Food laden

Say it again for me
Cuz I love the way it feels when you are
Tellin me that I'm
The only one who blows your mind

- Marie Digby's "Say It Again" -

They say necessity is the mother of invention. After almost a month of staying at home, trying not to overeat, I think I'm finally cracking. I need more variety in my food! Well, those Martha Stewart shows are sooo not helping in that department. So last Saturday, crutches and all, I made molten chocolate cupcakes. I kid you not. It was necessary. For my sanity. *shrugs*

Ni semua kak Martha itu punya pasal la.

The first batch didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to be. When she said Molten, i imagined that when you cut the cupcake up, the filling would flow out like an overexcited tiny cocoa volcano, resulting in a lava of hot pure chocolate core. I couldn't exactly follow Kak Martha's recipe, cuz it calls for a standalone mixer, and i only have a hand held one. You need to be able to pour stuff into a mixture that's mixing, and between the hand-held mixer, the bowl of whatever that's needed to be poured in and my crutches, I didn't think it would be an exactly safe or clean option.

So, i tried out this recipe that calls for no mixer. But there's the chocolate that needed to be melted over a low heat. And, boleh tak sementelah mencairkan chocolate ini dan juga memukul telur, my dad actually called me to ask me to help hold and twist some wire he had going down into our pipes??? So, there I was, sweating like anything, with an eye on the stove and my arms turning the stupid wire, screaming at my dad "masa nie jugak laaa nak buat!!". Silently, of course.

The cupcakes were supposed to be baked for 10-12 minutes, so i did just that. It didn't turn out as spongy as I envisioned and I got moody. But later found out it tastes awesome (if i do say so myself haha!). So, the next batch which I baked the next day, went into the oven for only 10 minutes. And a few turned out urrm, membuak..haha! But this batch is way better because it's softer and spongier and tastes stickier when warm.

Ahhh.....



Okay, so I'm not artistic. And the white stuff is actually Betty Crocker's Creamy Vanilla frosting which did not harden even after a night in the fridge, which resulted in the smearing. And it's not very pretty looking ain't it? Well, let me tell you that's the last one of the batch of 24. Ooh, look who's gone all smug now.

That afternoon also saw my foray into the world of egg white omelets. Anything PLEASE other than bread for lunch. Onions, tomatoes and cheese included...yumms!

But i think my mom prolly thought I was bored with having boring dinners at home, so she took me out Saturday night for dinner. Again, it's soo not fun trying to have fun avec crutches. Plus, the rib eye requested medium, didn't turn out as yummy as i thought it would be. Perhaps the next time I should ask for medium rare?

The next night, my brother, prompted by my sister who's like a thousand miles away, took us out to dinner at Wiliam's. I know, i know, people must be thinking...nak pergi jugakk budak nie! Hey, i needed a lamb fix after that unsatisfactory rib eye ok. So, crutches and all, a-William's we will go. I had the chicken/lamb/duck antipasto/i (this is like, the mother of all dieting suicides btw), my brother had the nasi goreng ketam, my mom had the mackerel with oysters and my dad had the lamb shank. Damage done: RM 150. The eff....??!!

But i got my numb palate restored again after such a full weekend (burp). And to top that, i just got back from eating this really yummy rojak lunch. In Serendah. That's up north Selangor for you KL-ites. Yes, when my parents let me out of this gilded cage (kononnya), i go as far away from home as possible.

My dad claims it's the best rojak in Ulu Selangor. Not that I've traversed the length and breadth of Ulu Selangor (i don't even know where it starts!), but i can vouch for it's yummy rojak mee. Apparently, the mee is made from scratch, so it's not conventionally yellow and oily. So, for anyone who wants to actually make the journey to verify this claim, take the Rawang exit from NKVE, go all the way through Rawang town, pass Kg. Sg. Choh (shoutout!) right up to Serendah until you see a Serendah signboard on your left with a mosque on your right. You just passed the rinky dink rojak warong on your left.

So, what's next on the culinary list? I'm thinking carrot cake..mmm....

Do you know what it feels like?

I don't know how to begin
Cause the story has been told before
I will sing along i suppose
I guess it's just how it goes

- Norah Jones's "The Story" OST My Blueberry Nights -

It feels like a loong school holiday. The one in November that stretches right through December. The one where you didn't regard books as the beacon of your universe yet, and had the imagination to play camping with loadsa stuff from the kitchen. And your grandpa's blanket. And the one where major cleanup had to be done daily around 5 p.m. when you know your momma's arriving home in about 20 minutes.

Well, it almost feels like that.

Basically, all i do is get a long 8-9 hour sleep nightly, have a long leisurely bath (due to the encumbrance from the crutches), have breakfast while watching the Breakfast Show, then the daily Martha Stewart dose, Travel & Living shows up to Oprah at about 1 p.m.

Then, i start to move from my semi-permanent spot in front of the tv. This is prolly when i go for toilet breaks, a huge gulp of water, to get a book to read, or to holler instructions to whoever's at home hehe. Usually involving the drying laundry.

I have only managed to finish reading 2 books (surprisingly!). Some ditzy chick lit and one of my favourite Maeve Binchy's. I am prolly one of the few people who rereads her books but sometimes it's nice to revisit old plots and characters. Especially if you have nothing else better to do. Right now, I'm kinda immersed in Anthony Cappela's "The Food of Love'. Lotsa description about Italian cooking, makes me salivate all the time.

I've been watching what i eat lately. Well, except for the past 3 days where I had 5 pieces of bread for breakfast, and rice, rice, rice for dinner. *Sigh*.

Last week I had a tooth infection that resulted in the most painful 2 nights of my lfe. My upper lip swelled up till Ms Jolie called and asked who did them. Kidding. And since I was basically house bound, the day i had my tooth fixed was the first day that i stepped out of the house in a week. All for the trip to the dentist.

The second trip out, i ventured a little further. Tesco's. Yup, crutches and all. Didn't know that could garner so much attention. It's kinda hard to maintain a totally selamba look when you're hobbling around. I kinda contemplate sitting with an upturned kopiah in front of me. Thought i might as well get some profit out of my current situation. But my parents would have been horrified.

Other than that, I'm actually enjoying my break tremendously. I loovedd lounging around, doing abso-freaking-lutely NOTHING. It's been nice. And, daytime tv rocks my socks!And i don't miss work at all! Although, my mom thinks my brain's getting rusty from all these sitting at home business cuz I don't seem to be getting any of her jokes, hmmm...

But i've been blessed with lovely news. I'm a proud owner of something purchased last year and my portfolio just had another jump. Alhamdulillah.

Till the next time i switch this pc on...ta!

p/s: One of the joys of daytime tv: a very nearly naked Harrison Ford!