Salad 101

Do you know that with the same batch of ingredients that you buy at the same from the supermarket, you can make 1001 salad menu? I do realize this now and am add a nodding agreement why restaurants can come out with 1001 different salad menu based on the same thing.
My main batch of items bought are:
1. Some greenies. You have a wide selection in this category:

• Celery - they are very cheap, but it's an acquired taste to eat it raw and everyday, so you have to think about the consequences when you decide to pick this.
• Lettuce - examples are iceberg lettuce (very easily rotten, and that's why it's the cheapest above all and only contain water with no fibre), butter head lettuce (second cheapest option with more visible darker green colour and more flavour), romaine lettuce (love this one, but surprisingly it's highly priced in Singapore).
• Cabbage - you'll find this a nice change when you're doing Asian salad because Asian salad includes gado-gado (boiled) and kredok (raw) off course and off course the red color one is more suitable for Western style salad.
• Arugula leave - you'll find this most often at the organic section (have no idea why this leave is so expensive), but do mindful if you want to make this as your main greenies as it tastes bitter with onion-y after taste. But it does go well with fruits and nuts.
• Baby Spinach - I don't recommend cheap spinach because they have more iron taste. Unless you're in a vampire mode, you can opt for this.

2. Beans/nuts/sprouts - I don't like to suffer eating green salad, so my salad must have something from this category. And this category will make your salad bowl pretty and edible.

• Tofu - the cheapest above all and meet the nutritious chart too. I like hyakko tofu as you can just pop it out of the box, wash, cut and throw to your bowl. For other type of tofu, you can vary it by bake it with sprinkle of sesame oil and cilantro.
• Pine nuts - my favorite nuts. It has high fat content so do use it wisely.
• Chick peas - they usually come in cans. It's filling and starchy and goes well for east or west style salad.
• Alfalfa sprouts - although this is not in my top list due to the smell but i find it nice to eat especially if you use liquid dressing as it holds the dressing when you fork it out from the bowl.
• Soy bean sprouts - I like this as a topping but you need to process it first. First, blanch it then wash it with cool water to stop it from cooking and strained (must be as dry as possible). Then, mix it with sesame oil, sugar and salt to your taste. And if you have some kimchi mix on hand, it won't hurt to throw that in too.

3. Fruits - This is my favorite because they add color to your plain salad bowl with no unnecessary taste (bell pepper is OK but can't use it too much and will end up go to the dust bin).

• Oranges/Grapefruits - Full of vitamin C and fibre. They add flavour and juices to your salad. And they're good for packed lunches because they don't change color.
• Apples/Pears - They're good for eating at home salad and must eat immediately. You wouldn't want to eat brownish color apple salad right? Pear is a nice combination with Arugula leaves.
• Dried fruits (eg. Cranberries) - they're good substitutes for nuts but off course with different texture and taste

4. Meats - I'm a meat person so my salad will forever have this category.

• Chicken - breast meat if you want to have it grilled or just simply minced chicken turned to patties
• Fish - baked fish is a nice topping for your salad. I like to marinate them in orange juice and cayenne pepper
• Ham - it's expensive but once in a while it's OK to splurge on what you eat right? Always been a honey baked ham girl, I rarely take any smoked ham.
• Flanked steak/Roasted beef - Not recommended for your everyday salad as it's expensive and troublesome to make. But off course it's a nice combination to have.
• Eggs - The cheapest meat substitute. It never fails in any salad style. Do try it in egg mayo, pouched egg, or just sliced hardboiled egg.

My ideal kind of salad must have 1 item out of the 4 categories, so when I do groceries there always be 1 greenies, 2 nuts/beans/sprouts, 2 fruits and 1 meat. And you can have at least 5 varieties of salad to play with for the rest of your weekday.

One example of my salad:

2 stalk celeries, thinly sliced

1/2 packed tofu, baked

2 oranges, peeled and cubed

2 small chicken patties, cubed

Dressing: tsuyu sauce (you can buy any soba/somen sauce, any Japanese tsuyu based salad dressing is a treat). They're low fat and no oil (at least it's not visible, if any).

