DREAM HOME

Since it’s Lenten season, we try to avoid eating meat especially Friday. It’s our tradition as Roman Catholic and our way of fasting and abstinence. So we focus on cooking seafood dishes. Fish cooked in vinegar and coconut milk. Shrimp coated with eggs. Vegetable salad like eggplant and mixed vegetables in coconut milk. Does it sounds healthy to you? One time we cooked grilled fish and it was really yummy. Actually we’ve eaten more but we weren’t told to starve ourselves because it’s Lenten. Just avoid or minimize the things we usually do more and enjoyed. A sort of little bit sacrifice. Pray and reflect. Help the needy and thanked God for everyday blessings. Don’t just feed your stomach but also feed your soul.

When I tasted first Risotto, it made my stomach upset and even give me hearburn. So I said to myself, I won’t eat risotto anymore. Two weeks ago hubby and I had lunch together at La Camera bar at Southbank, Melbourne City. He ordered Risotto and I ordered Pasta Linguine with shrimp and tomatoes. Hubby had me tasted the Risotto and it was really yummy. My first bad impression about Risotto is gone. Now I know, it depends on how chef prepares it. Something in the way you prepare certain food affected the taste of it. Do you believe in it? I do. So if you’re in bad mood, don’t cook.

My latest favorite side salad dish. Very easy to prepare. Just add garlic and mayonnaise to grated carrots and you got yummy carrot salad. So yum and healthy. If you don’t have any veges on your meals, this is the easiest alternative. I’m sure you’ll love it. I got the idea from my Russian friend and actually, with their daily meals, she always make sure they don’t run out of it. Since they don’t usually eat rice like us Asians,  one kilo of carrots is good only for two days. In our house, we love rice and one kilo takes less than a week or exactly one week.

It’s comfort cooking time of year. Winter season is the season for hearty stews and roasts, and wholesome dishes that warm you up.
But buying meat for a family can add a substantial amount to your weekly grocery bill.
Now is the time to take advantage of the cheaper cuts of meat according to Meat and Livestock Australia spokesman. Meats are just as good and just as wholesome, and fit perfectly in those winter dishes.
People should learn which cuts to buy and how to cook them to get the best value-with beef, mince and chuck steak are value for money options.
Any of your forequarter cuts are great. Chuck steak, mine steak and bolar blade make a beautiful stew, and bolar blade as a whole muscle can be used in a pot roast.
Beef mince has all those properties for good well-being and it’s not as expensive as a steak.
When it comes to seriously cheap meals, you can’t go past chicken drumsticks or thighs.
Drumstick are about $7 a kg and they can be baked. You can put an egg wash on them and roll them is parmesan, a bit of garlic, parsley and oregano.

Hubby baked this cake last Saturday, March 13. Actually, it’s me who first learned how to bake carrot cake in the house by the help of my Russian friend. I think I already posted about it before. Hubby loves to bake so he copy me and he’s doing some sort of experiment to make it more yummy. He put macadamia nuts on it and it’s yummy. Healthy cake to fool our kids eyes and palette. I love macadamia nuts.

I got this funny tag from Marlene and yes, it’s a little bit crazy but fun to do. Thank you so much Marlene.
Here’s how it goes…

The rules:
1. Put your iTunes/Napster/Zune Player/WinAmp/etc on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! NO SKIPPING!!!!
4. Tag 10 or more friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got it from.

Start here:
If someone says, “is this okay?”, you say?
I got trouble- Cristina Aguilera (cool, not bad right? haha)

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Amanda- Aisha Dou (waa!,it can be!)

How do you feel today?
Afraid- Nelly Furtado ( oh yeah, still match, but my real feeling lol.)

What is your life’s purpose?
Alive- Bamboo

What is your motto?
All The Way – Celine Dion

What do your friends think of?
Ain’t Thinking About You – Ne-Yo

What do you think of your parents?
Ain’t No Other Man- Cristina Aguilera (oy!)

What do you think about very often?
Back At Your Door – Maroon 5

What is 2+2?
Don’t Cha -PCD

What do you think of your best friend?
Angel – Ne-Yo (oh yes…)

What do you think of the person you like?
Tanging Yaman (Only Treasure)- Various Artists. (oh yeah it can be also)

What is your life story?
Uh Huh! – B2K – (ahahaha)

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Animal City – Shakira – (yaiks!)

