Tuesday, December 22, 2009

16 questions...

Hi everybody!

It's 6 am in the morning and I can't sleep, argh! Today, I'm travelling by car to my home, Algeciras... coming back home for Christmas! But I want to leave you this lovely questionary I borrowed from Sandra's blog... hope you'll enjoy it!

Where in the world would you most like to be you right now?

Sweden!

Who would you be if you where a completely different person?

Scarlet O'Hara

What capacity would you like to possess?

 
Being able to know how things works (as Sylar, but not killing, hahaha)

What name is the most beautiful name you know?


Cassandra/Cassie (maybe because the character from "Skins" made me love this name)

Which is the best word that exist?


Ochrasy (is a word made up by Björn Dixgard from Mando Diao, that describes the hours between the end of a gig and sunrise, a bleak, bleary world of late night and bars full of strange characters)..

What is most important that you have time to do before you just dust?

Being happy.

What story is your absolute favorite?

Peter Pan

If you only had to eat one thing for the rest of your life what would you choose?

Sake sushi!!

If you only had to dress in a color the rest of your life what would you choose?

At this moment, I'm crazy, so I think it would be yellow!

If you only had to listen to a single track in the rest of your life what would you choose?

Pennies from The Smashing Pumpkins

If you just had to see a single film in the rest of your life what would you choose?

Girl, Interrupted.

If you only had to buy a single thing to what would you choose then?

An old house.

How many skirts do you own?

So many that I don't know XD

Wich language is the most beautiful you know?

Swedish!

What book is on your bedside table right now?

Farewell my concubine and Zombi: A guide for survive.

Which season do you like best?

Autumn

Have a good day!

Cheesey Buns






A simple breakfast dish. Prepare some hardboiled eggs the night before. Have some cheese handy (mozarella for the texture, with some aged cheddar for some cheesy goodness) along with nice soft buns or rolls.

Next morning, slice the eggs using an egg slicer (available at most stores). Slice the buns, toss in some egg slices and a bit of cheese. Pop the stuffed buns in the oven for 2 minutes at 110 degrees Celsius or unit the cheese melts. Remove, add ketchup before consuming!

Voila! Simple sumptious breakfast!

Home Made Chicken Stock

All the while, cook shows talk about 'Chicken Stock' or 'Beef Stock' and stores have 'Real Chicken Stock' on their shelves. Often I wondered how the real deal tastes like. Here's how to make your own.

This recipe has been modified a bit to suit Asian dishes. This neutrality in flavour is important so that the stock can be used in Asian dishes.

Recipe:
Leftover chicken bones from 1 chicken (preferably from a roast; if raw, cook in a pan with salt and pepper)
1 or 2 sticks of Celery
2 large Onions
2 or 3 large Tomatoes
1 or 2 Carrots
12 Peppercorns, cracked
A generous pinch of salt
Around 4 litres of water, when filled to top of pot

Recommended Equipment:
5L Thermal Cooker Pot

Note that usually chicken stock would contain parsley and a bay leave, which have been omitted here. The absence of these 2 herbs allows the stock to be adapted for Chinese dishes later.


Fill the pot to simmer all the vegetables. There's no need to fill the pot to the brim as the stock is meant to be concentrated. It is also a lot quicker to heat the pot this way. Typically, the stock is boiled for around 6 hours. I have a trick up my sleeves to keep this hassle free!

Tip Alert! [Boil stock in Thermal pot, and leave it over night. Reboil it in the morning before heading off to work. When you return at night, the stock would be as good as after a 6 hour continuous boil!]

After 6 hours or overnight when using my thermal pot trick, use a masher to crush the vegetables. This is to get every drop of goodness from the vegetables. The chicken bones would have boiled themselves into an unrecognizable pile anyways.

No point saving the leftovers as they do not have much nutritional value any more. Everything is in the stock now! Strain the stock and discard the leftovers. And voila, Home Made Chicken Stock.

Alternative Alert! [Alternatively, you can use beef bones. Lamb and fish bones leave an undesirable smell, which limits their versatility.]

