Happeeeeeeyyyyy :)

Yesterday was the height of my cooking and baking experience and I was really happy about it I can't stop grinning to my hubby when he came home last night. 

First, one of my best friends (who cooks better than me) baked a bread from scratch! And she said she was inspired by me when I started baking. She (my friend who cooks better than me, I told you right?), was inspired by me! Wow! Never had I thought I would inspire someone like her. Thanks dear. You made my day.

Knowing that my hubby will be home late, I decided to bake 3 types of cookies. One was a new recipe I wanted to try called Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies (but I used wild berries). I also baked Giant M&M Bites for my dear friend and last but not least I baked Dutch Shortcakes for my brother as a present for his birthday tomorrow and for him to munch while preparing for his final. 

On top of that, three of my friends reported that they tried the recipes I shared in this blog and they loved it. Well one of them actually innovated a new recipe based on my Chicken Masorma but it's still counted :) Me, sharing a recipe? If someone told me 5 years ago that I would one day be able to cook and bake (at least for the family) I would never believe it. 

Growing up, I detest cooking. I love to eat all kinds of food and enjoy travelling around just to feed my craving  but kitchen had never been my favourite place. I had never imagine that some day I will be able to cook, even the day-to-day dishes. We were lucky to have maid to help my mom in the kitchen when were growing up and even when we were in between maids, the most my mom would ask for my help was to clean the prawns or cook the rice. To me cooking was just not my thing. Something I am not good at so why bother spending time learning it.

After I got married, I started to learn how to cook. It started with Brahims of course and all those instant Maggi packets like black pepper and sambal tumis. Only end of last year, when my mom gave me the breadmaker, I found myself beginning to enjoy baking and cooking. I started to look for new recipes to try and some of the dishes actually turned out, not so bad. I guess it's never too late for one to learn how to cook or bake. What you need is just passion for your new hobby. Err, did I say cooking is my new hobby? :)

Pre-pregnancy Supplement

As you might have noticed, I have been talking alot about pregnancy lately. Well, that's because Project Baby #2 has started! Initially, I felt maybe I should share when I am already pregnant, you know, just not to jinx it. But when I started my little research, I realized there were so many things that were new to me though I've been pregnant before. So why not share them with you, in case you don't know it already :)

In my first pregnancy, I started to take Folic Acid after I stopped the pill. I was told that mothers should take folic acid even before they are pregnant. I did not know that we should also take vitamins before we are pregnant. After consulting my aunt who is a pharmacist, she recommended Pramilet. You can read more about Pramilet here.

It's only RM19.50 at Vitacare for a bottle with 30 tablets (1 month).

Wordless Wednesday #3

Dutch Shortcakes

This recipe is quite simple and loved most by Adam and his dad. I used a cheap piping bag and when I was about to pipe the dough, it tore! So I had to pipe the dough using just the nozzle. Surprisingly, it did not stress me out but made me laugh instead :) So, if you wanna make this shortcakes, make sure you have a good and strong piping bag. Or you can just make a ball and flatten it :)

Ingredients
2 tablespoon custard powder (or cornflour)
180g plain flour
150g butter
80g caster sugar
1 egg yolk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Sift the custard powder and flour together.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together and beat in the egg yolk. Mix in the flour well.
3. Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe three flat zig zag lines about 5x25 cm on a non stick baking sheet. (I made smaller lines maybe about 3x15cm each)
4. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until pale golden brown. While still warm, cut each piece into six and cool on a wire rack.

Pre-prenatal Checkup

I only started to read on prenatal after I was pregnant with Adam. This time around, I hope to be more prepared hence the little research I did on the size of the pelvic bone and all.

So, after much consideration and reading hundreds of reviews, last Saturday I went to see Dr Shahbahiah Mohd Zain, Obstetrician & Gynecologist at Selangor Medical Centre. Unfortunately she had to perform an emergency C-Sect and by the time I was called to her room, it was already 1.10pm. I told her a bit on my history and the reason I went to see her. She agreed that by doing an X-ray we could determine if there is any chance at all for me to have a vaginal delivery but it was too late to do that day so she asked me to come again on Monday. She was nice enough to just cancel the consultation and I did not have to pay anything. 

When I went to see her again on Monday, she told me she just called the Radiology department and was told they do not have the ruler but the radiologist will look around for any other hospital. Since I was already there, she did the pap smear. I was soooooo scared after hearing so many unpleasant stories. Surprisingly, it was not that bad. It was a bit uncomfortable but there was no pain, at all! She also did an ultrasound and Alhamdulillah everything looks good. I like this doctor. :)

Dr Shahbahiah also asked me about my previous pregnancy, trying to understand what happened before. She also answered all my questions and cleared some doubts I had earlier. She was soft and nice. I like her :)

After paying for the consultancy and the pap smear, I went to see the nurse again to ask for MC as there is a possibility that I have to do the X-ray in the afternoon but the doctor went to see her patients so I went to have breakfast. While having breakfast, I called Poliklinik Al-Hikmah to ask if they can do the procedure. Unfortunately the don't but they referred me to NR Screening Cerntre. Uncle Boy the X-Ray Man (I swear that was how he introduced himself) told me they don't have the ruler for Lateral Pelvimetry Screening but Daya Screening Centre (or was it clinic) in Jalan Raja Laut has it because he worked there before. As I was writing down the clinic's phone number, Kak Aida, Dr Shahbahiah's nurse came to me in the canteen and handed me a blue slip. Apparently they could do the screening there!

I went to the Radiology Centre right after that. Had to wait for a bit as there were quite a number of patients. Then they called me in and I had to do 2 X-Rays. One standing up and another one lying down. Then I had to wait again for them to print it. But then, they called me in again to do another 2 X-Rays lying down. I was told that the doctor wanted to see a few angles. And again, I had to wait for them to print it.

Once they gave me the X-ray, I brought them to Dr Shahbahiah and she assessed the X-Rays. And she told me what I was waiting to hear, by looking at the size of my pelvic bones I might be able to have a vaginal delivery. Yes! But of course it will depends on the size of the baby and it's position later on. But at least I could try for normal delivery and save the $$ to buy a nice beautiful cot :) Anyway, she told me that usually baby will engaged by the 38th week. Only 1 of 20 will only engage right before delivery. So, that could be a possibility as well.

That sums up my visit to Dr Shahbahiah. Oh, one more good news, I only had to pay RM140.85 for the whole visit. X-Ray was RM40. Pap Smear was RM50.85 and consultancy was only RM50! This is good. Good service and good value :)

Asam Pedas Melaka

Actually recipe ni dapat from my sister in law, anak jati Terengganu. Tapi dia dapat from her sister yg pernah kerja kat Melaka bertahun-tahun and sekarang ada kedai Asam Pedas Melaka somewhere in Cheras. And bila guna resipi ni jugakla first time my hubby (org Melaka) cakap jadi! Kalau tak mesti ada je x cukup masamla x cukup pedasla walaupun pada tekak orang Terengganu ni dah rasa hebat giler..  Ok so here is the recipe..

Bahan-bahan
1 biji bawang besar, ditumbuk
3 ulas bawang putih, ditumbuk
6 sudu besar cili boh (saya guna cili kering yang dah direbus n blend)
1 cm kunyit hidup, ditumbuk (saya guna 1 sudu kecil serbuk kunyit)
1 cawan air asam jawa (asam jawa lebih kurang besar bola ping pong)
2 keping daun limau purut, dikoyak
Bendi
Garam
Ikan Tenggiri/merah

