Chicken Cordon Bleu

My princesses never like chicken breast or any healthy parts. Normally they would choose chicken wings or drumsticks. Jenuh le I nak menghabiskan sorang-sorang. Now, I've found a way to make them eat chicken breast. They even raved about the dish..:-) Habis licin..

I made Chicken Cordon Bleu for iftar recently. I've made a few adjustments to suit what was in my kitchen.

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Source: Here

Ingredients 

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

6 slices Swiss cheese - I used cheddar cheese slices

6 slices ham - I used smoked lamb slices

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour - I used tepung serbaguna Adabi

1 teaspoon paprika - i omitted this

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup dry white wine - I used chicken stock

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and lamb slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Coat the chicken pieces with Adabi all purpose flour.

2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the chicken stock and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Ramadhan 1432

 Dah setengah bulan kita berpuasa. I'm proud of Alysa. She managed to fast 5 days so far. Mula2 dulu puasa setengah hari. Balik kindy, dia akan berbuka around 2-3pm. Ada 1 day dulu, early ramadhan, dia melalak kelaparan coz Cik Jun tak bagi dia berbuka awal. Nampak macam kebuluran hearing the sound of her wails.:D

 But last week masa kitaorang bawak dia for raya shopping straight away after kindy, dia tak de chance le berbuka awal. Lepas tu pujuk if she could fast until 7.30pm, we would buy her Mc D double cheese burger. Boleh pulak dia puasa sampai iftar. Just nak train her tummy considering dia ni kaki makan . Tapi I pun tak nak le push dia sangat coz dia bersahur dgn sebotol susu 6 oz je. Nampak dehydrated je kalau berpuasa. I allowed her to fast every other day.When she did fast, we rewarded her with her fav food. Dah berapa kali ek dia request double cheese burger..Tapi tak de lah ikut sangat..

 This Ramadhan, I tak rajin nak experiment dengan resepi baru. Baby Airis asyik nak melekat je. Sometimes tu time masak, dia sampai bergayut kat kaki I. So, normally after 6.15pm baru masuk dapur. Kalau orang dukung dia, senyum sampai telinga le. Otherwise, melalak macam nak tercabut anak tekak. So, when Hubby asked me about kuih raya, I said nak kena tengok mood Baby Airis la. Tapi plan tu next week baru nak start buat kuih raya..

 So far, kitaorang dah balik berbuka kat kg dah 2x. Menu as usual la penuh meja. Mak masuk dapur since pagi. Tak kuasa I nak masuk dapur dari pagi to prepare for iftar kalau kat rumah sendiri..

Menu berbuka kat kg..

Masak Anga Ayam - a must have menu during raya

Daging Masak Wira - Another favourite especially for Bang Cik & family

      
Jeruk Maman - Kedahan's old dish

Note: This ramadhan, Alysa managed to fasrt 13 days. I'm proud of her.

Nasi Beriyani Ayam

Hari ni memikir apa nak masak for lunch. Then, rasaya dah lama tak wat nasi beriyani. The princesses pun suka nasi ada colour ni. So, I masak le nasi beriyani. Malas nak buat kari to go with it. I main campak je ayam masuk dalam nasi tu. Ni kes orang malas..:D

Nasi Beriyani Ayam

Bahan-bahan
3 cwn beras
1/2 ekor ayam, potong kecil
1 sb rempah beriyani
kulit kayu manis, buah pelaga, bunga lawang
2 ulas bawang putih - dihiris
4 ulas bawang merah - dihiris
6 sb minyak sapi ( I guna olive oil )
1sb jus oren
garam / gula
1 kiub pati ayam
1/2 cawan susu cair
2 helai daun pandan
1 batang celery
air
pewarna kuning telur

Cara:
1. Basuh beras dan toskan.
2. Panaskan minyak. Tumis bawang, kulit kayu manis, buah pelaga & bunga cengkih.
3. Masukkan rempah beriyani diikuti beras. Gaul sebati.
4. Masukkan air, jus oren, pati ayam , susu cair, garam & gula secukup rasa.
5. Simpul daun pandan & masukkan dalm nasi diikuti celery.
6. Ayam dimasukkan dan digaul rata.
7. Masak dalam rice cooker.
8. Bila sudah masak, titikkan pewarna & kacau.

