Blue-Belt Blueberry Lemon Muffins

When littlej was in her very first week of Kindy (Prep) she came rushing out of class one afternoon bursting with news.

lj: I had a FIGHT!

Me: ????

lj: ThisbigboyhadKaitlinroundtheneckandshewascryingandherippedherdressandIcouldn'tseeateacher.....soIhithim!

Me: Then what happened?

lj: Nothing, so I kept hitting him

Me: And then what happened?

lj: I kept hitting him until he fell down

Me: Then what did you do?

lj: Then I ran

Me: I think that was a very wise decision

Littlej was a very tiny 5year old, and the boy in question was a (comparatively) huge hulking 9 or 10yr old, but that wasn't going to stop her defending her friend. Her teacher had a little chat with me, assuring me it was all under control, parents had been notified and not to be concerned.
As littlej wasn't worried I decided I wouldn't be either.
That was until Kaitlin's Mummy talked to me.
She and the other parents had been summoned to the principals office, along with any witnesses; apologies had been made, restitution for the torn dress was made, suspension had been given, and reports had all officially been made.... Except for littlej.

Littlej had certainly been involved, would she get suspended too? My baby with this on her permanent record at the very start of her school career!
I went to her teacher, who was just lovely, and she explained that this was indeed a bit of a tricky situation.

Littlej certainly had struck another student (repeatedly), but it was in defence of her friend; he was much bigger; there was no teacher present; it wasn't behaviour the school thought she was in the habit of committing; and if the school recognised her part in this little action she would have to be suspended and punished indeed. The big boy was a known bully; it probably did him good to be taken down a peg or two, and he was unlikely to go looking for revenge once his friends found out he had his butt kicked by a kinder student; the teachers were actually impressed with littlej's bravery; and the best course of action was to pretend she hadn't been involved at all.
That was the Official School Decision.



Littlej has never looked back.
She is a lovely little lady- very clever, very confident... and she also now takes karate.

This week she recieved her Blue Belt. We don't condone violence as a general rule, but it's always a good idea to know how to defend ourselves- or our friends :) if necessary. That's a good thing.



littlej's Metalwork candlestick project

Littlej was called in to see one of her teachers this week.

You see, it's the time of year when selections are made for next year classes, and students are asked to give in their preferences for electives. Littlej had chosen Metal Work (shop) class and her male teacher was concerned. He nicely explained that his regular students were mainly boys, and not ones who were in her academically fast-tracked classes, but ones who may misbehave from time to time (he used the word Miscreants), and was she sure this was the class for her?

Littlej said she just smiled at him, and said : That's OK Sir, I don't think I have anything to worry about.

You see, it's not about violence, it's about confidence.


In celebration of littlej's Blue Belt, I made her some Blueberry Lemon Muffins


They're kind of like littlej- muffins are sweet and cute but have a bit of substance as well. Not just pretty and precious like a cupcake :)

3 cups gluten free Self Raising Flour (or plain flour and baking powder)
2 1/2 cup lactose free Milk, or dairy free alternative
2/3 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Oil
pinch of Salt

cupful or so of Blueberries
2 big tablespoons Lemon Curd (yes I know homemade is better, but this was handy)
Lemon Zest



In one big bowl, mix the flour (baking powder if using), salt and sugar

In a different bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and oil

Add the wet mix into the dry along with the lemon zest, curd and blueberries

Gently mix together. Don't beat it too hard or the muffins won't be nice and tender, a few lumpy bits are just fine

Pop the mix into muffin pans, and if you want a bit of gratuitous yumminess, top with a little dob of extra lemon curd.
I used 1/4 cup of mix each and made 2 dozen little lovelies

Bake at about 200*C for 20 minutes, leave in the pan for about 5 minutes then place them on a rack to cool down totally

Delicious! But please don't jump in while still piping hot or the lemon curd will melt your mouth off, the sugar heats to lava temperature!

So Dear Readers, did you take Self-Defence classes when you were younger, and what are your tips for self-confidence?








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Steamed Coconut Buns

I was going to post a whole other recipe today, but last night I just happened to catch an episode of Jamie's 15 minute Meals, by Mr Oliver himself and was captivated

I'm a big fan of Jamie Oliver, he is passionate about bringing real food to real people and teaching them the real skills to pass it on to others.Sadly something so often lacking today.




