Spaghetti with onion and zucchini

Yes, I hear you... "Zucchini again?"

As I've mentioned before, I would usually cook dishes with repeated ingredients one after another coz I bought too many, or because they were cheaper when bought in sets of 2 or more. But this round, it was not as 'stressful' since I was only cooking for the husband and myself. ;)

Linguine with zucchini and onions (adapted from "Thirty Minute Pasta by Giuliano Hazan")

Serves 4

Ingredients :

1 medium to large sweet yellow onion

4 tablespoons butter

Salt

1 ¼ pounds zucchini

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound linguine

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions :

1.     Fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts of water, place over high heat and bring to a boil.

2.     Peel the onions and very thinly slice them crosswise. Put the butter in a 12-inch skillet, add the sliced onions, and place over medium-high heat. Season lightly with salt and saute until the onions begin to turn a rich, golden colour, 6 to 8 minutes.

3.     While the onions are sauteing, wash the zucchini, cut off the ends, and slice into half moons about ¼ inch thick.

4.     When the onions are ready, add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini are quite tender and have started lightly browning, 12 to 15 minutes.

5.     After the zucchini have cooked about 10 minutes, add about 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling pasta water, add the linguine, and stir until all the strands are submerged. Cook until al dente.

6.     When the pasta is done, drain well, toss with the sauce and the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and serve at once.

Spaghetti with sausage and zucchini

After dunno-how-many months, the cooking finally started again. Actually the husband was the one who "pushed" me to start cooking coz he had been harping on how long it has been since he last had home-cooked pasta. *Thanks for the 'vote' of confidence, dear!* ;p

Since it would be a meal for 6, I chose something simple and easy to cook.

Spaghetti with sausage and zucchini (adapted from "Thirty Minute Pasta by Giuliano Hazan)
Serves 4

Ingredients :

½ medium yellow onion

3 tablespoons butter

8 ounces plain pork sausages

12 ounces zucchini

Salt

1 pound fresh tomatoes

1 pound fusilli (shells are also good)

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions :

1.     Fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts of water, place over high heat and bring to a boil.

2.     Peel and finely chop the onion. Put the butter in a 12-inch skillet, add the chopped onion, and place over medium-high heat. Saute until the onion just begins to turn a rich, golden colour, about 5 minutes.

3.     While the onion is sauteing, remove the casing from the sausage and break it up into pieces. When the onion is ready, add the sausage to the pan. Break the sausage up into small pieces with a wooden spoon and cook, stirring often, until the sausage is slightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.

4.     While the sausage is cooking, wash the zucchini. Remove the ends, cut into quarters lengthwise, and then cut across into ½-inch chunks. When the sausage has lightly browned, add the zucchini. Season lightly with salt and cook until the zucchini begins to brown and is mostly tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

5.     While the zucchini is cooking, peel the tomatoes and coarsely chop them. When the zucchini is ready, add the tomatoes and season lightly with salt, and cook until most of the liquid the tomatoes release has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.

6.     When the tomatoes are halfway done, add about 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling pasta water, add the fusilli, and stir well. Cook until al dente.

7.     When the pasta is done, drain well, toss with the sauce and the grated cheese, and serve at once.

Auntie Tips (32)

Tip 1:
To retain the elasticity of socks, tie a rubber band around them before putting in the washing machine.

Tip 2:
For undiluted iced lemon tea, make your ice cubes with tea instead of water.

Tip 3:
To keep your stove sparkling, clean it with crumpled newspaper dabbed in water and detergent, then wipe down with damp newspaper.

Tip 4:
Dry glassware with muslin cotton nappies to leave free of water stains.

Tip 5:
Use hot water in an aromatherapy burner for the fragrance to be released faster.

From : Simply Her - Jun 2008

Auntie Tips (31)

Tip 1:
To remove the odour from raw food, rub a few coffee beans on your hands - this releases their oils and absorbs the smell.

Tip 2:
To treat oil stains on garments, moisten and sprinkle talcum powder or plain flour on them. Leave for 15 minutes, then wash with soap and warm water.

Tip 3:
To keep cakes moist for longer, store them in a box with half an apple in it.

Tip 4:
To get your nails whiter, scrub with whitening toothpaste or soak in water with lemon juice.

Tip 5:
When cooking hard-boiled eggs, add a pinch of salt to the water - this makes it easier to peel off the shell.

Tip 6:
Add some vinegar to the water you use to mop your ceramic floor to keep it shiny.

From : Simply Her - May 2008

Hong Kong Day 4 (31 Aug 2011)

So after finding out where Sweet Dynasty was, we decided to go back for breakfast since we didn't have the appetite for its dim sum yesterday.

Since this was our last day in Hong Kong, there was nothing much on the agenda and we took our time to eat. 

And since there was still some time left after breakfast before we had to return to the hotel to pack up, I managed to drag the husband for a walk (under the very hot late morning sun) at Avenue of Stars. Because...

And I just realised that the metal plate on the barrier was kind-of "strategically placed"... 

Hong Kong Day 3 (30 Aug 2011)

"I forgot when was the first time we met. But I know from the moment I laid eyes on you, the attraction was instant. There was no turning back from then on."

Isn't he the cutest and silliest looking thing ever? Haha. Meet McDull.

To be honest, one of the reason I wanted to go to Hong Kong at this time is because McDull was in Madame Tussards! Look at the Peak Tram ticket.

Before that, we had a delicious late breakfast at Mak's Noodles, a small restaurant that was Michelin recommended. We both agreed that this was much better than the one we had the previous night at the more high-class restaurant.

As for Madame Tussards, compared to the time we were here about 3 years ago, there were some new additions...

... and of course, not forgetting my favourite... hehe...

Before we left the peak, we managed to have sort of a tea break at one of the restaurants there. The husband had the fried pork bun, and I had the noodles with luncheon meat and egg. Nothing spectacular about those... and I forgot where I put the photos of them.

Oh, and look this picture. Can you see that this was taken from a wall in the peak's shopping gallery? ;p

Ok, now back to food. Maybe it was due to the disappointment of the carrot cakes we had the previous night, the husband suggested we go look for Sweet Dynasty. I didn't take note of the address prior to the trip and we had to walk around the whole of Tsim Sha Tsui to look for it, based on our memories few years ago. 

I forgot how long we were walking, coming out from almost all of the exits from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. I remembered it was opposite this row of branded boutiques but forgot the name of the building. (now I know it's Harbour City) So imagine our delight when the familiar sight finally appeared in front of us!

Ah... yummy dessert as reward...

Hong Kong Day 2 (29 Aug 2011)

As we didn't managed to get to see the Giant Buddha during our previous trips, I made this a must this time. And I was praying hard for good weather coz when my sister went at end July, the cable car was closed due to strong winds.

Before that, we enjoyed some very smooth and delicious congee at a restaurant near our hotel.

Lucky for us, the weather was good that day. Too good in fact, that it was extremely hot and humid during the long wait for the purchase of the cable car tickets, and the long walk to the Giant Buddha, and not the mention the 280+ steps of stairs up to see it. 

We took the new crystal cabin, whereby the bottom was glass and could see through all the way. It wasn't really that scary until I tried to sit down on the glass to take a picture.

Martial arts display by Shaolin Temple

On our way back on the crystal cable car, we saw something very interesting. See those white specks? They were people milling around the sea at low tide, with a sytrofoam box tied to their bodies. We guessed they were catching some sort of sea food during the low tide.

And guess where we had our lunch... 

There was something very special about their noodles (米线). It was kind of like the laksa noodles we had here, but more flavourful and cooked totally al dente.

After shopping around Citygates outlets (where there was not a lot to buy, much to my disappointment), we decided to leave the area and go hunt for food. Again, I referred to the recommendations from the Hong Kong tourism website, and decided to go to a restaurant for some highly recommended wonton noodles.

The noodles was kind of normal, and disappointing for us, coz we expected much more at a restaurant. The chee cheong fun and the carrot cakes were equally disappointing. And no shopping done was disappointing too... 

Oh, and that reminds me... Now that we had gone to see the Giant Buddha, we had basically covered most of the main attractions in Hong Kong. What other excuses could I use to get us another trip to Hong Kong again??!

