I first need to show off Aedan’s attempt at making a dumpling. Isn’t it cute? I wish I got pictures of him making it. As he is a huge Kung Fu Panda fan he laughed when I said, “Have a dumpling” and “You are free to eat!” to which he replied, “AM I?!?” Maybe that is only funny to me.
I tried a recipe from Martin Yan’s China called Yin and Yang Vegetable Dumplings. I was wanting something not too meaty and I found the way he wrapped them kind of fun and new. Well, if you really want a recipe I can email it to you but I would recommend his book.
They were called Yin and Yang to represent the two ways you can prepare it: the yin was a steamed version, and the yang was the deep fry method.
I love siu mai or shaomai, which is a traditional Chinese dumpling that usually contains pork and mushroom although we’ve seen other variations. Again, I’ve been feeling a little maxed out on meat lately nd wanted something different. I came across this sticky rice siu mai recipe that of course uses sticky rice and just a tiny bit of meat and some other goodies and I found that it was a fun change. Not quite the same but it was fun to try.
Last night we did our part and said goodbye to one of our favorite local places to camp, Kickapoo State Park. As some of you might know, our state's governer is closing two dozen state parks and historical sites to try to balance our state's budget. It is such a sad thing and while we've had the chance to enjoy several of the sites on the cut list, it is sad to know that we won't have another chance to go back.
But we didn't let that get us down and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We enjoyed the clear weather and all of the stars and Aedan was thrilled to see a number of deer roaming through our campground. Best of all we all got to bed early! Aedan cheered us up in the cold morning by complimenting Neal (in grubby clothes, scruffy face, bed hair, still trying to wake up, etc) by saying, "You look handsome daddy!"
We love camp food! With quick trips like these there was no chance of doing any dutch oven cooking but we enjoy foil dinners just as much. But what we really like is s'mores. My boys love toasted marshmallows, or as Aedan calls them, "smarshmallows". If you haven't gone gourmet on s'mores, you're missing out. Here is what you do: get Aldi brand marshmallows (trust me they are the best) and you can switch out the cracker or chocolate for an upgrade. Use peanut butter cups, snickers, twix, etc. or we've even tried it with those fancy cookies, we've enjoyed those chocolate covered candy bar brand cookies. Not the healthiest route (and sometimes so rich that you can only eat one) but really, you will have a hard time going back to plain old s'mores again.
(Do you love my Sally Tattoo Bandaid?) We were able to wrap up pretty quick in the morning to make it to our nephew G's soccer game (today) which is also on his birthday and we were glad to see him and his team play so well - let's face it, they don't keep score but we all knew that they won... Aedan enjoyed watching the older kids and kept trying to run out in the field and join them. We had fun cheering G on and watching him when he didn't know we were watching. My favorites were his imaginary saves as he was positioned as goalie during a particularly boring part of the game for him! He is an awesome kid and we are excited to see him again tomorrow! Happy Birthday cousin/nephew G!
I need to start off by saying I am not a vegan nor do I lead a gluten-free life, not even close. As far as the vegan thing goes, I think I could honestly live without meat (oh but it would be hard) however I think my biggest hang up would be the no dairy and no eggs. Not to mention my first encounter with a vegan overly reeked of garlic and I vowed never to become like that. Reeking of garlic that is, from every pore. And the gluten-free thing, all I can say is it must be hard to have to go totally gluten-free as so many things have gluten in it even if they don't outright say 'gluten' in the list of ingredients. Both lifestyles can add up in time and money when you start trying to find substitute ingredients or recipes.
The September Daring Baker Challenge was to make Lavish Crackers and we were instructed to make them vegan and optionally gluten-free. We were also instructed to make vegan plus gluten-free dips to accompany our crackers. The cracker recipe seemed simple enough consisting of only 6 ingredients plus toppings. Since I know people who either need gluten-free diets or dairy/egg-free diets I figured I had better make this a true challenge to see if I could meet these needs while still pleasing a be-all, eat-all audience (us).
