Strawberry Picking

I found an interesting berry orchard when I had a peep at ahhan's blog 2 weeks ago. I love strawbery and of cause picking them. For those who never been to orchard picking here, in the States, especially my friends in M'sia, we just need to pay for the 'box', and you can eat and pick as MUCH as strawberry you can in the orchard for FREE. Some apple farms didn't even ask you to pay for the box or plastic bag, but you just need to pay for whatever you pick and intend to buy them home, meaning FREE eating and pay only if you want to buy....*geek*...I think this is really a fun part of staying in the States which we get to do alot of activities during the various seasons!

Last Sunday, we're able to get to the Grayson's Berryland with a bunch of good friends. The good thing about this berryland is it only take 20 mins drive from our place. Good weather, good companies, sweet & sour strawberry! ^^

The entrance...

Get set...ready...we GOooooooooo!!!!

Try to be funny huh??? =p

Busy picking, chit-chatting, laughing, photo taking...

Keep laughing...

Picking strawberry seriously...

=)

The creations of natural mother...

Strawberry forest

The girls ^^

Just me =)

The macho arm...New Ad. for the Grayson's Berryland? LOL!!!

A customer, A friend

As some of you may know that I'm running my little tiny name sticker business right now. Back to few months ago, someday in the middle of April, a lady from London, UK has ordered few sets of the Hello Kitty name sticker for her daughter and relatives in M'sia...wohooOo..Malaysia, my home sweet home...since this lady has a Chinese last name and for a million reasons of my curiosity, we got to know a little for each other through emails. I knew that she was a Mauritian born Chinese and currently staying in London, UK.

2 weeks ago, she came back again for another few sets of sticker. We kind of keep in touch again through writing emails...and guess what? We're chatting with each other in google chat an hour ago...we got to know each other more this time...she is a Hakka with a Lee as last name, which is exactly same as LKM...what a match ;p

I feel so glad that my 'customers' do like and appreciate my stickers, and every time their feedbacks mean so much to me. It's not only about the business, but my hard work, effort, and perhaps.... a Friendship....

The Last Lecture

Synopsis
The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.

Size Length: 206 pages
Height: 7.3 in.
Width: 5.5 in.
Thickness: 0.8 in.
Weight: 10.4 oz.
ISBN: 978-1-4013-2325-7

Publisher's Note
A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy? When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

*************************************************

It has been ages since I last read a book. Recently, I am reading this book that I accidentally found in Barns & Noble. Actually it wasn't accidentally, I purposely looking for book under the Self-Encouragement section. And, I found this!

Although I'm just at the first 20 pages, it make me want to continue to read more. I found this a really inspirational and touching true story book seeing this Professor's optimism and strong wish to share and present his last lecture or speech during his terminal stage of pancreatic cancer. This book reminds me how precious it is to have time, health, and love among people you loved and love you. It is like I am attending the real speech.

Well, if you want to know how the entire story goes, then you will have to get a copy of this book! It is cheaper if you get it from ebay or amazon, I got it 30% off from the Barns & Noble. =)

My first Creme Brulee

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I just got a set of ramekinds. Since I've all the ingredients needed to make Creme Brulee, I baked few yesterday. The recipe I have is a super duper easy, simple one that doesn't need any special skill, even if you do not have any basic baking skill, you can still bake a yummy Creme Brulee. It took me less than 15 mins before putting them into the oven.

Continue for the recipe...

~Creme Brule~

Preparation:
1. 5 ramekins (I used 7 oz ramekins, so this recipe portion only can filled 3 pieces of 7 oz ramekins, so the quantity of ramekin is depends on your size of ramekin)
2. Few sheets of aluminium foil.
3. Preheat Oven to 150 C/300F.

.

Ingredients:
250 ml whipping cream (in liquid form)

45 grams sugar

20 grams muscovado (Black sugar)

5 Egg yolks
Few drops vanilla essence

Method:
1. Put egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk until thick and pale.
2. Blend in whipping cream and vanilla essence to #1.
3. Fill ramekins with the custard mixure (#1 + #2 ) to 4/5 full. Cover with aluminium foil.
4. Bake at 150C/300F for 40 minutes in hot water bath.
5. Allow to cool and chill for 2 hours. Sprinkle with muscovado and return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes.
6. Relax and enjoy ! ^.O

A little note of myself:
-Creme Brulee is really a nice and wonderful dessert for party or family gathering!
-I cut the sugar to 40 grams.
-I didn't put the vanilla essence, I usually do not add this to keep the naturality.
-I didn't measure the amout of the muscovado but just sprinkle around the Creme Brulee.

My new "TOYS"

I like to peep baking or cooking blogs and make a special meal when we have company, or just for my family. This time, when I came back from NY, I brought a cake and dessert book that we bought few years ago when we back to M'sia. I always wanted to try the Creme Brulee and Lemon Souffles. I've compared the price of ramekins ( a small glazed ceramic baking bowl ) and still couldn't make any decision, cause they are NOT CHEAP. For your information, bakewares are expensive! Anyhow, when we went to the Corningware outlet storehere last Saturday, LKM bought me a set of 4 ramekins with a reasonable price, and it was BUY 3 Get 1 FREE! ;) He said I can bake him some good stuffs, but deep in my heart I knew that he gets me the ramekin set so I don't get bored at home and keep myself busy by doing stuff that I like! =p

Yesterday, when we went for grocery, I bought a pack of my lovely flower seed, Gerbera. Also, a self painting pot from Michaels. I never done any planting or gardening nor paiting (I'm not an art person, and I can only draw lidi man ;p ) before, but all in sudden I have the 'feel' to plant flower in our place, as I mentioned before that flowers make my day. Of cause I would like to experience the process of planting a seed, till the day I see the blooming flower. About the pot painting, I just feel like I want to try and learn different thing in my life, to make it more colorful and interesting. =)

Tagged by June June

A tag from my buddy June June!

