My Domestic Art

What better way to use up the kids' pent up energy than to bring them out for a long walk? The same route , different adventure. With the promise of a scrumptious dinner at the end of the walk. The 3 boys were up for the challenge, including the little one, who walked a good 3km before his legs gave way and had to sit on the stroller the rest of the way. It was a pleasant surprise to find a family of wild otters frolicking in the waters. Come evening time, the Quays area is lively, buzzing with people. A great evening workout, followed by a wonderful meal, and the kids absolutely conked out when we got home. 😁

Exams are finally over and it's time to get the kids out again! East Coast Park is still one of our favourite parks as there's so much on offer. The sandy beach, fantastic cycling track, exciting food options, and a huge playground to boot. The Marine Cove playground is MASSIVE! It has all the usual climbing structures, slides of varying heights, rope bridges, swings and much more. The playground was great fun but it was crowded and incredibly hot without much shelter. So we headed to PARKLAND GREEN which turned out to be the boys' favourite of the day! Large open space, plenty of sticks and stones, some mud and dried pong pong fruits. There's just something about sticks and dirt that boys find completely irresistible! First they found what they believed to be an ants nest and they set about to disturb it. With much anticipation and fear, but without much success. Then they discovered the dried pong pong fruits that were scattered on the...

My family loves our soups. A great big bowl of soup is just so comforting and homey. It keeps us warm and satisfied especially in this dreary wet season. This beef and barley soup is another classic Chinese recipe. It is loaded with chunks of tender, juicy beef, plump grains of barley, and healthy mixed vegetables. The combination of flavours is absolutely delightful! I rely on my thermal cooker to cook my soups as it gets the meat really tender without evaporating much of the liquid. But if you don't have a thermal cooker, you can cook this on the stove top, start off by making the delicious beef broth before adding the rest of the ingredients. To ensure tender and flavourful beef, go for collagen-rich beef brisket that will melt in your mouth after long cooking. Chinese Beef and Barley Soup Ingredients: 500g beef brisket - cubed 1 onion - minced 3 cloves garlic - minced 3 bay leaves 1-2 tbsp butter 2 tomatoes - cut to bite-size piece...

My favourite running route at the moment starts from Zion Riverside Food Centre, off Kim Seng Road, that goes along the Singapore River and passes Robertson Quay, Clarke Quay, and all the way to Boat Quay. It offers stunning views of numerous high-rise condominiums, gentle river and dense greenery. This loop along the river and back is a good 6km long. Perfect for a morning boost of energy! Running along the Singapore River, with the water flowing beside me, and the air crisp and cool in the morning is extremely calming. And the myriad of sensory delights along the way makes the run enjoyably effortless. At the end of the route, there is a great range of dining options, plenty of quirky cafes and eateries, to rest your feet and reward yourself. But the best thing about running here is that there is NO exhaust fume! The smell of fresh air is something that we don't ...

I like to use spring onions for cooking and garnishing, but can't seem to finish 1 entire pack bought from the supermarket. The pack of spring onions tend to go bad faster than I can use up. I have now stopped buying them, and grow my own instead. Firstly, they are easy and quick to grow. Secondly, they are much cheaper than buying from supermarkets. And most importantly, they are fresh and ready to be used as and when I need them. I use a lot of shallots in my cooking and always have some in the pantry. Often times, they start sprouting before I can finish them up. These are in fact perfect for growing into spring onions. I usually separate a bunch of them. If the shallots have started growing some roots below, they are even better as the growing process will be faster. Unfortunately, shallots that are already soft can't be used and better to chuck them away. Now all you have to do is get a pot of soil, plant the shallots into the soil, with the sprouts facing ...

This recipe is a delicious and healthy alternative to preparing eggplants. When frying eggplants, they soak up loads of oil very quickly. But steaming makes the eggplants go really tender and moist, and lighter to eat. With garlic and soy sauce thrown into the mix, you just know this will be a winner. It is light, healthy and delicious - wonderful served with warm rice. Steamed Eggplants with Garlic Soy Sauce Ingredients: 1 large eggplant - quartered and cut to 5cm lengths Sauce: 1 tbsp. cooking oil ½ tbsp. sesame oil 2 tbsp. soy sauce 1 tsp sugar dash of pepper 2 cloves garlic - minced 1 shallot - minced Instructions: Steam eggplants in a steamer for 7-10 minutes until desired doneness. Remove then arrange on a serving plate. Heat cooking oil on a frying pan, fry garlic and shallot till lightly browned. Continue moving them around so they don't burn. Pour the rest of the sauce ingredients into frying pan and cook until bubbling. Remove sa...