Cooking mama January - cemilan Donat panggang

12 Januari 2011, sabtu

Cemilan lagi, iseng libur2 gini bikin donat panggang, pake cetakan yang dikasih temen. Lumayan enak n praktis..haha, lama2 gw tuh lebih suka bkin cemilan praktis yang ga butuh waktu lama n bahannya juga yang ada di rumah, simple n praktis dah.

Bahan
50 gr tepung trigu
1 sdt baking powder
1 bh telur
50 gr mentega
30 ml susu
50 gr gula
Cara
1. Lumerkan mentega, campur gula , aduk merata
2. Campurkan telur, aduk rata
3. Aduk bersama tepung trigu,baking powder campur susu, aduk rata
4. Tuang dalam cetakan, oven 170 derajat 15 menit
5. Taroh topping di tengah2 donat

Biasa juga dibuat donat coklat, dengan campuran cocoa, ato sesuai selera

Wafel kukus

12 Januari 2011, sabtu

Dah lama ga posting oyatsu makanan kecil buat anak2. Bikin wafel kukus gampang banget, pake alat yg waktu kemarin beli pas bazaar SD, dapet harga miring cuman 80 yen, itu aja pake acara berebutan dulu haha.

Ini gw catetin lagi resepnya
Bahan
100 gr hotcake mix
10 gr mentega
1 bh telur
120 ml susu
1 1/2 sdm gula
Cara
1. Lumerkan mentega, panaskan dalam microwave selama 30 detik
2. Telur, susu , gula aduk dalam 1 wadah, campur rata, masukkan hotcake mix, aduk rata. Masukkan susu perlahan2 sambil diaduk.
3. Campurkan mentega lumer, aduk rata
4. Masukkan dalam cetakan, panaskan dalam microwave selama 2-3 menit.

Topping
bisa pake jam, ato coklat lumer, ato sesuai selera

Praktis n gampang, ga butuh waktu lama bkinnya..cocok buat cemilan.

A Reason For Optimism

... is that people are more adaptable than doomsayers expect. Dig this.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday declared that multiculturalism had failed, joining a growing number of world leaders or ex-leaders who have condemned it.

"We have been too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the country that was receiving him," he said in a television interview in which he declared the concept a "failure."

For all those who thought* that Europe was fated to knuckle under to the more confident Islamist subculture in their midst, this just goes to show that it's possible for people to learn from experience and discard the ideas that don't work. We'll see how far this goes in terms of real implementation, but it's a concept that any right-thinking person wouldn't have uttered even a year ago.

Good on ya, Nick!
* - Count me in this group. I'll admit I was seduced by the pessimists.

A Very Pink Beetroot Gazpacho

How gay can soup get? This brilliant pink cold soup would be a perfectly kitsch starter for Valentine's day. I also just found out it's an aphrodisiac for the Romans, and a symbol of love for the pagans ;) You might be wondering about that unnatural pink, but it's totally natural-- it's beetroot! Art lesson: red beetroot + white yogurt = pink soup.

Beetroot stains everything it touches red-- the chopping board, the knife, my hands..

This gazpacho is inspired by the Polish borscht, usually served cold on a summer's day, so even if you don't want a showy pink starter for Valentine's day, keep this recipe in store for the upcoming (I can always hope) spring/summer! Instead of just boiling the beetroot as in most recipes I've seen, I roasted them for even more concentrated sweetness.

Pink Beetroot Gazpacho

serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 tennis-ball sized beetroot, skin-on, washed

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

400 ml natural plain yogurt (adjust to get the right colour/consistency)

water

To serve

1 tbsp chopped chives

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Toss the beetroot with the evoo and thyme, and place in the oven. Roast for about 1h, or till the inside is tender when pierced.

3. Peel off the skin, chop the beetroot up, and add to the blender with the yogurt and a bit of water till you get the desired consistency.

4. Serve with the chopped chives scattered in the centre!

Or to go all out kitsch, you can save some red beetroot puree and use that to draw a heart ;)

I'm in a bit of a beetroot mood in the lead-up to a lonely Valentine's day, so bear with the upcoming spammage of beetroot recipes hehe.

OT Tip - Guest Post continued on SPD

I want to give a big shout out THANK YOU to my mother in-law Debra for coming up with another OT Tip for this week. As you probably have noticed, my blog has been rather quiet the last week. I felt like I needed to take a break. I even took a break from *insert shocked expression here* menu planning for the last two weeks! I know, amazingly I have made it through. 

I plan on getting back on tract this next week, hopefully I can get completely well and feel healthy again (two weeks ago I had strep throat and then Wednesday one of my lovely kids decided to sneeze all over my face = sick again). 

Again, thanks to Debra for our topic today. 

Have you ever experienced the tag in the back of your shirt that drove you crazy until you ripped it out, or clothing that itched and irritated your skin?  People react differently to tactile sensations.  My daughter cannot tolerate the feel of velvet on her skin.  No velvety little Christmas dresses for her.  I dislike the feel of wet sticky stuff, such a syrup and sticky doughnuts.  These problems can be very serious and distracting for children with SPD.
Tactile:  Cells in skin give us information about light touch, pain, temperature, and deep pressure touch.
Symptoms
Hypersensitivity:
•    Tactile defensive
•    Bothered by tags in cloths, glue on fingers, finger painting
Hyposensitivity
•    Craves input
•    Wants to touch everything, walls, other children, etc.
Solutions
Teachers:
•    Hand fidgets
•    Vary media used at sensory tables,
•    Put finger paint in zip lock bag and have them paint from outside the bag by moving the paint around in the bag with their fingers
Parents:
•    Tag less clothing
•    Massage scalp before haircuts
•    Weighted vest at dentist (x-ray vest)
•    Cutting nails-soak in warm water first, press on nail bed before cutting
•    T-shirt sheets on bed and snug pj's
•    Pets to hold and pet
Exercise:  close eyes and reach into bag to describe objects by shape, size, and texture.

