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bogoshipuh...

Greatest love of all

today's message was quite inspiring. it was about learning to love yourself. how many times do we let our self-value be determined by the society's norms? whether we are thin enough? fair enough? tall enough? how much longer will we have to live up to standards determined by others?

it's high time we learnt to love ourselves, and live not to satisfy other's demands and standards, but to accept ourselves as one who is "fearfully and wonderfully made" by god. let's stop slandering ourselves. in trying to please others in our short life, we forget that it's our life to lead. live up to your own standards, not others'.

greatest love of all - whitney houston

I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
Everybody searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone to fulfill my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me

[Chorus:]
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

[Chorus]

And if by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love

珍珠奶茶

偶然间买了台湾珍珠奶茶
马来西亚三块钱
这里三棒耶！
天气这么冷
我还喝冰耶
我疯了吗？

不过喝着甜甜的哈密瓜奶茶
咬着副有弹性的珍珠
听着好听的音乐
不知不觉地，
在细雨纷纷的下午
我的脚步也渐渐临到家

这杯珍珠奶茶
使我领悟到。。。

一个手真得穿不上手套！
快冰冻了！

glasgow fireworks 2008!

they spent 2 days rigging up the whole thing, used about 3000 fireworks, to put up a grand show of 20 minutes full of shooting stars accompanied by melodious, haunting or upbeat west end musicals. the whole thing was awesome.. totally worth the wait.

one minute, there seemed to be fireflies flying in the sky, another minute there seemed to be gold dust falling slowly down. yet another minute, time stood still as stars twinkled from the velvet night. totally the most magnificent show of fireworks i have ever seen.

i wanted to upload the whole 20 minutes of fireworks to share with you all, but due to some unknown reason, the first part couldn't be uploaded, so you just get to see the second part. so here you go...

love dancin'?

check out the moves~

MAKE IT HAPPEN - Bottoms Up by Keke Palmer



MAKE IT HAPPEN - Just Dance by Lady Gaga



HONEY - I believe by Yolanda Adams



HONEY - I'm good by Blaque



DANCE REMIX

sleepover at pui ee's place

We set out to tesco maryhill for our all girls night heavily laden by our duvets. the scenery on the way to her apartment was beautiful though.


this was my second time in her home. nonetheless, her cosy and comfy home never failed to astound me. here we are, posing with dark chocolate from thorntons. there's 60 of them!


they had this sort of bed to sit/lie in while watching tv. pui ee's croc and lee ann's hippo were amazing huggy company too.


her house was full of tasteful decorations, some from all over the world.


she had extremely cute pets too. meet WALL-E the cactus.


... and lydia the snail.


her mouth is so cute..^^


soon, it was baking time!


we dropped the chocolate chip cookie dough onto the tray, then they all went into the oven. after that, to let it be crispy, we had to cool it. and the best place is the balcony. opening the balcony door was like opening the freezer door, since it's quite cold nowadays, with temperature dropping to 0 degree celcius up till -2 degrees. needless to say, they cooled in a jiffy.


then, we all sat down to a 'english tea', with cookies and coffee. yum..


after cookie time, some played around with the piano, duets, some were looking for recipes, some were looking at their feet?? we found out pui ee bakes fantastic cakes, wedding cakes, multi-tiered cakes.... they were totally wow..





so while we were whiling away with our time, pui ee was whipping up dinner in... half an hour?? gosh..she's really efficient. dinner was good, we had beef, egg, vege and corn potato soup with rice.


you can just see someone eye-balling the food.. haha..


after dinner, pui ee whipped up a chocolate cake for breakfast on sunday. she does it with such ease, everything's done in a jiffy. really salute her.



what's a slumber party without slumber? we had a good time talking girl-talk though, before we were forced to slumber so as not to fall asleep during sermon the next day. i really had a hard time falling asleep though, thanks to the coffee i drank in the afternoon. never again.. i promise myself. no more coffee after lunch time.;p



and just like that, our sleepover ended. we came out into the cold autumn surroundings, feeling like old cars, since we were so bulky with our rucksacks and were breathing out smoke. however, there was a feeling of warmth in our hearts, a feeling of home.

fiona's surprise birthday bash

we were supposed to go for a potluck with some uni of glasgow friends, bringing coleslaw. however, since it was cancelled at a last minute, we grabbed the opportunity to improvise and plan a surprise birthday party for fiona.

we made cheese cake from yeu lo's recipe, and even fried rice, baked fries and chocolate pancakes, all kononnya for hui yen's potluck in conjunction with halloween. meanwhile, pui leng's house prepared the chicken.

Jeannie's famous lo chicken recipe:

marinate chicken with lee kum kee chicken marinate and garlic, then fry ginger, add sugar, stir until it melts, then put in chicken with the marinate (without the garlic).





as we waited outside in the freezing cold for shu yin and kelvin before walking to west end together, the others were in a frenzy peeping at us, arranging the food, and hiding out.




after getting a 'call' from shu yin saying that the potluck was cancelled (!!!) we headed back 'miserably'. not me though, i barely managed to kept my face straight. of course, a surprise was waiting in the kitchen.

even the coleslaw (which the birthday girl helped make), was put into good use.


to introduce the cake in another surprise, we went to extremes of calling fiona's extension anonymously to force her to leave the living hall for a while.. pity our cake was so FLAT! it tasted nice though. plus is very easy to make.


we had fun taking continous photo shots. you can see us gradually at a lost of how to pose. pui leng's house's halloween pumpkin came into action too!






we housemates of J8 also had a shot of continous posing!^^




it was fun. hope you had a memorable 23rd birthday, fiona. ^^

i suppose...

sometimes you have to remove yourself from who you were,
to reflect,
to learn,
and to mature.

yet why do i feel so unsure of myself..?

好朋友

很开心有你这位好朋友，
我们一定都会很幸福的。。。

希望友谊永固。=]

one of my favourite dish..^^

猪肉粉!! (pork noodle soup)


made it according to chi yuan's recipe. gosh.. nice! really reminds me of the times my dad would take me out for breakfast at the shop behind OCBC bank. or the stall which used to be at Kepayang food court. both are now non-existent. sigh.. nvm.. i'll make my own.;p

a lot of things bugging me recently. cooking is the only thing keeping me sane. i'll have to start on my research soon though.. anyhow.. i think i'm addicted to the sar ho fun from chung ying. coz i've always liked this type of kuey tiaw. hee..

Halloween at Kushion

first came the question of deciding who to go as. everyone was dressing up. so we joined in the fun. i bought my cowgirl hat for 1 pound at poundland. poundland also sold the devil set for 1 pound only. but along the whole street, there were plenty of shops selling halloween outfits.

next came the question of how to dress. the weather forecast said it would be snowing?? at the very least, the temperature was going to be a low as -2 degree celcius. nevertheless.. we went out with only stokings, or not.

it was fun prowling the streets with such scary people leading the way - chen han and gobi. they looked positively from the underworld. it wasn't as cold as expected once we started walking. i bet the passerbys wanted to tell us that we got the date of halloween wrong, that it's supposed to be friday instead. ;p

we were one of the earliest to reach. but slowly and steadily, Kushion club bar filled with all sorts of ghoulish, cute, or whacky people. we went around taking pictures, getting to know our coursemates. i can't say that i can recognise them again in class, since we were all dressed up.

you can click here to check out the pictures! there are too many of them to post here.

at midnight, the crowd started thinning. but i could see that this is when the home students started coming to life, dancing and singing. it was too late for us though. so we headed back, in our stockings, mini skirts, and few layers of clothing, at 0 degree celcius. we must be crazy.. it was a great night though..=]

the i cannot tahan list...

just realised i've been tagged by karen. haha..

what can't i tahan??

1. not having internet connection.

2. not having internet connection.

3. not having internet connection.

get the picture? haha.. actually i can't think of anything else. coz wanna sleep dy... zzzzZZZ..

oyasumi...=]

new recipes to try out

ROAST PORK - from chi yuan's blog

Ingredients:

4 strips of pork belly(of the above size)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp garlic powder or mince garlic
2 tsp five spice powder
2 tsp pepper
2 tbs oil
vinegar mixed with a lil water

Method:

Boil the vinegar and water. Layer it on the pork belly skin only. Fry the salt, garlic powder. five spice powder and pepper for awhile. Add in sugar into the mixture. Rub the mixture on bottom layer of the pork belly. On a plate, with the pork belly skin facing upwards, leave in the fridge overnight to marinade it. Next, turn on the oven to around 230ºC, rub the skin with oil and bake it for around 20mins. Turn on the grill to medium, grill the pork belly skin till it is not too charred. This takes around less than 5mins depending on the heat. Check it regularly. Sprinkle some salt on the crispy skin to have some saltiness. Cool, cut into small pieces and serve.

