Begonia Brilliance at the Flower Dome & Children's Garden at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

The past week has been a whirlwind - hectic, exhausting, fun, stressful and exciting. The Mr. is away on a business trip and I've been trying to hold the fort in the midst of a packed working schedule, finding ways to keep my two energetic preschoolers occupied during the day, finishing their school project, managing the evening routine while still trying to maintain my daily workouts, meal planning, grocery shopping, healthy eating and setting aside some time to a few important commitments that unexpectedly popped up this week. 

I do have my domestic helper for support but my bad habit of trying to bite off more than I can chew often leads to burnout. For instance, right now, my kids are in bed fast asleep and common sense dictates that I should wind down too but instead, I feel like I ought to blog so that's what I'm doing. While solo parenting is a rare scenario in our household, it has given me a new level of respect for all those who do this on the regular while their spouses travel. Honestly, you are all crusaders. I think I would lose my mind if this were my frequent reality 😝

It is currently the school holidays, and by a stroke of bad luck, the girls also have a break from their swimming and art classes. With most of their classmates and playground friends away on vacation, they have had their first taste of genuine boredom. While I'm not opposed to letting kids get bored (I actually think it builds creativity), the lack of social interaction has been getting to them - and, truthfully, to me too!

That said, they did spend a lovely ten days with their grandparents at the start of the month, and we have been keeping busy with indoor crafts, fun activities, and daily trips to the playground. Still, with their beloved daddy away, I've made it my mission to make their weekends extra special 😊

And honestly, in Singapore, it isn't hard to do something fun with the kids over the weekend. I love how family-friendly this country is. There is no shortage of amazing activities to do with kids, both indoors and out.

As I've mentioned on my blog before, nothing delights my girls more than a visit to a water park. One of their favorite spots is the Far East Organization Children's Garden at Gardens by the Bay. Since I had two corporate passes to the cooled conservatories, I bought two more so our helper could join us, and we spent the day exploring the Begonia Brilliance floral display at the Flower Dome before heading out for some splashtastic fun at the Children's Garden. 

So, I've done an entire blog post on the Gardens by the Bay. I also did two individual posts on previous floral displays namely the Tulip Mania and Blossom Bliss. I didn't actually plan on doing a blog post for the Begonia Brilliance but it turned out that we had such a nice time and the photos turned out better than I expected so I put it together very last minute and in record time 😛 I'm glad I did too because I realise I hadn't included the Children's Garden in any of my previous posts. 

The kids had been badgering me to take a trip in the MRT. They don't usually ride the MRT so it is somewhat of a treat for them. After a ride that seemed to take eternity (I think we got a year's worth of MRT 😝) we still reached the Gardens fairly early, around 9:45am. The weather was moody en route with alternating grey and blue skies and sudden unexpected showers. I wasn't sure if we could do the Children's Garden considering how it looked like the skies would open up any minute but I pushed the thought out of my mind. We first occupied a nice bench and gave the hungry kids a hearty breakfast. We then immediately headed to the Flower Dome. 

Begonia Brilliance Floral Display

I was familiar with the name Begonia and could identify the flower from a line-up but I had no idea how many varieties there were or how supersized they could be. Some varieties of this eye-catching flower are much sought after for their large and stunning flowers. This floral display is the first of its kind at Garden's by the Bay showcasing more than 50 varieties with beautiful blooms in a spectrum of reds, oranges and yellows. Apparently some of the flowers have been grown by Gardens by the Bay’s horticulturists. 

Stepping into the cool Flower Dome, we were instantly taken with the bright pops of colour within the floral display at the entrance. The girls went "WOW!" and after constant (and I mean constant) reminders to not touch the flowers, I think the message finally sunk in.

Although it was early there were already quite a few visitors (although nothing compared to the throngs of people I witnessed at a previous Blossom Bliss). While my helper kept an eye on the girls, I was able to easily take photos of the showy flowers at my own pace. 

The Flower Field was (as usual) the main highlight with Begonias arranged in an undersea realm set-up with octopuses, jelly fish, manta rays and giant clams.

