Kusuma's Family

Tomato and Chicken Pasta

2009-03-28T00:28:00.004-04:00

Tiba2 aku tuh kepengen banget maem pasta, tapi yang sausnya ga berat.
Akhirnya dapet di Food Network resepnya Giada ( idola-nya suamiku :P huehheee ).
Terus aku coba buat dengan sedikit tambahan bahan, kaya Mie Goreng kalo di indonesia mah, tapi Mie Goreng rasa iTalia kata suamiku... :)
Nah ini resepnya yang ala eCHy yah.... :)

Bahan:

- 1 Pound Pasta ( bisa pake fettucini ato spaghetti ), rebus di air mendidih selama 8 menit.

- 3 sdm Olive Oil

- 3 btr bawang merah, potong halus.

- 2 btr bawang putih, iris halus.

- Ayam Fillet, potong.

- 5 buah Olive ( optional ).

- 1 wortel, potong kotak kecil.

- 1 sdt garam.

- 1 sdt merica.

- 1 buah tomat, potong-potong.

- 1/2 sdt Oregano kering.

- 1 sdt thyme kering.

- 1 sdt parsley kering.

- 1/4 cup keju parmesan yang sudah diparut.

Caranya:

- Panaskan olive oil, tumis bwg putih dan bwg merah sampe harum.

- Masukkan wortel, tomat, ayam sampe berubah warna.

- Masukkan semua sisa bahan sampe berbau harum dan sampe tomatnya hancur.

- Masukkan keju parmesan, aduk rata.

- Terakhir masukkan pasta, aduk rata, angkat.

Yeeeeyyy, jadi deee pasta dengan saus yang ga berat tapi yummy!!!

Bon Appetit...!!!! :)

Tom Yam

2009-03-27T23:36:00.003-04:00

Minggu lalu ceritanya memenuhi undangan kumpul2 orang indo di sini, aku buat sosis solo buat dimaem rame2 gituu....
Udah pede niiyy ceritanya, tapi kok nyampe sana kok sepi??
Ting tong....whuaaa yang punya rumah baru bagun tidur!!!!
Dan tau kenapa??? Kita salah hariiii....!!!! hahahhaaa dudulz...
Loh kemaren kenapa ga dateng chy? hmmmm, kemaren yah, bukannya sekarang... :P hihihii..
Jadi aja hari itu yang ada malah ngerepotin orang, disiapin makan siang, dan salah satunya dibawain Tom Yam Paste, karena waktu itu baru dari Thailand.

Karena dapet Tom Yam Paste itu makanya aku jadi pengen bikin Tom Yam.
Yaaaa Semi Home-made siy emang, hehehe gpp lah sekali2 mah, lagian agak susah juga cari cabe merah fresh kalo pas winter begini... :P ( excuse ceritanya... )
Tapi beneran loh, kalo pengen Tom Yam yang rasa kecutnya bisa dikendalikan sendiri, mendingan cari bumbu jadinya ( aku yakin di supermarket2 gede ada dee ) trus bikin sendiri deee, bumbunya bisa dipake berkali2 lagi, irit kann dan simple... :P
Well, ini bahan2 yang mesti disiapin...

Bahan:

- Tom Yam Paste ( aku pake yang kalengan merk-nya Usman Tom Yam, enak kok... ).

- Ikan laut daging putih ( aku pake Salmon Fillet ), potong kotak2.

- Udang

- Ayam fillet, potong kotak.

- Jamur kancing.

- Kecap ikan

- Daun Jeruk

- Laos

- Kaldu Maggi Block ( ini aku aja yang nambahin sendiri )

- Air jeruk nipis ( nah ini dia cara kita ngendaliin kecutnya Tom Yam )

- Daun Ketumbar, potong kasar.

- Merica, Garam, Gula Pasir.

Caranya:

- Rebus air dan udang sampe mendidih.

- Masukkan daun jeruk, kaldu blok, laos, dan Tom Yam paste sampe baunya harum.

- trus masukkan sisa bahan, masak sampe semua bahan matang.

* Note:
Kalo suka pedes bisa ditambahin potongan cabe rawit dan maaf yah ga ada ukurannya, dikit banyaknya disesuaikan ama selera soalnya ;)
Tapi ditanggung rasanya enak dan segeeerr!!!

