Kue Nastar

I just realized that when I had to take extra classes, I always prefer to take cooking class. In high school it made more sense to pick cooking class instead the others, since all ingredients for that class was fully paid by the school and we just had to show up at our cooking class and to cook/bake. When the foods was done, we ate them all and maybe share some with friends..hahahhahah Only at the end of the year that we had to bring our own ingredients to make what each of us was assigned for our final grade.

One of my final assignments was called "Putri Mandi". It is a Javanese traditional dessert that I had to make small balls filled with sweet brown sugar and shreded coconut. I flunk it! I had to redo it again and I still believe that I passed the test because I said I am not Javanese. The teacher let me go for my lack of ability to make smaller balls that would fit a princess as the name Putri is in Indonesian.

Eversince then I have been struggling to make anything small especially in the same size and looks. Until today!!!!!

Today is one of my proudest moments in cooking/baking..hahhahahahahha My biggest accomplishment yet!!! My best friend argued right away with my statement. But I said being a good friend, daughter, wife, and mother is not an accomplishment. IT IS A REQUIREMENT and has always been expected by my own standards.

Making same size, professional looking cookies are ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!! Hahahhaha...

Kolak Biji Salak

This is the month of Ramadhan where in Indonesia that would mean more traditional foods and desserts would be available in the supermarket or would be serve at home. Well, for me it is another excuse to make dessert--PERIOD.

I have to say that desserts have always been my preferred part of the menu that I would try to make, if I have to. Growing up I could not wait for others to start making my favorite dessert, that I just started making it myself. I forgot what we called it (I think it is called "Ketimus"), but part of the process is to finely shred cassava and eventually scratched all my five fingers doing it. But I did it anyway.

So using Ramadhan as an excuse I made this sweet dessert called Biji Salak. I looked online for recipes and found out there are two way to start one way is to steam the sweet potatoes and another way is to boil them. Since I don't have large steamer, I opted for the second methods.

Well, not a good idea! The sweet potatoes became too mushy! So it might help if I let them dried while they cool down to room temperature. I have never been a patient customer when I want something done, I mashed them right away. The next process, proved that I made a mistake. It took double the tapioca to shape the balls, so the biji salak tastes more like tapioca balls in sweet kolak! So if you would just add cubed sweet potatoes and plantain to my kolak, it would probably be better..hahahhaa

Here it is anyway!

Fried Chicken in Kentucky

One of my friends was complaining that her son only wanted fried chicken for his meals and would not help her with figuring out what else to eat on daily basis. Then she asked whether I can imagine eating fried chicken all the time. I was like," Sure, I don't mind that at all. I always want to have fried chicken in a jar so I can eat them any time I want once I have my own place..hahhahaa"

When I was leaving to study in Kentucky, one of my friends even thought that I was moving to work for another company -- a.k.a Kentucky Fried Chicken..hahahah It was not a long stretch since I do like fried chicken.

There are many kinds of recipes for fried chicken and I like most of them. When I went back home last February, I tried Chicken Karaage. It is my nephew favorite meal and they can buy them at the frozen section and fry them when you want.

I was hoping they have them here in States, but I could not find them at the frozen section. Until I found out that I got the recipe from another friend of mine who compiled a whole bunch of them in one PDF file. Well, it seems that I have problem following recipe whenever it is not cake recipes. So of course, I just marinated the chicken what I feel like at that moment. For today I put lemon, sherry wine, garlic, salt and pepper, ginger, soy sauce and honey. Then I used her flour mix recipe -- rice flour with a little bit of corn starch.

Wow, it is NOW my favorite fried chicken! It is easy and it tastes really good!!!