Kitchen Venture #9: Brownies by Donna Hay

Alright, so I didn't technically bake this but I did buy the premix by Donna Hay! One of our snacks during the Harry Potter marathon we did earlier in the month. Brownies!!! All girls/guys love a good chocolatey brownie no?

Pink edible icing not included...

Shiyu baked this while I helped vacuum the house. Wasn't difficult and time-consuming at all. The instructions were clear on the pale blue box and you need only provide your own butter and eggs. Chocolate chunks were provided too! At abt AUD7 a box, I would say YUMS.

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

It may not look too pretty here because we didnt actually use a proper cake tin. However, I LOVE THE IDEA of adding chocolate chunks to the brownie becauseit is gooey and melts in your mouth as you bite into the chewey chocolatey brownie. The top layer was wonderfully crisp and the inside of the brownie moist and chewy. I love the smell wafting through the house as it bakes. Salivating and I know I couldn't stop eating them. Shiyu had to cut them into smaller pieces because I could NOT stop.

So even if you didn't have the premix help from the dessert angel aka Donna Hay, but would like to have a lovely twist to your ordinary brownie, chocolate chunks are IT. Once your batter and mixture are all done, just chuck about 500g of big chocolate squares into that and stir, scoop the mixture into your tin and make sure the choc chunks are evenly spread out throughout, within or above. Makes for a yummy gooey surprise ;)

Till my next kitchen venture, Mayy xo

M's Food Find #60

Continuing with our Freo snack attacks, this was one of Anna's and my pitstop after nachos. Crepes at the French stall within the markets itself. Always long queues and crowds, similar to apparently the best Ramen stall in Perth (though I haven't tried).

Lots of choices: both savoury and sweet! You can even customise your own crepes. Love that option ;)

Open concept kitchen with a chef and her lightning fast hands. Super pro!




Nutella's gotta be popular, look at the many gigantic tubs!





I did say lightning fast didnt I? You also have a choice of eating in or taking away. It is better to eat in if you are going for a nice savoury one. Reminds me of roti prata/murtabak, a popular indian pancake.

All the wonderful smells wafting through...

Anna ordered the nutella and ice cream one, super sinful and good.


Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

It looks very limp here because its only lemon sugar and cinnamon. I love the cinnamon bits but the lemon is WAYYY too sour for me. But I love the fresh hot/warm crepe. So soft and fluffy in its own way. Definitely worth the wait. Can't wait to go back for it and try some other flavours again.

Tell me which is YOUR favourite one? Do you customise your own?

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

M's Food Find #54

I managed to keep to my plan and spent the whole day home today. And didn't spend anything. I also didn't bother cooking or whatever. I just ate Lucky Charms cereal the whole day. A bowl with milk, a couple of cups without, then with milk again. And then without and with hot cereal milk. I definitely finished more than half the box today. Can this much sugar eventually kill you? Other than that, I had a slice of toast with Vegemite Cheesybite and a slice of cheese. And some fried salted sliverfish. Just to balance out, I needed some salt. Not the healthiest days eh?

ANYWAY, now that all I like doing these days is snacking (partly due to me spending so much time in uni where the staff pantry can get some good stuff now and again). I found something I REALLY liked, out of all the kinds of biscuits we get:

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

Arnott's chocolate Scotch Fingers.

And it has to be the chocolate ones. The milk chocolate is so creamy and milky and cocoa-ish. It goes really well with the slightly salty crumbly buttery fingers. I love how a bite of it melts in your mouth. Super awesome. Blogging about it now makes me want to get off my bum and drive down to Woolies and get some. Thank goodness I am too lazy for that.

I have so much work to do or should start doing. But I told myself I am going to give myself this weekend off before I officially kick butt come Monday. Hence, the full day of watching telly today. Oh alright. NO MORE KFC AND HUNGRY JACKS AND SNACKING AT HOME. Not that I eat Hungry Jacks anymore but I thought I would just add it to the list for good measure. Let's just start being healthy again.

Winter sure does some bad things to my cravings and to a body. WELL, IF YOU HAVEN'T TRIED THESE SCOTCH FINGERS, and you like Tim Tams and chocolate and shortbread cookies, this is IT. GO!

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

M's Food Find #53

Maybe it is because it is winter, or that I am suffering from some kind of weird eating disorder. Nevertheless, I somehow managed to kick my routine of eating one proper meal a day aside from liquids or fruits. And gave in to my guilt by indulging in my snack attacks of late. The bad thing about this isn't the snacks I am eating. It is the amount I eat and still want to eat. It is like this bottomless pit. And I KNOW I am not preggers. So I have since resolved to NOT buying anymore snacks when I go groceries shopping. No snacks, no eating. Too bad tummy, deal with it.

One of the snacks I have come to love indulging in once every couple of months is Shapes by Arnott's. And not just ANY Shapes flavour. There is only ONE flavour I liked.

Yes, from the Sensations (considered the gourmet line) line Tomato & Chilli. They sure won't kidding about 'Flavours You Can See'. I love seeing my fingers turn red from the flavour toppings and licking them clean. The sweet and spicy kick really satisfies. I pop one, the second one and soon enough I won't rest until the box is wiped out.

They recently have two new flavours to the Sensations line, one of my favourite potato chips flavour/combinations: Balsamic Vinegar and Sea Salt.

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
While this is nothing to crow about, the balsamic vinegar really comes true. However, nothing can beat the Smith's crinkle cut potato chips when it comes to Vinegar and Salt. NOTHING. Perhaps only the real balsamic vinegar. So I will stick to my Tomato & Chilli for now. I find it hard for Shapes to really top that flavour for me.