Alternative Alert! [Vegetable stock would require more vegetables, especially root vegetables such as turnips, parsnips or carrots as these guys pack a lot of flavour. Throw in some leftover vegetables such as the thick stems which can be consumed. These parts have even more flavour!]

The stock can be used for risotto, pasta, soup base, gravy, stews and more for Western dishes! For Chinese dishes, the stock can be used for noodles, soup base and sauces for stir fries!

Total time:
6 hours, or
Overnight using Thermal Pot

Longevity:
Refrigerates for 5 days before requiring reboiling
Freezes for 3 weeks


 

Fried Rice with Shredded Chicken

Crowd Pleaser

So, I did a lot of baking today. Three different types of cookies, all new recipes (from Martha's Cookie book). All three turned out amazing and I'm planning to make more of each in the next couple of days. But I also made something else which has pretty much become my go-to Christmas standby year after year so we're going to talk about that first.

Like the Taco Dip, this Saltine Cracker Toffee is something that I just can't seem to avoid every Christmas. It's also not exactly an original recipe (you can find hundreds of versions online) but I suppose I can be credited with having discovered it before the rest of my friends and family years ago so it's become sort of "mine"; and as much as I love trying out new recipes each Christmas, I know that even if every other batch is a flop the Toffee will be there as my backup, and regardless will be the clear favourite in everyone's Christmas baskets. It's easy, insanely addicting and has a whole lot of butter. Plus, it's an interesting point of conversation as no one will believe there are CRACKERS in this stuff. There really are - and they are the key to what makes the Toffee soooo good. Salty and sweet never tasted so good.


Saltine
Cracker Toffee
1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 sleeve saltine crackers*
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips**
3/4 cups chopped almonds, pecans or whatever other nut/topping you desire


* (SALTED. Do not, under any circumstances use unsalted crackers. It will seriously ruin the Toffee)

** Now, I know there is a lot of fancy chocolate out there these days. But I really find with standbys like this they really just taste best with good old Chipits or Hershey chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit, or 175 degrees Celsius

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. You can also be a risk-taker and try using aluminum foil or heavily greasing the pan, but don't call me when you're trying to chip toffee out of the pan or eating foil. The first time I tried this on a Silpat I almost cried I was so happy about how the toffee practically came off the pan in one piece. I actually tried parchment paper for the first time this year and it was even better. Line cookie sheet with crackers in one layer, making sure none overlap and edges are as close together as possible. This may involve cutting some crackers in half to make it fit.

2. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a small pot or saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil for about three minutes (it should have turned a light caramel colour and will be bubbling up quite a bit)

3. Pour butter/sugar mixture over crackers and spread evenly with a spoon. Don't worry about getting it perfectly smooth or over every cracker bit, the mixture will continue to spread and even out in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until bubbly.

4. Place cookie sheet on a cooling rack and add chocolate chips. Wait about 5 minutes, and then spread the now-melted chocolate chips over the toffee layer. Sprinkle evenly with chopped almonds or nuts.

5. Cool until solid in the fridge, freezer or garage (assuming it is winter and you live somewhere with four seasons). Probably about a half hour. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Curry Fish




An attempt at Indian fish curry. A torrential downpour was taking place outside and the only way I could get some good curry was to make it at home. This is my first try at Indian fish curry! I just followed the instructions on the spice pack but added a few twists!

Club Sandwich


French bread is very versatile and one of my favourite breads. Used here is a whole wheat baton. The baton is sliced down the center. Tomatoe slices are inserted, together with a piece of ham and slices of mozarella (my favourite cheese!). Baked at 110 degrees celsius for 2 minutes or unit the cheese melts. Add ketchup and serve!

Fettucine Bolognaise with Clear Chicken Soup


This recipe is the classic pasta with bolognaise sauce. Instead of spaggetti, fettucine is used. The bolognaise uses pork instead of minced beef. (This is a bit of a misnomer as bolognaise is usually associated with beef, and there is no beef in this recipe!) More on this recipe to come...

The soup is made from my home made Chicken Stock, diluted and boild with tomatoes, carrots and served with lettuce and chives.

