Oil &Vinegar's Tuscany Blend Potatoes

Aidan LOVES aardapples (potatoes). i try to 'spice up', jazz up his potatoes once in a while so he wont get bored of his food. i normally add dried herbs when i grill his potatoes (together with olive oil) but eversince he turned 1, i dare to give him a taste of 'real' food. and now that he's turning 16 months, he's been eating the food that we eat (with no salt, sometimes, just a tad bit of salt). so far so good.



I LOVE Oil & Vinegar. they have very good range of oils, dippers, pestos... i cant get enough of them. one product that we always have in our kitchen is their dipper. its basically a combination of herbs and some with spices, ready for you to add to your oil for dressings, or just add mayonaise for that super delicious dip! i think they come in 4 different tastes. i used Tuscany Blend for Aidan.

If you pass by the shop, do go in and check out their products. you'll love their range. you'll love it all! i can guarantee you their dipper's worth every cent!

(p.s: rita if you're reading this, i think they're opening one in seattle!!)

AIDAN'S OIL & VINEGAR TUSCANY BLEND FRIES

Cut the potatoes into long strips and wash throughly.

Pour over some olive oil, and add 1tbsp of the dipper. mix them well.

Put them in the oven and grill at 200c till golden brown.

But if you prefer them to be in a slightly unhealthy way, you can fry them.

Banana-Stuffed Crepes

I had guests staying over last couple of weeks, all are not into heavy breakfast (i.e malaysian breakfast). served them full english breakfast the previous day and so i thought i'd make them some crepes the following morning.

These are really easy to make. really helps when you have good fresh eggs and fresh milk. it'll make a whole lot difference, i tell ya.

While we were in Paris last couple of years ago (Aidan was 5 months in my tummy), we enjoyed our crepes with all sorts of filling. and almost every corner we turn, we'd see a booth or a stall selling crepes. the thing is with them, is to make them as thinly as possible and to eat them when they're hot. for us, the best filling is definitely the sinful nutella! heel lekker! OoooLaaaLaaa!

BANANA-STUFFED CREPES

225g Plain Flour

2 tbsp soft light brown sugar

2 Eggs

450ml milk

Grarted rind and juice of 1/2 lemon

Butter

Bananas

Golden Syrup


Method:

1. Combine the flour and sugar and beat in the eggs and half the milk. beat together until smooth and gradually add remaining milk to make smooth batter.
2. Stir in lemon rind.
3. Melt a little bitter in frying pan and pour a ladel full of batter. tilt the pan or swirl it around (whatever you call the technique), to make the batter evenly on the pan. let it cook for a min or two. flip it over the other side and let it cook.
4. To make the filling, slice the bananas and toss them in the lemon juice.
5. Pour the syrup over them and toss.
6. Stuff the bananas in the crepe, then fold it into half, or quarter.
7. Serve warm.

3 Beauties

I'm always on the look out for boxes, i just cant get enough of them. and somehow i always find good bargains when we're in the UK. there's just plenty to spoil myself silly! i found these 3 at a shop in Coventry. as soon as i spotted them, in my heart, i knew i just had to have them! but my head was telling me that i've spent too much already, i've exceeded my shopping quota. eventhough they were a bargain! and then i've started asking myself, whether i really NEED them. so i just stood there, infront of the shelves, with 2 voices in my head - get them, or give them a miss (who knows, there'll be more elsewhere when i can afford them).

After a good 15 mins staring at them, i then came to my senses. i decided to bid them farewell and leave the 3 beauties behind. little that i know my brother in law Redza was staring at me and the boxes, and as soon as i walked away, he then took them off the shelves, with the intention of getting them for me. before he even reached half way, my mum saw the boxes and took them from him and went and paid. got back to my my sister Fifi's house, mum handed me those boxes - "something for adek", she said.

If only i can give them more than what they've given me. if only they know how much they're appreciated and loved, if only i can make all their wish(s) come true... i know they are just boxes, but its something that i really love, and somehow they just know the things that will make me smile through the whole month! thankful, grateful, as always.

So, there it is, my 3 beauties, on my new craft table my dear husband Hardy made me on our 2nd anniversary. such beautiful colours, such simple boxes, such thoughtful people, such a joy to be having them on my new desk!!!!

Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar!

I have been ignoring my blog, my crafts and my cookings lately. there's a good reason. to those who havent read it yet, well, you can read it here.

We're still fighting the winter bug, i'm slightly more fortunate than Hardy and Aidan. i'm now suffering from just a tad big of sore throat. but taking care of them is my top and upmost priority. after we got back from the UK last Thursday, i was too busy cleaning and unpacking, had to settle everyone down and played host to our friends, thus leaving me with no time to blog. (although at times my hands itch to type away, but when i saw the bed being all tempting with those fluffy pillows and thick warm duvets, i had to give the laptop a miss..)

