CSM: The Artsy Craftsy Creative Workshops in November 2016

For the creative minded, here are the workshops available in November at the The Artsy Craftsy Studio! From journal to calligraphy to macrame, just in time to handmade some Christmas gifts for your loved ones!

CSM: October 2016 Creative Workshops by The Artsy Craftsy

I'm in awe with what is being offered by The Artsy Craftsy this month! Unfortunately the timing is off! Darn!!!

So many creative workshops for the many different palates :-)

I sure hope I'll have a chance in the near future to try it out... I'm most interested in the fabric painting or watercolour or journalling... gosh the list can go on and on!

Anyway, you can check them out here:

https://www.facebook.com/theartsycraftsy/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1067576193334663

Etsy Resolution 2016

I’ve recently embarked on a new journey. It somehow came naturally and timely. I was still thinking if this or that will work. And then this suddenly came to me in many directions in social media i.e. Facebook, Instagram. I hesitated at first but then thinking I actually have nothing to lose. It’s just a matter of opening a virtual shop on an international platform with high traffic! I just need to make more, snap more and upload! Easy peasy!

What am I mumbling about? Well, it’s the Etsy Resolution 2016!

Etsy is an online marketplace to sell handmade or vintage products to millions of customers worldwide. It's a simple shop solution for independent artists, crafters, and makers.

Etsy has started this resolution program for their South East Asia crafters in a way to promote their platform and also getting us to open a virtual shop to sell our crafts. So to start right, they have actually created this program to guide and teach us all there is to know about the online craft business.

After a few weeks of recruiting, the Etsy Resolution 2016 has started on 25^th January 2016 and will carry on for 4 weeks with different topics plus having 3 of their esteemed vendors as our mentors in their Facebook group.

It is also an opportunity to learn the tools that you need to start your business, learn from talented mentors and gain support and feedback from other like-minded individuals. The purpose of this programme is to connect, inspire and collaborate with one another - a place where we can share our stories, our goals and our challenges. I encourage you to dare greatly, drive your creative passions and break down our barriers to build a strong community. We are better when we are together.

At first, I was reluctant to blog about this but then if I don’t publicly say it then I might not get it going in then… correct? So here goes the start of my new journey which I do hope will evolve into something successful... wish me luck! *fingers crossed*

If you are also interested, do check out their website:
https://www.etsy.com/resolution

My first Amigurumi!

Amigurumi is Japanese stuffed dolls made from crochet. Majority are cute and cuddly for little girls or just for collections. Also ideal as gifts. So when I saw Fabric Fanatics had a March special workshop with Hooked, I just had to check it out myself!

I used to crochet many moons ago, taught by a friend and subsequently self-taught from books I had. I mostly made table mats. You would have seen some through my handmade website, http://nyc-nat.blogspot.com. So going for this workshop was a blessing for me since learning something new!

After contacting Fabric Fanatics, I was given a list of dolls to choose from and also to decide how many sessions required... all depending on the doll I choose. After placing RM50 as deposit to book a slot, I finally chose Caterpillar which came with 3 sessions for beginner. Since it was a March special, the first session was free so I just needed to pay for the remaining 2 sessions! FYI inclusive of materials ya... yarns, fiberfill stuffing and hook. Why I chose beginner and not intermediate? Well, I have not crochet for so long... even can't remember how to start it off! So I definitely need to start from scratch *sweat*

Some of the dolls available

I totally enjoyed the workshop... got to know a few good ladies... learning in a conducive environment. It was perfect. Took some photos of Fabric Fanatics during my last session...

Besides books, handicrafts is my other heaven!

I felt nostalgic during my last session... time really flies when I was totally enjoying this moment. Really had a fun session albeit the traveling hassle (public transport is so inconvenient in Subang Jaya) which made it so worthwhile. Nice knowing the lovely ladies too...

Thanks teacher Amy of Hooked for her guidance and patience ^.^

Thanks Kelly of Fabric Fanatics for putting up with my many questions and mah fan!

My first Amigurumi... a caterpillar!

Location: Fabric Fanatics @ Summit USJ Mall, 1st floor.

Not sure when I'll opt for another session... but for the time-being... Googling for more easy patterns to practice *wish me luck*

Cooking Class: Herb Crusted Sea Bass with Garden Stew

Previously on Cooking Class, you can read my first experience here, the first recipe here and second recipe here.

This is the last post featuring the last recipe, Herb Crusted Sea Bass with Garden Stew (or ratatouille).

What is ratatouille? From http://www.suite101.com/content/ratatouille-recipe-a25085

Ratatouille (literally stirred chunky stew in French) is a great year-round dish. During the summer months, when fresh vegetables are abundant, it makes for a light, easy dinner. In the winter months, it can be transformed into classic comfort fare. Think of it as more "French concept" than "stew" - and let your imagination run wild. Ratatouille responds well to interpretation and experimentation.

Back to the class, sea bass fillets had been marinated with salt and pepper and kept in the chiller prior to this, to save time. We were told to mix the ingredients below for herb crust.

No utensils, no fancy machines, just with our bare hands! Not for the squirmiest type :p

Bread crumb, butter, lemon zest, fresh thyme, fresh oregano, garlic, black pepper and salt properly mixed. Set aside and continue with the garden stew.

 

Cut yellow zucchini, yellow onion, green capsicum, red capsicum, brinjal and tomato into small cubes. Here onwards, photos will be sparse as Hubby was feeling tired already :-)

Place a little oil in the sauce pan, once heated, add in cubed onions. Stir-fry until fragrant. Add in tomato paste and puree, stir well until redish. Add all the cut vegetables to saute and stir well. Add in some stock, let it simmer and cook until tender. Lastly, season with salt, sugar and black pepper to taste. Set aside while we worked on the sea bass and herb crust.

Place the fillets on a plate. Grab a handful of herb crust, padatkan and place it on top of the fillets.

Pre-heat the Samsung Microwave Convection Oven to 250’. Once heated, place the fillets in. Select Convection, dial 8 mins and press start. Easy peasy! If your fillet is thick, then bake for at least 15 mins. Not too long as worried the crust would be burnt off :p

While waiting, we can start garnishing it by placing the garden stew first on the plate. Then place the fries on top of the stew. Oops! Forgot the fries… it’s easy… baked the whole potato then placed it in the chiller. Once ready, cut it into strips, ensure it’s dry and then deep fry it in a pot of oil. Once fried, season with a little salt. Back to the plate, after the sea bass fillets are baked, place it on top of the fries.

The finished dish: Herb Crusted Sea Bass with Garden Stew… looks like fine dining, right???!!! :p

You can view the full recipe here. Yummy yummy! 

Thanks to Samsung, I’m glad to have been given such a wonderful opportunity to learn cooking in a professional way. It was a pleasure using the Samsung Convection Microwave Oven… totally user-friendly at it’s best!

Thanks Cilantro, with a fully equipped kitchen and a skilled Chef Joel, teaching and guiding us. I have totally enjoyed my cooking experience here :-)

Thanks to Hubby too for all the fantastic and beautiful photos!

Cooking Class: Siew Mai Dumpling

Previously on Cooking Class, you can read about my first experience here and my first recipe here.

This second recipe has been pre-made by Chef Joel as it’s time-consuming… it requires at least 2 hours prior to prepare. Since we have limited time, we continued from the filling portion. As such, this will be a short post since we missed the preparation of the mixture.

Chef Joel demonstrating the right way to fill in the wanton skin with the siew mai mixture. He deftly pushed the mixture in without tearing the skin :-)

Me struggling to fill in the mixture. I did accidentally tore 1 wanton skin :p

Ta daa!!! Our golden treasure ;-)

Just fill the pot with water and place the dumplings on top of the steamer tray. Both pot and steamer tray thingy actually comes with the Samsung Microwave Convection Oven, unfortunately forgotten to snap it :-) Set for steaming in the Samsung Microwave Convection Oven for 10 mins. Yes, this oven can steam, baby! Just select the Steam function, dial 10 mins and press Start. Easy peasy! Now I am secretly wishing that Samsung will give me one *grinning widely*

The finished product: Siew Mai Dumpling. Taste very delicious too! You can see the steamer tray here… nice and solid.

For the full recipe, you can view it here. Stay tune for the last post of Cooking Class next week ^.^

Cooking Class: Red Bean Bun

I have not baked a cake nor bread in my life! I have helped mom before but just simple tasks such as filling in the tarts, cut the cookies, etc. No kneading, no baking :p So this would be a first in getting my hands dirrrty!

To continue from where I have left off, you can read the previous post here, our first recipe was Red Bean Bun. You can also get the recipe here :-)

Some of our ingredients to be whisked in a Kitchen Aid Mixer – flour, sugar, butter, bread improver, salt and yeast.

All poured into the mixer but do ensure salt and yeast do not touch as it will have a chemical reaction. After mixing midway, pour in the egg.

Waiting patiently for the dough to form perfectly. When it is done, the dough actually felt very soft like a fluffy pillow! If it’s too wet, add more flour. Do note that butter is the last one in the mixer.

Me kneading first time :-) See Foong Yee’s expression, my partner in crime, worried that I would break the dough LOL!

Chef Joel checking the gluten. Once you have kneaded enough, it will form a nice gluten.

Gluten: a tenacious elastic protein substance especially of wheat flour that gives cohesiveness to dough (from www.merriam-webster.com)

Set aside in room temperature to let it rest for 5 mins. You can cover it with a clean towel.

Once dough has rested, portion it into 60 gm each, ‘whisk’ it in your palm until it forms a nice ball and let it rest another 5 mins. The whisking takes time to learn… you need to form your hand into the alphabet ‘C’ and then roll the dough inside the palm clock-wise. You can see us struggling here :-)

Our beautifully-formed 60 gm dough resting for another 5 mins. Do cover it with a clean towel, under room temperature.

