Wonderful Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girls

January has kept me busy even from the first weeks.
How about you?

one sunny, but cold morning in Astoria

Still cold and freezing, but NYC is way much better than previous weeks with some sunny , although most of us at home were down with cold. Thanks to Nadine who got the virus from school, my hubby and I were pretty much staying at home taking some home remedies during the weekend to combat those blocked nose and headache :).

But we surely have fun with friends and family, including watching Waitress on broadway with 7 others female friends (and boss) from my Mission :). I will write more about this play on my next post :).

so many great shows waiting for me :)

It was indeed fun and refreshing! 

Meanwhile, the UN continues with all those back-to-back meetings and discussion on various cross-cutting issues. So, hangin' there, Indah :)

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But now....I just can't wait to invite you to our weekly linky party.

Ready to have fun with all the links filled with great recipes, DIY, and more tips et tricks for everyday life.

“Welcome to Oh My Heartsie Girls “Wonderful Wednesday’s"

This week we start a new year, this is our 2nd Oh My Heartsie Girls “Wonderful” Wednesday’ Linky Party in 2017 and enjoy sharing features for your great blogs that linked up with us from last week's party.

We're happy to have you join us to share what you have going on in your world!! Through the month of January I will share a word of Kindness

❢:Be Notified When This Party Starts Each Week Click Here Unsubscribe Anytime:❢

We Hope While You Party With Us, You will follow our Hostesses!

 

Painting Your Kitchen Backsplash (Pin To Your Favorite Board)

♥Christine Mello |Light And Savvy // Painting Your Tile Backsplash Tw | In | FB | Pin

A Table Makeover (Pin To Your Favorite Board)

♥ Evija Roberts | From Evija With Love // A Table Makeover | Tw | Bl | G+ | Fb | Pin | In

Arem Arem Stuffed (Pin To Your Favorite Board) ♥ Indah Nuria Savitri | My Purple World // Arem Arem Indonesian Stuffed | Tw | Fb | Pin | In

Frugal Valentines Ideas (Pin To Your Favorite Board)

♥ Donna Wirthlin | Two Chicks and a Mom // Frugal Valentines Ideas |Tw | Bl | Fb | Pin | In

Online Summit (Pin To Your Favorite Board) ♥ Susan Mead | Susan B Mead // Online Summit | Tw | Bl | Fb | In | Pin

 

Day Cruises (Re Pin It To Share)

♥ Karren | Oh My Heartsie Girl // 5 Reasons For Day Cruises Tw | BL | G+ | FB | Pin | In 

 

Feature Chosen By Christine // Light and Savvy My Life From Home // Simple-Winter Decorating-for-Winter-Mantels (Pin To Your Favorite Board)  

Feature Chosen By Karren//Oh My Heartsie Girl Simply Stacie // Easy Taco Soup Recipe (Pin To Your Favorite Board) 

 

Feature Chosen By Susan // Susan B Mead Clean-and-Scentsible // How-To-Organize-Kitchen-Cabinets (Pin To Your Favorite Board)

 

Feature Chosen by Donna // Two Chicks and a Mom Lou Lou Girls // Free Valentines Printables (Pin To Your Favorite Board) 

 

Feature Chosen by Indah // My Purple World The Real Coake Family // Pom Pom Bedskirt (Pin To Your Favorite Board)

 

Feature Chosen by Evija // From Evija With Love Keeping It Real // How To Make Your Own Kitchen Towels (Pin To Your Favorite Board)

 

But Now.....Open for a Week Comments Are Appreciated after Linking Up!!

Let us know that you are following us so we can do the same! You Are Welcome To Link your DIY Projects, Tablescapes, Garden Ideas, Recipes, Reviews, Giveaways or Challenges, As many as you like. Tweet Our Party To Help Us Grow! And Thank you!

If you missed our party last week you can check it out Here 1/9/2016

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Join Us Thursdays at 11:00 AM Each Week

But Now..
LETS PARTY!

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Arem-arem, Indonesian stuffed coconut rice-roll

When I decided to write this recipe, I spent some time trying to look for the right translation for arem-arem.
Yes, arem-arem.

It started two weeks ago, in one of the meetings at my office, when we had those traditional Indonesian snacks. Pisang goreng and arem-arem.