Anyway, i promise i'll reply to your comments soon. there's just simply too much to write and share! will get this blog moving!

Here's to all of you, wishing you a good, happy, healthy new year 2008! hope you like what Aidan and I drew on new year's day!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!

Season's Greetings

We would like to send all our warmest wishes and all our love to our friendly friends who celebrates christmas, a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

A very special wish filled with love and warm hugs to all our blogger friends as well- Rita Ho, Cat and family, zara & zaria's mama, U.Lee, Gert, Puteri, and all of our friendly visitors.

A special note to Daniel Noreen, here's sending you lots of hugs and kisses, and hope to see you guys soon. have a great christmas!

Stary and Snowy

Sorry for keeping quiet for quite a bit, been hectic and busy playing host since last weekend. and prior to that, been busy cleaning the house. but as promised, here's another one i made some time ago.




I wanted to make something formal for Hardy to give his officemates. something he wouldnt be embarrased to send to his mates. used metallic gold cards, black textured papers and gold star stickers. and of course, my favourite, those flakes! they are sure versatile indeed! i simply adore them! and it cant get any more formal than gold and black!



Hope they'll love it. hope they'll have a good christmas this year. hope they'll have a good new year. hope they'll give him a raise?! hahaha (hey, there's nothing wrong in wishing and hoping!)

Wooly Wishes

I'm done with my christmas cards! yeyheyy! but this is not the last one, i'll publish anohter 2 or 3 on my christmas cards before we leave for the UK for our holidays. december is definitely a busy month. christmas cards, anniversary cards, birthday cards! getting presents... and i'm gonna be a host from next week on. busy busy busy!

But i suppose there's nothing stopping you from doing the things that you love. my hands itch for those pens, scissors and ribbons. and thanks to Hardy, i now have a space of my own where i can be in a little world of my own. yes, my very own worktable! and this was what i did last week, when aidan was fast asleep in his room. i used some goggle eyes to add a little touch of fun for kids, or adults who acts like kids (i know a few of them!) haha.

I hope my mr. smiley snowman is gonna make someone really merry this year! ok.. i'm gonna have to do my other chores now... or perhaps now that i have those blue woolies, i should learn how to knit? hmmm.....

Tree With A Twist

I am trying really hard to stay away from dark green and deep red for my next batch of christmas cards, and this was what i came up with last night. couldnt stay away from those snow flakes though. but this time, i didnt use the ones i used on my previous cards. look closely. this is a different type. these are confetties.







I love, adore and think highly of ribbons. i collect them. and quite frankly, one can never have enough of ribbons. i have way too many and now trying to make space for more. the best ones to work with (for me at least) are plain ones. i used a textured dark brown ribbon for the tree trunk. and a plain white to wrap the tree with.








Well... if it doesnt snow here for christmas, at least i can throw some confetties!

Let it Snow

Had some leftover polka dot paper from my last project and used it for a christmas card. i'm such a bore with my choice of colours sometimes, kept sticking to red and green for christmas. truth is, you can always use other colours for christmas cards from pastel to turquoise!



I must say that one good item is all you need sometimes. i bought these snowflakes (it comes in a roll) at a shop in Genk, Belgium. and all i can say is it was worth the buy! one can do tonnes with them. dressing them up differently, on different backgrounds and with different emblishments.

Used some felt ribbon, tied a knot and slide the flake in and simply let it hang. if they are not in place, perhaps you can use a tad bit of sticky tape and tape it on the card.

I reckon you wont need more than 10 mins for this card. seriously! lets see.. who shall i give this one to?!?

From the Heart

This was what i did for Hardy for our 2nd anniversary. a scrapbook kindda card. i've decided to take up scrapbooking after my last visit to hobbycraft coventry. it is quite an expensive hobby, with all the emblishments and types of papers that the market has to offer but i'm up for it. saving bit by bit and i try to use most scraps without having to buy them.

This is an example of a true scrapbooking. i used all scraps, leftover bits of papers, borders, cut outs and some free samples. i trully love the colour combination as it was not too feminine. blue and brown are certainly a handsome pair!

I put up 3 pieces of papers, and each represents the stages that we went through to get to today - the dating period, the wedding day itself and now, a life as husband and wife, after 2 years. rescalled down some of our photos and printed those tiny pictures up.

And this was where he hung it. on the wall of our anniversary present (no it's not just a corkboard). we both gave each other something special this year (to compensate our 1st year anniversary). but with all sincerity, anniversaries shoudlnt be all about expensive presents and a huge card. its all about what comes from the heart! agree?

He gave me something he did in return. it was just way too overwhelming...