His Dinners Part 4 - Tacos

I must confess I like the way Jaime cooks; ie go to the market, see what you like or in season, get inspiration, buy, cook. Peeping into the frozen stuff in the freezer can be cooking-mood killers oft times I'd say.

My hubs cooks almost like Jaime - he sees what he likes to cook and buy them and then cook them. Anak2 selalu find his meals interesting unlike mine - kari, sambal, kicap and - oh well, that's about it actually! The other day he made us tacos with ready to eat crisp shells complete with salsa and guacamole. Tapi nak cari taco shells pun susah bukan main, our Giant and CarreFour dont have it and Cold Storage ran out of stock. Luckily we found some at Isetan market.

 Tacos is Mexican, where you put things like cooked minced beef or chicken, lettuce, cheese, beans into the shells and top them with salsa / guacamole. Kata anak2 tacos ni tak lah sedaap gitu tapi it is nice in the way that it is light and different from the usual stuff that we eat. Me, I am just happy someone else volunteers to get food on the table.

Come to think of it, I do have a lot to say about food.

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Secantik Orkid Ibunda Saya

A photo by night (very early morning before I leave for work actually).

And by day.

My sisters came over a couple of weeks back and saw the orchid. They all said mesti engkau beli kan? and kat mana engkau beli orkid ni? Awak2 semua ni dengki le tu I answered.

The orchid was (literally) left to die (pardon me ya Allah) on my balcony, then I moved it to a new pot and into the shades of the jejawi. Tiba2 dia berbunga pulak. MasyaAllah (and just in time to taunt the said visitors too!)

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Let's Catch Up Here!

We were at a cosy cafe in Bangsar Village (new wing) called Citrus. I think I have passed by this place a few times but with no reference at all I hadnt really noticed it before (it is just across from Borders). And then a few days back Yana said we must go - "my sister went and said it is a good place to eat". Then later Bieb said she went there during Ramadhan; the food was nice and they served a lot of food for free, being Ramadhan and all.

I like the decor. Modern. And has a lightness to it.

We ordered kuay teow goreng which comes with keropok and assorted condiments. The udang were quite sizeable and so fresh. Everyone gave the dish a thumbs up. Memang sedap.

 We ordered cakes and goreng pisang with ice cream for dessert. The chocolate cake was moist. The red velvet tasted of cream cheese and is so light. They were gorgeous. We almost didnt have room for the ice cream. I didnt have photos of the drinks; but I like the virgin mojito I ordered - soda, lime flavored syrup, mint leaves and a hint of passion fruit (I must do this at home, maybe with perrier).

The lady in the bottom photo is one of the owners, we presume. She was there taking orders, serving cakes and drinks. There was also a middle aged lady and a younger one managing the cafe. Kami buat andaian kafe dipunyai oleh wanita 3 generasi ini.. (conclude sendiri gitu; but Bieb later said so too).

I am fairly sure I will return. A good place to linger with friends over afternoon tea - any takers?

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Something Old; Something Treasured

I've finished converting mum's old photos (finally!) and I'll share some gorgeous ones next time. 

In the mean time, take a look at this. Found this in mum's album too. This has always been my favorite actually (and where have the years gone?) My copy dah kena conteng dengan dakwat merah! Guess who did that? (hint : she is in the photo below and it isnt me).

 

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My Taiping; Part 2

We took the opportunity to visit mum these end of year hols. Dengan Eirfan je; yang lain semua sibuk. It was a lonely trip for Eirfan (he slept most of the time; or on his iPod or iPad)

This is mum's place; across the main junction from Pekan Ahad (these days it is more popularly known as Pasar Minggu, I prefer its old name). If Alor Setar has its Pekan Rabu, we have our Pekan Ahad. But it is open from Sat early morning till Zohor Sun though.

 

A multitude of kuih at Pekan Ahad on Sat morning. If you are here on any day, you can stop for crispy and fresh kuih peneram from the stalls at the end of the pasar. They are out of this world (although usually I dont like them much).
  

We drove to Matang market for fresh fish and made our way to Kuala Sepetang (Port Weld). Not much there except for gerai Mak Jah and the hutan simpan bakau. We used to take the bus from my Grandma's place in Matang to Jebong (bukan jabon, jangan silap) to visit my mum's cousins. But for the life of me I cant figure out where the house is anymore. There used to be beautiful sawah padi there.

We also visited Telok Kertang (I never knew what's there), a place by the muddy river and stopped to see skilled local men making boats and then take some beautiful scenic photos. I've never been here before.

 

 

 
We also made slow late afternoon drive through the lake gardens, as usual.

 

 

And surprise, surprise. It didnt rain much in Taiping although the clouds did look laden.

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A Wedding; Helmi Hamdan

We were at a wedding held at the Cafe Flora in AmpWalk. The event takes on the year end festivities because of the location, with snow and deers and red and green themes.

The meja pengantin / meja kek nampak sungguh anggun.

There was live music. The band was pretty good and sang songs that reminds me of Jason Mraz (and I told them so).

 And the pelamin yang simply gorgeous.

There was nasi minyak, nasi lemak bungkus (!) and soto. With kuih-muih and teh tarik. And even a candy corner, which I admired (pardon the photos, the iPhone ran out of battery and the bag was too small for the camera.)

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Books, Books and More Books Part 44 - The Time Traveller's Wife

Zana recommended this book years ago. It was on the almari for quite some time until most recently. And I wish I had read it sooner. It is definitely worth reading.The book is already made into a motion picture and it was in fact a bestseller.

It is quite a sad story (I dont usually do sad stuff). Sad things tend to linger; I still remember Kite Runner (and how its plot affected me).

I took in the ending in bits and very slowly (it was that sad). But as a whole the book is really good.

 
ps Zana - you have anything else to recommend?

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Mencari yang Terbaik

The alQuran that I read is big and thick. It is in Arabic dengan terjemahan Bahasa Melayu (supaya saya membaca Quran dalam teks asal dan supaya saya baca terjemahan), dengan terjemahan mengikut frasa (at least saya tangkap perkataan Arab dengan maksud bahasa ibunda), dengan dua tafsir, dengan hadith yang berkaitan, dengan doa2 dan kisah2 sejarah dan tauladan yang bersangkutan. It is slow; tapi saya pujuk hati yang ilmu yand dipelajari yang penting; bukan speed.

Saya masih mencari the best method to understand the Quran. Kelas tafsir saya agak2 hancur, ada saja sebab saya tak dapat attend. The other day saya terjumpa pulak CD dalam bahasa Arab dan terjemahan dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Dan kadang-kala terjumpa CD ustaz yang amat menyentuh hati dengan tafsir beberapa ayat yang dihurai (saya amat amazed / iri / respect pada ustaz yang dapat senaraikan cerita apa nabi siapa di dalam surah mana). And lately I started to also read alQuran dalam terjemahan semata2. I think I like this method the best. Jelas di hati apa yang dibaca dengan kesinambungannya.

Occasionally I'd sit with Eirfan and read the translation together. I hope what we read would mean something to him too. And hope that he remembers this and do it later when he is older, and on his own. And hope that he remembers me in a good way. Dan berdoa agar mungkin ini antara amal-amal di bahu sebelah kanan saya yang menjadi perenggan antara luq-luq dan zarqum nun di sana nanti.

Saya terbaca satu ayat yang nak dikongsi tapi tak terjumpa pulak bila dicari semula (silap saya kerana terlupa nak di bookmark). Bila saya baca ayat itu, saya bertanya apakah sumbangan saya kepada agama yang mulia ini. Tidak ada jawapan mantap / believable yang dapat saya lahirkan, unfortunately.

Selamat mencari redha Allah untuk kelapangan abadi.

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Have A Good Weekend

Yeay, It is the weekend.

And what are your plans? Somehow I have this craving to shop (so shop I will).

I think we will visit the nurseries too for some big pots. And get some walking done while I am at that. I plan to create this tall hedge with my very nice (seriously they are) neighbors (I like my privacy too much though). And the girls at the physio were quite adamant about the exercise. I should improve my guppies' tempayan too.

I will (I am willing myself in fact) get those old photos transferred to digital. My mum will be asking for her albums soon, I reckon. And I plan to finish Time Traveller's Wife this weekend too. It is good. And then get a good progress on my bunga dip. I've got no desire for cooking..

I will mull over the you are too nice comment I got. Is that supposed to be good or bad, you think?

And then work on my ilmu, iman dan amal (funny how my intention is always better than my achievement). 

I have photos from last week / previous makan2. We were at Chili's (their fish and chips were the best, rupanya) ~

 
Casablanca (their Arabic cuisine left a lot to be desired but their place is gorgeous; as nice as Tajine. Food at Saba is still the winner though) ~

 and Arena (a happening local burger bakar joint in Wangsa Maju; but my hub's home made burgers are much, much better. I love their idea of nasi goreng menangis (!) although we didnt try that).

 We did Saba too (after the disappointment at Casablanca).

 

Have a great weekend darlings, whatever your plans may be. I think mine will be  quiet.

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His Dinners Part 3 - Honey Baked Chicken

One of the favorite kids' menu is this baked chicken. It is mine too simply because it is that easy to make (and I dont have huge mess to clean up later). I prefer my hub's version - his is usually much juicier and tastier (so he gets the dubious honor of preparing this for us most of the time).

The chicken comes with cut vege (potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes and japanese red keledek; unpeeled; I scrubbed the skin a bit; seasoned with salt and pepper) that we line at the bottom of pan. The chicken is marinated for 15 mins or so with anything you like, we usually generously coat the chicken with bbq sauce and honey. And chopped thyme or rosemary if we have that on hand. Put the chicken on top of the vege and bake for 15 mins or so on each side (depending on size). 

Kalau rajin boleh buat gravy. My hubs do this all the time (I confess that I dont). Serve with salad and dressing (coincidently do you know orang putih buat thousand island with mayo that is stirred with tomato ketchup? I didnt until recently. Tapi saya rajin sikit la, I added chopped onion).

Voilà! (Tengokla anak2 makan macam mana).

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Spring Time in Paris / Parisienne Walkway

(The title is a bit disconnected from the post ~ maybe next time I'll tell you why.)

Come to think of it November has got to be my favorite month.

1. Russet, the color of fallen leaves, is my favorite color. It is bold while not garish.
2. November reminds me of red apples hanging on low branches
3. It is the football season after all
4. Think pumpkins and turkeys.
5. There would be chill and a nip in the air. Refreshing.
6. I was married in November after all! (uh - many, many years ago)
7. Woolen sweaters, kilts (I know, what?) and gorgeous cashmeres
8. Beautiful mountain colors
9. Tiny flakes of snow (if you are lucky)
10. Berries and wreaths
11. Longer evenings where you stay warm under a throw and watch city lights from the windows. Sigh.

More photos.

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Books, Books and More Books Part 43 Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary A Biography

I was on my way for the morning papers and roti canai breakfast when I first saw this book. Thinking of the many books I have on the almari (only yesterday evening my hubs said, banyak sangat buku kat sini..") I refrained myself from buying. But later when getting books for Eirfan to read for the school holidays saya terbeli jugak buku ni.

Years ago Ilyas came home from school and said ma, I'll be coming home a bit late from school x times a week from now. I have tuition classes at school (I thought baik nye sekolah). Some time later I found that the tuition costs were actually borne by the alBukhary Foundation. My curiosity was piqued since then.

Yeap, the book. Good to read if you are curious about the name. Or trying to find the "how" to be that successful. I find that there is magic - and magic in this case is spelled w-o-r-k-h-a-r-d. He didnt even finish his Form 5. I like the part when he met Tun. How he talks to his mother every day. How deep rooted he is. And the stories on his business - of triumphs and challenges. And what motivates him.

It is a rather thin book considering. It is not an autobiography (I think he should write one). The writer didnt really capture the essence of the man. It is a bit lack luster, for such a big name. It tries to emulate the way Tun's book was written but falls somewhat short, I think (pandai komen, cuba tulis buku sendiri - hancur). But nonetheless I think it is a good book to read.

I also read a short article on Twiggy recently. Growing old(er) and still working hard as ever. She still models, judges on top model series, has her own line of clothing, has a tv show, does tv ads. And she is already 63. That is the reason why I like biographies (auto is even better). They never fail to inspire you to do something for yourself whatever that may be.

Dont shoot - but maybe I should continue with Tun's memoir after all.. (duck!)

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A Gem!

Aww, this is so sweet. McBeal was like so addictive for a time. Iron Man is an all time #1 favorite super hero. Loved Sting and Every Breath since forever. All in the same video? Be still my heart.

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We Will Return

We went for a meal at a place called Toowoomba; co-owned by Ilyas' friend that serves meat and western meals. They have wagyu and other meat as well. The dishes we ordered werent too bad at all.

 

I love their house salad. The salad was fresh and the croutons crisp and crunchy. I love the salad bowl too, the edge is sort of slanted (although you cant see that in the photo).

The wild mushroom soup was nice too (tapi anak2 kata sup mama lagi sedap. I like theirs better though).

The boys ordered assorted wagyu meats - ribs, rib eye, sirloin and mixed meat (unfortunately I cant say if I appreciate wagyu..)

 

 

 

 But the star dish has got to be the fettuccine. Heaven. 

 

The decor was outstanding too.

The next time I come I will order the fettuccine, salad and soup (dah plan tu!) That was how good those dishes were. I know Delinn will laugh - but I asked the waiter, agak2 chef akan bagi tak kat antie resipi fettuccine tu? He said entah. We started to leave but the chef came. He told me how he cooked the fettucine. Haha. I know - I thought I was a makcik kepoh too. But he was a sport.

Oh, they had stars visited their place too. Amongst others there was a photo of Aaron Aziz. Swoon. And Norman & Memey (I told the waiter, letak la gambar star lain!)

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