Lekker!

Hello, It's Been A While...

2023-11-16T12:06:00.006-05:00

Even though it's been years since I last made an entry, I haven't deleted this blog because I still refer to it for some of the recipes but most importantly, Sonny Boy likes reading it as it reminds him of his childhood. Sonny Boy is all grown now. When I started blogging, he was around four years old, I believe. He will be twenty-four in December.

So much has happened since my last entry. In a nutshell, we moved three times - Barcelona (a year) to New York (five years) to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. We have been here in Bethlehem for a year and will continue another before we see where the wind blows us off to next.

In the last ten years, we also had a new addition to the family, a cream shiba inu we named Sheba. She is 10 now and quite the personality, my spirit animal. Ever since her arrival as a pupper of nine months, the Hubby says he is now dealing with two of me at home. Here are some photos of her NOT looking at the camera when I try to take her picture. That just about describes her in a nutshell.

I haven't decided if I will make more entries since I don't cook as much as before. Why that is so, it's a whole other story unto itself. Maybe it is one I should tell. Let me think about it.

Almond Jelly with Longan

2012-03-03T06:54:00.000-05:00

This recipe, like most of the others, was a result of craving for something not available where we were living at the time. My Almond Jelly need came during our stay in Cologne, twelve years ago. For some reason, recipes for Almond Jelly were scarce on the internet and no one I knew had one ("Buy the instant mix" was the kindly advice). It took me ages but I finally hit gold on a website which wasn't even a cooking one. The site belonged to a Malaysian young man studying in a UK university who had the same craving, begged his mum for her recipe and out of the kindness of his heart, published it on the internet for those in the same, sad shoes.

So I took his recipe, gave it a couple of turns, each time costing me a pretty penny as agar agar powder, condensed milk and tinned longans were expensive in the Asian supermarket in BarbarossaPlatz.

But everything is an investment if you want to get it right, so this is my final version which I've used all these years. The ingredients are the same, but the measurements have been altered to suit my tastebuds. You can, of course, do some tweaking on your own. The texture of the jelly is akin to firm silken tofu with a bit of bounce. Use more water or less agar agar powder if you like yours really soft. And if tinned longans are not an everyday event in your supermarket, both local or Asian, tinned mixed fruit will do the job too. Traditionally the jelly is set in square or rectangular forms, cut into squares or diamonds and served. I just decided to go fancy pants with decorative molds which I had recently acquired and can't get enough of.

Almond Jelly with Longan

You need:

4.5 cups of water
4 teaspoons of agar agar powder
1 tin of condensed milk (I like Dutch Lady!)
2 tsp of almond essence
Square receptacle or jelly mold(s)
Tinned longans, reserve the syrup

You do:

Pour water in a saucepan. Mix in agar agar powder and stir well till dissolved.
Using a medium flame, bring mixture to a soft rolling boil, all the time stirring gently.
Let boil for about a minute, taking care not to over do it. You want a a gentle boil, not Mount Vesuvius on an angry day.
Turn heat off. Add in 2tsp of almond essence and the entire tin of condensed milk. Stir well, making sure the milk is evenly incorporated. I use a whisk for this.
Pour contents into square receptacle or jelly mold. Again, gently does it as you don't want any air bubbles trapped in the jelly. It's purely aesthetic, taste will not be affected, of course.
Chill in the fridge until set. Once set, pry it out gently from mold. If using a square tin or container, tip it out and cut into squares or diamonds.
To serve, assemble some jelly and longans in a bowl. Pour some longan syrup over and enjoy it cold.

Mirabila - Garden Verses WIP

2011-05-12T02:23:00.000-04:00

A little while back I mentioned my last completed cross-stitched piece "Poppy" was a warm-up to The Big One. Well, this is it - "Garden Verses" by Mirabilia. I started right after I put the last bead onto "Poppy". Here are progress photos of "Garden Verses". I will add more in due time.

at two weeks

at three weeks

at six weeks (there was a lapse of one week where I didn't get anything done)

For my non-stitching readers, WIP is short for Work In Progress. I thought I'd clarify as wip means seesaw in Dutch. According to the Hubby, it's also Dutch slang for something rude but I choose not to remember what.

Ginger Snaps

2011-04-30T18:33:00.001-04:00

I chanced upon this recipe years ago and it's been my to-go place whenever I need a ginger snap fix. In the past (as in living in Singapore), I used to scratch my itch with Marks and Spencer's ginger snaps. In the Netherlands it was a totally different matter. There wasn't a Marks and Sparks there and even worse, not a sign of ginger biscuits, snaps or otherwise to be seen on the supermarket shelves. The horror!

So in keeping with the if you can't buy it, make it yourself mentality I've developed over the years from living overseas, I started sourcing for a suitable recipe.

And I found this gem from allrecipes.

Everything about it was perfect except for the spice factor. If it was there, I totally missed it. Being Peranakan, my taste buds have been conditioned from birth to expect fireworks in the form of spices and flavour in my daily food. And that goes double for cakes and desserts. Anyway, after a few trials and hundreds of biscuits later, I got the measurements correct and I've been using the recipe since. Flash forward and we currently reside in Singapore. I've on a few occasions, skipped over the ginger snaps from Marks and Sparks in favour of my home-baked ones. That's how much I love them.

In this instance, I baked two versions: sugar coated for me and plain for the Son. Flavour wise it's the same both ways. On the matter of texture, the sugar coated snaps are satisfyingly crunchy. The plain ones soft and chewy. I am partial to crunchy.

And just for my own amusement, I gathered some dough and made three of these:

I never got to frost the cuties though because, faster than you can say gingerbread man, a certain eleven year gobbled them up.

"Look mum! No head!"

Below is my spiced up version of the ginger snaps. I have highlighted the changes in red. For the original recipe, please click here.

Ginger Snaps (all spiced up and ready to roll)

You Need:

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon ground allspice

4-5 tablespoon ground ginger

1/3 cup white sugar for decoration

You Do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, molasses, and egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, allspice and ginger; stir into the molasses mixture. Roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Roll each ball in white sugar before placing 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven, or until center is firm. Cool on wire racks.

Dutchess' Chicken and Pasta Bake

2011-04-30T08:58:00.003-04:00

Well praise be the kitchen gods! Finally, a food entry. And about time too. To end the drought, I thought I would offer up this little concoction of mine. It's the Son's current favourite and he deigns to consume even the odd couple of carrots and mushrooms. On the subject of Vegetables one must pry his mouth open to get them down and even then, it's not always a sure thing. I suspect in this dish, the carrots and mushrooms being drowned in cream and cheese, makes it somewhat palatable for him.

I personally can't handle more than a few mouthfuls of this, it's too rich for me but goes down quite the treat for the two men. And that is why, more often than not, I cook two sets of meals. Conflict in taste-buds and all that.

Some of the following ingredients will have no measurements for I measure them out by sight and the all important taste test. This may cause inconvenience to some of you so you can do what I do: When in doubt, start with half a teaspoon and work from there. Unless it's salt or pepper, then it's pinch, pinch, pinch all the way.

Dutchess' Chicken and Pasta Bake

You Need:

1 medium sized chicken breast diced into 1" cubes

300g of penne cooked to al dente

1 small carrot, skinned and thinly sliced

250g of white button mushroom, thinly sliced

1 tsp of chopped garlic

chicken stock; cube or powder

1 bay leaf

parsley, finely chopped (dried version is good too)

thyme, finely chopped "

salt and pepper

300ml thickened cream

olive oil for sauteing

mozzarella cheese, grated

red cheddar cheese, grated

You Do:

Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium fire. Brown chicken cubes to seal in flavour. When chicken turns a light golden brown, add chopped garlic, sliced carrots and mushrooms.
Stir fry until carrots and mushrooms start to soften. Add a bit of water to prevent things from drying out. Add chicken stock, bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Saute some more till cooked.
Pour thickened cream and mix thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cooked penne and give the whole lot a big stir. Turn off fire.
Divide penne into three or four different oven-proof bowls. Set aside.
Spread a layer of red cheddar and mozzarella cheeses over the penne. Amount depends on how much you love your cheese.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 30 minutes or until a deep golden brown.

Lekker!

Belated Happy Dance

2011-04-12T23:57:00.002-04:00

I am two months late with this Happy Dance. Truth is, I'd taken the photos the day after it was completed but never got round to uploading it. Anyway, here it is, from Nora Corbett's Pixie Couture, may I present you Poppy in all her sophisticated glory:

I enjoyed this so much because of all the different reds involved. Red, as you know, is my favourite colour. Then there was also the beading and metallic threads. Thanks to chicchicbaby for this birthday chart. Hope I've done it justice.

Note: For fellow stitchers who like to know these things, this piece was stitched on 32 count Lugana.

