Tuna Potato Cakes

I know that of late , I  have been cooking recipes from Wendy's blog - Table for 2 Or More :)  Actually I was looking for simple to cook from her blog and thus bookmarked a few and this tuna potato cake is one of the recipes I wanted to try out.   I  was not disappointed, easy and no fuss at all.  Best of all it tasted so good .  Wild Boar wanted it hot , so I added a few bird's eye chillies and spring onions to the mixture...wow, it was tasty and hot.  This is another simple recipe with no fuss at all.  Read on for the recipe............

Screw Jacks

You know I am not a DIY person but my Wild Boar is :p.  The other day he was doing some work  in the porch and he asked me to get him his screw jack from his carpentry cupboard in the backyard.  Gosh, I asked him to describe to me how screw jacks  look like .  He was telling me how it looks like and after all his explanation and description I am still not sure how it looked like. So in the end, I told him to go get it himself :)  Save me a trip to the backyard and since it is his stuff, he should go get it himself . I know I would surely make a blunder and give him the wrong one . Of course, I know kitchen stuff better than him but not DIY stuff ... LOL!

Aubergine Omelette

Another simple dish for dinner :)  Saw this on Wendy's blog and I just had to make them since I have aubergine in the fridge and something simple that WB can cook without much fuss.  You go log on to Wendy's blog and check out the original recipe.  WB added some bird's eye chillies for extra ommph :)

My Piggy Joanna love aubergine and I suggested to her last night while we skyped , that she can cook this for herself  :)   This can be served as a breakfast meal too besides serving as a dish for dinner or lunch.   Thank you Wendy for sharing something simple and delicious .

Aubergine Omelette - adapted from Wendy of Table For 2

1 ft long Aubergine- sliced as thick as 4mm

3 large eggs (grade A)

Few tbsp of sliced spring onions

Some sea salt to taste

Cooking oil for frying

1. Slice aubergines as thick as 4mm
2. 2. On medium low heat, put some oil into frying pan and lay aubergine slices in pan.  Flip them when they are fragrant to fry the other side.
3. Beat one egg with some spring onions and a bit of sea salt.  Pour into frying pan ( pour from the side)
4. Add some oil if it seems dry and fry until the base of omelette seems golden. Flip omelette and fry the other side as well.
5. Flip onto plate and repeat step 2-4 until all aubergine and egg is used up.

Cot Sheets

My nephews in NJ is looking forward to the camping trip with the family this coming Summer.  My other brother's family will be joining the elder brother's family for this camping trip and now my sis-in law is looking for camp sheet and  fitted  Cot Sheets  .  She normally purchase them online and she is looking for free shipping website and those with  100% guarantee. There are many such websites on the internet ,she just has to choose those reliable ones and I am sure she will be able to get the camp sheets camp blankets for my brother's family who are joining them this summer.

Small Kucing In Town - Kok Thai Restaurant

Small Kucing and his family came to town last Sunday evening and we ( Claire, Wild Boar and myself ) met up with them and had dinner at Kok Thai Restaurant ( near Jusco , Kinta Valley ).  Small Kucing has grown into such a fine young lad. The last time I saw him was 8 months ago .  He came with his grandparents too :)  It was our second meeting with his grandparents. They are such lovely people and we hope to have more fellowship with the kucing family.  We had a simple dinner and here is a sneak peek into what we had that night.  The one above is the Rolled Pork with edible jellyfish - the restaurant signature dish ,which you have order in advance or you have to either wait for a long time or none at all.  I love this dish !  Read on to see what else we ordered for the night :)

Cushions For The Patio

My sister-in-law San is looking for some outdoor foam seat.  I advised her to get the the dryfast foams which are suitable for  cushions on the patio. And they are specially designed for outdoor use , where moisture and precipitation like rain is prevalent, such as in patio furniture. And moreover I told her Dryfast foam formula is anti-mircobial and helps suppress micoorganism growth , common in damp areas. And the large open cells provide a degree of airflow , allowing it to dry quickly, even after complete saturation.  She is happy that I gave this tip on choosing foam seat for her patio :)

Light & Easy Steamed Egg

What would you do if you are too tired to whip up something elaborate or something that needs you to carry a heavy wok and just because you have tennis elbow and it doesn't seem to heal fast?  Haih , as for me ,due to the medication I have been subjected to,  it took my appetite away...this is what I did the last few days...I cooked something simple , light and easy. Yea, steamed egg ! And this surely restored back  my appetite :p   Love the smooth wobbly texture . Easy to gobble down, full of flavor and the best time is it is like a savory dessert except this goes well with a bowl of hot rice :)   Yummy !

Military Rings

There are many  'macho rings ' that are stylish and comes in many designs.  Why I named them ' macho rings ' because they do project a macho image for the guys when they wear them on :)  I caught my Josh browsing through them on the internet and he told me that before he goes to work in Singapore he wants to get a more macho looking ring...ahem ..yea you heard right ! He is looking for some  military rings so that he doesn't look soft  LOL!  And surprisingly those he showed me on the website do indeed looks unique and with the military logo on them , they definitely project a macho image for Josh. 

