20080529

The Lady across the street

Her vivid red hair was short, almost like a silky bandanna over her scalp. Clean. Neat.

I don't know what was it about her, but I couldn't tear my gaze away. There she stood, a street's width away from me, head slightly bobbing to what I could only guess to be the tunes of Rock. She wasn't perfect, hell no! Yet, she was just perfect.

I don't want to venture further, but the way her jeans ran snugly around her body captured me. Totally. Complete with an over-sized dark green jumper, I was hooked. Hooked to the extent that my heart skipped a bit, I think. I almost hated her.

Just when I think the universe could not be anymore cruel to me, it has to go and show me creatures like this, and totally make me eat back my own damn words. Why is it that some creatures are appallingly normal and decent, yet some are so heavenly spectacular? I stood still for a while, inadvertently scratching my toe nails against the dark granite. Oh, I was in pain, and I will unashamedly whine if need be. In fact, let's do just that!

I whine, and I sulk. And then the little green man appeared. She was walking towards me now. I couldn't move. I really want to do something amazing.. something unforgettable, something, anything, just to get her attention. Instead, I just stood there like a manic little puppy.

Hang on a sec, what was that? Was that a smile? Dear Lord, she smiled! At me!

I felt it, something was chocking me; a powerful force is tugging at my neck..

"Come on, Randy, come on now. Good boy, come along.."



20080525

Cookies that give me butterflies..

Being annoyingly lazy aside, Missy has been ridiculously lazy. Both in the kitchen and the gym-room. Oh, and as Baby Hubz would testify, in the bedroom too..

But coming home late on Friday night, or rather, very early on a Saturday morning in the cold, cold, wind had sparked some kind of motivation in me which was drawn mainly from cravings. Sweet carbs.

Crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside Held in the palm, warmth spread through the realm Of buttery goodness it tantalizes, of tart sweetness it dances..


In fact, Missy is now nibbling away while typing idly with one hand, and the other hand under the chin trying to catch the crumbs that dangle precariously on her lips.

Onto the cookies.. one word: Love! They were so very yummy and bursting with comfort. It was a first for this recipe, and about 14 years since I last baked cookies, I think.

A couple of foreword: This was a halved version of an original recipe, thanks to Molly from Orangette, and was supposed to yield 40 small cookies. Either my cookie-definition of small is dangerously on the wrong side, or I'm just plain lazy, but one very important note is to drop the cookies in very small spoonfuls, like you would feed a toddler. AND leave at least an inch between each ball (as they tend to thin and spread as they bake). This, I learnt the hard way *ouch..* But nothing a second attempt won't fix, dearies!

Below is the adaptation of Molly's Buttermilk Cookies with Lemon Zest. They look nothing like mine, which translates to them being super cute and yummy-looking. Mine is more of a deranged cousin who, thank-God-for-genes, still has the great taste.



Mandarin Splash Buttermilk Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:
  • 1 and a half cups unbleached all-purpose flour*
  • 1 tsp mandarin zest, grated and/or peel, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 6 tbsp (approx 85g) butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup raw sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
Glaze: (optional)
  • 2 tbsp well-shaken buttermilk
  • 2 drops vanilla extract
  • sifted confectioners sugar, adjust to taste and thickness


*Being the health-conscious me as usual, I took a risk and substituted half a cup of flour with slightly more than half a cup of wheatgerm and ground linseed. I just needed to adjust the amount of buttermilk when mixing the dough. Turned out great ;)

How to

  1. Line baking sheets with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180deg.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, zest/peel and baking powder.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter briefly with a handheld mixer. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Add egg, and beat briefly to mix. Add vanilla, beat briefly again.
  4. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in alternating batches, and beat at low speed, beginning and ending with flour. Finished dough should be a pale yellow shade, not too runny but enough consistency to drop by spoonfuls.
  5. I suggest using two teaspoons to shape and drop balls of dough onto baking sheets, leaving at least an inch in between.
  6. Bake, one batch of cookies at a time, until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Wait a minute for cookies to cool once out of the oven, then transfer to cooling rack; so cookies won't have a soggy base.


Optional:

  1. Whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla.
  2. Slowly sift in confectioners sugar and adjust sweetness and thickness to your liking. The mixture should be smooth with no visible sugar lumps.
  3. Spoon the glaze onto warm cookies.
  4. Once glaze has set, feed cookies to cold, happy souls.


**I made the first batch, which flattened abysmally. Taking that down in my lesson book, I made the second batch which *blush* looks so pretty..

