Creating Objectives

22/02/2012
by Jayne
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Food thoughts

My relationship with food had been in the cold for a while. I had no specific desire for anything. My taste bud seems to have fallen into a winter coma. C has even started taking over the rein in the kitchen. When I do my daily browsing at others’ food blogs, it didn’t stir up any yearning to taste those mouth-watering dishes, until few weeks ago.

I stumbled upon a new Korean drama series (Wild Romance) which had me glued to the screen laughing out loud and grinning like an ape. After picking up my jaw, I emerged from the K-drama fever longing for kimchi, makkoli, ramen and barbecue meat. It seems like such a long time that I last wanted to eat some in particular.

Last night, I made myself a mini feast of seared pork belly, eaten with condiments like kimchi, fresh green lettuces, sliced raw garlic and green chilis, and washing it all down with some hot sake. That was a total satisfaction. Following that, I went on to made chendol, all from scratch. At this moment, as I am writing this, the smell of banana bread infuse house (will be shared later as I am tweaking the recipes).

I come to realise that my state of mind has been affecting my taste in food, from what I choose to eat, to how I season my food. While dark chocolate and bananas are my reliefs to pain and unhappiness. I am still trying to go on meat-free diets for at least a couple of days a week with the reflection of being the herbivorous nature has intended for me. While my conflicting thoughts arise from time to time with regards to my food issues, I believe food is who and what we are.

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10/02/2012
by Jayne
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Hash for brunch

Weekends are reserved for waking up late, followed by a hearty breakfast or brunch. I love having big breakfast, and that means a full English breakfast. In Singapore, one can easily find cafes that specialise in breakfast. In fact, some of such chichi joints are serving the meal at a cut throat price. Seriously, unless I am the sort that would burn my kitchen by attempting to light my stove, I would rather use that budget and shop for quality ingredients, then whip up my own meal anytime. If you do not have all the nice big gourmet sausages in hand, try making hash. The word hash means a dish of cooked meat cut into small pieces and recooked, usually with potatoes.

I was stuck with a few frozen sausages in my freezer, some potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms and few slices of bacon. And with only a piece of this or that, hash it is!

Feel free to explore different combination of ingredients. Have fun with it.

Roughly chopped up the onion, sausages, and mushrooms (if you have). Fry the bacon till crisp and set aside.

Boiled the potatoes until partially cooked, then cut into chunks. Cut up the tomatoes and remove seeds.

Fry the onions till soft, then add in the sausages.

Add in the mushrooms, tomatoes and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss it around until potatoes are browned around the edges.

Cracked in the eggs. My portion serves four, hence 4 eggs. Cover with lid and let the egg set.

Sprinkle the chopped bacons and some spring onions before serving (optional).

You can add in some greens to make the plate look good. Then sit back and enjoy with a mug of freshly brew coffee.

Enjoy your weekend!

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02/02/2012
by Jayne
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Black Vinegar Trotter

This is the kind of dish that beckon me once in a blue moon. It makes me go “hmmmm… …” just by slipping that black mellow nectar. The taste of this sourish comfort is pack with collagen (and fats) that is enough to give me an instant face life, and also a few more inches. It is also known as a confinement food. But in my kitchen, I have it whenever I feel like it.

This was my first attempt, and I must say it was not as labourious as I thought it would be. Best of all, it turned out tasting just like my mom’s. The recipe was googled and improvised by yours truly. I simplified it to make my life easier. Some recipes use old ginger, while others did not mention anything about the age. If you are like me, who loves to munch on the candied ginger after that long simmering process, use the young ones. They tend to be more tender and less fibrous compared to the old ginger. Next, the vinegar, which is the crux of the dish. Stick to the brand that is well recommended and you can’t go wrong.

The rest of the steps is as easy as ABC. This can be made a day before as it gets better overnight.

1 bottle of black vinegar and 500g of sliced ginger

1 front trotter and some tendons (optional)

Blanch the meat in boiling water for about 10 - 15 mins

Eggs, boiled and peeled. As many as you like or none at all.

Fry ginger in a wok without any oil. Keep going until the sides starts to brown. Then add in a dash of sesame oil and fry it for a little while more.

Put the fried ginger into a clay pot.

Heat up the pot. Add in one whole bottle of vinegar.

Fill up the bottle with water and that add in. Simmer the ginger and vinegar for about an hour, then add in the trotter. Continue simmering for another hour. Add in the tendon and eggs, simmer a further 20 mins, then serve.

A bowl of collagen packed goodness!

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25/01/2012
by Jayne
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Another New Look

May this new year brings me (and you) happiness, good health and lots of wealth!

I am back, for good.

Lots had happened as 2011 ended and 2012 begins. My life had been turned upside down and shaken around. I reckon uncertainty may not be a bad thing. Or rather, I choose to think that it is time to change. Sometimes we get too comfortable with the way we have been living, be it in a good or bad way, and we subconsciously refuse to make changes. I guess I had been living that way for too long, and that it is time for a change.

A change starting with this website. An updated look, with more frequent updates.

With wanting to be a full time blogger on my list of things-to-accomplish, I am bucking up with a whole loads of objectives to get busy with. My fetish with food is around, and I am moving it into newer dimension. While I am staying island-locked for now, I will entice you with my previous adventures of far and beyond. Let us revisit these places and look at them in a whole new way.

I am going to include a category called My Mindful Journey. This is about my spiritual journey as I went in search for answers through dharma classes and meditations. It will also be a personal journal where I will write about what I have learnt.

So here’s it.

Through my discoveries, thank you for being a part of my journey.

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12/01/2012
by Jayne
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2012 – A Wonderful Year

It is a new year, a new start and a new slate where most make their lists of resolutions. I gave up making mine years back. It was just another thing to do at the start of the year, then conveniently forgotten, and to be reminded again the following year.

This year, I decided to make some adjustments in my life direction.

I felt like I had been living life in monotonicity, hypnotized by the glitz in this modern society, and running a never ending race. Money was my ultimate freedom. A superficial goal that caused me more harm than good.

I put off many things I wanted to do for later. I procrastinated, I waited, I thought long about it, yet I didn’t get around to do it. In other words, I think I was just being a coward, afraid to venture out of my comfort zone, to throw myself in a different arena and expect the unexpected.

This year, I am taking the plunge.

I have been dreaming about too many possibilities. Now, I am going to just do it! I am going to do what I love. Age is just a number that is going to be of no barrier to me. And if there is failure, will only be my stepping stone.

It was said that if you will list down the things you want, you will most likely accomplish them than just thinking about it. So here I list, and I aim to tick them all off by the end of the year:

Be a full time blogger/writer.
Create a business where I can meddle with food and conscience.
Travel to more places.
Run a marathon.
Be a vegan for at least once a week each month.
Complete a higher academic achievement.
Learn something new.
Give generously, wisely.
Attend a meditation retreat for a month or more.
Achieve financial freedom.

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