Roasted Pumpkin with Cayenne and olive oil

I always love the taste of roasted pumpkin. I adore them especially in my salad. Pumpkins with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and ooohhhh~ so lovely. 

I saw some fresh pumpkin at the supermarket. They took on an earthly orange hue that was so pleasing to the eye that I simply couldn’t resist picking up one of those. There are countless ways to enjoy a pumpkin. The last time I made pumpkin soup with a dash of cream and potatoes- blended everything up smoothly and the result was a smooth soup that was tasty, sweet and healthy. No artificial flavouring and MSG of any sort. 

This time round, I wanted to enjoy the pumpkin in a more untouched form. So I diced them, drizzled abit of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper, cayenne and baked them in an oven for 20min. Finished with a touch of sunflower seeds and dried cranberries and viola. A yummy dish that is simple to create for anyone in a hurry but needed their pumpkin fix.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 pumpkin, diced

2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

Black pepper

Dried cranberries

1/8 cup dried cranberries

cayenne pepper

Steps:

1) Preheat oven to 175C

2) Dice golden pumpkin into small cubes

3) Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, cayenne and olive oil and bake in a heatproof dish for 15 min or till soft. 

4) Serve with dried cranberries and toasted sunflower seeds. 

Maple Vanilla Homemade Granola

Homemade Granolas are AWESOME!!! 

I love granola and otas. Granola and oats. Granola and oats. I just loveeee them so much I could totally eat a bowl of them at one good sitting. As much as granola makes a good accompaniment to cereal, greek yogurt, milk oiaj etc , many commercial granolas are all heavy laden with sugar which when eaten in excess, can actually mean consuming more calories than you could have imagined. Also it’s pretty hard sometimes to get all your fav ingredients in one box so it makes sense to make your own granola.

My first homemade granola was a simple one. I included oats, dried cranberries, sesame seats, walnuts and almonds and a dash of vanilla and manuka honey. Mix all these up together and toast them lightly in the oven for a good 20-25 min and you’ll have a jar of yummy granola to make your every morning happy.

Oh and I forgot to mention that while the granolas are baking in the oven, the smell is arhhhhhhhhh to die for. It smells like sweet honey diffusing the air in the entire house. So good. I wanted a healthier version so I just omitted the oil and added in a dash of pure vanilla extract.

Ingredients (Adapted from Cookieandkate) 

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free granola)

• 1½ cups raw slivered almonds (or other nuts*)

• 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger- I omitted this

• ½ cup melted coconut oil (or olive oil)- I omitted this 

• ½ cup + 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup)

• ¾ teaspoon vanilla

• ¼ cup chopped dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, salt, cinnamon . Stir thoroughly to combine.
2. Stir in the oil, honey and vanilla. Turn the granola out onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway. The granola should be turning lightly golden (keep an eye on it as honey tends to brown). The granola will crisp up as it cools.
3. Let the granola cool before stirring in the chopped fruit. Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks, or keep it in the freezer for longer shelf life.

Sandwich Week 3: Smoked Salmon and rockets charcoal bread

Week 3 encompass more on food styling and variety of ingredients. In order to get the pretty sandwich in photos, we opted for a charcoal sesame bread, rockets, alfafa spouts, corn, walnuts, avocado sauce, tomatoes, cheese

Here we go: a cross section of what's in the sandwich. Triple Decker jam packed with ingredients. 

Chocolate Truffles- Indulgence

Chocolate Balls of Indulgence 

These few weeks/ months, my life has been enslaved to making cupcakes that I forgot that there are other desserts in this world that I have not explored. And it’s unfortunately one of the simpler desserts that chocolate lovers can attest to. The world of glorious truffles ( not the mushroom but the ball looking kind).

After placing careful thought on the flavour of truffles I would first like to attempt, I finally narrowed it down to these few. It was by no means an easy decision as everything on the internet looks so good. I could literally eat off the screen.

Anyway they are: 

Chocolate Honey Dark Chocolate Truffle

 Matcha White Chocolate Truffle 

Bailey White Chocolate Truffle :) What's chocolate without a little liquer :) 

Bailey White Chocolate Truffle (Adapted from Cookie Dough)- Makes 12 Truffles

Ingredients

• 1 + 1/4 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. instant coffee ( I omitted this) 
• 1 T. Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Steps: 

1) In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, add in the white chocolate chips, heavy cream, and coffee. Stir with a spatula.

2) Place in the microwave for 30 seconds on high. Stir.

3) Add the Bailey's and continue to mix until incorporated.

4) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or until the mixture is firm enough to scoop and roll into a ball.

5)Using a small cooking scoop or a spoon, scoop out the mixture. Roll between your two palms until you have a ball shape. Repeat.

6)Place back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

7) Roll into the sifted cocoa powder.

8)Store in the fridge.

Green Tea Truffles ( Adapted from LondonEats)- Makes 20 truffles 

• 200g white chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of matcha (green tea powder)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 85g double cream
• 45g unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons of matcha and 2 teaspoons of icing sugar, mixed and sieved, for dusting

Steps

1) Put the chocolate in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the milk and 1 teaspoon of match until smooth.

2) In a saucepan, heat the cream slowly, and boil for 30 seconds. Add the matcha paste and stir well. Pour the hot matcha mixture over the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

3) Leave the mixture to cool, then leave in the fridge until firm (this can take some time). Form the ganache into truffles (it easiest to work it into a ball between two teaspoons, which also creates an attractive “rough” appearance). Roll the truffles in matcha, and store in the fridge. You may need to re-roll the truffles just before serving.


Chocolate Truffles ( Adapted from Justataste) - Makes 30 Truffles

• 7 ounces (66 to 72%) chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 2 Tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Steps:

1) Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on two sides.


2)Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a metal bowl.

3)In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and honey just to a boil over moderate heat. Watch carefully so the cream does not boil over. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the chocolate in the bowl. Working rapidly with a whisk, mix to obtain a smooth and glossy texture. Gradually add the remaining cream, whisking to maintain a smooth and glossy emulsion. Whisk in the butter. Transfer the ganache to the parchment paper-lined pan, spreading it into an even layer. Fold the parchment paper over the ganache and cover it securely with plastic wrap. Set the pan aside at room temperature until set, about 3 hours.

4)Line a storage container with a cover with parchment paper.

5)Place a miniature fine-mesh sieve in a small bowl. Add the cocoa powder to the bowl.

6)To shape the truffles, use a small ice cream scoop or melon baller to form 1-inch balls of ganache.

7)Smooth the surface with your thumb, or the heel of your hand, before releasing the ganache from the scoop. Roll the truffle quickly in your hands to form a smooth ball.

8)Drop the truffle into the cocoa, rolling it around, and then shake off any excess powder. Transfer the truffle to the storage container. Repeat for the remaining truffles. Store in the covered container at a cool room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Gordon Ramsay's Scrambled Eggs on toast

Good Morning Earthlings. Guess what time it is? 

It's breakfast time of course. The best meal of the day! 

I finally made a scrambled egg that I’m happy with. After countless times of cooking eggs different ways and testing out recipes, I finally found the method of cooking that works for me. It is none other than Gordon Ramsay’s on and off the stove method. His method of cooking is pretty much like Heston just that the latter does it over a bain marie and Gordon does it directly over the stove.

I was a little lazy to do the bain marie method so I just went with the stove method.

This method of cooking involves cooking the eggs on and off stove several times. This ensures that the eggs do not get overcooked at any point in time. You can also decide on how”liquid” your eggs look. Not sure if that’’s the correct term to describe eggs haha coz it pretty much sounds like it is uncooked. But you know what I mean. That shiny, velvety texture seen in Gordon’s eggs that speaks to you from your screen. You can almost taste it and imagine how the eggs would take on a melt in your mouth texture. Period. Sorry, I get all excited whenever I talk about eggs coz I simply can’t live without them ;)

You have to constantly stir the eggs to make sure it doesn’t get overcooked . When you think it has reached your desired texture, remove from heat and add the cream. This is to prevent the egg from constantly cooking. Now’s the time to season and taste the eggs. Garnish with chives  and serve yummy on toast.

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 tbsp cream

knob of butter

salt

pepper

chives

Method

1) Crack eggs (Whole eggs) into a pan together with a knob of butter ( about 1-2 tsp) and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for a good 5-8 minutes. 

2) Once the eggs start to set a little, take pan off the stove and stir 

3) Bring pan back to stove and stir until creamy/ desired consistency

4) Remove pan from heat and stir in cream

5) Season with salt and pepper ( to taste)

6) Garnish with chives 

7) Serve hot on toast and enjoy!! 

Overnight Oatmeal in a jar with apples and manuka

Today’s oatmeal of the day is cinnamon manuka oatmeal soaked in vanilla soy milk and cooked apples. The cooked apples gave the overnight oatmeal a very nice texture when eaten together.

Topped with my favourite fruits- Grapes, Lychee and pineapples :) 

Overnight Oatmeal with apples

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Quick Oats
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp manuka honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 apple, cubed
• Some Grapes
• Some Pineapple slices
• Some Lychee

Cooking Directions

1. Cut apples into cubes and cooked until transparent and soft
2. Leave apples to cool slightly.
3. Place apples together with remaining ingredients in the jar, shake to combine and leave to refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add nuts, granola, fruits to your oiaj and enjoy!!

Avocado Scrambled Eggs Toast

My fav sandwich ingredient has got to be Avocados. It has this creamy texture that goes really well with sandwich and not to say eggs. 

It is packed with healthy fats that can actually lower the bad cholesterol in your body. It is also low in sugar and high in fiber. Just what your body will need on a day to day basis. 

Of course that's talk on avocados being high in calories due to the high "healthy fat" content making up a fair bit of the whole fruit but if taken in moderation, the benefits do outweigh the cons. Plus it is said to help lower the risk of cancer and other diseases. 

Recipe

Ingredients: 

- half an avocado

-2 eggs

-2 slices of bread

Steps:

1) Slice the avocado into thin strips. Season with a little salt and pepper

2) Beat 2 eggs with a dash of salt and pepper in a bowl and heat n a pan

3) Toast 2 slices of bread till crusty brown

4) Top bread with slices of avocado and your scrambled eggs and voila! 

A homemade dish whipped up in a few minutes is definitely worth making rather than unhealthy take outs! :) 

Sandwich Week 2

Here is what was installed for week 2 of sandwich week :) Fresh portobello, tomatoes, eggs, edamame, alfalfa, cheese and cake pops! 

The portobellos were grilled with sea salt and olive oil till moist and tender. 

Yet another cross section of the sandwich :)) 

Ingredients:

- 1 tomato

-1 hard boiled egg

-Alfalfa 

-handful of edamame beans, cooked

- 3 big juicy portobello

-1 tbsp olive oil

-sea salt 

-Bread of choice

-cheese

Steps: 

1) Place mushrooms on a tray. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and bake for 5-10 min till juices are released and mushroom tender

2) Add cheese on top of mushroom and bake 1 more min till melted

3) Add the rest of the ingredients onto your bread and toast ( optional). 

4) Top with your melted cheese portobello and ENJOY!! 

Sandwich Week 1

I always thought that sandwiches were too simple an affair to be considered a recipe that I would like to share with others. Simply because firstly, everyone’s personal preference is different, secondly there are tons of ingredients that could go well in btw two thick slices of bread. Being such a carb fan- I love bread more than I love noodles, rice or potatoes, I can simple have them for every meal. The more adventurous sandwiches involve putting like French fries in btw bread. I found this combination weird at first but when I thought about the Kebabs I had in Paris which consisted of a wrap encasing chicken kebabs, French fries, lettuce and a splash of their special sauce, I was won over. It actually tasted quite good. Nothing strange at all of having carb in btw carb.

 

Sandwich week started off with a group of us wanting to live a healthy diet at least once a week.So we designated Monday to be Sandwich Day. Previously we had Salad Tuesdays but after 4-5 months, it kinda died down. At least our legacy still lives since we will be embracing something healthy ( Sandwich with greens) as well? Or maybe not? Week one was a simple sandwich with ham, eggs, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes on walnut bread. Classic ingredients but uber tasty

To Complete the meal was a yogurt and fruit salad. 

Recipe

Ingredients: 

-2-3 slices of desired bread
-1 slice of cheese
-lettuce
-1 tomato, sliced
-2 slices of ham
-sunny side up egg
- fruits
-yoghurt


Steps:

Pretty self explanatory but I just topped my bread with the above ingredients and toasted them for 1-2 min till the cheese was all melty and oozing. Take a snap of your art piece and enjoy!

Varlhona cocoa oats in a jar

As you can see, I'm fairly addicted to oiaj. This time round I had some varlhona dark cocoa powder. Decided to mix a teaspoon of that magic into the overnight oats and the next morning, I was left with a very rich cocoa-y oatmeal. Topped it with some fresh grapes and bananas. Mornings are so much happier this way!

Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 quick oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk ( Or almond milk or soy milk )
• 1 tsp varlhona cocoa powder
• 1 tsp maple syrup ( Optional) 
• grapes
• 1 banana, sliced 

Directions: 

Place all the ingredients in the jar, shake to combine and leave to refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add nuts, granola, fruits to your oiaj and enjoy!! 

Oats in a jar

This word “oiaj”  has been circulating round instagram lately. Or maybe I was a slow chancer of this but something prodded my curiosity on why this was so popular among people these days. So I began to google OiaJ ( what a weird short form) I thought to myself that didn’t make much sense. 

After that I learnt that it stood for Oats in a jar.. What basically comprises oats in a  jar is simply oats  left to soak overnight in a mixture of milk of your choice, greek yogurt and fruits. Soaking the oats overnight will render the oats soft and develop this beautiful texture in the morning. What’s great about oiaj is that, your breakfast can be prepared beforehand and without kicking up a big fuss in the morning ( Especially if you’re running late for work/ school etc).

I typically like oats so I’m way for this kind of breakfast. While some may not be custom to the txture of oats, I recommend that everyone do actually give it a try. Coz it’s not only nutritious, it packs quite a lot of vitamins  and energy that your body will need and kicking start your morning is always the way to go.

 

Ever since I tried oiaj, I have been making this consecutively. My first oiaj combination was fairly simply. It consisted of skim milk, oats, some cinnamon and strawberries I had on hand.

Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 quick oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk ( Or almond milk or soy milk )
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tsp maple syrup ( Optional) 
• 4-5 pieces strawberries

Directions: 

Place all the ingredients in the jar, shake to combine and leave to refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add nuts, granola, fruits to your oiaj and enjoy!! 

So simple and so easy to whip up! 

Mussels Marinara Pasta

Few things to sit back and laugh about.. 

When I first cooked this dish, it was OMG- Epic disaster because I overcooked the mussels leaving it tough and chewy. Somehow 8 min cook time doesn't sound right so I left it in the steamer to happily steam its way to ultimate rockness. 

Secondly, I took alot of photos from different angles but somehow this picture was too hilarious, I had to post it. Notice how the 2 mussels at each end look like "ears" to the pasta and also how widely open they are to resemble " mouths". It almost like saying Come Eat Me NOW! 

Pesto Ravioli infused with truffle oil

Don't you just love the smell of truffles. Truffle Fries!! , Truffle Pasta, Truffle Sauce, Soup with truffle oil... A dash is all you need to bring the food to yet another level. As they can be quite pricey and rare to find at times, I suggest investing in a tiny bottle of oil or truffle salt. A little goes a long way! 

MY truffle crazy friend managed to get me a bottle of this truffle oil at the FHA fair ;) Best ever!! Forget about tv-dinners...It's time to whip up more truffle licking homemade meals. 

The next dish is basically ravioli with a sprinkle of pesto and truffle infused oil. 

If you're wondering where to get truffle products, you can find them at the far end of takashimaya basement beside Harrod, threesixty supermart at Orchard ion, Dean and Deluca at Orchard Central or any speciality store. Culina might have some as well.