***I prefer them without the glaze as they tend to "soak" into the cookie. Baby Hubz, on the other hand, was loving everything sweet and sugary. He was caught stealing another cookie (or three) off the rack while dinner was just 5 minutes away. That, I absolutely noted with a proud smile across my cookie-crumbed lips..



T'was a cold, cold autumn night For all but one, or two T'was warm a'glow from inside out For comfort comes to those Who holds a buttermilk cookie..


Aye aye!



20080519

Wish upon the Shooting Star

The weekend past, Missy revisited club Evolution in Prahran; the mother of all clubs, the countless nights where we left the comfort of our home to arrive at its door, somewhat windblown, and feeling the surge of welcome as we enter yet a second "home"..

It's been a while. Heck, 4 years to be exact!!

While the interior is pretty much the same, the feeling was completely different. And not in a bad way at that. There were live bands rocking it out, some friendly clusters, and a beer in my hand.. what more can I ask for?

Now, the bands.. that's what I want to talk about now. There were 6 bands if I remember correctly. One of which was the purpose I went in the first place; my friend was playing the vocal for his band, Nobody.

The night started fairly good with a petite Asian entertaining a cheering crowd, followed by a ridiculous J-pop singer, who drove us upstairs and away. THEN, we were attracted back again by another singer.

He looked like your typical geek-next-door, who also happens to be a Pantene model-wannabe, but people, I tell ya, if there's a time you shouldn't judge a person by its cover.. it's now; it's him.

He's awesome!!



For undescribable reason, he reminded me of Malaysian blogger who's not unfamiliar to you all, Kenny Sia. And trust me, when he started rockin' it, he rocked the house.

He played solo that night, but check out his band, Broken Scar. I believe they have two albums out now; Shooting Star and Midnight in St. Kilda. My favourite tracks are Shooting Star, and Until I Fall. Totally loving it at the mo ;)

So yes, having positively rocked the Saturday night away, let's return back to Earth, and get in touch with Missy's other side.

It seemed like just last month that they got married, but apparently it's been longer, much longer. We welcomed lovely Mia Morland-Sahono into our world on the chilly night of 14th May.



Cutest darling with big eyes and two dimples, just like her Mama. She felt so solid and warm against me, I literally melted with passion. Baby hubz and I both thought she's beautiful, and we had so much fun walking around trying to decide between baby towels and the smallest and cutest outfit that babies outgrow in 2 minutes.

That being said, we are still very patient, and not rushing to have any of our own anytime soon. We'll wait about 4 more years :)

Strong little fist..

After the visit, we were both a little cold and loving our little time together. So, what's better than a mug of hot chocolate to sip and some extra to melt in your mouth?

Max Brenner is slacking. They don't even serve my souffle with strawberry anymore *sulk..

Maybe I should go consult my newly arrived book and make my own Blueberry in the Pot someday ;)





I am, afterall, the super wifey ;)



20080516

Forgive and Forget

I saw her the other day.

Her, being the female who scarred my tender first years away from home. The one who got my heart surged in hatred and anxiety just by the mere mention of her name. The one who instil trauma and nightmares in real life.

It's amazing how after so many years, 5 years to be exact; I still can't forget her.

Coincidentally enough, Val and I were just talking about the notion "forgive and forget" moments prior to the incident (she should be overseas!!!! And never come back!!). Should I say cos we're women, or we're only human? I want to believe that I've forgiven; that I have gone on to treat her like anyone else in the world, a perfect stranger. I sincerely did believe that..

But, no.

I began to reason with myself, with or without the mirror. If I've truthfully forgiven, why then would I feel the crazy heartbeat, the flush and the ache? The hate and the distrust for humankind. The suspicion that you can never really trust anyone in the whole world.

I hate her. I still do.

And I don't think I will ever forget..



20080512

And so, Missy warms her kitchen..

Waking up to below 10degs these mornings inevitably means one thing..

.. that Missy will be craving for something warm, even just a hot bowl to hold, during the day.

So, Missy proceeded to heat up her oven in the quest to find comfort. And, of course, she has been diligently crawling around the virtual world in search of inspirations.

You may have remembered a particular Mini Crustless Tofu Quiche that I mentioned in this post. Yes, I finally came to the realization that it will NOT materialize in front of me anytime soon, or just any other time, really. Contributed largely by the fact that I scored a couple of cheap and juicy red pepper at the market, I gingerly tracked down my long-lost blender and bought some organic tofu. And I was set to go..

