ring-a-ding-a-ling

In search of...

2009-09-14T02:53:00.000-07:00

Anyone knows where to get pretty MJ tables? *Grinz* not contented with the usual ones. Any suggestion would be much appreciated!

Home-decor in progress...

Centerpiece of Kitchen

2009-08-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

As Ween had said, it doesnt matter if we use it or not, whats important is that it look pretty on the kitchentop, hah, I m sold and indulge in a KA mixer as well. To make myself feel less guilty, I did wait till the Mayer Warehouse Sale and got it. Initially I was so hoping to get red bcos most of the small kitchen accessories (ie peeler, zester, whisk) I got in America and bought it home with me are all fine-engine red. Turns out RED is never on sale...bumpers. I was standing there for the longest time, contemplating to get the pink 1, so sweet that it remind me of a doll-house kitchen appliance.

Anyhow I decided my kitchen is too pretty for me to cook =p

Memories...

2009-08-24T04:43:00.000-07:00

My grandmother-in-law had passed on, in her sleep, when I closed my eyes, I will just picture her in her usual chair in the living room, facing the main door, greeting everyone coming home with a smile.

I am so grateful for the little time I had since coming back from US, to buy some snacks for her, spend some time with her, talked to her about K.

She is in a better place now, looking down on us, wishing the best for all of us. She had been well cared and loved by all of us. She will always be on our mind and in our prayers.

Happy, I am!

2009-08-13T06:57:00.001-07:00

Time flies...so fast, it has been 1 month and 2 weeks since I am back.

Busy, busy, busy. Finding a job, doing some touch-up to the flat, buying furnitures and catching up with friends. Also, praying for Pensacola to be blessed with good weather so my hubby can come home soon!

Nutella Tart

Lastly, I would highly recommend a Nutella tart for all Nutella lovers out there. This was also probably the last sweet treat I made in my tiny toaster oven in Pensacola. I am so grateful the oven did not give up on me in this past year. This recipe is from Mandy, a fellow Singaporean whom I did not get a chance to meet up in USA sadly. I wish her much success in her new-found career!

I

2009-07-02T00:12:00.000-07:00

I

1) learnt how to cook and fed my hubby without any major case of poisoning
2) hate doing dishes
3) enjoy marital bliss
4) visited the Big Apple, had the best meal for our 1 yr wedding anniversary
5) had many wonderful roadtrips- Chicago, Miami, Houston, New Orleans, North Carolina, Orlando
6) love love Disney World, easily my favourite place in the whole of America
7) had an awesome holiday with my best friends in California
8) made dear friends whom I will miss
9) am home!

Serimuka-II

2009-06-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yellow serimuka!
I still have a big bottle of custard powder leftover from making my pineapple tarts, this is absolutely perfect for me! The taste is the same but still I couldnt make it as high as it should be (my stove is still unbalanced, argh).

Happy Birthday Goh

2009-06-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

Aunty SS had very kindly invited the whole gang to her house to celebrate Alex's 23rd birthday, with a ice-cream cake no less! Look at how happy the birthday boy is!

ban jian kueh

2009-06-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

Found a new blog, a new favourite, I tried making ban jian kueh from Aunty Yochana's recipe, it turned out really well. Only thing I would change is decrease the sugar by 20%, I would prefer more peanuts to sugar. Enjoy!

Blueberries season is here!

2009-06-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw Target selling 1 pint of blueberries for $0.99. Woohoooo time to dig out blueberries recipes again! Going to hunt down blueberries farm, pluck and eat at the same time. Too excited, I didnt take picture of the end product oops.

Ang Ku Kueh (Green Ku Kueh)

2009-06-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

It was a mess that day hah was trying to make it for Alex's birthday which Aunty Tan had kindly invited us to their house to celebrate. But I cant finish it in time, with my dough in 1 bowl and my filling in another, I brought it to Aunty's house. She helped me to finish it! Yeah! She has the mould even, how cool. She had taught me a valuable tip, do not use parchment paper or foil as the kuehs would stick onto them. Thanks a million Aunty! I feel so blessed to know the Tan Family in Kampung Pensacola. I added a few drops of pandan essence in the dough to get the tinge of green in the skin instead of red colour colouring. There are many other recipes out there with coconut milk in the dough, unsure how it affect the taste of the ang ku.
Ang Ku Kueh's recipe from My Kitchen Snippets

On a sidenote, my fave ones are from a shop along Jalan Bukit Merah Blk 146, they have all kind of ang ku kuehs with different fillings, yum.

Tuna tartare

2009-05-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

I am using the term loosely, according to Wikipedia, tartare is a preparation of finely chopped raw meat or fish optionally with seasonings and sauces. I did not chop up my tuna, I just put it on top of the salsa-avocado mix, it is 80% avocado and 20% salsa. Love love avocado and tuna! Just wondering how much does tuna cost in Singapore, it costs 12 USD for 450 grams in Pensacola, which make it the most expensive fish we eat here but we just love the taste of fresh tuna.

Kenny Poh's birthday

2009-05-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

A very belated post, thought I blogged about it but I guess my brain is turning into mush. I made a pandan cake and Kenny spent 30 mins trying to pipe "Happy Birthday Kenny" But we gave up at Happy Birthday, we wasted so much chocolate cream, it is everywhere, our hands, the table...

Check out what they did to his car, made with love. Wow.

Happy Birthday Kenny!

How not to over-cook my fishy?

2009-05-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

Using A1's Thai Sweet and Spicy sauce for steaming a mahi-mahi fillet. Mahi-mahi is one of our fav fish just because it taste like stingray. I still can't grasp the timing to steam my fish properly, I tend to over-cook it, also because the thickness is not uniform etc etc. Just eat lar~

Happy Memorial Day to all~

Milo

2009-05-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

We have a tin can of milo which has been there forever so I just google for "milo" and found a Milo Double Chocolate Chips Muffin recipe. I made them bite-size, top it with some chocolate frosting and walnuts. They are yummy but the you can hardly taste the milo though.

Loh Mai Kai

2009-05-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, I cheated a little, I did it without chicken. Recipe is from Aunty Lily.
I promise try to it again with chicken. Hah.

Brunch, Boat, Booze and Bitches!

2009-05-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

First 3 Bs are quoted from Kristy and I added on the last B. It was a fun-whirl wkd, we were at Nicolle's gorgeous house on Sat's evening for a belated party celebration. Her hubby made the most yummy appetizers...finger-licking yum!

Sunday afternoon, we went Atlas for bottomless mimosa and brunch, everyone consume more mimosa than food I am sure. Afterwhich, we went to take a spin around Pensacola Beach in a boat no less! woohooo... first time I go to the beach's hooters in a boat, awesooome. Brunch, Boat and my bitches, I Love! (pls note no booze)

NBA Playoff 2009 Round 1 @ New Orleans

2009-05-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

We watched our first NBA playoff in USA, luckily we have a team who qualify for the playoff and is within driving distance.
Denver Nuggest vs New Orleans Hornets

It turned out to be the only game they won for this playoff so we were indeed lucky to catch a winning game at its homeground! For a $20 ticket, we get a free Tshirt, a voodoo doll which NO is famous for and lots of fun, well worth the money! Woohoo... I sent my Playoff Tshirt to my cousin who is in faraway Australia who is a big big basketball fan so I know he will appreciate my gesture, good luck for your exam kido!

Feasting again!

2009-05-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

I was just lucky to be the only one invited to Aunty's house, there is a school in Pensacola whereby the undergraduate female students are not allowed to go out with boys. It is a very strict school, there are other rules such as the female students must wear skirts etc. Anyway this is a party for the graduating class, it had been so long since I hung out with so many girls hah
The ice-cream had 4 layers- pineapple, peppermint, chocolate chip and vanilla. SINFUL, shall not remind myself.

