New cutting board

I needed a new cutting board and got this one:

It is made of end grain acacia wood, which is supposedly a sustainable wood. I chose an end grain board because I read that it doesn't dull knives as quickly and it is sort of "self healing." This is because when you slice down, the blade goes between the fibers of the board, I guess it is like slicing into a bundle of skewers or something. Anyway, I have used it for a couple of days now and I am loving it! I have yet to see a knife mark on it and slicing on it is very smooth. After every use, I wash it with warm, soapy water. Then I dry it with a towel and apply a wood cream, which is just a combination of mineral oil and beeswax. The cream helps to keep moisture from seeping into the wood and also deepens the color and makes it look prettier. In any case, I am hoping this board will last me longer than my old plastic one did.

Wow, some people definitely put in effort to be nice!

http://helenair.com/news/local/state-and-regional/return-of-helps-restore-christmas-spirit-for-billings-woman/article_d8e5f4fe-254f-11e1-9d66-0019bb2963f4.html

RIM in trouble?

For a while now, people are saying RIM, the maker of blackberry devices, is in trouble. Many companies still use them though they are increasingly also offering iphones and android devices to their employees. Many people carry both a blackberry and another mobile device. Always, there have been rumors that RIM will make a come-back and retake the business market for mobile devices.

However, with the memory of the global outage still fresh in my mind, I'm now reading that analysts no longer think RIM will ever bounce back. Certainly this is not news. It is just a reminder of how troubled RIM is and how management does not seem to be responding to their imminent demise.

Personally, I am not a fan of the blackberry. It is not an attractive device and it is not fun to use. The style and shape of the blackberry has pretty much stayed very recognizably blackberry since it first came out in the market. I find its look unattractive. Then again, most people don't get a blackberry for its looks. So let's talk about functionality.

First of all, I find the touch trackpad response to be clunky. If I move my thumb across it, sometimes it will not respond and sometimes, it responds too fast. I've tried changing the sensitivity settings, but see no improvement. Contrast that to the iPhone touch screen and the blackberry trackpad just doesn't measure up.

Then there are the Options and Settings areas. In the iPhone, there is just Settings and the options per setting are simple enough. In the Blackberry, such things are divided between two sections: Options and Settings. Within Options and Settings, you are presented with a myriad of choices to play with. Pressing the Menu button also affords you more Options and Settings. So if you want to remember how you set something or changed something, you probably can't remember until you've played around with the device a bit. This makes setting up or troubleshooting the device a pain because you have to spend time figuring things out. Of course, you can say the blackberry gives you greater control whereas the iPhone doesn't, but the truth is, the iPhone doesn't because it doesn't need to.

Which leads me to my next point. The blackberry doesn't always work like it should when it comes to Enterprise Activation. I can't tell you how many countless hours I've spent trying to wrangle through issues with Enterprise Activation. It's not every device that has issues, but there are enough to make mobile technicians want to pull their hair out at times. Personally, I find it unintuitive to figure out how to get the subfolders to populate. At first, I couldn't figure it out so I wiped and re-activated the device, which failed. So I had to remove and re-add my account to BES and then redo the wipe and re-activation. Someone then showed me how to populate the subfolders. However, I have no historical emails and no calendar events now. I did some internet research and tried forcing the service books to be resent and also forced a slow sync. Nothing helped. Looks like there is nothing for it but another re-activation, which I am waiting to do. At least I'm getting my emails. Again, with the iPhone, there were no problems. Setup was extremely simple and easy and quick. Folders, calendars and tasks populated without problems or tinkering from my part. So if Apple can make it so easy, why can't RIM?

Internet browsing also sucks on the blackberry. I've tried to look up stuff or to go websites on the browser and will often get a connection error. I don't know if this is a carrier issue, but when I switch to iPhone, no problems - the page comes up right away!

Please note that I don't do anything on the blackberry aside from checking my emails, looking at my calendar and looking at my tasks - all for work only! I don't download apps or add personal emails accounts. When I use the web function, it is to use online tools that I need to access for work. Even if I were to stay away from the web function, at its most basic, I at least need it to work for my emails, calendar and tasks. What is the point of carrying it around if it doesn't help me do my job while on the go? Why would I want to carry this thing when I can just carry my iPhone which can do everything the blackberry can do but more and better?

The whole idea of the blackberry, for me, was to separate work from home. My iPhone is for home and the blackberry is for work. If only the blackberry works like it should...

Christian Bale in movie about Rape of Nanking

First of all, I'm not sure why a Caucasian person is in a movie primarily about Asians unless they wanted to ensure its box office success by using a well-known actor. In any case, I'm not going to bash a movie I haven't seen just because there's a white dude in there. I only heard about this film through this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/world/asia/christian-bale-attacked-by-chinese-guards.html?hp

Apparently Christian Bale, the star of the movie, got roughed up by Chinese guards when the actor tried to visit a civil rights lawyer under house arrest. It is ironic that Christian Bale was in China to promote a movie about atrocities against Chinese people and yet China is offering a wonderfully current example of its own atrocities against Chinese people.

In any case, I take personal issue with the section in the article that said that some critics think the film demonizes the Japanese. I find this as insensitive and offensive as someone saying that a holocaust film demonizes the Nazis. I'm not saying that all Japanese are demons just as people don't say all Germans are demons, but the people who committed the most horrific acts against humanity in China cannot EVER be overly demonized! If you look at the old photos of the bodies, the mass graves, the people buried alive the stories of the "comfort women," you will find that they look and sound eerily similar to photos and stories from the Holocaust. The difference? Nanking is in Asia and Japan is on good terms with the West and there are still a sh*tload of Chinese people. Oh and also Japan has NEVER formally apologized for what happened. In fact, many Japanese deny the atrocities even happened, despite the fact that they are CLEARLY documented in photos, letters, pamphlets, memoirs and confessions. In fact, Japanese Prime Ministers still pay regular homage to their WWII dead at this shrine that includes war criminals that committed acts against humanity in China. China always speaks out when the Prime Minister does this, but no one else in the world cares.

Three hundred thousand people were massacred in Nanking alone. Six million Chinese were killed by the Japanese in World War II. Yeah, there are a lot of us, so extermination was a pretty tall order, but I'll be damned if it didn't seem like the Japanese army gave it their best shot! It is not coincidence that Japanese war crimes against the Chinese during WWII is often compared to the Holocaust in Europe. Yet the West seem hell-bent on letting the Japanese off the hook on this one. It's not fair, the sense of apathy from anyone who is not Chinese is horrific. It is as if all those people who died meant nothing.

I'm not saying the China doesn't have its problems and there are lots of things that I think China sucks for. However, if China becoming a world power gets Japan to officially apologize and stop paying homage to the war criminals, that will be one good that came out of it.

So in light of what I wrote, yeah, it is INFURIATING when Westerner or Japanese person thinks China is "demonizing" the Japanese during the Rape of Nanking because you know what? That's the kind of sh*t they did and ya'll need to f*ckin' deal with it.

First Thanksgiving

This post comes a bit late, but this year, we hosted our first Thanksgiving at our house and I'd like to put down some thoughts on it. We had 11 people total to feed and cooked most of the food ourselves. Overall, I think we did fairly well. It was a bit grueling in terms of effort before and after. Cleanup was just as exhausting as the prep work. In retrospect, I definitely would have done some things differently.

For one, I would not have made so much cranberry sauce. In fact, I think I could have skipped it entirely and nobody would really miss it. Most people took a tiny dollop for the sake of having something that is a traditional Thanksgiving food, and not a spoonful more. Maybe next year, I'll just make half a bag and use the other half for something else, like cranberry infused vodka or something.

Second, I would definitely try to do more beforehand. For instance, cranberry sauce is usually served at room temperature. I could make it days beforehand and let it warm up to room temperature on the day of. For the mashed potatoes, I could boil the potatoes days ahead and warm it up in the microwave with some cream and butter before putting them through a ricer. I could also put the stuffing together the day before and just slide into the oven when it's time to bake.

Third, I am rethinking the fresh versus frozen turkey debate. We had a bit of a tough time with our frozen turkey because it took longer to defrost than we thought it would. The cavity of the turkey was still frozen when we unwrapped it in preparation for brining. We ended up having to rewrap the turkey and defrosting it the rest of the way in cold water, which was a pain the butt and I hated doing it. Even though we had a small bird by turkey standards, it felt heavy and awkward handling the thing. If we had gotten a fresh turkey, all we had to do was brine and roast - no worrying about defrosting it. On the other hand, a frozen turkey is cheaper and now that we've learned a few things about defrosting, I'm sure if we get another one, we'll handle it better. I guess we'll have to see how things are next year.

Lastly, I would make one pumpkin pie instead of two and some kind of easy salad dressing instead of onion dip. As good as the onion dip was, having made it from scratch, the crowd we had just wasn't into it. I guess they're more health conscious than hubby and I. As for the pie, I made two pies thinking one wasn't enough for a crowd of 11. What I didn't factor in was the fact that everyone was too stuffed to eat dessert by the end. Most people who ate pie, only had a sliver of a slice and no more. I admit to feeling like some of the effort was wasted on the pie considering I made it fresh from a sugar pumpkin. The onion dip, which was barely touched, and the pie were what kept me up till 4am the day of Thanksgiving. I feel like I sacrificed precious sleep time for nothing. Why do this again if it's not going to be appreciated? Next year, no more onion dip and only one pie. As much as I like entertaining, I don't want to kill myself doing it!

