May 2012 | MOST SEARCHED

Grilled Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

I found a huge frozen/boneless Salmon fillet in the supermarket and grabbed it right away without thinking what to do with it. It had been quite some time since the last time I cooked salmon in my kitchen and thought the children will be delighted.

After some votes, I ended up making grilled salmon. There were no majority votes since everyone chose a different style of cooking (bake, pan fried, deep batter fried) and neutral with no preference. So at the end, mummy made the final call..... The outcome was very good and everyone were happy except AlongRiz who is neutral on the outcome because he is not fond of any fish.

This recipe produces lovely golden browned salmon with crispy surface - top & skin. The flesh inside remains juicy if you follow the timing properly. The Lemon Butter Sauce was a discovery for everyone - we were very surprised how well it blends with the fish - also nice as dip for vegetable and potato wedges. I will definitely make this again!

By: Roz@HomeKreation
Source: adapted from here and replaced lime with lemon
Serves: 5 persons (big portion each!)
INGREDIENTS:
5 pieces (~200g each) Salmon Fillet with skin (~1" thick)
5 tbsp Lemon Butter Sauce
Salt & Pepper

LEMON BUTTER SAUCE:
1 large clove Garlic - chopped
¼ cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
6 tbsp Unsalted Butter - melted

1½ tsp finely grated Fresh Lemon Zest (original recipe sprinkle this on fish but I prefer to add to sauce)

- Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth.

- With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

- Add in grated lemon zest.

METHOD:

1. Season salmon all over with salt and pepper.

2. Heat up ridged grill pan with some olive oil.

Grill the salmon, flesh sides down 4 minutes.

Turn fillets over and grill another 4-6 min more until just cooked through.

3. Top each salmon with 1 tablespoon lemon butter sauce.

4. I served the salmon with garlic bread, home-made potato wedges, cucumber & tomatoes.

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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Sekali-sekala tukar selera ke arah menu Western memang best! Terbongkang kekenyangan & rasa sengkak perut.... mungkin sebab perut orang Melayu kat rumah ni dah biasa hadam carbohydrate... bila nak proses protin lembab lah sikit perut tu kot....hehe (Sebeno nya portion yg Along buat tu memang banyak.... 200g fillet memang melebihi had hidangan biasa...).

Sedap sangat salmon yang di panggang garing di luar & juicy di dalam. Sos butter lemon tu pula memang sesuai di makan dgn salmon. Semua ahli keluarga puas-hati kali ni.

Untuk resipi, cuba2lah baca versi BI tu dulu ya... kalau nak BM juga, tolong tinggalkan permintaan di ruangan komen. Along nak tidur awal malam ni sebab esuk nak sambung puasa lagi... dah banyak menaip... tangan pun lenguh... baik turun ke dapur buat supper jap.... selamat malam!

Coal Consumption Falling Fast

Louisa, Kentucky relied on coal to power not just its homes, but also to sustain its residents' livelihoods. Today, though, Eric Lipton of the New York Times reports that many coal towns like Louisa may abandon coal in favor of natural gas. The black, sooty rock has been the subject of costly new pollution laws and environmentalists' scorn, not to mention the surge in natural gas production (spurred on by fracking, a new and effective extraction method) that has drastically depressed gas prices. Michael G. Morris, the Chairman of American Electric Power, is looking to switch production from coal to natural gas, and his decision does not appear to be isolated. In 2008, coal consumption stood at well over 1,000 million short tons, but by 2013, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects just 800 million short tons in consumption per year. Additionally, while coal consisted of 53% of electricity generation by fuel in 1990, the projections for 2013 put that share at just 39%.

Pengat Keladi & Sagu Besar

Just a simple dessert for my breaking-off fast that I made two days ago. Steamed yam & big sago cooked in sweetened coconut broth.... my favourite!

Some tips on how to cooked the big sago:
- Dip dry sago in water for a minute
- Throw into boiling water. Make sure water is 4-5 times of the amount of sago.
- Let it cook until translucent, stir frequently until only tiny white spec of uncooked portion in the middle of sago pearls. .
- Off fire & cover pot for 15 minutes until all fully translucent.
- Rinse under tap water to get rid of excess starch.
- Ready to use.