The recipe calls for bell pepper, mushrooms and chives. And since I have none of the latter two, I use whatever vegetables I have on hand; the red pepper fresh from the market, a handful of spinach leaves, and some chopped onions. I added some frozen crabmeats because we have plenty, and just so Baby Hubz won't go, "Oh, not vegetarian again.."

I sprinkled rosemary quite liberally over it, and omitted the onion powder, turmeric and yeast. Yes, I'm a risk taker that bad.

But may I just mention that the stirfry itself smells heavenly, and would have been great to serve with rice, asian noodles or as an omelette filling!

I made my quiche in a tart tray, and it was delish! Believe me, it was gone just like *snap!! Which explains why there's no picture of it. Awww..

FORTUNATELY, I had extra batter (as I always do), and I popped them in my muffin tins. This time, I put them in a thin layer for a "crispy on the outside, meltingly soft on the inside" result.

Here are my tofu cakes..

Smelled good, tasted even better. I love to bite into a mouthful of vegetables, and diced peppers just lend a spicy touch. The combination was excellent, so.. yay!

And since we're on a roll here, I'd like to introduce my yummy Potato Cups.

These little gems are a real treat. Milky soft mashed potatoes, sweetened with carrots, peas and corns, with just enough crunch to make your tastebuds dance. Good on its own, but for someone like Baby Hubz, who craves for a little more tang, have it with tomato sauce. Just be sure don't overwhelm it.

And the best, it's fairly easy and quick to make! You know it's really easy when someone like me says it's easy.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup potato starch*
  • 1 tbs baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of dried thyme
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup potato* - cooked and mashed
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup butter/ margarine - I used applesauce
  • 1/3 cup grated cheese


*Since I have plenty of potatoes left, I omitted potato starch and slightly more than doubled the amount of potatoes. Thankfully, it came out fine. For non risk-taker, you can try the recipe first and adjust to your liking.

How to
  1. Preheat oven to 200deg Celcius. Lightly grease muffin tins.
  2. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, starch (if any), baking powder, salt and thyme. Set aside.
  3. In another bowl, whisk milk and mashed potatoes, then add egg, melted butter (or applesauce) and cheese. Mix well.
  4. Add wet ingredients to the prepared dry ingredients until just combined.
  5. Drop in muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  6. Take a bite and let it warm your heart!


Easy, no?

Last on today's list is something not so easy, but made to look very easy and delicious by Tammy. I admit I was absolutely smitten by her Overnight Challah French Toast.

*Warning: Enter the site and you will be greeted by the uncontrollable desire to attempt it.

Aside from looking temptingly beautiful, it looked pretty do-able too! And that's exactly what I did. I arranged all I need (which literally means what I have) on the kitchen bench and set about making my version of Overnight Raisin Hot-cross French Toast.

I haven't got any berries at that time, and reckoned maybe the raisins will be able to sweeten it up, which it did. Just didn't end up as pretty as Tammy's though.

Nonetheless, I'm proud to report Baby hubz took second helpings! Now who's a smiling wifey? ;)

I adore the crumb toppings and so did Baby. Next time, I will make the toppings again and sprinkle atop muffins or any sweet bread. Should be a welcome addition..

And a note to self, never set the oven on fan grill. It should be the double line for baking. See those burnt bit on top? Yea, that's what I mean..

All in, Missy is happily welcoming autumn. What about you?



20080511

Happy Mother's Day, and I love my Pops!

When the sky comes crashing down, your family will be there for you to fall back on.. and the worst that can happen is to get stuck between heaven and love..


How much I love my family is just beyond mere words. And though Missy has yet to have achieved anything extraordinary to be classified as a super daughter, she wants Mum and Dad to know that she loves them very, very much..

The lack of recent photos goes to show that it's high-time I get my ass back home!! Patience, Missy.. 6 more months..

Happy Mother's Day, my Queen *kisses

A stylo-mylo shot of Dad back in 2005. I love this picture cos it's NOTHING like him. On-frame, he's cool and suave. Off-frame, he's just a lame joker who's loved by me.

Happy 52nd, Mr. Chow Yun-Fatt wannabe. We're so proud you made it to this year and believe me, you will celebrate many more decades to come.. all with the mentality agility of a 30 year-old!



Talk of the many celebrations to come.. guess what, dearest readers? In exactly 29 days' time, Missy would have been a Mrs. for a whole year!

Missy: Holy pumpkin, we made it through a year already?





Baby Hubz: Mm-hmm, sure looks like we did..

