vroom-vroom 'sewn with love' single fitted bedsheet

Work's been good. Been busy but hey, not complaining (yet?). Kids are all well, I am good and Tebby's back! I made few small resolutions for 2013, mostly for self-improvement, insyaAllah. Among others - to revive back my hobby, sewing!

It's been awhile since I last sew anything! My last sewing project was in November 2012! Remember my yellow-kitty-sewn-with-love-pj-bottom project? In-between then and now, I sewed kelepet kaki seluar Iman and sewed-up badges and name tags onto their uniforms. But let's not call those sewing project, shall we? :D

Anyway, not withstanding my overdue 3-more-fabrics-to-be-swen-into-PJ-bottom, I ordered meters and meters of cotton for my fitted bedsheet projects. Tamak? Indeed I am! I mean who could resist such cute prints huh?

Bought these two types of print from D' Cotton Heaven. Both are cotton but I personally prefer the texture and feel of the scoot-scoot on black background. Vroom-vroom on yellow background is a little thin to the touch but still can do laaa.

Both fabrics are of bidang 44 inci. Means, I need to adjust the width by adding up 10 inches on left and 10 more inches on the right. It was a messy ordeal I tell you. Especially when it was my first time sewing fitted bedsheet! And when I was done cutting, I realized I did not have enough for pillow-cases!

Though I targeted to sew two sets (for the boys each), I only managed to complete only one set. Sabar ye Iman, next weekend I'll do it for you. 

Fitted by sewing getah on 4 corners.Alhamdulillah, it turns out well and fits nicely. There's obviously still room for improvement.

Adam was very excited.
Tebby said nice.
More bedsheet perhaps?

steamboat @RedWok Bangi

It's been awhile, isn't it?

Kakak was infected by fever buy then she passed it to me. Tebby went out-station to Cheringin on Monday. Came back home on Tuesday and on Wednesday he was off to Melaka until Friday. Work-front, I've been busy last week but I am not complaining. Coping and so far, liking it :D Except on those two days last week when my lappy's keypad failed to respond. I couldn't even log in!

Anyway, last Friday, like almost Fridays, we had dinner outside. Went to RedWok.

Red Wok Restaurant Sdn Bhd
Lot PT 70550, Jalan Kajang Impian 1/2
Taman Kajang Impian
43650 Bandar Baru Bangi
Selangor
Tel: +603-8927-4100
Fax: +603-8927-4500
HP: +6019-339-4655 - Awang Hasyim
Email: redwok2u@gmail.com

Tomyam and sup ayam. You can choose to have Korean Sizzling Steamboat ot just steamboat. We always opted for just steamboat. For no reasons.

They have the best of roast chicken. The skin crispy while the flesh tender and juicy. My wajib pick kalau datang makan steamboat kat sini.

Last Friday, no repeat. That was when we first noticed Kakak tak sihat. So makan cepat-cepat, bayar and balik.

Pricing

Steamboat
Adults   -   RM28
Children – RM17
Korean Sizzling Steamboat
Adults  -    RM33
Children – RM21

my make-ahead kids' bekal

As a working mom who live in KL (which translates into being trapped in congestion to and from, approximately 1 hour each), time is luxury. Time management is something you must be good at. 10 minutes delay hitting the road in the morning could mean 1/2 hour delay arriving in the office. Not complaining tho. There's no MV back in my hometown. Neither do they have it in Tebby's hometown :D

My most havoc session is in the morning. Apart from me-self routine (bathing - dressing up - solat), I need to ensure kids get up on time and do their routine (bathing - dressing up - solat). My elder two, they can do those on their own.  Adam, on his goody-goody mood days, he'll shower on his own (with supervision of course), dress himself up. Sans the fuss. On his moody-moody days, (insert crying, refusing to get up and fussing on almost everything, in the normal routine). On those days, it sure requires additional patience!

