Tuesday, December 28, 2010

A few dishes I made for Christmas

Didn't take pics of all the food because I didn't think about after I made it because people were eating :D
All the dishes below were edible my brother's vegetarian girlfriend :D
besides the Aloo Bonda I made and posted

Shrimp Fried Rice



Tofu Eggrolls



Purple Sticky Rice


Deviled Eggs


Shoot, I forgot to take a picture of my papaya salad!

Monday, December 27, 2010

The Silver Platter

It's Year-End for me at work so that means staying extra busy!!

The CSA department was having food so they invited us to eat with them. They got sandwiches.

Since I've been trying to hard to go meatless, I chose the Grill Vegetable Sandwich with Provolone Cheese.

I even got fruits and a chocolate chip cookie :)



It was yummy!



Pickle was hiding :D



Location -
THE SILVER PLATTER
2145 Roswell Road
Suite 180
Marietta, GA 30062
(770) 977-9388
http://www.thesilverplatter.net/

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Aloo Bonda

For Christmas, I made Aloo Bonda aka Aloo Vada (in North India)

I loooove Aloo Bonda.

My brother's girlfriend is a vegetarian so I wanted to introduce her to Indian food :D

Therefore, I decided to make Aloo Bonda.

Some of the main ingredients


Mixing up them up :D


Rolled them into balls


Tada! All done and fried up :D


They are yummy and was a huge success

As requested on Twitter, here is the recipe

2 or 3 medium potatoes (boiled and peeled and loosely mashed)
1/2 tsp. of cumin and mustard seeds each
fresh green chili chopped finely - to taste
1/2 tsp. each ginger & garlic(finely chopped)
3/4th cup Chopped Onions
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 cup. cilantro leaves (chopped)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp. Lemon juice
1 1/2 cups besan -chickpea flour available in our store
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp. baking Soda
Oil for deep frying - use a wok for frying

Method:
1. Heat about two tablespoons of oil. Add mustard seeds and when the seeds start to crackle, add the cumin seeds, green chili, salt, ginger and garlic. Fry for a few seconds and add onions and turmeric powder. When the onions start to turn brown add cilantro and lemon juice and the potatoes. Mix well and turn off the heat. Let this mixture cool. Shape into small balls.
2. Make a thick batter with Besan/Chickpea flour, salt, red chili powder, baking soda and water.
3. Heat the oil for 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat. When the oil is hot, Dip the potato balls into the batter and carefully drop in the oil. Turn it every four minutes and remove from oil when it turns golden brown.
4. Serve with tamarind or green chutney.

Original recipe found here

White Christmas 2010!

It's rare for a White Christmas in Atlanta!


But it happened!!




Pics were taken the day after...I'm so happy.....
So is Puchy :D



Friday, December 24, 2010

Anniversary

It is my 15th year anniversary!! Yeah, it's been that long! I've known him two years prior to that too! Hubby and I were talking about our fave love songs.

Here's what we concluded.

"Always" - Atlantic Star



"You're the Inspiration" - Chicago



"Wonderful Tonight" - Eric Clapton



"Everything I do" - Bryan Adams


Thursday, December 23, 2010

Toothache



I have a really bad toothache!

This toothache is soooo bad that it's causing me to have headaches! That's what I believe.

Now, I know that it is entirely MY fault for not getting it fix earlier. I have a cavity on one of my tooth that is causing the pain.

I knew about this several years ago but ignored it. Why? Because during that time, when the dentist told me the news, I didn't feel any pain.

Plus the cost to have it done was a lot of money because it's the canine tooth. Insurance pays some part but still....

Last year, that particular tooth cracked and a small portion is gone. It still didn't hurt me so I ignored it! For the past few months, it has been hurting.

Just the past few weeks, I have been using Orajel to ease the pain. It gets so bad that I cannot sleep at night.

That is all my fault! Urgh.

Finally today, I made an appointment to see the dentist next month. My dentist office is open on Saturday's and since it's a busy time for me at work, I can only go on Saturday's.

On top of being really busy at work, now I am very biatchy because of the toothache.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Confuse



Sometimes I get confused on which blog of mine should I post something? My main love is movies. I hardly blog about Hollywood but probably I need to.

