Friday, January 27, 2017

Air-fried Bacon Wrapped Cheese Drumsticks

I have goldfish memory and peg that with the bad habit of not making a note (physical or mental) before I head off to the supermarket to get groceries, I sometimes ends up with too many of 1 or 2 ingredients. Recently I found myself with a few half packets of Cheddar, Mozzarella, Parmesan cheese which made me feel so mad with myself.  

Staring at these packets of cheese in the freezer I was determined to use them up, every piece of them.  Not wanting to bored DinoPapa and DinoBoy with cheesy baked rice or creamy pasta, I started to think how else can I use them up.  And there we have it - Bacon Wrapped Cheese Drumsticks!  Air-fried juicy tender drumstick with crispiness greasy smokey bacon and a little bit of stringy Mozzarella cheese.

Oooo~~ just by looking at this photo I have an urge to sink my teeth into those drumsticks!  That is how good there are!


For the main ingredients, l only have to get the big nice drumsticks because I found a packet of streaky bacon in the freezer (Yes, my "buy - stuff into freezer - forget about it - dig & discover weeks later" habit hit again) and I could harvest 10 to 12 basil leaves to get about a tablespoon of minced basil that is needed for the stuffing.

Side note on chicken, if I am doing bake chicken dish I will go for Halal chicken because of the way the chicken is prepared. There are no blood nor frozen blood in the chicken parts which may become messy or unsightly after they are baked them.


Mix the Mozzarella cheese with the basil and stuff them under the chicken skin.  If you like cheese as much as we do, then stuff MORE.  Get the cheese stuffing into every single available pocket on the drumstick.  See how stuffed our drumsticks are~




Next, grab the bacon and start wrapping it around the drumstick starting from the top all the way down towards the feet area.  Remember, don't pull it too hard lest you break the bacon, not too loosely too otherwise the bacon will not "stick" to the chicken.

Mix the ingredients for the marinade and brush them all around the drumsticks.  Since streaky bacon has some salt in it you can opt not to add in salt in the marinade.


Set airfryer to the temperature of 160deg and timing for 30 minutes; I'm using Philips Avance XL air fryer.  Fold a piece of aluminum foil into bowl-like, greasy it and place the drumsticks on top.  Cover it with another piece of aluminum foil to prevent the heat from burning the bacon.  I forgot about this and got myself a blacken bacon on one of the drumsticks.




While the drumsticks were cooking, the aroma of chicken and greasy bacon made DinoBoy came into the kitchen trying to find the source of  "that delicious food smell".  He opened up the air fryer to check out the food; yes, you can open up the Philips Airfryer to check the food without compromising the cooking, was licking his lips and went "Mmmmm~~ drumsticks~~~ "  He really attacked the drumsticks the minute he sat down at the dining table. And he said "this drumstick taste soooo good and delicious!" while chew on the meat.  Even DinoPapa also gave it a thumbs up.

If you like to make this but does not have an air fryer or you need to prepare a bigger quantity, you can still do it on your oven.  Just change the temperature to 200 deg to bake for around 25 mins and change the setting to top heat at the last 5 to 7 minutes.

This is a recipe to keep for our family even though its sinful it is sort of a comfort food especially you have a craving for greasy food.


Ingredients
* 4 chicken drumsticks
* 8 streaky bacon
* 2 tablespoon of of Mozzarella cheese
* 1 tablespoon of minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon of dried basil

Marinade
* 1 tablespoon of olive oil
* 1 teaspoon of Yellow mustard
* some pepper
* Salt (optional)

Directions
1. Mix Mozzarella cheese with minced basil together.  Pull up the chicken skin and stuff the mixture in.
2. Wrap 2 streaky bacon one after another around the drumstick, ensure that the bacon is wrap nicely on the drumstick, not too loose nor too tight.
3. Combine the marinade ingredients, brush them onto the bacon and drumsticks
4. Fold a piece of aluminum foil into a small bowl to fit the air fryer basket, spray some oil on it.
5. Place the drumsticks on the foil, and cover it with another piece of aluminum foil to prevent the bacon from getting burnt.
6. Air fry the drumsticks with 160Deg for 30mins or till the drumsticks are thoroughly cooked.  Poke them with a fork to ensure bloody water flows out.

