Back to the drawing board

My youngest has turned three and that’s how long I have been out of a proper employment. Out of constant communication with mankind, other than my children, out of office politics and juicy gossips. Free from deadlines, strict guidelines, structured working environment and traffic jams. I thought I had it all, the day I called myself, a-stay-at-home-mom. 

I should be rejoicing because I am what many working moms (I know) want to be, but I am not. 

The first year, the transition year, was all about finding my KPIs and learning to cope with this new found freedom. I constantly found myself staring at the wall clock which moved at a snail pace, between the hours from 8 am to noon. The house was quiet and I swear, it felt like the walls were whispering to me. To shush it, I began watching a lot of soap operas. My favourite was Revenge.

Then baby three arrived and everything changed overnight. Suddenly, I found myself working at warp speed, like Starship Enterprise that travelled faster than light. Life on the fast lane was constantly changing and I was struggling to compete with the demands of a newborn plus my two slightly older children, who had just started school. Things that I took for granted (like taking a satisfactory dump) were snatched away.

I would cry myself silly, while sitting on the throne because I didn’t know when next, my urge to defecate would coincide while my baby slept. Things were crazy that I believed God was teaching me a lesson for I was never grateful and full of complains. Keeping up was tough. I felt like a lonely buoy, bobbing up and down in the water as waves moved past it.

After a couple of years of travelling in this warp speed, I had turned into a household item; only reached for when there was a necessity, otherwise left unattended. 

Yet, I would still not trade my sweat pants and sneakers for my office suits and high heels. Instead I’ve decided to face up to this one nagging and persistent, unresolved issue inside of me, almost like a muffled voice trying to break free that has been screwing up with my system, and on occasions making it difficult for me to function properly.

I had to reinvent myself because I no longer knew who I was. I had become a mother, a wife and a homemaker but had forgotten all about being me.

My family had become the center of my universe but I forgot to add myself in that equation. It wasn’t deliberate. It happened because I deemed my needs were being met through my family’s happiness. A conversation with me always involved my family. What my husband did or what my kids are doing.  There wasn't much to talk about me. Life had become boring and mundane. I wasn't entertaining enough for anyone.

I stopped challenging myself and narrowed my life’s perspectives to family matters. If I had to describe my life to you, this Malay proverb would best describe it; “bagai katak di bawah tempurung” which translates to leading a sheltered life; oblivious to things happening outside my small world and I did this to me. I mishandled my new role because my vision and mission of my new job was poorly executed.

It didn’t take long before my relationship with my working friends fizzled and I stopped making new friends (making new friends is very time consuming). One by one, everyone around me stopped noticing me, inviting me or engaging in a conversation with me. I was becoming part of the props, just there because they did not know where else to put me or were too kind to tell me to bugger off.

I slowly disappeared and it didn’t matter to many. It mattered to me because I was slowly becoming this lone ranger who was destined to end up like the moms I’ve seen in some soap operas, whose whole lives revolved around the one phone call from her teenaged/adult daughter.

That's something I will not allow.

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Catagelophobia

Suck it in, shoulders back, chest out and walk tall.

Just a couple of steps to the spring board in this crowded hall. 

A quick splash into the deep.

It's all systems go; to set my tummy free

where none can see.

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Strata McMuffin; a fun food

Hmm... what do we have today?

It was supposed to be frittata because whenever I use my oven, I like to fill her (my oven) up; I believe it will save on my electricity bill and not contribute towards global warming. But I changed my mind and settled for a quiche when I found my dusty old muffin tin, which has not been used since I lost my cake mixer (lost? how was that possible? Long story, but sponsors for a cake mixer are welcomed, wink wink). Then there was some staling bread which I could have revived with my three steps stale-bread-revival method but I found a clever way to use up this going stale bread, so I settled for some strata.

All ingredients were prepped for strata but the muffin tin wasn't deep enough to create layering effects like a typical strata. So I had to make do and thanks to McDonald's flyer on my kitchen counter I had the genius idea of turning this strata into egg McMuffins. 

Please don't give up on me just yet, keep reading because this recipe is seriously good and is a keeper.

Here is a sneak peek at my creation, Strata McMuffins......Ta Da!

I basically used all the ingredients you would for a McMuffin but assembled it a little differently. I kid you not, these are great for breakfast, lunch and even dinner. They make great lunch box food or for your husband who has no time for a proper breakfast but still fill his belly nibbling on it while driving, with zero risk of soiling his office shirt. 

These are so good that you can make them the night before and refrigerate for a healthy breakfast just by popping it into the microwave for minutes and serve warm.

Convinced? Then lets get down to business and learn how to make these cute little fun food.

To make these, I am leaning towards calling them Strata McMuffins but please feel free to call them whatever you think is more suitable (and do comment below so I will know too) you will need some eggs, bread; flatten with a rolling pin and cut into circular shape to fit into your greased muffin tin (very important to grease), crisp crunchy (erm... or is the correct term hardy?) vegetables like capsicum, onion, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomato and even parsnip, but it is best to keep it to a selection of three to four vegetables so it may not over crowd the strata. These vegetables must be chopped or diced (tiny). Add some meat like ham slices to it or not and that too must be cut into small pieces.

If you like artsy food you may want line the greased muffin tin with bacon before adding your vegetables and egg mixture so you will get a lovely golden brown, crusty egg muffin.

But if you decide to keep it light or meat free (some don't consider eggs to be meat), be sure to put in some fat like butter or olive oil before baking these muffins.

Bake it i a preheated oven between 185'C to 200'C for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the egg mixture has set. If you like your eggs soft, then remove once the strata is a little wobly in the middle.

That's all there is to it. It is rather simple and straight forward once you have all ingredients prepped.

Here is my version of Strata McMuffin;

Base

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk or water

1 t cinnamon powder

Salt 7 pepper to taste (add paprika for heat)

Beat this ingredients and refrigerate (climate over here is too warm to let it stand on the kitchen counter or you may chop the vegetables first)

Vegetables

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 firm tomato, deseeded and chopped

Fat

Butter

Cheese (optional)

Other ingredients which I did not use when making my Strata McMufiin but will be sure to add on my next batch

ham

salmon ham

shredded chicken

peas

sliced sausages

Hope you will enjoying playing with this recipe as much as we have. Seriously this is one, go crazy recipe, which your kids can decide what to add or even make it personalised when adding ingredients into the muffin tin.

Pictorial

In a rush? Up size it into you cake tin for a large Strara McMuffin which you can cut into wedges and serve it like a slice of pizza

  

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