How to make I love You Scones for Valentine's Day 我愛你鬆餅

This year, I decided to make scones instead of cookies for Valentine's Day.  It is a simple butter scone recipe, but I increased the amount of butter here and the flaky scones taste even more soft and buttery.  Also, green tea is a perfect ingredient to give deluxe flavour to scones, just like cocoa.  Try it, I'm sure you will like it.

Ingredients:

2 cups All Purpose Flour

120 gram Cold Salted Butter, cubed

3 tablespoons Sugar

3/4 cup Whole Milk

1.5 tablespoons Baking Powder

1.5 teaspoons Green Tea Powder

1 Egg

材料：

2 杯   麵粉

120 克   凍牛油，含鹽，切小粒

3 湯匙   糖

3/4 杯   全脂奶

1.5 湯匙   泡打粉

1.5 茶匙   綠茶粉

1 隻   雞蛋

   

Instruction:

Cruchy Quinoa Yogurt Cup 香脆藜麥乳酪杯

I fell in love with quinoa and have been finding many different ways to enjoy it.  I know you may already be very familiar with the boiled quinoa, but how about baked quinoa?  It tastes like sesame seeds but less greasy.  I just love it.  You can load it with yogurt and any kind of fresh fruit, or simply pop it into your mouth as snack (I did).  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Quinoa, rinsed

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Maple Syrup

Fresh Blue Berries

Vanilla Greek Yogurt

材料：

1/2 杯   藜麥

1 湯匙   檻欖油

1 湯匙   楓糖漿

新鮮藍莓

乳酪 (雲呢拿味)

Instruction:

Baked Zucchini with Sun Dried Tomatoes 蕃茄乾香焗小胡瓜

The zucchinis are very juicy after baking.  With the nibbles of dried tomatoes, they can be the perfect appetizer or side dish.  I enjoy every bite of it, but my son thinks the dried tomatoes are a little too hard for him to chew.  If you are also going to make this for your young kids, try to mince the dried tomatoes or simply add less of them.  Enjoy.

Ingredients:

3 Zucchini

7-8 Sun Dried Tomatoes

1/3 cup Shredded Cheese (Mozzarella and Cheddar)

1 tablespoon Flaxseed Meal (optional)

1/3 cup Olive Oil

材料：

3 條   小胡瓜

7-8 片   蕃茄乾

1/3 杯   芝士條 (白乾酪和車打)

1 湯匙   阿麻籽粉 (隨意)

1/3 杯   檻欖油

Instruction:

Banana Date Oat Shake 香蕉蜜棗燕麥奶昔

Shakes are always on the top of the convenient breakfast list in our family.  As long as we make them ahead and store them in ready-to-go containers the night before, the next day we will have a nutritious and filling breakfast to start our day.  It doesn't require any reheating process or mixing time.  All you need to do is grab and go.  It suits our busy lives sometimes.

Ingredients:

2 Bananas, ripened

2 cups Whole Milk

6 Dates, pitted

2 tablespoons Almond Butter

4 tablespoons Whole Oat

2.5 tablespoons Flaxseed Meal

材料：

2 條   熟香蕉

2 杯   全脂奶

6 粒   蜜棗，去核

2 湯匙   杏仁牛油

4 湯匙   全麥片

2.5 湯匙  阿麻籽粉

Instruction:

Apple Conch Soup 蘋果嚮螺湯

Apple conch soup is good for a sore throat or dry cough.  I made it to sooth my own need.  As you may hear in the video, my voice was a little hoarse and sometimes it sounded almost like out of breath.  The sweetness in the apples gives a nourishing effect for the throat while the soup provides the fluid the body needs.  After all, it is also a very tasty recipe.

Ingredients:

300 gram Pork

4 Apples

100 gram Sliced Conch

10 gram Chinese Almonds

材料：

300 克   豬肉

4 個   蘋果

100 克   嚮螺片

10 克   南北杏

Instruction:

Seaweed Mushroom Soup 海藻磨菇湯

IMy whole family loves mushroom soup.  Add a little seaweed to give it a twist so that there is another new dish on the table.



