Cherry Tomatoes in Chicken Curry

I haven't cooked chicken curry for a while. Just today I remember my friend Danny Mc Cubbin (JamieOliver.com editor) because of the chicken curry he prepared the time I was visiting his office in London. I made a chicken curry last night and I added cherry tomatoes for the little sweet and sour kick. I think this one will do justice to a curry recipe as compared to my previous post, which I deleted. The reason why I deleted it? It's because the photography was really bad. Now with my new DSLR I can do more decent food photos.

A lot of things are happening lately in my life. Aside from my regular job as an art director from Mondays thru Fridays, now I also work as Chef during the weekend in a small cafe called GEISHA. I am also progressing with regards to my future culinary course in Italy. I found my school already and now I'm just doing some house hunting in Firenze and some restaurant internship. Then later on I have to apply for my student's visa in Italy. I will probably get another UK visa so I can visit the JamieOliver online team and some friends I gained in London and Liverpool. Since I will be there on that other side of the planet around yuletide season, I hope my student's visa will be the same as Schengen so I can travel around Europe aside from Italy. I am excited to see snow... I have travelled a lot already but I haven't seen one in my life :)

CHERRY TOMATOES IN CHICKEN CURRY

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast Fillet
• Curry Paste/Powder
• Turmeric
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Salt / Pepper
• Sugar
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Coriander
• Sweet Basil Leaves
• Onions and Garlic (Minced)
• Ginger (Grated)
• Coconut Milk
• Olive Oil
• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

Heat pan in medium temperature then add butter and olive oil. Put garlic, onions and ginger then saute all together. Add chicken and fry it until it gets a little brown. Add curry paste or powder along with other spices. Stir-fry the chicken with cherry tomatoes then add salt, pepper and sugar. Add coconut milk with little water. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add coriander and basil leaves and simmer for another minutes until the sauce evaporate and thicken. Turn off the heat and serve over Thai Jasmine rice then top it with yoghurt.

Hope all of my mates will like this one...

big hug,
joanie xxx

Ti Voglio Bene - Strawberry Panacotta

They say when it comes to love, there's no distance nor language is a daunting barrier. But people have to work extra harder to make that phrase possible. Some people want to be with the person they love or like on Valentine's Day but their enemies (which are time and money) always defeat them. It's hard to battle when these two things are your opponents especially when the person you long to see is on the other side of the planet. On the other hand, some people want to express how they extremely feel about the person they love or like but words are inadequate to elaborate their emotions when they struggle and juggle for the right words just to say it. It’s hard again to battle with language barrier but at the end of the day once the essence is captured in the broken English---it will be good enough to melt your heart.

Through the years Valentine’s Day for me is slowly becoming an obsolete thing. I am often affected by the behavior of society. I’ve seen a lot of married couples that both practice infidelity. I do understand that the human needs are endless. Human beings never stop wanting to be taken cared of, to be appreciated, to experience new things or new person and the list goes on. So sometimes I don’t see the point of marriage. But at the end of my own tunnel the famous movie characters like Jonathan Trager, Declan and fictional person John Green with his famous quote, I think still do exist. It’s hard to find them nowadays but you just have to keep looking. Whether I meet someone like them along my journey or not, things will be fine. I may get disillusioned about the concept of marriage but never on falling in love.

Here’s a heart-warming recipe I derived from a famous Italian dessert Panacotta. My version of cooking cream and jelly together. Something I did for Valentine’s Day even though I was in the verge of sleeping last night.

DRUNKEN STRAWBERRY PANACOTTA

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups heavy whipping cream

• 3 tbsp. Vanilla Syrup

• 2 Ounces granulated sugar

• 1 Envelope Knox or other brand unflavored gelatin

• ¼ Cup cold water

• Bunch of Strawerries

• Shiraz Wine

• Brown Sugar

• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

Dissolve gelatin in water. Pour the whipping cream into a saucepan. Take 1 vanilla bean, cut it open, and scrape it out into the saucepan. Then add the whole bean. Add sugar and mix. Heat the mixture over moderate heat (do not oil) and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and remove vanilla bean with tongs and discard. Stir the mixture consistently while gradually dissolving the gelatin/water into the hot whipping cream. Pour the mixture into pudding cups that have been rinsed out with cold water to chill. Put cups in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours until set. Ready your pan with butter and sauté strawberries. Set aside then melt sugar with red wine. Allow it to simmer until it thickens. Add the sautéed strawberries. When ready to serve, turn the panacotta upside down onto serving plates and place topping over each one.

Buon San Valentino!

big hug,

joanie xxx

Aubergine Caviar

Aubergine is one of my favorite vegetables. The most fascinating purple edible living creature that is way better than Grimace from the American Mickey D's! This vegetable served its useful purposes through a lot of dishes around the world that made this as one of the ingredients. From main dishes, pastas, salads, pies, I am sharing you a dip recipe that uses aubergine as the hero ingredient. I have done this concoction several times and it never fails to amaze people who tasted it. The simple preparation surprisingly creates a magnificent flavor. I sold a lot of containers of this dip when I had it in my first bazaar last 2008 and for the second time around I had it again in my bazaar Christmas of 2010. It was another sold out dish among the food I was selling.



AUBERGINE CAVIAR

Ingredients:

• Aubergines (grilled and peeled)
• Cream Cheese
• White Onions (minced)
• Plain Yoghurt
• Turmeric
• Curry Powder
• Paprika
• Ground Black Pepper
• Salt
• Virgin Olive Oil
• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

After grilling and peeling the Aubergine, place them in a huge bowl. Mash it using the potato masher and set aside. In a medium temperature, heat pan with butter then add minced onions. Saute for a few minutes then sprinkle a little amount of turmeric, curry powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add yogurt then fold it. Allow the yoghurt to acquire the flavor of the spices and onions. Turn the temperature into a low heat then add the mashed eggplant. Add in some olive oil until it generously covers the entire mixture. Turn off the heat then add the cream cheese and mash it. Fold it all together then put it in a jar or ramekin. This dip can be served hot or cold with flat bread, ciabatta, foccacia or even baguette.

This recipe is requested by my dear friend who is all the way from Montreal, Canada. I am sharing this dish so he can try it since he cannot taste my cooking. I hope he enjoys eating this one and I hope the rest of you guys will do.

This post is dedicated to KYRKE :-)

big hug,
joanie xxx

New Year's Eve Turkey for 2011

Hello mates! Allow me to say Buon anno a tutti!

Year 2010 was the best year of my life so far. It's just hard to say goodbye to the year that was very amazing, fantastic, superb and euphoric! No sufficient adjectives to describe what I have learned and experienced the past months. The turn of events and scenarios tremendously accelerated as the year ends. And to give the exclamation mark for this year---it was about the magical moment of meeting the one and only person I admired the most and he's none other than Mr. Jamie Oliver! Since he's my inspiration about my great passion in cooking, I have finally tried doing turkey for the first time. Definitely I followed the Jamie's variety of turkey recipes he had in his cookbooks and website. I also did his roasted vegetables recipe although I didn't copy his gravy but came out with my own version. And thank God I can say it's also a gravy that is to die for!


To recap what happened in 2010, I remember it started with my barbecue cooking for Australia day on January then followed by my very adventurous jungle trekking. Came February I visited the world's famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia and experienced the Vietnamese holiday during their Lunar New Year. The next month was March, which is the most challenging part of my life because I have to undergo an operation. It was a successful operation and my father came here in Saigon to take care of me. After March came April-- my most favorite month of the year because it's my birthday. It was a different birthday because I spent it on the beach with my friends and did parasailing for the first time. Then the middle part of the year arrived between the months of May and June where in I was able to get my UK visa. Third quarter is another travel experience for me when I visited Singapore for the first time to catch up with some friends and rode the Singapore Flyer. July swiftly ended and before I knew it--it's already August.

August was the time of the year where I had to go home to Manila and fixed a lot stuff as I received my Schengen visa for my Europe trip. The arrival of September means excitement because of my first solo painting exhibition. But at the same time itwas the toughest month because of my new job and then I have to take off for a month long vacation by October. The most difficult situation I had was to bargain my unpaid vacation leave to my boss. In the end I victoriously win and went for the October UK-Europe trip.

The most special month for last year was October. I travelled to UK and European countries then experienced a lot of new things, met a lot of amazing people and of course as I always repeat---I met my one and only idol Jamie Oliver! November was just about rejuvenising and reminiscing the best 25 days of my life in UK and Europe. Certainly December is for Christmas and it was my first here in Saigon and just spent it on the Beach and got a bit of a tan.