Cara-cara

1. Tumis bawang besar dan bawang putih
2.  Tambah cili boh, kunyit hidup dan belacan. Teruskan tumis sehingga naik bau.
3.  Tambah daun limau purut.
4. Selepas naik bau dan pecah minyak, tambah air asam jawa.
5. Biar lama sikit dan rasa dulu baru masukkan ikan.
6.  Tambah terung atau bendi.
7.  Tambah garam secukup rasa.
8.  Kalau perlu tambah air, tambah dengan sedikit asam jawa.
9.  Biar sehingga kuah pekat dan ikan masak

Adik ipar saya cakap, trick dia, jangan tambah air banyak sebab asam pedas melaka selalunya pekat so air asam jawa tu dah cukup. Lagi satu, cili tu kena tumis lama, biar betul-betul masak macam nak buat sambal. Ok selamat mencuba!

Pregnancy and Delivery

Adam's EDD was 30 Aug 2008. Even after walking every inch of IKEA, Curve and KLCC on 31st Aug, there was still no sign of labour. As I have mentioned in my last post before the delivery, Dr Aziz asked me to come for induction on the night of 1st Sept should nothing happen in between. Based on his last scan, the baby was already quite big and if we wait further, the baby might grown to 4kg and that might cause problem.

So there I was in the Labour Room on midnight of 1st Sep. The nurse helped to induce me and was asked to sleep. I couldn't really sleep. The contraction was not that bad but as my husband bunked in with me it was not that comfortable. Morning came and the contraction was still bearable. Dr Aziz came and checked but he said there was no opening yet. By noon, the contraction was a little stronger but it was still bearable. I would say I have experienced something more painful than that. When Dr Aziz came in again at noon, there was still no progress so he recommended for emergency cesarean. He said we could still wait if I want to but he said there is a possibility the baby's heart rate will drop by the evening. So his advise was to have it in the afternoon when both the baby's and my heart rate were still okay.

I agreed to it and by 3.00pm I was pushed to the OT. My hubby was not allowed to go in as it was not a scheduled cesarean. The anesthetist performed local anesthetic and was kind enough to hold my hand throughout the procedure. He was like a narrator telling me what my gynea was doing. At 3.38pm I heard Adam cried for the first time. After the nurses cleaned him, I hold him for the first time. Frankly, I couldn't describe how I felt at that time. There was this 3.74kg baby in my hands with his eyes roaming around the room. I just stared at him not knowing how to react.

When Dr Aziz came to see me later, he told me that Adam's head was still floating and not engaged yet. He said for the my next pregnancy, we will have to check the pelvic opening to know if it is big enough or not. I could not really digest what he said then.

Recently when hubby said he is ready for another child, Dr Aziz's words lingered back. Here are the questions I had and the answers I get when I did my little research to understand the situation.

Q: Why was I induced after only 2 days late? I heard others waited for as long as 2 weeks prior to being induced.
I put on a lot of weight during my pregnancy. It was beyond the normal average. Though Dr Aziz did scan to gauge the size of the baby, it might not be accurate. By scanning, he could only estimate the weight of the baby. As we are aware, baby grows exponentially in the final few weeks of pregnancy. If we were to wait for a week, Adam could have grown to 4kg and huge baby not only makes it hard to deliver normally, there are many risks associated with post term pregnancy.

Q: So why was there no progress when I have been induced?
There are 2 possibilities. First is Adam is not ready yet as it was only 2 days after EDD. Only 5% babies are delivered on EDD. 95% are delivered 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after the EDD. Secondly, there is a possibility that my pelvic opening is not big enough for Adam to pass through. The size of the opening has nothing to do with one's body frame.

Q: So why didn't my Doctor checked the size of my pelvic opening before he induce me?
I was told that doctors are taught to check the size of the opening using their bare hands. That sounds scary right? Other than that, they could either X-Ray the pelvic bone or do an MRI if you are already pregnant. MRI is expensive! I was told by my sister that in a government hospital in Indonesia, it already costs RM800 what more in a private hospital in Malaysia. The cheaper option is X-Ray but of course it has to be done prior to your pregnancy.