Spinach Cake

2009-03-25T15:09:00.002-04:00

Beberapa bulan yang lalu maem Spinach Cake di rumah temen, dia bikin enak banged!! Iseng dunk aku nanya resepnya gimana, dia kasi tau.... :)
Rasanya tuh creamy banget, cocok juga buat sarapan.
Dan teteeep dunks, suamiku doyan banged...( kayanya dia emang doyan semua yang aku bikin deee...hihihii :P ).
Ok, nie resepnya yaaa.... :)

Bahan:

- 1 Paket Frozen Spinach ( kalo pake bayam seger, ambil daunnya kira2 300gr direbus lalu ditiriskan ).

- 5 butir telur ayam.

- 1 cup Tepung terigu.

- 2 cup Keju Mozzarella ( Mozzarella itu biasanya buat pizza ).

- 1/2 sdt Merica.

- 1 sdt Garam.

- 1 kaleng Evaporated Milk ( ato kira2 250ml cream milk ).

Caranya:

- Campur semuanya dengan mixer, sampe rata, taruh di pinggan tahan panas.

- Panaskan Oven 175 C

- Panggang selama 35-45 menit ( sampe berwarna kecoklatan )

- Sering2 diintip yah, supaya ga gosong :)

Ok, Semoga Berhasil....hehehhee ;)

Strawberry Strudel

2009-03-24T23:11:00.006-04:00

Gara2 kepincut Strudel yang di Kroger ( Supermarket ), jadi kepengen bisa bikinnya, cari2 caranya di Food Network, dapet siy walo ga terlalu pas banget ama yang aku pengenin.
Yang penting modal 1 Strudel yang ga aku abisin, aku liatin kira2 gimana bikinnya, terus coba dee...hasilnya enak!!!!!
Suami juga seneng, itu yang paling penting :D
Nyobain yuuuuukkkk....

Bahan2:

- Puff Pastry Sheets

- 10 buah Strawberry, diiris tipis. ( ini buat isinya )
( Masak strawberry di api kecil, tambah kira2 4 sdm gula pasir, spy ga terlalu encer tambahkan 1 sdt tepung maizena sebagai pengental )

Caranya:

- Potong lembaran puff pastry jadi 8x10 cm.
( Biasanya lembaran pastry yang dibeli di supermarket tuh udah dibagi jadi 3 bagian, nah kalo aku, dari masing2 bagian itu aku potong lagi jadi 4 bagian ) :)
- Oles lembaran puff pastry dengan mentega.
- Masukkan isinya di masing2 potongan pastry, gulung dengan cantik ( liat bentuknya di foto yang ada ).
- Iris bagian atas pastry dengan pisau ( supaya ada sirkulasi udara ).
- Olesi bagian atas pastry dengan mentega, lalu taburi dengan gula pasir.
- Pastry siap dipanggang di Oven yang sudah dipanasin dulu kira2 200 C.
- Panggang selama 20 menit, sampe warnanya kecoklatan.

Jadiii deeee Strawberry Strudel-nya....!!!!

ENJOY.....!!!!

G.P.S

2009-03-23T23:43:00.002-04:00

GPS - Global Positioning System, yang sekarang lagi heboh banged di "dunia" karena pinter kasi arah jalan yang lumayan tepat dan emang ngebantu banget kalo pas lagi jalan2 ke luar kota. Pastinya kita ga akan hapal jalan, wong namanya juga tempat yang bukan kita tinggali. That's normal!!!

Pengalaman niy, aku ama suami jalan2 ke Pittsburg, ceritanya mau seneng2, cari2 makanan enak, nongkrong, liat2 kota, eh ujung2nya malah bete karena yang ada kita nyasar ampun2, mau cari jalan ke downtown eh malah nyasar ke luar kota, mau ke luar kota eh malah muter2 aja di dalem kota, jalannya emang ribet banget buat yang ga biasa di sana, dan waktu itu pegangan kita cuma peta jalan aja, jadi aku yang baca peta dan sedikit pake insting, huehehhee...dan akhirnya mesti cepet2an sama matahari sebelum dia tenggelam, karena bakalan susah baca peta kalo udah gelap, ato nyoba nanya ama orang di mobil sebelah kalo pas berenti lampu merah, bete jadinya, tapi akhirnya kita berhasil keluar dari kota itu setelah berkali2 muterin jalan di Pittsburg. :D

