FUNNYACCENT

The Art of Dunking.

A few weeks ago a woman I used to work with stopped at my table at an outdoor cafe' while I was having a cup of coffee. I sat at a tiny metal table  with mismatched chair. It was almost noon, a little warm, but the gentle breeze made me sit outside.

I had almond biscotti in my hand ready to dunk into my coffee. If you love dunking a biscuit or biscotti in your coffee, you know you need a full concentration to get the job done. No other thought to distract you. No small talk. You missed one second, you'll get your biscotti amputated.

You always think you can beat it with your fast move, bringing the soggy part to your mouth, but the fast move you think is sleek is hazardous move, a kamikaze actually. The moment you flick your wrist, turning your thumb and forefinger that hold the end part of biscotti upward, you are doom. The worst part is when the soggy part doesn't fall back into your drink, but on the front of your dress. I hate that.

So, the next time when you are dunking, try to resist for a few seconds from looking at whoever stops at your table like I did. You'll thank me.

Vampire Smoothie

 
Lensday Challenge- Liquid

Since I bought a Samurai Ninja Smoothie Blender about a month and a half ago, I've been drinking different types of smoothie almost everyday. Celery, avocado, beets mangoes, red pepper,tomato, carrot, watermelon, passion fruit, pineapple, papaya, kiwi, brocolli, fig, pear, wheatgrass, baby spinach, peach, strawberry, apricot, lychees (in a can), rambutan (in a can) or any veggies/fruits that grab my eyes and my taste.

I like to mix two types of fruits/veggy and toss a handful of roasted almond,  or milkthistle extract, or slice of fresh ginger root, or spirulina. This morning I'm having a combination of roasted beets, baby carrots, Greek yogurt and and 2 chopped dried dates.

Sensuous Figs

Prisca and I were laughing hysterically when she said, "If you said sensuous one more time, I'm going to beat you up,"

"With what?" I responded. Immediately I saw the scene where she was beating me up, and I started to laugh before I said the word, "with a toothpick?"

It all started when I told her that I included squash blossoms  under the same category as pomegranates and figs-Sensuous.

"Alamak, tolonglah kak, you and sensuous." She rolled her eyes. A smiled dipped at the corner of her mouth.

"Really. I can't explain it. And........" I pushed aside the paper towel on the counter, and moved a pile of books aside. My eyes combed every inch of the kitchen counter that also serves as dining table.

"What are you looking for?" She picked another slice of sourdough bread french toast and dropped it in my plate.

"Toothpick dispenser. Because I have another food that I think is very sensuous." I waited until she bit her french toast and I launched another sensuous food campaign.

"Zucchini blossom. You know what will I do when I get my hands on them? I'll make a zucchini blossom omelet. Once you have my zucchini blossom omelet, you'll declare war on all other omelets.

For the past three months I've been having brunch on every other Sunday with Prisca at her place or we took a train to Brookline and had breakfast at Zaftig.

I could say I have plenty of times on my hands since I'm not working full time since April, but I've been been enjoying the spring/summer this year like I never did before. I'm no longer stress  out which I couldn't avoid it no matter how long a deep breath I took (until my face turned blue) when I was still at the agency. I missed the work that I did, but I didn't miss the place though.

Putting aside the negative environment at the facility, the experience that I gained from the agency is priceless. I've become a better person than I was before I joined the agency.

 

Egg, Corn & Spinach Fritata

Mellow Yellow Monday #72

She Had Bubur Kanji I Had This.........

 

During Skyeping session with my sister, KakNgah yesterday morning while I was having a yogurt and a cup of coffee for sahur, she told me they were going to have bubur lambuk for buka puasa. I knew if I wanted to have a wicked good bubur kanji for my dinner later in the evening I needed some ingredients which I didn't have them in my kitchen.

We had a long clinical meeting, when I got home it was already 6:30 pm. When one hungry and fatigue one could come up with amazing ideas!!! :))

I peeled, cored and sliced a Fuji apple and baked for 30 minutes in the oven. When it was baked, I topped it up with two scoops of Butter Pecan ice cream.

Why Buddha's Hand?

  I saw this fruit a few times before but I didn't have a chance to take a picture of it. Last month, I was working on the day after Christmas.I stopped at the Stop and Shop to get some goat cheese. There it was sitting pretty next to Star Fruit. I know it was in lime/lemon family because I pinched its skin. It had a lemon scent. Even with funny looking shapes with extra fingers sticking out at all directions, the exture was unmistakeably lemon.

The label underneath said, Buddha's Hand. Why Buddha's Hand I wondered. And every time I see a funny shape looking fruits and vegetables I wonder who buy them?

