One Giant Step for Liz, One Small Step for this Blog

I'm baking as I write this, so you can expect a brand-new post from me tomorrow.  In the meantime, however, I spent the better part of yesterday figuring out how to create an index of all the recipes I've posted here over the last year and a half. 

There are  now two ways you can easily access them.  If you look at the right-hand side of the blog, you will see various "labels."  Click on the category that interests you (i.e. "cakes") and you will be directed to posts which contain recipes for same.

Or, scroll down further (past the "Places I Like to Eat" section) and click on "Posted Recipes."  There's your index, sorted by category and giving you the name of the recipe and when it was posted.

Hope this helps!  See you tomorrow.

(S-L-O-W-L-Y coming out of the Dark Ages, one step at a time......)

Home Goods

We've been looking for an ottoman for our living room for about a year. The criteria? It had to be square, brown leather, storage with flip tops, and the most important, affordable. We totally scored the other day when we walked into ROSS. We got this amazing ottoman for $149, at cost they are $599! 

We also scored a new kitchen rug to replace our ugly one we current have. It has a corner missing from when Bella was a pup.

And just something to share from the dollar bin at target, my lovely valentine decorations!

Hilarious!

Why Domino’s Pacific Veggie pizza sells so well

February 3

Awhile back I was talking to an official at Domino's Pizza who expressed surprise at how well the delivery giant’s American Legends Pacific Veggie pie was selling. I mentioned that last November in a story on how chain restaurants are changing the ways they develop menu items.

You expect sausage to sell, and of course pepperoni, as this story in yesterday’s New York Times points out. That the Philly Cheesesteak pizza sells well is no surprise.

But Pacific Veggie?

It’s not like it’s even particularly good for you. Domino’s American Legends line has 40 percent more cheese than the chain’s regular pizza (the Wisconsin cheese producers helped to promote the line) — not that actual nutrition and what customers think is nutritious is necessarily related anyway.

Still, Domino’s executives wanted to offer a meatless option, but they didn’t expect it to sell well. Yet it did.

I mentioned that today to Joe Calcagno, the chef-owner of Capizzi Pizza, which opened quietly last October across the street from Port Authority, on 9th Avenue and between 40th and 41st streets, in New York City.

He said “of course it sells well.” Vegetarians make up a large contingent of pizzeria customers.

Think about it, he said. Pizzerias always have good vegetarian options — a cheese pizza, if nothing else, and very possibly pastas and antipasti and all sorts of non-meat things.

I’d never thought about that before.

Capizzi’s a serious little (35-seat) pizzeria. Joe built the oven himself (that’s a side business of his), and he dries his own oregano, crushes his own red pepper, found some sort of heirloom pepperoni.

I’d tell you more about it, but I have to write a story for our magazine in a couple of weeks, and I don’t want to give away all the good stuff.

In fact, that story will be in our subscriber’s-only section of nrn.com, so if you want to read it, you should subscribe.

Come on, almost all of the cool people already subscribe. Once you sign up, we’ll be all set.

Leg of Pork Steaks on Leftover Mashed Potato Pancake with Spicy Salsa

Note: Be sure to check out the add on at the end of today's post with regard to healthier eating

How often do you prepare mashed potatoes and find that you have some left over, particularly when preparing them for several people? Frequently? If so, what do you do with them? Do you dispose of them, or perhaps give the dog an extra little treat? The reality is that there is a lot that we can do with leftover mashed potatoes, this suggestion being but one of them. Provided they are covered and allowed to cool before being refrigerated in an airtight container, they are perfectly usable the following day in a number of tasty ways.

The first step in this recipe for one person is to prepare the salsa. This is because we want the various flavours to be given time to infuse. Ideally, this should be done a couple of hours in advance and the salsa refrigerated until needed but this is not essential.

Salsa Ingredients

1 large tomato
2" piece of cucumber
2 or 3 large basil leaves
1 clove of garlic
1 small red chilli pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

The tomato and cucumber should be halved with a sharp knife and deseeded with a teaspoon, as shown in the image above. They should then be finely diced and added to a small bowl. The garlic clove should be peeled and grated in to the bowl. The red chilli should be halved lengthways and the seeds and pale membrane scooped out and discarded. Remember - it is the membrane which contains the excessive heat, not the actual seeds! The chilli pepper should be finely diced and added to the bowl, along with the roughly chopped basil leaves, olive oil and seasoning. Stir well and set aside or cover and refrigerate.

Meat and Potato Ingredients

3 small leg of pork steaks
3oz (approx.) leftover mashed potato
Salt and white pepper
Sunflower oil for frying
Small sprig of basil for garnish

Method

The first step is to fry the pork steaks, as they will require to be rested while the potato is prepared. Add some sunflower oil to a large, non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a moderate heat. Add the pork steaks, season with salt and fry for ten minutes each side. Remember always to ensure that pork is fully cooked and no red or even pink juices are escaping! When cooked, remove the pork steaks to a heated plate and cover with tinfoil. This keeps the heat in them but also allows them to rest and become tender while you fry the potato pancake.

The mashed potato may require to be seasoned, depending upon how it was seasoned when it was first prepared. White pepper makes excellent seasoning for mashed potato, so you may wish to give this a try. The mash should then be formed in to a ball about the size of a cricket ball/baseball. The easiest way by far to do this is by hand. If your mashed potato is too thick and is going to be difficult to form in to a flat pancake with no unsightly cracks, add either a little milk or an egg yolk. Add a little sunflower oil to a small, non-stick frying pan and make sure it is brought up to a fairly high heat before you add the potato. If you add the potato before the oil is hot enough, the potato will start to absorb the oil, rather than start to fry immediately upon contact and be greasy. Pat the potato in to a round pancake between your hands to about 1" thickness and add it to the frying pan.

The potato pancake should be fried for three to four minutes each side until lightly golden. It should be turned and subsequently removed from the pan with a large spatula. The potato pancake should be plated first, the salsa spooned around it and the leg of pork steaks placed on top, with the basil sprig optional.

A Word about Healthy Eating

Last night, while driving home from the supermarket, I was listening to the Simon Mayo Drivetime show on BBC Radio 2. There are regular food related items featured on this great show but the particular question I heard asked last night (Wednesday, 2nd February) was from the mother of a 15 year old and an 18 year old. Essentially, she wanted to know with what foodstuffs she should stock her fridge to please them, as they are not impressed by the healthy foods she purchases. Incredibly, a voice from the background (in the studio) suggested, "Microwaveable burgers!" I nearly crashed the car...

Time, unfortunately, did not permit me to listen to much more of the show to find out what answers she got but I thought I would take a moment here to make some incredibly simple suggestions to anyone in this situation.

Whether it be your child, your spouse, or even you, yourself: establish and make a short list of their/your favourite basic cooking ingredients. An incredibly simple example would be chicken, broccoli and cheese. Perform a Google search for, "healthy chicken broccoli cheese recipe" I have just performed that search and Google UK returns more than 1,300,000 results!

This is one of the simplest and most effective ways in which the Internet can help us in our quest for healthier eating. Even someone wanting to eat chicken, broccoli and cheese every day for the rest of their lives would never run out of ideas.

The next step would be to prepare some of these recipes for your family. Let them see that their favourite basic foodstuffs can be enjoyed to the full, free of the artificial chemicals, preservatives and saturated fats that are so harmful to human health. It really can be this simple.

Go ahead - take five minutes to list your favourite foodstuffs in terms of raw ingredients and perform a few searches. You may be amazed by what you find...

Egyptian Unrest Spreads to England

Thanks to my daughter playing club soccer and us watching the World Cup games last year, I've become a big soccer fan. We subscribed to foxsoccer.tv and have been watching English Premier League games. Upon consulting a friend who's an experienced fan, we decided to root for Newcastle United as their colors are black and white, just like our Maximum Leader.

Honestly, what else could we have chosen?

Newcastle play decent football and are in the middle of the pack in the league. They recently traded one of their top goal scorers and then yesterday had another of their strikers go down with an injury as they lost to an inferior team. Naturally, this set off a firestorm of criticism on the Newcastle United blog, leading to this suggestion that fans use techniques honed in Egypt on the owners ...

agreed dan we need these 2 cockney spivs out cairo style

Cairo style?!? The rioting hasn't even played itself out and already there's a term coined. Meanwhile, in Newcastle, it looks like they're ready to storm the gates.

Or maybe not.

Home Cooked Chinese Dinner 1

One of my Home Cooked Chinese Dinners. This time, I stir fried Kailan, a type of vegetable popular with the Chinese, Steamed Minced Meat with Japanese Egg Tofu and Peanut Soup.

This dish is an invention of mine. Typically, the Japanese Egg Tofu is fried and minced meat is cooked separately. The two are then combined on a hot plate and the dish is called "Hot Plate Tofu". I gave it a twist of my own and made it into a steamed dish instead.

Recipe:
300g minced pork or chicken
1 tube of Japanese Egg Tofu

Seasoning:
Chinese Soya Sauce
Salt
Ground White Pepper
Garlic Oil
Teaspoon of corn flour

Tip Alert! [Cut the Japanese tofu into 1cm thick cuts and lay them onto a stainless steel plate. Prepare the minced meat by mixing it with soya sauce, salt, pepper and corn flour. Spread the minced meat evenly top of the tofu. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes until the meat is cooked. Pour the garlic oil on top of the meat and serve.]

Tip Alert! [Garlic oil is a staple for Chinese cooking. It is prepared by frying chopped garlic in peanut oil until garlic is golden. This stuff stores for ever!]

Cooking Chinese style vegetables is tricky business. The colour and flavour are of upmost importance. Nobody likes a tasteless blob of hay, especially not the kids!

Recipe:
150g to 200g of Kailan
Soya Sauce
Chopped Garlic

Ground White Pepper

The vegetable is boiled salted water with a tablespoon of oil added. Don't wait til it's done. Drain vegetables immediately when it appears to be wilted. Run the vegetable in cold tap water. Keep it aside. Cook the chopped garlic oil until golden, add the soya sauce. The soya sauce would bubble and caramelize. Then toss in the cooked vegetables quickly and add the pepper. Stir until its coat with the soya sauce. Serve immediately!
 

The complexities of this soup would require a separate article on its own. I will address this soup on another page!
 

The dishes combined to make a light Chinese Dinner.

OT Tip - Guest Post on SPD

Today I would like to welcome a special guest, my mother in law Debra! She is also an Occupational Therapy Assistant who works for the same company I do in the schools and also works at a hand clinic as needed. She enjoys working with younger age children. When she saw I was sharing OT Tips on my blog, she asked if she could help write some posts, and of course I said YES! So please welcome her to my blog today! 

Sensory Processing Disorders

Do you know of a child that has trouble sitting still,  always on their knees or standing when they should be sitting to do classwork.  Maybe you know of a child that is distracted by sounds no one else notices.  Or the child that likes to slam into walls or fall on the floor.  The list can go on, this can all be a part of Sensory Processing Disorder, SPD.

“One study shows that 1 in 20 childrens’ daily lives is affected by SPD.  Another population-based study suggest that 1 in 6 children experience sensory challenges sufficient to disrupt their academic, social, and/or emotional development.”  Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation at http://www.sinetwork.org/research.html

Dysfunctions of SPD:

·         Hypersensitivity-fight or flight

·         Hyposensitivity-needs extra input

Areas involved:

·         Tactile

·         Auditory

·         Visual

·         Taste/oral

·         Olfactory

·         Proprioceptive

·         Vestibular

Sensory defensiveness will vary in different degrees of stress and anxiety with each individual.  However, it is important to remember that a child with SPD may misperceive the world as dangerous, alarming or just irritating.

There are 3 levels of SPD

 The first level  is mild, they will appear “normal”, but picky or over sensitive, or even resistive to change and slightly controlling.

 Level 2 is moderate.  A moderate sensory defensiveness will affect 2 or more aspects of a child’s life.  They may often have difficulties with social relations, either overly aggressive or isolating themselves from peers.  They may be resistive to dressing, bathing and eating.  In school they may have difficulty with attention or behavior. 

