Last week…

We had Singapore-style chicken rice. That chilli is especially good. Spicy and not sweet.

I tried out my new loaf tin and it’s a bit longer and narrower than I’m used to (it’s a Pullman tin) so I had to split my tangzhong bread into smaller sections. Also, made a Nutella babka with the tangzhong.

Also, made a sourdough. So we’re stocked up on bread this week!

Also, I don’t always order from Weee! (they’re an online-only Asian grocery that really took off with the pandemic) as sometimes I pop into the Asian supermarket (luckily we have a few nearby). But I feel like the produce from Weee is often fresher than some in the supermarket. And the price is good, comparable (maybe slightly cheaper?) to the supermarket. I ordered baby bokchoy, broccoli, cauliflower, Persian cucumbers, cilantro, green onion, carrots, Asian pear, as well as frozen dumplings (this pork, scallop and shrimp ones are my favourite), and tried a pork snack that tastes quite a bit like bakkwa (a kind of sweet/salty grilled pork that’s popular in Singapore).

Currently…

Reading:

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings – edited by Ellen Oh

Milk Fed – Melissa Broder

Watching:

Listening:

I just downloaded a new audiobook but haven’t started it yet.

Eating and drinking: I made steel cut oatmeal with cranberries for breakfast on Sunday and have leftovers.

Cooking:

I feel like I’m in a bit of a cooking rut….I’ll have to go and find some inspiration online or something!

Maybe I’ll try to cook some char kway teow (a Singapore-style fried noodle dish). I have to cook up some asparagus so maybe I’ll grill it and also throw in some chicken drumsticks for an easy oven dish.

Last week:

I read:

Bone in the Throat – Anthony Bourdain

Show Me A Sign – Ann Clare LeZotte

The Promised Neverland Vol 1 – Kalu Shirai

I posted:

Library Loot (February 24 to March 2)

Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud #TopTenTuesday

 

While most of the country was under some crazy weather (hope you are ok where you are!), California was in its usual winter climate, except it’s once again a very dry winter, and it doesn’t look like we will be getting any rain this week either. 

We didn’t do much this week. Tennis class, band class (virtual), piano class (also virtual). 

We went to a new-to-us park as well as a little Japanese pop-up store/takeout

 

 

Currently…

Reading:

Watching:

I finally watched The Queen’s Gambit! I don’t play chess and that’s probably why it didn’t interest me, but when I watched the first episode, I was hooked!

I’m curious about the book now, partly because I read this New Yorker article. 

Listening:

Eating and drinking:

Had some Nian Gao dipped in egg and panfried for breakfast. The Lunar New Year celebrations last for 15 days and so the 15th day is the 26th. So hey, Nian Gao for breakfast still works!

 

Last week:

I read:

Lumberjanes Vol 16 – Shannon Watters

The Shadow King – Maaza Mengiste

The Heart of the Beast – Dean Motter, Judith Dupre

I posted:

Judith by Noel Streatfeild

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Library Loot (February 17 to 23)

Happy Year of the Ox!

Here are some things we did last week…

Made a Niu (ox) year sourdough

We had our reunion dinner (just the four of us) of hotpot on New Year’s Eve, as is the tradition.

I made a little Koya (BT21) for a friend’s birthday

Currently…

Reading:

Watching:

Still watching The Magicians

Listening:

Nothing at the moment

Eating:

Sourdough bread for breakfast with a slice of brie

Cooking:

Some noodles, maybe a stew in the slow cooker.

Last week:

I read:

Huh, I’m not sure if I finished anything last week! It was a busy week with spring cleaning and stuff. I’m also in the middle of several books that aren’t the easiest to read….

I posted:

Lunar New Year Nian Gao 年糕 #WeekendCooking

Library Loot (February 10 to 16)

Happy Monday!

Last Saturday, I felt like having some mushroom risotto! Luckily I also remembered that I had a half package of scallops (from Costco) in the freezer. I adore risotto. For a long time I had thought it was only a thing one could have in restaurants. Then I realised that it’s actually quite easy to cook. It’s a little like cooking rice porridge (which I cook quite often), except that it requires a bit more patience and stirring. And usually I cook rice porridge with just plain water, but with risotto, I use vegetable stock. Also the difference is in the adding of cheese, as that’s not something you eat with congee 😛

We also had dim sum over the weekend.  Mine was full of halves – half a charsiubao, half a spring roll, half a prawn ball, half a daikon cake. Full of deliciousness!

Last week’s bread making – honey walnut bread that somehow accidentally had a face on it.

Again, we had our opossum visitor. Aren’t these guys supposed to be nocturnal? Later in the afternoon, I came across a raccoon in the front yard of my opposite neighbour – I’ve never seen a racoon in our neighbourhood before.

Currently…

Reading:

The husband went to pick up some groceries from the Japanese supermarket in San Jose, and I asked him to grab some stuff for lunch. It was a busy morning for me as I wanted to wet vacuum our carpets. I was spring cleaning before the Lunar New Year, the first day of which is Friday.

Watching:

Still catching up on my rewatch of The Magicians.

Eating and drinking:

Toast and tea as usual for breakfast.

Cooking:

Thursday is Lunar New Year eve, which is 团圆饭 tuanyuanfan or reunion dinner. The only family we have here is the four of us, so we always have a simple hotpot, but with really excellent quality sliced beef from the Japanese store. The hotpot usually lasts us another meal. I might also make some noodles another day.

Last week:

I read:

How to Love a Jamaican – Alexia Arthurs

Luisa: Now and Then – Carole Maurel, Mariko Tamaki

I posted:

Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

Library Loot (February 3 to 9)

Books Written Before I Was Born #TopTenTuesday

What? It’s February already? How did that happen?

How was your week? California finally moved out of lockdown last week and so outdoor dining, hair salons and the like are opening again (with restrictions that is). Of course that didn’t exactly mean much, the lockdown, it’s not like it’s strictly enforced – I’m comparing it to Singapore where people get fined for breaching quarantine, for having too many people over, where restaurants are forced to close for a couple of weeks if their customers don’t follow the rules (no more than 8 people to a table, no mixing between tables etc). In California, sure they say not to mix with others outside your household or go out unnecessarily, but I’m not sure that can be enforced in any way.

We didn’t do much this past weekend but here are a few things…

There was a nice sunset yesterday.

The second graders made Lunar New Year crafts (there’s a New Year saying, 年年有余 nián nián yǒu yú, which means to have abundance year after year).

The 9yo made a flourless chocolate cake. Very rich very delicious!

Currently…

Reading:

Before the Ever After – Jacqueline Woodson

How to Love a Jamaican – Alexia Arthurs

Watching:

The Magicians on Netflix

Listening:

Still trying to listen to A Tale of Two Cities!

Eating:

Had a few slices of baguette for breakfast, as well as mozzarella cheese.

Drinking:

Tea earlier, might drink a coffee next.

Cooking:

Not so sure about what to cook yet. Maybe I’ll make a baked Mac and cheese. I do have some cauliflower and broccoli to cook up, so probably will roast them in the oven, maybe with some sausages and potatoes.

Last week:

I read:

Breasts and Eggs – Mieko Kawakami

Fly on the Wall – Remy Lai

I Love You So Mochi – Sarah Kuhn

I posted:

Library Loot (January 27 to February 2)

New-to-me authors of 2020 #TopTenTuesday

Guess I didn’t post much last week!

That was a weird week in terms of weather. We had a very sunny Monday (Martin Luther King Jr Day) then it became a very windy Monday night. The kind of howling battering wind that makes you wonder if a tree is going to come crashing down and take out power lines with it. Luckily, it didn’t happen in my neighbourhood, but quite a lot of the Bay Area was affected by power outages and downed power lines. The wind kept up pretty much all night and then into the day as well. I guess it’s a good thing everyone’s at distance learning so the kids didn’t have to go out in that crazy wind.

Some things from last week…

Sunday sushi lunch!

Tried out a garlic rosemary bread (recipe here)

Made linguini carbonara on Saturday – I just used bacon as that’s what I have at home.

Currently…

Reading:

Citizen by Claudia Rankine

Watching:

James May’s Oh Cook on Amazon video. James May is probably most famous for being one of the Top Gear/The Grand Tour presenters. He’s also done a few other shows of his own, and this one is actually a cooking show. It’s quite amusing as he’s not much of a cook, and definitely not a baker, so this show has him trying new things with the help of a home economist who regularly emerges from the pantry cupboard to help him out. I reckon it’s quite a decent show that encourages complete beginners to try out cooking some simple recipes.

Listening:

I’ve been trying to listen to A Tale of Two Cities but I keep getting distracted…

Eating:

I had homemade waffles for breakfast (made them on the weekend and I always make a couple of extra batches for the next day and the freezer).

Drinking:

Earl Gray

Cooking:

It looks like it’s going to be a colder week with some rain and wind. I’m thinking of making a baked pasta, maybe some tomato soup too.