Christmas Scrooge

I have no excuses for not doing any posts in December other than I tried unsuccessfully to pause time for a day so I can play catch up and do the things that I want to get done. I do have some recipes that I want to post after Christmas is done, including Mom's chocolate truffle balls, but I just have to get through the next few days. To make up for the Scrooge-like attitude with no posts, I will be doing a give away. Stay tuned for the prizes!
I did want to take this opportunity to say Merry Christmas and through all the hustle and bustle of the season, I hope you can still feel the Christmas Spirit!
Love to you all!
~Deb

H A P P Y



one word = H A P P Y.
one word = A L H A M D U L I L A H
terima kasih tuhan. sungguh. aku berterima kasih.
at least, masih terukir senyuman utkku di saat - saat yg memenatkan ini. =]



Jika kau dapat memahami hati seorang perindu
Baru kau tahu derita hatiku
Jika suatu hari nanti giliran kau merindu
Baru kau ingat derita diriku
Segala yang berlaku bukan kemahuanku
Apa gunanya bahgia
Jikalau bahagia bersamamu hanyalah untuk sementara waktu
Aku pilih derita merinduimu

- ahli fiqir





me + BH. bintang hati.





i was in the car just now. zaid SMS. sesetgh SMS telah ter-delete. so ni half of them.

zaid ; hai aqilah.. aqilah dh mkn? aqilah sht? aqilah ade kelas esk? aqilah free x esk? hahahaha
me ; hye. da mkn. sehat. x de class.. nape weyh? (lain mcm pnye gedik je cara ko msg aku.. haha)
zaid ; waaa..bgs2..g mid jom esk..tgk avatar..ke ko dah tgk?
me ; da tgk aa.. setelah sebln lbeyh x tgk movie.. huu. sape lg? akak ipar? haha..
zaid ; ceh..akak ipar x dpt dtg esk..shahli..hehehe
me ; ko tpu ar shahli! huu.. tpu tpu.
zaid ; ape? btl la..die msg ak td..no die baru blh gune
me ; ko biar btol.. ala. mesti die ajak ko sorang. kalo x lame da die msg aku.. x caye la. huu..
zaid ; aqilah,ini bkn cobaan ak utk ajak ko date..hahaha..ni,ak xtpu..shahli mmg ade..

*****

terbantut sebentar. ade phone call. no celcom. mcm familiar... hurm... angkt je lah!
grrr~ shahli. OMG. it's really him! wahahaha... i just cant stop laughing. ishhhh.
will be in Mlysia for a week of two. christmas holiday, not semester break.
i ignore all my cousins in the car. and, u know. i just cant stop smiling. thee.
talk 4 a while. and, i was so excited sampai die ckp ape pun, mcm blur2. koya gileee. haha.
ermmm... then terus call nora. call mama. and kma semua pon happy utk sy! haha.

*****

call mama.

me ; mama. i'm out of battery. 1 thing to tell u.
mama ; ape die?
me ; shahli call td! and nak jmpe die esok! thee.
mama ; wahhhhhhh. ye ke??? bestnye!!! kirim salam!!! pakai cantik2!!!
me ; hahahaha. baiklah mama. =]]





1 thing 4 sure. i never expected to meet u twice for this year. i thought, it would be only once.
but. u know, perhaps, god just knows better =]


sudahlah. ketepikan dulu segala dugaan yg mendtg. 12pm. mid valley. =]


Kaulah tanda tanya… kau tiada titik noktah
Ku dibuai mimpi lena dikejut igau semula



Tomato & Fennel Soup

It was getting cold. The sea had leaked through my wholly inadequate aging leather boots and a frustrating hunger was beginning to nibble away at my belly. I was most definitely on the edge of a full-on grump.



The GF was still taking pictures, seemingly keen to fill up the entire 8 googabytes of memory that her camera was capable of.


[photo credit]

‘Can you just get a shot of me taking a picture of this limpet?’ she asked, very sweetly, it must be said. I trudged over and snapped away, well aware that we’d left the car two miles away across decidedly swampy marshland. Lunchtime had been and gone and the kipper I’d eaten for breakfast but a distant memory apart from the occasional fishy burp. Even less pleasant than it sounds.

