Made a Japanese-style dinner the other day. Grilled hamachi Kama (yellowtail cheek), pork katsu, garlicky spinach, rice, and miso soup.
It was raining on Sunday and that’s the best weather for hotpot! Lots of vegetables, three types of mushrooms, fish cake and fish balls, some thinly sliced pork and beef.
I had a slice of toast and tea for breakfast. For lunch later, leftover Singapore-style Hainan chicken rice.
Cooking:
Haven’t quite figured it out yet! But I do have a bag of chicken drumsticks in the freezer, so I’ll probably marinate them and grill them. Maybe I’ll bake some potatoes too.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
Hello, it’s been ages since an “It’s Monday” post from me. How are you? How’s your summer/winter going? I took a super long break from my Monday postings mostly because we were in Singapore for the month of July and I didn’t bring my computer with me. That’s no excuse for having missed a lot of August posts though! Can I blame it on jet lag?
Anyway, the kids have been back in school. They’re on a brand new campus as the school district decided to finally open this new campus that was built a couple of years ago in a new neighbourhood. It’s the first new school that’s been in this school district for 20 plus years. The mandarin immersion program was moved to this new school campus as the previous school wasn’t big enough for the program’s expansion.
And as the middle school expansion hasn’t been completed due to pandemic delays, my sixth grader will be the first and last sixth grade class in this new school. This is also one of the few (only?) elementary schools with more than one floor. The upper grades (my kids are in 4th and 6th) are all on the second floor.
(In Singapore, where I grew up, schools are all multi-storeyed, with at least 4 or more storeys. So it always amuses me when the kids talk about their classroom on the second storey.)
Meanwhile, it’s back to our usual routine. Hope you have a great week ahead!
Some things last week:
Currently…
Reading:
Farewell, Ghosts by Nadia Terranova
Watching:
The Sandman on Netflix
Listening:
Gathering Moss – Robin Wall Kimmerer
Eating and Drinking:
A peach almond cake and barley tea
Cooking:
Today we have some leftovers from the weekend.
Tomorrow, I’ll cook some pork katsu and maybe have it with rice and Sigeumchi-namul (blanched spinach seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil).
It’s going to be a hotter week I think, so I’ll keep the baking to a minimum.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
The kids and I made dumplings. I panfried some and boiled some. We ate it with noodles and bokchoy. The dumplings were just a simple ground pork mixture with some finely chopped bokchoy and minced ginger. We seasoned it with sesame oil, soy sauce, white pepper and salt.
The 9yo went on his first sleepover and he was very pleased that they got to stay up late and play video games! I guess my older son said that he was bored by himself 😛
A sushi sashimi platter we had over the weekend.
Otherwise, it’s been a week of playing tennis, going swimming, and hanging out.
Currently…
Reading:
The Starfarers Quartet Omnibus – Vonda McIntyre
The Twin – Gerbrand Bakker
Watching:
Starstruck on HBO Max
Listening:
Nothing at the moment
Eating and Drinking:
I had some sourdough toast with a slice of gouda for breakfast.
Cooking:
Last week:
I read:
Build Your House Around My Body – Violet Kupersmith
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
Ordered some takeout from a place that specialises in panfried soup dumplings (above). The dumplings have a wonderful crunchy bottom and the inside is still nice and soupy. The filling is like xiaolongbao. We also ordered the spicy beef noodles. The kids have zhajiangmian.
Stone fruits are out in splendour at the farmers market. Our favourite are white nectarines.
For Father’s Day, the husband asked for Korean BBQ. So we got these nice sliced wagyu (and also regular beef slices for bulgogi). The meat on the left is pork belly.
After watching Jamie Oliver’s Keep Cooking and Carry On, I made a fish pie. This series was pretty much geared towards people in quarantine, using stuff in your freezer and pantry. And hey, I had all these ingredients. I used salmon and tilapia. I didn’t have spinach but there were carrots, celery, and peas. So I figured that was ok in terms of vegetables.
Currently…
Reading:
Four Treasures of the Sky – Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Watching:
Iron Chef on Netflix. Netflix rebooted Iron Chef! It’s got new Iron Chefs like Ming Tsai and Dominique Crenn, and a new cohost – Kristen Kish, winner of Top Chef season 10. I’ve also watched another cooking show she’s on – Fast Foodies on HBO Max. In that show, she and two other chefs copycat a celeb guest’s fave fast food, then in the second round, put their own spin on it.
Listening:
Still listening to Stanley Tucci talk about Italian food!
Eating and Drinking:
The kids and I made pancakes yesterday, so we had a few more leftover for breakfast this morning.
