My ever burgeoning list of dispensable kitchen appliances.

I have a list of semi-useful kitchen appliances and gadgets/tools. I am more than certain that all of these purchases seemed like a good idea at the time and it was in no way impulsive buying. Scoff scoff...

Below is the non-exhaustive list:

1. The icecream/sorbet maker - I was really eager and excited when I received this as a gift. There were so many ice cream recipes I was inspired to try but the motivation has been replaced by fatigue and other priorities. I have yet to open the carton/packaging which goes to show how useful this machine has been to me.
2. The donut maker: I have not opened the packaging and it is not high on my priority list to do so either. The plus is that is it supposed to be a healthy version of donuts as it does not involve deep-frying. Although the deep-frying sometime is indispensable to the tasty factor.
3. The rotiserrie grill : I recuperated this from my aunt in Vietnam,apparently it consumes a lot of electricity and she had only ever used it once. I myself have used it occasionally since the
4. The bread maker: I have used this sporadically since its arrival in my kitchen. As always it was an acquisition I was very excited to finally secure but it has been sitting dormant in the corner for a little while waiting to be revived. I have not been altogether satisfied with the results it has yielded so far hence my reluctance and hesitation in attempting to give it some more workout.
5. The juice extractor: In theory very healthy and so forth but a bit unwieldy. It is a budget buster as well because it's pricey to extract fresh juice from fruits and veggies. The juice yielded cannot be preserved very long either. I have used it to extract apple and carrot juice but have not been adventurous enough to try with exotic flavours...
6. The Charlotte : A multi-function mincer that minces, shreds and slices and is so versatile it has become Shrek's newest best friend.. He is enamored with it.
7. The coffee machine : Solely Shrek's wake-up call because he is unbearably stroppy, lethargic and utterly unfathomable before coffee. Coffee is his drug.

The next acquisition will have to be essential because the kitchen is becoming crowded with all these needless or semi-useful appliances.

My lack of green thumb

I see the sorry state of the indoor plants that I have and wonder why I prolong their suffering. I do really want to revive and keep them until spring which is a long 3 months away from now. I am pathetic ! Two measly plants... and they are dying on me.

Shrek has been busying himself relentlessly slogging away at his day and night job so my endeavour to entrust him with the caring for the plants is to no avail.

It is getting rather desperate...all the more so when I feel like I hardly have time to do anything other than occupying and entertaining and feeding and general upkeeping the 3 and a 1/2 kids I have.

I will refrain from posting actual pictures of the pooor poor things. The real reason is I would have to take photos, upload and that takes precious time away from my other main activities.

Green thumb

I received a plant for my homewarming back in November and another one end of December. I am hoping that they will last until spring at least. Given my track record at keeping plants so far the plants do not have a very likely chance of survival. I do not have a green thumb though I do think that one does not really need to be to keep two plants from lasting 2 months. I even eschewed the likelihood of wilting from water shortage by spending luxuriously on a pressure sprayer. It is impressive as only enthusiastic gardeners can claim to have this tool.

Plants are complicated and seem high-maintainance: too much water- they die, not enough water they die, too much or too little sunlight they die, exposure to frostbite-death ...the list is endless. I cannot vouch for all their neediness..


I will bestow this all important duty of caring for the plants to my beloved Shrekkie.

Oyster Opener

It is no secret that I love seafood and in particular lobster, scallops, oysters and abalones. Shrek has been spoiling me by opening dozens upon dozens of oysters (at very affordable prices) and only eating nominally leaving me and Petite Suissesse to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

The bowl cut

Shrek thought it was a good idea to figuratively put a bowl on King Minimoy's head and cut around it.

It sure looks cute !

King Moy will have fond memories as the bowl cut has been captured on camera.

Meet the Sperminator

Move over Terminator you have a conqueror Shrek The Sperminator!!!

I think Shrek thoroughly deserves this title due to his unprecedented and unrivaled virility thus resulting in prodigious reproduction thereby upping the Swiss population a notch child by child.

Loose tooth

The mouse came to shake loose one of Petit Suisse's canine tooth on his lower gum. He was visibly shaken, shocked and took to bawling his eyes out because he believed that the cause for this incredulous accident was the corn cob that he was chomping on just prior to having the 'tooth about to fall out' sensation. Shrek and I calmly explained to him that it was normally normal for his milk tooth to shake loose to make way for new permanent tooth and that the mouse would come and give him money under his pillow in exchange for said tooth. After much reassurance and insistence that there was nothing to cry about the fear subsided and the whole fiasco was fast a distant memory.

Next talk will be puberty or pre-teen angst...

Random things to do on a rainy day with kids.

Randomness


Give them a bath and lots of used plastic bottles or other plastic bits and pieces to entertain them in the water. Guaranteed effect of keeping them amused for at least an hour.

Taking out the garbage

Shrek has been dutifully taking out the garbage and replacing/lining the bin with garbage bags. Bravo!!!

Now if he could improve his cuisine skills and also start nettoyer la maison by first learning to pick up after himself Princess Fiona will be a very happy maîtresse indeed.

Come on Shrekkie, you know you can do it.

Stuff Asians like

In correlation to the 'Stuff white people like' I have a new category for my blog called unoriginally enough 'Stuff Asian people like'. It's not an original idea but the Asians are renowned for bootlegging and pirating copyright much to the chagrins of big record companies. I can say I am an Asian.

To start off Asians love status associated with a tertiary or post-graduate education or best of all a PhD. That is not to distinguish them from other races but they love showing off their status (by extension) with a vengeance. They will discuss any trophies they might have and the level of education their children have achieved through sacrifices and pure perseverance. They would give up on life's little luxuries save the necessities just so their children can have a shot at attending the best universities and do the family proud.

To empathise with an Asian one would require to appear educated. Asians place very high importance to education. One could say I have an MBA at the University of life. If they ask where is that one would be able to quip You know LIFE, try it.