So There Goes 2010

Closing out 2010. Like finishing up a great book, read the last page with an ahhh and place the book on the shelf. Time to open another new book called 2011.

Hello 2011! My horoscope says something about being a transformational year for me. Transformational huh? I like that. This means I'll have to plan ahead, be ready and take action when the opportunity arises.

So there goes 2010. Taking with it all good and bad. What have I done in 2010? I started 2010 asking myself to "share" and I did what I could to keep that commitment. It might not have been much, but knowing that I might have brighten up somebody's day made 2010 a good year.

Ho-Ho-Ho 2010

So another holiday season is upon us. Actually, the holiday season started way back around Halloween. Pumpkin orange and black just didn't mix well with red and green. Oh, in between, there was the autumn color of Thanksgiving too! Ugh!

Why the holiday season means shopping, shopping and more shopping? Don't we do that regularly already? I really don't appreciate the commercialization of this otherwise special season. It cheapens the spirits. Heck, it devalues the meaning of Christmas and other holidays by focusing on material goods.

What's Christmas? I was at Union Square last Thursday evening on my way to meet the DFS peeps. Lights were up. Trees were decorated. Ice rink was ready for those who wanted to skate in the rain. A homeless guy was singing off-key Christmas carols....Now, that's Christmas!

What's Special about this time of year? To me, the best part of the holiday season is the chance to catch up with folks whom I don't get to see often during the year. Sharing holiday cheers and catching up on the year's happenings is what's special. I met up with the DFS folks last week and I will be getting together with the Party America folks next week. To me, that is the essence of the holiday season.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I'm Thankful!

Thanksgiving 2010. Another turkey day is here and the family gathered for our annual turkey dinner. Look around. Everyone is present. Can't ask for more.

Mom and Dad are doing great. The second generation Wu kids are getting old. The third generation Wu kids are growing up and starting to find their own identities. Weren't we so young once? Seemed like only yesterday...

I'm thankful that everyone is healthy and safe. We may not be rich but we are wealthy because we have each other. We get to love and hug our parents, siblings, honey and the little ones. Not every family is so lucky. So treasure what we have and enjoy that turkey. Not every turkey is as lucky as us.

Thanks again to Jennifer who tackled that 23 pound turkey. Another great Thanksgiving and another one for the memory.

Cooking 101

Sign-Up for Cooking 101. The girls met up on Sunday, November 8th, for a "cooking show and tell". After exchanging cooking tips on emails, we figured it made more sense to see action than talk. And, we get to eat the food too. So gathering our pots and pans, ingredients and recipes, we met at Sandra's house.

Firs up, Sandra's Burmese Fish Curry. She used Indian curry though. Hey, which part was the Burmese part? It was excellent. Onions, tomatoes, fresh cut up fish cubes.... spicy yet not over powering. Great over rice and yes, with a glass of big red. Hurry up, Sandra. WE WANT THE RECIPE!!


Updated 06/28/11: Sandra finally sent the recipe over.  Here goes:


Recipe (cooking time 20-25 minutes):

1)  Onion

2)  Fish sauce

3)  Salt

4)  Turmeric powder

5)  Curry powder (from small clear bag: not very hot)

6)  Curry paste (box – “Cuisine from India”)  This is hot so beware!

7)  Brown sugar or ketchup

8)  Fish (any type)

9)  Tomatoes

10) Cilantro

11) Corn starch (as thickener)

  

Cut fish into bit size (large is good in case it breaks down) – if you like, marinate with the curry powder.

1/2 or 1 onion – cut into cubes

Tomatoes – sliced (cubes or regular sliced)

Heat pan with oil, put in the onions, stir for a few minutes then put a teaspoon of turmeric powder and a bit of salt.  A few minutes later, put in the sliced or cubed tomatoes.  You can season it with fish sauce.  Another couple minutes, put in the fish, gently stir it around.  Put in a teaspoon of curry paste (“Cuisine from India”) or curry powder.    Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Taste the sauce, if not enough flavor either put in more fish sauce or if too salty, a bit of ketchup or brown sugar.  If you like a thick sauce, mix in cornstarch w/water.

