My Busy Saturday...Part 2

As mentioned in my previous post I had a busy, hectic and tiring Saturday and I spent most of my time in the kitchen. Well, we had a small gathering at home on that night. SIL called some friends over for ‘get together’ and makan-makan. For the gathering, I prepared some easy and simple food – Spaghetti Bolognese, Fried Tomyam Vermicelli, Steamed Glutinous Rice (‘Loh Mai Fun’), a Butter Sultana Raisin Cake and red bean soup. SIL made cabbage and chicken salad and fruit rojak (combination of assorted cut fruits/vegetables, sauce and roasted peanuts, pounded). She bought the rojak sauce and crispy crackers to go with it. One of her friends was so kind to get for us some really nice and colourful nyonya kuih, assorted pastries and tarts for desserts.

Here’s how I start my day in the kitchen:-

· Walked into the kitchen around 6a.m., prepared barley drink and soup of the day for Sharlene. It’s my girl’s all-time favorite soup and I love to boil this nutritious soup for her whenever her nanny is not around. Cut 1 each of potato, carrot, onion and tomato and let it boil with one big chunk of meat in the slow cooker. We called it ABC’s soup.

· Soaked 1½ packet of glutinous rice and dried mushrooms, took out a block of butter, peeled and sliced 1 bowl of shallots, fried them and some peanuts. While busy with all these, hubby came down getting ready to go for morning jog with SIL. How I wish I could follow them. *Sigh!*

· I thought of having breakfast before I proceed with the rest but before I could do that, Sharlene came down quietly and she crawled to the kitchen when I was packing the fried shallots and peanuts into bottles for later use. I stopped my chores instantly and brought her upstairs.

· While in the bedroom with her I gave a bottle of sugarless barley drink to her, she had her milk shortly after that, played with toys, sat in her potty and read books at the same time, obediently did her colouring homework, helped her to brush teeth, and changed into day clothes, put her toys away. A while later we left the room and went downstairs.

· By the time we went down my sil already came back from the market with loads of stuff. I had a quick cup of coffee plus 2 slices of buttered wholegrain bread and continued my work in the kitchen. Cooked red bean soup and quickly cut a few deboned chicken thighs, breast meat and prawns, marinated them and kept in the fridge.

· Took out my cake mixer from the storeroom. Weighed all ingredients for the cake and proceeded to mix the items. That was the time my naughty girl came to disturb me when she heard the sound of the mixer. She played with my flour, meddled with my measuring spoons, spooned out the butter and put it into her mouth. I was mixing the ingredients and at the same time persuading and preventing her from touching the things on the table. Despite her interference, I finished the mixing process and shoved the cake pan into the oven.

· Prepared plain oats for Sharlene’s lunch. She took the oats with a bowl of ABCs soup and walloped the carrot, onion and tomato. SIL ‘tar-pau’ some food for lunch. After I had my lunch I took a short break.

· By the time I went inside the kitchen the cake and red bean soup were ready. Next, I prepared the ingredients for spaghetti and cooked the sauce. Then I steamed 2 trays of glutinous rice and lastly, fried 2 packets of tomyam vermicelli and boiled the spaghetti. In between all these, Sharlene came in and out of the kitchen to request for this and that. Once her requests were met, she walked away without fuss.

· It was almost 5.30p.m after I finished my last dish. Before the guests arrive, I bathed Sharlene, took a shower myself, and let her have some food.

So, that was how I spent my Saturday cooking and cooking in the kitchen. Before I go, here are some photos of the food taken by hubby.

Steamed Glutinous Rice

Tomyam Vermicelli

Cabbage and Chicken Salad

Assorted Nyonya Kuih and Tarts