NOCTURAL NOISES

My French boss was recently awoken by strange sounds in the night. “There is a ghost in your apartment?” I gasped, but it wasn't. It was a gecko which he rescued from his bathtub because, despite its sticky feet, could not climb out of the slippery bathtub on its own. So Stephane scooped it out using a cardboard, and released it. “And it has been haunting my kitchen ever since,” he said.

"You didn't kill it?"

"No, it's harmless and it keeps the apartment free of insects."

Compassion and coexistence.  Things that his father thought him since he was a kid.

Growing up in Corsica, Stephane's father showed him how to trap lizards by loop and knot method using a piece of weed.  Stephane recalls that he and his siblings kept more than one lizard at a time.   They would plant a stick firmly into the ground of their backyard/garden and tie their "pets" to the stick.  There the reptiles would stay, feeding on insects that flew by.  After a day or two, they were released, unharmed. 

This week, I was in Stephane's apartment when he was travelling.  I sent him an email teasing him, "If I see Gecko, I shall KILL it."

"Nooooooooo!" came the instant plea for the lizard's life.

Fortunately, Gecko and I did not meet.

Noises in the night and house lizards.  I'm terrified of both.  Regrettably, my father's motto towards lizards is "Kill On Sight".  Lizard and human do not coexist in our kitchen.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave with your kids?  Would it be Empathy and Understanding, or Ignorance, thus Fear? 

GLORIOUS MUFFINS

The baking bug beckons!  This afternoon, while Dad fell asleep in his usual armchair, I made muffins.

Most muffin recipes asks for the pans to be filled two-thirds full of batter.  However, I read somewhere that the secret to plump muffins with glorious dome tops is to fill the pans to the brim.  I took that advice and look at those bumps!

I buttered my muffin pans instead of lining them with with paper baking cups because I prefer muffins with a nice crust.

ALL-PURPOSE MUFFINS
From Bake! by Nick Malgieri

Makes 12 standard-size muffins

260 grams all-purpose flour
110 grams sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
110 grams unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 medium egg
240ml full fat milk

Set a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 190˚C/gas mark 5.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

Pour the butter into a mixing bowl and thoroughly whisk in the egg, then whisk in the milk. Whisk about one third of the flour mixture into the liquid until absorbed. Whisk in another third, again until the liquid is absorbed. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the last of the flour mixture. Transfer the batter to the muffin pan.

Bake the muffins until they are well risen and golden, and the point of a paring knife inserted in the centre of one muffin emerges dry. This will take about 20 minutes. Cool the muffins in the tin on a rack and lift them out when they have cooled completely.

Enjoy!

DAY OUT: CHANGI POINT

Yesterday, Dad had a craving for his favourite mutton soup. It has been close to a year since he had it last. 

And so the three of us - Dad, Mum and I - embarked on an excursion to Changi Point.  We took our time, stopping every now and again for Dad to catch his breath.  

'Twas a day well spent.