In The Beginning...

Take one weed-ridden plot of earth...

Banish weeds to that big compost heap in the sky...

Here as you can see, Girl has removed most of the worst weeds and covered the cleared vege plot with weedmat and planks while waiting for the weather to settle down...

Plant seedlings in neat rows...

The plants are nestled into the pea straw mulch that was spread on the vege patch in autumn to discourage weeds. The plot was also generously fertilised with chook droppings and other organic matter throughout autumn and winter.

Plant count: 3 courgettes, 17 lettuces of different varieties, 5 broccolini plants, 6 silverbeets and numerous spinach plants that were sown way back in autumn

Water industriously throughout summer...

Eat enthusiastically when ready...

Pan fried salmon fillet and fresh spinach and garlic shoots from Girl's garden.

The salmon was marinaded in soy sauce, sesame oil and worcestershire sauce and then pan-fried.

The fresh spinach (the first harvest of the year, BTW!!) was blanched in hot water and seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil and finely chopped garlic shoots. Brilliant!

Nostalgia

Girl has recently been experiencing cravings for the foods of her childhood...she is currently in the process of hunting down recipes for the cookies her mother used to make for Chinese New Year when she was little-er...baking Quaker Oat Cookies and Cornflake Cookies would send the fragrance of butter and sugar wafting through the whole house...

Things that make girls go awwwww.....

Well, at least makes this Girl go awwww...

This is Sophie the Spoodle who is 7 years old and still charges about like a 7 month old puppy...It took Girl awhile to get Sophie to calm down enough to pose for these photos *grin*

She's really into cuddles and it would only be a stony-hearted grouch who could resist those pathetic eyes...

But don't be fooled by Sophie's seemingly pathetic demeanour...Sophie's owner takes very good care of her pets...and if she was not a very good friend to Girl, she might well have woken up one day and found herself one dog short... *innocent smile*

Down in my hood

Evidence of warmer weather in and around my neighbourhood...

A puzzling array...

Whole kernel corn plus creamy evaporated milk...

...equals a childhood treat!

When Girl was even younger than she is now, she attended a school opposite the Museum in her hometown. Despite the beautiful historical building the Museum was housed in, interesting artifacts and displays and a fine collection of aquatic life, the real attraction of the Museum was its Summerhouse...a place where three energetic sisters dispensed icy treats and other foodstuffs to the weary, thirsty and hungry and demanded only a modest sum in recompense...

In addition to the foodstuffs, there was also a little store room that one had to pass to get to the tables and it was rumoured that someone had been murdered and robbed in there...which always caused a shiver to run down Girl's spine...

Twenty odd years later and thousands of miles away from home...Girl felt a sudden craving for the iced corn that she invariably ordered at the Summerhouse to combat the warm weather. Most fellow Malaysians would probably scorn Girl's choice as being the blandest item on the menu** but Girl is staunch in her love of this icy treat...plump kernels of corn, shaved ice, evaporated milk and syrup in a bowl is and will be Girl's choice of sweet on a Summer's day...

**in addition to iced corn, the Sisters also served Ais Kacang or Air Batu Campur (Mixed Ice) and Cendol (which has no translation)

Oak Tree Cottage Lemon Slice

This lemon slice was strongly recommended by a colleague of Girl's...recipe courtesy of Cuisine Magazine.


Ingredients

*base

125g flour
90g sugar
75g cold butter, chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon lemon zest

*filling

4 eggs
225g sugar
1/2 - 3/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons flour

Method

*base

To make the base, place the flour and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and zest and mix until the mixture forms a ball. Roll out or press into the base of a 23cm buttered springform baking tin. Bake for 20 minutes at 180ºC until just turning golden.

*filling

Meanwhile, beat together the eggs and sugar until creamy. Fold in the lemon juice and flour. Pour this mixture over the crust and bake at 180ºC for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 150ºC and bake a further 30 minutes or until the lemon mixture is set. Cool and cut into 6-8 wedges.To serve, dust with icing sugar and spoon whipped cream on the side. Serves 6-8.

Source: Recipe at Cuisine Magazine

Fried Noodles and Yummy Pork Ribs...

Fried Noodles with carrots, mung bean sprouts, garlic shoots and fish balls and Fried Pork Ribs.

You Shameless Hussy!

Girl must admit that she has a fit of the giggles everytime she sees this in the refrigerator of her local Chinese grocer's. Admittedly, the sight of a grown person having an attack of the giggles for no (seemingly) apparent reason in front of an open refrigerator must provide entertainment to the other shoppers around her...however!

The word "Wanton" according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary...

1 a archaic : hard to control : undisciplined, unruly b : playfully mean or cruel : mischievous

2 a : lewd, bawdy b : causing sexual excitement : lustful, sensual

3 a : merciless, inhumane b : having no just foundation or provocation : malicious

4 : being without check or limitation: as a : luxuriantly rank b : unduly lavish : extravagant

So if Girl wanted to overindulge in a substance that would corrupt her decorous self and cause her to abandon her morals and transform into a self-indulgent, dissipated and debauched woman of disrepute, she would have to look no further than her nearest Chinese grocer's....in which case, this seemingly innocent concatenation of flour and water is surely Asia's best kept secret...