Blondies & Plates

Blondies. Aren't they cool? I think not many Malaysians have heard of blondies as opposed to the darker half aka brownies. Blondies are basically brownies without chocolate. And they taste great.

To me and Hubs that is.

Coz we are both enlightened people and have no fear of a little extra sugar and all things sweet.

In essence, they taste like caramel in the form of a chewy cake. And the taste of dark brown sugar paired with butter is a winning combo - sooo deliciously rich.

I used the recipe from Elise here. Cut down the butter as several commenters said the base came out slightly oily.

I also fancy plates. Colourful, cheery, chic plates. They made my Blondies look better.

Arent they lovely? Got them from a charity bazaar last weekend at Great Eastern mall.

Doing my bit for charity at RM16/ plate.

Dallas & San Antonio, Texas

I blogged so much about San Francisco last year that I totally forgot to blog about Dallas & San Antonio!

In Dallas, Hubs was hard at work attending meetings and workshops and those things that make you sleep while I was hard at work shopping. I realised I didnt take many photos in Dallas - there really wasn't time. Every day was spent navigating my way through new roads, drilling myself to drive on the right side of the road, going to as many shopping malls as possible and covering every bit of it as much as I could.

It was a serious business of selecting and trying on tons of tops, jeans, jackets, shoes, accessories. I get giddy even just listing them down.

We visited their main hypermarts - Walmart, Krogers and World Market. I loved Krogers! There were so many varieties of everything! Dallas folks must love their frozen instant food, cakes and pastries. Rows and rows of em. Wow.



I ate Krispy Cremes with a burp (ala Homer Simpson style). Thought it was pretty good, soft and tasty with sweet glazing that will bring you one step closer to being a diabetic.



Its true. Everything's bigger in Texas. Food portions are just enormous, and they're half the price and double the portion compared to San Fran. Hubs and I should have done the decent thing and shared a meal but there was only so many days and we had to make the most of every experience. It was the only logical thing to do.

There's so much land that almost all the shopping malls are built with just 1 or 2 levels and sprawl across large areas. There's no such thing as insufficient parking. Houses are big too.

Hubs took a day off and we had a long weekend and made a trip south to San Antonio. All his colleagues said it was THE place to go (to do touristy stuff). We left early in the morning to start the 5 hour road trip. The thing I look forward to during road trips are the stops. Heh. Of course not toilet stopslah, the eating stops :)

i-Hop! HOoray! Spread all across the highways - you can't miss em. Young and old, fat and thin, tall n short, Hubs and me, every creature flocks here for a hearty breakfast.

yum yum..... Award winning, milky, fluffy pancakes with buttah and maple syrup... And coffee with free refills.

I want pancakes now!! Stomp Stomp.

We arrived at San Antonio and checked into our hotel - Hampton Inn. Hubs didn't know quite how to pronounce and called it Ham - Tan Inn (meaning salted egg in Chinese) and keep saying here we are Ham Tan Inn. We've arrived at Ham Tan Inn. Grrrr.

Anyway, let's give some credit to the man who took the shot above. He was really trying to compose some sort of 'artistic' shot and I thought watever it was he was trying to do, it came out pretty good.

First stop - Paseo Del Rio - The famous Riverwalk at San Antonio! (sometimes described as the American Venice)Located below street level, its a beautiful place with shops and restaurants lining the walkways. Just stroll along and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere or hop onto the boat rides for a cruise down the river.

Colourful duckies observing tourists

The next day at downtown San Antonio, we happened to be there when a street bazaar was going on. There were plenty of stalls selling gifts, souvernirs, authentic Mexican food and a live band. (If you can spot on the right of the pix below, this man brought his own portable chair, propped himself under a shady tree and just sat there throughout to enjoy the music.)

Here's my plate of tacos with lots of juicy pieces of beef, spicy chillies and creamy guacamole.