Yay! I wanna clink glasses and toast to the love, friendship and trust we've developed through good and bad times. And everybody, here's to everlasting dream-come-trues ;)



20080505

Cold days ahead..

So, we can officially kiss our summer adieu.

Autumn is now in full swing, though really, it feels more like winter already. The draggy feelings aside, autumn sets a welcoming glow to the dreary city. In place of our bright emerald trees are hues of gold, and it's good to know a trip down to the city will be accompanied by this burst of colours!

Autumn/Winter holds good memories for Missy. For one, Baby Hubz and I dated in autumn 2005 and got married in winter 2007. It is a season that says a lot about commitment and reminds us of the good times. Fortunately enough, there really isn't that much bad times to focus on! Amen!

Plus, colder days means more cuddles and (in)definitely warm, comfy food. And Missy loves them all to boot..

Revisiting the green fruit has to be the most comforting for body and soul this autumn. And being the lazier-than-usual me, I just scoop and spread fresh avocado on warmed toasts. It can't get any easier than this. You can have your avocado chilled or room temperature. I prefer mine fresh from the refrigerator ;)

Oven-baked nachos with a generous sprinkle of cheese, served with great dollops of salsa. Warmed and satisfied to the core..

The other day, we had pancakes for breakfast. It's been awhile since I last break away from my cereals or oats brekkie, so this was very much welcomed. I had mine with a knob of cream cheese and slather blueberry jam all over. Oh, sin can be so delicious at times.

Pictured above is the Mini Crustless Tofu Quiche that I'm dying to try. Try, as in sink my teeth into. Trust me, I've been having really wicked dreams lately which involved Spinach & Ricotta Quiches, but for now, a mini tofu version will not be too bad afterall.

***



Speaking of fantasy, Missy is playing with the idea of a tattoo addition. This, is what I call hot and very similar to what I have in mind. Though I will need the writer in me to shine and assist before I make my decision..

One thing for sure, someone won't be too happy about it..



20080501

Poniku!

She's one of Missy's favourite people, and she just started her very own fashion line.

So what's a girl to do but pompously shoutout to all fashion-savvy ladies, style aficionados and dressy mamas..

Check out poniku!!!


And check it out often. Bold designs, Unpretentious styles, Unique colours.. you're bound to find a dress you like at poniku.blogspot.com



I love the styles, only because it suits a myriad of occassions on top of everyday wear. And the fact that they are all above-knee length means you can flaunt your calves easily, or pair them with leggings for wintry night outs with girlfriends.

Gotta love versatility ;)



01 May, 2008

Today, the 1st of May, is in fact Labour Day back in Malaysia.

So, it goes without saying that the whole of Malaysia is slumbering in the heat while we.. well, actually yours truly..

.. slogs away..


Mum texted me around noon-time, saying she will be picking up my Brother, for lunch soon (and that she misses and loves me). I replied: Can you come pick me up too?

I can't stop thinking of home, thinking how nice it would be to be back within the comfortable glow of blood-ties again, to be sweltered by the ridiculous heat and unending love. Instead, Missy blew her almost frozen nose, picked up her green bags and braced through the less-than-10deg wind to Prahran, just so she can finally get some much-needed grocery supplies.

While the wind slowly freezes the suburb, Missy patiently walked through the aisles, calculating the best bargains, and planning what to do with said bargains. Oh, and do trust me when I say I love bargains..

20 minutes later, I emerged from Coles carrying:

  • 500g of Don frankfurts (for the man)
  • 2 trays of eggs at 700g each
  • 2 litres of skim milk
  • 700g fresh bread
  • 500g of dried prunes (very much for Missy only)
  • 2 cans Heinz baked beans at 420g each
  • 1kg of baby peas
  • 200g of tuna, and
  • 3 Hass avocados (which weight are pretty much negligible at this point)


Ok, so.. as though lugging over 7kilos over my winter jumper is not enough, I have to get my ass to Priceline, which *praise praise* is just next door.

Yes, they have great bargains.

And yes, I checked, therefore I know..

In I went, and out I came, with an additional:

  • 2 Listerine mouthwash at 1litre each
  • 3 Palmolive Naturals handwash refill at 500ml each


A quick mental calculation will bring the grand total to around 10kilos of groceries done today.

As proud as I am to snatch 10kilos of great bargains, I can't say for sure it was equally pleasurable lugging the whole lot home. If anything, my steps were at best pathetic and at worst spasmodic.

All in the quick name of "a good housewife"..





Back to Labour Day, well, it certainly wasn't for me!