Embroidery and Napkin Designs

Embroidery on towel

The embroidery was almost fully automated. I simply have to choose my design/key in the words i want in the sewing machine, adjust the size and orientation etc. Then press start and it'll create the design automatically. I just have to sit back and wait for it to be done. cool right?? haha the wonders of technology.

Napkin designs

The ladybird and plants are cut out from the napkin in the picture below and stuck onto the wooden piece. Its not completed yet, i still have to paint/write words on the piece and varnish it. This project is actually quite fun to do! =)

Napkin from which the designs were cut out

My RED Woven Bag

This bag is entirely hand-made, painstakingly woven together using strips of cloth and interfacing. The strips are glued together to form the outer structure of the bag, and an inner lining is machine-sewn. The outer and inner layers are then hand-sewn together. Phew..that was a lot of work. haha but its done! yay!

The LAST Microteaching

Mango Sponge Cake with Vanilla Cream

The sponge cake did not rise very well, hence it was a bit dense and hard. The vanilla cream was nice though! Found out later from my mum that the egg white and egg yolks should be beaten separately so that the cake can rise better. shall try that the next time! =)

Ang Ku Kueh

The ang ku kueh looks weird here as we did not use a mould to create the 'tortoise-shell' look =p the filling (mung bean paste) was nice, but a bit too crumbly hence making it a bit messy to eat. The skin was a bit too chewy for my liking.

Lontong

The lontong was excellent. No bad comments about it.haha wished Absa had bought more sambal chilli though!! =p

The Asian-theme table setting

I feel that the table cloth does not really match the rest of the colours. Could have included more colours too! =)

My Own Microteaching - Seafood Dishes =)

Students demonstrate to their groupmates on how to scale a fish properly

Dish 1 - Grilled fish in banana leaves

I love the spices used in this dish!

Dish 2 - Tempura prawns with wasabi mayonnaise

This was the dish which I taught the class to cook. Learnt from Ms Chin later on that we should not hold the prawns by the tail when dipping in batter. Instead, it is better to roll the entire prawn in batter so that the batter will not collect at one end of the prawns.

Dish 3 - Sweet and sour crabs

Yummilicious crabs!! prepared by Siti =)

Our table setting with ocean theme

Microteaching No. 4 - High Protein Foods

Dish 1 - Ngoh Hiang

This dish consists of minced prawns and chicken, together with five-spice powder and a variety of vegetables. The tofu cream sauce that went together with this dish was a healthier alternative to mayonnaise.

Dish 2 - Egg tart

The egg custard filling was of the right sweetness and firmness. However, the crust was not buttery and fragrant enough.

Dish 3 - Baked rice with fish

This dish was given a thumbs-up from everyone! The cream sauce was not too rich, and complemented the rice and the fish very well. There was also red and green bell peppers in the rice, making the dish more colourful and more healthy.

Interesting table setting based on the theme of Hong Kong cafe

Microteaching No. 3 - Fruits & Vegetables

Dish 1 - Garden Veggie Wrap

Simple and healthy dish, consisting of minced chicken and a variety of vegetables. Yums!

Dish 2 - Carrot Cake

The cream cheese frosting was of the right sweetness. I liked it! the carrot cake could be improved though, I thought it tasted more like a muffin. haha

Dish 3 - Fruit Trifle

The cake in the trifle was the same as that of the carrot cake. The fruits and the pudding part was nice, but the cake used did not complement the rest of the flavours well as the taste of cinnamon was too strong.

A round-up of all the dishes!

Microteaching No. 2 - Meaty Dishes

Dish 1- Baked Sambal Chicken

I did not like this dish a lot as the chicken turned out to be a bit tough. The sauce was a bit too oily for my liking.

Dish 2 - Chakchouka

This is a middle-eastern dish, consisting of spices such as cumin and thyme. The egg on top took ages to cook as the pan we were using did not have a cover. haha nevertheless, this was my favourite dish of the three!

Dish 3 - Mutton Masala

The gravy was a bit too sour, due to the use of both yogurt and lemon juice. This is a healthier version of the dish as half of the coconut milk was replaced by natural yogurt.

A round-up of all the dishes

This group is so cute. They made these cute tags for us to pin on or labcoats. I'm Student C (cow) for the day! =)

Good Food Presentation

Strips of cucumber and carrot were used as decoration. This idea is simply brilliant! Thumbs up to the chef! Parsley and chives were also used, making this dish very colourful. The dish is like a piece of art, due to the sauce used to decorate the sides of the plate.



This dish is also beautifully presented, with the colourful salad by the side, and the fries in a nice serving cup.

Don't you think the salad at the side looks like a garden? The presentation is very pleasing to the eye.

Last but not least, its the desserts! The presentation of this lemon tart is elegant and attractive. A variety of colours were used in decorating the tart. Red - raspberry, Yellow - lemon, Purple - Blueberry, Green - Mint leaves.

