We did consider adding an E for Eating on the end, but figured once we started that we would probably quite quickly end up just being called the ABDCEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ, ah, which is slightly less catchy, don't you agree?

At any rate, it would have been suitable in light of our recent exploits, the first of which I am posting now, and the second of which happened last week (!), which is why I am getting my ass into gear and finally posting this one already!

The ABCD Ravioli Challenge or The Rav-Off!

4 girls (we had Jo ringing in as an ABCD member, despite my having never heard her complaining about anything! impostor!), a couple of kilos of 000 flour, a pile of eggs, an assortment of tasty fillings and, hello, Kath's kitchenaid mixer which kindly mixed, kneaded(!!) and then electronically cranked the pasta roller attachment! Sweet!

I can't remember who's pasta recipe we used, but I've used a few different ones and they all seem to work. The mixer kneaded the dough and we refrigerated it in balls while we prepped the fillings.

we rolled the pasta sheets out to 6, because we were worried about the filling staying in, and 7 seemed like it would be too thin. I don't have any photos of the rolling : (

The fillings:

Pumpkin, spinach and fetta: mashed oven roasted pumpkin, chopped fresh spinach, chunks of fetta.

Aubergine: oven roasted aubergine, tomato, onion, garlic, assorted spices, fetta (yummy, but no piccies).

Caramelised onion with anchovies and olives: it's a Donna Hay recipe but I can't find any link to link to and I'm not sure which of her books Jo was working from, but basically you slow cook lots of onion and add chopped anchovies and sliced olives until they're lovely and caramelised.

we (um, Kath) made a simple tomato and basil sauce, with CUTE tinned cherry toms to serve will each flavour. We cooked the ravs in filling batches, and had 3 rav courses plus dessert. hey also, hello maths skills, since we each ate ~4 ravs per course, and there were 7 of us, and 3 courses, we made over 84 ravs! I say definitely quite a bit over, since you know, you have to test a few along the way ;)

I took photos of each course, but, you know what, ravs kinda all look the same on the outside!

Here is the walnut pesto I alluded to when I posted my almost perfect walnut cracking, complete with homemade tagliatelle! This was my second round with the pasta roller I got for my birthday (thanks Rob!!) and I'm really enjoying the process (in fact, there is a big ABCD ravioli-off post coming soon!).

For the pasta I think I followed Jamie Oliver's recipe. The pesto was simply a bunch of walnuts, a handful of basil and a grating of parmigiana, blitzed in the food processor with a bit of seasoning and some olive oil and zest/a squeeze of lemon, and I tossed it all together with some pan-fried mushies and brocolli and a few handfuls of rocket. simple! I really like walnuts, especially in something like this for a change - a bit more bitter/earthy than a pinenut or cashew.

Shout outs to Alex, who was staying with us when I made this - Hi! it was great seeing you and having a week of vege-love and pretentious yoga on the beach!

::rubbing knuckles on chest::

And modest too. haha

My inspiration for reflection comes from my friend, Beth's, recent BU of her own future reflection. Since reflection is good for the soul, here we go...

5 days from now I will be spending some much needed quality time with family
2 weeks from now I will be celebrating my BIL's 32nd birthday, watching UCLA win the Division I Men's Basketball Championship ::crossing fingers::
4 weeks from now I will be co-hosting my FSIL's bridal show, chaperoning the senior prom with T, celebrating friend's son's 5th birthday (I am making the bday cupcakes!)
June I will be getting crunked at my FSIL's bachelorette party, chaperoning a 10-day trip to DC, Philly and Boston with T's school (can't wait to visit Nikki and KT while I am there!)
July I will be a bridesmaid at my BIL's wedding, celebrating my 1 year wedding anniversary, attending friend's new baby boy's christening, possibly moving to a new place, turning 20-something but closer to 30-something
April 2009 T finishes his masters (w00t!)

What are *YOU* looking forward to in the near future?

