Sourdough Companion and Sourdough Baker are two brilliant resources for learning how to develop your own sourdough starter and what to do with it afterwards (ie. recipes for baking your own bread). Neither were kidding when they say to expect a lot of reading and research when you embark on this sourdough journey.

I used the 7-day starter recipe in an old jam jar. The guide is pretty comprehensive, but my first attempt resulted in mould growing on the starter on Day 5 as I neglected to sterilise the jar.

Into the bin that went and cue attempt 2, this time with a sterilised jar (with boiling water). The starter grew amazingly on Day 3, but activity kinda died down. But I went ahead to use it to bake my first sourdough bread – I was terribly impatient.

My first loaf was ridiculously awful. I knew the liquid starter was not very strong, so I added yeast. The result was an extremely dense cake-like bread.

Back to the drawing board and with this starter guide, I got our liquid starter looking much better, though not as active as in the guide’s photos. I was much more careful with the measurements, but not with the timings.

This 2nd attempt is a lot better, though the insides were not as cooked as it should be.

Here’s to hoping the next loaf is better yet.

This work dinner to celebrate the arrival of the Water Dragon this Chinese New Year (albeit belated) was several weeks in the making. What with colleagues still away from Christmas break and meetings which couldn’t be rescheduled, it took several emails to coordinate everyone’s availability and agree on a location.

I had nothing to do with the organisation, but was glad I was able to join in. Being the newbie means having to try and participate in as many social work functions as possible to get to know everyone.

I had been to Bamboo Basket once before and I was looking forward to this dinner.

One of the first things anyone would notice when they see the restaurant is their restaurant kitchen. It is a wall of glass facing Grey Street, so the staff are constantly on display. But these guys run a tight ship, keeping everything orderly and pumping out steamers of food by the tower load.

Upon arrival, the staff ushered us to the quieter half of the restaurant to the table for all 13 of us set in a corner. Obviously they are familiar with dealing with larger groups, such as ours. We got to be in our own little world without fear of disturbing other patrons.

Their menu is pretty extensive, but Bamboo Basket is known for their fresh xiao long baos (小笼包) – literally translated as ‘little dragon buns’. These steamed babies are the royalty of dumplings. Wrapped in their silky thin skins is a delicious blend of pork mince with other ingredients – and soup.

To eat 小笼包, one must carefully picked up onto your spoon so as not to break open the delicate sac to dip in dark vinegar and ginger, and pop in one mouthful. You’ll be rewarded with an explosion of succulent mince and flavourful soup. A basket of 4 pieces is AUD$7.90.

The other dumplings are just as delicious and start from AUD$6.90. I also recommend the panfried crispy egg and chive flatbread (AUD$12.90), and pan-fried Shang Dong style pork dumplings (6 pieces, AUD$11.90).

And while the desserts are lovely, they still don’t hold a candle to the dumplings.

Bamboo Basket is open for lunch and dinner everyday of the week and worth the trip over to Southbank if you’re a dumpling lover.

The rain clouds here in Brisbane have (mostly) gone for the season. And we’re now baking from the unrelenting sunshine.

Sunglasses and sunscreen are a must for any outdoor activities, but I am not complaining. It’s nice to step out of a controlled climate environment to breathe in some fresh air and get a little Vitamin D.

At my last blood work, I was told I had extremely low levels of that vitamin. The doctor suggested I could either pop 4 pills or get at least 20 minutes of sunshine everyday. I opted for the free course of UV, thank you very much.

So I guess skin whitening is never going to be an option for me.

My nails have been a little retarded lately, so I cut them back short and allowing them to grow out for a few weeks.

Inspired by the flurry of pink everywhere for Valentine’s Day and Yayoi Kusama’s World of Dots, I went nuts with a dotting tool and toothpick.

Nail polishes:

• Cutex’s 2 in 1 base coat
• OPI in Alpine Snow
• Revlon® Nail Enamel in Wild Strawberry
• Sally Hansen’s Super Shine top coat

It’s February and GLOSSYBOX has made this a Valentine’s edition! Complete with white, pink and glittery shredded filler and a contents card covered in hearts, this box seems to be about puckers.

Review of the GLOSSYBOX Service Experience

Another delivery with no dramas, so their product processing is definitely working out well. Three days after receiving a tracking number via email, the delivery slip was dropped in our letterbox to collect the package at our nearest post office. I wonder if it’s now possible to have them delivered to our PO box instead.

Review of the Beauty Samples

In February’s GLOSSYBOX, the extras thrown in included:

• a tube of Love Hearts candy
• $15 off activeskin.com.au
• PROACTIVE offer slip for $20 off the PROACTIVE Ultimate System

Overall, I’m a little underwhelmed with this box. 4 out of the 5 products are full-sized (if you consider the miniature nail files full-sized), but the products themselves are not particularly Valentine-themed or romantic.

