I was thinking about going to the Canadian National Exhibition to watch the airshow with friends and check out the international showcase. Then again, aside from the indulgence of halo-halo from the food court and perhaps something from Bacon Nation… Was that enough for the admission fee and a long time in sun and crowd?

Afternoon at the fair, or a day of cooking? With a fridge full of fresh ingredients, new recipes to try, a stack of videos to watch during the marathon wonton-making session we had planned, and a husband who had already gotten a head start making a large pot of chicken stock – it was an easy decision.

I made cold spring rolls for the first time: shrimp, vermicelli, carrots, basil, cilantro, lettuce, and rice wrappers. I mixed up the peanut sauce using the last of our peanut butter and some other seasonings from the fridge. It was messy, but we’ll probably get better at the technique over time.

Then we made 236 wontons, whee! We had some of the wontons along with the leftover shrimp on top of the vermicelli, along with a reasonable attempt at a nuoc cham dipping sauce made without fish sauce (we’re all out).

I like days like this, getting the house ready for another good week. I’ll be away for two weeks, so I’ll miss these routines. =)

http://www.chow.com/recipes/10641-vietnamese-style-summer-rolls-with-peanut-sauce