The Trotting Gourmand

Salam From Morocco

2012-01-29T16:41:00.000+08:00

Sending some love from Morocco :)
Till the next blog update, Ma'assalama! xoxo

The Last "Supper"

2012-01-08T17:34:00.000+08:00

Who will make it as the 1st Masterchef Malaysia? Are you rooting for Ezani the dentist or Wahidan the gardener? Tune in Astro 104 for the result tonite peeps!

The Trotting Gourmand In The Press

2012-01-06T02:18:00.000+08:00

Remember that I flew to Los Angeles to meet Bob Blumer, the celebrity chef? Well, finally wrote about the experience. And my piece (a 1-page-spread!) was published in The Star recently on Christmas Day. Here you go dear readers - the link to the online version. Surreal Meal With Bob Blumer

Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it :) xoxo

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T23:09:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year peeps!

May good things make their way into your plate in 2012!

xoxo

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

Gooey Caramel - Nigella Style!

2011-12-20T18:35:00.003+08:00

Really wanna get hold of this Stylist-December Issue with Nigella Lawson on the cover. Yupp, that's her dripping with gooey caramel and closing her heavily-made eyes. Mamma mia, anyone in the UK can help me get this? Thanks in advance! xoxo

Snack To Your Heart's (errr..Uterus) Content?

2011-11-23T21:05:00.001+08:00

Do you snack a lot? I am sure guilty of snacking all the time but I try to tell myself to snack the right stuff. (Read : I'm hungry all the time!) (Read again: No! Garrett popcorns & McD's Chicken Mcbites do not count as the right stuff!).

Ok, ok, despite all that bad stuff, I do have good stuff on my table to snack on. Few months back I was diagnosed with ademonyosis and endometriotic cysts. Yupp, doc said I gotta go for a surgery right away. Told her I had work commitment and would like to postpone it. So she ended giving me an injection. On top of the RM1.2k jab (Lucrin) to control the growths, the doctor gave me apricot kernels and mulberry to take every morning and evening. Was told that the apricot kernels contain vitamin b17 which is now slowly known as the supplement to suppress the big C. No, I wasn't diagnosed with the big C (na'uzzubillah) but b17 in the kernels is believed to help control/prevent the growths from further growing. While mulberrry is to kill the "oh-my-god-you're-not-kidding-me" bitter taste of the kernels. On top of that, my genius friends at work have discovered this Blood Type Diet and we've been trying as much as possible to eat what is right for our blood type. So I've been snacking on prunes a lot and taking apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil and all types of berries (they're known to contain high antioxidants).

Forward, forward -> after about 2 months - via an ultrasound routine with the doc, guess what, the growths had shrunk by more than 50%! I was so over the moon, so was the doctor! Alhamdulillah. Am really glad that I do not have to go under the knife now. Yupp, the progress is tremendous that the doctor told me no surgery is required! Well just thought you'd find this inspiring. And yes, Godwilling, these stuff really work, peeps! And yes, head to the organic stores nearby to check these goodies out. Snack on!!

Tis The Season (To Bake Sugee)

2011-10-24T18:08:00.005+08:00

I recently baked sugee cakes. I remember exactly at this time last year, a dear friend of mine, Carol requested that I bake her a sugee cake and I immediately said yes. Only to realise after that, that I've never had sugee cakes before. I love sugee cookies though but never tried the cakes and have never baked one before too!

So, when in doubt, google! Haha. Whoa!! Was really surprised when I saw the ingredients. The number of eggs and amount of sugar used! Super-thigh food. That's what my friend would call this. I ended up with the so-called 'healthiest' and 'figure-friendliest' recipe. Passed it to Carol for tasting and nahh! Even I didn't like it. Brown sugar for sugee, nahh! It doesn't go that way. Plus the recipe called for the use of almond essence. Nahhh, that didn't work either. I finally settled for one recipe I got from an old magazine. That was ok lah!

Carol wanted the cake again last week for her fiance's birthday party (yupp! he's not a fan of the fancy schmancy looking cake!) and I scrambled looking for the recipe I used last year. Didn't find it but call me lucky, I managed to nab an authentic Indian sugee cake recipe from MIL's neighbour, whom I call Aunty. But the thing was, I could feel my waistline expanding just by looking at the recipe alone. So, tweaked it a bit. Made a mock-up cake for my fave girls at work to try. Was over the moon when they said they liked it. And to my delight, after I handed Carol the cake, she said it passed with flying colours. She added that the cake didn't make it to the birthday party. It went down their tummies even before the party started. Haha! That news sure made my day!

I was told to guard the recipe dearly by the Aunty though but if you want the recipe, leave a comment here with your email add and I'll revert to you ok. Hmm..gonna bake some for Deepavali. Want some? :)

Holy Guacamole (!) - The Blogger MasterChef Finale

2011-10-18T23:37:00.012+08:00

Holy guacamole (!) - the very first thing I said when I saw two ripe avocadoes in the mystery box for the Invention Test at the finale! Am not quite a fan of this fruit. Wait! Is it a fruit or a vege huh? Haha. The only thing I've made with avocadoes was guacamole, in an attempt to copy Nigella Lawson's "Roquemole" - a roquefort-based guacamole. Roquefort is sheep's milk blue cheese and I ended up throwing the whole bowl I made because it was just too strong to my liking!

We were given 2 minutes to pick 10 things from the pantry upon checking the stuff in the mystery box. I simply grabbed bread, mushrooms, lemons, shallots, garlic etc. not knowing what to make. The only thing I thought of that time was to use the avocadoes shells and stuff them with errrr, stuff?

When I finally had some inkling of what to do later, I ended up making antipasti. Called my creation - Quattro Avocado Antipasti - 4 types of dips stuffed in the avocadoes shells and served with canapes. Tadaaaa! Was given pretty good reviews by the judges, but no, I didn't win the contest. But to be in Malaysia's top 10 list, was just priceless! A damn good and fun experience for a pretend chef like me! Thanks Astro & Nuffnang for organising this. Till next year? Haha, I sure gotta cook more at home, buy more cook books, watch more cooking shows and enroll in cooking classes ay?

The Finale

2011-10-15T01:28:00.002+08:00

Big day today! Masterchef Blogger finale. I just hope that I'll survive the day and won't end up making a fool out of myself in the public! For those of you who wish to support us the finalists, come and join the fun at SACC Mall, Shah Alam @ 12.30 pm! Come one, come all!

These Suffice

2011-10-11T22:56:00.003+08:00

Don't need all the crystal ware and expensive antique stuff to deco my wall at home - these suffice! These babies make my day just by looking at the yummilicious and beautiful colourful covers. I know I'm weird :)

The Dish That Got Me Through

2011-10-09T23:00:00.005+08:00

Believe it or not, I made it to the finals guys! Yupp, for the Masterchef Malaysia BLOGGERS Challenge. Didn't believe it myself! There were prawns, pineapples, egg, flour and spices in the mystery box and I ended up making what I call Spicy Tropical Shrimp Lollies (after sweating profusely not knowing what to make!) Anyway, here's the pic of the dish that got me through. Wish me luck for the finals this week! xoxo

A Nervous Wreck

2011-10-07T16:08:00.002+08:00

OMG! OMG!

Peeps, got chosen to proceed to the semi-final stage of the MasterChef Malaysia Blogger Contest organised by Nuffnang and Astro! (Wrote about it in my previous entry) Attending a real cook-off tomoro. My heart's palpitating right now. Am such a nervous wreck! Wish me luck peeps!

xoxo

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

MasterChef : A Little Secret Wish

2011-10-02T01:00:00.047+08:00

I think I was a chef in my previous life! Haha!

When I am in control of the TV remote at home, everyone else will have no choice but to watch all the food related shows with me. When no one is looking, I weep with joy over how brilliant and skilful the Junior MasterChefs are on TV. When I am alone at home, I will host my own cooking show in the kitchen – Yes! Call me crazy but I will suddenly turn into this TV chef and start to verbalise every action I make, sometimes pretending that I am in the MasterChef’s Mystery Box or Pressure Test challenges. Haha! When I crave for something sweet, I have no qualm walking in the rain to go to the nearby shop when I run out of raspberries and cream to make that panna cotta and raspberry coulis I saw they made in MasterChef Masterclass. When I travel, I am constantly on the look out for must-try eateries. Oh, I love everything about food and psst! psst! I am secretly dreaming of becoming a MasterChef (and now hoping to become Malaysia's first Blogger MasterChef!). I spend a big percentage of my pay-check on cook books. I spend my spare time experimenting recipes and my food testers are people around me; family and friends. It is always a delight when they give good words about the stuff I whip up for them. (Though I hope they’re not just being nice) ;)

One thing I love making all the time is something I call Crunchy Cone Salad, a recreation of a favourite salad of mine from a California-based restaurant, but with a twist! The twist lies in the presentation, which is something I nabbed from the celeb chef Bob Blumer (whom I’ve met and lucky to be friends with now ;) ) Name dropping huh? Haha. Ok, back to the recipe. Usually, you will eat the wontons out of the crispy, crunchy salad. But now you get to eat the salad of out the crispy, crunchy wonton. Wanna know how you can make this?

What do you need?

Salad dressing

1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad and cone

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breast(s)
A pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups peanut oil
9-10 wonton pastry wrappers
2 cups sliced and finely grated romaine lettuce
2 cups sliced and finely grated red cabbage
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted cashews
1/3 cup chopped canned mandarin slices
2 onions
Paper cones or use card boards to make your own 9-12 cones of 4-5 inches diameter

How ?

Season chicken breast with salt. Cook chicken with 1 tablespoon of peanut oil for about 5 minutes per side. Reserve the cooked chicken aside.

Preheat oven to 180°C.
In a bowl, set out peanut oil along with a pastry brush. Brush both sides of each wrapper with peanut oil.
If you do not have with you ready-made cones, make yours with card boards. Simply cut circles out of the card board and fold them into cones.

Wrap 1 wrapper around each cone and press seams together. Then set out the cones on a baking sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. When cones cool, pull them off the cones and reserve.

Dice chicken finely. Reserve.
Whisk together peanut butter, vinegar, honey, water and soy sauce.
Stir in sugar, salt and cayenne pepper.
Add oil and continue whisking until smooth.
Drizzle the dressing on the salad.

Assemble salad in the wonton cones. Top with sliced chicken and mandarin slices. Walla! They're now ready to be served.

Isn’t this a more fun way to serve your salad? Well, you can put virtually anything in the cones though. Imagine your curry puff fillings served in these cones or even your popiah. What else? The sky is the limit when making these!

People say everything good is free, but I’d say everything good is fried! Haha. Still on the topic of wontons, I have another recipe to share. Choc Wontons (Thanks Bob Blumer!). Deep fried wonton skins filled with dollops of peanut butter, slices of ripe bananas and chocolate. There are certain foods that make my eyes grow large and the corners of my mouth go up. Any recipe mentioning of these ingredients goes right into my “to cook” list. So, these babies are what I’ve been making every time guests come for tea. Wanna know what they taste like? Imagine this, when you bite the crispy wonton, the peanut butter, banana and chocolate just ooze out where you get to savour the sweetness of the banana and gooey chocolate with a hint of saltiness from the peanut butter. Isn’t that just divine? The recipe as follows :

What do you need?

15-20 wonton pastry wrappers
1/4 cup peanut butter
4 bananas, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch-thick slices
15-20 chocolate balls or bar segments
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Peanut oil for deep frying

How?

Place a slice of banana onto the centre of a piece of wonton wrapper.
Place 1 teaspoon of peanut butter on the banana and top with chocolate.

Wet your finger with water and trace the wonton wrapper around the ingredients.Pinch and seal wrapper around the ingredients tightly.

Pour oil into a pot. When oil is ready, fry the wontons for about 1 minute or until wonton wrappers are golden brown.
Remove and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool before serving.

I first served these babies at a potluck, and guess what went missing from the plate in a blink of an eye? (Refer to the white container in the photo). Hehe.

Easy peasy right? Not only these are pleasing to the eyes, but they would tickle your taste buds with fancy. Simple recipes infused with wow! factors – these are what you call MasterChef worthy huh? ;) Speaking of which, it is now official that the reality show will be shown on TV in less than a month. Yeay! The cooking reality show which does not require viewers votes are now breaking viewership records in US and Australia (remember MasterChef Australia? MasterChef USA?) Associated with big names such as Gordon Ramsay and Gary Mehigan, MasterChef is a success because not only is food something everyone is very passionate about but the show is only opened to amateur home cooks and it is an avenue to turn home cook hopefuls into culinary stars. Now Malaysians who love cooking but never had a chance to really showcase their skills and be appreciated, get the opportunity! Guess who have been announced as the MasterChef Malaysia judges? Our own big guns in the industry, of course - Chef Riz, Chef Jo, Chef Zubir, Chef Yahaya and Priya Menon!

Yupp, you got that right, MasterChef-Malaysian style! So if you fancy some cooking throwdown the Malaysian way, do block your diary. Details as follows:

Launch date : 22nd October 2011
Show times : Starting from 22nd October 2011, every Saturday – Wednesday, 9pm. Master Class will be on every Friday, 9.00pm.
Program channel – Astro Ria (Channel 104)

To find out more about the show, you can also check out :

Official Site URL – http://www.astro.com.my/MasterChef/
Facebook Page Link- http://www.facebook.com/MasterChefMalaysia
Twitter Link– www.twitter.com/MasterChefMY

So, are you ready for the MasterChef phenomenon to take over the country soon? My junior chefs and I are definitely are!

Tweet Tweet!

2011-09-24T14:41:00.008+08:00

What do you do when a superstar celeb chef follows you on Twitter?

- You jump up and down?
- You tweet about it?
- You update your facebook status about it?
- You blog about it?
- You talk about it non-stop?

Hehehe, am guilty of all the above! It's JAMIE OLIVER, peeps!! Ooooh, I sooo love this thing called Social Media :) Don't you guys too?

Moo ! !

2011-09-21T16:20:00.010+08:00

One of the things I looked for in Spain few months back was this thing called Dulce de Leche. Having learnt that it's something that Lionel Messi (the footballer, people! Hehe, and whom I met in Spain) loves, I got curious and hit the mercato to look for it. There were so many brands, but I ended up buying Havana after reading that it is the best brand in Argentina! Since, Messi's from Argentina - hence the purchase ;) (I'm so easy, right? Haha!)

Wait! Wonder what's Dulce de Leche? It's caramel-like milk based spread. Literally translated, dulce means sweet and leche means milk. Its consistency, flavour and texture are ideal for baking, desserts or just on toasted bread. So, what have I "milked" out of this "yum-moo-licious" treat? Besides eating it straight from the jar and spreading it on toast, so far, I've made :

Bannofee Dulce de Leche cake. Just google for any bannofee cake recipe. Layer the cake with dulce de leche spread and make dulce de leche ganache.

Messy, lazy, banana dessert smothered with Dulce de Leche. No brainer. Haha.

Dulce de Leche Brownies. Made this based on David Lebovitz's recipe! Yummms!

Dulce de Leche Bread Butter Pudding. Made this using the normal bread butter pudding recipe but top it with dollops of dulce de leche in heated milk!

Am down to my last jar now. Need to scout around for a new bottle. Anyone going to Spain? Argentina?

Jabberholic 2.0 - The Trotting Gourmand

2011-09-06T23:36:00.008+08:00

I've been contemplating on moving on to another blog site and start afresh. I think I whine too much here and wanna talk more about stuff that makes sense (?!) instead. But then again, it is gonna be such a hassle to start from scratch and build new relationships etc. Plus, I've made so many new friends in this blogsphere as Jabberholic. So, my decision? Am gonna continue writing here, perhaps with a small twist on what I would like now to be known as ;) I wanna talk about my two most favourite things i.e. Travelling and Food and I'd like to rename this blog The Trotting Gourmand to reflect this. No more babbling about anything and everything. No more whining, I promise. Hmmm, maybe you'll cut me some slack once in a while ay? Haha. Ok, so, hello again World! It's been a while!

Cobwebs

2011-06-24T00:08:00.004+08:00

This blog is sure collecting cobwebs and dust now! Hmmmmm..

May

2011-05-30T23:10:00.001+08:00

Oh dear, just realised I haven't posted any blog entry for the month of May!

Well, updates? I'm back from the States now. Am still thinking and talking about the awesome time hubby and I had there though. Ok, ok, will surely squeeze some time to update soon, guys!

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

Experience of a Lifetime

2011-04-30T14:44:00.001+08:00

Heading to the States for the Experience of a Lifetime!

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

iMAStravel Giveaway Winners

2011-04-16T01:37:00.005+08:00

The contest has ended! Unfortunately my giveaway tidak menerima sambutan hangat (tsk!tsk!) but thanks to 3 lovely readers who had left their comments in my earlier blog post, you guys are the obvious winners!

Screamingmommy
JeM
Lady of Leisure

To these 3 lovely ladies, kindly forward your details (name & address) to my email : emmr76@gmail.com. I will get in touch with you guys soon and will courier your gifts after my return from the US mid May ok. Thanks guys! Appreciate it loads! xoxo

iMAStravel Giveaway

2011-04-10T00:06:00.013+08:00

To all my dear readers, no matter where you are.

I had just recently made an attempt for a travel blog contest organised by mastraveller.com. As such, I would like to humbly ask if you guys could help me to vote for my entry. How?

1) Please click on the link provided at the end of the entry or on the iMasTravel widget on the upper right side of this blog.

2) Then click LIKE on the LIKE button at the bottom of the entry.

3) Would also like to get your cooperation to promote the link to your facebook pals. Oh yeah, one would have to have a facebook to be able to vote. I'm sure everyone has one right? ;)

4) And once you've done voting/promoting, please leave your comment on this blog post so I would be able to track for a giveaway.

Yupp, this does not end here. To thank you for your kind gestures, I like to organise some sorta giveaway and will randomly select at least 5 lucky readers to receive special thank you gifts. What will you get? I will personally hand pick nice gifts during my upcoming US trip and will courier them to you once I'm back from US in mid May. How does that sound?

And to those who would like to try your luck with this contest, it's still not too late. The contest ends on 15th April. Do check out mastraveller website for more details ya.

Thanks loads for your help guys! You guys rock! Hugs!

The Just

2011-04-03T01:10:00.004+08:00

Scene
After dinner with the in-laws. Adam (our nephew) refused to part with me when it was time to go home. After I finally handed him over to his parents :

Me : Seeing how Adam is attached to me makes me feel so loved.
Mr Hubs : Not only Adam you know, Alia and Amyra (our nieces) love you loads too.
Me : I know. You know what, I feel so blessed. We may not have our own kids but our nieces and nephew are so close to us that sometimes it makes me forget that it's still just the two of us, you know. Allah is fair, kan?

Mr Hubs smiled and then we both were lost in our own thoughts. I started to tear, but those were the tears of gratitude to Al-Adl.....Alhamdulillah....

Soyeux?

2011-03-10T01:06:00.005+08:00

Silky, soft, flowy shawls? I am a big fan!
Check this new blogshop out!

http://soyeuxkl.blogspot.com/

The Little Chefs

2011-02-24T15:29:00.006+08:00

Let me let you on a little secret - I get very emotional when i watch the Junior Masterchef (Australia) show. I find myself always trying very hard to hide my face when I start to cry with joy over how brilliant and skillful the kids are. Don't you think they are amazing? There's this one segment of the show called the mystery box challenge when these kids would have to come up with dishes from the given raw materials and ingredients. They are simply genius, knowing what to cook and always whipping up impressive looking gourmet dishes at the end. The way these kids describe how a dish tastes like is unbelievable too. Not only they are great cooks but great food critics as well. The confidence they exude at such young age is simply incredible.

I don't have any favourite contender on the show because I simply believe each and every one of them is equally super talented. I refuse to google to find out who has emerged as the champion, too. Biar suspense sikit. Do you guys watch this show? I keep telling Mr Hubs that if ever we are blessed with mini 'us', I definitely will train at least one of them to be my little chef, my own junior masterchef ;)

Weekend Sugar Fix

2011-02-12T10:38:00.004+08:00

These luscious macarons sure made me weep with joy! Have a good weekend everyone!

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

Barcelona's Best

2011-01-20T12:35:00.035+08:00

It has been more than 3 weeks since I got back from Spain and I still miss the place. Barcelona would be the place I miss most, I would say. Why? Here are my top 10 highlights of the beautiful city :

1. 'Gaudi'sm - Antonio Gaudi is Barcelona's most celebrated architect. You can see that he has touched every possible corners of Barcelona. The architect, which worked during the Art Noveou (Modernisme) period in early 1900's, had a style believed to be way advanced than his time. His masterpieces include Casa Batllo, Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia. It is not just the buildings he had built, but the story of the man himself is inspirational. His dedication to the city, his hard work, optimisim and forward thinking makes one think of him in absolute admiration.

2. Casa Batllo was designed by Gaudi for an aristocrat Josep Batllo. The house mimics skulls, bones and marine life. One thing that was truly fascinating about this house is that it was designed with no plan to start with.

3. Parc Guell is a park for Barcelona specially dedicated by the former aristocrats of the city. This park has a heavy Gaudi influence, evident from the stunning stone structures and mosaic tilings. Colourful dragon tiling, tree-trunk-like twisting rock pillars fill the park. Once up on the terrace, one can overlook the beautiful Barcelona city.

4. Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's gothic giant temple/church still under construction since 1882. When Gaudi died in 1926 and could not finish what he had envisioned the church to be, it was estimated that it would between 30 to 80 years before the construction of this place to complete. By the look of it, I don't think it will complete any soon. Do you know that the architects of our KLCC had an inspiration to build our megastructure from this tourist must-see? It is indeed a unique, one-of-its-kind structure one would say they have set their eyes on.

5. La Rambla is one of Barcelona's landmark. It's a street of over 1 kilometre and filled with shops, kiosks, flower stalls and street artists. It's a lively street and you can just go there to people watch.

6. La Boquiera is one of the interesting places on La Rambla. It's a fresh produce market but let me tell you something, it is nothing like the wet markets we have here in Malaysia. It is so colourful, buzzing with activity and of course, tourists like me with cameras in their hands. I was like a kid in a candy store, excited to see all the local produce which I had never seen before. All that fruits, vegetables, seafood, spices and chocolates made me feel right at home. We stopped for lunch at one of the seafood bars they have there. And my, I don't think I had ever tasted seafood that fresh!

7. Zara & Massimo Dutti - I don't think this needs further elaboration. But one thing for sure, I totally went bonkers with Ms Zara and Mr Dutti. Imagine that you can get the latest arrival for at least 40% cheaper than what you can get here. They are everywhere in Barcelona and I came out with at least 2 tops at every store I stopped at.

8. Shoes - The Spaniards are shoe lovers I guess. Barcelona is full of shoe shops. They've got the varieties, the quality and price is rather reasonable. Ballerina flats, espadrilles, boots, flip flops. One can go crazy with all the interesting colours and designs they have.

9. Nou Camp - The real reason why we were there in the first place - football! The city is really big on football and if you could see how footballers there worshipped, you'll know what I mean. Move aside, English football, I think Spanish football is definitely bigger! The stadium is almost double of the English stadiums all over England and the training ground is superb! We were told that over hundreds locals fans wait outside the training ground every day just to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballers.

10. Food - Churro, succulent seafood, coffee, paella, chocolate, fresh fruits, caramel, endless choices of pastries..need I say more? I was in foodie heaven!

I remember telling myself about 13 years ago when I first stepped onto Barcelona's soil that I would definitely be back. To have the opportunity to be one with the culture and beauty of the city again was great indeed. And to be there with my loved one was definitely a cherry on top!

Hola!

2010-12-22T16:50:00.010+08:00

Hola señoras y señores!

Am back from Spain and it was an absolute wonderful trip..Loads to update..In the mean time, here's a sneak peek ;) What d'ya think?

Hasta Luego

2010-12-06T18:06:00.002+08:00

Hello dear readers,

Am off for the long awaited vacay. See u guys when I get back. Hasta luego!

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

Experience of a Lifetime

2010-12-01T10:52:00.006+08:00

Wonder why my last few posts were centred around TLC and Bob Blumer? Hehe. That was because I had recently won the grand prize for the "Experience of a Lifetime" contest organised by the channel itself!! For those who are clueless about TLC, perhaps you may remember Discovery Travel & Living Channel? The channel had recently rebranded itself and now known as TLC (Travel & Living Channel). Oh yeah, for those in Malaysia with Astro, it's on channel 707 ;)

Still can't believe this big win! Never knew the one week plus I spent in coming up with the answers to the contest's questions could lead me to this. Fyi, the contest requires subscribers to look out for 3 'passwords' aired randomly on TLC programmes and answer an open-ended question on why does one wanna meet the celeb of his/her choice.

Lost? Ok, rewind, rewind..

When the rebranding exercise of TLC took place in September recently, the channel launched the "Experience of a Lifetime" contest, giving fans all across Asia the chance to meet one of TLC's programme hosts. Fans get to pick one of TLC experiences and the grand prize winner will be selected for one - either to New Jersey to sample Cake Boss’ Buddy Valastro’s delicious creations at his bakery, enjoy a home-cooked feast with Surreal Gourmet’s Bob Blumer at his home in Hollywood, sip tea with Bobby Chinn in the Middle East or join host Janet Hsieh in her show Fun Taiwan. So me, being a Bob Blumer fan from his Surreal Gourmet days, I had no problem in choosing whom I wanna meet ;)

When the telephone call came from TLC Asia office recently, I was utterly shocked! I was at home at that time, alone. I was in total disbelief, even after hanging up. Only when the reality sank in, I jumped and screamed like a mad woman and started dialling Mr Hubs and families to share with them the grrrreat news. Never did I imagine, selected as the grand prize winner when I submitted my entry earlier. I knew how slim a chance I had at that time, knowing TLC in Asia is watched by millions of subscribers in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong!

The prize? With all expense paid, I will be flying to LA in Q1 next year, with a partner (Mr Hubs of course!) to meet Bob and dine in his Hollywood home. TLC-Bob Blumer-LA-Hollywood? It sure feels surreal! A million thanks to TLC! A foodie and a traveller like me is truly overjoyed to have the chance to taste a little bit of the vicarious world of TLC! One thing for sure, life is anything but ordinary with TLC!

Monday Trivia : Olive Oil

2010-11-22T12:00:00.006+08:00

Came across this youtube video and some questions I have in mind about my favourite type of oil answered. In this video, Bob Blumer answered a question on whether there is a difference between expensive and cheap olive oil. I use olive oil in all of my cooking except when a recipe calls specifically for other types of oil. For example, when baking red velvet cupcakes, I use the vegetable oil instead.

Anyway, according to Bob Blumer in this interview video, there won't be any difference. But you'll be insane if you use your expensive bottles for cooking. Spare your expensive ones for salad dressing instead.

My further research reveals that, there is a difference in taste depending from where the olive oil comes from. The difference is very subtle and only the experts could tell, not the ordinary consumers like us though. The difference normally stems from the different species, climate and soil condition of where the olives are grown. Spain, Greece and Italy are the main olive oil producers apparently. Hmm, I remember seeing only the Italian on the supermarkets shelves. Hence for me, the association between olive oil is always with Italy. Call me ignorant, but I have yet to find the others on my next visit to the supermarket.

But hey, guess what apparently between the 3 countries, Italy is the smallest producer and most of the oil that is claimed Italian could really be either Spanish or Greek or a combination of the two! But, Italy is the better marketeer! Well, I would say their marketing works! Again, for me olive oil is always Italian! Haha. Whatever it is, be it Italian, Spanish or Greek, it all tastes the same to me. Guess it all depends on the freshness, quality, our taste preference s (be it ordinary, virgin, extra virgin) and price. There you go, a trivia for your Monday blues. Will share some olive oil salad dressing recipes in my upcoming posts ya!

Un-Unified

2010-11-21T09:24:00.001+08:00

It has been more than a week without the internet at home. Dang! So much for high speed broadband! Do something about it already, TM! Been calling them everyday, but kept getting the same feedback and passed to this and that department. From customer service to technical to software! It's tiring, you know! I wonder if I should downgrade back to streamyx or be on the lookout for services from other providers. How do you guys get connected at home?

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

Blumer Who?

2010-11-14T15:48:00.022+08:00

Everybody knows Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and Anthony Bourdain. The hot TV domestic goddess, the naked chef and the sarcastic touring cook would normally be how people around me describe these celebrity chefs respectively. But mention Bob Blumer, I get blank stares. Well, at least from people who do not switch to the cook shows on TV.

I am a fan of Bob Blumer! It was love at first sight when I saw him on TLC, which was formerly known as Discovery Travel & Living Channel (on Astro's 707). Have you guys seen that guy with the tornado hairdo (or Marge Simpson's ?) cooking and touring in in the toaster mobile? The programme is called Surreal Gourmet and it centres around Bob cooking and hosting dinner parties over 30 states in that creatively designed mobile. The food were prepared and presented in ways that were anything but ordinary. Imagine, poaching salmon in dishwasher, cooking in the dark and making baseball-shaped shepherd's pie!

Blumer's latest show, which he hosts and co-created is called Glutton for Punishment. The series, now in its 4th season on TLC, is made up of food-related challenges. In each episode, he is given 5 days to become proficient in the episode's featured specialty. And then with his new acquired skills, he goes against the experts in the fields. He either ended up surprising the experts by acing the challenges or accepting defeat humbly. One thing I truly admire about Bob is the fact that how genuinely enthusiastic he is in all his shows and also that he is no cocky guy! In the recent episode, he challenged tea masters in a Kung Fu Tea Challenge in China.

The foodie, traveller and adrenaline junkie that I am is able to instantly connect to this great culinary adventurer's personality and out-of-this world shows. Oooh, I sure have an endless list of questions to ask him if I ever get to meet him in person! *hint! hint* TLC ;) Apart from having tried making some of his gourmet looking and delicious but easy recipes, I have also recently redesigned my small kitchen without having to renovate and spending a cent! Check out the featured video on his webbie http://www.bobblumer.com/ for his 10 DIY practical kitchen design tips. Blumer is certainly one heck of an imaginative culinary personality. I look forward to more extreme epicurean quests, engaging stories and practical tips from him. Tune in to Glutton For Punishment on TLC on Wednesdays at 9.30pm. Repeats on Thursdays (3.30am, 8.30am & 3.30pm) and Sundays (11.10am). M'sian time ya ;) He'll be attempting to eat 40 feet (!) of raw nettles and mastering the art of sushi making in the coming episodes. Enjoy!

Note : Pics googled

TLC

2010-11-12T14:30:00.003+08:00

OMG! OMG! Am still shaking while writing this! Just received a great piece of news from my ever favourite channel on TV! Will surely blog more about this but one thing for sure, TLC rocks!

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

Masak Campak-Campak

2010-11-07T16:28:00.012+08:00

I tend to become creative with cooking when :

a) There's not much left in the fridge
b) There are leftovers from the day before
c) The raw materials on the shelves are nearing their expiration dates
d) Am just plain lazy

Here are some of my lazy-creative dishes..Haha..

Nachos - Organic tortilla chips with leftover bolognese sauce + homemade guacomale dip + grated cheddar and parmesan cheese + sliced pickled jalapenos

Seared bananas - Overly ripe bananas + shaved parmesan + raw cane sugar

Omelette - Eggs + milk + green apples + pepper + shaved parmesan

Hmmm..they are all with cheese ay? Yupp, am one cheese lover here, y'all!

Look Better Naked

2010-10-29T18:58:00.007+08:00

I am a fan of Women's Health Magazine and had recently came across an article on the book called 'Look Better Naked'. The book's created by the magazine's Editor-in-Chief and has been receiving good response all over the world. The book's all about you having a good 'nude attitude' and then believing and ultimately living a lifestyle that centres around you as a healthy and good looking person. You know how sometimes when you strip down in front of the mirror and find yourself crinching at your own reflection? "Ohhh, when is that bulge will ever disappear?" "Ooh, when did that flabby arms appear?" "Oooh, I now have cellulite?" Sounds familiar?

Don't think I'll buy the book but the article on cleansing's kinda interesting. You know how people are currently raving about detoxication. Notice the abundance of detox products sold in the pharmacies? Well, my favourite is the apple cider vinegar but I might try this 2-day cleanse plan one day. One fine day! Haha..Anyway, here's sharing it with you guys. Credit to Women's Health Magazine. You guys have your own detox recipes or plans?

The Cleanse Plan is to jump-start whatever weight loss plan you have, make you feel healthy, drop some water weight and never leave you deprived ;)

Breakfast : Light shake

Blend 1 cup skim milk
1 cup berries
1 tsp peanut butter (or flaxseed oil)
1 cup of ice until frothy
You may add cocoa powder (yeay!)

Snack

1 cup sliced cucumbers
1 cup green tea

Lunch

Steamed or raw greens (romaine, spinach, mesclun mix, lettuce, bak choy, arugula etc)
4 oz lean protein (white meat, firm tofu, lean beef, fish)
2 tsp oil (olive, sunflower, walnut) - use oil with some herbs as vinaigrette to saute greens and protein source

Snack

10 asparagus, blanched (can dip in non-fat yogurt or swirl Dijon mustard for taste)
1 cup green tea

Dinner

Steamed or raw greens
4 oz lean protein
2 tsp oil

Have fun detoxing peeps! ;)

Baby Names

2010-10-28T18:07:00.002+08:00

This may seem seriously premature. But to the mothers and mothers-to-be, do you have good books or websites to recommend for Muslim baby names? I know they are in abundance out there but I haven't come across a good one. Am particularly looking for baby names starting with E and Z.

Why now, so soon you wonder? Just wanna start researching earlier, regardless of what the IVF results would be later. No worries, at least I have something else better to think about instead of which coveted bag should I get my hands on kan? (Which I'm currently guilty of, of course!) Haha.

Thanks in advance peeps! You're the best! Hugs!

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

It's All Worth It!

2010-10-27T12:07:00.006+08:00

Was super busy and super tired yesterday! Didn't think about what to prepare for dinner at all. Was thinking of asking Mr Hubs to just pack some food on his way back from work until I opened the fridge and there they were; leftover steaks with the black pepper sauce as well as the orange sauce cooked the night before.

Chopped some garlic and sliced the steaks. Browned the garlic. Poured the leftover black pepper and orange sauce. Chucked in the steaks and then some veges. And finally, stir fried all that with my favourite organic brown rice vermicelli. Verdict?

This came from Mr Hubs, "This is the best noodles ever! I'm glad that I married you!". Awwww, isn't that sweeeeeet? I know it's just a simple dish cooked out of leftovers, as a result of me being too tired (or just plain lazy?) but having Mr Hubs said that, I knew it's all worth it. Hilang rasa letih (and malas?) Now, what should I cook today? Hmmm..

Tried and Tested - The French Recipes (Finally!)

2010-10-26T10:04:00.007+08:00

Remember some time ago I posted the recipes obtained from Laura Calder's cooking demo? Well, after months, I finally tried them. Verdict! I was damn proud of myself! Hahaha! And one important thing I discovered from trying the recipes was how fast it was to cook them. The ingredients may seem like a long list, but hey, almost all of them are the every day stuff that you'd probably already have in your kitchen anyway. So ladies (and gentlemen) out there, put your gourmet chef hat on and have these for dinner tonite. Trust me, you'll be saying ooh-laa-laa all nite long.

Cheat notes from Chef Jab ;)

Asparagus with orange sauce
- Mustard : I used ground mustard, it worked the same
- Vinegar : Used white distilled vinegar

Steak Au Poivre
- Peppercorns : I used the normal coarse black pepper and no, I didn't soak them in tea
- Beef stock : Used the cube beef stocks
- Creme fraiche : Used heavy cream

Potato Gratin
- Nutmeg : I skipped it

When I'm Silent..

2010-10-24T19:56:00.004+08:00

..it means I've been swamped with so many things..Here's an entry to say that I do miss all of you.. Blame it on the doctor visits, acupressure sessions, business development, babysitting, bla..bla..bla..(Excuses! Excuses!) Look forward to babble again soon..Soon peeps, soon! Hugs!

