Santas Workshop ;

So, my mom bought these silly costumes for us, sometime ago last year,

but we havnt gotten a chance to try them out until now.

my brothers were complaining about how "gay this is" and asked me to not

post them up on Facebook, and if i do.. to not tag them on it. haha!

but maybe its because ive gotten older.. but i personally think, it was pretty cute.

My mom bought all of us elf costumes, besides Peter (step-dad) ; he got a Santa

costume, complete with "belly stuffing" to give him a big round jolly stomach.

i asked my mom why she didnt get get a Mrs. Claus outfit, & her response was,

" Noo ! i dont want to be old ! " hahaha ! oh asian moms..

But her response triggered a quote i once heard, from one of my favorite movies,

it was ..

 " Were so arrogant arnt we? we're so afraid of age,

we do everything we can do prevent it, we dont realize

what a privilege it is to grow old with someone " - P.S I Love You 

" P.S I Love You " really is a great & touching movie, i thought it was even better than

"The Notebook " . & i couldnt agree with the quote more.

one day i wish i could be happily married, a successful marriage.

i only plan on getting married once in my life. whether it works out or not ..

woops 

ANYWAY! im getting off topic here !  here are the pictures of our silly costumes ~

Momma Elf & Santa ?

Mindy & Peter

Family
Daniel G. , Niklas, Daniel B. , Mom, Mats, Myself, Coco,
& Santa
(yes, i have 2 brothers named Daniel)

Coco Where Are You Sniffing?!
the elves seem unhappy with Santa .. 

Niklas & Daniel in Uneven Proportions
HAHAHA ; funny thing about this picture is ..
Niklas is actually older than Daniel B.
but yet hes the smallest in our family

Seems Like a Kodak Moment 

No one was ready for this picture EXCEPT Coco.
we all looked like crap..
but i still had to post this pic, since coco gave the
biggest frikkin` dog-smile EVER .

Silly Faces with Mom

Pictures with Mom
its sad to say that i havnt sat this close to
my mom in almost 3 years now..
we just cant seem to get along .
but luckily, we were able to make this
Christmas pretty great ~

The Boys
My 4 Younger brothers,
Mats is the oldest (Middle of the three)
then its Daniel G (my blood - brother) (Left)
Niklas (The smallest one)
Daniel B. (the youngest) (Right)
i love them ~

"Floody Hell ! " ;

-- - - ---- - -
On a cold and stormy night,
a family will witness the most perfect storm..


UGHH ! i cant even begin to tell you how horrible Tues night was.
Cali has been receiving so much rain this year.
normally we`d get a week or two of it per year, but its been raining on & off
for months.
lately, though, its been a non-stop week of rain.
but id have to say, hands down, the worst of the rain storm happened
a few nights ago..
huge trees were falling on houses, branches and shrubs were all toppled over.
& the icing on the cake?
my house almost flooded!


in addition to the week-long rain, it rained massive amounts on Tues night &
lasted until Wed morning.
For some reason (which will be explained later), the drains in my backyard
wouldnt allow water to travel out onto the street or into the gutters.
instead, water would come inside !
which caused a massive back-up into our yard.
it missed overflowing over our doorstep by 1/2 an inch.


my brothers & peter (step-dad), were bucketing out water like mad men,
& even that wasnt enough.
So i interrupted Frankie in his poker game , and asked him to come over
with some big buckets.
Thanks to him, and the guys of my house hold, we managed
to keep the water settled, but we had to suffer through endless scooping;
from 9:00pm - 7:00am Wed morning.
Working from night fall till sunrise, we worked non-stop,
but managed to have a few breaks in between,
atleast until the water rose up again ( which took only 10-15 mins) ...


During then, was my call of duty,
i stuffed their wet clothes into the dryer, made them ghetto trash-bag rain coats,
and made lots of hot coca, tea, and warm food to fill their cold, wet, tummys.
All in all i made about, 6 bowls of chili, 9 cups of hot chocolate & tea,
4 spicy chicken burgers, 2 chicken & cheese burritos, & 3 bowls of seafood udon


We found out later, that our drains were clogged from the roots of our palm trees.
So, it looks like we`ll have to get rid of them soon.. which is a shame cuz ive always
liked them. we were the only house on our street to have such trees in our front lawn..
But, enough talk. Here are the pictures of our miserable night.

