Weekend Menu #31: Corny and peanut-y soup

(This is post-dated entry)

By now you would know that I enjoy cooking and consuming soups.  Nothing too herbal because I cannot stand the smell of some herbs and spices.  And also I seldom add pepper to my soups because I never like peppery soups.  Or you can say my throat is highly sensitive to pepper. 

Most of the soups I cook are simple and easy to take.  I love soup because they are healthier too.

And I also share with you my other liking today.  I love sweet corn and peanuts too.  Love the sweetness of both. 

I love my sweet corns to be steamed and then add butter on the corn before digging my teeth on them!!  And other way of enjoying my corns is cook them in soup.

Simple to cook and taste sweet and great too.

Sweet corns with chicken soup

Ingredients:

Chicken part (I used thigh and chicken wings); 2 - 3 fresh sweet corns (chopped into smaller pieces), Red dates, white pepper

Method:

1.  After thaw the chicken meat, throw into the slow cooker together with the sweet corns and red dates. 

2. Let it cook for another 2 hours.  Before serving, add few dashes of Sarawak white pepper. 

As for peanuts, I love to cook them together with pork ribs.  They taste heavenly.  And hubby enjoyed this soup a bit peppery so for his sake I added some pepper into the soup.

Pork ribs and peanuts soup

Ingredients: Pork ribs (cut into smaller pieces; thaw); Peanuts (soak and rinse); salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Soak and rinse the peanuts few times until the water turned clearer

2. Pour the thawed pork ribs and peanuts into slow cooker.  Let it cooks for 2 hours

3.  Add salt and Sarawak white pepper to taste.



Tin Can Lantern Tutorial

I've always loved the look of punched tin! It's very rustic country and in my mind feels very patriotic. So of course I wanted to make some for the upcoming holiday. Nowadays most of my crafts have to be able to include my little men and this one turned out to be perfect for both of them! Here's what you can do. 

The day before wash your tin cans and fill with clean water, then freeze overnight. The frozen water helps the can hold it's shape while you punch the holes. And in the end turned out to be very refreshing on a hot day :)

Print out your design on card stock; you can outline a printed shape with dots like I did.  Cut to fit your can and tape on. Using card stock helps battle the condensation that will form on your can. Regular paper with fall off too easily.

Take a thicker nail and hammer each dot all the way through the can. For little hands I recommend a mallet. Will (almost 5) happily completed his pattern with little assistance from momma ;)

Once all the holes are punched you can rip off the paper.  (You can see the ice pushed the bottom of the can out.  When the ice is out you can just use a hammer to tap it back into place.)

A perfect little job for the smaller tykes of the group. By this point the ice will have melted enough to remove it from the can. If not run it under warm water. Dry the cans and then you're ready for the next step!

Let them paint it up! We used acrylic paint, since it holds up well to the elements. It gets messy, so don't say I didn't warn you! After they finished I came back through with a toothpick to open up any holes that were filled with paint. Once dry I did a bit of distressing with sandpaper but that is completely your call. I just happen to love the look of chippy paint :)

Add your candles, preferably citronella ones, and you're ready for a festive night outdoors!
***THE GIVEAWAY*** you still have this weekend to enter! Go here!

What is best for them?

As parents, we always want the best for our children.  But what is the best for them?

Some parents I know will send their children to every tuitions and classes they can think of, i.e. art, music, calligraphy, Maths.  And some will send them to brain development class, brain stimulation class and many more.  Sometimes I feel those parents are suffocating their own children with so many tuitions and classes. 

Why wasting time and money on something that is not interested your children?  Why not discover their inner interest and talent first then decide on what suit them?  Shouldn't we ask our children what they really want first instead of spending few hundreds on all those classes?

So what is best for our children, you may ask?  I think the answer would be our role as parents to discover the talents and interests of our children and develop them through coaching, tuition and other methods.  Not forcing them on something they don't like and eventually hate it when they grow up.

Patriotic Star Lunch

*Today's post is part of a blog hop! Click on the 4th of July icon at the end of the post to take you to the next blog in our Patriotic Blog Hop!*

I made Eliana this Patriotic Star Lunch to celebrate the 4th of July:

This Patriotic Star Lunch was super easy! I made a very similar, almost identical, lunch for Eliana last July (shhhhh don't tell her) and she loved it both times! :)


The star is an I M Healthy Creamy Soynut Butter With Honey with extra honey (Eliana loves honey!) sandwich with a red bell pepper star on top.
The little stars are strawberries 
And to show the star "flying" I added blueberries :)


Eliana's new favorite PB substitute is I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter! It is very easy for us to find, and I'm liking it too! We have had a lot of fun trying all the PB substitutes and I'm just thankful that there are so many varieties and substitutes for us to even try :)

So head on over to the next blog (and the next, and the next) for over 20 awesome Patriotic themed creative food ideas!! Click on the 4th of July button to hop on over to What's In John's Lunch Bag! (the blog hop should be fully live by noonish!)

What I used to make this lunch:

**Don't forget to enter for the chance to win a Kitchen Digital Scale!!**

How To Hang A Pallet

I've received a ton of emails asking how we hung our pallet in the new dining room. As of now I have been replying back to each email but it's getting a little crazy :) Good crazy! I love that so many of you are emailing me with questions! Keep them coming! But I thought it was time we just put a full post out here on the topic. I'm bringing in Bill AKA The Hubs, AKA Mr Doozie, AKA Mr. DIY. Hmmmm I really need to settle on a blogland name for him. Anyhoot, we will do this interview style :)

Hey babe,  first thank you for doing this interview. I feel like a talk show host. Ooo next time maybe we will do a Vlog! Then I could truly document all your eye rolls! But really, how did you hang my pallet?

I wandered Home Depot till I found a solution for my problem.

How come it was a problem?

That sucker is heavy.

You couldn't just put like 5 big nails in a row?

(snickers)

Fine, what did you find?

I thought about trying to use anchors or a stud and hang it like you would a cabinet. But I know you tend to want me to make small adjustments once it's up on the wall. So in the picture hanging aisle of Home Depot I went to the OOK section, which I knew had a lot of ingenious hanging solutions. And there I found something called a French Cleat.

Does it bother you that it's French? (wink wink)

(eye roll) I guess the French are good for some things, hanging artwork would be one.

Okay back on task before someone leaves a nasty comment on here.

I always try to double the holding capacity when hanging an item. So a 100lb cleat should be double the weight of a pallet. Plus these packs come with all the hardware, a level and no power tools are needed. Also using a cleat allows you to shift the item left to right by an inch or so if needed - something I usually have to do for you.  

So, would you say this is the BEST way to hang a pallet?

Yeah.

Allright, I can see you used up all your words, I'll show them the pictures now. Thank you. "Golf claps" for Bill ;)

Alright, so above you can see the aisle where you'll find the cleats. They are called OOK French Cleats. You'll need to get the one that is for 100lbs. They do make a 200lb one if you like to be super safe ;)

There are instructions on the back of the packaging and even a smart phone scan code to watch a how-to video. But really all you do is put one side of the cleat on the wall, level it, and screw it in.  Start with the center screw and don't tighten it until it's level (The package comes with a small level that will slide into the cleat for this).

Attach the other side of the cleat to the pallet. And Bam! You've got yourself a super safe, hangable pallet! How easy is that!?!

Some of y'all asked about the stain as well. He sanded down the entire pallet and then stained it allover with the pine stain. Once it was a dry he came back along the edges with the walnut and lightly rubbed in towards the center (A little goes a long way here). After 3 or 4 hours he finished it off with the clear coat. It feels very Pottery Barnish to me :)

Thanks for reading all the shenanigans! And don't forget to checkout the giveaway!

Be Kind Wednesday: Sole Hope and a Discount!

Hello hello :) Happy Wednesday! I have to say I've really fallen for this midweek refocusing thing! Have you been pausing in your week to be kind to yourself and those around you?

Today I thought I'd show a little kindness to y'all! How about a 20% discount in the Etsy shop? Enter the code BEKIND20 at checkout! I'll keep it up till Friday.

And in bigger kindness, check out this organization! Sole Hope

They offer an incredible way for people to be a part in helping by hosting a Shoe Cutting Party. I saw a few other bloggers hosting these parties and it looked like an incredible combination of crafting, friendships and service. I love it! Thankfully the leader of our woman's group at church is of the same mindset and in August we will be hosting our own cutting party! Crafting for a greater good, could that be any more awesome?

Hope your Wednesday is wonderful! We are having a home day today, a little crafting, book reading, snack making kind of day. Then tonight my sweet husband wrangles the boys once again while I get to zip to Yoga :) Yay!

Love y'all~
PS. THE GIVEAWAY PEOPLE, THE GIVEAWAY!!!

Customs for House Moving

We got the auspicious date and time for house moving.  And like anything else, the Chinese has few customs to follow prior and during the actual day of moving. 

Actually my hubby does not believe in such customs and he was commenting "too troublesome, etc" but when my parents are involved, he got no choice but to follow.  Lol!   My parents were helping us in getting the good date and advising us on the "to-do" and "not-to-do". 

