Thursday, May 31, 2012

Don't beat yourself up

Do you have days when you start the day so “mong cha cha” (or "Blur" as we like to say or "in a fog" as my husband would say)? One morning, I served coffee to my Quay Lo made from a recycled coffee cartridge. What a waste of effort and time, but worse than that, what a lousy first sip. To coffee drinkers that first sip is the most important and the most savory. I'm sure he made a face as if a kid forced to take medicine. 


If that wasn't enough, instead of putting the milk back into the refrigerator, I put it into a cabinet in my kitchen where I keep all the hardware and odds and ends like thumb tacks and twine. Had my Quay Lo not found the box of milk there, we may have spent days wondering where the sour smell came from.

I could have scolded myself and worry that I am getting old and useless. I could have felt bad and let those feelings wear on my mood. Instead I am lucky to have coaching from both my Quay Lo and my mum who feel that an exercise in self scolding or feeling bad is a waste of energy.  I have changed the way I used to feel about such mistakes and how sometimes I would lose my self esteem. Instead, when I do something silly, or fail at a task,  I think of other things to offset my mistakes. For example, I think of how clever I was to use up leftovers to make another new dish or how I prepared an elaborate surprise party for my husband's birthday. I now try to approach my mistakes positively instead of critically, remembering that each mistake is an opportunity to learn or make a change for the better. Next time, when you are about to beat yourself up over some mistake, try to change your thinking. You will immediately sense a big difference in how you feel. I think to deal with our disapppointments in a more positive light is one of the keys to happiness.


Here is a recipe you can "nail" as my Quay Lo likes to say. That means you can get it perfect, just like you are. Did you know you are perfect in every sense? Perfect for your time and  place. Perfect for yourself and perfect for others. All those little flaws and mistakes are your humanity and a part of your true beauty.  

Stuffed Cannelloni with creamed spinach and risotto with roasted capsicum and cherry tomatoes topped with sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese casserole.








The fillings:
leftover meat loaf - 1 1/2 cups (I chopped them up)
leftover creamed spinach - 2 cups (you may use other left over creamed vegetables)
leftover risotto - 2 cups


Added ingredients:
1 cup whipped cream
1 head roasted garlic 
20 Roasted cherry tomatoes
1 Roasted capsicum (chopped)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 box Cannelloni
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tbs olive oil to oil the baking dish


Method:
Mix leftovers chopped roasted capsicum together. Oil the baking dish with olive oil. Fill each cannelloni with fillings and place into baking dish. Brush the cannelloni with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Topped with cheddar and parmasen cheese and bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees C till cheese is melted and brown. In the mean time, roast capsicum, garlic and cherry tomatoes coated with olive olive, salt and black pepper. Dish out a big portion of the baked canelloni on a serving plate and garnished with roasted vegetables and serve hot.

59 comments:

  1. Loads of ingredients in it; making it so flavourful and it is so easy to prepare and to serve! Such a delicious dish.

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    1. Yes I threw in whatever leftover I found, so happy to clear my fridge.

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  2. So creamy and lots of cheese. If to add in mozarella will it become more better? yummy casserole.

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    1. No my dear, mozzarella will not cut it in this dish. You don't want the rubbery texture with the risotto.

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  3. I love myself too much to beat myself up even when I should. That's my problem!

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    1. That is a great attitude! No wonder I like you. Lol!

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  4. Ha Ha I am for ever putting things in odd places and forget what I went to that room for. I am delighted that it happens to you as well :)) Love the recipe. Diane

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    1. Not seeing things that is right under my nose is a norm now. I have learn to stop searching after 10 mins. They will appear later when I am not searching. Strange but true.

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  5. You know Quay Po, I have quite a few of these incidences. It is happening more lately but I attribute it to being distracted/not focussed. Sometimes I look for something and can't find it. And suddenly I see that it was right in front of me all that time. Your casserole looks like great comfort food. Perfect for cheering up!

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    1. That is true. Happens all the time. I am getting use to It. Lol!

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  6. Well, that “mong cha cha” things happen to me very often. Great use of leftovers, quay po.

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    1. Angie, send in your application to be a member of the Lucy Club.

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  7. LOL I know what you mean about "mong cha cha"... sometimes I do something blur blur in the morning, and my daughter has to remind me or point out what I'm doing wrongly. I blame it on old age ;P

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    1. You want to blame that on old age??? Are you kidding me my dear Yen? If you are old then I am an antique!!! Hehe

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  8. How cheesy and delicious!

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  9. Veron..it happens to me all the time....getting into the wrong car...have you experienced that LOL! I did and my Wild Boar was laughing his head off when he saw me opening the car in front of him ( That was the only time I smacked him ) The driver of the car was a lady and you can guess how she screamed at me. Gosh, and her scream woke me from my ' mong cha cha '!
    Yea , you are right, we should be proud we can turned leftovers into something nice ya :))) Think positive !!! We think 20s and not 50s :p

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    1. Elin, I did worst things than getting into the wrong car. I don't blame your Wild Boar for laughing, I would too!! Lol!

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  10. That looks good! I wonder how the taste is. My daughter's baked pasta dish was good and looks pretty nice as well. Hmmm...maybe you should take gingko biloba - helps improve memory they say...if you remember to take them. LOL!!!

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    1. Ya Arthur, rub it in but looks like it did not work on me, I have thick skin.

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  11. I am going to have to incorporate "mong cha cha" into my vocabulary! I was beating myself up just this morning, as a matter of fact. I'm going to have to work on the building up part. thata casserole looks delicious! (haha - I didn't mean to have a typo, but it makes me sound Italian!)

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    1. Darlene, I can imagine the look on whoever you are talking to when you said 'mong cha cha'. The thought of it makes me lol.

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  12. Not only do I enjoy your wonderful recipes, but just love your positive outlook on life. :)

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    1. Lois, I can't afford to not be positive when I am at the last leg of my life, can I? Hehe

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  13. Boy! Am I the most mong cha cha lately. I guess things are easing up and I'm so relaxed until the brain is on permanent "blur" mode. It's a positive thing, not bad at all. It's nice to be not on your toes sometimes :)
    I love your "Leftover Goodness" dish! So colorful! And I do love pasta!

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    1. Lucy what do you mean only lately you are MCC? I thought your blur mode is a default mode. No? Hehehe

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    2. Oh, ya hor. See, I'm so MCC I didn't even notice :D

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  14. This looks soooooo delicious

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    1. It is. I am sure you get even more creative with your leftovers.

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  15. When i got out of bed one afternoon still half asleep after finishing the night shift, i placed a tea spoonful of coffee, sugar and a tea bag in the one cup but didn't realise it until i poured the boiling water in the cup and tasted it, it was really YUK! :-).

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    1. There Is such a drink of coffee and tea mix in the Coffee shops here. They taste pretty good:D

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  16. oh yeah! Always focus on what you have achieved! what a comfort dish you got there!

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  17. Replies
    1. I guess this is qualified to be in the comfort food list. Sure comforted me:D

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  18. Best recipe to use up the leftover hor... :)

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    1. I love recipes that use up leftovers. I hate wasting food.

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  19. Love the creamy finish...and much as I am tempted to cook risotto, I am fearful that they come out too mushy or under cooked:( Previous attempts has been terrible disasters.

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    1. Get the instant ones, they are pretty tasty. You won't go wrong if you follow the instructions.

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  20. lots of leftover stuff can be turned into such a good dish! :)

    Latest: Runway Model is Cooking!

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    1. Apply some creativity and you will make new dishes from leftovers every time. I love it!

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  21. What a colourful dish, dear! Love the cheesy one-pot dish & it's great for entertaining too.

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    1. Thanks Shirley. A good candidate for pot luck too.

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  22. OMG, this dish reminds me that I still have not eaten my dinner today:) Absolutely prefect!


    Blog about life and travelling
    Blog about cooking

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    1. Forgot to eat dinner? Well that is not so bad as
      missing breakfast and lunch.

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  23. OMG! My mouth is watering just looking at these pictures. Talk about the ultimate comfort food of rich tasty goodness! It's perfect!

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  24. Hmm. Inspirational.
    I used to reward myself if I did something good and punish myself if I did something bad.
    Not right thing to do, I realize.

    Anyway, really good idea to use up the leftovers :)

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  25. Hi Quay Po,
    I guess everyone have a 'mong cha cha' day sometimes.
    I remember there is one morning, after brushing my teeth I put my toothpaste into the fridge..lol
    Love your Stuff Cannelloni, looks yum. I eat cannelloni before but never cook it before.
    Was wondering do you precook the cannelloni before you stuff them? Hope this is not a silly question..:p

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  26. Haha, nice to know I am not alone. No, you don't pecook the cannelloni.

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  27. this is so colorful! and sourish taste too *by looking at your photo*

    lol . . . even thou I am young, I keep a mango for 1 week and realize I havent eat them. when I open my fridge and look at my mango, it is already "busuk" lol :)

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    1. Kian Fai, it is comforting to hear that a young guy like you did that. Lol!

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  28. hahaha! Lucy lucy dear..milk and thumb tacks!! i hope one day you just dont pour out soya sauce into your quay lo's cup to serve him black coffee!!

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  29. Feel good reading your post. Very inspirational and uplifting. Yes, positive thinking is very important. This dish may be a little too creamy for me, but I will be back for other recipes

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  31. Hi Mike, thanks for your visit. What presentation are you working on? Hope you find the info you need soon.

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