Spring Noodles

(I have been trying to add pictures via library's internet since two days ago but it never works out...)

I'm working on new moon now. Because I'm eager to see Edward appear on the main stage of the plot again, I've been going through pages in a fairly fast speed. The beginning of the novel evokes my emotions a lot; I can somehow empathy the emptiness and despair of being "dumped." (Even though I've never had a vampire boyfriend.) Anyway, it's nice to let my imagination soar once a while. The pic represents the snapshot of the day: book + food + laptop. 

I used leftover ham from Easter to boost the flavor of this dish. The key seasoning for this dish is Chinese black vinegar; it adds an unique aroma by just adding a splash. I also used vegetable peeler to peel carrot into thin ribbons. This shape goes along with noodles very well. Please give it a try!  

Wonton soup

I'm so excited for the weather! High 70s would be coming soon and finally I will be able to wear short-sleeves, wandering around.  I'm gradually getting over the cold; less nose-blowing but more coughing now. Maybe I'll expose myself underneath the sun more and see if the heat would kill the germs. As the weather gets better, I get more and more excited about this summer. The excitement keeps bubbling up from my mind from time to time, reminding me of the possible upcoming trip home. I've been praying everyday for the feasibility of the trip; I really miss almost everything in Taiwan...

Finally, I finished twilight just barely (because it's due today...I need to turn it in to Provo library). I plan to start New Moon today. It's fun to read young adult novels since for me it's easier to read. I also learn so many adjectives describing different kinds of emotions and body expressions; novels have taught me a different set of vocab. compared to what I've learned through digging in the academic journals in the past. I'm slowly overcoming the fear of reading English novels:) Please recommend some other fun, readable novels to me, plz!   

Wonton soup is very easy to make. By using store-bought wonton wraps, you can save plenty of time. The stuffing here consists of fine minced ginger, minced shitaki mushroom, minced water chestnut, ground chicken thigh, and cubed shrimp. The seasonings include oyster sauce, sesame oil, pepper, corn starch, and some water used to soak the shitaki mushroom. How to fold and seal the wonton? Just put some stuffing in the center of the wrap, brush water on the edge margin of the warp and fold it in halve as a triangle. Pinch the edge to seal it well. Pick two corners on the bottom of the triangle and pinch them together. You can freeze the fresh wontons individually and it should be good for at least one week.     

Broccoli, tomato, and mozzarella stromboli

Since I've been slacking on putting up food recipes and pics, I will contribute a stromboli recipe today. I don't really know what "stromboli" means but it looks like a chubby, stuffed bread stick to me. I didn't make my own dough and used a can of frozen pizza crust dough instead. If you are as cheap as me and use the Walmart-brand (such as Great Value) frozen dough, you would expect to make 4 of these in one can. It's not necessary to use frozen broccoli; if you can't find Genoa salami, just use any kind you can get on. 

Here is the recipe from EVERYDAY FOOD (Martha Stewart's magazine).

Broccoli, tomato, and mozzarella stromboli

serves 4

1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen

all-purpose flour, for work surface

1 package (1 pound) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

2 garlic cloves, minced

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella

2 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

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1. Preheat oven to 400 degree. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Divide dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, stretch out each piece, first to a 3-by-4 inch oval, then to a 6-by-8-inch oval (let dough rest briefly if too elastic to work with).

2. drain and pet dry broccoli if necessary.

3. Dividing evenly, scatter broccoli over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, top with mozzarella, salami, and 1/2 cup marinara.

4. Starting at a shorter end, roll up each stromboli, and place, seam side down, on baking sheet. Using the tip of a paking knife, cut two slits in the top of each. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve stromboli with 1/2 cup marinara for dipping.

SNOW?!

Yes, It snowed yesterday and the ground is still covered with at least  2-inch snow. I really feel bad for my neighbor's pink tree; it looked so lively two days ago (see the pics). I've been cooped up home due to sore throat and cold (I know, I'm sick again?! I can't even believe it by myself.) Snowy day really makes me feel down! It looks like Christmas it's not even funny!

So Trav and I went to my parents-in-law's for Easter dinner. We had approximately 28 people there and had a potluck dinner. I brought some homemade shaomai to share. The pink eggs you see here are made by Laurel, my dear sis-in-law! Aren't they cute? And the bunny cupcakes are made by Jill, my dear neighbor & friend! Jill, they are so cute, so photogenic, and tastes good too! Thanks so much for sharing it!

Good News!

So, I went to the Doc appointment this morning. The OBGYN is located just about 3 blocks away so that I was able to walk over there. I was thinking about I can do my ultrasound there in the future if I get pregnant. Anyway. My doc said my tumor is too tiny to worth an operation and he wanted me to put this thing behind and move on. He said it might grow in the future yet we can talk about it as it happens. OK. 

So I guess I will follow his advice and not worry about it for now. After the Doc visit, I was way excited and booked my ticket to Taiwan right away regardless of my interview has yet been done. Well, I need to pray fervently for the success of the interview then. The tentative itinerary is to fly out to Taiwan on June 24th and fly back to the States on July 15th. Oh, I can't wait to plan out the details of the trip! I really hope this time I can finally make it to Taiwan! 

urr....

So it's positive that there is a tumor in my uterus.

It may not be cancerous yet it needs to be surgically removed. My nurse partitioner urged me to make an appointment with a surgical Doc so that I'm going in tomorrow morning. I'm kind of nervous and a bit depressed now. I need tons of prayers, please!! ><

It seems that the journey to home (TAIWAN) is a bit bumpy:(  

the 179th LDS general conference

I've actually forgotten most of the details by now (but I know I will revive my memory of it by reading the next Ensign magazine...).

