I'm pretty excited about spending this summer with grandmum. I remember when I was in second grade, still a single child, she moved into what eventually became my brother's room. That was the year that I discovered I actually *liked* homemade Chinese food. I was introduced to a whole new world of handmade "pulled" noodles (you cut the dough into strips and pull them right before dropping it into boiling water), handmade dumplings, slivers of veggies stir fried with meat, and stuffed spicy peppers. Every now and then, she'd humor me, hand me a lump of dough to play with, and I would earnestly try to roll it out. No matter how hard I tried, they never turned into those perfect little circles ready for wrapping dumplings. For those of you in the neuropsych world, I'll just say that if there were a VMI equivalent, based on my round dough-rolling capabilities, I'd be in OT. Even worse, in trying to wrap those dumplings, mine would inevitably break apart in water and just never be pretty at all. !Que sadness! S= 4, 2nd percentile.
Times have obviously changed much in the last twenty-plus years. I gained an amazing brother. My grandparents became not just visitors, but an enormous part of my childhood growing up--walking me to school, cooking dinner, spending time when I came home afterschool, and becoming my extra parents. I tried on multiple occasions to get my grandma to teach me to cook but as far as I can tell, measuring cups and spoons just didn't exist in pre-war China. You cooked with what you had, and that made the idea of recipes impossible. "Just add some of this" or "I did nothing" and somehow we were five steps ahead with a miracle meal on the table. (Or maybe I was just a terrible student). My grandparents eventually moved to a place of their own nearby. I moved away for grad school and without easy access to decent reasonably priced Chinese food, I started learning to cook it myself. (Although I still have not managed to make perfect circles despite trying to cheat and buy an American rolling pin instead). And my grandparents have aged.
When it became clear it was impossible to keep in touch with my grandparents via phone or email, I tried moving back to Boston to be closer to my grandparents while I still could see them. But between multiple work demands and other family circumstances, I never quite had the same time I expected to have to hang out. I'd leave work and I knew it would be too late to bring dinner. I'd cook dinner on a Saturday to bring over but then it'd start pouring. I'd wait out the rain before contending with walking to the bus station to wait for the bus, and then it'd end up being too late. I knew I was pushing it with timing, and hemmed and hawed and agonized over my next job placement--one was pushing a hundred and the other pushing ninety. Was I making the right choice by moving, yet again? And then I thought I'd at least be noncommital in July so I'd have more time to spend with my grandparents, family and friends--the life I thought I'd have when I moved back to Boston...
And then my grandfather died after a sudden accident and life turned upside down while I was in the midst of other life changes. Eeks. In all honesty, as much as I miss him and am sad to see him go, he was healthy and never had to suffer in ways I've seen other relatives or patients' families have suffered from illness. It was the most humane end of life I could ever hope for anyone. That said, I am still kicking myself for those times I chose to turn left instead go right. The times I could have just dealt with the rain and brought over food. The times I could have gone over instead of sleep in. It's too late now for regrets. I thought I'd have July with both grandparents and I don't. But I'm incredibly grateful and lucky to have at least July with my grandmum--time to sit, time to listen, time to cook, time to eat. It's the first true summer vacation / time-off I've had in ten years and it's nice to keep her company and have hers. She's losing her ability to form new memories but she's still lucid enough to generally know who I am and tell old stories or sing songs of the past. Who else gets to live within a live mental documentary? I might be one of the luckiest folks on earth.
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Day 2, July 3
We went to Flour in the morning http://flourbakery.com/. It was delicious, as usual. For future reference however, 2 slices of french toast is really = 4 slices of french toast as far as I'm concerned. My grandmum had the breakfast sandwich, which is huge. Yet she was able to devour it. I'm starting to wonder if I eat too little.
Dinner--Thanks goodness for $4.50 maki rolls on Sundays at Gari http://www.garifusion.com/
I'm a huge fan of the tempura softshell crab maki roll and their tuna and salmon rolls. Makes for a super easy and reasonably priced dinner after an afternoon of family and lil kids.
Random lesson learned: back in the day, book paper was so thin and fragile, that it was easy to tear through the pages while flipping. You used special paste to put it together.
