Monday, October 18, 2010
it's my last day being 20 :)
oh. before the number increase to 21, i would like to tell u... that i guess i'm totally growing up. CEHH. i mean yar, wiser, more independent, and look at the world in more different positive angle. like :)
yes, i did a lot of unexpected, unplanned things these few weeks. which is kinda good. i gain more experiences. yup. i'm quite bz. sikit je lah. budget mcm bz sgt. :P
by the way, to be honest, i almost forgot that 20102010 is tomorrow. and that's great. tak de la mcm dulu, esok nak birthday, hari ni muke ketat mcm pakai mask sbb pk esok mesti tak ada surprise. as usual, sbb semua org dah besar dah jauh2. HAHA. this year, not anymore :)
so. i'm going to Jalan Tar & Masjid Jamek this evening. need to accompany my mum. of course lah lepas sy tamat kerja kan. seronok! sbb lameee dah nak pergi, tp tak terpergi. PLUSS hujung2 bulan ni, poket nipis. oh insya Allah sy akan jual semula shawl hujung bulan ni. thee.
eh eh. tapi kan semlm tibe2 boss kasi cash few hundreds. sbb shooting hari tu utk 3days. and i btol2 tataw akan dpt cash. sbb yer lah it was a part of my job, then mmg tgh ta de duit sampai buat loan dgn FAMA (father & mther), then tibe2 dpt duit. more than enough. kan mcm, OH ME GOD, alhamdulilah :)
balik kampung kuantan pahang from 20th october - 24th october.
21st - buat ape2 yg patut 4 wedding preparation.
22nd - wedding rehearsal. jd pengepit. pengapit :P
23rd - kak lin's wedding day!
24th - going home. oh KL.
ok lah. itu saje update. nnt update bergmbr plak insya allah.
yes, i did a lot of unexpected, unplanned things these few weeks. which is kinda good. i gain more experiences. yup. i'm quite bz. sikit je lah. budget mcm bz sgt. :P
by the way, to be honest, i almost forgot that 20102010 is tomorrow. and that's great. tak de la mcm dulu, esok nak birthday, hari ni muke ketat mcm pakai mask sbb pk esok mesti tak ada surprise. as usual, sbb semua org dah besar dah jauh2. HAHA. this year, not anymore :)
so. i'm going to Jalan Tar & Masjid Jamek this evening. need to accompany my mum. of course lah lepas sy tamat kerja kan. seronok! sbb lameee dah nak pergi, tp tak terpergi. PLUSS hujung2 bulan ni, poket nipis. oh insya Allah sy akan jual semula shawl hujung bulan ni. thee.
eh eh. tapi kan semlm tibe2 boss kasi cash few hundreds. sbb shooting hari tu utk 3days. and i btol2 tataw akan dpt cash. sbb yer lah it was a part of my job, then mmg tgh ta de duit sampai buat loan dgn FAMA (father & mther), then tibe2 dpt duit. more than enough. kan mcm, OH ME GOD, alhamdulilah :)
by the way, for tomorrow, here's the plan.
- wake up at 6am.
- at the office around 7am.
- must be at Bukit Jalil at 8am.
- shootinggg until at least around 12-1pm. (half day)
- back to the office. going home.
- packed my stuff. then, BALIKKK KAMPUNGG.
- arrived Kuantan around 8pm-9pm (if gerak ptg)
then TAMAT dah 20102010.
then the next thing, i'm gonna be 21 years 1 day old :P
balik kampung kuantan pahang from 20th october - 24th october.
21st - buat ape2 yg patut 4 wedding preparation.
22nd - wedding rehearsal. jd pengepit. pengapit :P
23rd - kak lin's wedding day!
24th - going home. oh KL.
ok lah. itu saje update. nnt update bergmbr plak insya allah.
my life is totally fine without FB. *proud* :P
Weekend Food
My idea of a perfect Saturday goes something like this: hit the gym in the morning for a step or spin class, get sweaty and exhausted, come home, shower, go out for a nice lunch with Henry, run a few errands, wander around Whole Foods or Fresh Market to decide what's for dinner then come home and cook while watching the Food Network and/or old reruns of "The Sopranos." Exciting life, huh?
But that's when I enjoy my (crappy) kitchen most - when I can take my time and make what I feel like, as opposed to throwing together a quick weeknight dinner. In the case of this past Saturday, that meant crabcakes!
As usual, I got overly ambitious and decided to make a chocolate hazelnut pie as well (for an upcoming hazelnut blog post, stay tuned). Oops, but what happened to the pie crust dough I thought I had in the freezer? Oh wait - I threw it out a few weeks ago. That meant making and chilling a brand new batch and by the time I got the thing in the oven, it was almost 7:30. Oops, again.
So dinner may have been a little late that evening, but it was worth waiting for. I served those lovely crab cakes with silky mashed potatoes and lightly steamed baby carrots with butter and fresh dill. We polished off a bottle of Hendry rose, sat outside on our front porch and declared that we would definitely order this again.
These are the crabcakes we used to make when I worked at Watershed. It comes from Scott Peacock and the recipe is in his book with Edna Lewis, "The Gift of Southern Cooking." The quantities I use here are slightly different from the ones called for in his book, but this stretches the recipe a little bit and the results are equally as tasty (at least I think so). I always make the entire recipe which yields 12 crabcakes so I can keep some in my freezer. Then I can trot them out for a quick weeknight dinner or give myself a break from Saturday cooking and take a nap instead!
CRABCAKES
1 small loaf good quality bakery white bread, unsliced
1 pound lump crabmeat, carefully picked over
1 medium onion (preferably Vidalia), finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced then minced
Juice of 1 lemon
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and ground cayenne to taste
3 T. vegetable or canola oil
1 T. unsalted butter
Trim crusts from bread and cut bread into 1-inch chunks. Place on a baking sheet in one layer and bake in an oven preheated to 350-degrees for 15-20 minutes until just golden, turning once. Set aside to cool, then grind to fine crumbs in a food processor. Measure out 2 cups and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the crabmeat, chopped onion, minced scallions, lemon juice, eggs and butter. Stir in the reserved 2 cups of bread crumbs. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix lightly with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated but do not overhandle.
Scoop out mixture and form lightly into cakes. (I used a 2 1/2 oz. ice cream scoop for this). Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
In a large saute pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. When pan is hot, add desired number of crabcakes and cook until just golden on one side (about 4 minutes) then turn and brown on the other side. Serve immediately with lots of lemon wedges and (my recommendation) mashed potatoes.
Yield: 12 crabcakes
As I mentioned, you can freeze any crabcakes you don't use for another time. Same goes for the bread crumbs - keep them in a ZipLoc bag in your freezer and use them as needed for other dishes.
But that's when I enjoy my (crappy) kitchen most - when I can take my time and make what I feel like, as opposed to throwing together a quick weeknight dinner. In the case of this past Saturday, that meant crabcakes!
As usual, I got overly ambitious and decided to make a chocolate hazelnut pie as well (for an upcoming hazelnut blog post, stay tuned). Oops, but what happened to the pie crust dough I thought I had in the freezer? Oh wait - I threw it out a few weeks ago. That meant making and chilling a brand new batch and by the time I got the thing in the oven, it was almost 7:30. Oops, again.
So dinner may have been a little late that evening, but it was worth waiting for. I served those lovely crab cakes with silky mashed potatoes and lightly steamed baby carrots with butter and fresh dill. We polished off a bottle of Hendry rose, sat outside on our front porch and declared that we would definitely order this again.
These are the crabcakes we used to make when I worked at Watershed. It comes from Scott Peacock and the recipe is in his book with Edna Lewis, "The Gift of Southern Cooking." The quantities I use here are slightly different from the ones called for in his book, but this stretches the recipe a little bit and the results are equally as tasty (at least I think so). I always make the entire recipe which yields 12 crabcakes so I can keep some in my freezer. Then I can trot them out for a quick weeknight dinner or give myself a break from Saturday cooking and take a nap instead!
