Chocolate Indulgence

It was a perfect Saturday afternoon spending some time with loved ones and indulging on a piece of rich and moist chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice-cream. What a lovely (yet sinful) indulgence on a hot day!

What does it feel like today?

Sometimes picture paints a thousand words and it could be interpreted differently. This photo of the Orang Utan was taken at Taman Safari Indonesia Cisarua Bogor during a recent vacation in Indonesia. Doesn't it seem as if the Orang Utan is saying ...

- "Where are you people? I'm so bored...."
- "Stop bothering me, I'm feeling lazy today...."
- "ahh....I'm so tired after a long day at 'work'..."

Fruit Bruschetta

My attempt to make cute and delicate fruit bruschetta failed miserably but the only consolation was that it didn't taste as bad as its appearance. It was an easy-to-make snack and healthy finger food (ahh, I love finger food!) I like the hints of saltiness from the butter and cheese, sweetness from the succulent grapes, and a little sourness from the crispy green apples. The oven-toasted baguette slice gave a crunchy texture to complement the snack too!

Invisible Wings

Last Christmas night, my sister belted out her rendition of Invisible Wings by Angela Zhang in a karaoke session. I watched her sang in awe the very moment she began to sing. It was such a meaningful song sung so beautifully and I was completely immersed in it. Certainly a song that I hold close to my heart and it almost bring tears to my eyes.

2012

Another year has come and gone yet again. All in all, despite some ups and downs in 2011, I thank God for a year of blessings. It was a great year - happy times and sad times, sweet memories to cherish and lessons to be learned. Hopefully 2012 is going to be an exciting year ahead. I look forward to usher the new year with new hope and new attitude. It will be a year of change - I shall put my trust in God and let the breath of the holy spirit blow me to where I will be. Happy New Year!

Above: Taken in Penang Hill - One of the bungalows on the hill. 

Banana Prawn Fettucine

This is an overdue post featuring Nique's cooking from down under who misses Penang hawkers' delight all the time. Last week, Nique had a successful attempt cooking "Penang Hokkien Mee"-inspired Banana Prawn Fettucine. I did not have the luxury to taste it but from the looks of the dish, it was certainly tantalizing and delectable. The banana prawns looked so fresh and succulent. They surely made me drool. Well done! Can't wait for Nique's next experiment and photos. 

Fried Prawn Noodle

Yesterday, I found a packet of prawn noodle paste in my kitchen cupboard which was expiring soon so I thought why not make Hokkien Mee for lunch. On second thought, I was rather reluctant to go through the hassle of making prawn broth, hard-boil eggs, and fried shallots. My reluctance inspired me to attempt a dry version which bypass all the hassles of cooking the usual soup-based version. Only half a packet of the paste was used to fry the noodle because it would be too salty to use a whole packet since the original recipe calls for a litre of water to make the broth.

It turned out to be okay except that it wasn't as flavorful as I had expected it to be - I prefer stronger "prawny" flavor. Nonetheless, still an edible dish and I had a filling lunch.

Ingredients:
- Half a packet of Prawn noodle paste
- Choy Sum (Flowering Chinese Cabbage?)
- Bean Sprouts
- Prawns
- 1-2 Eggs
- Substitute yellow noodle with Spaghetti - Angel hair