The View From One of our Back yard doors.
we have about 4 doors (french & sliding doors)
downstairs, that lead to our backyard.
the one closest to the backyard door itself
was the one we were having problems with.
see the brown in the background?
thats the door leading out to our front lawn.

3 of my brothers
in this picture, you can only see Daniel G.
Daniel B. & Mats.
but they were busy scooping, bucketing,
and handing them down the line, to pour
the rainwater into the street.

Going Back & Forth
to dump water from our yard, & into the street.

Peters Desperate Attempt
to MAKE sandbags (using 2 layers of trashbags & dirt from
the other side of our yard), to block the water flow
from getting into our house.

Peter Blocking our Doorway with Dirt

Frankie Comes to the Rescue
yay! here comes help !
Here are our hard working guys.
(starting from the left)
Daniel G., Peter, Mats, Frankie, Daniel G., and Niklas

Chili
made some quick & easy chili.
added extra tomatoes, onions, and turkey ham to make it
a bit more filling

Chili with Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
yummmmmm !
made 6 bowls of chili

My Brothers, Step-dad, & Frankie
enjoying their chili while wearing the ghetto
rain-shirts i made from trash bags.
(peter had to wear an XL JCPenny bag) keke.

Playing PS2 During Break
i think they were playing dragonball Z 

Hot Chocolate & Tea
made 9 cups.

Daniel G. & Frankie
working hard, handing buckets down the line

Devastated Peter
hes sad that the grass in our front lawn is completely ruined

Daniel G. & Bucket
those things were heavy!
major props to everyone 

Visitor at 3am
Edwardo (our neighbor) decided to drop by
and give us a hand for awhile.
Came just in time for a Chicken burger ~
( i also made him a trendy trashbag coat)

Seafood Udon
the warm soup & hot noodles made it the perfect
dish to eat, when youre wet & hungry.
made 3 bowls

Spicy Grilled Chicken Burgers
Break #2
made 4 burgers.

" I'm Getting Too Old for this Shit !"
- Peter Bjurman
he definitely did not want to go back out
there. haha! his awkward JCPenny bag
makes this picture epic.

A Gift From Kevin ;

i received a gift from Kevin today ; its a black BENTO BOX ,

with removable compartments & painted oriental designs, on the lid.

i cant wait to use it !

its been awhile since ive made a bento box, and now im stoked to get back into it ~

Oh, and INSIDE the bento box, he included a few thoughtful goodies as well,

- his Night Light ; which hes had ever since he could remember,

knowing that i have an extremely unhealthy fear of the dark..

- a Loonie ; (a Canadian dollar coin) ; for winning a bet against him.

unfortunately, we both cant remember what the bet was now..

- random requested drawings on the back of a 

" S.H.I.E.L.D Psychiatric Evaluation" paper, of Bruce Banner (aka. The Hulk).

(an inside joke between us. hehe)

- & a Letter .

This is what the Bento Box was wrapped in.
haha i would of loved to see Kevin walking around
West Edminton Mall. with this in hand, but he decided
to be a square, and shoved it inside his school bag instead.
pshhh

The Bento Box 

Filled with letters, drawings, a very special night light,
and a legitly won dollar coin~

Inside
with a removable 3-compartment insert.

once again, thank youuu~
& ill promise to take care of it, and use it often for my
future bentos !

Accidental Teriyaki? ;

To be honest, i was trying to just marinate a fillet of chicken,
but it ended up tasting like spicy teriyaki instead.
it was still very yummy & i wouldnt mind making it again for a meal.
i didnt really take measurements with the "teriyaki sauce", i just kinda
added random ingredients from my fridge & spice cabinet, to combine
what seemed like a good mixture, according to my preference in sauces.

