Cauliflower rice with mixed veggies

Speedy and super tasty

A scrumptious dinner in less than 10 minutes

Love carbs but hate the feeling of getting bloated? Like rice but don't have the patience to cook it? Have no fear, for cauliflower rice is (finally) here. A recent discovery of mine (thanks to reading the Minimalist Baker's superb blog post), this white rice dupe is the perfect light supper option. Simply buy some cauliflower, mince it up in a food processor (or a box grater if you don't have this fancy gadget), saute it in a pan and hey presto, there's your dinner! To avoid blandness, I recommend adding a good sprinkle of salt, pepper and lemon/lime juice when you're cooking the rice. I also topped mine with some red chilli flakes, just for an extra bit of spice and tastiness. Serve it with whatever you want (in my case, boiled veggies).

A healthy but filling way to end the day. Totally beats a microwaveable TV dinner. 

Recipe from: http://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice/ 

3 ingredient pancakes

Monday morning inspiration 

Yummy + nutritious = perfect brekkie combo

If you're always rushing to work and can't afford to spend hours cooking a decent breakfast, then this pancake recipe by the internationally renowned top model Karlie Kloss is definitely for you. Simple and easy to make, you only need 3 common household ingredients, specifically 1 egg, 1 banana and some porridge oats, to whip up this delicious and vegetarian-friendly morning treat. Feel free to spruce it up with some other add-ons like cinnamon, blueberries, and maple syrup to make your breakfast extra scrumptious. 

Guaranteed to taste waaaay better and more filling than a shop-bought muesli bar (which used to be my go-to brekkie option whenever I was dashing out to beat the morning traffic). 

Recipe from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DI0Nr3wPQA 

Building the Gingerbread House - BlogMas Day 3

Getting started

I don't usually start a blog post off with an apology but I will today. I apologise that BlogMas sorted came to a halt last week on December 23rd. That was partially because my flu was getting the better of me but mainly because of the task I had set myself and my cousins to completing (or rather constructing). We try to host a family Christmas party each year and I'm always in charge of baking something yummy. This year, I decided to turn it up a notch and do something completely different (but definitely Christmassy).

Opening the box of goodies

Prepping the icing bag (and the house!)

Ladies and gentlemen - it was finally time for The Amateur Anthropologist to make decorate a gingerbread house.

I'd found a box (by Wilton) that offered all the necessary tools and sweets needed for gingerbread house decorating just the other day in the local shopping mall - there was definitely no stopping me now!

Steady there...

Like all good cooks/amateur bakers, I made sure I read the recipe (in this case, instructions manual). This involved prepping the piping bag with a generous amount of thick white icing to begin with, and then gluing the walls of the house before waiting for an hour for them to dry off. A tip for anyone that wants to attempt at decorating a gingerbread house in 2016 (my countdown for next year's Christmas has already begun) is to pipe a decent dose of icing on the bottom of the walls before positioning them on your base (I used a silver piece of cardboard made especially for baked goods) - this ensures that your walls are sturdy enough to stand by themselves and to later hold the roof of the house up (there have been quite a few gingerbread house fails on YouTube - probably because they didn't follow my tip!)

Waiting for it to dry...

Lunch break

Making the gingerbread house required a lot of patience (because it took several hours to dry each piece). So during that time, I decided to head out to do some last minute grocery shopping for our family Christmas party. I also picked up some lunch which was awesome.

Mini bus-ing it to the shops

Purchases for the party

A (somewhat) healthy lunch

And isn't the Christmas tree in the shopping mall near my house simply stunning? They always ensure that a new design is used each year, so it's always exciting to see what they have install for us by the time December arrives.

Several levels tall and colour changing - best tree ever!

Decorating delicately

Decorating the gingerbread house did require a lot of delicate movements -- push too hard on any of the pieces and the whole building (well house) could easily collapse. We decided not to go with a design that the box had suggested us to go with. Instead, we improvised along the way. I think it worked out quite well in the end don't you?

(Sweet) decorations for the house

Beginning with the front door

We also used some sweets (M&M chocolates) that I had bought during my lunchtime shopping excursion, and some leftover cake decorations that had been lying around in my house - I think adding them made the gingerbread house even more special.

That's it for this post - be sure to look out for the next two BlogMas posts (which I promise will be up before this year ends which is in like what...? 2 days?!?!?!)

