Teatopia

Giving and Receiving

At school, we have a "Secret Santa" thing going all year. It's really nice because I can expect a surprise for most holidays or special occasions. Tonight I picked up some goodies for my secret pal: a gardening magazine, a gerber daisy plant, some gummy worms, gummy life-savers, and some kitty note-paper. I know it's a bit hard to see the goodies, because I have two very curious pups!

And then . . . I also received something today! After seeing Rachel's earrings in her wedding picture, I decided to check out the site where she ordered them. I loved these cupcake earrings and these sushi ones, so James ordered them for me for Easter. Cute, huh?

We're Getting Carpet!

Ok, so this is hardly thrilling news, but what can I say-- I'm easily pleased! :-) But seriously, I'm glad we are. We actually decided to replace the carpeting in over half the house. It's hard to match the carpet to replace only half, so we're just gonna do all the parts that connect. I'm relieved that it's arranged. And just to further prove how anal-retentive I can be, I moved the basket of dog toys from it's usual spot to on top of the stain so I won't have to see it.

Tonight James is working late, and I'm kinda bored. I like having time on my own, but tonight I just can't seem to find something to do. I watched a movie alone last night, and I read to every class aloud today for an hour each and my eyes are tired. I need a craft or a project. What do you like to do on the rare occasion that you have time to your self?

Thoughts on Travel

A few years ago I spent a summer semester at Cambridge University and then traveled around Europe for a few weeks. It was one of the most amazing summers of my life, and I recorded my thoughts and experiences in a little red leather travel journal. I put ticket stubs from shows, restaurant receipts, and anything else I could fit on it's pages, and then I lost it when we moved here. I have been looking for it ever since. Hopefully, someday I'll find it, although I think I've been through everything tons of times over the last few years.

Anyway, this summer, I'll have the chance to create yet another memoir of my experiences. I didn't keep one last summer when we went to Korea because we stayed so busy, but this trip includes time on the bus, and not-so-late-nights (I was on a tour for young people in Europe), so there will be plenty of time for reflection.

I found this cute pink travel journal online. Pink has been my color of choice lately, so I am thinking of ordering this one. I think as an avid blogger, I will need something to fan the flames while I'm away from my laptop, so this little pink book will have to suffice. :-)

Grumbles

I hope ya'll love me enough to read my complaints. I know I'm being stupid, but when my orderly life is not in order, it makes me upset. I am a person who needs control, and right now I don't have it. :-(

Ok, first of all, my love of tea is costing me $500. Well, it's not just the tea that caused the problem, but if I hadn't been drinking Oolong tea in the living room, I wouldn't have spilled it on the carpet, and James and I wouldn't have tried 2 different stain removers that caused a chemical reations, thus dying a sizable part of my carpet orange. So tonight, we wasted money having our carpets cleaned when the carpet is in fact dyed and no longer just stained. And now I have wet carpets and the furniture is all moved and me, being anal-retentive, cannot stand it. I am certain I have mild Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, because I have already begun counting down the hours til everthing can be moved back (21 hours left). And the samples I brought home tonight do not match, so we have to cut some of the carpet to take to the store and the bare spot will annoy me. So now we are replacing a large portion (12ft x 20ft) and I want it done before my spring break next week so I can enjoy it and not obsess about carpeting. Oh, and while the carpet cleaners were here, I remembered that my special on South African politics was on and I missed it. I taped it, but I am enjoying complaining, so it's still annoying.

Oh, and I didn't get to read any blogs today at work because they are now monitoring what we do because some people are "abusing" the privledge of having internet. I don't check it when I should be teaching, but if I have a few mins, I do occasionally look at a blog. I guess since big brother is watching me now, I'll have to check them only in the evenings. Bummer! Sometimes they get me through rough days. I love reading blogs!

And tomorrow, I have a doctor's appointment in the morning to have more blood work because when I had it done a few weeks ago from being so sick, it wasn't normal. I had high glucose levels and I'm scared. Diabetes runs in the family.

I really am not as unpleasant as I sound, but a girl is entitled to bitch once in a while, no?

Easter Dinner Recipes

As requested, here is the recipe for cheesy squash casserole! (The green tea ice cream recipe also follows)

First, I cut up one large, white onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and 3 1/2 lbs. of squash. I sauteed the onion and garlic first in a tbsp of vegetable oil. Then, after it started to turn translucent, I added the squash. I know it looks like a lot of squash for one pan, but in a few minutes, it'll cook down. Cook all of this for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally. When the squash is starting to release some of its juices, cover the pan and let it go another 15 or so. When the squash is mushy, drain it all.

This next part you can do one of two ways. Before I had my handy dandy KitchenAid mixer, I used to use a hand held, so these next steps work for either one. After draining, transfer to a big bowl. Add 4 eggs, 1 cup of milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Beat/Mix until fluffy. Then fold in 1 cup of crushed Ritz crackers and 2 cups of cheddar cheese.

Next, pour it into a greased casserole dish., Bake at 350 for about 35 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Then cover the top with more crushed Ritz crackers and cheese and put back into the over for about 5 mins to brown the top and Voila!

For dessert, I brought some green tea (matcha) ice cream. It's an easy recipe. The only problem you might have is actually finding matcha. I bought mine in the Tokyo airport last summer, but I know Harney & Sons sells good quality mathca from Japan. You can order it here. This picture of the ice cream is courtesy of Mariko, as it was gone before I could take a picture of my own! My family loves it! I used the same recipe, so it should should look just like this.

Green Tea (Matcha) Ice Cream:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2-3 tsp of matcha (powdered green tea)
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of half & half

Directions:
Combine the water and sugar in a small pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. After the sugar dissolves, let the syrup simmer on low for about 5 mins while continuing to stir. Remove from heat. Add a tablespoonful of the syrup to the powdered green tea in a separate bowl and stir. Don't worry if you have a few lumps, you'll strain it later. Dump that back into the sugar syrup and mix. Add the cream and the half & half and mix. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into another container. Allow to cool in the fridge, then dump it into your ice cream maker and follow the directions for whatever type or brand you use. Makes about 1 to 1 1/2 quarts.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

The weather here is yucky. The spring rains have come, so I decided to make something at home tonight. This classic dish of spaghetti and meatballs was yummy and very comforting.

For the meatballs, I combined ground chuck, finely chopped onion and garlic, some Italian spices, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and one egg. Then, I cooked them lightly in oil and set the aside.

For the sauce, I sauteed onion, green pepper, and garlic. Then I added a can of chopped tomato, and a large can of plain, canned tomato sauce. You can addS any spices you want-- I added fresh basil and parsley. I let it simmer for 20 mintues and then added the meatballs and let it go another 10. Of course, it wasn't complete without some garlic bread!

Stay tuned tomorrow for fresh squeezed Key Lime-ade, cheesy squash casserole, and green tea (matcha) ice cream-- my contributions for Easter Dinner.

Finally!

We finally got our trip stuff in the mail today. It was so exciting to recieve all the details. It felt so real to see paperwork with our names. I have been obsessively checking the mailbox for weeks! This is truly the dream of a lifetime for me, so it's worth the money we are scrounging to come up with! :-) Right now we are trying to plan our flight to JFK. Let me just say that blackout dates really suck. We have some 60,000 miles traveled with Northwest (James used to travel to Asia all the time), but none of the flights to JFK work for us.

Sadly, last year this tour originated in Atlanta-- perfect! Then they posted the new dates and changed it to NYC. This is going to be a long flight. A few months ago, while reading my South African travel book in bed, I commented to James, "Listen to this . . . the longest flight in the entire world is from JFK to Johannesburg. I am so glad it's out of Atlanta. It works out perfectly for us." Well, what flight do you think we're taking? Yep, our departure city is now JFK and we will be on the world record longest flight ever. Good thing I got that snazzy portable DVD player for my b-day!

And Something Happy . . .