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This linky is for anything that is FOOD related. It could be a restaurant you visited recently, meals you cook with your family or for your family or recipes you wish to share with every one.

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Thursday, January 26, 2017

Happy Chinese New Year Concert 2017 欢乐春节 - 新春音乐会 2017

Come celebrate the Year of the Rooster with Ding Yi Music Company at their Happy Chinese New Year Concert 2017. Soak yourself with some Chinese folk songs & tunes with them and get into the joyous festive mood.  Better yet, how about enjoying the newly arranged compositions a capella style? This is a performance that is definitely worth looking forward to!



Concert Synopsis 
After the well-received Chinese New Year concert in 2016, Ding Yi is honoured to collaborate with the China Cultural Centre once again to present their Happy Chinese New Year Concert 2017 at the China Cultural Centre Theatre.

This is no ordinary concert coz it was initially staged for China’s President Xi Jinping at the state banquet hosted by President Tony Tan in 2015, Ding Yi has extended this year’s concert to the Singaporean public for them to enjoy a similar presidential experience.

The Performers
Be mesmerized by the soaring vocals of renowned soprano – Zhou Xiao Man, contemporary sounds of home-grown a cappella group The Apex Project; led by Ng Cheeyang, winner of Campus SuperStar, and Ding Yi’s talented soloists Fred Chan and Soh Swee Kiat who will be playing the Cantonese gaohu and traditional sheng respectively.

The Apex Project

Fred Chan

Soh Swee Kiat

Under the baton of Assistant Conductor Dedric Wong, Ding Yi has added some local flavour to classical Chinese folk songs to give Singaporeans a fresh take on the tunes that has accompanied us throughout the years. You are welcomed to waltz with the performers on 12 February 2017, with their Singaporean take on classical Chinese folk songs such as Beating the Long Drum (长鼓敲起来), A Good Day (好日子) and Heavenly Road (天路).

Dedric Wong

Ding Yi Music Company
Founded in 2007, the first Chinese chamber music ensemble in Singapore, Ding Yi Music Company charms with its distinctive approach to composing and interpreting a wide repertoire that ranges from traditional Chinese music to contemporary and even cross-genre works.

Ding Yi has become an active ambassador of Singapore, performing, collaborating and winning awards at key music festivals locally and internationally. Led by principal conductor Mr Quek Ling Kiong and assistant conductor Mr Dedric Wong, the 20-musician strong ensemble continues to experiment and create more unique sounds from Singapore

Ding Yi Music Company
Concert Details
Happy Chinese New Year Concert 2017
欢乐春节 - 新春音乐会 2017
Date : 12 February 2017, Sunday
Time : 3.30pm and 7.30pm
Duration : ~75 Mins (including interval)
Venue : China Cultural Centre Theatre – Level 4
Ticket prices : $25. $15 (Per ticket, for 4 or more)
Ticketing : Sistic

Admission Rules
Rating / Age Limit
* No admission for infants in arms and children below 7 years old
* Children 7 years and above must purchase a ticket for entry
* Admission is subject to tickets produced at the entrance

Photography / Video Recording Rules
No Photography, Video recording and Audio recording is permitted for this event

