Homemade Barley Water with Candied Winter Melon

The weather has been so hot lately so have been making this for the family to cool down. Best when chilled!

Ingredients
200g pearl barley
100g candied winter melon
150g rock sugar
2 litres water
2 Pandan leaves

Directions

1. Bring the water to a boil
2. Add the pearl barley, candied winter melon and rock sugar and pandan leaves
3. Simmer everything on low heat for 45 minutes or until the water turns whitish
4. Cool slightly before straining. Remove barley and pandan leaves or drink will be slimey.
5. You can save some of the pearl barley and add back to the water before serving. Do not leave the pearl barley in the water as it will expand and soak up some of the liquid
6. Serve warm or chilled

Making Fruit Kebabs the Ratatouille Way!

Had a picnic recently and had fun with our two older kiddies preparing the snacks. This was inspired by the show 'Ratatouille' where the mouse enjoyed combining strawberries with cheese. Honestly a little wierd but looked pretty and tasted not bad....

Mango Expedition!

Waited for about 2 weeks and to our surprise, the mangoes were so delicious! Green on the outside but surprisingly bright yellow and sweet and juicy on the inside. The sweetness was so lovely and light at the same time!

But just read today that these are forbidden fruit!

Fish and Chippies!

Ingredients:
1. fish fillets
2.1 tsp salt
3. 1 tsp sugar
4.  corn flour for dipping
5. 1 egg yolk

Method:
1. Mariante fish fillets in sugar, salt and egg yolk
2. before frying dip and coat evenly in corn flour
3. fry till fish bubbles to the surface

Sauce:

1. 1/2 white onion
2. 2 tomatoes
3. 3tbs of ketchup
4. 2 tsp sugar
5. 2 tsp soya sauce
6. fry onions and tomatoes till softenened and then add ingredients 3-5 and water and bring to a boil. serve over fish or separate if desired.


And the kids had their own wersion:

For a healthier version, bake the fries at 220 degrees in the oven. Season with a little salt and serve!

Playdough Time When Our Little Sis is In Lullaby Land

Jedidiah and Krisalyn having some fun with playdough. They have been really deprived of playing it as I have been really lazy to let them play as I dread th clean up and pickng the little bits of dough here and there. And with the recent house move, it was packed away and forgotten in boxes for a really long time!

So when Baby Kez was asleep in the evening, I took it out and they were thrilled to bits! They had a good time rolling, flattening and moulding without their littlest sister coming to pester them and grab the dough off the table or screech to have her share.

Heh! so many things go on behind her back when she is in dreamland!

Krisalyn's Writing!

Krisalyn is learning to write and she recently doodled on some scrap paper.

Think her letters are well-written for a 4 year old! Yes am biased as she's my littel girl and am really proud of her! :)

Our Little Garden

Presenting our little garden outside our humble abode. It gives me much therapeutic pleasure to water them each morning and to see the green leaves and blooming orchids. We have basil, pandan leaves and ginger shoots too!

This is from the chili padi seeds my mum gave us as she didn't have the time to grow it in her own garden in Perth. Look at how its grown one year from now!

 It has finally given us one fruit! one little green little chili padi! hopefully more will grow soon!