Family Size Lemper

Lemper or sticky rice with chicken filling is a common savory snack in Indonesia.

There, they are made in individual bites, wrapped in banana leaves.

I used the glass baking pan to make the family size.

First layer is sticky rice, second is chicken filling

Last layer is another sticky rice

The keffir lime leaves are garnish, eating them are not recomended

Nice to eat this lemper with a cup of Rose Wood Tea

PS : I am starting to collect the Wade figurines of Rose Wood Tea. 

THINGS THAT THEY LIKE

The Chandra kiddos have the things that they like
The things change just like they change
The boys change their DS to Ipods. They to download new games on their ipods.
The girl love horses more than Hello Kitty. She imitates horse neighing all the time.
They all love " My Little Ponies " TV series.. Mom wonders why.
Even their little friends are amazed of their new fondness of MLP.

Daniel likes to drink water now. He always brings his water bottle to school.
Maybe he realizes that not enough water can cause bad breath,
which Mom once told him.
He also hearts homemade popsicle.
He plays the board game with his dad ( thanks Eddy, Mom really appreciates it )
He still like to read and make origami occasionally ,
like on Valentine day or when he wants to show off which is not very often.

Tim starts to like reading comic books although
he often forgets to fill the reading contract from school
which requires him to read about 20 minutes every day
Ironically, Mom thinks reading is overrated.
( Imagine that coming from someone who loves books, bookstores, and public libraries )

Sophie still likes to do ballet.
She is really crazy about animals though.
Mommy doesn't mind if she is gonna be a vet someday
or taking course in animal husbandry.
( like Temple Grandin , Mom loves that movie about her.
Claire Danes did an awesome acting there)

Next time, Mom will put things that she likes on a post.
And since her faves are more permanent than her kiddos,
there won't be renewed yearly.

Pic by Daniel

photo courtesy of Tim

The 4 horses were the reward of Sophie not wearing diapers at night.

Brazilian Cheese Bread

I changed my mind about making Mac and Cheese Quiche.
I remembered my friend emailed me
Pão de Queijo ( don't know how to say it ) recipe.
It's very simple.
Today the kiddos and I tried it.

Dani spilled the canola oil. Thank God for paper towel.
I forgot to set the timer.
I also did not use the fresh cheese, but the powdered Parmesan cheese.
The bread was too salty and rather deformed ( over-baked )
But still edible. Sophie likes it. Definitely bake it again.

This is the link for the recipe
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_brazilian_cheese_bread/

Thanks to Glenny for the recipe

Cooking with Kiddos

This week we have mid winter break.
I asked the kids to cook to keep us sane .
Mostly the simple recipes...
Daniel and Tim can use the regular knives, but Sophie still uses butter knife.

I use a lot of paper towels. Spilling and chaos are part of the process. 
Daniel can use the stove but Tim and Sophie still need me if they are near the stove.

The menus
First day : Strawberry flavored jelly
Second day : Banana muffins, guava flavored jelly, Vegan chocolate cake
Third day : Bread pudding with banana and cranberry, bread pudding with banana and choc chips
Fourth day : ( still planning ) Mac and Cheese quiche ( Makaroni Skotel )

We are in the third day now, so far so good. I almost run out of sugar, though

FRIDAY FLOWERS

Well.. it was bought on Thursday by my hubby.
My fav..Daisies mixed with Carnations.

Thanks Eddy

Valentine's

Daniel's Origami Valentines

Tim's Simple and Quick Valentines

Sophie's Valentines tied with ribbons

Sophie's craft Valentine for Mom and Dad

Mad King  Claudius  banned marriages.
Mr. Valentine , the priest, performed underground marriage ceremony.
He got caught, thrown in jail.
A lot of people sent flowers and cards for the priest.
The jailer's daughter became his friend
On February, 14, he died.
He wrote her a note, said " From your Valentine's "

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY.

Morning and Evening

Early morning prayer in my heart

Dear Lord please help me to cook two cornish hens .
They are already thawed, so I have to cook them.
I cannot put them in the freezer again
because I heard it can cause the bacterial growth that could lead to poisoning.

Please help me to take several pics for my blog.

Please help the kids sleep quickly so I could watch one or two episodes of Scandal later
Please help me get my writing done. Amen

It's 4. 37 pm
The chickens were cooked . Chicken noodle soup is ready to eat.
My kind friend gave me some food.The kitchen is okay. Not neat, but at least organized.
Kids were back from school.Garbage is in the garage, ready to throw.
Daniel helped me took some pics for the blog.
I've done my exercise.
So far so good. Thanks God.  

ES CAMPUR

This was one of my favorite street food.
Shaved ice with many toppings.
Grass jelly, avocado, ripe jack fruit, tapioca pearl.
Plenty of  cocopandan syrup with a little bit condensed milk on top.

Pear Trees

There are two ornamental pear trees in front of my house.
That's how my blog got its name.

pear trees in the winter

Instant Soup

I love instant noodles. I enjoy the MSG flavoring and waxy texture of that concoction.
It is my comfort food.These days I try to avoid instant noodle.
This soup is an alternative. It's quick and still taste MSG-y.
But it also has some fresh ingredients and fibers.
If you don't like SPAM, you can use hotdogs or turkey SPAM or non nitrate organic hotdogs instead.

Items needed :
1 can of SPAM cut into cubes
2 small potatoes , cut into cubes
2 pieces of scallion, cut into stripes
2 cups of frozen carrots and peas (any kind of frozen/ canned veggies)
garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and sugar for seasoning
1 cube of chicken bullion

Direction :
Put 5 cups of water in a big pan .
Put the potatoes cubes. Boil.
When the potatoes are half cooked, put the frozen veggies and SPAM cubes.
Keep boiling. Put some seasoning ( garlic and onion powder, salt , pepper , and sugar).
Taste and correct the seasoning until you got the right flavor.

Eat with warm rice and store bought chips . Enjoy !

Don't Get What I Deserve

Should I complain ?
Should I be mad ?
Should I sue the other party ?

Well.. to be honest .. I am HAPPY that I don't get what I deserve.
For I really do not deserve an eternal life

Romans 5 : 8 said,
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us
also John 3 : 16 said,
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Thank God for giving me your salvation

1/2 Hour Cooking

This cold snowy winter made me think about food a lot :)

I remembered once I almost cried after I spent 2 hours cooking.
So long complicated greasy food . Welcome effortless cooking. 
These food were cooked in just 30 minutes ( Watch out Rachel Ray ! )
They were simple and healthy . I cooked the rice in the rice cooker

1. Stir fry baby spinach with shallot . Then sprinkled a little sesame seed
2. Sauteed salmon with garlic,onion, celery salt ( all powder ) in olive oil
3. Boiled brocolli ( did it while sauteeing the salmon )

And   TADA ! ( drumroll )

Serve with store bought veggie chips