Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween!!! As per the previous post, I was thoroughly inspired to make these eyeball cake pops. But, rather than leave these eyeballs as is, I decided to put them on skewers this time.

Isn't there something about eyeballs on a stick? ;)

I decided to put them in a tall jar - like some sort of twisted flower arrangement - and the jar looked a little empty, so I crocheted some eyeballs to put inside! I got the pattern here.

As you can see, I like me a theme. Hehe.

I hope you have a yummy (and creative) Halloween. =) Have a good one everyone!

"Eye" See You!

 More Halloween eaties!

I saw the Cake Mistress' idea for cake pop eyeballs for Halloween, and I decided to try it out. Instead of M&M's, I used the end of a skewer to dab on colour and made it more and more intense after layers dried. I used the tip of the skewer, dipped in red food colouring, to draw on the veins. (For the cake pop recipe that I used, click here.)

I think I went a bit overboard though, and my chocolate dipping skills aren't the best.

Still, I'm happy with it.

Happy halloween!

Pop-parazzi

Inspired by Bakerella's cake pops (and by Halloween that's coming up), I decided that I would try to make Lady Gaga's Disco Stick. As you can see, it's not quite a success, but the idea is there!! Also, rather than silver sprinkles I need to get white crystals. Does anyone know where I can get that? It'll be really cool if you could tell me please! Thank you!

Cake Pop Recipe:

1 packet vanilla cake mix (you can make your own cake, but this was easier)
Frosting (recipe below)
White chocolate
Sprinkles

Bake the vanilla cake mix according to packet instructions. After the cake has cooled, crumble the cake into a mixing bowl.

Add just enough frosting to make the cake resemble wet sand. Just keep mixing through with your hands. The mixture should clump, but not be wet enough to stick to your fingers.

Make whatever shape you'd like. Pop that onto a cookie tray, and then put it into the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up. Alternatively, you can pop it into the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Dip the ends of whatever stick you're using into melted chocolate, then push the stick into the cake pop, not going more than halfway through. Then lift the cake pop and dip the cake into the melted chocolate, making sure that the cake ball is entirely covered, and that it just touches the stick.

Put the stick into a block of Styrofoam and leave to harden. If you'd like, pop some sprinkles on before the chocolate hardens completely.

Frosting recipe (tweaked from this website)

250g vegetable shortening
About 4 cups icing sugar
100g thickened cream
Pinch of salt
Vanilla

Beat the shortening, 2 cups of the icing sugar, salt and vanilla together. Shortening is really hard, so you might want to nuke it for a bit first. Don't be afraid of it melting a little though, it still works out.

Then add the cream and continue beating. It will thicken. Then beat in more icing sugar till you have your desired consistency. I only used another cup and a half, max.

Also, you might want to do the frosting by hand to save washin up on the machinery. It's easier to do than buttercream frosting. :)

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It's not hard, and definitely worth a shot. Sean actually ate the whole lot - that's how more-ish they are! =)

Clap Your Hands to the Beet

 Roast beetroot is AWESOME! I didn't quite know what to make of them at first, but I was introduced, and it was yummy. So. I saw a roasted beetroot salad recipe by Jamie Oliver - when he was in Stockholm - and I just had to try it. I made some very minor adjustments, but otherwise, it's just full of yummy goodness.

Ingredients:
Fresh Beetroot
Dill
Chives
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar

Wrap the beetroot in foil and roast in a 180C oven for about 40 min to 1 hour. To me, the way to tell a beetroot's cooked is pretty much the way you'd tell a potato's cooked - you stick a fork in and if it gives, it's cooked.

Dice the beetroot into bite-sized pieces. Season liberally with salt and pepper, then add a liberal splash of good quality olive oil and vinegar (once I didn't have red wine vinegar and used brown - it was fine). Snip some dill and chives in, and mix.

Et voila! Awesome, simple beetroot salad that frankly, I eat as a main. And beetroot salad is apparently very VERY good for you. =) =)

All win in my book.

Would you like fries with that?

When I was back in Singapore last I went to EWF by Everything with Fries with Mel! I am an absolute fries fiend. Love LOVE those strings of starchy goodness.

