穿梭於現實與理想之間 A New Chapter

A Summer like Taiwan's

2011-07-08T15:46:00.003-06:00

Japanese style steamed custard

as my post-wisdom teeth surgery food

I almost forgot I have a blog here. I have been through quite a lot this past year and felt so blessed to have a full-time job as a first-grade teacher. It was a great challenge for me and I have learned so much that it's been nothing like what I have had in the academia. Don't get me wrong; I loved the academia, which boosted my intelligence so much that I would be forever indebted to.

The weather in Provo has been acting weirdly since we almost have two or three stormy nights per week. This phenomenon reminds me of the summers in Ohio, or even those in Taiwan. Good for bike rides though. I got to enjoy it while it lasts!

I might share some pictures from my garden if anyone is interested...I wonder if I still have some visitors here. Is ANYONE here? Just curious^^

summer vacation

2010-07-08T15:22:00.004-06:00

Back from Taiwan and two different kinds of work training, I'm finally feeling that I'm on a vacation. Although I still have some private students on hand, life pace is slowing down to the extent that I can appreciate my vacation more. I can literally stop by a lavender bush and smell it or feel the Utah dry, cool breeze brushing on my face.

The trip to Taiwan was good yet not with some regrets. There are always some people I don't get to meet and there are always things I don't get to do. During the roughly 2-week stay in Taiwan, relentless rain was our constant companion, who tracked us down almost everywhere. Not the ideal situation, I know. We ate out as often as possible to mark off the items on my restaurant list. I guess we were always in a hurry to somewhere. I thought often on my way to catch up something (a train, metro, bus, or an appointment), "there's just not enough time..."

So here I am, back to Utah and occasionally wonder about what I could have done in Taiwan a couple of weeks ago. (I know, this is life, or it's just me.) Gotta cook more at home before going back to teach.

Updates

2010-03-19T19:09:00.002-06:00

I wonder who's still viewing my blog on a regular basis because I'M NOT! Ahhh, a sad truth. So, just like what Beautyegg has commented, I am not who I was anymore; as least when it comes to vocational choices. I've accepted an offer from a local elementary school and have become a first-grade teacher at a Chinese immersion program. Now I'm teaching part-time, having one class (25 students), and getting used to be around with so many kids for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. Since I am not a certified teacher yet, I'm going through Alternative Route for Licensure (ARL) Program to get my license. I am grateful for this opportunity though. Meanwhile, I'm finishing my work at Timpanogos as a choir and after-school teacher. Although I'll still be a part-time worker at the new school (and be on a hourly payroll for I don't know how long), the hourly wage is much more handsome than before. Yay for me.

So the Chinese immersion program I'm teaching is a 50(Chinese)-50(English) immersion. Kids go to the English classroom in the mornings and come to my classroom in the afternoons for a definitely-not-so-relaxing afternoon learning time. Why is that? I need to teach them Math in Chinese and I sympathize with them when they just don't get it at all. I used to try to figure out Algebra 1010 by reading textbook in English and almost earned myself a migraine. I'm trying hard to be a better teacher so that I can help them to learn and absorb knowledge better and faster. My prep. time now on average is 2 hours per day since I need to make so many visual aids and come up with "songs" to teach them new vocab. in a musical context. For example, I took the tune When we get together /當我們同在一起, and filled in the new vocab. I would like them to learn. The final product looks like something like this...

(Also helped by my colleague, Nancy)

爸爸穿黑色的褲子，

黑褲子，黑褲子，

爸爸穿黑色的褲子，

和白色的上衣。

他看起來可真帥，

爸爸穿黑色的褲子，

和白色的上衣。

Dad wears black pants,

black pants, black pants,

Dad wears black pants,

and white top/shirt.

He looks so handsome,

Dad wears black pants,

and white top/shirt.

The logic behind is that they have learned the vocab. about family members and they are learning colors and clothing items. Therefore, I wove all of these elements into this tune. Fun practice and children love it!

Anyway, benefited from this new job, I am GOING BACK TO TAIWAN this summer again! I only will stay for 17 days and then need to rush back for a training. To make this trip efficient, I'm planning out a "gourmet" map - must-visit restaurants and eateries in Taiwan. Please provide me some info about it if you could, thanks!!!!

p.s. Dear beautyegg, I can't read your blog anymore! Please invite me to it, thanks!

New attempt-- babysitting eli

2010-01-27T11:10:00.002-07:00

So besides teaching choir, after-school clubs, and tutoring, I start babysitting eli. He's a 2-year-old boy of a Mom in my ward and I've gotten acquainted with her through working in the clubs together. I guess 2009-2010 is my young-children-experience year since I've been working with young children so closely.

I've never been a morning person yet I need to get up early (around 7:40 am; I know it's definitely not early enough for some people but it's surely my bottom line now) for eli. I go to his house around 8: 20 to take him from his mother's arms and watch him scream for being separated from her. A bit depressing this part, I know. Then we would watch go diego go, Ruby and Max, and umizoomi together. Yeah, how on earth I got to know these kid's shows? I feel as if I am young again-_- I'm also learning kids language via these shows; definitely a new, neat experience for me though.

I've been thinking that this must be God's way to put me through in order to learn how to deal with my own children in the future. Patience is true virtue and I've never really learned it. Maybe I'll be able to after all of these and be content with where I am at in my life.

The first post in 2010!

2010-01-21T10:21:00.002-07:00

So things haven't changed that much. I'm still teaching choir and some other subjects at the elementary school a couple of blocks away from my house. A 5th-grade teach and I came up with a "mean" idea to put the rowdy kids there under the control--place a camera recorder there and firm the entire class! It's been working out so far yet I don't know how long it would last. Well.

This morning, when I was sleeping in and reluctant to get off bed, I suddenly had an epiphany. I'm turning 30 this year and have no children yet. "What should I do? Can I still have children when I'm 40? I'm applying for another job I'm interested in and thank goodness that it would be a full-time position. If I'm given a chance to take the job, how can I get ready to have a baby?" Such kind of inner babbling just echoed in my mind. Urrrr. One disadvantage about getting married late.

The new year has started but I'm not quite ready for it yet. I'm following the flow and hope things would go much better in the following months:) (And I'll try to visit here and contribute more often)

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!!!

2009-10-02T15:06:00.005-06:00

I know, I know, I have been slacking on blogging again. I can't even believe I only wrote one entry in September. So let me do a quick recap about what had happened in September...

1. I had my 29-year-old birthday. It's so awful that I am so so close to 30. Travis kept making fun of me as an old lady, or something like that. Well.

2. I finally, sort of, found a job and I did it two days before my birthday. I viewed it as an answered prayer:) It's just a part-time, which allows me to teach in after-school programs (as a para professional) for about 11 hours per week. The best part is that the elementary school is two blocks away. Yes, I can just walk over there 5 minutes before the class starts. (Unfortunately, I do need to walk over about one hour earlier to prepare for classes, ha!!) I am teaching 5th & 6th grade choir, 3rd grade reading, 2nd grade mind & motor skills, and 1st grade arts & crafts. I need to say it's a bit intimidating....I am almost covering the entire years!! I've never thought I would work at an elementary school...LOL. I am also accepted by an agent as a translator yet no job comes in yet. My wish is to save up some more money so I can have a baby before I turn 30!

So tomorrow (or today, if you're in Chinese time) is the mid-autumn festival. I hate paying 30 bucks for not-so-fresh, high-in-preservatives moon cakes so I decided to make on my own. I learned how to make it from Sue and worked on it with my friend, Cathy, together!
   Hard-working Girls!
   Just out of the oven!
   A close-up shot!

Since the recipe was in grams, we needed to transfer every measurements to cups (I don't have a gram scale yet). We were worried that we would have messed up the cakes but I think we did ok. Traditionally, this kind of moon cakes would have salty duck yolks inside; we omitted it for the sake of scare resource and health concerns. These babies have refined red bean paste inside. They're very very fattening though.

Yu-ting's Cha Shiu Pork

2009-09-01T19:44:00.005-06:00

This was the main course of our dinner tonight,

Chinese Cha Shiu pork! I used my own recipe,

which stemmed from a variety of others'. The

recipe (marinate) is as follows:

Chinese seafood sauce (or cha shiu sauce)

Honey

Soy sauce

Freshly-squeezed orange juice

sugar

Chinese five-spices powder

lightly-smashed garlic

some salt & pepper

red pepper flakes

*Sorry! I don't use measurement that much...

Chinese seafood sauce and honey's ratio is about

1 to 1. Soy sauce and orange juice's ratio is about

1 to 1 too, but each of them respectively is about

1/3 of honey.

A bit of Chinese five-spices powder goes a long

way; in this case, 1 teaspoon should be plenty.

*Marinate your pork in the fridge for at least 6

hours up to one or two nights.

*Preheat the oven to 400 F and roast for 30 min.

first and then brush the marinate (fresh one, not

from the marinate bag) on the meat in every 10

min. for about 4 times. Make sure you rotate sides.

*Keep some water in the roasting pan while in the

oven for easy clean-up afterwards.

Beautiful glaze! It was very tender and juicy!

I also wrapped the pork, some radish, romaine

lettuce, and carrot with rice paper. Serve with

simple Vietnamese dipping sauce (fish sauce,

minced garlic, red pepper flakes, lime juice,

sugar, and water). Enjoy!

Can't wait to be BUSIER!

2009-08-04T13:25:00.003-06:00

So that means I'm not busy enough, not even close!

It's been almost three weeks since we got back from Taiwan. Everything in Taiwan was great and we spent a terrific time with my family & friends. Eating like crazy in Taiwan somehow satisfied my craving for Chinese food and it would hold up for a while. If you still haven't got a chance to check out our Taiwanese album on facebook, please do so! I would have put up an album here if I could have known how to... (Does anyone who uses blogger know how to put up an album here?)

I am tutoring a couple of Americans Mandarin; it just a gig type-of-thing since the number is so tiny. I would like to be a certified Mandarin teacher though. I looked it up online for some certificate programs offered in the States but only found one result at Columbus University, New York. Yeah, it's no way for me to go there and participate in that program. My dimming hope...

I am picking up Japanese again and hopefully this time I can motivate myself for longer. Maybe I should set up a goal like, passing a Japanese proficiency test, or something like that, to make sure I would have a productive study outcome. Do you guys pick up any new hobby during the summer?

