Golden Friday

June: "What happens when mom asked to please move so that she can take the blankets and

sheets off the bed to be washed and I didn't move?"

This is what happened!

Peek-A-Boo, I see you!
June: "Mom, can you unwrap me please?"

Sweets

Some of you may or may not know that Chinese New Year(also known as Lunar New Year) is coming up soon. This year it falls on February 14th, right on Valentine's day and this year is the year of Tiger! CNY(Chinese New Year) celebration usually begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th day of the first month. As for the year of Tiger, there are 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac, one animal for each year. These are the animals, in order(which I've this memorized since I was little), The Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat/Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig/Boar. You can click on the links above if you would like to read more.


"So what do you eat on Chinese New Year day(s)?" I can already hear you asking that question.
Well, today I am going to talk about the Sweets/desserts for CNY. I will write a different post on the food later. For each sweets, I have included a link, in case you are interested in reading more.

From left to right(top): Nian Gao, Kuih Bangkit(white ones) & Honeycomb cookies(brown ones), Kuih Bahulu From left to right(bottom): Kuih Kapit, Dried Prawn rolls(little springrolls) & Peanut cookies, Kuih Bangkit Pictures taken from goseasia.about.com and knowingfood.com

1) Nian Gao - Also known as Sticky Cake, is made from Glutinous Rice(also known as sticky rice). Nian Gao can be eaten year round but is very popular during CNY. There are a few varieties of Nian Gao(from different regions) but the ones that I grew up eating is the Cantonese version pictured above. A fresh Nian Gao is very very sticky. It can be eaten as is, plain, or dip in coconut flakes. It can also be sliced(usually mom used stale hardened nian gao), dredged in flour and fried(then it becomes crunchy on the outside from the coating and gooey and sticky on the inside). We used to eat it by getting a chopstick(not a pair but just 1) and twirl it in the sticky mess(it will start sticking together and make like a lollipop), and eat it! Yum!

2) Kuih Bangkit - These cookies, I believe, are staples in the Southeast Asia around CNY time. Kuih Bangkit are made with tapioca flour and are usually made with a mold(for the pretty shapes). These cookies just melt-in-your-mouth. I have never made them before, so I may try making some this year.


3) Peanut Cookies - Oh, my all time favorite CNY cookies! Not to be confused with PB cookies. These cookies are made with grounded peanuts, instead of peanut butter. I have just found this recipe, might give that a try as well.


4) Kuih Kapit - Also known as Love Letters, are very popular during CNY. These cookies are a little similar to the traditional Italian waffle cookies, Pizzelle, but are made with a different type of mold and with rice flour and coconut milk. The end product is a very thin and crispy cookie. The making of the cookies are not as easy because it's hot and you have to move fast. You can check out here for some pictures. Making Kuih Kapit is definitely a family affair. We used to make Kuih Kapit together. Mom and dad would be in charge of the molds(adults or mature individuals only) because it involves sitting in front of a charcoal burning grill or devise and flipping and moving the molds so that the cookies don't burn. When it's done, peel the hot cookie off the mold and send it over to the "folder". We, the kids, are the "folders" as in cookie folders, folding the round cookies in half and then in quarter(to make the triangle shape). We would have to work fast as well because once the cookies cooled, it becomes crispy. So in order to get the pretty shapes, cookies have to be folded while still hot. Of course we used to purposely "messed up" a few so that we could snack on them. :)

5) Honeycomb Cookies - Also known as Kuih Bunga(Bunga means flower in the Malay language). These cookies are made with a special flower shape mold, hence the honeycomb/flower shapes.

6) Kuih Bahulu- These are really not cookies but little cakes, just like the Madeleine cakes.

So, are you drooling yet? How many pounds have you gained just reading this post?

Bread and Butter

Bread and Butter, a common phrase, but do you know that this common phrase is also a superstitious phrase? I googled "Bread and Butter" and found out from Wikipedia that:

"Bread and butter is a superstitious phrase from the 19th and early 20th
centuries, typically used by young couples walking together when temporarily
separated by an obstacle, such as a pole or another person."

Guess we all learn something new everything. But today's post is really about making bread and making butter.