Cooking:
This week is going to be a hot one, but I haven’t quite figured out what to cook. Definitely not anything that requires long bake times! Maybe some quick stir fries. If it all goes to pot, then there’s always the option of eating tuna mayo on rice, which the kids love.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
The kids’ last day of school was Monday (yeah I don’t know why either) and they’ve been enjoying last week. Took them to swim and play tennis.
We ate some Singapore style Hainanese chicken rice.
Currently…
Reading:
Cafe con Lychee – Emery Lee
(pictured with a spaghetti that I made with a delicious broccoli cheddar sauce. It’s essentially boil broccoli until it’s soft, then blend with grated cheddar, some of the pasta water, salt and pepper. I also added some garlic powder and a bit of cream).
Kaiju Preservation Society – John Scalzi
I honestly could have finished this in one day, but I’m enjoying it a lot so I’m trying to stretch it out a bit and make the ride last longer
When it’s a hot day (and there were some last week), I just want a really simple meal and this is what we ate. Rice (cooked in the rice cooker), tuna mayo, and Korean seasoned spinach (blanch spinach for 1 minute, plunge into ice water to shock and cool, squeeze the spinach to remove most of the water, then season with some soy sauce, sesame, garlic powder or fresh garlic. Keeps well for a few days in the fridge.)
The husband couldn’t get enough of the biryani we had the other day, and ordered some last night for dinner. I enjoyed the roasted goat so much, so I ordered it again! Interestingly, this time the goat had bits of cashew nuts in it? Maybe it’s a different cook… still tasty though.
I made a little thank you cactus for each of their teachers. The kids are in a mandarin immersion program so they have one English language teacher and one Mandarin teacher (who also teaches Math).
Watching:
Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max
Listening:
Taste – Stanley Tucci
Eating and Drinking:
For breakfast, I had a slice of buttered toast and a mug of tea
Cooking:
The kids want to make wontons so we bought some dumpling wrappers and ground pork. I might do fried wontons as well as the usual boiled versions.
I also bought some rice vermicelli so was thinking of making a Singapore-style dish called vegetarian beehoon. Essentially fried rice vermicelli with lots of vegetables like carrots and mushrooms. In Singapore, it’s a popular breakfast item.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
The husband’s friend was visiting Northern California with his kids (they’re from Colorado), and we invited them over for dinner.
We introduced them to Korean BBQ and Korean fried chicken. I also made a Hawaiian macaroni salad.
Using up the last of the cherry haul from Brentwood! I made lots of cherry desserts and will put up a post on it all soon. These were cherry turnovers using store-bought puff pastry
We tried out a new to us biryani eatery. On the left is roasted goat biryani and the right is a boneless chicken biryani (the chicken is underneath all that rice). It was really delicious! I love how the goat was tender and moist. We also had a saag paneer which was delicious but so spicy.
Currently…
Reading:
Watching:
Hacks on HBO Max. Just watched the last episode of season 2. And I’m not sure if there’s a season 3? Hopefully there is! I loved this show.
Listening:
Eating and Drinking:
I had some baguette for breakfast
Cooking:
We still have a bit of pork belly, vegetables, and rice leftover from the KBBQ. I’ll cook that up into a fried rice.
It’s a slightly warmer week but I have some broccoli languishing in the fridge and I feel like having soup! So broccoli cheese soup maybe?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
On Sunday morning, we drove for an hour to get to Brentwood. It’s cherry season and as the whole Bay Area knows, you head to Brentwood for cherry picking. There are also some other u-pick farms there, like stone fruits and strawberries. But picking strawberries is too much work, and at last weekend’s farmers markets, the stone fruits look too small. Anyway, we were there for the cherries. We went with some friends (our kids all attend the same school) and had fun picking Bing cherries. Then In-N-Out for lunch!
It cost about $4 a pound (at the farmers market it’s about $7 a pound) and we got about two buckets full for our family. Our fridge is full of cherries now! I might make some into a cherry pie. Never made one before, but I’ve made a blueberry pie so I’m guessing it’s not that much harder than that.
We ordered from our favourite Malaysia/Singaporean-style restaurant. We had satay chicken, beef rendang, curry vegetables, gado gado (a kind of salad with jicama, bean sprouts, cucumbers, tofu and a peanut sauce), and two types of noodles.
I just found a small bag of arborio rice at the back of the pantry! I thought we had finished them all and so I’m excited to have found it ;P That means I just need to go get some parmesan and maybe scallops and asparagus. And then risotto is in the books.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
Happy Monday! Hope you all have a great week ahead.
