Sunday, January 13, 2008

kitchen cooking

"The greatest animal in creation, the animal who cooks."
Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) - English dramatist


Chuckle. O ye animals out there, do you cook? If not, prolong no further - pick up a pan and spatula, and find something you can concoct, edible enough for people to enjoy.


Somehow, I don't think frying eggs in a pan can be considered as cooking. Well, not everyday, that is.

"Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all" Harriet van Horne


I am not a good cook. I am far from being a chef. Brought up in a family full of females, one would assume that cooking is our second nature. Well, surprise surprise! That isn't the case for us because we always had a maid in the kitchen, and some of us went away to study at one point or another. But of course, during celebrations and big dinners, all were dragged into the kitchen to chop the onions, slice the carrots, clean the anchovies, etc.
Today, I cook because I have to. My passion (huh!) in cooking comes from the desire to tantalise the taste buds of my dear fellow eaters, ie: my children. Isn't it wonderful to get them have second helpings and how they are able to lick their plates clean, instead of nagging them to finish off their last mouthful. Mommies out there would know how difficult it is to get children to eat, and likewise, I have been challenged with four picky eaters. Help!


For some, cooking is a tedious process, yet to others, it's an enjoyable act. Imagine a director of a firm or a working mother fixing dinner still clad in his or her working attire. Nothing comes between man and food. Cooking is only difficult or impossible if one thinks it is. In today's modern world, cooking is relatively easy and a breeze. In fact, my recipes are usually those short and simple. All hassle-free. Yet, there would be days when I'd rather not cook anything at all - a normal thing, I'm sure?!


So roll up your sleeves and put on your apron. Be adventurous and spice up your imagination. Vary everything - the size of the chopped carrots, the colour of the capsicums, the portion of potatoes, to name a few. Give your dishes interesting names (Bluewonder, remember what we named ours?) and most of all, enjoy every single moment of it. Oh sure, there'd often be little secret ingredients in special dishes: a pinch of smile, a teaspoon of TLC, a dash of passion, or a cup of love. * do you put these in?

Oh, I so miss our dear friend, mamasarah. With her, we played around in the kitchen fixing cupcakes and cheesecakes. We spent hours decorating our masterpieces with the children, and later snapping photos of the finished products. She has her foodblog, http://pondok-pondok.blogspot.com/, where you'd find interesting recipes of various sorts (however, not updated for quite some time). Other fellow-bloggers like kak elle and maklang, to name a few, are all masters in the kitchen who can snap irritatingly mouth-watering pictures.


Like mamasarah, I too have my own foodblog but it has not been launched yet. My excuse: our camera doesn't do justice to the food. One day, hopefully I will have them published for people like me (I go for practicality). Nothing glamorous, nothing extraordinary. It's just simple cooking!

*picture of my banana toffee cheesecake snapped by mamasarah

32 comments:

KakNi said...

Banana toffee chesecake definitely not simple cooking!

Kak Elle said...

d I agree with you I think most of all its passion in doing this chore...I only start cooking after te death of my mom before that never even lift a finger in the kitchen but then father is around with her and betw the 2 of them they prepared yummylicious dishes for us.

I like trials and errors in making new recipes and the best gift of all when you see nothing left:)

keep the fire going d and please launch your recipe blog soon so I can try them.

cikMilah said...

Cepat la D,launch le cepat. I am among others looking for 4C cooking method: Capai, cut, clean,campak!

Unknown said...

Hi D,

I only learned to cook when I had to leave for UK for further studies. My late mom quickly gave me an emergency cooking course. I only remembered the lauk kicap.

Desperate to give the taste buds some treats I bought recipe books and slowly I found out I could whip up amazing dishes! Laksa assam, satay, curry puffs, choux pastry..I kid you not.

I have lost that step by step incredible recipe book (with how to clean fish, how to cut chicken, how to chop onions..ha ha) since but that and perhaps always playing around my late mom when she was cooking gave me the confidence to romance the kitchen even though late in life..he he. Nope I will never be able to create a cookery blog..too malas. You go on ahead at least I can add new dishes from your blog soon. Can't wait!

maklang said...

maklang kalau tak masak...akibatnya ramailah yang moncong! Nak tak nak kena jugak masak, but on some days I get the malas wave hitting me and Bibik will do the cooking. But after 1 or 2 days, I will feel guilty sebab tak cook for Cik Abang and the kids! And yes, cooking with lots of TLC Insyaallah will produce good tasty food and InsyaAllah akan habis di makan oleh anak2 dan suami!

Mamasarah punya pondok2 tu, gambar dia cantek2! Tak reti maklang nak ambik gambar cam you all berdua! That cheese cake nampak bestnya!

Take care dear!

B.U.S.U.K said...

hai D..

i remember masa mama sakit dulu *masa tu somewhere form 4/5 kot**...am home wit dad n my bro..hari2 ikan masak kicap..terel gila rasa masa tu hehe**tu je tau masa tuh**...lucky dad n my bro tak kisah as long ada benda nak makan hehe...after that baru tau skit2 masak kuah lain2 hehehe...

sekarang...malas skit nak masak...tapi once i start cooking..somebody will say..mcm nak ujan je hari ni ekekeke....bila mood masak datang...kira ok tu..memacam juadah leh terhidang..kan kan..bila malas...huhu..u know la kan wat it is..hehe

juwaidah said...