Onions & Chives Wraps - Sushi Style

Because of the pain I am still having despite the medication ( tennis elbow ), cooking dinner has become quick difficult.  So if we eat in , I will have to think of simple food.  Cooking that doesn't need the heavy wok or pot or washing.  Wild Boar does the washing up now .  Simple meal such as this 'sushi style' wrap is a welcome especially with some left over pan seared salmon.  Healthy and delicious.  I taught Wild Boar how to roll the wraps.  He did a pretty job and I get to eat the rolls without the fillings dropping out :p

Rosemary Infused Roast Pork

We had this rosemary infused roast pork for the new year celebration.  Should have posted this up but I don't know why I left this dish out :p   This is the end part of the pork rack and my Josh loves the texture of this part of the pig :p  It is kind of chewy yet not tough.  Lean and no fat, just the perfect cut for roasting.  I marinade it with sea salt, black pepper, spicy teriyaki sauce and rub rosemary on the meat so that the fragrant of the herbs get into the meat while marinating.

Snake Gourd With Egg Stir Fry

Enough of CNY dishes...back to simple stir fry dishes. Because my tennis elbow has been giving me pain. I have been resting at home and this is one simple dish I cooked for Wild Boar and myself.  The gourd is sweet by itself.  I saw this dish on Wendy's blog and could not resist buying one and stir fry it myself with egg. I omitted the spicy-ness . It turned delicious :)  Love this dish and will add more to my meals from now onwards.

Snake Gourd With Spicy Egg Stir Fry - adapted from Wendy of Table For 2

1 snake gourd (200 gm)

2 shallots

2 cloves garlic

1 small piece of turmeric (1 tsp ) - * I omitted this

1 red chilli - * I omitted this

1 egg

1/3 tsp salt or more to taste

2 tbsp of oil

¼ cup water

1. Wash snake gourd. Half the gourd and scoop seeds out with spoon.  Slice the gourd about 4-5mm thick
2. Mill shallots, garlic, turmeric and chilli together.
3. In a wok, put in oil. On medium heat, sauté the chilli paste until dry and fragrant.
4. Put in salt and snake gourd slices and toss them around to cook for about 1 minute.
5. Push the gourd slices to the side and crack the egg to the center. Spread the egg a bit and push the gourd slices back in. Scramble the egg and gourd together.
6. Put in ¼ cup water and let it cook until the water is no longer visible.
7. Taste it, adjust if necessary and then dish up.

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Braised Mushrooms And Oyster - CNY Dish

This is another must have dish for CNY . The black fatt choy and oyster means prosperity and everything good for the new year.  I cooked it not for the meaning it holds but the kids love it.  And I love it too :) so we take the opportunity to have it for our reunion dinner.  This year we cook as last year except we drop the sea cucumber.  Too much work for me....my poor arm :p   Anyway, it taste good without the sea cucumber .

Click here for the recipe.

'Ju Hu Char' - CNY Dish

Despite suffering from tennis elbow, I managed to cooked this delicious and flavorful dish, a must for the Hokkien.  Seriously , I do not the meaning of the dish and why is it important to have for the reunion dinner.  I cooked this every year and this year is the same, no matter how bad the pain can be, with the help of Wild Boar, I managed to put this dish on the table :)   You can eat this stand alone or by eating it wrap in lettuce cup.  All the pain and hard work paid off :) 

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Steamed Ikan Baung - CNY Dish

We love this fish...the meat is smooth and it doesn't have the fishy odour.   I would normally steam it cooked then pour sizzling garlic oil and light soya sauce over it.....yummy!  A fish dish is a must for the reunion dinner :) It literary means surplus every year  :)   A steamed Ikan Baung is the family favorite fish.

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Basketball Inter-School Competition

My nephew loves sports especially basketball .  He is one of the players for the school basketball team and has participated in many inter-school competition.  He will stand a chance to be selected to the state  team if he win this coming inter-school competition which will held this coming Saturday.  This time the competition is held in his school and he is asked help organize the whole event.  His school will have to get the trophies ready for the competition.  His basketball team manager has consulted quicktrophy.com for basketball trophies to come out with some challenging designs for the trophies for the coming competition.   I wish my nephew all the best in the coming competition .   

Poached Chicken With Ginger And Spring Onion Dip - CNY Dish

This is one dish that I make often for ourselves during the weekend.  But for our reunion dinner , I added this dish for my Piggies' sake .  They missed eating this homemade version.  I poached one free range chicken for them and I made this very flavorful and tasty dip to go with the chicken.    The thought of this dip makes me craves for it often, so it is not surprising that my Piggies craves for it too.   The main attraction is the dip.  This dip is make up of ginger, onions , spring onions, sea salt and canola oil.   This dip bursts with flavors and leaves a trail of heavenly taste on your tongue... mmmm yummy !  Read on for the recipe...............

Crispy Mashed Tofu - CNY Dish

Crispy Mashed Tofu ....one of the delicious dish that I managed to whip up for our CNY reunion dinner.  I took Wendy's recipe and find that her version of crispy tofu is much easier to make and handle.  Crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside and the taste was fantastically delicious.  I know my Piggies love them and I shall make this again for next year reunion :)  It is easier to handle the tofu if the pan is first lined with HDPE (high density polyethelene ) plastic . I made a day earlier and kept in the fridge overnight for easy handling :)