Hi, my name is Stephanie and I’m a chocolate fiend.

To most other chocolate fiends, I’m probably just a newbie. I’ve barely scratched the surface of good chocolate in the world. All the more reason that my journey from here should continue.

A while ago, I started to question my perspective towards chocolate. Asia didn’t have the best chocolate but due to the colonial influence in Singapore, we import some of the best chocolate from Europe. And as a result of growing up, my idea of a good piece of chocolate has developed from round more-sugar-than-cacao gold-wrapped coins to half pound milk chocolate bars to truffles and dark chocolate.

True, I’ve been wooed with boxes of Godiva and Leonidas and those are respectable, especially the latter but today, I tasted some amazingly scrummy truffles, made here in Seattle where we live. Fiori is top of my list now. [Thanks Viv for recommending them @ Motore.]

Someone lucky will benefit from these chocolate truffles and well-deserving he is.

You must be thinking: how can she even enjoy such sinful goodness when there isn’t any good news in the world these days? That’s precisely it, if we can’t enjoy a small moment like that, what good will it be if it’s all gone tomorrow?

Happy BlogDay 2005! For those of you who haven’t heard about it, read here. It’s easy to participate and everyone will benefit from getting to know other bloggers outside of their interest circle. I will update with my 5 recommended blogs shortly.

Another dish mum made – Pumpkin Rice. It was made adding some Japanese pumpkin [kabocha], onions and garlic to the rice [with pinch of salt*]. The end result is a pretty orangey mixture of rice that is both healthy and delicious. This is a savory dish. An optional ingredient would be to add some rehydrated dried shrimp to the mixture before cooking.

Scrummy! Thanks, mum!

*to season carbohydrates like pasta, noodles and rice, it’s always best to add salt before/during the cooking process. That way you use less salt and the carbs absorb the saltiness.

Mike and mum made some roti john on Saturday evening. It’s a very simple meal to prepare and very hearty.

Take some ground meat (lamb/mutton/pork, add to it some chopped onions, chopped green chiles and eggs. Ensure that the egg-meat mixture is not too watery but smooth enough to spread of open slices of french loaves/bread. Spread it on and lay the egg-meat mixture side down on the hot pan. Listen to it sizzle and smell delicious as the onions carmelize. Make sure to press the loaves down flat so that the egg-meat mixture adheres to the loaf slices.

Serve with a sweet chili sauce.

The recipe that we referenced was the same one that Julia used for her wonderful looking roti john. I am just finding it hard to adhere to a recipe when I cook nowadays – following in mum’s ways methinks.

A little update on my plants:

The Healthkick tomatoes are still popping up in huge clusters and some are turning orangey red. I’ve used a few of them in my kiam chye soup. There are quite a number of Roma tomatoes too but also not turning. The Golden Jubilee tomatoes are getting big and there are not quite as many of them. Why aren’t my tomatoes turning?!

I have promised to post about my guest chef, mum, but most of the time, I’ve just been so excited to eat the dish that I forget the camera. [*shrugs*, sorry!]

Mum made one of my favorite soups last evening – Kiam Chye Duck soup. Absolutely delicious, tart, and savory.

She used the same pickled mustard that I used here in this dish.

Ingredients
1 fresh duck
1 packet pickled mustard
garlic
ginger
tomatoes [from my garden!]
small piece of rock sugar
salt
water to cover the duck
cilantro for garnish

1. First, parboil duck by boiling water and placing duck in it for a few mins. Remove water.
2. Place all ingredients and duck back in pot, add water and bring to a boil for about 5 mins.
3. Lower to a simmer for about 2 hours, till duck is tender.
4. Serve with white rice.

This weekend, we have absolutely nothing planned. It will be a nice relaxing time since we’ve been going at break-neck speed these last few weeks.

I’ve taken some time off from decorating Scarlett but this week, I might put more ideas together on paper before I budget the next phase of decorating. That means color swatches, fabric, pictures, gluesticks and post-it’s.

The backyard isn’t looking too shabby but I’m sure I’ll try to coax a couple more tomatoes to turn red. Next weekend, we’ll see what needs to be harvested. There will definitely be oven dried tomatoes and basil pesto in my near future.

Oh and I failed to mention that I went to Salumi for lunch yesterday. It was amazingly delicious. Kathleen & I shared a porchetta sandwich [slow cooked pork to die for] and a mole salami sandwich. The next time I’m bringing Mike.

On my way to work this morning, I found out the happy news that baby pandas are being born this summer, while their mums are in captivity.

Check here to watch Mei Xiang cuddle her baby in the National Zoo.

More about these endangered animals.

Twins were also born in Japan

Some of you will look at this and know how this must taste – salty, soft and peanuty at the same time. Others will cringe [like Mike does] at how a peanut could be boiled instead of gloriously roasted.

Don’t get me wrong, I love me some roasted peanuts but boiled peanuts is something I used to enjoy when I was back home in Singapore. Just sitting with my folks watching tv, holding a gigantic bowl of freshly boiled peanuts and working our way through the mount. What’s not to like?

When I was living in the south [GA] where peanuts were a staple crop, we used to pass these roadside stands that sold boiled peanuts. Those were absolutely delicious too. I’ve had some that were boiled in Old Bay seasoning as well.

So when I found some raw peanuts at the asian market last weekend, I had to get me some to make my own boiled peanuts. It wasn’t too difficult at all.

Put 1lb peanuts in a stockpot, add enough water to cover the peanuts, 1/2 cup of salt, some soy sauce and 4-5 star anise pods. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Depending on the type of peanut, it may take between 1-3 hours. Remember, use raw peanuts, not previously roasted ones.

You don’t want crunchy peanuts, you want them to be soft. So test them before you drain them.


More here on peanuts in the Chinese kitchen.

When I first started blogging, I didn’t think I would continue with this for such a long time. I had no idea what I would blog about, there seemed to be no focus. I just thought that I would start and figure it out as I went along.

Yes, I do talk alot about food but I don’t post exclusively about it. Food is just a big part of my life, having grown up in Singapore. It’s also a passion I share with Mike. So, it’s not something I can actually stay away from.

Now that I’ve done this for quite a while, I don’t feel compelled for da*xiang to be in any category. I want it to be about who I am and what inspires me.

But I have to admit this: the greatest and most unexpected gift from this blog is the community I’ve built around me with all of you who have shared your friendship. Those who have dropped your comments once in a while, those who click here every day to find out what I’m up to, those who have emailed and offered friendship and most of all, those whom I’ve grown close to.

I guess what I’m trying to say in so many words is that I didn’t set out to be anything to anyone, but yet I’ve become something to quite a few of you.

So, you can call this a food blog, but really, there are so many more worthy food blogs. Don’t call me crafty, I barely scratch the surface. I’m just a girl, who’s still finding her way and is not afraid to admit it. With a little bit of help from her friends, I’m sure she’ll do just fine.