Huhuhu... I miss mama sarah too.... :(

p/s: are u going to be around next week? planning to drop by your place, InsyaAllah..

tulipurple said...

she's rite...banana toffee chescke is not simple,hehe.
cepat2 launch d foodblog ek sis D,i always seek ideas fr d bloggers for wat 2 cook.
anyway,as a fulltime hsewife i salute for those workin moms who can juggle between office n hse works...phewwhhhh..dasatt!

NorAiniJ said...

Drooling..drooling.. that banana toffee cheesecake does look yummilicious !

Can't wait to see your food blog. Yeah, that's me allright, love going thru food-related blogs and purchasing/piling up those recipe books..but sadly for viewing only lah, too lazy to try out haha!

Anonymous said...

yummy to banna toffee cheesecake.

Ajzie said...

Dddddd

Your banana toffee cheesecake is marverlous laaaaaa..

anggerik merah said...

D...sedapnya...baru tengok gambar. I have not been parctice much of my cooking since back to Msia...hehehe...too complacent with maid. Some more our famil eat very simple cooking style...rebus dan grill bcoz of health.

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Anonymous said...

Dik D,
Akak don't know you personally but I've been reading your blog in silence and amazed at your courage and strength and keeping the "poker face" when your heart is rumbling (at least I thought so, from your beautiful words in your blog).

This is a beautiful "Asma ul-husna" by Sami Yusof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Zt7TDNICI

The moment I hear this, I think of you and your courage and how much Allah loves you. Hope this can brings peace to you and the kids.

silversarina said...

wah..hal masak-memasak. Akak jarang masak sebab orang pun dah tak ramai kat rumah tapi bila datang mood nak masak terus je cari bahan and siap masak dalam 'sekelip mata'.. ni baru lepas masak laksa nyonya resipi kak elle.... tengah rajin sangatlah ni...hehehe.

kek tu nampak yummyyyyyyyyy.

Eddie Putera said...

I enjoy cooking. Farah also cooks and enjoys feeding us. Cook with ur heart, and pinggan mesti licin punya.

Cepat ah beli camera baru..tak sabar nak tengok blog masak masak awak.

Makcik Runner said...

perghh...kalo boleh bake banana toffee cheesecake tu bukan kira main2 punye bake - seriously!

che ni gaul tepong ngan butter pon tak reti lagi...hehe

Kiah Kardashian said...

kak D, the cake looks nice. Nak recipe...

Ummi said...

D.. i am happy that you sound happy. nak jugak rasa itu cake bole ke? Oh yes cooking has become my favorite about a few days back since new year.. he he he..because i love to look at the face of my children whooing and wahh on the food. bestkan!

bluewonder said...

ahhhhh those yesteryears when we stayed in the Halls of Residence and left our chicken outside our windows in winter since we didnt have our own fridge. Bought from where else...kedai Mahir at nicholson Sq.

And what did we cook when our friends from Glasgow came for a surprise visit... our very own Ayam Rabu?? Just because it was a Wednesday that day.

And who can forget our first intro to Tiramisu by the late arwah Mr D. It was soooo superdelicious!

IBU said...

What?!!?!! Frying eggs in a pan is not cooking? UWaaaaa!!! Just when I thought I had made a quantum leap. Sigh....

Okay lah, tomorrow boil eggs pulak lah.

p/s Mcm ada telepathy jer. Smlm ibu buat cake. Instant one, dalam kotak jer, Nona. hehehe.... pujian tinggi melangit from my boys. Muahaha... kesiannya diorang. But at least I'm trying right?

ileena said...

oh aunty D,
cepat2...i need more recipes!
hahaha;)
btw, i'm off to moscow tmrw, and flight to london on wednesday morning:)
will be seeing you soon:)

Along said...

Found ur blog via a link from Casa Arina. Spent the whole day reading your entries and sobbing my eyes out. May Allah bless you and your family through this very difficult time.

ps: Your banana toffee cheesecake looks divine!! Sigh...nak pi makan kek le lepas ni...

cikdinz said...

the animal taht cooks ke atau the animal that can be cooks...heheheeee....
sama jerk.....

Earthmom said...

That cheesecake looks divine mcm my fave secret recipe's but I don't think they make them anymore!

k.d said...

Kak D, simple cooking, I liiiikee.

Hassle-free, I liiiikkeee.

Yummylicious....everybody liiiikeee..

Working mom still wearing work attire..hmmmm...sounds like many of us. Tapi we doctors takde le pakai white coat tu masa memasak....heheh... itu manyak penyakit ada hitch hike sama itu white coat!

mad redo1 said...

uuuuu... tantalising to mad redo1's taste bud... the banana toffee cheesecake... mmmmmm...

Unknown said...

D,
How are you? Hey, nice one! My tastebuds are tickled now hahaha.

Red Raven said...

I'm lucky cause the missus is a good cook...just not a rajin one.

Anonymous said...

wow! masa tengok ni lunch time tau! baru abis masak tp a very simple one - rebus and a little bit goreng2.
rupa tu mcm char kuew tiauw di penang! got any secret recipe? boleh lah share.......

elara said...

The pic alone has tantalized me (chuckle), the char kuew tiau one or is it nasi goreng cina.

JHaZ KiTaRo said...

akum.. salam dari bumi dublin, ireland.. jemput2 la ke my blog. :)