Gardening Oreo

My, my.....Mommy must be pretty busy lately! Look at all the weeds growing everywhere! Wonder if I can help?

Tsk, tsk...what a scrawny little fig!

Somehow it does smell interesting....

I wonder if I can take a bite? It does smells good? What is it? Tumeric plant? Emmm...

Haa...haa.... Bet Mommy won't find me here! I can hide here all day!

Mommy: "Actually Oreo is hanging out there to escape bath time.......LOL!"

Apple Green Reward

Been thinking about it! Too long, I would say. What should I get?

At the moment, maidless, happy, tired, job satisfaction...haha! 1001 kind of mixed feelings.

I think I need to reward myself.

And looking at Mamafami's blog with lots of recipes give me enough excuse to end my long overdue decision and almost life long procastination.... But...is it Kenwood, or KitcheAid??

The moments of truth! What is the outcome! Another one more series of decision-making research, friends and on-line......!! Here it comes!

Welcome to my kitchen!

The camera and lighting is not doing justice to this beauty. A nicer shade of apple green, my reward for working so hard these 2 months....haha!

Edited:

After browsing online, this is the nearest color to my latest kitchen addition. Yummy color..!

Honey Is Gorgeous Again!

After about 2 weeks since the eye surgery, Honey has regained back her normal beautiful eye back to its healthy condition. The vet said that she has recuperated well, and in fact, the sewing (ouucchh!) on the eyelids were already partially opened mainly because she is an active cat.

The vet had delivered his promised that Honey's eye will be back to normal. As you can see, if not for the fact that she did undergo a surgery, no one would have suspected anything amiss with eye. I am so glad and relieved and happy for her.

I must thank all my cyber friends and their furry friends, namely the COTS, for the well-wishes and hugs and care that you have extended to Honeybun. Thank you all!

Virtual Chicken Pie Turns Reality!

I've said this before, and I'll say it again!

I just love the world of internet!! LOL!

Recently I visited MamaFami's blog and discovered a new recipe that I've been mentally trying to cook, but never did until then. (Mentally here means thinking, thinking, imagining, thinking again, but no action taken...haha). She got this recipe from McKantin, and added a few tips here and there. I linked their web address on their names. The result, a Yummy Chicken Pie, a reality! Haha..!

CHICKEN PIE

Filling :1 packet minced chicken (I use Ramli's ~ 340gm)

1 can mushroom soup (I use campbell)

300 gm mixed vegetable

300 gm onions, diced

2 tablespoonful of butter

2 tablespoon plain flour mix with 1/2 cup water

salt & white pepper

Method :- Heat butter in a pan & saute diced onions till soft.

- Add mince chicken, stir to break the lumps and all the chicken turns white.

- Stir in the mixed vegetable.

- In another bowl, mix mushroom soup with one cup water, stir until smooth.

- Pour mushroom soup mixture into the chicken, add more water if necessary.

- Add in flour that has been mixed with water. This is to thicken the filling.

- Cook at slow fire.

- Add salt & white pepper to taste.

Line chicken pie dish with pastry (I used the instant pharata)

Spoon in enough filling, cover the top with another piece of pastry.

Bake @ 160 deg C for about 30 mins or until done.

You can visit MamaFami and McKantin blog here for more recipes.

Mommy Off On A Short Vacation!

CATS ON TUESDAY

Dear Oreo, Minty and Honeybun

Mommy is going off on a short trip nearby. Its just a 45 minutes drive from home. Mommy is so sorry coz cannot take you guys along.

So, Honey and Minty, please put on you best behaviour while visiting you 'not-so-favorite' friend, the vet, ok. He will take good cae of you. Plenty of healthy food and grooming time, just like a spa! In no time, its time for you to pack and come home, before you even know it!

Oreo, I entrusted you with the house. Please guard the house to the best that you can. I have plenty of food and drink ready from the dispensers, just make sure it didn't get toppled off while you playfully chase after the dried leaves!

Mommy didn't have enough time to say goodbye to my COTS friends, but will certainly visit them when Mommy gets home and post lots of pictures to share. Audieu!

Updated: March 18th, 2009

Hi! I happen to get some internet connection from my hotel, suprisingly!

Just to add a action picture of Oreo, the warrior on patrol duty, just before I left....haha! Bet I can count on him to do his job very well....Lol!

Honey Bun Had An Eye Surgery!

CATS ON TUESDAY

My honey has a mishaps.

The other day we noticed that she had excess eye secretion. We tried to clean it up but it still comes out excessively, and the left eye more than her right eye. And to make things worse, she did a little bit more of scratching than she ought to. The minute I saw she can hardly open her left eye, off she went to the her not-so-favorite friend, the vet.

Apparently, her eyes got an infection from her scratchings, and had turned into an ulcer. And the vet told us she had to do an eye surgery! "Nooooooo.....!" I exclaimed. "I can't let you do that! Don't touch her eye!" I was more than panic! I cannot let the vet took her eyes out...ouch!

