Lasagna

I didnt use any specific recipe, instead just looked at few and tried it.

Most recipe calls for about the same main ingrediants and cooking method.

What i did was:

1. Cook the meat with chopped onions, garlic, thyme, basil and rosemary. Sautee first then let simmer.

2. Somewhere added the cubed tomatoes and tomato puree (small can).

For layers
I put the lasagna sheet at the bottom after lining the casserole with baking oil.

Then one layer if meat, followed by parmesan, then meat again, and finally mozarella.

The bakingdish i was using wasnt a deep one so i could only manage those 3 layers.

Baking settings
Preheat at 200c for 15 mins, bake with cover at 180c for 30 mins (top and bottom), uncover and bake for another 10 mins


The verdict:
1. Meat and sauce wasnt well blended. Most recipe said to simmer in low fire in a dutch oven for about 2 hours. I have neither the 2 hours nor did i hae the dutch oven. Because of this, my meat turned up dry, but not flavorful enough.

2. Too little cheese. Need to be very generous otherwise coulnt taste anything.

3. I should hv added a layer of potato as well to hold the cheese better

Spice world

I am forever forgetting what i have in my kitchen.

Sometimes i buy same thing twice.

So, dear me, please do not buy anymore of:
1. Coriander seeds
2. Rosemary
3. Hot chilli powder
4. Mixed spice
5. Black pepper
6. Nutmeg

Ipad charger

The thing about buying Apple accessories is you dont exactly get to see whats in the box. Its sealed as if you there is a ticking bomb inside it, and the only way you can know is by buying the item. Asking sales assistant most of time dont help, especially if the item is not their best seller.

So anyway, i have been wanting to get an additional charger for my iphone and ipad, as I usually keep one at the office too as standby charger.

Scouted around, googled hi and low, finally i narrowed down to these two items:

- the additional ipad charger
- the travel adapter kit

Why these two?
Pro 1 -Both charges at 10w, as opposed to the 5w that came with most charger. It shortens the charging time, especially for the ipad. I have not run a full test on it yet, but will do so now that i have extra cables.

Pro 2 -Price. I felt that these two gives best value for money. Compared to the charger for iphone at RM109, or the apple universal dock at RM209 (but without usb cable), or any other 3rd party charger which are more expensive.

Ipad charger
I like the fact that it gives me a solid 6 ft cable- a good length than the standard USB length. The downside of this item is that it is bulky than the ipad bundled charger, but it is a non issue for me cos i can leave this one a home or work, and use the ipad bundked charger as the portable one.

To purchase this item, i had to go to few places. First i went to machine in IOI mall cos thats the closest to home, but they are selling it for RM99 instead of RM89 as published in online store. I thought i might as well get it from online store , since i am not really in a hurry.

Next day i tried purchasing from online store - but whoaaa it turns out they charge RM30 for shipping if your purchasin is less than RM250. Aiyooh.

So no choice, i just went to macstudio in Lowyat to buy, and guess what? They are selling it at RM89! I loikeee! Of course Just grab it there.

As i mentioned earlier, they dont have sample, but since i kind of know roughly whats in the package i just made the purchase.

Upon unpackaging it, I was sooo pleased to see that it actually comes with two (yeap, TWO) Plug-heads, which means i can either use it as portable like the bundled one, OR, add on the 6 ft tough looking cable to it. Yaaayyy...

Just to share with others who is considering to get one, heres whats in the box

The whole lot:

Nice :)

The travel kit
Btw, why i didnt purchase the travel kit, it is indeed a nice to have, cos it makes it easier when i travel. But for double the price, just to get the different plugheads, when i can buy a RM12 travel adapter which i already have anyway, dont seem necessary. On top of that, I think i wouldnt get the 6ft tough looking cable in the package, which is also a downside to me.

In the end, I am very satisfied with what I bought and hope this will help you decide too, if you are considering to get an additional charger for your device.

Bake a cake

Finally i managed to bake a cake that resembles a cake, one not looking like a kuih bingka and not one that looked like it was burnt to its core.

This time around i tried a different settings on the oven and recipe.