Microteaching No. 1 - Staples around the World~~

Dish 1 - Tuna Quiche

I felt that the quiche was not salty enough, and I would prefer the crust to be more buttery.

Dish 2 - Holiday Couscous

This dish was alright for me, I particularly like the taste of raisins and crabmeat in it. Most people find it hard to accept this dish though, cos according to them, there is a 'musky' smell. haha

Dish 3 - Chicken with Penne Pasta

I love the chicken! It was well-seasoned and flavourful. We used rosemary, thyme, oregano and black pepper to season it. The cooking time can be decreased though as the chicken meat was a bit tough.

All the dishes we cooked during Microteaching 1 =)

Cooking @ NIE

Our tutor, Ms Chin, kindly invited the PGDE students to join in the cooking class to allow us to have more chances to practice our cooking skills (PGDE students can't cook very well =p). The menu for this session consists of - broccoli cheese soup, lasagna and chocolate lava cake.

Lasagna

Broccoli cheese soup

Chocolate lava cake fresh from the oven!

Chocolate lava cake with ice cream...yummss

Cooking is fun!! =) thank you Ms Chin for inviting us!!

Coursework B Practical - Sensory Evaluation

In order for us (the future home econs teachers) to be able to faciliate Coursework B well, it is necessary that we experience the process of doing coursework so that we can understand the requirements of Coursework B better.

During the Coursework B practical, my group was assigned to conduct the triangle test to determine whether the students could differentiate between 10% and 11% sugar solutions, and also 10% and 13% sugar solutions.

My group mate preparing the samples for the triangle test

Station masters for the day!

Our experimental set-up

My group sampled the solutions we've prepared before allowing the rest of the class do the triangle test. The strange thing was that, my group had no problems differentiating the sugar solutions of different concentrations. However, the class did not manage to choose the correct odd sample.

Why is this so??? I've suggested some explanations for the experimental data in my Coursework B report =)

Top 10 Worst Foods

Number 1: Soft drinks

Source: theoriginof.com

Soft drinks are actually 'liquid candy'. Consuming soft drinks contributes to empty calories as these drinks do not contain any nutrients that are good for our body. They contain high fructose corn syrup as such, over-indulgence in soft drinks has the potential to promote obesity which in turn increases the risks of other chronic diseases.

Number 2: Donuts

Source: honestinfomercialreviews.com

Donuts are high in fats and calories (300 kcal and 19g fats per donut). Admit it, it's hard to stop at a donut =p Hence, people tend to consume more than 1 donut at a time. After which, one might experience a 'sugar high', but the effects will wear off quickly, causing lethargy.

Number 3: French fries

Source: veganyumyum.com

French fries contain acrylamide, which is a known carcinogen. In a test conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in the USA, the amount of acrylamide found in a large order of fast food fries was at least 300 times the legal amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency in a glass of water! Moreover, french fries also contain trans fat, which is a kind of fat that is linked to increased levels of LDL (a type of bad choloesterol).


The bottomline is:

Be mindful when consuming these foods. Indulging in them once in a while is alright; consuming any of these foods three times a week is not acceptable (if you care about your health). For fast-food lovers, when you order a meal consisting of a burger, fries and coke, you have taken 3 of the top 10 worst foods to take (Burger is number 7 on the list).

My apple crumble vs. THE apple crumble

The apple crumble that I made! doesn't look too appealing (compared to the one below), but trust me, it tastes great! simply heavenly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. My bro loves this and will always have seconds =) Here is the recipe:

Apple Crumble

Makes 4-6 servings

For the apple filling:
5 cups of apples (peeled, cored and diced)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

For the crumble topping:
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup cereal (not the breakfast kind of cereal, I used Nestle brand)
2/3 brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter

Method:
- Toss the apples with sugar, flour and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, prepare crumble topping by mixing flour, cereal, sugar, cinnamon and butter.
- Place apples in a 8 x 8 inch baking dish and pour crumble topping on top.
- Bake in preheated oven (180 deg C) until apple filling is bubbling and the top is golden brown in colour, approximately 35-45 min.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Ok i did mention that my apple crumble is yummy, but this is THE ONE. It is simply out of the world! I always order this dessert when I go to that particular place (if anyone is interested to know the place, you can ask me.haha)

Apple crumble is my all-time fav dessert. (p.s. we can have more than 1 fav dessert rite? =p)

It would be interesting to find out the dessert that people like most, so join the poll my friends!

Is honey better than sugar?

Source: The Straits Times

From the statement made by the dietitian above, consumers ought to beware - do not rush to buy that bottle of honey that costs 50 bucks! Look out for raw honey on the label as these honey are not heat-treated, hence their healing properties are retained.

Be mindful of the amount of honey intake. Over-indulgence in honey will only cause your waistline to expand!