An “every day should be Father’s Day” brunch

Sunday brunch was something I always looked forward to when we lived in New England, especially on those blustery days when you could barely get yourself to take the first cold dip out of your cozy warm bed.


While we will have to wait a few more months before the weather starts getting anywhere near cool here, nonetheless it has cooled off enough that cooking brunch doesn’t have to feel like being a short-order cook in a blazing hot inferno of a greasy diner.

So this past Sunday I let Tim sleep in while I whipped up a nice brunch, the boys went to the shop to fetch the paper and set the table.

Ojolie customer service gets to sleep in late on Sundays 🙂

I do happen to agree with those who say that everyday should be …. (insert your own choice of Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentines, etc.) – and not just because I make ecards 😉 And not just because Tim actually helps out with all the responsibilities that come with raising and homeschooling two boys – although I AM grateful for that – but also the joys of playing a game of cards together, going for a swim, or planning our next camping trip.

My new favorite cookbook

It is rare for me to find a cookbook that leaves me wanting to prepare almost every recipe – and then to find that each recipe is an instant success around the dinner table. But that is just that case with my newest cookbook, although I had to wait almost six month for amazon to stock and ship it to me:

Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Noami Duguid.
I am fortunate that most of the ingredients are staples here in Taiwan, cheap, fresh and easy to find, although strangely a few things such as lemongrass, galangal, curry leaves and lime leaves that feature dominantly in other south east Asian cuisine are difficult to find here. So I grow my own lemongrass, hoard the galangal when I can find it and use dried lime leaves.

So far here are some of the recipes from the book we love:

White Fungus Salad (tastes amazing, don’t let the name put you off :), here is how it looks prepared in our house:


Aromatic Steamed Fish Curry
Khmer Fish Stew with Lemongrass
Stir-Fried Fish with Ginger
Grilled Chicken with Hot and Sweet Dipping Sauce (my kids couldn’t get enough of this)
Grilled Lemongrass Beef
Quick Khmer Pork and Green Beans
Jungle Curry
The best Eggplant Dish Ever (no kidding, it really is, even my kids who normally are not crazy about eggplant like it – pictured below)