Curry 咖喱

Congee

Pork Chop in Ketchup 茄汁煎豬扒

Kitchen Hygiene 入廚衛生

新一輯的 "美女廚房" 又上演, 作為家庭觀眾的我也替 "廚師" 們感到危險. 我深信每個人的廚房都有自已的規則, 而从前 Roommate 們的善意破壞往往都把我氣壞! 就讓我不勝其煩, 再由最基本的入廚衛生說起.

1. 熟的食物要放在雪櫃的上面, 生的放下面, 火腿芝士煙肉放最上, 蔬果放最下面的有蓋蔬果格, 飲品要一起放... Roommate K 常常說我煩, 這樣還不是為你好, 因為要防止交叉感染! 萬一食物滴倒汗水, 熟食的水跌在生食物裏也不會有事; 相反的, 後果會不堪設想!

2. 切 生食/肉類 及 熟食/蔬果 的砧板 (Chopping boards) 也要分開. 亦是同一道理: 以免交叉感染. 而玻璃板又比木板/膠板好, 易洗易乾, 又不滲水.

3. 清潔碗布當然也要分類. 抹潔淨的枱 / 潔淨的杯碟碗 / 過水時 / 抹升盤 等等的布也要分開.

4. 我遇過一個家庭, 他們愛把待用的銀器放在雪櫃裏, 我問朋友為甚麽, 他說他也不知道, 從小便是這樣, 習慣了便不以為然. 跟他們住了一個月後, 發現雪凍後的刀刀叉叉匙舀不但乾淨, 還有一種很冰涼的感覺, 不論是吃冰凍的芒果慕絲蛋糕或熱乎乎的肉醬意粉, 配上涼浸浸的匙舀刀叉後, 感覺真是透心涼! 直到現在, 我也維持着這個習慣!

Udon with Chicken in Japanese Style 京燒雞扒烏冬

* Due to some technical difficulties, I apologise for having no narration. But the background music is great!

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Fillet 雞扒
Seasoning A: 2 Tsp Soy Sauce 醬油 / 1 Tsp Sugar 糖 / Little Chicken Powder 雞粉
2 Udon 烏冬
Seasoning B: 2 Tsp Soy Sauce 醬油 / 2 Tsp Chicken Powder 雞粉 / Little Water / 2 Tsp Sugar 糖 / 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce 蠔油
Little Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing蛋黄醬或沙律醬
Little Seaweed 紫菜

Servings: 2

Steps:
1. Deep fry the chicken fillet with low to medium heat without water or oil, to let the freezing ice/smell out
2. Continue to cook with Seasoning A to get a crusty surface with 70% cooked inside
3. Immediately cook the Udon without turning off the heat, adjust the heat to medium to high
4. Evenly spread the udon (e.g. to form a circle on the wok) and put water to make it chewy
5. Continue to cook with Seasoning B to get the udon 70% - 80% done
6. Blend in the udon with the chicken. After they are ready, add in mayonnaise or salad dressing, stir.
7. Decorate with seaweed!

1. 先用慢火至中火乾煎雞扒把雪藏水迫出
2. 分次序將調味料A 把雞扒煮至金黄色和 7 成熟
3. 將雞扒拿起後立即用中火至猛火煮烏冬
4. 可加水及分佈烏冬在外圍令烏冬鬆軟
5. 再分次序將調味料B 把雞扒煮至 7-8 成熟
6. 把雞扒與烏冬一起炒至全熟後, 拌入蛋黄醬或沙律醬
7. 再以紫菜拌碟!

Tips:
*Udon can be fully cooked in 2 Minutes , we have to complete Step 5. & Step. 6 or other seasonings quick!
*烏冬屬於超快熟的食物, 適宜在兩分鐘內完成 Step 5. 及 Step 6. 或其他煮法!

