Saturday, June 27, 2009

lost with no direction



pity me. crazy me.

sy sedang menaip, sambil pakai tudung hitam.

sambil tisu membuang / mengelap ape yg patot.

yer. da siap dgn handbag, tudung, flip flop sume.

just. tataw nak g mane. wuuu~~~ T_T



kak sally da pelik tgk sy. siap2 tp tataw nak gi mane. yer mmg.

die da kuar. call nora. nora ckp sy gile. owh yer. sedang~

call taxi. tnggu luar umah 15 min. tibe x de taxi plak. hurm.

call abah. nangis. tibe~ sbb kembara x de. rase ssh gle nak g mane2.

mama baru otw blk dr melaka. tgh check out hotel.



nak bwk merc. abah x kasi. mama kasi. haih~ penink. ok. home alone.

zaid msg. ajak kuar tp malangnya rabu depan. x blh. bz dgn presentation.

mcm nak g mid. klcc. masjid jamek. JJ je pon ade. tah. tgkla camne.

cam nak mkn cake secret recipe. lame x mkn. yup. sgt lame.

entah. tgklah. ok... tgk pk lg. nak kuar ke x? nak ke x nak. tataw.



nak mkn. tp mcm x nak mkn. hurm. if dpt kuar akhirnya. nak starbuck.

nak secret recipe. nak choreo 1. tu je. trans4mers? tnggu nora. even hadi nak belanje.

owh hadi. ske panggil aku kucing kan. grrrrrr~ ckp aku manje. mcm kucing. jaat~!

ok. da merepek. hurm...buat ape? tgk tv? blh gak. CSI supreme sunday.

lame x tgk. asyik ter-miss je. owh exam. around the corner. haih~



call abah td. die otw gi main golf. mama pun suara penat. sian mama. erm.

ptg ni nak jogging. kot. da 3 hari x jogging sbb leteyh sgt dkt kolej.

ok. mmg obvious eh sy tgh x ok? entah. rase cam ok. tp org kate x ok.

da merapek. makan kerepek sedap jgk. tp. x de kerepek. nak~! yg ade black pepper.

kepek? name bdk laki dlm team futsal semlm yg ramai sgt org ske. tgk biase je.



wuuuu~~~ sherry. happy birthday. aku wish tepat kul 12am semlm.

tp aku org ke3 da ek? ok la tu. ske no 3. no 14 & 3. jd la 143. tibe~

ok. totally crap. take care ppl.

have a nice weekend.






Pot Luck

Northwest did not have a cafeteria worth boasting about. Dimly lit, a raggedy assortment of tables, a salad bar that held little in the way of actual vegetables, and a food display of today's menu items left me desperate for my own home cooked food. Whenever I joined my coworkers for lunch in the cafeteria, I brought my tupperware filled with goodies and refused to share. Then one day my coworker Caitlin had a brilliant idea - we should have a pot luck.

Everyone loves a pot luck (at least if you have friends who can cook and or can bring the alcohol and tubs of Haagen-Dazs). In your typical foodie pot luck, you might see a tomato, basil and buffalo mozzarella salad, scalloped potatoes with blue cheese, or peach cobbler. The host will pull a hot roasted chicken out of the oven, or make a big vat of spaghetti bolognese. Three new year's eves in a row, my friends and I had themed pot lucks. The first year we had to make a "new" dish - something we had never made before, which resulted in homemade crackers with mushroom pesto, stuffed pork tenderloin, and a chocolate bombe cake. The second year, everyone had to bring a dish containing apples, and the third year our secret ingredient was nutmeg. The themes, the rules, and the competitive spirit (my dish has to be the best) of pot lucks are why I love them.

But a pot luck for the common, every day affair of lunch in the cafeteria was novel. I never thought of filling my tupperware with food to share. Because we were the only ones around that really cooked, or maybe because we were slightly selfish, the pot lucks were dubbed "Two Person Potlucks" and we kept them completely exclusive. Other coworkers would sit down with us at lunch and stare as we dolloped homemade salad dressing over abundant produce, or sliced slabs of lasagna in half. When you cook for yourself, you don't take as much care, but when you cook for another person, even if they're eating out of your tupperware, the effort you put into the food skyrockets. Suddenly I took more time to determine if the food I was bringing would be good, healthy, and interesting. That ruled out bologna sandwiches completely. Instead, I found healthy salads, hearty risottos, and one happy occasion for which I wrote a song, egg rolls.

