Chickens, Start Your Own Chicken Coop Today!

Mankind has enjoyed a unique relationship with the chicken from time immemorial. No other animal has provided such intelligent, loyal service in producing egg's, chicken manure and meat. It's estimated that an astonishing number of chickens of approximately 40Bn. end up in yearly food production. e.g. chicken wings, feets and chicken breast etc.

Another interesting aspect that most of us don't know is the fact that domesticated chickens have been bred by humans from Asian jungle fowl. The chicken is the closest known relative to the great Tyrannosaurus-Rex.

Differences in terrain, climate and man's requirements have shaped and developed the wide variety of types and breeds of chicken existing today. There are hundreds of chicken breeds in existence, some are exclusively meant for meat production whereas some others are better egg producers. 

An interesting list of chicken breeds can be tracked in Wikipedia under: Summary of Chicken Breeds around the World

Many breeds were selected and are used primarily for producing eggs, these are mostly light-weight birds whose hens do not go broody often. The most interesting breeds that are used for egg production are the following breeds of chicken: The Ameraucana, Ancona, Andalusian, Araucana, Asturian Painted Hen, Barnevelder, Campine, Catalana, Easter Egger, Egyptian Fayoumi, Norwegian Jærhøne, Kraienköppe (Twentse), Lakenvelder, Leghorn, Marans, Minorca, Orloff, Penedesenca, Sicilian Buttercup, White-Faced, Black Spanish and Welsummer.

Most farms and homesteads use dual-purpose breeds for meat production. Some breeds are raised mainly for meat: Bresse, Inxworth, Cornish and Jersey Giant


How much does it cost to raise backyard chickens?

The good news is chickens are really not that expensive to keep and there are lots of ways to cut costs and save money. This article will give you an idea of how much you can expect to fork out for the chickens and their basic needs, as well as some ongoing costs. Let's say your starting small, with only 3 hens. The estimated and approximate costs would be:

Chickens: $3.00 to $30.00 per chicken depending on breed and age.

Coop: $50.00 (secondhand/recycled) to $600.00 (new)

Feed approximately $15.00 per month.

Miscellaneous $10.00 per month.

More than just financially the challenging part will be the amount of time that you will be investing in the upkeep. Don't forget once school holidays start, you will need someone to take care after your chickens and upkeep the coop and surroundings. But all other than that dedication and affection to your daily job is key to success. The chickens will compensate the keeper in return with fresh and healthy eggs!

What else is important to have ?

Hanging feeder:

Chickens will eat out of anything you put in front of them, but using plastic ware or metal bowls means you’ll be refilling them all too often. Plastic or galvanized steel hanging feeders are inexpensive and can be found in a variety of sizes to accommodate any size brood. I have a 15-pound capacity hopper and only need to refill it about once a week. The other advantage of the hanging feeder is that it positions the feed high enough off the ground to protect it from moisture and rodents and also cuts down on the mess made by sloppy chickens.

Natural Chicken Poop Smell Removal

Waterer: 

Keeping fresh water available to the flock is essential. Chickens can only survive a couple of days without hydration, so forgetting to refill an undersized bowl every day can spell catastrophe. Large capacity waterers are inexpensive and easy to use, but I can do you one better. An automatic dog waterer connected to a garden hose will provide consistently fresh water and completely eliminates the need to refill. Mount the dish six inches or so from the ground to keep grit or bedding from being kicked into the bowl. Make sure it’s sturdy. Chickens love to perch and the edge of the waterer is as good a place as any for an indiscriminate chicken.

Utility lamp: 

Chickens do just fine in cold weather, but they aren’t going to complain if you throw a little more heat their way with an overhead lamp. In the the winter months, when daylight is at a premium, a light left on in the coop will also encourage egg production.

A wonderful hobby

Raising your own chicken is a fun thing to do and you will get fresh eggs every day. It also teaches your children to become responsible. Instead of just letting the kids spend most of their time watching television or Play-station you could get them involved in maintaining your mini farm. This way, as young as they are, they are already giving their own chores which teach them how to handle a bit of responsibility. I know it's easier said than done but this could be a good alternative to pass most of your time more productively.

