Wasabi Meatballs

Minced meat ( chicken , beef or pork ) can be prepared in many variations...you can either have it steamed  with duck yolk and eggs or steamed it with preserved veggie ( tung choy in cantonese ) or make them into meat cutlets but for once I would like to stuff wasabi into the meatballs and deep fry them till crispy on the outside and juicy inside.Pour some oyster sauce gravy over it.  Ooh la la ...it is one dish I don't mind making again coz I love wasabi  so does Jo.. and Daddy loves it too * wink 

Every bite is heavenly and the pungent wasabi can choke your nostril and sent you back to earth. And you can go on and on...without stopping...you can get addicted after the first meatball.  You can eat it sans gravy as a finger food or with onion rings oyster sauce gravy.

Pre-Graduation Dinner With Claire :)

Tonite ,we had a pre-graduation celebration dinner at Riche Montana with invited guest Claire. LOL! We invited Claire for this Korean BBQ & Steamboat at Riche Montana becoz  I wanted Claire to meet Jo and at the same time a little pre graduation celebration for Jo.  She worked hard the last four years so it was time to reward her :))   Just Piggy Gal Joanna , Claire and myself.  A ladies' night out...we had so much fun together...chatting , eating and photo shooting all the time. We had so much fun together And seriously we enjoyed ourselves very much...not so much on the food but on the fellowship.

Daddy recently had his eye surgery done so he doesn't feel like going out and Piggy boy Joshua is still in KL having fun with his coursemate. He is now having his semester break but will only be coming back this weekend and he will be going back to KL only after the CNY for his 2nd year 3rd semester...Time flies ! :)

Well ,this is not really a celebration but a meet up for Piggy gal and Claire.  Piggy gal wanted to meet up with Claire the famous blogger in her own right "  Caring Is Not Only Sharing " so I took the opportunity to invite Claire to join us for the dinner. I had wanted to give Claire and Jo a treat so tonite was the best time since Claire is free and Piggy gal is craving for good food. We arrived early and managed to take some pictures for we were the only patrons there when we arrived at 7.30pm. But after half an hour the crowd came in and within an hour the whole place was packed.  Surprisingly...since it was a weekday and I purposely chose today thinking there won't be a crowd.  The food there is passable and I have a  post on it sometime in November last year. I won't blog on food this time around. Pretty much the same :))  and hop over to  Claire's blog for more pictures on tonite's dinner :).

Claire and Piggy gal Joanna 

she is so happy....beaming and grinning all the time 

laughter is brightest in a place where there is food.....:))

I am also happy when I see her eating well

by the way I was chef for the night...I cook they eat...

candid shot ...she was talking to claire and I just clicked away

while waiting for the food to cook on the grill pan

Claire cracking a joke and Piggy Gal was laughing heartily

they clicked instantly...great pal after tonight? :)))

Jo listening ernestly to Claire's story...very attentive :p

She is most happy when attacking the dessert

can you see how happy she is...food is the answer...LOL!

Smile Inducer for the day :

A mother passing by her daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then she saw an envelope propped up prominently on the center of the bed. It was addressed, "Mom." With the worst premonition, she opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands: 

Dear Mom: It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new boyfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you. I've been finding real passion with Ahmed and he is so nice-even with all his piercings, tattoos, beard, and his motorcycle clothes. But it's not only the passion Mom, I'm pregnant and Ahmed said that we will be very happy. He already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too. Ahmed taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and trading it with his friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Ahmed can get better; he sure deserves it!! Don't worry Mom, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grand children. 

Your daughter, Judith 

PS: Mom, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbor's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk center drawer. I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home.

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Chicken Cheese Roll With Black Pepper Sauce

Piggy gal is back for good...Yay! she finished her studies in KL and now has 3 months holiday before she takes off to UK for her final semester there. What a bliss for me and having her all to myself for 3 solid months.  Envy me ! LOL! You know how long I waited for this day to come...4 years! And now I have my baby back with me for at least 3 months. Time to cook all her favourite dishes and this is one of her favourite....Chicken Cheese Roll With Black Pepper Sauce and with lots of salad...I am going to feed her till she grows round round :p, the chinese way of speaking so to say :)

Tuna Sandwiches 2

Tuna Sandwiches again ? Yup I made this for our breakfast before going to Church this morning. Simple and yet delicious. Imagine munching on this healthy tuna sandwiches with a cup of hot lemon tea while reading the morning paper....whoa....this is a simple and relaxing breakfast indulgence :))  Eating at home beats waiting for a table at the coffee shops on weekends :) especially those dim sum restaurants in town.

mix tuna flakes, chopped chillies, mayonaise, chopped italian parsley together

spread evenly over the wholemeal bread 

top with pickled onion rings and a layer of cheddar cheese

before sandwich another slice of bread over it

cut them diagonally across into 4 pieces of  triangles

yummilicious tuna sandwiches....a balanced breakfast treat for all ages

a close up of something that will make you crave for it :p

Elin  in her wickedness once again....making you drool over

this piece of deliciousness :))))

