2 Chicken Sausages in Vanilla Cream Soda

The urge to gobble up gourmet sausages like those seen on glossy cookbooks beckoned me. A sudden interest caused by a picture perfect sausage laden in dark wine sauce which I saw in my recipe book earlier. I was left salivating over the page.

It wasn't in me to follow any recipe through to the dot. Preferring to use my imagination, I tend to fill my shopping basket with whatever I fancy and found conveniently on my rounds in the supermarket. My poor eyes aren't used to reading tiny labels and I've a hard time trying to figure out what's suitable for what, so to hell with that.

In this instance, I didn't even use wine although it was a big part of the sauce. It's a bit ambitious buying a big bottle to satisfy a one-off craving, don't you think? Root beer should do the job. It IS cheaper. Purple cabbages make this a more nutritious meal, I think. Both combined should produce a dark shade of colour..just like the picture!

There are times I'm done in with insecure thoughts of failing but it doesn't last long, nor does it really deter me because I have this illogical notion that all food's an acquired taste. One man's meat, another's poison? No meal is really awful, it's just not to your liking.

What of this cooking adventure then? It was awesome to the tongue and that's a big bonus.

"Ling, this is delicious. It doesn't taste like root beer at all.", I beamed with pride at the compliment I received.

Still, a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right gnawed at me. I walked to the kitchen and took another look at the can of drink I had purchased to make the sauce.

"Huh,vanilla cream soda?  Could've sworn I took root beer.", I bemused.

Sparkling Vanilla Cream Soda..oh, well

The finished product

Purple cabbage, baby carrots, quartered onions

Yummy....rich sweetish flavour

Again, no precise measurements, because.

Ingredients:
- A dollop of Butter
- A can of  Sparkling Vanilla Cream Soda
- Sausages (6)
- Onions (Quartered)
- Purple cabbage (Thinly sliced)
- Baby carrots (Poke with fork)
- Marmite
- Dark soy sauce
- Salt and pepper
- Thick cream 

To do:
Fry onions in butter, followed by sausages. Once brown, add carrots, vanilla cream soda (half a can or more - your call), a teaspoon or two of Marmite and a wee bit of dark soy just to darken the sauce a little.

Then, add a pinch of salt and pepper for no good reason and leave everything to cook for twenty minutes or so until the flavours are all soaked in. That's why I poked the carrots, so the juice can seep in.

Lastly, mix in the thinly sliced purple cabbage and some cream to give the sauce some body. Give it a good stir fry and we're done!

0 NiCE Express Bus - Nice or not?

It's been a long time since I  rode a bus and this short trip to Penang provided the perfect opportunity to catch up on what I have been missing during my heydays as a daredevil passenger who used to hang on the sides of the bus because she had the knack of being the last one to get on. Rushing in just wasn't my style, so I usually paid the price of being left on the edge.

This bus ride, however, was different. I was excited, a feeling intensified with the knowledge that I was going first class on NiCE Executive Express Coach.

It was NiCE, having a lighter wallet.

"Of course not, this had better be worth it!", I thought.

Five minutes into the journey, I was feeling the smile from the sun and basking in the cool air conditioning. Heavenly.

The other passengers began adjusting their seats for better comfort. To my woe, the gentleman in front of me leaned back a little too much. I say that because I was stuck with an uncomfortable view of his unkempt hair and it just seemed wrong to have someone's head this close to you for five hours or so.

"Oh no, surely I didn't fork out RM74 to have this in my face the entire trip home? Is that hair cream I'm smelling? It's awful.", I dramatised in my mind.

The urge to just reach out and give it a good scrub was distracting my inner peace. 

It was a blessing they had an in-house telly we could watch. There was Harry Potter and Brad Pitt. It was a tough choice, not. Brad Pitt...now that's a good distraction. I was lulled into content in my childlike worship of goodlooking Hollywood stars. I wish I'd grow up.

A slim hostess in a tight miniskirt attended to us. I silently praised her balancing skills as she traversed the aisle to serve our snacks in the moving bus. I could barely sip my drink without missing a heartbeat, but finish my meal I did with a faint smile of accomplishment as I silently gave myself a pat on the back for not spilling my tea.

Well fed, well entertained and well attended to. NiCE.

The RM74 ticket

Comfy seats of purple

My front view..darn it all

Strawberry dipped doughnut and a long bun with spicy filling

Brad Pitt...that's more like it

0 At The Loaf, KLCC

When my brother was down in KL for a technical course, I took the opportunity to invite him out for dinner at The Loaf. The Loaf is known for its pricey-ness, but I had vouchers to ease the burden it would cause to my thinning wallet.

Dinner at The Loaf proved amazing, with the food being complemented by excellent service. I enjoyed my bites and every savouring moment.

I'm rarely comfortable in high end restaurants. I always felt I needed to 'fit in', with that regal tilt of my chin and shoulders pushed back. It was the warm and friendly waiter who relaxed me into a slouching position. As a result, I had a great time catching up with my brother and on all that small town gossip.

