The Flu Bugs

After a week plus of hacking coughs, snotty noses and Bub's teething periods, Hubs finally caught our yuck germs. Look what I found in bed last nite :)

A pair of flu bugs passed out in unison, clutching onto their bantal busuk for dear life.

A Pair of Sick Bunnies

Image credit

 Bubs and I are down with the nastiest, yuckiest flu bug ever. We've been using up boxes of Kleenex, sipping on hot drinks and being grumpy together. Hubs has been amazing, getting up in the middle of the night to get me Panadol, to rock Bubs back to sleep each time he wakes up. Can't wait for this bug to be gone. Meh.

The Swollen Eye and Elmo

Bubs had a bit of a swollen eye, it didn't look that serious but Hubs insisted we had it checked out. We went to the doctor's first thing that morning so there wasn't too long of a wait. Thankfully, the doctor said it looked like it's probably just a bit of an allergy to maybe dust mites and told us to give him some Aerius.

I got bored waiting for our turn and snapped a photo of my electric blue ballet flats. Bubs got impatient and decided he wanted to be in the photo.

After that, we went mall trawling again *grins* We'd a gift voucher so we took Bubs to the toy department and watch him go nuts there. He's in this Sesame Street phase and he seemed to really like Elmo so we got him a talking Elmo which he adored to bits. I was actually looking for a Tickle Me Elmo which used to be really popular a whole back but I think they stopped selling it here? It was kind of cute watching Bubs carry Elmo everywhere he went, hugging and petting it.

 Elmo tagged along with us everywhere we went.

This is Elmo right before the Incident, Elmo's fur is still plush and has that new toy smell. If you look at the blue shopping bag on the chair, it contained a bottle of apple cider vinegar. Moral of the story: never put a glass bottle full of strong smelling liquid on a restaurant chair and forget about it. I knocked it over, the bottle shattered and the whole restaurant was filled with the tangy smell of apple cider vinegar *blushes* Elmo's fur got soaked and Bubs was wailing because we wouldn't let him hold Emo. Lets just say we left a generous tip along with the bill and couldn't leave the restaurant fast enough.

Embracing the 80s and my Dotty Lunch Buddies

Ever since I've gotten my pair of treggings, I've started embracing the 80s.

People, I present to you Exhibit A: the jeggings. Part jeans, part leggings, in a stone wash *gasp* no less! Snicker all you like, these are as soft as pyjamas and oh so comfortable to wear, especially on days where you feel like dragging yourself to work. All I can say is thank goodness my office dress code is casual.

The best part of my weekday is lunching out with my lunch buddies.

This is me trying to snap what I thought would be an artistic shot. You can see the Glamazon laughing at me and Le Petite took this photo of the both of us trying to snap artistic photos.

Le Petite and my BFF are often mortified by my embarrassing antics during lunch and wisely chose to ignore me while I was busy snapping photos of them. Love Le Petite's pink polka dotted phone cover and the natural, totally unedited light flare behind my BFF.

The Glamazon is embracing the 80s too, she was also decked out in this gorgeous polka dot dress. She very kindly shielded her face for me so I wouldn't need to crop it out. Told you I've the best lunch buddies.

Of Waffles & Pancakes

Usually on weekdays, I'm rushed for time and have a quick breakfast of muesli with yogurt or a takeaway from the office canteen.

Roost's gorgeous shot of waffles and recipe stopped me right in my tracks. I wish I'd time for something as decadent as this in the mornings!

That got me inspired to look for more brilliant breakfast options.

Bet this Yoda pancake would delight any Star Wars fan.

How cute are these bite sized Poptarts on sticks?

These pancakes are literally edible pieces of art! Guaranteed to bring a smile to any kid, big or small alike :)

What is your dream breakfast?

