Pop-Tarts - The Real Thing Homemade Style

After making the felt Pop-Tarts and also watching Miss K eat the real ones, I decided that making Pop-Tarts should not be that hard. A friend and I were talking and she challenged me to make them. I poked around online and found lots of recipes but tried this one. I made a half recipe because I wasn't sure how they would taste. I also skipped the egg wash mainly because I didn't have that many eggs. I did try 2 jam but they were just spreading the jam on.

They were good and my husband said, I could make them again. My friend who challenged me and her children ate them. The children wanted to make sure that she got the recipe.

Felt Food - Pop-Tarts

When I was looking for ideas for felt food. I found Pop-Tarts but decided not to make them as it is something that Miss K. We don't buy them because they are never in the stores, we don't buy much processed food, and they don't sell the kind I like (I don't even know if they still make the kind I like). Well, the other week I found them in the local store that I usually avoid because it is dark and crowded. They remodeled so it is not as dark but it is still crowded. Anyway, they had Pop-Tarts in the reduced cause no one knows what this foreign food is and so they are not buying it area. I bought them thinking I would give it to my friend cause I knew her kids would enjoy that taste of home but since they are home I have had them on my shelf. It was just a box on the shelf until yesterday. Someone discovered it, opened it, and enjoyed a treat. Yep, she is stuffing her mouth quick before mom sees it and cleans up the mess. I think she decided that she likes these and don't you dare think of giving them away.

I decided maybe I should make some Pop-Tart felt food. Here it is. I used beads on the top to give it the look of sprinkles.


Notes:
Off white - 5 x 3.5"
Pink icing - 2.75 x 4"

Sew the pink onto the off white with 1 layer of batting. Then sew the beads on. Sew the off white together with 2 layers of batting.

Enjoy!

Lunchtime

Well, after that delicious breakfast, we do need to think about lunch. We have simple lunches around here. A favourite is a cheese quesadilla or just noodles. Usually our noodles just have butter and cheese but we got fancy and added some spaghetti sauce. Here is a close-up of the bow-tie pasta. It was so easy to make.
For a change we can have ravioli. Use the same spaghetti sauce. I might need to make more sauce. I guess I should make a big batch of sauce.
Since we are here in Asia we will also have some dumplings. Hmm, that makes me hungry for Auntie LL's wonderful dumplings made with the Beijing recipe.

Notes: (mainly so I remember what I did)

The bow tie pasta was 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" trimmed with the pinking shears before gathering together.

The ravioli were 2 inch squares, trimmed with the pinking shears and then sewed and stuffed with fiberfill.

The dumplings were circles and the stuffed with fiberfill and sewn.

The spaghetti sauce had 2 to 3 layers of batting and then was hand sewn. I added the cheese before sewing the red pieces to gether.

Breakfast Food

I have recently made some food for Miss K. Bacon and eggs for breakfast. A stack of pancakes.
Now I am working on some lunch food.

Banana Pudding

First of all, I have to say I have never made banana pudding before. I don't think my mother ever made it so I never made it. For some reason Banana pudding is one of my husband's favourite desserts. We have been married for almost 5 years and I have never made it. Okay, maybe because I didn't have a recipe was one reason or maybe the fact that Vanilla Wafers are not a regular item on the supermarket shelves.

Well, I inherited a box of banana pudding so I decided to try to make banana pudding.

First of all, I had to make the vanilla wafers. I found this recipe. It has mixed reviews but I decided to try it. You really do need to make small balls to get small cookies.

Next I made the pudding. Okay, it was easy cause I used pudding mix. I did read the real recipe and learn that you make it from scratch.

I don't have a nice fancy dish to serve it in so I just put it in a casserole dish. I did whip some cream for the top but didn't bake it. I did sprinkle some crumbs on top. That was a good way to use a few that broke and the crumbs in the cookie container.
I learned a few things along the way and will improve the next time. It was nice to be able to give my husband something he really likes. Miss K loved it as well. She called it cake. Here she is enjoying it. I didn't bother to take a picture of my husband enjoying it. Maybe he ate it too fast.

