The Spidy Chronicles

Yesterday, when I went to clear up my kitchen garden, I checked on Spidy. She did not move when I shook the leaf. Spidy is dead :( I have been dreading this moment for awhile now.... knowing it was inevitable. It was silly to be attached to this little creature but I enjoyed seeing her in my garden, helping me with my catterpilars, guarding her egg sacs and taking care of her babies. That was how I found her... still clinging to and protecting her egg sac - the second one. I am surprise she has lasted so long...it made me almost believe she could live forever.

Strange as it may seem, I think Spidy had just died when I found her. Why do I think so? I have been checking on her almost daily. The day before yesterday, when I shook the leaf she moved to hold unto her egg sac.Yesterday, she did not move. Well, today when I check on her again, she was all dried up and brown. When I found her she was still but still vibrant in color. It gives me a little peace that I saw her at her end......Today is March 12 and I still have not do not have this posted. I just want to show Spidy in all her glory.

Today March 13, I am almost ready to share some pictures of Spidy. The thing is I have not seen anther Green Lynx Spider apart from Spidy in my garden. There must be a male for there to be babies, right? What does the male look like? When I first discovered the lone " baby" spider, I panicked!! If the babies were born where were they? My dear daughter L reminded me of Charlotte's Web and how the baby spiders flew away in the wind so that they all would be spread out and go to different areas so that all of them would have sufficient food. Imagine my surprise when I later discover the masses of baby spiders.I do not know it means she is lacking as a mother and cannot let go (ha, ha ) or worse she then a ate up all her babies!I have not found them anywhere in my garden. I am hoping that they learned to fly away one day when I was not looking. I sure hope that I have a couple of Spidy's babies in my garden. They have a perpectual tenancy in my garden.

PS I have since learned it is normal for the baby Green Lynx Spiders to stay close to Mommy for a bit. They are blind for a bit and then gain sight. They tend to run back to the egg sac or huddle together in a jumble tangle of legs. So I guess I'll be seeing Spidy's offsprings in future. Will keep you posted.

Meanwhile enjoy the slide show of Spidy. Double click on the slide show to view it full scale.

Dinners

Ha,ha. Your ploy worked, my dear sister S! After our "long" Skype conversation, dear husband was too hungry. We went out to eat! I have to state here, I was more than prepared to cook but he wanted to eat soon. We headed up to Convoy proposing all along the way, various restaurant we could eat in. We each gets a turn in deciding which restaurant to go to. Today was husband's turn. Not that we do not try to influence the choice for the day. Daughter L always wants Thai. Son A likes Korean. Husband likes Indian. Me..... it depends often on what else I need to buy and the restaurant I know I can persuade them to go to which is near to the shop. Otherwise, for me it is often where I can get soup or noodle soup. So there is always little negotiating in the cars whoever its turn to choose. We ended up at Mitsuwa supermarket at their noodle shop.... wanted to shop Japanese stuff. This time it was my husband's decision. Hm, did I ask him,"where did we go this week to eat without the children?" Maybe. Well, he wanted to take his son to try their Ramen noodles. So, you see how this works.......

How easy little sister C has it. She just cooks and eats at home with husband and little M and the whole world looks in on them via web cam. Daddy would have love that my siblings! Did we ever do that with him? The closest I think was during Christmas, Chinese New Year or maybe someone birthday and we went on web cam. He would have love adorable little M.

So what's for dinner?

Catch up

A long silence after a slew of postings......guess what? Life got in the way! I have been out there living my life as it should be instead of blogging. Not that I have not thought about blogging. I often found myself thinking in the midst of a event or moment, okay I will blog about this.... a fleeting thought because now I do not remember what it is I wanted to blog! I have learned not to agonize over this lost moments.....

Okay, since last posting. Chinese New Year has come and gone. I did cook some marvelous meals which I cannot remember offhand and which would require considerable effort to pluck out of my aging grey cells. I realized that I cannot keep cooking great meals 2 weeks in a row!! I think 3 days in a row, maybe 4 is achievable but beyond that, it is just no more fun. That is what the Chinese New Year blogging effort revealed. I did enjoy the effort (as did my family). Getting the flu and allergies to the Santa Ana stopped me in my track. Dear husband said I have been down for 2 months... I think that is an exaggeration....Getting better and then going into the rain and cold to catch my children play their sports did not allow me to fully recover but hey, I was there living my life.

Okay, quick run through. We enjoyed son A's second Lacrosse tournament with La Jolla Country Day School- he was spectacular. He started the tournament with a goal right off from face off and scored within 50 seconds! He scored 3 goals in all within 10 minutes off the game. What a start to the tournament!! Yesterday he started with the South Bay Outlaws. He is hoping to make Team A although he is a first year player. I think he has a shot at it. They will be competing against Middle School Teams across San Diego.

Daughter L is getting anxious for those college letters. The other days she said that she wishes they will come already- even if they are rejection letter!!! Ha, ha talking about anxious.Those letters should come in March or April. She has done interviews with Princeton, Havard and and phone interview with Brown. Today, her high school soccer team goes to the 1st round of CIF playoff!! Keep your fingers crossed. After that she will jump right into Lacrosse. For the first time this year, we may have to make some decisions if son A's and daughter L's Lax games conflict!! But that is a wonderful dilemma.

Now that the weather is nicer, husband is back biking. He is out there biking even as I blog right now. He has lost a fair bit of weight and it a lot fitter than he has been in a long time. Your truly? Not so hot! I weigh the same but flab instead of fab :( Getting back into it even as the weather is getting better.

