Nancylia's Place .. welcome & Have a nice day

It's Autumn ! It's the time for Wild Mushrooms !!

2011-11-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

This year it's really a good time for mushrooms. We found quite a lot of Cèpes (Boletus) in the forest nearby.

Look at that !!! Aren't they gorgeous??

I make a delicious Risotto with this yummy mushroom

My Paintings

2011-07-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Latest Paintings :

This one is for my friend, Caroline in Scotland

For L.K Chong in France

For a friend, Jane

Painting on Wood Panel

My Paintings : For Friends

2011-07-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

I also do some painting for some of my friends.

The cat of my friend, Nancy who lives near Paris

This is Calisto, belonged to my friend, Annelyn

Caramel and Jade, belonged to my friend, Jenny

My Paintings

2011-07-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Besides cooking and photography, I also like painting. Here are some of my latest artwork. Here is the mural painting that I've made for my eldest daughter inside the room.

Moist chocolate cake

2011-07-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Moist Chocolate Cake

Stir Fry french beans with shrimps and curry powder

2011-07-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Stir Fry french beans with shrimps and curry powder

Ingredients :

French beans (around 400gm) add more if you want more (sliced as I did in the photo below)
1 tablespoon curry powder
salt and pepper
100 - 200gm shrimps (shelled but leave the tails intact)
1 shalott
2 cloves garlics
1 cup of water

Preparation :

- Heat a bit of cooking oil inside the frying pan or a wok. Add chopped shalott and garlics. stir until fragrant. Then add the curry powder and beans.
- Add one cup of water and stir until the beans are a bit soft. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once the beans are cooked, add the shrimps.. stir for a few more minutes. It doesn't take long to cook the shrimps. Enjoy with your pasta or rice.

Curry Noodles / Mee Kari

2011-07-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Curry Noodles / Mee Kari

This is a very delicious noodles. If you want it more spicy, add more curry. Here are some photos of different styles / garnitures of my curry noodles.

Ingredients :

-3 tablespoons of curry powder (mix with a glass of water, add more if you want it more spicy)

-a bit of shrimps (take out the shells and the heads but don’t throw away. Put inside the cooking pot, put a bit of water and cook it (enough water to cover the shells). Use the colander to separate the juice from the shells. You will use the bouillon (stock) to make your gravy)

-1 can of coconut milk (you can also use fresh coconut milk)

The Spices

a bit of ginger
3 shalottes
Garlics
1 big onion

a handful of dried shrimps (optional. Soaked to soften)

* note that I don’t give the quantity of the spices here. Put more or less, depending on you

Preparations :

- Put all the spices inside the mixer. Add a bit of water and blend to get the fine paste. Heat a bit of cooking oil in a wok or cooking pot. Add the blended spices. Stir until fragrant.

- Add in shrimp stock, curry powder and coconut milk. Season with salt and a bit of sugar (optional). Add a bit of water, if you want more sauce. Stir once a while until the gravy is cooked.

- Boil the water and blanch the shrimps.

- Prepare the noodles. If you can’t find yellow noodles, just use the spaghetti (the bigger ones).

- In a big bowl or plate, add the cooked noodles or spaghetti. Add the garnitures. (Garnish with anything you like such as omelettes, shrimps, chicken, fish balls, etc.) Then, put the gravy. Enjoy !

The Vegetarian curry noodles. I add mushroom, young corn and spinach

this one is without coconut milk and I add fried sambal (fried anchovies paste) to it

Very spicy curry noodles. I use Red Panang Curry Paste

Fried Salted Mackerel

2011-07-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Fried Salted Mackerel

It's quite salty. You can find this at the asian shop. Sprinkle of a bit of chopped fresh chilies of chili powder on top. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice and enjoy with your warm, white rice or rice porridge.

Bak Kut Teh

2011-07-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Bak Kut Teh

It is a marvelously spiced Pork ribs soup which can be eaten just like that or with white rice.

Serikaya

2011-03-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Bahan-bahan:

2 cawan gula

1/2 cawan air

1 tin santan (400ml)

5 biji kuning telur

2 sudu besar tepung kastad (bancuh dgn sedikit air)

1 helai daun pandan (simpul)
Cara-cara:

· Campur gula & air dlm periuk untuk dijadikan gula hangus.

· Bila gula sudah agak kekuningan, masukkan santan pekat & kacau sebentar hingga gula larut.

· Biarkan betul2 sejuk.

· Bila santan & gula hangus tadi sudah sejuk, masukkan kuning telur, tepung kastad & daun pandan.

· Kacau di atas api yg sederhana hingga mendidih.

· Bila sejuk kaya ini akan pekat dgn sendirinya.

Kuih Serimuka

2011-03-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Bottom Layer

250g Glutinous Rice (soaked about 4 hours or more)

170ml Coconut Milk

¼ tsp Salt
Top Layer

2 eggs

150g sugar

½ cup pandan juice (blend about 2 or 3 pandan leaves (or more if you have more pandans). Cut and blend with ½ cup of water

400ml Coconut Milk (around one big can of coconut milk)

120g All-purpose Flour

3 tbsp Tapioca Flour or you can also use cornflour (Maizena)

¼ tsp salt

Green Colouring (optional – if you don’t have pandan leaves)
Methods:

1. Bottom Layer: Steam glutinous rice with coconut milk and salt for 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Let rest for about 10 minutes.

2. Top Layer: Beat eggs with sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add in pandan juice, coconut milk, salt and green colouring (if you use colouring). Mix well.

3. Sift in flours and whisk untill well combined. Let rest for a few minutes.

4. Press steamed rice onto a bottom of a baking pan.

5. Pour the mixture on the pressed rice and steam over medium heat for 30 minutes.

6. Cool completely before serving. Wet your knife before cutting into slices.

Kuih Chakoi

2011-03-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Kuih Chakoi or YAU CHAR KWE

Ingredients :
400 g flour

1 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon butter (melted). You can also use cooking oil (2 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons dry instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Cooking oil for frying
Preparations:
- In a big bowl, put dry yeast, water and sugar. Mix until yeast dissolved. Then add melted butter or cooking oil, salt, egg yolk and bicarbonate of soda. Stir well.

-Add in flour, bit by bit till dough can be kneaded.

-Knead till smooth and elastic. Dough should be soft. Leave for half an hour, covered with damp cloth or better wrapping the bowl with in a clean plastic bag. Leave aside to rise to double its size for one to 2 hours.

-Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out into a long rectangle, then cut into strips. Place one strip on top of the other and allow to rest for five to 10 minutes.

-Heat the cooking oil in a wok. Press lightly on the two strips of dough with a chopstick. Stretch the strip a little and lower into hot oil. Deep fry, turning constantly until it turns puffy and golden brown.

Galette des Rois

2011-03-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

Ingredients :

- 2 pastry dough (we use pastry dough called pate feuilletées, the one we used to make croissants. You can use the readymade dough)

- 200g ground almond
- 100g sugar

- 1 egg

- 100g butter (take out one hour before using out of refrigerator)

- 2 drops of almond extract (can also use 1 tablespoon of rhum) * this is optional

- 1 egg yolk to brush your dough

- 1 fèvre ! (small object in porcelain to hide inside the tart) * optional
Preparation :
- Put the parchment paper in your baking tray (round one). Put one dough inside and make the small holes all around using your fork.
- In a big bowl, mix ground almond, sugar, egg, butter and almond extract or rhum. Use your fingers or your electric mixer to mix everything.
- Now, for the filing on the dough and spread nicely using the spoon or wooden spatula. Don’t forget your fevre. It’s time to put it there !
- Cover with another dough and stick or trim nicely all around the first dough just now.
- Brush with egg yolk to get the beautiful golden colour. Then, you can draw anything on the dough using the toothpick. Make a small hole in the middle to that the air which is trapped inside could go out and your dough won’t get dry.
- Bake at 180°C for about 40 minutes. I prefer eating it while it’s still warm !
p.s for the galette above, I mix about 5 tablespoons of serikaya with my almond paste (frangipan). I didn’t put almond extract or rhum
If you couldn’t find the ready made dough (pate feuilletée), here’s the recipe:
- 500 g flour

- 250 g butter (leave in room temperature one hour before using)

- 30 cl warm water

- 1 teaspoon salt or sugar (whichever you want)
Preparation :
- Knead the flour with warm water. Put either salt or sugar.
- Once it forms a nice dough, leave rest inside the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Prepare your working surface. Dust it with a bit of flour. Take out the dough from the refrigerator.

- flatten the dough using the rolling pin. Cut the butter and spread on top. Then fold the dough as if you are folding an envelope. Flatten once more to get the rectangle form.

- Fold once more as of u are folding the clothes. Flatten again. Let rest in room temperature for 20 minutes.

- After 20 minutes, fold and roll once again. Now the dough is ready to be used.

- If u have a bit left, wrap nicely with the cling film. Put inside the refrigerator. You can use that for other dessert, quiche, etc.

Acar

2011-03-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Acar

1 cucumber (removed the seeds) and slice into strips

150g white cabbage

2 carrots slice into thin strips
* Cucumber, Cabbage and Carrots – slice thinly or use your mixer to julien those veggies.
Spice :
1 fresh red chilli (or more according to your taste) – slice thinly

2 shalotttes - slice

2 cloves garlic – slice

2 cm fresh turmeric root (kunyit) /1 tbsp turmeric powder
Vinegar mixture :
white vinegar or Japanese rice vinegar

1 tbsp sugar (more if you like it sweeter)

1 tsp salt

200g roasted peanuts, skinned and pounded or use your mixer

5 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
Preparations :
- Heat up about 3-4 tbsp of oil in frying pan and stir-fry the spice until fragrant.

- All the veggies, salt, vinegar and sugar. Check seasoning as you might need to add more sugar or vinegar to it.

- Stir until the veggies are cooked. Add the peanuts and sesame seeds. Leave cool and store in a clean jar and refrigerate. The best is to be eaten the next day, if you can wait.
* Sesame seeds are optional. If you like, just add in. For the veggies, you can also put French beans, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, etc. all according to your taste. For the spice, you can also put fresh, young ginger (slice thinly).

Kuih Bakul

2011-03-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

600 gm sugar

500 ml water

600 gm glutinous rice flour / tepung beras pulut

3 tbsp cooking oil

- Dissolve sugar in a dry pot over low heat till it caramelizes. Do not stir but shake slowly the pot to make sure the sugar melts well & not burning. Add water and shake once again slowly until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool completely.

- Prepare large pot or steamer with water for steaming at high heat. Cover your baking pan with parchment paper.

- In a big bowl, combine glutinous rice flour, 3 tablespoon of cooking oil and the caramel. Mix using a whisk until smooth. If it's too dry or thick, add a bit of water.

- Pour the batter into the baking pan. Cover with aluminium foil before steaming.

- place the baking pan in the steamer when water has boiled. Steam over high heat for 30 to 45 minutes . After half an hour, check your kuih bakul. If it’s already hard, that’s mean it’s done.

- Remove cooked kuih bakul from steamer and let it's cool down completely. I also enjoyed eating it while it’s still warm.

p.s for best result and better taste, use half sugar and half palm sugar

Spiral Karipap / Karipap Pusing

2011-03-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Spiral Currypuff / KARIPAP PUSING

Ingredients:

Normal Dough
300gm wheat flour

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons cooking oil

1/2 cup lukewarm water
-In a big bow, mix flour with salt. Add in cooking oil and mix everything with your fingers. Add water a bit by bit until you got a smooth dough. If you think your dough is a bit hard, at a bit more water.
Butter Dough

150gm wheat Flour

80gm butter

A bit of lukewarm water

Mix flour with butter a bit by bit. Your mixture might look a bit sandy and a bit hard to form a good dough. Some people will add more butter but I don’t do that. If not, the dough will become oily and break easily after frying. That’s why I prefer adding a bit of lukewarm water to form a smooth dough.
It’s better to rest your dough (both) covered with kitchen towel for at least half an hour. You will see the dough will become softer, elastic and easier to work with later.
Filling :
200 gm meat (chicken, beef, pork, sardine, tuna, etc.) anything you like. If you use meat, minced or slice thinly.

I big onion – minced

Garlics - minced

4 big potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1 tablespoon curry powder

A bit of curry leaves (optional)

Salt

Sugar (optional)

Cooking oil
Preparations:
For the Filling:

- Heat a bit of cooking oil in a wok or frying pan. Add in minced garlic, onions and curry leaves. Stir-fry until fragrant.

- Add in minced meat or tuna, potatoes, salt and a bit of sugar.

- Stir well from time to time until potatoes are tender. Leave to cool.
p.s You can also put everything inside the mixer. My kids prefer this ‘paste’ like filling

Preparing the spiral curry puff :

- Divide the normal dough to 4 to 5 small balls. Take one, dust your working surface with a bit of flour. Flatten the dough with rolling pin. Divide as well butter dough to 4 or 5 small balls. Put one inside the normal dough and cover.

- Flatten again and then roll, flatten once more, roll and slice.

- Take one of those slices, flatten thinly with a rolling pin. Don’t flip. This side will be the outer side. Take it and now you can flip and put the filling in the middle. You can use your curry puff cutter to trim the edges. If you don’t have any, use your fingers.

