Saturday 20 October 2012

Birthday Freebies!

Soooooooooooo....

my birthday is coming. And I found out that there are several restaurant or cafe that'll give you free stuffs for your birthday! Cool ain't it? 

Check this out!


1. Free wagyu steak from Holycow!. Available on your birthday.




2. Free Pasta and Wine from ATavola. Valid for three days from your birthday.



3. And, free Bagel from BagelBagel. Valid seven days from your birthday.



So, I plan to redeem all of them on my birthday. Bagel for breakfast, steak for lunch, and pasta and wine for dinner. HOHOHO. Superb!


If your birthday is coming, and you're in Jakarta, don't hesitate to visit these places and get your birthday treat :)


You can find them here:

1. Holycow!
Jl.Bakti no.15,Senopati
Jakarta Capital Region

Jl. Raya Boulevard Kelapa Gading, blok WB2 no.16
Jakarta Capital Region

Or visit their page here.

2. BagelBagel
KEMANG Store: Jl. Benda Raya 14D

SCBD Store: IMAGERIE, Fairgrounds Lot 14 SCBD

Or visit their page here.

3. ATavola
Jl. Kemang Selatan Raya no.125

Or visit their page here.

Cheers!

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Sisters on Ukulele

Hi, y'all!

First of all I would like to say Happy Eid Mubarak for those who celebrate it. 

Andnow, I would like to post two videos of me and my sister. We were home during Eid Mubarak, and we did a little collaboration with her playing the uke and me singing. 

The first video we made was Tonight You Belong To Me. This song originally recorded by Irvin Kaufman in 1926, but then made famous by Gene Austin in 1927 and re-recorded by Patience and Prudence in 1954.



This song was also performed by Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters in the 1979 movie The Jerk. Jazz ukulele player, Lyle Ritz, actually played the uke accompaniment for the scene. 




This second video was a song from a Malaysian singer by the name Zee Avi. We played the song called Kantoi, in Malaysian language, "kantoi" means "busted". The song tells a story how a girl found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her. Check the original song here.

So, please tell me what do you think ;)

Cheers!

Thursday 28 June 2012

Happy Are Those With No Expectation


source: lostreality91.deviantart

Sometimes I wonder, is it true, that happy are those with no expectations? I mean, how many times you were dissapointed because you didn’t get what you’ve expected.

Like the time when you call your significant other just to say hi and try to have a li’l chat with him and he just sounded not interested in talking with you because he was busy working. So when you ask, “Hi, what are you doing?” Although you already knew that he must be stuck in front of his laptop and working, you expected him to say, “You know, just working. Wassup?” But instead of that, all you got was, “Working.” So, instantly you said, “Oh, okay then,” and then hung up the phone. And that’s it. Your mood is ruin now.

As Shakespeare once said, "Expectation is the root of all heartache."
However, what screw us up most in life is the picture in our head of how is it supposed to be.

So, should we not have any expectations in order to be happy?

Cheers!

Monday 25 June 2012

Panko Cheesy Chicken


I’m back with my weekend cooking project. So, last Saturday, I made panko cheesy chicken with mashed potato for lunch and for dinner, a usual farfale creamy mushroom. But this time I add extra ingredients for my food: Chive!

Never use chives in any of my cooking before, and I only learn about chives a while a go. In most of cooking program I’ve watched hey use chives, as a garnish or as a condiment (not sure if this right). I use chives in my mayo sauce for my panko chicken. I also use chives in my creamy farfale as one of the ingredients and as the garnish.

Here’s my panko cheesy chicken with mayo sauce recipe. As for the mashed potato, you can look here.
 
Here’s the step-by-step

Ingredients:
§         2 Boneless chicken breast, cut butterfly
§         Milk to marinate chicken and to mix in eggs mixture
§         2 eggs, add some milk beat loose
§         Some all-purpose flour (I don’t use any measurement here)
§         Some panko
§         Chedar cheese (cut lengthwise)
§         Salt and Pepper to taste

Mayo sauce ingredients:
§         4 tbsp original mayo
§         1 tsp classic yellow mustard (I use French’s classic yellow)
§         3 tbsp lemon juice
§         1 tsp condensed milk
§         Chives, chopped
§         Salt and pepper to taste

§         How to make:
§         Pound chicken if it’s too thick.
§         Marinate in milk for 15 minutes.
§         Heat oil in a skillet or deep fried pan on mid-high heat.
§         Prepare three bowl, each consist of all-purpose flour, egg mixture, and panko.
§         Put chedar cheese inside chicken and fold in half.
§         Coat chicken in flour, then egg mixture, then panko.
§         Fried chicken until brown or cooked.

The mayo-sauce
Put mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, condensed milk, and chives in a bowl. Mix it well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lunch’s served. Easy-peasy.

Oh, I forgot to take picture of this dish, so yeah, sorry... :(

Dinner recipe is not different from my previous dish. I’m not in the mood for being creative that night.




Cheers!

Don't you just hate it...

...when you found out that the root of all your problems is MONEY.
Darn. Why is it always about the money?!

Cheers!

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Walk-by Closet

In the mood for some home improvement, my housemate and I occasionally (read: all the time) browse in Martha Stewart web. Gosh, that lady is like the queen of home improvement. Me and and my housemate always drooling over that web! I mean, you name it, home and garden, cooking, DIY project, Ms Stewart can do anything! She's like the perfect Stepford Wives image. Though she has some flaws too. I mean, after all, she's only a human.

Anyway, from Ms. Stewart web, I got an idea for my closet: A walk-by closet!

Walk-by Closet
Source: Martha Stewart

Nice, no? It's a good solution for small space problems, and small budget too :p

So, next weekend, I'm thinking to build my own walk-by closet, of course with some adjustment here and there. For start, instead of using old ladder, I think I'm gonna use a wall shelf with a bar beneath it for hangers. Can't wait for my room make-over! I'll post the results here afterwards.

Cheers!

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Kitchen Perfect


Sejak dapet tempat baru yang kudu didandanin, gw jadi semangat banget browsing gambar-gambar interior design. Kata kunci utama buat pencarian google adalah: “bla bla bla for small space.” Yes, I only have small spaces in my new house. But it doesn’t matter really, I mean, bigger place means more things to buy, no? And at this moment I think I can only afford for the small space, so there, I'm happy.


Karena lagi hobi masak, jadinya gw lebih sering browsing ide-ide buat dapur dan ruang makan. Yang pasti, dari dulu, gw suka banget sama dapur dan meja makannya Monica di serial Friends. Meja bundar dan kursi yang ga matching.


Dapur dan ruang makan Monica
source: The Sweetest Digs


Manis ya! Well, it looks messy, but heart-full. Here's another kitchen ideas that I love.


Kalo yang ini dapurnya Rachael Ray
source: IKDO

Ini dapurnya Julia Child yang ada di film Julie and Julia
Source: Hooked On Houses
Yang dua ini termasuk dapur idaman gw! Cuma butuh ruang besar buat bikin dapur ini. Kamar gw aja ga segede iniiiiih -___-" Perlengkapan masak gw juga ga selengkap Rachael Ray ataupun Julia Child, jadi, yasuw lah yaaa. Nabung dulu. Ntar kalo perkakas dapurnya udah banyak, baru deh... Ada Amin, sodara-sodara?

Dapur dengan panel kayu warna putih. I'm in love!
source: Shelterness
Shabby Chic Kitchen
source: RubyJu
Dua dapur ini manis, 'kan? Suka sama perpaduan warnanya sama penampilannya yang sederhana dan girly. Yeah, maybe some of you didn't see me as the girly type, tapi sungguh deh, akika girly inside kooook :D  Kalo dapurnya kayak gini, masak pun pasti menyenangkan. Tapi beberes dapur tetep ga menyenangkan. I'm positive about that.


Berhubung dapur gw itu termasuk dalam kategori small spaces, jadi mungkin harus sedikit berkreasi sama kitchen storage. Ditambah dana yang terbatas, maka otak ini berpikir keras buat bikin dapurnya bisa nyaman. Dan berhubung gw termasuk tipe yang suka semuanya tertata pada tempatnya, maka mulailah saya melakukan pencarian suci akan rak dapur! nyahahaha. Dari google dapet beberapa ide.








Intinya adalah: RAK GANTUNG! Manfaat ruang sebisa mungkin. But then again, to make a good wall shelves it needs cost. Money money money! Gaaaaaaaah! Frustrasiiiii!! I want my dream kitchen, pleaaaaase! Sekali lagi, ada Amin, sodara-sodaraaaaaaaaaa?!!!


