Barbecue Ribs (Slow Cooker Method) 烤排骨

If you are a connoisseur of good barbecue ribs, you really ought to give this a go. These ribs are as good as those found in restaurants.The best part is, you don't have to barbecue or bake your ribs for hours to get that fall-off-the bones effect. All you need is a reliable slow cooker (also known as crock pot). It is totally stress-free and there is absolutely no need to babysit your ribs while it is cooking. As a busy mom, this method is a God's gift. You would need about 5 minutes to prep, then maybe another minute maximum for you to bring your ribs from the fridge to the slow cooker. By the time you get back from work in the evening, the ribs would be screaming, "eat me" to your hungry stomach. Just finish it off with a 15-minutes bake/grill. I guarantee you would be hearing rave reviews.

Simple Homemade Coleslaw 简单高丽菜沙拉

I had my first taste of coleslaw when I was about six when my father brought me to KFC. Nope. I didn't like it. Then again, how many children like to eat raw pickled cabbage? I acquired the taste of coleslaw a couple of years later. Those were the days when I thought having more veggies would be good for reducing weight, unbeknownst to me, the actual culprit were in the mayonnaise. Needless to say, nothing good came out of it.

Steamed Pork With Salted Fish 咸鱼蒸猪肉

Steamed Pork with Salted Fish is unique. It smells like dead fish but the Chinese love it. Definitely an acquired taste if you ask me. It is a common Chinese household dish that most Chinese home cooks would have known. The key to a good Steamed Pork with Salted Fish is its ingredients. You must get good mui heong salted fish (normally mackerel). Mui heong salted fish is prepared through a fermenting process for several days before curing. I normally find those that are brined in oil. They are soft and mushy but the smell is so pungent your whole house would smell like a dead rat. For the Chinese, this is a double thumbs-up.

Molten Lava Black Sesame Tang Yuan 流沙黑芝麻湯圓

I was so busy preparing for Christmas that I nearly forgotten about this year's Winter Solstice Festival. Winter Solstice Festival or Dong Zhi is supposed to be a huge day for the Chinese. To kick start this festival, I am planning to make black sesame tang yuan, or black sesame glutinous rice balls, this year. Tang yuan is served during this festival to signify reunion and wholeness in the family.

Baked Cornflakes Chicken Tenders 玉米片烤鸡

This is a simple straightforward dish. But the children love it. It is crunchy and crispy minus the greasy fats. I guess this is one healthier alternative that you don't have to impose on your children. The best thing is that I could just chuck it into the oven and go around doing other chores while waiting.

Black Sesame Soup/Zhi Ma Hu 芝麻糊

This post is long overdue. I received a lot of requests for this recipe. Somehow, I procrastinated. I was given a big bag of black sesame seeds the other day and I immediately thought of making this long overdue black sesame soup. So here it is, my zhi ma hu.

Hu, when translated basically means paste. Therefore, it is no surprise that this dessert comes in a form of paste. Zhi ma hu is basically grounded black sesame seeds made into a sweet pasty dessert. Depending on where you come from and how you would like your dessert, this dessert can range from a very thick pasty cream to thin runny ones. I like mine not too thick but pasty enough to be called a hu, something like the consistency of a mushroom soup. The ultimate black sesame soup must be smooth to the throat, warm to the tummy and intensely fragrant when eaten.

Chocolate Yule Log Cake 巧克力树桐蛋糕

I always wonder what is the fascination with a dressed-up Swiss roll. Well, today I have my answer. A Yule log cake symbolises the oldest tradition of burning a Yule log during Christmas. Mind you, this burning of Yule log is huge, spanning for days to weeks. And there would be a huge celebration during this time. That was as Christmassy as you could get at those times. Fast forward to today, this tradition of burning the Yule log is only represented by a meager chocolate cake - the Chocolate Yule Log Cake or Buche de Noel.

Baking Christmas Cake: Chocolate Swiss Roll 巧克力瑞士卷

Who doesn't love chocolates? Today, I am giving you a double dose - Chocolate Swiss Roll plus whipped chocolate ganache. Are you jumping with joy yet? Admittedly, I am not trained in ways of baking. I consider myself a rookie. There is good in this though, for I do not have to conform to learned rules and techniques. And this has worked wonderfully for me. Just look at this beautiful roll!