Just recently, at the invitation of Yifon Mushrooms, I had the chance to go down to Totts at Bukit Timah for a cooking lesson with Celebrity Chef Eric.

Nicole who loves to eat, was also excited about cooking with Daddy. Personally, I have not been cooking in a kitchen for a long time, and it was good to get back into the arena, in the midst of such a cool setup

The truth to be told, due to our busy work schedules, most of us Singaporean Men are seldom in the kitchen. That is where Yifon Mushrooms can really help us!

Imagine a simple product that is pre-cooked and ready to go!

What’s even more helpful is that mushrooms are one of the most popular ingredients in Singapore families! However mushrooms require substantial preparation time before they are suitable for eating (think dried mushrooms!).

With the launch of YIFON’s high-quality bottled fresh mushrooms, eating mushrooms just got even easier!

Add Yifon to your instant noodles, rice, porridge and your other stir-fry dishes, and you have a simple product, which can simply enhance the flavour of your food!

It’s like a dream come true, for amateur cooks like myself!  

The whole experience was made even more cool as I had an expert chef like Chef Eric to teach me how to maximize the Yifon Mushrooms.  Through the 2 hour cooking session, he taught us how to cook 3 dishes with our pre-cooked mushrooms.

We made stir-fry scallops, bruschetta using luncheon meat and of course…

Pizza with Yifon Mushrooms!

Frankly, anything Italian sits well with Nicole, and under the expert supervision  of Chef Eric, I realized that making Pizza is really very easy. Nicole just could not get her hands on the dough, and making one herself!

Check out the determined focus in her eyes, as she spreads the tomato paste!  

And of course, we had to put in our special ingredient for our pizza…

And we were ready to go!

And here she is 10mins later…she is ever so proud of her creation!

Overall, we had great fun, and many thanks to Yit Hong Pte Ltd for Inviting us for the Bloggers event!

But wait…Just before you go…I need your help!

Help me by clicking “Like” on the Yit Hong Facebook page, and very importantly, clicking “Like” on the ED Unloaded post!, when you see it posted there.

If I am the 1st person to hit 100 “Likes”, I get to win a FREE trip to Nikoi Island.

3 lucky Voters will also walk about with fabulous Yit Hong Products!

If you would also like the 2012 Limited Edition Calendar which reveals some of Chef Eric’s Secret Recipes, do email me and I will pass you one of these calendars specially autographed by Chef Eric.

Thanks for reading do Click Here, as I need all your help!  

(They will only start posting this post on their Facebook on 1 Jan, so do check again if it it not up yet. Thanks)

Recently, I read a report that analysed the hygiene standards of Singapore Kitchens. Here are some interesting insights:

Kitchen Sponges which are an everyday sight in our Singapore Kitchens are actually breeding grounds for germs and viruses!

The Finish/Bosch Kitchen Hygiene Study is the first of its kind to be conducted in Singapore, and results revealed that 88% of sponges tested were found to contain Salmonella and/ or E.coli (These are the common viruses found in food poisoning).

Yes! 88% of these sponges are actually a breeding ground for these viruses!

Some other key findings include:   

• Only 20% of participants change their kitchen sponge regularly (every two weeks or less), and 60% only change their kitchen towel after using it for more than one month
• 72% of participants use the same kitchen sponge to wash their dishes, utensils and other surfaces such as the sinks, counter tops, cutting boards and stoves – all of which could result in cross-contamination, a common cause for foodborne illness.
• Nearly 1/3 of the dishes tested contained traces of Salmonella and/ or E.coli
• 20% of chopping boards had Salmonella and/ or E.coli
• None of the participants used hot water, which is necessary to kill bacteria, when washing their utensils or dishes.  Only a small percentage wash their kitchen sponges and kitchen towels using hot water.

Healthy families start in the kitchens, therefore to protect their families and minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses, Singaporeans are encouraged to:

Eliminate harmful germs with a Dishwasher – a dishwasher utilizes high water temperatures and water pressure, and coupled with the powerful chemicals of the dishwashing tablets, is proven by studies to remove up to 99.9% of bacteria and germs.

Moreover, it eliminates the need for dish sponges and kitchen towels, thus reducing the risk of cross-contamination.

