blogging again

its been awhile since i last posted anything updates on my car, the lion dance group or even anything.
Well its about to change, posting will be back and more updates coming out real soon.

 just a sneak peek of whats coming out soon,
my car's update, mechanically and also in design. (the future look). Also look out for the details of lion dance practice for 2010 (we have big plans and we are going to make it happen). my journey around ... well anywhere. =)

For today let me post some pictures of my last SCP & SLP classes for Jan-March 2010. I miss them already.

Stay focus on your OUTCOME and keep smiling guys!!!

Time to 'Fess Up

Okay, so there's a reason for the last lame blog (although those truffle cookies are worth baking).  The truth is I am in St. Martin.  Right now.  As I write this. 

We've been visiting this island for 25 years.  We adore it here.  It's half Dutch and half French.  We stay on the French side, of course.  This is the place where we can breathe.  I needed to get Henry out of that "stress pool" he's been living in recently, so I made this trip happen on a moment's notice. 

It's not the best trip we've ever had here.  It rained for the first couple of days, thwarting our plans to hang out on the "nekkid" beach or taking a boat trip.  And right now there is no water pressure in our hotel, so Henry can't take a shower (after a three-hour kayak trip around Simpson Bay).  Apparently a water main broke in the village of Grand Case.  I, of course, took a shower immediately upon getting back here, when we had full pressure.  Not my fault if he decided to take a nap instead!  (Can someone please explain to me why someone can fall asleep with all that salt and sweat plastered onto him?  Guess it's a guy thing).

But can we complain?  Hell no!  We get to sit on our balcony each morning with our coffee and baguette (and incredible French yogurt and butter) and again in the evening to watch the sunset.  We get to eat fabulous food (Grand Case boasts the best "Restaurant Row" in the Caribbean) and we get to WALK there from our hotel.  No DUI's for us!

And we get to "get out of ourselves" and just live in the moment.  That doesn't happen in our frenzied world in Atlanta.  We'll take it.  Breathing is good.

This was the rhubarb "tiramisu" we had for dessert the other night at L'Estaminet.

Trust me, I am not even close to being a skinny cook after this little trip.

Had Enough of Passover?

As my mother-in-law would say, "enough already!"  I couldn't agree more.  It's time to get back to the business of cooking and blogging about what I like to eat.

Chocolate Truffle Cookies.

What I like to eat!

Speaking of my mother-in-law, she is one awesome lady.  If you don't want to know what she thinks about something, don't be in the same room with her.  The first time we met, she was wearing a Star Trek t-shirt bearing the words "Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life on earth."  Enough said.

She's a really good cook.  Remind me, and I will make her ruggelach one of these days and post the recipe. 

But for now you will have to make do with my recipe for chocolate truffle cookies.  Oh, my deepest apologies!

These are rich and delicious.  I make them for one of my Vietnam vets at the VA hospital.  He swears he has gained  20 pounds from eating them.  I hope so.  He has cancer and is not in good health.  I hope these cookies fill both his stomach and his spirit.  I hope you will make and enjoy them also!

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE COOKIES  (from Bon Apetit)
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour
2 tablespoons cocoa (preferably Droste)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Melt unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until chocolate is just melted.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

In electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs and vanilla until pale and frothy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in melted chocolate mixture and combine.  Add flour mixture on low speed just to combine.  Stir in remaining chocolate chips.

Chill mixture until firm.  Scoop into balls (I use an ice cream scoop) and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Place balls on a greased baking sheet about 1-inch apart.  Bake until puffed and set, about 10 minutes or until soft in center.  Do not overbake.  Transfer to a rack and cool.

Yield:  about 6 dozen

YUM!  These are the perfect "anti-Passover antidote.

Comment lui dire adieu...

(read more)

Today the sky was grey again...

But I wanted to use my straw hat...

And I smiled as I was listening to François Hardy...

Dreaming of being far way... and thinking about Peter Steele's death...

So now, I sing songs by François Hardy, but the truth is that I don't know exactly what they say, because I don't speak much french... but sounds so good... and sad.

