Random Rambles of Lotfi

Hello semua, writing from Vallejo California here! My daughter recently gave birth to their 2nd child, another son, Alhamdulillah. So Tok Mama (that's me!) is back in the USofA to play nurse. The sun has been out these past few days but it is oh so chilly! I am bundled up in a jacket and socks indoor daily, even the heater's  not helping. Weather report says it will be warmer next week. We'll see. Summer officially starts on 20th June.  I have been cooking for Aisyah the past few days. Simple stuff, mostly chicken with lots of ginger, garlic, black pepper,sesame seed oil; just like my arwah mak and mother in law used to feed me. Lucky Aisyah's not fussy and will just eat whatever.  Yesterday, she told me I need to cook the potatoes or they will go bad. So today I decided to make my favourite potato recipe - the potato au gratin. There's no cream so I just use Coconut Cream. Santan laa..Here's how I do it! Once you're   done peeling the potato...

When I chose to step out of full time employment more than 3 years ago, I didn’t have any plans of what to do, to at least make some sort of income for myself. After months of total chilling and panicking , a friend (who also left his job before I did) asked me if I would like to cook with him for small events and parties.   At the risk of turning into a couch, I told myself “Why not?”. After all, I was already cooking more at home and I just needed to cook in bigger portions. Akak bukan la hebat sangat pun masak-masak ni but I have always had the inclination to try out new recipes and taste plus suka makan..hehe. So we started an informal set-up, where my fried, Sid bought all the necessary catering equipment needed like chafing dishes, plates and glasses, and other cutleries. Orders started coming in through word-of-mouth of friends and acquaintances. At the same time, I also thought it’ll be interesting to learn a related new skill, which is baking. I started goin...

We had a family lunch of Dim Sum and Chinese food today at Unique Seafood, Petaling Jaya. Hard to find Halal Dim Sum and when I found out about this one; and 50% discounts on Dim Sum during lunch, I have to go! After we dropped off my son and father in law at home, we went around looking for a big rice cooker for me to use for cooking big batches for catering. After a few shops, we finally found one at a shop in SS2. Well, made a deposit but hubs would have to collect the pot tomorrow. Then when to get some baking supplies at Bake With Yen in Taman Mega, PJ. Cake orders coming in for year-end parties annd such. Alhamdulillah! When one go to Bake With Yen in Taman Mega, one must not NOT drop by Joy Bakery  just beside it for old fashion, home made cakes, I'm a baker that enjoys discovering and eating other people's bakes. Senang cakap suka makan laaa. All that eating and then dinner...Haih makan lagi. So I thought ok lah let's settle for a simple dinner. Brough...

I haven't had Monday blues in a while. The perks of working from home. Well, perhaps the only blues I get on a Monday, these days is ironing Zaim's school uniforms. When the two kiddos and big bro leaves for school and Uni, the house will be quiet and peaceful. Time for that cuppa OR... perhaps get that extra shut-eye, most of time the latter wins.  Today, we had brunch outside, and I settled some paperwork i.e invoicing. And then a client whatsapped to get advice on copy for their outdoor ads, which thrilled me. I love looking at creative ideas and  how they will materialize on all the medium, outdoor, TV and prints. Btw, invoicing is something I have to remind myself to do regularly. One month, I overlooked invoicing and realized that I wasn't about to get paid that month and panicked. The downside of working for yourself...have to keep up with all the paperwork on your own. So I downloaded an apps called invoice2go  . Have yet to exp...

As a typical self-proclaimed foodie I always post pictures of things I cooked onto Instagram which most of the time gets linked to my facebook and twitter timeline. A lazy cook, I usually cheats my way around recipes I like, adjusting and adding based on what's available at home.  Except for my youngest son, everyone in the house are not fussy eaters. I cook, they eat. Youngest son must have rice, everyday, all meals preferably. Sometimes, I can get away with feeding him bread and eggs. Most of the time, not. Lunch yesterday afternoon, was leftover day, which means we eat leftover from the fridge. I try not to waste food and will upcycle leftover pastas into fritata, some days we'll have fried rice, or just sandwiches from leftover chicken. I try not to waste food but of course some stuff just get thrown away. I'm trying to revive a compost box so that I can make better use of my food waste. That's for another post. Yesterday's dinner was CHICKEN PI...