Thursday, January 28, 2010

My old keyboard went bathing & RIP



Soak the keyboard into a soaped water.



Use brush to brush the dirty places, and dry em up.



Process of drying key/caps.



After assemble every keys and caps. It looks like new. again :D

*Do not try this if you are unsure about whether your keyboard can be washed. Please dry them properly before plugging it to your PC.
This keyboard died eventually because I didn't dry the membrane circuit, perhaps that is the causes of my dead keyboard.

Now I'm using another new keyboard, Logitech Media Keyboard. This keyboard is good for general usage I can say. Quite silent key stroke. Also comes with 12 programmable button, but not all of them are fully customizable. Price was about Rm55 that my dad bought to me.

But this will be my temporary keyboard replacement as I've already targeted the Logitech G110 Gaming Keyboard.



Quite cool eh ?
Some enthusiast will recommend me go for mechanical keyboard instead, but my wallet doesn't let me to own it. Sad... ;(

Well, this is my keyboard... Sorry I only have one angle view photo... XD



So this is my share/thoughts for tonight. Thanks for reading. :)


Best regards,
YongJK

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

2010 STTSS Cross Country



Just Started.







Still smile =.=



Looks potential :D







Mr. Loi ( Ah Loi ) was the fastest runner.




Max Yong was the fastest runner in Boys A category



Three runners in the same category rushing to get higher ranking.







Exhausted.



Nice hair she got there. :D



Yellow House member cheering their house member rush to the finishing point without giving up.

All photos taken with Canon EOS1000D with EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens :)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Citrusy Millet-Crusted Aubergine


This was sort of an experiment; I've used couscous as a crust for aubergine (aka, eggplant) before, but never millet. As with my previous experiences with couscous, I found it difficult to get the millet to stick to the aubergine--but the stuff that did stick made a nice crispy coating. Personally, I prefer millet over couscous any day.

For the millet mixture, I pre-cooked about 1 cup of millet in lightly salted water until just cooked, but still firm and toothsome. Then I drained the millet and mixed in the zest of 1 large orange and about 4 tablespoons of fresh orange juice, drizzled some olive oil through, and let the warm millet soak up the flavors. The mixture looked like this:

For the aubergine, I sliced one large aubergine into 1/2 inch slices, dredged them in some flour, then dipped them in prepared Ener-G egg replacer and water (double recipe prepared per package instructions), and finally the millet. As I mentioned, it didn't stick very well, so I'll have to work on that in future.




I baked the aubergine on a lightly greased baking sheet in a 375 F oven for about 20 - 25 minutes until the millet was golden and the aubergine was tender.

In my book, aubergine always goes well served with a simple tomato sauce:

3 cups pureed tomato (I pureed a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes)
3 garlic cloves, slivered
1 teaspoon good quality dried oregano (or use a few generous sprigs of fresh and add it with the parsley)
pinch of red pepper flakes
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Gently saute the garlic, chili pepper and oregano in some olive oil over medium-low heat, when the garlic and herbs are fragrant (but not browned) add the tomato sauce and bring to simmer. Toss in the parsley and salt and pepper and let it cook gently for as long as you like, (at least 45 minutes - 1 hour). Add water as needed to maintain desired consistency.

On the side, we had a dandelion and parsley salad with warmed orange slices and walnuts, which complemented the orange millet crust.

As an extra experiment, I also made a couple little "sandwiches" with hummus spread in between two aubergine slices:


I'll definitely make this sort of thing again, if anyone has any tips on getting the millet to stick to the aubergine, let me know;)


Ad Hoc Note:
Alicia from Vegan Epicurean made a great observation in her comment...the millet would work just as well used dry (not pre-cooked) and would stick better as a coating...it makes sense, and I think that the dry millet would toast up nicely in the oven.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Taco Salad Revisited


This wasn't a true taco salad, but rather just a salad in a baked corn tortilla...taco salad-style.  I was thinking about having BBQ tofu on top of salad for a while now. It made a quick and satisfying mid-week dinner.

To make the corn tortilla bowls, I preheated the oven to 375 F, made 4, 1-inch perpendicular cuts at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock around the tortillas, and then folded them into oven proof bowls. They bake off in about 8-10 minutes; as they cool, they harden and retain the bowl shape. For a bit of flavor, I brushed them with Bragg's Liquid Aminos and lime juice on one side before baking (bake them with the flavored side up). They're not perfect, but they do...and it's fun to eat a salad, bowl and all.

