Here's looking at you kid! *Ribbit*

The only frog I've seen up close are the fried frog legs sitting on a plate. Cooked or not cooked, I keep them at an arm's length. It was the sight of the sad amphibians sitting in their tanks at zi-cha stores that halted all my desire for frog legs when I was a teen, FOR GOOD.

But I never knew there was a frog farm in Singapore, so you could say it was with morbid curiosity that made me join Kai for his school excursion to the Jurong Frog Farm.

When the time came to pet the bullfrog, Kai was understandably scared. But I wanted him to step out of his comfort zone. So what did I do? Yes. I touched the frog to show him that there is NOTHING to be afraid of.

My brain was screaming "NOO! You're mad, woman. You're mad!!!" But I heard myself saying, "See Kai, there's NOTHING to be afraid of." Maybe he saw the scrunched up, lousy attempt of a smile on my face and said: "NO!"

It was his teacher who finally got him to pet the frog. He was a lot braver than me. He actually touched the frog with four fingers. I only touched the frog with one fingertip.

Where:

Jurong Frog Farm

56 Lim Chu Kang Lane 6

Obsession with pie pots

For two weeks or so, I've been looking for pie pots. I've tried the kitchenware section of big department stores and the baking section of supermarkets.

Nothing. And I refused to make pies using any other pots other than the pie pots. I was adamant.

I finally found them at Sia Huat. It is THE place to go if you want to outfit your kitchen, restaurant, or food store. They even sell mops, buckets, and yellow signs that warn of slippery, wet floors. And even chef hats, aprons, and uniforms.

I didn't make the pie in the end. Terence did using Nigella Lawson's Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Pie recipe. Sweet, sweet Terence. I wanted to make the pies for him, but he did it himself. :-p

Weekend pastry chef

We have been baking almost every weekend mainly to engage Kai, and he loves to help. It can get pretty messy with egg shells in your liquid ingredient, flour all over the floor/table/chair, and one must be quick enough to stop toddler from throwing an ingredient that's not required into the mixing bowl.

There are plenty of instant cookie/muffin/brownie mixes available, but nothing beats making them from scratch and Kai has more to do. We haven't baked the perfect muffin which everybody loves yet. But Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin disappeared rather quickly, though I would prefer it to be more moist.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

(Serving size: 12)

Ingredients:

250g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

Half-teaspon bicarbonate soda

2tbsp cocoa

175g caster sugar

150g chocolate chips (plus more for sprinkling later)

250ml milk

90ml vegetable oil

1 large egg

1tsp real vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and fill a 12-bun muffin tray with paper cases.

2. Weigh out the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Pour all the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl.

3. Mix both together. (It will be a runny batter.) Then spoon them into the muffin cases

4. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top and bake for 20 minutes (or until the muffins are risen and springy)

The perfect Ang Ku Kueh

I haven't had Ang Ku Kueh for a long time. Wait. Hang on. No. The truth is, I haven't sunken my teeth into a good Ang Ku Kueh, ever. The skin is either always too thick, too thin, or not springy; the peanut filling (my favorite) is either too thick, too sweet, or the peanut bits too chunky.

I found my perfect Ang Ku Kueh in a quiet, quaint neighborhood--Everton Park--that lies just at the edge of bustling Cantonment Road/Tanjong Pagar stretch. Ooh... the kueh at Ji Xiang Confectionery has a soft, chewy skin that is not too thick, not too thin, and the skin has a nice spring to it. The peanut filling is just the right amount, not overly sweet.

They sell Sesame Balls that are just as divine. But I'm an Ang Ku Kueh kind of gal through and through. They sell the kuehs with other types of fillings too (e.g. bean paste), but I don't like to compromise. It's peanuts for me.

Where:

Ji Xiang Confectionary

Blk 1 Everton Park

#01-33

I ♥ Dr. Martens

I couldn't get Dr. Martens out of my mind ever since reading about its Worn 1460 collection a few days ago on Facebook. Then feeling rather guilty for neglecting my own pair of gorgeous, black patent Dr. Martens, I decided it was time to start breaking them in for good.

I am in such a monochrome fashion mood these days. But since everything to do with "Alice in Wonderland" is so hot now, I threw on my Disney's Chershire Cat-inspired toe socks to add a hint of color to the outfit. No one would know unless they're staring at my boots (and why shouldn't they?).

Thank you Dr. Martens for giving me something to smile about on a hot, humid Tuesday afternoon.

My 6mo

My 6mo boy had his first taste of food today. He was smiling until he realized that he was suppose to swallow the rice cereals.

(Here's what Kai did when we fed him cereals at six months.)

Poster boys for Pocky

Ian with banana Pocky and Kai with his perennial favorite flavor, strawberry

I still remember the Japanese TV ad, the jingle, and their Engrish pronunciation for strawberry and chocolate. I had Pocky when I was growing up and I still like to snitch a stick or two from Kai. It's nice to know Pocky never lost its appeal among kids, and they managed to stay relevant with new flavors.

Furoku? Kawaii!

Not too long ago, I read an article about how Singaporeans would buy Japanese magazines--not to read--but to collect the designer freebies (or furoku in Japanese) that come with it. Out of curiosity, I did just that.

Basically, if you don't read a single word of Japanese (which I don't), you are making a magazine selection based on its furoku--not what the magazine is about. I picked one that was giving away an Agnes B bag.

From the photograph on the magazine cover, you can't tell what the quality is like. I was quite sure, however, that the quality will not be all that great because it's a freebie after all. (An Internet article reported that the furoku is usually valued between 50-200Yen or S$0.77-S$3.) The Agnes B bag was made of muslin and the heart-shaped tag of cheap plastic. OK, so it isn't worth the S$17.90 I paid for the magazine.

But you know what, you certainly can't buy an Agnes B bag for S$17.90, and you can't find an Agnes B bag like this in the boutique. And consumers ARE passionate about the furoku. The furoku had been responsible for doubling--and even helped tripled--magazines' circulation when magazine sales were affected by free content on the Internet. Some people have even made a business of selling furoku items online (e.g. 1DesignerGift). Very enterprising....

I did try to find the content in "steady" relevant. OK, hmm, so I could layer my clothes this way to make it cute or I could point out a hairstyle I like to my hairdresser. But really, the only reason I'd ever buy a Japanese magazine again is because of its furoku.

Farmers' Market at Loewen Gardens

Everything you see at the Farmers' Market at Loewen Gardens is reminiscence of weekend markets in Europe and Australia. The only difference is the heat and humidity that can make an outing to the market rather unpleasant. Despite that, I quite enjoyed it.

Yummy pastries from The Pantry--organizer of the Farmers' Market--double up as eye candy.

Paella is cooked on the spot, and you can buy a serving of it at S$10. (It's expensive but it's not often we get to eat paella, so what the heck....)

To entertain the kids, there is a playground, a trampoline, and free face painting services. There is definitely lots of photo opportunities for photo enthusiasts at the market, but it was hard for me to concentrate as I had to turns with Terence to mind the boys.

By just looking at the vendors and their wares and the crowd that turned up, it's hard to imagine that you are still in sweltering Singapore. The only thing that gives it away in the photograph would be the fans on the ceiling of the marquee tent.

Even Kit enjoyed lolling in the heat.

I didn't expect us to buy anything from the market, but we went home with four bottles of wine, one loaf of focacia, a bottle of homemade chicken liver and brandy pate (YUM), and cupcakes. The market is definitely recommended but please, go there early before the heat wave hits.

When and where:

Loewen Gardens

Every first Saturday of the month

9am - 2pm

Woot! Pimp my ride!

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