Salam Dunia...

 Salam everyone...  :)
A beautiful song for your easy listening...
I love this singer SONG so much and I think it is the best Hari Raya song of all! (bias, bias...)

SALAM DUNIA - M. NASIR

Suara tangis yang kau dengar
Memecah hari kudus ini
Adalah aku
Mengenang Pemilikmu

Kita pohon kemenangan
Meroboh kota keakuan
Ini saatnya
Yang kunanti-nanti

Mereka yang dilanda derita
Redhalah harimu kan tiba
Cahaya kekasih yang benar
Menghapus segala api kemarahan

Salam dunia
Salam semua
Salam Hari Raya
Bersinar akhirnya
Salam dunia
Salam semua
Salam Hari Raya
Bersinar akhirnya

Inilah hari kita
Tiada lagi rasa ketakutan

Mereka yang dilanda derita
Redhalah harimu kan tiba
Cahaya kekasih yang benar
Menghapus segala api kemarahan

Inilah hari kita
Tiada lagi rasa ketakutan

Inilah hari kita oh...

Salam dunia
Salam semua
Salam Hari Raya
Bersinar akhirnya
Salam dunia
Salam semua
Salam Hari Raya
Bersinar akhirnya

Ateh's Day Out! (TTBB!)

It was a pretty misty morning yesterday, as I drove MyC to school. Since hubby was not feeling well and decided to stay home, I had to send her; a task normally done by hubby. I hate driving in the morning rush where I have to pass six other schools before I reach MyC's.

But as the light was about to break, I couldn't help feeling the warmth of the cool misty morning when I stopped for some photo shots of the sea and sky scape just away from MyC's school...

 Morning has broken....

.... like the first morning....

Later in the afternoon, under the torrid sun, I managed another 'round of waiting' for the day's catch at the seaside of a fishing village nearby my house. Fancy, having a place quite urbane one side and very quaint and rustic on the other! Muahaha! While waiting for the boats to come in, I took some pictures away from the crowd of people...

the unkempt jetty... 

notice the mangroves surrounding this area,

they were planted after the tsunami washed away 

all the boats to the road side...that far, you know!

Now the waves can only reach where the mangroves are...

..the open sea ahead...

it was so windy that I had a busy time 

keeping my tudung in place! :))

After much waiting I got myself some very succulent prawns and cooked them for iftar:

Hot and spicy sweet sour prawns! 

Mmmm...love them pineapple in the sauce!

* hari ni nak cuti masak...tak pun nak buat spaghetti jer...ok kot! Daaaaa..... ;)

* TTBB - tajuk tak boleh blah! hikhik!

Of Roaring Pre-dawn...and Iftar

My alarm clock is not the only means for my wake-up call for sahur. For the past few days, the roaring engine of the jet fighters in this godly hours has been my other alarm clock! Not that I'm not used to to the deafening sound, but it keeps me wondering why in the world would they need to be training at this time. Why won't they settle for for their meals first and train later when the day is bright and shine and everybody is already busy with their lives! Phew!

Sometimes I also wonder, how do the people in a small village tucked in the middle of nowhere, near the runaway of the air force base, are coping with these noise. But then again, I was told it wouldn't be named "Kampung Pekak" for nothing! Muahahaha! Bless those people of Kg. Pekak. And here I am, living 6km down the base, screaming each time the jets pass across the sky above my roof! Okay, I exaggerate a bit....hikhik! Anyway... my entry today is not going to be on the screaming jet planes nor of Kg. Pekak, but to feature my meals for iftar yesterday.

After almost two weeks, I couldn't think of anything else to cook so I made gulai tempoyak and udang halia... for a change...

Gulai tempoyak ikan siakap...

Siakap tastes almost like fresh-water fishes

Udang goreng halia with long beans...

I love the crunchiness of the beans

The udang kertas was worth my wait yesterday

afternoon in the scorching sun for the firshermen

to come ashore with their catch...

 And for sahur I made Rendang Kelampung/Lampung (paru)....but it was too good to resist that I dished out some for iftar too!

Bye for now! ;)

When the Said Is Not In the Done!

 When you've been cooking for too long, there comes a time at one point of your life, you feel like 'quitting'! But there's no way you could possibly think of wiping your hands and walk away... ha ha ha!

As usual, I slept after Subuh but later to wake up feeling all lost and lonely suddenly, yesterday. After my mid-morning prayer, I still couldn't ward off that 'funny' feeling within me. I knew I must be a bit tired. No. I was very tired indeed! So, out of the blue, I declared to free myself from doing housework and cooking. Altogether. Yeah!

At 5pm yesterday, I saw myself at a mini-market nearby my house.... and.... by seven, everything was ready for our iftar:

... the simmering gravy...

w

who needs the mamak stall when 

I know I make good mee kuah!

...the last minute concoction,

and always with love...  ahaks!

k

 ...kasi close-up lagik! hikhik

(click to enlarge...aha!)

.... my messy plate of mee kuah...

bukan mee rebus tau...tapi takut mee kembang, 

buat style mee rebus juga. Masa makan baru 

assemble all ingredients lepas tu curah kuah kat atas.

Okaylah, let's name it Mee kuah cheating! :))

Well, this is ME after all... things I said are not always the things I do. It is in me that has ingrained through years of minding my household...my life, even. I'm glad, I've chosen the right profession! Yabadabadooo!

 

Friday Morning Ramblings!

When it comes to gardening, I'm one of those people who could be just lucky to plant a twig and see it grow without even tending to it. Hikhik! Actually, it is the hubby who does the gardening. Earlier this year, a friend gave me a dill plant for me to grow. After some time, the dill grew so tall in a pot which I first transferred it into.

One Sunday evening, about a couple of months ago, I got a shock of my life when I found my garden dill had been chopped down off their stems. It was hubby who did the trimming which led to the chopping! I was appalled at first, but knowing nothing was good to pick up a fight with the 'gardener', I chose to forget about it.  I no longer bothered to tend about my garden for a long while.

Until... I found this:

My garden dill - it became bushy, far from the first time it was  planted... 

I wonder where did the spike-like leaves go to?

the original garden dill... rupanya masih ada satu pokok 

yang 'terselamat'! :-)

Oh yes, we had these for iftar yesterday :

Sayur campur goreng kering

Bendi celur bersambal masak...

Kari isi ikan kerisi tak berampai! :-D

(tak berampai means, takde bendi or terung!)

That's all for now! ;)

Bila Dah No Eye Deer....

Entah kenapalah semalam, terasa teramat letihnya. Good thing that we all berbuka dengan bubur lambuk berempah jer. Kalau makan nasi mau rasanya bertambah letih. Dan untuk rekod, semalam selepas tarawih, terus tak sedor diri tidor bagaikan kayu! (Kayu? hehe...teringat kat sorang kawan baik!).

Bila dah rasa puas tidur, terjaga sebelum alarm clock berbunyi. Gegas bangun, siap-siapkan diri... hikhik, walaupun nak masuk dapur, baju tidur kena tukor dulu weh!  Memang semalam tak masak apa-apa untuk sahur sebab berbuka dengan bubur nasi tu. Jadinya, masak yang simple-simple plus panaskan kari tulang which I made the day before....walaupun kan cuma ada kuahnya! Tambah buat omelette dan kailan ikan masin. Settled dah pun!

This morning I pergi pasar tapi buat 'round' ala-ala doktor kekdahnya... Check semua bende lepas tu tak jadi beli. Now the buntu days are here. Apa nak masak? Last last, beli santan dan bawang-bawang, sayur sikit; and let my last minute planning helps fix my meal tonight. Siapa-siapa nak suggest, silalah! :))

Anyway, for iftar yesterday we had these:

Bubur berempah... makan main telan aje!

makan pulak dengan yang ini:

Kerabu taugeh, kacang kelisa dan perut...

Biasaler...habuan Ateh! ;)

Salam semuanya! Selamat beribadat.... Tata!

What Else, eh?

I spare my thoughts for a bit... but let my iftar this evening do the 'talking'! :))

Gulai tulang tumis darat

 Kacang panjang goreng a la Kapitan

A

Air asam sempoi...

My share ... sinful it is! ;p

Good night everyone! Don't forget to sahur....kerana di dalam sahur itu ada pahala...

The Tide Is High....

..... but I'm holding on
I'm gonna be your number wan one!


Oops! Oh, no...that's  Blondie's song... hehe!

On my way back home from the island yesterday, I was caught in one of those hot but windy days. I got a bit sea-sick when the ferry we were travelling in rocked with the high waves. But it wasn't choppy enough to render me vomiting!

As I passed the coastal road leading to my house, I just had to stop to take some of these pictures below:

  ....the tide's in...

... and out!

Oh, I just love the sea! Even if it means at 4 in the afternoon!

Of Marketing and ... Oversleeping!

For the past few weeks, I've been going to the market almost everyday. I buy what I wanted to cook for the day and keep only some essential stuff for impromptu cooking, like meat and santan. I like my fish and other seafood fresh, so that is why I buy them everyday. My vegetables have to be fresh too. I have my greens bought every other day. I only stock-up on cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, spring onions and chillies. These are very important to me as I can concoct different dishes by using them! ;-)

Well, enough of my marketing history!

Here are my iftar yesterday.... we had Bihun and tauhu goreng. Since it was a Saturday, hubby found his way to the Bazaar Ramadhan and bought two packets of nasi kerabu, otak-otak Kempas and since I have not started making any desserts yet, he also bought some tarts. My butcher sells the otak-otak and tarts, you know! See, I made friends with the people from the market even! Muahahaha!

 Tauhu goreng with homemade Thai-style chili sauce

on a bed of lettuce and garnish with julienne cucumber and carrots

...kasi close-up sikit! :))

  Bihun goreng biasa-biasa!

 Tarts from the bazaar ramadhan...sedap

Chef Radzi yang buat! hehe...

It so happened that this morning, at about seven a.m. I fell asleep. And there goes my marketing. :(

Hubby is kind enough...hehe...suggested to me just now, to close my kitchen for today! 

We're going over to Penang - oh, not shopping for Raya, mind you, but to buy food at our favourite restaurant. Phew, lega akak! 

Okay, gotta go now. I'm going to prepare the ingredients for sahur. Kari telur, how's that sound? 

Tata! <3

Third Day of Ramadhan...

I guess what's good to blog about these days would fall on food category! It's easy, fun, and makes people drool, more so during this fasting month. Haha! But it is not my intention to make you guys 'kecur air liur'! I'm putting up photos of my iftar meals for future reference. Uish, ada ka? Ingat library ke hape? :) 
Okay, I'll keep my updates short so as not to bore you with my rantings but I do hope you'll enjoy the pictures I paste here...

My 3rd Ramadhan meals...

Bawal goreng curah cili/bawang berkicap

(not to be confused with Ikan masak kicap)

Kerabu air asam perut 

 Buncis masak lemak

 Sambal tumis sotong rendam/kembang :-)

(tak tau pasei ape sotong berendam!)

A

As usual... my plate of nasi campur sendiri!

Don't get me wrong. Not that I'm cooking to feed a batallion...hikhik... Every dish I cook usually yields about just nice for one meal. That is why, I have to cook again at pre-dawn! Muahaha!

For sahur this morning, we had kangkung goreng belacan and telur mata lembu. Tak sempat ambil gambar sebab sedap sangat makan sampai tak hingat!

Bye for now... Selamat beribadat...

I Really Don't Have A Title!

Salam Ramadhan everyone!

I know, it has been days my blog remained silent. I've been busy and, got tired easily too that by the end of the day all I ever saw was my pillows.

We have entered the third day of Ramadhan. Hari pertama sibuknya macam esok nak raya! Actually, I was helping a friend yang sakit. Tolong masakkan bubur nasi, sup sayur campur dan goreng-goreng ikan saja... Bila dah  tiga empat orang kawan gathered kat rumah dia dan tengok dia makan dengan seleranya, yang berpuasa tu gelak-gelak kata sedapnya...walaupun I masak simple macam tu! Hehe!

First day puasa, we had Kari ikan bawal, sayur kobis, ikan goreng and sambal belacan. Lots of fruits for starter and desserts. I don't really fancy kuih-kuih manis. I also made 'sarbat'. You know, rose syrup with lots of spices added. Hubby bought a big packet of 'akar rempah' whatever... I made a big pot and bottled them up  and stocked them for perhaps, a couple of weeks. I'm a lemonade person, so sirap mirap ni, I tak berapa 'masyuk'! Anyway, I had lots of lemonade during my Rejab and Syaaban fasting so I guess what the family wants is what I get... Haha!

Berbuka semalam, buat bubur lemak/ kanji/ bubur lambuk... makan dengan kerabu taugeh kosong, meaning, takde kerang atau perut. Sedap begitu sahaja! hikhik!!

Hmm....dah makan ni, so tak makan nasi ler...

Waktu sahur tadi, baru jumpa nasi. Nasi panas-panas dengan lauk yang I baru dapat recipe from my cousin, whose mother, my aunt lah tu...  is a very good cook.  :)

.... Ayam Malabari

Sambal daging @ Rendang Dinding 

which I made on the eve of Ramadhan...

this dish is a must for my family!

This is my share... 

walaupun, kan... 'abc'..bak kata CS and Akak! Hikhik!!!

Apa-apa jer lah... sebenarnya malas nak menaip ni... kalau ikut hati nak 'take a break' jugak macam Oldstock and Mamasita. Maybe next time.

Selamat Berbuka!

Salam Ramadhan

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan Al-Mubarak dan Selamat menjalani ibadah puasa, to all my friends and fellow bloggers. 

Pohon ampun dan maaf dari anda semua  jika ada yang tersinggung dengan tulisan, gurau senda dan kenyataan saya, yang mungkin tidak disengajakan sepanjang saya menulis di blog ini.

Sleepyhead?

I have nothing to write but I have pictures to show...

I may be lazy to blog but I'm always deft in the kitchen... :-D

And I'm about to fall asleep again while typing this entry...

My lunch must be really hearty that I.. I'm so... so ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz (oops! - the reason why I couldn't update this blog lately)....

And today I had this...

                                                                                    

                                                 

Laksa Siam... anyone?

...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz