Showing posts with label Food Glorious Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Glorious Food. Show all posts

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Married couple's date: Hermes Leather Forever exhibition and dinner at CUT.

Went on a date with my husband tonight.
No, I don't mean putting the kids to sleep at 9pm and sneaking out for a midnight movie, nor that one hour dinner-and-grocery-trip when Adam is at enrichment.
 
I meant a real, doll-up, wear skyscraper heels, put makeup on, kinda date.
I'm excited as it has been a long while since we went anywhere besides a quick trip to the movies or simply without the kids, for the matter.
 
There was no occasion too. It was simply a "just because" date for just the two of us as we felt like we could use some time without audiences in the bathroom.
 
I have to confess - this would be my first time going to Marina Bay Sands, apart from the one time I attended a D&D at the Convention Centre, which doesn't count, really.
 
We started the evening by strolling over from MBS to Art Science Museum next door, for the Hermes Leather Forever exhibition.
 
Singapore Art Science Museum
Singapore Art Science Museum

Leather line-up.




hermes croc porosus leather pink
Did you know? The Porosus leather has a pore on every single scale (that white pinhole you see).

Ostrich skin has bumps from where the quills were plucked.






At the craftsman station.


saddle stitch hermes kelly sellier 28 anemone
The craftsman demonstrating to me how to do a saddle stitch.


hermes birkin, kelly anemone 28 sellier, craftsman, artisan
Posing with the craftsman with a finished Hermes Kelly Sellier in Anemone, PHW, size 28.
Thanks for being so nice, Mr Artisan.

Did you know? It takes averagely 15 hours (subjective to the individual craftsman) to complete a Kelly bag, not including the time spent pick out and prepping the leather and materials!

Here's a video on how a Hermes Kelly bag is made:

 






hermes leather forever exhibition Singapore marina bay sands MBS





cut wolfgang puck michelin chef MBS marina bay sands singapore
After the exhibition, we had dinner at CUT, by Wolfgang Puck - an American steakhouse and bar by an Austrian Michelin chef.


wolfgang puck CUT michelin chef steakhouse MBS Marina bay sands


Warm asparagus with poached egg, mushroom marmalade, and warm bacon vinaigrette. CUT wolfgang puck
From left to right: Warm asparagus with poached egg, mushroom marmalade, and warm bacon vinaigrette.
Yukon gold potatos puree.
Angus beef steak.
Dessert.
Wild field mushrooms with Shishito peppers (this is sooo nice you can eat it on its own!).


angus beef steak, cut wolfgang puck, porterhouse
The cardinal dish - our Australian Angus, 300+ days grain-fed aged 35 days beef steak, Porterhouse 990gm for two persons.


twg tea MBS singapore Marina Bay Sands
After the heavy dinner, we went downstairs to TWG for some warm tea.

My husband, with his No-shave November, or Movember, is like Dan Bilzerian, minus the cash, private jet, and b*tches girls.



twg tea MBS singapore mom blogger veron zhen mumzilla
The secret to being happy is to "work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, sing like nobody's listening, and live like it is Heaven on earth."
- William W. Purkey.
 
 
 
For those of you who are interested in the Hermes LEATHER FOREVER, the exhibition is from 25 Oct - 13 Dec 2015.
10AM - 7PM daily.
10AM - 9PM on Fridays.
Admission free.

hermes leather forever exhibition singapore MBS marina bay sands Veron zhen Mom blogger
 

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Home gardening: growing your own vegetables.

 When I am not surfing the internet reading fashion blogs and fellow mummy-blogs, I am occupying my time with another hobby - gardening.
With our huge balcony, I realized I could actually do a lot of gardening in it.
 
I think I picked up my green fingers from my Dad and Aunt (his younger sister who lives with my family). I have recollections of my childhood watching my Dad grow African violets and other plants, but my Mum would complain that they were "messy" and threw them away ;(
 
Luckily for me, Andy shares the same sentiments about gardening as I do.
Thank God for a man who loves nature and animals as much as I do.
My interest is in planting edible food.
Upcycling an unwanted Styrofoam box into a planter.
I drilled holes at the bottom, laid some gauze and wood chips to prevent soil from falling out.
 
After a week of growing capsicum seeds, the stronger seedlings are ready to be transferred to the Styrofoam planter.
Egg cartons are the best, BEST seed starters.
 
 
Capsicum seedlings home upgrade.



Earthworms are your plants' best friends.
When earthworms are in your soil, it can only mean you are doing it right - pure, fertile soil free of chemicals.
When I was little, I used to keep earthworms in mason jars as pets!
I would scoop them off the sidewalk on rainy days. #imweirdlikethat
 
 
Besides Styrofoam boxes, you can upcycle wooden pallets (far left) and wine crates too!

Our Okra, or better known as Ladies fingers.


4 ladies fingers make one serving.

Stir-fried sambal belachan Okra with minced chicken and anchovies.
My helper said it was sedap :)





Sunday, September 13, 2015

Mid-Autumn festival: making Agar agar mooncakes for children.

As a traditional Singaporean Chinese, I love to celebrate the different Chinese festivities like Chinese New Year in Jan/Feb, Qing Ming prayers in April, eating ba-zhangs during Dumpling festival in May, eating mooncakes in August for the Mid-autumn festival, and also tang yuens for Winter Solstice in December.
 
I grew up watching my Mum wrap ba-zhangs (rice dumplings), and during Mid-Autumn 中秋节, tasting the different flavours for Mooncakes is a must in our household! Double-yolk, single yolk, nuts, lotus paste etc etc, you name it!
 
This year, I decide to try my hands on introducing my children to a new flavour they've yet to try:
Milo and Milk agar agar mooncake.
 
 
First and foremost, you will need the jelly moulds, which you can get for cheap at Kitchen Capers, Block 71, #01-531 Kallang Bahru Road Singapore 330071.
It's very easy to find this place from my home, I drive down PIE from East, then exit Kallang Bahru and it's on my right already.
 
Block 71 is like a heartland mart and Kitchen Capers is beside the hawker.
 
You see! Lotsa baking and cooking stuff at super cheap prices.



Any 3 for $5.

My kids always my Number 1 food-tester for any new stuff I cook.

Verdict: two thumbs up!
(Actually I ish asked Ashton to pose like that... muahahahaha.)



For the mooncake on the left, I had initially wanted to make a "yuen yang" pattern but then poured the Milk layer too late and most of the Milo layer had already hardened. Will try again next attempt.

Milo and milk agar agar mooncake (no bake) recipe:

Milo layer:
1 sachet plain agar agar powder
500 ml water
2 sachets 3-in-1 Milo powder


Milk layer:
1 sachet plain agar agar powder
500ml water
100ml evaporated milk (not condensed milk as condensed milk is too sweet)



Mix all powders well in a mixing bowl and bring to boil over slow fire.
Pour into jelly mould.
Let it sit and cool.


*2 sachets of the agar agar powder can make 2 moulds (total 8 jellies)

Meanwhile, you cook the Milk layer and pour on top of the Milo layer once the milo layer is semi-cool (when you gently shake the mould, the liquid should shake but when you touch the top, it forms a little dry film, something like a bowl of Campbell soup left sitting for some time).

Once you complete the different layers, you can pop them into the refrigerator and let it set.
.
.
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 P.S. Another Mom blogger has shared a similar recipe before:
http://www.peipeihaohao.com/2014/08/soy-milk-milo-agar-agar-mooncake.html using Soy milk.

P.P.S. Edit to add: There's another shop called Bake King at Haig Road which sells the mooncake jelly moulds for $3 each.
Block 10 Haig Road, #01-363/365, 430010.
Tel: 67428388
 
 
Easy peasy lemon squeezy right?
Happy Mid-Autumn festival in advance! :)
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Bento-making Mumzilla.

Well, well, well. Who'd thought that me, Miss-lazy-to-DIY-and-hence-buy-alot Veron, would try my hands on bento-making?
 
I was inspired by my mummy-friend, Serene, whose son is in Primary One this year (next year will be my turn. Sobs..) and she's making lunchboxes for him to bring to school. Check out her blog for more home-cooked meal recipes.
 
Out of boredom one day, I Googled "bento box for kids" and Woah, a myriad of tutorials and photos popped onto my browser.
I then went to Qoo10 and bought some bento moulds and tools, and Gosh am I addicted or what!
One evening, after dropping Adam off to his abacus class, I even asked Hubby to send me to the nearest Daiso to buy more tools. I thought I had died and gone to Bento Heaven.
He thought I was insane.

Ta-dah! So many cute food picks and more, for $2 each! Including the Panda lunchbox!
The SkipHop lunchbox is about $20 if I'm not wrong.



Car bread-cutter I got from Qoo10. Sprinklers were gift favours from a friend's wedding.

I need more practice on the dusting of cocoa powder.


Fancy a Mickey bread, anyone?

 
How about an Animal Safari themed lunch box?

I've been making Bentos for Adam since the beginning of school term this year.
He likes it so much that he requested me to make one everyday.
Spoil my own market by having to wake up so early daily and also think of what to make *face palm*
I only make bread thus far (thank goodness not asking me to make Furikake or those complicated Rilakkuma/ panda rice!) because his school actually provides snacks like porridge or noodles on certain days.

If you're interested in making bento-boxes for your school-going child, you can get the tools from:
- Daiso
- Takashimaya basement
- Qoo10
- Meidi-ya at Liang Court

Of course there may be more resources but for a start these shops/ e-shops are more than enough to get you going :)
Say, if you have too much free time on your hands in the mornings and have nothing better to do - like me - you can try your hands on Bento-making.