Happy Birthday

Yesterday was my eldest nephew's birthday and tomorrow is his younger brother's birthday. So I picked today to wish them a very happy birthday.

Happy Birthday Boys :)

This picture is specially posted for both of you

... and also to my little niece too for a really belated birthday
Happy Birthday Angel :) sorry for not posting anything on your birthday...

Say Cheese

I am in one of my crazy snacking mood again. It started few weeks ago and I can't seem to stop it. It is seriuosly addictive. I am constantly looking for something to munch on eventhough I am not hungry. I know... it is an unhealthy habit... but... * giggling and shrugging my shoulder, giving the what-can-I-do look *

Anyway, instead of buying potato chips from the supermarket [feeling guilty of snacking and trying very hard to refrain myself], I thought I would make something instead, something healthier perhaps. So I have decided to make some cheese snacks - Cheese Twist and Parmesan Wafers

CHEESE ! Not really any better of than potato chips, isn't it ? Ha ha...

0_o

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Cheese Twist :
Recipe adopted from Better Homes & Gardens TV show

2 sheets of puff pastry (approx. 25cm x 25cm)
1 tablespoon of melted butter
1 cup of parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
sugar (optional)
flour (for working on the pastry sheet)

1. Lay a sheet of puff pastry on a floured surface
2. Brush the entire side up of the pastry sheet with melted butter
3. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese onto the pastry sheet
4. Lay the second sheet of puff pastry on top of the first sheet
5. Place a sheet of baking paper over the pastry and compress it a little with a rolling pin
6. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top and repeat step 5 (to prevent the cheese from falling)
7. Cut into 10 strips. If the strips are too long, do what I did and cut them into half
8. Twist the strips and place on a baking tray laid with baking paper
9. Bake in a 180°c preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden and crisp
10. Sprinkle a little sugar over the twists (optional preference) and serve

Parmesan Wafers:
Recipe adopted from Better Homes & Gardens magazine

75g plain flour
50g cold butter, grated
100g parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
1 egg
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon milk
45g flaked or slivered almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c (fan forced). Line baking tray with baking paper
2. Sift the flour in a medium bowl. Add butter and rub it through the flour until mixture has a very fine consistency
3. Add the parmesan and mix to combine
4. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, mustard and milk with a fork until well combined
5. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and use a fork to combine
6. Gently stir through the almonds with a metal spoon
7. Place dessertspoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking tray and spread each one out with the back of a wet spoon until 10cm in diameter and very thin
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes until golden
9. Cool on the trays until firm enough to handle, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely

Presents

Everytime when I go home, I would definately get something for my nephews and niece. It is my belated birthday gifts for them. So everytime when they know I am going home, they will be extremely excited, because they know I will be bringing presents for them... [I hope that is not the only reason they are happy and excited :p]

Anyway, I rang my mum two days ago and so happen my eldest nephew was with them. So I talked to him over the phone. I asked him what he would like for his birthday since his birthday is just around the corner.

He said:
"POKEMON ! I love Pokemon or Digimon. Not Ben 10 please, I don't like Ben 10 anymore..."

Then in the background, I can hear my mum said:
"Aiya... all those can get here in Malaysia... ask for something that only Australia has..."

So then he said:
"Ok.... yee yee... I want the best toys in Australia !"

OMG... what would that be ? Ha ha.... me and my big mouth for asking him.... so right now, I need to crack my head thinking of what to get for him that he cannot get back there... and on top of that, it has to be THE BEST !

0_o

My Sunday Afternoon

I have always love dancing. But never got the chance to do it professionally when I was back in my country. I guess it was the lack of time, money and the availability of classes that stop me from doing what I like. But I have not given up the passion in dance.

Few months ago, after watching so many episodes of So You Think You Can Dance, the fire of my passion in dacing has been ignited once again. And this time, there are no excuses for me to not do something about it anymore. So I did some research and survey on dance classes in Sydney and went for it.




I started with Jazz and so far I have attended 6 classes till date. When you look at dancers dancing on stage, they always seem to make the dance so easy and simple. But in reality, dancing is tough but in a very good way. It is a very good form of exercise for both body and mind. Dancing helps improve cardio, increase stamina and flexibility, tone the muscles and improve posture and balance of the body. On top of that, you get to unwind and have fun. It just feels absolutely great [not for the next few days though, where your muscle in every inch of your body is aching] ...

Ha ha ha...

