Happy Belated Valentine's Day

Being in love is amazing and must be reciprocal. Simple gestures make the occasion memorable and uniquely ours. Love fosters creativity and desires to make our significant other happy.Despite being physically apart, I feel emotionally whole in my relationship with a very charming dutchman. Since he does not observe Valentine's day, I am proud that he made an effort and romanticized the occasion to make me feel special.

From me to him:
I am probably the most economically savvy girlfriend this year. I sent him a Valentine's day card with 7 post-it notes: one for each day to tell him how much I appreciate and love him.

From him to me:
He sent me valentine's e-card the day before Valentine's day because I was going on a road trip with my girlfriend the very next day. On top of that, he translated a poem from Toons Herman to English as to declare his love for me. I returned on President's day morning to receive a bouquet of tulips at my door step.

Last but not least, we FaceTime-ed to wish each other Happy belated Cupid's day.  

I am sharing the full translation of the love poem by Toons Herman from Dutch to English courtesy of my dutchman.

I sing you, I refrain you
I sherry you, I wine you
I piano you and I flute you
I Rembrandt and I Monet you

I coffee and I tea you
I beach you and I ocean you
I spell you and I paper you
I mother you and I father you

But I so much want to ask you
Something much beyond a kiss
I so much want to request you
To do something for me:

Spring me, Summer me
September me and Winter me
Because I incessantly love you
Morning me, Midday me
Evening me and Night me
In other words;
Stay with me, hold on to me please

I want to see in your eyes again
the blossoming of the apple tree
And your summers I want to sense on my cheeks
I want to see leafs drop on my silent dream
And lights of Christmas dance on the wallpaper

Spring me, Summer me
September me and Winter me
Because I incessantly love you
Morning me, Midday me
Evening me and Night me
In other words;
Stay with me, hold on to me please!

My dutchman and I may be miles apart yet we found a way to make it a special occasion for us.  For folks who are in a long distance relationship, I hope you had a memorable V-day in spite of the distance and time zone differences. Happy belated V-day to all!

The Grand Canyon State

Finally, I made it to Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven natural wonders of the world!

I have planned for the road trip to visit Sedona, Flagstaff and South Rim of the Grand Canyon. My friend, PG came along with me and was my faithful driver throughout the trip.

Day 1:
We flew into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, rented a SUV, and started our journey late Thursday afternoon. We took 17 North from the airport then 179 North to Sedona, AZ.   There are beautiful red rock landscapes and shopping outlets along 179. The scenic beauty of Sedona just took my breath away.  The view was spectacular.

In the evening, we attended a flute presentation by Wolfs Robe at Los Abrigados Resort and Spa. He is a Native American Flute Maker/Player. He played with different kinds of flute: Finger Flute, Ancestor Pueblo Flute, Grandfather Flute and etc. He said that every performance is unique and is a gift to the listener. He doesn't know how to read music notes yet he played beautifully and mystically too.

Day 2:

View from Mather Point

We continued our journey on 89A North then 180 West. Along this scenic route, we stopped at Midgley Bridge, Slide Rock State Park and Native American Craft Market in Oak Creek Canyon.  Then we  continued on 64 North to the South Entrance of Grand Canyon. We took in our first canyon view at Mather Point, a short walking distance from Grand Canyon Visitor Center. The pastel-streaked skies and the hazy silhouette of the canyon is just magnificent.

The goal was to soak in the vistas along the Desert View Drive, a 25-mile east bound drive. Either we were totally immersed in our conversation or the signage is non-existant until Moran Point. We came to realized that we have missed 4 recommended viewpoints and then decided to go to Watchtower next, turned back to Moran Point then end the day at Lipan Point as it is a magnificent spot to watch the sunset. It is free to climb the Desert View Watchtower so check out the 360° east view of the canyon and Colorado River.

View from Lipan Point shortly before sunset

Day 3:
Our first stop was Yavapai Point. There we popped into the Yavapai Geology Museum and Observation Station then headed on to the second scenic route Hermit Road Drive on the west end of South Rim.  Our timing was impeccable as we were there when Hermit Road Drive is accessible to private vehicles which is from December to February. This time, we stopped at almost every overlook/vista and feast our eyes with the exceptional views along this drive. My favorite was Mohave Point because the Mohave Desert seemed to be visible from a distance on the west side.