CARMEX Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating lipbalm

I have seen Carmex products around, but never purchased before (I’m a recent Lucas’ Papaw Ointment convert) – not really sure why, seeing as I have ridiculously dry (and peeling) lips.

The packaging is really quite slim, so it wouldn’t take up any room. This does mean you don’t get as much product, so if you’re a heavy lipbalm user, you might find yourself picking up refills more frequently.

The vanilla scent is strong, though not overpowering – it sort of reminds me of MAC lipsticks. Slicked on, it is not particularly greasy and does leave my lips feeling hydrated. It lasts surprisingly longer than I expected and I wake up in the morning with pretty supple lips. That’s really saying something for me. Overall, it’s a good product to pick up from a drugstore and I would definitely consider purchasing again.

LANGLOIS Natural Olive Lip Balm in strawberry

Langlois is an unknown cosmetic brand to me. Apparently they are based in New South Wales and specialise in growing olives. This lip balm is one of several skincare products they produce, including soap and moisturiser.

The packaging is pretty stock standard for commercial lip balm – tube with a twist bottom to push and retract the product. The balm itself is tinged slightly yellow, but glides on clear and very easily. It leaves a greasy feeling on the lips, which comes off to some extent when rubbed with fingers, but not overly so. Some might not be too used to that, but it’s tolerable and certainly hydrated my chapped lips.

What does get me is the strawberry scent. It reminds me of cosmetics targeted at pre-teen girls who think buying tinted lipbalm to wear to school is living dangerously and tres cool. Thankfully the scent is only noticeable in its tube and only a couple of seconds upon application, wearing off quickly.

PROACTIVE Deep Cleansing Wash

Who hasn’t heard of Proactive?! They’ve been around awhile now and with big celeb names such as Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Bieber backing the brand, it’s hard not to notice their shopping mall kiosks.

However I already have a skincare regime that works for me and some reviews have mentioned this product can make breakouts worse if they were not that bad to begin with (some recommend using only every other day). So I’ll test run this product a little later when I am expecting a hormonal skin breakout.

STAR AND ROSE Floral Wonderland Emergency Nail Files

How adorable is this print?! I did a little gushing over this Star And Rose nail files when I opened it. This is one of four designs they have available.

You have to bend back and tear off each mini file, so don’t expect to use them for a full manicure or pedicure – it’s just too frustrating. But if you have a nail or two which needs some filing, this is a pretty good thing to carry around in your purse.

e.l.f Essential Hypershine Gloss in Raspberry

If you’re into beauty products, you would’ve heard about US brand e.l.f. It stands for ‘Eyes Lips Face’ and they are known for being extremely affordable and web friendly. Back in Singapore, group orders for e.l.f were a weekly occurrence for many group order communities.

While this product is USD$1 on their US website (today’s currency exchange rate is approximately AUD$0.93), once shipping is factored in, AUD$3.99 isn’t a bad price tag.

Love the packaging – a clear tube with the twist dial at the bottom to load product into the brush tip. I personally prefer this type of packaging for lip glosses, as I believe they’re more hygienic as there’s little risk of double-dipping wands/applicators and for bacteria to fester.

When swatched on the hand, the tint is highly pigmented with a touch of shimmer. It’s not particularly moisturising, so for those like me with extremely dry lips, you cannot skip the chapstick/Lucas’ Papaw Ointment.

Lemon lime bitters, trio of dips with charred bread (AUD$14), roasted kipflers with pancetta, asparagus and oregano (AUD$12)

Since the SO first visited Cloudland shortly after its opening in 2009 on work functions, he promised he’d take me there every time we drive/walk past.

It’s taken him over 2 years, but he has finally fulfilled his promise by taking us there to celebrate our 4th anniversary.

It might take him awhile, but I can never say the man hasn’t made good on his promises. (^_^)

Piri piri flamed prawns with whisky, lemon and bread. AUD$18

Cloudland has always brought forth this illusion of a fairy garden wonderland, where anything could pop around the corner. There is always something new to discover with every corner you turn – some detail above or in the curve of the furnishings.

If you’re looking to impress someone with ambience, this is the place to be.

Steamed black mussels, napolitana, chilli, prosciutto, charred bread. AUD$17

Roasted eggplant, fetta, coriander, sherry infused grapes. AUD$16

Seared scallops, pea puree, serrano, caramelised peaches. AUD$16

Would I visit again? Maybe, if there was a special event. Though I probably wouldn’t hold out for the food.

Which immediately played this in my mind.

Except I couldn’t bring myself to bring a box of chocolates to a grown man who likes red wine and hits the gym on a regular basis.

Right?

Armed with a bottle of red as an offering and several beers for ourselves, we spent the evening on his ENORMOUS deck – no, it’s not a euphemism – chatting with a motley crew of individuals from a variety of walks of life, trying to prevent ourselves from being eaten alive by mosquitoes and watched the approaching storm roll in.

Beef massamam, thai red chicken curry and thai green vegetarian curry – we were spoilt for choice. Nothing too spicy, lest anyone with low intolerance cry ‘fire’.

And to top it off, homebaked fig and walnut cake with mock cream, banana cake with icing, cheesecake…

Not a bad way to round off a weekend, eh?

On our last afternoon on Stradbroke Island, we drove up to Fishes At The Point Cafe for lunch.

Seeing the huge mugs of mocha other patrons were having with the slight chill in the air had both a friend and I aching for some ourselves. And they heaped the chocolate in the creamy milk – absolutely perfect for hugging in one’s hands.

However we couldn’t help snickering when the SO’s strong latte was brought forth in a Coca-Cola glass.

I mean, having beers poured in a different brand’s glass is fairly normal and no one really cares, but coffee in a soda glass? Really? At least the coffee is good, so they can be forgiven.

Salt & pepper calamari. AUD$11 (E)

The SO was keen to try their salt and pepper calamari, so we picked it up as an entree. The calamari was well cooked, without being tough as boots. Their own blend of Szechuan spices and sea salt lends a good punch of flavour, but it is the orange sesame dressing that is truely divine! I kept coming back for more by soaking my chips in it.

This also comes as a main for AUD$22.

Straddie Fisherman's Basket. AUD$22

The SO had the Straddie Fisherman’s Basket, which is barramundi or coral trout, fresh calamari, prawn, sea scallop, fat chips, salad, lemon wedge and tartare sauce. He was disappointed there was only one of each item, but didn’t complain about the quality of the food.

Classic fish and chips. AUD$16

I had the fish and chips with barramundi (crumbed). Punters have the option of barra or coral trout, either crumbed or grilled. I quite enjoyed the fat cut chips and fresh salad, but the 2 sachets of Heinz tartare sauce was a little overkill.

Its amazing view overlooking to the ocean is a key draw card. Holidayers in casual beachwear (NOT swimsuit) and glamouraties in stellar heels rub shoulders at this watering hole as the sun goes down, and everyone prefers to be seated outside to savour the dusty golds and reds of a sunset.

And for campers on Cylinder Beach, you cannot ask for a more convenient location. If the weather is dry and you’re sure-footed, you can take the short cut up the hill and through the trees from the campsite, or down the end of the beach to climb the wooden stairs. Otherwise, it’s a short walk around via the main road. In fact, if you’ve had a few too many, I highly recommend taking the longest (but safest) road.

We have only ever had food from the Beer Garden menu, which kinda excludes us from the Bistro area and its slightly pricier menu selection. You will have to find your own table and there is a different line at the cashier for ordering from the Beer Garden menu. You’ll get issued with a pager, that beeps and vibrates to let you know your order is ready to be collected.

The Beer Garden menu is pricier than your local fish and chips, but both the seafood and salad are fresh. The 2 cherry tomatoes literally explode when you bite into them and the dressing is refreshing.

I opted for the fried seafood plate, which had 2 scallops, 2 prawns, 2 small pieces of fish and 2 calamari. The crunchy texture was consistent across the different pieces and they tasted fine. The scallop was a little dry, but that’s expected.

The SO had the fish and chips. Once he had peeled back the batter, he felt the pieces of fish were kinda small. I nicked some of the batter and found it light, airy – just the way I like my batter when having battered fish.

Good OL' Fish 'n' Chips with salad. AUD$25

Fried seafood plate. AUD$18.50

Crumbed Calamari Rings with chips & salad. AUD$18.50

Homemade Beef Lasagna. AUD$21.50

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would’ve seen hearts, red and pink everywhere as people and businesses crank up l’amore in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.

Now if you (or your partner) is anything like the SO, your romance factor is probably about as dead as a door nail. It’s not that you don’t care (you most certainly do!). It’s just you don’t know what to do.

And if you (or your partner) is anything like me, you probably don’t mind an unromantic partner, because it’s all a commercial stunt, yaddah yaddah yaddah. Besides, you want something useful, damnit!

So here’s a quick little Valentine’s Day gift guide for the domestic goddess – cute functional homeware you can package up with the bouquet of flowers.

1. Tuscan Amore Plate from Isabella
2. Olive Oil Dipping Dish from Cox and Cox
3. Set Of Six Heart Shaped Teaspoons from Not On High Street
4. Heart Bundt Pan from Broadway Panhandler
5. Love To Bake Measuring Set from Modcloth
6. Zero Japan Teapot, Saturn from Everten
7. INSIDEOUT Hearts Cup Set of 6 from Yedihouse