


EASY COOKING, FESTIVE FLAVOURS
Taste & Tales

Blog 24: Attitude towards failure
At DayDayCook, we face many failures and challenges every day. Small failures include a burnt baked cake, a chicken that's not tender enough, or fish that's not cooked enough... Larger failures include company decisions, promotional efforts, and new product sales that aren't as good as expected. I believe every company has experienced these situations. During these times, some may offer comfort, others may gloat over my misfortune. But my first thought is usually: how to face and resolve the current situation. Facing failure: Although I feel fear and panic, I tell myself not to become discouraged and lose my fighting spirit and confidence. Addressing the current situation: Life's path isn't always smooth and unobstructed! By learning from and drawing lessons from each experience, mustering the courage to try again, I can steadily move toward success. Here are my own tips for facing failure and resolving current situations: 1. Be brave enough to face failure Don't be afraid of failure, and don't let it discourage you from taking on new challenges. You're not the only one who experiences failure; in fact, everyone does. Talk to someone you trust; they might be able to offer unexpected advice and share their experiences. 2. Learn from it and draw lessons Once you're able to face your failures calmly, start by understanding the reasons for your failures. Once you've identified the reasons, adjust your existing plans. Even if you don't achieve success immediately, you can make the experience of failure valuable and prepare you for your next challenge.

What’s in Season? My Top 5 Autumn Fruits and Vegetables for Cooking & Baking By Charmaine So
It is always a good idea to eat according to the season. As the weather changes so does the fresh produce that is available. Each season offers a wide selection of beautiful fresh produce that are fresher and sweeter because the fruits and vegetables have been naturally ripened on the vine or the tree and harvested at the right time. This also means that they are more flavourful, nutritious and much cheaper since the crops are harvested in large quantity. I really love autumn. As the weather is starting to cool off, we get to spend more time in the kitchen, making slow cooked stews, braising meats and baking delicious warming desserts. From beautiful figs and juicy pears to dark leafy greens to sweet root vegetables and squashes, who could resist these seasonal goodies? Everyone should make the most of what they can find at the markets this autumn and cook up the best dishes that this season has to offer. Here are some of my favourite autumn fruits and vegetables: 1. Figs I think figs are one of the most beautiful fruits around with their deep dark purple skin and rosy pink flesh and their tiny brown seeds. Fresh figs are delicate, aromatic and have a floral sweetness. They are great on their own but are also a wonderful addition to desserts, cheese platters and some savoury dishes. Figs go bad very easily because of their low acidity and high moisture and sugar content. It is best to eat them within a day or two. But they can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Balsamic Chicken with Figs Recipes: http://bit.ly/2zSMoO6 Breakfast Crepe with Figs and Pears Recipes: http://bit.ly/2h5zmZ3 2. Plums There are many different varieties of plums with colours varying from deep purple to red, yellow and green. The chalky white colour on the skin is natural, so do not worry that. Plums are sweet and juicy and are great on their own. But I love to make dessert with them because plums can hold their shape well even after baking and cooking. They are very versatile and you can roast them, poach them and bake the in pies and crumbles. Just remember to take the pit out. Plum Clafoutis Recipe:http://bit.ly/2h8u6E9 3. Grapes You can pretty much get grapes all year round now but they are the best during late summer and into autumn. Look for plump and firm grapes. With green grapes, they should be slightly yellow and with red grapes they should be bright crimson. You can add grapes to salads, jams and even stuffing for pork and chicken to give the dish a fresh sweetness. Pork Chop with Rosemary and Seedless Red Grapes Recipe: http://bit.ly/2ynxtP2 4. Winter Squash Winter squash includes different types of hard-skinned squash from dark green to orange and yellow skins. Their flesh is usually yellow to deep orange and turns super sweet and starchy when cooked. There are many ways you can cook a squash from roasting to stir frying to pureeing them into sauce and soups. Thai Style Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup Recipes: http://bit.ly/2hRRlP4 Spaghetti with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce Recipes: http://bit.ly/2yo80oo 5. Mushrooms A little bit of a cheat here but who can resist mushrooms! Mushrooms are not vegetables but are fungi. A lot of the variety can be found throughout the year but they are the most abundant and tasty in autumn. From the most popular white button mushrooms to Portobello mushrooms to the more exotic chanterelles and morels, they all add a touch of earthiness to the dishes. Mushrooms are wonderful in stews, soups, stir frys and salads. When buying mushrooms, look for firm and dry ones without much bruises and wrinkles. Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Pesto, Tomatoes and Feta Cheese Recipes: http://bit.ly/2zbZecH

Your Guide to Common Types of Pasta By Charmaine So
Pasta is just simple and wonderful. They are always a good idea for quick and easy weeknight dinners because they take no more than 30 minutes to cook. When we go down the pasta aisle in the supermarket, we tend to go with the familiar and grab a pack of spaghetti or penne. Here are my top 5 favourite pasta to use and suggestions on the type of sauces that you should pair them with. 1. Spaghetti I would think this is the most popular type of pasta all around and there is a reason why spaghetti is so loved by all. I think it is the perfect size where it is not too wide or thin. Spaghetti gives us the satisfaction of forkful of beautiful noodles, twirled and hung onto just the right amount of sauce. The shape of spaghetti is also very similar to a few types of Chinese noodles, such as米線 and 瀨粉, and I think that is why many Hong Kong style restaurants (cha chan tang) like to use spaghetti for fried noodle dishes. Cook time: 10 – 12 minutes Ideal sauces: loose tomato sauces, olive oils, light yet flavourful sauces such as white wine clam sauce and different types of pestos. 2. Linguine Very similar to spaghetti, linguine has a flatter and wider shape which makes it a little sturdier to hold onto thicker and chunkier sauces. I think linguine is a more luxurious version of spaghetti Cook time: 10 – 12 minutes Ideal sauces: cream sauce, seafood sauce, tomato meat sauce 3. Pappardelle This wide ribbons of egg pasta is so scrumptious and I always save them for special occasions or cold winter nights. It pairs really well with autumn and winter flavours such as aromatic herbs, rich cheeses and gamey meats because these noodles are so wide, they are quite filling. Wonderful chunky bits from the sauce get tangled between the flat noodles and each bite it’s very satisfying. Cook time: 8 – 10 minutes Ideal sauces: chunky and heavy meat ragu creamy wild mushrooms sauces. 4. Rigatoni This type of pasta is just like penne, tube-like and with ridges on the outside. The ridges help thicker sauces cling to the pasta. They are a little bigger and are cut square rather than at an angle. I love rigatoni because you can toss them with chunky sauces but also bake them in the oven. They hold their shape well and do not turn too soft when baked when compared to other types of pastas. Cook time: 11 – 13 minutes Ideal sauces: Chunky meat or vegetable sauces and thicker cream sauce. Good for baking. 5. Fusilli Fusilli is curly, like corkscrews. They are beautiful on a plate and the space between the pasta is perfect to hold onto coarse sauces. Fusilli is also great for pasta salads because of the same reason: chunks of ham or tuna and other vegetables will get trapped in the screw threads, making each bite delicious. Cook time: 8 – 10 minutes Ideal sauces: cheesy pasta sauces, coarse tomato meat/vegetable sauce, pestos, pasta salads and baked pastas.
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