Dari pengalaman itu, kita ceritanya mo nyoba GPS, cari2 yang pas semuanya ( spec-nya, dan harga pastinya :P ), trus uji cobanya yang paling jauh tuh pas kita ke Florida ( Holiday season kemaren kita jadinya ke Florida akhirnya :D ), pas berangkatnya ok banget ga ada masalah, kita sempet mampir di Atlanta, Georgia dan si GPS itu ngebantu banget, karena kita-nya ga perlu takut nyasar, hehhehee. Nah nyampenya di Miami, kita ngerasa lama banget dan katanya papa kita ga perlu ambil jalan yang banyak bayar tol, wah ga tau lagi, wong kita ikutin si GPS, ternyata di GPS itu sendiri, banyak pilihan yang bisa kita pilih, mau lewat tol apa ga, mau lewat highway apa ga ( kalo ga lewat highway biasanya dilewatin jalan dalem kota yang banyak banget lampu merahnya), dan selama di Miami kita ga khawatir masalah jalan sama sekali.
Waktu pulang ke Blacksburg, kita minta ke GPS-nya buat "Take me Home", nah dari situ masalah di mulai, huehehhee :D

Kita ga meriksa "Take me Home" tuh mo kemana, karena seinget kita udah dibuat ke alamat rumah di Blacksburg pastinya.
Mampir ke Orlando, bobo di South Carolina, pas maem siang di North Carolina, untungnya suami nge-cek seluruh arah jalan menuju Blacksburg, hmmm kok ada yang aneh yak, ternyata tujuan akhirnya ke Fairfax, Virginia, deketnya DC..huuuuaaaaa kok bisaaaaa, kita baru inget itu GPS pernah dipinjem temen yang tujuannya ke Fairfax dan pastinya "Take me Home"-nya diganti ke tujuan sana, untung iseng nge-cek2, kalo ga kan kita udah nyasar sampe DC, yang 4 jam dari rumah, huhuhuuu...itu aja berarti kita udah ambil jalan yang ga seharusnya...

Jadi mesti diinget, mau teknologi secanggih apa pun kita jangan deee sampe percaya 100%...teknologi tetep butuh kita buat ngendaliin buat ke arah yang bener, teknologi apa pun itu namanya!!!
Tapi memang punya GPS ga ada ruginya kok, ngebantuuuu bangeeddd, asalkan kita-nya nge-cek dulu sebelum klik "Show Direction"...!!!!

California Roll Sushi

2009-03-23T22:38:00.013-04:00

Heeeiii....
Waaaa dah lama banget ga nyentuh2 ini blog deee... :)
So many things to do, so many things happened, but those are done now!!!

Anyway...
Sebenernya aku mau share tentang cara buat California Roll Sushi niy, gara2nya beberapa minggu yang lalu ada temen yang nanya cara buatnya, jadi aku coba cari2 di internet cara buat yang pas-nya gimana supaya kita2 bisa ikutan coba di rumah juga ( ga cuma bisanya maem di "resto" aja... :P ) dan ternyata dapet di YOUTUBE!!! :)
Jadii deee 1 minggu yang lalu aku coba praktekin, hasilnya ok looh,...jadi model sushi-nya beda ama yang aku post sebelumnya, kalo yang ini seaweed/nori-nya di dalem trus nasi-nya di luar, Beautiful!!! and it is so FRESH, so DELICIOUS, but the most important thing is "easy to make".
Nah ini bahan2nya ala Kusuma Family:

Bahan2:
- Beras Sushi, dimasak sampe mateng trus dicampur sedikit minyak wijen dan garam.
- Nori/Seaweed, potong jadi 2 ( supaya jadinya kecil2, kalo 1 lembar penuh jadinya kegedean dan ga cantik ).
- Daging Kepiting
- Udang kupas rebus, potong jadi 2 memanjang.
- Wortel, kupas dan potong kecil memanjang.
- Alpukat, kupas dan potong memanjang.
- Biji wijen

Alat:
- Penggulung sushi dari bambu ( Bamboo mat )

Itu bahan2 yang dibutuhin, sekalian aku kasi link-nya untuk ngeliat cara buatnya, lumayan kan buat jadi panduan, walo aku udah pernah post tentang sushi sebelumnya, karena ini memang beda sushi-nya ( inside out sushi ), sekali lagi nori-nya di dalem terus nasinya di luar :D

