A slice of banana heaven...

I've baked countless loaves of banana bread with my leftover too-ripe bananas BUT never have I ever praised myself for such a job well done.  Usually, I follow the recipe from James Beard's Bread book and a few times of late, the bread has turned out undercooked in the middle and overcooked on the sides.  I thought maybe my oven is not well calibrated or did I just throw in too many bananas?  Overall, not satisfactory.  So, I gave up on his recipe finally and decided to spare my family the torture of eating bad banana breads.  I googled for the "Best Ever Banana Bread" and guess what I came up with?

Best Ever Banana Bread
The Best of the Best - Vol. 1 (Page: 15)
Grand Slam (Page: 21)
Freeze overripe bananas in their skins in a plastic bag - when you've got 6, you're ready to make the best banana bread you've ever tasted.
A tip from our friend Janice on Salt Spring: you can add frozen blueberries but don't mix them into the batter - the colour runs. Just alternate batter and blueberries as you fill the bundt pan.
Ingredients:
1 cup (250 mL)butter
2 cups (500 mL) sugar
3 cups (650 mL) mashed ripe bananas (6)
4 eggs, well beaten
2 1/2 cups (625 mL)flour
2 tsp. (10 mL)baking soda
1 tsp. (5 mL) salt
1 tsp. (5 mL) nutmeg
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add bananas and eggs and beat until well mixed. Mix dry ingredients and blend with banana mixture, but do not overmix. Pour into 2 lightly greased loaf pans or a bundt pan. Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour; test for doneness (toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean) and cool on rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Freezes beautifully.

I didn't have a chance to take any photos of how beautiful the banana bread turned out cos Emmanuel and I wolfed it down so quickly.  It baked so beautifully and turned out moist and yummy, no undercooking and the sides were nice and crusty without drying out.  Just halve the recipe for a loaf pan.  But it is so good, why not make a bundt pan instead?  

I compared it with the James Beard recipe I use often or any other banana bread recipe, and honestly, the basics are the same except maybe a little bit less flour in this one.  


This recipe, will be the ONLY banana bread recipe I will use henceforth.  In fact, I can't wait for my Del Montes to overripe soon!  ;p 

Coming together now...

Is 2010 the year for marriage or is it just my age? 

A couple of my friends are getting hitched this year and I can't be any happier for them.  (Congrats, people!)  =)  What an exciting journey for them to embark on!  After almost 4years of marriage myself, I say, it is totally NOT underrated!  Trust me!

It is all kinda giving me a flashback to where I was before I got married - tanned, adventurous and always ready to go and do something.  Funnily, nothing has changed much except for the tan part(it is near impossible to get a tan in Québec).  It is certainly living an adventure full-time when you have an active toddler always up to some form of mischief, and I am still always ready to go and do anything fresh and exciting - like having a second child. 

Getting married was not something I lived my entire life waiting for, nor, did I have a "dream dress" or notions of a Maldives honeymoon after.  I guess I was just lucky to meet the man of my future life and got married in a flash.  Our Galapagos honeymoon was postponed due to the arrival of Theoden but one day, I believe we will make it there to see the hammerheads(if they are still there).  In the meantime, we've enjoyed so many wonderful vacations together as a family even though they were not called "honeymoons", but hey, who's keeping track?  So, nothing is really perfect, just "almost" perfect.  *wink*

Was I lucky?  You could probably say that.  Not many people arrive at happiness the way I did and some took a long and painful route to reach where they are.  As long as you reach your final destination of happiness, that's all that really matters. 

So, things are falling into place now for the people around me, and even my basement is slowly taking shape!  It is all finally coming together now...

What will Year 2010 bring?

As expected, 2009 went by in a blink, including birthdays, anniversaries, christmas, new year...

BUT it was a damn good year.

Top 5 Highlights of 2009:

1.  I got pregnant(yippee!)
2.  We bought a house(whooppee!!)
3.  Saw Yellowstone finally after all these years
4.  Theoden met my entire family in Singapore for the 1st time
5.  Diving in Sipadan

Now, I wonder what would 2010 bring us?

Top 5 Predictions for 2010:

1.  I will give birth to a gorgeously cute baby girl(no doubt about that one!)
2.  Our new house will finally be cleaned and unpacked(fingers crossed)
3.  We will throw many wonderful BBQ parties at our new deck
4.  Hawaii is a-calling us for our summer holiday!(Diving!)
5.  I will pass my driving at age 33(at long last...)!

Oh, might I add another one too - my son will be potty trained and he will miraculously NOT wet his bed at night till he gets married and moves out of the house.  He can do whatever he wants by then.

