When Kimi Met Tong

When Kimi met Tong, there were no fireworks but nice presents from Cath to Kimi. They played on their own, a few times snatched toys but were generally placid. Think need a few more months before they know how to play with each other.

Think Kimi was overwhelmed with Tong's toys to notice his playmate. Sorry, Tong! But Tong was as sweet as ever and even more sharp and sensitive. Kimi was holding onto a Dog flash card and we decided to leave the room for lunch.

So I took the card from him and started to walk him out. Of course, much to my embarassment, he begin screaming. Tong was so sweet and brought the Dog flashcard and gave it to my bawling son! How sensitive can such a young toddler get? And Tong is exactly 1 month younger than Kimi. We are ashamed...

I really hope they can grow up as great play mates!

Cath pressie for Kimi - Look how lovely it is wrapped?

A security blankie! Great! Cos Kimi loves to nibble at cloths


The 2 boys, excited about the fountain at Cath's condo


Think Tong mus be wondering what is the fascination with the pebbled top...

Kimi's favourite BUBBLES!

Swoosh swoosh!

We brought Kimi to the new playground at my mom's place. It was nice and new and were filled with kids and maids (don't parents bring their kids to the playground anymore? It's a Sunday, goodness!).

Kimi enjoyed the slides as usual but we only spent a grand 15mins there as it was really difficult for a young toddler to be competing with bigger, sturdier kids. And it was another 30-40 mins walk home.

We will go again, during the weekday, see you soon playground!

I want to slide down on my own, papa

I don't like this funny, jiggly ride

I want to walk & explore on my own, no need to hold my hands, Papa

Weee - weee!

Yay! Sliding down on my own!

Baby Surf & Turf

Sweet potatoes mash & cheese baked fish for a yummy combo!

Ingredients

• 1 small sweet potatoe (about size of finger) boiled or steamed
• 3 broccoli florets boiled or steamed
• 150g Batang fish fillet
• Dried Basil
• Butter
• Milk
• Cheese
• Pepper
• Oil
• Aluminium foil

Method

1. Mash the hot sweet potatoe using a fork with butter and milk till a smooth consistency. Set aside


2. Chop up the broccoli and add to the mash


3. Rub pepper on fillet and leave for a while


4. Pre-heat oven to 200 degree celsius


5. Add a little oil to the bottom of foil


6. Place the fillet onto the foil and place a few knobs of butter on top


7. Sprinkle the dried basil


8. Cover the fish with the cheddar cheese and fold up the foil


9. Bake in oven for 10 mins


10. Remove from oven and open up the foil and put back into the oven for another 10 mins


11. Serve with the mash

Tips

• You can use other kinds of fish like cod, threadfin or fillet. I use whatever I have in my fridge.

Comfy Snooze

I love it when Kimi lies so comfortably on my chest for his snooze. I hope he will continue to sleep like this even when he is bigger - I feel so close to him and it makes me so warm & fuzzy!

Kicking & Dribbling

Hb taught Kimi how to kick a bsll today and he picked it up very quickly. I was just about to buy a bigger, inflated ball this morning but forgotten to do so after brekkie. Guess, I don't need to?

Lately, whenever he feels he has done well, he will give himself a little clap, sooo cute, I'd say! Guess my constant clapping as an encouragement has made him do this?

So, what do you think of his kicking & dribbling skills? Kekke :)

Streaming in...Our New Car

Santa Claus came early this year - Hb decided to change our car for a new one when I told him that my friend, Sharon changed her's and it seemed much nicer than when we test-drove it last year.

Thanks papa for getting me a bigger and more spacious car! Kimi loves it too!

Let me check out the leather first ... hmm, nice smell and feels good!

Eh, got a row of seats at the back, let me check it out. But, hey what's that in the front? Can I drive?

Cheese!

So big & comfy

Hey, I can touch the ceiling and hang from it!

Hearty Grainy Soup

Saw this interesting Vegi Mix at MarketPlace (Tanglin Mall) last week, so decided to get it. I made it for dinner today.

The instructions say add 1 portion of mix to 4 portions of soup stock and boil for an hour. I added Xiao Bai Cai, Meatballs and straw mushrooms and dump it in the slow cooker and let it boil (2+ hours). After my chores, my hearty soup was cooked and ready, easy peasy! Great for a cold, wet night.

I did not over-boil so that it would not be overly mushy. It's alright if you like a thick, mushy soup. :)

I quite like it as it has a lot of bite what with all the goodies like barley, lentils, pasta, beans, etc. But when I cooked this a few days later, the hb didn't like it.

Interesting Cheese

I was wondering what Buko Cheese was when Cath blogged about this. I've never heard or seen it before. Went walk about at Giant Tampines today and saw it and decided to give it a try. It's yummy!

