Little Cozy Corner

Mum had a farewell party for me on Wednesday. We called a few family members and some of my close friends. The BBQ was great fun and the food ~ DELISH! :drool: As usual, we made our own dishes. Mum always takes pride in being the perfect host and till to date has not failed anyone’s expectations, at least she has definitely not failed my standards. She’s DA SMOKIN’ CHEF!

The main item was the chicken and frankfurters while the others were merely side dishes. We started preparing a little late but as usual, we’re always on time where time management is concerned. [Did I tell you that it takes me days to pack for a trip and I hate rushing to pack my bag? I started packing my suitcase to take with me to Oz since last week and I'm still not done!] I guess it was twice faster since 2 pairs of hands were working. I even had a debut signature dish out that night. It started out as pieces of steak for the bbq but ended up as a special mince meat dish….ala Yvy style. Actually, it looked very much like serunding. I think I know what went wrong though. I was so adamant and insistent that I had try out this recipe I conjured in my mind and die-die must do no matter what. After all, how tough could it be to prepare the steak with my special recipe, right? WRONG! In this case, it backfired! I guess it was partly my fault. I was suppose to tenderize it slightly the night before but I must have whacked it way too hard and on top of that, it was marinating in my special sauce over night. The final blow was when an aunt suggested we half-boil the meat first then add in the marinate so that it soaks right through and on that day, cook/grill/bbq till fully cooked.

By the time I mixed in my special brew, practically the whole pot of meat had fallen to bits. So I did the next best thing ~ added in more flavouring and had Mum help me stir it till it became dry as I was busy setting up the porch and such. Turned out might fine and was a hit among many. Guess Mum’s gift for cooking DOES run through my veins. Baby, worry no more…you shall not starve to death and we shall not live on nasi goreng alone, all the days of our life. :hehe:

Getting the bbq pit started was another drama ~ thank god I’m no drama mama myself or I would have been freaking out! Also another glitch no thanks to the inexperience me when it comes to bbq-ing. Who knows lar that those bbq coals which you can get in the bags were that fume-y and not hot enough? Costed us a bomb when all we needed was a bag of good ol’ charcoal wood to get the party started. *sigh* Poor Uncle Winston and Aunty Theresa were fanning away trying to get the fire up. But despite the slow start-up for the fire, once it got going….all went smoothly and the chicken was S-U-P-E-R!! :drool: :drool: Nice and slightly charred on the outside but ,juicy moist and succulent on the inside. Double, triple :drool:

The slow start….

The smokin’ pit ~ THIS is what I’m talking about! :drool: :drool:

See that dish on the bottom right? Yvy’s Special…

More food!!! :drool:

Our desserts waltzing in….

A (wo)man’s best friend during any party….BOOZE!! What bbq would be complete without a little firewater, eh? :smug: