分享幾個家事常識 Sharing a Few Household Tips
今期的內容計有：我整理調味料瓶、洗手液瓶的方法、用食油翻新不銹鋼雪櫃門、我搬屋時用的一個編碼方法、芥蘭頭的種植情況、一種我家叫「薄撐」的少時美食、用種植得來的各式蔬菜做雜菜煲。
In this post I talk about how I organised seasoning bottles and handwash bottles, rejuvenated the doors of a stainless steel refrigerator with cooking oil, and adopted a colour-coding system for moving house. I also share the progress of the Kohlrabi I grew, a childhood delicacy I made, and a mixed vegetable pot I made using small bits of various vegetable from the garden.
1. 整理調味料瓶 Organising Seasoning Bottles
廚房調味料的安排，我花了一點心思。這些一樽二樽的東西每天都要用，須放在就手的位置，可是放顯眼之處，外貌立立雜雜，令廚房看起來有欠整齊，而且容易弄得「黐立立」。我把它們放在一個籃中，平日收藏在櫃裏，做飯時才拿出來，而且全部轉用玻璃瓶，用完一瓶就放入洗碗碟機洗一次，再重新注入新的調味料。如是者，一次過滿足「清潔、實用、整齊」三個願望。
I’ve given some thoughts to arranging the seasonings in the kitchen. These bottles and jars are used daily and need to be easily accessible. However, they can end up looking cluttered and messy, and the bottles can easily become too oily to handle. To address this, I put all these containers in a basket that I can store away in a cabinet. I only take them out when I’m cooking. Furthermore, I’ve transferred all the seasonings into dishwasher safe containers. After finishing a bottle, I clean it in the dishwasher before refilling it. This way, my desire for cleanliness, practicality and tidiness are all satisfied at once.
2. 整理洗手液瓶 Organising Handwash Bottles
另一個把家具外貌變整齊的意念：我把廚房、廁所的洗手液換上好看的瓶，或是把瓶上的招紙除掉，看起來就整潔很多，大方得體。買大包裝的洗手液來refill，更減少塑膠廢物的數量呢！
Another idea of decluttering the look of household items: I use good looking bottles for storing hand wash, or remove the labels from the existing bottles. This simple change can make everything look much neater and more elegant. Then I buy hand wash refills to fill up these bottles so I can reduce the use of plastic bottles in the house.
3. 翻新不銹鋼門 Rejuvenating Stainless Steel Doors
初搬入新屋時，雪櫃的不銹鋼外殼顏色暗啞、有鐵鏽漬，我用食油把它清潔、塗光，外貌煥然一新，兩年下來，它依然光潔如新。
When we first moved into our new house, the stainless-steel refrigerator looked dull and rusty. I cleaned and polished it with cooking oil, and it immediately regained a shiny appearance. Even after two years, it still looks as good as before.
4. 顏色編碼搬屋大法 A System for Moving House Using Colour Coding
談起新搬屋，介紹一個搬箱入屋的做法。
Speaking of moving into a new house, let me share a system for moving boxes.
5. 種植芥蘭頭近況 An Update on the Kohlrabi I Grow
上週旅行幾天，回家見芥蘭頭長大了一個碼！雖然葉片被蟲咬得體無完膚，卻無損它的生長，令人欣喜！神奇的是，那麼大個的一個球，怎麼靠一條那麼幼的莖就支撐得住？
Last week, I went on a trip for a few days. When I returned home, I was surprised to see that the Kohlrabi had grown much bigger! Although its leaves had been ate up by bugs, the round stem was unaffected. What’s more astonishing is how such a large head can be supported by such a thin stem!
6. 雜菜煲 Mixed Vegetable Pot
自家小農田，不會每樣菜都有大量收成。這天只有芥蘭、蕃薯葉、莧菜、油麥菜各少許，便用來做雜菜煲。湯底用蔥頭、櫻花蝦製作。
In a small home garden, you don’t always get abundant harvests of every type of vegetable. On this particular day, we only had a little of Chinese Broccoli, some Sweet Potato Leaves, Amaranth and Indian Lettuce. So I decided to make a Mixed Vegetable Pot using a broth made with shallots and Dried Sakura Shrimps.
7. 複製少年美食 Replicating a Childhood Delicacy
年少時家裏會吃一種叫做「薄撐」的食物，是用魚片、芽菜、韭菜等炒成餡料，夾在春捲皮中吃。這天心血來潮，做了來做午餐。沒有魚片，用大粒魚蛋切條代替，春捲皮則用鴨皮（吃片皮鴨用的那種），細塊一點，但滑一些、沒那麼容易弄破。
老公從未吃過這道菜，大叫「好好味！」。我一口咬下去，兒時回憶返晒嚟！
When I was young, my family used to enjoy a dish made by stir-frying fish slices, bean sprouts, garlic chives, which were then served in spring roll wrappers. One day, feeling nostalgic, I decided to make this dish for lunch. I didn’t have the kind of fish slices we used to have so I cut some large fish balls into strips. Instead of regular spring roll wrappers, I used the smoother and less fragile duck skin wrappers (similar to those used for Peking duck). My husband, tasting this dish for the first time, found it incredibly delicious. As I took a bite, it brought back many fond childhood memories.
