A BBQ Feast + A New Direction

The New Year is approaching. As I reflect on the last 1.5 years of my blogging journey, I have enjoyed every minute of it. From finding my voice, to learning about food & photographing. And not the least the encouragement and support from all of you - especially all of the lovely comments that helped me overcoming the fear of writing in a language that I didn't grow up with.

The last 1.5 years were also a period during which I was searching for and figuring out the direction of my blog. Along the way I lost myself in all the fabulous recipes I saw and read in cookbooks, food magazines and on other wonderful blogs. Too busy trying out and adapting these wonderful recipes that I adore.

It's part of learning. Everyday I cook a new dish from all these talented recipe creators, I learn something new. A new flavour, a new texture, a new technique.

As I immersed myself in the wonderland of the beautiful food world, I lost focus with my blog. There isn't a theme. There isn't what I intended to do with my blog from the beginning which is to share the recipes, culture and stories from my beautiful old home country of Malaysia with the readers of my new home country of Australia as well as the rest of the world. To everyone who is interested in the colourful, unique and exotic cuisine of Malaysia.

So for the new year ahead, I will try to focus on recipes passed on to me by my family and friends. Food I have sampled, tasted and loved during the 30 years of my life living in different parts of Malaysia. To inject some fun and creativeness, I intend for every classic / traditional recipe to be accompanied by a new and modern creation that is inspired by either the ingredient, texture, technique or flavour from the original classic. I give myself a year. I will reassess in twelve months whether this is really what I want to do in the long run.

It will also mean I will focus more on the quality rather than quantity of my posts. It's always a difficult task to strike a balance, but this will allow me to do more research, write more and create better recipes to share with you.

Most importantly, I want to be able to respond to every comment that is left by you and I also want to be able to visit your blogs. I have been quite slack with this the past few months because of lack of time and the ongoing trouble with my back. It's hard to concentrate on writing when I have to take frequent breaks to relief the pain. Sitting is difficult with my rather complex condition and most of the photo editing and writing are done standing!

However, I like to be positive and looking at the brighter side: I am on the mend, I am on my long road to recovery and everyday signals a better day. There are still good days and bad days. There are still setbacks, but I am looking ahead and not looking back.

The reason I choose to share this BBQ feast that was held at our home last weekend is that it represents a significant moment: It was the first party since my injury in April that I was able to host. For many months, I struggled with preparing meals for just Mr J and Miss C. This feast signals the return to my ability to share my table with family and close friends once again. I don't take this for granted. My back may never go back to 100% and I am taking it one day at a time. All I know is that I still want to cook, I still want to do mum and daughter things with Miss C (although I will never be able to ride on a horse or thrill ride with her) and I still want to travel and grow old with Mr J.

I will still like to update you on my daily food adventures, cooking and musings. These updates will be less on my blog and more on Twitter and Facebook. So find me there if you like to follow me.

Enjoy the feast!

Marinated Olives, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Brie, Chilli & Lime Hummus

Sydney Rock Oysters, Smoked Ocean Trout & Pickled Ginger with Mirin & Tamari Dressing

Spiced Blue Swimmer Crab, Apple Mousse, Watermelon Salad with Alfalfa Sprouts & Crushed Pappadams

Grilled Chicken with Spiced Fig, Buffalo Mozzarella, Prosciutto & Baby Rockets

Grilled Salmon, Cucumber Ribbons, Bean Sprouts, Chilli with Toasted Sesame Dressing

Mango, Prawns, Avocado, Baby Cos Lettuce with Chilli and Lime Dressing

Cucumber, Radish & Capers Salad

Sourdough from Bresserie Bread with their Signature Bunny Ear

Homemade Mascarpone, Cherries, Hazelnut Praline Crumbs & Espresso Granita

From Lindo with Love

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