That's pretty much for the year that swiftly went away. I already said my farewell to 2010 and toasted for the new year with a few good friends in Saigon with my lips-smacking turkey for New Year's eve dinner night!

Here's to an exciting 2011 that ROCKS! :-)

big hug,
joanie xxx

Baked Ratatouille

Before I came to UK and Europe I was so busy that I didn't blog about the food that I've been cooking. Though being busy on a lot things didn't hinder me to still cook the dishes I want to concoct. Cooking is one thing I won't get tired doing no matter how busy and tired I am after a whole day of work in the office. So having said that, I want to post the very first dish I baked in my newly acquired oven which was given to me by the owner of my apartment. They decided to buy one for me instead of me buying it because of the fact that I am renting a fully furnished apartment, so I think the owner just did the right gesture.

Inspired by the French cuisine since I visited Paris last October, I finally decided to make Ratatouille for the first time when I came home from my trip. And not to mess with the recipe, I baked it! Going back a few years ago, people became more familiar with the dish when an American animated film made it as a title. The film is about Remy a rat who wants to be a chef and be in the heat of the kitchen. Sounds gross but it appeared a little cute. Then people from around the world were surprised to find out that it's a famous vegetable dish from France. Ratatouille came from the Occitan word "ratatolha" of the Occitan cuisine. While touiller means "to toss food" This dish originated from Provence and Nice and spreading its different version around France and the entire globe.

There are different versions of doing this dish, I adapted the version of Julia Child which insisted the layering style. Ratatouille can be eaten with breads or filling for crepes. A really nice and interesting food for the vegetarian or vegan people. The vegan can eliminate the use of butter to eat this dish. So let me begin sharing this Ratatouille Nicoise & Provencal recipe...

BAKED RATATOUILLE

Ingredients:

• Aubergine
• Zucchini
• Butternut Squash
• Plump Tomatoes
• Red & Yellow Capsicums
• Thyme/ Marjoram/
• Paprika/ Pepper/ Salt
• Garlic
• Fresh Basil
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Olive Oil
• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

Cut the vegetables according to shape like the aubergine, zucchini and tomatoes. For the Butternut Squash and Capsicum, cut it diagonally. After cutting all your vegetables, prepare a large bowl. Put all the vegetables together then start adding the crushed Garlic, Thyme, Marjoram, Paprika, Pepper, Salt and Olive Oil. Toss them together then prepare an oval or circular ceramic baking tray. Add some butter on the tray then start arranging all the vegetables together in layers as Julia Child did in her cookbooks. Then pour in the remaining sauce it created in the bowl while tossing it. Top it with some butter, grated mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Bake it on 350F from 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on the volume of you are cooking.

This is for all the people who are

Vegans & Vegetarians!

Bon appétit à tous mes!

big hug,
joanie xxx

Merry Christmas!

First of all I would like to wish all you lovely people a happy holiday and may all you and your family have a blessed Christmas. I guess everyone knows that this is the best occasion of the year to do some festive cooking. As for me, every year of my life I try to be the queen of the kitchen in my family Christmas dinner but this year it will be a different one because I won't be home for Christmas. I'll spend it here in Vietnam. Being here in the most important event of the year is quite sad. I hardly feel the spirit of the yuletide season.. so I just decided to go to the beach with my dear friend Doris. For a change, it's my first Christmas to be away from my family and friends but it's also my first time to be on the beach on Christmas day. There's always a first time for everything, I guess.

So having the knowledge that I will not be cooking for Christmas eve, I decided to cook a Christmas lunch last Sunday for my friends here in Saigon before they head back to Manila. I prepared my special Roasted pork which I marinated with beer, mustard, herbs and spices. I place some olives, onions and tomatoes along with the sauce before roasting it in the oven. I just want to say that this is something I am surprised about with the amazing & flavourful result.

Joining the lunch table are my special Chicken Kebabs, Cucumber & Youghurt sauce, Corn & Leeks Fried Rice, Jamie Oliver's Potato Dauphinoise & Ginger Beer plus of course my special dessert Matcha jelly topped with Butterscotch Pudding. This is my little feast before Christmas day. I promise to cook some festive meal as I welcome the new year next week!

