Mushrooms!

I thank the Lord for mushrooms!

Mushrooms are amazing. And they're so good. Judge me if you must - and yes, I know that not everyone likes the earthy-slightly chewy character that mushrooms add to a dish. But I like them. Especially when they're done right. So juicy and succulent.

I remember first having marinated mushrooms the day I arrived in KSL - Aunty E had picked me up at the airport and after we dropped my bags back at the condo, we headed to the little café she owned. The chef made me a sandwich for lunch. It was a chicken salad sandwich on freshly baked walnut bread, and the chicken salad was topped with half a baked herbed tomato, sliced marinated mushrooms, pickled Japanese cucumbers and half a carmelised onion, . My very first 'gourmet sandwich'. There was a side of salad, but meh. As the days went by, that became my go-to sandwich each time I was there. They'd pile on the mushrooms even without me asking. After a week or so, I got my hands on one of their mushroom puffs. Kind of like the curry puffs I'm so used to, only bigger, and filled with marinated mushrooms before they were baked. I couldn't understand why they didn't sell out the minute they came out of the oven. But hey, that meant I got to have a couple. So that was a good thing...right?

One morning, I tagged along for Aunty E's marketing run. At her veggie supplier's stall, I was greeted by cartons of fresh white button mushrooms. I remember gingerly picking one up and bringing it close to inhale its earthy scent, feeling its soft silkiness. That was the day Aunty E taught me to select mushrooms.

From there, the mushroom swiss became my favourite BK burger, and I'd go for almost any pasta al funghi. Or any cheese bake with mushrooms in it. The discovery of the mushroom and caesar chicken wrap had me wanting to make my own, and so out came research mode and the journey to the best ever marinated mushrooms. Again, this is subjective. I won't judge you for not sharing the same opinion. There was the research done on the caesar dressing too, and I eventually found one that I really liked. I just didn't make it all that often because to me, the mushrooms made all the difference in that wrap.

Then there are the delightful little hors d'œuvres that I got to sample during that brief two-day stint as an amateur barista. Chef A, to whom I accredit part of my keen interest in French patisserie to, made a varied selection of canapés and those were sold to the guests and artists alike during that one event. Stuffed mushroom caps, bruschetta that was topped with marinated mushrooms and a little salsa and the lightest sprinkle of parmesan...and so on. It was also during this event that Chef A started sharing more of his knowledge with me, beyond just the few pastry and other dessert selections we had at the café. That was when the troubleshooting really began. Some said he was temperamental, difficult to get along with, but with me, he has been ever willing to share and advise, to brainstorm and create. Chef's a cool guy. I'm thankful for him :)

Breaded mushrooms. Little golden deep fried wonders. Done right, they are crunchy on the outside and then tender and juicy on the inside. Couple that with a slightly spicy dip and you're good to go - well to be honest, I normally don't even get to the dip. They are so good on their own! Portabellos are great for this, or we could go with the Taiwan street food variation with the batter-fried oyster or straw mushrooms tossed in spicy-salty goodness post-fry. (Tip: eat them with no utensils, because you get to lick the yumminess off after!) Back to portabellos though, there have also been some good memories shared with various friends over deep fried breaded portabellos on various occasions. There's also nothing like a tastefully grilled portabello topping a well seasoned ground beef patty. The kind you can only get when you make it with experience.

At the risk of being labeled long-winded, I'm going to venture into one more faucet of mushrooms...the chinese mushrooms. The dried sort. Soak them and make mushroom stew. Stew them for hours. Or soak them and throw them into bak kut teh over a slow fire, let that simmer. Slice them up and put them in mixed veg stir-frys, or chop them up and mix that into the meat mixture that one stuffs into potstickers.

Mushrooms are versatile. Okay maybe they are not the most versatile ingredient, but I really really really really really like mushrooms. I also really like potatoes. And rice. Rice shouldn't be a side dish...in most situations. Rawr. To each their own.

Go, little plane, go!

Go, little plane, go!
Spread your wings and soar
Till you're a blip in the sky -
but keep safe that love of mine.

Go, little plane, go!
Alas! I cannot rhyme -
Aiyo. I'll just pick you up on the map and take a second to move you 10cm and you're there la. Hou mou?

Not too far gone~~~

I thank God for times like this when He reassures me that I'm not too far gone.

I've always felt less than my siblings. They're all academically inclined - brilliant individuals. Me? A non-graduate, non-scholarship holder, my highest qualification being high school. I moved down to the second class in my two final years in high school. I was an average student. Still am...maybe?

Over the past week it's been up and down. Then I remembered something the Baby-Sister-Growing-Up-To-Be-Pretty-Wise (See? How to compare like that...) said. She picked this up somewhere - On a heart monitor, the lines go up and down. So if you don't have ups and downs in life, you'd be dead.

Without the downs...I wouldn't have settled on my newly favourited 3-in-1 coffee so yeah, something good came out of that. Tsk. It's not all about the coffee (though it was nice to have AC who I got to enjoy a cuppa with at the end of my day in school today).

It's been slow starting up again post-CNY drama, but the Lord has shown favour and a couple more potential students have called in with regards to fluting. Yesterday I was approached to work with a first grader for her English writing - a bit of a challenge to work with her, but apparently I was thought of as a possible tutor - and that means a lot. Today the preschool kids kept me amused by their antics during their half hour of free play. They are ADORABLE. Despite not being qualified, the school I work with on and off also gave me a heads up on a possible two month stint which they would like me to think about taking up. And then there's you. You who are supposed to be out of my league. Who am I kidding. You ARE out of my league...and yet...

My first victim casualty was had yesterday. There was such a sense of accomplishment as I worked on the poor abused dear because I managed to make things better! It felt nice and professional to set up my work station and maintain the tidy as I worked, and it took me a little over an hour to get things to my satisfaction and put something I had learnt into practice. The tools from JLS, my notes from the repair course organised by ST/MG/WW. I'm looking forward to more of these cases! It's neat how I may not be great when it comes to acads but I have the hands for these fixer-upper things. Maybe it's God's way of teaching me that things end up balancing out?

The workstation!