A cowgirl wannabe

One other IMPORTANT thing. If you ever go to US, you gotta try out Marble Slab Ice cream for "The freshest ice-cream on earth" home-made, delicious and oh so creamy! Choose your flavour and the counter girl will scoop it out, slap it down onto a cooled marble slab.She then scrapes and scoops it up, and slaps in onto the slab again several times. i think this technique is to make the ice cream softer and smoother before we eat it. Well, it works and we loved it, loved it, loved it!

We also went to the Alamo - another famous spot at San Antonio but I can't the find the pictures and am in need of sleep now.

Have you ever tasted

anything so good?

Behold the Siew Yoke (roasted pork).




Will you just look at that? Can you feel your mouth watering up right now?

Who can resist this?

Each piece of succulent pork is cut to just the right size for you to savour every single layer in a bite

the crisp, well roasted skin,

then the glorious melt-in-your mouth fat,

then the juicy, tender layers of meat...

Every mouthful is HEAVENLY. and too much.

You can't eat more than a half dozen pieces. Or you'd be overwhelmed.

Eat this on as rare an occasion as you can possibly. The heart would not take this lightly.

Each portion - one length cut into roughly 8 pieces is RM16 - steep but worth every cent.

Restaurant Wong Kee, Jalan Nyonya, Off Jalan Pudu, KL. Starts serving at 12.30 but park yourself there earlier.

For more details and pictures which will make you get off your butt and get over here this minute:

Whiff of Lemongrass

Boolicious

KY Speaks

Our 2nd Anniversary

Can you imagine, it was only our 2nd anniversary and we both FORGOT! (its a good thing i forgot too our hubs would be getting plenty from me)

So anyway, we celebrated it the next day at Ma Maison, a cozy lil French restaurant along Jalan Ampang. It was raining so the restaurant was quite empty when we got there. As usual, service was attentive but I think the menu was slightly different from what I remembered.



I ordered the Parfait de Foies de Volaille (homemade chicken liver pate). Hmm.. it was on the dry, crumbly side. I prefer pate to be creamier but the taste was alright. The tangy salad helped balance the overpowering taste of the pate.


Hubs ordered the tarragon spring chicken. The flesh was quite dry too - oh dear what a letdown for Hubs but the potatoes served at the sides were delish.


I ordered the lamb cutlets with mustard crust. Now this was good! You can tell something's good when you have someone at the side poking into your dish every minute and looking at it and then at his own meal forlornly. HAHAHhaha I can just recall hubs face then. Poor guy. The lamb was perfectly done - juicy in the inside, cripsy on the outside. It came along with a bowl of potato gratin and this was excellent too!


It was creamy, hearty and had a nicely baked top layer of cheese. Talk about indulgence.

Finally we finished off with Crepes Ma Maison (Apple pancakes with vanilla ice cream and orange sauce) hmmm I guess Hubs and I prefer the thick, fluffy American style pancakes vs these thin, delicate ones. The orange sauce was a tad too sour too.

I love the plate!

Also check out: Malaysia Alloexpat , Whiff of Lemongrass

Pasta & Pesto

Another pasta that I whipped up and absolutely loved it! Basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and the usual salt, pepper and parmesan are all you need.

You can either patiently chop the ingredients or throw them into a food chopper like me. But don't chop them too finely or they'll end up like mush with no texture.

I didn't lightly toast the pine nuts coz I was just lazy and wanted to fill my stomach as quickly as possible. As usual I went with all possible short cuts.

Chop up the basil and pine nuts. Add the garlic, then pour in olive oil a little at a time. Chopping them up together in the food chopper will infuse the aromatic flavours into the oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cook the pasta till al dente. Toss them up together and add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Other variations include adding chopped tomatoes. In future I think i may saute the garlic first as the fresh, uncooked garlic tasted slightly too sharp.

Read also:

All recipes

Simply Recipes

101cookbooks

Bukit Tabur Melawati (updated)

And that is a picture taken at the edge of urbanised KL. Beautiful!

This is my fifth hike up this hill. For me, its been a month of great accomplishments. (Hey, let me claim some credit here. I know this is an EASY climb for my veteran frens haha.)

I'm the sort that's terrified of heights and ALSO hate to get hot and sweaty with bugs and weeds around me. I used to seriously wonder how could people actually ENJOY outdoor activities. Gimme a gym with TV,music and air-conditioning.

So then, I'm not quite sure why did I decide to still hike up this hill. it must be the beautiful view :) Even with my humble camera and Hubs limited photography skills, the pics still came out breathtaking.

Probably its coz I need some good physical exercise and also I wanted to overcome my fears. So every week we would go one step further from where we last stopped. I remember my first time up this hill, I literally froze halfway climbing a rock wall. My limbs just refused to move and I couldnt figure out where to put my feet. Good grief. And I swore never to go up again.

Now I actually ENJOY the climb. Its great to feel your limbs working vs just the fingers tapping at the keyboard everyday at the office - sigh. Talking about that, I can't really write properly anymore. Seriously, the only writing I do now is just to sign my name. I don't think even that's legible too. Boo.

To enjoy better pictures of Bukit Tabur and the dam, click on my fren's blog - Iron Will. He's a professional photograher :)

Broccoli salad

The past weekend was one which will be remembered in the annals of Malaysian history. Read about Malaysia's elections here, here and here although I know most Malaysians are already familiar with these influential political blogs.

I am proud to say I lived and participated in this period of amazing, miraculous change in our country. I feel proud to be a Malaysian, I feel proud of my fellow Malaysians and have all hopes that our country will be truly progressive, not living in the shadows of its neighbours and most importantly, the people will be known as ONE BANGSA.

As we wait for hopes to be realised, let's make broccoli salad shall we ? *wink :)



Sometimes we just need to eat healthy. Can you see the delicious cream dressing? No? Here's a close up shot.

See those droplets of precious calories and sugar? This dressing was taken from Simply Recipes. Apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise and honey. Its like a rainbow of tastes. Sweet, sour, tangy, rounded up by the creaminess of mayo. ( i made a smaller amount as I am quite a health freak 0_0 honest.)

I blanched the broccoli florets for a minute or 2 in boiling water. Quickly rinsed it under running water to prevent it from overcooking and becoming soggy. You still want the crunch in every bite.

Toss in a bowl with the dressing, some raisins, toasted pine nuts (yep still gotta finish that tub in my fridge) and chopped red onions.

Serve chilled.

Let's Salsa (2)!

I've wanted to try Mexican food or Tex Mex for some time. After making my own pastas, i cringe everytime we fork out RM20-30 for a simple pasta at some fancy italian outlet. I'm gonna start cringing when i next step into TGIF. But then again, cheeses are not cheap, neither are sour cream or avocadoes to make guacamole.

When we were at Dallas last year, Hub's colleague invited us over for a home cooked Mexican dinner. Wow. It was excellent. His wife went 'feh!' over 'yellow cheese'. that's how they describe American cheese haha. I guess that means cheddar. Apprarently the real authentic Mexican food uses white cheese, not yellow. Hmmm I'll have to read up on that.

So since I am using 'feh!' yellow cheddar, I guess i'm making a Tex Mex dish then. :)

Don't the bright, cheer-y-ful colours look absolutely gorgeous? Fun, delicious and MESSY! Quesadillas with my salsa. Its so simple, you can't get it wrong! Kinda like a mexican version of our Chinese popiah.

Recipe
Tortillas
Butter
Cheddar cheese (grated)
Mushrooms (sliced)
Onions (thinly sliced)
Red and yellow capsicums (sliced)
Ground beef

Ok first, heat up some olive oil, and start sauteeing the mushrooms. Season with salt n pepper. Set aside.
Do likewise for the capsicums and onions and ground beef. I marinated the beef with salt, pepper and mixed herbs first. Delicious. Don't overcook or they'll be rubbery and tough. You want to keep the juices.

Soon you'll have something like this!

Lookit my tortillas, arent they so fun looking too? Anyhoo, i think i bought the wrong size.. these were too large for quesadillas... but I couldnt resist the fun packing! Oh well..

