Links and Love

I haven't posted a "what I've found" post in quite a while.  These are some fun and encouraging links I've come across in my browsing lately:

Helpful:

• Mama's Losin' It shared about internet safety and what you can do to be safer in your blogging and online content. 

• AP Freewriting is working through 31 days to build a better blog.  Very helpful.

• Steady Mom gave brief reviews of 4 great Parenting Books.  I'm searching my library for these this week.

Encouraging:

• A Holy Experience posted 'The Blogger's Prayer' and I want to print it and put it on my bulletin board.

• Three's a Crowd wrote about Mary the mother of Jesus; it reminds me of something the late Rich Mullins said in an interview:  "It may not be that Catholics worship Mary; it may just be that we honor each other too little."

• Sit a Spell gave an update from within Tomas in Haiti.  Lord, have mercy.

• There is nothing like Authenticity.  Thanks, Katharine, for sharing your heart.

• Parenting.  It takes more faith than skill.  Keith & Patricia shared about having a Long Range View.

I want to eat these:

• Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries at Simply Recipes

• Next time I go to the store I'm getting "Scoops" to make Toddler Tacos from It's Come 2 This!

And this just makes me happy: 

• Elisa is having a baby and she found the sweetest way ever to tell her hubby!

I'm linking to Elizabeth Esther's Saturday Evening Blog Post; you can join, posting your best post of the last month!

Sischuan Spicy Eggplant

 

"It tastes just right." Be still my beating heart! It is intimidating to cook Chinese food for my husband, raised by a Chinese mother who can cook the socks off anyone I know. For him to tell me it tastes just right is gratifying to the Nth degree.  It's truly one of the finer things in life.

This particular recipe is modified from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook (found it on clearance years ago at a Ross store) called Savoring China. I originally made it when I had an eggplant in the refrigerator, and no distinct plan. I also had ground pork, garlic, and tofu.


Don't let the tofu scare you. It used to scare me until I realized that it tastes super boring unless there is a great sauce on it. It is all about the sauce.  Tofu is an inexpensive protein, lasts for quite a while in the refrigerator, and gives you a good amount of calcium and iron!


And don't let the "spicy" scare you. The spice is all in the sauce ingredients you use; you can control the heat, and I'll tell you where to adapt the sauce. Ready? Let's go!


(Note: This recipe is done in 2-3 phases, which you can think of as annoying because you have to go into the kitchen twice, or as a blessing because you can get all the cutting done ahead of time. 

Sischuan Spicy Eggplant


Eggplant, Tofu and Pork stir fry with garlic, ginger, and Hoisin sauce


Ingredients:


Stir fry:
1 medium eggplant, or 4 small Asian eggplants (about 1 pound total weight)
1 Tablespoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) vegetable oil
~~
1 14 ounce package firm or extra firm tofu
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 cup (about 6 cloves) minced garlic
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
~~
Sauce:
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 Tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon sugar
sauce, part 2:
1/4 cup chicken or beef stock, or water
1 teaspoon corn starch
~~
Garnish:
1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts) (optional)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)


Serve over hot rice.

Method:

You may use the thin Asian eggplants, or the standard water-balloon-shaped eggplants.  Last week Kroger had these for $1 each, so I picked one up.

First, slice (peel, if desired), and cube the eggplant into bite-sized pieces. 

Bite-sized as in, the size of eggplant piece you would like to have in your mouth, rather than something that can fit in your mouth.  Remember, the skin can be somewhat leathery.  

I chose to peel half the eggplant, and left the skin on the other half.

Then, cube it into bite-sized pieces, and place it in a colander. 

Sprinkle the eggplant with the salt, and let it rest for 30 minutes.  While it rests, you can proceed to the next steps, or peruse unread blogs.  I'll be right here.

The salt draws out any bitterness in the eggplant.

Tofu is an unsung hero of Asian cuisine.  It is inexpensive, healthy, and flavorless.  The flavorlessness is what got it into trouble in American cuisine, because it tastes like bland vegetables.  Besides, who wants to eat something otherwise called "bean curd"?  But its bland flavor is what allows it to be added to just about anything without changing the taste significantly.

 Cube the tofu.
(I tend to start cutting it while it's in the box, then roll it out onto a paper towel to make the last cuts.)

Let the tofu drain, also.  Here are the eggplant and the tofu hanging out in the sink together, getting acquainted.

If you're like me, you forgot to defrost the ground pork until just now.  Get that going.

The original recipe only calls for 1/4 pound, but with a carnivore for a husband, there's no point in putting only 3 ounces of meat in a meal.  Even if he was raised on tofu.