Dinner--Thanks goodness for $4.50 maki rolls on Sundays at Gari http://www.garifusion.com/
I'm a huge fan of the tempura softshell crab maki roll and their tuna and salmon rolls. Makes for a super easy and reasonably priced dinner after an afternoon of family and lil kids.
Random lesson learned: back in the day, book paper was so thin and fragile, that it was easy to tear through the pages while flipping. You used special paste to put it together.
Saturday, July 02, 2011
More summer veggies
Started living with my grandmother
Day 1. July 2
Swiss chard with toasted walnuts and sesame oil
Stir fried green beans, Asian style
Day 1. July 2
Swiss chard with toasted walnuts and sesame oil
Stir fried green beans, Asian style |
| Baby bok choy / shanghai bok choy / little Chinese cabbage...pick your translation |
Veggie sausages
Tomato and egg scramble (traditional Chinese dish--yes, for dinner, not breakfast)
TA-DA!
TA-DA!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Mac and cheese
Background: I seem to gravitate towards ordering mac and cheese whenever it's on a menu. Yes, I can make it by myself when I'm a single woman, it just turns into lots and lots and lots of mac and cheese...and cheese is pricey... And honestly, I'd just rather not know how much cream or butter is in it.
But not all mac and cheese is created equal... Last night, I added to the experiment since I was desperately craving company and comfort food. Liz and I used it as a time to *finally* make it to Regal Beagle for dinner--we've tried scheduling for perhaps since the beginning of the year, if not earlier...but two busy people = difficult plan-aking....I've been curious about their dinners forever. The app of blue cheese potatoes was stellar, as was the nightly special of tuna with blood orange and beet sauce... The truffle mac and cheese with crumb topping was decent and I'd order it again...perhaps at the same level at Publik House--but it needed a tad more salt to bring out the flavors. So thus far the rankings are:
1. Lord Hobo. http://lordhobo.com/
2. Harvard Gardens http://www.harvardgardens.com/
3&4. Publick House and Regal Beagle http://eatgoodfooddrinkbetterbeer.com/publickhouse/
http://www.thebeaglebrookline.com/
That said, hands down, the German Chocolate Cake at Regal Beagle is by far the yummiest cupcake-ish dessert I have had in ages and ages.
But not all mac and cheese is created equal... Last night, I added to the experiment since I was desperately craving company and comfort food. Liz and I used it as a time to *finally* make it to Regal Beagle for dinner--we've tried scheduling for perhaps since the beginning of the year, if not earlier...but two busy people = difficult plan-aking....I've been curious about their dinners forever. The app of blue cheese potatoes was stellar, as was the nightly special of tuna with blood orange and beet sauce... The truffle mac and cheese with crumb topping was decent and I'd order it again...perhaps at the same level at Publik House--but it needed a tad more salt to bring out the flavors. So thus far the rankings are:
1. Lord Hobo. http://lordhobo.com/
2. Harvard Gardens http://www.harvardgardens.com/
3&4. Publick House and Regal Beagle http://eatgoodfooddrinkbetterbeer.com/publickhouse/
http://www.thebeaglebrookline.com/
That said, hands down, the German Chocolate Cake at Regal Beagle is by far the yummiest cupcake-ish dessert I have had in ages and ages.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Organic box...in summer...
So far, it's been a great food box week! Now that it's summer, I'm so glad I switched from the $24 small box to the $29 dogma box (locally sourced vegetables)...on the every other week schedule... http://www.bostonorganics.com/fresh/thisweekbox.php
Here's what came:
bok choy
asparagus
mushrooms
lettuce
1 huge delicious tomato
2 onions
collard greens
beets
lettuce
The meals! The meals! Some shining moments so far:
Prep items:
1. Bok choy...stems cut off, blanched the rest... (washed stems were great for veggie stock)
2. Stir fried collard green leaves (stalks great for veggie stock)
3. Roasted asparagus--olive oil, salt, pepper
4. caramelized onions
5. veggie stalk (bok choy stems, collard green stems, asparagus stems, onion skins)
6. steamed rice
The mix and matched results:
1. Snacking beets!!! I finally conquered my poor track record of roasting beets successfully! They've always come out too dry, and nothing like what one gets at restaurants. This time around, I ladeled in two spoonfuls of veggie broth into the foil...it totally did the trick.
2. Roasted asparagus, pan fried walnuts, golden raisins, and shaved parmesan salad.
3. Coriander mushroom curry.... one sauteed onion, several spoonfuls of coriander chutney (from the Indian grocery store), half of above said tomato--chopped, sour cream or plain yogurt, and garam masala
4. Wilted bok choy salad with coriander mushroom curry dressing (above, but chilled)
5. Carrot miso dressing (the ocean waves: Carrot ginger miso dressing). Unlike previous dressings, I only used a teaspoon or two of olive oil this week... threw into the food processor a ton of baby carrots...and then used veggie stock as my main liquid... processed with miso paste and sesame oil... had with lettuce in rice wrappers for summer rolls
6. Carrot miso topping with rice and bok choy
7. Curry with rice
8. Asparagus and peas in mint ricotta custard
9. Roasted asparagus, tomato, mushroom, onion, and mozz scramble
...was reminded by the savory ricotta that I'm overdue for making one of my favorite pasta dishes--Zucchini with ricotta sauce over pasta...inspired by Fratelli la Bufalla http://www.fratellilabufala.eu/ in Miami Beach...the one restaurant where my friend's Italian husband and his family is willing to go for real Naples Style Italian food... where I was first introduce to the taste of fresh ricotta as it should be...and vowed never to cook with the nonfat stuff again...
...am also wondering how a spring pea soup would taste with mint added in...
Here's what came:
bok choy
asparagus
mushrooms
lettuce
1 huge delicious tomato
2 onions
collard greens
beets
lettuce
The meals! The meals! Some shining moments so far:
Prep items:
1. Bok choy...stems cut off, blanched the rest... (washed stems were great for veggie stock)
2. Stir fried collard green leaves (stalks great for veggie stock)
3. Roasted asparagus--olive oil, salt, pepper
4. caramelized onions
5. veggie stalk (bok choy stems, collard green stems, asparagus stems, onion skins)
6. steamed rice
The mix and matched results:
1. Snacking beets!!! I finally conquered my poor track record of roasting beets successfully! They've always come out too dry, and nothing like what one gets at restaurants. This time around, I ladeled in two spoonfuls of veggie broth into the foil...it totally did the trick.
2. Roasted asparagus, pan fried walnuts, golden raisins, and shaved parmesan salad.
3. Coriander mushroom curry.... one sauteed onion, several spoonfuls of coriander chutney (from the Indian grocery store), half of above said tomato--chopped, sour cream or plain yogurt, and garam masala
4. Wilted bok choy salad with coriander mushroom curry dressing (above, but chilled)
5. Carrot miso dressing (the ocean waves: Carrot ginger miso dressing). Unlike previous dressings, I only used a teaspoon or two of olive oil this week... threw into the food processor a ton of baby carrots...and then used veggie stock as my main liquid... processed with miso paste and sesame oil... had with lettuce in rice wrappers for summer rolls
6. Carrot miso topping with rice and bok choy
7. Curry with rice
8. Asparagus and peas in mint ricotta custard
9. Roasted asparagus, tomato, mushroom, onion, and mozz scramble
...was reminded by the savory ricotta that I'm overdue for making one of my favorite pasta dishes--Zucchini with ricotta sauce over pasta...inspired by Fratelli la Bufalla http://www.fratellilabufala.eu/ in Miami Beach...the one restaurant where my friend's Italian husband and his family is willing to go for real Naples Style Italian food... where I was first introduce to the taste of fresh ricotta as it should be...and vowed never to cook with the nonfat stuff again...
...am also wondering how a spring pea soup would taste with mint added in...
Roasted asparagus and peas in mint ricotta custard
Background. I love spring vegetables! I'm heading to a work dinner tomorrow eve and volunteered to bring a vegetable side or dessert. The veggie dish was preferred and so here's to a savory baking adventure. Of course, I realized AFTER returning from the store that my freezer no longer has my endless backup supply of frozen herbs...which I suppose means it's not actually endless... While taking out my roasted asparagus from the refrigerator, I came across the fresh spearmint that I forgot had come in my organic box... perfect! We'll see how it all turns out in lieu of basil, thyme, or sage...
