Make the cork stand, HUH??

I don’t know if I have shared this story with you before. There was one evening, we had dinner with some of our close friends. I have blogged about this loving couple before. She is Singaporean and he is Australian. There were six of us. We invited my sister in law (SIL) and they invited one of their good friends which was an bachelor Englishman. While waiting for the food to be served, my SIL and I were playing with the cork from the bottle of wine we were drinking. It is a game my Quay Lo taught us to play sometime ago and we love it.  While we were having fun playing with the cork trying hard to make it stand, we were not aware that the Englishman was watching us. I guessed he finally could not resist his curiousity but asked us what we were doing. He asked, “May I ask what you ladies are doing?” Quick and Easy, I answered him with my Malaysian accent and I said, “I am trying to make the cork stand.” HOLY MOLLY!!  His face turned all red and I can see that he felt very uncomfortable on hearing that!  GOODNESS GRACIOUS God help Lucy!! She did it AGAIN!  My Quay Lo quickly jumped in to explain to him that it was a game we were playing whereby if the cork is dropped at a correct height, it will stand upright and who ever make it stand with the least number of drop will be the winner. He further explained that his wife could not pronounce the "R" very well so it may sound like something else. Lucy, next time, think before you speak, pronounce the words with the “R” properly. You must really ROLL and not LOLL or NOT ROLL your tongue for the "R" sound in the word, so that it will not sound like what it is not suppose to be, especially, when you speak to a proper and polished Englishman. LOL!

Here is the dessert I made for my Quay Lo to thank him for saving my skin. Otherwise, Lucy would have to dig a hole in the ground and stick her head inside.

Banana Crumble

Adapated from Food.com

Ingredients:

4 bananas , sliced (in circles)

rind of one orange

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup rolled oats or 1 cup granola cereal

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter , softened

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Evenly distribute bananas among 4 ramekins, lightly sprayed with Pam. Place all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and work mixture with your hands till crumbly. Sprinkle over bananas, crumbling further with your fingers, enough to cover. Bake till crumble get firm and golden in color, about 10-12 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Dust to Dust

Did it occur to you that as you grow older you are less house proud? I did not realize it until I received an email from Darlene (my step daughter’s mum) one morning. This was what she shared with me. I thought it is worth sharing so please spend sometime to read it. This is SO TRUE! My house is more dusty now, I have figured it out finally, have you?

QUOTE:

"A house becomes a home when you can write 

'I love you' on the furniture .  

I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend 
making sure things were just  perfect - 
'in case someone came over' 
Finally I realized one day that no-one came over; 
they were all out living life and having fun!

NOW, when people visit, I don't have to explain the 'condition' of my house.

They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun.

If you  haven't  figured this out yet, please heed this advice. Live is short, Enjoy it.

But  wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter,   bake cookies or a cake and lick the spoon or plant a seed,   than ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time....

with wine to drink , rivers to swim and  mountains to climb ,   music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish 
and life to lead.  

Dust if you must,

but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.  This day will not come around again.  

Dust if you must , but bear in mind, 
old age will come and it's not kind...

And  when you go - and go you must - you,  yourself will make more  dust!

It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what  kind of life you have lived."

So now, stop dusting and go bake yourself a carrot cake. It is so simple to do.This cake is rich and moist. The grated carrot with nuts, raisins and spices give the cake a great flavor and when covered with a tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting, it taste DIVINE! Have a slice with a cup of hot coffee or tea. Relax and ENJOY!

The recipe was posted last year and I believe many of you have missed it. When we had a bloggers gathering early this year at my home, Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover and her kids, Reese of Reese Kitchen and her daughter, Swee San of The Sweet Spot and Pei-Lin of Dodol Mochi all have tasted my carrot cake and loved it.  Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover baked this cake sometime this September with some modification to the cream frosting and she was very pleased with the result. Recently, Mel of Through the Kitchen Door baked this too and said she finally found THE carrot cake recipe after trying a few others. For those who are still looking for a tested and tasted easy carrot cake recipe, seek no more, this is it!

Bake if you must, click on the photo below to get the recipe. 

Carrot Cake 

My Quay Lo calls his Quay Po "LUCY" for a reason

Both Quay Lo and I love donuts. Before I started my food blog last July, I was totally not interested in cooking or baking. Needless to say, when we wanted any bakes, I had to go buy them. One afternoon, I went out to buy some donuts home for afternoon tea. That was not my favorite thing to do because finding a parking space where the bakery is situated is a big challenge. That particular afternoon, I was extremely lucky. I got myself a parking space without making any rounds. Some more, it was just a few door step away from the bakery. Have you ever found yourself walking a mile away from your car and then asked, "Did I lock my car door?" That happens to me so often that now, I had to lock and unlock the car a few times before I walked away from it. I know it sounds irrational but I can't help it. I hope I am not suffering from compulsive behavior but just being "Lucy".


After I bought the donuts and as I was walking back to my car, I saw a little white car looking for a parking space. I thought I could do something nice for the day so I waved my hand at the young driver and gave him a hand signal to follow me to where I parked my car so that he could take over the parking space.  I walked quickly to my car and had to used my car key to open the door. I could have used my car remote control if the central locking system was not out of order. My key went into the key hole but the car door would not open. I was puzzled but not sure why. The young driver waited for me patiently but I knew he must have wondered why I took so long to open my car door.  He sensed that I had difficulty so he was very kind to come to ask me if I needed help. While explaining to him that the door would not open, something inside the car caught my eyes.  OOPS!! that was not my car although it looked like it. Mine was two cars away! Oh my god! fortunately the owner of the car did not see what I was doing otherwise I will be mistaken as a car thief!  I thought opening and locking the car a few times before walking away was ridiculous, this is more bizarre right! So now, you know why my Quay Lo calls me "Lucy"?  LOL!  


