Thursday, December 3, 2009

mama gempakkk



u can be my sweet dreammm~~~
or a beautiful nightmare~~~
(hp ku bernyanyi rianggg....)




me ; hello. ye ma, nape?

mama ; akak. mama dah dpt result periksa. hahahaha...

me ; ha. dpt bape ma?!

mama ; hahahaha.... semua A dgn A-

me ; so... pointer?

mama ; hahahahaha... 3.80!

me ; maaaaa??? what daaaaaa???

mama ; hahahahahahaha...

mama ; lawanlah mama kalau hebat... hahahaha





i was like. theeee.
1st sem of Master in Account.
**sumpah sikittt pun xminat account**
3.80??? termsk lect yg x skeee mama tuh?

T____T


in study thingy,
u r the opposite of me, mama.
u're realllyyyyy hardworking.
and i'm, the laziestttt girl.
btw. i am so damn proud of u mama.
go mama go!



mama. cepatlah balik.
anak mama rindu. sudah. poket pun. kering sudah.
tp yg penting rindu mama. huhu.
muahhhh3 mama.


B'stilla - Moroccan Pigeon Pie

   

      
I was recently reminded of a meal I had in Morocco. Earlier on the second day of our trip, we had toured the massive Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca and then driven up the coastline to Rabat, Morocco’s capitol. Evening approached as we walked from our hotel to the medina, which in Rabat is quite small. Unfortunately, most of the shops were closed and our dining options seemed limited. However, we did come upon a Moroccan man dressed in a kaftan holding a single lantern. He stood in front of a sign indicating a restaurant, but there was no restaurant in site, only shuttered doors and vacant streets. He did not speak English and could not answer our questions. Instead, he beckoned for us to follow him. With hopes for dinner ahead, we left caution behind and followed this solitary light into the narrow, twisting alleys of the medina. All was dark and quiet around us as we walked, him in his padded shoes and flowing robe, us with only uncertainty. First right, then right again, a left and then a right. Where were we going?  Where was he taking us?  Then, finally a door where we stopped. With a knock a small portal opened - foreigners for dinner, would it be ours or theirs? 
    
With a small tip and thanks we stepped through the door and into another world. The first thing that encountered us was music, traditional drums and stringed instruments, then the warm light of a many lanterned interior, then colors of festooned fabrics and patterned rugs and pillows, then the din of fellow diners, a dozen or more sitting at tables throughout the space, enjoying their conversations and their meals. Finally, the smells of Moroccan spices and cooking: cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, and saffron. Relief was quickly replaced with indulgence in all that surrounded us. On this night I had bastila - Moroccan pigeon pie.  A traditional dish in a traditional setting, it found my pigeons under a sweet and savory crust with onions, almonds, egg, cinnamon and saffron. So why no recipe below? Well, I didn’t particularly like it. It was a little dry for my tastes and there’s not much meat on a pigeon! But, that was an evening that has inspired my Moroccan cooking countless times since. The sights, the sounds, the emotional trepidation and release, all of that can be recalled with our most basic sensory perceptions: smell and taste. It is thoughts like this that inspires me to cook, travel, and perhaps cook a chicken, apricot and almond tagine tonight!
      

This or That


Don't you love when money is THROWN at you? I sure do!
My bi-weekly taste-test email went out to my co-workers yesterday. 
Next week: Healthier Christmas Cookies
(I do 2 healthy taste testings a month at my clinic -- every other Wednesday -- providing a sample and a copy of the recipe to try at home)



I was interrupted not once...not twice...but THREE times during an appointment this morning to be handed $1 (the cost to participate in the taste test). Guess they're looking forward to the cookies!
...for which no one provided me with their favorite, healthy cookie recipe! 
coughcoughnudgenudge



And after my homemade Green Monster disaster, I've been on the prowl for liquid greens that I enjoy. Naked gets my vote -- this Green Machine Naked juice was gooood! Still getting used to the green, but super delicious!


I got an email yesterday from a reader asking where I keep my wine. Husband and I have a LOT of wonderful wine brought over from Italy (as well as local US wineries!). I took a picture of the Whirlpool wine fridge we recently purchased (and love). While it doesn't hold all of our wine, we can house the really good stuff.
Wine should be stored at 55 F with no more than 1 degree Fahrenheit fluctuation.


And after snapping that picture, I decided it could be a wine night. Chianti = <3

This morning I got a little (more) creative with breakfast and made some delicious granola sprinkled with low-fat coconut flakes, Golden Flax Seen Flax Sprinkles from Stober Farms (yum!) and topped with skim milk.

Nom nom nom



 
The wonderful people of FlaxUSA sent me these Flax Sprinkles which contain 2,800 milligrams of Omega-3 per serving!! Along with 3 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. Holla! Flax = thumbs WAY up!

And for fun, you foodies...

This -or- That 
Copy and Paste into a comment and reveal your selections!


chocolate ice cream or vanilla ice cream
iced coffee or hot coffee
mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
sweet or salty
fruit or veggies
organic or save the money
honey or agave
granola or oats
cow’s milk or soy milk
tacos or pizza
green monster or spinach salad
Splenda or Stevia
hummus or guacamole
chicken or tofu
eat-in or dine-out
Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods
old-fashioned or steel-cut
Zevia or Kombucha



And if you're a Southaven Farms fan...

10% off Southaven Farms – coupon code TENPERCENT129

Have a wonderful day before Friday, everyone!



Home-cured Guanciale (or 'Cheeky Pancetta')

In the eyes of the layman (and I include myself in this category), charcuterie looks like pure magic. Admittedly slow, drawn out magic, but trickery nonetheless.



It is a true artisanal craft that, done properly, illustrates beautifully the idea that cooking can be alchemy. With just a few extra ingredients (usually salt, booze and a few herbs) it is possible to transform the mundane into something truly sublime.