The meal Jamie made was a simple steamed chicken and veggie dish that looked lovely, but what caught my interest were the Coconut Buns that accompanied the meal.

2 ingredients, 10 minutes, and the promise of yumminesss, I just had to try this out for myself!



Steamed Coconut Buns

1 tin Coconut Milk
2 tins worth of Self Raising GF Flour

Tip the contents of the coconut milk into the bowl of a food processor

Measure out two tins of Self Raising Gluten free Flour

Pop into the food processor as well, along with a pinch of sugar, and a good pinch of salt

Whizz it around until it forms a soft slightly sticky dough

Tip out onto the bench and lightly pull together into a ball

Divvy up into smaller pieces. I made mine into 12, Jamie made 8 larger ones.
Pop them into cupcake papers, just to stop them sticking together, then place in a steamer

Just to add a bit of extra pretty, I brushed my dough with water and sprinkled on some sesame seeds. This certainly wasn't necessary, but I think it was worth it anyway :)

Steam the little buns for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size. The dough should be nice and springy and be dry to touch- except for water drips of course

Meanwhile.......
Make some Simple Pickles to serve with your buns

Cucumber
Carrot
Rice wine Vinegar- make sure it's GF
Pinch of Sugar

Shave the cucumber very finely using a peeler, stopping at the seeds in the middle. Shave the carrot thinly with the peeler as well

Pop into a bowl with the sugar and a good slurp of vinegar and scrunch it all around until fully moistened, then set aside until the buns are ready

After 10 minutes, nicely puffed and ready to eat!

Cut in half, still steaming warm and ready to go

What a lovely array of yumminess!
I used a gluten free Hoi Sin Sauce, Chinese BBQ Pork, and of course, my pickles

A good splodge of sauce, a slice or two of pork, a pile of pickles.... and munch away!

Absolutely delicious indeed!
The fillings were great, but the buns were the real stars here.
Soft and springy with a lovely touch of coconut, these buns tasted just like NON gluten free ones would at yum cha.  Next time I'll stuff them and make Char Siu Bao to add to my gluten free dim sum collection.

So Dear Readers, what do you think of super-chefs? Have they done much to change the world, and do you have any of their cook books on your shelves?

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Tastes of The Orient

City Skyline




I know this one's a little later than usual Dear Readers, but you see,  I've been away on holiday.

So long overdue, that it's actually the first time in over 20 years that we've travelled anywhere that wasn't to visit family- just something for ourselves.

Bliss....  And we had a wonderful time indeed!


We went to gorgeous Singapore, the country where I was born, and have always wanted to explore as a 'grown up'. The plan was to explore the real country and not just do touristy stuff but meet real people, see real sights, and eat real food.

Well, we sure did plenty of that!

I had a few concerns about eating gluten and lactose free overseas, but it didn't end up being as difficult as I first thought.
Most people speak english very well, so I was able to ask about meal ingredients, and sauce was generally served on the side so there was no contamination that way either.
Lactose free milk was readily available, but gluten free bread was nowhere to be found, and most shops didn't seem to understand what I was talking about.

All in all the trip was just wonderful, the country is fabulous, and the food is AMAZING! I've already started planning another trip for the future :)

I certainly won't bore you with our over 1000 photos, but I thought you might  like to see some of the foodie highlights of our trip




Now at first glance, this may not look typically Asian in origin...but what if I tell you that it's the gluten free option for High Tea at iconic Raffles Hotel?
And all for me!!!

Bottom tier: Sandwiches
Smoked Salmon; Egg and Cucumber, Ham,Cheese,Tomato with Basil; and oddly, plain tinned Salmon with Mayonaise
Middle Tier: Fresh Fruit floating in Orange Juice, and  Caramel Apple Verine
Top Tier: House made Fresh Raspberry Marshmallow, and two gorgeous Chocolates- yummo!
At huge buffet display there were also one or two goodies I could enjoy, and it was a wonderful experience indeed

Ice Kacang
A mountain of freshly shaved ice, topped with three syrups, drizzled with evaporated milk, then with additions of corn, red beans, palm seeds and glass jelly.
Big enough for two to share at the bargin price of $2