Tuna Sandwiches 2

Ingredients:

1 small can of  Tuna Chunks in brine water - drained and flaked it

(A)

2  bird-eye chillies - chopped

1 tbsp of mayonaise

2 sprigs of italian parsley- chopped

 onion rings pickled with lemon juice

grated cheddar cheese

4 slices of wholemeal bread

Method:

Mix the tuna flakes with ingredients A till well mixed. Spread evenly over a slice of wholemeal bread, topped with the pickled onion rings and cheddar cheese. Cover with another slice of wholemeal bread. Cut diagonally across into 4 triangles.  Serve with a  cup of hot lemon tea or coffee.

Enjoy !

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.  

~Luciano Pavarotti~

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Yay! 100,000 Visitors :))

Yay! I am happy that my blog has touched a  100,000 visitors in its 2nd blogversary this Jan 2010 . When I started this blog it was solely for my Piggies who were away in college in KL. Becoz  everyday they will ask me " Mom, what are you both having for dinner ? "  " What you baked these days ? ", etc etc. And I was too lazy to describe and sms it , I started this blog solely for them and asked them to drop in to read and view the dishes I cooked and the cakes I baked  :p  Since then there is no turning back , it became a hobby I enjoy doing. Slowly I took an interest in food photography , thus you see a great improvement in my food presentation. I told myself that I am never too old to learn and it has proven that I can be IT savvy too :p

Many people asked me why Elinluv's Tidbits Corner ? ....well....Just that Elin loves everything...LOL! thus I just named it Elinluv's Tidbits Corner!  I have many people who told me this....Elinluv is a tag too sexy for you LOL! doesn't suit the real person....Elinluv sounded out for this old Elin....haha do you people agree to that? Well, many readers emailed me and say that they like the way I write my daily post and were surprised that Elin turns out to be such a matured lady....LOL ! Even my Piggies coursemates asked them how old is your mom? She writes like a young person...ahem...please I told you I may be 5 decades old but I am forever 25  LOL! Please bear with me...I am funny though :p

Through blogging I came to meet a lot of friends from all over the place. And Gertrude of MyKitchenSnippets became my first blogger friend and since then our friendship has grown. She taught me a lot of things and from her blog I became good in baking and cooking. A big thank you to Gertrude for helping me out in Foodbuzz, the patience she has shown to my ignorance of the usage of Foodbuzz :)) I have made a lot of friends thru foodbuzz :)

Thank you guys for always dropping me a line here for me to read .  I love your comments...it brings me closer to you all. Thank you for all your support thus far. I love you guys....muaxs to all :)))

Have a wonderful and great weekend ! :)

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Shiitake With Salted Fish Infused Mince Meat Fillings

Whenever I have the opportunity to do stuffing for mushrooms , my preference will be the salted fish infused mince meat fillings....I can forget my own surname :p whenever I have this for dinner :p that good......excuse the exaggerated statement ! :))

I like to use fresh shiitake for this dish. You can use any type of minced meat...add a bit of salted fish ( the mui heong type) , garlic, chopped italian parsley , chopped hot chillies, light soy sauce, sesame oil , corn flour and pepper , stir the ingredients together vigorously in a big bowl till it turns into a sticky mixture.... mmmmm just talking about this salted fish, my salivary glands will do its job :)) tada... and it is ready for stuffing the shrooms.... seriously this is a great dish ! The ghost of its scent lingers everywhere !

gorgeous looking shrooms.....

can't wait to swim in the hot oil......

lightly fry them in hot oil ...with the meat fillings facing down

and fry till the meat is cooked and golden brown

Dish up and leave aside ....you can start preparing the gravy

when the mushrooms are done

Pour the ready gravy over the cooked mushrooms

and garnish with italian parsley if you like

this is also the family favourite dish :)

Shiitake With Salted Fish Infused Mince Meat Fillings

ingredients:

12 pieces of fresh shiitake - removed the stem, washed clean

Fillings:

300 gm minced meat ( chicken/pork)

1/2 piece of salted fish ( mui heong ) - chopped

3 pips of garlic- chopped

2 sprigs of italian parsley - chopped

3 bird's eye's chillies - chopped

1 tsp of light soy sauce

dash of pepper

1 tsp of sesame oil

1/2 tbsp of corn flour

Gravy:

1/2 tbsp of fermented soy bean ( tau cheong)

chopped garlic

1 tbsp of oyster sauce

1/4 tsp of sugar

thickening:

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp of corn flour

Method:

Mix all the fillings ingredients together in a big bowl. Stir vigorously with a pair of chopsticks till it turns into a sticky mixture. Stuff each of the fresh shiitake mushrooms with the salted fish infused mince meat fillings until all done.