Brioche with Truffle Scrambled Eggs and Vine Tomatoes

Brioche is a rich French pastry made with additional eggs and butter thus giving it that nice fluffy texture. You can have it together with poached eggs, smoked salmon, roast beef, ham etc the list goes on or simply indulge in a sweeter version with maple syrup and fresh fruits. I personally prefer to have it plain so I can pull-apart that fluffy interior and allow the bread to melt in my mouth. Bliss!

Whenever I’m feeling lazy, I tend to take the quick way out by making eggs. It’s the simplest yet most versatile thing to whip up. It also makes for a satisfying meal. I added in a dash of truffle oil to my scramble eggs and that I have to say brought the meal to another level. Forget about truffle fries, when I can have it in my eggs. It’s a healthy alternative too!

Cherry tomatoes on the vines as garnish for sides make it more balanced meal. Bon appétit!

Recipe makes enough for one serving

2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of truffle oil

1) Heat a nonstick pan with butter until melted
2) Put the eggs in a bowl with milk, truffle oil, salt and pepper and whisk
3) Pour into pan and let cook for a few seconds and then stir gently until the uncook parts are cooked
4) Pour into plate and serve hot. Garnish with more pepper if desired :)

Brunches and Lazy Afternoons

Eggs Oh Eggs! What will I do without you. Gotta say that Singapore offers a pretty great selection of restaurants that offer Brunch/ all day breakfast to satisfy my all time cravings. Eggs Benny with Hollandaise sauce done right, Smoked salmon, sauteed mushrooms, Asparagus, Eggs florentine, Brioche, Pancakes and french toast. Seriously!? Could anything be more tempting than that. Answer is no ( Maybe chocolates.. ). Anyway I'm pretty fortunate that there's a group of crazy brunch lovers who are more than happy to indulge in this eggeciting food hunt for the best eggs benedict around town. 

Wild Honey   (@ Scotts Square and Mandarin Gallery) 

Been there a couple of times the past few weeks for dinner. So happy they serve all day breakfast! It's not one of the best I've tried but it definitely passes the average eggs benny. Beautiful poached eggs with runny filling. Only disappointment was the brioche was slightly burnt and service pretty slow. But then I couldn't blame them as it gets pretty crowded during the weekends.  

European Breakfast: Poached eggs. Sauteed mushrooms, Italian Prosciutto, and hollandaise sauce on home made Brioche.  ( If smoked salmon was added to it, this will be my all time favorite egg benny combi)

Aussie Breakfast: Rib eye Steak with onions, mushrooms, fried egg and potatoes. Definitely a meaty dish. You could choose between a 120g steak or 240g steak. Wasnt that impressed by the steak but I give many thumbs up for the fresh tomatoes on the vine! 

Mexican Breakfast: Burrito with scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, black beans, chunky vegetable salsa, guacamole and sour cream. When the plate arrived at the table. My first comment was O-M-G. The serving or shall I say the scrambled eggs was overly generous. Overall, it was pretty decent. Can't go wrong with guacamole. haha 

 Santa Fe: Tortilla with sharp cheddar, zesty tomatoes, jalepeno, sour cream, corn, avocado and diced tomatoes. This dish was vegetarian. The salsa and jalepeno added a good kick to the dish but then again- WHERE'S THE MEAT!!. We need meat haha

Norwegian: Avocado, Grilled Asparagus, smoked salmons with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce on top of Brioche. Salmons+Runny Eggs = anytime. 

Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar  (10 Winstedt Road, Blk E, #01-17)

We went there for a lazy afternoon tea. Skyve is well known for their Sous Vide technique of making their eggs benny and is located just next to ACS (junior) at Newton. No prize for guessing what I had- the sous vide eggs benedict. When the plate arrive, I was pretty amused by how wobbly the eggs were. We even took a video of how it wobbled uncontrollably and had a good laugh. 

This was the first time even I ate an eggs benedict with a spoon. Let's just say that the eggs were similar to those you can get at ya kun or any local coffee stall. Their hollandaise sauce was however amazing. Not too rich and it has that tangy taste to it that leaves me craving for more. But hmm Eggs + spoon = big nono for me. 

Till then Fellows. This is only the beginning :)

Porcini Mushroom Linguine

Cooking has sometimes been my secret "getaway" from my daily baking routine. It's rare that I have more savory than sweet cravings but the thing is I really do enjoy them both alot. 

Anyone who understands me well knows that I can't do without my carbs. Bread, Cereal, Pasta, beans, potatoes etc you name it all. They can really be unhealthy if taken in excess but c'mon we got to eat what we love sometimes don't we :) Anyway the rule of thumb is always to eat in moderation. That way you'll feel less guilty and happier ;) 

Looking at my extreme likes, I realize that most food I opt for all fall under the "brown category". I adore whole grain breads, nuts, oats, chocolates, mushrooms. Mushrooms are one of the staples of every meal and it goes superbly well with one of the easiest dish to whip up when you're in a hurry. 

Got my hands on the porcini mushroom Linguine (dried pasta) at the fair and instantly a caramelized onion and mushroom pasta came to mind ;)

Mushroom Linguine with Caramelized onions and brown/white Button Mushrooms  (For 4)

Ingredients

Pasta ( Amount depends on how many pax you are cooking for) 

5 Brown Button Mushrooms

5 White Button Mushrooms

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup fresh cream/ milk ( I opted for milk for a less fatty alternative to cream)

2 tbsp butter

pepper and salt (to taste)

Oregano/mixed herbs

2 onions

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup cheese

In a large saucepan, boil enough water to cook the pasta in. Add a little salt. When water is boiling, put pasta in. 

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce:

Place 2 tbsp of olive oil in the pan and saute the onions until soft, transparent and caramelized. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 5 min. Swirl in the butter. 

Add the chicken stock, fresh cream/milk and cheese and cook until slightly thicken (gravy like). Add in the herbs and toss in cooked pasta. 

Top pasta with more cheese and pepper and serve hot ;) 

A New Beginning

My original plan was to restart a new blog and revive that blogging passion. That was initially the most viable plan, considering the fact that I had been blogging since 2008. Do the math and boy has it been a long 5 years! With over 300 posts, this has got to be my mid year resolution- the Massive Blog Cleaning Exercise.

Walking down memory lane, I realize that there's no easy way out. This blog has way too many sweet memories.  It first started out as a virtual journal to pen down my thoughts- You know those sweet sixteen days where you blog about school life, shopping, best friends and haha boys. And then as I grew older, food, photography and travel seem to have caught a hold of me. I wanted to be like those food bloggers who through their creativity and love for writing, are willing to share their passion for food to like minded people.

It has been a long journey in finding the time and patience to write an entry, design the webpage ( For a person like me who has utterly no clue about websites,html, CSS Codes and all that stuff that goes along with it, it took me many days trying to figure them out). Ultimately, the efforts paid off and I hope you find this a decent blog ;)

There's definitely alot of transformation to this blog:

Firstly, for those who were here with me before, you'll notice that the template is not quite the same. I have decided to opt for a cleaner, less cluttered and less is more kind of feel.

It will be the "Savory Side Of Life Food Blog" which means to say it runs separately from my other blog www.sherbakes.com that is solely meant for desserts.

I have painstakingly removed those personal posts and pictures that were made public before( Those entries still remain but are kept privately)

Lastly, I hope to post more quality pictures like the experts all do. Bear with me! I am still learning how to exploit the full functions of my camera as well as the advantages of Lightroom.


//Food is our common ground, a universal experience// James Beard

Dessert Blog!

Hi Friends,

I've Started a Solely dessert blog catered to all my Baked Goods" 

www.sherbakes.com.

Poached Eggs

I'm a sucker for eggs. They are the best thing on earth that's why I heart brunch the most. But most importantly the eggs have to be runny. 

Eating brunch everyday at a restaurant is too expensive. Imagine paying 15-30 bucks a day just for breakfast.   I would actually but managed to convince myself that it's an added luxury that shouldn't be excessively indulged in. 

But anyway that doesnt stop someone from making their own version of brunch at home. 