Put in the cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Next to bat, Linda and her Chicken Congee - Cantonese style. Here's her recipe.

"As for my congee, I took 5 skinless chicken legs and 2 pounds of pork with 3 slices of ginger and add water to make stock. I have about 3 cups of rice (that's the cup that you use to measure rice) and wash them and leave them in water to soak. You may add a little oil to the rice too if you like, but let it soak. I bought about 1.5 lbs of white chicken meat, but dark meat is fine too, and chopped them in thin shreds. I added salt, sugar, mgs, white pepper, rice wine, oil and corn starch to marinate the chicken. Seep the extra oil out of the stock, and then add the rice into the chicken stock, and stir with a whisk occasionally for about 15 minutes on high with the lid not covered or 1/2 covered, then turn it off and cover the lid fully and walk away. Come back in about another 15 minutes and stir with Wisk, and it should look like porridge, then turn the heat on and add uncooked chicken shreds when the congee is hot, and it's ready to serve when chicken is done. Add salt to taste. Very simple."

Simple? Really? Sounds pretty complicated... well done, Linda!! The best comfort food for a rainy day.

Then it was my turn with my Butternut Squash Soup. My lazy-man soup because it's definitely too easy...

1 butternut squash. If making more, then add more squash. No magic number... take a guess.
Cut into chunks
1 onion - also cut into small chunks. You can also add some celery, carrots or turnip... for nutrition.
Add 1 or 2 small potatoes for thickness.
Stir fry onion first, then add in other veggies and the squash. Season with salt and pepper and add a dash of paprika. You can add other herbs.
When the veggies are soft, add a can of chicken broth and I usually add enough water to cover the veggies.
Cover and let it cook for a while. When it's soft enough, blend it.
Return soup to stove, add heavy cream or half-and-half so it's smooth.
Top of with a dab of sour cream or sprinkle some blue cheese. Add some pine nuts for a crunch. Then, voila, ready to serve!

Sandy, who kept saying that she couldn't cook, presented her Linguine and Shrimp Scampi. Wow! It was totally YUMMY!! And with that All-Clad french saute pan, Sandy, we don't believe you CAN'T cook!


Melt butter and add good olive oil
add lots of chopped garlic and saute.
Add in deveined shrimp until it turns pink, use salt/pepper to your taste.
Then add lemon zest and lemon juice, toss in cooked linguine. Then add red pepper flakes and chopped parsley ( I forgot to bring them…) . Garnish w/ more chopped parsley.

Julia did not cook live for us. She brought over an already made Steamed Turnip Cake. She was excused though since it was the most complicated dish made with 4 kind of flours and it took her all night. Wow! We all want the recipe but I doubt that any of us will be making it any time soon. Julia, can you please make some more for us, please? Please? Pretty please??

So here you have it... girls' first cooking class. Flawlessly excuted. Our fine tasters with their discriminating palate- aka Sandra's family: Alland, Stephanie and Zach - gave us the thumbs up. Ahhh! Must have been good!

Bon Appetit!

The Good Egg

I was in a baking mood this past weekend. Must be the rain. It was windy and raining outside. Inside, the sweet smell of baking filled the house. The oven heat slowly warmed up the house (at least the kitchen area). Perfect thing to do on a rainy day.

So I baked a kasutera on Saturday with Robert. On Sunday, I made a kahlua chocolate cake for Julia, who visited me in the morning. Then I went for the ultimate cream puffs in the afternoon.

All three used similar ingredients, but added the eggs in different ways. For kasutera, it was 3 whole eggs and 9 egg yolks and white in the form of meringue. For kahlua, it was 4 whole eggs right into the mixture. For cream puffs, it was adding eggs one at a time. Hmmm... same egg, different process, different result.

