Month: September 2011

A real update.

Sorry for the slew of advertorials this week. Sometimes they come all at once and I won’t have slots for personal blog posts to publish. Not that I’m not complaining really, because being paid to write about what you enjoy (food, parties etc)….not a lot of people get to do that!

Anyway, here’s a real update!

I’m officially a certified scuba diver since last weekend! Yay to me! Something that I’ve always wanted to do and finally I’ve done it!

# – Underwater couple portrait :D

It was a really fun trip to Pulau Lang Tengah with Moobs, God, ST and of course my mentor/diving instructor Edvin.

# – ST, Moobs & Edvin.

# – God sleeping upright in a shaky boat.

# – Errr..

Edvin’s the same person who led my discovery scuba session a year ago and if you’re looking to be certified yourself, look no where else. As far as good instructors go, Edvin’s the man.

He is 200% about safety and that’s all that matters. No beautifully packaged open water cert to advanced cert in 2 days bullshit from our man. You really got to earn your badge properly.

We call Edvin the fishman because he is unreal when he’s in water. He’s got the most incredible breathing techniques; truly valuable stuff when you’re underwater. Truly valuable stuff. I feel very lucky to be what he refers to as “apprentice” :)

# – Edvin administrating the final test on me.

# – Certified! Woohoo!

Diving is an addictive hobby. I can’t wait to wet my bones again. Looking forward to a lot of diving trips, hopefully one in October, fingers crossed!

Anyway, we’re leaving for Singapore in a hour. Going to be there till Sunday. Am quite excited about buying kitchen appliances (I know right I’m such an auntie!)……and checking out scuba gear hehehe.

ST’s wallet is weeping as we speak…

p/s: Happy Malaysia Day!

+++ Advertorial Break +++

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As for new customers that join after 31 July 2011, all you have to do is MAKE AT LEAST 3 CALLS IN 1 DAY to qualify. Easy peasy!

# – Be an XPAX, U.O.X. or S.O.X. user and talk!

Join the TALK-A-THON now and talk all the way to your favourite shopping haunts!

More information at https://www.xpax.com.my/talkathon.

Homemade buffalo burger patties.

Since I’ve posted about how to make burger buns, it’s only natural to follow up with how I made the burger patties.

Everytime after I’ve made things like meatballs or burgers, I do get to wonder why people buy the frozen stuff.

Firstly, you’d have to thaw them and secondly, they taste gross. It’s almost as time consuming, if not more to eat frozen burgers!

Homemade meatballs and burgers are so incredibly easy and delicious in contrast. It’s not even messy to make, as some might believe.

# – Homemade buffalo burgers.

I’m using buffalo mince in this recipe, which was delicious! You can use beef of course :)

The ingredients:

  • 300 grams of buffalo mince
  • 1 egg
  • 2 pickled gherkins, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 teaspoons of tabasco sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
  • 3 teaspoons of of salt

    • # – First, dump the buffalo mince into a mixing bowl. Add the diced pickled gherkins as well as the 1 diced medium onion (not in picture).

    # – Flatten out the mixture and spread dijon mustard all over for an even seasoning.

    # – Add the salt.

    # – Followed by the tabasco sauce.

    # – Finally, crack an egg over the mixture.

    # – This is the fun part…using your fingers to massage and knead and mix everything until it turns into a smooth blob.

    # – Shape into 4 patties. Don’t have to be perfect…I advocate a rustic approach :D

    # – Cover and let sit in the fridge for 1/2 hour to firm up and allow the flavours to amalgamate.

    # – When ready to cook, just throw them on a hot well greased pan or griddle for a few minutes on both sides.

    # – Assemble the burgers. Lettuce, mayo, cheese, tomatoes…whatever rocks your socks.

    # – All ready for devouring.

    # – Hmmmm…juicy, meaty homemade burgers!

    Juicy, meaty and all natural. I implore you to make your own burgers!

    Honey mustard baby back ribs recipe.

    Going to steal a line from KFC here. These ribs were finger lickin’ good!

    The method of cooking these ribs is quite similar to my first attempt, the sweet and sticky ribs. I wanted a marinade that doesn’t have so much sugar and after a bit of research I stumbled upon a recipe supposedly by Julia Child (I can’t be sure) which is only sweetened by honey.

    # – Honey mustard baby back ribs.

    For the pork ribs:

  • 2 pieces of 350-500 grams baby back ribs
  • 4 star anises
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 100 ml of light soya sauce
  • Enough water to cover the ribs in a pot

    • For the marinade/sauce:

  • 6 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons of water
  • 2 tablespoons Tabasco
  • 3 tablespoons of honey
  • 1.5 cup of olive oil
  • Black pepper, to taste

    • # – First, pour the light soya sauce into the pot of water (enough to cover the ribs) over medium heat.

    # – Then add the cloves, star anises and cumin seeds into it.

    # – When the liquid has started simmering, add the ribs. Let it boil for 1/2 hour and then turn off the heat and leave it be for another 1/2 hour.

    # – In the meantime, make the marinade. Add the mustard, honey, tabasco sauce, balsamic vinegar, oil, black pepper & water (not in picture).

    # – Whisk all the ingredients together till combined. The marinade/sauce is now done.

    # – Take the ribs out of the liquid and lay them bone side down on a roasting tin lined with foil (to avoid too much cleanup!). Brush the marinade all over the ribs. Reserve the rest of the marinade.

    # – Cover and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.

    # – When ready to cook, stick the tin into a preheated oven at 200 degrees celcius for 40 minutes.

    # – While the ribs are roasting, brush more marinade all over the ribs for every 15 minutes.

    # – After 40 minutes, take the ribs out and pour all the remaining marinade over the ribs. Stick it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

    # – Serve with a side of steamed vegetables and roasted root vegetables.

    # – Honey mustard baby back ribs, DONE!

    I really enjoyed making this, it’s so stress free (both preparation and cleanup). The ribs were juicy and tender; meat was practically falling off the bones! The sauce was addictive…a little sour, a little spicy and a little sweet. I can’t think of better dishes to cook for and impress a party!