I Did Not Photoshop This!

2011-03-25T04:25:00.000-04:00

Went to the common bathroom where all medicinal lotions and potions are kept to get some ointment for the mosquito bites I sustained while out earlier. Yours truly is the local blood bar everywhere she goes. Opened the door and hey presto, this greeted me:

4 o'clock sunlight + perfect angle = GLOWING TOILET BOWL!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Someone Needs A Haircut

2011-02-09T18:47:00.001-05:00

The Son, that is. He's running around looking like a monchichi.

Nora Corbett's Pixie Couture - Poppy

2011-01-27T21:50:00.001-05:00

I've kitted out a Mirabilia design that's just itchin' for some stitchin' but because it's a big undertaking and it's been two years (!) since I did any cross-stitching, I thought it best to rev up the old engine with a smaller project first.

The warm-up piece is a lovely little pattern called Poppy from Nora Corbett's Pixie Couture range. Here she is after a week's work:

This was taken two weeks ago and I've made more progress since then. However, I took a break this week to start on a knitted vest. Now that it's coming into some sort of shape, I've gone back to Poppy. I am totally loving all the shades of red her gown entails.

Throwdown!

2011-01-27T21:13:00.002-05:00

✓ Cleaver
✓ Plastic Gloves
✓ Eight of the biggest, baddest pineapples from Cold Storage

It's time for the annual Cookalot Pineapple Jam Throwdown!

Veni, Vidi, Visa - Ferragamo Claire in Armaranto

2010-11-01T05:36:00.001-04:00

Guess what came home with me over the weekend?

A delectable piece of arm candy of course!

It's made of grossgrain and nylon fabric, trimmed with leather and

handy side and front slot pockets.

Best of all, it's calorie free and you can never have too much!

Veni, Vidi, Visa - Ferragamo Loanne In Burgundy

2010-08-22T10:18:00.003-04:00

And the perfect way to end a weekend is...

... scoring your favourite brand of shoes at 50% off during an end-of-season sale.

Last day. My size. Meant to be.

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep

2010-08-20T04:29:00.005-04:00

So the saying goes.

It means looking good on the outside is superficial, hence skin deep, and what really counts is your personality.

However, when your husband looks at you in mild shock after you've just emerged from your nightly toilette in all its radiant barefaced beauty and exclaims," What's happened to your face?", you know it's time to do something about it.

What Hubs was alluding to were the nasty angry cyst-like bumps and spots which have congregated along the jawline and forehead. I've always had clear skin until we went to Beijing. And because I do not want to waste your time, dear reader, this is the abbreviated chain of events:

Beijing + air pollution like you wouldn't believe = blocked pores = whiteheads, blackheads + pimples

Thank you country of my forefathers.

The condition lifted somewhat when we went back to the Netherlands for two weeks. Then it was on to Singapore. Again I present you the abbreviated chain of events:

Singapore + humidity + mild (anything after Beijing is practically pristine) air pollution = more blocked pores = whiteheads, blackheads + pimples

Then I think the stress from the last few months also contributed to my facial woes. Last week, I decided enough was enough, I made an appointment with a dermatologist.

I met her today and it was the best thing ever. We went through my daily skincare regime and she shook her head and said I do too much work. Then she peered into my face with her special magnifying eyeglasses. It only took a minute or two but I never felt so exposed in my entire life. Then she tells me my pores are clogged, extremely clogged and all my lotions and potions are causing it. Stop using the whole lot she says. I coiled back in horror. They are not working, is it? If not you wouldn't be here. She has a point.

So goodbye Chanel and Estee Lauder, hello La Roche-Posay, Clindoxyl, Differin and Glycoli Acid. And to make things go along even faster, a couple of monthly acid peels, starting with one at the end of the month. I have been warned that my face will actually get worse before clearing up so I'm bracing myself for it.

Beauty is only skin deep. It means looking good on the outside is superficial, hence skin deep, and what really counts is your personality.

Well, a girl can have both can't she?

And... We're Back

2010-08-17T07:06:00.008-04:00

I didn't plan on taking a hiatus. It just came about naturally. The many things which happened these last months had nothing to do with food and while I do share about the latest going-ons in Cookalot, some things are just best left in the family closet.

Several changes have taken place this year. First up, we have moved. For once it's just apartments and not countries. We had only signed on for a year in the previous one and the lease ended in July. It's still a three-bedroom condo, only smaller. But what we sacrificed in space, we exchanged for location. We are now living in a prime spot in terms of dining, entertainment and shopping. Most importantly, I can now walk Sonny-boy to school as opposed to sending and fetching him home in a cab. Yep, still haven't got round to learning how to drive. Next year. Promise.

