Busy Bee Cafe

It warmed up yesterday and the sun came out when I went to pick Little Bee up from nursery. As we walked back, I decided to revive what we used to do when we bump into cats in Tooting… and now Little Bee can press the button… so these are her photos of Cats in Tooting

Black Cat on Fence 1

Black Cat on Fence 2

Black Cat on Fence Close Up

Black and White Cat

Black and White Cat Chilling Out

Black and White Cat Stretching Out

I then had to take my phone away from Little Bee… she would have been happy to keep on snapping away though but I had chores to do at home…

Just a quick doodle of how I should have dressed to work today! It is the middle of May and I am FREEZING and envying my colleague who is wearing a jumper! Even Little Bee had a winter coat today… but I didn’t put gloves on her and her hands were so cold when we got to nursery

Seriously… I don’t think I can take the cold much longer

Today, we’ve been busy drawing a picture of our dream house and garden.

Drawing Bee

The Snail

The Bee

The Garden

The House

Our Tea Towel

Signed

It was 19 years ago, the stolen painting of The Scream by Edvard Munch was returned.

Almost 10 years ago I met my hubby. Almost 10 years ago, I copy painted Screaming Lisa.

It’s a long weekend as today is a bank holiday… but instead of horrible weather, this weekend has been lovely indeed! We spent yesterday and today tidying up the garden. Trust me, the garden was horrible… we didn’t do anything in the garden last year because it was just horrible last year… I just hope we do get a summer this year.

Anyway, after a whole day tidying up the garden yesterday, this morning was a bit more relaxed with Little Bee having her breakfast in her tent.

I noticed that the strawberry plant I bought last year… the year before?… has spread everywhere.

As I dug the strawberry plants up, Little Bee collected snails… as you do.

Most of them are nicely in pots…

… and a boot.

Then it was watering…

And sticking her windmill amongst the forgotten garlic plants.

Little Bee likes blue tack.

Little Bee likes sticking her work on the wall with the blue tack.

A Cat for Mama

Art in the Living Room

Art on the Kitchen Door

We were out and about yesterday and Little Bee put two broccoli heads in my shopping basket. We passed the cheese aisle and I put a bag of grated cheese in the basket. All we wanted to get really was glue stick but there wasn’t glue stick on the shelf! We did get the glue… but from another shop!

Since we had broccoli and cheese, might as well make something out of them

Ingredients:

170g broccoli florets, steamed for 5 minutes
2 slices of bread (blitzed in the blender to breadcrumbs)
2 eggs, lightly whisked
A handful or more of grated mature cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven at gas mark 5 or 190C
2. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper and scoop spoonfuls of mixture on to the tray. You can use your hands and make it into a ball but I didn’t feel like getting my hands dirty.
4. Put the tray in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes and voila… you can let it cool or if you’re like me and can’t wait, just pick one up and keep blowing on it until it’s cool enough to be popped into your mouth

This recipe is adapted from here

Unlike home… as in Malaysia… if I need to use pandan, I would just go to my mom’s back garden and cut one out.

Here, in the UK, you could use pandan essence or pandan paste or buy a big bag of pandan leaves and keep them in the freezer. I had a bag in the fridge as I didn’t have space in the freezer and for the last two weeks has been figuring out dishes to make with pandan. The more pandan leaves I need to use the better. Not that I am complaining as I love the smell and taste of pandan.

Anyway… I saw a picture of a banana and coconut cake and don’t ask me why as they do not resemble or even taste the same, I suddenly thought of kuih dadar. I haven’t had it for ages and the last time I was in Malaysia it wasn’t even on my food I have to eat list. But I do remember my mom made this for me a long time ago and I remember buying it from the school canteen when I wanted a sugar fix and I remember loving the sweet taste of gula melaka mixed with the smell of pandan… and with all these memories, I had to make it as I wanted a little taste of home.

Ingredients:

5 pandan leaves
50ml water (to blend the leaves with)
120g plain flour
250ml santan (coconut milk)
50ml water
1 egg
100g palm sugar
1 pandan leaf
75ml water
100g desiccated coconut
1tsp corn flour

1. Put the 5 pandan leaves into a blender with 50ml water and blend into a pulp. Strain it through a fine sieve and put it aside.
   
2. Add flour, santan, water, egg and 4 tbsp of the pandan juice into a bowl and mix well.
3. In a saucepan, add the palm sugar, knotted pandan leaf, water and heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolved. Add the desiccated coconut and corn flour and stir for another minute. Set it aside.
4. Heat up a frying pan and lightly grease it with oil. Pour in about 3 tablespoon of the pancake mixture and swirl the pan to form a thin layer of pancake… almost crepe like.
5. When it is cooked, transfer it over to a plate or chopping board and spoon on about 2 teaspoon of the filling mixture on to the pancake and roll it up like a spring roll.

Just another Malaysian flavour that I am happy to share.

It was Scott’s birthday on Saturday and Little Bee drew a portrait of Scott for his birthday present.