The 3^rd level is severe.  With the severe level, every aspect of a child’s life is disrupted.  They usually will have other diagnostic labels such as developmental delay, autism, etc.  These children may have a strong avoidance of some kinds of sensations or the reverse, intense sensory seeking.  “Treating sensory defensiveness first reduces sensory problems and increases the effectiveness of other forms of intervention.” Sensory Defensiveness in Children Aged 2-12. Patricia Wilbarger, Med, OTR, FAOTA and Julia Leigh Walbarger, MS, OTR

Future postings will address the various areas of SPD, symptons and solutions for parents and teachers.

~ Debra

Disclaimer: I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. The advise in these tips is not a replacement for medical advise from a physician or your pediatrician. Please consult their advice if you suspect any medical or developmental issues with your child.  

Sourdough Dumplings (饺子) and Gyoza/ Potstickers (锅贴)

Dumplings (aka Gyoza, when they spread to Japan) signify family reunion and their original round wrappers also look like coins (I know right, half the things we eat look like coins but, well, there you go) so they're traditionally eaten on Chinese New Year. I don't have my family here in London with me now, but it's fun making dumplings anyway! These were actually done a month ago though, when I was too free.

The basic dumpling dough is 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup of hot (that's what gives dumpling skins their elasticity) water. I made mine using my sourdough pasta dough, so texture-wise it's not exactly springy and also, I rolled out the dough too thick i.e. these are not fantastic dumplings. But they were so much fun anyway, and that tanginess and extra umami-ness of the dough made up for it! You can add any fillings you want, it's traditionally pork (plus shrimps. that would be nice), or even make it vegetarian with shitake mushrooms, but I was using up leftover chicken.

Sourdough Dumplings (饺子)

makes 20 (it's a great opportunity to pull your whole family in and make like 200 instead and freeze.)

20 round wrappers (I cut the flattened sourdough pasta dough into circles of about 7cm in diameter)

200g minced chicken

2 stalks of spring onion, sliced thinly

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp of grated ginger

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Chinese rice wine (shaoxing/huadiao)

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients except the wrappers together and leave to marinade in the fridge for as long as you can, preferably overnight.

2. The next day, make your wrappers by rolling out the dough as thinly as possible and then cutting out circles (I used a glass).

3. Place about 2 teaspoons of the filling (don't be too greedy, but don't be too stingy either-- it's Chinese New Year!) in the centre of the circle.

4. Fold over to make a semi-circle, and press the edges to seal, with a bit of water or eggwash if needed.

5. (opt) To make it look pretty, you crimp the edges using a pinch-and-tuck technique. (watch from 2:20)

which I failed at.

but ah, that's why we have forks!

6. Done! I know they still don't look totally gyoza-like.. Anyway you can refrigerate or freeze them now for later use.

OR make

Sourdough Dumpling Soup

In a pot of boiling water, lower the dumplings in carefully and let them cook gently in simmering water for about 10 minutes till they float. Add to homemade chicken stock with a dash of soy sauce to taste, and garnish with chopped spring onions.

OR make

Sourdough Gyoza/Potstickers (锅贴)

Potstickers get their name because of their very special cooking technique.

Over medium-high heat, in a lightly-oiled pan, place the dumplings flat side down in a single layer, and let it fry until the bottom browns and sticks a little to the pan. Then add 1/4 cup of water or so and cover the pan, to unstick the bottoms and steam the top of the dumplings for about 3 min more, then uncover the pan and let the water evaporate (fully! else they won't be crispy).

A cheat method that I used is to steam (or boil) the dumplings for about 10 min first till they are fully cooked. Then place the cooked dumplings flat side down in one layer in a lightly-oiled pan, and fry over medium-high heat to get the bottom crispy and brown ;)

Traditionally served with a very simple dipping sauce made with Chinese black vinegar and shredded fresh ginger, that's all you really need!