Merry KISSMAS Mates!

big hug,
joanie xxx

My Authentic Ilocano Pinakbet

I was born with an Ilocana mother who hails from Northern part of Ilocos called Dingras and that's the reason why it enables me to cook most of the dishes from this region. Although I often hype my flagship claim to be a true blooded Kapangpangan (from Pampanga province) than its feud province Ilocos. The reason behind it is simply because Pampanga is the culinary capital of the Philippines and I am proud that it's where my father come from. Everyone believes that people who hail from that province are mostly natural cooks. I can attest to that because most of my aunts are really good especially my GrandMother from the father side where I learned my basic of cooking skills.

But Ilocano cuisine is something that I also grew up with and my GrandMother from my mother side cooks the perfect Pinakbet! I remember I was only five years old when I first and last came to Dingras. Even though I was a little child during that time I had a vivid memory about the things I saw and experienced. I saw the backyard of my GrandMa filled with all the planted vegetables that are mainly the key ingredients to cook a Pinakbet. I am just happy to do this dish based on what are the available ingredients here in Vietnam.

hugs,
joanie xxx

Back from UK & Europe Trip

(Around London during Sandeman Tour)

Hey LOVE! (How English people do it like when Aussies say mate!)

I am back in Saigon and back to blogging at long last. It's been two months that I was away. September was the busiest month of my life-- I struggled and fought so much about my trip so my boss will allow me for an almost month-long vacation to UK and Europe. Pretty much I succeeded in fighting for my ultimate goal to fly by October.

October first came and I departed Ho Chi Minh City and landed at Heathrow International Airport on October 2. Above is the first photo I took from the most expensive city in the world--LONDON! I stayed there for a few days and fulfilled all my fantastic experiences about my Jamie Oliver journey. I had tours in his offices, stock room, studio and private test kitchen. What amazed me the most was the moment I met my one big LOVE... JAMIE, live flesh and blood! More of the detailed story when I finish writing my journey meeting the man and it will be published at his website in the news segment. Thanks to Danny Mc Cubbin his editor for requesting me to narrate my one-of-kind story. Later on I flew to Liverpool for the BEATLES tour where I met Michael Mc Cartney. Then later on I had my special dinner at Jamie's Italian restaurant in Paradise Street, Liverpool. That's pretty much about England for now.

After the Big Ben and Strawberry Fields, I headed to Brussels and enjoyed the Pissing Boy, waffles, beers, fries and chocolates. The next day I also went on a short trip to Bruges with my former colleague and my Belgian friend. Bruges is a UNESCO world heritage that is surrounded by some nice canals that are cleaner than Venice and more quaint. Belgium is quite fast for 3 days or less. But I was I was excited to go to Paris after Belgium. Paris is an expensive city as well as London but I did enjoy it most of the time by eating all the food I love while gazing at the amazing sights the city has to offer. One of them is the location of my hostel in Caulin Court somewhere in Montemarte where the Moulin Rouge can be found. Around that area you can also find the location of Amelie the movie and the magnificent view of the city from La Basilique du Sacre Coeur. The metro was the only thorn in my itinerary at Paris because they had strikes most of the time so I failed to go to Versailles and decided to go to LOUVRE instead. It's all worth it though. Paris is Paris and I love it!

Now I have to be more excited heading to Barcelona! This is my favorite city in the world where we can find the Sagrada Familia church designed by Gaudi. I was lucky to have my BNB just beside this incredible architectural landmark. My city exploration started when I went to an old castle called Castel de Montjuic and then I visited Fundacion Miro the museum where all the paintings of my favorite painter Joan Miro were archived. I also had an outskirt trip to Montserrat where I met an amazing man who happened to be an English-Scottish but born and raised in Montreal, Canada. I spent the whole day with this person in Montserrat 'til we went back to Barcelona for dinner. We also had an amazing conversation at my BNB that night that I would say we never ran out of story despite talking to each other the whole day. Too bad I have to leave early for my Milan flight the next day. We could've spent more time together. But now I can say I have gained an interesting friend in him.

My last leg was Italy and it's quite tiring because I went to bunch of cities namely: Milan, Venice, Pisa, Florence and Rome. They are all old and quaint but has its own beauty and charm for you to distinguish one from the other. Although Rome is different because it's quite big and busy city compared to the rest. But the city that I really liked the most is Florence or Firenze in Italian. I'd probably go back next year for several reasons. I found a good university for me to pursue my culinary dream. Florence is also the most romantic and cinematic city that I have ever been. Everything I saw and experienced there were just like scenes from the movie. I met one amazing Italian whom I will consider the person who touched my life and made me realized the possibilities of life. I learned to let go of the residues of my past which I have been holding on for two years. I am glad those stuffs are no longer in my baggage. What a relief. Only one incident can change the landscape of a person's life. That's one good thing about travelling by yourself, you will learn a lot and see the world in a brand new perspective. I am telling myself now that the world is really huge!

I am having a hard time now choosing from the 5,000++ photos I took, so for now I just chose the first and last photos I took from my trip. It's also very hard to summarize everything that happened to me during the 24 days I was away. I was brave enough to conquer the other side of the planet all by myself. Learning to navigate myself from top to bottom is one big achievement for me. I am so proud and happy about the trip I had and definitely I will be back in Europe and UK soon.

During the trip, my eyes were bloated by the beautiful sceneries by each city but what amazed me more are the people I met along the way which filled my heart with overflowing joy. I can't remember all of them because they are quite a lot and I am thankful because each of them helped me in one way or another. And to those people I remember for sure they touched my life in the most special way. They are amazing people. I think in my post per city I would be able to mention each of them. But the biggest achievement I had during this trip is meeting JAMIE OLIVER! that up to these days I cannot fathom that it really happened. Shall I say mission accomplished? Indeed! Now I have new set of dreams about Jamie and there's no greater joy to replace that moment I met him.

(At Rome Termini going to Fiumicino Airport)

To all my readers I am happy to share this to all of you. And to those who don't like reading my blog and the details I share, you are not obliged to do so. Life is short and lets just embrace the things that we like and happy about.

hugs,

joanie xxx

Frozen Peach Torte Cake

G'day mates!

It's been a while since I had my last post. There are so many things that happened lately. I owe my blog a lot of postings--my Singapore & Manila trip to be specific. Since I would like to get rid of the Frozen Peach Torte recipe out of the way, I will blog the reason why I made this cake.

I just got back from my Manila trip last week and a lot of changes I have to deal with since I got back. First is my resignation at my old office and it's long overdue. I am now moving to a bigger ad agency, I anticipated the coming of this moment and it gives me a big smile now or perhaps a silly grin? Next will be my upcoming solo painting exhibition very soon. I would definitely post it here first so you guys can see it. Lastly, since I came back here in Saigon I am a bit worried about my Schengen visa whether I will have it or not. I already have my UK visa and once I get the Schengen it signals that my trip to UK-Europe is all set. Today I got the confirmation from the French Consulate here in Ho Chi Minh where I lodged my application 2 weeks ago. I got my visa approved!

The universe is indicating that stars are slowly aligning and I don't know which of the 88 constellations listed in our modern astronomy will form. It may be Cassiopeia of the Northern Sky? Or Big Dipper? Such a serendipity moment if that will happen and now I want to define again that it means fortunate accidents and lucky discoveries. Who knows what life brings? No body knows what lies ahead and we all wish that it would be good and happy.

Veering away from the stars and universe because it has nothing to do with my Peach Torte cake recipe. It was weeks ago when I decided to make a birthday cake, definitely not for my birthday because it's way too late to make one for myself. Although I really wanted to make myself a birthday cake last April with my favorite Matcha Chocolate Crepe Cake but I failed to do so. But August is the best month to make a great cake! I just concocted this one based on my favorite cake Mango Torte. I don't know how it was exactly made but I know some of the key ingredients. I know they have, cream, mangoes, graham crumbs cooked in butter. I replaced the mangoes to peaches and I added cream with vanilla jello pudding. It added a unique taste as compared to the normal Mango Torte. The best thing about the crust of my Peach Torte is the Weet Bix whole grain. This cool breakfast food is 100% made in Australia! What I did was, crushed it into granules and cooked it with butter, sugar and wine. The cake resulted so well especially when it's frozen. The whole thing is too big for me to finish by myself but I did finish it because I don't want some leftovers. I just have to make someone feel very guilty about this cake because he's from the other planet so this cake didn't climb on his list :D

( I really like this healthy brekky food )

FROZEN PEACH TORTE CAKE

Ingredients:

• Thinly sliced peaches
• Nestle Cream
• French Whip Cream
• Jello Vanilla Pudding
• Milk/Vanilla syrup
• Cinnamon
• Wheet Bix Whole Grain (crushed)
• Brown Sugar
• Shiraz (red wine)
• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

Heat pan with butter and sugar. Allow sugar and butter to melt then add the Weet Bix granules. Fold it together then add a bit of shiraz. Ready your pyrex glass container and press the the mixture for the crust. Refrigerate it for a while while doing the cream. Mix milk and Jello Vanilla Pudding together until it thickens. Add the Nestle cream and heat them all together in a casserole then add cinnamon and vanilla syrup. Bring out the glass container with the crust the pour the cream mixture on to the crust then arrange the thinly sliced peaches on top. Lastly whip some cream on top and decorate it on your desired area. Then refrigerate it for 4-6 hours. Best served when frozen.

Hope you like this lil labor of love I did :-)

hugs,
joanie xxx

The Garlic Pesto Sauce

First of all regardless of what's happening in the current world... let me greet first my Mom a...

Happy Birthday!

It's gloomy and raining very often here in Saigon because fall has finally arrived. This is the season where we all need some pillow or human cuddle. Aside from the cuddle it's also nice to eat some good food at your wooden table with your bare foot while watching the raindrops on your windowpane. Even before the rainy season came, I did my own preparation by stocking up some jars or pesto basil and ginger peanut oil. These are my two staples inside my fridge that whenever the lazy weather attacks, I just have my 911 jars that will save either my pasta noodles or my meat.

Rainy season is my favorite season of the year that's why my weekends are just preoccupied by DVD, eating & painting. I have several paintings to finish in time for my exhibition end of August so the weather we are having here in Saigon is just perfect for me to devote my time painting. I just alternate the 3 things during the weekend and I realized that I enjoy being a hermit in my own cave. I just have to make sure that the paintings I am cooking up will be good enough to satisfy my guests. I am pretty much excited with my solo exhibit so I am kinda busy with a lot of extra curricular stuffs lately. But I do enjoy what I am doing in spite of the many things that keep bugging my mind before I sleep. So for now, allow me to share my own version of pesto sauce although I just bought my basil leaves from the supermarket and they seem fine I think. I promised my self to grow my own herbs specifically basil but I still haven't find time doing it. My procrastination on that matter is still on.

GARLIC PESTO SAUCE

Ingredients:

• Basil leaves (80% of the leaves)
• Corriander leaves (20% of the leaves)
• Garlic (minced)
• Olive Oil
• Pine Nuts
• Salt & Pepper
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Yoghurt
• Butter (of course)

NOTE: I did the manual chopping but if you have a food processor you are very welcome to use it :)

Procedure:

Chop the Basil and Corriander leaves and sprinkle with some apple cider vinegar then set aside. Peel the garlic and mince finely. Heat the pan in medium temperature then roast the pine nuts then remove from pan and chop it finely. Use the same pan under medium heat then melt little butter then add the minced garlic and pine nuts. Add some olive oil then put the Corriander and Basil leaves and stir it then add a little yoghurt. Continue mixing then add some more olive oil if necessary. Have a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

Serve it with either pasta or meat dishes...

hugs,
joanie xxx

Matcha Jelly with Chocolate Worm Pudding

Just got back from my Singapore trip catching up with good friends. I just remember that I haven't posted this exhilarating dessert recipe I did couple of weeks ago. I just concocted this based on the emotional truth that I was analyzing recently. I love analogies so this is the food that I think would best embody about my thoughts below:

"Bitter endings. Sweet beginnings..."

There are a lot of things that is definite about life and one thing I am sure a lot of people have already experienced-- is getting hurt. They say you should experience defeat first so when you experience victory it is really triumphant. And same with the saying that we have to experience pains before the pleasures. It's also good to climb a mountain to get on the top than just riding a helicopter and go there. In short we should know first the bad side of the coin before looking at the good side so we can appreciate life better.

One thing that I am grateful for about my life is having experienced getting hurt tremendously and was able to bounce back in grand fashion. Fate has been good to me and it has shown me the bad side of the coin before lingering to the good side. Sometimes I often look back at my defeats, pains and how I climb my own mountain--it makes me smile and tell myself there's no sweeter beginning without experiencing a bitter ending.

