A Japanese Dinner With A Flip & A Flop

"Can you think of some Japanese dishes?"

My mum asked me out of the blue one day, and I nodded my head and told her that I would come up with something. At that moment, the image of the new cookbook that I just bought from Los Angeles floated into my mind...

Well, it certainly proved to be quite useful. We finally decided on vegetable tempuras, chicken yakitori, beef wraps, salmon tofu balls...etc. Japanese dishes are not that easy to cook, lots of preparation work and everything has to be eaten right after they are cooked, when it turns cold, it is a flop.

Here are the flips and the flops:

Prep-work:

Beef and asparagus wraps

Pork and golden mushroom wraps

Crispy Salmon Tofu Balls

Chicken Yakitori (the sauce was a tad bit too sweet)

Beef and Pork Wraps

Sakura Rock

I luuurve this song!! It's by the Japanese group - Cherry Blossom. Perks me up ANYTIME ANYWHERE!!

Macaroons

Macaroons... Something that I thought of baking for quite awhile but been putting it off as I had no time to age the egg whites. I know... excuses... excuses... Finally, the day has come for me to face the challenge and I was excited to know if I would be lucky to achieve the highly sought after "feets" that all macaroons are supposed to have and without these "feets", it can't live up to its name of being a macaroon.

True enough, it was a challenge, and my first batch of macaroons was destined to fail miserably with no "feets" and a bubbled surface as you can see below... *sigh* but still delicious with the chocolate hazelnut ganache.

The second batch came out with "feets"! Hooray!! But the temperature of the oven was too hot and browned the pretty pink macaroons... Another failure...

The task of achieving the purr..fect little macaroons will never cease...

Halloween @ Magic Mountain of Six Flags

Halloween... last year I spent it at home although I did struggled with the decision of whether to join my friends at Zouk, I was glad I decided to snuggle in bed instead as the 'monsters of the night' whispered in my ears that the place was over-crowded and packed to the brim. This year, I would never have imagined that I would be spending my halloween at an adventure park full of thrilling rides, haunted houses and mazes prepared just for that very night. And it was a eventful day after all, sunny weather in the day as we took the rides and chilly at night as the halloween night starts.

I am not a very big fan of roller coaster rides, but it wouldn't hurt to tag along. And I am ashamed to reveal that I have totally forgotten how to drive... to the extend that I have no idea which pedal was the brake pedal... *embarrassed* Luckily, my driving skill was not needed, we do get to live another day *lol*

Tatsu was my first ride of the day and here is the description of the Tatsu: 3602 feet of blazing track. 62 miles per hour. 263 feet in plunges. Ready to take on Tatsu? Aboard the wings of Tatsu, you'll fly at speeds in excess of 62 mph through deep plunges, huge spirals and sharp dives that send you flying through the Park's mountainous terrain.

To be frank, I was so not ready for Tatsu... I screamed... and screamed....

Fools of the day... =)

Can you survive this?

Nothing beats a great day with great companionship...

Break-Fast... Anyone?

Breakfast is known as the most important meal of the day and I totally agree with that. Why is that so? Breakfast can set the mood that I will be in for the rest of the day, it may sound weird but I can't deny the numerous grumpy mornings due to an unsatisfying breakfast especially if I am having one at a cafe or restaurant. That is why I enjoy making my own, no one knows what I am craving for that very morning better than myself. So why not take some time out and prepare a delicious breakfast which will start your day right!

Chocolate-chip pancakes topped with frozen blueberries

Grilled ham and cheese sandwich coupled with raspberries garden salad

Breakfast... Anyone?

A Home

Taken from the book - have a little faith

From a sermon by the Reb, 1981

"A military chaplain told me the following story:

"A soldier's little girl, whose father was being moved to a distant post, was sitting at the airport among her family's meager belongings.

"The girl was sleepy. She leaned against the packs and duffel bags.

"A lady came by, stopped, and patted her on the head.

"'Poor child,' she said. 'You haven't got a home.'

"The child looked up in surprise.

"'But we do have a home,' she said. 'We just don't have a house to put it in.'"

Everyday, I though of ways to earn more and to buy a bigger place, to get a condominium where there are facilities and such. It never dawn on me that I was lucky, luckier than millions... who have no house to place their homes... for that,  I will cherish my home much more.

Pleasure and Sorrow

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.

Robert Browning Hamilton