#316: white sauce baked potato : recipe #207

There is a huge restructuring of the senior management team in my school as two of our 'strong' bosses are promoted to various institutions. Our DP2 now is working at the Director office, whereas our Senior master administration is promoted to Deputy Principal and is transferred to another school. So, our senior Mistress academic is now promoted to Deputy Principal academic. To Hjh Noridah, Gilbert and Hjh Hashimahwati, Congratulations!

I sometimes wish that days would be slower... so that I can relax more.. but as usual, time flies so fast and whether I like it or not, my kids at school will be sitting for their June AS exam, starting mid May. There are many who are still not mentally ready. So, to my upper sixth block 1 and 4 students... "accelerate" your revisions.

At a different note, I made this last week. It's so easy to make.

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, sliced, boiled in water and seasoned with salt
grated cheddar cheese

white sauce:
butter
flour
milk
oregano
chicken stock powder to taste

steps:
-In a pan, heat butter and add the flour, stir
-Add milk and let the mixture thickens .
-add oregano and chicken stock powder.
-add potato slices.
- transfer mixture into a ceramic dish which has been sprayed with olive oil.
- sprinkle with cheddar cheese .
- bake for 10 minutes. Enjoy

#315: Taco with minced beef filling : recipe #206

Alhamdullilah, my love has come back from Penang. For one month, I had to do everything. Teacher, mom, dad, amah, driver, cook, cleaner etc.... and that was very tiring. On top of that I have to endure the feeling of loneliness especially after the children were sleeping. To all the single mom out there, I salute you.

The family is now very much into Mexican or non-rice food. So, I have in my fridge ready-made tortillas, pita bread, puff pastry, French bread... just in-case. Taco was one of the menu we had for breakfast few mornings ago and I liked it very much. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
4 Ready-made Taco shells- available at Supa Save

Filling:
250g ground beef - marinated with seasoning for at least 10 minutes
1/2 green capsicum-diced
2 plum tomatoes.
1 garlic
1 Spanish onion~ sliced thinly
olive oil

seasoning:
paprika
garlic
tomato sauce
salt
pepper
taco seasoning
1 tsp lemon juice

steps:
1.Bake Taco Shell at 180 C until the shells are crispy.
2. Heat oil in wok, add garlic and onion, stir till combine and the onion slices are soft.
3. Add seasoned ground beef , capsicum and tomatoes. keep stirring until the beef is cooked.
4. adjust seasoning and dish up.

assembling:
Fill in the shell with the filling just before you serve them. Serve warm.

#314: Dinner with left-over chicken

I usually "recycle" my left-over chicken. I cooked a large amount in the morning and keep some for dinner. Sometimes , the chicken became part of noodles, nasi goreng or sandwiches. But, this one is always my favourite.

I had cooked butter chicken Indian style the other day, where bite-size boneless chicken pieces were cooked with tomatoes, coriander and spices. So, in the evening, to the left over chicken, I added sauteed diced capsicum and thinly sliced onion. To the mixture I added burrito seasoning. I then transferred the mixture and cheddar cheese onto tortillas and this became the filling. I rolled the tortillas, baked them for about 10 minutes and there you are , a sumptuous dinner...

#313 Green mango Salad: recipe#205

My Hubby loves to eat raw green Mango. He usually eat them with "cacah belacan"~ shrimp paste with chili and soy sauce. On Saturday last week, I bought a kilo of these for him thinking that the course in Penang was cancelled. Some how at 6.00 p.m. that Saturday he received a call to collect his tickets at the ministry. Some of the mangoes are still in my fruit compartment in the fridge, so today I decided to make green mango salad. I ate this alone because my kids do not like the taste of raw mango. At times like this, how I wish my hubby is here to enjoy the salad with me.

At a different note, Raw green mango salad is of Indo-china origin @ Thailand or Vietnamese. It's a very simple recipe....and since the mango are in season do try this at home.

Ingredients: serves 1
-1 raw green mango- Peel mangoes, then cut away chunks of fruit from pits then, cut into thin strips. I "chancang" the mango in my hand :)
- 1/2 carrot-grated
- 1 sprig-coriander leaves-chopped
- 1 shallot-sliced
- 1 garlic-chopped
- 1 medium fresh chili-sliced~ you might want to add Thai bird's eye chili for extra zing
- spring onion -sliced

seasoning:
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Fish sauce
- brown sugar


Steps:
-Place carrot, mango, coriander, spring onion, garlic, fresh chili and shallots into a large bowl.
- Add the seasoning 5-10 minutes before serving.

note: you can also sprinkle chopped toasted peanut on your salad

#312: Banana Puff : recipe#204

Darwish loves banana, so I decided instead to making banana muffins for him, I'll make some banana puffs instead since I have some puff pastry in my fridge. This is a very simple recipe, a matter of assembling the ingredients. A recipe that you can try with your children in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
Puff pastry

filling:
Banana-sliced
Damerera sugar
cinnamon powder
dessicated coconut

Steps:
-cut your pastry to the intended shape and size.
-arrange the banana slices on top of each pastry slices
-sprinkle sugar, cinnamon and dessicated coconut on top of the banana
-seal the pastry, and prick on top of the pastry with fork to release steam accumulated during baking.
-Bake at 220 C until the pastry turns golden brown ~ about 8-10 minutes.

