Chocolate Gateau

This post is really late, but whatever. I still have to post it here so I can remember that...

I got a gift from hubby last Valentines.

So let's take a look on what's inside.

Let's take a closer look at this Chocolate Gateau which sells $18+ for a small sized cake.

The cake tastes really good. The icing has a hint of pistacio flavor, and the cake's not too sweet.

For the first time in Singapore, I tasted a cake that is NOT cheese cake.

Porridge?

I have a favorite porridge stall in Bendemeer, but apparently, the stall was closed last Saturday. So hubby bought porridge in a different stall. But what the auntie is giving hubby is NOT porridge. Instead, she placed a cup of rice on a takeaway container and laddled tinolang isda over the rice. Like, huh? This is NOT the porridge I know. This is NOT what a porridge looks like.

Aren't tinolang isda delicious? Well, their version is not quite good. We're never buying "porridge" in that stall again.

Sweet and Spicy Sausage and Chicken Soup

This is another attempt in making a soup for my son. I just grab any available produce and meat in the fridge, and try to come up with something healthy, and of course edible.

Saute a 2 cloves of garlic and a small sized, sliced onion in 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan. Sprinkle a little salt. Add chicken fillet, cut in cubes, and half an inch thick of sliced sweet and spicy Oriental sausage. Mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of a good quality oyster sauce, then mix well. Let it simmer for 3 minutes.

In another small saucepan, blanch sweet peas and 1 inch long cut carrots until the peas turn bright green and the carrots, golden orange; and shock it iced cold water to stop it's cooking process. Transfer the cooked sweet peas and carrots in a kitchen towel to dry.

Pour 3-4 cups of water into the sausage and chicken mixture. Bring it to a boil in medium-low fire. Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Just before the soup is cooked, add a tablespoonful of flour and water mixture, and pour it into the soup to thicken it. Bring it to a boil for another 5-7 minutes, or until you like it's consistency.

Transfer cooked carrots and sweet peas into the soup before putting the stove fire off. Mix.

And there you have an Oriental flavored soup.

worst homemade pancakes

This is the worst homemade pancake I've ever had!

Okay, so it was 10am on Tuesday, last week, and hubby was craving for something. Since we don't wanna spend on non-necessities (it was Chinese New Year), he decided to cook the Pillsbury Pancake Mix that I bought 2 months ago. (It's expiration date is still months away.)

So he was in the kitchen for a good 30 minutes, only to return with a dry and half an inch thick pancakes! Like whatta! The big pancake box had 2 packets of dry mixture (obviously for 2 breakfasts), but he combined both and laddled more than enough of the mixture unto the pan, which resulted to some uncooked portions. Not only that, the butter that was available in the fridge was the cheapest kind that we bought from the hypermarket. Urgh! I promised my self not to buy that cheap butter again. And I promised not to let hubby cook pancakes, unless I am in the kitchen to supervise.

No pancakes for sometime. I had a bad experience, really. It wasn't the manufacturer's fault. It was the person who cooked it.

I don't wanna think about it. Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts alone!

good buys

Cappuccino Popcorn from Carrefour SG
This $3.30 finger food is an oh la la! I haven't tasted anything like it ever, in my 27 years, and I'm addicted to it. Every time I go to the hypermarket, I always go to the section where it is displayed. I so seldom have my coffee, so this is a great caffeine fix for me.


Marshmallow Tray
This is a really, really good buy at $7; plus the expiration date is in the following year. This can serve as a snack, a topping for your favorite cup of choco, or even for your S'mores.

Each tray has it's distinct flavor - green apple, papaya, mint, vanilla, lemon and grapefruit. Well, atleast this is what my tastebuds had recognized.

So there. I'm actually on the look out for other cheap finger foods, most especially that it's the Chinese New Year (CNY). I know there'll be lots of goodies available. All I have to do is search for them. Chinatown? In the heartlands? 711? I'm there!

BDH pizza

Hubby made this one Saturday for brunch. Since he made it, I call this BDH pizza. BDH pizza is your classic cheese pizza. When I say classic, I mean regular.

This is how he made it:

Cut small Vienese in half. (Vienese is like a French bread, but soft.) Spread a little unsalted butter on top. Spread a good amount of tomato sauce. Top it with grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Bake it at 425 degrees F for 7-10 minutes.

Et voila! You have your simple but delicious cheese pizza.

hopia like it

Every time I visit Manila, I make sure that I drop by Eng Bee Tin at Binondo for their delicious arrays of Hopia.

Hopia is a bean filled pastry. I just learned from this page that there are two types of hopia; the flaky type and the cake dough type. Well, I have personal favorites of the two types of hopia that are found at the local groceries in my hometown and in Eng Bee Tin.

For this entry, though, I'll talk about the hopia that's made in Perak, Malaysia; which hubby's boss gave it to him.

SIN JOO HEONG CONFECTIONERY : Perak, MY

This is a flaky type of hopia, with a sweet bean filling. It's not comparable to my favorites back home, but it's good enough.

quick and healthy breakfast

1. Toast wheat bread or white bread until golden brown.
2. Spread your favorite flavored yogurt on it.
3. Top with slices of bananas.

This toast goes well with coffee or hot Milo.

February 7, 2007 menu

These were the foods I prepared for our 3rd civil wedding anniversary.

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M E N U

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HOT CHOCOLATE WITH MARSHMALLOWS & CHIPS AHOY! S'MORES

*Heat Dutch Lady chocolate drink and chocolate chips or any chocolate of your choice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk mixture when chocolate drinks starts to simmer and chips melt. Once the chocolate chips are all melted, transfer it to a mug and garnish marshmallows on top of the hot drink. For a little secret, drop pieces of chocolate chips and let it melt slowly in the bottom of the mug.

*Place 3 cookie chips topped with a big sized marshmallow in a microwave. Heat high for 10 to 15 seconds or until marshmallow is puffed. Place and press lightly a cookie on top of every puffed marshmallow to secure it.

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CHEESY BAKED PORK CHOPS MARINATED IN LEMON AND HERBS

*Marinate 4 pieces pork chops in juice of 1 lemon, dried thyme, dried oregano and dried rosemary for atleast 3 hours. When the chops are ready to be baked, place the chops marinade in a baking dish. Season chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the chops on the baking dish, toping each chop with an onion sliced. Drizzle a tablespoon of oil, preferrably olive oil, on the chops. Bake it for 30 minutes on a 400°F oven. Take the baked pork chops out of the oven. Top each chop with a teaspoon of butter and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Return it to the oven and bake it for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

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FUSILLI WITH BROCCOLI AND SPICY ORIENTAL SAUSAGE

*Saute chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of oil. Once onion becomes translucent, add the chopped garlic. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper. Then add the sausage which is cut in cubes, and a tablespoon of oyster sauce. Leave it to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in 3-4 handfulls of fusilli. Add 5-6 cups of water. Leave it to simmer until pasta is half cooked in medium-low heat. Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Add a pinch of dried rosemary. Stir. Add broccoli. Let it simmer until both the fusilli and broccoli are cooked.

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RUBY-ICED CHOCO JIGGLERS CUP

*Cook raspberry flavored jelly according to package instruction, and transfer it into a cup. Refrigerate until firm. Once jelly is set, heat a cup of milk chocolate drink and a handful of grated dark chocolate in a small saucepan. Keep stirring until the chocolate has melted. Let it simmer for a few seconds. Pour the hot chocolate over the jelly. Freeze the chocolate drink. Just before serving, place 3-4 tablespoons of raspberry yogurt and top it with grated dark chocolate.

note: Yogurt is optional.
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The Best at Max's

Breakfast, brunch, lunch, snacks or dinner visit Max's. Eating solo, with a date, a group of friends, or with family eat at Max's.

Max's Restaurant is a Filipino restaurant which has it's beginnings after WWII. The restaurant now has different branches in Metro Manila, Northern and Southern Luzon, Cebu and California, USA.

Shortly before returning back to Singapore, hubby and I decided to eat at Max's Restaurant once again. It had been two whole years since we last dined in at Max's.

Without even looking at their menu, we ordered for our usuals: Lumpiang Shanghai, Max's Fried Chicken (half), Camaron Rebosado, bottomless Iced Tea and 4 servings of rice.

As usual, the taste of their food never failed us. We went home full and happy with a takeaway in hand.

Camaron Rebosado

Max's Fried Chicken

Lumpiang Shanghai

xs: Hubby's parents had their wedding reception at Max's Restaurant.

Stars and Stripes

Located on the 2nd level of SM Mall of Asia (PH), Stars and Stripes is your classic American restaurant. Though they have Tapsilog in their menu, which is so Filipino. hehe. It's what I ordered, though. Didn't have time to choose from their menu, since my son was feeling cranky that night (for the first time, ever).

Tapsilog

Tapsilog is just a plain beef and egg meal (tapa=beef;itlog=egg), but so so yummy. The picture above is actually my plate, but as you may see there's a chicken finger between the eggs and beef and onion rings beside the rice, since hubby placed them there from the appetizer platter. (He very well knows that I couldn't get from the platter simply because I was busy feeding our son, and he's pretty sure his brother will finish every single appetizer.)

The picture above is what my brother-in-law ordered. I think this is one of the most highly priced meal on the menu. (So typical of him.) I couldn't remember what this is called, though. But it's fish with mashed potatoes and button mushrooms. According to my b.i.l., it tastes good. Well I have yet to find out.

I couldn't tell if Stars and Stripes is expensive or not, since we weren't the ones paying for dinner that night. Thanks to the mother-in-law of my s.i.l. for the delicious meal we had. Oh, she paid, too, for the plain porridge (David's Tea House) for my son.

I've read from other bloggers who've tried Stars and Stripes that their Pasta with Roasted Shrimps and burgers are not that good. The first being too creamy.

Must try: old-fashioned thick vanilla milkshake : steaks : chops

NOTE: Not advisable if dining in with a child who needs a high-chair. The restaurant only has 1. (Based from a personal experience.)

Sliced Fish Hor Fun

I've asked hubby to buy me this meal twice, since the first time I took a photo of it, the result was blur. Besides I find it's taste interesting.

The smell reminded me of North Park (which I wasn't able to visit when I was in Manila for the holidays). The taste is a fushion of vinegar and chili which stirred my appetite; plus it has a little hint of sweetness - which I don't know where it came from.

HOR FUN - a thick flat rice noodle

Rate:

Affordable Waffle

If you're tight on budget and is craving for sweet or just plain hungry, why not try the waffles of Q Bread?

They're made right infront of you. And while waiting for your order, you may find a dollar bread, too, or perhaps some other breads on sale.

The waffle itself may be greasy compared to the waffle I always order at Pancake House, but this is a dollar goodie I'm talking about.

Taste: B
Value for Money: A

Porridge as Usual

It was 10a when hubby and I decided to go to Boon Keng to buy bread and waffles and an M1 top-up card. But since it's near Bendemeer Hawker Centre, I told him to buy our son his favorite porridge.

So we went to this food stall which only sells porridge; Golden Pork Porridge House. It is where hubby usually buys porridge, since I've rated it as the best porridge I've tasted in SG.

Aside that it's tasty, Chicken Porridge only costs $2.2o. It really is a good buy.

I've tasted the chicken porridge version over at Suntec which costs $3.60, yet nothing compares to lola's porridge at the Bendemeer Hawker Centre.

This is how they made their porridge:

1. scoop a laddle full of prepared stock in a saucepan
2. add a laddle full of prepared plain porridge into the saucepan
3. stir briskly
4. while waiting for the porridge to simmer, add cooked chicken strips (minus the chicken skin) into a takeaway container, and chopped scallions
5. put a dash of oil into the saucepan (which I believe is either sesame oil or peanut oil) and stir the porridge once more
6. pour the cooked porridge over the chicken strips and scallions, top with slices of cooked fried tofu and a dash of Crab brand pepper mixed seasoning.

Our son had really a delicious Sunday breakfast. Of course I get to finish his porridge. *wink*