What do you think when you see the person you like?
Anything – Jojo

What do your parents think of you?
Ace Reject – Sugababes – (what? huhuhu)

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Ama Namin (Our Father)- Various Artists (a prayer song, not a dance)

What will they play at your funeral?
All Good Things – Nelly Furtado ( flames to dust, why do all good thing comes to an end..-oh the song lyrics match haha)

What is your hobby/interest?
Alpha Beta Omega – Bamboo

What do you think of your friends?
Afraid For Love to Fade – Lea Salonga (oh, I love the song so much)

What’s the worst thing that could happen?
Across the Universe – 6cyclemind

How will you die?
As I Am- Alicia Keys ( yeah as I am )

What is the one thing you regret?
Another Used To Be – Joe

What makes you laugh?
Addicted – Ne-Yo

What makes you cry?
Ang Pag-ibig Mo (Your Love) – MYMP (so sweet lol)

Will you ever get married?
Back Home -MYMP -

What scares you the most?
Appetite – Usher (Hah?, oh yeah my bad appetite)

Does anyone like you?
Magical Feeling – MYMP

If you could go back in time, what would you change?
Somebody To Love – Nelly Furtado (oh oh…)

What hurts right now?
Starts With Goodbye – Carrie Underwood

What will you post this as?
Tired of Runnin’ – Akon

What A fun tag. I enjoyed it very much. I hope the people I’ll tag for will have fun too like Twinks, Sam, Bingkee, Bill, Snappies,Shabem, Aj,Ylan and Mama Barbs.

Sardines are one of the most underrated foods. These oily fish are jam-packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent arthritis, inflammation and heart disease. Sardines are also a rich source of the B vitamins niacin and folate as well as vitamin D, which is essential to bone health. In fact, just five sardines are delicious to toast. You can also buy them in a range of flavors in cans, including sun-dried tomato and basil, to spread on sandwiches. You can bake fresh sardines with pine nuts, olives and pasley, try them on pizza with a little feta, or use them in a summer salad with fennel and mint.

I was in the mood of making Leche Plan yesterday and it was successful. I mean, I got the perfect taste. Not too sweet and not to soft. We bought new steamer because I’ve been wanting to have it for long time.  I love steaming food like fish, crabs, etc. Leche plan was my son’s long time request and I granted it to him yesterday. Hubby loves the taste of my Leche Plan most especially our younger fella. He kept on sneaking on our fridge and eat the desert using his little fingers. Naughty little one.

My son tasted biscuits baked by a mother’s friend of mine. When he came home because they were picked up to play with my friend’s kids, he brought a paper bag  full of biscuits. He said to me:

Son: mommy this biscuits are really yummy, taste it and can we make like this?
Me: oh my isn’t it that easy to make that son?
Son: Yeah, Natasha can teach you!
(Natasha is my friend’s name).
Natasha decided to bring the recipe for me some other time. It’s her Mom who baked the biscuits. I tasted it and yeah it was really fine and yummy. When I got the recipe, I just stick on my fridge door as a reminder that I will bake it some other time. You know, I’m not really into baking and cooking. I have less interest with such thing. I still do but rarely. Guess what? Daddy decided to bake it because I’m only into planning hehe. At first try, it was not good. We don’t like it that much. With the second try, it’s nearly there. The third one was nearly perfect. We loved it. It’s yummy. Bravo Daddy!

Here’s how to do it: It’s easy actually
You need:
125g (4 oz.) butter
1 cup castor sugar
1 egg
2 cup self-raising flour
pinch salt
1 cup coconut
extra sugar
Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg. Add sifted flour, salt and coconut. Mix well. Lightly flour hands. Take teaspoonfuls of coconut mixture, roll into balls, press flat between hands; dip the top side into the extra sugar.
Place on greased baking trays, allow room for spreading. Bake in moderate oven 10 to 15 minutes.
Makes about 35.
If you do it well, surely your kids will love it.

I was opted to bake muffins last night for the school fundraising donation. Oh my gosh, I really want to donate but I don’t know what to do first. What I did, I kept on bugging my man to help me since he’s good regarding those things. I already told you my man loves to cook and everything in the kitchen. Gladly, he said “okay let’s make muffins, I’ll buy the ingredients and let’s do it”. Funny after our meal, he just do it by himself and just asked for my little help like filling the paper cups of muffins. He didn’t even told me how he mixed everything since I’m busy here in my computer. I’m just lucky to have a man like who is very willing to do everything and just let me sit down like a couch potato and feel like a princess hahaha. I’m taking pictures of the finished products and he also take picture on me while filling the cups assuming that I’m the one who bake them lol!. I was able to donate 15 pieces of muffins for the school fundraising and we ate the rest. Kids love it.

The snaps…

More photos Here