#311 : Dadah Tahai : recipe #203

Tahai is a dried, previously smoked White Tamban or sardines. This dish is a traditional Bruneian dish which usually accompany Ambuyat feasts. I bought a large packet of Tahai which skins were already removed, so I used some to make this. Most of the left-over Tahai were used to make "sambal Tahai". I usually cooked this dish because of the soup. We don't usually ate the fish, we gave it to our cat instead.

Ingredients:
5-10 Tahai-skin removed
1 garlic - sliced
3 shallots - sliced
1 fresh chili- sliced
lemon grass
5- 10 dried asam -preferably asam aur-aur, if you use asam keping use 1-2 pcs only.
salt to taste
water

Steps:
Add all ingredients in a pot and boil them.
once boiled, simmer for another 5 minutes
adjust seasoning and serve warm

#310 Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil : recipe #202

Italian bruschetta (pronounced "brusketta") is one of the easiest appetizer recipe that you can prepare. I had this for dinner last night while the kids are eating garlic-cheese bread as their supper. You can also go to Thani's blog to see his version of Bruschetta.

makes 4 slices:

• 3 ripe plum tomatoes : parboiled, skins removed and chopped,
  
• 1 clove garlic- to be rubbed onto the bread slices
  
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar~ I used raspberry flavoured
  
• Basil leaves, fresh is better, but I used dry because I don't have fresh ones.
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread

1 Preheat oven to 225 degrees celsius

2 In a bowl, put tomatoes, vinegar, basil , salt and ground black pepper,

3 Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Rub garlic to one side of the bread slice. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.

Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.

4 To serve: Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.

Verdict: I love "sour" food, so I definitely will make this again.

#309 Asian style grilled Salmon: recipe #201

I bought frozen salmon slices from BMC shop last Friday, and managed to prepare this for Saturday lunch a day before hubby went off to Penang. It was very easy to prepare. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients;
3 medium size salmon slices
olive oil for grilling and basting

marinade:
1/2 tsp Thailand green curry paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp dry basil leaves
1 tsp Thailand sweet chili sauce
1 sprig coriander- make into paste
2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
olive oil for grilling and basting.

steps:
1. Combine salmon with the marinade and keep aside for at least half an hour or overnight in the fridge.
2. Place Salmon slices in a baking pan/grill pan greased with olive oil.
3. Grill salmon until both sides are browned.
4. Dish up and serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

#309 : MEIOSIS ANIMATION

I am now starting to teach Core O . One of the earliest sub-topics is meiosis. Actually I promised my students that I would try to find a good animation for the process. Reading from textbook tend to be boring because this is a process which occurs at a cellular level and is very abstract. So to my students, pleas watch, understand and enjoy. Btw, I still haven't received my final time-table yet, so wait and see....

p/s : To hubby, I miss you very much

#308 LOK KAWI WILDLIFE PARK ; KK Trip

One of our itinerary in KK apart from shopping was to visit the Lok Kawi wildlife park. This wildlife sanctuary housed some of the most exotic flora and fauna of Borneo and the world. The journey to Lok Kawi was about 30 minutes drive from KK. Since the place is quite remote, we chartered the Hotel's van to take us there. The park opens at 9.30 a.m and the entrance fee for non-Malaysian is RM$20 for adults and RM$10 for children up to 18 yrs of age.

We started our tour by going to the Birds section then to the mammals and end up at the animal show where we were entertained by the "stars' of Lok Kawi park including a female Orang Utan named Marsya and a male Orang Utan named Maughwi. We did not visit the botany garden as the children were already exhausted by the time we reached the Zebra cages. We definitely will come to visit the park again, Insyaallah.

#307 The views from above; KK Trip

#306 A Special Birthday dedication

#305: Simple spicy pickle: recipe#200

I have not been to GIANT yet nor going shopping for fresh food as we will be flying off to KK tomorrow. My hubby will be going to Penang next Sunday for a month course. So, I will be a "supermom" for a month. BTW, I craved for "acar" so, there's only a can of "jaruk lobak putih" in the pantry and I made this:

Ingredients:
1 can pickled radish
1/2 Spanish onion-sliced thinly
1 clove garlic-sliced
1 tsp curry powder- add more if you prefer
1 large red chili-sliced
1 tbsp chili sauce
1/2 tsp lemon juice
salt and sugar to taste - optional

steps:
1. Heat oil in wok, add in the onion, sliced chili and garlic- stir to combine
2. When the onion and garlic is soft, add in the rest of the ingredients except the lemon juice.
3. Turn off the flame, add in the lemon juice and adjust seasoning.