Drunken Chicken 醉雞

Ingredients:
Whole Chicken
Ginger
Scallions (葱)
兩粒 八角
½ 樽 - 1樽 花雕紹興酒
李錦記醉雞汁

Steps:
1. Boil the chicken in boiled water with ginger and scallions (Around 20-30 Minutes)
2. Chill until it gets cooled down, and cut it into the patterns you like
3a. Soak the chicken in the花雕紹興酒 (Entire Bottle) AND 八角
OR
3b. Soak the chicken in the 醉雞汁 (Entire Bottle or as long as it covers the whole chicken) AND 花雕紹興酒 (1/3 to ½ Bottle)
4. Fridge it for 6 Hours

1. 將薑、葱放進沸水中, 再將雞煮滚 (大約 20 - 30 分鐘)
2. 將雞冷卻 (cool down) 後, 斬件
3a. 把雞 & 八角浸在整樽花雕紹興酒裏
或
3b. 把雞浸在整樽醉雞汁 (或直至醉雞汁完全蓋過雞隻) 及花雕紹興酒 (1/3至 ½ 樽)
4. 放入雪櫃雪 6 小時

Souffle 梳乎里

Ingredients:
10 Eggs
62.5 g Flour (25g for 4 eggs)
7 Tbsp Sugar (and extra)
Little Margarine / Butter
Little Salt
Serving size: 10

*Pre-heat your oven first

Steps:
1. Separate Egg White and Egg Yolk
2. Stir and consecutively add 4 Tbsp Sugar on Egg Yolk, until 打起
3. Stir and consecutively add 3 Tbsp Sugar on Egg White, until 打起 (like shampoo)
(Suggested sequence: 2 Tbsp Sugar ---> Salt ---> 1 Tbsp Sugar)
4. Melt Margarine with low heat, then brush the bottom part of the container
5. Decorate the buttered part with sugar
6. Put Flour into (2) (Egg Yolk)
7. Consecutively put (3) (Egg White) into (6) (Egg Yolk), then slowly mix them (Be gentle, don't stir)
8. Put the mixture into the container
9. Bake it for 30 Minutes for 160C
10. Let it cool down for 5-6 Minutes to avoid a collapse

1. 分開蛋白及蛋黄
2. 4 Tbsp 糖一邊分開數次放在蛋黄裏, 一邊用打蛋器攪拌, 直至打起
3. 3 Tbsp 糖一邊分開數次放在蛋白裏, 一邊用打蛋器攪拌, 直至打起
(次序建議: 2 Tbsp 糖 ---> 少量 salt ---> 1 Tbsp糖)
4. 用細火把牛油煮溶, 在盤底掃上己溶掉的牛油
5. 在已塗牛油部分掃上少量糖
6. 把麪粉放在 (2) (蛋黄漿)
7. 再逐少逐少將 (3) (蛋白漿) 放在 (6) (蛋黄漿), 用輕力慢慢拌均 (不要用打蛋器)
8. 將已拌好的蛋漿放進 container 內
9. 160C焗 30分鐘
10. 完成後請留在煱爐內冷卻 (cool down) 5 -6分鐘, 以免下陷

Introduction

Welcome Everyone!

Random Q & A

Among all the “Random Questions”, this makes the most sense. So I decided to do it.

Not a lot of people know this but I'm very good at...
Nutrition! I can tell which Vitamin, supplement, food, or fruit is good for which part of your body. Since I get sick a lot, I learn all those stuff by myself!

The most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me is...
Getting a surprise kiss when I turn around to him whilst at a firework show in Disneyland. Not that romantic huh…

You may not know it but I'm no good at...
Knitting or Manicures. Yes I feel ashamed when every of my girl friend busying at knitting around Valentine’s Day while I have no clue how to do it at all. And I just suck at manicure…

To wake myself up I...
Need Joey’s 零時零分.

When I'm feeling down I...
Tend to be self-autistic. Just don’t want to talk to anyone.

My "happy place" is...
Any warm and cozy place I get to eat, hang around and chat with my loved ones where everybody is happy and relaxed.