Recipe of the month: Mushroom and Pea Risotto

I finally made my first risotto 🙌 One more off the culinary bucket list! I really don't know what took me so long. Wait, actually I do know - risotto is the husband's forte so I've been quite content staying in the shadows whilst he dishes out plate after plate of this sublime and luxurious Italian staple. All I have to bring to the table is my appetite so you can understand the lack of initiative 😁

At home we (and by "we" I mean "he" 😝) routinely make 4 different kinds of risotto - Butternut Squash and Sage, Mushroom and Pea, Roasted Beetroot and Basil Pesto-Asparagus Risotto. I got him to guest post the Roasted Beetroot Risotto a while ago (you should check it out if you already haven't). This Mushroom and Pea Risotto is another family favourite and features frequently as a weekend special. 

I was wondering what to post next on the blog and noticed a bag of arborio rice in the pantry. We always have white wine and parmesan cheese at home and I also happened to have white button mushrooms and frozen peas so all I did was pick up a couple more varieties of mushrooms from the vegetable market. I got shiitake, enoki and King Oyster mushrooms in addition to the white button mushrooms to star in my risotto. 

I'll admit I underestimated the muscle power it required for the constant stirring of the risotto. The husband did step in to help me out. Make no mistake, you HAVE to stir to bring out the creaminess that comes from the starch generated when grains of rice rub against each other. But I'd say making risotto is not difficult to master. Getting the flavour right is fairly easy but getting the consistency right is another matter. If you add too much stock at a time and don't allow the rice to completely absorb the liquid, then you will have a runny mess. If you don't add enough liquid or you allow the rice to cook longer once the liquid is absorbed, then you will have a blob of clumpy risotto which is ugh. 

The risotto turned out rich, creamy and utterly delicious so I think I may just hijack the title of risotto-maker from my husband henceforth (no I'm kidding, I won't). I think I'll let him do all the hard work and I'll just sit back and enjoy 😛

Here is the recipe folks. Note that this recipe serves two people while the Roasted Beetroot Risotto on the blog serves three Depending on how many servings you need to make, you can consult either recipe. 

Baker's Corner: Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Calling all herb and cheese lovers! I have something scrumptious for you today 😋

Spanakopita is a traditional spinach pie containing cheese and herbs, enveloped by crispy, flaky filo pastry. It can be made either in large pan and cut into individual portions (pan-sized spanakopita) or rolled into individual triangular servings (spanakopitakia).

Although it is commonly considered a side-dish, Spanakopita could very well take center stage in any Mediterranean-themed dinner. If you are going the vegetarian route, you could put together an assortment of dishes like pita bread, hummus, melitzanosalata, tzatziki, kalamata olives, feta cheese, vegetable sticks, salads (fattoush, tabbouleh or Greek couscous salad) and grape leaves stuffed with rice to represent a smorgasbord of the Mediterranean. Sounds fab right? On one occasion in the past, I've done something similar (minus the spanakopita) and now I am inspired to do it again with this savoury pie that is right up my street 😊

Any elaborate cooking or culinary experimentation, I reserve for the weekends. I am usually up well before the rest of the family which gives me a head start on most of the prep work. This results in me having to spend minimal time in the kitchen afterwards, something that my needy three year old's benefit from. 

Most of the time, I am quite organized and methodical about my weekend cooking but is so happened that on the Sunday I made this Spanakopita, I overslept and ended up waking up at the exact same time as my kids. I was dismayed as I had planned on doing most of the work whilst the household was still out cold and then follow it up with a nice little coffee break. Goes without saying that neither happened 😒

I took twice as longer to make this Spanakopita than what the recipe suggested due to a barrage of interruptions such as:

 "Amma, what are you doing?"

"Amma, can you wipe my nose?"

"Amma, can you look at this abbu (boo boo) on my leg?"

"Amma, I want water" 

"Amma, I came to give you a hug"

"Amma, I can't find my pony"

"Amma, I need to go on the potty"

"Amma, can you please come out of the kitchen?"

"Amma, my armpit smells like lemon, can you smell it?" (Yes. That actually happened.).

By the time I was done, I was both physically and mentally wiped out. I learnt my lesson and the next time I'm making this dish is when I have a good stretch of time, free from distractions 😁

Don't let my little story discourage you though. This is actually an easy recipe with mostly, easy to find ingredients. I made my own ricotta cheese from scratch because I think store-bought ricotta is grossly overpriced and doesn't taste half as good as when you make it on your own. And making it yourself is a cinch anyway. If you have access to filo pastry then you should try this recipe (please don't ask me about making filo from scratch though!). 

This dish looks great, is delicious and even my kids enjoyed it so it can cater to grown ups and kids alike.

Have at it you guys 😊