20 hari lg sebelum jd pengapit. bkn pengepit ye!

hey hey i'm not talking about my upcoming birthday. i dont bother much bout that this year. more biggy things bugging on my mind. btw, on 23rd october, kak lin (dearest cousin) is gonna get married. and the things is... 20 days left. OMG -- next week 3days of indoor shoot. then, 20 days. mestilah haruslah perlulah sy cuba utk kelihatan lebih baik! i mean, more presentable & more confident. cehh. as if i'm the one who gonna end up my single life.

kak lin - on her engagement day.

i know she's super cute & she's 30. AWET MUDA!

sbb... kma & sy. budak sehat 2 org nih, akan jd pengapit.

pengiring. what so ever. pftt!

the last time we did that was actually, when i was 14. about 7 years ago? and 1 thing for sure, i have to be there (KUANTAN) a couple of days before the wedding day. 22nd oct - wedding rehearsal. for sure kma nak pergi saloon, utk make up and hair-do. utk kali ni, TAK MAHU ade makcik2 make-up kan. haha. sendiri make up asas2 sudeh. bkn org tgk sy pun. :P

i'm excited jgk. sbb dah lame x ade big wedding mcm ni dlm fmly. ade lah hari tu tp TAK DPT join sbb kerja / practical. and harapnye tak ade AJK mak-mak datin yg lebeyh2 dr family sendiri. thee. by the way siape yg ade dkt Kuantan on 23rd october dtg lah ye kalau nak dtg. dekat dewan ape tah dkt area2 TC tuh, lupe. tskk.

tak fikir lg ttg kasut, make up, tudung ke ape. cuma tak sabar. nak kumpul ramai2 lg. tgk gelagat org lg. and tgk wedding reception lg. LIKE! :)

Back from the truly beyond!

Top of the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland

We're back from our vacation.  

I have so many mixed feelings about ending the most wonderful holiday experience;however,  relishing all of the familiarity and comforts of being home.  

I love being home.  

I also love traveling.  

My mind is nudging itself with thoughts about the next potential destination.  

My mind is also hammering away at the school tasks and life obligations that are presenting themselves vividly in  

rather neon-like colors .

We actually saw many of the special spots described 

by Vicki Archer in her blog  

called "French Essence".  

Tracking down another bloggers favorite places (this one was a macaroon shop in St. Remy de Provence) 

in a foreign country 

was hugely 

satisfying.  

My family thought I was rather silly and this macaroon shop quest 

a little eerie. 

I just blocked them out. 

I think Vicki Archer would understand. Seeing things guide books recommend is one thing but seeing locations personally recommended by wonderful bloggers out here in blogland!!  

Are you kidding!  

It's like going on a treasure hunt! 

We spent a week in Switzerland and a second week in Provence.  I'll probably be making the next slew of postings highlighting some of our favorite moments and photos.  

I had my new camera in hand and we are trusted friends at this point.  

When the trip ended and we arrived at home, I had a hard time setting my camera down.  

I looked at it lovingly and realized that for 2 weeks, we were constant companions.

Today...

in yet another new house, 

Grapes bursting with ripeness in Provence

I plan on bringing out the bins of fall decorations and searching for new spots to enjoy their memories.  I've learned that even though we have moved many times at this point, keeping decorations constant in each new abode is very satisfying and calming.

Also, 

Patrick and I are determined to tackle the french bread 

called brioche.  

We ate it non stop for the one week in France and we don't think we can live without it anymore.  

I need to research a recipe this morning.  

Home made chicken soup and olive bread for tonight should make for a happy weekend as we ease back into our regular routines.  Floating back down to reality 

takes comfort food for sure.

A Delicious Aubergine Meze





How do you feel about aubergines?  Look at this, bubbling away, looking great, smelling great.

I don’t think my dad ever really enjoyed them, he didn’t like garlic either, but then it wasn’t his fault as they were certainly not a feature of pre-war Britain’s cuisine, let alone Grandma Beatrice’s kitchen! Probably his first encounter with aubergine was in ratatouille which my French mother occasionally made. And then there was moussaka – remember that? Rather greasy, I always thought.  But onions, garlic, tomatoes, all the vegetables that I have come to embrace, were not where my dad’s gastro inclinations lay by nature, strict meat and two veg man that he was. Cooking has come such a long way since those days and for me, living in Turkey has opened up a huge range of possibilities with vegetables and aubergines definitely provide a focus. There are literally hundreds of recipes for them in various forms, hot and cold, and I love them all, providing not too much oil is involved.