Cheers!

Cheers!

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Between The Housing Project and Macha White Roll

Last weekend I was busy on my new housing project. So, I'm movin out from my current place and movin in with my buddy, Anna, to a two-bedroom rented house in Menteng Dalam by the end of this month. Berhubung rumah itu kosong melompong, jadilah gw dan Anna "harus" mengisi rumahnya. Sejauh ini di rumah udah ada sofa-bed, AC, kompor, perlatan makan dan memasak. Anna juga udah mulai ngisi kamarnya, while me, I must wait on my rent due in my current place. Jadinya, gw baru bisa pindahan at the end of the month.

We both are very excited about this housing project! Seru aja buat ngisi rumah. Belanja perlengkapan rumah, browsing thru Ikea's catalog (kenapa Ikea ga ada di Jakarta deh!), designing the rooms, picking wall color and the lots!

Cuma, masalahnya dengan ngisi rumah, pengeluaran juga bakal banyak. Apalagi kalo yang mo nempatin banyak maunya kayak kami ini :p Udah kebayang deh gimana kehidupan gw ke depan sama Anna. Dijamin banyak belanja! Hahahaha.

Jadi, hari Sabtu kmarin, gw dan Anna nengokin si kontrakan lagi. Beberes sedikit dan Anna ngecet kamarnya. Gw sih sebenernya belum mulai apa-apa. Lah wong semua barang masih di kosan. Siangnya kami (as in Me and Panci, and Anna) mampir ke Grand Indonesia, anak temennya Anna ulang tahun di HokBen di sana, dan gw, ngintil demi free lunch! hahaha.

Abis dari sana, Anna ngerekomendasiin, atau lebih tepatnya nyetanin, buat makan dessert di Lobby Nirwana Lounge, Kempisnski. Dibuka dengan kalimat andalannya, "Lo mesti cobain..." kami pun segera terbujuk. Satu dessert harganya 30 ribu. Yap, lebih makan dari makan siang gratis gw tadi :p Cuma berhubung gw udah terkena mantra "Lo mesti cobain..." akhirnya, bak kerbau dicocok hidungnya gw ikut ke Kempinski dan mesen Macha White Roll. Satu dessert ini gw makan berdua Panca demi patungan. Kan, ceritanya lagi ngirit :p

Macha White Roll ini dari tampilan aja udah cantik banget. Bentuknya gulungan gitu, luarnya semacam butiran pasir (tapi agak keras) dan dalemnya krim putih rasa white choc. Begitu garpu ditusukkin ke bagian hijaunya, terdengar bunyi "krak", lapisan hijau itu segera retak dan patah, garpu pun lancar menghujam bagian krim putihnya. Begitu masuk mulut, langsung hadir kebahagian instan karena hidangan manis dan lezat itu. Hahahahaha. *Lebay luar biasa.* Tapi beneran deh, rasanya sangat menyenangkan. Manis cokelat putih berpadu rasa teh hijau dengan tekstur krim yang lembut dan lapisan teh hijau yang renyah. *Udah cukup meyakinkan belum?*

Ini dia penampakan si Macha White Roll


Sementara itu, Anna pesen Caramel something. Lupa merhatiin judulnya apa saking terkesima sama si gulungan hijau ituh! Kami tentu saling cicip dooong. Rugi amat kalo ga cicip2 :p Dessert yang Anna pesen ini bentuknya kue yang berlapis-lapis gitu. Di bagian atas ada si karamel, bagian tengahnya bolu, trus ada mix fruit di bawahnya. Rasanya.... jangan ditanya, ya enak laaah! Ada manis karamel berpadu dengan asam buah-buahan, bermain-main dengan riang di indera pengecap kami :D Teksturnya pas. Lembut, dingin, dan pas lo gigit buahnya, nyesss... asemnya itu bisa netralisir manisnya karamel. Heaven.