So, salad anyone?

Tactics

Found this great anime on animeseason.com. It's an old anime released in 2005 (yeah pretty old in deed). Never seen thie before in any of the website so means that probably the license just wearing off (good news for us, yey!).
So what Tactics is all about that makes me rave about it. Off course it's yet another youkai-theme anime. I'm just a sucker for any youkai/vampire/demon (akuma) theme with lots of bishounen in it. Bishounen is a must factor. That's why I never watch those shounen anime though some of them are quite good (The Hellshing Ultimate may be an exception but that will be another different posting).
Second, the synopsis is rather interesting. Kantaro, the priest, was bullied when he was little because he could see youkais (demons) and befriended them. His demon friends told him that to be strong he could unsealed Tengu (the human eating youkai which is stronger than demon). So, since then he's determined to find Tengu, which he did on one of his exorcising mission. And then the journey starts.
Off course like any other Japanese animes. The story will not be that simple-minded. The main character must have some screw up past that will eventually haunt them back in later episodes. For example, in Epi 2, the plot starts to reveal that Kantaro will have chest pain every time a strong youkai is nearby (it was also hinted in Epi 1). But in Epi 2, it adds another clue that it was due to a scar. Now, I haven't watch Epi 3 yet, and that clue definitely will let the audience wonder, won't it? What kind of scar is that? When did he get it? What will happen because of that? And this is what's great about Japanese anime and what makes us be couch potato gawking at our home screen.
Definitely a good choice for past time for waiting the next episode of Kuroshitsuji and Gundam00, which should come out soon.

Arashi ~ One Love

One Love - ARASHI

伝えたくて 伝わらなくて
時には素直になれずに
泣いた季節を越えた僕らは
今とても輝いてるよ

それぞれ描く幸せの形は
重なり 今 大きな愛になる
すっと二人で生きてゆこう

100年先も愛を誓うよ
君は僕の全てさ
信じている ただ信じてる
同じ時を刻む人へ

どんな君も どんな僕でも
ひとつひとつが愛しい
君がいれば何もいらない
きっと幸せにするから

雨の中で君を待ってた
優しさの意味さえ知らず
すれ違いに傷ついた夜
それでもここまで来たんだ

かけがえのない出会いは
奇跡をつないでく
思い出重なり合う
始まりの歌 鳴り響いて

どんな時も支えてくれた
笑い泣いた仲間へ
心をこめてただひとつだけ
送る言葉は「ありがとう」

100年先の愛を誓うよ
君は僕の全てさ
愛している ただ愛してる
同じ明日約束しよう

世界中にただ１人だけ
僕は君を選んだ
君といればどんな未来も
ずっと輝いているから

TRANSLATION
There were times when we wanted to say something, but couldn’t
And times when we couldn’t be honest
We’ve overcome those tearful seasons
And now we’re shining so bright
The images of happiness we’ve each painted are overlapping
To become one great loveLet’s live together always
Even a hundred years from now, I’ll swear my love
You’re my everything
Believing in you, just believing in you
The one I’ll share the same times with
No matter what you are, no matter what I am
Every part of it is precious to me
As long as I have you, I don’t need anything else
I know we’ll be happy
I waited for you in the rain
Not even knowing the meaning of kindness
That night when a misunderstanding caused us pain
But still, we’ve made it this far
One invaluable encounter set off a chain of miracles, our memories build upon each other
And the song of a new beginning echoes
To the friends who laughed and cried
And supported us, no matter what happened
The one thing I can say to you now,
From the bottom of my heart, is "thank you"
Even a hundred years from now, I’ll swear my love
You’re my everything
Loving you, just loving you
Let’s make a promise in the tomorrow we’ll share
You’re the one and only person I chose
In this whole world
As long as I have you, any future I have
Will always be shining
La la la…
All Materials from: http://gollydays.wordpress.com

Hana Yori Dango Final ~ Movie

Finally finish watching Hana Yori Dango Final movie from myshoju.com. Basically this movie is the sequel of Hana Yori Dango 2 where it ended with Tsukasa proposed to Makino in the school basketball court. And now the whole country was in uproar with the marriage news and Makino became an instant celebrity. 2 weeks before the wedding, Makino was entrusted with Doumyouji's family heirloom which was a tiara called 'The Smile of Venus'. But on the night at the hotel, the tiara was stolen by an unknown thief. Then Tsukasa and Makino's journey started to get back the tiara.
The movie itself? Overall it's a so so, but definitely an absolute Hana Yori Dango fan service. Especially for Jun Matsumoto's fans because the movie really only focuses on Tsukasa and Makino, the rest of the F4 appear for a filler only. The story line was excited in the beginning when Tsukasa and Makino travel to Las Vegas and then to Hong Kong, but after Hong Kong, it becomes pretty much predictable. But off course who wouldn't gawk at Makino's wedding dress (I told you it's predictable, so this is not considered to be a spoiler). And, Jun is handsome either in suit or in rag (I'm sure Koala will agree to this).
Some memorable moments: When TV publish the picture of Makino eating nooddle and when Makino confronted the reason with Tsukasa. His reply is totally hillarious and that's what we love from Tsukasa.

OST? Off course, it's done by Arashi like the previous installments. This time the title is 'One Love'. Below is the PV of One Love from Youtube. Off course, I like the song, just like the rest of Arashi's.

OLIVIA ~ Trinka Trika

Music by Jeffry Lufkin

No one is around
Your making it all up
It's time to disarm yourself
Because when you are free
And act naturally
Something begins to happen

Slowly I see you
Wake out of a very serious snooz'in
Right eye, left eye
I feel like on the verge of a big surprise

I'm feeling trinka trinka
It's really happening
My heart is beating steady
But I want to scream!
Internal carousel cues an upright rainbow
Sending out a friendly glimmer

I'm feeling trinka trinka
It's really happening
My heart is beating steady
But I want to scream!
Calling out on a big shift
It knows we are laughing
Together we laugh

This space is open
You're creating in it
I know when you're doing it with joy
Because it has a shine
That no words can explain
It reaches out and touches me

In your rhythm
Some may not understand what you are doing
Oh! behave! now
All of a sudden anything seems possible

I'm feeling trinka trinka
It's really happening
My heart is beating steady
But I want to scream!
Possibilities inspiration galore
Inhale and exhale at the same time

I'm feeling trinka trinka
It's really happening
My heart is beating steady
But I want to scream!
Look what is found
So much to discover
It's never over

First Kiss

It's an old drama (yes, 2007 release is considered old already), but I just finished watching it (finally). At first I didn't really into this drama after watching the first episode because I got too irritated with Mio (the main heroine) for her selfish brat act. But, one Melbourne deary was a fan of it, keep ranting about the drama on her daily emails especially on Yuuki sensei (yes, I have to admit it, he's very cute and adorable). So, there I was, getting addicted to this drama and finished it this weekend as part of my JLPT learning (yeah right, *smirk*).

First Kiss is about Fukunaga Mio who decides to spend her possibly last summer with her brother, Kazuki, before she undergoes a 50-50 chance of survival heart surgery. This came to surprise to Kazuki who hasn't seen Mio for about 10 years and finds how different she is from his imagination. The Mio now is so hateful with bitchy attitude (the reason why I stop watching the drama). But as the drama moving on, Mio finds love and happiness and change her whole attitude towards life and doesn't want to let go.

Overall, it's a touching drama after enduring the first 3 episodes of bitchy Mio. But, other than Mio, Yuuki sensei will be another reason why we ladies pass our endurance test of watching drama. He portrays a young doctor who is considered by his bosses to 'care too much for the patients' and in the end as a character who will fight for his feelings and doesn't want to let it go just because of his career **ooo so touching**.
FYI, the girl plays Mio is Inoue Mao from Hana Yori Dango and Yuuki sensei is Hiraoka Yuuta from Gokusen (no wonder looks familiar) and Proposal Daisakusen (another must watch drama).