Pisang Bakar Berkeju & Ayam Mayonis

Akhirnya berjaya jugak habiskan stok pisang. Tadi tanya hubby nak makan lepat pisang ke pisang bakar berkeju. He chose the latter. Lagi senang keja I. Alysa nampak je the chocolate topping & cheese terus mintak nak makan. Sampai nak skip dinner. But of course she had to finish off her dinner before given the treat. Sambil makan tu mulut tu sempat lagi memuji.." pandai mama masak". Hik2.. Actually resipi tu sempoi je but the ingredients i.e. chocolate sauce & cheese mmg favourite dia. So, sedap je la ditekak dia. Adik & Baby tak pandang pun.
 For Iftar today I buat sup ekor & ayam mayonnaise. Punya le berjam2 masak sup ekor tu bagi lembut. Ayam pun perap 2 jam. So, perapan tu mmg meresap le dlm ayam. Ikut resepi asal kena bakar but I goreng je ayam tu. Mmg sedap.

Pisang Bakar Berkeju
Source: Here

Bahan-bahan:
6 biji Pisang Emas
Keju Parut
Susu Pekat Manis
Sos Coklat  - kalau tak ada, guna bancuhan serbuk milo + air or cooking chocolate pun boleh.

Cara-cara:
1.Kopek kulit dan potong 2 memanjang pisang tersebut.
2.Bakar dalam oven (suhu 180°c selama 10 minit atau bakar guna api dapur sampai pisang agak layu dan berbau wangi.
3.Sapukan krimer manis pada bahagian tengah pisang dan katup semula. Curah sos coklat dan taburkan keju parut.

Ayam Bakar Mayonis
Source: Here

Bahan-bahan ( 2-3 orang )
8 ketul drumstick
1 sudu besar mayonis
1 kiub ayam
1 sudu besar kicap manis
1 sudu besar sos tiram
Lada hitam secukupnya-tumbuk
2 ulas bawang putih-tumbuk
1/2cm halia-tumbuk

Cara-cara:
1. Perap dengan semua bahan-bahan di atas dalam 1/2 jam. Kemudian bakar. Lagi lama perap, lagi sedap.
( I goreng je..)

Nostalgia Ayam Masak Tomato

When I was studying in AUSMAT, ptg2 mesti ke gerai2 kat seksyen 2 cari dinner. 1 gerai that was most frequented was gerai abang wan ( rasanya betul la nama dia ni..:-) ) which served masakan ala siam. One of the menu that I normally ordered was ayam masak merah. Ni bukan version goreng ayam dulu. Ni yang ayam dia potong kecik2. My roomates would normally order ayam masak pedas. Ni sedap gak but since I tak makan pedas, tak mo le menangis lak sambil makan..:-). Mmg ramai gak yang pelik coz Kedahan yg tak makan pedas..but nak wat camne kan, dah masa kecik2 dulu mak ajar makan nasi dgn kicap, so maintain sampai la..hehe..Nasib anak2 tak gelap macam kicap!
 Lunch lak, selalu ke gerai akak kelantan yang pakai gelang emas sampai ke siku. Ala2 mami jarum gitu.. But, in those days, snatch theft was not that rampant like now. Kalau tak, maunye kena kerat tangan akak tu..Bergemilauan emas dia. Boleh buta bakal2 snatch thieves! I like the fried keli & ayam percik at her stall. Mmg moist. But, I digress.
 Back to ayam masak merah tu, kekadang bila teringat nak makan, I wat sendiri. But my version is Ayam masak tomato coz I tak guna the sauces. I used fresh tomatoes & chillis. Rasa tu lebih kurang le cuma colour tu lari sikit. My version is bright red. The stall's version was a bit reddish orange. The princesses mmg tak makan. Takut pedas eventhough tak pedas pun. But the colour made them stop from tasting it.

Ayam Masak Tomato

Bahan:
1 mangkuk ayam, potong kecil
1 biji tomato
3 biji cili besar
1 celery stick / sedikit daun sup, di hiris
1 ulas bawang merah, hiris
1 ulas bawang putih, hiris
1/2 in halia
Garan & gula secukup rasa
Sedikit minyak untuk menumis

Cara:
1. Kisar tomato & cili dengan sedikit air.
2. Tumis bawang merah / putih & halia sehingga naik bau.
3. Masukkan ayam & kacau rata.
4. Masukkan tomato & cili yang telah dikisar. Renehkan sehingga ayam empuk. Tambah air jika perlu.
5. Tambah garam & gula.
6. Taburkan hirisan celery / daun sup.

Asam Pedas Ayam

Actually dah lama nak buat asam pedas ayam ni. Ni masakan Johor. But the funny thing is Hubby tak pernah makan pun. Yelah..orang jawa le katakan. My MIL tak pernah masakkan untuk dia dulu..hikhik..Kesian kan? On the other hand, asam pedas ayam ni mmg weekly menu masa I study kat STF dulu. Pandai betul makcik2 dining hall masak. Ada macaroni sup ayam, lontong, nasi daging ( sampai now i tak pernah jumpa / makan nasi daging yg sedap cam tu using minced meat ), Nasi hujan panas, dll. Melalut le pulak! Tapi, i pelik le bila bebudak boarding school len esp my niece dok complain food kat dining hall tak sedap. Nak kena pegi makan kat kantin gak. I dulu seingat I, masakan kat kantin yang tak sedap. Mee goreng cam plastik je..hehe..

Back to Asam Pedas Ayam I, actually masa mak dtg hari tu dia ada tanam daun kesum kat depan rumah. Hubby pulak rajin membelek pokok tu, so hidup segar bugar le. I tanya le dia what to do with daun kesum tu? Nak tak makan asam pedas ayam? I know dia ni actually mmg jenis yang tak suka asam pedas. He's a curry man..Kalau tak de lauk lain je kut baru le dia mkn asam pedas ni. He said why not. So, i pun masak le tadi. Masa nak masak tu K.Ju ada tanya nak wat apa daun kesum & chicken? I told her Asam Pedas Ayam. Dia pun tak biasa mkn. She said klau sdp nnt dia nak try kat rumah. Lepas lunch & sedap le tu, masa nak balik siap ambik serai & daun kesum nak masak asam pedas ayam for dinner. hehe.. Hubby pun sampai bertambah nasi. Sedap le tu.. Resepi tak ingat le amik dari mana but i modified a bit.

Asam Pedas Ayam

Bahan:

1/2 ekor ayam, potong sederhana

* 1 bawang besar

* 1 ulas bawang putih

* 1 inci halia

* 10 tangkai cili kering

1 st halba

1 sb asam jawa + 1/2 cawan air

1 btg serai , dititik

1 biji tomato belah 4

gula & garam

Minyak untuk menumis

air secukupnya ( 1/2 L )

Cara:

1. Kisar bahan bertanda *

2. Panaskan minyak. Tumis halba bersama bahan kisar sehingga garing / pecah minyak.

3. Masukkan air asam jawa bersama ayam. Diikuti air & serai. Masukkan garam & gula secukup rasa.

4. Biarkan mendidih. Masukkan tomato. Tutup api.

For the pincesses since diorang tak makan pedas, I made MFC ( aka Mama Fried Chicken ). By the time i balik kerja dah licin diorang ratah as expected.

Talkative & Smiling Princesses

When they were younger, Alysa was the extrovert one & Adik was the introvert one. Nowadays, Adik dah improved in her social skill... She has become so talkative sampai tak terlarat nak layan celoteh dia. If we meet people & relatives, she'd be the first one yang pegi salam & kiss them on the cheek. It was so different from when she was a baby. She'd wail at the sight of strangers. It was so difficult if we went to people's house. Asyik nak berkepit je..Now dah ok since she can play with other kids at ease.

On the other hand, Alysa was called 'smiling baby' by our neighbours. She smiled all the time when she was a baby. She liked to meet people. So most of her baby photos would show her smiling face..She still has a smiling face now tapi kalau jumpa new people tak le seramah dulu..well, depends on her mood.

Now mmg mood malas giler nak masak. After bertangguh for quite some time, I managed to make the choc cake that i've been wanting to try. Not bad... It was nice & moist. But I only made half of the ganache recipe which did not quite cover the whole cake. Here's the recipe by Rinn Chan...

