4 Easy Steps to Make Your Own Chocolate Pastry Sticks

I always wanted to make my own pastry but with the time consuming process and complications (I have no talents in baking), I tend to give up. Yet, I found this cute pastry mould at Daiso and I can't help to buy it. After all, this is the only equipment you need to buy and it's only RM5.30 per pcs. With 4 easy steps and you can make your own chocolate sticks!!

Ingredients:
I chose ingredients that can be prepared fast and easy, all the ingredients I used are widely available here in Malaysia, and I hope you can find them in your store, too!

1. Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate
2. Lotte Stick with Chocolate Filling
3. Chocolate Pastry Stick Mould

The is an instruction behind the packaging, but they are in Japanese. Don't understand Japanese? No worries, just follow below few simple steps.

Step #1:
Place the chocolate bar in a stainless steel bowl or tempered glass bowl. Set the bowl directly into hot water and bring the water to a simmer, then turn off the flame.

Step #2:

Let your chocolate sit until it has begun melting. Stir it until fully melted.

Step #3:
Place the Lotte Stick onto the Chocolate Pastry Stick Mould.

Step #4:
Pour the chocolate onto the Chocolate Pastry Stick Mould and store it in the fridge for at least an hour time to remove from the mould.

Vooila~ and now it's done!

Merci..

xx

How Well Do You Know About Dining Etiquette From Around The World?

Growing up, my mother always reminded me not to put our elbows on the table, do not talk with your mouth full, do not lick your chopsticks/bowls/plates, chew with your mouth closed until one day, good table manners became engrained in us. Bla bla bla....a lot of nagging... Lolx

And from young, I was taught to how to use the cutlery for fine-dining and hold a chopsticks like a guru. Although until today I still can't hold the chopsticks properly. Perhaps I know the method to hold the chopsticks, but I feel rather comfy to hold in my way. :P

Here is a photo for you to understand the basic fine-dining cutlery.

We always travel around the globe. But, dining while abroad can feel as though you are tiptoeing around a minefield of unfamiliar rules. Table manners are the ultimate way to show respect (or some accidental disrespect) to your gracious host.

So, question... How well do you know about dining etiquette from around the world?
 

Here are some of the very specific dining do's and don't's from around the world.

(Visual Aid and Statement Courtesy from Cari.com Forum)

France
Don't offer to split the bill.    
Splitting the bill is considered the height of unsophistication. Offer to pay the bill in its entirety or someone else will.
Bread is a utensil. 
You are supposed to use two hands to eat -- either fork and knife or fork and bread. Bread isn't meant to be an appetizer -- instead it serves to assist the food to the fork. When you eat the bread, tear off a piece of it to eat instead of biting directly into the bread. When not in use, the bread belongs on the table or tablecloth instead of the plate.

Do：餐桌上的面包不只是食物，也可辅助将食物固定在叉子上，要吃的时候记得不要整块拿起来嗑，每次撕一小片吃就好。
Don’t：不要各自付，法国人视埋单为一种个人涵养，所以通常会由单一人来付费。

Portugal
Don't ask for salt and pepper.    
If salt and pepper aren't already on the table, don't ask for them. It's considered an offense to the chef's seasoning skills.

Do：小费的额度大约是结账金额的10%。
Don’t：餐厅用餐或者到别人家作客，餐桌上没有的调味料就别特别去跟人家要了，以料理为傲的性情中人可能会因此觉得你看不起他们的料理喔！
    

Italy
Don't ask for cheese.    
Never ask for cheese if it's not explicitly offered to you. It's considered a sin to put extra cheese on top of your pizza -- and it's even worse to put it on seafood.

Do：用完餐后别喝乳制品了，它们会影响消化，来杯意大利式浓缩才是义式王道！
Do：由于当地餐厅会把服务费自动算进账单中，所以小费的部分在5~10%左右。
Don’t：在台湾吃意大利面很爱多加吉士，但是在意大利用餐可别这样做了！不管是披萨还是海鲜料理，就算你再爱吉士的浓郁香味，意大利人也不会喜欢你用吉士盖掉料理的原始风味！
    

Thailand
Don't put food in your mouth with a fork.    
Forks are used to push food into a spoon. Also, it's unusual to use chopsticks -- they're considered tacky.

Do：餐桌上的料理大多是众人共享的，概念有点像自助式，不是一套装好才上桌，而是自己把想吃的食物放进盘中用餐。
Don’t：别以叉子就口，当地习惯用汤匙就口，叉子的作用是辅助将食物推近汤匙中。
Don’t：众人传递分享的食物，如果只剩最后一口的话，就别去动它了。

Japan
Slurp your food.
Most commonly when eating noodles and soups, slurping shows your appreciation of the food to the chef. The louder the better! You may also drink directly from the soup bowl - spoons are uncommon. Furthermore, never cross your chopsticks, lick your chopsticks, or stick your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice. It's considered very rude in Japan and many other Asian countries, including China. 
    
Do：喝汤时不用汤匙，直接以碗就口，对日本人来说这是一种赞美食物的表现。
Don’t：日本人很重视筷子的用法，交迭筷子、舔舐或者直接插进碗里都是相当不礼貌的行为。
Don’t：也不能用筷子夹东西给别人，在日本只有葬礼场合才会这样做。
Don’t：不需要另付小费，有些店家甚至觉得付小费这个动作是污辱了他们的敬业精神。

China
Be sure to belch and make a mess. 
Belches are considered an indication of your satisfaction and a compliment to the chef on a job well done. Making a mess around the table serves a similar purpose, and leaving a bit of food leftover shows your host that he or she has provided you with more than enough food.

Do：吃饱后打大嗝！这对掌厨者来说是一种恭维。
Do：如果能穿着得体并准时出席，代表你相当重视尊重同桌者。
Don’t：不需付小费，应该说是不能付小费，听说是因为政令不准。
Don’t：不能翻搅盘子里的食物，这样超没礼貌。
Don’t：不要把碗里的食物都吃光，记得留一小口，代表主人待客慷慨。
   

India
Eat only with your right hand.
Sorry lefties - in India, the Middle East, and some parts of Africa, it is considered unclean to eat with your left hand. 
    
Do：饭前饭后都要把手指洗干净，另外也要注意指甲干净。
Do：食物对印度人来说是一种恩赐，所以一定要吃完，印度人对于浪费食物的人非常反感。
Don’t：吃饭的速度要保持中等，太快或太慢都不恰当。
Don’t：印度人视左手为不洁，所以要用右手手指拿东西吃(连手掌也不碰食物)，另外餐厅很少会附刀具，所以即使是饼类料理也不会切开，通常都整块拿。

Do you come across with some strange dining etiquette from other countries?

 

How to Entice a Non-Vegetarian Danna in a Creative Way

I've become a full time vegetarian since September 2013, but not my family members. Though I'm still trying to convert them to vegetarian. *teehee*

When I first converted to a vegetarian, I asked myself why there isn't many unique and authentic vegetarian cafe or restaurant around in KL besides vegetarian mixed rice stall. Then I picked up my iPad and began to search the web to look for vegetarian recipes. As I browsed through Instagram, one thing caught my attention, I fell in love with the pictures I saw - Bento. 

Although 98% of them are non-vegetarian. Yet, with these nicely taken pictures, gave me an idea on how to entice my non-veggie danna. I've done a lot of online research, such as referring to Ochikeron's video in Youtube & LittleMissBento's blog. Both of them are very talented in cooking. I noticed that one thing in common for both of them is they actually decorated their food in a very appealing way. That gave an extra point to those not-so-delicious vegetarian food.

I was inspired by all these fascinating and beautiful bento idea. So, I decided to make my own bento in veggie way. I modified their recipes to become vegetarian version. Here are some of my veggie bento collection as a beginner and I think it's not too bad :)

Sorry for the bad angle photos taken.

Everytime I ask the danna "How's the bento today?" and he'll usually reply "Very good!". I know that he's just being polite as he realised my effort in preparing a veggie bento to entice him. I think probably is because there isn't many gravy dishes in the bento. Nevertheless, he has become rather receptive to vegetarian as opposed to previous. I'm so happy because my bento idea works on him!!