Cup of Jo's Best Choc Chunk Cookies

I grew up in a very biscuit-y family. With 3 snack-loving children, there would always be different varieties of biscuits to tide us over until the next meal. In addition to the usual Jacobs crackers, there would be British Bourbon biscuit that were carefully rationed due to its "heatiness"properties, Dad loves his butter cookies and Arnotts assortments.

So I was more than excited when I found this Choc Chunk Cookie recipe on Cup of Jo. 
As always, I cannot stop tweaking recipes. There are the variations I made:

• Changed the flour to pastry flour based on this recipe
• Omitted the salt flakes
• Refrigerated them for 24 hrs, because the NY Times said so 

I probably shouldn't have used 85% dark choc, the look I got from Hubs and La Petite's face when they first bit into it were hilarious! Bubs loved it though and kept wanting more "koo-kie"

When I first moved out, I instantly got a Pyrex measuring cup because it's what I've seen Mum use throughout the years

Lovely, almost fudge-y smell of the muscovado sugar

Freshly baked cookies - they look really uneven because I didn't had time to shape them out nicely. I initially used 2 spoons to shape them nicely then gave up

Recipe: Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Muscovado and Fleur de Sel
Makes 2 dozen cookies

If you don't have issues with gluten, you can use 8 ounces (230g) of all-purpose wheat flour in place of the gluten-free flours.

You'll need:
1 stick (110 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100 g) packed light muscovado sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
1 cup (140 g) brown rice flour
1/2 cup (60 g) amaranth flour
1/4 cup (30 g) tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus more for topping
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (170 g) chocolate chunks or chips

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, muscovado sugar, natural cane sugar and vanilla extract. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes until light. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the egg and mix until combined.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, amaranth flour, tapioca starch, fleur de sel, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until the dough comes together.
3. Add the chocolate chunks and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
4. Scoop the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. With the help of the parchment, roll the dough into a log that is approximately 2 inches in diameter and 12 inches long. Wrap the log with the parchment and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. In this time, preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Cut the log into 1/2-inch disks. Place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats leaving 2 inches in between the cookies.
6. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of fleur de sel. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until edges set and start to turn golden. They might look a bit underdone, but this is fine. They will harden as they cool and slightly under-baking them will keep them chewy and moist.
7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before trying to lift them. Store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Fashion Friday: She-Ra

After reading this brilliant post, I was inspired to blog about my childhood heroine *blush*

As a child of the 80s, I was obsessed over She-Ra. There was nothing my friends and I loved more than to re-enact She-Ra episodes during recess. While all the boys raved non stop about He-Man, we'd snort dismissively and start describing how amazing her flying unicorn was. We all wanted to be She-Ra with her long, swishy hair, white mini dress and high heeled boots ...... errrr, that didn't quite come out right but you get the idea.

1.  Beyond Vintage V Neck Lace Batwing Dress
2.  Feather Fascinator
3. Tiffany Elsa Peretti Bone Cuff
4. Paul & Joe Sister Chenapan Red Cape
5. Prada leather boots
6. Tom Binns choker
7. Gold Feather Hair Pins

I thought these would work very well for the Princess of Power in a modern day setting. She could fight off the Horde and still look snazzy at the same time. Who were your childhood heroes?

The Gremlin and Red Choc Mint Tea

Oft late, there's a Gremlin in the house. He roams around seeking things to destroy, you can hear him from far away banging objects merrily with a spoon or flinging things out from drawers. Should you hear a sudden, prolonged silence, it is most likely that the Gremlin is up to his nefarious acts. When confronted, the Gremlin would flash a cheeky grin, fling the incriminating evidence at you and screaming while running away as fast as his two little legs will take him.

Why sit quietly with just one book when you can sweep half the contents of the book shelf out onto the floor?

The Gremlin loves chaos; the more mess, the better. Which is probably the reason why I found him in my wardrobe.

