Chinese New Year 2015 - Pineapple Jam Tarts

Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is only days away. The first day of the Year of the Goat/Ram/Sheep starts on 19 February 2015. In our family, the celebrations for the new year is not complete without our favourite cookies - Pineapple Jam Tarts.

I cooked the pineapple jam a few weeks ago, and kept it the fridge. Today, we made the tarts - about 200+. I follow this recipe that has been passed on to me from my Mum.

Special Brunch Invitation

Last week I received a special invitation to a French theme brunch. This special invitation was from my older girl, Ash. She is studying Food Tech this term at school. Part of their assessment this term is cook a meal for their special guests. The girls work in groups of four, separating into two groups to prepare each course.

I was impressed by the invitation, menu and overall presentation that the girls created. 

As you can see from the menu, we started with a mini french tomato and cheese quiche, served with a side salad. I really enjoyed the quiche - light and thin pastry and perfectly cooked egg mixture. The dish was light and suited the spring weather (although it felt like winter today with stormy clouds, rain and gale force winds). It was a little heavy on the salt and lack in black pepper (Ash did say they forgot the pepper).

After the main, we were served a french crepe filled with wicked chocolate sauce, sweetened seasonal mixed berries and ice-cream. Very decadent for the morning, but it went down a treat. The crepe was slightly thick in the centre; but thin and crispy around the sides.

Well done Ash and your group. I was delighted by the French theme breakfast and felt privileged to be invited to taste your creations.

Mini cheese and tomato quiche with side salad

Crepes with chocolate filling, seasonal mixed berries and vanilla ice cream

There were four other groups each cooking cuisines from different countries - Malaysia, Japanese, Mexican and Vietnamese. Interesting to note more Asian influences in their palates.

Teenage Moodiness

We have a soon to be teenager at home. The last year has been really trying for all of us coping with her moodiness. Is it hormonal? Is it part of growing up? Friends who have girls around the same age seem to be in the same predicament too. It's hard to pick the right mood. Some days she's a joy to have around the house and other days, there is no pleasing her at all. I am tearing my hair out trying to play the good cop vs hubby's bad cop. Men, they just don't understand that they need to be a little patient. I find I am constantly playing the referee between the two of them. At times, it doesn't help when the little one butts in as well. It just makes the situation worse and tension all around. Almost have to pull put the red or yellow card.

I try not to ask too many questions, because it appears I'm nagging. So I wait for her to initiate conversation. At times, if she is not forthcoming, I'll give it a go and see if I get any bites. I find she will open up when there's just the two of us, usually just before she sleeps. She likes me to lie down with her and just chat. I enjoy that too, but sometimes I am just so tired and stressed, that I get impatient.

Sometimes I wonder where has my sweet angel gone to? Who's taken her away? I try to think back to my own teenage years to recall if I was ever this moody. According to my Mum, I was the same too, but I can't remember - amnesia (LOL!)

Covering School Books

Two more weeks till the new school year begins. One of the important prep tasks is covering the school books with contact paper. This year, I am able to outsource the task of covering Caitlin's books to Ashleigh (advantages of having a older child), for a price of course! On the last day of school, Caitlin's Year 1 teacher handed us a pack with instructions and cover pages for the books. Caitlin's books are ready. We're still waiting for Ashleigh's books to be delivered.

Next step to check that their summer uniforms fit. We've already bought their school shoes. Lunchboxes from last year are still in good condition. We just need to buy socks.

Creme Brulee

Since it's the school holidays, Ashleigh wanted to learn how to cook (finally!). She has been dying to use the blowtorch that we bought last year. She decided to try making Creme Brulee.

600ml thickened cream
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
6 egg yolks
¼ cup caster sugar
120g demerara sugar

Just before baking

1. Preheat oven to 120°C.
2. Place the cream, vanilla bean and seeds in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to scalding point, then remove from heat. Remove vanilla bean and discard.
3. Whisk together egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl for 2-3 minutes or until pale.
4. Pour hot cream over egg yolk mixture, continuing to whisk until well combined. Strain mixture into a jug, evenly divide between 4 x 200ml ramekins.
5. Carefully place ramekins in a deep roasting pan lined with a folded tea towel. Pour boiling water into pan to come halfway up the sides of ramekins. Cover pan loosely with foil.
6. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the custard has just set. Remove ramekins from the water bath, and set aside to cool.
7. Sprinkle demerara sugar evenly over the surface of the baked custards. Run a kitchen blowtorch over the custards, or place under a preheated grill until the sugar bubbles and caramelises. Serve.