Jabberholic's Designer Sale

2010-10-11T12:17:00.055+08:00

Hello dear readers,

As promised, the following are the new and pre-loved authentic designer goodies for sale.

Bought in Italy

Emillio Pucci Pochette
Pre-loved
Excellent condition
Chic little bag
Handle is red leather with two silver metal Pucci snaps
Handle can be snapped undone to reveal the innards of the bag
Comes with a dustbag
Approximate measurements : 8" x 4" x 3.75"

Status : Sold

Fendi Denim Large Chef Bag

Pre-loved

Excellent condition

Blue denim
Fendi F logo design

Brown leather accents and trim

14" brown leather strap with 8" drop

With circular Fendi medallion charm

Comes with a dustbag

Approximate measurements : 14" x 9" x 3.5"

Status : Sold

Tod's Wave Ladies Casual Shoes

Pre-loved

Excellent condition

Black suede leather

Silver tone hardware

Signature Tod's spokes
Rubber soles
Soles : Approximately 10" long, 3.5" at its widest

Size 7
Comes with shoebags and box
Status : Sold

Bought in Switzerland

Gucci Occhiali Sunglasses
Pre-loved
Excellent condition
Plastic frames, mix of black, brown and white 'bambooish' colours
Slim stem with signature G logo details
Comes with Gucci case and Gucci paperbag
Front piece approximately measures 5" wide x 1.3" tall
Eye bridge approximately 0.5"
Status : Sold

Bought in France

Furla Suede Leather Shopper Handbag

Pre-loved

Very good condition, with slight marks on one side of the gold handle ring
Beautiful brown suede with leather trim

Slouchy

Split compartment

Magnetic closure

Comes with a dustbag and Furla paper bag

Handle drop 8"

Approximate measurements : 16" x 12" x 5"

Status : Sold

Bought in USA

Coach Soho Tonal Denim Swingpack

Pre-loved

Excellent condition

Outside open slip pocket with double buckles

Zip-top closure

Comes with a dustbag

Approximate measurements : 7.5" x 8.5"

Status : Sold

Etienne Aigner Mini Bag

Pre-loved

Excellent condition

Cute bag for outing with the girls or weddings, suitable when you don't want to bring the whole house with you ;)

8" leather strap with 5" drop

Approximate measurements : 8" x 6" x 2.5"

Status : Sold

Bought in UK

French Connection Olive Viscose Top
NEW, unworn
Size 14
Slim-fit
Status : Sold

Bought in Spain

Bally Leather Ladies Boots

Pre-loved

Moderate, can be waxed to make them look brand new

Squared moderate 1" heels

Dark brown leather with leather and rubber soles

Side zips
Shaft height measures approximately 5" above arch
Soles : Approximately 9.5" long, 3.5" at its widest

Size 36

Status : Sold

Bought in Singapore

Samsonite Laptop Bag
NEW
Brown canvas
Approximate measurements : 15" x 12" x 2.5"
Fits up to 14" laptops
Many document and zipped compartments
Comes with double handles and a long strap
Status : Sold

Bought in KL

Samsonite Laptop Backpack
Pre-loved
Very good condition
Black canvas
Approximate measurements : 15" x 15" x 6"
Status : Sold

Thanks darlings!!

- xoxo -

The Sale Is On!

2010-10-08T11:10:00.005+08:00

Hello dear readers!

Have been swamped with all sorta work and have been delaying the posting of my goodies sale. The brands available are as depicted in the pic below. All from Italy, UK, Spain, USA etc.

The sale will be on :

Monday
11 October 2010
1pm (M'sian time)

So, watch out for the entry ;)

Goodies For Sale

2010-09-24T18:06:00.003+08:00

Rummaging thru my ocean of stuff, I discovered that I do have quite a number of hardly used items like handbags, shoes and clothings. To make space for more new stuff, am thinking of doing a mini blog sale. Would you guys be interested? Yay? Nay?

- Jabberholic babbles from her iPhone

One Chic Mama

2010-09-22T09:55:00.012+08:00

When I first heard about Growns Ups, the thing that drove me to watch it recently was the fact that it's starred by the comedy heroes like Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Kevin James. Half an hour into the movie, I could see that it was very "Adam Sandler'ish". (Well, he's the producer anyway!) But what made me glued to the screen was this one ravishing Latina mama, Salma Hayek. Am not a big fan of hers but in this movie, playing as a fashion designer, she definitely brought the chic factor onto the screen. And she's half the size of what I used to see her in 30 Rock and Ugly Betty! Check these pics (googled) from the movie as well as from the cover of June 2010 InStyle Mag. Hotness, ay?

p/s : I read that her beauty secrets include juice cleansing diet and eating insects ( e.g. ants (!??!!) dipped in guacamole (!!)

Note to self : Stick her photos onto the fridge door, so that you won't open it ever again (!!) Haha!

Lemang Raya

2010-09-15T22:38:00.007+08:00

Raya was a blast this year. Saw more people (that meant gave out more duit raya, huh? ), ate more stuff (oh no!), went back to hometown with the whole Brady bunch from KL (this time nieces tagged along too for the very first time!) baked more goodies (and received a lot of compliments for it too, yeay!) etc.

Out of all that, one thing that I was a bit jakun to discover during Raya was lemang jagung. Have you guys tried it? Was so fascinated by it that I didn't waste time to snap the pic before it disappeared from the plate. The taste was 'jagung'ish of course. Something different indeed! As we were in Perak at that time, the lemang was eaten with the ever famous rendang tok! Yumms! Oh no, I could feel it went straight to the thighs!!

Eid Mubarak

2010-09-10T02:29:00.005+08:00

Eid Mubarak from Jabberholic and family!

Youtubing With The Kids

2010-09-01T02:01:00.002+08:00

One of the things I do when babysitting my nieces is to show them cute videos on youtube. This is normally after they are bored with their disney videos, ABC books and just wanna lepak with their Mummy Long (that's what they call me) while gulping down their milk. We came across this seriously cute video yesterday and I just can't resist sharing it with you guys. The nieces loved it and played it over and over and over again. Here it is, The Elephant Song by Eric Herman ;) Hope Salma Aida & Adam, Dina, Acha & Qayyum, Aryyana, Allysha & Aryya, Kyra, Hasya, Harris & Heidi, Nayli, Zarif & Zaim, Nuha, Nabil & Zara and all cutie pies out there will enjoy it too ;)

P/S: Sorry if Aunty J missed out names or got the spelling wrong ya!

Murtabak Maggi

2010-08-29T02:03:00.009+08:00

On the days that he gets to leave early from work, Mr Hubs will try his best to drop by the TTDI Ramadhan Bazaar for his favourite popia basah. A few days back, he received an sms from SIL for an order for Murtabak Maggi from the bazaar. So, he made his round, however to no avail. Later, we found out that there's no such thing sold at the TTDI bazaar but in Bangsar instead. Going to Bangsar from work and back to TTDI on fasting month is a bit taxing during Ramadhan, considering the jam and all.

So, being a good SIL (hehe!), I googled and looked up for the recipe. Right after terawikh last nite, at MIL's, I rolled up my sleeves and had a go with the recipe. And this was what I came up with. Believe me, it may look just like an omelette, but taste-wise, it's pretty good.

A word of caution though, it's not that healthy to have this on regular basis ya ;) But then again, well, minus the instant noodles, I'd say you'll have your protein and vege servings from the egg, meat, onion, chilli. Not all bad, ay? Haha..Here's the recipe, taken from Mesra.net Resepi.

Ingredients:
2 packet of instant noodle
3 eggs
1 onion
1 red chili
Slices of beef/chicken
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

How?
1. Boil the instant noodle until cooked and remove the noodle from the water. Fry the meat with chilli and onion.
2. Beat the eggs until fluffy and add in a pinch of salt (skip the salt if you find the noodle flavouring is already salty).
3. Add in all the ingredients into the beaten egg (the noodle, meat, onion and chili and the instant noodle flavour packet). Mix well.
4. Heat up the pan and cook the instant noodle mixture with little bit of oil. Fry each side until golden colour.
5. Serve with chili sauce.

Thank You

2010-08-25T13:59:00.003+08:00

I don't think I've thanked you enough, Ya Rabb
Forgive me when I whine
I am indeed truly blessed by You
Alhamdulillah, all praises to You

Do enjoy the song my dear friends (downloaded from youtube)
A truly beautiful one, sung by a Lebanese-born Swedish, Maher Zain
Have a blessed remaining Ramadhan!

Euro Bound

2010-08-24T01:13:00.008+08:00

Just learnt that I'll be flying to London and Barcelona after Raya. Two separate trips! Yippee! I know I should start learning Spanish now but I ended up updating my shopping list instead! So, no Raya bag this year. That will have to wait, will go and get it over there. Ooohhh, I'm so excited. The last time I was in Barcelona was like over 10 years ago. Zaman kanak-kanak riang backpacking with uni mates. Anyone care to share on the to-do's in Barcelona? Hmm..where's that shopping list again?

Pics googled

Fusion Iftar Menu

2010-08-19T16:50:00.009+08:00

When you're not in the mood for the kuihs from the Ramadhan Bazaar or rice and lauk, why don't you try what I would call this fusion pasta menu. Tomyam and cream! Inspired from Pasta Al Salmone, I made the sauce using these ingredients instead :

150 gm light thickened/double cream
3-4 tbs of tomyam paste
2 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
1 can of tuna (take the one in water)
250gm of prawn meat
Chinese parsley

After the garlic turns brown, throw the cream, tomyam paste, tuna and prawn in the pan. Once the sauce is ready, serve it with your pasta and garnish it with parsley. And walla, you're all done. Selamat berbuka puasa gorgeous readers!

An Apple A Day..

2010-08-17T16:36:00.005+08:00

Now that it's fasting month, I find myself gulping down all my daily supplements in one go. And when I lined all the bottles in a row, I realised that "Heck, I am taking quite a lot!" Here's the list:

1. Blue algae extract for repair and regeneration of depleting cells and tissues of the body
2. Folic acid for my pregnancy preparation
3. Apple cider vinegar, a folks remedy for overall health. For me, I take it for better digestion, to avoid acid reflux and cure for allergies. I either take a tablespoon of it raw or a mix 2 tablespoons of the cider with a bit of honey and make it into a glass of drink
4. Lingzhi @ Reishi mushroom. Just started taking it since I started going for acupressure, as recommended by Sifu. Benefits include lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar level, balanced hormones, youthfulness, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti inflammatory and the list goes on
5. Vitamin C
6. Udo's Organic 3,6,9 Oil Blend. Organic omega 3,6 and 9 essential fats for better cardiovascular health, better immune system, faster recovery and healing of the internal and external organs and tissues
7. Multivitamins

What are your supplement intake like? Are yours much much more? Or memang I ni sah ada phobia of becoming ill? Nosemaphobia?

Lebovitz Sunday

2010-08-11T22:28:00.018+08:00

A friend left a message on my facebook that she's craving for something sweet and requested me to bake her a cake. Married for slightly over a month, I was wondering mengidam ke budak ni? Malasnya nak bake, time2 busy ni, but then I remembered what Mum once said to me, "Jangan let down harapan orang, you don't know when you would be asking them for favours.."

With that, I flipped through my recipe book and began searching for something nice but pretty easy to make. So, I settled for David Lebovitz's Cheesecake Brownies. The recipe's uploaded on his website too - http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/10/cheesecake_brownies.html. Do check it out. Easy peasy but the end result is super yummy! Worth every calorie ;) I ended baking 2 pans last Sunday. Sis brought some to her office and came home with order for 6 pans. Seriously? Wahh! This is fun! Guess I should start trying out Rachel Allen's recipes pulak ;)

Happy baking and Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan everyone!

Cheesecake Brownies by David Lebovitz (from www.davidlebovitz.com)

One 9-inch (23cm) square pan

6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (130g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (70g) flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80g) chocolate chips

8 ounces (200g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons (75g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line a 9-inch (23cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs.

4. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

5. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

6. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.
7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set.

Let cool, then lift out the foil and peel it away. Cut the brownies into squares.
Storage: These will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days. They also freeze well, too.

Blood, Sweat and Takeaways

2010-08-02T23:16:00.009+08:00

Ever looked at the food that you're eating and wondered how they landed on your table? Who were the people involved in harvesting the raw material? Who reared the chickens? Who planted the rice? Who fished and gutted the tuna?

After watching the reality TV show on AFC - Blood, Sweat and Takeways, I now developed a habit of thinking and visualising about the processes and efforts involved in obtaining the end products that I eat. This certainly to an extent makes me appreciate my food more now ;) The show is about a group of so-called spoiled food junkies from Britan sent to this part of the world (Indonesia & Thailand) to discover the truth about their fast food faves. They had to live in dismayed condition, worked for long hours and earned cheap rates, just like the real local workers. They were tasked to work at every stage of the production process and learned how to grow, rear, harvest, process the food. Watching the pain that they went through and realising that each person only earned approximately RM10 each day really served as an eye opener to how hard and difficult all the farmers in kampung halaman had to membanting tulang under the hot sun.

I think they're showing the season finale next week. In my humble opinion, the show is really a breath of fresh air after all the E! productions ;) Do try to watch it ;) You'll be moved..

Summer Sale

2010-07-29T23:56:00.005+08:00

Browsed through this site http://www.bicestervillagegirl.com/page2.htm and saw the discounts offered. And am seriously wishing to go to Bicester Village now. Imagine things which are already discounted, put on sale? Tidakkah membara nafsu shopping itu? Haha..The last time I went to Bicester Village was on Christmas Eve last year and didn't get many loots as whatever nice stuff was already taken by those who were in a rush to do their last minute Christmas shopping. Hmm..Summer sale in UK sampai bila ya?

The iPhone Wears Prada

2010-07-27T21:38:00.018+08:00

I'd like to write about iPhone today, in particular, iPhone cases. We can see now that fashion designers are out there making their marks into the tech world by designing high end fashion accessories for phones like iPhone and Blackberry. This is obviously to satisfy the wants of fashionistas who own iPhones along with their Prada, Hermes, Chanel, LV and Gucci bags. Nahh, I don't own any designer case for my iPhone but I certainly think it wouldn't be that bad owning one, ay? Not all are nice though. Have a look at what I've found. Pics googled. I kinda like that Prada and Hermes cases ;) What do you think?

Catch of The Day

2010-07-22T23:06:00.006+08:00

Nahhh...didn't get myself a handbag yet but ended up with these books while shopping today. Will last me for a week or two. Anyone read any of these books yet? Bought The Last Symbol because yours truly is a really big fan of Dan Brown. Read all of his earlier books and I would say it was love at first read with Da Vinci Code. Bought Eat, Pray, Love after seeing the movie's trailer on YouTube and with Julia Roberts as the main star, I'm sold, baby! Soccernomics? Saw the review on South Africa's tv earlier and it would be fun to learn more about football from an economic angle. If you've read Freakonomics, bet you'll love this one. No, it's not gonna be boring ( I hope!) Flipped through to see how it's written, and yeah, it's gonna be easy to understand. Plus, it'll be good to throw some info from the book on the table the next time I'm in Mr Hubs and his friends' company ay? Perhaps I'll throw a question or two and see whether these soccer fans are true fans indeed huh? Do they know which country loves football the most? England? Nahh, it's Norway :) Oooh, Mr Hubs is so gonna be proud of me ;) Hahahaha..

Mengidam...

2010-07-20T11:17:00.005+08:00

Was cleaning and arranging the wardrobe yesterday when my gaze fell onto the LV Damier Canvas Neverfull hidden in a corner. Told myself "That is sooo 2009!" Barulah yours truly realised that she has not bought any handbag in 2010 lagi ;)

Reading LadyLOVE SLeisure with her camelia accordian bag, LadyVerde with her 16th acquisition, Yummy Mummy with her Mahina Solar, membuatkan daku mengidam (or is it more like gatal tangan?) to hold a new bag. The feel and smell of new soft leather sangatlah mengujakan right? With all the things going on right now, wonder if and when I can steal time to go for a week of shopping somewhere? What do you say Mr Hubs? *wink! wink!*

When East Meets West

2010-07-16T16:08:00.022+08:00

I was supposed to start IVF in June but it got postponed to this month as dear Doctor got called to Europe for a conference. And now that he’s back, Mr Hubs and I had a long heart-to-heart talk with him recently and we’re postponing it again,perhaps after Raya. This is mainly because the procedure’s gonna be demanding and will stretch into the fasting month. Call me selfish, but frankly speaking, I would like to spend my fasting month beramal ibadat sebanyak mungkin. Call me pessimistic, but with the knowledge I’ve gained about IVF procedure, I could imagine missing a whole lot of fasting days, missing Terawikhs etc. if I were to start now. If I could wait for 6 years, apalah sangat few months kan?

When Doc dropped the bomb to us that IVF is our only chance to conceive, I’ve started reading about the procedure in my spare time. Bought the book Making Babies by Dr Sami David and Jill Blakeway, a reproductive endocrinologist and a Chinese medicine practitioner respectively. The book is all about the revolutionary approach of combining Eastern and Western medicine in assisting people to get pregnant. As much as possible, I’ve incorporated good practices recommended by the authors. Healthy eating, exercise, gulping supplements. But one thing I’ve been meaning to try and haven’t found time to do is acupuncture. After reading Celine Dion now pregnant (with twins!) with the combination of IVF and acupuncture, I am more than determined to try. Cewwah, nak ikut Celine Dion ;) I asked around, not realising that help was just within reach! Call it rezeki, I bumped into an acupressure practitioner who has helped to restore my uncle’s heart’s condition which was drastically failing few months back. Of course, with Allah’s blessing that is. From being confined in his room in IJN, uncle is now able to walk, drive and even travel overseas for his business now. And since the last 1 week, acupressure practitioner’s home is where I’ve been heading to during lunchtime with Mr Hubs. The practitioner, whom I call Sifu, was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer over 20 years ago and Doc told him that he had no hope. Even the top Sensei in town at that time told him to just wait for the Angel of Death to come. Not willing to give up, he studied how he was decapitated by such ailment, he studied cells, he studied human bodies and picked up acupressure. Within a year, he restored his health and is cancer-free since then.

Acupressure, a blend of acupuncture and pressure is an alternative to acupuncture i.e. the alternative to sticking your nerves with needles and using pressure instead. So, during treatment, Sifu puts physical pressure using thumb, elbow and rolling pen onto the acupoints (points on the body related to the organs, systems etc). The general idea of acupressure is to identify what’s the problem, be it the organ, the endocrine system, the nerves, the drainage system etc throughout your whole body. And true enuff, the reproductive organs and systems of mine memang ada masalah sikit, just as diagnosed by the doctor. How do I know if they’re problematic? I feel some sensation and sakit lah when pressure is put on the acupoints. The objective of this treatment for me is to reduce whatever swelling of the reproductive organ, unblock the blocked tube, smoothen the drainage system and generate healthier and new cells so everything functions as what they should be. And later, when I undergo IVF, everything is cleansed and hopefully success rate is increased and it’ll work the first time. InsyaAllah, Aminnnn…I see this as some sorta blessing in disguise for postponing the IVF procedure. If I were to start IVF now, I wouldn’t have tried acupressure and wouldn’t experience the alternative method to not only correct whatever problem I currently have, but to regenerate health overall kan?

And thanks to one of my dear blog reader, Sue, she’s also shared a link for all mothers-to-be..You guys may wanna check this out http://www.pregnancymiracle.com.

Have a fab weekend, gorgeous readers!

It's All About Football..

2010-07-13T15:08:00.030+08:00

To have the opportunity to watch World Cup football match in South Africa was definitely priceless.. Am not a big football fan to start with but Mr Hubs had to a certain extent converted me into a person who now understands the game..After years of marriage, I now finally understand what an off-side is!! Haha..

We went to the game where Netherlands played against Denmark in Soccer City, Johannesburg. Upon arrival at the stadium, I could feel the overwhelming ambience. Everyone was happy. Everyone was "dressed to kill". I was really fascinated with all the effort put in by the fans - face painting, the interesting accessories, the cheers etc. Wasting no time, I put on my paparazzi hat and began snapping away..Well, enjoy the colourful pics...Selamat menjamu mata ;)

Crowd management at the stadium was excellent. Within minutes you can see all rubbish around the stadium collected and stadium was closed within half an hour after the match ended. It was definitely a great experience. And to the next World Cup host-Brazil, see you in 2014 ;)

While in Johannesburg...

2010-07-09T23:23:00.023+08:00

We were in Joburg only for a few days to catch the World Cup football match. While in Joburg, we took the chance to :

1. Visit the craft markets - the Chameleon Village and the African Craft Market in Rosebank. Things in Joburg were a lot more expensive than Cape Town. And one more thing, I think Joburg has less variety too.

2. Go on a safari trip. The nearest safari reserve is in Pilanesberg, around 1.5 hours from Joburg. Pilanesberg National Reserve/Park is the 3rd largest in South Africa. We were taken on a private trip as we were the only couple who had booked the safari trip on that particular day. The most memorable moment was when our jeep was surrounded by more than 30 wild elephants and we had to play 'dead' i.e. not to move much in order not to startle them!

3. Shop at Sandton. Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square are two of the biggest shopping places in Joburg. All the designer stores are here, LV, Gucci, Prada, you name it. We tried spotting the football stars there. One shop assistant we spoke to said he saw Beckham, Maradona, Rooney and many, many of their WAGS shopping. Unfortunately for us, we didn't bump into anyone.

4. Of course, watched the World Cup match! Will post a separate entry on this soon ;)

The Trio

2010-07-08T10:27:00.004+08:00

I had terrible lower body pain. With sweats drenching, I gripped the sides of the bed and clenched my teeth trying to bear the excruciating pain that came in waves. The doctor and nurses kept telling me to push. "OMG, that's what I'm doin' here, can't you see?" I almost shouted. After a while battling with pain, I could hear cries coming out of me! Baby cries!! And not only one, but three! I was having triplets!

Ohhhh, the pain was all forgotten when I held all three of them in my arms. A boy and two beautiful girls. Tried feeding them with milk. They kinda looked like little birds to me, fighting for food when I tried to feed them at the same time. "Sayang, it's Subuh already." I heard Mr Hubs saying when he gently woke me up this morning. What? That was all just a dream??? Sigh..

Note: Pic googled..

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Adam's First Break.....

2010-06-29T23:15:00.004+08:00

...into advertising world. Here' my darling nephew, who just turned one, in his first tv ad currently aired on TV with his real mum and dad..How nice to have the family together in a tv ad ay? Proud of u guys..Hugs!

My Water Moments

2010-06-27T16:31:00.032+08:00

All booked and confirmed, I texted my sister.

Me : Hey, guess what, your big sis had just booked a shark cage diving session in Cape Town!

Sis : What??! Are you nuts? Tau tak sharks in Africa are all ganas? They’re the type yang lompat2 you know. No need to do it lah..Scary lah sis!

Me : No turning back already lah, all confirmed and paid for Joe and me! No worries, should be ok. The guy from the diving company told me a 65-year old granny pun once did this.

Sis : Ayo! I rest my case lah sis. Can never stop an adrenaline junkie like you! Just promise that you’ll take care and take lotsa pics!

Determined to try this at least once, hubby and me proceeded with the plan and before dawn on the fourth day we were in Cape Town, we headed to Gansbaai, a town located about 2 hours from the Mother City. Btw, Cape Town is affectionately known as Mother City, believed due to the fact that it takes approximately 9 months to do anything in this slow-paced city ;)

Upon reaching the dive centre famously known as Shark Diving Unlimited, we saw around 10 other folks whom we believe came from all over the world already waiting. After a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereals, we were told that we were ready to go and the owner of the dive centre, Mike Rutzman gave us a briefing on the do’s and don’ts. Mike “Sharkman” Rutzman is one of the great white sharks experts who had gone free diving with the great whites and had produced numerous documentaries with Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet etc. Wait! Free diving with the sharks? Whoa! That should be reassuring right? If he had survived free diving with the sharks, what more for us who’ll be going into the sea in a cage! Oh yeah, few celebs had gone shark cage diving with him and that includes Brad Pitt, Leonardo de Caprio and Matt Damon ! Here are the evidences that they had been there and done that ;) - Photos of them hung on Shark Unlimited’s ‘Wall of Fame’ ;)

We went onboard the boat after that and started moving towards the middle of the sea. Boyyy, it sure was a bumpy ride! The sea was choppy and with the speedboat we were taken into, I felt like we were almost flying! After about 20 mins, the engine died off, we could feel the chill sinking in and the wind got stronger. Almost too chilly for us to bear. “We’re here. It’s the home of the great whites!” shouted one of the skippers. “Get ready to become fresh meats!” Erkkk..