I think the entire theme is about how to press on with hope and faith (in this tumultuous time). I'm in general bad with names so I can't remember who has spoken which talk. But I almost love every single one of them. I love the talk on service-we earn our lives by losing it in serving others. The practical advise on setting specific goals on attending temple ordinances and (participate in all of kinds you're able to). If I can go back to Taiwan this summer, I would explain the meanings and the significance of temple ordinances to my family and hopefully gain the permission to do the ordinances for my ancestors. Furthermore, I would love to do some of the ordinances in Taiwan Taipei temple since it's located in my homeland after all.  

It's so valuable to learn about how our pioneers persevered and pressed forward in their perilous journeys. It's so true that we are dealing with a bad economic climate yet we've endowed with the freedom to choose our religion. We probably won't be persecuted and forced to abandon our homeland and all we've established due to our religious belief. I'm truly grateful for this blessing. After the first session on Sunday, we were eating a fine Sunday supper including salad, baked potatoes, and beef roast with veggies. That was a happy family get-together tinted with a slight shadow of sorrow. The words of our beloved prophet still echoed in our mind, recounting the story of a single mom loosing her children along the way of a long journey. She needed to make graves for her children by digging the ground with a spoon, which was the only tool she had on hand. After all of these trials and unbearable sorrow, she got up the pulpit and bore a strong testimony that she knew how much God loved her and she knew she would meet her family again if she endured till the end. How Lucky was I that I was eating a great Sunday dinner made by my mother-in-law. I'm so blessed and taken care of by the Lord's mercy. 

I don't know how long my journey on earth would last yet I believe the reward is yet to come. I'm not perfect and far away from it. But, I still have hope through the savior's infinite power of his atonement. I hope I would never turn my back on Him and follow Him till the end. It's hard and definitely not easy yet I hope I will remember every testimony I've born when the hard time hits and have peace with me. I know that is the thing I've always hoped for since youth. I know that I wouldn't be forsaken if I follow Him. I will press on because of Him love.

 

Rice Rice and Chorizo with Black Beans

I have another good news! I just received a letter from USCIS, which calls for an interview scheduled on May 6th. After the interview, I would expect to receive the temp. green card soon and I could FLY BACK TO TAIWAN to visit!!!!! I really hope the interview will go well so that I can plan for the visit to Taiwan. Ah, how exciting! My brain couldn't calm down for a while after receiving the notice.

I wish I could be as professional as Miriam when it comes to taking pictures:( Although it looks a bit sloppy, it tastes good! Actually, I'm not much a bean person but I'm learning to love it now. Every time when I order a burrito, I would ask for more rice and less beans and that's typical of me. This dish has plenty rice for me and some beans for decoration (ha) so I still love it!

The original recipe is Rachel Ray's Smoky Red Rice and Chorizo with Black Beans from her Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine. After I modified it, it's not SMOKY anymore. The reason is that I took off some special ingredients which make it taste smoky, such us smoked paprika, fire-roasted smoked tomatoes, and so on. It still tastes good though. Let's see my version of it:

The ingredients (serves 4)

1 (3/4) cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon EVOO (hint: olive oil)

1 cup rice (uncooked)

2 roasted red peppers (Roast fresh bell peppers in the oven, roaster oven, or on the grill. After the pepper is charred, soak it in cold water right away and peel the skin off.) 

a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon paprika

1  3/4- to 1-pound package Spanish Chorizo (sliced) (I used Mexican Chorizo since I couldn't find the Spanish one in Walmart.)

2 serrano chiles (seeded and chopped) (It's pretty spicy if you use two of them; adjust accordingly) 

1 small onion (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 15-oz. can black beans

salt & pepper

The rice part: (I just cook the rice in my rice cooker; the original requires you to cook it on the stove.)

1. Make the rice in the rice cooker along with the chicken broth, EVOO, puree red bell peppers, flat-leaf parsley, and paprika.

The sausage mix

2. Meanwhile, cook the chorizo until crisp. Add the chiles, onion and garlic and cook until tender. Stir in the tomatoes and beans; season with salt and pepper.

Serve the rice in shallow bowls topped with the beans & chorizo.

Yu ting's trick: I squeeze some fresh lemon juice onto my dish and it brightens the flavor! You can also use cilantro to substitute for parsley. 

The bell pepper really adds flavor to the rice. It's pretty easy to make. If you're too lazy to roast the pepper and puree it, just get a jar of roasted bell pepper and that would save you time! 

Forrest Gump

Ok, I think I might be the last person hasn't seen this movie until last night. Since I discovered the benefit of Provo library's movie section, I've abandoned all of other movie rental channels altogether. Just like some other libraries, you can put the movie you desire to watch on hold and then wait a couple of days to get it. I'm requesting New Moon now so that I might be able to read it in a week.  (I know I'm supposed to look for a job diligently, but, well...)

What's Forrest Gump's destiny? When his mama prompts him to think about this question, his life journey thus far has answered it. With IQ of 75, Gump has been true to himself. He tries to enjoy his life while he can and tries to help people within his ability. Through his journey, I can see God's hand in every place so that he can do what he has done. It's hilarious to see how he gets involved with several landmark historical events yet I'm even more impressed with how he either accidentally or intentionally inspires or saves others' lives. Thus, he's been an instrument of God's hand. I'm not that kind of person would relate every movie I see to the Gospel (whereas Trav is inclined to do so), but I do it on this movie naturally. Gump sticks to the talents the Lord's given to him and makes 100% out of it; I wish I could be like him (maybe not the IQ 75 part; but this character really shows everyone has different gifts and blessings designated by God).  

p.s. The only downside of using library's DVDs is; they sometimes get too scratchy so that my DVD player can't play through the whole thing:(