I wonder how did people know what to do with these eggs? Well, lucky me. I just have to make and eat the cake.

Egg. It's a good thing.

Canvas in the Sky

There were lots of clouds but it wasn't a cloudy day. I walked out of the door this morning and was greeted by this beautiful scene right before my eyes. I was mesmerized.

These were not the usual thick clouds that covered the entire sky and they weren't those puffy cotton candy clouds either. Each one seemed to glow and trimmed with gold. The entire sky - as far as I could see - was decorated by these glowing clouds. It was such a rare sight.

What kind of cloud formation is this? After googling, I want to say this is the "Alto cumulus" cloud formation. Correct me if I am wrong please. Inquiring mind wants to know!!!

I learned that different cloud formation forms under different weather conditions. "alto" clouds are mid level clouds that may bring some precipitation but they are not rain clouds. Hmmm, maybe that was why it was kind of humid today.

The clouds spread out for everyone to see. A magnificent display only Nature knew how to do. Lucky people like those of us who left the house early got a very special treat.

Of course all things come to an end. These altos were gone by midday. We were back to the plain old blue sky.

Viva Chile!

Wow! Just can't peel myself away from watching the rescue effort that's currently underway to bring all 33 miners up from 2,300 ft below. I'm totally fascinated by the ingenious engineering and the incredible human will power to stay alive and to remain undeterred.

I wonder what was going through each miner's mind in those lonely 15 minutes traveling through rocks in the dark. Night and day, life and death. It's all so close...

What is equally incredible is the bravery of the two rescuers who descended to the cave in that tiny capsule. Just watching the capsule being lowered through that tiny hole into the darkness gave me a sense of claustrophobia. Wow! Hats off to you, rescuers!!

69 days. These 33 miners are the lucky ones. They were located; they got light, food, medicine, beer, computers and their country was determined to get them out. Not every miner in mine accidents were so fortunate.

Soon, this will be a very famous history of how human perseverance and modern technology saved 33 men from a impossible situation. It's almost like the rescue mission of Apollo 13. If there's a will, then there is a way.

Life is precious and that's why people work tirelessly to bring these miners home. We all should count our blessings.

Updated: I recommend the book 33 Men by Jonathan Franklin.

A Matching Set of Bookends

Dexter and Cleo do not know each other. Heck, their humans don't know each other. By chance, Cleo's human found Dexter's picture on my Flickr page and commented that she had a "bookend" picture of her doggy. Wow! No kidding!

How funny that the doggies had almost the same posture and the same expression. Yet, the pictures were taken at two different times. Cleo's was in April and Dexter's was just last week and look! One is Black and White and one is White and Black. Too cute!!

I just had to produce a "bookend" picture to share. Dexter and Cleo saying HELLO to each other somewhere through time and through cyberspace.

San Bruno the Day after

38 homes destroyed; 7 damaged. Still a lot but better than the initial 58 homes destroyed, 120 damaged report. This means, slightly less families suffer. It doesnt matter to those who have lost everything, but it may help the lucky few.

Need to do something for the community. It could have been my neighborhood. I could have known someone there. We don't know where disaster will strike next time. There will be no warning. Let's do what we can do NOW to help. Tomorrow, it could happen to you or me.

Donate cash
Donate clothings/food
Donate blood
Do something

San Bruno Burning

It was a normal Thursday evening. At 6:15pm, people were getting home from work and school. Tables were being set for dinner and families were looking to unwind from the day. One second life was normal, next, upside down.

It hurts to see the destructions on TV. I'm only few miles north of the explosion, yet life is just normal as it can be. Plume of dark smoke hang over that area. Couldn't bear to think the pain, the suffering, the loss beneath that smoke.

People's life forever changed in a few seconds of time. It could have happened to any of us anytime anywhere. I'm so sorry that people of San Bruno have to suffer through this tragedy.

53 houses gone; 120 damaged; 3 lives (probably more) perished; many more injured. The neighborhood will eventually be rebuilt but life will be forever changed.

Sent from my iPhone.

Extremely Beautiful!

I visited the Extreme Mammals exhibit this morning at the California Academy of Science. This was my second attempt to see the exhibit. The first time was back in April but I didn't really have a good look that time because I had Carli in tote. That little monkey could not keep still and I was so afraid that she was going to destroy the exhibit. I love my dear niece but she is not coming with me to exhibits any time soon. Talking about extreme mammals, she is one alright.

But, peace and quiet at last. I had a chance to check out the exhibit in detail. Amazing. Just amazing! The way that life forms evolve and adapt is just so incredible and beautiful. There is a reason for why we are the way we are today.

Do You Know?

There are no flying marsupials because marsupial babies need to climb into the pouch right after birth so they need to have strong fore limbs for grabbing and climbing. Therefore their front limbs are too heavy to develop into wings or membranes for flight.

Kangaroos can carry 3 different babies developing at different stages at one time (one not being born yet. It's waiting for it's turn). Therefore, mama kangaroo produces 2 different kinds of milk at the same time - one from each nipple - to feed the older two that need different nutritional levels. Wow! Can you do that, cows?

Hold on to Your Headgears. Headgears come in different shapes and forms: horns, antlers, tusks... Besides using them to defend against predators, mammals see them as "team uniforms". Yes, like ones stick together like sport teams. Teammates dress alike. I guess humans did not invent uniforms after all.

My Take Away: Life is art and it improves with time. gotta love it!

Happy Moon Festival

Chinese Moon Festival is just around the corner, but that wasn't what we were celebrating today (Oops, yesterday, since it's already past midnight).

Trader Joe's has a series of "moon" wines. Love the names and the pretty wine labels. I suggested to the girls that we should get together to sample the moons. Yap, easier said than done. It took 6 months to make this happen.

Nonetheless, we did, and boy did we had fun. We gathered around the "moons" and dutifully studied the type of grapes, the intensity and the order we should try them. I even had a wine note typed up. The idea was for everyone to write down her own experience on the appearance, the aromas and the taste but I forgot to bring the printout with me. Oh well, so much for a formal wine tasting.

Of course, cannot wine taste without food and, in our usual tradition, lots of food for 7 bottles of wines. I think we ate more than we drank because each of us brought home a "full moon".

Many thanks to Yvonne for hosting the moon festival. We miss Sandy and Julie who couldn't be there but they know: "月亮代表我的心".

Road to Recovery - One Step at a Time

Mommy took a BIG step this week. She took a trip to Monterey. It is the first time in three years after her stroke. GOD! We are so proud of her!!

Mommy has not traveled far since she suffered the stroke. She did not have the strength or the endurance to stay out. Daddy has worked with her on exercising and building back her strength since day one. He has been there for her 24/7. He is such a great husband!!

In April 2007, we were planning on going to Costa Rica for vacation. The trip was put on hold because Mommy's doctor would not allow her to fly. Mommy was disappointed because it meant she was medically disable and it was very hard for her to accept. We told her that Costa Rica will always be there for her.

For a while, Mommy could only take baby steps and would get tired easily. It was expected when she had her brain opened to have a 3-4 in blood clot removed. The slowly seeping blood had zapped some of the nerves that controlled her speech, right arm and both legs. Mommy could not move and speak for couple of weeks after the surgery.

You would have to witness her progress to appreciate what Mommy accomplishes today. Right after the surgery in April 2007, Mommy was in acute rehab for a month. She could not even move her feet/legs at first. The physical therapists had to move her leg one step at a time. They worked 6-7 hours a day, 30 days straight.

At first Mommy needed help standing up. Then, she started using the cane to stay balanced, then she started moving her legs -- one exhausting step at a time. Then, she started walking more and more. Babies steps in the backyard. Walks around the block. Climbing stairs. Stay out for 30 minutes, 90 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours.... now, at times she can even walk without assistance. It was a long way to recovery but she did it.