Kimi loves it too, so glad he did cos he's been fussy during brekkie of late. This soft yoghurt cheese spread is light and has a soft tangy taste, great for those who do not like too strong or heavy cheese taste.

Somehow, feel less guilty too! Keke! :)

Dexterous or Itchy?

See what my little boy did? I only gave him this toy which I bought at the Taka Baby Fair a few days ago.

He actually scraped the paper and almost tore it off! He really got very dexterous fingers and could 'dig' almost any small thing and pick up the tiny-iest of fluff on the floor or carpet.

Boon or Bane? Maybe, my dear blog readers, you can tell me.

Sweet Dreams

Since January this year, I've been training Kimi to sleep on his own. I think he is ready cos sometimes it takes so long to pat him to sleep and the moment I put him in his cot, he would toss & turn and 'eee-ee'-'ahh ahh' and then fall asleep.

So, I thought it was time that he may want to sleep on his own. Of course, it takes much longer as he has to calm himself down before sleeping. But, so far so good and he is able to put himself to sleep.

But, the daytime which he takes the longest to fall asleep also results in some of the most precarious or cute positions. Most times, he is at the foot of the cot and never on his pillow. Other times, he sleeps with his butt in the air (yet, to snap a pix!) or horizontally in the cot.

Nevertheless, I love looking at him sleeping, he looks so blissful especially with his thumb in his mouth!

Funky, Cool Kimi

I absolutely adore Kimi's hair when he just wakes up cos sometimes it can get into some really cool styles. But because Kimi's hair is so fine and soft, it falls into shape in a jiffy. He hardly has any bad hair days.

You can ruffle, mould, shape or play with it any which way you like. And all you need is a rub and smoothen down and it goes as neat as before.

That's why, now that his hair is longer, i love to ruffle and make it messy!

How did his hair become like that jus after a nap? Beats me!

Never mind Mummy, I will brush my hair to make it sleek & nice

Hmm, must not forget the back too ...

There! Don't you think I did a good job, Mummy? Handsome & neat! Yay!

Fast Food Milan Style

Hb bought these frozen clam pasta sauce from Milan and we had it for dinner today. Of course, not contented to just heat and eat. I added 2 large. ripe chopped tomatoes, onions and more spagetti sauce to up the flavour.

It tasted good although it was a frozen product. Europe's frozen food beats ours hands-down.

And I really missed these Black-lipped mussels! They are simply yummy! When I am making seafood pasta at home and I can't get these cold-waters ones, I make do with the Green mussels. Not my first choice cos Green mussels taste much better cooked with stronger flavours like spicy Thai tangy toppings or even sambal chilli.

These black lippies are great stewed with white wine and onions. Am hungry already just thinking about this!

Baby Baked Cod With Sweet Peppers Mayonnaise

Feeling a tad creative today so made this for Kimi. I like how the pureed roasted peppers gave a nice peachy tinge to the mayo, jazzing up an otherwise boring, white cod fillet.

The addition of roasted peppers and cheese brought out the tangy robust flavour of the mayo, making it a perfect balance!

Ingredients

• 1 cod steak/fillet
• 1/4 small red pepper
• 1/4 small orange/yellow pepper
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise (I use REAL Brand Mayonnaise)
• 1 tsp of shredded cheddar or mozarella
• Kelp

Accompaniement to Cod Dish

• 8 baby asparagus
• 2 tbsp of lentils
• Milk

Method

1. Rub some kelp onto the cod and leave for a while


2. Roast the peppers either in the oven or on the stove-top **


3. Once peppers are ready, blend till smooth. Add 3 tsp to the mayonnaise and mix well


4. Add in the cheese to the mayo mixture and set aside


5. Place cod in an oven safe dish wrapped with foil or baking paper


6. Spoon the mayo mixture over the cod


7. Place in preheated oven and bake at 200 degrees celsius until the top is golden brown, about 15mins and fish is cooked. (pls estimate yourself as different ovens have different heat)


8. Boil lentils in milk till soft & mushy, let it stand for 15mins in the milk, strain


9. Throw in the asparagus with the cod so it can be baked till soft. Once soft, remove and chopped finely.


10. Add asparagus to cooked lentils and serve together with the cod steak

Tips

• You can serve the cod dish with rice/porridge/potatoes or whatever carbo dish your baby likes


• There is no need to oil the cod/dish as cod is a relatively oily fish and tend to 'expel' oil when cooked

**

If using stove-top fire,

• To roast peppers, lightly rub the surface with some oil (do not use extra virgin olive oil as its smoke point is low and will burn when easily).


• Place over stove top's open fire and let it burn till charred and blistered.


• Remove and ...

