tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68668257201895024272024-03-14T15:34:31.065+08:00Baguettes & BaoziUniting the east with the west, bread is common to all world cuisines. Thus, baguettes represent my European roots and baozi, or steamed dumplings, my adopted home in China.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-85858829233556140462009-05-11T19:46:00.004+08:002009-05-13T21:13:19.429+08:00One-Pan Wonder<span style="font-family:arial;">It was a good fluke. I had four medium-sized potatoes, a head of cabbage, thin-sliced porkchops, and a red onion. In my head I ran through the possible cooking methods pairing these ingredients together. Whatever it was going to be, it was going to be Eastern European. I don't want to claim that I can cook German food, or Polish for that matter, because I can't. Like I said, it was a fluke.<br /><br />I sliced the cabbage, potatoes, and onion all into thin strips (a little bigger for the cabbage, smaller for the onion, so everything cooked evenly). I also diced four cloves of garlic, because garlic = love.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Turner browned the chops in a frying pan over high heat and then removed them and moved aside so I could cook the vegetables. I first sauteed the onion over low heat until it softened, then added the garlic and fried together for a bit. In went the potato to soften a bit along with a cup of chicken stock and some fennel. After spreading that evenly over the pan, I dumped in the cabbage and placed the pork chops on top of that. The layers were covered with a lid and the heat turned down to low for everything to simmer. The cabbage cooks</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> down and the pork chops cook through in about 20-30 minutes. (I forgot to time it.) Everything gets salt and pepper at its appropriate cooking stage (when it is the focus of the pan).<br /><br />What came out at the end were tender chops and soft cabbage and potatoes in a sauce that, were there more, would make a fabulous soup. This was a great meal to finish out a long rainy da</span><span style="font-family:arial;">y, and I would definitely make it again as it is a one-pan wonder.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SggR3iDirCI/AAAAAAAABCU/uV9vhtYnmWY/s1600-h/IMG_7718.JPG"><br /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-89858084418586365282009-05-10T20:39:00.003+08:002009-05-10T20:47:09.466+08:00A Bite in Time<span style="font-family: arial;">Just a brief post tonight because I'm tired. We went out to dinner with Turner's co-worker/Frisbee partner Ying. She's a very sweet girl and fun to talk with. We went to a Western restaurant near their office called Lisa's. Decor-wise it was very modern and un-Chinese. We went mainly for the hamburgers, which Turner claims are the best in Qingdao. I had to see if they lived up to their reputation.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgbLqVXrMJI/AAAAAAAABB0/lunLl7hzSAE/s1600-h/DSC06276.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgbLqVXrMJI/AAAAAAAABB0/lunLl7hzSAE/s320/DSC06276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334174736818319506" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We all ordered burgers, creative right? I also had a glass of white wine, which was surprisingly drinkable. A plus for the restaurant, the burgers all arrived at about the same time. At other establishments, there has been a 30 minute lag time between entrees. Everything looked appropriate but something in the flavor bothered me until I figured out that it tasted like Italian sausage! They must have added pork to the beef and used oregano and/or fennel.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgbLqMzxB1I/AAAAAAAABBs/qH8j1dXxQSo/s1600-h/DSC06277.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgbLqMzxB1I/AAAAAAAABBs/qH8j1dXxQSo/s320/DSC06277.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334174734520223570" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Overall, I would give the restaurant one thumb up. To bestow the second thumb would require me sampling more of their food.</span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-31370267041629906292009-05-09T08:39:00.006+08:002009-05-13T21:17:05.546+08:00This Little Piggy<span style="font-family:arial;">It feels like summer in Qingdao. With the sun high in the sky by 8am and the temperature nearing 80 degrees by midmorning, I have less desire to cook than when the weather is cold and dreary. I don't want to spend hours in the kitchen when it's perfect weather to be outside. Nor do I want to stand over a hot wok or leave the oven on for hours.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I knew it was time to cook something though. It had been a few days since I had blogged about food, and I was tired of eating out at restaurants. Yesterday, I went grocery shopping for the first time in over a week. With no plan in mind, I just wandered the store trying to find something to spark my interest. I bought a chicken to cook this weekend, but knew I wouldn't have time for that yesterday because Turner wanted to play frisbee when he got home from work. Glancing over the meat case, I spied some pork ribs that looks perfect for a quick bake in the oven with barbecue sauce. We gave away our little Weber grill when we moved apartments last year, otherwise I would have grilled them outside for that extra flavor only charcoal can impart.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I made some brownies when I got home from shopping because it's always good to have something chocolatey on hand.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTU6cXwvqI/AAAAAAAABAs/AtwCWE4Z4H4/s1600-h/IMG_7672.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTU6cXwvqI/AAAAAAAABAs/AtwCWE4Z4H4/s320/IMG_7672.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333621959226867362" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> Then I made a quick barbecue sauce with soy sauce, ketchup, molasses, honey, a little rice vinegar, cumin, salt, and chili powder. Any combination of flavors like these, be it tomato paste and brown sugar also, make a wonderful sauce, and much healthier than anything out of a bottle.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTU6liUpwI/AAAAAAAABA0/gqBmV6MsHOI/s1600-h/IMG_7669.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTU6liUpwI/AAAAAAAABA0/gqBmV6MsHOI/s320/IMG_7669.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333621961687082754" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I poured half the sauce on the ribs in the baking dish and put them in a 400 degree oven covered in foil for 30 minutes. After that, the foil came off and the rest of the sauce poured over the top to bake for another 30 minutes. The ribs are done when they have a nice dark crust and the meat has shrunk a little on the bone. We had Mexican rice (which I now love, maybe because of the MSG in the chicken boullion) and green beans alongside. The ribs were sticky and dee-licious.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTU6bk13BI/AAAAAAAABAk/HLtrT3oG6hY/s1600-h/IMG_7695.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTU6bk13BI/AAAAAAAABAk/HLtrT3oG6hY/s320/IMG_7695.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333621959013293074" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On another note, I bought a container of dried peach chunks and this morning was craving some scones to go with my coffee. What to do when you crave scones? Make scones of course! I quickly threw the ingrediants together and started to cut the dough into triangles when I remembered that I forgot the sugar! It had already been a long morning because I went for a run before having coffee--what a really, really bad idea. I dumped the unbaked scones back in the mixing bowl and quickly mixed in the sugar, reformed them into triangles, and put them in the oven. The cardinal rule of scones is not to overmix, so I thought these might be too tough due to the extra mixing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">They weren't photogenic by any means, but man did they hit the spot. They actually came out pretty well!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTU6H4I2WI/AAAAAAAABAc/ntjQTyqfr64/s1600-h/IMG_7700.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTU6H4I2WI/AAAAAAAABAc/ntjQTyqfr64/s320/IMG_7700.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333621953725520226" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This is a good morning for me... coffee, scone, and food blogging. Now I just have to get off the couch.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTUdsOwD2I/AAAAAAAABAU/MCCS8rLWPoA/s1600-h/IMG_7705.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SgTUdsOwD2I/AAAAAAAABAU/MCCS8rLWPoA/s320/IMG_7705.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333621465267834722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's the recipe should you want to whip up a batch yourself. It's super easy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Buttermilk Scones with Dried Fruit</span><br /><br />2 1/2 cups flour<br />2 teaspoons basking powder<br />1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes<br />2/3 cup sugar<br />3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (apricots, peaches, craisins, raisins...)<br />1 large egg<br />1/2 buttermilk (I cheat and use 1/2 cup of milk and a bit of lemon juice or white vinegar)<br />1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional but really nice)<br /><br />1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare "buttermilk" so acid can react while you get everything else ready.<br /><br />2. Mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda in mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with hands, pastry cutter, or mixer until it's in small pieces. Add fruit and sugar (and zest). Beat egg into milk and then add to dry ingredients. Mix quickly until just combined into a rouch dough and turn out onto floured surface. Pat into 9-inch circle and cut into wedges. (I usually make about six, but they're big so adjust for your preference.)<br /><br />3. Bake 12-15 minutes until tops are golden brown. Enjoy warm from the oven (with jam if you prefer).<br /></span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-83094947101336667242009-05-04T20:14:00.006+08:002009-05-04T20:48:52.049+08:00You Say Tomato...<span style="font-family:arial;">My apologies, loyal readers (the few out there), my blog po</span><span style="font-family:arial;">stings have gone amiss due to too much fun. If there was ever any excuse, this has to be the best because who can argue with too much fun? Either I have not been home enough in the past few days to cook, or I just had too much else to do, so I have had nothing worthy to write about.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Today, however, the tides turned. Today I made a loa</span><span style="font-family:arial;">f of bread, lemon yogurt cake, salsa, tortillas, Mexican rice, and burritos. And I taught this morning, ran four miles, and tried to grade grammar exams. A full day despite only two hours of real, paid wor</span><span style="font-family:arial;">k. (On a side note, today is China Youth Day, so my students got the afternoon off to do whatever youth do. I wouldn't know; I'm not one of them.)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7jBCs5qII/AAAAAAAAA_w/Oj-hRfuQgnE/s1600-h/IMG_7624.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7jBCs5qII/AAAAAAAAA_w/Oj-hRfuQgnE/s320/IMG_7624.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331948615897819266" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I was supposed to grade exams today. I got through ten. I made a cake instead. Which do you think is better?</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eZpZqOMI/AAAAAAAAA_A/6lYHSoa4ikU/s1600-h/IMG_7642.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eZpZqOMI/AAAAAAAAA_A/6lYHSoa4ikU/s320/IMG_7642.