How Peaceful!

I saw this picture on Ellen's homepage. Looking so comfortable, both of them. Love is in the air!

Before 7

This is a morning picture, another different beautiful morning sky that my picture does not justify well enough. The real thing was so much better. I wish I could describe it in words. It's 6:59AM leading a super gorgeous hot sunny day in Singapore.

Pão de Queijo

It was years ago that this Brazilian cheese balls were brought into our attention. Our cheese lover, Miss K, tasted some at school, I believe, it was during UN night, when there were stalls from so many countries selling the special foods from their countries. She was drooling over how delicious they were and asked me to make some. The furthest I went was getting the recipe and put it away. For many many years.......

This summer, while studying in lovely Cambridge, UK, she made friend with a girl from Brazil. Again, Pão de Queijo become another topic that we talked of and fell into the list of things to make. Our cheese lover was practically envious by the fact that her Brazilian friend gets to eat them nearly on daily basis in her home country. When she went back here, she was quite determined to make some.

We needed tapioca flower and, trying to be a good mother, I bought that yesterday morning after church. Surely by afternoon, we have the cheese balls made. These are the cousins of cheese puffs, gougeres and cheese mochi, to name a few. They look similar and the ways to make them are also similar. They are yummy.

Do Not Disappoint....

Benjamin Franklin said, "The only things certain in life are death and taxes." I agree to death being certain, unless God suddenly changes the rule and everyone or every good one, could live forever. Taxes are not in the mind of so many poor people in many poor countries. People struggle just to have their basic necessities in their life.

Talking about certainly, I like the fact that I could count on Yellow Alder plants. Everyday, without fail, they deliver flowers after flowers in their gorgeous yellow color. They are very cooperative objects for my photography training too and it's really satisfying to see the results. They are so lovely additions to my garden.

Tom Yum Goong

I have been craving for Tm Yum Goong for a while and finally I had everything I needed to make the soup today. It rained and it was just nice to have this for dinner. Click here for the recipe.

Full Moon

It's full moon, it's mid-autumn, it's the festival time. It is the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar, which falls today, 22 September this year. Many huge lanterns were set up at Clarke Quay and by the Singapore river. These pictures were, lazily, taken from our terrace. For better pictures, check out this site.

Harvesting Ginger Rhizomes

I finally got to enjoy the fruit of my labor, on ginger department. I needed some ginger roots or rhizomes, to be so truly correct for the kungpao chicken that I cooked for DH. They were young, so they were mild in taste, but it was definitely very acceptable. I had just realized that I had quite a bit of them in my garden. I should make use of them more. What to cook next?

Skillet Apple Cake

It's an upside down cake, cooked and baked in a heavy skillet. I made this cake more than a week ago, of course, when I had the urgency to finish up the green apples in the fridge that occupied my fridge drawer for a long while. It's a recipe from the Pioneer Woman website, using a skillet to cook the caramel and apple first, prior to putting the dough and then bake the cake in the oven.

It's another recipe that's reasonably easy to do and tastes yummy too. You could have vanilla ice cream with it, but I like it just like that.

Waiting For Ginger Flowers...

We are soon about to have ginger flowers in our garden. There are three of them that are visible so far, and expected to open up in, hopefully, the coming days. Their bright pink colors look very outstanding among the green leaves. I am looking forward to seeing them blossoming.

The Hands That Dance

These are amazing hand dancers, so much fun to see.

Adenium, After The Rain

It rained cats and dogs last Wednesday, leaving everything outside totally soaking wet, including my Adeniums.

See The Moon!

The highlight of the Mid-Autumn festival is mooncake and we are still in the mooncake zone. We got more mooncakes. These are from Raffles Hotel and is one of my favorites.

They are packed in classically designed tin in light purple and most importantly, in terms of taste, they are just right to my preference. Not too sweet, but the sweetness and tenderness is right there. They have simple basic fillings that are my favorites, smooth white lotus paste and an egg yolk.

New Buddy Arrives!

My first iPod Touch's battery had gone crazy and the newest iPod touch is just too good to pass. My two valid excuses for getting a new one. I don't think they are available on the store yet, but I ordered it online over the weekend. Shortly after, surprisingly, within three days, I got it. Yipee!!! My life is complete... for now. 'Til I get my iPad!

For Real...

I waited and waited for a long while for these adeniums to start flowering and when it finally happened, it happened. I should not even have been too anxious about it, but it I was eager to really see that all my time dedicated to look after them were really worth it. Seeing first flower is always exciting. Now, we enjoy plenty of them and they are quite a pretty sight. I know there are still more to come.... It is still a thrill!

What's In The Box?

It's the time for Mid-Autumn Festival Again. Or Mooncake Festival or Lantern Festival. All around the countries, people are promoting mooncakes of all types and all sizes. There are way too many different types that I could ever count, not that I would anyway. Outrageous. What's more interesting to me also is the packaging. They are so creative, fancy and so nicely done too and I am certain it is the large part of the price.

Here we have one from Ritz Carlton here. I love the design, it is simple, but still very pretty and reflective of the occasion. The box is definitely a keep for me. The mooncakes themselves? They taste great too.

Just Waffles!

It was Sunday yesterday and we had waffles. It was buttermilk waffles with homemade strawberry sauce. No big deal. I simply could not resist putting up the pictures here. They were delicious though. I still can imagine the taste of them ..... yum.

A Bummer!

I feel great having Friday as non-meat day. It forces me not to eat meat and directs me towards eating more healthily. Like yesterday, I was happy with having salad for lunch.

Blame it on my dear daughter who needed to pick up her contact lenses and bring her glasses case so she can replace the lenses with the newly prescribed ones. Yes, her eyes got worse. After finished with her errand, I dropped by at the supermarket to get some feta cheese for my cheese-eater daughter. It didn't take too long and just a few steps from the entrance before the pork knuckles on the rack behind the glass cover called my name. I simply surrendered, asked the lady behind the counter to pass me one and took it home. Of course I paid. Ahhhh......my lunch......

Friday Lunch

Friday.
No meat day.

Japanese salad from Sushi Tei. I can't remember what the name is, it's just salad with some crab meat and avocado. The best part was the dressing, sesame dressing.

Waiting No More!

The waiting is over. One Adenium flower has opened up and displayed its bright pink outstanding color. In less than an hour after shyly opening its petal, the flower completely expanded. Here we go!

Still Waiting...

So, we have have arrived here, in September. I am still waiting for my Adenium flowers to open. They are still teasing and keeping me intrigued everyday... The buds are getting larger, but they are still close. I continue waiting...