Do Not Resuscitate!

If ever I cannot eat and enjoy food, do not resuscitate!   Both my daughter and husband made this comment early this year while we were at a Japanese restaurant.  This is how important the enjoyment of good food is to, not only them, but this entire family.  Of course the comment was made all in jest so I don’t want to hear any negative comments on how hurtful this may sound for people who are worse off.  It was to express how much our lives are enhanced, and how much enjoyment we get in tasting and eating foods we love, and in experiencing new dishes.   Our lives surround the topic of food.  Not only is food a necessity of life but is also a form of entertainment, art, science, addiction (seriously…who can stop on one chip??), conversation item, experimentation, social gathering…and on and on.  Without food a big part of our enjoyment for living is missing.

Whenever I travel, my purpose of traveling is not only to relax and see the sites and culture of where I go, but to experience the most common dishes of the different cultures and try making them at home.   I am lucky that most members in the family are open and willing to try the dishes and spices of different cultures.  In my opinion, because of the multiculturalism of the North American cities, we need to experiment and taste the different dishes of the different cultures we are fortunate to have available to us.  Unfortunately, like every big family, we have one black sheep who is only open to the dishes of the Asian culture.  We are making some headway in converting this black sheep.  In his old age, he is starting to come around and has found that he enjoys the steaks and calamari dishes made at some of the great Greek restaurants we have in our city.  It only took 50 years!  Slowly but surely we will convert this black sheep. 

Amaretti Cookies

These cookies are a favourite for pretty much everyone who has tried it, easy to make and has a minimal number of ingredients!  A great gluten free dessert too!

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

130g caster sugar

170g almond powder

1/2 tsp almond extract

pinch of salt

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until doubled.  Add sugar slowly while continuing to beat, until firm peaks.
• Add almond extract and salt.
• Fold in almond powder with a spatula until fully combined.
• Form balls (either by hand or by using 2 teaspoons) about an inch in diameter and drop, 2 inches apart from each other, onto a parchment lined cookie tray.
• Bake at 200C/330F, 10 min - 13 min, until golden brown.

Optional: Before baking, dust with icing sugar, a whole almond or slivered almonds.

Adapted from eugeniekitchen.com

About Mama Loo's Kitchen

Why start now one might ask.  After having worked in a corporation for a number of years, I suddenly found myself with time on my hands after participating (ok...getting selected) in a restructure.  This was one of the best things that could happen to me as it gave me the opportunity to finally relax, travel around the world and start doing the things I love.  Don't get me wrong.  I enjoyed my job, my colleagues at work, and the challenges the team and I got through and resolved every day.  Raising a family, the corporate job (working 60+ hours per week and sometimes nights and weekends), left me with little time to pursue my other passion of eating and learning to cook dishes, cakes and pastries that I enjoy.

Mama Loo's Kitchen is a mixture of cakes, pastries and dishes from around the world.  Especially recipes coming from Southeast Asia.  The desserts have been adapted to an asian palate so that they are "not too sweet".  I'm a fan of pre-mixes, packaged or frozen, that are available on the market today in most asian grocery stores.  With limited cabinet space, why buy separate containers of spices needed for some of the dishes when a pre-mix package has all the spices in one package?

Family, friends and neighbours are my guinea pigs.  If I make something that is a favourite of mine or was enjoyed by the majority (since everyone's taste is different), it will be posted and shared.

There is something special about family and friends getting together around food.  I had a typical childhood raised by immigrant parents who owned a shop.  At an early age, I knew I was loved and that my parents were working hard, for me and my siblings, in order that we could have an easier future.  Shop hours were long without a lot of time for conversation around the kitchen table. My siblings and I did not eat around the kitchen table.  We had a baby sitter that didn't nag us, punish us, nor force us to do our chores.  The only problem is that she talked non stop, wouldn't listen to us, nor answer our questions.  Yup...Our babysitter was the television.  We filled our plates with the dishes we wanted and sat around our babysitter to listen and watch her stories.  I'm sure many of you can relate to this.  Today I see phones on the dining tables in restaurants keeping us all company.  Put them away and engage with the people around you!  It was my husband that brought back the tradition of family, sitting together, and eating together, without a television, ipad, or phone around.  Enjoy the company.  Enjoy the conversation.  Enjoy the food.  Enjoy life.

Happy eating!!!