On My 31st Birthday

I felt thankful and blessed on this special day.

Firstly, I have my husband to thank for taking a day off and for the gift. Although there was no surprise on this day, but you have showed us true love by taking good care of the family. You are the best 'ee oh' we could have asked for.

Next, my thank you goes to Ian for being a good boy and left us in peace the whole day. The only chaos was when you pooed the moment we began to enjoy dinner. Thank you also for bringing us the happiness that we treasure so much. You, yourself is already the best gift from god. Oh... and yes, you weighed 5.46 kg on my birthday.

In the list, there is of course our family to be thanked, for being so supportive along the way.

Finally, a special thank to all relatives and friends who left me a message on Facebook. Thanks for showing that you care.

Thank you everyone and happy birthday to myself!!!!

Hand Sucking This Time

This was taken on 11th October. Another new trick by Ian.

Salt Roasted Chicken

I initially saw this recipe from a friend's blog before it linked me to its creator. Yes, grilled chicken is always a good choice when you are lazy or running out of cooking idea. Just like the comment from my friend, the recipe is simple and the chicken turned out moist and crispy on the skin. But, for my next attempt, I would want to rub the chicken with some garlic juice before marinating it with salt.... oh, and maybe some freshly ground black pepper. This is merely my personal preference to enhance the taste.

In order to prepare it as one-dish meal, you may add some parboiled potatoes, broccoli/ brussel sprouts and fresh mushrooms to the baking pan halfway through the grilling. With a bit of salt, pepper and olive oil, your side dish will turn out perfectly cooked when the chicken is done. You may also want to keep the chicken skull for a pot of vegetable soup (we normally use leek, fennel, celery, carrot, tomato, onion and garlic) the next day.


Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
1 tablespoon of salt (the metal type for rice eating instead of the measuring spoon)
Unpeeled cloves of garlic


Method:

1. Clean your chicken and pat dry it.
2. Salt the chicken thoroughly with salt, including cavity.
3. Fill the cavity with lots of unpeeled garlic cloves.
4. Grill in preheated oven of 240 degree celcius for 50-60 minutes.


Original recipe from:
http://thelittleteochew.blogspot.com/2009/06/salt-roasted-chicken.html

Oven-Roasted Chestnuts

Yummy yummy... it is chestnut season now.... one of my all time favourite snacks. After a quick search online for an oven-roasted chestnuts recipe by my husband, I bought about a kilo of them and roasted them this morning. The preparation was simple and the end result was satisfying. I love spending my rainy mornings peeling warm, freshly roasted chestnuts ... just like today.


Method:

1. Rinse, drain and pat dry your chestnuts with a dry kitchen towel.
2. Place a piece of clean dish towel on cutting board.
3. Hold and set one chestnut with flat side down on your dish towel. For safety sake, you might want to wear an oven glove when holding the chestnut.
4. With a small, sharp knife, cut an X in each chestnut.
5. Put the chestnuts in a baking pan with the X facing up.
6. Roast in a preheated oven of 220 degree celcius for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your chestnuts.

You should unshell your chestnuts while they are still warm. Doing this when they are cold will demand triple amount of effort and time plus the chestnuts break easily into tiny pieces.


Original recipe from:
http://startcooking.com/blog/299/How-to-Roast-Chestnuts

当归黑枣炖鸡 (产后12天)

这汤出自名食谱出版社的养生月子食谱. 记录在此一来可以跟大家分享, 二来也方便自己改天翻查. 忘了说这本养生月子食谱可真是本好书. 除了有讲解坐月子的生理保养与禁忌再加上各种药材的介绍, 更重要的是食谱简单, 容易准备.

材料:

1/2只甘榜鸡
30克当归
8粒黑枣
400毫升热水


做法:

1. 把鸡去皮, 用沸水烫过, 盛起放入炖盅内.
2. 加入当归和黑枣, 并注入沸水, 加盖以慢火隔水炖三小时.


我本身用了电子砂煲来煮这道汤. 因为煲小, 所以只用了一只鸡腿. 当归和黑枣也放得很随意.

Baby 有长大了

看看一个月大和两个月半的差别. 同一件衣服, 同一个Baby.

Ian @ 11th Week

Weight: 5.05 kg
Height: 56.5 cm