Diploma Arrived!

2009-07-20T08:23:00.001-06:00

I'm officially a receiver of Master in Music in Ethnomusicology.

Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto

2009-07-17T10:28:00.004-06:00

I haven't tried this recipe yet! You may try and tell me how you like it! Check out www.cooksillustrated.com for more cooking tips on videos!

PASTA WITH TOMATO AND ALMOND PESTO (PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE)

from Cook's Illustrated, July & August 2009's issue

Serves 4 to 6

NOTE: A half teaspoon of red wine vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes can be substituted for the pepperoncini. If you don't have a food processor, a blender may be substituted. In step 2, pulse ingredients until roughly chopped, then proceed with the recipe, reducing processing times by half.

1/4 cup slivered almonds

12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves

1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

1 small pepperoncini (hot pepper in vinegar), stemmed, seeded, and minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)

table salt

pinch red pepper flakes (optional) 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound pasta, pregerably linguine or spaghetti

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

1. Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.

2. Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.

3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.

4. Add pesto and 1/2 cup parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta cooking water so that pesto coats pasta. Serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.

I'm Back!

2009-07-15T23:38:00.003-06:00

I was dreaming about updating my trip while staying in Taiwan and it didn't work out! I was as tired as I could possibly be and got dozed off before hitting the sack everyday. Well, now I am back! I was a little sad on the plane home and upset about the fact that I was coming back to U.S.A. (This means I need to say goodbye to awesome Taiwanese food and deal with the reality-paying bills, finding jobs and stuff). But it feels good and right to be home in Provo. After being washed by the heat and humidity in Taiwan, Provo's weather is like heavenly. I've heard that it would reach 100 degree soon around Friday but well...At least now I feel good without AC on.

So I will try to update and upload pictures from this trip ASAP. I probably will put up pictures on facebook first since it's the easiest way for me. That's for now, ciao!

A Story.

2009-06-22T14:41:00.003-06:00

Today, my cell's alarm went off at 8:00 in the morning. I struggled to get off the bed and I needed to be responsible to wake Trav too. After some fumbling around the house, both of us jumped into the car and left for Salt Lake City. The trip to the SLC USCIS office would lift the burden off my shoulder since I had not received my temp. green card at this moment. Well, I was supposed to receive the card about 3 weeks ago according to the welcome notice sent from USCIS.

(Anyway, we really couldn't do much about other individual's timetable. In the past several weeks, I checked my mail box twice a day, anticipating THE card. NOPE. NOTHING.)

So here we go. We had a quite pleasant 45-minute drive to the office and we were even 5 minutes early. When it came to our turn, we explained about our situation and requested to get my passport stamped with a special visa. I told the officer that I'm flying out on this Wednesday morning and I can't afford to wait on the (supposed-to-be-in-my-mail-box-a-million-years-ago) green card. After some contemplation, he stamped my passport and promised me that the card would arrive before the end of my trip.

(And yes, this was my second time at the office for the same matter. I went there about two weeks ago to request the same thing but the officer of that day told me to wait for it. Why couldn't they just stamp my passport in the first time? Now it's 2.60 something per gallon!)

Thus we brought back the stamped passport. As we pulled in the drive way, I went up to check our mail box. To my surprise, the mail box was filled with quite a pile; grocery Ads, a package from Gail (thanks to her sweetness to send me the program of BGSU's commencement), and, a mysterious envelope...I pinched and pressed the envelope, hoping to figure out what's inside, then my figure sensed an outline of a credit-card size square.

Urrrrrrah. NO WAY. Was this it? I tore it open and spotted the trademark of USCIS. Men! Why? Why it came right after my appointment? Only 2 hours apart! AHHHHhhhhhhhHHHH!!!

So, this is the story of the day. I'm going back to pack now.

5 More Days to Go!

2009-06-19T10:33:00.002-06:00

Ha! Can't wait! This morning when I woke up, I took a couple of minutes just laying in bed and imagining the moment when we arrive at the Taipei airport. My Mom has promised that my family will show up and pick us up from the airport. So the airport scene would be the first encounter of Travis and my family. How fun! (Sorry, If this is not the BEST attitude I should have...I know that Travis is pretty nervous about it...)

I think I will start packing today and I'm planning on taking only two luggage with us plus two items of carry-ons. I hope the airlines haven't launched the regulation to charge for carry-ons. By the way, by any chance if anyone knows whether I am allowed to bring a 2-oz. sanitizer (flammable) on board? I need that to fight against the swine flu germs!

I still have some errands to run before departure, such as getting gifts for my family! What would you get as a gift for your friends outside of the States? I have few ideas in mind but I would like to hear your say! (Besides, my family might be reading this blog and I don't want to spoiled the surprise by revealing my options!)

....................................................................................................................................................................

So Trav and I went to the Manti Pageant last night. The turnout of the crowd was pretty good concerning it was a weeknight. I was comparing the Manti one with the Nauvoo one and found the Manti one is more narrative-savvy whereas the Nauvoo one focuses more on performantive elements. I actually like Nauvoo Pageant better since it focuses only on the Saints' history in the Nauvoo period instead of attempting to encompass the entire story of LDS's migration (from New York to Utah) and the brief life of J. Smith, which the Manti pageant just did. Or maybe I'm just biased; I've always loved Nauvoo temple and the area, haha! One regret I have is that I didn't get married in Nauvoo temple but well, every temple is the Lord's house...

The Manti pageant lasted approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes. Afterwards, we took US-89 S. (about 15 miles south) to Gunnison and from there merged onto I-15 north to Provo. We were told to do so to avoid north traffic. Well, it still took us about 1 hour and 40 min. to get home. I just list this experience for the future references if somebody lives north wants to travel down to Manti to see the Pageant.

What's Cooking?

2009-06-08T13:31:00.006-06:00

Only 15 more days to go and then I won't need to cook for 3 weeks! How exciting! Although I love making food, cooker's block would appear from time to time. These two dishes show my attempt to be a quasi-vegetarian!

Grilled Veggies

Dressing: minced garlic, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste.

Assorted vegetables, such as zucchini, summer squash, red & yellow bell peppers, tomato, egg plant, and red onion.

Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

Brush the dressing onto veggies before grilling. Drizzle some more dressing onto the plate and garnish with mozzarella cheese and torn basil leaves before serving.

Simple Garlic Lemon Pasta

minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, mixed Italian spices, thin-sliced veggies (zucchini, red & yellow pepper, carrot, and onion), and shrimp

Trav's Birthday!!

2009-06-08T13:03:00.004-06:00

Happy birthday, Travis! Trav's birthday was last Friday and I made a cake for him. This cake embodied my love for him straight out of the BOX!! (I know, I will try to make it from scratch next time.) To make the cake a bit more special, I blended cool whip, lemon juice & zest, and canned tropical fruit as stuffing, sandwiched by two layers of cake.

The cake! He was turning 26! I used edible pink gel to garnish the cake. The color pink caters to my personal taste instead of his, oops!

Do you notice that? Yes, these candles sparkle!! I got them from a dollar store. It's like miniature fireworks on a cake!

The birthday boy! I surprised him with the cake right after he got off work!

Ah.

2009-06-02T20:22:00.002-06:00

(Ok, I know the head title is bizarre but I am kind of speechless now so please bare with me...)

So, I got a callback from Nu Skin about a couple of days ago and I went for an interview today. I didn't think I totally bombed the interview (yeah, I made some mistakes in English grammar but that just a typical me) but I am almost 100% sure that I won't get the job. Because I told them that I will be leaving for Taiwan right after the orientation & training program for new employees, they replied that they USUALLY don't allow employees to be on leave for more than two weeks not even mention that it will be right on the first week of my employment. DARN IT! (I wasn't going to be that honest but I was required to fill out some forms before the interview; my conscience was evoked during the filing process...)

Well, I guess that means that I just need to focus on planning out my trip now! Three more weeks to go and then I will be gone!

I will battle with prospective employers after I get back from Taiwan. If you know anyone is hiring and you think I'm made for that particular job, please let me know!!! I will be available after July 15th!

Be Strong

2009-05-26T14:47:00.004-06:00

So my father-in-law is doing much much better now! We're all very happy about his progress and glad to see that he can smile, eat, and joke around again! He's scheduled to go home either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. One of his friends who visited him yesterday also had a bypass (triple) about 8 years ago and now in his 80's is still up and going. I hope my father-in-law will be like that too! It's just so much fun to have him around.

The sad news is that I've received a bill from my insurance company today, which requests me to pay off the 500-dollar ultrasound bills. I thought my insurance would cover this cost completely and apparently I was totally wrong. A crappy student insurance coverage can't be stretched THAT far. One of my friends told me that I can negotiate with the hospital with a payment plan and I think I'm gonna give it a shot. And this incident also compels me to look for job again. Thus, I've filled out another two job applications this afternoon. I hope someone out there would give me a chance for interview regardless of the fact that I am going to be out of town for 3 weeks in June! This entire fiscal situation turns me off so much that I'm not as excited about the trip to Taiwan as before. Sorry to everyone who reads my blog for not spreading more good tidings!

So, I can only hold onto the hope that more good things will come, eventually.

Slacking...

2009-05-21T16:17:00.004-06:00

I admit that I've been slacking on blogging these days. Well, I just realize that life itself could be boring sometimes or get stuck in a rut. My life is like that now. I've also been occupied with my father-in-law's situation; he just had an open-heart surgery and I don't know when I would get a chance to visit with him. I just hope that everything will go well and he'll recover from it without any complications. Prayers are indeed appreciated.

One-tooth-less Woman

2009-05-08T20:41:00.004-06:00

I'm eating yogurt with a butter knife because the teaspoon I have is too big to fit into my barely-opened mouth.

The end result of my gum infection is loosing my wisdom tooth on the bottom right jaw. I am so grateful that my dentist didn't pull all of three off. He said my upper right one would never grow out and my bottom left one doesn't seem to be a trouble maker now. Anyhow, It was quite a shock when my dentist asked me right in the middle of the appointment for considering the surgery. By the way, we were only charged 157.50 dollars for the surgery. The place is Utah Valley Urgent Dental Care.

I barely felt the laughing gas in the operation but the anesthetic definitely numbed quarter of my face till now.

Well, it's time for me to take medication now. I will keep you guys posted about my journey of recovery.

