Last of the forbidden foods...

Our family faced a scare on Thursday, when Mama was suspected of having a stroke. She went to the doctor's, saying her face felt numb and heavy, and was immediately told to go to the hospital A&E.

She's alright now, after an overnight observation and several tests, and am I relieved it wasn't a stroke! Turns out, her cholesterol level is high, which caused the numbness and heaviness, which has since gone away. PHEW!

But... A dietary change is in order, for everyone in the family. The dietitian made some suggestions, like substituting full cream milk and coconut milk with low-fat, eating less meat, removing all visible fat before cooking, that kind of thing. Man, I just hope coffee tastes okay with a non-dairy low fat creamer.

I leave you with photos from last week. All these foods (and drinks!) I have to consume less of...

SIGH!

Last Thursday I had ice-cream with Akmar
(who took this photo)

That same night, hazelnut hot chocolate with Shad

And on Sunday... Cake! At Luqman & Nas' birthday BBQ

Monday- Lunchbox with rice and leftover satay (from BBQ)

I counted twelve 'Starbucks' in this entry

I know, my Photoshop skill kills. At Starbucks with Sarah and Sari.

I've been consuming alot of Starbucks, man. I really like my hazelnut hot chocolate but it makes me want to puke afterwards. That really sucks, lah.

When Yasmin came over, I had Starbucks coffee with her and after that it was Starbucks, Starbucks, Starbucks.

I've never had so much Starbucks in my life! I think it's cos I've found my favourite (albeit puke-inducing) drink- THE HAZELNUT HOT CHOCOLATE.

At Starbucks with Sari sans Sarah.

Starbucks with Sarina, Starbucks with JY, Starbucks with Rashad, Starbucks with myself, Starbucks with Sarina and Sarah...

And tomorrow, Starbucks with Akmar.

Midweek snackbox.

afternoon snack

Chocolate croissant, choux pastry and coffee-choc-chip cookies! Not very healthy, I know. The chocolate croissant remains untouched in the box... Maybe I'll have it in awhile :) With coffee.

I ate the cookies while marking workbooks and before I knew it they were gone *moans*.

How has your week been so far? Good I hope! I can't wait for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!!!!!!!

Dinosaurs!

On Sunday Shad & I went to the Science Center to catch the IMAX show, Dinosaurs- Giants of Patagonia .

Before the show started we went on the 'Dinosaurs' stimulated ride, which was really lame and not the least exciting! The graphics were really ugly and the 'storyline'... what storyline?

After that disappointing ride, we went to the souvenir shop where we oohed and ahhhed over big telescopes we can't afford and laughed at the souvenirs that don't exactly fit. What was Winnie the Pooh doing at the Science Centre gift shop? Beats me. Anyway, we came away with that thing I'm sinking my teeth into... (and checkout the bronto earrings I wore in honour of the event)

If you guessed ice-cream, you're almost right! It's Neapolitan flavour freeze-dried ice-cream!

I'm not sure Horatio approves...

Improved croquettes!

I made another batch of croquettes (plain potatoes with cubed carrots) after work today and just couldn't resist frying three for myself! Instead of mayo or chilli sauce, I ate the croquettes with McDonald's Sweet 'n Sour sauce. DELISH.

I also prefer this potatoes and carrots combo, it's easier to eat and not too 'heavy'. One tray is waiting in the freezer, bidding it's time!

Potato croquettes!

These would have tasted better with a little more seasoning! Really need to improve on salting- I find that I either undersalt, or oversalt =_=; I added ground beef to the croquettes, and next time I'd like to try fish croquettes, and cheese croquettes. Hmmm cheese croquette.

They were simple to make, and I think I can make a big batch on Sundays, freeze them, and fry them as needed. I have a feeling these are going to be a popular fixture in my lunchbox! Speaking of lunchbox, I bought two from Daiso recently! That, along with some bento accessories (cute dividers, cute little forks, cute tinfoil... you get the idea).

Recipe of sorts:

Boil potatoes, mash, add fried ground beef and onions, don't forget to season, shape into patties, dunk into egg and then breadcrumbs, and fry to perfection.

Crusty crusty baguette & the stuff to soak them in

Monday- Chicken curry

Wednesday - mutton soup

No I didn't cook any of these :p My mum did. They were delicious! I like curries better when they're cooked with yoghurt instead of coconut milk- gives it a tangy taste.

And if you're wondering how I resurrected the old digicam... NEIN, I didn't!

I got a new phone (well actually my dad bought it for me) it's the Sony Ericsson K800i, it came out sometime last year but I don't care! It takes 3.2 megapixel photos and that is all that matters : ) Here's to more yummy photos!

!HEALTHY supper

My attempt at a healthy supper: alfalfa sprouts and sliced cheese between a toasted burger bun, 'sides' of carrot discs and baby tomatoes for that crunchy something. Obviously I was still feeling hungry after that and so I had some cold tofu.

I thought nothing could top the lousy hotplate noodles Sarina had at Cahaya, which tastes like cardboard (not like I've tasted cardboard, but you get my drift).

Presenting... today's lunch! 'Vanilla' muffin, casava chips and nescafe.

I'm at my mum's office doing some work. I know I should have bought the Campbell's soup instead of all these!

(But but but the muffins smelled really good!)

Many many firsts!

I'm feeling queasy right now. Here's what I ate today (mad mix? too much? you think?):

• Mee Siam for brunch
• Epok-epok sayur (vegetable puffs?) for tea
• Potato salad
• Second serving of Mee Siam
• Butter-kaya toast, half-boiled eggs & teh peng from Wang Jiao for supper

ANNNNNNNNNND, today was a day of many firsts!

1. I did laundry for the first time everrrrrrrrrr*
2. I 'folded' epok-epoks for the first time
3. I wiped the ceiling fans for the first time*

*The sister says pointedly to mum after asking if it's my first time, "See, I told you it's her first time." Okay okay so I'm really talented at avoiding work. But I'm also very talented at cooking!

Or so I'd like to think/become ;)

60 minutes with Sarina

Met Sari for lunch today- she brought tuna sandwiches and I brought the very yummy potato salad I made last night. We sat at a non-descript bench in Takashimaya, afterwhich we went to the supermarket at the basement. I was tempted to buy a box of brownie pre-mix. But nah, I know I can make it from scratch. *flex baking muscles*

Harlie's Chicken Potato salad

6 small potatoes, boiled or steam or nuked in the microwave oven and cubed
3 chicken fillets, boiled and cubed or shredded
bell peppers (red, yellow, green), cubed
small onion, diced
3 tablespoon heapfuls mayonaise
2 tablespoons vinegar
spring onions
coarse black pepper
salt to taste

Once the potatoes have cooled down, toss with vinegar. Add all the other ingredients in. Toss toss toss. Add lots of black pepper, and salt to taste. Chill it in the fridge. Cut spring onion in before serving.

First rice pudding.

My rice pudding is in the oven, and in about 15 minutes I am to "insert spoon at edge of pudding and stir from the bottom". Oh, okay. Am I the only one who finds this piece of instruction... bizarre? I don't... quite... understand...

I know what I'm supposed to do, though.

And later at night- potato salad for lunch tomorrow.

/edit
just had to say, SUPERDUPERAWESOME rice pudding YUM YUM!

Sianwitch.

Lunch was a grilled chicken and alfalfa sprout sandwich followed by a coffee flavoured bread pudding which I made on impulse. Because I didn't follow a recipe (too lazy to get my recipe jot book out), the pudding turned out custardy, which I like!

The vinagrette I made for my sandwich turned out pretty bad so I junked it. I'm gonna troop downstairs and buy a bottle of Kraft Italian Dressing, so no heart pain next time!

Karumaru

JY & I were both free today, and we decided to go thrifting. First, we fuelled up at Karu's. We both had rice, and I had mine with mutton curry and a side of thairu (yoghurt). The cooling yoghurt helps balance the fiery chilli. Even then I couldn't finish my meal, it was much too spicy :X

Here's JY finishing her meal

Thrifting proved to be boring and uneventful. I did come away with a Star Wars book for the boyfriend, and a funny illustrated book on the life of Mao Tse Tung that's meant for children. But that was all, a disappointing haul.

Thank goodness for the Karu lunch and sushi dinner!

First wedding of the year.

It's not often that I attend a wedding, and today I did just that. Before leaving home my mum gave me a green packet, to give to the brides' mother(yes, brides'... sisters sharing a wedding day). I never used to notice these things- when to give the green packet, what to say to the brides' parents, acceptable topics of conversation while eating...

The wedding, it was truly one of a kind! There was an inflatable castle to keep the kids occupied, an ice-cream motorbike giving away free flow of ice cream, and the dais and overall decor was just... BEAUTIFUL! Pity my camera's not working.

In between mouthfuls of nasi briyani and ayam masak merah, my dad actually asked what kind of wedding I want. Alamak... I'm not prepared for that kind of conversation...yet!

But I don't mind an inflatable castle at my wedding, that will surely keep the kids occupied!

How I popped my baking cherry

Why, with Sarah of course!

...and Sarina

TADA!
Molten chocolate babycakes, from Nigella's How to be a Domestic Goddess

Supper

1 Teh
some cakes JY packed from the graduation buffet
4 sticks satay
1 Teh O peng
2 Kaya toasts from Killiney Kopitiam
1 Teh peng

Walao no wonder I can't sleep, lah! So much teh! After supper, JY & I discussed fitness regimes with our very buff, very hamsum and very disciplined fitness advisor, Adi. Adi, you must push us okay. You know JY & I always NATO one.

Okay, okay I hear you. I always NATO one. Say people, say yourself!

First lunch project!

The plan was to make lunch, and bring it over to my friend Imran, whose job doesn't allow him to eat out! But last night he told me he has a secret admirer at work, and I don't want to spoil his chances, so... I'm staying in today. I also planned to run some errands in town, but I figure I could get them done tomorrow :p


This is lunch- Chicken pasta salad. It has corn, bell peppers and shredded grilled chicken. My brother, today's lunch partner, says the chicken is a little salty, but I've had my fill and don't worry no one is going to die from this!

It tastes okay, but next time I'll prepare more dressing (and a new dressing recipe), and add some herbs. And I'll use spiral pasta instead of penne, so the dressing can mingle properly!

Project

With my number one guinea pig taster away, I've got no one to ooh and ahhh over my cooking. So I've decided to make lunch for my friends!


Watch out people. Harlee coming to a lunch table near you :)

Hello!

This blog is about alot of things, but mainly about food. My friend Jiayuan says I talk about food waaaaay too much. Well two weeks ago I caught the baking-slash-cooking bug, you see. So I thought this blog would be a good idea.

Now if only my camera isn't kaput... =_=;