For the salad portion, I just threw together a mixed green salad with veggies on hand and topped it with some BBQ tofu and avocado.


Incidentally, the new tofu love of my life is sprouted tofu. Apparently, as with other sprouted legumes and grains, it has higher nutrition than unsprouted versions. I love it for its texture...very firm.

And one last thing: Hooray, it's Friday!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Balsamic Blueberry Frost


This violet-colored sorbet is perfect for after dinner or as a palate cleanser. It has a deep blueberry flavor with mild sweetness...primarily the natural sweetness of the blueberries. When the sorbet is cold out of the freezer the vinegar is not all that discernible, but as the sorbet warms up, the sweet balsamic flavor comes through...just FYI for those who are a bit sketchy when it comes to vinegar.

The recipe below is adapted from a recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Sorbet that I found on the Mayo Clinic site. Another cool thing about it is that if you let it melt, you've got a good base for a blueberry salad dressing. I used frozen organic blueberries, which worked perfectly.

Here's my version of the recipe:
4 cups frozen organic blueberries, thawed
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon raw agave

Pour the vinegar into a sauce pan and let it "cook" over very low heat until reduced by half...it should be thick and syrupy when ready. Blend the blueberries, balsamic reduction, and agave in a food processor until very smooth (several minutes). If you blend it enough, there's no need for passing it through a fine mesh to extract solids...or at least not in my opinion. Transfer the mixture into a glass bowl, cover and put it in the freezer. Stir the sorbet every 1/2 hour or so until frozen through.

The vinegar in the recipe allows the sorbet to freeze without becoming like ice. You end up with a nicely textured sorbet that is perfectly "scoopable," not too sweet, and quite healthy.


You may have noticed in the photo that the sorbet is sitting on top of a collection of Robert Frost poems. What gives? Well, this is also my entry in the Home Baked Challenge, hosted by Hannah over at the Home Baked blog. It's a very fun idea: every month she selects a broad theme--entries have to be edible and made by the contestants--those are the only two requirements. It just sings creativity.

January's challenge theme is "Frost." So although making a frosty sorbet is not very original, it is double-edged: I selected blueberries in reference to a poem by Robert Frost called Blueberries. Temperatures may be frosty at the moment, yet through this poem, we are reminded of the pleasure of picking ripe berries in the heat of summer. 

And finally, I wanted to express my solidarity with the people of Haiti. My thoughts and heart are with them. We've donated to a couple charities for the earthquake relief, but I also wanted to pass on this link to Craft Hope for Haiti; it's an Etsy shop and all the proceeds go to Doctor's Without Borders for victims of the earthquake.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Euro Deli - Yap Kwan Seng

Euro Deli is serving authentic european (Swiss German food). By leading their own factory with sausage as well. Selling the sausage, cold cuts available at few of the cold storage counter. Beside counter, running for restaurant too. Intially, I personal consider a PORK lover. That is no reason to stop me visited here.

Euro Deli located in the heart of KL. Properly you need to be more aware for the signboard, because the restaurant was quite isolated. Restaurant theme is orange color.
Table liner with pork gathering, so cute!

Dining area occupied by German ambiance

Soft Bun kickstart ur appetite

Potato Salad

Pumpin Soup
Recommend by the server. Soup texute was too light, not as thick and lack of pumpkin taste

Pork Loin

Pork Knuckle
Dont forget order for this dish. The skin was so crispy and fully marinated


My sis, Jas





Euro Deli Yap Kwan Seng
No 29, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-21626991

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Tofu Caprese

It seems like whenever you cut tofu into little circles fun things happen.  Although this is an unseasonal dish (in this hemisphere at least), I couldn't resist...I am getting a little tired of winter vegetables.  The tomatoes didn't come from too far away: they were organically grown in British Columbia.

To give some flavor to the tofu, I marinated it for about 6 hours in a mixture adapted from the Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak—it imparted a mild flavor:

1 tablespoon white miso
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, slivered

But honestly, tomatoes and basil are versatile and any sort of marinade that tickles your tastebuds would work...I was considering using  a simple blend of soy sauce and sherry. It's all good with a little olive oil and balsamic drizzled over the top:

Roseann LaPonte
Rosanne Tobin

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Collard Rolls and Beautiful Beans

Dinner tonight consisted of  beans and grain wrapped in collard greens. The recipe is loosely based on my mom's cabbage rolls, which  were a wintertime standard in our house growing up. I kept the seasoning very basic...use any combination of spices and herbs you like.

