The next Julia Childs?

Who knew that getting stuck at home due to my car breaking down on me would see me scouring my recipe books and cooking up a storm... Am I on the way to become the next Julia Childs or Jamie Oliver? I highly doubt it. But I did cook up a mean Garlic Mash Potato and I have to share the recipe with all and sundry. Do try it as its easy to make and tastes like something out of a Michelin star chef's kitchen.

Mashed potatoes with garlic, butter, and Parmesan cheese, along with low fat milk and seasonings.

Ingredients:

• 7 cups peeled and cubed baking potatoes
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

Place potatoes and garlic in a saucepan. Cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes; drain. Place drained potatoes and garlic in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients; beat with mixer until smooth. Serves 6 to 8.

I used Holland potatoes, HL Milk and substituted the Parmesan with Kraft Cheddar cheese as that was the only kind of cheese I had in my fridge. I didn't follow the recipe to the dot but my mash turned out fine. A bit on the watery side when hot but once it cools, it has a great consistency. Smooth and creamy.

Had it as a side with dory fish seasoned with garlic, thyme and lime juice and then refrigerated for an hr. Pan fried the fish. The fish took some time to cook and the garlic started to turn a darkish shade of brown so I would recommend that it be scrapped off before hand and then added in again when the fish is nearly cooked. Seasoning was fine but dory is not a great fish to use as its quite fishy.

I hope whoever reads this has as much fun with the above mash recipe as I did. A great thing to add to any meal or party : ) Enjoy!

Trapped in the car park

It's been a roller coaster 2010 so far. Not turning out exactly as I thought it would but will ride the wave.

Jackal, an ex colleague at AirAsia held his wedding dinner at Equatorial Hotel KL on Saturday night. Not only was i running late but I got lost die to a bad map and wrong directions given. Instead of driving straight after Shang, I turned right at the Merc centre. When I finally found my way back and did a u turn, discovered the hotel parking was full and had to park next door and walk in my killer hells which was killing my toes.

Walked up with Flora and to my utter embarrasment, realised I forgot to put the money into the ang pow which I was about to hand to Jackal. Luckily I realised on time and fled to the bathroom. *Phew*

Only6 from AA attended and with 7 pax on table 7, we polished up ALL the food that arrived at our table. The food was really good for a hotel. The sesame fried chicken was moist, the prawn was crunchy. Overall, it was good. Gifts for guests were chop sticks in a satin covering.
Jackal surprised me by going up on stage a singing his wife a love song while playing the key board. I must admit it was not the greatest performance but it was so bold of him to do that in front of so many people. The things love makes one do...

We left at bout 11 pm and to my utter horror, realised I lost my parking ticket!! Tore through the entire car and my miniscule purse but still couldn't find it. The penalty? RM 50!! Luckily Flora volunteered to drive out and get a ticket for me ;Þ I took the ticket, inserted it into the paying machine and out it came. Drove to the exit and guess what? The display showed "Invalid ticket". Back up back up cars lining up behind me. Tried that 3 x on the advice of the security guard. Sweat was pouring down my forehead; 1: Coz I was scared of getting caught and reprimanded 2: Coz it was HOT!
Flora and Jzune kept calling as they tot I got busted for wat we did to get the new ticket. I ended up paying the guard Rm 4 and they opened the boom gate manually. The whole process took 25 minutes i think. 25 minuets in the boiling car park...

We went to Pavillion to catch a mid night movie and settled on Legion. Had drinks at La Bodega while we waited and had the yummy lemon lime and bitters for RM 15 before tax. You should try it.

Legion... What do I say about it? More hype that what it actually delivered? Paul Bettany was like a confused angel. And if you think angels are all white and fluffy, are you in for a big surprise. They have steel wings which can cut you in half and they actually possess people abd turn them into demon like, meat eating, ceiling crawling creatures with black eyes and razor sharp teeth. Gory... Won't recommend watching this at the cinema. Spend your money on something else...

Got home at 4am, tired but happy : )