Once you've been tagged, you have to write a post with sixteen random things, habits or goals about you.At last, choose five people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them.

OK...I'm really going to write 16 random things, habits or goals that you didn't know about me..hehe...


1. Some of my friends think I am too obsessive Organic, but I think I'm just health and environmental concern.

2. I think egg and tofu are the best delicious food in the world, I can eat them with anything, and in the rest of my life.

3. I always wanted to be a teacher, I think I'll be a teacher if I never came to the States.

4. I'm my hubby's first gf, and he is my first bf too! I think married life is great and precious!

5. I'm a chicken, sometimes I dare not to go to bathroom alone in the dark, and I hold LKM's hand or sleeve tightly in sleep.

6. I was a drum major and a volleyball school team in my primary school.

7. I'm proud of myself of my knowledge in Chinese or Mandarin, I love writing Chinese characters and calligraphy.

8. I love and I'm creative at baking and cooking. I can sit in front of the laptop whole day for searching new recipes. Home baking is the funniest hobby for me!!!!

8. I never knew how hard it was to raise a child until I became a yeeyee of my nephew, Ivan; and it's just part time babysitting!

9. I started to love the country I'm living now-The States. If I were have the fate, I'll want to stay at this lovely place.

10. If I'm affordable, I wish to have 3 kids..haha!!! I want to have 2 boys 1 girl. If ONLY we are affordable... =p

11. I can live without a TV, but not my laptop ;P

12. I used to be a very permissive person, I changed much better after knowing the Love from God. Also, I used to afraid of failures, but now I see them as a stepping stone in life.

13. As age grows, I started to love cool colors like black, grey, dark blur, dark brown and etc...especially, I like my blanket, bed, and pillow sheet in these colors cause they make me feel comfortable!

14. I wish LKM and me can have a Home Sweet Home here soon, to do what we want to do, and achive our goals. =)

15. I learn to be appreciative and thankful for what God has given to me. Living meaningful life for me is loving, giving, and sharing with everyone.

16. Writing this note gave me an opportunity to reflect on life on where I am and where I want to be.

Now I'd like to tag 5 people:

1. Bee- Please share anything about u and D, family and life in Melb although I knew many things already =p , share something that I didn't know.

2. YS- Let me know more about you, except those time in Kentucky!

3. PuiHan- Random things I didn't know about yourself and James.

4. Ms.Wong@ Feai Voon-wei, don't diam diam at Elizabeth, please updated about yourself OK!

5. Ken Hong, Jun Hian & TseHui- I miss you guys alot, now you all young adult, and I'm no longer a JieJie, time flies...tell me about life in M'sia Yay!!!

6. KokSuPing-I'm glad that after so many years we still keep in touch with each other, tell me more about you K! ;>

Surprise!!!

When I was still in NY, LKM told me that he is working on something for me, a gift for me for our 1st anniversary. He said it is something that I can see, play, and eat. HE is the type that not soso romantic (may be just 50-60%), in stead of getting me a luxury jewelry or branded handbag, he will rather buy me useful things that he thinks I need, make me something with his creative brain (such as video clip), draw me pictures, or a fantastic meal, and NO flower from him (he said that is "wasting" those flowers' life @@)....last but not least, he loves to give me SURPRISE...

...Ta-Da...

This is the something that I can see, play and eat...

A lovely scrapbook that jot down our journey...

in the past Springs, Summers, Falls and Winters... (if you notice, he used some recyclable material like box, paper bag, dried leaves & small stem (=

For me, I always think that scrapbook is a girl dish stuff ;p but he did it for me...when I first see this book, I was so shock and touching...he told me he spent few nights working on them! I wonder how did he gets the ideal of making me a scrapbook, he said he has been doing 'research' on scrapbook for long...I even saw a scrapbook pictures folder on his laptop's desktop ;D

Thank You, LKM~~*

ArrGgggggggHHH...

One more time, when I was preparing his lunch just now....ArGgggggggggHh..

I was curious that i didn't hear his voice, and he wasn't in the living room...and...

I really wanted to bite his back.....

Soft Cotton Japanese Cheesecake

*wink*A very super duper good Jap. cheesecake, thanks Jenny for the recipe!!! *wink*

Here's the recipe:

Servings: 12

Comments:This cheesecake really lives up to it's name. It is very light and soft. My family and friends like it and I hope you do too.

Ingredients:

140g/5 oz. fine granulated sugar

6 egg whites

6 egg yolks

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

50g/2 oz. butter

250g/9 oz. cream cheese

100 ml/3 fluid oz. fresh milk

1 tbsp. lemon juice

60g/2 oz. cake flour /superfine flour

20g/1 oz. cornflour (cornstarch)

1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions:

1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. (I whisked till medium - soft peaks for my 2nd attempt)

3. Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and mix well. Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (Lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). (In my 1st attempt, I used a 9" spring form pan, on the 2nd attempt, I used a 7" spring form & a 6" regular round cake pan)

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degrees C or 325 degrees F.

Enjoy!!! =)