Growing up, my favourite season was summer - as probably every kid's was. The balmy months were often tied to keywords such as "summer break", "no school(!)", and "vacation". With the coming of age though, there is an undeniable shift in favour of cooler temperatures. Autumn's breezy conditions and saturated shrubbery offer a sense of serenity - an emotion disparate from the sweaty bustle of summer. There's just something extremely satisfying about traversing across crunchy leaves post-abscission.
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Creations of the week included:
1) Apple Cider
...or rather, Mulled Apple Cider. With majority of our stash allocated towards Apple Pie, the remaining 802 grams of fruit thereupon constituted the base of an apple cider attempt. Alas, I was far too generous with the spice blend; the brew was stripped of its luscious, juicy tartness and made spicier than need be. Serving it cold in a 3:1 ratio with water was the resulting solution.
1) Apple Cider
...or rather, Mulled Apple Cider. With majority of our stash allocated towards Apple Pie, the remaining 802 grams of fruit thereupon constituted the base of an apple cider attempt. Alas, I was far too generous with the spice blend; the brew was stripped of its luscious, juicy tartness and made spicier than need be. Serving it cold in a 3:1 ratio with water was the resulting solution.
2) Oatmeal Bread
For me, it would be an understatement to declare that craggy, fibrous - and oftentimes healthy - items are joyful to consume. Thus, one can imagine my enthusiasm upon perception of the words "I need to eat healthier."
I first began scouring the World Wide Web for a gluten-free loaf utilizing oats, partially for the sake of experimentation and partially to eliminate white bread flour altogether. After landing on several formulae that listed pre-soaking of steel-cut oats as the first step, I reverted to the Queen of Breadmaking for a hassle-free endeavour.
For me, it would be an understatement to declare that craggy, fibrous - and oftentimes healthy - items are joyful to consume. Thus, one can imagine my enthusiasm upon perception of the words "I need to eat healthier."
I first began scouring the World Wide Web for a gluten-free loaf utilizing oats, partially for the sake of experimentation and partially to eliminate white bread flour altogether. After landing on several formulae that listed pre-soaking of steel-cut oats as the first step, I reverted to the Queen of Breadmaking for a hassle-free endeavour.
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Bake for Happy Kids has done it yet again! Not only was the dough was extremely easy to handle, but the kneading process was comparatively much shorter as well.
Admittedly, the loaf doesn't resist moisture dissipation as efficiently as the standard sugar-laden loaves. It also failed to the same height. Fluffiness was gradually lost over the course of twelve hours. Thankfully, this aspect mattered minimally, for slices were toasted till crisp and smothered with Knotty Coppertop's fabulously floral unpasteurized honey.
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3) Pigs in a Blanket - the puffed edition
Success seen with SK's revolutionary pie crust, we began to contemplate a savoury edition. The conception eventually materialized in the form of wiener sausages coiled within thin, flat strands of buttery pie dough, then finished with a dash of dried parsley.
Success seen with SK's revolutionary pie crust, we began to contemplate a savoury edition. The conception eventually materialized in the form of wiener sausages coiled within thin, flat strands of buttery pie dough, then finished with a dash of dried parsley.
The first one, a highly unfortunate, dust-covered prototype, was topped with flaky sea salt and a pinch of turbinado sugar. Additional sodium was omitted from the latter batch upon the discovery of the sausages' existing salty profile.
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I haven't quite gotten around to assembling a dipping sauce, though the top choice appears to be a grainy mustard mixed with honey.
And if it wasn't already obvious, these doughy creations are acting to alleviate my anxiety surrounding croissants - the truest challenger of leavened, laminated creations. Oh, how I shudder at the thought of it all.
Majority of the week was, quite frankly, as bleak as the weather.
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National Shawarma Day was met with an overwhelming number of orders, to the point where the online ordering system had paused briefly during peak periods. I rapidly completed my order once the UberEats connection was finally restored, only to shake my head at the dismal scene greeting me at supper time.
Of my three requested items, only two had alighted the ship: an atrociously microscopic Chicken Shawarma Wrap and shallow Styrofoam container of Chicken on the Rocks.
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Possibly the highlight of the week was a weekend afternoon of miscellaneous errands. Skies had cleared, allowing for a luminous glow to be cast on the streetscaping elements surrounding the shopping centre.
The Disney Store was visited for the first time in seemingly centuries. Needless to say, it was a detour for Sulley inventory check.
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Agent P!!! Phineas & Ferb remains one of my fondest high school memories to date; it is a wish of mine that Perry will gain equal recognition amongst the youth of today.
Lunch was secured shortly afterwards at Gol's Lanzhou Noodle, which has since replaced the Mii Sandwich that resonates so clearly with my first-ever airport "campout".
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The Seaweed Potato Salad (甜酸海菜豆瓜絲) was a delicious starter merging the sweet and sour qualities of 咕嚕肉 with the crunchy, refreshing bite of shredded gourd.
At the opposite end of the flavour spectrum was the Beef Tendon Noodle (特製紅燒牛筋麵), an entrée entailing a rich, savoury broth laced with the fiery essence of red pepper. We resorted to mixing several spoonfuls of the broth into the noodles to sustain a tolerable level of spice, enabling consumption of scallion medley, fresh boy choy, and wonderfully tender beef chunks. The establishment also offered customization of noodle thickness, with "maoxi" being the thinnest option. The selection averaged the diameter of a thin jjajangmyeon noodle and embodied the bouncy qualities of hand-pulled dough.
At the opposite end of the flavour spectrum was the Beef Tendon Noodle (特製紅燒牛筋麵), an entrée entailing a rich, savoury broth laced with the fiery essence of red pepper. We resorted to mixing several spoonfuls of the broth into the noodles to sustain a tolerable level of spice, enabling consumption of scallion medley, fresh boy choy, and wonderfully tender beef chunks. The establishment also offered customization of noodle thickness, with "maoxi" being the thinnest option. The selection averaged the diameter of a thin jjajangmyeon noodle and embodied the bouncy qualities of hand-pulled dough.
At long last was my visit to Square One's The Alley.
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Albeit delicious, a large Lemongrass Peach set us back a hefty seven dollars. The Dark Knight was comparatively easier on the wallet, and remains the obvious choice in the face of gimmicky treats such as Brown Sugar Milk Tea or Deerioca Puff.
"I don't see it on the menu, but can I get a Black Knight?"
"You mean the Dark Knight?"
"Oh, yes, that!"
"Don't worry, I know what you mean."
"You mean the Dark Knight?"
"Oh, yes, that!"
"Don't worry, I know what you mean."
As an avid visitor of arcades, Playdium played a substantial role throughout my teen years and especially in the past license-equipped decade. The closure of such a monumental facility brought about great sorrow, and entering amidst Stage 2 summoned only further pangs of sadness. The scene was as eerie as could be: muted machines, access restrictions, and a vacant games floor were absolutely heart-wrenching to witness.
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Queuing up for the first and final prize redemption process, memories of past excursions flooded in unapologetically. It wasn't until stepping foot within the vault of dust-decked Airheads and emoji plushies that Playdium's shuttering was no longer a COVID concern, but a regretful reality.
It had existed prior to The Rec Room, and had remained a go-to destination for as long as I could recall. Upon the conclusion of our fifteen-minute prize redemption slot, I hopped on Pump It Up for the final, song-less hurrah.
Errands were terminated in the T&T parking lot, where the newest contender in the plaza had unveiled its doors for business.
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Slotted immediately beside Sharetea's successor, it was a gentle nod to the fact that the only constant in our lives is change.
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