I never bargained for it but...

I lost one pillow in the move(god knows how THAT happened?) but I gained a beautiful sunset view from my large living room window every evening. 

When we viewed the house, we never imagined we would have gotten this beautiful screensaver worthy view while eating dinner.  It is absolutely gorgeous and even when there is a snow storm outside, I love seeing the flurry of snowflakes right out that same window while I sip my latte, curled up on my couch with my toes tucked in.

The first week of moving was simply exhausting.  Apart from the mad cleaning and getting rid of any animal's hairy existence from every molding and window gap(I never imagined I would be using a toothpick and even chopsticks to be cleaning out cat's hairs and dirt!), Theoden got gastro, high fever, vomiting, diarrhea over a couple of days, which, thankfully, he recovered pretty quickly from my probiotics(and lots of natural yogurt) treatment. 

The weekend shot by us without any rest, up to the point where I also caught the gastro virus from Theoden(vomit, vomit, vomit) and Emmanuel got completely exhausted from the painting that he made 2 crucial mistakes.  He mistook the green paint for blue paint, and THEN, he repainted the wall that he had just finished painting with another color.  Well, that is a sign of fatigue and he gave up after that last brushstroke.  We were absolutely knackered.

It's funny how we much work we are doing to make the house liveable and nice, small little changes here and there that slowly amounts to pretty big ideas in our heads.   And the thing is, we bought this house so readily cos' it was newly renovated 1-2years ago, most of the crucial things were changed out, like new heating system, lighting, flooring, kitchen remodeled, etc.  And YET, we found more and more things to improve on each day.  I think we have to stop watching HGTV.  It plants in our heads way too many ideas.
 
Then again, the blame can't entirely be HGTV's. We're homeowners now.  And it is natural to wanna be house proud.  =)  N'est pas?

This is my last week of french classes and after that, I may wanna pick up on my painting and crafts skills that I left off in high school.  Deco ideas have been infiltrating my mind each night as I find it difficult to sleep despite my exhaustion.  Soon, my tiny head will explode with all these ideas that keep on accumulating. 

I better go buy some paint and brushes soon.  And maybe a sewing machine along the way.  Ooh, and not forgetting that power gun stapler! 

A home to call our own.

It's the beginning of a new dawn...we have officially moved into the next phase of adulthood and now we fall into ranks with most people our age - we officially owe the bank lots of money.  We have what they call - a mortgage.  A very scary financial term but in an ironic way kinda "loving" to us nonetheless cos' it give us what we call - a HOME to call our OWN.

In a way, we didn't expect to buy a house until we get our Permanent Residency in Canada next year but as luck would prove, all the stars were aligned for us to celebrate christmas in our own home this year.  In fact, I am going to buy a huge christmas tree to put next to the fireplace this weekend. 

And so, within 2 weeks of house-hunting, eager Emmanuel spotted a house fresh on the market the very morning, got the very first appointment to view the house and signed the offer on the spot.  It was a petite house that we couldn't help falling hopelessly in love with.  He had a "Millionaire's Tactic"(that he learnt off the web) he wanted to deploy on the negotiations of the purchase but somehow, we didn't get round to it.  ;)  Falling in love is a hard thing to do.

For the first time, I will officially use the Tiffany & Co. keychain my dear friend Honghui gave me when I turned 21.  I've kept it for years cos I always lose my things somewhere but now that I am 32, I think I can trust myself not to lose my own house keys.  *fingers crossed*

The good thing about owning a house is that it guarantees Emmanuel a good exercise every morning during the winter.  He'll have to shovel the snow off the entrance walkway to the car and with the crazy amount of snow we get each year, I think he's on the way to building some serious Schwarzenegger muscles.  Then, when the summer comes, he"ll have to work the lawnmower in our backyard  And when autumn comes, he'll have a go at the leaf blower, and so on and so forth....  I'm getting a new house and a new muscleman in a package deal!!!  What good fortune!  ;p

The packers are here today and we'll be shifting tomorrow.  Seems like we have a light job here but in fact, I am worried sick.  Every time we go to the house, Emmanuel gets an allergic reaction to the previous owner's cats(they have 2 dogs and 3cats).  Of course the owners cleaned the house before they left but what we worry is the air vents that they are not able to clean.  The house is heated by forced air and the air vents run throughout the house, which I believe the air is recycled in its circulation.  Unfortunately, the cats' hairs can get into the vents and continue circulating in the house. undetected  Tonight, we shall visit the house for a round of thorough cleaning and see if we can eliminate the problem.  I really don't wanna buy a house, move in and then have to sell it soon because of unwanted cat's hairs. 