- Heat enough cooking oil to deep fry the curry puffs. If you make a lot, put the rest inside the plastic bag or container and put inside the freezer.

- Once the cooking oil is hot enough, put 4 or 5 curry puffs, turn both sides from time to time, fry until golden brown. Enjoy !!

- p.s you can also add a bit of veggies to the meat if you want.

Bugnes Lyonnais

2011-03-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

· 500 g wheat flour

· 100 g butter (melted)

· 1 cube fresh yeast or you can also use 1 teaspoon baking powder

· 4 eggs

· 1 teasppon either rhum, vanilla, lemon or any flavour that you like

· 1 cup warm water or milk

· 1 pinch of salt

· 100 g sugar

Preparations:

-In a big bowl, put the flour, yeast (if you use fresh yeast, mixed with a bit of water), eggs, salt, melted butter, rhum (or other flavour) and sugar. Mixed well.

- Add 1 cup warm water or warm milk a bit by bit. Dust your hands with flour so that you could knead it easily. Knead well. If it looks a bit dry, add a bit more warm water or milk until your dough looks soft, elastic and smooth.

-Rest your dough, cover with kitchen towel for at least one hour or until the dough rises.

- Prepare your working surface, dust a bit with flour, take a bit of the dough, flatten with your rolling pin. Cut in small rectangles, with knife, make the small incision in the middle. Pull one side of the cut dough passing though that incision.

-In a big wok or frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to deep fry our bugnes. Once the oil is hot enough, deep fry the bugnes for 1 or 2 minutes, turning both sides until golden brown.

-Dust with powder sugar. Enjoy !

Taro / Yam Cake

2011-02-22T04:16:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

660g yam or one big yam

50g dried shrimps, soaked till soft (pound or chopped)

6 chinese mushrooms, soaked till soft (optional.. i substitute this with fresh shrimps - shelled and minced)

Seasoning:

4 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp chopped garlic

2 shallots, sliced

1¼ tsp five-spice powder

1 tsp pepper

1¼ tbsp salt

1 tsp chicken granules

1 tsp sesame oil

Batter:

500g rice flour

100g tapioca flour or you can also use cornflour

1750ml water

Garnishing:

extra 50g dried shrimps (soak & pound.. then fry until crispy)

Fried shallots

Spring onions, chopped

Red chilies, sliced

Method:

- Remove skin of yam, clean and dice (if you buy fresh yam). If you buy frozen yam, what I did to mine is, put inside the cooking pot, add water, enough to cover the yam and boil. Just to precook the yam. Once it's a bit soft, drain the water, slice cut into small cubes.

-Heat a bit of cooking oil in a wok. Fry garlic and shallots fragrant. Add pounded or chopped dried shrimps, minced fresh shrimps and continue to fry until fragrant. Add the rest of the seasoning. Add diced yam and mix well.

-Bring 1000ml of the total water to a boil. Turn off heat and remove from stove. Add rice flour and tapioca or cornflour to the remaining 750ml water to make to a batter. Pour this batter in to the boiled water. Keep stirring. Add fried ingredients and stir well.

-Grease your baking pans. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and steam over rapid boiling water for about 40 minutes or until chopstick inserted into centre of yam cake comes out clean. No need to cover with alluminum paper.

-Remove from steamer. Garnish with fried shallots, chopped spring onion and sliced chili and fried dried shrimps. Slice and eat just like that or with your favourite sauce. Some people prefer eating it when it is completely cold.

Kuih Makmur / Biskut Salji

2011-02-22T04:12:00.000-08:00

Non bake kuih makmur

500g flour (sifted if you want)

250g ghee or around 200g butter (soften)

Icing sugar to mix with flour and also for coating
p.s you can also use milk powder for coating
METHOD:
1. Fry (without oil) flour inside the wok or a bit frying pan over slow fire until it is dry & light. Stir often. Might take you around 10 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.

2. In a big bowl, put the fried flour. Add butter and sugar a bit by bit. The amount of the sugar is depending on your taste. The butter as well. Sometimes you don’t have to use the whole butter. Use your fingers to mix everything. Stop mixing as soon as a dough is formed.

3. Form dough into balls of your preferred size.

4. Coat cookies with icing sugar or milk powder. Store cookies in airtight container.

Mee Jawa

2011-02-22T04:05:00.000-08:00

Mee Jawa. I will put the recipe soon.

Bak Hua / Bak Hua.. Pork Jerky

2011-02-22T03:58:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

500g minced pork, with a bit of fat (well, it makes the bak hua tastes a lot better)
Seasoning:

1 Tbsp Fish Sauce

1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon 5 spices powder

¼ Cup Sugar (you can reduce a bit if you want)

¼ Cup Honey

1 Tsp Red Wine (I use Japanese rice wine)
Method:
-In a big bowl, add the seasoning to the minced meat.
-Stir the mixture with a pair of Chopsticks in one direction, until minced meat becomes like glue. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge overnight or marinate for at least 4 hours.
-Spread the minced meat on a parchment paper. Cover the meat with a big cling wrap or plastic sheet and use a rolling pin to roll the meat to about 2mm thick.
-Remove the plastic sheet and put the entire parchment paper with the minced meat on a baking tray.
-Bake in preheated oven at 125°C for 20 minutes. Take out from the oven. In a small bowl, put 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce and honey. Mix well. Glaze the meat with the pastry brush. Then increase the temperature to 180 deg Celsius and bake for about 15 minutes.
-Remove the baking tray from the oven and cut the meat into pieces.

-Flip the meat over onto a new parchment paper and bake for another 5-10 minutes at 180°C if you decide to continue using your oven. If not, prepare your BBQ and grill it. It will taste a lot better.
5. Cool before storing in air-tight container.

Beautiful France: Disneyland Resort, Paris

2010-09-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from our trip to the famous Disneyland Resort, located in the eastern suburbs of Paris. Operating since 12 April 1992.

I will upload more photos soon. It seems like the connection is real SLOW today!

Alice in Wonderland

Princess Jasmine & Aladdin

The Chipmunks and Pluto

Princess Ariel

The Beauty and The Beast

The Beauty and the Beast.. oops.. her Prince Charming :D

The Sleeping Beauty Castle

Beautiful France: The Castles / Chateau

2010-09-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

France is renowned for its magnificent castles. Medieval castles in France are elaborate demonstrations of architectural grandeur. Found throughout various French provinces, French castles serve as national emblems of heritage, and stand as majestic tourist attractions as well. Here are some photos of the castles in our regions.

The small castle in Lake Annecy

Salvert Castle .. about 15 minutes driving from our house

This castle is a private property

Beautiful France: The Old Farmhouses in our Region

2010-09-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

There are quite a number of the old farmhouse in our regions. These farmhouse are built with the local materials. Foundations are made up of stone, the upper section of the walls and the beams being made of wood. The attic was generally used as a drying place, but many owners convert them into large rooms / bedrooms. The environment around these houses is made of many trees, and many ponds can be found, that were created since earth was taken to create Pisé (rammed earth) walls. Farming and breeding animals was the main activity of the original inhabitants and the architecture was thus adapted to their needs. The roof is gently sloping and has terra cotta tiles. The roof structure is made of wood, it is upheld by the front façade walls. The kitchen is the largest room in this traditional property. Originally it was also the only place to be heated. A well in the garden provides the Rhone Farmhouse with fresh water.

Beautiful France: Perouges, the Medieval Village

2010-09-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

Perouges is a charming medieval town in our region, at barely thirty kilometres from Lyon, is a true occasion for a change of scenery (about 45 minutes driving from our place). The city itself is considered a historical monument and has been kept remarkably preserved since the 14th century.

Welcoming Autumn With JOY !

2010-09-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Fall / Autumn is the most beautiful time of the year. It starts on the 23rd of September. I always bring my digital camera with me every time I go out to capture this beautiful and colourful nature. Enjoy these beautiful colours of autumn ! I will upload more photos !!

Bye for now Summer, Welcome Autumn !

Autumn Sunset

The Chamomilles are still blooming

Beautiful little girl and the colourful leaves

The parade of colours

Photography: Fungi/Wild Mushrooms

2010-09-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

Kuih Ros / Kuih Goyang

2010-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Delicious and crispy. Once you tried, you will ask for more. Really addictive and it's also easy to make. You need a special mould for this (as you can see in the photos below)

Ingredients:

1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
2 large eggs
170 gm sugar
1/2 tsp salt
400 gm rice flour
100 gm either wheat flour or tapioca flour

Vegetables oil for deep frying
Kuih Ros Mould

Preparations :

- In a big bowl, combine coconut milk, eggs & sugar, Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Add in flour, salt and rice flour and mix well. Whisk to obtain a consistent batter without any lumps.
- Heat oil in a wok or a deep fryer. Preheat moulds in the hot oil. (The moulds have to be hot enough for batter to cling on them)
-When the oil is hot enough, dip mould into batter. Make sure batter coats only the bottom and sides of mould. Look at the photo below.

- Place coated mould into the hot oil. Shake slowly to release from moulds. If required, use wooden chopsticks to help releasing. Once that is out of the way, the rest of the kuih will drop off the mould into the hot oil very easily. Place the mould back into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown.
- Repeat until all the batter is finished. Put the fried kuih ros on the kitchen towel to absord the excess oil.
- Leave to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.
p.s you can also add in a bit of poppy or sesame seeds inside the batter.

Beautiful France : Annecy & La Forclaz

2010-09-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Annecy is the capital of the french departement Haute Savoie and lies on beautiful Lac d'Annecy. It is also called Venice of the Alps because it has various canals, lots of bridges and river cafés. The scenery with the canals all over the old town is really unique. Annecy is one of the most beautiful and popular resort towns of the French Alps.

Beautiful France : Ars-sur-Formans

2010-09-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

A small village where you can also visit the Shrine of St. John Vianney. The Sanctuaire de St. Jean-Marie Vianney (Shrine of St. John Vianney) is a Catholic shrine in Ars, a small city northwest of Lyon, France. St. Jean-Marie Vianney (1786-1859) is a Catholic saint who was parish priest (curé) of Ars. He is better known as St. John Vianney in English. St. John Vianney died on August 4, 1859. In 1874, Pope Pius IX declared him Venerable, and he was canonized a saint by Pius XI in 1925. The feast day of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, is celebrated each year on August 4.

Beautiful France - The old Village of Cremieu & La Balme Cave

2010-09-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

I've been living in France almost 11 years now. France is really a beautiful country. I really admire the beauty of the landscapes, their architectures, gastronomy, etc. Therefore, I would like to share some of the photos of the beautiful France here.

These are the photos of the old village called Cremieu and also the La Balme Cave, about one hour driving from my place.

Photography: Fungi/Wild Mushrooms

2010-09-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Some more photos of the wild fungi / mushrooms in the woods nearby. It's the beginning of autumn here, so, there are more and more mushrooms are growing. Also thanks to the sun and the rain.

Rice with cheese and ham

2010-09-24T02:48:00.000-07:00

We eat rice almost every day at home. All kind of rice as long as it's rice :D we have no preference. I found a packet of glutonious rice and decided to do make something with it. Glutinous rice is also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous in the sense of being glue-like or sticky and not in the sense of containing gluten. It is also great for dessert.

Recipe of Sticky Rice with Cheese and Ham

2 cups of Glutonious Rice or any other sticky rice
3 cups of water
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon curcuma powder (optional)
few slices of ham
parsley or chives (chopped)
grated cheese (cheddar, comté, emmental, etc)

Preparations :

- Wash the rice and add 3 cups of water, a pinch of salt and the curcuma powder. Cook either with the rice cooker or inside a cooking pot.
- Once the rice is cooked, let it cool a bit.
- in a big bowl, put the cooked rice, ham, chopped parsley or chives, cheese and mix well. Taste.
- make a small ball, flatten a bit and put on a greased, baking pan. sprinkle a bit of cheese on top and bake for 10 - 15 minutes inside the oven at 180°C.
- serve while they are still warm. Enjoy !

p.s instead of ham, you can also use other cooked meat. Cut into thin stripes or cubes.

Beehive / Honeycomb Bread

2010-09-24T01:15:00.000-07:00

This cake is also known as Kek Sarang Lebah. The texture, with the small holes look like a beehive.

Here's the recipe :

Ingredients :

2 tablespoons butter

4 eggs

250 gm (1 can) of condensed milk

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 cup sugar & 1 cup of warm water

Preparations :

1) In a medium cooking pot, add the sugar. Heat under slow flame. shake the cooking pot once a while so that the sugar melts thoroughly. You can smell the burnt sugar but don't panic. Once the sugar melts and looks dark, add 1 cup of warm water. Careful when you pour the water. Heat a few more minutes until the hard caramel melts. Switch off the fire and add in 2 tablespoon of butter. Mix well. Let cool completely.

2) In a big bowl, beat the eggs with 1 can (250gm) of condensed milk.

3) Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well.

5) Pour the black sugar syrup and beat again.

6) Cover the bowl with the alluminium paper and let rest for at least 1 hour (outside the refrigerator) before baking of steaming.

7) Grease your baking pan with a bit of butter. Bake at 180°C or 200°C for 45 minutes or check with the toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's cook. If you use the steamer, make sure you cover the baking pan with the alluminium paper. Steam for about 1 hour or use the toothpick to check it out.

Herbs and Spices

2010-09-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

Bay Leaves

Bay leaves refer to the aromatic leaf of the Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae). Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance. The leaves are often used to flavor soups, stews, braises and pâtés. They were once used to keep moths away, owing to the leaf's lauric acid content that gives it insecticidal properties. Bay leaves have many properties that make them useful for treating high blood sugar, migraine headaches, bacterial and fungal infections, and gastric ulcers. Bay Oil, or Oil of Bays (Oleum Lauri) is used in liniments for bruising and sprains. Bay leaf has been used as an herbal remedy for headaches. It contains compounds called parthenolides, which have proven useful in the treatment of migraines. Bay leaf has also been shown to help the body process insulin more efficiently, which leads to lower blood sugar levels. It has also been used to reduce the effects of stomach ulcers. Bay Leaf contains eugenol, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Bay leaf is also an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, and has also been used to treat rheumatism, amenorrhea, and colic. (Source: Wikipedia)

Rosemary

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which also includes many other herbs. The fresh and dried leaves are used frequently in traditional Mediterranean cuisine; they have a bitter, astringent taste and are highly aromatic, which complements a wide variety of foods. A tisane can also be made from them. When burned they give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning which can be used to flavor foods while barbecuing. Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6. Recent research is now revealing even more benefits attached to this remarkable herb, including its ability to help prevent cancer and age-related skin damage, boost the functioning of the liver and act as a mild diuretic to help reduce swelling.

Sage

Sage is a silvery-green plant with leaves that offer a memorable fragrant. The most common variety of sage was first found growing in regions around the Mediterranean but now grows in regions of North America as well. The leaves of the sage herb serve both medicinal and culinary purposes. It has been used in connection with sprains, swelling, ulcers, and bleeding. As a tea, sage has been administered for sore throats and coughs. Herbalists have also used this herb for rheumatism, menstrual bleeding, strengthening the nervous system, improving memory, and sharpening the senses. Even today, in many European countries sage is used medicinally as a gargle for sore throat and inflammation of the mouth and gums. Clinical studies also indicate that the substance found in sage oil may also offer antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral effects, explaining much of its medicinal activity.In Germany, sage herb is commonly used for upset stomach and excessive sweating. In England, sage is used for some symptoms of menopause.

Stevia is a genus of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America. The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Medical research has also shown possible benefits of stevia in treating obesity and high blood pressure. Because stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets. A concentrated form of stevia acts as a soothing and healing tonic for stomach disorders, like gas or acidity. Stevia has also shown its magical healing quality pertaining to various skin problems like acne, seborrhea, dermatitis, and eczema. A concentrated form of the herb can also be used as a natural cosmetic. The solution is beneficial when applied to the face, leaving it soft and glowing. It can be used to smoothen out wrinkles. In comparison to other medicines, stevia concentrate has been more successful in yielding positive and rapid results, in cases of lip sores, cuts or scratches, and blemishes. Herbal soaps and shampoos containing the stevia concentrate are beneficial, in treating dandruff and scalp problems, when used daily. And what are the aftereffects? Lustrous and healthy hair!

Onion

Onions have a variety of medicinal effects. Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, and asthma, and to repel insects. In Chinese medicine, onions have been used to treat angina, coughs, bacterial infections, and breathing problems. Onions are a very rich source of fructo-oligosaccharides. These oligomers stimulate the growth of healthy bifidobacteria and suppress the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in the colon. In addition, they can reduce the risk of tumors developing in the colon. Onions contain a number of sulfides similar to those found in garlic which may lower blood lipids and blood pressure. Studies in Greece have shown a high consumption of onions, garlic and other allium herbs to be protective against stomach cancer.

Photography: Waterlily Series

2010-09-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Photography: Fungi / Wild Mushrooms

2010-09-19T00:27:00.000-07:00

Photography: Fungi / Wild Mushrooms

2010-09-19T00:25:00.000-07:00

Photography: Fungi / Mushrooms

2010-09-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

Coloured Mushrooms

Photography: Fungi / Wild Mushrooms

2010-09-19T00:06:00.000-07:00

Photography : Fungi / Wild Mushrooms

2010-09-18T23:55:00.000-07:00

Nutella Cake

2010-09-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

Got the idea of making a nutella cake after I found a bottle of nutella inside kitchen cabinets. It's really a delicious cake.

Ingredients :

1 cup flour

1/2 cup of cooking oil (such as canola, corn, etc)

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

a pinch of salt (optional)

3 tablespoons of cacao powder

3-4 tablespoons of fresh milk

Preparations :

- In a big bowl, combine eggs, cooking oil and sugar. Beat well until creamy.

- Add in flour, baking powder and cacao powder. Mix well.

- put a pinch of salt and beat again. If the mixture is a bit thicker, add a 3 - 4 tablespoons of fresh milk.

- grease the baking pan or you use the parchment paper.

- Pour the mixture inside and bake at 180°C. Check with a toothpick to see if it's done. Take out from the oven and leave cool.

Assembling and Decorating the Cake :

1 bottle of nutella (you only need a bit)

2 tablespoons of cacao powder

2 cups of heavy cream

grind roasted hazelnuts (optional)

- Slice the cake. I only slice in half.

- in a bowl, beat the heavy cream until thick. Add 2 tablespoons of cacao powder. Mix well.

- spread the nutella on the first layer. Then spread the beaten heavy cream and sprinkle and handful of roasted hazelnut. Put back the other layer.

- use the rest of the cream to decorate your cake. Once it's finished, dust the cake with cacao powder and chill inside the refrigerator before serving.

Our Pet

2010-09-17T05:01:00.000-07:00

More photos of Tsubaka.

Floral Photography : After the rain

2010-09-17T04:56:00.000-07:00

Photography : Flowers and Insects

2010-09-17T04:50:00.000-07:00

Photography : Some More Flowers

2010-09-17T04:46:00.000-07:00

The Nems (Deep Fried Spring Rolls)

2010-09-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

One of our favourites at home. Always make this during our family gathering, baptism, etc. Kids like this very much too. To make this, you need the rice papers (you can get that from the asian stores). It comes in different sizes and quantities. It can also be found in the supermarkets.

