September 2011 | MOST SEARCHED

Week 61 Aerial Photos

Here are some aerial photos that junior took while I was flying the Sonex last Saturday. Unless you are a flyer, you can't hardly imagine how much fun it is to take a sightseeing flight over Brigham City in the evening just as the sun is going down, especially to see the temple under construction. I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed flying around that evening!

Bingka Tapai Ubikayu (Baked Fermented Tapioca)

I imagined a very rich and creamy bingka made of fermented tapioca that I made yesterday..... so that is how I came up with this recipe. No sugar added but sweetened with condensed milk only and not much flour added, producing very creamy bingka resembles the taste of pumpkin cheesecake.... emmmm... I love every bite of it...! My hubby and the two boys like it a lot although they don't fancy the plain fermented tapioca. The ones chilled taste much better (unlike other types of bingka which tend to get harden when chilled).

While having in mind the texture I was looking for, I added slowly to reach the batter consistency. Luckily I measured the ingredients while adding them up slowly, so here is an accurate recipe.

Recipe created by: Roz@HomeKreation
Makes 9" round or 8" square
INGREDIENTS:
500g Mashed Fermented Tapioca (see here)
1 cup Sweetened Creamer / Condensed Milk
1 packet (200ml) Coconut Milk
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
Orange Coloring

METHOD:
1. Mix all ingredients until well mixed.
2. Pour into well greased tin.
3. Bake 180C for 1 hour and top is brown.
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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Satu lagi resipi rekaan HomeKreation berpandukan bayangan selera dan rasa yg di impikan... nasib menjadi seperti yg di idamkan....hehe. Rasa sangat mirip seperti cheesecake labu, jadi sebab tu lah Along warnakan nya oren. Nak lagi sedap, sejukkan dlm petisejuk sebelum di nikmati. Untuk rasa yg lemak berkrim, Along cuma gunakan susu pekat tanpa memasukkan gula walau sedikit pun. Lagi pun rasa lemak susu pekat tu dapat imbangkan rasa masam manis tapai ubikayu. Resipi kat bawah ni Along dah sukatkan untuk anda walaupun pada mula nya Along tambah sedikit2 untuk mendapatkan kepekatan adunan yg di kehendakki.

Resipi di hasilkan oleh: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

Saiz: 9" bulat / 8" persegi

BAHAN2:

500g Tapai Ubikayu yg di lecek halus (tengok sini)

1 cwn Susu Pekat

1 bungkus (200ml) Santan

2 bj Telur

1/2 cwn Tepung Gdm

1/2 st Garam

Pewarna Oren

CARA2:

1. Campurkan kesemua bahan sehingga sebati.

2. Tuangkan ke dlm tin yg di miyakkan.

3. Bakar 180C selama 1 jam dan atas nya garing.

Tapai Ubikayu (Fermented Tapioca)

I have been successful in making Fermented Glutinous Rice (Tapai Pulut), which I have made countless number of times, but have not tried it with tapioca. I have not eaten Fermented Tapioca for few decades that I cannot even recall how it tastes like.... I told my hubby's relative about it and he quickly sent me a gunny of fresh tapioca hoping he could also try it out (he never heard about Tapai Ubikayu because it is not common in Sarawak).

After two days of fermentation, I tested the Tapai and it wasn't as sweet as expected. I put it back to the hidden corner in the store room and tested it out again on 3rd day.... it tasted even worse than the 2nd day with sourish sensation. I felt so frustrated and placed the whole container in a fridge hoping to turn it out into something when I have time later. Quickly I called my sifu (my Emak lah of course) to describe it to her the outcome & she confirmed that I failed.... Today is 4th day and planning to make kuih out of it.... I tasted a piece and to my surprise it turned out sweet...! I was so happy that at last I could enjoy something that I've been craving for long time! The tapioca that I used was a bit matured with lots of fibres otherwise my tapai will taste a lot more better. I will send half of the container back to my hubby's relative this weekend and hope that nothing will change by then.

The recipe I used is quite similar to my Fermented Glutinous Rice. I made it with 4kg tapioca which is 4 times of below recipe.

By: Roz@HomeKreation
INGREDIENTS:
1 kg Fresh Tapioca
1 pc (+/- 15g per piece) Tapai Yeast - ground
2 tbs Sugar

METHOD:
1. Peel & wash tapioca and ensure it is really clean.

Cut into preferred size.
Boil until 3/4 cooked.
Cool completely.

2. Mix sugar & yeast.
Sprinkle into the base of a container.
Arrange tapoca in the container & sprinkle yeast mixture.
Repeat layering tapioca & yeast.

