Children's Day Mass

Today we had a Children's Day mass. The kindy kids have been practising the last couple of months in anticipation of today. The hymn they performed was 'Everybody ought to know'. Princess was very excited about it, although last night when I tried to take her away from bbq party, she was having too much fun and bargaining to stay on. She even said she wasn't going to perform because I wanted her to go home to sleep and get ready for this morning. So I told her to call her Cathechism teacher to inform her that she won't be performing. Of course, having said that, she quietly went home with me, but amidst some displeasure, complaining on the way home that 'it's not fair'. Hahaha.

They were very cute and I think they all did very well. Of course there were nervous ones, and princess couldn't put a smile on her face no matter what. I think she was worried she'd forget her actions. The first communicants did a great job too with their number but unfortunately I didn't take any photos of them. 'Mary' was adorable in her specially sewn costume, and 'Jesus' refused to put his robe on. Haha. The crown will suffice.

It's party time! Wow, look at the wide spread of food! I'm happy to say that my cuppies were all snapped up. Hehe, princess being guilty of having 3 of them. Everything was lovely and the most popular being the spaghetti, baked mac and cheese with mashed potatoes, fishballs, sugar donuts and of course the sweets.

A special pre-Children's Day dinner. Thanks Karen, for the fishcakes. They are adorable. They were the first things she ate on her plate. She was of course thrilled with the set. The jelly drink she was eyeing right from the start but I insisted she ate her veggies and rice first. She didn't take too well to the sake (salmon) rice flakes in the rice. So first and last time using it then. And popped some corns for her as well. Was easy to do, thanks Pam for the tips.

Easy Peasy Apple Cake Recipe

Easy Peasy Apple Cake

Ingredients -

6 tbsp caster sugar
8 tbsp sr flour
2 large eggs
125g butter (I would cut this down as it's rather oily)
4 green apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
4 drops vanilla essence
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Method -

1. Melt butter then add the sugar and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Place in a greased tin.

2. Sprinkle with extra sugar, cinnamon and slivered almonds. Bake at 200 deg C for about 30mins. Allow to cool before cutting.

Chock-a-block day

Just sneaking in some time before I am out the door again. Had an invitation this morning to a bbq this evening. Gosh. What bad timing. Am having an ulcer at the bottom of my mouth right where the gum meets the teeth. Have rubbed salt but not seem to be helping. Hope I can eat tonight.

A pretty mad day for me. Rushed from class to supermarket then to buy lunch and came home. Rushed to eat lunch and then started baking.

Princess got a performance tomorrow followed by a potluck lunch. So made some mini cupcakes. But in my haste, put them all together and guess what I got? Square cupcakes. Haha. Have you seen them in this shape? Hehe. So funny. Hubby says, just tell them you specially made them in that shape. Hahaha. You think they'll buy that? ;)

Also baked a loaf of apple cake, easy peasy except for having to slice the apples. That took the most time.

What shall we eat today?

Mummy : What do you want for lunch?

Princess : CR

Mummy : What's CR?

Princess : Chicken Rice, no no, CSR

Mummy : And what is CSR?

Princess : Char Siew Rice

Mummy : Oh hahaha.

What have we done to our children? Acronyms have become such a big part of our lives, even the kids are picking up on them. What with ECP and SLE and PIE. Even I get confused sometimes. ;)

At the junction of Joo Chiat and East Coast Road, there are two coffee shops diagonally across from each other. In the coffee shop, if some of you might know, where they used to sell the famous tau kwa pau, there is a fishball noodle stall. The coffee shop is pretty rundown despite the fact that they had a renovation not too long ago. I also find that old dirty-looking places tend to have the best foods. Hehe. Anyway, have not had the fishball noodles in years so just felt like having it today. For $3, I got a big bowl of noodles with 4 fishballs and plenty of fishcake, plus minced pork and beansprouts. Was nice, except there was plenty of crispy pork skin which I don't quite like.

Note - The former tau kwa pau is no longer at this coffee shop. Another stall called Mary's has taken over and sells the same thing, and in case you are wondering, it's not the original one.

We next went over to the other coffee shop diagonally across and picked up a packet of CSR. This stall also used to be at the coffee shop where the fishball noodle is now (am I confusing you yet?), and they have a lovely soya sauce chicken noodle. I have that sometimes.

And the once famous tau kwa pau stall can be found here. A pity most customers do not know this and Mary is benefiting from it. They sell not just tau kwa pau but duck rice as well. So if you happen to be around that area, check them out.

A gathering of friends

Two of the Brownie Cupcakes which I made this morning which actually turned out. The rest had marshmallows in them and they sank in the middle and it looked like volcanic eruptions. Gosh! I can't even post it here. Too embarrassing.

This is princess' lunch today. Big foot roll with lettuce, tomato and beef patty, drizzled with some mayonnaise and tomato sauce and served with mandarin orange. She didn't like the oranges, though, as they contained too many seeds.

This was what greeted us when we stepped into Vivo. The flying car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

We had a nice lunch today, thanks to Karen and Al. But in return, I need to do some advertising. Hahaha.

We met with Sam for lunch at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Poor Sam, only 2 weeks(?) into her job & she's feeling pressurized already. So, good to meet up with her to bring some cheer into her life. :)

Karen had the Mocha Mudslide which they have a promotion on at the moment. I had a taste of it, not too bad. I don't drink coffee so can't comment on it. She also had the Roast Chicken Ciabatta. I usually go for the Smoked Salmon Panini but for today, I opted to have the Chicken and Mushroom Fusilli. So did Sam. It's hubby's favourite too, and he'll order it without fail each time we visit. I usually get the kid's portion as I'm not a great fan of cream-based pastas but I think I was hungry today, must have been my lack of sleep and all my exercise in the kitchen last night. :P

Cupcakes Galore

Got up super early this morning at 6am, after having gone to bed at 12mn. Gosh! Couldn't pack the cuppies last night as I didn't have enough airtight storage boxes. Had to print out the tags and paste them on the cover of the containers, etc, all done this morning. I could have done them after baking the cuppies but was too tired after cleaning up. Just wanted to relax and sit in front of the mac. Thank God managed to get them ready on time, woke up the sleeping child, prepared her milk etc, and got out of the house in time to meet the school bus, with a few minutes to spare.

Today is a joint celebration with the kids from the neighbouring PCF kindy. How nice, right? They also have a Reading Festival earlier part of the year where they get together with the other school as well.

It's a busy morning for them and their celebrations begin at 8.30am and they won't be in class all day. It'll end at 11.30am, just in time to go home. So hope the teacher has no problems handing out the cuppies.

I tried one this morning, of course from the last batch that was too long in the oven, so was too dry, not pleased at all with this recipe. Maybe I will make some modifications, add some milk or something. Any ideas?

All ready for the ride to school.

Oh no, oh no, oh no (*knocks her head*). I totally forgot about the gift for the Children's Society!!! Yikes. Thank goodness I even remembered it now. Have to wrap something up for a charity donation thingy, to show the kids in the Children's homes that they are thought of on this special day. It's not too late. Just have to go earlier to school and pass gift over. It's days like these that I am thankful I stock up on gifts.

Loads of baking

Just what have I been up to, no posts today. Definitely not bored. :) Faced my fears today. Took the plunge and baked like mad. I will post recipes soon, not tonight. Very proud of myself that I made my first bread. I borrowed a kids' cookery book and came across a very cute recipe of bread in the shape of bear paws. Been wanting to try it for ages, but each time, I'd be lacking one ingredient. So made it a point to get all my ingredients in order today. Even though it's from a kids' cookbook, it is by no means child's play. Oh boy. I didn't even know if it'd turn out. It's not super soft like Breadtalk's, but it's quite nice. Got a nice texture to it.