After 30 minutes, thoroughly rinse the eggplant, and pat it dry with paper towels.  
It is ready to go in its oil bath. 

Heat about a cup of oil over high heat, until the oil starts to ripple.

If you want to reduce the amount of oil, you can, but it will take a little longer to cook the eggplant and you will have to stir it more often, which may cause it to begin to disintegrate.

Once the oil is hot, toss in the eggplant. 
Stir it for about a minute, then turn down the heat and let it cook for about 5-6 minutes; long enough for it to be sufficiently cooked, but before it starts to discolor and fall apart.

 It sizzles beautifully. 

Here it is getting darker, toward the end of the cooking process.  The purple and green are coming out.

Remove from the heat, then drain the eggplant and the oil into the original colander, and allow it to drain for another 30 minutes.  This is where you can start the rice, finish chopping, whip up the sauce, and set the table or make a side, like sauteed kale (I promise I'll post my easy recipe and link to it soon!).

Dice the garlic. 

Did you know that I love garlic?  That's why 1/4 cup of garlic is delicious to me.  You don't have to use this much.  The first time I made this, I only used about 3 cloves and it tasted fine.

Also, I keep a ginger root in the freezer, a la Rachael Ray, and keep a peeled, fresh ginger root in my freezer.  I have no idea when I bought this one, but it's been my companion for quite a while. 

As it was still frozen, I really couldn't chop it; rather, I nearly shaved pieces off the ginger root.

 Dice it finely, so it's about the same size as the garlic pieces.

I found these sauces in the "ethnic" section of the grocery store, so they shouldn't be too hard to find--
therefore you, too, can make this dish!

The Hoisin sauce is mildly sweet.  The soy sauce adds salty flavor.  The sesame oil gives it a distinctive Asian flavor--be careful because even a drop goes a long way.  Sugar reduces the acidity.  Vinegar takes the sweet down a notch and gives it a little more interest and bite.  LaYu (hot chili oil) makes it spicy--just add a drop or two, if you're interested in heat.  Or substitute a pinch of crushed pepper flakes.  

Mix up the sauce.

The original recipe used unusual spices, and gave it a lot of heat.  This version is tangy, but not what most people would call "spicy" or "hot." 

Taste the sauce before you pour it in.  The adjustments you will make will probably come in the form of adding more vinegar or more sugar.

Add oil (if necessary) to the pan to have about 2 teaspoons.

Stir fry the ginger, garlic, and ground pork, until the pork is cooked.

Add the eggplant and tofu.  The eggplant will start to fall apart, and that is OK.

Pour the sauce into the pork, eggplant, and tofu.  Stir and let it cook for a minute.

Mix up the broth and cornstarch mixture; you can use the same cup. 

Then add the cornstarch and broth to thicken the sauce. 

Stir gently and cook for about 1-2 minutes.

If you choose to garnish, here is where you sprinkle the chopped cilantro and/or green onions over the top.  I did not have either on hand, so it is not as colorful as it could have been.

There you have it!  Sischuan Eggplant is delicious over rice, and tonight I served it with sauteed kale. 

I am going to try to post recipes more often, and I have several other authentic Chinese dishes to share.  Please check back for new ones!

[to print, select this section with your mouse, choose 'Print' in your web browser, then choose the radio button to 'Print selection.']

Sischuan Spicy Eggplant

Eggplant, Tofu and Pork stir fry with garlic, ginger, and Hoisin sauce

Ingredients:

Stir fry:

1 medium eggplant, or 4 small Asian eggplants (about 1 pound total weight)

1 Tablespoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) vegetable oil

~~

1 14 ounce package firm or extra firm tofu

1/2 pound ground pork

1/4 cup (about 6 cloves) minced garlic

2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger

~~

Sauce:

2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

3-4 Tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon sugar

sauce, part 2:

1/4 cup chicken or beef stock, or water

1 teaspoon corn starch

~~

Garnish:

1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts) (optional)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Serve over hot rice.

Method: 

Cube (and peel, if desired) eggplant, and place in colander.  Sprinkle with salt, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Cube tofu, pat dry with paper towels.

Heat oil in wok or 4 quart saucepan over high heat, until oil ripples.

Rinse eggplant thoroughly, and pat dry with paper towels.

Carefully place eggplant in oil, stirring gently for 1-2 minutes.  Reduce heat and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Drain eggplant and oil into colander over sink.  Let rest for another 30 minutes, up to 4 hours.