The highlight is ROJAK!! Yummmmm

Crawfish festival @ Pensacola

2009-05-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

I seldom eat crawfish because the frozen ones taste like prawns which had been left out for too long. But the first time I tried live crawfish broil, I am addicted! I tried to wiki "crawfish" but the term "crayfish" comes up, compared to the crayfish we have in Singapore, the crawfishs are really tiny. Some locals taught us a slogan to enjoy the crawfish, twist the tails and suck its heads! I still prefer the crayfish back in Singapore especially fried with chili sauce or pepper.

Kuih Sarlat

2009-05-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Ever since watching Little Nyonya, I developed an instant craving for nyonya kueh. What to do in Kampung Pensacola? Make my own loh, what else?
I definitely need to try again, the upper layer is not really as firm as it should be but the taste is definitely there, can be proven by the boys. It looked abit sloppy, heh. The green layer is supposed to be taller, the steaming tray I used was too shallow, so some of the custard over-flow out while I was moving the tray, etc etc...alot of booboos *sigh*
As usual, I used Aunty Lily's Serimuka recipe, I followed the recipe to a T except for the green colouring which I did not have.

Kennedy Space Center

2009-05-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

We did not do much of the touristy stuff while we were in Orlando, the boys wanted to wait till their gfs are visiting them then they will visit all the theme parks. We did visit the Kennedy Space Center, unlike my hubby, these 2 boys are as bored of space as I am. Hah.

Happy Birthday NKW!

2009-05-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

My brother and I never show sister-brotherly love in words, I never never told him in person before, I am truly very proud of him. At the age of 24, he already owned 2 tutition centers and 1 swordcase company and embarrassing to say, earning more money than me (haha~). I am very grateful to have him around to take care of the house, with me as a military spouse, relocation is highly possible in the future, but I am very confident my parents are well taken care of his hands.
Happy birthday kido, here's wishing in making your first million bucks asap! He is so going to scream at me when he sees this haha~

Dim Sum Haven

2009-05-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

The place for good and affordable Dim Sum!

Golden Lotus

8365 S John Young Pkwy

Orlando, FL 32819

(407) 352-3832

Happy and Full we are!

In loving memory of Erika Jean Coffey

2009-05-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

We attended Capt Coffey's wife's memorial, she had passed on last week from a traffic accident, leaving behind a loving husband, 2 boys and beloved family members and friends.

We wish to express our condolences to the Coffey family.

"How great the Yield from A Fertile Field"

The farmer ploughs through fields of green, And the blade of the ploug is sharp and keen,
But the seed muts be sown to bring forth grain, For nothing is born withough suffering and pain.
And God never ploughs in the soul of man. Without intention and purpose and plan,
So whenever you feel the ploughs sharp blade, Let not your heart be sorely afraid.
For, like the farmer, God chooses a field from which He expects an excellan yield.
So rejoice through your heart is broken in two, God seeks to bring forth a rich harvest in you.

Author unknown, taken from the Journal of Erika Coffey

The Yummmmiest Key Lime Pie

2009-05-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

No doubt about it, the best Key Lime Pie I had eaten in Florida is in Mrs Mac @ Key Largo. Key limes are actually the same type of lime we get in Singapore, the small and super sour ones. Key limes get their name in association with Florida Key why explains why key lime pie is a must-try dessert when you are down here.

Mrs Mac's Kitchen

99336 Overseas Hwy

Key Largo, FL 33037

(305) 451-3722

I am so craving for it...

Partying in Miami~

2009-04-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

The Mansion
1235 Washington Ave, Miami Beach
Majority of the crowd were spring-breakers from NY, they were like "We are on Spring Break! Are you?" I was thinking in my head "Yeah, like 7 yrs ago?" We had a great time all in all, remember to give Mansion@Miami if you are into the clubbing scene.

Miami Heats vs New Orleans Hornets

2009-04-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

Our 1st NBA game at Miami, the atmopshere was electrifying! Basketball is such a thrilling game hah our game ended in a draw and it went into overtime with the Hornets winning. It was awesome, basically I got hooked. In fact we just came back from 1st playoff (3rd match) between New Orleans Hornets vs Denver Nuggets, that is a story for another day~

Meanwhile I saw Miami Heat's gnome and it reminded me of Jo!

Welcome to Miami~

2009-04-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

Finally! The most famous beach in USA -South Beach of Miami

I love the street scene much more than the beach, there is 1 whole row of cafes facing the ocean, people-watching, just chilling out. Awwww what a life!

Japanese feast in Miami

2009-04-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hiro's Yakko San

17040-46 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, FL 33160

Tel 305.947.0064 Sun-Thu 6pm-2am, Fri-Sat 6pm-3am

The single one food item which made my trip worth it~ it cost 1 USD for 1 takoyaki whosh but it taste so good after so long although not as puffy as those sold by the small Tako-Pachi stalls found near many foodcourts back at home. Do not be put off by the little sign they hang out "Japanese Tapas", without a doubt, the is one of the best meal throughout the trip. Kinda of too excited and greedy, we only took picture of the appeitizers and ate the main courses in record time before we could say "snap".

Nascar

2009-04-15T15:54:00.001-07:00

Ignorant me, always thought racing tracks are as flat as it can be. It is an amazing 30 degrees slant, whooosh~

I love their wings, they are famous for their burgers it seem but I ordered a sandwich because I know I can never finish a whole burger by myself. I thought I am the biggest wing fanatic, it turned out ZW is even a bigger wings-lover than me.
Daytona Brickyard
747 International Speedway BlvdDaytona Beach, Florida 32114
(386) 253-2270

Daytona 500 Experience
Highly recommended for car enthusiasts.

Daytona Beach

2009-04-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

My picture did not do any justice to Daytona Beach, it was already evening time when we reached and hencewise the lack of beach-goers on the beach. We went around the busy Ocean Walked on foot and found a little excellent cafe- Hog Heaven for BBQ porkribs and buffalo wings. I definitely prefer their wings to their pulled pork.

Hog Heaven

37 N Atlantic AveDaytona Beach, FL 32118
(386) 257-1212

To the South it is!

2009-04-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Back from a 1 week roadtrip, this is a picture taken at Key Largo's John Pennekamp State Park where we went snorkelling. The water visibility is the best I have ever been, but the corals are maybe 1 or 2 inch below surface so it was not possible to hover above the reefs which I was accustomed to. Instead it was more like watching national geographic underwater, we were viewing from the peripheral of the reefs. Nonetheless, great waters and beautiful reefs, saw 5 barracudas which scared the hell out of ZW who came really close to one, they swam really slowly though. We also saw a shark when we board the boat, only caught a glimpse of its dorsal and caudal fins but enough to get me all excited. The boys were saying "it is only the fins" but I was telling them "how often we get to see a shark in the wild even if we can only see the fins haha we only get to see shark's fin on the banquet table."
Key Largo is the most southern town we accomplished in this roadtrip, it takes another 2.5 hrs to reach Key West, the southernmost point in the continental USA.

Barracuda
http://www.divemagazine.co.uk/news/images/Barracuda2006SRogerson1.jpg

Sour Cream Coffeecake

2009-03-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

This cake is really moist, I never failed to be amazed by the wonders of sour cream. I did this cake in a 9 x 5 loaf pan as the 10 inch pan does not fit my little toaster oven. Ina's orginal recipe does include a glaze but I felt the cake was already sweet and delicious as it is hence I skipped the glaze. Enjoy with a cup of coffee~

Sour Cream Coffee Cake, adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties!
For the cake:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.
Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife.
Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate.