Ingredients:
4 cups Button Mushrooms
15 gram Soaked Seaweed
1.5 cups Potatoes, diced
1/3 cup White Onion, diced
6 Garlic Gloves, minced
1 litre Chicken Broth
1/3 cup Cream
1/4 cup Butter
Salt to taste


材料：
4 杯   磨菇
15 克   紫菜，浸軟
1.5 杯   薯仔，切小粒
1/3 杯   白洋蔥，切小粒
6 瓣   蒜頭，切成蓉
1 公升   雞湯
1/3 杯   忌廉
1/4 杯   牛油
鹽   少許



Instruction:

Sweet Corn Pork with Rice 粟米肉粒飯

This is a common dish available in almost all the local restaurants in Hong Kong.  The creamy texture and the simpleness in it somehow attracts me and many others.  Whenever we came home late from work and didn't want to cook, or simply just couldn't decide our appetite, this dish was a very secure choice.  

Ingredients:

300 gram Pork, cubed

1 cup Cream Style Corn
100 ml Water

2 Eggs

Marinate:

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Corn Starch

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Instruction:

Fresh Cranberry White Chocolate Scones 紅越莓白朱古力鬆餅

The scones are flakey and moist, with a little tang.  I would say they are perfect to go with coffee.  My son loves to have them with a big glass of milk in the morning and show me his content smile with his little milky moustache. 

Ingredients: (yield about 6-8 scones)

2 cups All Purpose Flour

95 gram Cold Salted Butter, cut into small pieces

120 ml Whole Milk

3/4 cup Fresh Cranberries

3/4 cup White Chocolate

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1.5 tablespoons Baking powder

1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

材料：(做6-8件)

2 杯   多用途麵粉

95 克   凍牛油，切小粒

120 毫升   全脂牛奶

3/4 杯   新鮮紅越莓

3/4 杯   白朱古力粒

1 茶匙   雲呢拿香油

1.5 湯匙   泡打粉

1/4 茶匙   海鹽

Instruction:

Easy Healthy Breakfast Quinoa 簡單藜麥早餐

Quinoa is a good alternative for oat and cereal at the breakfast table.  You can make a bigger portion of quinoa ahead and keep it in the fridge until use, and you can add any combination of fresh fruit, dried fruit, or nuts.  In this recipe, I used whole milk because my son has been drinking it too little lately and I thought it was a good opportunity to reinforce it in his diet.  You can substitute the whole milk to skim milk or even greek yogurt.  Hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa
1 cup Whole Milk
1 cup Water

1/3 cup Dried Blue Berries

1/3 cup Dried Cranberries

1/3 cup Honey

材料：
1 杯   藜麥
1 杯   全脂奶
1 杯   水
1/3 杯   乾藍莓
1/3 杯   乾紅越莓
1/3 杯   蜜糖

Instruction:

Oatmeal Turkey Meatball Soup 營養麥火雞肉丸湯

In addition to the extra fibre the oats provide to the dish, the oats also give a tenderer texture to the meat balls that suit the appetites of younger kids.  It is another dish that can boost up the body in a winter day.
 

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

450 gram Ground Turkey

1 cup Whole Oats

1 Onion, diced

1 Egg

1 tablespoon Sugar

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Soup:

4 cups Beef Broth

4 cups Water

1 cup Carrots, bite size

1 cup Celery, bite size

1 cup Button Mushroom

1.5 cups Tomatoes

1/2 cup Chickpeas

1/3 cup Cilantro, minced

Salt to taste

Instruction:

Coconut Chicken Soup 椰子煲雞

Unlike many other kinds of chicken soup, this coconut chicken soup carries a light consistency and fruity flavour.  Which keeps your body warm and without a mouth of grease.  The bonus of this recipe is that, while the soup is simmering on the stove, the exotic coconut fragrance fills the whole kitchen and let you forget the bitter cold weather outside anymore.