Nothing beats a homemade bread with a smear of homemade butter. Mmm mmm! I love freshly made Artisan bread(next to pasta and rice, bread is my other favorite carb.). I enjoy making bread at home but I don't do that too often. I don't buy bread too often either. This is simply because most Artisan breads come in a big loaf, even a small loaf/boule is too much for the two of us and it's not as good the next day(good for french toast though).

Anyhow, I saw this recipe for Italian Bread on King Arthur Flour and gave it a try. This recipe is a keeper! It is easy to make(even if you are a beginner in bread making) and it is delicious. When I first made this recipe, I made a braided loaf(just like the recipe) but I also saved a small portion of the dough and shaped them into 2 small dinner rolls.
I'm going to make this bread again this weekend but this time I'm going to freeze half of the dough for future use, hopefully it will work out.
If you would like to give this recipe a try, please go to: Italian Bread 101

Now on to the topic of making butter. I have read an article about making butter in a magazine a few months back and I have thought of giving it a try but haven't got around to it. A few days ago I saw a post at Achorn Farm about making butter and I would like to share it with you: Making Butter

So, the next rainy/stormy weekend you get and you are "trapped" inside the house, why not give bread making a try?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Golden Friday

This is now the 3rd week in January and usually by now we would have at least a few inches of snow and our yard would be covered with snow. But sadly, all our snow have melted. What is going on? We want our snow back!!!

For now, you'll just have to settle for some snow photos taken in late December/early January.

Laying in the snow is very cooling

Samantha: It's also very nice when you are all stretch out

June: It is extra nice when you lay on your back and make snow angel

Samantha: Chewing on a frozen kong is fun!

June: Border patrol

Wordless Wednesday - Oops, on Tuesday

Awards

We've got some awards, we've got some awards....

My very kind and sweet friend Julie awarded me with this Beautiful Blogger Award. To accept this award, I must:

1. Thank the person who bestowed this honor upon me. Thank you Julie!

2. Copy the award and place it on my blog. Did it

3. Link to the bestowers’ site. Please visit Julie's blog Elisharose News.

4. List seven interesting things about myself. Ok here goes:

• I love to bake and cook (as if you don't already know that)
• I used to be afraid of dogs (how can that be? right?)
• I drink a lot of water daily
• I am a crier. I cry watching a sad movie, I cry reading about something sad
• My first dog's name was Shaggy(from Scooby Doo)
• Purple is my favorite color
• I love to eat

5. Nominate seven bloggers that I find beautiful. Ok, here's where I break the rules. It's too tough to pick just 7, so I am going to pick all of you because you are all beautiful and you are great blogger friends for keep coming back and leaving me comments. :)

The second award came from our friends in Italy: Paco, Milo and Maya. Thank you so much dear friends!

Golden Friday

Today's post title should read: "Life With A Toy Addict/Toy Hog".

Ever wonder what life is like to live with a toy hog? This is June and this is my story.

I live with a toy addict/toy hog. She is my sister Samantha. She loves to play with her toys constantly and she thinks that all toys are her. I do love my toys but I only play with them when I am in a playing mood. Most of the time I just like to mind my own business and take naps in my comfy bed.

My toy hog sister thinks that all toys in this house is hers, even when some of the toys were for me. She would play with her toys and when she sees me with mine, she will try to take it away from me. Most of the time I will growl at her a little to remind her that it's my toy but she just doesn't seem to get it. She will stalk me and keep stalking me.

Here's me with MY new Kong Wubba and Samantha has her own purple Kong Wubba.

See what I mean by her stalking me?

There she is again

Here's me playing tug with mom, notice she is in the background?

Here's me playing with my new squeaky stuffy thingy
(and there she was again)

She just doesn't give up!

OMD! Please leave me alone!

Other than stalking me, she also likes to bark and whine. She can do that for as long as I or mom or dad can handle it. Sometimes I just give up and let her have the toy. Sometimes mom and dad couldn't stand her barking and whining anymore, so they take my toy away and hide it. How unfair!!! You can see for yourself how annoying she gets in the video. Sigh...what is a dog to do?

And The Answer Is....

This (picture below) . Thank you all for playing/guessing, that was fun!