(Obligatory tagging: Nikki and April b/c they are on my always-have-to tag list. Happy now Anig#2?! LOL)

On Culinary Arts...
Q. What is your salad dressing of choice?
A. Caesar or Italian

Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A. Apollo burger (mom-pop burger joint near my apt)

Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A. Kojis (sushi and shabu shabu)

Q. On average how much of a tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A. 15-20%, maybe more if service is exceptional. That is the point of a tip right?

Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
A. Sushi or pizza

Q. What are your pizza toppings of choice?
A. sausage, cheese, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions

Q. What do you like to put on your toast?
A. bread + cheese = grilled cheese sammy goodness

On Technology...
Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A. picture of my bunny, Opiebun

Q. How many televisions are in your house?
A. 2, one in the livingroom; one in the bedroom

Q. What kind of cell phone do you have?
A. a crappy one, I want a crackberry like my friend, Racheypoo. She's so cool. I want to be cool like her. :)

On Biology...
Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A. Right

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. nope

Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted?
A. my 15lb bunny

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. I don't think so, but I've fainted before. Does that count?

On Psychology...
Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A. no, just one of those things I'd rather not know

Q. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
A. I like my name. I think I'll keep it.

Q. what color looks good on you?
A. blues

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. I don't think so

Q. Have you ever saved someones life?
A. yes, my mom almost drowned

Q. Has someone ever saved yours?
A. My mom's obgyn (I was a preemie)

Truth or Dare (or a Bribe)...
Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A. have already but I didn't get no $100! haha

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A. depends on what finger? maybe?

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A. ooohhh thats a toughie. Obviously I am a blog-ddict.

Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
A. If I had Jessica Alba's body, hell yeah. ;)

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
A. I'd try but I'd probably choke and somehow that would be a loophole and I wouldn't get the money. Darn loopholes!!

Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
A. I don't think so

On random stuff...
Q: What is in your left pocket?
A. My PJs have no pockets

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A. I liked it

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A. carpet

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A. stand

Q: Could you live with roommates?
A. Been there. Done that in college. 4 girls 1 bathroom. Roomies were cool but glad its over.

Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A. I live in California. How many do you think? (too many to count)

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops
A. Got pulled me over b/c I forgot the reg sticker on my license by a day. Stupid pig!

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. I have to grow up first.

Q: Last person who called you?
A. MIL

Q: Person you hugged?
A. hubs

On Favorites...
Q: Number?
A. 4

Q: Season?
A. fall

Q: Holiday?
A. Christmas

Q: Day of the week:
A. Friday

Q: Month?
A. July

Current Events...
Q: Missing someone?
A. my brother

Q: Mood?
A. mellow

Q: Listening to?
A. Scrubs season 6 theme song

Q: Watching?
A. See above.

Q: Worrying about?
A: money (who doesn't right?)

In conclusion...
Q: First place you went this morning?
A. bathroom

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A. get under the covers for pre-bedtime snuggles with my hubs

Q:What's the last movie you saw?
A. Semi-pro (it was ok... not as funny as I thought)

Q: Do you smile often?
A. all the time

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A. I'd say so after I get to know you.

Jerry from Cooking by the Seat of my Pants is having an Ipod touch giveaway!

Read the rule and regulations here but don't bother entering. I don't need more ipod competition! haha.

First episode impression. I dig Erik, Dale and Zoi.

Andrew *beep* cracks me the *beep* up! Word of the day: FATNESS! haha.

He reminds me of that white rapper, Snow?

♫ Informer blahdabladahblam a licky boom boom down ♫♪

I drool over the WS website on many occasion but to say that I've shopped there... meh not really. But its not for lack of wanting... Its a little high class for me. I still shop at Tarjay for my cookware and bakeware. Don't knock Target! Its a good place for us post-college students still living on the college student budget to get our second rate cooking necessities. haha.

But... I wouldn't pass up the chance to shop there for free!

Oh thats right folks! I've found a giveaway that every budget baker can't afford to miss!

What would I do with a $50 William-Sonoma gift card?

