Jan 15, 2015

Going Nutty about Garden Picks

I am still going nuts about Garden Picks range of selection of nuts and dried fruits. I love the deliciously wholesome nuts.


Garden Picks is a homegrown company that believes in picking the best fruits and nuts that offers better nutrition and equally delicious too!

Currently Garden Picks is having an All Year Special: 3 packs for S$10 only.

Delivery is Free for orders above S$50.

For products that are of the highest quality and freshness, this is indeed a deal not to be missed.

New exotic flavoured nuts from Garden Picks. Whether you feel like having sweets or savoury crunchies, Garden Picks has a variety for your selection.

Adding mixed nuts into my usual salad. Yummy.

Enjoying my salted caramel macadamia nuts while finishing up this blog;-)

For a hearty nutty experience, check out Garden Picks now.

www.gardenpicks.com.sg for online shopping 

Free Delivery for spending above S$50

Or send them an email at enquiries@ gardenpicks.com.sg

Back to muching now....



















Jan 9, 2015

Feeling SPICY today?

Introducing creative new Thai-fusion dishes curated by Ron, the owner of Spicy Thai.

The organic wheatgrass drink was refreshing and tasty. Who said healthy food was always awful? There was tinge of honey tasted too. Very good thirst quencher on a hot day.


 It was only S$3.50 for a glass of goodness

Basil Mussels is priced at S$15. The portion served was huge, mussels were huge and fresh. The basil and chillies blended very well with the mussels. A must-order! Really very worth it!

The La La (Clams) Bee Hoon is priced at S$18 for a clammy experience. 

Fresh clams stirred fried with bee hoon, chillies and onions. I realised I ate more clams than bee hoon. It was very generous of Spicy Thai.  Whenever I had something similar out there, I would end up eating more bee hoon and digging into the plate to look for the clams. Clam lovers, time to head down!

Here is the dish that both adults and kids will like; Mushroom Tempura which is at S$10. The skin was crunchy and not oily, while the mushrooms were soft and not soggy and dry. This was so heavenly. Who cares about calories now? I could finish the entire plate! 

Thai Walking Cat Fish with Spicy Lemon Soup. No no the Fish would not walk!  Don't fret! Instead of using Sea Bass, Ron attempted using the entire Cat Fish steamed and kept warm using Charcoal with a tom yum like gravy. I only tried Cat Fish in Western Restaurants where the chef would grill or stir fried with a white sauce. 

To eat Cat Fish with Spicy Lemon Sauce was my first time. Imagine the protein and vitamin C goodness you can get from this dish. The flesh of the meat was tender and had no earthy taste. A very flavourful dish which is a winner for both its look and taste. It is indeed very reasonable at S$28 for a full Cat Fish. 

Never tried the Pandan Chicken from Spicy Thai. The chicken was tender, moist and fragrant.  They were cooked with the right timing. For 5 pieces of Pandan Chicken, it was priced at S$8.

I love coming to Spicy Thai. Each time, I would discover a new DIY (do it yourself) stuff by the owner Ron. I discovered an old bath tub being converted into a Fish Tank! He is indeed very hands-on and experimental. 

Do drop by to savour the delectable selection of Thai cuisine at Spicy Thai soon. Perhaps over the weekends?

They are located at: Blk 115 Aljunied Avenue 2 #01-35 Singapore 380115.

Reservation Hotline: +65 6747 8558















Jan 6, 2015

Happy Baking with Panasonic SDP104 Breadmaker

I was brimming with excitement to receive the invitation from OMY and Panasonic on their new Breadmaker. As a breadlover myself, I always love to pop into artisan bakeries and buy lots of interesting bread. Basically, with yummy bread, I am a happy girl.

Just a couple of months back, I kept flaring up with rashes on my chin. They were itchy too. Hence when I visited my dermatologist, she suspected I might be anti-gluten and suggested I should stop my bread intake till my allergy test result was out. Could you imagine how sad I
was? I felt like my whole world was tumbling down! 

Result was positive! I was not anti-gluten but this wakeup call was a reminder for me to choose my food wisely. Perhaps DIY at home instead of buying off the shelves. I can be generous with the ingredients too.

It was an intimate session with fellow bloggers, mainly female participants.

These are the breadmachines, compact and light. 

The unique part of the machine was a separate yeast and nuts dispenser unlike other competitive brands. 



Trainer Teresa showed us how easy and fascinating this bread machine was. No fanciful ingredients was used, most importantly no MSG or other preservatives was used during the preparation. 

First Recipe to Share: 

Flavoured Bun (Tuna)

A. For dough:     
  • 280g High-Gluten Flour     
  • 1 tsp Salt         
  • 25g Egg (beaten)      
  • 50g Butter
  • 3 tbsp Castor Sugar     
  • 2 tbsp. Milk Powder
  • 160 ml Cold Water
  • 1/2 Egg (for egg wash)
                 
B. For fillings:                                                  

      Tuna Flakes

 
C. For toppings:
 
  • 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
  • 30g Mozerella Cheese (to sprinkle)
  • Some paprika
 
Machine would knead the dough on its own.




Roll and massage the dough into tound shapes.




The buns were ready to be put into the oven for the yeast to ferment. 

Tip from Teresa: Spray water on the dough before fermentation. This will help to make the bread more fluffy. 


After fermentation of 50 mins.
 
Tuna was the chosen filling of the day. For me, I may choose to use Bak Kwa, Luncheon Meat, Mayonnaise Egg, Curry Chicken Potato; the options are limitless!
 
 
All ready to be baked.


Don't you think the buns look so good? Yes indeed they tasted as good as they looked. 

Teresa showed us how easy it was to make such lovely buns that only professional bakers could achieve. Amateurs like us can do it too now! 
 
Fragrant Mixed Wheat Loaf

  • 75g Whole Wheat Flour
  • 175g Bread Flour
  • 10g Butter
  • 30g Sunflower Seeds
  • 10g Melon Seeds
  • 30g Raisins
  • 10g Black Sesame Seeds
  • 1tbsp Milk Powder
  • 200ml Cold Water
  • 1 tsp Instant Yeast
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp. Castor Sugar
 


 

Ta da! A fresh hot loaf of bread was completed.

This was my first time trying an out-of-the oven bread. It was so good! Couldn't help but kept eating. 

The bread maker is ultra versatile, you can choose to add whatever ingredients you can find at home; be it nuts, milo powder, orange peels, and you don't have to worry about getting the ratios wrong or ending up with an awful textured bread.

Now , we will be making the Focaccia Bread. I always love it.

A. For bread:        
  • 350g  Bread flour                                                                   
  • 1¼tsp  Salt
  • 225ml Cold Water
  • 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Castor Sugar
  • 1 tsp Instant Yeast
  • 1 tbsp Milk Powder
B. For toppings:
  • 200g Cherry tomatoes 
  • 80g Black olives                          
  • Some Black Pepper
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil                                             
  • 140g Mozzarella Cheese (cut into 1cm cube)
  • Some rosemary & paprika                        
 



 

I hated olives all my life. I actually ate everything up. Olives blended in very well with cherry tomatoes and focaccia bread.

Everyone can be a professional baker with Panasonic. 
 
Had such a insight into the amazing Panasonic Breadmaker, kudos to the wonderful trainer, Teresa. It was a fun-filled baking session with her and the fellow bloggers. I was truly inspired and motivated by her. Time to get a unit for myself to impress my hubby and kiddos for the New Year. 

The Panasonic SDP104 Breadmaker is retailing at SGD$338 at major electrical retailers.