The translation for my easy reference as follow:

1. All the front door and bedroom doors need to be wide opened except the kitchen door leading to the back yard.

2. All windows must be closed

3. All lights must be switched on for 24 hours.

4. Start spreading the combination of salt and rice from the kitchen all the way to the front and upstair rooms.  The utensil where you put the salt and rice should be kept and never use them.

5. In the paper, it mentioned the kerosene stove.  Lit the stove from the front and bring into the kitchen.  So if we cannot find any kerosene stove, we may opt for the next alternative.  And I heard from my mum not all petrol stations are selling kerosene now.  Why???  (2nd option: Bring and install the gas cyclinder.  Boil water in kettle.  Used the boiled water to make 6 cups of tea)

6. Hang the red cloth on top of the main door.  Never nail the middle part.  Only nail on both sides.  After 4 months, you can bring down and keep the red cloth.

7. Place 8 oranges in the living room and kitchen (on the table).  After one week, if the oranges are still in good condition, you can eat them.  Otherwise discard.

8.  Sweep the salt and rice from the kitchen all the way to the front door.  All the windows can be opened now.

Remark: New furniture and stuff can be moved in prior to the actual date.  Do not open or use them till the actual moving date.

Skidding....

I've heard epic stories from mothers who have boys....the antics and crazy stunts they try to pull. I just didn't know that it could start as young ages 2 and 4! Sheesh!

I was in the kitchen cooking dinner when Will walked in wearing the outfit above. Mind you it was 90+ degrees out and beyond humid.

"Mom, I'm going skidding, don't worry I "fermembered" to take my good clothes off."

I already know what he is talking about. The first time this event occurred was a few months ago, I just didn't know he named the activity. Skidding...hmmm you have to admit it's catchy. And the flannel pj uniform could start a trend ;)

Jack is already waiting in the yard, jeep charged up and ready to roll. He loves the power he has in this game.

 Will runs off the deck, does a very dramatic belly flop onto the grass and grabs the back of the jeep. "Go Jack go!" he yells. 

Jack drops the jeep into the fastest gear and then they zip around the yard. Will screams with joy and Jack is prouder than a Georgia peach! It lasts a good 20 minutes :)

We've only had one injury from this so far. Will didn't realize it might be a bad idea to only do it in his undies....poor kid had scratches and hives all down the front of his body. Oh my! This is just the beginning isnt it????

Where romance continues

I know, few weeks back I was posting about my 7 years anniversary.  In 2004 we signed our names on that piece of marriage certificate as our official wedding date.  But it was not a year later, we had our wedding reception and honeymoon.

We hold our reception in the grand ballroom in Crowne Plaza Riverside.  Hubby was slimmer that time where as I was slightly "chubbier" than now, how my hubby described me.  

2 days after our wedding reception, we were off to our honeymoon getaway, i.e. Redang.  It is a beautiful island  in Terengganu where hubby called it "The Island of Love".  Indeed to its name, Redang Island is a true romantic getaway.  I would love to go back there and reminiscing those magical and romantic moments. 

I was suggesting to hubby the other days on going back to Redang as there were many places we did not venture when we were there 7 years ago, like the glowing sand which I heard where certain part of the beach that its sand glowing during the full moon.  And this round, we can go for the island hopping which we missed out.

We spent 3 days 2 nights in Redang Island.  Most of the day we were on the sand or snorkelling in the sea.  It was my first snorkelling experience in the sea.  What a great experience.  Wonder when I would be able to do scuba diving??  *wink* The sea marine and corals are very beautiful.

We did have a look at the famous Redang Mo Mo Cha Inn which was built during the filming of the Mo Mo Cha  (Summer Holiday) starring Richie Ren and Sammi Cheng.  I think the Inn is still there.  They have a cafe and souvenir shop in the inn.

One day we will come back here, and this round, with my 2 kids, the products of our romance.  *wink*

SlimKicker Digital Scale Giveaway

**This Giveaway is now closed**


I know this blog is mostly about the lunches for my daughter, but I couldn't resist posting something that is more for us parents, or adults in general :)  I find it very important to give my daughter healthy and balanced meals-- especially at lunch time.  It was always so easy to just give her a jelly sandwich since that was all she wanted to eat (she loves bread and could live off of bread alone.)  So I began to present her fruits and veggies in a fun and creative way to encourage her to eat them. This has worked tremendously since I began-- and it also has encouraged her to try new things :)


