Prep for Ramadhan - Frozen Mini Sausage Rolls

Hello! So how was your weekend? Yesterday I managed to squeeze in some time to prepare these yummylicious Mini Sausage Rolls.

Fresh from the oven

First time buat sausage rolls ni masa my aunty buat parti durian kat rumah dia. Saja la bawak buah tangan kan. Buat the night before, so terpaksa la freezekan dulu. Turned out, walau dah masuk freezer before bakar and served the next day tu, they were still a huge hit. Hubby siap cakap macam kat kedai. Puas hati!

Sausage Rolls

Anyway, sempat bakar sikit untuk tetamu yang datang rumah and balance tu dapat 3 trays. Rezeki my bro and my bro in law dapat bawak balik sorang satu tray.

Resepi kali ni dapat from blog MamaFaMi. MamaFaMi ni roti-roti yang dia buat memang sangat menggiurkan. Yang paling best, setakat ni semua resepi yang dah pernah try semua jadi and sedappppp. Cuma kali ni MamaFaMi tak letak gambar macam mana nak buat. So kalau nak try, here are some pics to help you with. Tapi ni gambar masa first attempt hari tu guna sausage yang standard size. Untuk kali ni buat pakai frankfurter yang kecik-kecik je sebab masa yang besar tu sangat besar untuk Adam.

Adam and my breadmaker. Kalau nak uli sendiri pun boleh.

Kalau guna  sausage, divide the dough into 20 balls at 50g each. Kalau  guna frankfurter (2 packets) divide into 60 balls lebih kurang 17g each. 

Bila  balls tadi dah double it's size,  uli dengan tangan macam nak buat rantai guna playdough then  pintal je keliling sausage tu. Make sure selitkan sikit the ends tu kat bawah pintalan supaya tak terbuka masa dalam oven. Masa nak susun atas tray, make sure the ends tu kat bawah

Kalau nak freeze, susun satu-satu supaya tak melekat and masukkan dalam freezer lebih kurang 2-3 jam. Bila dah keras boleh transfer masuk tupperware supaya senang nak defrost kalau nak bakar sikit aje.

Another tip nak bagi sedap ialah guna Ayamas punya premium sausage/frankfurter ada blackpepper, mushroom and cheese filling. Yang biasa pun oke aje :)

Meleleh-leleh cheese kat dalam. Yummy!!!

P/s: Sambal bilis dah nak habes. Nampak gaya kena buat lagi lah before puasa start nanti.

Prep for Ramadhan - Frozen Popiah

My popiah

Just finished rolling one batch of popiah and kept them safely in the freezer. Lucky me, my sister stayed over tonight so I have extra pair of hand in the kitchen just now. Sangat senang rupanya buat popiah ni. Much much much easier if you compare it to currypuff. Anyway, reseppi tu dapat dari sini. Cuma  bezanya my version tumis udang kering with bawang and ayam pastu tambah sengkuang dengan carrot. Telur letak jugak macam dalam resepi tu. Tadi guna setengah biji sengkuang dengan 1 batang carrot. Lupa nak kira dapat berapa semua sekali. Inti macam sedap dah tapi kena goreng sikit for breakfast esok baru tau sedap ke tak :

Prep for Ramadhan - Sambal Bilis

My Sambal Bilis

Managed to cook this with my Sister in Law last night. It's so yummy my sis in law said it might not last till Ramadhan :)

Anyway, sambal ni sangat sangat sangat senang nak buat and I really recommend for you to spend a little bit of your time this weekend to make some. Kalau tak nak letak bilis pun takpe, buat sambal ksoong or with bawang aje then freeze in small packets. So, bila nak makan just panaskan pastu tambah aje ayam ke, udang ke sotong ke or goreng telur aje pun dah boleh makan dengan sedap. Sangat sesuai untuk sahur kan :)

So for those yang nak try, this is the recipe (tapi main agak2 je ni sebab most barang dah ada kat rumah so tak timbang pun) :

Bahan:
Bilis (dalam half kilo) goreng sampai rangup
Cili Kering - dalam half packet besar tu (kalau boleh after basuh tu, keringkan dulu and blend guna dry mill. Kitorang nak cepat semalam so guna blender and tambah air sikit-sikit asal boleh gerak)
Bawang Besar - 3 biji (hiris)
Bawang Merah - 10 biji (tumbuk)
Bawang Putih - 3 biji (tumbuk)
Asam keping - 1 keping
Garam dan Gula secukup rasa.

Cara:
1. Tumis bawang merah dan bawang putih sampai naik bau and bawang masak betul.
2. Masukkan cili, goreng sampai garing. Tambah minyak supaya cepat garing. Lebih tak apa bila dah masak boleh buang minyak tu. Boleh masukkan gula jugak nak bagi cepat masak.
3. Cili tu kalau boleh, goreng dengan api perlahan sampai betul-betul garing dan kering.
4. Tambah asam keping dan garam secukup rasa. Bilis kitorang masin so tak letak garam pun.
5. Tambah bawang besar dan goreng lagi sampai bawang besar layu.
6. Bila dah masak, tambah ikan bilis dan gaul. Siap!

Kalau makan masa siap terus tu, bilis masih rangup sangat sedap. So next time maybe bilis tu just gaul masa nak makan supaya rangup. Have fun trying!

Cooking Blogs

My darling friend Nette shared a link to this awesome website this morning. My Halal Kitchen shares tips on how to prepare for Ramadhan cooking. Guess I am not the only one excited to prepare for Ramadhan cooking. The blog author shared many tips in the blog, from freezing the herbs to menu list for the whole month of Ramadhan! Amazing!

 My Halal Kitchen will definitely be one of the frequently visited site for me this Ramadhan. Last year,I referred alot to these 3 blogs for ideas on what to cook for iftar and will definitely do the same this year:

1.  MamaFaMi's Spice n Splendour 
2. Hanieliza's Cooking 
3. Dapur Tanpa Sempadan 

Apart from these blogs, I hope my friends will still share pictures of their cooking in FB and Twitter like last year. Had so much fun last year trying out new recipes shared by them. Can't wait for the mouthwatering pictures and lengthy discussion on food with them. Anyway, my sister in law is coming over tonight to make Sambal Kering Ikan Bilis. If time permits, I might be making some frozen popiah too tonight. Wish me luck :)

*picture googled*

My smart aleck

Scenario 1:
M: Alamak, my tummy is aching. I need to yak.
A: oh! Go yak in the toilet mommy! Don't yak in your pants. Later, your pants dirty! Off you go mommy! Off you go!

Scenario 2:
M: Adam, can you please help mommy close the door. Please..
A: Mommy, can you please help Adam close the door. Please.. (He was playing with his train and didn't even stop to turn to me)

Scneario 3:
I was about to leave to work and woke him up. Still half asleep and didn't even open his eyes, this was our conversation:
M: Adam wake up! I'm going to work!
A: Oh. Have you got money?
M: Huh?
A: You go to work and get money?
M: Yes. I'll get money after I finish my work.
A: Ok. Then you buy me train oke Mommy, oke!

Scenario 4:
One weekend morning..
A: Wake up mommy, wake up! (He sounded panic)
M: Oh! Yes Adam, I'm awake. Why?
A: (Still panic voice) We HAVE TO go to Jusco Mommy. We HAVE TO.
M: But why?
A: So we can buy train for Adam.

Scenario 5:
One day in Mothercare..
A: Mommy, I wanna buy this. This is good. (Referring to a big box of toy)
M: But I don't have any money. Do you have any?
A: Yes!
M: Oh, you have? Where is it? Give me your money so we can buy this.
A: In your pocket.
M: Nooooo! There's no money in my pocket. (showing him my empty pockets). You don't have money so we cannot buy this.
A: I have money! It's in Daddy's pocket. (Daddy was not even with us)

Scenario 6:
A: You cannot go to work mommy. You have to stay at home.
M: But I have to go to work. If I go to work, my office will give me money. What do you wanna buy with money?
A: I wanna buy food, train, vegetables, twisties, vegetable (yes he said vege twice though he is very picky with his vege)
M: There are so many things that you wanna buy so you have to let me go to work ok.
He tried to digest what I said. Then he went into my room and came back with the small Pringles bottle that is full of 1cent coins and some rupiah.
A: Here is money mommy. It's heavy.

Kindergarten

Pagi tadi isi feedback form untuk sekolah Adam and just realized tak pernah lagi cerita pasal sekolah Adam kat sini. Initially I thought of sending Adam when he was 3 to expose him more sebab Adam ni duduk rumah dengan bibik aje seharian. Not so much nak suruh dia pandai baca buku ke apa tapi to improve his social skills and speech. At home, hubby and I speak English to him tapi bibik cakap Indon. So, Adam ni lambat sikit la bercakap and ramai la yang point out on this. Though I knew the reason was because he did not have that much of practice tapi sekali sekala ada la jugak datang risau tu kan. Especially bila tengok budak lain yang not even 2 dah boleh buat long sentences.

