the lazy girl's kitchen #6: Homemade guacamole

After tasting homemade guacamole, I could not imagine eating the store-bought variety again. Luckily it can be done myself in 15 mins!

You'll need 2-3 ripe avocados, salt, cumin, coriander leaves, Cayenne pepper, chopped onion & a lime. Alternatively, just buy a pack of Guacamole spice mix from the supermarket.

Cut the avocadoes in half & spoon out the flesh into a bowl. Use a fork to mash it till the desired consistency is reached.

Squeeze the juice of half a lime (or one if u like it more tangy), add in everything else & chopped up tomatoes if you like.

Serve immediately or keep it in the fridge with cling wrap to prevent discoloration.

I love guacamole with warm toasted bread instead of tortilla chips.. Either way it's so yummy x

the lazy girl's kitchen #5: Yoghurt crumble

Even on busy days, I can't start the day without coffee & a good breakfast.

This is one of my favorites cos it's so easy. Nothing is ever difficult in my kitchen! (◡‿◡✿)

Place 2-3 digestive biscuits (plain or chocolate) into a small glass & use a pounder to crush them. I used part of a traditional walnut cracker.. anything works! Digestives are the best here, for their taste & texture.

Heap plain yoghurt over it.

Voila! A healthy & delicious yoghurt crumble for breakfast!

Sprinkle cocoa powder on top if you need extra encouragement to start the day! xx

the lazy girl's kitchen #4: Miso ginger steamed fish

Today I'll share one of my favorite dishes - a delicious miso ginger steamed fish... it's so easy & fast! ლ(๏‿๏)

You'll need fish, fresh tomatoes, onions, ginger & miso paste.

I buy most condiments like ginger & onions frozen & pre-cut from Picard, a supermarket here which specialises in fresh frozen food. All my friends who are great cooks swear by Picard. Of course fresh market produce is the best, but I'm all for efficiency when it comes to cooking.

Cut the cherry tomatoes, add chopped onions, ginger & miso paste.

Lay the fish on top of these.

Steam for about 15-20 minutes. Check regularly.

Serve with steamed rice & vegetables if you like. Yummy goodness!

If you are so inclined, the dish would taste even better if the ginger was sliced & pan-fried.. but this doesnt happen often in a lazy girl's kitchen! xx

happy chinese new year!

Gotta love my mum for bringing over Chinese New Year goodies from Singapore - spicy dried shrimp rolls & pineapple tarts!xx

the lazy girl's kitchen #3: Broccoli italian-style

I'm the laziest girl in the world when it comes to cooking... I don't hate it, but I'd rather read a book or watch a film.
So i'm always on the lookout for quick simple recipes & this one's so good it's worth sharing -

★ Italian-style Broccoli ★



First, chop some tomatoes & onions, fry them with some oil & garlic until they turn soft. At the same time, boil the broccoli for a short while.



Next step, add some light cream to the tomatoes & onions... If you like a thicker sauce, leave it to simmer for a while longer. Add in fresh basil leaves, salt & pepper to taste.



Pour the sauce over the broccoli & sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese. Done in less than 10 mins! Serve with rice. Try it, it's really delicious! xx

winter comfort & lovely things

My favorite thing to do on a cold day..

keep my feet warm with the softest linen slippers from Muji & read my book with no interruptions.

when we are too lazy to cook on a weekend, we love eating Asian take-out. My favorites are the Thai fried rice & lemongrass chicken kebab. Comfort food to me is always Asian. :)

Packing my purses into pretty packages...

Ready for the post office...!

have a great weekend & keep warm xx

the best steak frites in Paris

this week's been busyyyyy..

catching the lights downtown... disco red hair we do love

flanked by 2 great Singaporean guys.. Merv who visited from Tokyo... and Keith who works in Paris. Keith and I agreed straightaway we had to introduce Merv to the best steak & fries in paris - Le Relais de Venise!

It is truly a Parisian institution. For over 50 years, this restaurant serves only one dish, steak & fries. No reservations are taken. The waitresses only ask you how you want the meat to be done & drinks. Their Bordeaux is delicious as is their dark chocolate ice-cream. But the star is undoubtedly the steak sauce which is a fiercely guarded secret & the key to their success.

Every single person I've brought there LOVED the steak. My friend even closed her eyes in ecstasy after the first bite haha. And the icing on top of the cake? They divide your steak into 2 portions & serve you again once your first is finished so the meat is always tender & warm... And fries are free-flow.

ohhh when can i go back again? (๑´◡`๑)

BFM awards

Last night, we were invited to attend the BFM awards ceremony & dinner.. BFM is a business news channel in France & every year, they honour the best in the business world, the best companies, entrepreneurs, managers, etc.

In the Marigny theatre, 4 minutes before we went live on TV. It was really great to see the movers & shakers of the French business world all gathered in one place, although the only winner I knew was Yves Rocher, the company who won the Saga Familiale category. I love this cosmetics & skincare brand... they have really good quality products which are so affordable for everyone. And to think they started out in a small Brittany village!

Later we adjourned to the Bristol Hotel for dinner... at 11pm! I can never understand the French & their penchant for cocktails before dinner. To me, if i'm hungry, i'll eat dinner. No need for frou frou drinks & awkward conversations!

Dinner was by Eric Frechon, chef of the hotel with 3 Michelin stars under his belt. He really lived up to his reputation. We had an absolutely divine cod with watercress puree & for dessert, a caramel dark chocolate sabayon. Though i'm probably not doing justice to them with my descriptions!

I've attended a fair number of functions here... after the usual questions about my origins & nationality, most people dismiss me when they find out i was a stewardess for much of my working life. But once i mention that i used to be a manager in Procter & gamble, they suddenly seem more interested & less cold. It's amazing how people react to big names. I think if we can't help but judge a book by its cover; then the least we can do is to hide it well.

Luckily we both have our feet firmly planted on the ground, & we often leave in high spirits, gossiping about the people we met & taking a long walk thru the streets, marveling at the calm of Paris in the wee hours. 

You should change your state of mind, not the sky. xx

the lazy girl's kitchen #2: easiest pasta recipe

My cooking adventures continue with this easy-peasy recipe given to me by F's sister-in-law. She has 4 kids & is an excellent cook.

It's so easy & failproof I can't believe i've never tried it before.

All you need is pasta - we had torsades fusili, the freshest & best cherry tomatoes u can find, extra virgin olive oil & a pot of basil. These can always be found in our kitchen so we didnt even need to pop by the supermarket!

Because there are so few ingredients in this dish, i realised it's important to buy the best you can afford, so that u get the best flavors.

Cut the tomatoes & the basil leaves and mix all the ingredients together in a bowl while waiting for the pasta to cook. Then mix everything together & add more basil leaves if desired. I LOVE basil so i was happily cutting my plant down.

Alternatively, you can also put everything in a pan & fry till the tomatoes turn soft.

Tadaa! Fresh tomato & basil pasta... it's so wonderfully tasty & hearty.

To make it even tastier, grate parmesan cheese or grana padano over it... the burst of flavors is heavenly i swear. 

I am not good at cooking, & shamefully.. nor do i really care to improve, so this recipe is perfect for days when you are really hungry but lazy. (We were moving furniture the whole day so we could eat a cow!) Please feel free to share easy recipes whenever u want xx

the lazy girl's kitchen #1: chicken curry rice

I've only made a proper meal twice in my whole life. Like with a pan & heat & raw food.

So last night I decided to do something nice. I cooked chicken curry & rice. And it was a success as affirmed by my dinnerdate :)

First I bought raw chicken fillets which were just as disgusting as i remembered it. Then I cut it into small pieces, marinated with some salt & basilic & pan fried them till they turned brown. By the way, don't you just hate it when people who cook all the time tell u stuff like "oh just a little salt will do", or "when u feel the time is right to turn it over"... Just give it to me in minutes & teaspoons plsss.

I chopped up some fresh tomatoes & opened up a can of green peas & a can of coconut milk. The only ingredients left in the kitchen. I think adding eggplant could have been better.

Then in a pot, I added a packet of red curry paste, the milk, water & all the rest. They boiled merrily in the pot & simmered till they became gooey & yummy!

I also cooked fluffy thai rice in a real pot hehe.

Sounds easy? But it took me 1 hr 35 mins from start to finish. :( After that, i was EXHAUSTED.

My historical culinary moment ^.*

how do u not get fat in japan??

A bowl of sweet simple rice.

Tonkatsu, fried pork cutlet

Hand-crushed sesame to flavor the sauce.

Vending machines in the hotel. =^o^=

And Royce chocolates... to me its quality is better than that of Godiva or Leonidas.

Chocolates that melt in the mouth.

Sigh... how do you not get fat in Japan?

breakfast

 

Tea with milk & tartines au beurre, my favorite breakfast.

just another weekday

It feels good to be doin nothing on a weekday. Accompanied my mum to the supermarket where i tried Sara Lee cheesecake. (Yes they have cheesecake now!)

Caught up with the gals over coffee & manicures. Lynette the manicurist is such a sweet gal that we keep going back.. plus she gives us a great deal. Yeah i know my eyebags are frightening... (Lynette made us take the photo since she hardly gets all of us together!) I need more zzzz.

Met Gil for dinner & we went to collect my purse. He always feeds my purse addiction. My collection is getting outta hand. But I don't care.

Isn't it cute? I <3 marc jacobs! Only he would think of resurrecting a 1920s vuitton ad & turn it into such a lovely collection! i swear i thought it was tintin but it's a porter boy with some luggage. I'm totally in love.

Dinner at our usual restaurant... We neva get tired of eating the same thing - roast duck rice & stewed eggplant w minced meat. Yummylicious!

Hehe are the pics makin u hungry already?

A lazy night in with Gil... I don't want tomorrow to come.