Give and you shall receive

I told you in my last post that I had not decided what I would do on my birthday this year. When I got up after a good night’s sleep, I knew what I wanted to do! I told my Quay Lo that I wanted to spend my birthday with the old folks at Persatuan Rumah Caring Kajang Selangor.  

He immediately replied that he thought it would be a fantastic way to spend my birthday. So my mum and I went off for a nice breakfast, and headed to the nearby Careffour to buy the household items and food that they are always in need of at the home.

I sent a text message to a few of my close friends to ask them if they would like to make a donation and thus armed with donations from my sister in law Jennifer, my god daughter Cheryl, my best friends, Peng, Rina and Fernand, the gift money from my brother Vic and sister in law Jenny, my niece Christine and her boyfriend Sim, my step-daughter Erin, and my Quay Lo, I drove to Kajang where the old folk home is situated.  I also brought with me my birthday cake to share with them. It was so heart warming to see the smiles on their faces when they received us.

Me and the oldest aunty who is 95 years old, 
She is the cutest!

This lady is autistic, 41 years old. 
Her development ceased at a young teen age. 
She is one of the star singers at holiday times.

It was a wonderful birthday gift for me to see them enjoy my birthday cake. 

This old uncle has been living in this home for many years

Obviously this boy is not old. 
He is here because his parents need to work

and there is no one to take care of him so 
Wendy agreed to provide day care  for them. 

He is a handful as he is an autistic child 
and gets agitated very easily.

The aunty eating cake in this photo was  a factory worker in a paper factory.

She could not work after she hurt her back. When Wendy learnt 

of her plight, she took her in so that she has a place to live and 

food to eat. The rest of the uncles were there for many years.

We chatted during a long visit.  A few of them kept on telling my mum how lucky she is to have a daughter who cares for her and do things with. I told them that I am the lucky one.

I met one of the social workers, Xi Le who helps Wendy take care of the residents. Her story is so touching. She was homeless and a street urchin when Wendy found her. Under her guidance,  she is now a capable, caring social worker. If you want to know more about her, here is the article:

http://www.mysinchew.com/node/61368

Can I shamelessly ask for a belated birthday gift from you? Would you mention the home on your blog, or link to this post, and help us spread the word about the Caring Old Folks Home in Kajang, Malaysia so that more people are aware of it? Those who might wish to make a donation, here is the information you need.

The operation is not funded by any corporations  or government grants. It exist solely on the determination of Wendy who has devoted her life to caring for others and those individuals that support her efforts. Even a small donation to them makes a big difference.  Here is the link to get to know Wendy.

 http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/new-straits-times/mi_8016/is_20090510/strength-family-support/ai_n44440591/

Her dream is to build a four-storey building on their own land to provide shelter for the needy, including old folk, orphans, single parents and the mentally challenged. And I have to add, this visit to the home was for me. Every time I visit, I reaffirm how fortunate I am, and I learn again how expressing your care for others pays you back ten fold.


I did not do any cooking on my birthday but when I arrived home after spending a day in the old folks home, I could smell the fragrance of spices in my home. My Quay Lo had cooked a dinner for us and not only that, I got some surprise gifts from him on top of the pasta machine he bought me a day before my birthday. He had taken me to Pantry Magic in Bangsar to let me shop for kitchen goodies. Oh I would like to thank Mel of Through the Kitchen Door for telling me about the shop. 

Check this new toy out, Yippe!

These are the surprise gifts from my Quay Lo - I LOVE them all!

My home cooked birthday dinner by my Quay Lo

Note: these photos were taken with a point and shoot camera under low light settings. It did not do justice to the actual dish. Although my Quay Lo thought he had slightly overcooked the sausage but I give it 8/10 on the taste and we both enjoyed the meal very much.

Here is My Quay Lo’s recipe for Sauerkraut and Sausage, if you are interested.


Ingredients:
1 jar 600 - 700g of pickled red or white cabbage (sauerkraut) reserve 1/2 cup juice from the jar
4 large sausages of your choice
2 slices smoked bacon (I used American bacon but pancetta would do very well)
1 medium apple cored and diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium onion diced
1 small  - medium fennel bulb diced
1 rounded tspn carraway seed
1 level tspn coriander seed
pinch of sea salt
Olive oil
1 tspn brown sugar

Set oven for 180C (350F)
Use mortar and pestle or a spice grinder to blend the spices, and sea salt, then set aside.

In a frying pan add a tblspn of olive oil and sweat the diced apple, onion, carrot, and fennel. Just before the onion goes translucent add the reserve juice from the sauerkraut jar. Leave pan on the flame for another minute, or until the steam dissipates and the pan contents begin to simmer. Turn off the heat and add the blended spice mixture, stirring until well mixed.

Put contents of the frying pan in the bottom of a  covered casserole.

Wrap sausages in 1/2 slice of bacon each. Position on the sauerkraut mixture in the casserole. Drizzle with olive oil.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatos and brown gravy

Great with a Mosel Riesling or an Australian Riesling for the slightly higher acidic levels for a rich meal.

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