There is still hope for humanity after all

http://www.kpax.com/news/mystery-shopper-provides-miracle-on-brooks-street/#!prettyPhoto/0/

What an awesome boss!

http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/mother-of-3-findsway-to-get-by_2011-11-19.html

Gift-giving spiders

Very interesting article about the mating habits of spiders:
http://news.yahoo.com/8-legged-sex-trick-spiders-worthless-gifts-play-114807706.html

Banks ramping up fees

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/business/banks-quietly-ramp-up-consumer-fees.html?hp

The article above mentions how banks need to "recoup" income that they are no longer getting and need try to wrangle 20 to 30 bux per depositer to "recoup" their "losses." Honestly, I think this is easily solved by cutting the salaries of their top execs.

First airline to be fined for tarmac delays

To be honest, I don't think the amount of the fine is enough. Just shy of a million as punishment for keeping more than 15 flights on the tarmac for more than 3 hours, affecting over 600 passengers. Well, at least the airline got fined at all.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/14/news/companies/american_eagle_fine/

Vodka tampons

I came across this and thought it can't be true...
http://www.kpho.com/story/15981315/teens-using-vodka-tampons-to-get-drunk

I mean, I don't know of anybody that has ever felt the need to get drunk that bad.

A few of my favorite things...

I have made many purchases in my life, but a very small number of them are things that I truly love and appreciate. These days, I find myself gravitating toward things that are versatile and can be used in more than one situation or function. Below is a partial list of a few of my favorite things:

Storage ottomans. Not only do they make our couch more comfortable to sit on, they also store our miscellaneous items and my work-in-progress projects. Put a tray on top and they can also be used in place of a coffee table.

Toaster oven: For just the two of us, using the full sized oven is an overkill and a waste of energy. I use my toaster oven extensively as a toaster as well as a mini-oven. It's great for browning bagels, baking small batches of cookies and cupcakes and especially nice for warming up leftovers and individual casseroles. It is one of our most-used items in the kitchen.

ScottEVest trench coat. Another favorite item is my new trench coat from www.scottevest.com. First of all, it is not a "fashion" trench because it actually is waterproof and functional. I've always found it annoying that so many women's trench coats only look like a trench coat but doesn't do anything that functions like a trench coat. It's a pet peeve of mine how utterly useless women's clothing tend to be compared to men's clothes. I mean, how hard is it to add pockets to a circle skirt or dress? How hard is it to add inside pockets to a coat or jacket? All men's clothing have nice, easily accessible pockets so why not women's? Which is why my new trench coat is soooooo great! It has 18 pockets! That's right, 18 pockets! It may not be the most stylish of trench coats, but it's absolutely functional. A couple of things to note, however. It does get weird bumps and angles when you put stuff in the pockets. The iPad pocket, for instance, does not keep you looking sleek if you put an actual iPad in there. The camera pocket will give you a slight bump in your midriff. It also makes you look bulky and deformed if you stuff all 18 pockets. In an experiment, I did stuff all 18 pockets and was carrying a camera, umbrella, 2 folded up shopping bags, sunglasses, wallet, 2 sets of keys, phone, pen, ipad, ipad stylus, pad of paper, pocket tissues, card case, lipstick and lotion. Even if it was a magical coat and didn't end up looking bulky and misshapen, it weighed a LOT! Despite the fact that I had to pare down the amount of things I carry in this coat, it is the most useful coat I own. The features that I love best in this coat are the headphone wiring system, the fact that it's waterproof, the very deep front pockets, a stretchy key fob attached to the inside of one pocket so you can access your keys really fast, and the fact that my entire life is no longer concentrated in one bag when I go out. This is now my every day coat!

Convertible clothing. I love clothes that can be worn many different ways. My first taste of a convertible dress was when I bought one at a street fair. It is made from old saris and it is basically two long rectangles of silk cloth attached at the waistband. You can see an example of what I'm talking about here:
http://www.magicwrapskirts.com/Magic_Wrap_Skirts_Home.html
Another great convertible dress is the one-seam convertible dress:
http://rowena.typepad.com/rostitchery/infinity-dress.html
I have made this dress myself, and I am planning to make another with some modifications. I believe you can also buy versions of this from Victoria's Secret.
Other than the above, DKNY now also sells a convertible sweater. See videos of the different ways you can wear it here:
http://www.dkny.com/press/ways-to-wear-a-cozy-videos/
If you're into making your own convertible sweaters/wraps, you can head to Stitch Diva Studios and download the pattern for the Endless Cardi in crochet or knit.
The key to most of these convertible clothing is lightweight material such as silk. Creating folds, wraps and knots can become bulky unless you have a fabric that is very light, sturdy and airy. As much as I am trying to stay away from silk, I must admit that there is nothing out there like real silk. Hence, the reason why so many convertible clothing are made from silk.

iPhone.. This is an expensive item, but in my estimation, well worth the cost! Ever since I got one, it has never left my side. I use it to work from home, check email, browse the web and play games. I also use it as an e-reader and I read books and magazines off it. I even carry it with me to the kitchen to use the cookbook application I installed on it. I've been inputting my recipes into the application and cooking off my phone. At work, it keeps track of my appointments and my to-do lists. I use it for many things and whatever it can't do out of the box, there is probably an app for it in the app store. Even without all the apps, the fact that I use it extensively every day to text hubby or listen to music makes it a worthwhile investment.

So that's a short list of things that I am currently in love with. I find myself, these days, often battling with myself in regards to purchases. There are many things that I want, but don't need. There are also probably many things I could get rid of, but find it hard to let go. Such is life - a constant work in progress!

Sodastream

Hubby loves his ginger ale. He's cut down on his consumption of ginger ale, but he's never been able to kick it completely. He's given up on giving it up and consigned himself to a life of occasional indulgence in ginger ale.

In an effort to cut down on costs and to make things healthier, I've made ginger beer, or homemade ginger ale a couple of times. Although the ginger beer came out really great, it took time, effort and it just wasn't as fizzy as hubby likes it. Perhaps it would be fizzier if I had used champagne yeast, but oh well. Because of the effort and time involved in making ginger beer, I rarely made it.

Then one day, we were shopping at a mall and ran into the SodaStream soda maker! The demo lady showed us how it works and we got to try out their lemon-lime sample. Hubby and I discussed buying it and a decision to bring one home was made. We decided to bring one home for the following reasons:

- It will cut down on the amount of waste we generate.
- If we make our own syrups, we get to control the ingredients
- It will cut down on the amount of money we spend on "sugar water"

Once home, we tried it out immediately. It tasted like it has artificial sugar in it. Hubby at first thought it was due to the carbonation, but after reading up on this online, it looks like I was right. SodaStream uses Splenda to sweeten even their non-diet syrups. Since I don't particularly like the taste of artificial sweeteners and since I've resigned myself to the fact that soda is just not a health drink, I think I'll opt for making my own syrups.

It should be easy enough. I'm thinking it's probably nothing more than a flavored simple syrup. For homemade ginger ale using SodaStream, I'm planning to boil a whole lot of ginger in some sugar and water and boil it down until it has a syrupy consistency. Basically making a ginger flavored supersaturated solution. Anyways, I also found a site that lists some old-fashioned soda syrup recipes:
http://www.homemade-dessert-recipes.com/soda-fountain-recipes.html
Should be interesting and fun to go trying out the different flavors one could make!

Kid saves Christmas for one family

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/16003653/7-year-old-saves-christmas

Just another bit of proof that the cost of food is rising

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/inflation/story/2011-11-10/Thanksgiving-dinner-preparation-costs/51152650/1

This is so massively screwed up

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-threatens-massive-venting-of-super-greenhouse-gases-in-attempt-to-extort-billions-as-unfccc-meeting-approaches-2011-11-08

If you need some reassurance that humanity still has some goodness

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/11/04/ns-fire-rescue-dartmouth.html

Tomato sauce

For most of my life, tomato sauce was made for me, either from a jar or at a restaurant. As much as liked what I got from a jar, it wasn't really great. So I end up making the jar sauce more exciting by adding sauteed mushrooms, soy sauce, peppers and whatnot. At restaurants, I often find their tomato sauce either too acidic or just bland. So for most of my life, tomato sauce makes and easy dinner, but not a very exciting one.

Then one day, I ran out of store-bought sauce. I had a big can of peeled tomatoes so I thought, maybe I should just try making my own? I wanted to keep things as simple as possible and the ingredients list as short as possible. So I diced an onion, minced a couple of cloves are garlic and sauteed them in some butter. Yes, butter is fatty, but butter also makes the sauce taste smoother and less acidic, which is what I'm afraid of. Anyways, after the onion and garlic have cooked for a few minutes, I pour in the can of tomatoes. You can get the can with crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes. Using whole tomatoes requires a bit more work, but not much. Anyways, once the sauce has cooked a bit, if you're using whole tomatoes, just start mashing them to bits with your spoon. This is great if you like your sauce chunky. If you like your sauce super smooth, you can run the sauce through a blender or use an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook until you get the desired consistency. I will confess now that I also seasoned with soy sauce to taste. I know it's weird, but I kind of like it that way.

After having made this, I can never go back to store-bought sauce without turning my nose up at it! It was SO good! It was packed full of bright, fresh tomato flavor without being too acidic. Hubby loved it too and we both kept eating more and more of it until it was gone. Hubby likes a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan on top, which is also really good, but certainly isn't necessary. So if you've never tried making your own tomato sauce before, I highly recommend it!

Living efficiently

Right now, my goal is to settle into an efficient lifestyle and routine. That means refraining from impulse buys, minimizing waste and being all-around frugal. Of course, this is easier said than done.

I have found that ever since we have moved into our cozy little house, I am more and more tempted to shop for the house. I feel the urge to accessorize it the way I accessorize myself with bags and jewelry. There are a number of things that we don't really need, but would be nice to have. For instance, I would like to get a new bamboo hamper, but we already have a hamper left to us by the previous owners. The old hamper is a perfectly serviceable hamper, but I keep thinking a nice bamboo one would just be so much nicer! Other desirable, but unnecessary items include a vanity organizer, a wine cabinet, extra flatware, serving platters, a big vase, an accent table, etc.. The good news is that I haven't indulged too much yet.