A very Merry Christmas indeed! :D

Funfetti cupcakes

Playing with your food

I know they say that the above should be avoided, but I think we can make it an exception when sprinkles (hundreds and thousands) are involved. In my opinion, funfetti cupcakes are perfect whenever you need a little bit of colour to brighten up a grey and miserable day (these come quite often when you've got a busy and stressful work schedule). Baking them is the best way to de-stress and forget about one's hectic life for a bit (around 1 hour to be precise).



 

You can buy a pack of pre-made funfetti cake mix if you wish. However, I like to challenge myself to learn something new, so I selected an easy white cake recipe and simply added the sprinkles to it. Both ways are equally as good.

Into the oven they go

Sprinkles!

Pre-decorating mode

Of course good food deserves to be shared, so make sure you bake a decent amount (a dozen worked perfectly for me and my family)







And in case you're looking for a good birthday cake option, these delicious and light funfetti cupcakes are definitely worth going for.



Lady Betty afternoon tea (York)

An absolute MUST

Whenever I head to York, I always manage to squeeze in some time for a quick stop at Bettys, the famed tea room. It’s generally for the same reason (i.e. buying a delicious Fat Rascal which, truth be told, is always on my “favorite things” list). However, two months ago, I went to the elegant café located at St Helen’s Square with a much more celebratory purpose. 

Fat rascals, fondant fancies and other yummy treats

I mean, honestly. Celebrating the end to three long years at university HAD to include cake and tea in my opinion.

Summer pastels and chocolate ladybirds

And since it was such a momentous occasion, we decided to go for the extra special and irresistible Lady Betty Afternoon Tea set. Packed with savory and sweet treats, this newly crafted menu offered a truly delicious and eclectic selection. A dish that my entire family and I definitely all enjoyed was the prawn cocktail. Pairing this with a Marie Rose sauce on top of a creamy and fresh avocado purée made the little appetizer absolutely heavenly (and obviously scrumptious). And for t­hose that are unable to eat seafood for dietary reasons, fret not. A vegetarian option, made with dainty tomato cubes, can be ordered instead.

And of course, the other savory starters were also winners.

I enjoyed having the traditional tea, scone and sandwich setup; I think it’s an absolute delight to have a classical touch to any sort of afternoon tea. However, our meal was not without a couple of elegant surprises. From lavender infused scones to a delicate Chine Rose Petal tea, our culinary experience could not have been any more sumptuous.

Well, that’s what I thought until I saw the miniature cakes - truly exquisite and, obviously, delicious.

I think it’s hard to pick a favorite from the sweet treats that graced our table. However, if I really had to choose, it’d definitely have to be the pink macaron. I know they say that it’s not good to judge a book by its cover, but honestly, this macaron was undeniably just as good on the inside as it was on the outside, both in taste and looks. 

With friendly service and so much delicious food, it’s no wonder that my trip to Bettys ultimately inspired myself to draw a quick fashion illustration on my laptop as seen below (hope you guys like it!).

Inspired by Lady Betty, drawn by me

If it’s a 5 star afternoon tea in an elegant, luxurious and friendly evnrionment you’re looking for, you’ll definitely feel satisfied with the Lady Betty menu.

Hong Kong (Public Holiday special)

Venture through my day

To me, every day is special. Even if it happens to involve the most mundane of all tasks, it all ends up being a moment in the past. And even if the same day does repeat itself, there’s often a minor difference in the schedule somewhere. The place where I keep these memories is obviously my blog, and although the majority of the posts I've written tend to be based on an overarching theme (i.e. travel, food & fashion), last Thursday proved to be interesting enough to be blogged about.  

It all started with an extravagant dim sum breakfast...and two tickets to the C All Star concert later on the day.

Then it ws a nice leisurely stroll to the flower market.

 

Clearly, I have a slight obsession with roses (especially colourful ones)

Lunch was at the delicious Spanish restaurant, Espumo.

Lunch with a view

Here's a couple of pics of what we ate!

Calamari

Tortilla espanola

Ok I know eggs benedict with avocado is not technically Spanish but it was too tempting to resist. Especially since the below photo shows that it's perfect for breadstick dipping.

And here's a couple of photos of the artistic motifs in the restaurant. Pretty cool huh?

Last but not least was the C All Star concert. I'll blog about this in more detail in a separate blog post but here's a quick taster for all those who are interested/ fans of this band.

Arriving at the concert arena

Photos with our dear friend/ singing sensation

Getting ready for the show

Obviously not every Thursday is a public holiday like this one was, and clearly not every weekday can be packed with fun filled events. But I think it's fair to say that when they do occur, I tend to seize them enthusiastically and cherish every moment during the 24 hours of freedom.

Stay active & positive - enjoy each day while it lasts.