Ready, Get Set, Go!

Ready?

1995 East Village, New York.  Blind Date declared, "When I have a home, I would really like fresh flowers in it…"

25 years old, and dazzled by him, I blurted, "Yes, me too!" 

20 years on, it's 2015, and beyond my over-active imagination, here I am, Mrs Chan, in Wimbledon Village, London.

Tennis Season is over, I'm having a peony moment.

My daughter is home, i can't seem to stop the cooking.

Mom!  What's for dinner?  Mom!  What's for lunch?

And if I am cooking and cooking, I need my dining table to look a certain way…

Get Set!

2011, Singapore newspaper interview, the 12th home-  "Wah, so nice!  What's the occasion?"

Erm, my husband is coming home for dinner…  I need to feed him before he goes back to work.

2015, TJ and her Mom are coming for lunch.

On the train now!  6 more stops so think I'll arrive about 1:45pm?

GO!

Asian meal, I won't cook until you get here, so no rush X

At Wimbledon now, so 1:45pm doable X

GO!

Tam's 15 minute (preparation and actual cooking) Asian Lunch for a table of 4:

-  Get the rice cooking in the rice cooker

-  Use Sancerre left by the husband to marinate shrimp 

-  Marinate lamb cutlets with sea salt, pepper, and olive oil

-  Dice and blanch beans, beat up eggs.

-  Pour ready-made chicken stock into a large pot

-  Psst.  This is excellent stock (Atkins and Potts').

But it needs to be kicked up with chopped tomatoes, and a cube of chicken stock from Knorrs.  Add leafy vegetables like bak choy, lettuce, add the marinated shrimp as there wasn't time to get dumplings or tofu from Bayswater.

-  Simply cook everything up when your guests arrive, so that the food can be served, hot.