Hong Kong Day 1 (28 Aug 2011)

Our flight got slightly delayed for take-off so we arrived at HK airport about almost an hour later than the scheduled time. Once we cleared the very very long custom queue, we bought an Octopus card (with Airport Express services) and was on our way to the hotel. 

 The Airport Express offers a very comfortable and convenient ride

When we reached Kowloon MTR station for the transfer to the shuttle bus, the bus was just about to leave. How lucky for us! Or else we would have to wait for another 12-15 minutes for the next shuttle bus.

During the drive to our hotel, we felt like we were on the F1 track, except that we were in a shuttle bus, and there were other vehicles around for the bus to weave in and out. 

Our hotel room

View from the hotel window

Late tea break @ 4 pm

Lok Yuen Beef Balls

After a walk around Yau Ma Tei area to help the husband's friend look for a shop, we made our way back to Temple Street near our hotel. After walking through half of the street, we decided we were hungry and stopped at a random wonton noodle stall for dinner.

 

Dinner @ 7 pm

Wonton noodles + iced milk tea

Auntie Tips (30)

Tip 1:
Remove coloured stains from white or silver surfaces by applying toothpaste, then rubbing with a wet cloth.

Tip 2:
To give hair a natural shine, use warm unsweetened tea as a final rinse after shampooing.

Tip 3:
Place a cup of warm milk in your shoe rack for an hour to get rid of musty odours.

Tip 4:
Use old toothbrushes to scrub bathroom corners or to remove stubborn dirt between tiles.

Tip 5:
To clean the inside of a water bottle, put two to three tablespoons of salt in it, add a little water and shake vigorously.

Tip 6:
To remove sticky remnants from your car windows, apply hot oil, leave it for a while, then clean with soap and water.

Tip 7:
To whiten yellowed clothes, soak overnight in 12 parts warm water and 1 part vinegar, and wash in the morning.

Tip 8:
If you have cheese bits stuck in the grater, clean it by grating a piece of bread.

From : Simply Her - Apr 2008

The meeting room

To the cinema : Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (Part 2)

After almost a year's wait, the concluding episode was finally here. As I was quite curious about some issues after watching part 1, I ended up asking questions to my youngest sister who had already finished reading the book. So, as the movie went on, it was not really totally unexpected.

I thought the start to the middle part were good. It started off with action, and things moved fast and furious from then on. And as with the first part, the ending was a little flat. I actually expected more action in the final battle between Harry Potter and Voldemort. Or maybe this was the only way that wizards could fight, just by pointing their wands at each other and see whose "lightning" was more powerful. Therefore, there was something lacking in the "fight" scenes.

But all in all, was not such a bad end to everything. However, I thought that "19 years later" portion could be excluded... it was kind of weird, and my sister said it was also written in the book. She thought it was shown as a kind of "closure" for the whole saga.

And after watching all the Harry Potter episodes, my favourites are The Chamber of Secrets and The Goblet of Fire.

To the cinema : Transformers : Dark of the Moon

Ok, so I lied. I know I had said before I don't think I will be watching Transformers 3, if there was any. And I really regret I didn't keep my own promise. In the end, I subjected myself to 2.5 hours of complete boredom. 

Almost an hour, I think, was spent on story-telling, conspiracy theory of the real reason for the launch of Apollo 13 to the Moon, which I personally thought was a little too long. There were so many parts that could be cut away to reduce the "drag". 

I was so relieved when the actions started *finally*, and there was actually a little twist to the story in the middle. But then, once the fighting started, it didn't seemed like it would end. Metal clashing against metal, a super building that took forever to collapse, soldiers shouting endlessly at one another, then everything started all over again. 

The only thing that I thought was slightly positive from the movie was that Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was actually quite good at acting. Not bad for a Victoria angel. 

Sailing on the Royal Carribean

16th May 2011 was the day that was significant to both the husband and myself. It was the day the both of us went on our very first cruise trip. ;p

I couldn't remember when was the last time our whole family travelled together, much less with the extended family. Coz this time, my uncle and aunties went along, and all of us had a wonderful time together. It was really fun to travel with the family... doesn't matter if the trip is long or short. It was good enough that we all spent time together to mingle and bond.