First, the Lavish Crackers from The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart. Since the recipe was relatively simple I decided to make it twice, one using an all-purpose flour and soy flour mix (above right) and another using a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix (above left) that consists of rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, soy flour, corn starch, and xanthum gum and was supposed to be a 1 for 1 sub. I was surprised that the instructions for making the gluten-free version seemed simpler (but definitely was not cheaper). Well, silly me, my first time buying a gluten-free mix was not the most successful as I realized later on that this particular mix "does not work well with yeast" and the recipe calls for yeast. Well it did rise some but clearly not as well as the non-gluten-free version but I don't know whether to attribute that to the gluten or the mix-no-likey-yeast version.
The trick was to roll the dough out as paper thin as possible and the gluten version was very easy to work with. The gluten-free dough I struggled with and did not get it as thin as I would have liked, mostly because the suggested method of rolling the dough between parchment paper was just not working well at all. I cut the dough and I used an assortment of salt, golden and black toasted sesame seeds, and poppy seeds.
No super fancy shapes for the bulk of the chips although I did have some extra dough to play with and inspired by a recent Family Fun recipe, I made bone shaped crackers. I don't know if this would be considered offensive to the vegan type but I figured if anything, they can serve as a precursor for all your Halloween party snacks and maybe someone will find them amusing...
For my dip(s) I wanted to do a recipe that called for dairy and use some substitutes to see if it ended up being edible, dare I say, delicious too. My knowledge of gluten-free products is shamefully puny and so if I used something that turns out there is hidden gluten ingredients in them, I'm sorry. As a backup I made some hummus just in case the others didn't count. My first dip was a Sun-Dried Tomato, Roasted Red Pepper, and Pesto Dip that used Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and Soymage Vegan Parmesan Flavored Topping and my second dip was a Butternut Squash, Walnut and Parmesan Dip which used soy milk and again with the Parmesan topping.
I was actually really impressed with the cream cheese substitute - eating it straight up, sure, you can tell the difference but in the dip it worked like a charm. The Parmesan topping was a little off in taste though and I'm not sure it helped the dip too well. I think soy cheese in general is going to have a hard time competing against regular cheeses, at least for me. All said and done, we took the haul down to my in-laws this weekend and by far the favorite was the tomato pesto dip. I am excited to use the leftovers as sandwich spreads and veggie dips for lunch this week. Very flavorful and healthy too!
I'm sure glad for this fun challenge and the fact that it wasn't another expand-my-gut recipe for a change. Check out the hosts, shellyfish and natalie, for this month's challenge as well as all the other completed challenges!
Sun-Dried Tomato, Roasted Red Pepper, and Pesto Dip
Halve the butternut squash, then scoop out and discard the seeds.
Use a small sharp knife to deeply score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern: cut as close to the skin as possible, without cutting through it.
Arrange both halves in a small roasting pan and dot them with the margarine. Sprinkle the butternut squash with salt and pepper and roast over high heat near the top of the oven for 20 minutes.
Tuck the unpeeled garlic cloves around the squash in the roasting pan and continue baking for 20 minutes, until the butternut squash is tender and softened.
Scoop the flesh out of the squash shells and place it in a food processor or blender. Slip the garlic cloves out of their skins and add to the squash. Process until smooth.
With the motor running, add all but 1 Tb of the Parmesan and then the milk. Check the seasoning and spoon the dip into a serving bowl; it is at its best served warm. Sprinkle the reserved Parmesan and the chopped walnuts on top.
*This may also work well with other types of squash. Acorn ...mmm!
Years ago we came to know about a festival known as the Arcola Broom Corn Festival. Admittedly, the words 'broom corn' does not excite me because of its association with cleaning. But when I first heard about it I wondered why celebrating broom corn has become a popular thing here and, what in the world is broom corn anyway? Broom corn is from the Sorghum family, basically grasses, and to quote wikipedia yet again, "Numerous Sorghum species are used for food (as grain and in sorghum syrup or "sorghum molasses"), fodder, the production of alcoholic beverages, as well as biofuels." I like that word, fodder. Anyway, believe it or not, they have very little food value and are used mainly for making...... brooms! A ton of broomcorn brush makes 80 to 100 dozen brooms. Whew! Arcola claims to be the "Broom Corn Capital of the World" so thus the festival.
