Yen's Kitchen: Checkered Love...

Today is one of the kitchen crew's birthday. But since I've already shut down my kitchen, I instructed my precious and my youngest to prepare the birthday cake. After barking out all the instructions in one breath, I climbed upstairs to have a rest in my love nest. I just hope that they won't burn down the whole kitchen or worse still, burn down the whole house. They are big enough to cook, in another couple of years, they are going to leave the nest then probably I'm going to cook all those super expensive fine dining style eat-and-never-be-full kinda food just for us oldies left at home.

Ahh.... what to do with the four stacks of fats....

After 3 hours... completo~!

The checkered cake... 

The cakes were done two days before. I'm so smart now, I make sure the cakes are baked two days before then I will have one full day to decorate the cake at tortoise pace and on the day itself I will not be stressed that the cake would not be ready for consumption. I used to cake one day before and then I will be sleep-deprived as I slept at around 4am and had to wake up at 7++ am the next day. So for exactly 3 hours on Sunday nite, I slowly very tediously started decorating the cake.

The kitchen crew's style to include anyone  who's missing in an event...

Sad to say, the birthday girl was down with German measles and she called early in the morning to inform. We're also professionals in handling this kinda cases. We only need the person's photo and then we can snap as many photographs as we like with that person in another phone in another photo gallery and then we would wallop the whole cake and party till our hearts' contend. Such is our loyalty to those who are a part of us. 

Failed attempt to surprise the birthday girl... 

But this kitchen crew of ours proved that she has more pulling force than any of them ever possessed. After an hour of celebrating, we couldn't stand it that she wasn't here with us. So, the next thing we knew, I was packing up the cake that was left in half and her birthday presents, called her mum and then we were on the way to her house, whether she has German measles or not, whether it is contagious or not, we couldn't care less. 

Finally... with the birthday girl... in person

They were happy to see her, I was happy to see her and then we were fellowship-ing in her house for an hour or so before we started growing roots and wouldn't be able to move our butts from the sofa. She has quite a zoo in her house. A big pot of peacock fish, two cages of rabbits, a basin of star tortoises which would outlive every single one of us and a family of marsupulami suger gliders which scream obscenities whenever you blow into their faces. 

Me with the sugar glider gliding fearfully... 

There... there... the girl who contracted German measles from the air would not be with us for a week. So, it should be my 8th day of self-torture so do you think I ate that cake? Of course I did~! I will tell you why in a short while...

My whole lot of kitchen crew...