Anything Wrong with Foreign People?

2009-05-08T16:44:00.002-06:00

This sunny yet windy afternoon, on my way home from Provo library, I was passing through three teenaged boys practicing their skateboarding skills. One of them was on the phone, conversing with tons of swearing words. One of them caught a perfect timing-when I was walking by his shoulder, just about two inches away- and muttered, " I hate foreign people."

That was actually the first time of my presence in the States to hear such an obvious, unreserved hatred and I was stunned without either showing my emotions or changing my walking pace. Now as I think about it, I'm amazed that this experience donesn't happen in BG, Ohio, a small college town, but in here, Provo, with a far more variety of races and ethnicities populated. I can't help but wonder what kind of experience or education the boy has received to help shape this kind of revulsion and disrespect for so-called "foreign people."

I was mad right after hearing the comment and snapped back in my mind by thinking *beep* (It's just rated-PG, but I feel bad to show it...) Then I feel bad for them. Life without Gospel is probably like that without light. It's really hard to keep things in right perspectives without the guidance of God. Would they ever know they're supposed to love everyone just like what Jesus does? The scriptures say pray for your enemies so I've decided to pray for their welfare tonight.

So the verdict is...

2009-05-06T10:15:00.003-06:00

Well, I think I've passed it!

This morning Trav and I went to the USCIS office upon Salt Lake for an immigration interview. We were called in about half an hour behind the schedule. During the interview, there was a moment of doubt since we couldn't prove we have joint insurance, properties, investment, and so on. Yet at the end it turned out ok. The officer was not LDS (I guess, from lots of traits) and he originally came from Romania. So, if anyone else browsing my blog is about to go through the interview process, please collect as much evidence showing you and your spouse's joint status as possible. He didn't even bother to look at our wedding pictures...(I've spent at least 30 minutes to organize all of the pictures we have.)

So now I just need to wait for the card, I guess. I feel kind of surreal; I guess I will feel better when I hold the card on hand.

Bad news is that I have a gum infection around my bottom right wisdom tooth and I can't figure out what it is going on there. I am terrified to even think about that I might need to get a dental check-up. I don't want to spend 100 bucks just for a check-up though. If I were in Taiwan, it could just cost me 7 bucks for check-up...well. Anyway, does anyone have experiences like this? Now I'm living on pain killer and oral anesthetic><

something irrelevant: The Great Value pizza at Walmart is actually quite tasty; I especially like the one with chicken, bacon, and ranch toppings. Now only 3.80 each (That leads to 1.90 per person! Quite a deal!)

Spring Noodles

2009-04-24T10:18:00.005-06:00

(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

2009-04-21T10:12:00.006-06:00

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

2009-04-16T13:41:00.005-06:00

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?!

2009-04-16T13:11:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-04-10T14:04:00.002-06:00

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....

2009-04-09T11:20:00.002-06:00

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

2009-04-06T09:43:00.006-06:00

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

2009-04-03T11:10:00.010-06:00

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

2009-04-02T09:28:00.003-06:00

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:(

So, here are some updates

2009-03-31T09:39:00.002-06:00

So finally I got my temp. work permit (good for a year) and advance parole for traveling abroad. I was so excited that when I received the advance parole a couple of days ago but realized that I might miss the interview with the USCIS officer if I go back to Taiwan in May. Ur...I think I'd better stay until I get the temp. green card. I really miss home though. (and May is probably the cheapest month to fly back to Taiwan) So I'm looking for a job now and then realize that my self-esteem is bombarded by the harsh reality and the downward economy. Well, I need to keep my chin up and keep looking...

Vietnamese Rice-Noodle Salad with Grilled Beef

2009-03-26T22:48:00.005-06:00

I am still very awake:( It's not supposed to be like this but unfortunately I took about a three-hour after-dinner nap with Trav, my sick husband. He was coughing whole night last night so that none of us got enough sleep. Well, chancy weather is a daunting thing yet it's expected in the Utah Valley.

So, I made this salad-like meal for dinner. I saw the original recipe on this blog (Chinese) and I modified it a bit as usual:

tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!7.m6LNuRGBIUNIf. FWf.pMZ8/article?mid=1581&prev=1608&next=398&l=f&fid=15

It served well to my cleaning-fridge purpose and saved us from a hamburger helper dinner. Way to go!

The salad dressing:

fish sauce: sugar: hot water

2 :1 :4

garlic, red chili pepper flakes, and a tablespoon (or more) lemon juice

The noodles:

Vietnamese rice noodles

shredded lettuce, shredded carrots (marinated with sugar and rice vinegar mixture; about 1:1),

fresh cilantro, and (shredded cucumber), ground peanuts for garnish

The meat marinate:

fish sauce: sugar:oil

1 :1 :1

oyster sauce (at least two times as much as fish sauce)

garlic, about one teaspoon five spices power, and some pepper

*marinate the meat for at least one to two hours before grilling it

*make the dressing in advance and chill it in the fridge

*I only had Korean long noodles made of potato starch so I used it and it turned out pretty well. You can certainly experiment on your own.

Mix the meat, the noodles, and the dressing right before eating. Enjoy!

Project Gutenberg

2009-03-26T11:01:00.001-06:00

I found an online ebook database. You may find some books you'd like to read for free! The books on this database are not confined to the copyright.

www.gutenberg.org/browse/scores/top

Enjoy!

How "Chinese" am I?

2009-03-25T00:08:00.003-06:00

Trav's very likely having a bad cold now so he's sleeping in the guest room. I'm sort of feeling that I'm back to my old single life again (so staying up pretty late is one of the things I did quite often). Anyway, I've been fooling around and browsing people's blogs for about a few hours; the following forwarded email is one of my findings...

p.s. I read this email from this blog (Chinese blog). If you're interested in the original wording and the blogger's commentaries, please follow this link (since I still don't know how to use the "quote" function on pixnet. Maybe some internet-savvy friends can help me?)

Lorelai.pixnet.net/blog/post/26919545

Here is my own translation and commentary on this email:

The 60 attributes of Chinese in Foreigner's sight: (Ok, I might finish it tomorrow morning since my Mac is about to die and I am too lazy to find its power cord...Feeling too cozy in bed).

1. When greeting with friends, Chinese says "Have you eaten yet?" instead of "How are you?"

Well, isn't it just a cultural thing? It's in general easier to ask the first question and get a genuine answer; people usually fake it when they're actually not fine...

2. Likes to eat chicken feet.

Ok, I admit it. Compared to most of the Americans, I tend to eat more chicken feet and actually enjoy them.

3. When eating a fish, Chinese cleans up it by sucking on the head and the fins.

It used to be my Mom or Dad's job in Taiwan. As for now, please tell me how to get a fish with its head and fins on in Utah...

4. Likes to decorate his/her car's mirror with Chinese-style goodies.

I don't have my own car yet and Trav doesn't do it...Well, he just simply doesn't decorate his car.

5. Likes to sing Kareoke.

Nothing wrong with it! Taiwan's Kareoke bars are some fun and I suggest all of my friends should try it if they have a chance to visit Taiwan.

6. Put tiles on their floor.

Well, I have some files on my floor too and I'm pretty sure my contractor is not Chinese.

7. Their kitchen is always covered with a thick layer of grease.

No way! I mop my kitchen countertop and stoves after every meal.

8. Each stove is covered with tin foil.

Simply no.

9. Electronic remotes are covered with rubber or plastic stuff.

Urhhh...Maybe Japanese does that? Ok, I won't play the stereotype here. Who does that?

10. Never kiss their parents.

I can't remember if I've ever done it. I definitely kissed my Mom's cheek before...right?

11. Never hug their parents.

Well, I for sure have done this.

12. Start wearing glasses since the 5th grade.

Well, right on! But for me, I think the reason is that I watched too much TV. For the generation which is at least 5 years younger than me, they would get near-sighted early due to playing too much video games.

13. Hairs would be spiked up after awaking up.

What kind of conclusion is it? Haha.

14. Debate for some self-evident stuff.

No comments. I think it's nothing to do with race and nationality.

15. Likes to use coupons.

I think everyone likes it...

16. Drive around in order to find the cheapest gas station in town.

Ok, I do it sometimes. Now I just go to costco directly.

17. Always wait till evenings to take a shower.

Well, I still do this. But by doing it I can keep my sheets clean thus there's no need to wash them too often. I can't sleep well if I don't take a shower right before bed.

18. Don't eat the food, snacks, or drinks in a hotel if they are not free.

I won't either. The food in the hotel is usually more expensive than their retail price. I don't want to pay more than what it should worth.

19. Chinese guys have lesser body hairs than Chinese women.

False in most cases.

20. If someone pours tea for him/her, he/she would knock on the table to show the gratitude.

Never heard of it. Definitely not for Taiwanese.

(Poll) Your favorite Bath & Body Works Lotion?

2009-03-24T13:41:00.004-06:00

Since I'm (supposed to be) practicing a frugal life style, I swap my bath & body works lotions with store-brand ones. However, I still feel more girly and being "loved" while putting b & bw lotions on. I still keep a 4 oz. bottle of sheer freesia lotion in my purse no matter where I go. What's your favorite b & bw lotion and why? Or you have other picks? I would like to know!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So it's great that my dear friends told me what kind of lotions they love. Since I have been trying to save money, I've used lots of suave products. They were kind of cheap in Ohio but appear to be pricier here in Utah. Well, another thing I love about them is that they come with tons of scents (well, shower gel/shampoo/conditioner-wise, not lotion-wise). And they work pretty well on my body. They also have sweet pea, cool cucumber melon, coconut, and some other nice scents (and try to be competitive with Bath & Body Work products; please see notes on any Suave products for the proof, haha). Anyway, I still would be patient and wait for B & Bw's (semi-annual/annual/summer/or whatever reason) sale and hope to snap some favs home.

First-Year Baby Costs Calculator

2009-03-23T16:21:00.002-06:00

Urhh...I'm NOT pregnant if you wonder. I just ran across to a link on the New York Times Magazine about child-rearing. So, here is a calculator helps you estimate how much you would spend on child-rearing.

www.babycenter.com/babyCostCalculator.htm?intcmp=Nav_Global_calandcalc_babycostfind&pn=BC%20Homepage

Chinese Sour and Spicy Soup & Green Onion Pancakes

2009-03-20T15:13:00.008-06:00

I made these dishes for dinner about a couple of nights ago. This version of sour & spicy soup is not as strong as those of some Chinese restaurants; therefore I like it!! I am not good at making dough so that I made an easy version of green onion pancakes. For these two recipes, I referenced to this blog: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!ErFND3KRGB5spcr2zj8sS1c.uA--/

Fun day with my sis-in-law!

