Thursday, September 30, 2010

IngenuityFest 24-26 Sep 2010

The IngenuityFest held last weekend was interesting, if not bizarre.  The 3 day event took place at the old trolley subway under the Detroit-Superior (Veteran's Memorial) Bridge which I felt was enough reason to  show up.  The concept was brilliant with plenty of original performances & displays (some bordering on creepy). My only grouse is that the bridge could have been better lit in the evening and there were plenty of wasted space linking the two ends of the bridge that could have been better utilized.  But all in all, a good attempt and I really shouldn't complain since it was free! :) Here are some highlights from the event: (click to enlarge)


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Happiness is...

...adding a little spice to my life :)


*Update from previous post:  My parsley is alive! It was just thirsty. ;)

Photobucket

Monday, September 27, 2010

Ayúdame! Somebody, please save my parsley!

I love having plants in the home. Unfortunately, I do not have a green thumb. If anyone is to be put behind bars for mass murdering of plants, that would be me. Anyhoo, I was at the Botanical Garden's "Ripe! Food and Garden Festival" last Friday and I won myself a small potted plant of parsley. Ah, a chance to redeem myself. And in all that excitement, I decided to acquire a cute little chilli plant as well. The instructions were simple - water them 1-2 times a week and make sure they get plenty of sunshine. How difficult can that be, right? WRONG! I came home last evening to find the parsley plant looking like this:
I'm not sure what went wrong. It was still looking good when I left in the morning. Perhaps it was the cold since I had it right next to the window. :(
Can anyone tell me how I can salvage it now?! *Sobs!*

P.S. My chilli plant is still very much alive. For now.

Friday, September 24, 2010

It's all free this weekend!

Still trying to decide where to go this weekend? For those in the States, 25 Sep (Sat) is Museum day which means you get to go to your favourite museum for free! You need to register online to have a free pair of tickets emailed to you so what are you waiting for!
As for those who prefer the great outdoors, over 100 National Parks are waiving their entrance fees this Sat as well! You can check out the list of participating parks here.
If you happened to be around Cleveland this weekend, do pop by the Ingenuityfest (Sep 24-26) at the Detroit Superior Bridge. With all that innovative ideas, live performances and interactive technology exhibits, it's guaranteed to be loads of fun! And guess what, it's free! ;)
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Curry Puffs


My not so aesthetic looking curry puffs. ;)

We were told to bring a dish each to class this week. A dish that we are fearful of making for whatever reasons. I volunteered to make curry puffs - a snack that is pretty unique to Malaysia and Singapore. It is something I absolutely love to eat but have failed miserably in my one attempt to replicate it months ago - the pastry had turned out too hard and the fillings were too bland. I believe I had messed up the actual measurement of the ingredients while trying to do all that conversions from grams to pounds to cups. This time I made sure I had them properly measured out (or so I hope!)

Recipe adapted from grouprecipes.com:
Ingredients:
5 tbsp oil
1 medium red onion (chopped finely)
1/2 tsp kurma powder or chicken curry powder
2 tsp meat or chicken curry powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup of finely diced chicken meat (breast or thigh) (I skipped this)
3 large potatoes (boiled and diced finely)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper or white pepper
1/2 salt
PASTRY:
500g (1lb) plain flour (equivalent to 2 cups of 8 oz based on my estimation)
150g (5 oz) margarine or shortening
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt

1. To make pastry, mix flour with margarine, water, salt and knead well.
2. Let it rest for 1/2 hour.
3. While waiting for the dough, heat oil and fr onion gently until golden brown.
4. Add the kurma powder, curry powder, chili, turmeric and fry gantly.
5. Add the chicken, potatoes, sugar, pepper, salt and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Mix well and leave aside to cool.
7. Cut the dough into circles (3 inches) in diameter when it is done.
8. Pre-heat the oven if you decide to bake instead of deep frying at 180c.
9. Fold pastry over to make a half circle and crimp at edges with egg white.
10. Deep fry in oil until golden or bake 15-20 mins at 180c. (I baked at 350 F)
*Brush egg yolk on the puffs if you want to bake it to give it the golden finish.

Verdict: Well, the pastry has a much better texture this time round. The potato filling was a little dry and could do with more spice and salt.
What did the class think? They all liked the pastry. Mix response on the overall taste though since most have never tried curry puffs before. Chef suggested trying waxy potatoes next time (instead of mealy ones) to allow for more moisture retention and adding some chilli oil to up the spice level.
I think I will just wait for my next trip back to Singapore to satisfy my cravings for good! :P

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Life as you want it

On the day you were born, you begin to die. Do not waste a single moment more - Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Lately, I've been thinking about how short life really is and how I've been living mine thus far. All that studying, work (oh the work!), more studying, more work, marriage, family obligations and never ending commitments! Just thinking about the past few decades of my life makes me breathless! I have been so caught up in meeting up with societal expectations that I forget about - myself. Well, I have decided I am not going to rush through life like a headless chicken any longer. From now on, I will do things that makes me happy at my own pace. Of course, family and friends will continue to have their opinions on how I should be living my life - I am expected to get my licensing exam done asap, find a job here as a PT and earn loads of money. Oh, and in between doing all that, I am supposed to have a baby too. But honestly, I am blanking them out and it helps that they are all so far away now. I will decide for myself what I want to do when I want to do them (sounds familiar, Zsuzsi? ;)). And right now, all I want to do is sit here with my freshly brewed cup of tea and blog. Ha!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

These boots are made for walking

"When do I get to go out and play?"

I bought this pair of suede leather boots recently at a steal - $28 (original: $69.99)!  Nothing like a good bargain to perk up my day! :)

Photobucket

Monday, September 20, 2010

Food challenge of the week: Indian Chicken Briyani

This week I wanted to cook one of my favourite Indian cuisine - Briyani. I used to eat so much of it for lunch at work that it was no surprise that my cholesterol was on an all-time high! Very spicy, extremely sinful but oh so good! I decided to try the recipe by Vah Chef at vahrehvah.com. The long list of spices required was pretty daunting but I managed to get most of it except for mace (which I substituted with nutmeg powder), black cardamon and saffron. Note that the recipe on the link does not tally with the ingredients used in the video. This was what I used:

Ingredients:
For the marinade:
6 chicken medium pieces
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
2 sticks cinnamon
2 cloves
4 green cardamoms
1/2 tsp cumin and coriander pdr
1 tsp black cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp each of chopped ginger and garlic
2 green chilli
1 tsp nutmeg
6 piece pepper corns
2 cup yoghurt
Fried shallots
2 tbsp oil or ghee
Salt to taste
For the rice:
2 cups Basmati rice
Water
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

1. Add all the ingredients (except rice) with the chicken pieces and mix well (see video). Marinate in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
2. In a large pot combine the rice, water, salt, some oil and cook till the rice is half-done. Drain the excess liquid and spread the rice on a plate to cool.
3. In a large heavy-bottomed pan add chicken with marinade and spread a the rice evenly on top. Top the rice with some coriander, mint leaves and fried onions.
5. Cover pot with a tight lid and cook on high heat for first 10 min, medium heat for next 10 min and low heat for the last 10 minutes. Check for doneness.
7. Garnish with slices of boiled eggs, nuts or raisins.

The recipe was relatively easy to follow. However, my biggest issue was determining the time at which the basmati rice was 50% done. I must have overcooked it a little because the rice turned out softer than it should have been. I was quite happy with the taste though and I was pleasantly surprised that the chicken pieces did not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Next time, I shall try the baking method by showmethecurry.com.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Do you really want to know me? ;)

Aw..thank you Zsuzsi for giving me my first blog award ever! :) I believe in return I'm supposed to share some dirty secrets or unknown facts about myself so here goes:

#1 I am absolutely terrified of snakes. Whenever I am in a forested area, I always look up to the trees in fear that one of these reptiles might fall off a tree branch and land on me!

#2 I've had crooked teeth up to my college years when I finally decided to put myself under the mercy of an orthodontist. 4 extractions, 2 years of metal twisting/ torture and plenty of ulcers later, I finally emerged a swan (Not!).

#3 I can't swim. Well, I can but I can't coordinate the breathing bit so technically I can't.

#4 I have a fear of falling on slippery ground. I suspect I might have been traumatized by a pretty bad fall I had while hiking in the rain in Malaysia eons ago. So ice skating and skiing is out for me!

#5 I love the thrill of free falling/ accelerating through air. The tandem skydive I did years ago in New Zealand was one of the best experience I've had. I'm also one of those who would experience every single crazy rides at a theme park or carnival. The greatest plunge I had being 77 degrees on this crazy roller coaster ride at a speed of 104km/hr and a 70 m drop from heights on Gyro drop in Korea! Wheee!

#6  I do get way too emotional sometimes when reading a novel or watching a film. It can be pretty embarrassing to have tears welling up in my eyes in public (while reading a book!) or coming out of the movie theatre all red-eyed and sniffly. Gah!

