Vegetable Shell Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce

I am on leave this whole week.  It is exam week.  A week I dread the most.
Thank god, there are only two papers to clear this semester as the third subject is project based.

I love the fact that I am able to plan what to cook for my girls for dinner when I am at home.

It is quick simple dinner today - Vegetable Shell Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce.

I bought the vegetable shell pasta some time back at some fair that was held in school.

The rest of the ingredients are what I can find in the fridge - pasta sauce which is expiring soon, leftover frozen chicken franks and fresh mushroom which I bought a week ago to actually make mushroom soup but never did.

I prepared the ingredients about 45 minutes before the girls got home and by the time they got home and showered, the pasta is ready for my famished girls.

Ingredients

170 gm vegetable shell pasta

2 onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced (i used white and brown button mushroom)

4 pcs chicken franks, sliced diagonally
2 cups ready made pasta sauce

170 gm cream

some olive oil to fry

salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Cook shell pasta in a pot of salted boiling water till al dente.

Drain and wash under running water.

Saute the chopped onions and garlic in some olive oil.
Then put in the chicken franks and mushroom and fry for a little while.
Add in pasta sauce and cream.
Season with salt and coarsely ground pepper.
Put in the drained shell pasta and mix well.
Serve immediately.

Beef Pastrami and Brie Panini

It's Wednesday and it's a school day for me today.
There's only consultation and revision session and so school ended pretty early.
I left school and went to the nearest supermarket, NTUC at Tampines Mall. 

I was in the mood to make my own sandwich and headed to the halal meat and deli section.
As usual I asked for turkey ham and chicken poloni and somehow the kind lady over the counter recommended beef pastrami.  I've never bought pastrami before and thought why not?
So I ended buying turkey ham and some beef pastrami, my current favourite cheese, Brie, along with some other stuff.

Never tried a pastrami and brie combo?   
You've got to trust me.  It was heavenly. 
I swore I actually devoured the sandwich with my eyes closed. 
Let me exaggerate further.  It was really really good.

Ingredients

Country loaf - panini
Pastrami
Sliced red onion
Pickles
Mustard
Mayonnaise
Balsamic olive oil

Method

Slice the panini into half.
Brush some balsamic oil onto the panini.
Place the pastrami on the panini.
Then stack on some sliced brie.
Next, place the panini on a pan and grill until its heated through.
(Alternatively, you can grill them in the oven)
Then stack the slices of onions and pickles.
Slather some mustard and mayonnaise on the other half of the panini.
Flip this half of the panini to the other to form a complete sandwich.
Cut it into half and enjoy!

Corn Pudding

Today, when I woke up, I reminisced the times when mum would whip up easy desserts for us to enjoy.  Now that I am a mother, I always think of something to make for my two daughters to enjoy.

It is Sunday today.  Lazy Sunday to be precise.  I went to the nearest minimart to get some ingredients for Corn Pudding.  I remembered how my mum loved to make this dessert when I was a little kid and I remembered how easy it was to make them.

Remember the last time I made baked corn pudding?  Well, this is the non baked version.  Super easy to make and best served chilled.

Ingredients

1 cup custard powder 
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 can creamed corn
3 cups water
1 cup evaporated milk 
1/2 cup fresh milk
a pinch of salt

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a pot.
Cook it over a stove. 
Stir continuously as you do not want the custard to settle at the bottom of pot.
Stir till mixture thickens, bubbles and turns shiny.
Turn off heat and pour into little containers or one big one.
Allow to cool before putting it into the refrigerator to chill.
Once chilled, you may slice and serve.