Changes

Since arriving here in Melbourne nearly 3 months ago, my life has changed rather drastically. Like having to adapt to the wintery chills after years in a tropical country, to being a full time stay-at-home mom/housewife, a whole different universe from when i was working (and childless).

Some of the new things which i have to grapple with:

- Handling a growing child. This child, being my own, is vastly different from handling other people's children during my course of work. For one, i am responsible 24/7 as opposed to just 2-3hrs when the child is in school. It is a daily challenge to keep up with her growth and provide the necessary/appropriate food, stimulation etc. At work, as long as i continue to cater to the same demographic of students, my work can be pretty much the same but with Avery, i have to 'tailor' my stuff to grow with her, almost on a daily basis. It is a constant watching and adjusting that i have to do, on everything from the type of food she eats to the behaviour she displays.

- Trying to organize my time which revolves around baby, hubby and home. When working, there was at least a structure. Have to get to work by 8am. Leave work by 6pm. Lunch time is at 12. Same thing from monday to friday. Over here, everyday is like the weekend. It took me 2 months to get some form of structure in place... and even that, it was conform to fit into baby's meal/nap/play/sleep routines.

- Thinking (as opposed to worrying) about financial matters. True, that we have a stash of savings put aside for coming here but that, cannot last _forever_. So here i find myself watching every single penny going out for nothing is coming in (save the money held in various stocks/investment left in Spore - but in this economy... i just have to be thankful that i am not 'losing' more money instead). Previously, i wouldnt even blink an eye splurging on a thousand odd dollar bday gift for my brother (incidentally, a bally's briefcase for his first offer of job), now it is a treat if i get to buy bubble tea.

- Doing _real_ housework and cooking. I mean, as a daily thing, as oppose to doing it for 'fun' or on a whim. Sure, i did used to do them when i was young (when family was poor and parents were both working) but for the longest time, i had lived with domestic helper present in my home and didn't have to lift a finger to do any real housework/cooking (studying in London doesn't really count because i didn't have my own family then, and could pretty much make do with anything).

Sometimes, the changes are tough and i do find myself wondering what am i in for.. being with a child in a foreign country. There's so much learning and UNlearning to do. On the good days, it is all very exciting and interesting. On the not-so-good days, i wondered if i made the right choice in giving up everything familar to me for a life that i have now.

Well, guess we can only look ahead. :)

Cooking storm

Lately we have been pretty preoccupied with cooking (while the windy storm is progressing outside - not much places to go outdoors) as evident on my facebook photo page. We dont always take pictures of what we cook and eat because most time it is the normal stuff. We do when its something that require a little extra effort (or perhaps alot of extra effort).

At the moment, i am also toying with the concept of documenting adult food made out of 'necessity'. To be frank, i dont think i am a real cook per se. More like 'accidental' cook. The way i do groceries totally reflects this because i don't shop with a list. That is, i do not really plan what i want to make and then go get ingredients for it (only exception is food for baby but that's another story altogether). However, there are times when i will deliberate get one or two missing ingredients to make something because i already have the majority of the stuff at home. Most times, we will just get a bunch of generic stuff (meat, veggies, fruits) or whatever happens to be on sale at that time (most time it is mince meat of some sort). Then it is a case of "Hmm what can we make today" for the rest of the week. And believe me, it can get pretty challenging towards the later end of the week when supplies run low and you need to come up with something that involves 1 carrot, 2 tomatos, 200g of diced lamb, half a pack of tofu.

Challenging but fun and satisfying when the result turns out great (if it turned out so-so, well... at least our tummies are full). I guess it is a similar feeling for those contestants on MasterChef's invention test challenges. It is with these 'accidental dishes' that you can see the big difference between my culinary exposure vs wilkie's. I guess we ARE what we eat... After years of my mom's hakka cooking and watching cooking shows, I have a penchant for spices such as ginger, pepper, vinegary, salty savoury stuff, plus a hefty dose of 'Ang Moh' dishes. While Wilkie likes his black bean paste, curry powder, sichuan powder and dash of fish sauce, in what is what i can best describe as Asian dishes infused with 'wilkism' (mixture of hokkien, hainanese and god knows what influence).

This is also why it is not a great idea for the two of us to cook 'together'. After the first few 'clashes' where we counter questions each other's cooking processes, we decide it is best to decide who is the chef and who is the sous chef for the day. Works out great from then on. Wilk makes fantastic curries and enjoys making simple things that takes up alot of processing time. He conceded that my 'Ang Moh' dishes are better (i suspect my asian stuff, while edible, aren't really something to call home about) and i enjoy 'mixing & matching' the various ideas i have seen.

Still, there is always room for improvements but i doubt i will ever become a real cook. One case in point, while Wilkie is quite meticulously writing down all the recipes of stuff he made on his blog. I can hardly be bothered with mine. Mainly cos, i dont actually follows recipes.. it is the "see how it goes" and "i think i shd add this now" sort of thing. Aiya.. can eat can already la..

Mine or Baby's

The problem of keeping two blogs is that it gets really tiring trying to write and not 'overlap'. Hence i decided that Avery's blog shall just be everything from her POV but otherwise, i am just going to keep posting here. Who knows, when she is older, i will just hand over her blog to her and she can continue it.. (If i last that long that is).

Meal Planning for Avery

Since Avery started on solids, it has been quite an adventure trying to cook different things to increase her meal time options and expand her palate. But it is difficult to cook single portions each time so i've come up with a sort of system to provide her with a basic variety of meal options and maximizing time-efficiency. Not a perfect system but so far it is working out for me in terms ofproviding her with 3 square meals a day.

Preparing Stock - once a week
This is pretty easy because i will strain out about 4 portions of stock to freeze while preparing soup for our own meals. The best and easiest is the traditional ABC soup because i can also mash up some portions of the vegs in the soup for Avery at the same time.

Ingredients for ABC Soup - Chicken Bones (or breast meat - less oil, or whatever soup bones), 1 large onion, 1 large tomato, 2 potatos, 1 carrot (sometimes i add 1 corn cob as well). Be sure to wash the bones off with boiling water before adding into the pot of boiling water to reduce the scrum forming. I will set aside 3-4 portions of about 180-200ml for freezing. Additional, i've also freeze 1 portion of the soup (with various chunks of veggies)

Mass-Production of a Protein cum Veggie Mix (e.g. Beef/Veg Stew) - once a week
I will usually do it on the weekend and i will end up with about 5-6 baby cubes portion of this. It is easy to make and it can be done with any type of mince meat (lamb, chicken..). Similarly, the veggies can also vary depending on what i think Avery likes for the week. So far i have used, squash (butternut or pumpkin), sweet potato, corn (grated), potato, peas, carrot, small onion, broccoli. The consistent one is of course the mince and tomato, plus 2 other type of veg (i find that any more veg and it is a waste of ingredients because it will all end up tasting pretty much the same).

Recipe for Beef/Veg Stew (Squash & Corn)
1) Take 1 large tomato, cut a small cross at the top and cover it with boiling water for 30s. Then immediately put into cold water. Peel off the skin (that's what the cross cut is for). Cut and scoop out the seeds, then dice the flesh.

2) Chop finely (or small cubes) 1/4 small squash (peeled and deseeded). Grate 1 corn cob.

3) Heat 1 tsp of olive oil and saute 115 grams of lean mince beef till brown/crumbly (about 3-4mins). Add in the squash and tomato, saute it till veggie is all soft. Then add in 150ml of water or stock (i would use the one i've freezed) and bring it to a boil. Stir in the grated corn and then reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15mins.

When Avery was younger, i would puree the whole thing, adding some water if the mixture is too thick but nowadays, she can pretty much eat the soften veggie on her own. I just need to make sure that before i cook the mince, i minced it further on my own, chopping and mashing it with the back of my chopper.

Steam fish (salmon, grenadier etc) - once a week
I will try to let Avery have 1 or 2 portions of fish a week because omega 3 in oily fish are suppose to be good. A portion of fish, about 1 inch thick and 3-4 inches wide, can be split into 2-3 baby cubes. Just steam with 2 slice of ginger, a touch of pepper (optional). I tend to freeze them before flaking. When reheating, i will add a bit of water before reheating because fish tends to dry out.

Steam and mash Veg/Fruit - once a week
Can do 2-3 different type of veggie and fruits at the same time. Like pears, apples etc. I will usually make enough to fill 3-4 baby cubes. Or else it is handy to have fruits that does not need to be steam around the kitchen (e.g. papaya, honeydue)

Porridge - 3 times a week
I do not freeze porridge so what's cook on the day will be used for lunch and dinner. I will soak the rice the night before and before cooking it, i rub the rice to break it down further. The porridge can be boiled with water and a few pieces of dried scallops (soaked in hot water first for 15mins). But i will add a portion of the stock in (top up with water to required amount) without the scallops most of the time (unless i have no more stock at hand). In the porridge, i will add in veggies like spinach, broccoli, carrot, potato, sweet potato etc. For the hardier veg like potato, carrot, sweet potato and broccoli, i will add in when the porridge first come to a boil, but for spinach, i will add in before i serve. The trick to cooking porridge without it sticking to the pot is NOT to stir it anytime it is being boiled. Once the porridge comes to a boil, reduce the heat and continue to boil for another 15-20mins. Once the porridge is almost done, switch off the gas, cover the lid and leave it for another 15mins. When it is time for Avery's lunch, i will turn on the gas and then stir, mashing up the veggie as i go along, to the suitable texture.

So how does it all work out?
Breakfast is usually instant cereal with a portion of fruit (e.g. banana is always handy or just some steam apples).

Lunch/Dinner.. It is matter of mixing and matching really.
Some ideas:
- The portions of stock can be used for porridge and cooking stews.

- The portion of soup (with veg) can be reheated, once done, add 1 tsp of couscous and leave to stand for 2-3mins (or run it thru the microwave at low heat for 2mins).

- Beef stew can be served with porridge, instant cereals, baby pasta (just cook the pasta and stir in the reheated stew) or with mash potato. Grate on some hard cheese (e.g. cheddar) and it will be yummy.

- For porridge, either add in one type of mince meat (pork or chicken) or if plain, stir in fish flakes or even the beef stew. If Avery is having one portion of protein for lunch, then she will have the plainer veg porridge with one portion of fruits for dinner.

- I always have some avocado lying around my kitchen as an additional 'dish' to add to her lunch or dinner because she loves them so much. Otherwise, lunch or dinner gets an additional mash veg or steam fruit.

So there we go... enough food to go around. On and off when i do run short, there are also emergency jar food to add on for variety sake. I have fruit custard which are great to add in her cereals for breakfast or tea. And now i am trying yogurt and cheese cubes for snacks, on top of her rusk biscuits. Actually, before Wilk and i started our 'cooking blitz', i would say Avery is the one having the best meals in the family everyday!

Choices

In the last week, my dear hubs made a few difficult choices which i truly appreciated how difficult it must have been for him.

I think we all need to make such choices in some point in time of our lives, one that will possibly determine who we are and who we will be in the future. Sometimes the choices may be as simple as crossing a stream while others, it is like taking that leap across the mighty canyon.

I know he feels that he owes alot of people (including me) alot of explanation but i think it is really unnecessary because he is who he is and he should always try to live his life for himself first and foremost, than any others. As long as his choices makes him feel fulfil and happy, Avery and I will feel the same. That's what family is all about right?

I wish i can help him more but i guess certain things can only be decided by oneself. The only issue with this is that sometimes people perceived that his decisions were somewhat because of me... and well, thats another story altogether and not one i am quite happy to go into. In any case, as long as he is doing what he feels passionate about, i am happy to stand beside him. There is really no reason why he feels the need to justify his decisions to others in my opinion. But i know its tough for someone who cares so much about what people close to him feels and think. Don't know what else i can say except... i believe in you... it will be alright. :)

People with clean asses

There are those people who have really clean asses. No matter how much shit they pooped (pardon the rather gross analogy) but they always come out smelling like roses.

Me? I get shit on my shoes even when i am waving my pompoms at the other end of the stadium from the toilet.

See... some people are just born into that type of life while others, like me, tread in poo even when trying to avoid it.

What gives?

Defensive offensive

In any games, i would usually prefer to play offensive than defensive. I am the type that rather 'do' than 'wait' you see... Its usually 'attack first, talk later'. Sure, sometimes you might get your head bashed in but i'd rather like to go down in flames of glory than cower behind castle walls. Guess, it is no wonder that i get my head bashed in more often than not... since some will argue, i don't fight smart.