Pizza, with faith & tardy

Pizza to be made tomorrow: (red and yellow)^2 pizza




How to make pizza dough..

Whatever you want to achieve.. it's all about taking the very first step..
I believe in watching, understanding and then doing it.

After doing some research... I've decided to follow this recipe for pizza dough! 

Ingredients for the Dough (Makes 2 Regular or 4 Thin Neapolitan
Pizzas!)
· 1 or 2 Packages yeast (2-3 teaspoons of yeast or less) (Try 1-2 teaspoons)
(Peter Reinhart says only use as much as you need, you can use less yeast to
get good results)
· 2 teaspoons honey or sugar (optional)
· 4 cups of flour (Can be All purpose or Bread Flour)
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 cup olive oil (optional)
· 1 and 1/2 cups of warm water

Directions
1. Proofing the yeast: Put yeast and sugar in a cup. Add 1/2 cup of water. The water should be
between 100° and 110° F (37° C- 43° C.)
degrees. Mix well. Wait about 5 minutes for the yeast and sugar to activate.


( Yeast+ sugar-> co2 + ethanol.. Isn't that fermentation!)

2. In a large mixing bowl, add the olive oil, flour, salt, 1 cup of warm water
and the yeast mixture. Mix this with a fork to get all the liquid absorbed by
the flour.

 

3. Place a handful of flour on a mixing surface. Dust your hands and spread
out the flour. Empty the contents of the bowl on to the flour.

4. Knead the dough vigorously for 8-10 minutes or until the texture is
smooth and uniform. If the dough seems a little sticky, add a little more
flour. One method to knead, is to lean on the dough with the palm of your hand.
Press the dough to the mixing surface. Fold the dough and repeat.


5. Place the dough in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Place bowl in warm
area and cover with a cloth.

6. Let the dough rise for about an hour. Punch down the dough and wait 30-
45 minutes. Your dough is now ready. (I guess it's best to let it proof overnight in the fridge!)

7. Cut the dough in half (or fourths, for thin pizza).

8. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out on a floured
surface until the dough is the desired shape. (You can omit the rolling pin
and just shape the dough with your fingers.)

To shape the dough with your fingers.. i guess it'll be good to look the this video

The above is from this pizzatherapy e-book :
http://www.pizzatherapy.com/minipizzatherapypizzabook.pdf
 
As for the toppings, i guess I'll spread olive oil, then add finely chopped garlic, 2 chopped & smashed medium tomatoes with herbs, yellow capsicum/pineapple, our favourite bacon, finely sliced onions, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese!

Bake for 220degree for 10-15min!

Add Basil leaves!

do u know why it's (red&yellow)^2 pizza now? :D

Today:

Yay! Im so happy! Our pizza is a success! The dough was alright and the ingredients were alright as well.

Room for improvement!

1) Place the dough on your peel. The goal now is to keep the dough from sticking to the peel. Give it a little shake every few seconds as you top it to make sure it will still slide. If the dough sticks to the peel you are screwed! Don't forget the shake.

2) Unfortunately, we forgot to add in garlic and shallots! I guess i'll rmb to add in next time to enhance its flavour.

3) Both Parmesan and Mozerella cheese should be added halfway as the pizza enjoys the sauna in the oven

4) Improve on the dough by adding herbs to it!

5) Prepare freshly made tomato sauce! We can go create a pizza chef! hahaha!

i love my food adventures with my dear sis and dear tard! <3

Avocado-lly Sinful Varlhona Chocolate milkshake

As the title suggests, we need Avocado, Varlhona Cocoa powder(OPTIONAL) and milk ( I used meiji chocolate milk). I don't think you need to read on because the title itself is rather idiot proof but the below is purely just for your information! :)

I love chocolate.i really do  & somehow i have a lil fetish for avocado.. and I've always wanted to make my own rich chocolate avocado milkshake and this self-inspired recipe seems to be perfect! :)

Besides, it has various health benefits too!

