Rice Paper Spring Rolls

Let me share with you a simple and healthy recipe. This recipe uses rice paper so it is a rice paper spring roll. The rice paper is transparent and round shaped. It is traditionally used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. I found it easy to prepare and most of all it is very healthy, depending on what you fill it with. For me, I use a lot of salad leaf and maybe a few slices of cooked chicken meat. It is yummy and addictive. You can buy the rice paper  from an Oriental Shop in your place but be careful though do not be confused with the Chinese spring roll skin, if you accidentally bought it you will need to deep fried it instead.

For the fillings, you will need a bowl of mixed salad leaf and some sliced cooked chicken meat or artificial crab meat, tears it apart. First you will need a bowl of warm water. use this  to wet the rice paper skin when the texture changed to resemble wet plastic lift it up and gently pat with paper towel. Lay it flat on a clean wide plate and take a handful of salad leaf and some cooked chicken slices and roll it into a spring roll. It is so easy. You can dip it in Thai Chilli Sauce if you do not mind the spicy taste. I can eat three or four huge rolls. You can buy the Sauce from an Oriental Supermarket.

Rice Paper Skin.

Warm Water to wet the Rice Paper.

Roll up your Salad Leaf and Sliced Cooked Meat.

Enjoy it with Thai Chilli Sauce.



Cloisonné Mandarin Ducks,

During one of our trips to Hong Kong I was determined not to come back empty handed. In the evening we took a walk along Jordan Road and seen the usual touristy souvenirs but they did not interest me as much as these pair of Mandarin Duck, a girl and a boy. I bought it just to have something to remember me by of the trip to the former British Colony. These Mandarin Duck was a cloisonné duck. To create a cloisonné item, wires are first needed to be placed on the item in the desired design.  Then the spaces in between are filled with layers of coloured enamel. Finally, the item is fired and polished. The result is a uniquely beautiful work of art. In the world of feng shui these pair of mandarin duck symbolises love and fidelity.

A Pair of cloisonné  Mandarin Duck.

Mom's Cooking is the Best

I like good food so once a while when I go back home to mum’s place she will cook up a storm so to say! I always look forward to her cooking. In fact I have learnt so much from watching her in the kitchen conjuring her dishes that I now could also cook some of her delicious and unforgettable dishes. I remember when I was a teenager I always had my birthday celebrated and she would cook five to six dishes and my friends would look forward to attend my birthday party. She stills cook nowadays but by special request as she could not bear to stand too long now because of her leg problem. Well mom thanks for all those years of toiling in the kitchen whenever there is a homecoming. You are the best!



Mouth Watering Home Cooked Food.



Lamb Chops.



Sweet and Sour Crabs hubby's Favourites



Mom's Delicious Spreads








  



  



 

 

Unforgettable Country and Western Round Up Albums

When we were growing up in the 1960s we often listened to these Countries and Western vinyls. I knew all the songs and like it all very much. These two LP was special because it was given to my uncle, who at that time was working with the Water Work Department in that town. The person that gave these LP was an S Sgt’s With the Royal Australian Engineer. They were stationed there during that time. I heard that my uncle use to visit their camp. Whatever the stories were, these LP introduces me to all those great Country and Western Singers which otherwise I would not have known. I came to know the singers like George Jones, Rex Allen and Leroy Van Dyke. To this day I still enjoy the songs by George Jones and count myself very lucky indeed to have the opportunity to listen to those hits of that time.





Johnny Horton Sing The S.S. Lureline and other great Countries and Western Singers.

Featured the Greatest Countries and Western Singers.
Below The Songs they Sing.



Scones for Tea

Where shall we go for tea? The question we always ask and never got tired of. What shall we have for tea? I call it our leisure time. Leisure is perhaps as important as work. When we work continuously for several hours we feel very tired. After a little relaxation, we can work more energetically and efficiently. Regardless of whatever work you are doing, tea break is a good thing if it is not abuse. I am a scone freak and so is my good friend Lucy. It has been the norm these few weeks to have tea and maybe a good plate of scones over at her place.  This is the time of day when we had the update of our daily activity.  Scone has been the most frequent tea item; it is fast and easy to whip up. Here I would like to share my recipes. There are two scones recipes, Simple Scone and Rolled Oat Scone.

