Michelle's world of food

I have writer's block. What is writer's 'block anyway? Merriam-webster defines writer's block as a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece. Well, mine is more of a case of trying to do too many things at the same time. So, impeding me from writing this blog. Hence in my battle against this ancient enemy of many authors, I will keep this short. Cooking in a clay pot adds an earthly flavour to food. If you do not have a clay pot at home, try this recipe with a ceramic or cast iron pot that you can cook on a stove. But do NOT assume all pots can be used with on a stove! I have the unpleasant experience of cracking a ceramic casserole dish on a stove, spilling chicken curry all over the stove and kitchen bench. The cleaning wasn't the problem, the dog helped. It is the hours of work down the drain. If all else fails, this recipe actually works with a rice cooker as well. It is important that you try to use chicken pieces with bone...

Our new roller blinds have finally arrived. The last time the engineer husband of mine took fours hours to mount a set of Roman blinds. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine how many hours it will take for him to put up three roller blinds this time. So, as Phil sets up to install those blinds, I sneakily retreat to the kitchen, leaving him with the Best of Bread blasting in the background. Well, at least it is not Neil Diamond. It is a wet and cold day, a day most suited for a nice hot dessert of stewed apples. Apples go very well with spices like cinnamon and cloves. Plus, there are so many things you can do with stewed apples. On it's own with cold vanilla ice cream or creamy custard. With French toast, maple syrup and freshly whipped cream. Or one of my quick more refined dessert. Place some stewed apples into individual serving bowls. Crumble two ginger nut biscuits over it. Top it up with a dollop of whipped cream. Ingredients: 600 grams apples 4 tbsp brown sugar ...

I confess that I am a late starter when it comes to baking. Not having a sweet tooth did not help either. When I was a kid, I was quite fond of baking chocolate brownies. It was one cake that I would make over and over again. I had only one teeny weeny problem; really insignificant. The brownie always turned out hard as rock without fail. Go figure why I keep using the same recipe over and over again, just the way I did it the last time. Overtime, I learnt to disguise the brownies so that my older brother would eat them. So, Eric, if you are reading this blog...you know the "rocky chocolate cookies" I used to make when we were kids? Well, they were not exactly cookies. I have moved my fixation on to banana cakes since. I suspect my husband is extremely thankful for that. This probably makes me sound like a snob, but I am very particular about cakes, especially if I have to eat them. Have you ever wanted a piece of banana cake so badly that you would hop into the car on a ...

We started a tradition. One year ago, a group of us decided to get together for a party on Guy Fawkes day. We had a potluck dinner and celebrated the night with fireworks which was of course, an excuse for the boys to get their hands and matches on double happy and sky rockets. This year, the same group got together again..naturally. So this is how tradition starts. Someone had a good idea and repeated the same thing year after year. And voila! You have a tradition. I suspect if one of us fail to turn up next year, there will be a few words said. One of our friends from the group is dairy intolerant. It was a chilly night and I wanted to bring a more substantial side. So I got my inspiration from our Italian neighbour who introduced us to potatoes mashed with olive oil. I have always done mashed potatoes with milk and butter or cream but olive oil? This dish is surprisingly smooth and fluffy with a fresh, almost nutty taste. Chopped parsley added an interesting texture to the potatoe...

My photographer is on strike. Explains why my blogs are missing wonderful pictures of my scrumptious cooking. Actually, he is simply distracted with other interests at the moment as with boys and their toys. I remember as a little kid, cooking curry was always a communal event. I am not kidding. Aunties would be crowding in our already tiny kitchen, some pounding spices with the traditional mortar and pestle, some peeling onions and kilos of potatoes and some just hanging around with cups of teas in their hands gossiping away. At times, the neighbours were even invited for a meal of steaming, spicy, mouth-watering curry with rice and french loaves to mop up the gravy. Life has gotten busier now and instant ingredients have taken away the joy of communal cooking. The saving grace is that I can whipped up the same Nonya chicken curry in half an hour whenever I am reminiscing the good old days. There are some ingredients that I always have in my kitchen: Curry powder, coconut cream,...