Baked Cheese Macaroni from recycled pasta sauces....!

macaroni with lots of cheese on top before baking in oven....

Golden brown.....baked macaroni cheese.................

Recently i made two types of pasta sauce for my two sons.....because son R prefers the white sauce and son H likes the bolognaise sauce...... i made the white sauce from scratch...that means i had to used milk, cream and cheese to cook this creamy sauce...he doesn't like the ready made ones in bottles....i had the recipe in my previous post......some cooked chicken breast meat was added to the white sauce and the bolognaise sauce had minced beef in it......After having their spaghetti for dinner.....there will be these leftover sauces in the fridge.......so in order to clear my fridge from all the the leftover food i decided to boiled some macaroni and mix it with these two pasta sauces.....top it with some fried bacon....and lots and lots of grated cheese.....then baked it in the oven til golden brown.........verdict: my two sons give the thumbs up for this dish .....cooked with recycled sauces.....wonderful isn't it ?

So to all my friends out there.....if you have any pasta sauces leftover try this recipe and it will be hit among the children....

3 in 1 tag................About Me......

i just recieve this tag from Dora...it is a 3 in 1 tag and i had the choice of doing both or just pick one....i will pick the tag About Me...so my blogging friends will get to know me better...here is the tag:-


1. A movie that made you laugh
Mr Bean's Holiday.....(i like all mr.bean shows)

2. A book that made you cry.
Eh..i have not been reading books lately..so no idea..

3. A Best Friend.
i have a few very good friends..so it is not fair to name only one... (my nieces..Lena..Iris..,all my sisters...my church sisters...Elaine...and Tenny..will always be there when i needed them..

4. A favorite childhood memories.
when i was given a box of chocolate...everytime i got my teeth checked .

5. Your favorite animal
Rabbits...their furs are so soft to touch...

6. Your favorite food
curry puffs....and many others too

7. An item of clothing you cannot do without.
My long pants....i have not been wearing skirts for ages already.

8. Something you collect.
recipes and cookbooks ...

9. Your favorite store to shop in.
Bookshops and clothings department stores...

10.Your favorite flower.
Jasmine of course.....that's my name ....in mandarin....


I would like to pass this tag my blogging buddies if they have not been tagged...

Shern's Mom

Kiasumum

Little corner of mine

My homemade mee hoon tiak.......!

a yummy plate of ...'mee hoon tiak'....with sambal belacan......

"Mee hoon" in hokkien means..".flour."...and the word..."tiak"...means "tear."... and so it literally means "tear flour". i 've been eating this since i could remember..prepared by mum....it is cheap and very easy to prepare...the secret to this dish is that you have to prepare a good ikan bilis (anchovies) stock beforehand...then you tear in the dough to the soup and boiled it til cook.

For the stock..i boiled some ikan bilis in a pot of water ...add in a big whole onion ...some crushed garlic and a big knob of crushed ginger for flavour...you can also add in some chicken bones if you have any....for about 20 mins...then sieved the stock and put aside.

For the dough...i knead some flour with water...oil...and an egg...to a soft dough...then flatten the dough with rolling pin....covered with damp cloth and leave aside.

In a pan.. fry some sliced onion and garlic til ..fragrant...add in some sliced chicken meat....season with salt...add in the prepared stock....bring to a boil....then add in some sayur manis....'mani chai'.....or ...any green vege to the stock.....cook for a minute...then tear in the flatten dough with hands...according to the thickness of your choice...by pulling the dough further...boiled til dough is cook...about a min or two..then serve it with sambal belacan and deepfried ikan bilis...sprinkled on top.

Weird...weird..Doc....that gives me goosebumps...!

last sunday i took son H to see a doctor...as he was not feeling well....his main objective to visit the doctor is to get an MC because he did not go to work that day....(he is doing his industrial training )...after a week of nearly 10 long hours daily of work...he was quite exhausted. And as it was a Sunday....the clinic we normally visit was closed....so we decided just to drop by this 24hrs clinic nearest our place....this is the scenerio.....

mum: good afternoon doc......

doc: no response...with blank look..

mum: doc...this is my son...he's not feeling well...

doc: u..his mother...?.....write down yr name on this card...(pushing a card before me....why...my name....?)

the 60 something years old doc then put a tape on son's forehead and ask him to open mouth....just a peep....that's it...

doc: he's got fever and throat infection and flu....i will give him injection...
mum:...(panick)...oh..doc...what injection...for what....???

doc:( gave me another blank look without answering....)

nurse standing behind him in a loud voice : she wants to know what injection....u r giving his son....!

doc: u a nurse......?.....u know the names of medicines...?

mum: i want to know becoz son never had injection for flu before....he might get an allergy or something....

