SELAMAT HARI RAYA

HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY

FOR THOSE WHO "BALIK KAMPONG", HAVE A SAFE TRIP!

HUGS from QUAY PO AND FAMILY

A fund for Jennie

I am sure a lot of us know that our fellow blogger, Jennie recently lost her dear husband suddenly. Many have responded to pay tributes to her late husband Mikey by making his favorite Peanut butter creamy pie.  It is heartbreaking enough to lose the man she loves but it is even more heartbreaking to know that she might be in financial difficulty after finding out that she is not eligible for widow’s benefits because her income is too high to qualify.


Please read this post to find out more:
A fund for Jennie


I know what it is like because I have been through that myself.  If you have been following my blog you would have known the difficulties I faced when my first husband passed away suddenly. I do not wish another soul to have the same experience as Jennie and I.  Here is a link about that time if you are curious:

From strangers to good friends

I know one way I can be of help to Jennie is make a donation and to join the project organized by our fellow blogger Shauna Ahern to write a post to help raising funds for Jennie.

If you wish to make a donation to Jennie, please click on the "Bloggers without Borders" button:

I am sure Jennie and her two girls will be very grateful for your generosity and kindness.

This can happen to any of us and trust me, it is true of my last post’s title “Give and you shall receive”.   

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.

Why as easy as ABC and not XYZ?

When my mum served this bowl of soup to me, I asked her for the recipe and the method. I was dumb founded to see the short list of ingredients and how easy it was to cook this mouth watering delicious healthy soup. I noticed she did not use any oil.  I took two bowls with rice. I told mum I wanted to share this recipe with my readers and friends and she gave me the recipe and told me how she cooked it. I asked her twice if she had forgotten some ingredients and steps in the method. She got impatient and answered me, “Haiyah, hai kam lor, mun kam tor bai. hoe yoong yee geh, yoong yee ko Quay Lo ABC.” (Haiyah, this is it, ask so many times. very easy, more easy than Quay Lo ABC). OMG! even my mum who does not know English or speak the language knew how to say that! I could not help but laughed out loud!  So are you convinced now that this soup is simple to make? Oh... and does anyone ever wonder why it is "easy as ABC" and not XYZ?

Borlotti bean soup

Ingredients:

500 gm borlotti beans

2 medium carrots, peel skin and cut into chunks

200 gm pork ribs

800 ml chicken stock

salt to taste

Method:

Take out the beans from the straw. Wash them and put them (both beans and straw) into a soup pot. Blanch the pork ribs and drain away the water. Put the pork and chicken stock into the soup pot and bring to boil. Let it boil on high heat for 15 mins and lower heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for 1 hour or until the pork meat is tender. Serve hot after dishing out the straw.


Note: I added plain fragrant rice to the soup and this is another perfect healthy one dish meal. I think for those who are working, you can do this in the crock pot so that when you return from work, all you have to do is to cook some rice and you have a wonderful meal!

A SPECIAL POST for Mikey

I was not a blogger when my first husband, Mike suddenly passed away 22 years ago. If I was, I would probably have done something similar as Jennie did for Mikey. I would have written a post to remember him and made one of his favorite meals and invite all my blogger friends to join me to celebrate his life. 

I do not know Jennie of  "In Jennie's Kitchen", nor did I know her husband Mikey, but I do know what she is going through. The sudden loss of the man that you love most is devastating! The loving tribute she has written for her husband brought tears to my eyes. She wanted to make this pie for Mikey but did not get to do it before he passed. So she has requested her fellow bloggers to make this pie for his memory.  This is what she said. “For those asking what they can do to help my healing process, make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there's no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on.” I have made the pie using her recipe and I am going to share it with those I love and tell them that I love them, and remind myself that I don't say that enough and yes, I will follow Jennie’s advice, I will keep in mind that TODAY is the only guarantee we can count on! What a wonderful thing she has done to memorialize her husband's life. She has reminded us the importance of expressing our love to our loved ones. And she has shared her husband's love for a pie, and her love for him, all across the blogosphere. I hope you make the pie, or another favorite, for someone you love.

Peanut butter cream pie for Mikey

Please click on the photos to get Jennie's recipe

http://www.injennieskitchen.com/2011/08/for-mikey.html

Who said we can't have the best of both worlds?

The past few days I was really, REALLY not in the mood for cooking. In fact I even uttered that to my Quay Lo and he said that I might want to consider telling my friends and readers that I am going to close down Quay Po Cooks for a break. I don’t know why, but I just felt out of it. I wondered if an episode of depression was starting to kick in!  Then after a short conversation with my Quay Lo who is ever so supportive about how I feel and ever willing to do anything to make life easy and happy for me, including foregoing a real meal, I decided to not take the path down darkness instead I went into my kitchen and started cooking.  


