Having A Doggy Is Like Having A Kid

It's not easy raising a 'dog' these days. Darn, they are "expensive". You can't put a price on Fluffy but those stuffs that she needed to have (or i thought she needed to have) are exorbitant!! Mine, those pet stores? They are blood-suckers i tell you!


But still, i bought many many things, whether she really needs them or not didn't matter, as long as i think she needs, then she must have it - like a toothbrush and vanila-flavoured toothpaste. What? That's right folks, yours truly bought a 4-month old puppy a toothbrush/toothpaste set, intending to brush her shiny beautiful teeth!! Was i nuts? I probably was, but oral hygiene is equally important to dogs right? Unfortunately, brushing Fluffy's teeth is so much harder than i thought, but i won't give up!!


I told my friends what i bought and they all laughed at me. Everytime i pass by the pet store, I will buy something new for Fluffy. She now has three different sets of harness and leash, and today, i bought her a nice comfy bed and cute booties for walking. Last Friday, i bought her three pretty shirts to wear and now, i find myself looking at online shops to order her more!! I find myself silly too, like a little girl with her new barbie doll, but i want the best and nicest for Fluffy, so naturally, the 'best and nicest' comes at a price! :(


Here are some cute pics of Fluffy i took this afternoon after a nice bath. Btw did i mention she is very 'princessy'? Really, when i took her out this afternoon for 'training', all she wanted was to stretch out on the pavement :(

New Addition

Meet Fuffy, our 4-month old silky terrier. There were some who said she doesn't look pure breed but who cares. We love her to bits! Fluffy has very nice, soft and slightly curly hair and she hardly barks!


Good puppy!


I'm potty training her now and have signed up for a 10-weekly lesson with Waggie's. Very soon, Fluffy will be able to enjoy running around our house happily and not having to coop up in her play pen.

Simple Delight

I know i shouldn't have but it's weekend.

Together II

Now and forever...
(picture done by Shane using Karma Art app on the iPhone)

Together

Once upon a time...

Cash Cow

Brilliant, Twilight-the cash cow!

Pen Pals

So old school but i think i can try.

Thinking

I'm loving my black hair, and thinking it's not black enough.

I'm loving my pink cardi, and thinking i can do with more bright colors.

I'm loving my clip-on Camelia, and thinking i deserve more flowers.

不得不爱

还是有上天安排。

Vongole - The Prima Taste!

I'm not a fan of pasta, coz it's carbo-high and for someone who is dying to lose weight, i was horrified to find myself falling in love with Vongole @Etna.


So much so that i tried to duplicate it at home but sad to say, i still can't get the taste right.


And while doing my weekly groceries shopping at Carrefour, i was delighted to find the 'Vongole Sauce' by Prima Taste and with the 'How To Cook' printed at the back of the pack. Dying to try it, i bought the rest of the ingredients. Here are what i prepared this evening:

Garlic - really, this is personal taste. I love garlic, so naturally, i put in a lot more than required. Also, finely cut bird's eye chilli, commonly known as 'cili padi'. Btw, do you know i was called 'cili padi' throughout my school days. Yah, that's why i always tell you people, 'don't mess with me or my kid!'. LOL :)

White sliced button mushroom - i love mushroom so i added them in although this recipe didn't call for any mushroom :)

The Star of the dish - Clams!! I love the distinctive taste of clams but the recipe called for only 8 miserable clams! So i bought 2 packs instead, with a total about 30?? LOL.. But actually, the more clams you have, the juicier and more aromatic the dish will be!


What else do i have?

Spaghetti - This is the usual brand i got for Shane, Barilla wholewheat spaghetti in number 5, just the right size! You don't have to use spaghetti if you don't like, in fact, any other pasta or noodle will do. Even Maggie noodle :)


Now, time to cook!

First, blanched the spaghetti in boiling water until it's soft. This brand takes about 5 - 8 mins, depending on the heat. Add a spoonful of salt when the water is boiled, then add the spaghetti. Salt brings out the natural flavor of the pasta, so it taste better! And don't worry about it being too salty for your liking. You won't even taste much of the salt, except from the sauce!

When it's soft and nice, pour away the hot water and rinsed it a few times with cold cold water. This will remove excess starch and maintain the consistency of the spaghetti at that level where you stopped boiling. I also find the spaghetti slighltly more 'springy' (not sure what the word is) after giving it the cold water treatment. Leave it aside and now, we can prepare the sauce.

Fry the garlic and chilli together, my garlic is a little burnt coz i like it like that.



Next, put in the mushroom.

Now add in the clams, and after stirring quickly for half a minute, put in the Prima Taste Vongole Sauce. The sauce is brown in color, not thick or creamy and it's about a cup and rather flavourful. Also, add in the rice wine (as per the instructions).

Simmer it for a minute, then add in the spaghetti. Stir it well for another half minute and you're ready to serve!!


Well, for my dinner tonite, i added in:


Olives



Wild rockets


And tadah... my Vongole!!

Verdict: Although it still doesn't taste the same as Etna's, but it's closer to it than my own version, so i'm gonna give it a few more tries, add/minus an ingredient here and there and see what i come up with next.