Mandarin Mondays: 面条 (Noodles)

A Chinese friend of mine came over last week and showed me how to make some Hainan (Hǎinán, 海南) style noodles (miàn tiáo, 面条). I'll share the basic recipe and method with you, but all amounts are very approximate.

Hainan style food uses a lot of garlic and green onion, but not a lot of other seasoning or sauces. Traditionally they cook with lard to bring in more meat flavor, without having to use a lot of expensive meat. However, most people now use oil. This dish would traditionally be eaten for breakfast (or maybe lunch). But we like it for dinner as well.

This dish is very simply, and we liked it a lot. The boys especially ate huge helpings and were thrilled that there were leftovers for the next meal.

Hainan Style Noodle Soup

• ¼ cup or more oil or lard
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 cup green onion chopped
• ½ pound lean pork chopped
• 1 pound fresh or dried wide rice noodles
• salt to taste (lots if your trying to get authentic flavor)
• water

1. In a large pot (guō, 锅) heat 1–2 quarts of water. Cook noodles if dried or simply wash the noodles if you bought them fresh from the market.
2. Meanwhile in a wok, known as a "fry pot" (chǎo guō, 炒锅), heat oil or lard. Add garlic, onion, and pork, and fry until brown.
3. Add noodles and a good amount of water to the wok. Bring to a boil.
4. Salt to taste, and serve.

Family Fridays: Rejoicing

April 8, 2012

I hope that everyone had a great holiday over the weekend. We certainly did, even though we had to catch up with family and friends over Skype. We certainly have a lot to rejoice over and celebrate since the tomb is empty.

We are also rejoicing in things settling down a little after moving and this past week I have been feeling much better. I am hoping that most of the nausea is past for this pregnancy now that I am 15 weeks along.

DIY Scottish Shortbread

My husband loves shortbread. I used to think it was a rather boring cookie, but now he has me convinced how wonderful they are. The difference is baking them with 100% real butter. With just three ingredients these are really simple cookies, but you can totally taste the difference if you make them with anything besides all butter. Personally, I think it is a waste of time now to even attempt shortbread with margarine, somethings you can't taste the difference, but this isn't only of those recipes. I think these make great food gifts as well because not everyone makes them, and they don't have any nuts or chocolate in them if someone has allergies.

Homemade Scottish Shortbread Recipe

• 1½ cups flour
• ¾ cup butter
• ⅓ cup sugar

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and cut in butter with a pastry cutter. Mixture will be very crumbly and resemble pie crust crumbs.
2. Press into an ungreased 9x9 (for thick shortbread) or 9x13 (for thin shortbread) pan. Recipe can easily be doubled to fill a jelly roll pan nicely.
3. Bake at 350F until edges just begin to brown. Time varies widely on baking these by oven and thickness of the cookies from 5–15 minutes, so you really just have to watch them carefully.
4. Allow to cool before cutting so they are not too crumbly. We also love melted chocolate drizzled on top after they have cooled.

DIY Chocolate Covered Cherries

I had some leftover melted chocolate from making chocolate covered peanut butter eggs and decided to cover some maraschino cherries with it. Simply melt the chocolate, I suggest using a double boiler, and then dip the cherries in. Draining the cherries in a colander or on paper towels will make them easier to cover with chocolate. After dipping in chocolate, place on wax paper, aluminum foil, or a silicone pan, and place in the refrigerator to harden.

Family Fridays: If You Give a Boy a Chocolate Covered Spatula...

...he will become chocolate covered too.

DIY Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Eggs

This is a really simple recipe for a great homemade treat for Easter/Resurrection Sunday. I do like the symbolism of eggs, something that looks dead, like a tiny tomb, but from which new life can spring forth. I made similar candies at Christmas time and never got around to posting them, but I made trees and squares then. You can of course make these whatever shape you wish for any occasion you wish, and everyone will be delighted.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Recipe

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar (I used homemade this time. You can also substitute powdered milk for up to ⅓ of the sugar. I did this at Christmas time, grinding the powdered milk up finer in the blender, and it worked well also.)
• 1 bag chocolate chips for melting and dipping