Just a few days ago, when my classmate, Puteh posted on her FB:
"Depression is NOT a sign of weakness, it is a sign that you have been trying to be strong for too long. Put this as your status if you know someone who has or had depression. Will you do it, and leave it on your status for at least an hour? Most people won't, but it's mental health week and 1 in 3 of us will suffer at some point in our lives. Show your support. I copied and pasted, will you?"


I re-posted that on my FB status because I agreed 100% with what was said. In reply, I have written on my FB that we are what we think and my blog is instrumental to my healing. So now I have to walk the talk. This made me change my thinking that very moment and I went straight to my fridge. I took a piece of pork loin out of the freezer and let it thaw. Then I started to gather all the ingredients and prepared to braise the pork loin with lots of vegetables and herbs for dinner. Braised pork is one of my Quay Lo's favorite dishes.

When the pork loin was done perfectly and the gravy was prepared, I told my Quay Lo that dinner will be ready soon. He came into the kitchen and looked at the pot of gravy, cooked vegetables and the braised pork loin and an idea struck him. We had talked about cooking ahead so that on evenings we didn't feel like cooking, we would have something in the freezer that we could simply warm up. He observed that we could save the pork loin for future meals (he loves pork sandwiches) and use the gravy and the aromatic vegetables from the braising pot for a soup. His wave length was on minestrone, so he suggested that we add more chicken stock, a small amount of diced boiled potatoes for thickening, a can of Italian tomatos, a can of black beans, and a handful of freshly cooked pasta. Though the vegetables and gravy were already well spiced, we added freshly ground oregano. We ended up with a two quart braising pot full of soup which we simmered for half an hour then let it sit for another two hours, before reheating qnd having our first meal of it. I knew the reason he suggested this was because he wanted to have the soup ready so whenever his Quay Po goes cranky, he can just tell her “Honey, it is okay, no need to cook if you don’t feel like it.”  By this time, the heaviness in my heart was gone. We now have a whole braised pork loin, well seasoned and cooked perfectly, wrapped and ready in the fridge and an ultra delicious soup placed in three containers (each enough for a meal for both of us) in the freezer as welll as that evening's dinner.


My god daughter, Cheryl posted on the status of her FB "If you have a wonderful husband or a boyfriend who works hard to take care of you and would do anything for you, then re-post this as your status to give the honest good men out there the recogniton that they deserve. Because great men are few and I am proud that I HAVE ONE.:)" Cheryl, if you are reading this post, I am happy you feel blessed because we will be a happier person if we all have gratitude. My Quay Lo told me that gratitude is one of the most important keys to a happy life and if we can truly be thankful for what we have, we will be contented and what we don't have will not bother us.

I did not re-post that on my status, but I am giving my Quay Lo the recognition here for successfully pulling me out of my "CRANKINESS" and into cooking a nice meal for him instead! It is one that I am proud of. The soup was so good and I know the pork loin will be "killer". Yay! Quay Po Cooks will be here to stay for my Quay Lo, my friends, family, my readers and especially my blogger friends! So remember when you feel down and out, you can change your thinking!  Trust this, you are what you think:D

Here are the recipes for the pork loin and the last minute self created pasta and vegetables soup (Quaylo says it's "minestrone"). Both braised pork loin and the soup is SOO delicious that I am not shy to blow my own trumphet! Tell me if this is not the best of both worlds! I would also like to dedicate this post to all those who have or had depression and wish you all speedy healing! HUGZZ!!

Braised pork loin

Ingredients:

2 to 3 lbs boneless Pork loin without skin and tied with kitchen twine

1 green apple, chunks

2 stick celery, cut into 1 in piece

200 gm asparagus, cut into shorter length

1 ½ medium white onion, cut into 6 portions

5 cloves garlic with skin

4 shallots, sliced

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

2 or 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup white wine

2 tbs sunflower oil

Enough of chicken stock to cover the pork loin

To Marinate pork loin:

Ingredients:

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cumin

Method:

Mix all the above and rub thoroughly over pork loin and set aside and let it marinade for about 30 minutes.

Method of Braising the pork loin:

Heat oil in the cast iron pot. Add onion and garlic, stir fry till onion is slightly limb. Add shallots and stir fry till fragrant. Remove onion, garlic and shallots and set aside. Use the oil to sear the pork loin and make sure all sides are browned.  Remove seared pork loin from pot and set aside. Remove half of the oil from the pot and turn the heat up to high. Throw in all the vegetables and mix well with the oil. Return the pork loin back into the pot. Add chicken stock till it completely covered the pork loin and top it with the cooked onion, garlic and shallots, rosemary and thyme. Braised it in an oven at 220 degrees C for about 50 mins or till the meat thermometer reads 72 degrees C for medium cooked pork.  Remove all contents from the pot and reduce the stock till it thicken. You may thicken it further with 1 tbs corn flour in 2 tbs water.  Return all the cooked vegetables into the pot of gravy. Make sure you cover the pork loin and let it rest for 15 mins before cutting to serve. I served it with mashed potato and buttered asparagus.

For those who want to know how to tie the pork loin here is a good video tutoial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbv4z_842ik&feature=relate


Vegetables, Beans and Pasta soup

Ingredients:
Reserved liquid, vegetables and gravy from braising the pork loin
1 litre chicken stock
1 can Pomodori tomatos, roughly chopped, with liquid from the can
1 can black beans with liquid from the can
200 gms cubed ham (smoke cured will work especially well here)
2 small potatoes, skinned, par boiled, and cubed
1 tsp fresh or re-ground oregano
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
salt and black pepper to taste (be sure to taste before adding) 
140 grams of cooked pasta shells or macaroni*

* We had a bag of corn and "vegetable", gluten free, pasta that had been purchased by my Quay Lo by accident so we decided to use it up. It was quite good actually but semolina flour pasta is more traditional.


Method:
After braising, remove the pork loin (this would work well with braised beef as well) and add the above ingredients to the pot. Simmer for thirty minutes and let stand until completely cooled (this will result in a nice exchange of flavors between braising herbs and spices with the newly introduced ones.) Store and reheat as desired.

Took these beauties home and don't know what to do with them

When I saw these beauties at the supermarket, I just could not resist taking them home. They have been relaxing in my fridge un-disturbed for about a week but they still look attractive.

I was undecided what to do with them. Then, I saw the theme for Aspiring Bakers #10 - "Easy as pie"a few days ago. That prompted me to use them to make a pie for the entry. This fits the title because making this is truly as easy as ABC! Furthermore, this dessert looks gorgeous and will definitely "WOW" your guests if you serve it nicely presented with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. You don't see the whipped cream and vanilla ice cream in my photos because I was not in the mood of going through the hassle of the preparation required to take good shots of cream and ice cream, especially on such hot weathers. Hope these photos will be good enough to convince you all that this pie is delicious and worth trying the recipe out.

Apricot pie spiced with mint leaves and nutmeg

This is featured on AFC (Official) Facebook page

on 7th July 2012

Ingredients:

4 cups sliced fresh apricots

¾ to 1 cup sugar (depends on individual taste)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tb finely sliced mint leaves

1 tbs lemon juice

1 Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)

Milk for brushing the pie crust

Additional sugar to sprinkle on top

Method:

In a bowl, toss apricots, sugar, flour, mint leaves and nutmeg. Sprinkle with lemon juice; mix well. Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom crust; add filling. Roll out remaining pastry to make a top crust. Place over filling; seal edges. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cover edges of pastry loosely with foil. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.

Method to make the pie crust:

Please click on the link:

Baking with friends is chicken soup for my soul

I am submitting this recipe to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011) hosted by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink

2nd best Chinese Chicken Salad

My Quay Lo told me that his daughter’s mum makes one of the best Chinese Chicken Salad that he has ever tasted.  I have yet to get the recipe from her. It aroused my curiosity of how a Quay Lo Chinese chicken salad taste like. So I googled the web and I found this recipe from Ellie Krieger. As usual, I made some modification and I am very happy with the result.  Wow! this salad is very refreshing and tasty and I assures you that this will please our Asian palette. However, I will still try to get the recipe from Darlene because I know it must taste better than this because when my Quay Lo speaks so highly of her salad, it MUST be TOP NOTCH! You know it is so true that when you had the best, you will not want the 2nd best.  Perhaps when we visit USA next and when we get together, we might request her to make this salad for us? This reminded me of our get together during our last visit. We had so much fun at the Japanese Restaurant. The food was SOOO delicious and all of us were SOOO stuffed. Fond memories are very precious! Got to do that again soon! 

For now, take a look at this 2nd best in my Quay Lo's book...

Chinese Chicken Salad

Largely adapted from Ellie Krieger at Food Network.com with modification

Ingredients:

4 tbs soya sauce, divided

2 tsp sesame oil, divided

2 tsp toasted sesame

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly shredded (about 6 cups)

1/4 head red cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)

1 large carrot, shredded (about 2 cups)

3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, greens included (about 1/2 cup)

300g toasted chestnuts

4 oranges, sliced

1/3 C lemon juice

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp minced ginger

2 tbs sunflower oil

2 tbs brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp thai sweet chilli sauce

1/4 C toasted cashew nuts

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil. Brush onto chicken breasts and place into a baking dish. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into 1/4-inch slices.