Recipe taken from :
http://www.myresipi.com/top/detail/8160

Oven settings:

Lil' things that make u happy

We have been anticipating the flower, and finally its here!!! Chewah macam la nak celebrate flower festival padahal bunga depan rumah je.

But seriously i have been wondering what colour it would be cos these frangipanis, do come in all sorts. But in the end i am happy to see that it is in shocking pink. Yaaayyy!!

Laksa in da houz!!

In my quest to become healthy and after so many days of rice for dinner, i was craving for something light but fulfilling.

Spaghetti and fusion is kinda out, cos i had too many those for lunch this week AND the weeks before that. Choices of food is kinda limited at my work area so as a result balik2 makan that same thing.

ANYWAYS i dont know what made me think of laksa but somehow it just popped in my mind. So on my way home, i just stopped by to buy the ingredients:

• cili kering about 10 pieces
• cili padi about 3 or 4 pieces
• belacan 2.5 cm
• udang kering half handful
• bawang besar x 2
• Ikan kembong x 5
• Daun kesum one handful
• Bunga kantan x 2
• Asam keping x 8
• Laksa 500grams
• Eggs
• Salt to taste
  

To make the gravy:

Blend well :

cili kering, cili padi, belacan, udang kering, bawang besar

Boil:

Ikan kembong. take out the fish and blend the meat. Keep the boiled water for gravy.

Boil in other pots:

Eggs (well done)

Laksa (for about 5 mins)

To prepare Garnishes:,

cili padi - slice thinly

Bawang besar - slice

Cucumber- cut long thinly

Bunga kantan (the top red bits) cut thinly

Red chilli slice

Eggs Slice in two

Methods:

Senang je masak laksa ni if you have all the ingredients ready.

Just put together blended fish, gravy ingredients, bunga kantan and daun kesum, asam keping. Bring to boil until the gravy thickens.

Thats it. and serve with the boiled laksa and garnishes...

I am quite happy when My Fluff said it was 8/10. So certainly its worth trying again - cos it is something that we both enjoy having.

Bon appetit!

Note:

Original recipe taken from here

Guide to Eiffel Tower

Finally. On the third time in Paris, at last i took the plunge ( errr not so appropriate term there :p) . Anyway, they say if u dont go to eiffel tower you might as well dont say uve been to pahree.

You know usually I am most inclined to visit a place when the place holds some sort of meaning- like historically. With Eiffel tower i think it is kinda overrated. Paris itself is indeed the city of love but frankly there aint anything romantic about the eiffel tower specifically. I think there are gazillion other dreamy love boasting spots in Paris, but hey, different people have different views kan.

So why do i say eiffel tower tak romantic? To start with, the place is sooo touristy, ye lah every one who sets foot in paris mestilah nak visit. So you can just imagine the crowd, any given time of the day theres just sooo many people there. And the queue.. ooo my... don't get me started.

Waaayyyy too long!!!

Guess how long i had to stand on the queue before i reached the ticket counter??

T.H.R.E.E hours!! Yeap, u read me right. I kid you not the queue was long, and seriously memang its one in a lifetime thing cos tak larat nak queue lagi , ever!

Anyway, when i got nearer to the tix counter i noticed they do actually have separate queue for pre-book. I dont know though how or where can u book but i found this:

ticket.toureiffel.fr/index-css5-sete-pg1-lgen.html link

You can give it a go.

For lack of better tool, here goes the pix snapped with my phone.

Ouch!

I must hv hated me so much that i inflicted pain on myself!

Itulah saya.... Ever so clumsy!

The music room

Finally there. Almost..

Doorless with CLS kitchen

I am half-hearted about this post, part of me wanted to share the experience, part of me think I shouldnt be too petty over things like this.

In the end I think I should just share what I have gone through fairly and squarely.

After scouting (but not for so long :P), we decided to go with CLS kitchen. Let me be frank with you, budget IS indeed is main determining factor for us. I dont have stash of cash/gold/diamonds lying around, so obviously where ever possible I would like to try to ensure the sweat blood is spent rationally.