Vouchers - RM100 in total

The entrance from inside the mall

Romantic settings

Royal Seafood Pasta - RM 55

Rib-eye steak - RM58

Salmon Oelek - Indonesian style, flavourful - RM44

Tiramisu

0 EPF isn't beaming any light into our twilight years

A measly 5.8% in dividends last year - Underperforming, considering the billions they have collected from us and the number of years they're holding on to our money.

I wonder if we would make more if EPF were to pledge our money into many large amounts of Fixed Deposits, for a number of years. We could negotiate a better rate from the banks annually, surely. 

No flair for investments,
No care for senior citizens,
Bailouts and bad loans,
The public moans and groans,
Our only legacy are words of "what-can-we-do?" that will carry on for generations..

0 Cheng Beng - The Tomb Sweeping Festival

It's that time of year again where Chinese families gather to clean the graves and, offer food and prayers to their ancestors. Besides hell money, paper crafted into mobile phones, cars, clothes and whatever your mind can conjure, are burned up to the dearly departed.

The actual date of Cheng Beng falls on 5th April this year, but we fulfilled our obligations early. We arrived Penang by bus, on a very wet Saturday. The rain refused to relent and lasted throughout the day. I prayed for blue skies the next morning.

God answered with grey clouds and a couple of hours to get the job done. A blessing no less.

Arrived at 6am - Praying at the temple is no.1 on the list of to-dos

Eerie..the sun's not up yet!



After tidying up the grave, food is prepared for the ancestors

 

Placing paper and planting colourful flags on the grave

The end result - pretty, isn't it?

Another grave..look at the mud up ahead

Cash, clothes, car...wait, is that a passport??

Up it goes..enjoy, Grandpa

For RM25, he'll clean the grave for you

More people arriving

The sun's up and it started to drizzle, but we're already done.
Bye people.



Sorry Mr. Frog..they'll be clearing this tomb soon.
You'd best move on.



0 Been there, not done that! 3rd Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

The sun just broke through the clouds. It was only 8-ish and tickets for the tethered rides were already sold out.

I had hoped to be amongst the foolish excited few who would fork out money just to sit in a hot air balloon, which goes not very high up by the way and, comes down in minutes. It seemed like an acivity which could only amuse the older, responsibilities-tamed set. 

Boy, was I wrong. There were eager beavers of all ages and some had camped there since 3am. How was I to compete... I was still in La-La land at 6am, and barely lifted my eyelids when the alarm rang.

It was nonetheless a fun outing. I truly enjoyed the walkabout because of the many hot air balloons that graced the morning sky. A sight to behold, it is.

Firing up the Hot Air Balloons

Weee...! Doraemon

It's the cutest

Most unique

Eco message

Elephants roam the Earth

Don't be sad

Be happy!

Darth Vader's searching for his missing body

Look ma, no basket!

Tethered rides

Ok...what is this..

Zorbing

Carnival-like

Meals on wheels

And that's that - 1Malaysia, we're all here

0 Sungai Buloh Nurseries - A Gardener's Haven

A green thumb I have not. That's why the only green adorning my home is the very common house plant 'Pothos'. You laugh at my feeble attempt to contribute something back against the many trees we have cut down?

I've a mini garden in the balcony stemmed from a belief that if we were to all do our part no matter how small, when done in sizeable support, it counts towards helping Mother Earth. I'm naive that way. How many apartment dwellers take this seriously, right?

Anyway, I paid a visit to the renowned Sungai Buloh Nurseries (Located not far from Hospital Sungai Buloh) in a bid to ignite the green talent I know that's hidden inside me.

Plants are sold at a good bargain here. That's why this place is packed with avid gardeners on weekends.

Here we are

Pots, pots, pots

A patriot

Gorgeous plants on display

Walk the stretch, don't be too quick to commit

In the Garden of Eden

Everyone has green fingers here

I went behind the stalls

A treasure trove

Pitcher plants for an exotic feel

If you have a large compound

Colours to brighten your day

Chilli padi for that sambal

You can depend on him to cool you down!

 
Seeing the many beautiful plant varieties I had never seen before, I was motivated to make it happen. I knew I could do it! 
 
So when a weed started growing in my garden, I took it that it was an exotic plant, meant to be nurtured.  I was pretty oblivious to the fact that perhaps I still had not mastered the art of gardening.
 
This weed was an exciting shade of green and growing fast. All I had to do was water it. I felt talented. It was a success story in the making until my best friend saw it and lambasted me for keeping a weed.
 
"I don't believe it! Can you not see it's a WEED?!", she blasted.
 
"Why are you planting a WEED?!", she asked with an incredulous look on her face.
 
The bubble burst and it dawned on me that "some people just have it in them".
 
I pulled the weed out after that, of course. What was I thinking.