I was thrilled that I got selected for Avocados House Party! ๐ I applied for other House Parties previously but didn’t get selected. Lucky me!! I was 1 of the 1500 lucky hosts!
This House Party comes with 15 shopping totes + $15 gift card for the host. It was a great experience for me and also one of the greatest reward as a couponer! Above all, this party would not have gone smoothly w/o Jo’s help (in cooking and preparing) and Dave&Jo generosity for allowing me to host at their house! Thank u!!
For food, we have….
Hawaiian Baked Rice
Recipe from Noobcook This is a good recipe for parties..and it taste so good + very filling too! We made 2 batches (white rice on one tray, brown rice on the other) – everyone loved the brown rice version, even when they don’t like brown rice!
Avocado pop tarts!
Recipe from Scarlettabakes. This is Jo’s idea! OMG… it taste sooo good…
It does not taste like avocado at all.. and looks like Kaya!!! we omitted the lime glaze.. and it still taste good!
Tacos!
How can Avocado Party not have tacos?! Recipe from Guilty Kitchen
A pic of all of us enjoying the party! Thank you House Party and Avocados From Mexico
A while back, I bought discounted vouchers at Costco for painting classes held at Palettes and Pairings I was looking forward to my first canvas painting! Imagine hanging your masterpiece at home!!??
Finally, found a nice painting I’m interested in and signed up for it ๐ The best thing is.. YS and Jo joined in for the class too! It was fun to paint together.. hahaha.. The voucher includes painting materials + a drink and light snacks. It was quite worth it – can’t think of a better way to spent Saturday night!
Yes… my oversized space needle.. Bh thinks that it looks like a UFO invading Seattle. hahaha… There’s always a first time right?
It’s only a small painting but it’s quite tiring to focus and paint. Now I can imagine how Michelangelo felt when he painted Sistine Chapel’s ceiling?!!
I was abit disappointed that the instructor did not teach us any painting technique – she just told us what colours to mix and paint on the canvas :/ hmmm.. well.. she did teach us how to draw the space needle/ferris wheel but it would be good if she provided some tips on merging the paints
Then again, I will go again (hope for a better instructor) as i think it’s therapeutic to paint.. love it when I see the final product! ๐ It’s also a good activity to do together with your date/girlfriends! In the mean time… Let me enjoy my masterpiece..hehe
I love such nights when we put away technology and enjoy each other’s company. It’s rare but I treasure these moments ๐ This time we watched “We bought a Zoo” on HBO. This is an inspirational true story about a UK family who actually bought a zoo! It’s sounds so ridiculous BUT they really did! WOW! How brave!
My favorite quote from the movie โAll you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come of it.โ What’s your 20 seconds of courage?
For me..
20 seconds of courage to tender my resignation and break my bond
20 seconds of courage to decide to drive in WA
20 seconds of courage to take a roller coaster
…and lots more…
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And I just passed my driving knowledge test last sat! Now… my practical driving test is 6 weeks from now… shiver!! I can do it!!
It was amazing to see a popular Singapore blogger in Seattle! It felt like I finally met an online friend! ๐ Mr Brown’s presentation was nothing about having kids, HDB, CPF, PAP.. it was more of a personal introduction to him as a blogger and also an intimate insight of his humble family and life. After or rather during his presentation, I admire him even more! I am very impressed with how a very normal Singaporean could do what he love and excel in it! I believe that he is not earning alot.. and he have 3 kids!!! out of the 3 kids, 1 of them is autistic! Yet, he still follow his dreams.. and now.. everybody know who he is!
My favorite part of the presentation was the podcast of his wife’s “I Am Singaporean” message. It was very touching – “Behind every great/successful man there stands a woman” How true!
After the presentation, it was Q&A. Mr Brown was really frank in all his answers. However, BH felt that a question (along this line) “How do u cope with a Autistic child?” could be planted. Mr Brown answered and told us the importance of family support, which obviously.. most of the overseas Singaporeans do not have. Still, I think that the presentation and Q&A was sincere and it does not sound/feel like a script.
I would say that Mr Brown’s presentation is a “silent weapon” – he did not directly tell us about Singapore BUT used his own experiences/life to make us think of home. This is an intelligent way to plant the seed ( of where u truly belong) in every Singaporean’s head! 1 word.. POWERFUL.
For once, after so many years… I miss home ๐ It’s a successful presentation , Mr Brown!
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His presentation made me feel empowered and inspired! I shall not wallow in self-pity.. I want to take control! I had decided to take the first step to acquiring my WA driving license. I also applied to be a volunteer at a local children’s hospital. To be updated ๐
Ever since we moved to the Eastside, going to Seattle is a BIG DEAL… what i mean is.. we rarely go to Seattle because of the traffic, distance, toll or rather.. my driver’s laziness. Anyhow, Mr Brown’s talk is at downtown Seattle, so we have no choice.. haha
We went to Local360 It’s a cool place with nice atmosphere. I love the wooden interior of the restaurant as it gives a vintage feel. There are also paintings which makes the place modern.
I woke up with a very bad headache so i didn’t have much appetite. BH ordered PB & J Bons Bons for starters.. gosh.. it was poisonous!
Erm.. this is really silly but we were asking ourselves ( and looking around) – How to eat the Bons Bons? Do we dunk it in milk? I drizzle milk over my Bons Bons, so I didn’t look silly.. haha
Look at the PB inside the Bons Bons!! I only had 1 and BH ate the rest.
I ordered pancakes.. I just didn’t know what to eat..
BH ordered Pork Belly – which was soft, tender and delicious (according to him)
Overall, the food was alright. Actually, it’s not fair to judge the food as I was not in my best form. I will make a mental note to dine in this place again. Service was alright – it was really bz on a rainy Saturday afternoon! The servers took awhile to take our orders and our food also took a while to come.
Another thing to note: Prime card discount is NOT valid for brunch
Just bought this pair of shoes on 1/2 price!! Lucky me!! ๐
The thing is.. I am not confident with peep toe shoes.. but this pair of wedges is soooo comfy.. it’s the most comfy wedges I have ever worn.. and I always wanted to by a pair of Tory Burch!!! Gosh…. now… should i keep this??
Yes or no?
[Edited] Returned the shoes. Figured out that it’s silly to keep a pair of expensive shoes which is not the correct size for me :/
Every year, the Overseas Singaporean Unit will organize speakers to talk to Singaporeans. Well.. the usual speech is about going back to SG to work/live etc..sad to say, BH and I NEVER attended any of these talks before. The past speakers were not people we know.. and we are not interested to hear about how good Singapore is .. or how we need to have babies to increase the population.. blah…
This year is different! we found ourselves+our friends looking forward to this event as it’s not any Tom, Dick or Harry… it’s MR BROWN!!! hahaha… If there’s 1 blog which keep us updated on news in SG.. it is Mr Brown’s ๐
we signed up for this event several weeks ago.. and the event is finally happening this Saturday!! How exciting!!! I hope to have a picture taken with Mr Brown! hahaha.. let’s see how this go…Shall update more ~~
My hubby love love love .. or should I say.. ADORES eggs! I won’t even be surprised that he will choose an egg (Eg: Humpty Dumpty) over me! Hmph! Anyhow, I decided to try this recipe.. and it was worth it!! The result?! Delicious!!! OMG! It would taste even better with Nasi Lemak! It reminds me of the eggs you see at Malay rice store…and it taste like it too! It is super easy to prepare!!!
4 large eggs or extra-large eggs, preferably free-range
1/3 cup peanut oil or unroasted sesame oil ( I used vegetable oil)
1/8 teaspoon turmeric ( I don’t have this at home so I used curry powder)
2 small shallots, minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
ยผ teaspoon Red Chile Powder, or to taste ( I don’t have this at home so I used curry powder)
2 medium tomatoes (about ยฝ pound), finely chopped
2 teaspoons fish sauce
ยฝ teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 or 3 green cayenne chiles, seeded and sliced lengthwise into 3 or 4 strips each
Method:
Place the eggs in a saucepan, add cold water to cover, bring to a boil, and cook at a medium boil for 8 minutes. Drain the eggs and cool in cold water. When the eggs are cool enough to handle peel them.
Heat the oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tumeric and stir to dissolve it. When the oil is hot enough to sizzle when a drop of water is dropped into it, add the peeled eggs and fry until golden and a little blistered all over: cook on each side in turn, then try to balance the eggs on their ends to cook the tips. Frying the egg is a fun little task, quickly done, and it makes them very attractive. With a slotted spoon, lift the eggs out of the hot oil and onto a plate. Cut them lengthwise in half and set aside.
Golden eggs!
Pour off all but 2 to 3 tablespoons of the oil (the oil can be used again for stir-frying). Heat the oil remaining in the pan over medium heat, add the shallots and garlic, and fry briefly, until translucent. Add the chile powder and tomatoes and, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, cook at a strong simmer until the tomatoes have broken down into a softened mass, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the fish sauce and salt, then taste and adjust the seasoning if you wish. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the chile strips, and stir. Place the eggs cut side down in the sauce and cook until the oil sizzles, about 3 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. Just before scooping out~~ Food is served!
haha… it also goes well with my newly painted Golden nails! ๐
Enjoy!!!
I don’t like Pork BUT I just got to try cooking this dish since I bought some spices back from SG this time round..
This dish reminds me of home ๐ haha.. my mum cook this often because my dad loves it! Now I am cooking for my hubby.. hopefully he loves it too!
yummy!! taste super good with rice! and the best part is.. it taste even better overnight! I like to cook such dishes because Bh can pack it for lunch the next day… oh.. the meat is tender and it does not have the ‘porky’ smell!
P/S: Put just enough spices (cinnamon/star annise/cloves). when the recipe states ‘1’, just put ‘1’ย as too much can be overwhelming!
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Constantly check that the braising sauce is not dried out during the simmering. You will need to add water (a little at a time) when the stew is drying out. Visit Noobcook’s blog for more tips!
Ingredients
8 dried Chinese mushrooms
4 eggs
1-2 tbsp cooking oil
500 grams pork belly
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 litre water
1 cinnamon stick (ๆก็ฎ)
1 star anise (ๅ ซ่ง)
4 cloves (ไธ้ฆ)
1/2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder (ไบ้ฆ็ฒ)
1.5 bulbs garlic separated into individual cloves (no need to peel)
dashes of white pepper powder to taste
spring onions or coriander garnishing
Instructions
1.Soak dry mushrooms in small bowl of hot water until puffy, then drain water. Squeeze out the water from mushrooms and trim away stems. Set aside the mushroom caps.
2.Prepare 80% cooked hard boiled eggs. To do that, place eggs in saucepan of cold water (enough water to cover eggs one layer). Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes, turn off the stove and cover with lid for about 7 minutes (for 100% hard boiled eggs, itโs about 10 minutes). Rinse the eggs with cold water until eggs are cooled. Peel when cool enough to handle. Set aside.
3.Heat oil in casserole (wok, claypot or deep pot). Brown pork belly on both sides on medium heat. Add 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce on both sides of browned pork belly.
4.Add the rest of the ingredients except eggs, tau kwa and spring onions/coriander. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer (with lid partially closed) for an hour, or until the meat is tender.
5.During the last 10 minutes of simmering, add eggs and tau kwa. To serve, slice pork belly to smaller, bite-sized pieces. Serve with rice or steamed buns. Garnish with spring onions or coriander.
