What's for dinner Mum?

It's the inevitable question I (and any other parent who cooks) gets each night, the response being greeted with squeals of glee or groans of misery.

Tonight as my friends and family are enjoying a night out to celebrate my first niece's 21st birthday, we are eating this.

Stir fried Kang kong, a green spinach-like vegetable that is picked from the garden, washed with stems trimmed. Chop some garlic and wash and chop small dried prawns (which just stink, but add a nice tasty flavour to the dish.) Heat some oil and stir fry the garlic and prawns till fragrant. Add the kang kong and watch it cook down. For a family, I do a good colander full because it cooks down to almost nothing. If I make a mistake with the quantity on this one, I miss out on a very nutritious vegetable.

Pause in blog entry to serve above mentioned dinner before kids on new birthday rollerblades starve to death.

Well, they didn't starve and they liked the chicken, which I'd first cut, deskinned and cleaned (I use leg thigh pieces) and then seasoned with 5 spice salt (chinese 5 spice and salt put together). I baked this for 30 minutes on one side and 10 on the other to brown, in my very small oven. We also had 'healthy stir fry veggies'. Heat some water in a wok, add a tablespoon or two of concentrated chicken stock and some cut garlic cloves and throw in the vegies - choose from broc, cauliflower, carrots, beans etc. 3 colours makes it look good. Don't overcook.Towards the end of it being cooked add in some cornstarch (mixed with water first) and stir. Serve with rice. Hmmm, not bad.

Of course, I'd rather be eating at the pub with my folks and friends and my niece. Samantha was the first grandchild, the daughter of my younger sister. A side note to Melba - remember when she was just a baby and we had her come and visit the kids?

I didn't see much of her when she was growing up, but now I see she's grown up into a vibrant, sensible, productive woman, with her own car, job and a place to live. I'm really proud of you darling heart, and I hope life brings you all you hope for. Happy 21st.