potluck

had a potluck session with some of the closest frens at my house last week saturday(23rd june '07- the day hubby & i were supposed to leave for a short holiday to singapore with a couple of frens but cancelled due to some "unforeseen circumstances")...

this time round, i decided to cook spaghetti with tomato prawn sauce..... luckily i got my mummy to guide me on how to prepare this dish...

besides that, i also prepared some longan konnyaku jelly..... well, the spaghetti that i cooked, turned out well..... most of them said it's yummy & delicious.... and of course, they love the konnyaku jelly too......

seriously, this is the first time that i cook nice spaghetti.........

ingredients1 packet of spagetthi
1 bottle of pasta sauce (i prefer Prego brand)
1 can of tomato puree

prawns (peel off the shell)
1 can of button mushroom (slice it thinly)
2 big onions (slice it)
garlic
2 fresh tomatoes (peel off the skin and cut into dices)

steps

i) preparing the sauce
- fry the onion with garlic
- add in the button mushroom, follow by the prawn
- when the prawn turn into red color (almost cooked), add in the diced fresh tomato
- after that, pour in the pasta sauce and the tomato puree
- let it simmer for about 10 minutes then turn off the flame

2) preparing the spaghetti
- put water into a big pot. when the water boils, add salt and some oil... then put in the spagetthi
- cook until the spaghetti is soft, then drain the waterbefore serving this dish, heat up the sauce as it will make the spaghetti taste nicer while it is piping hot....

interviews

recently, again i get to meet all kind of candidates who came to apply job as cust svc exec..... dunno why but seems like many many ppl who are working are actually planning for career advancement and better salary/ benefits..... maybe this is a sign for me to do the same???

of course there is also some of them who are currently not working and can start working almost immediately..... yup those are the one who got married right after studies and have kid(s)...

and this candidates are still young.... below 25 years old...... i can't imagine myself in their shoes... not that i look down on them but it just make me wonder if i can cope with what they have achieve so far(as in get married, hv kid, stay at home, no working experience)....

and sad to say, most of them do not meet our requirement as they could hardly speak English... i really pity them since nowadays, which employer do not required us to speak English at working place? maybe got-lah... e.g. cleaner (since they do not need to do any talking, but there is still a possibility that they need to converse in English when they are doing their work)....

so, what did i do with these candidates??? well, i can only tell them that we will contact them again if they are selected for 2nd interview(which of course is rare to happen)!

our SKY

updates on SKY... SKY... my family's pet... and also a member of our FOONG family....

chilly buddy

recently my parents found this nice eating place somewhere near the klang parade.. . don't have the address... but if you know where is the STATION ONE COFFEE restaurant in klang, then you'll be able to locate this place coz it's at the T-junction there.....

and the name of the shop is Chilly Buddy(reminds me of "cili padi")........ this place serve local asian food as in rice/porridge/ noodles.... also got tong sui like "bubur cha cha"(which my mum loves a lot), honey water chesnut etc.....

and last couple of weeks ago, my mummy treated my sis, hubby & i to dinner at this place..... our order for that day was this:

* this is the seafood tomyam(consist of squid, prawn, fish ball, lala)... must try this! not too sour & not too spicy... the taste is just superb even for my dear hubby who doesn't really fancy tomyam*

* seafood fried rice (also with suqid, prawn & lala) *

* this plain looking fried rice is actually lala fried rice... hmm... should be "mini" lala.. can you spot the tiny little lala??? anyway it still taste great *

* red wine chicken wing... crispy & yummy *

* sweet & sour chicken with rice *

happy news

nope... not my happy news........ but happy news of friends and colleagues who are either registering their marriage, getting married(as in having dinner to announce to alll other people), pregnant with their first child and also those who have gave birth recently..... seems like it's the season for good news which i hope will be continuos with no ending......

just seems like yesterday that we(me & my frens) studied in the same school/ uni...... preparing for exams.... getting sleepy in classes/ lectures/ tutorials...... skipped some boring uni lectures.... joining school/ uni activities....

and now most of us almost reaching the big 30 (which i consider an "old" age)..... hehehe.... each with their own responsibilities and family commitment......

to those who are still single, i am happy for them too coz most of them have a good career (at least they are working in reputable companies)....... and earning good income..... plus, they have all the freedom that they want to do all the things that they like e.g. travelling, shopping etc...

and here i am wishing all my family members/ frens/ colleagues and everyone i know, a HAPPY MORE GOOD NEWS TO COME for all of us...

why is it called unagi pie?

hubby brought this back from his workplace.... someone bought it from japan but none of his colleagues are interested to taste it.....

can u see that? it's called unagi pie but it had no unagi in it at all....... it is just a crispy snack with some sugar on it.... taste not bad......

by the way, i do not eat unagi (eel)... it taste so funny..... the other way round, dear hubby loves unagi a lot..... yucks!!!!

lazy to cook

yesterday parents-in-law went out for jalan2 , so, left me & hubby at home......feel so lazy to cook especially after half day shopping at midvalley.... plus dear hubby requested to have KFC for dinner... i don't really fancy KFC compare to McD..... so, instead, i "ta pau" this for my dinner from the Jusco japanese corner:* forgot the name of this meal * it is just rice with grilled squid, taufu & vege..simple but nice... RM 7.90 per bowl *

happy father's day

today is father's day.... hubby & i joined my parents, sis, bro & SIL for dinner somewhere in klang(near the menara Maybank, klang & around the berkeley roundabout).... a restaurant named Gold Leaf Village Restaurant.....

heard about this place from my dad's friend, XL..... he recommeded this place b4 but we never make a trip there until today... after having dinner here, only one word to describe: DELICIOUS

just see what we had for dinner today.......

* fried fish head kung-po style *

* restaurant's signature taufu *

* thai sauce cuttlefish with tempura vegetable *

* choy sum *

* another signature dish- the braised pork knuckles with sea cucumber*

* salted egg prawn mantis *

* sweet & sour pork which we had to "ta pau" coz we were so full *

GOLD LEAF VILLAGE RESTAURANT

No. 45, Jalan Satu, Kaw 16, Off Jalan Batu Tiga Lama, Berkely Town Centre, 41300 Klang, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: 03-3342 2239/ 019-3614065

the manhattan fish market

yesterday after work, my sis Joyce & I went to midvalley... we met up with my SIL, kar lai and all three of us headed to the manhattan fish market for lunch.... it's been a long time since i dine in this restaurant coz my dear hubby is not really a fish lover.... so, taking the oppurtunity to dine for a nice FISH meal while hubby is at work, this is the food that 3 of us shared....

* soup of the day- mushroom soup..... will be nicer if it is more creamy *

* deep fried shrimps- yummy! coz it's so crispy *

* giant platter- calamari, fish, prawns, mushrooms (all deep fried)... served with garlic rice & chips *

The Secret to a Lasting Marriage: Embrace Imperfection

Got this forwarded email from mrs ha... it is one touching story..... and it's possible to happen in our daily lives... at least it happen to me & hubby.... yup... once a while i do "overcook" or "undercook" some food for him but he's not complaining at all! THANKS DEAR!

When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage,and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do rememberwatching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned toast."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him ifhe really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Debbie, your momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!"

In bed that night, I thought about that scene at dinner...and the kindness my daddy showed my mom. To this day, it's a cherished memory from my childhood that I'll never forget. And it's one that came to mind just recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner.

I had arrived home late...as usual...and decided we would have breakfast food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose!

To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed, and quickly beganto cook eggs, turkey sausage, and buttered toast. Thinking I had things under control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a few minutes later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out of the oven!

Now, had it been any other day -- and had we had more than two pieces of bread in the entire house -- I would have started all over. But it had been one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of bread. So burnt toast it was!

As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about the toast. But all I got was a "Thank you!" I watched as he ate bite by bite, all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But instead, all Jack said was, "Babe, this is great. Thanks for cooking tonight. I know you had a hard day."

As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about mymom and dad...how burnt toast hadn't been a deal-breaker for them. And I quietly thanked God for giving me a marriage where burnt toast wasn't a deal-breaker either!

You know, life is full of imperfect things...and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find out that Jack isn't the perfect husband! He likes to play his musictoo loud, he will always find a way to avoid yard work, and he watches far too many sports. Believe it or not, watching "Golf Academy" is not my idea of a great night at home!

But somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept theimperfections in each other. Over time, we have stopped trying to make each other in our own mold and have learned to celebrate our differences. You might say that we've learned to love each other for who we really are!

For example, I like to take my time, I'm a perfectionist, and I'm even-tempered. I tend to work too much and sleep too little. Jack, on the other hand, is disciplined, studious, an early riser, and is amarketer's dream consumer. I count pennies and Jack could care less! Where he is strong, I am weak, and vice versa.

And while you might say that Jack and I are opposites, we're also very much alike. I can look at him and tell you what he's thinking. I can predict his actions before he finalizes his plans. On the other hand, he knows whether I'm troubled or not the moment I enter a room.

We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we are stillbest friends. We've traveled through many valleys and enjoyed many mountaintops. And yet, at the same time, Jack and I must work every minute of every day to make this thing called "marriage" work!

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing,and lasting marriage relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your married life and lay them at the feet of GOD. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a marriage where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker!

dragon fruit
if recently u hv gone to the wet market/ hypermarket/ supermarket for grocery shopping, then you will notice that it is now the dragon fruit season..... i love eating this fruit... DO YOU???

i love using the dragon fruit with red flesh when i make konnyaku jelly as it will give a nice natural coloring (some sort of ribena color).....

and so here i am now, searching online for some info about this fruit.... one
of my fav fruit actually....

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The pitaya (also known as pitahaya, dragon fruit, huǒ lóng guǒ (火龍果/火龙果), strawberry pear, nanettikafruit, or thanh long) is the fruit of several cactus species, especially of the genus Hylocereus, but also see Stenocereus. Native to Mexico and Central and South America, these vine-like epiphytic cacti are also cultivated in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia. They are also found in Taiwan, Okinawa, Israel, and southern China. The pitaya only flowers at night; they are large white flowers that are often called Moonflower or Queen of the Night.

The species Stenocereus gummosus in the Sonoran desert has been an important food source for Native American peoples. The Seri people of northwestern Mexico still harvest the highly appreciated fruit of the pitaya agria (Spanish), which the Seris call ziix is ccapxl "thing whose fruit is sour".

The name of the fruit was later changed to dragon fruit to boost sales. It made a significant difference in the marketability of the fruit

Nutritional claims

The red flesh variety is believed to be rich in antioxidants.
The pitaya fruit is rich in vitamins.
The pitaya fruit helps the digestive process.
The pitaya fruit helps prevent colon cancer and diabetes.
The pitaya fruit helps to neutralize toxic substances such as heavy metal, reduce cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
Consumed regularly the pitaya fruit can help against asthma and cough.

Dragonfruit is rich in fiber, Vitamin C and minerals. The typical nutritional value per 100g of dragonfruit is as follows:

Ashes 0.68g
Fat 0.61g
Fiber 0.9g
Phosphorus 36.1mg
Carotene 0.012g
Protein 0.229g
Water 83.0g
Calcium 8.8mg
Iron 0.65mg
Riboflavin 0.045mg
Niacin 0.430mg
Ascorbic Acid 9.0mg

Dragonfruit is also rich in phytoalbumins which are highly valued for their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants prevent the formation of cancer-causing free radicals. In Taiwan, diabetics use the fruit as a food substitute for rice and as a source of dietary fiber.

SHREK 3

today is the first time that hubby & i went to watch movie at cineleisure....

few things that i noticed there is that their snack counter has two lanes for pay money and another few counters to collect the paid snacks... not bad as the service is quite fast...

secondly, the seats there all have the seating number sewn on it instead of the normal labelling pasted at the chair...

and lastly, the seats are so comfy plus you need not worry that some tall guy will block your view as the the chairs are placed at the correct angle......

and now back to the movie SHREK 3... it's entertaining.... but this time, SHREK did not make much appearance compare to shrek 1 & 2..... reason: there is so many other additional characters which i find too crowded..... namely cinderella, sleeping beauty, rapunzel, snow white etc..... ya... all other fairy tales characters are in this movie too.....

i still prefer shrek 1 & 2.....

my rating for this shrek 3: 7/10

ooh.... did i tell you that hall the cinema is filled up by kids/ children and even a few toddlers... it's school holiday now mah......