Which brings me to the other major change. Starting in January this year, we have enrolled Sonny-boy in a local school. When we first arrived, we put him in an international school but the environment wasn't as conducive or nurturing as we would have liked it to be. After some discussion between Hubs and I, we decided we would try him out in a local school. Now the Singapore school system is notorious for being strait-laced but we thought the structure is exactly what Sonny-boy needs. I will not bore you with the details except to say he is doing well - not top of his class but not failing either - and has even joined the Red Cross. There are a couple of foreign students in his class so at least they have some common ground. To date, he's got two close friends, a boy from Singapore and a girl from Texas. Yes, blond haired, blue-eyed and all. Not in the inner circle but buddies all the same are another two boys from India and Vietnam. So, it's really quite good.

This is all I have time to chat about now. There are the other bits and pieces, but like the twelve days of Christmas, we'll count them down one at a time.

For the moment, pasta making beckons.

So nice to have my mojo back again.

I Am Stronger Than Lapsang Souchong.

2010-04-23T22:05:00.003-04:00

"A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt

If the above were true, I'd like to think after the past six weeks of intense testing of both mind and soul, I'm likened to aged pu-erh, gunpowder tea or even lapsang suchong (aka cigar ash in a teacup - you have to be in a certain mood for it).

I am a strong woman by anyone's standard.

The Little Pig Who Could

2010-03-19T09:10:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd end the week on a heartwarming note.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

After Dinner Conversation

2010-03-08T08:31:00.005-05:00

The three of us had just concluded a very satisfying raclette grill dinner in our patio and started to chat. Just before summoning up the energy to clear the dishes.

I can't remember how it came to be but Sonny-boy suddenly wanted to know why there wasn't a Burger King in the middle of the desert. So mum, in all her infinite wisdom and knowledge replied:

"That's because they only serve sandwiches..."

Geddit?

*****

In other news, we are going away for a quick getaway come Easter weekend. I 'd been under severe stress lately and needed retail therapy. Any sort of retail therapy. Even if it was just window shopping over the internet. And I got it alright - I made an impulse purchase that evening; a three day two night stay at the Nirwana Gardens Bintan Resort. Now to go tell the Hubby we'll be going away the first week of April.

Whoa.

2010-02-28T09:20:00.002-05:00

I just realised the whole of February came and went and not one entry was made. Will try and do better next month.

Bredemeijer Cosy® Teapot

2010-01-08T11:19:00.004-05:00

Bredemeijer Cosy® range of teapots and accessories. Love. Want.

Still Here

2010-01-06T05:11:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year, dear reader!

It's been almost a month since my last entry. It wasn't for loss of words, topics or recipes - I just couldn't scrounge the time! Instead of writing about life and food, I've been living it. And it wasn't half bad.

Will return when things have calmed down a bit.

For petite fleur, I've got another champagne brunch review just for you!

Christmas Wish List

2009-12-08T05:43:00.007-05:00

For Christmas, Sonny-boy would like, in no particular order, the following gifts:

lava lamp
toilet plunger (don't ask - your guess is as good as mine)
chair with features (mummy, I could live in it forever!)

We were stumped over the "chair with features". After some prodding, it turned out to be this.

How apt that it should be called uDream.

So what's on your kids' wish list this year?

Of Foodie Blogroll And Buffets

2009-12-04T18:31:00.006-05:00

Today's a red letter day for Lekker! as it's one of five random daily featured blogs on The Foodie Blogroll! With a membership of 5981, it feels like I've won the lottery. I've been staring at my Foodie side bar for a good couple of minutes now and I'm sure I'll be doing that some more throughout the day.

Last night's dinner was great. I wore my spaghetti strapped, knee-length, black chiffon dress. It's empire waisted with a bodice of interwoven strips of fabric that hang down from under the bust line. Extremely forgiving on the pear-shaped figure and hides all evidence of a buffet table raid.

Speaking of buffets, the dinner at Oscar's had oysters. Not one, not two, not even three but ten, mind you, TEN varieties! Who knew there were so many types to be had? I stopped at five before waving the proverbial white flag. My tummy - even if the way I eat contradicts the fact - is not a bottomless pit. There were other goodies to be sampled and I had to make room for them. The buffet selection was not mind boggling but the fare was very good. Also excellent were the waiters and waitresses. They were johnny-on-the-spot and very friendly. As we were waiting for our bill, one of the waiters informed us of their Sunday Amazing Graze Champagne Brunch. For some reason, I began to envision cows milling around the restaurant, chewing their cud.