Here I present to you... Big Foot Rolls. Ok, ok, so some of the toes are a bit deformed. I'd work on it. ;)

The second thing I baked today was cookies and cream cupcakes. It's my first time making them and trying this recipe which I found on some website. I find the cake a bit dry but it might get better overnight. Anyway, kids are not fussy especially if it contains oreo biscuits. :) Baked them for the kids in princess' class so they can take them home. It's a treat for them for Children's Day. Have to get up super early in the morning to add final touches and pack them.

After an evening of baking... sigh... no wonder I'm exhausted.

Oops, I meant to say, hubby was commenting that my blog's getting popular. Hehe. He reads it sometimes. But I have to say the award helped to draw in the crowd, so thanks Peony dear. A big hug for you.

Our lunch

This is what we had for lunch today, ready sushi from Cold Storage. I have to recommend this organic silken tofu. Oh dear, so much for recommending. I don't even remember the brand. Hahaha. Silly me. But anyway, it's one of the popular brands you get from the chiller in most supermarkets, in Singapore, that is. It's really nice, a very creamy taste, not like the usual tofu. I first tried it in Fishmart Sakuraya (anyone can confirm the name?) in Parkway Parade. It's one of the dishes they serve there and I liked it then, but it was only today that I tried the one I bought and realized it was the same one. Mmmm... yummy.


This is an interesting fusion mooncake. It has mango yoghurt filling, covered by a chocolate ball, then a layer of lotus paste and all wrapped up in snow skin.

A wasted trip

I made a wasted trip to Vivo Daiso. Half an hour's journey by bus and when I got there, after meeting a friend, we went up to Daiso and discovered it was closed. I mean not delayed opening but totally closed for stocktaking! Argh!!!

We decided to take the train over to Plaza Singapura where they have a smaller outlet. My time in the morning is very limited as shops usually open at 10am and I have to be home by 12pm to meet the school bus. So we only had time to go to one shop. I try not to drag princess out after school, whenever I can, unless it's those days when I clean the house in the morning.

Some new finds at Daiso - silicon jelly moulds in various shapes. Very cute.

Hubby didn't go in to work today, as he's been down with a bad throat, cough etc, for maybe a week now. But also the fact that he stayed up to watch the match this morning and he didn't have enough rest.

I picked up some sandwiches from this shop in PS called Bratwurst Shop or something (I'm really not good with details). They are quite popular for their sausages, large german ones. It's the first time I'm trying out their food and the sandwiches were really nice. Hubby had the Chicken Avocado and I had the Smoked Salmon. I found the salmon a little on the salty side. My mouth is still experiencing the salty feeling even though I had it some 5hrs ago. I ordered the Bratwurst Wrap for little girl. I chose the cheese sausage with tomato, lettuce and cheese in a tortilla wrap. She enjoyed it very much especially the sausage but it is a huge portion so she couldn't eat all of it.

For a treat, I got princess a piece of strawberry shortcake. I promised her a nice piece of cake for today as she was being grouchy last evening going to bed and giving daddy a hard time. Told her if she be good and go to sleep straightaway, I'd reward her. So made sure whatever I did, I didn't forget to buy one. Haha. Couldn't resist the little longan one. So pretty with the ribbon. She was complaining that her cake didn't come with one. Hehe. I found them at this bakery called Rive in the basement of PS. It is owned by the Pokka group.

On the way out of the building, I walked past Breadtalk. The little mooncakes selling for $1-3 caught my eye. Couldn't resist them. They are super tiny though, just 2 bites and they're gone. Have not tried them yet so can't comment on taste. Got 3 flavours - orange, chocolate and cappuccino. This year they went with the planets so we have Earth, Venus and Mercury. I know, I know, the fish teapot is not Chinese but I just wanted a pic of it. Was a gift from a cousin in Sydney many years ago.

An award!!!

Woah!!! Can you believe it??? An award for me??? My very first one. I am so deeply honoured, thanks to Peony my fellow blogger and forum pal, a super fantastic granny who started me on this journey into blogland. I really do not deserve such an honour, but hehe, I'll gladly accept it with arms outstretched. ;)

Congratulations to my fellow bloggers who also received the award, and many of these have blogs which are 10times better than mine.

Having been conferred this award, I'd like to pass it on to the following:

oh for the love of food - for all the lovely pastries that she prepares

paw paw - for being very chic, looking at her blog

wok and spoon - A fun gal. I love reading the stuff that she writes

taste goblet - a wonderful baker, and very generous in posting recipes and guiding her readers through detailed steps on how to do certain stuff

Su-yin (the journal of a girl who loves to cook) - A most talented baker. I admire her greatly.

The Singapore Housewife - a mum who goes out of her way to make sure her little boy, who has serious allergy problems, gets to eat the same stuff as we do, often substituting with ingredients that he can consume.

Of course there are a few more but I know they have been given the award together with me.

And to celebrate this day, and my creativeness (ahem), I have a new weather pixie. :) Ain't she cute?

Mid-Autumn Festival

Happy Mid-Autumn, Mooncake, or Lantern Festival. Call it whatever you like, it refers to the same day. Tonight is the night when the moon is the biggest and brightest according to the Lunar calendar. An evening where the family gets together to eat mooncakes, pomelo and have Chinese tea, while little children carry lanterns. The tea helps to wash down the richness and sweetness of the mooncakes. And under the full moon, some people recite poems, according to the ancient Chinese, to praise the beauty of the moon and the longing for the men who had gone to war who are not able to reunite with their families on this day.

Another round of feasting

Had intended to go to Paragon today and at the same time check out the mooncake booths at the atrium of Ngee Ann City. So last minute mum said she could join us. We parked the car at the entrance that led us straight to Seoul Garden BBQ restaurant. As it's been years since we both ate there, we decided to have our lunch there. But of course totally regretted in the end as we must have stank after that. Such a wide spread of food, from the many different types of seasoned meats, to steamboat ingredients such as fishballs, tofu, etc. There was also seafood such as prawns & fish. And cooked food - potato wedges, wanton, spaghetti, steamed char siew baos (bbq meat buns). Plus 6 flavours of ice-cream for dessert with an assortment of toppings for ice kachang (shaved ice). The list goes on.

Aren't these little cows oh so cute? I love them. They can be found outside Vi'lage, the restaurant that took over Marche in The Heeren. No, we didn't eat again. Just went to one of the shops there and walked past these.

This one's for Karen

Did you see the rain today? Oh my goodness, I've never seen the sky so dark in the morning. Was getting ready for church and hoping to beat the rain. But it didn't happen. Not quick enough. Anyway, it was a storm out there when we were leaving the house. But we called for a cab and got there pretty dry, except that I tore the flesh off my thumb in my bid to open the umbrella. How silly. But that's me... Little Miss Clumsy, or rather that is my girl. I am Big Mrs Clumsy.

Hey look Karen, hubby joined us for a meal today. :) We were over at Vivo and had lunch at Tangs. It's a tiny cafe compared to the one in Orchard Road. There was only one server who also took our orders. Haha. They offer different set meals every few days, and for today, it was Breaded Fish. It came with coffee/tea, and dessert of the day which was lime sherbet. Hubs also had the crab bisque. It's quite nice, a bit too heavy and had a very strong crab taste. They served it with you tiao (dough fritters).

Note - Pictures appear larger than actual size of food.

I was so proud of dear princess today. She actually opted for something healthy. :) Looked through the menu and proclaimed that she wanted the chicken and cranberry sandwich. Of course it was much too big a portion for her as it was an adult's portion. They don't have a kids menu here. The bonus (for her) was that it came with crisps. So that was healthy thrown out the window.

I ordered for myself the Indian curry (oops forgot the name again!) with foccacia. It was very satisfying. Nice to dip the breadsticks in. But I couldn't finish all of it. It wasn't a huge portion but still there was lots of it.

And with compliments of Godpa, princess got a little bear from him, done through 'remote access'. ;) Thanks much, Al. I wouldn't have gotten it for her as I know her and soft toys, they just do not click. It'd be left in the corner after 2 days. What's a godpa for if not for indulgence? :)

The match is on

What is the term they use for us wives when a match is on? Soccer widows? Well, I am one now. Hubby is glued to TV set, and who am I to complain? I get the mac. Hehe.

Not a particularly eventful Saturday, just the usual stuff. We had lunch at Sakae Sushi today and I forgot to take my camera along. In fact I saw it before I left the house and decided not to. Didn't think I was going to have anything interesting. But I decided to take some photos for my American friends. Unfortunately I only had my mobile on me so pics didn't turn out very well. Also forgot to take a pic of the conveyor belt.

Princess had a 'mini bus' set which I don't like to order as I think it's a waste of money. She insisted she'd finish it all, but of course she didn't. Only had the crabsticks and eggs and some of the pasta (which is made from ramen, so I like it). I know the only reason she orders it, is that it comes with a bottle of Yakult. And for the pretty bus bento box.

Here we had the fried tofu, spicy salmon gunkan, unagi gunkan and fried maki.

For dinner tonight we went to The Caffe Bar. They have all day set meals and they are value for money. If I'm not wrong, the basic set starts at $18.80+++. You get the soup of the day (it was seafood chowder today - very nice) , free flow of bread, a choice of basic pasta, and a cup of coffee.

They are really kid-friendly with a few choices for the little ones and princess chose the sausage and fries. It comes with a bottle of Yakult (again), but she didn't know about it beforehand, a free toy, and 2 little tubs of jelly. They also have kids-sized drinks, very cute. This here is the 'babycino', basically frothy milk with Hershey's chocolate sauce. She was thrilled. And the beverage was very 'adultish'-looking, served in a cup slightly bigger than an expresso cup.


Oooh, must rave about this dish. I went for the Peranakan Prawn Sambal Linguine (might I add, it has the chef's recommendation). I think Paw Paw and Karen will both like. :) Very spicy. My tummy is still burning. Hehe. The nice thing is the prawns are already peeled for you so only the head is left for presentation. Try it.

For dinner last evening, being flustered by the buggers and not really in the mood to cook, I asked princess what she wanted and she said apricots. What?! You can't just have dried apricots for dinner?! But kids are kids, they have no concept of what makes for proper food for lunch or dinner. So when I mentioned that her little friend Jorge was having udon, she said she wanted udon too. So that was easy to prepare. Also made her a Hiyayako (cold tofu) with soyu. She likes that. Thank goodness her tastebud is quite Asian. She'll go for rice and noodles. And it's only recently that she started to take a bit of potato, very un-Irish. Haha. Hubby would never touch that stuff (tofu).

Oops, sorry, another longgggggg post.

Fast food

I didn't plan to cook today. Just wanted to go to the hawker downstairs and buy lunch. I just been feeling so lethargic lately. But of course I didn't get my way. Princess demanded rice! Just white rice, and tomatoes, and chicken please... Ok, ok.

It was pretty quick to prepare. Rice took about 10mins to cook, just cut up some tomatoes, and put chicken nuggets in micro then browned in wok.

A friend told me about these little buns, very healthy kind with flaxseed, wheat bran, wheat flour etc. I have to say they taste super healthy too. Don't be fooled by the pic on package. It's only a tiny dollop of filling in them. They are quite nice, but the skin tastes a bit like paper. Steamed a couple for myself and gave princess a bite. She said she liked them. Here I have posted a pic of the pumpkin one, as the green paste one, erm, I don't think you'd want to see the inside of it. It reminds me of .... erm... something not too edible.

I also found these in Daiso the other day. I think they are fantastic as you can scoop rice out directly from rice cooker using them. Previously I had to scoop rice into bowl and fill the moulds first before turning them out onto plate.