A new venture

This past month have been quite hectic for us.  I didn't want to blog about it at first because we weren't sure if our plans would materialise and I didn't want to write about it prematurely.  But now, it's looking more and more likely that it would happen so I guess I can start writing about it.

Ever since I moved here, we have been thinking about setting up our own food business.  Jobs are hard to find here and I wanted to do something I enjoy.  Pete also wants to be his own boss so we thought that we could start our very own company.

I have always wanted to run a café of my own.  I really love baking, most of all, and I thought it would be cool to sell my baked goods such as brownies, scones, frosted cakes and cheesecakes.  And I thought it would be even better to offer snacks such as curry puffs, grilled sandwiches and mini pies.  The cafes here are quite boring since they basically sell the same things.  But it was hard to find a suitable location that is not too run down nor too expensive.  Also, the laws regarding food are quite strict and I would not be able to cook in most café kitchens.

Besides looking for the right location, we had to overcome many obstacles along the way.  I wouldn't go into everything but suffice to say we have had many rejections and refusals.  But luckily for Pete, he managed to get enrolled in a Start Your Own Business course run by the city, unemployment office and funded by EU.  He got to attend classes, practicals and even got to consult the teachers for advice and help.  That helped us a lot since we could make appointments with them and have a chat about our business.

In the end, we settled on a small catering business that focuses on delivering lunch to companies and also have a small menu for take aways since there are many business around our location.  We aim to start operating by September so we are in a hurry to get things done.  We are currently working on our website.  We are newbies when it comes to building our own website so it has been quite frustrating when the programme is not as easy to use as we thought it would be.

Well, actually Pete's the frustrated one.  He is in charge of setting up the website.  Since we are trying to keep our expenses low, we have to do lots of things ourselves.  I am in charge of cooking and photographing the food.  All I have is a simple camera that I have used for my blog photos.  That and some new white plates to put the food on. 

That was my project for today.  Who knew taking photos of food would take hours.  After cooking - it's fried chicken, roasted chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy today - I had to plate the food and then find a nice angle to make it look good.  I didn't want the pictures to look cheap or tacky.  I want them to look nice and sleek.  I don't really know the best angle and such so I took many pictures from many angles.  Every time I replace the food, I had to wash the plate so that there won't be any smudges.  I don't know how many times I had to wash and wipe my hands.

Oh, and to save money, I used my only white bedsheet as the background.  I placed it by the kitchen window since I have no proper lighting.  I was lucky that the sun cooperated with me most of the time.  When it got a bit dark, I had to wait until the clouds moved away from the sun and continued taking the shots.  Hopefully the next few days would be as bright as today so that the pictures would turn out nice and clear.

Here are some of the pictures that I am quite satisfied with.  Take a look and tell me what you think.  Comments are welcome!

 

Hari Raya here and there

After a whole month of fasting, we celebrated Eid last Thursday.  This is the very first year we celebrated it together.  Last year, I went home on the last day of Ramadan to be with my family.  I left Pete, who tried his hand faithfully at fasting for the first time ever, while I went back to be with my family.  I had some stuff to tend to at home, but I still felt bad that I had to leave him after he did so well during that Ramadan.  

So this year, we both got to celebrate our efforts during Ramadan.  It had been a tough month - temperatures were high, the air was dry and daylight hours were long - but we tried our best. Even though there wasn't any public holiday for Eid here, we decided to take the day off.  

At first, as the end of Ramadan was approaching, I thought I was going to feel very homesick.  I've never missed celebrating Eid, or Hari Raya as we call it in Singapore, with my family.  But I decided to be very pragmatic about it.  I tried not to think about the people and things I'm missing.  I concentrated instead of doing some of the same stuff that I would do back home.  

Food, is a huge part of the celebrations and so naturally that's the first thing I think of.  I made pineapple tarts and lemon cookies that I would always make and planned a menu of very traditional foods that my mum would cook for Hari Raya.  Pete and I also decided to invite his mum and sister to join us for dinner.  That made the day festive as well since Hari Raya is all about visiting family and friends.  

Clothes is another part of the festivities.  We usually wear our traditional clothes called baju kurung that day.  Most of mine are back in Singapore but I brought two of my favourite and Pete has one that he wore for our wedding last year.  That afternoon, after we finished cooking and cleaning up, we tried on our clothes and they fit beautifully. I guess the fasting made us lose weight.  Pete looks even better in his that day compared to when he wore it during our wedding!

To get me more into the mood, I played Hari Raya songs and tried to watch some Hari Raya programmes online.  In fact, I had been playing the songs a few days before Hari Raya.  I just love them.  Some have very insightful lyrics, some are a bit sombre but most are fun.  They really bring me back to the times when I would celebrate the festival with my family and friends. I try not to make the songs too personal because I would simply be making myself sad.  I have accepted the fact that I would miss all these special days but I am glad to be making new memories and new tradition with Pete and my family here.

With my own family, we simply make sure we web chat more often during this time.  In fact, they have asked for tips on baking cookies and cakes which were my usual Hari Raya duties.  My sister has taken over the role and I helped her in real-time while she baked.  I, in turn, asked my mum for help with some of her recipes.  Then, when some of my relatives came to visit, I would get to chat with them as well.  As we talked, I could hear the background sounds and it's easy to be immersed with the festive cheer.  I feel like I'm right there with them!  How lucky we are to be living in this technology-rich era. 

There is another huge difference between Hari Raya here and back home - we celebrated it for only one day here.  Back in Singapore, the visiting and festivities would go on for weeks because we would try to visit as many relatives and friends as we could.  But here, by Friday, it was back to normal in our household.  I do miss my family and friends a lot, especially at this very special time of the year.  But they are only a FaceTime call or SMS away.  If I do feel very homesick, all I need to do is pick up my phone and I'll be alright again.  

Pitter patter of tiny paws

For the past two days, our peaceful household is no longer as it was before.  We had two new additions to our little family -  a 12-week old pair of male and female kittens.  We adopted them from our friends who have two beautiful Siberians, a male and a female, of their own.

The female, Tula, is a show cat that has won many awards.  She was supposed to be bred with another Siberian but she somehow found a mate of her own choosing and gave birth to four cute mixed breed kittens.  The timing is perfect since Pete and I have talked about getting a cat of our own not long before that and our generous friends happily let us have two of them.  It works out great since they can visit the kittens whenever we have them over or whenever they miss the little cuties.  

The two that we got were two of their favourites.  The white male, named Jon Snow, is a very brave and curious kitten.  With his beautiful colouring and longish muzzle, he takes after his mum.  The sweet looking female, Nymeria Sand (our friend named them after characters in Game of Thrones), is black silver tabby and has the sweetest mews.

Our friends came over with the kittens in a stroller for pets on Sunday afternoon.  When the flap was open, the first one out was Jon Snow, of course.  He immediately started exploring the apartment, sniffing everything in his path.  Nymeria Sand came out shortly after that, following close behind him.  They were still very timid at first, jumping at the slightest noise.  They were also very wary of us, not letting us come close and running away as soon as we got near.  

We let them explore everything and they soon discovered the litter box, water bowls and the food plates.  Pete and I have set everything up before they got here and being such intelligent creatures, they knew immediately how to use the litter box.  They didn't take to the dry food and water at first, but maybe they were still very scared and nervous.

After our friends had left, we went about our usual routine but kept our eyes on them.  They found comfort under the bed  and that was where they took a long nap.  We managed to lure them out with food in the kitchen.  We out food in two separate plates - one for each of them - but they ate out of only one.  I guess that was what they were used to.

They didn't eat everything at first, maybe because they weren't used to the food.  Then, we took out some toys and tried to coax them to play with us.  We only managed to buy three different types of balls and a tiny mouse.  I attached the mouse to a string and tied it to a stick.  I know no cat can resist that type of toy and sure enough they went flying all over the floor, chasing and attacking the mouse.  They played for a bit and then, all tired out, found a place to lie down and sleep.  

It's so sweet to see them snuggling up to each other and snoozing together.  We feel good to have adopted two so that they would have each other for company.  They would stick very close to each other and would always be in the same room and sleep next to each other.

The first day, they didn't let us pat them much but we noticed that they would follow us around the apartment.  If they didn't see us, they, especially Jon Snow, would mew and call out to us.  When we called out to them, they would run to us.  Sometimes, when they wanted to sleep (and as kittens they sleep a lot) they would curl up at our feet.  

Those were good signs that they were getting more and more comfortable around us.  That night, when we headed to bed, they followed us and started playing with the curtains.  We let them play and fell asleep, only to be awaken in the middle of the night when they nibbled and clawed at our feet that were under under the covers.  We had to switch to a thicker cover so that we'd still have all our toes intact in the morning.  When we got up the morning, we found one kitten on each of our side.  They had curled up against us in the middle of the night.  

By the second day, they were more familiar with us.  They let us pat and stroke their fur more and more and would again curl up and nap at our feet.  They also got their appetite back and were eating more.  Jon even learnt to ask for food when we forgot to feed them that evening - we have to get used to having the cats around.  I forgot that they were with us and almost tripped over them a couple of times when I didn't watch where I was stepping.

Today is the third day that they are with us.  We've trained them to come to us in the kitchen when we want to give them food and are training them to know their boundaries in the house.  They are not allowed on the dining and coffee tables and the balcony.  Somehow with babies and kittens, one of the first words we teach them is 'no', isn't it? 

Anyway, they are learning it.  And they are learning not to be too afraid of us and of loud, strange noises.  I used the hair dryer today without scaring them too much.  They were, instead, curious and came near to me to examine the source of the noise.  Also, I found it so sweet that they follow me around the house.  When I'm in the kitchen to do the dishes or to cook, they would play in the kitchen or simply sit and look up at me.  When I'm done and go to the sofa to watch tv, they would lie near my feet or curl up against me and nap.

Within three short days, they have captured our hearts and of course entertained us with their antics as they play with their toys.  I hope that they would live long happy lives with me and Pete.

Ice cream from 3 ingredients

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a post on Facebook about making ice cream using just 3 ingredients.  Plus, you don't need an ice cream maker.  Seeing how warm the weather has been for most of this summer, Pete and I decided to give it a shot.  If it didn't turn out right, well, we'd have only wasted 3 ingredients.

How did it go? Very well, actually! I am so surprised at how easy it was.  Basically there are just three steps.  The first ingredient is heavy cream and that needs to be whipped till thick.  Then, mix the next two ingredients together - condensed milk and cocoa powder.  Oh did I mention this recipe makes the most chocolatey ice cream ever? The last step is to mix the two together. Then you simply freeze it overnight.  The next day, you have chocolate ice cream.  It's really that easy.

Pete and I made the ice cream in the afternoon and by the time we finished our supper and wanted dessert, the ice cream was ready, though a bit soft.  We only managed to freeze it for 7 hours.  But it was enough to give a nice soft texture to the ice cream.  We had it again the next day and it was more firm.  It was a bit difficult to scoop though, so we left it out for a bit before we tried to scoop some out. I don't know if that's how it's supposed to be or perhaps we whipped the cream too thick or added too much cocoa powder.  I guess I would have to experiment a couple of times to perfect it.  

Those of you who would like to try this recipe as it is, I've included the recipe below.  You can also do a search online to browse other recipes.  After the success of the ice cream, I searched for more recipes since I was thinking of making vanilla ice cream.  I found a couple that uses the same method and ingredients. I might give some of them a try.

I don't know how long this method of making ice cream has been around but I'm glad to have stumbled across it.  Pete loves ice cream and he already has ideas for other flavours. We also want to add other stuff like chocolate chunks or jam to make ripple types of ice cream.  I think this could be fun.  Do try it.

Chocolate Ice Cream

500ml heavy cream (around 36% fat)

1 can condensed milk ( should be a bit over 1 cup)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

In a big bowl, whip the cream just until soft peaks form.

In another bowl, mix the condensed milk with the cocoa powder (the mixture will be a bit thick)

Take a big dollop of whipped cream and fold into the cocoa mixture.  This will loosen the mixture a bit.

Fold in the rest of the cream until evenly mixed. 

Pour into a container with a lid and freeze overnight.

Cucumbers

Last year, my mother-in-law gave us some cucumber seedlings to plant.  I am not a big fan of cucumbers but Pete is, so we planted a few of the seedlings in our garden.  But the weather wasn't so great last year.  After we planted the seedlings into the ground, the weather got too cold and the leaves got frost-bitten.  They shrivelled and turned white.  They took quite a long time to recover and by the time autumn came, we didn't have a single cucumber from the plants.

I didn't want to plant them again this year, but the seeds were cheap so we decided to try it again.  The first time I tried to sow three of the seeds, they didn't turn out well.  Maybe the balcony at that time was still too cold.  I had to sow three more and hope for warmer weather.  Finally, they grew after a few weeks.  I waited till I was sure the temperature outside is rising steadily and not going to dip before I dared to plant them in the garden.  I wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

Although I had three seedlings, one of them was still too thin and scrawny looking.  I decided to plant just the two healthier ones.  I planted them at one corner of the pumpkin patch.  They took a long time to grow, compared to the pumpkins.  Also, the pumpkin plants kept on growing wide with their tendrils growing each and every way.  The cucumber plants on the other hand, looked like they were shy.  Their tendrils are curled up and they look like they are shielding themselves from the wind and the other huge pumpkin plants.  

I didn't think they would give us any cucumbers again this year since I could hardly find any flowers, but how they surprised us.  When we looked carefully inside the curled up plants, there were several small cucumbers in there.  And a few days ago, they were big enough to be harvested.  We took two of the biggest and have already eaten them up.  They were great with nasi lemak!  I also served sliced cucumbers with nasi goreng mamak, with ketchup just like how they do in the hawker centres.

So, what of the third cucumber seedling? I planted it in our balcony.  I would examine the cucumber every day and when it started to flower, I got very excited.  There were many flowers and I thought I would get many cucumbers, but no.  I've learnt that they were male flowers and they greatly outnumber the female ones.  And only female flowers could potentially turn into cucumbers.  

Out of maybe 15 male flowers, there would only be one female flower.  And if the female flower is not properly pollinated, you will not get cucumber. Our balcony doesn't get much insects so I had to pollinate the female flowers by hand.  I used a paintbrush, dabbed it on the male flower and then dab that on the female. I have to do it several times to make sure they're properly pollinated. So far, out of three flowers, I only managed to pollinate one.  I have to keep on checking the plant to see if there are any more female flowers appearing so that I can keep on pollinating.

It's not so easy to be a gardener, is it?  But it is fun to see the plants that you care for grow and flourish. For me, it's ok if I don't get much harvest.  I just love to see the plants grow bigger and greener.  Also, through my failures, I learn to be better and I must say, from zero cucumber last year to at least seven this year, it is a huge improvement.  

A female flower - notice the baby cucumber under it

A male flower 

The fully-grown cucumber ready to be harvested