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Giveaway Details

Prize : 2 pair of tickets to Happy Chinese New Year Concert 2017 欢乐春节 - 新春音乐会 2017
Contest Ends : 06 February 2017 @ 2359hrs
Open : Singapore
How to Enter :
1. By using the Rafflecopter widget below and remember to answer the question "Share with us your favourite Chinese New Year song and why you like it so much." by commenting on blog post too.
Terms and conditions of giveaway are as follow:
- To avoid being disqualified without prior notice for the giveaway, please read carefully the following and fulfill ALL the requirements stated.
- Tickets are for either show timing of 3.30pm or 7.30pm, sponsor will let you know upon collection of tickets.
- Sponsor's decision is final on the allocation of show tickets.
- Tickets are non transferable nor exchange for cash.
- Prizes will be given out by sponsor.
- Winners will be notified via email, please ensure you have provided a valid email.
- Winners will have 48 hours to respond by replying to our notification otherwise, a new winner will be picked.
- Only one winner per household.
- This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

Friday, January 13, 2017

Review : Monster Trucks 2017


ABOUT THE MOVIE
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Barry Pepper, Thomas Lennon, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Amy Ryan, Holt McCallany and Frank Whaley
Directed by: Chris Wedge
Written by: Matthew Robinson and Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger
Produced by: Mary Parent and Denis L. Stewart
Rating : PG

Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp (Lucas Till), a high school senior, builds a Monster Truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars.

After an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town and a most unlikely friend.

Melding cutting edge visual effects and state-of-the-art CGI, Monster Trucks is an action filled adventure for the whole family that will keep you on the edge of your seat and ultimately touch your heart.

A little bit more about the story
Teenage loner Tripp (Lucas Till) has always dreamed of escaping his confined life in a sleepy North Dakota town. In a town rich with oil money, Tripp and his mother Cindy (Amy Ryan) struggle to make ends meet, so Tripp takes a job at Mr. Weathers’s (Danny Glover) junkyard. Tripp’s father (Frank Whaley) left when he was young therefore he’s always entertained this idea that if he builds his own truck, he’d be free to go find his dad, so he starts to collect odds and ends to build a truck of his own, one piece at a time.

Tripp's mother has a boyfriend Rick (Barry Pepper), the local sheriff who tries his best to be a father figure to Tripp but they’re very different people, which is reflected in their trucks – Rick has an immaculate white patrol truck that he’s constantly cleaning; Tripp’s built a dirty old Frankenstein truck from rusty parts. Rick is by the book, and believes in rules. Tripp’s young and rebellious, and wants to test the boundaries Rick and Cindy set for him.”

Across town, a massive drilling operation is underway. Just as the Terravex Oil Company pushes into an unknown underground oil reserve, three subterranean creatures unexpectedly find their way to the surface.


They are intelligent animals that come from a place we didn’t know was down there...



One of the subterranean creature found it's way to Mr. Weathers’ and made friend with Tripp, here's where the excitement starts. After taking up residency under the hood of Tripp’s engineless truck, the creature or Creech as Tripp named him, discovers he can power the vehicle by spinning the truck’s axels with his prehensile limbs. The truck is like a super-suit for him, allowing him to move in a powerful and surprising ways.

Now, what sort of adventure will these two encounter? Well, MONSTER adventure for sure!


Our Review (3.5 4 out of 5 Stars)
Ok, I'm bias, the reason I gave the movie an additional 0.5 star is becoz of Lucas Hill, the cute lead guy in MacGyver (2016 TV series) and Alex Summers / Havok in X-Men movies.  Yes, eye candy moment for me #auntiesimmoment.


The plot is simple and predictable, how predictable? Boy meets Alien, Boy help Alien escape from evil claws, Boy help Alien go home.  In the course of it, throw in some thrilling, exciting, blood pumping chase from the bad guys.

On top of that, there were some scenes that did not link or add up, like how in the world Rick knows where Tripp, Meredith is going with the 3 Monster Trucks?  I mean, initially he didn't believe Tripp's report about seeing a monster in the junkyard, then suddenly he is driving a humongous mining truck and stopping the Terravex guys from getting to them?  The only weak link that I can see is he saw a playback of the police car dashboard camera and saw Creech's tentacles sticking out from the bottom of the truck while it jumped over a train.