2009-03-19T10:52:00.002-06:00

I visited my sis-in-law, Miriam, yesterday and had a fun shopping & cooking time with her. We made shao mai, a kind of dim-sum dumpling, together! If you're interested in how to make it and the pictures we took along the process, please visit Miriam's food blog:

http://finefettlekettle.blogspot.com/2009/03/shao-mai.html

p.s. Thanks again for Jill & Dave's bamboo steamer; it works! Jill, we should make this dish together sometime, I think you will like it!

Japanese-style Deviled Eggs

2009-03-17T13:44:00.004-06:00

It was fun that Jill & Dave came over to our house for dinner last night! They were so nice that they brought a loaf of fresh bread over as well. In order to honor the St. Patrick's Day, we watched the movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People (and I finally had a glimpse on the mysterious leprechauns). I guess Trav still keeps his leprechaun message on his cell answering machine. Jill & Dave are indeed a very nice couple and full of fun and we're very grateful to have them as our neighbors.

These deviled eggs are part of our dinner last night. I modified Sandra Lee's recipe and gave it a Japanese twist! Well, I didn't do this on purpose; I just didn't have "right" ingredients on hand. Here is my version of Sandra Lee's deviled eggs:

-6 boiled eggs

-about 2 tablespoons mayonnaise -> I used Japanese mayonnaise instead; according to my own experience, you might need to use a bit more than 2 tablespoons.

-about 1 teaspoon yellow mustard -> I replaced yellow mustard with Japanese wasabi. Again, you might want to use a little bit more than 1 teaspoon. You can also use Dejon mustard.

-about 1 teaspoon sweet relish -> I used Japanese pickled ginger instead. Have you seen the pink ginger slices to go along with your sushi? Bingo! That's what I am talking about.

-salt, pepper, and paprika for dusting.

(I also added a few drops of rice vinegar to increase the acid flavor of the egg yolk mixture.)

So just boil your eggs, remove the yolks from the writes, and mix all of the ingredients with the yolks. Chill the mixture in the fridge for a while and then fill the whites with the yolk mixture. Just use the old ziplock bag's trick-cut a corner of a ziplock bag to pipe the whites. Chill the eggs in the fridge till completely cool. Garnish with paprika and choice of herbs.

Shrimp and Edamame Fried Rice & Garlic butter Spread

2009-03-13T14:24:00.009-06:00

Fried rice is super easy to make especially when you always have leftover rice on hand. You can pretty much throw anything into your own customized version; just remember to pay heeds to the following tips:

1. Aromatics: Always have some aromatic ingredients in your fried rice, such as garlic, onions, green onions, carrots, and so on.

2. Cold steamed rice: Do not use hot, soft, and steamy rice. A overnight-refrigerated batch of rice might be the best. Using hot or warm steamed rice could result in a gummy texture.

3. Special treatment of the main protein: Marinate your main protein thus give it an extra punch of flavor. I use shrimp here as my main protein. Shrimps here are de-veined, peeled, and marinated with a few drops of soy sauce, some corn starch, and a pinch of black pepper (or white pepper). Keep the marinate simple so that it does not overwhelm the natural flavor of the protein.

4. In most cases, make the scrambled eggs separately: Eggs are one of the traditional ingredients of fried rice. Making the scrambled eggs beforehand and then assembling it with the main body of the fried rice at the last stage of cooking would keep the neatness of the entire dish.

So here is how to do it: heat up oil and saute your aromatics (mine are chopped garlics, red pepper flakes, green onions, onions, and carrots) and add edamame and shrimps. Add a tablespoon of Chinese BBQ sauce (沙茶醬)and about a tablespoon of soy sauce (you can omit the Chinese BBQ sauce if you like). Finally add the cold steamed rice and the eggs. Mix them well. Enjoy!

I also enjoy making my own garlic spread. It's very simple (serve about 6 slices bread of a regular loaf): prepare a cube of unsalted/salted butter (well, I forgot the measurement; A stick of butter usually comes with some measurement on the wrapper. Take one unit of that!); a pinch of salt (you may omit it if you use salted butter); a clove of fresh garlic; a teaspoon of sugar; herb (either some fresh parsley or some dried Italian herb mix). Put all of the above ingredients into a food processor till the spread appears smooth and well-blended. Spread this mixture on bread and toast it till perfection. It's great for soup-dunking! If you're like me, who likes the taxes roadhouse's cinnamon butter spread, try this very simple cinnamon-butter-spread recipe at home. Just mix cinnamon powder, a pinch of sugar, and unsalted butter together in a food processor. Adjust the seasonings according to your preference. You might try to put some nutmeg into the mixture (I haven't tried so yet since nutmeg is a bit too expensive for my budget now). Spread it on dinner rolls or on a hot, oven-baked sweet potato, yum!

Coconut & Shrimp Soup

2009-03-11T11:10:00.006-06:00

After being sick & in-bed for a bit over one week, I'm finally feeling that the renewal of my body is taking place (Thus my blog entries are renewed as well). Although I haven't been feeling up to cooking, dinner still needs to be served daily. This soup is one of Trav's Thai-restaurant favorites! I modified the recipe of Emeril's Shrimp Coconut Soup with Ginger and Lemongrass on Foodnetwork and made this dish. My modified version is as follows:

Coconut soup (about 2 to 3 servings; Trav & I had two bowls each last night. If you're a big eater like us, this recipe only serves two, haha!)

The soup base:

*One can of chicken broth (or seafood/fish broth) and one can of water (use the very same chicken broth's can as measurement)

*Half a can of coconut milk

*One stalk of fresh lemongrass (at least 3-inch long), chopped

*A chunk of fresh ginger (about the size of a thumb), smashed (don't bother to chop it)

*Any sort of dried or fresh chiles (I just put in one dried red chili pepper)

*one regular size of lime, juiced (half to the cooking process and half for garnish)

*Two tablespoons of fish sauce (IMPORTANT! Please don't omit it and find a good quality bottle.)

(I omitted the Kaffir lime leaves in the original recipe; well, it did no harm to the outcome though.)

Add all of the above ingredients together and simmer it for about 20 minutes.

The variations:

What's inside of the soup? I put tofu, shrimps, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and some thin-sliced tomatoes for garnish. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro on top. Serve with steamed rice if you wish.

Yu-ting's thesis is just out of the oven!

2009-03-11T10:38:00.002-06:00

Finally, OhioLink has published my thesis online. If you're ever interested in what I've written, please follow the link below and you'll be able to read the entire work! I'll attach my abstract below also.

The link:

http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?acc_num=bgsu1229915111

The abstract:

The fictional Japanese TV drama series, Nodame Cantabile, based on the lives of Western art music performance majors in a Japanese music conservatory, has successfully reached out and appealed to the Japanese common audience since it was first aired in Japan in October, 2006. It has also attracted an international following, been aired in various Asian countries (including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia), and found mass audiences beyond national boundaries. Why is a TV drama depicting such a specific group (i.e. music majors) able to cater to a mass audience in Japan and even to millions of viewers beyond Japan? In this thesis, I will argue that Nodame Cantabile not only has the typical prerequisites to be a successful Japanese TV drama, it also enchants its spectators by employing a unique, almost unprecedented approach--using Western art music as the thematic music and main soundtrack--which results in a whimsical, sensational, cross-cultural success. By contrast, most music in similar drama series uses Japanese pop music and electronic music. I will decode how this drama attracts mass audiences by interpreting/elucidating it from different perspectives, including: 1) how it portrays/reflects the Japanese music conservatory culture; 2) how it reflects the long-term popularity of certain Western art music composition in/among Japanese music composers; and, most interestingly; 3) how this drama further changes the perception of mass audiences, especially fans in Taiwan, about Western art music, and serves to increase the popularity of this music in Asian countries.

When you're seriously in bed, you do...

2009-03-05T11:21:00.006-07:00

(Yeah, lucky me, having a double whammy of flu attack and once-a-month women thing...)

Once you've been tagged, you write a post with 10 weird, random facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 6 new victims to be tagged, list their names, and why you tagged them. Don't forget to leave them a comment saying ('you're it!') and to go read your blog. You cannot tag the person that tagged you, so let me know when you are done so that I can go read your blog answers. Here are my ten:

1. I really want to resume my Japanese study!! I've taken two-semester Japanese language classes in BGSU and loved loved it. Around the same time, I met Trav, started dating him, and adored his fluent Japanese (and his super cute American-accented Japanese). I've been thinking about auditing Japanese classes in either UVU or BYU but I don't think I'm allowed. My only option now is self-learning yet I need a really strong motivation to do it daily...

2. Food freak. Yeah, I'm talking about myself. I got annoyed sometimes by randomly pop-up food thought while reading scriptures. It's usually something like "what should I make for dinner/lunch tomorrow?" And once I get it going, it's hard for me to get myself back on reading. Yeah, I should repent of it. If I have money in the future, I would like to take some culinary classes.

3. I just trimmed my hair one week ago. One morning, I was brushing my teeth and got annoyed by my tangled, frizzy hairs in the mirror. The next thing I noticed was that I trimmed off at least one inch of my hair and...the left side is a bit longer than the right side. Yeah, I saved a trip to a salon and few bucks on it.

4. Have been going to Provo library almost everyday for a month now. I think I started this routine on the day of the snow almost melted. I usually bring my laptop to the library and recharge it there. I love browsing latest magazines there and check out some DVDs. Trav likes to watch really clean movies and Provo library has tons of old movies, which usually fits his demands. Personally, I think Provo library is way cooler than Bowling Green library (and Americans are so lucky to have such abundant public-shared resource...).

5. Last time gone clothes-shopping was on last year's after-thanksgiving sale! Um...I do miss shopping clothes for myself and I like to dress up Trav too (although he's not very into it). I kind of feel like an old, married lady sometimes...

6. I pay a lot of attention to how to be frugal! I know that it's good to turn off the lights if you won't use it in the following 5 minutes. Using slow cooker only costs you about 5 cents per hour. Something trivial like that. We keep our heater on 63 degree the whole day (and I hope that's not the reason why I caught a flu).