School's Over for 2011

My girls started their summer holidays a week ago...nearly 8 weeks off! 2011 has been a busy and challenging year for all of us. We survived Year 7 and Kindergarten. Looking back, we are glad the year is over.

Year 7 was challenging for Ashleigh from the start. She was really threw into the deep end with homework, extra-curricular activities, social events and projects. She had to learn how to manage her time to juggle all that is happening in her life. I am proud of her and she has done extremely well both in school and making friends. Her social circle has expanded to include some girls who were new to the school this year and also girls from Junior school. Her social life is definitely busier and she has been working out her Skype account. Girls these days no longer talk on the phone; unlike in my days when I used to spend hours on the phone ('cooking porridge' or 'poh chook'). Now they chat on Skype, which is something we've had to watch closely. Ashleigh has not asked for a Facebook account, but we know that will come one day. Recently, I met up with a girlfriend for coffee and she suggested that I draw up a contract when Ashleigh asks for a FB account. That's what she did with her daughter. There were certain conditions that her daughter had to agree to and if any of the conditions were breached, then the access to FB was withheld or terminated. She also suggested that Ashleigh adds me as a friend as a way of monitoring; and it also gives you an insight into how she interacts with her friend.

Caitlin has breezed through Kindergarten as expected. She enjoys going to school everyday which is a great thing. She has settled well into Junior School and is looking forward to Year 1. She just can't wait to grow up and head to Senior School. Sigh! When did my baby grow up so quickly? Caitlin has made friends with E who lives in a neighbouring suburb. The two girls will start jazz ballet class next year. This year has also been a year of birthday parties, Caitlin had four parties in two weekends at the beginning of the year. Boy, I was partied out. I guess your social life expands when you start big school. Caitlin loves her big sister dearly, and will always ask Ashleigh to walk her to her class every morning. Her reading and writing skills have improved but we will continue to work on these over the holidays to ensure she stays on top. Caitlin enjoys art and craft and her afternoons are busy with drawing or making something which is held together by sticky tape. Caitlin brought home a great report card this semester. Her teacher, Miss C, commented that she is "always co-operative, follows instructions, listens carefully and is an outstanding role model for other children".  She also received an "Outstanding" for her reading. According to her teacher, her reading and comprehension is beyond what is expected at Kindergarten level.

We are very proud of both our girls. Well done Ashleigh and Caitlin.

Surviving Year 7

I wrote a post about Caitlin's progress in Kindy recently. What about Ashleigh? How is she surviving Year 7?

The 1st term of this year was quite cruisey. The focus in Term 1 was to settle into high school, new routines, new teachers, new environment and new friends. The whole Year 7 class went away on a two-night camp to spend time getting to know one other. I was truly surprised when Ashleigh's homeroom teacher told me that Ashleigh had performed at the talent show on the last night at camp - a solo performaance of "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars.  I am grateful to the school and the staff for their support to help the girls settle into high school. The teachers will setting homework at a reasonable pace.

In Term 2, things moved up a notch. There were assignments - individual and group - to work through and submit on time. Exams to study for towards the end of term. Mid Term 2, there were also Parent-Teacher interviews. Chris and I together with Ashleigh had the opportunity to meet all her teachers (except for PE) to hear their feedback and discuss Ashleigh's progress. We were happy and proud to hear all positive and encouraging reports from her teachers. At the end of Term 2, Ashleigh's report card came home with pleasing results for most subjects. She was disappointed with the grade she received for Technology, since it is her favourite subject. A chat with her teacher revealed that Ashleigh had misinterpreted the assignment questions and should have seek clarification instead of keeping quiet. Well, a lesson learnt for next time.

