Once Upon a Time...


My colleagues and I were reminiscing about childhood TV shows over lunch a few days ago and this led to a very candid discussion about it. The list of shows is endless but if you were born in the 70s, this should ring a bell. Let's take a look at some of the defunct ones.

Electric Company



You've got the power. Yeah! But, what about Morgan Freeman, huh?!


Daktari



I bet Malaysian kids who watched this show religiously in the afternoons (including yours truly) didn't realize that they've just learned a Swahili word. LOL!


Hogan's Heroes



My first exposure to World War II Germany. LOL!


Western series were a bit hit in my family. My Dad and Grandfather were huge, huge fans and it naturally rubbed on us kids.


Bonanza



Lorne Greene and Michael Landon were the two stars that I remembered the most. The latter starred in the famed "Little House on the Prairie" and the former as Commander Adama in the original "Battlestar Galactica", with the likes of Captain Apollo and Lt. Starbuck.


High Chaparral



Manolito Montoya was my brother's favorite character in High Chaparral. I supposed he identified with his happy-go-lucky attitude.

I could go on forever but it'll get tedious after a while, but let this be a "trigger" for you to think about past TV shows that may have influenced your preference for certain genres. Being a kid in Malaysia during the 70s and 80s meant growing up watching old, black & white series. Colored TV existed rather late for us but we gradually moved on to better series like Stephen J. Cannell's productions ;)

From Upstate to Harlem and Into Our Bellies


Ken & Javier, my fellow foodie colleagues introduced me to this great BBQ place last month. I should have blogged about it then but I didn't have my trusty camera with me. I went back a couple of weeks later and now I'm ready to talk about Dinosaur BBQ.

Dinosaur BBQ as the website said is a genuine honky tonk rib joint. I am not really a rib person but their Hot Wango Tango wings is the BEST! It's so good that I ended up buying the marinade for our little BBQ session :)


Address: 646 W 131st St., New York, NY 10027. Tel.: 212-694-1777

Subway directions: Take the #1 train and get off at 125 Street, walk pass the Cotton Club under the Riverside Drive Bridge and make a right at the corner of 131 Street & 12 Avenue.


Since I had tried the meat dishes the last time I was here, I decided to order the Drunken Shrimp Boil Platter instead (recommended by my boss). I really like the Syracuse Style Salt Potatoes side. Adrian ordered the Tres Hombre - brisket, pulled pork & ribs.

New Jersey State Fair - Sussex County Farm & Horse Show


With the high price of gas these days, it's good to find something interesting to do within an hour's drive from Bergen County. I've never been to a state fair in Jersey. When I saw the advertisement for Sussex County's Farm & Horse Show, I thought it might be fun to check it out.


Gave the carnival area a quick pass and headed straight towards the animals. After all, I'm here to see some farm "friends".


Don't you love the alpaca's funky hairdo. There were camel rides, elephant rides, petting zoo, etc.


More animals in the petting zoo. Don't forget to wash your hands!


Racing pigs and some swimming ones too! An interesting race and the pigs have amusing names like Hillary Rod-HAM Clinton, Britney SPARE-RIBS, etc.


Farm animals do shower. The camel actually "multi-tasked" in this photo. He was pee-ing while waiting for folks to feed him.


I love these photos. Don't you love the KKK looking sheep and his lycra fitted friends?


Prime steak or pork chop, anyone? Yum! Of course, they don't smell appetizing here.


Kountry K-9 Show from Florida - the white Poodle's b**** were so visible when Adrian captured this shot. LOL!

Guess What?!!


Our favorite Thai restaurant Wondee's also serves...(drum roll please!)

KUAY CHAP!

Woo-hoo!!! We haven't eaten Kuay Chap for almost 2 years and what a "shocker" to discover that our favorite Thai restaurant is capable of whooping up this famous dish - a favorite amongst people from Kuching i.e. people like us - shamelessly obvious. Wondee's kuay chap is passable and similar to what we would eat in Kuching. The best thing? It is also called Kuay Chap :) Thank you Wondee. You are a superb cook!

Clockwise from top: Yen Ta Four and Stewed Pork Shoulder (next to it is a "Hainanese-chicken-rice" type ginger chili sauce that goes very well with the stewed meat!)