The Gremlin is known for his boundless energy. Once I failed in an attempt to lure him to sleep and re-assigned the task to Hubs, I drifted off to sleep myself hearing Hubs sing ABCD over and over again in variations of different melodies and caught shadowy glimpses of little Gremlin fists shaking in time to the song. On that night, Hubs reported the Gremlin finally passed out half an hour before midnight.

It's no wonder I needed cups and cups of tea to get through the day. If I could, I'd rub T2's Red Choc Mint tea leaves all over myself, the scent of chocolate mint tea leaves is so seductive. When no one is looking, I take sneaky sniffs from the tiny little container I use to store the tea leaves. Mmmm ...

Happy Stay Home Days

Our dining out and mall trawling has gotten to a point where each time we drive past a mall, Bubs points at it and says happily "walk walk!", even at malls where he's never been before, making me wonder how does he even know that those are malls? Is it based on some kind of shopaholic gene that I've passed down to him in his DNA blueprint?

Contrary to popular belief, yes, we are capable of spending time at home without going out ... well, sometimes, that is :)

 

The best thing to do at home is to make a hot cup of tea and slowly sip it while curling up in bed, enjoying the brief silence and peace while Bubs is asleep during his afternoon nap. It may sound like a terribly old lady habit but the British have got it right that there's nothing a nice hot cup of tea won't fix. I'm currently fixated on silver needle white tea which is supposed to have the highest amount of anti oxidants, surpassing even green tea. It has a very light and clean taste, making it an excellent cuppa to relax with.

I love chick lit but don't really want to splurge on it, though I always make an exception for my favourite chick lit author, Sophie Kinsella. Her books often have me in stitches and is the thing ever to cheer anyone up. The Shopaholic series were brilliant and I think there's a little Becky Bloomwood in all of us!

Mum gave me an old abacus but the frame broke so I kept the colourful wooden beads and it's now one of Bubs's favourite toys. I mixed the wooden beads with some clean pebbles, gave him some plastic spoons, ladles, an old loaf tin and a bunch of assorted bowls and voila! He can sit there for ages, happily pouring the beads and pebbles from small containers to big containers, scooping with the ladles and pretending to feed Teddy Bear, going "UMMM". It's funny how the best things in life are often the simplest :)

Treggings and Dinner at Yea

 

Topshop Treggings have to be one of the best inventions, thicker than your standard leggings with an almost trouser like material (hence the name treggings) but still incredibly comfy that you feel like you're wearing pyjama out. They have plenty of room to stretch, making them an ideal choice for a massive, all you can eat buffet.

Namely Yea at Penang Times Square.I know, I know, you're thinking that Penang doesn't need another BBQ slash steamboat buffet restaurant but believe me when I tell you that this place is really different to the rest.

Yea is huge with both an upstairs and downstairs dining area. The choices of food for both BBQ and steamboat are mind boggling, you get generous portions of ready prepared food like streaky bacon, fish, lamb shoulder, beef, scallops, oysters. Vegetarians, do not despair: there are still options like a variety of mushrooms, green leafy bits, corn on cob.

What really stood out for me was the level of service at Yea. The staff were polite and very attentive,  patiently giving us cooking demos and very helpful to demonstrate how you could use different sauces and dips to get more unusual pairings. Not being a fan of streaky bacon, I was blown away when the waiter grilled the bacon and wrapped it around a piece of kimchi - the flavour was amazing and something I'd never have thought of myself.

The grill was another fun bit - it's made from something they call a "crystal stone". It kinda reduced the charring of food which is good and the best part was that every time after using it, you could just clean it by squirting water over it and scraping it off very easily and hey presto! Ready for another grilling session :) 

Variety is the keyword, there were so many types of desserts from a chocolate fountain with marshmallow kebobs, freshly cut fruit slices, ice cream (from different tubs of flavours to ice cream sticks) and tiny little cakes, the green tea sponge was my personal favourite. 

Soooooo looking forward to another session at Yea!

Cult Classic Chicken Pie and the Graffiti Artists

The Penang Hill chicken pie is a cult classic, nearly everyone has heard of it, probably tasted it at some point in their life but to actually get their hands on it is a totally different story. It's not available in any shop or restauran, there's no advertisement for it and whenever you ask people for the contact, they'd say a friend of a friend of theirs pre-ordered it months in advance.

So to say that I was happy when YC, my sis-in-law, gave us some of the very elusive pies was definitely an understatement. At a glance, the pie looks deceptively humble with tiny charred bits at the edges. Once you take a bite, you'd be astounded by how scrumptious both the flaky crust and the soft, almost creamy filling inside. You can spot chunks of chicken, pea and a hard boiled egg all laced with a twist of Worcestershire sauce.

While I was lost in the moment of enjoying every mouthful of the pie, the house was suspiciously silent. My mummy instincts tingled and sensing something amiss, I went to the living room. Hubs and Bubs were lying on the floor, flat on their backs, talking in hushed voices and when I came closer, both went quiet. People, this is what happen when you leave 2 monsters alone with a box of crayons.

 

Apparently they decided that drawing under the table would be the least likely place for me to discover their graffiti. When confronted, the big monster hastily shoved the crayons into the little monster's tee and said "he did it!"

Both monsters' artwork. Not something that I'd be wiping off in a hurry, LOL.

Weekends are Meant For ...

Many years ago, a family friends once said "weekends will never be the same again once you start working full time". And it's true! There's nothing like 2 days of pure rest and sloth to recover from the hectic work week.

Weekends are the best time to experiment in the kitchen. We had this 1kg tub of Greek yoghurt in the fridge and I was intrigued by this pancake recipe. It made one of the best pancakes we've ever had - they were delightfully thick and moist, just the way I like my pancakes to be, not to mention incredibly simple to make.

Blueberry and Greek Yoghurt Pancakes (recipe from Apples Under My Bed)

Serves 2, makes 4 medium pancakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup Wholemeal Plain Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 pinches of Salt
2 heaped teaspoons Brown Sugar
1 egg
5 heaped tablespoons Greek Yoghurt, plus extra for serving (I used Black Swan No-Fat Greek Yoghurt)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1-2 tablespoons Blueberries (depending on how berry-licious you like it), plus extra for serving - fresh or defrosted
Pure Maple Syrup, for serving
A squeeze of Lemon would also be lovely when serving

Method

1. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and brown sugar in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and add it to the flour mixture, along with the Greek yoghurt and vanilla extract.
3. Fold the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
4. Add the blueberries and gently fold through a final time.
5. Heat two non-stick pans over low heat - if you don't have two pans simply use one pan to cook two pancakes at a time and keep the cooked pancakes warm on a plate by covering them with foil. Grease the pan lightly with margarine or butter.
6. Test whether the pan is hot by flicking a little water on it, if the water dances, the pan is ready.
7. Use a ladle to spoon the mixture into the pan to make 4 pancakes.
8. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes and the bottom is golden, flip them - be careful, this is a moist mixture so they won't be well formed and will be a little tricky to flip perfectly.
9. Cook until golden, and serve with a spoon of Greek yoghurt, extra blueberries and a drizzle of maple syrup.

I omitted blueberries and maple syrup because I didn't have them on hand but Bubs went crazy over them when served with a dab of honey and fresh bananas. He kept saying "more" repeatedly. That's his little baby fist shaking very determinedly at them.

Hubs preferred his sweetened with jam.

Nothing burns off a toddler's energy more than a long romp around the neighbourhood. Bubs's snazzy green slip ons vs my trusty black Birks which have seen me throughout pregnancy.

Bubs examining the road and jabbing at it with his stick.

The Banana Bag, Cadburyland and Dinner with Friends

Check out the wonder that is the Glamazon's Banane Taipei bag. When she first told us the price and how much it'd cost for her friend to courier it here, we told her that she was nuts. The Glamazon was so in love with the bag, we all received a crash course in how to authentic a Banane Taipei bag (they come with certificates of authenticity) and how the yellow one is a special edition. It does look cute and fashionistas have been asking her about it whenever she carries it out!

