Every Second, Every Minute

I miss you, Cahaya.
I miss you, Kokomi.
I miss you, Abang Luq.
I miss you, Baby Fatima.

They are in Kedah for cousin Aiman's wedding.

Kids enjoying the sleeping cabin on journey to Kedah by train

Woohh tunjuk skill...

Woittt! Jangan lupa mummy ngan Maya, hangpa jangan buat leceh no..

~  Sinar

Hooray, Hooray ... It's A Holi-Holiday!

Yayyy….it’s already mid-November! Then come December! Holiday season for me and my family. Time to spend our time together at our Malaysian home. A home is always a home, a place where we always love to be *biiiiiig grin*

As Madonna says in her song -

"You can turn this world around.  And bring back all of those happy days.  Put your troubles down.  It's time to celebrate.  Let love shine.  And we will find.  A way to come together.  And make things better.  We need a holiday!"

Yes indeed Madonna, we need it. We have the all-inclusive holiday feelings every time December comes. I don’t want to write out the plan. I pray that everything goes well, inn syaa Allah. Ya Allah, tunaikanlah segala hajat-hajat kami sekeluarga, dan permudahkanlah segala urusan kami, Aamiin Ya Rabb. 

My 3 babies - Kaka, Luq and Fatima - flew off first with their Ayah. 

 

Maya and I will be joining soon. And the best part is the 2 neneks will be coming too ... Yoohooo! Now let's enjoy this song by Boney M ... And meanwhile, I'm also sharing a simple fruit cocktail jelly recipe - My family's all-time favourite dessert!

Mummy Sinar’s Fruit Cocktail Jelly

Here's the recipe:

1 packet of  jelly powder (I used the Red Man brand - white)

Water mixed with fresh milk to make 1 litre of liquid

60g sugar (adjust quantity to your taste)

2 pandan leaves, tied into a knot

1 can of fruit cocktail

Few drops of vanilla essence

Dissolve jelly powder in the liquid in a pot. Add in the sugar, pandan leaves and bring to boil. Do not leave it long, just one or two boils will do. Remove pot from heat, then pour in the fruit cocktail. Mix the mixture lightly.  Pour into a mould or in a container and leave to cool before refrigerating until chilled.

Serve chilled.

Selamat mencuba!

~  Sinar  

The Mystifying Nature

Nature. 

Amazing, and you can’t explain, how nature has always been the source of inspirations for many.  I just love looking at nature. Nature teaches us how to look at things differently.

He's not listening to you Cahaya, he's too shy for the camera!

 That was a unique 'thing' which you can get from nature. I took that picture of my Cahaya with a very cute looking monkey kept in the safari of the A'famosa Resort in Malacca where we went to for holiday last year.  

And, here are nice pictures of beautiful Mount Dandenong in Melbourne which our eldest daughter Kaka took.

 

"The earth has music for those who listen" - A Philosopher

~   Sinar

Swift and Shift

Hmm.. another weekend. How swiftly time flies. I woke up early this morning, then now as I look at my watch, it's already 10:30! Where has quarter of the day gone to? 

Well, just shift the mind to something useful ... Time to cook for lunch. This is what I have in mind for my babies - Cahaya and the pearls. Sinar's Arabic Rice. A quick and simple dish to cook, everything in one.

Jemput makan, Bismillah....

Here's the recipe:

RICE:

The rice is cooked separately. You need basmathi rice, ghee, sliced big onions, green chilies, fresh tomatoes, blended garlic, shallots and ginger; 2 teaspoon of coriander powder and salt. You also need some chicken broth. 

Melt ghee in a rice cooker, then fry in the onions and blended ingredients. Stir and add in the coriander powder, fresh tomatoes and green chilies. Keep stirring. Add in the rice and finally the chicken broth. Let the rice cooked well. When cooked, the rice should be yellowish in colour, looking nicely blended with the tomatoes and green chilies.

CHICKEN:

Chicken - cut nicely into pieces
Blended ingredients - onions, garlic, ginger, fresh tomatoes
Coriander leaves
Cumin powder
Coriander powder

Ghee or oil or olive oil for frying

Heat oil, add in the blended ingredients, and powdered spices. Stir fry to make sure it doesn't dry. Once the fried ingredients settled in nicely, put in the chicken. Add in some water and let it simmer till almost cooked. Then add in coriander leaves and allow chicken to cook well. Make sure the dish is not dry, there must be some gravy.

VEGETABLES - Egg plants, Carrots, Potatoes - All cut and fry separately.

To Assemble the Rice: Once everything is cooked, layer the chicken in between the rice carefully, together with the gravy. Finally add in the fried vegetables. Serve with salad.

Enjoy your lunch and have a good day!

~  Sinar

Yeyy Yeyy Yeyy... Look Who's Cookin'?

Hey, someone's busy in the kitchen!

My kids and I get excited whenever ayah Cahaya is cooking. Yeah of course, you are talking about an expert. Tonight Cahaya prepared dinner. Yes, our favourite menu - Tenderloin Steak with a choice of black pepper sauce or mushroom sauce. Oh I got to choose chicken, because I'm eliminating meat in my diet this week. 

  

PAnya biasalah, siapa lagi kalau bukan si-kecik... 

Here, dinner's ready - Steak cooked and made simple. 

 

And for dessert - My yummy oreo pudding and the famous mango ice cream from Philippines (beli di Hua Ho hehe ...)

 

~ Terima kasih Ayah/Cahaya, diatas semua kasih sayang 

dan pengorbananmu untuk kami. We love you ~ 

  

 ~   Sinar