Osso Bucco

this recipe is courtsey from madam lemongrass. thank you for the recipe & thank you for the link provided. i made this the italian way... omitted the wine part, of course. tapi cara makannya tetap tak boleh lari daripada kebiasaan melayu... heheh hubby had his osso bucco with white rice which he said didn't do justice to the superb osso bucco. sapa suruh dia makan dengan nasi...heheh. i had mine just on its own. kalau sesiapa yang suka rasa masam2 manis tu mesti suka hidangan ni. italian celup dalam diriku ini memang suka! ;-)

i made this dish in a hurry sebenarnya. dah masak semua atas dapur i transferred the whole dish dalam oven, sambung masak for another 1 1/2 hour. dalam tempoh ni ku berkejar ke office kejap sebab ada hal urgent. ishhh hari minggu pun nak kena gi ofis. elok sampai kat rumah dah siap!

Party Favours Hunting

i wanted to have an all dora-themed birthday party for yaya, which is due next month. this time around we decided to hold a small party at my mom's house. kebetulan bulan april nanti two of my nieces also shares the same birth month as yaya. so, nak mudahkan all my adik-beradik berkumpul, we'll have it at mom's house. this small party might turn out a little merrier coz my mom decided nak buat kenduri kecil sempena Mauludur Rasul sekali. Alhamdulillah...

i went searching for dora party favours and decorations at the mall but couldn't find any. i went on the net, was captivated by the range of dora products at allaboardtoys.com but the shipping charges was ludicrous. ikutkan hati maunyer balun semua, tapi rasa membazir pulak. just imagine per item that i wanted to buy cuma berharga sekitar US$4.47 je, tapi shipping charges 10times daripada harga barang... huhu rasa hampa juga.

but thanks to autine syerah yang very resourceful. jumpa juga satu dealer ni kat

http://www.wanitamelayu.com/. tapi agaknya dah bukan rezeki kot, most of the item that i want dah kehabisan stok. yang ada cuma loot bag & balloon dora jer. balun jelah...

dah order barang ni tetiba terjumpa plak loot bag dora ni kat toys r us. cute jugak... mama yaya dah rambang mata... balun lagi.

loot bag banyak2 ni nak buat apa? makan? heheheee...

Balik Kampung

Maulidur Rasul falls on thursday last week and i decided to take the rest of the week off. it has been quite sometime since i took a day off. initially i wanted to go back to my 'kampung', my real kampung in KT, rindu kat kampung sebenarnya. but for such a short holiday rasanya tak berbaloi, terkejar2 sangat. yes we can take the flight tapi $$$ kurang mengizinkan.

finally, i decided to go back to hubby's kampung after many2 months avoiding going back there. rasanya maulidur rasul ni bawa cahaya kesedaran jugak kot kat menantu hantu sorang ni! and i'm so surprised that this time around takde rasa berat hati or anything of the sort. the kids were overwhelmed with the thought of going back to kampung. walaupun fahmi mulanya kata tak suka coz he said rumah atuk banyak katak but once we reached mil's house macam tak cukup tanah he & yaya chasing the chicks. yup, chasing the chicks was their favourite past times kat rumah mil. maklumlah rumah mil takde toys... so ayam jelah jadi mangsa.

walaupun mama diaorang ada sedikit masalah to fit in to the family, apparently the kids have no such problem. they went straight to capture their grandparents heart with their mischiefs & sifat 'mudah mesra' diaorang tu. i think they are probably the only two grandchildren yang berani ter'over' mesra dgn atuk & nenek. i never seen any of my nephew or niece panjat atas atuk, or usik2 kedut kat perut atuk or even dare to ask why muka nenek & atuk banyak bintik2 & kedut? mana ada cucu atuk yang berani kacau atuk tidur? cucu mana yang paling banyak berborak dengan nenek if not these two cucu anak aku? dan mana ada cucu yang berani kacau ibu ayam tengah mengeram telur pastu ambil telur tu baling atas lantai? this one really remind me of my own childhood. my two younger bros pernah bertapa dalam reban ayam nenek mengerjakan telur2 ayam sampai hancur semua. myself & my two bros juga pernah kejar anak2 ayam baru menetas & penyek dengan kayu umpama orang tumbuk padi tu. the only thing yg takde kat umah mil hanyalah kambing jer. sbb kami masa kecil pernah kejar kambing & panjat atas belakang dia. i don't dare to imagine fahmi & yaya doing exactly the same thing! regardless of whatever they were up to, obviously my mil & fil rasa terhibur & adore them so much.

dan hasil daripada chasing the chicks with a stick, yaya dapat luka kat jari akibat jatuh. i had to threatened them that i'd tie them to the mango tree depan rumah if they don't stop chasing the chicks, but budak berdua tu tak serik juga. it was a short trip. we came back home on friday coz fahmi had to attend his class on saturday. it would have been easy to skip his class and extend our stay but after 2 weeks off from the class i don't that would be a good idea. nanti makin malas pulak my boy ni.

Penne In Tomato Basil Sauce

how can something so simple like this dish be so irresistible? maybe simply because all of us just love to eat pasta, with tomato sauce of course. this is the first time i made a pasta dish with penne. never tempted to try it before, we always go for spaghetti or lasagna. i bought a packet of penne last 2 weeks. i wanted to try out madam lemongrass's recipe of alfredo pasta, but never got around to make them. the heavy cream that i bought to make alfredo sauce was utilised for creamy mushroom sauce eaten with grilled chicken.

my kitchen has run out of supplies. but i have plenty of tomatos & basil in the fridge. i don't know what to do with them, but i must use them before it become rotten. so i surf for tomato & basil recipe and eureka... i found the tomato basil sauce recipe at allrecipe.com. yeah i found plenty other recipes too i.e. stuffed chicken basil, grilled chicken breast with basil and so on. but i don't have chicken in my fridge, and i have a packet of unused penne. so penne in tomato basil sauce would be perfect for tonite's dinner. ;-)

as for the ingredients, it is so simple. all i need were chopped garlic, 4 tomatos, fresh basil, fresh tarragon, fresh thyme, some dried herbs, pepper, salt & a pinch of sugar. and remember, always use olive oil . sugar can be omitted if the tomatos are ripe enough. first, sauteed the garlic until golden, add diced tomatos & fresh and dried herbs at once. let it simmer, until the tomatos soften and dissolved. when the sauce thicken add seasoning, adjust the taste to your liking and ready. the tomatos does plays an important role in this recipe though. i used momotaro which is not really suitable to make a tasty pasta sauce; it's hard texture and guava pink color really didn't do justice to the sauce. but that's all i have, and still taste good so i make do with it this time.

when fahmi and yaya screaming for a second & third helping, and hubby keep on returning to the kitchen, i knew by then that this simple recipe is worth reproduce! so, i guess we can stop hitting the counter for canned pasta sauce for a long long time, yeah?

McNaughtized!

i went for my books shopping spree last weekend and bought 2 books for myself and few other activity books for the kids. one of it is a novel from my all time favourite author Judith McNaught. i've been waiting for her new release called "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", which expected to come out somewhere end of this year (lama tu!). rindu punya pasal i bought "Someone To Watch Over Me", a contemporary title to my collection. am planning to complete my collection soon with 'tender triumph', 'double standards' and 'night whispers' which i skipped sebab excited mengejar her historical romance novels. bila historical punya dah complete baru ku kejar her contemporary ones.

paperback release in june'08, hardcover in dec'08

just got to know that there's a special edition of 'every breath you take' with extra pages elaboration on the main character. i'm gonna get that one too... that will make 2 same titles in my collection. ;-) (i already have one!) i also bought a stephen covey book, for a more serious reading.

i'm sooo... mcnaughtized!

Chicken Pie

this is the chicken pie that i made on saturday (sorry photo update was delayed coz i was overwhelmed by the wind of change).
tak susah rupanya nak buat the pie crust. selama ni ingatkan susah yang amat, that's why i never got around to try it, walaupun sebenarnya suka sangat makan pie, apa pie sekalipun, be it chicken pie or fruit pie semua suka. i copy the pie crust recipe from allrecipe.com. bahan2 crustnya sangat simple & senang sangat nak buat. and the taste... wallah! tengok pic pie yang dah masak kat atas tu nampak macam garing & kering kan? maklumlah amatuer punya keje, rupa tak cun tapi sebenarnya it taste sedang elok jer, just the way a pie should taste...flaky.

next time gonna use the same pie crust recipe untuk buat pie strawberry or blueberry pulak. yumm...yumm.
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for those asking for the pie crust recipe please go to http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Basic-Flaky-Pie-Crust/Detail.aspx
i double the recipe untuk hasilkan chicken pie kat atas.

as for the filling i use this recipe (more or less dengan sedikit perubahan). sorry lupa dapat kat mana recipe ni so copy & paste jelah.

