From Our Home

Australia Day 2012

2012-01-26T19:51:00.000+11:00

Happy Australia Day! The day started out grey and wet with heavy rains which had come from the north. The rain made us cancel our plans to head into the city. Ash and I went to the cinemas instead to watch "The Descendants" starring George Clooney which won Best Picture in this year's Golden Globe Awards. Then, it was a quiet day of rest at home. Finished off the day with a BBQ at home and pavlova for dessert.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Chinese New Year 2012

2012-01-21T11:00:00.001+11:00

Kung Hei Fatt Choy to family, friends and readers. Wish that the Chinese New Year of the dragon brings peace, happiness, good health and prosperity to everyone.

image source

Sandra's Baby Shower

2012-01-18T11:00:00.000+11:00

I made this buttery orange cupcakes for my colleague Sandra. She is taking 12 months maternity leave to look after her first baby and enjoy motherhood. Good luck Sandra and Matt, enjoy this new chapter of your married life.

Hubby Cooking #12 - Grilled Chicken and Corn Orecchiette

2012-01-17T11:00:00.000+11:00

Tasty plate of pasta with corn and peas, topped with grilled chicken breast. PM if you want the recipe.

Mount Ashby Estate

2012-01-16T11:00:00.003+11:00

I love the Southern Highlands region in NSW. This was the place where I spent my first two years in Australia, so this region holds special memories for me.

In the last few years, there have been quite a few wineries that have been established in the region. At last count, there are over 60 wineries, but only 13 of them have cellar doors. On our last visit to the region, two Fridays ago, we decided to pop into one of the wineries for some tasting. Neither hubby nor I had any knowledge of wines from the area, so we randomly picked two - Mount Ashby Estate (because I liked the name) and Southern Highland Wines (it was on the way to our friends' property in Exeter).

a lovely spot for lunch

picture the fire roaring in winter

Mount Ashby turn out to be a good choice. The property is located off the main roads, with a lovely hill behind. The air was fresh and crisp when we got out of the car...deep breaths in of fresh unpolluted air. The winery is a family owned boutique operation and only opened from Thursdays to Sundays with lunches served on the weekends. When we walked in, we were greeted by the wonderful smell of some meat roasting in the oven (turns out to be duck). The wine tasting and lunches are served in the same building (unfortunately, we didn't stay for lunch as we had other plans for friends). The vineyard is also opened for functions and events. Whilst we were there, a couple walked in to discuss their wedding plans with the owner, Chris (who was the only person there at that time). I love small operators like Chris who are happy to discuss their harvest, wines and production to give you an in-depth appreciation for the wine.

Due to the cooler climate in the Southern Highlands and the higher altitude, wines produced are a lighter and not as full-bodied unlike those produced in the Barossa or Hunter Valley. The wine industry is also relatively young in the region too. The lighter style suits my palate and I was happy (with the quality not as a result of drinking too much!).

We went home with a dozen bottles of Chardonnay and Merlot to stock up our cellar. We plan to visit again and try out their lunch menu at the next visit.

Covering School Books

2012-01-15T11:00:00.000+11:00

Two more weeks till the new school year begins. One of the important prep tasks is covering the school books with contact paper. This year, I am able to outsource the task of covering Caitlin's books to Ashleigh (advantages of having a older child), for a price of course! On the last day of school, Caitlin's Year 1 teacher handed us a pack with instructions and cover pages for the books. Caitlin's books are ready. We're still waiting for Ashleigh's books to be delivered.

Next step to check that their summer uniforms fit. We've already bought their school shoes. Lunchboxes from last year are still in good condition. We just need to buy socks.

Creme Brulee

2012-01-14T18:48:00.000+11:00

Since it's the school holidays, Ashleigh wanted to learn how to cook (finally!). She has been dying to use the blowtorch that we bought last year. She decided to try making Creme Brulee.

600ml thickened cream
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
6 egg yolks
¼ cup caster sugar
120g demerara sugar

Just before baking

Preheat oven to 120°C.
Place the cream, vanilla bean and seeds in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to scalding point, then remove from heat. Remove vanilla bean and discard.
Whisk together egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl for 2-3 minutes or until pale.
Pour hot cream over egg yolk mixture, continuing to whisk until well combined. Strain mixture into a jug, evenly divide between 4 x 200ml ramekins.
Carefully place ramekins in a deep roasting pan lined with a folded tea towel. Pour boiling water into pan to come halfway up the sides of ramekins. Cover pan loosely with foil.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the custard has just set. Remove ramekins from the water bath, and set aside to cool.
Sprinkle demerara sugar evenly over the surface of the baked custards. Run a kitchen blowtorch over the custards, or place under a preheated grill until the sugar bubbles and caramelises. Serve.

Marmite Chicken

2012-01-14T14:44:00.000+11:00

On our last trip to Malaysia, we were introduced to a new dish - Marmite Chicken. Initially, I was hesitant to taste the dish. Marmite is a salty yeast extract (a by-product of beer brewing) similar to Bovril and Vegemite. When I was little, we used to add a small dollop of Marmite or Bovril to a bowl of plain rice congee to add flavour. We usually ate this when we were unwell.

Despite my hesitation, I did taste the Marmite Chicken dish and was surprised that I could not taste the Marmite at all. The taste is probably masked by the golden syrup (supposed to use maltose but I didn't have in the pantry), sesame oil and honey that is added. I love the caramelised taste of the chicken and it goes well served with steamed white rice.

Here's my version of Marmite Chicken (thanks to Suresh from 3 Hungry Tummies for sharing his recipe). According to Ashleigh (the fussiest eater in our family), this recipe is a keeper. She ate five pieces of chicken, which is a lot for her.

Apple Cinnamon Crumble with Custard

2012-01-07T20:32:00.000+11:00

This is one of the easiest apple crumble to make. You cut up the apples, mix with the sugars and spice and put them into the baking dish and into the oven. Cooking the apples this way gives it a bite and it's not too soft.

Recipe sourced from Delicious Magazine, June 2010 (modified by me).

5 green apples, peeled and cut into chunks
3 red apples, peeled and cut into chunks
50gm sultanas
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves (optional)
pinch of ground nutmeg (or freshly grated nutmeg)
Warm custard to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Place the apples in the baking dish and mix with the ingredients.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and then remove from oven and sprinkle with crumble.
Then return to oven and bake for another 20 minutes until golden and bubbling, then stand for 10 minutes.
Serve with warm custard.

Cinnamon crumble topping
170 self raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 firmly packed cup brown sugar
1/4 cup caster sugar
130gm chilled unsalted butter, chopped

Mix the flour, cinnamon and sugars in a bowl, then rub in the butter with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Place on top of baked apples as per above in step 3.

Vanilla Custard
200ml milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
100ml thickened cream
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup caster sugar

Warm the milk with the vanilla pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat until just below boiling point.
Meanwhile, whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl to combine.
Slowly pour hot milk over egg mixture, stirring constantly.
Return to the cleaned saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
Remove from the heat, strain into a jug and cover closely with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
Serve warm or cold.

Petaling Street, Sydney

2012-01-04T22:42:00.000+11:00

During the Christmas break, a friend mentioned a new Malaysian restaurant had recently opened in Sydney's Chinatown called "Petaling Street". The real Petaling Street is located in KL, Malaysia which is Chinatown in KL. In KL's Petaling St, you will find plenty of fake handbags, knick knacks, restaurants, clothes, massage parlours, food stalls serving local food like char koay teow, grilled fish (ikan panggang), satay, curry noodles, wan tan mee etc.

During my last trip to Melbourne back in July, I did walk past the Petaling St branch on Swanston St in the city but didn't have time to try. This time, I met my girlfriend, Cindy for lunch. We had the Hainan Chicken Rice (which came highly recommended), Combination Hor Fun (Wet Koay Teow), Lobak and Grass Jelly drinks.

**Apologies for the photo quality. I was at work and didn't bring my camera with me. Had to rely on my iPhone**

The restaurant is not large, but long and narrow. As the restaurant is still new, the waiters seem to be inexperienced. The guy that took our order seem to be have difficulty understanding us (must be our Malaysian accent), we concluded he may not be Malaysian since he did not appear to be familiar with the dishes. He also couldn't count because we ordered two Grass Jelly drinks, but he gave us one. There was some confusion when we asked for another glass, but he got it right eventually (Sorry C, I had to blog about this).

The food was served quickly probably because the restaurant was not busy since it was close to 2pm when we had lunch.

The Hainan Chicken Rice was served with rice and a bowl of soup. The chicken was already deboned and had a smooth texture, important for Hainan style chicken. At first I found the chicken a little sweet but couldn't put my finger to the source. In the end, we figured they must have added some sweet soy to the soy seasoning (not common in other Hainan Chicken dishes I have eaten). The ginger and garlic sauce was tasty and the chill sauce very garlicky but no heat which was disappointing. The soup was also lukewarm, but we left it at that. I overheard the guy at the next table asking the waiter to warm up his soup.

We also shared a Combination Hor Fun, a reasonable serve for the price. Whilst we enjoyed the dish, it lacked the 'wok hei' that adds flavour to the koay teow. The rice noodles could have been caramelised a little bit more. The dish was served without any green chillies, so we asked for it but was told they didn't have any, we then asked for red chillies. And what do you know, the waiter brings a small side of green chillies. See what I mean about inexperienced wait staff.

The Lobak was crispy but the pork filling lacked taste, probably not enough seasoning. The accompanying sauce was also not the usual sweetish sauce (served in Malaysia). I think it was served with the same garlic/ginger and chilli sauce as the chicken rice.

The icy cold Grass Jelly drink was refreshing on a hot summer's day in Sydney.

Overall, the food was average to me. I think the tastes of all the food will be enhanced with an additional pinch of salt. It seemed to lack that 'ooomph'.

The strategic location of the restaurant on George St in Chinatown means it will be convenient for the Asian students studying at UTS.

Even though the dishes we ordered this time did not hit the mark, C and I decided we would return to try the other dishes on offer since the menu is quite extensive compared to other Malaysian restaurants in Sydney.

Petaling Street
760 George St
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9281 6508

From the Archives

2012-01-02T18:01:00.001+11:00

I spent a couple of hours on New Year's day clearing the study and storage area. Amazing how much junk gets accumulated throughout the year. Whilst chucking things out, I came across a new box of 3.5 inch disks. Wow... it was a step back in time. Hubby and I tried to recall the last time we used a disk to archive data or copy files. We also found various pieces of junk e.g. his filofax (remember those? it was cool then to have one), CD writer, CD player, palm pilot device.

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T11:32:00.000+11:00

source: dailytelegraph.com.au

A big hello to 2012! Happy New Year to all of you readers and your loved ones too. I pray that your 2012 will be a big one for you in all aspects. May all that you wish for and work for come true. 2012 will be another extraordinary year. Hope the current world economic situation will recover in late 2012 to ensure we end the year on a high note.

Thank you for your support in 2011. Hope you will continue to visit and leave a comment or two or more.

HAVE A FANTASTIC 2012!

Boxing Day in Sydney

2011-12-26T18:58:00.000+11:00

How are you holding up? Did you survived the Christmas feasts? After our huge Christmas lunch, we were in a 'food coma', self inflicted of course. All of us had a siesta when our guests left. Woke up and went for a run with Ashleigh to ease away the guilt.

Traditionally Boxing Day in Sydney is spent at the Boxing Day sales, watching the cricket on tv (live from MCG), heading to the cinemas to watch one of the blockbuster movies or grabbing one of the vantage spots whilst waiting in anticipation for the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

This year, I suggested to Ashleigh that she might want to experience one of the traditional Boxing Day activities - Boxing Day sales. She was keen on the idea but I warned her it had to be an early start. Myer and David Jones were opened from 5am today. We left the house at 7:30am to catch the train to the city, it was the wise choice since parking will be too expensive. Before we hit the shops, we decided to have breakfast at the food centre below Myer to fuel up before the marathon walking.

Then it was straight to the children's department and worked our way down. It was a surprise to us that the crowds were not bad at all, in fact the queues at the cashier were not that long but manageable. We bought a few presents for friends who have invited us for NYE's lunch. Three hours later, we emerged disappointed at the sales especially since Mr Bernie Brooks, CEO of Myer had said this would be the most aggressive sale ever. But my purse was happy since I didn't spend too much, mainly for items on my list. A good bargain was perfumes 40% discounts on gift packs. Another interesting observation was the long queues mainly Asians outside Oroton, Prada, Longchamp, Guess and L'Occitane. I guess, with China booming, that's where the new consumers will come from.

In the afternoon, we went to watch Tom Cruise's latest Mission Impossible movie - Ghost Protocol. This is the 4th installment of the MI series. I really enjoyed the movie, one of the best in the series. The film was shot in various places from Moscow, Budapest, Dubai and Mumbai. My heart was in my mouth at the scene where Ethan had to climb the tallest building in Dubai, well over 100 floors.

All in all, it was a relaxing day post the Christmas celebrations.

Mangomisu

2011-12-26T10:00:00.003+11:00

Mangoes are aplenty during this time of year. I made this tiramisu variation for Christmas Day. It's a delicious dessert for summer time.

500g mascarpone cheese

600ml thickened cream
1/3 cup (50g) icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
1/2 cup (125ml) Grand Marnier (less if you want to reduce the alcohol for children)
Juice of 2 oranges
300g savoiaridi (see note) (sponge finger biscuits)
3 mangoes, flesh sliced 1cm thick

Raspberry sauce
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
250g fresh or frozen raspberries
Juice of 1 lemon

Line the base of a 22cm spring-form cake pan with plastic wrap or baking paper. Place the mascarpone, thickened cream, icing sugar, egg yolks and vanilla seeds in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip on high speed until thick and well combined.
Combine the Grand Marnier and orange juice in a separate bowl. Dip half the sponge fingers into the juice mixture and layer in the base of the cake pan. Spread with one-third of the mascarpone mixture, and top with one-third of the mango slices. Repeat the process, then top with the remaining mascarpone mixture, reserving the remaining mango slices to serve. Cover the cake and chill for 2 hours or until firm.
Meanwhile for the raspberry sauce, place the sugar and 2 tbs water in a small pan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cool slightly, then add the berries and lemon juice. Whiz in a food processor until smooth, then pass through a sieve. Chill until ready to serve. (You can store the sauce, covered, in the fridge for 3-4 days).
To serve, carefully remove the sides and base of the cake pan and transfer the mangomisu to a platter. Decorate with curls of the reserved mango, then slice and serve with berry sauce.

Recipe source: Delicious Magazine, Dec 2009

Note: I used Pavarini sponge fingers which are smaller and crispier than the savioridi fingers.

Christmas Day Menu

2011-12-25T18:26:00.000+11:00

This year for Christmas Day, we kept the menu simple and easy since it was a small group, just family. For me, it was the most relaxing preparations. Hubby did most of the cooking and I did the food shopping and made desserts. I even had time to play with the girls whilst hubby was cooking.