The skippers told us to change into our wetsuits. They also started throwing big chopped tuna fishes tied to a rope into the sea. This was to lure the sharks to come near the boat. Well, we sure didn’t have to wait for long. A big shark came near the boat and I screamed out of excitement, having witnessed such big creature in the clear water for the first time. The cage was then slowly dropped into the sea right next to the boat.

After getting the greenlight from the skipper, I went down into the cage into the 5◦ C water with the goggle on. Brrr...Thanks to the wetsuit, the chilly sea was quite bearable. The cage was big enough to fit the 5 of us – Mr Hubs, me and 3 French, Dutch and American men. Hey, I was the only girl ;) !(Girl power) It wasn’t easy trying to stabilise myself in the cage because the sea was still pretty choppy at that time. “Divers, down!” the skipper shouted. That meant there were sharks coming near the boat and we had to take deep breaths and dive into the cage. I could only sea clear blue waters and the cage’s steel bars that I was in until I turned to my right, Whoa! There it was, almost 2 metres, with gaping jaws and protruding teeth right next to the cage. I was overwhelmed with awe thinking of the fact that I was very near with the magnificent creatures of the sea. Measuring between 2 to 3.5 metres (!) more and more sharks came to the cage. There was once when a Mama Shark came too near that it hit the cage with its body. “I touched it!” said the Dutch man when we all came up for breaths. Seriously? Lucky man! At that time I couldn’t help thinking what if the cage broke and we became the sharks’ feasts? It was really terrifying but definitely exciting at the same time. After two hours in the sea, we left the sharks’ nest. For me, I felt a sense of pride for having done this and grateful at the same time for having the chance to witness the Almighty’s amazing creatures.

I had one of the Englishmen, Percy, who decided not to dive to take pictures and videos of what we were doing from the boat’s upper deck. But having witnessed the great white sharks almost face-to-face from the cage, how I wish I had bought an underwater cover for my camera or better still a camera that could be used in the water! I would be able to show you dear readers how fierce but at the same time, ‘sexy’ the sharks were.

Note: Images onwards are from Sony

You guys know what? Sony had launched a new water-proof Sony TX5 camera quite recently and how I wish I had it with me along at that time. Well, the camera is not only water-proof apparently. Now claimed the World’s Slimmest Water-Proof Camera; it is also shock, temperature and dust- proof. To top it all, it looks good; I would say it’s sleek and sexxxxxy! Choose yours from these gorgeous colours.

You can go underwater up to 3m deep for 60 seconds, shoot in freezing temperature as low as -10◦C, capture image in a dusty environment (imagine the Sahara desert!) and in your clumsier days, you’ll still be able to salvage the camera even if it’s dropped from a 1.5m height (while bungee jumping, perhaps?)

Definitely a suitcase essential for travelbugs and adrenaline junkies; the camera also :

Allows effortless panaromic image capture with its Intelligent Sweep Panorama Mode. How? As easy as sweeping your camera horizontally for landscape objects and vertically for tall objects.

Captures clear and sharp images in low-light environment. Do you realise how a flash can just wash out the scene? With its back-illuminated Exmos R CMOS sensor, shots in the dark, never looked better!

Enables capture of continuous shots i.e. 10 continuous frames per second!This feature is ideal for capturing fast action images. For your tennis or futsal sessions perhaps?

And last but not the least, it records and uploads HD videos too!

Regardless of where you are and what you do, you’ll still be able to bring out the style! Wanna know more about it? Check out this link http://www.sony.com.my/product/dsc-tx5. Love, love it!

The Things You Do In Cape Town

2010-06-20T02:23:00.054+08:00

When in Cape Town, you :

1. Go up the Table Mountain. Table Mountain helps put Cape Town on the map as one of the must-visit cities. Why is it called Table? Because of its flat top, that's why. You either take the cable car or hike up to reach the peak. Cable car takes you up less than 5 mins but be prepared to spend at least an hour if you were to hike.

2. Go to Cape of Good Hope at Cape Point, a place of beautiful scenery and dramatic landscape. I believe any picture taken of the cape will not do the place justice. The best way to reach Cape Point from Cape Town is to go on a road trip. We rented a car and drove 50km down south of Cape Town to this southern tip of Africa which was once believed the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Take the funicular up to the top for an incredible view. An alternative is to hike up lah. It takes 3 hours to hike up.

3. Shop and dine al fresco at the the waterfront. You'll find Victoria Wharf and Albert Mall, named after Queen Victoria and Prince Alfred from England from the 1800s. It houses shopping malls, restaurants, cinema, aquarium, craft market etc. This is like KLCC to the Capetonians. The place to shop for souveniers is definitely the Greenmarket Square. Things in South Africa are expensive I tell you, so nak beli stuff as ole2, the market is the place to head to ;)

4. Eat lotsa seafood. Seafood is abundance in Cape Town. Not forgetting, halal food is so easy to find too. Muslim population in Cape Town is rather high, and wait! Malay population is rather high too! Seriously? You'll find people who look like Malaysians walking around town and you'll wonder whether you've seen them in KL? To understand this, refer to the next point ;)

5. Visit Bo Kaap (Malay Quarters) . The colourful Bo Kaap area is the residence of many Cape Malays and Muslims in Cape Town. People staying here are mainly descendants of Malaysians, Indonesians and Indians captured from their tanahair and enslaved by the Dutch in 17th and 18th centuries. Being slaves and leading miserable lives, they decided to paint their houses with striking colours to lift their spirits and morale. That's why you'll see Malaysian-looking people in Cape Town rupanya..

6. Buy polished gems and semi-precious stones. Head to the numerous jewellery stores around town. My favourite is the The Mineral World & Scratch Patch. You'll find all sorts of gem stones such as tiger eye, onyx, rose quartz, amethyst, jasper, agates and crystals. Also semi-precious stones like topaz, rubies and sapphires. Diamonds pun ada you! You can either buy loose stones or those already set as jewelleries. The best thing is that you can kill time lepakking at the area where they throw all the gemstones on the floor. You can then buy those stones in containers for a certain price, depending on the size of the containers. What stones you put in the containers is all up to you ;). By the way, this applies to the tumble polished gemstones aje. Diamonds and the semi-precious ones kena beli over the counters ya!

6. See wild penguins at the Boulder Beach. I was like a kid in the candy store seeing these little cute creatures running by the beach. I've nothing else to say but they are just too darn cute! And do becareful when you're about to drive off from the beach, kena check whether there are penguins underneath your vehicles ;)

7. Go whale watching. From May onwards, the whales will be seen in Cape Town. We went to Hermanus, a small, quiet neigbourhood situated 2 hours from Cape Town. These whales pay homage to the warm and shallow waters of Hermanus to calf their young and mate. I was seriously awed when I saw the whales fluking and blowing both from the land and during our boat sail. They're just magnificent!

9. Dive with the great white sharks. In a cage, that is. Matilah kalau dive freely in the water kan? South Africa is one of the few places in the world that offers shark cage diving. We went to Gansbaai, another small town situated 2 hours from the city to do this. We were brought on a boat to the middle of the sea, the skipper dropped the cage, you went in the cage and witness great white sharks swimming around you! Mind you, the place where we were brought to i.e. the stretch of open water between Dryer and Geyser Islands, you'll see no other sharks except the great whites! The ultimate, lean and mean beasts!

p/s: I'm one of those in the cage tu ;)

All-in-all, these were the highlights of our trip to Cape Town. Will post entries on Johannesburg pulak soon ya ;)

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-18T10:31:00.002+08:00

Hi gorgeous readers!

Am back with dry skin and sunburn but with tonnes of fond memories and photos...Will surely blog soon..Miss ya guys!!

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Breathtakingly Beautiful

2010-06-09T02:15:00.004+08:00

On the way up of one of nature's wonders...Till later, guys!

With love from Cape Town.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

2010-06-05T01:12:00.013+08:00

My dear awesome readers,

Will be leaving for South Africa tonight and back in 2 weeks. Guess won't be blogging for quite a while. If I jumpa free wi-fi (cheapskate nyer kan?), will perhaps post an entry or two okay? Till then, see you when I get back! Will surely miss gibbering, jabbering, babbling and pratelling to all of you ;) Till later!

Waka-Waka

2010-06-04T02:29:00.005+08:00

The decision to choose a Latina to sing a Cameroonian-inspired official anthem for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa had certainly sparked controversies. The South Africans have expressed their disappointment over the fact that Shakira was chosen instead of the country's own artist. However, there are still camps that seem to don't mind and think it's just plain silly to squabble over such matter. Hmmm...personally I think it's ok. After all, she's doing a collaboration with the local artists for the song anyway. The song - Waka-Waka means This Time For Africa. It may be a World Cup to be hosted by South Africa, but they have to be proud that they are bringing it for the world to enjoy. Plus, with all the stereotype over the country with the high crime rates, poor health conditions etc , South Africans have a lot to prove. Anyway, Shakira may be just a marketing ploy kan? Like they say, daya tarikan...Anyway, I love the song. Enjoy the clip ;)

A Jakun Entry

2010-06-03T00:22:00.005+08:00

Maybe most of you have seen South Africa's currency notes but a jakun like me had only seen these today. So, for those macam I, just sharing with you a pic of some of the South Africa's Rand (ZAR). They have the 'Big 5' printed on their notes. The term 'Big Five' refers to five of Africa's greatest wild animals i.e. lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Have only 4 here though..

Hope

2010-06-01T12:35:00.007+08:00

There was definitely a big lump in my throat when I watched the season finale of Giuliana and Bill (G & B) last week..It was all from trying hard not to cry because I think the episode was pretty heartbreaking. Or it was just me being too sensitive and mushy?

After weeks of waiting whether G's preggers following the IUI procedure, the doctor broke the news that it was negative. G was seriously upset after trying to be so positive before that. Masa tulah I was like almost cried. G and B then went to another fertility doctor to find out more on IVF. The doc educated them about the success rates and the details of the procedure, which involves a lot of needles and sounds scary. They both then decided that it's a lot to think about, and they were going to get away to think things through. Both finally admitted that they're scared and unsure of IVF. G told B that she didn’t think she could put her body through that. It has been such an emotional rollercoaster them. That's where it ended. To be continued next season..

Hmmm..terbayang-bayang how it would be like for us nanti when Hubby and me embark on our IVF procedure.The needles, the side effects of all the injections. Imagine they said it's gonna be PMS and time it with 100! Frankenstein lah I jadinya! The hope, the anxiety etc.

I met up with my besties for dinner recently and I told them I seriously don't know how I should feel. Yes, I am hopeful that the IVF works and at the same time I can't deny that I could hear voices in my head saying that it could fail. Hubby consoled me that we know what the success rates are and semuanya is in the hands of the Almighty. But what is more important is that we try. And we are getting the blessings and support from our families. So, if you're 60 years old later and still childless, you won't regret it coz you've tried. Be hopeful but be prepared for the worst. But never, never admit defeat before you try cos you're already losing the battle even before it starts. Never stop amalan and berdoa. My besties even suggested that I read the book 'The Secret'. I've heard about how wonderful the book is but never felt the urge to pick it up in the bookstore. Maybe, I should buy it for my in-flight reading to South Africa nanti kan? What do you think?

Gadget Hunting Over

2010-05-30T00:56:00.001+08:00

Finally got my hands on the gadgets in my wishlist. A laptop, iphone and finally a new camera. Thanks for all tips and advise from you great fellow bloggers, got myself a Canon G11. Now gotta familiarise myself with all that functions..Hmm..where's that manual again?

