Last night I tried logging on with my laptop and got in at first go. I was worried as my passwords are mostly random ones and then I’d forget which one is for what.

Today looks like a hot hot one. For me it will mean running around packing for our week away and making sure this place is in a reasonable state for us to come back to in the New Year. I am hoping to bring down my card making stuff so I can replenish my card stand. I haven’t made any for months.

I also have to go groceries shop as nothing will be open tomorrow. Where we are Asian shops will still be open if we are desperate but not at our hidey hole. We are hoping to leave tonight after dinner at my sister’s.

Hubby have made some nem that’s sitting in our freezer at the moment. Left overs from his footy gathering.

Nem is Viet cured meat. Usually cooked on a charcoal BBQ. I am responsible for the noodles, sauce, lettuce and herbs that goes with it. The dish is called bún nem nướng .

Nem is easy to make lots and lots of garlic into the processor with prawns and pork. Hubby uses 1 packet of curing powder with double the amount specified of meat and prawns i.e. 1 350g packet to 3 kg (1.5kg minced pork and 1.5kg of prawns) not 1.5kg as specified.

The powder is called Tusino curing powder. It comes in 350g packets. Hubby uses the Gold Diamond brand (Product of the Philippines) that I buy for him. Over here there’s another brand from Viet Nam but not as good according to the Asian groceries lady.

Then he pops it in the freezer. No need to add salt or anything like that as the packet that you buy contains it already.

If you are fancy like my dad he adds in little cubes of fat to it and only chop the prawns into pieces instead of processing them.

Tomorrow will be very hot so not even sure we are allowed open flames. It might be a total fire ban which means BBQing is out of the question.