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Comfort Food

3 Jun

I don’t profess to be a good chef but sometimes when the mood hits, I can proudly say I can cook up a storm. It was exam week last week and M2 was stressing and studying like a possessed being. So I try to play my part and help her by making comfort food over the weekend before exams started.

Initially I thought I would try the bacon cheese sandwich recipe that was shared on Facebook but she said bacon is bad and one would die from eating it. She couldn’t be more direct on this matter. So rather than insisting and stressing her out even more, I asked what would she like and she requested for the potato pizza that I had made before.

But this time, I used baby spinach with ham. The first time being prosciutto garnishing the usual cheeses, fresh mushrooms and baby tomatoes, while the second was with tuna and romaine lettuce. The outcome? Just as good as the previous attempts!

You can check out the original recipe at www.tastemade.com/videos/bismarck-potato-pizza

  

My Bathroom Scale Hates Me

27 May

The past two nights, I have been eating out instead of at home. When friends invite, we must be polite and don’t decline if we can make it, right? I had a golf game on Wednesday, followed by dinner after the game. Then on Thursday, another game and another dinner.

Tonight, yet another big feast awaits. A friend is buying dinner because she played well in a golf tournament recently. And as if these nightly dinners are not enough, a 21st birthday celebration dinner was slotted in unexpectedly for Saturday night! Four days in a row and this is culminated with yet another dinner on Sunday night to conclude my Club’s Annual Championship tournament which I participated two weeks ago.

With such frequent hearty intakes, I reluctantly stand on my bathroom scale and I can feel its disapproval. It hates me to no end. I have let it down by succumbing to all these feast. And I don’t even eat a lot. Then again if every morsel is tried in moderation, it’s still a lot and subconsciously, I can feel my waistline expanding. Not good. My personal trainer will most like have a field day grinding me to a pulp next week if she sees any change in my contours. Gulp!

We mortals are weaklings when it comes to food. A girlfriend said to me, she is on a ‘see food diet’ which is exactly what it is. Whenever she sees food, she eats because that’s her diet. I laughed so hard at her matter-of-fact explanation and wished if only my bathroom scale shared her sentiments. Sigh… my bathroom scale hates me.

 

The Wednesday feast

  

Highlight of Thursday’s dinner

  

The Thursday spread

 

A Different Kind of Celebration

12 Apr

April is a special month. Not only it is the month of my birthday, it is also Mom’s and the twins’ birthdays. Dad was also an April baby.

Typically every year, it would just be a sit down dinner around town especially for Mom’s birthday followed by coffee and dessert at home. This year, we opted for a different kind of celebration. Combining all three birthdays for a one-day celebration, we had a really enjoyable time.

The evening started off with a Japanese buffet with a slight twist. We had to grill our own order which was quite time consuming but fun. The grill setup was smoke free, the choices pretty good and we chose what we fancied. I felt like a lion that night, consuming all that protein.

After the sumptuous meal, we were all ready… for bowling! Told you it would be different.

And you know what? I am terrible at it! I was consistently getting a dash for one of the two bowl attempts in each and every frame, it was almost embarrassing. Even Mom chuckled at my ability or should I say, inability. 

After two rounds of bowling, everyone was pumped from the excitement but tired plus it was getting late. We then headed to my sibling’s for the birthday cake.

This year, we all shared a cake. My niece took pains to bake a four colored cheese cake until the wee hours of the morning. She said each color was to represent each of us, which was really sweet and thoughtful.

The zesty lemon cheesecake was good. Not only I had seconds, I had three helpings. Burp…

Today is Mom’s actual special day, so Happy birthday Mom, happy belated birthday twins and happy advanced birthday me!

 

Beef? Bacon? Prawns? No problem!

  

Colorful bowling balls

  

Pink, Orange, Green and Blue, one color for each!

 

Hot and Windy Again

26 Feb

We spent the morning looking for a place to eat breakfast. At nine in the morning, nothing was open as Patong Beach is more of a nocturnal area and we ended up in Burger King. Dissatisfied with the choice, we walked around to kill time and ventured to a Pork Noodle stall which opened at ten and had their noodles to our satisfaction.

Then off we went to Red Mountain Golf Club. Another hot and windy day, the place was less crowded and very enjoyable. Up and down the mountains we went, thank goodness the caddies were good drivers. Today I had two Singha beers and played much better. Heheh.

But the flight in front of us delayed our pace of play and we had to rush a little bit in order to make it to dinner at Tunk-Ka Cafe on Phuket Hill because we made reservations. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and decided to go for a good rubdown. Well deserved I think.

And when you think you’re having a good time, the getaway draws to an end soon.

Tomorrow we play our last game at Blue Canyon in the morning before catching the flight home. Gosh! Can’t believe it that the pass two days have gone by so fast.

   
    
    
 

Hot and Windy

25 Feb

This morning we had breakfast at the hotel before heading to Loch Palm Golf Club. Today’s outing was very hot but very windy. Half the time, I removed my cap for fear of it flying off my head. Then again, thank goodness for the wind, else I would have melted. For someone who golfs so much, I simply cannot stand the heat.