Char Siew - from chi yuan's blog

Char Siew Ingredients:

500g pork - a big piece cut into 5 cm strips (belly pork or any other parts such as loin)
500g pork is the amount in the picture. if you wana eat more.. the more the merrier~!

Seasoning:
2½ tbsp Oyster sauce
1 tsp garlic powder or chopped garlic
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 -1/2 cup sugar (depends on how sweet you wan)
1/2 tsp five spice powder
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of pepper

Glazing:
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp oil

Method:

Marinade pork with seasonings. Pork can be baked as soon as it is marinated. Transfer marinated pork onto aluminium foil and place it on a baking tray and its ready for baking. Bake char siew at 220 C for about 10 minutes. Remove char siew from oven and transfer all the contents into a wok and cook until the gravy thickens. Preheat grill and grill the pork until it is slightly charred, turning all the time for even grilling. Dip into glaze and return pork to grill just for a short while, enough to give pork a shine.

Pork noodle soup - from chi yuan's blog

Ingredients:

Soup:
pork bones boiled in soup
mince meat mixed with cornflour, soy sauce, five spice powder and shaped into balls
pork meat, sliced and mixed with cornflour
pepper
sesame oil
light soy sauce
vege of choice
salt to suit taste
kway teow or noodles of choice (added lastly before eating)

Garnishing:
fried garlic

Method:

Heat wok with oil until hot and fry garlic. Set aside garlic. Boil a considerable amount of water and boil pork bones for about 45 mins to 1 hour. To save time, you can multi-task and prepare the ingredients while boiling the soup. Put the pork balls and sliced pork and bring to boil. It will be ready when the pork balls and sliced pork floats in the soup. Add the remaining ingredients and boil a lil while. Serve with noodles of choice and garnish.

Char Kuey Tiao - Chi yuan's blog again

Ingredients: (per plate)

100g kway teow
chopped garlic
cooking oil
prawns
beansprouts
1 egg
fish cake (optional)

Seasoning:

1 tbsp chilli paste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
a lil dark soy sauce
Pepper

Method:

Heat wok with oil until hot and fry garlic. Add prawns and fry. Set aside ingredients and add in kway teow to stir fry. Crack an egg into it and add a lil oil. Stir fry till the ingredients are even after adding chilli paste, soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Add beansprouts and stir fry a lil while and serve hot.

Blueberry cheese tart - from my story

Ingredients:

Tart base:
Flour 180g
Milk powder 15g
Castor sugar 30g
Butter 100g
Egg 1

Tart fillings A:
Cream cheese 250g
Castor sugar 60g
Butter 25g

Tart fillings B:
Lemon essence few drops
Blueberry filling sauce few

Steps:
1. Firstly, beat the tart base’s ingredients smoothly into dough.
2. Then separate them into small portions and place inside the moulds according to the shape of the moulds.
3. Next, use a fork to poke all over the base and send them into the oven. Bake at 150 °C for 10minutes.
4. beat the ingredients Tart fillings A into fluffy and smooth. Then add in a few drops of lemon essence.
5. Place the filling into each tart base at about 90% full. Add on a little Blueberry filling sauce. Use a toothpick to mix up the blueberry and the cream cheese. You may make some drawing as well.
6. Lastly, place the tart into the oven again and bake at 180 °C for 15minutes.

Japanese cottony cheese cake - from my story

Part A:
250g Philadephia Cream Cheese
50g Butter
100ml Fresh Milk


Part B:
60g Superfine Flour (top or cake flor)
20g Cornflour
6 Egg Yolks
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
¼ tsp Salt


Part C:
6 Egg Whites
¼ tsp Cream of Tartar
140g Fine Granulated Sugar


Melt (A) in double boiler and cool the mixture until room temperature.

Fold in (B) and mix well

Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy and then add in sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. Fold in half of the (C) into the mixture and mix well. Then add in the other half and mix them evenly.

Pour the mixture in 8 inches round cake pan (lightly grease and line the bottom and side of the pan with greaseproof paper).

Finally, bake in water bath for 1 hour 10 minutes or until set or golden brown at 160 °C.

SAMOSA - from little corner of mine

Ingredients:

Ground pork
Chopped Scallion/green onion
Chopped carrot
White pepper
Salt
Chinese cooking wine
Sesame oil

1 nori sheet (for making sushi), cut into squares as shown above
Spring roll wrappers (use as needed)
Cornstarch + water mixture (as glue)

Method:

1. Marinate the ground pork, carrot and scallion with the above seasoning for an hour (keep in refrigerator).

2. Cut each spring roll wrapper into three long pieces. Place one piece on a cutting board. Put a nori sheet on top, place some marinated pork filling on top, add another piece of nori and brush the spring roll all over with the glue. Wrap the spring roll as shown above.

3. Deep-fry the spring roll in medium heat hot oil until golden brown and filling is cooked through. Serve with Thai sweet chili sauce or tomato ketchup.

Pandan kaya jelly roll - from little corner of mine

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 Tbp. boiling water mixed with 1/2 tsp. Pandan paste

Kaya jam for spreading
Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400'F. Grease a 12x8-inch jelly roll pan and line with parchment paper.

2. Combine eggs and sugar in a bowl. Beat with a handheld electric mixer until thick and mousselike. (When the beaters are lifted, a trail should remain on the surface of the mixture for at least 15 seconds.)

3. Carefully fold in the flour with a large metal spoon, then add the Pandan boiling water in the same way.

4. Spoon into the prepared pan, spread evenly to the edges and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.

5. Spread a sheet of waxed paper on a flat surface, sprinkle it with granulated sugar, then invert the cake on top. Peel off the parchment paper.

6. Neatly trim the edges of the cake. Make a neat cut two-thirds of the way through the cake, about 1/2 inch from the short edge nearest you.

7. Spread the cake with kaya jam and roll up quickly from the partially cut end. Hold in position for a minute, making sure the seam is underneath. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Bak gua - from tazz in the kitchen

Ingredients:
1 lb. minced meat, with some fats
1-1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp cooking wine
1/2 cup sugar


Method:

Put minced meat in a big bowl. Add in the seasoning. Use Chopsticks and stir in one direction until minced meat becomes gluey.

Put some gluey minced meat on a *parchment paper. Cover with a big cling wrap (I think plastic sheet is better) and use a roller to roll the minced meat to 2mm thick. (*Do not use aluminum foil as it will stick!)

Put the parchment paper with minced meat, on a baking tray.

Bake in preheated oven at 125 degree Celsius for 20 minutes. **After that, increase the temperature to 180 degree Celsius and bake for about 20-30 minutes. Keep a close watch, as it burns easily at this stage.

Cooled and cut into pieces.

Tazz’s Note: ** For the last part, I baked the meat for 20 minutes at 180 degree Celsius. Then I removed it from the oven. Left it to cool and flip over on a fresh piece of parchment paper, then baked for an extra 10 minutes at 180 degree Celsius.

I think the time used to bake the BBQ Pork depends on the thickness of the meat.

Adjusted the light soy sauce to slightly lesser than 1 tbsp and added 1/4 tsp of cooking oil.

Pai gut wang - from tazz in the kitchen

排骨王

Ingredients:
550g of spare ribs

Marinade:
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp custard powder
1 egg
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp ginger juice

Sauce:
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp HP sauce
3 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp water


Method:

Cut the spare ribs into about 2 inches long. Wash and pat dry. Marinate for about 2 hours.

Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat 2 bowls of oil, when you see tiny bubbles in the oil, put the marinated pork ribs and fry at high heat and reduce to medium heat until ribs are cooked (Use a wooden chopstick to poke the meat, if it is soft, the ribs are cooked). Dish and set aside.

Leave about 2 tbsp of oil in the wok, then pour in the gravy and bring to a boil, put in the fried spare ribs and stir to coat well. Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat.

Serve hot.

Baked chicken wings delight - from tazz in the kitchen

Ingredients:
3 lbs. Chicken wings

Marinade:
3 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped onion
1/2 tbsp salt
3 tbsp black pepper powder (more if desired)

some honey for glazing


Method:

Wash the chicken wings and dab dry, set aside.

Marinade chicken wings for a few hours (or over night).

Bake chicken wings in pre-heated oven at 190 degree Celsius for 30 mins or until cooked.

Glaze with some honey and bake for a while.

Serve with dipping sauce.

Note: Do not discard the marinade, boil it and use as the dipping sauce.

Nga Ku - from tazz in the kitchen

ngredients:
Arrowroots, Qi Ku in Cantonese
Some salt
Oil for deep frying


Method:

Wash and peel the skin with a peeler.

Slice thinly and marinate with some salt.

Spread the slices in a big tray and place under the sun to dry. Alternatively can also air-dry it.

Deep fry the chips in hot oil till you are happy!

Drain and place on absorbent paper to soak up excess oil.

When cooled can be kept in airtight container.

Egg tarts - from tazz in the kitchen

Yields 10 tarts

Ingredients for tart shells:
90g butter, room temperature
40g icing sugar
12g egg
170g cake flour
8g evaporated milk

Ingredients for egg filling:
160g eggs
80g castor sugar
50g evaporated milk
210g water

Stir the egg filling ingredients thoroughly till well blended. Filter and set aside.


Method:

Cream the butter and icing sugar, with a wooden spatula for 2 to 3 minutes, till white and creamy.

Add in the egg and evaporated milk and blend well with the butter. Add in flour and knead into a dough. Chill the dough for an hour.

After an hour, divide the dough into 10.

Press the dough into the tart moulds, trim the excess dought from the edge. Make sure that the edge of the dough is slightly taller than the mould . Ensure even thickness of the dough.

Place the tart moulds on a baking tray. Pour the egg filling into the tart moulds till 90% full. Bake in preheated oven at 250 degree Celsius for 15 minutes or till done.

Ayam Percik - from tazz in the kitchen

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 2kg), cut into 4 pieces. Alternatively, can use chicken thighs
15 dried chillies
10 shallots
3 garlics
1 stalk lemon grass, sliced thinly first.
2cm ginger
2cm fresh turmeric (or 1/2 tsp turmeric powder)
2cm galangal (lengkuas)
1 tbsp meat curry powder
assam juice (2 tbsp assam mix with some water, strain and discard seeds)
1 cup water
200ml thick coconut milk
salt and oil


Method:

Grind chillies, shallots, garlics, lemon grass, ginger, fresh turmeric and galangal till fine.

Heat oil in a wok, then add in the ground ingredients. Stir fry for a while.

Add the assam juice, curry powder, coconut milk and 1 cup of water. Mix well and add in the chicken pieces and salt. Simmer till gravy has thickened.

Remove the pieces of chicken and place them on a tray. Pour some gravy over the chicken and grill them till the chicken is slightly crispy.

Serve hot with lettuce, shredded cucumber and slices of tomato. Ayam Percik is a dish by itself but also goes well with rice or bread.

Honeydew sago desert - from tazz in the kitchen

Serves 6

Ingredients:
Honeydew melon ( approx 1kg)
120g sago
100ml coconut milk

Syrup Ingredients:
3-4 pandan leaves
150g gula melaka
150ml water


Method:

Remove the skin from the honeydew melon, halve then scoop out the seeds. Shape the honeydew melon into small round balls using a metal scoop. Puree the remaining honeydew melon. Chill in the fridge.

To prepare syrup, put water, gula melaka and pandan leaves in a saucepan. Boil until gula melaka dissolves. Strain and cool thoroughly.

Boil water in a pot. Add sago pearls to boil until transparent. Pour the cooked sago into a sieve then place under running tap water. Drain well.

Combine sago, chilled honeydew melon balls, puree and coconut milk in individual bowls. Add syrup to taste.

Lemon tarts - from tazz in the kitchen

Yields 25 Tarts

Tart shells

Ingredients:
210g butter
83g icing sugar
1-1/2 egg yolks
42g evaporated milk
300g cake flour
38g cocoa powder


Method:

Cream butter and icing sugar until white and creamy, add egg yolks and continue to beat until smooth.

Add evaporated milk, cake flour and cocoa powder. Knead into a dough.

Press into tart moulds. Bake at preheated oven at 190 degree Celsius for 15-20 mins.

Remove tart shells from moulds and leave it to cool on the rack.


Lemon Filling

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
28g caster sugar
lemon juice from 2 lemons (I used Thai green lemons)
grated lemon zest from 2 lemons
3 egg whites
68g caster sugar
180g whipping cream
8.5g gelatin
20g water


Method:

Put the egg yolks and 28g sugar in a mixing bowl, beat until pale and thick.

Place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl. Beat up the egg whites, gradually add 68g sugar and beat until stiff peak.

Add lemon juice and lemon zest into egg yolks mixture. Mix well.

Dissolve the gelatin in water using the double boil method, add into egg yolks mixture. Mix well.

Whip the whipping cream till mousse state, add into egg yolks mixture. Mix well.

Add egg whites mixture to egg yolks mixture. Mix well.

Spoon the lemon filling into the individual tart shells and chill.

Note: When grating the lemon zest, avoid using the inner white part. Just grate the thin surface only as the white part is bitter. Then squeeze the lemon juice from the two lemons.

Salmon potato patties - from tazz in the kitchen

Yields 11 patties

Ingredients:
400g potatoes
240g salmon, steamed and flaked
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped spring onion
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
1 red chilli, sliced
3/4 tsp curry powder
Oil for deep frying


Method:

Boil potatoes till cooked. Peel and mash the potatoes.

Place mashed potatoes and flaked salmon into a mixing bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients except oil and combine well.

Shape into patties.

Heat oil till hot and deep-fry the patties until golden brown.

Drain on absorbent paper. Best served hot.


Other links to cooking blogs are as follows:
- the lazy chef
- Pusiva's culinary studio
- Pooh play room
- My zest
- Jas's kitchen
- Kuali (the star)
- Diana's deserts
- All recipes
- Tazz in the Kitchen
- Little corner of mine
- Precious moments

a visit to croydon - 17-20 oct 2008

my short trip to croydon wasn't quite what i expected, but nevertheless, there were still things to learn... and food to enjoy!^^

Breakfast at IKEA is cheap and nice! 99p for an english breakfast - bacon, ham, egg... can't remmeber what else there was since i put off writing this for so long. haha.. i got a scolding for not eating the right way. i'm supposed to hold the fork pointing down, then use the knife to push the food onto the fork and put it into my mouth. believe me, i tried. the food just won't stay up!! i still think it's easier to shovel with the fork, but of course, that's so american. not that i mind, but well, the rules of ettiquette dictate otherwise.

next, we took a walk up the north downs.


saw some blackberries along the way. you can just pick it and eat it. tasted sweet! it's originally red, then it will turn into black when it ripens. be careful what you pick though, not all are edible.


finally! the top.. the view was good. the wind refreshing. the cow dung abundant.


from afar, i thought they looked like bears. here they are... the hairy coos..


such affectionate creatures..


we went out to eat once, since there was an irresistable offer at toby's. 5 pounds for carvery, buffet vege, and desert.



here it is: gammon, roast beef, yorkshire pudding, root vege like parsnip, turnip, brocolli, cauliflower in cheese, turkey stuffing, cranberry sauce, french mustard (for the beef), apple sauce (for the gammon), beef sauce, roasted potatoes, and mashed potato.


and of course, ice cream with butterscotch! this was really delicious..^^


most of the other times, we cleaned out my aunt's well-stocked freezer.


here's a sample of the various food i ate over the weekend. and this list is not even complete.

chocolate cake with latte

paella with mooli and cucumber

ham roll

thai salad

each meal was set nicely on trays - rice with curry chicken, roast lamb with mint sauce, thai salad and roast sweet potatoes.

healthier snack - cut down on pringles (texas bbq flavour. love it!) with lots of healthy unsalted nuts. raisins too i think.

pitta bread with humous and beef rendang.

Some helpful hints on survival:

1. get dryer balls from pound shop - makes your clothes dry faster in the dryer. haven't managed to find any here though.

2. buy a wonder cooker - you can fry anything without getting splashed on with hot oil and having to clean up your kitchen afterwards. again, couldn't manage to find it in any pound shop.

3. get some hot packs for winter - boil it and it's nice and warm. when it cools down, press it and some chemical reaction will take place inside, giving you warmth for another few hours.

4. making bed is not as easy here. there are numerous sheets and rules.

5. washing dishes are not easy too. the water must be very hot! wear gloves. dry dishes after that.

6. after using the bathroom, clean it until sparkling. or else...

7. want warm boots? check out Sorel. quite an expensive brand though.

8. want to keep from catching a cold in winter? blow dry hair after washing. and keep your head covered. but gosh.. i so don't like to wear a hat.

9. fish + tartar sauce. beef + horse radish. Ham + cranberry sauce. Lamb + mint sauce. Pork + apple sauce. me? i just eat everything with chilli sauce. simple right? i love the mint sauce though. very nice. can be bought from... saintsburry i think.