So now, before I am pregnant again, I have to see a gyne to x-ray my pelvic bone. If it is found that the opening is small, I could opt for elective cesarean that would be much cheaper than the emergency cesarean I had before. If it is found the opening is big enough, should the next child(ren) decided to stay longer in the womb, we could wait until they are really ready and have normal delivery.

The reason I had to do the research and all is because we decided to go to a nearer gynea and hospital this time around. As much as I love Dr Aziz and his team, it's not an option as they are too far. It was okay before as there were only hubby and me and I stayed at my father's condo in my last few months of pregnancy. With Adam around, and he might be in school by the time we will have our second child, we have to make a realistic choice and find a good gynea in Shah Alam instead.

P/s: My apologies if I mixed up the jargons and medical term. I am not a medical professional and this entry is explained by what I understand of the situation. Your feedback is most welcome :)

Christian the lion

Have you seen this video? I don't know why I kept thinking about the lion as I drove to work this morning. The first time I saw it, I cried. But now, whenever I watch this video, I'll smile instead. It makes me feel happy. It's really amazing to see the bond between Christian the lion and the two men who raised him. It makes me feel that there's still hope for world peace :) Even a lion could appreciate the kindness he received from the two men so why can't we human care and appreciate others more? Read here for the full story.

Weight and Pregnancy

Was browsing trough the internet and found this interesting article. Here is a snippet of the article:

How much weight should a woman gain during pregnancy?

It is considered normal to gain 10 to 12kg (22 to 26lb).
For practical reasons the pregnancy is divided into three periods:

• the first period runs from week 0 to 12 where it is normal to gain 1 to 2kg (2 to 4lb).

• the second period runs from weeks 12 to 28 in which it is normal to gain 300 to 400g (10 to 14oz) a week.

• the third period runs from weeks 28 to 40 and it is normal to gain 1 to 3kg (2 to 6lb) a month.

It is not necessary to be obsessive about your weight during pregnancy. Many obstetricians have stopped weighing women other than at their first visit because the information is of little use in detecting problems with the mother or her baby.
However, excess weight gain is probably best avoided since most women will want to return to the same dress size within a few months of delivery.

Where do the extra kilos come from?

• A total weight increase of about 11.2kg (24lb) is normal.

• A baby weighs approximately 3.5kg (7lb 11oz) before birth.

• The uterus grows to approximately 900g (1lb 14oz).

• The placenta weighs approximately 650g (1lb 6oz).

• The amniotic fluid weighs approximately 800g (1lb 12oz).

• The woman's breasts grow by approximately 400g (14oz).

• The weight of the extra blood is approximately 1.25kg (2lb 12oz).

• Water retained in the body tissues weighs approximately 2kg (4lb 6oz).

• The layer of fat beneath the skin weighs approximately 1.7kg (3lb 11oz).

So mommies out there, the next time someone made fun of you saying that the baby is only 3kg but you gained 10kg, shove them the list :)

P/s: No, I am not pregnant. Not yet ;p

Heartwarming

I've watched so many videos of babies in the womb. Each and every one of them never failed to remind me how my heart fluttered and the wonderful feelings I had when I hold my newborn for the first time. Thanks Fatih for posting this video in your blog. Just like you, I was holding back my tears :) Wonderful.

Mini Mushroom Pizza

Hubby is more of "tekak melayu" so given the choice, he would prefer to eat lauk pauk with rice. Whenever I have craving for pizza and we decided to order a delivery, he would opt for spaghetti and I am down with limited choice because I can only order personal pizza with one type of topping :(

I am in a mission to make sure our child(ren) loves pizza as much as I do :) So when I saw this box at MPH the other day, I bought it without thinking twice. At RM39.90, it was a good buy.