Simple Scone

200g Self Raisin Flour

¼ Tsp Salt

50g Brown Sugar

50g Butter

45g Cream

50g Dried Cranberries

50g Almond Strips

A Little Flour for Dusting

1 Egg

1 Egg Yolk for Brushing

In a big bowl, sift the flour. Stir in the salt and sugar.  Dice and blend in the butter until mixtures resemble fine breadcrumbs.  Add the cream and egg. Add the dried cranberries and almond strips. Use your fingers to mix the contents to soft but not sticky dough. Add a little flour if it’s sticky.

Turn dough onto a floured surface, knead quickly, and do not over mix. Roll out and use a round cutter to cut into require thickness.

Place scones on tray lined with greaseproof paper, brush top with egg wash. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 Degree C. for 15 minutes or till golden brown.

Serve warm, can be kept in fridge for a week and heat it up when desired.

Add the Ingredients Accordingly.

Roll Dough onto Floured Surface.

Use a Round Pastry Cutter to Cut the Dough.

Place Scones on Baking Tray

Rolled Oat Scone

180g SRF

50g Rolled Oats

¼ Tsp Salt

50g Brown Sugar

50g Butter

1 Egg

35g Cream

25g Mixed Peel

25g Almond Strips

1 Egg for Brushing

Cold Water to Mix as and when necessary

In a big bowl sift flour, add the salt then diced in the butter, mix until crumbly. Combine the rolled oats, brown sugar, mixed peel and almond strips, add these to the flour mixtures. Pour in the cream and lightly beaten egg. Knead mixtures into soft dough. If it is sticky dust with a little flour.

Roll out onto a floured surface. Cut with round pastry cutter, arrange onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Brush top with egg wash and bake in a preheated oven at 160 Degree. C. for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or keep in the fridge for 1 week and heat it when desired.

Petite Scones

Tea Break with Scones

Garden of Fruits

I recalled the delightful days when I was at my family home. I could never get tired of the vast garden and the surrounding area. I enjoy myself very much just to take a stroll among the plants and trees. It is like an enchanted garden, with plenty of greenery, which now, is hard to find in an ever rapidly changing landscape. It may be a weakness to always look back into the past but such weaknesses are praiseworthy, at least it acts as a reminder of home.

Fruit trees of various types can be found here, there were the star fruit, mangosteen , citrus fruit, passion fruit, rambutan, mangoes of various flavours  and avocado to name but a few of it.

Various type of Fruits.



Passion Fruit, can be made into a refreshing drink.

Well Kept Rambutan Tree, my favourite spot in this Garden.

Mangosteen, Fruit.



Tea Towel Souvenir

If you were fortunate enough to travel, the first thing that came to mind was, what type of souvenirs shall I buy for myself and friends back home. Well, for me, I like to buy practical stuffs that are light and easy to pack into the luggage. That was where this linen tea towel came in handy.
 It’s popular in Great Britain. In fact that was how I first got interested in collecting my first tea towel. I have collected a few of it.
Each tea towel has a story to tell of distant land and sometimes strange peoples. As I look through the tea towel collections, I can follow the history of the place. Travel then gives a character of experience to our knowledge.
If all these time you’ve been a tad ignorant of its worthiness, now you can, perhaps, choose to buy it as a souvenir the next time you travel to a distant country and you will definitely agree that it will make an excellent gift.

Scottish Tea Towel

Tea Towel with Traditional Welsh Recipes

Tells the Story of Australia

Crepe Paper Roses

I am an avid crafter’s fan. I have done a few projects which has turned out remarkably well and quite satisfactorily. To start a project no matter if it is big or small, you must be enthusiastic about wanting to do it. As I deliberate on what I should put into my empty vases, I told myself maybe I should make my own paper flower, to buy it whether real or artificial can be quite expensive. I have seen on The Martha Steward show how they make giant crepe paper roses. I eventually set about to make my own roses with instructions from Martha Steward site of course. I beam with great satisfaction when I cast my eyes on my own work.