Chocolate Milk:
- source of calcium
- protein + carbo mix which helps muscle repair if drunk immediately after exercise! 

Avocado:
- good source of monounsaturated fats which lowers cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease.
- It provides nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. -They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.

Cocoa: 
- content of phenylethylamine which has a mood elevating effect
- polyphenolic flavonoids ( a type of antioxidant)  in it  have the potential to prevent heart disease.

What's more important is that the good (monounsaturated - nuts, avocado, olive and canola oil or polyunsaturated- omega 3 & 6 common in fishes like salmon, mackeral and sardine) fats in this drink makes you full, curb ur cravings (which can help you to lose weight) and swing your mood to the higher extreme!

Right, I guess the quantity really depends on how much milk u wanna drink and how much avocado taste you desire and how chocolatey ( or bitterness) you like! For me..  i used all the milk left, half an avocado and  a teaspoon of Varlhona Cocoa powder! Of course.. the distinguishing factor lies in the avocado and varlhona (which you can use vanhouten for a cheaper substitute.. note i mentioned cheaper..because nothing can ever replace varlhona.. muahahahahah... ) ok sorry for my obsession with varlhona.. bet u cant even see it clearly.. so heres a zoomed in picture of it!

 It's $8.50 for 250g but trust my chocolate instincts.. It's worth the money especially if you're a avid chocolate cake/brownie baker! ^^ & from my knowledge.. you can only get it from SunLik Trading... do google for more info.. It's at 33 Seah street which is really near the National Library and Bras Basah Complex or whatever that building is named. Actually, i get most of my baking materials from there because I really hate the service phoon huat ( aka red man) delivers. Im sorry but I'm really particular about service standards. Oh..do note the operating hours !

Mon-Fri: 8.30am - 6.30 pm, Sat: 8.30am - 6.00 pm, Sun & Hol.: Closed* 

And yup just throw everything into the blender and tadaaaa........

Smooth and rich Avocado-lly Sinful Varlhona Chocolate milkshake! Do add ice or chill in refrigerator before serving!

If only I can do milkshake art and this would look so pretty!

One thing good about creating your own smoothie is that you know there are no artificial sweeteners like High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)  which is a type of man-made sweetener which is sweeter & cheaper than sugar. It is present in cerreal, coke ketchup, soda etc.  It shuts off your body natural appetite control and make you keep eating beyond more than what your body can handle.. like drinking 2l of coke.

-Fructose is metabolized into fat and does not stimulate insulin and leptin.. for those who take bio.. without insulin.. there is no shut off mechanism.

ok. I guess thats all for today! Looks longer than it should be for a simple milkshake recipe but I guess I wanna share more for those who are interested! :)

Next up... Italian food! :)

Rosti

"There are not that many foods that can claim that a pivotal historical event centered around them. But the potato can."

Guten Tag! ( Good Day in German) The above is my very first attempt to make a Rosti. It looks more like scrambled eggs and baby tomatoes actually! haha! Before teaching you how to whip up a plate of Rosti, allow me to give you a little background on the origins of Rosti.

According to Wikipedia, "often spelled Röschti in Switzerland according to the Swiss German is a Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes. It was originally a common breakfast eaten by farmers in the canton of Bern, but today is eaten all over Switzerland and also in many restaurants in the Western World. Many Swiss people consider rösti a national dish. "

I got to know this dish from my colleague, Jasline, and in fact i got inspired by her to start up this blog to cook and share. :) By doing this, I hope to improve my food knowledge & cooking skill. :) Basically, I made the above using her recipe which can be found be clicking her name but added spices, Mozzarella cheese n Japanese mayonnaise to enhance the flavour. The taste turned out goood but it's far from the original Rosti as shown in the video below. Rosti cooked from scratch! :)

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh0VQGhCdeM  
(watching it gives u a rough idea on how it should be cooked and should turn out to be like :) )

 It's cheap, fast to prepare, relatively easy and savory! So here's my modified recipe for the individual portion which I intend to try next time after doing some research.

