'Twas A Good Day

I had a wonderful night curled up with a wonderful book (about how a woman coped with the death of her young daughter and living with an asshole husband), being enveloped in silence as the lil one sleeps and the hubs tackled his assignments. That's the way I like my Saturday nights. It's the night that I get to unwind after a week of meeting the boys' needs and demands. The weekends are for me to restore and recharge for the coming week ahead. But Sunday nights will never be the same as Saturday nights. There's already a buzz of busyness to it as we prepare for a new school week. So it'll never be as relaxing as a Saturday night.

Today is especially good cos I refused to let my anger rain down on Dallen. He's been a lil on the naughty side today, refusing to eat his meals and running all over the place. I chose, instead, to chastise him good-naturedly and allowed him to cry it out and let his negativity run its course. While he cried on the trolley in the supermarket, I got stares from shoppers cos I didn't wanna carry him and give in to him. They must be thinking I'm one hell of a bad mother, letting a poor kid cry like that. Let them think wat they want. I'll rather let them form their opinions (which didn't matter, really, cos I dun even know them) than for me to indulge in Dallen's whims. Like I said, I let it run its course and he eventually stopped crying.

I dun really blame him for being more interested in his surroundings than his meals. He's been cooped up at home for 2 weeks (the past week was a school holiday and the week before he was sick and I kept him home). He's restless! Can I blame him for being excited at being out in a mall??? Who cares about food when there's fun to be had? He has an abundance of food everyday, anyway. It's sort of a mantra that I keep my household well-stocked. The absence of food is unthinkable and unacceptable. And if absence makes the heart grow fonder, then food is definitely not the one that make Dallen's heart grow fonder.

As adults, we like to impose our own rationales and way of thinking on a toddler. We forgot that a toddler is a simple being and does not think the way we do, and it's hardly their fault. We're the ones who have lost our innocence and like to complicate even the simplest things. Theirs is a simple joy. Dallen just wants to have fun. Can I really begrudge him that? Having said that, it doesn't mean I indulged in obvious defiance (not in accordance to my own cognitive understanding but in what has long been deigned as right and wrong). It just means I gave him more leeway. More often than not, children are put down for our own conveniences and 'face value'. But I dun think it's fair to aggrieve a child in this way. It is not right to rob them of child-like innocence and joy just so the parents look good to outsiders who won't even remember having met them.

So anyway, it was a good Saturday but I think I had better go get some rest cos the hubs is down again (when he's barely even recovered from the last one) and I dun see easy days ahead. Goodnight!

TGIF!!

It's Friday again!! And this is an even better Friday cos classes for the hubs was cancelled!

We started the day by setting up the float which we got for Dallen and wanted to let him have some waterplay before heading out. Alas, turns out the float was not meant for waterplay. It's just a float which acts like a playpen and it's got a hole in one of the corners. So we decided to get a tape to cover up the hole. Until then, no waterplay for Dallen.

So we headed out for lunch and some jalan jalan. Typically, the hubs will bring us out on days he has no classes. I totally appreciates this gesture as it comes with the sacrifice of his sleep. He ideally should be working on his assignments at home. By taking the time to bring us out, he then has to work late into the night to make up for lost time in the day.

Anyway, we went to the only English bookstore we know and I immediately felt comforted!!! Books, books, glorious books!!!! I picked out some to be bought and then wandered to the cook books section. Not one who believes in buying cook books, I thumbed through one of them and seeing a recipe I'm interested in trying out, whipped out my phone and started taking photos of the recipes. Haha!!! Talk about being cheapskate!!!

We then went for coffee before heading home so the lil one gets his nap. Tonight, we're going for Korean dinner at our fave restaurant! It's gonna be a good, GOOD night!!!

Dining Etiquette

Dinner Table Etiquette - the 10 Do's!

- Once seated, unfold your napkin and use it for occasionally wiping your lips or fingers. At the end of dinner, leave the napkin tidily on the place setting.

- It is good dinner table etiquette to serve the lady sitting to the right of the host first, then the other ladies in a clockwise direction, and lastly the gentlemen.

- Hold the knife and fork with the handles in the palm of the hand, forefinger on top, and thumb underneath.

- Whilst eating, you may if you wish rest the knife and fork on either side of the plate between mouthfuls. When you have finished eating, place them side by side in the center of the plate.

- If the food presented to you is not to your liking, it is polite to at least make some attempt to eat a small amount of it. Or at the very least, cut it up a little, and move it around the plate!

- It is quite acceptable to leave some food to one side of your plate if you feel as though you have eaten enough. On the other hand, don't attempt to leave your plate so clean that it looks as though you haven't eaten in days!

- Desserts may be eaten with both a spoon and fork, or alternatively a fork alone if it is a cake or pastry style sweet.

- Should a lady wish to be excused for the bathroom, it is polite for the gentlemen to stand up as she leaves the table, sit down again, and then stand once more when she returns.

- Always make a point of thanking the host and hostess for their hospitality before leaving.

- It is good dinner table etiquette to send a personal thank you note to the host and hostess shortly afterwards.

Dinner Table Etiquette - the 10 Don'ts!

- NEVER start eating before a signal from the host to do so.

- Forks should not be turned over unless being used for eating peas, sweetcorn kernels, rice or other similar foods. In which case, it should be transferred to the right hand. However, at a casual buffet, or barbecue it is quite acceptable to eat with just a fork.

- It is not generally regarded as good dinner table etiquette to use one's bread for dipping into soups or mopping up sauces.

- Loud eating noises such as slurping and burping are very impolite. The number one sin of dinner table etiquette!

- Talking with one's mouth full. is not only unpleasant to watch, but could also lead to choking! Definitely not a good idea!

- Don't stretch across the table crossing other guests to reach food, wine or condiments. Instead ask a guest sitting close to pass the item to you.

- Good dinner table etiquette sometimes involves a degree of diplomacy when it comes to the host's choice of food and wine! Even if you feel that you can do better, don't ever offer your criticism. If you feel unable to pay any compliments, at least remain silent on the subject.

- Picking teeth (unless toothpicks are provided) or licking fingers are very unattractive! The only exception to the latter is when eating meat or poultry on the bone (such as chicken legs or ribs). In which case, a finger bowl should be provided.

- Drinking too much wine can be very embarrassing! Where a different wine is served with each course, it is quite acceptable to not finish each glass.

- Don't forget to make polite conversation with those guests around you. Dinner parties are not just about the food, they are intended to be a sociable occasion!

I Spent Money Again

The lil one was down since the last weekend and all baking and related stuff were postponed and I didn’t get to do anything over the weekend. We originally planned to go to the baking ware shop which a friend recommended on Sunday. But since the baby was running a temperature, I wanted to let him get more rest and so shelved the idea. We finally made it there on Wednesday.

When I was told of the shop, I didn’t hold out much hope. Staying in Jogja has taught me to manage my expectations and I am constantly reminding myself not to expect things to be the same as SG. To my pleasant surprise, the shop was well equipped and comes with lotsa goodies. I spied a digital weighing scale which I’ve wanted to get for a long time but was reluctant to part with the money. The old one I had cost about S$3 but each line of measurement is 40g, which means, there are 5 lines from 0g to 200g. Can you imagine my agony when I had to measure ingredients for baking?! So I heck it and decided to buy the digital one (which I can bring back to SG with me) which cost about S$50. I didn’t like the cost but I loved the ware! So bought it I did. Then the eyes strayed to a cookie-cutter that was displayed next to the weighing scale and I promptly asked for the price and wanted to take a look at it. How easy it is to earn a woman’s money! I already had a simple set of cookie-cutter which I took from mum’s old, unused oven. So I really didn’t need another one. But this one is so cool and it made cutting cookies so easy! Excuses, excuses…I know, I know….But wait! It doubles up as an icing machine too! Comes with several nozzles with different patterns. See! It’s a 2-in-1. Worth it right? So against my better judgement, I added it to my purchases.

Then I saw paper cups. I really didn’t need such fancy ones since most of my baking are for the boys at home or the neighbours or mothers in school. But they are so pretty they’ll enhance my hard work. So again, I decided to part with some money. Together with a bag of supposed all-purpose flour (I’m gonna try making bread with them and see if there is any difference), I bought all of the above. I created a small hole in the pocket (all of them cost less than S$100 but the amount was equivalent to one week’s grocery), but brought back loads of happiness. I was grinning from ear to ear and couldn’t wait to use my new wares.