Oh let me count the ways...

Le Creuset Oval Dutch Ovens, 5-Qt.
Wüsthof Culinar 3-Piece Starter Set (I am jealous of Nikki's uber swank knives)
Heart cupcake Pan
White Scalloped Cake Stand
Breville Panini Press
KA ice cream maker attachment

Check out Kate's post @ The Clean Plate Club for more details!

I hope I win!!

Thats how an email that my friend sent me started. Its always great to get an email that starts like that (in opposite world. haha). Of course all the terrible things ran through my head first: someone died, she doesn't want to be friends anymore, she's hurt or injured, she got food poisoning from a recipe I gave her etc etc. But thankfully, as I continued to read, she was apologizing for sending me a E:chain letter.  whew!

I forgive you, Kat. LOL.

As all chain letters do, I am suppose to send this back to Kat and a "whole bunch of people" (It really said whole bunch of people rather than an exact number.  That is freaking hilarious!) in the hopes that we all get to know each other better. Cute idea, but I am far to lazy on this rainy Sunday afternoon to C/P this to a "whole bunch of people" so in all my genius, I thought blogging would reach far more ppl than my measly gmail address book ever could.

Feel free to do your "4 things" in your blog or in my comments or not. No pressure. Now isn't that nice?

Four Things

Four things about me that you may or may not have known in no particular order.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Disneyland merchandising bitch (ie I would fold the same shirt in the Emporium for 8 hours)
2. Math tutor
3. Marketing and Advertising assistant
4. Vet tech

Four movies I would watch over and over: (not sure about over and over but...)
1. Shawshank Redemption
2. Forrest Gump
3. Finding Nemo
4. Monsters Inc

Four places I have lived:
1. Kansas
2. Texas
3. California
4. parent's house

Four TV shows that I watch:
1. Project Runway
2. Everyday Italian
3. Barefoot Contessa
4. Top Chef

Four places I have been:
1. NYC
2. Vietnam
3. Thailand
4. Nicaragua

People who e-mail me (regularly):
1. NB
2. Ape
3. DH
4. my blog

Four of my favorite foods:
1. pizza
2. cheese
3. cupcakes
4. bread

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. beach
2. cruise
3. chicago GTG
4. bed

Four friends I think will respond:
1. NB (b/c I'll make her)
2. Nina (b/c I'll nag her)
3. Racheypoo (b/c she's a blogging fiend lately)
4. Alanna (b/c she's got more blogs than me now! love.it)

Things I am looking forward to:
1. baking cupcakes for BB
2. our 1 year anniversary
3. bedtime snuggling w/ DH tonight
4. BIL's wedding

If you know me well... you know I do not like to drive if the destination is more than 30 minutes away, but when my dear friend, Rachel, invited me down to her neck of the woods (~1 hour drive) for some brunch, massages and chittychat, how could I say no? I must love this girl. She better recognize! haha.

Rachel, pre-massage, very stressed out!

Me, Rachel and our masseuses (or is it masseusi?). Don't we look relaxxxxxxed? ;)

To see more pics click here and scroll to bottom of the page.

I promised the hubs I'd be home in time for date night so I left Rachel and headed home around 2pm.

Every friday night is date night for me and the hubs. It doesn't necessarily mean I expect a 4 star restaurant, flowers, chocolate and diamonds (although I wouldn't turn it down! haha) its more about setting aside that time for each other. Sometimes its dinner in, pizza, movies, whatever. Tonight T and I decided to support his HS girls' basketball team.

Being a teacher has its perks because we can get into all the games for free. SWEET! We stopped by the local burger joint, got our California Mushroom Cheeseburgers and fries to-go (uber healthy right?) and headed to the gym. The girls' basketball team is undefeated and doing really well! So we had high hopes for a great game.

T always looks great in pictures but me... not so much. Its either blurry or I blink! ugh!