Alright, I think that's enough about me already! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! :)

Saturday, September 18, 2010

"Hey there stupid....O.H.I.O"

Okay, so that was what I heard at the baseball game and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why a State would want to call itself stupid. The song has been stuck in my head since and I just had to find the lyrics. Well, it turns out to be Ohio's State official rock song - Hang on Sloopy (Not "Hey there stupid..." Oops!), a big hit for the band The McCoys in 1965. Pretty catchy song I must say.  Well, at least now I can join in the singing!  "Hang on Sloopy. Sloopy, hang on. O.H.I.O!" ;)
Here's the original version by the McCoys:

Friday, September 17, 2010

Frugal housewife at work

So what does a [reluctant] housewife who has given up her job and feeling the financial pinch do? Why, she looks for bargain websites and freebies all day long (well, almost!). Good news is that US is a land of coupons & discounts and you could really get a good deal on things if you do your homework. For the past few months here, I have accumulated a list of websites that could help me save a buck or two. Good stuff needs to be shared, so here they are:

Daily deals:
Groupon.com
Eversave.com
Livingsocial.com
Housewaredeals.com

Coupons:
Retailmenot.com

Deal aggregators: There are plenty of such sites online but these are the two sites I use
DealAgg.com
Thedealmap.com
 
Pricewatch: Let the website do the price tracking for you
Priceprotectr.com
 
Cashback: Nothing like saving a few extra dollars for everything you spend
Fatwallet
Ebates

Sometimes housewives need a break from cooking too:
Restaurant.com
idinedeals.com

Travel: This is not a discount website but it allows you to search for the cheapest flights minus all that online advertisements
Matrix

Designer stuff for less: Honestly, some of these stuff are beyond my budget but it's fun for window shopping anyway!
Ideeli.com
Ruelala.com
Swirl.com
Thesamplesale.com
Onekingslane.com

P.S. Let's not forget amazon.com and ebay.com as well.  Great for comparing prices and they do have some of the best deals online!
That's all I have for now! Do feel free to add on to the list so that we can all spend, save and be happy all at once! ;)

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Lazy day meal

Japanese curry using the idiot proof Japanese curry roux.
Just boil the meat & veges in water, mix in the roux and voila!
Don't be fooled by the box. It is really not that spicy!
Our curry with pork, potatoes, carrots & onions served with rice. Yums!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Happiness is...

...cooler weather and a reason to snuggle under my super comfy comforter just that little bit longer. :)

Photobucket

Monday, September 13, 2010

This week in a nutshell

...Culinary class - Things are starting to warm up in the kitchen. We are finally moving on to fish, meat and poultry! Yay! (fr. the carnivore in me)
...Orientation for my volunteer work- I'll be helping out at the Botanical Gardens for a once off event and I've also committed to volunteering at the Playhouse Theater at least once a week. I've always wanted to be involved in the theater in one way or another and what better time than this! I'm required to don a bright red blazer at work but who cares if I get to watch all the musicals and plays for free! ;)
...Free trolley rides at the Sparx city hop
...A nice lunch at Melt Bar and Grilled - Hubs has been wanting to go there for the longest time but it was always so packed with people. Anyway, we finally made it there for lunch today and it certainly did not disappoint. Reasonable prices, huge portions & really yummy!

My half eaten blackened chicken with grilled peppers & onions, provolone. Mmm...

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Look what came in my mailbox today :)...

A BIG thank you and muchos besos to Zsuzsi! *Muacks*
You really, really made my day! :D

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Food challenge of the week: Pizza and Buffalo wings!

The food theme this week was American and I decided to try my hand at pizza making and buffalo wings. The pizza dough was really quick and easy to make and I used whatever leftovers I had in the fridge for the ingredients: namely ham/jalapenos/ mushroom/ shredded cheese & BBQ sauce as base.
 Pizza crust (adapted from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.
There were many variations of Buffalo wings recipes online but this one kinda stood out because it involved boiling and then broiling the chicken. I left the chicken in the broiler for a tad too long and they were a little hard but still tasted pretty good when mixed with the hot pepper sauce.

Baked Buffalo Wings (adapted from food.com)
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken wings
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup lousiana hot sauce (I used Frank's hot sauce)
1 tablespoon margarine

1. Fill a large pot half way with water and then add the first 4 ingredients.
2. Bring water mixture and wings to a boil and then boil for 15 minutes.
3. Transfer wings to an oven safe container coated with cooking spray. Bake wings on "Broil" (high) for 15 minutes on each side.(For crispier wings, cook longer on each side, maybe 20 minutes per side).
4. While waiting for wings, combine the Hot Sauce and Margarine in a microwave safe container and cook in microwave for 2 minutes or until melted. (You can cook the sauce longer for a thicker sauce).
5. When wings are done, shake 'em up with the sauce.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

My first attempt at Lebanese cuisine

This was the meal I promised hubby last week. On the menu: lentil soup, kofta lamb, hummus & pocket pita bread (bought off the shelves). Falafel was initially on the list but I figured it would be too much food for the two of us.

