Dutchess' Chicken and Pasta Bake
Labels: one dish meals, pasta, she cooks
Saturday, April 30, 2011
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 8:58 am
One-Pan Skillet Ravioli
Labels: one dish meals, pasta, she cooks
Friday, October 23, 2009
Taken from the Italian Fall/Winter 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications, this recipe is pure comfort food with its rich warm sauce and stringy mozzarella cheese. As if the ravioli wasn't filling enough, we had thick slabs of garlic bread to mop up the leftover gravy too. What can we say, we love our bread and pasta.
One-Pan Skillet Ravioli
What You Need:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 tbsp snipped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 package of refrigerated chicken or cheese filled ravioli
3 cups baby spinach
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grate Asiago cheese
Fresh rosemary for garnishing
What You Do:
Lekker!
Note: If fresh rosemary is not available, 1 tsp of the dried version is a good substitute. Just crush it first to release the flavour. As I couldn't find Asiago cheese in the shops, I replaced it with Pecorino Romano instead.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 8:40 am
Familiar Favourites
Labels: one dish meals, she cooks
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Today I decided to really test my stone-age oven that comes with the apartment. It has the impressive number of one function - supply heat from the top and bottom at various temperatures. No fan, no top grill, no bottom heat no nothing. Unlike my beloved oven I left behind in the Netherlands that did everything but place the food to be cooked inside by itself. I want to sob into my apron.
Still, it was better than nothing. At least it didn't trip the circuit breaker. Ovens not in use for an extended period of time in tropical climes tend to go wonky on account of the humidity. Therefore it is advised, even when you're not using it, to turn your oven on from time to time to get rid of any moisture trapped in there. Well no worries for us as I use my oven at least twice a week.
This evening, I made Goat's Cheese and Thyme Stuffed Chicken. I literally haven't made this in almost two years. In fact, I haven't really cooked in the past eighteen months we were in Beijing. I was a bit shaky at first but after slicing the courgette and tomatoes, I got right back in the swing of things. Everything came naturally, thank goodness.
Line the casserole dish with sliced courgette and tomatoes. Give the vegetables a few splashes of olive oil. Spread sprigs of fresh thyme all over.
Slice chicken breast in half, taking care not to go all the way through. Season with a little salt and chopped thyme on the insides before placing the goat's cheese on. Fold the chicken breast in half and secure with strips of streaky bacon. 
Place wrapped bundles on the vegetable lined casserole dish. Pop into oven (pre-heated to 200C) and cook until a beautiful golden brown. 
Lekker!
While the chicken was getting acquainted with the goat's cheese and streaky bacon in the oven, I prepared the evening's starter - Honey Melon with Parma Ham. It's easily done in a jiffy, just a matter of slicing the melon and arranging the ham as prettily as possible.
Add a bit of salad for garnishing and voilá! looks good enough to eat.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 9:41 am
Of Friendship And Laksa
Labels: asian food, home life, one dish meals
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Our Laksa dinner tasted extra delish last night. Oh yes it did. And all because of friendship.
Hear me out, I'm going somewhere with this.
On board our flight back to Beijing from Singapore, Hubs lamented how he never got to partake of his favourite bowl of Laksa. Ten days of frenzied sightseeing, shopping and eating and somehow, the humble gravy noodle dish slipped past our taste buds. For shame!
I casually mentioned this to The Girlfriend on one of our morning conversations and promptly forgot all about it. But did she forget? No m'am. She went and sent me a Prima Taste Laksa Spice pack the very next day as a surprise. This made me fuzzy all over when I received it last week.
We couldn't wait any longer so I made Laksa yesterday evening. As luck would have it, I even managed to buy all the ingredients needed so it really was meant to be. You know how it is. Your heart is set on a certain dish but when you do the shopping, the store is out of this, that or the other. Utter frustration, you can imagine.
Anyways.
Hubs tucked into his bowl heartily (so nice to see your other half enjoy your cooking) and got his Laksa fix. I attacked mine too and while chewing on a piece of taupok not unlike a cow chewing its cud, couldn't help but think what a wonderful soul The Girlfriend was. She truly is a dear friend.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 8:13 pm
Hot Pot
Labels: Beijing, one dish meals, she cooks, soups
Monday, February 23, 2009
Last week we were up to our ankles in snow. I wore my hideously bright sunflower patterned galoshes so I wouldn't ruin my leather boots and kill myself on the slippery snow. Hubs very almost refused to walk next to me. But hey, rather an awfully attired wife than a dead one. It was the first snowfall of the year and any kind of precipitation for the last three months or so. This drought has been bad news for farmers as it's affected their winter crops. There were even news reports on CCTV of residents in the rural areas having not showered in a month.
Oi.
So, yes. Ankles in snow. Temperatures got to as low as -14oC with the North Desert wind a-blowing. I swear on my wok I will never complain about the European winter again. What better way to spend the family evening meal than to huddle together over a hot pot?
A Chongqing specialty, there are hot pot restaurants all over Beijing. Take a walk downtown, you are likely to trip over one. The original Chongqing version is the ma la soup base. Ma la means numbingly spicy and you'd better believe it. A couple spoonfuls of soup and one loses sensation of tongue and lips, only because it feels like you've just swallowed fire. There's also the tamer, non spicy version catering to the lao wai or foreigner who's not used to hot ash peppers. It's also the very same soup base I use when we do the hot pot at home for Sonny-boy, who can't even bear regular pepper. Hubs is used to spicy food, he has to, having lived in Singapore for a good five years and marrying a girl of Peranakan descent.
This is the soup base using a recipe I swiped from one of the hotpot restaurants we dined at here. At the time I didn't have a pen handy so I committed the ingredients to memory and hoped for the best as my brain tends to get fuzzy when attempting to remember mundane things. Funny how it suddenly becomes crystal clear when it comes to shopping.
These are the ingredients of the soup base: chicken stock, spring onions, carrots, dried chinese mushroom, wolf berries, longans and red dates.
The principle of a hot pot meal is simple. It runs along the lines a cheese fondue or Singaporean steamboat. There's a huge pot of boiling soup in the middle of the table and everyone dips his or her morsel of food in the pot to cook it. There is no set list of ingredients, anything goes. At Cookalot, we love thinly sliced beef, meatballs, stuffed fish balls, jiao ji (meat dumplings), liver, tofu, mushrooms, vegetables.... just about anything that strikes our fancy. On this occasion, we decided to go simple and went easy on the selection. This may have something to do with the big Korean barbecue dinner the previous night. Our digestive tracts can only process so much goodness. 
On the side were pulled noodles, deep fried bread balls and raw eggs. The eggs are poached in the soup. It's super, having the soft yolk run all over the noodles. Lekker!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 11:51 pm
Pulled Noodles With White Clams
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, she cooks, soups
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I had the good fortune of sampling this soupy dish at a local Japanese noodle house right about the second week we arrived in January. It has all my favourite components: seafood, noodles and tasty broth.
Noodles play a key role in this recipe. La mian, or pulled noodles are a staple in Northern Chinese cuisine. They are sold fresh and can be found in packs over at the cold section of any supermarket, right next to the tofu. And while I may run out of juice or eggs, there will always be a stash of la mian in the lower vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. I love my la mian!
Pulled Noodles With White Clams
You need:
Fresh pulled noodles
1 liter clear fish stock
1 small garlic; thinly sliced
1 stalk spring onion;cut into 2" lengths
white clams, with or without shells on
salt and pepper to taste
dried seaweed
fresh red chilli; thinly sliced
You do:
Note: It's important to blanch the noodles in cold water in order to retain its springy texture. This is one of the hallmarks of la mian.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 7:38 pm
Chunky Chicken Vegetable Soup
Labels: one dish meals, she cooks, soups
Monday, November 17, 2008
When it comes to soups, I've always been partial to the clear variety. Oh, I'll just as happily eat the creamed ones of course but clear steaming hot broths do it for me.
Everyone has a chicken soup recipe and this is one of mine. It's rather light so it makes a good lunch meal or dinner starter.
On that particular day, I had lots of chicken stock leftover from the infamous Hainanese Chicken Rice episode and decided to use it up for soup.
This self-styled recipe doesn't have specific measurements - it's all based on personal taste and preference.