For a lot less than the price of a pizza stone itself, you can find easy step-bystep instructions for everyday dinners and gourmet delights. This kit includes: " a 48-page recipe book full of tasty pizza ideas " 9-inch pizza stone for the perfect crispy base " Wire rack for serving " Metal pizza cutter for perfect slices every time - MPH Book Store- 

The first pizza I tried to bake from the recipe book was Famous Mushroom Pizza. I made only 1/3 of the original recipe and added some frankfurters as well. Here is how I made the pizza for Adam, adapted from the recipe book. It yielded 2 mini pizza for my lil' boy.

Base
1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 teaspoon sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Toppping
1/3 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 onion, sliced
shiitake mushroom, sliced
2 chicken frankfurter, sliced
a little more olive oil to drizzle over pizza
Cheddar cheese, grated (make sure it's not fresh from the fridge like mine. It did not melt but became crunchy instead ;p)
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of dried pizza mixed herbs (original recipe asks for rosemary but I happen to have the pizza mixed herbs in hand)

Directions
1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the sugar. let stand until it foams. (if it did not foam after 6 minutes, throw the yeast. The water might not be at the right temperature or the yeast is old. I threw my first batch of yeast as it did not foam but the second batch did not foam as well but I still use it and turned out OK. So, don't worry too much)
2.Sift the flour into a bowl and add the yeast mixture, olive oil and salt. Mix to combine and set aside until doubled in size.
3. Turn out onto floured board and knead to form a soft dough.
4. Press a piece of the dough, about the size of a ping pong ball onto a pizza tray.
5. Brush the pizza base with the olive oil, soread liberally with tomato paste, then add the onion, mushrooms and frankfurters. Drizzle with more olive oil and cover liberally with the cheese, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the dried herbs.
6. Place in a preheated oven at 220C for 15 - 20 minutes.

I Like That

Terasa muda remaja pulak bila dengar lagu ni :)

Peanut Butter Cookies

Another cookie recipe? I found cookies easier for a beginner like me. Cakes are more complicated and most importantly, neither Adam or his dad are a big fan of cakes. It feels good to see Adam's cookie jar full of homemade cookies and every time he had one, he will tell me "daaap". That one word is enough to motivate me to bake more cookies.

As I am still new with cookie baking, I am excited to try as much recipe as possible so I would know which one my lil' cookie monster loves most. Anyway, I baked this before my "Main Masak-Masak" session with the girls last weekend. Started making it at midnight and done by 1.30am as the dough required some chilling before I can bake them. So here is the recipe for your own lil' (or big) cookie monster at home.


Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons sugar
150g crunchy peanut butter
1 egg
3 tablespoons golden syrup
175g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, egg and golden syrup and beat until well combined.
3. Sift the flour with the baking powder and work into the mixture to form a soft dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough lightly, then shaped into thick log. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill for 30 minutes.
4. Cut the dough into slices 5mm thick and space well apart on the baking sheets. Press a criss-cross pattern into the dough with the tines of a fork.

5. Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to five days.

Cookie Tip
1. Use smooth peanut butter if you prefer a creamier texture.
2. The recipe actually yields 24 pieces if you roll a very thick log. I guess mine was not as thick as I managed to get 40 pieces out of it. Just the right size for Adam and the rest of the kids :)

Giant M&M Bites

When I went to MPH the other day, I fell in love with this book. Cookies Galore by Jacqueline Bellefontaine.

What I like about this book is that it is divided into a few sections like Kid's Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Grandma's Favourite and so on. One of the recipe that attracted me most was the Giant M&M Bites from the Kid's Cookies section. The recipes are also very simple and do not require Not-available-in-Malaysia ingredients like some other cookies recipe books.

My cousin Jihana once told me how easy and yet tasty M&M cookies are. So that very night, I decided to bake my first batch of Giant M&M Bites and it was really easy! Managed to prepare the cookie dough quite fast and the baking time was not that long too. Here is the recipe if you wanna try it.

Ingredients

125g butter, softened

75g sugar

75g soft light brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

200g self-raising flour

100g peanut or chocolate  M&Ms or sugar coated chocolates

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 190c. Lightly grease the baking sheet. (I used non stick tray)

2. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour and beat into the mixture. Add the M&Ms and stir until well combined.

3. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough on the baking sheets, spacing well apart as the cookies will almost double in size.

4. Bake until golden, 8-10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. These are best eaten the day they are made. (Ours lasts for a week and still tasted great)

Cookie Tip

1. Always stir flour prior to measuring - flour settles as it sits and if you don't stir it you may end up adding too much to your cookies.

2. The cookies were quite big for Adam and he always managed to ate only half of it. So, maybe I will drop only half a tablespoon of the dough instead.

3. I was not so careful when stirring the M&Ms so some of them were crushed in the process and some of the cookies had more M&M than the other. Some has only 1 M&Ms. I read from other recipes, instead of mixing the M&Ms in the dough, you can just place the M&Ms on the dough that you have dropped on the tray. This way, the M&Ms will not sink in the cookies. 

Good luck trying!

Adam's First: Movie

Last two weeks, after a very hectic weekdays, we decided to bring Adam to watch his first movie ever! I went to TGV website and saw that Hop was showing. Rio was not out yet then. I had absolutely no idea what the movie was all about when we decided to watch it. The poster looks like it's a cartoon show so I guess there must be rabbits hopping around. And the chick looks cute too.

We had a quick dinner and dashed off to Bukit Raja to catch the 9.15pm show. I felt the timing of the show was just right as Adam's bedtime is around 12am-1am. While waiting for the show, Adam took a ride on a fire engine. I did not have much coins so Adam had two rides only. Obviously that wasn't enough.

Then Adam persuaded Daddy to buy him some popcorn. Actually I have already bought some but did not plan to give him before we go into the hall. To avoid another scene, I let him have some of the popcorn. And as expected, once his hands were in the bag, he will not take it out. Even his dad was scolded bila mintak sikit  from him. Haiyoooo kedekutnya!

Once we were in the movie hall, he kept pointing to the screen and asked what's that? Movie, I told him. He kept on repeating the question until he could pronounce it properly. (When we went to Starbucks last Sunday, there was a huge blinder outside the cafe and Adam pointed to it and proudly said "Mommy, movie")

As for the movie, Adam enjoyed the part where the rabbit played the drums the most. When asked what did he watch at the movie, he kept saying rabbit drum and make drumming action. The parts where human were talking bored him a bit. After sitting for so long, Adam stood up and that was the most action he did. Yeayyy! I was so happy he did not run around in the movie hall. Guess my lil Adam is now big enough to watch a movie :) So, can we watch Rio next, Daddy?

Adam's First: Train Rides

Ni cerita dah basi tapi nak jugak tulis sebab this was the first time Adam jumpa train betul-betul. Selama ni train rides yang kat shopping complex and TV and his books ajelah. It was an impromptu plan. We visited hubby's brother who was admitted at KJMC and kebetulan tak ada plan apa hari tu, terus suggest to hubby to park dekat Putra LRT KJ and bawak Adam naik train.

On the way to the station, dah start tunjuk kat Adam LRT yang lalu lalang yang boleh nampak from kereta. So, bila sampai dekat platform tu, Adam was so excited to see the train betul-betul depan dia. Masuk je dalam train tu Adam cepat-cepat nak duduk sebelah Mommy. His expression masa tu memang priceless. Muka kagum and trying to accept the fact that he was in an actual train.

Then he started making train sound "choo chooo... chug chug chug.. choo.. chooo..". Sangat seronok tengok muka dia yang excited. Lepas tu, sesi tunjuk cars and trees kat luar train pulak..

When hubby decided that we will stop at KL Sentral, sajalah bagitau Adam "OK Adam, we are here!" bila sampai one of the station. Menjerit Adam tak nak turun. Tak puas lagi! Did that for 2 stations kut saja nak bagi dia tau that the ride won't last forever. So bila sampai KL Sentral, he was okay bila ajak keluar.