3. Wrap & keep in a dark place for 36 hours.
The tapioca should be soften by then.

Bouquet of flowers that have dried out but still look lovely (gift from a friend recently)

BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Dah lama sangat teringin nak makan tapai ubi... semenjak meninggalkan bangku sekolah dan kampung halaman sampai sekarang tak pernah terjumpa Tapai Ubikayu... (kesian kan...!). Bila sedara hubby makan Tapai Pulut Along yg sangat manis baru2 ni, Along pun cerita lah pasal keenakan Tapai Ubikayu. Terus jer dia hantor seguni ubikayu.

Tak pernah lagi buat Tapai Ubikayu, ini cuba2 nasib jer... boleh baca (siapa yg paham lah) pengalaman menapai ubi yg dlm BI kat atas... tak larat nak ulang cerita dlm BM. Along buat guna resipi yg sama macam buat Tapai Pulut kat sini tapi kurangkan gula. Meh nengok resipi nya:

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

BAHAN2:
1 kg Ubikayu
1 biji (+/- 15g sebiji) Yis Tapai - hancurkan
2 sb Gula

CARA2:
1. Kopek ubikayu & bersihkan sehingga betul2 bersih.

Potong mengikut saiz yg anda suka.

Rebus sehingga 3/4 masak.

Sejukkan sepenuh nya.

2. Campurkan yis & gula.

Taburkan ke atas dasar bekas plastik.

Aturkan ubikayu ke atasnya & ulangi taburan yis & susunan ubikayu sehingga habis.

3. Bungkus bekas plastik dgn kain tebal & simpan di tempat gelap selama 36 jam.
Ubikayu akan jadi lembut bila tapai sudah 'masak'.

Steamed Yogurt Cupcakes (Apam Yogurt)

I still have some leftover yogurt after making the Chocolate Yoghurt Cake the other day. While thinking what to do with it, I saw KakPaty making this blossom Apam Yogurt. I search for the original owner and then found out that there are so many blogger friends who have tried it successfully and original recipe was from Rima (many thanks to Rima for the marvelous recipe, KakPaty and all who shared their beautiful photos).

For info, I was so lazy to take out my steamer pot & simply used a wok to steam the cupcakes.... The water was shallow and hence dried out after each batch - I had to heat up the water for every batch and furthermore I could only steam a small number each time.... fiushhh! The lesson is next time I better use the normal steamer pot.....

By: Roz@HomeKreation
Source: KakPaty
Original recipe by: Rima
Makes 28 pieces
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/3 cup Castor Sugar (HomeKreation: reduced i/o 2 cups)
1 tsp Ovallete
2 cup Flour
1 cup Fresh Thick Yoghurt
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Double Action Baking Powder
1 tsp Cocoa Powder (HomeKreation: I skipped)
1 tsp Chocolate/Pandan Paste

METHOD:
1. Beat all of them together until the batter becomes pale, thick, and the whisk leaves a vivid trail when stirring through the batter.
2. Spare some batter for the chocolate topping (about 5 tbsp), mix it with cocoa powder and chocolate paste.
3. Drop the white batter into cups, then drop a teaspoon of chocolate batter on top of every cup.
4. Steam for 15 mins.
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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Ramai yg dah cuba buat apam ni tapi Along baru terhegeh-hegeh mencuba. Nasib baik gak dapat peluang mencuba sebab sedap banget kuih ni... takda masalah untuk mekar, semua nya tersenyum lebar. Puas hati betul buat ni & anak2 pun cakap sedap.

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

Source: KakPaty

Original recipe by: Rima

Alih bahasa by HomeKreation

Bilangan 28 ketul

BAHAN2:
1 1/3 cwn Gula Kastor (AlongRoz: dah kurangkan drpd 2 cwn sukatan asal)
1 st Ovalet
2 cwn Tepung Gdm
1 cwn Yogurt
2 bj Telur
1/2 st Double Action Baking Powder
1 st Pes Coklat/Pandan

CARA2:
1. Masukkan kesemua bhn ke dlm mangkuk & pukul dgn kuasa tinggi sehingga kembang & pekat.
2. Ambil +/- 5 sb & campurkan dgn pes coklat/pandan.
3. Sudukan adunan kedlm cwn kertas & letakkan sedikit adunan coklat/pandan di tengah nya.
4. Kukus 15 min.

Good time to sell oil futures

In May 2011, we predicted oil (WTI) price to fall to the level of $70 per barrel by the end of 2011. This is a monthly revision for September 2011. We consider the average oil price of $84 per barrel what is equivalent to the producer price index of 244 in September. (Actual estimate will be published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the middle of October.)

Figure 1 compares our prediction with actual oil price in 2011. In August 2011, the predicted price is a bit higher than the measured one. In any case, we expect the price to fall by approximately $5 per month to the level of ~$70 in December 2011. We also expect the price to slowly fall through 2016 and put the uncertainty bounds for the long-term trend in oil price. The level of oil price in 2016 is between $30 and $60 per barrel. These bounds are also shown in Figure 1.

A week ago, when oil price was at ~$79 per barrel, we recommended buying oil futures. The intuition behind this idea was that $79 is approximately $5 below the expected price for September. This is a disequilibrium which should be recovered in the short run. Today, oil price is at the level of ~84. This is the equilibrium level for September. A small hike in oil price is possible during the next few days. However, at a two-week horizon, oil price should fall again. Therefore, I recommend selling now and buying in approximately two weeks or when the price will be around $75. It will grow to the level of ~$82 to $85 in October or November.

Figure 1. Oil price prediction in 2011. The price is expected to fall by $5 per month between June and December 2011. The price level is ~$70 in December 2011. We also show the range of expected price evolution by 2016.

Paul Krugman on the progress of economics

I avoide re-posting any other author in this blog. However, this post (see below in red) from Paul Krugman deserves to be reposted one-to-one becasue I agree with many of his statements on macroeconomics. At the same time, Paul needs to make a step ahead and to look at the principal problem of macroeconomics as a science - the absence of quantitative justification and the direct rejection of empirical proof as the tool of the macroeconomics progress. When one cannot measure the progress of a science in quantitative terms - this progress cannot be seen. Hence, economics has to open itself for a criticism from the broader scientific society before it becomes a second rate sect, which is very close to be the truth.

Does Economics Still Progress?

In a few hours Sylvia Nasar and I will have an on-stage dialogue at the 92nd Street Y, centered around her new book The Grand Pursuit, which offers a set of fascinating portraits of the makers of economics. (Irving Fisher invented the Rolodex?) But as I was reading her book I have to admit that I found myself wondering whether there’s much to celebrate.

I’ve never liked the notion of talking about economic “science” — it’s much too raw and imperfect a discipline to be paired casually with things like chemistry or biology, and in general when someone talks about economics as a science I immediately suspect that I’m hearing someone who doesn’t know that models are only models. Still, when I was younger I firmly believed that economics was a field that progressed over time, that every generation knew more than the generation before.

The question now is whether that’s still true. In 1971 it was clear that economists knew a lot that they hadn’t known in 1931. Is that clear when we compare 2011 with 1971? I think you can actually make the case that in important ways the profession knew more in 1971 than it does now.

I’ve written a lot about the Dark Age of macroeconomics, of the way economists are recapitulating 80-year-old fallacies in the belief that they’re profound insights, because they’re ignorant of the hard-won insights of the past.

What I’d add to that is that at this point it seems to me that many economists aren’t even trying to get at the truth. When I look at a lot of what prominent economists have been writing in response to the ongoing economic crisis, I see no sign of intellectual discomfort, no sense that a disaster their models made no allowance for is troubling them; I see only blithe invention of stories to rationalize the disaster in a way that supports their side of the partisan divide. And no, it’s not symmetric: liberal economists by and large do seem to be genuinely wrestling with what has happened, but conservative economists don’t.

And all this makes me wonder what kind of an enterprise I’ve devoted my life to.

Rising Health Care Costs Felt by Employers

A recent Wall Street Journal article discusses the results of a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health and Research Educational Trust, which found that the average cost of family health-insurance coverage has exceeded $15,000 for the first time. The survey was conducted between January and May 2011 and included 3,184 randomly selected companies. According to the survey, the average annual family premium for this year, $15,073, is a 9% increase from last year's $13,770. Most of the burden of the cost increase is being felt by employers, as employees' average premium contribution is only up 3% from 2010. This is illustrated in the chart from the article (below), which indicates the average annual premiums for family coverage from 2000 to 2011 and the portion contributed by employers and by employees. While the chief executive of Kaiser Family Foundation said that the cause of the increase in employers' premiums was unclear, the article quotes Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Borsch, who speculates that the increases may have been due to the fact that insurers "have been conservative in their pricing, so they have overshot to some degree."

BL cf

Southern Unemployment Rates Among Worst in the Nation

The South, which entered the recession with lower unemployment rates than the nation's other regions, currently has some of the highest rates of joblessness in the nation. A New York Times article reports that the South now has higher rates of unemployment than both the Northeast and the Midwest. Unemployment rates in the South have even surpassed those in the Rust Belt. The Rust Belt, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since before the recession began. Currently, Southern states account for 6 of the 10 states with the highest unemployment rates.

