Not happening

With the slow cooker. Choong, I haven't got the auto setting. Only low-high and keep warm.

My chicken rendang was aweful! It's all mushy and looked like broth! I find that the meaty bits fall of to bits but the spices kinda still "raw"ish to taste??? hmmmmmmm

I thought I might try to transform my chicken broth into 'serunding'? but must use wok for this.

I haven't given up on this slow cooker yet - The ultimate test is can I make beef rendang?
If that doesn't work.. maybe can only use it making soup?

According to 'instructions' [more like a destructions] - you can make pot roast in it. I am NOT convinced.

Kids in school uniforms

So hard to get a perfect picture with these three boys!

Rohan just got up and still looking tired. A and O tried to be funny.

The 'rugby top' on Rohan is size 6! My big boy!

By the time he's ready for school I think he will need a size 8 or 10?

Slow Cooking Experiment

This is my new gadget in the kitchen. 6.5 liter banquet style slow cooker. (sorry for the poor quality of the picture)

Why 6.5 liter? Because I am mad!

I thought it would be nice to cook "rendang" in the slow cooker.. for function YES but it is way too big for us at the moment.

First try - lamb shank - followed (loosely) recipe I got from the manufacturer of this 'crock pot'

Verdict:

I find it is a bit too 'watery' I put it all night. recipe said 7-8 hrs on low. But when I got up for 'sahur' at 5:30 pm, WHOAAAAA the whole house smelled 'lamb shank'! yikes

It is a nice smell but I don't like food smell on my soft furnishing..

Kids hate it - maybe because the 'gelatiny' feel about lamb shank. Yes the the meat fall off the bones. Hisham liked it.

Second try : chicken rendang. That is for tonight's iftar. I had a taste this morning (at sahur). Still more watery than I would like. So 1 hr before eating, I will put it on 'high' maybe?

We'll see.

Maybe I should get a smaller one? Or get a better recipe?

More on backyard

What's left now - more sun in this area.

This 'blackwood' is not symmetrical without it's partner. I bet it is feeling very lonely.

Hisham wants to chop it down as well but I think I want to keep it, maybe just chop half the top off??

So we still have shaded area in summer. Besides, it doesn't feel right to kill a healthy tree.

Backyard

To those who've been to my house. Perhaps you never notice two giant trees near the fence (to Judy and Brain).

One of the trees is down. The wattle tree (this is actually a national emblem). Now we have more light coming to this area [near kid's sandpit]. It is good in winter.... but I wonder how hot summer will be.

Constructions.. constructions..

Fron level 2, that boxy bit is going to be a lift. My office is going to be somewhere in this alleyway. I can't wait to move into the this space... but have to wait a little longer... much longer!

Ground level. The site for multi-storey carpark. Will we lose all the lights?

The third 'bunker' is in progress.

Spring in Tassie

For some reason this one Camelia decided to open up - to cheer the "Radiotherapy Only" sign.

Mashaallah.

There are a lot of cancer patients and their relatives going through this gate. Hopefully this one flower has cheered many other souls as it cheered me.

Winter is behind us... ? (for now?)

At wedding reception

I seldom got the chance to hang out with other people apart from my family. Once or twice a year we managed to have "parties" together. This is the wedding reception of sister Aishah and her new husband Fuad. Aminah met her students at the party

This is Liza (blue khammarah). She owns a halal restaurant in Launceston. Probably the only halal restaurant n the city. She knew a lot of Malaysian students and she is pretty much

the focal point for me for these kind of gatherings. Me and the bride

Lydia (my curry mentor and other Malaysian food also, she does catering and if I need some "pulut serimuka" or "ketayap" or etc... I call Lydia [Malaysian-kiwi-aussie]. Shiren (in green sari) - my good mate from India, my reference for Indian cooking.

This is what's left of chicken briyani that Lydia cooked

"Gulab Jamun" from Shiren

This is a $200 wedding cake!!!

More from Narawntapu

Narawntapu is an aboriginal word that means "come eat and poo" ---- joking.... hehehehe

They used to call this place "Asbestos Range" -

We didn't have time to walk around the lagoon or hike up to one of the peak because we had to go to a wedding reception earlier that day.

Narawntapu - Must come here again and explore

Narawntapu is nicked name the Serengeti of Tasmania. Lots of birds species and other wild animals roaming this area. I was trying to capture the big kangaroos running away from us.
(I need more powerful camera like Intan's)

Forrester kangaroo or eastern grey kangaroo is the largest found in Tassie and only two places. Narawntapu and Mt William National Parks. The ones we normally saw (as road kill or in the bush) are smaller ones (wallabies)

Yes, lots of wombats in Narawntapu - they comes out even in broad day light.

I managed to capture these 'wild lives' called little addicoats... running on the beach!

Aminah did work here as a ranger for about 6 weeks at the end of 2004, but we never came because I was too pregnant with Orion then. I was scared I might have the baby in the middle of no where. Yes we had the whole beach to ourselves and a wombat! Must come here again... camping maybe???