Chunky Chicken Vegetable Soup
You need:
Chicken stock
Chicken breast
Carrots
Celery
Spanish Onions
Flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Thyme (fresh if you get it, if not, the dried ones will do)
Salt and pepper
You do:
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:57 pm
Murder Most Fowl
Labels: home life, one dish meals, she cooks
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The following episode took place a couple of weeks back. I have since recovered from the trauma.
So Hubs was away for the weekend. Much as I miss him when he's gone, I take the opportunity to cook my favourite dishes usually repulsive in smell or taste to the average European. I had set aside the day for Hae Mee, (Prawn Noodle Soup) but got side-lined by Sonny-Boy's request for Hainanese Chicken Rice instead. Okay, we can do that.
I went to the supermarket and gathered all the ingredients, got home and started cooking.
First up, prepping the chicken. For Chicken Rice, one needs the bird whole. I was very pleased with my particular buy. It was plump and fresh. As I undid the shrink wrap from the plastic tray, I got such a rude shock and began screaming and screaming. Between you and me, I would have passed Alfred Hitchcock's screen test with that one shriek. It was loud, it was shrill, it was filled with horror.
The bird was whole alright, complete with head and claws previously tucked neatly out of sight, which now sprang out as the shrink wrap came loose.
I freaked and dropped the chicken. Thankfully I was standing over the sink so it landed in there. After calming my frazzled nerves with a hot cup of green tea, I went back to the sink to inspect my fowl booty. The head and feet would have to go.
Who's the chicken here - it or me?
With both thumbs and index fingers, I gingerly transferred the chicken to the cutting sheet. I looked around for my big Chinese cleaver only to remember it was back home in the Netherlands. Plan B would have to be the chef's knife from Ikea.
I went for the legs first. I tried to wop one foot off with a clean chop but it refused to budge. After a couple of tries, I had to break the foot off and cut the skin. The cracking sound of bone was sickening, more so when I had to do it three to four times to prise it loose. Ugh!
I had better luck with the other foot. Somehow, I must have found the weak spot or joint for the foot came off with one neat blow. The executioner back in King Henry VIII's day couldn't have done better.
On the left is the nice clean cut, albeit a stray tendon peeking out. On the right, however, is a fine example of what not to do.
By now, my stomach had turned to jelly and I still had the pièce de résistance to handle. I took a deep breath and braced myself. Almost there now, Dutchess, you can do it, just do what you did with the second foot. But no, some higher power was toying with me. The knife just wouldn't penetrate the neck. I ended up using a sawing motion but this caused even more drama. By some horrid, horrid law of physics, each sawing motion made the chicken's neck jerk up whilst the loose skin on the head pulled back to reveal its eyeballs. It looked like it was struggling for dear life and I felt I was murdering the bird all over again.
I was close to tears. Out of desperation, I decided to give another swing at the damn neck. CHOP! Body and neck was one no more.
Thank you, kitchen gods!
Another example of what not to do - notice a bit of bone jutting out where the neck is supposed to be.
The rest of the preparation and cooking process went on without a hitch and Sonny-boy had his Hainanese Chicken Rice that evening. I skipped dinner. Somehow, I wasn't very hungry.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 10:42 pm
Stir Fried Beef With Kimchi
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, she cooks
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Yes, yes, I know.
Not another kimchi related entry!
Well, I did warn you, dear reader, I am suffering from kimchi-nitis . Thank the kitchen gods I'm not raving about K-dramas - then there will really be something to cry about.
Anyway.
I chanced upon this dish during one of our eating jaunts and was smitten, determined to replicate it at home. Again, it is a blindingly simple recipe with only minimum prep time required.
Stir Fried Beef With Kimchi
You Need:
Beef Fillet
Cabbage Kimchi
Red and yellow capsicum, squared
Fresh or dried chilli, sliced
Chinese mushroom, sliced
garlic, finely chopped
cooking oil
You Do:
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 9:06 pm
Thai Seafood Salad
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, vegetables/salads
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
We are properly into summer now with the searing heat and increased humidity. However, the heat is different in Beijing. Because of the thick layer of smog, it feels like an oven and for the first time, I truly understand the meaning of the greenhouse effect. It's stifling, hot and above all, polluted. I don't envy the long distance Olympic atheletes come this August.
To combat the average of 30oC and above temperatures, I've taken to light meals in the day. A regular feature is Thai Seafood Salad and the recipe I like is here. It's very basic and easily modified to suit one's personal taste. In this instance, I took away the fish and added in glass noodles and julienned carrots instead. And although the recipe advises one to serve immediately, I normally chill mine for up to two hours before consumption. The opposing sensation of cold and spicy hot (don't let the tame appearance fool you, your tongue will burn) is something to be reckoned with.
Lekker!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:11 pm
Kimchi And Tofu
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, she cooks
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
On days when I work out (I also add in some form of cardio on top of yoga and Pilates), I make sure my lunch is a wee bit more substantial than my usual grazing of fruit, cereal, sandwiches or salads. While I want the meal to cope with my increased need of energy, I don't want any unneccessary calories if I can help it.
Enter this one dish meal which I learnt while dining at a Korean restaurant here: Kimchi and Tofu. All you need to do is cut a package of chilled tofu into thick slices and cover it with heated servings of kimchi. Yes, that's all there is to it. Serve with piping hot steamed rice and voila, a low-fat, high protein meal in under five minutes. For variation, one can stir-fry seasoned wafer thin slices of beef with the kimchi before placing it on the tofu. It is imperative the tofu be chilled as the clash between hot and cold creates quite a sensation in the mouth.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 9:41 am
Bean Sprout Roll
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, she cooks
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
This is something I've grown rather fond of recently - food rolls. It's a common, everyday dish eaten mainly as lunch (at least from what I've observed) and can be found at local eateries. I first came across them at the Carrefour delicatesseen and out of curiosity, bought one. These food rolls come in a variety of filling ranging from meat to vegetables or a combination of both. My current favourite are the bean sprout stuffed ones. These can be eaten held in hand like a burrito or cut into slices as pictured above.
Bean Sprout Roll
Bean Sprout Stir-Fry
You Need:
400g mung bean sprouts, washed and drained thoroughly
100g carrot (optional), sliced into thin strips
1 tbsp oil
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp light soy sauce
You Do:
Mandarin Pancakes
You Need:
450g plain all purpose flour
310ml boiling water
1 tsp oil
roasted sesame oil
You Do:
To Assemble
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 9:02 pm
Laksa
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, she cooks
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Eversince our visit to Singapore in February, Hubs has been hankering for some home-made nyonya laksa. I decided to put him out of his misery last night with a packet of laksa spice paste from Asian Home Gourmet. Ideally, I would have liked to make the rempah (spice paste) from scratch but some of the crucial ingredients are not available here or I haven't looked hard enough. Why didn't I bring some belachan back from Singapore when I had the chance? Because you were distracted by the pretty summer dresses and shoes, that's why. Oh yeah, right.
Extras like chicken stock and a handful of dried shrimps made the pre-packed spice paste a respectable enough substitute and it didn't look or taste half bad.
At around 7pm, Hubs called to ask if I've made dinner. Yes, I did. And laksa at that. I got an appreciative whooo followed by a tentative (because I'm pre-menstrual at the moment) hey, I've got a business dinner tonight... I could almost hear the man brace himself for impending doom.
Of course it's alright, I cooed. I'll just stick the pot in the fridge and keep it for tommorrow. I wasn't annoyed at all - in fact you might say I was relieved. You see, the truth of the matter was, I had a belly dance class at 6pm and was more than happy to have the evening's dinner sorted out without me rushing away like a woman possessed.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 11:49 pm
A Tale Of Two Pastas
Labels: one dish meals, pasta, seafood, she cooks
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Pasta Nero di Seppia, or Squid Ink Pasta is not for the faint hearted. Nor for the self conscious. It's black and if made properly from fresh squid ink, turns your mouth, teeth, tongue et al black. I love it.
One of my favourite ways of eating this is tossed in a cream sauce consisting of romano parmigiano cheese with lots of garlic. In this entry, I present two ways with the same base sauce.