The centrepiece at the table as the platter of roast pork loin with stuffing made with dried apricots, sultanas, breadcrumbs, bacon, pine nuts and parsley, a Masterchef worthy creation by hubby. The crackling was crispy and crunchy. This was served with homemade apple sauce and roasted vegetables. Everyone loved it!

My Mum made the spring rolls and smoked salmon salad.

My in-laws brought a plated of cooked prawns and SIL brought her usual potato salad.

I made two desserts - Mangomisu and Pavlova. My SIL also bought a Yule Log.

Mangomisu

Pavlova

Yule Log

We all suffered from food coma after the lunch. After our guests left, it was time for a siesta. There are still leftovers for dinner and tomorrow.

Hope you enjoyed your Christmas celebrations with your family and loved ones. Love to see your photos.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-24T21:36:00.000+11:00

From our family to yours:

image sourced here

Have a safe and happy Christmas with your family and loved ones.

Wrapping Up 2011

2011-12-23T17:55:00.000+11:00

Two more sleeps till Christmas and it's come to the pointy end of 2011. Days are passing quicker filled with tasks that need to be completed; appointments to be met, preparing for the holidays and gatherings with friends and family to organise to finish the year with a bang!

In 2011, I am grateful for:

my new role in a different division of the same organisation and the challenges the role brings.
being part of a Mentoring program at work which has helped me work out a new career direction.
how well my two girls have settled in Junior and Senior schools.
Chris finding an IT contracting position so quickly in April.
the three weeks that my sister and her family spent with us in July.
our family vacation in KK and Singapore. Thanks Jolene and Andrew for including our girls in your bridal party.
good friends who continue to play an important role in our lives.
my parents and in-laws who help us to look after our girls whilst hubby and I are at work. They have helped make our lives less stressful.
our good health despite the usual sniffles in winter, we've survived the year.
the wonderful team at work who make going to work worthwhile.
the opportunity to work with the 6-9 year old children in the Atrium. It is humbling to know that I play an important role in helping the children come closer to God.
for friends I have met in the blogsphere. I love how FB and blogging has opened new avenues to make friends.
so much more that I can't remember.

But mostly, thank God for being able to wake up each day and for my beautiful family.

The Season for Giving - Basket Brigade

2011-12-19T10:36:00.001+11:00

As a Mum, I always find the lead up to Christmas a challenging time to balance between the commercialism of Christmas by retailers and malls versus the true meaning of Christmas. As my girls grow older, I like them to know that Christmas is not just about the presents they will receive and Santa's lists, but to consider those who may not be able to celebrate Christmas due to the different circumstances. Fortunately, the girls learning early at school about giving as their school organises Christmas hampers and gifts for families in need every year. Each class is allocated a family and families are asked to buy gifts and food items that are appropriate. That's the start of the season of giving for us.

This year, Ashleigh and I did something different. We joined the Basket Brigade (thanks Michaeline for asking) for a half day of packing Christmas hampers in a warehouse located in inner Sydney. The hampers are packed to the brim with food items, Christmas presents and a card. It was a great opportunity to give back. The warehouse was huge and the packing had already started since the morning when we arrived. After registration, we went to pick up an empty box and joined the long line of people. As one moves along the production line, food items are placed into the box. At the end of the line, presents are placed at the top for the families. About 5000 boxes were packed that day for families in need, refugees and the homeless. The food items and presents are sourced from various avenues - some are donated by corporations and employees from various organisations; some are purchased at bulk discounted or cost prices from monetary donations that Basket Brigade have asked for. It warmed my heart to see the number of volunteers who turned out to lend a hand (about 500 people in total); from the young children to seniors. Many hands make light work and everyone was ready to pitch in to do their bit.

Empty boxes waiting to be filled.
Image credit: Michaeline Lee

More boxes
Image credit: Michaeline Lee

Start of the production line (after picking an empty box - Ash on left)

End of production line - boxes are piled with presents and sealed ready for delivery

Contents in the box - pasta sauce, dry pasta, biscuits, rice, tuna, promite (vegemite), baked beans,
jelly crystals, ready to eat sauces, jam, milo, chocolates, chips, noodles, spice mixes

On our way home, Ashleigh and I talked about what we did and how there are many people in the world that have much less than us. I think it gave Ashleigh an insight into how lucky she is. On each of the box, there is a label which tells you some details about the family e.g. F40, F4 and M6 (we thinks it refers to a single mom with two young children); M20, M20, M16, F14, F12, F6 (we assumed a family of children with no parents). Ashleigh wants to return next year and she is planning to rope in her friends too.

We had fun today...it warms my heart to see the number of volunteers who make a difference. The world is not as selfish as its often portrayed in the media.

Breaking up the extra boxes to keep

To learn more about how you can help, check out the Magic Moments Foundation website here.

School's Over for 2011

2011-12-16T22:00:00.000+11:00

My girls started their summer holidays a week ago...nearly 8 weeks off! 2011 has been a busy and challenging year for all of us. We survived Year 7 and Kindergarten. Looking back, we are glad the year is over.

Year 7 was challenging for Ashleigh from the start. She was really threw into the deep end with homework, extra-curricular activities, social events and projects. She had to learn how to manage her time to juggle all that is happening in her life. I am proud of her and she has done extremely well both in school and making friends. Her social circle has expanded to include some girls who were new to the school this year and also girls from Junior school. Her social life is definitely busier and she has been working out her Skype account. Girls these days no longer talk on the phone; unlike in my days when I used to spend hours on the phone ('cooking porridge' or 'poh chook'). Now they chat on Skype, which is something we've had to watch closely. Ashleigh has not asked for a Facebook account, but we know that will come one day. Recently, I met up with a girlfriend for coffee and she suggested that I draw up a contract when Ashleigh asks for a FB account. That's what she did with her daughter. There were certain conditions that her daughter had to agree to and if any of the conditions were breached, then the access to FB was withheld or terminated. She also suggested that Ashleigh adds me as a friend as a way of monitoring; and it also gives you an insight into how she interacts with her friend.

Caitlin has breezed through Kindergarten as expected. She enjoys going to school everyday which is a great thing. She has settled well into Junior School and is looking forward to Year 1. She just can't wait to grow up and head to Senior School. Sigh! When did my baby grow up so quickly? Caitlin has made friends with E who lives in a neighbouring suburb. The two girls will start jazz ballet class next year. This year has also been a year of birthday parties, Caitlin had four parties in two weekends at the beginning of the year. Boy, I was partied out. I guess your social life expands when you start big school. Caitlin loves her big sister dearly, and will always ask Ashleigh to walk her to her class every morning. Her reading and writing skills have improved but we will continue to work on these over the holidays to ensure she stays on top. Caitlin enjoys art and craft and her afternoons are busy with drawing or making something which is held together by sticky tape. Caitlin brought home a great report card this semester. Her teacher, Miss C, commented that she is "always co-operative, follows instructions, listens carefully and is an outstanding role model for other children". She also received an "Outstanding" for her reading. According to her teacher, her reading and comprehension is beyond what is expected at Kindergarten level.

We are very proud of both our girls. Well done Ashleigh and Caitlin.

Choc Hazelnut Stars

2011-12-12T21:51:00.000+11:00

Continuing with the theme of 'handmade' Christmas gifts, I made these Choc Hazelnut Stars as gifts for friends. This recipe is from the 2011 Christmas issue of Super Food Ideas.

125gm butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup hazelnut meal
1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1/4 cup self raising flour, sifted
100gm dark chocolate, melted
120gm packet dry-roasted hazelnuts
icing sugar mixture, for dusting

Cream the butter, sugar and egg in an electric mixer until well combined.
In a separate bowl, sift the cocoa powder and flours. Add in the hazelnut meal. Stir this mixture into the creamed butter, sugar and egg.
Remove the dough from the mixture and knead into a ball, then flattened into a disc shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and place into a refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 150C fan forced. Line baking trays with baking paper.
Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper until about 1cm thick. Dust the star-shaped cutters lightly with flour and cut out the shapes, re-rolling the dough scraps and repeat the process until all dough has been cut into stars.
Place the stars onto prepared trays. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until just firm to touch.
Stand on trays for 10 minutes. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Spoon the chocolate into a snap-lock bag. Snip 1 corner of the bag with scissors (not too big).
Pipe the melted chocolate into the centre of each star. Place a hazelnut (de-skinned) on top.
Set aside for 15 minutes to set before dusting with icing sugar mixture and then serve.

Makes about 30-32 pieces.

'Peerant' or Parent

2011-12-12T09:31:00.000+11:00

I came across this parenting article today which discusses the type of parents we are - 'peerant' or parent. Basically, a 'peerant' is someone who is more a friend to their children instead of a parent; someone who can't say no to their children. A 'parent' on the other hand, is someone who can say no to their children and has their own life. The article resonates with me because being a parent these days is a challenging role. We want our children to love us but we also want to ensure they respect us as parents. How do we strike a balance to ensure we have a strong loving relationship with our children where both parties talk to each other and respect each other.

This article was written by Michael Grose, who writes a parenting blog.

A ’peerent’:

1. Struggles to say NO to kids. They give in to kids’ requests too easily or just avoud upsetting them.

2. Avoids discipline. He or she leaves it to their partner, or worse, leaves the hard discipline to their child’s school.

3. Takes on children’s problems as his or her own. They’ll go out of their way to fix thinks or smooth things out for kids.

4. Gives kids too much say for their age or station in life. They let kids rule the roost at home.

5. Wants kids to like him or her all the time.

6. Wears the same types of clothes as their kids.

7. Wants to know everything a child does and feels excluded when a child wants privacy.

8. Is convinced that their child tells them everything!

A parent on the other hand:

1. Somehow finds a way to say no to kids.

2. Discovers their backbone and are willing to be the bad guy to their kids.

3. Works by the principle of he or she who owns a problem solves the problem…..with help.

4. Feels comfortable with authority and uses it wisely…..but also knows they don’t always get things right.

5. Understands that children won’t always like them. In fact, there are times that kids will genuinely detest them or their actions. Love is shown by being willing to act in children’s best interests.

6. Has their own life separate from their children’s lives.

7. Gives kids sufficient space to solve their own problems and have their own relationship.

8. .….doesn’t want to know everything that is going on in their child’s life!

Are you a 'peerant' or parent?

Gingerbread House - 2011

2011-12-11T20:22:00.000+11:00

Wan Family

Today, I host a Gingerbread House decorating afternoon at home. Initially, I was going to join the group at church but the event was for adults only. As my girls are older now, I know they will enjoy decorating the gingerbread house as well as eating the lollies and chocs as they decorate. I managed to ask my girlfriend (who organised the event at her church) to buy a few extra kits for me. Then, I invited another 4 families to join us for an afternoon of sweet fun.

Yasmine

It was an enjoyable afternoon indoors with a thunderstorm outside. The kit comes with the gingerbread pieces, lollies, royal icing, cake board and cellophane paper. Each family brought extra sweets and chocs to add to the supply. The children did most of the work whilst I sat back and supervised with a glass of wine in hand. It certainly made the supervision easier ;-) Mums were on hand to lend a helping hand and a comment here and there.

Tanudji Family

The children let their creative juices flow with the choice of lollies and chocolates in front of them. In the initial stage, patience is required to build the walls, then leave the icing to set for about 15 minutes. Then you attach the roof and leave it to set again. It's important to ensure the icing is set before you start to place the chocs and lollies. One of the house collapsed part way through and there had to be reconstructed. It happens. The children did a fantastic job with their houses, each of them worked hard to decorate them in their own style. It was fascinating to sit there and watch them at work.

James

In addition to the sweets, I also bought 3D figurines from a cake decorating store. I bought Santas, reindeers, snowmans, penguins, trees and wreaths.

Cindy


Hague family


All Wrapped Up

The finishing touch was a dusting of icing sugar and wrapped in cellophane paper and tied with curling ribbon.

White Chocolate Rocky Road

2011-12-06T12:00:00.002+11:00

This year I wanted a 'hand-made' theme for my girls' teachers Christmas presents. While trying to keep it hand-made, I also wanted to keep the price down as there are many more teachers - junior and senior schools. My girls and I made these white choc rocky road (recipe from Retro Mummy) for some of their teachers. We packaged them in these cute melamine tumblers from J.A.B design which we bought from Peters of Kensington. The gift looks lovely all wrapped up in cello and tied with a ribbon. We enjoyed making and wrapping these presents. I was also glad my girls made a personal contribution in their making their teachers' presents as a way to say 'Thank You' for a great year.

Cookies with a Message

2011-12-05T12:34:00.000+11:00

My sister bought me this fantastic cookie cutter from Williams-Sonoma last Christmas. Williams-Sonoma is similar to the Wheel and Barrow stores in Australia. I love that store and can spend hours browsing the household pots and pans, beautiful homeware and recipe books.

You can customise your message on the cookies using the letters and templates. The cookies we made this time are for Ashleigh and Caitlin's teachers and friends, so they decided "Happy Holidays", but there are also other messages e.g. "It's a Boy", "Thank You", "I Love You", "Welcome", "Baby Girl".

390 gm (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
185gm unsalted butter, at room temperature
250gm (1 cup) caster sugar
Food colouring (optional)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In the bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed and slowly add the sugar and a few drops of food colouring (if adding colour) and beat for 2 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Fold in half the flour and beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed. Then, add the remaining flour and continue beating until all the flour has been mixed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. 2 to 5 minutes
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal flat discuss. Wrap each piece separately and place into the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Remove the dough from fridge and let stand for 5 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 4.5 to 6mm.
Preheat the oven to 140C in a fan-forced oven (90C for my oven). Line the baking tray with baking paper.
Dip the cutter into flour just before using and cut out the desired shape. Hold each cutter over the baking tray and depress the plunger to remove the cutout shape. Gather scrape dough and roll out again until all cookies are cut.
Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges, about 12 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to let the cookies go to brown especially around the edges.
Remove tray from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Store the decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes about 21 star shaped cookies.
Recipe source: Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Advent Calendar

2011-12-01T22:22:00.000+11:00

Advent began last Sunday. I finally managed to work out the little cards and chocolates that I want to place in our family Advent calendar box. On each card are activities that my two girls can do, nothing too challenging. Some of the little boxes have little choc squares in them. I felt it is important that the boxes were not just filled with chocolate or lollies. Each morning, Ashleigh and Caitlin enjoy opening the drawer for the day and find out what's inside. That's part of our family tradition to prepare for Christmas.

Do you have a family tradition at Christmas time? I love to hear about it.

Freshly Laundered

2011-11-27T19:37:00.000+11:00

It was been a very wet week in Sydney since last Monday until midday on Saturday. Finally, the sun came out and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. After a week of low lying grey clouds with rain, heavy at times, the sun was a welcome sight to all. As soon as I was sure the sun was here to stay, I quickly started a load of washing. It had been a week of nil laundry. I could have done a wash during the week but I really dislike using the dryer for the clothes.

