~Miss Lucky Piggy~

How I Make Cake Balls

2011-11-26T20:43:00.000+11:00

Made this just for my family.

Not the first time I make cake balls,

this time I took pictures of step-to-step

on how I make cake balls.

Prepare the buttercream

This was 6" Vanilla Bean Butter Cake

Crumble the Cake

Mix the cake crumble with buttercream

just enough to form a ball

Melt the chocolate in microwave.

It will be too thick if it is just melted chocolate,

so I add a bit of Crisco

or if you live in Australia just use melted COPHA.

You can get CRISCO from USA FOODS Australia too.

Dip the cake balls into melted chocolate mixture.

Vanilla Bean Butter Cake

with Peanut Butter Buttercream

covered with semi-sweet Dark Chocolate

decorated with melted white chocolate.

Made quite a lot, so I gave some to my friend :-)

...enjoy...

Spiced Meatballs and Tofu Soup

2011-10-23T17:00:00.000+11:00

Spiced Meatballs and Tofu Soup

Ingredients:
300 gr minced turkey
1 tsp of coriander powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1 block of tofu, cubed
1 carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 small garlic, bruised
1 tsp of whole cloves
1 whole nutmeg
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 green onion
1 bunch of choy sum, chopped
1/2 tbsp of MASSEL chicken stock powder
about almost 1 litre of water
fried shallots

Method:

Fill a small sauce pan with almost 1 litre of water,
add bruised garlic, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon,
chicken stock powder,
celery stalks, green onion, carrots,
bring to boil.

In the mean time mixed together:
minced turkey, coriander powder and salt,
then form balls, keep in the fridge until water boiled.

Once boiled, add spiced meatballs,
and add cubed tofu too then
bring to boil again until meatballs completely cooked.

Scoop out green onion and garlic.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice,
garnish with fried shallots.

... enjoy ...

Sausages Fried Rice

2011-10-23T16:45:00.000+11:00

My son love sausages,
especially Sausages Fried Rice

Best to prepare all ingredients first,
chopped sausages and long beans,
chopped shallots and garlic,
add chopped chilies if you like
I wish I could, this one without chilies for the sake of my son :-)
6 eggs well beaten,
all sauces such as oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce,
and freshly cooked rice.

I never have problem making fried rice using freshly cooked rice.
I know some people advised to use overnight rice that was kept in the fridge,
but it is just a preference. I use both.
Even when I use freshly cooked rice like today, the fried rice is not soggy at all.

Ingredients:
2 large shallots, chopped
1 small garlic, chopped
about 200 grams of long beans, chopped
4 sausages, chopped
6 large eggs, well beaten
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
a dash of fish sauce
2 tbsp or more of light soy sauce
1 tbsp of sweet soy sauce
ground white pepper

Method:
as usual, heat frying pan in high heat,
add 2 tbsp of oil, once hot
add shallots and sautee until fragrant,
quickly add long beans and sausages,
sautee until long beans softens,
quickly add eggs,
let it sit for about 30 seconds or 1 minutes,
add 4 big plate of rice,
add all sauces and white pepper,
mix all to combine
until all cooked through.
The longer you cooked the rice, the better the taste.

Ready to serve with
some fish or prawns or garlic crackers,
those crackers can be cooked in microwave too
faster and less greasy!
and slices of bird-eye chilis :-)

... enjoy ...

Stir Fry Spiced Minced Beef

2011-10-23T16:33:00.000+11:00

Quick and Easy Meal

Ingredients:
250 gr of lean minced beef
1/2 brown onion, chopped
1 small garlic, chopped
1 green onion, thinly sliced

1.5 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
salt and pepper to taste
oil for stir-fry

Method:
Heat frying pan first in medium high heat,
then add oil, once oil is hot
add brown onion,
sautee until fragrant,
then add minced beef and garlic,
sautee until minced beef almost cooked,
add curry powder, cumin powder,
salt and pepper,
sautee until minced beef cooked completely.
Add green onion at last.

My son never like green onion cooked in this way, he won't eat it,
so I throw green onion in together with garlic and minced beef.

Once done.

Ready to serve.

... enjoy ...

Vegetable Fritters

2011-10-23T16:27:00.000+11:00

Vegetable Fritters,

I did post many vegetable fritters before,
this one has coriander, garlic and ginger powder in it.