In the afternoon, we left Grand Canyon and headed south via 64 South then the scenic route 180 east. Since we are facing San Francisco Peaks as we headed east, in my opinion, the view was much prettier when I compared to the journey heading west. I had the intention to hike inside River Lava Cave which is 10 miles north of Flagstaff however the route FR245 was closed to traffic. It is a pity, I did not get to experience hiking in a lava cave. We stayed in Flagstaff and had dinner at Alpine Pizza which is a local joint for the NAU students.

Day 4:
We went back to Sedona, the scenic red rock beauty and the spiritual town. We promenaded along Sedona Uptown,  took an old-time portrait at "Pistols & Petticoats" then hiked Bell Rock Pathway.
I got to see these famous monuments: Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock and Courthouse Rock from different angles and at the end of the day, I am thrilled that I could easily distinguished them.

I am glad to experience a little piece of Grand Canyon and learn a little bit about Arizona.
I feel positive and calm. Perhaps the vortex energy in Sedona has energized me. Thank you!

Happy Amateur Baking!

I brought a banana home from work which I took on Tuesday and did not have to chance to eat it. I know myself that if I don't make something with it, it will end up in the trash.  Voila, I made walnut banana chocolate cake. My roommate loved it and I told him to have as many pieces as he wants as I derived more joy from making than from eating.

Like eating seasonal vegetable, I have a seasonal dessert list:— cranberry pistachio biscotti, orange chiffon cake and crème brûlée in winter, blueberry buttermilk cake in spring, mango soufflé in summer, tiramisu and chocolate pear pudding in autumn. I learn new recipes though many do not make it to my repertoire.  I can't possible consume these dessert all on my own so I bring them to work. Over time , I have developed quite a reputation as a baker to my friends at work and little do they know that they are the best support system for me to continue my interest in dessert making.

To take different ingredients and turn them into something delicious—that's the end results we all hope for. I enjoy the creation process more than the end results. My faithful sous chef, the KitchenAid stand mixer is my partner in crime in baking. While my sous chef is busy beating butter and sugar or sugar and egg yolks, I will check in from time to time to make sure that the mixture becomes pale yellow, thick and fluffy.  My sous chef also does a great job in beating egg whites until it is firm peak. The onerous is on me to tell it to stop.  I had over beaten egg whites before and learnt never to do that again.  When folding beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture and see it slowly transformed into chocolate soufflé , the experience is priceless.

I have made many mistakes while testing out recipes and will share some here. When making Crème Anglaise, I had poured hot whipping cream into egg yolks and the egg yolks curdled. From then on, I will always remember that egg curdled at approx. 170º and to check the temperature of the hot cream before combining with egg yolks. When making cupcakes, never over beat the batter unless you want rock solid cupcakes which are perfect replacement for base balls . In winter, when melting chocolate chips in the microwave, do it right before adding to the batter otherwise the melted chocolate will cool off and there will be chunks of chocolate in the cake. These mistakes enriched my experience and served as a reminder to self as I try out new recipes.

I am a Chinese Malaysian and Chinese New Year(CNY) is a big event for my family. Since I moved to the States, it has become less significant to me. I do not practice the traditions here:  reunion dinner on the eve,  can't use a broom on CNY otherwise I will chase away good luck and prosperity (hmm..come to think about it, I do not have a broom in the house), receiving red packets, exchanging mandarin oranges and etc. Instead, I do two things to remind me of my chinese roots— I call my family and friends in Scotland, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia on their eve evening and I make pineapple tarts to reign in the new lunar year.

I have almost forgotten about the pineapple tarts until late yesterday evening. Despite, there were a lot of CNY cookies on display at the Vietnamese Supermarket yesterday, it only donned to me much later of the day or after making the walnut banana chocolate cake that I have not even started with the tarts. Since I make everything from scratch, I typically make the pineapple jam weeks in advance. It has a special meaning to me to make the pineapple tarts before the actual CNY on 10th Feb. Now, I have to put a rush on the jam in order to keep doing the few things I do to remind me of my chinese roots.

To all amateur bakers, happy baking!

Today is Super Bowl, Go Niners!