1. Combine peanut butter and powdered sugar (and powdered milk if desired) in a bowl. Knead together until it is well combined and becomes the consistency of play dough. If you feel like it is too crumbly add more peanut butter, if too sticky, add more powdered sugar.
2. Form desired shapes, and place in refrigerator or freezer to chill while you melt the chocolate.
3. Melt chocolate chips. I suggest melting them in a double boiler as it is the only way that I have tried that I have never ruined a batch. You can microwave them too, but I've had them burn occasionally. And this time I was in a hurry at first and thought I'd just melt them in a pot over really low heat, and they first bag of chocolate chips got all weird and crumbly and wouldn't melt. So melt chocolate chips completely with your desired method, but I think I'll be sticking to the double boiler.
4. Dip peanut butter shapes in chocolate mixture, coat thoroughly, pull them out with a fork and tap on the side of the pan to dip off excess chocolate, and place on aluminum foil or waxed paper to cool. Repeat until all of the shapes are covered. Refrigerate to set up the chocolate, and then store in an airtight container in a cool place or the refrigerator.

I made just over 30 small eggs, and I actually had a little melted chocolate left over this time, so I made chocolate covered cherries too. 

You can also put these candies on sticks to make a candy pop. I insert a small stick or straw into the candy after the chocolate has hardened and then individually wrap these for small gifts for my kids. Great for Easter baskets, Valentine's day treats, or stocking stuffers.

How not to melt chocolate

DIY Unleavened Bread

I thought about trying to make lamb this week, but it was really expensive...and really gross looking at the store. So I decided that I was just going to be glad that I don't have to kill a lamb anymore, or even just skin part of an already killed one, and not attempt something that was going to make me feel ill right now.

So I just made stew with ground beef, but also made this unleavened bread to go with it. We read and talked briefly with our boys about the passover and last supper. They are still very young of course and can't understand everything, but it was one more way we are just trying to be always teaching them.

This bread turned out quite tasty and would be a good accompaniment to soups, stews, or pasta, anytime of the year. It was delicious both plain and with butter for dinner.

Homemade Unleavened Bread Recipe

• 3 cups flour (I used 1½ cups whole wheat and 1½ cups white flour)
• 1 cup or more of water
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1½ tsp salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, kneading dough until well combined and smooth. Add more water as needed, but dough should remain slightly dry.
2. Divide in 8–10 pieces, and roll into 5 inch flat circles about ½ inch thick.
3. Place on cookie sheets, and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 12–20 minutes.

Easter/Resurrection Preschool Activity: Window Coloring

It's been a little while since we've bought out the window crayons and markers around here, and when I unpacked them in our new house, the boys we're begging to use them. So I thought it would be a good way to do a simple Easter or Resurrection activity with the boys. I simply drew three crosses and an empty tomb and then let them color them and the rest of the window while we talked about the story together. The window crayons and big drawings made this activity special, but it was a really simple and low-key way to talk about the story with my 3½-year-old and 2-year-old.

Mandarin Mondays: 清明节 (Tomb Sweeping Day)

I'm a little late posting a Mandarin Mondays post again, but this week all days are a little off here. And this time it is not just due to our latest blessing, but everyone's schedule in this city is changed. This is because this week is Clear Bright Festival or more commonly known as Tomb Sweeping Day (Qīngmíng Jié, 清明节). In the city, they are only officially supposed to get one day off, but many people work through the previous weekend so they have three "days off" for the holiday this week. This does make sense for those who feel the need to travel a long way for this holiday but can disrupt a lot of schedules too.

For this traditional festival Chinese, people travel (sometimes a long distance) to return to visit their ancestors' tombs. When they are there, they quickly "sweep" or clear away leaves and overgrowth off of their relatives graves. Then they may offer food and burn "pop-up" houses or other objects to their relatives to sustain them in the next life. This is done by decorating their grave with these items. They may then say a prayer to their ancestors before lighting off fireworks (which they don't clean up) and leaving to repeat the process at their next relative's tomb. How much of these practices is done varies widely by the individual, usually related to their closeness to their ancestors and their ancestors' level of affluence. The more respected and affluent a person, the more ornate their tomb, and generally the more ornately decorated each year as well.

I must admit that this is one holiday I am quite grateful I don't have to participate in, because my Greatest Ancestor's Tomb is empty.