Today, I did four loads of laundry. It was a lovely view of my garden when I saw the towels, bedsheets and clothes hanging on the Hills Hoist and turning around with the wind. Bliss! I don't know about you, but I am weird in that I love the smell of freshly laundered and sun-dried clothes. It has that sense of cleanliness that brings such satisfaction to me...the simple things in life.

On top of being friendlier to the environment, using the sun and wind to dry the laundry also means savings to the hip pocket. The dryer is a household appliance that sucks up a lot of energy, and in these days of high power bills, it is a blessing not to use the dryer. Besides, I find the dryer can damage some clothes, especially the more items made from fragile materials.

What about you, dear readers? Do you prefer the sun or the dryer for your clothes?

Lunchbox Idea #10 - Pork Apple and Fennel Sausage Rolls

2011-11-21T10:00:00.002+11:00

Sausage rolls are one of the favourites for lunchboxes around here. I usually make beef sausage rolls with grated vegies added in. This time, I tried a different meat, adding apple for sweetness.

300gm lean pork mince
200gm slightly pork mince
1 apple, grated
1/2 brown onion, diced
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg (to bind)
salt and pepper
1 egg yolk
puff pastry sheets

Lightly toast the fennel seeds. Set aside to cool.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a small frypan, add the chopped onions. Fry till onions softened.
Combine minced pork, grated apple, fennel seeds, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper into a bowl.
Cut the pastry sheet into half. Spoon the minced mixture in the middle of the cut pastry sheet and roll up.
Cut each roll into approx 6 small pieces. Place the mini rolls on to the baking tray.
Place the tray in the fridge for about 10 mins to chill the pastry (this results in a flakier puff pastry).
Remove from the fridge and brush with egg yolk. (Optional: you can sprinkle sesame seeds on top).
Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm with tomato sauce.

Recipe Library

2011-11-20T13:07:00.000+11:00

How do you keep a record of your favourite recipes or recipes that you want to try? Do you bookmark the links on your internet browser? Do you write a list somewhere for later reference? Do you write the recipes into a notebook?

Before I returned to Sydney to start my tertiary education in 1991, I remembered spending days at home in KL writing down simple easy to cook recipes that I can follow. During my senior high school years, I lived in a boarding school so my meals were catered for. During my uni days, I shared a flat with two others but we never shared the cooking due to different timetables. It was challenging to cook for one person and at times, it was easier to walk up the road to the Junction to eat at the local Asian eateries.

I still keep the 'Buku Latihan' (exercise books) that I wrote the recipes in. Over the years, I have accumulated many recipe books and foodie magazines. Hence, I am confronted with the dilemma, how do I keep a record of these recipes? What is the best way to keep track of the recipes that I want to try in each of the monthly foodie magazines? What about recipes that I come across at the hairdressers or doctors? Initially I placed post-it notes on the recipes that I was interested in. But then, it also got difficult to find the recipes when I wanted to try them.

Now, I am trialing this method of listing the recipes in an Excel spreadsheet; categorising them by 'Beef', 'Pork', 'Chicken', 'Vegetarian', 'Desserts', 'Cookies' etc. Each time I come across a recipe that I want to try, I type the reference next to the name, so I know which magazine or source. Let's see how this method goes. Hopefully it will work.

I love to hear your methods to record and store your favourite recipes or recipes that you like to try.

Garlic Prawn Pizza Bread

2011-11-19T17:00:00.000+11:00

I made these for Caitlin's birthday party back in October. It's a great alternative to using pizza bases.

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, bruised
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tsp grated lemon zest
450gm fresh ricotta
1/2 cup (40gm) grated parmesan, plus extra to sprinkle
1 baguette, split or 2 large pizza bases
800gm green prawns, peeled, halved

Preheat the oven to 220C, and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Gently warm the oil and garlic in a pn over low heat for 2-3 minutes to infuse. Stand for 5 minutes.
Remove the garlic cloves, reserving the oil, then place cloves in a small processor with parsley and zest and whiz to combine.
Set aside one-quarter of the mixture, then add cheeses to remaining mixture and pulse to combine.
Spread the ricotta mixture over the baguette or bases.
Place the reserved garlic oil in a frypan over medium high heat. Add the prawns and cook for 1 minute each side or until just cooked.
Remove from heat, then add reserved garlic and parsley mixture and gently toss to combine.
Arrange the prawns over the baguette or bases, then sprinkle with extra parmesan.
Bake for 5-6 minutes until the cheese has melted.

How Do You Celebrate Christmas?

2011-11-16T10:00:00.007+11:00

Caitlin's topic for news at school last week was "How Do You Celebrate Christmas?" That question made me pause and think how do we celebrate Christmas. Just about 38 days to go. Every year at Christmas, we usually do the same things except for 2006 when we spent Christmas in Portland, Oregon with my sister and her family. It was our first white Christmas and we had such fun from going out to the tree farm to choose the Christmas tree (we have a fake tree here), decorating this humungous tree that reached to the ceiling, heading out to the snow fields on Boxing Day (along with everyone else in Portland). It was lovely, freezing cold and a totally different experience. But we actually felt homesick for the sun and sea nearly 7 weeks there in cold, grey Portland.

In the lead up to Christmas, we put out the Advent calendar box with little treats and things for our girls. I try not to have just sweets in there, but mix it up with little trinkets and also little notes with things they can do to prepare themselves for Christmas e.g. smile to everyone today, clean your room, sing carols etc. I have to start thinking what to do this year.

Most Christmases are spent at home in Sydney, in the hot summer, yet we always seem to have a roast. We always host Christmas lunch or dinner at our place because my SIL is way too lazy to organise anything. I don't mind putting on Christmas for my family especially my girls but doing it year after year can get tiring. She has this expectation that she will just rock up for the meal and shoo off when it's over. Besides family, we also have a few friends join us for Christmas celebrations. We attend the Family mass at our local parish on Christmas eve. Then, it's home to dinner before setting up a glass of milk and cake for Santa plus carrots for the reindeers. Our girls are then off to bed. The next morning, they wake up bright and early, all excited to see what Santa has brought them. After opening the presents, Chris and I start preparing for the celebration meal. Then it's feasting and drinking followed by a siesta.

The days that follow Christmas are usually hot and humid, which is great beach weather. We will usually wake up early and head out to Freshwater beach. Soon, the year will end and another new year rolls along.

First Giveaway Winners

2011-11-15T10:00:00.000+11:00

I am excited to announce the winners for my first giveaway. I used Random.org to generate the two numbers for the 1st and 2nd placers.

1st place - winner of the $200 Coles Myer Gift Voucher: Bern
2nd place - winner of the $150 Coles Myer Gift Voucher: Cynthia

Congratulations to the Bern and Cynthia. I am sure you will both enjoy spending the gift vouchers. I will be in touch shortly to get your mailing details.

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog and left a comment. Hope you will keep reading my blog. Hopefully I will have more opportunities to run giveaways in the future.

TM 31

2011-11-14T10:00:00.000+11:00

source:quirkycooking.blogspot.com

That's the code for the latest Thermomix machine. What is this machine and why are people raving about it? This appliance is heralded as the new dimension in the kitchen. At the demo today, the consultant claimed the Thermomix can chop, beat, mix, whip, grind, knead, mince, grate, juice, blend, heat, stir, steam and weigh food. It has earned the title of the world's smallest and smartest kitchen.

Today, the consultant made:

beetroot salad
lemon custard
soy bean milk (Asian style)
garlic and herb dip
steamed glutinous rice with Chinese sausage and mushrooms
baked bread rolls
steamed mantou (chinese buns)
lemon and parsley juice
mango sorbet

Amazing isn't it, that this one appliance could make all the above. There was also minimal time spent on washing in between. Thermomix is almost self- cleaning - you had to fill the water above the blades and hit the buttons and off it goes.

What's my verdict? Will I buy one for kitchen? If I do, what will I do with the other appliances like ice-cream maker, Magimix processor, blender, bread maker and Kitchen Aid mixer. I believe if you're just starting to set up your kitchen, then it's wonderful to have just one appliance which can do all the above. But if you've accumulated several appliances like me, it's a little harder to cross the line. I am still thinking about making a purchase. I have been reading the various forums, blogs and recipes online.

The Thermomix company has made it tempting by offering a 12 month interest free (subject to approval) for purchases in November and December 2011. It will be a great gift for someone.

First Giveaway

2011-11-04T20:02:00.001+11:00

****** COMMENTS NOW CLOSED FOR GIVEAWAY.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNNOUNCED SHORTLY ******

I am so excited about my first giveaway on my blog. In the beginning of October, I signed up to be part of Mums United, an initiative by the Heart Foundation bringing Aussie Mums together to work towards a healthier Australia. Whilst the program is labelled Mums United, I also acknowledge Dads who play a key role in ensuring their families eat and live healthily. As parents, we always make an effort to plan and cook healthy and tasty meals, using fresh, unprocessed ingredients where possible. At times we slip up but we're OK with that. No one's perfect and with two of us working, sometimes it can be difficult. We try to make up for it on weekends.

With the warmer months coming, we are also making a concerted effort to get out and spend more time outdoors - choosing to walk instead of driving, taking the girls to ride their bicycles in the park, swimming at the local pool. I have also been trying to get in 30 minute power walks at least twice a week after work. I enjoy these walks as it helps to clear the mind after a long and stressful day at work. Sometimes Ashleigh comes along on her bike, and it's great bonding time for the two of us. Chris has been making regular visits to the gym and is looking fit and healthy. Our girls catch the train to school and walk from the station to school, which is a good start to the day. The warmer months also mean we're changing our diets; replacing the rich casseroles for lighter meals like salads.

Over to you now. The Soup team have given me two Coles Myer gift cards to give away to you, my awesome blog readers. Hands up who loves a gift card?

These gift cards are timely with the Christmas season a few weeks away. The Coles Myer gift cards offer many store options to spend the gift card. You can use it to fill up your fridge with healthy tasting goodies and treats for yourselves or friends and family OR use the funds to buy gifts. I have one gift card to the generous value of $200 and another for $150. Tempting?

To enter all you have to do:
1. Comment on this post, and if you'd like to follow my blog that would be great too.
2. Share this giveaway with as many people.

In the comment box tell me your answer to this:

How will you take advantage of the warmer months to improve the lifestyle or diet of your family?

Terms and Conditions:

Entry is open to Australian Residents only. Competition opens on Friday 4 November 2011 and closes on Sunday 13 November at 10pm AEST. Winners will be determined by Random.org. First Prize will be 1 x $200 Coles Myer Gift Card. Second Prize will be 1 x $150 Coles Myer Gift Card. Winners will be contacted via email (all entries MUST have an email address). Winners will be given 14 days to make contact with their details after which time the outstanding prize(s) will be redrawn.

Taiki Japanese Seafood Restaurant

2011-10-18T11:00:00.001+11:00

I looked through the Entertainment Book and found this Japanese restaurant - Taiki Japanese Seafood Restaurant - in Lane Cove. Since it's not too far from our place, we decided to give it a go. Since it was a Friday night, I rang them earlier in the day to make a reservation. The lady asked me if there were any children in the party, which I thought was unusual. But it became clear when we arrived at the restaurant and saw that our table was set with a melamine bowl together with fork and spoon for a child. There was also a set of fork and spoon for Ashleigh too. I thought this was clever of the restaurant as it saves me from asking for forks and spoons later.

The restaurant is atypical of any Japanese restaurants in the local neighbourhood. It seems to be popular with locals and the lady boss is friendly and welcoming. She is also seems to be familiar with her customers and will have a chat with them. I think the restaurant is family run with her husband working at the sushi and sashimi counter and her son helps to wait on tables as well. The interior is somewhat dark, hence the photos did not come out too well.

Service was fast and efficient. We were served our drinks shortly after we sat down. The menu is not extensive and reasonably priced for the large servings. As there was only three of us, we did not order any sushi or sashimi, except Caitlin had a last minute request for mini avocado rolls. We ordered a teriyaki chicken with a bowl of rice, udon with tempura and agedashi tofu to share. There was more than enough food for the three of us.

Agedashi tofu - I was happy to see more than two pieces served, which seems to be the case in some Japanese restaurants. The tofu was soft and evenly coated. The dashi sauce was tasty and light. There was a generous serve of teriyaki chicken. The chicken pieces were tender with a lovely caramelised outer. The bowl of udon was plain and simple just the way my girls like it served with crispy tempura prawn and vegetables.


Agedashi Tofu

Teriyaki Chicken

Udon with tempura

Taiki Japanese Seafood Restaurant

96 Longueville Road
Lane Cove
(02) 9428 1007

Wan Tan Soup

2011-10-17T11:00:00.000+11:00

One of Caitlin's comfort food is a bowl of wan tan soup. I agree with her too... nothing satisfies and warms the belly like the little parcels of minced pork, prawn, chestnuts, carrots, mushrooms and spring onions swimming in home-made chicken stock.

Nachos

2011-10-16T17:34:00.000+11:00

Nachos are a favourite in our family. Another easy snack or lunch item to put together.

Minced beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes
pinch of smoked paprika
Tasty or cheddar cheese, grated

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frypan. Add the chopped onion and saute till soften.
Brown the minced meat, then add the seasoning and some water. Lower heat and simmer for a few minutes.
Finally, add the diced tomatoes and season with smoked paprika, salt and sugar. Simmer for another 10 minutes on low, until mixture thickens slightly.
Line a plate with aluminum foil. Lay the corn chips on the covered plate, scoop some of the minced meat mixture more the corn chips. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Place under the grill to melt and brown the cheese for about 5 minutes.
Serve hot.

Weekly Meal Plans

2011-10-14T21:21:00.000+11:00

Do you plan your weekly meals? I know many mums who sit down each week and plan their meals for the coming week. I think it's great to take some time each week to plan ahead, to write out a list of things to buy so that you can do one big shopping trip rather than several trips to the markets or supermarkets. It also saves you money when you only buy what you need for the week. I have found those extra trips to the supermarkets usually ends up with buying other items that were not on the list.

I used to plan my meals for the week. Since my return to work, my Mum has been cooking our dinners on the days I work. So, this leaves me with three days in a week that I have to plan. Out of these three days, we usually eat out once, which leaves two. Chris cooks on one of those days so I only end up cooking for one day a week. As a consequence, I do not plan anymore. When we want to cook, we will then go and buy the ingredients, and most importantly stick to the list. We live close to the shops which is good and bad.

There are number of mum's blogs which published their weekly plans online which is helpful for those seeking ideas of what to cook for their family. I have found these two to be the best that I've across in the web:

Planning with Kids - Nicole has a comprehensive blog with numerous recipes and a weekly menu planner that you can subscribe to.
The Organised Housewife - As her blog title indicates, Kat is a super organised Mum. Her site has many ready to print lists, recipes and planners for her readers.

What do you do in your household?

