Fresh loot from Singapore

The 'Rents are in H-town! And they brought with them a grocery store and the clothes on their back.

Guess what these are?!

Mooncakes!

Dad even bought be a "little piglet".
He does that every year.

Our gift from their Hokkaido trip.
These are hand blown and hand painted glass soy bottles.
Aren't they gorgeous?!

Gift for the home: Lamp Berger

Chinese soup mixes, tea, herbs, ginseng,
almonds, honey dates, buddha fruit, sambal, candlenuts etc etc.
This took up one side of the largest suitcase!

The good stuff: Abalone!

A great Taiwanese cook book that I can't wait to dive into!

Clay pot.

Double boiler.

A Kyocera ceramic knife from Japan.
Watch out, it's sharp!

My present

The Boy's present.

Much needed make up - it's cheaper at Tangs!

Erm... H1N1 protection.

And best of all: Our wedding album.

Edible Adventures: The Non-Artisan Post

I haven't been posting anything on 'Artisan Edibles' because all I've done these coupla days is experiment with chocolate, particularly, different chocolate frostings. Firstly, there was the experiment with chocolate ganache frosting:


Then there was the experiment with a chocolate glaze, which The Boy took to his fantasy football league draft:


The Boy, sweet man he is, took over the feeding. In the process, he did some experimenting himself. First there was that yummy rigatoni with what he wants to call The Boy's Falling On The Floor Easy Tomato Sauce. Then, get this, he made a pizza. This is it, with a margherita topping:














On a little excursion of his own whilst I was otherwise engaged, he also found these amazing concord grapes at Central Market, which you can squeeze out of their skins:


So, that's how it's been, folks. Back to regular scheduling soon.

Fresh Purple

A friend of mine in London has set up her own online jewelry store, named after her favourite colour. Being impeccably dressed herself always, I'm eager to go check it out myself now. See you at Fresh Purple!

Flowers from the Cotswold, England

Roses and carnations brought all the way from a cottage in the Cotswold, England, by visiting friends and their three beautiful children. Charming!

We cooked over the weekend - first, the Asian experience on Saturday, then a little bit of the South on Sunday. Roast pork with crackling, braised cabbage, kung pao prawns, as well as beans and tasty cornbread - topped up by a belated homemade chocolate cheesecake birthday cake! There was feasting and laughter, fellowship and prayer. What a wonderful thing friends are!

Wind the bobbin up, wind the bobbin up,
Pull, pull, clap clap clap.
Wind it back again, wind it back again,
Pull, pull, clap clap clap.

Point to the ceiling, point to the floor,
Point to the window, point to the door.
Clap your hands together, one two three,
Put your hands upon your knee.

~ An English children's song ~

Drove along the 290 Highway,
on our way to Austin for Memorial Day -
A romantic weekend mini-break.

On the way there is Whataburger,
McDonalds, Sonic, Love's,
The occasional Subway.

There's also Kickapoo Road -
it shares a name I grew up with, back home.
Round Top, Benham, Chappell Hill.

These names I knew only by name,
Through the window of a car,
Across the highway's access road.

On the way there is Whataburger,
McDonalds, Sonic, Love's,
The occasional Subway.

I wonder whether there is an end to this interminable B-roll,
Is this all there is to my new "home"?
Then we stop and I get out of the car,
It's a Love's, with Taco Bell and Church's beside.

I stare at the soaring criss-crossing highways,
The sense that this is a big big country, great.
In confronting the fear I erase it.
I know there is a future waiting out there for me.

Still scared though.