Hello from Hong Kong!
I arrived in Hong Kong two days ago and it is HOoOOoooOOT! (humid summers)
Over the last 2 and half days I’ve been eating my heart out 😀 with the foods I don’t normally get to eat so freely in Melbourne 😛
My dearest cousin has been on this munching journey with me 😀
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Bonjour!
So……..I am off to Paris this week! 😀
It’s been a long journey to come to this next part of my journey in life. Letting go of a routine that I’ve been doing for about 4 years, into a new adventure 😀
It’s so EXCITING! I am going to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.
A hospitality school that I learnt about through the movie “Julie and Julia” (a must watch! If you have not seen it yet)
Let me give you all a tad of a background, I’ll try to be short.
I’m what you would describe as a “safe” person, I graduated high school, and went straight into university then onto working life. Adventure is A LOT not a bit daunting for me. 
Recently I picked up some pretty cheap white radish or daikon (korean white radish) which prompted me to make and share this recipe with all of you.
Pickles is not something I ate growing up, apart from the pickles that came in a MacDonald’s cheeseburger. And even then, I’d pick them out and toss them to my sister or Mama Choy to clear up. 😛
I simply was not a fan of pickles.
UNTIL!… University. I don’t remember the exact point or restaurant I discovered this, but I am sure it was with some friends (M&N) eating KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) that I discovered that pickles can actually be yummy ^_^
I discovered how to make these types of pickles which I refer to as “cheat’s method for pickles” from my neighbor
She shared with me the secret of pickling root vegetables, that I could eat without my nose screwing up, WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE!!
I like to have it along side BBQ meats, with dumplings, with noodles, as a snack on its own, or my favorite is to have it after a heavy meal and it makes me feel so much better!
Let me show you how easy it is to eat it, and it goes with almost ANYTHING 😛
Growing up, one of my favorite cakes was bought from Asian bread stores. It is a square slice of chocolate vanilla marble pound cake.
This cake is not only memorable by its buttery large moist cake crumb, but its packaging. 😀
I was and still am, so fascinated at how tightly wrapped this cake was
Also the fact that if I couldn’t finish the whole slice in one sitting, I could portion it out to last me all day. When I’d had enough I could use the glad wrap to re-wrap the cake, so that it stayed fresh for the next snack session 😛
I still love this vanilla pound cake today and occasionally buy it, but I wanted more of a fresh and zing to this traditional cake.
Hence, the birth of LEMON pound cake into my life 😀
I am a lover of savoury puff pastry 😀
I remember in primary school, coming home Mama Choy would have made my siblings and I yummy afternoon tea. (My siblings and I was a very spoilt kids, but I’m so grateful Mama Choy was a stay at home mum ^_^)
One of my favorites was sheets of puff pastry cut into strips and wrapped around sausages, then baked till golden brown.
Oh! The warm smells of freshly baked buttery puff pastry, when walking through the doors of our home. I could never stop at just one 😛 , the light crispy texture that my mouth and taste buds could feel as I took bite after bite of my afternoon tea. Very tantalizing!
I forgot about this special feeling towards puff pastry I had, until my fellow baking neighbor and I hosted a Easter tea party. Under her careful instructions we created zucchini puff pastry tarts.
I went home wanting to experiment with my own flavors. This recipe can be applied to many different vegetables. YUM! 😀
It has been an atomic bomb of a week at work. I’m just glad to be home at the end of the week and share with all of you a recipe which is comfort healthy breakfast/morning tea food :D. Okay you can eat it anytime of the day!
I decided to make this coconut oil granola to thank a colleague.
On Monday morning 7.15am in our tiny drug room at work, this workmate chose to take 10 minutes out of her busy day to listen to my fears, worries and stresses of our job, to empathize with me and my struggles. (She even let me tear a bit)
She really encouraged me to hang on at the end of the mini teary session with “Let’s just get you through today.” and really, that was all that I needed to get me through the shift and leave my work brain at work.
Sometimes our line of work really pushes you to your limits not just emotionally, but mentally as well.
There really are days when you think you won’t make it mentally or emotionally, but I am truly blessed to be able to work with a bunch of women (and man 😛 ) who can empathize and work together to lift each other up and support one another.
I always find it so fascinating that food not only bring people together, but also reminds us of special moments in life.
This salad is one that reminds me of a close friend whom I hold very dear to my heart.
I was given the pleasure of being introduced to this salad as a result of one of the many potluck sessions my high school friends and I have had over the years.
At one point, I made it compulsory for every person who came to these catch ups to make the dish. No take away allowed. 😛
It was a challenge many of my friends grumbled and whined about with “do we really have to?” or “I’m not a good cook” or “I can’t cook”. Especially the friend who came up with this salad.
After all the whining and pleading every girl brought something to the table that they made. And so the tastings began.
I think this salad surprised her as much as I was delighted to have a new go to salad in my life.
Madeleines are a rich little French butter cake, characterised by its shell like shape with ridges on one side and a little buldge on the other.
They take time and patience to create (you have to sift the flour ingredients 3 times!!!)
But as a result you will be rewarded with madeleines with crispy browned outsides and soft spongy insides 😀
Some say a cross between a soft baked cookie and a dense Victorian sponge.
A little background on these pillowy delights.
They were made famous in a novel ‘Remembrance of Things Past’ by Marcel Proust. Their origin is a little hazy, therefore different versions of its origin exist. The most common one is that they originated from the town of Commercy in the 18th century, in the region of Lorraine. A girl by the name of Madeleine served them at a high tea to the Duke of Lorraine, Stanislaw Lezczynski. He loved them so much, he named the little cakes after her.
After making them for myself, I think I know why he loved them so much. They snack size and are so good with a cup of tea!
This salad was invented by Mama Choy, she makes it for potluck parties or when she brings home 2 or 3 roast chickens because they are on sale.
This salad has won an award at a potluck event before, for being the “most healthy dish” of the night. 😀
It’s a salad that always gets a lot of praise, as it is super healthy, but when you eat it, it feels super naughty. 😛
The combination of roast chicken, the sweet fruits and corn combined with creamy mayonnaise. Not sure what it is, but it doesn’t taste as healthy as it sounds.
Seriously, it’s like a party of flavors inside your mouth! 😛
I’m always on the prowl for new recipes to try, but sometimes my mind wanders.
I find myself reminiscing old tried and tested recipes, which brought me to share with you this favorite of mine.
There’s something satisfying about eating these mini baked cheesecakes.
I’m not sure if it’s the satisfaction of cutting into the cheesecake with my fork and knowing that it was not over baked 😀
OR… if it’s the thick yet melting consistency with all its apricot lemony goodness, combined with the buttery biscuit base in my mouth when I take that initial mouthful.
When I make these, I limit myself to one a day, usually because I do want to share these small packages of joy and to stop myself from eating 12 cupcakes in one sitting 😛
These little babies are pretty irresistible you won’t be able to stop at one though!