And because my last entry was so negative, here is something that makes me happy. In 107 days (well, maybe a few more counting travel), I will be here. :-)

Uncertainty

The thing about a blog is that it's a space to share thoughts and feelings-- to vent, but sometimes it's hard to decide what to put out there and what to keep to myself. I've gotten so comfortable with having my own space to write, and whereas I used to keep a diary, I find comfort in knowing that someone out there is reacting and repsponding to what I've written. So my issue is, I am trying to decide is I want to even try to blog about controversial issues . . . Because this is my own space, I'm gonna take a risk here and blog about something that bothers me professionally and personally: prejudice (not from me though)

Growing up in Washington, D.C., I was raised surrounded by a myriad of cultures. I love that about my former home, but here in the south it is so completely different. Everyone knows I love other cultures and there isn't a prejudice bone in my body, but at work, it is constantly an issue. I teach mostly really rough black kids and they seem to make everything about race, as do their parents. Why do people have to play that card? A parent today implied that maybe I was prejudiced because I punished her son. Yep, uh huh, she's right. I just decided to send him to the office for kicks and on the office referral under reason, I wrote "because he's black." Yep, she guessed. WHAT THE &*^%$? What is wrong with people? If you change a kid's seat because they are talking, you must've done it because they're black. It couldn't be that they were talking too much. Nooooooo . . . I AM NOT PREJUDICED! My best friend in Maryland is black. She is wonderful, classy, amazing. Prejudiced people are prejudiced against anyone in that race. I admit, most of my black kids are rough, but I have many white kids who are too. I punish them too. Why are some black people so paranoid that we are discriminating against them?

At work, every, and I repeat, every black teacher in the school (about 10) went to the principal to complain that there wasn't a single black teacher in the faculty talent show. Well, that's because none signed up. And they were upset that none of the judges for the student talent show were black. Um, the sign up sheet was on the door folks. If you weren't so busy looking for people to acccuse of being prejudiced, maybe you would've seen the sign-up sheets by our mail boxes for the last week and a half. IT WAS VOLUNTARY! NO ONE IS DISCRIMINATING! (Can you tell I'm peeved about this?)

The bottom line is, I think half the problems with people being prejudiced down here has nothing to do with whites disliking blacks because from what I've seen, it's white people getting tired of being accused when everything is cool. Please don't try to put thoughts in my head and words in my mouth because then I really am going to be mad. I have nothing against anyone here and if I could go back to the wonderful world of diversity in D.C. where people of all colors live in harmony, I would. Believe me.

Good Reads

Recently, I subscribed to a few food magazines: Bon Appetit (I re-newed this one), Saveur, and Tea Time. I also have been reading Gourmet Magazine because Anthony Bourdain now writes for it. He was the chef who did the series "A Cook's Tour" on the Food Network. He also is an amazing author, writing with both sarcasm and a kind of hidden compassion if that makes any sense. Anyway, I have also been enjoying some travel magazines too, like Travel and Leisure.

I was wondering, what magazines do you read/subscribe to? And please don't hesitate to respond if you are one of my dear South African readers. I love purchasing magazines abroad and I'll look for it when I'm there-- same goes to any reader from another country. I love foreign magazines. :-)

Coconut Dream Cake

On Sunday night, I made a coconut dream cake to take my grandma's. The condensed milk and coconut cream make this cake really moist. This is my mother-in-law's recipe and it is one of the best cakes I have ever had. It's always a hit!

Click below for the recipe:

A box of Duncan Hine's cake mix (I use either yellow cake, or coconut cake) 1 can Coco Lopez cream of coconut 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 lg tub Cool Whip Sweetened flaked coconut Directions: 1) Bake cake and follow directions on the box 2) As soon as it is done, poke holes throughout the cake using the handle of a fairly thin spoon. 3) Pour Coco Lopez and Sweetened Condensed milk in the holes 4) Let it cool (do not put it in the fridge) 5) Ice with Cool Whip 6) Sprinkle flaked coconut 7) Refridgerate for a couple hours before enjoying. :-)

Maternal Instincts

When I first got married, I really wanted to have a baby. In fact, after being married a few months, I had a bit of a scare, and then after I thought about it, it wasn't scary at all. And then when I found out it was a false alarm, I actually was sad. Until about 10 months ago, it would have been foolish to have a baby with me still in college. Initially though, we had actually considered getting pregnant last summer, and then this summer, and now we're talking about waiting yet another year and I'm not sure how I feel.