I've been behind in posting my food photos up. I do get some hit on here. Some people think my Hmong blog is my personal blog, lol. Sometimes I want to rant on some Hindi or Telugu film I have seen but don't want to do that on my Indian cinema blog. Same thing for my Asian cinema blog.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Office Christmas Party 2010

I'm late in posting pics but we had our Office Christmas party last Thursday!

We just celebrate within departments here since there are so many people in the company. Plus the way our operations work, we have to do it like that. I work in a very secure environment in a payroll company.

Instead of turkey this year, everyone wanted chicken wings!

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More chicken wings...and ham

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Cheese & Healthy plates :D

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Sandwich stuffings :D

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My plate

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We had more food but many of the co-workers came strolling in later so didn't get pics.

Christmas tree and present to play Dirty Santa :D

P1000110

Monday, December 20, 2010

Levels of friendships



I know, what a title, huh?
After discussing this with a few friends, I have been thinking about this for some time.

There are levels of friendships.
This is not a case of who's the better friend or not. It's friends for different occasions.

First, let’s talk about Facebook friends.

This is a subject all on its own. I’ve had Facebook for about 6 years, waaay before it became popular like it is today. During that time, I had many friends in college who were using Facebook to communicate with friends and they invited me to join. You either had to have a college e-mail or get invited by someone.

Within the past few years, Facebook took it to another level with helping re-connecting people you haven’t seen or heard from since childhood. Now, that was fun. However, it started to raise some eyebrows too, especially for those who just wants to remain “Facebook” friends, meaning all you do is “like” each others status, pictures, etc. You never have to really hang out because in reality, one of you really don’t want or even care to. While the first few months was cool with you two catching up, it faded afterwards. At times, you wondered how that person is doing. You will send that person a message or post on their wall just to get a generic response back, “I’m doing good, how about you?” Then that’s it. A year goes by and same thing.

Co-workers who are your Facebook friends. That can be tricky, especially if you’re a private person and don’t really need the whole office talking about what you did over the weekends with your friends. It was none of their business and you didn’t realize that they were your Facebook friends. Co-workers who don’t even have Facebook have been informed of what you were doing from the co-workers who are your Facebook friends. Not so cool.

Let’s not forget Facebook friends who you have met once. Whether you met at a party or a gathering, you two became Facebook friends afterwards. Mainly to get pictures of each other because both of you were in the photos. However, ever since then, that’s all it was. One Encounter Facebook Friend. You two won’t make time to hang out in real life because you don’t really know each other, just so happens that you two happen to be at the same place with mutual friends to hang out. Until another event like this happens again, maybe once a year, then you will meet up again.

Mutual friends. Adding each other because of mutual friends. You two should know each other, it was meant to be. Facebook has this notification pop out with “people you may know.”

People you never met, making friends online then adding on Facebook. Sometimes you can tell if you're cool with someone right away, especially people with the same interest.

Using the message instead of writing on walls. When you write on the wall, you kinda want all of your mutual friends and your friend’s friends to see what that person is doing, kinda like making an announcement. Otherwise, you would stick with the message in the inbox so it would be more private. Not everyone cares if you go to the mall tomorrow...but somehow you want that attention from others. "why not invite me too?" "have fun you two!"

Maybe I take this more personally than others. I don’t mind making friends but I value my friendships with others a lot. I think I go out of my way more than others would for me. It’s not just about being friends and that’s it. I continue to keep in touch no matter what.

Ever since I was younger, every year, I send out Christmas cards to friends and family. One year, I didn’t do that. My cousin ask me if I was okay because she was used to receiving a card from me annually (even though she never sends me one). That’s just how I am.

Because of all the social networking sites out there. I turn to blogging and Twitter for people with the same interest as me. Someone on Twitter posted about Facebook being a place for friends you went to school with while Twitter is for people who you wish you went to school with. I can relate to that. I started blogging to share with others my love on Indian cinema. But since I’m a huge fan of movies, I created another blog on Asian cinema. Then added Hmong information since I used to send emails on interesting information. Since I like to blab, I started my personal blog, which I am writing in right now.

In the end, it's good to have friends to hang out with, whether you've known them forever or just met. Just make sure to remain a friend and be there for each other.

But in the end, I love my family more than anything. My family = hubby and kids.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Cross out what you've done

Stolen from Sheebs

1. graduated high school.
2. smoked a cigarette.
3. kissed someone.
4. gotten so drunk you passed out.
5. ridden every ride at an amusement park.
6. collected something really stupid.
7. gone fishing.
8. watched four movies in one night.
9. gone long periods of time without sleep.
10. lied to someone.
11. snorted cocaine.
12. failed a class.
13. dealt drugs.
14. been in a car accident.
15. been in a tornado.
16. done hard drugs.
17. watched someone die.
18. been to a funeral.
19. burned yourself.
20. run a marathon.
21. cried yourself to sleep.
22. spent over $200 in one day.
23. flown on a plane.
24. cheated on someone.
25. been cheated on.
26. written a 10 page letter.
27. gone skiing.
28. been sailing.
29. cut yourself.
30. had a best friend.
31. lost someone you loved.
32. shoplifted something.
33. been to jail.
34. dangerously close to being in jail.
35. had detention.
36. skipped school.
37. got in trouble for something you didn’t do.
38. stolen books from the library.
39. gone to a different country.
40. dropped out of school.
41. been in a mental hospital.
42. watched the “harry potter” movies.
43. had an online diary.
44. fired a gun.
45. gambled in a casino.
46. had a yard sale.
47. had a lemonade stand.
48. actually made money at the lemonade stand.
49. been in a school play.
50. taken a lie detector test.
51. swam with dolphins.
52. gone to sea world.
53. voted for someone on a reality tv show.
54. written poetry.
55. read more than 20 books a year
56. gone to europe.
57. loved someone you shouldn’t have.
58. used a coloring book over age 12.
59. had surgery.
60. had stitches.
61. taken a taxi.
62. seen the washington monument.
63. had more than 5 im’s/online conversations going at once.
64. overdosed.
65. had a drug or alcohol problem.
66. been in a fist fight.
67. suffered any form of abuse.
68. had a hamster.
69. pet a wild animal.
70. used a credit card.
71. gone surfing in california.
72. done “spirit day” at school.
73. dyed your hair.
74. gotten a tattoo.
75. had something pierced.
76. gotten straight a’s.
77. been on the honor roll.
78. known someone with hiv or aids.
79. taken pictures with a webcam.
80. started a fire.
81. gotten caught having/going to a party while parents were gone

Some of these happened a long time ago so doesn't mean it has never happened ;P

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Breadwinner

My company's landlord gave each floor a gift plate from Breadwinner Breads.



I'm not a huge fan of sweet breads but this bread was more cakey, so I liked it a lot.



BREADWINNER
175 Mount Vernon Hwy. NE Ste. E
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
(404) 843-0224
http://www.breadwinnerbreads.com/

Free Sample of Curel Sensitive Skin Remedy Lotion



I looove Garnier Fructis shampoo/conditioner, definitely one of my fave affordable brand.

They are giving away a FREE sample of Garnier Fructis Anti-Dandruff Intense Cleanse Shampoo and Conditioner. You’ll also be able to print a $1 coupon!

Get it now!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Becoming Vegetarian (again)

I mentioned yesterday that one of my goals is to become vegetarian (again).



For those who don't know me, I did it before. I was vegetarian for a whole year! During that time, I ate no meat products, not even chicken or fish, nothing "living" that used to breathe (eggs are always a debate!)

My main purpose was not to lose weight but more for inspirational, spiritual cleansing from within.

That was almost 5 years ago.
Why did I start eating meat again? So, why now?

I've been thinking for the past few months ago about going back. Growing up Hmong doesn't help either. Actually growing up Asian is tough since we eat anything that breathes, takes oxygen (except for humans :D lol) Hmong people eat a lot of pork, actually a lot of Asian dishes have pork.