The first one is rather fiery. That's because I use chilli infused olive oil and regular chilli oil to brown the garlic first before adding the cooking cream. I whisk everything together above a gentle flame until it thickens slightly and is well mixed. Then I throw in the grated parmiagiano, whisk it some more before adding in the blanched shrimps. Season to taste. Pour over the cooked pasta and garnish with fresh sliced red chilli. And don't forget that huge glass of iced water.
This next one is a bit more mild. Again, brown the chopped garlic in olive oil before adding the cooking cream. Follow as above but this time, toss in the blanched shrimps, sweet pea and brocoli. Season to taste and pour over the cooked pasta.
Some of you may notice how I choose to pour the sauce over the pasta instead of tossing the pasta in the pan first. I do it for asthetic reasons especially in the case of the first one. The white sauce against the black pasta packs quite a punch. With a couple of strategically placed sliced chillis, this is a visually stunning dish and I never tire of looking at it. Best of all, it can be achieved under thirty minutes.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 10:56 pm
Chicken Run And The Great DVD Marathon
Labels: one dish meals, this and that
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Sonny-boy and I just can't see or taste chicken anymore.
I made Hainanese Chicken Rice on Monday and from that 2.5l pot of pure chicken stock, I, like a magician pulling all manner of suprises from my hat, made a few dishes which sustained us all throughout the week. We had Kai Xi Mein (Shredded Chicken Noodles), Chicken Macaroni soup, chicken porridge and of course, chicken rice. All except Thursday when Sonny-boy cried fowl foul. I took pity on him and made him a cheese and salami pizza instead. The next evening, we were back on the bandwagon with chicken porridge.
Why am I doing this, you ask? Well, Hubs is away and to be honest, I've been feeling off skelter and wanted to make life as easy as possible. I didn't feel like doing too much in the kitchen. I can't cook when I'm moody.
However, nothing lifts me more than needlework so that's what I've been doing all week. Stitching and crochetting. And running The Great DVD Marathon. I recently purchased an entire season of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and the first season of Hotel Babylon and have been ploughing through them relentlessly. In addition to my current aversion to chicken, I can also add square eyes to the list.
Hotel Babylon is a scream. I only caught bits and pieces of it on the BBC and was almost going to order the DVD online when I saw it on sale at the local Intertoys. It was going for 9.90 euros and I had to do a double take to check it didn't say 19.90, or 29.90 or even 39.90. Having determined it was indeed below 10 euros, I made a grab for it. The second season is on sale as well at Amazon.co for 29.90 pounds and if not for certain circumstances, it would already be in the post, on its way to me. It might still happen, we'll see. What I will be ordering, however, is the book it's based on. Anyhow, if you haven't watched it before, do - the storylines are entertainingly outrageous and the actors, natural and believable. The guest stars are cool too. In one episode, Joan Collins made an appearance but she played such a sweet and gracious mega rich widow, she was hardly recognisable. I want my beloved Alexis Carrington back!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 11:30 am
Beef Stew Pie
Labels: one dish meals, she cooks
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
How to make a Beef Stew Pie the Dutchess' way:
Tell your nearest and dearest that it was made with love and you would be very 'disappointed' if it wasn't polished off. Threaten if neccessary.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 3:08 am
Soto Ayam
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, she cooks, soups
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Recently, I posted an entry about my mum's Soto Ayam. Her recipe comes with different spices and is rather full-bodied, in aroma and taste.
Last week, I tried out a different version. This is similar to the generic ones sold in hawker centres or food courts in Singapore. It does away with all the spices using instead a strong chicken stock base, shallots, garlic, galangal(blue ginger), tumeric and lemon grass. It wasn't too bad at all and I rather enjoyed it. The Hubby did too, which was just as well because we ended up attacking it for the next two days.
In this instance, I served it with tung hoon (mung bean vermicelli), chopped hard boiled eggs and a good dose of chilli sauce made up of chilli padi and dark soy sauce. Lekker!