More photos for her magazine. I poked a few of the tenacious shellfish to pass the time, making a mental note to check HFW’s Fish Book later to see if they were edible (turns out that they are).

‘All done, come on, I’ll take you for something to eat at Badgers Tea House, it’s really good.’

Nod. Ok then. Trudge, trudge, trudge. the kitbag beginning to instil a niggling and deep ache in my shoulders.

The sight of the car was enough to lift the spirits, as was the promise of sandwiches, tea and cakes. But what really blew the fug away was Alfriston itself, a small but perfectly formed village in East Sussex, home to a quirky independent bookshop, numerous eateries and a village store that could have been yanked determinedly out of Edwardian England.

It was disconcertingly close to my own personal Elysium.

By the time we arrived at Badgers it was mid-afternoon and there was no way a sandwich would suffice. Something warm and hearty was required, stat, and the soup of the day seemed like the ideal option, despite the addition of fennel – a flavour I haven’t seen eye-to-eye with since discovering the debilitating effects of Pernod in my early teens.



Two bowls arrived, cauldron like, mine ‘garnished’ with a chunk of bread and a wedge of brie the size of a generous slice of pizza. It was delicious. A slightly jokey, but mostly serious request for the recipe was met with a frustratingly dismissive laugh and the words ‘Ooo, it’ll cost you, it’s top secret I’m afraid.’

The only disappointment of the meal (followed by tea and mince pies) was that this wasn’t mere banter. The recipe really was not forthcoming and there was no hastily scribbled list of ingredients on the back of the (very modest) bill.

But gosh darn it, I think I cracked it and I’ll be a little more open with the knowledge. Here you go. Merry Christmas.

Tomato and Fennel Soup



The fennel here is magical – it offers up none of its medicinal, aniseed qualities, merely backing up and boosting the rest of the flavours to the extent where you’d really notice if it was gone. A bit like a bass guitar. Ideal if, like me, you're not too keen on it of itself.

Makes lots.

Two small carrots, peeled and chooped
Two small onions, diced
A single rib of celery, diced
A fennel bulb, roughly chopped
Three tins of tomatoes
A litre of vegetable stock
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

In the manner of Gordon Ramsay: vegetables, olive oil: fry. Tomatoes. Stock. Simmer. 40 minutes.

Blend. Seasoning. Serve. Tomato and fennel soup with homemade bread and squidgy cheese? Done.

For more soupy secrets, follow me on Twitter

Its TIME TO GO BACK INDONESIAAAAAA


Well its been a while since my arrival in my lovely hometown, Makassar. But, now Makassar only the city where I need to arrive in. And of course my lovely hometown was Palopo! Sure! Yeaaah. For those readers I apologize because I just have time to update my blog due to no connection unless by mobile! Hahahaha :p


Last day on 11 December, I went back to my hometown with one of my schoolmates, Didit. Yeah he was from the same region with me.


One thing about my new pink luggage that filled up with The Tarik BOh! Hahaha. Lucky I bought up tp 20kg luggage! Because if I bought the 15kg, then I need to pay excessive fee. Okay then we departure from KL by 1pm something because the little shit of delay!! I was soo damn fucking boring in waiting room =_=. Then finally we head to Makassar. Well during the flight, weather was nice and friendly. SO no need to worry, I just playing around playing Sudoku and chitchat. I couldn’t  sleep bcs the cabin was damn fuckin noisy with the children screams and cries. Arrrrggggh. So annoying!! Sorry I didnt take any pic in this part because my phone and camera was low-battery that time :p


Arrive in Makassar, afternoon by 4.30pm something and guess what? The airport soo crowded with those people that pick up their family who just came back from doing their Hajj (moeslim pilgrimage).
My cousin, Pitti pick me up because my mom still in Palopo. In arrival, I separated from Didit. I go to basement to meet my cousin and Didit look up for his brother.