I try to ask myself a few things before I buy. The first question is, do I really need it? Often the answer is no because everything we need to use to live comfortably in the house, we already have. However, in a recent scenario, we had to buy a sump pump for our basement. Although it was something we wouldn't use often, it was definitely needed. So the second question is, if I get it, how often will I use it/enjoy it? Asking this question puts the hamper above serving platters or extra flatware because it would be something we'd use every day. This doesn't negate the fact that we already have a hamper and getting another one would be rather frivolous. So the third question is, do I have anything that can serve the same purpose? For instance, I want to get a vanity organizer, but I already have my combs toiletries placed in random glass cups on my night table. In a way, I already have a makeshift organizer so really, I could just save myself the money and not get a vanity organizer. On the other hand, there's that very last question, how bad do I want it? Another form of this question is, if I don't get it, will it haunt me? To be very honest, I am haunted by the stuff I want because I am being haunted by "the hungry ghost." The being with a huge stomach and tiny neck and is always hungry and never feels like enough is enough.

At the crux of all these questions that I ask myself before I purchase anything is, is it worth it to spend the money? At this point, I haven't bought too many of my desired items. I am thinking that in time, when I realize I still haven't bought these items and the house is still a great place to live, I won't want them anymore. Desire and consumerism is a tantalizing duo, but I think I'd rather not break the bank indulging in my consumerist impulses. Hmm... I guess we'll see. :-)

Minimalism

On and off, I get fascinated with the minimalist lifestyle. Minimalism, in my opinion, is the reflex action against a consumerist and materialistic culture. It has become a trend featured in newspapers, magazines and blogs. The idea is to de-clutter your life to the bare essentials and to resist acquiring new things that you don't actually need.

For instance, this blogger here:
http://www.missminimalist.com/
is an example of someone who advocates a clutter-free life. She recommends a bare 10 pieces of clothing as your "core" wardrobe, which is reminiscent of:
http://consumerist.com/2010/07/woman-wears-6-items-of-clothing-for-a-month----nobody-notices.html
http://www.thegreatamericanappareldiet.com/
and trying to pare down the number of items you own down to 100, like this one:
http://guynameddave.com/100-thing-challenge/

Now some of the goals in these challenges seem a bit extreme to me. I'm not sure I can actually pare down my wardrobe to 10 core items and the total number of things I own down to 100. However, I do love the look of minimalism. If you peek into the bathroom of a minimalist, there is almost nothing sitting on top of the sink or tub. Everything looks so clean and airy. In truth, I enjoy relaxing in a room filled with almost nothing.

So with the minimalist lifestyle in mind, I am going to think about how I want the rooms in my house to look. Everything should have a place and at the end of the day, everything should be put back into its place. It's easier to maintain a clean look and feel if there is less stuff to take care of and move around.

Currently, I think our bathroom has the most minimalist look. Everything is put away neatly and there's a place for the stuff we need for our daily routine. For a while, the bathroom was without a garbage can. The room was so small that no regular trash can would fit anywhere. So I bought a plastic magazine holder, placed it open side up, put a liner in it and voila! bathroom wastebasket problem solved!

The room I'm still struggling to get right is the kitchen. We have a lot of kitchen items. Not only are there pots and pans and lids and utensils, there are also lots of stocked food. I'm still trying to find a way to place and organize things that make sense and work well with how I cook and bake. We have a lot of cabinet space, but much of it I can't reach even with the small step stool. So this room will probably take a few or several more different configurations before I settle on one I like.

Of course, in the back of mind is always the question, what can I get rid of? De-cluttering is key to keeping things neat and organized. Like I said earlier, the less things you have, the less you have to worry about and maintain. I would say my hubby is more of a pack rat than I am, so it's more of a struggle for him than me. Still, I'm going to keep trying!

Sweaters for penguins!

Totally, totally CUTE!!

http://animaltracks.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/20/8411051-a-good-yarn-knitters-make-sweaters-for-penguins-after-oil-spill

Furniture

We bought furniture for the new house. Yes, we did! We got rid of most of the old furniture and got new stuff. It was expensive, but at least we don't have any unstable night tables and couches with the stuffing already scratched out in certain places. Having a cat around does mean that I have to resign myself to the fact that our new furniture will probably see some more tear than wear, but so be it. Our cat is worth it!

Anyways, I'm just glad it's done. Going through the process of shopping and buying furniture is a real pain the rear. First of all, there are tons of choices out there and like a kid with too many crayons, I end up freezing like a deer in headlights. What the heck do I want? In the end, I chose convenience over everything else and tried to order as much furniture from one place to be delivered on one day as much as possible. I simply can't be taking multiple days off to get furniture delivered from multiple places on multiple days. It wasn't cheap, but it's done!

Now all that's left are the little pieces such as shelving, place mats, wine racks, etc.. Those are much more manageable and often don't require someone to be at home to sign for the stuff or watch them install and move things. Anyways, obviously if you don't have the money up front (we saved and saved for this), you'll need to buy piece by piece, which is also good because you'll have more time to really figure out what you want and how you want your place to look.

So right now, the house is still a work in progress. It probably will always be a work in progress as I've re-organized the stuff in the kitchen a couple times now and we've only been living there for about two months. The basement is still disorganized and so is the spare bedroom. There's lots to be done, but at least the big deliveries are over with!

Seals find this man to be very cuddly

http://www.wimp.com/sealcuddle/

Sausage, the riot dog!

Interesting article. Cute, excitable dog! Watch the video!
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/06/us-greece-dog-idUSTRE7952LX20111006

Older sister saves younger sister, bus driver saves older sister

How great it is to know that great acts of selfless heroism still exists today:
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/25/anaiah-rucker-9-saves-sister-by-taking-blow-from-oncoming-truc/

Recipe for just two cupcakes

So let's say you've read my mayonnaise and aioli post and tried it out. Now you're probably left with an egg white thinking, ugh, I guess I'll have to make an egg white omelet now. Normally, I'll make a regular omelet and just whisk in the extra egg white, but sometimes, I don't want to eat an omelet. Sometimes, I want cake!

Awesome online recipe to the rescue!
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/03/one-bowl-vanilla-cupcakes-for-two/
This recipe makes enough for just two cupcakes and they are sooooo light, fluffy and vanilla-y. Not only is it yummy and easy to make, it doesn't generate a lot of dishes to clean afterward - always a plus! So anyways, there are a couple of things to note. I use turbinado or raw sugar in place of white sugar. Raw sugar has some molasses in it, which has the effect of creating a more chewy, denser texture than white sugar. I've tried this recipe with both types of sugar and personally, I like the raw sugar version better. Also, the more baking powder you use, the more the cakes will fluff up and rise.

I've made the recipe a few times and each time, hubby and I would scarf them down before they've had time to cool. They're really good and easy, and can be made on a whim with just a little effort. Highly recommend giving this recipe a try!

Aioli

Simply put, aioli is nothing more than garlic mayonnaise. So if desperate, you can try crushing fresh garlic into some store-bought mayonnaise. However, if you want really, really good aioli, or mayonnaise for that matter, you need to make it from scratch.

Making mayonnaise from scratch does a couple of things for you. First, all that whisking will pre-burn away some calories before you ingest it. Second, it just tastes soooo much better than the store-bought stuff! Plus there's the added bonus of making the mayonnaise taste however you want it to by experimenting with different herbs, flavorings and oils.

Most mayonnaise recipes will call for a neutral oil, such as safflower oil. Mayonnaise made with pure olive oil has a very distinctive taste and smell that some people might not like right away. I happen to like olive oil mayonnaise, but most of the time, I prefer to use half olive oil and half neutral oil.

Anyways, a basic mayonnaise recipe starts with on egg yolk. If you have any concerns about eating raw eggs, don't make homemade mayo unless you can get those pasteurized ones in the shells.  Start whisking the yolk and add some dijon mustard (or whatever kind you have, about a half teaspoon), salt, white pepper and a few drops of white vinegar or lemon juice. Keeping whisking and start adding the oil drop by drop. Once the emulsion looks pretty stable, you can increase the flow of oil to a thin, steady stream. Keep whisking until you've whisked in about a cup to 1 and half cup of oil. By the time you're done, your arm is probably ready to fall off. There is an easier way if you have a stick blender, but that takes the work out of making something so fatty and delicious!

Now that you've got the gist of basic mayonnaise down, let's talk aioli. David Lebovitz has an awesome aioli recipe that I've used over and over:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/07/aioli-garlic-mayonnaise-recipe/
I usually make it my little porcelain mortar and pestle and my mother-in-law's awesome home-grown garlic. The store-bought garlic just doesn't have anything on my mother-in-law's garlic! Anyways, you start by crushing a few cloves in your mortar and pestle and grind it into a paste with some coarse sea salt. Then add the yolk and start whisking. Then add about a cup of olive oil while whisking.

If your emulsion breaks, start whisking an egg yolk in a fresh bowl and then slowly add the broken mix, drop by drop, into the new emulsion. Personally, I have not had an emulsion break on me so far (knock on wood) probably because I get so tired from whisking and just can't keep it up. Lol!

Anyways, homemade aioli tastes awesome on zucchini faux crab cakes, whose recipes can be found here:
http://nancyvienneau.com/blog/recipes/those-curious-zucchini-faux-crab-cakes/
http://idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1611
Aioli also tastes great on plain old toast as well. How about next time you make eggs benedict, instead of hollandaise, spread some aioli? Personally, I prefer making aioli over hollandaise because I find making hollandaise even more labor intensive since I have to whisk over a stove.

