pergi Seremban sambut menantu.

salam! selamat hari ahad. bestnye tak terkata dpt cuti & rehat :P ok btw, semlm pergi ke Seremban. sejam je. utk makan. muahaha. tak de lah. hari tu kan kak lin kahwin, so ni utk acara sambut menantu belah husband kak lin. makanan? mmg terbaek! :)

walaupun sy amat sgtlah cikai, pakai bju kurung cotton biase, dgn tudung awning biase, dgn tak pakai lense, tapi... tak pe la. semua pun pakai simple gle. wahaha.

berkumpul di kajang dulu. ni je la sepupu sepapat yg tinggal. T___T

anak saudara (anak bongsu kak ngah)
comel gile kan.

sampai seremban, pick up pengantin dulu.

moh la kite berjalan ke dewan.

dan kami pun berarak bersama pengantin.

makanan sgt best. sgt.

sepupu sepapat semua tambah 2 pinggan. termasuk sy T____T

abg zul dan kak lin :)

sepupu perempuan. wuhuu.

ini faris. 23, available. engineer sony nih! :D

lame x ambil gmbr 1 fmly :)

i love u both so much.

keluarga teh.

lishah, kma, teh, aisyah, kak ngah.

lepas ni jamuan salah seorg di antara mereka dlu :P

perut kenyang, jom balik!

Honey Roast Turkey Breast Fillet with Roast Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

The time of year is fast approaching where turkey will feature prominently on menus around the world. Thanksgiving in the United States is less than three weeks away and Christmas less than two months away. While roast turkey is of course the most common turkey dish which will be served, there are a great many alternative turkey recipes which can be prepared, both at Thanksgiving and at Christmas, particularly perhaps when a meal is to be prepared only for one or two people and an entire bird is not feasible.

This very simple turkey recipe uses a half-pound, turkey breast fillet per person and is also much quicker to cook than the traditional turkey dinner.

Ingredients per Person

1 turkey breast fillet
3 medium potatoes
1 tsp liquid honey
Pinch of grated nutmeg
5 Brussels sprouts
1 clove of garlic
Little bit of butter

Method

The potatoes should be peeled, chopped and added to a pot of cold, slightly salted water. They should be put on to a high heat until the water boils, then reduced to a simmer for around ten minutes. They should be parboiled only.

While the potatoes are boiling, the oven should be preheated to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. The turkey fillet should be placed on a sheet of foil on a baking tray, large enough that it can be wrapped in to a loose but sealed tent. The fillet should be sprinkled with the nutmeg and then drizzled with the honey. The nutmeg is of course optional, as it is not suited to everyone's tastes. When the turkey has been wrapped in the foil, it should be placed in to the oven for around twenty-five minutes for a half-pound fillet this size. Remember to ensure that the fillet is fully cooked prior to serving.

The potatoes should be drained and added to some cold water to quickly cool them. The sprouts - depending on their size - will take ten to fifteen minutes and should be added to some boiling water after the turkey has been on for about fifteen minutes.

Five minutes before the turkey is due to be ready, the potatoes should again be drained, carefully dried in a clean teatowel and returned to the pot. They should be shaken around carefully with the lid on the pot to fluff up their edges and give them a better finished effect after they have been roasted. They should then be added to a pan or deep fat fryer of hot sunflower oil, for eight to ten minutes, until beautifully golden.

The turkey should be removed from the oven, checked to ensure that it is fully cooked and rewrapped in the foil to rest for a few minutes while the Brussels sprouts and potatoes complete their cooking. The sprouts should be drained and returned to the pot with a little butter and the grated garlic clove. They should be carefully swirled around to ensure a beautiful, garlic butter coating.

The potatoes should be removed from the hot oil and drained on some kitchen paper, before the meal is plated and served.

Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Cooks 2010: Instructional Cooking DVD's

There can be little doubt that actually being shown how to do something is often a lot more valuable than simply being told how to do it. That is why the cook in your life may appreciate some instructional cooking DVD's for Christmas. These DVD's are the next best thing to inviting celebrity chefs in to the home and whether it be Rachael Ray or Gordon Ramsay, the food and cooking tips which they provide can be extremely beneficial.

Below are just a sample of the DVD's of this type available to buy from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk in the run up to Christmas 2010.

Meeting a New Friend

Every day I have the choice to try a new recipe or make something I know is going to be good, that I've perfected, and that leaves me satiated. This is a surprisingly difficult choice for me. I like everything I eat to be a good, valuable consumption of calories. Otherwise I'm just crabby.

But I have a definite preference towards variety. I get three cooking magazines, have around twenty cookbooks, and search the internet constantly for recipes. But it's only worth it if I occasionally find a recipe that is worth making over and over again.

Kind of a conundrum isn't it?

Because there are recipes full of high hopes and disappointments. There are recipes that are so much work that I'll never bother with them again. There are recipes that are good but forgettable. And there are recipes that are one ingredient away from being something I already have a great recipe for. After all, how could those cooking magazines really print so many brand new recipes every month?

When I do find something new that is good, it's like meeting a new friend. You thought you had all the friends you needed in your life, and then you meet someone else who makes you laugh really hard and just gets you. One of my best friends I've known all my life, another I met barely three years ago. It's like that with best recipes too.

So here's my latest find. I just made it last night, and it has two components that taste pretty good by themselves but together they are outstanding. They are a pop of flavor in your mouth, a wake up call that reminds how many good things and people there are in life that are yet to be discovered.

Wild Mushroom Cakes with Avocado Pesto (modified from Bon Appetit)
4 servings

These cakes make a nice light appetizer, though I ate six little ones as my entire meal.

Mushroom Cakes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 8-ounce packages sliced button mushrooms
2 large portabello mushrooms, gills scraped out and sliced
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Avocado Pesto
2 large avocados coarsely mashed
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

Make pesto: Add avocado, Parmesan, cilantro, and lime juice to a food processor. Process to blend. With machine running, gradually add 1/4 cup oil through feed tube. Transfer to bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.




Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all mushrooms and saute until browned and edges begin to crisp, stirring often, about 14 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Transfer mixture to processor and allow to cool five minutes. Add eggs, Parmesan, herbs, salt, and pepper to processor. Using on/off turns, process until mushrooms are coarsely chopped. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in 1/2 cup panko.




Divide mushroom mixture into 8 equal portions. Form each into a 3/4 inch thick cake. Spread additional panko out on plate. Coat cakes with panko. Melt butter with 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, add mushroom cakes. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Serve mushroom cakes with avocado pesto.

25 random things, well, basically about Aqilah Amin

Once you have been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, fact, habits, or goal about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

tagged by Fatynadia --- mami yg hot, suka makan mcm sy & suka bnyk bnda yg sy suka such as shopping, make up, etc. :P. Thanks sweetie. sesungguhnya mmg sejak seminggu terase nak buat tag :P

1. Sy pernah terfikir, kenapa nama sy Aqilah? mcm tak best. CEHHH! yer la dulu berangan nak nama mcm dlm novel. seriously mcm --- elyana, Alisya, Isabella. *memang ak tak matang time tu :P* tp sekarang sgt bangga dgn nama AQILAH :)

2. Kalau tembikai, lebih suka tembikai kuning. Rambutan terutamanya, plg suka kuning. Apple merah.

3. Dulu selalu teringin nak masuk MRSM. bdk sekolah mane tak nak? *jgn geleng kepale* bila dpt wkt form 4, sebab no 1 saya masuk jgk MRSM --- abah nak sgt. sy tahu abah mengharap.

4. kalau naik kereta & duduk di bhgian penumpang, sy lebih selesa duduk di sebelah kiri.

5. Ramai perempuan bawa handbag belah kiri, sy lebih selesa belah kanan.

6. I don't play netball. I play basketball.

7. Rabun sejak form 5 --- kiri 125, kanan 100.

8. Sy selalu 'hangat-hangat tahi ayam'. sy akan ckp apa yg sy nak, apa yg sy akan lakukan bnyk kali, tp selalunya sementara. TAPI. akan ada 1 masa, bila dah tiba saat yg sebenar --- percayalah, ribut taufan pun, bila sy kata sy NAK, sy akan DPTKAN jgk. *jgn pandang sy sebelah mata*

9. Orang yg sy syg --- kwn, couple, fmly etc. sy akan syg sampai bila-bila wlpun semua sibuk dgn tnggjwb masing-masing, wlpun mungkin masing-masing makin jauh sbb kejadian tertentu, atau terpisah jauh. KECUALI, dia dah betul3 buat sy 'putus asa'. maaflah, sy simpati pun tidak. apatah lg syg. tak benci, cuma, tiada perasaan. not anymore. as if u never exist.

10. Pernah hilang lebih 5kg dlm sebulan akibat pakai braces & putus cinta. wahahaha.

11. Pernah diragut sewaktu jalan kaki, darjah 6. di Taman Melawati *mudanya lagi*

12. peminat fanatik Linda Nanuwil AF2. *sy tak pernah menangis utk seorang penyanyi, dia yg pertama & terakhir :P*

13. Suka tgk blog mereka yg cantik. mcm obsession dah. TAPI, ada setgh tu, sy tgk 2-3x je, then mcm fake personality, sy pun jd tak suka. sy suka mereka yg cantik tu bkn sbb mereka cantik semata, tp mereka baik, slumber, jd diri sendiri, & as for me, almost perfect :) RAMAIII OKAYYY.