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Trip to Far, Far Away Land

2010-05-24T19:35:00.008+08:00

Am over the moon! Soon, Mr Hubs is bringing me to one of the beautiful cities in the far, far away land ;) The more reason I have to get a new camera fast! (Ada aje excuse nak shopping kan?)

The French Recipes

2010-05-20T20:19:00.023+08:00

Apologies to dear readers for delaying this entry. Blame it on the late nites spent at work. I sempat curi2 baca your blogs aje.. Anyway, here are the much awaited recipes by Laura Calder, copied directly from the recipe handouts given to us on the cooking demo day ;) Apart from the apple tart, Laura 'demo'ed asparagus with orange sauce and shallots and steak au poivre with potato gratin.

Asparagus with orange sauce
Ingredients:

2 oranges
1 shallot
3 tbs vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tsp vinegar
4 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
20 spears asparagus, trimmed
Parmesan cheese for shaving

Method:

First, make the dressing. Zest one orange into a bowl, then juice both oranges and boil the juice down in a small saucepan to about 3 tablespoons. Meanwhile, mince the shallot and out in a ramekin with the vinegar poured over. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Add the mustard to the zest.
When the orange juice has reduced, strain in over the zest. Drain the shallot, discarding the vinegar.
Whisk all together then slowly whisk in oil.
Taste, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Bring a saute pan full of water to boil. Salt it, then add asparagus and cook until tender.
Drain, immediately rinse under ice cold water to set the colour.
Pat dry with paper towels and transfer to a serving platter.
Spoon over the sauce. Shave over the parmesan cheese. Grind over some pepper and serve.

Steak Au Poivre
Ingredients:

2 to 4 tenderloin steaks or eye of round (estimated 5 ounces per person)
1 to 2 tbsp green peppercorns, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup beef stock
1/4 cup red wine (Muslims, skip this and subsititute it with the same amount of beef stock instead)
Salt to season
1/2 cup creme fraiche (You can substitute this with heavy / double cream)

Method:

Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking, about 20 minutes. Soak the peppercorns in wine or water or black tea (drain before using).
Heat the pan to high and season the meat.
When the pan is very hot, fry the steaks on both sides to your liking (rare? medium rare? well-done?).
Let the meat rest on board while you make the sauce.
Deglaze the pan with the stock and boil it down to generous tablespoon, about 2minutes.
Lower the heat and add the drained peppercorns and cream to heat through.
Put the meat back in the pan, turning once to coat. Then put the meat in a platter and pour over the sauce to serve.

Potato Gratin
Ingredients:

1 kg potato peeled and thinly sliced
Salt & pepper
1 pinch of nutmeg
A few garlic peeled and grated
250 ml Milk
250 ml heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter

Method:

Heat the oven to 375°F/190ºC
Spill half the potato slices into a gratin dish
Season well with salt, pepper, and nutmeg
Smear over the grated garlic
Spread over the remaining potato slices
Pour over the milk and cream
Season well again with salt and pepper
Dot with the butter
Bake until all the liquid has been absorbed and the top is bubbly brown, 1 to 1-1/2 hours
Serve

Petua from Laura: While baking the potatoes, the best is to have a brick (or anything else to use as weight) put on top of the layers of potatoes to ensure they are packed. Laura actually has a brick in her kitchen. She wraps it with a cloth and uses it as weight for her bakings etc.

We were all given a small plate each to taste all the dishes. Verdict? Magnifique!!! The asparagus were divine, especially with the orange sauce. I swear if I was on my own that day, I would have licked the sauce clean from the plate! (Tak senonohnya kan?) The steak was so tender and the sauce was excellent. Potato gratin pulak sangatlah lembut and creamy! Yummmm....Well, there you go readers...if any of you do try the recipes above, do share with me apakah resultnya ye? Bet they're gonna be delish! Ooooh la la!

A French Affair with Laura Calder

2010-05-15T23:49:00.044+08:00

The first thing that came to my mind when I first saw Laura Calder this afternoon was, “Hey, she doesn’t look like how she looks like on TV!” And yes, she’s a lot taller than I expected and barely had make-up on. A natural beauty.

Laura has a great sense of humour and is a good storyteller. She shared a lot of stories; how she started learning to cook from the age of 5 by helping her mum in the kitchen. She is a big believer of home cooked food, that’s why she doesn’t feel right when people call her a chef, she prefers to be called a home cook coz it sounds fuzzier. She has no intention of opening her own restaurant, but she loves entertaining. When her schedule permits, she has at least 4 dinner parties every week! Of course she’s been serving French food in her dinner parties, and admitted that they were all simple recipes like the ones in her shows. She added that people get intimidated hearing about French food because the public has been bombarded with the images of how high end French food is but the truth is, like all home cooked food, French food is actually simple. It’s clear from the dishes that she prepared for us that she was right. Simple and hearty flavours are what she’s all about, and it is evident through her recipes.

Laura started with making, guess what? The apple tart, which recipe I shared with you guys few entries back. And yes, it was that simple and fast. After that she made asparagus with orange sauce and shallots and steak au poivre with potato gratin. Laura continued saying that she loves her steak rare, she normally leaves it for 10 minutes on the fire. She added that one of her friends loves it even ‘rarer’ coz she only cooks it for only 3 minutes. The room roared with laughter when she said “For her, if it ‘moos’, that’s perfect!”.

The good thing was that the chefs of Berjaya University College of Hospitality (where the demo was held i.e. 14^th floor of East Tower of Berjaya Times Square) had also helped to prepare the dishes back stage and we were told that they skipped the wine from the recipes ;) That’s very good, that shows AFC is sensitive towards their Muslim fans kan? Will share the recipes of the dishes she ‘demo’ed in coming entries.

The dishes were lovely. Again, hard to believe that French food is so simple to make, but Laura stressed that it is a cuisine that is evolving. French women work, and are increasingly leaning towards quick and easy ways to cook delicious dishes. I wouldn’t mind having these kinda food every week!

After the demo, she came forward and answered questions. Answering on how she keeps herself slim, she said “Ohhh..don’t come near me, I’m not that slim!” while trying to pinch an imaginary love handle on herself! She continued that the thing to do is try to keep your raw materials as fresh and as organic as possible and avoid processed food. “Basically cook your food yourself. That way, you know what goes into your food. Spend time cooking for your families. Don’t chase your kids away when they wanna play in the kitchen and cook with you. That’s how you spend time with them”. So true, huh?

The afternoon continued with autograph signing and photograph session. Laura is indeed a lovely person. Less sexier than how she is portrayed on TV, I would say. She told us she doesn’t like to watch herself on TV. Oh yeah, the kitchen where she shoots her shows from is not hers, it’s her producer’s. One more thing, Anis Nabilah (from Icip-Icip) arrived to meet Laura at the end of the session. Comel and friendly! I sempat tukar business cards with her lagi!

Well, it was a fun afternoon! Lets look forward for more no-hassle French food recipes on AFC. French Food at Home Season 3 shows on AFC Monday-Friday at 9pm. Happy cooking ladies!

Batwings..No More!

2010-05-14T19:04:00.003+08:00

Heard about Tracy Anderson, the fitness guru to hotties like Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Shakira etc. while watching E! News few days back..Totally loved the feature on the arms exercise she particularly designed for Gwyneth during her training for Iron Man 2. Didn't know that character like Pepper Potts was also put through hours and hours of punishing, grueling workouts to get super fit. After all, bukan ke Gwyneth is like totally stick-thin already? Anyway, I googled Tracy and wallah, stumbled upon this video which I think is rather unique and pretty fun to follow. This is the arms workout to target and banish that batwings. You knowlah, when you start hitting 30s, mulalah you'll blame gravity as the enemy to everything perky and firm kan? So, when you feel like gravity's pulling and sagging you down, perhaps these Tracy's arms series might just save your day ;)

Note to self : Cari her cardio and lower body workouts pulak..

Moulds

2010-05-13T22:13:00.010+08:00

Trapped in the traffic on the way back from work today, I thought of Mum and Dad. And then out of nowhere, I went into my analytical mode and started analysing myself. Like everyone else, I am what my parents are :

Sensitive - like Mum
Calm - like Dad
Musically inclined - like Dad
Shopaholic - like Dad (percayakah? Dad is a great shopper..If he buys stuff for me, I memang akan berkenan. Imagine he buys me handbags, bajus, kain ela, semua cantik ok?)
Bookworm - like Mum
Into sports - like Dad
Traveller - like Dad
Loves cooking (and a good cook too! haha!) - like Mum (of course!)
Romantic - like Dad
Charitable/Giver - like Mum

Before I go on and further masuk bakul angkat sendiri, the message is that everything starts from home. How your next generations turn out to be would definitely be a result of how they were moulded from young. Would like to thank Mum and Dad for all the good I am. Am looking forward to shape my 'next generations' (whenever and if ever they come into our lives). Since I didn't have a special blog entry sempena the recent Mother's Day, Happy Belated Mother's Day, Mama and Happy Father's Day in advance, Abah! Love you both loads!

The French Taste

2010-05-11T14:34:00.006+08:00

Just a quick update. Have finally bought tix for Laura Calder's cooking demo this Sat! Watch out for my update on the event :) Any of you readers going too?

A French Invite

2010-05-08T10:16:00.009+08:00

To those who love Laura Calder and would like to catch her in person, hey, there's a chance for you to do just that! She'll be in town and making public appearances this 14-16 May. How to meet her?

Enter the contest organised by AFC to win tickets to her cooking demo (but hurry, the contest ends tomorrow though) ; OR
Buy tickets for her cooking demo or dinner sessions.

Further details from AFC website http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/

Perhaps I see you guys there? ;)

Powershot

2010-05-06T14:35:00.009+08:00

I am being so fickle-minded over my intention of purchasing a digital camera now. Have recently sold my DSLR and now am looking for semi-pro/system compact camera. Loved the DSLR but couldn't stand the bulkiness and the weight. When travelling, terasa sangatlah tengkok ni menampung berat yang amat sangat. I always ended up keeping the DSLR in either the backpack or the sling bag that I had with me. As a result bila ada object or scenery yang cantik for me to capture, I would always miss it coz I would be taking a long time rummaging through the bag to take the DSLR out.

After that, been eyeing the Leica D-Lux 4. Have been going around town surveying, tinggal masa je nak grab it until...I saw this baby featured on youtube...Canon Powershot G11. Features memang banyak - wide angle, supports macro shooting, good in low-light etc. etc. those things you want a good camera to have lah..But what really made me teruja with this one is the fact that it's viewfinder can swivel :) Pic from Canon webbie

Bolehlah shoot gambar sendiri dengan senangnya..Price, it's almost 40% cheaper than Leica yang I konon2 nak tu..Hmm..this calls for another round of window shopping this weekend. Any of you readers have the same camera? How do you find it? Sharelah..Thanks!

Tried and Tested - Apple Tart and (Cleavage?)

2010-05-04T22:38:00.022+08:00

Do you guys know who is Laura Calder? To those peminat setia Asian Food Channel (AFC) would definitely recognise her from French Food at Home series. Yupp, she's another Nigella Lawson I would say, but she specialises in French cuisine. She cooks from her kitchen just like Nigella but you guys know what people have been associating her with? Her cleavage!! Yupp, she dons low cut tops during most of her shows and there used to be noises saying that too much of her cleavage is not suitable for daytime cooking shows. Haha! Lawaklah..Alaa, give her a break, she's cooking French food kan, let her be sexylah with all that butter and cream, rite? Nigella pun top heavy (very) kan? Something these women celebrity chefs have in common kot. Ok, sape nak jadi celebrity chef, you know what it takes to be one now right? Haha, apa lah yang I melalut nih?

Anyway, what I wanna share with you guys today is Laura's easy peasy tart recipe. I baked the tart using the exact measurement for the makan2 session last 2 weeks and walla, it turned out well and was a hit amongst the guests. Here's the recipe (taken from the Food Network webbie), sangatlah senang, tak payah guna mixer and all.

Ingredients
Tart Shell
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour

Cream Filling
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar

Topping
3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts (I used almonds)

Directions
Tart Shell
Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C.

Make the crust: cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Finally, mix in the flour to make a smooth dough. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch/20 cm spring-form pan, giving it about a 1-inch/2.5 cm rim. Bake 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven.