Tortilla de Patata - Simply the Best

Well certainly what defines a great dish is your own taste to start with, and your own palate, and if you like that type of dishes, you know? Ingredient may be the most important part of a dish for me. To start with the simplest and greatest of all times is Spanish cuisine. The Spanish Tortilla is a great dish that can be prepared any time and the ingredients can be easily found anywhere on earth! Tortilla is a super dish for old and young! When I get back from work and don't know what to cook, the first thing that pops in my mind is the Spanish tortilla. It's so easy to make and can be prepared for less than ten bucks. It's a real bargain which saves you costs but also time in preparing the exquisite dish for your loved ones. I consider this the basic recipe for Spanish Tortilla and aim to show you that with this Tortilla recipe the making of this Spanish quiche or savory pie's really not difficult at all! You will find this easy Tortilla recipe - which contains only eggs, potato, onion, salt and pepper on the counter of just about every Spanish tapas bar, often accompanied by one or more variations on the recipe.

For this Tortilla recipe for the classic Spanish eggs and potato quiche you will need the following ingredients.

1 Pound Potato, in thin slices;
1 Onion, medium size, in thin slices;
4 Eggs;
dash Milk
5 or 6 tablespoons Olive Oil (for baking of the potato and onion);
1 tablespoon Olive Oil (for baking of the Tortilla);
1/4 teaspoon Salt (or to taste);
fair dash Black Pepper, preferably freshly ground;

The above quantities of Potato, Onion and Egg should be enough to make a nice Spanish Tortilla, of which you can cut eight or twelve beautiful slices.

Spanish Tortilla Preparation

Preparation of a Spanish Tortilla is really a lot easier than it would seem:

• Heat the Olive Oil in a Saucepan and softly sautee the Potato, Onion, Salt and Pepper for like fifteen minutes until the Potatoes are just done; Keep stirring the mix regularly, you want the Potato and Onion to look golden, not burned;

• Leave the Onion and Potato mix to cool until luke warm; Putting the mix in a colander on top of a bowl is an efficient way to get rid of the excess oil;

• Stir the Milk through the Eggs, add a pinch of Salt and freshly ground Pepper, and stir thoroughly;

• Add the Onion and Potato mix to the Eggs, stir softly until you are sure that all potato particles are covered on all sides, and leave to rest for a minute or so;

• Heat the tablespoon of Olive Oil in an 8 inch (20cm) diameter frying pan or skillet;

• Slide the Egg and Potato mix into the frying pan; Use the backside of a fork or spoon to push any pieces of Potato protruding from the mix back down, making sure everything is covered in egg;

• Bake the Tortilla for like a minute on medium heat, then switch heat to low; Depending on how far you let the Onion and Potato mix cool down, it may take anywhere in between 10 to 20 minutes for the Egg at the top to get done; You may use a lid on the pan to retain the heat;

• As soon as the Egg at the top of the Tortilla sets, slide a large flat plate on top of the frying pan and turn the Tortilla around on the plate; Slide the Tortilla upside down back into the frying pan:

• Few minutes later it's done! 

Mango - Love it or Hate it

Mango, love it or hate it it's there several times a year to make us happy. You'd be surprised to find out how many recipes include Mango itself. You'd be surprised that the best Mango's come from Pakistan and recently Australia has been picking up a lot in production and quality as well. Fresh mango season lasts from April until August. I consider myself as fortunate by living in the tropics always guarantees to discover great choices of Mangoes at affordable pricing. In the West a Mango could easily hit $5.50 whereas in South East Asia you could possibly catch a good Mango at approximately $2.50 which is a tremendous bargain! Mango isn't really the King of Fruits, that privilege is already taken by the legendary Durian fruit. All in all Mango is a magic fruit loved by young and old. I happen to do my daily walk a dog and took my camera to record the latest mango season. Parrots attacking the fruits due to its sweetness and its likely one of the birds favorite fruit. Unfortunately it doesn't grow freely everywhere around the globe but here in Singapore you can be assured that a Mango trees succeed like boom town charlie!

A fierce competitor.. some of the Mangoes benefits are:

• Mango fruit is rich in pre-biotic dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and poly-phenolic flavonoid antioxidant compounds.
• According to new research study, mango fruit has been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. Several trial studies suggest that polyphenolic anti-oxidant compounds in mango are known to offer protection against breast and colon cancers.
• Mango fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin-A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, andbeta-cryptoxanthin. 100 g of fresh fruit provides 765 mg or 25% of recommended daily levels of vitamin A. Together; these compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes is known to protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
• Fresh mango is a good source of potassium. 100 g fruit provides 156 mg of potassium while just 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
• It is also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals. Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine is required for GABA hormone production within the brain. It also controls homocystiene levels within the blood, which may otherwise be harmful to blood vessels resulting in CAD and stroke.
• Further, it composes moderate amounts of copper. Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as co-factors for this enzyme are manganese and zinc). Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells.