What was good with CSL kitchen is that they offer free granite top and bottom skirting (standard colors of course. Kalau nak black granite need to pay more not sure how much though). There are three granite colors available: grey, orangish and the normal mix of grey and brown.

They do charge however on the installation of the granite itself and the cuttings of holes for the sink and hob.

On the cabinets itself I think is pretty standard, mind you, they are not customised size though. They are all modules - macam those of ikea. Like in my case, I do loose a few inches of space since my kitchen is not exact fits of their sizes. Another plus of CLS is also that they designed our cabinets to be ceiling-height, which then gives us additional storage and saves us the trouble of having to clean cabinet top (which is a relief ... haha )

So all in all in happy and dandy till the date nearing the installation date. Few days before scheduled installation date, I called to confirm.

First - I was surprised to learn that the person answering is a different one to one I was liaising before (btw ni mobile number). Apparently that person has left. I was stumped a bit, cos it was just the week before and this guy didnt say anything. But I was thinking, of course la, takkan pulak he wants to tell off customers about his career movements kan. Anyway after explaining again to him and confirming the dates and all, he assured me that the schedule is still on track.

Mr Fluff asked me to call again following day sebab I forgot to ask about making the final payment. Err actually I didnt really forget but I kinda not agree with the full payment system before delivery thing.. so malas nak bring it up unless they said something. They didnt. But I asked anyway cos in case they'd delay our installation due to that.

True to my fear, memang they wanted to re-schedule to which both me and Mr Fluff reacted. See we are both working, and weekends are kinda precious to us. We have also allocated the installation on the scheduled date sekali nak reschedule - when we already have other plans for the following weekends. We insisted and the guy said ok boleh, stick to the schedule.

On the installation day, they came and install. After like half way through the installation, datangla another guy telling us that the doors arent ready. I am like, what the heck?? So I told him off and he said he would call his factory.

He went off, I presume to make calls to factories and all. I waited, and waited, and after like two hours I began to wonder what is happening? He just went off, and now leaving us in the dark of whats going on. Luckily the other guys installing cabinet top and base are still around so I managed to get the number of that runaway sales guy. I called him and then he told me that they couldnt do the doors, cos the doors that was prepared by the factory was a bad batch. Geram sungguh. I was already spewing by that time, but I guess nothing much can be done.

They promised to call on monday to confirm. But no one called me so later in the evening I called. Still they could not confirm the delivery of the doors because apparently the woods arent in yet. Sabar aja lah.

By then me and Mr Fluff's evenings are already booked so memang tak boleh nak install pon on any of the weeknights. Terpaksa la do on saturday anyway. Promised us 11 AM, no one turned up. I called at quarter to 12, they reschedule to 2PM.

Just as we were going to grab our lunch at 1, tiba2 I saw the CLS lorry coming our way. Nasib baik havent left yet. tsk tsk tsk... my conclusion - memang they dont know how to stick to schedule.

All in all, I have to say I was quite disappointed at the whole thing, but I guess it could be due to the person supposed to be in charge of my account leaving the company.

Oh, and they didnt fix my piping right, cos the following morning when I started using the tap Ive got water leaking underneath it. They came the following night though to fix it, this time installing with better pipe. So in the end it was okay.

UPDATED: after all done, on final check I noticed something amiss, I doublechecked the kitchen drawings, and memang they did my frosty window wrong. Unbelievable. Not a major hiccup had it not for the fact that we do have other things we need to do on the remaining of our weekend.

But to their credit, they are quick to fix the problems and issues we raised. What I was more annoyed about is the fact that it took all four visits before everything was done right.

Overall, I think their workmanship is quite good, and had it not for the mixed up on the door, I would probably have commended them. It is just that it frustrates us that they cant get it right the first - wait , till the fourth time!

Other things that you should also know:

• *The granite that they use is only a 20mm compressed granite. Not so thick and not so hardy, so if you plan to do heavy duty work on it like pounding batu tumbuk, need to probably ask a better one than the standard free ones.
• *Because it is compressed granite, you'll see imperfections here and there
• *The granites are pre-cut, 8mtrs long. You will see cuts between the corners and if your kitchen is longer than 8mtr.
• *The cabinets are modules, so expect to loose some space in between
• *They'd usually throw in and ask to use their home brand sink, tab, kitchen hob and hood. Though their kitchen hob and hood are cheap, I decided to go against their home brand, in case it'll be hard to service later

the joinings at corners & imperfections

The Hunger Games

Rating = A must watch!!!!