Turns out the brooms are gorgeous! I never thought I would say a sentence like that! I have loads of pics so today you are getting collages... Here is a pic of fresh broom corn, a scaled down model of a palace made for the first broom corn festival in 1898 (the original was three stories high and entirely covered in broom corn), a pic of broom corn making, and some pics of Aedan selecting his first broom. His choice was a short handled, very cute and colorful broom. Hey, it is no Nimbus 2000 but it is working just like magic - he now wants to clean everything within reach.
So the brooms alone couldn't have made the festival so popular but these guys do - the Amazing Arcola Lawn Rangers! World Famous even! They've "performed" for the Holiday Bowl parade, the Fiesta Bowl parade, the Indianapolis 500 parade, the NHL Hall of Fame Game parade.... even Dave Barry has joined their ranks at one point in time and describes it pretty well in a column he wrote, entitled Weirdsville, USA:
"I am now 30 miles down the road in Arcola, Ill., to attend the annual Broom Corn Festival. Arcola has long been a major power in the broom industry; it also boasts the world's largest rocking chair, the world's largest collection of brooms and brushes, and the world's only combination bowling alley and gourmet French restaurant.
I am not making any of this up.
I am here to march in the Broom Corn Parade with Arcola's world-famous Lawn Rangers, a top precision lawn mower drill team. This is my third year as a Ranger. I've tried to talk my wife into going to the Broom Corn Festival with me, but she resists.
"It's just a bunch of guys who drink beer and push lawn mowers around and act juvenile," she says.
"Yes!" I say, not understanding her point.
Anyway, the Rangers do more than just "push lawn mowers around." We also carry brooms, and we perform precision broom- and-lawn-mower maneuvers, such as the extremely difficult (for us, anyway) "Cross and Toss." Plus, this year we are marching with - get ready - a 10-foot high painted concrete statue of Elvis. It belongs to Clark and Sandy Stafford of Seneca, Ill., and it is available for rent. It's mounted on a trailer, facing backward, and it weighs 5,000 pounds, almost as much as The King himself near the end.
It's difficult, using mere words, to describe the scene as the Rangers, more than 50 strong, stride in two columns down the parade route, pushing our mowers in front of us, raising our brooms on high at the command "Brooms Up!"; meanwhile, bringing up the rear, glinting in the Midwestern sun, is: Elvis' giant concrete butt.
The parade was pretty fun, as much as parades can be. I loved parades as a kid - mostly because of the candy that is thrown from the floats. There was so much candy thrown out to us, I think in part because we were towards the front of where the parade started but also there were a lot of people throwing candy in general. Aedan didn't know what to think. For a long time he had this look on his face that seemed to say, "Why are all these people throwing candy on the ground? What am I supposed to do about it?" And the Shriners in their cool little cars. I honestly don't know what the Shriners are all about (if any of you care to enlighten me) but I do know that they have awesome little cars and do cool little maneuvers and Aedan loved watching them so they can't be all that bad right?
Well the Lawn Rangers were funny and there were also some other strange things. Like the 2008 Illinois State Overall Princess whose crown was easily bigger than her head and she must have been practicing her little beauty queen hand waves. And there was the God Mobile where you can take a free two question test to get the answer to the question "Are you going to heaven?". I kind of wish we would have stopped to see what the two questions were. Any guesses? And the miniture pony drawn carriages had little heart shaped bells on them and when they trotted by it was like a little bell choir too.
Well what is a fair without fair food? This festival actually has good food. One that we look forward to is the saltwater taffy booth. The black walnut ones just melt in my mouth... We had to get a funnel cake, then we also saw someone selling pork-on-a-stick and wow, it was to die for! We found a stand that was selling pumpkin ice cream which was yummy, just like pumpkin pie in ice cream form (something I should try making sometime huh?). As if we hadn't had enough food I also got an apple dumpling, which surprisingly I've never tried before and after having one I know it won't be my last. Ohhh... it was very very tasty! I think of how much money we spent on fair food and groan but my mind is telling me that it was absolutely worth it.
As this will most likely be our last time to do these small town festivals in the midwest, I am glad we ended it with a proper festival! Here are some extra links to check out if any of this interested you: lawn rangers broom corn amazing arcola
I think I might be the first to write a non-positive review on this and I might earn a few enemies by doing so.... here goes.... For Labor Day we went to a local village's Cheese Festival. Right there you would have great expectations. I will start by saying that this was the last day of the festival and while I wanted to go on the first day I was stuck inside writing a church talk on short notice. I don't blame anyone for that, I accepted to speak and am still glad I got the chance to. Well anyway, with the idea that this was to be an "Amish Country" festival we were very excited about it. I refer to it as a mouse trap as it seems they enticed us with what appeared to be a big slice of good fun and yummy snacks but it really was a money/time/heat trap waiting to snag us off the interstate. Ok, maybe that is going too far but the heat made us grumpy.
The first day of the festival was filled with the cheese cutting ceremony and the cheese curling competition and the cheese eating competition and we missed all of that. Well the Monday events seemed ok (free subs, tractor pull, circus, cheese giveaways, etc) but when we got there we came to realize that they sorely misrepresented the days events and so we basically drove 30 minutes to eat a few slices of cheese and bake ourselves in the hot hot sun.
These poor mascots. I sure hope they stuff ice packs in their costumes or something because it was murderous hot out. The kids just wouldn't turn for the picture though... This whole event kind of reminded me of a time when we went to an Amish restaurant that advertised home style Amish cooking and we were served up instant mashed potatoes. It was so obvious too. I have nothing against Amish, it is just one of those things...
Not to sound like a food snob or anything but I was expecting good cheese. It was ok, edible even, but I suppose I just built it up in my mind so much that I was a bit disappointed. And I wasn't the only one in our party that felt this way. At least the kids ate it. These kids (Aedan's cousins H, A, and D) were really the only highlight of the day - somehow taking their pictures and having them say "Cheese!" helped us not be too put out from the whole event.
At least I have this weekend's festival to look forward too... hope I don't get let down!
Hey, get your Chinese Food Olympic Event submissions in! Sunday night is the closing ceremonies so hurry up! I am not even going to post this recipe because I'd be surprised if you could find one of these. These irons are for making a Chinese snack/dessert called Gai Dan Zai which means "little eggs" (hope I got that right). They are somewhat similar to waffles where they are nice and crispy on the outside and pancakey on the inside. You ever have Aebleskivers? Well these aren't quite the same but they are easier to make in my opinion. Just pour the batter in, cook one side, flip it over and cook the other side. You usually find street vendors making these and I've seen them in all sorts of different flavors (mango, coconut).
I introduced Neal to these on our last day in Hong Kong 4 years ago and that was a mistake because 1) he REALLY liked them and wished we could make some back home and 2) it was our last day there and we missed out on trying the different kinds. A couple years later I enlisted the help of my aunt J in Hong Kong and my dad who was there for a business trip and they managed to get this snazzy kitchen tool and bring it home for us just after Aedan was born.
I am still learning how to use it and truthfully, I can't seem to find a legit recipe. These tasted good but not Hong Kong good. They actually make them so that all the "eggs" are connected by crispy batter and so you pull it off the iron in one whole piece and snack on it that way. I lack the special certain touch I suppose. Someday...
As moms of fairweather eaters, we will sometimes do anything to get them to eat healthy foods and snacks because, hey, we've got to make every bite count right? Now that Aedan is starting to communicate his opinions of "I like it" or "I don't want it" I am getting worried about the oh-so-embarrassing scenes yet to come where we will be out in public or worse, at a friends house for dinner, when he might exclaim, "This is yucky! I don't want to eat that, it looks gross!" Maybe this is the way I was brought up or maybe it is Chinese culture or both, but we were never to express those kind of comments at the dinner table for to do so would bring shame to the family tree, or just hurt my mom's feelings. I've noticed that I get that way too, even though it is nothing personal, you slave in the kitchen to prepare something you hold near and dear and to have it critiqued by a toddler mouth is, at times, far from uplifting.
I was just at the doctor's office and read an article entitled Stealth Vegetable Smackdown by Catherine Newman. It was a pretty fun read and while a lot of it seemed sort of common sense to me I still came away with a fresh outlook on mealtime. I've read a lot of wonderful ideas from other sources on how to hide veggies in just about anything to add that extra bit of nutrition. However this article argues that "sneaking wholesome purées into your children's food may acquaint their bodies with valuable vitamins, fiber, and phytonutrients, but it does not acquaint their palates with vegetables', well, vegetableness. How will they ever learn to like vegetables if the vegetables are always — to quote The Godfather — disappeared?" Don't get me wrong, I am all for adding nutrition to a meal whenever I can. I especially enjoy hiding veggies in desserts to add goodness and to take away guilt. I am a sucker for zucchini bread, I crave the carrot cake, and I never refuse a fabulous chocolate beet cake.
But to get my little "no"-machine to try a veggie to develop the appreciation for vegetableness? That is the real challenge, one that may take many many years to conquer. This article brings up a point about communication being an essential ingredient - helping the child find more polite ways to pass if they are particular, or complimenting them when they do try something. I do like the idea that we (and I say we because I think parents need to set an example) have to try everything offered at least once. Sure there are lines we wont cross there - if something smells way too fishy, I am better to pass than to attempt a bite only to throw it all up. I must say this is a work-in-progress for us as Aedan will often refuse food based on look. Maybe he was traumatized by our April fools food from current and past years...
Neal tries new ways to get Aedan to eat his veggie baby food. Aedan 8 months old (pic taken Mar 2007)
Oh and something about seafood for me: my mom used to hide fish (I didn't like fish) in meals and called it chicken. When I found out it was really fish I got all upset and never wanted to eat fish ever again and I always had to question what I was eating (until I knew better, that is). Something to think about when you are hiding foods the kids already dislike, it surely can backfire. I am getting better but I still gag on the really strong stuff.
So I would love any fun ideas you might have to get your kids to eat vegetables that look like vegetables or at least ways to help them not embarrass me too much when we are out to eat :) Please, no veggie tales, I can't stand them (and this is no secret either). The article mentioned earlier came with some recipes so I may try them sometime.
[Popcorn] popping right before my eyes! I married into a popcorn family. Oh sure, I've had popcorn before, on occasion, mostly microwaved. I never knew how to pop popcorn on the stove before Neal's sister A showed me and when she showed me, it was apparent to me that they had it down to an exact science. I mean, his family has experimented with all sorts of oils and kernels, I never imagined it could be so complex. Well, the standard now is olive oil with the regular yellow kernels but I think Neal's parents are sold on using grape seed oil so if that stuff is ever on sale, you should try it.
Back by popular demand, Aedan doing the actions (plus a few words) to the song Popcorn Popping. Taken Dec 2007 at age 17 months. I know the words go Blossoms popping right before my eyes, but we always learned it Popcorn and these habits are hard to break...
The reason I bring all of this up is because today Aedan learned about the letter P (from his Aedan Crafts) and how could I not make him popcorn on P-day when that is one of the few foods he will eat consistently and even put in a request for.
I must say that oil popped is my favorite although we got this fun gift from my grandma as a Christmas gift - it is an Nostalgia Hot Air Popcorn Popper mini cart. Aedan loves to help and watch the popcorn fly about. It is fun but I still prefer oil popped for the flavor.
Even Santa knows what to get Neal for Christmas - popcorn seasoning like this multi-pack makes a good stocking stuffer. It came with movie theater butter, creamy ranch, buttery jalapeno, and cheddar. Mmmmm. Pretty good although I more often than not settle for salt. If you are the kettle corn type, try making it yourself, after all, you just add sugar.
If you've never had Li Hing Mui before you've got to try it, at least once. Li Hing Mui is a salty dried plum and it comes whole or you can get it in powder form. I've grown up on this stuff thanks to my Chinese roots but it wasn't until my trip to Hawaii in 2001 where I learned just how many different things the island locals use this for. You can get Li Hing mangoes, shaved ice, pineapple, etc. One of my favorites was sprinkling the powder onto popcorn. If you like kettle corn you just might like this as it is sweet, salty, and .... zippy. I can't really describe it. You might be able to find Li Hing in an Asian market near you. Or come by to my place, I have loads of it.
Who can pass up caramel corn or a good popcorn ball? I have not the patience for making either of these the old fashioned way but I have found a shortcut that tastes a little better in my opinion. You are basically making these popcorn balls like you would a batch of rice krispie treats (you know, butter, marshmallows) only with popcorn instead of rice and a little bit of brown sugar. Follow this recipe with the suggestions in the reviews for adding the brown sugar.
They are so yummy and you have a 80% chance of getting this same reaction...
I have had a really bad craving for mangoes today. I think it is because the weather has been warming up and I am ready for the tropical flavors now. On Neal's mission for our church in Bolivia, they called the mango a "trash fruit" as it was available in an overabundance. When I was younger I thought they tasted like rotten fruit but for some reason, it has really grown on me and I can't get enough of it now. It seems to be a very popular flavor in many Asian countries and I am amazed at the many different ways in which it is used. Perhaps, La Fuji Mama has already done a post about mangoes (sounds like something she would do and she sure is in a better position to do so) but I figure this will help stave off my cravings just a bit until tomorrow.
First off, I am amazed at how many people don't know how to cut a mango. Come on people, this is what makes eating mangoes fun!
I love dried mangoes but there is a difference in quality depending on where you get them (at the flea market at Aloha Stadium = good, in a bulk bin of your grocery store = bad). Mango Dofu (basically a gelatin/pudding mix) is very yummy, especially with diced mango in it. My Hong Kong family introduced us to this and it is a family favorite.
We loaded up on these mango gummies at the AjiIchiban stores we saw all over in Hong Kong and at the Tokyo airport. These little treasures didn't last very long at our house. I have yet to introduce the mango jelly cups to my family but they are a fun slurpy treat - like mango jello in a tiny cup with a chunk of mango in it. These we can find at any asian grocery store, the gummies we have not found nearby. :(
The first picture is a variety of smoothies (incl mango) with black tapioca mixed in. We first had these in the Chicago area China town. If you have issues with texture, this one might not be for you but I promise, it is very good. Mango Calpico drinks are yummy (non-carbonated) and gotta love a good Mango Lassi. My taste buds tell me it is wrong to have Indian food without a Lassi.
I first had mango ice cream on Andros Island, Bahamas, from an old man who ran an ice cream shack. The second picture is mango mochi ice cream and I first had those in Hawaii but I am excited to find them at our local Asian grocery store. It is a ball of mango ice cream within a layer of mochi so you get this chewy outside with a chilly inside. I think we weird people out when we offer these babies but wow are they good.
The Fujis introduced us to some excellent Thai mango dishes when we were in Thailand a few years back - the first being Thai Sticky Rice with Mango and the second was something we ordered by chance and it turned out to be very good, the Thai Green Mango Salad. This dessert has become a standard for any fancy Thai dinner we host and it has been a while since I've made the salad as I don't often find green enough mangoes here. I rarely find an excellent ripe one too, they are mostly in between blahs.
Hopefully this has opened a whole new world for you or just made you share my cravings! Now get out there and tango with a mango!
But we didn't let that get us down and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We enjoyed the clear weather and all of the stars and Aedan was thrilled to see a number of deer roaming through our campground. Best of all we all got to bed early! Aedan cheered us up in the cold morning by complimenting Neal (in grubby clothes, scruffy face, bed hair, still trying to wake up, etc) by saying, "You look handsome daddy!"
I must say that oil popped is my favorite although we got this fun gift from my grandma as a Christmas gift - it is an 
The first picture is a variety of smoothies (incl mango) with black tapioca mixed in. We first had these in the Chicago area China town. If you have issues with texture, this one might not be for you but I promise, it is very good. Mango 
I first had mango 
