Cook. Bake. Be Merry

On some days of the week I work from home. And I truly treasure the little moment I get to enjoy time to myself, be it doing my work, running errands, prepping or even cooking and baking. Its exciting to plan what things can I cook and bake on those days. I plan ahead, and even do a quick trip to the market to get things going. 

I had made some cinnamon rolls last weekend for a cousin who's not been well. And I had purposely made extra dough in the same breadmaker run and chilled it for my day off. And this is what I got:

As the lovely aroma of rosemary and extra virgin olive oil filled the ambience, I get reminded again and again, why do I love focaccia so much. Better still with bacon, onion & cheese filling. The kids call this pizza, I don't know why, maybe its the cheese?

Here is what it looks like from the inside:

The dough is the same recipe as my cinnamon rolls with less sugar. This way, I took out the chilled dough and gave it a nice massage & little folding with EVOO and its good to pose as foccacia dough! Then it is just the matter of arranging in the baking dish, put the filling and another layer on top. Drizzle some more EVOO and some dried rosemary and bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes. And this time, finally I could cut the focaccia so neat, only because I let it out cool down to room temperature. Most often than not I (or rather hubby) is always rushing to cut open warm bread pronto immediately right now ASAP!

And then I had to prep for dinner so I went for this Jamie Oliver's Hit-and-run tray baked chicken recipe, which turned out so awesome! Served with some aglio olio pasta, it was perfect! And the juices were perfect dip for the focaccia!

Not in pic is also this sweet-sour Indian mangoes salad right from my father-in-law's own tree. I cut it small with some red chillis, spring onion and garlic. Dress it with EVOO and salt. Ok my mouth is watering as I type it. But yes, truly refreshing!

I did not snap any pictures this time but I have one from the time I made kimchi and salad using, yes, you guessed it, unripe Indian mangoes! Here's the link to my kimchi recipe I shared previously, made using easy to find Malaysian ingredients.

Gorgeous rainbow of colours! And this is what and why and how I enjoy my time to myself. Cook, bake and be merry. By the time its evening, I am down with back and leg aches. Darn you age!