Anyway, one task I normally do in the morning is - preparing bekal for the kids. All them three are school-goers now. My elder two, despite being given pocket money, insist for bekal as well. Not that my cooking, (or rather just cooking up frozen tidbits ha ha) is good. Kakak for example, dislike having to queue up in the canteen, or also berebut for that matter. Iman, tho he queues up (and fights) for food in the canteen, he eats a lot and that requires bekal for him :D

Due to that, I always have frozen stocks in the fridge - cheesy nuggets, potato wedges, crinkle cut fries, drumettes and sausages are the must. But you know what they say about air tangan right? I sometimes make bekal from scratch. Last week I did Cokodok, Sausage Roll and Crabstick Roll. Adam bought a bunch of banana which the kids later refused to eat once the skin turned brownish. Cokodok it is then! And our loaf of bread was nearing expiry. Rolls it is then. To save time, I make them ahead. Next morning I can smile retrieving those from the fridge :D

Cokodok. Only 3 bananas left. I added extra flour hence the paleness :D Mixed it up with brown sugar. Next morning, goreng only. We had extra so me and Tebby munched our way to the office... 

Sausage Rolls and Crabstick Rolls. Easy peasy to make. For the Crabstick Rolls, first I rolled the crabstick in cheese (hat biasa makan dengan roti, yang square tu) then baru roll them up dalam roti.

Credit to http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/12/creative-bento-boxes-how-to-make.html

And here's what I found on the net - super-cuteness bento box! Kalau cenggini, mau nak kena bangun jam 4 pagi nak berhias bagai *pingsan!*

honey mustard(less) chicken drumettes

Now that we have a proper oven (as opposed the the small one that we used to have), I've been flipping recipe books, loadfullness of em, unutilized. This Periplus Step-by-Step for example, was bought yearrrssss ago! *insert cricket sound* Furthermore, I can still remember Tebby's stern warning to make the full use when we first bought it.

Drumettes!Who wouldn't love drumettes! The recipe says to use dijon mustard but all dijon mustard I've had my eyes upon has blanc vin or white wine. So omit that one out. And in absence of proper light soy-sauce and peanut oil - my version seems so asian hi hi

 Ingredients
1. About 15-20 chicken drummets
2. 2 garlic - crushed and minced finely
3. Honey
4. Oil - I used normal cooking oil cap Carrefour
5. Cili Boh
6. Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
7. Soy sauce - I used cap Kipas Udang (lemak manis)
8. Salt to taste

Marinate for at least 4 hours. I have mine marinated overnight and I shook them once or twice to make sure all properly marinated with the sauce. 

Baked at 170d for 60 minutes. Layer the tray underneath with foil to catch drippings. Else, it's gonna be hardwork to scrub it up. I turned these babies after 1/2 hour to ensure even cooking.

Voila! Honey Mustard(less) Chicken Drumettes! It was a hit that night. Next time am gonna double the portions :D

saturday leftover-dinner!

How was your Saturday?

Mine,a trip outside pegi breakfast then to clinic. Kakak is feverish since Friday when we picked up the kids at their taska. The rest of the day spent at home, minding chores, watching movies et cetera.

Had simple lunch at home, fully prepared by Tebby. Teamwork peeps! While he was at that, I vacuumed the whole house. And later I sorted out our house keys (after almost one month ha ha!), he washed the porch.I have to admit the latter part seems a bit unfair hi hi.

Had an even lighter dinner just now. Kakak wanted plain white bread with mushroom soup. The boys had sausages with white bread. Tebby had chicken sandwich while I went a notch higher with egg chicken sandwich. 

 

Carbo, protein.. Too bad there were no more lettuce or timun or tomato left in the fridge. Anyway, the chicken was leftover from dinner last week. I made Roasted Lemon Butter Chicken that was not entirely finished. Sliced, tossed in olive oil and later reheated. Anddd voila.. dinner!

I hope tomorrow I can run to BIS Ingredients nearby. Intend to bake a Blueberry Cheesecake. But see la how it goes :D

baking it, kids' style

So, how was your long break?

Mine, I took one day extra since the kids' school closed down until Wednesday so I enjoyed 4 days straight off from the office. Not that I am complaining tho hi hi.

While Tebby was in the office, I whipped up Nasi Lemok Ganu Style. Intentionally for breakfast and lunch, I cooked one whole pot of rice! Voila... Mine and kids' favorite. Since our marriage almost 13 years ago, I am more Terengganu than Tebby is, Pahang. I can eat laksa with uncooked gravy, I can stomach un-fried keropok lekor, I enjoyed myriads of traditional kuih muih. But ask my husband if he eats ikan patin in whatever form of cooking. No.