Mind you, they've got other stuff too, like this lamb burger that Mel got. 

I didn't try it, but she said that it was ok.

Om nom nom. Personally though, I wasn't so interested in the other stuff...GIMME FRIES!

We had a selection of three types - Sour cream and chives (and I know this because of the green flecks!) which was ok. Not as strong a flavour as I'd like, but they do give you an extra dish of flavouring upon request.

We also had the garlic flavoured one, which was also slightly under seasoned to me, BUT I did quite like the roasted garlicky-ness rather than the strong, acrid burn of garlic that I was expecting. Not don't get me wrong, I quite like the acrid burn of garlic, but not particularly on fries.

And finally, the salt and vinegar. How can we not? More than the potatoe-y starchy goodness, Mel and I LOVE salt and vinegar. Just thinking about it makes my mouth tingle. Mmmmm.

I want fries now. Honey, will you drive me down to McD's?


EWF by Everything with Fries
181 Orchard Rd
#01-24/25 Orchard Central

Zzzzz...

Photo by Scarygami

So very tired. It's week 11 of uni, with roughly about three more weeks till I finish. Not the just the semester, not just the year, but the the whole shebang. And since food does relieve a lot of the stress, it's essays, baking, cleaning, tutorials, cheese-making, tests, eating, readings, essays, munching, essays, lectures...zzzzzzz.

Just three more weeks!!! Then (hopefully!) a food trip to Tasmania! What's keeping me going now is the thought of seafood...

Say Cheese!!

I went to a cheese course!!!! I can't stop telling everyone. As a foodie who loves loves cheese, this is somewhat a dream come true for me. I chanced upon a little sign for a one day cheese making course and I absolutely had to go!!! So excited.

Upon arrival, there were samples of the cheeses that we were going to make all laid out for us to try!!  In order, the pictures are of mascarpone (and yes those black specks you see are from a vanilla pod!), feta, and my absolute favourite, camembert.

Mmmm...goey, creamy, camembert...

We also learnt how to make quarg (cream cheese), and yoghurt, but I was too busy eating that I kinda forgot to take photos of those. *sheepish*

Morning tea was also provided, and the lovely Susan baked little yummy cheesecakes...

...that we promptly smothered in strawberries and mascarpone. hehe.

Lunch consisted of spinach and ricotta cannelloni, with ricotta that we'd MADE THAT MORNING!!!!!!!! How awesome is that?? This is what I call instant gratification!

There was also a grilled chicken and haloumi salad that was so good, when I went back for seconds all the haloumi was gone!!!! (Well, there were a couple of pieces, but there was no way that I could get at them without being very unslightly and rather uncivilised.)

And a Greek Salad with feta that we were learning how to make. =)

It was so exciting learning the cheese making process! Cheese making does take a good part of your day, so it takes a while in that sense, but IT'S SO EASY!!

And so pretty. Look at the pretty camembert settling in their hoops.

Isn't it just poetry in motion?

And the cheese cloth straining with the weight of creamy mascarpone just gets me so excited that I want to run around the room like a child on a sugar high. Cheese high. Food high. Heheheheheheheheheehhehe.

Isn't it just absolutely GORGEOUS????? Oh what a thing of beauty!!

I swear I'm never buying cheese again. Unless it's blue. Or crumbly. Cause I can't make those. Ok, I'm never buying soft cheeses again!!

Oh, and we got to bring home a wheel of camembert, a container of feta, containers of mascarpone and yoghurt! Swag!

Contact:
The Cheesemaking Workshop
Ph: (02) 9958 0909 or 0412 145 017
Email: susanmeagher@optusnet.com.au
www.thecheesemakingworkshop.com.au

ALLEZ CUISINE!!!

OMG YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS VIDEO!!

I take a class called The History of the Musical, and we were watching this in a class that was talking about Les Miserables. THEN I SAW HIM!!!! Keep a lookout at 2:15.

OMG.

Food Bloggers' Picnic

Went to the food bloggers' mad hatter-themed picnic today!! Yes, that is my hat. Photo thanks to Billy, from A Table for Two, who also organized the whole event (*edit*) with Karen from Citrus and Candy(*end of edit. I can't believe I missed her out. I'm so sorry Karen!!"). I won craziest hat!! If you want to make it, here's the youtube tutorial. So happy. I won a Beef and Beer Masterclass for two at Mumu grill! hehe. =) There were heaps of prizes, including a Kitchen Aid for best dish! Naturally, just about everyone had an entry.

So yes. Bloggers started arriving, carry all sorts of goodies!! 

 

 

Group shot! And how's this for coincidence? Third from the left is my primary school classmate!! How cool is that? She's the blogger behind Nommynomnom. And in the far right is Anna from Diary of a Ladybird.

And there was a Pinata!

And there were hats galore!! Phuoc from Phuoc'n Delicious had a candy hat!! And we picked the candy off it after the picnic.

And the lovely Anita from noredmeat!

Rosalind from Rasarosa made this lovely hat and some really good kueh!! Hats off for her patience - Kaya is notoriously hard to make.

And my entry for the food competition was Tea-ramisu served in chocolate teacups!

I made the teacups by following this youtube tutorial, with a twist. I piped chocolate handles then 'welded' them on after. For the filling, I soaked sponge fingers in black rose and french vanilla tea (instead of coffee) and made the filling with home-made mascarpone! (That I learnt from a cheese making class that I attended, post to come soon.)

And the food, glorious food!!! When you go to a food bloggers' picnic, you know that you'd be well fed.

Anna made this lovely chocolate cake with salted caramel (yum!!) and it had a beautiful picnic scene that is made out of fondant! She won the best sweet dish. =)

Sook Ching made these oh-so-cute Cookie Monster cupcakes!! I forgot to mention that one of the categories is best 'blue' dish, and this was pretty blue!

Gianna from The Empty Fridge won runner up for craziest hat, and she brought a blue Sangria (which matches her hat lol). Her lamb pies were SO AWESOME though. Lamb mince encased in puff pastry with olives and sun dried tomatoes. Mmm.

Simon from The Heart of Food had slow cooked pork with bourbon sauce. Mmm that tangy sauce. *salivates* I feel so greedy for admitting this, but I actually took home leftovers! Sandwiches here I come!

The girls from Sugarlace even dressed up!! How pretty is that?

And Billy was nicely modeling the handbag that they brought!! lollllll.

And after all the eating, it's time for the prize giving, with the three judges!

From left, Karen, Billy and Sarah.

And of course, the poor pinata that had to die. He had a dinner voucher that Sexyninjamonkey won.

And the best dish of the picnic, and winner of the Kitchen Aid is......

Anita from noredmeat!!!! Her thai fish cakes were DA BOMB. They also happened to disappear in seconds.

She also made this caramel slice with popping candy that she didn't bring out earlier because she thought that they weren't "Kitchen Aid worthy". As if! These were really yummy too, and I have two sitting in my fridge for tomorrow. =)

It was such a good day. Great weather (for me, I love cold weather), great food, and best of all, great company. =) And I do so love a themed party.

A big thanks to Billy, Karen and Nuffnang for organizing it all, and for the lovely prizes that were there to be won!! =)

Food Fight!!

Sean's family came down to Sydney for the weekend and we all decided to go for Teppanyaki - where the chef cooks all the food on a hot plate right in front of you, and well, sometimes they throw it at you too.

The chef starts off with a massive fire. 

Isn't that a magnificent thing of beauty? *sighs* A great showstopper, and very hypnotic.

And like I said before, really good food's getting cooked right in front of you!

Fish smothered in garlic butter. Mmmmm. *Salivates*

To fry the beef, he sets the succulent piece of meat on fire.

 

It's the most juicy, tasty example of beef ever!! I could eat meat like that everyday. *daydreams about juicy beef*. 

The chef also made the largest omelet I've ever seen!

And a picture of our cheeky chef.

And Sean's dad getting covered with paper towel, and a bowl placed on his head to catch raw eggs!

I would've taken more photos, but man that chef worked fast. I was also really preoccupied with all the tasty food! There's a whole selection of seafood and vegies that I didn't remember to photograph just because they were so yummy!

End of show! *Applauds*

We ate at:

Ichi-ban Teppanyaki
9 Wentworth Street Parramatta 2150
96333357