The sky is the limit

A vast blue sky and all that you can imagine...

When a man dreams of divorcing his wife...

Hubby shared with me two nightmares he had yesterday:

1. We were filing for divorce and he had felt really sad.
2. He was hanging off a flight of stairs that led to absolute nothingness beyond and all around him and he was overcome with fear.

If dreams are our subconscious speaking, then what would this mean?
*twilight zone theme plays in the background*

Take me out to the ball game...

We got free tickets to watch the Cleveland Indians play at Progressive Field this evening. I must admit it isn't the most exciting sport but it still made a nice evening out for the group of us. At least now I can say I've watched an American baseball game! (even though it's probably going to be my first and last time! ;P)

How many ways can I wrap thee?

I was doing some online shopping when I came across this really versatile soft and sexy wrap sweater from Victoria's Secret. What's so cool about it is that it can be worn in so many different ways including:

• Open cardigan
• Over-the-shoulder
• Tie-front
• Belted cardigan
• Cross-front tie-back
• One shoulder

 I want!! However, the only thing that stopped me from purchasing one right away was the price. At $58 (plus shipping and tax), it was way off my budget. So I decided to search for a cheaper alternative and I came across a very similar wrap for only $39 (plus shipping & no tax!) at Sloan Boutique. They do not have an online shop but you can simply give them a call to place an order. I bought one in charcoal grey and it should be arriving sometime next week.  Can't wait to experiment with it! :)
In the meantime, here's a video from Sloan on the varies ways you can style the wrap. There's also a part II to this video on their website.



Don't you just want one for yourself too? ;)

"Eat until 80% full" rule tossed right out the window

Gosh, I'm feeling so bloated now.
Buffet lunches are bad. Very bad... *burp!*

Come, Oh Fall!

Weather fairy has decided to grant us a preview of fall. A week of overcast skies and occasional rain bringing down the overall temp by many [welcoming] notches. Honestly, I can't wait for autumn to begin. Heat and I simply don't gel very well. Ironic considering I've been brought up in a tropical country all my life but we are absolutely spoilt by the use of air conditioning almost everywhere we go on our tiny island!
Anyway, a new season also means an excuse to shop for new clothing! *Yay!* I must admit I'm still not quite in tune with fall fashion. Will need to learn how to layer effectively without looking frumpy. Am also keeping my eyes out for a new pair of boots. Hmmm..shopping always perks me up! Heh. ;)

HaiHan Fun Mein

I have never been very successful with frying noodles. I tend to either overcook them or the sauce just hadn't come out right. However, this recipe from Martin Yan Quick and Easy is a keeper! I didn't follow the recipe to a tee but it was still so yummy.

 Ingredients: (serves 4)
1/4 lb boneless, chicken breast or thigh meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
(I used my leftover roast pork instead)
1/4 lb med-sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp oyster-flavoured sauce

Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp oyster-flavored sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli (I didn't have this so I added 1/2 tsp sweet dark sauce & 1/2 tsp Thai garlic chilli instead)

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 walnut-sized shallot, thinly sliced
1 red jalapeno chilli, thinly sliced (omitted)
1 celery stick, thinly sliced on the diagonal (I added a few bunches of chives instead)
2 cups cooked rice stick noodles (1 portion)
2 cups cooked Chinese egg noodles (2 portions)
1 egg, beaten (omitted)
1 tsp sesame oil

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, shrimp, cornstarch and oyster-flavored sauce and stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
3. Heat a stir fry pan over high heat until hot. Add vegetable oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add garlic, shallot, and chilli and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 secs.
4. Add chicken and shrimp, stir-fry until shrimp begin to curl and turn pink, abt 2 mins.
5. Add celery and stir-fry for 1 min.
6. Add noodles and sauce and cook, stirring gently, until chicken is no longer pink and noodles is heated through, abt 2 mins.
7. Push noodles towards the sides of the pan and pour the egg into the center.
8. Cook until egg is almost set, abt 1 min.
9. Sprinkle with sesame oil and toss to mix the egg into the noodles.
10. Transfer to plate and serve.