Another point why this drama can be so touching is the OST. They play the OST from string to piano version during the tear jerker scenes and original version during the happy moments and it fits nicely. For me, the OST stucks in my head and now my brain keeps rerunning the tunes which is why I have it on the imeem (alas, I only can find the music box version) on the top and the youtube file below.

Chicken Patties and Orange Salad

Still commemorating the salad week, now I start venturing other alternative for greenies because as our logic says, eating greenies for 1 straight week can be sickening if you're not a vegetarian. So, with that in mind, there I was, yesterday at Carefour's fresh produce section, pondering for almost 1 hour, practically memorizing all the price combination. FYI, now I can tell you how much is the minced chicken per kg compare to the filleted chicken breast (it's more expensive, btw). Or, how much is the towan fish compare to Cod fish, and start to calculate how much 1 bowl of salad will cost you after all the combination is calculated. Surprisingly you don't need excel spreadsheet to forecast how much you'll spend for 1 week salad combination. And even more amazing, I can memorize all these price tags with just one glance but can't even remember people's names that I just meet.

So during my venture with my brain keep working on combination and possibilities, one item hit me in the head, Orange! Why didn't I think of it before? It's CHEAP (cheaper than those greenies definitely), full of Vitamin C, and good for your skin, and it has flavor. So here is the next salad recipe.

2 small chicken patties, diced (recipe below)

2 oranges, peeled and diced

1/4 can chick peas (obviously what's left over from my previous salad experiment)

Dressing: Heinz Light Salad dressing (this time I'm too lazy to make my own dressing), max 2 tbsp

Alternative dressing: Honey mayo (mix mayo and honey with a dash of lemon pepper)

Assemble: Throw everything into a bowl and mix well

Recipe for chicken patties
500gr minced chicken

1 packet cilantro or Thai parley

zest of 2 oranges, thinly sliced and chopped

3 tbsp corn flour

Seasoning: lots of lemon pepper

1. Set oven to 200C

2. Mix all ingredients and seasoning well in a bowl. Make sure all the corn flour is well incorporated

3. Align baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease it with cooking spray. Using 2 spoons make huge chicken balls, lay it on the foil and flatten it. Repeat the step.

4. Spray the top of patties with the cooking spray and bake it for about 15 minutes or until it's well done.

Salad tips (yep, another one :p)

1. Do mix and match your greenies with fruit. It's fun. And it adds color to your bowl :). Try fruits like apple, pear, all kind of berries. melons (cantaloupes will be nice). Even the nasty watermelons are worth trying (I don't eat watermelons).

2. Never store fruits together with your greenies. While greenies can be prepared the night before, fruits will be the other way around. The best it to always cut them only when you want to eat them. But off course for busy bees that will be very tough, but you still want to eat fruits. So, the solution is buy an airtight container. Off course this container doesn't apply for fruits like apples, bananas, pears and the likes, which leads to point #3.

3. Soak cut apples/pears with salt water for about 1/2 hour and rinse them before storage. But this old school method won't last your fruits in their cheeky clean feeling color for that long too. Definitely not 24 hours. So fresh cut is still the best. Do allow 10 minutes of cutting fruits in your schedule when preparing salad for your lunches.

4. Add more protein to your bowl. Nuts and peas will be good. I initially want to use pine nuts instead of chick peas. But to my dismay, I can't find any pine nuts. I do find some sunflower seeds in the organic aisle. But why do I want kuaci on my salad? And pay a hefty price to buy it just because it's ORGANIC? So As usual, i try to find cheaper alternatives, and I remember Rachel Ray very often mentions to store chick peas can in your kitchen, it'll come in handy. Thanks Rachel.

5. Fresh fruits give you hassle because you have to cut it? You can have dried food instead. They sell from dried cranberries, blueberries, strawberries (surprised?), cherries, pineapples, apricots. mangoes, orange skins and even now durian is dried. But off course when fruit is dried, their sugar content is also higher than when they're fresh, so you might want to limit the usage.