Pilu

2011-10-10T11:00:00.012+11:00

To celebrate my milestone birthday, we went with a group of close friends to Pilu, a two chef hats restaurant located in Freshwater at Sydney Northern Beaches. We chose to have lunch so that we can enjoy the beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and Freshwater (aka Freshie) Beach. The weather that day was the best we've had in Sydney for some time (after grey and cloudy days). The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the ocean sparkling blue green waters. The company was awesome.... lunch went on for 4.5 hours. Time just flew by when you're in great company. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends without the children, having adult conversations, enjoying the wine and meal.

From our table, we had a beautiful view of Freshie.

For entrees, we had:

De-boned quail wrapped in pancetta, stuffed with chicken livers, fennel and tarragon

Those who chose the quail enjoyed the different flavours from the salty pancetta to the chicken livers. I thought the quail was well-presented.

Saffron spaghettini, QLD Spanner Crab, crispy guanciale and pangrattato

I really enjoyed the saffron spaghettini. Guanciale is unsmoked Italian bacon prepared from pig's cheeks. It was not too salty and flavoursome. It was a good balance to the spanner crab.

Salt baked NZ King Salmon, saffron kipfler potatoes, baby leeks and beetroot puree

The salt-baked salmon was tender and smooth.

For mains, half the table ordered the Oven-roasted suckling pig.

Oven roasted suckling pig - various cuts, served on the bone with traditional
farm house suckling pig sausage

I enjoyed the suckling pig, with the crispy skin. It was a pity that the slices of pig sausage was so thin, it was difficult to taste the full flavour, would have preferred a slightly larger slice.

Tasmanian Wilderness beef sirloin, cavolo nero and bottarga butter

Slow cooked Coronga lamb, cous cous, olive and almond salad, pan juices

Chris had the lamb, which I thought was slightly overcooked, but he enjoyed it.

Unbeknownst to me, Cindy had pre-ordered my birthday cake from the restaurant. When she rang to enquire about bringing a cake, she was told that the chef could make a cake - and there were about 4 or 5 choices to choose from. Cindy chose the Almond and Orange amaretto cake. It was a good choice, the cake was dense but moist. Thanks Cindy, you have good taste.

The cake was beautiful presented on a plate with gold flakes and flowers.

We finished this delicious meal with coffee and petit fours.

Do you spy a missing nougat piece?

"On the Beach", Moore Road
Freshwater NSW 2096
Telephone: (02) 9938 3331
E-mail: dining@piluatfreshwater.com.au

Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort, Kota Kinabalu

2011-10-09T11:00:00.001+11:00

For our last two nights in KK, we moved from Magellan Sutera Harbour to another resort - Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort. We love the resort at Tanjung Aru. When we checked in, we were given a complimentary upgrade to a family suite and access to the Club Lounge. How cool was that! The family suite was much larger and had a separate living area which had a sofa bed for Ashleigh. Caitlin exclaimed 'Awesome' when she saw the room, this girl knows quality. She made a comment that this hotel was so much better than Magellan. I love the L'Occitane bathroom supplies - quality stuff. The mini bar was also stocked with complimentary tea leaves ranging from English Breakfast to

After settling in, we took a walk around the resort, checking out the recently added children's water play area which was a hit for our girls and Chris. There was also a Kids' Club for children aged from 4-12 with different fun activities scheduled every hour every day.

On our second day, we decided not to go island hopping but instead stayed at the resort to enjoy the facilities. We started the day filling our tummies with delicious local and international food from the buffet breakfast. Then we basically spent the rest of the day by the pool - swimming, riding the slides, getting dumped by the bucket, reading, sun-baking, playing with the iPad and more swimming. It was lovely and relaxing, stress-free. Girls were spending time bonding with their Dad at the water play area. One of the best things about Tanjung Aru is the free wi-fi that is available throughout the resort, even in the rooms.

The staff at Tanjung Aru are very friendly, from the porters to waiters to housekeeping staff. They were also attentive to the guests' needs. During our time by the pool, staff would come by every hour with icy cold water for their guests to keep them hydrated. I thought it was a nice offering especially in the hot weather. Due to its location by the sea, KK was not too humid.

I would recommend the Shangri-la Tanjung Aru as a great location for a family holiday. it's not too far from the airport (about 10 mins) and the KK city is also about 10 mins away. In fact, nothing is too far in KK.

Portview Seafood Village

2011-10-08T11:00:00.004+11:00

For dinner on our 1st night in KK, we went to Portview Seafood Village in town. This restaurant was one recommended by fellow blogger, Dinah, who comes from KK.

The restaurant is quite large and a wall of live seafood in tanks greets you as you walk in. There were numerous varieties of seafood to choose from - lobster, prawns, oysters, abalone, fishes like coral trout, tilapia as well as shellfish like clams, and scallops. Chris' eyes lit up when he saw the variety and he was already selecting what he wanted.

We had a funny moment, before dinner started. I had asked to be seated inside in air-conditioned comfort because I knew Caitlin had difficulty adjusting to the heat and humidity. At the same time, another tour group from Taiwan had booked the tables inside for a dinner and karaoke. The speakers were blaring Taiwanese music quite loudly but tolerable. I asked my family if they wanted to move outside, but they were settled in the cool environment. The next minute, they turn up the volume and the music was now unbearable.. You could not even hear yourself think! We quickly jumped out of our chairs and went to look for table outside, deciding that it was easier to take the heat and humidity then the awful sound coming from the speakers.

Back to food...the prices were really cheap e.g. 2 small fresh abalones steamed for RM16 (less than AUD6). It was easy to get carried away, but we were only a small group, so we had tiger prawns steamed with garlic; stir-fry scallops with ginger and shallots; steamed coral trout with ginger and shallots; steamed abalone with garlic and two non seafood dishes - chicken and fried noodles. I forgot to take a photo of the steamed abalone (too busy eating!)

Scallops

Coral Trout

Chicken with Onion Rings

Steamed Prawns with Garlic

Service was attentive and quick. The food arrived promptly at our table, despite the restaurant being so busy. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, even Ash and Cait. I found the food was well seasoned and not too salty. As we ate, we were also entertained by various cultural dances which our two girls enjoyed.

All in all, a satisfying meal at RM321 (AUD 115), which is really cheap when you compare to an equivalent in Sydney will set us back about AUD 400.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Mums United

2011-10-07T12:00:00.002+11:00

Just before we went away for our holidays to Malaysia and Singapore, I received a phone call from Dana at Soup Research team. The purpose of Dana's call was to invite me to be part of the Mums United project by The Heart Foundation. The purpose of the project is to encourage Australian families to make small changes to their lifestyles and diet to have a better life.

When Dana explained the purpose behind the project and what will be involved, I was interested to be part of this campaign. There is a history of heart disease in my hubby's and my family. Hence the Mums United project was something that I could related to. Heart disease is one of the main causes of death in Australian woman. One should not think that only obese people suffer from heart disease. We have a few friends who are skinny but have had heart attacks.

As a mother and wife as well as the main grocery buyer in the family, I am always looking for the Heart Foundation tick approved products like Bega So Extra Light cheese as a guide on what is good and healthy to buy for my family.

The Mums United site contains fun activities for the family, easy to follow recipes to cook and other suggestions on how to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

2011-10-06T18:00:00.001+11:00

source: dailytelegraph.com.au

The world is in mourning today... An amazingly talented man, Steve Jobs, has lost his battle against cancer. A sad day indeed. Steve, a creative and talented genius. A man who changed the way we listened to music with the introduction of the iPod in 2001. A visionary man who could see into the future beyond his peers.

His innovations now sit in most homes around the world from iPods, iPhones, iMacs, iPads. Imagine what the world would be like without these 'i' products.

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

His loss will be felt by many. A humble man was taken from us today.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” - Steve Jobs

The Magellan, Sutera Harbour Resort

2011-10-06T10:00:00.001+11:00

Our long waited family holiday to KK finally arrived. During our stay in KK, we stayed in two different resorts. The first five nights we spent at the Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort. This was where Jolene and Andrew held their wedding dinner.

The resort is huge, spacious and lovely, with a large open lobby area decorated in dark teak furniture and beautiful tropical orchids. Check-in was a little slow due to some confusion. From that experience, we realised that time moves slower in KK. It took us a while to adjust and slow down our pace, as we were use to rushing from one place to another or one task to another.

We had a room with a beautiful sea view at the Marina Wing. The room was a reasonable size with a large bathroom with bathtub and separate shower area. On closer inspection, the rooms seem dated and in need of refurbishment. There were some stains on the carpet which should have been changed or cleaned up. The TV set was also the CRT version where most hotels have LCDs or other flat screens. The good thing about that it deterred the family from watching too much tv.

The resort had lovely grounds and were separated into three main areas - Magellan, Marina and Country Club plus the third section The Pacific Sutera. There were also four pools for guests to choose from including a 25m lap pool at the Country Club. The Marina Wing is situated closer to the Marina and Country Club, so we usually spent the mornings at the Marina pool with slides and the afternoons at the Magellan pool (tough life!). Staff were friendly, but slow (see there is a trend here). There is a small beach at the Magellan, the sand is quite pebbly and rough. The amazing thing about the beach is the number of fishes that you can see as you wade into knee-deep water. The fishes seem friendly and oblivious to humans. The staff gave my girls some bread to feed the fishes, and it was fun to see the fishes 'jump' to eat the bread.

Our days at the resort started with a scrumptious breakfast buffet at the Five Sails Cafe. There was a wide selection of food to choose from Western to local dishes like nasi lemak, roti canai, fried beehoon and rice porridge. Then it was on to the Marina pool for half the day before heading back to the room for a rest from the hot afternoon sun. After a siesta, it was back to the pool again to cool down and chill out before dinner. The resort had free wi-fi access in the lobby area and sometimes by the pools. I spend much of my time, reading books that I had download onto my Kindle before our travels. Pure bliss..raising the flag sometimes to order cocktails at happy hour. Girls had an awesome time swimming, riding the slides and mucking around in the water. Chris spent most of his time getting a tan. In the evenings, we would spend at the lobby lounge enjoying the music and sea breeze. It was a tough life, I tell you.

There is also a Little Magellan Kids Club, which we did not have time to check out. Girls were happy to be with us all the time. The resort is a family-friendly place for a relaxing holiday. It would be even better once the rooms have been refurbished.

Location:Kota Kinabalu

Coles - MIX

2011-10-05T18:59:00.000+11:00

From tomorrow, in certain supermarkets nationally, Coles will be introducing a new line of clothing called 'MIX' ranging from bikinis, tops, pants, dresses and shoes. It is part of Coles' strategy to you to spend more in their stores. The garments will be priced at affordable prices (priced under A$25) and the returns policy is meant to be generous, allowing you to try it on at home and return if you're not satisfied.

An interesting concept like the Wal-Mart stores in USA, where you can buy anything from food, electronics, clothing to outdoor furniture. Basically anything and everything including the kitchen sink.

I am not sure about this idea of buying clothes at the same time as buying cereal, flour and milk but remain open to see what the quality of the garments are like.

source: www.heraldsun.com.au

Malaysian Monday #4 - Ang Koo

2011-10-05T10:00:00.002+11:00

My Mum made ang koo for Caitlin's birthday party. Ang Koo, translated from Chinese means 'red tortoise', it is shaped like a tortoise. It is a traditional Nyonya kueh that is eaten on special feast days and baby's Full Moon offering.

The skin is made from glutinous rice flour and the filling is made from mung beans.

I am sending this to Suresh for this month's Muhibbah Malaysian Monday round-up.

Six Today

2011-10-04T10:00:00.000+11:00

Six years ago, Caitlin surprised all of us by arriving three weeks earlier than her EDD. None of us were ready for her birth, especially me since I was only a week into maternity leave. However, Caitlin was impatient and anxious to join the real world. Six years on, Caitlin has grown into a sweet little girl who endears to all who know her. She is affectionate, thoughtful, caring, loving, generous and selfless. She adores her older sister, Ashleigh and holds her in high regard. Caitlin always thinks of her sister, wherever she goes. Every time we are at the shops, if I buy Caitlin something, she will insist that we find something to buy for Ashleigh too. Kindergarten has been a breeze for Caitlin and she enjoys her time at school, making new friends and playing with them. Since starting big school this year, Caitlin has mature before your eyes.

Caitlin, you bring much joy and laughter into everyone's lives with the funny things that spout from your mouth. You are always thoughtful and would ask me how my day went when I walk into the house after work. You greet me every morning with a hug and kiss and you do the same before you sleep at night.

I know I am the most important person in your life, then Grandma who comes next, followed by Daddy and Ashleigh.

We all love you very much and thank God each day for bringing you into our lives.

May the good Lord bless you always and send his angels to watch over you each and everyday.

KitchenAid Flex Edge Beater

2011-10-02T19:24:00.000+11:00

I love my KitchenAid Artisan Mixer which is over 10 years old now. I have been lucky to be able to buy a few attachments like the pasta maker, food grinder, measuring cups and spoons as well as extra bowls through my sister who used to work for Whirlpool in USA. Getting them at bargain basement prices.

During her recent visit, my sister bought me another accessory - the Flex Edge Beater. She didn't get an employee discount this time as she had already moved on from Whirlpool. But she managed to get a good discount from William-Sonoma.

The next attachment on my wish list is the Ice Cream Maker.... hmm.... would be great with summer approaching and Christmas too!

Chinese Roast Duck Pancakes

2011-10-01T08:00:00.006+10:00

My two girls love Peking Duck wraps, probably one of their favourite dishes in Chinese restaurants. It's easy to make them at home too. Easy because I buy the roast duck and pancakes from the local Chinese BBQ shops. All I need to do at home is slice the meat from the duck, steam the pancakes, prepare the hoi sin sauce and cut up some cucumbers and spring onions. The girls will assemble their own pancakes when they are ready to eat.

Fresh Lotus Root Soup

2011-09-30T08:00:00.015+10:00

When I first came to Australia, it was impossible to buy fresh lotus root (leng gau). To make the soup, I had to use the frozen ones from the Asian grocery stores. In recent years, the Asian grocery stores sell the fresh lotus roots and also burdock (another root vegetable good for soup).

I bought a small piece today to boil soup with red dates and pork shin.

Malaysia through Caitlin's eyes

2011-09-29T08:00:00.000+10:00

Our recent holidays to Kota Kinabalu was Caitlin's 2nd trip to Malaysia. Being older this time, Caitlin was more observant and aware of her surroundings.

Not wearing seatbelts
In her first taxi ride from KK airport to the hotel, Cait asked the driver if she had to wear the seatbelt. When the driver said it was not necessary, she was worried about not wearing a seat belt whilst sitting in the back seat. The driver was travelling at a fast speed and she commented that he needed to slow down else an accident could occur.

People carrying umbrellas as sun protection
Cait was curious why there were many ladies carrying an umbrella whilst walking along the esplanade at the hotel. She mentioned that it was not raining and they didn't need the umbrella.

Buffet breakfasts
Cait loved the buffet breakfast at the two resorts. She thought it was wonderful that the buffet offered such a wide variety of food that one self-serves.

Squat toilets
Cait was appalled to see the squat hole in the ground toilets in Malaysia. She was worried about falling into the hole and therefore refused to use the toilets.

Humidity
The humidity was difficult for Cait. She didn't like the sweat and stickiness on her skin. Cait's favourite time was spent in the pool.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Mushroom and Bacon Creamy Pasta

2011-09-28T19:38:00.000+10:00

After two weeks of Asian food, my two girls are craving for Western meals. I cooked an easy creamy pasta for dinner tonight to satiate their cravings.

Bacon, cut into bits
Button mushrooms, sliced
Spring onions, chopped
Light cream
Milk
Dry pasta (spaghetti or short penne pasta with ridges)

Boil water in a stock-pot to cook the pasta. When the water is boiled, add some salt and dry pasta. Cook the pasta till al dente.
In a pan, heat some oil and fry the bacon till brown, not too crispy. Move to the side of the pan, and add the chopped spring onions until softened. Finally add the sliced mushrooms and saute for a few minutes before adding the cream and milk.
Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve immediately. The creamy pasta is best eaten hot.

Glad to be home

2011-09-28T11:57:00.000+10:00

We're back from our holidays to East Malaysia and Singapore. After two weeks of warm and humid weather, it was a relief to come home to cool and humidity-free temperatures. Chris has returned to work today, I didn't even know he left for work. I'm at home for the rest of the week with Ashleigh and Caitlin, working through the laundry and trying to get back to routine before I return to work next Tuesday. Girls will still be on holidays until the 11 Oct.

We had a great time in Kota Kinabalu, feasting on delicious fresh seafood (and cheap!). Girls enjoyed their time in the pool. Singapore was busy, doing the touristy things.

More posts to come. Enjoy the school holidays.

10 years on - 9/11

2011-09-11T20:33:00.000+10:00

Today marks the 10th anniversary since the 9/11 attacks which started the war against terrorism. Where were you when you heard the news? I remember so vividly watching the scenes of the two airplanes flying into the Twin Towers late that night on TV and thought it was a scene from a movie. Then I sat and watch more, and realised it was happening in real life. For the next few days, more and more images flash on screen - scenes of people running, people covered in dust, people jumping from the buildings. I felt afraid...it was late into the night in Sydney and I was alone at home with Ashleigh; hubby was away from home working in Canberra at that time. I also rang my sister who was living in Michigan at that time, worried for her and my BIL.

How the world has changed since that fateful day 10 years ago. Osama bin laden is now dead..yet the war against terrorism has not end...with no end in sight.

Today, I remember those who died in the Twin Towers, those whose lives changed, the children who have lost their parents and everyone who have lost loved ones.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Cherry Clafoutis

2011-09-11T20:27:00.000+10:00

This is a rustic looking French country dessert from the Limousin region which I came across whilst researching for suitable recipes to make for the recent Spring Fair at school. I was curious to find out more and came across this simple recipe on RetroMummy's blog. Reviewing the recipe, it looked quite easy to make for a week-night dessert. It's like a custard pudding with pitted cherries covered with a thin batter and baked in the oven. It's best eaten warm when out from the oven.

1 jar cherries, stemmed and pitted
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup full cream milk
1/2 cup cream
extra icing/caster sugar to serve

Whisk eggs until foamy, about 2 minutes, add in sugar and whisk for a further minute. Add vanilla, flour and whisk for a further minute or two. While mixing pour in the milk and cream and whisk for a further minute. Tap bowl on counter to remove some bubbles then strain the mixture and pour over the cherries. Bake 35-40 minutes in a 180 degrees oven until slightly golden and cooked in the centre. Top with icing or caster sugar sprinkled over the top.

Thanks Corrie for the easy recipe (which she altered to suit a Thermomix too!

Sabah - The Land Below the Wind

2011-09-07T14:15:00.000+10:00

Another week to go before we depart for our holiday to "The Land Below the Wind". Can't wait...

Mt Kinabalu watches over the City Of Kota Kinabalu (source: http://www.downbelow.co.uk/)

Surviving Year 7

2011-09-01T21:32:00.000+10:00

I wrote a post about Caitlin's progress in Kindy recently. What about Ashleigh? How is she surviving Year 7?

The 1st term of this year was quite cruisey. The focus in Term 1 was to settle into high school, new routines, new teachers, new environment and new friends. The whole Year 7 class went away on a two-night camp to spend time getting to know one other. I was truly surprised when Ashleigh's homeroom teacher told me that Ashleigh had performed at the talent show on the last night at camp - a solo performaance of "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. I am grateful to the school and the staff for their support to help the girls settle into high school. The teachers will setting homework at a reasonable pace.

In Term 2, things moved up a notch. There were assignments - individual and group - to work through and submit on time. Exams to study for towards the end of term. Mid Term 2, there were also Parent-Teacher interviews. Chris and I together with Ashleigh had the opportunity to meet all her teachers (except for PE) to hear their feedback and discuss Ashleigh's progress. We were happy and proud to hear all positive and encouraging reports from her teachers. At the end of Term 2, Ashleigh's report card came home with pleasing results for most subjects. She was disappointed with the grade she received for Technology, since it is her favourite subject. A chat with her teacher revealed that Ashleigh had misinterpreted the assignment questions and should have seek clarification instead of keeping quiet. Well, a lesson learnt for next time.

This term, homework and assignments have really ramped up. We are currently in week 7, another 3 weeks to go till the end of term. In the last seven weeks, Ashleigh has worked on four assignments and completed two tests - Science and Maths, on top of daily homework. Another assignment to hand in and one test to sit before the term ends. The Science assignment has by far been the most challenging. It was a simple experiment on evaporation, the challenge was finding a hot day in winter which will cause the evaporation. Ashleigh had to attempt the experiment about four times before she had any success. It was one of the rare winter days when the temperature soared to 23 degrees. Success at last! I was starting to feel sorry for her and Ashleigh was feeling stressed at the continuous failures. What a relief for all of us when it was over. She received the results for her Maths test today. We are proud of her because she has topped the Maths test in her year, sharing the position with another girl. Her hardwork has paid off. It has lifted Ashleigh's spirits.

Besides her schoolwork, she has also been practising her piano skills in preparation for her Grade 5 exam in two weeks time. She has also volunteered to play her flute at her godsis' First Eucharistic celebration on the 11th September. Ashleigh is one busy bee!

I can't wait to start our family holidays in Malaysia and Singapore. The holidays will be a great opportunity for all of us to recharge and relax after an extremely busy year in school and work.

Apple Berry Crumble Muffins

2011-08-29T07:00:00.003+10:00

Another baked good recipe from this year's Spring Fair. I made this for the Kindergarten Cake stall.
My family love the crunchy crumble on top. The fruits in the muffins keeps it sweet and moist.

1 3/4 cups self-raising flour

3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup almond meal
1 Granny Smith apple, grated
1/2 cup strawberries, hulled, chopped
125g butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the crumble:
1/2 cup plain flour
60g butter, chilled, cubed
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, chopped (optional)

Note: important that the butter is chilled to get a crumbly outcome.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a 12 x 1/3-cup capacity muffin pan with paper cases.
Make crumble: Sift flour into a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar and nuts. Cover. Refrigerate.
Combine flour, sugar and almond meal in a bowl. Stir in apple and strawberries.
Whisk butter, milk, eggs and vanilla in a jug until well combined. Pour into dry ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Spoon mixture into prepared cases.
Sprinkle over crumble. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

Makes 12 muffins

Jam Drops

2011-08-28T07:00:00.001+10:00

This is an easy cookie recipe from Donna Hay to make with children. They can help with rolling the dough and making an indent for the jam. These cookies are crunchy and great for lunchboxes.

180gm (6oz) butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
jam (to decorate)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line the cookie baking tray with baking paper.
Place the butter and sugar into bowl of electric mixer and beat until light and creamy.
Add the egg and beat well.
Stir through the flour and baking powder to make a dough (which is soft).
Take a teaspoon of the mixture and roll into balls. Place on lined tray and flatten slightly, allowing space in between for the dough to spread.
Press a finger into the middle of the dough to make an indent. Fill the hole with jam.
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.
Add a little more jam to the holes while the biscuits are hot.
Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 60 pieces.

Raspberry and Coconut Slice

2011-08-27T20:56:00.000+10:00

I made this delicious slice for the Year 7 Gourmet Food stall at this year's spring fair.

90g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup (50g) self-raising flour
2/3 cup (100g) plain flour
1/2 cup (160g) raspberry jam, warmed slightly
Topping
2 eggs
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
2 cups (160g) desiccated coconut

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line base of a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan with baking paper.

2. In a small bowl cream butter then gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg thoroughly. Fold in sifted flours until combined. Spread mixture into base of prepared pan, smoothing top as much as possible. Spread with warmed raspberry jam.

3. To make Topping, beat egg lightly just with a fork and whisk in sugar and coconut. Spread over jam as evenly as possible. Bake for about 40 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and leave to cool in pan. Cut into fingers when thoroughly cooled.

Lemon Butter

2011-08-26T21:31:00.002+10:00

Besides the raspberry jam, I also made Lemon Butter (I think it's also called Lemon Curd). I found an easy to follow recipe on Best Recipes.

4 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
125gm unsalted butter, chopped

Put the eggs and sugar into a heatproof bowl
Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved.
Add lemon juice, lemon rind and butter. Whisk mixture for 20 minutes until smooth and the butter has melted and thickened enough to coat the spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil or it will curdle.
Pour warm mixture into a hot sterilised jars and seal immediately.

Makes about 2 cups.

Lemon butter can be eaten as spread on toast, in sauces, tart fillings e.g. lemon tart or lemon meringue tart, in crepes.

Caitlin's Reading and Spelling Skills

2011-08-26T07:00:00.001+10:00

My youngest daughter, Caitlin, started Kindergarten (or Prep) this year. When she started Kindy, she had basic reading skills. She had learnt the sounds of each letters (phonics) at daycare last year where they followed the Letterland system. She could recognise simple sight words like 'a', 'the', 'and', 'but', 'an', 'like', 'my', 'big', 'one'. She was also able to sound out 3-letter words e.g. cat, hat, sat, big, dig, pig, map, tap, etc.

Gradually, her reading skills have improved and she has reached a level where she is able to read well on her own. I am really proud of her progress. She is now able to read independently, with some guidance. If she does not know the word, she will attempt to sound out the word before asking for assistance. As part of her daily homework, Caitlin has to read two books at her level. We have to record the books she has read and make comments in her reading log which is checked by her class teacher everyday. Three days a week, there are 3 parent helpers that spend 30 minutes in the class, helping the children to learn to read. To provide additional support, there is a teacher who helps the K-2 girls to develop their reading skills. Mrs. M sees each K-2 child individually, guiding them and advising when they are ready to progress to the next level.

Her spelling skills have also improved. Caitlin enjoys drawing and writing little notes for her friends and family. Most afternoons you will find Caitlin in her room, working away on her drawings or writing notes. When she is stuck on a word, she will ask one of us to help her with spelling.

Raspberry Jam

2011-08-25T21:28:00.002+10:00

We are not a jam-loving family. We would be lucky to finish one jar of jam every 6 months. This year, I challenged myself to make jams for the Year 7 Gourmet Food stall at the school's spring fair. I figured, it shouldn't be too difficult. As usual, before I started, I search on Google (my dear friend) for recipes. I also looked for instructions on how to sterilise the jars (I had 4 jars to fill). I found an easy to follow recipe on the CSR sugar website - which also had a step by step pictorial guide - great for jam making novices like me. When I told one of the mums at school I was making jams, she suggested that I use raspberries instead of strawberries. Hang on, I thought strawberry jams will be more popular. She sent me an email to explain how jam sets. It was a long email detailing fruits had different levels of pectin and jam is set by a combination of pectin and sugar. So, if the jam is not setting, could be due to the pectin content in the fruit being too low. To cut a long story short, she suggested I use raspberries instead of strawberries, frozen ones work too. Sweeeet!

Bought the ingredients - raspberries, jam setting sugar and butter - so I was set (pun intended!). I was a little nervous before I started the process, and had to read the instructions several times to make sure I could do it (what a idiot!). Anyhoo... I made the jam and sterilise the jars. Four jars of raspberry jam are sitting pretty on my kitchen benchtop, waiting to be dropped off at school tomorrow. Pretty pleased with myself.

Surprise, surprise... it didn't taste that bad. I would actually buy a jar myself. Chris said it was good.. high praise from hubby, then he made a comment that I should have made scones to go with them.

For future reference, here's the recipe:

1kg raspberries
1kg CSR Jam Setting Sugar
1 knob of butter (10gm)

Place the raspberries into a deep heavy based stockpot (about 6 litres).
Crush fruits coarsely with a potato masher or blender (hand held works!)
Heat the mixture over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Do not allow to boil.
Add a knob of butter then increase heat, bring to a full rolling boil (that is a boil that cannot be stirred down).
Boil for 4 minutes only. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.
Test for set (push finger gently through a small amount on a cold plate to check that the surface wrinkles. Do not remove jam from heat until this has been achieved (note to self: put a plate in the fridge to chill before making the jam).
Bottle in pre-sterilised jars.

Remember: hot jams in hot jars.

Praiseworthy Customer Service

2011-08-22T21:07:00.000+10:00

source:connectedaustralia.com

A week ago, I had a rant about the poor customer service I received from the manager at the pharmacy in my local shopping centre. Today, I had the opposite experience. It was late in the day, right at closing time when I walked into the Harvey Norman Superstore in Chatswood Chase. The guy was literally about to shut the doors, when I rushed in explaining I wanted to buy an SD card for my camera and will be quick about it. Surprisingly, he gave me a smile and said I could come in, when I was expecting him to shut the door in my face, since it was home time. I quickly made my way to the camera section. There I was greeted by another sales person with a smile. For a millisecond I was frozen on the spot with a stunned mullet look (Note: a mullet is a type of fish). Once again, I was taken back by the excellent customer service I was experiencing. I explained to this guy what I wanted and he took the time to explain the different brands and prices before making a recommendation. Remember, this is already past their usual closing time at 5:30pm. I thought I pushed the envelope further and ask about UV filters for my two camera lenses. Again, this guy was extremely helpful, he went to check the correct measurements for the two lenses and recommended the correct UV filters. By the time I left the store it was close to 5:40pm, even the cashier was friendly. Harvey Norman actually kept the store opened for an extra 10 minutes to serve me.

After HN, I popped into David Jones to check out their iPad2 covers. Once I again, I was impressed with the time the guy, Matt, took to explain the different cover types and which ones he would recommend and ones he would not. He went on further to explain why some of the covers were not good due to the quality etc. This was way better service than what I would have received at the Apple Store in the same shopping centre (which is always busy that one is hard-pressed to find someone to ask a quick question).

Wow, I was floored..... two praiseworthy customer service experiences within 30 minutes of each other. Thanks HN and David Jones. Not sure if this is an indication of the times - poor retail trade, so staff are working harder to go the extra mile. Keep it up guys!