The game was insane! There were so many ppl smooshed into the gym and the spectators (kids, parents, teachers, faculty) really get into it.  I think I am deaf in one ear.  haha. Its always fun to see the students out of the classroom and in an atmosphere of school spirit. I never get tired of the kids wanting to meet "the wife". teehee. Unfortunately our team lost in the end but it was still an exciting game nonetheless.

I ♥ Friday date night.

MONDAY: Pork Tenderloin, mashed potatoes and "veggie"
TUESDAY: Pepper Sausage Pasta
WEDNESDAY: Baked Ziti
THURSDAY: Fast Fancy Chicken ala Kat
FRIDAY: (date night)
SATURDAY: L- Roast Beef and Avocado Wrap | D- (chaperone T's HS winter formal)
SUNDAY: L- Balsamic Glazed Chicken Wings | D- Chicken and Mushroom in Garlic Sauce

Healthier substitution: Nina's Baked Ziti

I am a chameleon when it comes to "favorite" anything. It changes all the time but my favorite cookbook right now is--

Its a collection of kitchen tips, food fixes, emergency substitutions and handy techniques from everyday readers of Fine Cooking magazine compiled into a book.

"A method for fighting off onion tears: light a candle and set it right next to the onions on the cutting board before you start chopping. The sulfur in the flame burns off the onion's sulfuric compounds before they have a chance to reach your eyes."

I am a candle freak!  There's no shortage of candles in my home so I tried it the other night.  It totally works!  No more tears!!  w00t w00t!  Now if only I could find something for onion breath.  ;)

MONDAY: Chicken & Potato pizza
TUESDAY: Spaghetti
WEDNESDAY: Steak, Potatoes and "veggie"
THURSDAY: Fast and Fancy Chicken
FRIDAY: (date night)
SATURDAY: L- TMNT salad | D- (dinner w/ T's CW)
SUNDAY: L- (GTG w/ FSIL and MIL) | D- Pork Tenderloin*

*  Anyone got a good pork tenderloin recipe to share?  One that preferably doesn't require a barbeque grill (since I don't have one).  THANKY!

MONDAY: (leftovers)
TUESDAY: Steak, asparagus and bake potato
WEDNESDAY: (leftovers)
THURSDAY: April's enchiladas
FRIDAY: "pizza"
SATURDAY: L- TMNT salad | D- Ricotta Gnocchi and Spinach Bake
SUNDAY: L- Pepperoni Snacks | D- Spaghetti and Meatballs

It only took a blog entry and gentle (ok maybe CONSTANT, unrelenting) pressure to anyone that would listen but I finally got my first GR convert.

CONGRATULATIONS NINA !!!

(You should be reading this on your GR right now. isn't it awesome!?)

If you want an entry dedicated to you like Nina, then join the millions of GR believers and set up your google reader. Leave me a comment and I'll give you a blog shoutout too! You'll love it!

MONDAY: Spaghetti and Meatballs
TUESDAY: Baked Dijon Salmon
WEDNESDAY: (leftovers)
THURSDAY: Unfried chicken
FRIDAY: The Ultimate Chicken Parm
SATURDAY: L- TMNT salad | D- Fast Fancy Chicken
SUNDAY: L- Chicken pitas | D- Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms

Dessert*: some kind of cupcake

*I just got a new cupcake recipe book - 500 cupcakes by Fergal Connolly - and there are TONS of recipes I wanna try!

But remember when I posted my kitchen pics a few weeks ago?

You can see our small pantry door with the sign next to the refrigerator. Its where our water heater is discretely housed but there is empty space, albeit a weirdly shaped tiny space (26"W x 21.5D x 77"H), where we usually store the trashcan, broom and other cleaning products... well I decided it was about time to make some better use of that space. SOLUTION? shelving!

We bought the pantry shelf kit and door organizer from The Container Store.

I love my new pantry! and Todd loves that there's no clutter of random kitchen crap everywhere. Its win-win!

http://www.epinions.com/content_3158548612

[I marked the ones I absolutely agree with by "bold".]