One has to put period on the bitterness life has given you. You may call it misfortune or bad luck or whatever you call it but by closing a chapter and ending a cycle marks the beginning of one's joyful life. It took a while for me to feel this way but I can smile now and feel light and tell myself for the nth times that I am really ready for the world. It gave me a lot of signs already to finally have my own sweet beginning...


"It's about time, as everyone says!"

MATCHA JELLY with
CHOCOLATE WORM PUDDING

Ingredients:

• Matcha Powder
• Caramel Pudding Cream
• Plain Gelatin
• Milk / Sugar
• Vanilla Syrup
• Lime or Lemon
• Chocolate Chips
• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

Dilute matcha powder on a hot water then add milk, gelatin powder, sugar, lime and vanilla syrup. Stir constantly until smooth. Place it on a ramekin or small plain glass. Let it cool. Prepare the pan and heat it with medium temperature. Melt butter along with the chocolate chips then add milk and Caramel pudding cream. Let everything melt and stir until it thickens. When the matcha jelly is hard and ready you can put the chocolate mixture. Chill and serve cold.

Hope you like this... Have a good week mates! :D

hugs,
joanie xxx

Squid & Octopus Barbies!

I woke up late on a Sunday morning and that was probably around 11 am. Still had my fresh & vivid memory about the draw game between Australia and Ghana. It was nice catching it live in a pub called Tavern near my apartment with my good Aussie friend Mr. Ashley. Two bottles of beer nice conversation and the mathematical hope for the Socceroos to still make it in the finals. Though last night the Kiwi had a draw game against the Italians that made me lose my hope for the Aussies to at least make it in the finals. It seems I am going to cheer for Rory Fallon instead of Tim Cahill :-(

Around 12 noon I just realized it was Father's Day so I gave a heads up to my neighbor friends in Sky Garden. Oji and Eka came to my house with fresh Dory Fish, Mini Tilapia, Pork Chops & Octopus. I brought out my chicken, squid, veggies and griller then we were instantly ready for a Sunday Lunch Barbecues! I began marinading the meat at around 1pm then made some sauces and salad. The 2 liter COKE brought by Ivy was really the icing on the cake!

We began to savor the barbies that were really to die for because it's soft and tender for the pork and chook. Then the squids were not chewy or rubbery at all. That's the good thing about it, you can bite them easily. What a wonderful lunch that made us all bloated and said nothing but burp! burp! burp! LOL! After a while I brought out the Peach Cake Pudding that has been in my fridge for a week. Not bad, still good because it was frozen since then.

We finished all the eating around 4pm. I told them it's time for an English Tea! So I brought out the Harrods Kiwi and Strawberry fruit Tea for everyone to taste. We are all calmed and relaxed after the tea then we decided to watch a dvd that lasted 'til 630 pm and we ended around 7pm. Then shortly after I ran to the salon and got some pedicure. My feet were happy again then headed back home and ate my Bacon and Cheese with Pandesal while watching the Kiwi fight against the Italians.

SQUID & OCTOPUS BARBIES

Ingredients:

• Squid & Octopus
• Lemon
• Salt & Pepper
• Cumin / Paprika
• Curry Powder / Turmeric

• Butter (of course)

This is very simple marination for an ideal Sunday barbecues! Just ready your fresh octopus and squid then squeeze in some lemon. Rub it with salt and pepper then add cumin, paprika, curry powder and turmeric. Ready your griller and put some flame then brush it with butter. Place in your meat on top of the griller and grill one side for like 6 minutes. Flip the other side and grill it for 4 minutes then it's done. Mine, I served it with my ever favorite capsicum fried rice!

Happy Father's Day Mates! :D

hugs,
joanie xxx

Daddy in Ho Chi Minh City!

Town Hall of Ho Chi Minh City along Nguyen Hue & Le Than Ton

Tuscan Style office inside the Zoo at Nuyen Bien Kiem

Lake and Bench at the Zoo at Nguyen Bien Kiem

Female Statues at The Saigon Opera House

Chinese Temple at the Zoo in Nguyen Bien Kiem

Paintings at Paragon Mall

Nice Shop at Paragon Mall

Acoustic Night at YEN Cafe in District 3

Newly opened Yogen Fruz branch in Phu My Hung

The Famous Fanny Ice Cream in Thon That Tiep

Adidas World Cup Mascot at Parkson's Mall

Notre Dame de Saigon along Le Duan and Nguyen Du

Last March 8 Dad arrived in Ho Chi Minh for one and half months of vacation and obligation at the same time. I was scheduled for my surgery last March 17, so he was the one who was by my side during the operation and my 4 days and 4 nights stay in the hospital. He was with me also during my recuperating period. So when I was feeling okay, I tried to tour Dad to some of the city's hot spots and restos. Most of the time we were together or we were with my good friends here in Saigon. There are almost a thousand pictures Dad brought home after his vacation. Hope he did enjoy his trip to the quaint city of motorbike.

