Friday 20 February 2015

Angpows for Chinese New Year

Red is an auspicious colour in Chinese festivities.  Chinese New Year is the time to give and receive Angpows 红包。
It is fascinating to see the various designs of Angpow packets from the banks, companies, hypermarkets and other organisations who give out Angpow packets (empty ones of course) to their customers.  They have different  designs each year. My collection of angpow packets has becoming more and more each year too.
I have collected so many that I have difficulty in deciding  which design to use to stuff the Angpows money.  

Thursday 19 February 2015

The eve of Chinese New Year 2015

I like the fragrance of pamelo leaves, it is so refreshing and full of Chinese New Year festive smell. 
It is a tradition in our home to shower with boiled pamelo leaves water on the eve of Chinese New Year to wash off the bad chi before our family reunion dinner.  I guess most of the local families do the same.  I brought together this tradition into my own small family after  marriage.  Clet will also splash our cars with boiled pamelo leaves water after washing them.
This year, we celebrated our family dinner at youngest brother's home..we were very disappointed that our papa admitted to the hospital the day before due to lungs infection.  Instead of having dinner at home, he had it in the hospital  with  the  packed dishes from home.  He generously gave away his hospital food to someone in the hospital as a gesture of good deed.
Thanks to the  effort of Albert and SIL Shirly for preparing nice and special dishes for us on this  eve of Chinese New Year.

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Home baked cookies for Chinese New Year 2015

My oven has been made full used of on this Chinese New Year after more than 3 years sitting in the kitchen.

I have attempted 5 types of cookies this time with 3 of the recipes shared from a cousin whom baked cookies for sale for the past years.  She didn't  bake any this year because she has started a full time job.  While the pineapple cookies and colourful butter cookies, I found the recipes online. 

Now then I realised making cookies for sale is not an easy task as I first thought.  It is not just time consuming, the produce are not as many as I expected, the cost of ingredients also becoming costly..the profit margin is not as good. 

I made some for sale, some to give as gifts and whatever left are for self consumption.  The most satisfying cookies that I have made would be the pineapple cookies.  It is also Clet's favourite.
Pineapple cookies

Chocolate rice peanuts cookies, Butter Cookies and Cornflakes Cookies
Butter with Chocolate rice cookies
Butter Cookies
Colourful Butter Cookies

Thursday 12 February 2015

2015 Year of Sheep / Goat

Don't you think these golden sheep / goat stuffed toys are cute? It's a gift from my colleague Cindy.  She never fails to bring back gifts for us whenever she goes travelling.  She didn't  travel far this time, merely had a short trip to KL.  Little gifts bring joy to all of us.  Perfect gifts for 2015.

Wednesday 4 February 2015

Li chun 立春 04.02.2015

This is the first time I try to stand the eggs on Li Chun 立春。Said to bring good luck if one managed to make the egg stand on its tip on this very day.
I find easier to stand the eggs on the floor than on the table top..I managed to stand 3 eggs, the rest belongs to my colleagues..after that what should we do to the eggs, I asked my colleague, bring home cook and eat la..;)
Wishing all of us good years ahead from this very day..