I found Pitti and we go back as well! Hoaahahhaa. From airport we went directly to Mie Titi Restaurant (well, that one is the thing I craved too much). Crazyyyy! But Im satisfied enough.
Well after that, I go home, and stay accompanied by my cousin. Then of course, take a rest and sleep a whole nite! Woahahahahah :p


Then WELCOME HOLIDAYYYY! :p


i hope :

  • i can stay with family happily till i go back
  • could gathering with all my friends
  • eat nice foods and make myself satisfied from all my cravings when i was in Malaysia
  • and never meet my ex with his 'new one', its gonna really weirdy hurt... hheheh

time, i need u more than u know.


hye. so here i am, at this boring starbucks again. well hey, i need some time alone 4 this very moment. well ppl. i'm tired. physically and mentally. i' m soooo bz, well, not really. but i'm. i wish that i have more than 24 hours a day. and, *sight* a lot of unpredictable, accidentally happened and some time i was thinking of giving it up. being totally selfish, and ignore others and just show not respect towards eldest. not at all.

fyi, i only slept for 3-4 hours per day for this 3-4 weeks. why? well hey. i could say, it's because of my exam, fmly, friends, etc. but hey, i've spent a lot of great time as well. yes i did. u know what's the main reason of me, being here? to get a good internet access to keep me blogging. ahah. yeah, i miss this mr bloggie. y mr? idk. i just love to call it mr bloggie. lalalalala~ owh perhaps, maybe, i was assuming mr bloggie as my bf. which is not, obviously.

btw. a lot of things happened. and, mostly were unplanned. hurmmm... ok. let see. let's start with 17th dec 2009, thursday. i've got a phone called from my collegemates, salmiza


her ; weyh. ko nak gi tak? hari ni?
me ; hari ni ke? kan baru rabu.
her ; khamis dah lah!
me ; ha. wait a minute! jap jap jap!!!! (jerit x ingt dunia)
(and i was looking at the calendar, pointing my fingers at... OMG. it's 17th, thursday)
me ; errr... sal. sorry. x kot. cousin aku 2 org ade. huu.


and yet. for the 1st time, i ever cooked chinese fried rice. hahahaha. well i know it's the simplest thing to cook, but, i've never try that. lauk biase, and nasi ke ape, blh. but nasi goreng? haha. i've never did that. wawawawa... and, so, i tried my best, using all the stuff we had in the kitchen, and yeay! i did it well!!! habis 1 kuali besar itu. mestilah bangga. =D


and so, i'll story bout last friday - sunday, later. i wanna tell bout yesterday. yes, 21st of december 2009. another day that shows, family does matter. ahah...


21st december 2009


i slept at 2am and woke up at almost 6am. did my last-minute-relaxing-study for both directing and broadcast journalism BJ paper. done with it around 730am, took my bath, and went straight 2 d college. so, had my BJ paper from 900am - 1130am. damn! the paper was not easy for me. well, others might think of the opposite of it. daa~ it's over.

1130am - 1pm = final project meeting with pn. zura. it's a next sem subj ppl. grrr~ and we've got a lot of things 2 b done b4 18th of jan 2010 - beginning of new sem.

1pm - 230pm = went straight to surau. solat. study. exam hall.

250pm - 550pm = directing paper. though, also. i left the exam hall around 5pm. took a ride with widae + salghee. thanks guys. really miss both u. my old-housemates. it's been a while since we last hang out 2gether.

500pm - 830pm = home sweet home. ate my so-so-late lunch, did my laundry, take a look at both merc and kembara, took my bath, solat etc.

830pm - 900pm = i was going to melawati with kak sally, to fetch asma + aisyah at su's house. and suddenly, auntie called, and asked us to take her to the GH general hospital a.k.a hosp besar kuala lumpur. lucky that she stays at kemensah. and lucky that, we're almost there.