Dice garlic and ginger.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium heat.

Add ginger, garlic, and ground pork, stirring until pork is cooked, about 2 minutes.

Mix together sauce ingredients, adjusting to taste.

Add eggplant and tofu to pan with pork, stirring gently.  The eggplant will start to fall apart here.

Pour sauce into pan with eggplant, etc.

Dissolve cornstarch into broth, then add to eggplant, etc., to thicken the sauce.  Stir for 30-60 seconds.  Add the green onions, if using.

Serve immediately over rice or noodles.  Garnish, if desired, with chopped cilantro.

A Hope and A Future

Because the Lord promises to give us a hope and a future, it is important to spend a little time considering what hopes we have for the future.

Today during nap time I am sitting with a huge bottle of water, ignoring the dryer that just stopped spinning, and imagining.  Some of these imaginings are about things I want to have, and things I want to do, and some of them are kind of silly.  But what's the point of imagining if you don't throw in some silly?

One day I hope to ...

Plant a real Square Foot Garden this coming spring;

Which means I hope to create a plan, with a month-by-month schedule before the end of the year.

Use my sewing machine that sits forlornly in the corner right next to my computer.

Wean this child before she's 4;

And immediately buy myself something to wear under my shirts that doesn't have the prefix "nursing".

Have a back porch.  Or a front porch.  Or at least a pleasant place to sit outside.

Have space between my back porch and the neighbors.

Have neighbors that I don't worry will rent to someone who later gets picked up by the U. S. Marshals.  (It really happened.)  Or rat on each other to the cops when they're mad, saying they have cocaine.  And they do.  (It really happened.)  Or let their dogs harass us and defecate in our own front yard.  (It really happens.)

Hang pictures on the wall.

Have something on the wall that qualifies as art.

Run a 5K.  And then maybe something more.

Get a good hair cut, and maintain it.

Get a motorcycle license.

Visit Costa Rica.

Visit China.

Visit New York City.

Print and create a workable way to store our photos.

Finish Lizzie's baby book before I have another baby.

Learn how to use a fancy still camera.

Play the piano every day, like I used to.

Learn to make a custard.

Learn to make a souffle.

Order Beef Wellington at a restaurant once, just to see why Chef Ramsay is so obsessed with it.

Learn to make a good cocktail.

Have a deep freezer, to be stocked with dinners, soups, meats, and produce from our garden.

Understand Mandarin Chinese.  Maybe even write it.  Maybe even speak it.

Learn as many recipes as I can from Sam's mom.

Write a book that encourages women in some form or fashion.

Write a cookbook.  Maybe with recipes from Sam's mom.  And a custard.  And a good cocktail.

Write more recipes on this blog.  I have more pictures ready to go, they just haven't gone up yet. 

Get a college degree from an accredited school that is still in existence.  Maybe in marketing.



What do you want in your future?

Or what did you do during a nap time this week?

Make Your Squash Sit Up Straight - Baked Acorn Squash

I recently baked Acorn Squash, using a recipe much like this one from Simply Recipes.  They're all basically the same, and they are always the best if they have brown sugar and butter in them.  I mean, really, isn't everything?

Unless you are extremely skilled at cutting the squash perfectly, it is a little bit tricky to make them sit upright and hold all the buttery sugary goodness in the hollowed out center.  All of my anal retentive friends out there will appreciate that I have found an extremely simple and cheap way to make the acorn squash halves sit perfectly straight and upright.

See the sad crooked squash half

Rip off a section of foil, and crumple it loosely

Wrap foil into a loose doughnut

See the happy squash half, ready to be filled with sugar and butter!

Find more tips and recipes at We Are THAT Family's carnival Works For Me Wednesday!

Did you put her up there? No, did you? She climbed up!

feeding the cats - all by herself

linked with Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday - Top Ten Kitchen Gadgets

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and these things make the time better, easier, or just plain happier:

1.  My Rice Cooker.  We eat a lot of rice around here, what with Sam being Chinese and Lizzie's favorite food being rice and beans.  In fact, when Lizzie is hungry she opens the cupboard and points to the rice cooker and says "ice!"  (Other times she goes to the refrigerator and starts clucking like a chicken: "bock, bock" because she wants chicken.)  It is old, it has '90s stylized flowers on it, and it has a warning beside the steam vent that says:  

"Note: It's very hot and vapour out from it when cooking.  Don't cover it with cloth or other matter, otherwise there's danger."

I love the Chinese.  