Anyways, that's my post for today!

Am back!

It's been a while since my last post and that's because I had been busy moving and settling into our new house! Also my workload has increased and between working and settling into a new home, the last thing I wanted to do was post a blog entry. We still have things to do around the house and not everything is put away yet or organized how I like it, but settling in, I think, is more like a constant work in progress. I imagine that there will be lots of little adjustments made as time goes by.

Anyways, things have finally calmed down and we have some semblance of a routine going now as well. We're still adjusting and a bigger place means more to clean, but so far, I think we're managing okay. The cat was surprisingly quick to adjust to her new environment and was out and about within the first day of the move. She's still exploring a bit, but is mostly settled in now.

So far, we love living here. Despite having experienced a mild earthquake and a hurricane that threatened to flood our basement during the first week we were in the house, things have been good. Within blocks of us, is our bank, a decent supermarket and a small green market that opens on Saturday mornings. There are also a variety of restaurants, sizeable drugstores, little mom and pop shops and a beautiful park by the water. I couldn't ask for a more convenient location in a residential neighborhood. As for the house itself, I am totally enjoying the larger kitchen and the laundry room. No more extreme shortage of cabinets and countertop space! No more dreading how laundry will eat up half a day! We also have a front porch we can hang out in and a small back yard we can barbecue in. We don't actually have a grill yet, but I'm sure we'll get one for next year.

So far, we've been really happy in our house. It is certainly a lot more work, but part of loving your home is loving your house and maintaining your home is a way to show love. My mom always said a cluttered home reflected a cluttered mind. Personally, I do feel better when things are neat and tidy and clean. I still need to settle on a cleaning routine that is manageable. Right now, I still feel less than settled in our new home, but I think I'll eventually get there. It just takes a little effort every day.

Garden thieves

Apparently, garden thievery is enough a problem for the NYTimes to write an article on it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/nyregion/community-gardens-find-theft-is-a-fact-of-life.html?pagewanted=1

Patent madness

When I was young, I assumed you only patented things you actually invented. The truth is the practice of patenting things that might be invented by someone else some day somewhere, is what's really happening. There is no way, as long as this madness continues, that this is not going to destroy start-up companies, stifle innovation and suffocate healthy competition.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/26/138576167/when-patents-attack

Daily kitchen cleaner

I love my daily kitchen cleaner. It works much better than the water and washcloth combo I grew up using and it leaves no soapy residue. What is it? It's equal parts vodka and vinegar in a spray bottle! I used it on all my kitchen surfaces and keeps everything nice and clean. Hubby hates it though. I think one time he said the smell makes him gag. I think he just hates the smell of vinegar because he complained about the smell when I used to use it in the shower. Unfortunately for him, vinegar is one of my favorite cleaners!

Still, I suppose I can understand that he doesn't like the smell. I dunno. I am loathe to change the formula since it works so well, but I suppose I can try making the spray mostly vodka with some lemon juice. Hubby will just have to deal with the smell until the spray runs out. Then, if I remember and have some lemon juice on hand, I'll think about trying a different formula.

By the way, don't use this spray on grout because vinegar and lemon is acidic and might eat away the grout.

Hunting for a Home, part 5

So where were we...?

Oh yes, so we got our loan approved and after that, we were just waiting to close. It turns out that the sellers were willing to close at the end of July rather than in early August like we were told originally, which is good news for us because of our arrangement with the bank to lock our rate. Hubby went back to the bank to renegotiate our rate since it went down and all was well. We agreed to let the sellers stay in the house after the closing until early August. So then came the long wait where nothing interesting happened.

Before we knew it, it was one week before the closing and we were waiting for our lawyer to tell us how much money we will need to bring for the closing. Unfortunately, he was waiting for the bank lawyer to tell him. The walk through was scheduled for the morning of the closing at 9am and the closing was to take place in another borough soon after. On the morning of the closing, we still had not received the number from our lawyer, who still had not been able to get the number from the bank lawyer. We were still waiting after the walk through and I must say was getting irritated, anxious and nervous. While we slowly made our way home after the walk through, our lawyer called with the number. We rushed to the bank to get the cashier's check and then rushed to our lawyer's office for the closing. Finding parking made us late, but we got there in the end. Whew!

Once at the office, we had to start signing stacks of paperwork. Our lawyer explained the important points of each stack of paperwork before having us initial and/or sign every page. Everyone there was very friendly and there was nothing contentious or non-standard. It was a pretty simple, straightforward closing and yet, it took 4 hours! That made it so that we were just in time to hit rush hour traffic on the way home and a 35 minute trip took 2 hours!

By the time we got home, we were exhausted. We still went out one more time to pick up boxes for packing and then went out to dinner. The next morning, we were still exhausted, but at least, we are now homeowners!

Interior design

I do not know anything about how to design anything. I can't even say I have much of a personal style. In the end, I just want my home to be functional, efficient, clean and uncluttered. Never in my life have I had so much free reign to decorate a space this big, meaning a house.

So of course the first thing I do is to research for ideas from design blogs and online magazines. I had already been a regular of apartmenttherapy.com and its sister sites, but I was hungry for more ideas. I needed to see more photos of furniture layouts, color combinations, space-saving solutions and so forth! In the past few days, I've become addicted to perusing the photos of houzz.com on my iPad. I even downloaded the app so I can look through the thousands upon thousands of unattainable design photos to see if I can possibly use one scrap of what I like in my own life. I went through a list of shelter magazine sites and blogs, including:
http://decor8blog.com
http://www.designsponge.com/
http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/
http://ifthelampshadefits.blogspot.com/
http://brightbazaar.blogspot.com

I saw many, many unaffordable/unpractical options that I love. I was also completely overwhelmed by all the options and decisions in front of me. Like a kid with too many crayons, I can't pick one! Overall, I get the distinct impression that these magazines favor the houses of millionaires. What I need is practical advice and guidance. What I need is visual inspiration that can be applied to my own personal situation. However, I did find out a little about what I liked and didn't like:
- I am not into the rustic look, particularly if the room begs for an animal head on a wall.
- I don't like modern design. Yes, it's clean and very neat-looking, but it looks hard and unyielding.
- I want my decor to maximize sunlight. The house does get sunlight, but more so on the upper floor where there is a sky light and fewer buildings and trees blocking the windows. I don't mind there being less light in the dining room or kitchen, but I want the living room to be bright.
- I don't like clutter and prefer rooms where things are packed away with only a few display items placed neatly around the room.
- I like things to look either roomy and airy or cozy and intimate.

Some things that I have decided upon:
- Our living room is not very big, which means that we have to keep it on the more intimate and cozy side. In order to maximize what sunlight we do get, I plan to paint the walls either white or white with a blue tint.
- I want to keep our spaces clutter-free. This means throwing things away and also putting things away. So that means providing storage. I love furniture that has hidden storage or does double duty. I really wanted to get a bed with under-bed drawers but it's considered bad feng shui. I think a storage ottoman is okay though.
-We're getting a very modular sectional couch: 2 corners, an armless chair and 2 storage ottomans. I prefer a white or near-white couch, but hubby says it will stain easily so we're getting one that is a bit darker.
- We will hold off on getting a dining set, coffee table and a new bed until we see how everything we currently have fits and whether we will have the funds for it.
- As much as I would like us to get matching desks that are light and bright in color, hubby's preferences for something more solid and heavy-looking won out. So he will get his big, solid desk and I will get something that is more "leggy" and compact.

It's been difficult to plan for a space we're not actually living in yet or have easy access to. It's also difficult trying to find furniture that fits our needs and preferences. We figured a month is enough time to find stuff and fill a space, until we found out the couch we want would take 10 to 12 weeks to deliver. I don't think we want to live without a couch until mid-October since we're moving into the house in late August. Given that, we had to compromise and get an in-stock couch in a color that would be my second choice. Not terrible, really. That's just how some things go.

Removing rust and polishing metal

Need to remove some rust? Rub it with a cut potato!
http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/hot-tip/tip-remove-rust-with-a-potato-108090
I honestly don't know how someone decided to try using a potato to remove rust, but apparently it works!


Need to polish some metal? Make some home-made metal polish!
http://lifehacker.com/5821394/make-your-own-metal-polish-with-salt-vinegar-and-flour

Hunting for a home, part 5

Okay, so when I last left off, our loan application was approved to be underwritten. However, the current owners were having trouble buying the house they wanted to move into. In fact, I think their deal on that fell through. So they asked to push back the closing date, which we were okay with since we're currently renting.

So when we agreed to that, we went to the bank to try to lock in our interest rate in case it rises while we're waiting to close. We had to pay extra for it, but in the long run, it could save us money. So while we're waiting for things to get settled, we learn that the current owners are willing to close a little earlier if we let them stay in the house, rent-free until the original delayed closing date. Again, we accommodated, but now we had to go back to the bank and re-negotiate the rate because the rate went down and our target closing date changed. Hubby was the one that handled all of this. Personally, I have no head for these things.

So anyways, the rate was successfully renegotiated and the bank had to re-review our loan application and accounts and stuff before they can give us the clear to close. Once the bank gives us the clear to close, we can schedule the closing date as a done deal. The whole thing has been a pain the rear so far.

With the tentative closing date coming up and the potential moving date creeping in, we have decided we should start furniture shopping so we can ditch most of the stuff we currently have and move into a house with new stuff. I'm not particularly worried about getting a new desk or a new bed, but I am worried about getting a new couch. Couches can take as long as 6 weeks to deliver and possibly longer for something custom made.Generally, it's a good idea to shop around anyways so we have an idea of what we like and don't like.