Food decorating was fun and not very time consuming. Many of my colleagues always wondered how much time do I usually spend on bento making or how do I find time to prepare the bento. Well, I usually prepare the bento a night before going to work and reheat the bento during lunch hour in the next day. 

Last, if you were me, how would you entice your the other half to become more appreciate your favourite foodie?

Success

The word 'success' connotes different things to different people. It is a subjective matter and the degree to which one achieves success depends on the amount of effort put in. It may be measured in the simplest actions, like crossing the road to arduous tasks like mountain climbing.

To me, success means achieving positive results in whatever I do. I believe in giving my best performance at all times. When I work towards something, I give my mind, body and soul to its completion. I work hard to attain what I want. Finishing a job gives me great satisfaction and boosts my self-esteem. It makes me more confident.

Competition can be both helpful and harmful. On one hand, it may push you to work harder and correct your flaws. On the other hand, it may evoke greed and arrogance. If approached with the right attitude, competition can be an important contributing factor to achieving success.

However, most things in life do not come easy. Not everybody is fortune enough to obtain all that they desire or wish for in life. There will always be times when one becomes disappointed at the results obtained. I do become disheartened and frustrated when I encounter failure. But as I grow older, I have realized that defeat, like success, is also part of life. Both are inseparable. I review my mistakes and make plans to rectify them the next time I undertake a task.

So, what 'success' means to you?

...the Excitement before a big trip...

I thought I would do a Sunday roundup post today, as I haven’t been blogging for a while...This week I’ve been clearing out my makeup (so many limited edition products I just can’t hoard any longer! Sob!) and generally having a spring clean. There’s no better way to clear your mind than a good clear out, and although I feel sad waving off my favourite bits and pieces, I know they’ll find a new loving home. I feel like I’ve organised our lovely house from top to bottom recently, and having a tidy, happy home is doing wonders for my mental state. I get things done quicker, have more time to relax and just generally feel like a better person... *teehee*

You may remember me excitedly talking about I'm going off to Maldives for honeymoon recently, there's another 6 months time down the road! I am almost too excited about this, I have already started thinking about what I’m going to take, which bikini(s) to bring along and etc. I’ve even started properly planning our trip.

Before I go to a trip, I will usually spend a few hours on planning what I want to do and trying to pack it all in. I love travel (to be honest, who doesn't like travel..) and sightseeing, enjoy good food at any wonderful restaurants and just generally take it all in – but I also like to do this on a budget, so I tend to get away with cost efficiency, and also research any ‘must go’ places that may be discounted on certain days or even free!


Generally, when it comes to creating itinerary, I will go with below format. It just simply look tidy and make such light work of planning your trip.

#1
WHERE IS IT? Brief introduction of the location.

WHAT CAN YOU DO THERE? You can list things down in bullet points.

INFO:  Usually this will be the address & contact details and whatever necessary information.

(Example please see Things to do in Langkawi, Kedah)

 
Okay, I know today I'm a bit long-winded with this lengthy blog post. To cut thing short, I'm very looking forward to my upcoming honeymoon trip. Can't wait for the big trip!!

Photo courtesy from http://www.raro.travel/strutture/20/20/Oceano_Indiano/Maldive/

***********************************************************************

Merci,

Cammy Mi-chan

New Year Resolution (2015 Edition)

I love to read others' new year's resolutions. Though some of you may say "Who cares?! Who cares if people say they want to lose weight or save money?", however it's kind of fun and I feel great seeing people sharing their positiveness about the future, wanting to better themselves and taking the time to gather their thoughts and put it out there. And also the feeling like turning over the page on a calendar and seeing a whole month ready for you to get stuck in to it. With every new year, comes renewed optimism.

So behold the things that I would like to accomplish in 2015!  If I stick to them, great, if not, at least I've tried!

Learn to play violin.

I've got a violin now. There's no backwards on this. Gotta learn and play at least 10 songs smoothly and nicely in 2015 if I still couldn't get a violin teacher. Play like a violinist! :P

How to dress like a Parisian more chic.

I spent a lot of time to do research on how to dress more chic. However, it just doesn't happened last year. And now, I would like to pursue this unfinished mission. Try to dress like a fashionista. Kick start from here:
http://www.whowhatwear.com/secrets-french-girl-style-fashion-winter-2014/slide28

Put on make-up before stepping out from home to work or shopping.

At least I started off with my eyebrows. By doing this, hopefully I will be more confident to interact with people or enable my camwhore/selfie mode ON! XD
I usually inspired by some Korean make-up artists with their amazing make-up skills, especially by PONY.

Developing an effective working relationship with my boss a.ka. JHM.

I've been struggling for years on this issue. I would very much like to overcome this challenge. Take a deep breathe, although it may seems difficult but I will try.....I've made a few special notes:

1. Accept that your boss is your boss
2. Allow your boss to make mistakes
3. Understand your boss' management style
4. Make your boss look good
5. Keep your boss in the loop
6. Compensate for your boss' weaknesses
7. Communicate continuously

Blog more.

I wouldn't blame the year of 2014 that had been taken up most of my time on work & my #Queenderella wedding preparation. I had sucked up in a vortex of functions. However, it has been a fruitful year for me. I want to spend more time to blog about my life experience. 2014 would have been a great year to do this for, but hopefully 2015 will be just as exciting!

Create more passive income.
As you know, this is a big part of this blog and my business in general. Creating even more things that can add to the digital portfolio of revenue I have is always going to be something I strive for.

XOXO,

Cammy Mi-chan

Thai Housewife Cooking 101 (Krabi Trip)

Those are some of the luxuries of life which we enjoy, but eventually will be forgotten in your old age. One thing that you can bring with you forever are MEMORIES. And that is why traveling to me is one of the luxuries I would like to indulge in.

And maybe...just maybe....some time in the future, i hope someone out there will find it useful.

Back in last July 2013, I went to Krabi with my buddy, Joey. You must be thinking, why went to a romantic island with buddy?!?!?! There's no special reason and it was just a spontaneous trip.We signed up a Thai cooking class with Smart Cook Thai Cookery School from Ao Nang Beach at Moo 3.

They provide a very affordable cooking course and they can even have vegetarian version! They also provided us with the ground transfer to the cooking school. This is so thoughtful. 

A selfie in their 'song teaw' (taxi truck).

A brief overview on their courses and prices:

They have their own wonderful organic farm with freshly grown ingredients.The environment was very clean too.

Before the cooking class begin, we put on the apron to make us look like a professional chef. *more like a Thai housewife*

The teacher was very patient & friendly as we do not have much experience in cooking. Nevertheless, we're trying our best to be a qualified housewife. :P

We opted the Smart Short Class which more suitable for our level to learn some Thai culinary tips. Our experienced teacher explained all the important herbs, spices and sauces used to inspire the delicious Thai flavors, such as basil, coriander, galangal ginger, kaffir line, lemon grass and etc. Then she began talking us through the preparation for our individually selected dishes and passed around the fresh herbs and ingredients, most of which were freshly picked from the farm and looked delicious…

I've learnt to grind some peppers and spices with a mortar & pestle. My ever first grinding task in my life, I must be too pampered by my mom and have never try to do this before. \(^o^)/ This was the most tiring & energy exhausting task for the entire cooking lesson.

After lots of careful preparation of our many ingredients and all the important pastes for our dishes, we were ready to get cooking in our lovely, clean open air kitchen…

Voila! Here's our masterpiece!
Delicious? I can say that we are very pleased with our 'masterpiece'!!

And finally we're graduated from the cooking school!!! 美女厨神毕业啦！！！！！

To finish the day off we were presented with a cook book of recipes for everything we cooked that day, so that we can recreate our Thai experience in our own kitchen!

I swear....You will be enlighten with the cooking experience. We’d highly recommend those who is planning a visit to Krabi enrolls in a cooking class, as learning how to make authentic Thai food on your own is a skill that will last a lifetime besides sightseeing. A must do if you love Thai food.

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Merci....XOXO