Banana Prawn Fettucine

This is an overdue post featuring Nique's cooking from down under who misses Penang hawkers' delight all the time. Last week, Nique had a successful attempt cooking "Penang Hokkien Mee"-inspired Banana Prawn Fettucine. I did not have the luxury to taste it but from the looks of the dish, it was certainly tantalizing and delectable. The banana prawns looked so fresh and succulent. They surely made me drool. Well done! Can't wait for Nique's next experiment and photos. 

Fried Prawn Noodle

Yesterday, I found a packet of prawn noodle paste in my kitchen cupboard which was expiring soon so I thought why not make Hokkien Mee for lunch. On second thought, I was rather reluctant to go through the hassle of making prawn broth, hard-boil eggs, and fried shallots. My reluctance inspired me to attempt a dry version which bypass all the hassles of cooking the usual soup-based version. Only half a packet of the paste was used to fry the noodle because it would be too salty to use a whole packet since the original recipe calls for a litre of water to make the broth.

It turned out to be okay except that it wasn't as flavorful as I had expected it to be - I prefer stronger "prawny" flavor. Nonetheless, still an edible dish and I had a filling lunch.

Ingredients:
- Half a packet of Prawn noodle paste
- Choy Sum (Flowering Chinese Cabbage?)
- Bean Sprouts
- Prawns
- 1-2 Eggs
- Substitute yellow noodle with Spaghetti - Angel hair

The Cobbler - Red Stiletto

An unexpected delight - Such was my feeling when I got this pair of heels. Thanks to Groupon, I got it at a very favorable deal and this was shipped almost immediately from Singapore upon placing my order. Honestly, it wasn't my original intention to get this red stiletto but rather lack of options since the one that I like was out of stock. However, I'm very pleased that it led me to another option which I would have never chosen out of my own will and now, surprisingly, I'm in love with it!

Lots of my clothing are in black so this pair of heels certainly add some color or "character" to my otherwise boring and dull outfit. It goes well with LBD for evening wear and dinner or even casual wear with a pair of jeans.

Spice Up a Black Shimmering Clutch

Black is my all time favorite because you can't go wrong with black, anytime or anywhere. However, too much black can be boring so I tried something fun to add colors to my outfit - pin-on fabric flowers for my shimmering black clutch that goes with a LBD and a matching pair of heels.

Red Rose

Purple flower and Golden-Beige flower 

There are many fabulous tutorials out there on the internet to make these flowers. Just do a quick search and there will be abundance of results. 

L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream

Finally! I bought a tube of hand cream from L'occitane after months of hesitation. This cherry blossom petal-soft hand cream is so delicately scented. It contains a cherry extract from Luberon, France and it is also enriched with Shea butter which moisturized and protects the hands. I love the smell and the feel on my skin after applying it on my hands. Now this will be added to my favorite product list in addition to Crabtree & Evelyn - La Source range.

Baby Roma Tomatoes & Shrimp Salad

Salad is a healthy snack. It is also great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like my salad with minimal dressing and most importantly quick and easy to make.

Happy Halloween

With 'All Saints Day' drawing near, some of the malls were nicely decorated with Halloween theme. Carving of Jack O' lantern pumpkins, black and orange colors were common sight for this occasion. Halloween is an annual feast which falls on 31st October, a day before All Saints day (1st November).

Apparently, Halloween is a contraction of 'All-Hallows-Eve' which literally means the day before 'All-Hallows' or 'All-Saints' - Source Wikipedia. Although Halloween is not much of a feast here where I live and not widely celebrated in the country, I decided to join in the fun by sewing Jack O' Lantern pumpkin plush with leftover felt scrap from my Angry Birds project.

Here it is,  the final product of my sewing! It wasn't exactly the neatest and cutest, but perhaps it's acceptable for a first attempt. From the back view, it looks more like kamquat or pumpkin, isn't it?

The Story - Brandi Carlile

Not many people knew about the existence of this blog since I've previously written in another blog which is no longer active now. My beloved sister recently came to know about Story of Lynn and she sent me a lovely song by Brandi Carlile - The Story. I think fans of Grey Anatomy would have heard of the song before. It's a beautiful song with lyrics I could relate to in life.

Thank You, Vi! for making my day. It is true that "When I am flat broken, you made me feel like a million bucks". Love you always!

Beans & Legumes

Legumes, beans and lentils are all good source of protein. They are low in fat and high in fiber. I had always thought that legumes and beans are essentially the same until I read up a little bit more about them. This is what I found out:

Legume is a plant and the fruit (commonly known as pod) is a simple dry fruit which develops from a simple carpel and usually opens along a seam on two sides. Well known legumes include peas, beans, lentil, soy, and peanuts. (Source: Wikipedia)

That means, beans and lentils are subsets of legumes. It was a bag of mixed beans I bought a few weeks ago that sparked my interest to find out the various names of beans in the bag. The bag contains 7 types of legumes and 1 type of grain - barley. Although legumes are packed with dietary benefits, they are gassy food which give people embarrassing smelly gas (that's why you fart a lot more after eating beans). But fret not, there are ways to remove gas from the beans before cooking. Most websites from google search results  suggest that by soaking beans in the water for 12 hours and boiling them for 15 minutes will reduce the gas.

Cream Sauce Pasta

Recently, my sister (who hardly ever cooks)attempted to cook her own meals when the canteen at her residential hall was closed down for 2 weeks. Driven by hunger, eating healthy and economically,she was motivated to try her luck in the kitchen.  


She survived the cooking ordeal and the dish turned out to be edible. Though I'm sure there are rooms for improvement, I thought she did an amazing job considering that this was her maiden attempt at the residential hall. 

Bittersweet Peanut Slab

Made of 47% cocoa, it is rich in dark chocolate with fresh roasted peanuts. This peanut chocolate bar is absolutely divine. As Whittaker's claim, the peanut slab is made of "Good honest chocolate". I must say that it is indeed honest to goodness. 

Seafood Pasta & Bruschetta

Just something I cooked many months ago....

Upcycled Shoe Box

Last weekend, I attempted to upcycle an empty shoe box to a CD storage box with a roll of adhesive waxed wrapping paper. The outcome was satisfactory and the effort was well worth it. Even though this is not a noble idea, I am happy to have made it myself and not to mention that I managed to save a few dollars from buying a brand new CD storage box. 


Cost of a roll of wrapper = $5 (wrapped 2 boxes + excess)
Cost of wrapper for each box = ~$2.50
Cost of a brand new CD storage box (about similar size) = $5


Voila! It's 50% savings there. 

Mashed Potato & Chicken Fillet

My mum had left a bag a potatoes for me last week and one of them was starting to sprout. To prevent them from rotting and sprouting, I decided to make some mashed potatoes with seasoned chicken fillet for dinner. It was a balanced meal with some greens - asparagus and baby roma tomatoes (they are so sweet). As for the gravy, I used store-bought instant mushroom gravy which can be done in a jiffy. 

French Beans & Carrot Fried Rice

Whenever there is leftover rice from dinner, fried rice is definitely on the menu for dinner the next day. I like fried rice because it is a versatile dish and there is no specific recipe to follow. 

This fried rice calls for simple ingredients I found in my fridge.


Ingredients:
shredded carrot
chopped french beans
minced garlic 
an egg
peeled prawns 
Regular cooking oil
Sesame oil 

Card Wallet

I was motivated to make a simple fabric card wallet after experiencing difficulty in accessing my cards with the current holder. Though the current holder is slick and stylish, it is not practical and would bulked up the wristlet pouch. 


I used scrap fabric from a skirt which had been shortened for this mini project. There are still rooms for improvement as the stitches and cutting are not as neat as they should be. The other mistake was to add on the key ring at the side of the pouch. I think it just ruined the 'classiness' of the pouch. Lesson learned - Simplicity is elegance. 


Nonetheless, I'm happy to have made something! and I'm already using it. 

Nique's: Coffee

A cup a day, takes your worries away.

A cup of coffee completes my breakfast and boosts my day. It is also an occasional form of indulgence after dinner. Like coffee tasting, coffee making is an art. However, unlike a connoisseur in coffee, my satisfaction for a good cup of coffee is easily attainable as long as it is aromatic and rich in texture like Nique's[photo]. 

Roasted Tomato and Broccoli Pasta

I made this quick dinner after a tiring day at work. Inspired by eating fresh and living a healthy lifestyle, this meal was prepared using fresh ingredients yet keeping it simple and easy. All it takes to make this dish were roasted tomatoes, broccoli, chopped garlic, garlic infused oil, and spaghetti noodle with salt and pepper to taste. 

Ham & Cheese French Toast

First of all, never mind the imperfect picture. It wasn't properly taken but nevertheless, the sight of melting cheese with ham and french toast does make me drool. 


This is a "guest post" featuring Nique's three layers Ham & Cheese french toast (or French toast with Ham & Chesse, whichever way sounds better)for dinner. 

Breakfast: Poached Eggs and Blackpepper Cocktail Sausage

How fun to make poached eggs with these cute silicone poach pods. It is rare to find such creative kitchenware where I live. As such, I was very excited over my little adventure and discovery at the kitchenware section of a departmental store in Westfield. Just put an egg in each pod over boiling water for 4 minutes (with cover) to get a nicely poached egg. 

Poached eggs can be eaten in many ways according to one's liking. I like mine on top of a slice of bread and a piece of cheese - lightly melted, and perhaps some black pepper cocktail sausages! 

Breakfast would not be complete without a cup of hot coffee! I miss the thick and aromatic coffee prepared by Nique! 

Nutella Sandwich

Since there were some leftover mini pancakes from previous day dessert, and not wanting to waste them, I made Nutella sandwich for breakfast. 

After reheating the pancakes on medium heat pan, I spread a layer of Nutella on one side of the pancake and sandwich it with another piece. Quick and easy for a lazy morning! 

Nutella Treasure Box

I like to go grocery shopping in foreign land because it is so amazing to see so many different ingredients, products and spices that are not commonly found at the grocery store back home. 
I was excited to find White Wings Original Pancake Shaker on sale and decided to buy one for experiment. It is so easy to make pancakes with this shaker. All that is needed is to fill up the bottle with water and shake  the mixture until it is smooth, then off it goes on a heated pan.
Inspired by  Paddington House of Pancakes Treasure Box dessert, I made mini pancakes that resembles coins. They look like gold coin on browned/burned pancakes. Cute! Next, lightly spread a layer of nutella on the pancakes to add some chocolaty flavor to it. Finally, top it off with dollops of ice-cream and generous sprinkle of trail mix (nuts, raisins and seeds) and fresh blueberries.  Isn't it easy to satisfy one's sweet tooth cravings? 

Chicken & Mushroom Lentil soup

Nothing beats the weather with a simple bowl of comfort food - savory hot soup. It was a cold rainy day and my appetite wasn't good for a proper meal, so I whipped up something easy with the ingredients I have. 


Ingredients:
- A bag of mixed beans and lentil
- Prego's Pasta sauce - tomato and basil
- Oyster mushroom
- Chicken breast meat - cubed
- Cracked black pepper
- Coriander for garnishing

Mix all the ingredients with 1.5 bowl of water in a slow cooker and put it on 'high' for 5 hours. 

Nique's: Yummylicious Seafood Pasta

This is the most yummylicious home-cooked seafood pasta with generous portions of squid, basa fillet, and mussels, stir fry with fresh mushroom,  garlic and diced tomatoes. Nique, who happened to cook seriously for the first time, has taken the challenge to prepare this lovely dish during my stay in 'The Forum'.

What a job well done! The aroma, taste, and texture of the dish were simply beautiful. One serving was certainly not enough to fill my appetite and I would love to eat this again when I'm back! 