Our first big test was in March of this year when she took a field trip to Tomales Bay nonstop. She did it!! So I said let's try Monterey which required her to be on the road for 3 hours nonstop and she did it again.

We're back from our little 1-Day/1-Night excursion. Next, we will try Lake Tahoe/Reno, then perhaps LA or Las Vegas. We will make our way back down to Mexico and eventually COSTA RICA. Yes, it's there waiting for Mommy.

A big salute to my parents and to all of you who are working hard to get back to normal life. YES, YOU CAN!

Taiyaki DYI

Taiyaki. It's a traditional Japanese sweet treat made with a flour batter and red bean paste. You can find it in Japantown. When it's being baked, you can smell it a mile away. Like in cartoons, just follow the smell to the food stand. You can't miss it.

A fish is born: pour batter into hot fish shape molds, fill the middle with red bean paste, let it cook, flip to cook the other side and voila, piping hot sweet treat in minutes. Just like magic! It's yummy but darn expensive. I remembered that it used to be about $2.50 each. That was a while back...

Never thought I would be making Taiyaki one day. I spotted a Taiyaki mold in a Korean Supermarket last week. Not cheap. $19.99 for a two-goldfish mold. Hmmm... let's see, I'll have to make at least 8 fish to make it worth of my investment. I just hoped that it would work like the picture showed.

What to use for batter? A quick Google search resulted in abundance of recipes but I got lazy. I figured pancake/waffle mix would do. Guess what??? I was right! Whoo-hoo!

So home-made Taiyaki is possible. Look at my creation. Aren't they cute? So far, I made over 10 times over the weekend. I got to eat one, the rest were devoured within minutes. Demand over Supply. Now I know why it's so expensive.

Happy goldfish making everyone!

2010 Summer Party

Summer Party @ the Jo Lin Club is an annual tradition. It started almost 10 years ago with the girls getting the families together so they get to know each other. It then became an annual thing. It usually starts with finding a agreeable date early in the year so everyone can mark their calendars, then a month or two of menu planning.

The start of summer is the end of the crawfish season and if all possible, we put on a Cajun crawfish boil. When the kids were younger, they would woo-and-ahh over them. I still remember one year the crawfish got away and we sent the kids all over to catch them. Now the kids want to take them home as pets. OK, so few less crawfish to eat but more memories for the kids. Yes, crawfish does pretty well at home.

One other highlight is our annual wine tasting thanks to Sandra's generosity. Funny how we never got better with our wine notes but we sure get a kick out of wine sampling.

Jason did a good job with the drinks this year. He is getting better at it. Plenty of soft drinks, water and good beer. James drove to Tomales Bay yesterday morning to pick up oysters and was shucking oysters all day. Patty's family is the king of hors-d'oeuvre and it's a elaborate family production. Not only Patty's husband and girls make them, they serve them too. Wow!

Sandy, Julia, Linda and Julie always make sure there is enough food to feed everyone from morning to night. They prepare plenty to replenish hungry tummies in a 12-hour stretch. I usually have to beg them to take the leftovers home. We did good this year though, not much leftover. I guess we are finally getting it.

What has been a little get together among girls is now a family function. Kids grow, wrinkles deepen but friendship stays.

Summer Solstice 2010

First day of summer: yes, the longest day of the year. This is the build-up,boys and girls, from the first day of spring. Notice that we have been getting a little bit more light each day until today, the pinnacle in terms of daylight? After today, less light each day until we're back to the dark, pitch-black 5pm... Boy, what a party pooper I am.

This summer has been slow coming. We got rain through most of Spring. Weather has been mild even in the inlands. Ladies still wear scarves although I can't tell if it's fashion or the cool temperature. People seem to be more subdue, less bounch in their steps... Not sure if it's the poor economy or the cold temperature.

But remember, we only get one shot of summer each year. Make it work! Enjoy what we have today.

Who Speaks Wine III

Un Toast! It's a joy to share a bottle of good wine with those who enjoy and appreciate it.

Cousins came over for our crawfish party on Saturday (5/29/10). My boy cousins enjoy drinking wines -- not that we know anything about them -- so I opened a 1981 French red along with two Californian so we can sample. The old French stole the show of course.

Can't remember how I ended up with it but it has been on the rack for a while. A quick google search revealed nothing. But what the heck, it's a 1981, pretty impressive enough for sake of conversation. Just think I haven't even graduated from high school in 1981. It was a life time ago.

How does it smell? How does it taste? The first pop released Gennie from the bottle after a long 30 years.... The aroma was wonderful but it tasted a little sour and bland at first. Let it breathe, I said, trying to sound like I knew what I was saying. And yes, the flavor did develop later. It became fuller and more layered. Like all good things, it takes time... Heck! how would you feel after being cooped up for almost 30 years?

Of course, we did the woos and ahhs as usual.

Talk about woos and ahhs... I have this bias about California wine. Somehow it has more wows and the ahhs than any other wines. To me, California wine is exciting and powerful from the first pop. (Is that speaking wine?) Who has time to wait it out???

Regardless where the wine is from, the important thing is sharing the moment with the ones you cherish. That's what it counts. Cheers to all!

Goodwill Hunting - II

AWESOME FINDS EVERYWHERE! The strange thing is I always find exactly what I'm looking for.

Perk Perk Away. I love coffee percolators. The sound of coffee perking along with coffee aroma building up are what we wake up to in the mornings. Do you know that coffee percolators are very sturdy appliances? Our house has probably only gone through two since my teenage years. The one we have now is almost 10 years old. Although it still perks away, I have been thinking of buying another one as a backup - JUST IN CASE. I figure I'll wait for the 20% off Bed and Beyond coupon. But, HA! Guess what I found last weekend? Yes, a almost brand new shiny percolator for $12.99 and it was still in its original box. Best of all: made in the USA! A hand written date on the warranty card showed that this baby was originally purchased in 1996. Wow, history too!

Look at Me!! As I happily toted the percolator around the store, I spotted another neato thing that RK has been looking for. A compact meat slicer in a box that looked like from the late 80s or early 90s. RK and I gave it a good look over: hmmm... dirty for sure, but all parts there... the blade still sharp... made in Germany, and most importantly, YES, it still works!! For $5.99, what's there to lose?

So both of us got our toys for the week. I cleaned up my percolator and it was beautiful. RK's meat slicer looked perfectly brand new after a good wash and it worked flawlessly.

Yes, Goodwill is a good place for treasure hunting. You find all sorts of stuff. How about a brand new Le Creuset Square Grill Pan for $9.99??? I just saw one in the store the other day for $90.00. I'm still scratching my head why a brand new top of the line cookware would be tucked away in bunch of old pots and pans. But, who is complaining?

Happy hunting, people!

A Chunk of 2010 is Gone

Ugh!  Can't believe it's April 30th.  1/3 of 2010 will soon be history.  Where did the time go?  Seems like everyone I know agrees that time flies and no one can explain why or how.

What's memorable in the first 1/3 of the year?  Rain.  It seems that it is has been raining forever.  Not  heavy rain but enough to keep the umbrella at hand -- since November 2009.  Oh well, we do need the water, so really can't complain.  But, for God sake, it's spring.  Why do we still have our coats, hats, scarves and boots?

It's has been fairely quiet.  All things considered, it's not a bad thing at all.  Let's keep it this way.

Goodwill Hunting

RK and I love checking out thrift shops on weekends - Goodwill in particular because they are quite a few around.