Ingredients:

750 gram Chicken Thigh, boneless

400 gram Fresh Coconut (the brown and hair type)

7-10 Red Dates, pitted

15 gram  Dried Wolf Berries

5.5 cups Water

材料：

750 克   雞脾肉，無骨

400 克   新鮮椰子

7-10 粒   紅棗，去核

15 克   杞子乾

5.5 杯   水

Instruction:

How to make Healthy Date Candies 蜜棗糖

These are the candies we love to pop into our mouth one after another.  Perhaps we know there is loads of vitamins and minerals, or perhaps we just love the tangy and sweet flavour that comes from the totally natural dried dates and the apple juice. 

Ingredients:

2 cups Pitted Dates

3/4 cup Chopped Walnuts

4 tablespoons Apple Juice

1 tablespoon White Sesame

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 cup Unsweet Coconut Flakes

材料：

2 杯   蜜棗，去核

3/4 杯   合桃，切碎

1 湯匙   白芝麻

1 茶匙   雲呢拿香油

4 湯匙   蘋果汁

1 杯   無糖椰絲

Instruction:

Fish Tank Breakfast

We bought a tank of fish the other day and Ethan loved it.  He enjoyed feeding these little babies and watching them happily swim around.  It was where I got this fish tank breakfast idea from.

Ingredients:

1 Ham

1 Sandwich Bread

Jam

Cheddar Cheese

Cheerios

Instruction:

Cute Eggs and Ham Breakfast for kids

Ingredients:

2 Eggs

1 Sliced Ham

Cheddar Cheese

1 Sandwich Bread

Strawberry Jam

Ketchup

材料：

2 隻   雞蛋

1 片   厚火腿

車打芝士

1 片   三文治包

草莓果醬

蕃茄醬

Instruction:

Easy Coconut Shrimp 椰奶煮蝦

Frozen shrimp is something I always have one or two of stored in the freezer.  When our family wants to take a break from the meaty dishes, or when I have little time to prepare dinner, frozen shrimp is the comfort choice.  This recipe has a strong nutty flavour along with the unique taste of the cilantro.  Some people like it, or some people may need to try a few times before liking it.  My husband and my son are the former.

Ingredients:

2 cups Frozen Shrimp, veined and unshelled

300 gram Coconut Cream

1/2 cup Hazelnuts, chopped

1/3 cup Cilantro, finely chopped

1/3 cup Lime Juice,

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

Sea Salt to taste

材料：

2 杯   冰鮮蝦，去殼和腸

300 克   椰漿

1/2 杯   榛子，切碎

1/3 杯   莞茜，切碎

1/3 杯   青檸汁

1/4 杯   黑糖

少許   海鹽

Instruction:

Chestnut Duckling Snacks

These adorable ducklings carry a mild tangy flavour from the OJ.  If you prefer a conservative flavour, you may try cream or whole milk instead.

Ingredients:

15 Chestnuts

1-2 tablespoon Orange Juice

Carrot (for decoration)

Black Sesame Seeds (for decoration)

材料：

15 個   栗子

1-2 湯匙   橙汁

紅蘿蔔(裝飾用)

黑芝麻 (裝飾用)

Instruction:

Train Set Sandwich (busy mom's Recipe)

  My son started to giggle when he saw this train sitting and waiting for him on the kitchen table.  "Cho-cho! Cho-cho," he kept saying.  He was really delighted.  Then, unexpectedly, he gave me a big hug and a kiss.  What a great moment to start our day!  All the food listed below is just a recommendation.  You can certainly use whatever's available in your pantry.

Ingredients:

2 pieces  Sandwich Bread

Plain Cheerios

Colourful Cheerios

Mozzarella Cheese 

Cheddar Cheese

Instruction:

No Bake Cho Cho train birthday Cake - My baby boy turns TWO!

