Monday, September 25, 2006

Weekend Update

Busy weekend doing lots of baking...........


Saturday Schedule:
9:30 am - 12:30 pm Ministry Training @ Church
1:00 pm - 7:00 pm Baking Class @ Creative Culinnaire
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Dinner with Family


Sunday Schedule:
9:30 am - 11:00 am Church
11:00 am - 12:00 pm Send RH to Dragon Boat Practice
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Make Mooncakes
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm Pick up RH after DBP
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Continue Mooncake making
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Run errand for mom
6:00 pm onwards help mom make dinner
9:00 pm help set up Vacuum Saver Booth @ Takashimaya


Oooooooooooo, my weekend was packed. Enjoyed it though!


**********

Learned to make Choux (pronounced as "Shoe") Pastry on Sat. It was a partially hands on class and took all 6 hours to complete the class. Cost $80 and totally worth it. We were taught to make 4 pastries: 1. Durian Puff 2. Chocolate Eclairs 3. Polo Puff 4. Churros They all belong to the choux pastry family though so their recipes were all very similar. Pictures below. Anyways, for more information about Baking Class, go to http://www.creativeculinaire.com/


{Picture of classroom}

{My preparation table.....}


{Judy, my instructor}
{Frying Churros}
{Ready to eat Churros}
{Making swan necks}
{Durian Swan Puffs}
{Naked Eclairs}
{Eclairs dressed in chocolate mousse and choclate almond topping}

I just realised that I forgot to take pictures of the Taiwanese Polo Puffs. It is really a pity cos they came out really pretty too. Well, I would have to post them next time I make them then.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Pumpkin Head Headwear

I was surfing the web....as usual....(eat snake lah). Anyways, I came across this website of a SAHM (Stay at home mom) which is a modern word for housewife.

Apparently, this mom makes bows (those you can wear in your hair) using pretty ribbons and sells them through this website. My goodness, in my mind, I was thinking "Like that also can!".

Yes! In fact, it is really possible. I am just amazed at the number of things people can sell online. Anyways, one of the products on her website that I found quite interesting was this.
{Ribbon Holder (so you do not squash your ribbon)}

{One of her ribbons}

{Plus, she got a very very pretty daughter cum model.....}

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Cross Stitch Shop – FOUND

I went AMK Central again today and................... I FOUND the shop.

Phew!!!!!! 3rd time is the lucky number. Anyways, it is exactly where it was described to be at. Its no wonder that I could not find it, the shop is quite uncolorful and there are some clock and watch stalls right in front of it thus blocking the shop's signage.

I bought a couple of threads, an extra needle and a photocopy of precious moments' Noah's Ark Cross Stitch Blueprint. Its quite big and I thought it would be perfect for my future kid's blanket. But I gotta start now if I am ever gonna finish it.

Anyways, I took some pics of the shop just in case I ever forgot where it is but after 3 visits, I do not think I will ever forget.


The address is here:

Elsie Departmental Store
Blk 709 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 #01-2607
Singapore 560709
Tel: 6451 5519

Ang Mo Kio Cross Stitch Place

Anyone heard of it?

The shop is really hard to find. Knowing that it is in AMK Central. I ventured to AMK Central twice to find the shop. I can't find it both times.....I can't believe it. How big can AMK Central be? I am quite positive that I searched the entire AMK Central.

Anyways, I am determined to find it the third time I go to AMKC so I asked my friend where the shop is and even tried to search the forum for its address. The only information I can find is this. The shop is named Elsie and it is located beside a Ba Kwa shop opposite a foodcourt called S11. Hope I find it this time.