This term, homework and assignments have really ramped up. We are currently in week 7, another 3 weeks to go till the end of term. In the last seven weeks, Ashleigh has worked on four assignments and completed two tests - Science and Maths, on top of daily homework. Another assignment to hand in and one test to sit before the term ends. The Science assignment has by far been the most challenging. It was a simple experiment on evaporation, the challenge was finding a hot day in winter which will cause the evaporation. Ashleigh had to attempt the experiment about four times before she had any success. It was one of the rare winter days when the temperature soared to 23 degrees. Success at last! I was starting to feel sorry for her and Ashleigh was feeling stressed at the continuous failures. What a relief for all of us when it was over. She received the results for her Maths test today. We are proud of her because she has topped the Maths test in her year, sharing the position with another girl. Her hardwork has paid off. It has lifted Ashleigh's spirits.

Besides her schoolwork, she has also been practising her piano skills in preparation for her Grade 5 exam in two weeks time.  She has also volunteered to play her flute at her godsis' First Eucharistic celebration on the 11th September. Ashleigh is one busy bee!

I can't wait to start our family holidays in Malaysia and Singapore. The holidays will be a great opportunity for all of us to recharge and relax after an extremely busy year in school and work.

Mother's Day Classic 2011

source: Mothersdayclassic.org

It was a cold and sunny morning today. However, there was no sleeping in for me this Mother's Day. Ashleigh and I had an early start at 7:30am to meet Elsie, Lee Fong and their children at the train station to head down to the Domain for the 4km walk,  part of the Mother's Day Classic. We left our hubbies at home (to sleep in! LOL). This year, Caitlin did not join us, as she is still too young. Maybe next year.

The Mother's Day Classic is the biggest family fundraising event in Australia. The walk is to support and raise funds for breast cancer research. It is a wonderful event for friends, families, breast cancer survivors to come together across the various venues in Australia from Perth to Parramatta (west of Sydney), Hobart to Brisbane, Geelong to the Gold Coast and various regional  or country towns.

There were thousands of people at the Sydney Domain  participating in 4 events - 4km and 8km run and 4km and 8km walk. It was touching to see people carrying tribute cards in memory of their family members or friends who have and those who have not survived this horrible disease. There were people of all ages - from babies in prams to seniors.

Besides the walk, there were also other activities for kids and adults. These include warm up aerobics, roving performers, food stalls, entertainment, plus a kids activity area with face painting and jumping castles. It was a fun filled day for all.

A great start to Mother's Day, sharing this special day with my girlfriends and our children.

Guess Who's 12?

Happy Birthday Ashleigh!!

source: www.zazzle.com.au

12 years ago, we welcomed you into our lives. You were a wee baby, tipping the scales at just 3.005kg with your tiny hands and feet. From the 1st day, you brightened our lives with your big brown eyes and beautiful black hair. It's hard to imagine where the 12 years have gone. Looking at you now, a young girl soon to be a teenager, starting your 1st year in high school. We are immensely proud of you, proud of all that you have achieved at your young age, proud of who you are and the values that you hold true.

WE ALL LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

Term 1 2011 and School Holidays

It's the Term 1 school holidays. Where did the first term go? Caitlin has already finished her first term of Kindergarten It's been amazing to see how she has progressed since the 1st day in February. Caitlin enjoys going to school and actually looks forward to school everyday. Hope this feeling will last for the next 13 years. We are proud of how far she has come in her reading program, in the 10 weeks, she has moved to Level 3 of the school's reading program. Her teacher, Mrs. Z has commented at the 1st Parent-Teacher interview that Caitlin is doing exceptionally well for a child her age. Caitlin makes friends easily, with birthday invitations coming home nearly every week.

Ashleigh is also well settled into Year 7. She finished off the term with a Maths assessment to see how the girls are progressing. She came in at 3rd position in her year and is happy that she is staying in the same top Maths class. No assessments for the other subjects yet. There is no rest for the weary though... exams will start in Week 4 in Term 2. Ashleigh will be busy these holidays preparing for the exams and also her Grade 3 flute exam in early May. If she is busy, it also means I will be busy too, helping her.

