Food Cravings...

Stir-Fried Sugar Snaps with Shiitake Mushrooms

IMAGE & RECIPE BY:  Grace Young

INGREDIENTS

*You can substitute the shiitake mushrooms with sliced button or cremini mushrooms.*

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon chicken broth

1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry

2 teaspoons soy sauce

3 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced ginger

8 medium fresh shiitake, stems removed and caps quartered (4 ounces)

8 ounces sugar snap peas, strings removed  (2 ½ cups)

½ teaspoon salt

METHOD

1. In a small bowl combine ¼ cup of the broth, rice wine, and soy sauce.

2. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of the oil and add the ginger, and stir-fry 10 seconds or until the ginger is fragrant. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry 30 seconds or until they have absorbed all the oil. Swirl the broth mixture into the wok, cover, and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute or until about only 1 tablespoon of broth remains. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, add the sugar snaps, sprinkle on the salt, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the sugar snaps are bright green. Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoon broth into the wok, and stir-fry 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the sugar snaps are just crisp-tender. Serves 4 as a vegetable side dish.

Food Cravings...

Baby Bok Choy with Yellow Bell Peppers.  

IMAGE & RECIPE BY: Simply Recipes

Ingredients
    * 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil or canola oil
    * 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
    * 2 large yellow bell peppers, stem and seed pod removed and discarded, sliced (about 2 cups sliced)
    * 4 green onions, chopped, including green parts that are not dried out
    * 1 lb baby bok choy, bottom root ball cut off and discarded, rinsed thoroughly, torn into smaller pieces

Method
1 Heat a tablespoon each of grapeseed (or canola) oil and sesame oil in a large sauté pan on high heat. Add the chopped yellow peppers and green onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. (Keep a watch so that the onions don't burn.)

2 Lower the heat and add the bok choy. Stir to coat with the oil in the pan. Cook only until the bok choy has wilted. The thicker, whiter ends of the baby bok choy should still be somewhat crunchy.

Serve immediately. Serves 4-6 as a side.

Food Cravings....

Stuffed Breakfast Tomatoes.  Healthy, yet tasty!  
IMAGE & RECIPE BY:  PIP & EBBY MESSY KITCHEN

Servings: 2 Ready in: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
2 large ripe tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup fresh spinach, chopped
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Shredded Parmesan, salt & pepper and fresh parsley for topping

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a large circle into the top of each tomato. Remove core, stems and seeds, leaving the wall of the tomato intact. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Rub half of the mixture onto the inside wall of one tomato and the other half onto the inside wall of the other tomato.
2. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the green onions and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Divide the mixture in half and place into the bottoms of the tomatoes. Divide spinach in half and place over top of the onion-garlic mixture. Divide the Parmesan cheese in half and place over the spinach. Crack a raw egg into each tomato as the top layer.
3. Place tomatoes on a greased baking sheet and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until egg is cooked through. Top with shredded Parmesan and fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Bubble Recipe

Bubble Recipe

Ever wonder why some bubbles are thicker, bouncier and more amazing than the rest? It isn’t a secret; it’s science! Check out Science World's bubble recipes.

All-Purpose Bubble Solution

This solution is great for most bubble tricks, activities, and experiments.

• 1 part water to 1 part Johnson’s Baby Shampoo
• glycerine*

Johnson’s Baby Shampoo produces much better bubbles than any of the dish detergents we tried. Mix the ingredients gently and let the solution stand for a couple of hours.

Bouncy Bubble Solution

You can bounce these bubbles off your clothes!

• 1 package unflavoured gelatin (e.g. Knox brand)
• 250 ml (1 cup) hot water (just boiled)
• 50–70 ml glycerine*
• 250 ml Johnson’s Baby Shampoo

Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water. Add the shampoo and glycerine. Stir gently. This solution will gel as it cools. Reheat it carefully in the microwave (about two minutes).

Thick Bubble Solution

This goopy solution makes bubbles strong enough to withstand a puff of air.

• 2.5 to 3 parts Johnson’s baby shampoo to 1 part water
• glycerine*

When you make a bubble with this solution, try puffing at it to make a bubble inside a bubble.

*About glycerine

What does the glycerine do?

Glycerine helps soap bubbles hold water, so that they last longer. It’s very helpful if you’re doing bubble tricks, but less important if you’re mixing up a bucket of bubble solution for preschoolers to mess about with.

Where do I get glycerine?

Most pharmacies carry glycerine. You’ll only need a small bottle.

How much glycerine should I use?

We’re not precise about it. Try 1–3 teaspoons for about a liter of bubble solution.