Then my mind took me to my younger days, back to Lampung, my beloved hometown.
We used to go to one of the islands along Lampung Bay and spent the entire day playing around on those white sandy beaches and crystal-clear water.
Obviously, we had to bring enough food and drink for our excursions because there was nothing, let alone the restaurants or mini markets, on those islands.
And guess what...one of the most favorite snacks we had is arem-arem.
Made from scratch by my late grandma or my mom, and we all devoured it while it was still nicely warm. My heart aches with memories as I write this :).

Dan arem-arem pun berhasil membuat saya jadi sendu.
Bukan seneng duit lho #walaupunsebenernyaiyajugasih.
Inget jaman masih kecil dulu, setiap mau menyebrang ke salah satu pulau di Teluk Lampung,selalu berbekal nasi uduk dan teman-temannya plus arem-arem, lemper dan/atau pisang goreng.
Jadi inget dengan almarhum Nenek Ewet, panggilan kesayangan kami untuk nenek dari pihak mama, yang paling hobi buat arem-arem untuk cucu-cucunya yang kadang sudah menghabiskan arem-aremnya di mobil, jauh sebelum sampai di kapal dan menyebrang.
Dan kali ini, saya mau berbagi resep cemilan (berat) kesayangan penuh nostalgia ini.

It's rather nostalgic for me to write and share the recipe of arem-arem. 
But hey, that's the beauty of it, right.
Every food has its wonderful story.

Arem-arem is basically a stuffed rice roll, wrapped in banana leaves.
It can be stuffed with veggies, mince beef or chicken. Or simply anything you like that goes well with the rice. To make the rice even tastier, we add coconut milk, lemon grass, bay leaves and salt to the rice, before stuff it with the filling and steam it.  

So, there are three steps to prepare arem-arem. Firstly, we prepare the fillings, then precook the rice, and finally stuff the rolls and steam them.

Now let's start with the ingredients

For the filling:

It's absolutely up to you but I love a combination of veggies and mince beef.

Minced beef - 2 lbs
Carrots - 2 pieces, cut into small cubes
Potatoes - 2 pieces, peeled and cut into small cubes
Green onion - 2 pieces, finely sliced
Shallots - 2 pieces, finely sliced
Garlics - 3 pieces, finely sliced or smashed
Salt, sugar and pepper - as desired
Nutmeg powder - as desired
Vegetable oil - 2 spoonful

For the precooked rice:

Rice, preferably the jasmine rice - 3 lbs
Coconut milk - 2 cans
Lemon grass - 3 pieces
Bay leaves - 8 - 10 pieces
Salt and sugar - as desired

You well need banana leaves for wrappings . If it's a bit complicated to have one, aluminum foil will do the trick.

How to cook:

First, we prepare the fillings. It's basically veggie and minced beef sauté, so prepare the pan, put the oil and cook the shallots, onion and garlic. Once it smells great and cooked, put the minced beef and potatoes then cook it for 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and a bit of sugar as desired. Add carrots and continue to cook it. Finally, add the green onion and set it aside.

Let's now get the rice ready. Prepare the cleaned rice and add water, coconut milk, lemon grass, bay leaves all together. Cook it in pot in low fire and don't forget to stir it occasionally to avoid overcooking. Once all the liquid is all absorbed by the rice, it will be precooked and damp.

Then the next step will be stuffing the rice and roll it. Cut the banana leaves, cleaned before, into rectangle and spread one scope of rice, spread it with spoon, then add a half spoon of fillings. Add another scope of rice and roll it into a long rectangle shape. You can insert one fresh chili if you like. Once it's cooked, it won't be that hot. But I prefer to eat the chili fresh on the side.

Once all the wrapped rice rolls are ready, steam them for about 15-20 minutes.

steam it for 15-20 minutes

Once it's ready, the rice and its stuffing will be deliciously blended and you can enjoy it with fresh chili or sambal, as desired.  Eat it while it's hot or warm and enjooooy.

pair it with fresh chili

I'll be back with more Indonesian food recipes and till then, bon appetit!

Meet My Writer-buddy, Diah Dwi Arti

Pernah punya cita-cita menjadi penulis?
Atau malah sudah berhasil menjadi penulis dan menerbitkan buku?
Saya juga pengen, malah punya keinginan untuk menulis serius dan menggelontorkan buku karya sendiri yang benar-benar saya suka. Tapi sampai sekarang, masih banyak alasaaaan yang menghalangi saya memenuhi keinginan yang satu ini. 
Mulai dari waktu yang terbatas (tapi untuk mantengin sale dan online shop masih bisa >_<), distraksi, sampai pekerjaan kantor yang hobi banget 'mampir' macam abang bakso kesayangan di kompleks kami dulu.

Walhasil, saya mencari akal dengan mencoba membuat tulisan pendek dan mengikuti kontes blog yang salah satu hadiahnya adalah menerbitkan hasil tulisan kita dalam sebuh buku. Dan di salah satu kontes inilah saya pertama kali kenal mba Diah Dwi Arti.

Time to meet my writer-buddy, Diah Dwi Arti.

Continuing our 'arisan blog', or our blog-hoping and linky party, this time I get a chance to introduce my dear friend, Diah, a mom of two, Damar and Darojat.

Two precious children whose names are shortened to be her famous blog, damarojat.com.

As I previously mentioned above, we 'met' firstly in Pakdhe Abdul Cholik's contest about mother. Both of our stories, together with many others, were published in the same book titile Hati Seluas Samudera. We both talked about how deeply thankful we all are to our moms. For me who have spent so much time away from my mom, it felt like pouring my heart out missing her :).

photo was taken from https://jampang.wordpress.com/tag/buku-hati-ibu-seluas-samudera/

But, back to damarojat.com, on her blog, she talks a lot things that matter to her family and her readers.
I truly enjoy reading her piece on kids and everything around them. 
And she also writes a lot about her travel with her kids and family, including the most recent trip to Madiun to try 'river-tubing'. It certainly looks fun and feels like I want to try it as well!

Her personal touch is her signature, as she shares many aspects of her personal life without patronizing. We can surely take some lessons of life from her reflection on many simple but meaningful things. One recent post that she wrote was about her cat, which, sadly, has died not too long ago. Here she wrote about how cats and kittens teach us to be patient and compassion towards others. She also once shared about blogging, the trend of social media and what will happen afterwards! There are some vantage points for us all here.


All those stories are just simply flowing and full of good messages as well as points to ponder.

Not to mention her other books and anthology! 
She won some blog contests, wrote for rockingmama.co.id, contributed to indonesianfolktales.com, and so many more!
I really envy her and I hope I can follow her path in blogging and writing.

a glimpse of damarojat.com

Although most of her posts are in Bahasa Indonesia, do you know that she has another website dedicated to her stories in English as well?

Yuuup... go check http://mommysnextstep.blogspot.com and get to know more of Diah Dwi Arti. She also have another blog filled with her fictions called  hari-hari fiksi and one in Javanese, the traditional language of Java people. Thumbs up, Mba Diah :). You surely are serious in blogging and preserving Indonesian intangible heritages like traditional language and folktales.

Check out her other social media platforms:
Twitter: @diahdwiarti
Instagram: @diahdwiarti
Facebook: Diah Dwi Arti
Youtube: Diah Dwi Arti

Ini yang saya suka dari arisan blog. Kita akan selalu belajar mengenai hal baru dan mendapat inspirasi dari teman-teman di dunia blogging.

Keep up the great works and hope to see you soon, mba :)

Astoria Park in January

One snowy day is all it needs to get us out and have fun!
NYC has been bombarded by snow lately, although it usually is followed by rain so all the pretty white snow is washed away.

But last weekend, we have extra as it started snowing in the middle of the night until around 5 PM! And we all had one thing in mind: Astoria Park!

Last year, we had Jonas storm coming in January and yes, we went out to the same spot and took pictures. I even wrote that we had to do after the storm.

Snowy, windy and cold day apparently did not stop us from heading to Astoria Park, having fun with the snow and taking pictures :). The sky was grey and gloomy but hey, it's the winter sky!

enjoying the cold, kiddos?

So, do enjoy the snow as much as we do as well?

all white and grey, even the sky..

Stay warm, everyone!

Join us on Skywatch Friday and get lost with the  sky from all over the world

WW: More snow in 2017

Winter is definitely still here :) 

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And the last 2 weekends, NYC was blessed with snow!
Look who's having fun indeed :)

she wanted to clean the car!

out to the park :)

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Wonderful Wednesday with Oh My Heartsie Girls

This week has been a melange of everything!
Mini snow storm, (unsurprisingly) back-to-back meetings, a lot of reports and brainstorming, doctors' visit and more.
But for sure the kids are enjoying the snow!

cute snow gear :)

And it was also a packed week with birthday parties, great food and cuddling time :).

