It is very rare that we actually spend evenings at home. We usually go on rambles or to the library or at the very least to the playground. It so happened however, that a combination of factors made us go off the outdoor play last evening.
Firstly, patti had already taken the girls for a half hour of play in the playground. Sophia seemed to be having a very mild diarhoea. And thirdly, there was an outbreak of HFMD in the area around our house, with Shreyas getting infected. I was a little protective of the kids and plunked them straight into the bath after play.
Alnjali had been asking for a bus trip and I thought a nice thing to do would be to take a bus trip to no where (Bus number 173 has a very interesting route amoung the suburban areas in Bukit batok with very nice countryy houses and meadows). however, after their bath, the girls were playing in the bedroom. They played slide down and rubber house and jumping and all sorts of stuff and When I asked Anjali whether she wanted to go in the bus, she said "After I play in the bedrom let's go on the bus". Ofcourse, playing in the bedroom took up a lot of time, and I dont think she was very enthusiastic about a trip to nowhere (i want to go somewhere mummy!!)
The highlight of my evening though were the two baking projects that we did. Husband had gotten a packkets of sunflower seeds and I had found a fabulous yeast bread recipe with sunflower seeds. However, as the girls were busy playing, I didnt want to be interrupted during my kneading process and decided to keep the bread for the next morning. This plan changed.
While the children were playing in the bedroom, I went to the kitchen. There I found a box of strawberries which were a little too sour. I also found three apples and decided to make an apple crumble. I had no sooner put the apples tto cook on the stove when Sophia toddled in. She raised her arms
"Amma taie!"
And seeing me put a little of this and a pinch of that in a bowl, she immediately said
"Shapia!"
So Sophia helped me to make that cobbler. She poured out flour, measured baking powder, and poured out oil (husband would be glad to know that half the oil went on the kitchen table and so the cobbler is relatively oil free). When it was time to put the strawberries in the baking tray, she refused and wanted to put them direcly in the batter.
The cobbler went into the oven and Sophia had the pot to lick of the remains. After she did that, and later she mistaked the pot for a pot of paint and tried to put her foot in and then put little batter coovered footprints all over the kitchen, Anjali walked in. She had been playing trains with husband in the living room.
"mummy, what Sophia is eating?"
"She's eating the batter from the cobbler"
Anjali looked at Sophia, whose face was full of batter. She looked at the oven, whose light was on. Her face fell.
"Mummy, why didnt I make this?"
"Because you were busy playing trains and I didnt want to disturb you"
Her lips began to tremble. "No. I want to make a cobbler"
I had a brain wave. "Do you want to make another one?"
she brightened up. "Ok"
So we got out the baking stuff again. Husband took over Sophia, and read her books (while she eyed the pot owlishly, as we had settled Anjali on the kitchen table out of reach of Sophia)
I left the pot in front of Anjali and went to get flour. When i returned, Anjali put her feet in the pot and was dragging it around.
"Anjali, you dont put your feet on your cooking pot, its not hygenic"
Very cheerfully, "Ok!"
I opened the fridge to get out the yeast and measure the water. When I came back, she was not using the pot as a stake, she had it on her head as a hat.
"Anjali!", I exclaimed, in frustration.
"You need to wash the pot again", husband advised sagely.
The pot was washed and in went the flour, milk and salt. The yeast frothed beautifully in honey water and we had a blast kneading. We left it to rise and Anjali liked the remaining dough.
The bread rose beautifully and when baked it looked like real bread, like husband said. It also cut like real bread, into slices (none of my other breads had ever done that), and I just ate a slice and it tastes like real bread - with the tang of whole grain and the sunflower and sesame seeds that we had mixed into it.
Firstly, patti had already taken the girls for a half hour of play in the playground. Sophia seemed to be having a very mild diarhoea. And thirdly, there was an outbreak of HFMD in the area around our house, with Shreyas getting infected. I was a little protective of the kids and plunked them straight into the bath after play.
Alnjali had been asking for a bus trip and I thought a nice thing to do would be to take a bus trip to no where (Bus number 173 has a very interesting route amoung the suburban areas in Bukit batok with very nice countryy houses and meadows). however, after their bath, the girls were playing in the bedroom. They played slide down and rubber house and jumping and all sorts of stuff and When I asked Anjali whether she wanted to go in the bus, she said "After I play in the bedrom let's go on the bus". Ofcourse, playing in the bedroom took up a lot of time, and I dont think she was very enthusiastic about a trip to nowhere (i want to go somewhere mummy!!)
The highlight of my evening though were the two baking projects that we did. Husband had gotten a packkets of sunflower seeds and I had found a fabulous yeast bread recipe with sunflower seeds. However, as the girls were busy playing, I didnt want to be interrupted during my kneading process and decided to keep the bread for the next morning. This plan changed.
While the children were playing in the bedroom, I went to the kitchen. There I found a box of strawberries which were a little too sour. I also found three apples and decided to make an apple crumble. I had no sooner put the apples tto cook on the stove when Sophia toddled in. She raised her arms
"Amma taie!"
And seeing me put a little of this and a pinch of that in a bowl, she immediately said
"Shapia!"
So Sophia helped me to make that cobbler. She poured out flour, measured baking powder, and poured out oil (husband would be glad to know that half the oil went on the kitchen table and so the cobbler is relatively oil free). When it was time to put the strawberries in the baking tray, she refused and wanted to put them direcly in the batter.
The cobbler went into the oven and Sophia had the pot to lick of the remains. After she did that, and later she mistaked the pot for a pot of paint and tried to put her foot in and then put little batter coovered footprints all over the kitchen, Anjali walked in. She had been playing trains with husband in the living room.
"mummy, what Sophia is eating?"
"She's eating the batter from the cobbler"
Anjali looked at Sophia, whose face was full of batter. She looked at the oven, whose light was on. Her face fell.
"Mummy, why didnt I make this?"
"Because you were busy playing trains and I didnt want to disturb you"
Her lips began to tremble. "No. I want to make a cobbler"
I had a brain wave. "Do you want to make another one?"
she brightened up. "Ok"
So we got out the baking stuff again. Husband took over Sophia, and read her books (while she eyed the pot owlishly, as we had settled Anjali on the kitchen table out of reach of Sophia)
I left the pot in front of Anjali and went to get flour. When i returned, Anjali put her feet in the pot and was dragging it around.
"Anjali, you dont put your feet on your cooking pot, its not hygenic"
Very cheerfully, "Ok!"
I opened the fridge to get out the yeast and measure the water. When I came back, she was not using the pot as a stake, she had it on her head as a hat.
"Anjali!", I exclaimed, in frustration.
"You need to wash the pot again", husband advised sagely.
The pot was washed and in went the flour, milk and salt. The yeast frothed beautifully in honey water and we had a blast kneading. We left it to rise and Anjali liked the remaining dough.
The bread rose beautifully and when baked it looked like real bread, like husband said. It also cut like real bread, into slices (none of my other breads had ever done that), and I just ate a slice and it tastes like real bread - with the tang of whole grain and the sunflower and sesame seeds that we had mixed into it.
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