chicken hamburg

DIY sushi handroll

cold shabu shabu

Mentaiko Onigiri

Mentaiko - Fish Roe

Skills....

Dusted Mochi with Azuki Beans

Rolling & Boiling

Dusting

Okonomiyaki Chef Chisako

In the pan

In the bowl

Gre-int cake

why?

A birthday cake for a special lady in my cell group. Also, LR expressed how much he really loves those japanese light and fluffy sponge cake. So I searched the internet and came across a japanese green tea cake. Sounds exciting enough for me try it! But why the name Gre-int? Refer to 'failure' below for a better explanation :(

  

success?

Sigh... it was a disaster, read below for the details.

failure?

The recipe calls for green tea powder which I could not find. However, I did not want to give up, so I went to the beverage section in the supermarket, hoping to find something similar to green tea powder. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I found a box of ice green tea drink mix in powder form and at that point it seemed like a really good substitute. I got home and followed the recipe religiously. When the cake was baking in the oven, I decided to reward myself with some ice green tea. I took out a sachet, mixed the contents with iced cold water and as I took a sip my face turned green. I simply could not describe what I just tasted. I picked up the box, checked the expiry date and that was fine, then I saw a small fine print of the words "mint" next to these words "Iced Green Tea". OH NO!! But confusion quickly turned to anger. Angry at the manufacturer! Where is the green tea? All I could taste was mint, mint and all mint! Seriously, there was absolutely no green tea at all. If anything, the manufacturers of this drink should change the label to "Iced Mint Tea". I was duped!!!!! And what was more disgusting was I had no idea how the cake would turn out! A mint cake?? Hence the name Gre-int. Sigh... needless to say, the taste of the cake was weird and I think my decorating muse left me too, I don't know what came over me to simply scatter silver balls around the cake. The cake looked like something out of twilight zone and it should stay there and never return!

japanese katsu rice

Jap Stuffed Squid

hokkaido milk loaf

why?

1. I never give up!! I would describe my past bread making experiences as hard, as with the results as well. I am a total failure at baking bread. But I simply adore bread, so I refuse to admit defeat.

2. It rained when I was asleep, when I woke up it was still raining and it looked like the rain was not going to stop. It was so cool and I almost wanted to stay in bed and snooze the day away. But somehow, I remembered a colleague's wife telling me that the best temperature to prove bread and knead bread was at 'air-con' temperature. So I immediately jumped out of bed and started to search for a bread recipe and came across this http://http//schneiderchen.de/237Hokkaido-Milky-Loaf.html

success?

It looked perfect and when I tore the 2 loaves apart, what greeted me was the most amazing sight! My kitchen, my laboratory has never set eyes on fluffy bread that smelled so divine!! It was a success. I was grinning ear to ear and I simply could not believe that I have baked bread!

failure?

I'm not too sure why, but there was this really slight tinge of bitterness, but it went away after 10min. Perhaps LR and myself were really to impatient to wait for the bread to cool before we attacked! Freshly baked bread is simply THE BEST!

Lurve Lunchbox

why?

I remembered when I was in JC, I chanced upon a lunchbox that my friend's mother prepared for her. The first reaction I had was awe. I would have never imagined such a beautiful sight in my school canteen! But then my second reaction or transformation took over , I somehow just could not bring myself to join in the chorus of "wows" that the lunchbox drew. I became a green-eyed monster. I was really jealous! I wanted to be the person at the receiving end of so much love and affection. I eventually got over it of course, but today as I was packing in the Sushi and Inari I made into the lunchboxes for LR and my mom, when I remembered the JC friend incident, it wasn't that I was hoping that people seeing the lunchboxes would be envious of LR or my mom, but rather what hit me was that as the person preparing the lunchbox, I could experience much joy and thanksgiving. I am just so grateful that I have people that I love so much, that I can give to :) Now I know why our God gives us so much to His people, because He loves us deeply and it brings Him joy to give.

failure?

I wish I could prepare more so that I could give to ALL the people that I love!

success?

I learnt that in giving, I receive as well.

"Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you"

NIV Bible

"Give your life away; you'll find life given bck, but not merely given back - given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity"

Eugene H Peterson from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Lanaguage

Luke 6:38