as of 23 November 2010

Well life's been kinda crazy recently.

Let's see, I had to trade in my Balenciagas for boring black shoes (faux leather even, not very fancy) and a hideous green uniform; and even though that's gonna change to a blue one, it doesn't make anything better. Let's face it, I'd rather be working at Female still. But when the nation calls, you answer and you get the job done. Except my job lasts two years. Ahhh, national service woes.

I've been on a journey of rediscovering my sense of style recently. Very little accessories, a little more masculine, though the occasional sequin jumps up from underneath where the drag queen still resides.

Tomorrow, I'm holding a little dinner for some friends. Just because the cooking bug bit me hard. Wild mushroom soup to open up the taste-buds; herb butter accompaniment; mixed linguine topped with homemade tomato sauce, fresh herbs and grated cheese; and a generous pouring of some Moscato. Oh and did I mention I found a way to make prawns drenched in salted egg gravy? That's going to be interesting.

Made the butter earlier, and I cannot stop pinching from it with some toasted chips. Self control, Aaron! Pretty simple recipe. Half a stick of butter, some salt and pepper to taste, and a generous congregation of dill, terragano, chives and basil. 2 tablespoons each, chopped. Blend it all up with a masher-thingy and tah-dah! Smooth creamery butter with crunchy fresh herbs in every mouthful. MMMMMMM.

a very long while.

i had an amazing mushroom risotto for my birthday. it was at marina bay sands. the texture was beautiful; bit coarse, but glides smoothly down your throat. there was a familiarity in the flavour. not too strong, but still substantial.





i made squid ink pasta with arrabiata portobello cream, served with calamari &
sage shrimp, topped off with romano cheese and sweet basil. note to self: use emmantel cheese next time.

linguine with shrimp in a miso sauce.

haven't cooked up something in a long time. i decided to get creative with my late lunch today. had some miso paste sitting around, so i created a recipe of my own using some peppers, onions, butter, dry white wine, miso paste (duh!), shrimp and parsley..

it was a hearty meal. i'll throw in some deep fried oysters or fried tofu cubes the next time.

the weekend, in general.

last weekend was pretty mad busy.

had a fitting on friday, of which i am so tempted to flash a photo here of a look from the upcoming show, but will resist myself.

made some linguine with leek and shrimp in a white wine reduction. if it was a little less soupy, it would have been perfect. find the recipe here. i'd go a bit more on the white wine and oregon too. if you boil the shrimp with a bit of pork bone, it would be pretty yummy too.



had a shoot the next day, where i styled for a photography workshop. must say, i underestimated their coach. his post processing was quite good. excited for them to hand me the shots. a little bit queen amidala, no?


dress from victoriajomo

finally, tomorrow, a huge day ahead! i get to pick up my new shoes and maybe snap a few pictures of it. keep a look out for me!

my infinite love for pasta.

as you can tell, i love pasta. i could live on a pasta diet for life. thank God for pasta!

tonight was a chance to try angel hair pasta with fresh tomato sauce. the pairing of garlic paste with raw tomatoes was quite appetizing, though i don't recommend this as a main meal, but more of a side dish or starting course. the flavor can wear out if you don't appreciate raw herbs and tomatoes. i added a poached egg to the pasta, just to celebrate the fact that i finally know how to properly poach an egg.

you can get the recipe here. (link)

carpelini with spinach, tomato, shrimp and basil.

today's lunch was a fun experiment with spinach. i changed the penne to carpelini because it was sitting around for too long. overall, i was very pleased with the result. the spinach tasted pretty good slightly cooked by the heat of the pasta. i upped the basil and detracted the lemon peel by half. i also added a bit of pinot grigio to flavour the tomatoes and basil.

this monday, i might attempt crab cakes. but for now, here's the recipe. (link)

buttered pasta.

i made some buttered pasta today. served it with mushrooms and bacon. i just tossed the mushrooms and bacon into a skillet with some butter, garlic and paprika powder. the pasta recipe can be found here.

lemon herb chicken with roasted potatoes

my first foray into cooking for people other than myself. my potatoes were pretty burnt, results from being adventurous and taking a bath while letting it roast in the oven. bad idea.
get the recipe at this link.



i'd recommend reducing the juice from two lemons to one lemon mixed with half a cup of water.
and on the side of the spuds, margaret's amazingly addictive mini pizza.