Le Caramel


Belum puas sama dua dessert, kami pesen satu lagi. Kami dihadapi dua pilihan: Red Velvet Cupcakes atau Tiramisu. Berdasarkan rekomendasi house front di sana (a.k.a waiter), kami pesen si tiramisu. Nah, yang ini bentuknya bombastis lagi. Jadi, coba bayangkan, sepotong kue tiramisu pada umumnya, berisi lapisan bolu dengan rasa yang bombastis... tunggu dulu, di bagian luarnya ada lapisan cokelat putih yang dibentuk seperti kubah yang bertugas melindungi sepotong tiramisu yang ringkih itu. Cakep deh pokoknyaaa! Rasanya, ya rasa tiramisu, cuma mungkin karena tampilan dan aliran kebahagian kami sebelumnya, kue itu terasa sangaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat enaaaaaaaaaaaaak. *emang enak, kok! sungguh deh* Kalo yang ini ga keburu difoto udah babak belur duluan :p

Makan dessert yang enak itu emang selalu bisa ngebenerin mood ya. Dari yang tadinya cape, jadi terasa mengawang-awang. *Apa deh* Tapi sepertinya kebahagiaan kami habis sampai di sana. Karena sepulang dari sana kami dapati series of unfortunate events, yang lebih tepatnya, tiga tempat makan yang kami tuju, sudah tutup! Penonton kecewaaaaa.

To sum up, buat yang lagi beredari di Grand Indonesia, dan masi punya budget lebih buat dessert, silakan datangi Kempinski dan coba kue2 di sana. Dijamin akan memberi sedikit kebahagiaan pada hari Anda :D Atau, kalo kata @mpo_anna, "Lo mesti cobain dessert di Kempinski. Itu ennnnaaaaaaaak banget."


Ps. Oya, karena kesibukan di akhir pekan, maka proyek Cooking Weekend ditiadakan wiken kmarin :p

Cheers!

Friday 8 June 2012

Friday Punch-up!

Entah kenapa setiap Jumat selalu berlangsung sangat lama, terutama di kantor.
Pekerjaan tampaknya tak pernah berakhir. Untuk melengkapi kelamnya hari Jumat ini, hujan hebat mengguyur Jakarta. Hujan hebat, apalagi artinya kalau bukan macet yang menanti saat perjalanan pulang. Meeeeeh -____-"


Hari ini pasti pulang malam. Hari ini pasti ga akan sempet masak untuk makan malam.
Besok dan Minggu saya sudah punya rencana seharian. Tampaknya, akhir pekan ini saya takkan menyentuh perkakas dapur saya. Sigh.


Oya, semalam saya memasak untuk makan malam, loh! Meski lelah dan sedikit flu, saya kumpulkan segenap sisa-sisa energi saya--tapi sepertinya energi saya tidak cukup untuk mengabadikan gambar masakan semalam. Begitu selesai, tanpa basa-basi Spageti dan Kerang Aglio-olio itu langsung meluncur melewati kerongkongan dan masuk ke bilik-bilik di dalam perut sana untuk dicerna. And it tastes good! My boyfriend loves it too! 


Untuk resepnya, tidak jauh berbeda dengan resep aglio-olio saya sebelumnya. Tapi, pada hidangan ini, selain memakai kerang tentunya, saya coba masukkan timi kering. Entah terlalu sedikit atau apa, tapi saya tidak terlalu merasakan perbedaannya. Yang lainnya cukup standar, minyak zaitun, bawang putih, bawang bombai, cabai merah, peterseli, oregano, lada hitam, andalan saat membuat aglio-olio. Ada satu lagi tambahan di hidangan ini. Di atasnya saya taburkan bayam mentah! Yap, tidak dimasak. Hanya dibersihkan dan dicuci dengan air hangat. Rasanya? Delicioso! Bayamnya terasa renyak saat dikunyah. Ada sensasi "kresss" di tiap gigitan. Love it! Rasanya? Tidak jauh berbeda dengan bayam yang sudah dimasak, kok.Untuk kerangnya, sebelum dimasak, saya rendam dengan garam dan lemon. Sedikit usaha untuk menghilangkan rasa amisnya. 


***
Pada akhirnya, memasak memang salah satu cara saya untuk relaksasi. Semacam pengalihan dari dunia rutinitas. Bagaimanapun, memasak adalah proses kreatif. Memasak juga bisa dibilang sebuah seni. Apa pun yang berbau kreatif dan seni, tentu saja merupakan pelarian yang paling tepat dari kepenatan hari kita. Apalagi kalau kita memasak untuk orang yang kita sayang. It motivates you to cook from the heart. Lalu saat melihat mereka menyantap habis masakan kita, bilang kalau mereka suka dan berterima kasih atas makanannya, wah, it's priceless moment, I tell you.


As for my beloved Satya Prapanca, I thank you for finishing up your meal, help me clean the dishes, and of course, for giving me such a big motivation to cook! I






Ciao!

Thursday 7 June 2012

Sunday Dinner: Clams and Mushroom Soup

If you read my previous post, then you must’ve known that I planned to cook the clams for lunch. But again, I get sleepy in the afternoon and decided to take a nap—a nap that went too long. Gosh, all those waking up in the morning to shop and make breakfast really drain my energy :p


Anyway, at first I planned to make farfalle with creamy clam sauce. But I decided to try something else. Soup! I never cook cream soup at all. And all the recipe I found in the internet were involving wine, sherry, or any other ingredients that I don’t have and quite hard to find in my country. So I brace my self and decided to improvise with this recipe. 


I made Clams and Mushroom Soup and add a scoop of mashed potato on the side. The recipe is simple. It’s just an improved recipe of the béchamel sauce.






Serving portion: 3
Cooking time: 1 hr


Soup Ingredients:
- Milk.
- Flour.
- Handful of Clams.
- Mushroom, sliced or diced, anything you like.
- Parsley.
- Beef stock (I use Royco beef flavored, a some kind of flavor enhancement powder, since I don’t have any home-made beef stock.)
- Butter.
- 4 cloves of Garlic (I just love garlic!)
- Half of Onion.
- Freshly ground black pepper.
- Salt to taste.


And now, how to make it:
1. Heat pan. Add butter, garlic, onions, and mushrooms until well cooked.
2. Add clams and parsley. Cook for about 3 minutes.
3. Add flour and cook until all mix well.
4. Add the beef stock, or in my case, water and then the beef flavor enhancement powder, and milk. Let it thicken.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve it nice and hot.


I don’t really know how to make a good soup. I just improvise my ways. And it turns out to be okay. At first, my soup was still taste fishy from the clams. So I add extra black pepper and cook it a bit longer. But hey, it works! Grazie a Dio. Otherwise, the soup will go straight to the drain :p


Oh, I almost forgot the mashed potato. You can see the recipe here. Enjoy!




Cheers!


Wednesday 6 June 2012

Stack'em Good!


So, on Sunday, I made a twist with yesterday’s brunch. I made French toast with fried egg and smoked beef, and drizzled with mornaise sauce. And plus, my fav of this week, grilled tomato and onion.


A mornaise sauce is actually a béchamel sauce with added grated cheese. Usually, it consists of half Gruyère and half Parmesan cheese, though some variations use different combinations of Gruyère, Emmental cheese, or white Cheddar. Got the recipe, again, from Chuck’s Day Off.


It is easy to make and can make your tummy full for quite a long time.


So, let’s begin the recipe.





Serving portion: 2

Cooking time: 30 mins


French Toast
- Bread, any kind. I use the leftover wheat bread from yesterday.
- Margarine
- Milk
- 1 Egg


1. Whisk milk and egg.
2. Put the bread on egg mixture until it soaks the liquid.
3. Heat pan and add margarine.
4. Fry the bread until brown on each side.


Just make the regular fried egg. Then crisp the smoked beef. And as for the mornaise sauce, you can make the béchamel sauce then add grated cheese at the end. Check the béchamel recipe here. I know it supposed to use half of gruyere and half of parmesan. But since I cook on a tight budget, again, I just use cheddar.  No problem at all. 


You can also check my grilled tomato and onion recipe here.


Then all you need to do is stack'em! Add another grated cheese on top just for fun and garnish with parsley.


There you go. It’s an easy dish and I bet everyone can make it.


Btw, I bought some clams in the morning and I plan to make lunch with some leftover farfalle with clam sauce. Better start googling for “easy clam sauce recipe”now.

PS. I'm thinking of making this as my weekend project. Well, if I have nothing else to do of course. How bout it? Sounds good, no?


Cheers!