Several times, the tongue slipped and ‘Loch Ness’ was mentioned instead of ‘Loch Palm’. I thought it was funny but it was not when the lakes swallowed several of my golf balls! Goodness, what was wrong with me this morning? Nonetheless, I fared so much better on the back nine especially after downing a can of cold Singha.

Maybe that was what I needed. A cold beer.

After a quick lunch at the clubhouse, we then headed back to Patong area to check out the shops lining the streets. The heat was unbearable, such a scorcher and I could feel my bare calves burning. It’s just too hot to walk the streets and collectively, we decided to go back to our rooms to rest. And just as well so that I can catch up with my virtual games. 

By evening, we all met up for dinner and ventured to Mr Good’s Seafood. And as always, we would go into 7-11 and pick up snacks from there. It is always exciting to discover new flavors and try them.

As we wind down for the day, it has been good. Tomorrow we have a noon-time tee off at Red Mountain Golf Club. For once, we can sleep in. Yay.

  

   

Bright and hot day!

  

Lunch at Loch Palm

  

Dinner at Mr Good’s

   
   

Pre-Chap Goh Meh Dinner

22 Feb

The family actually had the Chap Goh Meh dinner last night instead of tonight, calling it the Pre-Chap Goh Meh dinner. A simple family get together for another hearty meal.

Having the dinner yesterday was a good decision as it was a Sunday and plenty of time for preparation. If dinner was held tonight, being a work and school day, preparations may not be so smooth and we would all end up having a late dinner and a long day.

As always with family occasions, it turned out well despite a lesser spread than the Reunion Dinner menu but this was not important. More important is the fact that with this occasion complete, and today being the 15th day of Chinese New Year, it marks the last day for celebrating. No more monkeying around the Year of the Monkey, pun intended.

I need a break from all this eating!

  

I Gotta Do Something

18 Feb

This constant eating or should I say, over eating, is getting to me and I decided not to wait until after Chap Goh Meh to do something about it.

On Monday (night), being the 8th day of Chinese New Year, we were visiting a friend and the food spread beckoned. Oh dear, I was actually still feeling stuffed from lunch! I was cautious and conscious to eat in moderation. I even minimised my beer intake because my Liz Claiborne pants never felt so tight. Groan…

The next day, there was another Yee Sang dinner scheduled with our Tuesday Food Club friends but I opted out because I had to send M2 to her tuition class; hubby went for the dinner alone.

On Wednesday morning, I decided to walk and play 9-holes of golf in anticipation of yet another Yee Sang meal ahead, lunch with my office staff. I think it’s the least I can do for now. I managed to burn 282kcal in my 5.8km walk, recorded by my Mi Band.

There’s still the finale Chap Goh Meh big feast ahead and who knows, some impromptu in between meals may crop up. So I gotta do something to reduce my guilt and my waistline…Today, I will walk 9-holes again. I need to.

Back to Normal?

15 Feb

The long stretch of the Chinese New Year holiday is over as we go back to work today. Are things back to normal? Yes and no.

The weekday routine remains the same; M2 is back in school with her extra curricular hours as before the break and work in the office continues where we had left off. It is only up to here that things seem normal. 

Beyond this, my pants feel tighter as I am pretty sure my waistline have expanded, what with all that eating or should I say excessive eating, and there are several more Yee Sang tossing lunch/dinner sessions lined up, so how can this be back to normal?

I guess I just have to face it until Chap Goh Meh, then it’s really back to normal.

The Eating Continues

12 Feb

It is the fifth day of Chinese New Year and today, we will eat the traditional ‘Mee Sua’ when we see my Mom shortly. This traditional noodle dish that she cooks every year during this festivity as well as during birthdays, comes with two hard boiled eggs, some meat and served with soup signifies the person being a year older, upon consumption, and wiser to face the new year. It is nice when tradition is still kept alive. Bless Mom for this.

Today we will also visit some relatives and I foresee more eating, if not a hearty meal, at least munching on cookies and sweet offerings, typically found during this time. I have not stepped on my scale in the bathroom. Maybe after Chap Goh Meh… Then the workouts will begin but until then, the eating continues.

It’s All About Eating

11 Feb

Chinese New Year is all about eating. Traffic was not that bad when we traveled on Monday. And when we arrived, we had a late lunch. Then an early dinner.

The next day, it was a full three meals, starting with Roti Canai for breakfast and lunch, a home-cooked spread at an aunty’s place. As for dinner, we drove to Kuala Kedah to enjoy a sunset before having dinner at the seafood restaurant nearby the coast. Burp.

Thank goodness by Wednesday, the third day of Chinese New Year, we went off to play golf at Darulaman Golf Club. I should say a necessity so that I don’t feel so guilty with all these intake; burnt some calories I sure did. Lunch and dinner were again meals at home.

Today we head on home, after a meal of course. Hopefully traffic will be smooth. All in all, it has been all about eating more than catching up with family. 

Seafood galore at Kuala Kedah