Tiger Magic Thermal Cooker

I received this as a gift from my mom when I was living by myself in graduate school. I have been using this for nine years now. I love this thing.

How it works: Boil the content in the inner pot, then remove from heat and place in the outer pot. Close lid and your food is done in a few hours. It requires no heat in the second phase! It retains the heat from the first phase and uses it to slow cook the content in the inner pot. I love that it saves energy. I can go to sleep or go out and not worry about something catching on fire.

Function: This is good for food that you have to slow cook, like stews, soups, stocks, congees...etc. I even make mashed potatoes in this thing.

Disadvantages: The heat dies off slowly over time. You're not suppose to use this thing for over six to eight hours since bacteria can start growing in the food. It is expensive, but I see it as an investment. You save the environment and your energy bill over time.

Overall, I am impressed with the durability and versatility of this product. It is definitely a must-have in my kitchen. I make most of my soups in this thing. I can't live without this in my kitchen.

Chicken Barley Soup

Now that there's a baby in the house, I have to be more strategic when it comes to meal planning. She's 12 months old but not quite eating what we're eating. I usually have to make her food separately from our dinner. I bought a whole fryer yesterday since it was on sale. I saved the dark meat for another meal and used the breast meat for her. Like many one year-olds, she has now become a very picky eater. Mealtimes can sometimes be tricky trying to figure out what she would eat.

I ended up making chicken barley soup for her tonight. It was a simple one-pot meal, perfect for a baby who likes the soft texture. She happily slurped the soup down tonight. What a relief!



Chicken Barley Soup

1 skinless split chicken breast
5 cups water
1 carrot, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 cup uncooked pearled barley

1. Poach the split breast in 5 cups of water. Boil for 5 minutes, then cover and let the chicken rest for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken, place in container with a loose cover on until cooler to handle. This will also help retain its moisture. Remove chicken breast from bone. Coarsely chop into bite-size.

2. Using the poaching liquid, boil carrots, celery, and barley for 2 minutes. Simmer on low heat for 40 minutes or until barley is soft.

3. Add chopped chicken breasts to soup. Serve! (I usually don't add salt to food for my baby.

For the leftover, I usually divide into smaller portions and freeze. It makes things easier when I don't have time to make her meals.

Wake-Up Call

I'm back.

I've been gone for awhile. It started with nausea from my pregnancy awhile back. The thought of keeping up with this blog made me nauseous. After she arrived, it was all about transitioning my life with her. I am happy to report that she has recently turned one. The first year was quite hectic as I learned how to juggle being home with her and everything else in my life. Things are much calmer now that we're more used to each other. Hence, this blog is resurrected.

Breadsticks

I had some yeasts in the cupboard that was about to expire. I decided to make some breadsticks since I'm always looking for something to snack on. They're made from a pizza dough recipe, brushed with olive oil. I sprinkled some thyme and red pepper flakes. This is not intended for carb-conscious people. I don't think I can ever go on a low-carb diet.

Cupcakes Happiness

I'm not sure why, but just looking at cupcakes makes me feel so happy... kind of like daisies. We stopped by Matty Cakes today and picked up two cupcakes: a banana caramel cupcake and a tiramisu cupcake. Two ginormous cupcakes for $2.50 each. What a deal! I usually don't care to eat cupcakes (they just look good). They're usually too heavy and buttery. These were delicious!