Feast at Aunty's house again!

2009-03-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

This time round, I contributed 3 dishes, curry chicken, sticky gooey cake and tapioca cake~

Sooo glad the tapioca cake turned out well for my first attempt, phew! As usual, the recipe is from Lily's blog.

The start of BBQ season~

2009-03-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the start of Spring with a BBQ at Jennifer's apartment with a whole bunch of other friends. All in all, awesome food and company, and many more BBQs to come as the weather is turning warm in this sunshine state.

Finally something is growing out of the flowerpot~~

2009-03-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yeah, finally I have fresh spring onions. Lets not talk about my failed attempt.

Mc Guire's Irish Pub of Destin

2009-03-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

It is St Patrick Day at Mcguire, notice the little green cherry on top of my straw?

Anyhow by a stroke of luck, my hubby was not scheduled to work on Monday, Yesh! We drove down to Destin to meet Kenny's friends, spent the whole day shopping again. 2 consecutive days at 2 outlet malls is very very tiring! Then we wrapped up the day with dinner at Mcguire, 1 of must "try" in Mcguire is the toilet and read the sign carefully before you enter ;) The other must-try is the BBQ ribs, it is so tender and juicy, yum!

TGIF finally...

2009-03-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

We finally managed to try TGIF, the group is getting big! I had the gourmet 5 cheese and mac which we did not like but Kenny's pepper-crusted porkchop was quite tender and well seasoned.
TGIF
1029 Airport Blvd Pensacola, FL
Meanwhile the 2 newest boys on the right, WK and WL. Welcome to Pensacola~

The lost, the blind, the drunk~

2009-03-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

It was a great Sat with Kenny's friends visiting us from Alabama, we bought them to House of throwed rolls and Tanger Outlet for shopping. I cooked some simple dishes for dinner and let the drinking begins~ Kenny drunk so much, he lapsed into a coma on the car, we were supposed to bring them to Krispy Kreme, I spent a good 20 mins lost while I tried to wake Kenny up. ARGH~ Anyhow we got there and got lost on our way back AGAIN. Luckily Alex who is conscious but he is abit blind in the darkness haha but he got us home finally! I hope to meet everyone again really soon!

Fishouse madness on Wednesday for ladies

2009-03-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Rosa, Jenn, Moi, Melissa
Not exactly new friends but I am unsure when I started hanging out with these gorgeous and fun ladies~ there is always good food and alot of dancing when they are around~
It was madness at Fish House's deck on Wed's nights where drinks are $2 for ladies only. It was so packed, kinda remind me Zouk on a Wed's Mambo night as well. Although it had been almost 3 yrs since I last stepped into Zouk on a Mambo night, wondering if they are still doing mambo on Wed nights ha~my rambling. Anyhow I never know any place/club could be so crowded in Pensacola on a weekday night.

Meanwhile 2 new boys had arrived, 1 poor fellow lost his luggage, hopefully they can retrieve it soon, I guess he is feeling very insecure without his clothes, his everything basically. He arrived in Pensacola with a yoga mat, first question I asked was "Are you a yoga guru and must do yoga everynight?" There is no other reason anyone would want to carry his yoga mat on board~ Little Singapore community is growing fast!

Gulf Coast Renaissance Fair

2009-03-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

Gulf Coast Renaissance Fair

It was more like a "rojak" fair than a specifc era, it was a pretty small scale fair, nothing really fancy. Its more like a catch-up with Jenn meeting ;)

I still have time to make some buns for my hubby's lunch for this coming week, save me the effort of cooking the night before.

Healthy banana muffins

2009-03-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

Steamed banana muffins
Another healthy recipe from Lily's blog. To my surprise, Kenny ate most of it, he liked the chewy texture as opposed to the ones which require butter (which I like). He said these tasted like "huat kueh".

Fried carrot/daikon cake~

2009-03-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Recently, I have been on a daikon craze, first I tried Mandy's golden crisp daikon cake, I didnt have time to arrange the cakes to get a decent shot as I was rushing for the potluck.

Next, I tried to fry the daikon cake following Lily's method. The only thing I left out is Kan Sui which I cant find in my town and increased my steaming time to 90 mins. Actually I am not sure when to stop the steaming process so I just played by ear and hoped for the best. Anyhow, we loved it, almost tasted like what we had in hawker center (almost is the key word here). My darling hubby preferred the white fried carrot cake, I supposed I will give that a try.

I hate Farewell

2009-02-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

Last week, Y had invited us over for Kyla's birthday as well as sorta their farewell party.
I am going to miss them tons! I always pop by her house which is 2 streets away, she is always so happy-go-lucky and so are her 2 adorable daughters.

Yet, another friend gone, oh well, she is only 6 hours drive away, hopefully if Kenny is free, we can pop over to say Hi~

Week of potlucks

2009-02-25T17:58:00.001-08:00

First I had potluck with my wonderful Japanese friends, I always enjoyed a tea session with them whenever and wherever. I cooked curry chicken and fried daikon cake while we had fried rice and very yummy pork ball soup (some kind of Japanese stew) from the other ladies.

I also had an international potluck with a new friend from Spain and an American-mexican, both very friendly and awesome ladies to hang out with. We had potato-egg omelette, which I learnt is a common dish in Spain, it is very fluffy! R cooked beef stew which she must had simmer for hours because the beef is sooo tender. I cooked fried bee hoon, I was racking my brain for what to cook actually but I guess the idea is to let them try our daily dishes, if they didnt like it, at least they tried it. ;) I hoped they enjoyed it. Note the handsome fellow in the picture with his dog, he is so adorable and cheeky. Hah.

A wonderful dinner with new found friends

2009-02-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

2 weeks ago while TY and I were at the asian mart, we bumped into a couple who were looking at us, wondering where we were from, we speak Chinese, English and Malay! Hah we didnt even realise we were speaking in all 3 languages! The Tan family had invited us to their house last night for a feast! Happy we were!! There was pisang goreng (I think I ate 10 of them, yum), asam prawns, lo ba and eggs, and sambal kangkong. A special treat -durian ice cream for the boys and mango ice cream for me woohooo. It is indeed a meal made with love! Our compliments and appreciation goes to Aunty! I hope to learn cooking from Aunty haha I must go visit her more often ;) We also made many new friends from Indonesia, the first group of SE Asians we had met in Pensacola actually. Isnt it awesome! Their house is fully furnished, with most of the game consoles, the boys were fighting over the guitar hero, they also have a pool table, 2 huge flat screens...you name it, they have it!

Mardi Gras @ New Orleans

2009-02-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia has deemed Mardi Gras in New Orleans as one of the most important carnival celebration in the world. The parades in New Orleans are organized by Carnival krewes. Krewe float riders toss throws to the crowds; the most common throws are strings, usually made of plastic colorful beads, doubloons (aluminium or wooden dollar-sized coins usually impressed with a krewe logo), decorated plastic throw cups, and small inexpensive toys (I got a giraffe soft toy!!).
Commercial videotapes catering to voyeurs had helped to encourage a tradition of baring breasts in exchange for beads and trinkets. While standards of what is considered "indecent exposure" might be relaxed during Mardi Gras, and women showing their breasts is documented since 1889, when the Times-Democrat decried the “degree of immodesty exhibited by nearly all female masqueraders seen on the streets,” the practice was mostly limited to tourists in the upper Bourbon Street area.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Mardi_Gras

We also visited Acme Oyster House after watching Man vs Food in which he has to eat 180 oysters in 1 hour. No, none of us have the guts to do that! But we did enjoy their food very much! The raw oysters were fresh and succulent, the char-grilled oysters were drizzled with cheese, their cajun food were also the best we had eaten so far!
We managed to catch 2 parades and spent the night partying in Bourbon street! A crazy weekend~
There will be more entries following, next week is Pensacola's Mardi Gras Parade. Cant wait!