My "Teriyaki Sauce"

i just combined a whole bunch of random ingredients from

my fridge, things such as..

garlic, peppers, green onions, lemon, garlic powder, pepper,

balsamic vinegar, hot sauces, soy-sauce, ginger, honey.. etc.
basically suite the sauce according to what YOU like ~

i marinated the chicken for a good 40 - 60 mins

i cooked it in a pan half way, both sides,
& scored the chicken fillet for it to marinate quicker~

bake it the rest of the way through.

once its done, i let it sit for about 7 mins,  so the fillet can
recollect its juices. believe me, its worth the wait !

The end result is an amazingly juicy & soft fillet of chicken

i arranged the chicken on top of some rice, drizzled the
drippings on to my rice, and added a simple side salad~

the salad is yummy! its simply, chopped cabbage, a small
handful of baby grape tomatoes,  and a dressing made-of
mayo, ketchup, and sriracha sauce.
(similar to thousand island dressing, but with a spicy kick)

Cooking for Man & His Best Friend ;

So, Hobby Farms sent me a contract this week,

and it stipulated that i had to cook 12 of their recipes.
( which ive finally completed ! )

Here are the pictures for the last 7 ;

"Chicken & Dumpling Casserole" (Hobby Farms Edited)
ive always wanted to try this recipe, and now i finally had
a chance to try it out. the original recipe for this left the
casserole a bit on the runny side, when i was expecting
thick, bubbly, creamy, goodness, like how a real casserole
should be.  So heres my improved version on this dish;

Recipe ;
- 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, uncooked.
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup coarsely chopped celery

- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots

- 2 tbs of dried sage

- 1 packet of gravy mix

- 1 cup of cheddar cheese

- 2 cups of chicken broth

Recipe for Dumpling ;

- 1/2 cup milk

- 2 tbs veggie oil

- 1 cup flour

- 2 tsp. baking powder

- 1 tsp salt

whisk the milk & oil first, and gradually stir in the dry

ingredients for the dumplings.  Set aside.

Cut each chicken breast in half, and place them in a greased

casserole dish (8 x 8 inch glass dish) . Sprinkle half of the

gravy mix over the chicken, and cover the chicken with

carrots, onion, and celery. Sprinkle the cheese, sage & pepper

over the vegetables, and pour broth over all.

Distribute  2 inch balls of dumpling dough evenly over the

casserole, cover tightly with foil & bake at 325 degrees F

for 90 mins, or until the dumplings are slightly browned.

*Serves 4

"Cream of Pumpkin Soup" (Hobby Farms Recipe Edited)
if youre a pumpkin lover or just simply looking for a
holiday dish, try this out.

Recipe ;
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 1/2 cups orange juice

- 2 1/2 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin

- 2 cups of chicken broth

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp pepper

- 1 tsp nutmeg

- 1 cup of cream

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 cup sour cream for garnish (optional)

- 1/4 cup toasted walnut halves (optional)

In a large sauce pan, sauté onion in butter until soft.

Add in OJ, pumpkin, broth & seasonings. Simmer for 20min

& remove from heat. Purée in a blender until smooth.  Return

soup to the sauce pan and stir in cream, place over medium

heat for 5 mins, careful to not boil. Garnish each bowl with

a swirl of sour cream & walnuts halves.

"Breakfast Wraps w/ Turkey Ham" (Hobby Farms Recipe edited)
This Breakfast wrap was certainly a yummy way to start
my morning.~
but this was defiantly too fat to wrap. haha !

Recipe ;
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbs of butter (divided into 2 portions)
- 1/4 cup of red or yellow bell peppers, seeded & diced

- 1/4 cup of cilantro

- 1/4 cup onions

- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese

-  2 tbs of milk

-  1 1/4 cup of turkey ham

- 1 medium tomato diced

- salt & pepper to season

Melt one portion of the butter in a frying pan.

Whisk the eggs with the milk, & scramble.

season with salt & pepper if desired. 

in another pan, melt the final portion of the butter &

cook the bell peppers & onions until soft,

then add ham. Cook until the Ham is browned & the

bell peppers & onions are tender.

warm up the tortillas by placing a damp napkin.

over the wrap & microwave for 10 seconds.

The Wrap should be soft & warm, sprinkle cheese over the wrap,

and microwave for another 15 seconds (without the damp napkin)

cheese should be melted bubbly goodness ~

Now, just pile on your ingredients and make your perfect

breakfast burrito !

" Cornbread " (Hobby Farms recipe edited)
This cornbread recipe wasnt too bad, but i personally
would of liked it to be a little bit sweeter & with
corn pieces in mine.
so, here is an edited version of my recipe for cornbread~

Recipe ;
- 2 cups of corn meal
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 7 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt

- 2  1/2 cups milk

- 3 large eggs well beaten

- 2 1/2 tbs of butter

- 1 cup of canned corn; drained.

Mix the dry ingredients together, & add the wet ingredients

together, fold the corn into the mixture.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 20 min. or until golden brown

to double-check for doneness, insert a toothpick in

the thickest part, if the toothpick comes out clean, its done.

Lentil Soup w/ Turkey Sausage (Hobby Farms edited)
i personally enjoyed this soup. it was hearty and satisfying.
a small bowl of this, easily filled me up. altho i would of
used some sort of spicy italian sausage VS the turkey.

Recipe ;
- 1/2 pound of dried brown lentils
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 1 large bayleaf

-  1 1/2 quart beef, chicken, or vegetable stock

- 1 pound of your favorite sausage brand, sliced 1/2 thick

- 2 potatoes, peel and cut into big chunks

- 1 cup of peeled and diced carrots

-  Salt ( depending on the salt content of your stock &

   sausage, you may prefer to not add additional salt.)

Be sure to wash the lentils first, remove any dirt or rocks from

them, and then transfer them into a big pot. Boil the lentils

in the Broth until soft ( NOT until theyre mush) about 1 hour.

Stirring occasionally.

While lentils are cooking prepare the sausage according to

the package. set aside.

Add the potatoes, carrots, and sausage and simmer until

vegetables & lentils are tender. Stir occasionally and

adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot.

*Serves about 4

"Cheesy Chicken Dog Cookies"
My puppy loves these ! he`ll hold one between his teeth &
run over to a spot to eat it alone in peace. ahaha !
(picture below)

Recipe ;
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 6 chicken buillion cubes (low sodium)
- 1/2 cup margarine

- 1 cup boiling water

- 2 cups whole wheat flour

- 1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

- 1 cup milk

- 2 eggs

- 3 tbs sugar

- 3 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

- all purpose flour to sprinkle

Prehead the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 large cookie sheets

with non stick spray. Mis the oats, bullion cubes, & margarine

in a large bowl. Add the boiling water & allow oats to cook &

dissolve the bullion cubes. Add the remaining ingredients

except the all purpose flour. Mix & form the ingredients into a

big stiff dough ( add flour to stiffen if need.) Roll out the

dough to 1/2 inch thick & using a bone shaped cookie cutter,

cut out the cookie pieces and place on cookie sheets.

bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Let the cookies cool completely before offering treats.

"Apple Cinnamon Dog Bits" (Hobby Farms Recipe Edited)
oh my god, i thought these smelled JUST like apple pie!
i was tempted to eat one myself, which would actually
be okay, if you check out the ingredients, but i think
Coco would of been mad at me if i stole one of his treats~

Recipe ;
- 4 cups of whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 egg

- 2 tbs veggie oil

- 3 tbs cinnamon

- 2 apples grated

- 1 cup water

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the apple &

water. Grate the apple into the mixture, then add the water.

Mix well until it forms a stiff dough,  (add more wheat-flour

if needed.) Roll out on a lightly floured surface and flatten

the dough to an 1/2 inch thickness. Take a knife and score

the dough horizontally & vertically to make a grid of

1 inch squares. Be careful not to cut through the dough

completely. Place the dough on a baking sheet that has

been greased. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour, & Break

apart when cooled.

COCO! with a "Cheesy Chicken" doggie cookie~
hes running away to look for a "private" place to eat.
i think hes afraid ill take it away and eat it myself.
hehe~
oh, you might not be able to see it on here, but if you
click this image to see an enlarged version, you can
see a little cookie crumb stuck to his nose. haha!
so cute ! i love him .

