How Many Ways Can I Eat? Let Me Count the Ways

I, like most folks, always have some same-old same-old stuff in the fridge drawers.  Raise your hands if you always have these:

• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes

Me!  Me!

So just how many ways can you use them in cooking without getting bored eating them?  Here are three easy ones for me.  Healthy, good looking, and I am able to use up what's in the fridge (then go get some more).

Hot Pot - Do shabu-shabu everything in boiling broth

 Steamed Veggies - Perfect with ponzu dipping sauce

Udon Casserole - the secret is to smear miso on the side of the dish

Give it a try.  You don't need a recipe.  I am sure there are many more ways to use up these ingredients too.  Experiment and have fun.  I sure did.

A Sad Day at the Doggy Park

I witnessed a sad event at the doggy park today. One minute, a beautiful bouncy golden retriever was happily playing catch with his owner; the next minute, he had a heart attack/seizure and collapsed.  His dad and two other dog people got down and started performing CPR on him. The rest of us just stood there feeling useless.

The scene was heartbreaking.  Three people frantically trying to save a beautiful dog. We were all hoping that the dog would start breathing.  He never did.  In matter of minutes, he was gone.  His dad was in shock.  He sat there staring at his dog and he kept saying that it wasn't supposed to be like this... The rest of us stood around them speechless.  We went through a short but traumatic event together.  We all shared the pain because it could have been one of our dogs.

The doggies seemed to sense that something was wrong as they all came over to check out the dog.  I told Dexter and Victor to step back and they did.

The owner had to carry the dog to his car.  He picked him up and started walking.  He had this dazed look.  It was a very long walk.  I walked with him in silence.  He said he still could not process this whole thing just yet.  He wanted to cry but he was still trying to catch up with all his emotions.  Seeing him carrying his lifeless dog just broke my heart.  I was having a hard time processing what I just witnessed too.  It seemed so unreal.  They were playing catch.  That was all.

Dexter and Victor stayed close to me as we walked the owner and his dog to the parking lot.  Victor kept sniffing the doggy. He didn't like him being carried and not moving.

As we went back to our car, Dexter and Victor walked along side me as always. I felt very sorry and sad that the other owner had to carry his dog out of the park instead.

RIP, little buddy.  Your dad said at least you died while doing something you like.

Happy 49th To Me!

When I hit the big 50 last year, I told myself that I may not be that young anymore but I'm not that old either.  So, charge ahead Suts, there is still so much ahead of you.

A year later, I am actually feeling younger and more energetic than my younger self.  I think it is because I live up to my motto that I will live everyday to the fullest.  I may not have the resources to do a lot of the stuff that I want to do, but I do my best with the stuff that I can do.  So a round of applause for me please!!!

Thank you!  Thank you very much!

As I turn 51 today, I've decided that I am actually going to be 49.  Why not?  Age is just a number representing the physical time that we exist on this earth.  How we feel and how we live should not be bounded by this number.  So, there is nothing wrong being younger if I feel younger (and I'm going to be 48 next year).

Am I Benjamin-Buttoning?  In a way yes, but I am not looking to live my physical life in reverse -- I don't want to play with new kids if I go back to kindergarten  -- I just believe that our mind, spirit, soul, thoughts and feelings can be as young as we want it to be.  And, if we do a good job maintaining our physical health, heck, we may really be a Benjamin Button (that would be quite scary I think).

I have learned: Be true to yourself.  Be content.  Be happy.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Dad's Memoir

Dad's autobiography - his first book ever - was finally printed.  It took him over seven years to write but it's finally done.

Dad started writing his memoir after mom's stroke in 2007.  He has stayed home to be with her 24/7  from day one.  Up to this day, he is still by her side day in and day out.  There are times that he has to go out for appointments and meetings  but he would always come home as soon as he could because he doesn't want to leave mom alone.

Dad started writing because he wanted to document his life and his life with mom (which is more than 4/5 of their lives) and to leave something for the kids to treasure.  So he started writing from his childhood, to his struggle while growing up, meeting mom, building their family, moving to the US, starting a new life and telling all about it.

And he wrote and wrote.  Dad's book is over 50,000 words and over 500 pages with precious photos from their childhoods and our childhoods.  Yes, he had a lot to talk about.  Some sad, some happy, some very down times and some very proud moments.

Not everyone's father is a writer.  My dad sure is not.  His writing may not be very professional but he wrote with his heart.  The book is dedicated to mom, who has stood by him through thick and thin.

Dad and mom endured peaks and valleys in all these years but they never lost the courage to plow through all obstacles.  Just when we thought that they were ready to enjoy their retirement, mom suffered a life changing stroke.  But this is life, and we will take it as it comes.

So Dad wrote from his heart.  We are so proud of Dad and his determination to finish this book.

Congratulations Dad.  You just prove to us again that as long as you put your heart in it, you can accomplish anything.

Something about my parents:

• Both in their 70s now.  Mom is three years younger than Dad.
• They have been married for 51 years (52 comes December 9, 2014)
• They were engaged for 3 years before getting married
• They were together for 7-8 years before getting engaged
• Together, they have 3 kids, 2 daughter in-laws and 4 grand kids

Hello 韭菜盒子 (Chive Pockets), We Meet Again!

The first attempt I tried making  韭菜盒子 (Chive Pockets) was back in 2008.  It was a noble try but nothing to get excited about.

Checkout how I did the first time: Chive Pockets

Now that I have a better handle on FLOUR, I thought I would give it another try.  Can you believe that I am now experimenting northern Chinese food (steamed buns, pork buns, etc...)??  I'm not even from the North!!  OK, that's a story for another time.

Lessons Learned from my second attempt last night:

#1 - Follow the recipe.  Yes, flour is not your friend if you don't follow its rules!!  I learned that I need to use the right water temperature.  Cold, lukewarm or hot.  It depends on what you want to make.  For chive pockets, you need a temperature of between 65°C - 70°C (or 149°F - 158°F.  Yap.  Good luck with that).

#2 - Knead the dough.  I know! I know! And I'm pretty good at kneading dough now.  I know I need to knead that baby until smooth and elastic - just like breads!

#3 - More chive please.

#4 - Cook the ground pork first.  This was a big discovery for me.  I used uncooked pork filling the first time and it took forever to cook through.  I ended up cooking the chive pockets as if they were pot stickers.  And the result was GIANT pot stickers with dried hard skin.  The correct way is to gently brown all sides of the chive pockets and cover the pot for couple of minutes to heat through.  That's it.  So point #5 from my first try is a bad one.  Chive pockets are not pot stickers!!

So, here's the result of my second attempt.   Much better yes?  I now need to work on shaping the pockets so they stand up like little purses.