NYC's skyline~

2009-02-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

Some of my most beautiful pics of NYC's skyline

From the Top of the Rocks (Rockefellar Plaza)

The view of Manhattan from Brooklyn

I am still updating on my NYC's holiday trip. Amazing!

The CNY is officially over...

2009-02-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

3 new boys had just joined us and guess what they brought from Singapore?

Yeah!! 2 Yee Sang sets, we made a huge yee sang with 1 lb of fresh tuna from Joe Pattie to celebrate the 15th day of CNY.

It is also JS's birthday, I ran out of muffin cups hence I made the carrot cake in a tin, phew I am glad it turned out great.

Wishing all a happy and healthy Ox Year from all of us!

Absolutely our favourite- Babbo Ristorante

2009-02-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

Also situated in Greenwich Village, I present to you our fave restaurant of the whole trip-Babbo Ristorante. It is opened by Mario Batali who is my favourite American Iron Chef. If there is one TV channel I will suffer withdrawal symptoms from not watching when I go home, it is Food Network.

Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage

Linguine with Clams, Pancetta and Hot Chiles

Cheese for dessert, I probably had eaten more cheese in my 6 months in America than my last 2 years back in Singapore.

We had Q for 1 hrs 30 mins to get a table at Babbo to celebrate our anniversary. Their policy do not allow you to wait elsewhere, you have to be physically in the restaurant to be on the waiting list. My advice is to make a phone reservation, they open their reservation 30 days before your desired date.

We casually mentioned it was our anniversary that very day, look how sweet the staff are!

Babbo Ristorante
110 Waverly Place

+1 212 777 0303

I love Greenwich~

2009-02-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

We were staying in Greenwich Village, admist the historic residential buildings. It is very quaint, loved it! Especially the location, we are a stop from Chinatown, a few stops from downtown and most importantly we are steps away from many wonderful restaurants!

One of my favourite- Cafe Bruxelles 111 Greenwich Ave New York, NY 10014

I am so carving for their pommes frites (fries) and mussels! I loved their friendly staff as well, only complaint from Kenny was that their beer was pricey.

Some random shots...

2009-01-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

Some random shots around the bustling streets around Times Square and theatre district. It is so full of life, noise and buzz (and tourists).

We caught Chicago which was awesome, it was beyond words. We decided to buy the tickets straight from the theatre instead of TKTS booth (the line was at least a solid 3 hours in the blistering cold), we Q for 1 hour before the theatre's box-office open, our orchestra tickets only cost us $31.50 for each person. Duper worthwhile!

2009-01-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

A trip to NYC would be incomplete without a visit to the famous Magnolia Bakery! What's more we are staying in Greenwich Village in which the first Magnolia Bakery started its operation. But it is also the only 1 out of the 3 stores which has a half-hour line. I am a tad disappointed by the cupcakes but the banana pudding is to die-for! Kenny loved their cherries jamboree which is not-too-sweet, yummy. Just don't step out without trying their banana pudding!

Makan spree in NYC

2009-01-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

These are some of the eating places which we visited and really enjoyed both the food and service.
SuraNYC
105 East 9th street N.Y., NY 10003(between 3rd and 4th ave)

A Michellin Guide Recommended HK style noodle restaurant in Manhattan
New York Noodle Town
28 BoweryNew York, NY 10002

Wooo, I love roasted duck! It is so hard to find duck on the menu over here.

Happy Ox Yr!

2009-01-25T19:01:00.001-08:00

Haha just being silly, we decided to make the effort to wear red for the reunion dinner!

The "yee sang" set which Kong brought back from Singapore had really made our CNY, we bought tuna and lobster to go with it, so yummy! Compliments to sous chef Tan who shredded the raddish and carrot with love and care.

What is CNY without the shouting and groaning over money? *grinz* Check out the pot of USD while playing in-between, no you are not looking at the winner, I think the Khoo family had contributed quite abit to the pool.

Happy Ox Yr to all, we wish all good health and all good things!

From Sunshine Florida to Freezing NYC

2009-01-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

Technically we flew into Newburgh and drove to Kingston because we planned on going skiiiiii-ing. Lousy me, fell sick like the moment we stepped out in the cold, maybe the temperature difference had got to me. Darn, my nose was so painful, I cant breathe hah so there goes the roll-around-the-snow plan.

The good thing that came out of it is SHOPPING!! We went to the Woodbury Outlet Mall which is huge, we spent 8 hours there and we didnt even go into every shop. There was a line outside every other shop but Coach's line has to beat everyone's elses. ~woohoo~ I love THAT outlet mall, got to be the best one I had been to!

Sweet Home Farm

2009-01-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

A 30 mins drive from our house brings us to Sweet Home Farm, a family-run dairy which sell fresh cheese at a very affordable price. They do not use herbicides, pesticides or growth hormones on the farm. Look out for the road-signs or you will easily miss the small hut under the big tree.
Sweet Home Farm
27107 Schoen Road , Elberta, AL 36530
(251) 986-5663
On-farm sales only. Hours 10 am - 5 pm Friday and Saturday

We bought quite a variety of cheeses, not knowing what to do with them after we are sick of eating the cheese with crackers. I tried making my 1st lasagna, I didnt follow any particular recipe, just threw canned tomato sauce on top of the no-boil lasagna noodles, followed by sausages, cheese and more sauce.

Pineapple tarts for CNY

2009-01-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

I still remember Kenny had to depart for USA on the first day of CNY last year, what luck!
Oh well, this year we are in US and we don't need to give ang bao (yeah!). Kenny knows my all-time fave CNY goodie is PINEAPPLE TARTS! Actually I think most of my friends also know that, especially the MTM gals, the rate I gobbled up pineapple tarts (and mooncakes) never fail to amaze them.

So this entry is dedicated to Kenny's first pineapple tarts' experience.
The pineapples are expensive, USD 2.50 for 1 medium size pineapple. Maybe I should had bought canned ones. The juice was so sweet and delicious, hand squeezed! This picture was taken when he first started, still smiley and energetic.

The dried pulp we got from 2 pineapples, time to start cooking. He cooked it on low heat for around 1-1.5 hrs, we were playing mahjong while he was cooking so we did not track the time.

Rolling the pineapple balls

Ta daaaaa
fresh pineapple tarts... hopefully I can resist them till Ox year arrives.

Disney Adventure IV: MGM Studios

2009-01-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

It is like walking into Hollywood, with Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd featuring old cinemas decor and little gift-shops.
Top fave would be definitely the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, there are many details to this ride which made it a truly scary ride. You are brought to different levels of the hotel in the hotel "elevator" to meet the ghosts, to get into the horror story and lastly the 13-storey fall into the twilight zone. Awesome!

There are many good shows- I love the Beauty and the Beast musical, ado not miss the Muppet Vision-3D. The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show is also another must-see, special designed stunt cars, motorcyles and jet skis and their industry secrets as to how stunts are performed etc.

The perfect way to end the adventure would be the Fantasmic, the daily evening nightshow which promise to capture your attention with its fountain, fireworks, laser lights and of course Mickey and his friends.

Lastly it is time to bid farewell to Mickey and friends on the Disney Magical Express, a complimentary airport shuttle for all Disney Resort guests. Arhhh a truly magical Disney adventure!

