Places To Visit, Food To Taste

Bento Equipments and Accessories

2008-06-30T22:58:00.003+08:00

My first purchase from ebay:

I have started using them and will be posting about the bentos I have prepared later.

Japanese Dessert

2008-06-17T21:55:00.004+08:00

This is a dessert my children and I love. Well, it's home made but you don't need any skill to make this as it is very simple.

It all started when we bought this one fine day when we went shopping in Mid Valley. If I remembered correctly, there was a Japanese fair and we thought we would get something for the kids.

There are several flavors. I bought three different kinds but I think my children prefer the peace flavor more.

Like I just said, no skill needed, just 200ml of fresh full cream milk and the above liquid.

and off course, you need your hands. Mix the two together.

and stir
Refrigerate and serve.

I'm going back to get some more.

Our Holiday - Part Three

2008-06-12T08:00:00.002+08:00

Grandpa and grandma’s house!

The children adore their grandpa and grandma. They would always cheer when we said we are going back to visit grandpa and grandma.

So, for several days, we were there and we had a very relaxing time, away from the city, away from homework and away from computers.

Nothing special too but it’s nice to meet up with parents and it’s nice to chit chat with them til midnight. We love the food back in hometown. It’s cheap and delicious.

Jesslyn’s house was just a few streets away and so, we decided to go for a visit. My children were so excited when they were there. Jess’s house is like a mini zoo with rabbits, hamsters, turtles and chickens and Jess’s daughters are so good at rope skipping, hoola hoops and roller skates, which my children know nothing about. It was a very nice experience for my children and they were very reluctant to leave when I said “home”.

Thank you Jess for your hospitality and please thank your mother in law for us.

Our Holiday - Part Two

2008-06-11T08:00:00.001+08:00

A village!

That’s where we have gone for a few days during the holidays!

Nothing really special but my children loved their trip back home.

They got to witness the building of a BIG house in a village, my in laws’ house!

What’s special about this house is the HOME AUTOMATION which will be installed by my husband’s younger brother, a US graduate, himself, with some imported parts from US.

If you are wondering what HOME AUTOMATION is all about, let me give you some examples:

~ When the alarm is triggered, the dog will be released automatically.

~ When you open the room door or the bathroom door, the light will be on automatically.

~ When you close the door, the light will be off automatically after a few minutes.

There are many more which you can program to suit your lifestyle. This is the future lifestyle!

Imagine a house like this with a swimming pool situated in the heart of a village. No wonder everyone is so excited about this house. This would be a resort to spend our holidays in future!

Off course the children enjoyed themselves with their cousins. They always do.

Coming up next: Our Holiday - Part Three.

Our Holidays - Part One

2008-06-10T00:01:00.001+08:00

Genting Highlands!

It was a two days one night trip. Usually, we would bring the kids up in the morning and come down at night as it’s not that far from home. This time, we decided to put up a night at Awana Hotel.

I personally like Awana very much. Firstly, it’s not at the hill top and it’s not that cold; secondly, we get to break our journey (check into hotel first before going up) and avoid the vomiting; thirdly, the environment is very calming and the place is beautiful. There is also team building activities in Awana which I think I would love to let the children experience some day.

There are only two places in Genting Highlands that we would head – the indoor theme park and the restaurant. Casino is not a place we would visit. I know it’s rare but hubby is one person who doesn’t like gambling. Many ask him whether he has won or lost and he has only one answer: “I have won and all the winnings went into my stomach.”

This trip marks the growth of my children. Karl lost his chance to go on the kiddy train ride (too tall) while Nyn was tall enough to be allowed in this time. Sigh! On one hand, I want them to grow quickly but on the other hand, why must they grow so fast?

Somehow I felt blessed that we have the chance to be together and no matter where we go or what we do, it’s not as important as the feeling of togetherness and closeness within the family.

Next post: Our Holiday - Part Two

A Break

2008-05-24T23:22:00.004+08:00

I think I need a break. This blog is about food and places and activities and our outings. If any of you like these things, feel free to scroll down for older posts.

See you!

More Bento

2008-05-21T00:02:00.001+08:00

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Big, Sweet and Crispy Guavas

2008-05-12T22:32:00.001+08:00

I’m helping a friend to promote her delicious GUAVAS – BIG, SWEET and CRISPY!

Speaking about guavas, do you know that guava is higher in Vitamin C compared to citrus fruits? You knew? Good.

Now, do you know that the leaves and barks of guavas are used as tribal and herbal medicine to stop diarrhea, sore throat, vomiting, stomach upsets and to regulate menstrual periods? (Facts taken from: http://www.rain-tree.com/guava.htm)

Personally, I have tried these guavas sold by my friend and I’d say they are GOOD! My children think they are good too or they wouldn’t have finished the whole fruit in just minutes.

Now, take a look at these guavas.

On average, one fruit weighs more than 600g.

Look at the thickness of the flesh! It’s worth the money, isn’t it?

Price:

RM3.50 per kg.

Order:

Please contact Alycia at alicia.vbc@gmail.com or 017-8798513.

Delivery:

FOC within Bandar Sungai Long and Bandar Mahkota Cheras with orders above 5kg.

FOC within Klang valley with orders above 50kg.

So, guava lovers, what do you think?

Mother's Day

2008-05-10T08:19:00.001+08:00

Glitter Mother's Day Graphics

Wordless Wednesday - My First Bento

2008-05-07T16:40:00.000+08:00

Italian Specialties

2008-05-06T22:00:00.000+08:00

We always tease our children that they would marry a westerner when they grow up since they like pasta, spaghetti, fish and chips, chicken chop and all kinds of western food better than Chinese food.

So, I always ended up cooking pasta and spaghetti at home, trying to experiment with different types of cooking styles and ingredients. The above dish is one of my "creations". What shall I name it? Er... any suggestions?

My other experimental western dishes: this and this and this.

Off course, this cannot compare with our all time favorite dish: The Aglio Olio spaghetti served with roast pork in Mr. Ho's Fine Food in Mid Valley Megamall.

Looks good, eh? Taste really good too.

Various Types Of Noodles

2008-05-04T22:10:00.000+08:00

Do yo like noodles? This restaurant sells only noodles in the day and claypot chicken rice in the night. Located in Bandar Mahkota Cheras, this is a restaurant we visit quite often. There is another branch in PJ as stated in its signboard but I have not been there. People from PJ like Wen, have you heard of this restaurant before?

Good Taste Restoran (they serve a variety of delicious noodles)

Pork and black fungus noodle (One of the best dish served here)

Noodle with dumplings (Not very special)

Roast pork noodle with wantan - my eldest son's favorite

This is my middle child's favorite - The "claypot lou shi fun" (rat tail) - yummy and tasty

Did I make you hungry? I'll bring you there the next time you drop by to visit me.

Konjac Brown Rice Roll

2008-05-03T08:20:00.000+08:00

I declare that we are addicted to this made in Taiwan snack. When it was first introduced to us by my sister in law, I knew that I would buy more. True enough, I keep replenishing it when the stock level is low.

What’s so special about this? Hmm… let’s take a look at the ingredients:

Brown rice

Corn

Seaweed

Konjac jelly powder

Sugar

Soy sauce powder (soybean, wheat, salt, sugar)

Vegetable oil

Glucose

Maltose

There you are. You can consume even if you are a vegetarian. Care to join me for tea?

Wordless Wednesday - Answer To My Previous Post

2008-05-01T00:45:00.000+08:00

Question here.

Answer:

Field Trip to KL Bird Park

2008-04-24T06:05:00.000+08:00

It was a field trip organized by my children’s kindergarten and it was meant for children from year 4, 5 and 6. Year 3 children could join with one condition: They must be accompanied by their parent(s).

A dilemma had risen within me. If I tag along, my middle child, Wayne, would stick to me instead of following his group but on the other hand, my daughter, Nyn, has been talking about the trip day and night. How can I say NO?

Yup, you guessed it right! I gave in!

*fast forward*

We finally arrived at our destination by bus.

Before going in, the children were brought to the mobile toilet outside the entrance.

Birds that we saw: the hornbill, the eagles and hawks, the Lorries, the lovebirds, the storks, the parrots, the peacocks, the peasants, the emus and ostriches and etc.

The children were excited to see birds of all colors. Besides birds, there are fishes too.

Can you guess what this is? Answer will be revealed in my next post.

The nursery is a MUST SEE! We actually see eggs in the incubator and little chicks hatched in there.

What about birds feeding? Sounds fun, eh? Well, we managed to feed the ostrich with vegetables. If you visit the bird park, walking at your own pace, you would be able to feed other birds as well.

If you would love to take a photo with the birds standing on your shoulder or your hand, you can do it here and the price listed is RM5 per shot (with your own camera) and RM20 (with the their camera and a printout)

The last stop was the bird show. The bird show was actually not up to my expectation but generally enjoyable for the children.

The field trip ended with a meal at the restaurant in the bird park.

An enjoyable trip, I would say but guess what?

I became the weight lifter that day and was so exhausted when I came home. Why the weight lifting you may ask. Well, that’s because my little daughter fell asleep while watching the bird show and I had to carry her all the way to the restaurant and I tell you, she is not light at all!

Nice experience overall.

Bread and More Bread

2008-04-15T23:10:00.000+08:00

I think it runs in my family or I would never have the answer as to why I love bread so much. My sister is known as "Bread Queen" and we often tease her that she would marry a "Bread King", a man who owns a bakery.

We can eat bread every morning and still not bored. Now, I married a husband who also loves bread and off course, we produce three lovely children who love bread too. We could eat bread for lunch or bread for dinner at times and not to mention bread for breakfast everyday.

So, you can imagine us visiting bakery, going in empty handed and coming out with loads full of bread but thinner wallet.

If you are wondering where I got those buns from, they are from a shop called Dami.

Bread, anyone?

What Cake?