10. NHS really is cool. i went to a NHS walk-in clinic for free. had to wait ages though. and i was seen by a nurse prescriber. still, it's better than making an appointment and waiting weeks for your turn. at the pharmacy, just tell them you are registered with the HC2 form and you can get the medication for FREE! flucloxacillin doesn't go well with me though. i got most of the side effects. it does wear off after a few days. now i feel more empathy for the patients whom i always counselled so flippantly: you might get these side effects, but don't worry, it will wear off after a few days. gah.. try feeling nauseous and having GI disturbances and rashes for a few days. even i am so tempted to be non-compliant.

some recipes:

WHACKY CAKE: FROM HEART FOUNDATION
(for people with diabetes or heart problems)

sieve onto grease-proof paper:
1. 1.5 cup plain flour
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 1/4 cup cocoa
4. 1 teaspoon baking soda
5. sieve onto 8" x 8" baking pan
6. make 3 holes in the flour mixture - Hole 1 (1 tbsp vinegar), Hole 2 (1 tsp vanilla), Hole 3 (6 tbsp sunflower oil)
7. add 1 cup water over it
8. stir with a fork. check corners
9. bake for 175 degrees for 30 mins

KIM CHI

1. cut chinese cabbage, sprinkle with salt
2. after a while, wash. squeeze dry.
3. add minced onions, garlic, ginger, paprika powder, chilli powder, sugar --> mix well.
4. keep in glass jar.

CURRY IN SLOW COOKER

1. 'tum' in oil: garlic, lots of onion, curry powder, coconut milk, tumeric, paprika, (optional: chicken stock/salt). use more oil, make sure oil separate from rempah before adding coconut milk.
2. add into slow cooker with chicken for 6 hours.
3. if don't want coconut milk, put assam instead.

CLAYPOT CHICKEN RICE

cook rice. when boiling, add chicken/lap cheong + black sauce + ginger. keep warm 30 minutes before lifting up lid

BEE HOON

fry beehoon + garlic + light and dark soy sauce + sugar
fry cabbage/cauliflower
fry chicken/pork in dark and light soy sauce

eat with aubergine or shallots.

MOOLI

cut white radish into strips. sprinkle with salt. leave for 3 minutes. wash in cold water, squeeze. put white sugar and vinegar (cane vinegar)

CUCUMBER
- can be eaten in sandwich/salad, with fish+carrot+peanuts..

cut into strips. put salt 2 minutes. wash, squeeze. add vinegar, sugar, red chilli sliced thinly. mix all together.

THAI SEASONING

add white/brown sugar 1/3 of the bottle, add fish sauce 1/3 of sugar, add lemon juice to taste, add garlic, ginger, coriander, chilli.

THAI SALAD

soak tang hoon in hot water for 10 minutes. wash in cold water, dry using sieve.
add raw carrot/cucumber, onions, thai sauce, fish sauce, sugar, coriander, peanut, prawns, shallots, sesame seed, mooli, cucumber pickle.

HUMOUS (LEBANESE)

open chick pea can, wash, sieve, mash.

1 tin: 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice/half a big lemon, a bit of salt --> mix all together.

can be eaten with pitta bread/sandwich

drizzle with sauce. put paprika on top/sesame seeds.

ROAST PORK SALAD

pork - steam/cut
add carrot, onions, spring onions, thai sauce, peanut, coriander

PAELLA

fry chicken - semi-cooked

'tum' garlic, onion, carrot, lap cheong, peppers, tomatoes, kunyit/tumeric powder 1 tsp, add water + chicken stock. boil till carrot soft. add rice (don't stir anymore after add rice. if starch broken will become sticky!). drop in chicken, mussels, frozen peas, pork. cover until look like rice. can be eaten with pickle, mooli, aubergine..

OAT PORRIDGE

4 tbsp oat (taste good brand), add hot water until cover top, microwave 2-3 minutes, add 2 tsp brown sugar, add lecithin, add toasted sesame seed.

RICE IN MICROWAVE

1 cup rice + water:
microwave 7 min
stir
microwave 5 min

ROAST SWEET POTATO

roast sweet potato + garlic + onion + ginger

CHICKEN RICE (bai zhan ji)

Chicken
boil water. must be enough to cover chicken. add ginger (one finger segment long), spring onion, star anise 2 or 3, pepper (black and coarse). drop chicken in and boil for 7 min. turn, boil 7 minutes. turn back, boil 3 min. cover, off flame, leave for half an hour. cut up and serve

Chilli sauce
pound/chop red chilli, garlic, ginger. add a bit of salt, lemon juice/vinegar, sugar. serve with dark soy sauce to dunk together (singapore style)

Rice
fry in oil: garlic, uncooked rice. pour in soup from chicken. cook.