Haianese Chicken Rice
This dish was one I was really hanging out for. I make my own version at home, but wanted to try the Real Deal. The only problem was everywhere I went it was sold out! It's such a popular meal that the lines at Hawker Centres and food stalls selling this were huge, and I just seemed to be pipped at the post each and every time. I was so happy when I finally got my share :)
Such lovely, moist chicken and the rice might look bland, but the flavour was just amazing and rich too- delicious

Another iconic Singapore dish- Laksa
Each version I tried was very similar, but quite different from what I'm used to over here.
For starters, they locals used only rice noodles (which was great) here in Australia- or at least in Canberra, they come with both rice and egg noodles and I have sent many back to kitchens when they ignore my only-rice-noodles-please request. Also these ones were a lot stronger in prawn-y flavour and not as rich in coconut milk.
I really enjoyed having it for breakfast though!

These little ice cream stalls were everywhere, usually run by lovely little old gentlemen with gorgeous smiles for everyone.The ice cream was wrapped in wax cardboard, and kept in eskys with a huge slab of ice for cooling, then cut to size by the vendor, then wrapped in a slice of pink and green sweet bread to stop it dripping everywhere. I obviously had the messy bread-free version, but my choice of durian flavour was certainly delicious.

Before we went away, BigJ, littlej and I agreed on the Great Singapore Satay Hunt.
We all love these little sticks of yum, and were determined to track down and try as many varieties as possible during our stay. We sampled 17 varieties all in all, and our hands down favourite was an Indonesian variety! We gave each one a score out of 10, with catergories including spiciness, stickiness, sauce, char technique and overall flavour.

This is a prawn.
A very Big Prawn.
For scale, check out the regular sized chopsticks at the back of the plate. HUGE!
Served simply grilled with some garlic and a tiny little lime. I've never seen a prawn of this size before, and I once worked at a seafood market for a year. Now where to track them down over here?...

This picture is of A Random Act of Kindness
littlej was at the pastry counter at the first hotel we stayed at, when she saw another young girl with a packet of my usual Country Life bread I eat here in Australia. They struck up a conversation over the toaster and littlej mentioned that her mummy ate gluten free too. Halfway through breakfast, a lovely lady approached our table and said that they were on their last day in Singapore, and would it offend me if she offered me the rest of their gluten free loaf? They had bought it with them from Perth, and it would be a shame just to throw it out.
I was really touched and of course it just made my day! Unfortunately I failed to get the lovely peoples names, but although it may seem a small thing to others, when you struggle with food InTolerances, little things like this are such a big blessing indeed :) Thankyou xox

My Australian Breakfast in Singapore, with Beerenberg jams too!

Congee Rice Porridge, I much prefer savoury to sweet, so this might become a winter breakfast staple for me from now on

These signs were at every food stall and hawker stand everywhere. It shows that the stand has been inspected and aproved by the govenment, with each stand being licenced and given a hygene rating

The rating must be prominently displayed at each stall,with D being the lowest, but I only saw A's and B's.
I wonder if our food courts would welcome this idea here?

Pineapple Rice
Not strictly Singaporean, but a nice choice for littlej as a change from steamed rice. Very delicious, and topped with yummy pork floss

In contrast to our first hotel, who truly tried but just didn't get the whole 'InTolerance' thing, this second resort had things sorted!
I had emailed ahead, and been assured that there would be plenty of options for me, but I've certainly been stung before. It was great to see that these issues were a priority for the kitchen too.

Freshly made gluten free waffles!
 

Gfree toast and mini muffins too

More ice creams:
Durian (a bit too strong for me this time), Red Bean, and our favourite- Jackfruit

Last, but certainly not least Dear Readers, what trip to Singapore would be complete without the famous Chilli Crab?
This was our one big blow-out meal, eaten at a nice little reataruant on the river. The crabs were displayed at the front, and you could either choose your own, or just order small, medium or large. We left the choice to our waiter, as even though littlej has no trouble eating anything really, and my Dad kills his own meat, she found it too difficult to actively particeipate in picking a live victim herself.
Wait until I bring home my own live mud crab from the markets to make this dish at home!

Before:

After!

So my Dear Readers, I apologise for my absence from the blogisphere of late, and for not keeping up with comments on your lovely blog posts as well, but as you can see I was busy eating my way around Singapore :) I can hardly wait to go again!

So Dear Readers, were you born overseas, and what country would you visit if you could?





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