Play Date

A play date or playdate is an arranged appointment for children to get together for a few hours to play.
Playdates have become the standard for children of many western cultures because the work schedules for busy parents, along with media warnings about leaving children unattended, prevent the kind of play that children of other generations participated in. Playdates are also arranged by destinations that feature child-friendly programs like museums, parks or playgrounds. (Wilkipedia)
Di Amerika, Play date artinya waktu bermain bagi anak, bisa dengan anak sebaya yang laen, dengan nenek/kakek atau bahkan dengan orang tua sendiri. Bermain itu sendiri bisa di rumah dengan aneka mainan, atau pergi ke museum, taman atau arena tempat bermain khusus anak.
My daughter, Grace is a lucky girl, because she has 'playdate' with her grandma at least once in a week, her grandma will pick her up, and they get together at grandma's house, playing for at least two hours. But, everyday she has playdate with me and together the three of us play in the evening after her daddy arrived home.
Grace, anak perempuanku lumayan beruntung, dia punya waktu bermain khusus dengan grandma-nya seminggu sekali, dijemput dan dibawa ke rumah grandma, dan mereka bermain berdua sekitar dua jam-an, lumayan-lhah aku bisa sedikit selonjor kaki, menyeruput teh hangat, kalo tidak dikejar deadline, harus bersihin ini itu (ga ada yang mengharuskan, aku memaksa diriku sendiri untuk bersih bersih, lha kalo nggak siapa coba..?, wong ga ada 'babu'..). Tapi pada dasarnya, Grace punya waktu bermain dengan ortu-nya setiap hari, pagi hari dengan aku most of the time, sore hari dengan 'daddy' nya atau bertiga kita bermain bersama.

Cashew Pesto Pasta

I like the combination of pesto with the cashew since I have it alot from last Christmas, I got this recipe from Rachael Ray Magazine bu I modified it little bit, I skip the tomato because my hubby doesn't like it and I add shrimps. But still very simple and elegant, I love it.

Ingredients:
One 12-ounce box farfalle or macaroni pasta
about 12 pieces big shrimp, peel and divine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 1 Tbs to fry the shrimp
salt and pepper
dash of paprika
2 cup combination flat leaf parsley leaves and spinach
1/4 cup roasted cashews
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1/2 lemon

In a large pot of boiling salted water cook the pasta according to package direction until al dente. Drain, return pasta to the pot and toss with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover to keep warm.
Season shrimps with salt, pepper and dash of paprika. Heat the pan, add 2 Tbs of olive oil, fry the shrimps until turn to pink and set aside.
Using food processor, finely chop the parsley, spinach, cashews, parmesan, garlic and lemon juice. With the machine on, slowly add the remaining 1/4 olive oil and process until smooth;season with salt and pepper.
In a serving bowl, combine the pasta and pesto and shrimps. Serve with more parmesan.

Potato Skin

The inspiration is from T.G.I Friday but I got this recipe from my friend, Santy, from Maryland..Thank you Santy!
Ingredients:
4 medium Russet Potato
1/3 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon fresh snipped chives
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 sliced bacon, cooked and chopped

Pre-heat oven 400F, bake potatoes for one hour. As potatoes are baking, mix the sour cream with chives, covered and place in refrigerator. When potatoes are cool down, make 2 lenghtwise cut through each potato, resulting in three 1/2-1/3 inch. Discard the middle slices or save for mashed potato.
With spoon, scoop some of the potato out of each skin, being sure to leave about 1/4 inch of potato inside the skin.

My Morning Glory..When You Got Kid..!

Grace's playing with
her daddy's old cell phone

Am not talking about the pretty flower named 'morning glory', this is about my sweetie pie, Grace who turned on 2 years and 4 months old on January 1st, 2011. Recently she likes to watch 'Jumanji' movie, again and again, my husband and I thought still okay for her, now that she undertstand not only 'cartoons' but also the not cartoon one, maybe because part of the story is about 'stampede' showing wild animals such as: elephants, rhinoceros, zebras, pelicans who run fastly...she almost open her mouth when she saw this scene. She's been learning about 'animal' from the theme of her bathroom, the books, the zoo that we always visit regularly and also her stuffed animal toys.
Kalo punya anak balita, pagi hari nich..selalu heboh, anak kita, Grace usia 2 tahun 4 bulan pas Januari tanggal 1 kemaren. Akhir akhir ini hobi banget nonton DVD 'Jumanji'...sampe aku yang ikut nonton bosen rasanya. Mungkin karena di filem itu ada rombongan hewan liar macem: gajah, badak, zebra yang lari kencang tabrak sana tabrak sini. Emang sedari bayi, dia udah banyak belajar soal per-hewan-an, kita lebih suka memberi buku soal hewan atau sering ke kebun binatang, bahkan kamar-mandi-nya sengaja aku hias pake gambar hewan, pokoknya enggak nuansa pinky blas...!
My ritual morning when she wakes up, either we play in her room for a while or we go to the living room, she plays by herself then she would turn on tivi to watch kids program, then I go to the kitchen making my morning coffee or tea...which is one of my favorite time before I face the day.