We will be taking a short break in the middle of the holidays to spend some time in the country, relaxing and taking in the fresh air. We'll also be visiting the Sydney Royal Easter Show  - where the country meets the city - with many animal exhibitions, dog and cat shows, amusement rides and side show alley, entertainment, junk food like popcorn, dagwood dog (aka corn dog) and show bags.

Settling into School - 2011

It's the end of week 4 of the school term, nearly half way there. Both girls have settled into school routine, and hubby and I have as well. It took us a while to get a routine going as the first two weeks were out of sync with early 7am starts for Ashleigh to attend water ballet practices (for swim carnival in the 2nd week), concert band auditions and Caitlin had her swim carnival on Day 4 of Kindy.

Ashleigh is managing exceptionally well in Year 7 with the demanding timetable, new environment, new teachers, new friends and new classrooms. It's a big leap from junior school to high school. They are now expected to take more responsibilities from taking notes (there are fewer notes from teachers), homework, time management and also to ensure they get to school on time and get to classes on time. Instead of staying in the same classroom, the girls move from one room to another depending on the subjects. Each girl has a slightly different timetable to the other. The timetable runs for 10 days and repeats itself each fortnight. From week 4, teachers start giving out detentions for incomplete homework, late for classes, general tardiness etc. I guess the honeymoon period is over for them.

To my surprise, Ash has been highly organised with her homework, extra curricular activities, books etc. After being reprimanded once for being late for Maths class, she came home and worked out a way to be more organised in the mornings. Each girl gets a locker in school for their books and bags. They are not allowed to get anything out from their lockers except during recess or lunch. No loitering around lockers. This means that Ash has to have all her books for the day organised and grab them during the breaks. She's worked out a method - she bought 3 different carry-all folders from Smiggle, organised one colour for each session (before recess, after recess and after lunch), place the relevant books in the folders each morning. Then, all she has to do, is grab the session's folder and head off to classes. I was impressed and it really made me realised my girl is growing up. I have been consciously making more time to spend one on one with her to ensure she gets enough attention at home. I am glad she's settled and enjoying high school, participating in many activities from water ballet, talent quest at camp and playing the flute in concert band as well as flute ensemble. Ash also ensures she makes time to visit Cait during lunch breaks and has been very kind to buy her ice-creams or jellies from the tuckshops on warm, hot days. Needless to say, Cait is also enjoying these lunchtime visits and treats.

Caitlin is doing great in Kindy. She's had some tears especially on Fridays after school, I guess the busyness of the past week comes crashing down and gets to her. Often, she falls asleep in the car and will continue sleeping for another hour or more when we get home. I am glad I have not returned to full-time work as yet. I knew it was important to have Fridays off for some 'me time' and also to spend with the girls after school. Caitlin has had the advantage of being familiar with the school environment as well as knowing a few of the older girls in school who have welcomed her into their circles. She loves her Kindy teacher and her music teacher. No homework yet but the reading program will begin next week. She will bring two books (the girls have been assessed and determined which is the right level) home each night, which we will have to help her to learn to read. There is also a log book that parents/grandparents/siblings who helped them read have to note their observations down. Ms. Z, her teacher has stressed that it's important for the girls to understand and comprehend what they have read and not to focus on reading and getting the words correct. In term 2, parents can help with the reading program 3 days a week where we go in for about 1 hour and have one on one sessions with our daughters and also a small group of girls in the same level. I have really enjoyed the one on one sessions when Ash was in Kindy and look forward to Cait's.
Cait is also enjoying the attention she receives from the older girls at junior school, and all the Kindy girls do because they look so cute in their uniforms which are too large and over the knees. Absolutely adorable!

Getting ready for school - 2011

Another two weeks to go before the new school year begins in NSW. We're almost ready...

• Stationery  - check
• Uniforms - ironed and labelled - check
• Books - labelled and covered - half-check (still waiting for a few of Ashleigh's books on back-order)
• Black school shoes- check
• Sport shoes - check
• White and sports socks - check
• Lunchboxes - check
• Drink bottles - check

The girls will need a visit to the hairdresser the weekend before school starts. Oh yes, a visit to the podiatrist to collect Ashleigh's new orthotics, and then we may need to exchange the black shoes for a slightly larger size. We were lucky to buy the black and sport shoes when they were on discount. Hope Caitlin's shoes will last the whole school year, like Ashleigh's.