My little coriander powder jar,
bought it from discounted shop :-)

The Recipe:
1/4 cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 package of bean sprout
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of ginger powder
2 tsp of coriander powder
1.5 tsp of salt
pepper to taste
Oil - enough for deep frying
3 heaps tbsp of plain flour
3 heaps tbsp of rice flour.
Water, enough to mix the flour and spices
- but not a runny mixture and not thick mixture either -
just in between before you add the vegies in it.
These 3 tbsp of rice flour already make these fritters crispy,
you can ommit plain flour and use only rice flour for a total crisp! :-)
You can add grated carrots too,
I usually did but this time, I just used whatever I have in the fridge.

Method:
simple - just mixed all ingredients together, except oil.
Heat frying pan until hot in high heat,
add oil enough for deep frying,
once the oil is hot,
spoon in fritters mixture
but not over-crowded,
lower the heat to medium,
fry until golden brown.
Repeat remaining mixture until finished.

... Enjoy ...

Fudgy Brownies

2011-10-23T16:11:00.003+11:00

I have this recipe for quite sometime now,
probably about a little bit more than 3 years.

I think this is one of Huey's Recipes from Huey's Cooking Adventure
or now Huey's Kitchen.

The recipe is quite simple with not too many ingredients:
3 large eggs
250 gram caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
180 gr dark chocolate
180 gr butter
110 plain flour
150 gr walnuts -> never use this, I don't really like nuts on brownies
I add 1 tsp flat of salt.

Quick and Easy to Make too:
Preheat oven at 160C.
Put chocolate and butter in a microwave-proof bowl,
put into microwave for 30 seconds,
put into microwave for another 20 - 30 seconds
depending on your microwave.
Stir with silicon spatula (not wooden spoon) to combine, set aside.

Mix eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl,
whisk to combined,
then add chocolate mixture, mix to combined,
add flour, salt and walnut,
mixed to combined.

Pour into baking pan,
into the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Best to serve at room temperature...
so fudgy and yummy...

... enjoy ...

Tonnes of Free Online Fondant Cake Decorating Tutorials

2011-10-23T15:51:00.003+11:00

Tonnes of Free Online Fondant Cake Decorating Tutorials

they are at your finger tips,

such as:

I am sure you all know Cake Central and Cake Journal,

Tutorials by BELLA Cupcakes,

Fondant Modelling/Figurines Tutorial from EAT-THE-EVIDENCE,

this is I think the best and complete tutorials I have ever seen.

I bought 2 online figurine tutorials before but not as complete as this one.

Fondant Figurines Tutorials by CATH,

Tutorials from KIWI CAKES,

Tutorials by CALL ME CUPCAKE,

Tutorials by KEEP ON CAKING,

Tons of Flower Tutorials - got this from cakecentral.com
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-654803.html

Tutorials on Fondant Owls:
from BAKING DOM
and
from CAKE FIXATION

Picture Tutorial on HOW TO COVER DOUBLE BARREL/DOUBLE STACK/EXTENDED TIER CAKES WITH FONDANT by Delicious Decadent Cake Design:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deliciously_decadent/3798634785/

Lots of Tutorials from I AM BAKER:

Lots of Recipes from SWEETAPOLITA:

Lots of Tutorials from TIFFANY:

There are picture tutorials on CELESTE DE LEON Facebook,
like fondant Winnie The Pooh,
how to make Car Cake,
figurines tutorials (flower fairies, jollibee, etc.),
how to make playstation cake,
how to make dragon cake,
how to make BMW & FERRARI & LOUIS VUITTON cakes,
fondant Minni Mouse 3-D out of wall plaque,
and recipes.
She is very nice and generous with tutorials
not only that, she also answer your questions :-)

There is also another way of getting smooth edges while ganaching,
just go to below blog post by NOT QUITE NIGELLA, very useful,

MAKE SURE YOU SEE THIS ONE!!!:

DIY 2-tier Wedding Cake by Faye Cahill

Petit Four Tutorial and Recipe from NOT QUITE NIGELLA:

TONS of Tutorials from SUGAR TEACHERS:

Lots of Tutorials from MY COLORFUL WORLD CAKE:
It was originally in -ehm... not sure ..maybe german? translated to English by Mr. Google!
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=auto|en&rurl=translate.google.com&u=http://tortentante.blogspot.com/search/label/tutorial&usg=ALkJrhjnDtUGUL_t5qWGXdOtxj2zPK5RDw

Tutorials by Kara Buntin of A Cake to Remember VA,

She also have video tutorials on you tube.

Below video is my favorite:

Tapering Sides of Square Cakes.

Cakes Tutorials by Annie:

Tutorials from DO IT MYSELF:

Recipes and Tutorials from CAKES ON THE SIDE:

Tutorials on Cakes Canada from their members:

http://www.cakescanada.com/HowTo/

Fondant Billowing Technique by The Joy of Cake:

Tutorials from SWEET INDULGENCE CAKES:

Tutorials from SIFBETH:
http://sifbeth.dk/blog/?cat=3

Tutorials by JESSICAKES:

http://jessicakesblog.blogspot.com/search/label/tutorial

Tutorials by Sharon Zambito of SugarEd production,

including Gumpaste Southern Magnolia and Red Ranunculus:

http://sugaredblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Tutorials

Craft and Cake Tutorials by MY CREATIVE WAY,

Heart Shape Cake Tutorial by CRAFT KNIFE,

Gruffalo Tutorial by CASA COSTELLO:

Virtual Cake Decorating School, MY CAKE SCHOOL by Melissa Diamond,

If you are a member, you have access to more than 100 videos,

I would say this e-cake school is great for beginners.

It covers everything from buttercream to ganache and fondant,

torte-ing, filling, crumb coating, final coating cakes

to tilting and topsy-turvy cakes!

you can find her free Tutorials on My Cake School Blog

which is free for member or non-member,

and if you wish to become a member,

the fee is ONLY USD30.- PER YEAR!!

No... Not USD 300 PER YEAR, ONLY USD30.-

and in the current economical situation like this,

nothing can beat this fantastic offer!!

A very talented Cake Artist :-)
VERUSCA WALKER,
joined her facebook group.

The last but not least my Cake Decorator Idol from Sydney,

her name is SHARON WEE of Sharon Wee Creations,

I LOVE LOVE LOVE her cake creations,

Met her once during my Wedding Cake Deco Class with her

she is sooo amazing!!

Make sure you check out her Website, Facebook, and read her Blog,

she gave Tips and Tricks in Cake Decorating,
including how you can safe split ganache.

You can add more in the comments columns if you like...

Sharing is Caring :-)

... Enjoy Viewing them 1 by 1 ...

Happy Sunday!!

Homemade Spiced Chicken Nuggets

2011-10-18T15:45:00.001+11:00

I love fried food, no doubt about that,
anytime, anyday, anywhere.

Bought chicken nuggets never attract me,
for me they are tasteless, and most of the time
can't even taste the chicken. I mean how much chicken content in it?
Not to mention the level of sodium and preservatives.

So I made this homemade chicken nuggets
from chicken breast fillets.
I wish I could use madras curry powder
and add dried chilli into it, but then my son can't enjoy it.
You can add those if you like it spicy :-)
This one I made it without curry powder
and used coriander powder instead.

Here is the recipe

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast fillet

Flour Mixture:
1/2 cup of plain flour
1/2 cup of rice flour
1 tsp of very coriander powder
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
salt and pepper to taste
Mix them together well.

Method:
Heat pan then add enough oil for deep frying,
once the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium,
Deep chicken breast pieces into flour mixture
and fry them, continue until finished
and do not over-crowd the pan.
Dry them on paper towel.

You can eat it just like that, or with tomato sauce or chili sauce.

... enjoy...

My Version of Nasi Gila or Crazy Rice

2011-10-18T15:22:00.000+11:00

In Menteng area, Central Jakarta, Indonesia

there is a street food vendor that sell "Nasi Gila"

which literally translated as "Crazy Rice" in English.

That was the firs time I ate Nasi Gila.

There are few other places that sells Nasi Gila too not only in Menteng area.

It consists of sausages, lamb or beef, egg, and I think it has sweet soy sauce too.

Now, I am not a fan of red meat, so when the first time I went there,

my friend ordered for me, he said "it is good, you must try it"

when it came, I eat all but the meat.

Yesterday I had prawns, eggs, chicken sausages and button mushroom.

I was looking at them and thinking what to cook,

then I think OK, I will make Nasi Gila my style with no sweet sauce.

So I made it and my family (especially my son) loved it!!

So here it is:

Ingredients:

500 gr of prawns, peeled and deveined

4 eggs, beaten well

100 gr of button mushroom, sliced

4 chicken sausages, sliced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1 small brown onion, thinly sliced

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 garlic, thinly sliced

3/4 cup of sweet corn kernels

a touch of fish sauce

1 tsp of salt

pepper to taste

Method:

Mix eggs with salt, pepper and green onion. Set aside.

Heat wok in high heat and add oil,

once oil really hot,

add prawns, sautee until just cooked.

Moved prawns to a bowl.

Use used oil to sautee brown onion, shallots,

and brown mushroom,

sautee until mushroom just soften,

then add garlic and sausages,

sautee until mushroom is really cooked and soften,

add corn kernel and egg mixture.

Cook until the eggs are cooked on one side

and mix well, until all completely cooked.

Serve with warm jasmine rice

and garnish with fried shallots.

... enjoy ...

Stir Fry Tofu and Eggplant using Carmelina

2011-10-18T13:54:00.001+11:00

Carmelina

is not a name of a woman :-)

it is a brand of this chili mixture

it mainly have eggplant in it

i tried this before and add more Sambal Oelek into it

and my husband couldn't eat it, too spicy for him.

this time I didn't check if I still have Sambal Oelek

didn't realize that I didn't have any

oh well too late, I have chopped all ingredients

so I just have to cook them without the extra Sambal Oelek.

here is the recipe:

3 big shallots, finely chopped

1 garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 onions, finely chopped

1 jar of Carmelina

1 block of tofu, cubed, pan fried.

2 lebanese eggplants, sliced, boiled in a hot water

1-2 tbsp of lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Pan fried the cubed tofu first.

Using the same oil

add shallots and onion,

sautee until fragrant and translucent,

add garlic, pan fried tofu and eggplant,

sautee until garlic is fragrant,

add salt and pepper,

mix well, taste and adjust if needed,

add lemon juice and quickly switch off the stove.

Mix well and ready to serve with steamed jasmine rice.

The result? It says "Explosive Mixture" on the jar

well, it is nice but not spicy at all,

I couldn't taste the chili at all

but my hb like it, he also said that it's not spicy at all

at least he could enjoy it :-)

I think next time I will add not only Sambal Oelek again,

but also cherry ripe tomato.

... enjoy ...

Kids Eat Free Monday Nights at Peden's Cessnock

2011-10-18T13:41:00.001+11:00

Love to dine-in at Peden's Cessnock Restaurant

the food not only tasted good

but also reasonably price

and (for me) large in portion :-)

This is one of our experiences

with Peden's Cessnock on Monday Night

as they have Kids Eat Free on Monday Nights

The Restaurant itself located behind

the Peden's Hotel.

If you never been there, check it out :-)

my son couldn't stay put

run around the restaurant

before his meal is ready

This is for hb, Salt and Pepper Squid

i tried and sooo yuuuummmooowww....

this is for my son :-)

this one is for me

creamy garlic prawns

served with chips, salad and rice

a big meal for me, they do have big portion :-)

extra chips,,, this much is actually only half portion...

... Enjoy ...

Meat and Prawns Fried Meatballs

2011-10-18T12:43:00.000+11:00

Meat and Prawns Fried Meatballs

I love fried food :-)

This one if one my family favorites.

Be good if I can put some chopped fresh chilies or chili powder,

but if I did that, my toddler couldn't enjoy it.

So if you love it spicy, just add chilies :-)

Here is the recipe

Ingredients:

250 gr of minced turkey

-> you can use other type of minced, like beef,

but minced Pork or Chicken will work well with this recipe <-

250 gr peeled prawns, deveined

2 - 3 tbsp of corn flour

1 egg

1 tbsp of fish sauce

2 tbsp of fried shallots

2 green onion, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Put prawns in the food processor

and blend until form a paste.

Move it into a bowl, the rest of ingredients except corn flour,

add a tbsp of corn flour at a time,

you don't want to put too much corn flour into it.

Mix all together, form balls with 2 spoons,

Or you can oiled your hands before you form them into balls.

Preheat the wok in high heat, add enough oil,

fry them but don't put too much in one go,

fry until golden brown,

drained on strainer or kitchen paper towel.

Served with sweet chilli :-)

... Enjoy ...

Chocolate-y Crunchy Chocolate Cookies...Yummy

2011-10-13T14:26:00.000+11:00

... Enjoy ...

Banana and Jackfruit Pikelets

2011-10-13T14:15:00.000+11:00

Excuse the bad photo,

they are banana and jackfruit pikelets.

I don't think there is any fresh jackfruits here,

so I used the canned one.

The recipe is exactly like my Banana Pikelets post

only you add chopped jackfruits in it.

