Baking Frenzy!

I am going crazy over baking and cooking these past few days. Posted only some recipes I tried on my fotopages blog and recently we bought a digital kitchen scale (it was on sale.. really!!) ! Well I am on my hols but he's not so there's no point of going anywhere, so I stayed home most days and cooked or baked, trying my hands at almost anything in the mags! Now he has no reason to complain when I buy those monthly recipe books and piling them up under the bed.

I just made pizza tonight. From dough, to sauce to toppings all homemade. And tonight, I find myself missing Makcha. She enjoys baking. I remember those old days when I was a kid, she used to bake breads and buns. The whole house will be filled with those sweet and/or savoury bun fillings. Sometimes she'd make "pau". And fill them up with "kaya" or curry-puff fillings. I remember sitting on the couch in our living room legs crossed and stuffing myself with her curry-puff filled buns, watching some British cartoons on weekends. Never once I offer to help. Nor did I show any interest to how she makes them. Working in the kitchen to me those days was a bore. Thanks to the first chore handed to me; washing dishes and peeling onions. I hate getting myself or my hands wet and working with dirty dishes and peeling onions is nothing to look forward to. Up to this date, I still hate doing dishes. I loathe it. Yet, today, the smell of Makcha's sweet soft buns kept nagging my mind. It was more than a decade ago.

Kung Pao chicken was introduced to me by him. He had them when he was in Beijing and since I've never had them before and the ingredients and method seems easy to make, we decide to try our hands on it. It turned out well according to him.

I've only heard of Focaccia Bread few years back when dining in Dave's Deli and their tuna melt sandwich on focaccia bread tastes delightful. Since then, I always look forward to focaccia sandwiches but few weeks ago I found the recipe in one of my mags. So last weekend when everyone's in their room and he's occupied with his laptop, I snuck out of the room and started mixing things and kneading. It took a couple hours to proof it and wait for it to rise but the end result was absolutely delish. Especially using fresh home grown rosemary and thyme. Next morning I cut it up and all of us had breakfast with it.

I also found some recipes baking/grilling chicken. Tried my hands at making salad dressing and got a taste of haloumi cheese just kept my energy for trying out recipes, cooking and baking going. He complains everyday that I cook too much or I should take time out from cooking. You see, I think I'm just missing Makcha. If she sees what bakes I've tried on, I doubt she has the energy to bake anymore but I miss her. She had unconsciously injected a small passion/interest in me that even I didn't know. This is what's happening. And I'm sure if she sees what I'm doing and knows why, somewhere in her would be proud of me knowing how much influence she had put in my up-bringing.

So to her, I thank you and love you, Makcha. Despite the hardship we go through bringing me up, I would have never be the person I am today without you. Thank you.