Good Ana Baking

All these years I've been cooking, broiling, steaming, poaching, frying, boiling but never baked  cakes, muffins, breads or scones. But this morning, I baked cranberry scones. And as usual I couldn't help to add another ingredient to the dough. I added ground peanut. They came out pretty good. I was pleased with my first effort at baking.

Lets us have a wonderful and prosperous years ahead.

Running On Akok

I could've kicked myself for not carrying my camera on my morning run. I was on the other side of Castle Islan, the side facing the deep sea and there was a humongous oil tanker passed by. It wasn't a beautiful ship, nothing extraordinary about it: rusty, chips and cracks on the white and brown body. It seemd the ship needed a face lift pretty bad, but I don't think she was going to get any makeover anytime in the future. After all she was an oil tanker.

I ran all the way to the side where a bunch of fishermen waiting on their lines. We stood in awe watching the big ship cut effortlessly across a deep water.

This summer Castle Island attracts more  fishermen than previous years. And one thing I've noticed is the numbers of father and son fishing teams have increased over the weeks. Fathers in their 30's and their young sons actually.

I remember when I was a little girl, every time my father was home, I would tag along him everywhere he went, like his second shadow.

During the first 12 years of my life, my father was away a lot more than he was home with us, but he made every effort to be with us, let us feel his presence. He asked me to read for him an Editorial section from  three daily newspapers he bought while he sat on the couch sipping his pulled tea -tehtarik. I was so proud of it. I carry those beautiful memories until now.

When I got back to my apartment, the sun was already high. I was thinking of making fluffy pancake for breakfast , but I changed my mind when I switched  milk to coconut milk into a pancake mixture.

Why don't I make akok?

Last year when I went to visit my family I had an opportunity to eat kuih akok I bought at Pasar Malam (night market). It was sweet, creamy and heavenly delicious. It was so sweet, the first word I uttered after I took a bite was: Manis tergedik-gedik. I don't know where did I pick up the phrase but I like to use it.

The result wasn't bad, but I knew something wasn't right. I picked up the phone and called Kak N. She was ready to go out to get her car tuned up.

"I've just made kuih akok, but they don't taste right."

"Tell me the ingredients you used."

"I used fluffy pancake ingredients, but I switched the milk to coconut milk."

"You have to use rice flour. "

"Aaaahhhhhh....." Well, maybe next week.

From Amsterdam to Boston

Since I read Nina's Masak Lemak Tempoyak & King Prawns a month ago, I waited for another month as I'd spoiled myself twice a week with Pulut Durian. When one month was up and Nina updated her La Nina en la Cocina with Masak Lemak Tempoyak recipe, I went out and bought myself another container of frozen durian.

It was humid mid morning when I left a grocery store in Chinatown, the frozen durian slowly defrosted. I felt the damp from the sisal tote bag brushed my leg.

The over 90 degree didn't deter me from getting Masak Lemak Tempoyak Cili Api materialized.

Since I'm such a wussy when it comes to Malay standard hot food, I only used three bird chillies.

This was the first time I prepared the dish. It was not bad at all.

Nina, thank you for your lovely recipe.

Me, My Tastebuds and Mee Sanggui

Sometimes my taste buds compromise with me when I get home from work, tired and and cranky. I make myself a cup of herbal tea,  a half dozen club multigrain crackers, a half of an apple spread with crunchy almond butter. And I am a happy camper.

But not tonight.

My taste buds refuse to even consider the alternatives I have to offer.

"I want a decent meal"

"But tonight, I don't feel like cooking."

"That's too bad. Don't even think about those lazyass food you're going to feed me. Feed me with decent meal or you're going to bed hungry."

I know when my taste buds are upset.

I threw a half dozen frozen prawns into a pot, along with three cups of water, chopped celery, fresh ginger, garlic, a few cardamom seeds, a tea spoon of coarse seal salt, black pepper and squeezed some lemon juice to make two cups of  *cacamerba broth.

In another pot, I boil some water, add two dried wheat bun noodles (mee sanggui as Mak named it) for four minutes and remove the noodles from the heat.

Fry finely sliced shallots into a tablespoon of hot oil until its aroma rises up to heaven, add chilly paste and tomato ketchup. Lower the heat to medium and add the prawns.

Add the broth when the prawns switch their coats. As soon as I see the little  bubbles pop up here on there on the broth surface, I add noodles. Stir and I add chopped spinach. Less than two minutes, I removed the wok from the heat. I top sprout and sprinkle fried crispy shallots.

My taste buds smile from ear to ear.