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Farfalle Aglio Olio con Gamberi e Funghi


As my promise yesterday, this is my dinner recipe. Farfalle Aglio Olio con Gamberi e Funghi. Well that's just the fancy name, the normal name would be Farfalle Aglio Olio with Prawns and Mushroom :p


Actually this is my lunch menu. But, because I got so sleepy in the afternoon (because I had to woke up so early to shop. sigh.) and decided to take a nap, which turns out into a very long nap and I woke up at 6.30 pm, so I cooked this dish for dinner. 


Bored with spaghetti and fettuccini, I decide to go with farfalle. Farfalle are a type of pasta. Commonly known as "bow-tie pasta," the name is derived from the Italian word farfalla (butterfly). (source: wikipedia.com)


The bow-tie pasta. Lovely isn't it?






I decided to cook it on aglio-olio style and with prawns and mushroom.  Here’s the recipe. Trust me, it’s so easy!






Serving portion: 3
Cooking time: 30 mins


- Half package of farfalle pasta (about 250 grams)
- Olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- Half onion, chopped
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Mushroom, chopped
- Prawns, cleaned, peeled and devined
- Smoked beef, diced and crispy fried
- Chili powder
- Red chili
- Tomato, diced
- Salt and pepper


  1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente and then drain and set aside.
  2. Heat saucepan then adds olive oil, garlic, onion, chili powder, red chili, parsley, and mushrooms. Cooked till mushroomsbegin to brown. 
  3. Add prawns to the mixture. Cooked through.
  4. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 5 mins. Toss regularly. Add chopped        tomatoes just t heat. 
  5. Pour the mixture into pasta and mix well.
  6. Add grated cheese on top if you like.
  7. Add parsley for garnish.

I also make some garlic bread as a starter. Too bad I forgot to take picture of them. 
For the garlic bread, I made the very simple one using wheat bread.


Garlic Bread
- 4 wheat breads. Lose the crust. Cut into quarter.
- Margarine.
- 4 cloves of garlic. Finely chopped.
- Parsley. Finely chopped.


1. Mix margarine, garlic and parsley.
2. Spread over one side of the bread.
3. Heat pan and grill the bread. Non-margarine side on the pan first.
4.     Let it brown but don't let it burnt.


That’s it, folks. Have it a go. Improvise. After all, cooking is fun! 






Cheers!

Monday 4 June 2012

Stacked Breakfast

So, this is my first post in 2012! Akhirnya, ada juga yang bisa ditulis di sini. hehehe.
Jadi, begini ceritanya. Di kantor lagi sering banget ngerjain acara masak2an dari Food Network. Alhasil, ngiler lah saya ngeliat smua masakan2 itu. Plus muncul hasrat buat masak kayak chef2 itu.


Jadi, tiap wiken atau tiap kapan pun kalo sempet, you will see me get busy with my pots, pans, knives, and the lots! Sebenernya kalo hobi masak udah dari dulu. Cuma emang belum pernah tersalurkan karena sarana dan prasarana yang kurang memadai. 


Nah, wiken kmaren, saya masak buat sarapan dan makan malam. Tadinya mo bikin buat makan siang juga, cuma gara-gara bangun pagi demi belanja di tukang sayur, siangnya akikah ngatuuuuk, Mak! Jadilah tidur siang dan baru kebangun jam 6 sore. LOL. Alhasil, menu makan siang dialokasikan jadi menu makan malam, dan menu makan malam masih sekadar resep di kertas.


Btw, without further ado, ini dia menu makan pagi yang kesiangan alias brunch (resep makan malam saya post setelah ini, ya). Enjoy!




Serving portion: 2
Cooking time: 30 mins


Got the recipe from a TV show called Chuck’s Day Off. The original recipe use polenta instead of mashed potato, spinach,  bacon instead of smoked beef, and no sauce. This is my version of that recipe, using mashed potato, smoked beef, poached egg, spinach, and béchamel sauce, plus grilled tomato and onion on the side.


It took quite some time to prepare and cook this dish, because I only have one stove, one microwave, and one rice cooker. But it’s actually quite easy to make. Here’s the recipe.


:: Mashed Potato
- 3 potatoes
- 2 tbs butter
- Milk
- Salt and pepper to taste


1. Cut potato in quarter and put it on salted boiling water. Cook until tender for about 15 mins.
2. Heat butter and milk over low heat.
3. Blend milk mixture into potatoes until smooth and creamy.
4. Season with salt and pepper.


