Friday, March 12, 2010

Kerendahan Hati

Kalau engkau tak mampu menjadi beringin yang tegak di puncak bukit
Jadilah belukar, tetapi belukar yang baik,yang tumbuh di tepi danau

Kalau kamu tak sanggup menjadi belukar,
Jadilah saja rumput, tetapi rumput yang memperkuat tanggul pinggiran jalan

Kalau engkau tak mampu menjadi jalan raya
Jadilah saja jalan kecil, Tetapi jalan setapak yang Membawa orang ke mata air

Tidaklah semua menjadi kapten tentu harus ada awak kapalnya….
Bukan besar kecilnya tugas yang menjadikan tinggi rendahnya nilai dirimu
Jadilah saja dirimu….Sebaik-baiknya dari dirimu sendiri..

By: Taufiq Ismail

oooooo ilang deh

13 maret 2010, sabtu

Udah dicari kemana2 ga ketemu itu digi camera gw...emang kameranya mungil banget, ga tau keselip dimana, ato jatoh ilang, gw masih ga ngerti dah...uh, pdahal biasanya selalu gw taroh di tas, kalo mo foto2 PR ato uplod ke kompie baru dah gw keluarin..
nah lho bisa ilang??????????????????
gimana gw mo foto PR brikut ya????
mo minta dana dari laki gw, dia belom bilang ok, bilangnya cari dulu......uh uda gubek2 sono sini mpe bongkar maenan, bongkar lemari...bongkar tas..ga adaaa
help help helps

Atlanta rallies behind Miller Union

March 12

In this blog’s latest poll, which ended last Sunday, readers voted on their choice for best new restaurant of 2009 from the list of semi-finalists released by the James Beard Foundation.

It’s a pretty long list — 31 names — but only 11 of them got votes from Food Writer's Diary readers, and almost all of the 74 votes cast were for Miller Union in Atlanta.

The final tally's below. The full list of Beard Foundation semifinalists can be found here.

In other blog-related news, my experiment to see if my blog would attract more readers if I mentioned Sarah Palin showed that no, in fact, my readers don’t care about Sarah Palin and mentioning her in my blog didn’t attract any new readers. That’s good to know.

Sorry I’ve been such a lazy blogger of late, but I have some fascinating entries in store that I hope you’ll enjoy. You’ll see them soon.

Until then, those poll results I promised you:

WHICH OF THESE BEARD FOUNDATION NOMINEES FOR BEST NEW RESTAURANT WOULD YOU PICK?

Miller Union, Atlanta: 61 (82%)
Marea, New York City: 3 (4%)
Ping, Portland, Ore.: 2 (2%)
A Mano, New Orleans: 1 (1%)
Bibou, Philadelphia: 1 (1%)
Bluebird Tavern, Burlington, Vt.: 1 (1%)
Eos at Viceroy, Miami: 1 (1%)
Koo Zee Doo, Philadelphia: 1 (1%)
Locanda Verde, New York City 1 (1%)
Sage at Aria Resort & Casino, Las Vegas: 1 (1%)
Trummer’s on Main, Clifton, Va.: 1 (1%)

Scottish Game Pie with Roasted Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

View from Glen Branter Forestry PathThe beautiful, sparsely populated areas of Scotland means that Scotland has a very wide range of wild game to choose from. Everywhere from Glen Branter (pictured right) in beautiful Argyll, to the stunning heart of Scotland in Perthshire, to the rugged majesty of the Highlands and more, wild game from pheasant and grouse to the magical red deer can be found aplenty. Most Scottish Game Pie Recipes will include a mixture of the different types of game. My recipe featured and pictured below, however, includes only my own personal favourite: venison.

It is worth pointing out, perhaps, that venison is a word which can actually cause a little bit of confusion on a planetary scale. The word venison is - by literal definition - a generic term, used to apply to the meat of many related mammals such as deer, elk and caribou. (I almost included moose as an example in the previous sentence, before I realised that could really confuse matters as, to many Scots, a "Moose," is a mouse - most definitely not a form of venison!) In Scotland and indeed throughout the UK, however, venison and deer meat will almost always be considered to be synonymous.