2.  My Crock Pot.  What would we do without slow cookers?  Spend a lot more time with roasts in the oven, and on the stove, that's for sure.  No, I didn't take a picture of it.  What is your favorite crock pot recipe? 

3.  My French Press.  I actually have two of them.  One for a single (large) cup of coffee, and one for more cups of coffee.  I don't know how many it is supposed to hold, and I use the very scientific method of pouring in mugs of water when I go to make the coffee.

4.  Tea Kettle.  One cannot make coffee without hot water.  It's also useful for heating/humidifying the air in the kitchen quadrant of the house.

I recently posted about my french press and my kettle, and then I was embarrassed by how tarnished the kettle was, so I spent 15 minutes scrubbing it recently.  Here is the result!

before

after

5.  8-cup Pyrex mixing bowl/measuring cup.  Making waffles for 20?  Straining chicken broth?  Popping 8 bags of popcorn?  I love this thing.

image credit: amazon.com

6.  Mesh strainer.  You have to have a mesh strainer.  Try rinsing quinoa with a colander.  This version also doubles as a hockey mask.

7.  My 5-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven.  I use it several times a week.  It was my Christmas present last year, and no other domestic item has been so appreciated as a Christmas present.  It was the star of my shrimp & sausage gumbo recipe.  And it's red, which just plain makes me happy.



 8.  Cast Iron Skillet.  If you haven't seared steak on cast iron before, you have to give it a try.  It will change the way you sear things forever.  Nothing gets as hot or retains heat as well.  And stuff doesn't stick to it the way it does to my aging "non-stick" skillet.

9.  Ring Box.  I have had this small trinket box since I was very young, and I have no idea where it originally came from.  But now it sits on my counter, within arm's reach of the sink, to keep my rings safe while I am washing dishes, mixing meatloaf, or cutting chicken.  Everyone should have a place to store rings.  And safety pins.  And clips that go to something but no one remembers to what.


10. The rotating utensil holder thingy from the Pampered Chef.  It has 3 tiers and rotates like a Lazy Susan.  It keeps a huge number of serving spoons, spatulas, measuring cups, chopsticks, ladles, and kitchen necessities easy to access, standing upright, and taking up very little space.  It makes me happy. 



What do you find indispensable in your kitchen?

Monday's Miscellany

Here is a super quick update on the weekend's events:

Brunch:

Saturday's brunch went beautifully.  We had a full house, a table and kitchen and wet bar full of food, and there was a lot of laughter all around.  We were blessed.  There is something priceless about friends and family enjoying one another's company, for no reason other than to fellowship.  Sam said as we were cleaning up, "It seems like this was something everyone wanted to have happen, but didn't know it until they were all here."  That is exactly the way I felt, as well.

I had fully intended to take pictures, but I got caught in the kitchen making waffles, and had overslept (waking up--I kid you not--only 15 minutes before the first guests arrived) so I didn't get a chance to even take pictures of the spread as it went out.  So you will just have to imagine what our house full of 20-some-odd adults, plus a handful of very small children, and a rather excited greyhound, was like.  I do hope to give it another go before too much time goes by; next time I'll get pictures. 

Halloween:

The work that went into Saturday was pretty exhausting for me, and with Lizzie's cold still hanging on (fortunately today she is better), I opted to stay home from church.  So Sunday was a pleasant day of being decidedly lazy.  Besides that, I think I had a touch of food poisoning from some old spinach, and was not interested in fighting through church with something evil like that. 

Since Sunday was also Halloween, we got a call from a friend who has a boy just 6 weeks younger than Lizzie, asking if we wanted to join them at the Harvest Fest that our church used to host.  We were game, so we packed up and went after Lizzie had a good nap.  (I was feeling better, having apparently beaten the food poisoning bug.)

I hadn't planned on dressing Lizzie up, so she got to wear a hand-me-down outfit of a cat in a jack-o-lantern, and she was thrilled because she just learned how to say 'pumpkin'.  It was appropriately festive, and she pointed out the cat and the pumpkin (pumpim) to anyone who asked about it.  I will try to get a picture up before too long, but I don't think it will go up tonight.  Check back later. :)

Monday:

Yep, Monday struck again.  I spent nap time checking in on the online world, and naptime was exceedingly short.  No, really, it was really short, like only 50 minutes instead of two hours.  So the afternoon went just great.  But I made dinner, we ate dinner, Sam cleaned up dinner, and we watched Dancing With the Has-Beens until it ended just a little while ago. 

And now it is time to go to sleep.  So that I can get up early for once, and get a jump on the day.  And maybe write a blog post with a little brain power attached. 

And go vote.