Baking Impossible. I’m enjoying this show that combines a baker and an engineer for really fun baking challenges like making a boat – that can actually float on water and make it to the end of the water course.
Listening:
The Storyteller – Dave Grohl
Eating and Drinking:
I’m eating a digestive biscuit and having lemongrass tea. I’m actually writing this on Sunday afternoon for a change!
Cooking:
Well, if you’re in the US, hope you have a lovely and safe Thanksgiving! We don’t do your traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Except for one year when my mom came to visit us and I actually ordered a turkey, cooking all the different sides too. Our typical thanksgiving feast is hotpot!
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.
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.
Oh boy, we are in the final two months of the year. I am not ready for this.
Some things last week:
Well, that was an exciting week. It was the husband’s birthday. Also, Halloween and the lead-up to Halloween which was Friday at school when the kids got to wear their costumes to school and have a mini school parade. Unfortunately, parents aren’t allowed on the campus when school is in session so we had to rely on photos taken before school, and photos from the teachers.
The kids went trick-or-treating around our neighbourhood, hitting up a few more houses than last time. We skipped last year’s Halloween. So the kids really were looking forward to this year.
The kids had fun trading their candy. And because none of them like chocolate with nuts or mint, I got a ziplock bag full of that for myself 🙂
Since 2013, I’ve made Black Forest cakes for the husband’s birthday! Here’s last year’s cake. I’ll put up a post later this week about this year’s cake.
He wanted to have KBBQ so we got sliced meats from HMart. Bulgogi, wagyu short rib, and pork belly. Also we had mushrooms, asparagus, and lettuce.
Currently…
Reading:
It’s Nonfiction November. So I’m reading a few different nonfiction collections.
Watching:
Record of Youth
Listening:
Summer – Edith Wharton
Eating and Drinking:
Coffee and a slice of Black Forest cake.
Cooking:
We have some extra bulgogi, so I’ll just cook some rice and bulgogi for dinner tonight. And then the asparagus since I have some leftover.
Later this week, maybe pork chops. Also, we might be getting more rain later today and Thursday? I want to make some soup!
Last week:
I read:
Broken Girls – Simone St James
Oh the Truly Devious series is truly brilliant. This is the second book, and I can’t wait to start the third. .
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! We recovered from a very wet past few days. It actually rained all of yesterday. I think this is the first time in my 11 years of living in this part of the Bay Area where it’s rained all day. Woke up to the news of the highway being closed due to really bad flooding. Luckily the roads to school weren’t affected.
Some things last week:
I made the dimply plum cake from Smitten Kitchen, originally a Dorie Greenspan recipe. It’s a simple but delicious cake!
The kids had an exciting week. A good friend had a birthday at one of those arcade type places. There was karaoke (surprisingly popular with the kids!) in a party room. There were so many different arcade games like this massive Halo set-up that they loved playing with their friends. The younger one also attended a classmate’s birthday party on Saturday, with video games and piñata.
A dear friend from Singapore (we’ve known each other since we were babies) sent over some treats from Porto’s. Porto’s is a famous Cuban-American-style bakery in LA. We went to one of the locations in LA a couple of years ago. The queue was out the door and snaking all the way in. It was one of the longest lines I’ve seen to get into an eatery! And this was apparently a regular day’s queue at that time (pre-covid). They have so many cakes and pastries at the store! And now also have a Bake at Home store so that you can order frozen pastries like empanada, croquette, and some of their well-known ones like cheese puffs (it has a sweet cream cheese-like interior in a flaky pastry). They even ship across the US. It was well packed with dry ice and arrived frozen. They provide you with instructions and parchment paper.
The kids and I woke up especially early on Sunday morning to catch the BTS online concert! BTS did the concert from the stadium in Seoul and since we are in California, it was 230am start time! But it was so worth it. Amazing dances, choreography, great setlist, fun videos in between. It was fantastic!
Currently…
Reading:
The Broken Girls – Simone St James
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur – Brandon Montclare
Watching:
The latest season of the Great British Bake Off.
Listening:
Summer – Edith Wharton
Eating and Drinking:
Plum cake and tea
Cooking:
I really want to make some risotto this week. It’s been ages since I’ve made it.
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.
I’m so happy that it’s persimmon season! I only like these fuyu persimmons though.
Made ratatouille pasta of sorts.
Backyard Korean BBQ with meats from HMart
We played Settlers of Catan for the first time – we’ve only played Catan Jr before this!
And tried some Gyeongdan (Korean rice cake balls). There’s red bean paste inside.
Currently…
Reading:
Truly Devious – Maureen Johnson
Watching:
Last week, I started and finished watching Squid Games! That was quite a ride! Violence aside, it’s such a visual feast. I especially loved that pink room with all the stairs.
Listening:
The Lost Village by Camilla Sten
Eating and Drinking:
I had homemade sourdough toast with butter for breakfast. Also, my usual tea.
Cooking:
After a warm weekend, it’s back to slightly colder weather. We even had rain last night and this morning! So I’ll try to cook some warmer weather fare…chicken stew? Baked rice?
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.
Hi and happy Monday. Hope you had a good weekend. Last week started out with nice chilly autumn weather. But then towards the weekend, it was back to summer weather again. So we took advantage of the warm weather and did a lot of swimming. The pool isn’t heated though so the water was still cold!
Some things last week:
Grapes and pomegranates at the farmers market. I don’t really like pomegranates though..! But I did see one stall that had persimmons and quickly picked some up.
Xiaolongbao and what the restaurant called “snowflake dumplings” which are joined together with some lace-like batter.
Sheng jian bao (top) which are soup dumplings that are panfried so the bottom is crispy. The bottom box has green onion pancakes that are rolled with lettuce and thinly sliced beef.
Currently…
Reading:
Quiet in Her Bones – Nalini Singh
Watching:
Well, last week I rushed my way through the K-drama Reply 1994. It left Netflix on September 30 so I wanted to finish it! And I did! Phew. It was a great show! If you enjoy slice-of-life type series with ordinary people, great storylines, good humour, some romance, the 3 Reply series (Reply 1997, Reply 1994, Reply 1988) are really great ones to watch. My favourite was Reply 1988. I loved how the storylines involved not just the high schoolers but also their siblings and parents, who all lived in this one street in Seoul. The director and writer of this series are also responsible for Hospital Playlist, which is currently on Netflix, and also an incredible series.
Listening:
The Flight Attendant – Chris Bohjalian
(I’m finally on the last stretch!)
Eating and Drinking:
I had some pulut hitam or sweet black glutinous rice porridge for breakfast.
Cooking:
Oh I am clueless…what to cook this week? I do have some yellowtail collar (hamachi Kama) so I might grill that in the oven. Serve it with some rice and vegetables. It’s a favourite dish in our family, something that we used to order at Japanese restaurants. A few years ago, I discovered that I can easily make it at home. The Asian supermarket here sells a pack of frozen hamachi kama (it’s the part just below the head of the yellowtail fish) for a decent price. Definitely cheaper than ordering it at a restaurant. It’s also easy to cook in the oven. The only other ingredient you need is salt!
This is an old photo, but thought I’d put it up in case you’ve not had Hamachi Kama before.
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.
Woke up this morning to find that it’s actually raining. What a wonderful way to start a Monday. We’ve been so in need of rain. I know it’s a drizzle and won’t do much to water levels, but it’s better than nothing…
Some things last week:
It’s been ages since we bought charsiu (roasted pork) and duck.
The Chinese eatery also has a ton of dim sum
The kids wanted doughnuts for breakfast…
Earlier in summer, we joined a tennis club (it also has a swimming pool and very small gym). And what I like about this place is its location, the club is surrounded by redwoods and set against the hills. There are usually horses up on the hills.
Currently…
Watching:
Reply 1994
It’s so interesting that all the shows in the Reply series (Reply 1997, Reply 1994, Reply 1988 – by the same producer/director and writer of Hospital Playlist) use the same actor and actress for the father and mother roles. The rest of the actors are different. Some make cameos in the other Reply shows.
Listening:
The Flight Attendant – Chris Bohjalian
Eating and Drinking:
Cooking:
It may be a bit chilly and rainy this morning but looks like it’s going to heat up again from Thursday. I guess I might as well make some baked or roasted foods earlier in the week. Maybe a baked rice or baked pasta. And I’ve been wanting to make a potato gratin.
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 Monday again. How are you? How was your weekend?
We had a nice cool weekend in terms of weather. But as with California weather, the moment it’s officially autumn, the heat goes back up! This week’s going to be a hot one…not looking forward to it.
Some things last week:
The husband was busy this weekend with work stuff so we didn’t do much. Took the kids to play tennis and swim. They wore wetsuits but said it was cold so didn’t stay too long.
Homemade ramen with fish cakes, spinach, mushrooms
Got our usual takeout sushi for Saturday dinner
Currently…
Reading:
We are Satellites – Sarah Pinsker
A slight departure from RIP-related reading cos this hold came in from the library!
Watching:
Last Thursday was the last episode of season 2 of Hospital Playlist! It looks like there are no plans for a third season!
Meanwhile, I’ve also been binge-watching Reply 1988. It’s by the same director and writer so there are some similarities. Although of course it’s very different. Reply 1988 is set in a neighbourhood in Seoul and revolves around a few families who live there. They have teenagers about the same age. I really appreciate how it’s not just about the teenagers but also their siblings and parents.
Listening:
The Flight Attendant – Chris Bohjalian
Eating and Drinking:
Toast and tea
Cooking:
What to cook this week? Maybe I’ll make some pasta salad. I suddenly feel like eating pasta salad.
I also have some premade laksa paste in the pantry that I need to finish up. That means I need to get some fish cake and bean sprouts from the supermarket.
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.
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.
It’s Labor Day in the US and Canada, so if that’s where you are, hope you’re enjoying the long weekend.
We had no travel plans, so hung out at home. Played tennis, went swimming, the kids went biking. It was nice and relaxing.
Some things last week:
The husband made sushi for dinner. Or rather, I prep all the ingredients, and he does all the rolling.
A visit to the library and a peek at the new arrivals shelves.
Korean BBQ at home. We also had some bulgogi (marinated thinly sliced beef), rice, lettuce.
It’s grape season at the farmers market.
Currently…
Reading:
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy and The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg
Watching:
Last week, there wasn’t a new episode of Hospital Playlist… sad…
But I finished watching the first season of KDrama Let’s Eat. Which always makes me hungry as they feature some tasty looking foods every episode. It’s a story about a woman who reluctantly becomes friends with her two neighbors and colleagues. She’s a foodie but can’t eat out by herself. The show has its problems, such as the “ugly” character, who is used as fodder for laughter at times.
Eating and Drinking:
For breakfast, toasted homemade sourdough bread and tea.
Cooking:
Something simple like fried noodles, or noodle soups.
Last week:
I read:
Forest of Memory – Mary Kowal Robinette
The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion – Margaret Killjoy
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 