 

Once rested, roll the dough flat with a pin and ensure the trapped air has been flatten. Wrap the bean paste in the centre and roll the dough flat again. You can create any designs you desire. You can also use a different filling instead of red bean i.e. sausage :p

 

Set the dough aside for proving around 15 to 20 mins before baking. Egg wash the dough and set it to bake in the Samsung Microwave Convection Oven. Just preheat the oven at 250’C. Once preheated, check the temperature is at 220’C. Place the dough in, select Convection button, dial the timer to 13 mins and press Start button. Easy peasy!

Do note that the tray is slightly heat-resistant around the tip as it’s been covered with a rubberized material. Of course, you should use a glove when removing it from the hot oven but it’s slip-free due to the rubber material :-) Cool right? The tray is one of the equipment provided together with this oven.

 

10! 10! 10! My first ever Red Bean Bun! Yummylicious! Baking made easy with Samsung Microwave Convection Oven!

My 1st Ever Cooking Class Sponsored by Samsung

Thanks to Samsung, I was invited to attend a special cooking class yesterday as a part of Everyone Can Cook Campaign. Samsung is hosting this campaign to demonstrate the hassle-free and time-saving benefits of using the Samsung Microwave Convection Oven first-hand. It was held at Cilantro Culinary Academy, according to the email invite from 10am to 12.30pm.

Sounds easy right? Hmmm… for someone as blur as me (cooking sense lah). In fact, this is a first for me as I have not used an oven before to cook nor bake! Errr… sad to say… *cringe* I only have a small oven toaster *hiding my face*  

It was a wet Saturday morning when we reached Cilantro. Hubby was kind enough to accompany me and be my photographer ^.^ After registration, we waited a while for the rest to arrive. We were given a disposable apron and hat with a list of recipes which we were supposed to cook. I noticed it was different from the original list given in the email invite. The original list was Pan Sealed Blacken Spice Chicken Roulade, Sausage Bun and Crystal Prawns Dumpling. Hmmm… probably to save time as the organizer, Li Ling, was saying that some recipes tend to take a longer time to complete. Well, it was a free class so no complaints here :-)

Once ready, we were ushered into the kitchen… I was in awe with all the cool equipments, wished mine was as cool ;-) The other attendees were a mixture of bloggers and guests… there were 10 of us :-)

Joel Kau, Senior Chef at Cilantro Culinary Academy, was our teacher for the day… teaching us how to make three sumptuous recipes – Red Bean Bun, Siew Mai Dumpling and Herb Crusted Sea Bass with Garden Stew.

Me in my ‘amateur’ chef’s gear :-)

The one and only Samsung Microwave Convection Oven! All 3 recipes do require the oven’s help to complete. We need to bake both Red Bean Bun and Herb Crusted Sea Bass in this oven. We also need to steam the Siew Mai Dumpling in it. Yes, we can steam food in this fantastic oven! Ok ok… me jakunlah… didn’t know ovens can be so damn cool! I’m still in the ancient world… thinking that ovens can be used for baking only =.= The Samsung Microwave Convection Oven can multi-tasks and is user-friendly. I mean, at first I was blur… after 3 minutes, I got the hang of it. Yes, it’s that easy to use! Just need to select the functions required, dial the time and press start. Easy peasy! The only set back for me was not enough clear labels for each symbols/ functions on the oven. Well, even the start button doesn’t have the word ‘start’ on it! I was looking high and low for the button leh… pai seh!

The cooking class was a breeze… it actually ended at 3pm! I learnt a lot of new things, new techniques, new everything! I know I know… thanks to a great teacher too… Chef Joel was friendly, patient and of course, knowledgeable! I really had fun… would definitely recommend it to my friends. Cilantro offers a wide range of leisure cooking programs such as dim sum, Indian specialty, Italian favourite, nyonya kuih delight and bread & cakes. There is also a DIY Christmas special from October to December only. All programs priced from RM150 to RM195, except for DIY Christmas, which is totally reasonable as it comprises of at least 2 recipes. To know more, you can:

Log onto: www. cilantro.edu.my

Call: 03-8023 0555

Visit: Cilantro Culinary Academy, No.4-1, Jln USJ Sentral 3, USJ Sentral, 47600 Subang Jaya

With a Cilantro staff (geez! forgot her name, apparently she blogs too!), Li Ling (organizer) and Chef Joel Kau

I will share the recipes in another post. If not, this will be a very, very long winded one!

Again, thanks to Samsung, I had a wonderful time attending a superb cooking class at Cilantro! I also had the opportunity to get to know Samsung Microwave Convection Oven first-hand! I am in the midst of oven-hunting so rest assured it had been short-listed!

Cilantro: 8 thumbs up out of 10

Samsung: 8 thumbs up out of 10