The thing about going on a cruise is that we didn't have to worry about timings. There was no itinerary to follow, no need to rush anywhere, and the best thing was, to be able to sleep in for as long as you like. And there was no worry about the lack of food too. If you missed the time for one meal, there was another waiting for you at another place.

To the cinema : Kungfu Panda 2

So, without watching any movies for the past 6 months, we managed to catch 2 movies in a row for 2 Fridays.

I guess the main focus of this episode was Po's past, and the revelation that he was adopted (surprise!). Compared to the previous episode, this focused more on the importance of relationships - friendship and kinship. There were touching moments that reminded the audience the importance of family, and parents' love for their children. This episode showed the soft side of Tigress as well.

Other than those, Po was still as fat (if not fatter) as before, and cluelessly adorable.  Always a fun and entertaining movie for everyone. :)

To the cinema : Pirates of the Carribean - On Stranger Tides

Movie buffs would be horrified to know that this was our first movie in 2011. It's not like we don't like to go to the movies, I just feel that there isn't any need to go watch a movie because it's new, or just for the sake of meeting the target of going to the cinema once a week. And not to mention the high ticket price, since we can only make time mostly on Friday evenings. So we, or rather me, am quite selective about what movies to watch at the cinemas.

This was a completely new episode, new story line. No more Kiera Knightly or Orlando Bloom (insert sad face here). But there was still the quirky Jack Sparrow. However, I felt that even the captain couldn't create much excitement, except maybe for the part when I was anticipating for the mermaids' appearance. Couldn't help but felt that this episode wasn't as interesting and exciting as the previous ones with Davy Jones (Dead Man's Chest and At World's End) in them.

Auntie Tips (29)

Tip 1:
To tie a parcel securely, dip the string in hot water - the string will shrink and tighten when it dries.

Tip 2:
Recycle charcoal ashes from your barbecue by using them to scrub metal cooking pots - it removes charred stains and restores shine.

Tip 3:
To get electrical switch plates white and shiny again, wipe with a cotton pad and some nail polish remover.

Tip 4:
Remove ballpoint pen marks from clothing or handbags by rubbing with 70% isopropyl alcohol (found at pharmacies). Test on an inconspicuous area first.

Tip 5:
Separate drinking glasses that are stuck together by filling the inner one with cold water and dipping the outer one in hot water.

Tip 6:
To keep chillies from growing mouldy, pluck off the stems then wrap in newspaper and refrigerate.

Tip 7:
Clean patent leather with a slice of white bread. It wipes off smudge marks and brings back the shine.

Tip 8:
Remove rust from tools by rubbing with a paste of salt and lemon juice.

From : Simply Her - Mar 2008

And so there goes another year...

To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.

- Bernard Baruch

It's almost impossible to try to "forget" your own birthday these days. With Facebook, all your friends will know it's your birthday, and though it's heart warming to receive the well wishes, they are also reminders that age is catching up. 

But so far, I'm still not dreading the arrival of my birthday, so I guess it isn't that bad yet. ;p

Who's following?

It's been more than 4 months since I updated this blog. Actually, it's not that my life was that boring these few months. I'm just being L.A.Z.Y. I admit it. ;p

So, I was pleasantly surprised when my sister pointed out that I haven't done any blogging for some time. I didn't think I had many readers, much less a follower!! Heh.

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Yes, yes... I know. I haven't been 'faithfully' updating this blog for ages. And I even missed the yearly "trend" of doing a write-up at the end of the year. I'm sorely tempted to blame it on the new job, but that's just the lazy side of me trying to find excuses.

So, I've been thinking about significant thing(s) happening in 2010, and there was only one : me getting a new job.

Or make it 2 significant things : me getting a new job, and gaining some new friends. :)

And, those were about the more exciting happenings in 2010 for me. Yup... plain, old boring me. Or maybe that was just the beginning of things to come. I can't help but keep feeling that something major is about to happen in 2011. Today is just the first workday of 2011, and I'm already feeling restless...