Rich Chocolate Moist Cake

Bahan:
A: 170gm butter
300gm gula halus
3 biji telur
B: 2 st serbuk nescafe segera
1 sb air suam
1 st esen vanilla
1 st choc emulco
C: 225gm tepung gandum
65gm serbuk koko
1/2 st garam halus
1 st soda bicarbonate
1 1/2 st baking powder
180ml air sejuk dari peti sejuk

Cara:
1. Putar bahan A sehingga kembang.
2. Campur sebati semua bahan B. Titiskan ke adunan A tadi. Putar seketika.
3. Ayak bahan C. Masuk selang seli dengan air sejuk ke dalam adunan tadi. Kaup balik adunan.
4. Bakar pada suhu 175C selama 40 minit.

Ganache:
1 tin susu pekat, 90gm serbuk koko, 100ml minyak jagung @ butter cair, 1 st esen vanilla

Cara:
Panaskan susu. Masukkan serbuk koko diikuti butter & vanilla. Kacau selama 5 minit. Biarkan suam & tuang ke atas kek yang telah sejuk.

For lunch this week I made Ayam Halia as one of the dishes for Mak & Ayah. Saje try very simple recipe that I normally ate at restaurants, but never cook myself! The recipe was taken from a cookbook by Chef Hanieliza. Bought the book at Popular year end sale which I went a few days ago. Some of the books were worth buying as they were reduced up to 70%. Glad that I managed to buy some books by Sidney Sheldon & Johanna Lindsey at very good price. Now, I have to find time to read them..:-) Reading used to be my hobby, but now it's soo difficult to find time to do it..sigh..

Ayam Halia



Bahan:
500gm ayam
3 sb sos tiram
1/2 cwn air + 1 st tepung jagung ( dibancuh)
1 sk serbuk lada hitam
1pokok daun bawang ( I omit this )
1 tomato ( potong 4 )
2 sb minyak masak
garam
Bahan hiris: 5 cm halia, 3 bwg merah, 3 bwg putih, 3 biji cili merah

Cara:
1. Panaskan minyak. Tumis bahan hirisan hingga layu.
2. Masuk ayam & kacau rata. Tambah sedikit air &masak hingga ayam lembut.
3. Masuk bancuhan tepung jagung & sos tiram. Biarkan pekat.
4. Masukkan tomato & daun bwg & kacau rata. Sedia dihidangkan.

Papaya leaf Juice

Tonite's entry definitely is not about a new recipe for healthy people:-). A few months back, I read in a forwarded email stating that some kind of juice might increase platelet count. Since MIL's platelet count kept decreasing day after day, I think we have to try alternative medicines. Eventhough I'm in modern medicines, I do believe in alternative medicines. Her current platelet count is 32 ( The normal platelet count is 150 ). Yesterday was 40. So, hubby was worried. When he got back on wednesday the count was 90. The result for dengue was negative. He consulted a few doctors & getting more worried with their opinions. ( When it involves very close family members, have to ask for 2nd opinion or 3rd )

Tomorrow we are going back to see MIL. In the meantime, I started googling about the juice. ( Very convenient! ). Sure enough, I found about Papaya leaf juice. Have been tried and proven effective in increasing platelet count. It is very rich in vitamin A, C, E, K, B Complex & B17. In 1 case, the count shoot up from 8 to 300 within a week. So, I guess no harm in trying. Then, we instruct my brother in law to prepare the juice. The juice has to be prepared using fresh leaves. Blend and filter to get 1 tablespoon. Drink twice daily. Of course the taste is awful but if it works, who cares about the taste!( Of course i'm not the one taking it hehe..) .I pray that it'll work by the time we get there. At the moment, the treatment at the hospital is only symptomatic treatment.

The princesses don't know yet we are going to see embah or mak tuk. Malam ni tanak makan. Lunch dah puas makan.I made roasted chicken for lunch today. Senang je. Marinate with salt & italian herbs, Sapu margerine & bake. Bake tu K. Jun yang buat. I marinate je.. makan dgn potato salad. Kenyang. Alysa suka betul dgn white sauce which I prepared with a dash of italian herbs.

Chicken Cordon Bleu & Potato Au Gratin

This was our dinner tonite. The tomato was there to give colour to the dish...