A Peachy Chicken Chop and the Cost of Dreams

Cass’s lunner (lunch + dinner) yesterday was a delicious yet simple homecooked meal — air-fried chicken chop with tomatoes and blanched broccoli. The chicken was marinated with a mix of teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, a bit of oyster sauce, Lea & Perrins, black pepper, minced garlic, dried rosemary, and my secret twist — St. Dalfour’s Heritage Peach jam.

This peach jam was a forgotten jar in the fridge — no one liked it because it was bland, and my girls generally don’t fancy fruit jams (unless it’s my papa’s homemade kaya or strawberry jam). So instead of letting it go to waste, I had a lightbulb moment and used it in a chicken marinade. Surprisingly, it worked wonders! The jam gave the chicken a subtle natural sweetness without any overpowering fruity taste.

For her school lunch box today, Cass requested just an apple and a slice of apple and onion sourdough bread. She’s been consciously cutting back on spending, trying to recoup some of her savings after paying for part of her Skate Malaysia 2025 competition fees.

That event cost us over RM2,000, and that’s already on the low end. Almost all of her teammates take multiple classes weekly, while Cass only has class once a week. She goes to the skating rink on two other days to practice by herself. Figure skating truly is a sport for the privileged, but we do what we can to support her dream and passion, even if it stretches us. Because at the end of the day, that’s what parents do — we cheer, we sacrifice, and we find joy in helping our kids chase what lights them up.

And sometimes, we also find new uses for an unloved jar of jam ?

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