7. (I can't believe that I still have 4 more to go!!) Well, I really miss home now and can't wait to go back to Taiwan for a while. Another reason why I am so eager to go back is that-Trav has never met my family in person!! They only met and talked through skype...The story why he's never met them is very long so that I won't elaborate here. My biggest fear is that when next time I go back to Taiwan, my parents would meet my husband and my kid(s) altogether. Too shocking, I think.

8. Never really like working out. Well, I did have a period of time visiting BGSU's gym quite regularly-about once a week. I had a work-out buddy back then though. Now my regular working-out method is walking. (For women, it's recommended to walk for at least 2 miles a day, if you choose walking as the main work-out.)

9. Compulsive check-ups. I like to double/triple check my oven and stoves are turned off before leaving the house. My former roommate once accused me of letting our oven on for a couple of hours without anything in it. I remembered I turned it off before leaving the apartment though. It remains as a mystery about how did that happen.

10. Spending more than 5 hours online everyday. I hope it won't be like this forever, haha. I don't work, babysit, and no school now. I usually read articles online, watch TV series online, and browse others' blogs. Internet is a good thing and keeps me sane in the current life style.

Yeah, the most exciting moment has come! I'll single you out and it's your call to do it or not: Jill B., Jenny R., Yineria J., Rachel B., Miriam L., and Ashley O. Have fun while doing it!

A Taiwanese in Provo...

2009-03-03T15:09:00.003-07:00

http://blog.roodo.com/itismyself/archives/8337757.html

I accidentally discovered this personal blog, which is managed by a Taiwanese who's married & living in New Zealand. This article I quoted is one of her blog entrees describing her social life in town. Oh, somehow it really hits the spot! Even though I'm not living in New Zealand, the circumstances we encounter are pretty similar. (The article is written in Chinese; I really don't know how to quote the link properly on this website so that I just typed it out, sigh...SOS!)

The blogger said she's pretty much the only Asian wife in her town and she can always detects town folks (or I should say, other wives) are hesitated to have a deeper conversation with her. Her strategy to cross over the hurdle is to speak in a one-on-one base, so that she doesn't feel too timid to open her month and the other could understand her in a deeper sense. Well, I know that I'm not the only Asian wife in town (and thank goodness for that). Provo, as far as I understand, is a pretty internationally-populated town. I can ran into Asian faces on the street often and maybe exchange a friendly smile with them. It's just sad that my friend circle has shrunken so much that I now almost feel that I have no friends around. When I was studying in BGSU, I sometimes went to a game with my friends, gossiping between breaks, and went to grab some snacks afterwards. Parties, especially dinner parties, were regular affairs. I chatted with my roommates sometimes as we both had free time. It seemed really normal to have friends from different ethnic regions. It seemed easier to make friends in a college setting. I couldn't remember even once I catched the clue-"Oh, you look Asian, (so maybe your English sucks; so you might not be a fun person to be with; so you may ((you know, different kinds of stereotypes...))"-on their face. I think I used to be more confident in making friends while I was in Ohio. I was being in a familiar-and-thus-comfortable environment for 5 years and had some pretty good friends there. You know, that kind of friends you know they really know you. They might have never pronounced my name right (that's fine; my husband can't do that right all the time either). They might not have known the exact place I came from. Yet they know my personality and attributes, strength and weakness. They know what irritates and cheers me up. I miss them. I'm so grateful for their open-mindedness in the first place and continual efforts to bolster our relationships.

I somehow have some doubts about whether I can obtain this kind of friendship here. I feel as if I can read people's mind when we're in contact (yet it could be my own false assumptions): Well, she looks Asian so .........................

Sometimes I feel like people are just talking to my husband even though I'm right next to him. (Hello? I'm alive too and if you're interested in OUR family life, you might spare a word or two to me...)

Anyway, the journey to making good friends and living comfortably in Provo is to be continued.

p.s. I'm having a cold now so I'm bit grumpy today:(

Curry Rice Gratin

2009-02-24T14:57:00.004-07:00

It's THAT time again-to clean up my fridge. Trav has a thing with casserole; he hates it without a verbalizable reason. So every time when I am about to make this dish, I need to say: Honey, I'm making the oven rice again! Yet Gratin is truly a subcategory of casserole. As far as I understand, every casserole dish thrown into the oven has bubbly, golden-brown topping (made of cheese and/or bread crumbs) as the outcome could be called Gratin.

So I started with a container of steamed rice, which is a staple of our leftovers. I also gathered the last cube of Japanese curry form the fridge's compartment and a frozen link of chorizo sausage. Let the assembling line begin!

The rice part:

Chop onions, garlics, carrots, cabbages (you can certainly use something else, such as peas, corn kernels, celery, or bell peppers) into fine cubes, set aside.

Heat up the pan and add a bit oil on it; discard the case of the sausage and torn the meat into the similar size of the vegetables; adding all of the vegetable mixture onto the pan after the sausage turns slightly brown. Add a bit flour into the mixture and stir well at this time.

Add one can of chicken broth and a cube of Japanese curry, and then the rice.

After all of the ingredients are combined well, the texture would turn risotto-like, starchy- looking. Adjust the seasonings and set aside.

Finish it in the oven:

Prepare a casserole dish (with a shallower depth and wider-opening face). Grease the bottom of the dish very slightly and dump the rice mixture into it. Preheat the oven to 380 degree. Sprinkle your fav cheese generously on the top of the dish (I used pepper jack, smoked cheddar, and parmesan, which were the only three cheeses I had at that time). Add some herbs if desire. Bake it for 15-20 minutes. For golden-brown result, crank the heat up to 390 (or 400) degree after the first 15 minutes for another 5 minutes/or you can simply use broil. Please keep an eye on it at this stage of cooking; you want a golden-brown topping instead of a burnt one.

If you like comfort food, you would love this dish!

p.s. If prefer more chewy. starchier texture of rice, you can use risotto rice instead. Yet it would be more expensive alternative, I think. Even for just using the regular sushi rice, the result is quite starchy and satisfying.

Steamed buns & Taiwanese shrimp pancakes

2009-02-21T19:32:00.005-07:00

I do think marriage is not easy. Before getting married, I sometimes wondered if I would be a good wife. I still ask myself the same question silently often.

I bought a package of flour mixture to make steamed buns and followed the instructions printed on its back. And the result--not very successful. I think I should have rolled out the dough thiner so that the bun wouldn't have tasted so...cakey. Anyway, I need someone to teach me how to wrap a bun in person...

The Taiwanese shrimp pancake is supposed to be an oyster pancake. Taiwanese usually puts oysters into this kind of street food. the most important things are the freshness of the seafood and the sauce. You can put any kind of seafood you like into this pancake.

The dough:

1 cup sweet potato starch; 2/3 cup 太白粉(or corn starch); 2 1/2 water

mix them together and set aside

The sauce

ketchup; miso paste; dark soy sauce （醬油膏, I usually don't have it in my pantry, so I just use regular soy sauce); sugar; water (I got this recipe from this blog: tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jersey-wind/)

Saute the shrimps or choice of seafood first, and then add the dough, cook for a while

add some leafy vegetables and one egg, cook till done. Drizzle the sauce freely on the top.

Belated Happy Valentine's Day and President's Day!

2009-02-18T13:46:00.005-07:00

Trav & I have been getting up early on Saturday mornings to serve at MTC since last month, and this past Valentine's Day (Sat) was no different. While I was chewing my oatmeal groggily, Trav presented me my first valentine's gift (from him) ever-a "cow" bank and heart-shaped shortbread cookies! I knew right away where the cow bank came from since it was spotted in a nearby dollar store during a spontaneous window-shopping trip. The shortbread cookies were catered to my taste-NOT fond of chewy cookies! My sweetie Trav! He told me a single rose's price was raised to about 15 bucks (around BYU campus) so that he couldn't get me one. And he also told me that he thought I would choose food over roses if I could only choose one. (Yeah, you know me well, Trav) Well, you can see we've been struggling to meet the ends and roses are too luxury for us. Since dear bishop did encouraged us to serve in the temple to celebrate this special holiday, we went, in a very snowy, windy afternoon, and luckily the sky did clear up after the temple trip. We decided to rush to grocery stores and finished shopping for next week. Everything seemed pretty ordinary by far yet tinted with a slight bubbling anticipation of the Valentine's Day dinner, which was supposed to be a surprise for me.

Finally, the moment had come. We sort of dressed up and sort of pretended to be in a premarital dating scene (which implies more excitement, I think). Our reservation was at 8 so we went to the restaurant, the Ottavio's, a bit earlier...

Then we saw its reception area packed with people.

At first, we were not concerned. We had a reservation, wasn't it? A reservation was supposed to protect us from such an embarrassing, seem-to-be-endless waiting in an over-crowded front of a restaurant. Different scents of perfume and cologne were entwined, mixing with some sort of anxiety. I tried to strike a conversation with a mid-aged woman and she revealed that she ALSO had a 8-o'clock reservation.

Bummer. I thought.

Yes. The two-third of this crowd had reservation around the same time. Yet we were not moving at all. The freezing air sneaked in through the often on-and-of front door. I felt myself as if a prisoner was enticed with the smell of food yet only could stay in a cold chamber.

Time seemed to pass slowly. I was anxious, angry, then silent. The lady at the front desk called different parties in and some of them were even walk-ins or had later reservations than us. I started to ponder on justice.

Finally, we got in around 8:40.

Well, unfortunately, that's the part impressed me the most during this romantic day. The food was good yet wasn't worth 40 min. wait and 49 bucks. So please don't go to this restaurant on Valentine's Day unless they decide to not over-book the Valentine's Day reservations...(Their lunch menu looks much more affordable; about 8 to 10 bucks for a main dish.

I need to say that compared to the Valentine's Day, we had a more relaxing and fun experience at Dad & Mom's place. Chatting with folks during Sunday evening, sleeping-over, munching leftover Valentine's Day chocolate and watched old classic Star Wars with a slice of rich, fattening cherry pie garnished with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Thank you Dad & Mom! I love you guys and it's always a pleasure to invade your big, warm house!!