My best friend is...
You guys…you know who you are.

If I can, I always try to avoid...
Spicy food, food that makes me fat or my voice bad, animals, flirting of all kinds, falling down, and dropping food and eating utensils.

The best thing my parents taught me...
Not to trust them!?

It's not good for my image but I like...
The wet and frizzy hair, glasses, masks, and PJ look after shower, especially in front of my boyfriends but without the mask part. I didn’t realize it’s that inappropriate or ugly until my girl friends and I talked about this recently. I guess I am so used to living with guys.

My greatest weakness is...
Impatience, easily affected by small things…

If I could pass any law it would be...
Stop lying and stop cheating on anyone.

I drive...
Hell yeah I am a legal driver!

When I was a child I wanted to be...
A teacher (like what every other girl wanted to be).

The shop I can't walk past without buying something is...
Park’n Shop?

The most expensive thing I've ever frittered money on...
Stocks!

I always laugh at...
Basically everything!

At the moment I am reading...
“生命中不能承受之輕” by 米蘭. 昆德拉(Milan Kundera).
And re-reading “He’s just not that into you” by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo.

The last film I saw was...
“Slumdog Millionaire”. I don’t like it but I think the kids are cute.

The best day of my life…
Is when I’m in love.

My last meal would be...
Miso Ramen made by myself!

Would you please save your energy?

Would you please save your energy?

People especially girls like stirring things up, making (and spreading) fictions behind people’s back, or even faking themselves to please some people I totally got it. What I don’t get is how on earth grown-ups STILL do things that would hurt others and NOT getting any advantage! You girls are pathetic. If you are really that bored, there are so many things on the Earth that you could care about. E.g. underprivileged children, post-war reconstruction, global warming, politics and public awareness. OR we can even discuss Middle-eastern crisis (Oh yeah, FYI it's my Major!). I feel sorry for your empty and hollow lives.

I'm 23!

My 23rd Birthday (+ House Warming) is plain but warm. My friends came up to my new apartment to have hotpot and play mahjong, exactly the two things we did on my 18th Birthday. “What a five-year! People become indifferent in celebrating birthdays since 21st.” NONONO I strongly disagree to that!!! Perhaps there is more meaning when you turn 18th than 23rd, but both birthdays are equally important!

For me, birthday is like New Year. It signifies the “birth” of someone, a time to retrospect, and set resolutions. It is joyful and fun. It makes me want to strive for BETTER and LOOK FORWARD. Yeah I do worried about getting old; getting old means growing up, hence achieving more.

I was always in a confusing state before my birthdays. I prayed to graduate with good grades and get a good job at 21st. I wished to work hard and stay clear of what I want (career-wise) at 22nd. This year, other than finding a good job, I also want to participate more on humanitarian activities and politics. From helping the underprivileged, you can find the most innocent, unselfish and thankful smiles in the world, which I love! Lastly, I want to love myself more.

Thank You for the phone calls (especially those from America), facebook / msn / sms / xanga messages. They are all the same each year but I still love them. I feel great of being remembered!

“Say that you love me; say that you care!”

Addictions?

Things I got addicted to while I was in America:

1. Showing off my 100% legal PA driver’s license
2. Omelets
3. Frebreeeeeeze
4. Sanitizer that 99.9% kills germs
5. High tea on Friday afternoons, i.e. Cold Stone, Panera or Irvings
6. TBS, Food Network, HBO, Cinemax...

My Valentine

This is especially for you.
I won't clarify anything on xanga because I don't need to justify my love, and because of the fact that I love you far more than you might have thought of.