Mini gripe: The photos were taken on an overcast day so it doesn't really show the soto ayam at its best. In real life, the broth is thicker and more yellowish (almost green even) in colour.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 3:20 am
Dinner For Six - Irish Beef Stew
Labels: one dish meals, she cooks
Monday, October 01, 2007
We had an impromptu dinner party on Saturday. I knew I was going to make a stew that evening and it was more like, who can we invite to help us polish the whole lot off? Our victims guests turned out to be Brother-in-law #3 and his two daughters - Niece #1 who just turned seven and Niece #2 who is three. The two girls get on fabulously with Sonny-boy. Especially Niece #1 who's a bit of a tomboy.
So.
The Irish Beef Stew recipe I wanted to try was from Beau Lotus. Her recipe is straightforward and easy to follow. The only eventful thing that transpired was when I asked Hubs to open a bottle of red wine - for a bit of added flavour (Lotus' french influence coming to play). Hubs wanted to do the honours so I let him with incessant reminders of only a little! Only a little, okay? What are you doing??? I said only a LITTLE!!! My dear husband went and poured something like almost one and half cups of wine into the stew. This is just after I emptied a whole can of Guinness Stout into it. Heavens to Murgatroyd! I didn't want this to turn into another case of the French Onion Soup Incident. It didn't fortunately - hours of simmering killed off any alcohol nasties lurking within. What I was left with was an extremely rich and flavourful stew - super for the cold weather.
To round up the meal, I made a Garlic Butter Risotto. I added some pine nuts for extra crunch. I don't know if this dish exist or not because I made it up in my head that morning. I figured it would go very nicely tastewise and it did. And because we all need some fibre, I threw in a salad as well. For the kids, I made Spaghetti in Cabonara Sauce which they attacked with relish. No doubt from the earlier hours of playing, running and screaming (my ears are still ringing).
And what's a dinner party without some bubbly? I set out a bottle of non alcoholic apple flavoured champange for the kids. We like to start them young, don't you know. *heh* The grown-ups had a more sedate bottle of Chilean red. For dessert, we had Panna Cotta with Balsamic Berries, a little something which I prepared earlier on in the day. I will elaborate on it in a future entry because a yummy dessert like this deserves its own header and you will see why.
By the way, even with all our gallant efforts, I was still left with a lot of stew. Actually, almost four large servings which I've since tucked into the refrigerator. I shall resurrect it again as a mid-week meal because according to Lotus, it gets better with time and according to the Dutchess, so do some people.
By the way, this recipe is a definite keeper. Thanks S!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 4:26 am
And The Hae Mee Won
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, she cooks, soups
Saturday, September 08, 2007
I now have to do some serious airing of the kitchen and living room area (that's what you get with the open space concept). The prawn and pork stock has been brewing merrily for the last four hours resulting in a rich, flavourful broth. But everything has a price and mine comes in the form of a stinky, fishy kitchen.
Maybe I should go light a couple of scented candles now.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 1:33 pm
Home Alone
Labels: asian food, home life, one dish meals, soups
Sonny-boy and I are on our own today.
Hubs is driving up to Amsterdam with M (brother-in-law #3) to watch the Nederland vs Bulgaria Euro 2008 qualifying match. It should be good fun for the boys. If it wasn't logistically viable, I should have liked to join them as well. No, not for the match, Hubs could drop me off in the shopping district of Amsterdam, prefably right smack in the middle of P Cornelisz Hooftstraat. Home to Salvatore Ferragamo, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and a smorgasboard of other designer and fashion labels, it is not called the "Fifth Avenue of Amsterdam" for nothing. I suppose we will have to keep that trip for later.
You'd think with today being the weekend, I'd be upset with Hubs gone for the entire day, coming home only late at night. This is on top of not seeing much of him during the week. But no, I'm not. We may be married but it doesn't mean we're supposed to be glued at the hip. It's healthy for a couple to periodically have indidvidual me time to recharge the old battery.
So, I'm now taking this opportunity to cook the smelliest, most repungent comfort food I love but Hubs hates. Dishes I selfishly make for me when he's away. Today, it's a toss up between Hae Mee (Prawn Noodle Soup) or Nasi Lemak. The coconut rice in Nasi Lemak is not smelly but the frying of the accompanying sambal belachan is. I still haven't decided but Hae Mee seems to have an edge on account of the weather. Nothing like a big, hot steaming bowl of soupy noodles on a bleak day.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 3:01 am