The flow of the movie was not as smooth too, except for Tripp and Creech, the rest of the characters were not given time to develop, its like the movie is eager to show the audience how Creech "merge" with the truck and become invincible.

As for our alien character, he's cute, above the head, below that he looks like a lump of thing with tentacles.  And he's cute only if he don't show his teeth.  There were some scenes that Creech got mad and show a mouth full of sharp mean looking teeth, a zillion of it, gave me a shock the first time he did that.

Creech lives in lakes and caves way way way below in the ground so the minute he is in the water he glows and becomes a beautiful creature, much like octopus.


In short, this movie is great for the little ones to get fascinated by the alien, the car chase, the truck with BIG wheels that climbs the side of house, jump over roofs and trains.  For the adults, well... just be entertained and enjoy the bonding with your kids because they will have tons of things to tell and discuss after that.  I know because my 10 year old can't stop talking about it for the next couple of days.

So go ahead and book your tickets to Monster Trucks which is in the cinema this weekend, a great way to unwind after the anxiety of a new school term.

Disclaimer : We were invited by United International Pictures (Singapore) to the preview screening of Monster Trucks, no other compensation were received. All opinions about the movie are 100% ours after watching it. All photos and movie trailers in this post belongs to United International Pictures (Singapore).

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Floral Garage Singapore

Its that time of the year again!  The most important festival for most Chinese, the Chinese New Year! A time where we can feast n snack till #fatdieme with no worries and restrictions or gamble "legally" at every house we visit.

It is also the time where my boss will receive hampers from close associates, these hampers comes in different size and design from different florist & gift companies.  *rub hands together* Let's hope he share these hamper goodies with us too~

Looking at the hampers he received for the past decade, these small bundle of gifts really come through many changes.  No longer are they stacked high up into pyramid style nor plastered with huge auspicious words such as 恭喜发财 or 财源廣进.  Instead they are more stylish and modern looking, some are small and pretty enough to be displayed on the side table for all to admire.

There are so many florist & gift companies in the market that we are really spoilt for choice! Today I am going to introduce one of the better company Floral Garage Singapore.

Who is Floral Garage Singapore
I love how friends come together with a common interest, start a business and grow from there.  Such is the case for Floral Garage Singapore, where Jonah and Justin joined forces in 2015 to form a team of avid floral hobbyists with ONE goal, that is to provide us with lovely bouquets made out of the best flowers, bundled with great gifts, prompt and excellent service.

FGSG feels that no individual should be deprived of the chance to purchase a simple bouquet as a token of appreciation for someone special.

Aww~~ that's so heartwarming to know that Floral Garage Singapore puts customers first before profits.

Floral Garage Singapore caters to both individual and corporate customers, with easy access and ordering from their online website, you can be sure that your orders will be accepted and processed on time. 

For corporate customers you have more options to place your order with your Account Manager through SMS, wassapp, phone or email.  So convenient!  PLUS~ there is a lifetime discount of 11% for all of your staffs!  WOW~~

Since this is a post about Chinese New Year, let's look at their Chinese New Year Hamper.



As you can see, their hampers are affordably priced and packed full of goodness too!  Check out their Ultimate Fortune, their most expensive hamper no doubt but look at the things inside the hamper.  It has Tiger King Abalone, Pomfret King Pacific Clams, Birds Nest, dried scallops, ginseng etc.  I think this hamper is value for money and comparable with those from established gift companies.  What I like about their hampers is they are red in color!  Sure adds some excitement and vibes to the festive mood when you place them in the house.  HUAT AH!

Ultimate Fortune – Grand CNY Hamper

Savings for You from Us!
Of course!  We don't keep good deals to ourselves, we like to share them with every one!  Remember to use our code when you purchase Floral Garage Singapore CNY hampers.

Do check out their hampers and gifts for various occasions over here.  And they are currently having storewide discount 20% off for Valentine's Day products


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Giveaway Details

More deals for you this Chinese New Year! The good folks at Floral Garage Singapore is sponsoring one of they CNY Hamper for our giveaway~ Check out the details below.


