And So We Cook!

Our first fried beehoon attempt for 15 pax!

Beehoon is such a simple dish but yet is the most difficult to master! We havent quite gotten the taste right, so we threw in everything else yummy enough to cover up for what we were lacking in. Lupcheong, chyesim, taigehs, bacon, egg strips and carrots! :p We made our 3rd batch of home-marinated chic wings and received quite positive response for them! :) 

Found ourselves with leftover ingredients in our fridge on Sunday.

AND SO WE COOK! 

Sunday Dinner

1 ginger, 2 use

The juice goes into the claypot rice

And the almost dehydrated ginger bits into the sesame chicken broth!

The Man cut chye sim while I showered o.O"

So he claimed he doesnt like to eat this part of the vege! 

Dragon Year!

Settling into a new schedule this year with the new title. The prelude to CNY started off with a mini gathering at our place followed by 5 rounds of reunion meals over the long weekend! No pics to show but all are home cooked by the fabulous head chefs in each household!!!! Our turn this Sat to feed 15!!!! Luckily the cuz stays a stone's throw away! She's in charge of making the chap chye! And Thank God for google for making cooking life SO.MUCH.EASIER! Yes! Confession #1 in 2012 - I cook with Google and cookbooks for the more difficult dishes!!! I google for differences between baking soda and baking powder (and I regret not paying Chemistry more attention in college). I google for images of "how does a stiff peak look like" when the recipe asked to whisk the egg whites into a stiff peak. And my friend thought I was a real kitchen goddess from looking at my Food Tributes album on facebook!!

Char's 27th Nutella pie cum cavers' warming at our place.

Nutella pie recipe from where else but google! :D 

Am making another round of this with Baileys this Sat!!!

Research is ongoing for this Sat's food menu, as it is for the upcoming trip and the Michelin options :):) Food makes GLEE!!! :D

Eve of the CNY, little Mur all dressed up to usher in the Dragon Year!!! Silly boy hates to be dressed up!! :p

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Royal Carribean, Liberty of the Seas. Marina View, cabin view, restaurant view. 

Captain's Night - the dilemma of playing dressed up vs saving luggage space for more shopping!!

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Haiti. Paranomic of Paradise Cove. A Haitian game. Lost a Haitian game. Exclusive access to the private beach. Sunset.

::Nigelrene Loft:: CNY MEAL #2

After our mini reunion, there was a mini bakernanza for the weekend. Dessert for the girls on Saturday (which is today z.z) - NUTELLA pie!

Crust with nutella spread. With hazelnut praline (homemade!!). Nutella cheese fillings. Praline and fererro halves. It's going to be hazelnut overload!! Me LOVES!!!

Cant wait to see how it tastes like tomorrow! 

Happy Chinese New Year Everybody!!!!!!!

Eat more!!

Love more!!

And grow fat!! :):)

::Nigelrene Loft:: CNY MEAL #1

It's the eve of the eve of the eve and before we go on our rounds of reunion dinners, N&I had a mini one at our home.

Prep and cook time: 1.5 hours, and dinner was served at 9pm :x

The FIRST time using our rice cooker, FIRST time cooking rice. The result was too little rice! So we had a tablespoonful each

蒜（Suan4) with taukwa - Suan4 also means count in Mandarin. 

Symbolizes good wealth and fortune ahead for the new year - because can count lots of money!!!!

Steamed fish － Fish is 鱼 in Mandarin 

Symbolises 年年有余 （鱼）- Abundance and plentiful every year!

Happy Chinese New Year!!! :)

::Nigelrene Loft:: CHINESE DUMPLINGS (JIAOZI)

 N&I have had many major cookouts at home. But this is the only one where we got photo to show of us slogging away in the kitchen, yet also the only one where we didnt prepare the meal ;)

Chinese dumpling from SCRATCH!

 Recipe for the dumpling requires an agar-ation of ingredients. So the only takeaways for everyone present that day was how to roll your dough into a round shape and how to wrap the dumpling without making it look like a curry-pok :S

::Nigelrene Loft:: GIFFYS!

When I saw these on K's Facebook album one day, I knew I HAD TO get them!!

So for the records, I just shopped off the FACEBOOK!! :p And all thanks to O for remembering the whatsapp "Purchase Order" I sent 3 months back with a picture of the picture on Facebook. :):)

Here's the taller Giffy, who can reach our bar counter!

1 more day till I see baby!

Sis sent me a series of his NUA FACE picture updates midweek. 

 

::Nigelrene Loft:: WEIGHING SCALES

This hand-me-down traditional weighing scale from my mum that has served me rather well for all my previous baking adventures, all the way till the Kueh Balus last Saturday.

We ve bought new scales now!! 

Pull out digital display and super slim. Got it in black to match our granite top too! :) Love digital scales - precise to the 2nd decimal place!!! 

Kueh Balus from Saturday - still needs fine tuning before they can see the world :D

Little man was all ready to take the first bite! :D And first bite he did take!

Happy 2012!!!

It started with an extended staycation over at My New Home last Friday!

I was the little rascal who destroyed my parents' parquet floor that night! :D

Daddy & Mummy brought me home and went out to party immediately! :( I usually dont follow whenever they are out on dates but that night, I tried to wriggle myself out of the door before it slammed shut but they kept shoving me back into the house :'(

Disheartened, I retreated back into the house and waited for a looooong looooong time before they came back...So I decided to be naughty and pee on their floor! I chose the parquet instead of the smooth tiled ones because that seem more precious to Mummy - Even Roomba isnt allowed in there sometimes!

Hrmph!

When they finally came home, I forgot that I was angry with them and went to welcome them! And I also forgot all about my pee! It wasnt until I heard The Angry Voice from Mummy when she stepped on my pee in the MBR.

Uh oh!

Better hide!!!! Cane is coming!!!!

Luckily there is no cane in My New Home (yet), so that saved my precious fluffy ass! :D My tail's still intact!

And I also tried to look as cute as possible to prevent more scoldings...

I IS poor thing. Will you forgive me?

Daddy came to sayang me before bedtime too.. :)

And Mommy baked me a beef treat the next day with the shepherd pie's ingredients she used for her friends that night :)

And all is good at home now!

My new year resolution is to behave like a good boy and not make Daddy&Mummy angry again :) And to up my cuteness level so that I can get away with naughty deeds once in a while :):)

What do u think of my current 'cute face'?