If using oven,

• Place into oven safe dish and roast at 190-200 degrees celsius until blistered and black.


• Remove carefully with tongs and ...

Finally,

• Dump roasted pepper into bowl and quickly cover with glad wrap and wait 10-15 mins. This will encourage the peppers to sweat.


• Once it is cooled, you can peel off the skin, leaving a pungent and soft pepper.


• Put both pepper into blender and puree till smooth.


• Spoon required amount onto mayo

Baby Beef Stew

Beef stew before puree

I know I should have posted this eons ago but it kept slipping my mind. Sorry, mummies, the recipe is finally up!

I always have chicken and beef stew in the freezer so that lazy/emergency days, Kimi still has a good meal. These are great for freezing.

Ingredients

• 250g beef for stewing (topside)
• 1 large ripe tomatoe (de-skinned/de-seeded and diced)
• 1-2 sticks celery (diced)
• 1 small carrot (diced)
• 1 small potato (diced)
• 6 white button mushrooms (sliced)
• Chicken stock or water
• 2 pcs of dried apricot sliced (optional, but gives a nice sweet taste to stew)
• Kelp
• Pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped onions
• Plain flour
• Butter

Method

1. Cut beef into smaller cubes. Marinate with kelp and pepper and set aside for at least 30 mins.
2. Put some plain flour into a plastic bag. Empty the marinated beef into it and shake well so that the beef is coated with the flour.
3. Add butter to pan, once melted, add the beef and cover. Once the underside of the beef is golden, turn the other side and cover.
4. When both sides are sealed and golden, remove and set aside.
5. Heat some oil or butter and add in the chopped onions and fry on low heat till brown and fragrant.
6. Throw in the carrot and potatoes. Once both are lightly golden and fragrant, add celery, mushrooms, tomatoes and dried apricots and continue frying till slightly soft.
7. Add the beef and stir lightly before adding some stock. The stock should cover the whole beef & veg slightly.
8. Replace cover and let it simmer on low for another 20-30 mins, stirring occasionally and adding more stock if required.
9. Transfer to slow cooker and let it cook on auto for at least 6 hours.
10. Once done, remove and blend or mash/chop to desired texture.

Tips

• When adding the stew to the slow cooker, the stock should just slightly cover above the beef and veg. Do not add too much water as the slow stewing will bring on more liquid.
• Unless you want more gravy, then you can add more stock/water.
• Coating the beef with flour helps to seal in the juices. Do not keep turning the beef like stir-frying at Method Step 3 cos it will make the beef very tough. Just let it fry on 1 side and turn again.
• I normally make this at night and leave it to cook overnight so that by morning, I have a nice soft stew ready to serve for lunch.

Tale of A Boy & His Pineapple

Today I let Kimi try some honey pineapples since he's way past 12 months. I'm restricting citrus fruits because I fear it may cause phelgm. And I'm not too hung up on Kimi not getting any Vitamin C from these fruits as they are many other foods that provide as much Vit C.

But, like all mothers, we try to expose them to as many different foods (age appropriate of course!) as possible.

Well, verdict? He loves it! I simply don't know why but Kimi loves sour things and he takes them well too.

Test, test...

What are you feeding me mummy?

Nice! But don't know to laugh or cry? How to express sour, mummy?

Funny taste but I want more!

Mummy said must learn to multi-task from small - so even eating I must not miss my tv!

Baby Miso Mee Sua With Spinach & Pork

Kimi has tried miso before and he took it ok. Since, he has yet to eat any form of noodles except pasta, decided to let him try some mee sua today.

He only finished half a bowl. Not sure, he doesn't like the taste or he's teething again. He's been rather slow and fussy these few days during meal times.

Well, perservere, perservere & perservere!

Ingredients

• 2 tsp Organic Miso (or any that u have. Mix paste in water till dissovled)
• 2 large tbsp of minced pork
• 1 hand bunch of Spinach leaves
• 1 egg (or egg yolk, beaten)
• 1 small bunch of mee sua
• Light Soya sauce
• Pepper
• Sesame oil
• A pinch of corn flour

Method

1. Place minced pork in a sieve and wash it in running water. Use spoon to press out excess water and marinate with a little light soya sauce, pepper, sesame oil and corn flour. Leave to marinate for 30 mins.
2. Meanwhile, boil separate pot of boiling water and add mee sua. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove and run cold water through it. Set aside.
3. Boil the dissolved miso till bubbling, add minced pork and stir continuously so the pork will not lump into a large patty.
4. Add the spinach leaves.
5. Throw in the boiled mee sua before stirring in the egg mixture.
6. Cut the mee sua roughly with scissors to break down the bulk so that bb can feed easier.
7. Serve immediately.

