My Daughters First Birthday

Today was my daughter Deanna's first Birthday Party. With the help of loving family, we were able to give Deanna a great night to celebrate the milestone.

There was food aplenty, as you can see.



Of course there was Nandos Chickens; 2 lemon & herb, 1 mild, 1 hot and Nandos Wings



My mum's Prawn and vegetable lettuce wrap


My mum's lasagne

Madras Coconut, Chicken & Banana Curry from "Ainsley Harriott's Gourmet Express 2" page 69 made by me (pictured left) and my mum in law's Red-peppered beef stir-fry from "Complete Family Cookbook" page 102


My potato scallop and Stuffed Tomatoes

Spanish-style Rice from "Delicious Magazine" made by hubby


Mini Hot Dogs using English Pork Chipolata from Rob's British Butchery fried by hubby


Salsa made by me

Lumpiang Shanghai (Shanghai-style Eggrolls) made by my mum



Unfortunately we didn't take photos of all the food. There was also escabeche (Filipino Sweet and sour fish) made by my mum and Asian greens with oyster sauce.

After a very filling main course, we had dessert....

Trifle made by mother-in-law



Leche Flan (Filipino Cream caramel) made by myself


Fruit Platter with Honey Dip from "Desserts" page 86 made by me

Apple Cake from "Delicious Magazine" made by hubby



Tam made a few desserts. I think she was in a baking mood in the morning.





Of course the birthday cake....

Chocolate "Fairy' Cake (Birthday Cake) from "The Essential Guide To Cake Decorating" page 30 made by me.


I know this day will be a memorable one for Hubby and myself. I hope when Deanna grows older, she can look back at the photos and relive the celebrations with us.

Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Rock Cakes

I haven't baked in a while and was itching to bake something. Today, I was working in the evening so I had a little time on my hands during the day to do some baking. I decided to bake Rock Cakes for Hubby. I got the recipe from the current issue of Donna Hay Magazine. Rock Cakes are similar to scones but with sultanas and spices. It's dense and have a savoury flavour to it. As I'm not a fan of dried fruit, I made this solely for Hubby. It brought back childhood memories for him.

Bon Appetite

Cherrie

Salmon Pasta Salad

For Lunch today I felt like something a little healthy. I made myself a pasta salad. The first thing I always do is see what I have in the fridge and pantry and I take it from there. In the pantry I had a can of salmon and pasta and in the fridge I had cucumber, celery and lemons. That's how I came to inventing this pasta dish.

The cucumber and the inside yellow leaves of the celery gave the salad a fresh crunchy taste while the salmon gave it more substance. I love the flavour of lemon juice in my salad so I added the juice of a whole lemon.

Give the salad a go, it's matter of throwing all the ingredients into a bowl and stir. The salad is just made to taste. You can add more salmon or more cucumber if you like. For me I like to make it really lemony.


Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Back to my roots challenge #6

Apritadang Manok (Chicken Casserole)

This week's Filipino dish is apritandang Manok or Filipino Chicken Casserole. Again, there are many versions of this dish that can be found all over the Philippines. This dish originated from the Spanish when they ruled the country. I enjoy cooking this dish as with most of my recipes it's simple and very tasty.

• 2 tbs olive oil


• 1 small chicken cut into serving pieces


• 2 crushed garlic cloves


• 1 diced large onion


• 1 can diced tomatoes


• 2 bay leaves


• 1 tsp salt


• 1 tbs black pepper


• 1 1/2 cups water


• 2 large cubed potatoes


• 1 green cubed capsicum

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and brown the chicken lightly. Then remove and set aside.


2. Add garlic and stir-fry until golden. Then stir-fry the onions until translucent.


3. Return the chicken and add the tomatoes, bay leaves, water, salt & pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.


4. Add the potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes or until nearly cooked.


5. Add the capsicum and simmer for 5 minutes.


6. Serve hot with plan steamed rice.

Apritadang Manok Chicken Casserole @ Group Recipes




Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Not-quite-Midnight snack

Hubby was in the mood for a quick snack at 10pm. Since we had the ingredients we had crepes, or as my hubby calls them, Pancakes. These are a delicious and quick dessert (or snack).


I like mine with bananas and maple syrup...


While hubby HAS to have them with Lyle's Golden Syrup; the Queen says so!


Bon Appetite
Cherrie

A Chapter Closed

Today was my last day at work at ANZ. It was sad to leave the many friends I've made but I'm sure I will see them again.

2 days ago, Hubby sent me beautiful flowers celebrating my last week of work.


Yesterday Little one came and joined me in the office for a couple of hours. She loved playing with the calculator and any other toys she found on my colleagues desks. hehehe....


To say I didn't do any work today is an understatement. To be honest, all I did was eat. We went out for breakfast at Torts Famous. We all had the steak and egg tort. It was steak, eggs, cheese and onions in a wrap.

Since I was leaving, I had to pay departure tax - in the form of morning tea. I didn't want to bring in the usual party pies and sausage rolls and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I decided to make Nachos. It was quick and very easy to prepare and it went down a treat. I topped the chips with salsa ( one hot and one mild), sour cream, mozzarella cheese ( I chose mozzarella for the stringiness) and guacamole, which I made. See recipe below.

I also baked a honey chocolate cake. I found the recipe in Nigella Lawson's Feast. It's very chocolatey, sweet and sticky... yum!

My friend LL made some fudge for me to share with the team. Thanks LL!

• 2 ripe avocados


• juice of 1 small lime


• 2 garlic cloves, crushed


• 4 spring onions, finely chopped


• 1 hot green chilli, seeded and chopped


• 2 ripe tomatoes, skinned an finely chopped


• salt and pepper
  

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the peel and stones. Scoop out the flesh.


2. Put the avocado in a bowl with the lime juice and mash coursely.


3. Sir in the garlic, spring onions, chilli and tomatoes


4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


5. Should be eaten within a few hours of making.
   

Guacamole @ Group Recipes


For afternoon tea, my friend AL treated me to a lovely cup of hot chocolate at Koko Black. I love this place. Their hot chocolates are to die for. I love to sit on the top floor in the nice comfy couches or on a seat next to the window and look down into the Royal Arcade.



At the end of the day, I was presented with a card with the signatures of all my colleagues and gifts. I got a nice white platter from Maxwell and Williams and a Recipe Journal. I am sure I will use both.


Thanks to my friends at ANZ that made my working there an enjoyable experience. Will miss you all.

Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Lunch Box 4: The Final Frontier

It's my second last day working in the city and I couldn't let myself miss out on one more Red Lunch box from Cafe Vue. (Thanks JC!) I really enjoyed this month's menu.

Starter

Wild Mushroom Pate - Though this didn't look the best, it was quite tasty. It was served with 2 garlic crispy bread for dipping. I can really taste the mushrooms in this pate.

-

Salad

Crab Coleslaw - Now, I really liked this. The flavour of the crab came through nicely and not too strong - and it was real crab too, not those pink sticks you get in the cheaper versions. The flavour of the coleslaw wasn't too tangy like the ones you get at other places. It had a subtle flavour. ( sorry about the blurry pic)


-

Savoury

Hare cassoulet served with a bread roll - I really liked this course. The hare was tender and it melted in the mouth. The gravy was great. The flavour of the wine stood out which made the dish really aromatic. I loved the combination of the tender meat and the white beans.

-

Sweet

Caramel Slice - The Vue de monde way - I have to say that I really liked this dessert. The bottom layer was a coconuty biscuit and the top layer was a sweet smooth caramel. Then it was covered in dark chocolate. I did like this but to me, it was a little too sweet. I left half of it and brought it home to Hubby, who I know will love it.

Sigh... My last Lunch box for a while....


Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Walker's

Now that I'm starting to feel like I"m getting over my tummy virus, I felt like eating something of substance... hmmm.. hotdogs. Mellie over at Tummy Rumbles reviewed this corner store in the city called Walker's. (Yes, Mellie, I'm following you around....hehehe)

My American friend was definitely in this lunch time treat. Three of us went for three different dogs. I also couldn't resist getting a glazed doughnut. Since Walker's don't sell fries, we went next door to Lord of the fries. The hotdogs cost us about $4 each.




I got the New Yorker which included relish and mustard.


JC, the American got the brooklyn hot dog which included jalapeños, mustard and sauerkraut.


EB went for the Chicago. This had a stack load of onions, mustard and jalapeños.



Over all the hot dogs weren't bad though the bread that were used were not soft but on the crunchy side. I prefer my hot dog buns to be soft.


Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Minestrone

For the past few days, Hubby and I have been sick. We've both been hit with a tummy virus... not fun at all :( I just hope that Little One doesn't get it too.

Since we were both feeling under the weather, I thought we could do with some nourishing comfort food. I had already made my own chicken stock the day before so I decided to cook up minestrone. The base recipe I used was Neil Perry's from his book "The food I love". But me, being me, I couldn't but help put my own touch to it. The original recipe called for water but I decided to give it that extra lift and used my chicken stock (easily made from chicken bones, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper and simmered for 4 hours). Neil's version also didn't have any pasta but I added macaroni. When I first made this, I thought it didn't have that full tomato flavour that I like in minestrones so at the end of the long simmer, I added tomato sauce. Now don't laugh... this really works!

This is best served in a bowl sitting under a thick doona, in from of the TV snuggling with your loved one... and oh, with soft fresh bread.

• 1 can of cannellini beans, drained


• olive oil


• 2 rashes of bacon, diced


• 1 onion


• 2 garlic cloves smashed


• 3 celery stalks finely diced


• 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced


• sea salt and pepper


• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste


• 12 green beans, cut into 1cm pieces


• 400g can chopped tomatoes


• 2 litres of chicken stock


• 2 bay leaves


• 75grams macaroni pasta


• handful of parsley leaves, chopped


• 3-4 tablespoons of tomato sauce(or ketchup)


• parmesan

1. Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan and sweat the bacon.


2. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and salt. Sauté for about 7-8 minutes


3. Add the tomato paste and beans and cook a further 2-3 minutes


4. Add the tomatoes, parsley, bay leaves and the stock.


5. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 40 to 50 minutes.


6. Add the pasta, stir and cook for 9 minutes


7. Add the cannellini beans and simmer for another 5 minutes


8. Check the season, adding more salt and pepper if necessary and add the tomato sauce.


9. To serve, remove the bay leaves and pour into bowls.


10. Grate parmesan on top and serve with crusty bread

Minestrone @ Group Recipes




Bon Appetite
Cherrie