sacha chua :: enterprise 2.0 consultant, storyteller, geek » cooking http://sachachua.com/wp I help people connect through blogs, wikis, other Web 2.0 tools. I'm also writing a book about Emacs. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:52:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 en Attack of the killer tomatoes http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/09/16/attack-of-the-killer-tomatoes/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/09/16/attack-of-the-killer-tomatoes/#comments Sun, 16 Sep 2007 16:48:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2007.09.16.php#anchor-1 Vine-ripened tomatoes were on sale at No Frills, so we bought some 15 pounds of plump, red, juicy, fragrant tomatoes. Mmm! We wanted to try canning our own sauce, so we picked up mason jars as well. As it turned out, canning your own vegetarian spaghetti sauce looks like a difficult process if you want to minimize the risk of food poisoning. We opted for the easy way out instead, freezing the spaghetti sauce flat in freezer bags. It came to about 4 liters of sauce. Where did all the rest of the tomatoes go? Probably splattered around the kitchen... it was a mess!

I had a lot of fun pulping what seemed like a hundred tomatoes. I simply couldn't stay awake long enough to see the process through, but W- kept the simmering sauce company late into the night. We look forward to trying some of it soon. I hope we actually managed to save time and money in the process, or it'll be one of those once-in-a-lifetime adventures. ;) (As long as it's not an end-of-a-lifetime adventure, right?)

On Technorati:

Random Emacs symbol: rfc2231-get-value - Function: Return the value of ATTRIBUTE from CT.

]]> Vine-ripened tomatoes were on sale at No Frills, so we bought some 15 pounds of plump, red, juicy, fragrant tomatoes. Mmm! We wanted to try canning our own sauce, so we picked up mason jars as well. As it turned out, canning your own vegetarian spaghetti sauce looks like a difficult process if you want to minimize the risk of food poisoning. We opted for the easy way out instead, freezing the spaghetti sauce flat in freezer bags. It came to about 4 liters of sauce. Where did all the rest of the tomatoes go? Probably splattered around the kitchen... it was a mess!

I had a lot of fun pulping what seemed like a hundred tomatoes. I simply couldn't stay awake long enough to see the process through, but W- kept the simmering sauce company late into the night. We look forward to trying some of it soon. I hope we actually managed to save time and money in the process, or it'll be one of those once-in-a-lifetime adventures. ;) (As long as it's not an end-of-a-lifetime adventure, right?)

On Technorati:

Random Emacs symbol: rfc2231-get-value - Function: Return the value of ATTRIBUTE from CT.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/09/16/attack-of-the-killer-tomatoes/feed/ Cream meringue tart cockaigne http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/08/12/cream-meringue-tart-cockaigne/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/08/12/cream-meringue-tart-cockaigne/#comments Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:55:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2007.08.12.php#anchor-1 Finally, a chance to sit down after one solid morning of baking! We made cream meringue tart cockaigne and devil's food cake cockaigne, both from the first edition of the Joy of Cooking. The cream meringue collapsed a little bit when we took it out of the oven, but the meringue tasted yummy. I can't wait to add the strawberry whipped cream filling. I'll practice baking this cake until I can do it consistently well. It was W-'s third time to make the devil's food cake. The cake came out beautifully thanks to the spring-loaded pans. I'll insist on using those pans the next time I bake a cake. ;)

I know that I can get prettier cakes from any supermarket, but those cakes won't have stories baked into them. Cooking is a terrific hobby. It not only keeps me busy and learning, but also increases the pleasures of eating and entertaining. It's a good way to develop my ability to track multiple things and to adjust when something doesn't turn out according to plan. It's a hobby that will grow with me. I'm looking forward to finding out what I'll be like when I'm seventy!

Getting back to the two cakes: I don't know how many people will come later, or at what time they'll arrive. But at 3:00, we're going to assemble, cut, and serve the cakes, because *we* definitely want them. =)

Random Emacs symbol: eshell-process-wait-milliseconds - Variable: *The number of milliseconds to delay waiting for a synchronous process.

]]> Finally, a chance to sit down after one solid morning of baking! We made cream meringue tart cockaigne and devil's food cake cockaigne, both from the first edition of the Joy of Cooking. The cream meringue collapsed a little bit when we took it out of the oven, but the meringue tasted yummy. I can't wait to add the strawberry whipped cream filling. I'll practice baking this cake until I can do it consistently well. It was W-'s third time to make the devil's food cake. The cake came out beautifully thanks to the spring-loaded pans. I'll insist on using those pans the next time I bake a cake. ;)

I know that I can get prettier cakes from any supermarket, but those cakes won't have stories baked into them. Cooking is a terrific hobby. It not only keeps me busy and learning, but also increases the pleasures of eating and entertaining. It's a good way to develop my ability to track multiple things and to adjust when something doesn't turn out according to plan. It's a hobby that will grow with me. I'm looking forward to finding out what I'll be like when I'm seventy!

Getting back to the two cakes: I don't know how many people will come later, or at what time they'll arrive. But at 3:00, we're going to assemble, cut, and serve the cakes, because *we* definitely want them. =)

Random Emacs symbol: eshell-process-wait-milliseconds - Variable: *The number of milliseconds to delay waiting for a synchronous process.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/08/12/cream-meringue-tart-cockaigne/feed/ Twice-baked potatoes http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/09/16/twice-baked-potatoes/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/09/16/twice-baked-potatoes/#comments Sat, 16 Sep 2006 13:15:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.09.16.php#anchor-2 One of the simple joys in life is waking up (relatively) early on a weekend morning and preparing a proper breakfast. I made myself a twice-baked potato that was pretty decent, although it wasn't as good as the ones I enjoyed in childhood. The idea is to scoop out the insides of a baked potato and mash that up with cheddar cheese, then bake it again until the cheese browns. I settled for microwaving the potato for 7 minutes, mashing it up, mixing it with grated cheddar, and broiling it for a short while. I also cooked bacon bits on the side.

Ah. Happy girl.

On Technorati: ,

]]> One of the simple joys in life is waking up (relatively) early on a weekend morning and preparing a proper breakfast. I made myself a twice-baked potato that was pretty decent, although it wasn't as good as the ones I enjoyed in childhood. The idea is to scoop out the insides of a baked potato and mash that up with cheddar cheese, then bake it again until the cheese browns. I settled for microwaving the potato for 7 minutes, mashing it up, mixing it with grated cheddar, and broiling it for a short while. I also cooked bacon bits on the side.

Ah. Happy girl.

On Technorati: ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/09/16/twice-baked-potatoes/feed/ I heart large rolled oats http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/09/03/i-heart-large-rolled-oats/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/09/03/i-heart-large-rolled-oats/#comments Sun, 03 Sep 2006 13:20:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.09.03.php#anchor-2 Whenever I get organic large rolled oats (not quick-cooking!), I keep telling myself that ah, this is life, this is what oatmeal is supposed to be like. It's actually a *joy* to eat.

Someday, I might even take pll's advice on preparing them perfectly. <laugh>

On Technorati: ,

]]> Whenever I get organic large rolled oats (not quick-cooking!), I keep telling myself that ah, this is life, this is what oatmeal is supposed to be like. It's actually a *joy* to eat.

Someday, I might even take pll's advice on preparing them perfectly. <laugh>

On Technorati: ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/09/03/i-heart-large-rolled-oats/feed/ CookOrDie: Curried chickpeas, chard, carbs http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/22/cookordie-curried-chickpeas-chard-carbs/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/22/cookordie-curried-chickpeas-chard-carbs/#comments Tue, 22 Aug 2006 17:40:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.22.php#anchor-2 One of these days, I'm going to try properly following the recipe for curried chickpeas. I like curries - Japanese and Indian-style curries in particular. Apparently, cooking curry isn't just a matter of mixing water, flour, and curry spice. Or at least I *think* it's curry spice. I inherited it from my very first roommate here last year. The jar didn't have a label, but I vaguely remembered that I had curry in my cupboard somewhere, and it was in either that or the jar labelled "pepper".

Right. Someday I'm going to learn how to do a proper curry.

The chard that showed up in my Organic Good Food Box worked out quite well, though. I actually followed a recipe this time around, instead of treating it as some random leafy green. Joy of Cooking gave a recipe for chard sauteed with garlic and seasoned with red wine vinegar, which turned out to be pretty nice and easy to prepare.

As for carbs: I've decided to work my way through the frozen bread that I've accumulated over several months. The oval pita I picked up on sale reheats quite well under the broiler. Ah, for a little toaster oven instead of these less-flexible slice toasters. (Although I suppose slice-based toasters make it harder to burn toast unattended.)

My mom will be pleased to know that I've gotten back to regularly taking vitamins. I'm also succumbing to peer pressure and becoming semi-vegetarian. ;) Not for ethical reasons, mind you, but for purely practical ones.

  • I'm less likely to give myself food poisoning as long as I stay away from dangerous plants.
  • It'll be easier to entertain friends, many of whom are (aspiring) vegetarians/vegans.
  • I can get through the Good Food Box and other food arrangements faster.

That said, I still like bacon and eggs, and I'll have to work my way through the chicken in the fridge eventually.

As long as I make sure I cover possible deficiencies in a vegetarian diet, I should be fine. =) Besides, I don't mind eating meat when I go out. I just want to learn how to cook veggies in a way that makes me want to actually eat them. ;)

On Technorati: ,

]]> One of these days, I'm going to try properly following the recipe for curried chickpeas. I like curries - Japanese and Indian-style curries in particular. Apparently, cooking curry isn't just a matter of mixing water, flour, and curry spice. Or at least I *think* it's curry spice. I inherited it from my very first roommate here last year. The jar didn't have a label, but I vaguely remembered that I had curry in my cupboard somewhere, and it was in either that or the jar labelled "pepper".

Right. Someday I'm going to learn how to do a proper curry.

The chard that showed up in my Organic Good Food Box worked out quite well, though. I actually followed a recipe this time around, instead of treating it as some random leafy green. Joy of Cooking gave a recipe for chard sauteed with garlic and seasoned with red wine vinegar, which turned out to be pretty nice and easy to prepare.

As for carbs: I've decided to work my way through the frozen bread that I've accumulated over several months. The oval pita I picked up on sale reheats quite well under the broiler. Ah, for a little toaster oven instead of these less-flexible slice toasters. (Although I suppose slice-based toasters make it harder to burn toast unattended.)

My mom will be pleased to know that I've gotten back to regularly taking vitamins. I'm also succumbing to peer pressure and becoming semi-vegetarian. ;) Not for ethical reasons, mind you, but for purely practical ones.

  • I'm less likely to give myself food poisoning as long as I stay away from dangerous plants.
  • It'll be easier to entertain friends, many of whom are (aspiring) vegetarians/vegans.
  • I can get through the Good Food Box and other food arrangements faster.

That said, I still like bacon and eggs, and I'll have to work my way through the chicken in the fridge eventually.

As long as I make sure I cover possible deficiencies in a vegetarian diet, I should be fine. =) Besides, I don't mind eating meat when I go out. I just want to learn how to cook veggies in a way that makes me want to actually eat them. ;)

On Technorati: ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/22/cookordie-curried-chickpeas-chard-carbs/feed/ Merienda madness and my 23rd birthday http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/16/merienda-madness-and-my-23rd-birthday/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/16/merienda-madness-and-my-23rd-birthday/#comments Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:13:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.16.php#anchor-3 Last Saturday (2006.08.12) was my birthday, and every Filipino knows that birthdays mean lots and lots and lots of food. Things didn't go exactly according to plan: they turned out even better! It was the first time I tried cramming over 15 people into my suite, and it worked out surprisingly well even though we were constantly washing mugs and everything.

Plan A was to spend the morning preparing a traditional merienda of Philippine delicacies. I woke up late and spent the rest of the morning celebrating my birthday with a virtual party thrown by my family and friends in the Philippines. That was totally worth it.

Plan B: buy traditional delicacies from a Filipino bakery or something like that. Except I had *no* idea where to find one of those downtown. Google wasn't helpful, either. The one Filipino restaurant I remembered along Yonge turned out to have closed a while ago. I asked Joey de Villa, but he couldn't think of any off the top of his head. Meep.

Plan C, of course, was to declare cookies and brownies traditional Filipino treats. ;) As long as the other Filipinos played along, I'd be home safe! Also, I was totally craving tropical fruits, so it was a good excuse to splurge on mangoes, pineapples, and other good things. Richi Plana and I raided Chinatown and Kensington Market for assorted foodstuff, also picking up ingredients for champorado and palitaw.

What could be better than that? Plan D: Have your *guests* cook! ;) That was just amazing. Friends demonstrated their l33t pineapple carving / brownie making / champorado-from-scratch cooking / dishwashing skillz. I did actually manage to cook something: palitaw, one of my favorite Filipino snacks.

Palitaw

Glutinous rice flour, shredded coconut, sugar, sesame seeds

  1. Add boiling water to glutinous rice flour, kneading it into dough. Don't make it sticky!
  2. Roll the flour into balls and flatten them with your hands into small pancake-like shapes.
  3. Slip the cakes into boiling water.
  4. Scoop the cakes out when they float.
  5. Toast sesame seeds until they turn golden.
  6. Mix shredded coconut, sugar, and sesame seeds on a plate.
  7. Coat both sides of each cake with the mixture.
  8. Enjoy!

Preparing all this food kept me a bit too busy to connect with everyone, and I wish I had a bit more time to spend with people who had to leave early. Maybe I'll figure out a better way to do this next time...

Anyway, after I made sure everyone had something to eat, I took a break from the kitchen and got to the main part of the party. I talked about the past year and how my 22nd year of life was mainly about learning to live on my own. I then asked them to help me brainstorm cool things to do in Canada so that I can make the most of my time here. I also asked for help figuring out what I can do after graduation, and I got a number of suggestions that I hadn't considered before but which seem like pretty good fits. I'll blog about these later.

I asked for letters instead of gifts, and the letters I got were really, really, really heartwarming. =) I also received some absolutely wonderful chocolate, an interesting book, and a beautiful set of cat-themed dishes. (I'm behind on my thank-you cards and letters, but I'm looking forward to catching up soon!)

I demoed my strange street-performing-ish hobbies, too. (Thanks, Kathy, for getting me into that stuff!) Then we headed over to the Linux Caffe for dinner and more relaxed conversation. I *love* the Linux Caffe to pieces. It's so nice knowing and being known by a place...

Anyway, that was how I spent my birthday. I can't think of any better way to celebrate finishing a year and starting a new one than in the company of such good friends. =)

On Technorati: , , , ,

]]> Last Saturday (2006.08.12) was my birthday, and every Filipino knows that birthdays mean lots and lots and lots of food. Things didn't go exactly according to plan: they turned out even better! It was the first time I tried cramming over 15 people into my suite, and it worked out surprisingly well even though we were constantly washing mugs and everything.

Plan A was to spend the morning preparing a traditional merienda of Philippine delicacies. I woke up late and spent the rest of the morning celebrating my birthday with a virtual party thrown by my family and friends in the Philippines. That was totally worth it.

Plan B: buy traditional delicacies from a Filipino bakery or something like that. Except I had *no* idea where to find one of those downtown. Google wasn't helpful, either. The one Filipino restaurant I remembered along Yonge turned out to have closed a while ago. I asked Joey de Villa, but he couldn't think of any off the top of his head. Meep.

Plan C, of course, was to declare cookies and brownies traditional Filipino treats. ;) As long as the other Filipinos played along, I'd be home safe! Also, I was totally craving tropical fruits, so it was a good excuse to splurge on mangoes, pineapples, and other good things. Richi Plana and I raided Chinatown and Kensington Market for assorted foodstuff, also picking up ingredients for champorado and palitaw.

What could be better than that? Plan D: Have your *guests* cook! ;) That was just amazing. Friends demonstrated their l33t pineapple carving / brownie making / champorado-from-scratch cooking / dishwashing skillz. I did actually manage to cook something: palitaw, one of my favorite Filipino snacks.

Palitaw

Glutinous rice flour, shredded coconut, sugar, sesame seeds

  1. Add boiling water to glutinous rice flour, kneading it into dough. Don't make it sticky!
  2. Roll the flour into balls and flatten them with your hands into small pancake-like shapes.
  3. Slip the cakes into boiling water.
  4. Scoop the cakes out when they float.
  5. Toast sesame seeds until they turn golden.
  6. Mix shredded coconut, sugar, and sesame seeds on a plate.
  7. Coat both sides of each cake with the mixture.
  8. Enjoy!

Preparing all this food kept me a bit too busy to connect with everyone, and I wish I had a bit more time to spend with people who had to leave early. Maybe I'll figure out a better way to do this next time...

Anyway, after I made sure everyone had something to eat, I took a break from the kitchen and got to the main part of the party. I talked about the past year and how my 22nd year of life was mainly about learning to live on my own. I then asked them to help me brainstorm cool things to do in Canada so that I can make the most of my time here. I also asked for help figuring out what I can do after graduation, and I got a number of suggestions that I hadn't considered before but which seem like pretty good fits. I'll blog about these later.

I asked for letters instead of gifts, and the letters I got were really, really, really heartwarming. =) I also received some absolutely wonderful chocolate, an interesting book, and a beautiful set of cat-themed dishes. (I'm behind on my thank-you cards and letters, but I'm looking forward to catching up soon!)

I demoed my strange street-performing-ish hobbies, too. (Thanks, Kathy, for getting me into that stuff!) Then we headed over to the Linux Caffe for dinner and more relaxed conversation. I *love* the Linux Caffe to pieces. It's so nice knowing and being known by a place...

Anyway, that was how I spent my birthday. I can't think of any better way to celebrate finishing a year and starting a new one than in the company of such good friends. =)

On Technorati: , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/16/merienda-madness-and-my-23rd-birthday/feed/ CookOrDie last Saturday: Decadent Dessert party http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/09/cookordie-last-saturday-decadent-dessert-party/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/09/cookordie-last-saturday-decadent-dessert-party/#comments Wed, 09 Aug 2006 22:50:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.09.php#anchor-8 I confess: I threw a dessert party just to have an excuse to bake more brownies.

You see, I'm a social chocolate eater. Knowing it to be one of my weaknesses, I try not to have chocolate unless I have company. And as 9x13 pans result in a _lot_ of brownies, I absolutely must have friends over if I'm going to even think of baking.

So I did. Dan Howard, Quinn Fung and Jedediah Smith came over. We had this absolutely decadent dessert: freshly-baked double-chocolate brownies topped with French vanilla ice cream and hot fudge bought especially for the occasion.

As a concession to healthy eating, we followed it with pineapple chunks and loose-leaf green tea. (I've graduated to loose-leaf tea! With a tea ball! Proper.)

Now _that's_ a terrific way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Proper.

Kelly blogged about brownie sundaes. I _so_ want to have a Sundae Sunday now, complete with whipped cream and a light dusting of chocolate shavings or almond slivers or toasted rice or _something_ equally indulgent...

Life is so much better when you know how to make dessert.

On Technorati: , , , , , ,

]]> I confess: I threw a dessert party just to have an excuse to bake more brownies.

You see, I'm a social chocolate eater. Knowing it to be one of my weaknesses, I try not to have chocolate unless I have company. And as 9x13 pans result in a _lot_ of brownies, I absolutely must have friends over if I'm going to even think of baking.

So I did. Dan Howard, Quinn Fung and Jedediah Smith came over. We had this absolutely decadent dessert: freshly-baked double-chocolate brownies topped with French vanilla ice cream and hot fudge bought especially for the occasion.

As a concession to healthy eating, we followed it with pineapple chunks and loose-leaf green tea. (I've graduated to loose-leaf tea! With a tea ball! Proper.)

Now _that's_ a terrific way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Proper.

Kelly blogged about brownie sundaes. I _so_ want to have a Sundae Sunday now, complete with whipped cream and a light dusting of chocolate shavings or almond slivers or toasted rice or _something_ equally indulgent...

Life is so much better when you know how to make dessert.

On Technorati: , , , , , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/09/cookordie-last-saturday-decadent-dessert-party/feed/ CookOrDie: Bacon, eggs and toast http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/03/cookordie-bacon-eggs-and-toast/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/03/cookordie-bacon-eggs-and-toast/#comments Thu, 03 Aug 2006 12:40:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.03.php#anchor-2 I think I've figured out a neat way to store bacon. If you roll slices up individually and loosely pack them into a plastic container, they're easy to break off even when frozen. I think it's because you minimize the contact points between each slice, whereas freezing it as an entire slab requires you to hack parts off. To unroll, microwave the bacon until soft (30 seconds?), unwind, and cook as normal.

This means that I can have bacon and eggs for breakfast practically any time I want, which *might* not be a good thing. <laugh>

In other news, lunch today will be some kind of cold chickpea salad. I soaked the chickpeas yesterday and then boiled them in my rice cooker while having breakfast. They turned out nicely cooked, and I didn't even have to pay attention to them. Neat.

On Technorati: ,

More cooking misadventures

]]> I think I've figured out a neat way to store bacon. If you roll slices up individually and loosely pack them into a plastic container, they're easy to break off even when frozen. I think it's because you minimize the contact points between each slice, whereas freezing it as an entire slab requires you to hack parts off. To unroll, microwave the bacon until soft (30 seconds?), unwind, and cook as normal.

This means that I can have bacon and eggs for breakfast practically any time I want, which *might* not be a good thing. <laugh>

In other news, lunch today will be some kind of cold chickpea salad. I soaked the chickpeas yesterday and then boiled them in my rice cooker while having breakfast. They turned out nicely cooked, and I didn't even have to pay attention to them. Neat.

On Technorati: ,

More cooking misadventures

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/03/cookordie-bacon-eggs-and-toast/feed/ CookOrDie: Vegetarian virtues http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/07/10/cookordie-vegetarian-virtues/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/07/10/cookordie-vegetarian-virtues/#comments Tue, 11 Jul 2006 02:15:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.07.10.php#anchor-4 After quite a hiatus from CookOrDie blogging because I'd either been eating out or cooking simple things, I decided to experiment a bit today. I had leftover vegetables from Saturday's barbecue, so I broiled them. The mushrooms got special treatment, courtesy of a recipe suggestion from the Joy of Cooking: I tossed them with garlic and olive oil, and _then_ I broiled them. Wonderful stuff. Zucchini, green pepper, red pepper, and portobello mushrooms. I rounded off dinner with corn on the cob. Yum yum!

Now I just need to figure out what to do with the eggplant...

On Technorati: ,

Random Japanese sentence: 犬が１匹、猫が１匹、カナリヤが３羽います。 We have a dog, a cat and three canaries.

]]> After quite a hiatus from CookOrDie blogging because I'd either been eating out or cooking simple things, I decided to experiment a bit today. I had leftover vegetables from Saturday's barbecue, so I broiled them. The mushrooms got special treatment, courtesy of a recipe suggestion from the Joy of Cooking: I tossed them with garlic and olive oil, and _then_ I broiled them. Wonderful stuff. Zucchini, green pepper, red pepper, and portobello mushrooms. I rounded off dinner with corn on the cob. Yum yum!

Now I just need to figure out what to do with the eggplant...

On Technorati: ,

Random Japanese sentence: 犬が１匹、猫が１匹、カナリヤが３羽います。 We have a dog, a cat and three canaries.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/07/10/cookordie-vegetarian-virtues/feed/ Impromptu barbecue http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/06/01/impromptu-barbecue/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/06/01/impromptu-barbecue/#comments Fri, 02 Jun 2006 03:46:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.06.01.php#anchor-7 James Iveniuk reminded me that we'd planned to have some kind of barbecue tonight. I invited Jed Smith as well because he's always fun to talk to. I grabbed a bunch of vegetables and thawed two of the pork kebabs in my freezer. He brought pork chops and potatoes. Much fun was had by all. =)

Speaking of food - I had absolutely wonderful veal parmigiana at IBM today. I seriously need to learn how to cook that. The Joy of Cooking would have it for sure...

On Technorati: ,

Random Japanese sentence: 私は猫がその犬を追いかけているのをみた。 I saw a cat running after the dog.

]]> James Iveniuk reminded me that we'd planned to have some kind of barbecue tonight. I invited Jed Smith as well because he's always fun to talk to. I grabbed a bunch of vegetables and thawed two of the pork kebabs in my freezer. He brought pork chops and potatoes. Much fun was had by all. =)

Speaking of food - I had absolutely wonderful veal parmigiana at IBM today. I seriously need to learn how to cook that. The Joy of Cooking would have it for sure...

On Technorati: ,

Random Japanese sentence: 私は猫がその犬を追いかけているのをみた。 I saw a cat running after the dog.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/06/01/impromptu-barbecue/feed/ Oatmeal hacking http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/31/oatmeal-hacking/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/31/oatmeal-hacking/#comments Wed, 31 May 2006 17:56:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.05.31.php#anchor-13 One of the nice things about knowing geeks is that they often have another geek specialty. For example, Paul Lussier is a food geek, and this helpful tip will show you why:

Arrrrrrrrrg! Not quick-cooking! No, no, no. Get yourself some of those steel-cut oats I recently mentioned in another post and do this:
  • Boil some water just before you go to bed1.
  • Place 1 cup of steel-cut oats in a pot
  • Place 4 cups of boiling water in the same pot
  • Place lid on said pot
  • Goto sleep (make sure you've turned *OFF* the stove!)

When you wake up in the morning, scoop yourself a bowl full of oatmeal and add about a half cup of water. Place it in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar or maple syrup, raisins, bananas, or whatever, and either milk or light cream to taste, mix it all up and enjoy. A healthy, delicious, very filling breakfast in under 5 minutes :)

Not a burned-pancakes post goes by without great suggestions from him. =) He's awesome. He said:

I can't contribute too much by way of code to many projects, but if I can keep my elisp inspiration well fed, I figure that's not a bad contribution ;)

=)

On Technorati:

E-Mail from Paul Lussier

Random Japanese sentence: 私たちは猫を飼っています。私たちはみなその猫が好きです。 We have a cat. We are all fond of the cat.

]]> One of the nice things about knowing geeks is that they often have another geek specialty. For example, Paul Lussier is a food geek, and this helpful tip will show you why:

Arrrrrrrrrg! Not quick-cooking! No, no, no. Get yourself some of those steel-cut oats I recently mentioned in another post and do this:
  • Boil some water just before you go to bed1.
  • Place 1 cup of steel-cut oats in a pot
  • Place 4 cups of boiling water in the same pot
  • Place lid on said pot
  • Goto sleep (make sure you've turned *OFF* the stove!)

When you wake up in the morning, scoop yourself a bowl full of oatmeal and add about a half cup of water. Place it in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes. Add brown sugar or maple syrup, raisins, bananas, or whatever, and either milk or light cream to taste, mix it all up and enjoy. A healthy, delicious, very filling breakfast in under 5 minutes :)

Not a burned-pancakes post goes by without great suggestions from him. =) He's awesome. He said:

I can't contribute too much by way of code to many projects, but if I can keep my elisp inspiration well fed, I figure that's not a bad contribution ;)

=)

On Technorati:

E-Mail from Paul Lussier

Random Japanese sentence: 私たちは猫を飼っています。私たちはみなその猫が好きです。 We have a cat. We are all fond of the cat.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/31/oatmeal-hacking/feed/ Cooking http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/26/cooking/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/26/cooking/#comments Fri, 26 May 2006 05:28:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.05.26.php#anchor-2 My cooking misadventures always seem to draw the most comments. I guess it's because people here don't want me to accidentally poison myself. ;) Cooking is a very geeky thing to do. That said, most geeks are new to the whole shebang also, and it's nice to know that other people are struggling with the same issues, and some have even figured them out!

So yeah, even if the prevailing wisdom is that people should write topic-focused blogs so that they don't bother your readers, I'm still going to mix my cooking stories with my research stories and whatnot... =)

On Technorati:

E-Mail from luis buenaventura

Random Japanese sentence: お留守中あなたの猫を世話してあげましょう。 I will look after your cat while you are away.

]]> My cooking misadventures always seem to draw the most comments. I guess it's because people here don't want me to accidentally poison myself. ;) Cooking is a very geeky thing to do. That said, most geeks are new to the whole shebang also, and it's nice to know that other people are struggling with the same issues, and some have even figured them out!

So yeah, even if the prevailing wisdom is that people should write topic-focused blogs so that they don't bother your readers, I'm still going to mix my cooking stories with my research stories and whatnot... =)

On Technorati:

E-Mail from luis buenaventura

Random Japanese sentence: お留守中あなたの猫を世話してあげましょう。 I will look after your cat while you are away.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/26/cooking/feed/ Hooray for people who know how to cook! http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/24/hooray-for-people-who-know-how-to-cook/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/24/hooray-for-people-who-know-how-to-cook/#comments Thu, 25 May 2006 02:33:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.05.24.php#anchor-9 How to not burn pancakes, from Mom:

use a teflon pan. heat pan. put very very little oil on the pan. pour batter. turn down heat so pancake (first bottomside) will brown evenly. When pancake (topside) starts to bubble, watch and flip pancake as soon as bubbles have burst and batter looks dry. pancake is cooked when it rises (thickens) You can check if the second face is done. If not, you may turn the heat up just a little bit. Remove pancake from pan. Turn up heat again for the next pancake. Use the thickest, flattest pan that you have so your pancakes will brown evenly. Hope this helps. =)

Egg-free pancakes, from Paul Lussier:

Pancakes don't require any egg at all:
  • 1 cup flour (I prefer whole wheat flour, better flavor, heathier)
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • Cinnamon/Nutmeg season to taste
  • 1.5-2 cups soy milk
  • Add any variety of fruit: blueberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, etc.

I love writing about my cooking misadventures because they make my friends laugh and I get plenty of tips, too. =)

On Technorati:

E-Mail from Paul Lussier

Random Japanese sentence: 台所からその猫を追い出してくれ。 Chase the cat from the kitchen.

]]> How to not burn pancakes, from Mom:

use a teflon pan. heat pan. put very very little oil on the pan. pour batter. turn down heat so pancake (first bottomside) will brown evenly. When pancake (topside) starts to bubble, watch and flip pancake as soon as bubbles have burst and batter looks dry. pancake is cooked when it rises (thickens) You can check if the second face is done. If not, you may turn the heat up just a little bit. Remove pancake from pan. Turn up heat again for the next pancake. Use the thickest, flattest pan that you have so your pancakes will brown evenly. Hope this helps. =)

Egg-free pancakes, from Paul Lussier:

Pancakes don't require any egg at all:
  • 1 cup flour (I prefer whole wheat flour, better flavor, heathier)
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • Cinnamon/Nutmeg season to taste
  • 1.5-2 cups soy milk
  • Add any variety of fruit: blueberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, etc.

I love writing about my cooking misadventures because they make my friends laugh and I get plenty of tips, too. =)

On Technorati:

E-Mail from Paul Lussier

Random Japanese sentence: 台所からその猫を追い出してくれ。 Chase the cat from the kitchen.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/24/hooray-for-people-who-know-how-to-cook/feed/ Breakfast http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/24/breakfast/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/24/breakfast/#comments Wed, 24 May 2006 05:07:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.05.24.php#anchor-1 When Steve called me up on my cellphone at around 8:00 and said only "Help!", I panicked and nearly fell off my bed. I slipped into my kimono and went to the second floor only to find that he had conned me out of bed in order to surprise me with pancakes for breakfast. How nice!

When I learned that he was actually still okay and in one piece, my non-morning-ness reasserted itself. He was so cheerful, though, that I couldn't help but wake up - and the honey-lemon tea certainly helped restore my voice. He wanted help cooking the rest of the pancakes so that they didn't turn out like crepes, though, so I added more mix to the batter and poured out neat little silver-dollar pancakes. I'm getting better at them - I burned only two this time!

Hooray for instant pancake mix. Yes, I know, pancakes are so easy to make from scratch, yada yada, but the recipe requires a whole egg, and that's hard to divide. =)

It was very nice of Steve to surprise me with breakfast. I usually try to wake him up and cook breakfast. He doesn't have an alarm clock right now and he doesn't wake up to his cellphone, so a human without a snooze button can be pretty effective. Besides, it's a good way to force myself out of bed. <grin>

Ay, friends... what would life be without them?

On Technorati: , ,

Random Japanese sentence: ここの家何匹猫がいる？ How many cats are there in this house?

]]> When Steve called me up on my cellphone at around 8:00 and said only "Help!", I panicked and nearly fell off my bed. I slipped into my kimono and went to the second floor only to find that he had conned me out of bed in order to surprise me with pancakes for breakfast. How nice!

When I learned that he was actually still okay and in one piece, my non-morning-ness reasserted itself. He was so cheerful, though, that I couldn't help but wake up - and the honey-lemon tea certainly helped restore my voice. He wanted help cooking the rest of the pancakes so that they didn't turn out like crepes, though, so I added more mix to the batter and poured out neat little silver-dollar pancakes. I'm getting better at them - I burned only two this time!

Hooray for instant pancake mix. Yes, I know, pancakes are so easy to make from scratch, yada yada, but the recipe requires a whole egg, and that's hard to divide. =)

It was very nice of Steve to surprise me with breakfast. I usually try to wake him up and cook breakfast. He doesn't have an alarm clock right now and he doesn't wake up to his cellphone, so a human without a snooze button can be pretty effective. Besides, it's a good way to force myself out of bed. <grin>

Ay, friends... what would life be without them?

On Technorati: , ,

Random Japanese sentence: ここの家何匹猫がいる？ How many cats are there in this house?

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/05/24/breakfast/feed/ Chicken breasts marinated in red wine vinegar http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/30/chicken-breasts-marinated-in-red-wine-vinegar/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/30/chicken-breasts-marinated-in-red-wine-vinegar/#comments Mon, 01 May 2006 03:37:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.30.php#anchor-3 I invited myself over to Quinn Fung's place for dinner. <laugh> She had a mac and cheese casserole, so I prepared chicken breasts marinated in red wine vinegar. I didn't get to marinade them for long enough, I think, but I could taste a bit of the tartness of vinegar. It worked out pretty well. I wonder how white wine vinegar would work with it?

I splurged on the Joy of Cooking book yesterday, and this was the first time I used it. The basic recipe for sauteed chicken breast called for the chicken breasts to be lightly salted, peppered, and floured. I added rosemary, too. I browned some butter and mixed in some olive oil on a skillet, then added the chicken breasts and cooked them for four minutes on one side at medium-high heat. Then I flipped them and cooked them for another three minutes. I was worried that I might've burnt the chicken because it was a bit black, but it turned out nice, juicy, and cooked through.

Level up!

Quinn's place is pretty nice. I like high ceilings. We had a lot of fun chatting after dinner, too, and she gave me several ideas for a few parties I'd like to hold sometime.

On Technorati: ,

]]> I invited myself over to Quinn Fung's place for dinner. <laugh> She had a mac and cheese casserole, so I prepared chicken breasts marinated in red wine vinegar. I didn't get to marinade them for long enough, I think, but I could taste a bit of the tartness of vinegar. It worked out pretty well. I wonder how white wine vinegar would work with it?

I splurged on the Joy of Cooking book yesterday, and this was the first time I used it. The basic recipe for sauteed chicken breast called for the chicken breasts to be lightly salted, peppered, and floured. I added rosemary, too. I browned some butter and mixed in some olive oil on a skillet, then added the chicken breasts and cooked them for four minutes on one side at medium-high heat. Then I flipped them and cooked them for another three minutes. I was worried that I might've burnt the chicken because it was a bit black, but it turned out nice, juicy, and cooked through.

Level up!

Quinn's place is pretty nice. I like high ceilings. We had a lot of fun chatting after dinner, too, and she gave me several ideas for a few parties I'd like to hold sometime.

On Technorati: ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/30/chicken-breasts-marinated-in-red-wine-vinegar/feed/ Comfort food: SPAM http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/19/comfort-food-spam/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/19/comfort-food-spam/#comments Thu, 20 Apr 2006 02:45:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.19.php#anchor-2 Here's incongruity for you: jasmine rice and SPAM. Yes, rice is rice, but jasmine rice is soft and fluffy and sticky and wonderful, and SPAM is SPAM. But SPAM is one of my comfort foods, and today I just didn't have the energy to cook anything fancier. Ah, SPAM. SPAM reminds me of breakfast at home - fried rice, fried eggs and SPAM, SPAM, SPAM...

On Technorati: ,

Random Japanese sentence: テーブルに猫の足跡が付いている。 There are footprints of a cat on the table.

]]> Here's incongruity for you: jasmine rice and SPAM. Yes, rice is rice, but jasmine rice is soft and fluffy and sticky and wonderful, and SPAM is SPAM. But SPAM is one of my comfort foods, and today I just didn't have the energy to cook anything fancier. Ah, SPAM. SPAM reminds me of breakfast at home - fried rice, fried eggs and SPAM, SPAM, SPAM...

On Technorati: ,

Random Japanese sentence: テーブルに猫の足跡が付いている。 There are footprints of a cat on the table.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/19/comfort-food-spam/feed/ Fruit and crab salad http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/18/fruit-and-crab-salad/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/18/fruit-and-crab-salad/#comments Tue, 18 Apr 2006 19:00:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.18.php#anchor-5 I remembered having a rather nice Asian salad that included mandarin oranges, so I decided to see what mixing fruits into a salad would be like. I peeled and chopped half an orange and one kiwi into bite-sized bits, then sprinkled them onto a bed of romaine lettuce. I cubed two crab sticks to add protein and a touch of saltiness. After tasting it, I decided it lacked a little something, so I made a quick vinaigrette by shaking balsamic vinegar, pepper, and olive oil in a small jar.

That wasn't a bad lunch, although I suspect it might be better if I used mandarin oranges instead of navel oranges, and if I could think of a more Asian dressing...

On Technorati: , ,

]]> I remembered having a rather nice Asian salad that included mandarin oranges, so I decided to see what mixing fruits into a salad would be like. I peeled and chopped half an orange and one kiwi into bite-sized bits, then sprinkled them onto a bed of romaine lettuce. I cubed two crab sticks to add protein and a touch of saltiness. After tasting it, I decided it lacked a little something, so I made a quick vinaigrette by shaking balsamic vinegar, pepper, and olive oil in a small jar.

That wasn't a bad lunch, although I suspect it might be better if I used mandarin oranges instead of navel oranges, and if I could think of a more Asian dressing...

On Technorati: , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/18/fruit-and-crab-salad/feed/ Dips http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/17/dips/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/17/dips/#comments Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:02:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.17.php#anchor-2 The dips Bill brought deserve their own entry. He brought taramosalata, a Greek dip of... umm... carp egg caviar. =) But it was really nice, particularly with the chips. He also brought this totally awesome cheese dip with hints of curry, and I have to steal that recipe from him.

And he makes his own sausages. Isn't that just mind-boggling?

On Technorati: , ,

Random Japanese sentence: あなたが不在の間、誰があなたの猫の世話をするのか。 Who will look after your cat while you are away?

]]> The dips Bill brought deserve their own entry. He brought taramosalata, a Greek dip of... umm... carp egg caviar. =) But it was really nice, particularly with the chips. He also brought this totally awesome cheese dip with hints of curry, and I have to steal that recipe from him.

And he makes his own sausages. Isn't that just mind-boggling?

On Technorati: , ,

Random Japanese sentence: あなたが不在の間、誰があなたの猫の世話をするのか。 Who will look after your cat while you are away?

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/17/dips/feed/ Backlog: I'm feeling potlucky! http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/17/backlog-im-feeling-potlucky/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/17/backlog-im-feeling-potlucky/#comments Mon, 17 Apr 2006 05:47:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.17.php#anchor-1 Sunday was a very culinary day. ;) After doing my chores and my laundry, I decided that a potluck lunch was in order, and I called up Andrew and Mike. They were glad to come even though they had just half an hour's notice. (Heh.) Mike didn't answer his phone the first few times I called, so I couldn't borrow his teriyaki stirfry sauce. Instead, I prepared sesame and ginger chicken stirfry from scratch. I also contributed jasmine rice (no ginger this time). Andrew brought homemade wonton and garlic string beans, and Mike brought a sack of fruits. Much fun was had by all, especially by Andrew, who turned out to be a closet food stylist.

Barbecue for dinner was absolutely fantastic, too. Bill joined us, bringing these totally awesome homemade(!!) jalapeno sausages and other wonderful things. Andrew brought vegetable skewers, Mike brought potatoes and turkey sausages, and I brought fruits (my canteloupe, oranges and apples, plus Mike's mango).

This segued naturally into coffee time and a nice long chat with Bill, Chloe, and Stefan. Chloe's even perkier than I am. She's _so_ cool. And so British, too... =)

On Technorati: , , ,

Random Japanese sentence: 彼はネコにトムとジェリーとなづけた。 They named their cats Tom and Jerry.

]]> Sunday was a very culinary day. ;) After doing my chores and my laundry, I decided that a potluck lunch was in order, and I called up Andrew and Mike. They were glad to come even though they had just half an hour's notice. (Heh.) Mike didn't answer his phone the first few times I called, so I couldn't borrow his teriyaki stirfry sauce. Instead, I prepared sesame and ginger chicken stirfry from scratch. I also contributed jasmine rice (no ginger this time). Andrew brought homemade wonton and garlic string beans, and Mike brought a sack of fruits. Much fun was had by all, especially by Andrew, who turned out to be a closet food stylist.

Barbecue for dinner was absolutely fantastic, too. Bill joined us, bringing these totally awesome homemade(!!) jalapeno sausages and other wonderful things. Andrew brought vegetable skewers, Mike brought potatoes and turkey sausages, and I brought fruits (my canteloupe, oranges and apples, plus Mike's mango).

This segued naturally into coffee time and a nice long chat with Bill, Chloe, and Stefan. Chloe's even perkier than I am. She's _so_ cool. And so British, too... =)

On Technorati: , , ,

Random Japanese sentence: 彼はネコにトムとジェリーとなづけた。 They named their cats Tom and Jerry.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/17/backlog-im-feeling-potlucky/feed/ Stirfry with Mike Tsang http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/12/stirfry-with-mike-tsang/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/12/stirfry-with-mike-tsang/#comments Thu, 13 Apr 2006 04:43:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.13.php#anchor-1 Mike wanted to know how to cook the sugar peas we received in last week's Good Food Box, so I suggested a stirfry. He bought chicken breasts from Dominion, and we threw it all together in my kitchen. Onions, garlic, carrots, mushroom, sugar peas, chicken, broccoli, sesame ginger teriyaki sauce... It turned out to be a colorful and flavorful dinner, and it tasted fantastic! I prepared ginger jasmine rice to go with it, and the rice was wonderfully soft and delicately flavored.

Very good food. =) Happy girl.

On Technorati: , ,

Random Japanese sentence: その子は猫の尻尾を捕まえた。 The boy caught the cat by the tail.

]]> Mike wanted to know how to cook the sugar peas we received in last week's Good Food Box, so I suggested a stirfry. He bought chicken breasts from Dominion, and we threw it all together in my kitchen. Onions, garlic, carrots, mushroom, sugar peas, chicken, broccoli, sesame ginger teriyaki sauce... It turned out to be a colorful and flavorful dinner, and it tasted fantastic! I prepared ginger jasmine rice to go with it, and the rice was wonderfully soft and delicately flavored.

Very good food. =) Happy girl.

On Technorati: , ,

Random Japanese sentence: その子は猫の尻尾を捕まえた。 The boy caught the cat by the tail.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/12/stirfry-with-mike-tsang/feed/