Cooking

It was absolutely beautiful outside today. I could have stayed outside forever in that weather. Sunny weather makes me happy. (I probably have a bit of SAD). But what else makes me just as happy indoors?

A shiny brand new kitchen left for me to use.

 I do have a queer infactuation with brand new kitchens. With all the open houses I've visited in search for my own home, the most important thing to me is the kitchen. Or, the potential of a good kitchen. I'm not a crazy good cook, but I enjoy it. I love kitchen gadgets. I love kitchen features. But till that day I find my own home, I don't have a kitchen to call my own.

I also love quiet alone time.  I love company but I also love time alone equally.But sometimes, it's hard to come by. Today, I got some alone time with Ming's brand new kitchen. Double whammy!

I love it.

I was probably more busy admiring these tiles and the shiny counter and the shiny stovetop than actually busy cooking. (Not that I haven't seen the kitchen before...but still loving it). I left the hockey game on in the background while I whipped up dinner in the kitchen. Besides that, and the whurring of the stove fan, it was quiet. Just me and the kitchen. (Ming had left to play squash with his boss).  I was in total heaven. (Yah, it really doesn't take much).

I didn't document the whole cooking process this time. I was busy watching the game in between. But here are a couple of photos of the mash potatoes in progress.



The foil wrapping is so asian.

See, Ming! Mashed potatoes were from scratch. Not from pre-packaged crap.

This game ended with a 7-3 win for the 'Nucks! Woooooooo....

Here's the final product. Grilled steak marinated in red wine and garlic. I personally could have used a bit more seasoning I think. Summer salad with corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, avacados and green onion. Sauteed mushrooms (which Ming thought were from cans... uhh, no! Fresh crimini mushrooms!). And garlic mash. It was all simple.

Two things I find about cooking is : 1 ) It's more enjoyable when you're cooking for someone else.  2 ) It's a learning process. I remember when I first moved out of my parents' place and living with roommates, I not only had to learn how to cook but also learn what my roommates like or did not like to eat. It took a while before I could really make a good meal. In combination of kitchen skills and knowledge of ingredients and recipes, you learn over time what different people prefer or do not prefer to eat.

I remember I used to love mango in some of my curry recipes. Only to find one of my roommates picking out all the mangoes 'cause she didn't like mangoes period. Or even, how I tried to cook meats before she came home from work because she disliked the smell of meat cooking.

I think if I learned anything tonight, Ming likes his sauces. And there was none.

At the same time, he says he's not picky. Reminds me how... my dad always tries so hard to see what my brother and I liked to eat even though we're good with pretty much whatever. It got a bit annoying at times when he tried to cater everything to our tastes. 'Cuz really, we didn't care all that much. And plus, he would cook what he thought we liked over and over again. Even if we did like that food, we'd grow to get sick of it. Eeek! I'm turning into my dad!

After dinner, we had a couple more Korean desserts out of the box.

I picked the latter because it looked like a peach. Or some sort of fruit. And not dyed a flourescent pink or orange. Ming cracks up and goes "You picked the butt crack! You have to post the butt crack on your blog!". Ehh. Mature. What can I say.