I didnt expect the movie to be so good, though critics and reviews I read said so. I wasnt expecting it because I dont usually enjoy fantasy fiction very much, but the way this one was written was definitely an exception.

So apparently this movie was adapted from Suzanne Collins book. Since I havent read the book I cant tell you if it was any better than the movie itself.

What I like about the movie was that the storyline itself is different but not too far fetched as some other fantasy fiction. Its also quite focused on the lead characters and dont side track too much on the supporting roles. Usually I hated these kind of movies because they try to explain too much and tries to include stories about every one in the book but this movie did none of that- it stays on with Katniss' journey and Katniss's alone.

And the actress, my gosh, she is GREAT. Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job in this movie. I think if it was played by somebody else the movie probably wouldnt hold it together well. I am not sure if I have seen her in any other movie though but she definitely now is on my list-of-favs.

So peeps, watcha waiting for.... catch it before the curtains falls!

Oh, here's the trailer to entice you.. :D

Masak taucu

2nd attempt still tak jadi.

But better than the last try,.

Ingredients:
Ikan tenggiri 4 pieces
Bawang putih & kecik for tumis
Bawang besar
A bit of halia
Air asam jawa
Tomato
And the taucu of course (one spoon)

Methods:
Goreng ikan mcm biasa, put aside
Tumis bawang and add Bawang besar
put taucu and air asam
And water if necessary
Put tomato

Add in ikan towards the end


Look simple huh, still i cant get it right. Sheesh!

Where can I find another one of this????

Cantonese noodle

Looks can be deceiving. Seriously. Dont be fooled nampak je macam berjaya but na-ah-ah seyes mmg tak jadi !

The good thing is the taste is there so it isnt a complete disaster.

However what i think i did wrong was the noodle, it clumps together - i think i was supposed to break it apart before frying. And i should hv used less corn starch. Apart from that maybe it would turn out better.

Anyhow it is pretty easy to make, what u need:

The noodle (meehoon/kuew teow/charmee)
Garlic-pound slightly
Beef
Ginger
Vegs
Corn starch (one ts)
Salt to taste

To make:

1. Deep Fry the Meehoon. Put aside
2. Sauté garlic
3. Add beef until slightly cooked
4. Add stock and corn flour
5. Add all other ingredients
6. Stir for a min or two and pour on top of noodle

App Store on Facebook

I just noticed that there is a link to the App Store in Facebook

Check it out:

http://www.facebook.com/AppStore?v=app_380449627359&ref=mf&sk=wall

Ketam kari part II

More than words can say.... Lalila....

lovely is my middle name

Say yesh to this bebeh:


The yummylicious Tiramisu cake from Suchan.

I couldnt get my mind off it, so much so that I had to have it.

As a proof : tengok ni, licin clear, even on Mr Fluff's (yg tak suka makan cake) plate!





Youve got to try it to appreciate it.

So that you wont get lost, here is the GPS coordinates :3.110724,101.648426, or simpler still, refer to map below:


View Suchan Deli in a larger map

The details:
Price is a bit steep for RM10.90 per piece but I thought it was totally worth it. Worth the travel, (on weekend only la, if weekdays dengan Traffic sumer, tak la kot). Worth the money. Yums. It is also available as a whole cake at RM110. So peeps lets go berserk!!

Weekend bersedih sedihan

Sungguhla gempak title minggu ini sesuai with the theme of the post today.

Why is it called hujung minggu sedih-sedihan? Because i watched two movies back to back - both the kinds that made my mascara turned me to look scary enuff to be casted in the next pontianak movie. Berendam air mata kalau ikut peribahasa melayunya.
To my defense - it is not sebarang movie ok, these two movies are ones people raved about.. Semua cakap besh giler.. And memang menyayat hati .