This recipe for two people is in no way difficult to prepare but the length of time required to do so is due to the long, slow cooking time required by the venison.

Ingredients

3/4lb diced venison haunch
1/2 medium sized onion (roughly chopped)
6 button mushrooms (halved down through centre)
5oz puff pastry
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 pints fresh beef stock (No, I never get tired of saying it: none of those disgusting little chemical cubes!)
3 large potatoes
14 to 16 Brussels Sprouts
Pinch of nutmeg
Butter
Salt and pepper
A little milk for glazing the pie
Sunflower oil for deep frying

Method

The first step is to cook the venison. Wash any excess blood off it and dry the meat with kitchen towel. Put it in to a large pot along with the onion and brown it over a high heat, stirring continously with a wooden spoon. Add the beef stock (pre-heated) and the thyme and simmer for two to two and a half hours until the venison is tender. The liquid may very well require to be topped up at some point during this period and simple boiling water may be used. The mushrooms should be added at the end of the simmering period, stirred through, the pot covered and the meat allowed to cool.

The oven should be put on to pre-heat to 200C or equivalent. The venison, vegetables and stock should then be transferred to an appropriate pie dish. The pastry should be rolled out to a thickness of between an eighth and a quarter of an inch and placed carefully on top, taking care to seal the edges. The pie should then be glazed with a little milk and a couple of slits made in the top to allow steam to escape during cooking. The pie should be placed in to the hot oven for thrity-five, to forty minutes, until beautifully golden brown.

The potatoes should be peeled, chopped and boiled in salted water for fifteen minutes. After which time, they should be thoroughly drained and added to hot oil for a further ten minutes, until crisp and golden.

The Brussels sprouts should be cleaned and simmered in boiling water for no more than eight to ten minutes, depending on the size of the sprouts. Any longer will see them over-cooked and soggy. One of the main reasons why children don't like Brussels sprouts is that they are forced to eat them in this distasteful fashion. When the Brussels sprouts are thus cooked, they should be drained before being returned to the pot and swirled in a little butter and a pinch of ground nutmeg.

This delicious Scottish Game Pie with roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts may thereafter be plated up and served, as shown below.

Scottish Game Pie with Roasted Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Would you like to find out more about Wild Game and Wild Game Recipes?

There are presently two excellent books available on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk featuring lots of great information on everything from how to clean wild game, to how to cook it, to some great recipe suggestions. For your convenience, I have linked to both of them with handy Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk panels below.

Massaman Beef Curry

  
  
Massaman curry is a sweeter curry from muslim southern Thailand.  That's not to say that it is sweet, and indeed it is based upon red chilis like its red and yellow curry cousins.  But it does use many of the spice that came to it through Muslim traders from India, the Middle East and the Spice Islands.  Thus, massaman curry includes red chilis, lemon grass, garlic and ginger, but also includes cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and cloves.  A massaman curry dish will also usually include peanuts and potatoes not traditionally found in other Thai dishes.  The other evening out at a local restaurant I had a lamb massman curry and the flavors paired wonderfully.  For my home version with the recipe below from The Food of Thailand: A Journey for Food Lovers I paired beef strips, which is the traditional serving.  I used fajita strips already cut and packaged from the store.  Pair with rice for a stimulating  change of pace.  Serves 2.
   
Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp massaman curry paste
1 lb beef strips  
1 can coconut milk
1 cup beef stock
2 potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 piece of ginger, shredded
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp palm (or brown) sugar
1/2 cup peanuts
3 tbsp tamarind puree
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
10 cardamon seeds (if available)
    
Directions:
In a deep saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Stir-fry the curry paste a couple of minutes to release the flavors.  Add the beef to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Add the coconut milk, stock, potatoes, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, peanuts, tamarind puree and spices.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes.  Uncover and cook down further if a thicker consistency is desired.  Serve over rice.
    

Interview: Elin Jönsson (Elinkan), the sweetest perfection.