I know these dumplings are not traditional and they probably taste not at all like the one you get in dim sum restaurants. But it's not a bad difference at all! They're denser, with a tangy depth to it, and combined with the savoury filling and the sharp vinegar and ginger to cut through that heaviness, are.. ho liao (means good stuff, in Hokkien)!

This is an entry for Presto Pasta Night hosted by Ruth of Once upon a Feast.

This is an entry for Tuesday Twister hosted by GNOWFGLINS.

This is an entry for Real Food Wednesday by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Planned Parenthood as Scavengers

It's like they're maggots feeding on the rotting parts of society.

hari makan muntah ke darah

assalamualaikum wbt :)

hai, hari ni hari ke-2 di Kuantan. saya mmg jarang balik kmpung, tapi semalam sy agak bosan. entah. padahal seharusnye bersuka ria bersama keluarga! baeklah. sampai kuantan semalam around 3pm. lunch, and petang just duduk rumah buat karipap. eh salah, tgk org buat karipap :P kemudian malam, seawal 8malam, makcik-makcik & pakcik-pakcik berkarokae. mesti pekak telinga menteri besar pahang dgr kami menyanyi. haha. rumah die belakang rumah mama ngah ni je.

sekarang tgh type ni, sy duduk rumah seorang. sebab sakit kepala, hari ni makan-muntah-ke-darah. yg lain semua makan steamboat di kafe mama ngah --- sri affa. sebelah Hotel Sri Malaysia. pergilah makan di situ ye menu semua best-best, bukan sekadar steamboat! hehe. ingt nak makan juga, but maybe sebab sy dah 2 minggu tak makan sgt, hari ni makan mcm-mcm, tu yg sakit kepala kot.

BTW, hari ni bangun awal. kami breakfast di Umai, Pekan. nasi dagang! and then pergi pantai sepat, tengok tanah & sawah padi! cantik sungguh. terus ke Kuantan, main bowling 2 game beramai-ramai. oh sungguh la, sy loser hari ini. padahal paling muda. *MALU*. kemudian tadi ke ECM (east coast mall) tgk food court. then, Tanjung Lumpur! ini adalah wajib ye kalau anda ke Kuantan. banyak makanan best! balik td, tibai kacang ngan yin 2 peket + durian 2 ulas pula. ok, maksimum sudah!

oh ye, sy rindu sugar & pepper nun di KL. makanya, sy cuba berjinak dgn ikan-ikan di dlm kolam rumah pula. betul lah, tengok ikan menari-nari berenang-renang sudah cukup buat sy tenang. ini tempat kegemaran sy utk 2 hari ini. keluarga pun tahu. :)

port lepak ambil angin sepoi-sepoi Teluk Cempedak.

petang tadi, mereka berkarokae lagi. kemudian kak aizam & abg boy panggil naik atas, potong cake anniversary ke-8 mereka. 2 orang anak sudah! hehe. alhamdulilah :)

malam ini, katanya nak berkarokae lagi. maaflah kawan-kawan di pahang jika hujan lebat yg melanda ini disebebkan keluarga saya :P esok pagi, breakfast di TC (Teluk Cempedak) dgn si cantik manis fatin suhana insya Allah! yeayyy. can't wait! :)

My color

I was randomly visiting other blogs today.  

I came across The Magpie's Fancy's "Freewrite Friday" exercise.  She asks readers to participate in a delightful creative writing exercise.  

Write about your favorite color without revealing it.  
This is not something I thought I could do but I thought I would try.  Here it is.  You should try it.  Post it to your blog if you would like to share. I love the sense of mystery when reading someone's description.

The first aromatic spoonful  gurgling in the morning, scented so deep and strong.

The creamy, soft, chew melting the lingering  afternoon. 

The kick, the shuffle, the crackly crunch ushering in my favorite of the 4.

 The fling,  the wrap, the snuggle, deep and warm within that special wrap.

The melting, the savoring, the rolling of a most luscious taste on my tongue.

 The depth, the strength, the earthiness  as the pair cracks open delivering their unique treat.

The special place of my love that envelops him in masculine beauty and richness as he relaxes for the night.

What can my color be?

My color is brown