Kumpir in Portion

This is another version from my previous Kumpir recipe. Basically the recipe same, only I put them in small portion in occasional having some friends or family visit. And believe me, it's repeatable menu for your family too....

Prepare 4 large potatoes, wash clean. Prick in some parts with a knife, wrap with aluminum foil and bake in oven until cooked and soft. The time required can vary according to the size of  potatoes (it took me about 60 minutes)

Hot Chocolate (Our fave beverage during winter)

This January I think the peak of winter, the snow seemed never stopped since beginning of new year's eve. Just few days to stopped, then continue snowing again for another nights. I am almost reluctant to leave my house because it was so freezing outside. I was born and raised in tropical country where the coldest weather ever there is only about 16degC, and that's even if we go to higher place.

almost never stop snowing

I almost did not leave my house during this January without any emergency purposes or very important thing to do, plus my current condition, I would immediately nausea and vomiting when I were in cold.

One alley corner near my home

Anyway, in freezing weather like this we always make something that can warm our self. Beside Turkish tea which has already become a habit in our house, this hot chocolate is also always my huby's request and other family member if they visited our home.

serve 2
Ingredients and how to prepare:
 2 cups of milk
 2 ½ dessert spoons Dutch process cocoa powder
 4 ~ 5 (or to taste) dessert spoons granulated sugar
 ± 80 g dark (or semisweet) cooking chocolate
 Whipped cream (optional) and chocolate saved for garnish

In a small saucepan, stir together milk, sugar and cocoa powder, heated over very low heat and stirring gently bring to simmer and foamy. Mix in the cooking chocolate and continue stirring gently until the chocolate is melted and dissolved.

Serve hot with whipped cream and a sprinkle with chocolate as a garnish.

Ikan Bakar sambal Dabu-Dabu (Grilled fish with "Dabu-Dabu" sambal)

Sambal is a chili based sauce which is normally used as a condiment. Sambals are popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as in the Netherlands and in Suriname through Javanese influence. It is typically made from a variety of chili peppers and is sometimes a substitute for fresh chilis. It can be extremely spicy for the uninitiated. In Indonesia it self, we have many kind verieties of Sambal. One of it is "sambal Dabu-Dabu".

Sambal dabu-dabu It comes close to the Mexican salsa sauce, origin from Manado (east Indonesia). It consists of coarsely chopped tomatoes, calamansi or known as lemon cui or jeruk kesturi, shallots, chopped bird's eye chili, basil, vegetable oil, salt.
Today I made grilled fish served with sambal dabu-dabu, famous dish not only in Manado but also become favorite everybody across Indonesia. If you are fish lover, you should try this also and experience Indonesian flavor in you family dinner table once in a while.

Ingredients and how to prepare:

Drink Milk !! Good for you.

Women who do not drink milk regularly during pregnancy is likely to have babies with low birth weight or allergies and impaired growth in womb, according to expert opinion. A team of researchers compared babies birth weight of mothers who regularly drank milk at least one cup a day during pregnant with mothers who are less or not drink milk regularly. It turned out that infants of mothers milk drinkers have a better weight.

From total 300 women in research, published in Canadian Medical Association Journal, they are non-smokers and have healthy lifestyle during pregnancy. A quarter of those mothers are reported routinely  not to drink milk every day.

 

A team of experts headed by Kristine Koski, director of the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University in Montreal, Canada, said that the study is important because increasing numbers of women who do not consume milk during pregnancy will have a lower fat intake, weight gain limited and allergic disorders, because the habit of drinking milk during pregnancy is to prevent lactose intolerance.


The mothers and health professionals need to know that milk dietary may restrict essential nutrients and negatively affect fetal development.


Mothers who were studied are those with aged 19 to 45 years and who perform prenatal in three hospitals in Calgary between May 1997 and June 1999. Among them 72 women who did not regularly consume at least one glass of milk per day.


One cup of milk a day containing 2.5 micrograms of vitamin D, this number is highly significant value of 5 micrograms of vitamin D are recommended each day.Vitamin D is essential for growth and bone strength. Calcium from the mother is needed by the fetus which is channeled through the umbilicus.


Previous research conducted by experts from the University of Southampton explains that children who come from mothers who are deficient in vitamin D during pregnancy have lower bone growth compared with normal bone mass, it can cause the risk of fractures due to osteoporosis later in life.


Nevertheless the nutrients contained in milk can be replaced with other foods or supplements.


Dietary advice for pregnant women should be done every day at least consume one serving of milk, cheese and yogurt.

Source: kalbefarma.com


For this winter, I think it will be nice to make hot chocolate milk like this recipe

Cap Cay (Indonesian style mix vegetable saute)

I am not a vegetarian, but most of my favorite and dish choice is vegetables, all kinds of vegetables. Vegetables have many benefits and most of the vitamins which our body needs. So if you do not like eating vegetables, start to think twice and try changing tastes and your mindset about these rich sources of vitamins and minerals.

It should be noted also, to gain maximum benefit from vegetable, cooking methods is also noteworthy. Several types of vegetables will actually lose their vitamins and minerals contained if cooked too much (too long). If your vegetables need to be cooked , try to cook it only as needed, not too long. I am even prefer eating some kind of  raw vegetables as a salad. 

This time I made Cap cay or Mix vegetable saute with Indonesian style. You can vary vegetables you want (add fresh green pea will do) to make this dish as well as other additional ingredient like shrimp or squid.

Serve: 4 ~ 6 servings

I've been gone for a while (with a happy reason) and here I am again

Hi everybody..... I know.. I know.. I've been 'disappear' for few weeks
Since early December 2011 I feel there was change in me. I became very very lazy (yes I am talking very bad  laziness .. hahaha). I did not want to do anything... start from cleaning my house, cooking, I didn't touch my craft at all, I'm even lazy to eat  and do simple things or just touch my computer / internet. I began to leery that I'm pregnant when I didn't get my period in time and start had bad nausea ...just exhausting and frustrating days for me.
Well! I'm pregnant!

During the first week of my pregnancy --This my funny story and I couldn't understand why--I could not cook anything right! Once or twice I baked cakes and everything ends up in the trash because sodden or shrink or burn! Even easy-cook dishes which usually I make everyday--sometimes too salty, or burning or taste weird ... hahahhaa ... Anyone know why is that?

little miracle inside me, 14 weeks

Frankly speaking, this is very first experience for me. Thrilling, full of surprising, delightful and little worried at same time .. so I'm trying to open minded for any information and advice from everybody, family, close friends, even from strangers I met on the bus!

well, I am so excited till I don't know what to write anymore because too many things I want to share to the world .. I am too happy @(^,^)@

These couples days I feel a little better than  previous weeks. I can do my normal activities since bad nausea slightly reduce. Only sometimes suddenly  I felt sick and nausea every time I see my husband.. hahaha...

I hope I can cook "normal" again and share it to you again.. miss that too though... :)

Xoxo