... enjoy :-) ...

Fraud via cellphone claiming from GoogleAds

2011-08-03T10:28:00.001+10:00

This morning, my cellphone rang, I looked at the number it was "Private Number" again. I remember my experiences before, but I still pick it up, who knows it's a customer?

I was right, when I pick it up I said, "Good Morning"
on the other side was a man with Indian accent, "Good Morning, My name is Ajay from Google Ads... bla bla bla.."

I did not wait until he finished talking, I just said "Byeeee...." then hang-up.

I experienced by myself and also saw lots of cases on TV where people with Indian accent -men or women- make a fraud call. Either from Google Ads (like me), claiming they are calling on behalf of our Government and asking for money to process their Super, etc.

So if you have not heard of this cases, please beware.

Easy Peasy Homemade Chocolate Croissant

2011-07-17T09:01:00.000+10:00

Got this easy recipe from Recipes+ magazine.

Just need puff pastry as the "croissants".

This time I used a generic one.

I tried using Pampas brand before and I think generic "homebrand" is just as good.

Not only that it is also cheaper :-)

So here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 sheets Puff pastry (I only use 1 sheet)

1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (I used "Nutella")

1/4 cup finely chopped dry-roasted hazelnuts (I didn't use this)

2 tbsp finely chopped dark cooking chocolate

(I used "Nestle" Dark Chocolate Bits)

1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:

Pre-heated oven at 200C or 180C fan forced.

Line baking tray with baking paper.

Thawed puff pastry,

cut it in half (4 rectangles).

Cut each rectangle in half crosswise (8 squares).

Cut each square in half diagonally to make a triangle.

What I did was as shown in the above picture.

For each croissant, place a pastry triangle on a flat surface;

brush with e little egg.

Spread with 1 tsp of chocolate mixture, leaving a 1cm border.

What I did was, spread the Nutella and add few chocolate bits on it without egg wash (I forgot but it turned out OK too =>smile)

The roll up pastry starting from the long edge or as shown in the above picture.

My way: once all rolled up, brush them with egg wash.

Into the oven for 20 minutes or until golden

and puffed. Cool for 5 minutes before serve.

Yummy and Easy :-)

~Enjoy~

Quesadilla and Quiche from Mountain Bread Light Rye Wraps

2011-07-13T16:46:00.004+10:00

Mountain Bread - Light Rye Wraps

Yesterday, I made 2 dishes from these wraps:

Cheese and Banana Quesadilla

and Simple Quiche

I normally make Cheese quesadilla using these wraps,

my son loved them so much and called them "Pizza!" LOL...

Below is my way of making a quick chesse and banana quesadilla:

Take 1 wrap, filled half with grated cheese and banana

"Closed" it and into the microwave (depending how hot your microwave is)

mine only takes 1 minute

Once done take it out from the microwave and cut them to sizes you like using pastry cutter

Ready to eat... yum!

Rye Light Wrap Quiche

My Simple Quiche:

1/2 brown onion, thinly sliced

1 small garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

Grated natural cheddar cheese

6 eggs, beat slightly

1 carrot, grated

4 Light Wraps
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Butter, enough to grease baking pan

Method:

Prepare oven at 180degree C.

Sautee brown onion until soften then add garlic.

Keep sautee-ing until garlic fragrant,

Add grated carrot, sautee until cooked.

Set aside to cool down slightly.

Beat 6 eggs lightly, then add spring onion,
salt and pepper and 1 tsp of dijon mustard.
Then add sauteed carrot in it,

salt and pepper to taste, and cheese, mix lightly.

Grease baking pan with butter

Place 4 wraps on it.

Pour eggs mixture into it.

Into the oven for 20 minutes.

Take it out and sprinkle as much cheese as you want on top of it,

then back into the oven for about 10 minutes.

Let them cool, then ready to serve.

from the back side, some parts were "sticking" out

and my son loved it because it's crispy.

... Enjoy ...

Weekend Baking: Buttermilk Scones

2011-07-03T16:13:00.002+10:00

I have been absent for quite a while, the reason is I am busy setting up my home-baked cake business.

I am just starting it early this year, so still have to complete it with bits and pieces.

But blogging is always on my mind, so here it is my weekend baking: Buttermilk Scones.

I got the recipe from local supermarket, Woolworth's, it was given out for free,

so why not take one? ^_^

First of all for me to get tasted-good baking result is to use a GOOD BUTTER

Trust me, especially if you are using butter for any buttercream, or for pastry, you can taste the "difference" in using a good and cheap butter. But, this is just me.

