My Love for Shopping Extends to Groceries August 24, 2007

As a modern day woman, it gives me great pleasure in being able to indulge in a weekly trip to the supermarket. Yes. I do find it an indulgence.

I have to admit. I don’t cook as much as I want to. I don’t eat as much as I want to. I don’t do a lot of stuff that I want to. At the same time, I cannot complain, because I have the luxury of a live-in helper who shops, cooks and cleans for me, leaving my partner and I with so much less to deal with.

Every fortnight, or before we throw a party, my partner and I make trips to the supermarket, where aisles and aisles of sinful delights await my arrival. I walk through them with the same enthusiasm as a child in Candy Empire (which I also happen to love).

I’m not sure what it is. Do I actually like grocery shopping? Or do I like the idea of grocery shopping? It is probably both.

Both questions seem to boil down to the fact that I feel more of a woman when I shop, for mundane daily needs such as mosquito coils, toilet fresheners, toilet paper and handpicking groceries that will feed the household.

Maybe it’s the joy of knowing that I made some sort of contribution to the household, to compensate the fact that I don’t have to do much around the house.

Fave Supermarkets

• Cold Storage Jelita
• Jason’s Marketplace
• NTUC

Must Visit Online Supermarkets

• ColdStorage.com
• Singapore MEIDI-YA
• YQ

Online Specialty Stores

• Espirito Santo (Gourmet & Butchery)
• The Butcher (Great Aussie Butcher!)
• Red Gum (Australia’s Finest Food)

Bedtime Cereal August 19, 2007

I love cereal.
I used to love cereal in the morning.
I used to love dry cereal.

But NOW… I really love cereal with milk, in bed with my partner.

In the time we have been together, bedtime cereal has become somewhat of a ritual. And the best thing about it is that HE gets to fetch the cereal and I GET FED.

These days, supermarket shelves are stacked with a huge variety of cereals. From the good ole’ Cornflakes to Swiss Muesli; from Sultana Bran to Special K and from Blueberry Morning to Banana Nut Crunch – it’s a cereal lover’s world out there.

Some might find that regular Cornflakes is a tad plain on the tastebuds. But you can get creative with it! I personally don’t fancy plain Cornflakes, while my partner just LOVES it. For a win-win situation, we sometimes have to mix our cereals together.

For Example:

His – Cornflakes
Her – Granola

His – Shredded Wheat
Her – Blueberry Morning

His – Muesli
Her – Special K

After a long day at work, we might not have the time to have dinner together.
We might not even have the energy to say much to each other. But it is great to just hop into bed, with a bowl of cereal and a cuddle as we wind down.

Comfort food.

**This post is dedicated to my man.
Nothing gives me greater joy than our bedtime.

Silicone Bakeware August 17, 2007

My last batch of muffins didn’t really turn out well. In a fit of laziness, I decided that I will use paper muffin cases in my muffin tray, and save the hassle on scrubbing down the tray.

I’m not exactly what other purposes muffin cases serve, but I had the idea that it would be tidier to EAT OUT of.

Apparently not!

The paper cases stuck so tight to the muffins that my Mum and sister ended up eating bits of paper. And worse of all, they probably only got to 60% of the muffin, with the rest, stuck in the case.

Mum then suggested that I get silicone bakeware.

Silicone Bakeware – I have seen them around, but always associated with fancy-pancy wannabe bakers. And also, they never come cheap.

Made up of silicon, a natural element found commonly in sand, quartz and rock, Silicone is a combination of oxygen, carbon and hydrogen.

Food-grade silicone has gained popularity over the last few years. First as the roll-up non-stick baking mat, then spatulas, whisk and other small accessories. These days, there’s an entire range of gorgeous pans for baking muffin and various shaped cakes and breads.

