My mom's the creative one at home.   She's whimsical, crafty and she puts details where you least expect it.  Buttons are not just buttons.  She has a jar of theme buttons.  Anchor buttons for a dress with a sailor's collar.  Cherry buttons for an apron wrap dress.  And for my 9th birthday, she baked me a cake with 9 cherries in lieu of candles.  Horrors!  No candles?  Maybe that's why I now have a big thing for birthday cakes and candles.  But ok, I got a new Enid Blyton book, a world atlas and a Strawberry Shortcake scratch 'n' sniff doll to add to my book and doll collection that year.

She believes in dressing us well.  I had lots of pretty dresses, some of which she made for me.   And when all the moms would show up in pajamas and sweats at school, my mom would pick us up in a pretty dress. Almost, always in a pretty dress.   She feels it's good manners and a show of respect to the people you may meet.  I totally agree with that.

She's the kind of mom who taught us shapes and colors, even animals, by cutting all kinds of yummy food into different shapes. She'll be the only one among the kids who laughs out spontaneously, "Oh, you silly clown!"  when the inverted ice cream cone clown topples over.  And Mom...  are you reading this?  Bro and I will never forget what you did at the supermarket chicken counter!  *hush*!

Above all that quirkiness, my friends think she's a gracious and wonderful cook.  She has an old fashion pork chop recipe that all the kids at school loved.  If it was pork chop day, you can expect our kitchen to be filled with more than a pair of helping hands.  One of my friends still talks about it to this day!

So you see, I definitely got a good part of my personality from her.  Most of the quirkiness and whimsical pieces come from Mom, and from Dad, I think I got the explorer spirit, and the strive for excellence.  So that must make me pretty perfect, eh?  ;p

These daisy sandwiches remind me of my Mom.  I have a feeling she's going to run out to get some bread and cookie cutters, then gather the grandchildren around to make these with her.  Right, Mom?  :)

Ingredients:
* Bread.  Wheat, white or both.
* Jams and spreads of different flavors and colors.
* Cookie cutter shape of your choice.

Start by cutting bread slices into shapes.  Save excess bread to make into bread crumbs for another time.

Spread some jam between your sandwiches and gently press so they adhere to each other.   I had 4 kinds of spreads at home. Peach and grape preserves looked really pretty.

Set the table.

Put out some good tea.  Help yourself to a petite-wich.

And have yourself a .....  Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

Remember to call Mom if you're away from home, throw a brunch, pack a picnic, send her sweets or a scent.

Audrey + Angel

It has now been about 2 months into my gardening adventure and the progress has not only been pleasing, but thoroughly enjoyable!   I now understand why waking up to new changes and growth every morning in the garden can be so rewarding!  Something always looks different every day.  The plants are almost telling me not to get behind on my work and to stay as progressive as they are!

Errrr... my role in the garden?  Ahhh.... I guess I could do more than just cooing at the veggies, photographing or eating them, but really, Robert and his army of mighty sprinklers are doing an awesome job showering the produce with love!  So, best I stay out of the way until it's time to get inspired with a new recipe!

Growing up in sunny Singapore, where high rise apartments take up over 80% of our landscape, I don't recall getting too close to growing our own produce in my parent's home.  Maybe a potted herb or a tomato plant, but nothing too fussy that won't survive in the care of 3 boisterous kids.   The only time we got really up close with nature was at Grandma's house or the school vegetable plot.

In our tropical climate, Grandma's mango trees, papayas and pomegranates thrived.  I was told, the mango tree was planted as a seedling by my Dad as a teenager.  By the time I was in my early teens, it was towering over the house.  We love when it rains hard... the unripe, green mangos come tumbling down... and us kids will pick them up and spend an entire afternoon pickling mangos with vinegar and chillies into jars with Grandma.  Yum!

Fast forward.... right here, right now.....

Under our big blue sky.....

We have french beans...

... and these are avocados. Still very very tiny.

... These are nectarines.... still babies....

... we ate all the brocolli.. they were yums!

.. these are zucchinis... they're almost ready for harvest!

... and tomatoes.... and spring onions, peaches, olives,  oranges too!   And of cos you've seen our bananas and strawberries and the recipes they've inspired.

OH I almost left this out!  We have grape vines and a family of doves!   Can you spot the nest?

Mr and Mrs Dove are not home right now, but hush.... their eggs are in the nest.  Just as the vegetables are growing bigger and taller with every rising sun, so are the birds not wasting a moment making progress nesting.  Doves bring us hope, peace, promise and a treasure trove of good tidings to come and I'm sure Robert's garden will produce so much by the time summer comes, he'll have plenty of yummies to share and pass around! :p

Good things come to those who wait, yet better things come to those who pursue and work towards their goals.  While I continue my lessons in gardening and nature, what have you learned from your garden lately?