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

The Bottom Line Weight Watchers works but it requires focus and commitment, but so does everything that you really want in life, right?

Good luck to you! Weight Watchers is there to help, not just as a business but as a support group. Find that great leader that inspires you and you will succeed.

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

I would like to add one more to the list.

51. WW is a lifestyle. Life is ever changing and your motivations for obtaining/maintaining your goal weight should be changing along with it. Don't get stuck in a rut. Change your motivation and keep striving to reach your goals. I am proud to say I lost 20lbs for my wedding but I don't want the end of my wedding to be the end of my healthier lifestyle. My initial weight loss goal was to fit into my wedding dress, now that the wedding is over my new goal is to reach my goal weight (-30lbs) and take bpics for my husband on our first anniversary. What is your motivation?

Now stop reading and start doing!

DESSERT: peanut butter cupcakes, jello choco-pb parfait, choco-pb cupcakes

I can hear your collective gasps and cringes, and I immediately must address your utmost concerns for my wellbeing as you commiserate "oh my dear, poor you! the food must have been awful!"

yes, it was, well, not great. but it wasn't horrible. apart from a truly awful beef soup one night, which I spent the rest of the night bringing back up (probably for unrelated reasons), the food was ok, and the shepard's pie was actually quite good, although it happened to be the first thing I was really up to eating after 2 days, so that may have clouded my judgment a little. but, overall, not too bad at H'otel Prince of Wales, although the ambiance was a little stark, and some of the other patrons did not behave themselves.

here we have: chicken noodle soup; roast beef with 'Italian vegetables' (kind of a rattatoulle, ok), potoatoes (good), baby carrots (insipid) and gravy (tasty); a slice of white bread with margarine (wholemeal bread and butter was selectable on the daily menu, but this was the first day of meals for me so no selections); a banana-y muffin (dense and moist) and gluten-free vanilla icecream. every meal also came with hot water, and a tea bag (or presumably coffee sachet if elected), and a cute cutlery, napery and seasoning package.

so really, I am quite ok, it wasn't so painful after all.

(oh, the knee is mending too. Tom is in the field, so I am recuperating at the 'in laws', where stair negotiation is supervised, and it is very peaceful and comfortable, not to mention the food is of a considerably higher standard. I will post the nz and other more appetising foody things soon!)

we're not in the tropics anymore, Toto. no more thongs/jandals. no more complaining about how cold it is, because it's dropped to 18 degrees c. and we've had to wear a cardigan and closed in shoes. this is it - the real deal cold.

so here are some of my 'gatherings' from Rusty's, a reminder of the black sapotes, longans, pineapples, dragonfruit, bananas, mangoes and lychees, fresh herbs and asian greens we've taken for granted for the past 4.5 years. not to mention the perfect blue-sky-sunny May - August days... I'll miss it all so much!

steamed bok choi and choi sum with snow peas, with a sprinkling of soy sauce. A piece of bready stuff with pesto, fetta and tomatoes (from Rusty's) and off-screen is a bowl of miso (a paste sachet from the asian grocers two doors down from the backpackers).

and another thing: Carins doesn't drink coffee. OK, they do, but nowhere near the volume Townsville does - and I am talking about volume.. I've been asking for large coffees all week and getting 8oz takeaway cups everywhere. WTF? that's not going to get me through the belly morning!! I finally found somewhere that has 16oz takeaway cups, plus makes decent coffee to boot. Horray! here's coffee directly fueling my work at 7am yesterday.

we've just now finished the coursework side of my uni course, which has been really interesting and fun. leaving C-town for Sydney tomorrow.

see you there!

compound that with a trip to hospital when I couldn't pop my dislocated knee back in myself (I usually can, no problems) and resulting week in a brace, my ADSL2 ISP's early demise (I'm still on dial up. do you feel my pain?) and a rather heavy workload up until the sailing trip.. there's just not enough time! and I could have squeezed in a single March blog on the weekend, but everyone was up to seeTom became Dr. Tom offically! horray!

