November 28th, 2011
WOW – I’ve been gone for a while, huh. I’m not entirely sure what happened – but an entire summer came and went and I seem to have completely forgotten about this space. Yeesh, I’m still trying to wrap my head around how that happened. But I’m sorry! And I’m back! And the weather is cool again! And I’ve gotten the blown lightbulbs in my kitchen replaced! Which means I’m back in the kitchen, pottering around with jamming and breading and various cookery, including getting cracking on my Christmas 2011 menu (I’ve earmarked a few roast goose recipes) so I’ve got my fingers crossed that I won’t get too distracted by the festive season and forget to take pictures and post the button-popping, pants-splitting feast I’m intending to inflict upon my guests. Keep reading →
March 17th, 2011
A couple of months ago, D – a good friend of mine – suddenly turned to me whilst we were having drinks, and declared that she wanted to make blueberry jam. Naturally, I was delighted to hear this, having assumed she meant she was going to make some and gift me with a bottle or two. :P Sadly, what she really meant was that she wanted to learn how to make jam (specifically, blueberry), and was hoping for a lesson. Naturally, I obliged. Keep reading →
March 9th, 2011
Yesterday, 8th March, was Shrove Tuesday, or – more commonly known in our all-inclusive society today – Pancake Day. Pancake Day isn’t that commonly celebrated outside the western world, but for those of you in Asia who may have heard about it but don’t know where it comes from, Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent, where Christians and Catholics historically practice abstinence in the period leading up to Easter. Since rich foods like eggs, fat, sugar, and dairy (or food containing them) are some common items that practicing households might give up, pancakes were an easy way to use up these perishable items before the abstinence began. Keep reading →
March 4th, 2011
A couple of my friends know that I’ve been trying to live a smidge healthier of late – a little exercise, aiming for my 8 glasses of water per day, and adding some vegetables into the dietary mix. Nothing too drastic – I’m not giving up meat or fat or beer, and I think I wouldn’t survive the exercise bit if not for my post-gym, pre-shower cigarette. Haha. But anyway, I’m getting a little side tracked. Keep reading →
February 11th, 2011
I’ve been in a little bit of a cooking-rut. I’m not entirely sure how it started or when exactly this happened, but for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been starting to feel like I lost my kitchen-mojo. The first instance I remember was when I left a rib of beef in the SVS for a few hours too long (borne out of my paranoia of oversleeping and not plonking the meat into the water oven early enough for dinner), and, although it remained very much edible, the texture was just a little bit off. Kind of like a cross between pastrami and roast beef (and I don’t mean that in a good way). Keep reading →