For those who may not be familiar with the famous TV character, Lucy, you might want to check this video clip out - I love Lucy - Chicken and Rice. 


Did you enjoyed the video clip? Now is time for the recipe but it is not Chicken and Rice, it is Sweet Potato Donuts. You got to try this recipe. It is so easy to make and the donuts were very delicious. It has a crispy outside and a soft cushiony inside. I made a big batch and after giving away some to my neighbors, we still have some left. The three of us could not finish on the same day. I put what was left in the fridge and I was surprised that it still tasted good after two days. I warmed them up for about 10 seconds in the microwave and had two with a cup of hot coffee this morning, does that sound good to you?

Sweet Potato Donuts

Ingredients:

1 C mashed sweet potatoes 

2 tbs butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 C sugar

Oil for frying

1 C milk

2 ½  C flour

¼ tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp nutmeg

Method:

Work butter into mashed sweet potatoes. Add eggs, sugar and milk.  Mix well.  Add dry ingredients.  Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough out and cut out donuts.  Fry in hot oil. Drain on paper towel and roll in sugar.


I am submitting this entry to Aspiring Bakers #8 – Bread Seduction (June 2011)  hosted by Jasmine from The Sweetylicious.

Be a couch potato but don’t blame me

This soup had all the necessary nutrients in it and it is so easy to make. I ate with half a bowl of cooked fragrant white rice in it while my Quay Lo ate with crusty bread.  This is another quick and simple meal for a lazy evening. Definitely “An in-front of TV” meal. Use disposable bowls and cutleries if you don’t even want to get up and wash dishes.

I do not recommend that you do this often because I do not want to be responsible for you turning into a couch potato. I think once in a while is fun. One thing I would like to mention though is not to snack in front of the TV.  Studies have proven that people who watch TV and snack at the same time consume many calories without knowing it and tend to overeat.  The chances of you gaining weight is very high. I have told you so, if you don’t listen, don’t blame me. LOL!

French beans, potato, bacon and ham soup

Ingredients:

300 gm French beans, cut into 1 ½ in pieces

3 medium size yellow potatoes, cut into chunks

1 medium onions, cut lengthwise into six

2 pc of bacon

100 gm diced ham

4 C chicken stock or enough to cover all the ingredients

1 tsp ground black pepper

salt to taste

Method:

Throw all the above into the soup pot except salt and ground black pepper and bring to boil.  Turn heat to medium and let it boil till French beans are limp and onions are translucent. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer till potatoes are soft.  Add salt and ground pepper and serve hot.

Old person is a pot of GOLD

I believe in the Chinese saying , “A family with an old person has a living treasure of gold”, do you? How many of you have either your mother or your mother in law taking care of your kids and your household? Don’t you feel you have peace of mind while at work knowing that they are in safe hands instead of leaving them alone with a foreign maid? 

A smart and good maid is hard to find. Most maids we get in our country are ignorant and dumb. It is sad but true. The smart ones usually go to countries like Singapore and Hong Kong. So you must not take anything for granted. If you want her to use a vacuum cleaner, you must give her the instructions from A to Z.  That is not enough,  you must demonstrate to her how to use it. Don’t forget to tell her that it is not like a mop and she can’t bang the head into things like a mop. Oh if you didn’t tell her that she has to change the bag after each use, don’t get mad with her, it is not her fault, it is yours! 

Most maids have not even seen a stove with an oven, so she has never used one. What is Teflon covered pots and pan??  DUH!!! She will most likely use a scouring pad to clean them if you didn’t tell her not to do. Even if you told her not to, she will probably use one if she can’t find the sponge.

My friend told me she had given up teaching her maid how to open the car door. One day she left her in the car but with all the window glass wound down and told her that she can sit there till she learn how to open the door. After one hour, her maid walked into the house. She was so happy that her maid finally did it but was dumb founded to learn later that she got out of the car through the window. So, she is not that dumb after all. I laughed so hard that my stomach hurts. I know I should not but this is too hilarious.

My hubby and I always believe in treating our maids fairly and with respect but can you still respect people who is down right dishonest and lie through their teeth?  I am not saying all maids are dishonest but unfortunately both our maids were even we treated them like a member of our family.  I am sure some are worse, like telling their boyfriends what you have in your house and when you are not going to be there, they steal all your valuables and run away.  So, can I say we were lucky that both our maids did not do that?  Ya,ya, lucky! lucky! 

When you find a smart and honest maid, be very grateful.  In my house now, we have three GOOD MAIDS, not one. There are two old females (Quay Po & her mum) and a part time old male (Quay Lo)!!  Very hard-working and extremely honest. I would say, they are three pots of gold too.

To reward them in taking pride in their work, I gave them a day off.  I set up the table at the patio and served them light and fluffy butter cup cakes together with a pot of premium coffee. What do you think? Am I a good boss or not?

Butter cup cake with lemon curd frosting
(FOODBUZZ TOP 9 - 14 June 2011)

Ingredients:

250gm butter

220gm  castor sugar

4 eggs

150gm self raising flour

35gm plain flour

120gm sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Beat butter and sugar with mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg one at a time and add vanilla extract. Fold in shifted flour and sour cream. Pour mixture into cake pan.  Bake at 180 degrees C or 375 degrees F for about 30 mins or till you poke a skewer into the center of the cup cake and come out clean. 


After the cup cakes are cool, decorate them with your favorite frosting. I decorated mine with lemon curd and a dollop of strawberry jam in the center. 

Please click on the picture to get the lemon curd recipe