Coco The Fighter!

Something is lurking in the drain.

It is our friend (not) the intruder aka monitor lizard.  Well, it was sauntering outside minding its own business but I had to throw a few stones at it. Mistake. It decided to run into my garden and so a fight ensued between Coco and lizard.

It was a bit too feisty for Coco and she must have sustained a few nips on her face. I tried spraying it with my garden hose but that too was a mistake. It seemed to enjoy the cool shower and stayed put for more.  Luckily my basket shooting was a perfect 10. There! 2 extra bricks to make sure you stay inside until I think of something.

No...I don't want dinner. I will just stay here and stare keep watch.

Why didn't you help Coco???

I don't like lizards, Mom.

I am ashamed of myself.

I left Coco to die at the claws of lizard.

Can I eat now?

(Regrettably, the lizard escaped from the basket the next morning. We are now back to square one....living in fear of another intrusion.)

A Natural Food Dye

So happy my butterfly pea or blue pea vine is flowering everyday.

It is named clitoria ternatea and you can tell why by looking at the shape of the flower.  I prefer to address it in our local language "bunga telang".

I boil the flowers to extract the color and the liquid can be used to color plain rice or glutinous rice. Perhaps it may have some health benefits but I just like the color. For me the sight of blue rice conjures mouth watering images of curry. Not to mention various sweet treats made with glutinous rice.

This is a less common blue pea flower.

It has double petals and hence produces more color.

Smile for me, pretty lady....♡

Moon Cakes

The Moon Festival is the second grandest after the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year.  This year it falls on September 15th which corresponds to the 15th day of the eighth month of the chinese calendar. The moon will be roundest and brightest that night.

I am practising on my moon cakes.  I love these two toned ones. They look like jade ornaments. I put one salted duck yolk inside and wrapped it with red bean paste. Then I wrapped that with some "snow skin" dough and used a special mold to get these beautiful shape and design.  So pretty and yummy.

There are many stories and legends surrounding the origin of the Moon Festival. From figures living in the moon to secret messages in the cake.  Today they are given as gifts to one another and eaten with loved ones (or thoughts of them) while viewing the beauty of the moon. Preferably with a cup of tea :)

Sashiko

My version of sashiko.

My first completed piece. I am not very ambitious. Always start very small :)

My own design.  Just for fun.

Makes a great coaster for my drinking water :)

Intruder! Coco To The Rescue!

Found a monitor lizard inside my house 3 days ago. Hanging precariously on my curtain. Not too big but enough to freak me out. For two days and two nights we lived under one roof. No fun going to sleep thinking about the creature crawling everywhere and maybe licking my face with its forked tongue *shudder*. Thank God Coco chased it out eventually!  Poor baby isn't well. Giving her lots of tender loving care and praying for her recovery.

♡♡♡ My heroine ♡♡♡

Pulut Inti (Glutinous Rice With Sweet Coconut Topping)

Decided to make some snacks today.  I have always wanted to make pulut inti.  Steamed glutinous rice enriched with coconut milk and screwpine leaf.  And topped with grated coconut that has been sweetened with palm sugar.  All wrapped in a piece of banana leaf.  To me everything tastes better on a piece of banana leaf.  This is my first attempt.

The moment of truth.  Well, nothing can be perfect the first time. The rice was too soft and the filling too loose and not sweet enough. Not tooooo bad for a first try. When I have tweaked the recipe I will share it here.

I shared some with my neighbor and she gave me fruits from her garden. Fair exchange. Barter trading lolll....it is great to have a neighbor with a huge garden of fruit trees!

This is one of her many dogs. Super adventurous. She burrows holes in her fence and squeezes her way into my garden through any small gap she can find. She climbs over four feet high fences. She dunks herself in muddy ditches and roams far and wide. She makes me go round and round my house with a stick. She is not named Naughty for nothing. Stop trespassing, ok?  Go home.

Will The Real Dill Please Stand Up?

I just bought the real dill.  I hope.

A friend sold this weed pictured below (eupatorium capillifolium) to me about two years ago and told me it was dill. Dill is not a common herb here and most people I know don't know what it is nor how to use it. That includes me of course.  It is rather unfortunate that I have used what could be dog fennel in my cooking.  Perhaps it is the sterile cultivar elegant feather.  It is apparently good for warding off mosquitoes and ticks and fleas. Great. I will surround my house with them.

Pollinating The Pumpkin

I have never planted pumpkins before and all these darlings grew from seeds and peels I buried in the soil as compost.  A well meaning friend taught me how to differentiate between male and female flowers but her instructions were not very clear. Or perhaps I was too dense. Females have a bulb below she said. So I looked inside each flower everyday for that bulbous thingy instead of outside. I thought bulbs outside were baby pumpkins! Yesterday it dawned on me.  Female flowers are few and far in between!  This one opened this morning so I rubbed my hands in glee and set out for the choicest male.

Here he is. Nice and fat and powdery.

This is way easier than a finger. Or electric toothbrush. Though the garderner used that more for his tomatoes. Grow pumpkin! Grow....!

Rainy Morning

I love it when it rains early in the morning! 

When I built my tiny house I made my kitchen and dining area outside. Sort of partially sheltered to save cost and have circulating air when I cook. I wanted to be able to look out into my garden when I eat and listen to the birds chirp when I sip my coffee. The rain gets in sometimes but that is ok. Am planting some climbing vegetables for shade. Looking forward to the day when I can pluck my beans and cucumbers from them. From wall to wok....!

No gardening until the rain stops!

I can always go back to bed. My dough is rising....soon I will have steamed buns for breakfast. Blisssss.

Man Tou (Plain Steamed Buns)

Sometimes when I don't feel like eating rice I will substitute with plain steamed buns.  I will end up having them for breakfast, lunch and dinner because for one I love them. And two, I have to finish all that I make.

Here is my recipe which is super easy to make.

Put 360g "bao" flour with 1.5 cups water, half teaspoon dry yeast and 2-3 tablespoons sugar in a mixing bowl.

Mix together with a dough hook until all the flour comes together.

Scrape dough onto a dusted board and knead into a smooth ball. 

Place in a bowl and cover. 

Leave to proof overnight.

Next morning punch out all the air and knead briefly till smooth.

Cut into 8 portions (or 6 if you want them bigger). 

Knead and roll into smooth balls.

Place a piece of paper at the bottom of each and leave to rest for 30 minutes or until it has doubled in size. 

Keep it covered while it is rising.

Steam 15 minutes and there you have it. Breakfast :)

Want some, Coco? What? Only with butter and jam?!

Today's Spoils

That pretty young lady should not have placed that pot of Cuban Oregano in front of me. She should not have told me where she got them from. Because I had to go find this herb nursery and blow a lot of money on more plants and soil. But anyway, I found my favorite banana the lakatan or as we call it here pisang berangan. 

Not to be mistaken with the cavendish though (lacatan with a c instead of a k).  This is Musa acuminata. I love it in its semi almost ripe state when it is firmer and slightly tangy. Delicious. Please grow quick and strong and bear bunches for me.

And my other spoils. A mixture of kale and herbs uncommon in the tropics.  Still I want to try growing them. Lets see....there are 3 types of kale, a lemon plant and a herb called lemon balm.  Can't wait to get them into my new vegetable beds :)

Cherry Tree (muntingia Calabura L.)

I have always loved this tree. I remember visiting someone as a child, with my mother and there was this beautiful tree growing in the middle of a well kept green, green lawn. Before anyone could stop me I was under the tree plucking and eating. Then I heard my Mom shouting probably out of embarrassment over such an impolite child. The kind man who owned the tree said, "It is alright! The fruits can be eaten, they are very delicious!"

And today my neighbor has my dream tree growing by our fence. Half of it cascades over to form a shady canopy. Over here we just call it very simply the cherry tree. This native of Mexico/Central America/tropical South America/Trinidad/St. Vincent/Greater Antilles (must google that) are known by many other names. Jamaica cherry, Strawberry Tree, Japanese or Chinese Cherry, Jam fruit to name a few.  The proper name is Muntingia calabura L. I myself have planted two little trees inspite of all the horror stories about their invasive roots and bats coming to feast on the fruits. Bats are cute anyway, their faces look like doggies.  Looking forward to the day when I can sit under the shade of my cherry trees.

Coco Naps

I can sleep everywhere....

I can sleep anywhere...

"Oh? You wanna go to the loo? Just jump over me."

An Afternoon With Shortbread

I quite like shortbread once in a blue moon. 

With a cup of latte. A very big cup.

A link to the recipe is posted below.

 http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shortbread-cookies-237919

Petunias, Bluebells And A Schnauzer

Meet my other dog Coco, a schnauzer.

She is a busybody who loves getting in my way.  Sometimes. When she is not barking at other dogs.

Pretty Mexican Petunia or Mexican Bluebell. It is the easiest plant to grow. If you want a hedge in a hurry this is the plant to go for. When it grows too tall I cut it down and poke the cuttings into the soil.  So easy. I love it.

Purple Torenias

I do believe this is a Torenia hybrid. 

It is also called the Wishbone Flower due to the stamen which resembles a wishbone.

It also has another pretty name called Blue Wings.

In countries with four seasons it blooms from summer to autumn but here in the tropics it blooms all year.

It loves sunshine and plenty of water.

A big thank you to Aunty Dora for giving me these plants!

A New Bed For Gougou

Finally made a bed for Gougou!

I used an old shirt, my most favorite one and stuffed it with cotton I bought years ago. Talk about procrastinating.

Yes, he loves it!

I feel as though Mommi's arms are around me :)

Mmmm....my bed smells of Mommi...love love!