Since my earlier post was about kitchen "mishaps", I might as well keep to the theme of "edible mistakes". Besides, this one particularly suits the ocassion all because of how the strawberries are cut. Yup, this is how I usually do it: cut a V-shaped indent and half the strawberry.

How this strawberry tart came about I can't quite remember. I think it was based on a recipe in Everyday Food. 

But my store-bought pie crust couldn't hold its shape when baked blind. The edges just fell inwards in the oven, thus the thicker "folded" look. I spread an entire block of lemon-flavoured cream cheese on it and arranged the strawberries towards the center. They look shiny because of mandarin preserves that was brushed on them.

Happiness is not all about making the right choices and doing the right things every time. Sometimes, happiness occur through the little "accidents" in everyday life. So here's to a lovely Valentine's and a lifetime of happiness, although accidents are not pre-requisites.  

Confession: what you see above was a mistake. Due to the sudden demise of my five-year-old laptop (I'm still grieving now and then), I thought I'd just go ahead and make some sticky rolls by intuition. No need for looking up ideas on the internet. I'm not a huge fan of cinnamon to be honest, but with the cinnamon swirls which I love from Peet's in mind, I took out the last box of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets and there's no turning back. 

Here's what I did, in brief:
1. Roll pastry sheets to slightly bigger than the size of a laptop.
2. Spread fig jam over both sheets. Lightly sprinkle castor sugar over the area.
3. Roll up the sheets loosely. Cut each sheet into 6 wheels. Reshape them a little.
4. Sitting them cut-side up, stuff as much dried cranberries inside the wheels (between layers). 
5. Top with torn-up pieces of figs from the jam. Do an eggwash on top and around the wheels.
6. Arrange the wheels on baking tray and sprinkle castor sugar over. Bake 25-30 minutes at 400F.

On hindsight, I should have sprinkled the dried cranberries in step 2, after the jam, before the sugar. 

I suppose it all turned out well - I managed to finish the jam that's been sitting in the fridge for months (neither of us liked it enough...). Edible mistakes - what more to ask for?

This is a complete disaster! I stared at the large lump of dough that's clearly too wet. There is no way I could knead it into a ball, let alone roll it out before cutting them into squares and then half them diagonally. Why am I so stubborn?!

For the past few days, I've been contemplating making scones. Not just any scones, but Ina Garten's cranberry orange scones. From Tuesdays till Fridays, Barefoot Contessa is on air back-to-back starting 1pm. Ina's scones were just so inviting they literally had me at "4 cups of flour."

There are several obstacles for me though:
1. There is no stand mixer in the kitchen.
2. There is no heavy cream in the fridge, only some half & half. (When did I last use it? Hmm...)
3. There are exactly 4 eggs, meaning there won't be any for the egg wash.
4. There is no orange for the zest. This one's fine since I can use the zest from the husband's grapefruit.

So how now brown cow? To proceed or not? Do I have the guts to face possible failure? Worst case scenario: into the bin. Do I have the heart to throw a mixture of butter, flour, half & half and cranberries into the bin?

When it comes to staples in the fridge, there is always skimmed milk, yogurt, orange juice, ham and cheese. And since we order groceries online, we usually get our stuff in bulk - like 3 one-quart tubs of vanilla yogurt. It's fine during term time as the husband takes yogurt along with milk and cereal for breakfast. But a few weeks ago (due to the winter holidays) we had to beat the expiry dates for the yogurt.

Hello! Yogurt cake!

This recipe by Smitten Kitchen was so easy that I've made the same cake thrice, only with little changes in the choice of citrus and topping sauce. I used whichever fruit that's available in the kitchen: lemon, clementine, grapefruit. As for the sauce, it's blackberries or raspberries. 

This is really a treat since it is made with non-fat yogurt, no butter, and moderate use of sugar. The end-result is a fluffy all-day delight. No longer afraid of wasted yogurt.

I made these recently for a party because it's just not me to show up at potluck parties with something store-bought, unless the host specifically asks for chips and dips. My opinion is that if a party is worth attending, then it should be worth spending some time preparing for. Some women prepare by doing up their hair, colouring their faces, getting dressed only to change into another, and lastly choosing the right heels and accessories to go with the look. I spend my time making sure the food tastes decent, looks presentable and then pack them in a fuss-free manner. Ideally I should be able to leave the party hands-free (use good-looking disposables), and the host shouldn't have much trouble cleaning up after the party. Did I mention that I only bring enough not to have any leftovers? ;-)

In terms of food preparation, I have these learning points to share with you:

1. Never completely ignore the recipes recommended by manufacturers on their product packaging. The recipes serve as a good guide for first-timers, and allows one to improvise on subsequently.
2. Keep a pack of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets in the freezer. Along with Pilsbury's pie crusts, these have become my pantry staples. There are usually two of each at any time. You can make sweet or savoury tarts and pies whenever you feel like, just as long as you have fruits or ham and cheese in the fridge.
3. Plan ahead so that you can save time effortlessly. For example, if you want to use the puff pastry tomorrow, you should move them from the freezer to the fridge tonight. Then, tomorrow, if you want to use the puff pastry for lunch, take it out from the fridge after breakfast.

Here's my version of ham and cheese wheels, inspired by the recipe given by Pepperidge on their puff pastry packaging.

I find it somewhat disturbing but can't quite explain it. When we think about teachers and students, it is only natural to assume the teacher provides guidance and care for his students. In the context of Singapore's education system (for 2010 at least!), a teacher's role is best summed up in three words: lead, care, inspire. So on the same basis, we move out of the classroom to the pastures: shepherds and sheep. Pretty much the same, no?

Of course NOT!!

The shepherd's pie says it all. I'd love to elaborate on how the ministry of education in Singapore deals with "shepherds" who make pies out of their lambs but let's leave that for another day. But a little clarification on the difference between shepherd's pie and cottage pie: the former is with lamb, the latter with beef. Pictures don't tell much but if you have both dishes sitting in front of you, surely you can smell them apart.

If you're making this for the first time, just remind yourself this simple arithmetic:

I loved pineapples ever since I had memories. In Malaysia where pineapples were local produce, we could even argue which state the best of these come from. There's even a town named after it - Pekan Nenas, literally "pineapple town". 

In our little home, my brother S and I used to fight over the "hearts" of pineapples, basically the vertical cores which were usually sliced off and discarded. I don't know why S liked it so much but I did because it was not as juicy as the "meaty" part of the fruit, and yet had a nice sweetness to it. And the crunch in the mouth... So what's there not to like for a kid. Pineapple sticks one. Carrot sticks zero. 

A recent trip to the groceries shop across the street ended up with a whole batch of cookies. Why finally, the dried pineapple slices are back in stock! I revisited the dried apricots and chocolate chip cookies recipe and replaced the apricots with chopped dried pineapples. 

The verdict: the cookies did not scream pineapples but the pale yellows bits certainly made its presence felt.

Specifically, a Cookie Monster. I've never made cookies as far as I can remember. But after seeing a reader's recipe in Everyday Food (October 2010, pp.128-9), I thought why not give it a try? After all, JL likes cookies and this is something he can snack on anytime both at home and in between classes. I have heavily adapted what was originally "date and nut cookies" into a combination which he couldn't resist - chocolate and dried apricots. But to be really honest, I planned for a chocolate-pineapple combo. No such luck for me as the grocery shop across the street had to run out of dried pineapples the very day.

Apricots & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 36 (1.5-inch diameter)