Dinner

Sometimes, invading my mum's kitchen can be very interesting. This where I start to experiment all sorts of recipes, where I experience total failure, where I hook on to baking :) kitchen is my "getaway" from the always-busy study life and so I enjoy baking very much. Once in a while, cooking can be really fun to try out my very own recipe. Cooking brightens me that it is not necessary to follow blindly with any recipes when I finally gain the confident to try out something new.

Last night's meal:

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Teriyaki Sauce Chicken with Mixed Vegetables

I have used my new kitchenware which I have bought from Parkson for RM 28. Look pretty vintage :)

Aglio Olio Pasta

Just to show what's cayenne pepper and paprika powder. I have gotten these from Tesco Extra, Mutiara Damansara for RM 5.99 each.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes (credits to Min's blog)

• Medium potatoes, medium 4
• Olive oil 2Tbsp
• Garlic powder 1/4tsp
• Salt 1/2tsp
• Paprika powder 1tsp
• Black pepper 1/4tsp
• Shredded Parmesan cheese 3Tbsp

1. Cube the potatoes.
2. Add in olive oil. 
3. Sprinkle the other ingredients over the potatoes.
4. Mix everything together with a spoon.
5. Bake in preheated oven at 200‘C for 45 minutes. During the baking time, remove the potatoes from the oven 2-3 times to toss them a little thus preventing them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 

* I made a slight change to the recipe by boiling the potato until it's just tender and toss it with the seasonings. Bake this for 20 minutes or until it turns golden brown.  For spicier version, I opt to garnish it with cayenne pepper when served.
*I also added a pinch of dried basil

My own discovery:
Teriyaki Sauce Chicken with Mixed Vegetable

• 2 chicken thigh
• 2 tablespoon honey teriyaki sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil ( optional )
• 3 small carrots
• 5 mini capsicums 

1.  Chop the chicken into desired size or slice it thickly.
2. Marinate the chicken with all the seasonings and keep aside for at least 30 minutes.
3. Slice the carrots into flower shapes and cut the capsicums into small slices.
4. Line your kitchenware/pan ( anything which is suitable ) with aluminium foil.
5. Put the vegetables at the base and top it with the chicken. 
6. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes until the chicken turns slightly brown.

*You may use green or yellow capsicum to make the dish more colourful. The capsicums are necessary to put as it gives the dish a tangy smell and makes you growl with hunger immediately
*It is advisable to omit the olive oil as chicken thigh will leave a layer of chicken oil in the sauce after baking.
*Mix some teriyake sauce and water. Pour it on the chicken for a more flavourable dish and bake for 10 more minutes..

Aglio Olio Pasta

• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• One pinch of salt
• Pasta ( Portion of four )

1. Chop the garlic finely.
2. Fry the garlic with olive oil until slightly brown. Add in the salt.
3. Toss the pasta with the garlic and oil and serve!
4. Garnish with oregano. ( optional )

Bitesize Teriyaki Chicken Pattie

A simple and savoury meal has always been my favourite. Nothing fancy but a decent dish turns out to be an ideal out-of -the-ordinary Oriental food which are our daily meals.

Teriyaki Chicken Meat Balls/ Chicken Pattie (credits to Min's Blog)

• 400g Chicken Mince

• 1 Medium Size Brown Onion, chopped

• 1 Stalk Spring Onion, chopped

• 1 Egg White

• 1-1.5tbsp Cooking Oil

• 3tbsp Teriyaki Sauce

• 1.5tbsp Water

Seasoning Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce

• 1 tbsp Corn Starch

• 1 tsp Sesame Oil

• 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger(Powder) (*I replaced with fresh ginger)

• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder (* I replaced with fresh garlic)

• 1/4 tsp Salt

• Dash of Ground White Pepper

1. Place chicken mince, onion, spring onion, egg white and all the seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Stir to mix well. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

2. Shape the meat into small balls.

3. Heat up a saucepan with cooking oil over medium heat. Place meat balls in the saucepan and pan fry for few minutes on each side or until golden brown. (* Press the meat balls flat to make a pattie)

4. Add the teriyaki sauce and water. Stir, so the sauce will cover all the meat balls. Cook until the sauce has slightly reduced. Dish up. Sprinkle with some rice seasoning before serve.

"I am phsically challenged and differently able" - Janet Barnes

"If I regarded my life from the point of view of the pessimist, I should be undone. I should seek in vain for the light that does not visit my eyes and the music that does not ring in my ears. I should beg night and day and never be satisfied. I should sit apart in awful solitude, a prey to fear and despair. But since I consider it a duty to myself and to others to be happy, I escape a misery worse than any physical deprivation."

 Helen Keller

Fearless, optimism, courage, perseverance, and a crescent-moon shaped grin are all which I have seen from the physically-challenged kids. I won' say that they disabled nor handicapped because they portrayed a tougher will to face the challenge, unlike us physically strong but has never felt grateful. I will say some of them are so worry-less despite of their age and always hang a smile on their face and welcome us with opened-hand. Their cheerfulness is something which I admired the most.

I was first drawn by this man/teen who called me up to him. He started singing and told me to sit right in front of him. At first, I really felt uneasy to sit on the floor as he was holding my right hand too. Then I told myself there's nothing to worry about, they are harmless to us but their intention is to hope that someone will really willing to spend some quality time with them. The man started singing all types of song, from English songs to Malay songs. I just smiled at him as I knew he enjoyed himself very much. Not to forget he kissed my hand twice. To me, this ain't a big deal after all he is still the happiness-overload man who sings along with everyone.

From left to right : my bestie, me , the man who loves to sing

Then, this pretty-looking girl with a ponytail tied high up in pink shirt drew my attentions. Her long eyelashes added to her cuteness. Unfortunately, she's wheelchair-bound but her upper body is perfectly-fine. I tried to approach her but she doesn't seem to be willing to talk to me. I tried again for a couple times till I finally see a vibrant smile when I talked to her. This cute little girl, named Win Lee ( I don't know the exact spelling of her name ) aged nine did not portray any fear or discourage in spite of her disabilities. She was always the happy little kid. When I told her that I will be taking her for a hand printing session, she immediately responded that  she's not allowed to do so. I assured her that all the kids will be going out together so she need not be worry. I could see the excitement in her when I pushed her wheelchair to sheltered canopy next to the home. She was delighted and enjoyed herself printing her hands. After having the wholesome lots of fun, I helped her back to her favorite spot which is much more cooling. She told me to carry her into the room behind her and I did so but my curiosity piqued. She answered “ I need to change my pampers,” I chuckled silently deep down my heart. How adorable and naive these kids are. While she’s still in the room, I was about to leave. I promised that I won’t leave without her consent so I waited for her. When we told her that it was time for us to leave, I saw a dim glow of disappointment in her eyes. Not to discourage her, I told her that I will be back again. I made a promise to myself that one day, I will visit this bunch of kids and spend more time with them.

A short visit to the disabled children home indeed brought lots of thoughts to myself and not to forget -- a worthwhile experience.

 

Win Lee

Ain't he a cutie pie?

Our Leo Advisor, Lion Chu, (on the left ) during the sing along session

Hand paint by our Richelle's mum

150 over chocolate chip vanilla cupcakes baked by me

 Dated 4 August 2013