SUNDAY CHEESY SUNDAY

Doesn't this Mac & Cheese look good? The best thing about it is the recipe's so simple that you can whip it up in a jiffy on a lazy Sunday...especially when the wallet runs dry and you don't feel like slaving away in the kitchen but the family still needs feeding!

I use a mixture of mozzarella cheese and creamy Jack cheese to give the pasta moist stickiness and of course, wisps of stretchy threads that kids love. You can also add sliced mushrooms of your choice, some chopped bacon or even strips of sweet yellow and red pepper into the equation.

Here's what I used:

500g dried macaroni pasta
3 cloves garlic (peeled)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups whipping cream
2 cans of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
3 cups of grated cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella and creamy Jack cheese)
2 cups water
Ground black pepper to taste

Partially cook macaroni in a big potful of boiling water (added with salt and a drizzle of olive oil) for about 5-8 minutes. The pasta doesn't need to be cooked through as it'd be baked again later.

When the pasta turns slightly opaque, remove pot from stove and drain off water from pasta using a colander. Toss until dry and keep aside.

Heat oven to about 160 degrees Celsius. Smash garlic using cleaver and mince finely. Heat oil in pan and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes.

Pour in cream, Campbell's soup and 2 cups grated cheese. Stir well to mix evenly and add water. Stir a! gain tho roughly and season to taste with ground pepper. (Salt is unneccesary since the cheese and canned soup are already quite salty)

Bring to a gentle boil and turn off heat. Place macaroni into a large baking pan or deep casserole.

Stir in cream and cheese mixture into the macaroni. Sprinkle the remaining cup of grated cheese on top.

Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes; the cheese crust on top should have turned slightly golden brown.
Let the pasta dish cool down for 5 minutes and it's ready to serve.

Any leftovers can be kept in airtight containers and reheated for later consumption.

Joe can cook! Season 2 Episode 7 Slow Roast Beef

Recently, I caught an episode of Heston's latest cooking show on SBS. It left me wanting more and the first thing I did was to get a copy of all his episodes online. After being amazed at each episode and still wanting more, I found out his latest cookbook was meant to be for home cooks and bought a copy.

Flipping through the book, I realise his definition of home cooks and my definition of home cooks is still a mile away. Most recipes either require some form of complication (to me) or a ridiculous amount of time. It's fun to learn how to age meant and brine meat but really?

After leaving the book on the shelf for a week or two, I took it out again and decided I will try one of his slow cooking recipes. The idea of slow roasting is so that you retain moisture and the meat won't dry out. So it was, roast chicken or roast beef. After having roasted chicken before, beef it was.

The first thing to do was to get a juicy 2kg rib eye roast. If you want to age the meat, simply put it the meat on a cake tray and then on top of a plate and into the fridge. The time the meat sits in the fridge is really up to you, butchers generally aged their meat anywhere between 3-6 weeks. I left mine in for a day (doubt there was a difference). Bear in mind, the longer you age, the more you got to trim (the dry bits). I say if you are really keen, a week should do the trick.

First step: Take the meat and bring it to room temperature. A hour out of the fridge should be good (depending where you stay obviously).

Second step: To brown the meat. To really get a lot of flavour, get some beef fat from the butcher and extract the oil to brown your meat. Season with plenty of salt. Apparently, pepper burns in the pan and you should leave it for later.

You are looking at 4-5 minutes a side on high heat.

Third Step: Put the meat on a bunch of garlic and thyme. Put the beef fat on top of the meat as a layer of protection. Now is when you sprinkle plenty of pepper.

Fourth Step: Original recipe says 60 degrees for anywhere between 4-6 hours, till the meat reaches an internal temperature of 55 degrees.

I was running short of time and during the 3.5 hours, I cranked it from 65 degrees to 90 degrees (for the last half hour). However, putting the meat in that kind of temperature means you really don't have to check the temperature until the 3 hour mark (unless your block of meat is small).

Fifth step: Rest the meat. I think I had 40 minutes to rest it but the recipe says an hour. Trust me when you really do need an hour.

Sixth step: Dig into some really juicy and tender roast. Mine was still bleeding but if you look closely, the meat is not raw as an undercooked steak would be. Melt in your mouth and food orgasm at its best.

Was spending half a day cooking this roast worth it? YES!

The launch of Fireflys inaugural flight between Kota Bharu and Johor Bahru

Happy TGIF guys!
Today would be the 2nd day of my trip with Firefly Airlines in conjunction with their launch of inaugural flight between Kota Bharu and Johor Bahru.

Im following the media familiarisation trip, co-sponsored by Johor State Tourism and Resort World Sentosa, and the ground transfers are hosted by Truly Travel Mart Tour & Transport Sdn Bhd and SN Vacation.

Below: Guess whos on the trip as well and adding bling, spark and glamour (literally) to our 4D3N adventure?

Our flight was smooth and upon arrival at Senai International Airport we were greeted by Firefly personnels followed by tradition welcome performance.

Below: Director Ministry of Tourism Malaysia Johor, Mohammad Isa Abdul Halim greeting passengers.

My itinerary is as below:

DayDateActivities126 April 2012Sambutan tetamu tetamu khas / delegasi media / penumpang dari penerbangan perdana Firefly dari Kota Bharu ke Jo! hor Bahr u disambut di lapangan terbang antarabangsa Senai. Pertunjukan Kebudayaan.Rombongan bertolak dari Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Senai ke Johor Bahru Premium Outlet (JPO), Kota Iskandar, Johor Bahru Chinese Temple, Kuil Kaca India pertama di Dunia dan Masjid Sultan Abu Bakar.Check in Puteri Pacific Hotel, Johor BahruAktiviti bebasJamuan Makan Malam bersama FireflyAcara bebas.227 April 2012Sarapan Pagi di HotelDelegasi bertolak bagi Singapore city tour, lawatan ke Singapore Resort World, dan lawatan ke Geylang Serai, Little India, The Merlion dan Masjid Sultan.Bertolak balik ke Johor BahruJamuan Makan Malam bersama oleh Jabatan Pelancongan Negeri JohorAcara bebas328 April 2012Sarapan Pagi di HotelBertolak ke Sibu Island Resort menerusi Tanjung Leman, pembentangan taklimatproduk oleh Sibu Island Resort. Lawatan ke sekitar Sibu Island Resort.Makan Tengahari di Sibu Island ResortDelegasi bertolak ke Desaru Fruit Farm, pembentangan oleh Desaru Fruit FarmHi-tea di Desaru Fruit FarmDelegasi bertolak ke Johor Bahru dan bermalam di Johor BahruAcara bebas.429 April 2012Sarapan pagi di HotelDelegasi bertolak ke Lapangan Terbang Senai Airport

So, as you guys can see, the programme is angled at highlighting the wonderful attractions that the state of Johor has to offer, whereby serving as a convenient gateway to Singapore is a major part of it.
For TODAY, Im really excited for the Singapore City Tour where Ill be visiting the Singapore Resort World. I have been to Universal Studios Singapore many times, most recently to the World Gourmet Summit 2012. But I have never toured the whole of Resort World before. I am assuming that during the trip, Ill be able to visit different hotel. *fingers crossed*

For the rest of the media, they were happy with their visit to the Johor Premium Outlets yesterday. I have been to JPO myself (POST HERE) and I was told this time that JPO was as packed as ever even on a weekday yesterday!

For shopacholics, heres a tip!
The journey from Senai Airport to Johor Premium Outlets is a mere 5 10 minutes ride. Fantastic news isnt it! You can actually just make a day trip, shop til you drop and fly back home right away.

And of course no trips is worth the trip if I dont get to savour some local delights. I hope to taste authentic Nasi Briyani Gam, Laksa Johor, and Mee Bandung while Im here.

Other than that, I have never heard of Sibu Island Resort. Have any of you? It sounds very promising, with clean waters and sandy beaches. Lets see if it leaves up to its name!

Last but not least, I will try to update occasionally during the trip, time and connectivity willing.
So, have a good weekend ahead peeps, cause mine has already started!

Note:
Firefly made history by being the first airline to provide direct air linkages connecting the south and the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
This flight connects Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Kota Bahru to Senai Internation Airport in Johor.
The flights are direct, thrice weekly services with a travel time of approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, pro! viding a n excellent alternative to existing public land transportation servicing this route such as coach and rail services.

Flight schedule, effective today
Kota Bharu Johor Bahru/ Johor Bahru Kota Bharu

RouteKota Bharu JohorBahru
8.30am 10.10am Tues, Thurs, Sun

Johor Bahru KotaBharu
10.30am 12.10pm Tues, Thurs, Sun

Restoran Hai Thian @ Equine Park

Couple of years back the Hai ThianRestaurantI visited was located in another part of Seri Kembangan which was near a Petronas gas station.

The new Restoran Hai Thian is huge consisting 10 units of shop lot and was crowded on this Saturday, we were there for a special occasion.

Fried groupa fish topped with sourish apple salad - interesting & yummy.Kai Lan veggie stir fried withshreddedpreserved veg.Deep fried pork meat delicious indeed.Pumpkin Special with fish maw, mushroom, fish paste.Salted yegg flavour calamari in claypot I did not touch it as I am on a fast on this seafood. ):A treat hosted by Lai Yoong and many thanks to her.And this was the special occasion, it was Lai Yoong & Wei Xiang Birthday. Happy Birthday to both of them.

Restoran Hai Thian

No. 9, Jalan BPP 8/2

Bandar Putra Permai

43300, Seri Kembangan

Selangor

Malaysia

Tel: 603 - 8943 5002 /603 - 8948 8781 /603 - 8945 4160

Business hours: Lunch 11 am - 2.30 pm daily; Dinner 5 pm - 10.30 pm daily

(Closes on every Monday except if public holidays fall on the Monday)

GPS : 2.985963,101.66482

Tortang Alimasag Crab Omelet Recipe

Dim Sum @ Celestial Court, Sheraton Imperial KL

Dim sum... breakfast fit for kings...and princesses

My kids have grown accustomed to the ritual of having dim sum on a Sunday morning. Whenever the word "dim sum" is mentioned, their faces glow with joy.