Cream Filling
Beat all the ingredients for the cream filling together until smooth. Make the topping by tossing the apple slices with the cinnamon, sugar, and nuts. Remove the tart shell from the oven. Spread over the cream mixture.

Topping
Arrange the apple slices on top, then scatter over the nuts. Bake until the apples are tender and golden, about 40 minutes.

In the excitement to serve the tart to the guests, I totally forgot to snap the pics. So I leave you guys with Laura Calder's pic instead ;) Happy baking!

The Name Is Khan

2010-05-03T11:33:00.015+08:00

Spoiler alert!

I have never been a fan of Hindi films but when I saw My Name Is Khan dvd sold at the shop yesterday, I grabbed it without any hesitation. Knowing that it is Karan Johar's (from Koffee with Karan fame) directorial and the film was shot almost entirely in the States, I told myself why not give it a try, ay? I thought since it's directed by a young chap, perhaps this one would bring something fresh unlike the typical Hindi films. Maybe this one would be different, with little less of running around the garden in the rain or rolling down the hills in colourful saris but with a dash more reality?

Moment of truth : half way through the film, discovered that yupp, it's pretty OK. The film is about inter-racial marriage, autism, American's anti-Muslim hysteria post Sept 11 attack etc. Well, one thing which more or less the theme of all Bollywood films, the hero woos and wins the heroine-a single mother, but alas, the problem is that she's a Hindu and he's a Muslim. The family cuts him off and he goes to stay with his newly-wed bride and son from her previous marriage. Then Sept 11 happens. A somewhat predictable tragedy takes place that tears the family apart, the wife blames the husband and from there, the film becomes a pilgrimage of the husband to fulfill his wife's demand to tell the President that he is Muslim and he is not a terrorist. Yupp, he finally meets the President at the end of the film, the couple and the hero's family reunite. Yeay! Wait! I think the guy who plays Obama is a wee-bit skinny, evident by his ill-fitting jacket. All-in-all, if you're looking for something different, go grab a copy. Eventhough some supposedly emotional moments seem gimmicky, this is worth the 160 minutes. Oh yeah, one more thing, apart from the background music, you won't find the actors running around singing, in 17 different bajus ;) Yeay!

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

2010-05-01T23:59:00.004+08:00

I can't recall when was the first time I heard this phrase but when I actually watched the video of Steve Jobs delivering the commencement speech at a Stanford graduation ceremony, I saw myself playing it over and over again. It is truly enlightening, inspirational and in summary, the three stories that Jobs shared in this speech will make you realise that :

1. A lot of things will happen in life and they won't always be good. You'll not understand why some of these things/events take place. You won't be able to connect the dots in looking forward, but when you believe that the dots will connect somewhere down the road in the future, this will give you the confidence to trust your gut.

2. To do great work, is to love what you do. If you haven't found it, keep looking and don't settle.

3. Your time on earth is limited. So start living your own life, don't waste it living in someone else's. Don't let other people's opinions drown you. Have the courage to follow your heart and intitution. And to become better every single day, STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOOLISH!

Check out this video. Hope it will inspire you in some ways, coz it did exactly that for me! Have a good weekend people!

Reality and TV

2010-04-28T18:20:00.004+08:00

I love the occasional guilty pleasure of a reality TV show, but after watching Giuliana and Bill, I would say I am now hooked. I look forward to watch the new episode every week, showing on Mondays at 10.20pm on E! I like it because I don't think they're prententious. They're pretty real (isn't reality TV is supposed to be real anyway?) Nahh, not if you watch those Paris Hilton shows...Anyway, Giuliana shows her true crazy self in front of the camera, while Bill, to those who have watched him in the first season of The Apprentice, he's just being business-like, serious, intelligent Bill. But what remains as the big pull factor for me and Hubby to watch it, is..(Wait! Hubby watches it too? Yes, I dragged him to accompany me on the couch every Monday) that they're showing something relatable to us i.e. their struggle in the baby-making department. They've shown all their appointments with their doctor, the invasive procedures they went through and I think that's pretty educational. For those who would like to catch the coming episodes, I think they'll be showing how they're embarking on IVF etc. And that's something that we're looking forward to, coz my friends, that's what we'll be embarking on too, come June :) And I plan to share my journey with the rest of you readers via this humble blog :) Wish us luck!

Late Bloomer

2010-04-25T18:44:00.003+08:00

Only now, after almost 2 years of having this blog, I decided to have a traffic counter and a chatbox to perhaps be in touch with the readers. Hubby laughed and told me I should have had them from day 1. Well, what to do, am such a late bloomer (or a big procrastinator??) Anyway, better late than never kan? ;)

Gadget Hunting

2010-04-23T16:40:00.009+08:00

Things will be different come end next month and I need to get my hands on at least 2 new gadgets. I gotta return my office laptop and I've already sold my DSLR. With new projects and a trip to make next month, this means...shopping :) Guess I need to break my piggy bank, ay!

Am still contemplating to get this following gadget. Was telling hubby that with all the doctor visits to make later, I need something to keep me entertained ;) (Alasan...)

The Allure of the Birkin

2010-04-17T14:54:00.006+08:00

They say "Dont judge a book by its cover". One thing I am a bit ashamed to admit is I DO judge books by their covers BUT this applies only when I am not familiar with the authors. So that's what happened when I purchased this book.

When I saw the word 'Birkin', I didn't even have to finish reading the back cover for the synopsis. You know, the bagaholic in me, salivates at any mention of any coveted bag. Well Michael Tonello, you had me at 'Birkin'! Haha. Wait! Michael who? Well, he's the author and the book is a true encounter of him going around the world in his pursuit of bringing home the Hermes Birkins. After discovering the 'formula' that makes the Hermes's waitlist obsolete, he practically lives on margins from selling the Birkins to the likes of socialites, celebrities and fashionistas around the world either through direct sale or e-bay. In this book, Tonello revealed that the waitlist of 2-3 years imposed by Hermes for someone to get her hands on a Birkin is an absolute myth! Plus, there were also few paragraphs on how Oprah and her buddy Gayle were denied entrance to the Hermes Faubourg flagship store in Paris because of their skin colours? What? Is this for real, Hermes?

Well, enuff said, I wouldn't want to be a spoiler. For those who are into fashion, travel, fun, love, this is definitely the 'It' book about the 'It' bag. Go on, grab a copy!

Oscar Glam

2010-03-09T17:46:00.010+08:00

Spent the whole 4 hours glued to the screen last night watching the replay of Oscars. Here are my fave frocks from the night..Pics from http://oscars.movies.yahoo.com/

Demi Moore in Atelier Versace

Rachel McAdams in Elie Saab

Elizabeth Banks in Versace

Kathryn Bigelow - not so much of her frock but she won my attention for looking drop dead gorgeous at 58! And not forgetting that she succeed in becoming the first woman Best Director award recipient for her Best Picture Hurt Locker. You rock woman!!

Crystal Clear

2010-03-01T17:18:00.002+08:00

What took place the last 2-3 weeks have made me look at things differently now. Not quite differently I would say, but much clearer is more like it. After being knocked some senses into my thick skull by Hubby and mum, I now see the path that I should take. Remember my whiny entry on mid-life crisis recently? Crisis is a thing in the past, it's history! Now, I have got big projects coming along soon, as far as both career and family are concerned. Wish me luck people! Will update on the projects!

Bag Wishlist

2010-02-04T22:23:00.007+08:00

Am bored..Here's a random post on the bags in my wish-list..
Presenting to you Tod's Zip Bauletto and Marc Jacobs Casey & Bruna..
Hint..hint..Mr Hubby ;)

A Year Older..A Year Wiser?

2010-02-01T22:10:00.008+08:00

I definitely hope so..I always pride myself for being a KL girl born on KL Day (Federal Territory Day) and as it fell on Monday this year, we had a long weekend then..Hubby treated me to a birthday getaway in Singapore and would definitely say it was good! Not only that, he surprised me with a birthday surprise party upon touching down..Thanks Sayang..Love ya!

Crisis

2010-01-27T23:39:00.007+08:00

Birthday's approaching, am starting to feel old and what's really bugging me is that I'm starting to think that I'm having a mid-life crisis..Am wondering what am I to do with my life? Starting to ask questions like :

- Do I like my job?
- Do I want kids?
- Should I go on for fertility treatment to try having babies?
- Can I become a good mother?
- Why can't I make a career out of what I really love doing?
- Should I try looking for overseas jobs?
- Should I quit my job?
- bla..bla..bla..

All the whats, whys, hows...The questions never end and they keep popping now and then..What am I to do? Guess, I need to be in a far, far away land to kinda reevaluate my life I think..It's not that I'm not doing well with what I'm doing..I'm good at my job eventhough I've to drag myself outta bed every morning, I'm happy just living with my hubby and coming to terms that the stork is taking its time to deliver us a baby, I'm happy with the wealth and health I have now (of course I want more of the dough) ;) But I think something is missing..But what??? Urghhh, I hate this feeling..

Happy Birthday Joe!

2010-01-19T09:47:00.011+08:00

To my football freak, Man U die-hard-fan husband,

Happy birthday! May all your dreams and wishes* come true!

Love you loads!!

* ermm..i don't think Man U will win EPL this year though..hehe..

This Is What I Think....

2010-01-17T00:10:00.004+08:00

Picture googled...

Happy 2010

2010-01-02T08:44:00.006+08:00

Greetings from UK!

It's been 2 weeks since we arrived in UK for our holidays and it's time to leave for home tomorrow. As much as I am looking forward to go back to the hot and humid KL and meet family members, I am feeling pretty sad to leave the icy cold UK. Icy? Yes, it's been between 1 to -5 degrees so far. It's been a walk down the memory lane for me here this time and it's many of firsts for Hubby. First time in UK, first time seeing snow, first time in Old Trafford etc. Can't actually believe that I'll be back in UK this soon after graduating 11 years ago. Had the chance to bring Hubby to visit my alma mater and even managed to show him where I stayed and where I spent my student life back then. Overall, the trip's a good way of reminiscing the past in welcoming the new year. And what's in store for me in 2010? Hope there'll be loads of more good things in life. Aminnnnnn.....

Happy 6th Anniversary, Joe!

2009-12-20T00:24:00.014+08:00

Joe dearest,

Can't believe it has been 6 years for both of us as husband and wife,

We've been through ups and downs of the emotional roller coaster,

But never have I any regret of saying yes to your proposal...

I know we have a long way to go,

We have so many dreams to realise,

But I know we'll hold each other's hands tight in paving the way,

And I can never imagine doing it with anyone else,

Coz never can I imagine life without you...

Joe dearest, I love you with all my might,

Thanks for being the ONE for me,

Thanks for all the wonderful moments together,

Thanks for being a GREAT you,

Love you, Love you, Love you!

P/S: Thanks for the anniversary trip! It's sure a great anniversary gift! Hehehehe...

My Own Little Laduree?

2009-11-25T17:09:00.014+08:00

It's really hard to find good quality gourmet pastries in town. You can find people selling gourmet chocolates all right, in fact they're mushrooming and you can find the outlets in various high-end malls. I remember I was craving for macaroons the other day and the ones I found sold in a bakery tasted like chewing gum! To make up for it, Hubby dearest took me to Mandarin Oriental and there I went gorging on the macaroons like there was no tomorrow. It was pretty close to the ones sold in Paris, but still not quite there, you know what I mean.

I am a dessert person. Apart from eating them, I love experimenting dessert recipes. I am constantly looking out for unique and different dessert recipes by top chefs and try to turn them into mine with my own improvisation and techniques :) Plus, you know how these kinda desserts are always soaked with alcohol rite? So, changing them into halal desserts remain as challenges as alcohol is always the main ingredient..I also love serving family and friends with my "experiments" and it never fails to delight me when I get good reviews and praises :)

Wonder what it would be like to have my own little gourmet pastry shop like Laduree (http://www.laduree.fr/index_en.htm). Fancy-schmancy huh?

Drool.....

2009-11-21T08:29:00.006+08:00

I've got a fair bit of travelling to do come next year and I am adding this into my wishlist :) Drool....