:: Microwave Poached egg
- Eggs
- Salt


1. Add water into a microwave-safe mug, salt, and put the egg.
2. Microwave for about 2-3 mins (depend on your microwave)


:: Butter Spinach
- Spinach
- Butter
- Garlic
- Salt
- Ice water


1. Put spinach in boiling water for one minute.
2. Drain and move it to the ice water bath to keep the green.
3. Heat butter and garlic over low heat and put the spinach.
4. Cook it for just a minute.


:: Heat smoked beef in pan until crispy. Set aside.


:: Grilled Tomato and Onion
- Tomato
- Onion
- Salt
- Oregano


1. Drizzle tomato with olive oil, salt, and oregano.
2. Heat pan and turn in the tomatoes and onions until grilled.


:: Béchamel Sauce
- 2 tbs Butter
- 1 tbs All purpose flour
- Milk
- Salt and pepper


1. Heat butter and flour in saucepan over low heat until the flour cooked.
2. Pour milk and stir constantly until thicken. 
3. Season with salt and pepper.


After all dish are ready, stacked in this order: Mashed potato-Smoked beef-Spinach-Poached egg.
Then drizzle with the sauce and put the tomatoes and onion on the side.
Garnish with parsley. Voila! Breakfast is served.


Though it took a lot of preparation, but this is a good dish to start your day. 




Cheers!

Wednesday 18 January 2012

The one with serious post


First post in 2012. Kali ini aga serius, berita duka pula. Jadi, beberapa hari yang lalu, seorang teman saya baru saja meninggal. It’s funny when someone your age passed away. I couldn’t believe it at first. I mean, she was so young, energetic, ga ada yang nyangka dia akan pergi secepat itu. But then again, umur, jodoh, semuanya di tangan sang pencipta. Her death makes me realize how short was our time on this earth. Kita ga pernah tahu kapan akan dipanggil atau kapan orang-orang yang kita sayang akan pergi ninggalin kita. Bukannya dari dulu ga nyadar, hanya saja, kejadian ini bener-bener kayak tamparan di muka! 

Sebenernya saya tidak terlalu akrab dengan teman saya yang ini. Namun dulu, hamper 10 tahun lalu, dia adalah salah satu sahabat ketika saya memulai kuliah. Teman saya ini namanya Valia. Anaknya sangat riang, ceria, penuh semangat, dan yang pasti, ga pernah milih-milih temen. Semua orang ditemenin. Makanya, ketika dia meninggal kemarin, banyak yang sedih. Yang datang mengantarnya beragam rupa. Saat diberi tahu Valia kecelakaan motor di Bali, antara percaya ga percaya, dan saya selalu berpikir “Ah, dia kan anak yang kuat. It must’ve been nothing serious.” Lalu Sembilan hari setelah berita kecelakaan itu datanglah berita duka cita. Valia meninggal karena pendarahan otak. 

I was pretty shocked that day.  Ada semacam penyesalan yang terbersit. Kenapa saya ga bisa kenal dia lebih baik? Kenapa dulu kami tiba-tiba menjauh? Padahal, pas semester satu, kami bertiga – satu lagi adalah teman saya, Varadila – selalu ke mana-mana bareng, nyaris tak terpisahkan! Valia itu anak tunggal, jadi, dulu sempet juga ngerasain diculik nginep di rumahnya nemenin dia. But then, it all changed. Dia berubah, saya pun berubah. Kami tak lagi teman dekat, hanya teman satu kampus. Namun kepergiannya tetap membuat saya menangis.

Satu hal yang bisa saya petik dari kejadian ini adalah, manfaatkan waktu kita sebaik-baiknya. Selalu coba berbuat baik. Jalin silaturahmi dengan orang-orang yang kita sayangi. Selalu coba luangkan waktu buat mereka. Lakukan hal-hal yang ingin kita lakukan. Kejar mimpi, meski jauh, setidaknya kita sudah berusaha. Mungkin terdengar klise, tapi nyatanya begitu sulit dijalankan. Lebih baik menyesal atas hal-hal yang pernah kita lakukan, daripada menyesal karena tak pernah melakukan hal apa pun. 


Cheers!