Cupcake Memories: Life in Sydney, Australia

Had a scrumptious dinner at our home last night, much thanks to our friends who brought two delicious homecooked dishes. I made some garlic prawns with white wine. We had pineapple tarts, ondeh ondeh and fruits. The kids enjoyed themselves playing most of the time and thankfully they all ate their dinners withhout much ado.

I hope this is just the beginning of many dinners which we hope to host in the future with different other friends. For now, I need to brush up my cooking skills and add more dishes to my limited cooking list

Off all the goodies I gave away to the neighbours, pineapple jam tart is the favourite and the kids have requested for an encore of it *LOL*

Funny how everyone who are introduced to pineapple jam tarts would love it for sure. So it’s not just a Malaysian thing. I am sure if more people start making it here, it will be a very popular favourite cookie/tart.

I’ll be making another round of this for a gathering next week

I miss my crabs! Mom would usually make crabs every now and then for dinner. I slap myself for not watching or learning how my mom cooks. Now I have gained zero knowledge of cooking skills.

Unfortunately DH is allergic to crustaceans and I’m unsure if DD is too – wouldn’t want to test it on her at this stage. Thus I have never bothered trying to cook crabs.

One fine day I shall attempt that, I love crabs and prawns!

I love curry and one would never believe that I only started liking spicy food from age 18 onwards. That was when I began having nasi lemak for breakfast almost everyday. Gradually my tolerance level for spicy food has improved, thanks to the sambal that came in the nasi lemak, *LOL*

Then I learned to endure the spicyness of curry noodles, chicken, rendang, etc etc. Now I am addicted to curry and sambal. Thank goodness DH has grown to love it as much as I do although if he hasn’t eaten spicy food for a long period, his tolerance level for spicyness will drop. Too funny watching him sweat as he eats.

We are having nasi lemak tomorrow night, yum. Thanks to the many instant curry, sambal, rendang, laksa paste that I am able to enjoy my spicy food just like in Msia

Baked sweet potato wedges is yums on a cold winter’s night. Simple to prepare with minimal mess too. Simply cut them into wedges. Lightly coat with oil, sweet paprika and salt. Bake at 180C for twenty minutes. It makes a great snack … ooops snacking after dinner again! Sigh, how am I to lose weight?

Sweet potatos, I used to eat so much of them as a child.  Mom would just boil it and we’d eat it dipped with some sugar.

When I first landed here, I was a bit confused with the term “yum cha”. I wasn’t aware that it meant to go eat dim sum as how we would normally say back in Msia. I really thought “yum cha” meant to chit chat over some tea or chinese tea, hehe silly me.

I’ve gotten used to the term now but when I am back in KL, I would still revert to saying “sek dim sum” otherwise people might misunderstanding me as wanting to have something to drink

Anyway, I can’t wait to go yum cha this coming Wednesday. Fried Fish Balls, here I come!

Haha, weird recipe? I only just thought of that after we bought roasted BBQ chicken from Coles. But of course that way of cooking and eating it is only for myself. I wouldn’t feed it to DD. DH on the other hand is like most “Tong Yan”, ie likes tender juicy chicken pieces like the thighs, wings, etc.

I love Malay and Indian food very much especially their fried chicken and fish. For chicken, they really fry it and I mean really (until most Tong Yan would say it tastes like wood) but I LOVE it that way. It is no wonder my Tong Yan friends always said I’m weird.

I couldn’t be that weird if my fellow Malay and Indian friends love it that way too. I’d like to think of myself as open minded to eat things differently from my own culture, haha!

Anyway, so I’ve been cutting small strips of the BBQ chicken and pan fry them before I eat, yumm it certainly whet my appetite (not like it needed help).

One of the things I vow to learn is to cook better meals. Why? Because I believe I would have much more confidence entertaining and inviting guests to our home if I could serve something yummy and home cooked. For starters, I would probably learn to make simple yet yummy appetizers to begin with.

I actually anticipate the day when I could finally invite guests to my home to savour my culinary skills (or lack of) and perhaps some baking skill too? Meanwhile surfing the internet for recipes and tips would prove to be handy when the time comes, hopefully.

Credit: Bacon & Potato Frittata Image Copyright © myrecipes.com/recipes/appetizers

I had two of them this evening, such a pig I am. They’re my favourite and I don’t really eat them all the time. Only buy when they’re on special like AU$5 for 4 in a box. I used to love Connetto (spelling?) back in Malaysia and over there everyday is ice cream day, yumm.

Eventhough it’s Spring here but the weather is totally crazy – more Summery than anything. Good excuse for us to stuff ourselves with ice cream. We also have two boxes of Cadbury icecreams which we indulge in at night after the little one is asleep. DH would usually do the honour of scooping them. He always give me 5 or more scoops (wow!! but I don’t complain, hahaha!) in a bowl and I like mine topped with peanuts while DH likes his topped with chocolate (yucks!).

Tsk, tsk, tsk, no wonder our waistlines are non existent.

Tried the new KFC bowl meal which specific name I totally forgot. Except for the cheese topping, it had all my favourites ie mashed potato, popcorn chicken and corn kernels. DH has always cared about what I don’t eat (thanks for that dear!) and so he ordered that meal and requested for no cheese topping. He asks for no cheese also when he buys burgers for me that actually comes with cheese and he also asks for no ice in my coke or pepsi. Like I said before, sometimes the little things that he does makes me forgive all the big things he angered me about *LOL*

Anyway I liked the bowl meal. Priced at $6.50 per bowl it is not too pricey nor cheap either. It’s very filling though. Mmmmm … gee, shouldn’t have blogged about this … I’m starting to crave for it.