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331943541044820162" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This morning I intended to make spaghe</span><span style="font-family:arial;">tti for dinner. Then the temperature neared seventy degrees and I did not feel like making sauce, so I shifted to omelets--easy, quick--until Turner sent a text saying he had eggs for lunch. Third time's a charm, right? I thought about the two cans of refried beans in the fridge and half bottle of Patron tequila--and our two months left in China--and decided to make burritos.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eq447rcI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/z36iaminTxM/s1600-h/IMG_7604.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eq447rcI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/z36iaminTxM/s320/IMG_7604.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331943837260295618" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Yesterday I saw beautiful orange tomatoes still on their vine sitting outside our local fruit stall. I needed something to use them in, so I decided on an orange tomato salsa to go in the rice and bean burritos. I diced the tomatoes along with some hot Hungarian pepper, onion, and garlic. Salt and cumin rounded out the spices, and lime juice brightened everything. After the fresh salsa sat for awhile, I cooked it briefly in a frying pan: one, to save us from getting sick; two, to bring the flavors together a bit; and three, to take the bite out of the garlic and onion. The salsa added a note of freshness to the burritos.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7e73kxsWI/AAAAAAAAA_o/ExTCM1DXqOM/s1600-h/IMG_7619-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7e73kxsWI/AAAAAAAAA_o/ExTCM1DXqOM/s320/IMG_7619-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331944128965095778" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For the rice, I made a cup of plain white rice in our microwave rice cooker. Once finished, I put it in a sauce pan and added a cup of onion and a bit of garlic I had browned in a frying pan, a cup of fresh diced tomatoes (tomatoes are rockin' this time of year), cumin, oregano, chili powder, and salt. The rice turned out moist and sticky, robust with flavors of sun-baked Mexico.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eZoCEJII/AAAAAAAAA_I/SLOcBNlZ2f4/s1600-h/IMG_7632.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eZoCEJII/AAAAAAAAA_I/SLOcBNlZ2f4/s320/IMG_7632.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331943540677420162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Turner and I whipped up a batch of burrit</span><span style="font-family:arial;">o sized tortillas, made more difficult by the white russian I was drinking and Turner's beer-in-a-bag that he brought home (yes, it does exist).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7erFrnwHI/AAAAAAAAA_g/E4zIjNeZsLE/s1600-h/IMG_7589.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7erFrnwHI/AAAAAAAAA_g/E4zIjNeZsLE/s320/IMG_7589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331943840694124658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />We had grated cheese, cilantro, hot sauce, refried beans (re-refried by Turner in lard that he keeps in the fridge), and the Mexican rice to build into burritos.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eZJx7MSI/AAAAAAAAA-4/2qw_LZSV5w8/s1600-h/IMG_7651.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eZJx7MSI/AAAAAAAAA-4/2qw_LZSV5w8/s320/IMG_7651.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331943532556661026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> The only thing that could possibly make the burritos better would be avocado. It's not too shabby when the only thing missing from our Mexican repast is a difficult-to-ship, expensive, finnacky fruit. The Patron made up for it, I suppose.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eY3eYWEI/AAAAAAAAA-w/QmvNXil0pXc/s1600-h/IMG_7656.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eY3eYWEI/AAAAAAAAA-w/QmvNXil0pXc/s320/IMG_7656.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331943527642847298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I ate two burritos. They were amazing.<br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eYgly9EI/AAAAAAAAA-o/hPNYmTmF4Ls/s1600-h/IMG_7660.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sf7eYgly9EI/AAAAAAAAA-o/hPNYmTmF4Ls/s320/IMG_7660.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331943521499935810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-16922084006332410032009-04-30T16:11:00.002+08:002009-04-30T16:21:03.845+08:00Shandong Tour<span style="font-family: arial;">Here is a brief, and I mean brief because Turner took over 400 pictures, showcase from last weekend's whirlwind tour around our province.<br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_3jRriI/AAAAAAAAA-I/E7grBkw2Pzc/s1600-h/P1080883.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_3jRriI/AAAAAAAAA-I/E7grBkw2Pzc/s320/P1080883.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330394985794743842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">We went to the Weifang Kite Factory, which was pretty cool. I bought a dragonfly kite!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_-FLOeI/AAAAAAAAA-A/4m3NJKpRTnk/s1600-h/P1080895.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_-FLOeI/AAAAAAAAA-A/4m3NJKpRTnk/s320/P1080895.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330394987547539938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the whole group outside the kite factory. This was day one, you can only imagine what we looked like after an average of five hours a day on a bus.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_ldtIoI/AAAAAAAAA94/LCsg0_uoTeo/s1600-h/P1080933.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 303px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_ldtIoI/AAAAAAAAA94/LCsg0_uoTeo/s320/P1080933.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330394980939539074" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The next day we went to Qufu, the hometown of Confucious. Turner and I had already been last year, but we went to a few new sights.<br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_gmOatI/AAAAAAAAA9w/5geL1Qrb6xI/s1600-h/P1090021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_gmOatI/AAAAAAAAA9w/5geL1Qrb6xI/s320/P1090021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330394979633097426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Like the Confucius Forest... the most natural green space I have ever seen in China.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_lL3hqI/AAAAAAAAA9o/1MlTJDSZIEY/s1600-h/P1090084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sfld_lL3hqI/AAAAAAAAA9o/1MlTJDSZIEY/s320/P1090084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330394980864722594" border="0" /></a><br />Just look at all that green!<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfldkgalwqI/AAAAAAAAA9g/2cVosGL6-Ak/s1600-h/P1090093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfldkgalwqI/AAAAAAAAA9g/2cVosGL6-Ak/s320/P1090093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330394515727827618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfldkjUMB_I/AAAAAAAAA9Y/xAIQvN9mG_g/s1600-h/P1090106.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfldkjUMB_I/AAAAAAAAA9Y/xAIQvN9mG_g/s320/P1090106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330394516506281970" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">On Sunday, our last day, we went to the top of Tai Shan.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfldkbM7mMI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/Adn6vRUoxEI/s1600-h/P1090285.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfldkbM7mMI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/Adn6vRUoxEI/s320/P1090285.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330394514328361154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Turner carried a can of Tsingtao beer to the top and posed next to the sign that reads something like, "Confucius was here."<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfldkbOifqI/AAAAAAAAA9I/HOw-jGAVF-4/s1600-h/P1090301.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfldkbOifqI/AAAAAAAAA9I/HOw-jGAVF-4/s320/P1090301.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330394514335104674" border="0" /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-11109758572299934232009-04-29T21:15:00.005+08:002009-04-29T21:33:20.608+08:00Hot Curry Lovin'<span style="font-family:arial;">Occasionally I will ponder, at 7 o'clock in the morning mind you,</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> what I'm going to cook for dinner. If I happen to ask Turner then or at any other point before the evening, he will say that he doesn't know because he's not hungry. I think that since I cook the food and have to put something together, I tend to think about the preparations ahead of time. Turner is more likely to throw something together based on what's in the house or forgo cooking altogether and go get some street food</span><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />This morning I was at a loss. I was tired of my repertory of recipes and di</span><span style="font-family:arial;">dn't have the energy for completely unknown culinary territory, so I deci</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ded to do a variation on my regular curry recipe. Since I had a can of lentils and a can of tomatoes, I Googled "chicken lentil curry" and found some relevant recipes to used for inspiration. For dishes like stews, chilies, and curries, I tend to just toss things together instead of measuring precise amounts.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfhWBM2rf2I/AAAAAAAAA8g/gvclZuz7Q_w/s1600-h/IMG_7546.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfhWBM2rf2I/AAAAAAAAA8g/gvclZuz7Q_w/s320/IMG_7546.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330104737623408482" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In a wok, I sauteed the basics to start: first the onion, then the garlic a</span><span style="font-family:arial;">nd ginger.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfhWBaTSppI/AAAAAAAAA8o/A21Rn-VMJXo/s1600-h/sara.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfhWBaTSppI/AAAAAAAAA8o/A21Rn-VMJXo/s320/sara.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330104741233075858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> I added the boneless, skinless chicken that I had cut into small bits and the curry powde</span><span style="font-family:arial;">r so that everything could get coated and the spices could toast to bring out their aromas and flavors. Then I squeezed the whole tomatoes from the can and added the juice along with two cups of chicken broth (from bouillon), a bay leaf, and three dried chilies.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfhWA_Ng1JI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/RlTx_akw6jo/s1600-h/IMG_7551.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 299px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfhWA_Ng1JI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/RlTx_akw6jo/s320/IMG_7551.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330104733961082002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> Once this had simmered away for about 20 minutes, I added the rinsed lentils and let it all cook for about another 30 minutes. (I had to turn it off because Turner was late coming home from work.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />After Turner got home, had a shower, and made cocktails, I reheated the curry and then poured in almost one cup of yogurt. This adds a nice thickness/creaminess to the curry and can mellow out the heat of the chilies if it's overpowering. The curry gets ladled alongside white rice and steamed spinach. Oh, it was tasty. I'm already looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow. Like chili and stew, curry is usually better the second day.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfhWA1EENhI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/_8xWYqxWI5M/s1600-h/IMG_7555.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfhWA1EENhI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/_8xWYqxWI5M/s320/IMG_7555.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330104731237103122" border="0" /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-87716246614944717632009-04-28T07:05:00.003+08:002009-04-28T09:25:12.637+08:00All the World's an Egg<span style="font-family:arial;">So simple, yet so perfect in its infinite forms. Eggs have represented so much throughout history, as a luxury, as a staple, as a microcosmic image of the world around us. Life is contained within a single egg.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfZauP1pAJI/AAAAAAAAA7w/vLsJ7nLvz6U/s1600-h/IMG_7524.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SfZauP1pAJI/AAAAAAAAA7w/vLsJ7nLvz6U/s320/IMG_7524.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329546959611560082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Over the weekend, Turner and I ate a lot of Chinese food. Much of it oily and salty. For all their cuisine's fame, the Chinese rarely serve food that actually tastes only of that food. There is a sauce for everything. A few times, we have had people over for dinner and served a simple steamed vegetable, like green beans, and they are amazed at how sweet they are. Usually, beans are stir-fried in oil and garlic and sauce. And hence taste like oil and garlic and sauce.<br /><br />For our first meal back home, we wanted something familiar. I did not have much in the refrigerator but a bag of eggs, so I thought that omelets would be heaven. I bought some spinach and an onion, which were subsequently softened in some olive oil to use as filling along with some mozzarella cheese (the only kind we had on hand).<br /><br />When people asks who cooks in our household, I always say that I do but Turner makes the coffee. He also makes a killer omelet. It's one of the dishes I always leave up to him.<br /><br />He whisks two eggs and two tablespoons of water together, adds some salt and pepper, and pours it into a lightly oiled, preheated frying pan. This much I can muster. It's the actually "omeletting" that evades me. As far as I can tell, he scrapes the outside in to the center until it starts to set, then when it's almost done he adds the fillings and flips one side over the other. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">We had fresh bread with jam and butter on the side. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the finished product because I wolfed mine down in a couple minutes. <br /></span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-22808641009095922902009-04-24T13:09:00.002+08:002009-04-24T13:13:03.017+08:00Innocents Abroad<span style="font-family: arial;">Turner and I are off on a whirlwind tour of Shandong Province, mostly to places we have already been but the school is paying this time. I will surely have plenty to blog about when we return, what with the requisite banquets and local "delicacies."<br /><br />On another note, I made Chicken an Broccoli Pizzas with Garlic last night for dinner. They reminded me of Carmine's Restaurant in Buffalo. Miss B will know what I'm referring too.<br /></span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-77799665934299391642009-04-22T17:58:00.004+08:002009-04-22T18:47:21.754+08:00Portrait of a Chocolate Cake<span style="font-family:arial;">It all started with Google. Doesn't everything these days seem to start with Google? Well, I was chatting with Turner, who was at work, when I realized that my image on Google Talk has been a penguin for too long. Out of the sparse options Google provides for your image, I chose the chocolate cake. Who wouldn't choose a chocolate cake when given the option of that or a frog?<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My new clip art in place, I chatted away, always keeping that cake in the corner of my eye. Subconsciously it started telling me that I wanted chocolate cake. Have you ever gotten off your lazy butt and baked and frosted a chocolate cake because a piece of clip art told you to? Now I have.<br /><br />I found this simple recipe on a fellow food blog for an <a href="http://carmensfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/easy-one-layer-chocolate-cake.html">Easy One-Layer Chocolate Cake</a>. I was in no mood to mess around with layers or fillings. I just wanted cake!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />It was as easy as ripping open a box of cake mix and adding the wet ingredients. Honestly, I don't know why anyone bakes with boxes anymore. The real deal is almost foul proof</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, especially considering that the cake was baked in my toaster oven. So if you've never made a cake from scratch, try this one. Your skills will astound you and also your loved ones who are also fond of chocolate cake.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />For the frosting, I followed the beat of my own drummer. I melted a few ounces of butter, a bar of Dove dark chocolate, and a bit of sugar. After it came off the heat, I sprinkled in some corn starch because it wasn't thickening like I wanted. What can I say, I'm impatient. That's why I can't sew. While the frosting didn't turn out like buttercream or ganache, it gave the cake an extra boost and a glistening topcoat. I must say, this cake has some serious sex appeal.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se70TJnDwYI/AAAAAAAAA64/zmJaCq7QZaY/s1600-h/IMG_7335.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se70TJnDwYI/AAAAAAAAA64/zmJaCq7QZaY/s400/IMG_7335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327464019060310402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Immediately after I poured the frosting over the cake, I cut into it. My reasoning was that the late afternoon light would make for a great picture, and I wanted to eat it. So with a shot glass full of the leftover milk, my corner piece of cake posed for its portrait.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se7zWtkmt1I/AAAAAAAAA6w/JhTaXltRt7M/s1600-h/IMG_7327.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 372px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se7zWtkmt1I/AAAAAAAAA6w/JhTaXltRt7M/s400/IMG_7327.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327462980741674834" border="0" /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-55490213286905069052009-04-21T21:35:00.009+08:002009-04-21T22:02:16.077+08:00To Market<span style="font-family:arial;">After attending our university's annual sports meeting (really just a school-wide track and field event), Turner and I walked around the old campus area known as <span style="font-style: italic;">Yushan</span>. We were looking for some barbecue and stumbled upon a bustling market area down one of the side streets. I want to share some pictures to show the variety and quality of the produce in China that you can find just about everywhere, though certain things, like watermelons and strawberries, have their seasons.<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3PyWW4CxI/AAAAAAAAA5I/9Wks0NIqAMs/s1600-h/P1080830.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3PyWW4CxI/AAAAAAAAA5I/9Wks0NIqAMs/s320/P1080830.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327142398151101202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Watermelons. </span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3PyfHEWbI/AAAAAAAAA44/vP5DoxhMblo/s1600-h/P1080836.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3PyfHEWbI/AAAAAAAAA44/vP5DoxhMblo/s320/P1080836.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327142400500718002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Green onions, baby leeks, any guesses?<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3PyYXs4VI/AAAAAAAAA5A/CggNr0138m8/s1600-h/P1080834.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3PyYXs4VI/AAAAAAAAA5A/CggNr0138m8/s320/P1080834.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327142398691434834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Walnuts.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3OqxaYWRI/AAAAAAAAA4w/WqQkVf37yoY/s1600-h/P1080838.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3OqxaYWRI/AAAAAAAAA4w/WqQkVf37yoY/s320/P1080838.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327141168462977298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Various grains for sale.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3Oq2EPM-I/AAAAAAAAA4o/DQybxblGe_I/s1600-h/P1080839.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3Oq2EPM-I/AAAAAAAAA4o/DQybxblGe_I/s320/P1080839.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327141169712280546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Radishes.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3OqqVYB4I/AAAAAAAAA4g/EwdKG2QLgkM/s1600-h/P1080840.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3OqqVYB4I/AAAAAAAAA4g/EwdKG2QLgkM/s320/P1080840.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327141166562936706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Lajiao </span><span style="font-family:arial;">and </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:arial;">huajiao--</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;">the spices of life.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3OqrmtviI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/KVLfOqDCoRs/s1600-h/P1080842.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3OqrmtviI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/KVLfOqDCoRs/s320/P1080842.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327141166904098338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The sweetest beans you've ever seen.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3OqRFj9CI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/g-vfbCiWqok/s1600-h/P1080844.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3OqRFj9CI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/g-vfbCiWqok/s320/P1080844.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327141159785722914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Can you imagine seeing such a pile of grape tomatoes at your local grocery store?<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3NbiR5alI/AAAAAAAAA4I/Bv60JZ5xM2o/s1600-h/P1080847.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3NbiR5alI/AAAAAAAAA4I/Bv60JZ5xM2o/s320/P1080847.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327139807191198290" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-family:arial;">Mangoes by the dozens!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3RlgYkmZI/AAAAAAAAA5o/li6G9BooYDA/s1600-h/P1080852.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3RlgYkmZI/AAAAAAAAA5o/li6G9BooYDA/s320/P1080852.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327144376527526290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3NBf5rsgI/AAAAAAAAA4A/2h7GOl8Iibc/s1600-h/P1080849.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3NBf5rsgI/AAAAAAAAA4A/2h7GOl8Iibc/s320/P1080849.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327139359876166146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The Chinese know how to do peanuts.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3Mz5ZkiKI/AAAAAAAAA34/YogrijaUlVU/s1600-h/P1080854.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3Mz5ZkiKI/AAAAAAAAA34/YogrijaUlVU/s320/P1080854.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327139126202632354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">White Radishes</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3MgMoTR6I/AAAAAAAAA3w/V3QgM_igI34/s1600-h/P1080855.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se3MgMoTR6I/AAAAAAAAA3w/V3QgM_igI34/s320/P1080855.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327138787767306146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Papayas</span><br /></div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-14160908090353054532009-04-20T21:08:00.010+08:002009-04-22T08:31:17.572+08:00A Leeky Day<span style="font-family:arial;">April in Qingdao fulfills the stereotype of spring--rain and cold </span><span style="font-family:arial;">one day, hot and humid the next, windy after that. Yesterday evening, the heavens dropped a del</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ug</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e on us. It poured. And roofs are supposed to keep everything under them dry, right? Well, at the top of our stairs, above the seventh floor landing is a hatch that opens onto the roof. For some reason, the tenants on the seventh floor decided to remove the hatch cover, providing ventilation and a very leaky hole. Th</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e water drizzled down onto our landing on the sixth floor and continued to make it's way downstairs until it eventually dried out on the third floor</span><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Today fared little better. It started off breezy and rainy, turned cold and windy, and finished the day off downright tempestuous. I almost had to yell in class so the students could hear me over the howling wind. Tomorrow promises to be sunny and warm. So there you go; spring in a nutshell.