What is a foreigner to do? - Warning this is a vent!

The other day I was in the supermarket and noticed various healthy foods -- rice milk, organic foods and other things had little signs that said something like "this product might not be sold after 29 May because of nutrional labeling". When I got to the checkout I picked up a leaflet and read it.

It has left me scratching my head to the stupidity of the government. Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that was I because I am to respect government. Well, you might do the same when you hear what is happening. The current unique mandatory nutrition labelling scheme (everything here is a scheme of some sort but that is a British term) is currently being review by the Legislative Council. There is a exemption for products that sell less than 30,000 units per year. Unfortunately, the exemption will not apply to small volume products that make nutrition claims, such as those that are labelled "transfat-free" (there goes Crisco), "contains omega-3", "25% less fat" (that doesn't bother me because we eat full fat), "low sodium", and "cholesterol-free" to name but a few. That means that healthier products, organic products, and products favoured by ethnic minorities (that would be me -- I never thought of myself as an ethnic minority) may disappear from sale because it will not be economically viable to nutrient test and re-label these products. All of these products already have extensive nutrition labelling that complies with the labelling laws of the country of origin.

That was long and some of it was copied from the leaflet.

So what this means -- I can't buy healthy foods but can continue to buy junk food. I can't buy the baked potato crisps (can you tell those are from the UK), I can't buy organic Wheatabix which is a staple breakfast cereal here. Yikes - yesterday Libbey pumpkin was included on the display of things leaving or possibly leaving. Not sure why.

So the frustration what can I do? I could try stockpiling but really with only 700 sq feet how much of that can I do. There is a petition and I asked if foreigners can sign and I did sign it.

So the challenge is what to do as a foreigner and I don't have the answer.

Project Yellow - Take 2

I tried to think of what yellow things I might have in my collection of photos and found these. Egg tarts part of a dim sum meal. Egg tarts are popular here especially the ones from Macau. It is something that I do enjoy but not something we buy often.

Wheat Thins

I made Wheat Thins the other day. I wanted to make them since that is a cracker that we like but cannot always find here. Of course, the day I make them I find them in the supermarket. I found the recipe in the More-with-Less cookbook and decided to try them. It was easy and things that I have on hand. They taste like Wheat Thins. My dough was a bit sticky so next time I will add a bit more flour so it is not as sticky and roll a bit thinner.

2 c whole wheat flour
2T wheat germ
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
2T brown sugar
2 T dry milk solids

Cut in with pastry blender:
6T butter

Combine separately and stir in
1/2 c water
1 T molasses

Knead a little until smooth. Grease two cookie sheets and sprinkle each with cornmeal. Divide dough in half. Roll out half of dough directly onto cookie sheet with floured rolling pin, rolling dime-thin. Sprinkle lightly with paprika, garlic, onion, or seasoned salt. Run rolling pin over once more. Prick with fork. Cut in squares or triangles. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

More-with-less p. 310

Pearls for Valentine's Day

My husband gave me pearls for Valentine's Day. He knows that I love pearls especially the Godiva chocoiste with mint. Chocolate and mint is a good combination. Chocolate and peanut butter is a good combination as well but for some reason that combination is not seen overseas must be a very American thing. These pearls are savored just one or two at a time.
I did get him a gift. Something that he has been wanting -- a small Mag Light. His birthday is the same day. We decided that next year we are going to celebrate Valentine's Day at breakfast and his birthday at dinner that way we can celebrate both.

Christmas for the office

We wanted to do something for the office staff where S spends part of his time each week. I needed things that were not too sweet and also would be something that S could easily carry to the office since he would have to carry it on the public transportation.

I made banana bread and pumpkin muffins. My banana bread is an old family recipe except I cut the sugar in half. That is such a good way to use up the old bananas that get thrown in the freezer. The pumpkin is from a can but when I open the can I put it in 1/2 cup containers and freeze it so I can make muffins or whatever.

I made some cute easy little cards for S to give to various staff.

It was a hit at the office. In fact, I was asked to give a price list for baked goods for staff meetings and other functions.

Lunch to Go

Our Sundays are packed and time for lunch just doesn't exist unless you consider grabbing something at McD's lunch. K doesn't quite handle a sandwich so I took a lesson from the Japanese and tried to create a little Bento type lunch for her. It is also nice because she can hold the box and sit in the stroller and eat it.

Well Stocked

Mom, this picture is just for you. You taught me how to fill a freezer and a refrigerator as well. My freezer is small compared to American sizes but I can fit quite a bit in there. Coffee, ice cream, pumpkin in 1/2 cup containers for muffins, bixed berries, homemade breakfast sausage, homemade tortillas that someone gave me, bananas for smoothies, bread or muffins, spices which you can't see cause they are on the door so the bugs don't get into them, all kinds of dried beans, chicken, beef, spinach which I can buy all the time at the store and I love keeping it one hand, pizza dough and many other things. Maybe it is time to clean out the freezer.

My Latest DIY

Here in Asia DIY is the big there. It is one of those English phrases that I don't hear in the English speaking world but hear here. Do it yourself which is a big thing here. People are beginning to do it yourself. Instead of calling an electrician to change the light bulb you do it yourself. Yes, that was something you called an electrician. Okay, I have DIY that for a long time or I ask my husband to do it.

Well, my latest project was making instant stove top stuffing. You know like they sell in the red box in the grocery store except here they don't sell it in the grocery store so it is a DIY project. I made cranberry chicken in the crock pot and we decided that stuffing would taste good. I dug around and found a recipe I had gotten from a magazine. I think it was Taste of Home. Anyway, it was very easy. You make a seasoning mix -- I had all the ingredients on hand for that. Okay, I used up my celery flakes and I don't think they sell those here so I might have to make my own for the next time. It said to cube the bread but I was afraid to do enough for 4 batches which is how much the seasoning mix makes. I feared I would have moldy cubes. I did enough for 1 batch. I cubed it and put it on a tray to dry.

I came home from Little Gym, boiled water, added some butter and the seasoning and then mixed the bread cubes, put the lid on after 5 minutes fluffed it with a fork. It was so easy and tasted good. No preservatives. The bread was homemade and I mixed the seasoning myself.

What other meals can I make and have stuffing as a side dish?

Here is the recipe:

Instant Stuffing Mix

½ cups plus 1 tablespoon dried celery flakes

3 tablespoons dried minced onion

3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning

¾ teaspoons rubbed sage

10-1/2 cups dried bread cubes (about 24 slices) or unseasoned croutons

Additional Ingredients

1 cup water

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

In a small resealable plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients; mix well. Place the bread cubes in a large resealable plastic bag; add the small seasoning bag. Store in a cool dry place for up to 1 year.

Yield 3 batches.

To prepare stuffing: In a large saucepan, combine water, butter and 1/3 cup seasoning mix. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add 3-1/2 cups bread cubes; stir just to moisten. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Yield 2-4 servings per batch.

What's Happening

I know I have not posted much recently. I have been busy with various things around the house. I will try to catch up on a few things that I have done.

I did make another batch of ketchup last night. This time I made a double recipe and put a bit less vinegar in it and also less sugar.

I made some pear butter last week in the crockpot. I found cheap pears at the grocery store. They were cheap because they were bruised. It was so easy to make them in the crockpot. I bought some more pears and peaches because I realized that is cheaper than buying Smucker's Simply Fruit.

I made hummus the other week. That is so easy with the food processor. We use that for dip with our veggies.

One of our favorite fun meals is quesadillas. My recipe includes a cooked potato grated as well as cheese. I did make my own tortillas. They were good and a bit better than the store ones. I don't yet have the feel for rolling them out. I guess I need more practice.
I love the salsa that I made to go with them. It is yummy but only lasts about 24 hours and it doesn't taste as good.
I also made a pizza for Miss K. I found the idea on this website http://www.toddlertoddler.com/archivedactivities.htm and bartered for some felt. I had bought some felt while we were home but didn't buy white. So I bartered necklaces from the Jade Market for felt. It is easy to go to the Jade Market and difficult to go to Spotlight where I know they will have felt.

Get out the fork

I made English muffins. We need the fork to split them so we can get all the nooks and crannies. I have been thinking about making them but just never got around to it until today when I decided that Sunday we are going to have English muffin pizzas for dinner and so that meant I had to make English muffins. I can buy them -- 4 in a pack and they are expensive or I can travel an hour and buy a pack of Thomas' English muffins that have been frozen and pay even more.

This was easy. I made the dough in my bread machine. The recipe came from the More with Less cookbook.I used a glass to cut them out because I didn't really have anything big enough.
The recipe said to fry for 8 minutes on a side but it took less than that. Maybe it was my super hot ready to stir-fry burner.
Yes, they look like real English muffins and taste like them as well.

Leftovers for Breakfast

If you are thinking about pizza, forget it. My husband will not eat cold pizza. He will not eat it for lunch or for breakfast. I will and have on various occasions. But I am referring to something else. We love fajitas. It is a favorite meal around our house. It always seems that we have onions and peppers leftover. I used to put them in the refrigerator thinking I am sure I will come up with something to throw these in but usually a few weeks later I would discover them and would throw them in the trash. Then I found a brilliant way to use the leftovers. Breakfast Burritos the next morning so the peppers and onions stay in the refrigerator less than 24 hours.

I reheat the peppers and onions (this time we had some mushrooms thrown in there) in my frying pan. Then put them in a bowl with a plate on top to keep them warm. I scramble some eggs.

Pull out some cheese and chopped tomatoes and put it all together. Here is it ready to be wrapped and eaten.

So tell me what fun things do you do with leftovers. Do you have some leftovers that you have found a creative way to use.

Using up an Apple

I don't like to eat apples if they are too soft. I like crisp apples that crunch when you bite them. Every now and then I buy apples and don't eat them before they lose their crispness. When that happens the easiest thing is chop it in small bits and cook with my oatmeal water. I cook the apples for a few minutes before I add oatmeal and then it is a nice addition to our morning oatmeal and I used up that non-crisp apple.

Pass the ketchup

I made ketchup the other day. I found the recipe on Hillbilly Housewife. We can buy ketchup here but I wanted to try to make it just because I could and also because I do think it is cheaper. I don't eat ketchup. I put it in a few things that I made. My husband eats it on his scrambled eggs. I think that must be a man thing. Anyway, we had meatloaf the other night so that was a test to see how it fares against the stuff you buy.

His first remark was he could taste the vinegar. I wasn't sure if that was good or not. He did say it was good and even better than store bought. So that is a recipe to keep.

It uses tomato paste which is cheap and spices that you have around the house except I had whole allspice and not ground so I skipped that. I might add a bit of garlic powder or onion powder but it has no high fructose corn syrup.

Here is a fun ketchup fact. Do you know that the word is based on a Chinese word. Ketchup is from Cantonese and Catsup is from a bit of a Malay Chinese word. So I think it is fitting that living here I would make ketchup.

Wrong Candy Bar

Sometimes guessing by the picture doesn't mean what you think it means. I love mint and chocolate so when we were traveling and I found this candy bar, I thought yum that looks good. It looks like chocolate with mint inside. Hey, it is Hershey's and I am loyal to Hershey's. I bought it for a treat as we traveled to our next destination but forgot to eat it. We got home and I decided to eat it. I needed a treat and reward for unpacking. Just the perfect treat a mint and chocolate bar.

My first bite told me that I was wrong. Yuck! That green leaf is not mint but rather green tea. Green Tea and chocolate do not mix. I then read the label a bit more carefully and did see the characters for "green tea".

So the moral of the story is things are not always what you think they are. Sometimes that is not good.

Refried Beans Results

I pulled my recipe from here. Actually, I just used that as a guideline. I threw some dry pinto beans in water last night to soak, this morning cooked them a bit with some chopped onion, cumin, and garlic powder. Then added some more cumin and chili powder and cooked a bit more. I then mashed them and let them side. Any extra water was soaked up. I had added quite a bit of water.

My husband said they tasted good just needed a bit more spice. Okay, I can add a bit more next time. They were easy and a cheap part of the meal.