I like browsing in Goodwill because everything in the store has a story to tell. Whether it is a piece of clothing or a pair of shoes, you wonder whom have them belonged to... Were they worn to parties? To work? To school? What happened to their owners? Sometime I see a set of nice silverwares and can't help but to wonder what meals did they serve? Was happy time had by all?

Cool stuff can be found all over, you just have to have good eyes to spot them among the clutter and the dust. Remember the almost brand new all-clad frying pan I found in the pile of old pots and pans? I wondered if the person who tried frying egg in that all-clad pan has ever become good at it. That must have been an expensive experience...

It's a fun game of matching. Different things found in different stores on different days work perfectly together. Check out my tea cup set and the tray. How about the espresso maker and the milk frother? Just perfect!

Look at some of the other stuff I have found. Aren't they pretty? Most importantly, I'm giving them new stories to tell.

I found Riedel wine glasses in two different Goodwill stores. One set I got for $1.99/each and another for $2.99/each. The cool looking wine opener was brand new in a box tucked away in the back of one Goodwill. It was from Finland and it took me a while to figure out how to operate. It's much better than the Rabbit Ear. I swear!

This french press was in a box with two double layer coffee mugs. One shattered and the only perfect. I took them home and they live happily ever after.

I almost screamed when I saw this cake holder on one visit. I have been looking for one but I wasn't about to pay $25 for it at Williams-Sonoma. I got it for $2.99 and it was in perfect condition. Can't understand why people would throw it away? Don't they need it for cakes, muffins, cookies, bread.... Hello??

Found my beautiful enameled corianders at two different Goodwll. With good cleaning, they were as good as new.
How about my Japanese coffee cup and saucers? One and only!

Go goodwill hunting once in a while. Open your eyes and your heart and you will discover.

Simple Pleasure

Eggs, sugar and milk. Combine them and you get FLAN, a crowd pleaser.

I have a no-fail recipe for flan. OK... I did have to practice caramelizing the sugar and perfecting the baking time... As long as you have the 3 magic ingredients, you can make this awesome yummy dessert any time.

I posted some pictures of the flan I made last night on Facebook and it was a hit. Instead of me making it for everyone, I'll share the recipe with you (yes, you who read my blog).

Flan (Caramelized Custard)

• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
• 8-9 custard cups
• Caramelize sugar by melting 1/2 cup sugar in a sauce pan. (you will need to practice this step. You may end up burning it in the beginning.)
• Spoon into center of the custard cups
• Whisk 2 egg yolks and 3 whole eggs
• Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/8 tsp salt
• Slowly pour in 3 cups hot milk and 2 tsp vanilla (make sure the milk is not super hot or you may end up scrambling the eggs)
• Divide it evenly among the custard cups (you may want to use a fine sieve to catch the foam and solids)
• Fill a roasting pan with 1 to 2 inch water
• Place custard cups in the pan (Check water level. It should cover half way up the cups)
• Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until custard is set
• Take out from pan and let cool
• Cover and chill
• To serve: Run a toothpick around the rim to loosen the custard; place a plate over cup and invert.

Voila! You have FLAN. Enjoy, people. :)

My Knights in Shiny Armour

WHO ARE THEM? My cars of course. They were the ones who took me everywhere and protected me from the rough conditions outside. They took me to work everyday and patiently waited for me to get back to them.

Coming of Driving Age. Got my license at 16 and hogged Dad's brand new Plymouth station wagon like it was mine. I wrecked it of course like most young new drivers. Dad was a good sport. He didn't scream when he saw his smashed car. He just calmly told me that "It's too late when you say OOPS." You know, it really hit home and I still remember his words.

My First Knight: a white 1984 Mercury Lynx. I got it all by myself. A basic entry-level car that had manual window cranks, no AC and no clock. In our earlier years, RK and I didn't get to see each other much, but he would loop by to where I parked when he had a chance to leave a love note on my windshield. I still have the notes.