So pencarian ni actually started towards end of 2010. Masa tu pun dah berminat with Real Kids as they accept 3 years old tapi, was not ready to let Adam naik van balik sekolah. Cakap pun tak boleh lagi cause he was 2y3m in Jan takkan nak bagi balik sekolah naik van. So postpone setahun. Towards end of last year, start cari sekali lagi and this time lagi serious la. I went to a few kindies and these are how I made my decision:

• Distance - it has to be close by as I don't want my son to spend his early years on the road. Though Real Kids ni kat section lain, tapi it's not too far for me or hubby to drop him off on our way to work. Plus point is dia ada outsource hantar/amik anak sekolah dengan school bus/van operators and rumah kitorang termasuk dalam area of service.
• Safety - As sekolah ni ada it's own compound and gated, I am quite ok la. Sebab ada some kindergarten yang dekat shoplots. Kalau yang dekat terrace house tu at least dia ada safety ladder in case of fire from atas kan. Kat Real Kids ni, pagi-pagi pun semua pagar akan dikunci. Kalau anak datang lambat, kena tekan bell for the staff to open the gate. Mula-mula tu of course la risau specially part naik van and that was the very reason Adam postpone setahun kan. Tapi bila dah tengok sendiri how it works, kurang la sikit risau tu. At Real Kids, after the final bell rings, all the students will gather dekat assembly area. Masa ni all gates are still locked. Parents will go to the gate and mention their kid's name to the teacher, and the teacher akan amik the kids sorang-sorang and pass to parents. Sangat puas hati part ni. For those yang naik bus/van, they will gather in one corner. Bila van tu sampai, a teacher/staff akan make sure all these kids queue up and naik van sorang-sorang. Van driver tu pun turun and  make sure semua budak naik van and dia tutup pintu van. Bila sampai rumah, bibik dah tunggu depan gate and make sure Adam turun.
• Facilities/Compund - As mentioned kat atas, Real Kids ni ada its own compound. So, senang la budak-budak nak berlari ke apa kan. Those yang kat terrace house pun ok still ada area budak2 nak lari-lari kan. I still wonder tadika yang kat shoplot tu macam mana budak2 buat physical activities? Dalam kelas je ke eh? Anyway, sekolah Adam ni macam mini school. Ada it's own music room, computer room, library, playground and its own swimming pool! Kecik je swimming pool tu and of course it is gated and no way budak akan dapat panjat masuk. Ni sangat plus point sebab banyak kindies yang offer swimming lesson tapi they have to ferry your kids to the nearest swimming pool. Cukupla naik van balik sekolah. X nak banyak sangat risk on the road. 
• English Medium - Most of the kindies in the area offers this. Tapi bila tanya the teachers, some confess cakap most of the time diorang kena cakap Malay sebab ramai budak tak faham. And some of them, especially tadika kecik-kecik, I was not really happy with the teacher's English. Tak naklah kita kat rumah cakap elok-elok nanti pergi sekolah jadi "I is" kan ;p
• Program - I would say most kindergartens ada their own program and semua nampak ada kelebihan masing-masing. Yang ni memang tak nampak sangat advantage Real Kids. Cuma suka bila tengok diorang ada bagi time table macam kita kat sekolah dulu. About 20 minutes for each subject. So takdela ikut suka hati mood cikgu rasa nak ajar apa hari tu kan :) On reading and bacaan, I don't have much comment or complain. Sebab memang bukan intention nak suruh focus academic sangat pun.
• Agama- Most of the kindie dekat Shah Alam memang focus on Agama. What I want is balance. Real Kids ni takdela macam sekolah lain siap anak pandai semayang dhuha and what not tapi ada la jugak basic alif ba ta. Tak pernah test Adam on this tapi adala lagu Alif Ba Ta yang dia nyanyi and pahamla concept pray and nak pray macam mana. I was informed diorang ada program khas Agama after school with additional fee of course tapi additional setengah jam sehari so kena arrange transport sendiri. Talked to one of the parents yang hantar anak for that program and she said banyak la doa apa semua dia boleh baca. Better than nothing lah kan.
• Trips/Concert/Sports Day - One advantage franchise macam Real Kids ni, they have the numbers to organize such events. Yelah kalau tadika setakat 10 students macam mana nak buat concert kut? Masa kita kecik kecik dulu event macam ni la yang sangat kita look forward pun kan. This year sempena Olympic special sikit diorang combine semua Real Kids in Klang Valle and organize a big Sports Day in Kelana Jaya siap Tun Siti Hasmah officiate the event. Tahun-tahun lain kecil kecilan jela kut tapi Real Kids Shah Alam itself ada banyak kelas dah so memang cukup sangatlah nak bagi event nampak meriah kan. Field trips Adam pernah pergi Petrosains and Kidzania (masa Holiday Camp). Concert hari tu Cikgu dia cakap will be held sometime in September. Can't wait!
• Quality of Teachers - Yang ni susah sikit nak gauge. Tapi masa tengah survey tu, adala tanya siapa cikgu-cikgu dia. Permanent ke tukar-tukar ke macam mana kan. Sebab ada satu sekolah tu, macam best cikgu dia tapi dia macam dah nak deliver dah so mesti kena tukar cikgu tengah-tengah. Kalau budak besar lain kan, ni kecik-kecik lagi kesian kalau tukar-tukar cikgu kan.
• Fees - Ni of course point paling penting. Surprisingly, the fees does not vary much from one kindie to another. Initial payment masa registration you can expect between RM800-1.2k. Monthly fees, Real Kids RM280, another corner lot school is RM230. Tapi bila compare rasa worth it lah RM50 difference tu. Another Islamic Montessori sampai RM400++ sebulan tapi yang tu tak check in detail kenapa mahal sangat. Maybe dia siapkan lunch kut. 

So, all in all I am quite happy with Adam's progress so far. Social skills makin better, speech Alhamdulillah much better sekarang. Dah boleh bercerita macam-macamla. Adam pun happy with his school banyak kawan and teacher semua dari support staff sampai principal semua pun baik-baik. His Malay pun dah improve sangat banyak walau masih ada Indon dia ;p Bila jumpa orang yang cakap Melayu, dia akan cakap Melayu jugak maknanya he is adapting well with whatever situation he's in. So, if you are looking for a kindie, make sure you know what you want cause you will be happy only when you get what you want :) (sape tah tulis quote lebih kurang macam tu dalam fb tadi)

p/s: nak letak gambar tapi xleh la pulak kat ofis ni

Are you where you think you'd be 10 years ago?

Just had a lunch with my friend and this topic came up. Honestly, if 10 years-ago-me can see me today, she'd feel disappointed.

Career wise, I am nowhere I thought I'd be. I always imagine I would be one of those high flyers climbing up the corporate ladder and has all the professional degrees under my belt. You know, those with their perfectly tailored power suit and the most beautiful Birkin walking down Wall Street.

 Physical, totally out! 10 years-ago-me would cry to see how I have grown ;p

Marriage, well, I get to marry the love of my life so that would make 10-years-ago-me happy. Children, I thought I'd have two by now, a cute girl and a boy but if she gets to see Adam, I'm sure she'd be happy. Who wouldn't right?

But if you ask me, is there anything I'd change? Well, apart from being more careful with my diet and exercise more, I'd proudly tell my 10 years-ago-me I am really happy to be where I am now.

Despite earning half than what I thought I would, I am happy with the path I chose. After Raya, I'll start my new career 5km from home! I am not as ambitious as I was before. So long it allows me to earn good money (at least good enough for me to buy things that I want without asking from anyone), provides me with some intellectual challenges and allows me to go home after the hours ended, I am in!

The miscarriage I had a few months back made me feel so grateful I am lucky enough to at least have Adam. Not everyone is that lucky.It made me realise that we can always ask for it but it's up to Him cause He knows best. 10 years-ago-me would not understand that. I used to think that if we work hard enough, than we will get what we want. But life ain't that easy babe!

My priorities, hopes and dreams have changed a lot in the past 10 years. It has made me wiser and appreciate my life more. Perfect ife is not all about money and all the Birkins and Christian Louboutin you can buy with it, it is about how it makes you feel at heart. So long you have a peace of mind and happy at heart, you are living your life just like I am today. So, if I get to see my 10 years-ago-me, I'd tell her not to be disappointed as this is the life I chose and I have no regret :)

Preparing for Ramadhan

Hello! The holy month of Ramadhan is coming soon and I am all excited about it. Year after year, Ramadhan has always been the month that I will put more effort in being a better muslimah. It just makes me feel closer to our religion and wanting to change for the better.

Anyway, as a mom and a wife, Ramadhan also means more cooking and dining together with the loved ones. For the first time this year, I plan to prepare for the upcoming Ramadhan. Apart from the usual stocking up the freezer, I plan to prepare pre-cooked meals for the days that I am in a rush or just too tired (lazy is more like it ;p) to cook. So far, I only have sambal and probably sausage bun in mind. If you have any other ideas or tips, please share ok!

Hello 2012!

A little too late? Better late than never right? Just wanna share my wishlist for now. To be specific, my kitchen helpers wishlist. Will start saving for the funds. As some of them are quite pricey, will segregate them as my target for 2012 and 2013. Hope the investment will last 30 years like they said in the reviews :)

2012


1. DeLonghi Icona 4 Slices Toaster in Scarlet Red 

Nice right? Why do I need this? Well, hubby likes his waffle crispy but the waffle I made is only crispy when we eat it right away. Our toaster only has thin slot and could not fit the waffle. And, it's a beaut right? :)

2. Kenwood FP920 3L Multi Pro Food Processor

If I have this, I won't need my maid :)

2013


1. kMix Stripes Firecracker

So cute right? I already have a small mixer and is still in good condition so I am not in a rush to have this. But it is just sooo cute right? From the online reviews, most people or their mothers use their mixer for 30 years! So I guess it's okay to splurge a bit as it is a looong time investment. Right? :)

2. kMix Meat Grinder Attachment

So I can make my own sausage!

3. kMix Pasta Extruder Attachment

We have been making our own noodle and spaghetti. With this, life would be much much much easier!

Wish me luck!!

make it BIG!!

First time Adam uttered this word, we couldn't really understand him.. He was asking his daddy to add more Dhal for his roti canai..
Adam: MakeA big daddy..
Daddy: Huh?
Adam: MakeA BIG! MakeA BIG! MakeA BIG!
Daddy: What?
Mommy: Can you say nicely Adam?
Adam: MakeA big please daddy.. do NOT makeA small...
Mommy & Daddy: oooo nak banyak... :)

After a few times he now knows to say it properly.. The other day, we were having dinner with my parents and brother. Adam asked his daddy to pour some more Tomato Sauce for his Cheese Wanton but he was pointing to the chilli sauce bottle..

Adam: Tomato please Daddy.. (while pointing to the chilli sauce bottle)
Daddy: No Adam, that's chilli.. this is tomato sauce (pointing at the tomato sauce bottle)
Adam: Noo!!!!! This ONE!!! THIS ONE!!!!

My Dad, brother, me, my mom, everybody tried to tell Adam the bottle he was referring to was chilli sauce.. But Adam being Adam, refused to listen and feels he is right. So, daddy poured the chilli sauce..

Adam: Make it bigger Daddy.. Make it BIGGER!
Daddy: this is enough..
Adam: Make it BIGGER! do not make it small...
Dadday: Whateva.. (and poured some more)

Adam happily dipped his wanton into the sauce and took a bite..
Adam: Air! Air! (Drink it then look at mommy)

Adam: Mommy, that's chilli pidas! (pointing to the chilli sauce bottle)
Mommy: Aku pulak kena sekolah ngan dia.. haishhhh...

mine and yours

I think Adam understands how to use the " 's, mine and yours"to show belonging. But the application is rather, weird. Funny weird :)

Scenario 1
While trying to pull his pillow from me..
Adam: That's Adam's pillow!
Me: still holding it tight..
Adam: It's mine!
Me: No! It's mine!
Adam: It's mine!

Ok this could go on and on but basically he knows how to apply it.. but let's look at this other scenario..

Scenario 2
I was holding my phone and he was trying to take it from me..
Me: It's my phone!
Adam: It's yours! (But still trying to snatch it)
Me: It's mine!
Adam: It's yours!
Me: It's mine!
Adam: It's yours! (Finally he managed to get it and I tried to get it back from him)
Me: It's mine! (Konon-konon wants to take it from him)
Adam: It's yours! (while looking for youtube icon and turned away so I cannot get the phone back)
Me: It's mine!
Adam: It's yours!

Ok, how do u explain that? :)

Cheeky Adam @ Pantai Batu Buruk - miss him so much!



Yang dicita-cita sudah tiba :)

Morphy Richards Electric Pressure Cooker

Been waiting for this for quite some time and finally received it last week.. Happy!!! Tapi.... gatal sangat beli eletric pressure cooker konon canggih sket la kann nak masak sup tulang tapiiiii x reti guna.. hampeh.. so anyone nak main masak-masak with me? jom kita buat eksperimen masak sup tulang then kita makan dengan homemade bread :)

Kumon

Hello! I can't remember if I have written about this before but I am so lazy to check my archive :)

Anyway, last few months I started sending Adam to Kumon. Before you start judging me and feel Kumon is too much for a 2y10m old boy, let me explain what makes me decided to send him to Kumon.

Adam on his first day of Kumon

1. Adam stays at home with Bibik the whole day while I am at work. He has no friends and not really that good in socializing with other kids because at home, he always get what he wants. So, the idea of sharing or playing together is alien to him. 
2. At 2++ Adam could barely make long sentences. I guess he had not much practice. Bibik speaks Indon to him, I speak English with him while his daddy speaks English and Malay with him. I am good with this arrangement though cause I believe language should be taught since young. When they start from young, the pronunciation and grammar will come naturally. 
3. Adam has no idea what school is and the whole idea of having a teacher, following their instructions and how to behave in class. 
4. I have no idea how to teach a child! Though Adam knows his ABC since he was 1+, that was by accident. Adam and me loves to play with the Animal ABC in the Fisher Price website. Initially we just imitate the animal sounds but one day, I realized he can recognize most of the alphabets :)
5. So, my intention was just to send him to some sort of play school that is on weekly basis where he could have some ideas on what is school all about and help him to converse more. Initially, we went to Cambridge English. They did a test on Adam and he passed! Unfortunately, the teacher felt Adam was too young for her class. Major disappointment :(
6. From Kumon website, I found out that they provide 1 to 1 coaching for Preschool Kids. So I called Sec 7 centre and talked to the headmistress, Pn Norlaila. She asked me to bring Adam to do some assessment. When we went there, I was attracted to the friendly and warm welcome we received from Pn Norlaila. 
7. My initial plan was to enrol Adam for English program, but according to Pn Norlaila, the program is not for conversation but more to reading which she felt is too early for Adam.She did the assessment and recommended for Adam to start with Maths. Based on the Assessment, Adam could already skip 1 level and start with Level 6A right away but I asked them to start Adam from Level 7A. Alhamdulillah now, after 3 months, Adam has already started Level 4A.
8. What I like about Kumon is that it follows your child's pace. And, they provide 1 to 1 coaching for pre-school kids. Where else can you get that for RM120 a month? :) The idea is to have the kids to discipline themselves for a 10-20 min work every day. This helps me so much because now I know what and how to teach Adam :)



Pre-School Section in Kumon Sec 7

9. Though it's 1 to 1 session, Adam gets to mix with other children too. 

So far, Adam seems to enjoy his Kumon classes and asked to go to Kumon when we are out. As for his homewrok, he's OK with it though sometimes if the timing was not right, he refused to do his homework. I try not to force him to finish it and sometimes spread the session to suit his mood. 

So do I recommend it? Yes! But make sure you always remember the very reason why you want to send your kids there. Else, you'll end up like those competitive parents we always heard about.

Adam will be three!

My baby will be 3 in a couple of days and we will be hosting a partayyy!!!! As ususal, it will just be a small do at my parents' place in Terengganu! So if you are in KT on 3rd Raya, we'd be honoured if you could join us to celebrate Adam the Builder's 3rd Birthday.

Owh, we had a pre-celebration earlier. Actually it was not much of a celebration, just Adam blowing the candles. The cake was meant for Adam's favourite Uncle Bo's 30th birthday but Adam blew the candles too to mark Adam is 3 in Muslim Calendar. 

Anyway, party preparation is only 30% completed. Though I  started late this year, I am quite happy with what I managed to do thus far. I am always excited to plan for Adam's party. If only we have moooore money and I am moooore creative :) Too late to change Mom, Adam! So just be happy with me ok :)

Energize your Ramadhan!

Hello all! It's been a while I know but here I am again. Today marks the beginning of Ramadhan, how fast time flies eh?

Anyway, what have you done as a preparation for Ramadhan? I am always excited come Ramadhan. It's like I am given another chance to repent and improve myself to be a better muslim, daughter to my parents, mommy to my son, wife to my hubby n sister to my siblings. Last year, I remember tweeting and discussing on what to cook for breaking of fast with my friends. We rarely went to Pasar Ramadhan as I cooked most of the time last year and I intended to cook as much if not more this year.

Apart from stocking up your pantry and freezer with fresh food, have you prepared enough supplement to keep you going during Ramadhan? When I was 13, I could Sahur with fruits only and stayed active throughout the day and even played netball on most of the evenings. But at 30, I guess my body needs more help and the vitamins from the food we consumed might not be enough.

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited by my friend, Shikin, a Nutritionist with Liqua Health, for a product review at Marche, the Curve. I almost did not make it as it happened on the same day with Bersih gathering and most of the roads were closed. Boy am I glad I went anyway because it was the first time I get to try Spirulina in other form and lovin' it!

I am sure many of you has seen spirulina in tablet forms and might have even takes it as part of your daily supplement. Do you sometimes feels like it's a torture to swallow the little pills? I do especially when I was pregnant. The fishy smells does not help either. But I still take it as I know it is very beneficial in terms of giving you energy and all. I even make Adam eat them daily as the vitamins and minerals he gets from his meals might not be sufficient.

Liqua Health's spirulina is not like those we usually seen in the market. For a start, it is in liquid form and came in 3 yummilicious flavours, Berry, Lemon-Lime and Grape. During the session, Shikin showed us how easy it is to include this Spirulina as part of your daily supplement.

Lemon, Berry and Grape Spirulina

First, they gave us a glass of watermelon juice and we were asked to pick one of the flavour and I picked grape.

Watermelon Juice and the Spirulina. Yes! The one in the packet.

Just shake it up!

We were told to just shake it up and drink it. It was sooooo yummy! Tasted like grape with no after taste at all! It was a bit sweet though maybe because we mixed it with watermelon juice. But don't worry as the sweetness came from fructose from the fruits that gives flavour to the spirulina.

Next, we were asked to mix it with plain water. My friend, Rabby had the honour to mix it and she picked Berry. It tastes great! Not as sweet because we just mix it with plain water. It's perfect for breakfast! We cannot mix it with hot water though as it contains life enzyme that will help with your digesting system. Bye-bye constipation! :)

 

Berrylicious!

For many of us who always doesn't have much time to prepare for breakfast, this would be the perfect solution. Just arrange some sliced bananas on a slice of bread and top it with the spirulina instead of jam. Yummy! 

