Freestyle cooking with fruits!

Roasted Strawberry Chicken in Mango sauce

Feisal and I, well, We're bored of eating rice. So this week is Western Week.

On Monday, I had strawberry jam (opt for cranberry jam if you have any) smeared all over the chicken thighs. Together with crushed garlic, ground cumin and fennel, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Then, just pop them into the oven for an hour.

For the potatoes, I just boil them. Smear butter whilst potatoes are still piping hot. A dash of salt and chilli flakes.

For the salad, add apples for extra crunch. Lemon juice and tartar sauce for the dressing.

For the sauce, puree mango and add a squirt of lemon juice. Easy!

And last night's dinner, Mutton Stew with Apples

1. Marinate the mutton/lamb shoulders in cumin powder, chilli powder, salt and pepper.

2. Preheat a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add a splash of oil to the pot, covering the bottom in a thin layer. Then toss in enough meat to form a single sizzling layer. Sear the meat on every side until it's evenly browned. As it browns remove it from the pot. Once the meat is done discard the remaining oil but keep all the browned bits in the pan. (They'll add lots of flavour, scrap them off if you must)

3. In the same pot, saute onions until translucent. Add the browned meat, tomato paste, carrots, apples, and chicken stock to just barely cover the works. (Add celery and mushroom if you have any.)

4. Add dry basil and bring the pot to a simmer. Continue cooking until the meat is almost tender, about an hour.

5. Serve with meatballs and toasted buns. Seriously easy and tasty.

Random-ness

Perut sakit on and off, Little Man terajang like nobody's business. Braxton contraction every 15 minutes dah. Nak pakai seluar pun takleh angkat kaki. Apa aa, tak macho dah.

Last weekend, Feisal and I made a decision. Well, I managed to persuade Him to let me stick to my current doc. So rakan-rakan, I won't be delivering kat SJMC. Berat hati nak tukar doctor. I love my current doc.

So InsyaAllah, Little Man will say hello to the world at Pusat Perubatan Naluri, somewhere in Wangsa Maju. Haha Aunty Nadia lagi kena datang tau!! dekat dah ;) Tapi even Us pun tak survey lagi Pusat Perubatan tu, maybe this weekend We'll go there. So I'll be at home waiting for labour to kick in, ditemani Mr Cat and Mr Rabbit :)

I told Feisal, wouldn't it be nice if I could deliver next week, tapi Feisal cuak! haha. apa aa, lagi awal lagi bagus. He's already 2.6 kg what. Tak la besar sangat nak push. ye ke?

Of my Dad

"Esok Mumy pergi ke Kapit for a week supervising her students. Mummy sedang enjoy anugerah bintang popular. Nampaknya Farah Fauzana menang banyak anugerah".

Those are excerpts from my Dad's email, who is no longer incompetent with the computer and internet. He's hooked I tell you. Selamat Ber-internet Dad! It is never to late, way to go!

The ascent of a 49kg me to an acceptable 62kg. Yes, to date, I have managed to load a healthy 13kg of water, baby fat and mummy fat into my almost nine months pregnant body. 13 is always a good number, though I reckon the number of weight gained will not remain stagnant.

Little Man's movements and pokes are anything but gentle, responsive to every sound and movement, especially to his Ayah's voice. Although many times I would have to stagger rather than walk steadily, or occasionally feeling seedy; this journey has been a stupendous one.

Some of the piddling details about me and my nearing-the-end-of-pregnancy:

I love taking cold showers, at least 3 times a day. Absolutely no hot shower, whatever the time. I love nibbling and munching on ice cubes. Similarly, only ice cold water may wash down my throat. At times, bedtime will call for both air conditioner plus fan for me. Cleaning and cooking, I still love. Especially cleaning, totally obsessed!

A satisfying meal for me is one that ends with sweet chocolate ice cream or ice blended mango, leaving me with an uncomfortable heartburn. And heartburn is best remedied with fresh milk, so I love fresh milk. I do not take special formula milk for pregnant mums, for no specific reason.

Also, I did not sign up for labour class. Do not feel the need to. Watch youtube only. Feisal and I never went for a detailed 4D scan as We feel babies look the same, and complications, if any, could also be detected through normal ultrasound. Alhamdulillah, my fabulous doctor felt the same, optional she said. We are the play-cool couple, semua tak payah :)

And above all, have a positive attitude, and have faith that things will fall into place at its own pace. Oh, one more thing, jangan manjakan badan. Exercise!

Home Sweet Home

On this day, when We were supposed to be gallivanting around Jakarta and Bandung.

Of course We did not just sit around at home. Ate until I nearly burst, searched (and bought) some practical mini nursery items for Little Man, purchased an excellent Wodehouse book, watched the Malaysian Monsoon call a halt to the F1 race and best of all, proposed a slight alteration to Little Man's name.

From what Dear Feisal was able to glean (after sensing the akwardness in the name), it appears that now Little Man's name carry three wonderful meanings instead of just one previously. After much persuasion, Feisal concurred. And I smiled with glee, a befitting name indeed.

Addicted

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And the decluttering has begun. Some people regard this as 'nesting'. I don't know what it is, but it has certainly emboldened me to declutter everything I can lay my hands on.

And those magazines, are only a product of one book shelf and a magazine holder! I managed to fill a huge garbage bag with small clutters from drawers and shelves. Oh am I satisfied, knowing that drawers are near empty, neat and clutter free.

I have always liked Peter Walsh, who refers "clutter" as an all-encompassing noun. It means "anything that stands between you and the vision you have for your best life." And I agree.

Knowing full well that our home is not a museum led me into chucking almost everything-unused away, be it tiny momentos or things that stand in the way of my vision.

And Our trip to SSF tomorrow (to redeem my voucher) will see me buying cute boxes or baskets to store most of out stuff in.

Little Man deserves this :) And this is only the beginning of Our Little Project Nursery. Having a clutter free home will certainly lend free rein in our imagination and creativeness, or lack thereof!

Check this Out

Just found out about this online store that sells only flats and gladiators. In Jakarta. hmmph. Love the shoes. Check out Wondershoe people.

And for those who dig in heels or stilettos, check out Yunique Paradise. Also nice to look at! Kaki saya bengkak darab lapan so definitely won't buy any, not even to be worn after Little Man's delivery. Duh. Selipar jepun is the way to go, ha ha.

My diaper bags arrived yesterday. I know, why buy two. The black one does not look like one, it looks just like any other handbag. So I opted for two. Guil.ty Plea.sure. Give me a break.

To Shuey

All cats go to heaven :) and of course other animals too. Jangan sedih-sedih sangat ok babe.