One explanation, for which the article cites the Brookings Institution's analysis, of the shift in regional unemployment rates relative to the rest of the country is that the auto-industry of the Rust Belt may be slightly improving from the hard hit it took at the start of the recession. The plummeting value of homes in the Sun Belt and Western states, on the other hand, have not improved.
JVSF cf

Sambal Jering II

Saw some fresh Jering in the veg market sold for RM2/plate and grabbed one. It has been such a long time since the last consumption....

Makan dgn ikan goreng, tak payah lauk lain....

The previous version was posted here and this time I made it slightly different.

By: Roz@HomeKreation

INGREDIENTS:
1 small plate of Jering
3 Shallots*
1 cm Belachan* (* pounded)
4 tbsp Chilli Paste
1 tsp Tamarind Juice
1 handful Ikan Bilis
1 Big Onion - sliced into thick rings
Salt & Sugar

METHOD:
1. Peel Jering from the outer hard skin as well as the soft inner skin.
Boil until soften, changing the water few times until clear so that it does not stink.
Drain the Jering & slice.

2. Heat up 1 small scoop of oil stir-fry the pounded ingredients & chilli paste until fragrant.
Add in tamarind juice, ikan bilis, salt & sugar.
Cook until almost dried up.

3. Serve with white rice & deep-fried fish.
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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Dah lama tak masak & makan Jering. Dulu ada tunjuk resipi ni kat sini tapi kali ni Along masak lain sedikit.

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

BAHAN2:

1 piring kecil Jering

3 ulas Bwg Merah*

1 cm Belacan* (* tumbuk)

4 sb Cili Mesin

1 st Air Asam Jawa

1 genggam Ikan Bilis

1 bj Bwg Besar - hiris bulat

Garam & Gula

CARA2:

1. Kopek Jering & buang kulit nipis.

Rebus sehingga empuk, salin air beberapa kali supaya hilang bau busuk.

Tapis & hiris2.

2. Panaskan 1 senduk kecil minyak & tumis bhn tumbuk & cili mesin.

Masukkan air asam jawa, ikan bilis, garam & gula.

Masak sehingga hampir kering.

3. Hidangkan dengan nasi putih & ikan goreng.

Most Have Health Insurance

According to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, most Americans had health insurance coverage for all of 2010. A relatively small 16.3% of the population (49.9 million people) did not have coverage; a large majority of 83.7% (256.2 million) did have health insurance coverage for the entire year.

Income was also an important factor; uninsured rates were higher among those in lower income brackets. Households with incomes of less than $25,000 were more than 3 times as likely to be uninsured than members of households with incomes of $75,000 or more.
Racial minorities and individuals born abroad were also more likely to be uninsured. Noncitizens had the highest uninsured rates with 45.1% lacking coverage. Naturalized citizens fared better, with 20% lacking coverage. About 11% of non-Hispanic whites were insured for all of 2010. Racial minorities were not as likely to have coverage; the uninsured rate for Hispanics Asians, and blacks was significantly higher, with 30.7%, 18.1%, and 20.8% lacking coverage, respectively.
JVSF cf

Public Loses Confidence in Congressional Leaders and Ability to Handle Deficit; Republican Leaders Hardest Hit

As debates over deficit reduction approach, the public's confidence in congressional leaders, especially Republican leaders, has decreased. Last May, according to a report published by the Pew Research Center, 47% said they had a great deal or fair amount of confidence in Republican congressional leaders in addressing the government budget deficit. Since May, this percentage of those confident in Republican congressional leaders has sharply decreased to 35%. However, a national survey conducted by the Pew Research center for the People & the Press in mid-September found the public's confidence in Barack Obama's on the same issue to have held relatively steady; currently 52% have a fair amount of confidence in Obama to address the deficit issue, down only slightly from 55% who said the same earlier this year. Democratic congressional leaders have also lost public trust, although not to the same extent as Republicans. Currently, 43% say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in Democratic leaders, down from last May's 51%.

JVSF cf

Pandan Kelupis

I had Kelupis Pandan, for the first time, during a friend's Hari Raya open house. I was amazed when Liana showed her thumb up after her first bite which she never did for any other food (fussy eater). I also enjoyed it although Liana & I shared a piece (I was too full to eat more because that was the second open house on the day).
I kept thinking about it when I got home.... I had loads of Pandan leaves from my backyard and so happened some readily available glutinous rice.... so my project started in the recent weekend by trial and error! After some practices, I managed to wrap the glutinous rice in similar shoe shape... wah, so impressed with myself because it is not easy..... LOL. I don't know how to describe the wrapping method in here because I didn't take any picture of it, may be next time....

