Variations from the Tang Zhong Bread Recipe

I haven't been baking bread since January. I have since then, managed to return the Cuisinart bread machine my husband got for me as Christmas gift, and bought a Zojirushi bread machine from Kitchen Kaboodle (they have the cheapest price for a Zojirushi bread machine, I think). After making less than 10 loafs of bread with the Cuisinart, it made some funny sound one day, when I tried to stop the cycle half way. Also, I didn't like it because with just one paddle, part of the ingredient didn't got mixed in at all!

So, the other day, I had a sudden urge, partly due to the sudden "idea" to add on to the 65 degree Celsius bread by Florence, I decided to bake some bread again. I have only baked with my Zojirushi machine twice after I got it! :P It's been sitting upstairs in the study/guests room for A WHILE! (yup, as much as I like A Zojirushi bread maker, I don't have the space to store it in my kitchen!!!) :P

This time, I made a red bean paste loaf. The original plan was to make 'em into buns, like the BBQ pork steam buns (char siew pau). However, I was afraid the dough is too soft and would flatten like my ham and cheese version, so I tried out with just 3 pieces. The rest of the dough, I rolled 'em up like Swiss rolls and baked in a loft pan. To my surprise, the buns did not collapsed. I wonder WHY?! Was it because it was a very DRY day? Was it because I had forgotten that I should let it rise once more after shaping before brushing the egg wash on?? No idea...but I was happy. The loft turn out great too! I have used the canned red bean paste, hence, it's a bit too sweet for us. Maybe someday, I feel like I have the energy, then I'll try to make my own paste! :P


The next day, I asked Yesmin what other flavor should I try? First thing that came out of her mouth was cheese!!! And my light bulb lit up...I told her, I'll add some bacon and chives!!! Ooohhh...bacon!!! We all love our bacon! :P So, that's what we had the next morning. I was surprise that I didn't cut a slice to taste it after it came out from the oven that night. Yeahhh!!! ;)
By the way, I LOVE my Zojirushi bread maker!! Not only the double blade was awesome, it also have 3 memory settings for personalizing the whole process to your liking! :)

A Sunny Day, A Swing (actually two swings), and A Dress

On one sunny day...

when the ground isn't soggy with the Oregon rain...they went out back to get some Vitamin D & loads of fun!!!

It is one of the many reasons why it is so difficult to move away from this house (although I am constantly running out of storage space), as we have spent so much time and sweat (and $$, of course) into making it a comfortable and fun home.

I don't know if there is ANY kid in this world who would not like to swing on a swing...even till this day, I still find myself, sometimes fighting over with them for the swing (I can't fit into the slide anymore, and I don't have strong arms to do the monkey bars)! :P We are so lucky, and we're THANKFUL for this.

This is THE OTHER story...about a dress...

For few months now, I have noticed that whenever Yesmin or any girl is wearing a dress, Lucas will show extra affection towards her or whoever the girl is. He seems to like girls wearing dresses. He's the type of person that sticks to the "rule" --- pink color is for girls, blue color is for boys, hence, dresses are meant for girls. Both Yesmin and I rarely wear dress/skirt, so, I think it is very special to him, when she does wear them. When he was in school last week, he met a girl wearing a PURPLE dress...and he kept talking about her the WHOLE week!!

The day before these pictures, he had INSISTED on Yesmin wearing this dress! She didn't want to, but promised him she would the following day. He was mad and sad at first. Then we told him that if she had worn a dress, she won't be able to play with him in the back yard , as she might rip the dress while climbing up the ladder on the play structure....so, he accepted the negotiation. The following morning, he told ND(Lee) that the play structure is broken, so Jia jia (big sister) could now wear the dress!!! ;P

Chives, oh Chives!!!

We have a herb/vegetable planted by the sunny side of the house. 3 or 4 years years ago, I planted some herbs, like rosemary, chives, mint, oregano, thyme, and basil. Every year, the mint would spread more and more, every year, the rosemary withstand the winter without a shiver. This past winter we had quite the snow storm, and I think my oregano and thyme are a goner. However, the chive is back, and growing like nobody's business. It has flowered so much, and though it's PURPLE in color, I have to admit they are so pretty.

Every year, since Lucas started to walk and plays out back with Yesmin, they have always love hoping (running) on the stepping stones to the planters, pick out strand and strands of chives and mints (I would only allow them to pick on those two, since they are the 2 of the most durable and easy to pick herbs). Lucas would sometimes just chew on the chives, just like that...like how some people chew on tobacco! ;P On this day, I found them picking out a bunch of the flowered chives, some mint, and some arborvitae foliage. Yesmin wanted to turn it into a bunch of flowers, like a bouquet, while Lucas was trying to make his vision of a flower --- a stemmed flower with two leaves on the stem! :D How cute it is that!? I think the chive has "kids tolerance" characteristic! :)