Ski Accident

My worst fear has finally come to face me and bite me in the ass. No one's fault really. When you make the decision to place your life at the hands of two poles, and two skinny long skis to help you get down an icy, slushy slope, that's the risk you place upon yourself for indulging in an extreme sport.

Applying R.I.C.E

I am now officially one of those pathetic, pitied upon, embarrassed skiers who needed to be brought down the slope by ski patrol on a toboggan.

It was January 16th 2010 at Crystal Mountain in WA, only my second run of the day on the long greens, that I fell after completing a left parallel turn. Apparently, I fell the 'wrong' way ie I fell on my back, my bindings did not come off, and I spun down the slope for a good 20 to 30 feet before coming to a stop. Oh have I mentioned that the conditions that day were horrible? No powder snow, it was all blocks of compact ice with slippery parts. Also, my rentals at Crystal were the worst I ever had. The boots were so uncomfortable even while standing stationary.

I did not feel much pain as it happened. Just maybe a little achy on the knees. However, when I tried standing on my feet again, that's when I realized something major has gone wrong in my right knee. The moment I bear weight on my right knee, I felt immediately the two bones that make up my knee joint (tibia and femur) were going in opposite directions. That marks the end of my ski season, pretty much.

Kudos to the Ski Patrol team and EMTs (emergency medical technician) at Crystal for they have handled my situation very well and professionally! Back at the clinic, I was given R.I.C.E. Folks out there, when facing with any acute musculoskeletal injury, remember R.I.C.E for immediate management:-

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression
• Elevation

So do not be afraid to rest, apply ice compression (make sure there's no direct ice-skin contact) and elevate the injured limb above the level of your heart. All these measures are taken to reduce immediate swelling and inflammation that comes with the injury. If there is puncture wound, or uncontrollable pain and excessive swelling or discoloration of the skin, please seek help at the nearest clinic/hospital as soon as possible.

Party favourite: Baked Chicken Wings

Got an invitation to a pot luck party but have no idea of what to bring? Try this extremely simple with no hassle of messy clean ups and still have the spare time to dress up, do your hair, put on make up and make an appearance in style!

I have tried a variety of chicken wings marinade and they are usually too expensive to buy ( to cook for a party of say forty, you most likely need to buy more than 1 bottle of marinade) or it just doesnt taste good. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I must stress that the wings MUST be left to marinade OVERNIGHT or 24 hours. You could marinade it for only 4-5 hours but trust me, it tastes WAY BETTER if you left it longer.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 5-6 lbs chicken wings

• 1/2 tsp white pepper

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 3/4 cup soya sauce

• 1/4 cup ShaoXing chinese cooking wine

• 1/2 tsp Five Spice Powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder
  

• 1/2 large onion finely chopped, mash it a little with the back of your knife

Method:

1. Clean the chicken wings and pluck out any unwanted feathers
2. Mix all the above ingredients and the wings
3. Leave it to marinade overnight in the fridge
4. Line your baking tray with foil (for easy clean-ups) and arrange the wings close to one another and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 Fahrenheit for 1 hour.
5. Midway of baking, flip the wings and baste the wings with the left over marinade. Continue to bake.

Ps. The garlic powder can be substituted with finely chopped garlic. The reason for me using powder and wanting the garlic and onion to be extremely finely chopped is to minimise or avoid them getting burnt during the baking process.
Im sorry to say that I dont have pictures of this dish but will post one should I bake wings again!

* lbs=pounds
tsp=teaspoon

Raiding the pantry Part 1: Honey Bunches of Oats cereal

I set eyes on it, bought it, ate it and fell in love with it! This is definitely high on my favourite cereal list! It's crunchy and lightly sweetened (presumably from the honey). A must try!
















I can live with the calories :D

Impress the in-laws Part 1: Tau Yue Bak

Want to impress your in-laws or even your own parents? Try this simple yet flavourful and delicious pork meat cooked in an aromatic herb gravy a.k.a 'Tau Yue Bak'.
The extra long cooking time ensures a tender pork meat that 'falls off the bones'. The aroma of the gravy reminds me of 'Bak Kut Teh'.


Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork meat (preferably shoulders or ribs)

• 1 star anise

• 1 and half tbsp dark soya sauce

• 2 tbsp light soya sauce

• 3 cups of water

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 10 cloves of garlic with skin intact
  

• salt to taste
  

Method:

1. Add star anise, dark and light soya sauce, pepper and water to a pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Add the pork and allow to boil for another 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and lower heat just enough to simmer.
4. Continue to simmer until meat is tender and sauce thickens according to your liking. (I usually allow it to simmer for an hour or so)
5. You have the option to add other ingredients such as 'tau pok' or hard boiled eggs.
I would add the tau pok with the garlic and continue to simmer. As for the eggs, first boil eggs separately. Crack shells and add in once the dish is done cooking.

Ps. This dish tastes better when eaten the next day as it allows the flavours to develop.

* lb=pound tbsp=tablespoon tsp=teaspoon

Culinary TIPS: Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a common ingredient used in baking. It is easily found at the local supermarket here in the U.S but not so commonly sold back home in Malaysia, and NO it's not butter + milk.

What is buttermilk? It is a watery liquid containing small butter grains that is produced from the churning process of making the actual butter.

If you are unable to find buttermilk or simply ran out of one, this milk recipe can be substituted to make buttermilk.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:
1. Mix the above and leave it to set in the fridge for say 10 to 15 minutes. It is then ready to be used in replacement of buttermilk with the same measurements in any recipe.

Rest assured, there will be no added lemony flavour to your recipe.

* tbsp = tablespoon

Ham & Bacon's journey to Neverland

I love animals. I can remember vividly the moments when I got my first pet goldfish. I was about 9 years old. As my father was clearing the backyard, he found a couple of junk huge glass bottles and had a 'brilliant' idea of rearing fishes in them. How excited I was!
Obviously that idea did not work out as we had planned. Imagine trying to 'insert' delicate, fragile goldfish into a glass bottle with a NARROW opening! Hmmm.... we may have been able to get them in but the thought of trying to wash the 'tank' is out of this world.

Finally we ended up buying the whole basic set ie an aquarium, pump, food, lights, fake vegetations etc and the cost kept escalating! I somehow believe the glassbottle aquarium was my father's sneaky idea to get my mother to agree on keeping a pet as we didnt have to spend $$ on an aquarium which can be costly.

Since then, I ve had not only numerous goldfish but also 4 hamsters, a pair of birds, many cats and my very own Shih Tzu (dog).

Owning and caring for a pet is a very fulfilling job. I would imagine the same for a mother nursing and nurturing her own child. For me, it is a good way to de-stress after a long day's work. Of course comes with owning a pet is the responsibility to care for its overall wellbeing and health. They should be treated and loved like one of the family. Doing research of the pets which you may be interested in bringing home is crucial to avoid disappointments and frustrations that can potentially lead to cruelty and abadonment.

Hubby and I recently adopted 2 male Syrian hamsters.
Getting them was no easy matter! From the start, I was adamant to get a Syrian breed as they are easier to tame and definitely easier and more fun to handle as they are larger in size in comparison to the dwarf hamsters (which I think are living 'ornaments' ie it's really fun to watch but not very fun to play with)
We visited PetCo and turned out that they had no Syrians and we frantically called all the nearby PetCo chains to find out that the supply for Syrians had stopped as they kept getting a batch of wet-tails (a form a severe diarrhoea in Syrians that can cause severe dehydration and death).
I was very disappointed and my search of an hamster pet was delayed further.

Lo and behold, I was browsing Craig's list and found exactly what I wanted and not just one, but two! Ham & Bacon were purchased from a lady that lived in Covington (which is 45 minutes drive from Seattle) and she was fairly honest about the hamsters fighting before but no serious injuries. I paid $30 for 2 hamsters, one glass aquarium cage with one igloo home , water bottle, food dish and a wheel. Not a bad deal at all! Dear hubby was the sweetest to drive all the way and back just to fetch my lil' darlings.

Feasting together

Ham curious to know what's happening outside his igloo

They were 2 months old when I got them.

Easter Sunday!

It's Easter Sunday! A day to remember Jesus' resurrection from the dead after being crucified on the cross to shed sinless blood for OUR forgiveness of sins. Thank you Jesus!





Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
King James Bible, Matthew 11:28