Disney adventure part III: Epcot

2009-01-13T16:49:00.000-08:00

We stayed at the cheapest Disney Value Resort- Pop Century Resort, the room is clean and spacious, there is no complaint from us at all.

I had friends who asked me about the difference between staying in Disney Resorts and outside resorts which are relatively cheaper. The important difference is Disney Resort guests are able to enjoy "Magic Hours" at all Disney themeparks. Everyday there will be a specific park which either opens 1 hour earlier or closes 3 hours later than the official opening/closing hours. Only Disney Resort's guests who showed their room card will be admitted to the rides, but bear in mind there will be no fast pass available at the magic hours, you will still need to Q for 45 mins to 1 hour. And also all the parks are so big, we are exhausted by the official closing hours, the only themepark which we made use of the magic hours is EPCOT (Every Person Come Out Tired).

Epcot is made up of 2 world, the Future World and World Showcase. World Showcase feature a lagoon in the middle of pavilions which showcase different cultures of 11 countries. I like the different restaurant in each showcase, for exmple,in UK there is fish and chip, we ate at the Biergarten with its own micro-brewery in Germany. The most memorable attraction in Epcot is the IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, it feature fireworks, lasers and water fountain at the lagoon. Kenny's fave ride is the Test Track which model after a real car test drive through braking, climbing and tight turns.

I like Winnie the Pooh

2009-01-12T13:46:00.001-08:00

And so the Disney adventure continues, its on to the Animal Kingdom.
My fave:
1) Festival of the Lion King- a lively and colourful musical
2) Finding Nemo is another must-catch musical
Both musicals need to Q up 1 hour in advance.
3) Expedition Everest- Legend of the Forbidden Mountain - a high speed roller coaster which pass through glaciers, waterfalls and even a dead end on the railtracks. The settings is spectcular, the ride itself is not super-thrilling.
4) Kilimanharo Safaris- best animal viewing ride
5) It's tough to be a bug! - Based on A Bug's Life, there are many special effects in the show bound to impress!

We ate at the Tusker house which features a South African theme buffet which we find pretty good and dinner was at Rainforest Cafe, the decor and atmosphere made a much deeper impression on us than the food for sure.

Happy Bertday to my darling hubby

2009-01-11T13:18:00.001-08:00

My first solo attempt at making Suyin's famous carrot cuppies with cream cheese frosting, another recipe from my world greatest's recipe book. When making the cupcakes, I had the sudden urge to call Suyin (haha, sound like some desperate lover =p), I was like "guess what cake I decided to make?" And she got it right immediately! Woohoo~~ I am glad it turned out great haha the last time we made these was during W's wedding where we had to do 100 small cuppies but that was such a fun experience.

Check out his birthday presents
Tada! Beer, more beer...

To demostrate how small the kitchen is, TY had to create a make-shift stall to deep-fry the nuggets haha it was such a funny sight. Now he know how roadside hawkers sell their food. Many thanks to him who came to help me cut meat, squid, kimchi etc. We had our first kimchi steamboat, it was sooo good especially on a cold day.

Also Happy Birthday to Jo and Cecila, have a great one ladies!

Disney Adventure I: Magical Kingdom

2009-01-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

We took so many pictures, it is hard for me to decide which ones to display hehe
There are photographers everywhere in all theme parks ready to take a picture for you, perfect for honeymoon couples if you ask me haha. Couples always face this issue when they travel but I guess after travelling alone for a few trips, I am contented to take pics with or without anyone inside the pic.
I do love taking picture with the characters, they will make kissing sounds inside their costumes when they hug you. For every character I took picture with, I asked Kenny the same old question " Do you think it is a guy or gal inside?"

There is no 1 favourite park for me, there is something in every park which capture the child inside me. I love love love the parades in Magic Kingdom! There is small performances through out the day, a characters march in the afternoon and do not miss the spectcular performance in the evening. With the castle all lit-up, together with the fireworks, it is a truly magical experience.

Another tip is please make your dining reservation well in advance! We got stuck with eating trashy pizza the whole day because there is no way you can get in any sit-down restaurant without prior reservation.

Inside the iconic Cinderella's castle is a restaurant " Cinderella's Royal Table", they served fixed lunches and dinners with special characters appearance from 60 USD per person, we were standing there pondering whether to spend so much money to eat with the fairy godmothers, finally we decided to, the lady said we had to make a reservation 4-6 months in advanced. Wow.
In fact for all resturants with characters appearance need a good 3 months reservation especially if you are going during peak season.

I think ours was super-peak season, the Q for rides is an average of 1 hour and it is so crowded everywhere. But we had fun =)

Jeff Dunham

2009-01-07T20:13:00.001-08:00

Before we left of our roadtrip to NC, we managed to catch Jeff Dunham live in action and along with his puppets. Kenny love his acts and he is a really talented ventriquolist. Kenny's fave is Achmed, the dead terrorist, mine is Jose, the Jalapeno on a stick.

The stadium is packed, there are many more people who went to watch Jeff than Michael Buble for sure. In fact the crowded chanted along with Bubba J, the whole dialogue word for word. Check out some of his acts on Youtube.
"Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special"!
With Peanut and Jose

1st destination- North Carolina

2009-01-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

By a stroke of luck, we have an extra 1 week of holidays wooohooooo we packed our bag and headed for North Carolina where some of our friends are based in for training.

En route we went to this little malaysian restaurant, authentic malaysian fare at a very affordable price, highly recommended for those residing in Atlanta.

Little Malaysia Restaurant

5150 Buford Hwy NE Ste A110Doraville,

GA 30340-1183Phone: (770) 458-1818

We did not see much of Goldsboro, NC actually it was purely a visiting-friends trip for me. I had so much fun! It felt really good to be catching up with friends, even if it is doing nothing, just yakking non-stop!

From top left, Lionel who is a blur blur darling, and the Quek family who had very kindly hosted us in their house with their daughter Ninghui who loves loves Elmo. She is especially delighted with the latest Elmo-Live who talks and sings haha such fun watching the kids trying to communicate with their toys. Last but not least, Ariel whom I first posted her pics when they visited in July. Time flies seeing how fast these little ones grow.

Most importantly to attend Princess Lizzie's one year old birthday party, the gorgeous girl of Alfie and Shewan and of course the niece of a dear friend ;)

Also, I want to wish Jo, who is departing to Oz tonight to pursue her dream, a safe flight and all the best for the exciting journey ahead! Haha I called her this morning the moment I woke up without realising it is 12 am in Singapore, oops, luckily she is still busy packing!

Although I talked to the girls online via MSN or Skype almost on a daily basis, it felt so much closer hearing their voices, make me realised I really do miss my gfs very much!!

Home from our long awaited "honeymoon"

2009-01-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

North Carolina, Orlando and New York

So many pics to sort, so many stories to tell! Tune in for more, meanwhile I need to do laundry etc etc and my dearest hubby's birthday is fast approaching!

Meanwhile thanks to all who send their warmest wishes for Christmas and New Year. Here's wishing all a blessed and wonderful 2009 ahead!

Special congrats to the popping out of my baby nephew Cheng Yi, precious of ZZ and Kareen!

Melting Pot Fiesta

2008-12-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

A review of Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant.

Special guest appearance - Chi

My original impression of Melting Pot is that they serve cheese fondue and chocolate fondue, it turns out that even the main course is served in a fondue-style (our Singapore steamboat style but in a much smaller pot).

We had a fiesta cheese fondue which was quite nice, cheese with a kick to it with the jalapenos.

