Just another satisfying meal at Hong Kong Bistro. Comes with choice of mashed potaters, rice, or spaghetti.
The new 99 Ranch Market in Mountain View. It's like an Asian Whole Foods--so fannncy! We got panko breadcrumbs, large pea shoots and lots of other Asian goodies. Plus, I got Garry and early Christmas present: a fancy Zojirushi rice cooker. A far cry from my $15 Yan Can Cook ghetto rice cooker--my brother swears by his Zojirushi. We look forward to many batches of perfectly cooked rice.
It's been a hecka long week and I am so beat. Luckily my childhood friend was available to grab In-n-Out with me. I knew exactly what I wanted: 2x1 (two meats, one cheese) with extra lettuce/tomato, raw onion. Plus fries and a Coke.
Jimbo also knew exactly what he wanted: Double-Double protein style (no buns), fries well done (so they are crisper like MacDonald's fries), and a vanilla shake for dipping the fries into. Sounds weird? Trust me, it's delicious, a little bit like a hot glazed donut.
I ran into like three people I know--two from work and one good ole college friend. I guess In-n-Out is the place to be on a bumpin' Friday night.
Happy Friday all!
My coworker can't stop watching this clip and showing everyone who will watch with him. So is it a goat yelling like a man, or a man yelling like a goat yelling like a man?
The cafeteria here has cream of wheat every morning, and this week they have also had Mexican hot chocolate. I discovered, quite by accident, that mixing the two (maybe in a 3:1 ratio) results in a wonderfully chocolatey, creamy mixture, especially yummy with toasted sliced almonds, a dash of brown sugar, and raisins.
Something I'm very sorry to have put aside for a few months as I focus on other things is sewing, a craft I took up this past spring. I even got a refurbished sewing machine over the summer, one of the best ways I've ever spent $150. (More about my philosophy on sewing later.)
Every time I went to Joann's for the past few months--usually for tools and things, because their fabric is generally pretty sub-par--I found myself wandering to the upholstery section for furniture-grade fabrics. I loved the extra-large bolts suspended on tall wooden racks, impossibly generous portions of fabric with the prices to match. I was bewitched by the black-and-white toile they had, as well as this gorgeous black-and-white paisley Waverly fabric that I could see on a darling accent slipper chair, or maybe a tri-fold screen bordered in black, or even just used to upholster the walls of a small powder room. Each time, though, the prohibitive price--$30/yard--kept me away.
A couple weeks ago though, I went into Joann's for a black Halloween wig (crazy cheap--just over $3), I wandered back there and saw that all the Waverly fabric was 50% off and there was only a small bit of the paisley left. I tugged on the loose end and the whole thing came pouring off the rack--to the amusement of the friends who were with me. Shrugging, I picked it up and took it over to the counter to have it measured.
It came out to 3.25 yards--at $45 for that last scrap of fabric, I had to take it. The whole thing. I have no idea what I'm actually going to do with it--knowing me, it will sit in my fabric box along with all the other fabrics I've been collecting, for the next couple years. Oh well. I don't think I made a mistake, because just looking at the sumptuous stuff makes me happy.
I know I've been hanging around a certain someone too much when I start checking out business-related self-help books from the library. Hopefully that is somewhat balanced out by some Vonnegut. No wait, that's one of his favorite writers too. Man I need to get me something girlier next time. Enjoy the Sigur Ros and Lila Downs.
Spanish is definitely one of my favorite not-so-foreign languages. Right up there with Burmese and German.I just love her soothing and thoughtful way of speaking (see this week's Bookmobile Wednesday for a sample of her music). I wish I could grow up to speak as serenely and substantively as that.
Check out her myspace here. Isn't she gorgeous?
Garry used to live with someone who is a cook and a baker, and I was inspired by this traditional carbon steel wok I saw hanging from her rack of pots and pans. My family had only ever used nonstick woks, and I was in need of a really good one after a bad experience with a cheap IKEA wok that kept flaking bits of nonstick coating into my food.
I was in Walmart the other day and came across this carbon steel wok for about $16. I thought, what a steal! Haha, no pun intended. I glanced over the seasoning instructions and they looked simple enough. I gave it a chance.
I took it home and the shiny smoothness of it made me happy. I was excited to get started with the seasoning. Here's how I did it:1. Fill wok about 2/3 with water. Set on the stove and boil for about 10 min.
2. Drain wok and scrub with scouring pad and hot, soapy water to remove protective coating.
3. Immediately season. Use 1-2T cooking oil and place over medium heat on the stove, using a paper towel to distribute oil evenly on wok's interior surface.
4. Tilt wok occasionally to heat sides as well as bottom of the wok. (This is where I screwed up. I tilted the wok to one side and then went to eat some dinner. When I got back to the wok, I had burned an ugly brown area onto one side of the wok and spent the next half hour or so scrubbing it desperately to get the burned stuff off. It never did completely come off.)
5. After 10 min, take off heat and let cool.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 about three or four times. (Yes, very time consuming. Who knew this was so much work!)
7. Wok is ready for use!
8. After initial seasoning, DO NOT wash wok with soap. Just use hot water and a scrubber. Coat wok with oil before storage to prevent rusting. If rusting occurs, scrub off with hot soapy water and repeat steps for initial seasoning (which, considering how much work it was to begin with, should deter anyone from being so careless as to let their wok rust up). I'm excited for the yummy stir-fries I will be making with my new wok!
2. Drain wok and scrub with scouring pad and hot, soapy water to remove protective coating.
3. Immediately season. Use 1-2T cooking oil and place over medium heat on the stove, using a paper towel to distribute oil evenly on wok's interior surface.
4. Tilt wok occasionally to heat sides as well as bottom of the wok. (This is where I screwed up. I tilted the wok to one side and then went to eat some dinner. When I got back to the wok, I had burned an ugly brown area onto one side of the wok and spent the next half hour or so scrubbing it desperately to get the burned stuff off. It never did completely come off.)
5. After 10 min, take off heat and let cool.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 about three or four times. (Yes, very time consuming. Who knew this was so much work!)
7. Wok is ready for use!
8. After initial seasoning, DO NOT wash wok with soap. Just use hot water and a scrubber. Coat wok with oil before storage to prevent rusting. If rusting occurs, scrub off with hot soapy water and repeat steps for initial seasoning (which, considering how much work it was to begin with, should deter anyone from being so careless as to let their wok rust up). I'm excited for the yummy stir-fries I will be making with my new wok!
Too cute. Someone helped me straighten my room and neatly tucked the covers on my bed, with these little guys standing at attention. Brings a smile to my face.