Photography Course

2011-08-21T20:42:00.000+10:00

I have had my Canon EOS 500D SLR for nearly a year. I am still using the auto settings. I need to learn how to use the different settings and also work out the best way to take photos taking into account exposure, depth of field and shutter speed etc. I decided to book for a one-day photography workshop to get more out of my camera. I did some research online and there are numerous courses to choose from. In addition, there were also quite a few offers on Living Socials and Groupons to confuse me. In the end, I decided on a one-day course with Andy Piggott. When I read the course outline, I liked the idea that the class is conducted outdoors at Hyde Park in Sydney and covers the topics that I am interested in. It is also a hands-on class. I didn't like the idea of sitting in a class listening to the theory of how a camera works.

I woke up the appointed day, anxious and excited about the class. It was a a little sunny with some clouds about and light drizzle from time to time. I met Andy and 8 others at 9:15am near the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park in the city. The class was split into two sessions:

Morning Session
Topics covered include how to control motion with shutter speeds, using apertures and Depth of Field to blur backgrounds (or to keep them sharp). Exposure compensation, Exposure bracketing.

Then we had a 30 mins break for lunch.

Afternoon Session
The afternoon session expanded on the morning's learning and explained the advantages of RAW files, how to optimise White Balance. Learn how to make better portraits and close-ups. We also did some "panning" and explore perspective. "Panning" was an interesting exercise. All of us lined up on Park St (Hyde Park side) and took photos of passing cars, cyclists and ambulances. It is not an easy skill to grasp, it will come with practice. But when you've grasped this skill, it's a great way to take moving objects - cars or children or animals. We received some strange looks from people passing by as we stood on the side of the road like a row of paparazzi.

I went to the class with some expectations and I must say the class has met them and more. My head is spinning now with all the information Andy has covered today. I won't say that I am confident to use manual settings but at least I know what all the different buttons and settings are for. I am still a long way from taking awesome photos, but I hope this will come with practise, practise, practise. Andy did provide great notes for review. He also gave good advice about the different types of lenses, flash, memory cards and why it is best to shoot photos in RAW form.

I am looking forward to more practice during our upcoming holidays in East Malaysia and Singapore. I have to stop using the Auto settings and use P, AV and TV. I also have shopping list of things to add to my equipment.

Har Mee (Prawn Mee) @ Malay Chinese Takeaway

2011-08-20T20:18:00.000+10:00

This Malaysian eatery has been around for many years in Sydney. It is often considered the benchmark for its curry laksa and har mee (prawn mee). I have tasted quite a few bowls of Har Mee at the different Malaysian restaurants in Sydney, by far this is my favourite place for a Har Mee fix.

On a cold wintery Saturday morning, slurping down a bowl of Har Mee really hit the spot for Chris and I. The mouth-watering soup had a good balance of prawn and pork stock. The noodles was served with topped with fried lard (che yau char), pork slices, fish cake, kangkung (water spinach), bean sprouts and half a boiled egg. I love the boiled egg served with the noodles, and will usually eat that last. The sambal which is an optional accompaniment is also full of flavour with belacan (shrimp paste) and dried shrimp.

Our girls shared a plate of Combination Hor Fun (Wet Koay Teow), stir-fried rice noodles and rice vermicelli (yin yong) with a thick eggy brown gravy and seafood.

Note: we bought a Singapore noodle as take-away for my parents. They both loved it, there was good 'wok hei'.

Malay Chinese Takeaway
58 Hunter St
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9231 6788

Voting with my feet

2011-08-16T22:01:00.002+10:00

There have been many reports in the news recently of the poor performance in the retail industry. Australian consumers are either more savings conscious now or are turning to online retailers to buy their goods. Given this bleak outlook for the retailers with major retailers like David Jones and Harvey Norman downgrading their forecast profit earnings, one would think that the retailers and their staff will work harder on their customer service to increase and retain sales. In the last 6 months, we have seen the closure of Borders, Angus and Robertson, Colorado, Just Jeans and Portmans stores. The outlook is bad indeed. So what am I ranting about? Poor customer service!

I popped into the pharmacy at my local shopping centre to buy my medication for hypertension. I did not have a script with me as I forgot to visit the doctor for a new script. In the past, the chemist has been helpful to sell you the medication on the proviso that you bring the new script to show them within a week or two. Well...when I explained to the pharmacist (have never met her before, so I assume she is new) my situation, she immediately got annoyed and said that she could not sell me the medication, because it is too much paperwork for her to complete if she gave me the medication now. Hence, she told me to visit my doc and return with the script. WTF! You can imagine my mood....

When I arrived home, I mentioned my experience to my Mum and she also had a bad experience with the said stupid cow (not Mum's exact words). Apparently Mum had also visited the pharmacy to buy some vitamins and the stupid cow was absolutely unfriendly. Now I know that this is the only pharmacy at this particular shopping centre, since the other pharmacy (which was our usual) closed down recently due to poor performance. But there is no reason to be an absolute bitch to your customers. So I am voting with my feet, I have banned my family from visiting this pharmacy. We will find another to buy our medication. There are a number of pharmacies in our neighbourhood where we can take out business to.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hearty Chicken, Pasta and Vegetable Soup

2011-08-14T20:00:00.000+10:00

I have been fighting a nasty flu for the last two weeks. It's horrible, being sick with blocked sinuses, metallic taste in the mouth, 'dead' tastebuds that cannot taste anything at all. I made this hearty soup to warm up the soul. I made a big batch and had leftovers for lunch.

Stock
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 brown onion, cut into large chunks
1 carrot, cut into 3 cm pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 3cm pieces
2 bay leaves
2 pieces of chicken breast fillets
1.5 litres of water

Heat the oil in a medium size stockpot. Place the onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves into the pot and sweat the vegetables for 5 minutes stirring often.
Add the chicken breast fillets into the pot and cover with water at room temperature.
Bring the soup to a low simmer and cook gently for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Skim and discard any fat that rises to the top of the liquid.
Remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve and discard the vegetables.

Soup
1 tsp olive oil
1 carrot, cut into 3mm thick discs
2 celery stalks, cut into 3mm thick slices
1/2 leek (white part only), cut into 1/2cm pieces
1 corn cob, remove kernels
a small handful of green beans, cut into 3mm length
100gm small spiral pasta, cooked
chopped parsley to garnish

Heat the same pot to a low-medium heat and add the olive oil. Follow with the leek, carrots, celery, corn kernels and green bans. Sweat the vegetables for about 3-5 minutes.
Add the stock and bring to a simmer, then pour in the cooked pasta and cook for further 5 minutes.
Shred the chicken (should be cool now). (Note: I didn't use all the chicken, only 1/4 piece, but you can use as much as you like).
Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Season with salt and pepper then continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and garnish with the chopped parsley.
Ladle into bowls and serve.

Chefs Gallery

2011-08-02T21:30:00.000+10:00

A random face at the window (bottom right)

My colleague and I have been searching for new places to have lunch. Our offices have recently relocated from the centre of Sydney CBD to the western side of the city, closer to Chinatown. We decided to have lunch at Chefs Gallery today. This restaurant is managed Kaisern Cheng, the same restaurateur owner of Din Tai Fung. The main focus at Chefs Gallery are the fresh handmade noodles. You can see the chefs making the noodles, as they are ordered. The ready made dough sits in a large container. When you place you order, the chef will cut a piece of dough, roll it, fold it, stretch it, slap it on the bench, fold it again, stretch it again, repeating this process until the dough forms into long thin noodles. The noodles are then weighed before blanching in hot water.

We chose seats at the counter facing the kitchen, where we had first class seats to see how the noodles were made. The chef was so quick with his hands, it made it difficult to take the photos with my iPhone.

Sandra chose the handmade noodles with sliced beef shin slow roasted in premium soya sauce dipped in a Sichuan spicy soup. She found the dish a little spicy, but not burnt in the mouth. The noodles were cooked al dente with a 'spring' when you bite.

I was tempted to choose a spicy soup noodles too, but I chose Prawns and Pork Wontons with handmade noodles in a chicken soup instead, as I had a slight sore throat. :-( I enjoyed the clear chicken broth, well balanced and not too salty. Perfect to soothe my throat. The wontons were plump and delicate, with an almost transparent skin.

We also ordered the Fluffy Chinese Roti with Pork Floss. We love the soft and crunchy roti which was similar to a flaky shallot pancake. The crispy Pork Floss gave it a sweet taste.

It was a pity that there was only the two of us. There are many other dishes on the menu that I would like to try such as handmade egg and spinach tofu lightly pan-fried topped with preserved vegetables, mini pork burgers (looks cute in the photo in the menu), steamed sesame 'piggy face' bun and many more.

Will definitely be back.

Chefs Gallery
501 George Street (entry from Bathurst St, opposite Town Hall station)
Sydney NSW 2000
02 9267 8877

Date and Walnut Loaf

2011-07-30T20:04:00.000+10:00

I love recipes where I don't have to pull out my Kitchenaid mixer. Quick and easy mixes are the best when one is short of time. We finished off half the loaf for afternoon tea today, melt in the mouth when warm and spread with some butter.

60gm butter, room temperature
1 cup (250ml) boiling water
1 cup (180gm) pitted dates, chopped
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup (220gm) firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups (500gm) self raising flour
1/2 cup (60gm) walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 egg, beaten lightly

Pre-heat oven to 180C (160C for fan-forced oven).
Line a loaf pan with baking paper.
Stir the butter and water into a medium sized saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in dates and bicarbonate soda. Then add remaining ingredients. Spoon the mixture into the lined loaf pan.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. When ready, remove from oven and stand in pan for 5-10 minutes before gently turning on to a wire rack to cool.

Burnt Orange Cafe

2011-07-29T16:54:00.000+10:00

It's my Mum's birthday today. I took her to Burnt Orange Cafe in Mosman to celebrate. It was lovely, just the two of us, since the rest of our family were either at school or work.

The cafe is located in an old golf house built in the 1930s on Middle Head Road, opposite HMAS Penguin. It is a two storey bungalow with a wraparound verandah and panoramic views of Sydney Harbour from The Heads to Manly. The weather was absolutely glorious - clear blue sky, light wind and sunny with temps around 19C. Unfortunately, we were seated on the inner side of the verandah, hence our views were limited.

Cute urban bicycle parked outside the cafe (maybe they do takeaways)

We skipped the entrees (starters) and went straight for mains, saving space in our tummies for dessert and coffee.
For mains, Mum chose the pan-roasted snapper served served on a bed of crushed cannellini beans with braised fennel, cherry tomatoes and salsa verde. Snapper was perfectly cooked with a crunchy skin.

I had the Slow roasted pulled pork with caramelised apple puree and potato gratin.

To finish our celebratory lunch, we each had a dessert.
Strawberry and rhubarb crumble with vanilla bean ice-cream (a tad tangy, but the ice cream was creamy and delicious).

Caramel panacotta with gingerbread and honey-poached pear. The panacotta had a slight wobble, would have loved another slice or two of the poached pears, which were perfectly poached, not too soft (I dislike soft pears). Not much ginger taste to the gingerbread.

The Cafe is a perfect place for a girlie catch up lunch or breakfast on weekends. Surprisingly, it was busy today. There is plenty of paid parking near the cafe. I will be back with hubby and two girls.

A fitting way to end our girlie lunch was some retail therapy - only window shopping this time. There is a retail shop attached to the cafe (or was it the other way around?). The shop had beautiful items for lunch from scented packs for the wardrobe, lovely gifted tags, clothing, books and accessories. We had a quick browse before it was time to head to collect my girls from school.

I had a fantastic one on one time with my Mum today. It's not often I get to take my Mum out for lunch on her own. I am ever grateful to my Mum for her love and care that she gives freely to all of us. I could not have been able to return to work without her help and support to look after my two girls. She takes care of their needs every afternoon and cooks dinner for us on the days when I am at work.

THANK YOU MUM!

Choc Brownie Muffins

2011-07-27T11:40:00.000+10:00

Something easy for morning/afternoon teas. This will also be good for the cake stall at school fetes (fairs).

2 cups (300gm) self raising flour
1/3 cup (35gm) cocoa powder
1/3 cup (75gm) caster sugar
60gm butter, melted
1/2 cup (95gm) Choc Bits (choc chips/callets)
1/2 cup (75gm) pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (165gm) Nutella
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (180ml) milk
1/2 cup (120gm) sour cream

Preheat oven to moderately hot. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with baking cups.
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Divide the mixture amongst the prepared pan.
Bake the muffins in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Stand muffins in pan for 5 minutes before turning over on to wire rack.
Dust with sifted extra cocoa powder, if desired.

N.B. I managed to get about 15 muffins from this recipe.

Does the Weather Affect You?

2011-07-26T09:04:00.000+10:00

As I write this post, it is a beautiful clear sky wintery day in Sydney. Such a contrast to last week when the weather was grey, windy and wet, wet, wet. It was difficult to drag myself out of bed to prepare for work and school. And that grey, gloomy and wet weather went on for days... nearly 4. It was enough to make anyone go 'cuckoo', especially those with children who were stuck at home, children returning to school after the winter holidays. It was a pain to get to work, using the trains. It was wet and slippery everywhere and people were poking each other with their umbrellas. For the 4 days of rain, I felt unmotivated and a lack of energy. All I wanted to do was to curl up with a good book, in front of the fire or warm heater and read. Basically do nothing. Here in Sydney, we tend to get rain for a few days in a row. Unlike Malaysia, where there is a tropical shower to cool the air and clear the humidity. I could not do the laundry as I try to avoid using the clothes dryer for environmental reasons, saving energy and also the harm the extreme heat can do to the clothes.

Today, with the bright sunshine, I have washed two loads of laundry. I am HAPPY! I love the smell of clean, sun-dried clothes. My mood is lifted, and I am motivated to get things done. What do I have plan? I have my eldest at home today, she has been unwell with the flu and her asthma has flared up. I have to finish off some work at home. I have plans to make a pumpkin soup for lunch and maybe bake some chocolate muffins for tomorrow's school lunch.

Helicopter Parenting

2011-07-20T20:41:00.000+10:00

I was blog surfing and came across Dinah's blog about 'Helicopter Parenting'. Helicopter parenting is a description that refers to parents who 'hovers' over their children and tend to make decisions for their child. They became too involved in their children's lives.

To find out if I am a Helicopter Mum, I took the quiz here and scored 16. What does that mean? It means that I have a good balance between being too hands-off and too involved. I need to "Encourage your child to make some easy confidence-building decisions like choosing what to have for dinner, or where to go for a playdate. Giving her a bit of freedom will benefit you both".

This is true, I try very hard to positively encourage my two girls to think and make decisions for themselves, where I know the decisions are simple e.g. what they want to eat for lunch/dinner, order their own food if we're at a cafe, ask for something themselves. But in reality, sometimes I forget to 'sit on my hands' and allow myself to sit back and watch what happens. I really like them to be assertive and speak for themselves. I realise that I cannot be by my girls side 24 x 7, and therefore need to 'arm' them with skills in order for them to look after themselves. It's work in progress, esp with my older girl. I need to instill greater self-confidence in her.

Are you a Helicoper Mum or Dad?

Term 3 2011

2011-07-19T21:21:00.000+10:00

source: burleighshowcasejewellers.com.au

The winter holidays are well and truly over. Unfortunately, the cold wintry weather is still around.

This term is going to fly by quickly. Now that school has started, it is back to routines, no more sleep-ins, homework and extra-curricular activities. A few birthdays to celebrate, Father's Day celebrations and a piano exam to get through. My girls will be missing the last week and half of this term. We're heading off to Malaysia to celebrate a wedding (girls are excited to be asked to be flower girls) and then Singapore to catch-up with friends.

Sunscreen - Everyday?

2011-07-19T20:51:00.000+10:00

Do you use sunscreen everyday? I do, particularly on my face and neck even on days when it's cloudy, wet and grey. I read an article in Body & Soul on the weekend about using sunscreen in winter. The article states that "less than 20 per cent of Australian men and women wear sunscreen in winter, according to a recent survey conducted by Canstar Cannex". Even though the UV levels are lower in winter, it does not stop the sun damage on our skin. If you're going to the snow fields, it is even more important to apply sun protection on your face. I have seen many people who have returned from the snow fields with sunburnt face. The sun glare from the snow makes it easier to burn.

Another issue to consider during winter is to ensure we are get sufficient exposure to the sun for Vitamin D, which is vital for strong teeth and bones and helps fight against osteoporosis. I remember growing up in Malaysia, where many ladies will carry umbrellas to protect themselves from the hot intense sun in Asia. Over here, especially during winter, people are usually out and about when the sun is shining to get some warmth from the sun.

Rainbow Cookies

2011-07-18T19:43:00.000+10:00

Last two days of the school holidays. I was at home today to help my girls prepare for Term 3. We spent the day at home spring-cleaning - sorting out their clothes, cleaning their homes, changing bed linen, packing away their toys.

Ashleigh also made these rainbow cookies (ssh....out of a packet).

Pizza

2011-07-18T19:36:00.000+10:00

It's easy to make our own pizzas at home. I usually make the dough in the breadmaker, put everything into the pan and an hour and half later, the dough is ready to be rolled. We prefer the thin pizza bases.

My two girls like simple toppings - ham, bocconcini and mozzarella cheese.

Tonight, Chris and I had pizza topped with sun-dried tomatoes, prawns, homemade basil pesto and bocconcini cheese.

What's your favourite pizza topping?

Snacks at the Movies

2011-07-18T10:00:00.001+10:00

***UPDATE***

Following my post about pricey snacks at the movies, the SMH published an article about a recent CHOICE magazine survey reporting that Aussies are paying way more than their US and NZ counterparts at the movies.

*************
Do you buy popcorn, drinks, choc pops (ice cream) and other snacks at the movies? In Sydney, the snack prices at the cinemas are bloody expensive. A large box of popcorn and large sized soft drink can set you back close to $15. Multiply that by 4 in your family and a trip to the movie and an expensive outing, when you add in the ticket costs too.

I am not ashamed to admit that I am a cheapie when it comes to snacks at the movies. I usually pack our own snacks - bottles of water (my girls don't drink fizzies), chips, popcorn, chocolates and other snacks. Much cheaper to pack what you have in the pantry and take it along with you.

What do you do?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

2011-07-18T09:38:00.002+10:00

Finally, the ending to the Harry Potter series is here. The movie opened in Sydney at midnight last Wednesday. As expected, the queues were long at the cinemas around Sydney. Fans dressed up as wizards and witches. HP and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 has smashed the box office raking in A$9.2 million since it's opening. It has surpassed the 3rd trilogy in the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King buy more than A$4 million.

We watched the movie today in 3D. As expected, the focus of the movie was the war between good (Harry and the Order of the Phoenix ) and evil (Voldermort and his Dark Army).

I wonder what's going to be the next movie to smash the box office.

Whale Watching in Sydney

2011-07-17T18:15:00.000+10:00

Another activity that we did during the winter school holidays was whale watching. From mid-May to November, the Southern Humpback whales migrate from the cold southern waters to the warmer waters in the north to give birth and mate. We chose a perfect winter's day for the cruise with Whale Watching Cruises. The cloudless sky was a brilliant blue and the temperature hovered around 17-18C degrees. The swells were about 2-3m which was a big difference to the day before where swells were 6m high. Despite the excellent conditions, we still took some medication to avoid getting sea sick. As we cruise out of Sydney Harbour, I managed to take photos of the two famous Sydney icons.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House

We saw 4 humpback whales about 2 miles away from Sydney. The pod of whales were racing each other, and moving at a fast pace about 5 knots. A wonderful experience for all. It was amazing to be able to get so close to these large mammals. By law, the boats have to keep 100m away from the whales, but that doesn't stop the whales from swimming close to the boats.

The whales surface every 4-5 minutes for air, spouting air was they reach the surface. We were hoping for whales to breach (leap out of the air), but they didn't do any breaching. Instead, we saw many tail slaps, fluke up dives and spouting.

Whale footprint

Ms. G's

2011-07-17T12:35:00.003+10:00

Ms. G's, a modern fusion Asian (Vietnamese) place run by Lotus chefs Dan Hong and Jowett Yu. The restaurant is part of the Merivale Group of restaurants owned by the Hemmes family. In this Asian restaurant, you will not find the usual suspects on the menu e.g. Sweet and Sour Pork, Beef in Black Bean Sauce or Crispy Skin Chicken. Instead there are items like Sweet and Sour Lamb Ribs, Mini bánh mì- crisp pork belly or chicken katsu, Spaghetti Vongole” surf clams, summer noodles with chilli and chorizo (not very Asian), Char-grilled Angus scotch fillet, two sauces: hoisin mustard & smoked tomato salsa to name a few.

There were 6 in our group tonight. We decided to beat the crowd and were the first ones to arrive at the restaurant. Service was attentive and friendly. When told of the specials for the night, it took some time for all of us to decide what to order.

My two girls were excited that their cups of water came in the sealed plastic cups you find at the Taiwanese bubble tea shops. The cocktail list was divided into two - packaged and unpackaged. Chris and I tried the cocktails from the unpackaged list, whilst Kevin and Cindy chose cocktails from the packaged list (which were served in sealed plastic cups too).

Ms Magarita and Aloe Vera Cocktails

Miss G's Famous Yuzu Slushee and Good Morning Vietnam Mocktail

For entrees (starters), our girls had the cutest mini burgers.

Mini bánh mì- crisp pork belly or chicken katsu

The rest of us had the daily specials. I love the pork belly pancake, similar to peking duck pancakes but serviced with crispy pork belly and salsa. The other entree was grilled eggplant with sea urchin served on pork crackling, combination of soft eggplant, saltiness of the sea urchin and crunchy crackling.

Crispy Pork Belly Pancake

Grilled Eggplant with Sambal and Tasmanian Sea Urchin on top of Pork Crackling

For mains, we shared a few dishes.

Jow’s Sweet & Sour lamb ribs (it was finger licking good)

“Spaghetti Vongole” surf clams, summer noodles, chilli, chorizo

Grilled king prawns with “Sambal Matah” eschallot, lime & chilli relish (Love the crunchy grilled prawns)

Grilled calamari, bacon chilli jam, potato & lettuce hearts (again another dish I love!)

Ocean trout ceviche “Fiji style (served in light coconut milk - tasty!)

We were undecided on desserts but in the end, ordered two varieties to try. We had to try the pandan chiffon cake dessert which had been featured in this year's Masterchef.

Pandan chiffon cake, strawberries, coconut sorbet

I found the chiffon cake slightly dense, different to the light airy chiffon cake that you find in the shops. The dessert had an interesting combination of sweet and salty.

Ashleigh chose the ice cream sandwich. I thought the chocolate ice cream more like a chocolate mousse.

“Ice Cream Sandwich” vanilla ice cream, chocolate brownie, blueberry

By 6.30pm, the place was abuzz with noise, people and energy.

We really enjoyed our dinner at Miss G's.

Kiama NSW

2011-07-15T19:33:00.002+10:00

I just realised it's been a month since my last post.

It's nearly the end of the winter break for my girls. I have been quiet on the blog front due to the holidays and also my sis and her family who were visiting from the USA. We had a great time with my sis, BIL and nephew. The first weekend, we flew down to Melbourne for a family reunion with our cousins and aunt there. Our cousin, Jenn, her son - Jayden and our 2nd aunt joined us in Melbourne from Malaysia. The four children had a fantastic time bonding. We were blessed with fab weather, which was good to be outdoors exploring. We took trams around town, feasting on Malaysian food in Melbourne. I think we did more eating and walking as well as catching up with everyone. We're planning another reunion, maybe Perth next year but definitely in Malaysia in 2012 for our grandma's 90th birthday.

One of the places we visited whilst they were here was a coastal town in the South Coast of NSW called Kiama. Kiama is located about 90 minutes south from Sydney. It was a beautiful clear blue sky and windy day when we started our journey south. Our first stop was Bald Head Hill Lookout close to Wollongong, where bikies congregate on the headland. You can also hang-glide off the cliff and land on a beach somewhere in the Gong. It was so so windy that I literally had to hang on to my girls as soon as we got out from the car. We met Kevin at Bald Head lookout. It was a quick introductions and photo op before we hopped back into the car for a drive south on the 665m Seacliff Bridge along the Grand Pacific Drive for our next stop, AustiBeach Cafe at Austinmer Beach.

View from Bald Head Lookout. Photo from July 09

Here Kevin joined us for brunch. We warmed up with hot chocolates, flat whites, cappucinos, vienna coffee and babycinos as well as hot breakfasts for all.

Austinmer Beach

Then it was onward to Kiama and the famous blowhole. The name Kiama is from the aboriginal word Kiaram-a, to which some sources give the meaning "Where the sea makes a noise" as reference to the famous Kiama Blowhole. Here are some photos of Kiama.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Sydney, Australia

Lunchbox Idea #9 - All in One Quiche

2011-06-14T20:51:00.002+10:00

Initially, we had plans to head up to Central Coast with friends today but the awful weather during the long weekend meant we had to change our plans. In the end, we ended up at the Salionas home for day of feasting. It was lovely to be indoors and our children had fun playing on their iPods, Xbox and other games (it's great that they can entertain themselves).

I made this all-in-one quiche for lunch. It's a keeper. The original recipe can be found here. Here's my version.

3/4 cup pastry mix (see note)
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 teaspoon butter, softened
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
3 corn cobs, remove kernels
1/2 red capsicum, diced
1 medium-size onion, finely diced
1 zucchini, finely diced
1 small roast chicken, skin removed, meat shredded
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 3cm deep, 24cm (base) quiche dish.
Combine pastry mix, cheese, butter, eggs and milk in a bowl. Stir well.
Add corn, onion, basil, chicken, tomato, parsley, and salt and pepper to egg mixture. Mix well. Pour into prepared quiche dish. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. Serve.

Note: Pastry mix is a dry mix. Look for it near the flour in your supermarket. You can also replace the chicken, with salmon or ham.

P.S. Photo will follow soon. I forgot to take photo before serving.

Roast Pumpkin Soup

2011-06-11T13:04:00.001+10:00

It's the Queen's Birthday long weekend in Sydney, but we have no plans to go anywhere. The weather is cold, windy, gloomy and wet. Great weather for sleeping in under the doona/quilt, 'veging' in front of the telly - all indoor activities where it's warm and cosy. It's also the right weather for warm comforting food like soups.

1/2 butternut pumpkin, cut into pieces
2 medium sized brown onions, cut into wedges
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed with skin on
sprig of rosemary
sea salt
olive oil
chicken breast
2 cups water
2 medium size potatoes, sliced

Heat oven to 160C. Place the pumpkin, onions, garlic and rosemary on a baking tray that is lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt over them. Toss together to ensure the vegetables are coat in oil.
Place the tray into the oven to roast vegetables for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is soft. Leave aside to cool.

In a medium size stock pot, bring the water to boil and then place the chicken breast in to make the stock. Bring to boil and lower the heat; leave the stock to simmer for about 45mins to 1 hour. Remove the meat and add the potatoes to boil until soft.

When the potatoes are soft, add in the roasted pumpkin, onions, garlic and rosemary into the stock. Using a handheld blender, blitz the vegies until all mashed together. Season the soup to taste.

Serve with a bread roll.

Disney Pixar Cars 2 - Only at the Movies

2011-06-05T20:34:00.000+10:00

The next school holidays are not far away. We are looking forward to the new Disney Pixar movie - Cars 2.

The movie will start screening at the cinemas on June 23, just in time for the school holidays. My two girls are very excited because they want to watch this movie with their cousin, Michael. My sister and her family will be visiting us from US of A for three weeks. I remember their last visit, Michael absolutely loved Lightening McQueen. He watched the DVD over and over again on a 4.5 hour road trip which absolutely sent Ashleigh up the wall.

In Cars 2, McQueen and his mate, Mater, compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to find out which is the fastest car in the world. Needless to say, they will experience many adventures along the way providing funny moments, challenges and detours.

Lunchbox Idea #8 - Curry Puffs

2011-05-22T18:53:00.001+10:00

It has been a while since I posted an idea for school lunchboxes. I make a mild filling for my girls. When I am in a rush or feeling lazy, I will use store-bought shortcrust pastry to save time. The puffs can be pre-made and freeze and bake later.

Pastry
240gm plain flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
90gm margarine
4 tablespoon cold water

Filling
200gm chicken meat, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 big onion, diced
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 tablespoons mild curry powder, mixed into a paste
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon chicken stock powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
water

Pastry: Rub the margarine into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. Add water and mix to form a dough. Wrap in cling film (Gladwarp) and leave to rest for 30 mins.
Filling: Heat oil in pan, saute the onions, curry paste, curry leaves till fragrant. Add in the chicken meat and stir well. Add potatoes, seasoning, and cook until dry. Taste and dish up. Cool completely before use.
Roll pastry into 2mm thick, cut into 5cm rounds. Put 1 tsp filling onto the pastry and fold into semi-circle. Pinch to make decorative edge.
Bake in the oven (160C) for 15 mins. Serve hot.

Apple Strudel

2011-05-15T19:43:00.000+10:00

Another simple dessert recipe that taste delicious and easy to make.

3 Granny Smith apples, cubed
2 Pink Lady apples, cubed
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 sheets filo pastry
100gm butter, melted (additional)
icing sugar, dusting
almond meal (optional)

Place the butter in a saucepan, when melted, add in the cubed apples, cinnamon stick and brown sugar. Stir to coat the apples with the melted butter. Close the lid and cook till apples are soft. Leave aside to cool.
Lay out the filo pastry, brush the 1st sheet with the melted butter and dust some icing sugar and almond meal. Place the 2nd sheet on top, brush with melted butter and dust with icing sugar. Do the same for 3rd and 4th sheet.
Spoon the apple filling in a line down the middle of the pastry, fold inwards each of the opposite side to form a long parcel.
Brush the top with butter and dust with a little caster sugar.
Bake in the oven at 180C for 8-10 minutes.
Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream or double/whipped cream.

Note: If you like a stronger cinnamon taste, you can add about 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon.

Malaysian Monday #5 - Chicken Rice Congee

2011-05-15T19:32:00.001+10:00

In the last two weeks, the weather has turned extremely cold for Sydney in May. Night temperatures have fallen below 10C which is unusual. Last week, Sydney had the coldest morning start in 50 years. When the temperatures drop, I tend to crave for warm comfort food like a simple bowl of soup or chicken rice congee.

5 handfuls of broken jasmine rice (you can also normal long grain rice)
4 cups of water
1 piece of chicken breast fillet
4 pieces of ginger
salt

Garnish
spring onions (shallots)
coriander
ginger, julienne
fried wantan skin (crunchy bits on the top)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium size pot, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and cook until the congee has a creamy consistency, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; keep warm.
Discard ginger pieces. Remove chicken meat from congee; place on a plate to cool for 20 minutes. Shred the chicken meat and return shredded chicken meat to the congee, stirring well.
Serve the hot congee in bowls garnish with spring onions, coriander, julienne-cut ginger, ground white pepper and soy sauce, if desired.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T20:47:00.000+10:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS, GRANDMOTHERS, MUMs TO BE, STAND-IN MOTHERS, FOSTER MUMs....

Here's what I received from my girls and hubby. Ashleigh made the photobook, Caitlin made the 'Mum' sign, decorate the poetry card and rainbow coloured bracelet and Chris bought the watch.

Hope all Mothers had a great day with the family and friends.

We celebrated this special day with an afternoon tea for family. Ashleigh and Caitlin helped to prepare and cook/bake the food and also helped to set the table. Hubby helped with the preparation too. Our menu:

Buttermilk scones
Chocolate Cake
Roast Pumpkin and Feta Tarts
Malaysian Chicken curry and roti canai
Fried Vegetarian Beehoon (cooked by Mum)
Pastries (SIL's contribution)
Baked blueberry cheesecake (Jolene and Andrew's contribution)

Ashleigh made the scones, chocolate cake and roast pumpkin and feta tarts. I cooked the chicken curry and roti canai.

It was a lovely afternoon tea, not too stressful to get the food ready after the walk this morning.

Mother's Day Classic 2011

2011-05-08T20:38:00.000+10:00

source: Mothersdayclassic.org

It was a cold and sunny morning today. However, there was no sleeping in for me this Mother's Day. Ashleigh and I had an early start at 7:30am to meet Elsie, Lee Fong and their children at the train station to head down to the Domain for the 4km walk, part of the Mother's Day Classic. We left our hubbies at home (to sleep in! LOL). This year, Caitlin did not join us, as she is still too young. Maybe next year.

The Mother's Day Classic is the biggest family fundraising event in Australia. The walk is to support and raise funds for breast cancer research. It is a wonderful event for friends, families, breast cancer survivors to come together across the various venues in Australia from Perth to Parramatta (west of Sydney), Hobart to Brisbane, Geelong to the Gold Coast and various regional or country towns.

There were thousands of people at the Sydney Domain participating in 4 events - 4km and 8km run and 4km and 8km walk. It was touching to see people carrying tribute cards in memory of their family members or friends who have and those who have not survived this horrible disease. There were people of all ages - from babies in prams to seniors.

Besides the walk, there were also other activities for kids and adults. These include warm up aerobics, roving performers, food stalls, entertainment, plus a kids activity area with face painting and jumping castles. It was a fun filled day for all.

A great start to Mother's Day, sharing this special day with my girlfriends and our children.

Spinach and Feta Pie

2011-05-06T18:33:00.000+10:00

Hands up who likes Donna Hay and her easy, simple recipes? She is one of Australia's leading food editor and best selling cookbook author. I love her magazines filled with beautiful photographed food which makes one drool just by looking at the photos. She started her career as a food writer and stylist. She was also the food editor with marie claire lifestyle. Just recently, Donna started her own cooking series - Fast, Simple Fresh - on the Lifestyle Food channel on Foxtel (Pay TV).

Here's one of her recipes from her lifestyle cooking program, which I have taken from here. I have tweaked the recipe slightly to suit our tastes. It's a easy to make and tastes delicious. The pie will go well if served with some salad on the side as a vegetarian lunch.

6 sheets filo pastry
50g butter, melted
250g frozen spinach, thawed
500g ricotta
2 eggs
⅓ cup (25g) finely grated Parmesan cheese
a handful of finely chopped mint leaves
sea salt and cracked black pepper
50g feta, roughly chopped (I bought Danish feta)

Preheat oven to 160°C.
Brush each filo sheet with butter and place one on top of the other.
Cut the stack of pastry sheets in half so you have 2 rectangles and place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper.
Squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach and place in a bowl with the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, mint, salt and pepper and mix to combine.
Divide the filling between the two pastries leaving a 5cm border.
Fold over the pastry edges to form a border.
Sprinkle the filling with feta.
Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling has set.

Apple Crumble

2011-05-01T20:38:00.000+10:00

We used the apples we bought at the market today to make apple crumple for dessert. We found the recipe on the Best Recipes website. It was simple, easy to follow and quick to put together. This dessert is delicious served with ice-cream or double cream. You can also add sultanas to the apples.

I modified the recipe slightly to suit our tastes.

Apple Filling
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cubed
3 Fuji apples, peeled and cubed
2 cloves
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Crumble
3/4 cup brown sugar
50gm butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup plain flour

Pre-heat oven to 120C.
Place apples, cloves, water, cinnamon stick and brown sugar into a saucepan. Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes or until apples are soft.
Place the butter, sugar and flour into a mixing bowl. Using finger tips, rub the butter into the sugar and flour until resemble breadcrumbs.
Place crumbs into the freezer until apples are cooked.
Place the cooked apples into a baking dish and sprinkle crumbs evenly over the apples.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream or dollop of double cream or custard.

Masterchef Season 3

2011-05-01T14:44:00.000+10:00

Masterchef Season 3 begins tonight at 7:30pm on Channel 10.

source: MasterChef Series 3

In this series, the 3 judges - Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Colombaris - will be joined by Matt Moran, owner of Aria restaurants. There will also be a number of celebrity chefs - Heston Blumenthal, Nigella Lawson, Adriano Zumbo, Maggie Beer, Rick Stein and others. From what we have previewed on tv, it looks like the contestants will also be cooking outdoors in various places from the Bussselton Jetty in WA to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The judges have assured viewers that there will be fewer dramas and tears this time round, when compared to the 2nd season. That remains to be seen.

It is interesting to watch the contestants cook and see how they cope under pressure. My friends have been encouraging me to enter the competition, and I have been reluctant. I know I will be unable to cope with the immense time and peer pressure that the contestants go through. For now, I am contented to watch them sweat in out.

Frenchs Forest Organic Market

2011-05-01T11:51:00.000+10:00

For the first time in many weeks, we did not have anything planned for our Sunday. But, did we sleep in? Nah.....I woke my family at 7:30am to check out the weekly Organic Market at The Parkway Hotel in Frenchs Forest. This weekly market is only 10 mins drive north from our home. Have been wanting to visit this market for ages, but there is always something on Sunday which stops us. The sun was shining brightly which was lovely and warm after a week of grey skies and rain. The early bird definitely catches the worm. The hotel's carpark was almost full when we arrived (market opens at 8am and we got there at 8:30am).

There are a wide variety of stalls at this market selling meats, fruits and vegetables, breads, eggs, popcorn, plants, clothing, honey, cured meats, coffee beans, teas, skincare and makeup. There are also a good selection of international food - Turkish Gozleme, Gourmet Pies, Indian rotis and dosai, Chorizo rolls, Empanadas, Organic Bacon and egg rolls, tea and coffee carts, juice and smoothies - there was plenty to choose from. Note to self: do not have breakkie before visiting the market.

This was the 1st stall we came across as we entered the markets. We could smell the freshly popped corn and it was irresistible. We had to buy a small bag of Sweet and Salty popcorn. There were other flavours too - Chocolate and Cinnamon as well as Spicy.

We bought some mushrooms from the Mushroom people. Love the fresh variety - Wild Pine, King Brown, Shimeji, Swiss Brown, Woodear, Oyster, Enoki, Chestnut, Flat and Button. We bought the last Wild Pine (a lady came 10 seconds later and was disappointed), Swiss Brown, King Brown and Flat mushrooms to make Mushroom soup.

If you love breads, you would absolutely love the selection sold at the markets. There were spelt, sourdough, wholegrain, gluten free, pumpkin, rye breads and many more. It was bread heaven. We had a chat to this guy who runs the German Bread stall, he was telling us his housemates love him because of the bread.

German Bread

I had to control myself from buying all the beautiful fresh fruit and vegies. Such beautiful colours. I managed to buy a small bunch of organic bananas at $8/kg which was super cheap when our local fruit and vegie market is selling them for $12.98/kg (due to the cyclone in Queensland).

We bought some organic beef rissoles and wagyu and mushroom sausages from the Free Range Butcher. Friendly folks who cooked some beef sausages for everyone to sample. The sausages were delicious, packed with flavour and no fat. You could taste the difference in the quality of meats used.

These two lovely Indian ladies were making Indian rotis or Masala Dosais. Love her sweet smile, so obliging for the camera.

Love the cymbidium orchid plants sold by this friendly guy.

We have already decided that we will return to the Organic Markets in a few weeks. We are happy to support these farmers who sell direct to their consumers. At least, I know the money goes straight to their pockets.

Our girls have already decided what they want to eat there. It'll be a tough decision for Chris and I - bacon and egg roll or Chorizo roll. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Chinese Steamboat (Ta Pin Lo)

2011-05-01T10:30:00.000+10:00

We had a Chinese steamboat party at home during the long Easter/Anzac Day break. The cool weather is perfect for a steamboat, it is comforting to sit around a steaming pot of soup, adding ingredients, catching-up with friends and family. I made two different stocks - chicken with goji berries, red dates and yoke chok and a spicy tom yam version. The hot soups definitely warms you up from the inside.

For desserts, we had Konnyaku Jelly and a cake - Carrot and Orange Cake from the Australian Women's Weekly Cakes and Slices book. My girlfriend, Cindy also brought Lebanese sweets from Abla's Patisserie in Granville.

Konnyaku Jelly

2011-05-01T10:29:00.000+10:00

I prefer Konnyaku Jelly to the Aeroplane Jelly that is often found in Oz supermarkets. I have never been able to find the Red Man Konnyaku powder in Sydney and have to stock up when in Malaysia or request for my relatives to buy me some when they visit. I love the springiness and chewy texture of Konnyaku Jelly. The Konnyaku powder comes from the Japenese taro family. There are many brands in the market but my favourite is Red Man by Phoon Huat & Co. Whilst I have tried the other brands, I have found this brand to have the best consistency and 'bite'.

I like to add fruits into the jelly - canned peaches, longan, lychee, mangoes, berries and kiwi fruit.

Catherine (Kate) and William

2011-04-28T20:22:00.000+10:00

All eyes will be focused on Westminster Abbey on Friday (29 Apr 2011) at 11am (London time) to witness the royal wedding of Princess William and his beautiful bride, Catherine (Kate) Middleton. Like most women, I am keen to see what the wedding gown will look like. You can view the schedule here. I can still remember watching the late Princess Diana and Prince Charles' wedding in 1981. What a lavish wedding that was - the carriages, the huge wedding dress, the royal family - and what a tragic ending for the late Princess Diana.

Time to chill the champagne ready to toast the royal couple. Cheers!

Cake Decorating @ Easter Show 2011

2011-04-28T20:05:00.001+10:00

My favourite part of the Easter Show is the Cake Decorating section. I love to see the displays and admire the craft of the talented and creative people who make them. Some of the cakes are absolutely mind-blowing and stunning. Here are a few of my favourites.

iPho

Noah's Ark

Alleluia! Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T13:32:00.000+10:00

source: nwiblogs.blogspot.com

ALLELUIA! HE IS RISEN!

HAPPY EASTER TO ONE AND ALL!!

Good Friday

2011-04-22T12:56:00.000+10:00

Good Friday is a quiet day reflection for our family as we pause to remember Jesus' death. All the shops, cinemas and malls are closed today. The day is usually spent at home finishing off by attending the Passion of our Lord liturgy at the church in the late afternoon.

This year, we have a long Easter break till next Tuesday, due to Anzac Day falling on 25 April.

From Our Home

Australia Day 2012

Chinese New Year 2012

Sandra's Baby Shower

Hubby Cooking #12 - Grilled Chicken and Corn Orecchiette

Mount Ashby Estate

Covering School Books

Creme Brulee

Marmite Chicken

Apple Cinnamon Crumble with Custard

Petaling Street, Sydney

From the Archives

Hello 2012

Boxing Day in Sydney

Mangomisu

Raspberry sauce1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar 250g fresh or frozen raspberries Juice of 1 lemon

Recipe source: Delicious Magazine, Dec 2009

Note: I used Pavarini sponge fingers which are smaller and crispier than the savioridi fingers.

Christmas Day Menu

Merry Christmas 2011

Wrapping Up 2011

The Season for Giving - Basket Brigade

School's Over for 2011

Choc Hazelnut Stars

'Peerant' or Parent

Gingerbread House - 2011

White Chocolate Rocky Road

Cookies with a Message

Advent Calendar

Freshly Laundered

Lunchbox Idea #10 - Pork Apple and Fennel Sausage Rolls

Recipe Library

Garlic Prawn Pizza Bread

How Do You Celebrate Christmas?

First Giveaway Winners

TM 31

First Giveaway

Taiki Japanese Seafood Restaurant

Wan Tan Soup

Nachos

Weekly Meal Plans

Pilu

Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort, Kota Kinabalu

Portview Seafood Village

Mums United

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

The Magellan, Sutera Harbour Resort

Coles - MIX

Malaysian Monday #4 - Ang Koo

Six Today

KitchenAid Flex Edge Beater

Chinese Roast Duck Pancakes

Fresh Lotus Root Soup

Malaysia through Caitlin's eyes

Mushroom and Bacon Creamy Pasta

Glad to be home

10 years on - 9/11

Cherry Clafoutis

Sabah - The Land Below the Wind

Surviving Year 7

Apple Berry Crumble Muffins

Jam Drops

Raspberry and Coconut Slice

Lemon Butter

Caitlin's Reading and Spelling Skills

Raspberry Jam

Praiseworthy Customer Service

Photography Course

Har Mee (Prawn Mee) @ Malay Chinese Takeaway

Voting with my feet

Hearty Chicken, Pasta and Vegetable Soup

Chefs Gallery

Date and Walnut Loaf

Burnt Orange Cafe

Choc Brownie Muffins

Does the Weather Affect You?

Helicopter Parenting

Term 3 2011

Sunscreen - Everyday?

Rainbow Cookies

Raspberry sauce
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
250g fresh or frozen raspberries
Juice of 1 lemon