Saga of Fence Repair - Photo Journal

Does Home maintence come one after the other after 18 years?  Some neighbors had replaced quite a few appliances fives years ago.  I can consider myself lucky.  After my sink and garbage disposer replacement saga ...that took three months or so, two nights later on a very stormy rainy Sunday evening,  as I resting in my living room watching a show, a door knock brought a bad news.  It's my neighbor who is on their way to Florida for 10 days vacation.  He asked if I had noticed that our fence fell down.  I stood there speechless for very good seconds. My head was just blank. He told me that he had to leave for the airport and just want to tell me and gave me his phone number.  I just said, "I will figure out something.". That was that.  What a headache!!.  I just finished fixing the kitchen.  Now this!?  Shall I call a professional? I think I have too much of my dad in me.  Watching him fix motor bkies, visiting airfield and while riding in pilot's seat, watching him drive to town the aircraft... I end up checking YouTube and fixing the fence myself.  How to erect 20 feet long fence is challenging. Luckily one of the fence's breakpoint is leaning against the neighbor's house wall.  So here is my photo journal of fence fixing.

Chicken Pot Pies

Chicken Potpies are always heart warming during cold months.  I normally make my own puff pastry for the top crust, but I decided to test make regular pie dough if butter and Crisco oil.  I thought about using lard, but the commercial ones contain preservatives, and I don't have my own rendered lard in the kitchen.
Search for Chicken pot pie recipe in my blog or just use your own recipe.
My recipe is adapted from Alton Brown's Curry Chicken Pot Pie.  For topping crust, I tested missing butter and Crisco oil.  Very little Crisco oil.   1/2 stick butter and 2 Tbsp Crisco.
The result is pleasant light crust.  I knew the pie shell made with Crisco oil would turn out quite well but it's been a very long time since I used Crisco to make anything for health reasons.   But I guess "As you like it" could take precedent.
Make your favorite filling.  To make thick filling add roux.

 I didn't want to waste the dough, and extra crust - when turn out good is always yummy helps filling your tummy.  Brush with egg wash and bake.

Pandan and Coconut Cream Chinese New Year Cakes

 

This year's Chinese New Year Cake was fun adventure with Pandan and Coconut Cream.

I also made the regular brown sugar ones.

 Mix well. 

 Use scissors to chop red dates, JUJUBE, and deseed them.

 

 Use Avocado cooking oil, if you can. 

 Be sure to oil the cake pan and aluminum foil or parchment paper very well to keep glutinous rice dough from sticking to the mold and for easy removal when done.  Organic parchment paper would work also, but still oil well.

 Red date - JUJUBE - seed removed.

 Taro root paste can be prepared a couple of days ahead.  Boil taro root (use pressure cooker), add sugar (to your liking) and cook at low heat until most of the liquid evaporates and thick paste forms.

Layer dough and taro filling.

Preheat water to rolling boil.  Make sure to fill the water to the highest point possible to steam for two hours.

Before checking for water level at 1-1/2  hrs, be sure to have a large pot of boiling water for refill ready.  Refill the the steamer pot really really quickly.

 After two hours of steaming.

 

To make Pandan Coconut Cream Chinese New Year Cake, you need fresh pandan leaves.  I do not like to use those pandan extract in a bottle because they are not natural and it contains food colors.

 Slice or scissor cut washed pandan leaves.  Add them to the InstaPot food processor.  Add warm water per recipe's liquid requirement. Or any food processor that can handle pureeing very tough fibrous greens.  Check out my methods in other postings I did. I got this InstaPot during holiday sales.

 I get to use my InstaPot to Puree the Pandan leaves.  Add pandan leaves and reasonable amount of water.  And it worked excellently.  There were about 6 to 7 cups of chopped pandan leaves. I processed them in two batches.  Approximately 2 cups of water to 3 cups of pandan leaves.
The blades and motor are powerful enough to puree the rough pandan leaves.

 Put the puree'd pandan through fine sieve to extract as much juice.

 Mixed extracted pandan juice with Glutinous Rice flour.

 It worked out great.  The green color is natural and beautiful.   It does not need any food coloring to make it green.  The InstaPot puree'd  very well.

 The other part of the MOCHI flour or the glutinous rice flour is mixed with coconut cream and hot water mixture. 

 Didn't do a good job in making a large disc, but it should work out just fine when steamed.

 Spread the steamer cloth across the steamer to catch evaporation drops from the lid.

 Here it is after 2 hours of steaming.

 Slice and EAT!

 I will try to do a better job the next time, but,,, it is sooo delicious!!