Cooking Cooking Cooking... =D

Have been cooking more lately...

Linguine Pasta, Salmon, Pumpkin, Broccoli etc...

Yum!

Seasoning! 

Eleven minutes of Cooking,

Pasta will be Al Dente!  

Bon Appetit!

Aglio Olio Linguine with Grilled Salmon,

Blanched Broccoli and Poached egg.

*Oh! 1st time trying to cook a poached egg...

not very successful... but will try again!

Another attempt at Tomato Pasta Linguine with Baked Pumpkin n Poached egg...

*Need to improve on the egg though! 

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This is my favourite Breakfast during the weeks of my Operation 6 packs...

Oatmeal with Banana! Yummy! 

Special Diet for 2months

The truth is out... I need to go on a diet...

I am finally rather sick of my Minah (Mi-Nah, nickname me and a few friends gave to my tummy more than 5yrs ago)! I wanna rid of it and gain a 6-packs.... ok, it has never happened b4.... The closest I got was only 2 packs...

So... Pinky has agreed to help me with Project Durian-6.
She insisted that it's all abt the diet to trim the fats... then abs exercise to tone the muscle(once the layer of fats is gone). So her advise was to try out a light diet for the next 2 months.

I can eat normally, just stay away from sauces, condiments, gravies, cheese, milk(yoghurt is fine). everything else is fine, like rice, bread, potato etc. 2hrs b4 sleep time - no food!!

So far I find it easier to stick to soup based diet like Yong Tau Foo (with no fried stuff), Slice fish soup (not fried ones and no milk), fish ball noodle soup. best is not to consume the soup also - too much MSG. Oh, i have to sacrifice my Teh Siew Dai... best is Teh O Ko-Song.... argh! Unless it's earl grey or chamomile... Kopitiam Teh O is CMI without Sugar!!?!!

Anyway, I made somemore yoghurt the other day and tried to make some Orange Lassi!

Ice Blended Apple

Orange Lassi 

I finally baked some pumpkin i bot the other day... i LOVE Pumpkin! So subtly sweet and rich in fibre! The preparation took some time as it's rather hard to remove the hard skin + chopping them. Buy some salt, pepper, olive oil, herbs - pop it in the oven at 220C for 15mins!

VIOLA!

Healthy Baked Pumpkin!

Also, I cooked my own dinner today... just that I notice I am not very gd at estimating the amount to cook for one pax, i always end up with a 2 persons' portion... bleah... i hate to waste food, so I really overeat for dinner today. Gd news is that all rather healthy stuff...

YUMMY Sumptous Dinner!

- Tomato sauce pasta, Broached Cabbaged,

Grilled Salmon, Sunny Side up!

Btw, I finally jogged a continuous 10km yest... almost killed myself...

I really duno how to attempt ADIDAS SUNDOWN this coming May end...

The 42km will be claiming my life... bleah

 

Homemade Yogurt anyone?

I had been wanting to try out how to make yogurt from home!
Yogurt are really expensive in the supermarket... frankly, they are just milk that has gone bad!!! Why am i charged so much more for some milk that has turned sour?!

Anyway, Yogurt has long been reputated to be good for our digestive system due to the active/live cultures/bacterias... so finally I got myself a thermometer and start making yogurt for my own consumption!

There are tons of yogurt making receipes online, but i have narrowed down to point form:

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Homemade Yoghurt

-1 Litre Fresh Milk (any except UHT milk

-2 tablespoons of starter yoghurt (must be with live cultures)

-Thermometer

-Enough sterilized glass container with screw caps

1) Heat milk to 85C

-stir constantly to avoid burning.

2) Cool to 45C

-can use a cold water bathe to quicken process, stir constantly.

3) Pour into Glass containers n screw tight. 

4) Inoculate live Culture by soaking containers in warm water at 45C in a cooler box. Avoid disturbing the inoculation process.

5) 7hrs minimum. Check on yoghurt, n chill once it curdled. READY!!

Notes: 

-Yoghurt made with Skim milk has thiner consistency. Higher Fat % = thicker n creamier. 

-Starter yoghurt with less Live cultures (usually only 2 types) may take a longer time to inoculate.
-Can keep in fridge for 1-2weeks. But if using this batch a starter yoghurt, make yoghurt again within 5 to 7days (while Live culture is still active). 

