A few weeks ago I decided to begin what I call 'The breakfast project' with Emily. Basically I get my lazy bum out of bed every morning for a week of school days and deliver breakfast to my beautiful friend who often goes without because school starts so early and finishes so late.
A week of breakfasts.
That should be easy.
Monday: Sauteed mushrooms on pesto toast
I woke up before 7 am for probably the first time since I graduated. I had a terrible night before that, and dreams of food filled my interrupted-with-multiple-moments-of-semi-conscious-wakefulness night. My last dream memory was of someone trying to force feed me chicken tikka on a kebab stick.
Anyway.
I woke up and immediately started sauteing mushrooms with garlic, leaving them for a while to brush my teeth because that morning filmy feeling is not pleasant. I did not add butter as I usually do because I wanted to make it as vegan as possible. And then I spread pesto which has Parmesan cheese in it on the toast and sandwiched the mushrooms in between. Sorry Emily, but I think 90% vegan is pretty darn good.
I got to ACJC in the silver winged chariot that is my car because unsurprisingly I left the house late. I had forgotten that AC has terrible morning traffic but thankfully Emily was late as well and so while waiting for her I had a nice chat with the security guard and sent 'It's ok life goes on' vibes to all the poor late souls sprinting in.
Emily asked me later that night
'What style of cooking were the mushrooms? My mum wants to know and I can only describe them as glorious'
Which made my night after a four hour straight tuition marathon and so I happily obliged - Olive oil + Thickly chopped mushrooms + thickly chopped garlic fried till golden, add mixed herbs (and butter if you aren't began) fry a little bit more. The trick is to not fry it too much or it becomes soggy, and to cut the mushrooms thickly.
Tuesday:
Today was late day for ACJC, so Emily told me she'd actually have breakfast, and so the breakfast project morphed into the lunch project. I used the left over rice from last nights dinner and scorched some edamame in sesame oil before adding the rice and garlic in as well. I actually wanted to make fried rice but I didn't want to use egg, and so it was rather plain fare. Thankfully, my Mum asked if I wanted to put in some mustard leaf, which is what she puts into olive rice.
I think that saved everything.
That plus some fresh chopped cucumber (because everyone needs cold cucumber in this ridiculously hot weather) was the main, and I put in some apple (chopped because Emily doesn't like eating apples whole) and a slice of banana cake (not the chocolate lana cake from Hannah's birthday because Emily doesn't like sweet things so much)
Because my Dad had left and I only had 10 minutes to get to school, I decided to make the delivery part of my morning run. I don't think a running girl holding a big blue lunch box is a common sight. I ran along the route I used to cycle along to school, the pavements with the morning glory beside it, the paths where I used to dodge the snails and duck under over hanging branches, and I really missed cycling.
I need to fix my bicycle.
The security guard was surprised to see me again, and I told him I'd be doing this every morning or this school week. I was so glad to talk to him, because it distracted me from one of my fears- which is irrationally being seen and recognised by school people (perhaps that is why the anonymity of waitressing appeals to me so much)
Wednesday: Cinnamon Apple and Blueberry Oatmeal
I woke up early, drenched in sweat because last night the wind seemed to have taken a holiday. Since I was having oatmeal as usual, I decided to make Emily oatmeal too. Because I used frozen blueberries, it turned out very very purple, which never bother me but I hope she didn't think I was trying to poison her or something.
This wasn't my oatmeal bowl but Oh My I wish it was.
I wore a nice dress to school to deliver it because I wanted to put that dress in the wash (My logic: things cannot get washed until they actually smell bad/are stained. Therefore, wear nice clothes more often. Therefore, wear nice clothes for everyday things too. Therefore, always look nice.)
I feel afraid that resorting to oatmeal signifies a death of my breakfast creativity.
On the way home from fellowship, Chris said that it sounds like I am preparing for motherhood.
Thursday: Pancakes!
I woke up early to make blueberry pancakes for Em, but because you never can make pancake batter for just one person, Tim got pancakes in the morning too. He was slightly confused, 'Why are you making me pancakes?'
I told him it was because he is my little brother and I love him and I kissed the top of his head with his hair which he was going to shave off later that day. Good bye hair.
Today Emily was on time so I could just pop out of the car and pass her the pancakes as well her house keys and 2 movies.
Friday: Stuffed French Toast
I asked Emily what she wanted for the last day of this project, and she asked me to surprise her. So I took her words literally and decided to make french toast with a stuffing of blueberries and bananas as a surprise in the middle.
Tim woke up early with his little shaved head which I honestly cannot stop touching - it feels like feathery down one way and a scratchy stubbly chin in reverse.
I actually made the toast much too thick, so only one could fit in the lunch box, and I had the liberty of savouring the other one while reading about a new art project they are going to start at the old railway.
In the car on the way Mum and I watched the people running to school, and Mum told me how she loved that sight because the added weight of a heavy school bags 'makes their chins bob', as she demonstrated it so vigorously that she sneezed.
I was a little late today I really hope Emily was on time!
On the way home, the radio played the adage music from the intermediate foundation syllabus which always makes me feel like I'm running through the woods.
Thoughts:
The most common reaction I've received from this project was 'that's so nice of you'. Which I suppose is true. But I think it's not anything extraordinary, if you live by the understanding that being kind and loving to others is what God meant us all to be. I'm lucky to have a best friend to whom cooking for doesn't seem like a chore, where every breakfast is exciting and after every delivery I just hope it nourishes her and gives her a GREAT start to the day.
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