This recipe, ekşili patlıcan, taken from Secrets of the Turkish Kitchen is for a meze, the concept we are all now familiar with: small appetizers set on the table at the same time before the main course, and an excuse to drink rakı, the delicious aniseed-flavoured local drink.  I suggest you include it as a side dish along with whatever you’re having as a main. If you glance through the ingredients, you will see all the familiar veggies that characterise so many Mediterranean dishes, not only Turkish. Aubergines are in reality a summer vegetable but they are still available, just a little bit more expensive. Ekşili literally means sour, which does not sound very appealing, but what it actually means is cooked with lemon juice.

                                                          Ingredients

Serves 4 – 6

4 long aubergines

2 onions, thinly sliced

3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

6 cloves garlic, crushed in salt

½ cup olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Chopped parsley for garnish

getting things ready: the tomatoes will be covered with boiling water

keeping only the red parts of the tomatoes and removing the white

Method

1.       Remove the stems and peel the aubergines in alternate vertical stripes. Cut into bite-size chunks and place in a bowl of salted water for 30 minutes.

2.       Drain the aubergines and squeeze dry in a towel. Place in a pan with the other ingredients. Cover and cook over a low heat until the aubergines are tender, most of the liquid has been absorbed and the sauce is rich.

3.       Set aside to cool and serve garnished with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

ekşili patlıcan: serve at room temperature

                                                                  Tip

• Usually aubergines are a beautiful, dark, vibrant purple but there are other varieties, particularly in the countryside, which are pale and marbled. So the clue to choosing good ones is making sure they are smooth and shiny on the outside, as well as being firm to the touch.

They belong to the nightshade family and have a naturally occurring enzyme that can leave a bitter aftertaste in some dishes. Luckily, it is easy to ‘sweat’ them by salting which accomplishes two goals:

a) It pulls out the juices that carry bitter flavours and
b) Collapses the air pockets in the aubergines’ sponge-like flesh, thus preventing them from absorbing too much oil.

• Sprinkle slices or chunks of the aubergine with salt and let sit for  30 mins  - 1 hour. Incidentally, I notice that all the River House Cafe recipes recommend 1 hour as well as putting a plate on top with a heavy weight to push down on the slices.  Rinse the salt off with cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. The drier they are, the less greasy the final result will be.

Personally I have found that the bitterness has become much less pronounced over the years but I would certainly advocate salting for any dish which requires frying in oil first as the amount of oil you use will definitely be less.

I also like peeling in stripes as in this recipe. The skin doesn’t become hard as it does when left whole.

************************************************************************

Here is an easy but delicious recipe for 6 from one of my favourite cookbooks, River Cafe Cook Book Green:  Take 4 large aubergines and slice into 1.5cm discs. Salt them as described above. Place close together on a foil-lined oven tray that you have lightly brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper, and some oregano/kekik, coriander seeds/kişniş tohumu roughly ground, and chopped garlic/sarmısak, and put in a pre-heated oven (200C/400F/Gas 6). Brush the tops of the slices with olive oil and scatter with more oregano, coriander, and garlic. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Turn the slices over when lightly browned, return to the oven and continue cooking for a few more minutes.

Serve on a bed of rocket /roka leaves. Drizzle with lemon juice and a little of your finest olive oil.

I like the sound of that!



Scrappy Scrap Scrap

A couple new pages added to my book!

Someone's Been Busy

 In between all my graphic design projects, I always find time to keep my hands busy. Yesterday
I decided to try some wire-wrapping around beads, so I made a couple of those, and was surprised at how cute they actually came out. They are wrapped around resin beads that my mom gave me, they look like tasty little gumdrops.

Omg, then I got this CrAzY idea, that since it was cooler yesterday morning...I got into the "Fall" season that is coming up..I thought I would make acorn earrings! So I took the bella monster outside to dig for old acorns by our big oak. We have 3 huuuuge live oak trees in our yard..we got lucky...but anyway, we dug around for acorns for a while and found a bunch. I drilled holes in the tops and voila! Acorn earrings! The perfect fall accessory. I plan on making a bunch of these to sell in my etsy shop.

The last picture is Bella monster's new necklace. I've been making them for me, and she suggested that I make her one too. It's just made out of felt. Dorky I know...but at least I don't dress her up. (Don't be offended if you're one of those people, I'm just not into it)

What do you think about the acorns?
I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!
-Kat