Kofta Lamb (Recipe adapted from Lebanese recipes)
Ingredients:
1 tbsp ground coriander
Small handful fresh coriander
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 lb minced lamb
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
Warm pitta bread, tzatziki, hummus and salad to serve

1. Put the ground and fresh coriander, onion, garlic and cumin in a blender. Whizz until finely chopped and blended, then add the mince and egg and whizz again until combined.
 2. Divide mixture into desired portions. Brush with oil and grill until cooked through.
3. Serve with pitta bread, tzatziki, hummus and salad.
* The lamb was flavorful on its own but I personally would have preferred a bit of salt in my meat.


Lebanese Lentil Soup (Recipe modified from Food.com)
Ingredients:
Few sprigs of fresh cilantro, stems removed
3 cloves garlic
1/4 to taste olive oil
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1.2 large onion, chopped fine
1 cup lentils, washed and drained
1/3 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups water
Bunch of fresh spinach
1 potato, cubed
11/4 tbsp lemon juice
* See instructions on website
 * The touch of cinnamon added an interesting taste to the soup.


Hummus (Recipe adapted from About.com)
Ingredients:
1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (made with 1 cup sesame seeds and 1/3 cup olive oil blended in food processor)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
2. Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.
3. Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).
4. Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.

Verdict from hubby: "Not bad!" ;P

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Positively Cleveland!

Up to now, I have always viewed Cleveland as a really sad place to live in. It was after all given the top spot by Forbes on its list of most miserable U.S cities - high unemployment, high taxes, horrible weather, political corruption and lousy sports teams. Of course, it doesn't help that Lebron James chose to leave for better pastures. So you can imagine my disappointment when hubs told me this is going to be our home for the next few years (or more!).
Last week, I went to a series of "Take a hike!" guided historical walking tours in downtown Cleveland. I'm glad I did because it really allowed me to see Cleveland in a different [better] light. It was sad to see so many once affluent but now abandoned buildings in downtown and throughout the tour I could only imagine what might have been. With a thriving performing arts scene (Playhouse Square Theatre being second largest in the country to New York) and one of America's top 4 hospitals (Cleveland Clinic) to boast, this could be another Chicago, Boston or New York. And there is hope. There are now micro-projects and money pumped into restoring this battered land.  It helps that the people here are so passionate about their city and their enthusiasm is infectious. I feel for them and I too hope to see some change [however small] during our time here.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach...

Hubby has been grumbling that I've not been experimenting with my cooking as much since I started the culinary class. Honestly, it's a little a hard considering 1) the first module was mainly on knife skills, sanitation and salads 2) it can get pretty tiring thinking of new things to cook everytime. Well, good news is we are moving on to meat and poultry in our second module so that should be pretty useful knowledge to translate to homecooking.
To appease my husband in the meantime, I've agreed to try out at least one new cuisine a week. Basically, he names what he wants and I'll do my best to produce it. (No guarantee on the outcome of course! ;))
Last week, it was Thai and Mexican. I made Thai green chicken curry with rice and decided to try my hand at mango sticky rice for the first time. The taste was right  but alas my rice came out way to sticky. I will have to work on getting the right rice consistency the next time. Hubby liked it though..so phew!

 For the Mexican meal, there was baked nachos with chicken/jalapenos/tomatoes and cheese , ground beef with refried beans, chicken fajita mix and cheese quesadillas. I used ready seasoning for the meat so the meal wasn't too difficult to prepare and hubby loved it!

 My challenge for this week is Lebanese! Let's hope it turns out right!

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

heat + noise = headache

All that road works outside is driving me crazy! Argh!

Things to do now that you're retired...


Well, not that I am of that age yet but this book was given to me as a going away pressie before I left for the States. It's sort of like a bucket list with nice little quotations and suggestions on things to do - some of which are not quite applicable to me at this stage in life. I've started putting my own little inputs in it and hopefully I'd be able to achieve most of what's mentioned within when I reach a good old age!


As of now, the few things that I would really want to do include:
1. Have a baby (If that doesn't pan out, I'd be turning my home into a mini animal shelter! Ha!)
2. Do a Spanish immersion programme in either Spain or South America
3. Be involved in a musical or play (I don't care if I only get to be a prop on stage).
4. Volunteer (I've already signed up and waiting to start! :))
5. Career Switch (Okay, I'm still not too sure about this yet. I know a physical therapist job pays really well here but a change would be nice. Then again, perhaps being a homemaker counts? ;))