Two Person Potlucks are only one of the things I miss about working in a place where I have real friends, people who support me and who listen no matter how many times I complain about my job. People who give advice when I don't know what to do, who believe I deserve better, and who will devour the food I bring them in plastic containers.

Here's a favorite from a Two Person Potluck. It's a perfect dish to take for lunch. Some advice on quinoa - washing it will drive you crazy because it sticks to everything. It's like styrofoam peanuts. You may want to skip that step.

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa (Gourmet)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
  • 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 4 scallions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.

Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

A Visit to Iran, a Taste of Persia





















My heart is breaking for the people of Iran. A year ago in April 2008, I was part of a delegation of citizen diplomats to Iran sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Quaker group that has sent citizen diplomats to troubled places in the world for years. We spent time in Tehran, Shiraz and Persepolis, Isfahan, and Qom. Our “official” agenda of meeting various dignitaries was thwarted at nearly every step. But our “unofficial” agenda which was to meet people where ever we could, mostly on the street, and show up as supporters of peace and reconciliation, was fully realized. The Iranians we met were hospitable, informed, curious, and welcoming, and able to separate the policies of our then-Bush government from the folks like us, working for understanding between our countries.

















The food situation for citizen diplomats in Iran was pretty repetitive. Kebabs and more kebabs. Some better than others. I have been cooking Persian food since the late 60s when I found In My Persian Kitchen and fell in love with combinations of sweet and savory. I was so excited to taste the real thing. What we ate was mostly tourist food which is, by definition, pretty dull. But the exceptions were truly wonderful.

We had a fabulous lunch in Tehran at the Waterfall Restaurant: olives with mint, boiled fava beans with salt, Tomatoes and Eggs, Eggplant with Mint Paste, a large meatball, lamb chops on a spear, various kebabs of lamb, ground beef and chicken, broiled tomatoes, rice with saffron rice on top, and wonderful fresh bread.








And a great lunch in Isfahan at the Bastani Traditional Restaurant: trout, various meat stews featuring quinces, plums, green beans, yellow split peas, okra, eggplants and tomatoes, or herbs along with rice and bread. Fesenjan, the most famous Persian combination of chicken and pomegranate juice, showed up regularly.















To introduce you to Persian food, I’m going to start with a Persian Meat Loaf I’ve been making for years, paired with two dishes which are decidedly not Persian but go with it nicely in terms of flavors and colors: Roasted Potatoes and a Cherry Tomato Mozzarella Salad. You can also try it with recipes from previous blogs: Cucumbers and Yogurt (Morocco), Braised Carrots (South Africa) or Yellow Rice (South Africa). More than anything I want to nourish your understanding of Iran and its rich culture and cuisine by offering you a taste of it. It is amazing food. More next week, including Fesenjan.

May I have that to go?

No, not my food. My soft drink. "May I please take my soft drink to go?" ::blink:: Congratulations, on a new means of complete and utter gluttony, Oklahoma.

Oklahomans know how to do one thing right: eat and drink. I've never heard of beverage "to-go" cups before moving here...and it pains me to great lengths that
my husband is a to-go cup convert. Sigh.

Mark and I were out to lunch yesterday at a local Mexican restaurant and at the end of our meal... asked the waiter for a "to-go" cup for his (diet) Coke. "Sure, no problem!" said the waiter, as he ran off for the Styrofoam cup, plastic lid, and new straw to-go (at no cost to the customer). I was in shock. That's
my husband that just asked that? Disbelief! Disappointment, even. Sure, I understand the convenience factor, but I see a few issues with the whole ordeal.

Firstly, cost (and waste). It's more common than not that restaurant servers here will ask the customer, "Would you like a to-go cup?". As an establishment in search of a
profit, this is a huge financial mistake. Whatever, their loss, right? Second, I'd imagine that here in Oklahoma, most restaurant patrons are taking one of two beverages to-go: Coke or sweet tea. Roll your eyes at that stereotypical comment all you want, but I can nearly guarantee that as a fact. Thus, patrons are taking home or for the road, an additional 150-350 calories...after consuming a meal and however many other servings of liquid cavities while dining-in. Clearly unnecessary, to say the least. Lastly, this whole to-go cup offer is not only at the local Mexican restaurant, but at the chains like Chili's and Olive Garden. Chain restaurants condone this? It seems so...tacky to me! I surely wouldn't go into a 4-star restaurant and ask for my water to-go, know what I mean? Again, I'm at a loss as to the logic here, Chili's. Get it together, I thought you were classier than that!

When my groom asked for that cup, I about crawled under the table in embarrassment...after shooting him a quick death stare. Oklahomans ought to learn: there's a reason they're the 5th fattest state in the US. Liquid calories to-go have no place in the diet...especially during a sedentary drive to their next destination. And this could be yet another reason Oklahoma is ranked #50 in terms of fruit and vegetable consumption, as well. You know what they say...high-fructose corn syrup is nearly crack.

Man, there's work to be done in the OK! Sign me up for the challenge!

Disclaimer: While other regions may be guilty, I can only
judge based on what I know of Oklahoma.

Menu 5: Partially Persian

Persian Meat Loaf
I take my own photos, usually immediately before we sit down to eat. They are not styled. This photo, in particular, doesn’t do justice to how delicious this meat loaf actually is. But it is the truth. What you see on this blog is very close to what you will get when you fix a dish.

















1½ pounds ground lamb or beef or combination of the two
Note: It would also be possible to use ground turkey.
1 medium onion, grated in the food processor
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
¼ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ cup finely chopped celery leaves
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 slice white bread, milk or water
chopped parsley and sumac to garnish, optional

1. Soak the bread in water or milk while you do the next steps.
2. Use the food processor to grate the onion and then to chop the herbs. No need to wash out in between the two.
3. Put the meat in a large bowl. Add all the ingredients except the bread. Squeeze the bread dry in your hands and tear into pieces. Add to the meat mixture.
4. Mix the ingredients with your hands until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
5. Place in a loaf pan, or form into a round on a low-sided pan and bake for 1 hour in a 350ºF oven. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and sumac before serving.
Some people I know and love eat this with ketchup or barbeque sauce. Others enjoy it with yogurt.

4 servings
Adapted from Maideh Mazda’s In a Persian Kitchen

Roasted Potatoes

















2 pounds small thin-skinned potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil or smoked olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt

1. Cut your potatoes into bite-sized pieces. You might cut them in half or in quarters.
2. Place on a low-sided baking sheet or gratin dish in one layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle with salt. Mix together with your hands or a large spoon.
3. Turn on the oven to 400ºF and put the potatoes in the oven. No preheating is necessary.
4. Roast until the potatoes are golden brown, 30-45 minutes depending on their size and how cold they are. Stir or shake them once or twice while baking.
5. Serve at once.

If you are making these with the meat loaf, put them in the oven at 350ºF along with the meat loaf and cook until done. They will take a little longer because of the lower temperature. If they finish before the meat loaf, remove them from the oven. Reheat before serving.
Variations: Add 1 or 2 heads of garlic, broken into cloves, unpeeled, to the potatoes after about 15-20 minutes of baking. Or stir in some chopped rosemary at about the same time. Devise your own variations.

4 servings
My own devising, but not original to me

Cherry Tomato, Mozzarella and Corn Salad with Basil
You can vary the amounts of these ingredients according to your taste and what you have on hand.
