Family Fridays: Baby Number 3

So, we officially moved to our new apartment last weekend and have been really busy with the moving process. I'll post pictures of the new place and tell more about moving once we are a little more settled in.

But we have some even bigger news that we're ready to announce now, we're expecting baby number 3, due early October! I'm nearing the end of my first trimester, and my first prenatal appointment at a Chinese hospital went well. My Chinese friend who went with me is convinced that baby number 3 has exactly the same profile as Nate and the boys. Some strong family traits shining through, I guess. I was also slightly relieved to learn that Aaron's wish for thirteen brothers and sisters to be inside my tummy at once didn't come true, and there is just one healthy baby inside.

The baby and I are very healthy. I have been having some nausea and fatigue, but I am not as nauseous as with Aaron and not as tired as with Andrew, so overall this pregnancy has been the easiest. I wouldn't have chosen to have to move during my first trimester, but at least it was a close and convenient move.

Aaron and even Andrew have been helping more and more around the house. Aaron can hang up a whole load of diapers by himself pretty quickly now, and he takes his role in helping me make sure we don't run out of clean diapers or clean underwear very seriously. He is also realizing that the more he helps me out the more likely it is that I will have enough energy to be able to make some sort of "extra" food, like dessert or ranch dressing, or be able to read or play with him more. Andrew can set the table and help get me an orange or banana if I'm feeling sick. Having some extra little helpers this time is making the pregnancy easier for me and Nate as well, who also helps out even more around the house when I'm not feeling the best.

Family Fridays: Busy Moving

We've been super busy around here. This weekend we are going to move over to our new apartment. Things are a bit messy around here right now, but we look forward to settling into our new place.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

I decided rather last minute, like this afternoon, that I was actually going to try to make a special dinner for St. Patrick's Day. And since our day is ending when America's day is beginning, that means there is still more than enough time for you to decide to do so as well.

I had read some posts on Life as Mom that sounded like easy ideas, and when they actually still had good beef roast meat when I went to Walmart on Saturday afternoon, I thought why not. Patrick was quite an awesome guy, even if the modern associations of luck and drinking aren't so cool. I am a tiny bit Irish, and my husband is almost 1/4 Irish, which makes the boys about 1/8 Irish.

Also I vividly remember my mom giving us green milk on St. Patrick's Day as a kid, and thinking it was the most awesome thing ever, and that she was so cool to give us green milk. I think I'd like to be remembered that way someday too.

So, I made some Irish Stew, and even threw in the green peas, so it had orange, white, and green, all of the colors of the Irish Flag. Andrew loved, loved, loved this stew. He ate about 8, albeit small, helpings, and would have kept eating all night if we didn't put it away.

I made some Irish soda bread. I used all white flour, because I was out of whole wheat. It was great though, and it tasted like buttermilk biscuits. Nate thought this bread was amazing.

 

Then I let Aaron help me make mint chocolate chip cupcakes. Aaron thought it was awesome that blue and yellow made green in the batter. We need to do more with color mixing I guess. I also let him help add some chocolate chips which our sweet parents sent us from America and our gracious guest carried all the way here for us. I even let Aaron eat a few chocolate chips plain, another thing I always remember my mom doing when we made cookies. Andrew was napping, but he got to enjoy cupcakes later.

Then I let him mix turn some milk green too. Both the boys thought that was an amazing treat.

 

I picked some clover and put in on the table, and we talked a little bit about Patrick and the legend of his explanation of three in one using clover. There can't be a perfect picture of this concept on this earth, but it is a cool illustration.

 

This was a very fun, easy, and low key last minute celebration.

Family Fridays: Painting Progress

My sweet honey has been working so hard on the new house lately. He is trying to give all the walls a fresh coat of paint before we move in. He has gotten most of the dining room and living room done already. They look a lot nicer without the dirt stains, and the white brightens up the living areas a lot.

DIY 2 Ingredient Crock Pot Strawberry Jam

So, after a couple different successful attempts at making strawberry sauce, I actually got around to trying what I really wanted to make, strawberry jam. I kept putting it off because I have no idea where to buy pectin here, and from what I've read it is more difficult to make without the pectin. But I kept wanting to try because strawberry jam is expensive here, but strawberries themselves are relatively cheap. Well, in the end I don't think I saved any money, but this is by far the best strawberry jam I've ever had! And it has no preservatives. It was quite easy too, so I may make it again, even if it doesn't save me money. If you use pectin to thicken your jam, I am sure you'll get a higher yield, but the concentrated strawberry flavor makes this an extra special treat.

Homemade Strawberry Jam Recipe

• 3 quarts hulled strawberries
• 4 cups sugar

1. Put strawberries and sugar in a crock pot, and stir thoroughly. The sugar will bring out the natural juices in the strawberries.
2. Turn crock pot on high, and bring to a boil.
3. Remove lid, and mash strawberries with a potato masher.
4. Allow to boil and reduce to the desired consistency, mashing intermittently. When my jam reduced to about 1 quart it was a great consistency.
5. Allow to cool, and store in jars in the fridge or freezer.

Mandarin Mondays: 冷水 (Cold Water)

We recently had lunch with Chinese friends at a hot pot restaurant and had hot peanut milk. This made me remember just how rare it is to get cold water (lěng shuǐ, 冷水) or other cold drinks when you you eat out at restaurants.

This is because Chinese people believe that cold drinks are bad for your health. Specifically, drinking cold drinks is bad for your stomach. However, not drinking cold water in China is actually a good thing because you are much less likely to get sick from drinking hot tea than you are from drinking the tap water (which no one drinks unless its boiled). But it can also make you want to bring your own ice water in the summer.

Ironically, eating ice cream is considered very healthy in the summer though, so I am not sure why ice water is still unhealthy. Ice cream and anything else cold is of course considered practically lethal in the winter, and almost disappears from some local stores here during colder months.

Family Fridays: New Apartment

Our current landlord doesn't wish to rent to us again next year (he said he wants to give it to his parents), so we had to find a new apartment. Thankfully, we found another one we liked in the same apartment complex, so it won't be a very far move. It's pretty similar to our current place, but it has three bedrooms instead of two. Here are the before pictures.

DIY Whole Strawberry Sauce

I like this pureed version of strawberry sauce a lot, but this time I wanted to make one with whole strawberries. It tastes just as delicious, just with a different texture. It is great with these hearty pancakes or in homemade yogurt. I am sure it would be great on ice cream as well.

Homemade Whole Strawberry Sauce Recipe

• Four cups hulled strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch

1. In a medium saucepan, pour the sugar over the hulled strawberries, and let sit 15–60 minutes. This allows the strawberries to macerate and brings out their natural juices.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with cold water, and stir until smooth.
3. Add cornstarch mixture into the strawberries and stir well. Turn on heat, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.
4. Remove from heat. Serve hot or cold. The sauce will thicken more when chilled.

Mandarin Mondays: 太贵了(Too expensive)

Meat Market

Both my husband and I recently had Mandarin lessons that covered bartering in the market for fruit, so I thought I'd talk a little bit about bartering here today.

This type of language is really one of the first things that you have to learn here. "How much is this?" (duō shǎo qián?, 多少钱？) is one of my most used mandarin phrases, possibly even more than hello, but less than they are not twins.

When shopping in any open air market or relatively small shop, the prices may be negotiable. If the shop keeper gives you a price that is too expensive (tài guìle, 太贵了) you just say so, and they will either give you a counter offer, ask you how much you want to give them for the item, or tell you no this is really cheap. The last means they won't lower the price, and you can take it or leave it.

Often food sellers here won't lower their prices unless you are a Kunming native or have developed a good relationship with a particular seller. So in one nearby market, we often have to ask several people for the price of something like tomatoes, until someone gives us a good deal, or go consistently to the same seller who usually gives us a fair price.

Coming back from buying fruit

But really, we don't really want to spend a lot of time bartering for a few cents off of vegetables anyway, so if we aren't finding good deals that day we'll usually just pay a little bit more or head to Walmart. You don't barter at Walmart, department stores, or KFC in case you're wondering. And yes, it would be weird if you tried to.

Things we do barter for are bigger items like furniture from the used furniture market or a rental prices on apartments. Some people will go down a significant amount on some of these things, and you can actually save real money. And sometimes simply walking away or acting disinterested will make the seller want to lower the price all on their own. This silent method of bartering is one of our favorites, as the seller is lowering the price of their own volition and would never tell you a price that they couldn't still make a profit off of.