I made scones before but not buttermilk one, so this time I made

Buttermilk Cheese Scones and

Smoked Ham and Cheese Scones.

Here is the recipe:

Basic Buttermilk Scones

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking: 15 minutes

Makes: 12 scones

Ingredients:

2 cups of self-raising flour

1 tbsp of caster sugar

a pinch of salt

3/4 cup of buttermilk

60 gram of cold butter, chopped to pieces

extra buttermilk for brushing

1) for cheese scones, I added about 150grams of grated cheddar cheese

2) and for Smoked Ham and Cheese,

I added sauted smoked ham (withouth oil) and grated natural cheddar cheese.

Method:

Sift flour, sugar and salt into a bowl.

Use fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

***at this stage I add the filling***

Make a well in the center of mixture, add buttermilk,

using a flat-bladed knife, stir until a sticky dough forms.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface,

knead gently until dough is just smooth.

Using a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll dough out until 2 cm thick.

Using a 6cm round cutter, cut out scones.

Press leftover dough together.

Repeat to make 12 scones.

Place scones on a lined baking tray.

Brush with buttermilk.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and hollow when tapped on top.

For me: best to serve warm.

Below is the variation I made from Cheese Buttermilk Scones

Buttermilk Cheese Scone
with Nutella filling... yum!!

This one is Cheese Buttermilk Scones

filled with tuna in Chili

~ Have a great Sunday and Keep Smiling ~

^_^

Wedding Anniversary Cake and Lunch at Peden's Restaurant Cessnock, Hunter Valley

2011-07-01T16:25:00.023+10:00

We were celebrating our Wedding Anniversary last Saturday,

so I made Vanilla Bean Cake with Lemon and Vanilla Bean Buttercream

topped with some buttercream rosettes on it.

it turn out to be a quite "tall" cake

it was a double stack of Vanilla Bean cake.

I love the buttercream rosettes on it but not sure about the sprinkles,

should have just do it without the sprinkles I think.

My husband was on 3 night shift last week and ended on Sunday.

Which means Monday he just came off night shift,

looking fresh and not went to bed like he used to (after night shift),

instead he came with me to drop off our toddler son (2 year and 3 months old precisely today) to pre-school, then I have to drove back because I forgot to bring his bottle.

When I came back, my husband was vacuuming the floor....the whole house,

then he fold dried laundry, continue with washing dishes then have his oatmeal porridge for breakfast.

Me? Mmm did not do much, but having my toast with butter and honey, then a cup of tea for breakfast (after dropping my son) then "glued" to the computer until lunch time.

My husband asked me what I would like to have for lunch, I said I am not sure, feeling a bit slow... then he said let's go out and find something for lunch, maybe we have a sitting lunch... hmm a surprise lunch? I thought.

So we drove to down town and see some restaurants, we have been to almost all of them - Chinese, Indian, Thai Restos... then my husband drove a bit further and stopped at Peden's Restaurant.

Interesting, I think I never really pay attention that there are a restaurant across Cessnock Performing Arts Centre. I told that to my husband and he said "I have better eyes, baby" :-)

So we went there, they have Kids Eat Free on Monday only,

they have Kids Play Room - for bigger kids, not for toddler :-)

the resto is quite big and busy, lots of people are dining in today.

It is a restaurant on one side and a pub on the other side.

Then we pick the seats, and look at the menu.

What interesting is the price, it is not pricey at all, reasonable prices for such a good meal ... oh and later on we found out that the portions are good :-) good for our love handle LOL... and not to forget the good service, the staffs are friendly.

so as a starter we ordered :

Light Meal: Salt and Pepper Squid

served with chips and salad

i think it was $15 only

soooooo YUMMMYYYYY..... we both loved this!

The squid are tasty, full of flavor, juicy, tender,

the chips are light and crispy...
the lemon and salad complement the freshness...just yum!

then I ordered: Chicken Schnitzel Parmigiana

comes with chips and salad too

just ordinary one but if your are focusing on the portion,

this much for +/- $19 only...good price right?

my husband ordered: Twice Cooked Pork Belly

comes with sweet potato rosti (yum! i tried this),

steamed vegies, leek and capsicum relish and apple cider jus

my husband enjoyed this dish a lot!

The winner? We both LOVED the Salt and Pepper Squid!