Cute silicone egg poachers

These cute egg poachers could be mistaken for many objects if they are rare to be seen/found in some places. I was told that they look like women's newly improved bra pads, baby's feeding bowl/cup and some said flower petals. Funny! 

Eggplant pizza crust with vegetable toppings

Toppings: Tomatoes, shitake mushroom, julienne green chilli pepper and red chilli, mozzarella cheese
Base: Baked eggplants (thinly sliced)

1. Arrange the thinly sliced eggplants on a lightly greased pan. Sprinkle some salt.
2. Bake the eggplant until lightly brown and soft. (love the smell of baked eggplants)
3. Top the eggplant with all other vegetable and shredded chicken. Drizzle some oil, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bake for another 15 minutes (until the vegetable is slight brown at the edges and soft).
5. Spread mozzarella cheese evenly on the top. Bake for another 10 minutes.
6. Ready to serve

Asam Laksa - Tamarind fish-based soup

Chicken & Mushroom Omelette Sandwich

Another day of easy (or perhaps lazy) dinner after work. 


1 Baguette
2 Eggs
Bits and pieces of left-over chicken
Thinly sliced shitake mushrooms
Fresh basil leave

Simple Pan-fried Buns

Dumplings, wonton, and pan-fried buns with minced meat filling are some of my favorite food for dimsum breakfast. When I saw a dough recipe from RasaMalaysia, the thought pan-fried buns came to mind. I am happy that my first attempt turned out 'not-too-bad' though it could have been better.

Dough (adapted from rasamalaysia.com)
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of water
A pinch of salt

Filling
Seasoned Minced Meat (Soy sauce, salt & pepper)
2-3 cloves of garlic
2-3 Shitake mushroom
Shredded carrot (for color)

Dipping Sauce:
Julienne ginger
Soy sauce

Steps:
1. Knead the dough for 20-30 minutes
2. Roll it out to form a flat sheet and cut it into smaller pieces (round)
3. Wrap the filling and shape it like a bun
4. Steam the buns for 10-15 minutes
5. Heat the pan (lightly greased) and transfer the buns to the pan
6. Pan-fry the buns until lightly browned.
7. Ready to serve

Super Easy Pizza

Easy-to-prepare pizza for lunch, dinner, snack, anytime you want :)
1. First Choice tortilla as pizza base
2. Prego tomato and basil pasta sauce
3. Kraft cheddar cheese & mozzarella cheese
4. Any Toppings e.g. capsicum, onion, cherry tomatoes, sausages and herbs

Angry Birds Family Portrait

Chicken sandwich

Leek & Potato Soup

1. Australian Potatoes

2. 1Italian sausage 

3. Leek

Cream of Chicken and Pan-fried Salmon Pasta

Ingredients:

1 block of salmon

Chicken Rolls

1 packet  Campbell Cream of Chicken Soup powder

Coriander leaves

Basil leaves

Onions & Garlic 

San Remo Pasta (Vermicelli)

Prawn noodle - Hokkien Mee

With the variety of brands for hokkien mee paste readily available at local grocery stores, the preparation time which is otherwise lengthier and tedious has been shortened and simplified. 

Ingredients:

1 packet of TalentCook Prawn Noodle Paste + 500ml water (bring to boil) + 500ml prawn broth (by boiling the prawn shells)

Prawns

Shredded Chicken meat

Beansprout

Water Convolvulus

Hard Boiled Eggs 

Fried Shallots 

Rice Vermicelli 

San Remo Pasta (vermicelli) - to replace the infamous yellow noodle.

Salmon Fish Cake

Nasi Lemak

Sloppy Fish Burger

1. Sesame seed bun
2. A slice of cheddar cheese
3. A piece of lightly pan-fried fish, mashed.
4. Mixed the mashed fish meat in a bowl with shredded crab sticks, Italian parsley (finely chopped), onions and garlic (finely chopped)
5. Shaped the mixture into small patties and fry for 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
6. Remove the patties from the pan and top with a slice of cheese while it's hot so that the cheese will naturally melt
7. Finally, sandwich the patties and cheese between the buns.