CRABCAKES
1 small loaf good quality bakery white bread, unsliced
1 pound lump crabmeat, carefully picked over
1 medium onion (preferably Vidalia), finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced then minced
Juice of 1 lemon
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and ground cayenne to taste
3 T. vegetable or canola oil
1 T. unsalted butter
In a large bowl, combine the crabmeat, chopped onion, minced scallions, lemon juice, eggs and butter. Stir in the reserved 2 cups of bread crumbs. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix lightly with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated but do not overhandle.
In a large saute pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. When pan is hot, add desired number of crabcakes and cook until just golden on one side (about 4 minutes) then turn and brown on the other side. Serve immediately with lots of lemon wedges and (my recommendation) mashed potatoes.
As I mentioned, you can freeze any crabcakes you don't use for another time. Same goes for the bread crumbs - keep them in a ZipLoc bag in your freezer and use them as needed for other dishes.
Art is the weapon (Na na na)
Today I feel obsessed with the niew single of My Chemical Romance. Even at We ♥ Redheads I've posted about Gerard Way's new look. But the truth is that I cannot stop listening to their new single (the first one of their new work) and the sentence that gives the title to this post.
Art is the weapon. I think that on these days full of doubts, where you don't know what's gonna happen with you and your life... art is the weapon. I mean, you need to take out all the shit inside you; maybe writting, singing, sewing, drawing...
I passed my monday re-writting my cv again, and makig a list wich the places I must visit tomorrow for leaving it. And making plans of future, if everything goes right. And singing, yes, singing almost all the day MCR's song and listening to bands the I used to listened all the time when I was 15 years old.
Life as a sympton. That makes me think about my actual life and the life I want to live. And I don't know if I'm on the right way, but I'm trying to find it and fight for my dream, of course. Maybe I'm on the wrong way, maybe not; but I don't want to feel my life as a sympton. Life must be bright and full of energy, with good and bad experiences. It's not a disease, it's a path that we all must walk, as dead.
And I guess if in this world, full of injustice and false people, full of selfish and shit... is there any place for art? Oh, creative people, where are you ad why do you hide?
I'm not talking only about art; I'm talking about everything related with art. Music, fashion... where did all the originality go? I know it must be somewhere, and for those who sounds arrogant today when they talk about their future... remember: everyone who won, at first, seemed arrogant.
And why I'm telling you this, you may ask? Art as a weapon. We want a revolution, and we want it NOW, YOU DAMNED!! Creative people, join all together and make some noise! Here we're starting with this, one of the "news" that I told you a couple of weeks ago:
I'm writting in this issue an article about vintage fashion. And we'll do more and better for the next number. Take a look. Give us your opinion. Make some noise. Lot of noise, indeed.
It's time for singing aloud "Na na na". We want you to hear us; you, who think that you're better than us.
Oh, kiss me, animal!
PS: I love when music makes me think nonsense things like this... but full of sense at the same time.
Art is the weapon. I think that on these days full of doubts, where you don't know what's gonna happen with you and your life... art is the weapon. I mean, you need to take out all the shit inside you; maybe writting, singing, sewing, drawing...
I passed my monday re-writting my cv again, and makig a list wich the places I must visit tomorrow for leaving it. And making plans of future, if everything goes right. And singing, yes, singing almost all the day MCR's song and listening to bands the I used to listened all the time when I was 15 years old.
Life as a sympton. That makes me think about my actual life and the life I want to live. And I don't know if I'm on the right way, but I'm trying to find it and fight for my dream, of course. Maybe I'm on the wrong way, maybe not; but I don't want to feel my life as a sympton. Life must be bright and full of energy, with good and bad experiences. It's not a disease, it's a path that we all must walk, as dead.
And I guess if in this world, full of injustice and false people, full of selfish and shit... is there any place for art? Oh, creative people, where are you ad why do you hide?
I'm not talking only about art; I'm talking about everything related with art. Music, fashion... where did all the originality go? I know it must be somewhere, and for those who sounds arrogant today when they talk about their future... remember: everyone who won, at first, seemed arrogant.
And why I'm telling you this, you may ask? Art as a weapon. We want a revolution, and we want it NOW, YOU DAMNED!! Creative people, join all together and make some noise! Here we're starting with this, one of the "news" that I told you a couple of weeks ago:
I'm writting in this issue an article about vintage fashion. And we'll do more and better for the next number. Take a look. Give us your opinion. Make some noise. Lot of noise, indeed.
It's time for singing aloud "Na na na". We want you to hear us; you, who think that you're better than us.
Oh, kiss me, animal!
PS: I love when music makes me think nonsense things like this... but full of sense at the same time.
Honey Roasted Chicken Wings and Vegetables
There are certain nights when we just can not face spending a great deal of time preparing dinner. We may have had a really hard day and just want to stick something in the oven to cook while we flop down in front of the TV, perhaps with a relaxing drink. The temptation in such instances is that we resort to microwaveable meals or similar and that the idea of home cooking
is abandoned for the evening.While nights such as these are often unavoidable, it does not mean that we have to forego our healthy, home-cooked evening meal. This honey roasted chicken wings
and vegetables dish requires next to no preparation before it is stuck in the oven to cook, while you enjoy some well earned rest and relaxation.
Ingredients for Two People
12 chicken wings
6 small to medium potatoes
2 small red bell peppers
or one normal size1 medium white onion
2 tbsp liquid honey
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
The oven should be put on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.
The potatoes should be washed but not peeled. They should each then be chopped in half. The bell pepper(s) should be de-seeded and roughly chopped, while the onion is peeled and quartered.
The olive oil should be added to a large baking tray, the chicken wings arranged as shown and the vegetables scattered around them alternately. The items should be liberally seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper before the honey is drizzled evenly across the top. The tray should be put in to the oven for fifty minutes to an hour, depending upon how well browned you want your chicken wings to be.
When the cooking time has elapsed, the tray should be removed from the oven and the wings and vegetables divided evenly between two warmed plates.
Apple Curry Crab Cakes
Sometimes opposites do attract. Many of our fall dishes are warm and comforting. Root vegetables or squash lend themselves to roasting and baking. The chill in the air lends itself to oven cooked meals, casseroles, ragus. Autumn's apples around here come from the mountain valleys, which make me think of game, rustic and wild. But it doesn't have to be that way when selecting recipes to use fall's harvest. Opposite tastes, like cool, crisp, fresh tastes normally associated with the summer, can also pair well with apples. This dish plays on that by incorporating apples into crab cakes. Geographically, these are opposite ingredients. Local apples here come from the cooler terrain to the west near Virginia's Blue Ridge and the Shenandoah Valley. Crabs come from the east and the Chesapeake Bay. Even farther to the east come curry spices, and the cool taste of cilantro. Isn't going in opposite directions why we travel, to take our lives temporarily to a different place, break ourselves from our routines, the known and comfortable? This recipe from Food and Wine may be a break from your fall repertoire, but use it to take your fall apple harvest in a new direction. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp creme fraiche
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chives, snipped
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, mined
1 tbsp tarragon, minced
2 apples, such as Granny Smith with 1 cut into thin matchsticks and one diced to produce 1/2 a cup of diced apple
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 lb lump crab 1/4 cup canola oil1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 1/2 tsp of the curry. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the remaining mayonnaise, creme fraiche, lemon juice, chives, parsley, tarragon, egg, 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs and diced apple. Season with salt and pepper. Place the remaining bread crumbs on a plate. Form crab cake mixture into 4 patties and coat each in the bread crumbs. Place the crab cakes on an oiled baking sheet and chill. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large non-stick saute pan over medium heat. Add the crab cakes and saute until golden, perhaps 5 minutes. Gently turn the cakes and saute the other side until also golden. Meanwhile, mix 2 tbsp of the oil, vinegar and 1/2 tsp curry powder. Add to apple matchsticks and cilantro and toss. Season the finished crab cakes as desired. Serve with apple salad and curry mayonnaise.