But what is it you asked? It's a Pistachio Cake. You make it with these things(minus the shells):

And you get this:

And after you frost it you get this: And if you would like to make it, here's the recipe(I got the recipe from a friend):

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I used vanilla extract)
1 cup chopped pistachio(optional but what's a

pistachio cake if there is no real pistachio nuts in it, right?)
For frosting(this is my version):

1 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1-2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Greased and floured 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

Mix all the ingredients(excluding the frosting ingredients) in a large bowl.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

Make the frosting by creaming the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and pudding mix until creamy.

Gradually add in confectioners' sugar. Add in as much or as little of the confectioners' sugar, depending on your taste.

Frost the cake and decorate it anyway you like it.

Enjoy!

What is it?

What in the world is that?

Put your thinking hat on and take a guess...

I will post the answer on Tuesday.

Have fun!

Golden Friday 2010

Woof dear friends! Our first Golden Friday for 2010(since we didn't post on New Year's day)! We had a grrreat holiday. We had some gifts and nommies and we got to cuddle with mom and dad a lot!
We got our Christmas pressies early from mom and dad. Mom never follow the rules, she didn't even wrap our gifts. Samantha got a red ball(picture below, it's in her mouth) and June got a blue squeaky stuffie thingy.
We also received some nommies rolls from our pal Kane. Thank you so much dear friend! It was really yummy. Sorry mommy didn't take any picture. We still have another roll that we saved for later, we'll make sure she takes some pictures.
On Christmas day we got our gifts from our friend/neighbor Jack. We each have our own Kong Wubba!

June here, we did each get our OWN Kong Wubba but to that certain somedog(aka Samantha) my toy is also her toy. Next Friday I will show you what I mean by "my toy is her toy".

A Pumpkin Story

Happy 2010 everyone! Hope you all had an enjoyable holidays celebration. Our holidays were pretty nice, mostly quiet and relaxing. The girls had a great time as well. They each got a few new toys and some nommies, which they couldn't wait to tell you all about but will wait till Friday.

You may wonder what my post title is about. Here's the story:
Sometime late on Christmas eve, while watching an episode of "According to Jim" where Jim was eating a piece of pumpkin pie, hubby said to me:
M: "Did you get pumpkin pie for dinner for Christmas?"
Y: "Oh s***, I forgot all about it. I'll make one tomorrow morning."
M: "Ok, gotta have pumpkin pie."
Y: "I don't have any pumpkin puree but I'm sure Walmart will be open for a few hours, they were opened for Thanksgiving."

Early next morning(Christmas day), hubby headed out to Stewart's Shop(kinda like a general store, they are every where in NY) to get coffee, so I asked him to look for pumpkin puree. He came home empty handed because they didn't have any. So I decided to head out to Walmart, of course it's just my luck, Walmart was closed for Christmas. Crap! Then I remembered that Walgreens will be opened for Christmas, so I drove there(it's a good thing they are just close by, this is the only time I didn't wish to live in the country where there is no store for miles). Well, Walgreens didn't have any pumpkin puree but they did have Mrs. Smith brand frozen pie. You know what they say: "Desperate times call for desperate measures" - I bought a frozen pie. Eeeekkkkkk!!!!!! I guess frozen pumpkin pie is better than no pumpkin pie.

So after that episode, I have decided to plant pumpkin this summer. That way I will have pumpkin puree in my freezer, in case I forget to make a pumpkin pie again. Below are a few of my choices and I need your help to pick which one. I will set up a poll(on the left sidebar) and please vote for the pumpkin you think I should plant. Please vote by Noon on Wednesday, January 6th 2010. I will plant the one with the most votes. Please don't worry about not knowing anything about pumpkin. The ones I have selected are smaller size fruits(except for the Cinderella pumpkin) and they are good for pies.

Small Sugar Pumpkin, about 5-8 lbs. Please see Pinetree Garden Seeds for details.

Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin, about 6lbs. Please see Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for details.

Rouge Vif D'Etampes Pumpkin, also known as the Cinderella pumpkin. Please see Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for details.

Orange Smoothie Pumpkin, about 7-8 lbs. Please see Pinetree Garden Seeds for details.