All of you know that I simply adore Elin. I've been following her for about two years and thanks to her, I'm in love with her country just a little bit more with every entry, making me wish that the time for moving into Sweden (one of my dreams) arrives soon. I'm in love with dreams, and she makes me dream more and more everytime I visit her blog. I'm in love with her lovely smile, the one that makes me smile too.

Elin shows us the simple and lovely things of life, adorning her post with beautiful pictures that normally makes her look like a lovely fairy, and the world around her looks like an enchanted dream.

I had the pleasure of ask Elin some questions about her, so we can all know her a little bit better, and she has responded me in that magic way that she do things ... so ...

Who's Elin?




Q: So, first of all, could you please tell us who you are and a brief description of you?
A: My name is Elin, and I live in a tiny apartment with my boyfriend in Ystad, Sweden. I like pretty dresses, Alice in Wonderland and photographing.

Q: What do you do? What do you like to dedicate? 
A: Well, I try to blog as much as I can, and I also work as an insurance salesman.

Q: Can you talk a little about your interests? 
A: As I mentioned I like to photograph a lot, and because I'm an amateur photographer I'm always trying to learn new tecniques, and new ways to use my camera. Also, I like to go shopping, especially at vintage shops and big flea markets!


 Q: Tell us a book, an album and a movie without which you could not live. 
A:  For a book,  Alice in Wonderland. That book just makes my imagination go crazy, and if I could choose the whole world would be a bit more magical, you know, with talking rabbits and weird laughing cats. For an album; I must say "The Life Pursuit" by Belle and Sebastian, because I can listen to the songs on and on, and they always make me feel calm and happy. I would describe the feeling like sitting below a giant rainbow with soft sunshine in your face. And a movie... I have so many to choose from in this category, since there's lots of movies I like, but a couple of my favourites are The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Wall-E, My Neighbor Totoro, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain...

 Elin walking into Wonderland...

Q: Oh yes, I love almots all those movies too!... so... Would you share with us a memory that makes you smile?
A: Of course! There was one time, about six months ago, when Joakim and I helped two of our friends move into their apartment. When you enter the building there's this wooden door with a big window in the centre, and when I ran towards it to open it and get into the building I tripped on something and fell right into the glass door. I was quite chocked by the whole thing, and fortunately the door didn't broke, but they said that I looked like a cat jumping into a window and just sliding down towards the ground.

Q: And any favorite quote?
A: More is more.

Q: Now a little bit about fashion... At what age did your get interested in the fashion world? 
A: Maybe when I was 16 or something.

Q: Could you explain us a bit what has been the evolution of your image? 
A: I just wear what I like, and that of course depends on weather, what mood I'm in or maybe what I feel inspired by.

Q: How would you describe your actual style? 
A: Fun and playful.

 Q: What inspire you in choosing your clothes? Do you follow a pattern to match your clothes or just choose randomly? 
A: I have some favourite combinations, but I try to vary them.

Q:  Where do you usually get your clothes? Do you customize or sew any garment to you? 
A: I mostly get them at H&M, Topshop and from vintage shops. Sometimes I make my own dresses and skirts, and sometimes I just remake old clothes.

Q: Have you got any special obsession (like shoes, bows, skirts...)? 
A: I really like lipstick. A great lipstick can make a whole ouftit wonderful.



Q: And now about blogging... When and why did you decide to start writing a blog? 
A: I think it was in my second year of high school. I did it because I wanted to inspire others like they inspire me!

Q: That's really beautiful... What do you want to express with your blog? Do you think it adds anything to the people who read it? 
A: I want to inspire, and I want my blog to be a blog that I would like to read.



Q: What do you feel when someone says you are his/her inspiration? What would you say to those people?
A: I'm just grateful that they feel that way, it's feels good to make people feel inspired, because I love the feeling of it myself.

Q: Tell us a tip for your readers... 
A: In life, just do what you think feels right, but never forget to have fun!

I think that's a very good tip for everything in our lifes... Thank you so much Elin! I hope you'd keep inspiring us for a long time... well, you always inspire me!!

All pictures are taken from Elin's Flickr. 



Did you enjoy the interview? Who'd you like to read an interview here? I accept suggestions!