Lambchop 2.0

Kai's fave Big Lambchop finally got too tattered for safe play.  So I cut off its two dangly legs and the one remaining arm and sewed them onto Medium-Sized Lambchop.  

You can click on the photo below to watch Kai playing with it.

Sunrise at the Dog Park

Another beautiful morning at the park.

Ceramics and Cilantro

I made a two-well bowl to rinse my watercolor brushes in.  One side for clean water and the other side for  "dirty" water.  Dunno why I didn't think of making one sooner.  

 

Erick made The Thinker.  I thought it was so cool.

   

Cleta made a gyoza dish.

   

Here are my cilantro plants enjoying the morning sun.  Still alive!

   

And here's a new batch.  I used the colander method to germinate them and a couple of weeks after they sprouted I put them in soil up to the leaves.  Hopefully, doing it this way will keep them from getting "leggy".

  

And here's this week's greeting card.

Kahala Goma Tei

Awhile back Landon had an errand to do at the Kahala Mall so he picked up dinner for us.  It was an awesome treat!

Shredded Pork and Szechuan Pickle Tan Tan ($15.75) with Ajitama Egg ($2.25)

 

Char Siu Fried Rice ($16.25)

   

Popcorn Chicken Tatsutaage ($10.50)

   

Chicken Cold Udon Noodle ($17.50)

   

Mini Curry Rice ($7.99)

   

Cleta's Almond Float

Cleta brought this almond float topped with a strawberry puree to ceramics class this week!  How awesome is that! 

Ceramics Class

I made the three gray bowls in the front.  At the last minute, I added a spout to the one on the left.  Erick did the brown bear in the middle of the back.  I forgot to take a close-up photo of it.

 

Cleta created two figures to go with her tree!

   

And here's my greeting card of the week.  LOL.

  

Wendell's Mini Beef Patties

Wendell got this recipe from Chef Chris Cho's site.  It was very moist and so tasty.  It made four logs.  Wendell fried up two of the logs and froze the other two for another day.  I think he'll probably make it for his softball team.  

Wendell tips:  No need to do the flour/egg coating.  Too much humbug and is unnecessary.  Also, instead of 1.4 pounds of ground pork, he used 1 pound.  And he added 1/2 tablespoon of  sugar because Chef Cho's video shows that.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Minced Beef
• 1.4 lb Minced Pork
• 130 grams Onion Finely chopped
• 90 grams Carrots Finely chopped
• 60 grams Scallions Finely chopped
• 650 grams Firm Tofu Squeezed and crumbled, Optional
• 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 1.5 tbsp Garlic
• 1/2 tbsp Ginger
• 1/2 tbsp Salt
• 3 pcs Egg
• Flour For coating
• Egg For coating
• Vegetable or Canola Oil For frying

Instructions

• Place mince beef and pork in a bowl and gently fold it to combine.
• Finely chop the scallions, onion, and carrots, then add to the meat.
• Using a cheesecloth, squeeze out excess water from the tofu and crumble it on top of the meat and vegetables.
• Season the patty mixture with soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, mirin, salt, and black pepper. Add the egg on top.
• Mix the meat, vegetables, tofu, egg, and seasonings thoroughly to combine.
• Place the patty mixture on a plastic wrap and roll it to form a log. Twist to seal the ends and shape the mixture.
• Place it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
• Once firm, slice it into into mini patties. Cook what you need and you store the rest for future use.
• Prepare scrambled eggs and flour on separate plates.
• Place pan on medium heat and add a bit of oil, coat the patties with flour then egg, then fry for 2 minutes on each side or until it’s golden brown.
• Serve hot and enjoy.

Liliha Saimin

Yesterday was the perfect cold, rainy day to have this.  It totally hit the spot.  The shiru had a shrimp/bonito flavor, and the curly noodles cooked in boiling water for 4 1/2 minutes was just right.

 

I got it from Foodland awhile back.  It was on sale for around $15 I think.

   

The box contained 3 servings. 

  

Ceramics Class

Erick made the lidded container on the left and I made the two spouted bowls on the right, maybe for sauces or gravy.  

Oxtail soup bowl is on the back burner.  Was giving me stress thinking about it.

I'm thinking of doing smaller spouted bowls next week.  You know how when you mix flour and water to add to your pot of boiling gravy to thicken it, and then the flour-water spills all over your stove because it has no spout?  Good idea, no?

I'm also thinking of making tall, cylindrical containers to hold chopsticks in, but that would mean I have to graduate to rolling out slabs and I still suck at that.  But, we'll see.

 

Cleta made this clever tree trunk . . .

   

and this footed planter.

   

And this is today's stress-relieving watercolor painting.

  

Amy's Cilantro

Amy dropped by the other day and gave me a bunch of her cilantro.  What's so amazing is that I rarely see her, and because she doesn't do internet she had no idea that I wrote about her and her cilantro-growing tips. 

I was so excited to see her.  I said, "Come. Come." and led her to the back of my house.  I showed her all of my cilantro-growing paraphernalia, mostly recommended by her.  I showed her my "leggy seedlings" and asked her what she thought.  She said that they'll be okay and recommended a spot in the yard where the morning light would be the best for them.

Thank you, Amy, even though you're not gonna see this.  Have a nice trip!!