There are few simpler pleasures greater than eating a thin slice of cured meat – the fat melting like butter onto the tongue, filling the palate with rich, porcine flavours. A loaf of warm bread, some good oil or butter and a plate of cold cuts can make for a very happy time indeed.

Having tried making cooked charcuterie, in the form of rillettes and pâté, I felt it important to embrace the next logical step: curing.

Preserving meat using salt has a long and noble tradition. Prosciutto, pastrami, baccala, salt beef, herrings – all are made in the same way and use the dehydrating properties of salt to help extend the life of produce.

Bacon seemed like the ideal place to start, given how easy it is supposed to be to turn a slab of belly pork into dry-cured rashers but these plans were shelved after a revelatory moment at west London Sicilian deli, Vallebona.

Guanciale is cured pork jowl. Cheeky pancetta, if you will. Given my history of trying to turn pig’s heads into tasty treats, one taste of this face bacon was all that was needed to convince me it was worth trying to re-create.



Popular in Tuscany and Umbria, it can be used in place of pancetta in a whole raft of dishes or simply thinly sliced and enjoyed with a glass of something cold and alcoholic.

But whereas pancetta tends to be on the expensive side, because guanciale utilises a cut that is often thrown away, it is incredibly cheap, not to mention surprisingly easy to make.

In short, it is everything anyone could possibly desire from an item of charcuterie.

If that has done enough to whet your appetite for dipping an adventurous toe into the dark art of meat curing, here’s how to do it.

First procure yourself one or two pig’s noggins and remove the jowls starting below the chin and, keeping as close to the jawbone as possible, working your way up until just underneath the eye socket.



[If this is too much, you could just order them ready trimmed from your friendly neighbourhood butcher]

This is a dry curing process (as opposed to making a brine) so mix together 200g of fine sea salt and 200g of dark brown sugar and add 10 crushed peppercorns, a couple of crushed cloves, a small handful of very finely chopped rosemary and a pinch of saltpetre.

Rub this mixture into both sides of the cheeks then pour a thin layer of it into a plastic container (make sure it has a lid). Pack the cheeks in and cover with a little more of the cure mix. Pop the lid on the box then put it in the fridge for 24-48 hours.



Commence thumb twiddling.

When you next come back to them, the cheeks should be swimming in a liquid that feels a lot like wet sand. This is water that has leached out of the cheeks (see, they look a bit smaller). Pour this off, repeat the salting process, replace them in the box and leave for another five days.

After a week they should be ready for drying. Remove them from the salt, rub them with a dry cloth and attach some butcher’s string to the thin end. Hang them in a cool place (no warmer than 18 degrees) for three weeks and hope to Buddha that they don’t fall prey to many of the potential pitfalls that could destroy them.



Re-commence thumb-twiddling or alternatively keep your fingers crossed so darn tight it begins to hurt.

Results to follow soon. In the mean time, how about saying 'Hi' on Twitter?

menggila seminggu before exam

Haa udah lama gak nulis blog pake bindoo hehe. Oke then mau cerita2 kegilaan bareng anak2 class of Bachelor Business Management (BBM) mnggu lalu! Dimana kita menggilaa! hehe. 
Pertama, senin itu pas seminggu sebelum exam. AKHIRNYA assignment yang paliiing susaah selesaai! Business Computing! Haaaaaaa horaaay! Gara2 assignment ini loh yg bikin stress bgt. Senin itu pas 23 November, semua anak2 dikelas presentasi dan of course kita pake formal dress donk.. so no hotpants n t-shirt seperti hari2 biasa :p


wajah cerianya anak2 habis presentasi! leganyaaa! haaaahh




my style hehe :p



indonesian VS botswana.. kalah body ne... mereka hot abiis haha



ini malaysia VS indonesia.. indry sandalnya gak banget... org2 pake highhels eh dy pake crocs... haha

terusss kita ketemu Adam ma Nick lagi jalan, kita stop aja mereka foto2 sambil ngajakin lunch bareng... huakakak



trace-leny-indry-felly-adam-thato-nicholas-anty-nanda

Okke habis ituu kita mau celebration selesainya presentasi kita sambil lunch bareng! asiik. rame2. karena lagi rame2, kita butuh meja besar, dan kita pergi ke Medan Selera deh rame2, nama foodcourt yang deket campus. go by walk! :D



leny, felly and anty lagi jalan ke foodcourt


Terus kita sampe deh di Medan Selera foodcort! Makan2 deeh!




ayook makan... :D


the guys lagi sibuk chitchat nah felly ma leny ngapain tuh?


akhirnya makanannya habiss kenyaang! liat deh meja kita berantakan banget haha XDD *yg lain kemana tuh*

Habis makan. Smuanya pada malas pulang rumah. Nekat aja pergi nonton. hehehe. Ini sminggu sebelum exam loo. Tugas yg duedatenya lusa belum disentuh sama sekali. haha XDD
Kita ke sunway pyramid deeh (mall terdekat dari kampus) :D



Sunway Pyramid


Sampe disana kita re-watch 2012. Tapi karena showtimenya masih lama, kita pergi main! hahaa. Parah banget ci pake formal pake highheels kayak kantoran malah pergi main di playground! :p



Dance Dance Revolution! :p



hyper something2. gak tau nama gamenya apa :p



waaaah biasa aja donk maennya... XDD


mario kart . kata anak2 im a bad driver :D




kostumnya gak nyambung! haha xp

Oke cape main. Kita laper lagi. Jadinya kita pergi makan di A&W. Makan teruuus. Makan wafel, onion ring curly fries. Banyaaak deeh




Oke. Selesai. Kita pergi nonton 2012 terus pulang deh! Ngerjain assignment. 
Bye Bye :p