Saturday 29th Mar '08

Today I woke up with the biggest migraine I've had in a while. I popped a few panadeines and went back to sleep but it felt worse when I woke up. I had to cancel plans with uni friends I haven't seen in a long time.

I was bedridden most of the day. I got up in the afternoon and tried to make lunch but all the aromas in the kitchen made me feel nauseas - no it wasn't bad cooking!! I couldn't even keep down any fruit or bread all day. I started making some okra but had to cook it in steps because I'd feel so nauseas I'd have to go back to bed. Took me about four hours to finally make this!! And even then I couldn't stomach it.


I made dinner plans thinking I would be better in the evening. I took some stronger painkillers that I got when I hurt my neck gardening and went back to bed. No help. Had to cancel the dinner plans too. Simba's been a great little companion sleeping with me most of the day.

Wah I hate migraines!!! I've only just been able to manage some food...it's 2:30am Sunday. I'm not in the least bit tired because I've spent all day sleeping but my head's starting to hurt again.

I'd better be feeling better tomorrow. I have some eating to make up for.

Friday 28th Mar '08

LONG MAKES BEEF NOODLES - TAKE TWO
Last time Long cooked for us, he ended up with third degree burns to his foot when using a pressure cooker. That was a few years ago at least. Tonight, he made dinner for us - beef noodles. He didn't use a pressure cooker. *giggle*

I went over straight from work and was damn hungry and looking forward to authentic Vietnamese Beef Noodles. I was not disappointed. Some of us even had second helpings!


Ivy can't eat beef, so Long made her something else. She had Rice with Pork and an Egg Omelette. I don't remember what Long marinated the pork in but he'll have to make us that some time.


Ben looking satisfied after dinner.

At home, I got the munchies again. I've been on the late shift at work so I've been eating my "dinner" when I get home around 2am. I had half a lobster in the fridge so I tried a recipe for Lobster Thermidor, but realised half way through that I didn't have any cream. So I altered the recipe to make Lobster Mornay but then realised that that recipe also required cream. Let's just say I did some modifications and ended up with Lobster Therminay.



I also made a light pasta dish with scallops, garlic, spring onion, onion and chilli.

Thursday 27th Mar '08

Today for lunch I made a hotdog using a Chorizo sausage!

After work, I came home and had a craving for something I used to have years ago in high school - BONOX. It comes in a jar and looks like vegemite (it even smells similar to vegemite). All you do is add hot water and voila - beef flavoured soup. I had a few of Mum's homemade curry puffs to go with it. Yum.

Wednesday 26th Mar '08

Today I searched the fridge for what I could use to make lunch with. Ah ha! Found some Chorizo sausages. That would go perfectly with the mini Turkish bread rolls Jocelyn had brought home.

I made a toasted sandwich with sliced Chorizo, fresh Tomato, Red Onion, Baby Spinach leaves, sliced Gouda cheese, and a generous squirt of Mayonnaise.

Monday 24th Mar '08

Today I got up and felt like some cleansing noodle soup. I made some 'bee hoon' soup.

I have to say, nothing beats making stock from scratch with chicken bones, pork bones etc. But when you're in a rush or can't go to the fridge, pull out a pot of stock and say "here's some we prepared earlier!", then Vegeta stock is really the way to go. I like to use some in my minestrone to give it that extra lift. I also like to use it in my noodle soups to help give it a fuller flavour.

Soo...here's how I made this quick noodle soup.

1. Sautee chopped garlic in olive oil in a pot.
   
2. Add chilli and/or sambal oelek if desired.
   
3. Add diced chicken and cook until it's starting to brown.
   
4. Add water with dissolved Vegeta stock and bring to the boil.
   
5. Add chinese vegetables, sliced beef balls and 'beehoon' that's been presoaked in water.
   
6. Let simmer for a few minutes.
   
7. Serve with fresh cut chilli and coriander.

For dinner, I had half a lobster on a bed of salad with rosemary infused butter, and homemade cajun wedges. *slurp*

Sunday 23rd Mar 08

Today I had my yummy leftover okra for breakfast/lunch when I got up. I'm definitely going to have to cook this dish again very soon.


In the afternoon I made some cannelloni. I used mushrooms for the sauce this time and only used ricotta, spinach and pinenuts for the stuffing. I had to double the amount of ricotta I used last time.


For dinner, Mum steamed some Black Bream from the haul my cousins brought back from their camping/fishing trip this weekend. They've got their own boat and take it out whenever they can. If only I could have known earlier of their plans, I could have gone with them. Trust my mum to ask me the day they're leaving if I want to go. The fish was steamed with ginger, tomatoes, soy sauce and coriander. My favourite!!

Saturday 22nd Mar '08

IRON CHEF NIGHT
Ingredient: TURMERIC

Hooray! After...almost half a year we finally manage to get together for our long awaited 'Iron Chef' night at Ling and Shallen's place. The contestants and dishes:

Kong: Samosa

Ling & Shallen: Morroccon Pork Satays
on a bed of Turmeric Fragrant Jasmine Rice
Sarena: "My Israeli Moroccan Vegetables and Okra
are going to delight and shock ya"
Meng & Yen Chen: Turmeric Noodles Kanoodles



And the winner is...*DRUM ROLL* Ling & Shallen

Friday 21st Mar '08

Today Vernon and Victoria came over. Vernon has owed me spaghetti bolognaise for years now...it's been so long that we don't even remember why he owes it to me! I finally found a way to get him to make it for me...I had him and his sister come over and we made it for lunch.
Afterwards, in the spirit of Easter, we made HOT CROSS BUNS!

Voila!

We sat Simba at the bar and asked if he would like some tea. Normally he polishes whatever tea is left in our mugs when we leave them on the coffee table by accident...but this time, he got confused that we were asking him to drink the tea when he knows he's not supposed to...see how adorably confused he gets!

Thursday 20th Mar '08

BENOIT - READY, STEADY...COOK!
We gathered at Ben & Ivy's house tonight for another 'Ready, Steady, Cook!' Night with Chef Benoit.
The Ingredients:

Lamb Chops
Zucchini
Potatoes
Spinach
Ben knows his place and set to work in the kitchen while the rest of us caught up, fed the fish, and watched TV.

Dinner is served!

Lamb Chops served with Mashed Potato & Wilted Spinach,
drizzled with a Red Wine & Mushroom Jus,
garnished with Sweet Potato Slices

Wednesday 19th Mar '08

This afternoon I took Simba for a walk. When we got home, he headed straight for his water bowl as usual. I went to the fridge to find his can of dog food to feed him. There was only a bit left so I opened up a 'My Dog' meal. I usually only give him these once in a while or when I've made a yummy dinner and I won't want him to miss out on something special. Just look at it - it actually looks edible...for humans. Chicken Supreme with Cheese. I was tempted...


After feeding Simba, I set about making my chicken rolls for a snack. I rolled some prosciutto and cheddar cheese (I had no fetta) in chicken thigh pieces and tied them up to hold the 'roll' shape. In the oven for about forty minutes, and voila! Yummy served warm or cold.


For dinner I made pasta with CLAMS. This is my first time ever cooking with clams. I have had no luck at all in finding some cockles for the past two weeks, so when the seafood store in Thornlie Square had one last packet of clams, I snatched them up! They are pretty much the same as the cockles, except they have a larger, thicker shell.


I made a platter with some cold meats and 'giant baked beans' for supper. It's all pretty much gone now...so it's bed time.



*waddles off to bed

Tuesday 18th Mar '08

Tonight I felt like something soupy. I made a soup with garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, vegeta, cabbage and diced fish with 'beehoon' (rice noodles).

Monday 17th Mar '08

I almost passed out after work from hunger today. I get really hypoglycaemic when I haven't eaten for several hours. Sometimes when I leave work after the lateshift, I can barely make it to the car without stuffing my face with a chocolate from the vending machine first. I get the shakes and feel really faint. I have never ever fainted in my entire life, but in the last few years with the long shifts and not being able to get away to have dinner because of how busy it is when I'm on my own at night, I have gotten very very close.


I found some leftovers in the fridge to heat up. While at uni, one of my favourite takeway 'lunchbox' meals from the deli I worked at was the Thai Chicken Basil. I ate it so often that my mum started cooking it herself and it has become a regular favourite of mine that she makes for me every once in a while.

Later, for dinner:

Sirloin with garlic, chilli & rosemary
on a bed of Spinach Mashed Potato

served with a side of Oysters Kilpatrick

Wednesday 12th Mar '08

I took some cannelloni to work for dinner tonight.

After work I stopped by Sarah's place and we shared a pot of 'popcorn' tea. Yummy!

At home, I made myself a platter to enjoy while I did some winding down infront of the TV. My platter consisted of:

Oysters Two Ways:
Kilpatrick
and 'Philly' - a dollop of Philadelphia Cream Cheese & Salmon Roe

Italian Chilli Salami

By the way...I made up the name 'Philly' to describe my oysters. Silly Philly.

Simba watching and waiting while I'm in the kitchen. Hoping and wishing something will drop on the ground for him to snap up.

Tuesday 11th Mar '08

I got home from work, took Simba for a walk, had a shower, then got stuck into making dinner. This is my general routine when I'm on the day shifts.

What are we making? CANNELLONI

As usual, I don't follow a recipe when I make my cannelloni. I usually stick to a ricotta and spinach filling, with a tomato based sauce. I try to make the sauce rich since the ricotta and spinach are a bit bland and need the flavour of the sauce to complete the dish.

I tried something a little different with the stuffing mixture. If you have cannelloni at a restaurant, they will serve it to you with a tomato sauce. I like to add vegetables to mine because it makes the meal more wholesome and gives the dish texture. Otherwise it's like eating mush.