As shown below: I've tried 2 new methods of poaching them compared to the messier version where I just dumped them into simmering water. 

Method 1: Use a metal ring placed in a pan of simmering water. Crack and egg in it and cook for 2min. I prefer this method over the next one because it's easier to gauge the correct consistency of the yolk. 

Method 2: Place a microwavable film in a bowl and oil the insides. Drop and egg into it and tie the film. Drop the entire film into a saucepan of simmering water and cook 2-3 min. This is a less messy way to cook the egg but I couldnt tell when the yolk was just ready. But anyway, it managed to turn out the way I like so yepp!

YAY 

Salmon with a Cheesy Spinach topping and Pea Puree

Straying away from the sweeter side of life and moving on to the savoury: 

Another hectic week has passed. This time it was back to the books. My entire week was spent prepping for my French elementary exam. (OK, I may have exaggerated a little) so lets say maybe half the week or 2/7 of the week? 

Anyway on a happier note- I cooked salmon for dinner. Fish is like the best thing to eat for an everyday meal. You see: it is rich in protein, high in Omega 3 fatty acids, good for complexion, healthy, good for the memory and brain and to top it all- I am 100% and 1 in love with it. So if you see me ordering fish ( like 99% of the time that sometimes my friends mistake me for not eating meat) instead of chicken, beef, pork etcc it's not that I don't like meat, it's just that I prefer fish. 

I've watched way too much top chef seasons that one day it just got hold of me and I somehow decided to make a pea puree with something. Something like what?? was the question. How about fish.....

So here's a Pan seared Salmon with Cheesy Spinach and a pea puree underneath all that fat, juicy abundant goodness. 

Ingredients: 

Salmon

One salmon fillet ( Bought one first to test)

pepper and salt( to taste)

1) Heat a pan with olive oil till hot

2) Season fillet with pepper and salt on both sides

3) Sear salmon 2 min on each sides ( mine wasn't too thick but if you're using thicker salmon, maybe can fry 1 min longer)

4) Baked at 160 until cooked ( took me about 10 mins) 

Pea Puree

1 cup peas

2-3 tbsp ( or more) chicken stock

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp oil

salt (to taste)

1) Boil peas till cooked.

2) Put drained peas, chicken stock, garlic, oil and salt into food processor and process until smooth paste

3) Taste and add more salt/ chicken stock if desired

4) I passed the entire mixture through a mesh to get a smoother texture. 

Cheesy Spinach Topping

This was honestly the best part because I just mix everything according to how happy I was at that particular time.... That's the advantage of cooking over baking. You get to add, mix and add, mix. Everything is practically trial and error. Baking on the other hand is precise. You don't try to reduce something because it can severely alter how your final product would turn out. (Ehs, they have a formulae for calculating the proportions of one ingredient to another. They call this the baker's percentage) If you're interested you can go read up more on it. Wayne Gisslen- Professional Baking is a pretty comprehensive book which I would recommend.

-One portion of spinach 

-2 slices cheese ( cheddar and pepperyjack )

Cayenne pepper ( Optional but I added a little of this to give that little spice to the dish- what was lacking in the ordinary cheese.. Alternatively, you could buy those cheese with a little pepper/ spice if you prefer or just ignore that all if you don't like it spicy) 

-1-2 tbsp chicken stock

- 1 tbsp oil

1) Fry spinach with oil. Add chicken stock and let simmer a little till soft. 

2) Add in cheese ( I realise the more cheese you add, the nicer the taste haha so it's really up to you ) 

Layering: 

Pea puree on the bottom, half of the spinach went on top of it, followed by the salmon and then garnished with more spinach. You could serve with mash potatoes or whatever sides you fancy but I was in a hurry that day, so it was a pretty simple dish. 

What I would have done differently the next time: 

Omit the pea puree. It was good but somehow it didn't complement the entire dish. I suspect it was because of the threesome thing. In addition, cheesey spinach took away all the goodness that I was unable to solely enjoy the goodness of the pea puree ;[ 

But nevertheless, the family enjoyed it. ;)) YAYS.