Tips

• Pls taste the miso mixture as different miso have different taste and salt content so be cautious that you do not add too much. If you added too much, just pour some of the mixture away and add more water.
• Mee sua do absorb quite a bit of liquid so do not wait to long to serve or it may become a large gluey glob.
• Running cold water through the mee sua stops it from cooking further.
• Do not leave/boil mee sua for too long as overcooking it may result in a sticky gluey texture. Unless this is the kind of texture you would like to serve bb or bb likes such texture then it is fine.
• Do not use the broth/soup meant for eating to cook the mee sua as it gives out a white, powdery texture tainting your broth/soup.

Baby Salmon Potato Pie

Instead of shepherds's pie, I made Salmon Pie but minus the pie crust cos I don't have any on hand. Maybe next time!

Ingredients

• Salmon Fillet (pan fry and flakes with fork, abt 2-3tbsp of salmon flaked flesh)
• 1 inch corn (boiled)
• 1 small potato (boiled or steamed)
• Butter
• Milk
• Pepper
• Kelp

Method

1. Rub pepper and kelp and lightly pan grill the salmon. When the salmon is cooked and flaked, set aside
2. Once the corn is boiled and soft, remove and use knife to cut out the kernels. Blend with a little milk (or water) to pureed form (texture depends on age of bb and if bb can chew whole corn, need not blend)
3. Prepare the potato as per mashed potato, addding butter when hot and mash with fork, adding milk to smooth texture. Set aside
4. Mix salmon, corn and a little milk and set it at the bottom of an oven safe dish and spread mashed potato on top
5. Use a fork to draw designs (if you wish) on the top of the mashed potato.
6. Place in oven at 180 degree celsius until the top is golden brown
7. Serve when slightly cool

Tips

• If bb is old enough and has enough teeth to chew well, need not blend the corn. Be very careful when serving corn kernels as can be a choking hazard.
• I did not put in the oven too long as Kimi do not like food that is too hard so I merely warm it slightly.
• You can also had hard-boiled egg or egg yolk only to the salmon and corn mixture before spreading the mashed potato.
• For bb who likes cheese, you can top some on the potato for a calcium boost!

Comfort Food

Some people find solace in chocolates while others a bowl of hot soup. For me, food in itself is a comfort and so is watching tv, looking at Kimi sleeping, the list goes on. But, I really like simple fares so I can savour the natural taste of the food with minimal intervention from heavy spices &/or sauces, etc. Just a dash of salt & pepper is good.

It's been a tiring day today cos I've been up since 6.30am and have been rushing about and on my feet till lunch time. Sundays are stress days for me, yet, one of my more enjoyable days. This is because Kimi has Kindermusik at 12 noon so when hb is not in town, it is rush, rush for me.

But, I enjoy the session with Kimi and also the little lunch get-together with the other forum mummies after class. It's nice to have some decent adult company and gossips!

After a hard days's work (keke, like real!), made myself a large slab of pan-grilled salmon and boiled corn for dinner with the Buddha's Brew Herb Blend (had to make good use of it!) - ahhh.. this is the life!

Cheesy Baked Potato

Right out from oven and loaded with my favourite mayo and bacon bits

How the inside looks like

This is my quickie lunch - I simply find it so indulging and 'shiok' after eating this.

Ingredients

• 1 potato (boiled)
• Ham cut into strips
• Mozarella cheese
• Mayonnaise (Japanese type with the baby Kewpie or any that you have/prefer)
• Bacon bits (I like the Betty Crocker ones or you can make your own)

Method

1. Once potato is soft, cut a cross on the top flat part of the potato and squeeze the sides so that the flesh will pop out like a flower. But you have to do this while the potato is still hot.
2. Place potato on a pc of foil, ensure it is large enough to cover the potato so that it is like a jacket
3. Use a butter knife to pry open the potato, squeeze some mayo and sprinkle some cheese at bottom
4. Stuff with the shredded ham
5. Use foil to 'secure' potato so that the fillings do not fall out, letting it act as jacket
6. Top with more cheese till covered
7. Place in oven/toaster till cheese it melted and slightly brown
8. Remove and squeeze mayo over and sprinkle bacon bits generously
9. Sit back with iced green tea and enjoy!

Tips

• If you wish, you can wrap potato in foil and bake it in oven till soft then repeat all the stuffing steps.
• But, this will take much longer and there is really no difference with a boiled potato stuffed with fillings then baked and one that is baked from scratch then stuffed and baked again.
• I use the microwave to 'bake' the potato as it is much faster. Just put 1 min on high each side, test with fork. If still hard, another minute each side, test and use spaces of 10 or 20 sec for potato to soften. Do not overdo or potato will shriver up and can turn hard.
• The trick in using a microwave is to used short timings and check doneness constantly to avoid overcooking.