~ Debra G. 

Disclaimer: I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. The advise in these tips is not a replacement for medical advise from a physician or your pediatrician. Please consult their advice if you suspect any medical or developmental issues with your child. 

Cheezburger of the Day

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

SWEET BREAD COINS

Ingredients:

Bread Slices

Sugar - 2 cups

Water - 1 cup

Cardamoms - 4

Saffron - a pinch

Oil for frying

For Mawa:

Milk powder - 3 cups

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Cardamom Powder - 1/4 th tsp

Lime Juice or Vinegar

For Garnishing:

pistachios

Cherries

Method:

1. Cut the bread slices in a round shape using a cutter or a bottle lid.

2. Fry till gloden brown and crisp.

3. Make a thick syrup with sugar, water, saffron and cardamoms.

4. Mix 2 cups milk powder with 1 and 1/2 cups water and make paneer(cottage cheese) using vinegar or lime juice.

5. Drain and allow it to cool.

6. In a bowl, mix lightly -1 cup milk powder, the prepared paneer, 1 cup sugar, ghee and cardamom powder.

7. Spread it in a flat dish and microwave it for 3-4 minutes. (Mawa is ready)

8. Crumble this mawa and pour a few spoons of milk to make it of spreading consistency.

9. A few hours before serving, place the bread coins in a flat dish, pour the sugar syrup over them with a spoon and let them soak for about 1-2 hours or until they are softer.

10. Spread the mawa over them and garnish with pistachio powder .

11. For variation you can also garnish with a cherry.

Serve chilled.

Black Pepper Marinated Shrimp (Udang Goreng Lada Hitam)

500 g large pancet shrimp
1 clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
cooking oil

Black Pepper Sauce :

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
30 g onion, chopped
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tsp black pepper, crushed a bit rough
200 ml water
1 tsp cornflour, dissolved in a little water

Use a scissors to cut the back of shrimps until slightly open.
Rub with grated garlic, salt and lime juice. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Fry in hot oil until slightly dry and a lot. Drain.

Black Pepper Sauce : Saute garlic and onions until tender.
Add other seasonings and water. Bring to a boil.
Pour the starch solution, stirring until thick.

Add the fried shrimp, simmer briefly. Lift and serve warm.

Black Pepper Marinated Shrimp (Udang Goreng Lada Hitam)

500 g large pancet shrimp
1 clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
cooking oil

Black Pepper Sauce :

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
30 g onion, chopped
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tsp black pepper, crushed a bit rough
200 ml water
1 tsp cornflour, dissolved in a little water

Use a scissors to cut the back of shrimps until slightly open.
Rub with grated garlic, salt and lime juice. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Fry in hot oil until slightly dry and a lot. Drain.

Black Pepper Sauce : Saute garlic and onions until tender.
Add other seasonings and water. Bring to a boil.
Pour the starch solution, stirring until thick.

Add the fried shrimp, simmer briefly. Lift and serve warm.

The Best Argument Yet Against Free-Choice Feeding Your Cat

I've been wrestling with a decision about whether or not to free-choice feed our Maximum Leader. I had been giving her measured amounts of food in the morning and at night with a snack or two in between. Our relationship had become completely defined by food to the point where she was crabby with me if I didn't come up with more food and hovered near her dish all day, constantly anticipating being fed.

On Tuesday of this week, I decided to pull the plug on this and just leave dry food out for her all the time. That seemed to work well. She relaxed quite a bit and I knew that the times she came up to me for loving had nothing to do with trying to coax some more food out of me. She also seemed to be spending more time outside of the Catican, away from the food dish. The downside was the amount of food she ate. She wiped out at least twice as much food as she'd been eating previously. I became concerned for the health of her digestive system - could she really process that much dry food?

It turns out my concern may have been well-founded. I did some clicking around the Interweb Tubes today and came up with two sites that recommend against free-choice feeding. The first suggests that food-anxiety is a good thing.

The best comparison we can make is that free-feeding would be like a person having a full buffet in your house, stocked with food 24 hours-a-day. When you think of it this way, it’s not hard to understand why pets that are free-fed tend to be sluggish, lethargic, and passionless about their pet food...In a dog or cat’s life food is the #1 motivation they have...A pet should have a unbridled passion for food. They need to look forward to their next meal with anticipation and excitement. This lays the foundation for a well-tempered, happy pet.

The best argument of all is based on the natural life of a predator.

Physiologically, the cat sitting on your lap is not much different from a lion. A lion has to hunt for its food...Cats are designed to gorge on a meal, then not eat again for many hours or even days. This allows for proper digestion and elimination of the toxins associated with a meat-based diet...A cat's digestive system needs a good long break on a daily basis. A 24-hour fast once a week is a good thing for a healthy adult cat. In the wild, this would most likely happen more than once a week. As efficient a hunter as the cat is, more hunts are unsuccessful than successful.

That's a convincing argument for me. I'm going back to measured meals, but I'm going to do some things to make them more interesting for her. My goals here are to:

1. Make sure she has a healthy diet.
2. Keep her as active as I possibly can.
3. Maintain a loving relationship with her.

#1 is easy to do with the right food and some willpower on my part. I've got some new ideas for feeding that will help achieve the others. More about that in a later post.

Letting her gorge several times a day and then retire to her yurt is not an option.