Moomy Said Farewell to Team Braverman

We've all got our fave TV sitcoms and dramas. I mean, TV will always bring people together (apart from food, that is). I grew up watching The Fresh Prince of Bel Air; my darling hubby remembered watching the talented Robin Williams from Mork and Mindy.

And if you're like me, I'm sure you had many a good laughs with Rachel, Monica, Ross, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe from Friends.

"How you doingggg?"

Well, 2 nights ago, another of my fave TV drama came to a tearful end. Parenthood drew its curtains close after 6 wonderful seasons of laughter, joy and tears.

I've followed Parenthood since its premiere in March 2010. I remember watching it on quiet afternoons while rubbing my pregnant belly. I had wondered then what parenthood might have in store for me once Baby O'Bayley has joined us.

Boy … A LOT! :D:D:D

The cast was great and I enjoyed watching the chemistry between each of them but the one who caught my attention was the character Max Braverman. Max and his parents discovered that he has Asperger syndrome and it was just … gripping watching the character unfold on telly as the actor, Max Burkholder, had portrayed it so convincingly.

I enjoyed the series because it felt so real, y'know - the ups and downs of any family. Whether its fights amongst siblings or arguments between spouses, interracial relationships (uh-huh!), cancer and autism, or running your own business, the stories Team Braverman portray were everyday issues that happen in real life.

And I love how they tackled it together and make things work, even though there were some scary twists and "OMG Julia, what did you dooooo???" moments.

There were lots of memorable lines in the series but if I could pick out one, it would be this:

The patriarch, Zeek Braverman, had a conversation with Hank Rizzoli about Sarah. Zeek said "No one has taught me more about unconditional love. She gives her heart to the people she cares about most. I would just ask you to take care of my daughter. You gotta be there for her."

And Hank replied "It would be my honor to do that. I never met anyone like her. I'll never stop loving her."

Yeah, I have shed a lot of tears with the Braverman family. I have never missed an episode and boy … my Thursday evenings are going to be lonesome now.

And I'm defo going to miss their opening credits. I love that song; its like a beautiful prayer for all of us:

May god bless and keep you always

May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others

And let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars

And climb on every rung

May you stay, forever young

Forever Young

Forever Young

May you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous

May you grow up to be true

May you always know the truth

And see the lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous

Stand upright and be strong

And may you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young

May you stay forever young

May your hands always be busy

May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation

When the winds of changes shift

May your heart always be joyful

May your song always be sung

And may you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young

May you stay forever young

~ Bob Dylan's Forever Young

So thank you, Jason Katims & crew. That was a beautiful series and one worth watching. :D #ParenthoodFarewell

And to you, my dear reader, "May God bless and keep you always" and have a wonderful Superbowl weekend!

Moomy & The Ginormous Party Platter!

Hello hello January and Happy New Year, everybody!! :D:D:D

If your festive hols were anything like mine, I'm sure your house was filled with sounds of wrapping paper tearing, boys squealing with delight over their new toys from Grandma & Grandpa, glasses clinking with ice and toasts for the new year, that delicious smell of prime rib roast cooking away in the oven …

And buttons popping off pants from all that feasting! Hehehe o yeah, I know that feeling alright *winks*

Remember my new found friends, Marlina and Eric? I wrote about them in my post a couple of months back: budandtheobayleyboys.blogspot.com/2014/09/moomy-and-her-newfound-friends.html

Anyhoo, the last time we had them over was for Eid ul'Adha (The Feast of the Sacrifice), in early October. We had barely digested our lunch then when we started talking about food in Singapore that we miss now that we're here in the States.

It must have been my darling hubby who mentioned Nasi Ambeng so the idea blossomed thereabouts about how wonderful it would be to re-create such a feast here!

When you say "Nasi Ambeng" in SG, local Malays will know and expect to be served a huge platter of rice with different meat, chicken and vegetable dishes piled over it. But you don't have that entire platter to yourself (mind you, it is slightly bigger than the extra-large 16-inches pizza from Papa John's); Nasi Ambeng is eaten by 4-5 people to a platter.

This dish originates from Java, Indonesia but the beauty of life is such that rich tradition and culture from our ancestors travel down through their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and so on. And now that I'm happily married and have 2 beautiful boys, my hope is that by documenting such stories as these, it will help my lil Tommy & Aidan understand the unique fusion of Mommy & Daddy's beautiful cultures.

Nasi Ambeng is typically served to guests during special get-togethers. It is a beautiful sight to see, really … you have groups of 4 sitting in a circle and sharing a rice platter amongst themselves.

Of course, prior to eating, a special water jug & receptacle is passed around so the diners can wash their hands. I was so glad I had packed mine along when we moved here because such a traditional Malay feast ain't quite complete without that humble item :D

So say no more, let me share with you the Nasi Ambeng feast that Marl and I had cooked together:

Nasi Ambeng, the Portland Experience, as Eric had described it :D:D:D

Marl had prepared Sambal Tumis Udang (Shrimps in Spicy Caramelised Onions and Chili Paste), Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi (Chicken in Spicy Coconut-Based Gravy) and Sambal Goreng (a heavenly mixture of tempe, tofu, green beans, beef and shrimp cooked in coconut milk and chili paste).

I made Beef Rendang (chunks of beef simmered in coconut milk & spices), Bagedel (little potato patties) and Acar Timun (cucumber pickles with carrots and pineapple).

The above dishes were ladled over rice which was placed on a huge platter covered with banana leaves. If you haven't tried it before, you must put it in your bucket list because its just a unique dining experience!

That silver pot & receptacle on the top left is what we used to wash our hands before we commence feasting ...

And the 'after' shot:

We were all stuffed but the leftovers on this platter weren't wasted: it's (a big) lunch for (me) today, y'all!! Hehehe :D:D:D

I wish you were there to share this unique experience with us … I had a friend on FB who had cheekily asked me if she could place an order from us. Hehehehe o my.

So with a full belly (still a wee bit stuffed from yesterday's feast. I don't think I can work on the leftover plate for lunch later hehehe) and a happy heart, me and my darling boys bid you, my dear reader, a prosperous, promising and fulfilling 2015!! :D:D:D

Love and hugs,
Moomy xo

Moomy & Her Thai-Inspired Fried Rice!

In 2005, the yacht club where I was working then hosted the annual SingSiam Regatta.

This regatta is an annual friendly sailing competition between the Club members and their friends in the Royal Thai Navy. Every alternate year, each country will take turn to host this event.

During the week our guests were in town, the working group (including me) slept over at the Clubhouse too. We prepared breakfast for our guests and helped ensure that all their needs were attended to. Tiring, but it was a lot of fun.

The Regatta was a successful event, so successful that a bunch of us decided to make a trip to Sattahip & Bangkok to visit our friends.

Thailand's a beautiful country, and its people were known for their warmth and generosity. And when we visited our Navy friends, they were always so charming and hospitable. They even picked us up at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and drove us to Sattahip, almost 2 hrs away.

The following year, I signed up as part of the working group to travel to Sattahip for the Regatta. It was such fun, attending to the needs of our Singapore sailors and working together with our Navy counterparts. 

The SG contingent flying out to Sattahip for the 2006 SingSiam Regatta.

Looking back, whoa, that was a lot of people to look after. All of our younger sailors came with their families - sailing is after all, a family affair at the Club. Boy, it was a lot of hard work that trip but so much fun.

I will include more pictures at the end of this post :D

To this day, I still keep in touch with them: Capt. Bundit, Bang, Peh and his wife Mon. FB is a wonderful tool to keep friendships going, despite the years.

Anyhoo, I was figuring out what to fix for lunch one day. I had some leftover rice and I thought of a simple fried rice but why make it simple when you can elevate it to something more … exotic :D

In honor of my memorable time in Sattahip and being in the company of such wonderful friends like Capt. Bundit, Bang and Peh, here's my Thai-inspired Pineapple Fried Rice:

I've already got about 2 cups of cooked rice, cooled and ready to be fried. Its always good to use leftover rice to make your fried rice so keep that in mind whenever you're cooking some.

And here's my tip: prior to frying it, use your wooden spatula to break up the cooked rice. This will save you some time later on when you're frying the rice in the wok :D

 I learnt that that Thai food plays with your taste buds - sour, sweet, salty, spicy and bitter. I can imagine a lot goes into the making of what seems like a simple bowl of tom yum goong, a spicy Thai shrimp soup but hey, that's the beauty of cooking :D

And these are the ingredients I prepped to go into the fried rice:

Half an onion: diced.
3 cloves of garlic: diced finely;
A handful of fresh cilantro: chopped finely;
1 carrot: peeled and diced finely;
1 red pepper: cored and diced finely;
A generous handful of frozen peas;
A generous handful of canned pineapple: drained of its juices and cut into small chunks. You can also use fresh pineapple.

Optional:
A handful of peanuts, shelled and roughly chopped.

One of my fave things about fried rice is you can be creative with it and add almost anything leftover from a previous meal. Like bell peppers, chunks of cooked chicken, broccoli florets, French's fried onions. For this fried rice, I had orange peppers from the night before so I added that to the lot.

Over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into the frying wok. Once the oil has nicely warmed up, add the finely diced garlic and carrot. Stir continuously for about a minute and then throw in the onion, peppers and peas. Stir the veggies for another minute before adding the cooked rice into the wok.

By now, you would know that I like a variety of colorful veggies in my food :D

I drizzled another tablespoon of oil over the mixture, and then sprinkled 2 teaspoons of curry powder into the wok. Stir well so every bit of rice and veggies get coated with the fragrant curry powder.

Then add these into the mixture: 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce. Stir well and then add the pineapple chunks and chopped up peanuts* into the wok.

*You can also take a tablespoon of chopped peanuts and sprinkle over the fried rice just before serving.

I love pineapples! I love in on my pizzas and I love it pickled as a side to my plate of briyani rice. But pineapple fried rice … whoa! That totally elevates my humble plate of fried rice into something more :D:D:D

Make a well in the middle of the wok and break a couple of eggs into that well. Let it set for a bit before scrambling them. Mix well to incorporate the scrambled eggs into the rice and veg mixture.

Let the rice cook a bit more, then add the chopped cilantro. Stir well and the pineapple fried rice is ready to be served.

Fried rice is very versatile: pair it with a plate of spicy fried chicken wings and you have a wonderful Friday-night dinner. Its great to be packed away for a picnic lunch too. And I love that when you make fried rice, there is usually enough for leftovers the next day :D

We love the slightly spicy kick we get from the curry powder and the tangy sweetness from the pineapple chunks. And it was perfect with a bowl of the seafood tom yum soup I had made the night before. 

Of course nothing beats the authentic Thai delights (my fave dessert is Khao Niaow Ma Muang, glutinous rice served with generous slices of fresh mango and sweet coconut cream drizzled all over. Aroy mak mak! That's Thai for very delicious!) I had when I was in Sattahip and Bangkok, but hey! I think this will tide us over until we venture back to the Land of White Elephants.

My partner-in-crime, Jeremy (in red, with his back to the camera), briefing the sailors prior to start of race. He handled the sea aspect of the regatta, while I covered the land aspect: food & admin. And we shared a lot of tasks in between :D

 One of my fave sights on-land, prior to start of race. The wind flapping those unfurled sails, sailors making adjustments on their lines and the sun shining brightly. Perfect day for sailing, don't you think?

 A cheeky reminder from the juries, David and Capt. Awoot. 

And even though this regatta first started out sometime in 1973/4, the friendship forged has continued throughout all these years, especially for the adult sailors, who met regularly to sail in other competition and also for leisure.

Jeremy took me on board the jury boat and it was so much fun watching all the action take place out at sea. Here's our Thai friend holding up the Optimist class flag :D

I captured this! I remember taking this picture and when I showed it to the lads on this keelboat, they wanted me to delete it off my camera hehehe but these Thai guys were good. Despite this capsize, they took the 1st place that year.

That's me, pitching in to pack up at the end of the day :D

Me and my RTN friends :D

Me and Mon, the pretty then-girlfriend and now-wife of a RTN sailor, Peh. 

Our hosts provided us wonderful dinners during our stay in Sattahip. Great company, delicious food and excellent company.

And after a couple days of friendly competition at sea, it was time for some sight-seeing! :D 

The Club's contingent to 2006 SingSiam Regatta in Sattahip, Thailand. 

Tired but happy :D It was such a wonderful trip :D:D:D

On that note, have a wonderful weekend, everybody :D:D:D Stay dry and warm!

Moomy Discovers The Magical World of Hooks, Yarns and Stitches!

Growing up, I remember my mum was always sitting down working on her crochet.

She would look through her Japanese pattern books for a new table doily and I would peek over her shoulder and be amazed that she could actually decipher the alien letters and little arrows here and there.

And then to actually watch her crochet - her fingers nimbly working the fine metal hook and the ball of yarn bouncing along happily in tune to the nifty dips, tugs and pulls of that said hook - I thought my mum was a really smart woman!

Can you see that crocheted chair cover? Gorgeous, isn't it? My mum was always making these type of doilies for the sofas and tables. (The little chubby boy is my younger brother, Hameem. This was sometime in mid 1980.) 

She cooks, cleans and crochets! How lucky is my dear father, right?

Hehehe anyway, I remember learning to knit during art class in primary school. I made a small purse; the yarn was bright blue. I did one project and that was it … until 2010 when I decided to knit a woolen scarf for my darling sister who was then in cold United Kingdom for her studies.

And after marrying my darling hubby, I discovered that my dear MiL loves to crochet too. And she has made for the lil boys booties, blankies, jackets and those cute beanies ...

Anyhoo, I never thought about learning to crochet. The instructions seem … tricky! But remembering my mum who worked with Japanese patterns and watching my MiL constantly working on a new project, my interest was piqued. I felt determined!

And on Thanksgiving Day, my darling MiL bought me a crochet scarf kit as a little birthday gift.

The kit came complete with hook, yarn and easy-to-follow instructions.

I was excited to try but worried that I would end up getting all tangled and knotted up, especially with the 2 lil mudfarts running around me.

But my MiL had said that if I had gotten stuck, we could work on it together.

For one week, the kit sat on the kitchen counter staring at me as I walked past it each day. And this past Friday, I could wait no more.

I opened the kit and read through the instructions carefully.

 My eldest boy, Tommy, was helping me read the 1-2-3's off my instruction sheet.

 

 And so it begins ...

Lookie look!! I managed to work on the wormy foundation chain! That was easy enough …

My attempt at Half Double Crochet stitches … I had a wee bit of trouble but I looked at the illustrations carefully and read the words twice, thrice ...

 It wasn't easy trying to concentrate on that first two rows … especially when you have this boy tugging on the yarn ...

 In his hands, Tommy had a lil footballer figurine and he used that to tug on my yarn. It was as though the 49'er player was doing some king of mini tug-o-war with me ...

 As if Big Brother wasn't enough to distract me, Lil Brother Aidan came along and joined the fun ...

 My work-in-progress!

I wasn't too sure then if I had done the stitches correctly but checking against the picture on the kit, that doesn't look too bad, right?

By dinner time, I was already into my 2nd ball of yarn and I was soooo determined to finish the project there and then! 

And finished I did! I did not take a picture of it then, with the 2 long end tails but after checking with The Expert (read: my dear MiL), I did some weaving and ...

 Ta-daaaa!! :D:D:D

Here's my lil model (he was pretending to be a snowman) with my newly crocheted scarf!

I crocheted it in time to wear it the next morning. I think pink and purple look great together, don't you think? Hehehe :D:D:D Thank you, Mom! This was so much fun!!

I am so glad that I finally dipped my toes into the wonders of crocheting. My fingers are currently itchy to work on more stitches - there are so many!! - and more projects (a floopy beanie, house slippers, granny squares - I have gone quite crazy pinning stuff on Pinterest!).