I made persimmon pudding from the persimmon from our garden. Made Kumquart Marmalade form the Kumquart. What else? I spent 3 days ( and still ongoing) organizing my pantry, inside and outside. We have even groceries to run one of those grocery store they have at the back of residential houses in Malaysia. Sisters do you remember them? The one at the back of the house when we lived in Meru? Anyway, warned husband we are not allowed to buy any Indian groceries except for fresh food- tons, and I mean tons of curry spice paste mixes. 3 bottles of Thai fish sauce? Threw out open bottle and open a new one. Then there is my Chinese/ Malaysian stuff - not so much but more than adequate. Do not have stuff for Chinese soups - something I had not done much off but is on my list. Everything is being stored in containers, labeled and sorted. Shelves are being labeled. Still there are those that do not fall into a category so..... drives me insane. I throw them into the pantry and close the door!!! What would you do????

Oh yes, I knitted a cute little cotton sweater for my nephew M- he looks so adorable in it. The cheek of his mother C, asking me to make a sweater for her - sort of mommy and me. I have only enough attention span to make a baby size sweater.

Bamboo Grove

Mr.Chau our landscaper was here yesterday to thin out my Bamboo Forests, particularly the one at the rear of the house. Our neighbours from behind had come over a few weeks ago to ask if we could trim our bamboo. The bamboo stalks were bending over to their side of the garden unto the roof of their patio. We had told them last year that if ever they grew too much to let us know and we will trim the bamboo.This time they asked if we could trim them back maybe every six months if necessary. I told that to Mr.Chau, who laughed. You see we had hired Mr.Chau maybe 4-6 months ago.He is Vietnamese. He says after he trims the bamboo we do not have to worry about trimming that often. He will eat up all my bamboo shoots!! The clump will not get out of control from now on. Ha, ha. Little did I know the savings I would be making with hiring Mr.Chau.

I would say the upper garden has maybe 40% more sunlight with yesterday's trimming. I am not sure if my neighbors will be as happy as they think they were going to be... You see, their master bedrooms face the back of our garden. Our bamboo grove was shading their room. If our front rooms are any indications, it will be a lot hotter for them now.

Maybe, my tomatoes will do better this year. Talking about that I should start some seedling soon.

P.S. Mr.Chau said he came across a possum in the bamboo grove when he was clearing away the leaves.

I like Mr. Chau- he brings me delicious dragon fruit from his garden.

How a Dog celebrate Chinese New Year

This years while surfing the web, I discovered that the 2nd day of Chinese New Year is considered the Birthday for all Dogs. It said we were to be extra kind and feed them well. What did Frasier get? One serving of Oven Finished Lamb plus Lamb bones from what we ate. Pretty good right?
Today, for breakfast, Frasier enjoyed leftovers- a Char Siew Pau. Isn't he cute? He loves jumping over the wall surrounding our patio. See him just about to jump back into the patio from the garden.

I just checked. Frasier was born July 8, 2005 and that means he was born in the year of the Rooster. Gosh my Rooster Dog! Whatever, I love that mutt. He is going to be 4 years old this year, which is 28 in human years. Last year he became older than my own kids in human years.In 2013 he will be 56 years old in human years and older than the whole family!!!

Nonya Curry Powder

6 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
4 teaspoons black peppercorns
4 cinnamon sticks (6cm lengths each)
3 cardamon pods
10 cloves
1/2 nutmeg
5 tablespoon chilli powder
5 tablespoons turmeric powder

Over low heat, roast the whole spices separately in a dry frying pan until fragrant, shake the pan or stir the contents as necessary to prevent burning. Allow the spices to cool and grind to a fine powder in a fry blender or spice mill. I use a Braun coffee grinder specially dedicated to grinding spices. Sieve for a finer texture. Combine with ground spices with the chilli and turmeric powder. Store in a dry jar in the pantry.

* heat of the curry powder depends on the chilli powder. Adjust with additional chilli powder or fresh chillies when using in recipes

Chayote and Tiger Prawn Curry

• 1 lb of Tiger Prawns
• 2 Chayote Squash, peeled and cut into slices
  
• 2 large yellow onion
• 6 pips of garlic
• 2 inch knob of ginger
• 2 stalk of lemongrass (bottom part sliced and top part crushed)
• 3 Chipotle chillies in Adobo sauce(more if you like hotter curry). I use Embasa Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce
  
• 3 teaspoon of crumbled roasted shrimp paste (belachan)
• 2 tablespoon Nonya Curry Powder or Amy Beh's Curry Powder on Kuali)
  
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil ( I use olive oil)
• 2 cans of Chaokoh brand Coconut Milk (5.6 oz or 165ml each)
  

Grind together onions, garlic, ginger, sliced lemongrass, chipotle chillies and belachan until a smooth paste. Heat oil in saute pan. Add ground fresh ingredients and crushed lemongrass stalks, fry over medium heat, stirring continuously to prevent burning. Sprinkle over curry powder, stir in and continue frying, until fragrant.Add a little more oil to assist frying if necessary.

Add chayote squash slices and fry for 2 minutes. Add coconut milk ( I used 1 1/2 cans but 2 cans can be used for more sauce). Stir. When it comes to a simmer let Chayote cook until almost just tender. Add tiger prawns and cook until just done and the prawns have the beautiful colorful red strips.

Garnish with fried sliced shallots. Serve with white or basmati rice.

**fresh or rehydrated chillies may be used in place of the Chipotle Chillie in Adobo sauce. I have found them to be convenient substitute and invaluable in my impromptu cooking sessions!***