Next stop? Makan dulu!!!! We had our lunch at KFC. Lepas tu amik komuter pergi stesen Kuala Lumpur pulak.

Told hubby that rasanya semua long distance train dah pindah to KL Sentral tapi kitorang pergi jugak as I was not so sure. Turned out betul semua train dah pindah to KL Sentral. Sedih pulak tengok the train station that was so majestic before and selalu penuh je orang sekarang dah kosong. Nasib baik jugak kitorang decided to go there sebab while waiting for Adam to refuel, dapat tengok the real long distance train lalu. Adalah a few and dapat jugak tengok  train Pos Malaysia yang colourful.

While waiting for the train, sempatlah beli Cheezels satu tapi silap besarlah bagi Adam pegang. Langsung tak nak bagi kat Daddy dia. Tapi yang comelnya, a few days after that, Adam buka fridge and nampak packet cheezels tu dia terus cerita pasal Choo Choo Train.

On our way back to Kelana Jaya, Adam asyik lari-lari from Mommy to Daddy and Daddy to Mommy. Dahlah baru minum susu and makan Cheezels. So as soon as we reached Kelana Jaya station, Adam muntah dalam train. Dahlah train tu continue pergi KL balik. Kesianla penumpang-penumpang lepas tu sebab tak sempat nak bersihkan pun dah kena turun.

Masuk saja kereta, Adam terus tidur and sambung sampai ke rumah. The 2 hours train rides (and lunch) was really worth it. So, if you have no plan for the weekend, why don't you take your kids for train rides? It's cheap and they will surely love it :)

Chicken Schnitzel with Grilled Eggplant and Tomato Salad

My friend persuaded me to try Junior Masterchef Australia's Chicken Schnitzel with Grilled Eggplant and Heirloom Tomato Salad for quite some time and finally I gave it a try last month. True enough, it was pretty easy! I shared a picture of it in my FB and another friend of mine has been persuading me to copy the recipe and put it in my blog. So, Tika, this is my version of the recipe specially for you on your birthday. Happy Birthday! :)

Ingredients

200g breadcrumbs

50g parmesan cheese, grated

6 sprigs thyme, leaves only

2 sprigs rosemary, leaves only

Pinch salt and pepper

2 chicken breast fillet

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk (I use Nespray)

70g plain flour

olive oil for frying

40g butter, chopped

Salad

1 round eggplant

1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

1 tomato sliced

100g baby tomatoes

110g mozarella cheese

1 cup mixed salad

Directions

1. Process breadcrumbs and parmesan in a food processor until well mixed. Add herbs and season with salt and pepper, process untill finely chopped.

2. Place one chicken breast in between 2 sheets of cling film and lightly pound with the flat side of meat mallet to flatten (I used the wooden dough roller). Repeat with the other breast fillet.

3. Whisk egg and milk together in a bowl. Coat one piece of chicken in flour and shake to remove excess. Then dip the chicken into the egg mixture.Then coat the chicken in breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to coat. Repeat with remaining pieces and crumbing mixtures. (To have a thicker crunchy skin, dip the chicken in the egg and coat in breadcrumbs once again)
4. For the salad, slice the eggplant into two. Heat olive oil in a grill pan over high heat. Cook eggplant until tender and golden. When cooked, place on a paper towel-lined baking tray. Arrange salad, tomatoes and eggplant in a plate. Dress with a squeeze of lemon juice, torn mozzarella and extra virgin oil and season to taste. Toss to combine.
5. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, cook chicken in batches, until tender and golden. Reduce heat to low and add butter around the chicken. Cook until crispy, remove and place on to the paper towel-lined baking tray.
6. Serve the chicken with the salad.

Recipes Tab

Noticed the new small tab called "Tried and Tested Recipes" up there? So now all the recipes can easily be viewed in that tab. I know I promise some of you some of the recipes I have tried but it's Monday! I'll try to update bit by bit ok. Have a great and productive week!