Next time we will go there again with our toddler

and for sure we will order this Salt and Pepper Squid,

1 portion for each of us :D

and we already know what wanna try: Chicken Fillo and Wood Fire Pizza!

Certainly will post it on my blogs too :-)

We have not been dining out for quite some time now,

so it was a nice dine-in lunch for a change, on a special occasion too :-)

Love you, baby.

Hope we can celebrate many many more anniversaries,

and this one is for you... xxoo

and for Peden's Restaurant - we will be back!

Hope you all have a good week

and

Cheers!

Sweet and Sour Spiced Turkey Meatballs

2011-05-20T06:20:00.001+10:00

... enjoy ...

Steamed Pork Buns ... encore

2011-05-20T06:11:00.000+10:00

... e.n.j.o.y. ...

Indonesian Fried Empanadas

2011-05-20T06:05:00.000+10:00

Indonesian Fried Empanadas

called Pastel in Indonesian language

it is pastry filled with vermicelli noodles, minced, vegetable and hard boiled eggs

usually come with peanut sauce

here is how to make them with mold,

got this mold from the internet, cost less that US$1.-

Basically you have to prepare the filling first,

it is up to you what you prefer for the filling,

once cooked let the filling cool completely.

Dough:

500 gr of plain flour

1 egg, beaten

100 gr butter, melted

1 tsp salt

100 ml water

Mix together in a bowl: flour, beaten egg, salt and melted butter until it become a dough.

Add water, knead well until you can roll out the dough.

Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

After that, roll out the dough, form into balls, roll them out one by one thinly.

Lay 1 dough/skin inside the mold, put the filling in it,

closed the dough (as in the picture),

press lightly and release,

then you will get the nice empanada shape.

Repeat until all done.

Heat wok and filled with water enough for deep frying,

deep fry them (working in batches) in hot oil until golden brown or cooked.

~ Enjoy ~

Fried Cauliflower

2011-05-20T05:12:00.000+10:00

Fried Cauliflower

Easy Peasy Yummy

you will need:

1 small size of cauliflower, florets

1 cup of plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup of rice flour

1 tsp of coriander powder

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

1 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of ground white pepper

1 green onion, finely chopped

water - as needed

Method:

combine all ingredients except cauliflower florets.

prepare your deep frier / use wok with enough oil for deep frying.

dip cauliflower florets one by one into the flour mixture.

fry in a medium heat oil.

--- enjoy ---

FRAUD VIA EMAIL!! BEWARE!! DON'T BE FOOL!! 2

2011-04-19T20:45:00.000+10:00

Another Fraud via email.

Beware!

1. the email address is weird!

2. transfer money via Western Union?

3. the beneficiary is in London?

What a stupid way to fraud!!

---------------------------------------------------------

From: U.S. Department of State
Date: Sun, Apr 10, 2011 at 10:20 PM
Subject: Re: U.S. Department of State - United States Permanent Resident Card for ************
To: **********************

U.S. Department of State U.S. Department of State sent this message to ***********
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from U.S. Department of State.
Dear *********,

Thank you for your email inquiry concerning the Diversity Visa Lottery Program. We confirm again that you are a winner of the Diversity Visa Lottery(also known as Green Card). The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649) amended INA 203 and provides for a class of immigrants known as .diversity immigrants.. Section 203(c) of the INA provides a maximum of 55,000 Diversity Visas (DV) each fiscal year to be made available to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

In order to process your visa you must pay the fees connected with immigration to the U.S.

Who conducts this program? American Government is conducting this program every year to maintain the diversity of its people.
The visa processing fee is US$ 880 or equivalent local currency. If you want to take with you any family member you must pay an additional of US$ 880 for each one. Once the payment confirmation is received you will be contacted by the U.S Consulate which will provide you the Case Number/Confirmation Number and schedule a final interview. The scope of interview is to provide you the documents required to travel in the United States and answer to any question that you may have. The visa is guaranteed upon receiving the payment and it won't be affected by the interview.

Sending the payment is fast and easy with over 380,000 participating Agent locations worldwide. You'll find a Western Union agent at places such as banks, postal office and even supermarkets, check cashers and convenience stores.
If you are unable to find a Western Union agency you may ask a friend or relative to send the payment on your behalf.

The payment must be sent to the U.S. embassy agent address in United Kingdom because the U.S. Department of State decided this based on its policy and relations with your country.

Follow these 5 simple steps to send the payment :

    Step 1

Find a Western Union agent using Find Us.

