Girl, Domesticated. Kitchen Affairs: Episode #8

Been awfully slacking in posting my adventures in the kitchen but will give it a shot today. Yesterday's attempt was my first time trying three dishes in one go. All pretty manageable and no major mishap except I forgot to par boiled the bittergourd first before frying it. Luckily I hadn't thrown them in the wok first so there was a slight delay while I inserted the par boiling step. I also forgot to fry with butter instead of using olive oil. So although this time around, the salted egg was salty enough to coat the bittergourd, frying with butter would make the dish much more tastier.

Salted egg bittergourd

Everything else turned out well.

The minced pork with olive leaves was just as good as I had expected and it well really well with rice. Next time, if I'd be repeating this dish, will try with chili padi to give it some extra kick and hold back on the olive oil as the oil leaves itself already came with ample oil.

Minced pork with olive leaves

The scramble egg with tomato was really good and the consistency was what I expected it to be - not too dry and the taste was just as sweet as I had expected it to be. Next round, will cut back on adding the sugar and just put in extra tomatoes to let natural sweetness take its course.

Scrambled eggs with tomato

Let's see what other inspirations I can hit with and hope to be back in the kitchen sooner than expected.

A new beginning, in every sense...

Out with the old and in with the new. That seems to be the recurring theme for this year.

According to the lunar calendar, the new year starts on 4 February and on 10 February, I bid good bye to Juniper - a place where I've spent 7 years and 6 months of my life. Much has grown and changed with the people, place and my waist line over the years but nevertheless it is still a place with many dear memories for me.

Interestingly, my join date was 24 August 2004 and last working day happened to be 24 February 2012 by pure coincidence.

So as I say goodbye to a great company and some people, I look forward to my next challenge at work and life with anticipated breath.

It'd be uphill from now....

Girl, Domesticated. Kitchen Affairs: Episode #3

New Year, New Beginnings. And here's the new project.

Back in the kitchen today to try out the salted egg yolk bittergourd and tom yam paste fried prawns. The first was inspired after tasting this delicious dish at a day trip with friends in Pengerang, Malaysia. The second is to try and use up the leftover tom yam paste I had from previous episodes while trying to cook up a tom yam paste pasta.

Tom Yam paste fried prawn

Salted Egg Yolk bittergourd

The tom yam one turned out really well. It was yummy and if I'm doing it again next round, will deshell the prawns.

The salted egg yolk bittergourd was a slight disappointment as it was not as tasty as expected. I should have added some salt as I didn't know mum had bought the 'not so salty' kind of salted egg. Thus, it came out tasting a bit bland.

All in all, pretty satisfied with the results and glad I did this to kickstart my 1 Jan 2012.

Till the next cooking adventure, happy lunching.

Oh and I forgot, yesterday, I also tried my hand at a dessert. Snow fungus soup with longan and ginkgo nuts. Originally intended to make this for somebody but somehow, it became my last project for 2011 and I ate it myself. It was a success, nevertheless.

Snow fungus soup with longan and ginkgo nuts

昨天想的,今天已成事实

昨天有人发了电话短讯给我。写了一些祝贺。读了之后，感触特多。。。

就这样的，一些事情就变了过去。。。

“撕下墙壁的最后一张日历，不论过去的一年成与败，得与失，苦与乐，都随着时空而成为了过去。

挂上新的日历，新的一年，它依然是三百六十五张。

愿您在新的一年，每一天撕下每一张日历的每一天，都是… 健康快乐，事事顺心，心想事成。”

Goodbye 2011

The last day of 2011 is a Saturday, 31 Dec.

I didn't wake up for a morning run, but then again, I slept pretty late last night doing pretty much nothing either. I had planned to cook something today but plans are shelved to Sunday.

Probably I will make a simple dessert instead.

I had a fun time yesterday at lunch with colleagues reminiscing the year with all our mishaps and travels. It's great to feel that bond and friendship with a bunch of folks whom I spend almost a third of my time with each day. I guess I enjoy and treasure the camaraderie we've established over the years. I've also made some new amazing friends this year and I do feel grateful for these blessings.

Regrets, I may have a few but not something I should dwell on. There are questions I wished I had asked earlier and things I should probably not have done but living out the experience and consequences being part of that are what builds character. And for highlights, I do have some and they've pretty much made the year more bearable.

So my last post for the year is to hope that 2012 will be a greater year for everyone. And come all rain and shine, we'd live it through with greater smiles. Happy New Year.

Becoming me

It's that time of the year again when one starts to reflect on the year that has passed and the one that's about to come and start drawing resolutions that never quite seem to get accomplished. At least that's how it is usually for me. Guess my forte is in planning and not exactly in execution.

I don't think I made any specific resolutions this year but I did put out a list of 'long term' ones.

Family
"I will make effort to plan for a family trip at least once a year and cook one healthy meal once a week."

Friends
"I will make time to catch up and connect with my friends at least once a month."

Finances
"I will stay focused on working towards financial independence by saving $xxxx/mth." 

Fitness
"I will care for my body so that I can continue to feel the pleasure of being fit and fully alive as I grow older. Thus, I need to continue with my exercise and watch what I eat."

Career
"I'll find a job or activity that feeds my soul and uses my talents to help others."

Looking at them now, I think I've managed to do some of them. There are a few I'd need to work harder at but at least it's not just NATO.

Next year, there are some plans on the family and fitness front on what I'd want to do such as aiming for a trip to Europe and completing a full marathon amongst others. As for finances, friends and career, I can only hope I'd be able to have the good fortune and opportunity to do what I hope to do, and that more good things will come my way in the year of the dragon.

Happy 2012, everyone.

Girl, Domesticated. Kitchen Affairs: Episode #2

I did it again. After a long 'hiatus' after my first kitchen affair, I'm back.

Inspired by a dish I ate when in US on a road trip, I googled and experimented the receipe and will try my best to replicate it. Tom Yam pasta.

Last attempt was a few weeks back which got the thumbs up from the folks at home, and today, I will try it yet again to feed my fellow runners.

Hope it'd turn out well and they'd like it.

Calling for the inner chef in me, don't be shy today and come out and play...