ANNOUNCEMENT: HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY AND WISHING YOU ALL A VERY PROSPEROUS CHINESE NEW YEAR 2009!

I would like to wish all my fellow Aussies a very 'Happy Australia Day'. May your beer be cold (in my case, my Tassie cider) and your barbie fired up for a good time with family and friends. Here's to our lucky country....cheers mate!


Also, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my good friends and blog mates a 'Prosperous and Happy Chinese New Year 2009'.

In particular, I would like to extend my personal greetings of "Kong Hee Fatt Choy" to:

Yat Lee, Hong Kuan, Eunice, Grace, Gert of Kitchen Snippets, Joanna of Family First, Chris of Pure Glutton, Jen of Tastes of Home, Ching of Little Corner Of Mine, Dora Almond, Beach Lover's Kitchen, Charming of My Humble Kitchen, Tigerfish of Teczcape and Lady Home Chef. My apologies if I have omitted anyone. May the year of the OX bring you prosperity and good tidings!

ANNOUNCEMENT: UPDATE - AN UNFORSEEN 'BREAK' FROM BLOGGING

Thank you so much to all my friends and blog followers, for your well wishes with regards to my recent mishap.

Unfortunately, I have misaligned my spine as a consequence of my ankle. As a result from 'over compensating' for my sore ankle, I have now put my back 'out' by nearly two centimeters. I am however getting better and hope to make a full recovery soon. Once again, thank you all for your concerns and well wishes. I hope to start blogging and visiting your blogs when typing is no longer a chore.

ANNOUNCEMENT: AN UNFORSEEN 'BREAK' FROM BLOGGING

My apologies to all my blog friends for not 'visiting' your blogs in the past week or so and also for not updating my blog.

I have sprained my ankle badly and have to keep it elevated for a few days until the swelling goes down. Thank god I did not fracture or break any bones.

If just a sprain is causing this much trouble, imagine what a break would have caused!!! Just trying to type these few lines is causing me some discomfort and the very hot weather here (36 deg Celsius) is not helping my cause too! We are not happy, Jan.

Sorry...I am just feeling rather miserable at the moment.....Hope to be back on deck next week. Till then me maties.

BOOK REVIEW: FAMILY MATTERS BY ROHINTON MISTRY

I love reading but it can be a very expensive hobby as the price of books here in Australia isn’t cheap. Most books retail around $29.95 to $39.95, depending on the author and the size of the book. Not that I want to deprive the authors (more likely it is the publishers that get a bigger slice of the pie, or in this case, the book) from making a buck but the economist in me says that if you lower the price of a good, you would get more demand and in turn, actually increase your profits. Oh well, at least the high cost of first hand books has given birth to another business and hence contributed to the economy – that of second hand books.

This is where I come in. Half of the books that I purchase are second hand; but even then, I stick to the ‘VG’ standard. They have to be in pristine condition even before I consider a purchase. Creased edges, a no-no. Dog ears – definitely not! (in my opinion, people who make dog ears in books should be sent to book school – Book Care 101: What not to do to books and how to care for them. In other words, R-E-S-P-E-C-T books!).

The Author - Rohinton Mistry

Which brings me to my next book: FAMILY MATTERS by Rohinton Mistry. After reading Rohinton’s A FINE BALANCE, I was hooked. I have been looking for FAMILY MATTERS ever since and everywhere. I keep checking the book stores to see if the price has gone down but to no avail. Image my joy when I was up in Queensland (yes, I looked for books there too) and found this book. Unfortunately, it did not make the VG standard at all – not even by 50 per cent. But at this stage, I had almost given up hope of finding it and coupled by the seller’s comment of how good the book is, I relented and purchase it…..and I have not regretted the decision.

The story is about Nariman Vakeel, a Parsi and the elderly widowed patriarch of an extended family, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. He lives with his stepdaughter, Coomy and stepson, Jal, in a large flat in Mumbai (Bombay) in the 1990s. Coomy and Jal's half-sister (Nariman's biological daughter), Roxana - lives with her husband Yezad, and their two young sons, in a tiny two room flat, purchased by Nariman as Roxana's dowry.

Nariman marries Coomy and Jal’s mother for the sake of his family. He was in love with a Christian girl but the relationship was opposed by Nariman’s family and the Parsi community. They would rather Nariman marry a widow with two children rather than someone from outside the race. Coomy dislikes her step father, as she blames him for the death of her mother. As the story unfolds, the true nature of Nariman’s wife death becomes evident.