In a large bowl, combine Napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, scallions, toasted chestnuts, orange slices and sliced chicken. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons soy sauce lemon juice, garlic, ginger, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, brown sugar and chili sauce. Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Top each serving with roasted cashew nuts.

I got to have it so I made it myself!

Stir fry chickpeas with dried chilli and curry leaves is one of my favorite snacks. I used to buy this from a hawker in SS15 Subang Jaya who also sells vadais plus many other delicious snacks. When I went there yesterday, she was not opened. I was so disappointed and when I returned home, I decided to make my own. Since I wanted to eat it immediately, I used the canned chickpeas instead of those that I need to soak overnight. This is very simple to make and it is truly a delicious snack. Try eating them with a glass of wine or beer and it is divine! I can just eat the whole serving of chickpeas all by myself. Oh yes, it is THAT delicious!

Here is the lady and her family that I used to buy the chickpeas from. It is very heart warming to see the whole family helping out in the business and they all seemed to be very happy working together. I love seeing happy family! It is worth making a trip to this hawker because almost everything she sells are delicious. I will die for the vadai and the deep fried onions. I like that she makes it so spicy. It is crispy outside and soft inside where the lentils are well cooked not like some where the lentils are not properly cooked and so hard that will almost break my old teeth. Her prices are very reasonable too. 

This is what I buy always!!

Stir fry chickpeas

Ingredients:

1 can chick peas

1 medium white onion, sliced

5 dried chillis,

1 cup curry leaves

1 tbs mustard seeds

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp olive oil

salt to taste

Method:

Drain the chick peas and set aside. Soak dried chillies in warm water for 20 mins. Drain and cut into smaller pieces.  Wash curry leaves and set aside. Heat wok with olive oil and add onion and dried chillis. Fry till onion is translucent and dried chillis are dark in color. Add mustard seeds and fry till fragrant. Put in the chick peas and curry leaves and stir fry till you can smell the fragrance of the curry leaves. Add curry powder and salt to taste.  Mix well and serve.

Note: It is very tasty even eaten cold. Actually, you do not really need to follow my measurement, you can use your own to suit your taste.  I think this make a pretty appetizer when you have friends over for dinner, don't you think?

I was a "TRUE" China woman but now I'm a HALF BAKED Quay Po

Two weeks ago, I told my Quay Lo, I wanted to try making grits. I remembered he made grits for me many years ago and I did not like it.  That was because I was a “TRUE” China woman back then and did not like anything "cheesy".  Over the years, I am slowly but surely transformed into a half-baked Quay Po, who now eats all kinds of cheese including blue cheese (but not Parmesan). I wanted to give this dish a second chance.  So, my Quay Lo handed me my late Mother-in-law’s grits recipe. He told me that she made grits on Thanksgiving as a side dish and their family loved it.  

Before I headed off to the kitchen to cook grits, my Quay Lo asked me if I knew what grits were.  I thought I was so smart to tell him that it is coarsely ground rice.  I was wrong, he said grits are coarsely ground corn.  "Oh I see!" said the blind man. LOL!

This recipe is superb because the flavors of each ingredient compliment each other so well.  This is a perfect one dish weekend meal because there is not much preparation, and that means less cleaning up and dishes to wash. I love it!

Roasted Garlic Cheese Grits Casserole

Largely adapted from my Mother in law’s recipe with modification

Ingredients:

3 C chicken stock

1 small head roasted garlic, chopped

¾ C Quick Grits

2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided 1 ½ cup and ½ cup

¾ C Carnation evaporated  milk

1/3 C melted butter

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

6 to 12 drops of Tabasco sauce
1 tbs Worstershire sauce

¼ tsp ground black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 2-quart baking dish and set aside.  Roast a head of garlic and chopped, set aside. Bring chicken stock to boil in a medium saucepan, slowly stir in grits. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and let it cook, stirring occasionally for 5 to 6 mins.  Add 1 ½ cup cheese, evaporated milk and butter to saucepan and stir until cheese are melted.  Add eggs , Tabasco sauce, roasted chopped garlic and ground black pepper and stir well. Turn off heat and pour over cooked grits and mix well.  Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and spring with the remaining ½ cup cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.’’

Note: I served it with bacon, eggs, cut lettuce and cherry tomatoes with toasted bread and butter on the side.