Two months into the stay-at-home regime and I've still yet to feel a longing for social activities. Again, haircuts and badminton would be great; weekly dance drills and the occasional Rec Room visit for coordination honing wouldn't be unwelcome either. While levelling up on the scale and experiencing torturous tingles from excessive muscle strain, I've simultaneously lost a substantial portion of hand-eye awareness. Though, as much as COVID-19 is an enabler of these unfavourable outcomes, alternatives are not out of sight. Humans are dynamic after all.
 |  |
The weekend marked the last of my 8 AM grocery runs for the subsequent eight-ish weeks, concluding at my all-time fave of Sikgaek. If any, the virus has proved its greatest worth in enabling purchases of makgeolli at a consumer level; the sole prerequisite of the exchange was commitment in an accompanying food item. Yangnyum Chicken was the clear choice.
After hauling back some 4.4 L of kimchi, Wedding Cake Edition Honey Butter Chips, and some costly assorted rolls later - if only we had H Mart prices here, but I digress - I set out to craft yet another round of bread.
I opted for sandwich bread as opposed to sweet, pull-apart rolls with the aspiration of extending the batch's lifespan. The loaves were fluffy and delicate - just as advertised. My consumption preference was to toast and adorn with margarine or jam, however my lack of loaf pans also rendered them appropriate for garlic bread-making.
 |  |
Hence, I set out with vigour, attempting the standout starters of the bygone Spaghetei. Parsley, minced garlic, and a thorough brushing of maple syrup landed me close to the 2016 memory, but, alas, my toppings had been too coarse for proper penetration.
Cravings for a chocolatey, cakey concoction were only amplified with launch of Alvin's mini series. I turned to the mentioned eggless mug cake for an oven-less single serving.
Results were subpar and chunks of flour were frequent - I'd recommend this UK-based alternative for tips and tricks. The supposedly speedy solution wasn't all that speedy either, so I resorted to proper execution - with a proper oven, with proper metric units.
Adapting the infamous zucchini pièce de résistance of many "healthy" baking blogs for the more pantry-friendly resource of sweet corn kernels yielded fifteen rounds of moist, chewy muffins that were tasty on their own, but even better with a side of cream cheese frosting. And yes, this contradicts the heart-healthy intentions of the origin recipe, though the aim had always resided with satisfying cravings within given limits. These days, we speak of limits on grocery store flour and sugar inventory.
 |  |
I went on to craft 雞尾包 - a classic Hong Kong bakery item that I had purposely delayed to pursue until sufficient familiarity had been acquired with filling-less buns.
The multi-step process was time-consuming, though no more complex than a stuffed cookie. Failure to accommodate proofing time between work duties and a blogilates livestream ultimately resulted in an explosion of filling. The cocktail buns were also tad more rigid than ideal. Having said that, it delivered quite well for a first attempt.
 |  |
Pilot is a renowned name in the coffee-consumed community of the downtown core. And with the arrival of their one-day anniversary sale, I couldn't help but secure a few bags for my home brewing. Oh, and beet powder - since a cheery Beet Latte just can't be beat.
 |  |
Turmeric Nutella is another astounding assemblage - especially true for those that scrunch their noses at the thought of turmeric ginger (though my opinions shall beg to differ).
Now to brew up some coffee. At times such as these, possibilities are seemingly endless!
 |  |
Also feel free to pair your cup with a dose of sheer mastery, otherwise recognized as the most appeasing melody and music video to hail from ASTRO and Fantagio.
Oh, Moonbin, how I've missed your presence is promotions!
RSS Feed