Sunday, May 1, 2011

Congrats Cik T!

Tahniah kepada Cik T Cun yang telah selamat bergelar isteri orang semalam.
Hehe..Cik T, tak sure lagi la dtg ke tak kenduri rumah kamu coz takde sape nk teman ni.
Al-maklum la sejak "teeeettttttt" rasa mcm tak de mood la.huhu..asyik sedih je. Klw tinggal sorang2 asyik teringat jeee....

Td Aminah call, die bgtau yg mak bf die dah meninggal dunia.Innalillah. Sama2 kita sedekahkan Al-Fatihah untuk arwah mak Aizat. Semoga ruh nya ditempatkan di kalangan orang-orang yang beriman. Amin...Buat Aminah & Aizat, bersabarlah menghadapi dugaan ini..

Ain pn sedih gakk sebenarnya cz Ain dapt interview keje kt KL tapi memandangkan kerja ain kt cni banyak sgt2 belum siap, ain terpksa batalkan niat untuk g interview tu. Semua org ckp rugi klw tak pegi tapi nk buat ckp ne cz ain mmg tak leh nk pegi. Ain rasa serba salah pulak klw pegi tapi keje tak siap lagi. Rabu lak nk kene anta file kt KL. huhu.. So ain decide tak pyh pegi la. Maybe bkn rezeki Ain lagi....

Ain rasa stress sgt..lagi-lagi Mie da takde gn Ain. takde sape tempat mengadu.huhu...
Ain bukan ego. Masa akan menentukan segalanya kan.
Doakan Ain berjaya harungi semua ni, kwn2...

Thanks
Ain.

GARDEN SALAD


Nothing better than a cool salad in Summer. Garden salad is a colourful one with veggies of different colours.. green, yellow & red capsicums / bell peppers... carrots ... red tomatoes... cool cucumbers etc. etc. with a flavourful mustard-garlic dressing.

Red, yellow, green capsicums/bell peppers ... 1 cup
Cucumber ............ 1
Carrot ............... 1
Tomato ............. 1 ( you can use cherry tomatoes too )
Lettuce ............. 1 cup

For the Dressing:
Mustard seeds .......... 1 tsp.
Garlic ........... 3-4 flakes
Vinegar or lime juice .... 1 tbsp.
Salt .................. to taste
Sugar ............... 1/8 tsp.
Black pepper ..... 1/2 tsp.
Basil .................. few leaves.
Olive oil / salad oil .... 1 tbsp.

Method:
1. Cut all the vegetables into the desired shapes / sizes.
2. Break the lettuce leaves and immerse them in ice cold water until we are ready to use. This keeps the lettuce crisp and crunchy.

3. In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic, basil and mustard seeds. Add the vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix well and blend the oil into the mix.
4. Mix the dressing to the salad just before serving. Serve chilled.

Homemade Butter in your Food Pro :))

A couple of months ago , I did a post on how to make your own butter , the old fashioned way , with a little elbow grease and a mason jar :)  Today Ill show you an easier method, using your food pro. Lots of pictures to explain the whole process :) Enjoy  



Ingredients Required : 

Heavy Cream - I used 750 ml , but 500ml makes for a nice sized batch too. 
Food Processor 
Sea Salt - Optional 


Start with 750ml of heavy cream ( 35% ) Ive owned this food pro for 10 years , and have never had a chance to use the mixer attachment until now. 


Noisy attachment that it is :) lol 


5 minutes or so in.. it will appear that nothing is happening, and then .... 

You get good old fashioned whipping cream :))  :) 

Keep going , the volume will increase almost twofold. 

and just when you think nothing is going to happen ... it starts to change ..  this is about 15 minutes in . 

At about twenty minutes it starts to clump up a little, and the butter milk starts separating. 

Twenty five minutes of constant whirring , and you have butter .. time to strain off the butter milk. 

Add a couple of cups of ice water , and turn it back on for 1 minute. 

Strain off the ice water , and you will have butter!!!  

Mmmmm creamy homemade butter !!!  

I saved the butter milk for making a  loaf of bread :)) 

Pack the butter into a seal-able container , add some sea salt if you like :) This will last for about a month in the fridge.  