Do something new today, my dear reader. Start with something simple like trying a different type of coffee or a new recipe … you might be surprised at the results :D:D:D

Keep dry, OK - its raining heavily here today - and stay warm. Happy days!! :D:D:D

Moomy's Tally on Thanksgiving Leftovers!

Right about this time last Thursday, there must have been a lot of fat, golden brown turkeys being pulled out of the oven and set on the countertop to rest.

And I am sure that most of you already had brilliant ideas on how to build your sandwiches using leftovers from the awesome Thanksgiving Day spread.

I was curious too as to how much of that 14+lb bird will get eaten and what will get made from all that beautiful meat so …

Without bothering with the technical how-to's, let me share with you our tally on the beautiful dishes we got from that big, fat golden turkey we roasted on Thanksgiving Day:

From this beautiful 14.68lb turkey, we got a very filling Thanksgiving dinner for 4 adults and these (over the course of 1 week):

#1: Leftovers for my darling in-laws, as they back to the Coast the day after Thanksgiving :D

My darling MiL shared with me that from these leftovers, she got 3 meals out of it: 1 turkey dinner, 1 sandwich dinner and the rest went into a soup. How awesome was that?

#2: 1 leftover plate with turkey meat, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing and roasted veg for my darling hubby

 That huge yellow box contained several halves of deviled eggs - yum!! Even though I did not prepare a plate of turkey dinner for myself the next day, I had enjoyed a bowl of stuffing mixed with roasted veggies and the green bean casserole. Delish!!

#3: 2 huge trays of Turkey Pizza on homemade BBQ sauce with red and orange peppers and mushrooms. Enough for 1 big dinner and 1 lunch for us :D:D:D

This was my darling hubby's pizza. Yeah, he loved his pizzas smothered with cheese. His toppings were similar to mine, with the addition of black olives, jalapeños and red onion. 

Mine! When I made the pizza dough, I tossed in a small handful of finely chopped fresh sage, rosemary and thyme leaves. And the combination of shredded roast turkey on BBQ sauce … the smell was pretty awesome, y'know! 

#4: Soto Turkey!

 I heard that Americans look to chicken soup as one of their comfort foods. This bowl of soto turkey, a variation of the popular soto ayam in Singapore/Malaysia, is mine. Small cubes of rice cakes (another option is to have rice vermicelli) with generous serving of shredded turkey meat, topped with blanched taugeh (bean sprouts) and served with fragrant turkey broth and bagedel (potato cakes). Absolutely divine!

Soto turkey is a variation of the popular soto ayam (chicken soto in Malay). Soto is basically a spicy chicken soup, eaten with rice cakes and topped with blanched bean sprouts and bagedel (potato cakes).

And since I had used the turkey bones to make turkey stock, I ladled some into a smaller pot and added ginger, lemongrass and spices like cardamom pods, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and cumin to give the good ol' soup an Asian twist!

That bowl above did not look spicy because it was mine. But my darling hubby spooned a generous dollop of Sriracha into his and his broth turned pretty red. Pretty good, he said :D:D:D

The soto turkey I made was enough for 4 adults.

#5: Cornish Pasties!

 

Look at my darling boys giving me a hand at making these pasties!

I could easily turn the turkey meat into a pot pie but because I always enjoy the smell of fresh pastry baking, I thought making cornish pasties out of the leftover meat would be a sweeter alternative.

Here's the post I'd written on cornish pasties: Moomy & The Naked Chef's Pasties

The filling was shredded turkey meat, sliced cremini mushrooms, carrots, yellow and red peppers, peas, potatoes and onion. That recipe yielded 6 cornish pasties :D:D:D and it was perfect with a drizzle of chili sauce, Sriracha or mustard on the side, whichever tickles your fancy :D

#6: Turkey Stock

I learnt to make stock from meat bones so with the turkey remains and some onions, celery and carrots, I made turkey stock! Not bad, eh?

I kept the stock frozen for the time being; I am sure it will come in handy when I want to make another pot of soto this winter.

So there you go, my dear readers. I felt pretty pleased with myself and the above meals I had crafted out of the leftover turkey meat. Of course, there are endless possibilities and I am sure the next time we roast another turkey, we'll have another list of delicious leftover meals for you to try.

Until our next roast, keep warm and stay dry, everyone!!

Moomy's Cheese-less Quiche

For years now, I've always wanted to take a bite out of a beautiful slice of quiche. 

I thought quiches are beautiful, savory pies; their golden crust perfectly formed, their filling golden brown and just so inviting!

The name itself sounds so exciting and exotic! Quiche. Quiche. Quiche!!

The only reason why I have never eaten a quiche before is because most quiches are cheese-based. 

And I do not eat cheese.

Well, except for mozzarella, of course. The shredded kind on pizzas. What's a pizza without the mozza, right?

Anyhoo, I sat down one day and started to look online for a vegan quiche. With all the possibilities and recipes and the determination to make a pie crust from scratch, I might just be able to pull this off:

You'll never know until you try it out ...

I started out by making the crust, Martha Stewart's way:

The pastry itself seems pretty easy to handle. 

 My pie plate was 10-inches round. This was my first try at making and rolling out a pie crust - did you see the edges I had crimped? Hehehe not that bad, I think! *winks*

My lil Aidan giving me a hand at … well, checking the quality of my pie plate ...

… and helping me to roll out the INVISIBLE pie crust! LOL he worked so hard at this that he began to develop a flour mustache! Hehehe :D

While waiting for the pie crust to cool down for a bit (I left it sitting in the garage. I'm beginning to enjoy the advantages of winter here - it turns our garage into a walk-in fridge!), I worked on the quiche filling. This was what I did:

Veg, veggy, veggies!! I thought this was a wonderful recipe to incorporate different types and colors of vegetables into your meal :D:D:D

Heat up 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a frying wok over medium-high heat. Once the oil has melted and warmed up, I added 1finely diced yellow onion, 1 diced red pepper, 3 garlic cloves (finely minced) and a good handful of cremini mushrooms (sliced).

Because I have roughly chopped up 1 HUGE bundle of fresh spinach, I tossed in the crunchier stem-bits into the wok. I thought by sautéing it together with the onions and other ingredients, it will give the quiche a wonderful flavor.

So sauté the above mixture for about 5 minutes or so, till the onions are translucent and the spinach stems a wee bit softened. Remove the wok from heat.

Shame that one yolk popped ...

Into a big bowl went 6 eggs and 3 tablespoons of finely ground almond (basically a handful of almonds before it got blitzed up in my trusty Bullet). I whisked the eggs and almond meal quickly into a pretty froth before adding these: half a teaspoon of baking powder, three-quarters teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon each of paprika and dried thyme, and one-eighth of a teaspoon each of cayenne powder and black pepper.

Once you whisked it together, the smell was pretty delightful :D

Whisk the mixture again and then stir in the sautéed vegetables and freshly chopped spinach. Stir well until everything's nicely incorporated.

Pour this eggy-veggy mixture into the prepared pie plate, and bake it for 45-50 minutes in a preheated 350degF oven, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove your pie from the oven and let it set on the counter for about 5 minutes before you slice and serve your quiche.

All that green-ness! I might have used a tad too much spinach but hey, 'tis all good! Me, the quiche rookie, remember? *winks*

I was happy with how this cheese-less quiche turned out. Chock-ful of vegetables and the taste was fantastic :D:D:D

Equally delish that evening and even more fantastic as a leftover the next day :D:D:D

My darling hubby commented that it was "very good … even for a cheese-less quiche". LOL! Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, alright … 

And I found that I truly enjoyed this vegan* vegetarian-style quiche. I am going to make this again and try different vegetables too. Asparagus, broccoli, leeks … and perhaps even throw in a handful or so of shredded chicken meat or something …

And a big chunk of cheese on the side just to please my darling hubby's need of a cheesy quiche hahaha

Have a wonderful day, everybody :D:D:D

*Updated on 5 Dec 2014: My darling MiL reminded me to check on the "vegan" status of my quiche. Because I had used eggs, its really not vegan … so vegetarian it is now :D:D:D