Bird Nest

Step 1: Soak the bird nest for an hour

Step 2: Dump it into the slow cooker and add slightly more than one bowl of water

Step 3: Add rock sugar as desired (i usually put about 8 small cubes)


Step 4: Leave it alone on high heat for 2 hours (note this cute smallie cooker given by mom ^_^)

Step 5: TA-DA! There you have it! Home made bird nest!

Ok now, who can truly attest to the widely acclaimed benefit of consuming bird nest??

Now my mom is certainly an advocate, while my hubby is doubtful how a bird's saliva can aid in improving beauty, pregnancy etc ... Personally i just go with the flow and eat whatever comes but to be honest the taste is not appealing and i won't crave to have it.

Anyhow, my mom got me bird nest throughout my pregnancy and just when i thought it would end when i moved to our new home, she actually ta-bao more bird nest and say "pls bring these with you and remember to eat!!"

My greatest excuse was "i have nothing to double-boil them in" and before i know it, mom got me the cutest smallie slow cooker ever to complete the package! Amazing mom isn't it?!

The plus point is it is extremely easy and fuss free to prepare bird's nest. And i just hope there is some truth about it making the baby's skin soft and smooth!

Let me know how bird nest worked for ya! ^_^

Chicken Essence

Step 1: Put herbs like Pao Sheng and red dates into the bowl

Step 2: Place a small bowl over the herbs, and spread the chicken on the bowl

Step 3: Send everything to the steamer for 4 hours

Step 4: Great smelling chicken essence oozes out to the bottom of the bowl

Step 5: Enjoy the great tonic soup! The chicken is tender and yummy too!

When i was back in Penang last month, my sister-in-law brewed this great tasting chicken essence tonic soup for me. A super lover of chicken and soups, i can drink this perfect combination everyday! What's more, it's so easy to make and perfect for the dummy housewife like me!

Buy a kampong chicken from the wet market and ask the uncle to remove the skin (so that the soup will be less oily). If the chicken is very big, you may cut it into half, otherwise use the whole chix.

Wash the chicken thoroughly and spread it over a small bowl of herbs, then steam it for about 4 hours. Watch the fire and ensure you have enough water in the steamer to last you through!!

What you get is REAL chicken essence!! Moms-to-be and everyone out there who needs a tonic boost, try it! :)

Glory Fellowship Gathering

Truly enjoyable gathering of Glory friends!

30 weeks' tummy!!

We had an amazing gathering an our place last evening. Many lovely friends from my mother church Glory came from all over to this Seng Kang wilderness .. woahaha ...

It was really great catching up with all of them and all the more lovely with the little children in our midst. Very soon i know we'll have more additions! hehe

Thanks to all who chipped into the wonderful potluck, and the definitely useful house warming gifts! Looking forward to more gatherings soon!

For drools, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/erkuan/Gathering?authkey=9MIcLyf9hPo

What's in a Name?

People have been asking us if we already have a name for our baby girl. My dear niece even took the trouble to get me a baby names book! Oki, the quest for the perfect name is finally over :)

Chinese Name: 关怀歆
English Name: Charis Kuan

The word “歆” has the meaning of admire, or offering sacrifices to God. My father-in-law chose this beautiful name and we love this character because it has “music” in it too!
◎ 喜爱，羡慕：～羡。～慕。
◎ 飨，祭祀时神灵享受祭品、香火：～享。

Charis is the Greek form of grace, and has multi-fold definitions (reference http://www.bible-researcher.com/grace.html):
1. a pleasant external appearance, lovely, agreeable and acceptable
2. favor and goodwill (of God)
3. response of gratitude and thankfulness

Indeed, we are so thankful to God for His good favor to us by giving us this wonderful baby. And our prayer is that we can bring her up in the fear and instruction of the Lord, and the offering of her life and skills as a pleasing sacrifice for the glory of His kingdom! AMEN!

Cute Baby Suit

Today we received a love gift from one of our good friends in Penang! She specially chose two suits and mailed them all the way to Singapore! Thanks Yvonne!!

I've always dreamed of dressing my baby in cute suits as such. Isn't it simply adorable to see little ones flapping cute animal ears? Woahaha ~~

Now my wish is granted, but i just wonder if baby feels as elated being dressed up like this. Hehehe ~~~

3/4 of a Milestone

Heaviest stage of my life hehe ^_^
Bottom up angle makes tummy looks bigger than actual

Just not too long ago it was 1/4, then 1/2, and we never quite realize it is now 3/4?!?

I am not doing justice to my baby as i missed out blogging about our precious angel for the past months. First of all, we're expecting a princess ^_^ She is so shy even in the womb as her legs were just so tightly shut together, and only after several attempts over 3 visits to the gynae we finally spotted the gender. Hehe ok she's a demure princess :)

This has been an extremely good pregnancy and we give all thanks and praise to our gracious Lord! I continue to eat anything and at anytime like a p*g, no cravings, no sickness, just much bigger now and moving slower. I start to feel the weight of the tummy and sometimes it can get difficult to sleep at night. But overall, i feel good :) Sisters out there, c'mon and have babies! It's quite easy! (i mean so far :P)

I'm getting real excited just thinking about how to doll up my kid! woahaha ...

Raising the Domestic Index

This black looking dish is actually sambal brinjal (blame it on the phone camera)

Stir fried honey pea with carrots and capsicum

Chicken wing stew - my all time favourite!

Sweet & sour prawn with dried chilli

Having been buried in my work for the past weeks, i finally found a weekend to catch my breath. Invited my sisters - WL & friends - over for a home-cooked dinner.

Apart from my 招牌菜 the chicken stew, i have nothing much else to offer in my pockets. Pored through the recipe books at home and finally decided on the above ensemble.

I have always loved brinjals and people say it is very nutritious because it's purple?! Took a stab at making the sambal dish and HEY it did turn out quite tasty ... haha. Even Peg and WL who don't usually fancy eggplants took a few servings! So, PASS!

All in all, the simple fare did bring forth satisfactory smiles from my guests, which totally thrilled me. I am just so thankful that we all had a great evening catching up with one another :)