That's it!! So simple and easy , and you can add any flavourings you like , herbs, salts , chili.. garlic Mmmmm so many options to enjoy , or keep it plain and add flavour later :)  I hope you have enjoyed this recipe.  Happy Cooking :))

Instead of French Fries

French fries are a food that I've avoided eating for years now. It's not that I refuse to eat carbs or fried foods or even pretend to be on a diet. But fries are one of those things I like but I can resist, and I may as well take advantage and resist them. I prefer to save my calories for those things I can't resist, like cheese, ice cream, and baked goods.

There is nothing that can replace the taste of french fries late at night, and it beckons those college days when we'd visit the 24 hour Burger King when nothing else was open. I'd order a milkshake and fries, their mingling salty and sweet a flavor profile that even today will make me feel 18 again. We'd talk about the boys in our classes or the tennis players from our floor or the guy who looked like actor Andrew Shue (Remember Melrose Place?). We'd huddle up in the cold walking back to the dorm, years of college ahead, friends we had only just met not knowing we'd be friends for life, not knowing which night would be the last one we'd make that BK run.

I don't miss those French fries, and I don't honestly miss that life or that age. But I miss that feeling of comfort, surrounded by friends and no real responsibilities other than making a decent grade and getting a date to dorm formal. I seem to be on a "grown up" theme lately, so here's my grown up version of French fries.


These roasted green beans look and sound like a vegetable, but the crispy salty exterior and tender interior is exactly like a fry. You'll pick them up and eat them with your hands and you won't be able to eat them fast enough. Eat them with your friends, gossip a little, let yourself feel like a college kid again - but a wiser, healthier version of one.

Roasted Sesame Green Beans (Cook's Illustrated)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pound green beans, stem ends snapped off
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mince garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; spread beans on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil; using hands, toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, toss to coat, and distribute in an even layer. Roast 10 minutes. Meanwhile combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, coat beans evenly with garlic/ginger mixture. Redistribute in an even layer. Continue roasting until dark golden brown in spots and starting to shrivel, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Adjust seasoning with salt and toss well to combine. Transfer to serving dish.

A Chart To Ponder

I fat fingered the data in from the Treasury Department's website. You can click on the image for a better version. The countries chosen are the 5 largest holders of Treasuries.


Question: When QE II ends, that is, when the Fed stops printing unbacked dollars and handing them to the government at the rate of $100B per month, what's going to happen? Note that the magnitude of the borrowing will remain unchanged.

Terengganu, reason to visit: sea and breakfast

assalamualaikum wbt dan selamat malam! :)

i'm now writing from my home, yes i was safely arrived KL around 1130pm. Alhamdulilah. To be honest, after a long tiring journey, almost 6 hours from Kuantan-KL, i guess u could imagine how sleepy i am right now. I can hardly open my eyes. The traffice was terrible, especially from Karak-Bentong. I only slept for the first 30minutes and it was raining heavily so, i decided to stay awake and pray that everything would be just fine.

for yesterday, i woke up at 630am, solat, and quickly jump off the bed and run to the sea! it was 7am, people! hee. mama was babbling, so, i got no choice, instead of change my clothes, and enjoying the fresh morning air! :)

i'm sort of lazy to join the adults for a holiday. especially when most of my cousins are working. but, this is it people, few reasons why i love to go to Terengganu! It is the sea and the special breakfast menu, nasi dagang!


there were a few little tiny sea shells.


as i mentioned before, it was 7am. the sun is about to rise.
a very nice incredible view!


if only u guys ingt, dulu dlm geografi, ade Teluk, Hilir, Hulu :P


nenek rock dan cucu :)
i love walking on the sand.


there's a fisherman, and he managed to catch quite a number of fish!


mr crab! the big one. haha. i was excited!
excited to see them alive, in front of my eyes. :P


we walked to the hotel, and we were almost there, it was almost 8am,
and, TA-DAA! there's a food stall, and full with people. yes, it was only 8.


nahhh. this is a pure, hot, superb nasi dagang!


