in relation to yesterday's post about the mother's culinary skills, let's talk about mine today. i have never been a good cook. and i don't think i ever will be. like most of the modern day yuppies of 2007, i hold a proficiency in indomee and scrambled eggs. plus i specialize in anything food-related that involves the words 'instant' and 'microwave'. it's no wonder that i end up eating out most of the time, knowing how much of chemical X they use in the food these days. i'm just waiting for someone to throw in the sugar and spice and everything nice. that would make a powerpuff boy out of me.

the mother has tried umpteen times too hand down her knowledge in cookery to both the brother and me. she knows that the family line will prolly discontinue at my side. and the brother may be dashingly good-looking, but he's rather socially-inept. so what's a knowledgeable woman to do? hand it all down to the sons (no more daughter coming, given that the father has 'oh-so-proudly' proclaimed that he has already been 'streilized'). well, so far the brother has mastered the art of cooking rice in the rice cooker. i have had more luck so far and i think i owe this to gayhood. if any of my colleagues ask me what food i can prepare for a potluck, my instantaneous answer would be PASTA (said with gusto and plenty of pride). thanks to the mother, i can prepare creamy pastas from scratch. i need milk, butter, some oregano and ham and you're set for a gastronomical experience that you'll never forget (it comes with a free gastric workout).

so it was with the same gusto and pride that i replied the boyfriend when he asked if i could prepare something for a new year's gathering with some of his air stewarding colleagues. PASTA! i can do it! the pride deflated though when he said that he wanted the tomato-based kind. i've never liked red pastas because they are mostly sour and well... they taste horrid IMHO. plus, red-stains are tougher to remove compared to white stains. and okay, the main reason was because i didn't know how to prepare red pasta from scratch lah!

we spent most of the afternoon shopping for pasta sauces and then preparing them and i have to say that it was quite a challenge. given that it was the chinese new year and the supposedly enterprising chinese wet markets don't open during those few days, one was hard-pressed to find decent pasta ingredients in the boyfriend's fridge. still, cooking is all about throwing in random fresh produce at different times and being surprised at the results. and boy, surprised were we. it was as tasty as an empty egg carton. and this was despite the fact that we practically emptied two bottle of pasta sauce into the pan. the solution? black pepper. we sprinkled and sprinkled and sprinkled and sprinkled. actually it was more like EMPTIED the black pepper. judging from the response later at the air stewarding gathering, it's not that bad lah. at least no one died on the spot.

there was still some pasta left over. so the boyfriend suggested cooking some pasta for the family. and this time, i was adamant about doing a creamy dish. alas, ingredients was the main problem once again. i ransacked the entire kitchen and basically these are the things i threw into the mix:

- half a block of butter
- 2 cups of 'low lactose' Anlene milk
- lemongrass
- broccoli
- button mushrooms
- what's left of the black pepper
- enough garlic to scare a community of vampires
- a pinch of salt

i'm quite proud of it actually. the lemongrass really gave it that 'sawadee' scent. plus, it's low in lactose. and i scored points with the mother-in-law. though whether the points will drop or not, post-digestion, leaves much to be desired.

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