Ingredients:
butter  ( replace with olive oil if you prefer a healthier rosti!)
1 medium potato
mozerella cheese
sliced onions ( maybe about 5 slices?) (optional)
egg (optional)
sliced Bacon (optional)
Herbs ( Masterfood's spaghetti bolognese mix would be ideal.. if not rosemary, oregano,basil, thyme should taste good as well.. just play around! ) (optional) 
Japanese mayonnaise (optional)

a Non-stick pan

Method:

1)  For best results, boil your unpeeled potato and leave it in the fridge overnight. ( but it's okay to omit this step and skip to the next step for an instant rosti) 

2)  Using a grater, slice the potato into pieces

3)  If you're noob at cracking your egg, crack your egg in a bowl first 

4)  Heat butter in a pan ( just heat put enough butter which is enough to coat all your potatoes and turn them golden brown.. about 2-4 tablespoon i guess?) 

4) Add the onions and sweat them until they look glassy and transparent. 

5) Add the grated potatoes, salt, black pepper, herbs and bacon. stir through.

6) Fry while stirring them around in the pan for about 3 to 5 minutes.

7) Press together to form a flat cake and fry over medium heat until there is a golden crust on the bottom. 

8) Place a serving platter on the pan and turn the pan upside down, so the Roesti falls on the platter with the crust on top. 

9) Attempt to make a hole in the middle and pour your egg into it.. it's up to you on how cooked you want your egg to be. 

10) Add the cheese in at the same time 

11) It is ready to be served when your egg is cooked and cheese has melted to your liking! Add jap mayo for some jap flavour!

Well.. you realize there are many optional items and I have decided to add them to my rosti recipe so as to suit my personal liking. I prefer something more savoury ! Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the above too! :)

Oh! Remember to hydrate yourself after consumption!!! I guess it would go well with a glass of orange or lime :)

Some insights on potato: 

The potato belongs to the Solanaceae or nightshade family whose other members include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos.

Potatoes as a very good source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber.

Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health-promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, as well as unique tuber storage proteins, such as patatin, which exhibit activity against free radicals.

Vitamin B6 - Building Your Cells
                  - Brain Cell and Nervous System Activity
                  - Cardiovascular Protection
                  - Breakdown of glycogen ( athletics performance )

For more info: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=48

Oh dear POTATOES POTTY POTTY POT PO! ^^

I got motivated to create this blog after making my very first Rosti

Guten Morgen! (Good Morning in German) Alright, I've created this blog mainly to share my experiences playing with food as well as some reviews on trips to different parts of the world ( & I guess I can only start with the little red dot.. )

Actually, i know very little about food and I guess I shall attempt to improve my food knowledge and cooking skill with the little time i have before uni starts. Blogging allows me to share and remember so it's a win-win situation i guess :)

So here's a little bit more about myself..

If I could, I would take up a farming degree instead of business. Really. 

I am a little cranky, quite selfish and believes in "What matters most is that you're happy, I'm happy and we're all happy together" :) 

I love nature
I love food
I love taking photos
I love mother of pearl, shells, stones like ember, tourmaline,coral etc
I love leather 
I love dogs  
I love flowers 
I love the moon and the stars
I love running when the sun goes down
I love to be tanned  & toned and am working towards that
I love colours & island clothing
I would like to be a naive kid and a lot less self-conscious if possible
I would love to go farm and island hopping
I love my cat, miumiu 
I am in love with the tardiest person on earth.
(& I secretly wish that he would be sweeter. )
I would love to live in a little cottage by the beach and mountains, growing berries, building a herb garden, selling food with a taste of garden  in Tardy's cafe and running across a meadow sprinkled with dandelions together with my dear tard for the rest of my life :)  

I'm a dreamer and the dreams I dream of makes each day slightly more live-able.