Oh broccoli how I miss you..

We've been feeling yuck lately, dry chapped lips, dry skin, and some GIT symptoms you don't wanna know. Trust me.
Too many takeaway foods, as a result of living in two places cannot be good for our system.
I'm craving a huge plateful of broccoli salad with garlic and lemon. Yum....!!!

love haus 3

So far, this is what we've done, not much difference yet, still a pile of mess here and there.
But we bought some pot plants (hope I won't kill 'em) :

the chilli plant looks a bit sad :(



they're just sunbathing on the balcony, enjoying the afternoon sun

we got the entertainment section covered!!!

tiny LCD TV, check. Cheesy halloween / teenager movie on the screen, check (btw, on the screen was Sarah Jessica Parker before SATC days). DVD player. check.
We just need to figure out how to hide the ugly cables



Aaaannnnddd, we got ourselves a record player too!! how cool, now we can play you, Mr Morrisey's giant CD..

Love Haus2

A few trips to Ikea and bunnings later


Klobo Couch A$179 (YES! that's not a typo.., now, who doesn't love Ikea??)


voila! our first couch.. :) and I proudly say that I built it myself.. it's a two men's job (according to the how-to brochure), but I finished it. It still looks a bit dull, needs a bit of reupholstery job, or perhaps a couple of colourful cushions.


Again, Ikea - Vika furuskog table top (A$79) and legs ($5 each); this would be our dining table
perched on the table tops are Ikea mugs ($2 each, and tea towel from spotlight $19 for a set of 5)
synthetic turf, Bunnings warehouse - A$37/m


behind the dining table, that will be our bookshelf (Ikea, ivar shelf legs (A$23 each and the pine shelf comes from Bunnings warehouse, A$10)

Love Haus1

A few of house sharing dramas, a couple of rows, a teaspoon of breakdown..
lead us to this humble but cute love haus. Still empty, this is our current little project.
this time, it will be just ours, no more share houses, we get to the point when enough is enough


well, here's the first sneak peak :



we measured and blue taped to mark where the furnitures will be. This is important, because we want to have everything in proportion.

oh, the things you found on the internet

I was searching for a pair of glasses, just because my vision is getting worse nowadays, and I desperately need it. (astigmatism sucks, makes all blurry).
Anyway, I googled 'retro specs' and I came across this funny image :



so retro! :)

Just a friendly reminder

must get their A to Z vol. 2 soon!

avocado chocolate mousse

1 medium or 2 large ripe avocados
1 - 2 tbsp honey / maple syrup / any sweeteners you have
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp dutch cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

cut the avocado(s) in half, spoon the flesh into food processor
add the cocoa powder,vanilla, and honey
blend.
add water / soy milk / milk to thin it out
taste.think.. (courtesy of Jamie Oliver - he almost, always said "season, taste, and think.."), add whatever you think you need.
transfer to a bowl, chill in the fridge for a few hours.
grab two teaspoons, and enjoy with someone one you love :)

(Whatever you do, no matter how strongly you were temped - don't lick the food processor's blade)

Killer Eggplant Lasagna

There's no specific recipe for this, making lasagna is about a journey of your own, trying to find your own perfect recipe.
I recently found mine.
a few small things that makes all the difference :
Fresh pasta
Italian tin tomato

thats it. I don't even need to add a lot of cheese, just plain cheddar, doesn't have to be mozzarella.
with some fresh salad on the side, (broccoli is a must in this house of mine), and some croutons, as if I need more carbs.

Homemade chocolate hazelnut spread

breakfast, rye toast with choc-hazelnut butter, and a cup of coffee

Compared to the commercial products, this one lower in saturated fat & sugar.

1 cup hazelnut, roasted and skinned (don't skip the roasting bit, it makes all the difference, trust me on this!)
2 tbsp cocoa powder, dutch processed is preferred
maple syrup / stevia / sugar / honey (any preferable sweeteners will do)
water
oil (lightly flavoured oil, such as canola, or rice bran oil)
1/4 tsp salt

to roast the hazelnuts, preheat the oven 200C, place the nuts on the roasting pan, and roast for 5-10 min until fragrant
check every 3 min, cause it burn easily.
blend the hazelnut in the food processor
add cocoa powder, 2tbsp of water, 1 tbsp oil and sweeteners
taste, and adjust accordingly until you're happy with the consistency and the taste
store in tight lid container, the flavour will develop the next day
smear it on toast, cake, muffins, cupcakes, anything really, or eat it straight with a spoon or fingers, yum!

watch : YouTube's Elmo Interview

I promise this will cheer you up.. if its doesn't, then nothing else in this world can help you :) (well, probably some SSRI will do..)

everything is bleeped (or, a bad case of PMS)

the dishwasher is broken,
I clumsily spilled my face powder this morning,
missed my friends yoga class - thanks to my clumsiness,
the kitchen were supposed to be cleaned, but guess what - NOT really!
(hey housey, thats not what I called squeaky clean!)
and I left my speaker charger in the studio.
bleeergghhh...!
I need a GOOD yoga class tomorrow!!!

update (26/9/20) :
hey housey, sorry I judge you too soon, according to your note, you obviously haven't finish your clean up.
the living room looks good now.

check out my new outfit!

well,
actually my work uniform, I wear it 4 days a week, 8hrs a day.
nice thing about uniform is I don't have to decide what-to-wear everyday.

Hatchoooo...!!

..woow..

it sure is dusty here, blog.. :)
Just got my writing mojo back while trying to cope with my new life.
full time work, part time living my dream..
busy..but loving it

lunch, babka

We're heading home tomorrow!! yaaayy, very excited, looking forward to warmer weather..! I've got 2 wedding lined up for next weekend, so on the last day in Melbourne, we went to Brunswick St to find some dress, and some gifts. We, or I should say, I, was quite hungry when we head out, so we decided to have some lunch first somewhere around Brunswick St.
We picked Babka, which was unusual, because its Sunday, and we often put off by the long line of people waiting for a table. But, hey, today is an unusual day..! We waited for about 10 min to snatch a table for two.

I've heard soooooo many bad experience with the service, but fortunately, we didn't experienced it. Yes, they were not the friendliest waitress on earth, but they were quite efficient, and given the busy-ness of the place, I think its fair enough if they don't stop for a small talk. I'm not big on small talk either. The waiters gave us some time to choose food from the menu, and happily changed my order when I changed my mind - wanted borscht instead of croissant with mushroom. Oh yeah, the waiter also asked me if I want more bread, after we finished them in 2 seconds. Yes Please!!

The food arrived at a reasonable timing, regarding how busy they were. I had borscht ($8.50) with toast, (dense-chewy-crusty bread..I want it now..!!), my date had HUGE nicoise sandwich that I've blogged before ($12 eat in, or $8.50 take away, I know, ridiculous price gap!). That was the first time I had borscht, and I loved it. Heart warming, comforting bowl of soup, plus, the colour was beautiful and uplifting. The beet and cabbage was sweet, but not overly sweet like pumpkin soup, the sour cream cut through the sweetness, and the fresh dill gave a lovely fragrant.
We were meant to try some of the sweets too, but we're to full, the soup was surprisingly filling! (or maybe its the 5 pieces of bread? :) )

Have to return for sweets!

another quote

"I am half of us."

(by : datascroll, my-other-half's screen saver)

brother baba budan

One of the best coffee in Melbourne.
They've got a new print on the take away cups, wonder what the design means.

Brunswick Flour Mill

Look, they have invisible fork!


here's the invisible fork - close up view.

Wooo hooo... Next week, I will be at my hometown, catching up with my best-est girlfriends, baking something sweet with my sister, babysitting my nephew, shopping with mom, gardening with dad (well, looking at him gardening, perhaps asking questions).
In the meantime, I need to label my visa, off we went, early in the morning..queuing outside immigration office, in the freezing Melbourne winter.
A few hours later, after market shopping, and heavy rain, we found ourselves sitting at Brunswick flour mill.
We had soy lattes (as always), baked berry cheese cake, and apple strudel. I actually wanted a carrot cake, but they're finished. The cakes were nice, not too fancy and decadent, just like a good cake baked by someone who can really bake good cake. The apple strudel was HUGE..., and ooh, and they're cheap too (cakes around $4.50).

I must admit..

I'm a bit slacking off with my morning mysore practice. My energy level was pretty low in the morning, and I've been sick for the past few days. Luckily, I bounced back pretty quick, thanks to good old lemon+water+honey in the morning, 1 g of paracetamol/day, 1.5 g of vitamin C tablets, and some zinc tablets. ooh, and some back and head massage helped a lot as well..<3
Now that I feel much better, I MUST practice on Friday morning..! :)

Here's what wordle said about me

It's official,this blog has become a food blog (mostly).
make your own here

rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, rain...!!

That's pretty much describe the weather today, my yoga class was shrunk, the studio was freeeeezzzziiiiinnngggg....!!! And my poor washing will not be dried anytime soon.. :(

well, anyway, here's what we cooked; or baked tonight, sooo much more exciting than weather report :
I baked cavolo nero tart,I found the recipe from 101 cookbooks, I just swap the turnip green with cavolo nero or tuscan cabbage, or dinosaur kale (how cool is the name!!).

verdict : creamy, and healthy..!
on the side, broccoli and carrot salad with wasabi-mayo dressing (I am currently addicted to wasabi!)


for dessert, brown sugar pavlova, with fresh orange. I borrowed the pavlova recipe from trotski&ash. Tooth-achingly-sweet pav..,crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside; paired perfectly with cream, and tangy orange wedges. yum!!!

yaayy...we've got leftover for tomorrow!! :D


p.s. I really enjoyed cooking with you..<3

drifting away

some things, just felt like sand that slowly slipping through my fingers,
I can't control it, each particles seems just simply escape from the spaces between my fingers..

buckwheat pancake

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla paste (real one, no essence please!)
1 large egg (preferably free range)
~1 cup milk (you can add a bit more if the batter is too thick)
butter, to grease the frying pan

mix dry ingredients in a large measuring jug
whisk egg, milk, vanilla paste in a small bowl
mix wet to dry ingredients
let the batter rest for 15 - 30 min in the fridge
melt butter on the frying pan, cook the pancake on one side until bubbles appear
flip, or toss if you are skillful :)

I serve mine with caramelized pear and yogurt drizzled with (fake) maple syrup, don't judge me, maple syrup is soooooo expensive here..!

1 packham pear
1 tsp butter
1tsp caster sugar

sliced the pear into wedges, don't bother to peel (add extra fibre!)
heat 1 tsp butter in a skillet, add sliced pear, sprinkle with 1 tsp caster sugar
cook one side until the pear brownish, flip, cook the other side
let the sugar bubble, and caramelized a bit, transfer to bowl.
serve with the pancake, and a glass of soy latte.

yum...perfect winter breakfast!

yaay!

We're Celebrating the end of semester with movie, and bingeing on 'bad' food, like this yummy chips from grill'd..
they are deliciously thick sliced, seasoned with salt & rosemary and served with a side of herb mayo...
bye for now carbs, as now I'm on a high protein low carb diet.. (fingers crossed,I hope I can survive!)

updated : one thing lead to another, and my main reason of doing this diet in the first place was gone, so my diet gone out of the window as well. Besides, winter is the time of the year when I crave CH the most.

new member of the family

I adopted her from local op shop, set me back for $1.50
Now, she's coming to my mom and bub's class, helping me out to demonstrate some poses.

food inc.

I went to see food inc. with my friend the other day, it was good. But, if you have read fast food nation and the ethics of what we eat, or omnivore's dilemma, there's nothing new. I found the book's content are more graphic and horrifying than the movie.
The movie encourage us to buy organic, but they missed the point that some 'organic' food are not that healthy either.
'organic chips' or 'organic corn chips' that sometime still have the scary fluorescent orange powder coating.

One tip, don't buy any food when you're watching this movie. I bought a choc top, and had to finish it, even though I was feeling really2x sick!

sunday is a perfect time..

for a coffee date,


and bake some sweets, pear and custard tart :)

found the recipe here
I pretty much follow the recipe, but at the end, inspired by masterchef, (my current tv show addiction), I tried to make a brulee-like effect by sprinkling some raw sugar, and caramelized it under the griller.
big. mistake.
I slightly "over-caramelized" the sugar.. :(
despite that, it still taste yum!
the pears are nice and soft, the custard is sweet and vanilla-ey, but the store-bought shortcrust pastry is a tiny bit undercooked (but, that's how he like it).
Next time, I will roll my own pastry.

A perfect closure to a somewhat disastrous, and a very2x long week.

AIR, mike mills

I've been playing this, oh..about 4 times today.

after work lunch

udon soup (half a portion, just how I like it) & sushi rolls
can you see the reflection of the trees on the soy sauce?

super simple broccoli

well well, this blog has turn into a food blog hasn't it?
hmm, that's alright (I guess).
broccoli is my favourite vegie, I always buy them every SINGLE week!
A week without those tiny florets, my body would scream "I WANT MY BROCCOLI..NOW!!!"

anyway,here's how I did it.

you'll need :
1 broccoli
1tsp butter
a pinch of chilli flakes, and
1 clove of garlic. thats it.

trim the florets, and slice the stalk into matchstick (yes, you can eat the stalk, just discard the toughest bottom part) wash and drain in colander
chop 1 clove of garlic
heat 1 tsp butter or olive oil (it wont be the same though, butter tastes better)
saute the garlic until fragrant, add chili, and broccoli
cover the pan,let it steam.
after 2min, flip them, and cook for another 1 - 2 min. you can see some of the florets brown a bit, that's the good part.
take off the heat, and transfer to a plate.
you can also squeeze lemon juice for a bit of zing. healthy,no salt and pepper needed. yum

nice quote 2

"neurotics build castles in the sky, psychotics live in them, and psychiatrists collect the rent."

(quote borrowed from 'optimum nutrition for the mind' book)

grey-day

my friend from yoga, a lovely lady, gave me this weird Chinese mix drink, its a black sesame drink, doesn't look good, but taste good! We always have a chat after practice, over a cup of chai, she often give me great advices too.. <3


look, the drink matches my outfit!

please winter, don't come too soon!

7 a.m. in the morning.
woke up to morning mist..started to get really3x cold here! (for me..)

just another day

start your day with breakfast.

coffee & toast (babka loaf takes humble toasts to another whole new level)



window shopping, how cool, now I can send pic from the changing room..! (yeah, I know, MMS was invented ages ago, but, I'm not a gadget savvy)



had a bit a laugh reading this menu. Read the description on agedashi tofu. "..spring onion and bonito 'freak'.." (I do hope they mean flakes, because I don't want to eat freaky bonito!)


mmmm.. sushi!

brothers of end

brothers of end
beautiful.under-appreciated.

wishlist : the radio dept. (clinging to a scheme)

swedish music for dummies describe their music as introvert pop.

Sunday, lovely sunday..

morning : slow breakfast @ home, and a cup of stovetop coffee
mid-morning :2 hrs led class, felt really great afterward..! love the energy of a led class, harmonious om chants, ujjayi breath sounds, sweats, and everything else.. and, oh,a massive endorphins release!
note to self : should've gone to led class more often, drag your lazy behind of the bed.. It's worth it!



noon : went to Babka, bought takeaway sandwiches for lunch (nicoise, and vintage cheddar to share), went home, and experienced the best sandwiches I have ever tasted in my life..! I couldn't believe sandwich can be so satisfying. I even had to split them in two shift of lunches. I will positively come back just for the loaf. (or, maybe some savoury pies/pastries..?) Lots of people complaining about their service, but I found the service was ok for a super busy cafe.

afternoon : ate the rest of my sandwich, read 'optimum nutrition for the mind' by patrick holford (best quote : "alcohol pickles your brain" and "sugar & stimulants make you stupid")

evening : baked cheat pizza (anchovy & potato and rosemary), masterchef, some more browsing, and writing my blog.
ooh, I also found out that the guys at 65 degrees found my blog, and linked it on their website. (I thought Im the only one reading this blog) Cool.. maaaaaybe I could get a free cup of coffee later, guys? hehe, just kidding..

Hi Dawn

As a nutritionist (to be), I often asked my patients to write a 2 week food diary.
Will you please be my patient, just so I can get your amazing food diary? :)

I swear..

I spotted Jens Lekman today on the tram stop.. (or, might just be someone who looks a lot like him! But I'm like, 98.6% sure though)

perfectly poached eggs

I munch on the toast while waiting for my eggs to cook (what can I do? Im starving)


dig in!

lunch today..
poached eggs on toast with harissa spread, and olives.

to make a perfect poached eggs, remember this formula ;

perfect eggs = fresh eggs x (rolling heat water + 2 - 3 min)

fresh eggs ARE essential, otherwise, it's going to be a disaster!
time is relative, depends on how solid would you want the yolks
rolling heat = bring water to the boil, and turn down the heat until large bubbles disappear

long time no see, nina

So you are a fashion designer now.. :)
To this day, I'm still listening to your records. I listened either to pre - '1st band on the moon' albums, If I want a bit of cheeriness, or 'long gone before daylight', if I feel a bit melancholic.
Anyway, good luck with your new project, I'm sure you'll be great.

XX Amanda.

small block

last Sunday, we went to small block for a breky.
I had some extra cash, so I decided to spent it on a great breakfast. We haven't had a good breakfast for a few months, I just thought we deserved it.
The place was packed. Luckily, there were only 2 of us, so the odds of getting a table were higher. 5-7 min wait, we're perched outside, on a wiggly tiny stool, had some vitamin D as an appetizer. No sunnies on, it almost triggered a headache. fortunately, my coffee arrived, we tried to drink the coffee as slow as possible. 15 min later, our food came, Buck rarebit with poached eggs & chili relish for me, and eggs florentine with smoke salmon for him.
We ate in s i l e n c e.., almost meditative.
combination of perfectly poached eggs, sunny and silky yolks,wilted fresh spinach, cheese on toast, and spicy relish.
finished up the rest of the coffee, and we're leaving happier than ever.
perfect breakfast :) see you in the next few months guys!

So Excited!

I found a new coffee place, 65 degrees (309 exhibition street)
no milk crates turned into chairs, no hipsters, no overloaded cuteness, just a good, no, AWESOME cup of coffee. Are you up for a coffee date? ;)