Family Restaurant

[Phaedra]

Lunch time, I am addicted to bring veggies, fruits, and flowers randomly from the garden.

Herbs and zucchini flowers would be used for dinner.

The pea shoots and tops of fava beans are so tender and flavorful. The trout has difficulty to compete with them.

Ice cream with Alpine strawberries, so nice

 

[ducks4you]

Did you buy the trout or catch it? I wouldn't put it past you to haul out a fishing pole to the nearest stream!

 

[Phaedra]

Did you buy the trout or catch it? I wouldn't put it past you to haul out a fishing pole to the nearest stream!

I wished I can catch some, haha. Once I dreamed to have a property with a creek, then I can do this and that in it. However, after the terrible flood last July, I am willing to keep a creek only in my dream.

 

[Phaedra]

The morning in the small garden began with cutting flowers for the breakfast table. The music and coffee machine were working, and I became a waitress in a lovely Café. The VIP guest today is -- me.

Well, as I put so much effort into renovating this garden, I won't waste any minute I can enjoy it.

Nothing fancy or expensive, the most precious element is always the desire to serve people good food, including myself.

After such a nice breakfast, I was fully charged and switched to the cleaning lady mode. My FIL went to the daycare center, so I cleaned his room completely.

Long story short - his dementia got worse, and we have to adjust a few things to reach a new balance. As he would do some unpleasant things in the kitchen (bringing everything on the shelves to the table, playing with seasonings or dried ingredients, unplugging small devices, hiding all kinds of trash in the random places, etc.), I removed almost everything from the kitchen and turned it into a super clean, tidy, and boring place.

At the same time, we renovated the room next to his bedroom into his exclusive space. It's a bright, simple, and safe room for him to read, write, and enjoy tea time. There is no running water, no stove, oven, no knife, or other dangerous items.

I created the door sign with his name and his job title (before retiring from the German Railway). He was pretty pleased with this small trick; at the same time, it's much easier for us to clean.

We also created a similar sign for his bedroom and called it now a "sleeping car."

Two rooms are next to each other, which created a new vibe for him. After all, his career is an identity he is very proud of. After a few days, he is already very used to staying upstairs.

We also adjusted his meals from three to two - a later brunch and an early supper. Fresh fruits or sweets would be prepared so he can enjoy them in this reading room later in the evening.

It's a learning process for all of us.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Ahhhhhh - you are soooo kind. I love the idea of his two offices. I suppose he recognizes his name still.
I'd like your breakfast every morning! Delish!

 

[baymule]

Such care and compassion. He is a very fortunate and loved man.

 

[Phaedra]

From today on, it seems that we will have two weeks of sunny, dry, and very hot days. As more vegetables can be harvested from the garden, we do our grocery only on Friday.

This morning, I harvested some broad beans, strawberries, chili leaves, basil, and pea pods - they all became the ingredients for dinner.

Butter-fried yellow courgette and broad beans, seasoned with a pinch of salt, went into the rice cooker at the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Three-Cup Chicken Hearts - Chicken hearts fried with rice wine, sesame oil, and soy sauce. It's a very popular dish in Taiwan, and you can use all kinds of ingredients to replace chicken hearts - chicken meat, mushroom, eggplants, and squid are the most common choices.

Pea pods and boneless chicken thigh, fried with garlic, seasoned with simple salt and white pepper

A fresh and delicious dinner made a day complete.

 

[Phaedra]

Routine topping the sweet basil and Taiwanese basil - so I made this crispy popcorn chicken for ourselves and our neighbors.

Taiwanese basil

The chicken thighs might be the most cost-effective part of a chicken. The price is always more friendly. I usually use the bones and skins to make some delicious congee or soup and the meat for pan-fried, steamed, or deep-fried variations.

 

[ducks4you]

It looks like you used sesame seeds on the chicken.

 

[Phaedra]

We received the notification that the new window we ordered in January finally arrived. So, our living room is under maintenance and upgrade today.

The house is in super good shape, but it was built in the 60s - many things still need to be gradually upgraded. As usual, we always provide food and drink for the craftsmen who did the work (the same company that built the greenhouse for us).

Nothing fancy, but everything sincere~

Meanwhile, I made some chilled cucumber, so suitable for the summer.

And some cabbage rolls

I fully agree what the Brazilian chef Alex Atala has said:
"It’s not necessary to use expensive ingredients. The luxury is in your hands, in your ability. This is luxury. The human capacity to transform something into emotions."