Thai for Lunch

Lunch at Chiang Mai Palace. Authentic Thai and not so authentic fusion dishes. The fries are seasoned with Thai herbs that taste pretty good. Always have room for a cold and sour Thai salad any day.

Ravioli from scratch

Eggs and flour to make dough. Basic and oh so simple right? Italians only put in yolks that makes the dough softer. Hhmm..it doesn't make that much of a difference to me. For me, it's about the type of flour and the mix.

After mixing, the flour is divided into portions to be run through the pasta maker. I always struggle with the manual crank. This is why people buy ready-made pasta.

Preparing the ravioli stuffing is easy. I chose a mushroom mixture as I had the ingredients on hand. Mixed with lots of parmesan cheese.

Good enough to be eaten on it's own. Now to make ravioli.

2 pieces of dough and stuffing in between. This ravioli attachment is a dream. I have tried making ravioli by hand before and it wasn't so pretty.

Coq au Vin

A classic French recipe for a French oven - my new Le Creuset Capiscum. It's a slow cooking dish that seems a little out of place in our lives today but worth the effort as it is DElicious! Especially since I made tagliatelle from scratch for this dish as well!

Fry onions and bacon then toss it into the French oven. Fry the chicken and toss it into French oven as well. Then add some brandy and try to flambe it. Mine didn't light so I gave up. I tied a herb bouquet, added some lemon juice, tomato paste, garlic cloves and half a bottle of red wine. Put on the lid and leave it to cook in the oven or over the stove for a really long time!

Prepare the glazed mushrooms at the same time the coq au vin is simmering. Add the beurre manie carefully to ensure it's evenly distributed, then toss in the glazed mushrooms. Close the lid and let it stew in it's own juices until ready to serve.

Race Day Scratch Cards

Singapore pools only organizes these scratch cards during the Singapore F1 races. I bought 5 to try my luck. The grand prize is $10,000 *woohoo* 

First, I win a dollar. What am I going to do with a doller? So I exchanged it for 1 more card.

Then I tried again and won $2, that I exchanged for more scratch cards. There is no point playing if I don't hit it big or at least 3 figures right?

I won $3 this time around and exchanged it for mORe tickets like an addict. I didn't win anything and had to stop anyway because the outlet ran out of scratch tickets...it's printed in a limited run.

Bernard's new pad

An impromptu hamper for my brother who has just moved into his new place. Yes, I know - my excess. I had to run out and buy the candy though.

White and black interiors. No one told me it's also about mirrors! To make the built-in cabinets blend. What an amazing storage space.

Now, for a photo tour of the place. An eight seater dining table with the tv positioned in front, it's a neccessity. What a view and what a great night breeze!

The dry kitchen, dining and living room occupy one massive space, with the balcony running parallel. Couldn't ask for a better floor plan. There's my hamper on the coffee table.

From this angle you can see the dry kitchen from the living room. If you think this is a showflat, it is because of the luxe wallpapers from Goodrich. What a marvelous mix of textures and material within a classic B&W scheme.

Won a Facial Treatment!

It's still from the same Her World magazine! Unbelievable right?

Hope I strike gold and get one of the luxury prizes from the $100,000 draw.

 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Since I had leftover food flavouring/colouring from the rainbow cake attempt, I decided to make red velvet cupcakes. Cupcakes instead of cake because I have cupcake holders that make cleaning up so much easier to do.

Never thought the day would come when I add red dye to baked goods. But, here goes.

Using a new vinigar assisted recipe, the cupcakes ballooned in the oven. I transferred them to the freezer to cool quickly before piping on cream cheese frosting. Absolutely scrumptious.

Now, for my favourite part: Decorating! I just grabbed everything the Baking Shop carried: candy confetti, red heart biscuits, gold & silver sugar pearls.

The finished product: Red Velvet Cupcakes!