And I am darn sure to get a namecard with the address on it. :P

Monday, September 18, 2006

Japanese Cooking

I cooked over the weekend..............forgive me for acting so excited! Cos that was the only exciting thing I did over the weekend besides watching "The Banquet" on Saturday.
I have been watching really twisted and "trying to be artistic" Asian movies this weekend. I watched a korean show, "Return of Lady Vengence", hong kong made "The Banquet" and the korean "The King and the Clown". All of which are capable of giving you bad vibes and nightmares. Hee hee!
Well, back to food. This weekend has been an amazing galore of food. Perhaps, it was to make up for all the weight I lost when I was sick (2kg only lah).
First, I cooked fried chicken rice for lunch on Sat. Its actually just hainanese chicken rice but instead of having roasted or boiled chicken, I deep fried the chicken. It is actually something I cooked quite often when I was studying in USA. But I used a different chicken recipe, something I got off the internet and the batter was suppose to be extra crispy or something.
After hours of labouring in the kitchen, RH commented that the chicken rice is not worth all the labour. Thanks hunny for "appreciating" my cooking! Urgh! Husbands......they are just not worth it.
Well, the chicken was crispy but not ultra crispy in my opinion and it got soggy quite fast.
Then, sat night, mom cooked a delicious salmon dish.........pan fried salmon with lemon pickle sauce......Yummy.....I had second servings followed by Alio Golio Spaghetti (made by AL) which was equally good..........
AL is my parent's friend. He and his wife both enjoy good food and wine and that was how he met my Dad. They met during a wine tasting event. Not only does AL like to eat, he likes to cook good food too and his spaghetti was good........of course.....my grandparents and auntie cannot appreciate that.
Was sooooo full but I could not resist dessert. Tape with ice cream. Tape is actually an Indonesian fermented glutinous rice...... **delicious!
Next day, I cooked lunch again. Poor RH had to eat salmon for both days. I cooked some Japanese recipes that I have been meaning to try out.

I really need to work on my presentation but then this was the best I could do with a bare kitchen.

I cooked Hijiki Seaweed, Miso Salmon, Hijiki Roll and Miso soup. I made the last one so that I could finish the cabbage and tofu. Hahaha.

I really like Hijiki Seaweed cooked this way but some people might not like it because Hijiki Seaweed being full of Iron smells really fishy. I was suppose to add some sesame oil to counteract the fishy smell but alas, my bare kitchen did not offer me that luxury. My next shopping list should have sesame oil on it.

{Hijiki Seaweed with Pork}


Japanese cooking is really easy. You just need a few key ingredients and you can cook most Japanese food.

1. Cooking Sake (green bottle)
2. Mirin
3. Shoyu (Japanese Soya Sauce)
4. Dashi (Japanese fish stock)
5. Miso
and that is all folks.........you can really cook lots of Japanese dishes with just these sauces.

{Hijiki Seaweed Egg Roll}

{Miso Salmon, a little bit burnt but RH said it is very good....}

Sunday evening was spent at a friend's house. IL and SL are husband and wife. IL used to be RH's colleague. Anyways, they invited us to their place and SL prepared a fantastic seafood dinner. Lots of prawns, fish, crabs and vegetables. Yep, the seafood were really fresh and sweet. I wished I had taken pictures. Yummy Yummy....so dat was my weekend food adventure with nothing but GREAT food. Everthing home cooked......

Thanks Mom, AL and SL for the fantastic dinners and especially thanks IL and SL for being such wonderful hosts.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

SICK....

Disappeared for 2 weeks..

Contrary to what most people believe, I am not overseas, I was sick with severe kidney infection.

*face turns blue* just thinking about the horrible experience. It started out as a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). First time getting it and never heard about it before, apparently, it is VERY VERY common among women. Almost all the women I know has it one time or another.

I must be really suaku, according to my friend, JT. Anyways, the UTI was not properly taken care of because I delayed going to the Gynae, hoping that it will clear up on its own. Nothing ever clears up on its own!!!!

Finally, when I went to the gynae, the infection has already started to hit my kidneys........plagued by two days of high fever and nausea, I finally gave in and went to the A&E at East Shore Hospital. Shivering, weak in the knees with RH supporting me, I made my way to the emergency clinic and got admitted into the hospital.

What was suppose to be a 3 days stay became a 1 week stay at the hospital. My doctor tells me "its easily treatable" on the first day and by the 3rd day, he comes in to tell me that I had "severe kidney infection". URGH!

Another few days of hospital rest, food and "entertainment", I finally was well enough to go home but had to undergo another 5 days of antibiotic injections. Good to be back at work today!

Gotta take it slow and easy though........dun wanna trigger a relapse......meanwhile oral antibiotics for another 10 days

Monday, August 28, 2006

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I made Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cheese Filling on Saturday but did not take any pictures because my camera ran out of battery and I have not been able to charge it because my charger is at my apartment. Anyways, RH did not like the cheese filling. His actual words were:

RH: Hunny, your cupcakes are delicious.........would be more delicious without the cheese

Dang, so much for wanting to make a "special" cupcake. Hahaha. Was gonna follow the cupcakes with cornbread muffins but my parents came back a day earlier and they wanted to have bah kut teh for breakfast instead. Maybe this weekend then.

I got baking appointment with DC. She is the queen of baking in our small group at least. And she is gonna teach me how to make Apple Pie with cheese toppings....

Nope, I am not obsessed with cheese.