Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Today’s weather is perfect for skiing! High of -2 °C, low of -8 °C during the day, with sunny periods and light flurries. Honestly, I can’t ask for any better ski day; especially with 27 cm of fresh snow at the mountain for the past three days! It’s too bad that all my ski buddies are unavailable. There I was, got up early and arrived at the Crabbe Mountain around 9:30 a.m. It was about a 45-minute bus ride from the city.

Kids at the ski school were getting ready for their lessons.

Chairlift ride (~ 5 -10 minutes) back to the mountain top.

Each ski trail has a designated colour code, depending on its condition and difficulty. Details can be found in my previous post.

This is an intermediate trail. I skied Dave’s Dream via Upper Dave’s, and met some adorable kids who attended ski lesson.

The King’s Horn! An expert (black diamond) trail with an extremely steep slope at the beginning. I’ve skied on this trail twice with my buddies.

Caution sign!! Too late… There I was, exploring “The Glades” trail cautiously.

Then, I bumped into this trail named “Little Brave.” The condition of this ungroomed trail was quite bad.

And… It was a steep slope too!!

Interestingly, there was a more challenging trail ahead of me. The “War Dance” which has the black diamond code. Looking down the trail… Should I proceed?

You bet! There is no such thing as turning back in downhill skiing. After going through this mess (on left), there was another huge slope (on right).

My next adventure was “Lower Norm’s Nightmare” via the “Tippy Canoe” trail.

The “Norm’s Nightmare” with the intermediate code.

The wide and steep trail ahead of me (left), and what lied behind (right).

My favourite trail at the Crabbe Mountain thus far, is the last stretch of King’s Horn (expert trail) via the first half of Hume’s Flume (intermediate trail). Basically, it provides the level of difficulty that I’m comfortable with; wide and steep slope with barely any ice patches, and well groomed.

Taking a glimpse at the King’s Horn trail while waiting for my chairlift ride.

A snowboarder was making a graceful descend via the King’s Horn trail.

It was one full day of skiing! I skied from 10 a.m. till 4:30 p.m., with an hour lunch break in between. Downhill skiing is always a fun, challenging, and exciting sport! I’m looking forward to another nice winter day with excellent snow condition for my next ski trip ;)

Freddy was covered in white, as a result of the major snowfall (~ 15 cm) from the night before. Of course, this wasn’t as bad as the one we had last Monday. Details can be found in my previous post.

As always, the city transit does a great job in keeping the buses running. However, there is no guarantee that buses will be on time. There I was, standing in the cold at the bus stop (bus stop pole, to be exact) and waiting for the bus. Even though it was -9 ºC in the morning, it felt more like -17 ºC with the wind chill factor (20 km/hr wind speed)! 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes of waiting… The bus hasn’t arrived yet. Finally, I decided to walk to downtown, where the city transit terminal locates. At least, I’d stand a better chance of hopping on the bus there. Great, after all that cold from standing in the wind, another 15-20 minutes of chill to walk. Some of the sidewalks were burried under the snow banks. What to do? I walked by the roadside and hoped that the cars behind won’t bang on me.

Although snowstorm can be disastrous, it’s still not as bad as the icy condition where roads are literally coated with a treacherous sheen of  ice layer. It can be life-threatening to walk, let alone drive. Further information can be found here.

Below are some pictures taken from the bus, on my way to work. How do you like the pretty snow?

The pictures below show the snow-covered entrance of several homes. Imagine yourself trying to open the entrance door to leave home in the morning, and surprised by the amount of snow you’ve got! Can you actually get out of the house?

There are many customs and traditions in the Chinese culture during Chinese New Year; food symbolism is one of them. Why is a certain dish served during the festive season? What does it symbolize? The list below shows some common food items served during the Chinese New Year celebration.

Steamed whole chicken: unity of  family (whole chicken symbolizes completeness), and purity (light colour of cooked chicken).

Fish: prosperity. In Mandarin and Cantonese, “鱼 (yu)” is homonym of the character “余” which means remaining or in excess. Hence, there should always be some leftover of fish, which symbolizes abundant wealth.

Noodles (long and uncut): longevity.

Black moss: prosperity. In Cantonese, “fatt” in “发菜 (fatt choy)” means good fortune.

Dumplings: wealth (shaped like the yuanbao ingot). In Mandarin, “饺子 (jiao zi)” is homonym of the characters for coins “角子” used in the olden days. Besides, it has the meaning of cohesiveness.

Sweet glutinous rice balls: unity, completeness. “汤圆 (tang yuan)” in Mandarin, is prepared with either ground peanuts or sweet azuki beans filling, in sweet broth. The suspension of glutinous rice ball in the sweet broth when served, looks identical to full moon in the sky. The sweet taste implies sweetness of life.

New Year’s cake: cohesiveness and advancement. In Mandarin, “nian” in “年糕 (nian gao)” is homonym of the character “粘” which means stickiness; “gao” is homonym of the character ” 高” which has the meaning of tall, and hence understood as high achievements. “步步高升” in Chinese characters.

Pineapple: wealth and good fortune. In Cantonese, “wong” in “黄梨(wong lai) ” is homonym of the character “旺” for good fortune.

Mandarin oranges: gold. In Cantonese, “柑 (kam)” is homonym of the character gold “金”.

Peanuts: fertility, prosperity, and longevity. The Chinese characters “花生 (Hua sheng)” indicates growth, which can then be translated as continual growth of offspring or wealth. Peanuts also referred to as “长生果(chang sheng guo)”, which literally means long life fruit.

Ground peanuts: wealth. The ground peanuts that are yellowish brown in colour, resemble golden sand. In Chinese characters, “金沙满堂 (jin sha man tang)”.

You’d probably reazlie that most of the Chinese New Year wishes, or food symbolism in this case, has a lot to do with wealth and fortune. Why is it so? This can be explained by the active involvement of Chinese in trade and business for centuries. Nowadays, these good wishes can even be addressed to investments that someone has, career advancement (higher position = wealthier) etc.  Thus, it’s considered a high compliment to someone who receives wishes in the context of wealth and good fortune.

These fascinating believes can be rather interesting, and certainly spice up the celebration of Chinese New Year. So, be sure to feed yourself well for a happy and prosperous year ahead of you!

Sweet glutinous rice balls, (“tang yuan” in Mandarin or “tong yun” in Cantonese) are one of my favourites! I was so excited when I successfully prepared the glutinous rice balls myself for the very first time, several years ago. Here is the secret recipe of mine. Enjoy savouring the “tang yuan”!

Ingredients:
2 cup glutinous rice flour
~ 200 ml water
~ 1/3 cup finely ground peanuts
9 drops red food colouring
3 drops blue food colouring

Directions:
1. To make red glutinous rice balls, add 6 drops of red food colouring into 100 ml water. Mix water with 1 cup glutinous rice flour gradually, until a pliable dough is formed.
2. Knead the dough slightly. Roll the dough into small balls. Insert ~ 1/2 tsp ground peanuts into each ball.
3. Repeat the above steps for making purple glutinous rice balls, but using 3 drops of red food colouring and 3 drops of blue food colouring instead.
4. Prepare a pot of boiling water. Pour in the glutinous rice balls gently. Keep water boiling at medium heat, until glutinous rice balls float on the water surface and cooked (about 15 minutes).
5. Drain water off the pot. Serve the glutinous rice balls in sweet broth (e.g. barley soup or regular sweetened water).

Now, you may ask: “why choose red and purple?” Of course, there is a special message behind it. There is a Chinese proverb “大红大紫 (da hong da zi)” which implies great achievements or fame, in which “红” means red and “紫” means purple. Another Chinese proverb, “万紫千红 (wan zi qian hong)” indicates a new phenomenon or a colourful sight (arrival of spring). Supposedly, Chinese New Year takes place in the spring, and also known as “Spring Festival.” Hmm…even the colours make great interpretations. Amazing, eh?

Baked goods make delicious snacks during Chinese New Year celebration. Peanut cookies are one of them. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are aromatic and have a soft texture. You’ll certainly ask for more!

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year!

Ingredients:
2 + 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
200g roasted peanuts, finely ground
175g roasted peanuts, coarsely ground
30 roasted whole peanuts, halved
3/4 cup vegetable oil or peanut oil
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tsp water

Directions:
1. Prepare the ground roasted peanuts from store-bought roasted peanuts (without skins), with a kitchen blender.
2. Mix together icing sugar, finely ground roasted peanuts, and salt (if using unsalted peanuts).
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour and baking powder. Mix well.
4. Pour in the flour mixture gradually into the peanut mixture in (2). Mix well.
5. Next, incorporate the coarsely ground roasted peanuts into the mixture.
6. Add vegetable oil (or peanut oil) into the mixture to form cookie dough. Mix well.
7. Roll the dough into small balls. Place a halved peanut on top of each of them, by applying light pressure.
8. Mix the lightly beaten egg yolk and water together. Using a pastry brush, apply egg wash on cookies.
9. Bake cookies at 325 F for 15 minutes. Apply egg wash once again on cookies and bake them for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

* This recipe yields about 60 cookies.

Suggestion: Add additional (~ 1/4 cup) oil to prevent cracks on the cookie surface.

Ingredients:
(A) BBQ Pork
~ 2 lb bonesless pork chop
1/2 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbsp white sugar
Dash of ground white pepper

(B) Gravy
1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
~ 2 tsp water

Directions:
1. Marinate the pork with dark & light soya sauce, white sugar, and white pepper.
2. Refrigerate meat for at least 3 hours, or preferably half a day.
3. Bake the pork on a baking tray with lightly greased aluminum foil, in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes.
4. Turn the pork and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until cooked.
5. Cut the pork into thin slices.
6. Prepare the gravy by diluting Hoisin sauce with water.
7. Pour gravy on BBQ pork and serve!

Ingredients:
(A) Starter dough
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 warm water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

(B) Bun dough
1+1/2 all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp vegetable oil

(C) Pork filling
1.5 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
2 tsp cooking wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
~ 2 lb boneless pork chop, cut into cubes
~ 6 medium shiitake mushrooms (soaked), cut into small pieces

Directions:
1. Dissolve dry yeast in warm water, measured around 35 degrees Celsius (for yeast activation). Add sugar into the mixture (to help with yeast growth). Let stand for about 10 minutes, or until yeast dissolves.
2. Slowly, pour flour into yeast mixture. Mix and knead well. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, in a covered bowl at room temperature.
3. To prepare the bun dough, dissolve white sugar in warm water. Mix together flour and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Make a well in the middle of flour mixture. Pour in the sugar mixture and vegetable oil into the well. Mix well.
5. Knead dough for 10-15 minutes until pliable and smooth.
6. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a lid. Let rise under room temperature until triple in size, about 3.5 to 4 hours.
7. Punch down the centre of dough, and pull the edges over to the centre. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. Allow second rise (proofing) for 1 hour in a lightly greased covered bowl, at room temperature.
8. Meanwhile, heat cooking oil in a wok. Saute onions, garlic, and ginger until light brown.
9. Stir-fry the pork. Add oyster sauce, light & dark soya sauce, cooking wine, sesame oil, and ground white pepper.
10. When the pork is half-cooked, pour in the shiitake mushroom pieces. Fry until fragrant. Let cool.
11. When dough is ready, punch down the dough a second time. Knead dough for 2 minutes.
12. On a lightly floured surface, take about half a fist-size dough and roll it out flat in a round shape, with thinner edges.
13. Place ~ 2 tbsp of pork filling in the middle of round dough. Shape the dough into a bun, by fluting the edge. Subsequently, join the edges in the middle of bun (making it like a dome with a sharp tip).
14. Place the bun on a piece of paper (8 cm x 8 cm). When all the buns are ready, place them in the bamboo steamer. Steam buns over boiling water on medium heat, for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked.
15. Steamed buns will double their size when cooked. Turn off the heat. Keep the buns in the steamer for another 2-3 minutes before removing the lid.
17. Serve while hot. Enjoy!

* This recipe yields about a dozen steamed buns.

春节的到来，让我不禁怀念在家乡庆祝佳节的欢乐气氛。在此，向家人和朋友们献上最真诚的春节祝福。此诗在数周前寄送贺年卡予爷爷时，有感而发地记录了当时的心境和对新年的展望。希望你也像爷爷一样喜欢这首诗：

新的一年新气象
春花绽放满堂香
新的一年新希望
欢庆佳节乐安康

春节一片闹哄哄
共聚一堂乐融融
祝福话语千里送
安详如意万事通

A very Happy Chinese New Year to everyone!! When it was ox year, 12 years ago, I was excited to claim that it was “my year”! The 12-year cycle went through rather swiftly, I’d say. Looking back these years, I’ve gone through different stages of life, traveled to different places, tasted different flavours of food, and enjoyed different excitements in life. I’m looking forward to a great year ahead of me; to explore what life has in store for me and savour the goodness of life in the years to come!

So, back to the topic. How did I celebrate Chinese New Year of year 2009? I had my “reunion dinner” two days before the first day of New Year with six other friends. It was a decent size group. We had fun preparing food together and enjoying the feast!

Appetizers: Chinese dumplings and steamed buns with pork filling.

Main course (from top left, clockwise): BBQ pork (a.k.a. char siew), roast chicken, sushi, and Shanghai choy with shiitake mushrooms.

Desserts: Tang yuan (glutinous rice balls in sweet broth) with barley, and cheesecake.

