One of the really nice things about being home with family is that we have lots of cooking parties. That is to say, since we cook together, I consider it a party. Perhaps the definition needs to be revisited at some point but for now it's a delicious argument to have.
In which we argue through food
My Dad has been wanting to cut down our kaffir lime tree. My Mom disagrees. I happen to like being able to pick my own leaves and the fruit (you don't use the juice, just the zest). Lil Sis had bought some lemongrass earlier this week, in the hopes I might be inspired to make something with lemongrass and kaffir lime. She was hoping for shrimp but since I found out my Mom doesn't like shrimp (only last year - how have we not known this until now???) and BS was already planning to make misoyaki butterfish (which he doesn't eat, by the by), I thought I should make some chicken. Chicken seems to be a relatively inoffensive meat and it takes on the flavors of the kaffir lime and lemongrass really well. Not to mention, I wanted to try a spicy version with Red Hot (same sauce as for buffalo wings, which I love).
The resulting dinner was spinach and artichoke dip by AA (see left) - vegetarian, right down to the bacon bits in it; BS's misoyaki butterfish - yum, more for those of us who eat it; kaffir lime and lemongrass chicken (with and without spicy sauce); and broccoli with garlic and olive oil.Dad hasn't suggested cutting down the kaffir lime tree again but now I have to wonder if he will suggest it on every trip if the answer comes back via family dinner...
Then a night of take out (Cheesecake Factory which I still find uninspiring) before a dinner by Lil Sis. She doesn't seem to enjoy cooking much, which I just don't understand. I do understand how something can taste better when someone else cooks it. There are several things which I can never do as well as the originals which I found - a girlfriend's tuna sandwich (I did it exactly as she did it and I've yet to be satisfied with the result); a classmate's Malaysian chicken rice (he said it's not as good as his Mom's and mine is so not as good as his!) and whether this is a matter of technique or the fact that someone else cooked, it's a little hard to say.
Dinner #2 - Lil Sis's beef stew with red wine and kale (aka how to make vegetables palatable to your children. And your friends. And your older sister.)
Tonight I didn't get around to taking photos the first time around or when everything was laid out and looking pretty. However, I did get them the second time around. I've always had a theory that when someone doesn't like something (and it's not attributable to an allergy or a really bad experience with said food) it's usually because it hasn't been cooked well. I don't have many dislikes (okra - ew! and super bitter veggies) but kale was on the list of non-favorites for a long while. So of course the first time I heard "kale" as an ingredient in beef stew, I was a little dubious. Evidently this dislike was shared by my niece and nephew (4.5 and 2, respectively) - but they will eat it in this form. Of course the competitive nature took over...er, that is to say, I wanted to encourage Lil Sis so I tried her stew. All I can say is, she can add kale to my stew any time! She didn't even have to hide the kale - it just needed to taste good.
And to top off her Domestic Goddess persona, chocolate chip cookies! I don't make chocolate chip cookies so I am very impressed. Not to mention, they are delicious (you have to taste it!) and there are quite a few of them. Speaking of which, it's a good thing they stayed at her place instead of coming home with me or else there might have been a milk and cookies time before bed. As it is, they are on the list as a treat for tomorrow when we need to have Elevensies / morning tea / afternoon snack / dessert / no excuse needed. By the by, Lil Sis says she can't cook. So if this is her not cooking, I'm happy for her not to cook for me any time!Until next time, may your arguments and "not" endeavors be as successful as ours!
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