Unfortunately, this post has no photos so you will have to survive with my rambling words. In early mid December, I had my work Christmas party at a park near Cecil Hills. We just had a bunch of food along with a BBQ to chomp on but the shenanigans made the day. One of the co-workers had brought a water gun which resulted in a water war being declared. Even though I was the main target with my body being soaked about 2-3 times, it was still great fun as people plotted with others to try and target certain people especially the head tutors of my work place.
After the BBQ had finished, some of us decided that we weren't ready for the day to end so decided to go bowling. This was where another war was declared between me and another co-worker, 3 fingers vs. 2 fingers technique for bowling. We recruited our followers and tried to show up each other. It ended up with a lot of laughter but I have to say first place did go to the 2 finger team, only because he was an experience bowler while the rest of us were sort of newbies.
Overall, it was just a great day with my fellow co-workers who I don't really get to see as I only work once a week. We plotted, we laughed and bonded quite a lot over the course of the day and will remain as a great memory to remember for the years to come.
Note: By the time that this post goes live, we would have entered into the new year of 2014. I seriously can't believe that a new year has come upon us and another year has left us behind. So I hope you all had a safe and happy welcoming into the new year. So now back to the post ...
On the 15th of December, a close group of friends of mine decided to hold a Christmas lunch. We were all to cook a dish and bring it along so that we could sample each others' cooking. I have been an avid following of 'sorted food' on Youtube so I decided to test out one of their recipes - the cheeky chocolate cheesecake.
cr. sortedfood's Youtube
For my recipe, I substituted the bourbon biscuits for the chocolate cream filled Oreo biscuits as I couldn't find them at my nearest grocery store. When undertaking this recipe, my biggest hurdle was actually melting the chocolate in the microwave with butter and vanilla essence. I placed it into the microwave for 30 seconds but it didn't look like it melted enough and when I tried to stir it, it still felt solid so I placed it in for another 30 seconds. This is where the problem started. My chocolate mixture didn't turn out to a nice silky liquid like it is in the video but rather it came out as a massive solid lump. After researching a bit on the internet on how to fix this, I added small amounts to butter but it still didn't result in what they achieved. However, upon mixing a small portion of the chocolate mixture with a small amount of the Bailey infused cream cheese, the chocolate completely melted. So CRISIS AVERTED YAY! So if your chocolate mixture does not turn out like the video, do not worry. Just combine it with the cream and stir using a whisk and the chocolate mixture will melt and combine really well with the cream.
If you happen to be using 12cm individual tart casings, I would maybe consider doubling the recipe as I ran out of the biscuit base when I hit about the beginning of the 4th casing. That's why you will see in the photos, I didn't fill each tart up completely with the cream cheese as I didn't have enough ... I think the editor of the recipe incorrectly stated the size of their individual tart casings in the recipe. So if you plan on making 4 servings, you could probably get away from the ingredients listed but if you want 6, definitely consider doubling everything.
I also decided to top them with crushed Ferrero Rochers instead of Maltesers as I had them at home already (I also prefer Ferrero Rochers personally). The nut, in my opinion, also added something different to the dish as it was a surprise element.
Overall, the recipe was deemed a success by my friends with many of them saying that it tasted great especially with the Bailey's infused cream cheese. I unfortunately didn't eat it myself due to health reasons but from how friends have responded to it, I would definitely make it again.
Hope you guys liked this cooking adventure version of Foodie Friday. I will probably continue documenting my cooking adventures under this series. Until next time guys, stay safe and happy :)
This, again, is a very late Foodie Friday post. A couple of months ago, I visited Holy Basil for the first time for a late night meal with my siblings and cousin. We ordered the Thai Beef Salad, Chicken Pad Thai and Salt and Pepper Squid.
What I love about Holy Basil is the atmosphere. The store gives off a cozy, intimate feeling without feeling like you are in a shoebox which I think is an achievement given how small the space is. The service button on the table, what you usually see in Korean restaurants, was a welcome addition as the waiters/waitresses were still busy even though it was about 9pm when we went.
The service was okay. Wait staff would come when the button was pressed and the food came out within about 10 minutes I think ... This wait time would most probably be longer if we came during peak dinner time. So nothing bad about the service but then again not anything to be excited again.
The food was decent with the salt and pepper squid being the standout of the 3 dishes for me. The pad thai wasn't particularly spectacular but was pleasing to eat with the same being said of the thai beef salad. If it wasn't a late night meal, I would have definitely liked to try out other things off their menu, such as their famous fried ice-cream, to have a better picture of how they compare to other Thai restaurants.
Overall, I would say that Holy Basil's strongest point is their atmosphere. The food and service was good but nothing that spectacular. I have definitely eaten at cheaper restaurants where the food was just as good and maybe even better in some cases.
Oh, by the way hope you all had a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
On the 12th, Rosa (her blog) and I visited the Etsy Pop-Up Store that was opened on Castlereagh Street in Sydney for about 2 weeks. I've never been on the site personally but have heard about all the unique things that are available for purchase from different creators and designers. The store just made me want to buy everything since it was filled with such interesting, cute things.
Here are just a bunch of photos of some of the things that were showcased in the store and available for purchase from etsy.com.
That's pretty much it for this post. I don't know what else to say so yeahs ... Stay safe and happy until next time guys.