Egg Dumpling

2009-02-18T13:05:00.003-07:00

Egg dumplings are usually used in Chinese hot-pot cooking. To be honest, I've never made it on my own since I always had easy access to it in Taiwan. Well, apparently, things have changed a lot after I moved over here. I went to Old Chao (老趙店), located on University Ave, last Saturday and intended to get some blood rice cakes. Apparently this delicacy is not popular here, thus the store doesn't carry it any more:( Ah, I do miss the blood rice cake though. When I go back to Taiwan, I definitely will eat some steamed blood rice cake, fried blood rice cake, and spicy stewed blood rice cake with stinky tofu (my fav)!

I guess not everyone is crazy about the blood rice cake or stinky tofu as much as I am. So I went ahead and got some hot-pot dumplings, such as fish dumplings and a sort of fish ball with fish-egg stuffing, which is Trav's fav. Egg dumplings are easier to make as compared to the above two. If you have made 1) dumplings (pot sticker) and 2) omelet before, you'll find making egg dumplings is a piece of cherry pie (in commemorating President's Day, haha!)

For the stuffing

Mix ground pork, ginger, green onion, pepper (preferred white pepper powder), soy sauce, chicken powder (optional), sesame oil, and salt. Knead it till the consistency shown in the pic.

For the egg wrap

Mix 3 to 4 egg with some water, some corn starch, pepper, salt, and chicken power (optional). pour about 1 to 2 table spoon egg mixture onto a hot pan. Place the pork stuffing on one side of the omelet and fold the other side unto the pork side before it's completely cooked. Make sure you seal the edge of the omelet before it's completely cooked. See the pic. The size of one egg dumpling should resemble that of a regular Chinese dumpling.

You can add the home-made egg dumpling to your chicken noodle soup or any kind of soup. I added it to my kimchi soup along with some vegis and hot-pot dumplings, yum!

Recipes learned from Magazine

2009-02-13T15:03:00.003-07:00

I like to check out magazines from library, especially some home & women magazines. They provide some fresh ideas for me to play in the kitchen. Due to our TIGHT budget, I tend to adopt recipes using more affordable ingredients. Here it goes!

FOR SLOW COOKER:

thai chicken legs (From Woman's Day, Jan. 2009 issue, the following recipes are also from the same issue)

Serves 4 Total: 7 to 9 HR ON LOW

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

4 each chicken drumsticks and thighs (about 2 1/4 lb), skin removed [of course you can save the skin]

1 large red pepper, quartered and sliced

1 can (14 1/2 oz) petite diced tomatoes with zesty jalapenos

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp each fresh lime juice and soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground ginger

8 oz fresh mint leaves, cut in strips

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

So put everything in at once expect for the snow peas (only need 15 min. to be cooked through), mint and chopped peanuts are for garnish.

Skewers Ideas:

Different combinations: Chicken tenders and zucchini slices; Swordfish chunks, bay leaves, lemon wedges, grape tomatoes; large shrimp, pineapple and cubanelle pepper cubes; Thin-sliced beef round steak (rolled around scallions, then sliced) and asparagus; Lamb chunks, mushrooms, red and yellow pepper cubes; Pork tenderloin chunks, apple slices, sage leaves, red onion slices.

Dips for dunking

Thai

Whisk 1/2 cup cream of coconut, 2 Tbsp each creamy peanut butter and lime juice, and 1 to 2 tsp jalapeno hot sauce in small bowl. Stir in 1 Tbsp chopped jalapeno pepper.

Red Pepper Mayonnaise

Pulse in food processor 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted red pepper strips, 1/2 cup light mayonnaise, 1 small clove garlic and 1 tsp red wine vinegar. Cover; refrigerate until serving.

Cilantro Chimichurri

Pulse in food processor 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and 3 cloves garlic until finely chopped. Add 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 Tbsp each lime juice and water, 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp salt; process until blended.

Curry Yogurt

Pulse in food processor 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup mango chutney and 2 tsp curry powder. Cover; refrigerate until serving.

Asian Soy-Orange

Mix together 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, 3 Tbsp each dark brown sugar and water, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp grated ginger, and 1 tsp grated orange zest until sugar dissolves.

Versatile Marinade

Serve 4

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice or vinegar

2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flacks or ground black pepper

about mixed children

2009-02-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article in Vogue (on the October 2008 issue) on the differentiations in a cross-cultural, racial marriage. The author, Christina Thompson, a white New Englander married to a Polynesian New Zealander, expressed her expectations for her children in the following message:

"...But what I truly hoped for, what I still hope for, is that they will end up someplace comparatively neutral. I like to think they might ultimately have social identifies as fluid-seeming as the way they look, with their black eyes and brown hair and varying shades of skin. Ethnically indeterminate, difficult to place, they are, in my fondest dream of their imaginary future, unconstrained by membership in any social class." (Italics added)

I just think this message is cool:) If I have kids in the future, it would be what I hope for.

Yakisoba

2009-02-12T14:44:00.015-07:00

I found this bag of yakisoba at the corner of our freezer and it looked "suspicious." Why? Cuz I couldn't recall when I got this at all. I guess either Trav got this or we got it together during one of the many trips to different oriental stores. Yet I am sure it happened way before we got married! Um...in other words, I don't know how old this pack is.

Well, I guess I feel courageous today so I risk myself to partake it regardless of its suspicious expiration date. The ready-to-make yakisoba package contains 3 individually-packed frozen cooked noodles and three packages of seasonings. In order to make my lunch more nutritious, I add a couple of ingredients, such as shredded onions, carrots, cabbages, one clove of garlic (smashed), one strip of bacon (uncured), one egg, and some chopped green onions. See the pic. These ingredients mixing with one package of frozen noodles makes about one-two servings. (If you eat as much as I do, then it only makes up for one serving) Basically, you can add whatever you want to the noodles. I make a thin egg skin by pan-frying the mixture of one egg, some water, a pinch of salt & pepper, and a pinch of corn starch. Corn starch makes the egg more stretchable and less fragile. Cut the egg skin into strips after it's cooled down. Saute all of the ingredients (expect for noodles) first, then add water and seasonings, and then add the noodles. I add some additional yakisoba sauce into the noodles. You can also buy yakisoba sauce in the oriental store. We always have some in the fridge since Trav makes okonomiyaki pretty often and we discovered that we can totally substitute yakisoba sauce for okonomiyaki sauce.

Chinese-style Tomato Beef Noodle Soup

2009-02-11T11:50:00.006-07:00

I had a rough day yesterday, so did Trav. We went up to the USCIS office in Salt Lake City and met with some officer to go over our questions about the application. I'm still waiting for my birth certificate sent from Taiwan while Trav needs to deal with his dad's & his Tax info. Ahhh...How dreadful it is! If I miss the deadline to submit all of these required documents, my application might be denied and we need to start it over. Consequentially, I won't be able to visit Taiwan in anytime soon. I haven't been home for almost two years and I really want to go back to visit. I need prayers, the more the merrier:(

Trav loves this noodle soup very much and I've been making it several times since we started dating. It's funny that I've never made this dish before I met him so it's packed with our mutual memories, I guess. I'm suprised that he likes the anise flavor. Here is how to make the soup base (about 5-6 servings):

1. Saute fresh ginger (chopped and lightly-smashed), roughly-chopped onion, and roughly-chopped green onion till they're aromatic.

2. Add beef chunks (about 0.9 to 1 lb), which has been boiled with hot water thus removed some bloody water.

3. Add about 2 table-spoon sugar and 1 big table-spoon chinese chili bean paste, saute till aromatic

4. Add fresh tomato chunks (about one big tomato), saute till soften. Adding tomato this time makes the result somehow thicker and starchier. Good stuff!

5. Add water till cover all of the ingredients.

6. Add three star anises and about 1 cup of soy sauce

7. Ok, then you can add some carrots and Daikon radishes. Daikon radish is usually pricey so I've been substituting regular green cabbage for it. Add some more water till cover all of the ingredients.

8. Simmer the pot for at least two hours. Cook some noodles to serve with the soup.

Well, I usually cook it without recipe so it's hard for me to give you the measurement. Just trust your taste bud when it comes to adjusting the seasonings and flavor. It's better to use beef with tendon parts. I don't like to use the regular beef stew parts; it's just not as good as the fattier or beef tendon parts. This dish is also better on the next day! Garnish with fine-chopped green onion and cilantro.

Humble Oven Fries & Split Pea Soup

2009-02-09T16:08:00.006-07:00

Urrrr...I can't believe it's snowing AGAIN! I was really looking forward to spring and warm weather, sigh. Anyway, I made the oven fries and the pea soup a couple of days ago. These are so easy to make and they also clean up the leftovers in your fridge well.

When it comes to fries, I use any kind of potatoes I can get my hands on. I know some breeds are starchier than others and the retainment of starch affects the crispness of fries. Generally speaking, less-starchy potatoes yield crispier fires. (But it's kind of annoying to figure out which is starchier than others, isn't it?) I used to prefer red potatoes, especially those tiny ones, for oven fries because I just needed to chop each one in half. How convenient! But red potatoes are usually pricier than others. Russet potatoes are pretty common and price-friendly.

So this time I used russet potatoes to make fries. The trick is to keep the skin on for at least two good reasons: one is that it's more nutritious this way and the other is that it saves time and trouble. (and the outcome is yummier!) Just simply use a scrub sponge (I have one reserved for scrubbing vegetables only) to remove dirt or mud off the skin. And then julienne the potato into desired strips. On the other hand, mix olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, and Italian herb mix (or thyme, rosemary, fresh/dry parsley...well, you get the idea). Wanna get fancy? Sprinkle some paprika. Rub the oil mix onto the potato strips and send the whole thing into the oven on 380 degree for 30 plus minutes. If you want the result crispier, then just let the fries stay in longer. No-brainer, right? If by any chance you have truffle oil in your pantry, you may drizzle some on the fries and then it becomes the truffle-oil fries ($8) I had at a restaurant in Carlsberg, California:p

The pea soup is another easy task. If you have milk/half-half/whip cream and chicken stock in your fridge, then you can make any sort of creamy soup. I first sauteed chopped leak (the white and light green parts), chopped onions, and two strips of bacon pork with butter and then added flour into the pen. After mixing well, I threw in few cauliflower florets along with almost 1/3 bag of frozen split peas (the fridge-cleaning act). Added chicken stock. After all of the ingredients soften and cooled-down, I pureed the soup with a smoothie maker (well, the main point is to puree, so use any reasonable tools you can get hands on). Afterwards I heated the soup again, poured in some cream, and seasoned it with salt and pepper (and parmesan cheese). You can also make corn, roasted red pepper & tomato, or other other kind of vegie soups in this manner. Good luck on experimenting your own!

