Easy Shrimp Scampi Pasta Recipe

Ingredients
1/8 cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
250g Penne Pasta
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 Whole Garlic (minced)
1/4 kg large shrimp (about 12 shrimps), peeled and deveined
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 lemon (juiced)
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flake


Cook the penne according to its packaging.

Melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 3 minute in low medium heat. Add the shrimp, about 5 minutes after the shrimps turned orange add the lemon juice. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Toss your cooked penne and add the parsely.

Turn the heat in high for 3 minutes, and start tossing. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy!

Easy Shrimp Scampi Pasta

VERDICT
ABBEY : Another variation of Wilma's pasta. Now it was loaded with my "bestfriend" ... shrimps. First she cooked it with butter but it taste better with olive oil. 

The taste and aroma of parsley makes it more delicious. And she added chilli flakes for a kick. I can eat this all day if allergy will not start to manifest. Haha.

Chef-in-Box - Vendcafé at Blk 320C Anchorvale Drive Sengkang Singapore

ABBEY: We saw a video that in Japan you can buy sushi and ramen on a vending machine. How good is that? And then I read in the paper that in Sengkang, local and western foods can be bought in those machines. 

So one night after our business plan meeting, our group headed there and see first-hand how this operates. The food is in a sealed microwave container and will be reheated upon ordering. I got Japanese curry. The next time I visited is with Wilma. I had nasi goreng. They also have coffee, fresh orange juice, snacks and desserts. The food is at I can say an airplane-meal quality level. Cutlery were also provided. 

Follow the instructions and you have your meal in no time. Be careful as it is hot. You can pay by NETS, credit card, and cash. We also had a talk with Mr. Tng Boo Kwang the general manager. We got insights about how he started it and how much a machine costs. It operates 24x7, but tone down the noise in the wee hours of the night.

Chef-in-Box - Vendcafé at Blk 320C Anchorvale Drive Sengkang

WILL: TheSmartLocal is a good facebook page in featuring some unique, un-hyped, even haunted places and out of the mall food/cafes around Singapore. And one time, they post something unusual here in Sengkang and Abbey found out that it is just corners away from our home. In a long time planning to visit the Chef-in-Box, we made our way by first week November. 

Lucky, we have talked to their General Manager Mr Tng and somewhat learned about this "Only in Japan" business concept. 

The machines are eye-catchy and you'll stop for sure to watch how the machine works and try to buy their food. And of course, there are repeat customers like Abbey and I. Why? What is the taste of it? It is like I am eating a food in the plane. Remember, when the stewards are preparing for your meal and the  whole plane was filled with the food's aroma? Excellent! That is the feeling. All you want to do is wait for them to cater your food. (Fish or Chicken? Haha!) 

Yes, we are repeat customers (suki na ba?). What food I love to go again and again? The Chef in Box’s  Japanese Chicken Curry Rice… Yum, yum, yum! 

They already have Vendcafe in some places! Hooray to Chef in Box!

***

Chef in Box

(A) Blk 320C Anchorvale Drive Sengkang

(H) 9222 2206

(E) info@chefinbox.com.sg

Fantastic Beasts - (Shaw at Waterway Point)

ABBEY: It is good that after sometime another Harry Potter movie will grace the silverscreen. Though not actually about the boy who lived, I'm still excited to see again the world of people with magic. 

Fantastic Beast and where to find them is a textbook or a reference book used by wizards and witches. Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is the main character. He wanted to release a Thunderbird in Arizona but briefly stops in New York city. Then the adventure begins. He met Jacob Kowalski where he accidentally learned about magic. 

The movie is great and I burst into laughter whenever the Niffler is 
on the scene. Can't wait to see the sequel with Grindelwald.

Fantastic Beasts - Shaw Theatres Booking Confirmation

WILL: Are we entitled to skip any of Harry Potter based movie? Nope! Haha! So here we are watching the first sequel of Hogwart's reference book. The Fantastic Beast. 

Is it great? Not that like with Harry Potter's sequels but it tingles my mind to anticipate on next scenes. :) 

I will surely wait for the next movie! Another movie to wait for! 10/10. 

Working Title - Burger Bar (Arab Street)

ABBEY: This is where we dined before going to 2016 River Festival. It is in Arab St. 

While checking their menu, their The Working Title Tower of Power really caught my attention. Its entry occupied one whole page of their menu. Two burger patties, tater tots, cheddar cheese, caramelised onions with barbecue sauce and serving of fries. Who wouldn't want that?  But it comes with a high price of 24 SGD. 

It took time before my order reached my table which I understand. Maybe I expected that if you something a tower, it will be tall. The burger stand a 6-7 inch tall. 

I don't like the burger patty. It is not even close to a beef patty. It looks like the vegan version. The texture is rubbery and your finger will bounce back when you poke it. Not the burger I'm expecting. The cheddar cheese somehow compensated for my disappointment.

The Working Title Tower of Power Burger

Working Title Burger Bar's Self Service Counter 

Working Title Burger Bar Ice Cream Burger

WILL: Abbey! Oh Abbey! 

We went to the famous street that is just on the corner of Bugis MRT, do you know where is it? Correct! Haji Lane.  

Gosh! There are too many cafe and all loaded with people merrymaking due to the weekend. We can't find a serene place that time and googled "best cafe at Haji Lane". In an instant, we saw the Working Title Cafe. 

We make our way to Arab Street and found the site. It is quieter than the other cafe and without hesitation we settled in there. 

I am quite full so I just went for dessert. I ordered Ice Cream Burger ($9.00). It is picture perfect. The taste? For me, the ice cream was nicely combined with their fried bun. I would suggest to eat the ice cream and bun together. The bread cannot stand alone. It is too oily and your brain will alert you that it is not good for your health. Haha! 

I am quite satisfied with my desert but will I come back? Nope!

***

(working title) Burger Bar

(A) 48 Arab Street 

(T) +65 8248 2841

(E) ask@workingtitle.sg

(W) http://www.workingtitle.sg/

(H) Monday to Thursday, 11am to 10pm

Friday, 11am to 11pm

Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 11pm

Stir-fried Quail Egg, Mushroom, & Asparagus (Maggi's Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups asparagus (sliced)

1 medium cucumber (unpeeled and cut to 3-inch long strips)

2-3 celery stalks (3-inch long strips)

1 cup shitake mushrooms (thin slices)

1 medium carrot (3-inch long strips)

15-20 hard boiled quail eggs

3-5 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

Put oil in a pan and sauté asparagus and carrots for 2 minutes.

Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until tender. Do not cover.

Mix in the quail eggs and oyster sauce.

Serve with hot rice.

Stir-fried Quail Egg, Mushroom, & Asparagus (Maggi's Recipe)

VERDICT
WILL: Maggi will not be left behind in publishing an easy to cook, nourishing and on budget recipes in facebook. Of course!

I saw this on Jhen's wall. Haha! As usual, shared it to Abbey and requested him to cook it for one of our dinner. Gladly, he agreed and put it immediately on our next week's list. 

The taste? Your brain will automatically announced that it is a healthy food. The crunchiness of the vegetables and the aroma of greeneries will soak your brain up. 

For sure, this will be one of our healthier variations on our weekly menu.

Easy Shiitake Mushroom Omelette Recipe

At last after three tries, I perfected how to fold an omelette.

Here are the ingredients.

Shitake mushrooms (soaked 2-3 hours before cooking)

Eggs

Salt

Pepper

Once soaked, drain the mushrooms and cut them into thin slices.

Sauté it in a pan and put salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Place a small pan on the stove in very low heat. Put a teaspoon of oil and make sure that the pan is covered.

Beat an egg and put a little bit of salt.

Pour 1/3 of the egg in the pan until it formed a thin layer. Place some mushrooms on the middle of the egg and tuck it in with both sides of the egg.

Place it on one side of the pan and place another third of the egg, then fold it again. Do this the 3rd time and you have your beautifully folded omelette.

Repeat the process for as many omelette you want to cook.

Shiitake Mushroom Omelette

VERDICT
WILL: It is not always perfect on your first try. The simplest thing that you think is sometimes the most difficult to do. Haha! And that exactly happened to our Shiitake Omelette. 

I tried twice and I gave up. Haha! Abbey tried and he failed too. One afternoon, he asked if I am already at home and enthusiastically told me to checkout what will be for my dinner. Then, I saw a nicely wrapped mushroom. 

The egg perfectly hugged the mushroom. I can't get enough of those! Ha! 

Anyways, that's it. This viand will not be absent in our monthly list. For sure! :) 

Thanks to my ever patient Abbey.

Play CASHFLOW® - Get Out of the Rat Race (2014 Version)

ABBEY: We bought this game board when we attended the Wealth Summit last 2015. And this is the first time we played it. Not that we are playing the game the first time but we have digital versions of it. It is the version of Cashflow released on 2014. The difference from the classic? You have to have and declare your own dream (no more pre-conceived list) and your goal is to increase your cashflow in Fast Track by 50000.

My dreams for our 3 games are: cancer reasearch, travel the world and build a school. And I'm proud that I won them all :)

Even a different version from the original, you still have the same goal. Build passive income that will be more or equal to your expenses. Then you're out of the rat race. Fast Track will not be called by that name for nothing. It will be a bliss once you're there. Just be prepared for the tax audit, divorce, and unforeseen events. 

Deal with what the dice roll out.

CASHFLOW® - Get Out of the Rat Race (2014 Version Board) 

WILL: If you are keen to learn "financial literacy" you will not surely miss the name Robert Kiyosaki. The best selling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. He introduced the 4 quadrants and this Cashflow board game.  

In one of meet-up here in Singapore where I first saw the Cashflow boardgame..in real life. Why? Because Abbey bought its iPad app version. Hehe. Of course, challenging a human is more exciting than playing with a computer. Hehe. 

When Robert Kiyosaki visited Singapore last year, we bought the Cashflow 2014 version. Yey! But too busy, we only opened and played it this year. Haha!

So what is the difference between original to its 2014 version? You will think of your own goal. :) Gosh! This time, I never won against my husband. He totally honed his strategies to outwit the doodads that may come his way. 

Cashflow is better than Monopoly. Why? It doesn't need you to let other people down for you to succeed. You will not mind on others' businesses/things. Cashflow will teach you how handle yourself in deciding how to make a small or big deals. 

I can't wait to play this game with my nephews!

Ritz Toasted Chips - Cheddar / Sour Cream & Onion Flavour

ABBEY: I was going round and round Sheng Siong for our weekly grocery when I stumbled upon this treasure :)

It was a pack of Ritz bite-size crackers. We bought the cheese-
flavored one for 4.95. It tastes good. I finish half of it in one sittig whereas the recommended serving is only 12 pieces. Haha. Next we tried the sour cream and onion flavor but too salty as if it has MSG. I still prefer the cheese. 

Next time we'll get the original.

Ritz Toasted Chips - Cheddar / Sour Cream & Onion Flavour 

WILL: Crackers invade the chips section in our room! OMG! So, Ritz is the lucky one who get a spot in our weekly grocery list. 

Abbey, that time, is staring at Ritz Cheddar Cheese. Then he looked at me, then stare again at Ritz as if the pack of crackers hypnotizing him to take it. Haha! I blurted take it and he resists because of the price. But still, I pushed him to buy a pack to taste it. 

That night, gosh! You will break a promise to yourself! I keep on saying that it will be the last piece but I can't hold back my tight hand to take another one. Haha!

So what I can say? This cracker is addictive specially the cheddar. I will suggest to buy the Cheddar and not the Sour and Cream flavour. 

Happy snacking!

Super Crispy Shiitake Mushroom Recipe

Ingredients:

400g potato starch

400g shitake mushroom

Vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Salt and pepper

Soak shitake mushroom in water for 6-12 hours.

Dissolve potato starch in water. It doesn't matter how much water as long as it is dissolved.

This should be done 2-3 hours before frying or until the starch settles at the bottom of the container.

Remove water from the starch until only left is a muddy starch.

Drain water from the mushroom and start to cut them in bite-size pieces then add salt and pepper. Mix well.

Throw the mushrooms into the potato starch slurry until well coated.

Heat the oil for frying and drop the mushrooms one by one.

Do not overcrowd the pan.

The secret for crispier mushrooms is to double fry them. Cook them in batches. When all has been fried first time, you can fry the first batch to have its double fry.

Crispy-Crispy Shiitake Mushroom

VERDICT
WILL: This is one of the ingredients of Maangchi's Sweet and Sour Dish and we discovered this that it can be a standalone fore more than 2 years ago and I am pretty shocked that we do not share this to you guys. 

Now that mushroom chicharon is a fad, this will be a good version to do it. 

When you start eating it, it will be hard for you to stop. :)

BurgerUp (We Are Made Different) - Waterway Point Punggol Branch

ABBEY: I found this promotion when I was looking what to eat for our movie date. It comes with a chicken burger, fries and a drink. You need to place your order at the kiosk, get your order receipt and then queue at the cashier for payment. They only accept cash and NETS (if bill more than 10SGD). They have a post on the wall that the order will take 10-15 mins. Just wait for your number and you're up. 

I was surprised that even I only started to eat the burger 30 minutes after ordering, the chicken is still crispy. It was packed in a foil wrap. Not your ordinary burger huh.

I hope they can accept credit card payments and it should be done in the kiosk itself so the number of queuing will be lessened.

 BurgerUp (Waterway Point Punggol Branch) - Ordering Kiosk

BurgerUp' Crispy Chicken Burger Meal

BurgerUp (Waterway Point Punggol Branch) Promotions 

WILL: I am a bit skeptical to buy their $3.80 Chicken Burger Meal. Why? They are located just beside McDonald's at Waterway Point, so instead of exploring new brand, I rather went for the "safe" taste. But when Abbey bought a set of BurgerUp's Chicken Value Meal, I can't get enough of its taste. 

For promotion price $3.80 you will get a Crispy Chicken Burger, Fries and a small soda. The difference from other fastfood chains? The price! Haha! And of course the incredible crispiness of the chicken inside the bun. It has a distinctive flavor on the rest of food stalls that offers the same. It is a fantastic taste.

If you are on a hunt for affordable burger, queue up! Yes! There is always a queue at BurgerUp. See you again on Sunday, BurgerUp!

***
BurgerUP - We Are Made Different

(A) 83 Punggol Central  #B2-06 Punggol Waterway Point 

(H) Mon-Thur 11am-11pm/Fri & Eve of Public Holiday 11am-12am/Sat, Sun & Public Holiday 9am - 11pm

(W) http://www.burgerup.com.sg/

Japanese Gourmet Town at VivoCity

ABBEY: Once the adrenaline rush left my system after our business plan presentation, I became hungry. Our team celebrated at Japanese Gourmet Town in Vivo City. 

I got Chicken Teriyaki Tenshin Han. Wilma and I thought that it was the rice meal which was wrapped it an omelette. But it turned out to be a scrambled egg dome which covers the rice. Anyways it is still delicious and I got my fix for Japanese gravy craving. 

The meal also comes with a plate of gyoza and drink. All for $15.90. 

Chicken Cutlet Tenshin Han Set

Chicken Teriyaki Tenshin Han

Japanese Gourmet Town Menu (VivoCity) 

Osaka Osha Gyoza

WILL: After Abbey and the team presented the business plan to a group of panelists, we celebrated that happy event at Japanese Gourmet Town at VivoCity. 

I went for Chicken Cutlet Tenshin Han Set. It is comprising of Tenshin Han (Rice Topped with Egg), their well recommended Osaka Osha Gyoza, Egg Soup and a glass of soda. You can get get all of that for only $14.90. It is a huge serving. Haha! 

So what's the verdict? The taste is awesome. Specially the gyoza! Oishi!!! I may suggest that they should have an unlimited gyoza promotion. :) 

'Till next time Japanese Gourmet Town!

***

Japanese Gourmet Town

(A) 1 Harbourfront Walk #01-157/158, VivoCity

(T) 6224 9690

Honey Garlic Chicken Easy Recipe

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken thighs (cut into 3-inch pieces)

4-5 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

2-3 tbsp honey

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

Fry chicken in a pan with little oil until golden brown and then set aside.

Using the same pan, sauté garlic and ginger until fragrant.

Put soy sauce and honey and let the suace thicken.

Mix in the chicken until covered by the sauce.

Serve with hot rice.

Honey Garlic Chicken Easy Recipe

VERDICT
WILL: Everybody seems were hooked in food cooking pages in facebook. I tried to cook this, then I failed haha! Abbey, my own chef and saviour gave it a try and tennneeennn.. PERFECT!

It is sweet, aromatic and have a sting of spiciness. Love it! Oh! The chicken have a crunchy texture too! How can you eat at restaurant if someone can cook for you a delicious food! Haha! 

Mahal ko si Abbey!

Easy One Pot Cajun Chicken Recipe

Ingredients: 

Chicken parts (legs, wings, thighs) - we used boneless thighs

3-4 stalks of celery ribs (chopped to small pieces)

1 can red kidney beans

1 can diced tomato

1 medium green bell pepper (diced)

1 medium onion (diced)

2-3 tsp cajun seasoning

1-2 tsp cayenne pepper

2-3 cloves garlic (minced)

chicken stock or cubes

uncooked rice (brown or white)

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Fry chicken in a pan with olive oil until golden brown. Set aside.

On the same pan, sauté onion, celery, and bell pepper.

Add minced garlic once onion is translucent.

Next mix in cajun seasoning and cayenne.

Put the diced tomato and water according to how you cook the rice. Add a cup more as the beans will also absorb it. Upon boiling, throw in the chicken cubes and let it be dissolved.

Finally ad rice and beans and let it cook.

Easy One Pot Cajun Chicken Recipe

VERDICT
WILL: Now, I am experiencing the anxiety my Mom revealed to me when she asked me what food our Ate Natie should cook for us on the following day. She narrated viands and none of them hit my head and to her frustration she blurted out “Wag na kayo kumain.” Haha! Now, because of YouTube and facebook, it is lot easier to search for new kind of food to serve on the dining table.Abbey is avid fan of cooking channel at YouTube specially of The Domestic Geek. Sara Lynn Cauchon’s smile is mesmerizing!  

Abbey, surprise me of One Pot Cajun Chicken. When I arrived at our doorstep, the aroma greeted me! It is spicy, it is tasty! Flavours play with my taste buds! Gosh! What a lovely dish! 

Thanks Abbey for cooking this and cheers to The Domestic Geek for inspiring my husband to cook!