Here are some other helpful tips to minimize risk:

• Wash ones hands frequently during the food preparation process.
• Sterilise their dish sponge and dry after every use.
• Change and sanitise their kitchen towels frequently, and use different kitchen towels for different purposes to reduce cross-contamination.
• Use different chopping boards for raw, cooked and ready-to-eat food.

The good news is that with my Bosch dishwasher, I effectively diminish the risk of Salmonella and/ or E.coli in my kitchen. With young children in the house, this is definitely a great piece of good news for us busy parents

Childhood Allergies—All You Need to Know About Your Child’s Allergy, Dawn Lim, 2011, 213 pages.

When Nicole was young, she would break out into hives every 2-3 months. Half her face would be swollen, parts of her thighs would have large red patches, and one of her eyes would get puffy and itchy.

It was really scary for us when it first happened. We rushed her to the PD and would hear that “don’t worry, it’s just an allergy”. She would be prescribed some antihistamine and the hives would go after 4-5 hours.

Each time she gets this allergic reaction, we would do investigative work with her school teachers to find out what she ate, what she touched, or what unusual thing she did. And we never could find out what it was! Oh how we wished we had this book then!

I pored through this book as I was curious to find out what Nicole’s allergy might be. I was initially hesitant as I’m a pure Arts person, and have zero inclination to science and medical know-how. What a surprise!

The book is so colourful with pictures of beautiful kids enjoying food, play and basically having a good time. And there are also clear photos of how to treat various allergy reaction, simplified pictures explaining how the body reacts, and cute cute photos of children who share their stories about their allergies.

The book covers common allergies like Asthma, Eczema, various Food Allergies, and Anaphylaxis. And each of the above is then sub-divided into chapters that cover the symptoms, treatment, FAQ and a My Story feature.

Then Part 2 of the book deals with managing the allergies. This includes the various common allergens, tests to take, myths and precautions. The writing is in-depth but done in such simple language that I can imagine a frantic parent would still be able to understand when looking for answers.

The author—Dr. Dawn Lim is a paediatrician who specialises in managing children with allergies. She writes clearly and presents it in a easy-to-read layout with attractive pictures. Her references and examples are all local, so this makes it very perfect for us Singapore parents to relate to.

Nicole has out-grown that unknown allergy. But with 3 kids being exposed to all sorts of food/materials/surroundings, I’m not taking the chance of being caught unaware again. This book will be referred to many times over, and I’m quite sure it would make be a must-have in many homes soon.

The book is priced at $35 and is available at all major bookstores.

Looks like this is a really a season of Giveaways on ED Unloaded. If you have children from the age of 2.5 to 12yo. This FREE Activity is just for YOU!

WoW Art Studio, is giving away a FREE Art lesson to your kids! If you have been scratching your heads, and thinking of what to do with your kids, this FREE activity is just for you!

Classes also allow for Parent and child to pair up!

As at press time, classes which were scheduled for this weekend are now at FULL HOUSE.

Additional classes that were scheduled for next Thur and Sun are also currently FULL!

However, due to popular demand, there are additional FREE classes available on:

29 Nov (Tue) at 11am or 230pm.

Limited places are available, and they are going FAST!

If you are interested, you can call WoW Art Studio at 6352 2221 or email them at wowstudio@wow.com.sg

For further queries, do leave a comment here or at our ED Unloaded facebook page, and if the response is good, I will try to get WoW Art to organize more trial classes for us!

When kids get  personalized books, calendars, stickers or greeting cards, they just go crazy!

In fact, nothing makes their day more than seeing a puzzle or a  wall sticker with their names boldly printed on these products.

Recently, I was introduced to Tolalu: an online portal, which allows these products to be sent right to your door step. And the best thing about it – is that you don’t have to be a computer geek to customize these products for yourself.

1. All you need to do is to just key in your name.

2. Select a customized product from the many options available:

3. Finalize payment, and you will get your products delivered right to your doorstep!

No fuss at all! and all in the comfort of your home!

With Nicole going to Primary School next year, the talk around the house has definitely been on how we can personalize her shoes, books and other belongings. Looks like Tolalu.com might be a convenient and efficient way to solve all our problems.