Miracle happens everyday!

2009-02-08T22:14:00.002-07:00

Conversion, the most miraculous event, is occurring everyday at every corner of the earth.

"Conversion is the greatest miracle. It is even more wonderful than healing the sick or raising the dead. For while a person who is healed will eventually fall sick again and ultimately die, the miracle of conversion can last forever and affect the eternities for the convert as well as for his or her posterity. Whole generations are healed and redeemed from death through the miracle of conversion."-- quoted by Susan Tanner from her husband's mission journal.

I think it's so inspiring:) Who says there's no miracle nowadays?

Chicken Pot Pie?

2009-02-04T20:09:00.011-07:00

I love libraries! I've been checking things out of the Provo public library, such as books, DVDs, and magazines. I'm glad I didn't need any "American government-issued" IDs to apply for the library card. Ah! I love the feelings of using stuff for FREE! The Provo library is located on University Ave. and is merely 10-12 minutes away from my house by walking. I've been more willing to walk around my neighborhood lately since the temperature has been much warmer than before. I really can't wait for the spring anymore. I'm not a big fan of working out (yeah, I know, it's bad...) so I count the walk back and forth to the library as my daily exercising regimen. Walking makes me move around, being "green," save gas money...How wonderful !(Yup, I try to comfort myself and overlook the fact that I can't drive)

Yeah, do you notice the chicken pot pie in the pic doesn't look like a regular one? It doesn't even look like a "pie" and definitely doesn't look like one you can get from your grocery store's freezer aisle. I've tried some of the store-bought kinds; some of them are good whereas the others only contain little flavor with plenty of salt. A good store-bought chicken pot pie usually costs more than 3 bucks; as a thrifty shopper, it's no way for me to spend a penny on it!

So why there is no crust on the "pie"? I'm just too lazy to do it. If you're familiar with the food network star host, Rachael Ray, you would notice she seldom bakes. Well, I can totally empathizes with her. I am that kind of person bakes from a box, a klutz when it comes to making any sort of pastries. So I adopted Rachael's recipe Chicken Mug Pie (please look it up on the food network website) and used the alternative way to replace a traditional crust with biscuits! I got ready-made biscuit dough and baked it in my oven; for one dollar I can make ten biscuits. Just simply dunk the biscuits into the chicken filling in your bowl then done! Make sure you either bake the biscuits in your oven or warm up them before you serve. Fresh biscuit is the best for this dish!

Music, singing, and shouting out loud

2009-02-03T13:54:00.005-07:00

(Trav's dog, Oreo)

My personal studying music for a long time is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 & 3. I would play it over and over again until I finish a study session, or writing a paper. There's some sort of calming power within; meanwhile, it's less distracting than other musics. This music might also have accompanied me through heartaches, different sorts of stress, and loneliness. I guess it's my all-purpose solution. There's just one downside of it: I can't really sing long with it. Sure, I can hum along with it yet where to vent my excessive energy? The yearning for connecting with this world, the yearning for doing something for real instead of staying in this lovely yet overly quite home...Sometimes I wonder.

Thus I need to sing, not just sing, shout out loud. It's like my kind of exercising for the soul. A couple of falsettos wouldn't hurt my vocal cord. Just let my mind wander along with the pitches and the lyrics. Scream out so that I can hear the echoes of my own voice, piercing through the silent air.

It just happened last night, right before I fell asleep. All of the sudden, I felt nostalgic about those old days while living in Taiwan and apparently being held in somebody's arm can't resolve this feeling. Don't get me wrong. I love the person I'm with and have promised him that we'll be best friends for eternity, regardless of our personal follies and shortcomings. It just that...I used to work so hard there for my dreams and future. My initial zeal for this life originated there. 23 years of my life was spent there. So many first-time experiences happened there. Although I always refuse to claim my homesickness, somehow it creeps into my dreams and my chains of thought. Have I lost something without knowing it? Do I need to find a new dream?

About almost 2 and half years ago, Alana asked me why I am here. This is such a typical question you (especially if you're also a foreigner in this country) might have encountered on countless occasions. I didn't know why I tried to answer this seriously at that moment. I told her, I would like to find a home. I couldn't even remember the exact wording I used, yet I knew I was searching for a home. I loved Taiwan and my family there dearly, yet I wasn't sure if that was the home in my mind. Back then, I didn't know how to love and appreciate much, yet I was adventurous and prone to risk-taking. I felt I missed something in Taiwan so that I came to the states, being rootless voluntarily. Then I found the gospel, the church, and started sensing what I might have missed in the past. I would like to ask myself, THEN, THEN WHAT? What can I do here to really mend myself whole. What kind of dream I should have from now on? And what can I do here to fulfill the purpose of my life and maybe, others' too?

p.s. I love Horowitz's Rachmaninoff's piano concerto no. 3 the best.

Sesame Noodles

2009-02-02T16:00:00.004-07:00

I've made sesame noodles several times and it's been an easy way to whip up something simple, also has a taste of home. The trick here is to substitute peanut butter for Chinese sesame paste. I believe the peanut butter in the states is generally cheaper than Chinese sesame paste. For this dish, you need to mix fresh minced ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar (or honey), sesame oil, and peanut butter for sauce and eat the noodles with your fav toppings, such as shredded carrots, cucumbers, Japanese egg omelet, shrimps, green onions, and cilantro.

Parmesan Eggplant

2009-02-02T15:22:00.004-07:00

You might have heard parmesan chicken, but have you heard parmesan eggplant? The first time I had parmesan eggplant was in a local restaurant in BG, Ohio (or Biaggi's ?). The eggplant was crispy and golden-brown outside, tender and juicy inside, complimented with basil & tomato sauced pasta. As you can see in the upper picture, the making of the outward crispy coating goes through three steps; first is to coat the eggplant with flour, salt, and pepper mixture, second is to drench it in a egg & water (egg wash) mixture, and finally finish it with seasoned ground bread crumbs (seasonings: dried parsley, salt, and pepper) and shredded parmesan cheese mixture.

The trick is that the eggplant needs to be thinly coated with these three mixtures. And it's better to slice the eggplant into no bigger than a quarter inch in thickness so that it's easier to pan-fry it and cook it through that way. If you decide to deep-fry the eggplant, you may divide it into thicker slices as desires. Serve the eggplant with tomato sauced pasta, or, like me, serve it with fettuccine alfredo.

p.s. If you want to make parmesan chicken instead, you may pound chicken breast into thinner piece first for the best result.

sushi

2009-02-02T14:48:00.003-07:00

Thanks to YouTube, I can listen to pop music for free. As to the old days, the happy time of downloading pirate musics & movies onto my PC laptop has long gone. Due to moral & technical issues, I have abandoned this habit for a while. (Now playing - OneRepublic's Too Easy)

It was my first attempt to make sushi and as you can see the outcome was a bit...umm..."homemade" looking. I didn't really make sushi rice, which is supposed to be infused with rice vinegar and sugar. My brand new kitchen pantry is still equipped with very scarce variety of spices and seasonings. There is neither rice vinegar or toasted sesame seeds in it. Anyway, the upper one has imitation crab and avocado in it while the bottom one has cucumber, carrots, and cream cheese in it. Eat both with wasabi & soy sauce mixture.

Homeless member...

2009-01-31T17:13:00.003-07:00

Since I've being moving so much, even the LDS.org can't trace my church record@@

Trav now is in the priesthood meeting of our stake conference and I'm waiting at home for the adult session to start. I'm still very tempted to go to the BYU Chinese association thing tonight and hopefully can see Jenny there; yet it's very hard to move around without car!!! And I have the stake conference thing. I was trying to look it up on church website for the details of our stake conference. After finally retrieving both my username and password back, a small window popped up, indicating "YOU NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF THIS WARD TO VIEW THIS EVENT." AHHHHHH~an't I a member of the pioneer 4th ward??? In the past 7 months, I've been perplexed about where my record has been. It's said that my record should be bound to my husband so that my record was supposed to be in Alpine while I being in BG, Ohio. Afterwards, Trav and I moved to Provo from Alpine and my record IS supposed to be in this ward in Provo now. Anyway, who knows how long it takes to process any of this? Ok, I guess I will go back to my trash bin and hopefully I can find the reminds of the church program from last week...

peanut butter alert!

2009-01-29T15:38:00.003-07:00

Well, I think I'm too slow to notice this news:(

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/28/salmonella.outbreak/index.html

I was eating skippy peanut butter last night for dessert!! I am glad that skippy (Unilever) is not one of the recalled products!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2009-01-27T15:38:00.008-07:00

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone! The new year's eve was last Sunday and I DIDN'T celebrate it at all. Well, I actually called my folks in Taiwan, webcamed with them for a while and it was fun! My little bro even played a piece entitled "high mountain, running river"* on his Chinese zither for Trav and I. My little sis showed off her new frog clay artifact. Oh, they're so grown-up now. I can't help but feel time really flies.

So Trav and I were invited by Cathy to a Chinese new year's celebration on BYU campus on Monday. The party actually took place in a student lounge as you can see in the pic. I didn't get a chance to take pics of food since they were fully blocked by the crowed and they disappeared way too fast! The feast was in a form of potluck, contributed by some of the attendees and mostly featured Asian/Taiwanese dishes. I brought sushi since we have a huge bag of sushi rice in our food storage and it's just a pretty economic dish for us to make. Well, my sushi turned out ok yet the execution looked a bit sloppy. I was so happy to taste the Taiwanese winter melon drink again in a long time and Trav loved it too. Finally I know where to get the winter melon brick, haha! Somebody also prepared 山粉圓 (which I don't know how to translate) and I was very grateful to see this unique homeland delicacy.

