Compliments ... from Taiwan!

"The lovely way this tart looks,

together with the sourish-sweet filling

and crisp pastry

make this tart wonderful!"

"The tart looks so delicious it makes my mouth water

and the filling has a perfect balance of sour and sweet,

and not too rich.

Delicious!

Undoubtedly, a lot of time was taken to make these tarts!

Behind every successful man, there's a woman!"

"Such a yummy tart brings joy to everyone.

Thanks!"

"Simply delicious.

So privileged to be able to eat such a delicious pastry.

This tart brings so much joy to the one who's eating it."

"Looks lovely,

sourish-sweetish taste,

slowly sampling,

delicious!

"Thanks for brightening our workday by baking such nice tarts"

"Yummy! If I'd not known that it was [me] who made it,

I'd have thought it was from Paul's!"

"The sourish-sweetness of the lemon filling,

together with the crisp pastry

makes this the perfect combination.

Even someone like me who doesn't usually like desserts

finds it delicious.

Biting into this on a Friday afternoon

brings to mind romantic weekends ..

I don't feel like I'm in the office at all!"

"I like that the tart pastry is crisp and not too oily.

The lemon filling is sour and sweet ...

brings to mind the sensation of falling in love!"

"Our Friday tea time is all the better

'cos of the tart! Thanks!"

Look at all the nice things hubby's colleagues wrote

about my lemon meringue tartlets!

So sweet of them to bother making a thank you card for me :)

I tried to translate their comments as best I could

Dinner Tonight

Hakka Style Ginger Wine Chicken

Carrot, potato and onion soup with chicken broth base

Twnese dish "Cang Ying Tou"

- directly translated, that means fly head

BUT before you scrunch your face up thinking it's literal,

let me assure you

there are NO flies' heads in this dish!

Lemon Meringue Tartlets

When I was in NY (on the way back to Tpe), I tried Dean & Deluca's Lemon Meringue Tart. (Incidentally, my fav Dean & Deluca's is still the one at Soho.)

Anyway, I suddenly had this longing for something tart and yummy,

and I thought of that tart I had.

Since the Dean & Deluca's in Tpe doesn't carry that particular Lemon Meringue Tart, I thought I'd be adventurous and try making them myself!

So, here are some of my Lemon Meringue Tarts!

I enlisted hubby's help with whipping the whites for the meringue

... we took turns trying to whip it till it was stiff enough to pipe

... which sadly didn't happen

... but our arms were about to drop off

(I refuse to buy an egg-beater cos of the different voltage)

... and we were about to drop from exhaustion

So, I finally gave up and that's how the meringue turned out the way it did!

Wasn't great but it's good enough for me for now :)

It will certainly be some time before I try this again

cos this took me practically the whole day to make!

Coffee Spare Ribs etc

My weekly soup - chinese style corn soup

Stir-fried baby Tang-O

... it's really hard to make this kind of chinese veggie look good

hmmm ....

AND the wonderful Coffee Spare Ribs!

Yum!

More Great Rooms

or how about a tree house like this ... sigh ...

oh to have an ocean view like this!

This is what I want my dressing room to look like.

The wallpaper/mural is so dreamy.

Beautiful Gowns

Gorgeous ....

Gorgeous ....

Gorgeous ...

Gorgeous ...

Gorgeous ...

Gorgeous ...

Gorgeous ...

Gorgeous ...

Gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh I want them all!

If only I had the funds!

If only I had the closet space!

If only I had somewhere to wear them to!

If only ....

My New Aldo Ankle Boots

Lunch Today - Chili Crab & Prawns

Voila! The final product! Prawns and crab meat in Chili Crab Sauce.

I took the prawns out first as I didn't want them overcooked.

My Prima Chili Crab Mix was expiring soon, so I thought I'd better try it.

I used prawns and canned crab meat though

cos I don't have the nerve to kill a crab and cut it up to cook.

So, this is wat the mixture looks like in the wok.

Yum!

Mad About Mad Men ... Just a little more

Trudy Campbell looks great in this mix of blues and greens.

Look at that hat! Pretty!

The outfit Jane is wearing is such a lovely shade of blue - so fresh and young

And the bow neck-tie makes the dress look so feminine.

Polished, young and feminine.

Jane Sterling's in an ensemble that's very modern.

I'd wear something like that to work, except not so low-cut!

Mad About Mad Men ... Joan Holloway

If I were working in an office, Joan's looks would be something I'd try to replicate.

Hmmm ....

Maybe I can just try channelling Joan in my daily life ...

... now I just need to find the right occasion for it ...

Again, Joan looks stunning in these burgundy wine tones.

I wish she were wearing a scarf or something to dress up the bareness around her neck.

The coral red wrap top goes so well with the brownish tweed-like pencil skirt.

This colour combination is so unexpected, yet so lovely.

Makes me want to go out and get a coral red top like that ...

... only I don't know if I'd look as good as Joan in it...

I really like the blue outfit on the right.

The bow perfectly feminises the otherwise official looking outfit.

And the burgundy-purplish top and skirt go beautifully together.

The colours look lovely on Joan.

Btw, the "necklace" is actually a vintage pen.

Apparently, that's what secretaries in that era "wore"!

Cute!

These jewel tones are more in keeping with Joan's style.

She looks so beautiful in this dress. Somehow ppl look so much more chic, sophisticated and elegant in the 60s.

What a beautiful outfit!

I can't tell if it's a dress or if it's a top and a skirt

Regardless, Joan looks gorgeous in it...

from the lovely open collar to the wrap style of the outfit

to the bracelet/cuff to the bag.

I wish I could own an outfit like this ...

but where would I wear it to?

Joan Holloway is Mad Men's equivalent to Sophia Loren.

Her figure hugging outfits are so chic.

They are so prim and proper, yet at the same time they show off her hourglass shape so well. Great for girls who don't have stick-thin frames to show off their figures in style!

[Pics taken fm Elle & TV Guide]

Mad About Mad Men ... Betty Draper

As the Italians say, Bellissima!

Betty's in a gorgeous black number for her holiday in Italy.

Look at her hair! Marge Simpson?

Beautiful nevertheless.

Betty looks so prim and proper in this white dress with her gloves and scarf and bag.

The pleated skirt is lovely.

Now, I want to get a scarf and a kelly bag!

Lovely in pink!

This really reminds me of the outfits Jackie O wore.

So elegant...

Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous!

Bring back lace!

Betty looks so beautiful in this lace dress with pink accents...

and this while she's pregnant ... wow!

Oh ... to return to the days of the nightie...

This looks so lovely it could be something ppl today would wear out in public in summer. What a beautiful confection!

The gorgeous coat again! Beautiful!

Cute tennis outfit

Betty Draper channelling Marilyn Monroe.

The colour looks beautiful on her, as do the accessories.

Classy Sophistication!

Gorgeous Multi-coloured Polka Dot Flared Dress!

Ever since I saw this episode, I've been wanting to get a coat like that and pants like that to wear with riding boots that are so in trend now.

Such an elegant sophisticated look!

Betty Draper has always had a comparison made to Grace Kelly.

That's why I think this juxtapose is so interesting.

It really show the similarity with Grace Kelly.

Apparently, in this pictures, Betty's just doing some grocery shopping. Look at how dressed up she is! Sometimes I think we should all make an effort to get dressed like that (maybe not to that extent, but certainly with more thought into it). Oh ... the 60s were a wonderful age for fashion!

[Pics taken from Elle & TV Guide]