RISK BEING WHO YOU ARE

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful

:::~PATIENCE IS VITAL~


Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive~ the risk to be alive and express what we really are.
~Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements

Honestly, I couldn't agree more.

It is NEW YEAR EVE TODAY :) I am home :) It is quite cold now. Like I've told you that I have been ill for the past one and a half month. And after being a little better for a few days, I had fallen sick again, felled by a bad bout of flu and I had spent over 3 weeks feeling oh-so-weak and helpless. I later developed Acute Sinusitus and Wheezing Bronchitis. That's bad, huh.

Syahrul came over yesterday with my order of Curry Puffs :) Thank you, Syahrul. I love them :)

Razi had nursed me through it, done his best he could to make me better. But I had been a very bad patient. Anyway, I am going to have fun today. Perhaps I ought to take a walk later to DOCKLANDS. Maybe, there'll be some fireworks there.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE :)

CREAM PUFFS & ECLAIRS

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~




Looks yummy? Never done it before? Don't waste your life believing you can't. Go and spend some time to buy the ingredients and start doing them now. And you may enjoy them with your loved ones.

Profiteroles, Eclairs and Cream Buns/Puffs are made from Choux Paste. The ingredients are:-

Choux Paste

625g Water
3g Salt
3g Sugar
250g Butter
300g Strong Flour
10 nos. Eggs

Method:-

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine water, butter, salt and sugar and heat until butter melts.
2. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture leaves the side of the pan (meaning the mixtue no longer sticks to sides of the pan when being stirred).
3. Take off heat and let cool.
4. Add eggs one by one, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon to mix well after each addition.

Note: Mixing by hand is tiring if you're not used to it. So, step no. 4 may be done in a mixer using the paddle attachement on low speed.

Eclairs

1. Transfer mixture to a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle
2. Pipe straight lines of 8cm in length onto a lined/lightly greased baking tray
3. Bake at 200C for about 18 mins.
4. Allow to cool. Slit down one side with a sharp knife and pipe in creme patissiere (recipe given below)
5. Melt about 25g of chocolate coverture on a double boiler.
6. Glaze the eclairs by dipping the top surface with the melted chocolate and allow to set.
7. Dust with icing sugar for effect.

Profiteroles/Cream Buns (Puffs)

1. Transfer choux paste into piping bag with 1cm nozzle.
2. Pipe into walnut size for cream buns or half that size for profiteroles.
3. Bake at 200C for 18 mins.
4. Allow to cool.
5. Make a small slit on the side and pipe in the creme patissiere.
6. Dip in chocolate like the eclairs of simply dust the top with icing sugar.

Creme Patissiere (Pastry Cream)
2 nos Eggs (medium)
100g Caster Sugar
50g Flour
10g Custard powder
500ml Milk
1 no. Vanilla pod or 3 drops essence

Method:-

1. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until almost white.
2. Heat milk and vanilla in a saucepan (do not boil).
3. Add flour to the eggs and mix well.
4. Once milk is heated, pour some into the eggs and stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Do not pour all at once as the eggs will cook.
5. Continue pouring a little of the milk at a time while stirring, till about half the milk is used.
6. Then, pour the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan containing remaining milk and stir well to mix on low heat, stirring until the mixture thickens.
7. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a pan to cool. Cover with clingfilm, pressing down so that the film touches the surface of the mixture to prevent skin forming.

Note: To make Chocolate Pastry Cream, melt 100g of chocolate coverture or 50g of cocoa powder in the milk and proceed as above.

Happy trying!!!

MAGGI MEE

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~




When I was at The Footscray Market, I saw many Oriental Shops selling food from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Among others they sell MAGGI MEE. Almost everyone in Singapore and Malaysia knows MAGGI MEE. And here's what I cooked for myself. MAGGI MEE KARI (Curry Maggi Mee). For those of you who doesn't like the curry taste, you can try the chicken flavour. It's nice, too. How to cook it? Simple~ Saute some onions and garlic with a little bit of vegetable oil, then, pour in the curry and add some water. Mix well. Then, add in the noodle. Let it boil. And if you prefer to add in an egg, you may add one now. Lastly, add in some vegetables of your choice. Give it about 5 minutes while you keep on stirring to mix them well. And it is ready to serve. ENJOY!

PRACTISE VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY :)

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~


I read this earlier today~

At the heart of a simple life is an emphasis on harmonious and purposeful living.
[Duane Elgin, author of Voluntary Simplicity]

Life in modern cities can feel overwhelmingly complicated and stressful. A simpler life sounds good, right?

Let's ask ourselves this question~
ARE YOU LIVING YOUR LIFE IN ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR DEEPEST VALUES? What are your deepest values?

Why don't we start by enjoying a simple walk in the park every evening, enjoying the beautiful sceneries, saying thanks to the Al-Mighty for the clean air that we breathe everyday, for the joy of being able to stay happy, eat good food, be with our loved ones and all the sweet things that surround us all these years? Let's do that.

I am going to spend some time walking at St. Kilda, Prahran [Oh, I love Prahran so much] and Claytan [this is one place that feels like home]. I pray may I'll have enough money to buy a house in Claytan very soon. I just love being in Claytan area. It is gorgeous!

Take care, Mates!

GET STARTED!

FIRST THING FIRST, ADEN!



:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~


Alright, it is the 27th December 2011. Yesterday, I have typed out 5 pages of my 2nd manuscript. I am going to continue doing the same thing every single day. I must at least complete 5 pages a day. And at the end of the day, I will have my 2nd manuscript ready to be forwarded to the editor for editing.

I read this and am applying it. Have a read.

THE SECRET OF GETTING AHEAD IS GETTING STARTED. THE SECRET OF GETTING STARTED IS BREAKING YOUR COMPLEX, OVERWHELMING TASKS INTO SMALL MANAGEABLE TASKS, AND THEN STARTING ON THE FIRST ONE.
~ MARK TWAIN

So, in short, whatever your aim is, no matter what your dream is, you must always start by doing something. You cannot just sit there doing nothing, waiting endlessly, hoping endlessly. DO IT NOW!

If I can stay motivated even when I am in so much pain right this moment, YOU CAN TOO! YOU MUST ALWAYS STAY POSITIVE & MOTIVATED! Have a great holiday, Mates!

SPEND LESS!

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~


You may find that you can come up with wonderful creative ways to trim your spending so that you hardly notice.
[Suze Orman, author of the 9 Steps to Financial Freedom]

I am planning to build a kitchen cabinet at my home, change the wooden windows and get the sliding glass windows instead. I prefer glass windows as they are easier to clean.

I don't intend to renovate my home as for now. I need to keep whatever savings I have for my health purposes. It is really trying now. I am talking about my health. So, whatever stuffs that are still in my bathroom that are looking old, need some good scrubbing and cleaning. You know what? I am going to practise recycling. Clean it up nicely, fix it and use it until it breaks! There are so many starving people out there. Be thankful that we have enough food to eat , nice home as shelter and good toilet to use. What more can you ask for? What's the point of having a nice looking home but zero in your bank account? And when you are ill, you will have to scratch your head searching for money to pay your medical bills? Think about that.

Eversince I've been ill since one and a half months ago, I think differently. I am going to cut down on my spendings. I am starting to track my expenses. I am learning to lead a simpler and more spiritual life.

Almost No-Bake Berry Tart

:::In the name of ALLAH, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful:::

~PATIENCE IS VITAL~


I received this recipe in my email this morning. I believe that it is worth trying. Have a look :) Merry Xmas & Happy Holidays, Mates!

This berry tart is so good you’ll forget it’s healthy. And, it requires minimal baking. It can be made in under half an hour (plus time to refrigerate), making it perfect for the busy holiday season.

BERRY TART

Crust


1 cup rolled oats
½ cup almonds
1 cup spelt or kamut flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of Celtic sea salt (this is a better option than iodized or traditional sea salt since it contains dozens of minerals, not just sodium)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsps. maple syrup

In a food processor, grind oats, almonds, salt and cinnamon. Mix with the flour. Finally, add the oil and maple syrup and mix to form a soft dough. Press into an oiled and floured 10-inch pie plate and flute the edges if desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden-coloured. Allow to cool while preparing filling.

Filling

4 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries of your choice
¼ cup agar flakes (a form of tasteless seaweed that is packed with nutrients and serves as a thickener, available in most health food stores)
2 cups of unsweetened raspberry, strawberry, mixed berry or apple juice
1/3 cup arrowroot
¼ cup maple syrup

Mix agar flakes and juice together in a pot and bring to a rolling boil, uncovered for 2-3 minutes after it starts boiling. In a small bowl, whisk together the arrowroot and maple syrup. Add to the juice mixture and whisk constantly, until thickened. Mix berries into the mixture and pour immediately into the pie crust. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until set.

Adapted from Healing Recipes by Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD.