New Fave

 

I was never someone who did reviews nor was I open with my opinions on food establishments I love or hate.  But do excuse me this time if I rant about something I current love.  Took me a while to ponder whether I want make a post about it but I feel I needed to share this.

 

Just a few months ago, Jollibee opened it's first outlet in Singapore.   My kids  were elated. Ok, I must admit their fried chicken (in my opinion)is one of the best here in Singapore ( love the gravy) but I won't be dwelling  on that topic. I'm not writing this post   because of their fried chicken.  I'm here to talk about their Jolly Hotdog.  People reading this post might raise their eyebrows when I say Jolly Hotdog. Frankly, I'm quite surprised as well.  First and foremost, I'm not into hotdogs. Nor do I like ketchup, mayonnaise and most importantly, I hate  mustard and yet  I  really liked the Jolly Hotdog I've tasted.  Every ingredient in the dressing worked harmoniously well that I wasn't able to detect any sour taste of the ketchup nor the overpowering flavour of the mustard.  I was  truly impressed. It was creamy and it  has just the right amount of cheese without it being heavy.  I have to admit the hotdog itself is nothing special but the dressing is simply praise worthy.  Sad to say though, that not all Jolly Hotdog are created equal.  The once I've tasted and loved were the one's made by Mr. John.  The rest, they were forgettable.  Call me fussy or picky but I am only being honest when I say  I only eat Jolly Hotdog made by Mr. John himself. I only want to spare myself from  the disappointment. Queueing for hours is no easy task and wondering when will be my next opportunity  is  pure agony.

My love affair with Jolly HD has just started and I hope it will continue to flourish which would solely be dependent on the consistency and adherence to their right dressing formula. 

I used to wonder what would drive this people to queue up for hours and more than willing to wait for another more hour just to be able to get their hands on the HD but after having tasted the one Mr. John made, now I can totally understand.  Not that I'm saying I would go out of my way to queue for hours but I would definitely like to find other means to get my hand on the ever elusive HD made specially by Mr. John.

Bonding

My son will be having a practical test on home economics and he asked me to help him choose a simple tasty and easy recipe for him. I came upon this recipe from Ree Drummond. I love her recipes and so far most of the one's I tried my whole family loves as well.  The recipe was easy and the resulting dish was something me and son approved.





Cooking with my son in the kitchen is a lot of fun. I'm happy that my eldest is starting to be more open with me. He used to be so shy and so silent that it so hard to coax him to make a  meaningful conversations with me. He started opening up   after he had his operation.  He now tells me and shares with me some of his experiences, his concerns and even things that he enjoys. Most importantly I'm happy that we have gotten more closer and he has been a lot more caring and sensitive to my feelings. I hope he stays this way forever.

Pink and Purple

 I made this cake for Fiona's 7th birthday.  Love the theme since it was so girly. I actually attended the party, and I was in awe how the children were splendidly dressed in gowns and formal attire. The girls were so lovely.





 Totally enjoyed the whole process from the planning and the actual sourcing of coordinating materials.  I'm lucky that even though I don't have a daughter, I still get to plan and  and set up a dessert table like this.  Happy with the outcome.  Thank you Grace!

Rarity

This days, it's a rarity for me to cook for my family. I am guilty on that part. Having started working again, it leaves me little time and energy to play in my kitchen.
I miss my leisurely bakes.
I miss my kitchen experiments.
I miss my kitchen ....



Bicol Express is a Filipino dish made of pork slices, coconut milk and lots of chili pepper.


Bicol Express

800 g pork shoulder cut into slices
2 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 stalks lemon grass, (white part only ) smashed and cut into quarters
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp light soy sauce
50 ml vinegar
600  ml coconut milk
Ground black pepper
5 green finger chili, seeds removed and sliced diagonally
5 red finger chili, seeds removed and sliced diagonally
3 tbsp bagoong alamang ( shrimp paste)
250 ml coconut cream
3 pcs chili peppers ( more chili can be added according to spiciness desired)
Fish sauce to taste

In a small bowl with water and salt, soak the sliced  chili fingers ( to lessen the spiciness, but this can be omitted if you're not bothered with a very spicy dish)

In a pan, saute onion, ginger, garlic and lemon grass.

Add the pork slices and stir fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the bagoong alamang. Stir until pork is completely browned.

Add coconut milk, bay leaves, soy sauce, vinegar and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until meat is tender.

Add the finger chilies and cook until liquid is reduced. Season with black pepper and fish sauce according to taste.

Add coconut cream and chili pepper and continue to simmer until oil separates from the cream.

Contemplating

In my last post, I've mentioned that I'm starting to get back to my usual  rhythm of blogging but last week  I somehow managed to get a job and has started working for a few days now. I'm quite worried because I really don't want to quit blogging but I'm also not sure if I could manage to update my blog regularly.  *Sigh* I'm really thinking things out. For now, I would really try to hang on as much as I can, so please  bear with me :-)






Guava Bars
recipe adapted from : Dulce : Desserts in the Latin-American Tradition

 

200 g butter
310 dark brown sugar
140 g rolled oats
215 all purpose flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup guava paste*

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the oatmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Continue mixing until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, but is still crumbly, about 5 minutes.

Grease a 9x9 square  and dust with flour, or line the bottom with parchment paper. Press half of the dough firmly and evenly across the baking sheet. In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the guava paste on medium speed until light and smooth, about 3 minutes.

Spread the guava paste over the dough and, using your fingers to break up the remaining dough, dot the top of the cookies with the dough pieces. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let cool for at least 15 minutes, then cut into bars.

*For the homemade guava paste, I only used 1 cup sugar/ 1 cup guava pulp. I used seedless guavas from Malaysia