Filed under: Food
The same night of our cooking party, Jeff also taught us to make buckeyes. But the better version of buckeye… meaning they’re made of peanut butter and chocolate!
Huge smiley face insert [HERE]
The trick to this one is having a tempering machine. The unfortunate part is that tempering machines are ridiculously expensive! You can easily drop a thousand bucks for the darn thing. You can add wax to the chocolate though, to help solidify it, but the idea of consuming wax kinda weirds me out. I know, I know…I’m sure I consume worse things, but whoever said “ignorance is bliss” was very, very wise.
Filed under: Food
Mmm….Homemade German pretzels. My friend, Jeff, is a cook-a-holic and when he posted on Facebook a photo of freshly-baked, perfectly-formed, mouth-watering pretzels, I made it pretty clear that I wanted a cooking lesson – and soon! One night, Jeff came through on his promise, and we had a cooking party. Nico was there too (well, come on…who do you think is *really* going to be making the pretzels?) and Julia. And being that she’s full-blown German, accent and everything, it only added to the authenticity ;)
The recipe is fool-proof but the trick is lye – a chemical that, if swallowed, CALL poison control. And it’s recommended to wear goggles and protective clothing while handling it. Seriously, who came up with this? Was a German chemist making pretzels and at the same time experimenting in his basement, and then lo-and-behold accidentally discovered the trick to perfectly browning them? So weird… But so delicious.
Jeff hooked me up with some lye, so Nico and I could start making them ourselves. The same day I got the lye we made pretzels, and they turned out so well! But after posting a photo to Facebook, I got myself in a bit of trouble. Too many requests to bring samples to class! It resulted in some very disappointed classmates the next day. Oops….
I’ll just have to co-host a pretzel-making party with Jeff – and soon!
Filed under: Life
I really love the Lan Su Chinese Gardens in downtown Portland. It’s peaceful, beautiful, and its authenticity brings me back to my Hong Kong roots. This month Lan Su celebrates its ten-year anniversary with ten free days of admission, of which Nico and I took full advantage of! Meander through the gardens, admire the architecture, listen to the nature, look for the fish under the bridge, and drop by the teahouse. It’s a visit bound to enlighten your senses!
Filed under: Misc.
After completing Stacey and Adam’s stockings, I was on a roll. I focused that energy toward doing one more stocking in time for Christmas. Not to mention behind Nico’s back! Again inspired by other people’s work I found online, this time I did a wise owl on branches. I especially got excited when the leaf-and-branch loop idea came to me. And this time I made sure to take photos of the lining, which turned out really well.
Filed under: Life
For my birthday this year Nico surprised me with a long weekend to Hawaii. My good friends Kita and Paul are stationed there, and it was the best surprise I’d had in a long time. We had a great time, and Kita and Paul were gracious hosts. They even taught us how to surf! With Kita in the water instructing, and Paul on shore recording our efforts like a doting father, we had enough photos and video for many laughs to come.
While sitting on the plane headed out for the holidays, I passed the time by organizing my photos. I came across this video and thought I’d share. I get a big kick out of watching it. ;o)
Filed under: Misc.
Last month I caught the craftiness bug, and was inspired to make Christmas stockings. Perhaps it was a means to distract me from my grad work, but I found it fun and therapeutic. Armed only with a needle and thread, however, I lacked some serious resources. But thanks to the internet and social media sites like Facebook and YouTube, I borrowed a sewing machine, taught myself how to thread it (it had been years since I last did!), and searched images of other people’s handiwork – saving my favorites for inspiration. Five separate shopping visits to craft stores and I was ready to start cutting!
Sans pattern, I drew some out and created as I went. Halfway into the project I decided to line the stockings, one challenge well worth the effort. I wanted to make it the cleanest and prettiest stocking yet. So, take a look for yourself – I’m really happy with how they turned out. And I can only hope that Adam and Stacey will enjoy them for many many Christmases to come!
Filed under: Life
After many weeks of discussion and thought and search, I have found Romeo. Yes, Romeo is my new Birman cat I adopted from the Oregon Humane Society. He’s ten years old, has the sweetest demeanor, and makes a great companion. He loves to be brushed and pet, to the point where he’ll start to drool. He purrs a LOT, headbutts, kneads, and occasionally gives love bites. And he seduces anyone and anything with his beautiful blue/grey eyes. You’ll find him relaxed with one paw stretched out, and a constant swoosh in his tail. He talks sometimes, but doesn’t meow. He doesn’t like loud noises, and hides under the couch to feel safe. But you can slide him out, and across the floor, and he doesn’t even complain. He just rolls with it.
He’s a keeper!
Filed under: Chicken Little
I have been very neglectful in updating my blog, and I apologize… You won’t believe how big the chickens have gotten! And yet, I still can not tell for certain what is a hen and what is a rooster. I have my suspicions though…
In the meantime Nico and I convinced our friend, Larry, in helping us build a chicken coop – a plan created over beers and which turned out to be a four-day project! Lucky for us, Larry is a woodworking wizard, and assured us he enjoyed the entire process. (thanks, Larry!). Lo and behold, we created the awesomest coop ever. Siding has yet to be done, and we don’t have a run yet. BUT.. we have a sliding 2nd floor, a nifty nesting box, and an eco-roof (yes, I said ECO-roof!) …and a lot of chicken p@#p in the yard.
The chickens are LOVIN’ the outdoors. They lay sideways in the sun, and sleep. It’s fun to watch them chase after stuff that floats through the air, and then chase after whomever has the prize in its beak. Here’s a picture of my BIG birds!
Filed under: Chicken Little
The first time I saw this I freaked out! Then I realized it happens behind my back….all day long. The Japanese and Old English especially love to perch. I don’t worry anymore – they always seem capable of turning around and jumping back into the coop.
