Emma here. Ever since my grandmother moved to San Francisco, things have been great. She loves me a lot, and I love spending my days with her. She makes my mom and dad delicious food every day, and she is teaching me Korean! Check out how happy I am these days. There's some funny lady in the background making weird noises and faces (that's my mom). She thinks I am laughing with her, but really I am laughing at her. Look at my shoulders jiggle when I laugh!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Little Elbow Biter
So our family is finally recovering from a very nasty respiratory virus. I don't think that we have been so sick in a very long time. Thank goodness that my mother arrived this past Sunday. I don't know how we would have gotten by without her.
Emma is happy as a clam riding around on her grandmother's back (my mother brought this carrier thing with her, and it is working out wonderfully). She is also getting to be quite mischievious. She has been doing her military crawl on her tummy for a couple of weeks now, and she is very adept at it. She can move around the entire room.
I still nurse her in the morning though, and this morning, I must have fallen asleep while nursing her in our bed. I woke up after a few minutes with this strange pain on my elbow. I looked down and there was Emma, looking up at me so innocently while gnawing on my elbow with her two little teeth! Ouch! That little imp.
Emma is happy as a clam riding around on her grandmother's back (my mother brought this carrier thing with her, and it is working out wonderfully). She is also getting to be quite mischievious. She has been doing her military crawl on her tummy for a couple of weeks now, and she is very adept at it. She can move around the entire room.
I still nurse her in the morning though, and this morning, I must have fallen asleep while nursing her in our bed. I woke up after a few minutes with this strange pain on my elbow. I looked down and there was Emma, looking up at me so innocently while gnawing on my elbow with her two little teeth! Ouch! That little imp.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
I love fresh brussel sprouts. They are like little baby cabbages.
I like to pan saute them, or even better, I like to roast them in the oven. This time, I had some really large broccoli crowns, so I added them to the mix.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts, ends trimmed, yucky outer leaves peeled off. Cut in half if they are huge.
Minced garlic
Olive Oil
Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Preheat your oven - I put my oven to 400 degrees, your oven might be different, so just experiment. Toss the brussel sprouts with the minced garlic, olive oil to coat, some lemon juice, salt and pepper. Spread out the brussel sprouts on a foil lined pan and pop in the oven.
Roast them about 20 minutes, but keep half an eye on them, just so they don't burn to a crisp. I don't mind if they get a little blackened, though.
Couldn't be simpler!
I like to pan saute them, or even better, I like to roast them in the oven. This time, I had some really large broccoli crowns, so I added them to the mix.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts, ends trimmed, yucky outer leaves peeled off. Cut in half if they are huge.
Minced garlic
Olive Oil
Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Preheat your oven - I put my oven to 400 degrees, your oven might be different, so just experiment. Toss the brussel sprouts with the minced garlic, olive oil to coat, some lemon juice, salt and pepper. Spread out the brussel sprouts on a foil lined pan and pop in the oven.
Roast them about 20 minutes, but keep half an eye on them, just so they don't burn to a crisp. I don't mind if they get a little blackened, though.
Couldn't be simpler!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
More Vegetarian Cooking - Lentil Soup
We are still trying to live our veggie lifestyle, but I have to admit it has been hard to follow for the past month. For a variety of reasons, it's been difficult to find the time to cook. We have been eating out a lot and our choices haven't always been vegetarian, or even healthy, for that matter.
I am not stating any little known fact here, but when you have a busy schedule, the only way to make eating in and eating healthy work, is to cook all your meals for the week during the weekends.
So, this past weekend, I cooked up a storm, making big portions so that we can eat some of the stuff during the week and freeze some for later.
One of my favorite things to make and eat, even before we committed to being vegetarian, is lentil soup. It is so hearty and full of healthful ingredients. There is very oil involved, it has protein from the lentils, and vitamins from the vegetables. I keep a lot of the ingredients in the pantry, but, I hardly make it exactly the same twice because I use what I have on hand.
Lentil Soup (I think this probably serves about 4 to 5 people, if you are eating it as a main course)
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked through (I am not particular about the variety of lentils, I have used brown, green, and red lentils)
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
About 4 cups veggie stock
1 bay leaf (2, if the leaves are small)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Sometimes, I add diced celery (this time I didn't have any), and sometimes I add diced potatoes, or quartered crimini mushrooms.
Heat some olive oil, saute the onions until translucent. Add the carrots and garlic and saute (make sure the garlic doesn't burn. If you have celery, add it now).
Add the lentils, the stock, tomatoes and bay leaf. Let the whole thing simmer for a while, until the lentils are soft and the soup has thickened.
This time around, I noticed the soup was a little salty from the broth, so I added some potato (do you know that trick? If soup is overly salty, you can add some potato to soak up the saltiness...). I put in some mushrooms towards the end, per husband's request. Salt and pepper to taste.
This soup is so simple, and so very delicious. We like to eat it with fresh baked bread. I hope you try the recipe. Make it your own, take out the things you don't like, add what you do like!
I am not stating any little known fact here, but when you have a busy schedule, the only way to make eating in and eating healthy work, is to cook all your meals for the week during the weekends.
So, this past weekend, I cooked up a storm, making big portions so that we can eat some of the stuff during the week and freeze some for later.
One of my favorite things to make and eat, even before we committed to being vegetarian, is lentil soup. It is so hearty and full of healthful ingredients. There is very oil involved, it has protein from the lentils, and vitamins from the vegetables. I keep a lot of the ingredients in the pantry, but, I hardly make it exactly the same twice because I use what I have on hand.
Lentil Soup (I think this probably serves about 4 to 5 people, if you are eating it as a main course)
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked through (I am not particular about the variety of lentils, I have used brown, green, and red lentils)
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
About 4 cups veggie stock
1 bay leaf (2, if the leaves are small)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Sometimes, I add diced celery (this time I didn't have any), and sometimes I add diced potatoes, or quartered crimini mushrooms.
Heat some olive oil, saute the onions until translucent. Add the carrots and garlic and saute (make sure the garlic doesn't burn. If you have celery, add it now).
Add the lentils, the stock, tomatoes and bay leaf. Let the whole thing simmer for a while, until the lentils are soft and the soup has thickened.
This time around, I noticed the soup was a little salty from the broth, so I added some potato (do you know that trick? If soup is overly salty, you can add some potato to soak up the saltiness...). I put in some mushrooms towards the end, per husband's request. Salt and pepper to taste.
This soup is so simple, and so very delicious. We like to eat it with fresh baked bread. I hope you try the recipe. Make it your own, take out the things you don't like, add what you do like!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Fiery Milkweed and Wedge of Lime
I finished a couple of shawlettes in the past two months. I guess I could sign up for the 10 Shawls in 2010 challenge on Ravelry, but I don't want to put pressure on myself. With work being as crazy as it has been and with little baby Emma, I feel like I could very easily be derailed on that challenge!
Here is my Milkweed Shawl. I bought this yarn a year or so ago, promising my mother that I would make a scarf for her. Well, a year later, I finally made something out of it, just in time for her arrival this week.
Here is the Citron Shawl (what I have renamed as a Wedge of Lime, because that is what it looks like to me). I know, I know, it is in the same color and yarn as the pattern pictures. No originality, but I love it. I wore it around even before I finished blocking it, because I love the color, the softness of Malabrigo Lace, etc. etc.
I will have to get some pictures to post with actual people wearing these shawlettes...
Both patterns are very well written and easy to follow. The Milkweed Shawl pattern is especially nice because it gives both written and charted directions. Milkweed is an incredibly fast knit (and I don't think I am a particularly speedy knitter) because it is all knit stitch, no purl (yay!). A Wedge of Lime is my first completed laceweight project. Very thin yarn = a long time knitting, but beautiful results.
And just because, Emma wants to say "Oh, hai..." (for those of us who love icanhascheezburger.com):
Here is my Milkweed Shawl. I bought this yarn a year or so ago, promising my mother that I would make a scarf for her. Well, a year later, I finally made something out of it, just in time for her arrival this week.
Both patterns are very well written and easy to follow. The Milkweed Shawl pattern is especially nice because it gives both written and charted directions. Milkweed is an incredibly fast knit (and I don't think I am a particularly speedy knitter) because it is all knit stitch, no purl (yay!). A Wedge of Lime is my first completed laceweight project. Very thin yarn = a long time knitting, but beautiful results.
And just because, Emma wants to say "Oh, hai..." (for those of us who love icanhascheezburger.com):
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