The main course did not leave much of an impression on me, we ordered some chicken, shrimp and sausage. As we picked the coq au vin as soup base, all the food pretty much taste of burgundy wine. For picking a soup base other than vegetable oil (means deep frying your main course) and vegetable broth, you have to pay an extra $6.

Lastly we picked the flaming turtle for dessert, that we enjoyed immensely but I kinda miss Hagen Daz's fondue. Hah.

This meal cost an average of 40 USD per pax, pricey we concluded.

We invited Chi, an "old boy of NAS", over for home-made dinner, just simple fare- teriyaki pork pork with mushroom, bak ku teh and stir fried cabbage and asparagus topped with bacon.

The vegetable is the most sinful of all surprising because it is stir fried in the bacon's fat but it is oh so yummy haha my 1st experience cooking with animal fat. Indulgent.

Happy Birthday to Ayumi!

2008-12-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Today is Ayumi's birthday, she is entering the terrible 2 but she is so gorgeous and she can just melt you with her eyes. I did a little page for her (more for her mom actually haha).

Isnt she the sweetest?

A look at Kiana will tell you how yummy the Hello-Kitty cake was.

Is my hubby ready to be a daddy already? Looks like it heh.

I want a girl!

Not too successful char siew pau?

2008-12-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

I found pau mix in my asian mart and hence decided to give char siew pau a go. This is weird because I almost never eat char siew paus back home (because of my dislike of pork). I only eat the tiny ones from Tanjong Rhu's dimsum shop just because it is too yummy to resist.

I got the recipe from Lily, and I have much to improve, on the fillings as well as the dough. My buns turned tough as soon as they cooled to room temperature, Lily said I might have to knead more. Oh well, hopefully it will turn out better the next time. I really need to improve my shaping method too, been looking up on Youtube for help. My buns are just looking like tao sa pau now, round surface, easiest to shape in short.

Shaping a char siew pau

More lemons...

2008-12-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

Rocco Dispirto
Isn't he gorgeous! I have to be honest, it is love at first sight when I first saw him on TV, so much so I have to get his cookbook (yah yah I know...Bimbo with capital B).

Salmon with crunchy broccoli & lemon butter
Recipe is adapted from Real Life Recipes- fast flavor for everyday by Rocco Dispirito

11/2 sticks butter
Juice & zest of 3 lemons
4 8-ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillets
Salt & pepper
5 cups of broccoli florets, washed and drie
3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

1) Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan. When the butter is just melted, remove 2 tbsp and set aside. Coninue to cook the butter untill it turned deep brown in color, swirl often. Continue swiring to blend and make a smooth sauce.
2) Lay the salmon in the sauce. Cover and simmer gently over medium heat untill salmon is just cooked through, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
3) While salmon is poaching, prepare the broccoli.
4) Heat a broiler on high. In a large bowl, toss the broccoli with the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Place broccoli on a foil-covered broiler pan and broil it till golden brown, abt 3-4 mins.
5) Toss the broccoli with the lemon zest and tarragon. arrange on a platter. Spoon about 2/3 of lemon sauce evenly over the vegetables. Lay the salmon on top of broccoli and spoon the remaining sauce over the fish.

A modification to his recipe, I did not broil the broccoli, I put them in microwave for 3 minutes on high. There is a broiler function on the toaster oven but I really doubt as to whether it is working.

Lemony treat

2008-12-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

I got the urge to make a sort of lemon pound cake after seeing Mandy's delicious lemon yogurt cake, I made some more changes to her recipe. I do not have Greek yogurt on hand, I substituted with plain yogurt and sour cream. I do not know how to not make the cake crack on the top. Any help is appreciated! Today is a tiring day, I helped to babysit Ayumi while her mom ran some errands. Boy, the little princess sapped all my energy.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa At Home

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 container of 6oz plain yogurt
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan or the mini loaf pans.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sour cream, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 50 minutes, (if you are using the big loaf pan) about 25-30 minutes (if you are using smaller pans),or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/4 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

TY's Little Garden

2008-12-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

If anyone is wondering what happens to my little plant, don't ask. TY's little garden has been growing very nicely, his side get constant sunlight as compared to our room hidden in the corner. He has a plant whom his mom told him as "Jiu Ceng Ta", after goggling, I found out it is actually Basil. The Italians also grow basil which look distinctly different, I need to read up more about basil which seem to be a very popular ingredient. Check out his spring onion, so pretty isn't it.

Happy monthsary~

2008-11-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

This is actually a picture to remind myself to stop procrastinating! I am supposed to start scrap-booking on my wedding pics but 6 months have passed and nothing is started. OOPs!

For our monthsary, we decided to buy lobster from Joe Pattie, we are abit broke from the Thanksgiving madness, so we shared 1 lobster between 2 of us (haha), 1 whole lobster only costs 6.50. But we kinda of unsure what to do it, we threw it into microwave and just warmed it and ate it. Maybe I should whip up some lemon butter sauce or something? Heh

Our 1st Thanksgiving~~whooohooo aka Shopping Madness

2008-11-29T18:06:00.000-08:00

It was Thanksgiving for most of us with the exception of Ryan. Initially I wanted to try roasting a turkey but all the turkeys are bigger than my toaster oven (haha, why is that hardly surprising).
The itinerary for Thanksgiving is as followed:
4-6pm: Drive down to Destin
6-8pm: Thanksgiving Buffet @ Marina Cafe, Destin
Hang around....chill, rest before shopping
The whole cafe has a nice waterfront view, we got
to try both fried and roasted turkeys. I much prefer the
fried turkey. Hah

10pm: Ralph Lauren outlet store opens
12-3am: Own time own target at Silversands Outlet Mall
I believed Coach has the biggest crowd, literally have to snatch for what you want.
Our boot is fully stocked!

3-5am: NEX opens
Yeah I grabbed my knife set for 19.99. Yippee, going to bring it home (as in Singapore) with me.

The other item I was really drooling upon is the classic white KitchenAid Mixer for 149.99. We did not buy for several reason, firstly there is no tabletop space for the mixer, which means it has to be put on the floor, secondly, we cant use it in Singapore due to voltage difference, we need to buy a transformer which might be very expensive for all we know, thirdly, it will be hell trying to bring it back because of its weight. Oh well, the rational side won.

Oh ya the other big ticket item we bought is a new Sony Vaio so that we can each have our own laptop, for him to play game and for her to bug her friends while they are working. But sadly it seem like the old computer is at its brink of death...why like that!!!! Argh

Ps, I am wearing a scarf sent by Irene all the way from Singapore~*Grin*

Live in the moment

2008-11-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

I am falling back on the Straits Times articles but this article "Live it, don't click it" by Teo Cheng Wee, 23rd Nov 2008 had caught my eye.

"After all, the most powerful camera, I can now say with some certainty, is in your head."

In it, he has questioned about how easy it is for people to "miss" the moment while they are trying to get a good picture (or looking at it through the LCD screen of the camera). I must admit I am VERY guilty of that, especially when it comes to fireworks, most of the time, I am furiously trying to either record it or take pictures while the flames exploded in burst, latest incident being the Blue Angels Homecoming show. Now come to think of it, I almost never replay the numerous videos of fireworks I took.

I should just sit back and enjoy the fireworks with my hubby.

Meanwhile HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all~

Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show

2008-11-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

The Homecoming airhshow is a huge event on base, although I had seen the Blue angels practise before, it is still exciting to see them fly pass.

There were alot static displays, in this picture is a F15, Singapore's newly acquired aircraft and could be what Kenny will be working on next time. Anyway Singapore has 2 types of fighter aircraft, F15 and F16, so either this or that. Either way we hope to come back to US soonish after this stint. Heh.

I wish I could have taken pictures of the aircrafts doing their stunts but my point-and-shoot did not allow that. Check out the pros and their gadgets.

Chocolatey chocolate chips

2008-11-24T20:24:00.000-08:00

The Sweet Melissa Baking Book: Recipes from the Beloved Bakery for Everyone's Favorite Treats

Melissa Murphy

I'm not interested in desserts that involve ten components, exotic ingredients, and structural supports. I want to make everyone's favorite desserts better than they have had them before. Now you can to. (p. XIII)

A new book! This is the first and only recipe I tried and it is as true as she said, just simple ingredients

and steps. Best for a new baker, moi~

I omited the nuts just because I dont have any on hand.

If you follow her method of chilling the dough, the

cookies are really soft in the center and chewy.

Yummy! The boys cant keep their hands off these chocolate chip cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Almonds

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients: 10 tablespoons unsalted butters softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup whole natural almonds, toasted, roughly chopped

8 ounces best quality semi-sweet (58%) chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars and vanilla until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for another minute.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer of low speed, add flour mixture in three batches to the butter mixture, mixing until no flour is visible after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in almonds and chocolate. Refrigerate dough until firm, about 1 hour. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it in half. Roll each half into a log about 12 inches long. Refrigerate logs for 30 minutes (or tightly wrap in plastic and foil and freeze for up to a month).

5. Cut the logs into 1-inch slices and place them 1 1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes or until the centers no longer have a glossy look of raw dough. They should be chewy so don’t overbake. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to three days.

Please refer to her pastry book for more delicious treats!

Ps, my cookies might be much smaller than Melissa as my toaster oven is duper small.

B is for Birthday, B is for BBQ

2008-11-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

We decided to host a mini BBQ for my birthday, essentially made up of the boys, Yukari and family, Akemi and family and Jennifer who had very kindly offer to make me a birthday cake.
A lemon poppyseed cake, oh so yummy, her secret is using pudding mix instead of butter, cant wait to get the recipe.
Master Chef Tan is having fun pretending to be satay-man, Kenny had tried to make satay (which uses peanut butter), he also spent alot effort making seafood skewers, bacon-wrapped-scallops, and many others.

Thanks to all who turned up, had lots of food and laughter.
What more could I want? Till next time~

Pandan or chocolate? Or both~~

2008-11-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

Another of my new favorite food blogger, I have been on a lookout for healthier ingredients for cake baking. I have first tried Pandan Yogurt Cake and like her, I have too much yogurt on hand so I decided to try her chocolate yogurt cake as well. We much prefer pandan yogurt cake. I did it in a loaf pan instead of cup cakes and had used grapeseed oil instead of canola oil. I need to get a smaller loaf pan so my cake will be taller instead of wider! =)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp Pandan extract

1/2 cup canola oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350'F. Place papercups in the muffin pan.

2. In a bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add in salt & sugar. Stir to mix.

3. Add in beaten eggs, yogurt, Pandan extract and oil. Stir until incorporated.

4. Lastly, scoop the batter into each papercups until 3/4 full.

5. Bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack.

Very happy birthday indeed

2008-11-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah finally the weather is cold enough for me to flaunt my coach trenchcoat hah *pardon my vain-ness* We went for lunch at Jackson's Steakhouse just now, it is a seven-time consecutive recipient of Florida Trend magazine’s Golden Spoon Award. Jackson’s Steakhouse is considered one of Florida’s top 25 restaurants and is placed by the Distinguished Restaurants of North America in the top two percent of all fine dining restaurants in the country. http://jacksons.goodgrits.com/

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience but we kinda of prefer Skolepos, maybe it is the ambience and the fact we prefer seafood more.

Taaa daaaaaaaa...my present, haha it was actually bought in July when I was in California with the gals. A Tiffany & Co rosegold heart necklace which I been craving when I was back in Singapore. Looking forward to my mini-BBQ on Sat!

Quote of the day

2008-11-19T12:51:00.000-08:00

"You have ten new messages."
-Hotmail Email Alerts

Thank you very much for all the well wishes for my birthday. I am very touched to receive so many birthday greetings from friends back home. I wish you all good things!
This is the first time time in 5 years I am celebrating my birthday with my darling hubby hohoho~

Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival

2008-11-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival
The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is a juried art show. Each year, more than 600 applications for the festival were received. Each applicant is required to submit three slides of their work and one slide of their display area along with their application. Qualified jurors are shown each artists' slides simultaneously and anonymously, and collectively choose more than 200 artists who will be invited to exhibit their work. Best of Show, Awards of Distinction, Awards of Excellence, Awards of Honor, and Awards of Merit winners from previous festivals are exempt from the jurying process. The artists compete for a total of $25,000 in prize money in categories including ceramics, drawing, fiber/leather, glass, jewelry, mixed media, oil/acrylic, photography, printmaking/graphics, sculpture, watercolor and wood. This family oriented festival is ranked in the top 50 Fine Art Shows in the nation by Sunshine Artist Magazine.
http://www.ggaf.org/artshow/index.html

We met this very interesting photographer, love his work ;)
http://www.bodyscapes.com/

Playground of the South

2008-11-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

Bourbon Street has gained its reputation of the playground of the South, it has numerous bars, pubs, restaurants and novelty shops. Come after sunset to fully experience the hustle and buzz Bourbon Street has to offer!

Pomegranate Fun

2008-11-15T15:09:00.000-08:00

We are indeed very "sua-ku", most of the boys here grew their own pomegranates back in Singapore and here we are never eaten one before. Hence when we saw a truckload of pomegranates at Walmart, we bought one to try, they also provide a "how to cut" brochure with it. It is sweet and juicy, it takes a long time to eat all, I choose to eat one by one while Kenny ate 1 handful at a time. I find it harder to spit out the seeds that way though. I attached a link on how to open a pomegranate and also recipes. Enjoy!

NO NEED FOR A SPIT TAKE
Many of our California Wonderful Pomegranate fans have asked the age old question: Do you eat the seed inside or spit it out after enjoying the juice? Well, the truth of the matter is, it’s a personal choice. But keep in mind that most of the fiber you get from eating pomegranates comes from that little seed. So to keep up with a healthy dose of daily fiber, crunch on!
http://www.pomegranates.org/recipes.html

2008-11-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Previously I posted the scenery we get to admire on our way back to the base whenever we go out in the day. On this particular day, I cant resist whipping out my camera and capture an evening shot. If there is one scenery which I love most in Pensacola, this is it,right on this bridge, regardless day or night. Pardon me for the blur picture, I did ask Kenny to slow down, next time I need to walk across the bridge to get a proper picture. Heh

The French Quarter

2008-11-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

The most famous neighbourhood in New Orleans- the French Quarter. It is a tad touristy with a souvenir shop in every 3 shops you passed by on Decatur Street where Bubba Gump New Orleans is at as well. If you are one who appreciate architecture with ornate cast and wrought-iron balconies, you will need the whole day in French Quarter. Also horse carriages is a big thing, I have to go back and take a ride on the horse carriage.

"The Court of Two Sisters has been ISPR-certified as haunted and many locals tell haunted tales Of the Two Sisters ghosts (Emma and Bertha Camors) watching over them as they enjoy their wonderful meals. The two sisters, Emma and Bertha Camors, born 1858 and 1860 respectively, belonged to a proud and aristocratic Creole family. Marriage, reversals of fortune, widowhood - nothing could separate the sisters. Indeed, as the Picayune was to report, the sisters died within two months of each other in the winter of 1944. United in death as in life, the sisters lie side by side at St. Louis Cemetery #3. And today they say there ghost do the very same and or often sighted sitting together at a table late at night."