I taught Ashleigh how to cover her own text books with contact paper. She did a great job and was a big relief for me not to cover another set (wipe brow!)

I think we're nearly there.

1st Fish Caught in 2011

Last Thursday, Ashleigh went fishing with her Dad and her Grandpa. They took our 3-men canoe and went out to Clontarf, near the Spit Bridge on the north side. They were out there for a few hours and only Ashleigh brought a fish home, a trevally. According to the men, there was quite a few fishes biting but the snappers were too small or the fishes got away.

Final Assembly and Award for Ashleigh

source: http://forum.xcitefun.net/

Today is Ash's last day in primary school. Caitlin and I attended her assembly which went on for 1.5 hours. During the assembly, the new school leaders of 2011 received their badges from this year's school leaders. It was a lovely gesture to see the older girls past on the leadership baton. After that, each class presented their performance to say 'good-bye' and 'thank you' to the Year 6 girls. The performances were lovely and well rehearsed. My favourite performance was by the Year 1 girls who each carried a letter which formed the sentence "We Love the Year 6 girls because.....", then each Year 1 girl spoke about what or why they loved the Year 6 girls. There were some great comments - "I love the Year 6 girls because they make me happy when I am sad", "I love the Year 6 girls because they help me during the swimming and sports carnival". It touched my heart because it shown how the older girls take on mentoring and nurturing roles to the younger girls in the school. Then the principal of the school, Ms. B, called out the award winners from each year. I was both surprised and proud when Ashleigh's name was called to receive the award for displaying the school values of "Verity - the search for truth". It was a really proud moment for me. Caitlin was cheering loudly as she was also very proud of her sister. She is truly her sister's biggest fan. It was wonderful to end the year and her primary school years on a high.

Hairspray the Musical

Ashleigh and I are heading down to Melbourne next weekend for our 1st mother/daughter trip to celebrate the end of her primary years. I have purchased tickets for Hairspray the Musical at the Princess Theatre. We will also be catching up with friends and cousins over the weekend. Probably some shopping too. Caitlin will stay at home with Daddy. Hope she'll be fine and not miss us too much!

Advent Calendar

When I was growing up in Malaysia, I had never heard of the Advent Calendar. In Australia, it is popular to buy cardboard Advent calendars from the shops filled with a piece of chocolate or sweet for each day leading up to Christmas. Advent is a time of preparation, for the coming of Christmas. We used to buy Ashleigh one of those chocolate Advent calendars, but somehow I felt it was not ideal way to prepare our girls for Christmas. A few years ago, we bought a wooden Advent Calendar box from the Christmas stall at Ashleigh's school Spring Fair. I love the box. There are 24 little drawers/boxes representing the 24 days till Christmas Day, although Advent usually starts before 1 December. This year, I am much more organised and have prepared the boxes. Each box contains something varying from lollies, chocolates or little tasks the girls can do in preparation. I know I should not place any  lollies or chocolates, but there must be some incentives for the girls. I can't wait to see Ashleigh and Caitlin's faces when they open the little drawers.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

Margaret Fulton, a famous celebrity cook and author of many cookbooks in Australia. She is viewed as one of the first great Australian cooks. Her first cookbook, The Margaret Fulton Cookbook, was published in 1968 and became an instant success. Over 1.5 million copies have sold and it remains in print.

In this week's edition of Good Living, published in Tuesday's SMH paper, the cover story was about Margaret Fulton and her five essential recipes for a quick feed, family feast, alternatives and celebrations. The five recipes are:

• Omelette
• French roast chicken dinner
• Crispy potatoes with roasted capsicum
• Nicoise salad
• Sour cream chocolate cake.

Quite simple recipes to follow. Since I was home today, I taught Ashleigh how to make the sour cream chocolate cake. As Margaret mentioned in the article, the sour cream does give the cake a certain lightness to it. I also think the egg whites make a difference too. Definitely a keeper this recipe and so easy to make.
We tweaked the recipe a little with chocolate ganache on top and omitted the almond flakes (which were optional).