Heat up the oil in a wok, when the oil is hot, put in the mushrooms one by one with the fillings facing down and fry till golden brown and cooked. Dish up and arrange neatly on a serving dish and leave aside while you prepare the gravy.

Pour the extra oil into a oil container for future use and leave about 1 tbsp of oil in the wok. Under medium low heat, saute all the gravy ingredients except the sugar and the thickening till fragrant. Add in the sugar and thickening. Once it boils. Off the heat and pour gravy over the cooked mushrooms. Garnish with italian parsley if you like. Serve hot with rice.

Enjoy!

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Mint Leaves Omelette

This is one of my favourite egg dish. It is mint leaves omelette with hot chillie in it and drizzle with cooking wine all over the pancake omelette when it is ready to dish up ...Mmmm can you imagine how aromatic that is :p I just have to go to my pot of mint..pluck the mint leaves , chopped some hot chillies and garlic....whisk two omega eggs and that's it....saute the garlic and hot chillies till fragrant , add in the washed mint leaves and stir fry for a short while. Take out the mint leaves and mix together with the whisk eggs. Then pour the egg mixture back into the non-stick pan and cook it till the bottom side is lightly brown. Flip it over in half and keep flipping the omelette till both sides are cooked. Drizzle with cooking wine and dish up . Serve it hot with rice or this can be eaten as filling for savory sandwiches..... I love this so does Piggy gal. Now it is so convenient...I can cook this anytime when the craving is there. This dish is good for confinement ladies :))) The mint leaves helps to remove wind from the body . You can add julienned ginger. I used sesame oil to fry this omelette.

simple and easy to whip up omelette

this omelette can be used as filling for savoury sandwiches

I love the mint leaves...so aromatic and tasty too

this is one healthy meal.....omega eggs, organic mint leaves,

sesame oil and garlic...lots of goodness for the body :)))

Mint Leaves Omelette

ingredients:

mint leaves - washed clean

amount up to individual

2 omega eggs- whisk with a pinch

of salt and pepper

4 bird's eye chillies- chopped

3 pips of garlic- chopped

julienne ginger

1/2 tbsp of sesame oil

3 tbsp of cooking wine

Method:

Saute the garlic and ginger till fragrant with sesame oil. Stir fry the mint leves. Dish up the mint leaves and mix together with the whisk eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the non-stick pan and cook till the bottom side is brown and cooked. Flip over in half and keep flipping over the sides till both sides are properly cooked. Drizzle cooking over the pancake omelette. Dish up and serve hot with rice or as fillings for savoury sandwiches.

Enjoy!

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Birthday Dinner & Cakes !!!

As I grow older , I realized one thing in life… if you are meant to click you click where friendship is concern. I am basically a very easy and friendly person and I have many friends all over the world but at times some just don’t click …get what I mean? You can have many friends out there but there are some that just click and some just don’t even though they may be your friends for years. Haha…just like Claire and myself…we clicked and I click well with my church members...my the other family :p

See the pics above. Well, that is my church family. I clicked well with each and every one of them, young and old and you can see from the photos which I took during a birthday dinner eat out with them at a restaurant last Friday, they were a happy lot. I was one of the photographer for the night, therefore I was not in the picture….smart way to escape not having one's picture taken * wink last Friday night was two members' birthdays. Angie and Zse Yang's had their Birthday on the same day and we celebrated for them at Cheung Ching Seafood, Jalan Ali Pitchay! I not only love the food but I love the cakes my friend bake for them. Beautiful moist chocolate cake! Sorry for not able to put up the restaurant food coz I was busy chatting with my friends...oooops no I was busy eating ! :p

the birthday boy , Zse Yang and his beautiful Mom

the birthday gal , Angie and her handsome son Sean

from left : Angie, Sean and Elin

Angie's birthday cake made by Honey, Zse Yang's Mom

Zse Yang's cake made by his mom

this is the best moist chocolate cake I have ever eaten

thanks Honey for these cakes...I enjoyed eating them

sinfully rich......mmmm after the indulgence I had

to walk to sweat out what I had eaten that night! :p

I love each and every one of my church members...my other family :))

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Walnut Shortbread Butter Cookies

Chinese New Year is drawing nearer each day and I have not make any CNY traditional cookies yet. Attending too many dinners lately thus not being able to start making any traditional cookies :( but yesterday afternoon I made this walnut shortbread butter cookies from one of the new cookbooks I bought recently....told you ! :))) I just can't sit still if I don't make this :p Thought this would be nice for a change to the traditional cookies. I tweaked the recipe by using walnuts instead of hazelnuts. And Bailey's instead of buttermilk. I just make use of what I have in the pantry and the only nuts I have is walnuts :)) The texture of the cookie is fluffy and light with a slight crunch from the walnuts . Great cookies and no regrets trying this out.

