chayohome2020

Sharing Homemade Happiness

Yes, Val was at it again – more amazing lunch boxes! Val saw my cheesy baked eggplant recipe and she was delighted that great minds think alike (ha ha, so much for humility). She cooked Korean eggplant namul, stir-fried zucchini and green beans, soy braised quail eggs, beef bulgogi, and stir-fried fish cakes for Monday’sContinue reading “Sharing Homemade Happiness”

Zesty Lime-leaf Chicken Stew and Cheesy Baked Eggplant

It’s Sunday again and time to whip up a family meal. Sunday is also time to clear out the fridge. I found some dried lime-leaf left over from when I made crispy chicken toast a couple of weeks ago (see earlier recipe). I was about to throw them out when I thought: let’s try somethingContinue reading “Zesty Lime-leaf Chicken Stew and Cheesy Baked Eggplant”

Gardening 360 Degrees

By Andrea Pavee Pruning is a staple in gardening. Every gardener, fledging or otherwise, has to get down and dirty with the job of snip-snipping. Plants flourish when pruned and watching new shoots grow goes a long way in bolstering a beginner’s confidence. As a fledging gardener, I found that watching my garden grow helpedContinue reading “Gardening 360 Degrees”

Panic-Cooking and Plum Sauce Pork

A friend, who is a young working mother of two, asked: “How do you think I should start? Should I just cook on and off to gain confidence, or should I actually start by planning proper meals for a whole week?” That is a hard question to answer, given that she is a working mumContinue reading “Panic-Cooking and Plum Sauce Pork”

Nature’s Gift @Home – How Does your Garden Grow?

by Andrea Pavee When Covid-19 rolled across the world and wreaked havoc across countries, cultures, and peoples, Governments ostensibly initiated lockdowns to halt (at best), or stem (at least) the raging infections. Malaysia joined that bandwagon and our lockdown, colloquially known as the Movement Control Order (MCO), started on March 18. Little did we knowContinue reading “Nature’s Gift @Home – How Does your Garden Grow?”

A Bunch of Humble Wonders

What are humble wonders? They are the things you don’t give much thought to, but they add a whole load of flavour to your food (and life!). On Monday I found a potted plant by the gate and wondered what it was and what it was doing there. From the smell of the leaves, itContinue reading “A Bunch of Humble Wonders”

End of Season Recipes: Pomelo salad and Basil Leaf Minced Pork

If you are in Singapore and you have just finished celebrating the Lunar New Year, you might have the same problem I had. I bought too many sets of Lo Hei ingredients, without anticipating the restrictions and precautionary measures brought about by Covid 19. “What to do?”, I asked myself. I remembered our family doctorContinue reading “End of Season Recipes: Pomelo salad and Basil Leaf Minced Pork”

Enjoy an Antipasto

An antipasto is a starter or an appetizer that comes before a meal, but it can also be a snack or a light meal in itself. Bruschetta is an antipasto. For those of us who are used to pizza and pasta as main Italian meals in themselves, it may come as a surprise that pastaContinue reading “Enjoy an Antipasto”

Andrea’s Advice: Time to Get your Home Hacks Together!

If you meet Andrea, you will never imagine that once upon a time she was happily living a “life of order in disorder”, as she now describes it. She comes across as an organised and efficient lady who gets things done! When we had a chat about this blog, she got straight to business: “WhenContinue reading “Andrea’s Advice: Time to Get your Home Hacks Together!”

Val’s Amazing Lunch Boxes

What’s amazing about Val’s lunch boxes is that Val cooks the most amazing meals while coping with a demanding job as a nurse during the pandemic. We can imagine healthcare professionals arriving home exhausted with little time to rest before reporting to work again. I had heard a lot about Val’s famous lunch boxes, soContinue reading “Val’s Amazing Lunch Boxes”