When Nariman breaks his ankle during his daily walk (which constantly receives Coomy’s chides), he is bed ridden and needs help for everything. Coomy resents this and hatches a plan to make her sister Roxanna take care of their father in her tiny flat. Jal is against the plan but is too afraid of Coomy to protest. What Coomy does to make her plan succeed is quite appalling – it shows the amount of hate Coomy has for her father.

So Nariman is ‘shipped’ to Roxanna house, much to Yezad’s chagrin. The family can barely make ends meet, much less having another mouth to feed and Nariman’s medical expenses to boot. However, living with his father-in-law in cramped quarters for several months, Yezad grows from a moody and uninvolved husband to a sweet and caring husband, father and son-in-law. Family values and elders are revered and ghosts are laid to rest in the Vakel family. But for how long? To find out what actually happens in this book, I implore you to read FAMILY MATTERS.

PS: Dilemma - I now need to find a good copy of FAMILY MATTERS, to take its pride in my ever bludgeoning bookcase! I can never win….. !

RECIPE: LEMON PINEAPPLE CHEESECAKE

This cheesecake is one my son’s favourite. The addition of condensed milk makes it quite rich cake but the addition of the pineapple and lemon gives it a slightly tart edge. Even fussy eaters will appreciate the taste. Here’s the recipe.


Ingredients

Crust:
250g Arnott’s Granita Biscuits or any type of digestive biscuits
150g butter – melted

Filling:
250g cream cheese (I used Philly - see my post on CREAM CHEESE)
395g can sweetened condensed milk (normal size of an Aussie Nestlé can)
3 tsp gelatine
1/3 cup cold tap water
440g tin Golden Circle (the best!) crushed pineapple – drained
1/4 cup lemon juice
(Tip: don’t throw away any left over juice from fruit cans. Freeze it in ice trays for later use or to have as icy poles. Yum!)
Grated jest from 1 large lemon


Method

To make the base:
Brush a 20 cm round springform tin with melted butter.

Place biscuits in a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add butter and process for 15 secs.

Press mixture into base and side of the tin. Use the base of a glass to smooth the mixture. Refrigerate.

To make the filling:
Put the 1/3 cup of water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on it. Place the bowl to stand in boiling water and mix/stir until the gelatine dissolves.

Using electric beaters, beat cheese until light and creamy. Gradually add the condensed milk and continue beating until smooth.

Add the crushed pineapple, lemon juice and jest and gelatine to the cheese mixture. Beat until combined, about 2 mins or so.

Pour into prepared base mixture. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set. Decorate if desired with cream and sliced glace pineapple.

GLOSSARY: CREAM CHEESE

Cream cheese is a sweet, soft, mild-tasting, white cheese, containing at least 33% milk fat (as marketed) with a moisture content of not more than 55%, and a pH range of 4.4 to 4.9.

Cream cheese is an American invention developed in 1872 in New York state. A cheese distributor soon commissioned the enterprising inventor dairyman, William Lawrence, to produce the cream cheese in volume under the trade name "Philadelphia Brand®." The company was eventually bought out by Kraft Foods in 1928, and still remains the most widely-recognised brand of cream cheese in the United States and Australia.

Cream cheese is not naturally matured and is meant to be consumed fresh, and so it differs from other soft cheeses such as Brie. It is more comparable in taste, texture, and production method to the Mascarpone.

Cream cheese is categorized as a fresh cheese since it is un-aged. As a result, it has a short shelf life, once opened. The flavour is mild, fresh-tasting, and sweet, yet has a pleasing slight tang. At room temperature, cream cheese spreads easily and has a smooth and creamy texture. It is sold in foil-wrapped blocks or in a soft-spread form which has air whipped in to make it spreadable right from the refrigerator.

Cream cheese is typically used in savoury snacks of various types (for example spread on bread, bagels, crackers, etc.) and also used in cheesecakes and salads. Many flavoured versions are also now available, including those with herbs, fruits, and even chillies!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The butterfly is a flying flower,
The flower a tethered butterfly.

~ Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun

RECIPE: VG’S CHICKEN CURRY II

Mr G found some free range chickens (‘kampong’ chickens as it is called in Malaysia and they make the best curry) and had asked me to prepare a curry. We had this for NYE, with some ROTI CANAI cooked on the BBQ and we set up the outdoor setting underneath a nice shady tree in our backyard. We chased it down with a couple of Apple Ciders. Pure Bliss!!! Here’s the recipe for the chicken curry.


