Banana Date Chocolate Loaf

There was a bunch of bananas in the house. Though we tried our best to finish them up as quickly as possible, bananas ripen really quick. And soon, the skin turned really really black (okays, yellow base still but with LARGE patches of black covering the yellow everywhere...). I decided to use the remaining sad looking trio all at one go by making a banana loaf. Googling recipes for banana loaf, I found a recipe that sounds promising. Dates (I bought some Medjool dates a while back!), chocolate (licks mouth in anticipation), and holey moley, it requires three ripe bananas! Now. If that isn't fate calling, what is?

Banana date chocolate loaf

Kimchi jjigae (김치 찌개)

There was just a little bit of kimchi leftover from my previous homemade batch, so I decided to make kimchi jjigae (김치 찌개). Kimchi jjigae is essentially a stew/soup comprising of ingredients such as kimchi (but of course), tofu, scallions, pork belly and other miscellaneous vegetables. It is best to make kimchi jjigae using really seasoned kimchi (kimchi that has been fermented for a while) as the flavour is more pronounced in the stew. I personally prefer to eat fresh kimchi, and I detest really fermented kimchi, which has a sourish taste that doesn't appeal to me. Thus, whenever my kimchi starts to go sour, I'll definitely make kimchi jjigae, cos I really enjoy the dish, and also, it requires quite a bit of kimchi.

Ingredients for making kimchi jjigae (김치 찌개)

Turkey meatballs

A couple of weeks back, I was shopping at Cold Storage when I happened to spot lean turkey mince at the frozen meat section. I rarely ever see turkey mince, probably because I normally shop at Fairprice Finest and they doesn't stock turkey mince (or if they do, I've never ever seen it in the meat aisle...).

I kinda like turkey meat, cos well, it's reputed to be sort of a healthier lean choice. So I bought a packet, intending to make some turkey meatballs.

Asian-styled turkey meatballs

Chocolate brioches

Happy CNY 2011! I bet everyone around me is happily enjoying the long Chinese New Year holidays. Well, as for me, as I can't celebrate the festivities this year, the holiday period is just going be just like any other days for me. In fact, I find that as years go by, my excitement at the approaching CNY period seem to be dwindling. Perhaps as a kid, CNY means more - two and a half days break from school, memorising the various festive greetings together with my cousin, getting red packets, buying and dressing up in new clothes, gorging on festive goodies. In recent years, the only thing that remain constant is the getting red packets and gorging on festive goodies? It's like I don't really immerse myself as much into the festive mood anymore. I wonder if I'm the only one feeling this way...

Chocolate brioches

Sadaharu Aoki macarons

The weather this week has been really cold. In fact, with the non-stop rain (okay fine, it stopped. Like for what? A few hours? Before resuming again grr.) that has been going on like for the past three or four days straight, I feel like our sunny island is going to get flooded soon or something. If this goes on again for the next coming few days, I think I'm going to run out of clean underwear and laze-around-at-home clothes to wear (supplies are running seriously low, the Sister suggested re-wearing them. :/) cos our laundry (from three to four days ago) had not been able to dry at all!

Even though I enjoyed the cold weather while studying in Australia, I admit that after being back in Singapore for a year plus, I kinda forget Brisbane's winter temperatures. Though not till the extent of being minus degrees Celcius, it was really cold at night (where I'll avoid turning the heater on too much to save money). And now, sunny rainy Singapore is feeling a little like the winter nights in Brissy. Whereby while using the blowdryer after my shower, I'll aim the airdryer at my feet and to keep them toasty warm (albeit for even a mere few seconds). Which was what I actually did last night. In Singapore. I felt like I was back in Brissy again for that short moment. :/

Anyway. Let's talk about something that makes my innards feel warm and fuzzy - Sadaharu Aoki goodies from Taiwan hand carried back to Singapore by my lovely girlfriend! I saw Evan's tweet that there was Sadaharu Aoki in Taiwan, and I was like all, "whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat, really?". I was that excited cos I knew for one thing, one of my favourite girlfriend was holidaying in Taiwan then, so I immediately texted her and begged her to buy some goodies back for me if possible. And guess what guess what guess what? :)

Sadaharu Aoki goodies from Taipei!