Haagen Dazs Rum Raisin

I was excited to find our favourite ice cream in Target today for only $2.99 (everyday!)! We used to pay up to US$7 for a pint back in Singapore and the supermarket that I frequent here sells it for slightly more than $4 but no Rum Raisin. Well, I know where to go for my ice cream fix now.  Yay!

I hope our next generation has my drinking genes.

Hubs who has absolutely ZERO tolerance for alcohol had a short after-work discussion/ drinking session with his boss yesterday. Just 3 glasses later (yup, you heard right!), my dear man was flushed red like a lobster and feeling a little oozy by the time I fetched him. After dinner, he went on to spew twice into the toilet bowl, leaving wine-stained gross stuff on the toilet seat and floor for me to clean up after while he curled up in bed and slept like a baby. *Arghh..!*
Note to hubby: You are NOT drinking anything beyond TWO glasses of wine next time or else....! *Grrrr....!*

Oh lazy day!

People watching and chilling out at the lawn last evening.

Need to go run some errands but I am feeling so lazy at the moment. Had a lovely evening of live music at the park with a girlfriend yesterday and all I want to do now is bum at home. Oh, I really should go *drag self* but not until I get that furball of a bunny out from under my bed where he is currently having his lullaby moment. Alfonso made a home run for my bedroom the moment I let him out from his cage this morning and has refused to budge since. Think he is still sore that we refused to let him in yesterday and is making up for lost time now. Heh.

Homemade Chicken Patty

I made these chicken patties for a picnic recently. They turned out pretty good so here's the recipe...

Ingredients:
2 lbs minced chicken
1 onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup Italian seasoning bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
1/4 tsp white pepper powder
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp garlic powder
4-6 tbsp chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt or to taste

1. Combine minced chicken in a large bowl with all the other ingredients.
2. Mix the ingredients evenly with your hands.
3. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
4. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions or more if you want them smaller.
5. Heat a non-stick sprayed frying pan over medium-low heat and cook each patty 4 to 6 minutes on each side or  until cooked and slightly browned.
6. Serve patties with burger buns, lettuce, cheese and sliced tomatoes.

Enjoy! :)

My digital diary in print

I have been meaning to convert my previous blog into print but never got around to doing it. Why print? Well, the blog holds too many fond memories of Hubs and I starting out as newlyweds, venturing out to unknown territories together and maturing (or not!) as a couple.  I still go back to reread some of the entries sometimes and it never fails to surprise me..."What? We did that?!".  It is simply too precious and I would be devastated if it ever gets lost in the world wide web someday! Did an online search and here are some websites that do blog books: Lulu.com, Blurp, Blog2Print. Have yet to decide on which one to go with. The book would be a nice little keepsake/ biography of sorts that I would love to pass down to my next generation (if any!) :)

Oh what fun! :)

Friends visiting from out of state; a sudden heavy downpour (a very scary one at that!) that let us discover that our car leaks (yes, our car leaks!!) in more orifices than one; a picnic that had to be cancelled because of the rain and the resultant congregation of people at my place for an inhouse party before completing the evening with the much awaited Yo -Yo Ma concert at the Blossom Music Center.  We had an awesome time yesterday!  And like an excited child who has had an overdose of fun, my overstimulated mind kept me up the whole of last night!
Well, enough of excitement for the weekend! Today I shall retreat to my nest and do what I do best - sleep. Zzzzz....

My lonely bun

Alfonso has been appearing rather moody of late. Perhaps it is because I haven't been home much for the last two weeks. Or perhaps it has finally dawned on him that Chewy isn't coming back. Whatever the reason, we had to find ways to cheer him up. I've been tasked to come up with a solution that does not involve getting him a new companion. Alfonso has always shy away from us and hubs wants him to warm up to us first.
To begin with, Alfonso likes to hide in dark corners so I decided to incorporate that into his play area by simply pushed his cage closer to the fireplace which seems to be his favourite rest stop for now. I've added a box with two cut up holes for him to tunnel through and placed some hay & newspaper in it to entice him (yeah, he chomps while he reads ;)). I've also given him my "Be happy" bear for companionship and so far the arrangement seems to have perked him up significantly.

The new arrangement

Alfonso and his new friend at the fireplace

Will need to continue finding new ways to engage him but this should do for now. Looking forward to the day when he would consider us one of his kind...*boing boing*

A pain in the neck

Have been feeling a little under the weather since Monday morning - chills, bodyache and whatnot. All the late nights and long hours out in the hot sun has taken its toll on me. Crashed in bed after sending my friend off at the airport on Tuesday morning and I continue to sleep the afternoon away yesterday and today. Am feeling alot better now but I've got this stiffness and pain in my neck that refuses to go away. Wish I had my physio friends here to give me a good neck manipulation and massage! Since that is not happening, I am relying on my meow meow massager in the meantime. Hope the pain in the neck (literally) goes away soon!

Sunshine, blue skies and oh wow... the falls!

I had a mini reunion with two of my girlfriends at Niagara Falls, NY over the weekend (with hubby in tow, of course)! :) The falls were absolutely gorgeous and we had a fantabulous time getting wet! Honestly, I don't know why most people prefer the Canadian side. While you may get a better view of the horseshoe falls from Canada, the area is very commercialized. I personally prefer the US side for its natural beauty and you get to go really close to the water. It was amazing and we would certainly like to head back there again in the near future!

Nonya Bak Chang

The ladies gathered yesterday to make bak chang aka chinese glutinous rice dumplings! My all time favourite. I can practically eat them for every single meal without ever getting sick of them! *Yums!* Anyhoo, it was my first attempt at wrapping these dumplings and what mess I was. The lady who was teaching me truly had the utmost patience. Haha!
We had 2 pressure cookers so it really sped up our cooking alot. By the end of the day, we all had more than 10 dumplings to bring home each. And needless to say, I've had it for lunch, dinner and this morning's breakfast already!  Happy belly!  :)

Fillings made with pork, chestnut, mushroom...

Honey, did you put my socks away?

Hubs and I had a silly little squabble this morning as to who put his socks away in the laundry basket. I was convinced he did it because I clearly remembered seeing the socks in the basket and thinking "Gosh, I just did the laundry!". He was sure I put them away because he argued that he would not have placed them so neatly at the side (Hmm...that he has a point). But seriously, I do not recall doing such a thing! Well, one of our brains is degenerating and it sure isn't mine! (I think!) ;P

Serenity

I accidentally discovered this little spot within Lake View Cemetery (aka Cleveland's Outdoor Museum and Arboretum). It felt as if I had discovered a portal into the world of tranquility...and it felt good. :)

Cuisinart Vs Chicago Cutlery

Since attending culinary class, I've come to realise the importance of a good set of knives in the kitchen. And I've had way too many accidents and frustrations in the kitchen to warrant a brand new set! ;) Have been waiting patiently for the Cuisinart 14 piece stainless steel block set to go on sale and it is finally selling for $35 at houseware deals today!

However, I also happened to chance upon this set of 10 piece stainless steel Chicago Cutlery for $20.24 at Boscov's.

Since I'm just an amateur cook, I really shouldn't need to spend too much money. Besides, these knives are already highly discounted! I guess this set should do for now! :)
 *Btw, do check out the two websites I mentioned above for really good deals!

Chinese Tea Eggs

We had the family day picnic today and everyone was supposed to bring a dish. Wanted to make Pa Jun (Korean pancakes) initially but realized it wouldn't taste too good when cold. At the last minute I decided on Chinese tea eggs using a ready tea/spice mix my friend had sent me. I boiled and cracked the shells of the eggs the night before and then put all the ingredients into my crockpot and allowed it to simmer overnight. Was quite happy with how the eggs turned out in the morning...

...and even the shells looked so pretty!

These can be easily made using black tea, star anise, cinnamon stick, peppercorn and soy sauce.  What you get is a slightly salted taste with a subtle infusion of tea and spice. *Mmm...* It would definitely be something I'm keeping in my list of potluck dishes to bring in future!