Last post before I back K.Kinabalu !

I've took some photo yesterday, I saw a very nice sunset and sky there. So I quickly took Melvin's car to a place of 2 minutes distance to shoot.

I combined 2 exposures in these photos, so basically what you will see is like "HDR" effects.

Lemonade, Tomato Soup, and a Hiatus

I was reading Andrea's Easy Vegan Cooking the other day when she posted about tonic water and some other interesting cocktail-related info,  and it got me in the mood for a cocktail. I don't drink spirits often...maybe 2 or 3 times a year, but every once in a while a tasty drink doesn't go astray. (Thanks, Andrea! :) With that in mind, I spent a very enjoyable Saturday afternoon sipping some Limoncello Lemonade in the garden, harvesting cucumbers and reading.

This is a refreshing drink for those who are so inclined:

Limoncello Lemonade
1 oz citrus-infused vodka
1 oz limoncello
 6 oz lemonade



Simple Food
Inspired by my blog friend, Laloofah, I began reading Simple Food for the Good Life, by Helen Nearing. An intellectual cookbook with plenty of insightful narration and humor, it's  billed on the cover as  "the funniest, crankiest, and most ambivalent cookbook you'll ever read".

(You can read about Laloofah's recent visit to the Nearings' final homesite in Maine, founded in 1952, here. The post includes more detailed information about the Nearings, wise and inspiring quotes from their prolific writings,  and wonderful pics: you can see the continuing legacy of the Nearings' veganic veggie garden! You'll be moved; check it out!)

Helen describes herself as someone who isn't a great cook and couldn't care less—I have a feeling that was a bit of humility on her part. Granted, her recipes are no-nonsense, quick, and basic: food that is meant to nourish the body and not a cook's ego. Yet her cooking was routinely met with accolades from the wind-swept and eclectic people who sat at her table at one time or another. This makes sense: simple food is often the most delicious.

The Nearings were vegetarians...not vegan. But, that scarcely matters. With a few minor substitutions here and there, the few recipes that aren't already, easily become vegan. Couched as they are in the promotion of kind living and harmony with nature, the Nearings' recipes and philosophy of life sing to the vegan soul.

Someday, I hope to live like the Nearings: off-grid, primarily self-sufficient, and reaping the peace of simple living. I'm not averse to physical labor or lean times. These are what turn simple dinners and a humble bed into exquisite pleasures. As far as I'm concerned, along with connecting with nature, friends, and community nothing else is required.

Raw Gold Tomato Soup
(Adapted from Simple Food for the Good Life, by Helen Nearing)

6 ripe gold tomatoes, quartered (or use any variety you like)
1 large green onion, chopped
1 cup diced cucumber
2 cups water
olive oil to taste
fresh herbs/salt/pepper to garnish

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor and garnish with fresh herbs of choice.

We ate this soup right after blending, so it was room temperature, and it was delectable. I ate some of the leftovers chilled and it was also good, but I thought it could use a bit of salt.

Hiatus
I've always loved late summer--harvest season is in full swing, gardens are still in bloom, and fleeting hints of autumn are in the air.

I'm taking a little break from the blog in September to enjoy the remaining summer and focus on some other projects/activities. I'll be looking forward to VeganMofo IV in October...see you then.

Happy September.  :)

Roseann LaPonte

Rosanne Tobin

Ayam Kambing back K.Kinabalu !!!!!!!

Ok, I will be back to KK on Thursday night for 1 week break. :D
No pics at the moment, but teaser.
I will post more ! when I back to KK. :D




Have fun with Malaysia National Day tomorrow !
I mean you, not me. :D

Random Stuff

This post isn't about anything in particular--just some random stuff that I've snapped recently.

 Random Garden

I love the vibrant colors of these zinnias.

One of the Anna's Hummingbirds that live in our neighborhood alighted at the feeder to give her wings a rest and have a tipple.

As small as they are, the Anna's Hummingbird is described as medium-sized and stocky in the world of hummingbirds.

I'm definitely growing this variety of zucchini again next year; the variegated skin is pretty.

There are spiders everywhere at the moment; their webs are truly amazing. Be Kind to Spiders!