Perfect eaten on their own, mangoes are also delicious in salads, paired with chicken, in desserts or grilled on the barbecue. Some special Mango recipes:

Lettuce, avocado and mango salad

Ingredients:

1 green oak lettuce, torn into small pieces
1 large avocado, diced
1 large mango, diced
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1 tablespoon olive oil
                                                          1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1. Combine lettuce, avocado, mango, almonds and cranberries in a bowl.
2. Whisk oil and vinegar together in a jug. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over lettuce mixture. Toss to combine. Serve.

Low fat mango fool

Ingredients:
150g low-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla custard
2 large ripe mangoes, peeled, roughly chopped

8 pieces almond bread

1.Place ricotta in a food processor. Process until creamy. Pour in custard and pulse until just combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Wash and dry food processor bowl.
2. Process mango until smooth. Reserve 1/3 cup mango puree. Fold remaining mango puree into ricotta mixture.
3. Half-fill four 1-cup capacity glasses with mango-ricotta mixture. Spoon over reserved puree. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or longer, if time permits. Serve with almond bread.

Vanilla Bourbon Bacon

I had finally time to catch up with an good old friend for breakfast this morning, he single-handedly inhaled
almost an entire pound of bacon (It must have been his Wednesday ritual), which made me got to thinking about it more. Why is it that so many people love bacon? We love it so much that we even top lots of our foods with it now. Menu items including bacon have risen almost 30% in the past few years. Designers and artists are inspired by it and create all sorts of bacon concepts. Why?

I suddenly needed to know, and I went on an information hunting spree. After all, almost everyone I know loves bacon. I even know vegetarians who are tempted by the smell of bacon on the griddle. Another interesting fact is that not all pig breeds are suitable for good bacon. As per statistic there are about 73 pig breeds on earth, non officially about one hundred. It's always amazing to find out how many dishes and even deserts can be combined with Bacon. Ever heard of Vanilla Bourbon Bacon Molasses Cookies with Bourbon Glaze ? So here you have it. A cookie jam-packed with not only bacon, but booze as well! Well, the cookies are just as bacolicious without the booze, but we know you really want it!


For the cookies, you will need:

1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup of cooled bacon grease (or shortening)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Chopped Vanilla Bourbon Bacon

Line an edged baking sheet with foil. Lay the bacon strips onto the foil, then place in the oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees and set the timer for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, drain bacon strips over the pan then set them aside. Pour the hot bacon grease into a small measuring cup and let it cool completely (put it in the fridge to speed this up). You will use this bacon grease to replace the shortening in this recipe. If you do not have enough grease, fill the rest of the 3/4 cup with shortening.

While the grease is cooling, measure out the remaining ingredients and chop up the bacon. Use as much bacon as you want and enjoy a few pieces while you’re waiting for your grease to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the grease/shortening and sugars. Beat in the eggs. Add remaining ingredients. Drop dough by spoonful onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Do not flatten. If the dough is too soft, refrigerate until more firm. Bake about 9 minutes. Carefully remove them from the cookie sheet and allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes.

Bourbon Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup bourbon
1/2 cup dark brown sugar

In a medium saucepan melt butter, then add the brown sugar. Whisk in the bourbon, stirring constantly. Once it begins to bubble, turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the mixture bubble for 10 minutes or so. It will bubble and rise in the pan so keep whisking it! The longer you let it bubble, the thicker your glaze will be.

To serve, drizzle the glaze over the cookies or serve the cookies with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of the Bourbon Glaze on top!

These cookies are perfect for family gatherings and summer picnics and potlucks. They’re also ideal for using up all of the leftover bacon grease you've been accumulating in your refrigerator!

Oysters, They're Simply The Best!

One cannot write anything about oysters without saying,”Some people love ‘em. Some people hate ‘em.” The key to a good oyster is freshness. It should smell of the seashore as the tide recedes over seaweed-covered rocks. It should be full in the shell, firm in texture, and brimming with the natural juice that is its life blood (not just sea water); every spare drop of this should be soaked up with bread. The heel of the oyster, in the deep part of the shell, should be a creamy or ivory colour. The frill should be moist and pulsating, and the oyster should always look bright. Finally, if the shell isn't firmly closed it should do so immediately when tapped.

It is extremely rare to have a "bad" oyster, as fisheries have to purify them in clean water for 48 hours. I have friends who can down several dozen in one session, but they have been eating them for years. Oysters deliver a potent hit of pure protein and minerals, so over-indulgence can be too much for the system, just as too much alcohol can – avoid drinking spirits with them. Oyster flesh has a wondrous texture and, like any piece of meat, should be chewed. This also releases the full flavor, and the juice from the shell completes the experience. (Some insist on swallowing oysters in one; each to their own.)