 Fila demonstrates how to spread the Spirulina

I am salivating!

These Spirulinas are also perfect for fruit salads.

Lemon-Lime Spirulina is a perfect match to these oranges

Great for fruit salad too

So what's in a Spirulina you asked? Well, here is what I gathered from the leaflet given:

• 6-8% Fat
• 3x more Protein than meat
• 6x more Protein than egg
• 10x more Calcium than milk
• 65x more Iron than spinach
• 5x more Beta-Cerotene than carrot
• 4x more Fiber than flour

Spirulinas are great for everybody at all age. It's great for those trying to conceive, for the expecting and nursing mommies and for those having menopause as well. It can also be used as your head-to-toe spa at home, for healthier and shinier hair, for medi to pedi and most important, it will help keep your appetite under control and slim away!

Your kids are too small? Shikin shared her personal experience giving spirulina to her son, Qael from Day 1. Just give the baby a quarter teaspoon a day and helps them to have a stronger immune system. The cool food is also packed with glycogen that will give your kids the instant energy boost and keep them alert during classes. Wish I know about spirulina when I was in high school. Spirulina also has up to 60% vegetable protein to promote healthy muscles build for them to grow tall and strong.

For the elders? Among others, Spirulina helps with vision care, promotes normal blood pressure, maintain body sugar level, hair care, prevent heart disease and stroke, improve rheumarhritis and has antiepressant effects.

During the session, we also get to try new products that will be launched soon. They will be packed in ready to drink bottles prefect for those who are always on the go. Adam gave it a try and love them to bit. He even asked for more :)

 

Some of the soon to be launched products

Adam too participate as the product tester

 Pretty Shikin in action

Thank you Shikin for the opportunity given and of course all the goodies that came in the goodie bag. I am now prepped up for Ramadhan. I am giving myself a Spirulina challenge and will take the Spirulina daily during sahur this Ramadhan. I am crossing my finger with hope to shed some kilos in time for raya. Will update you on the results. Have a blessed Ramadhan all!

Nasi Tanam Ayam

Hellooooooo!!!! This is just a short entry to share a recipe that has been requested by friends in FB. Started with Nette who tweeted about making Nasi Daging Berempah for dinner. Then she shared the recipe at her blog. Masa tu dah salivate dah tapi my hubby tak makan daging but bila tanya Nette, dia kata tukar dengan ayam pun boleh.

Suddenly a few days after that, Umi Faryhah, my junior from STF days shared a picture of Nasi Tanam Ayam in FB. Looks yummy! When she gave me the recipe, it looks almost similar to Nette's Nasi Daging Berempah, the process at least, and Nasi Tomato I learned from my mother-in-law last Sunday. Finally last night I managed to try it. Here is the recipe I got from Umi. The one in (blue) was how I made mine.

Bwg merah(5),putih(3) n halia (lupa letak) dihiris
Bunga lawang(1),cengkih(2),kayu manis(1 pendek) n buah keras pelaga (2).
Tumiskan semua ni dgn butter(3 heap tbsp planta)+minyak zaitun (x guna) smpi kekuningan..
Masukkan serbuk kari daging/ayam (3tbsp) tu.ni ikut suka kalo nk nasi pedas sikit,letak lebih..
Tuang air secawan (x letak air pun sbb planta over ;p)..then tnggu smpi pecah minyak.
Masukkan ayam (2 whole legs cut into 8 pcs) yg dipotong smpi half cooked.
Then masukkan beras basmathi yg di tos (3 cups).
(masukkan 1 biji bawang besar yang dihiris bulat)
Masukkan susu ideal 1tin,air(ikut sukatan pot or ikut tahap lembut nasi yg nak) (letak susu aje pun dah sampai kat tanda 4.. sepatutnye sampai aras 3 je)
Gaul rata semua,masukkan dlm rice cooker n cook..
Garam masukkan jugak sedikit (3/4 tsp). 

It was not bad for first try yang main agak-agak je ;p Tapi rasanya kurang garam. Macam kurang lemak tapi when I told my mom, dia kata kalau garam kurang mmg kurang lemak rasa. Tak pedas pun jugak. So, next time, I would definitely increase the amount of salt and curry powder. I overdid the Planta so masa nak masak tu sampai 3 kali tekan kat rice cooker still basah tapi mentah. So, I steamed the rice for almost an hour. 3 pots ni of course sangat banyak just for me and hubby so there was plenty for hubby's breakfast and my lunch today. Selamat mencuba!

Caramel Cake

I first saw this lovely cake at my cousin Nana's blog. Her housemates baked it for her birthday. So, I asked for the recipe and tried it last Friday. It was one of my colleague's last working days so I thought it would be nice to bring something for her. When I was about to bake it, I just realized we were out of eggs. We had, but it was not enough. Managed to persuade hubby to drive us to Tesco. We were home by midnight. So I looked at the recipe and saw the baking time is only an hour and the recipe seems easy.