Ingredients :

1 kilo minced pork

1/2 kilo minced shrimps (clean and shelled)

1 package spring roll or rice paper wrappers

1 small packet of vermicelli rice. (Sold individually or in packages. You just need one)

1/2 cup Tree/Wood Ear Fungus/Mushroom, soaked and sliced thinly (optional)

1 large onion, minced

1 or 2 carrots, peeled and grated

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp salt, adjust to taste

1/2 tsp black or white pepper

2 tsp nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce) - optional. You can replaced this with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Preparations :

- The mushrooms and vermicelli rice need to be rehydrated. Soak in warm water for about 15 minutes. You can also use boiling water. Squeeze vermicelli and mushrooms dry and allow to drain.

- Cut vermicelli rice with scissors.

- Cut off mushroom stems and slice thinly.

- In a big bowl, put the minced pork, shrimps, 1 beaten egg, vermicelli rice, mushrooms, minced onion and carrot. Mix well. Don't be scared to your use fingers :D

- Season with salt,soy sauce or nuoc nem and pepper.

Folding & Fillings :

- Put enough warm water into a big salad bowl. Prepare as well a clean, dry, kitchen towel.

-wet the rice paper (2 at a time) in a bowl. Allow a few seconds for it to get pliable.

- take out from the bowl and the the same time, put another one inside.

- put carefully on the dry kitchen towel. Gently pat it dry with kichen towel.

- Put 1 teaspoons of the filling in the center of wrapper, diagonally. Fold the two sides on the diagonal over the filling. Do the rest until it's finished.

- In a big wok, put enough cooking oil for deep frying. Make sure it's really hot before you put 6 to 7 pieces of nems at a time (Work in batches).

- Deep fry the spring rolls a bit brown and crispy. Flip half way through. Remove and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Should have served it when they are still warm. Eat with salads and fresh mints (if you want) and dip inside the dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce :

- 1 carrot - cut half (peel and grated)

- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

- 2 lemons (sqeeze for the juice)

- sugar and salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder

- 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Preparations :

- in a small cooking pot, pour in 2 cups of water.

- add in grated carrot and sesame seeds.

- once it's start boiling, add the lemon juice, a bit of salt, sugar, ginger powder and soy sauce. The sweatness is according to your taste. Also the sourness of the sauce. If you want it more sour, add some more lemon juice. Try to balance the taste of lemon and sugar. Mix well and leave cool.

Sour Cherries with Roasted Hazelnuts cake

2010-09-15T00:32:00.000-07:00

Ingredients :

1 cup of flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar (you can put a bit less)

1 cup of cooking oil (I prefer canola oil)

a pinch of salt

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 - 3 tablespoons of fresh milk

Preparations :

- In a big bowl, put the eggs, sugar and cooking oil. Beat well until creamy.

- Add in flour, vanilla essence and baking powder. Mix well.

- Put a pinch of salt and beat again. If the mixture is a bit thicker, put 2 - 3 tablespoons of fresh milk.

- grease your baking pan or you can also use the parchment paper. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and bake at 180°C until it's cooked. Let cool before you decorate the cake.

The Filling

1 bottle of sour cherries jam (or any others that you like)

2 cups of heavy cream

powdered sugar (I didn't give the measurement, depending on your taste)

8-10 pitted sour cherries or sweet cherries (if you want)

1/2 cup of grind roasted hazelnuts (you can make your own or buy the readymade)

p.s Chopped or ground roasted hazelnuts can be served as a garnish to fruit and icecream desserts, or used in breakfast cereals, and many recipes for biscuits, cakes, etc. To roast hazelnuts: spread shelled hazelnuts in a shallow pan, Bake at 120 deg. C for 15 minutes stirring nuts occasionally during baking. They should look creamy white in colour. Rub the nuts in a dry tea towel to remove the outer papery inner skin.

Assembling the Cake :

- in a big bowl, beat the fresh or heavy cream until thick. Add a bit of powdered sugar. Not too sweet because the jam is already sweet.

- Slice the cake to one or two layers.

- spread the sour cherries jam on the first layer. Then a bit of the cream, followed by pitted sour cherries and a bit of roasted hazelnuts.

- Put another layer and do the same until finish. Decorate your cake and chill inside the refrigerator before serving.

Our Pets

2010-09-15T00:24:00.000-07:00

The latest photos of our pets. The kittens are getting bigger.

Dulce de Leche

2010-09-13T04:01:00.000-07:00

Dulce de leche, is a sweet caramel used as a spread for bread, pastries, cakes, crepes and cookies and even in ice-cream. Here's the easiest way to make it.

2- 3 cans of sweetened condensed milk (u can also use just one 1 if you don't have a big family)

Preparations :

- Peel the paper label off the can (if any)
- Take a big pot. Fill it with water.

- Put the can into the pot of water. The water should totally cover the can at all times.

- Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for 2 - 3 hours. check the water once a while, just to make sure it covers the can.
- after 2 or 3 hours, switch off the fire. use the kitchen gloves or something else to take out the cans from the pot. Let cool completely. Once it's cooled, you can open the can and enjoy !!!

You can enjoy it with your favourite bread

Taste even great with bananas

Fried Mee Hoon

2010-09-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

One of our favourite dishes at home. Easy to prepare and it's also delicious. Great as well for picnic and potluck party.

Ingredients :

1 packet of rice vermicelli
1 can of beansprout (can also use the fresh one)
around 100 gm shrimps - shelled. You can leave the tail intact
1 chicken fillet - slice thinly
1 carrot - julienned
a bit of white cabbage - sliced
a handful of french beans -sliced
1 shalotte - minced
salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of light or dark soy sauce
fresh coriander or parsley - chopped

Preparations :

- In a cooking pot, put enough water and a bit of cooking oil. once the water is boiled, add in rice vermicelli. Stir a bit and let cook for at least 3 minutes or until it's soft. Drain well, wash a bit under the cold water and cut a bit with scissors. Leave aside.
- In a non-stick pan, put a bit of cooking oil, then add in minced shalotte. stir till fragrant.
- Add in sliced chicken fillet, carrot, french beans and sliced cabbage. Stir until the chicken is cooked.
- now, add the shrimps and beansprouts. Stir well for another 3 minutes.
- season with salt, pepper and soy sauce.
- Before putting the rice vermicelli, wash again with cold or warm water and drain well. It's because normally it's always sticky and by washing under the cold water, you will find it's easier to mix later with the vegetables and chicken.
- Now, you can add the rice vermicelli. You might need two wooden spatula to mix everything.
- mix well and it's ready to be served. Garnish with chopped parsley or coriander and also really delicious with fried shalottes.

p.s You may add 1 cube of chicken stock and tablespoon of oyster sauce if you want. chicken fillet can also be replaced with beef or veal. White cabbage can also be replace with chinese cabbage.