Obi has some parties to attend at the beginning of the year and it was good to meet some friends after the winter break. They had a break for about a week.

Happy happy birthday Salmaaa :)

And it was time for my annual check up with the oncologist! 2 and a half years after my mastectomy and all the procedures that I have to go through, I have to make sure that I keep myself fit and clean from cancer cell! Wish me luck :)

Stay healthy, people...

But now...let's have fun because it's definitely time for a party!

Yuuup...our weekly linky party indeed. The second one in 2017!

 “Welcome to Oh My Heartsie Girls “Wonderful Wednesday’s"

This week we start a new year, this is our 2nd Oh My Heartsie Girls “Wonderful” Wednesday’ Linky Party in 2017 and it is our purpose to feature for you some great blogs that linked up with us from last week's party.

We're happy to have you join us to share what you have going on in your world!! Through the month of January I will share a word of Kindness

Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house... kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness. ~ Mother Teresa

❢:Be Notified When This Party Starts Each Week Click Here Unsubscribe Anytime:❢ But Now.....Let's Party!!….Party Linky

We Hope While You Party With Us, You will follow our Hostesses!

[Tweet "#TuesdayMotivation Its Time To Linkup Your Latest DIY Projects, Recipes and More #OMHGWW"]

 

DIY Vintage Herb Garden (Pin To Share)

♥Christine Mello |Light And Savvy //DIY Vintage Herb Garden Tw | In | FB | Pin

Top 15 Posts 2016 (Pin To Share)

♥ Evija Roberts | From Evija With Love // Top 15 Posts 2016 | Tw | Bl | G+ | Fb | Pin | In

 

Thank You 2016 (Pin To Share) ♥ Indah Nuria Savitri | My Purple World // Thank You 2016 | Tw | Fb | Pin | In  

Nautical Dresser (Re Pin It To Share)

♥ Donna Wirthlin | Two Chicks and a Mom // Nautical Dresser |Tw | Bl | Fb | Pin | In

 

12 Wonderful Desserts and Ideas For Valentines (Re Pin It To Share)

♥ Karren | Oh My Heartsie Girl //12 Wonderful Desserts and Ideas For Valentines Tw | BL | G+ | FB | Pin | In

 

Feature Pick by Christine // Light and Savvy This kitchen hack is for storing herbs in the fridge Our Sunday Cafe // Kitchen Hacks (Pin For Sharing)

 

Feature Pick by Indah // My Purple World Put a new spin on pizza night with these fun pinwheel-like pizza dough discs featuring pepperoni, mozzarella, and spinach! Dizzy Busy and Hungry //Pepperoni Twirls Indah (Pin For Sharing) 

 

Feature Pick by Evija //Evija With Love A clever way to reuse old Mason Jar lids turing them into coasters...So many possibilities Refresh Living // Old-Mason-Jar-Lids-Become-DIY-Geometric-Coasters (Pin For Sharing)

 

 

Its January and time for organizing...Clean and Scentsible has some new and fun ways to change things up. Feature Pick by Karren //Oh My Heartsie Girl Clean and Scentsible // The-Household-Organization-Diet-2017 (Pin For Sharing)

 

Valentines is not far off, time to start planning for the next holiday! This is ONE of 15 Valentine Recipes Feature Pick by Oh My Heartsie Girl Dreaming of Leaving //Cherry-Chocolate-Chip-Brownies (Pin For Sharing)

 

But Now.....Open for a Week Comments Are Appreciated after Linking Up!!

Let us know that you are following us so we can do the same! You Are Welcome To Link your DIY Projects, Tablescapes, Garden Ideas, Recipes, Reviews, Giveaways or Challenges, As many as you like. Tweet Our Party To Help Us Grow! And Thank you!

If you missed our party last week you can check it out Here 1/3/2016

❢:Be Notified When Our Parties Start Each Week Click Here Unsubscribe Anytime:❢

 

Join Us Thursdays at 11:00 AM Each Week

But Now......Lets Party.....PARTY LINKY

An InLinkz Link-up