They can be zipped up with lemon juice, vinegar, seasoning or Tabasco sauce. And, if you're not keen on raw shellfish, they can be lightly grilled, fried or baked in a little sauce. The most amazing Oyster that I had was at Oscar's Conrad Hotel in Singapore last November. I really enjoyed an impressive buffet with a wide range of international and local cuisine, and most importantly my all time favorite, super delicious Oysters! Although you could find Oysters at $1 in Singapore, i'd suggest that when it comes to Oysters you should not go for what is cheap, fact is that Oyster quality plays a fundamental role! I'd rather avoid eating Oysters instead of eating them in a fucked up bar with mediocre hygiene standards.

Here are some benefits of eating oysters:

1. Oysters contain more zinc than any other food. Zinc is necessary for proper growth and development, strengthens the immune system and promotes healing.

2. Oysters are heart healthy. They are high in omega – 3 fatty acids, potassium and magnesium which can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and lower blood pressure.

3. Oysters can help you lose weight! They are low in calories, low in fat and a good source of protein which makes you feel fuller after eating.

4. Oysters are a good source of other essential nutrients. These include vitamins A, E, and C, zinc, iron, calcium, selenium, and vitamin B12.

5. Oysters can help improve your energy. They are a good source of iron which helps the body transport oxygen to individual cells giving you more energy.

6. Oysters can help lower your cholesterol. A study done by the University of Washington found that eating oysters can help raise the HDLs (good cholesterol levels) and lower the LDL’s (bad cholesterol levels).
Other interesting tidbits about oysters:

Other interesting aspects of Oysters

1. Oysters taste better in cooler weather. Spawning, which occurs in the warmer months of May, June, July and August, affects the taste. They are not bad, just not as tasty as in the cooler months.

2. Oysters are considered to be an aphrodisiac. American and Italian researchers found that they were rich in amino acids which trigger increased levels of sex hormones. Their high zinc content aids the production of testosterone.

3. Oysters can be safely eaten in non “R” months. The rule of thumb before refrigeration was not to eat oysters in months whose names have no “R”. This would be May through August when the hot weather would not allow for safe storage of the oysters. Thankfully, for all us oyster lovers, refrigeration makes it possible to eat them all year round!

4. Oysters are good for your garden. Oyster shells are high in calcium which helps balance your soil’s pH. Calcium also helps build strong cell walls which leads to healthier plants. BUT – don’t just throw your oyster shells in the garden though, they should be ground – or you could just purchase the ground oyster shell lime at the local garden center.

5. Oysters can contain harmful bacteria. Be sure of your source! Oysters are filter feeders meaning that they concentrate anything present in the surrounding water. In the gulf coast area, there would occasionally be warnings (after heavy rains causing the potential for water contamination), not to eat the bay seafood.

6. Shucking (opening) oysters is a competitive sport. Shucking oyster competitions are held worldwide. There is even a Guinness World Oyster Opening Championship in Galway, Ireland.

7. Eating oysters is environmentally friendly. They are on the Seafood Watch list as a “best choice”. This means that seafood in this category is abundant, well-managed and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways.

A Year Full of Food Scandals

UK supermarket burgers have been found to contain horse meat, remember ? Well, that is nothing compared to many food scandals that happened around the world this year. Some cases shocking but less hazardous and some others simply too much into crime. It goes from dishonesty in labelling giant tiger prawns to make a "Japanese tiger prawn" terrine, sold under the luxury French brand Fauchon. They're making their products seem more luxurious than in reality and another astonishing case of exploding water melons full of chemicals or rat meat sold as lamb in China early this year. According to a statement made by Ministry of Public Security, If you have ordered lamb or mutton for hotpot in Shanghai over the last four years, you might have been served rat, fox or mink.

For food and drinks companies, rising obesity rates present a conundrum. Companies have a duty to their shareholders to make money. All big food companies are working hard to sell more products to more of the world. Many unhealthy products are very profitable. But companies do not want to be vilified for helping to make people fatter. The spectre of government regulation looms large. Many firms are now conflicted, continuing to hawk unhealthy products yet also touting elaborate plans to improve nutrition. They insist they will help lower obesity rates, not raise them, but there is room for doubt. So make sure once you out there, to select your food brand wisely and spend one minute of your time to read the ingredients labelled on the food product. This year was definitely another year of mistrust in food industry, that seems to be fairly obvious. 