Father's day is almost here, and I guess almost everyone around the globe will celebrate this wonderful occasion. I recently watched the movie "Everybody's Fine" it's the type of movie that will pinch your heart. Seeing Robert De Niro growing old and being away from his kids is something that really happens in real life. And we must admit that we give lesser time to our parents because we are busy with our daily routines. The movie also captured the reality that sometimes kids cover the ugly truth from their parents most specially the imperfections of life. Most of us do not want to disappoint our parents so we keep things from them.

The last scene and dialogue of Robert De Niro in the movie caught my attention. He said something like this: "Your children may not grow the way you want them to be, but what's always important is...everybody's fine." Then the movie ended that one of his daughters is a lesbian and a single mother at the same time, then another daughter is separated but now with a new partner, then a son that claims to be a musical conductor but just a drummer and lastly the son who died as a drug addict and a painter. Life isn't perfect and it will never be. As long as everybody's fine...yeah life goes on and we should find happiness on what we have and deal with it.

See you on Sunday for my Father's day FOOD blog :D

hugs,
joanie xxx

AUS vs GER Higlight: Tim Cahill's Red card

Socceroos cheer leaders in unison :D

Germany's flaming hot supporters!

The Australian Socceroos

Left to right: 19-Michael Garcia (MF) 1-Mark Schwarzer (GK) 3- Craig Moore (DF) 13-Vince Grella (MF) 11-Scott Chipperfield (DF) 7-Brett Emerton (MF) 4-Tim Cahill (MF) 2-Lucas Neill (DF - Captain) 16-Carl Valeri (MF) 5-Jason Culina (MF) 8-Luke Wilkshire (DF)

Polish-German striker Miroslav Klose

The yellow & red card for Tim Cahill

Italian referee Roberto Rossetti

Cahill was suspended for the game against Ghana

Disapponted fans of the socceroos after the humiliating 4-0 in favor of the Germans!

World Cup: Germany VS Australia 3-0

Last January 20 I was very excited to join my friends for the FIFA trophy tour here in Vietnam. I couldn't believe that it was six months already since then. Cut to the present time, yesterday night I was wide awake 'til 1:30 in the morning to watch the World Cup which is my most anticipated game between Australia and Germany.

Although everyone knows that Australia is the underdog and Germany is the domineering team, I didn't lose hope. Who knows... a miracle might happen. Australia's wonder boy, Tim Cahill might repeat his magical goals during the finals against Japan. I was ready to watch the game but prior to that I was chatting to my friend who's in Germany with her German football player boyfriend and he predicted a 3-0 game. They we're saying thumbs down to Australia and I was saying BOOH Germany!


So the game started. Slow moving at the start until Germany started to maneuver the game by acquiring their first goal scored by Podolski. Staying calm and I was telling my self, that's fine there's more time left. Then Klose, Muller & Cacau, succeeded the goals. I saw the intensity or the quick foot moves of the Germans. The Roos were left behind and having a hard time catching up. Their ball possessions were lesser and I felt the frustration of Lucas Neill during the ball game. Then the fall of the Australians for me was when Tim Cahill got the Red Card when the score was 2-0. I think that was it. Then the game finished at 4-0. The Hitler's country won!

Some says that some of the ROOS are old, nah. It's not about that. Maybe the composure of the Australians is not that solid yet. Still a long road for them to be really good in football. Game was kinda disappointing because I was hoping for at least a draw game in the beginning. But when I saw how they struggled, I just wish that they would have a score at least. But anyway it's still worth it to still see my team playing for FIFA.

The whole globe is raving for the world cup except for Philippines. But that fact didn't stop me to pursue my enthusiasm watching football and cheering for my team, which is the Australian Socceroos!

Let's wave the Australian flag again against Ghana & Serbia!

hugs,
joanie xxx