And so, it is time for my coffee break and see what the packers have done so far.  Till the next time, I shall be writing from chez moi!

Desperate moments call for desperate measures...

Sometimes, we just need a little inspiration.  Or, shall we say...desperation?

Closing into my 5th month of pregnancy, I still haven't got over my desperation for Singapore or Chinese or Indian food.  I was spoilt in Chicago for 10days and now that it is back to reality, the only way I can sniff any Singapore food is if I were to cook them myself.

Thank god for PrimaTaste - I couldn't imagine where am I gonna get chicken curry in my neighbourhood(or town, or city, or province, or...let's not bother going any further) for dinner when the crave for something hearty, coconutty and spicy hits me.  Now, I feel like crying cos I just did a inventory of my pantry and realized I used the last supply of my Singapore Chicken Curry last Tuesday.  I am even out of Hainanese Chicken rice too!  These are times that I feel like sobbing my heart out.

Now that we are moving in less than 2 weeks to our new home, I have to plan ways to clear my freezer.  I think I'm gonna do some codfish tonight with the yummy Lee Kum Kee ready-to-serve sauce out of a packet(I know this is not made from scratch and all but this sauce is so yummy and ready-to-go I don't see why I should even bother!).  My forecast for tomorrow would be chinese BBQ spare ribs - I wanted to eat that tonight but I forgot I have to marinate them overnight.  I think Sunday would be perfect for some Indian Tandoori Chicken.       

And so, desperate moments call for some good home-cooked food.  Afterall, we really couldn't find a good Indian curry restaurant within 100miles of us.  If only I am in London....sigh....  C'est la vie!

Makansutra in Chicago

Hmmm...where do I begin?

Avocado Milk Bubble Tea

Green Tea Mochi Ice-Cream

Shoyu Ramen

Stir-fried Hong Kong Kai Lan

Siew Mai

Chee Cheong Fun(dim sum)

Coconut Cream Buns from Wow Bao

Fried Carrot Cake(dim sum)

Century Egg Porridge

Lotus Leaf Glutinous Rice

Richard Walker's Apple Pancake & thick cut bacon

Char Kway Teow

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Tempura Shrimp Udon noodle soup

Just some of my food indulgences while we were in Chicago.  =)

I've already shortlisted a few Chinese/Japanese restaurants and supermarket to beg them to expand to Quebec City.  We'll get there soon.

On the sushi train...

As my son would say..."Choo-choooooo.....!!!"  For the last 2 weeks, I've embarked on a one-way journey on the sushi train with no return in sight.

I don't eat sashimi or any of the raw stuff most people love about sushi, I just want a simple maki roll with my grilled unagi with teriyaki sauce, crunchy cucumber slices, creamy avocado, warm sushi rice with that vinegar tang, all wrapped around the nori seaweed.  In 5mins, I can devour the whole roll dipped in soya sauce with my chopsticks and then ponder about my next meal in ernesty.

Salmon is not my favourite fish and I did try it in its various forms; smoked, grilled, sashimi-style, and in curry even!  I just can't stand the taste of this fish.  I never thought I would say this, but right now, I wish I am a salmon-eater.  If I am, then I can devour more different types of sushi instead of just my unagi maki.  Life would be a rainbow then.

This constant food mental torture during my pregnancy has definitely taken its toll on my poor soul, my overall well-being and possibly my mental state.  I miss more than ever Singapore food.  Even the simple sliced fish soup with tofu and seaweed has me moaning in agony at times.  Every waking minute of my time is consumed by mental images of these unavailable food flashing before my eyes, food that I have never even given second thought to before the whole time I lived in Singapore!  Just thinking of char siew steamed buns(available in coffeshops that you can buy ANYTIME of the day) makes me wanna rush to Montreal's chinatown to buy a whole truckload of frozen buns to stock up my fridge for days of emergency(kinda like everyday).     

I never know exactly what kinda food I can stomach these days so the days of planning ahead and cooking in large batches are over for me - I simply can't microwave food anymore.  The smell of heated food wafting in the kitchen can literally kill me in 2 sniffs.  I lost count of how many times I have actually died.

Sunday night was a night of sheer bliss and joy for us.  We went to a Japanese sushi restaurant called Samurai and gorged ourselves silly on really good sushi, delicate agedashi tofu(O.M.G!), tempura shrimps and vegetables, gyozas and miso soup;  "Just like they make them in Japan!", as my husband declared happily.  What I enjoyed very much was the fresh green tea they served, with the little rice pops mixed in with the tea leaves to give it that distinctive taste.  Ooh...j'adore!!!  We left the restaurant beaming to the moon and knowing there is a touch of Asian salvation left in Quebec afterall.