Giant Crepe Paper Rose

It Looks so Beautiful

Miniature Dahlia

Elegantly fills my Vase

Pine Tree

I have a special attraction for pine trees, ever since from young I have associate this tree with the Christmas seasons. I like the pleasant smell of the pine leaves and also for the simple thing that it produces pine cone. I remember very well that I use to collect all the pine cones at the family home. My dad  planted the trees along the border of the fence . At that time  he over look the fact that it can grow  very tall indeed, and a few time some of it were even strikes by lightning. Pine cones were crafters favourite and I know I am one of them. I even spray paint some of my cone collection. You can spray it with any colour you like; I usually spray mine in gold. I have some bigger size cone given by a friend who brought it back from New Zealand and I made it into Christmas craft with red ribbon.

Pine Trees at the gateway of the family home

Tall Pine Trees

Pine Cone I like to pick!

Cones that I have collected

Jasmine plant

These are jasmine trees; I took these pictures from the garden of my apartment. These jasmine trees were planted along the fence border. Every morning after my workout I like to walk around the garden. As you approach the garden you can smell the perfume of the jasmines flowers as it permeates the air around the area. The jasmine garden is an enchanting place to relax your mind, they provide opportunity to refresh ourselves in the open air and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Beautiful Jasmine Trees

Jasmine Garden

Jasmine flowers in bloom

Birthday gift

When I was 16 year old a neighbour gave me this beautiful porcelain statue of an English lady as a birthday present. Although it was made in Taiwan and not a fine bone china, I was delighted to be given such a beautiful object. I was captivated by her sweet and serene face. Never had I felt such thrill of pleasure and from that moment on, it taught me to appreciate thing. The next item was a toothpick holder from Hungary; this petite item was given to me by a good friend, Amy. Both gave me endless moment of pleasure. To me it does not have to be costly in order to enjoy the beauty of things.

Gifts from friends; Top:  Porcelain Statue  Below: Toothpick Holder from Hungary.

Holland Delftware Clogs in blue, pleasant to behold

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Scottish White Heather

I received this plastic wrapped gift of genuine Scottish White Heather from a friend of mine in Glasgow, Scotland a few years ago. It says it is believed by Scots from time immemorial to bring good luck to the holder. Now that is what I would like to have, plenteous of luck! Looking at it reminds me of my friend and of course Glasgow City. Next time I will write more on my stay there.

Gift contains genuine Scottish White Heather.

Black and White Classic Movies

I can still remembered it vividly, when I was younger, my father came back from town and told my mom that he had ordered a 24 inches television set for the family. Everyone was so excited and could not believe it, wow! our own t.v.? How lucky  we were at that time? not every family could afford that. It cost quite a bit too. I think we were the first family to have a t.v. in that town. Television has just made an entry into our country and the broadcasting of t.v. programmes were few. I remember the radio television station broadcast for only twice a week.

The programmes televised were mostly cowboys series, we got to watch The Rifleman, The Twilight Zone, Petticoat Junctions and some classic movies like A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Then there was this epic magnificent movie which had left a great impact on me, The Green Dolphin Street. At that time movie was shown the full length almost 3 hours long, no censored unlike now. Then there was Romeo and Juliet starred Leslie Howard as Romeo, brilliant movie. MayTime is another of my favourite and of course  Gas Light with beautiful Ingrid Bergman.

Well, one must not deprives him or herself of any pleasure in life if you feel like watching a classic movie after reading this article or feels curious whether it is your taste or not, why not give it a try. There are many of it on You Tube and the other source is the Internet Archives , TCM or Turner Classic Movies or you can buy it online  or at your video shop.

  

Below are the links to some of the above video trailers

  

   http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/9859/Green-Dolphin-Street-Original-Trailer-.htmlhttp://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/9859/Green-Dolphin-Street-Original-Trailer-.html





The first tv we had.

 

  


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My Family Garden

Today I will  post some pictures of flowering plants which I think are beautiful  and if you got no time to go out there and enjoy God's artistic masterpiece meaning the  beauty of nature, well then,  its time to take a break. The sight of a lively garden is always very refreshing and you'll experience renewed zest and vigour, now who wouldn't want that?

 These pictures were taken from my family garden which is 5 acres of beautiful flat land. Mum like gardening and she has got green fingers. Her collections of plant ranges from the commonest to the exotic looking type like the orchids. Whenever I visit her I like to walk around the garden to snap photograph of all the blooming plants. There was always some beautiful flower in full bloom with amazing colours.



Plants of all types

Pink Dahlia



Marigold grew abundantly

Red Amaryllis

Tropical Plants



These are plant and flower in my family home garden. Awesome!