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!!

Got Sushi

Chef in the House. Robert, Brian and I put a sushi party together last Saturday, 2/6/10, at my house. It was quite entertaining. Not only we had a real sushi chef (Brian), we even had all the right stuff from plates, bowls, condiments, torch to a sushi bar. Yes, Robert and Brian set up a console table with a granite top that was just right for making sushi.

Dad's friends happened to be visiting and they were invited to stay for dinner. They were pretty impressed with how efficient we were in setting up the kitchen and putting the mini sushi bar together. They realized we really meant business when Brian put on his black head chef jacket and James and I in white. Yes, we were Brian's sous chefs for the night.

Everyone knew how to execute; even Carli played a darn good baby waitress. Mom, Dad and their friends had a great time. Brian was happy that his sushi was greatly appreciated. Everyone else all got to eat and play. The real restaurant part was when a tip jar was passed around.

Over 200 pictures were taken. I trimmed down to 85 and made a photo essay of our evening. Here goes. View full screen at 720p for HD. Thanks a million, Brian!