I started with Hafalan Shalat Delisa, which is an indonesian movie currently aired on astro first (but of cos me being apprehensive n kedekut donlod fr 'tokey' dvd diopis instead...) . Anyway it was indeed quite a moving one. Wont say it was sangat hebat though, i somehow found the acting was a bit off, especially 'uncle smith' and 'kak sophie' - Ntah mat salleh mana la dia sapu suruh act dalam movie ni.. Nasib baik they are just supporting roles. And nasib baikla smith tu handsome (yeah sungguh tak relevant kan).. maka saya pun mem-overlook the fact yg dia memang tak terer belakon.
Despite that, i thought the movie has good very good values and it brought some repentance in me. Immediately i was reminded that sungguhla tak diligent i am in serving and obeying my Maker.Budak kecik pun lagi bagus mengingati Allah. Masyaallah. Tsk tsk tsk..

So setelah sembahyang thus settling my debt to my Maker i continued to Ombak Rindu.

Its a love story, and honestly, i have mixed feelings on this one. Tak tahulah nak ketuk2 kepala Haris tu or nak ketuk2 kepala Izzah (ketuk kepala yg datin tu takyah cakapla, since dia boleh katakan at par ngan ibu tiri bwg putih bwg merah). But seriously woman, dear Cik Izzah, why oh why la you soooo submissive. Tak paham den. I mean, boleh tak jangan redha sangat sampai camtu sekali? And that Haris, amboi sedapnya dia dah kutuk2 and pukul2 pastu tiba2 nak jadi suami mithali, and at the same time repetitively, i say it again, repetitively hurt the woman u so called cared and love. Yennaadeyyy.
Hurm. So that sums up my mixed feeling. Cos i still bleed with tears sebab kesian. Walopon geram and frustrated tengok kesah chenta dorang tu yang sungguh macam roller coaster. The thing is, i dun understand why they wanted to be with each other. For izzah, he treated u badly, apesal ko tak lari je, or in the first place why did u beg him to marry u, cant u just say u will repay him back by being his bibik or something like that?
And that Haris, yes seb baik ko cute, why the sudden change of mind, from a monster to be a loving partner overnight? In my opinion, the movie should hv shown how Haris gradually fall for Izzah rather than in a blink like that. I was still memaki hamun Haris dalam ati tiba2 he turned 360 degrees and became Romeo of Malaya.

All in all, i felt that the local movie scene is finally re-maturing . Why i said rematuring is because i thought when i was kids local movies were good, like jins samsudin movies - u know the 'esok' series, and somehow it went deterioting in more recent years, sampai tak sanggup nak tengok cos it was too insulting to the human brains intelligence. At least nowadays takdela so bad, like this ombak rindu, though still not to the level of hollywood yet, it is decent enough to watch and the fact that you get carried away ranting and crying with the movie shows that it was pretty good. Sampai masih teringat2 the tracks of the movie which i think is brilliant btw. For those yg belum pernah dengar, do catch em here, seriously it is sweeet

Flush Puhleeeezzz

Each time I do my business in the office I cringe - because I would be staring at this:

Like, aiyoooo.... that also need to remind?? how embarassing... Think about this - we are an MNC company, a reputable O&G Engineering no less, and we need reminding to flush? seriously? Me felt like dunking me head in the sand.

Having said that, sadly though , there are indeed occasions when the toilet are left unflush. Like honestly you people, what were you thinking???

I can just imagine a visitor coming to this office, entering the toilet and thinking.. hmm not bad... toilet looks nice... and then... off she goes to the loo and then, WHOAAA... whats all these? cant these people flush?? too busy are you? or you think we have mechanical toilets?

tsk..tsk.. tsk... how embarassing... mesti dia ingat we are all blondies, tak pon so ulu that we dont know how to sh!t .

I was thinking, maybe we should rephrase instead: Dear All, This is not an automated toilet, kindly flush after you crap!

Begedil Part II

verdict: Still tak jadi !!! Huhuhu.. And my problem now is who is going to help me eat??!!

After consulting auntie ayie this time i tried frying the potato instead of boiling. It holds together better but still crumbling. Especially when i fry it...
So anyone.. Anyone at all.. Help???? Any tips???