For breakfast, we all had a plateful each. For lunch I had to skip my portion to save up for Tebby's dinner. Earlier I wassap-ed him the photos of us enjoying our breakfast. His reply 'wahhh nanti malam makan nasi lemak ye? See, I am thoughtful. And a back rub will very much be appreciated too :P

My kids, I thought they'd be sleepy having stuffed themselves (like I did). Instead they opted to do keras-tangan thingy.

Hard at work. Kakak bought a pack of modelling clay months ago which she had been using with care to ensure she would utilize it to the fullest. That was partly my fault jugaklah. That pack cost me a freaking RM80.00! Ahhhh those puppy eyes she made.. I gave in with condition that she'd use it wisely. Imagine her anger when the boys wanted to join and share!

And earlier yesterday, she pow-ed me those cookie-cutters. No wonder she was so eager when told I needed to go to Carrefour .. or rather Big AEON huh? since our beras was almost finish oredi.

Hasil keras-tangan the kids. On the baking sheet are Kakak's. The rest are Iman's with an exception of that purple-yellow ball. That is Adam's. Oh ya, the clay can be baked to keep forever and if baked according to instruction, they will maintain their original color. It says bake at 130d for 15 minutes (for 1/4 inch thickness). I remember baking it the first time (which happened some months ago), the oven was 160d and I baked a butterfly for 5 minutes. My theory was, extra hot lesser time = lesser temperature longer time. Obviously it doesn't work that way. The butterfly came out with dark brown edges. Poor thing!

Those went out from the oven perfectly! All dried and hard and in their original color. Kakak made an impressive flower cookie there.

Okay Kakak, raya this year, I uli the doh, you terap the cookies k.

Note - the clay comes under the brand Sculpey Pluffy - Soft Fluffy Modelling Clay. Kakak bought hers from Art  Friend, MidValley. 

sempoi lunch (but fulfilling nonetheless!)

Did not manage to go anywhere this long CNY break (with an exception of a mall visit to MidValley on Sunday though). First and foremost, Tebby's hand is not fully recovered yet. Adam had a fever and this morning, I woke up to baddd back-pain. I've been relatively well for a long time. I think the last time I felt really awful was early 2011. I had one or two asthma attack in between, but overall - I am okay. That is something I really need to thank Allah.

Anyway. Went to the clinic, had 2 ketotop pasted on my back and later popped in a celebrex. Lied down for half hour then I was all well to prepare for lunch. A simple one. Regardless how you drool over Chili's Molten Lava or gawk at Tony Roma's Lamb's Rack or savor the chicken at Popeye's, nothing beats homecooked meals. Me think the concept of air tangan has some truth to it. Mother's or father's, regardless.

Tebby helped me with Sambal Sotong Kering while I mind my Salad-ala-Kedai-Nasi-Arab :D Fried Kembong and the infamous Budu with slice of lime, cili and sliced shallots. I think the sotong kering were in the fridge for years! Time to move on ha ha. Sambal it is then! Soak in hot water to soften them up as well as to get rid of the smell.

There were aging tomatoes in the fridge. And a cucumber, almost kecut oredi. Buang biji and diced. Added with sliced cili burung and cili besar. Perah half a lemon. Added with salt and sugar to taste. Think it'll be better off with some coriander leaves. Next time maybe :D

Bread Pudding with Pineapple Bits Sauce

Baking challenge - numero trois!

A little burnt but deliciously edible (by my standard that is!). My baker-friends suggested that I use Gardenia's Butterscotch but I opted for white ones. A good way to end my nearing-expiry bread anyway :D

This is my my first time doing bread pudding but indeed my first time doing the baked version. I made steamed version maybe well,.. twice or thrice before. Opted for white bread. I halved the milk (from its original recipe) and substituted that portion with sour cream (balance from a disastrous cheese-cake baking session. I do not even have the heart to ramble about it here ha ha). I lessened the eggs (in original recipe) from 6 to 3. I did not have green apples that I wished I had so I couldn't place thinly sliced apples in between the bread. Instead, raisins.