My outfit: 
T-shirt - Zara
Cardigan - Primark
Skirt and tights - H&M
Boots - Aces of London
Hat - Oysho

Shepherd's Pie

  

  
Ahh, Shepherd's Pie, one of the more wonderful comfort foods.  I like comfort food anytime, but certain recipes take full advantage of holiday meal leftovers.  After Thanksgiving, I always make a Turkey Tetrazzini.  After Easter, I prepare a Shepherd's Pie with leftover lamb.  The recipe is quite simple: soften a mirepoix combination of celery, carrots and onion, add the meat, herbs and flour and stock for a gravy and top with mashed potatoes.  The potatoes can cook while you're softening the vegetables and rebrowning the meat.  That means the whole dish can be prepared in 45 minutes.  If you don't have leftover lamb, you can also make this dish with ground beef.  While that stops being a traditional Shepherd's Pie, you should always make a recipe the way you like it.  Consider also adding peas, tomatoes or corn to the vegetables and Worcesteshire sauce to the gravy.  Serves 4.
    
Ingredients:
4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 lbs cooked lamb, diced
1 tbsp flour
1 cup beef stock
3 tbsp buttter, melted
2 tbsp milk, warmed
     
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  In a medium pot of cold water, heat the potatoes over high heat until boiling and then simmer for 12 minutes or until soft.  While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened, 5 minutes.  Stir in the thyme, rosemary and lamb.  Cook the lamb a few minutes to brown.  Stir in the flour and cook a minute further.  Stir in the beef stock and bring to a simmer, stirring to make the gravy.  When the potatoes are cooked, drain and run through a ricer if desired.  Mix in a bowl the potatoes, 2 tbsp of butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste.  Add more warmed butter and milk if needed to further soften the mashed potatoes.  Pour the lamb mixture into a baking dish.  Spread the mashed potatoes into a layer over the lamb mixture.  Arrange the remaining butter on top of the potatoes to help them brown.  Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, until the potatoes are golden.  Serve.
     

Day 4: Oxford

After posting the blog yesterday, I set out for a bookshop I vaguely remembered from the last time I was here. Blackwell’s. I found it, looked over the cookbook section for anything new and interesting and bought the third in the trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, written by Steig Larrson and not yet available in US. I’ve read the first two: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. Well I started reading about 5:30, fully intending to stop for a bite of dinner. But I couldn’t stop. Just kept on reading until Katherine returned about 9:30. So exciting. I wasn’t hungry for anything but more of this fascinating and absorbing book. The other two items in this photo are my travel journal (thank you, Anne) and my little dinner journal in which I write all the food I'm eating on the trip.

I determined that today would be an art day. The small Modern Art Oxford was a wonderful little museum that last time I was here. But unfortunately I found out this morning that it was closed for refurbishing until April 17. So I set out on a different path: The Bodleian Library and The Sheldonian Theatre. But I also stopped at Marks & Spencer to look in their food area which is quite good. I love supermarkets and this one was full of women doing their shopping. Two things were especially interesting: The labeling here is much more complete than in the US and it is required to include the country of origin. The only coffee they sold was Fair Trade, which means that the farmers growing the coffee aredealt with directly and are given a better price than they would get on the open market working through a middle person.

And can you imagine what I did next? Back to the hotel for more reading…

Kenapa harus ASI ?

untuk bayi, anak kita, anak anda, anak mereka, anak siapa aja yang penting manusia :p harus dikasih Air Susu Ibu a.k.a ASI ! ya iyalah kalo anak sapi kan dikasihnya air susu sapi emaknya sendiri kann :D

Kenapa harus ASI ?

1. supaya baby gak gampang sakit, cuma ASI yang punya antibody untuk bekal baby hidup di dunia ini *lebaii*
2. ASI cuma satu2nya cairan yang gizinya memenuhi standar untuk baby
3. mempererat emotional binding antara ibu & anak
4. banyak penelitian kalo baby ASI lebih cerdass IQnya
5. susu kaleng mahaal bo'
6. kalo ASI gak perlu cuci-steril-nyendokin susu-tuang air-aduk *looping*. tinggal clep ajahh
7. kalo pergi2 cukup bawa pashmina, gak perlu bawa botol+susu+air panas+sterilizer
8. ada lagi yang mau nambahin ? *udah keabisan ide*

so, dear parents.. perjuangkan hak anak kita untuk dapat ASI.
pertama ASI Exclusive sampai 6 bulan, kemudian lanjutkan ASI+MPASI sampai 1 tahun, dan teruskan memberikan ASI sampai 2 tahun.

Mari kita mencetak anak bangsa Indonesia yang lebihh berkualitas ! *amiin*