Shapes have so many different flavours and lines catering to every individual's preferences. The international one where they try to do woodfire pizza flavour, feta and something of that sort. Really, I have tried most of them and I still prefer T&C.

So which is YOUR favourite? Or Shapes aren't your thing?

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

M's Vacation in...Taipei, Taiwan (part 2)!

Why, hello. How was your weekend? Mine was highly unproductive but I am allowed to slack off. Harbourtown on a saturday arvo and then dinner with Anna, dressed nicely at the cas. Good times and sunday was Glee-a-thon in my sis words. And a nice 2 hour catchup with Lloyd at Dome with the comfy couches.

So it is my 250th post and I have been saving this for a good post. I thought I would make good my promise to j&m who commented on my first Taipei vacation post requesting for more. So here you go. More details and a whole lot more photos!

That's a good size room for Taipei, and a pretty comfy bed for a good night's sleep before conquering the city the next day.

Just like Japan, we get cool toilet seats with temperature settings and all. LOVE IT.

A unique bathtub shape and a bathroom that may have leakage when you shower. But it is not the worst I have come across. I can deal.

Walking to the train station on our first night there.I thought this is a pretty cool building to have in the middle of traffic junctions. Wonder what it is for?

About five minutes walk and we made it to...





Took the train (you need to change trainlines at a stop before hopping onto the right one to here if you are taking it from XiaoNanMen) down to Jiantan where you will get to the night market. DO NOT take the train to Shihlin! It is different.
I have shown you a photo of Jiantan Food Market...now the store we spent most of our time at. Which isn't really that good. And just remember you are there for food, not service.
All looks fantastic but no they don't taste spectacular.

A small bowl of lu rou fan, aka braised pork rice. It is not bad but I just wish it was better with more meat, chunkier pieces.

Fried rice for the vegan amongst us.



The oyster omelette Taiwan is known for. I don't know if this is how they make it there, but I much prefer the or jian in Singapore or Thailand even.
My first cup of bubble tea in taiwan! Always good.
SMELLY TOFU! I lovelovelovelovelove it. Best thing here so far. Key word, so far.

Loosely translated as 'coffin toast', just a thick piece of toast carefully carved out to fill it with mushrooms or chicken etc.
The wonderful stall selling such long and big sausages of all kinds!
From the same stall, different parts of different meats on sticks And they grill it hot for you right there so it's worth the wait.

I love these as well, pork bacon-ish strips wrapping jiu cai which is sort of like leek/onions.

Da chang bao xiao chang, big sausage wrapped small sausage in other words. I find the glutinous rice sausage too much which is the big sausage here. Small sausage is good though. Taiwanese sausages are always good. I want some right now!

Found this at the start of Shihlin Night Market itself. Really sweet honey coated strawberries. Korea has them too, but boy, it is real sweet! Even for the sweet tooth like me.

Our second day visiting Jiu Fen. Went down to a temple there too. If you go to Taiwan and you are a Buddhist or Taoist, visit the different temples just to see how beautiful and big they are. Very different from Singapore. They are just so vast and spacious.

Cuttlefish at JiuFen worth trying and them grilling on the spot for you.

Also found in Jiu Fen, Icecream pohpiah thing. It is quite different but very fragrant.


Found also in JiuFen, grilled mushrooms. HUGE eh?! But so so so juicy! Loves it. They cut it up into smaller pieces and give it to you in a cup.

I didn't try this...snails...I mean I love escargots but I find this abit iffy.

A place where frequent period drams are shot. (in Jiu Fen still)

At ShiDa Night market, more photos of the popular crepes now. Sweet, savoury, they have it all.

That's our crepes! I didnt know what to order so I just pointed to their big crepe statue and said I wanted that. Heh.


Big Mario hats! perfect for Halloween!
Famous Longshan Temple







Told you they were real big.

Down at the foodcourt at Sogo.


Cute lipbalm!
I don't think we are allowed to climb on them but whatevs. Good photo op! At Taipei101. wish we headed there abit later when the shops are open and had more time to check it out too...

Roit prata-ish. I LOVE IT.

Dimsum cart at Gongguan Night market. Not so good...

Mee Jiang Kueh but not as good as the ones we have back in Singapore... Dont waste stomach space...hahaha.

Also famous in Taiwan, beancurd. However, I didn't find this particular stall in Gongguan any good. Stick to Rochor beancurd, or the ones at Kallang airport in Singapore.

Shihlin morning market now, IT IS HUGE! I didn't try it though...they have such a big pan to make it!

Really really good portugese eggtarts!!! Round the corner from Shihlin morning market. You can eat it fresh or deepfreeze it and have it like icecream!


Standard Ximending photo eh? Just crowds of people. Phew.

Sweet potato balls, Di Gua Qiu with plum powder. They are just so good when hot and totally worth all the wait! Anywhere.

And at the airport, we still went on eating! These are liu sa bao, flowing custard buns which I love and they have both eggyolk and sesame flavours. Yummaye!

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

And last but not least, Doraemon cakes I got from Taipei 7-eleven next to RaoHe Night Market. So cute eh! Hope you guys enjoyed the photos and have this urge to go find something to eat. Hahaha!

I now have work to do, like real work from my supervisors. Goodness... I just want to watch Glee all day long. WELL, I shall go on blogging even if no one is reading because it makes me happy. One day, I will go back to Taipei but I don't think it is high up on my to-do list at the moment! Let me know how your trips go if you guys head down, eat loads dont hold back is my advice!