doc: injection...get well in 3 hrs....take tablets..5 days...only get well.....one injection cost 70 rm...(gave me another zombie look on his face)

mum: talking to herself....(he is so weird....don't know what will happen to son after injection....better not trust him..)....no..doc..no injection..give him tablets...and MC....

doc:.......(gave me another stare without speaking...no response..)

nurse: please wait outside......

when i went to take his medication...i saw so many packets....(8 packets of tablets plus 1 bottle of cough mixture.)panadols...for pain and fever.....i can understand...but a packet of ponstan.. another pain killer for what..??...my goodness..tablets for nose allergy...tablets for throat allergy...tablets for sore throat.. antibiotics...and tablets for nose/flu......so many to take for just a slight cough...and no fever at that time....and not only that ....i was billed 100 bucks for all that...

well...have anyone of you come across such weird doctors...??

Walking in Style....versus...Walking In Comfort.....!

the Star -22/11/07

yesterday i came across these beautiful high heels decorated with glittering swarovski crystal made locally in The Star papers. i envy those who had the chance to wear those beautifully design shoes because i had not been wearing any shoes with high heels since i had my arthritis......that causes me to have swollen and stiff ankles..... now i can only wear shoes that has soft and flat inner soles.....

My expensive pair....of  "Ronald Mcdonald"....shoes made in UK...as Iris used to call it.......it has a special custom- made insoles specially for my feet...insoles cost around more than 400 ringgit malaysia...and shoes also cost around that figure....that comes up to nearly 1 k...for a pair of comfort shoes....!!....this type of shoe is also suitable for dibectics whose feet has harden or peeling skin problems..........it is very comfortable with soft padding all around and very light too.....
My another pair of expensive ...MBT ..sandals.....cost 800 rm ++

"MBT Sport Walkers by Swiss Masai
MBT©, Masai Barefoot Technology mimics the way the Masai tribe walks barefoot. These shoes have a stiff fiberglass in the sole. MBT shoes have no heel, forcing you to really roll through each step from heel to toe, enforcing good walking technique. They are heavier shoes and can take some getting used to. The makers claim that the design can make you feel better from head to toe. If you have problem feet and have tried many different solutions, MBT shoes are one more option."


This pair of sandals is really wonderful for me......before i bought this pair of sandals....my damaged and painful swollen ankles had caused my feet to turn outwards when walking......after training to walk properly with this pair of sandals...my feet has been align back to its normal position. Walking on this sandal is like walking on air.....it is so light thats it feels like you are floating instead of walking on the ground. They also make you sweat when you walk in it....because the rolling action from heel to toe cause your blood to flow from head to toe smoothly.............it is a good training shoe for those with backache problems....the only disadvantage is that you cannot walk on oily dirty wet grounds with these......because the special soles will be damaged....i only wear it at home for training and excercise or on those clean shopping complex.




My most recently bought pair of Adidas Okapi....walking shoes......very comfortable and light.....made of soft leather with soft cushioned inner soles...very ladylike and makes your feet looks small.....these only cost around 300 rm++..............

Hock Chew Food... at Bei King Restaurant.. in Sitiawan.

Bei King Restaurant in Jalan Raja Omar....Sitiawan.

Last week i went back to hometown and ate some Hock Chew food in this restaurant in Sitiawan. The Hock Chew food is very different from other chinese cooking in that they like to cook their food sweet and sour. They have their famous sweet and sour fish....sweet and sour pork ribs....sweet and sour sea cucumber and fish maw soup...that you cannot get it in any other places.....! Here are some of the popular dishes we ate in this restaurant.....

Sweet and sour fish maw soup....in Bei King restaurant a year ago.

Sweet and sour fish maw soup.....at Bei King restaurant last week....better presentation....this time....?

Sweet and sour "Hoo Piew" or......fish maw soup.... is a popular Hock Chew dish...quiet expensive.....this dish will not be missing from a Hock Chew wedding's dinner menu.

The " O Chien"...or fried oyster omelette is different from the ones in Penang...it is fried with onions and chillis....til crispy and fragrant.


Sweet and sour fish.......very delicious....boneless fish deep fried and cooked with sweet and sour sauce......they used a very special chilli sauce... also made locally by the hock chews....to cook this sauce.

If you like to taste hock chew food...do come to any restaurant in Sitiawan or Ayer Tawar to get the real taste of their sweet and sour dishes.

Chocolate Cupcake ......with Chocolate Butter Cream...!

Chocolate cupcake.................with creamy chocolate.....!

The good thing about cupcakes is that you do not need to cut up the cakes while serving.....they are good and convenient for parties and gatherings. I made these chocolate cupcakes together with my carrot cupcakes.....on my son R's birthday and also the day when almost the whole of Penang had a blackout at 3.30 pm.....luckily for me i had just finish baking the last batch and the cream too......

Ingredients:

150 gm butter - soften

150 gm castor sugar

175 self raising flour

3 large eggs

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer til light and fluffy.

2. Add in eggs one at a time and mix well.

3.Add in vanilla essence and mix til well combine.

4. Fold in flour and cocoa powder to mixture.

5. Line cupcake pans with 12 paper cups.

6. Fill the cups with cake mixture about 2/3 full.

7. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degree C or 350 degree F for 18 to 20 mins.

8. Test with a toothpick ...the toothpick will come out clean if it is cooked.

9. Leave to cool on a rack.

Fill the paper cups 2/3 full..................

Ingredients for Butter Cream:

75 gm butter - soften

125 gm icing sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp very hot water - to be mix with cocoa powder

Method :

1. Beat together butter and icing sugar with electric beater.

2. Once well combined, add mixture of cocoa powder.

3. Beat til smooth and creamy.

I used a piping bag to pipe the cream on top of the cooled cake...then i decorate it with chocolate chips. Put it in the fridge for the cream to frost before serving......

A Happy Blogging Wish.......!

I have recieved this happy blogging wish from kiasumum weeks ago and i had nearly forgotten about it because i had been quite busy lately....thank you.... mum of two lovely kids.... for this special wish from Poems of Cards.

I am indeed very glad to meet so many lovely bloggers out there who had shared their life's journey ,experiences,food reviews.....etc...etc...with us fellow bloggers. It is really a wonderful time spent....i will continue to blog and share with my blogger friends my humble life's journey...Please bear with me my grammar mistakes and poor presentation ....and do not hesitate to drop by more often......Happy Blogging... ...to all out there.!

Little Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Toppings....

Happy Birthday ......Son...............!

Little cuties.....................

Recently cupcakes seems to be in trend for birthdays and weddings...and since it was son R's birthday yesterday.....i try my hands on this little cutie which take some time and effort to make.....i will like to share it with my readers.....

Ingredients for cake:

250 gm castor sugar

2 large eggs

125 ml corn oil

1/2 tsp vanilla

60 ml milk

200 gm all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

little cup cakes left to cool in rack before toppings.........

Cream Cheese Toppings:

125 gm cream cheese - room temperature

65 gm unsalted butter

1/2 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp vanilla essence

125 gm icing sugar

Method for cake:

1. Cream butter and sugar til light and fluffy.

2. Add in eggs one at a time.

3. Then add in corn oil,vanilla esence and mix til well combine.

4. Sieve flour together with salt, baking powder and ground cinnamon

5. Fold 3/4 of the flour mixture into the egg mixture and mix well combine.

6. Tossed the remaining flour with the carrots and walnuts.

7. Add this to the cake mixture and blend together well.

8. Put mixture into paper cups ...2/3 full.

9. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degree C for 15 minute or til golden brown.

10. Leave on rack to cool completely before putting on the toppings.

Method for Cream Cheese toppings:

Beat cream cheese and butter til smooth ...add in the rest of the ingredients and continue beating til well combined and smooth. Use a butter knife to spread evenly on a cooled cupcake and decorated with coloured sugar toppings.

i was crazy enough to make another chocolate cupcake with chocolate butter cream toppings at the same time which i will share in my later post.....

Of ...Cats....and....Dogs............!

woof...woof....Zzzzzz...this bed is so...so...comfy....and soft..Zzzz.


Meow....Zzzz....my...bed is not too bad either....safety belt...and headrest..!

Hey...man...who..says..no dogs allowed..??..Grrrh...!

Slurp..slurp...this cow's milk is so good.....!


Oops..! i can't find my way around...please trim my moppy fur...!

wow...is this french kiss...or .....what??

Dinner at Foong Wei Heong Restaurant.........

Recently when we were eating at Goh Swee Kee restaurant at Jalan Bahari...we saw this restaurant a few doors away pack with people....so we were telling ourselves that the food there must be good for it to be so pack..we decided to eat there in our next eat-out session....here are the food we ordered...

the deep fried pork leg...too ka....with very crispy skin that comes with little fried buns.....

fish curry.......with a lot of fish slices...ikan kurau....very lemak and delicious......

the restaurant made egg bean curd with" kak kua"....a type of vege........

Broccoli fried with crispy dried sole......

crispy fried chicken wtih salad....at the bottom...

Foong Wei Heong Restaurant is located at:

23 & 25 Jalan Sri Bahari

10050 Penang

Tel: 04-2611 918

Fried Mee....a simple one dish meal.

Lately i have been quite busy and so a simple fried mee (yellow noodles) is the easiest dish to cook up......

Ingredients:

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp oil

some sliced fish cake or fish balls

100 gms breast meat - sliced and season with salt and pepper

some green vege

2 packets dried mee - boiled in a pot of water til cook and drained

Seasoning: Mix all together in a bowl.

1 tbsp of light soya sauce

1/2 tbsp of dark soya sauce

1 tbsp of oyster sauce

1 tsp chicken stock granules

a dash of salt and pepper

1/2 cup water

Method:

Fry the garlic in oil til fragrant...add in chicken breast and fish ball.....stir fry til change colour.....then add the vegetables to mix.....pour in seasoning and cook til it boils.....then put in the cooked mee to stir fry til well mix....the noodles is ready to be served. You can eat this fried mee with sambal belacan or chilli sauce..

My Ang Chiew Mee Sua..aka..Red Wine Noodles....!

The handmade mee sua.......white noodles....from Ayer Tawar.

The bottle of red wine .............made by my mum.

The delicious bowl of 'ang chiew mee sua'......................

For the Chinese hokkiens and hock chiews....a bowl of mee sua cooked with red wine or 'ang chiew' is a must for birthdays....i will blog about the making of the mee sua and the red wine in my later post...but for now i will share with my readers how i cook my 'ang chiew mee sua'........specially for Lena.

Ingredients:

8 -10 slices of old ginger

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 cup chinese red wine (ang chiew)

1 free range chicken- cut into bite size pieces

5 -6 bowls water

salt to taste

Method for soup:

1. Fry the ginger slices in sesame oil til very fragrant.

2. Add in the chicken to fry til half cook (about 2 to 3 mins).

3. Pour in 1/4 cup of the red wine and stir-fry til dry.(a little at a time)

4. Add in 1 tsp salt to fry and pour in another 1/4 cup of redwine..cook covered for about 5 mins.
5. Then add in water and the rest of the red wine to simmer in low heat for about 20 mins.

Cook til chicken is tender.

Pour in red wine........................

The bowl of red wine soup.......................

For cooking the mee sua:

Boiled a big pot of water. When water boils ....put in the mee sua and stir the mee sua with a chopstick til cook...about 1 min. Then take out mee sua and put in a bowl. Pour red wine soup over mee sua when ready to serve only...because the mee sua will double in size or' bloated 'when soup is pour in.

The Hock Chiews cook this red wine noodles for the mothers after they give birth...... almost every meal they have to eat this during their confinement .....it is said to be nutritious!

BBQ Chicken @ Gurney Plaza.........

this is a newly open korean chicken restaurant in Gurney Plaza.....they have another one in Kuala Lumpur....they used 100% olive oil to fry their chicken....besides the crispy fried chicken they also have BBQ, charbroiled and ..smoked chicken.. in ginseng and teriyaki.

this bowl of soup is complimentary with any chicken meal purchased...valid til 30th November 2007. it has bits of rice in it and taste a little spicy and sour.

this is Teri-Q-wings...4 pieces.....very delicious and crispy.....

we got to eat this plate of teriyaki chicken wings....twice..!! for FREE..! besides our main orders.

the first time the korean guy in charge brought us this was when we told him about a strand of hair in our soup......he quickly replaced the soup for us and apologized to us.....together with this 4 pc teryaki wings as complimentary...!

Next, we waited for nearly 45 minutes for our orders to arrive....i again call out the korean guy to enquire about our food.... he went straight into the kitchen to check and he came out to apologize again for the delay....and said something about the confusion in the kitchen...in his korean accent...then another plate of this delicious fried chicken was given to us as complimentary....or to fill our hunger first..!!..( i think they have bad management in the newly employed staff)....don't know how many free meals of chicken this poor korean manager has to give out..???

this is the set meal of fried rice with chicken hot drum and salads....spicy but nice...you can choose either to have mash potato or fried rice.

this is Jerk BBQ chicken with mash potato and salad.......very juicy and tender...

this is olive luxury chicken with fried rice and salads...very crispy.

this is Pat Bing Soo... the korean version of our local ice-kacang....the bowl looks big but actually it is very shallow with a thick glass bottom....rm 9.90 for this big bowl and rm 5.50 for a smaller one....taste wise...nothing to shout about....our local ice-kacang tastes so much better....!

overall the food is not bad if you like chicken....the fried rice is a bit too soft for my tastebud.....remember it is cook with olive oil..therefore more healthy...in return for a heavier price....!

Teochew Food @ Goh Swee Kee Restaurant...

last sunday, my family and i had dinner at this restaurant with my sister-in-law Vivian and her lovely friends from Scotland...Bob and Gwen. Teochew style dishes are served in this restaurant. Here are some pics of the food we had..

the crispy prawn roll................delicious...

the sweet and sour boneless chicken....Gwen's favourite.

the humongous oyster in chilli bean paste sauce....yummy!

claypot braised duck meat with yam......it was all gone in no time..! so no idea how it taste like...

the deepfried fish with soya sauce......they have it in tom yam sauce but our scottish friends are not used to the spicy food..so we order this.

Goh Swee Kee restaurant is located at:

5,Sri Bahari Rd, Penang.

Tel: 04-263 6932