Jamie's 30 minute meals. MADE.

How to whip up a meal that impresses.

All the time.

Every Time.

In 30 minutes.

These were some of Jamie's 30 minute meal recipes that we've tried and tested this long weekend.

Adapted from the recipes on 

www.jamieoliver.com/

Perfect roast potatoes

Tips & tweaks:

Use Yukon Gold potatoes.

They are my gold standard for baked carbs that are worth every single calorie.

Salt generously.

And those cloves of garlic would be so sweet, you wish you put more in the first place.

Mustard chicken with leek

Tips & tweaks:

Even a non mustard lover would eat this all up.

The taste of wholegrain mustard is not the same as mustard from a squeeze bottle on hotdogs.

Just so there was gravy,

some chicken broth was added.

And because bacon ANYTHING tastes like heaven,

some roughly chopped pieces of bacon were thrown in. 

Leek.

More leek definitely.

It was a lot more watery that planned but the unmistakable sweetness from the mustard and savoury tinge from the bacon was unmistakable.

And perhaps the added taste dimensions of some pan fried crisp bacon as toppings in the next attempt.

The best pork chops sans the crackling

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/the-best-pork-chops-with-fresh-bay-salt-crackling-and-squashed-purple-potatoes

Cubed carrots and beetroot.

Sage.

Rosemary.

And a generous drizzle of olive oil.

As always.

Roast them for half an hour at 220 degrees celcius.

Tips & tweaks:

The meats were marinated for about 3 hours.

The honey was omitted.

The apple cider did wonders to lock in the juice in the pork chops.

Side salad of lettuce, chopped sundried tomatoes, pitted olives and cubed feta cheese.

Generously drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Top with roughly torn pieces of turkey breast.

Now that's what I call a HAPPY MEAL :)

and a healthy one at that.

Yum.

Where tired feet become happy feet :)

Located at 4A Maju Avenue,

this outlet at Serangoon Gardens was a breeze for me to locate.

Right above Cedele, opposite myVillage.

The main glass door albeit a little too cluttered with information,

offered everything that one needed to know without having to walk in to ask about services AND prices.

Which I really appreciated. :)

All these weary feet getting their rest upstairs.

I could hardly wait to get up there myself!

I was a little early for my appointment which gave me time to google about Foot Haven.

To be honest, I took the reviews with a pinch of salt. 

My only experience of a foot massage was in the Siem Reap night market.

While that was awesomely cheap and good, I wasn't one to take tickles and pain on the soles of my feet and calves well.

Especially not when I'm just a bunch of knots, a day after my Gunung Berlumut climb with Y-Treks.

I was gently jolted from my reverie when the lady at the reception stepped in. 

She immediately served some hot tea and even offered some biscuits in case I was hungry.

How's that for service?

She also brought over the treatment menu for me to pick my preferred treatment.

On her recommendation, I picked their popular signature of 30 minutes of foot and 30 minutes of shoulder and neck.

http://www.feethaven.com/services.html

Oxygen therapy- CPR anyone?

This was an interesting product indeed.

I wonder how they're used.

The interior was dimly lit and could have up to 6 people doing their foot massages at the same time.

I saw a couple of customers walking in and the phone line was kept really busy but there were however, only three male masseuses available today.

Too many tired feet, too little hands.

This lady was a regular customer and she had some special tea leaves added to her foot soak.

When she asked her masseuse why?

She was told it was simply because she was special.

Awh.

And you wonder why people keep coming back.

It's like home. :)

While I didn't get tea leaves, I did get a pair of SPORT shorts!

I was in a short skirt which although would've been covered well by the felt blanket,

would not have been the most comfortable for me to stay in for the session.

Especially not if I was about to squirm in pain.

So Alan, thank you.

It was a gesture I appreciated.

That's what heaven feels like.

Say hello to -almost- happy feet.

What really impressed me was how Alan seemed to know everything at his fingertips.

Literally.

One press and he knew.

Not general statements that pain on some area of the sole equated to some area in our human system.

But through the course of the massage, he was spot on that my heartbeat was slower than the average.

Which was exactly what my TCM lady had told me.

There was also an area near my shoulder blade which he pressed and left me yelping in pain.

He asked if I always drank cold water- which I unfortunately always do.

When I asked if it meant I shouldn't drink cold water anymore, he wasn't quick to give a definite yes.

He just told me that it could mean early onset of arthritis and told me to get a rubdown more frequently to prevent it from happening.

And he promptly went to prepare a cup of warm water for me at the end of my session.

I am impressed.

Still am.

#nofilter.

I left Feet Haven looking like I am Cloud Nine.

Those spanking reviews were all truth and nothing but the truth.

Although you could definitely take my word for it.

But you should try it to believe it. 

Not just for feet.

They have full body massages and even gua sha and ba guan which can be added on to any of the services.

Spoilt for choice?

I don't know about you.

But I've been spoilt by today's session. :)

Quote: Bloggerspecialszemin for a 10% discount.

One Tonne of Wontons! :)

 Marketing started at 8am this morning. 

Two packets of baby bokchoi.

A handful of chestnuts, prawns and minced pork.

Blanch the baby bok choi in a pot of boiling water with a dash of oil and a sprinkling of salt.

To the minced pork, diced prawns and chestnuts,

Add:

A generous sprinkle of white pepper.

A dash of light soy sauce.

A heaped tablespoon of oyster sauce.

A generous drizzle of sesame oil and shaoxing wine.

Toss them up till well combined.

Rope in the family to join in for the wonton wrapping. :)

Prepare a pot of boiling water to boil up batches of wontons.

Till you get a whole tonne of them.

And while we're at it.

Chop up some onions (since we ran out of shallots)

and fry them over low heat for some shallot oil.

These weren't burnt.

They were actually sweet and pretty yums!

Don't underestimate the fragrance that the shallot (fried onion) oil imparts to the dish.

Add it to the soup or the noodles.

Or both!

Pick up some of those roasted meats from your friendly local roast meat seller at the wet market.

Which comes with a soy based gravy.

Toss the wonton noodles in a tablespoon of the soy sauce gravy.

Top with blanched baby bokchoi, roast meats and a generous serving of wontons! :)

Serve with a bowl of piping hot chicken broth.

That was one tonne of work for some wonton noodles.

Well worth the effort.

Well fed for the night! :)

The Super Reigns Supreme @ Pizza Hut

Here today.

Gone -tomato-

This is going to be a -pizza- history.

-Cheese- man!

Puns totally intended.

Pizza Hut is running a $10 takeaway promotion on their regular pan pizzas.

I chose the Super Supreme.

Which comes with a whole load of toppings.

We're talking ground beef, Italian sausages, beef pepperoni, chicken ham, capsicum, onions, olives, mushrooms and all the sunshine of pineapple chunks.

Plus all that cheese.

On every slice.

Like you see on the picture above.

And having that pizza just ten minutes after my takeaway made all the difference in the world.

I'm finishing up the crust simple because it's crisp on the outside and chewy on the soft interiors.

All of that melty cheese and all-in toppings.

It was a regular pan-pizza.

But I finished it all just as it were a personal pan-pizza.

Mmm Mmm!