A Thankful Thanksgiving;

Truth be told, im not very close with my own family.
we just cant seem to get along..
i dont spend much time wit them, & i cant even recall the last time
i had dinner with my mom.
or even the last time i even had dinner MADE by my mom.
which is probably how i started cooking on my own.
But ever since i met Frankie,
his family has welcomed me with open arms,
and i have been so blessed since.~

Frankie, his dad, cousin, niece, auntie, mom, myself, Amy (sister), Auntie

his parents are such a wonderful pair ~
His mom tends to buy random trinkets & gadgets that she never uses,
but still insists that i read the manuals for them anyway; from ice-cream churners,
waffle irons, cone makers, individual egg steamers... any random cookware!
She buys a ton of little dolls, hair-clips, accessories, bags, & keychains and she
attaches them to any place she can find, haha! 
shes just an adorable person, whos fun to be around~
Even sitting around watching game shows with her is a joy, served with
corn-on-the-cob (her fav.)  while garnished with random arguments
over the correct answers, to the trivia questions.
---
& his dad is a totally " hip & happenin` " individual !
He initiates conversations of Frankie's interests,
like tracking cars, work, & tennis. While learning a few curse words from Frankie,
and tries to fuse them into his sentences. (which always makes me laugh)~
He also brainstorms new ideas for his company by involving the development
of car-parts, since Frankie has such a deep passion for cars & the track.
oh and did i mention that he even drinks with Frankie & his friends?
haha, such an awesome dad.
& every other week or so, he tries to have a "cooking day" with me,
and we`d cook together, exchange tips, provide suggestions, and show off by
channeling our inner iron chef skills. BAM !
----
but even with all these amazing features, the best part about them is
their never ending love for their family.
once in awhile, ill catch a glimpses of them just looking at Frankie in
complete adoration, and it`ll make my heart melt.
Theyre such an interactive, supportive, happy, & generous bunch~
im extremely thankful for them to consider me as one of their own.
i love them all deeply.
This entry is dedicated to them;
it was truly a Happy Thanksgiving !

Our Thanks Giving Dinner!
with Roasted Turkey & Glazed Sweet Ham

My Dog Coco !
hes patiently waiting to eat his ham & turkey

Yummy!  our Roasted Turkey & Glazed Sweet Ham

My Garlic & Bacon Mashed Potatoes!
a favorite among my friends,
& always requested by Frankie`s dad

Recipe;

- Boiled Potatoes (in salted water)

- Drained & Mashed

- Pour in Heavy cream, till desired consistency

- Finely chopped garlic (alot if youre a garlic lover like me)

- a handful of Bacon Bits
- a sprinkle of black ground pepper, & more salt if needed.

"Swedish Potatoes"
This is a recipe from my step-dad
its his "specialty" or atleast, the only thing he can cook
that doesnt come in a box. keke~
Believe me, even if the word" anchovie" sets you off,
you wont even taste them! these potatoes are SO good.

Recipe;

- 5 Peeled & Sliced potatoes (cut french-fry style)

- 2 oz. can of anchovies; cut into tiny pieces.

- one large onion, finely chopped.

- 3/5 of a pint of Heavy Cream

- 1 Cup of Bread Crumbs

- Half a Stick of Butter ; sliced.

- Salt & Pepper to sprinkle.

Butter the bottom of your casserole dish, and layer the

potato slices at the bottom. (enough to just cover it).

sprinkle pieces of anchovies on top, with a sprinkle of

onions on top of that. add a splash of heavy cream

over it all & repeat.

ending with potatoes on top.

add a final splash of heavy cream, sprinkle the bread crumbs on top

and scatter the sliced pieces of butter on top of it all.

& bake at 420 degrees, until potatoes are tender & golden brown.

Adding the Last Dash of Cream
over the potatoes

Finishing with a Sprinkling  of Bread Crumbs

The Final Touch.
adding slices of butter ontop of your bread crumbs