Here is the linky

Holiday Season

2008-12-24T18:53:00.007-05:00

Sebenernya masih belum ngerti mau kemana Holiday ini, padahal suami libur lumayan lama.
Awalnya pengen ke New York dan Tahun Baru-an di sana, katanya sih seru kalo pas taun baru, di Times Square-nya rame banget counting down for the balls drop and New Year. Tapi 3 hari yang lalu baru ngerasain dinginnya winter yang sampe -20 C itu ternyata menyiksa banget, huhuhuuu....
Nah di NY pastinya bakalan dingin banget, jadinya sekarang bingung. Hehehhee... :P
Nah ada tawaran pergi ke tempat yang lebih anget ke Miami,Florida.
Dan emang belum pernah pergi ke sana siiiyy, tapi jauhnya itu loh yang ga ketulungan, ya itungannya dari Blacksburg, Va - Miami, Fl = 902 miles = 1451 km = 13 jam lebih, itu juga kalo ga berenti2, hiks... :(
Tapi ya katanya seru ke sana, selain bisa melarikan diri dari tempat dingin juga karena "Beach" nya itu loh... :D dan bisa sekalian jalan2 ke Orlando, Disney....!!!!
Hmmmffhhh....Jadi bingung kan, heheheee... :) Yah semoga jadi pergi ke salah satu tempat itu, takutnya malah ga jadi karena suatu dan lain hal :D
Ok, My hubby and I will think it over and we'll see then... :)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYBODY

"Patacones" Colombian Food

2008-12-23T23:11:00.022-05:00

It's still about food. :)
I knew this food when there was Thanksgiving Potluck in my class.
And then when I went to my Colombian friend's ( Liz ) house, she taught me how to make Patacones.
And What is exactly of Patacone...?
Patacone is a traditional Colombian Dish that uses Plantain ( in Indonesia we call it as Pisang Tanduk ). It's definitely easy and you can get great and different taste from "Pisang Goreng". :P
At first, when I told my husband about that, he seemed not interested but I kept making that for him to try, and his response was great at his very first bite,hahhaaa.
Just try this at home, you won't regret it...!!! :)
Here is the recipe and photos how to make...

PATACONES

Ingredients:
- 2 Green Plantains ( not the ripe plantains ).

For the Dip you need:
- 2 tomatoes, Diced.
- 4 Green onion, Slice about 2 cm ( 1 inch ).
- A hand full of Cilantro, just the leaves.
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper.
- 1/2 teaspoon Dry Paprika
- A pinch of Salt ( not so much, very little ).

How to prepare the Plantains:
- Cut the Plantain diagonally about 1 inch ( 2cm wide ).
- Fry until golden brown but still soft inside not so dry.

- Flatten the fried plantains.
- Re-fry until crispy.

How to prepare the Dip:
- Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a pan.
- Put all the ingredients together in the pan and saute until wilted.
- Put on a bowl and serve with the fried plantain.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Resep versi Indonesia:

Bahan2:
- 2 Pisang Tanduk yang masih mentah ( hijau ).

Buat cocolannya:
- 2 Tomat, potong kotak kecil-kecil.
- 4 Daun bawang, potong-potong sekitar 2 cm ( 1 inch ).
- Satu genggam Daun Ketumbar, daunnya saja.
- 1/2 sendok teh Merica.
- 1/2 sendok teh Paprika bubuk.
- Satu jumput Garam ( Sedikit aja ).

Cara Membuat Pisangnya:
- Potong Pisangnya secara diagonal kira-kira 2 cm.
- Goreng sampai warnanya coklat muda keemasan, angkat.
- Dipenyet sampe permukaan pisang rata, tapi jangan sampai tipis.
- Goreng lagi pisang sampai terlihat renyah.

Cara Membuat Cocolannya:
- Panaskan 2 sendok teh minyak goreng.
- Masukkan semua bahan untuk cocolannya ke wajan, tumis sampai layu, angkat.
- Tempatkan di mangkuk dan sajikan bersama pisang gorengnya.

Thanks to my good friends, Liz and Valeria. :)

Our Delicious Vegetables Pizza

2008-11-04T18:00:00.014-05:00

Ceritanya lagi dingin-dingin gini jadi kepengen makan pizza anget, tapi males keluar.
Jadi aja mendingan coba bikin sendiri deee....
Dan salah satu pizza favorit kita tuh yang gourmet gituuu, jadi base-nya pake ricotta cheese trus ga pake daging2an, hmmmm....enak banget.
Mau coba bikin sendiri...? Gampang juga kok ternyata dan cocok banget buat yang pada bosen ama pizza dengan base tomato sauce gituuu dan pengen nyobain yang laen apalagi kalo suka banget ama cheese, cucok deeee... ;)
Gw share bahan n cara buatnya niiyyy....

