Mini Cheesecake

Star Q

i.  Let's Get Talking

ii.  Cigarettes for Breakfast?

iii.  STPM 2013

There was supposed to be a meeting at school this morning at 8 together with a few of my colleagues.  I had already ordered breakfast for us, but it had to be cancelled because our head of panel could not make it back from Sarawak because her flight was delayed.  The meeting was later totally postponed to another date because she could not make it back in time at all.

Nasi Goreng Nenas / Pineapple Fried Rice

Star Q

i.  P.A.T.I. Part  I

ii.  STPM 2013

iii.  Speaking Activities

Before the holidays, I was among the guests at a year-end lunch organised for a group of students.  Actually, I was not only the guest, I was also in charge of finding a caterer for the lunch.  There was an array of dishes provided by the caterer and I actually had hoped that all the guests, including the students, were happy with the dishes.  I, on the other hand, was quite unhappy with a few of them; including the fried rice.

Ikan Terubuk Goreng Dgn Air Asam

Star Q

i.  Candidates Already Penalised

ii.  STPM 2013

iii. Speaking Activities

I don't know what you call this fish in English, but it is really a tasty fish.  Even though it has many fine, small bones, it is much sought after, not only because of it's taste but because of the fact that is seldom available here.  As many may already know, Terubuk (as it is called in Bahasa Malaysia) can be prepared in many ways including Asam Pedas.

Ayam Panggang Sos Tiram

Star Q

i.  It's Their Mangoes to Begin With

ii.  Speaking Activities Form 1 Chapter 1

iii.  STPM 2013

This is a creation which the well-known Chef Wan would probably call 'main campak-campak' (literally meaning simply throw!)  In fact this chicken dish was created when I simply threw together the ingredients that we had in the larder (how many times have you heard that before!)

Tartlet Keju / Cheese Tartlets

Star Q

i.  It's Their Mangoes to Begin With

ii.  Speaking Activities

iii.  STPM 2013

It is the school holidays but for the whole November, I had been commuting back and forth to Palong 4 (a FELDA settlement in Negeri Sembilan) carrying out my duty as an STPM invigilator.  This is actually my seventeenth year in the invigilating business be they for STPM, SPM or PMR.  And during all those invigilations, I have had the opportunity to be the chief invigilator, assistant invigilator or just an ordinary invigilator.

Kek Mangga / Mango Cake

Star Q

i.  Speaking Activities - Form 1 Chapter 1

ii.  Jamuan Akhir Tahun MPP Pra-U

iii.  Hanging Our Dirty Linen

The second of our mango trees is now bearing fruit; and lots of it.  I have been waiting eight years for it to bear fruits.  Some may say it is rather a long time to wait for a tree to bear fruits, but I guess it comes with not using any fertilizer for any of our fruit trees.  I guess it has something to do with being organic!

Ayam Serai / Lemongrass Chicken

Star Q

i.  Majlis Titisan Restu

ii.  Reading Activities

iii.  Still Alive and Kicking

This is yet another creation that I just rummaged through the fridge and plonked into the blender to be blitzed into a smooth paste.  Like I said, it can get tiring eating the same dishes and cooking the recipes all the time that once in a while I have to let go of my inhibitions and create something new.

Croissant Bread Pudding

Star Q

i. MajlisTitisan Restu

ii. Fairness for All

iii. Reading Actiities

One of the things I like to buy when I do my stop-overs at supermarkets is to buy croissants.  Sometimes I buy them because I want to have them for breakfast, but most of the time I buy them because I just want to.  In my mind, when I buy them, I see them being turned into sandwiches with tuna or salmon and the likes.  But sometimes, the croissants just lie in the bread tin, forgotten; until it almost reaches it's use-by-date!

Guacamole Parmesan

Star Q

i.  Majlis Graduasi

ii.  Reading Activities

iii.  Fairness for All

It's been raining almost every afternoon for the past few days.  And you know what comes with the cold that the rain brings?  Hunger pangs.  And I couldn't help myself but rummage through the pantry to look for something to eat.

Ayam Goreng Daun Kari Berempah

Star Q

i.  Majlis Graduasi 2013

ii.  Reading Activities

iii.  Fairness for All

Sometimes I think I have been eating too many chicken dishes too often that I am beginning to cluck like one.  Sometimes there just aren't too many chicken recipes that I would cook the same one over and over again.  Well, these past few days (since schools are having an extended weekend) I have taken some time to invent (or reinvent) some new chicken recipes; well, you know what they say : necessity is the mother of invention!

Lasagna Roti / Bread Lasagna

Star Q

i.  Reading Activities

ii.  Sambutan Qurban Perdana

iii.  Fairness for All

There are many ways how you can use leftover bread, and I must say there is always some bread that has probably been lying around in the pantry for more than three days.  Other than turning the bread into breadcrumbs and bread pudding, I am often at my wits end trying to figure out what to do with them.

Peas and Feta Samosa

Star Q

i.  Fairness for All

ii.  Sambutan Qurban Perdana

iii.  Reading Activities

Phew!  It has almost been a month since I made an entry into this foodie blog of mine.  However, I have been accumulating the pictures of all the dishes that I have prepared (or I helped to prepare)  The only thing was I didn't have the time to upload any of the recipes.

Udang Goreng Berempah / Spiced Prawns

Star Q

i.  Visible Essay - Writing

ii.  The Library : Then And Now

iii.  Pelancaran Bulan Kemerdekaan 2013

I am the happiest when I see my family silently (or noisily) devouring the food that I (and sometimes, the missus) prepare.  It just gives me a sense of satisfaction knowing that they enjoy the food (even though they don't say it out loud!)  And it doesn't really matter if I can eat the food that I prepare or not.

Assam Laksa / Laksa In Sour Broth

Star Q

i.  Visible Essay - Introduction

ii.  The Library : Then And Now

iii.  Pelancaran Bulan Kemerdekaan 2013

It has been a long time since I made this simple dish.  The reason behind this is because my youngest daughter does not like this dish at all; not one little bit.  I mean, she would rather eat instant noodles!  Of course she knows it has lots of vegetables, and yes she knows that there isn't a single ounce of fat in the dish, but hey, if she doesn't like it, she doesn't like it!

Tofu-Stuffed Portobello

Star Q

i,  Visible Essay - Introduction

ii.  The Library : Then And Now

iii.  Pelancaran Bulan Kemerdekaan 2013

The missus was away the other day visiting her sick dad who had been hospitalised since Thursday last week.  We drove up to Seremban that day and went straight to Tuanku Jaafar Hospital.  When we arrived there at about 8.00 p.m., visiting hours was already over, but the security guards were given instructions to allow my father-in-law's relatives to come up and visit.

Raspberry White Chocolate Brownies

Star Q

i.  The Library : Then And Now

ii.  All In The Family - Guided Writing

iii.  Pelancaran Bulan Kemerdekaan 2013

This is a belated entry.  It is really late considering the fact that I bought these raspberries when I went back for Eid (that was almost two months ago!)  I made these brownies as soon as I got back from my holidays, but did not find time to write about it.

Potato Salad and Crispy Squid Wrap

Star Q

i.  Twenty Sen Is A Big Deal

ii.  Past Imperfect - Prepositions of Time

iii.  Pelancaran Bulan Kemerdekaan

As usual there are times when I don't feel like anything at all (my late mum would scold me and say that is a bad omen!)  Frankly speaking, sometimes I don't have any appetite at all.  Even the sight of food, especially rice, makes me just want to walk away and crawl under a rock (or my warm duvet!)

Tart Buah Lagi / More Fruit Tarts

Star Q

i.  Parents Should Shoulder the Responsibility

ii.  Lat for Language Learning

iii.  Pelancaran Bulan Kemerdekaan 2013

All the kids are home and the missus had been making a lot of noise, asking me to prepare fruit tarts to use up the extra shells I had made and stocked up earlier.  I find making extra shells and storing them for future tarts is a good idea, since making them is quite fiddly.

Pisang Muda Dengan Ikan Masin/Young Banana with Salted Fish

Star Q

i.  Pelancaran Bulan Kemerdekaan 2013

ii.  Repercussions for the Irresponsible

iii.  Lat for Language Learning

This is something I have not had in a long time; one reason is because my children don't like it (mainly due to the young banana since they only eat the ripe ones!) and the other reason is because it has salted fish in it which can make the dish a little salty.  

Koay Teow Goreng Vegetarian

Star Q

i.  Pelancaran Bulan kemerdekaan 2013

ii.  Repercussions for the Irresponsible

iii.  Merdeka - Reading Activities

The days of open houses in conjunction with the recent Aidil Ftri celebrations have left a toll on my waist line among other things.  The chicken, the beef, the coconut cream and what not have numbed the taste buds somewhat.  So, it was a welcome change when the missus agreed with my suggestion to prepare something totally (sic) vegetarian for our lunch (and dinner!)

Selar Masak Taucu/Fish with Fermented Beans

Star Q

i.  Merdeka - Reading Activities

ii.  Penutup Karnival Sukan Pra-U

iii.  Sense and Sensivity

Another simple dish that I really enjoy eating is this one.  I remember my late mother making it when I was young.  I now realize that my mum used to have some kind of reason or rather to cook the dishes she did.  This one for example, she prepared when she did not have vegetables to prepare as a side dish.  It was difficult to go to the market when I was young and we only relied on this vegetable seller who made his rounds to the army barracks.  All the non-working army wives would gather around his blue car (I don't remember the model) exchanging gossips and buying the things they needed.

Nutella Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Star Q

i.  Karnival Sukan Pra-U 2013

ii.  Silence Over Domestic Violence

iii.  Flipping Fantastic - A Sociogram

Now, this is a recipe that is right up my alley.  It's simple, it's quick to prepare and most of all, it has only four ingredients.  I definitely love, love, love this sort of recipe.  Actually, it was almost 6.30 p.m. and the missus asked me if I was going to prepare dessert for Iftaar (this shows how backdated this recipe is!)  I didn't want to say no, so I scoured the net and found this recipe (it is so simple that I remembered the whole recipe and forgot to remember the website where I got it from but my thanks to the original owner nevertheless)

Pindang Serani Ikan Senangin

Star Q

i.  Pre-Reading Activity

ii.  A Sheep Painted Black

iii.  Majlis Iftaar dan Terawih Pra-U

Another go-to dish when I am fresh out of ideas as to what to cook is this dish which I learned from a friend when I was posted to Kluang, Johor.  I am not sure as to the origin of this dish, but the colleague who taught me this dish is definitely a Johorean and a local Kluang lady.

Tat Telur / Egg Tarts

Star Q

i.  Pre/While Reading Activities

ii.  Majlis Iftarr dan Tarawih

iii.  A Sheep Painted Black

Well, I know this is probably not the newest type of dessert in the world but hey, it's the fasting month and the urge to bake something for iftaar is there.  And the easiest kind of pastry I can think of is to make some kind of mini tart.  I've made fruit tarts before and I've also made cheese tarts, so I thought I'd give egg tarts a go.

Kari Dal Sayur/Vegetable Dhal Curry

Star Q

i.  Past Imperfect

ii.  Majlis Iftarr dan Tarawih

iii.  Not Because of One Apple

Sometimes you just crave for a healthier version of your favourite dishes after many doses of your cholesterol-laden food; food that seem to have lots of oil, coconut cream, salt and sugar, plus the fatty drippings from beef and chicken!  Makes you want to become an instant vegetarian!

Muffin Labu Berkeju/Pumpkin Cheese Muffin

Star Q

i.  Callous Canine Caper

ii.  Majlis Iftaar dan Tarawih

iii.  Past Imperfect

This is another recipe I tried for Iftaar the other day.  I know that my kids love anything with cheese in  them and so I decided to give this a try.  I also know that my kids don't like pumpkins, so my idea was to merge the cheese that they like with the pumpkin that they dislike, and hoped that they would end up liking the muffins.

Ayam Panggang Madu/Honey Roasted Chicken

Star Q

i.  Pengisian SMM

ii.  Past Imperfect

iii. Not Because of One Rotten Apple

One of the food that my daughter always asks me to buy for her every time we go to the night market is the Honey Roasted Chicken.  I always remind her that it is more expensive to buy cooked chicken than to cook it yourself.  But she says that since I don't know how to make Honey Roasted Chicken like the ones sold at the night market, we might as well buy them.

Marshmallow Cupcakes

Star Q

i.  Signs of Pressure #1 - Meetings!

ii.  Ihya Ramadhan

iii.  Set Induction & .....

One of the things that my daughter likes to munch on is marshmallows.  There's no stopping her from getting a bag of marshmallows whenever she sees them; whether at a supermarket or in a bakery.  I can never fathom the reasons why she likes the sickly sweet pillowy things so much.

Koey Teow Ladna....Again

Star Q

i.  Ihya Ramadhan

ii.  Where Are The Boys?

iii.  Poem - Rhyming Words

Gastronomic challenges are usually more difficult in the month of Ramadhan especially when you have to face picky eaters like me; even though I only have one of them in my family.  But it always makes me feel so miserable when even a single person in my family doesn't seem to enjoy the food he (she) is eating.  Worse still when he simply wolf's down the plate of food which merely consist of rice and soya sauce! (I suppose this is done in protest against the food that he (she) doesn't like!)

Kuzi Ayam/Chicken in Sweet Spice

Star Q

i.  Poem - Rhyming Words

ii.  Where Are The Boys?

iii.  Ihya Ramadhan

Kuzi Ayam (Chicken Kuzi) is one of those dishes that you only get to eat once in a blue moon (literally!) and always few and far between.  This is because you would only prepare this dish only on special occasions or if you have very special people coming over for dinner.  But having it for the second time after about forty years is really few and really far between!

Jejari Ayam Goreng/Chicken Finger Wraps

Star Q

i.  B4 DB1 E2

ii.  Ihya Ramadhan

iii.  Where Are The Boys?

I'm sure every parent in every household would have gone through this situation.  You get up early in the morning and prepare food for your family's Sahur and none of them want to eat.  Instead of feeling elated, you feel depressed because after all that hard work, your kids just stare at the food!

Udang Goreng Berempah/Spiced Prawns with Breadcrumbs

Star Q

i.  Speaking Activity

ii.  Majlis Anugerah

iii.  Where Are The Boys?

It really doesn't help if you oversleep for Sahur.   I would usually get up at about 4.30 a.m. and help the missus to prepare the meal.  But there is always that particular time when all of us oversleep, even when the alarm clock rings until it breaks down!

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Star Q

i.  Majlis Anugerah

ii.  Speaking Activity

iii.  Where Are The Boys?

Happy Ramadhan to all friends who are observing the one month of fasting beginning early this month.  Once again, one of the most talked about topics which get tongues wagging is the topic of food; what to prepare to entice the taste buds of the whole family!

Nasi Beras Sarawak & Talapia Masak Tempoyak

Star Q

i.  Speaking Activity - Product Promotion

ii.  Majlis Anugerah Akademik Terbilang

iii.  Sore Winners

I have never eaten this type of rice before.  So, it was with much eagerness that I accepted a whole kilogram of this grain given to me by a colleague who had just returned from Sarawak, her home town.  We had been talking food (what else!) prior to that, and she had asked if I wanted to give the rice a try.  Where food is concerned, I am game to try anything (well, almost!)

Kerabu Suhun Lagi/Glass Noodles Salad ... Again

Star Q

i.  July MUET

ii.  Sore Winners

iii.  A Complete Lesson Plan - Unit 9

The torch ginger flowers are blooming again!  Usually when we've got lots of them blooming at the same time, our neighbour would come over and ask for a few.  She's one of those Johoreans who needs to have a torch ginger flower or two in her Asam Pedas.

Pasta Bakar/Baked Pasta Shells

Star Q

i.  A Complete Lesson Plan - Unit 9

ii.  Kejohanan Olahraga Kali ke 61

iii.  Drivers who drive other drivers crazy #2

This is another simple dish that I prepared for a pot luck my friends and I had at the office the other day.  I actually made these a day in advance and kept them in the freezer.  Them?  I made five of the thing you see in the picture above!  I figured, since I was going to make something for my friends to eat, I might as well make sure they really eat!

Gulai Ayam Pucuk Ubi/Chicken and Tapioca Shoots

Star Q

i.  Drivers who drive other drivers crazy #2

ii.  Kejohanan Olahraga Kali ke 61

iii.  B4 DL3 E1

This dish is another one of those from the garden to the kitchen dish that actually emerged out of convenience.   We had pruned our old tapioca plants earlier this month, and the shoots have been emerging aplenty of late, amidst the thick haze that has been enveloping our country recently. 

Kimchi Fried Rice

Star Q

i.  Blame It On the Dispenser

ii.  Vocabulary Puzzle - Glidogram

iii.  Kejohanan Olahraga kali ke 61

My youngest daughter does not only have complete fondness for sweet looking faces and high pitched voices of South Korean singers and actors.  She also has this strange idea that she likes Korean food, especially Kimchi.  Well,  I feel that this sudden appetite for Kimchi can be blamed on the well-known fast food franchise that recently introduced fried chicken with Kimchi sauce!

Patenting the Asam Pedas

Star Q

i.  An Ex-Student's View on English

ii.  Writing an Informal Letter

iii.  Sukantara

Some people have a stronger sense of belonging that they forget that the same thing can also belong to other people too.  The subject here is the (outrageous) idea of Malacca's Chief Minister to patent the Asam Pedas as one of Malacca's heritage dishes.

Gnocchi and Tomato Bake

Star Q

i.  Writing an Informal Letter

ii.  Drivers who drive other drivers crazy

iii.  Sukantara

I finally had the chance to prepare this dish!  All the reviews about how pillowy and sof t gnocchi is which I read in foodie blogs, were all true.  The gnocchi I prepared was indeed all that it was hyped to be.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

Star Q

i.  Inproficiency due to Complacency

ii.  Homophones

iii.  Sukantara

One of my weaknesses is seeing fresh vegetables arranged beautifully for sale weather at the local market of the supermarket.  The thing is, I always feel a strong compulsion to buy these vegetables even though I don't really need them.  This time my compulsion was for zucchinis.

Haw Flakes Layer Cake

Star Q

i.  My Memory of Latifah Omar

ii.  Sukantara

iii.  Homophones

This is one of those cakes that you either love or hate to make.  The thing is, this cake is so tedious to make, it is no wonder that it is sold for such a hefty price in the market.  And the demand is always there, because even though it is difficult to make, it just simply delicious to eat!