I just read that my friend Lisanne is in labor, and something in me kicked in-- it was the maternal instinct. I go back and forth between longing for a baby and wanting to be free and travel. And the fact that we keep putting it off-- is that bad? Like it's something unwanted and dreaded? How could I have wanted one so badly before and now feel unsure? A small part of me wants a child, but a bigger part of me wants to travel. Is 24 too young, and if so, what is a good age? James is almost 26 . . . and me, I'm just confused. James's dad (who lives is Korea) invited us to go to the Phillpines next summer. How cool! If I am pregnant, or have a baby, we can't go. But then there are my dreams of conceiving in Africa this summer. How cool would that be? *sigh* I'm so confused. And it's not like I can pray for God's will because as long as I choose to stay on the pill, it ain't gonna happen.

Sunday Night Ramblings

Well, actually, it's Monday already. I don't usually post this late on school nights, but we did something unusual tonight-- we went to a late night showing of "The Ring 2." The first one really freaked me out, so I was actually nervous about seeing this one (I swear I am still scared of the dark), but this one wasn't quite as scary. I enjoyed and it was fun staying out late, although I'm pretty sure it won't feel "fun" when the alarm goes off in six and a half hours or so. I need my 8 hours.

Before I turn out the lights, I want to send good thoughts and wishes to Lisanne, who is right now attempting to sleep through contractions and nerves. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

And one more thing . . . I had an especially good day today. I stopped by a coffee shop I love for a blended caramel thingy and then I enjoyed perusing down the aisles of the grocery store. I'm a leisurely shopper. Now there are times when I want to get in and get out, but when I don't have a lot to do, I like to take my time. Half the time I plan the menu for the week at the store. I have a couple Thai things I want to make this week. Should be yummy. Ok, nighty-night!

Chantico

My friend Entsar recommended that I try the new hot chocolate from Starbucks, called Chantico. At first I was skeptical because it is so rich, so tonight, as desert after a wonderful dinner in Peachtree City, we headed over to Starbucks. It comes in a small cup as you can see. It's almost like melted chocolate. It's rather thick for a hot chocolate, but not too thick. It's also dark chocolate-- my favorite. Has anyone else tried this?

Just Veggin'

Tonight we are at home relaxing with Papa John's pizza and 2 movies: Shark Tales and Second Hand Lions. I'm in my PJ's, I've got my spa socks on (see sidebar for link), and after a hot, relaxing bath, I am squeaky clean and very moisturized. Just wanted to tell you about this awesome hand salve I have fallen in love with. Davies Gate Garden Made hand salve smells awesome and it nice and creamy. It's been cold this week and my hands are dry from the obsessive handwashing I've done since I was so sick-- don't need to catch anything else thank you very much. Anyway, I love bath and body products and this salve is a must-have. It's part of my nightly ritual before going to bed. :-) And with extracts of grape, kiwi fruit, apple and strawberry, who wouldn't love the smell?

An Hour and a Half 'Til Friday!

This has been one heck of a week. I had my gifted class on Tuesday, an open house to recruit students for the IB program next year, and the biggest thing of all, my grandma's surgery. Her incision has been bleeding a lot and she had to have a blood transfusion today, but the hospital wasn't really concerned. She's on a blood thinner, so it's not clotting well.

I am *so* glad tomorrow is Friday. James has been even busier than me, and we've had no time together. He had a big exam tonight, so some of the stress is off. Tomorrow night we're going to visit my grandma, and then we're staying in the rest of the night with pizza and 2 movies from Netflix. Our dogs will be very happy. :-)

And on Saturday, we are journeying to Peachtree City, about an hour and a half away, to go to an excellent Thai restaurant, TeaFusions, and Williams-Sonoma. We are also finishing our taxes so we know how much of this trip we can pay off!

Happy almost Friday everyone!

That's What I Want to Be!

James's English friend Peter was talking today about the decline of the "tea lady." This is a job I had never even heard of until today. Apparently, most large corporations in Britain employ tea ladies-- lucky women whose sole mission is to provide the employees with tea. A charming article from the BBC website says that the tea lady "is adored by members of staff - she knows each of them and makes each member of staff feel they are being treated as an individual." Make tea and talk to people-- I could do that! :-)

When I went to school in England, there were people who were in charge of tea carts on trains, but this is much better! They probably know how everyone takes their tea, so it's more personal.

And tonight, I am making a tea sampler for James's friend Bill who has been kind enough to bring in different types of tea for my husband to try at work. Now how come he has more tea-loving friends than I do here???

Dogster

My sister just sent me this link to a website dedicated to dogs. You can post your dog's pic and all his/her facts.

Here's the profile for my family's miniature dachshund, Cooey.

I will add my dogs later. Click here to visit the page.

So It's Not Thanksgiving, But . . .

I need to be more thankful. I realized tonight that I've been doing a lot of bitching-- not necessarily on my blog, but to my friends and family and just generally thinking some negative thoughts in my own head. I don't like my job. My husband works too much. We need more money. You get the picture. Instead, I want to acknowledge to God that I've woken up and realized what a lucky girl I am.

I am thankful for:
my intelligent, amazing husband
my family
my 2 dogs who I love to death
the opportunity to travel to the country of my dreams (116 days baby!)
my KitchAid mixer and my yellow rice cooker named Ajuma
the teaswap and all the wonderful teas I get to try
long, hot baths and good books
knowledge

and tonight I am most thankful for . . .
my grandma, who was dancing tonight to American Idol in her bed an hour and a half after major surgery. I love you Grandma.

Random Thoughts on a Monday Evening

As I said last Monday, I always feel a sense of accomplishment once my Monday is over. This week will be especially hectic for a number of reasons: 1) I have my last class for gifted certification tomorrow night, at least until the next class starts in 2 weeks (I am getting certified to teach gifted classes) 2) My dear grandmother is having a 2nd knee replacement tomorrow and I'll be lucky if I see her before 8:00 pm, and 3) I have to attend and help with a big presentation Thursday night at school to recruit students for the gifted program next year. It'll be a late night.

And the reason for the title of this post-- I told James that 2 of the things I am most excited about doing in South Africa are watching TV and going to a grocery store. My husband thinks I'm nuts. He just looked at me, so I felt the need to explain. I am interested in the simple, everyday stuff-- how people really live. Being a food lover, I am interested to see what people buy and eat there. I'd rather visit a grocery store than a museum! James's dad lives right next to a grocery store in Korea and when we were there last summer, I went in it all the time just to look around. It was interesting, but kinda stinky. As for the TV, I love foreign commercials, and I adore the South African accent. I want to see what they watch there. Is that weird?

And just look at our trip counter baby! Woo hoo! It's been 20 days since I started the counter. :-)

Going Out With a Bang

Well, my weekend literally went out with a bang. My dad took me for target practice out on his land in the country. I've never shot a gun before . . . never had a reason to, but my dad, who is an excellent shot by the way, thought is would be fun to go out there and give it a try. It actually was fun trying to hit targets and I did pretty well. It felt good to release some stress. Work has been kinda crazy lately and I saw first-hand just what it can do to you. Last week, a friend of mine, who is tougher than nails, just lost it over parents and the other crap teachers have to deal with. I admire her because she is such a great teacher and handles things so well and it just goes to show you that teaching can really get to anyone, even the best teachers. My dad jokingly said that I should put the bullseye target I shot at on my bulletin board as a warning.

To prepare myself for yet another Monday full of meetings, I also relaxed in the tub with an Enya CD and some mint body wash. Now, I;m enjoying a cup of Lavender Lemongrass tea from Shokufeh from our most recent tea swap.

I think I'll crawl into bed in a bit and continue reading "The Teahouse on Mulberry Street," which is really a dramatic book. It's not all tea and scones, but also talks a great deal about the dynamics in a marriage. As I read, I'll think of my marriage and my poor, poor husband who is still working away in his office. After Thursday, when deadlines are met,things should be better and I'll once again feel the joy of snuggling in bed with my man before I go to sleep. :-)

Semi-Homemade Thai

I really wanted to make something special for James tonight since he is working so hard, but I was kind of tired myself, so I opted for a little help from "Taste of Thai." The kit comes with dried noodles and a packet of sauce, but I did the rest. I first boiled the nooodles and set them aside, leaving them somewhat firm since I was going to cook them more later. Then, I stir-fried some chicken, tofu, bean sprouts and egg. When they were done, I added the noodles to the wok. Then, I added the sauce and stir-fried everything together for about 15 minutes. I topped it all with fresh torn cilantro, crushed peanuts, and lime wedges. Basically, I got my help from the sauce, but I chose to add a little sugar to make it sweeter.

