Nutella Fudge, Please Don't Make Me Pudge!

As a child, my favorite snack is Nutella filled Ritz. Both items were pretty expensive back where I was raised. I remember, I couldn't have much, trying to make a 13oz jar of Nutella and 1 box of Ritz last for 6 months to a year. 

 

From Sausage to Corn Dogs

After weeks of being busy doing homework and school-related stuff, last weekend my husband finally had spare time to spend quality time with me. Our idea of quality time? Sausage making. Amid the hum of the stand mixer, we talked. We were catching up. Nowadays, juggling with two kids (me) and pursuing his master degree plus working full-time (him), it's hard to chat without interruption of a 4-yr-old wanting attention. Or a 3-month-old needing her milk. Or a homework needed to be done. 

 

Triple Chocolate Treat

Some days are better than the others. Sunshine in Seattle is so rare, sometimes I forget that it's even existed. It was sunny on Wednesday and I needed to go to the library. Against my better judgment, I decided to walk there. Put the baby in the baby carrier and strap her on me, get the boy ready and off we go.

Chewy Whole Wheat Boule

If I went back in time and told my 15-year-old self that I'd be baking bread at least once every 2 weeks, she wouldn't believed me. After constant disappointment from buying grocery store bread, I'd rather bake it myself. While bread is ubiquitous, my longing for bread is so sudden, there's no time to go out and buy it. 

Men cannot live on bread alone. It's true to a certain degree, because it needs to be brushed with olive oil and kosher salt! Bread is so universal, you can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Depends on what you serve it with. Today for breakfast, I had a small wedge of this whole wheat bread dipped in black coffee. For lunch, I had it with a bit of softened brie and salad of chopped celery and carrot (quickie salad I called it). For dinner I might have it with the vegetable soup I made earlier today. After one day eating bread alone, I'll be craving for rice again tomorrow. 

Lemon Pound Cake Story: When There's a Will, There's a Way. Eventhough There's no Water

Have you ever done something, thinking that it was a great idea, but halfway through you realized it was so dumb? I'm notorious for doing exactly that. Yesterday my landlord sent all of the tenants note saying that there will be no water from 1-3pm today. Before I went to bed last night, I kept reminding myself about it. See, ever since I've become a mother, I often have brain farts. No kidding. Once, 2 hours after I put the rice and water in the rice cooker, I wondered why it hadn't "ding"ed yet. I didn't press the cook button.... 

Today, surprisingly both kids were behaving well. No one's nagging Mommy for this or that. So I decided to make the long postponed lemon pound cake my husband has been asking for. And you know what? While at it, why not make some whole wheat bread too? So after I kneaded the bread dough and leave it to rise, I made the lemon pound cake. All was good. The boy even helped a little bit by trying to squeeze the lemon juice. The girl was playing quietly by herself in the bouncer. Life was beautiful. Until.....

No "Mushies" Pasta, Thanks to the Constant Warning

Every time I make homemade pizza, I always end up with leftover tomato sauce. So stingy as I am, it goes into the freezer for future use. I do that a lot... putting leftover in the freezer. Let me see, chicken stock, beef stock, fresh rolled pasta, cookie logs, you name it. Note to self: when we get bigger place, buy a freezer chest. 

Chili for Chilly Weather

2011 is my 7th year in Seattle, I am still not used to the cold weather. Even my husband, who's been living here his entire life, cannot stand the chill. And after consuming copious amount of herbal soup these past couple weeks, we agreed we need something we haven't had in a while. But it has to have the same warming effect herbal soup has.  

Icy Chicken and Dirty Rice

When he woke up this morning, I asked the birthday boy what does he want for lunch. Without hesitating, he said "icy chicken and dirty rice". It took me awhile to understand what he meant, then I realized he meant Hainanese chicken rice. 

4th Birthday Party

Although he's been with us since January 2007, this is his very first birthday party. It wasn't that we didn't want to, it's merely because we could not. This year was perfect, seeing that my mom was here (we just sent her off to the airport last night *cries*). His actual birthday was on the 7th, yet we decided to do it on January 1st, since my mom's flight was on the 2nd.

While other people planning on where to go on New Year's eve, we prepped and cooked our ass off for the next day party. Honestly though, I had fun. I'd rather spend time in the kitchen, than trying to find parking in downtown Seattle just to look at fireworks. And boy, was I glad my mom was here to help me watch the baby while I cook! I made egg rolls, tom yum soup, papaya salad, fried noodles (symbol of age longevity in Chinese tradition) and turkey with stuffing. Didn't get to photograph the food, because we were rushing to get the cake done.

Jook, the Memory Trigger

When I was a kid, my siblings and I ate huge breakfast at 5am because we wouldn’t be able to eat again until 3pm. We did have recess at school, but it’s about 15 minutes and we HATE eating in a rush. Sometimes the food goes down the wrong pipe. My grandma would cook us either fried rice or steamed buns or fried noodles (typical Chinese leftover-turn-into-breakfast). When she was feeling adventurous, we might find pizza (for breakfast? Why not?) or French toast (I say adventurous, because in my Chinese family, we almost never eat French toast at home) or donuts. But breakfast item I love the best is jook.

 

Served with preserved eggs and fried wonton skin