Unfortunately, hubby and I don't always see eye to eye on stuff. His aesthetic, in my opinion, leans towards the look of the old-fashioned man's smoking room or den. You know, dark furniture, mahogany desks, navy blue couches and dark drapes. My aesthetic is more towards bright, airy and cool. My hope is to be able to coordinate stuff so all the pieces work together and look good together. Right now, all our furniture is completely mismatched with many needing repair. The placement of the furniture was set before I moved there and there had been no plans to really re-arrange the place and actually think about the look and feel and coordinating stuff.

I'm hoping to have a nicely decorated house. The reality is that decorating and re-decorating requires a serious amount of money. That is, money that we're not going to have once we pay everything off on Closing Day. Well, one step at a time, I guess.

Cake for two

Lately, I've been having serious cravings for dessert. Cookies and candies just didn't cut it. I wanted a cake or pie or something that counts as an actual after-dinner dessert! I thought about baking my favorite vegan chocolate cake, but I didn't want to have to eat a whole cake, or even half a cake!

Fortuitously, as I was struggling with this dilemma, I came across a recipe that bakes just enough cake for 2 people. It's a simple, easy recipe that makes a really light and fluffy cake. It was so good, I made it twice this weekend!

For the recipe, check it out here:
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/03/one-bowl-vanilla-cupcakes-for-two/

My only issue is the use of an egg white rather than the whole egg. I hate having leftover ingredients because then I have to think of something else to make with them before it goes bad. This past weekend, I just mixed the yolk in making some omelets or scrambled eggs.

Anyways, I'm sorry I don't have any photos of my cakes. They were eaten before I remembered I had a camera. The first try, I used buttermilk instead of milk and turbinado sugar. For the second try, I ran out of milk and used half and half and white sugar. I like the first try better. I felt like the flavor and texture was better in the first try. Both tries were yummy and hubby and I ate our cakes while they were still warm. I did not use  cupcake liners or cupcake tins. I lightly oiled and floured 2 small ramekins and baked them in the toaster oven.

I highly recommend this recipe!

Homemade scrubs

Scrubs are actually pretty easy to make. At its simplest, it's just oil with some kind of sanding element like sugar, salt or coffee grinds. From here you can add glycerin, liquid soap, essential oils, powdered oatmeal, cocoa powder and all sorts of stuff. In the end, you want the scrub to slough off some dead skin and leave you feeling soft and clean.

Personally, I find that the plain oil and sugar/salt recipe leaves my hands feeling too oily. I've experimented with adding liquid soap a few times but always hated the resulting smell of mixing soap with oil. Instead, I've been adding baking soda, which has some cleaning properties like soap in it, but doesn't create a weird smell.

I also love using glycerin in my skin recipes. You can get vegetable glycerin at health food/pharmacy stores and online. Glycerin leaves your skin feeling hydrated which helps to keep your skin feeling soft for a while afterward. I use it in all my lotion recipes and it's also a great addition to scrubs.

As for the sanding element, my current favorite is white sugar. Turbinado sugar granules are too big and too rough. Sea salt is also too rough and harsh for me. I have white sugar in the pantry for certain baking recipes that absolutely must use white sugar in order to get the right texture. So hence, I make white sugar scrubs. Probably, I can make the same scrubs using fine salt, but I don't know if we have those. I stopped using the salt with the umbrella girl on it ever since I discovered how much better my food tastes using sea salt.

Anyways, so here is my favorite recipe to date:
1 part vegetable glycerin
1 part sweet almond oil (grapeseed oil will do as well. I like sweet almond oil because it is light and absorbs quickly into the skin)
Sugar (as much as it takes to get the consistency you like)
Generous sprinkling of baking soda

The above recipe happens to be one that I like. The thing about skin care stuff is that everyone has different needs. You should experiment and create a recipe combination that works for you.

Plant theft

A couple of times, on the way to the train station from home, hubby and I noticed parents walking with their kids to school. Seems okay so far, right? What is shocking is that the kids, passing by someone's front garden filled with flowers, was picking the flowers - right in front of the parent! The first time, the parent sees us coming and tells the kid to hurry up and finish picking. The second time, the parent simply didn't even care. I find it shocking that parents condone this. Although this kind of theft is relatively harmless because it is not like money was lost and that the owner needed plants in their front yard, it is still theft. The fact that these parents aren't even teaching their kids right from wrong is even more shocking because you then have to wonder what other instances of right and wrong are they not teaching?

Anyways, here's the article that spurred this post. The comments section is also worth reading.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/stop-thief-dealing-with-stolen-garden-plants-the-gardenist-150171

Cooling necklace

Summer is upon us! In celebration of that, I found a really wonderful craft project that I'd like to try out:

http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2011/06/make-a-cooling-summer-necklace/

Weekend cooking

Last weekend, I spent almost all my time cooking. Actually, the cooking part was easy. Most of my effort was spent on prepping and chopping the vegetables and then washing the dishes repeatedly so I can re-use them. What's so sad about it is that in the end, my arms and hands were so sore, they could barely move and I have little results to show for it.

So what did I make? I made veggie stock, lentil soup, chickpea cutlets and seitan roast. The chickpeas needed to soak for at least 8 hours, but the mashing of them by hand was hard. Also, I am not good with knives and chopping. So dicing all the veggies into tiny cubes was probably not the best on me either. The seitan roast was a crockpot roast, so very little effort there. Honestly, I don't know why I was so incapacitated after a weekend of this. Looking back, I feel like I did very little. There was so much more I wanted to do but didn't get around to it. So anyways, the veggie stock is now frozen, as is most of the chickpea cutlets. The seitan roast and the veggies from the veggie stock will be eaten this week

In retrospect, I could have done things differently and will do so when we move into the house. First of all, I will cut down on veggie chopping by hand and let some machines do some work, like the food processor. For veggie stocks, it shouldn't matter if the food processor processes the veggies too fine since I'll be straining the stuff anyways. I'll also use the food processor for processing the chickpeas to bits. Mashing by hand is hard work! As for the dishes, that's what the dishwasher is for!

This past weekend, I did another big round of cooking. I made my favorite egg and potato salad, cucumber salad, cabbage soup, pita chips, onion dip, deviled eggs and a casserole. My hubby and I polished off the pita chips, onion dip and deviled eggs before the weekend was over. I froze some of the cabbage soup and half the casserole.Even so, I think we have enough food to last us a few days.

These past couple of weekends have left me eating very well and feeling very satisfied. If you'd like to try to make some of the foods I made, here is the list of sources:

- chickpea cutlets - Post Punk Kitchen
http://www.theppk.com/2010/11/doublebatch-chickpea-cutlets/

- lentil soup - Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
http://markbittman.com/7-ways-to-make-lentil-soup

- seitan roast - Vegan Planet
http://veganplanet.blogspot.com/2008/03/slow-cooker-seitan-pot-roast.html

-cabbage soup - Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
Couldn't find it posted online, but it's in the cookbook and the iPad app

- pita chips
Just split the pitas, brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toast in the oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

- onion dip - Alton Brown
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/onion-dip-from-scratch-recipe/index.html

- deviled eggs
Cut hard-boiled eggs in half and scoop out yolks. Mash yolks with prepared horseradish, mayo, salt and pepper. Then pipe or spoon yolk mixture back into egg whites.

- egg and potato salad
Steam cook 2 potatoes, 2 carrots, 2 eggs and dice them along with a fresh, small cucumber, de-seeded. Mix with mayo, white pepper and salt to taste

- cucumber salad
Slice cucumber very thin and toss with salt and vinegar. Let it sit for a couple of hours, then drain. Mix in sour cream. Add mayo and pepper to taste.

- casserole
Saute tomatoes, celery, carrots, mock duck, scallions, garlic and whatever leftover veggies you have until tender and starting to brown. There should be about 2 cups of this. Beat 5 eggs and add lots of grated parmesan cheese. Then mix in the veggies and 2 cups of cooked rice. Put into baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour.

You'll notice a lot of mayo and sour cream being used this past weekend. This is because I really wanted to make onion dip and the egg and potato salad and I ended up with some leftover sour cream and cucumber. So I made a couple of other things to use up these ingredients. Although there is no excuse for the deviled eggs other than the fact that I just wanted to make them for me and my hubby to snack on. Despite all the cooking work, these past couple of weekends have been very enjoyable and I have eaten very well. I do love it when my cooking adventures turn out well!

Hunting for a home, part 4

After the inspection was done and we've decided to move ahead with the purchase, we had to finalize the details of the contract and hand in the earnest money. Once that's done, we had to apply for a loan.

The contract negotiations were, for the most part, handled by our lawyer, who I am very thankful to be working with. As luck would have it, our real estate lawyer is very good. He is not only attentive, but readily available when we or our bank have questions. He proactively negotiated to remove parts of the contract that would have been detrimental to us, which makes me feel like he making his best effort to represent our interests.

Eventually, the contract was finalized and our closing date was set on a date later than we would have liked. It was because of this late closing date that we decided to pay extra to lock in our mortgage rate in case it rises. In any case, we had to bring a mountain of paperwork to the bank mortgage guy to apply for the loan. It went smoothly, but it took a long time.

A while later, we get an email from some other bank dude that does the nitty gritty for bank loans and he informed us that our loan was approved to be underwritten. Yay! Now all we have to do is liquidate some funds so that we can prove we can cover the down payment. So far, so good (knock on wood!)

Hunting for a home, part 3

This part is about the home inspection. Once this part is done, we can either re-negotiate the bid price or go ahead and move forward with the contract. The entire inspection was done in 2 hours and it was quite expensive. However, considering the amount of money the house itself costs, the amount spent on the inspection is negligible.

Anyways, we arrive at the house at the appointed time and the inspector is already there waiting. He meets us out front and we chat while waiting for the real estate agent. The sellers are out, but their nanny is home with the kids and they planned to head out into the city once the inspection starts. So basically, we're all waiting for the real estate agent to let us in and put everything in order. The inspector eventually got impatient and then irritated as we waited and waited, so he started the inspection of the exterior of the house and whatever we could see from the outside perimeter. It's an old house and it's clear that maintenance work has been kept up with over the years.

As we were chatting about the back of the house (we still couldn't enter the premises, so we were chatting about what we could see over the back gate) the real estate agent arrived. She was about 30 minutes late, never introduced herself, made any apologies nor any excuses as to why she was late. When she finally did let us into the house and the nanny left with the kids, she spent most of our time there screaming on the phone using the most mean and rude language. She was so loud and nasty on the phone, that we were hearing her in the basement and the inspector made a comment that she has "some mouth" on her. As we continued the inspection of the basement, it was clear that she was screaming on the phone making actual business calls. I don't understand how anyone can do business with her.

Anyway, the inspection itself was pleasant. The inspector was thorough and explained what things may need work soon and often would include approximate cost of the work. We walked away with the overall impression that the house is in decent shape and has been lovingly maintained by the family living there. There are, however, some important concerns.

For me, the first major concern is the likely presence of lead-based paint. Most of the interior of the house has been painted over several times so whatever lead-based paint there was has been covered up. However, there is evidence of some peeling paint and hollow areas where the old paint has separated from the walls, increasing the risk of lead dust coming out and contaminating the rest of the house. The previous owners never got the house inspected for lead, so they can't tell us much about the risk other than that all the old paint has been painted over at least a couple of time. We will have to get the house inspected for lead and start taking action to get rid of it. Lead abatement via contractor is very expensive and I think for us, would cost at least $30,000. The other option is to do it ourselves. It sounds risky, but I think it can be done since there are tips on what precautions to take on nyc.gov.

In any case, for some reason, hubby is not as concerned with lead abatement as I am. The idea of lead dust getting into me or my future baby really makes me nervous and uncomfortable and just really, really unhappy. Hubby has promised to help remove the lead once we've gotten the house. I just hope it gets done sooner than later.

Softening Brown sugar

Recently, I needed to use some brown sugar to make chocolate covered matzoh. I knew I had some in the cabinet, and I also knew it was probably rock hard by now. It's been months since I last used any of it and sure enough when I found the sugar, it was unyielding and hard. I took a rolling pin and started banging at it until enough chunks came loose to get approximately what I needed.

Today, I came upon some tips on how to keep your brown sugar soft. Common tips suggest putting a slice of bread or slices of apples with your brown sugar and it should soften in a day or two. My favorite suggestion is to use an unglazed piece of terracotta or clay pot. Soak the piece for 10 minutes, wipe it so it's not dripping wet and place it in an airtight container with the brown sugar. I like this method because the clay piece won't rot and is reusable.

However, if you need to soften brown sugar right away and can't wait a day or two, you can place your brown sugar in a covered bowl with a wet paper towel or cloth and microwave it for about 20 seconds or so. I wish I had known of this trick earlier when I needed to make chocolate-covered matzoh, which came out delicious, by the way.

Anyways, the chocolate matzoh recipe I used is from here:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2006/04/caramelized-mat-1/

Enjoy!

Hunting for a home, part 2

So in this part of the saga, I will relate the story of renewing that prequal letter from our bank. It is a story with twists and turns with emotional ups and downs. Our troubles that began here may yet haunt us later, but as there is nothing we can do about it, not sure what we can do to mitigate it. Anyways, we begin the story with us contacting the bank to renew our prequal letter.

Our bank guy is a very nice man and when hubby called him to tell him we've found a place we would like to make a bid on but our prequal letter has just expired, he set forth to expediently send us a renewed prequal letter. It should be no big deal, in our minds, because we were able get one just 3 months earlier. Boy were we wrong!

I get home and hubby calls me to tell me that we can't get a prequal letter because they can't get his credit score. Not that the score was low or anything, just that they can't find it or get it. We came home and tried to obtain it ourselves, but it wasn't available for us either. Hubby tried calling the credit agencies, who were nothing but nasty and unhelpful saying things like, "I can see your score, it's right here in front of me. If you can't get to it, that's not our problem." He called a mortgage broker who advised putting him on my credit cards and going shopping. We got some advice from a credit repair person that our bank guy happened to know, but we didn't need credit repair.

We were very confused and got no real answers, just speculation and things to try. At this point, we figured there was no way we were getting the house. Now, our first priority was getting the credit stuff fixed. As per the mortgage broker's advice, I put my hubby on all my cards and when they came, we went shopping. After a big day of shopping, we came home and found a prequal letter from the bank sitting in our mailbox. Now, we were thoroughly confused.

Hubby calls the bank and the guy we were dealing with was also confused. He says he tried to run our numbers through the program a few times to get us a prequal letter but there was no indication to him that any of them went through but apparently one attempt did. In any case, he didn't say we couldn't use it. Before sending this unexpected letter to the listing agent, hubby goes online to check for his score. Maybe the shopping worked?

It did! There it was, sitting on the screen! Still, we had no idea what happened to make it go away or if the shopping was what brought it back. Still nervous that this could happen again when we apply for a loan, we sent the prequal letter to the agent and contacted our real estate lawyer.

The sellers agreed to sell us the house at our bid price and sent over the bid contract for our lawyer to fill out. The lawyer told us we needed to get the house inspection done before we can move forward. Hubby's boss recommended an inspector and an appointment was made. Thus ends the prequal letter chapter and begins the house inspection chapter!

iPad 2

When the first iPad came out, my hubby was excited. He wanted one, and for a whole year we joked about getting him one but never did. It was too expensive and we had enough electronics to keep us occupied. Still, I must admit that it had definite appeal. We didn't get one because I just couldn't justify buying something so expensive when we really didn't need it. As far as I could tell, it would have been mostly a toy. I never considered getting one myself because I figured I'm pretty happy without one and really don't need one. So, as we were still in recovery from wedding and Christmas expenses, we never seriously considered getting an iPad.

Then the iPad 2 came out. Again my hubby was drooling and dreaming. Our finances were looking healthier, but it was still too expensive. My attitude had not changed towards it either. It was still nothing more than a really, super expensive toy. I just could not justify spending this much money all at once on something that seemed so frivolous to me.

Then my coworker caved and bought an iPad 2. He brought it to work and every so often, would run over to me and our boss and excitedly show us something it could do. That was when I really fell in love with it. Financial conservatism be damned! I want one! I really, really wanted one!

After checking our accounts and calculating that hubby and I could, indeed afford one each if we remained frugal for the rest of the year, I decided to take the plunge. I went to hubby and said, "Let's go get them!" Hubby first looked at me a bit incredulously. After all, I'd been saying no to a lot of frivolous spending for a good loooong time. He didn't hesitate long, however, before looking up the locations of Apple stores we can check out.

So we went to the Apple store that day and made our purchase. For a few days, I was embarrassed that we had caved and tried to hide the device or refrain from telling anyone what we had done. It was like a dirty secret and I was ashamed. Eventually, I realized it was silly to be acting this way and hid it no longer. What a wonderful feeling it was to be able to talk about the iPad with other iPad owners! We haven't been iPad 2 owners for long, but here are my impressions so far:

- They're purty!
- Love the multitasking feature!
- Lotsa games look great on them and some are free
- I downloaded a free finance app and have been tracking our expenses there. So far, it's been good to have
- It's also an e-reader, which is great because getting new books doesn't take up actual space in our apartment!
- Unlike the iPhone, you can actually type on the touch keyboard, which is perfect for emailing
- Google Maps is a hundred times better on the iPad than on my very old iPhone
- It has made me impatient and frustrated when using my out-dated iPhone
- My recipe application is so much easier to read off the iPad. No more squinting at my iPhone to find out what the next step or ingredient is in a recipe
- Web browsing on the iPad is better than it ever was on my iPhone
- Did I mention the games?
- Am thinking of getting a stylus to use with a sketch/note-taking app so I can draw/write directly onto my iPad. Saves paper!
- You can actually remote into a desktop PC and do work while away from work, which is only handy if you're a workaholic
- You can show people your photos and they'll look nice on the screen!

That's all I have so far. There's lots more that can be done. It's all about downloading/using the right app. So really, yes it's a toy, but it's not just a toy. It can be a personal organizer, a video blogging device, an e-reader, note-taker, task manager, GPS, research tool, music player, video player and so more all at once. Cool, right?

Watering your plants

I have a black thumb. Every plant I have ever tried to keep alive has somehow died at my hands. Currently, I am struggling to keep alive two little moss terrariums at my desk and a little mini bamboo stalk at home.

One of the big mistakes I repeatedly make is either over-watering or forgetting to water my plants. I over-watered my moss terrariums and they've started turning yellow. I forgot to water my bamboo and the leaves started to dry up and fall off. Going forward, I can either shore up my memory buckets and find a better way figure out my watering schedule per plant, or set up reminders somewhere.

The other option is to set up a kind of hands-off irrigation operation. I found some really cool ways to water your plants without having to remember to check on them every day:

http://tipnut.com/garden-irrigation/
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/07/how_to_create_a_simple_housepl.html
http://radmegan.blogspot.com/2011/02/coke-bottle-watering-globes.html

The buried clay pot method outlined in the first link seems good for outdoor gardens and the other two sound like they would be good for houseplants. Currently, I don't have an outdoor garden nor do I have any glass bottles I can use as a watering globe. The cotton wicking method is appealing to me though. I could definitely try that with my bamboo.

