i’ve been a good girl studying (and drama-ing) the past week. but well before the drama (pun intended), i cooked something which reminds me of my childhood. my dad calls it cook-a-wing up till this very day but the real name for it is coq au vin. tell me, is it really that similar? cook-a-wing vs coq au vin. it’s so not! for starters, i don’t use chicken wings for it, i go for thighs. preferably skinless (for health reasons they say *looks at mum and dad*). just preferably. so it’s not a must right? i love my glistening fats and skins and all so who cares? *stiffled laugh

briefly pan-fry the chicken thighs to get that beautiful golden brown crispy skin! crispy skin, i lust.

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see what i mean?

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add some good-old-vegetables. just to get the fats balanced out, haha.

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no greens this time around. greens will turn yellowish-orange after cooking anyway.

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then, my favourite part of the dish. time to choose a good wine! red one of course. i’ve never been really associated with whites (except for that bottle i received for my birthday sorry vanessa!) this time, i went for a vintage 2006 shiraz cabernet from jacob’s creek. three cheers for our south australian friends! a very comforting wine  i should say, no heavy flavours and it’s not dry thank you Jesus.

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pour the whole bottle in if you like! XD

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and then you cook and stir and boil a little further until you get the flavours out. by now, your whole kitchen should be smelling like…..coq au vin. what else if not, kfc?

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those are not eggs! my dad said they look like eggs instead of onions. damn fail.

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never ever forget to reduce the sauce to get that rich and thick consistency.

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dirty red, i like.

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serve it up hot with a good wine (if you’re an alcoholic like me) and it will be just like, fifteen melbourne. trust me, self-denial works all the time. oh oh, maybe listen to some sexy jazz music too to jazz it all up!

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guess what?

i have a pre-new year’s resolution.

and since i have like 15 more days to go, i decided to start straight away!

my friends, i have decided to..

*jeng jeng jeng jeng*

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lose 2 kgs in 15 days. yes, before new years and all to look warm (not hot, mind you) for the frosty winter (one can at least hope) new years! all in the love of narcissism and fashion. *looks longingly at the favourite pair of old jeans*

*steals a quick glance at the junk food corner in her bedroom*

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nothing like my love for wasabi peas!

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edit (after 2 hours): i ate like 1,234,567,890 more junk food ever since i wrote this post. so much for a reaaaaaaal diet.

*&$#*&@)@($#&*#$

ROAR!

yes, mash it that way.

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all sweaty and tired but super satisfied with the outcome. (:

future housewife in making please.

for once in my life,

i present to you something beyond the word ‘edible’ in my food dictionary.

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my utmost lip-smacking, delicious homemade hainanese chicken rice! *humble bow* complete with it’s own chicken-zucchini soup! haha. i know my parents are so proud of me.

the satisfied grins on the faces of my friends who were my lab rats that night gave me a huge sigh of relief. well, you see i’m famous here for cooking tasteless food. it’s not the most proud thing to be dubbed with so i guess i am finally breaking free? *troy & gabriella singing*

generally i just need one word to describe it all,

heaven.

p/s (maybe i exaggerated a teeny weeny bit )

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beard papa’s ever famous cream puffs.

imagine a crisp, freshly-baked puff filled with a generous amount of chocolate madness, then finished off with some light sprinkles of chocolate dust. a dessert lover must try.

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there’s a famous saying: a chinese is not a real chinese until they’ve eaten dumplings dipped in ginger-infused vinegar.

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okay, so i made that up.

i mean, who hates it? the perfect curve with the perfect body. lovely translucent pale-white skin with a tinge of red sin teasing through.

it’s yummylicious!

for those who haven’t tried them, seriously for the love of God do! it is, with no doubt, one of the most famous chinese food creations in the world.

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question of the day: have we thought about where life would bring us? an endless and tiring journey it seems, but still moving interestingly vertically upwards into the starless night sky.

yes, starless.

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while you guys explore the question above, i’m off to some sun-basking.

much loves!

i have been really busy eating my arse off lately. haha, enjoying good ‘ol food like a good ‘ol Australian. yum.

words cannot explain the feelings really. pictures can in some ways i think.

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let’s start with the calamari rings. yes, a mixture of very different verdicts from the few of us. some enjoyed it tremendously and others did not. i particularly did not fancy the portion given to us. we were given perhaps 10 calamari rings (which were not really crispy) and tons of salads underneath? it wasn’t worth the price we were paying but oh wells it’s healthy. (:

i remembered something my dad said when i was younger. it went something like this, “the less we have of something, the more we want to be in possession of it. it’s the same when it comes to food. the less we have of it, the tastier/better it becomes.”

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everyone who knows me well knows that i am very picky/choosy when it comes to food. i eat only the best and do not hesitate scrutinising every single detail of a plate of food. this plate of fish and chips is good, don’t get me wrong. unfortunately, the zing you get from perth’s infamous fish and chips at cicerello’s is just not there. sad stuff. nothing can ever replace fremantle’s fish and chips! NOTHING.

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i guess this was THE highlight of the night. crispy, fried golden brown curly fries with australian prime ribs. OH, look at all the yummy goodness! (told you i was turning into a good ‘ol Australian, satisfied with just ribs =.=) the succulent, juicy ribs! *melts* give me someone who can cook killer ribs *hints Australian* and i’ll marry him. HAHA. okay that was a joke, stupid! T_T

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yummy curly fries. check. regular salad with spanish onions and lovely tomatoes. check. medium done rib steak. oh CHECKKKKKK! haha =P my enthusiasm for good food has NEVER changed. blame the parents for being such good chefs. nothing comes as good easily for me nowadays. it’s like seeing crystals after wearing diamonds for my entire life you know? but the inch thick steak was perfect. reallllly perfect. (:

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Yii Zhu sends her love. muah.