done with breakfast, it's the time for the kids. they were running and smiling, and jumping......... to the swimming pool. but few minutes later, amir was crying just because he was fighting with her youngest aunt, aisyah. pfttt. mak su dia pun tak boleh bla. (maksu tu aisyah yg baru darjah 5) :P


abah has always been a good father and uncle :)


big swimming pool full with kids.


and there, you could see my mum, teh, mama ngah, and my grandma.
cool pixca aite? haha. :P


i'm done with the sea and the breakfast. later, i'll let u know more about the market! it's a must-go place for everyone. till then, take care! :)


Cheezburger of the Day

31 Days to Clean Challenge

Homemakers Challenge - 31 Days to Clean


Christin over at Joyful Mothering is hosting a 31 Days to Clean Challenge while reading the e-book, 31 Day to Clean by Sarah Mae. You can purchase the e-book on Amazon or at her web-site for $4.99. We are going to be reading through 1 chapter a day and then on Fridays there will be a challenge to complete as well as linking up our posts/thoughts for the week. I know I definitely need help and work on this area of my life. I am looking forward to participating and I hope you will consider doing it too!! 





FB funny coincidence



Photobucket



AWARD OF PARTICIPATION ( Priya - Now Serving )



From Priya - Now Serving

For contributing in - FAST FOOD NOT FAT FOOD

AWARDS OF PARTICIPATION ( Akila - Learning to Cook )




From Akila - Learning to Cook
For participating in - Dish name starts with G


From Akila - Learning to Cook
For participating in - Dish name starts with F


From Akila - Learning to Cook
For participating in - Dish name starts with D


From Akila - Learning to Cook
for participating in - Dish name starts with C

AWARD - 17 ( COOKING VARIETIES )





This beautiful award is from COOKING VARIETIES


Thank you dear Maznah for honouring me with The Reader Appreciation Award.


Wow ! It is such a pretty one with all the 3 medals, GOLD, SILVER & BRONZE.


I feel like a real winner in a Marathon.

SITAFAL KULFI



Ingredients:
Milk powder ( full cream)...... 5-6 tbsps.
Water ............... 5 cups
Sitafal pulp ...... 1 cup
Sugar .............. 2-3 tbsps
Cardamom powder ... a pinch ( optional)

Method:

1. Mix the milk powder in water and boil it, stirring from time to time until it thickens to almost half the quantity like the consistency of rabri. Add the sugar and cardamom powder at this stage and mix well. Let it cool.( I prefer using milk powder for all my desserts. However you may use the fresh milk if you like.)

2. Stir in the sitafal pulp and mix well.

3. Fill the kulfi moulds and set them in the freezer.
If you don't have kulfi moulds you can also use muffin moulds.

To remove the pulp from sitafal is tedious process. Here is a tip:
To remove the seeds easily, scoop out the fruit into a bowl, add a little milk and crush or knead with the hand. Discard the seeds.

Use RAMFAL which is a fruit of the same family, tastes exactly like Sitafal and has more pulp than seeds. I have used Ramfal in this recipe. It is much easier.

HARIYALI PULAO


Ingredients:
Rice : 4 cups
Fenugreek leaves (methi) : 1/4 - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves (pudina) : 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves (kothmir) : 1 cup
Ginger Garlic paste : 1 tbsp each
Green chillies : 4
Green Cardamoms : 6
Cloves : 6
Cinnamon : 2" stick
Bay leaf : 3
Caraway Seeds : 1 tbsp
Turmeric pd : 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

For the balls:
Cottage cheese (Paneer) : mashed
Boiled potato : 1
Bread crumbs : 3 tbsp
Food colours : Red, Green, Yellow

Method:
1. Mash cottage cheese along with the boiled potato, bread crumbs and salt.
2. Divide it into 3 portions. Add red, green and yellow colours to each portion, make balls, deep fry and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, saute the dry garam masalas, add ginger garlic paste, green chillies and the green leafy vegetables. Add salt to taste and turmeric powder. Stir fry for a while and set aside.
4. Boil the rice in a separate vessel with salt, till almost done, and drain it.
5. Now, layer it with the prepared green vegetables and the paneer balls, making 4 or 5 alternate layers, sprinkling caraway seeds and hot oil over each layer.
Cover and leave on very low flame for a few minutes.
Serve hot with raita.