What do you bake when you dun have much time? Muffins! So I settled the lil one and put him down for his nap and while the hubs helped to jaga him, I measured away and started baking.

I used a different flour (not the one I bought from the shop…just a different one from the one I usually used) and the result came out MUCH better. My previous batch of muffins were so dry and tough I threw them away. Wasn’t even interested in eating them. This batch was ok…just that maybe I over-mixed the batter and caused it to be a little heavy, not fluffy like how it should be.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk or cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cups (135 grams) granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (170 grams) milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips

Method:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven. Butter, or line with paper liners, 12 - 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch muffin cups.

- In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.

- In another large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter, into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

- Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop.

- Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18 - 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

Here’s some tips from joyofbaking:

- The important step here is not to overmix the batter. However, there is a tendency to over mix because the ratio of liquid to flour is quite high. But mixing too much overdevelops the gluten in the flour which will cause a tough muffin with tunnels and a compact texture. Only 10 to 15 strokes are needed to moisten the ingredients and the batter should be still lumpy and you may still see a few traces of flour. Don't worry about these lumps as the batter continues to blend as it bakes and any lumps will disappear. Over mixing the muffin batter causes it to become very stringy. This is the gluten developing in the flour. Over mixing causes long strands of gluten to form making it hard for the leavener to work and causes long tunnels in the baked good.

- If using a dark colored pan, reduce the oven temperature, stated in the recipe, by 25 degrees F. (This is because dark colored pans absorb more of the energy coming from the oven walls so they become hotter and transmit heat faster than light colored pans.)

PROBLEM SOLVING

Muffins have tunnels and are dry:
- batter was over mixed (too much gluten development)
- over baked and/or oven too hot
- too much flour and/or too little liquid

Muffins have an uneven shape:
- too much batter in each cup (fill only 1/2 to 2/3 full). Overfilling will cause muffins to have "flying saucer" like tops.
- oven temperature too high

Tops are brown but muffin is not cooked through:
- oven temperature too high
- oven rack not in center of oven

Muffin does not rise sufficiently:
- oven temperature too low
- batter over mixed or incorrect amount of leavener

Muffins stick to pan:
- pan was not prepared properly.
- let muffins sit in pan too long after removing from oven. Try placing the pan on a wet towel for a few minutes to loosen the muffins. Run a sharp edge around the inside of each muffin.

Soy Sauce Chicken

Ever since I shifted out to stay on my own, I've always missed mum's soy sauce chicken. I didn't know how she did it till a recent trip back (thanks to Merapi) when I stayed with her and she happened to prepare this dish. So I looked up the recipe on the internet (cos asking her will invoke frustrations both in me and her) and started cooking. It's quite an easy dish to cook, actually. And the result is yummylicious! I made some additions to the original recipe to enhance the taste. Have a go at it!

Ingredients:

- 2 chicken thighs

- 1/2 bowl good quality soya sauce

- 3 bowls water or enough to cover the chicken

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp sugar

- dash of pepper

- dash of sesame oil

- dash of vinegar

- 1/2 tsp oyster sauce

- 3-4 tbsp dark soya sauce

- 5 slices young ginger

- 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed, skin removed

- 3 tbsp butter

Method:

- In a pot, put all ingredients except chicken and bring to a brisk simmer for 10 minutes.

- Add chicken and cover pot. Simmer for another 15 -20 minutes until the chicken is done.

- Before you serve, bring the dish to boil again and thicken the gravy with some corn flour.

Things To Remember

Things to remember:

1) The worth of character;

2) The improvement of talent;

3) The influence of example;

4) The joy of origination;

5) The dignity of simplicity;

6) The success of perseverance;

7) The value of time;

8) The pleasure of working;

9) The obligation of duty;

10) The power of kindness;

11) The wisdom of economy;

12) The virtue of patience.

---- Marshall Field (American department-store owner whose pioneering activities in retail merchandising were continued and extended into publishing by successive generations of his family. 1834-1906)

Benjamin Franklin's 13 Rules of Morality

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversations.

Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; that is, waste nothing.

Industry: Lose not time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; speak accordingly.

Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think you deserve.

Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes or habitation.

Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles or accidents common or unavoidable.

Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.