Last weekend, we decided to try the dim sum at Celestial Court in Sheraton Imperial KL. Baby C got to tag along with us (it was close to Baby D's naptime so he had to stay home, but I bet he would have loved it too). We didn't have very high expectations since we had a poor experience at the afternoon tea buffet at Pavilions Lounge just recently, but I have to say the dim sum here really surpassed our expectations.. in fact I'll go as far as saying that it was one of the best dim sum experiences we've had in a while.

Although dim sum here is on the pricey side, each and every dim sum dish that we tried was prepared well using good quality ingredients. Plus service is also good here.

The word "scallops" immediately attracted me into ordering the scallop dumplings with prawn, asparagus and shimeji mushroom (RM15). The translucent skin was perfectly steamed and just the right thickness. The scallop and prawn was fresh and a reasonable size, plus the tobiko added a nice texture as well as color to this dish. Loved it!

Baby C gave this her approval!

Our obligatory orders during dim sum sessions are usually the har kao and siew mai, both given an interesting twist here. The har kao (prawn dumplings) is an unsual orange colour, as carrot puree is used. The prawn was big and juicy, and again nicely steamed (no overcooking here for sure!).

Har kao in crystal carrot puree with dried scallop and coriander (RM13)

I found the siew mai to be most interesting and one of the most visually appealing ones I've come across. It is topped with mini abalone, bonito flakes, crisps kailan leaf and ikura roe. At first, Baby C was taken aback with all these extras on the siew mai, but she ended up eating 2 mini abalones, and almost all the ikura roe on the siew mai. I'm really impressed that a non-halal dim sum can taste so good (yes, NO pork!).

Siew mai with mini abalone (RM13)

Pretty siew mai

The crispy dragon beard with cod fish and avocado (RM18) was nice - the cod was firm and the avocado gave it a creamy contrast. Surprisingly, Baby C enjoyed eating the shredded pastry. "Mummy... this one so crunchy and nice!"

During dim sum, Baby C always requests for her char siew pau. However, I spotted the charcoal soft bun with salted egg yolk custard (RM12). Salted egg yolk AND custard... I'm sold! Despite it's unappealing colour, the bun was soft and the filling was super delicious. I ended up having 2 of this LOL! You can also order this as part of your desserts since the filling is sweet-salty.

Glorious salted egg yolk custard filling

We're on a roll... and it seems that the good food keeps coming. The Shanghainese lion's head consisted of chicken meatballs (again no pork, but it doesn't matter as they seem to do well without!) topped with foie gras sauce. The foie sauce was slightly sweetish, but it went well with the juicy meatball.

Shanghainese lion head with foie gras sauce (RM15)

The pan seared mini soft bun with kimchi and minced meat (RM15) was also tasty, albeit being a little oily. The bun is slightly sweet, but I thought it went well with the spicy filling.

Feel the heat

Lastly, we had the pan seared dumpling with chive served with ginger and spring onion (RM13). The dumpling was juicy and again, they got the thin, translucent skin just right. I quite like the green ginger sauce that came with the dumplings.

Wait, there's more food? I meant lastly as in the last of dim sum delights. We also tried the signature roasted crispy duck Hong Kong style (RM55 for half duck) served with a plum sauce which was pretty delicious. The skin could have been a little more crispy, but the duck meat was definitely juicy and flavoursome so we had no problems fi! nishing the whole plate. This was definitely Baby C's favorite dish of the day, and she had quite a few helpings. (And mummy's always happy when the kids enjoy their food!)

Since Baby C had a slight cold, we couldn't order most of the desserts since they were chilled/cold except for the pandan paste sesame ball served with Teochew yam paste (RM11). I liked the way it was presented, very pretty. The sesame ball was good and had ample pandan paste filling. The shot glass was filled with mango and yam paste with some raisins, which Baby C liked very much. She kept persuading us to give her ours too... ;P

"Mummy, wanna swap? I give you my sesame ball if you give me your shot glass.."

The restaurant is quite big, and relaxed. I like ho! w it's v ery brightly lit in the daytime. The view from the restaurant is not too bad either (especially when it's a bright sunny day!).

Admiring the restaurant

"Mummy, can we come back here another time?"

Celestial Court

Verdict: We really enjoyed our dim sum session here at Celestial Court. With the Starwood card, I feel that the prices are acceptable. There are still many items that I wish to try, so we will definitely be back (maybe with Baby D in tow next time!)


Pork-free.

Opening times:Monday - Saturday, 12.00 pm - 2.30 pm; Sunday and Public Holidays, 10.00 am - 2.30 pm, Dinner (daily) 6.30 pm - 10.30 pm.

Service: Good.

Price: Total bill came to RM232. Tea was RM10 per person.

Location: Celestial Court, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03 -2717 9988

GPS Coordinates: 3.158813, 101.700203