........Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh
.........Manila
............Venice
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Arsenal Rocks
Thank goodness Van Persie is fit again. And of course, El Capitan Fabregas classy and visionary as always. How does he always know where his teammates are when he picks up the ball??
I am going to miss watching and re-watching him play beautiful football when he leaves for Barca..
Meanwhile, MU has just beaten idiots Birmingham 5-0, which is terribly annoying to say the least. Although I have to say, Arsene Wenger could do with someone like Nemanja Vidic in defense...Laurent Kolscieny is OK but not the rock that is Vidic. Hope Wenger spalshes out on one this transfer window, or else I can't see how they are going to get past Barcelona after CNY.
Anyway, calling it a night. Sweet Dreams and Go Gunners!
I am going to miss watching and re-watching him play beautiful football when he leaves for Barca..
Meanwhile, MU has just beaten idiots Birmingham 5-0, which is terribly annoying to say the least. Although I have to say, Arsene Wenger could do with someone like Nemanja Vidic in defense...Laurent Kolscieny is OK but not the rock that is Vidic. Hope Wenger spalshes out on one this transfer window, or else I can't see how they are going to get past Barcelona after CNY.
Anyway, calling it a night. Sweet Dreams and Go Gunners!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Coffee Brown Sugar, Cocoa Meringues
As the Domestic Goddess herself succintly puts it, it is hard to believe that "out of nothing more than egg whites and sugar comes a creation as spectacular as meringue". This, out of her latest book Nigella's Kitchen (a home run as usual - honest insights - love her kitchen gadget hall of shame list, and the always prosaic descriptions of the pleasures of the food she cooks).
Brown sugar lends a caramelly stickiness to these babies. I also reduced the amount of sugar to one cup in total - half ordinary caster and half light brown, which I whirred in the food processor to a fine dust texture.
Nigella cooks up a frangelico caramel sauce for these, but I am afraid after tasting these I am of the opinion that they really don't need any more embellishment.
And - here's the thing - after the first batch of meringue blobs went into the oven I folded in a generous two tablespoons of cocoa into the meringue mixture - resulting in something totally different - chocolaty sticky, really rich-tasting cookies that one would associate with the use of butter and cream and chocolate bars, not egg whites and cocoa. Miracle indeed.
Coffee Brown Sugar, Cocoa Meringues
Adapted from the recipe in Nigella Kitchen
Makes 8 - 10
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
2 tsps instant espresso powder
pinch cream of tartar
4 egg whites
Preheat oven to 150 degC.
Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a clean stainless steel bowl until they are beyond foamy and soft peaks have started to form.
Add the superfine sugar one tablespoonful at a time, whisking all the time, until a glossy thick meringue forms.
In a blender/food processor, process the brown sugar and coffee powder to fine dust.
Add to the meringue mixture a tablespoonful at a time, whisking all the way, until the meringue is the colour of "oyster silk lingerie"
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon out dollops of meringue (about 2 big soup spoonfuls) to give 2-inch diameter circles of meringue.
Spike of fluff the tops as you go to give texture.
Put in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, by which the meringues should be dry on the outside, but still gooey on the middle, and a little fragile to the touch.
Take out of the oven, leave to cool on the baking sheet.
Brown sugar lends a caramelly stickiness to these babies. I also reduced the amount of sugar to one cup in total - half ordinary caster and half light brown, which I whirred in the food processor to a fine dust texture.
Nigella cooks up a frangelico caramel sauce for these, but I am afraid after tasting these I am of the opinion that they really don't need any more embellishment.
And - here's the thing - after the first batch of meringue blobs went into the oven I folded in a generous two tablespoons of cocoa into the meringue mixture - resulting in something totally different - chocolaty sticky, really rich-tasting cookies that one would associate with the use of butter and cream and chocolate bars, not egg whites and cocoa. Miracle indeed.
Coffee Brown Sugar, Cocoa Meringues
Adapted from the recipe in Nigella Kitchen
Makes 8 - 10
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
2 tsps instant espresso powder
pinch cream of tartar
4 egg whites
Preheat oven to 150 degC.
Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a clean stainless steel bowl until they are beyond foamy and soft peaks have started to form.
Add the superfine sugar one tablespoonful at a time, whisking all the time, until a glossy thick meringue forms.
In a blender/food processor, process the brown sugar and coffee powder to fine dust.
Add to the meringue mixture a tablespoonful at a time, whisking all the way, until the meringue is the colour of "oyster silk lingerie"
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon out dollops of meringue (about 2 big soup spoonfuls) to give 2-inch diameter circles of meringue.
Spike of fluff the tops as you go to give texture.
Put in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, by which the meringues should be dry on the outside, but still gooey on the middle, and a little fragile to the touch.
Take out of the oven, leave to cool on the baking sheet.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Starting on a different note
Stepping out of my comfort zone, and going about selling caffeine :)
Gorgeous coffees and teas from Taylor's of Harrogate.
You see, when something that you have been banking on, invested your past 5 years suddenly takes not a u-turn or a full stop, but rather a slowdown (when it has been going on full gear for the past 5 years) - there is a choice to make. I could have spent my evenings spewing about how I feel played out, cursing and finding every reason why I am better than my peers. Make no mistake - I am and I know it, but I realise that there really is no point going on and on about it. Better to spend my emotional energy someplace else, like finding new enterprises in distributing fair trade caffeine and making money out of the booming stock market.
More travel, more trying new and previously unexplored avenues, more phone conversations with my family, and more time and money to do all of it. That is what 2011 is going to be all about.
Gorgeous coffees and teas from Taylor's of Harrogate.
You see, when something that you have been banking on, invested your past 5 years suddenly takes not a u-turn or a full stop, but rather a slowdown (when it has been going on full gear for the past 5 years) - there is a choice to make. I could have spent my evenings spewing about how I feel played out, cursing and finding every reason why I am better than my peers. Make no mistake - I am and I know it, but I realise that there really is no point going on and on about it. Better to spend my emotional energy someplace else, like finding new enterprises in distributing fair trade caffeine and making money out of the booming stock market.
More travel, more trying new and previously unexplored avenues, more phone conversations with my family, and more time and money to do all of it. That is what 2011 is going to be all about.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The change I can feel
Crisis management in the office going on.
It does not involve me. And I couldn't care less.
It's new territory for me, I have to say. Silly little girl that I was, I liked being the center of crisis, the go-to person in the middle of all the issues.
Now, I'm glad to be left alone. Time to set my sights outside of the working world.
Time for new ventures, new priorities.
It does not involve me. And I couldn't care less.
It's new territory for me, I have to say. Silly little girl that I was, I liked being the center of crisis, the go-to person in the middle of all the issues.
Now, I'm glad to be left alone. Time to set my sights outside of the working world.
Time for new ventures, new priorities.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Upper Penang Road Street Market
Owl-inspired jewellery...love the blue earrings
Impossibly delicate handcrafted jewellery. I got meself two pairs of earrings. :)
Peranakan-inspired necklace.
Sentuhan, a business set up to help single women. Soaps of lemongrass, rice bran and all the good stuff, in hand-woven packaging.
At the end of the market, a little exhibition of works by young Penang artists. This is my favourite one right here.
Impossibly delicate handcrafted jewellery. I got meself two pairs of earrings. :)
Peranakan-inspired necklace.
Sentuhan, a business set up to help single women. Soaps of lemongrass, rice bran and all the good stuff, in hand-woven packaging.
And they come in all colours themes.
At the end of the market, a little exhibition of works by young Penang artists. This is my favourite one right here.
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