For the pudding,

1. 8-10 slices of bread (I cut away the crust), arrange in a casserole with raisins in-between layers

2. 3 eggs

3. 1 cup of fresh milk

4. 1 cup of sour cream

5. 3/4 cup of sugar 

6. 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Whisk eggs, milk, sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Pour into casserole containing bread and let it soak for about an hour. Bake at 170d for 30 minutes.

I did a little twist with the sauce. Added up pineapple bits (canned Dole's) to this light custard mixture. For this sauce you'll need..

1. 2 cups of fresh milk

2. 2 tbsp of custard powder - mix with some fresh milk

3. 1/2 cup sugar

4. Pineapple bits from a can - strain

Bring fresh milk to a simmer and then add sugar. Then slowly add custard mixture. Keep on stirring until the custard mixture dissolves and later becomes a little thicker. Add pineapple bits and stir until you reach your desired consistency. I prefer it light.

Taaadaaaa! Bread Pudding with Pineapple Bits Sauce.

starting over II

New boss reported in last Monday.

Asked. Boss baru macamana? Okay?

Well, having been in the working life for the past 16 years (Almost anyway. Has it really been that long?), reported to 7 different direct supervisors my answer would be - Everyone has his/her own style, strengths and weaknesses. Bear in mind one important thing - when you can't adjust the wind, adjust your sail.

My second lady-boss and my first younger-than-me boss. Yeah I am old. My last 3 series birthday this year! *gulp*

Had a makan-do at Al-Diafah the other day. Farewell for ex boss (and UPNM interns). The shortest period between me and a supervisor. Only one year and a half I think.

Lamb Mandy! Ai cinta! Al-Diafah has always been one of my favorites. From rice to kebabs to drinks (almond milk! I loike) - always just right.

Flowers for my x-boss. Either you beranak, pencen, or transfer out baru dapat these okay :D

UPNM students. Spent 6 months with us. Shy, these guys. Sometimes I forgot they were in my office. Very quiet okay. Now dah masuk kem balik kot. Good luck guys!

Kebabs! When I was having badddd spell of morning sickness when I was pregnant with Adam, ni je lah yang berkenan kat tekak. Gigih Tebby u ols membeli benda ni hihi.

My first serving. Had few additional that I lost count. But my colleague confirmed that I had at least three! Wei, aku nampak hang makan sampai 3 kali. Oh well...

Cerita pasal boss lama boss baru tapi gambar semua makanan? Motif? Hi hi..

starting over

mudah-mudahan..
*senyum*

13 challenges - Double Choc Cookies

Selamat Hari Wilayah! Heavenly week. Cuti on Monday and later today some more :D

Went to IKEA earlier today, primarily in search of bookcases but came back with small-items-thingimagine as well! The thing about IKEA is that, you'll be surprised at the check-out counters. Just when you thought you were just buying small trinkets, kitchen towels, tablecloth, small cushions - anddddd kchiinggg at the cashier! *pengsan*

Anyway. I bought a cookie jar, among other things from IKEA. Yup A cookie jar. Just one. Enough for a beginner like me. The day before Iman flipped through my recipe book '1 Dough, 100 Cookies' (which I've bought in Jan 2010 by the way but never tried any recipe in it) and he suggested that we should do Double Choc Cookies. Remember my 13 baking challenges? I've lost track on its sequence but pretty sure there's cookie-something that I promised to bake.

First batch of cookies baking in the oven. Cut the sugar by quarter and bake for 10-12 minutes at 190d. My baking-expert friends were surprised because they never set the temperature that high! The result? Overcooked. Burnt. Hangit. Thrown away.

Second batch baked at 180d for 10 minutes. Better but still... Thrown away again.

The third and fourth were baked at 170d for 8-10 minutes. They turned out well. Just nice. Crisp on the outside and a little gooey in the center. Just they way I expected them to be. *smile*

Lesson learnt, jangan follow sebijik sebijun buku recipe. Ask around. Make full use of the internet and pakcik Gugel. And the best teacher would be - experience.

Little helpers! They ended up with all sizes and shapes. Nevermind - yang penting.. kerjasama! By the way, I divided the dough into halves. One with just choc chips. The other half, I added some almond bits.

My first jar of homemade cookies. Better be late than never eh? Finally, after almost 13 years of marriage!

My 13 challenges? 2 down, 11 more to go. Bring it on!