What is Healthy and What is Not

Nutrition is nowadays a pretty controversial topic, what is healthy and what is not? When it comes to food, we have plenty of mediatic choices such as TV, newspapers, online, and other media that pass on a daily dose of brainwashing to its readers to believe that everything is good for us. As long you purchase and consume what they think is good for you, life becomes eternal and we will never die of any heart disease or cancer. Well, if you believe what your daily newspaper claims, then we must be living in Alice in Wonderland!

We are often victims of our own success, I happen to come across people who think they are too fat, too slim and some who think they look ugly and can't get rid of their high heels. If you can't hold on to the horse's mane then don't try to hang on to its tail! 

The key to longevity is certainly not about appearance but nutritional diversity and a balanced state of mind. It's like holding securities in a portfolio, if you invest in one single vehicle.. the chances that markets turn against you are considerably high. But if you diversify, you'll soon notice that diversification is what is needed to progress in life. The same thing goes for food and the way we look at things. The more we worry, the more things tend to happen in the opposite direction.

So, it's necessary to cultivate a philosophical aspect of what we want to have, when, and lastly how we going to get healthy stuff from super supermarket or farmer next door. My great-grandma passed away when she hit 104 years of age by accident and surprisingly not by age. She quit smoking at 98 years of age, and lived a pretty hard life. Left alone with three kids, one of whom passed away early with tuberculosis. Nevertheless, she had very strong willpower and a diet based on pasta, vegetables, beans, tomatoes, and chicken. Occasionally in the early morning hours, she loved to enjoy a good glass of Italian grappa (hard liquor). This is just one out of many examples of people who were going through hell in their lives but yet had long live spans. Then there are other unfortunate ones that always watch out for what they consume, do not smoke, do not drink but yet die at 45 of heart failure or prostate cancer. 

Cancer has touched many of us in some way. Whether we know of or have overcome cancer ourselves, or know someone who has passed away from it, we can all draw some form of intimate connection to the disease. There are plenty of foods that can be healthy or unhealthy, it's all about dosage in life. One example could be the southeast Asian fruit Soursop, a flowering evergreen that is said to kill cancer cells effectively and does not produce the same undesirable side effects. On the other hand, another study suggests that high consumption in Soursop could lead to a form of movement disorder such as Parkinson,'s etc. By the side of sickness, health becomes sweet and most of us remember this fact when it's too late. 

Remember, health is wealth in life and anything else will follow smoothly.. 

Your question is quite broad, and health can refer to various aspects of life, including physical health, mental health, and even the health of systems or objects. Here's a general breakdown of what is considered healthy and what is not in different contexts:

Physical Health:Healthy: A person with good physical health typically has a balanced diet, regular exercise, and maintains a healthy weight. They may also have no chronic illnesses, good cardiovascular health, and strong immune function.

Not Healthy: Poor physical health may involve a lack of exercise, an unhealthy diet, being overweight or underweight, suffering from chronic diseases, and having a weakened immune system.

Mental Health: Healthy: Good mental health is characterized by emotional well-being, the ability to cope with stress and life's challenges, positive self-esteem, and healthy relationships.

Not Healthy: Poor mental health may involve conditions like anxiety, depression, or other mental illnesses, as well as chronic stress, low self-esteem, and unhealthy or toxic relationships.

Environmental Health: Healthy: A healthy environment is one with clean air and water, sustainable ecosystems, and minimal pollution. It supports the well-being of both humans and other species.

Not Healthy: An unhealthy environment may be polluted, contaminated, or otherwise compromised, leading to negative consequences for ecosystems and human health.

Economic Health: Healthy: A healthy economy is characterized by low unemployment, stable prices, and sustained economic growth. It provides opportunities for people to earn a living and improve their quality of life.

Not Healthy: Economic downturns, high unemployment rates, inflation, and income inequality can indicate an unhealthy economy.

Relationships:Healthy: Healthy relationships are built on trust, communication, mutual respect, and support. They foster emotional well-being and personal growth.

Not Healthy: Unhealthy relationships can involve abuse, manipulation, lack of trust, poor communication, and emotional neglect.

Systems and Objects:Healthy: In the context of systems and objects, "healthy" often means functioning as intended without defects or malfunctions.

Not Healthy: "Not healthy" in this context typically refers to systems or objects that are broken, damaged, or not working properly.

It's important to note that what is considered healthy or not can vary depending on the specific context and individual circumstances. Additionally, promoting and maintaining health in various aspects of life often requires ongoing effort and attention to make positive changes and address issues when they arise.

The Perfect Mousse Au Chocolat

Chocolate mousse has never lost it's attraction of perfect desert to me.. it's basically a mousse that can fit to any type of menue.  Folding method is very crucial and important, don't over whip it, otherwise you will get a chocolate sauce and not mousse. So, treat this mousse as if it's your first date, be gentle to it and love it ! that will guaranty great results! I happen to try mousse au chocolat the first time in 1996 during hotel management school in Switzerland. It was amazing and I was always wondering on how they do it! Now, after many years I have had the privilege to find and try it out myself... a wonder thing that is not rocket science but simply discipline action following the steps that it requires. Celebrity Chefs would certainly become jobless on TV if you follow this recipe and not theirs, TV shows do not always have the best recipe...

Chocolate mousse is all about ingredients and the way you whip the mousse. There are only three ingredients, so they should be fresh and high-quality. Have your bowl and whisk for the egg whites immaculately clean and your cream very cold. If you've done these things, you’ll end up with a rich and perfectly whipped mousse that can kick the ass of any chocolate pudding. Another interesting aspect is that lot's of five star hotels have chocolate mousse on the menue, did you ever noticed that ?

These are the steps that you must strictly follow! Trust me, once you completed the mousse, it can taste even better than sex. So, try it yourself! Here the ingredients and steps!

Ingredients:

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped1 cup very cold heavy cream
3 large egg whites (no traces of yolk), at room temperature
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Then, the steps!

1. Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Place chocolate and 1/4 cup of the heavy cream in a large heatproof bowl. (Place remaining cream back in the refrigerator until ready to use.) Nest the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Melt chocolate, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until smooth and combined with the cream. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Place egg whites in a second large bowl and whisk vigorously until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes (make sure the bowl and whisk have no trace of oil or fat, or the whites will not whip properly); set aside. (Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer.)
4. Clean and dry the whisk (or your beaters if you’re using an electric mixer). Place the remaining 3/4 cup heavy cream in a third large bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. (Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer.)
5. Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate, then gently stir in the rest (try not to deflate the whipped cream). Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate-cream mixture just until there are no longer large blobs of whipped cream or egg white (do not over mix).
6. Spoon the mousse or pipe it from a pastry bag into serving cups and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Rien ne va plus! Leave it as it is, don't touch the mousse once these steps are completed! Dont mess it up! 

The Story of Roti John

The more I walk around streets in Singapore, the more stories I find out about local food and it's origins. Ever heard of Roti John before ? I bet you haven't ! Neither celebrity chefs like Jamie Olivier or Gordon Ramsey ever heard anything like this sort of famous dish called Roti John. The dish itself is not high tech and if you follow the recipe it's actually easy to make. Roti John is a melting dish between Asian flavor and western looking baguette slices.

Let's put it this way, it resembles more a South East Asian Sandwich or Burger.. Well, according to local legend, sometime in the 1960s an Englishman asked a Malay hawker in Sembawang for a hamburger.

Because hamburgers were not available, as a substitute, the ingenious hawker spread minced mutton and onions between slices of French loaf and fried the concoction in egg. The name for the dish is also attributed to this anonymous hawker, who was overheard saying to the customer, “Silakan makan roti, John”, which literally translates as “Please eat this bread, John”, but can also be understood as “Please eat this dish, John’s bread”.

Although roti john is often classified as Malay cuisine, partly because it is usually offered by Malay stalls, its origins, ingredients and taste meld together the diverse flavours of the English, Malay and Indian communities. The dish is sometimes considered as being of Indian origin possibly because Shukor, the hawker who popularised it, was of Indian ancestry. 

In the 1970s, Shukor set up stall at the Taman Serasi hawker centre near the Botanic Gardens serving Eurasians and Caucasians, many of whom frequented the nearby Tanglin Club. Shukor obtained the recipe for roti john from a fellow hawker in Geylang and began offering the dish at his stall in 1976. Shukor’s recipe for the dish contains up to 30 eggs beaten with onions, minced mutton and sambal (minced chilli). Some of the mixture is slathered onto sliced halves of a local bread loaf similar to the French baguette, then pan-fried on a hot griddle. So popular was the dish that Shukor sold up to 800 loaves on weekends and over 100 plates a day at his Taman Serasi stall.

Shukor’s innovation is considered the original roti john by some and his eatery remains the benchmark for the dish. After his death, his wife, Khadijah bt Mohd Salleh, continued running the stall. The stall, Shukor Makanan Istimewa, originally located at Number 9 Taman Serasi Food Centre, made the hawker centre synonymous with roti john. When the hawker centre underwent changes in 2001, the stall moved to the Serangoon Garden Market where roti john is still sold by Shukor's daughter Noriani Shukor.

Today, roti john is served throughout the Malay Peninsula, with variations in Malacca and Penang that use toppings of sardines or ikan bilis (anchovies) rather than meat.