DOT issues new rules to airlines

Sometimes, you read the news and you think this world sucks and is going down the drain. Then there are times when a sliver of light shines through and makes you go, "Yes!" Today, I saw a sliver of light in this article:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/04/20/passenger.rights/?hpt=Sbin

Air travel has become, in many ways, a punishing experience with little or no sympathy offered from the airlines or their staff. I understand that grumpy, grouchy people are difficult to deal with, but people are grumpy and grouchy because the airlines are trying to treat them like farm animals on a factory farm. Where's the human kindness, the empathy and compassion? How can airlines pretend to be non-evil if they think it's okay to leave passengers on a tarmac for over 2 hours without food, water, working bathrooms or medical attention? The fact that an official regulation is needed to force airlines to treat us with basic human decency is pretty outrageous.

Hunting for a home, part 1

So late last year, my hubby and I started house-hunting. We really didn't know what we were doing and got lots of advice from different people, many of which conflicted. The running theme of everyone's experiences was that buying real estate in NYC sucks.

We started hunting late last year and then stopped because the market was totally dead during the winter. Throughout the fall and winter we were hoping to buy a condo next door that had gone up for sale. The couple that owned the condo was getting a divorce and supposedly, selling the condo was part of their settlement. The condo was big enough for a family just starting out and it was sunny. In the end, I think a big reason we both really liked it was because we didn't want to leave the neighborhood we already lived in. Moving next door would mean we stay in our comfort zone and the move itself would be more convenient.

In any case, we made our first bid 10 percent below asking price. According to the selling agent, it was a terribly lowball bid and the sellers were very unhappy and wanted to throw our offer away and wait for another one. The agent claims that she talked them into making a counteroffer by explaining to them that we're negotiating and this is how it's done. So they moved their price lower by almost nothing percentage-wise, which in turn irritated us. Hubby really wanted to move quickly and buy the place. He was willing to offer them the asking price if need be. I originally was very excited, but as time passed, I became less enthusiastic about the place and after each interaction with the selling agent, the less I wanted to negotiate with them. Anyways, so our next number was much higher to show that we were willing to move. They moved almost nothing again. Seeing as they have no had any other bids, I convinced hubby to wait a month before making our next bid. If there was no competition, they either had to sell to us at the price we're offering or not sell at all. I thought it was unreasonable of them to expect that someone would just walk in and immediately buy the place at their asking price. The selling agent conveyed that despite the fact that the couple had only moved their number lower by almost nothing, percentage-wise, they were pissed because they felt like we were trying to get them to sell for "way below market value." It seemed to me that they were pissed all the time and were pissed at us a lot because they had no other offer and didn't like ours. Anyways, we made our last and final bid and our number was again much higher than the previous number. We don't hear a reply for a long time and when the selling agent finally called us back, it turns out that they decided not to sell it.

The story, as far as we can glean from the selling agent, was that the husband wanted to sell it but the wife didn't. So despite all the fighting between me and my hubby on the negotiation process, it was possible the wife put it on the market to please the husband, but never intended to follow through with a sale. The selling agent hinted at them fighting a great deal throughout the process and often mentioned how the husband would be angry at how low our number was no matter how high we moved it. This made me angry because I felt like if they wanted the asking price, they should have just said from the start, "no negotiation" or something to that effect instead of throwing a temper tantrum every time we gave a new number that wasn't their asking price. I was unhappy with the couple because I really felt like they jerked us around and that we really had no chance of getting the place.

Meanwhile, the condo upstairs also went on sale for a much higher price, which was immediately reduced a week later by a sizable amount. We considered briefly buying the upstairs one, but the charm of possibly living in the building next door has been mostly lost. The one we bid on was pulled from the market, probably because the wife was more than happy to keep the place, and the one above is still trying to sell, even at the reduced price.

So then I found a small house a little farther away from Manhattan. Yes, the commute would have been longer, but the neighborhood, I think, is nicer and the schools are better. Plus, it's a small house! It's not a condo where you have to worry about how your exercise routine might irritate the neighbors downstairs. You don't have to worry about your building-mates messing up the common areas or have stuff on their terrace overhang and block the view on your terrace. Of course, having a house also means you have to do your own snow removal and all the maintenance. Still, it would be nice to have a house.

So anyways, we went to see this house and although I rather liked it, my hubby was only okay with it. He said there was too little living room and too much dining room. Also, there was no back yard, which I didn't really like. The good thing was that it came with a much-coveted garage. Parking is a real pain in NYC. Overall, it was a pretty nice house. The agent that showed us around sounded like she thought we'd be in pretty decent standing since I mentioned we were already prequalified. She said that the owner had previously accepted an offer but it fell through when the buyer could not secure a loan. In the end, we decided not to bid on this house.

A few days later, another house came on the market. This house had everything we were looking for. Apparently, it appealed to many others as well because when we went to see it 4 days after it was listed, 3 or 4 other prospective buyers had already seen it and there were more viewings scheduled after us. There was definitely a lot of excitement around this house! After checking out the place, we fell in love with it. It had a back yard, a garage, a front porch and a furnished basement. It's a small, modest house, only 2 blocks away from the subway station and a block way from a decently sized supermarket. The schools are good and the area is quiet.

Considering all the interest in the house, we were worried about getting into a bidding war, but decided that we'll try for it and if we don't get there, there is bound to be another house in NYC for us. When hubby called the agent to make a bid, it turns out that there was already a bid on the house. Hubby made a competing bid for slightly higher, promising at least 20% down payment and mentioned we were prequalified. Apparently, the agent said that puts us in better standing because the other bid wasn't going to put as much down and did not have a prequal letter. He asked us to send him our prequal letter, but unfortunately for us, it had just expired.

So  we sent in our old one and started the process of renewing it. This led us to a great deal of misery, excitement and confusion. I think I'll leave that part of the saga for my next post on hunting for a home.

The slow road towards change in diet

I do believe that certain things are bad for you to eat. Things like processed food, fast food and frozen food, for instance, are known to have lots of sugar, salt, preservatives and things that just aren't good for your health. Over the years, I have made a conscious effort to eat healthier. Many of my efforts didn't last but there are a few things that have stuck.

One of the things that stuck is giving up soda. Soda no longer has any hold on me. I never crave it, even if it is sitting in front of me in a vain effort to tempt me. I'll drink it if it's there and there is nothing else to drink, but I don't generally enjoy soda. So even after a taste of its fizzy sweetness, reminding me of how I loved savoring its cold, bursting bubbles on my tongue as a child, I don't have the urge to have more. I just don't miss it and when I do have it, I don't enjoy it all that much.

The same goes for candy. I don't mean chocolate because I consider chocolate to be its own food group. I mean gum, hard candy, gummy candies, licorice candies and the like. We have some in the house, but I almost never indulge. If I do pop one in the mouth, it's usually not because I really wanted it or craved it. I can't even say, when I do have one in my mouth, that I really enjoy it anymore either. I loved candy as a child and I still generally like candy, but I don't really care to have it. I might pop a lemonhead for the sake of nostalgia, but to buy a box would be a waste because I would never finish it.

Fast food was a bit more difficult to give up. I remember when I stopped going to McDonald's and really didn't miss it until 3 months later. At the 3 month mark, I had serious cravings for McDonald's food. I tried to resist but eventually did give in and bought a Big Mac. After the very first bite, I realized that McDonald's will never be able to satisfy my burger cravings ever again. For you see I had, by then, experienced some really awesome, juicy, heavy, flavorful burgers partnered with fresh vegetables and homemade buns. Fast food burgers just taste like flavorless cardboard after that. I still liked the "special sauce" but it was no longer worth it to me to buy a burger just for the sauce. The fries, on the other hand, are a different story.

Yes, I still eat lots of fries. I don't eat much fast food fries since I pretty much never go to fast food restaurants anymore, but I still love fries at restaurants. I know they're really bad for you. I console myself by saying that I don't eat them every day, but I sure do love 'em!

Fries are not my only weakness and I have given up on eating other foods that are considered bad for you. Today, I try to maintain a vegetarian lifestyle, which has been hard at times. The truth is, it's been a long road to get to this point. My relationship to food is partly tied to my relationship to my body image. It is also a psychological relationship. When I am stressed or unhappy, I often crave "naughty" foods because it makes me feel like I'm being decadent. I guess in order to consistently choose the healthier or principled option, I have to keep reminding myself why I should choose to eat the way I do. Every time we are faced with a choice to eat this or that is a juncture in the road. At the moment, one choice does not make much of a difference, but if you look at the long view, you see that all those choices add up to a very distinct direction. For me, vegetarianism feels right and I plan to continue down that path.

Buttermilk with juice

I recently discovered that I like drinking cultured buttermilk. The rich, tangy flavor will often hit a spot that no other drink can hit. However, it's a rather thick drink and I can't have more than a few sips at a time. Sometimes, I also want to jazz it up a bit.

Enter fruit juice! I may have mentioned before that, but before, I only added just a little bit of juice. Last night, I mixed 1/3 Welch's white grape juice (very sweet stuff!) to 2/3 culture buttermilk, and it was delicious! The grape juice is super sweet and the buttermilk is thick and tangy. Mixing them together yields a sweet and tangy, gulp-able substance to delight in. I love it!

Spice rack

In our household, we have a lot of spices. They're a great way to add flavor to anything without adding tons of salt and butter. I use them extensively in my leftover veggies soups and I love making my own chai. Recently, I bought a small jar of a spice blend by Sugar Mountain Herbs in Sugarloaf, upstate NY. It was called butter herbs because the recommended use was to mix it with butter to make the butter more flavorful without adding salt. It was heavenly! I enjoy using it in cream cheese, soups, omelets and a whole variety of savory foods. Anyways, with all the cooking and baking projects, we have a lot of spices.