After finishing eating, here came the entertainment. Chinese calligraphy was the first thing up and people came forth to try their skills. Trav actually tried a bit and wrote a couple of kanji. The character he's holding in the pic means love and I wrote it under his request. Now the drawing is posted on our fridge door:p Since there were so many returned missionaries from Taiwan, almost everyone could write a thing or two in Chinese and that truly amazed me. After all, BYU is a highly international-populated campus and the center of returned missionary students. I was impressed by the fact that almost all of the people in the party know what and where is my hometown, Keelung. What a wonderful feeling! Another thing stunned me is that the high quality of the ESL program at BYU. I was compelled to enroll in the graduate ESL program at BGSU about 4 years ago and it was not the most pleasant experience in my life. I often felt a sense of wasting time and didn't think the courses had a tremendous positive impact on my English learning. In short, I thought ESL program is merely an "appendix" of the body, unnecessary thing. But the ESL program here seems to be on a different level. I've talked to some ESL students here, including Cathy, and their oral is much better compared to how I was 4 years ago. They are not even grad students. They are talkative, expressive boldly with very little Chinese accent. I think BYU is truly a nice environment to take on English learning and meeting friendly people.

Ok, the red apron thing was asked by Trav too. You can tell how HAPPY I was when I had the thing on. Anyway, I guess it was Chinese New Year after all and it wouldn't hurt to wear something festive...

*A translation of the piece given by my little bro

Serve Others

2009-01-26T15:32:00.008-07:00

"Forget yourself and reach out"-- Gordon B. Hinckley

President G. B. Hinckley used to be the only living prophet I've known from 2003 to 2008. I wept when he went on and returned back to the presence of the lord. I feel his love personally even though I've never met him in person. I know that he was and is the true prophet of God. Recently, I've found BYU TV website as a online resource full of spiritual, uplifting TV programs, talks, and music productions so I could listen/watch some talks or programs each day. The talk Forget yourself I just listened to was given by Gordon B. Hinckley and I found it so powerful and uplifting. The words of a true prophet never cease, transcending the mortality. I would like to share this talk with you. Please follow the link http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6167 and read the text of the talk. If you would like to check out it's audio version, please go onto the BYU TV website and search underneath the menu "find a talk."

Times When You Don't Want to Make Dinner

2009-01-23T14:54:00.006-07:00

This is my miniature slow cooker, a wedding gift from Trav's friends, Rob & Leah. As time went by, I've been making meals in this house for about one month and I've been cooking ALMOST everyday! The time finally comes. I'm getting tired of keeping every meal different and novel (to Trav). I decided to repeat things from now on without any guilt, haha!

I miss Ashley's crock-pot; a ideal size holds about 4 servings and makes real meals. My tiny one barely makes 2 servings and no soup allowed. What's cooking in the pot? I put chopped onions on the bottom, topped with two chicken thighs, potato chunks, and finished with half a jar of Patak's tikka masala curry sauce. This kind of indian curry features scents of citrus, tomato, and cilantro, not spicy at all. I got it from a nearby grocery store and you might be able to find it easily as well. I've also tried another onion-chicken crock-pot recipe which Trav loves much (Kath loves it too). It begins with chopped onions on the bottom and chicken on the top. Chicken with bones and skins is the best for slow cooking. I don't even bother to put additional oil in. The sauce going with it calls for Hoisin sauce, Chiashu sauce, honey, soy sauce, sugar, a pinch of Chinese five spices powder, orange juice, garlic, and ginger. If you would like to substitute rice cooking wine for orange juice, go for it. I don't really use measurements that much so I only can share the proportion roughly: Hoisin to Chiashu is about 1:1 (Chiashu is usually sweeter than Hoisin), honey could weigh half of Chiashu, soy sauce is just a splash, and believe me, a tiny pinch of five spices powder is all you need. Serve the chicken with streamed rice.

I'm actually looking for more easy and simple slow cooking recipes, especially non-soup kind, so I can use the most out of my tiny cooker. Does anyone have his/her fav slow cooker recipes?

p.s. Yeah, I don't know how to edit my pic on blogger yet, any thought?

A Christian, environmentalist, and how he does it

2009-01-22T10:40:00.007-07:00

I have been reading a book named Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action by J. Sleeth and find it very inspiring. No, no, Mr. Sleeth is not a mormon and a mormon like me can read what ever I want, as long as it's inspiring, pure-intended, and advocating good tidings. And this book is one of this kind. J. Sleeth worked as a chief of ER for probably at least few decades and used to live in a big house with his family. He was (and probably still is) rich and enjoyed satisfying him and his family with fulfilling all of their material needs. Then he realized they were exhausting the earthly resource by only feeding their desires unthoughtfully. He wondered if this is the way of God. The answer was obvious and he decided to make a change. He quitted his job, downsized his home, figured out tons of ways to do good for the environment, and devoted to serving others. The most inspiring part of his story is that he really turned his thoughts into actions and that's the part matters the most. Merely thinking about good thoughts is not enough. If Jesus Christ only thought about how he loved us instead of actually dying on the cross for us, we would not have had the chance to repent of our sins and hopefully one day return back to our heavenly father. He acted upon his love for us.

Sleeth cited God's commandment-"love thy neighbors"- as the GOLDEN RULE and developed several arguments after it. He points out how we being the stewards of the earth doesn't mean we are allowed to exploit the environment as we wish. This earth is God's creation and we are living herein. We really need to show more respect and responsibility to this world, in turn, we will be able to love our neighbors, including lovely animals, planets, and all other creatures living around us, in actions. I know I'm guilty of it. Although I've been aware of what I'm supposed to do to improve the environment, I am not recycling anything. When I was living in BG, different kinds of recycling bins were just half a mile away and I wasn't doing my part diligently. Now I'm living in a city without recycling bins and policy and I don't even now how to do it now. I'm still using antibacterial soaps which is accused of polluting our water resource just because they're cheap.

Well, maybe I shouldn't turn this article into a full-fledged confession. I came to realize that there still a lot needs to be done and I need to do more. Reading Sleeth's book also made me realize how blessed we all are! He once asked a class of 5th (or 6th?) graders if they think they are rich. Most of the students didn't think they were. Then Sleeth asked how many of them had telephones, televisions, computers, and cars at home and if they have ridden in a plane. All of the students nodded to the possession of those items and only two of them haven't flown before. Sleeth said, by this standard, you're on the top 20 % richest people of the earth. I never thought about it. I always think I might be on the bottom of the society since I'm unemployed and my husband is still just working part-time. We're not making much money. Yet when I really open my eyes and look around, I have had a lot. I am living in a cozy, new-furnished beautiful house and I have a husband who loves me dearly. Both of us are able to receive college education and I even have two master's. We have people who love us around and most importantly, we have the gospel. We're fed with good food and I have free wireless internet access so that I can sit in my comfy queen-sized bed and write an entry on my blog. I think I would be condemned if I consider these blessings are not enough. I think I have had much. I think I need to do more, serve more, and I want to pray for more courage and strength to turn my thought into actions. I don't want to be a hypocrite.

Just like what Sleeth says in his book, let's think about whether this brings us closer to God before doing it. I believe the holy spirit will testify the truth to us so that we'll have wisdom to take care of this earth better. I would like to challenge myself to be a more attentive person when it comes to our environment, and hopefully I will remember it always.

Potsticker/煎餃

2009-01-21T12:26:00.013-07:00

I can't remember when was the last time I ate store-bought dumplings/potstickers. Making dumplings is very easy and there is a wide range of ingredients you can choose from for the stuffing. Well, I consider this Chinese thing is very similar to its Italian counterpart,ravioli; the determinant is that Chinese would not stick any sort of cheese into their dumplings.

I come to realize that the fad of making potstickers is to pour flour-water mixture into the saute pan so that the mixture would form a thin, crispy, and golden-brown crust. The ratio of flour to water is about 1:2 and it doesn't need to be exact. After pouring the mixture, put on a lid which roughly covers the saute pan and wait till the dumpling's skin turns translucent.

Kimchi Fever!

2009-01-20T12:45:00.007-07:00

Trav and I have moved into our new home in Provo for about one month now. He's still juggling among school, work, and his dear wife while I've been a full-time housewife. The fact that being at home all the time is totally out of my hand and I'm still trying to manage my new post-student life:) (I just hope that USCIS can approve my green card application ASAP).

I thought I was totally not a blogger material, just as what I stated on facebook one time. Yet It's undeniable that writing blog entries is one of the easiest ways to kill time (and keep on practicing English writing). I hope I can keep in touch with my dear families and friends through this blog, an intimate site and hopefully, a cozy, fun spot for all the blog visitors in the future. The entries in the blog would appear in either English or Chinese, reflecting the different natures of my life events (or merely my moods).

Ok. So for people who know me pretty well understand that I'm a food nut and I can't bear monotonous, repetitive diet. This personal trait is getting even more obvious after being a full-time housewife (since I don't have any other obligation now). On the contrary, Trav is that kind of guy who can live on pizzas and McDonald's dollar menu. I guess I am converting him to my foodology somehow.

Thanks to God's mercy that Trav was sent to Japan for his mission. During the nearly 2-year span, he's learned to deal with and appreciated different food cultures and palettes. We went to the First Oriental store and brought a huge jar of kimchi home. The pic of kimchi hot pot is one of our experimental dishes. Making Asian food in the states, especially in Utah, definitely requires some improvising skills and a creative mind. (It's not saying I have either). Well, I sauteed kimchi along with a piece of fresh ginger and some green onions and then mixed all of them with chicken broth. I also poured in some kimchi juice to make rich and flavorful hot pot broth. The following list shows what was in that pot: tofu, napa, broccoli, enoki mushroom, fresh shitaki mushroom, bacon pork, squid fish ball, oden fish ball, and etc. I was dreaming to get blood rice cakes...well, maybe next time. when it comes to dipping sauce, I sticked to my Taiwanese root and made a Chinese-barbecue-based sauce. A profound flavor blending Chinese BBQ sauce, soy sauce, chopped green onions, sesame oil, and a splash of Chinese black vinegar gave this korean dish a Taiwanese twist.

So it's been a while

2008-09-03T19:09:00.001-06:00

It's been just a little over 5 years and I am still here, bowling green OH, a town possesses some serenity probably just like some other millions of towns do in the States. I usually take a walk after the regular study of a day and contemplate about some trivial things. I realize so many of my friends have gone to different places after graduating and probably intend not to come back ever. At that moment, I do feel lonely, not exactly just for me, maybe for this town too. After all, this town is regarded as a rest stop along the way called journey of life. People who have been recharged would get moving onto next destination. So, where is the next destination for me?