If you've ever tried to imagine how Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in the book would look like without watching the movie, head down to the Cadbury promo booths at Queensbay this weekend. It's easily one of the best decorated promo booths I've seen in a long while. There are trees sprouting chocolate truffles, larger than life sized chocolate bunnies and toadstools along with paving made from the iconic Cadbury chocolate squares. They are incredibly generous with samples and balloons to keep the little ones happy. I also spotted a photo booth and chocolate fountains with marshmallow skewers.

Emm invited us to her church's dinner and again, Bubs was incredibly shy whenever they were other children around, he clung to us tightly and didn't really want to mingle with the bigger kids. I did spot him shyly approaching girls that were much younger than him and tried to take their hands to shake, hehe, it was kind of cute! It went a bit pear shape when I was carrying him out from a room and his finger got caught at the door. Poor Bubs cried so hard and his squished finger was such an angry shade of red :( It took so much cajoling and ice cubes on his finger back home to get him to calm down.

Framed Memories

I grew up in a snap happy family and Mum loved nothing better than to carefully select the happiest ones, place them in a store bought frames and put them on display all around the house. We'd the usual piano top lined with our graduation photos.

I haven't used an analogue camera in years and with the thing with digital cameras is that photos are so readily easily shared on social media, I'm rather lazy to get them developed (or should I now say printed out?) and put them on display. I do have a few cherished memories that I have in frames displayed around our home that put a smile on my face whenever I see them :)

This photo was taken at the Great Ocean Road way back when I was at Uni. EL, CS, Wayne and I took a tour bus in the freezing cold and we took rolls and rolls of film. When I'd this photo developed, I was struck at how the rays of light from the clouds shinning down onto the rocks and water look so calm and almost divine.

Our wedding portraits meant a lot to me because we were on a super strict budget so we didn't get any pre-wedding shots done. We did this dip kiss and that moment, everything felt just right. When our photographer played a slideshow of the portraits at the wedding reception, I teared up when I saw this shot.

Hubs took this photo of Bubs on the second day he was born. Words cannot express how much I love this photo, the squishiness of his pudgy newborn cheeks, how blissfully shut his eyes are right after his feed and that tiny pursed up mouth ... massive love!

The Extra Public Holiday

Unexpected public holidays (King's Coronation) are a bonus and and having a day off is perfect to just recharge myself for a while.

Aussie Godma's parents were back in town and passed to us a bunch of presents from her. Thanks Godma and again, you are spoiling him! :) There were boxes of T2 tea which I'd been wanting to try for the longest time, a purple and green long sleeve shirt for Bubs who'll easily be the chic-est toddler in the room with it on and a dreamy lace and satin skirt for me *heart*

We had Sukhothai beef noodles (which unfortunately had a slight price increase) and tried their mango sticky rice which is easily one of the best ones I've ever had. The sweet and luscious mango chunks went perfectly with the warm, creamy glutinous rice. Hubs and I were debating over if there was a taste difference between the white and black sticky rice. He said the black one tasted a bit more fragrant ... I couldn't really tell.

There was a major earthquake in Indonesia in the late afternoon but we didn't feel a thing. I didn't even realise that there was one until my brother texted me. I thought it was some kind of joke and checked Facebook (yes, it's sad that I use social media for updates instead of news websites) and apparently the quake was felt so bad in certain areas that people were evacuated. Glamazon and BFF were at the 7th floor of Gurney Plaza and could feel the tremors very strongly, car alarms even went off though my dad was coincidentally at the ground floor and didn't feel a thing.

Shopping centres were closed for the rest of the day and there were fire and rescue personnel stationed along the coastal areas of Penang. Hoping everyone stays safe and that there are no casualties.