CB Foods I Really Miss

I may be glad for Phase Two and the blessings she brings (hello restaurants), but there are days, I tell you, that I truly miss the (way too free) hours of SAH and WFH- and the activities all those spare moments allowed to me. 

Those were days when the hours seemed to stretch ahead before you and you had to adhere to some sort of routine just so you wouldn't squander the day ahead away. 

Lots of house packing, lots of house cleaning, lots of looking at stuff which you'd long procrastinated and which you decided you weren't going to do so anymore. 

Me, I started on some sort of diet plan. 

Well, not exactly a diet- I still ate pretty much what I wanted to eat and what I liked to eat. 

But because the only places open were supermarkets, we decided that it was high time we make full use of the kitchen and take the (rare) opportunity to prepare our own meals. 

I don't cook. 

Okay, I don't cook very well. 

So my role was relegated to that of assistant cook and head dishwasher. 

I didn't mind. 

After all, there's something wonderfully wholesome about home-cooked meals and homemade flavors using fresh ingredients that you yourself get from the supermarket. 

It's akin to planting your own vegetables or growing your own herbs. 

I haven't gotten to that domestic of a stage.

Maybe I will- one day. 

No one knows what life intends for you. 

Maybe one day I'll grow my own broccoli. 

But at this moment I'm just glad that I got to make my own broccoli soup- and honestly- I wish I still had the time to do it now. 

This wasn't a soup that we'd gotten out of a can. 

This was a soup we made with fresh broccoli bought from the supermarket which I'd washed, cut, blended, simmered and stirred with organic vegetable broth as a base and which we later thickened with chunks of good cheese (I don't know what) and spoonfuls of low fat cottage cheese. 

Sure, we might have gone a little overboard with the turmeric, but hey, the texture was thick (a healthy thick), the flavors were a perfect balance, and the soup was, for an afternoon lunch, simply good.

Green curry fried rice was another dish which we experimented during those months and to my utter delight, discovered that the chef could make a fairly good stir in the pan medium heat and all, with leftover green curry, beaten egg, and overnight white rice. 

Those who have tried green curry will know the distinct sweetness, fragrance and light flavor of spice that the curry itself brings. Add to that the slightly hardened rice grains, the silky texture created by the egg, and this is a dish that when fried well will leave one with a thrill in the tummy and comforting warmth to the soul.

There are other meals which I wish we had more time to make. 

Like the rosti which we made using real potatoes that we bought by the bag from the supermarket, which we then peeled, boiled and shredded by ourselves, which we then fried in the pan, and which sauce we made using a combination of Greek yogurt, a dash of lemon juice and garlic powder. 

Also, like the naan which we bought frozen from the supermarket and which we fried for breakfast (plus cheese!) on certain mornings. 

Not all meals, however, I'm glad to say, have remained as just a mere memory of the spare hours we had during the season of lockdown. 

There are meals which we have made plans to prepare. 

There are meals which we have continued to prepare.  

Like this meal of pre-marinated boneless chicken that we have to go to a certain supermarket to purchase, which we throw into the pan and let it sizzle in a shallow fry of grapeseed oil, and which dip we make using Greek yogurt, garlic powder, lime powder and a dash of lemon. 

And like this sandwich of sliced cheddar cheese wrapped in fresh, juicy lettuce that I make by the bulk with one loaf of bread, keep in a takeaway box and take out to munch on whenever the mood (or the pangs) strike.