A Blissful Week

The whole of last week was godsend. Maybe it was a good idea that we canned the Aussie trip. But to be out of the country might have been better. Anyhow, I have not slept in for the longest time. Last week, I got up everyday at close to 1030am! I'm just surprised I didn't have any difficulty getting up and hitting the gym this morning.

Maybe it was my mind telling me that I somehow need to drag myself to the gym with all the feasting last week. I cooked quite a bit during our week off, and it was so much fun.

Proscuitto Cups

I've made wanton cups in the past before, with shrimps and minced meat toppings. But saw this recipe online and decided to try. Because I've returned my muffin trays to my sister, and the ones I originally owned were huge, the proscuitto wasn't large enough to form a cup per se, it was pretty darn tasty for happy hour munchies.

Apple Crumble

Our friends invited us for dinner and she made this lovely apple crumble. I got inspired and went searching for a recipe. I never liked apples but the combination of apples and cinnamon is absolutely divine. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it less... crumbly.

From top anti-clockwise: spaghetti vongoles, grilled peppers, oven-baked ribs

Call me a copycat, but whenever I taste something delicious, I always get inspired to try it and add my own flavour to it. I had this beautiful pasta at my sis' and really wanted to try it. Pasta is the hubs specialty but i wanted to give it a try. A small teaspoon of chilli flakes and a quick drizzle of truffle oil makes it so divine. 

I'm also still trying to perfect the ribs. There are too much charred bits, which I usually love. But I don't think our guests would like it?

Non-baked strawberry cheesecake

The batter, is simply put, to die for. I've had yet another inspiration stemmed from this dessert and can't wait to try it when we next have guests over.

Paella

Towards the end of our holiday, we were getting a little depressed about heading back to work. I wanted to do something different, something I'd never think of trying. The hubs wanted me to do the pasta again, but I don't like to have the same dish consecutively. God knows where and how "paella" somehow floated into my mind and I went on Jamie Olivier's website to see if he has the recipe. He has the bestest and easiest recipes for the most complicated looking dish. There were many negative comments on his website on how this ain't authentic paella, he shouldn't even call it paella.. etc etc. But seriously, for an amateur cook like me, I don't really care if its authentic or not, as long as it taste good! And boy, all I can say is, when the Hubs tasted it, he said he's considering letting me be a full time housewife. This, coming from a man who always wanted me to work (asshole!).