The Dish itself…

Sometimes called Singapore's version of the burger, roti john is made using a local bread loaf similar to the French baguette, but shorter in length and with rounded ends and a softer texture. Good roti john is considered to be crispy on the outside, while the meat and egg mixture remains soft and the onions crunchy. It is usually served in bite-sized slices with green chilies, tomato sauce and sweet chilli sauce on the side. Variations on this dish use chicken, beef or sardines instead of mutton. More recent innovations include adding melted cheese and mushrooms to the topping. The Malaccan version of this dish uses longer bread with a topping mainly of sardines and ikan bilis with onions, eggs and chili.

Singapore Coffee Made Easy

Recently there has been a campaign in Singapore Kopi education to reduce ignorance among tourists and business travelers by Coffee Toast, Ya kun Coffee and others. I must admit that this campaigning is really good and even myself discovered that there is much more than Kopi C or Kopi O in Singapore Coffee.

I should actually include Malaysia as well, although not sure if the names of Kopi are the same or not. To order kopi like a pro in Singapore is not easy if the pronunciation in hokkien dialect is not accurate. The best ever experience for me is to learn pronunciation skills from local colleagues in Singapore. Even my dearest friend from Switzerland can speak hokkien better than I do, simply because he has been living in this city since quite sometime and he counts as very experienced kopi drinker..

I guess that celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Olivier never heard of anything like this in the UK before and discovered kopi on their first visit to Malaysia and Singapore many years ago. The love affair with kopi o and kopi peng went on till Jamie launched his first restaurant at Vivo City in Singapore. Surely not for long and Gordon Ramsay will follow Jamies footsteps and launch his own Restaurant somewhere in Katong area where he did learn lots of skill and secrets in making Laksa and Chicken Rice.


Western coffee expressions such as “black”, ”cream and sugar”, “flat white” or just plain “coffee” will likely gain you little more than a confused look and unwelcomed libation at a hawker center in Singapore. These are just expressions of headless tourists not informing themselves before stepping foot in south east asia. Hello, south east asia is not all about surfing in Bali or snorkeling in Tioman ok!

Singapore Kopi Owl Brand since 1956

So take a moment to learn the lingo with our quick guide - starting with the four basics:

kopi = coffee with condensed milk

kopi-c = coffee with evaporated milk (sweetened)

kopi-o = black coffee with sugar 

kopi-o kosong = plain black coffee (unsweetened)

And then add additional expressions to adjust for your preference:

kosong = no sugar

ga dai = extra sugar

siu dai = just a little sugar

po = weakened with water

di lo = strong; no water added

peng = iced coffee

dai bao = take away

All that’s left to do now is slurp away (although take the first sip with caution – it can take a few attempts to find the perfect kopi for you!)

Wild Kopi Luwak from Indonesia

How to keep birds out of your garden

Growing tomatoes ? So you are growing your own food and wonder why birds fly in and eat your plants ? Especially the ripe ones are target of mocking birds, crows and other kinda birds! Many people believe that by hanging out CD's you could scare away unwanted visitors. Wrong! all you will achieve is even more birds, simply because they like to look at themselves in mirrors to see how pretty they are..

Ever had a parrot before ? They love to play with small and shiny mirrors, so don't get this type of crap ideas that by hanging CD's will ensure to be safe from birds and other predators. Five good old ways have always been proven to be right! This is a simple recipe on how you could keep unwanted birds away from your fruits or veggie plants away. This blog is about finding ways to grow your own, cook your own cheap and good food.. its about poor man kitchen recipes and not stupid men growing techniques. So here the ideas..

Use netting for trees. You drape it over the tree, and birds don’t want to tangle with it theoretically. (However, at a farm in Malaysia I went to last year, birds were INSIDE the net – not a pretty situation. They were scared AND eating the fruit. So use with caution.)

Make somewhere else more worth their while. Put bird seed in an area far from your garden. So that will distract and attract the birds to eat somewhere else other than your plants..

If you’re growing seed plants, like sunflowers, try covering the head with an old pantyhose so it can grow or dry, but birds can’t feast.

Get a dog or cat. It’s not THE reason to get a pet, but if you are considering it already, add it to your arsenal of reasons why. Our dog tears out toward the garden and scares the birds away, and between him and the neighborhood cat contingent, squirrels never venture onto the ground away from a tree out there.

And if all this still doesn't work, then buy some chickens and let them roam freely around your garden. And if that still doesn't work then your fruits and veggies must be super good and you should invite me to visit your garden..

The super italian dish called Friselle

Guess what, Friselle is unknown to 99% of worlds population because it's non-commercial and the dish is not rocket science. I can bet with you that Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Olivier and many more celebrity chefs never came across this type of dish before. Friselle is a perfect and valid alternative to bread, it can be produced easily. I happen to make some in Singapore few days ago, it works simply because the ingredients are more or less the same. 

It is oven baked , then cut in half horizontally and it's then baked again in the oven. The looks of the frisella is with one smooth and one rough surface. Friselle are a staple food that was produced and acclaimed for its long conservation period and was therefore a valid alternative to bread, especially in those periods when flour was scarce.

The name with which friselle are also know in Apulia is “Pane dei Crociati” (Crusaders' bread) as it was certainly used to equip the Christian expeditions in their long travellings. A tradition for its consumption, from times past, was to dip friselle directly with sea water and with pure fresh tomato, which was squeezed to let the juices out. If you're wondering why the circular shape, it was not for the aesthetics: the hole at their center, allowed the friselle to be practically transported with a cord that was passed through them to form a sort of collier : that way they could either be hung for conservation or for comfortable transportation. Friselle were a typical travel-bread: that's why sea water was often used, or it was used as bottom for the fish soups, which were usually consumed during the days-long fishing expeditions in the open sea.

How they look like

Friselle have a characteristic shape, derived from their production process: they are typically circular and with a hole at their center. Oven baked twice and cut after the first baking, they always come in pairs as they are nothing else that the two halves of the same form. Characteristic is also the surface, rough where it's cut after the first baking, smooth where it's remaining form the original manual shaping of the dough. Sizes are variable: friselle's diameter and their holes' diameter can vary from 5-10 centimeters to 20 or more. 

The color depends on both the baking time and the flour composition (more or less wheat/barley flour): color can then range from light to (very) dark brown. I have checked a number of cookbooks and online sources, and friselle are made from just durum wheat flour, salt, live yeast cake and water. Another recipe that yields more calls for:

1 k (2.2 pounds, or about 8 1/3 cups) flour, ideally durum wheat flour

1 3/4 ounces (50 g) live yeast cake

1 cup of Water

A pinch of salt

In this case, begin by combining the yeast with a 1 2/3 cups (about 200 g) flour, warm water, and a pinch of salt, to make smooth soft starter loaf. Cover it and let it rise in a warm place for a half hour.

After a half hour, make a well of the rest of your flour on your work surface, and work the starter loaf into it, adding enough water to make a dough. Roll the dough into finger-thick 8-inch long (20 cm) snakes, make them into rings and set them to rise on a baking tin. Let them rise for 2 hours, and then bake them in a 400 degree (200C) oven for about a half hour. Remove them from the oven, Split them down the middle to obtain 2 rings from each frisella, and return them to the baking tin cut side up. Bake them for another 20-30 minutes, or until they are quite dry.

Bringing the Country to the City

In the middle of the city a small farm revolutionized the idea of what can be done in an very unlikely place! 63 years old self reliant J. Dervaes started his own farm ten years ago, Jules and his children grow all the food they need in the middle of the city. Their produce is organic and their ducks and chickens lay thousands of eggs a year, on their 4000 sqf backyard they raise 400 varieties of vegetable and fruits.

It all started as an experiment, from 1/10th of an acre, four people manage to get over 90% of their daily food and the family reports earnings of $20,000 per year (AFTER they eat from what is produced). This is done without the use of the expensive & destructive synthetic chemicals associated with industrial mono-cropping, while simultaneously improving the fertility and overall condition of the land being used to grow this food on. Scaled up to an acre, that would equal $200,000 per year! 

One of the main reasons why I would not mind to start growing my own food, perhaps not today but down the road for sure..

1. GET THE NUTRITION YOU NEED & ENJOY TASTIER FOOD!
Many studies have shown that organically grown food has more minerals and nutrients that we need than food grown with synthetic pesticides. There’s a good reason why many chefs use organic foods in their recipes—they taste better. Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which eventually leads to the nourishment of the plant and, ultimately our bodies.

2. SAVE MONEY
Growing your own food can help cut the cost of the grocery bill. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars and month at the grocery store on foods that don’t really nourish you, spend time in the garden, outside, exercising, learning to grow your own food.

3. PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS
The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. Food choices you make now will impact your child’s future health.

I also know that not everyone can become like Mr. Dervaes due to lack of space but at least the video documentary inspires people and opens up horizons to those unfortunate that are left behind by consuming a daily dose of MSG and pesticide.. I can also tell you that I am one of it as well!

So, lets jointly hope for the best and a self sufficient thought is a good start for the day!