Baking: 2nd Attempt; Brazilian Cheese Puffs - Pao De Queijo

The last time I made my Pao De Queijo I used the Gold Medal All Purpose Flour because I didn't have any tapioca flour. It turned out pretty good but it missed the puffiness. This time I baked some using tapioca flour and it turned out perfect!  


Ingredients:

1 cup of milk/water

1/2 cup of butter

1 tsp salt

2 cups of tapioca flour

1 cup powder Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

Method:

1. Boil milk/water, butter and salt. Set aside.

2. Slowly add tapioca flour then cheese to the mix. Keep mixing it until a dough is formed. Add the 2 eggs in and mix it thoroughly. Make small balls. 

3. Preheat your oven to 300-350F and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Note: When you mix tapioca to the boiling milk/water, it will form a gooey dough that looks pretty much like glue. Don't worry about the look. Keep mixing until the dough is formed. 

Martabak-part II

On my first post on Martabak, I introduced the meat/savory recipe. If you missed it, please click here. This time I am introducing the sweet one. It is pretty much like a pancake, only it is Indonesian style. I call it Indonesian Sweet Pancake.


Ingredients:

4.5 cups of flour 
2 eggs
0.5 cup of sugar 
3 cups of milk
1 tsp baking powder
a dash of vanilla
a dash of salt
1tsp of baking soda


Extra Ingredients:
Chocolate sprinkles/ chocolate syrup
Condensed milk
Finely grated roast peanuts


Method:
1. Mix all ingredients but baking soda and the extras. Set aside and let it sit for about 45 minutes to an hour.

2. When you are ready to cook, add baking soda to the dough and heat a little margarine/butter on a non-stick pan on a low heat. Add a ladle or 2 to the pan, enough to fill 1/3 of it or to cover your pan. You don't want too much dough on the pan because baking soda helps rises the dough. The thicker the dough, the harder it is to cook without burning the bottom of your sweet pancake. 


3. Wait until bubbles are formed, add a little sugar if you want it to be sweeter and cover the pan. 


4. Check regularly until your dough is dry. Brush a little margarine/butter, add the extra ingredients and your sweet pancake is ready to be served.

No Child Left Behind Act

This act was first proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office in 2001 and it is about time to reform this act! Obama was spot on when he announced the plan to reform the act earlier this year. It is no secret that America is falling behind in lots of aspects, especially in Education. According to the blueprint for reform, 10 countries have passed America in college completion and I personally think that this is an embarrassing fact for a country who once claimed to be the greatest.

I come from Indonesia, a third world country, whose ongoing issues include poverty, education and unemployment. Having spent years in third, second and first world countries, I know what it is like to have the majority of the population uneducated. People are narrow minded, easily provoked and they believe in everything. There is no discernment because they simply do not know how and what to discern. 

It aggravates me when I hear Rick Santorum comment on the act. Quoting from Washington Wire, dated January 7, 2012, Santorum said “They’re not ready to go to [college.] They don’t want to go to college. They don’t need to go to college. I was so outraged that the President of the United States [said] every student should go to college.”

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against homeschooling. I believe every kid has to be pushed to reach their potential and go to college, or at least to vocational schools. Yes, I said... PUSHED! Some people are naturally lazy. With no incentive and stimulation, some people will be happy being just a mediocre - which is not good enough to be the greatest. Imagine a country built on mediocre people and compare it to a country built on knowledge thirsty, skillful and thriving people. Who do you think will be better? Of course, the education system in America has to improve too. America has lots of potential, lots of great colleges at its disposal. It is just a shame to not utilize them.

I came across an essay on the time management, written by Manish Rajkoomar that reads: People, who made effective usage of time at their disposal, got the best from time. But those who forgot the value of time found to their utter dismay that it was harsh on them later. And on the next paragraph he wrote: Time can be spent wisely or foolishly. The choice is ours and so are its consequences.

Read that quote again and change the word "time" to "knowledge!"

Sources:

1. http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/blueprint/publication_pg2.html#part2
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html
3. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/01/07/santorum-all-students-shouldnt-be-pushed-to-go-to-college/ 
4. http://www.publishyourarticles.org/knowledge-hub/essay/an-essay-on-the-time-management.html

Auxiliary at Florida Fish Memorial Hospital

Since Jan 24, I am officially an auxiliary at the Ambulatory Services Clinic, Florida Fish Memorial Hospital or AMSURG as they call it. Even though this job pays me nothing, it gives me the chance to meet new people, make new friends and network. And if I don't end up working at the hospital, at least I could use this experience as a reference. So... YAY for my first work experience in the States!

Honestly speaking, working in a hospital gives me the shivers. Let's admit it, no body wants to hear an "Oops" in a hospital. And AMSURG deals with pre-op, operation and recovery for out-patient and in-patient, so you can imagine how nervous I could be on my first day. Even though I knew I would only be assisting the receptionist, a wrong click in the computer could lead to fatality.  But thank heaven, my first day was not bad at all. It was quite the opposite. And I sure was thankful for a quiet Tuesday and a nice receptionist who taught me everything I needed to know to start with.

My schedule is 3 days a week, Monday to Wednesday, 8 to 4. And for now, all I have to do is check in pre-op and surgery patients, answer phone calls, update family members on the surgery's result and prepare some charts.

I've got the feeling that this is the start of something good - a wonderful and a fruitful year!

4 Perkara!

Terkadang kita terburu - buru memvonis dan melukai perasaan orang yang ada di hadapan kita. Namun hendaklah kita ingat, ada 4 perkara yang kalau sudah terjadi tidak bisa diperbaiki:

1. Tidak mungkin kita menarik kembali batu yang kita jatuhkan atau terjatuh atau terlempar.

2. Tidak mungkin kita menarik kembali kosa kata atau kalimat yang telah kita ucapkan.

3. Tidak mungkin kita menarik kembali peluang yang terlah berlalu dan hilang.

4. Tidak mungkin kita mengambil kembali waktu, umur dan masa muda yang telah berlalu.

Oleh karena itu kenalilah dan ketahuilah dengan baik bagaimana kita harus bertindak dalam 4 hal ini!

Jangan sia - siakan peliang baik yang ada di hadapanmu!

Jangan terburu - buru memvonis orang lain!

* All credit goes to my friend Salina R. Thanks for sharing, dear! *

Operasi Rahang

Jadi ingat kata seorang teman yang selalu nyeletuk "Operasi Rahang" sewaktu ada teman lain yang asal bicara, entah itu merendahkan orang lain atau bergosip ria; katanya: "Operasi Rahang! Ganti aja ama rahang si guk guk sana!"
Memang benar sepertinya, lebih baik ganti rahang... entah dengan rahang apa atau dengan rahang siapa, yang penting berhenti dari kebiasaan asal bicara. Maaf kalo perkataan ini terhitung kasar. Tapi saya tidak bisa menyangkal kalo saya setuju sekali dengan perkataannya. Rahang si guk guk biasanya dipakai, selain untuk makan dan minum, ya... untuk menggonggong bukan hal lainnya. 
Yuk refleksi diri...

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.Watch your words, for they become actions.Watch your actions, for they become habits.Watch your habits, for they become character.Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. 

Author Unknown

Terjadilah Menurut Perkataanmu!

"Linda...sombong yah... ke rumahku ga mau, ke rumahnya mau. Rumahku jelek yah." 

"Linda... sudah banyak teman yah sekarang, lupa yah sama aku..."

Halaaah...dangdut banget sih. Rasanya ingin ku jawab "Iya, memang Linda itu sombong. Berteman pilih - pilih, apalagi kalo sudah banyak teman baru, yang lama lupa."

Dua kalimat yang tidak masuk akal dan yang belum pernah aku dengar sampai beberapa bulan terakhir. Kalo ditelaah, sebenarnya berteman itu dengan si tuan rumah, atau dengan rumahnya? Dan lagi... lupa? teman - teman dari SD dulu pun aku masih ingat. Memang mungkin tidak sering berbincang di forum media sosial atau melalui telefon, tetapi tidak dilupakan. 

Jadi kalo memang ada yang beranggapan seperti dua kalimat di atas... yah dari lubuk hatiku terdalam aku ucapakan... "Biarlah terjadi menurut perkataanmu!" 

SAMPAH!

Dari beberapa hal yang sulit dicari, mungkin teman atau sahabat adalah salah satu dari beberapa hal tersebut. Ada yang bilang "Lin, berteman jangan pilih - pilih, siapa tahu nanti kamu butuh bantuannya". Ada juga yang bilang "Kalau mau maju dan berkembang, kamu harus berada di lingkungan orang - orang yang sependapat". Yang mana yang benar... terserah anda yang menilai. 

Saya pribadi cenderung memilih untuk berada di lingkungan orang yang mau maju dan berkembang dengan alasan mereka yang mau maju tidak punya (atau mungkin punya sedikit) waktu untuk bergosip atau bahkan menjelekkan orang lain. Bahasan - bahasan atau topik topik yang dibicarakan sifatnya akan lebih membangun daripada menjatuhkan. Hidup ini TERLALU singkat. Masih banyak yang bisa dipelajari, masih banyak potensi diri yang bisa digali dan dibina. Omongan - omongan SAMPAH seperti bergosip atau menjelekkan orang lain rasanya tidak membangun potensi dari segi mana pun. Kalau dipikir, apa sih untungnya menghabiskan waktu bergosip, entah itu menyebarkan atau mendengarkan..., yang ada nantinya meracuni diri sendiri dengan hal - hal yang belum tentu benar adanya. 

Berdasarkan renungan di atas, saya menolak mendengarkan celotehan SAMPAH! 

Happy New Year!

It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future, and impossible to live in the past. Nothing is as far away as one minute ago. ~ Jim Bishop

Let's live 2012 to the fullest, friends. Make every second count! 

And if anyone asked me what my new year's resolution is, it'd be: to tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time. ~ James Agate.