 As a tribute to my last blog entry, here is the mee hoon kueh that my dear husband made from scratch for me!!!  Lots of ikan bilis!  Mmm... the only thing missing is the authentic chilli sauce lah!  Tant pis!

Tough times...

For the poor, tough times ahead means eating fast food every day.  For the rich, it means buying less houses and diamonds.  For the pregnant maman, tough times mean alternating between heartburn and nausea every waking hour.  

For two weeks, we travelled through mid-west USA where prime beef is on every menu and you can't escape the french fries and mashed potatoes as sides.  I love beef.  I do.  But for that two weeks, I was tortured every time I had to go to a restaurant for lunch or dinner, and only order a soup or salad.  Don't get me wrong, I am not on a diet.  Hell, no.  I just can't smell, taste, chew or swallow any parts of a cow during my pregnancy.  So, soup it is.  

I tried every soup there is in South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado.  There is always the trusty chicken noodle soup, vegetable and beef soup, tomato and basil soup and... an occasional treat - roasted red pepper and gouda soup!  That was during dinner at the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone and I must say it blew me away(surprisingly).  

Right now, I want nothing more than to slowly slurp a steaming bowl of Qiu Lian Mee Hoon Kueh.  Or the Zhen Bu Tong mee hoon kueh or even the one at Creative's staff canteen where I used to frequent while working at Sony.  I want that clear soup tasting of ikan bilis and pork, with a cracked egg trickily  manoeuvring its way around the noodles, then slowly diminishing the green kai-lan in the bowl with my chopsticks, and of course, dipping the tender pork slices into what I love best - the chilli dip.  Every time I finish a bowl of mee hoon kueh, satisfaction slowly radiates from my tummy into my brain - sending me waves of happiness that only a bowl of mee hoon kueh can. Does this sound crazy?  Well, I suspect only a preggie can write about mee hoon kueh like this.

There is no way I can locate a bowl of mee hoon kueh in mid-west USA but I had to eat chinese food.  There is no chinatown where I live now, so I am acting the part of the  deprived pregnant woman.  C'est normale.  During the road trip, we drove past more rolling hills and mountain ranges and the only big city we encountered was Denver.  Everywhere else was small-town USA.  There were probably more cows than humans where we went.  Eating chinese seemed like a pretty bleak forecast.

After days on end of meat, soup and potatoes, salvation presented itself in Cody(big cowboy town) and another small town in Wyoming(which we drove past and I don't even remember the name).  Cos the towns are so small, it is very easy to spot a billboard with chinese food.  There is usually just one chinese restaurant in town anyway(I doubt two would survive the competition).  Usually, they are called Dragon's Beard Restaurant, Great Wall Chinese Buffet, or simply Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant.  

Both restaurants churned out superbly good chinese food and I ate as much as I could, or rather, as much space as my baby allowed me to fill in my tummy.  Home-made tofu, black bean paste chicken, beef hor fun, char siew fried rice...food that I had not tasted for a really long time.  And they actually taste authentic too!  As good as I can get back home!  I really wish I could find a chinese restaurant that good in Quebec soon, just so I know there is always an escape route if I needed one.

The chinese food experience was kinda weird in Cody.  Just after polishing off our meal, we headed to the historic Irma hotel built by Buffalo Bill for his daughter, to watch a gunslinger's show.  Basically, it is  a show of cowboys shooting up the sidewalk with a saloon in the setting and some sultry barmaids thrown in for the effect.  I think the tofu and char siew did a jump each time the guns went off.

At an unplanned stop in Deadwood(the Las Vegas of the Cowboyland), we had an excellent walleye fish with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables at the Frontier Club, and that simply blew me away.  I thought that by then I am done with mashed potatoes, but this one went all the way down to my tummy in no time.  =)  

Officially, my second child is due 9 April 2010, so technically, I am in my 10th week of pregnancy.   From my previous experience, the tough times should subside as I inch towards the second trimester.  I wish Singapore Tourism Board would bring Makansutra festival to Quebec and line the streets with hawker food. Oh, how I wish...!!!!  Hopefully, in a month's time, I can eat normal, and not gag every time I smell food heating in the microwave. 

Meanwhile, the only way I can get through MY TOUGH TIMES is probably to make my very own mee hoon kueh this weekend.  ;p

A little break.

ON VACATION: Will resume after 15 September.