This no bake arrowroot cake is always one of the most popular desserts among my family and friends.  This time, I turned it into a set of cute trains for my son who loves cho-cho so much.  Trying to make the cake look colourful while limiting the excessive empty calories, I used white chocolate chips and food colorants instead of the traditional icing.  That also enhanced the milky flavour.  For the decoration, I recommend choosing half-fruit-half-candies, to meet the "healthier" ideal.

 Ingredients:

Cake base:

1 cup Chocolate Chips

350 gram Arrowroot

1 cup Condensed Milk

1/2 cup Nutella

1 cup Butter

6 tablespoon Cocoa Powder

Colourful Chocolate Icing: (for each cart)

1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips

2 tablespoons Whole Milk

Food Colorant

Decoration:

Original Oreo

Mini Oreo

Fruit (any of your choice)

Candies (any of your choice)

Instruction:

Papaya Tofu Fish Soup 木瓜豆腐魚湯

"A bowl of this sweet and nutritious soup is a treat for such a cold and dry winter." As my mom always said.  The exact amounts of the ingredients aren't essential here.  You can always add more or less of them to suit your taste, or even skip the tofu and add more papaya instead.  Keep in mind that you will want a rather green papaya so that the soup can find a better balance between the delicate sweetness in the seafood and the refreshing sweetness in the tropical fruit.

Ingredients:

1 Trout, scaled and gutted (any type of fish will almost works here)  

1 Papaya

2 Carrot

450 gram Firm Tofu

7 cups Water

2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

材料：

1 條   鱒魚，去鱗和腮腸 (可用其也魚代替)

1 個   木瓜

2 條   紅蘿蔔

450 克   硬豆腐

7 杯   水

2 湯匙   菜油

少許   鹽

Instruction:

Cute Fish Pond Jelly 可愛魚池啫喱

Jelly is the thing that gives you lots of fun to make and also allows you to apply as many adorable ideas as possible.  This fish pond is one of them.  My son enjoyed looking at the sago spinning and then sinking to the bottom of the tray, and how I placed the fish into the "pond".  He was amazed and I earned his praise.  If you can't find sago, tapioca will be a perfect alternative.

Ingredients:

170 gram Blue Jelly Powder

2 cups Hot Water

2 cups Room Temperature Water

1/3 cup Sago

1 cup Water (for cooking the sago)

10-15 Fish shape Jelly Candies

材料：

170 克   藍色啫喱粉

2杯    熱水

2 杯   溫水

1/3 杯   西米

1 杯   水 (煮西米用)

10-15 條   金魚形啫喱糖

Instruction:

How to make Hotopus

It is so much fun to see the hotdogs stretching their legs and turning into some cute octopus in the water.  I placed them on a serving table and later found both adults and kids were enjoying talking to these adorable "seafood" before eating them.  Everyone likes cute food.  

Ingredient:

1 pack Hot dog

Ketchup (to serve)

Mustard (to serve)

Instruction:

Chocolate Drink on New Year's Eve

Happy New Year!  Thanks for all the support and the nice comments on my videos in 2013.  These have motivated me a lot to improve myself and experience the sweetness of sharing.  In 2014, I will continuously introduce more good dishes and will try to demonstrate them in a better way.  

Ingredients: (yields about 2 portions)

6 tablespoons Unsweetened Chocolate Powder

2 tablespoons Kahlua

2 tablespoons Baileys

材料：(2 人份)

6 湯匙   無糖即溶朱古力飲料

2 湯匙   Kahlua

2 湯匙   百利甜酒

Chestnut Rice Recipe 甘栗飯

It's a recipe which originates from Japan, but I replaced saki with rice wine which is more assessable for me.  Beside the nibbles of sweet chestnut and the fragrance from the rice wine, these beautiful yellow nuts give a very appealing look to this plain rice.

 

Ingredients: (yield about 4 bowls)

10-12 Chestnuts

2.5 cups Japanese Rice

1 teaspoon Rice Wine

Sea Salt to taste

材料：(約4碗)

10-12 粒   栗子

2.5 杯   栗子

1 茶匙   米酒

少量   海鹽

Instruction: