The Second Time Around...

We made Japanese Hamburger's again and this time they came out better. The first time they were yummy, but rather meat-loafy. The second time they were fantastic.

What did I do different? I wish I knew. I hate it when I do something better (or worse) the second time and have no idea why. It's taken me 3 times to be *almost* certain that my favorite brand of Silken Tofu is just TOO soft for Ma Po Tofu. When I add the cornstarch it winds up looking more like what I imagine Menudo looks like than Ma Po. It's delicious, but nothing I'd show on the blog.

Next time I'll use their Firm Tofu instead, that'll be the final test.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to make Japanese Hamburgers in an attempt to figure out what I did right. This is not something I'm dreading.

On the subject of Transcendental Foods, the parents brought me half a flat of Strawberries from Oxnard. Some kind of bribe I think. I had to do something with them.


This may not look like much.


But this was delicious. Strawberries + Homemade Sponge Cake + Whip Cream = Happiness. Plus, I'm very proud of myself for successfully making Sponge Cake! That's a lot of egg-beating.

Beautiful Days...

... lead to falling behind on the blog.

Finished the first book of 2009. Fledgling by Octavia Butler. I'm aiming to read more than one book a month, but had a rough start with another book that couldn't keep my interest. Now I'm reading Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, which I am enjoying but is dense, dense, dense. So it may take a little while to get through.

Meanwhile there have been:


Delicious breakfasts. The only way I'm willing to eat eggs besides the (very) occasional egg salad or deviled eggs.


Baked Shrimp Scampi from Ina Gartens Back To Basics, another Christmas present. Delicious, easier to make than usual scampi, and would definitely be a great course for those dinner parties I'm going to have someday.


Beautiful days at the Getty Villa, where someone else made lunch for me, and I sat and enjoyed the view far more than the art.

Repulsion Cuisine

Around midnight one evening, laying in bed but not yet in asleep, I turned to the boy and said: "What's the opposite of fusion? Repulsion maybe?"

One of the many reasons I love this man is he always takes me seriously. He stopped and thought for twenty seconds. "Yeah, that sound good."

Earlier that day I'd been presented with a dilemma: What to make with potatoes. The potatoes were important. They were growing old, were probably already a little past-done, but salvageable. I knew I could make roast or skillet potatoes pretty easy. But while I had a ton of ground pork and could easily make Ma Po Tofu for the dozenth time, I just couldn't stomach the idea of Ma Po Tofu and Potatoes. That wasn't the kind of fusion cuisine I liked, it was more like repulsion cuisine.

I did have some drumsticks that the boy had purchased and then, like many grocery store inspirations of his, left to die in the freezer. The problem? I have this neurosis about chicken. I'm terrified of undercooking the pale pink meat. I'll eat it when others make it without batting an eye, but I fear my own abilities. Still, chicken and potatoes sounded much, much better than Ma Po Tofu and Potatoes.

Battling my fear, I paged through a new cookbook I'd picked up on the recommendation of a friend, Apples for Jam. Chicken Drumsticks and Wings with Orange Tomato Glaze caught my eye. I like the word glaze, so that was a good start. The basic ingredients were encouraging. The 2-2 1/2 hour cooking time sealed the deal. I could eat chicken that had cooked for that long.

Finally, I had a complete meal.

Please Don't Hit Me With Your Car

A Quick Note to Drivers Out There:

Please come to a full and complete stop when approaching the pedestrian crossing the street, legally, at the cross walk. While you may know that you aren't going to hit her, she does not feel so confident as she eyes your Range Rover rolling in her direction at a speed that would still hurt on impact. Let me remind you that she is less than 1/10th the size of your car, and considerably less durable. I know stopping in front of the crosswalk means approximately 10 seconds you cannot devote to Your Life, but at that moment the pedestrian is fearing for Her Life. So please, just stop the car for a moment.

Thanks.