2008-04-09T13:35:00.000+08:00

Have you guessed? This was my sons' previous birthday cake. You see, we love Secret Recipe's cakes but each one of us have different taste bud or should I say, we like to try new flavors which we have not tried before. So, instead of getting the whole cake of one flavor, we mix and match and it turned out like this.

The boys were rather happy with this mix and match cake. Maybe they love to eat a little of this and that, just like me.

Well, have you mix and match cakes for birthdays before?

Potato Salad

2008-04-04T22:14:00.000+08:00

This is easy to prepare and I would always bring this for pot luck or parties. For a lazy and lousy cook like me, this would be a perfect dish to prepare.

Ingredients:

1. Potato (boiled and mashed)
2. Hard boiled eggs (mashed)
3. Onion (minced)
4. Mayonnaise
5. Butter or margarine
6. Salt
7. Pepper

Mix it all up and you get your very own potato salad. It tastes good too.

Would You Like This Experience?

2008-03-28T01:40:00.000+08:00

I was told this is Belgium. I have never visited Belgium before and I think maybe Nyumix who is living in Belgium can tell us whether this is really Belgium. Please scroll down and tell me what you think?

What's that hanging up there?

That's high, isn't it?

Hey, there are people up there. What are they doing?

Chefs?

Have you guessed?

Looks like everyone is ready to taste their food.

Dining with some music in the air.

How's that? How would you like to have this kind of extraordinary experience? I wouldn't mind.

PS: Photos are taken from an email I received.

House Warming Party - Buffet

2008-03-25T15:00:00.000+08:00

Continued from here.

I know you are hungry but before you eat, I need your help to add this blog of mine to your blogroll and if you have already done so earlier, can you please change the URL from love4places.blogspot.com to:

http://www.dineandtravel.com

Please?

Thank you very much.

I have promised you another door gift, remember? Here's the one for all of you:

Let's have some food now.

Are you full now? It's game time! Please go over to my play blog for some games and songs and remember to claim another door gift over there. Here's the ticket:

Pick Up Ticket (Please Click).

Pasta With Prawns and Capsicum

2008-03-22T04:40:00.000+08:00

There is something funny about my children. They love pasta and they love western food more than Chinese food. So, there is always a packet of pasta or spaghetti in the cupboard.

Here’s another way I cook my pasta.

Ingredients:

Pasta
Prawn
Capsicum
Vinaigrette

Method:

Boil pasta in water with a pinch of salt.
Drain dry and mix pasta with olive oil and vinaigrette (A).
Fry capsicum, prawn with garlic (B).
Mix A with B.
Ready to serve.

Easy and delicious and most importantly, it suits my children’s taste bud.

Something Soupy

2008-03-18T14:00:00.000+08:00

When I am busy and when my brain can’t work anymore, this would be the simple dish I prepare for my children.

They like it. I'm pretty amazed how they like this dish.

Ingredients:

Anchovies (for soup)
Onion (for soup)
Pasta
Egg
Spinach
Fish ball

Simple enough? Fast enough? Always works for a busy WAHM like me.

Coconut Rice With Fried Chicken

2008-03-16T13:00:00.000+08:00

This is something you should not miss if you like Malay food with spicy chili. Yes, the “Nasi Lemak” (coconut rice), I mean!

This little stall outside a “mamak” shop sells delicious “Nasi Lemak Kukus” with fried chicken as good as KFC.

By the look of the queue, you can be sure the food is indeed good.

I know Trinity would love this. So, Trin, the next time you step into Malaysia, I will buy you nasi lemak.

Sabah Pork Noodle

2008-03-01T14:50:00.000+08:00

A tasty pork noodle from Sabah, here in Bandar Mahkota Cheras! What makes it so delicious? The tender meat that many pork noodle sellers cannot beat, the hand made fish balls, the sweet soup which is not oily and their special chili sauce made from cili padi.

The shop that sells this is Restoran Yee Lee, owned by a family from Sabah. This restaurant was once introduced by a DJ in the radio and I strongly recommend this to you.

I think the secret lies in the way they cook the soup (using charcoal) and the way they slice the meat.

So, if you are in Cheras, do drop by to have a try. You know, I see so many talented bloggers out there who love cooking and I think if you have a talent, a strong interest and the food you cook is delicious, you can make lots of money, just like this family.

Worth The Queue?

2008-03-01T07:05:00.000+08:00

Just look at the long queue and you can be very sure that the donuts here are delicious! There is a great variety of donuts to choose from and there is bound to be one that suits your taste bud. So, where is it? This shop, as you can see in the picture, carries the name of BIG APPLE DONUTS & COFFEE and it is located in The Curve.

If you ask me whether it is worth the queue, I would definitely say YES!! Well, you can't expect a NO from a donut lover / bread lover / cake lover, can you?

Here are some of the donuts sold there. Look pretty tempting, eh? If you have not tried this, go ahead and buy yourself some. This is what we find in Malaysia. Now, I wonder what type of donuts are sold in other countries. Care to share, my friends?