Methods
Veggies:
3 cups whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup sour cream
6 eggs
1/2 cup mozzarella
salt
freshly ground pepper
approximately four tablespoons of mint leaves, chopped
orange zest
Mix ricotta, eggs, sour cream... I am sure it would be fluffier if I had access to a whisk...but seeing as I had just baked banana bread yesterday and the whisks were still in that dishwasher land of never ever, I went with the ever trustworthy cooking utensil... chopsticks.
Add in roasted asparagus stalks, peas, caramelized onion, and mozzarella.
Grease 13x9 baking dish with olive oil. Pour mixture in. Bake at 350 for approx an hour...but switch positions in the oven around the 30 minute point...start checking for doneness around 40 minutes.
....I started getting bored (a.k.a. could not face writing another report) and started playing with dough... I roll out thawed pie curst (I tend to fold the storebought one into quarters, and then roll...start from center and roll out)...cut them into strips...I didn't have the patience after work on a Monday night to do real lattice but good enough...
Plus...if it really gets ugly, one can always lather on extra roasted asparagus after...slather on some extra mozz and parm... and stick it back in the oven for a few...
I had extra batter so I poured it into another pie crust shell and baked it so I would also have lunch... (and could taste test along the way)...
I tried to reheat it before the dinner in the oven...and then at the very end, shaved extra pepper cursted parmesan on top, and stuck it under the broiler.
Voila!
Future Directions: Alright...so I think it would have been good had one eaten it right away...the first time... it has promise for a dinner party. But it's not something I would make the night before and then reheat. The peas that were once since beautiful green, turned into the less pleasant kind of pea color. I also think it could lose the dough. I would also try baking it in a water bath (and use a whisk) the next time around for a lighter texture...
Methods
Veggies:
roasted asparagus (since they came in my organic veggie box, I already had these ready to go)
few cups of peas depending on desired density (I also heated these in a pan first)
1 large onion, sliced and caramelized (probably optional)
Custard:
3 cups whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup sour cream
6 eggs
1/2 cup mozzarella
salt
freshly ground pepper
approximately four tablespoons of mint leaves, chopped
orange zest
Mix ricotta, eggs, sour cream... I am sure it would be fluffier if I had access to a whisk...but seeing as I had just baked banana bread yesterday and the whisks were still in that dishwasher land of never ever, I went with the ever trustworthy cooking utensil... chopsticks.
Add in roasted asparagus stalks, peas, caramelized onion, and mozzarella.
Grease 13x9 baking dish with olive oil. Pour mixture in. Bake at 350 for approx an hour...but switch positions in the oven around the 30 minute point...start checking for doneness around 40 minutes.
....I started getting bored (a.k.a. could not face writing another report) and started playing with dough... I roll out thawed pie curst (I tend to fold the storebought one into quarters, and then roll...start from center and roll out)...cut them into strips...I didn't have the patience after work on a Monday night to do real lattice but good enough...
I had extra batter so I poured it into another pie crust shell and baked it so I would also have lunch... (and could taste test along the way)...
I tried to reheat it before the dinner in the oven...and then at the very end, shaved extra pepper cursted parmesan on top, and stuck it under the broiler.
Voila!
Future Directions: Alright...so I think it would have been good had one eaten it right away...the first time... it has promise for a dinner party. But it's not something I would make the night before and then reheat. The peas that were once since beautiful green, turned into the less pleasant kind of pea color. I also think it could lose the dough. I would also try baking it in a water bath (and use a whisk) the next time around for a lighter texture...
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Bake sale to raise funds for the AIDS Walk / AIDS Action Committee!!
If you want to donate... it's never too late! So... I might have had a bit too much fun with making my 5 inch chocolate chip and double chocolate chip cookies... the ocean waves: The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie and Double Chocolate Chip Cookie
I also finally bought a pastry bag and tried frosting flowers for the first time! ...gotta work on it but I'm pretty excited!
I also finally bought a pastry bag and tried frosting flowers for the first time! ...gotta work on it but I'm pretty excited!
go to my website to donate! aac.org/goto/ohsin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)