<br /><br />The foul weather put me in the mood to try this macaroni and cheese recipe that I have been saving for awhile. It takes just the right day to justify cooking with two c</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ups of milk and almost a pound of cheese. Well, today was the d</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ay.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The recipe for <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Baked-Penne-with-Farmhouse-Cheddar-and-Leeks-351513">Baked Penne with Farmhouse Cheddar and Leeks</a> is from March's issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Bon Appetit</span>. I halved the amounts to fit in my little baking dish inside my little toaster oven. Luckily, I had almost a whole block of Vintage cheddar that is crumbly and pungent, like I think a "farmhouse" cheddar would be. It's the one decent cheese we buy regularly here in China, and it imported from Australia. Maybe someday the Chinese will come to appreciate good cheese, but I think it's far in the future. Leeks, however, they have in abundance.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sex644CUJ1I/AAAAAAAAA3M/du8N24dcqrg/s1600-h/IMG_7257.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sex644CUJ1I/AAAAAAAAA3M/du8N24dcqrg/s320/IMG_7257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326767576805812050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Anyway, the recipe is fairly straightforward, using eg</span><span style="font-family:arial;">gs as a thickener instead of a <span style="font-style: italic;">roux</span>. The flour is stirred into the sweated leeks as the base for the cheese sauce, which then gets mixed in with a beaten egg and tossed with the pasta. Some Dijon mustard an</span><span style="font-family:arial;">d hot sauce round out the dish, lifting it from the usual heaviness of a cheesy casserole. My own adapt</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ation is to toss some <span style="font-style: italic;">panko</span> breadcrumbs with olive oil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper and sprinkle this over the top. I love having the crunch on top of the soft goodness of the mac and cheese.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se5lKvDr-zI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/o1U0zZ9XM1M/s1600-h/IMG_7298-2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Se5lKvDr-zI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/o1U0zZ9XM1M/s320/IMG_7298-2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327306644330904370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">While the casserole baked, I made a quic</span><span style="font-family:arial;">k rice pudding with our leftover rice from yesterday's leftover Chinese dinner. If you ever have any white rice sitting in the fridge (possibly because your husband doesn't want to waste anything, even 10 cents of cooked rice), then you should definitely learn a basic rice pudding recipe.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sex6uEES4-I/AAAAAAAAA28/1oSDK18HDAE/s1600-h/IMG_7271.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sex6uEES4-I/AAAAAAAAA28/1oSDK18HDAE/s320/IMG_7271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326767391056782306" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The one that works for me (and I love to eat) seems simpler than others I have come across. I merely mix up some dry soy milk powder with hot </span><span style="font-family:arial;">water. You can certainly use fresh soy milk, but we don't have that luxury in China. For about two cups of cooked rice, I start with two cups of milk and about half a cup of white sugar. Stir everything together over medium heat until it's gently simmering. Then you can add flavorings. I'm trying to use up my whole spices so I dump in a few cinnamon sticks, some star anise, and slivers of crystallized ginger. To westernize it, I add some ground nutmeg and vanilla. This all cooks until the rice is the consistency you like, usually very soft. You had to stir it occasionally to prevent it from burning to the bottom of your pot and you may have to add hot water every now and then if it thickens too quickly (which will depend on the type of rice you're using).<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sex6oXyOIuI/AAAAAAAAA20/WJVSQAJ8iK4/s1600-h/IMG_7281.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sex6oXyOIuI/AAAAAAAAA20/WJVSQAJ8iK4/s320/IMG_7281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326767293270467298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I prefer rice pudding to oatmeal actually, though I know it's not nearly as good for you. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top (and sweetened condensed milk if you're feeling decadent). It's great warm or cold, morning or night.<br /></span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-8293264702190855982009-04-19T12:06:00.006+08:002009-04-19T12:45:34.264+08:00In Search of Pain Perdu<span style="font-family:arial;">Turner and I were going to run to McDonalds this morning for their 10RMB breakfast special (egg sandwich, hash brown, and a coffee), but we forgot that they stop serving i</span><span style="font-family:arial;">t at 9am. By the time we had finished our morning cup of coffee, it was too late. Someday we</span><span style="font-family:arial;">'ll do it, just have to wait for the right day. Also, today dawned cloudy and cool, providing even less incentive to get out of bed e</span><span style="font-family:arial;">arly </span><span style="font-family:arial;">enough for the breakfast run.<br /><br />After my mid-morning run around our university, I decided to use our last wedge of bread and last egg to make french toast. This was not to be just any french toast though. Last year my mom mailed me a cooking magazine that had a recipe for Swiss-style French Toast. I think it was Swiss anyway. The country of origin doesn't matter too much. All you need to know is that this makes a regular Sunday breakfast into a sweet treat.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Cut into cubes any day-old French bread. Challah or b</span><span style="font-family:arial;">rioche would work wonderfully for this; however, they require a few days prep time in themselves. I used the bread I bake every other day (the no-knead bread). <br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeqrfntHsuI/AAAAAAAAA2U/ulglTDM3BLI/s1600-h/IMG_7235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeqrfntHsuI/AAAAAAAAA2U/ulglTDM3BLI/s320/IMG_7235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326258069041558242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />In a bowl, whisk together an egg (for two people, use more eggs for more bread/people), a few tablespoons of milk, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, some cinnamon and nutmeg. (My measurements for many recipes are really just "a shake of this" and "squirt of that," but I try to make some things reproduceable.) Anyway, at this point you're basically making French toast. The only difference so far is cubing the bread instead of leaving it in slices. Soak the bread in the egg mixture for a bit, tossing to make sure every piece is soaked through.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Then heat a few pats of butter in a frying pan and toss in your eggy bread. Fry it in butter on all sides until it's golden brown. Essentially, you bring it to the stage where it looks like French toast ready to eat. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeqrUY6MtrI/AAAAAAAAA2M/IqpW9WYX0TQ/s1600-h/IMG_7241.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeqrUY6MtrI/AAAAAAAAA2M/IqpW9WYX0TQ/s320/IMG_7241.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326257876091319986" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now comes the special part.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan and sprinkle a 3-4 tablespoons of white sugar over the cubes of bread. Toss everything together in the pan so the bread is coated with butter and sugar. Now you are caramelizing the outside of the bread, so cook it for a few more minutes until the sugar crystals have dissolved and the bread has a deep brown caramel coating.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeqrH4clgwI/AAAAAAAAA2E/PZX1XjSQfiU/s1600-h/IMG_7243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeqrH4clgwI/AAAAAAAAA2E/PZX1XjSQfiU/s320/IMG_7243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326257661218751234" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This is best eaten warm, obviously, so the caramel doesn't stick to your teeth as much. Turner and I drizzled what we have left of our maple syrup over the top. Needless to say, this is nowhere near healthy as it has a few tablespoons of butter and plenty of sugar, but it is delicious. We had some apple slices alongside so maybe the doctor will forgive us our trepasses.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Seqq7VoqzXI/AAAAAAAAA18/i5-SM-h5MYY/s1600-h/IMG_7249.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Seqq7VoqzXI/AAAAAAAAA18/i5-SM-h5MYY/s320/IMG_7249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326257445715758450" border="0" /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-88729862539911455482009-04-17T21:01:00.006+08:002009-04-19T10:22:09.865+08:00Remains of the Pudding<span style="font-family:arial;">Eggs, cream, milk. What to do, what to do... Given my recent successes with pudding, I decided to use up the rest of our heavy cream in a luscious vanilla pudding--the same one that I made for the party a couple weeks back. Sinfully simple, this pudding must be</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> loaded with fat calories, but considering that I rarely eat dairy products, must also supply me with my required intake of calcium.<br /><br />I used the recipe from March's <span style="font-style: italic;">Gourmet</span> without all the fuss with candied pecans or bourbon.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Thankfully though, I do still have some Watkins Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract brought from the States. Along with nutmeg, vanilla is one of the ingredients that is impossible to find in any Asian grocery store. Their aromatic qualities would label them as medicine, as ginger, cinnamon, and cumin are all spices that Chinese laud for their homeopathic uses.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In addition to my puny bottle, I have a large bottle of vanilla extract given to us by our former colleagues and friends from last year--former colleagues, still friends. As you can see, I use both of them: the bourbon vanilla for when the vanilla flavor is prevalent, in puddings mostly; the other in things like cookies, where it plays a supporting role.<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Seh_e2pkqBI/AAAAAAAAA1U/-HqW_P5wlhM/s1600-h/IMG_7216.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Seh_e2pkqBI/AAAAAAAAA1U/-HqW_P5wlhM/s320/IMG_7216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325646727408298002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The pudding set in the fridge for a few hours before I grabbed a glass and a tiny spoon--because it is best enjoyed in small spoonfuls. Only once I had emptied the glass did I think of taking a picture. My apologies; you can only enjoy the remains of my pudding.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeiAa3-CVMI/AAAAAAAAA1c/-TIa2BB8aXc/s1600-h/IMG_7225.