My mother and I took turn to cook in the kitchen today. She cooked some bean soup in the morning, and me baking brownie in the afternoon, and then we cooperated in cooking Japanese curry for dinner. We didn't follow the Chinese rules even though Chinese New Year is just around the corner; we are supposed to cook Chinese dishes but we have been cooking Western and Japanese cuisine!

Tomorrow we will be cooking more Chinese for dinner. Lunch would still be the Japanese curry leftover.

It's been more than 3 years since I last made my chocolate brownie. Today's brownie cannot compare to my start-from-scratch brownie since it's from the Pilsbury packet. But I thought this kind of ready made should be tasty! Apparently the texture was too soft for a brownie.

I'm going to make onde onde on Chinese New Year, which I can't wait since it would be my first time in Malaysia since I have live in Kuala Lumpur to experiment new recipe. It will also be the first time for my family to try out baking and making Malaysian snacks in the house, which we often buy from stores.

Note: I have updated some recipes. Some of the readers have requested me to post up some pictures for the recipe section and others but unfortunately I don't have a digital camera.

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2 pieces of breast of chicken
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp capers or sliced olives
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp cold butter
Salt and pepper

1. Mix chicken with flour and salt and pepper. Dust well. Heat butter and fry chicken on both sides on medium heat until golden brown. Set aside.

2. Deglaze pan with white wine and reduce the liquid by almost half. Add capers and lemon juice. Remove from heat and add the cold butter. Swirl the pan and pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with vegetables and rice.

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200g butter
250g caster sugar
Grated rind of 2 oranges
4 eggs
250g self-raising flour, sifted
100ml orange juice
100g dark chocolate, roughly choppe

Topping:

120g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
50g softened butter
3 tbsp flaked almonds, lightly toasted till golden brown

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the grated rind and beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

2. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the flour alternately with the orange juice. Finally, fold in the chopped chocolate.

3. Spread mixture into a 20cm round cake tin which has been buttered and lined with greaseproof paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C / 350 F for 45 minutes or until well risen and golden brown in colour. Cool cake on a wire tray.

4. While the cake is cooling, make the topping. Melt the butter in a small metal bowl placed over a pan of cimmering water. When melted, take the bowl off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before beating in the softened butter, a little bit at a time until you achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency.

5. Spread this chocolate mixture over the top of the cooled cake and sprinkle liberally with the toasted almonds.

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200g unsalted butter
250g caster sugar
4 eggs
70g plain flour
340g good quality cooking chocolate, melted and leave to cool
icing suagr to dust

1. Preheat oven to 160 C. Lightly grease and line the base of a 20cm round baking tin.

2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and flour alternatively, mixing well after each addition.

3. Pour in melted chocolate and stir to mix well.

4.Pour mixture into the prepared baking tin. Place in a baking dish filled with hot water that comes up to three quarters the sides of the baking tin.

5. Bake cake for 1 1/2 hours or until the skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

6. Serve chocolate cake, sliced, with a dusting of icing sugar.

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My auntie has proven herself cowardice and a person who has no principle because she has taken back her words. Though we enjoy her companionship, it is crystal clear that she gave empty appointment that she will stay over at our place for the Chinese New Year as a tool to teach my jerk uncle a lesson, though she has complained to my family how she was mistreated by her little brother. And believe me, everyone in the my family was a victim including me. I remembered him calling me pat lam pat lui [direct translation from Cantonese would be half male half female which you may refer it as transvetite in English] when I visited his family in October 2007. He referred that to me when he was explaining to his insolent 3 year old daughter who was at the house gate. This auntie got the hardest hit but she chose to celebrate Chinese New Year with a jerk.

She plays her card well to the point my mother has indirectly declare sanction on her and other relatives to visiting us over the Chinese N ew Year and other times of the year. It is New Year but my family would want to have peace and joy and laughter and we don't welcome these people for they are nothing but only know how to criticize, speak you "down", and suck whatever knowledge you have without exchanging. We have had enough. I remember my jerk uncle clearly gave my family a box of eaten fortune cookies as Chinese New Year gift in 2008. And many of the gifts we spent time, money and SINCERITY to buy were not returned. We seriously are tired. We are now playing our own rules. There is a big possibility of my family consuming the gifts we bought for our relatives this year.

We can forgive but we will also bury the past and look into the future without these relatives in the picture. And my family dislike people who have no principle and reverse on your words and have no integrity.

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Just for laugh. This is for u, Jolenesiah.

Jolenesiah had a little tiger

Jolenesiah had a little tiger,
Little tiger, little tiger;
Jolenesiah had a little tiger
Its fur was black as poppy.

Now, everywhere that Jolenesiah went,
Jolenesiah went, Jolenesiah went;
Now everywhere that Jolenesiah went,
The tiger was sure to go.

It followed her to her shop one day,
Shop one day, shop one day;
It followed her to shop one day,
Which was against the rule.

It made the customers laugh and shout,
Laugh and shout, laugh and shout;
It made the cusomters laugh and shout,
To see a tiger meows.

P.S: Poppy is her pet dog.

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