Breakfast is THE highlight at our home.  I try to make it bright, colorful, pretty and happy; a feel-good meal to start the day on the right note.

One of the easiest to make is french toast. It's perfect as breakfast or brunch, for a family gathering or breakfast in bed with a sweetheart.  And most of all, you can prep them the night before, pop them into the oven, and by the time you've finish your cup of coffee, they're ready to be served.

Baking french toasts is also less mess and healthier than pan frying them!  Hooray!  :D

If you can make regular french toasts, these are easy peasy and a whole lot prettier!  I feel like I just made our home a European cafe for a day with the smell of baked bread, vanilla and almonds.  :p

Ingredients

* Baguette or italian loaf 
* Eggs.  1 per slice.
* Milk.  I used almond milk, which has a light flavor and a creamy texture. 
* Sliced almonds.
* Sugar. Fine or powdered.
* Vanilla or almond extract.

Steps

Slice the baguette into 1" thick slices.  Lay them out in a dish while you make the custard.

Beat eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla/almond extract into a bowl.  Generally, you want to beat 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of sugar for every slice of bread.  You should get a sticky creamy egg custard consistency.

Pour egg custard over bread slices and let them soak for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

To prep for baking, prepare a baking tray with nonstick spray or parchment paper.

Pre-heat oven to 400 deg.

Remove bread from refrigerator.

Carefully take a slice of bread and gently press down on one face onto the almonds.

Place almond french toasts on to baking sheet.

Bake for about 20mins.  You know they're ready when the almonds are roasted around the edges and the house smells sweet and toasty.  :)

Remove from oven and plate.  It's time to make them pretty!  We had some mixed berries from the farmer's market perfect for the job!

Mmmmmmmmmm......   :p    Makes me want to dig in now....

Sprinkle sugar over french toasts and serve immediately with maple syrup, if you like them extra sweet!

There you go!  Crunchy almonds over moist egg custard french toasts, accompanied by fresh fruit and maple syrup.

If you're already familiar with my kitchen, you know that what I make typically revolves around what is available in the refrigerator, a hint of inspiration, a splash of creativity and lots of happy thoughts.  All while looking forward to feeding the special people around me.  *burp!*

A few days ago, we had a scorching 90+ degree day; the perfect kind of day for something bright, light, juicy and full of bold flavor.   I found limes, pineapples, half an onion, tomatoes and cilantro in the refrigerator; perfect for a salsa.   All i needed was some good pork chops.  :)

This recipe is quick, easy and pretty!  The blend of chill and lime gives it an addictive little kick!

Ingredients
* Boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
* Fresh limes, juiced
* Pineapple chunks
* Red onions (sliced into strips)
* Firm tomatoes (not shown. Diced into cubes)
* Cilantro/Coriander (not shown) 
* Chilli (optional) 
* Fish sauce, or salt and sugar.

Steps:

Grilled Pork Chops
* Prepare pork chops with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.  I used cracked pepper to get that spotty grilled look.
* Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
* Grill pork chops for about 4 minutes on each side or until done.  It should have a pretty color to it.
* Set aside.

Grilled Pineapple-Lime Salsa
* Add pineapple chunks and onions into pan. Cook until you see the pineapples start to get grill marks and the onions are tender.
* Add lime juice, tomatoes, chillies and a dash of fish sauce (a dash of salt and sugar works fine too)
* Set aside.

To Serve
* Plate a slice of grilled pork chop with a serving of pineapple-lime salsa over it.  :)

Enjoy!

We spent the weekend tending to our vegetable garden, particularly admiring our zucchinis and dreaming up recipes for them.  They are growing so fast!

Zucchinis are an excellent source of vitamin C and other nutrients; the darker the skin, the more nutrients it’ll provide.  They’re also very low in calories and are very versatile in breads, soups, salads and even smoothies.

Typically, zucchinis are ready to harvest in 45 to 55 days or when they are 6 to 8 inches long.  I fear ours might become as large as baseball bats overnight if we don’t keep a vigilant eye on their speedy growth.  Also, harvesting too late will get us large… dry… tough… yeah, baseball bats.  No, no, no!  We must keep an eye on them.  :D

Zucchini plants can get pretty big.  Ours overshadowed the strawberries planted around them.

Beneath the large leaves, we found budding baby zucchinis!

Did you know?  Zucchini have male and female flowers.  The female flowers have swellings at the base, which develop into the zucchini.

By the weekend, they may be ready for harvest.  Can't wait for some yummy zooks!  Backyard gardening doesn't get any easier than with zucchini!