Fishy Business

I usually don't take lunch on Sunday for two main reasons. First reason - Sunday is a day where I sleep in. I usually wake up only around 10am and will be having my breakie around 10.30am. Second reason - I go for dance class at 2pm (trust me, not a good idea dancing with full stomach).

So last Sunday, I actually got up earlier than I expected - around 8.30am. Had my breakfast and started doing housework. By the time I hit the road to my dance class at around 1.40pm, my stomach started rumbling... "Oh no..." I started to feel hungry but I tried to keep my mind off it. Thank goodness it was a fun routine that day, I totally enjoyed the dance until I have forgotten all about my hunger. But right after the dance, the trouble starts - I was feeling super duper hungry all the way back home.

Ok.... so I thought to myself : " What can I cook in just minutes to feed my growling stomach ? " The minute I arrived home, looked into my fridge and ah ha - I'm going to do Pan Fried Barramundi Top With Asparagus.

In 10 quick steps (approximately 15 minutes in total)

1. Cut fish into small pieces
2. Season with a little bit of salt and ground black pepper
3. Add some chives and some olives oil
4. Leave it for the flavour to set in
5. Clean the asparagus and cut away the woody part (bottom part)
6. Steam the asparagus (can be done in other ways)
7. Heat up frying pan with oil
8. Place fish in pan on medium heat
9. Flip fish after 1 minute or 2
10. Serve fish on plate top with steamed asparagus

Moment

Doesn't moment like this put a smile on your face ? Even the birds are enjoying the moment... this reminds me of a very spectacular performance by a six years old little girl from Britains Got Talent...

Salmon

Salmon... I have never liked salmon. Well... except for those thinly sliced and smoked. I have tried so many salmon dishes in restaurants but none had ever impressed me. All salmon dishes I have tried are always too dry and tasteless.

One fine day while I was doing my normal groceries shopping, I was scanning at all the fishes over the counter, trying to decide what to buy. I usually will go for Dory, Barramundi or any other fish but definately not salmon.

I don't know what came on to me that day, I actually decided to buy some salmon fillet. I guess I wanted to proof that salmon can be tasty, it is just a matter of how it was cooked (ha ha... I'm a big sucker for challenges).

So then began my quest. I did some research on salmon by looking up for salmon recipes, but most are more or less the same. So I decided to do it my own style after all. My ultimate aim is to overcome the two main reasons that made me dislike salmon - the dryness and the tastelessness.

Finally I came up with this idea - seasoned salmon with tomato salsa.

For the salmon:

First, seasoned/marinated the salmon fillet with a little bit of salt and some ground black pepper, some McCormick's Italian seasoning (contains garlic, onion and some herbs and spices) and finally some olive oil. I usually would prefer using fresh herbs but since I have none at home, I had to make do with whatever I have. Once done, cover the salmon with plastic wrap and let it set.

For the tomato salsa:

5 red juicy tomatoes, remove the inner parts (don't chuck it away, that's wasting food; eat it instead), cut the rest into cubes.

2 green pepper (jalapeno) - sliced, seed removed (I personally do not like the seeds, but if you don't mind the seeds and prefer it hotter, then don't remove them) and cut into small pieces.

1 big red onion - sliced and chopped into small pieces (I had a hard time doing this, my eyes were in tears, can hardly see).

A handful of Kalamata olives with seed removed and cut into small pieces. I am not a big fan of olives but I wanted something black/brown in my tomato salsa, just to add to the colour presentation :p but I must say, other than the colour, the olives actually added a little extra kick to the tomato salsa (olives are salty).

Now, put everything in a big bowl, add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper, juice of a lemon and a tablespoon full of extra virgin olive oil. Mix everything together and voilà - you have yourself a tasty, zetsy tomato salsa.

Set the tomato salsa aside. Heat up the frying pan in high, pour some oil in the pan and wait till the oil is hot. Once the oil is ready for frying, turn the heat to medium. Put in the salmon fillet, skin side down first and let it sizzle through about 2 minutes or so (depends on the thickness of the fillet). Flip it and fry the whole fillet until it is cooked but not over cooked.

It is very important to make sure not to over cook the salmon or it will end up dry and flaky. Lastly spread the tomato salsa on a plate, gently place the salmon on top and serve it with a lemon wedge.



Now enjoy the savoury taste of the salmon and a blend of the appetizing zetsy tomato salsa with a tinge of chili spicyness. This is the first time I actually enjoyed my salmon dish :>