The Weekend That Brought Us Back To Simple Joy

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​It’s funny how life works. Weekends used to be our special time, filled with peace, slow mornings. Friday nights, we'd gather to talk about our week, with recipe books scattered across the floor as we planned our cooking and baking for the next two days. The kids would even make the shopping list.
Saturdays were for a full day of therapeutic grocery trips, cooking, eating, and watching movies, followed by a trip to the park. Sunday was for brisk walking, playing, and getting ready for the week. It was a perfect family ritual, and I really miss it


Lately, everyone has been so busy. The kids have endless classes and activities. Me? Don't make me start with the quiet fatigue that comes with "adulting." I’ll admit, with the new house and kitchen, the spirit was willing, but the body was... well, let's just say it preferred the bed. But I missed our special "us time." So, last weekend, I used my "mom power" and cancelled all the kids' classes. They just finished their exams, so a break was well-deserved.

Our Saturday Food Adventure

You know how it used to be. Remember the old days when a good breakfast meant we had to trek all the way to downtown JB? We'd go for the best coffee and chicken chop at Hua Mui, the kuih at Tong Guan, Roast & Coffee? Toast & Coffee? for that Chee Cheong Fun or that legendary Nasi Lemak stall on Jalan Yahya Awal or the stall nearby the MB House. It was a whole adventure

Well, these days, our weekend breakfast adventures have gotten a lot easier. Pasir Gudang is now bursting with amazing food spots (and less traffic). Last Saturday, our tummies led us to Restoran Al-Khair in Taman Cendana. The garlic naan there is an absolute dream; piled high with gooey, melted cheese, and the tandoori chicken was just perfect. 
Tummies full, we headed to Lotus for our weekly grocery run. And what do you know? A new bookstore. Of course, we couldn't just walk by. The boys immediately dove into the comics section, and I found some great writing practice books for them. The best part? We capped off the whole morning with some cool treats from Mixue. It's these small, spontaneous moments that make a Saturday morning with my boys so special



Back in the kitchen, I tried a new sambal belacan recipe from the internet, and it was the bomb. Pedas but addictive. It was so good. Later, I baked a banana chocolate chip cake that disappeared in no time. For dinner, the kids asked for paprik ayam, and again, we finished another pots of rice. We even ate a little more for supper



Sunday: More Food, More Fun

On Sunday morning, I cooked fried rice with the leftover sambal belacan. It was so tasty; I'm definitely using this sambal recipe from now on. For a special treat, I melted some chocolate and baked puff pastry for a "Dip 'n Dips" session with the kids. For lunch, we had asam pedas ayam with fresh veggies like sweet Palermo peppers, cucumber, bendi, and baby corn. For dinner, ayam penyet



We also made a new dessert: banana toast. It was simple but amazing. We put butter, bananas, and cheese on brioche bread and sprinkled it with brown sugar. It was the best dessert ever. I actually sent my boys to the kedai runcit nearby to get bananas for another cake, and they came back with two whole kilos! So, we had to use a lot of them quickly, but that banana toast was the perfect way to do it


The weekend ended with a movie night, watching the new Superman film. I was too tired to watch it, but I made popcorn and more banana toast for the kids to munch on


It’s true what they say: a weekend is never long enough when you’re having the best time. But the good news is, a school break is just around the corner, and I'm already planning my leave and a new menu of dishes to cook and bake with them. Can you just imagine? Lazy days, movies, books, games, and, of course, endless food

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