Advantages of Silicone Bakeware
• Does not retain odours or flavours
• Even heat distribution
• Oven, microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe
• Resistant to boiling water
• Non-toxic
• Hypoallergernic – meaning it does not promote bacteria or fungus growth
• Folds easy thus saving you space
• Tolerant to temperatures from -58°F up to 675°F
• Non-stick

Silicone Bakeware Manufacturers:

KitchenAid
Like their best-seller KitchenAid stand mixers, KitchenAid silicone bakeware comes in a bright range of colours, and a

Le Creuset
The world leaders of enameled cast iron cookwear now carry a decent range of silicone bakeware, utensils, accessories and cool tools (such as potholders, anti-skid mat and jar grippers).

SiliconeZone
Silicone Zone carries a wide range of silicone products, from classic bakeware, baking mats, kitchen tools to easy lids and cutting boards, freezer and chocolate

Pasta August 14, 2007

Made from certain grains mixed with water and/eggs, the dough is kneaded and formed into various shapes. Found in different forms, pasta is commonly associated with Italian cuisine, but in fact, is popular around the world.  Easy and convenient to cook, dried pasta is always a great item to store in the pantry. It takes approximately 10 mins to cook through and tastes great with leftover stews and soups. Great even as a main (think carbonara, bolognaise, alfredo and puttanesca) or as a side dish (think pasta salad). 

Types of Pasta 

Dried
Available from most grocers and supermarkets, dried pasta store for a long time if kept properly in a pasta jar/container. 

Shaped Pasta 

Available in many sizes and shapes, shaped pastas resemble bow ties, spirals, shells and snails. Smaller pasta works well with a simple sauce, but most shaped pastas are paired with chunkier sauce as they hold up with other ingredients. They are often used in pasta salads and casseroles. 

Types: Fusilli, farfalle, cochiglie, penne, orecchiette 

Tubular Pasta 

Tubular pasta is any pasta with a hollow, forming a tube. Again, they are available in may different sizes and shapes. Tubular pasta is commonly served with a heavy sauce which holds well in the hollows of the pasta tubes. Some of the larger tubes have a wide opening that can be stuffed with meat and/or cheese. 

Types: Macaroni, Rigatoni, Bocconcini 

Strand Pasta 

Pasta strands are long strands of pasta, which are generally round, but they are also available in a flat strand (Flat strands are also known as ribbon pasta). The basic difference from one variety to the next is the thickness of the strands. The thicker strand works well with heavier sauces, as they stick well to the pasta; while the thin varieties taste better with a more delicate sauce.

Types: Angel Hair, Spaghetti, Linguine, Fettuccini 

Sheet Pasta  Used primarily in making baked dishes. 

Types: Lasagne   

Fresh Pasta 

Fresh pasta comes in a variety of sizes and shapes, but not to the extent of the dried version.  What it does come in, is a variety of flavours.  Most often, fresh pasta contains eggs and has higher water content, making it necessary to refrigerate or freeze to keep it from going bad.  With egg as an ingredient, the pasta is naturally brighter in colour, added taste and higher in nutritional value.  Fresh pastas are commonly found in specialty stores.  

Types: Ravioli, Tortellini, Agnolotti 

Where to find?

Da Paolo Gastronomia with outlets in Holland Village and Bukit Timah has a decent range of fresh pasta to choose from. Fresh sauces are available too.

perils of an amateur designer August 11, 2007

Kitchenery.com is taking abit longer than I expected.
Over the last couple of days, I have plunged myself into the marvels of dreamweaver, trying my hand at html and css style templates.

I actually have a mock site ready, which I reckon needs more than fine tuning. But what the heck. This isn’t my forte at all. Until I make enough moolah to hire a professional, the world has to bear with their bleeding eyes from staring at my cost efficient design.

So, the last couple of nights were stayed up fiddling with my ftp server, codings, hyperlinks, uploading, downloading, and plenty of DELETING.

TIL LAST NIGHT … a close friend of mine (Mr. Marvellous Designer) sent me his interpretation of what my site should look like….

okay… NOW.. MY PAGE IS OFFICIALLY CRAP. And the saddest part, is that it probably only took him 2 mins to come up with that.

However, this is giving me the motivation to make more moolah so that I can hire Mr Marvellous Designer to work on Kitchenery.com.

It will be so worth it.

Press on soldier…