Pineapple Rice

2010-09-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

In my country, we eat lots of pineapples. Either as a dessert, cooked with rice, meat, etc. I bought two pineapples yesterday and since there's a bit of cooked rice left, I decided to make this pineapple rice.

Ingredients :

- Cooked rice (for 5 - 6 persons)

- I big pineapple (cut halves as above if you want, take it out with knife and spoon and cut into bite-size chunks)

- 1 egg, lightly beaten (this is optional)

- 1 handful of roasted cashew nuts

- 8-10 french beans, sliced thinly

- 1 carrot, peeled, cut into small cubes or julienned

- 1 onion - chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced finely

- a bit of chicken fillets, cut into small chunks and marinated with a bit of soy sauce (you can also use beef, pork or veal - slice thinly)

- Shrimps (optional), shelled

- 1 cube of chicken stock - crushed

- 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

- 1/2 tsp turmeric & curry powder

- Dash of salt and pepper

- fresh parsley or coriander - chopped

- cooking oil and a bit of butter

Preparations :

- Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a wok. Scramble the egg and leave aside.

2. Add a little more oil and a bit of butter in wok. Fry garlic and shallots over low flame till fragrant. Add in french beans and carrot and fry till cooked. You may add the chicken stock.

3. Once the vegetables are cooked, throw in chicken, pineapple chunks, shrimps, curry powder and curcuma powder. Fry till cooked and then add the cashew nuts.

4. Add in rice, followed by salt, pepper and a bit of sesame oil. Stir well.

5. Add in scrambled egg. Keep on stirring for another 3 minutes. Switch off the fire, add the chopped parsley or coriander and mix well. Your pineapple rice is ready to be served.

The Art of Fireworks : Part 1

2010-09-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

The Art of Fireworks

2010-09-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the fireworks that I took using the 'firework option' of my digital camera.

Sarawak, Borneo

2010-09-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

I am a Bidayuh or also known as Land Dayak from Sarawak. For more informations about Sarawak, please have a look here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarawak The Bidayuhs speak a number of different but related dialects. There are 27 distinct indigenous ethnic groups that speak 45 different languages and dialects. The capital city of Sarawak is Kuching : http://wikitravel.org/en/Kuching

The Melanau dancers. Residing mainly in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, the Melanau are among the earliest settlers of Sarawak. Also known as "people of the river" because they live on the banks of the main tributaries of the Rajang River deep in Sarawak's heartland. Although all the Melanau, excluding the Melanau Bintulu, share the same cultural and lingual background they can be divided into six distinct subgroups, which are scattered throughout eleven different language regions, making the Melanau one of the most diverse peoples in Sarawak. Traditionally, the Melanau lived in tall stilted longhouses, which stood up to 12 m over the ground. Most of them worked as fishermen or rice and sago farmers, with some also specialising in boat building. While originally animists, the majority of Melanaus are now Muslims, however, many continue to celebrate traditional rites such as the annual Kaul Festival.

Trying to use the bamboo bridge

The Bidayuh's house called Baruk. A pavilion-like circular structure made of mostly bamboos.

A dance called (Rejang Bouh) performed by the Bdayuh dancers.

A small waterfall at Borneo Rainforest Resort in Miri

Trying the bamboo dance.

The giant tree in Mount Singai, near Bau town

On the way back from sawah padi (paddy field) of my parents

The Iban dancers. The female dancers have an elaborate headdress, chains, beads and a ‘dress’ that reaches to below their knees with intricate weaving.

A close-up photo of one of the Iban dancers

The small handmade lake at Sarawak Cultural Village

The varendah of the Bidayuh Longhouse in Kampung Mongkos, Serian area

Lemon Chicken & Chicken in Soy Sauce

2010-09-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

1 or 1/2 kilos boneless-skinless chicken breasts (Slice)

Marinade

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon salt & a bit of white pepper

Batter

2 eggs

1/2 cup cornstarch
a pinch of white pepper

1 tablespoon of sesame seeds (optional)

Cooking oil (for frying)

Sauce

1 big carrot - jullienned

sugar - according to your taste

1 cup chicken broth or 1 cube of chicken stock

1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch

2 lemon (extract the juice)

a pinch of teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 tablespoon curcuma powder (to give the yellow and golden colour)

Preparing the Chicken

1: Place cut chicken breast pieces into a bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, a pinch of salt & a bit of white pepper. Mix well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or more.

2: To make the batter – beat 2 eggs with cornstarch, a pinch of white pepper & sesame seeds. Put the chicken and mix well to coat the chicken with the batter.

3: Heat deep fryer or put enough cooking oil in your wok or frying pan and deep-fry in batches until chicken is fully cooked. Make sure your cooking oil is really hot before frying the chicken. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

The Sauce

4: The lemon sauce – combine sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 cup chicken broth (if u use chicken cube, crush it and mix with 1 cup of water), lemon juice, curcuma powder and a pinch of salt. Mix until well combined.
5: Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in your wok. Add julienned carrots and stir well for about 5 minutes. Pour in the lemon sauce mixture and heat until well mixed. You can add another cup of water (some people like having more gravy). Simmer for another few more minutes or until the sauce becomes clear. Best served with white rice.

p.s add sugar according to your taste. If you don't put a bit of sugar, the sauce is quite sour

Chicken with Dark Soy Sauce & Ginger

Ingredients :

1/2 or 1 kilo chicken (cut or slice if you use chicken breasts)

2 inches ginger (peeled and cut into thin strips)

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

salt and pepper

1 or 2 shallottes (chopped)

1 cucumber (peel the skin, slice or julienned) - optional

2 cups of water

cooking oil

Preparations :

- Heat the wok or your casserole. Put a bit of cooking oil. Add in chopped shallottes, ginger and stir until fragrant.
- Add in chickens and then cucumber (if you like). Stir a bit and let cook for 5 minutes.
- Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Pour two cups of water. Stir, cover and let simmer until the chicken is tender.
- Served with white rice. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or coriander.

Chicken with Dark Soy Sauce, Ginger & Egg

* the same recipe as above. Just add in one egg. In a small bowl, beat an egg with the fork. After adding the water, pour the beaten egg a bit by bit while stirring it faster with the wooden spatula.