"Don't worry," the vet said. I am not taking her eyes off!" He later explained patiently by a drawing on a white board that they only need to remove an outer layer where the ulcer is. Then they will sew the eyelids (ouuccchh....ouccchhh!) together and within two weeks, with supplements, a new layer will be formed.

I definitely do not have a choice. The consequences of not doing a surgery is, the ulcer will turn into a bigger infection and then, she might lose an eye...oouuuccchhhh!

With a heavy heart, but a 'forced' positive mind, I let the vet took care of her eyes. I picked her up the next day, and her eyes looked terrible. Oh dear, what have I done? Her beautiful eyes!! My heart goes out to her. How can I make it up>

I need to give her 2 eye supplements a day, an eye ointment, and whatever other blue capsules on a scheduled date. She looks better after almost a week.
Please pray for Honeybun!

P/s. If anyone has Persians and experienced how to best take care of their excess eye secretions, I'd appreciate a tip or two! TIA!

Gingerly Ginger!

Just a short and quick update! I was unexpectedly excited!

I planted this ginger root sometime in May-June last year. I've been wondering when I can harvest it, and online, it says between 7-8 months. After that I totally forgot about it except the frequent watering.
Yesterday afternoon while preparing to cook my stir fry mixed vegetable, I found out that I was out of this ginger! OMG!! Then I remember my little backyard garden...haha! Not knowing how to harvest it, I just took a kitchen knife and head towards my kitchen garden. In the process, I slice the roots underground.

So here it is, harvested ginger root! Nice young ones. Not too professional a result, split into 3-4 pieces and some still left underground.... for future needs!

Here are some wonderful info about Ginger from Wikipedia. You can click to learn more

Usage

Culinary uses

Pickled ginger
Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added as a sweetener; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added. Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Indian recipes and Chinese cuisine to flavor dishes such as seafood or mutton and vegetarian recipes. Powdered dry ginger root (ginger powder) is typically used to spice gingerbread and other recipes. Fresh ginger can be substituted for ground ginger at a ratio of 6 parts fresh for 1 part ground, although the flavors of fresh and dried ginger are not exactly interchangeable.
Ginger is also made into candy, is used as a flavoring for cookies, crackers and cake, and is the main flavor in ginger ale—a sweet, carbonated, non-alcoholic beverage, as well as the similar, but spicier ginger beer which is popular in the Caribbean.
Fresh ginger should be peeled before cooking. For storage, the ginger should be wrapped tightly in a towel and placed in a plastic bag, and can be kept for about three weeks in a refrigerator and up to three months in a freezer.



Medicinal uses
The medical form of ginger historically was called "Jamaica ginger"; it was classified as a stimulant and carminative, and used frequently for dyspepsia and colic. It was also frequently employed to disguise the taste of medicines. Ginger is on the FDA's 'generally recognized as safe' list, though it does interact with some medications, including warfarin. Ginger is contraindicated in people suffering from gallstones as the herb promotes the release of bile from the gallbladder.[5] Ginger may also decrease joint pain from arthritis, though studies on this have been inconsistent, and may have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties that may make it useful for treating heart disease.[6]

Diarrhea
Ginger compounds are active against a form of diarrhea which is the leading cause of infant death in developing countries. Zingerone is likely to be the active constituent against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin-induced diarrhea.[7]

Nausea
Ginger has been found effective in multiple studies for treating nausea caused by seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy,[8] though ginger was not found superior over a placebo for post-operative nausea.

Folk medicinal uses
A variety of uses are suggested for ginger. Tea brewed from ginger is a folk remedy for colds. Three to four leaves of Tulsi taken along with a piece of ginger on an empty stomach is an effective cure for congestion, cough and cold.[citation needed] Ginger ale and ginger beer have been recommended as "stomach settlers" for generations in countries where the beverages are made, and ginger water was commonly used to avoid heat cramps in the US. Ginger has also been historically used to treat inflammation, which several scientific studies support, though one arthritis trial showed ginger to be no better than a placebo or ibuprofen.[6] Research on rats suggests that ginger may be useful for treating diabetes.[9][10]
Local uses

Oreo - Not the Biscuit!

Like I said, Oreo is not a biscuit. The colour doesn't even come close....except maybe the center cream. Maybe that's why his previous owner named him after. The cream in Oreo biscuit..haha!

Ok, Oreo is my other handsome hunk. I suspect he must be about 6-7 years now, and I will need Gattina to translate his cat years...haha! He is father to Minty! He was married to Candy, Minty's mother...but of course! Candy's colour is almost like Oreo biscuit...but that's another story.

Oroe has a sweet personality. He's so adorable, loves neck and head massages, and love to rub against your feet. But don't, I repeat, don't ever try to carry him! He'll scratch and he'll wriggle away to get down. He will fight against you to get down like his life depends on it. I really cannot explain why, as that was what the breeder told me when I got him. Our suspicions was, may he had experienced falling down before... Oh well!

Here's Oreo!!