Veggitta Pizza

Bahan :
Buat adonannya dulu :
- 3 cup terigu
- 1 cup susu cair
- 1,5 sdt ragi kering
- 2 sdt gula
- 1 1/4 sdt garem
- 3 sdm olive oil
( adonan diulenin sampe tercampur semua (kalis), terus dibiarin selama 30 menit,
terus dipotong jadi 3 bagian, terus dibuat bulat, biarkan selama 15 menit )

Buat topping-nya : ( dikira-kira aja yaaa banyaknya, tergantung gedenya pizza )
- Bayam ( mendingan beli yang frozen aja supaya ga usah ngerebus dulu :P )
- Ricotta cheese
- Bawang putih, di cacah halus
- Tomat, dipotong tipis-tipis
- Mozarella cheese, yang udah diserut.

Cara buatnya :
- Tipiskan adonan pizza menggunakan penggulung sampe lumayan tipis, terus taruh di
loyang pizza dan ratakan.
- Oleskan Ricotta cheese ke semua permukaan adonan (agak banyak ya supaya enak :P)
- Terus taburi bayam yang udah diperes buat ngilangin kandungan airnya (supaya
adonannya ga berair).
- Taburkan cacahan bawang putih, Tomat dan Mozarella cheese.
- Masukkan ke oven yag sudah panas dengan suhu 250 derajat celcius, panggang selama
20-25 menit. Lalu hidangin anget-anget... :)

Yeeeeaaaa gampang kaaannn....dicobain yaaa, soalnya rasanya beda banget dari pizza2 biasanya.... :)

Election in the US

2008-11-04T13:20:00.004-05:00

A cloud hung over the sky this morning. The morning of the election day. Indeed, this could be the most important election in the US for a long time. But, here, I'm not going to talk anything about politics. I just want to share my experiences in this election.

We woke up this morning and decided that we wanted to see what the election is all about. So, we decided to go to the local library. Here, voting is done in public places, such as public libraries, schools, churches, or other public places. It saves taxpayers' money because they don't have to make any temporary voting booths or shelters for the election, like in Indonesia.

When we got to the library, the line was already long. Everyone seems interested in voting this year, in making changes, and in participating and doing their civic duty. The voting places opened at 6 a.m. (7 a.m. in some places) and it closes at 7 p.m. tonight (8 p.m. in some places).

It's a great experience to be able to be in a country where democracy shines and have the experience in knowing how it's practiced. Let's just hope that Indonesia's next year's election will go smoothly and peacefully.

My Home-made Korean Sushi ( Kimpap )

2008-11-03T18:34:00.011-05:00

Gara2nya penasaran ama yang namanya Kimpap.
Akhirnya tadi gw ama suami niat belanja bahan2nya trus sorenya coba2 bikin deee...
Yiiiihiiiii.....berhasil loh yaaa dan enak, soalnya suami gw suka :P
Ternyata bikinnya gampang banget dan bahan2nya juga ga ribet.
Nah ini yang gw janjiin kemaren buat share cara buatnya.
Ini bahan-bahan yang dibutuhin dan cara buatnya:

Korean Sushi ( Kimpap )

Bahan:
- 200 gr Beras Korea dimasak.
- 1 batang Pickled Radish ( Lobak yang khusus buat sushi, bisa dicari di supermarket) dipotong memanjang dan tidak terlalu tebal.
- 6 lembar Turkey/Beef bacon dibagi 2 memanjang.
- 3 butir Telor di dadar, terus dipotong memanjang.
- Seaweed atau biasanya namanya Nori ( Pembungkus sushi terbuat dari rumput laut ).
- 5 sdm Minyak wijen.
- Biji Wijen secukupnya.
- Garam sedikit.

Cara Membuat:
- Setelah nasinya matang, campur garam,biji wijen dan minyak wijen di nasi dan aduk sampe merata.
- Bacon ditumis dengan sedikit minyak.
- Pisahkan masing2 bahan.
- Taruh nasi dan disebar merata di permukaan seaweed ( jangan terllalu banyak, supaya lembaran seaweednya ga sobek ).
- Taruh bacon, telor dan radish di atasnya nasi.