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What u'll need:

1) Thermometer (i had procrastinated making yogurt for the longest time becos I din have a thermometer and was too stingy to buy one. Finally got this from PhoonHuat for abt $14)

2) Clean Glass Bottles (Glass is better, can Sterilise to ensure u are not inoculating other bacteria), Starter Yoghurt (plain) + Fresh milk.

3) A cooler box or something to keep it warm for a long period of time. some recipes suggested a preheated oven but I find it too troublesome to monitor.

Ok, Steps:

1) Heat milk to 85C -stir constantly to avoid burning.

2) Cool to 45C -can use a cold water bathe to quicken process, stir constantly. 

3) Pour into Glass containers n screw tight.

4) Inoculate live Culture by soaking containers

in warm water at 45C in a cooler box.

I know it's tempting to see what happens.

But Avoid disturbing the inoculation process.

Besides, it's really boring.... nothing really happens till about 7hrs later.

The cooler box is very good,

cos it maintained the temperature at 49-50C for 8hrs!

5) 7hrs minimum. Check on yoghurt, n chill once it curdled. READY!!

6) Add some dried cranberries/wolf berries/apricots whatever!!!

Some crackers for crunch! I even tried blending it with some mangoes, leaving some chopped mangoes for texture.... end results a very yummy Lassi (aka yogurt drink) like those we buy from supermarket!

YUMMY! 

I shall do it more often... still trying to find a good starter Yogurt with more live cultures. I read that the brand Dannon is good, but i cant seem to find it in NTUC, NTUC fairest or Cold Storage in Tampines! Mayb those bigger ones in town will have it!

Try it & tell me if u like!



Bad mood = Lousy Food! Xmas pressies

It is true... when I am in a less than pretty mood, my cooking turns out bad.
The true behold, my family was the one who noticed and warn me abt it. It is alwis in my extreme mood that I cook..... when I am extremely happy, or when my happiness is "less of ace".

One day when I was baking, my elder brother (who is mostly oblivious of pple's feelings) asked me gingerly:
"Ermm... AhGirl, are u in a good mood or bad mood today?"
"Ok mood lor, quite happy actually. why leh?"
"Oh, ok, then can I eat some of the muffins after u finish baking?"
"Of cos! Why u ask my mood leh?"
"Oh, cos i notice whenever u bake, it's either u very gd mood or very bad mood... then if very bad mood, u will later complain that u muffin/cake never rise properly lah, or not nice, too dry etc. So if u lousy mood today, I better not eat the muffins later. keke"

See what I mean when I say he is "oblivious" to pple's feelings... can tell me so bluntly somemore!
Anyway, then I realised that it's true! Most of the time, I cook/bake when I am in a good mood, rare occasions I do that i vent some anger - and yes, usually i end up eating all the byproducts of destruction...

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Honestly speaking, I am not exactly in the mood to cook. I dreaded for the day to come when I have to cook for this special days.... due to some unforeseen circumstances and misunderstanding, I kinda offended someone impt in my life. and yet i have to cook... bleah.

Nevertheless, I cooked. But as expected, the food turned out lousy (to my standard), despite the effort i put in to try to make it better. I guess i cant change the mood and queasy feeling.

Colourful greens...

Salmon belly

(more fats, more omega 3, more skin - crispy)...

Spices, herbs, chicken stock, salt, pepper, garlic... 

After marinated... bake the skin to crisp 1st... 

make sure the herb, salt, pepper and garlic is

well mixed with the greens...

In the midst of my 心情欠甲 (Mood less of ace), i forgot to take the photo of finished products n my potato wedges... haiz... what can i say?

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Some great pressies I received this year!

Bodyshop Body Butter(orange flavour!), Bodyshop moisturiser, wash + scrub (white musk!), cutesy calender (monkey like me!!), Mark n Spencer's Piglet Gummies(mixed flavour! Got cola 1!), drawstring bag (handmade!!)...

I must comment that we were all every impressed with the handmade drawstring bag! Especially so when it's made by Angel Vv... so cutesy, sweet!

Xmas pressie from CH n Daisy... 

So nice n sweet right?! 

The bag adds to my collection of sling bags from Kikki!

The rest from Starry Stella, Wendy and Joyce! 

Lousy food, great company, nice pressies....

my xmas is not that bad after all.... =I

Random...Hair, Cats, Cooking

Time flies...

Nugget Boy is almost as big in size as Creamie Girl liao....

From this:

To THIS:

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& my Hair, that tuff of bush on my head...

Time for another trim...

Should I do an Emma Watson....

or a Rihanna....

The tuff on the top is still not enough for either....

so it's Boy boy style for now...

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Baking...

Time flies the last time i baked was bloody long ago, my stock of butter turned mouldy n smell like cheese-BLUE CHEESE!! I had to go out last min n get some new butter!

Made some ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS!

-YAY! They raised Beautifully! The trick? Preheat the oven to above the said temp in the recipe! recipe said 180C, I preheat to 200C then after I put in the muffins, I turned it down. the preheat temp will make them rise quickly, then the normal temp (180C) will slowly cook the muffin! YAY! it worked!

What a Pussy Sunday!

I have alot of pple to thank... for standing by me for the past year... it has indeed been a long and weary year...

1st to kick off,
Date: 12Sep Sunday.
Venue: My humble residence.
Event: A lunch prepared by me n my sous chef, Starry Stella.
Passcode to enter: "I LOVE YOUR PUSSY!!!"
No passcode, no entry!

Yes, everyone knows I have 2 pussy cats at home... the rest i leave it to ur imagination!

So the nite b4, me n sous chef went to source for the freshest ingredients possible!

Grocery shopping is so tiring!!

I actually push the trolley there lah!

So shagged!

Trolleyful of FOOOD!!!

Dun even have the strength to

pull out my keys!

ARGH!

Table-ful of FOOOD!!!

Glee-ful Pumpkin!

Sous chef in action!!

My roasting kit!

My sous chef Hard at Work!

SAKURA CHICKEN!

A Healthy Choice!

Wua -Da!!

KungFu Chicken!

Giving it a Good Scrub!!

Cutting Throat!

My dear Papa, he came into the kitchen to

spot-check on me before going out to pator with Linda!

Secret weapon!

improvised recipe of Boiling the LEMON 1st!

STABBING IT!

Mixing the spicesss n herbs!

Sssssshhhhhh dun tell pple my secret fomula!!

Massage time!!!

1-2-3-4,

2-2-3-4.....

Massage massage

+ Exercise the muscles!

AxxHole!

Stuff it in!! OUCH!!

Sew it up!

Ready for Tanning session!

Tying it up! In case it runs away!!

Putting it in position!!

Ready!! Let's Go!!!

Tanning salon!

NEXT DISH!!

(the orange addition is my fav Pumpkin, it will add a sweet taste to the salty bacon, the crushy asparagus and the chewy golden mushroom)

Rolling it all!

Saute it!

Nice colour?!

NEXT: Roasted vege!

Seasoning it!

Ready to Pop into the oven!

Here it goes!!

NEXT: A simple salad with Home-made

Tangy Lemon Dressing!!

Ta-da.....

Meishan adding the finishing

touches of Alfalfa to the salad! 

Ta-Ta-Ta-DAaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Rainbow colour!

By this time, my guests have arrived, those who did not have the passcode were punished to stay outside the door for quite a while!

Just say it!!!

"SOYA, I LOVE YOUR PUSSY!!!"

What's so difficult!?!

Meishan has the honour to crave the chicken!

After a hearty lunch and a game, we adjourned to wendy's plc for round 2!

ROUND 2!

After-meal desert sponsored by my guests!

Simple it looks, but SUPERB Yummy!
Would u believe there's no egg and flour nor sugar involved in this cake?!

I had to beg for my 2nd helping!

BOARD game time!

GATAN Settlers!

I am not a board game person but this game is rather fun! 

We have some resources to build settlements... we have to exchange for some of the resources that we do not have, do barter trade with one another.... under table transactions.... with the bank.... roll the dice... shout for our Lucky number....

We had lotsa fun!!

Those who have not played this game b4, try it the next time u go to those boardgames cafe!

"Give me lah! Exchange with me leh!!"

"Wuahahah! Lucky me! Heng ah!"

"Sickening! Dun wanna exchg we me! Hmph!"

"YIPPPEEE! I am gona win soon!"

"WUAHAHAH! Lucky me! Heng Heng Huat Ah!"

What a Great Pussy Sunday!!