These garden lanterns are fun and easy to make. I saw a how-to guide in some magazine a few years ago. All you need is empty jars and some wire. You can make them as pretty as you like by using interesting colored/shaped jars, shaping the wire into pretty flourishes, and adding trinkets. Mine aren't  pretty, but they add a nice ambience nonetheless hanging from the branches on a summer evening.

Random Food

Veggie and tofu kebabs marinated in Thai flavors:

The marinade was roughly 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp dark brown sugar,  6 inches worth of lemon grass with tough outer sheaths removed, 2 kaffir lime leaves, 1 smallish piece fresh ginger, 1 large shallot, 1 large garlic clove, hot chili pepper and a dash of sesame oil,  liquified together in a blender.

Thai marinade before blending

Seitan in lemon and caper sauce:

( a bit greeny in hue, but very delicious)

We eat this Vegan Pho on a regular basis. If you like rich aromatic broths, noodles, and garnishes...I recommend you try this.  I've never had traditional Pho, which I gather is not vegan, so can't testify to the authenticity, but whatever you want to call it, it is good.

I describe more about how to put it together in this post.

Random Rats

Hey, that's a catchy title.

I have two rats that I adopted from the animal shelter. Rats are extremely intelligent, social, and sensitive.  My rat friends know their names, have great personalities, and enjoy many different activities. Here's Daffodil (aka Scamp) peeking out of a play tube:

Check out those whiskers:

Some of you may remember Harriet from this post. She's a bit older and wiser now... and better at hoarding treats! She's enjoying a piece of corn on the cob.

And here's some rat action, Harriet is in a blur grooming Daffodil...usually it's the other way around:

Rats are dexterous and the digits on their front paws are nimble, much like human hands. Check out Scamp's cute fingers!

One more random snap:

A heron I saw on my lunch break.

Happy Weekend!

Nendoroid

I've purchased this few months ago yet no time to post them here. Nendoroid is a model that makes by a company called Good Smile Company. Well, nendoroid line basically is a figure that is big headed but small body.

Below is the nendoroids from anime K-ON! :D It's a simply great anime ever :)




This is Mugi :D She plays keyboard in the Anime.











Peace ^^v !



Yui serves tea too ! :D




She doesn't know how to play keyboard ! LOL !!!



Well, K-ON! consist of 5 members but I only got 2 at the moment. I'll be getting
a new member very soon. :D Stay Tuned !

YongJK is back !!!

Hi guys , my sincere apologize to my fellow readers due to my busyness on my further studies :)
I'm gonna show you some photos of my Kota Belud trip which happened months ago.


































Some equips are borrow from Liew, my friend. Thanks to him if not those
will not be done.

Today's Harvest and Happy 101 Awards!

Parts of my garden have turned out to be a total wash this season--like a nearly non-existent potato harvest, a dismal collection of peas--not to mention peppers, eggplant, and kabocha squash that will probably never reach maturity. On the other hand, it is producing well in other areas, and I've been gathering harvests similar to this one every other day or so.  

I usually just pick stuff as I use it, but with things that need a bit of washing  and de-bugging like lettuce and other greens, I like to harvest a day or two's supply at a time. That way, I can get them washed in one go.

Today I got a presumed 8-ball zucchini (suspiciously very like a small green pumpkin), a cucumber, a bunch of parsley, lettuce, sorrel, arugula, 3 little banana peppers and 1 little hot Bulgarian pepper (see what I mean about the peppers?), 2 strawberries (one for me and one for my hubby, hee-hee) a few yellow beans, carrots, bunching onions, and a head of green cabbage. 

I'm pretty sure I won't see any actual eggplants from my garden this year, but the blossoms are certainly very pretty. This one opened up in the last day or so:

eggplant blossom

And now on to the award! A few days ago, I was honored to be one of the recipients of  the 101 Award from Vic, of The Life. Thanks Vic! In case you haven't yet, definitely check out Vic's blog. I enjoy reading about his travels and adventures, his house projects....not to mention the recipes! He's an ace cook and puts together beautiful food. 

The award consists in listing 10 things that make you happy. So without further ado...

~ Not a Top 10 list, just 10 random things in no particular order~


Swimming in a Lake, River, or Ocean

I'll settle for a swimming pool, but swimming in real water is a consummate pleasure, as is soaking up the sun before and afterwards.  

Fairy Lights, Christmas Carols, and Samba

Ok, I'm being sneaky...that's really 3 things.

Garden Snails

Even though they eat my veggies, they make me smile whenever I come across one.  I love their wobbley eye-stack antennae, and how cute and curious they look as they venture along porting their shell. If I find one in my veggie patch, I just pick him/her up and translocate him to the slug & snail-friendly part of the yard, where they are welcome to eat the dandelions and the primroses. 

Kids

I love to play games, climb trees, draw, pretend, sing, bake, do crafts...and  all those things are more fun with kids! Maybe because I am one at heart and always will be... (I hope). The summer after my freshman year at college, I worked as a YMCA camp counselor.  At the end of the summer, there was an awards ceremony where I received the "Biggest Kid in Camp" award. I was delighted because it allowed me to get up in front of all those little campers and say: "See?  I'm a kid too. I'm just bigger than you are! Nah Nah-Nah Na-Nah!"

Fellow Earthlings
Seagulls, lemurs, and donkeys....koalas, dragonflies, and tortoises...raccoons, rabbits, and orcas...so on and so forth.

Sambal Oelek and Golden Greek Peperoncini

It's a tie: when one of these spicy condiments is on my plate, I'm a happy eater.

Pasta 

Enough said.

Peter

I have 3 brothers.  Anyone who grew up (old school)  with brothers is probably familiar with the fact that they enjoy doing things like pinning you down and tapping on your forehead with their knuckles until you go insane, pelting you with pine cones, or using you as a target in lawn darts. Who doesn't love that? My brother Peter is all of that and more. He is creative, theatrical, funny, and mischievous...I couldn't begin to count the hours we have spent laughing together...thinking of him makes me happy. 

Leaving Work

We're talkin' bliss in motion, joy, exaltation...all is fine with the world because -- I AM OUTTA THERE!  (And, I get to do it 5 days a week.)

Harriet, Daffodil, Cheeky, Pim, Goldie, Big, and Jazzie

These guys are my non-human family members, and they make me very happy. I think it's mutual (at least I hope so).

Happy 101 Recipients
I'm normally a bit shy about these awards. I've received a couple in the past, but I was too shy to actually forward them. (People who aren't shy may not understand that, but fellow shy people will, I think ;).

However, I'm a gemini, and as such, somewhat volatile in character: I'm not shy all the time! So, I'm going for it.

If I had my druthers, I would award this to every blog that I read, but if I follow the protocol and limit it to 10, I'd like to bestow this award on the bloggers listed below. Some of them are blogs I have been following for a while, and some of them I've gladly come across more recently.

Note To all Recipients: Thank you for your presence in the blogosphere! Receive and enjoy! I'm exercising my award-giver's license here: do with this award what you will: post it & pass it on, post it & don't pass it on, don't post it - don't pass it (you get the idea)...it's all good. Just know that you are truly appreciated, and that the blogosphere is a funner place with you in it.

~In no particular order~

Mehitable Days: Laloofah's wittisicms, thoughtful observations, and beautiful photography, along with a healthy dose of fun, make for blog reading that is a true escape from the daily grind.

Shenandoah Vegan: SV's jocular humor coupled with a showcase of her daily eats make for a delightful forum on everyday veganism...not to mention magical, never-ending cakes!

Dirty Duck: Michelle's adventures are charming and full of animal love and interest: from swimming with the loveable Lilly to far out Soap Nuts...it's always good fun. 

The Airy Way: Zoa's beautiful food and photos provide an ongoing feast for the eyes and the appetite. Her culinary skill and creativity result in a breath of fresh inspiration with every post.

Andrea's Easy Vegan Cooking: Andrea's blog has it all: gorgeous-looking food and recipes (including exciting previews of tester  recipes), updates on fun activities with family and friends, news of vegan-friendly products and other issues. It's always a pleasure to sit down and have a read about what she's been up to in the kitchen and beyond.

Blessed Vegan Life: BlessedMama whips up delicious family fare and shares enticing recipes that feed five hungry vegans, which is no small feat! She'll make you miss having your mom cook for you.  Adorable photos of her kids are an added bonus!

Shorty Can Burn: Stacy's blog features consistently mouth-watering meals from everyday favorites to exotic cuisine, often including gorgeous produce from her garden and a much-welcomed whimsy, especially in the form of cute bric-a-brac figurines.

Coffee and Sunshine: Carissa's blog exudes a freshness and love for life with healthy food and recipes, adorable photos of her animal companions, and news from her very own animal rescue. Good luck and best wishes to her in her upcoming move to Nebraska.

Veggie Cookie: Jessica chronicles her delicious adventures in the kitchen and other interesting aspects of living vegan in Cincinnati in a friendly and personable manner. Get ready to get inspired and hungry when you read her blog.

Vegan and So Forth: Nearly a life-long vegan, Jenny shares food, recipes, and family adventures...you can almost feel the fun through the photos of her family enjoying well-crafted vegan food and good times. She even makes Scooby Snacks people!

Ciao for now! :)

Le Club de Cuisine Gourmet et Chef Alyssa

Food is all about friends – what’s the point in making a mind-blowing dish if you cant share it with someone? Let’s be honest sometimes its also comforting to know that your friends are united in the calorie intake – if my jean aren’t going to fit, neither are hers. Right?

Well August 8^th proved to be one of the days. Jodie, one of the founding members of the Gourmet Cooking Club in New York city recently made the transition to Montreal and we decided that we were taking the club international. Bienvenue a Quebec, we welcome Le Club de Cuisine Gourmet.

The first get together took place at Jodie’s apartment – she made her Frittata, Mel made Greek Yogurt Parfait’s, Alana made a Patty Greenberg classic cheese pie and Anne-Marie made her own version of the Lemon and cracked pepper scones from the Food Network. This was food comatose 1 of the day. Oh la la.



Jet Setter over here decided that hosting a dinner party 45 minutes after her plane landed at LGA was a strategic decision. With the 15-minute interval between my arrival and the arrival of my guests – I tag teamed my apartment with Mr. Clean, My Vacuum Cleaner, Clorox Wipes and Windex. A shout-out to Fresh Direct for delivering my ingredients.

Cut to Scene 2. This dinner party wasn’t just a dinner party – this was an attempt to teach Alyssa R. how to seduce Jon A with her new cooking skills. Who cares if this girl can run 4 triathlons a month, the question is – can she cook? Well – we invited Amanda and Lauren over to be our guinea pigs. More important than the execution of the menu was the need for an agenda to streamline the conversation of “does this bathing suit make me look hot?” to “what do you mean you haven’t seen “x: youtube video?”.



Food comatose 2 was brought on by a menu that consisted of hummus, roasted eggplant dip, fattouche salad, greek chicken, corn on the cobb, grilled Australian veggies and mini Patty Greenberg trifles.

The real test is to see if Alyssa can recreate these dishes for her man who will be the ultimate guinea pig. Here are the recipes Alyssa – I would train for this like you train for marathons.

Chicken a la Greque:



1 tbsp Oregano

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

1 Chicken, cut up

¼ cup Olive Oil

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

1. Preheat oven to 400 .

2. Combine oregano, salt and pepper . Rub over chicken.

3. Arrange in 13 x 9 x 2 dish,

4. Blend together Olive Oil and Lemon Juice. Pour over chicken pieces.

5. Bake 40-55 minutes (first 15 minutes covered, uncover 40 minutes)

Australian Peppers - Thyme-Roasted Capsicums and Tomatoes

2 medium red peppers

2 medium green peppers

2 medium yellow peppersd

4 small tomatoes, halved

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or dry thyme)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Cut peppers intro strips. Combine peppers, tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet, sprinkle with combined sugar, pepper and thyme; drizzle with oil.

Bake, uncovered, in hot oven about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar just before serving - optional. I also added zucchini and yellow squash.

Patty Greenbergs’s Skor Dessert Trifle

10 Chocolate Skor Bars ( I used Snickers because Skor is hard to find in the US)

2 package chocolate pudding (Already made – i.e. Snack Pack)

1 package instant Chocolate cake mix (bake in 9 x 13 pan and cut into 1 inch cubes)

2 packages real nutriwhip cream

Directions:

Follow instruction on instant cake mix (i.e Betty Crocker). Let cake cool and then cut cake into cubes.

Once cake is cool, layer the following ingredients in a clear glass:

Cake, Pudding, Choppred Skor, Nutriwhip

Leave in fridge until ready to serve.

Make recipe 1 day before serving.

xoxo Chef Cara