To cook the sweet broth:
- Add coconut milk, steamed yam, cooked big sago, white/brown sugar, pandan leaf, a pinch of salt in a pot.
- Stir until boiled. Serve warm.
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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Alhamdulillah, selamat berbuka puasa dan menikmati Pengat Keladi dgn Sagu Besar.... suka sangat! Keladi memang kesukaan Along - buat apa pun Along rasa sedap sangat. Along lebih suka pengat campur sagu besar ni di bandingkan sagu yg halus sebab rasa nya yg kenyal2. Kalau puasa memang suka pemanis mulut, lega rasa nya tekak yg pahit..... hehe.

Untuk merebus sagu besar ni kena bersabar sebab mengambil masa yg lama. Along rendam dulu seminit baru di masukkan ke dalam air mendidih supaya lebih cepat masak. Air merebus nya pula mesti 4-5 kali ganda sagu supaya sagu dapat berkembang. Apabila dah hampir jernih, padam api & tutup periuk & biarkan selama 15 minit sehingga jernih sepenuh nya. Bilas dalam tapis dgn air paip untuk menghilangkan kanji berlebihan.

Nak masak pengat nya pula biasa je lah... santan + keladi/sagu yg telah di rebus + gula putih/merah + garam + daun pandan. Masak sehingga mendidih.... siap pun!

Big sago pearls

3 in 4 Americans Feel College is Too Expensive

In a recent survey, the Pew Research Center presented the American public with this statement: "College costs in general are such that most people can afford to pay for a college education." Overwhelmingly, respondents disagreed with the statement. 75% did not agree, and only 22% felt that college costs are affordable. Despite this response, the rapidly rising cost of college tuition has not swayed parents' feelings on the importance of a college education. 94% of parents want their children to go to college, even though 57% of Americans feel that colleges fail to offer students a valuable education that is on par with the high costs. Only 5% of the public feel that college is of "excellent" value to students. Much more respondents fell in the middle-ground, with 77% saying that college was of "only fair" to "good" value. Additionally, though, it seems that college graduates are happy with their decision to enroll. 86% of graduates believe their investment in tuition was beneficial, and American Community Survey data supports this belief. In 2009, the median income for college graduates was $46,931, whereas the median income for those with only a high school diploma was $27,381.

Kiwi Fruit Muffins

There were some kiwi fruits leftover from the office weekly fruit basket, so I promised my office mates to bake them muffins since I have a recipe shared by by my friend Norjanah that I wanted to try.... It was such a lovely muffins - nice smell, soft, fluffy and very moist. Thanks NorJ for sharing a very good recipe - it was so easy to prepare - no beating necessary at all. I did not add any coloring - all natural.

By: Roz@HomeKreation
Makes about 22 muffins
INGREDIENTS:

chopped kiwi

2 cup Flour*
1 tbsp Baking Powder*
1 tsp Baking Soda* (* sifted together)
1 cup Sugar
3 Firm Kiwi Fruit - peeled and finely chopped
2 Eggs^
3/4 cup Oil^
3/4 cup Milk^ (^ combined)

METHOD:
1. Place flour mixture* in a bowl.
Add in sugar & chopped kiwi.
Gently stir in egg mixture^ until just moistened - do not overmix.
Spoon into muffin cups until 2/3 full.

2. Bake 180C for 20 minutes or until golden.
Cool on wire racks.
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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Sedap rupa nya muffin buah Kiwi.... Resepi ni di kongsi oleh sahabat Along, Norjanah. Thank-you NorJ untuk resipi yg amat gebu ni & amat moist - sedap sangat. Along buat ni untuk office-mates sebab ada lebihan buah Kiwi dari pejabat. Semua puji cakap sedap.... tapi cukup2 seorang sebiji jer.... sorry lah tetamu2 tetap tak merasa kali ni ya....hehe.

Along buat ni tak campur pewarna tau... warna asli!

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

Hasil: 22 biji muffin

BAHAN2:

cincang halus

2 cwn Tepung Gandum*

1 sb Baking Powder*
1 st Baking Soda* (* ayak sekali)

1 cwn Gula Halus
3 biji Buah Kiwi - kupas & cincang halus

2 bj Telur^
3/4 cwn Minyak^
3/4 cwn Susu^ (^ campurkan)

CARA2:

1. Letakkan bahan2 campuran tepung* ke dlm mangkuk.

Masukkan gula & kiwi cincang.

Dgn perlahan2, campurkan campuran telur^ sehingga rata - jangan terlebih kacau.

Sudukan ke dlm cawan kertas sehingga 2/3 penuh.

2. Bakar 180C, 20 minutes sehingga keperangan.

Sejukkan di atas radai.

Chicken in Tomato Stew

I wanted to cook something out of the ordinary way and yet easy to prepare. Here what I came out with... just stew everything & turned-out delicious as commented by my sons.

By: Roz@HomeKreation
Serves: 5 person
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Chicken - cut
2" Ginger*
3 cloves Garlic* (* pounded)
3 tbsp Chili Paste
1/2 cup Tomato puree
1 big Onion - sliced
Celery - chopped
Salt & Sugar

METHOD:
1. Heat up 3 tbsp oil & stir fry pounded ingredients* until fragrant.
Add in chili paste & stir fry until fragrant.
Pour in tomato puree & 1/2 cup water.
Transfer into a slow cooker, add chicken, salt & sugar.
2. Let it cook until ready.
Add in onion & celey in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Ini masakan mengikut selera semasa... nak senang lah tu....

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

Cukup utk 5 org

BAHAN2:

1/2 ekor Ayam - potong2

2" Halia*

3 ulas Bwg Putih* (* tumbuk)

3 sb Cili Mesin

1/2 cwn Tomato puree

1 bj Bwg Besar - hiris

Celery - potong kecil

Garam & Gula

CARA2:

1. Panaskan 3 sb minyak & tumis bhn tumbuk* sehingga wangi.
Masukkan cili mesin & kacau sehingga garing.
Masukkan tomato puri & 1/2 cwn air.
Masukkan kesemua bahan ke dlm slow cooker.

2. Biarkan sehingga masak.

Masukkan bwg besar & celeri di akhir 10 minit masakan.

Apam Dot-Dot II (Steamed Polka-Dot Muffins II)

This time I tried another version of Apam Polka-Dot recipe in order to compare with the one I tried earlier. The result was very satisfactory and equally soft and light despite using only plain flour. My earlier version was here & here.

By: Roz@HomeKreation
Original Source: MR_LilydValley
Introduced by: Hana
Source: Nuri (I followed her modified version)
Translated into English & simplified for own convenience.
Makes > 100 tiny pieces
INGREDIENTS A:
3 Grade B Eggs (chilled overnight)
200g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Ovalet

INGREDIENTS B:
3/4 cup Low fat Milk
255g Plain Flour*
1 tsp Baking Powder* (* sifted together)

METHOD:
1. Whisk ingredients A until thick.
Add in milk gradually & beat well after each addition.
Add in flour while running the mixer with slow speed until well mixed.

2. Divide & color the batter as you preferred.
Pipe 1/2 full into paper cup, place your favourite filling (e.g. coconut/jam/red bean paste) and top with batter until 3/4 full.
Finally, make colorful dots pattern on top.

3. Steam15min with medium fire.
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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Saja2 nak cuba resepi Apam Dot2 yg ini pula, untuk party birthday Liana hari tu. Gambo pun kelabu jer & tak cun sebab tak sempat nak tonggeng2 snap gambo pd hari tu sibuk melayan tetamu jer. Ni pun nasib ler ada sekeping gambo yg AngahRuz accidentally snap hari tu... Along crop nak focus kat apam tu... tulah kelabu jer... Cik Tie pun ada pot luck Apam Dot2 untuk Along versi Lady Bugs & Angry Birds... sayang tak ada pun Mr Cameraman kita snap gambo makanan hari tu.

TQ kepada semua nama2 di bawah yg menyumbang resepi & idea.

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

Original Source: MR_LilydValley

Di perkenalkan oleh besan ku: Hana

Source: Nuri (Along ikut resepi yg Nuri dah modified, memang lembut gebu & sedang manis nya)

Recipe di taip semula utk mudah rujuk sendiri & Along short-cut cuma sejukkan telur tapi tetap gebusy! Rujuk kat link untuk cara asal.

Menghasilkan >100 biji comel

BAHAN2 A:

3 biji Telur Gred B (yg telah di sejukkan)

200g Gula Halus (resepi asal 220g)

1 tsp Ovalet
BAHAN2 B:
3/4 cwn Susu Segar Rendah Lemak (resepi asal 150g)
255g Tepung Gandum* (resepi asal 275g)

1 tsp Baking Powder* (* Ayak sekali)

CARA2:

1. Pukul bahan2 A sehingga pekat.

Masukkan susu sedikit demi sedikit dan pukul sebati setiap kali susu dimasukkan.

Masukkan tepung sedikit demi sedikit sambil di pukul dgn kelajuan perlahan.

2. Bahagikan adunan & warnakan sesuka hati & masukkan ke dlm piping bag.

Isikan mangkuk kertas separuh penuh, letakkan inti kesukaan anda (kelapa/redbean paste/jem).

Penuhkan sehingga 3/4 penuh.

Corakkan dot2.

3. Kukus 15min dgn api sederhana.

Try Doing One Thing at a Time

Virgil Carter

Are you feeling overworked and overscheduled in our multi-tasking world? Have you gotten to the point where “multi-tasking” is not a positive term? Writer Tony Schwartz describes this situation in a recent Harvard Business Review blog network article, “The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time”.

“Why is it that between 25% and 50% of people report feeling overwhelmed or burned out at work?” he questions. “It's not just the number of hours we're working, but also the fact that we spend too many continuous hours juggling too many things at the same time.”

With great perception Schwartz notes, “What we've lost, above all, are stopping points, finish lines and boundaries. Technology has blurred them beyond recognition. Wherever we go, our work follows us, on our digital devices, ever insistent and intrusive. It's like an itch we can't resist scratching, even though scratching invariably makes it worse.”

But there’s even greater effect on our human resources. Norris goes on to point out, “But most insidiously, it's because if you're always doing something, you're relentlessly burning down your available reservoir of energy over the course of every day, so you have less available with every passing hour.”

So what can we do? And what steps can our organizations take to support higher productivity and more innovative thinking? Norris suggests three policies worth promoting:

·
Do the most important thing first in the morning, preferably without interruption, for 60 to 90 minutes, with a clear start and stop time. If possible, work in a private space during this period, or with sound-reducing earphones. Finally, resist every impulse to distraction, knowing that you have a designated stopping point. The more absorbed you can get, the more productive you'll be. When you're done, take at least a few minutes to renew.

· Establish regular, scheduled times to think more long term, creatively, or strategically. If you don't, you'll constantly succumb to the tyranny of the urgent. Also, find a different environment in which to do this activity — preferably one that's relaxed and conducive to open-ended thinking.

· Take real and regular vacations. Real means that when you're off, you're truly disconnecting from work. Regular means several times a year if possible, even if some are only two or three days added to a weekend. The research strongly suggests that you'll be far healthier if you take all of your vacation time, and more productive overall.

What’s the lesson learned? It’s to engage in work by being fully engaged for defined periods of time. And when one is renewing one’s energy, really renew. Try doing one thing at a time!

Housing Construction Starts to Rise Slowly

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued its monthly press release on May 16^th regarding residential construction in April. Privately-owned housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 717,000, up 2.6% from March, and up 29.9% from April a year ago. This rate is up only marginally since February 2009, when housing construction hit rock bottom and the annual rate was only 583,000. Before the recession, the housing starts rate was well over 2,000,000. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of building permits, an indicator for future construction, was at 715,000. This rate was down 7% from March, but chalk the decrease up to the volatile apartment category, which dropped 23%. The building permit rate was also 23% above the April 2011 estimate of 578,000.

Serimuka Kacang Merah (Red Bean Glutinous Kuih)

Serimuka with red bean flavoured topping, what a wonderful combo for those who love red beans like me & hubby. I made this last week to serve for high tea during birthday party for Liana.

