So cute! Small and Tall

This is the most adorable age! Little nephew TT held by son nr. 1.

(Sorry son nr. 1 you are adorable too but in a slightly different way; you're 16 and somehow less cuddly... I'm sure you understand no?)

Fried rice with pineapple

(In 't Nederlands? Even scrollen)

Wouldn't it be fun to have your own personal rice-filled pineapple bowl? As it is I filled the two halves and put the remainder of the rice in an ordinary bowl. The boys thought it was fun to refill the pineapples from the bowl. You won't believe the amount of food that disappears at the moment! There is some correlation between food going down and seams of clothing going up...

I didn't measure my ingredients very carefully, I just added what I thought looked colorful and in harmony with each other. The pineapple is scooped out, leaving a inner rim of about 1/2 inch placed on a baking sheet and roasted 10-15 minutes in a preheated oven 350F. In the meantime combine the rice filling as follows:

Fragrant rice:

1 fresh pineapple

See above for directions, you'll only need half of the pineapple flesh in cubes for this dish! The other half of the pineapple cubes can be used for the accompanying vegetable dish -or breakfast ;-).

vegetable oil

sweet corn

peas (fresh/frozen)

small amount of cooked ham, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 tbs grated fresh ginger

2-3 garlic cloves

cooked cold white long grain rice

1-2 tbs light soy sauce

1/2 tbs rice wine / sherry

an omelet made from 2 eggs, in thin stripes*

for garnish and extra flavour: 1 red chili pepper thinly sliced and coriander leaves

Heat oil in a frying pan, add garlic and ginger until light golden and fragrant, add ham, corn, peas, bell pepper and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add cooked rice, soy sauce, sherry and pineapple, lower heat to medium and stir for another 5-10 minutes. Make sure you keep moving the rice or it will stick. Adjust flavour with salt and pepper. Fill the roasted pineapple halves with the rice and garnish with omelet stripes, chili and koriander.

* Instead of making a separate omelet I really like this way of making fried rice:

Heat 1 or 2 ts of -sesame-oil in a wok, tip in 2 beaten eggs mixed with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, stir like crazy while you add the cold rice. This way the egg will coat the rice grains adding an almost sweet flavour. You will have to cook the other ingredients separately adding them after you've put in the rice.

Bread Baking Babes get all steamed up: flower steam buns

Dear readers, from this Kitchen of the Month we interrupt our regular programming to bring you this important announcement:

the Bread Baking Babes haven't been baking this month.

You read that right, we're not baking we're steaming! (Obvious huh, we're Babes!) So what's keeping you, get out that steam pan, upend the plant to get to its bamboo container, relieve your son from his make-shift helmet (aka your colander) and steam along. You want a recipe with that?

This is from a book I really think interesting, Global Baker by Dean Brettschneider and there are more than a couple of things in there on my to-bake-wishlist. This recipe is one of them.

Xiang Cong Hya Juan Bao

(Chinese flower steam buns)

makes 10 buns

"Everywhere you go in China you see people eating steam buns, also known as mantong Typically Chinese, a sweet bread is combined with a savoury filling, such as red bean paste and barbecued pork, but take care and avoid using too much filling or the bun will fall apart during the rising and steaming stage. The baking powder helps to open up the texture and gives a little tenderness to the eating quality of the buns. If you can, use imported Chinese flour from a specialist Asian food market or store".

Dough

300 g chinese flour (use low gluten flour such as cake flour)

15 g sugar

15 g butter

good pinch of salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp active dry yeast

150 ml chilled water, placed in the refrigerator overnight

Filling

rice bran oil, for brushing on dough

40 g finely chopped spring onions or chives

25 g finely chopped red chillies

salt to taste

To make the dough, place all the ingredienst into a large mixing bowl and, using your hands, ocmbine to form a very, very firm dough mass. Dont'be tempted to add any water or the steam buns will be flat after steaming.

Place the dough on a work surface and, using your rolling pin, roll out to a thin strip, fold this in half and roll again. Repeat this 10-15 times with a 30 second rest in between each time. This is a way of mixing a very firm dough, the dough will start to become smooth and elastic as a result of the rolling process.

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warmish place (23-25C) for 15 minutes. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece to a 25cm square. {{this is strange...he never states that you divide the dough in this stage, so use and roll the one ball of dough you have}}

Brush the dough surface lightly with oil and sprinkle the chopped chives and chillies evenly over the dough. Season with salt.

Fold the dough in half and then cut into 2.5cm strips so that you end up with 10 folded strips. Stretch each strip and, starting at the folding edge, twist the two pieces of each strip over each other to form a rope.

Take the twisted rope and tie into a double knot, tucking the loose ends underneath. Place each bun with ends facing down on a 5cm square of non-stick baking paper** and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Prove for approximately 30-45 minutes in a warm place.

Bring a wok or saucepan of water to the boil with a bamboo steamer sitting on top. Remove the bamboo steamer lid and place the buns on the paper in the steamer 3-4 cm apart to allow for expansion during steaming. Replace the steamer lid and steam for 20 minutes. Repeat until all the buns have been steamed and are firm to the touch.

Note: you might want to adjust the steaming time from 10-20 minutes, keeping the water at a low blub.

I made this 3 times, here are my notes on the recipe:

- the paper: the pics in the book show him using paper circles, sort of perforated. (as in: paper circles with rather large holes in them). I'm using a regular steam pan with a metal insert and I preferred oiling the base of the metal insert not using any paper, re-oiling when needed. Another thing: I used a teatowel between the lid and the pan to catch any condensation.

- On flour: couldn't find chinese flour.

First batch: I used our Dutch regular bread flour and didn't add any water (obedient as I am ;)). Really really firm dough, fighting me every inch of the way. Nicely defined buns, good to look at but quite tough/chewy.

Second batch: I used ap flour and added a little more water about 3 tbs. Better to work the dough, more compliant. Better texture, still good definition.

Third batch: I went all out here, leaving the recipe.... used half cake flour/half low gluten flour plus 6 grams of maizena (corn starch), upped the baking powder to 1 teaspoon, upped the yeast also to 1 teaspoon, added far more water to a resulting dough with the feel of pizza dough...

Definition was all over the place, the ropey twists hardly recognizable: they puffed hugely during steam stage. Not as nice to look at but very good to eat; this last batch resulted in soft pillowy buns with a shiny outside. These took not as long to steam: 10 minutes.

My fillings were spring onions and chillies, spring onions and chili sauce, wasabi paste with bits of ginger (Yum!), and to please one of the boys I did two with cinnamon and sugar haha.

I loved the spring onions and chili sauce ones and the wasabi buns were so good! We dipped in soy/chili sauce.

Different filling:

Sweet red bean paste

110 g dried red beans

water for soaking and boiling the beans

120 g sugar

5 tbs vegetable oil

Wash the beans, discarding any that are damaged. Place beans in a small saucepan, cover with water and soak overnight. The next day bring the beans and the water to the boil. Simmer for 1.1/2 - 2 hours, until the beans have softened, adding more water as necessary. Remove from the heat and drain.

Put the beans into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, adding the sugar and blending again. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the bean paste and fry on a medium -to-low heat for a few minutes until the paste begins to dry, pressing with the back of a wooden spoon to form a cohesive paste. This will take a few minutes and you will be able to see the oil mixed wvenly through the bean paste. Cool before use. This paste will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Although this is a lengthy story, the "making of" is not very involved, the dough is pretty much straight forward, no long proofing times, you'll have buns on your table in under 2 hours? So what's keeping you? Be a Buddy, earn a Badge and come and bake steam with us, all of us on the right of the side bar would love to see what you make!

The Buddy date is set for Monday 5 October, please leave me your link through email (bakemyday AT gmail DOT com) or in the comments, I'll be happy to visit and send you your Badge!

Trying to add more pics later today!

WCB Blue on white

Never thought it would happen, but Jaws (officially called Milo but with his great white appearance nicknamed Jaws) is getting a little friendlier. He actually comes and cuddles up to you but you have to make sure you don't notice. He even started purring! Granted it's quite funny to hear such a soft modest purr coming from such a big cat, it's almost as if he doens't quite know how to.

Master headbumper; reaching incredible height on his hindlegs to bump heads with the boys. (I think it's probably his love for hairgel rather than love for the boys... naaaa... he adores son nr. 1)

Now you see 'm, now you don't!

This belongs to WCB this weekend with Samanta and Tigger

Gadgets that work! Shiitake update

Aren't they beautiful?
I'm still in no-move-mood but these shiitake sure don't need their behinds kicked, they keep growing fast! Maybe I should try and photograph their progress every couple of hours, it seems to me we can see them grow.

I've already harvested 5 large shiitake and this morning there were 4 more ready to pick. I thoroughly enjoy my birthday present! Shiitake for dinner tonight.

Een schimmeltje voor je verjaardag! / Happy fungus day!

(Please scroll for English)

Het is hier zo stil geweest, ik kon na de vakantie gewoon niet op gang komen. Het is niet zo dat ik in een stoel heb gehangen en gewacht tot het beter zou worden, om eerlijk te zijn heb ik best een behoorlijke berg werk verzet maar er kwam gewoon weinig naar buiten zullen we maar zeggen.

Het ultieme verjaardagskado om weer eens wat aan mijn blog te doen. Vanmorgen angstig vroeg op bed verrast door het gezin met koffie en weinig gezang (voor zevenen is alleen koffie prima) en kadootjes natuurlijk. Vanmorgen kreeg ik een doos, netjes ingepakt, leek verdacht veel op een doosje wijn... maar nee. Ik mag mijn krachten beproeven op het laten groeien van schimmels. Nou is dát niet een fijn kado? En ik was er nog blij mee ook!

Het is een compleet pakket; in de doos vind je een grote bruin-wit beschimmelde klomp (ja sorry kan het ook niet helpen) keurig verpakt in een plastic zak. Volgens de handleiding van Casa Foresta is het een "stevig baaltje zaagsel verpakt in een groeitas, in een gecontroleerde omgeving ontwikkeld dus absoluut veilig". Dat is fijn om te weten. Mijn klomp belooft een rijke oogst aan shii-take en weet je, ik kan de eerste knopjes al zien zitten.

Zoals mijn kinderen zouden zeggen: Vét!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You know that your family loves and understands you when you get a bag ful of funghi for your birthday! This morning they woke me up with coffee and presents (no singing, no breakfast which is perfectly fine for me at 6.30 in the morning). A very nice coffee mug, lovely aromatic bath oil, a Thai cookbook (wink wink), and a large cardboard box.... Wine? Limoncella? Nope, a plastic bag filled with a big mouldy lump of sawdust! Why thank you honey, you sure know how to treat your wife!

Really this is so much fun. It's a "grow your own" package for growing mushrooms, according to plan mine will sprout shiitake! They need to be sprayed with water every day but already I can see the first signs of growth. Isn't that amazing? Promise is of harvesting 3 to 4 times depending on growing conditions, totalling to 500 grams of shiitake. The growing bag is a product of Casa Foresta, there seems to be a choice of mushrooms, the pics they show on their website are almost fairy-like.

DH also got me a copy of Julia Childs' "The art of French cooking 1&2", there might be just the recipe for excellent fresh mushrooms in there.

Spoiled I am.

Sixteen tons and what do you get?

"Another day older and deeper in debt...."

Almost almost! (The day/year older will come very soon and I'm afraid that the plans we are developing will bring us to the second part of the line pretty soon as well.)

Sixteen tons? Not yet, but as you might have noticed it's been even more silent than ever here, we've spend three weeks in France, Brittany. The weather? As the locals say: it's going to be beautiful 4 times-a-day in Brittany. And inbetween you have rain, wind and clouds. Yes.

I can tell you that we planned to canoo, swim and hike but the bodyparts that got the best work out were my behind and my arm (sitting and turning pages of book after book) Oh that, and the heavy lifting of the occasional glass of wine of course. Occasional. Huddled in two sweaters in your tent you have to keep warm eh?

We ate well. Of course we ate! It's Brittany! So we had super fresh seafood, fish, langouste, shrimp, mussels. In my camping kitchen I cooked wonderful mussels, just with a little of the local salted butter, an onion, a carrot, some hard cider, herbs, pepper and salt and to finish it off a spoonful of that luscious local créme fraiche. A baguette...

For two consecutive days we couldn't resist the catch of the day: fresh cooked large shrimp which we quick-fried in garlic and olive oil.

Would you like to know about the crépes and galettes? Sweet crépes with just lemon and honey, or the hearty organic buckwheat "galette complète" with a fried egg, cheese and ham, sauteed creamy mushrooms?

The salted butter?

Sixteen tons.... oh the Breizh know how to eat! Plus they have their own cola, now how cool is that?