American Ribs!!!

Hi Guys,

So as promise... here is the second recipe!!!! Part 2 to my American recipe specials heheh

Il be showing you how to make Sticky Pork Spare Ribs!! I got this recipe from Masterchef Australia 2010, you can watch the video here Masterchef braised pork spare ribs!

I have made this recipe a few times, and the last time I omited the bourbon and bay leaf because I ran out or forgot to buy them, but to me it made no difference to the flavour of the ribs!

Ingredients:
1.5kg pork spare ribs, quartered
¼ cup olive oil
lime cheeks, to serve

Ingredients for dry rub:
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
½ brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Ingredients for the sticky sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
250ml malt vinegar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp hot English mustard powder
2 tbs tomato sauce
2 tbs Dijon mustard
125ml bourbon
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 jalapeno chilli, finely chopped
1 orange, peeled rind

Method:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180°C.

Step 2: Combine rub ingredients in a large bowl. Add ribs to the bowl, using your hands, rub the mixture into the meat to coat completely. Set aside in the fridge for 2-3 hours to marinate.

Step 3: Heat a BBQ or char grill plate over high heat. Drizzle olive oil onto ribs and toss to coat. Place ribs fat-side up and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until sealed.

Step 4: Place cooking marinade ingredients and 1 1/2 tsp of salt in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes until thickened slightly.

Step 5: Transfer ribs to a large, non-stick roasting pan and pour over hot marinade. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 2 hours or until falling off the bone, turning 3-4 times throughout. (At about the last 30 minutes, I removed the foil so that the ribs were able to char even better : )

Step 6: Serve ribs with lime cheeks.

P.S sorry the pictures don't look too great...but believe me it tastes awesome!!!! I had steam corn and butter dinner rolls with the ribs, but you can just have them with any sides you want, though the bread comes in handy to mop up the left over sticky sauce on your plate hehe

I hope you guys enjoy reading my blog so far, il try and take nicer photos next time :)

P.S.S. 31 December 2011, made the ribs again and they are still as awesome as ever, have updated the pictures too, enjoy!!

Happy eating!!
Fat Pom Pom

Fried Chicken and Waffles!!

Hi Guys,

Its been a while...sorry I seem to always get caught up with something in my life and forgot to update you guys with more awesome recipes : ) I promise to give you 2 new recipes in the next few days!!!

Hehe been watching Man VS Food lately and boy, some of the food looks AWESOME!!! I haven't been to the United States before but its definitely on my list of Places to Go hehe what would I give to fly over there right now and indulge in their Hot Buffalo Wings, the super juicy and tender Ribs, Cheesy Steak Sandwiches with hundreds of choices of fillings, and the abundance of weird and exciting food you have to try while you're there!!!

Well enough said about this, its making me drool!!!! hehe well in my years of cooking I have tried and perfected many versions of fried Chicken, after watching Man VS Food, I have decided to make the infamous Fried Chicken and Waffles hehe something I have eaten separately but never together before! I can't remember which episode of Man VS Food it was, but ever since watching it, I couldn't get the idea of Fried Chicken and Waffles out of my mind!! LOL

So here is my own version and recipe:

For the Fried Chicken:
1 kg of chicken wings, seperate the wings at the joint, I kept the little tail part but you can dispose of that if you want
3/4 cups of plain flour
1 tbsp of salt
1-2 tbsp of smoked paprika
1-2 tsp of hot cayenne pepper powder
1 tbsp of dried oregano
1 and a half tbsp of onion salt
extra dried chilli flakes if you like your chicken spicy

Method:
Combine all the dry ingredients and a thick plastic bag (make sure its thick enough or else it will break when you are coating the chicken wings). Throw the chicken wings in the bag and shake until chicken is evenly coated with flour. Deep fry in hot vegetables oil until golden and cooked.

To make the Waffles:
2 eggs
3-4tbsp of sugar
1 cup of self raising flour
1 cup of milk
1/3 cup of potato starch

I got this recipe from my mum, but she uses 1 cup of coconut milk instead to make the waffles and we eat them alone as an after dinner special!! Mmmmmmm.....hehe

Method:
Using an egg beater, beat the egg and sugar until sugar dissolves. Then beat in the flour, milk and potato starch for a few minutes. I use the Breville waffle creation to cook the waffles, adding a little butter to coat the waffle maker before pouring in the mixture. This mix makes about 6-8 waffles depending on the thickness of your waffles!

To serve, place a waffle in the centre of your dish, and top with a few chicken wings, drizzle some maple syrup onto the waffles if you like!!! Enjoy :)

Be looking out for my next post as I will be posting another really awesome recipe....Il give you a hint...it is something that I mention in this post : )

Happy Eating!!
Fat Pom Pom

Jacques Reymond

Hi everyone,

Yesterday me and my boyfriend celebrated our 6 year Anniversary together!! YAY!!! We had the luxury to have dinner together at Jacques Reymond in Melbourne. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure this is the only 3 hat restaurant in Victoria or at least one of the rare fews!! If you have never heard of Jacques Reymond before, check out the restaurant here Jacques Reymond.

Hehehe going to a restaurant like this for the first time, it would be silly not to go for their degustation menu which consists of 9 courses, and you get to sample all of the chefs recommendations and signature dishes!!! The restaurant itself is situated in a Victorian style mansion which was absolutely beautiful!! We were greeted by warm and friendly staffs who seated us near the fireplace. As we were seated, we were already blown away by the ambience of the restaurant!

We started our degustation course with an appetizer, a dish I believe is called 'Gougeres' (after doing some research at home hehe) which is a simple choux pastry with gruyere cheese. Very light and hollow (hehe) but very tasty!

The courses were served in the following order:

Tea smoked chicken and watercress soup, potato foam
and tempura wakame oyster, azeite dende

Gazpacho of tuna oriental style, dashi and pure natural tomato jelly,
native Davidson red plum

Flavours of autumn: deep sea rockling with anchovilly and coffee,

Mount Buffalo hazelnuts and orange oil, saffron roue dressing

Western Plains young pork shabu shabu in masterstock, fresh pappardelle,
Tasmanian wasabi espuma and ponzu juices

Gippsland white farmed rabbit and crispy squid, spiced walnuts and
compressed apples, oloroso sherry vinaigrette

Wagyu beef rump and oyster sauce, eggwhite omelette of shark fin,
grated daikon and chilli, our ketchup sorbet

Iced coffee and chocolate martini, Tahitian vanilla, caramelised nuts

 Deconstructed cheese cake: galette of fresh Gippsland fromage blanc l‘artisan,
warm fruit pudding, mountain bush pepper berries ice cream

and finally....

Coffee and petits fours (I had orange tea instead of coffee!)

Overall we were both totally blown away by the intricate details in the presentation of the dishes and the delicate and unique flavours and quality of the food!!! Every course had its own story and stood out in its own way, with each leaving us in awwws and mouthfuls of silent nods and appreciations!! If I was to pick my favourite, my highlight of the night would be the Ice Coffee and Chocolate Martini!!!! In my life, I have never tasted any dessert with so many layers and flavours that goes so perfectly well together...I don't even have a words I can use to describe it but the flavour still lingers on today hehe bitter sweet and an absolutely beautiful and perfect dessert : ) Ever heard of the saying that something is so good, its to die for...LOL well I wouldn't ever consider dying for a dessert but this comes pretty close hehe even my boyfriend who is not a dessert nut like me, thought this was the best thing he has ever tasted! Every spoonful was blissful and heavenly : )

To end an already perfect night together, we were greeted by the head chef himself, Jacques Reymond!!! We couldn't believe our eyes, we're both food nuts and have seen him on TV numerous times hehe we had the opportunity to thank him personally for the wonderful dishes and was lucky enough to take a photo with him (nope im not gonna post this picture of me and my boyfriend looking like tourists and being star struck by Jacque Reymonds hehe). I left this beautiful restaurant with a satisfied tummy and walking hand in hand with my darling boyfriend, I could ask for no other perfect ending to the night. I would like to thank my wonderful, loving (and sometimes crazy hehe) boyfriend for being the man of my life, and who has spent the last 6 years supporting and loving me in everything I do, you mean the world to me!! : ) Happy Anniversary darling!!! This post is dedicated to you. For all my family who actually reads my blog, please skip this part so you don't feel sick from reading about my lovey doveyness hehe its probably too late for that warning now haha

I hope you guys enjoy reading my blog so far!! Hope you guys have an opportunity to try out Jacques Reymond someday! In the meantime, stay well and happy : )

Happy reading!

Fat Pom Pom

Better You!

Hi everyone,

Brrrr....it seems Winter hit Melbourne early this year, with only a few days of summer like weather during summer, a colder than usual autumn, its seems like winter is already here for us.

With every passing year, I remember that winter gets longer and just last year it felt like we had winter for six months of the year!! This year, winter seems to start even earlier, which could only mean that we will be having a long, wet and cold winter ahead of us! We never get snow here in the city, but this year maybe we might just be in luck because I feel that autumn is already colder than usual, so winter might just bring us a little snow into the city...hehe just a little though!!!

Winter is gonna be long, and no doubt you will catch the colds and flus a few times. But if you take extra effort to look after yourself this winter, and prepare and nourish your bodies well with good food, exercise and rests, winter won't feel as long and you can still do the things you love, rather then lying sick in the bed with a cough that lasts for way too long!!