Weekend Adventurers
This past weekend we decided to take a day off from going to church and spend the day out in nature. We have both been so busy with work, church and other functions that it was time for a relaxing break! So we drove to Hocking Hills, which is a state park here in Ohio and met up with David's mom, dad, and grandma for the day! The dogs, of course, come along too!
We spent most of the day at Ash Cave, which was very popular on Saturday! There were 3 weddings while we were there. It is a half a mile paved trail back to the caves, so I guess it makes for a good wedding site for the avid outdoors people!
This weekend was considered the peek weekend for fall colors, so there were a lot of pretty yellows, oranges, and reds mixed in with the green or already brown.
After a hike and picnic we took a drive over to another state park that we hadn't been to before. There was a very pretty lake, which the dogs enjoyed!
After a hike and picnic we took a drive over to another state park that we hadn't been to before. There was a very pretty lake, which the dogs enjoyed!
Caspian is the swimmer of the three, so he wasted no time in finding sticks for David to throw out into the lake.
Denali decided to get her feet wet a little bit, but not too much! :)
Cody decided that the "all in" approach worked well and just laid in the water!
Caspian again with the back-drop of the beautiful colors!
Overall, it was a very beautiful and relaxing day away!
Menu Plan Monday
I have fallen off the MPM wagon the last couple of weeks, but I plan to get back on this week! These last two weeks have been so hectic and crazy that I just didn't have time or feel like sitting down to plan a menu. I paid for it when I went to the grocery store last week with no menu!! It's amazing how dependent I have become on them! I don't plan on shopping without a list again for a very long time!
This week is still going to be a little different since we have our Church camp out the end of the week. So here it goes!
Monday - Leftover Buffet
Tuesday - Burritos
Wednesday - Spaghetti
Thursday - Crock pot "beef" stew (courtesy of my dear friend Sarah @ Sarah's Hearts Home)
Friday - Chili Soup and cornbread (Church camp out)
Sabbath - Haystacks for lunch, hot dog roast for supper (Church camp out)
Sunday - Three Cheese Veggie Pizza (Pampered Chef Party)
Have a great week!
This post is linked to OrgJunkie.com
Recipe of the Week - Garden Pizza
This weeks recipe is from my Pampered Chef business! I made this yesterday at a party and I've also made it for myself and it has been a great hit everywhere! Enjoy!
Three Cheese Garden Pizza
From The Pampered Chef
| 1 | package (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust | |
| 1 | small onion, sliced into rings | |
| 1 | medium zucchini, sliced | |
| 2 | plum tomatoes, sliced | |
| 1 | cup mushrooms, sliced | |
| 2 | garlic cloves, pressed | |
| 1 | cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese | |
| 1 | cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese | |
| 1/4 | cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese | |
| teaspoon Italian Seasoning Mix 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Using lightly floured roller, roll pizza crust into a 14-inch circle on your pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake crust 7 minutes. Remove from oven; place cooling rack. |
2. Slice onion, zucchini and tomatoes. Slice mushrooms.
3.Using a garlic press, press garlic over crust; spread evenly. Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheeses evenly over crust; top evenly with onion, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes. Grate Parmesan cheese over vegetables. Sprinkle with seasoning mix. Bake 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown; remove from oven. Cut into wedges using pizza cutter.
3.Using a garlic press, press garlic over crust; spread evenly. Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheeses evenly over crust; top evenly with onion, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes. Grate Parmesan cheese over vegetables. Sprinkle with seasoning mix. Bake 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown; remove from oven. Cut into wedges using pizza cutter.
Enjoy!!
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