Ingredients


2 small free range chickens (approx 1.6 kg)
3 large potatoes – peeled and cut into large pieces
1 tsp whole cloves (see my post on CLOVES)
1 tbsp whole cardamoms (see my post on CARDAMOM)
2 stalks lemon grass – cut into 3 pieces each and bruised
6 tbsp meat curry powder
1 tbsp cardamom powder (see my post on CARDAMOM)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tin coconut cream/milk
1 large tomato – diced
1 coriander plant and 2 spring onions – sliced for garnishing
Water
Veg oil


Grind the following to a paste using minimal water:
300 gm shallots or small red onions
½ a large head of garlic
Thumb size fresh ginger
2 coriander plants
Large handful fresh mint
1 large tomato

Method

Heat oil in a large pot (about 4 tbsp) until hot and add in the cloves and cardamom. Fry for 30 secs. Next add in the ground ingredients and render to a thick paste. Add in 1 cup of water and repeat the process. You want your paste to cook well.

Now add in all the powders (curry, cardamom and coriander powder). Add in 2 cups of water and render this paste until the oils seeps through and the water has evaporated. Repeat this process.

Next add in the chicken and lemon grass and coat well with the masala (spice paste). Whilst stirring occasionally, cook for 5 mins or until the chicken has changed colour. Add about 2 cups of water and cook for 15 mins, on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When the chicken is half cooked, add in the potatoes and check the liquid in the dish. If it is too dry, add another cup of water. When the chicken and potatoes and nearly done, add in the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins and just before lifting, add in the tomatoes and garnish. Mix well and serve hot with rice and breads such as ROTI CANAI.

GLOSSARY: CLOVES

Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum, syn. Eugenia aromaticum or Eugenia caryophyllata) are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. The word ‘clove’ is from the Latin word for ‘nail’ – clavus. The clove is native to the North Moluccas, the Spice Islands of Indonesia. The Chinese wrote of cloves as early as 400 BC and there is a record from 200 BC of courtiers keeping cloves in their mouths to avoid offending the emperor while addressing him. Arab traders delivered cloves to the Romans.

Cloves are harvested primarily in Indonesia, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Indonesia produces almost 80% of the world's clove, followed by Madagascar and Tanzania. It is called laung, lavang or lavungamin in India and bunga cengkih in Malaysia.

Cloves can be used in cooking either whole or in a ground form, but as they are extremely strong, they are used sparingly. The spice is used throughout Europe and Asia and is smoked in a type of cigarettes locally known as kretek in Indonesia. The largest brand of kreteks sold outside of Indonesia is Djarum Black. Cloves are also an important incense material in Chinese and Japanese culture.

Cloves have historically been used in Indian cuisine (both North Indian and South Indian) as well as Mexican cuisine (best known as "clavos de olor"), where it is often paired together with cumin and cinnamon. In north Indian cuisine, it is used regularly in sauces or side dishes, mostly ground up along with other spices. They are also a key ingredient in tea along with green cardamoms. In south Indian cuisine, it is used extensively in biryani (similar to the pilaf, but with the addition of local spice taste) and is normally added whole to enhance the presentation and flavor of the rice.

Cloves can easily overpower a dish, particularly when ground, so only a little needs to be used. Whole cloves are often used to “stud” hams and pork, pushing the tapered end into the meat like a nail. A studded onion is frequently used to impart an elusive character to courts-bouillons, stocks and soups. Cloves are often used to enhance the flavour of game, especially venison, wild boar and hare. They are used in a number of spice mixtures including ras el hanout, curry powders, mulling spices and pickling spices. Cloves also figure in the flavour of Worcestershire sauce. They enjoy much popularity in North Africa and the Middle East where they are generally used for meat dishes, though rice is often aromatized with a few cloves.

Cloves are best bought whole. As a powder its flavour quickly deteriorates. Being extremely hard, it is difficult to grind cloves with a mortar and pestle so an electric spice or coffee grinder is recommended. Store in an airtight container out of direct light.

MEDICINAL QUALITIES OF CLOVES

Folklore says that sucking on two whole Cloves without chewing or swallowing them helps to curb the desire for alcohol. Traditional Chinese physicians have long used cloves to treat indigestion, diarrhea, hernia, and ringworm, as well as athlete's foot and other fungal infections. India's traditional Ayurvedic healers have used Cloves since ancient times to treat respiratory and digestive ailments. The medieval German herbalists used cloves as part of anti-gout mixture. Early American Eclectic physicians used cloves to treat digestive complaints, and they added it to bitter herbal medicines to make them more palatable. They were also the first to extract clove oil from the herbal buds, which they used on the gums to relieve toothache.

A few drops of the oil in water will stop vomiting, and an infusion will relieve nausea. Essential oil of clove is effective against strep, staph and pneumomocci bacterias. Contemporary herbalists recommend cloves for digestive complaints and its oil for toothache. Cloves are said to have a positive effect on stomach ulcers, vomiting, flatulence, and to stimulate the digestive system. It has powerful local antiseptic and mild anesthetic actions.

Japanese researchers have discovered that like many spices, clove contains antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent the cell damage that scientists believe eventually causes cancer. On the other hand, in laboratory tests, the chemical eugenol, has been found to be a weak tumour promoter, making clove one of many healing herbs with both pro- and anti-cancer effects. At this point, scientists aren't sure which way the balance tilts. Until they are, anyone with a history of cancer should not use medicinal amounts of clove. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, powdered clove is considered non-toxic.

Additionally, dentists have used clove oil as an oral anesthetic. They also used it to disinfect root canals. Clove oil still is an active ingredient in several mouthwash products and a number of over-the-counter toothache pain-relief preparations. Cloves kill intestinal parasites and exhibits broad anti-microbial properties against fungi and bacteria, thus supporting its traditional use as a treatment for diarrhea, intestinal worms, and other digestive ailments. Like many culinary spices, Cloves helps relax the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract. And finally, cloves is said to be an aphrodisiac!

GLOSSARY: CARDAMOM

Cardamom is one of the world’s ancient spices. The ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom seeds as a tooth cleaner; the Greeks and Romans used it as a perfume. Vikings came upon cardamom about one thousand years ago, in Constantinople, and introduced it into Scandinavia, where it remains popular to this day.

Cardamom is an expensive spice, second only to saffron. The name cardamom is used for herbs within two genera of the ginger family Zingiberaceae, namely Elettaria and Amomum.

Elettaria, commonly called cardamom, green cardamom or true cardamom, is distributed from India to Malaysia. Elettaria pods are light green in colour. This is the ‘true’ cardamom and the highly priced variety.

Amomum, commonly known as black cardamom, fat cardamom, brown cardamom, Java cardamom, Bengal cardamom or Siamese cardamom is distributed mainly in Asia and Australia. Amomum pods are larger and dark brown.

Both varieties take the form of a small seedpod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds.

In Urdu/Hindi/Gujarati and some Southern Indian languages, it is called "elaichi" or "elchi." In Malay, it is called buah pelaga .

Both forms of cardamom are used as flavourings in both food and drink, as cooking spices and as a medicine. Elettaria cardamomum is the most popular variety used in cooking.

Cardamom has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic fragrance. Black cardamom has a distinctly more astringent aroma, though not bitter, with a coolness similar to mint, though with a different aroma. It is a common ingredient in Indian cooking, and is often used in baking in Nordic countries, such as in the Finnish sweet-bread pulla. It is one of the most expensive spices by weight and little is needed to impart the flavour.

Cardamom is best stored in pod form because once the seeds are exposed or ground they quickly lose their flavour. However, high-quality ground cardamom is often more readily (and cheaply) available and is an acceptable substitute. With all spices, keep in a cool dark place and buy in small quantities.

For recipes requiring whole cardamom pods, a generally accepted equivalent is 10 pods equals 1½ teaspoons of ground cardamom.

In the Middle East, green cardamom powder is used as a spice for sweet dishes as well as traditional flavouring in coffee and tea. In South Asia, green cardamom is often used in traditional Indian sweets and in Masala chai (spiced tea).

Black cardamom is sometimes used in garam masala (a mixture of ground spices) for curries. It is occasionally used as a garnish in basmati rice and other dishes. It is often referred to as fat cardamom due its size ('Moti Elaichi'). Individual seeds are sometimes chewed, in much the same way as chewing-gum. In Northern Europe, cardamom is commonly used in sweet foods, pastries or cakes. It has also been known to be used for gin making.

MEDICINAL QUALITIES OF CARDAMOM

Green cardamom in South Asia is broadly used to treat infections in teeth and gums, to prevent and treat throat troubles, congestion of the lungs and pulmonary tuberculosis, inflammation of eyelids and also digestive disorders. It is also reportedly used as an antidote for both snake and scorpion venom bite. Amomum is used as a spice and as an ingredient in traditional medicine in systems of the traditional Chinese medicine in China, in Ayurveda in India, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

Species in the genus Amomum are also used in traditional Indian medicine. Among other species, varieties and cultivars, Amomum villosum cultivated in China, Laos and Vietnam is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat stomach-aches, constipation, dysentery, and other digestion problems. "Tsaoko" cardamom Amomum tsao-ko is cultivated in Yunnan, China and northwest Vietnam, both for medicinal purposes and as a spice. Increased demand since the 1980s, principally from China, for both Amomum villosum and Amomum tsao-ko has provided a key source of income for poor farmers living at higher altitudes in localized areas of China, Laos and Vietnam, people typically isolated from many other markets. Until recently, Nepal has been the world's largest producer of large cardamom. Guatemala has become the world's largest producer and exporter of cardamom, with a staggering export total of US$137.2 million for 2007.

RECIPE: MACKEREL/SARDINE SAMBAL WITH PETAI

I got this recipe from my good friend Shafidah Shamen of Sydney. Thank you dear…it was really yummy. She made this with sardines but as I didn’t have any at home, I substituted the sardines with mackerel. I also changed her recipe slightly. In addition, I added some petai to the dish as well. Here’s the recipe.



Ingredients

Large tin of mackerel or sardines in tomato sauce – bones removed and fish separated from the sauce
1 large onion – cut into rings
1 heaped tbsp tamarind – soaked in 1 cup of hot water and juice extracted
1 to 2 tsp chilli powder
Tomato sauce from the tinned mackerel
½ tin of petai – optional (see my post on PETAI)
Salt to taste
Veg oil

Grind the following to a paste:
Handful of shallots
½ thumb size fresh ginger
4 large cloves of garlic

Method

Heat oil in a pan and fry the ground ingredients until dry and slightly golden. Add in the chilli powder and half a cup of water and render the paste. Add in the tamarind juice and half of the tomato sauce. Cook for 2 mins.

Add in the petai and sliced onions and cook for another 2 mins. If the gravy is too dry, add more water to the left over tamarind pulp and extract more juice. Add this to your cooking.

Add in the mackerel and cover with the sauce, making sure that you don’t ‘break’ the fish in the process. Check seasoning and add slat if required. Lift and serve hot with rice. Yum!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Tact is the knack of making a point,
without making an enemy!

~ WGP

PS: A feat that is easier said than done!

BOOK REVIEW: A FINE BALANCE BY ROHINTON MISTRY

A FINE BALANCE is the first Rohinton Mistry book that I read. Since then, I have read FAMILY MATTERS, another excellent book, and I will post a review on this shortly. I enjoy Mistry’s writing style and the subject matter of his books, although it can be quite depressing. In this instance, this story centres on the unlikely living arrangements of four characters that are forced by their strained economic circumstances to share an apartment.

Dina Dilal is a widow who has spent her life trying to escape her abusive and domineering brother, in a society where independent women are not the norm. The apartment represents her attempt to maintain her freedom, but she can ill afford the rent on her own. She is cajoled to take in a young fellow Parsi as a boarder, Maneck Kohlah, whose parents have sent him to the city to study. With her ailing eyesight getting worse and her independence slowly slipping from her, she then hires two Hindu tailors to sew for her; the arrangement equivalent to that of a sweat shop.

Despite their disparate backgrounds, the four live akin to a family, as they rely on each other in the face of financial hardship, personal troubles, and political turmoil. Their journey in life in laden with hardship and what finally happens to the four main characters in this book (and their friends/acquaintances in the story) is heart rendering. To say more would give the plot way.

So to find out what happens to Dina, Maneck and her tailors, I beseech you to read A FINE BALANCE. It is only fair to warn you that you may find this book too disturbing and heartbreaking. But then, to quote an Indian saying (or is it Meera Syal’s???), “Life is not all ha! ha! he! he!” (In other words, life is not always full of laughter and joy).

RECIPE: NESTLÉ MAGIC SLICE

A really yummy and easy to make slice, perfect for the Yule season. Thank you Mr G for making it. If it wasn’t for him, we’d probably not have any chrissie goodies this year. Work had been a killer, which was unusual for that time of the year. I wonder what 2009 has in store. Definitely busy if these past few months are any indication!!!!

Anyway, enough of listening to the world’s smallest violin (in other words, my whining). Here’s the recipe for NESTLÉ MAGIC SLICE.


Ingredients

1 ½ cups crushed plain sweet biscuits (Mr G used Arnott’s NICE Biscuits)
75 g butter, melted
1 cup Nestlé Milk Choc Bits
1 cup raisins
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup flaked almonds
395 g can Nestlé Sweetened Condensed Milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line an 18cm x 28cm lamington tray. Make sure you don’t use a larger tray than this as your base would then be too thin.

Combine the crushed biscuits (Mr G did this in a food processor for about 5 to 8 secs) and melted butter. Press in the base of the tray, like you would making a cheesecake.

Now make layers on this base, using all the ingredients and spreading it evenly, starting with the CHOC BITS, followed by the RAISINS, next the COCONUT and finally the ALMONDS.


Lastly, pour the CONDENSED MILK evenly over the top.

Bake for 25 to 30 mins or until the top is golden brown and the centre is firm. Allow to cool in pan before inverting to a chopping board and cutting it into slices. Finger licking good!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Don’t teach a duck how to swim!

~ Malay Proverb

RECIPE: REFRESHING MIDORI MELON™ WITH LEMON SQUASH (ALCOHOLIC)

During summer, this is one of the drinks that I enjoy sipping whilst lounging under the beautiful tree in my backyard, with a good book in my hand. I have to admit, I haven’t had much of a chance to do this as I have been quite busy and the weather has been quite rotten. But yesterday, I made myself take some time off and enjoyed this refreshing drink, which is so easy to make and so very palatable, even for those who don’t really like to drink alcohol.

Most people tend to drink this with lemonade, which I usually do as well, but I actually like it better with lemon squash. So, the next time you feel like a sweet change, why not give MIDORI MELON™ a try. You can go to the MIDORI™ website to get more cocktail recipes for you to experiment. Just click on the link HERE.

Ingredients
30ml (1oz) MIDORI MELON™
Lemon Squash
Plenty of ice

Garnish such as lemon or kiwi fruit slices

Method:
In a long Collins glass, pour the MIDORI MELON™ over ice and top with the lemon squash. Garnish as desired.

FYI: If you prefer lemonade, just replace the squash with lemonade and follow the above method.

Warning: This drink is so smooth that you will forget you are actually drinking alcohol until its too late. Hic!!!

PS: My friend Zue in the USA asked if there is a virgin version to this drink. Any non alcoholic winter melon cordial should work as a subsitute for the MIDORI MELON™, however I cannot attest to the taste as I have not tried any of the non alcoholic melon cordials. Fee Brothers in New York USA, sell a range of non alcoholic cordials, including the melon cordial. Click on the links for Fee Brothers, Products and Recipes.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

When one is in love,
A cliff becomes a meadow.

~ African Proverb

MOVIE REVIEW: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (ENGLISH)

I don’t normally go to movies, preferring to buy DVDs and watching it in the comfort of my home (and sofa). However, after seeing the reviews and trailers of this movie, I persuaded my girl friend to catch the show and I was not disappointed. It is an EXCELLENT movie, and also has great music from the famous Indian composer, A. R. Rahman.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is a British film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy. It is based on the book ‘Q and A’ by Vikas Swarup. This movie has won heaps of awards in Europe and North America.

Shot mostly in Mumbai (Bombay), SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is the story of Jamal Malik (played by Dev Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Anil Kapoor plays the comperé of the game show.

But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating - how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum to the police inspector (played by Irrfan Khan) where he and his brother Salim (Mathur Mittal) grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika (Freida Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to each one of the game show’s questions, including scenes of obtaining the autograph of the famous Bollywood star Amitabh Bachan (ironically, he is the actual host of ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ in India); the death of his mother during an anti-Muslim raid on the slums, and how he and his brother Salim befriended the orphaned girl, Latika. To say more would be giving away the plot of this beautiful movie.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE had a limited release in Australia and opened on 18 December 2008. So, try to catch the movie whilst you can. Check out the trailer below.

ANNOUNCEMENT: HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

I would like to wish all my family, friends and loyal ‘My Household Capers’ readers a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! May all your new wishes and resolutions for 2009 come true.

Also, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my best friend TW on her recent engagement. All the best for the future, my friend. You deserve it!