puffer fish

Aren't they great? I would love to have one of them... specially these salt and pepper ...

They are from Jonathan Adler an american (excellent) designer .

I have always love the thought of puffer fish, eventhough I haven't seen it live until last september. I love to draw them because they look so cute. The thought of a fish that puffs up into a ball everytime it feel threatens is just so funny. What is a more intriguing fact about puffer fish that I found out (from reading lots of japanese comic book and watching anime) is that most of their body part are poisonous, however a part of it .. (I'm not quite sure which part ) is suppose to be really tasty and is considered as a delicacy in Japan. Again from my japanese comic world of knowledge, chefs that cook puffer fish seems to need a certificate to be able to actually cook them, understandably one needs a lot of practice and experience to cut the fish up in order to avoid killing their customers.

Other funny things about them is that dolphins love to play around with the puffer fish treating it as a ball (wiki), also that there are special puffer fish dentist!!(my friend).

Anyways my first time to see one of them was at our friends house. I love it, he has got blue eyes,funny parrot like beak and ridicolously smaller than its body fins. The moment I laid eyes on him I kept saying " can we have puffer fish please? please can we have our own puffer fish.." on and on like an annoying whiny child. hahahhahhaha.. However as soon as they explain to me that puffer fish are really difficult to have as a pet, because it needs a lot of equipment and very detail maintenance, also the same with any other pet it will be really difficult for us to travel and have holidays, I was quite happy not to have one.

After looking at it a while in its normal state I asked continously about it puffing up " what does it look like when it puffs up? does it puffs up often? how long does it take for it to go normal after it puffs up? "etc.. So my male friend who owns it said.. " I know how to make it puff up" *cheeky grin* I was like " how? can I see? don't hurt him though" and he said " It wont hurt him he will be fine, I have done it before" *he laughs*

So he waited until his girlfriend was outside, took of the nozle of the water purifying thingy, then he waited until the pufferfish swam underneath the thingy and he turned the thing on higher so it sucked the pufferfish .... AAAAAAAAAAAAAA.... and it got sucked in instead of it puffing up before (to prevent it self being sucked) we were panicking..I was horrified and stoped the thingy and the puffer fish came out ok.. (a bit dizzy perhaps)

I said " ooooo.... you shouldnt have done that ... poor little thing" he said" O i know.. I wont do it again, i just did it because last time it happen accidentally and it was ok"

WOoofdsljhoof... that was a relief.

White cupcake

I have been trying and trying to make white cupcake yet failed miserably, which mean I have tried to make cupcakes that stays white even after it has been the oven, and so the cases retain its colour. Not until I found a perfect recipe for it from Crazy about Cupcake by Krystina Castella
book. The book has good amount of recipe and very easy to understand, its only downside is just the lack of big pictures of cupcakes, which I would appreciate greatly *grin*.

So I made perfectly white cupcakes and still able to show of the colours of the cases, and they were really nice, puffy and light. I found out the key to it is to separate the eggs, whisk the egg white untill its firm and then fold them into the almost done batter.

Here are some pictures of them:





You can see how the blue case stay blue..o and as for the toping it was creme fraiche topped with raspberry conserve. It was delish!!

Here is what the mess looked like

I am back with chocolate oreo cupcakes

Hullow!! Im baaaaaaack!! well I dont know whether there are anybody who actually reads this blog but I am back anyway.
My previous post was about my baking addiction well here are some pictures that is the result of my addiction.Here are pictures when I'm making Oreo cupcakes. I was trying my new cup measurement, I was so happy to have found them. Its so difficult when the recipe you want is in other measurement , in my case its always American recipes, well now I dont have to worry anymore.

Baking Addiction

Help, I'm addicted to baking cakes. I really cant help it, I just want to bake and bake and bake and bake.....
Can't keep going to the supermarket just to buy butter, cream etc.

I have to finish my paper.


help....

A harvest mobile diary

Behind our garden there is an allotment space. I know its a bit funny, having allotment in the country side, but they do..hmmm..

Anyway, before going of on their holiday our neighbour said that we should pick their raspberry, (in their allotment) affraid that it will go to rot and to waste. We went the first day they were away but the raspberries are already rotting. However yesterday I tried again, and there were lots of nice ones.



When I was picking raspberries the guy that owns the allotment on the other said came over with a large gourd, which turns out to be a courgette. He gave them to me, and feeling the need to repay his kindness (he also gave me a lift the other day ), I said " do you like chocolate cake, I just bake some today". He said he does so I gave him the freshly baked choco cake, then he gave me a bunch of cherry tomatoes and beans??

Its funny but I feel that this is like the olden days where people do barters, and I quite like the idea. I think if the one that invented money live today he/she will want to cancel out inventing such things.??

sometimes you just have to stop!!!!

STOP WAR!!!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/mundouno_/

MUNDO UNO it's a call for peace.
* MUNDO UNO means ONE WORLD
.* MUNDO UNO is a virtual protest against the madness of the war
.* MUNDO UNO is a way for us to say: stop the killing of civilians in both sides.

Shall we be ONE, one world, one face, one people to change this.

you know what?

I did it!! I made a cake with chocolate lining on the side!!

When I took up that book from the library, the lady took a look at me and said.. are you sure? It looks a bit difficult. I said " I got to try haven't I?"

Even my so called other half when I told him about what the lady said , commented" I think she is right you know" and he laughed.

Well eat this !!!! unsupportive people!!! (well you can't, it tasted so good)

I always think " If someone can do it why can't I do it?" except of course my body prevents it " If I want to do it I can do it"

Its a walnut sponge cake with cream cheese filling.

I heart Recycle

We manage to recycle more than half of our waste. At least we put in the recycling bin at the nearest recycling area. Our bin man only take 2-3 bag every week from our bin (we reuse carrier bag for our waste).This is our kitchen bin, we got it with the 4 pounds of compost bin.

All of those direct mails that come to our door goes straight to the paper recycling box. Of course we rip of the plastic window if it has one. And if it has our name and address we rip that and put it in our compost bin.


We haven't got to the phase of using ecover and eating organic stuff simply just we could not afford it yet.

Plastic bags that comes with vegetables etc are reused as sandwich bags and packing lunches. When we go to the supermarket we bring our own plastic bags or a box. We also try not to use as much plastic when we have our loose vegetables.

aluminum foil that are not to dirty, we also put that in the recycling bin.

When you already used to all of this , it feels very wrong when you don't recycle, its funny really but its true.

It even feels wrong when printing I use only one side of it. I always try to use both side. If I can't like if I did it at uni than I'll use the back side of it to write notes.

You might want to think to do the same thing, its not really difficult if you know how too. Maybe it will help to reduce global warming, prevent all the natural disaster that has been happening. Read This.