The meal went really well. I was glad to have my friends over to my place for the special occasion. If we get to have a fun meal for the special occasion, why not do it together? It’s worth the time and effort preparing for the feast (four of the dishes). I ended up spending an equivalent amount of hours in kitchen that day, as I was in bed the night before ;) The remaining hours? I had some fun of course!

Rest + Work + Fun = 24 hours. What a nice equation of the day!

* Stay tuned for some yummy Chinese New Year recipes!

Montana’s Cookhouse is one of the few restaurants opened in Fredericton last summer, besides East Side Mario’s which I visited previously. Montana’s is famous for its award-winning Smokehouse Ribs and AAA Steaks. Its “All-You-Can-Eat Ribs” on every Wednesday is also a hit. The swarming crowd in both Montana’s and East Side Mario’s, for the first few months after their openings was unbelievable. People in Fredericton got excited about the fact that they can now enjoy themselves at their favourite restaurants, which can only be found at big cities in the past! You might be laughing at this, but I do understand how it feels like when you missed something great that’s not easily available…

I’ve been wanting to visit Montana’s a while ago, to check out this new restaurant that I’ve never been. The opportunity came a few days ago, when a friend from Saint John came to Fredericton for a visit. Four of us had our late supper on a Friday evening.

During our meal, I came out with a question: is Montana’s originated from Montana, U.S.A.; Boston Pizza originated from Boston, Massachusetts in U.S.A.?! The answer is “no”! Both of them are Canadian restaurants. Montana was first opened in 1995, and there are now more than 80 locations across Canada and Northern U.S.A. (Michigan and New York). Boston Pizza, on the other hand, has over 315 locations in all provinces and territories of Canada. Impressive!

The rustic Cookhouse setting. They even had the “Outhouse” sign for washrooms. Haha…

The famous Montana’s Smokehouse Ribs. The full rack pork back ribs came with steamed vegetables and coleslaw. It was a huge serving that’s good for two meals!

I had the Prime Rib Sandwich (slow-roasted prime rib topped with sautéed onions, peppers and Colby cheese, served on a crusty loaf with a pickle spear and au jus dip). Green salad with balsamic vinaigrette on the side. It was good, but wasn’t superb. The beef was too salty…

I’d recommend the Smokehouse Ribs at Montana’s. They were flavourful and delicious, came with sauce of your choice (Texas bold, honey garlic, or apple butter). I’ve yet to try the steaks. Overall, the ribs and steaks were quite pricey. It’s probably not a restaurant you’d visit very often. Nevertheless, no harm giving it a try yourself!

Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Yea! Hmm… come to think of it, I’m going to miss the Chinese New Year celebration at home for the sixth year… Do I really miss it that much? Of course! The elegant and colourful new year decorations, joyful new year tunes, exciting lion dance performances, yummy food; and best of all, I get my bright red “ang pau” (monetary gift in a sealed red packet) from Mom, Dad, Godmom, Granpa, aunties, and uncles!

I missed my “ang pau” and favourite snacks: pineapple tarts, beehive cookies, BBQ dried meat, just to name a few….

Celebrating Chinese New Year in Canada is a brand new experience. Having reunion dinner on new year’s eve with friends can be lots of fun; we prepare new year’s dishes to satisfy our taste buds, hang around in a group to avoid being homesick, chat and joke around to make everyone feels at home.

This is what I considered as the “royal” treatment on my first Chinese New Year spent in Canada. I admired the fancy dishes my friends came out with; it was just the way they cooked!

The eye-appealing food presentation was fantastic! The aromatic and delicious home-cooked meal was simply astonishing! It was truly a gastronomical feast!! I cherish the friendships I have, that makes me feel at home when I’m alone in this foreign land. Thanks a bunch!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Ox year ahead! Happy Chinese New Year!!

Is it better to enjoy money that you earn now, or to save it for future use?

Do you know that interest earned from bank savings is considered part of your income? In other words, the sum of annual income (from a full-time position) and interest from savings, is the TOTAL income of an individual. This is taxable, based on the tax bracket it falls under. In a summary: the more you save up (and earn from savings interest), the more tax you pay. Does it mean that we should spend lavishly and enjoy life, instead of saving up and paying more tax?

There are ways to get around with this dilemma, fortunately. As a matter of fact, RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) in Canada allows a certain amount of savings (depending on annual income), in which the interest earned from savings or the profit from investments (stock market, bonds etc.), is non-taxable!! Savings in RRSP help to lower the tax bracket too. The downside of it? Withdrawal from these savings is made available only at the age of retirement. However, exceptions are given to a homeowner buying his/her first home, someone returning to school as a full-time student etc., and needs the access to savings. Some conditions apply under these circumstances. Having said that, savings from the RRSP are still accessible in case of emergency, subject to tax and possibility of losing the interests earned.

TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account) is newly introduced by the Canadian goverment, as of January 1st, 2009. Individuals are allowed to deposit up to $5,000 per calendar year, and benefit from the tax-free priviledge on the interests earned. Withdrawal can be also be done at any given time. How wonderful is that? Furthermore, the remaining amount can be carried over to the following year, in the case where the $5,000 threshold is not met. For instance,  person A deposits $3,000 in 2009; he’s then eligible to deposit up to a maximum amount of $7,000 in 2010. TFSA, is certainly something worth considering.

Enjoy life now, and save for later, is probably the best thing to do ;)

The dismal worldwide economy crisis since last year is rather depressing; there’s no sign of recovery just yet.

The Bank of Canada made an announcement yesterday that the lending rate is slashed to a historic low of 1%. This may be good news to home buyers and the real estate industry; since the low mortgage rates boost refinance activity and therefore, helps the housing market. Nevertheless, negative impacts from the economy crisis such as fast-rising of living cost, high unemployment rate, and production shutdown in various industries, leave most people in the state of insecurity and fear.

Canada’s key interest 0f 0.75%, resulted from decision made by the Bank of Canada as of yesterday. The deep dive below the 1% benchmark has been predicted end of 2008. It’s known to be a 50-year low, and maybe dropping further. How pathetic… I joked with friends that we can now keep our savings in the backyard or under the bed just like the old days, since there’s not much we get out of bank interests nowadays :P

If you’re complaining about this, try observing other countries. For example, Japan offers an interest rate of 0.1%, and that of the United States is as low as a big fat zero. Australia and New Zealand, known to offer high interest rates, can’t escape from the fate of interest rate cut down either. Malaysia, on the other hand, has just recently announced a cut of 0.75% in key interest, down to 2.5%; which observed to be the largest cut in more than a decade.

Hopefully the recession will come to an end in the near future. Meanwhile, I’m grateful for the provision I’m blessed with, and continue to keep my fingers crossed for a promising future.

Inspired by the butter cookies recipe that a blogger shared on her site, I was very tempted to try it out! The recipe called for pandan paste, something that I couldn’t find in this city… A rare ingredient, I’d say. I was fortunate to get hold of a bottle in Montreal a while ago to make serimuka, a Malaysian dessert.

Anyway, this is my first time incorporating pandan paste into baking; and it turns out great! Cookies are aromatic and have a green tint from the pandan paste. Something different from the regular vanilla extract used in cookie recipes for sure :)

Ingredients:
2 cup all-purpose flour
75g white sugar
100g salted butter, soften
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp pandan paste
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp vegetable oil

* Add 1/4 tsp salt if unsalted butter is used.

Directions:
1. Mix the soften butter and sugar together.
2. Combine beaten egg with the butter mixture in (1).
3. Add pandan paste into the mixture.
4. Mix together all-purpose flour and baking soda. Then, pour in the flour mixture gradually into the butter mixture in (3). Mix well.
5. Add the vegetable oil as needed, to prevent cookie dough from crumbling.
6. Keep the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
7. Subsequently, roll out the cookie dough about 1/4 inch thick, with a rolling pin, on a lightly greased surface.
8. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes.
9. Bake in the preheated oven at 400F for about 10 minutes.

Here is the recipe for a bowl of delicious noodle soup as shown above.

Ingredients:
(A)
1/3 lb ground pork/beef
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp corn starch
Dash of ground white pepper
(B)
~ 100g dried rice vermicelli
4 cup water
1.5 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soya sauce
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of ground white pepper
(C)
1 small carrot, sliced
Chunks of dried seaweed
1 stalk green onion, chopped
2 tbsp fried shallots

Directions:
1. Combine and marinate the ground meat with ingredients in (A). Leave aside for an hour.
2. Divide meat into 4-5 portions and form into balls.
3. Soak dried rice vermicelli in a pot of boiling water until soft. Drain water off the pot.
4. On a separate pot, bring water (4 cups) to boil. Add ingredients in (B) and meat balls from (2) into this pot. Cook on medium low heat.
5. When meat is half-cooked, add sliced carrots from (C) into the pot.
6. After meat is cooked, add dried seaweed into the pot. Let soup simmer on low heat until seaweed is soft.
7. Transfer the noodle soup into a bowl. Garnish with green onions and fried shallots.
8. Serve while steaming hot!