The main reason I started to eat meat again was because the doctor told me my iron level is too low and I had to start eating meat again. Therefore, I started to eat chicken. Then chicken lead to some pork. Then I went back to my old eating habits again (except for beef, I absolutely hate the taste!)

But now, with more education and becoming aware of my surroundings, I want to do it again. Become vegetarian, or at least try!.

In addition, as I grow older, my body is weakening so I want to make it stronger and healthier. I think eating less meat will also help. It could also be my mental mind.
Plus the love of the Indian culture has influence it a lot. Good food doesn't have to contain a lot of meat or meat at all. Indian food are mostly vegetables, very tasty and flavorable without the meat. It's all how you marinate it and put in the dish.

I found this information about different types of vegetarians :D



1. Pescatarian (also spelled pescetarian)
The word “pescatarian” is occasionally used to describe those who abstain from eating all meat and animal flesh with the exception of fish. Although the word is not commonly used, more and more people are adopting this kind of diet, usually for health reasons or as a stepping stone to a fully vegetarian diet.

2. Flexitarian/Semi-vegetarian
You don’t have to be vegetarian to love vegetarian food! “Flexitarian” is a term recently coined to describe those who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but occasionally eat meat.

3. Vegetarian (Lacto-ovo- vegetarian)
When most people think of vegetarians, they think of lacto-ovo-vegetarians. People who do not eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish or animal flesh of any kind, but do eat eggs and dairy products are lacto-ovo vegetarians (“lacto” comes from the Latin for milk, and “ovo” for egg).
Lacto-vegetarian is used to describe a vegetarian who does not eat eggs, but does eat dairy products.
Ovo-vegetarian refers to people who do not eat meat or dairy products but do eat eggs.

4. Vegan
Vegans do not eat meat of any kind and also do not eat eggs, dairy products, or processed foods containing these or other animal-derived ingredients such as gelatin. Many vegans also refrain from eating foods that are made using animal products that may not contain animal products in the finished process, such as sugar and some wines. There is some debate as to whether certain foods, such as honey, fit into a vegan diet.

5. Raw vegan/Raw food diet
A raw vegan diet consists of unprocessed vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). “Raw foodists” believe that foods cooked above this temperature have lost a significant amount of their nutritional value and are harmful to the body.

6. Macrobiotic
The macrobiotic diet, revered by some for its healthy and healing qualities, includes unprocessed vegan foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and allows the occasional consumption of fish. Sugar and refined oils are avoided. Perhaps the most unique qualifier of the macrobiotic diet is its emphasis on the consumption of Asian vegetables, such as daikon, and sea vegetables, such as seaweed.



I am going for #2 first
2. Flexitarian/Semi-vegetarian

You don’t have to be vegetarian to love vegetarian food! “Flexitarian” is a term recently coined to describe those who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but occasionally eat meat.

For now, I am eating meatless weekdays and weekends eating only chicken and/or fish. But if I was to eat chicken on a weekday, I have to pick either Saturday or Sunday to be meatless :D

Free cup of Yoplait Original Yogurt!



Get a coupon for a free cup of Yoplait Original Yogurt.

Fill out the form to request a coupon by mail for one free single cup of Yoplait Original Yogurt. YoPlait is giving away one million cups of yogurt between now and May 31, 2011 while supplies last.

Don't forget about the Yoplait pink lid either. Yoplait will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure as part of their Yoplait Save Lids to Save Lives initiative. Deadline is Dec. 31, 2010 to collect lids.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Goal!

One of my goals that I set for myself is to be meatless during the weekdays and just eat chicken on the weekends.

I've been successful so far!

Since I want to be meatless at least 5 days a week, eating Indian food is beneficial and very yummy!

I want to learn to make some Indian dishes but until the meantime, I will continue to buy the frozen dishes :D

Yummy!

Yummy!

Work routine

My daily routine at work, to walk around the building complexes. This is my "smoke break."

Walk route

PS - this pic was taken last Friday. Today, it is too cold to walk outside, lol

Sunday, December 12, 2010

R Thomas Deluxe Grill

One of my girl friends was moving to Sacramento for a new job. A few of us girls decided to meet up for lunch to wish her farewell.

Since she is vegetarian, we ate at R Thomas. I became vegetarian that day too :D

R Thomas

The restaurant was nice and had a "green" feel

R Thomas

R Thomas


Organic Torilla Chips with Salsa/Guacamole

Food

Basil Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Food

My Vegan burger with homemade fries

Food

R Thomas Deluxe Grill
1812 Peachtree St NW (Palisades Road NE)
Atlanta, GA 30309
Open 24 hours

Pho Mimi

I had lunch with one of my girl friends today. She wanted to eat Vietnamese. I gave her the name of three Vietnamese restaurants in the area and she chose Pho Mimi.

I'm not a fan of pho but I love the other Vietnamese dishes.

My fave dish is C1 - grill chicken with steam rice

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PHO MIMI
2550 Pleasant Hill Rd
Ste 408
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 622-9693

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Green Tea

When I'm at work, I drink green tea in the mornings. I prefer the green tea that is available at the Asian stores and not the Americanize green tea from Krogers or Walmart.

I just drink green tea plain, it really has no taste to me. Some people may add honey or sugar, but not me.



A few benefits I found of green tea from this site.

1.It is used to treat multiple sclerosis.
2.It is used for treatment and prevention of cancer.
3.It is used to stop Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
4.It is used to raise the metabolism and increase fat oxidation.
5.It reduces the risk of heart diseases and heart attacks by reducing the risk of trombosis.
6.It reduces the risk of esophageal cancer.
7.Drinking green tea inhibits the growth of certain cancer cells, reduces the level of cholesterol in blood, improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
8.It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases
9.It is used to treat impaired immune function. .
10.Some researches show that, drinking green tea regularly may help prevent tooth decay by killing the bacteria which causes the dental plaque.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

I got my camera!!!!!!!!

I'm soooooooooooooooooooo freaking happy!!!



Now, gotta charge up the battery and start taking pics :D

Thanksgiving pics

These pics are old but I didn't realize they were on my cell phone. No digi cam :(

Menu during Thanksgiving....

*Fried Turkey
*Homemade gravy
*Homemade mash potatoes
*Cornbread
*Corn on the cob
*Deviled eggs
*Chicken bok choy
*Homemade cookies
*Grapes :D

Proud to say that the only thing "bought" was cornbread (Boston Market!!). Everything else was made. Okay, grapes but didn't do anything "special" :D


Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Puchy

Puchy is the 10-years-old Min Pin of the family. We've had her since she was only a year old. She's a part of the family and the biggest Min Pin we've ever seen. She's still a small dog, only 12 lbs but compared to all the other Min Pin's that we've seen, she's the biggest - she's very muscular and in very good shape.

I took this pic of her last night cause she looked so adorable. I turned on the heat when I got home from work and she went and sat on top of the vent to get some heat :D

PS - the pic looks messed up. Took with my cell phone, cannot wait for my camera to come in!

Food: Chocolate Strawberries

From my kitchen :D

I bought strawberries and decided to dip with chocolate since I've been on a baking frenzy lately with chocolate chip cookies from stratch (BTW, I also made Rice Krispie Treats but didn't take any pics)

On Twitter, I said that the pic looks like little bugs instead :D

Food: Rice Rolls

From my kitchen :D

Over the weekend, I had ground pork and didn't know what to make.

I checked the cabinets and found tapioca flour and some cake flour and decided to make it. The hardest part is of course, the shell! Just trying to get it perfect!!

It is quite an easy dish to make, very time consuming. It took me nearly 3 hours to wrap up everything and use all the meat.

The pic below is only 1/3 of the rice rolls I made since hubby and the kids were eating it when I was making it.

Surprise gift from a friend

Sometimes a few of my friends surprise me with gifts. This particular friend, I've known less than all my friends but she always takes the time to be a friend. I've known her for 4 years and we've been close since then. We try to talk on the phone for at least once a week, that's more than most friends do now! Most of them rely on texting, email, or even Facebook to keep in touch.

I was quite surprise to find a package from her with some chocolate. I got it a few weeks ago but have been behind in my blogging here. She knew York Peppermint Patties were my favorite. It's the sweet thought that counts. I <3  her!