Now, spread butter onto your tortillas then pan fry them. Flip it off and on. Once you see air bubbles forming within the tortilla, it should be almost done.

Sprinkle a generous amount of cheddar cheese. I used some Seriously Farmy cheddar here. Seriously.

Then customise your quesadilla - mushrooms n beef? Just capsicums and onions? or EVERYTHING? Of course we went for everything. I mean, we need to finish the food right? haha

Leave it for a bit until the cheese has melted, fold it like an omelette and flip to the other side.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole. (havent got around making guacamole.. avocadoes are mighty expensive here..)

I get my inspirations from: Elise and Pioneer Woman.

Let's Salsa!

I have been watching American Idol and I'm starting to realise, there are plenty of disillusioned people out there. And the alarming thing is, fren's and family that are (too?) supportive, blindly encouraging and making them believe they have true talent and to pursue their dream. seriously, if everyone were to tell me I could sing, could you blame me for thinking so? dear me..

I like to cook. Sometimes, I wonder if I should have pursued a degree in the culinary arts. Wouldnt it be great to cook for people for a living? Everyone loves to eat and everyone is happy when they eat.

Where is the point where we can go, hey - i have a passion, I think i'm good at it so I should pursue this dream. Or rather,

Where is the line we draw and say ok, let's be realistic. i love doing this and i'll enjoy doing it everyday in my own time, as a - hobby. But that's what it all is. No blind chasing of dreams.

If we all knew whether our passions would lead us to become great, wouldnt that be great?

Anyhoo, that aside, let's get on with my passion. Yes, learning to cook new stuff (or is it actually taking photos)? Hmm... dilemma, dilemma.

Salsa! (the sauce, not the dance) Such an easy dish that's so colourful and zingy and tangy and hot! what a mouthful. I like how the flavours and colours combine. Tomatoes and coriander leaves who would have thought of such a simple yet wonderful combination? Salsa is the Spanish word for sauce, and is always used to accompany Mexican dishes. Read more about it here. Here's how to make fresh salsa or Salsa fresca.

Recipe

Tomatoes (seeds and pulp removed, diced)

Onions (chopped)

Lime juice

Cilantro / chinese celery (chopped)

Jalapeno pepper

Salt & pepper

I wouldn't know where to get jalapeno peppers in Malaysia so I substituted with our very own hot cili padi! Combine ingredient together and taste. Adjust to the hotness you prefer.

Set aside to chill for about an hour.

Next up, quesadillas to go with this salsa (should be the other way around)...

Nyonya Fried Rice

Another item to strike of my list from Wat's in store for 2008. I got around frying this up on a Sunday. Before this, I read Delia Smith's book on techniques on how to cook eggs. She had a pretty good technique on omelettes. Wow I wish I could have bought that book but just one volume cost close to a hundred ringgit. Anyway, I managed to memorise important bits.

To get a nice fluffy omelette, first whisk eggs well. Add in a pinch of salt & pepper. Heat oil and coat the pan well. Pour in the eggs and let it cook for a bit. Once the edges are slightly cooked, lift the pan to a 45 degree angle and push the edges of the omelette to the middle. This lets the runny eggs inside flow to the outside. Repeat the other way until there's only a bit of runny eggs on top. Flip over to the other side and you're done! Yummm don't finish the eggs first!

For this recipe, set aside the eggs and cut them into smaller slices.

Ingredients!

Overnight rice

Heh bi (dried prawns - soaked)

Shitake mushrooms (soaked & sliced)

Garlic (chopped)

Shallots (chopped)

Chilli boh

Prawns - deveined and shelled

Seasoning

Oyster sauce

Light soy sauce

Salt & pepper

I marinated the prawns first with some salt, pepper and sugar. Now, start by frying the garlic and onions till fragrant. Add the dried prawns and fry again till u can smell its fragrant aroma! Next, mix in the chilli boh and fry some more! (This really gives your arms a workout, what more with my heavy utensil). Then the prawns and mushrooms. Add the rice and break up the chunks well. Pour in the seasoning mixture and fry till well combined. Add the eggs, dish up and serve!