If you have been following me on social media, you would have noticed that I recently started my very own cottage food business, Baked Goods by Miss Crumbs A Lot and kicked it off with my favorite Singapore Style Pineapple Tarts in Houston, Katy & Sugarland. Baking these delicious sweet treats every week leaves a gorgeous aroma in my kitchen all the time and my kids are often welcomed home with these fresh out of the oven Pineapple Tarts. If you are in the Houston & its surrounding area and would like to place an order, please feel free to contact me here. I also hope to have available a variety of other baked goods soon.

Adding on a regular baking schedule on top of my busy mom schedule definitely was not an easy task. It took me a couple of weeks to work out a routine as I experimented with several processes to try and make things more efficient while still being able to be 100% present for my family. Needless to say, attempting to get everything done while the kids are in school has become even more challenging now. I have to remind myself to prioritize my to-do items and not take on more than I can handle. 

Last week, I delivered a couple of boxes of the Pineapple Tarts to a fellow Singaporean living in Houston. I had lunch with her, we talked about our families and about how we managed our roles as stay at home mothers. She asked me, like many others have before, how do I manage my home baked goods business, have time to work out or as of now, train for a half marathon, write my blog, complete my house chores, make my school runs, after-school activity runs and still make dinner in time for my family? I laughed and said that I am the Queen of "Timers". I  have found great success with preparing dinners in advance and setting it on a timer to cook in my oven or my slow cooker. 

Just like this Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf recipe. Such an intensely flavorful basic meatloaf, wrapped with savory bacon, served with some marinara sauce and vegetables. Not to mention, it was extremely easy to make. I can prepare this dish before the kids come home from school and have it ready on a baking tray in the refrigerator. When ready to cook, simply pop it in the oven or like me, set it on a timer while you head out for after school activities with the kids. I have made this recipe a couple of times now and my family absolutely love it. And with it being so easy to prepare, t is definitely going to make a frequent appearance on our dinner table.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from Delish

Recipe
Ingredients
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 medium Onion (chopped)
3 cloves Garlic (chopped)
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan
1/2 cup Almond Flour
2 Eggs
1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
12 to 16 strips of Bacon
Salt & Pepper

Cooking Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and grease it with some cooking spray or olive oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, chopped onions, chopped garlic, dried oregano, shredded cheddar cheese, grated parmesan, almond flour, 2 eggs and light soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Shape into a large loaf and place it on the greased baking tray. Wrap the meatloaf with bacon strips.
4. Bake in 400 deg F for about 1 hour or until the bacon is crispy and the beef is cooked through. If the bacon is cooking too quickly and is getting burnt, cover the meatloaf with a piece of foil.
5. Serve with warm marinara sauce, if desired.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

We are 3 days away from Mid-Autumn Festival which is on September 13 2019. Fortunately, it falls on a Friday this year. And since Bella and Jamie get to stay up a little later on Fridays, we will have more time for a traditional Chinese meal at home. Kian also returns home from his work trip in time for the festivities. So, it is perfecting timing as the family reunite over a Mid-Autumn Festival dinner. It is also our family tradition to light lanterns and enjoy mooncakes in our backyard after dinner.

Apart from buying my favorite Hong Kong brand baked mooncakes, I have also been making Snow Skin Mooncakes with Mung Bean Paste and Snow Skin Mooncakes with Red Bean Paste every year for the last couple of years now. However, this year, it is most unfortunate that my local Asian supermarket did not have any peeled split mung beans available. They were out of stock for 2 weeks! But when a door closes, another one opens. I actually found ready made red bean paste and lotus seed paste at the store. So I decided to make my snow skin mooncakes with ready made red bean paste instead. They worked out well and tasted pretty good.

I also bought the lotus seed paste and decided to try out another snow skin mooncake recipe - Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes with Lotus Seed Paste. This recipe does not require any steam cooking and hence, is a lot easier and less time consuming to make. They also seem to refrigerate better too. I also receive extremely positive reviews from Bella and Jamie. They have been enjoying the Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes with Lotus Seed Paste as an after school snack.

As with my other snow skin mooncake recipes, I recommend measuring the ingredients with a digital scale for food. All of the ingredients can be found at your local Asian supermarket.

Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, inspired by Singapore Hawker Food

Recipe
Ingredients
200g (7oz) Glutinous Rice Flour (divided)
200g (7oz) Powdered Sugar
30g (1.8oz) Shortening
A few drops of Pandan Essence
A few drops of Green Food Coloring (optional)
180ml (6 fl oz) Water
A few pieces of Pandan Leaves
1 500g (17.6oz) pkt Lotus Seed Paste

Equipment
1 50g size mooncake mold

Cooking Method
1. Divide the lotus seed paste into 30g (1oz) portions and roll them into balls. Set aside.
2. Bring water and Pandan leaves to a boil and then allow it to cool. Discard the Pandan leaves and add in Pandan essence. Mix well.
3. In a non stick pan, toast the glutinous rice flour until it turns light yellow. Divide them into 150g 5.3oz) and 50g (1.7oz) portions and set aside to cool.
4. Once glutinous rice flour is cooled, mix together 150g (5.3oz) flour, sugar and shortening. Add in Pandan water slowly and knead until a soft dough (snow skin wrap) is formed. You may use an electric mixer with a dough hook and add a few drops of green food coloring if you prefer a more intense color.
5. Divide the dough into 25g (0.88oz) portions.
6. Dust your hands, counter top and mooncake mold with the remaining 50g (1.7oz) toasted glutinous rice flour.
7. Wrap each lotus seed paste ball with snow skin wrap and seal completely. Shape it into a ball first then gently mold it into an oval.
8. Place the oval into the mooncake mold, place it on the counter top and gently push the shaping tool to shape the mooncake into the mold. Remove from mold gently.

​Makes 16 pieces

My kids have been back to school for a couple of weeks now and and I'm pretty certain a lot of you are in the same situation as me. Are you juggling between packing school lunches and shuttling the kids to and from sports practices? And for all the stay-at-home-mamas, are you trying to complete as many chores as you can before the kids get home? What about the working mamas who are trying to get it all together and still have a job?

Regardless of what type of mother we are, we are all trying our very best! And having a quick and easy dinner recipe that is delicious is definitely a win for all! This Simple Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry can be whipped in a matter of 15 minutes. I served it with rice, some steamed broccoli and Spinach Egg Drop Soup. Voila! Dinner is ready, family is happy and satisfied and I did not stress about it.

Here are some more of my quick and easy weeknight recipes that could be useful to you:

1. Asian Spiced Roast Chicken
2. Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
3. Broiled Pineapple Salmon
4. Honey Ginger Lime Pork
5. Spaghetti Bolognese

Simple Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, inspired by Cooking Classy

Recipe
Ingredients
2 pieces of Chicken Breast (Boneless & skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Light Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Water
2 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Mirin
1 inch piece of Ginger (minced)
2 cloves of Garlic (minced)
2 tsp Cornstarch
Sesame Seeds & Chopped Green Onions (for garnishing)

Cooking Method
1. In a measuring cup, mix together the light soy sauce, water, honey, mirin and cornstarch.
2. Heat olive oil up in wok or frying pan, stir fry minced ginger and garlic until fragrant.
3. Add in chicken pieces and continue str frying until chicken is cooked and browned.
4. Add in sauce mixture and continue to cook, allowing the sauce to thicken.
5. Serve with white rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Makes 4 servings