She claims that using the microwave dirties the kitchen, so I might as well get the most bang for my buck since no matter what I do, tomorrow she'll complain the house is very dirty.
On the menu (not all for consumption today):
- Bratwurst with bratkartoffeln
- Macaroni/fusilli with home-made tomato sauce (from last week) and minced pork
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Fries
My potato peeler is so powerful it managed to chip my nail.
7pm: The pasta and the fries were a trivial case - I've made them so many times I can do it with my eyes closed and one hand behind my back (the first batch of fries were a bit brown but I shall justify that by saying that they were for my father, who likes chao tah food, and the subsequent batch was perfect).
Bratwurst - Although Giant has lousy quality food (the chicken is thawed from frozen chicken so you can't refreeze it, the honey baked ham does not list honey in the ingredients list and there's even a gallery of 'Malaysian Delights' in the IMM branch), it also sells fresh sausages so I grilled (pan fried) fresh bratwurst. Water must've seeped out from them because they caused my oil to spurt merrily. To my horror, I found out after grilling them (for about 2-3 mins on each of the four 'sides') that you're supposed to simmer them in almost-boiling water before grilling, or they may be raw inside and burnt outside after grilling, so I cut them all into half just to check if they were cooked (they were). I think this is the first time I've had fresh bratwurst - the meat defnitely has more character to it, but I also like the smoother texture of pre-cooked bratwurst - if I wanted to feel the grain of the meat I'd have a pork chop, not a sausage.
The sausages are tiny. I shall have 3 per serving next time, instead of 2.
Bratkartoffeln - I was supposed to cook the potatoes beforehand and cool them before frying so they wouldn't disintegrate. I neglected to cover the container and they oxidised. Next time I should cut the potatoes into smaller pieces, or even flatter slices (instead of the current wedge-like pieces) so they'll crsip better. But actually it doesn't really matter since I'll only eat it on Monday, and my brother in law will have it sometime during the week.
Chicken Cordon Bleu - Unfortunately I forgot to make sure there were toothpicks, so I had to bake this. I couldn't be bothered to put herbs. I should next time. The Mild Australian Cheddar didn't melt and ooze over the ham as was the plan, unfortunately; I cut strips from a thick slice of it and broke the strips into a few pieces before putting them on top of the ham. Maybe I should try using shredded cheese next time. At least it was better than the first time I made Cordon Bleu since I used Japanese Breadcrumbs instead of improvising my own (though the breadcrumbs mostly remained white instead of browning, but then even when you deep fry they turn light brown at most).
someone: u cooked all that food and udidnt invite anybody?
Oops. It didn't occur to me. Maybe I should invite people next time, then they can do the cleaning up!