My Second Knight: a black 1987 Merkur XR4Ti. A what? Yap, not a lot of people knew about it. It was a Ford car that was made in Germany. It was a nice turbo charged car that could really run. It was love at first sight. I took the Lynx to the dealer for service and I ended up trading it for the Merkur the same day. Dad and Mom couldn't believe it. Out the door with a white car and back with a black one. I had the Merkur for a good 10 years. It was good to me. I was very happy that I sold it to a person who was specifically looking for a Merkur XR4Ti believe it or not. The guy was from Germany and he had owned couple of this car in different colors. He said he had been looking for a black XR4Ti in the U.S. but had a hard time finding one. Fate would have it that he found mine by searching "black Merkur XR4Ti" on Yahoo (this was back when Yahoo had a free posting space like craigslist) on the first day of the post. He bought the car the same day. Wow!

My Third Knight: a black1996 BMW 318IS. When I finally decided to get another car, RK and I had discussed whether I should get a cheaper new car or a better used car for the same price. I got my little beemer in 1998. So it was used, but you couldn't tell. It only had 10,000 miles and it was in storage for 12 out of the first 24 months so it was in mint condition. I knew it was mine because its license plate number was 3STW361. See my initials??? Wasn't that cool? The beemer was with me for another 10 years and it never disappointed me.

My Current Knight: a black 2007 Jeep Wrangler. I already told the story of my childhood dream of driving a Jeep so I won't repeat. Check out my blog post from April 2009 for this little guy's story. So far, I'm loving it. The Merkur had power-everything, a clock but no cup holders. The beemer had power-everything, a cup holder but no CD player. The Jeep has everything and it will be with me for another 10 years.

So, here you have it, story of my knights. You like it? Notice that all but my first car was black? It's a pain washing car though because I can't get it to look shiny black. But, no fears, RK is a good car washer. I'm a lucky girl!

I'm glad that I took the time to write about my cars because they are part of my life. Couldn't image life without them. THANK YOU, MY KNIGHTS!!

Who Speaks "Wine" - Part II

CHEERS TO ME. I decided to try a white wine that was on my wine rack for a while. A 2005 Summerland Bien Nacido Vineyard, Block U, Chardonnay. Thinking that it's already 5 years old, I better drink up and make room for new wine. So, bottom up!

It was a refreshing white with lots of fruitiness to it. It was a little unimpressive when I first tried it yesterday. Of course I WOULD NOT have drunk the whole bottle by myself in one night so half was saved for today. After some airing, the flavor really popped and it became a very easy wine that perked up all senses. Very fragrant with a good tropical fruit note - almost like pineapple if I must say. A hint of honey and went down smoothly. I polished the remaining bottle as I was cooking dinner.

After dinner, I decided to check out the official rating of this wine. NOW, WHY DIDN'T I THOUGHT OF DOING THAT FIRST??? What do you mean it was a $30 bottle of wine? UGH!! I wouldn't have drunk it all by my lonesome self if I knew it was that expensive!! What a waste! And the main thing is, IT'S OUT OF STOCK NOW!!! There were only 900 cases produced. Boy, if I have just checked it out first, I would have saved it for my wine drinking buddies. Sorry guys.... Hiccups!

For you who may be interested, here's one official review but for a 2004 Chardonnay. But, heck, check out the wine talk anyway...

"SUMMERLAND WINERY 2004 Chardonnay, Bien Nacido Vineyard (Block U) Shows soft and pleasant aromas of honeysuckle, apple and pear, along with a dusting of talcum powder/baby powder (and I mean that in a good, soothing way). Baked apple and pear flavors are built on a moderately structured frame and are in sync with its weight in the mouth. It’s not a big, boisterous Chardonnay but it was not meant to be, all the better to pair with a wider variety of food. The ripe fruit does a slow fade on the back palate, leaving a very harmonious impression." (http://www.summerlandwine.com/)

I still can't figure out how in the world did these experts come up with these descriptions (talcum powder??), but YES it was as good as it was said!! Enjoy, people, if you can find it!!