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeiAa3-CVMI/AAAAAAAAA1c/-TIa2BB8aXc/s320/IMG_7225.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325647758554715330" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-73671039325698899802009-04-15T20:12:00.005+08:002009-04-15T20:38:57.351+08:00A Chili Day in China<span style="font-family:arial;">March's lion decided to rear its ferocious head in April. We woke up this morning to thunder and lightening, a cold wind, and steady drizzle. But, you know what they say, April showers bring... Why is spring so full of cliches? I think we try to wax poetic about all the new life budding, bursting, blossoming, and blooming around us. Today brought a nice dose of moisture to brighten up the brown landscape. It also brought cold weather</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> reminiscent of February. Cold weather makes me think of two things--wool sweaters and chili.<br /><br />I paid visits to both our little school store for vegetables (and got ripped off) and Jusco for less common items (like Tide detergent and cheese). I used to make chili and spaghetti sauce from cans of stewed/diced/chopped/etc. tomatoes. In the US, you can get them just about any way now except upside down. I've seen cans that even purport to have all the spices needed for chili or spaghetti sauce. While easy in a pinch and cost effective when tomato prices skyrocket in the winter, in China, these cans are a high-priced commodity, shipped in from capitalist countries overseas. With tomatoes available fairly reasonably year-round, I've taken to making sauces from a bag of fresh tomatoes. It's really just one extra step, cutting up tomatoes instead of cutting open a can, and saves you from chemicals, preservatives, and that can that's been sitting on the supermarket shelf for two years.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeXPlZ6MyaI/AAAAAAAAA00/a68Dakwzj9Q/s1600-h/IMG_7187.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeXPlZ6MyaI/AAAAAAAAA00/a68Dakwzj9Q/s400/IMG_7187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324890375952583074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">While the tomatoes simmer in their own liquid, I brown and season ground beef with salt and chili powder. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Dump that into the tomatoes, then sautee chopped onions, carrots, and green pepper in some oil, followed by diced garlic once the onions have softened. Though not traditionally a chili vegetable, I think the carrot adds a nice non-acidic sweetness and lends some brightness and vitamins. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">If you like chili that is simply beef, or beef and beans, my recipe is not for you. It's chock full of chunks of vegetables and tomatoes.<br /><br />Just before the vegetables are done in the frying pan, grind some fresh cumin seeds and toss those with the vegetables along with a good dose (I mean a couple tablespoons) of chili powder and some salt. It's best to warm the cumin and chili powder in a frying pan </span><span style="font-family:arial;">to enhance their flavor and aromas </span><span style="font-family:arial;">before submerging the spices in the tomato sauce .</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now that everything is happily bubbling away in the tomato sauce, forget about the chili for awhile. When you remember, or catch a whiff of that fabulous goodness, give it a stir. Once it's been simmering for about 40 minutes, it's time to get out the secret ingredients. I learned this trick years ago from my Aunt Georgene actually. We had chili at her home and it was fantastic! Her secret, which I've adopted, is to add a tablespoon each of brown sugar and cocoa powder. It may sound strange, but it will take your chili to the next level or even out of this world, and also deepen the red of the tomatoes.<br /><br />After an hour or so, add a can of beans (or two, depending on how much gas your significant other/family can handle), any kind you like, though I usually use red kidney beans or black beans. Let these cook in for about 20 minutes and you're done. Chili is so simple and soooo satisfying, especially on a blustery day.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeXPf5rJV-I/AAAAAAAAA0s/dHh82hLCA6s/s1600-h/IMG_7195.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeXPf5rJV-I/AAAAAAAAA0s/dHh82hLCA6s/s400/IMG_7195.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324890281400162274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Turner and I like to mix in grated cheese and cilantro and have tortillas alongside for dunking. My grandma used to make a classic Midwestern dish of chili mac, adding macaroni to the finished product and a good helping of cheese. I like chili just about any way but have yet to find someone who makes it better than me. I think my mom comes pretty close though.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeXPaY4MNxI/AAAAAAAAA0k/5x3AJmLX5kE/s1600-h/IMG_7197.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeXPaY4MNxI/AAAAAAAAA0k/5x3AJmLX5kE/s400/IMG_7197.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324890186697160466" border="0" /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-87767152174346753492009-04-12T09:21:00.008+08:002009-04-12T21:43:57.533+08:00Blossoms and Buddies<span style="font-family:arial;">Qingdao is abloom. This is the peak weekend for cherry and peach blossoms as soon the trees will be green instead of pink and white. At Zhongshan Park, Cherry Blossom Lane is bursting with white flowers, but my favorite trees were in Chengyang at our old school. We met up with some former students and wandered the grounds.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFCZShFplI/AAAAAAAAAzk/9uDV3lZ0aiU/s1600-h/blossoms2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFCZShFplI/AAAAAAAAAzk/9uDV3lZ0aiU/s400/blossoms2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323609236763420242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">For lunch, we went to Jack and Qiu Qiu's apartment, which is very near the campus. We have been friends with them since our first months in China, back in 2007. Unfortunately, we do not see much of them anymore since we moved downtown to Qingdao. It was great to see them, made even better because Jack cooked lunch. He makes some of the best Chinese food we've had here. It's delicious, pleasing to look at and eat! He is a chef at a local hotel, but we have the honor of eating his food in his and Qiu Qiu's home. The food is always excellent.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFCg7MOloI/AAAAAAAAAzs/DJ0diRWdG4A/s1600-h/lunchwithjack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFCg7MOloI/AAAAAAAAAzs/DJ0diRWdG4A/s400/lunchwithjack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323609367940863618" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A lot of Chinese cooking demands precise knife skills, which Jack deftly exemplifies in all his dishes. It's a pleasure to watch him cook. He also always has a smile on his face. For lunch we had a spicy cucumber salad, fried pork (which I love!), a dish with potatoes and peppers, stir fried eggplant, fruit salad, and pasta with meat sauce. This is the first time Jack served Western food, and I think it was a success. The sauce was fairly authentic except he included cinnamon sticks, which gave the sauce an extra aromatic jolt. I give him a lot of credit for even trying though, as many Chinese seem to be fascinated by Western cuisine.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFC9u95DiI/AAAAAAAAA0E/dAmocSHtm_g/s1600-h/P1080702.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFC9u95DiI/AAAAAAAAA0E/dAmocSHtm_g/s320/P1080702.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323609862875713058" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFC2gPLj9I/AAAAAAAAAz8/YLbhAQyMVsI/s1600-h/P1080703.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFC2gPLj9I/AAAAAAAAAz8/YLbhAQyMVsI/s320/P1080703.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323609738662612946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFCvKGiG2I/AAAAAAAAAz0/LNPUJfN4144/s1600-h/P1080704.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SeFCvKGiG2I/AAAAAAAAAz0/LNPUJfN4144/s320/P1080704.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323609612461677410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">We love seeing our friends and wish we could see each other more often.</span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-80022155206598425512009-04-10T07:20:00.005+08:002009-04-10T07:52:42.058+08:00What You Can Buy for $25<span style="font-family:arial;">One of the things that I will miss about China is the price of food. I went grocery shopping the other day and spent 150 RMB, or about $25.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd6J_PHSr_I/AAAAAAAAAys/1YFOemoAb1I/s1600-h/IMG_7082.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd6J_PHSr_I/AAAAAAAAAys/1YFOemoAb1I/s400/IMG_7082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322843529080385522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's what I came home with: one whole chicken, pack of sliced pork chops, a bunch of spinach, two lemons, four kiwis, six potatoes, two packs of snow peas, aluminum foil, parchment paper, two-pack of sponges, soy sauce, can of tomatoes, brown sugar, and a large jar of CoffeeMate.</span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-1551591461275230562009-04-09T08:12:00.008+08:002009-04-09T09:49:41.618+08:00Do Blonds Really Have More Fun?<span style="font-family: arial;">While perusing the culinary blogosphere yesterday, I read about Use Real Butter's <a href="http://userealbutter.com/2009/04/07/macadamia-nut-chocolate-chip-blondies-recipe/">adaptation</a> of Smitten Kitchen's <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/blondies-for-a-blondie/">Blondie</a> recipe, taken from Mark Bittman's book <span style="font-style: italic;">How to Cook Everything </span>(which I will certainly have to pick up when I am back in the States). The pictures and uncomplicatedness (<span style="font-style: italic;">did I just make up a word??</span>) of the recipe made me eager to bake a batch. Plus, we were out of sweet stuff to eat. The only ingredient I was missing was an egg, so I hopped off like a spring bunny to the store and bought a bag of lovely brown eggs. I decided to add chopped milk chocolate, toasted walnuts, and some peanut butter, just to make them more sinfully delicious.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd0-M2W5q2I/AAAAAAAAAyc/hM_mWxgweBU/s1600-h/IMG_7105.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd0-M2W5q2I/AAAAAAAAAyc/hM_mWxgweBU/s320/IMG_7105.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322478725092715362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">They bake for only 25 minutes and take half as much sugar and butter as cookies. In addition, I don't have to keep traipsing back to the kitchen to scoop and bake batch after batch of cookies. This is my new favorite!!<br /><br />Out of the oven, they were warm and brown, so of course I couldn't resist cutting out the corner. The bite was chewy and toothsome with nuts and chocolate, and--get this--tasted like cookie dough! Like when you have a bowl of cookie dough and you can't resist scooping spoonfuls into your mouth but you have that guilty feeling because of the raw egg and depriving everyone of freshly baked cookies because you're eating all the dough... No more! <br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd0-GyQwjNI/AAAAAAAAAyU/vTjES9ycf9E/s1600-h/IMG_7115.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd0-GyQwjNI/AAAAAAAAAyU/vTjES9ycf9E/s320/IMG_7115.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322478620913994962" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">And, as if they couldn't get more salivating, they taste like Hello Dollies, those butter and sweetened condensed milk laden bar cookies that have like 8,000 calories per slice. I think the melted butter and brown sugar almost caramelize so they have a tang of butterscotch.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd0-AA0CMdI/AAAAAAAAAyM/I6VjnNJrqFc/s1600-h/IMG_7127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd0-AA0CMdI/AAAAAAAAAyM/I6VjnNJrqFc/s400/IMG_7127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322478504560964050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">I'd have to agree that, in this case, blonds do have more fun, but I am sure that I will be back craving brownies in no time.<br /><br />If I could eat dessert for dinner, I would. However, I bought a nice whole fryer chicken at the grocery store. This was the first time I saw a whole chicken that had some plump to her (though not like those Plump N Juicy chickens). As an extra bonus, she had already been decapitated, saving me that painful step. Most of the time, ducks and chickens are sold with their heads. I suppose so you can be sure you're getting a real fowl, since so many things in China are fake. I have to admit that I am not quite brave enough to take a cleaver to a chicken neck and Turner wasn't home to do the job.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd095tkO3RI/AAAAAAAAAyE/7OMNm4Uej_4/s1600-h/IMG_7110.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd095tkO3RI/AAAAAAAAAyE/7OMNm4Uej_4/s320/IMG_7110.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322478396315196690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Is a chicken butt joke really even necessary?<br /><br />I did however take a cleaver to the breast bone to butterfly her because I didn't want to spend the extra time cooking her whole. Here comes the magic part ... I laid the two halves in a baking dish on top of a few slices of day old my homemade French bread. This served two purposes: one, preventing the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pan; two, creating quasi-stuffing as it soaks all the juices and flavor from the roasting chicken. I also scattered the cloves from a head of garlic around the bird.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd09zqPZYzI/AAAAAAAAAx8/pQ_aPsP0D2w/s1600-h/IMG_7124.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd09zqPZYzI/AAAAAAAAAx8/pQ_aPsP0D2w/s320/IMG_7124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322478292343284530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">After about an hour in the oven, I threw some cherry tomatoes in to roast for about 20 more minutes. (This cooking time could have been shortened as the breast meat was a little dry.) The chicken came out golden with crispy skin and smelling divine.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd09tTho_VI/AAAAAAAAAx0/ds6fiC_ROSg/s1600-h/IMG_7141.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd09tTho_VI/AAAAAAAAAx0/ds6fiC_ROSg/s320/IMG_7141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322478183166573906" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Even though the chicken was tasty, the best part was the bread from underneath. One side was all crisp and brown and the other was soft. It was soaked with the chicken juices (a.k.a. fat) and the sage, thyme, oregano, and salt that I seasoned the chicken with. <br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd09iWohZsI/AAAAAAAAAxs/eDP3DugbSEQ/s1600-h/IMG_7150.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sd09iWohZsI/AAAAAAAAAxs/eDP3DugbSEQ/s400/IMG_7150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322477995022182082" border="0" /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-66277827747540604992009-04-06T21:50:00.005+08:002009-04-06T22:03:42.466+08:00It's Not Nice to Call Your Cakes Short<span style="font-family:arial;">When I was growing up, I had a Strawberry Shortcake doll house. I can still picture it's bright red strawberry roof that my sister and I used to ride like a horse because of its saddle-like shape. This house was definitely cooler than a Barbie house. Barbies couldn't even fit inside, though I had my fair share of them. I also had a Strawberry Shortcake blanket that I think my aunt </span><span style="font-family:arial;">made. The thing is, I can never remember having a Strawberry Shortcake doll, so I don't know how I played with the doll house. I only remember how cool it was.<br /><br />I have always loved strawberry shortcake. I can think of no better summertime dessert. Since the temperature reached almost 70 degrees in Qingdao today (eat that Duluth and Buffalo!), it was a perfect holiday (Qing Ming, a.k.a. Respect the Dead Day) for a berry-licious dessert.<br /><br />We had two pints of strawberries that someone brought as a gift for the party that were slowly rotting out on our cooking porch (two bags of lychee fruits had to go in the trash due to mold) and leftover heavy cream from the party puddings. I salvaged more than enough strawberries for a few servings of dessert and made buttermilk biscuits late this afternoon. <br /><br />My January issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Gourmet </span>had a tip for making biscuits <span style="font-style: italic;">ala Francais </span>that involved folding into a rectangle of dough thin slices of frozen butter to give them extra lift in the oven and extra flakiness once cooked. Well, my dough turned out too wet (thanks to a lack of measuring cups), but I did the butter trick anyway. I think it would work beautifully with correctly proportioned ingredients.<br /><br />After dinner, Turner whipped up some cream with sugar and vanilla and we dug into our shortcake like it was the last day of summer. Thankfully it is merely the beginning of a season that should offer plenty more strawberry goodness.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdoJ2xa3H7I/AAAAAAAAAxk/9oBO7-1FToQ/s1600-h/strawberries.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdoJ2xa3H7I/AAAAAAAAAxk/9oBO7-1FToQ/s400/strawberries.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321576746275250098" border="0" /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-76104211695052819152009-04-04T21:04:00.020+08:002009-04-05T09:06:18.194+08:00Success!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddfVqV-_kI/AAAAAAAAAws/H7G0QgOR8ao/s1600-h/IMG_6956.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 143px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddfVqV-_kI/AAAAAAAAAws/H7G0QgOR8ao/s200/IMG_6956.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320826310509919810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Well, it has been 24 hours since the party, but I have just had time (and an internet connection) to post about its great success. I cooked all day Friday, quite literally, and had some h</span><span style="font-family:arial;">elp from Latte and Wendy around 4 in the afternoon. Although I burnt the tomatoes for the bruschetta and had to toss them, I had more than enough food for our eight guests.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The day began with the brownies, sinc</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e they would have to cool awhile before being frosted and cut. They were also the easiest because I know the recipe almost by heart. Surprisingly, it is hard to find good, cheap chocolate in China. Most major stores only carry chocolate meant for eating directly, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Dov</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e, Hershey, etc. I don't want to spend over 5 US </span><span style="font-family:arial;">dollars on chocolate that </span><span style="font-family:arial;">is</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> going to be melted and put into brownie batter. RT-Mart, a Korean </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Walmart-like s</span><span style="font-family:arial;">tore, is the only </span><span style="font-family:arial;">place I can find suitable chocolate, and it's only 50 cents a bar.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">The other day my mom said that she ma</span><span style="font-family:arial;">de brownies from my recipe and they turned out dry and dense. I think she jinxed me because this time the brownies took 10 extra minutes and I could tell from the toothpick test that they were going to be dense. Usually, the brownies are very fudge-like, but these had the consistency of a flourless chocolate cake. At le</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ast they were moist.<br /><br />After the brownies were out, I decided to continue baking and make the Cheese Straws next. The dough is insanely simple and I will tell you know that the result is fantastic. It's basically a pie dough, flour, salt, butter, milk, plus a few cups of grated cheddar cheese and a good dose of cayenne. Roll out the dough into rectangles and cut into strips.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddfG2DLZiI/AAAAAAAAAwc/sJGP7rYInGU/s1600-h/IMG_6982.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddfG2DLZiI/AAAAAAAAAwc/sJGP7rYInGU/s320/IMG_6982.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320826055954228770" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I experimented with the first couple batches, twisting and braiding the strips, b</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ut I gave up because the straws weren't coming out as crispy as I would have liked.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddiAxjWhWI/AAAAAAAAAw8/mlQeI0R4Oho/s1600-h/IMG_6989.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddiAxjWhWI/AAAAAAAAAw8/mlQeI0R4Oho/s320/IMG_6989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320829250202666338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I decided to go straight and skinny. They sizzle wonderfully in the oven. If you like the crispy edges macaroni and cheese or the provolone browned onto the side of a bowl of French onion soup, then you will love these. And especially if you are a Cheetos fanatic (mom!) these are the next best thing and there is no fake coloring or chemicals. I ate the rest of them for a morning snack.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sddix5rBisI/AAAAAAAAAxE/2iJ4bkdr4qY/s1600-h/IMG_6994.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sddix5rBisI/AAAAAAAAAxE/2iJ4bkdr4qY/s320/IMG_6994.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320830094195919554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">By this time, noon had come and gone and I had only made two items from today's to-do list. It was time to turn up the heat. In the form of a frying pan! While the tomatoes cooked down (they had yet to scorch) I started frying batches of meatballs for the meatball sliders. No fancy recipe, just beef, pork, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sdde4383GKI/AAAAAAAAAwM/dhSNV9tOnhE/s1600-h/IMG_7005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sdde4383GKI/AAAAAAAAAwM/dhSNV9tOnhE/s320/IMG_7005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320825815946434722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I smashed them down a bit as they browned because they would be sitting on my garlic buns like mini hamburgers and meatballs have a tendency to roll. These went in the tomato sauce to finish cooking while I labored over the hard-boiled eggs to get them read for deviling.<br /><br />It's no fun removing the shell from one egg, but twelve is downright tortuous. I've never actually made deviled eggs myself, but I have watched them being made and have thoroughly enjoyed them on the buffet table. I now have enormous respect for any maker of deviled eggs. The itty-bitty pieces of shell stuck to the white. The chunks taken out by my nails. The off-center yolks. The slippery bodies sliding ar</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ound the plate. I could have thrown them at the windows (oh what a splat they would have made). I didn't though and managed to successfully recreate deviled eggs.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddefzTK5QI/AAAAAAAAAv0/0wckztNBrvo/s1600-h/IMG_7014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddefzTK5QI/AAAAAAAAAv0/0wckztNBrvo/s200/IMG_7014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320825385201100034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">By the time Latte and Wendy showed up, I had finished everything except the Zucchini Patties and the Tuna and White Bean dip. We shredded the zucchini and let it sit with some salt to draw out the extra water, then I put Latte to work shredding potatoes and Wendy frosting the brownies. Some egg, flour, green onion salt and pepper got mixed in with the potatoes and zucchini to form a wet batter that we then fried in batches. The patties turned out wonderfully once we got the oil hot enough, all golden brown and crispy on the outside and soft like a pancake inside. Meanwhile, Wendy moved on to mixing together the tuna dip, which I have posted about before. Simple really, just some cans of tun and beans plus lemon, olive oil, and green pepper.