24 (8 ounces) bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella balls), drained
2 tablespoons O Meyer Lemon Oil
OR
2 tablespoons olive oil and zest of 1 lemon
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper flakes or smoky hot paprika
Freshly ground pepper
A small amount of fresh lemon juice, optional
1 (10-ounce) basket small cherry tomatoes, preferably in a mixture of colors
1 cup sweet corn kernels, cut and scraped from 1-2 medium ears
About 12 large fresh basil leaves

1. In a large bowl, toss the bocconcini with the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper or smoky hot paprika (or to your taste if you like it spicy). Cover and marinate overnight. If you are pressed for time, as I often am, skip the overnight part and proceed with the recipe.
2. Bring the bocconcini to room temperature. Cut the tomatoes in half if they are too large. Gently stir in the tomatoes and corn and adjust the seasoning, adding the lemon juice if you want. The salad can be prepared to this point up to 1 hour ahead.
3. Stack the basil leaves, roll them, cut them into thin strips and scatter the chiffonade over the salad just before serving.

6 servings
Adapted from Carrie Brown’s The Jimtown Store Cookbook

Mmm Barbeque

My dad hates going out to restaurants. He just doesn't understand why someone would WANT to spend two hours in a restaurant and hates that the food doesn't come out faster. He also just prefers home-cooked (ideally Korean) meals and doesn't see why we would ever eat out when the food is better, and cheaper at home. Of course my mom is the complete opposite and really enjoys going out to eat so we do usually end up at restaurants for special occasions, but on Father's day of course dad gets what he wants.

This year we had his favourite shish kebabs as part of a barbeque feast. (I'm not exaggerating here. We had WAY too much food for four people) These kebabs are sweet, tangy and the roasted vegetables are a perfect compliment to the beef. I also tried out a new recipe for grilled shrimp from Bon Appetit that was really yummy as well. Easy and delicious, and very little waiting involved!

Beef Shish Kebabs

1-2lbs beef tenderloin or striploin
2 white onions, cut into eighths (cut in half and quarter each half)
a few stalks of green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
a couple of red, yellow or orange peppers cut into 1-inch pieces
1 zucchini, cut into small chunks
cherry tomatoes
kebab skewers (you might want to soak these beforehand - I never have but this always seems to be the instruction in kebab recipes so I'm not sure...)

Marinade
*please keep in mind that these measurements are estimates - I always just adjust this to taste as I go, and my dad prefers these on the sweet side so you may want to cut down the honey or brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
1/8 cup honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Place beef in a shallow-ish tupperware container. Ideally you want the beef in one layer so that it can soak up the marinade, but you can use a smaller, deeper one and just rotate the meat once in awhile.
2. Whisk together marinade ingredients and adjust to taste. Pour over beef and refrigerate for a few hours (you can do this overnight if you want as well).
3. Cut up beef into 1-inch cubes (you could also do this pre-marinade if you'd like)
4. Skewer beef and vegetables onto kebab skewers, alternating between onions, beef, peppers, zucchini. Leave about an inch open at the top for the cherry tomatoes (you'll add these later)
5. Grill for about 5-10 minutes, then flip and add a cherry tomato to the end of each skewer
6. Grill for an additional 5-10 minutes, to preferred doneness (I would generally cook these for about 5 minutes a side but my dad likes his meat well done)


Grilled Shrimp with Molasses-Guava Glaze (adapted from Bon Appetit)
*I actually did adjust the glaze quite a bit. I only had dark molasses on hand, so I had to adjust the jam:molasses ratio to make it work

4 tbsp cooking molasses
5 tbsp guava or apricot jam (I used guava-peach-mango jam because we already had some)
1 1/2 tbsp butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
finely grated peel of 2 limes
juice of 1 lime
32 uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
salt and pepper
Kebab skewers (same note about soaking as above)

1. Combine molasses, jam and butter in microwave-safe container. Microwave in 30 second increments until butter is melted and ingredients are well combined. Add lime peel and lime juice. (you can do this in advance in refrigerate until ready to use)
2. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and thread 4 shrimp on each skewer.
3. Brush shrimp skewers with glaze on both sides.
4. Barbeque on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side. (The recipe says to continue glazing and drizzle with some reserved glaze at the end but I found this unecessary so skipped these steps)

should get some sleep



it's about what u do.

not what u say.


semalam... tdow awal. x mampu lg tahan mate lelame. wish kwn2 bday pon,
wish awal b4 12am cuz i'm just soo sleepy. wahaha. then hp TERoff. both maxis.
sbb x de battery. 2day, bgn awal, pas subuh terus mandi... siap2, jln kaki ke kolej.
owh...kolej kosong. yg ade pasar pagi. sy borak dgn mr shah. bout future undertaking.
then. bout 0735am, the futsal crew arrived & bergerak la kami ke ampang sport planet.
well. menjaga food & beverage pnye part, under nora, x la bnyk keje sgt. just. ngantok.
sumpahhh ngantok gle. hp? still off-on. x sempat nak charge + too bz. [as if...]
owhhh. ingt nak cuci mate. mesti ramai team kacak2 kan td? tp... rabun. grrr~~~

owh nora. 1st of all. sorry if x membantu sgt. sbb kdng awk kene suruh, baru sy buat.
sbb kdng sy tataw nak buat ape... sorry if x cukup bagus ek? erm. panas amat.
rase nak blk2 je umah tdow if ade transport. unfortunately, no. owh yer... sy join.
sbb no 1 sy - nak tlg nora. die da bnykkk sgt tlg sy. no 2 - kolej of course. support~! huu.
blk rumah dlm kul 7 ptg td sampai. eh awk. thanks utk colourful cupcakes tuh. hurm...
ske. excited. sbb 1st time dpt cupcakes as a present... thanks again. love it.

babe. did u called me last nite? sorry. i'm so damn sleepy + blur + empty.
mmg x seda la hp ke mane. hurmmm... TTM call pon nasib baik i TERangkt around 1am.
itupon die call no celcom. imagine how unconcious i'm, since time die call, i angkt.
and then i ckp... n then i tgk phone blk. nak taw sape yg call. then i ckp blk. mengong~
yg i seda. die ckp... "da la awk ni. ingt majuk. leteyh sgt la tu. da2 g tdow"
and all i said just... "ok. k... mmmmmm... yerrrr". itu tandenye, tdow mati. hukkk.


owh yer. sy taw sy mmg banyak sakit lately... tp. tu bukan sy nak.
sy x mintak sape2 simpati pon. xyah ssh2 dtg jmpe ke ape pon.
sy xnak sshkan sesape... n x perlu tanya khabar sy...if just na ckp...
"mcm2 la awk/ko/u nie.." trust me - sy x mintak nak sakit pon.
and sy x bgtaw sepenuhnya pon sy pnye sakit camne...biar sy je yg taw.
so. xyahlah camtu. hati sy ni kecik je... sbb da penah jd cepis2. so.
biarlah slow2 die cantum blk. k? thanks.


sy rase hidup da nak jumpe noktah.

goodbye. ngantok. leteyh.

goodnite. sweet dream~




Bacon and Tomato Pizza Omelette Recipe

I call this a pizza omelette quite simply because it is made in a very similar fashion to an omelette but can easily be cut in to wedges and eaten like a pizza! There are of course an endless variety of different minor ingredients which can be used in it but the principal ones in this instance are ham and tomato.

Ingredients

3 large, free range, organic eggs
3 rashers of bacon
1 large tomato
2 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
2oz cheddar cheese
2 large basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Crack the eggs in to a bowl and add the water. Beat thoroughly with a fork or whisk then add the breadcrumbs and seasoning and stir well.

Roughly chop the bacon and add it to a dry, non-stick frying pan. Bring gently up to a heat and the melting fat from the bacon will eliminate any need for such as butter or oil. Fry the bacon gently until cooked, then add the de-seeded and roughly chopped tomato. Fry for another minute or two until the tomato is cooked.

Spread the bacon and tomato as evenly as you can over the bottom of the pan and gently pour over the egg mix. Put your grill on to pre-heat to maximum and gently cook the omelette on a medium heat (still on the stove or hob at this stage) until you can see that it is almost fully set.

Tear the basil leaves in to small pieces and scatter over the almost set omelette before placing the pan under your hot grill. Grate or shred your cheese.

When the omelette is set and has risen slightly due to the yeast in the breadcrumbs, scatter the cheese over the top and place back under the grill just long enough until the cheese is melted.