INGREDIENTS:

6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup half-and-half (i substitute with milk or can also use cream)
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken (i grilled the chicken breast coated with pepper & olive oil, siap masak shredded)
PREPARATION:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan; add flour and seasonings and stir until smooth and bubbly.

Add liquids and cook slowly until thickened; add chicken. Pour into pastry-lined pan. Roll out remaining pastry; cover chicken mixture; pinch edges together. Bake at 425° for 35 minutes, or until pastry is nicely browned. Chicken pie serves 6.

Kalau nak tidur, tidurlah mata

Urghhh pedihnya mata. my eyes are so tired tapi otakku masih mau berjalan. kalau ikutkan harus aja aku tidur sambil menaip entry ni. hujung minggu begini patut merehatkan diri. but what did i do last night? bersengkang mata sampai ke pagi.

apa ke halnya? beginilah cerita ceritinya. i made chicken pie yesterday, at mum's house. my oven dah totally out since the last time i used it for rosemary roasted chicken. kebetulan balik rumah my mum, (saya register mengundi di kampung halaman...rugi!!) so godek2 lah oven dan terhasillah chicken pie. this is my first experiment, guna resipi from the internet. alhamdulillah menjadi! i prepared them to munch belah2 petang ke malam sambil tengok keputusan pru12. buat awal sangat, habis kena bedal.

i'm so excited about the pru12 thing, it was a very interesting result. dan hasil bersengkang mata sampai ke jam 3 pagi (dah tak boleh lelap mata sebenarnya coz it is past my usual sleeping time or maybe i was grinning too much kot?), nah padan muka sendiri mataku lebam!

tengok keputusan pru12 for penang, kedah & perak aja dah buat aku keep on muttering oh my god! suka dalam terkejut. dalam hati berdebar2 tunggu result selangor of which full result cuma dapat lihat dalam paper pagi ni.
i expect(hope) for satu perubahan, but i didn't expect such a big wave(wind) of change
malaysians have certainly made their choice
rasanya kali ini rakyat benar2 menggunakan kuasa & hak mereka untuk bersuara through the vote that they cast yesterday, this is how it should be all this while
this time around they are sending a message to all leaders (regardless of apa flag yg mereka bawa) jangan mempermainkan rakyat
i am truly proud to be able to see all this in my life... (we are talking about malaysia) it could be a once in a lifetime experience.
ummm...chicken pie memang sedap dimakan saat2 ini! :-)
mata lebam pun takpelah...

Lets Relax & Have Roti Canai Anyone?

watching my diet kunun!!! i'm tired of eating nasi, so i made vege dhalca last night before i went to bed, to be eaten with instant roti canai for dinner tadi. hehehe new age mom, kalau nak buat complete dish during the weekdays mesti kena masak awal. kalau setakat stir fry vege tu boleh lah main campak2 jer, 10mins siap. sebenarnya i'm not in the mood of cooking anything lavish, pastu nak cut down on rice intake. tapi pi belasah roti canai. matematik mana aku pakai? heee

roti canai segera tu boleh tahan jugak lembut. vege dhalca tu jangan cakaplah memang menjilat jari! hehehe masuk lif tekan sendiri... ;-P

i want to thank all yang bagi komen & suggestion in my previous entry. i really thank you all, sedikit sebanyak kurang sikit gelisah. i made fahmi finish 1 page of his homework last night. no screaming, no yelling, no threatening etc. i shower him with lots and lots of compliments setiap kali dia siapkan satu huruf. satu huruf tau! penat mulut, kering lidah... but worth it. he enjoyed doing it ... sampai nak buat the same alphabet dua kali!