#304 : Indian Semolina Puding: recipe#199

HAPPY HOLIDAY!!!!!!!!!!! especially to my colleagues, friends and families who happen to be TEACHERS. Enjoy yourselves. To SLY, Bon Voyage... banyak2 tah shopping :)

I always like to eat this pudding . However, the ones sold at shops are usually very sweet , so on last Sunday, I tried making the pudding with less sugar and it was surprisingly delicious and off course very easy to make.

Ingredients ( serves 4)
1/2 cup semolina
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup water
1tablespoon ghee / butter
4 cardamom pods.
raisins

orange colouring

steps:
1. Heat butter in a pot, add in the cardamom.
2. add semolina and sugar, stir mixture thoroughly.
3. Add in the milk and water and some raisins while stirring the mixture constantly.
4. remove the cardamoms when the mixture thickens.
5. When the mixture thickens (mashed potato constancy), remove from flame.
6. Transfer the mixture into a small size container, and leave it to cool before serving.

#303 MICROWAVE OVEN AND CANCER

I received this e-mail from Ms SLY. For everyone, this is for your immediate action.

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins

This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.

Johns Hopkins - Cancer News from Johns Hopkins


No plastic containers in micro


No water bottles in freezer.


No plastic wrap in microwave..

A dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.
Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.

Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.
He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers...
This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body...

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food... You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.

Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.

He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.

#302 BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT TO MIMI

It's Mimi's 25th Birthday today, May she be bless with good health and happiness.... Mimi, here's for you

#301 FOOD CONTAINING POTASSIUM

Potassium : A micro nutrient needed daily to maintain good health and strong body. A very important element for those who try to lose weight. Potassium imbalance can lead to serious health consequences.

Potassium jobs in our body include to ensure proper functioning of cells, regulate blood pressure and to keep the right balance of water in all cells including muscles and fat cells.

High Potassium:
- Banana
- Kiwi
- Orange
- Honeydew
- Tomato
- Spinach ( Bayam)
- Potato
- Milk
- Fish
- Prunes

Moderate Potassium
- Apples
- Carrots
- Corn
- mushrooms
- Brinjal
- Onions
- Peach
- pears
- water melon
- Onion
- Pineapples
- Raisins

Low potassium
-Cabbage
- Cucumber
-grapes
- plums

#300: Microwave spice pecans: recipe#198

While watching tv last night, my hubby told me he was craving for nuts. I have some pecans and walnuts in my fridge, so I decided to make some pecans for snacks.

Ingredients:
1 cup pecans
1 dsp sugar
1 dsp condensed milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 dsp butter
1 tsp Thailand spice - you can use all spice, nutmeg or curry.

Steps:
1. In a bowl, using bare hand, mix thoroughly all ingredients.
2. Transfer the mixture into a glass or ceramic bowl.
3. Microwave mixture at high for 1 minute, stir.
4. Microwave for another 15 seconds, stir.
5. Repeat step no 4 until the nuts are cooked ( total cooking time : 3 minutes)
6. When cooked, place nuts on grease paper until nuts are cooled before transferring them into an air tight container

p/s- I don't think the nuts will make it to the container at all, believe me, they will all disappear after a while :)

#299 Garlics anyone???

GARLIC : The many reasons why you should eat them

Garlics and onions are from the same group of plants. Both types are from the genus Allium. It is considered to be the number 1 veggies in terms of its medicinal properties. Here are some of the many benefits of eating garlics:

* Lowers blood cholesterol
* Lowers blood pressure
* Prevents arteriosclerosis
* Enhance killer cells ( increase your resistance against infections)
* Improve heart conditions
* contains many anti-cancer chemicals and antioxidants .
* contains substance that able to combats bacteria, viruses and worms.
* decrease premature aging
* Has anti-fungal properties
* helps to release gas

Note: You can eat them raw but do not exceed 3 cloves per day.

#298: Express " Ayam Percik" : recipe #197

This recipe is of Malaysian origin. I modified it to suit my busy lifestyle :) . Best eaten with "Kampong" rice.

p/s~ we are still amahless

Ingredients:

A- mix together and marinate for at least 20 minutes
1 whole chicken- fat and skin removed, cut into big pieces and rinse.
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp lemon juice- I used ready-made juice available in most supermarkets.

B- blended together
1 tbsp dried chili paste
1 Spanish onion
2 cloves garlic
1 garlic-sized shrimp paste
1 tsp ready-made tamarind paste

C- other
salt
sugar
rice flour slurry
coconut milk- 1/2 can
oil

Steps:

1. Heat oil in pot, add blended ingredients and stir to combine
2. Add in C , stir frequently, until the sauce is thick and oil starts to separate.
3. Add in the chicken and cook at medium flame uncovered for at least 15 minutes.
4. Remove chicken pieces and grill for about 10 minutes per side, or until well browned, basting them with the remaining gravy.
5. Dish up and serve with warm rice.