I completed the meal with some frozen shumai and some homemade Thai iced tea. Yummy! James was very pleased and is now back to work on a project for his master's degree, but I'm going to interrupt him shortly for some peanut butter M&M brownies I made earlier.

Check out the teaswap blog, as I posted about a tearoom I went to today and there are some yummy pictures. :-)

Tummies for Hire

If you haven't seen "Maria Full of Grace," you should because it deals with something that happens everyday-- women (and sometimes men) swallowing enormously large drug packets and sneaking them into the U.S. via their tummies.

Silly me thought the marquee (pictured above) was of a girl taking Communion, hence the name of the film, but only when I watched it did I realize she's being handed drugs to swallow!

This article is really interesting. Apparently, even elderly people, desperate for money, are allowing their bodies to be used for the illegal transportation of drugs. These people are nothing more than holding tanks for illegal substances and it's saddens me to think how desperate they are to risk their lives for this.

I Coughed So Much . . .

that I fractured my rib! Yep-- that's right! I coughed so hard for the 6 weeks I had acute bronchitis that I now have a fractured rib. The doctors assure me this can happen (no, James has never hit me!). Who would've thought?

Yikes!

I just called our travel agent to find out where our tour info was (it hasn't come in the mail) and they had no record of me! After some researching, they found our paperwork, but they didn't have my credit card info. or anything. The girl who I booked it with messed up! Everything is ok now. I payed the deposit, arranged the insurance, and we are back in business, but still . . . If they didn't have such a consistantly excellent record with the Better Business Bureau and Association of Travel Agents I'd be nervous.

The weird thing is . . . I called last week to ask a question and she said "yes, you're packet was sent out" like she was referring to our account or something.

Weird . . . This trip means everything to me and if anything goes wrong I'll freak out!

Dear Jerk

Dear Jerk (aka my husband's boss),

In case you didn't realize, my husband has a life. Yes, I know he's completely wonderful and brilliant and you depend on him to do EVERYTHING, but guess what? I think he's wonderful too which is why it would be nice if he was HOME ONCE IN A WHILE. If my husband is head of his department, how about treating him with more respect by realizing that he has a life outside of work. Don't tell him he can hire another assistant and then change your mind. Don't tell him he's getting a lap top so he can work at home and then not buy one. You want him to get his master's degree since he's a boss, right? Then stop trying to prevent him from attending his classes by asking him to stay late. Stop expecting him to work weekends! I want my husband back! I'm realistic-- I know there will be late nights, but you are asking WAY too much and if you don't back off, you're gonna lose him and then you'll be SCREWED!

Sincerely,
The Angry Wife

P.S. Don't ever yell at my husband again about something that isn't his fault but in fact yours. Be a man and own up to your mistakes.

Well, that felt good! :-)

Promise You Won't Think I'm Mean?

I have nothing against them personally, I just couldn't resist!

Thank you to Valkyrie for posting something so funny!

Mondays . . . Ugh.

I always feel such a sense of accomplishment once I have gotten through a Monday. I don't know why. It's not like they're that diferent that any other day of the week in terms of what I do, but I still loathe them (as I'm sure everyone does).

I like to map out my Mondays (or any day I know isn't going to be particularly good) because it gives me something to focus on besides the fact that it's another dreadful Monday. So, for today, here are my plans:

-- meet my friend after school for shopping and coffee (she's getting divorced and needs some girl time and she doesn't read my blog so I don't mind disclosing her situation)

-- read packet on South African trip which hopefully is arriving today (fingers crossed)

-- take long, hot bath and finish "The Lover" (it's a good, but weird, book)

-- make homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

-- watch "World Wire" on the Discovery Times Channel

Food and a Flick

Lunch with mom @ Panera . . .

. . . and "Pooh's Heffalump Movie" (I've loved Pooh since I was a kid)

Garden-in-a-Bag

How cute is this? I am thinking of ordering a few different kinds of herbs to use in various dishes. I love cooking with fresh herbs and these bags are too cute.