Oi.

And, speaking of champagne brunches, we did one of those last Sunday. At the Raffles Hotel, no less. That was seriously posh nosh. Maybe the person who buys the ingredients (I'm sure there's a proper name for it, I just don't know what) is in with the local lobster supplier because a good part of the buffet had lobster in one form or the other. There was a seafood bisque, lobster ravioli, lobster tartare salad thingamajig and my personal favourite, steamed Maine lobster in all its shelled and clawed glory.

Then there was the foie gras station. I went twice. So did Hubs. The guy at the next table had six, two each trip. I don't blame him. It was pan fried upon request and served with sauteed apple and passion fruit.

Dessert was fantastic. They've revamped the selection and as luck would have it, the patisserie chef was there fussing over his exquisite little creations. After complimenting him on the spread, I picked his brains on how certain confections were made. One could see he was passionate about his work. He was not the only chef I harassed that morning. There was Chef Foie Gras (I must try and see if I can recreate the sauteed apple and passion fruit) and Chef Smoked Salmon Atop Buckwheat Pancake with Lobster Bisque. Eagle-eyed Big Boss Chef was there too, overseeing everything like a general. Every time he approached a station, one could almost see the chef in charge quiver. Not unlike the way I felt when Mrs. Aw, my primary school principal, walked imperiously towards my direction. Or one of the nuns for that matter. I was educated in a convent you see, and up to now, a sighting of one still strikes terror to the heart.

So yes, that was a pleasant Sunday with Hubs drinking champagne for two and me eating for the three of us. Sonny-boy is hopeless when it comes to buffets. Ice-cream and chocolate fountains notwithstanding, he eats like a rat. But we love him to bits anyway.

Friday Date Night

2009-12-03T23:47:00.008-05:00

Text message from wife to husband:

7pm tonight Oscar's at Conrad Hotel. International buffet. Bring appetite and handsome good looks :D

Now I've got to go find something nice to wear. Maybe that little black chiffon confection I bought last month ...

Tuesday Night's Dinner

2009-11-24T20:36:00.002-05:00

The monsoon season is upon us and it's been raining buckets on and off for the last two weeks. While the rain does bring relief to the sweltering heat, it means eating our meals in the patio was a no-go.

But last night was different. It had been dry all day and before you could say, "Monsoon", I'd laid out the table for dinner. Hubs was late, not from work for once but from collecting his birthday clubs and we didn't eat until almost 8pm.

Dinner was simple, just some ABC spaghetti I invented off the top of my head while at the supermarket earlier on. In case you were wondering, the ABC stands for Asparagus, Bacon and Courgette. The three ingredients were first stir-fried with some garlic (no oil because the bacon is already fatty) and finished off in cream before mixing in the pasta. This was accompanied by a no-frills Caesar Salad, some bruschetta and family time.

Birthday Presents For The Husband

2009-11-24T00:51:00.013-05:00

A Cookalot family tradition: Birthday boy or girl wears this hat throughout the day. At home of course. We are fun-loving people, not crazy.

Now that Sonny-boy is a manly nine going on ten year old, he, with some gentle prodding from me, decided he would buy Dad a birthday present. After some brainstorming, it was off to the nearest Build-A-Bear Workshop. Presenting our latest family member:

Rocky

How cool is that?

Hubs is a Harley Davidson fan (wants the bike someday) so Sonny-boy decked the chosen bear with all things Harley. From the t-shirt, leather jacket, chaps and bandanna right down to the shades. He even picked a pair of jeans similar to one of Dad's. And then there are the lace up shoes! It's got spikes at the bottom of the soles. Too cute! But cuteness comes at a price so Mum had to chip in half and even then, Sonny-boy felt the pinch. Which is good, because he had to forgo a toy he had been saving up for to buy Dad his present. And he got christening rights to the bear, too.

As for me, I bought Hubs a set of Ping Rapture irons for his birthday. It has to be custom-fitted in the US and takes about four weeks to arrive so with any luck, he should get it either this week or the next. While waiting for them, Hubs has gone and bought himself a putter, driver, hybrid something or other and a pitching wedge.

I think someone had a good birthday this year.