i think i have to learn to take it easy. don't push him so hard. tapi tu lah masalahnya... i use myself as a benchmark. as a kid, i'm a self starter, i don't need to be told what to do, where to start. i find my own way, i made my own choice, i create my own path. i excel at school, i stayed away from problem, i was a teacher's pet. i'd rather starve daripada tak sempat siapkan homework. dan secara tak sedar aku sebenarnya expect fahmi to be like me, a self starter. that is too much to ask from a 4 year old, kan?

rasanya banyak lagi yang aku kena belajar tentang parenting ni. this whole thing about fahmi ni, is another learning phase for me as well. i have to relax a bit, take it easy... breath... fuhhh boleh ke aku ni? scary kekadang.

masa kecik nak kena dukung ke sana ke mari, makan bersuap, mandi dijiruskan, baju dipakaikan, jalan berpimpin. masa tu ingat bila anak dah besar sikit, dah pandai pakai & makan sendiri ringan lah keje. tapi bila dah besar lain pulak ragamnya ye? so, sapa kata bila anak dah besar senang nak jaga? :-P

1 Month

tak tahulah if there is any parents out there who had experience facing the same problem like mine right now. if there is any, friends do give your advice. i think i badly need one. :-(

first, i (note the singular) chose not to follow the trend; sending my children to attend pre-school at a very very young age i.e. some starts as early as 3 yo. i don't want my children to get bored by the time they step in to formal school. so i thought i'd coach them at home first, then when they reach 4 only i shall send them to pre-school. which i did with fahmi; he now has been attending the once a week smart reader tutorial class since end of January this year. but, for the past 3 years at home, i had not seriously coaching him. so, senang cerita, walaupun sesekali ku ajar juga abc & 123 but i never teach him how to write until recently just before he join smart reader.

it wasn't easy, juggling between your career, being a wife and a mother. ini kan pula nak jadi cikgu kat anak2 sendiri. as fahmi grew older, i realised that time is running out. at first i thought i could make time for him... and yaya. but now time is chasing us. finally, i gave up... i surrender. i could never do it; coaching them at home. by saying this it really makes me feel like a helpless mother. so, i (note the singular, again. when it comes to the children i made the most decision & planning for them) send him to smart reader, hoping that he will get the attention and education that i lack giving him. oh my... it's me again.

he was so excited about this school thing. perhaps it is the best for him. although he had a late start, but better late than you feel sorry later.

i didn't expect that after a month of him going to once a week class, already he is showing signs of boredom... and lazyness? the teacher been giving him homework, enough to make him occupied at home doing it until the next class. at first i thought that the teacher must be crazy expecting my son to finish of 8-10 pages of homework. if this is how the tutorial done, then i myself can do it too. but i already failed kan? i should be grateful to the teacher. now, i'm beginning to realise that that(homework) is not enough.

fahmi, now he can write AaBbCc. tulisan dia boleh tahan kemasnya. but most of the time when asked to finish off his homework he'd come up with so many excuses i.e. penatlah (after barely a row of alphabet), nak main lah, tangan sakit lah. susah sangat nak keep him concentrate on what he's doing. kekadang i have to force him and use whatever threats that i can think of, kalau tak siap tak boleh main basikal or no food until you finish or no jalan2. he will continue with his homework, but half heartedly. not because that's what he want to do or he enjoy to do. pendek kata, he doesn't enjoy learning. now he even say that he doesn;t want to go to school anymore.

today, his teacher told me that she is splitting the kids into 4 groups based on their progress. and fahmi is in group 4, the less progressing group. his teacher is not happy with his progress, so she's giving him extra attention & tutorial today after other kids left. i'm not happy to hear this, i thought that he is OK at school, and his laziness hanya kat rumah jer. i thought that it is because he had enough at school. teacher said that he can write, but when asked later he does not know or understand what he's writing.

i'm not sure what is his problem? is he so hyperactive he can't be asked to sit and learn? nak kata lemah daya ingatan, dah berkilo ku bagi makan kismis & kalau dengar lagu cepat pulak dia ingat.
how can i make learning an interesting activity for him? dia asyik nak bermain jer, kalau main tak penat pulak. he's already 4, is it still a young age to expect him to be able to concentrate on something like learning ABC? this is not the first class he attended. i used to send him to tumble tots before.
what else can i do for him? how can i make things better for him? helppppp!