Quoted from Haunted History

But we are more interested in the Jazz Brunch (haha)

While walking around the townhouses, do not forget to peek in others' courtyards, you never know what you might get to see~

Ginseng Chix Soup

2008-11-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

We managed to get some fresh ginseng in Houston's Chinatown and hence the bold attempt to cook Sam Gye Tang. All thanks to Lily's simple-follow recipe, it is a success and hence the ginseng was not wasted haha. I been craving for this since Carina and I had it in Korea earlier this year.

Cafe Du Monde

2008-11-11T19:24:00.000-08:00

Beignet (pronounced ben-yay) from Cafe du Monde

According to most guide-books, no trip to New Orleans is complete without some powdered sugar-dusted beignets from this historic cafe. The texture of the beignet reminds me of the hum chim peng sold fresh by the father-daughter at Maxwell market, they also provide a bowl of powdered sugar for their hum chim pengs. Anyhow it is sold in 3, I ate 5 by myself and left only 1 for my darling hubby, you can tell how good it is ha-ha.

It is very packed at all times so be prepared to wait for a table, we choose take-outs and ate it at Jackson Square instead. Love the smell of fresh beignets, the chatters of the people, the music from the baskers around the square, the whole atmosphere is warm and fuzzy~

Cajun Encounters

2008-11-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

We went for the Honey Island Swamp tour with Cajun Encounters, it is one of the highlights of our trip.

Alligator alert~
Summer is the best season for alligators sighting as the water is warm. Apparently alligators like marshmallows, that is according to our guide who kept a big packet on his boat. * Added- It turned out marshmallows resemble egret's eggs henceforth attracts the alligators. Interesting!

Remnants of Katrina, destroyed homes left by people who chose not to come back.

Atchafalaya Basin

2008-11-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

On our way from Lafayette to New Orleans, we passed by this eerily pristine swamp, too irresistible to be just driving by. We decided to do a swamp tour, pontoon boats at McGee's landing take passengers for 1.5 hrs swamp tour. But sadly we got horribly lost and missed the last boat of the day aaarghhhh I hope to have a chance to do it in the future. Anyhow we did a swamp tour in Honey Island Swamp nearer to New Orleans which I will cover next. Have a good week ahead babes~

The birthplace of Tabasco sauce

2008-11-08T15:49:00.000-08:00

Avery Island is the birthplace of the famous Tabasco sauce which is distributed to many parts of the world, and was first invented by Edmund Mcllhenny in the 1800s. Tabasco factory till today remained a family-runned business, the tabasco peppers are grown in many parts of the world but it is only produced and bottled here on Avery Island. Once you stepped out the car, you can smell the pungent aroma of Tabasco. The factory building itself is a real beauty admist the tall surrounding trees.

A 2 mins drive away is the 250 acre Jungle Gardens is well known for its southern Louisiana flora and fauna display. This pristine natural paradise belonged to Edward Avery Mcllhenny who brought back flora from his travels around the world such as bamboo from China and lotus from Egypt. The world largest egret colony begins nesting annually in Feb/March and the offsprings remain until the following winter. Each person admission fee is $6.25, excluding the $1 toll per card into Avery Island. We didnt have enough time to go into the Jungle Gardens, sigh.

Random

2008-11-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

Tadaaa...the girls were commenting about how Kenny look without his moustache *Grinz*

I like to think he look Mario-ish~ this picture was taken in 2005 in Canberra. I hoped we looked pretty much the same...

Fried Bee Hoon

2008-11-06T19:17:00.001-08:00

Fried Beehoon, from my "Made with Love" recipe cookbook.

This is Irene's Mama's fried beehoon, my hubby likes it even though beehoon is his least favourite noodles. It is really easy, thanks Irene (thank your mom for me and tell her I miss her Kueh Pie Ti!!)

Fung's Kitchen, Houston

2008-11-05T10:22:00.000-08:00

XX: It seem to me all you did in Houston is eat and eat?

Me: Yes, thats pretty much IT, Eat and Shop haha

Another good place for Cantonese food and Dim Sum is Fung's Kitchen.

7320 S.W. FWY., Suite 115 Houston, TX 77074

Dinner cost us about USD 40 for 3 dishes, they were really good. Their dim sum didnt really stand out, I prefer Crystal Jade's dim sum or maybe I just missed it too much.

Space Center Houston

2008-11-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

The space center is definite a must-go if you are in Houston. Although I know nuts about space-stuff, I enjoyed myself at the space center. I like the tram tour which takes us through the real working Johnson space center and we get to be seated in the the mission control center where history was made. Also we got to see the astronauts in the international space station via live transmission. Do allow yourself a good 4-5 hours at the space center, we missed 1 attraction because we went to eat dim-sum. Sigh.

2008-11-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Restaurant

7818 Bellaire Blvd

Houston, TX 77036

If you are wondering how 2 of us can finish so much food, it was because we went twice hah because it is as good as it can gets.

It had received rave reviews from citysearch.com as well. http://houston.citysearch.com/profile/46250134/houston_tx/kuala_lumpur_malaysian_restaurant.html

We had pig trotters soup, bak ku teh (herbal, not pepperish kind), kangkung with cuttlefish (my fave is the hawker stall in East Coast Park Lagoon together with the satay beehoon), fried udon and mee siam (KL style). See how happy my greedy hubby is. Finger-licking goodness at a great value!

Blue Dog Cafe

2008-10-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

Blue Dog Cafe

1211 West Pinhook Road

Lafayette, Louisiana 70503

We are pure lucky to chance on this very quaint and delicious restaurant, just a 2 mins walk from our Lafayette inn. I have to admit I am unfamiliar with the Blue Dog artist haha but they serve very yummy cajun cuisine. Be sure to try their seafood wantons, it has pepperjack, parmesan cheese together with seafood as filling. Cheessssy. Yum. I didnt get any pictures of the food, oops, must be too greedy and had eaten it all before I take a shoot. Aw well, but I did take a picture of Kenny's blue dog, his hidden artistic talent haa~~

Panama City Beach

2008-10-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

For the Columbus long weekend, we drove 3 hrs to Panama City Beach for a night stayover. We stayed at Long Beach Resort which is around 70 per night excluding taxes for 1 bedroom apt which is pretty decent except goondu me, didnt read the fine prints! There is a one time cleaning fee of $60 and $25 non-refundable damage waiver fee which covers up to $1500 of property damages. So beware~~ maybe this is to protect themselves from the crazy going-on during springbreak. According to travel channel, Panama is in the top 10 destinations for crazy springbreak non-stop partying. All in all, it is pretty much like Pensacola, with a more pristine beach. A picture of the moon that 1 night we were in Panama.

Brrr...the weather is turning cold

2008-10-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

The weather is turning cold, have to start thinking of more soupy recipes to warm-up our bellies.

Wanton noodles soup, from Steamy Kitchen

Salmon miso udon

Happy Belly~~

2009 National Shrimp Festival

2008-10-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Absolutely shrimp-ing day for us~~ the 2009 National Shrimp Festival on the Gulf Shores of Alabama. We personally prefer blackened seafood as we felt that frying is doing an injustice to the fresh seafood. Having to say that, I still gobbled down 1 big plate of fried calamari. Oops. Other than food, there are plenty of other activities, I was very enticed with the hand-painted ornaments. Time after time, I have seen so many stuff I would love to get to decorate our flat back home but I know my hubby will make a fuss because it is not in line with our chinese contemporary theme hah~maybe I should propose changing the theme?