Monday, December 28, 2009

Mel's masak moments


In the kitchen. Who would've thought I'd be spending more time with pots and pans instead of pints and pals these days? There is something therapeutic about being in the kitchen, trying to
get the flavours right, making sure you don't slice your fingers off along with the onions and sweating over a hot stove - literally. And being the not-so-experienced cook, it's a whole new world of trial and error (read: trying not to burn the kitchen down). It's stressful but in a good way, making sure your 'diners' aren't cringing or choking as they take a bite.

I will be the first to admit I am not a natural in the kitchen. My idea of cooking usually revolves around 'just add water' and 'microwave for three minutes'. But with my newfound free time thanks to less office hours, I find myself gravitating to the kitchen (ok, so maybe I've always been gravitating towards the kitchen but not necessarily to cook!). On days like today, when I'm all 'pubbed'-out ('tis the season and all that) and there's no one to hang out with, I just turn to my cookbooks -yes, you read that right- and see what I can whip up. Pasta and chicken have been my best bets to date but not so much on fish and seafood (cleaning and preparing fish ranks high on my 'Eww' Factor, sorry). I'm planning on baking muffins next week and I'm half expecting a disaster but you never know. I'm not going to be the next Martha Stewart but at least my future family will be able to enjoy meals other than spaghetti from a can or instant noodles.

Oh and you know what else is great about cooking? It actually kills your appetite, so here's the lesson: when you feed others, you stop feeding yourself. Genius!

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