Spinach, Pinenut & Ricotta Stuffing

1. Crush some pinenuts in a mortar.
   
2. Lightly fry some chopped spinach (I usually use frozen spinach) with a small amount of olive oil in a pan.
   
3. Combine the pinenuts, spinach and ricotta in a bowl with ground/grated pecorino and parmesan.
   
4. Fill cannelloni tubes and line them in a baking dish.

Tomato & Zucchini Sauce

1. Sautee finely chopped garlic in some olive oil.
   
2. Add fresh diced roma tomatoes, sliced zucchini, onion and a generous amount of tomato paste.
   
3. Add some white wine or olive oil to keep the sauce from burning but do not allow it to become runny.
   
4. Pour sauce over cannelloni and bake in oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes.

You can cook the cannelloni tubes in boiling water for several minutes to soften them up so that they are easier to fill. This will also shorten baking time in the end.

It's a really rich dish with lots of flavour so you can serve it with a side of salad or garlic bread.

Sunday 9th Mar '08

Went to Megan's and Christian's place tonight for some drinks as a get-together to welcome the new staff members we have at work. Only one of them turned up with her husband. But we had a good time despite having to refrain from drinking too much since most of us had to drive.

At home later, I made myself dinner.

Farfalle with Salmon in a Creamy White Wine Sauce.

Saturday 8th Mar '08

I felt a bit mopey tonight so decided against going out and stayed in with a bottle of wine and a platter. All by myself.

*starts belting out 'alll byyyy myyysellllf'*

Friday 7th Mar '08

THAI PASSIONS COOKING CLASS
Tonight after work I made my way to the 'Thai Passions' cooking class held by Nico Moretti at his beautiful Balinese style home in Leederville. Ben got me a gift voucher as a Christmas present last year. Thanks Ben!

Tom Kah Gai - Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup


Steamed Thai Fish Cakes
Som Tam - Green Papaya Salad


Paad Thai Kuay Teow


Coconut Cake - with Passionfruit & Pandanus Syrup


Afterwards, at home, I got hungry again (surprise surprise!) and made some minestrone soup.

Sunday 2nd Mar '08

I got up early today to make some Kueh Dadar for Marissa's
birthday and took them to her on the way to work.

After work, I made a warm potato salad and kicked back with a glass of wine.

Saturday 1st Mar '08

Tonight after work I got home and whipped up something light before bed. I had some of my Tomato, Basil & Bocconcini' bruschettas with a side of sundried tomatoes and olives.

Tuesday 26th Feb '08

After another day of work, I couldn't wait to get home, take Simba for a walk, and get stuck into cooking dinner. I knew I had half a kilo of cockles in the fridge waiting for me *rubs her hands together in glee*

I had my cockles in a white wine and cream pasta sauce tonight. Instead of using cream, I used several tablespoons of carnation milk so that it wasn't too 'creamy'.


I polished my pasta off, and then felt a big sad afterwards. It's been soooo incredibly hard to find any cockles at the shops lately. I hope I can get my hands on more soon.

Monday 25th Feb '08

Tonight Jocelyn had a spare ticket so I went with her and David to see the Russell Peters comedy show at the Perth Concert Hall after work.

I met up with them for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant just off William Street in Northbridge. I think it's called Ha Tien...can't remember. I ordered my usual...

Bun Bo Hue
Afterwards, we went to one of those little Asian dessert cafes to get 'shaved ice' for dessert. We got the green tea flavour. It's like eating really light flakes of flavoured icecream.


The show was hilarious. I haven't had a laugh like that for a while. I laughed so hard at one point that I thought I was going to throw up! I saw so many of my friends there too. I swear, the whole Indian, Muslim, Arab, Philippino and Chinese community was there that night!

Sunday 24th Feb '08

Tonight I got some pippies/cockles out of the freezer and made pasta. I love love LOVE cockles. I have not eaten a mussel since I got hooked on cockles. *drool*

I would put up the recipe for this dish but I don't remember exactly what I put in it. I don't follow recipes so every time I cook a dish, it's always a little different depending on what I've decided to add. Here's one version of the recipe:


Pasta with Cockles in a Tomato Basil Sauce

Heat some olive oil in a pan, add chopped garlic and sautee for a minute.

Add fresh chopped basil and half a white/brown onion that's been sliced.

Stir in some tomato paste and fresh diced roma tomatoes.

Add some white wine and simmer.

Stir in cockles, the other half of the onion and al dente pasta. Cover with a lid to allow cockles to cook, stirring occasionally.

Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesa/pecorino and chilli.

*drool*

Saturday 23rd Feb '08

Kok Heng's last night in Perth before he flies back to Canberra. I had him, Kong and Long come over for dinner before he goes back to his world of instant noodles!

The menu:

Porterhouse with garlic, chilli, rosemary & thyme
Cheese Cauliflower
Roasted Vegetables with balsamic vinegar & olive oil
Roasted Potatoes with rosemary & sea salt

Kong's steak was a bit on the rare side - oops! I really should have cooked the steaks on the BBQ because the gas stove doesn't distribute the heat too well when you've got a pan with four steaks in it.