Last week:

I read:

Majesty – Katherine McGee

Parade – Shuichi Yoshida

The Stonekeeper – Kazu Kibuishi

I posted:

Parade by Shuichi Yoshida

Library Loot (January 20 to 26)

Books I meant to read in 2020 #TopTenTuesday

It’s Martin Luther King Jr Day in the US today so the kids don’t have school. But the fourth grader has his California missions presentation on Wednesday so he’s going to have to spend some time preparing for that.

Some things from last week.

Galbi rice bowl (with kimchi fried rice), macaroni salad

Made some sourdough bread

And laksa.

Currently…

Reading:

Felix Ever After – Kacen Callender

Watching:

Westworld

Listening:

Not really listening to any audiobooks at the moment

Eating and drinking:

Sourdough toast for breakfast and tea, as usual

Cooking:

We ate mostly Singapore-style food last week, so maybe this week, I’ll make some pasta.

Last week:

I read:

Eat Joy – edited by Natalie Eve Garrett

Girl Gone Viral – Alisha Rai

The Gun – Fuminori Nakamura

Henshin – J.M. Ken Niimura

I posted:

The Gun by Fuminori Nakamura; The Stranger by Albert Camus

Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Library Loot (January 13 to 19)

Resolutions for 2021 #TopTenTuesday

Happy Monday to you!

That was one crazy week, wasn’t it?

And I’m not talking about this past week being the first time an opossum visited my backyard.

Well, at any rate, we did some fun things like making dumplings for dinner. I forgot to buy cabbage when I bought the ground pork! So I made do with green onions and spinach instead. It worked out well!

We also picked up fresh noodles from the Asian supermarket. Boil it and mix your own sauce (I like soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, ketchup. Yes ketchup!).

We also picked up Singapore-style Hainanese chicken rice.

Currently…

Reading:

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Watching:

I finished Bridgerton and am finishing up Away. I’m disappointed to learn that they canceled Away! There were definitely some flaws with the show, but I really appreciated how they had a diverse cast and also were not afraid to have their actors speak different languages! There was Russian, Hindi, Mandarin, and Fante.

I didn’t know about the Fante language before this show. It’s mainly spoken in Ghana and I think it’s really awesome that the actor Ato Essandoh, who plays Kwesi, said Fante is the language his family speaks. They had previously created Kwesi’s character as Nigerian but changed it to Ghanaian after they learnt of Essandoh’s background. I mean, how often does that happen?

Listening:

I’m hoping to finish with this today!

Eating and drinking:

I had toast and tea for breakfast.

Cooking:

I have plans to cook bak kut teh (肉骨茶) – literally “meat bone tea”. A very comforting soup made of spices and pork ribs. And we even bought some frozen dough fritters (油条 youtiao) to go with it.

I didn’t buy enough dumpling wrappers for the amount of ground pork I had, so um, I will use the rest of the marinated pork to put into rice porridge I think.

Last week:

I read:

I posted:

Gimme Everything You Got by Iva-Marie Palmer

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

Library Loot (January 6 to 12, 2021)

Looking forward to these 2021 reads #TopTenTuesday

It’s the first Monday of 2021! Happy New Year!

How have the first days of 2021 been for you?

The boys are back at school this week. Virtual school that is. And it’s never easy to go back to routine after a two-week break! But we managed to get them back up early enough and ready for distance learning.

Currently…

Reading:

Good Morning, Midnight – Lily Brooks-Dalton

Watching:

Bridgerton. I love Eloise and Penelope!

Listening:

Eating and drinking:

Steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast. I made it yesterday and this was leftovers. I like mine sweetened with honey and full of raisins and cranberries.

Cooking:

Maybe some japchae this week (Korean sweet potato noodles cooked with lots of vegetables). I’ll maybe add some sliced beef too.

Last week:

I read:

I squeezed in a couple of last reads for 2020.

A Long Petal of the Sea – Isabel Allende

Pemmican Wars – Katherena Vermette

The Missing Marquess – Nancy Springer

Invisible Kingdom Vol 1 – G Willow Wilson

Lumberjanes Vol 14 – Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh

I posted:

It’s the last “Monday” post of 2020!

If you celebrate it, how was your Christmas? We had a nice quiet one at home. The kids were thrilled with their presents.

We had a big Christmas Eve dinner.  I made ham, sweet potato casserole, oven-roasted Brussels sprouts, smashed potatoes.

I also made a Bûche de Noël.

Currently…

Reading:

Watching:

Away on Netflix

Listening: 

Eating:

I had toast and tea for breakfast

Cooking:

Maybe some scallops risotto for dinner today.

Last week:

I read:

I posted:

Reading Challenges 2021

Library Loot (December 23 to 29)

Books I Hope Santa Brings #TopTenTuesday