Steamed dumplings

I originally bought the bamboo steamer (see previous post for pics) because I wanted to make dumplings and I don't like frying. Yesterday was my first attempt, and I think they came out pretty good. A lot of the filling recipes are mostly ground meat (beef, pork, or chicken), but I wanted to try some with mostly vegetables. So after flipping through a recipe book for a while, I adapted some ideas to make a couple fillings. Filling #1 was ginger, garlic, scallions, yellow pepper, and spinach. Filling #2 was onion, corn, and cilantro, with a healthy shake of hot chili. I cooked the fillings before using them, since then it is easier to know when the dumplings are finished. I also used Filling #3, which was leftover from yesterday's stuffed mushrooms (onion, zucchini, mushroom stems, spicy chicken sausage).

The most time consuming part was filling the dumplings. I used pre-made dumpling wrappers to save time, which worked well. I forgot to take a picture with them all on a plate, but here are a few that I ate last. :)

And now for something completely different, here are the ferrets hanging out together. So cute!

Painting, take 2

After painting the bathroom last week, I decided to take on the living room, which is a much larger space. In case you don't remember what it looks like, here is a picture from when we moved in:

I woke up Saturday to windows covered in ice (we had a freezing rain storm during the night). Discouraged from venturing out, I decided to tackle the painting. I started at one end, in the side nook, and worked my way around. It took a very long time! As I went along, sometimes I found holes that needed to be patched. The drop clothes needed to be moved a lot. Taping off a border on the ceiling was also difficult, since the slanted walls made the border between wall and ceiling unclear. Still I kept at it and finished very late at night.

My goal of staying in on such an icy day failed when I ran out of painter's tape. Still, the results look pretty good I think. I like how the contrasting color makes the white trim really pop.

All those slanted walls made the painting surface quite large. Yes, the tree is still up.

I took this picture vertically so you could see the ceiling.

This last shot shows one of the chairs we got for Christmas. I think it will look nice once I put together the bookshelf (the box to your left of the chair). Now that the walls are painted, we can finally start to think about hanging up pictures.

Painting

Brian and I got permission from our landlord to paint some rooms in the apartment. I decided to start with the bathroom, since it is small. I managed to paint it on Monday and Tuesday this week. (I was hoping to finish it all on Monday, but I had some difficulties removing the toilet tank.)

As you can see, it was a boring white (like the rest of the apartment, except the kitchen):

And now, it is a nice, bold green!

On a totally different note, tonight we had vegi tacos. We have been eating a lot more meat-free meals lately. For the tacos, we had sauteed peppers and onions, refried beans, three types of salsa, lettuce, sour cream, and cheese.

Salsa!

More Asian-style cooking: steaming

I got a steamer last week to try another cooking technique. I went with a traditional bamboo steamer, since I have heard they impart a nice flavor to the food. I tried it out for the first time today. I was surprised how fast the steamer worked.

I used the steamer to make the entire meal:

1) I put some potatoes in the boiling water (the steam source). The metal ring is specially made to use the steamer with a regular pot (instead of a wok).

2) In the top level of the steamer, I put the broccoli.

3) In the bottom level of the steamer, I put a piece of salmon with a glaze, wrapped in foil.

I let the potatoes boil for about 5 minutes before putting the steamer on the pot. After 15 minutes, everything was cooked and dinner was ready. It was great that the whole meal was ready so quickly. Plus, steaming is a very healthy way to cook.

Here is the steamer in action. The steam from the boiling water is circulating through the levels of the steamer, cooking all the food at once.

Overall, I would say the steamer is a great addition to our kitchen. Next time, I think I will try chicken and maybe carrots.

Thursday visitor

Anne had to leave town for a few days (work trip), so Brian and I got to spend some time with Ginger this week. We watched Ginger for Thursday and Friday, which was the exact time that the largest storm of the season (so far) hit Cincinnati. Ginger seemed to draw strength from the cold and wind: the longer I stayed out with her in an attempt to tire her out, the more energy she seemed to have! Still, we had a very nice time. Brian and I spent some extra time in the front room on Thursday evening, since Ginger is not allowed in the ferret room/office.

That static issue I mentioned before about the ferrets? Ginger had that even more, since she loved to run across the carpet and roll around on it. She built up some serious static! The humidifier I bought helped some. Also, notice the paint color squares on the wall above the curtains. This room is not fully set up because I am planning to paint it. I hope to get started this coming week.

Ginger spent most of her time looking out our windows. There is an entire row facing the street, where she could see our neighbors come and go, the school traffic (there is a school across the street), and the other dogs of the neighborhood getting walked. Exciting!

Adventures in Asian cuisine

This year, I have been exploring the creation of some Asian-style food in the kitchen. It started with a request from Brian for some dumplings, which I made with a traditional filling of ground meat and hand-formed dumpling wrappers. Those wrappers take some time! Afterwards, Brian said what he really wanted were dumplings filled with vegis, so I started looking around for another recipe. I found one, but decided to use wrappers from the store, to save time. I actually got egg roll wrappers, and we have had vegi-filled egg rolls a couple times. I even instructions for baking them instead of frying. (I fry food very infrequently, so I am not very good at it. And it is such a messy process!)

Anyway, boiling the dumplings got me thinking about getting a steamer, since that is another popular way to cook them. I ordered a bamboo steamer from Amazon (thanks Rick and Karen!). The steamer arrived a couple days ago, and I am excited to try it soon.

Another Asian food I was interested in learning about was sushi. I ordered a few more essential supplies (sushi rolling mat, bamboo rice paddle, seaweed sheets) again from Amazon (again thanks!), and tried it out. My first batch was just vegis, so I could try to get down the rolling motion. I've read a lot about how difficult it is to prepare the rice, but I didn't think it was any more difficult than regular rice. (I know many people who find regular rice difficult too, but I have a lot of practice.) The main difference is that once the rice is cooked, you mix it with a seasoned vinegar and flip it with your rice paddle until it cools down a bit. The rolling mat makes forming the sushi rolls relatively easy. I had some difficulty spreading rice to the very edge of the seaweed sheets, so the end pieces didn't always turn out. Overall though, it seemed to be a good first attempt.

Sushi: first batch. They are all vegi, except for a few at the top, which have some imitation crab. While the crab is made of another fish, it is cooked, so I thought it would be fine for the first try. I really like how the red pepper looks. The sprouts were not very good (in my opinion), and they made it difficult to form a tight roll.

In an attempt to get Brian to appreciate the taste of sushi, I dressed them up with a little soy sauce, some spicy mayo, and some french fried onions. Also, we had some very tasty pickled ginger (the pink stuff on the left).

I made a second batch of sushi today. I found a place with sushi-grade fish, and I got a small piece of salmon to try. (I will be able to tell you in about 24 hours if their fish really was sushi grade, but it looked and smelled fine.) The avocado I had on hand was pretty soft, so these look a bit more messy. Still, it was quite tasty. I managed to get some wasabi for the second batch, which is something Brian enjoyed (I was pretty sure he would, since he loves horseradish). I also tried an inside-out roll (rice on the outside, seaweed on the inside), which didn't turn out very well. I guess I need more practice. (L to R): 1 is salmon, cucumber, and scallions; 2 is salmon and scallions; 3 is avocado, cucumber, carrot, and scallions; 4 is like 3 but with extra wasabi.

Christmas in Columbus, Part 2

Beautiful tree:

After playing "7 Wonders" with David and Rachel in Holland, Brian and I got a copy, and we started to teach it to Dave and Amy. I was happy to let Brian manage the explanation.

Rick enjoys the role of Santa - hat and all.

Dave's ipad was very interesting to Brian.

Christmas in Columbus, Part 1

Brian with a card:

Here is the nicest picture I took all day:

What a big present. I wonder what it is?

Awesome! It is a roaster pan!

Amy with a "I Love Lucy" pin:

Dave tried to use Brian's coat to reduce the window's glare, to improve photos. Amy was confused at first.

Dave with a present:

Smiles all around:

Karen with the only Coldwater Creek gift card that was given, despite the multitude of Coldwater Creek gift boxes (which were re-used from previous years).

Rick unwrapping:

A joint gift:

Eve

As most of you know by now, Eve got sick over Christmas and we had to put her down last week. She developed a large tumor in her chest cavity that was taking up the space her lungs used to breathe, and the tumor was a type that could not be treated with chemo. It was a very difficult decision for us, but we hope it was the right thing to do.

Here are some pictures from Eve's life, from early 2008 to the present. We actually got her in 2007, but those older pictures are not on my computer's hard drive. Still, you can see that she looks younger in the earlier pictures and grows more mature over time.

Eve and me playing on the futon in Florida:

Eve and Brussels, exploring a bowl of cherries, Florida:

Eve, pausing for a picture, Florida:

Rex and Eve, Florida:

Eve resting with Brian, Florida:

Eve, curling up into an "o", being cute, Florida:

Eve peering up at the camera lens, Florida:

(Top to bottom) Brussels, Rex, Chewbacca, Eve:

Eve yawning, Florida:

Eve on the laundry pile, right before we left Florida:

Eve, systematically removing socks from Brian's sock storage box, New Jersey:

Eve, Brussels, and Rex, snuggling in the cage, New Jersey:

Eve and me, having girl talk, New Jersey:

Eve and Rex in their hammock, Columbus, Ohio:

Eve resting in the gator, Columbus:

Chewbacca and Eve playing together, Columbus:

Rex, Chews, and Eve relaxing in Columbus:

Eve in the gator, Columbus:

Eve in Cincinnati with some of her favorite toys:

Eve in her last days, with Rex, who was her constant companion, Cincinnati: