Dejah

Feeling lonesome and needing some help here, People! Made a simple traditional Chinese home-style soup to go with the mish-mash of leftovers that made up "supper": Hairy melon in pork stock with velvet pork meatballs and a stalk of ham choi.

Working down to the bottom of the vegetable crisper! I had a quarter chunk of wintermelon left, so I made simple melon soup with pork stock and ground pork meatballs. The soup and melon tasted a little bitter - not the pleasant cooling taste like bittermelons. I must have kept it too long, but I thought one week was ok. Hubby wanted Kung Po the way we made it when we had the restaurant, so I made it, with dry roasted almonds as I didn't have peanuts. Blanched yu choy was the side, topped with ginger and chopped garlic. To "cook" the topping, I poured smoking hot cooking oil and sesame oil over the lot. Tasty without the raw taste of ginger and garlic.

Pierogi: I wonder if the Chinese meatball method would work to make your extra lean pork meatballs moist? My recipe calls for pork fat, ground pork and lean ground beef. I usually just use lean ground beef, but add cornstarch (or waterchestnut flour and cornstarch)and water to the mix being worked in the KitchenAid. Beat it until "thready". This produces very moist beef balls, usually steamed as a dim sum item.

Blether! I was up at 5 am but hadn't turned on the news or heard about the earthquake when I read your post this morning. I wondered what happened to your kitchen. Glad to know that you're alright. Rarerollingobject: Really like the sounds of your paella. Fennel sausage sounds interesting...homemade? store item? Shelby: Juicy Lucy...was that the name of an animal your hubby bagged? Did you stuff cubes of cheese inside the burger? Certainly would keep it moist. What started as a warmish snow-melting rainy day here on the prairies turned into a nasty March blizzard. I thought of BBQing racks of lamb outback, but was content to sear then roast them in the oven. Whole grain mustard and cumin crusted lamb, "clean-out-the-salad-bowl" stir-fried vegetables, buttered baby taters and sweet potato as sides.

Blether: The two pre-salted roast chickens look great! The skin looks crispy from the air-drying in the fridge? I could just eat that! I have roasted chicken parts with a packaged seasoning for salty chicken. It has 5-spice powder mixed it and is great for making the ginger/oil dip for salty chicken. But, now I must try your method. Your curried chicken drew my attentionas soon as I saw the spice mix. Anything with cumin is alright by me!

Ranch Market was a treat to wake up to! Thanks for producing "Chinese market" envy so early in my day... Pork Sung is shredded cooked and seasoned pork. Great topping for congee in our family. I think a poster here made a sandwich with it. Our kids used to sneak small handfuls and just pop it into their mouths. Chinese sausage: slice it up and stir-fry with veg, in fried rice, deep fried and sliced as appetizer, in sticky rice in bamboo leaves or lotus leaves, or simply lay acouple in with your rice and let them cook at the same time as the rice. The "fat" seeps into the rice to create a lovely flavour, especially on the burnt rice at the bottom of the pot if you're cooking rice on the stove top! Thanks for such a fun blog, P!

Wanted Fish-fragrant eggplant AND Mapo tofu, so combined the two - nice silky spicy mixture over jasmine rice and baby Shanghao bok choy - also posted over in the China forum:

Still trying to use up all the lovely Chinese vegetables from a shopping trip to Chinese supermarket in Winnipeg. Tonight was to have been Fish-fragrant Eggplant but I also wanted Mapo Tofu. So, I combined the two - great silky combo over jasmine rice along with simple stir-fried baby Shanghai boy choy. Had this Chinese mustard greens soup in pork stock last night.

The kind of rice used may determine the stickiness. If you use jasmine or regular long grain rice, the grains will not stick together unless you use too much water. Use short grain or "sweet rice", the grains will stick together no matter the method. I use arborio rice when I make paella - start off on top of the stove, then finished in the oven. That has been producing the right stickiness but not gummy or gooey.

Chinese celery, fresh shitaki mushrooms, fresh waterchestnu. I've never been able to buy Chinese celery, so this is the first time for me cooking this veg. I quite like the stronger flavour and the crispiness. It went well with the earthy mushrooms and the sweet waterchestnut slicces.

People born and bred in Dauphin - Yorkton area just seem to have the knack for pierogies and cabbage rolls. I used to have 2 guys working in my Chinese restaurant kitchen, and for staff celebrations, they'd have us all making pierogies. The wrappers were never as fine as yours, Pierogie. I like mine deep-fried with sour cream and dill. Last Christmas, a colleague's daughter was selling pierogies as a fundraiser. This time, they came from the Ukrainian church ladies in Yorkton, Sask. Apparently, they made thousands! They were beautifully shaped and quite delicious with our Xmas turkey!

Using fresh produce from Chinese supermarket in Winnipeg - Lucky Supermarket. Tonight, Chinese celery stir-fried with fresh shitaki mushrooms and waterchestnut. Lovely flavour of the crisp celery mingled well with the sweetness of the waterchestnuts and the earthiness of the mushrooms. Lemongrass beef with fresh green peppercorns and Thai basil. Had this dish at Mama's Noodle House in Wpg. It had a stronger lemongrass flavour. I tried to infuse the oil in the wok with lots of smashed lemongrass before I stir-fried the beef with lots of finely chopped lemongrass. Didn't get as strong a flavour. Any ideas?

Thanks, Frank! You'd think the installers (from the supplier) would know what is required. When they were here, they checked the outside vent, the length of venting, turns, etc. I'll go back to them to see what can be done.

This is my third Jenn-Air cooktop. The house (built in 1982)came with one and I've just replaced it last Christmas. I wish they still made the all stainless steel one - so much easier to clean! My main problem is the fan in the downdraft. It shuts off after it's been running for maybe half an hour - even when I'm not finished grilling! So, it can become smoky. Is this normal? I can't seem to find out from the dealer, or supplier. My other one also did the same, but it was running on a "fuse" box. I thought maybe with the direct hook up to the panel that I wouldn't have this problem. Anyone with insight on this problem?

I'm also curious about the bread crumbs on the halibut. Sprinkled on top? Was the fish dredged in egg wash then crumbs? I made a variant of Ann's Greek turkey meatballs / into burgers without the raw rice, and added cumin and mint instead of oregano. It was still delicious with the avgolomono sauce even tho' it curdled 'cos I was too busy with the grill. We had grilled veg, jasmine rice and some stir-fried oyster mushrooms. This was all cooked on the Jenn-Air grill.

Thanks, Roberta, for answering the questions about Long Beach and QM. Love the casual way you write - a conversation peppered with appropriate expressions. I was so thinking of you and your bungee cord last night while I was replacing the duct tape on one of my condiment shelves in the fridge! Made a note on the shopping list: buy bungee cord! Could do with a bowl of that stew and a slice of your bread right now even tho' it's not even breakfast time!

Is this the same area where the Queen Mary is docked as a hotel? I remember back early 1970s when hubby and I were treking around California in our Westphalia camper, we actually camped in the parking lot close to a restaurant where we had supper. Sure doesn't look the same now! We did tour the ship the next morning. Now, THAT'S what I'd call a farmer's market. Did you buy anything? Thos strawberries look delicious. I wonder if our "California" strawberries come from the same farm?

Another great blog on the go! I am very interested to see how you will use the mustard greens. We can get these from the local Chinese "Aunties'" gardens - usually early June - called "look yuet chang" - literally June Greens. I've only used them for a quick soup with ginger and pork stock. I think this is considered a "cooling" soup to help balance the body. Rosie and Lulu look very happy to have been rescued by you.

robirdstx: Perhaps the strips you used for the sunburst were too thin? I've never made quiche, so another inspiration from this thread! The puff pastry sounds very inviting as an alternative to regular pastry. Kim: Love lamb any way, especially if there's sauce for the rice. Last night's was with carmalized onion or tomato? I made "cheaters" beef vindaloo with Patak paste last night, over cumin basmati rice. But, I , too, have some lamb that needs using up. The weather's been atrocious, so may be lamb in the near horizon!

So many unusual and familiar foods to try and pictures to tempt: the sashimi shrimp, the pizza with shrimp, lemon, and mint...Jeff's lamb shanks, dcarch's presentations, beet root, Ann's roast beef...This sounds like a "thank you" speech from the Oscars! Weekdays, back to simplier cooking for me due to time constraints and lack of energy after working with international students. Last night, Singapore Rice Noodles with char siu and quick stir-fried shrimp:

Are you soaking them one at a time or a couple at a time? I've always put one into lukewarm water until it's pliable. Then I take it out and lay it on a moist cutting board and put another one in to soak. By the time I finish rolling the first one, the one in the water is ready. If you are not fast at rolling, you might want to wait until you are finished rolling before sliding another one in. Make sure your bowl is wide enough to hold a round of rice paper without it bending onto itself.

First attempt at Chicken Marsala served with mashed taters and Shanghai bok choy

Ann: I'll have to check your blog for the fish batter. Yours do not look greasy at all! Jeff: Looking forward to your finished lamb shanks. We so seldom get shanks, and they are usually New Zealand skimpy on the meat. Sunday - last lesiurely supper until next weekend. Chicken braised with onion, ginger, coriander, paprika, dates, and cilantro, served with roasted baby taters, sweet potato, fennel, along with broco-slaw. The sauce was very flavourful and the chicken moist. The fennel and sweet potato worked well with the flavours.

Weekend! Time for some cooking. Made Ann_T's Greek meatballs tonight. Wonderfully moist ground chicken meatballs covered with avgolemono sauce. Served with brown rice pilaf and salad dressed with Kraft Greek Feta dressing (lazy me!) Lots of meatballs left. Will they freeze well, Ann? Maybe I'll just take a bunch for the staff on Monday.

This wasn't lunch but dinner as our lunch break is only an hour. Our teaching staff of eight ladies and one gent usually have a "post mid-term exams staff meeting dinner" at different restaurants in Brandon, MB. This is the seond time we've dined at Diggers Restaurant at the Trails West Motel. 90% of the time, people have the usual hotel restaurant fare. Two years ago, they hired Moroccan Chef Rasid, formerly of a fancy restaurant? in Lockport, MB. He loves to cook food from Morocco, Portugal, etc., so if we get a group together, he will prepare a special menu. Tonight, we were offered the following: Choice of 3 salads, but we chose 2: Sahara Salad of peach, shrimp and sauteed dates Calamari salad with cherry tomatoes Soups: Stone soup Harira Moroccan beef soup with lentils Entrees: Roast rack of lamb with stewed prunes Bastila Moroccan Couscous Royal Seafood Rice Beef ala Portuguesa We also had Portugeus sangria. For dessert, it was dates stuffed with whippef cream. They looked awfully rich and sweet, but we were pleasntly surprised by the coolness and not as sweet as we anticipated. Chef came and sat with us, giving us a brief commentary of the food he prepared, and showed us how Moroccans ate couscous. The food was delicious, and Chef entertained us well with his knowledge of food and culture!