A food post

To make up for the last week of dead silence, my entire Saturday morning will be dedicated to updating this space. Plus I just need DO and THINK about something else that has nothing whatsoever to do with work for at least two hours.

And that something else folks shall be food:

1. I came across this recipe from karencheng's site - pears poached in red wine. I had this mini-craving for a red wine, but for reasons explained in the note below, I could not indulge... so this was the perfect substitute... sometimes you just feel like savouring something rich and 'winy' (learnt this word from Irene).

It's SO simple - peel pears, pour a whole bottle of red wine into pot, add sugar and spices, and simmer for an hour.

FYI: For those of you that don't know, I have completely sworn off alcohol for now... and no it's not because of what you think... this is purely for reasons related to health and well-being. It was little tough at first because I sooooo love enjoying a glass of full-bodied red every now and then. And it has been difficult to explain myself every time I find myself at an event or gathering that involves alcohol (no more Friday beers for me!). I do not think I have a problem with alcoholism or have any alcoholic tendencies at all as I found it pretty easy to make the switch in a blink. But once you have developed a palate for something good, you can't help missing it occasionally. Perhaps I may be able to have a sip one day in the future if the situation changes. But for now, not having any qualms with this decision.

2. I'm sure everyone has at least one quickie meal recipe, which they fall back on in times of need. Something classic, reliable and a sure winner at the dinner table, but fairly simple to prepare for those nights where you just don't feel like going through the whole rigmarole of chopping, preparing, marinating...

Off the top of my head, my quickie sure-winner dinner meals include:

• Macaroni and ikan bilis soup - topped with baby spinach and fishballs
• Indomee (because I can get my hubby to cook this as his 'speciality')
• Cheerios (just kidding! scratch that - as much as I love it I never serve Cheerios as dinner)
• Beehoon fried with cabbage and luncheon meat
• Mee suah with pork mince in a simple broth
• And now for something different...

Sausages roasted with red grapes:

This is a genius recipe I learnt from some celebrity chef not long ago (can't remember which one now). Just place some sausages in a pan (pork sausages taste better) and scatter some grapes (seedless red recommended) and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Roast in oven for 20 minutes or so.

The combination of the sausages with the sweet tartiness of the grapes is just, as I said, genius! I usually serve it with some instant side dish (like cous cous, instant macaroni+cheese) or if possible, mash potatoes - works best with sausages.

3. I made Hainanese chicken rice last Sunday. I do enjoy making it sometimes, and it's so efficient to be able to maximise the use of the chicken to produce a main meat dish, soup, and using some of the stock for the chicken rice. No pictures of the chicken because I am horrible at at slicing/carving chicken... whenever I try to slice it up, everything just falls apart. I don't know whether it's because I don't have a good knife, or the texture of the meat is not perfect, or I'm just bad at it. It still tastes good, though.

But allow me to show you the most important condiment I made...

Essential ingredients are basically chilli, ginger, garlic, lime juice, sesame oil, salt and sugar. I never keep track of the exact measurements... just agak-agak my way and just add a little bit more of this or that and keep whizzing it up in the food processor until it tastes just right.I received thumbs up from hubs for this batch. I think everyone has their own variation for making their own chilli sauce. Please feel free to share any tips and ideas.