I remember the cake was quite thick so I decided to use my springform tray as it is thicker than my other baking trays. I started with caramelizing the sugar. Easy peasy. Pour it in the springform and it hardened quite fast. So, I proceeded to make the pudding mix. Very easy as well. Then I poured into the springform. Oh no!!!! the pudding mix came out from the bottom of the pan! My springform leaked! Dang! Panic attack! So I quickly poured the mix back into the mixing bowl. It was already 12.30am and I was cursing debating with myself whether should I continue or just call it a night. But there were 7 eggs in the pudding mix and it would be a waste! So I decided to divide the mix into 2 and use 2 baking trays.

So again, by 1.15am I was done caramelizing the sugars and poured them into 2 baking trays. I continued to prepare the cake mix and then divide both pudding and cake mix into 2 and pour into the trays. As my oven can only fit in 1 tray at a time, both cakes were only ready at 3 am! Put the first tray into the fridge and the other one I just let it cool down in the oven and brought both to the office in the morning.

The caramel cakes were thin but nice! Glad my friend loved it. She has been a good friend and she deserves the lovely cake for her farewell :)

Decided to bake another one after that. I bought a new cake tin and glad it turned out well. Just the right thickness though I think it could have been better if I have a new oven. As I mentioned before, my oven's heat is not balance. Enough with the ramblings, here is the recipe for the yummy caramel cake. Seriously easy. Give it a try!

Caramel Cake
1.Puding
7 biji Telur 
1 cawan Susu fullcream
1cawan penuh gula
3/4 cawan air
Sikit vanila essense

2.Caramel
10sudu besar gula

3.cake
1 cawan tepung gandum
3 biji telur
250g butter
3/4 cawan gula
1/2 cawan air
Vanilla essense
1 sudu kecil soda bikarbonat 

1.(Untuk caramel) panas 10sudu besar gula dalam baking tray,api slow and gaul. Bila dah perang, angkat tray.

2.(Puding) gaul semua bahan sampai sebati. Tuang dalam baking tray tadi.

3. (Cake) pukul butter and gula sampai kembang.letak bahan lain. Bila sebati, letak jugak dalam baking tray.adunan cake akan terapung,so masukkan slowly dlm baking tray.

4.Letak baking tray dalam tray yg diisi air sebelum bakar. Bakar dlm api 180deg sampai masak (about 1 hour)..:) 




P/s: I found out that springform is not suitable for pudding mix hence the mess. So, I don't have to throw my springform :)

Birthday

Baca entry Am on Hadi's birthday (yang sangat happening dari gambarnya), terus teringat birthday Adam. Tahun ni, birthday Adam falls on 2nd Syawal. Rasanya tahun ni paling lambat Mommy Adam bersedia. Selalunya dalam 6 months before dah tau dah nak buat tema apa. Tapi tahun ni apa pun belum fikir.

Hmm.. tahun ni giliran beraya di Melaka. So pastinya second day tu baru sampai dari Melaka. Sempat ke nak prepare tiup-tiup belon like previous years? Bibik pun tak ada nanti dia balik cuti sebulan. Macam mana ni ye?

Any ideas kawan-kawan?

Kids and politeness

I noticed that Adam ni sangat garang dengan maid. Kalau main yelah, dia suka-suka and gelak-gelak. Tapi kalau nak mintak something, dia akan panggil dengan suara yang boleh dengar the authority in it. Macam contoh kalau with me, dia nak mintak susu, he will say "Mommy, milk please" in his sweetest voice. Tapi, kalau dengan maid, "Chitah! Milk!" on top of his voice. Sounded very rude to me. Even if I asked him to say it nicer, he would only lower it a bit but still not nice enough.

Initially, I thought it was me. I don't think I sound like that when I call the maid but people say kids emulate your behaviour. When we went back to my hometown the other day, I noticed Adam used the same voice when he called out my mom's maid. So it must not be me! I did not talk much with my mom's maid and never raised my voice when I speak to her. Adam spoke politely to all other people except the maid.

What should I do now? Whenever I catch him talking to the maid in that voice of course I will get him to talk nicer but what if I am not around and later it became a habit. I don't want to be the mother who raise a rude son. Sigh~

A Doctor in the House

I have been reading this book for quite sometime but has yet to finish it :( I think I have read 3 other books in between. Don't get me wrong, I love the book. How can I not love Tun M's style of writing, straight forward, simple words, backed with facts and he cracked some jokes here and there. Feels like I was listening to him.

I think the book is too bulky and too heavy to carry around. It would ruin my handbag if I were to carry it with me all the time. I wish I can pull out chapter by chapter coz I really want to read them all. Have you read the book? Page by page?Tell me how you did it. Please...