Roasted Chicken with Cucumber in Fresh Cream Sauce

Ingredients :

7 - 8 pieces of either chicken thighs, breasts or the wings (can add more if you have a bigger family)
1 tablespoon of curry powder
dried or fresh parsley (chopped if you use fresh parsley)
salt & pepper
1 big cucumber (if you want). You can also use zucchinni (courgettes)
4 - 5 tablespoons of fresh cream
1 onion (chopped)
olive oil or other cooking oils

Preparations :

- In a big bowl, rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Well, don't be scared to use your hands :D
- add in curry powder, parsley and season with salt and pepper
- Peel the cucumber or courgettes. Slice in whatever size you want.
- Grease your baking tray with a bit of olive oil. Then transfer the chicken there.
- Cook inside the oven at 180°C until the chicken is cooked. Make sure you turn the chicken once a while so that both sides are fully cooked. Once it's cooked take out from the oven.
- in a frying pan, put a bit of cooking oil, and then the chopped onion. stir-fry for one minute and add in the sliced cucumber.  Season with a pinch of salt, stir again and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Add in fresh cream. Stir well and let cook for another 2 minutes.  Switch off the fire.
- Pour over the chicken. Put back inside the oven and let cook for another 5 minutes. Take out and cover with the aluminium foil. Leave covered at least 5 minutes. The reason of doing this is to have a tender and delicious chicken.
- Served with white rice or your favourite pasta.

Photography : Meadow in Spring Series

2010-09-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Photography : Buttercups Meadow Series

2010-09-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

Photography : Bleeding Hearts Series

2010-09-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Floral Photography : III

2010-09-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Floral Photography : II

2010-09-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Floral Photography : I

2010-09-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

Floral Photography

2010-09-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Gardening : Photos of my flowers

2010-09-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

Our Pets : Some More Photos of our Pets

2010-09-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

Sayang, my dearest cat

Not our pet :D This hedgehog always comes at night eating the slugs in the garden

The little kittens of our two siamese cats

Cinta is on guard .. hunting !

Our dog, Kuyuk

This year, Cinta has 5 cute kitties

Kisses from a cute baby :D

Remi and his little kitten

The kittens of Cinta

Our Pets

2010-09-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

We have a dog, cats, chickens and a cute aggora rabbit. Since we are living in a countryside, we have a bigger, green space for them. Pets are part of many children's lives. Yes, our kids really enjoyed having cute pets at home. I've learnt that it is an excellent way for children to learn about responsibility, as well as helping them to develop a kind, caring attitude towards both animals and people.

Our little Tsubaka. Our kids are fan of Star Wars :D

Sayang is waiting for the door to be opened

Cinta is going to take a nap on my chair

The sisters. They really cared for each other

Please meet Mr. Gaara :D

Gaara is furrrrrry cute !!

Gaara is really cute and cuddly. Very calm

Johan with the kittens of Cinta and Sayang

It looks like Kuyuk is thirsty

haha.. I really like this shot. Thubaka is trying to climb up on the dwarf

My chickens, the famous Poulet de Bresse

Emma and Kuyuk in the meadow

Sayang is waiting for me to open the door

Going to take a nap on the table

The little Tsubaka

My Paintings : On Canvas and Mural

2010-09-03T02:39:00.000-07:00

The mural painting in the hall upstairs

The donkey and the grapes

The Christening candles of my children

My mural paintings on the bedroom doors of Remi and Emmanuelle

The Durian :D

The bouquet on the terrace

My little house on the Prairie

The Hollyhocks

Jesus knocking on the door

My little House

A cat in the kitchen

My Paintings: Mural

2010-09-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

My Bedroom Door

One of the dwarfs of Snow White

The door of Johan's room. The famous Naruto

The door of Emmanuelle's room

Our garage door

The garage door

My Paintings: Still Life

2010-09-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Painting of the Fresh Cream which is produced and made in our village

The wine, pain de campagne, blue cheese and fresh cream

The bananas on our bathroom's door

Painting of pineapple on our washroom's door

My Paintings: The Picnic

2010-09-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

Picnic table in the meadow

A cup of coffee

Have a slice :D

Tea time

A happy little baby in front of my paintings

My Paintings

2010-09-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

I am a self-taught artist and painting is just a hobby. Believe me, although if you are stressed, painting can be soothing. I am more to mural paintings but I've done several paintings on canvas as well. I offered some to my relatives and friends as a personal gift. Here are some of my artworks :

The hibiscus and lilacs

Mural painting in our dining & living room

The Seagull

The seagull and the batik sarong

My terrace :D

The terrace facing the blue sea :D

Raga

Our living room

The details of hibiscus

My brother-in-law

Our living room and the door to garage and upstairs

A young lady in Terendak

The doors to our toilet and bathroom

Emmanuelle and the seagull

Time to pray

Relaxing :D

The horse and the white poney

The little angel

Uyut and batik sarong

Photography : Clouds & Skies

2010-09-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

early, winter morning.. it was snowing

The blue sky and the aeroplane

The moon and the aeroplane

Does that look like a little baby inside the womb? :D

Ice-cream, great for a warm, summer ..

The Moon

Full Moon.. Beware of the Werewolf :D

That's not me :D Paragliding from Col de la Forclaz, near Annecy

Photography: Sunset at the Tropical Beach

2010-09-02T12:40:00.000-07:00

Sunset Photos taken during our trip to Miri & Bekenu

Photography: Sunset II

2010-09-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

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Sunset 13

Sunset 10

Sunset 11

Sunset 12

Sunset 14

Sunset 15

Photography: Sunset I

2010-09-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

Sunset 1

Sunset 2

Sunset 3

Sunset 4

Sunset 5

Sunset 6

Sunset 7

Sunset 8

Sunset 9

Photography : Sunsets

2010-09-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the sunset that I love so much.

Passion of Gardening

2010-09-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

I would love to see more bees, ladybirds, hoverflies and butterflies. That's why I started by a beautiful and colourful meadow. It was quite a hard work but it's worth it. Seeing my flowers blooming really give a great joy to my heart.

The chestnut in bloom

Butternut squash.. green in colour when they are young and will turn orange towards maturity

The potatoes

Melon (orange melon)

Sour Cherries / Griottes (in french)

Strawberries

Potatoes. Every year we plant lots of potatoes

My meadow, full of cosmos, zinnias and carnations

Crispy Deep Fried Pork

2010-09-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

Here's my crispy deep fried pork. Besides pork meat, you can also use sliced chicken breasts or fish fillet. Dip in hot chili sauce, ginger sauce or soya sauce.

Deep fried pork

Ingredients :

1/2 or 1 kilo of boneless pork meat (sliced)

quarter cup of flour

1 tablespoon of sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

salt & pepper

2 eggs

Enough cooking oil for deep-fried

Preparations :

- In a big bowl, put the sliced pork meat, 2 beaten eggs, sesame or poppy seeds, salt and pepper and finally flour. Mix well until all the meat is well coated. Cover the bowl and put inside the refigerator for at least 30 minutes.

- In a wok, put enough cooking oil for deep frying. Always make sure the oil is hot enough before frying the meat. Once it's look crispy, take out with the slotted spoon and put it on paper towel.

- Eat with your favourite dipping sauce.