    Step 2

Visit the Western Union agent, taking some personal identification* with you.

    Step 3

Complete a simple .send. form and hand this to the Western Union agent along with the money you want to send and the transfer fee..

The payment must be sent to U.S. embassy agent address in United Kingdom:

Ian Thompson
24 Grosvenor Square
London, W1A 2LQ
United Kingdom
    Step 4

You will be given a reference number(MTCN).

    Step 5

Confirm the payment via email as following :
- Email copy/scan of the Western Union receipt to usgov.visa@usa.com
- Email at usgov.visa@usa.com
with the following details (you can find them on the money transfer receipt):

1) Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN):
2) Exact sender's name on file with Western Union:
3) Exact sender's address on file with Western Union:
4) Amount sent:

Then wait for the confirmation that the payment was received. Within 72 hours, you will receive a confirmation via email along with the exact date and time of the final interview at the U.S Consulate. Upon successful completion of the interviewing process you will receive the documents and travel information to move in the United States.

Please note : The payment must be sent before Apr 23, 2011. Failure to send the payment confirmation on time will void your rights as DV winner

We hope that this information will be helpful to you.
United States Department of State

CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT: AUTHORITIES: The information asked for on this form is requested pursuant to Section 222 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Section 222(f) provides that the records of the Department of State and of diplomatic and consular offices of the United States pertaining to the issuance and refusal of visas or permits to enter the United States shall be considered confidential and shall be used only for the formulation, amendment, administration, or enforcement of the immigration, nationality, and other laws of the United States. Certified copies of such records may be made available to a court provided the court certifies that the information contained in such records is needed in a case pending before the court. PURPOSE: The U.S. Department of State uses the facts you provide on this form primarily to determine your classification and eligibility for a U.S. immigrant visa. Individuals who fail to submit this form or who do not provide all the requested information may be denied a U.S. immigrant visa. Although furnishing this information is voluntary, failure to provide this information may delay or prevent the processing of your case. ROUTINE USES: If you are issued an immigrant visa and are subsequently admitted to the United States as an immigrant, the Department of Homeland Security will use the information on this form to issue you a Permanent Resident Card, and, if you so indicate, the Social Security Administration will use the information to issue a social security number. The information provided may also be released to federal agencies for law enforcement, counterterrorism and homeland security purposes; to Congress and courts within their sphere of jurisdiction; and to other federal agencies who may need the information to administer or enforce U.S. laws.

FRAUD VIA EMAIL!! BEWARE!! DON'T BE FOOL!!

2011-04-19T20:28:00.000+10:00

Dear All,

This email below copied and pasted from my business email.

Hope this info will be useful.

Beware! Don't be fool!!

----------------------------------------------------------------

	from	Mr. Abubakar Momodu
reply-to		mrmomodu@gmail.com
to
date		Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 9:34 AM
subject		Re: ATM MASTER CARD

hide details Apr 18 (2 days ago)

Warning: This message may not be from whom it claims to be. Beware of following any links in it or of providing the sender with any personal information. Learn more

We have actually been authorized by the newly appointed Secretary General
of the United Nations, and the governing body of the monetary unit of the
United Nations to investigate the unnecessary delay in payment,
recommended and approved in your favor.

During our research we discovered with dismay that your payment has been
unnecessarily delayed by corrupt bank officials who are trying to divert
their funds into their private accounts.

To represent this, the safety of your funds was organized in the form of
your personal identification number: N: 5399830637420496 /: 2900/AND ALSO
Here is your: TRANSACTION DETAILS STATUS ID: LSO543269861390 your (ATM
MASTER CARD) and everything should be done to track Bank Plc Barclay's of
Nigeria and the manager of Bank Plc Barclay's ATM MASTER CARD of Nigeria
told me that they need to verify your information before they could
process in the delivery of your ATM MASTER CARD to you, so get back to us
immediately in order to facilitate the delivery of your ATM MASTER CARD
bounded a huge ($ 6.8 million).

1. Your full name .........................
2. YOUR HOME Delivery Address ..................
3. Your Age :............................
4. Your profession :.........................
5. Your current work phone .............
6. Your current phone CELLS ..............
7. Copy of your ID / PHOTO ......
8. Your Skype ID :...........................

After receiving this information, we're going to start sending the cards
directly to your nominated mailing address.So you absolutely nothing to
worry about, as we all owe it to your prompt response and cooperation.

With respect
Mr. Abubakar Momodu