Some things last week:
Tried a black sesame ramen at our favourite ramen restaurant. Not quite sure if I liked it! I think I associate black sesame taste with sweet items (for instance, black sesame paste which is a sweet soup, black sesame bao). But it was fun to try something new for a change.
For dinner last night, we ordered Indian/Pakistani food, which we hadn’t had for a while. Our usual order is tandoori fish and tandoori chicken (not pictured), garlic and plain naan. Three curries – mixed veg, saag dal, saag paneer. Messy looking photo, but it was delicious as always!
Sunday was National Chocolate Chip Day – not sure how my kids knew that – so I had to make some chocolate chip cookies for them!
The 11-year-old recently joined a jazz band. He plays the piano and is one of three 5th-graders in the group, the rest are teenagers. They practice every week and once a month, they perform at a local pizza place. He’s enjoying the music but still has a lot to learn when it comes to jazz piano!
Currently…
Reading:
Watching:
Hacks! on HBO Max. I really like this show about a legendary Las Vegas female stand-up and a 25-year-old entitled comedy writer. It’s smart and funny, and has an older female lead.
Listening:
Still listening to Qian Julie Wang’s Beautiful Country.
Eating and Drinking:
I had some leftover steel cut oatmeal for breakfast.
Cooking:
We have more Indian food leftovers. But I’m thinking of cooking some claypot rice this week (traditionally done in a claypot but I don’t have one, so I cook it in my rice cooker). It’s a seasoned rice with Chinese sausage, chicken, and mushrooms.
Last week:
I read:
Chew volumes 8 to 12. I feel like I was in a bit of a reading slump over the past week or more. So I read a lot of these Chew comics.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
So the kids are on the mend from Covid. Thanks for your well wishes! The younger one was back at school last week, and the older one took a few more days off (he also got symptoms a few days later than the younger one). So he just went back to school today.
Warning: food pictures coming up!
We decided to have Korean BBQ at home for Mother’s Day. The kids helped prep the vegetables, the bulgogi was a premarinated one that we got from HMart. We also got some nice kalbi and pork belly. We ate it with rice and also lettuce leaves. There was also fish cakes and anchovies from the HMart deli area.
Also, on Cinco de Mayo, the kids wanted to have tacos and burritos. This was my al pastor taqueria taco from our local Mexican restaurant.
I was going to add some photos but WordPress is being a bit sh*tty so I’m giving up.
Some things last week:
Currently…
Reading:
China Boy – Gus Lee
Watching:
Upload Season 2 on Amazon video
Listening:
Beautiful Country – Qian Julia Wang
Eating and Drinking:
I had toast and a slice of Brie for breakfast.
Cooking:
I have some extra pork belly from the KBBQ so I might cook that up and add it to some ramen. I also have to cook up the rest of the bag of asparagus. Maybe a pasta with salmon and asparagus?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
You may have seen in my post last week that my younger son tested positive for Covid after our return from Hawaii. Not long after, my older son had a slight fever and cough. It took a few days for him to test positive after that. So for last week, it was mostly about resting at home, but also having the kids do some work that the teachers had assigned them.
My younger son is doing a lot better and had no symptoms yesterday so he went back to school today. My older son still has a cough so he’s going to stay home for a bit longer.
So we didn’t really do much over the last week. But here’s a few things:
An order from Asian online grocer Weee! I hope to make some Korean tofu soup with the mushrooms and green onions (sundubu jigae), spinach side dish (Sigeumchi-namul) which is a great way to use up any spinach you have – it’s essentially blanched spinach seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and garlic. I usually use garlic powder instead of minced raw garlic. This way there’s some garlic flavour but it’s not too strong for the kids. You can keep it in the fridge for a few days.
Got some pho with rare meat, flank, and beef balls for lunch on Saturday.
Made an Asian diaspora stack from my books as May is AAPI Heritage Month!
Currently…
Reading:
Maizy Chen’s Last Chance – Lisa Yee
The Wedding Crasher – Mia Sosa
Watching:
The Walking Dead season 10
Listening:
I recently finished Intimacies by Katie Kitamura and haven’t yet picked a new audiobook.
Eating and Drinking:
I had a pain au chocolat from Paris Baguette for breakfast.
Cooking:
I’ll be cooking some simple foods this week. Noodle soups, rice and fish with lots of vegetables. Hopefully it’s nourishing and will help improve everyone’s immune systems.
Last week:
I read:
Chef Yasmina and the Potato Panic – Wauter Mannaert
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.
Real Life Reading 