I was so happy that I made this because my whole family could also enjoyed it. The whole batch was gone just in one breakfast serving! The whole house was fragrant with Pandan during the steaming process.... enough to make everyone hungry!

By: Roz@HomeKreation
Makes 24 pieces
INGREDIENTS:
500g Glutinous Rice - washed & soaked 2-4 hours
Thick Coconut Milk
Salt
Pandan Leaves - for wrapping

METHOD:

click to enlarge

1. Place glutinous rice in a wok and pour in coconut milk.
The amount of coconut milk is just enough to cover the glutinous rice as shown in the picture (no accurate measurement is necessary - sorry I forgot to measure, may be next time).

click to enlarge

2. Cook the glutinous rice until all the coconut milk is absorbed (see picture).
Note the rice is still uncooked at this stage.

click to enlarge

3. Wrap the glutinous rice in Pandan leaves & tie with nylon string to secure.

4. Steam for 30 minutes until cooked.

5. Serve with Rendang or your favourite dish (e.g. Serunding, curry, etc).

BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Along makan pertama kali waktu rumah terbuka kat rumah kakak angkat tapi sebab terlalu kenyang waktu tu Along makan cuma seketul kongsi dengan Liana. Bila balik rumah teringat2 pulak, jadi cuba2lah buat sendiri.... tak sangka jadi pulak... hubby & anak2 makan sampai tak cukup2... kena buat lagi lah Raya Haji nanti. Best lah buat ni, satu rumah bau harum Pandan.

Pssssst..... Perasan tak Along update ni pukul 2 pagi ..... Dah dua malam Liana meragam malam sebab Abah dia takda, jadi tak dapat nak update blog. Tetiba terbangun lak 2 pagi ni....

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

Jumlah: 24 ketul

BAHAN2:

500g Beras Pulut - basuh & rendam 2-4 jam

Santan Pekat

Garam

Daun Pandan - utk membalut

CARA2:

1. Letak beras pulut ke dlm kuali & tuangkan santan sehingga menutupi.

Along tak sukat pun santan tu, agak2 beras tenggelam macam kat gambar di atas.

2. Masak sehingga kering seperti dalam gambar di atas.
Nota: beras pulut ni masih mentah.

3. Bungkus dengan daun pandan & ikat dgn tali rafia.

4. Kukus 30 min sehingga masak.

5. Hidangkan Pulut Kelupis dgn Rendang atau lauk kegemaran anda (contoh: Serunding, kari, dll).

Are You and Your Organization Looking for Growth?

by Virgil R. Carter

Are you and your non-profit organization looking for growth opportunities? Are you considering globalization? A recent article “Drawing a new road map for growth”, by Sumit Dora, Sven Smit and Patrick Viguerie, published in the McKinsey Quarterly, reports on findings showing how large and small for-profit companies grow. Are there some lessons here for non-profit organizations?

Finding 1: Multiple avenues to growth produces better results in good times and bad.

Organizational growth has three traditional drivers, according to the authors. These are: 1) portfolio momentum, or the market growth of the segments in an organization’s portfolio; 2) mergers and acquisitions; and 3) market share gains. The authors cite their study showing that organizations outperforming their peers on two or three of these drivers grow faster and achieve better returns than organizations that outperform on just one driver. Organizations that fared better in the economic downturn grew in multiple ways.

Finding 2: Organizations in emerging market economies grow faster than those in developed economies.

Organizations in the study from emerging markets are outgrowing competitors from developed markets at a “startling pace”. The wide gap in growth between emerging economy organizations and organizations in developed economies “suggests that companies should ask themselves whether they are paying enough attention to emerging markets and allocating sufficient financial and human resources to them. Chances are the answer is no”.

Finding 3: Smaller companies rely on market share growth and momentum for growth.

Small companies in the author’s study are growing by increasing their market share “to a much greater extent than large companies”. Smaller companies, without the significant share positions in mature markets, usually grow faster than their parent industry or profession, according to the authors, because they “are not constrained by size, and their growth is often based on a new business model they can pursue without fear of cannibalizing revenues.”

For the full article visit: https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Strategy/Growth/Drawing_a_new_road_map_for_growth_2782

Week 61

Friday was a beautiful day to take pictures of the temple. The temple lot is always busy, with contractors working almost everywhere. I just wish I could take a peek inside.