<br /><br />As party time got closer, we assembled the Meatball Sliders. Latte thought they looked like little farmers with their hats. Wendy smeared the ketchup on the bun, I placed the lettuce and meatball, and Latte secured the top with a toothpick. They made perfect buffet food!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddeL-3_fiI/AAAAAAAAAvk/JL6-Vb64krw/s1600-h/IMG_7018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddeL-3_fiI/AAAAAAAAAvk/JL6-Vb64krw/s320/IMG_7018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320825044710948386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />All the food was set out on the tables and we waited for more guests to arrive. And we waited. And then we gave up waiting and started to eat! </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddeFwCse_I/AAAAAAAAAvc/rYZC1o9IzcM/s1600-h/IMG_7024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SddeFwCse_I/AAAAAAAAAvc/rYZC1o9IzcM/s320/IMG_7024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320824937650093042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Latte, the birthday girl!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Once everyone had arrived and eaten, I went to put together the pudding dessert. I filled each cup about half full with the vanilla pudding layered with thinly sliced bananas. Then I sprinkled some chopped candied walnuts on top of that. Next came the chocolate pudding and a whole walnut to top the entire dessert. They were sinfully delicious and smooth. I never knew that pudding was so easy to make from scratch. So long Jello.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sddd7jAgG1I/AAAAAAAAAvU/NT6VNrGd4xI/s1600-h/IMG_7026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/Sddd7jAgG1I/AAAAAAAAAvU/NT6VNrGd4xI/s320/IMG_7026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320824762352540498" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Everyone really enjoyed the puddings, and some didn't have any room left for the ganache brownie. But we stuck a candle in one and sang "Happy Birthday" anyway.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdddyXmBwkI/AAAAAAAAAvM/Ok2f63SuTls/s1600-h/IMG_7033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdddyXmBwkI/AAAAAAAAAvM/Ok2f63SuTls/s320/IMG_7033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320824604669887042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The guests: (from left) Susie, Juan, Vivian, Latte, Sara, Wendy, Clement; (in foreground) Auda and Cherry</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-56013590952674251832009-04-02T20:29:00.006+08:002009-04-07T16:45:44.394+08:00Sheer Exhaustion<span style="font-family:arial;">Day 2 at Party Central<br /><br />My knees ache and I have whisk-elbow. Oh the injuries I will sustain for my craft! I jest. It was merely a long day of cooking and teaching. Just aft</span><span style="font-family:arial;">er rolling out of bed this morning, I mixed up the dough for the Garlic Buns, a double recipe mind you. While it rose I mashed up the roasted garlic that I made last night. I made them smaller than the last time so to better accompany their respective meatball.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdSx7DwJznI/AAAAAAAAAt4/HEr7hLkp4nc/s1600-h/IMG_6928.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 277px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdSx7DwJznI/AAAAAAAAAt4/HEr7hLkp4nc/s320/IMG_6928.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320072688009072242" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So far so good. After the rolls were done baking, I split two eggplants and put them in the oven to roast for about an hour.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdSylgtAQEI/AAAAAAAAAuA/SbdSGY75qRw/s1600-h/IMG_6934.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdSylgtAQEI/AAAAAAAAAuA/SbdSGY75qRw/s320/IMG_6934.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320073417334997058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When these were done, I scooped out their now-soft innards and mashed them up with half a head of the roasted garlic, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and homemade tahini (sesame paste). Yes, I made tahini from scratch. The <span style="font-style: italic;">baba ghanouj</span> just wouldn't taste right without it. Roast a handful of sesame seeds in a dry frying pan for a few minutes. Toss them in your mortar along with some salt and a smidgen of olive oil, then mash away! It worked pretty well and was wonderfully fragra</span><span style="font-family:arial;">nt.<br /><br />The last bit on my agenda today was to make the puddings for the dessert. Part of my inspiration, and the recipe for the vanilla base of the banana pudding, comes from the March issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Gourmet</span> that Anya brought with her in March. I love thumbing through the pages of food magazines, ogling their food photographs and recipes.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdSzKZ0ztUI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/3CbAxqupzWc/s1600-h/IMG_6948-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdSzKZ0ztUI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/3CbAxqupzWc/s320/IMG_6948-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320074051143841090" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So I made the vanilla pudding and the milk chocolate pudding, which are chilling in the refrigerator to be assembled into parfaits along with the candied walnuts tomorrow.<br /><br />That's all for now folks. Tomorrow is the big day!<br /></span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-2025529327093231192009-04-01T15:31:00.011+08:002009-04-02T11:35:07.794+08:00Party Planning<span style="font-family:arial;">We're having a party! To celebrate one of our friend's birthday, we invited a select group of acquaintances to have an intimate dinner party <span style="font-style: italic;">chez </span>Gutmann Friday evening.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Since there will be eight for dinner, I can't serve anything th</span><span style="font-family:arial;">at is best e</span><span style="font-family:arial;">aten at a table. Our dining set seats four and I only have two full-sized dinner plates. Taking into account these and other obstacles, I devised a menu of bite-size, toothpick-worthy hors </span><span style="font-family:arial;">d'ouevres that should satisfy any taste bud and be filling enough to count for a meal. It feels ambitious, but I've</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> planned everything so that I too will be able to enjoy the party. The menu, and appropriate recip</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e lin</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ks, are as follows:</span><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cheese-Straws-241167"><span style="font-family:arial;">Cheese Straws</span></a></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Mixed Nuts</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Tuna and White Bean Dip on Crackers</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Baba Ghanouj on <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Whole-Wheat-Pita-Bread-108122">Pita Breads</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Bruschetta</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Deviled Eggs</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/meatball-sliders/">Meatball Sliders</a> on Garlic Buns</span></li><li><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Zucchini-Patties-with-Feta-238266"><span style="font-family:arial;">Zucchini Patties</span></a></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Chocolate and Banana Puddings with Candied Walnuts<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Double Chocolate Brownies with <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ganache-109253">Ganache Frosting</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Fresh Fruit</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;">Today I bought the dry goods and some vegetables from Jusco. On Friday, I </span><span style="font-family:arial;">will pick up the eggs and other produce locally at our school store. Since I have to teach and go about regular life for the next few days, I have devised when I need to make what. And it began today.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I began with the pita bread dough, using all white flour though the recipe was for wheat pita bread. It called for a starter to ferment awhile...</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNjcjq3NEI/AAAAAAAAAsY/_Gdb0heIYtE/s1600-h/IMG_6872.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNjcjq3NEI/AAAAAAAAAsY/_Gdb0heIYtE/s320/IMG_6872.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319704927117194306" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">...which got nice a bubbly before I added the rest</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> of the flour and the oil and salt. It then rose for an hour. I thought it would be just barely risen, given the chill in the apartment, but when I removed the plastic, I was greeted by a lovely mound of dough.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNkbjFtMFI/AAAAAAAAAsg/Fg7PHT9f08g/s1600-h/IMG_6885.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNkbjFtMFI/AAAAAAAAAsg/Fg7PHT9f08g/s320/IMG_6885.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319706009293107282" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The recipe called for this to make 8 pitas, but somehow I ended up with 12. I was supposed to bake them two and a time on the oven rack in a 500 degree oven. When I tried to put the first one in, it sagged through the spaces in the rack. Try again. I figured pitas are somewhat like tortillas, which we make in a frying pan, so I gave it a try and it worked perfectly. Only about a third of them puffed up nicely. I think this has to due with needing a longer kn</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ead in the beginning to make them stronger and stretchier. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNk9XFC7lI/AAAAAAAAAso/UsL3Z2WBbVs/s1600-h/IMG_6910.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNk9XFC7lI/AAAAAAAAAso/UsL3Z2WBbVs/s320/IMG_6910.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319706590184664658" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">They all look and taste good though. (Of course, I had to try one before serving them on Friday.) I don't think I can go back to eating prepackaged flatbread. Though mine are not perfectly round, they taste ten times better when they are freshly made.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNmJG6utkI/AAAAAAAAAsw/Q0IK4lSQ-HU/s1600-h/IMG_6913.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNmJG6utkI/AAAAAAAAAsw/Q0IK4lSQ-HU/s320/IMG_6913.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319707891516487234" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">During the rising time, I made the chocolate ganache frosting for the brownies and the candied walnuts for the puddings.<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNnrcc8yBI/AAAAAAAAAs4/MRztSGWJFv0/s1600-h/IMG_6883.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNnrcc8yBI/AAAAAAAAAs4/MRztSGWJFv0/s320/IMG_6883.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319709580924340242" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For dessert, I am adapting two recipes from Epicurious, one for <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bourbon-Banana-Pudding-with-Glazed-Pecans-351912">Bourbon Banana Pudding with Candied Pecans</a> and the other for <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peanut-Butter-Milk-Chocolate-Puddings-350968">Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Pudding</a>, into Chocolate Banana Pudding with Candied Walnuts. I wanted to do banana pudding but not with</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> cake (nor did I have Bourbon), and I think chocolate goes well with bananas (and peanut butter pudding does not sound good).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Oh yes, I also roasted two heads of garlic for the garlic buns and baba ganouj (roasted eggplant dip).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After all this prep, I made dinner. At the grocery store, while wandering the vegetable section, I stumbled upon snow peas. I immediately grabbed a package, since this is the first time I've seen what we think of as a classically Chinese vegetable in China. I marinated some thinly sliced pork with ginger and soy sauce, then stir fried it, adding the peas and sliced garlic at the end. To make a sauce, I mixed some corn starch with soy sauce and water and added it to the wok. Served on rice, it was delicious, reminded me of my mom's stir-fry.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNpxbUNpxI/AAAAAAAAAtY/Mvw2_526rV4/s1600-h/IMG_6918.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SdNpxbUNpxI/AAAAAAAAAtY/Mvw2_526rV4/s320/IMG_6918.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319711882721732370" border="0" /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-40981824061530364732009-03-30T19:22:00.004+08:002009-03-30T19:31:35.310+08:00Luxurious Cream<span style="font-family: arial;">I made my version of fettucine alfredo for dinner and totally forgot about being a food blogger! My apologies for this post's lack of inspiring photos. A few day ago we bought a small carton of heavy cream, with the intention of having strawberry shortcake sometime. That dream has yet to materialize, so this evening I cut open the carton to make an alfredo sauce.<br /><br />First I fried some chicken strips. Oddly enough, our grocery store sells boneless, skinless chicken breasts in little strips perfect for chicken fingers and, in tonight's case, chicken alfredo. Back to the frying. In olive oil, fry up the chicken adding salt, pepper, basil, and oregano until it's golden brown and cooked through. Set aside and add more olive oil to the pan and a whole diced onion, cooking until the onion is translucent. Add four cloves of garlic (diced), cook some more; add chopped spinach, and cook until wilted. Then add the chicken back to the pan along with a few tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of cream plus 1/2 cup of water, and a 1/4 cup (or so) of parmesan. Stir together until it resembles a cream sauce. Add your cooked pasta, and you're done! <br /><br />I like how everything is made in one frying pan. Made cooking easy and clean up even easier.<br /><br />I promise to have something more exciting in the coming days.<br /></span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-3784751494717552472009-03-27T20:17:00.008+08:002009-03-27T20:40:53.116+08:00Pork Is Not a Verb<span style="font-family: arial;">China has fabulous pork. When we lived in Duluth, our pork options consisted of over-salted Hormel, which always turned out dry and salty. Here though, pork is rosy and fresh. No pale pink, anemic cuts of meat. This is real pork. And the Chinese should know how to do it right, since pork is in almost every dish.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczE_TjVrhI/AAAAAAAAArY/c7CbXvkl6Ow/s1600-h/P1080488.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczE_TjVrhI/AAAAAAAAArY/c7CbXvkl6Ow/s400/P1080488.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317841851877010962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">I think that pork shoulder is an unappreciated cut of meat because it requires lengthy cooking times. Not one hour, not two, but three to four for a couple pounds of shoulder. I don't know what the Chinese do with it as it's not suitable for wok cooking, unless you slice it <span style="font-style: italic;">uber</span>-thin, but I like to rub it down with a Latin American blend of seasonings and cook it for a good four hours at low heat.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczFISydeAI/AAAAAAAAArg/r8oFsrM5KJI/s1600-h/P1080483.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczFISydeAI/AAAAAAAAArg/r8oFsrM5KJI/s400/P1080483.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317842006290823170" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The spice rub consists of cumin, chili powder, orega</span><span style="font-family: arial;">no, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Rub this into your meat and let it sit for an hour in a ceramic baking dish with a lid. Then, put it in the oven, covered, at 300 degrees and let it cook for three to four hours depending on your oven and how many pounds of meat you have. <br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczE3SOMIcI/AAAAAAAAArQ/lGfrd4movQA/s1600-h/P1080492.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczE3SOMIcI/AAAAAAAAArQ/lGfrd4movQA/s400/P1080492.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317841714080915906" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I have adapted my recipe from NPR's <span style="font-style: italic;">The Splendid Table's </span><a href="http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/main_roastedpork.shtml">Close-Roasted Pork with Ancho, Cinnamon, and Cocoa</a>. This time I forgot the cinnam</span><span style="font-family: arial;">on, but this recipe is very forgiving. You can't over-cook the meat. It's virtually impossible. Stick the shoulders in sometime around 3pm and it's ready by dinner tim</span><span style="font-family: arial;">e with no extra fussing. <br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczEuixn9QI/AAAAAAAAArI/cSHHQ9P1G4Y/s1600-h/P1080558.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczEuixn9QI/AAAAAAAAArI/cSHHQ9P1G4Y/s400/P1080558.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317841563905684738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I whipped up some homemade tortillas and Turner added some goodness (lard, green onion, red pepper, and cilantro) to a basic can of black beans. We checked the pork at about 3 1/2 hours and it was not quite done. The meat should be fork tender and flake into lovely bits if it's ready. So, we had another cocktail and let it cook another half hour.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczElc4UnkI/AAAAAAAAArA/YT84uNLYcdU/s1600-h/P1080564.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczElc4UnkI/AAAAAAAAArA/YT84uNLYcdU/s400/P1080564.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317841407704342082" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">When everything was finally ready, we sat down for some excellent tacos. I ate four, I think, and could have had more.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczEcqGXQXI/AAAAAAAAAq4/UJQL0R8_hmE/s1600-h/P1080572-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczEcqGXQXI/AAAAAAAAAq4/UJQL0R8_hmE/s400/P1080572-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317841256634073458" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Turner picked up some Beard Papa cream puffs on his way home from work. (I know it's a strange name for a cream puff store. Their mascot reminds me of Turner's father.) He brought the chocolate-covered variety this time. A perfect finish to a throughly satisfying meal. I am stuffed.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczETRMBygI/AAAAAAAAAqw/TkbTxsS7TSc/s1600-h/P1080577.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/SczETRMBygI/AAAAAAAAAqw/TkbTxsS7TSc/s400/P1080577.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317841095328123394" border="0" /></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-10762288453014702182009-03-27T09:12:00.003+08:002009-03-27T09:15:16.736+08:00Caffeine For All<span style="font-family:arial;">As I was drinking my coffee this morning, I came across this article from the New York Time about how beneficial caffeine can be for athletes. Sure helps me get my feet in my running shoes and out the door in the morning.<br /><br />Read on and see for yourself: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/health/nutrition/26best.html?hpw">It's Time to Make a Coffee Run</a><br /></span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6866825720189502427.post-74568242872211450452009-03-26T08:50:00.005+08:002009-03-27T18:51:42.906+08:00Wednesday Catch-up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/ScrR4cwEa3I/AAAAAAAAAqI/8FuL_HnwhYM/s1600-h/IMG_6799.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/ScrR4cwEa3I/AAAAAAAAAqI/8FuL_HnwhYM/s200/IMG_6799.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317293077784980338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Wednesdays are one of my catch-up days. Monday and Tuesday are full of classes and lesson prep, and then I get a breather (until Wednesday evening when I teach my second section of grammar). Yesterday, I went for a run, swept the floor (you can't imagine how much dust accumulates--think godzilla-sized dust bunnies), and intended to go grocery shopping. When Turner got back from class, he decided taking a nap was a better option. I didn't make it to the grocery store, but I was able to pick up what I really needed from our school store: sugar, peanut butter, tofu, vegetables. My first culinary chore was to use up an old lemon, some eggs, and yogurt. So a yogurt cake it was!<br /><br />Too bad it flopped...again! It's still tasty but really dense.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/ScrRwwTftSI/AAAAAAAAAqA/MkZKWarktIg/s1600-h/IMG_6815.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/ScrRwwTftSI/AAAAAAAAAqA/MkZKWarktIg/s320/IMG_6815.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317292945594889506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I think this may be a case of needing fairly exact measurements of flour, eggs, and oil. Since I don't have any measuring cups, I usually make an educated guess at what is a cup or a cup and a half. Thirds of a cup start getting tricky.<br /><br />Dinner was to be quick and easy, since I had to leave for my class a little after 6pm. I marinated some tofu (or <span style="font-style: italic;">doufu</span> in Chinese) in soy sauce, fresh ginger, and sliced chilis for a couple of hours. When you want to buy tofu in China, you don't look for individually wrapped packages. At larger stores it is sold near the deli or prepared food counter. At our school store, the vegetable lady also deals in tofu. She has one large block--think 3 feet by 3 feet--and will cut off however much you want. I asked for about 50 cents worth and got a piece the size that comes packaged in the US.<br /><br />For a vegetable, I bought some <span style="font-style: italic;">youcai</span> (oil plant), which looks and tastes like baby bok choy but is actually a rapeseed plant.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/ScrRpHP3h0I/AAAAAAAAAp4/BLJVNybDrnc/s1600-h/dinner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/ScrRpHP3h0I/AAAAAAAAAp4/BLJVNybDrnc/s400/dinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317292814314735426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I sliced the tofu into cubes and then fried it in some oil for about twenty minutes until each side was golden brown. The greens went in the wok for a couple minutes. And I made <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peanut-Sesame-Noodles-106572">Peanut Sesame Noodles</a> to go with everything.<br /><br />I wonder if the Chinese would enjoy a meal like this...<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/ScrRfs5-QpI/AAAAAAAAApw/jbYkPzM78aY/s1600-h/IMG_6846.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PGCVnUt2YFM/ScrRfs5-QpI/AAAAAAAAApw/jbYkPzM78aY/s400/IMG_6846.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317292652624757394" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I found it very satisfying, though Turner complained about how many dishes and pots I used to make such a simple dinner. </span>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08428658865927348292noreply@blogger.com1