If you are one of those people who are prone to getting sick in winter, I highly recommend you take the flu shot. I usually take mine every year or so, but this year I'm going try to prepare myself and fight against colds the natural way : )

Here are a few tips I have gathered and have been trying to follows:

1. Drink lots of water, at least 6-8 glasses a day. This is an obvious one but one that is hard to keep up with during the colder months.Water hydrates your body and flush out all the bad stuff. Start the morning with a glass of freshly boiled water, of course wait for the water to cool down a little hehe. 
2. Cut back on sugary drinks and coffee, and switch to tea, preferably green and herbal tea with no added sugar or milk. If you like to have a coffee or soft drink with your lunch or after dinner, try switching to tea, which does wonders to boost your immune system and keeping you warm! There are loads of health benefits to drinking tea and I'm sure you have all heard of them many times! Try having at least one cup after lunch and dinner.
3. Eat lots of fresh vegies and fruit....everyday!! I don't have to go into the details of how important it is to give our body fresh vegies and fruit which will give us the nutrients needed to sustain a healthy body and mind. I know it can be hard to fit eating healthy into your everyday busy life, but your body will thank you for the extra effort you put in!! There are plenty of ways to make eating fruit and vegies exciting!!! Why not make an extra large pot of my super healthy veg soup from my previous posts, and pack that for lunch the next few days!!! You can save money while giving your body the needed boost over winter.
4. Exercise...Exercise...Exercise: I think the importance of this one speaks for itself. Try to be active at least 3 to 4 times a week, and add variety to your exercise regime so you won't lose motivation. Have an exercise buddy so you both can push each other on, it makes exercising fun!! Running, jogging, power walking, weights, cardio, yoga, pilates, boxing, swimming, bikes, exercise ball...make up a routine for your exercise buddy and let them make one for you!!!
5. Boost your immune system by increasing your vitamin C intake. I'm not an advocate of taking supplements, but I do find Vitamin C tablets, if anything boosts your overall immune system and shortens your colds and flus, should you happen to catch one over the winter. Try to get your vitamin C naturally first through eating oranges and kiwi's which are my favourite ways to get vitamin C. If you can't, get yourself a natural Vitamin C tablet and you'll be fighting off the colds like never before! hehe
6. Go outdoors, even just for a short walk, or shopping with friends or walking to your local grocery. Its important to get some fresh air throughout your day, and not sit in front of the heater all day. Enjoy some sunlight (if any) and embrace the fresh crispy air with the early morning fog and late evening!! Its also a very good opportunity to catch up on some me time and clear your mind from your days worries : )
7. And last but not least...spend time with the people you love, make them and yourself laugh and feel happy! Your mental health is as important as your physical health! So go ahead and be happy!!!!SMILE and LAUGH like you just heard the funniest thing ever!!!!! hehe

So I hope the above lists gives you a bit of motivation to change your bad habits this winter! I'm definitely looking forward to spring again, but I'm still gonna enjoy my winter months aswel!! Its gonna be a long one so why not make it a fun and exciting one : D

Happy Reading,
Fat Pom Pom

Lazy Sunday Lunch!!

Hi everyone,

Its been a while hasn't it! Im starting to feel the cold weather of Melbourne and its making me feel like doing nothing else besides cuddling up with a special someone and watching some good movies :D

The cold weather can make us feel lazy but that doesn't mean the food we eat has to suffer because of our laziness hehe we tend to eat more take out and stop drinking water because the cold weather just doesn't make us as thirsty as summer does! hehe we get cold and lazy to cook fresh home cook meals and opt for the fast meals with high fat high salt content and literally no nutritional value at all! Don't get me wrong, I also a big culprit of doing this, thats why I'm owning up to it now, and trust me, though fast food tastes great but the feeling only last for a short while before reality sinks in and you feel bloated, even more tired than usual, thirsty, cranky, oily (lol if thats even possible to feel) and worse of all, you know its bad for you but you'll continue to let this bad habit take over because you're just too tired to do anything else about it!!! excuses excuses, I've had my fair share...when will we ever learn! Our health isn't gonna change on its own, and the first step to change is the most important and  is always the hardest to take.

During these colder months, its even more important to eat and exercise well to help build a strong immune system and fight against the colds and flus, I'm betting that wherever you go, you will always meet someone during your day that has a cold or cough of some sort. So, in my next post, I will be writing about little things I do throughout the day to make sure I don't suffer a long and sick winter ahead : )

Anyways, back to lunch, on one weekend that past, I was feeling lazy and decided to make something quick and tasty for lunch!

I bought a pizza foccacia from the bakery, and filled it with crispy pan fried bacon, tomatoes, spinach, caramelised spanish onions, tasty cheese and put that in the sandwich press for a few minutes. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar and black pepper before serving. What a quick and delicious lunch that was!! Only change il make is that I felt I had way too much bacon so next time il opt for a pizza foccacia without bacon on top.You can pretty much add any fillings you want, be as creative as you want but remember this little tip...less is more......and more is good when it comes to exercise and fresh healthy food only!!!

Enjoy and happy eating!!
Fat Pom Pom