A lot of people choose to have simple meal when they are on their own.

I often feel the sam way, much motivation of cooking has to do with how the fed reacts, for me anyway.

After all, we all want some sort of compliment and reward after spending hours in the kitchen, don’t we?

But there is one exception. When Robert is away, I tend to consume vast amount of mucilaginous stuff because he does not like the texture.

So I eat a lot of Okra, Natto, Yum Potatoes… list goes.

And today, I had just harvested Malabar Spinach so i knew I was going to do something with that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basella_alba

The gorgeous green inspired me and I wanted to do something special for me.

So I decided to make a dish that is simple but very luxurious!

I used the best butter Japan has to offer (and the fact that I have it in Malaysia is a total lux. The logistics and all.), Sarufutsu Butter.

In it, I slowly coloured some bacon and garlic till it was crispy and aromatic.

Next to the pan is boiling water cooking some serious pasta!

Setaro pasta is said to be the best dry pasta Italy has to offer.

It has a long history and of course, secret combination of durum.

It is pricy but once you try this other pasta will taste quite boring, guarantee.

Putting together, I always like to add a bit of pasta water in the sauce, someone taught me it does a magic and it really does.

In the very end, I added the gloriously shiny leaves in the pan, and there it is, the deepest sorrow and loneliness will be swiped away, especially if you have it with a nice glass of white wine.

There are many moments I felt luxury, but this was certainly one of them.

You don’t have to buy luxury.

I always wondered how many days it takes for vegetables to reach your fridge.

As we know, vegetables start to lose nutrients and freshness as soon as they are uprooted or cut.

Tomatoes you bought from a supermarket may have come from Cameron Highlands. It was picked, quality checked, packed, loaded to tracks, delivered to a wholesaler, and sold to a retailer who then transported to the supermarket, where you bought it and keep in the fridge till weekend. How many days have passed since it was picked?

Too many.

And as every minute passes, it slowly loses its Vitamin E, lycopene, phosphorus, magnesium and so on. Now can you imagine if they came from Italy?

Nutrition is one thing, but it is also amazing how long these vegetables can last after harvest. Power of Nature? No no, it is power of chemical fertilizers.

Growing vegetables at home has so many benefits and it can be fun, exciting and rewarding. They simply taste so much better and far more nutritious, you will wonder what took you so long to realise it.

And if you think you have no patient for it, most vegetables can be harvested within a few weeks or months. If you plan it properly, constant supply of vegetables of your choice is rock solid.

Plus, vegetables can be grown in many places, including pots and planters as long as they are in the right environment.

Today I have 35 vegetables and herbs in my small garden. They are blossoming and fruiting wonderfully for me. But it was not always like this. I have had long 10 years of endeavour to grow vegetables. I had to correct one thing. The environment the vegetables live in! When you put kids in a good environment, they have a bigger chance of excellence, and every parent does best to provide this. Same principle applies to vegetables.

Soon you will be putting so many dishes on the table like juicy tomato and basil sandwich, cooling yogurt and cucumber salad, crunchy snow beans, stir fried ginger eggplants… Hmmm, mouth watering, and best of all, you will be so proud!

I hope you will give it a try, it’s easy!

When you travel or work so much, your body and mind need to rest and they will give you a message.

These messages are sometimes so subtle and for years I did not take a notice.

With a lot of teaching, I have learnt to listen to these callings.

When I feel a little tired, I like to eat tomatoes because its acidity brings me right back into the mood.

Coincidently, I had harvested one of tomato’s best friends, aubergine earlier, so I made a quick sauce with them.

It takes only about 15 minutes.

It’s healthy, hearty and best of all, it’s easy!

Sure I love to cook but who feels like spending hours in the kitchen when you are hungry and exhausted.

I love it that I don’t have to go out shopping when I want to make a quick something.

All thanks to the veggie garden!

It is hot and humid as ever here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

But everybody loves public holiday and another reason to spend celebrates Christmas! Illuminations brighten up the whole city and our apartment is no exception.

Downstairs from home.

Whether it is Christmas or Labour day, we must eat. When we eat there is cleaning to do. Most people hate cleaning and I am not so fond of it either. But if we have to do it anyway, we might as well make it as pleasant as possible.

I am a clean-as-you go kind. I cannot stand the sight of sink full of cooking apparatus and pots and plates after meal. So I try to wash what I don’t need anymore while I cook because it make things just so much easier later.
Same goes for the surface you work on. After I’ve fried something, I like to give it a quick wipe just to keep things nice, cleanliness keeps my appetite.

I am not a vegetarian and I do not drive a hybrid car but I do try to contribute to saving the planet we live on where and when I can.
We are trying not to use harsh soaps and detergents on dishes and on our body, and I keep to stuff as much as I can in fewer shopping bags (I do not hear that no shopping equals zero shopping bags). I do not use sanitary napkins and don’t want to use toilet or tissue paper if I didn’t have to.

This had been a dilemma for me because I want to keep things clean but I do not want to use half a kitchen towel roll every time I cook.
But today I have found the solution; I can wipe as many times as I want with one kitchen towel!

It’s the Job Squad from Kleenex.
It says it is the hardest working towel!!!! That is a big statement. This product claims that it is all-surface, durable and all-purpose. Hopefully this wipes of my sense of guilt to recycle centre.

Apart from germ and dirt cleaning, I love cleansing my soul too. Speaking of cleansing, we happened to visit a friend-couple who were baby-sitting a 3 months old baby.

The eyes of babies are so innocent and angelic. They are so clear, almost crystal-like. They seem to scatter away impurities from my thoughts and make me sit straight.
I hope I can still think and say the same when I am a mother.

And speaking of baby and celebration, today, our little Scruffy has been with us for 3 weeks!
It actually feels like 3 years because our little friend is very much part of the family.

He is 100% comfortable with us now and the apartment has become his home.

Sometimes I wonder if he is comfortable sleeping like that.

He is comfortable enough to invade my space. I guess it’s a… good thing…?

He has got so much healthier in the last couple of weeks and he is growing in front of our eyes.
I really believe he is a gift or some kind of a blessing from heaven. He is so affectionate and loving that he is even willing to clean our toes. I am sure mine are alright but Robert’s may be fatal, and Scruffy is willing to take that risk. He must really be thankful we saved him from the fish shop. Anyway, Bless.

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Hello my name is Mariko. I’m a chickin and my boyfriend is a QP.