1 x New Moon Razor Clams 425 g
1 x New Moon Limpets 425 g
1 x New Moon Top Shell 312 g
1 x Hock Hua Dried Mushroom 250 g
1 x Ban Yuan Ginseng Jujube 180 g
CNY Artificial Flower and Decoration Packaging

Prize : x1 Imperial Treasure Premium CNY Hamper from Floral Garage Singapore
Contest Ends : 23 January 2017 @ 2359hrs
Open : Singapore
How to Enter :
1. By using the Rafflecopter widget below and remember to answer the question by commenting on blog post too.
Terms and conditions of giveaway are as follow:
- To avoid being disqualified without prior notice for the giveaway, please read carefully the following and fulfill ALL the requirements stated.
- Delivery date for the hamper will be decided by Floral Garage Singapore.
- Winners will be notified via email, please ensure you have provided a valid email.
- Winners will have 48 hours to respond by replying to our notification otherwise, a new winner will be picked.
- Prizes will be given out by sponsor.
- Only one winner per household.
- This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer : We receive a Golden Prosperity – Mandarin Orange Hamper from Floral Garage Singapore for the purpose of this post. No other compensation was received.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Pineapple Tarts Singapore - As close as home made snacks as you can get

This year, not only the Chinese New Year came earlier that usual, but there is a new kid on the block to woo and wow our taste buds with their savory snacks. This new kid; Pineapple Tarts Singapore, started off as a humble bakery in Penang selling their homemade pineapple tarts which soon became a top favorite among the folks there.  With a total of 47 outlets all over Malaysia, this new kid decided to cross the sea to venture into our island.


Customers will always be our first priority, as long as you are happy, we are happy. It will be our goal to attend to every customers' needs to the best of our capabilities.

Quality is our next most important goal. Here at Pineapple Tarts Singapore, we aim to provide our customers with the best quality products we offer. We want our customers to have the first-hand experience on our pastries the same way we do! - Pineapple Tarts Singapore



We are lucky to be among the first few who have a chance to taste their pineapple tarts and spicy prawn rolls.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pineapple Tarts


There are 2 types of pineapple tarts available at Pineapple Tarts Singapore, the traditional Melt In Your Mouth (Retailing at SGD19.90 per tub) and Cheezylicious (Retailing at SGD22.90 per tub).

We first tried the traditional pineapple tarts as cheese has a stronger taste so it may affect our taste bud which may not allow us to taste the true flavour of the other type.

When I bite into the pineapple tart I immediately went "mmm~ not bad!"  True to the description on their website, the pastry is soft and buttery but it is not crumbly.  As you can see from the photo below, I used a knife to cut the tart into half, the pastry still hold it shapes though there were some that breaks off but that is minimum.

For the pineapple filling, we produce it ourselves from scratch with our very own recipe using only the freshest pineapples. - Pineapple Tarts Singapore

How we hate to sink our teeth into gummy, sticky pineapple fillings!  It's worse when there are fibers as thick as rope or it's so sweet that you either have a headache or have sugar rush for hours or so sour that you just can't stomach it (Ok I am exaggerating but you get the idea.).  The pineapple fillings for these tarts are of the right blend of sweetness & sourness, the texture is soft with tiny pineapple fibers. Pop the whole tart in your mouth, the proportion of the buttery taste of the pastry and the acidity of the filling comes together to balance out the overall taste nicely.  

Introducing our very own signature Cheese Pineapple Tarts! For cheese lovers out there, we guarantee these tarts will definitely blow your mind! - Pineapple Tarts Singapore

When I opened the tub of Cheezlicious tarts a strong cheese smell rushed towards me, Woah~ that got my taste bud excited.  These tarts are made with the same fresh ingredients as the traditional pineapple tarts, except that the pastry is infused with Parmesan cheese.  After tasting it, we feel that even though there was a strong cheese smell, the cheese taste was not prominent but we could taste the saltiness from it.  I think they reduce the salt in the pineapple filling for this (maybe I am wrong) because even though there were the saltiness from the cheese, it did not compromise the overall taste of the tart, instead it blends in well and taste almost perfect. 


Crispy Sia (Prawn Roll) or Spicy Prawn Roll or Hae Bee Hiam


A long time ago, when I was a little girl I used to love these savour nibbles and will keep on munching them non stop at every Chinese New Year.  They were so crunchy, full of sambal fragrant at every crunch that I simply can't stop eating them!  One year I had way too much of it and ended up with a very bad sore throat that caused me to lose my voice too.  I was very miserable, took me a few weeks to recover and after that I kept away from the prawn rolls for many years.

When I gathered much courage to sink my teeth into these rolls again few years ago I was disappointed.  Gone are the crunchiness and the shrimp sambal shiokness.  What I tasted was overwhelmed oiliness and sometimes burnt sambal filling. 

I fell in love with Pineapple Tarts Singapore's Crispy Sia or Nyonya Prawn Rolls (Retailing at SGD12.90 per tub) after tasting the 1st piece, I probably found my favourite store-bought spicy prawn rolls as they tasted like those.  As you can see from the photo below they are not stingy on the shrimp sambal filling too.  Instead of just slapping some filling in the middle and roll it up like what you see in most of the spicy prawn rolls found in the market, they apparently cover the whole spring roll skin with it and roll it up.  Every bite is with spicy shrimp sambal filling and crunchy skin, YUM!


Our Verdict
We never really fancy store bought cookies as they do not taste as nice as before, plus they are machine made and price are not justifiable for the quantity sold. If we do buy them it is because we are having friends over during the festive period and gotta have some to entertain them.

A couple of years ago we made our Chinese New Year goodies (did not blog about it though but you can see them in instagram), tried our hands on almond cookies and pineapple tarts. The pineapple tarts that DinoPapa baked was superb! Just look at the photos below and you will agree with me. Yes I'm so not shy to brag about his bakes especially that was his 1st time baking and the result is as good as seasoned bakers~




This also mean that we have a yardstick to compare Pineapple Tarts Singapore's pineapple tart with. Plus the Spicy Prawn Rolls is DinoPapa's favourite and he have not been able to find one that is up to his standard. So this food tasting was not an easy one.  We took time to savour each pieces of snacks and found only minimal things that we do not like.  

The pineapple tarts are as good as the ones that we made it ourselves, which is as close as home made snacks we can get from store.  The spicy prawn rolls are shiokingly good, spicky and crunchy, can't stop at one or ten!

The prices of the snacks is reasonable too; about 20 pieces of pineapple tarts and a tubful of prawn rolls about half my finger length, which I would gladly part my money with in exchange for such great delicious snacks. 

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We always share things when they are really good so here is a promo code if you want to buy from Pineapple Tarts Singapore.


Still unsure after reading my review? (How could you! lol)  Well, you can go to their shop for tasting or sampling of their snacks at their warehouse.  You just have to email them at pineappletartssg@gmail.com to make an appointment before coming down to sample their snacks.

You can even self collect your order at their shop too if your order did not hit minimum of SGD60 (a delivery charge of SGD10 if order amount falls under that, otherwise its free delivery islandwide)

Pineapple Tarts Singapore
39 Jalan Pemimpin
#03-04 Tai Lee Industrial Building
Singapore 577182

Disclaimer : We received tubs of pineapple tarts and spicy prawn rolls from Pineapple Tarts Singapore for the purpose of this post. No other compensation was received. All opinion in this post are 100% ours and based on our tasting of their products. All photos in this post belongs to The DinoFamily, you may not use them without seeking our permission.

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Lastly, if the 2 cute little red pack fish caught your eye too, you can learn how to make them too! Click on the link CNY Craft - Red Packet Fish.