 stalk celery - thinly sliced

1/2 red capsicum - finely diced

1 stalk spring onion - finely chopped

Mayonnaise

Coleslaw salad dressing

Put prawns, seafood flakes, celery, capsicum & spring onion in a bowl, put mayonnaise & coleslaw dressing according to taste and mix them well.

Best served with fish and chips :)

Stir Fry Udon with Prawn

I'm going to start sharing my recipe here, I have been cooking since I got married and being mum with 3 kids with many different taste buds, I need to think of a meal that all family member could eat. Cooking to me needs to be simple, easy to make and fast, without sacrificing the taste and the nutrition.

This meal is really simple and quick to make. It's a star to my dinner yesterday!

Stir Fry Udon with Prawn

300g cooked prawn - peel

4 packets instant japanese fresh udon

2 stalks celery - cut to 1 cm length

1 red capsicum - cut into strips

2-3 stalk spring onion (shallot) - cut to 1 inch length

2 cloves garlic - finely chop

1/3-1/2 cup light soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

2-3 tbsp canola/vegetable oil

Put oil in a large pan/wok, stir fry the udon and separate them until all loose. Put the garlic and stir fry for while. Put the celery, capsicum, prawn, soy sauce and sugar, stir fry them until all combined and cooked. Put the spring onion, stir fry for a while and turn off the stove. It's done!

For vegetarian, you could replace prawn with carrot, mushroom or broccoli.

If I were a bee

We are still in Floriade, Canberra. Now the camera took the view from above as if I were a bee. Here are some of the pictures. Enjoy!

A closer look at this beautiful flower

They are like painting!

If I were an ant

Hi, this is my first time blogging, not much to say at the moment, but I want to share some pictures I took when I went to Canberra recently with my family and saw the tulips in Floriade. It gives me idea of taking pictures of tulips from below as if I were an ant. Hope you enjoy them, they make great wallpapers or cover photos!