Melting Pot Fiesta

A review of Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant.

Special guest appearance - Chi

My original impression of Melting Pot is that they serve cheese fondue and chocolate fondue, it turns out that even the main course is served in a fondue-style (our Singapore steamboat style but in a much smaller pot).

We had a fiesta cheese fondue which was quite nice, cheese with a kick to it with the jalapenos.

The main course did not leave much of an impression on me, we ordered some chicken, shrimp and sausage. As we picked the coq au vin as soup base, all the food pretty much taste of burgundy wine. For picking a soup base other than vegetable oil (means deep frying your main course) and vegetable broth, you have to pay an extra $6.

Lastly we picked the flaming turtle for dessert, that we enjoyed immensely but I kinda miss Hagen Daz's fondue. Hah.

This meal cost an average of 40 USD per pax, pricey we concluded.

We invited Chi, an "old boy of NAS", over for home-made dinner, just simple fare- teriyaki pork pork with mushroom, bak ku teh and stir fried cabbage and asparagus topped with bacon.

The vegetable is the most sinful of all surprising because it is stir fried in the bacon's fat but it is oh so yummy haha my 1st experience cooking with animal fat. Indulgent.

Happy Birthday to Ayumi!

Today is Ayumi's birthday, she is entering the terrible 2 but she is so gorgeous and she can just melt you with her eyes. I did a little page for her (more for her mom actually haha).

Isnt she the sweetest?

A look at Kiana will tell you how yummy the Hello-Kitty cake was.


Is my hubby ready to be a daddy already? Looks like it heh.

I want a girl!

Not too successful char siew pau?

I found pau mix in my asian mart and hence decided to give char siew pau a go. This is weird because I almost never eat char siew paus back home (because of my dislike of pork). I only eat the tiny ones from Tanjong Rhu's dimsum shop just because it is too yummy to resist.

I got the recipe from Lily, and I have much to improve, on the fillings as well as the dough. My buns turned tough as soon as they cooled to room temperature, Lily said I might have to knead more. Oh well, hopefully it will turn out better the next time. I really need to improve my shaping method too, been looking up on Youtube for help. My buns are just looking like tao sa pau now, round surface, easiest to shape in short.

Shaping a char siew pau

More lemons...

Rocco Dispirto
Isn't he gorgeous! I have to be honest, it is love at first sight when I first saw him on TV, so much so I have to get his cookbook (yah yah I know...Bimbo with capital B).




Salmon with crunchy broccoli & lemon butter
Recipe is adapted from Real Life Recipes- fast flavor for everyday by Rocco Dispirito

11/2 sticks butter
Juice & zest of 3 lemons
4 8-ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillets
Salt & pepper
5 cups of broccoli florets, washed and drie
3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

1) Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan. When the butter is just melted, remove 2 tbsp and set aside. Coninue to cook the butter untill it turned deep brown in color, swirl often. Continue swiring to blend and make a smooth sauce.
2) Lay the salmon in the sauce. Cover and simmer gently over medium heat untill salmon is just cooked through, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
3) While salmon is poaching, prepare the broccoli.
4) Heat a broiler on high. In a large bowl, toss the broccoli with the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Place broccoli on a foil-covered broiler pan and broil it till golden brown, abt 3-4 mins.
5) Toss the broccoli with the lemon zest and tarragon. arrange on a platter. Spoon about 2/3 of lemon sauce evenly over the vegetables. Lay the salmon on top of broccoli and spoon the remaining sauce over the fish.

A modification to his recipe, I did not broil the broccoli, I put them in microwave for 3 minutes on high. There is a broiler function on the toaster oven but I really doubt as to whether it is working.

Lemony treat

I got the urge to make a sort of lemon pound cake after seeing Mandy's delicious lemon yogurt cake, I made some more changes to her recipe. I do not have Greek yogurt on hand, I substituted with plain yogurt and sour cream. I do not know how to not make the cake crack on the top. Any help is appreciated! Today is a tiring day, I helped to babysit Ayumi while her mom ran some errands. Boy, the little princess sapped all my energy.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa At Home

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 container of 6oz plain yogurt
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan or the mini loaf pans.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sour cream, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 50 minutes, (if you are using the big loaf pan) about 25-30 minutes (if you are using smaller pans),or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/4 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

TY's Little Garden

If anyone is wondering what happens to my little plant, don't ask. TY's little garden has been growing very nicely, his side get constant sunlight as compared to our room hidden in the corner. He has a plant whom his mom told him as "Jiu Ceng Ta", after goggling, I found out it is actually Basil. The Italians also grow basil which look distinctly different, I need to read up more about basil which seem to be a very popular ingredient. Check out his spring onion, so pretty isn't it.

Happy monthsary~

This is actually a picture to remind myself to stop procrastinating! I am supposed to start scrap-booking on my wedding pics but 6 months have passed and nothing is started. OOPs!

For our monthsary, we decided to buy lobster from Joe Pattie, we are abit broke from the Thanksgiving madness, so we shared 1 lobster between 2 of us (haha), 1 whole lobster only costs 6.50. But we kinda of unsure what to do it, we threw it into microwave and just warmed it and ate it. Maybe I should whip up some lemon butter sauce or something? Heh

Our 1st Thanksgiving~~whooohooo aka Shopping Madness

It was Thanksgiving for most of us with the exception of Ryan. Initially I wanted to try roasting a turkey but all the turkeys are bigger than my toaster oven (haha, why is that hardly surprising).
The itinerary for Thanksgiving is as followed:
4-6pm: Drive down to Destin
6-8pm: Thanksgiving Buffet @ Marina Cafe, Destin
Hang around....chill, rest before shopping
The whole cafe has a nice waterfront view, we got
to try both fried and roasted turkeys. I much prefer the
fried turkey. Hah

10pm: Ralph Lauren outlet store opens
12-3am: Own time own target at Silversands Outlet Mall
I believed Coach has the biggest crowd, literally have to snatch for what you want.
Our boot is fully stocked!

3-5am: NEX opens
Yeah I grabbed my knife set for 19.99. Yippee, going to bring it home (as in Singapore) with me.

The other item I was really drooling upon is the classic white KitchenAid Mixer for 149.99. We did not buy for several reason, firstly there is no tabletop space for the mixer, which means it has to be put on the floor, secondly, we cant use it in Singapore due to voltage difference, we need to buy a transformer which might be very expensive for all we know, thirdly, it will be hell trying to bring it back because of its weight. Oh well, the rational side won.

Oh ya the other big ticket item we bought is a new Sony Vaio so that we can each have our own laptop, for him to play game and for her to bug her friends while they are working. But sadly it seem like the old computer is at its brink of death...why like that!!!! Argh

Ps, I am wearing a scarf sent by Irene all the way from Singapore~*Grin*

Live in the moment

I am falling back on the Straits Times articles but this article "Live it, don't click it" by Teo Cheng Wee, 23rd Nov 2008 had caught my eye.

"After all, the most powerful camera, I can now say with some certainty, is in your head."

In it, he has questioned about how easy it is for people to "miss" the moment while they are trying to get a good picture (or looking at it through the LCD screen of the camera). I must admit I am VERY guilty of that, especially when it comes to fireworks, most of the time, I am furiously trying to either record it or take pictures while the flames exploded in burst, latest incident being the Blue Angels Homecoming show. Now come to think of it, I almost never replay the numerous videos of fireworks I took.

I should just sit back and enjoy the fireworks with my hubby.

Meanwhile HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all~

Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show

The Homecoming airhshow is a huge event on base, although I had seen the Blue angels practise before, it is still exciting to see them fly pass.

There were alot static displays, in this picture is a F15, Singapore's newly acquired aircraft and could be what Kenny will be working on next time. Anyway Singapore has 2 types of fighter aircraft, F15 and F16, so either this or that. Either way we hope to come back to US soonish after this stint. Heh.

I wish I could have taken pictures of the aircrafts doing their stunts but my point-and-shoot did not allow that. Check out the pros and their gadgets.

Chocolatey chocolate chips

The Sweet Melissa Baking Book: Recipes from the Beloved Bakery for Everyone's Favorite Treats

Melissa Murphy

I'm not interested in desserts that involve ten components, exotic ingredients, and structural supports. I want to make everyone's favorite desserts better than they have had them before. Now you can to. (p. XIII)

A new book! This is the first and only recipe I tried and it is as true as she said, just simple ingredients

and steps. Best for a new baker, moi~

I omited the nuts just because I dont have any on hand.

If you follow her method of chilling the dough, the

cookies are really soft in the center and chewy.

Yummy! The boys cant keep their hands off these chocolate chip cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Almonds

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients: 10 tablespoons unsalted butters softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup whole natural almonds, toasted, roughly chopped

8 ounces best quality semi-sweet (58%) chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars and vanilla until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for another minute.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer of low speed, add flour mixture in three batches to the butter mixture, mixing until no flour is visible after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in almonds and chocolate. Refrigerate dough until firm, about 1 hour. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it in half. Roll each half into a log about 12 inches long. Refrigerate logs for 30 minutes (or tightly wrap in plastic and foil and freeze for up to a month).

5. Cut the logs into 1-inch slices and place them 1 1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until the centers no longer have a glossy look of raw dough. They should be chewy so don’t overbake. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to three days.

Please refer to her pastry book for more delicious treats!

Ps, my cookies might be much smaller than Melissa as my toaster oven is duper small.

B is for Birthday, B is for BBQ

We decided to host a mini BBQ for my birthday, essentially made up of the boys, Yukari and family, Akemi and family and Jennifer who had very kindly offer to make me a birthday cake.
A lemon poppyseed cake, oh so yummy, her secret is using pudding mix instead of butter, cant wait to get the recipe.
Master Chef Tan is having fun pretending to be satay-man, Kenny had tried to make satay (which uses peanut butter), he also spent alot effort making seafood skewers, bacon-wrapped-scallops, and many others.

Thanks to all who turned up, had lots of food and laughter.
What more could I want? Till next time~

Pandan or chocolate? Or both~~

Another of my new favorite food blogger, I have been on a lookout for healthier ingredients for cake baking. I have first tried Pandan Yogurt Cake and like her, I have too much yogurt on hand so I decided to try her chocolate yogurt cake as well. We much prefer pandan yogurt cake. I did it in a loaf pan instead of cup cakes and had used grapeseed oil instead of canola oil. I need to get a smaller loaf pan so my cake will be taller instead of wider! =)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp Pandan extract

1/2 cup canola oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350'F. Place papercups in the muffin pan.

2. In a bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add in salt & sugar. Stir to mix.

3. Add in beaten eggs, yogurt, Pandan extract and oil. Stir until incorporated.

4. Lastly, scoop the batter into each papercups until 3/4 full.

5. Bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack.

Very happy birthday indeed

Yeah finally the weather is cold enough for me to flaunt my coach trenchcoat hah *pardon my vain-ness* We went for lunch at Jackson's Steakhouse just now, it is a seven-time consecutive recipient of Florida Trend magazine’s Golden Spoon Award. Jackson’s Steakhouse is considered one of Florida’s top 25 restaurants and is placed by the Distinguished Restaurants of North America in the top two percent of all fine dining restaurants in the country. http://jacksons.goodgrits.com/

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience but we kinda of prefer Skolepos, maybe it is the ambience and the fact we prefer seafood more.

Taaa daaaaaaaa...my present, haha it was actually bought in July when I was in California with the gals. A Tiffany & Co rosegold heart necklace which I been craving when I was back in Singapore. Looking forward to my mini-BBQ on Sat!

Quote of the day

"You have ten new messages."
-Hotmail Email Alerts

Thank you very much for all the well wishes for my birthday. I am very touched to receive so many birthday greetings from friends back home. I wish you all good things!
This is the first time time in 5 years I am celebrating my birthday with my darling hubby hohoho~

Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival

Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival
The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is a juried art show. Each year, more than 600 applications for the festival were received. Each applicant is required to submit three slides of their work and one slide of their display area along with their application. Qualified jurors are shown each artists' slides simultaneously and anonymously, and collectively choose more than 200 artists who will be invited to exhibit their work. Best of Show, Awards of Distinction, Awards of Excellence, Awards of Honor, and Awards of Merit winners from previous festivals are exempt from the jurying process. The artists compete for a total of $25,000 in prize money in categories including ceramics, drawing, fiber/leather, glass, jewelry, mixed media, oil/acrylic, photography, printmaking/graphics, sculpture, watercolor and wood. This family oriented festival is ranked in the top 50 Fine Art Shows in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine.
http://www.ggaf.org/artshow/index.html

We met this very interesting photographer, love his work ;)
http://www.bodyscapes.com/

Playground of the South

Bourbon Street has gained its reputation of the playground of the South, it has numerous bars, pubs, restaurants and novelty shops. Come after sunset to fully experience the hustle and buzz Bourbon Street has to offer!

Pomegranate Fun

We are indeed very "sua-ku", most of the boys here grew their own pomegranates back in Singapore and here we are never eaten one before. Hence when we saw a truckload of pomegranates at Walmart, we bought one to try, they also provide a "how to cut" brochure with it. It is sweet and juicy, it takes a long time to eat all, I choose to eat one by one while Kenny ate 1 handful at a time. I find it harder to spit out the seeds that way though. I attached a link on how to open a pomegranate and also recipes. Enjoy!

NO NEED FOR A SPIT TAKE
Many of our California Wonderful Pomegranate fans have asked the age old question: Do you eat the seed inside or spit it out after enjoying the juice? Well, the truth of the matter is, it’s a personal choice. But keep in mind that most of the fiber you get from eating pomegranates comes from that little seed. So to keep up with a healthy dose of daily fiber, crunch on!
http://www.pomegranates.org/recipes.html

Previously I posted the scenery we get to admire on our way back to the base whenever we go out in the day. On this particular day, I cant resist whipping out my camera and capture an evening shot. If there is one scenery which I love most in Pensacola, this is it,right on this bridge, regardless day or night. Pardon me for the blur picture, I did ask Kenny to slow down, next time I need to walk across the bridge to get a proper picture. Heh

The French Quarter

The most famous neighbourhood in New Orleans- the French Quarter. It is a tad touristy with a souvenir shop in every 3 shops you passed by on Decatur Street where Bubba Gump New Orleans is at as well. If you are one who appreciate architecture with ornate cast and wrought-iron balconies, you will need the whole day in French Quarter. Also horse carriages is a big thing, I have to go back and take a ride on the horse carriage.

"The Court of Two Sisters has been ISPR-certified as haunted and many locals tell haunted tales Of the Two Sisters ghosts (Emma and Bertha Camors) watching over them as they enjoy their wonderful meals. The two sisters, Emma and Bertha Camors, born 1858 and 1860 respectively, belonged to a proud and aristocratic Creole family. Marriage, reversals of fortune, widowhood - nothing could separate the sisters. Indeed, as the Picayune was to report, the sisters died within two months of each other in the winter of 1944. United in death as in life, the sisters lie side by side at St. Louis Cemetery #3. And today they say there ghost do the very same and or often sighted sitting together at a table late at night."

Quoted from Haunted History

But we are more interested in the Jazz Brunch (haha)

While walking around the townhouses, do not forget to peek in others' courtyards, you never know what you might get to see~

Ginseng Chix Soup

We managed to get some fresh ginseng in Houston's Chinatown and hence the bold attempt to cook Sam Gye Tang. All thanks to Lily's simple-follow recipe, it is a success and hence the ginseng was not wasted haha. I been craving for this since Carina and I had it in Korea earlier this year.