Burgers with Homemade Beefy Patties & Portobello Mushrooms with Buttered Peas

This meal turned out totally differently from what I had planned initially..lolz! I chanced upon organic miso the day before so I bought some & had wanted to cook a soba in miso soup. However, I saw the bread buns that we had purchased supposedly for breakfast which I'd almost completely forgotten about. As usual, my lil' bread lover got so excited upon overhearing me muttered the word 'bread'. Thus, with the new turn of events, I asked if he wanted a burger to which few kids would be able to resist that temptation, right?

Ingredients (supposedly for 1 toddler but my boy couldn't finish so I ate 1 too):

50g of organic minced beef

1 tsp of sesame oil

1 tsp of Bob's Red Mill All Natural Cornstarch

1 egg, white separated

A dash of basil

A dash of oregano

2 big portobello mushrooms 

1 tsp of organic VCO

2 tbsps of freshly grated organic cheddar cheese

2 big handfuls of Watties frozen garden peas

2 tbsps of water

1 tsp of unsalted butter

2 burger buns (I used the sesame loaf from Green Pumpkin Japanese Bakery at Nex)

Directions:

1. Marinate beef with sesame oil, cornstarch, egg white, basil & oregano for at least 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven under Grill setting, max temperature (260°C) for 5 minutes.

3. Drizzle the underside of the mushrooms with the VCO & grill for 5 minutes. 

4. Half the beef & use a spoon to form 2 circular patties. Grill for around 10 minutes till they turn slightly brown on the surface.

5. Cut the buns into half, without seperating them. Lightly beat the egg yolk & spread it over the insides of the buns & grill for 2-3 minutes till the egg is cooked & bread lightly toasted.

6. Top the mushrooms with 1 tbsp of cheddar cheese each & bake for another 10 minutes.

7. Add 2 tbsps of water to the peas then also grill for 2-3 minutes till softened & cooked. Drain the water then melt the butter over the hot peas & mix well.

8. Assemble the burger by putting the beef patty on the bun then cap on the mushroom with cheese. Lastly, top with the bun & serve warm with the buttered peas.

I couldn't help but mention the most hilarious thing that happened while I was prepping lunch. My boy was so elated & grateful for his upcoming meal that he repeatedly thanked me for it..hahaha!! His impromptu luncheon turned out yummilicious!!! I remembered my first attempt at homemade patties weren't quite as successful as I found them too dense with oats added. Yet, this time round, I didn't even have time to do any research & simply jumped right into the preparations with just my gut feel. I was still kinda worried initially as i had pre-marinated the beef with sesame oil which is more commonly used for Chinese cuisines. To my surprise, the patty was quite tender with a faint fragrance from the herbs plus the juice from the portobello mushrooms complemented it nicely. Furthermore, the crispy toasted bread had a slight sweetness to it so all the flavours just seemed to come together in a perfect symphony in my mouth. No wonder BB devoured his in no time at all..lolz! I'm so going to replicate this again for my other 'boy' soon ~.<

DIY with Lotsa L.O.V.Es - Orange Colour Sensory Bag

The preparations for the next Toddler Busy Bags exchange have started since my activity, orange sensory bags, has been finalised. For the past few weeks, shopping for various orange coloured items has been underway & I've already purchased the bulk of them. Thus, the next step now is to get the rice & pastas dyed.

Mummies who've done this before shared that it's so much fun. After getting my hands dirty, or should i say stained in this case, I totally agree with them..lolz! After trying out 3 seperate batches, I finally achieved a satisfactory bright orange rice using the following ratio:

  Vinegar : Colour gel : Rice 

= 1 tbsp : 12 drops : 2 cups

Directions:

1. Pour the vinegar & colour gel into a big ziplock bag (I'm using Ikea's 4.5L one), fasten & then mix well.

2. Add in the rice, fasten again & mix till the rice grains are evenly dyed.

3. Pour onto a tray to dry thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

With the air-conditioner switched on, it seemed to dry pretty fast. However to play safe, I'm leaving them overnight to dry thoroughly. With 2 packs of 5kg rice, I believe I'll be spending many more nights repeating the above steps..hee ;)

To thank Grub n' Grow's supporters, I'm going to give away 2 of this busy bag.

Directions to win:

1. Like "Grub n' Grow" Facebook Page.

2. Tag at least 3 friends to this Facebook Post whom you know will be delighted to receive one of them too.

3. Share this post publicly on your timeline. 

4. Closing date is 31st December 2015, 2359hrs.

5. The winners will be randomly drawn by my boy, and his decision is final..hee ;)

Kindly note that this giveaway is limited to Singapore entries only. May the odds be ever in your favor ^.~