900pm - almost 11pm = idk where the H is GH. i know those road, but i didn't know it was there! grrr... so i called so-call-best friend, afiq. and asked him the way 2 go there. kak sally was panic. so, she asked afiq to drive. owh yar, auntie sesak nafas. it was, all of sudden. and thats y we need 2 go to GH.

i was thinking of going to the nearer hosp - ampang pu3, pusrawi, etc. but auntie still wanted to go to GH. and FYI - i didn't bring both of my maxis hp. i only bring my celcom - which is my fmly hp. and, FYI, i only wore a pinky shirt of hello kitty + my flowerish pant. god! and a shawl, with no brooch or pin. grrr~ well, i thought we were only heading to su's house.

and then, kak sally sat at d back with auntie. while afiq drove kak sally's car. we're there and straight to emergency department. kak sally was with auntie, while me and afiq, we're searching over the whole hosp 4 a parking '-___- and then, we waited at the parking lot, under the tree, and he smoke, and we talked bout lots of thing.

11pm - 1130pm = for now, auntie was admitted there. and, still she is, and so, we went straight to melawati. sent afiq home. and went to su's house. fetched asma + aisyah + cik. straight to home. tired. yes i am.

12am = home sweet home. clean up the house 4 a while.

1am - 3am = was about to sleep. and, yeah, i was half-dead.

3am - 5am = kak sally woke me up. cik was awake too. and i was like? "what's now?" and she said, "hosp. Dr call" well. we were freaking nervous and arrived at the hosp to hear the dr said "dia meracau. dia ckp nak jmpa fmly" T__T i was very bery da tired ok. and stayed there 4 a while. until 5am, left cik there.

5am - 620am = arrived home around 530am. and slept at 620am just now. and, again, woke up at 830am. teh & fmly are here, they took aisyah and went straight to the hosp.


so... another day begin - today. 22nd of december 2009 T__T


see. i've told ya. i only sleep bout 4 hours, total. and so, as for today... 22nd of december 2009


cleaned up all the mess at home, with kak ngah's children at the house. ate my lunch around 12pm. and then, teh & others were home, and hungry. so, there i go, to the food court, and buy lots of foods and went home. solat, and here i am. starbucks. for some peace of mind. and to express everything, here. mr bloggie. u just dont know how much imy.

since i'm so bz. and so tired of every mess in life. i hope, there's some of u out there, will try 2 understand my situation. i' m sorry that i dont have enough time for every1. and that i cant always be that sweet-n-nice-neversayno girl. well, enough with that, i'm a human with a feeling too. stop thinking of being 24hours pampered by me. ok. cuz i can't always do that. tq

phew~ what a day. aite? so much more to catch up. that's all for now, so far.









btw.

afiq - tqvm for always being there. well, u know 100% bout muh fmly aite. tq again!
hawa - bby. be good. be cool. imy. ily. 4get bout those with the stupid behavior.
babe - be strong. like really strong. Allah, with us all the way.




shopping day with Linda

Its been a while after I didnt get along with Linda. Miss her so much! Finally last day in Malaysia, I go with her to shopping! Hahahaha.
We went to One Utama Shopping Mall, which is the nearest from her house. Of course I shop alot stuff for my brothers hehehee

me and linda


First I went to Thai to eat. Because me and Linda really damn hungry :p :p :p hahahaha

our food : tom yam fried rice and wrapped shrimp

always orange juice.. hahaha :p


After that I go shopping to buy my brothers a bag. Then I went to Quicksilver. I bought for my bro, Alidan n Alidan


shopping day! :p


One Utama's concept for Christmas is Crystal White Christmas!
Thats really nice! =)

amazed!











Tired from taking pictures, we feel HUNGRY AGAIN!! HUH? Hahahahah :p Then we go to waffle world and eat waffle, well im craving for waffle so much thats why I shud fulfill my desire. Hahahahahah XDD



my strawberry waffle



Linda's chocolate waffle

*FULL*
whoahahahahahhahaha


Due to my luggage is too small aka not enough to carry all the Teh Tarik, so I decide to buy a new one. Of course I bought bigger luggage with PINK color! hahahaha. But i didnt take the picture :p Maybe i'll upload later heheheh


Okay then, I go back home and Linda came along with me to help me pack my things!
Thanks Lindaa sayaang...
*Muaaaaachhh*