- Terus pelan-pelan mulai menggulung sampai benar2 lengket,kalo gulungannya udah sempurna dipotong-potong deee, trus siap dihidangkan.

Ok juga lhooo kalo buat bekal anak2 ke sekolah. :)
Selamat mencoba yaaa.... :)
Kasi comment ke gw yah kalo berhasil bikin Kimpapnyaaa...hehhehee....

LAST WEEK'S REVIEW

2008-11-02T19:47:00.004-05:00

Hmmm I don't know where to start...
Yaaaa last week was a terrible week for me on BAKING. I had a meeting in my Korean friend's house ( Regular meeting, once in 2 weeks ), and I planned to bring over some Choux Pastry ( Kue Sus ). However, I failed although I have made that twice successfully before. I kept trying and trying but still failed until I realize it was 1:00 in the morning or 1:00 am. That's too much batter to waste, then I started to make some cakes with that batter, I added some sugar, some chocolate chips and entered it to the oven. hffffhhmmmhh.... Finally it was done but I didn't know how it tasted... :P
I still brought it over to my friend's house and fortunately they all said that the cake was so delicious, hahahhaa....Ada yang mau resepnya?hihihii... :P

Anyway, I really waited for the meeting because I wanted to try some real home-made
Korean food that turned out to be delicious. I even learned to make Korean sushi called Kimpap. Kimpap is similar to sushi but it's without fish, Koreans usually use pork bacon inside, but we can substitute it with turkey bacon or beef bacon and it's easy to make. If I could make it well, I will post it here, hehhee... :).

Well, that's my last week's review, I will post my recipes later.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-26T22:37:00.007-04:00

Hari ini gw ama keluarga pergi ke Pumpkin Patch...

What is a Pumpkin Patch?
Pumpkin Patch itu sebenernya perayaan pada saat panen Pumpkin, biasanya memang pas di musim gugur dan sebelum Halloween. Karena Halloween itu sendiri sebenarnya bukan hari "Hantu" ato yang berhubungan dengan horror seperti yang kita liat selama ini. Halloween sebenarnya lebih menekankan pada makna Panen Terakhir sebelum musim dingin. Gituuu.... :)

Anyway.....
Pumpkin Patch hari ini adalah yang kedua setelah 2 minggu yang lalu gw beduaan ama suami tercinta pergi ke sana. Karena bagus dan menarik banget jadi deeee ngajakin adek kita ama ponakan ke sana, dan karena kebetulan tempatnya ga gitu jauh dari Blacksburg, sekitar 12 miles, di daerah Riner-Floyd dan nama tempatnya Sinkland Farm. Soalnya jarang2 kan kita bisa liat Pumpkin yang buat Halloween dari kebunnya langsung...

It was fun and of course tiring. Nonetheless, It was a great experience to have.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY.......!!!!

TRAVELING TIPS

2008-10-15T11:25:00.018-04:00

Does vacation equal traveling? Not necessarily. But, what is a vacation without traveling :P. We, the Kusuma’s family, plan to travel some this Fall. And I think, it’s only appropriate to share some traveling tips that might be useful.

1. Get cheaper accommodation

Get cheaper accommodation by going to the internet and get deals. If you’re going abroad, youth hostels could be an inexpensive way to travel. Nothing fancy smancy, but it does the job alright. In some other countries, with less internet access, going to travel agencies is the best way to get good deals in hotel. They get good price from hotels, then of course, get passed to you!!!

2. Know where you’re going, plan ahead, get a map

There’s nothing more disappointing than coming to a new, exciting place and ending up just in the hotel. Get a map from the concierge in your hotel, or go to the internet and find out exciting places in town. GET OUT!!! That’s why you are travelling!!!

3. Go with local public transportation system

It’s amazing what you can experience by taking the public transport system. Not only you would feel something new, it could also save you some gas money. This, however, is not universally applicable. Traveling in some other places in the world would require private transport, since public transport is not very dependable, unsafe, or just not available.

4. When you walk, take a bottle of water

It sounds simple, but it's very useful. When you walk a lot in a city, it’s advisable to bring your own bottle of water. It not only will save you money for not buying those jacked up, overly priced bottled water, but also saving you from stomach ache when you travel to an unknown environment. Thus, bring your own water, save a penny, and save your stomach.

5. Enjoy affordable, if not free, attractions in town

Look, vacation could be expensive. Of course. But remember, we can save our money by going to free, or affordable, places in town without losing any sign that we are in vacation. Museums, parks, or some other attractions might be offered for free. Again, your hotel concierge is usually a dependable source of information, or the internet.

6. Eat local, be local!!!

I know you’re on vacation, but do you have to eat in those overly-priced, tourist-oriented restaurants? Go to where locals go to eat. Find some good places that locals go to. Those places might be in grungy, small, but they might offer the best food in town, cheaper!!! Of course, sans advertising!!!!

Autumn and Being Romantic...

2008-10-10T20:23:00.010-04:00

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

Indeed, season has changed. Leaves have turned from its green beginning. Turning to yellow, orange, maroon, or bright red. You are submerged in awe of God's greatness, in wonder of God's grandeur, and in love of God's creation.

While leaves are falling from the trees, it's time to fall in love. It's the Fall, let's Fall in love :) ....

Suamiku sayank...

2008-10-09T22:42:00.002-04:00

Sedihnya suamiku...abis lebaran ini malah mesti jaga makanan, hehehee hampir kena prehypertensi soalnya. Pastinya karena makanan lebaran yang bersantan2, berlemak2.
Bayangin aja dalam seminggu tuh semua makanan pake santen...
Nah nyadarnya pas kita berdua ngecek tekanan darah di Walmart ( hobi kita b2 kalo ke Walmart...). Jadinya sekarang aku yang bingung masak sayur2an, paling ga yang ga memacu itu buat naek lagi, dan kita nyoba pake juice nanas ( katanya bisa membantu nurunin tekanan darah, sama kaya belimbing, tapi di sini ga ada belimbing...). Aku siy tambah seneng kalo sayang mau aku bikinin tahu tiap hari...hehhehee :P Yah semoga cepet sembuh lah sayank...i love you...!!

Sate Padang....and then some

2008-10-08T18:11:00.004-04:00

Do you realize how tiring it could be to cook for Lebaran? You probably remember it. We vowed that we would not cook a week after Lebaran. We were too tired of it. Yet, food ran out just 3 days after...haha. And of course, we decided on another "gurih" food. I have been thinking (and dreaming) of a portion of good sate padang. Slurrrpp....yumm. That's what we cooked yesterday.

A good portion of sate padang was what we had. Accompanied by my lovely wife, this of was the most interesting dinner I had in a while. I realized that outside was a bit warm and sunny. And I thought, why not have this dinner outside. We have this small pretty box that, if you open the case, would turn into a set of seats and table for outside picnic. Very, very interesting.

A portion of warm rice, served with fried shallot (bawang goreng), slathered with a big portion of sate padang and its sauce. Oh Lord, had anyone of you reading this were here, you would've thought that you had died and gone to heaven. It was that goooddddd!!! Who made it? We of course, but the magic hands of my wife made all my meals,,,,,,,,DELICIOSO!!!!!

First 'Eid with my Lovely Family

2008-10-06T00:13:00.012-04:00

First 'Eid with a new family. A very different experience, indeed. And of course, we were just married 4 months ago; still freshly newlyweds, that's who we are. For my wife, this is very, very different. It's her first time having a Lebaran day away from home. And her first is very, very far. Far, of course, when you have to travel thousands of miles and hours just to get here, which makes "mudik" an impossible thing.

Lebaran is a celebration after the Ramadan. While it is mostly referred as 'Eid in most other muslim communities, Lebaran is especially Indonesian. Mudik is another especially Indonesian term; a term referring to going to "udik" or going to where we come from. Simply put, it's a "going home" celebration. A time when we meet our families, friends, and neighbors.

And while we do not go "home" like most do, we try our best to make this Lebaran as memorable, and similar as the one we have at home. We made cookies and other cookings with some "lebaran values" in it. A good jar of kastengel (a must!!!), putri salju, kacang bawang, and a good tape (Indonesian fermented rice, a kind of Indonesian rice wine),,, drunk,, drunk,,drunk!!! My wife's Opor Ayam (another must in a Lebaran) was incredible!! A good portion of sambal goreng ati ampela, and Rendang almost completed the day. A good ketupat would, of course, have made our day complete, but unfortunately, we didn't have our way. The ketupat shell was disintegrated, leaving the ketupat outside...aaaa...a mess.

Yet, it was a memorable one. A lovely lebaran for us. One thing I realize is the value of family. It is when you love your family that your heart feels that it belongs. Selamat Lebaran dunia!!!!!

Happy Lebaran Day, everyone!!!!