By: Roz@HomeKreation
Source: Ady Greatsword
Translated into English by HomeKreation
Makes 10" square
BOTTOM LAYER:
500g Glutinous Rice - soak 30 min & drain
400ml Thin Coconut Milk
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Veg Oil

TOP LAYER:
150g Flour
2 tbs Cornflour
100g Red Beans - boiled & blend with 100ml water (I used 150g boiled beans)
500ml Thick Coconut Milk
4 Eggs
200g Sugar
½ tsp Vanilla Essence
½ tsp Salt
Pink Coloring

METHOD:
1. Mix all bottom layer ingredients & place into tin lined with banana leaf.
Steam 30 minutes.
Remove from steamer & press the glutinous rice down to even it.

2. Blend all top layer ingredients, except the red beans, until smooth.
Sieve & mix in blended red beans.
Cook on slow fire until steamed up.
Pour onto bottom layer & steam 1 hour with medium fire until cooked.
(make sure water is pre-boiled)
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BAHASA MALAYSIA VERSION

Kuih yang amat sedap.... TQ Ady kongsikan resepi nya, memang sesuai dgn selera Along & kawan2.

By: AlongRoz@HomeKreation

Source: Ady Greatsword

Resepi di taip semula utk mudah rujuk sendiri

Saiz 10" persegi

LAPISAN BAWAH:

500g Beras Pulut - rendam 30 minit & toskan

400ml Santan Cair
1 ct Garam

2 sb Minyak Masak

LAPISAN ATAS:

150g Tepung Gandum
2 tbs Tepung Jagung
100g Kacang Merah - direbus dan dikisar bersama 100ml air (Along guna 150g kcg yg telah di rebus)
500ml Santan Pekat
4 biji Telur
200g Gula
½ ct Esen Vanilla
½ ct Garam

Sedikit Pewarna Pink

CARA2:

1. Masukkan kesemua bahan2 untuk lapisan bawah ke dlm tin yg di lapik daun pisang.

Kukus 30 minit.

Keluarkan tin dari kukusan dan tekan sedikit supaya padat dan rata.

2. Blend kesemua bahan2 untuk lapisan atas, kecuali kcg merah, sehingga sebati.

Tapis adunan & campurkan kcg merah yg di blend.

Masak diatas api sehingga naik wap.

Tuang adunan keatas pulut tadi & kukus 1 jam dgn api sederhana sehingga masak.

(Pastikan air sudah mendidih).

Why price inflation in developed countries is systematically underestimated

Following several posts in this blog, I've compiled a paper (link to a complete pdf version):

Why price inflation in developed countries is systematically underestimated

Abstract
There is an extensive historical dataset on real GDP per capita prepared by Angus Maddison. This dataset covers the period since 1870 with continuous annual estimates in developed countries. All time series for individual economies have a clear structural break between 1940 and 1950. The behavior before 1940 and after 1950 can be accurately (R2 from 0.7 to 0.99) approximated by linear time trends. The corresponding slopes of regressions lines before and after the break differ by a factor of 4 (Switzerland) to 19 (Spain). We have extrapolated the early trends into the second interval and obtained much lower estimates of real GDP per capita in 2011: from 2.4 (Switzerland) to 5.0 (Japan) times smaller than the current levels. When the current linear trends are extrapolated into the past, they intercept the zero line between 1908 (Switzerland) and 1944 (Japan). There is likely an internal conflict between the estimating procedures before 1940 and after 1950. A reasonable explanation of the discrepancy is that the GDP deflator in developed countries has been highly underestimated since 1950. In the USA, the GDP deflator is underestimated by a factor of 1.4. This is exactly the ratio of the interest rate controlled by the Federal Reserve and the rate of inflation. Hence, the Federal Reserve actually retains its interest rate at the level of true price inflation when corrected for the bias in the GDP deflator.

We have a temple president!

Yesterday, it was announced that the First Presidency has called a temple president and matron for the Brigham City Temple.

Preston James Checketts and his wife, Louise Backman Checketts from Bear River City will be the temple president and matron. Congratulations to them!

Week 96

Another week has come and gone. The weather got cold and rainy again, but I was able to take these photos before the cold front came through.

More fiddling with the caulking around the windows. Someday, I would like to know the story about the windows - why there seemed to be so much work with the flashing, etc.