It also works for me too. And no, I don't mean that I make myself flower sandwiches! When I pack my lunches I try to present my food in a way that makes it all look so enticing :) Presentation is key! And honestly, if it looks beautiful I will eat it. (for the most part lol)


Since I can go from sorta hungry to "oh-my-goodness-i-feel-fatigue-and-will-drop-over-and-die-now-unless-you-can-feed-me-NOW" in a matter of seconds/minutes (don't mess with me when I'm hungry) it is smart to pack my lunch ahead of time. Because honestly if I don't pack it I will end up eating whatever I can find. So one of my daily goals is to pack my lunch.  Sounds simple right? But not necessarily.. It is always so much easier for me to pack my husband's lunch and even Eliana's lunch and then somehow forget about myself! When I do pack my lunch I use EasyLunchboxes, for example:

A ham and cheese wrap with veggies for lunch :)

So when Sue of SlimKicker contacted me and asked if my readers would like a giveaway I said YES! 

SlimKicker is a healthy living/fitness app and blog.  The goal is to help motivate you to stay healthy by turning your health and fitness goals into a level up game with points, rewards and challenges ((i.e. my own challenge of packing my lunch every day!))

SlimKicker is looking for new challenge ideas and wants you to help! SlimKicker will pick their favorite challenge idea and then also use it on the site! The winner will also receive a digital kitchen scale!

Want an Ozeri Touch Professional Digital Kitchen Scale? You got it! ;)

Leave one comment: One suggestion on a fun and creative fitness or diet challenge  ((no more than one to two sentences. i.e. pack your lunch daily, or no soda for a week)).  This giveaway will end on Monday July 2nd at 11:59pm EST. Slimkicker will pick their favorite suggestion and I will announce the winner as soon as the winner as been selected!

**US mailing addresses only**

Good luck!! :)

**This giveaway is  now closed and SlimKicker has picked its winner! Check out the winner here**

Weekend Recap & A Recipe

Sigh....happy sigh....it was a good weekend. One of those weekends that you end with feeling tired but filled. We had friends for dinner, went blackberry picking, did a little thrift shopping, zipped to church and lots more! Here are few pictures for you :)

The sweet joy of being in a field, picking fresh fruit and listening to the squeals of delight from your children.....ahhhhh

Vintage coke bottles and flowers from the yard! 

I love this sign; it sums up our life right now very well.  I did not like the price....I think a DIY post will be coming down the chute ;)

Bill's Sangria

3 bottles of Pinot Grigio
1 pint of strawberries sliced
2 lemons sliced
2 oranges sliced
3 peaches sliced
1 litter of chilled sparkling water
4 cups frozen whole strawberries

Mix the wine and fruit in a large bowl and let set for 4 hours. Before serving add the cold sparkling water to the bowl and stir. Place a few frozen strawberries in each glass before filling. Enjoy! 

Have a glorious Monday! And don't forget the GIVEAWAY is still open!

Going to Car Boot Sales

It is a great Sunday today, because the weather is cooling and we had few session of rains this afternoon.  So a relief after few weeks of warm and hazy weather.

This morning we went to C121 Stutong for a late breakfast around 10am.  I like the place because of its decoration and food variaties.

It has a nice centre piece of decoration in the middle of the cafe.  I think it has something to do with Feng Shui.

I ordered mee suah from this Foochow stall

My RM5.00 mee suah.  Very nice taste.

The cheng soup with those liver, blood clot etc.  I have been forced to taste few of the blood clots

After breakfast we went to the nearby car boot sales.  This is the first time I been to a boot sales.  Interesting to walk around looking through the second-hand items.  The old magazines are sold RM0.50 each and a stall was selling RM1.00 each.  I managed to buy 5 old books at RM1.00 each from a boot.

A Marimo stall.  Interesting species.  Planned to get some for my new home in few months time

The big Marimo balls after a year of rearing

Old toys, where hubby enquired on the Avator robots which cost RM55 each

Nice hand woven baskets

I bought this dress for RM40.00 only! 

Dinner at Topspot

Today is the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.  And not to be missed is the eating zhang tradition. 

We had an earlier celebration last night at Topspot Food Centre.  We went to Restaurant 25 and order our favourite seafood dishes.

Bamboo clam in curry

Fish Maw soup

Oyster pancake

Sabah vegetable

The dish of the night: Steamed lobsters

The dinner cost around RM80+.   

After dinner, we saw an ice cream store.  SCOOP gelato ice cream.  My favourite.  They do not have much varieties there, but we ordered one Mocha chocolate cone and one big scoop of Chocolate Chip Mint.

My Chocolate Mint ice cream.  Cost RM8.00