Storing spices in a way that keeps them out of the way, yet easily reachable has been  a bit of a dilemma. I have never been a fan of those turntable shelves and I am too lazy to spend time and effort to install a magnetic spice organizer. I just want to be able to buy a spice and put it somewhere.

That's why I was very happy to see the Spice Stack Rack:
http://www.stacksandstacks.com/super-spicestack?id=175&sku=18558

If you look closely at the picture, you can even label what spices are in each drawer. I actually really like this organizer but it looks like it's made of plastic, which makes me wonder about its durability. Anyways, we have no need for it now. We're hoping to move soon and I am keeping an eye out for things we could use to better organize our new home.

What a week of food costs

I found a neat link that showcases families around the world with how much they pay for a week's worth of food and how much food they get. Each family is shown in a photo with their week's worth of groceries displayed in front.

http://www.ireallylikefood.com/744873689/culture-shock-the-rising-cost-of-food/?ref=xn

Rising price of food

This year, food prices are going up. You may have already noticed that you are getting less food for the same money. The cheapest foods are still the most unhealthy, such as soda, chips and Spam. That continues to leave the lowest income earners with fewer healthy choices. It's not a pretty picture and there appears to be no sign that food prices will be going back down anytime soon.

The truth is, as much as I hate to see rising food prices, I think this is actually good for me personally. I eat too much and have gained quite a bit of weight these past few years. If food prices go up and I end up eating less, then I'll end up losing some this excess weight. Not necessarily a bad thing since I'm not starving, just dieting. Lol!

Aside from that, rising food prices are bad. It's particularly bleak for people who are barely able to afford food in the first place. As the situation worsens, food riots will occur. Until extreme weather stops destroying our food crops all over the world, I'm not seeing food prices going back down. Like I said before, it's not a pretty picture.

Mushroom mug

This is the COOLEST, BESTEST mug EVER!
http://www.japanesegiftmarket.com/Decole-MushroomMug.aspx

Food containers

I can't get enough of hunting for a good food container. The obsession started with the whole BPA craze, when people wanted to stop using plastic. So originally, I purchased containers to replace our plastic ones. As I explored and purchased more containers, I realized that I enjoyed using my new containers much more than I ever did with plastic containers. Sure, plastic is less breakable and lighter, but there is just something satisfying about putting food in a glass or ceramic or metal jar. The solidness and weight of my containers make me feel sure that I have a quality, long-lasting item in my home. Also, I have no more problems with staining and pocking when storing tomato sauce!

My very first non-plastic container obsession were the glass containers from Anchor Hocking:
http://www.anchorhocking.com/prodd_4963_cat_300_bake_n_store_2_cup.html
I liked them because they came with glass lids, so there was no plastic or plastic coating touching my food. I also liked them because they are oven and freezer safe. I really wanted to be able to freeze foods without plastic. Unfortunately, my Anchor Hocking containers were not airtight, which means the food would get freezer burn in the freezer.

Then I went on the hunt for non-plastic, airtight containers because freezer burn is caused by dehydration and exposure to air. In my search, I came across Sanctus Mundo:
http://www.greendepot.com/greendepot/product.asp?prod_name=Watertight+Food+Storage+Containers&pf_id=SANCTUSSTEELRND&dept_id=4800&s_id=0&
Sanctus Mundo containers are made of stainless steel and currently, the rims of the metal lids are lined with silicone to make them airtight. The ones I bought years ago were lined with rubber, which eventually dries out and doesn't last as long as silicone. Although silicone is not natural, I'm willing to use it if it lasts a really long time. The Sanctus Mundo containers are probably my most oft used containers. Not only do I used them to store food at home, I also use them to bring lunch to work. Because they are airtight, I never have to worry about food liquids leaking into my bag. Thus far, they have been extremely durable, standing up to my carelessly rough treatment without so much as a dent to show for it. They are freezer safe and supposedly, they (without the lids) can be used on the stove and in the oven. I've never used them on a stove or oven, but I might try that one day. Still it would be nice if they were also microwaveable.

So my next obsession pointed back to glass containers. This time, I fell in love with Pyrex:
http://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-12-Piece-Glass-Serve-Store/dp/B002PEVOR2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1300373585&sr=8-4
Actually, I've always loved Pyrex, but the particular set I fell in love with came with both plastic and glass lids. Like the Anchor Hocking containers, they are freezer and oven safe. Also like the Anchor Hocking containers, they are not airtight. What I like about the the Pyrex set I got is the price, size and shape. They are also not as heavy as the Anchor Hocking containers. Lately, I've been reaching for my Pyrex containers a lot to bake desserts, roast garlic and store leftovers.

However, I still need a good freezer container. The only freezer safe, airtight containers I have are Sanctus Mundo containers. Unfortunately, I only have a few and they are already in use ferrying my lunches to and from work. That means I have to get more. Luckily, I found out that there is a store called The Green Depot in the Village that sells them. I haven't tried them out in the freezer yet, but rest assured, it is on my list of things to try!

In the end, my favorite food containers are my Pyrex set with the plastic and glass lids, and the Sanctus Mundo containers. Currently, I'm considering obtaining some hermetically sealed glass containers, but I'm not sure if I'll get them yet. I have a good amount of food containers now and I feel like I should stay away from getting more until I figure out exactly what my current needs are. It's hard not to get all excited when I hear a rave review about a food container. I just love that stuff!

Vegetarian dumplings

I love dumplings. I can't tell you how much other than to say that I believe my life would be poorer if I have never had a dumpling. One my most cherished memories was when I was 4 or 5, watching my mother make dumplings. Back then, she would make her own skins and it was mesmerizing to watch her hands work with the rolling pin and dough. Nowadays, she usually goes for the pre-made, store-bought skins, which can also be quite good. After all, as long as the skins are serviceable, the flavor is in the filling. My mom makes really delicious pork dumplings. When I lived at home, we would sit together in the kitchen and chat while we filled dumplings. Unfortunately, I'm trying to eat more like a vegetarian these days so pork fillings for my own dumplings are not ideal.

In my search for a good vegetarian dumpling, I've had some really bad ones. Most of the store-bought ones I've had fall apart when boiled, which actually angers me a little when I see it. To me, it's a sign of a poorly made and poorly sealed dumpling skin. The vegetable dumplings at restaurants are usually much better, but they always seem rather anemic. Restaurant dumplings tend to be more skin and less filling, and the fillings are generally not very hearty. Maybe this is because my mom always made ginormous dumplings and super-sized wontons. Anyways, I decided to make my own vegetarian dumpling fillings.

I combined leftover seitan (Mark Bittman's recipe) with softened mung bean vermicelli (chinese vermicelli or glass noodles), scallions, reconstituted dried mushrooms, eggs, sesame oil, soy sauce and corn starch. The seitan and mushrooms were supposed to give it a hearty, meaty flavor and texture. The problem with chopped up seitan and mushrooms is that they don't have the sticky elasticity of meat. So adding the egg and corn starch helps to bind the filling together. I may consider adding bread crumbs in the future to add to the effect of the eggs. I don't have any measurements handy since I eyeballed everything.

Once everything was chopped up (I used a food processor) and mixed together, I put the mixture in front of the TV along with store-bought skins, a bowl of water and an empty plate. While watching TV, I spooned the mixture onto the skins, dipped my finger in water and traced the edge of the skin to wet it. Then I sealed the dumpling and placed it on the plate. Don't stack dumplings on top of each other. Make one layer and put in the freezer. Once they're frozen through, you can toss them into a bag and they won't stick together. There are many ways to seal a dumpling. The simplest is to fold the skin in half and press. There are fancier ways of doing it, but I won't go into that here. Just make sure you're pressing as much air out as you're sealing. Lots of air in a dumpling can cause it to fall apart when boiled.

To boil dumplings, boil some water and drop them in. Turn the heat down to medium and wait for the water to boil again. When cooking meat dumplings, it is important to make sure the dumplings are cooked thoroughly, so once it's boiling again, add some more cold water to the pot. Wait for the pot to boil again and repeat with the cold water. Add water 3 times to be safe. I probably don't have to be this careful with veggie dumplings but I do it anyways out of habit. Cooked dumplings should float and look slightly wrinkly.

To pan fry dumplings, heat up a thin layer of oil in a pan. Place dumplings in the oil and let it fry for about a minute or so, then add some water. Don't drown the dumplings. Add enough that all the dumpling bottoms are boiling in a layer of water. Cover the pan and let it steam cook. I think for meat dumplings, it needs to steam cook for about 20 minutes. Add more water if the water boils away. If you added a little too much water, it's okay. Just keep boiling until the water boils away. Once the water boils away, uncover the pot and let fry for another minute or two. That last bit of frying is to get the bottoms crispy. The dumplings shouldn't stick too much to a well-seasoned wok or cast iron pan, but don't be surprised if some sticking occurs. They're not called potstickers in chinese for nothing!

Putting the initial effort into making a large batch of dumplings is totally worth it. Once frozen, they keep for many months and there's no need to defrost them to boil or pan-fry them. Having a stash of frozen dumplings means you'll always have an easy meal at your fingertips for those days when the most cooking you want to do is boil water. A well seasoned dumpling doesn't even require dipping sauce, but if you really want to, you can make an easy dipping sauce with vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil. The main ingredient is really the vinegar so I always pour the vinegar first and then add the soy sauce. Add enough soy sauce to get it to the salt level you like, then add a tiny bit of sesame oil. Sesame oil is very powerful, so use sparingly. There are lots of dipping sauce recipes online, but the one I just outlined is the one I grew up with.

In conclusion, I can say that this mix of ingredients for veggie dumplings was pretty successful. I enjoyed eating these more than many other dumplings. I am also glad to say that the hubby enjoyed them too! It's not quite where I'd like it to be yet so there will probably be an updated version of this in the future.