We ate this with some salad and a side of lightly steamed green beans. I found some especially lovely ones at my local co-op. They're organically grown in Mexico...I try to stick to locally grown produce (even this time of year) but these were so beautiful, I couldn't pass them up:


Collard Rolls (makes 6-8 rolls, depending on size)
6-8 large collard greens, destemmed
2 cups cooked grain of choice ( I used Kashi Pilaf cooked in veggie broth)
2 cups cooked beans of choice ( I used white beans)
1 cup finely chopped leek
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely diced
1 large green pepper, finely chopped (throw any veggies you like in there)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
optional secret ingredient: 1/4 cup sauerkraut, drained or 1/8 cup lemon zest
a few sprigs of  fresh thyme, leaves pulled from woody stem
salt and pepper to taste
chopped hazelnuts (or other nut/seed of choice) to garnish

Saute the carrot and green pepper for 4-5 minutes, toss in the leek and garlic and saute for another 3-4 minutes, then add the beans, grain, parsley, thyme, and sauerkraut or lemon zest (if using), and stir to combine. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste.


Take a collard green and remove the thick part of the stem by cutting along the edges.  Lay the collard leaf in front of you lengthwise and place a several good-sized tablespoons of the cooked grain and bean mixture in the middle of the leaf closest to you and fold the leaf over the filling, tucking it under and pulling it as tight as possible w/o tearing. Then, fold in the two lateral sides and continue to roll up the other half of the leaf as tightly as possible to form a roll.

Note: If you lightly steam the collards first, the rolls will be easier to make. Also, I didn't have enough collards to do this, but if you double up the leaves for each roll, laying two collards top-to-tail on top of each other, the rolls are practically fool-proof, and you get double the collard greens!


Ladle some slightly sweet/sour tomato sauce (recipe below) into the bottom of a casserole dish and place the rolls in the sauce, cover with more sauce, and bake covered in a 350 (F) oven for 30 - 45 minutes until heated through and the collards are tender. This will depend on how big the rolls are and whether you steamed the collards before making the rolls. Serve topped with chopped hazelnuts or other nut of choice.

Slightly Sweet and Sour Sauce
28 oz diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 bay leaf
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon vinegar of choice
1 tablespoons agave
handful of fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the celery and onion with the bay leaf and red pepper flakes until tender. Add the the rest of the ingredients, bring to simmer, turn down heat, cover and let cook gently for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed to maintain desired consistency.

The Olive Tree - Menara Hap Seng

The Olive Tree serves Authenic North Indian Cuisine located heart of city. A proper Indian food dining experience and real taste of Indian nice food. Chef was a regular guests and has been tried for their food for few times and keep compliment "best indian food in town!". We decided gathering and celebrated our christmas effort there. Chef is the boss on the night
The Indian Fine Dining area

Buffet counter. Used to crowded by the Indian tourist

Mango Lassi
Lassi is a yogurt base drink and mix with flavour mango. A bit sweet for me

Cracker Papadam and Mint Sauce

Murgh Mahkani - Chicken Tikka
Marinated and tandoori grilled of tikka chicken, simmer in smooth tomato gravy, redolent with kastoori methi. Highlight of the night. I personnal like it very much

Khum Bhaji
Mushroom cooked in mild sauce with onions and tomatoes

Baigan Bharta
Eggplant boiled and roasted over charcoal, peeled, mashed and sauted with onions and tomatoes

Gosht Rojan Josh
Lamb curry with touch of coriander

Different type of naan

Mine

Daal Kabila
Black lentil cooked in overnight on tandoor and simmered with fragrant indian spice

Kulfi Pistachio

Kulfi Mango
Tips: Kulfi is a frozen dessert made by milk. It similiar to ice-cream texture, taste and preparation and it took long time to melt

Fennel Coated with Mint Sugar
For after dessert. Funny taste for me

My team

Another team

Group picture

Thanks Chef for spending us a plesant dinner. I was seldom connect with Indian food. Overall for me was, the food not too spicy, it mild hot. All dish rich in taste. I reckon will revisted again.



The Olive Tree - Menara Hap Seng
No . G-06, G-07
Menara Hap Seng
Jalan P. Ramlee
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-20317887
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