Choc sour cream cake with choc ganache

Year 6 Night of Excellence

On Monday, Ashleigh and her fellow Year 6 friends hosted a special event at school called "Night of Excellence" where they presented the findings from their studies and research that they have been working on for the whole of Term 3.  The Night of Excellent program involves an in-depth study of a person who has displayed excellence and persistence to achieve their goals. Part of their research was also to discover the background of the person, what influences and achievements have made their chosen person famous and what difficulties have they endured in their life. 

At the beginning of the term, her class teachers sent a note home explaining what was required and also the role of the teachers and parents. In this project, teachers and parents played the role of advisor and counsellor to guide and encourage the girls. We were not allowed to help them in their work and research. 

Ashleigh chose Sir Edmund Hillary, the famous New Zealander mountaineer who became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Hillary did reached the summit with help from a Nepalese Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay. We are very proud of the amount of time and effort that Ashleigh has put unto this project. Whilst there are plenty of information and resources available on the world wide web, we have also encouraged her to use resources from the library as well. The teachers had set out a list of questions that the girls needed to answer.

Ashleigh also made a model of the great Mountain using paper mache. In addition, she also create a movie from photos and scanned pictures using the iMovie software on my Macbook. I think she is like my hubby, who is into IT. In fact, Ashleigh is often called upon by her teachers as a 'tech support'. 

All the girls had to dress up in the character they have chosen. 

It was a great night where I 'met' Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, Coco Chanel, Thomas Edison, JK Rowling, Li Cunxin, Helen Keller, Dawn Fraser, Amelia Earhart, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Jacques Costeau, Roald Dahl - to name a few amazing people. 

Father's Day 2010

A view of the feast (Guess who's ready to start?)

In Australia, we celebrate Father's Day on the 1st Sunday in September, unlike USA, UK and Malaysia (where Father's Day is celebrated in June). This year we decided to have afternoon tea at our place to celebrate with hubby and both grandfathers. 

Ashleigh and I made:

• buttermilk scones - served with cream and strawberry jam
• hazelnut and fruit torte
• yellow glutinous rice (nasi kunyit) and chicken curry - thanks to Sonia from Nasi Lemak Lover for the rice recipe (it uses a mix of glutinous and jasmine rice)
• marble cake
• roast pumpkin and feta cheese pie - this is a tasty vegetarian finger food. Easy to make and taste delicious.

My Mum also bought some sushi. It was quite a feast. We definitely did not need dinner that night. 

Buttermilk scones made by Ashleigh - light and soft

Hazelnut and Fruit Torte

Marble Cake

Yellow Glutinous Rice served with Chicken Curry

Roast Pumpkin and Feta Cheese Pie

Marble Cake

Ashleigh's school held their annual Spring Fair this weekend. At the fair, there are  many stalls selling items from cakes, gift baskets, vintage stuff, preserves and sauces, lollies, showbags, books plus games alley, plaster painting... you get the picture.

I made a Marble Cake as my contribution to the cake stall, which is always run by the families from the Kindergarten class.

180gm butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup milk
pink food colouring
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon milk, extra

1. Lightly grease a 20cm ring cake pan.Heat the oven to moderate temperature (120C for my oven).
   
2. Beat butter, essence and caster sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after additions.
3. Fold in sifted flour and milk in 2 batches. Divide mixture evenly between 3 bowls.
4. Tint mixture pink in 1 bowl, mix well. Stir sifted cocoa and extra-milk into second bowl, mix well.
5. Drop spoonfuls of each of the 3 mixtures into prepared pan. Run a knife through cake mixture for a marbled effect.
6. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Test with skewer. Stand cake for 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.

Icing
90gm butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
pink food colouring

1.  Beat butter in small bowl with electric mixer until as white as possible; beat in sifted icing sugar and milk in 2 batches. 
2. Divide the icing into two separate bowls; use colouring to tint mixture  pink in 1 bowl.
3. Drop alternate spoonfuls of pink and white icing on top of the cold cake. 
4. Use a spatula, swirl icing to give marble effect.

Notes:

• This cake can be made a day ahead and is suitable for freezing.
• Store in an airtight container.