Apart from Kuay Chap, Wondee also makes other delicious dishes to cater to the typical Asian palate. Let me tell you, she cooks a mean, yummy stewed pork shoulder and a Thai seafood noodle soup called Yen Ta Fo :)

Wondee's is a great Thai place for those who appreciate home-cooked food. Their main menu is just as great but these days, we are sticking by their Thai menu. In other words, the silent menu :). Sometimes, it pays to be adventurous. You'll never know what you'll discover. You just have to ask, or in this case, we have a very nice friend who works there and he has been very good at recommending their "specials".

Kuay Chap in New Jersey...I'll be smiling in my sleep tonight.

After 20 years...


Last July, I found an old friend. We met when we were teenagers and lived not too far from each other in my hometown. We met through our fathers. Her father was my Dad's former boss in the Ministry of Youth & Sports. For some reason, I never remembered my Dad's bosses but Lin's father stood out. He was a strict but fair supervisor and my Dad always spoke very highly of him. After Lin moved back to West Malaysia, we did keep in touch for a while but didn't do so for many years after.

Now, back to July 2007. I was waiting for my father-in-law near the check-in counter at Newark Liberty Airport when a young lady walked by me several times. She looked familiar but for some foolish reason I thought, "No! It can't be her. Can it be her?" She still has that same youthful look of 15 years ago." Then, I told myself, "Serene, if you don't ask her, you'll regret it forever. You would have missed this one good opportunity to reconnect with an old friend!"

Holding that thought, I walked up to her and asked, "Are you Lin? Lin Idrus?!" The moment she said "Yes", it was like a dream come true. What are the odds of meeting again after all these years?! And, of all places - the airport, where thousands of people poured in and out of its gates on a daily basis. It seemed like "somebody-up-there" had arranged for us to bump into each other again. Thank you!

Unfortunately, Lin had to check-in soon. She was on the same flight as my father-in-law. We quickly exchanged e-mail addresses and I learned that she was in the final year of her doctorate program at Harvard. Lin is one of the smartest person I know and it's no surprise that she studied in three Ivy League Colleges in the eastern seaboard, with the exception of Princeton. Yes, I'm dropping a major hint here for you, Lin. I'm expecting you back in New Jersey after a couple of years in NUS.

So, we kept in touch - on and off. I'm kinda bad at it but vowed never to allow one score minus five to pass before meeting again. When Lin e-mailed about a month ago, telling me that her parents will be making a short trip to NJ/NYC, I jumped at the chance to get together.

We FINALLY met last week. It was like the years never went by. We picked up where we left-off immediately. I supposed true friendship is an eternal enigma that withstands time and distance. We brought Lin, Uncle Idrus & Auntie Asmah to Spanish Tavern for dinner. Indeed, there was some major catching-up to do. The night went by so quickly and I didn't want it to end. Adrian had never met them before and yet they hit it off so well!

From left to right: Uncle Idrus, Auntie Asmah, Lin, me & Adrian

We shared two Paella dishes between the four of us. The portion - huge! Thank goodness our waiter suggested that we share.

Auntie Asmah's trout in pignoli sauce. Good choice!

Psst!!!
Uncle Idrus is also a blogger. In blogspot.com, he is simply known as Pak Blogger Idrus and keeps an interesting account of his daily life in Malaysia and also, of his travels and other socio-political issues. I've added his blog in passing - malaysian to my daily reads.

Perhaps our next reunion will be in Ampang, Kuching or here in NJ? Who knows but it was really, really good to see you all again.

Baking Itch


Every now and then, I get the itch to bake. Especially after a hiatus. My baking inspiration this time comes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Baking. Yes, I am a big fan of David Barricelli because he makes baking fun and simple. I love all the baking gadgets and utensils in the Everyday Baking kitchen.

For this recipe, click here. Frosted Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes - it's very easy to make and taste yummy! It's a big hit too. Normally, my cupcakes tend to sink in the middle. But, this recipe seems fool-proof. I've baked them for the past 2 weeks and it comes out well each time.

Apparently the ice-cream scoop is supposed to help prevent mess but I still managed to make a mess out of it. Spots of choc batter all over the muffin tray.

Light cream cheese frosting is easy to spread but not my favorite though

Ok, so I lied. I got carried away and made some brownies along the way. My baking itch usually spills over to a second offering. Can't help it!