Blanched Brazilian Spinach, Crunchy Fried Anchovies & Chicken Herbal Soup

On this particular morning, we were later than usual in setting out on our morning walk. As we walked out the gate, a lovely sunrise awaited us. 

Sunrise at 7:07am

7:17am

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In the late afternoon, I harvested some Brazilian spinach and a long green okra from my garden.

I trimmed the spinach leaves before rinsing them with water.

Will be planting these Brazilian spinach stalks in another pot.

Blanched Brazilian spinach and okra, drizzled with garlic oil and sambal dried prawn.

Crunchy fried anchovies.

Leftover herbal chicken soup from the previous day.

Our simple home cooked dinner with steamed rice.

Steamed rice not in the photo.

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Back in my garden, I spotted 2 big grasshoppers on my edible plants.

Grasshopper #1

Grasshopper #2

Grasshopper #1 is bigger and deeper colour.

Grasshopper #2 is smaller and the colour more faded.

I wonder if these 2 grasshoppers are a couple, just paying a visit to my garden.

Linking to Saturday's Critters.

God sits above the circle of the earth.

The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!

He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and

makes his tent from them.

(Isaiah 40:22, New Living Translation-NLT)

Long Beans + Sambal Dried Prawns, Fried Anchovies & Porridge

When hubby and I are out early for our morning walk, we get to see the place waking up. One by one we see the roadside stalls being set up and people coming to the coffee shops to get their stalls ready for business.

Morning sky at 7:12am

The early risers will come to the coffee shops for breakfast and some to takeaway. These include people rushing to work and the elderlies like hubby and I who couldn't sleep late.

7:38am

We also get to see beautiful sunrises.

Sunrise at 7:44am

His life is the light that shines through the darkness - and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:5, TLB)

Sunrise at 7:46am.

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Back home in my garden.

Long beans hanging down from the vines in my mini garden.

This season we enjoy plentiful harvest of long beans.

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Simple home cooked dinner

Steamed freshly plucked long beans without oil.

I added sambal dried prawns to the long bean before serving.

That evening I boiled rice porridge with minced pork, salted egg and century egg, and garnished with spring onions.

Poured out some of the pre-fried crunchy anchovies.

2 cubes of fermented bean curd (fu yue), hubby's favourite to go with rice porridge.

We both enjoyed this simple home cooked dinner.

Linking to Friday Bliss & Skywatch Friday.

Enjoy life with your dearly loved spouse all the days of your pointless life

that God gives you under the sun - all the days of your pointless life!

- because that's your part to play in this life

and in your hard work under the sun.

(Ecclesiastes 9:9, Common English Bible-CEB)

Steamed Minced Pork With Tung Choy

After morning walk and breakfast, we stopped to buy some pork ribs and minced pork to cook for dinner before walking home.

Day 1

We passed by these little black birds perched on the power cables above us.

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With the minced pork which I bought in the morning, I used it to steamed with tung choy.

Tung choy sold in the above jar, some are repacked into small plastic packs. Tung choy is a type of preserved vegetable which can be used for steaming with meat or for making soup.

Dinner Day 1

1. Steamed minced pork with tung choy in the centre.

 2. Yacon soup cooked with pork ribs, carrot, tomato and onions.

3. Steamed rice.

We couldn't finished the steamed pork, kept the leftover for next day's dinner.

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Day 2

Sunrise at 7:40am

Dinner Day 2

1. Rice porridge

2. Leftover steamed mince pork with tung choy.

3. Diced French beans and salted radish omelette.

4. Deep fried anchovies

Leftover steamed minced pork with tung choy.

French beans and salted radish omelette.

French beans given by a friend.

These anchovies were fried to be kept for another day's porridge but ended up on the table as well.

These sweet meat were pan fried for snacking just like the yoke kon or bak kwa.

Sweet wine will drip from the mountains,

and the hills shall flow with milk.

Water will fill the dry streambeds of Judah,

and a fountain will burst forth from the

Temple of the Lord to water Acacia Valley.

(Joel 3:18, The Living Bible-TLB)

Having Friends Over For Lunch

On the last weekend of December, before we usher in the New Year, we had friends over for lunch. Once in a while it is nice to share our home cooked meals with friends and be blessed with encouraging fellowship. As usual, the day started with a morning walk at the park.

 Breaking of dawn

 Sunrise at the park

 Walking to stay fit and healthy

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After our walk, I picked up some items from the mini market. Then we had breakfast in our usual coffee shop. For lunch, I cooked plain Teochew rice porridge and the following dishes. The rest were contributed by our friends.

 I made the above "melt-in-the-mouth" char siew (bbq meat).

This time, I reduced the amount of sugar used.

 Fried egg omelette with preserved radish and home grown spring onions.

 We love deep fried crunchy anchovies with porridge.

 Another is this store bought crunchy preserved radish.

*     *     *     *     *

The following 2 items were brought over by our friends.

 Arrow heads, leek, meat slices, etc, cooked by our friend.

 She also brought this packet of ice veggie bought from the wet market.

It is nice to have porridge during this dry and hot weather.

*     *     *     *     *

After lunch, we went walking in one of the nearby shopping mall. Before we went home, the four of us shared the following items for an early dinner in Sun Yin Loong at Aeon Big, Falim.

 Chicken curry in bread.

Steamed sponge cake spread with kaya or coconut jam.

A gossip goes around spreading rumors,

while a trustworthy man tries to quiet them.

(Proverbs 11:13, The Living Bible-TLB)

Simple Yet Satisfying Dinner

The first thing I usually do upon reaching home after morning walk and breakfast is to sweep my porch area. 

 There was one morning when I noticed this ant which I have never seen before.

 It was moving very slowly and I managed to take a few snapshots of it. I lightly swept it into the dust pan and drop it onto the grass by the road side. 

 Hubby's customer gave him some green mangoes, which I made into pickles.

 I added a few crushed dried bird's eye chilies into the pickles.

 Sharing some of my pet Betta fishes.

 I no longer place plant cuttings in the fish bowls to make space for the fishes to swim in.

That morning's harvest from my garden.

Red, green okras and non spicy red chilies.

 I had some left over fish head curry brought back from the restaurant which hubby and I couldn't finish. All I have to do was add in the okras and chilies harvested from my garden.

I added a small plate of deep fried tiny dried anchovies to the curry dish to make a simple yet satisfying dinner for 2 people.

Linking to Saturday's Critters.

But most of all, dear brothers,

do not swear either by heaven or earth or anything else;

just say a simple yes or no so that

you will not sin and be condemned for it.

(James 5:12, The Living Bible-TLB)