My Valentine
By Martina McBride

If there were no words, no way to speak
I would still hear you
If there were no tears, no way to feel inside
I'd still feel for you

And even if the sun refused to shine
Even if romance ran out of rhyme
You would still have my heart until the end of time
You're all I need, my love, my valentine

All of my life
I have been waiting for all you give to me
You've opened my eyes, and shown me how to love unselfishly

I've dreamed of this a thousand times before
In my dreams I couldn't love you more
I will give you my heart until the end of time
You're all I need my love my valentine

(La la la la la la la)

And even if the sun refused to shine
Even if romance ran out of rhyme
You would still have my heart until the end of time
Cause all I need is you my valentine
Oh, you're all I need my love my valentine

The Dark Knight

Watched it with Colette and Nickie. It’s super super good. My heart kept beating so fast; I thought the two ships would explode at the same time! Heath Ledger is a brilliant actor! LG HD LCD OGG MLDHD!

Thank You America!

A few days later I will be leaving the country which I have got pleasure from. First of all, I thank you my mother for helping and financially supporting me, making the right decision. Throughout these four years, I have had fruitful experiences.

I have lived my Penn State college life the fullest, and it is amazing! I am so lucky to have graduated and started my career at 21, with the majors I like. I am also proud of myself becoming a grown-up. After all these years, I became more open-minded, independent, and patient. Thanks to those who have positive influences on me, especially my lovely roommies! I am very touched by your love, care and yelling. And to my other top friends, I love talking, hanging out, traveling, cooking and having high-tea’s with you. Each of your kindliness and advice made me shine like a shooting star; growing up with you is a blessing. Thank You for your support! Sure there are people and things that made me miserable, to those people, I say thank you too, as you have taught me how to cherish. Be tough!

After Pennsylvania, I came to New York. I am still learning to adjust myself to the real world. Now that a year has passed, I think I love working and very much working as a journalist…yeah take that! At least I still want to be a news anchor/reporter for the next two years. But who knows, maybe I will work in the frontier / on TV / in charity when I go back to Hong Kong. I still want to visit the country(ies) with on-going wars or battles. I still see world peace and international security as my ultimate career goal. Be classy and fabulous!

See me fly.
Working towards my dream.
I won’t disappoint you.

Nobu 57

James Chu took me out to the very fancy, high-class Japanese fusion restaurant in midtown. I personally am not "attracted by" Japanese food, but I surely recommend this one. For most of the sashimi's I don’t know what I am eating, but they are delicious. Combined with the magical sauce, as gently as they melt, I could almost feel that as if they were just freshly fished. Rock-shrimp tempura (so creamy and yet not oily) and Miso with cod (So soft) are my favourites! We yearn for more! But this is a crazily expensive restaurant (I think this is the most expensive meal I have ever been treated Thanks).

Then we had desserts at Times' Square. Chocolate Cappuccino Cheesecake and Black Forest Cheesecake --- so innovative. I have to learn how to make them!

Thank You James Chu for being a very good and supportive friend throughout the four years. You are the one who will discuss stocks, economics and American politics with me all the time hehe! Don’t work too hard!

We are Official!

He asked. I said Yes.

It’s absolutely a big step to our relationship. We are now officially together keke, but I think that our first day should be June 3rd, 2008.

The story goes from the moment I got back to NY this morning. On the phone, he said that Yuk Je gave him a ten-minute lecture on why he has to date me. Yuk Je and I met at the bakery yesterday; she is a good friend of his mother. At the point he was wondering why everyone expressed his/her natural affection to me at first sight AND insisted that we should be together, he suddenly asked “Will you marry me? I would like to take care of you for the rest of my life.”

Stunned and wordless, I was smiling pretty big in my heart. That’s so sweet, truthfully and incredibly sweet that I wanted to say yes right away. I did not expect to hear this sweetest thingie on earth in a couple of years, or even my lifetime. That moment I realized I am in love. But the silly me was still hesitating.

"Ummm…Are you thinking about this all the time? I will give you a chance to rephrase. Are you sure you want to do that?”

“With you? Yes, but of course not now. I am not going to separate with you.”

“…You are lying.”

He called again after my 3:00 p.m. news headlines. I could tell from the beginning that he was prepared for the conversation. We talked about our deep down feelings, and most importantly the issues of trust and flirting. I don’t know if he is the kind of guy who likes flirting and fooling around. I don’t know whether I want to start a relationship before I leave. I don’t know whether I want to do something that I have been avoiding. We have once compromised that we would do dating and NOT a relationship. He once said that he wanted me to be his girlfriend if and only if I considered to stay here. He once promised my best friend that he would not do anything further even if he likes me… I am confused. Isn’t it better when we just stay friends?

He then said with confidence, “This time I’m serious…Be My Girlfriend.”

Instead of evading like the last five times, I asked why.

“Because I love you. I want you to trust me that I love you…a lot. Will you be my girlfriend?” That melted me and I knew that my heart belongs to just him.

I delightfully said “Yes!!!” I wish he was here to see how red my face was and how blissful my smile was! "I Love You Too! And I miss you very much!"

Names

My siblings' names (Jason and Jana) always make me feel like an outcast, so I am making up a second stage name. Proudly present to you is Jennifer!!! (I must be watching Friends too much that I quite like Rachel, casted by Jennifer Anniston and really hate Janice). Then I realised I should start my name with "Ja..." instead of just "J", so I changed the spelling to JANNIFER!

From now on, my full name is Miss Tiffany Audrey Jannifer Mak. Thank You.

FYI:
Tiffany: Appearance of God (English)
Jason: Healer (Greek)
Jana: God of Gracious (Slavic)

Bahamas (Spring Break 2008)

I love my Spring Break 2008!
Trip to Bahamas was mad crazy, I got so tanned...and it's always great to hang out with my crew!!!Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!
Don’t ever trust the weather forecast, it's stupid. It's SUNNY everyday!
Seafood and desserts are always wonderful!
Screaming and laughing on the streets are our hobbies!
Ok, I keep writing the entry with present tense. I really have an issue with tenses. I will start to learn to speak and write in past tense.

Day 1 (March 9th): When we were checking-in at the hotel in the afternoon, we were asked to wait for 30 minutes. By the time, we gladly met a new friend, Uncle Raymond, who was with us and delivered us so much fun the entire trip. The first dinner we had in Bahamas was at Seafood Haven. We got all kind of seafood, groupper and some other fish, shrimps, lobsters, and the famous conch salad. I like the broth in the steaming part, it’s incredibly tasty and not oily at all. The only thing that tasted not so good was the plantains (fried bananas). Then we explored around downtown, but everything was closed at 5:00 p.m.

Day 2 (March 10th): Since the stupid lady says something stupid about the Atlantis Aquaventure, we went to Cabbage Beach at Paradise Island. Wooohooo our first beach in this trip! It’s windy and cool, but luckily it didn’t rain. And Ellis got her hair braided! We also took a lot of perverted pics with the two half-coconut and rose peanuts. Since I was starved (and I am sure that everyone was quite starved), we cleaned ourselves up and had lunch at Anthony’s Grill. Fried Conch Sandwich with tartar sauce and Grilled quaterly chicken were great!

At night, we chilled at the warm swimming pool at Sheraton Hotel. We took cool pics under the water! Thanks to Sylvia’s sheltered camera hehe! I cannot believe we finished two bottles of liquor in like 5 minutes?!!??!!!

Day 3 (March 11th): Atlantis Aquaventure! We did all the slides and rapids/currents. The tallest slide is about seven stories, and when you slide down, you can see sharks outside the tube. It was so fun and scary...many many screams from the girls and many many curses from the guys!!! After the slides, we hung out at the beach in Atlantis, immersing ourselves in the world of beautiful beaches!!! All of us except Sylvia jetskiied while Ellis and Sylvia parasailed. Super super exciting! Colette and Mung King fell haha! After our rinse, we had buffet at Market Place in Atlantis Adventure. Throughout the meal, I spilled ice-cream on the chocolate fondue area...and not to mention how many times I repeatedly spilled food on my clothes hahaha. I swear I wasn't like this before, NEVER! Then we visited the aquarium and the huge manta ray!

***On our way back, we were confronted by the rude taxi driver who tried to trick and deceive us! We had an argument with the taxi fare. Kevin and Nickie started the "discussion" with the driver, then a hotel’s staff intervened. She wanted to rally with the driver but failed. Soon I lost my patience and yelled at the driver with my aroused anger “Is that your trick? Are you deceiving us? We are in Bahamas for vacations, not for argument!” She couldn't utter anything and I asked everyone not to give her money. Kevin and I then handed in the fare we thought was reasonable. Yeah I think I was really reallllllyyyyyy cool. Haha this becomes one of the highlights and favourite quotes in our trip!!!

Day 4 (March 12th): Lunch at Twin Bothers near Downtown. We were kids, that’s why we had fried food! We had fried seafood, fried groupper sticks and conch frits. After lunch, we went to the Pirates' Museum (which sucks), walked around Downtown and the Straw Market (flea market). I also bought Tortuga Rum Cakes ("A taste of the Caribbean")!

After dinner (cup noodles), we went down to Sheraton’s pool (again). Took more under-water-photos because our previous ones were missing! Fun Fun Fun!

Day 5 (March 13th): Scuba Diving! Got trained and certified in Atlantis in the morning. Nickie and Mung King made fun of the "OK" sign! We did two tanks. Under the sea is gorgeous, but we were not allowed to touch the corals or the fish... My first time to dive was tiring and fun! I like it I like it! FYI: Mung King is from Cuba and the staff was pissed.

Dinner at the barbecue buffet along the beachside in our hotel. The woman performer who played with fire was wild! And Colette was invited to play the 蓮步舞!!!

Day 6 (March 14th): Powerboat Adventure! Another highlight of the trip! Take a look at our pictures, we were insanely excited from the moment we step on the boat. We screamed WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA just for the heck of it. The couples who took the group pic for us must have thought that we were crazy. We fed iguanas (some kind of lizards that eat grapes). I found a life conch but I had to let it go. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee, I so wanted to bring it back, grill it in live, eat it and keep the shell. We then arrived in another island (beach?) again with very soft sand and clear water. I don't know why the pig is called "Strange Fish", and it doesn’t look like me at all!!! The real show began with feeding sting rays, observing the staff feeding sharks, snorkeling and the open-bar-lunch. When we went back to snorkel in our free time, we got a real close encounter with the sting rays and the sharks. It was scarily awesome! Kevin, Nickie and I bought starfish. We were so busy to preserve them haha!

We had dinner at the Italian restaurant (What name?) at Sheraton. My spaghetti carbonara was ok; Leo’s Shrimp Scampi was good, but too mini. I accidentally broke the glass when Kevin passed me his spoon. Sigh...it's only because I was too excited about our trip! After dinner, Ellis, Kevin and I gambled at our Casino. I lost $2 haha but I like my $5-chip!

Day 7 (March 15th): I miss Bahamas!

I was so starved that I asked for snacks before the plane aired. I also finished the snacks I originally reserved for Mung King who was sleeping next to me. And in the end, I asked for more choco chip cookies wahaha!

Of course dinner and our last group pic at Joe’s Shanghai! I spilled my broth when I was instructed to do the weird finger games. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Then we met up with Ton Ton, Tham Tham, and the others at Cashbox Karaoke because Ton Ton was giving Ellis and Kevin a ride back! MISS YOU ALL!

As the story continues...it was Kevin's trick to have left his luggage at Nickie's place. We were impressed!

Pirates of the Carribean III

I like the movie, it's vivid and it does make sense, unlike the "Spider Man III"'s unreasonable plot. Some scenes are sincerely funny; the monkey is cute. The movie almost covers everything an adventuous movie should include...I really recommend the film!!! Good job!!! The only thing I don't like is the out-of-order-air con. Hot hot hot....sweating throughout the two hours....the theatre sucks?!?!?!!?