Chocolate Cupcake

I am pleased to say that I made it through my first full week of work since my infinitely long bout with bronchitis, flu, and a bad medicine reaction and I'm feeling good. I SO deserve this cupcake!

Fried Rice and Potstickers

Last night I cooked dinner for my family. I made this yummy spam fried rice (thanks Stef for the idea to add spam!) I cooked 2 cups of rice and then fried it with 3 scallions, 3 eggs, 1 small tin of spam, 2 cloves of garlic minced, 3 teaspoons of sesame oil, salt, pepper, and soy sauce to taste. It turned out really well.

The picture above is of the pork potstickers. The seafood ones looked pretty much the same. Again, thank you Stef for the recipes. :-) I didn't make too many changes. Click below for the potsticker recipes: Pork potstickers:
2 lbs ground lean turkey
1 head Napa cabbage, chopped finely
10 dried shitake mushrooms, re-hydrated and minced
1 bundle glass noodles, re-hydrated and minced
3 spring onions, chopped
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 packages pot sticker wrappers
salt to taste

Seafood potstickers:
1 lb. fresh shrimp, minced in the food processor
1 cup fresh crab meat
half a head of Napa cabbage, chopped finely
10 dried shitake mushrooms, re-hydrated and minced
1 bundle glass noodles, re-hydrated and minced
3 spring onions, chopped
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 packages pot sticker wrappers
salt to taste

For each, I chopped the ingredients individually in my food processor and then mixed them together in a large bowl. I am referring you to Stef's instructions on folding potstickers as she was a wonderful teacher. :-)

Lemon Butter Asparagus and Good 'Ol Cream Chipped Beef

Yes! Finally! My e-mail is up and running. :-) Here is a picture of the asparagus and creamed chipped beef I made a night ago. James said it was kind of an odd combination, but I covered my food groups and that counts for something, right? The creamed chipped beef was frozen, but here's what I did to the asparagus-- but first, a word of advice: Never boil your asparagus! Saute it or bake it! Of course, the baking time depends on the thickness of the asparagus. I baked mine at 350 for about 15 minutes with butter, lemon zest and a little lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Sometimes I also finely chop garlic, but I didn't want to smell. hehe.

I will post pictures and recipes tonight for the potstickers and fried rice I made last night.

Comfort

Tonight, as I made potstickers for my family, I thought about all the things that make me happy. I am a person who likes comfy things-- in fact, I go out of my way to do things that give me that warm, fuzzy feeling. Take one of my favorite things in the whole world for example: food! I love cooking and eating. It gives me a sense of security. And then there's family. Often, I'd rather hang out with my family than my friends. They are the coolest people I know-- really! I share so much in common with them and I am lucky to live so close to them. I always have. And reading . . . I adore books. Cookbooks, novels, magazines, you name it. I love curling up with a book. I also love watching movies and snuggling on the couch with my hubby and puppies by our fake fire (well, not fake exactly, but it has gas logs, hehe). I also love socks-- warm, thick, fuzzy ones. And I can't forget chapsticks. I have always loved them. I like the way my lips feel. And most importantly, I can't forget my love of hot beverages, especially tea.

I know everyone likes comfy things, but lately I seem to go out of my way to find things that give me a sense of security. I'm sure this is partly because I've spent the last 6 weeks feeling pretty crappy and am only now returning to my normal self :-) If you don't have your health, not much else matters, eh?

BTW, the hubby and I are STILL working on my phone (it's a T-Mobile issue luckily and not a problem with my precious new phone). I will be posting pics and recipes for some things I've made over the last few days. I may have dropped 10 pounds being sick, but I am back cooking and eating in full swing . . . I knew it wouldn't last long. Those 10 pounds will probably be back before I know it. I can't resist my natural domestic urges. :-)

Troubleshooting

Well, I had some dinner pics and recipes to share, but the pics are on my cell phone, which has decided it no longer wants to send e-mails. Actually, my cell isn't at fault, it's probably a server or something, but James and I are working to fix the problem. As Lisanne said the other day, if there's a problem with her blog, than she just doesn't feel right. I feel the same way! I want to post on my blog from my phone. Grrrr......

I'll try again tomorrow.