this is a simple and easy shortbread cookies to make

for the coming CNY :)

I used walnuts instead of hazelnuts and it turned out great!

delicious and aromatic with lots of walnuts bits in the cookies

every bite melts in the mouth and yet the walnuts bits

gives you the crunch.....

you can imagine how delish this is....I will make this again for

the coming CNY....the Piggies and the guests can snack thro

the day...mMmmm yum yum..chomp chomp :)

This is the original recipe from Baking Index by Chef William Tan

Hazelnuts Shortbread Butter Cookies

Ingredients

A

185gm SCS Pure Creamery Butter

75 gm brown sugar

B

1 medium size egg

1/2 tsp buttermilk flavor * I use Bailey's

C

225 plain flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

40gm corn flour

50 g ground hazelnut * I use walnuts

D

100 gm toasted skinned whole-skinned hazelnut ( chopped finely) * I use walnuts

Method:

1. Beat A until light and fluffy. Add in B, cream until smooth.

2. Add in sifted C, mix until well-blended. Add in D, mix till well-incorporated.

3. Divide the dough into 10-15 gm each and shape into balls.

4. Place it onto a greased pan, press until slightly flat. Egg wash the surface and place the whole-shelled hazelnut in the center.

5. Bake at 170ºC for about 15-20 minutes or until firm.

Enjoy and have a Happy Cookie Day!

^_______*

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A Treasure of Greens With Gingko Nuts

After eating this dish from the restaurant, I came home wanting to try my hands at this dish but without the lotus root. I substituted it with asparagus and I added in some sweet peas and arrowroots. It was a simple stir fry kind of veggies put together with gingko nuts. I love the simple taste whereby one can taste the natural sweetness of the veggies. The Gingko nuts are good for memory. I love this dish and the colorful veggies gave the dish a very refreshing look and kids will love to eat these colorful stir fried greens with gingko nuts.

a treasure of greens... sweet peas, asparagus , arrowroots,

red capsicum and straw mushrooms

simple yet delicious

the colorful veggies make this dish ...a delights to the eye

and the stomach :) young and old will be drawn to it

a deliciousness any herbivore vegetarian will love :)

A Treasure of Greens With Gingko Nuts

Ingredients:

1 bundle of asparagus - cut into 1.5" length

1 red capsicum - cut into strips

1 pkt of sweet peas - cut off the two ends

5 arrowroots - cut into thick slices

1 tin of straw mushrooms- cut into halves

20 pieces of gingko nuts - remove the inside stem like thing

2 pips of garlic - chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

seasoning:

1 tbsp of oyster sauce

1 tbsp of chinese cooking wine

dash of white pepper

salt to taste * optional

thickening:

2 tsp of corn flour

50 ml water

Method:

Heat up oil in a non stick wok, add in the garlic and stir fry till fragrant. Add in the arrowroots, asparagus, sweetpeas, straw mushrooms , gingko nuts and capsicum. Stir fry till cooked. Add in the seasoning and thickening. Stir fry another 5 minutes. Dish up and serve hot with rice.

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The Verdict : I am G U I L T Y !!!

One of my new year resolutions was ....no more buying cookbooks ! And hardly half a month of the new year, I bought 3 new cookbooks today from the Popular Bookstore.....temptations was too great....I could not resist them....each of them was full of mouth-watering pictures of decadent desserts....oh my... how could I ever resists them....within half an hour I was sold and I told Piggy gal I had to have them. She looked at me and said this " Now...I know where I inherited my impulsive buying from " LOL! So like a naughty gal caught not keeping her promise, I hugged these 3 books to my chest and walked like a culprit to the cashier...haha but deep inside I was shouting with joy ! When it comes to good books I can never keep to my promise so believe me Elin is not to be trusted when it comes to C O O K B O O K S! :p So you can guess how happy I am and now I am happy to show you the contents of the books that had me hooked... I had to have them all :))))) Shhhhh.... promise no one tells Daddy this. I will slowly slip it in among the old books * tongue sticking out.

the first book I was bewitched....

yummilicious cookies...I will bake later :)

mouth-watering dessert.... and japanese puff...slurp slurp

tarts and mini cakes for valentines...how could I resist them :p

and this gem - 80 popular dishes - an answer

to my " what to cook for dinner? "

I fell in love with this dish...wasabi prawns....yumm yumm

how could I resist this book...I had to have it....

you understand now why..I had to break my promise not to

buy anymore books LOL!

and this step by step pictures cookbook is filled with lots

of yummiliciousness...another one I could not resist

so I ended up buying all 3 of them (",)

see what I mean....temptations I could not resist...:p

Okay... I am guilty ! :)))

but I am the happiest person today!

More baking for me and more eating for the Piggies:))

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