To The Moon And Back

“She’s taking her time making up the reasons
To justify all the hurt inside”
-Savage Garden (Song : To The Moon And Back)

The 90s was such a great decade for music, even in the pop arena. Savage Garden, the duo from Australia were HUGE in the mid 90s. And that is probably my favorite song from them. It just takes me back to those carefree days, without a worry in the world.

Wild Rocket

I must admit, I’m not particularly fond of rocket, the salad leaf. It has a slightly bitter peppery taste that put me slightly off. But the name itself is so cool, “Rocket”. Why wouldn’t anybody eat it? “I’m eating rocket”. Whoa! Out of this world far out!

I found a Tuna Sandwich recipe which is different than what I would normally make. I would always make a tuna salad with mayo. This one, however, uses canned tuna in olive oil with a squeeze of lemon juice. Black olives, minced onion and parsley are added.
Add all that into a crusty baguette and topped with wild rocket leaves, in place of the usual iceberg lettuce,and you’ve got yourself a substantial sandwich!

All that sounded so delicious, I just had to try and make it.

That looks pretty awesome, if I may say so myself. Tastes even better!

-hazrock, I knew I loved you (before I eat you, tuna sandwich)

 

Fairground

“And I love the thought of coming home to you
Even if I know we can’t make it”
-Simply Red (Song : Fairground)

Picture grabbed from Google Search

Simply Red!! Nothing but feel good blue-eye soul music. I have always known Simply Red as Mick Hucknell, don’t know who the other guys in the band are. Oh well..

Homemade Corn Dogs

Food found at fairgrounds are so awesome! There is just something about walking around, exploring the fair, seeing its attractions and eating at the same time. And I love food on sticks!

Corn Dogs are not so popular in Singapore. There are Waffle Dogs around “pasar malams” (night market) here. They are always sold by non-Muslims and I always question the meat they sold, so I always end up avoiding them. When in doubt, DON’T.

I decided to try making my own Corn Dogs. Simple enough, although I had a hard time finding cornmeal. And finally after some research, I found out they are also known as polenta, which are sold here under the “Organic” or “Health” section at the supermarket.

And I know the sausages had to be skewered, dipped in the cornmeal batter and fried, with the skewer. I do not have a pan deep enough to accommodate the sausages and skewers that way. So I cheated a little and deep-fry them without the skewers, and skewer them when they came off the fryer. No one needs to know. Shh!

Serve with mustard and ketchup. Chilli sauce would be good too.

-hazrock, something got me started

 

Ugly Kid Joe

“Some say I’ve got a bad attitude,
but that don’t change the way I feel about you,
and if you think this might be bringing me down,
look again ’cause I ain’t wearing no frown!
-Ugly Kid Joe (Song : Everything About You)

Picture grabbed from Google Search.

When I read the story about how the band got its name, I thought I had died laughing. It’s brilliant! It’s a parody and the complete opposite of the name of a glam metal rock band Pretty Boy Floyd.

Picture grabbed from Google Search.

In the battle of UKJ vs PBF, I think both won because I listen to both!

Sloppy Joe

I had leftover homemade beef chili. And who has the time or energy to come home from work to cook? So I grabbed some hamburger buns from the grocery store, reheated the chili, grated some leftover cheddar and dinner is served.

I hope no one saw me eating a Sloppy Joe. As the name suggests, it was not a pretty sight.

-hazrock, we’ll set the skies on fire.

 

My Other Love

Hi fellow bloggers and followers!

Today, I started another blog here for my other love, ORIGAMI, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding. I’ve been working on some cool origami projects lately and I think pictures of them deserve to be blogged (as if they haven’t been uploaded before. My Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are not full of them!).

Please do check it out :

Haz Folds

There will not be much musings or ramblings over there. Just pictures and brief descriptions. A photo blog, if you will.

Thank you!

-hazrock, folding away

 

Pour Some Sugar On Me

Take the bottle
Shake it up
Break the bubble
Break it up
-Def Leppard (Song : Pour Some Sugar On Me)

Def Leppard‘s album, Hysteria, was the very first rock album that I bought, back in 1988. My love for rock music was fueled by the fact that I was getting sick of teeny bopper pop music. GNR, Bon Jovi, Skid Row were always plugged into my ears all day. Good times, good music.

Homemade Coconut Macaroons

These Coconut Macaroons are oh so sweet! Shredded coconut mixed with sweetened condensed milk and some egg whites folded in. They are delicious! Simple to make and too good to be true!
And to make them extra special, drizzle melted chocolate over the top after they are baked. I’m impatient. I want them in my belly as soon as they are out of the oven! Hehe!!

One thing to remember, is to make sure to put parchment paper on the baking sheet because these cookies will stick no matter how “non-stick” your baking sheets are.

-hazrock, let’s get rocked!

 

Hard To Handle

“Boys and things that come by the dozen
That ain’t nothin’ but drugstore lovin’”
-The Black Crowes (Song : Hard To Handle)

I just LOVE the Black Crowes vibe! Good ol’ rock n roll. I had a hard time finding that CD when it came out. I went on a Black Crowes hunting spree that proved futile. Luckily, during that time, I had a pen-pal, Michelle, who was from Southern California. Yes, PEN-PAL! We actually
wrote LETTERS to each other for a few years. Envelopes, stamps, the works! She willingly bought the CD from there and sent it to me! What a kind soul. But we have since lost touch. I did search my social networks but somehow I couldn’t find her.
Anyway, of course after I got the CD from Michelle, it finally was readily available at the CD shops here. Sigh, these kinds of stuff always happens to me. Oh well..

Homemade Almond Biscotti

I got a first taste of a Biscotti at a local Starbucks, years ago. I love it! But I thought they were a little pricey. I mean, seriously, it’s just a cookie and it cost 2 bucks?

So I finally learnt that Biscottis need to be baked twice. The dough is shaped like a log and baked. Then the log is sliced into about half inch slices then baked again. And that gives it a hard and crunchy texture.

The biscotti is supposed to be hard because it is meant to be dunked into coffee or tea. But I like it just the way it is. If I lose a tooth while biting into it, oh well. I guess I will give the dentists some work to do.

-hazrock, twice as hard

 

Red Hot Chili Peppers

“Someone better slap me before I start to rust, before I start to decompose”
-Red Hot Chili Peppers (Song : Aeroplane)

Picture grabbed from Google Search

Ahh! Dave Navarro played on this one. I don’t really listen to “funny” bands. By “funny” I meant funny-weird, not funny-haha. They have come a long way since “Higher Ground”, “Give It Away” and “Mother’s Milk”. And who can forget that “sock” picture of them crossing Abbey Road a la The Beatles? Heh!

Homemade Roasted Cream of Tomato Soup with Garlic-Parmesan Croutons

I love the color of this soup. Pure red! Although I did add whole basil leaves for flavor when cooking. I fished it out just before I blended the soup with an immersion blender so that the green didn’t interrupt the full-on vermillion I was hoping for.

I used and Italian-brand canned tomatoes. Italians have the best tomatoes, or so I’m told.

I’ve also used fresh tomatoes roasted in the oven with balsamic vinegar and salt. That brought out the sweetness of the tomatoes. A little touch of cream at the end of the cooking, after blending, provided richness to the soup. Yum!
Served the soup with some Garlic-Parmesan Croutons. So good!

And I will have some for lunch today. But no more croutons because the kids have snacked on them. So just with plain salt crackers will do.

-hazrock, breaking the girl.