so.. 5 people eating on a boat. for a week. no shops. so we can't run out of anything. including water. or chocolate, of course. but you don't want to go hungry.. in the end, we ate really well, with everyone chipping in with meals plus cleaning the (really well equipped) galley.. highlights included Caroline's always awesome soba noodle salad (which I will get around to re-creating here soon), BBQ's on the deck, and the crackers, vege sticks, cheeses and dips with wine/beer/g&t as the sun set each evening!

miraculously, we did really well with quantities of food, despite shopping with no plan, we could have done better with eating our perishables early (we lost some chicken and cold sliced meats) and getting the hang of the fridge (temperamental) and I think a plan would have helped, but our final night 'baked roll ups' - mountain bread filled with .. er.. pretty much everything we had left! 3 cheezes, olives, veges etc.. was a good example of limited-kitchen improvisation.

unfortunately; no fresh fish! 6 days and not a single bite! we had the lure behind the boat when sailing along or the line out whenever we weren't in protected zones.. but no fish dinners. we did see plenty of fish snorkelling, and some interested dudes hanging around under the boat and dinghy now and then.. Tom was most dissapointed in us :)

all in all... so worth it! Whitehaven Beach (the really pretty pic below) has to be one of the most beautiful spots in the world, with the purest silica sand (great for exfoliation!) if you get a chance to go, DO IT! we all kicked ourselves for having living only a few hours away for several years now, and not going more often. and there's us enjoying a coffee and cake break.

so, back to the cooking soon, promise!

dragonfruit. lychees. mango. yum.

I don't know how well this really fits into Weekend Herb Blogging, but it seems to adhere to the rules, and it's something many people may be unfamiliar with... and I just found out it's actually a cactus plant, which renders it kinda herby, don't you think?

this is also not much of a recipe/dish, but it IS lush. and hey, I'm new at this.

DRAGON FRUIT aka Pitaya

so, it's a cactus, we've covered that. they're easily available at the markets here in the tropics, and pretty cheap - 3 for $5, although mangos are currently 6 (giants) for $5, or free from colleagues/friends with a tree, so mangos win. the ones I bought are red, but there are other varieties, and the flesh can also be white, grey-ish or yellow-ish, with the little back seeds. in searching around for info links, I read over and over that it is "kinda like kiwifruit" and even that it was related to kiwifruit. since I myself AM a kiwi, and am therefore reasonably familiar with kiwifruit vines, I am quite convinced that kiwifruit is NOT a cactus. but you never know.

tastewise, I also don't think its too close to kiwifruit, probably it's the texture and the lovely little seeds that remind everyone of that other crazy-looking and close-to-my-heart fruit.

enough about what dragonfruit isn't and on to what dragonfruit is: perfumed, a little earthy, not hugely sweet. it's a lovely delicate flavour, which reminds me very slightly of fresh beetroot, and when you first cut it open it smells just a little like garden picked sun-ripened tomatoes.

anyway, the flavour is nice, but not amazing in my books, which is why I've tossed it with lush-lush-lush mango and lychees, with some lime zest and juice.

where the dragonfruit comes into it's own, however, is visual appeal. it is BEAUTIFUL. I'm obviously a fan, that's dragonfruit in my header. the unskinned fruit is fantastic to look at in the fruit bowl, with the pink and green fleshy skin with spikes. the black-speckled deep pink cubes look exquisite in the fruit salad, and the red-pink juice goes everywhere and stains everything (making a gorgeous pink syrup in the fruit salad, but also pink tinted fingers and a big pink splotch on my shirt: beware!).

so, I think dragonfruit can be best used for it's pinkness - and I'm thinking of moving on to pink smoothies and sorbets, jellies, etc etc. I just love pink!

I took this fruit salad to work (it was waaaay too big for just me. the mango alone was the size of a baby's head) and everyone said "oh! what's the red stuff? oh, yum!"

oh, and I love the pile of exquisite remains on the chopping board afterwards.