14. Perempuan yg benci sy tanpa sebab, selalunya sebab lelaki & mereka tak cuba pun utk kenal sy dgn baik. maksudnya, mereka cuba kenal, tp kalau asyik perli, & kutuk belakang, sedeyh tahu? T__T

15. Sy blh habiskan 3kg manggis sekali makan, seorang. ada bran?

16. Walaupun sy perempuan, sy sedar & nampak, org perempuan mmg bawak kereta TAK BLH BLAAA & buat sy rasa nak langgar2 kereta mereka. pfttt~

17. Dah bertahun teringin belajar bahasa asing. alat muzik. tarian. *menyesal tak cuba sejak sekolah rendah dulu* harap, 1 hari nanti ada rezeki. Insya Allah.

18. Mula pakai lense warna-warni sejak 2010 je. Honey, Amethyst, Grey.

19. Kalau ada org luahkan masalah, tanya pendapat, selalunya sy tak berpihak pd sebelah saja. Sy fikir kedua-dua belah. Tak kisah awk kwn sy, atau dia musuh sy. Haruslah adil sbb bygkan kalau kita ada di mana-mana salah satu pihak tu. hurmmm.

20. Sy suka benda-benda yg sentimental, classic, dan simple. Rumah yg sy idamkan bkn banglo besar bak istana, cukup sekadar max 2 tingkat, dan tidak terlalu moden. Design pun mcm english style.

21. Sampai saat ni masih percaya ada perbezaan di antara suka, sayang, cinta.

22. Bila sy baca, atau dengar, atau tonton apa2 benda baru ESP ttg realiti hidup, fenomena alam, sy akan berfikir jauh buat masa yg lama.

23. Diam tanda berfikir.

24. Segala keburukan dr diri sy, perangai buruk sy, bkn dr abah mama. Mereka jauh lebih sempurna. & mereka tegur semua perlakuan itu. Cuma mungkin sy yg masih tak berubah.

25. Cepat mengkagumi org & benda-benda yg kecil.

Mini-break in Eskişehir

 Eskişehir reborn

 I’ve  just returned from a wonderful overnight trip to this city of about 650,000, which lies just  over halfway between Istanbul and Ankara in Central Anatolia, and is home to several universities, including  Anadolu Üniversitesi, the largest in Turkey.  It was a revelation. Up till now, I only knew Eskişehir as a place to pass through on the way to somewhere else but recently it has been in the news thanks to the energy and vision of one enterprising man,  Professor Yılmaz Büyükerşen, politican, educator, and the current Mayor. With tremendous initiative, he has succeeded in transforming Eskişehir from a dusty, conservative Anatolian town to one that is now more than ready to receive visitors. His many achievements include the reconstruction of one hundred and fifty Ottoman houses in the old part which have been meticulously restored with some of them housing museums and art galleries.   Another  hundred are scheduled to be done up.

stunning pieces at the Cam Muzesi/ Glass Museum



and here is one of the gondolas



The River Porsuk which dissects the city, formerly dirty and neglected, has been transformed with riverbanks, bridges, and sidewalks; smaller branches are now canals.

It even boasts gondola rides now!  Two major parks have been built , both with artificial lakes, and one even has beaches for the populace of Eskisehir to enjoy in the summer months.





 And who knew that this city is internationally known as the source of meerschaum/lületaşı?   We visited a museum with a fascinating display of pipes all elaborately carved and quite beautiful.

We were a group of eight organized by my friend Ayşe: four of us were old friends dating back to when we were all English teachers  twenty four years ago  at  Semiha Şakir Lisesi,  a local high school here in Istanbul on the Asian side, and the others represented similar long-standing friendships. The aim of our trip was two-fold:  to visit the highly-accclaimed Patchwork Exhibition that her cousin was participating in, and then to give us a taste of the city where she was born. A real mini-break!

                                                                                                               

                               The culinary delights of this beguiling city included:


a very tasty Chinese dinner at Chinatown

For dinner that evening Ayşe had made a reservation at this stylish restaurant. I was surprised to find a restaurant of that calibre in a little place like Eskişehir with such good food, excellent service, and much cheaper than a comparable place in Istanbul.

çiğ börek (pron: chi beurek) originally a Crimean Tatar speciality: this is a portion for one!

This dish was introduced to Eskişehir in the late 19th Century when a group of Tatars were settled here. Each börek is filled with raw mince and then fried. The pastry is very light and surprisingly it was easy to polish off all five! Strictly speaking, forks are not used, just fingers and paper napkins! The speed with which these appeared from the kitchens was amazing: we were a party of 20 by that time, and there were tons of other people already and the service was impeccable. We sat outside as the temperature was just right with the sun beating gently on our backs.

su muhallebisi, another local speciality

Muhallebi is a kind of milk pudding and su means water. It contains very little sugar we were assured - but it's piled on top instead! The water refers to the fragrant pink rose water that crowns each portion. Delicious! The muhallebici was our last stop before driving back to the station to catch our train to Istanbul at 16.45.

Our delightful guide Taylan

I can thoroughly recommend a visit to Eskişehir - a weekend, perhaps?