sacha chua :: enterprise 2.0 consultant, storyteller, geek » cookordie http://sachachua.com/wp I help people connect through blogs, wikis, other Web 2.0 tools. I'm also writing a book about Emacs. Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:54:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 en 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/ Toast http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/02/19/toast/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/02/19/toast/#comments Tue, 20 Feb 2007 01:36:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2007.02.19.php#anchor-3 It seems very inefficient to use the Broil/Grill function on the oven to heat up a peanut-butter sandwich, but this suite has three rice cookers and no toasters. Go figure. =) I won't have a toaster at the other side yet, either... I'll add a toaster oven to my wish list.

I'm a little uncertain about the prospects of living off peanut butter sandwiches for the next few weeks. My mom told me stories of managing it when she was in college, though, so it can't be *too* bad for me. I'm looking forward to having a proper kitchen, though! I will be very slow and very careful about buying things, but I'm looking forward to properly doing once-a-month or once-a-week cooking.

I hope to get the paperwork for the lease together in time. Thursday, I'm going to run around and pick up paperwork. I'm looking forward to eating more than peanut butter toast...

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Random Emacs symbol: minibuffer-window - Function: Return the window used now for minibuffers.

]]> It seems very inefficient to use the Broil/Grill function on the oven to heat up a peanut-butter sandwich, but this suite has three rice cookers and no toasters. Go figure. =) I won't have a toaster at the other side yet, either... I'll add a toaster oven to my wish list.

I'm a little uncertain about the prospects of living off peanut butter sandwiches for the next few weeks. My mom told me stories of managing it when she was in college, though, so it can't be *too* bad for me. I'm looking forward to having a proper kitchen, though! I will be very slow and very careful about buying things, but I'm looking forward to properly doing once-a-month or once-a-week cooking.

I hope to get the paperwork for the lease together in time. Thursday, I'm going to run around and pick up paperwork. I'm looking forward to eating more than peanut butter toast...

On Technorati:

Random Emacs symbol: minibuffer-window - Function: Return the window used now for minibuffers.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2007/02/19/toast/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.

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]]> 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. ;)

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]]> 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: Danger, Will Robinson! http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/04/cookordie-danger-will-robinson/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/04/cookordie-danger-will-robinson/#comments Fri, 04 Aug 2006 19:59:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.08.04.php#anchor-3 Brownie a la mode

Uh oh.

I now know how to bake brownies from scratch, and I can make them as moist and chocolatey as I want.

I have vanilla ice cream in the freezer.

I am so dead.

...

Hmm.

IF I promised a tray of chocolatey desserts for a potluck dinner at 7:00, AND I have enough ingredients to bake a second batch of brownies...

Don't even think about it, Sacha. That way lies danger.

They won't mind if I try a bit of it first.

Maybe a bit more.

Hmm.

More cooking misadventures

On Technorati: , ,

]]> Brownie a la mode

Uh oh.

I now know how to bake brownies from scratch, and I can make them as moist and chocolatey as I want.

I have vanilla ice cream in the freezer.

I am so dead.

...

Hmm.

IF I promised a tray of chocolatey desserts for a potluck dinner at 7:00, AND I have enough ingredients to bake a second batch of brownies...

Don't even think about it, Sacha. That way lies danger.

They won't mind if I try a bit of it first.

Maybe a bit more.

Hmm.

More cooking misadventures

On Technorati: , ,

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/08/04/cookordie-danger-will-robinson/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/ 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?

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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?

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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.

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]]> 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.

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]]> 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...

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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...

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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...

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]]> 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...

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]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/18/fruit-and-crab-salad/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.

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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.

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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/ Backlog: Beef medallion, baked potato http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/06/backlog-beef-medallion-baked-potato/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/06/backlog-beef-medallion-baked-potato/#comments Fri, 07 Apr 2006 04:48:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.07.php#anchor-1 Pan-frying beef medallion isn't quite the same as grilling it, but oh well - one does what one can. I'm a little bit skeptical about the meat, though, as I'm not sure if it's properly medium. If you don't hear from me tomorrow, you can send someone to knock on my room and see if I'm suffering from food poisoning...

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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.

]]> Pan-frying beef medallion isn't quite the same as grilling it, but oh well - one does what one can. I'm a little bit skeptical about the meat, though, as I'm not sure if it's properly medium. If you don't hear from me tomorrow, you can send someone to knock on my room and see if I'm suffering from food poisoning...

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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/2006/04/06/backlog-beef-medallion-baked-potato/feed/ Backlog: Grilled again http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/06/backlog-grilled-again/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/06/backlog-grilled-again/#comments Thu, 06 Apr 2006 05:35:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.06.php#anchor-1 I was planning to meet Calum for dinner, but I figured it would be a good day to try out the grill again, so I headed to the supermarket to stock up on meat. I ran into James, Mike and Mike on my way out, so I invited them to a barbecue at 7. I met Keynyn on the way back from the supermarket, so I invited her too.

It turned out to be a terrific potluck. I prepared vegetable kebabs and Caesar salad (store-bought dressing, but I made the bacon bits and croutons myself!). Keynyn brought mashed potatoes and cookies. James brought lots and lots of chicken legs. Mike and Calum helped with cooking and washing up. (Don't worry, they'll host some other time...)

The chicken legs were slightly dodgy as parts weren't completely cooked, so I think we'll do beef next time. At least, until we get the hang of this. Note to self: figure out how to properly grill vegetables so that they're nice and juicy. Also, buy a basting brush. Hmm, next Wednesday or Thursday seems like a good time to have another potluck party. (Psst! Kathy! I need tips!)

_And_ we even got to study afterwards! I much prefer studying with other people around. Today proved an interesting point. I'm a fraud of a computer person, really. I'm definitely not as geeky as Calum and Mike are. I find myself less into writing code than I'm into explaining things to other people, and sometimes I really do have to explain things to either people, stuffed toys, or my blog in order to get things straight in my head. Aiyah. How embarrassing.

(I say that now, sure, but when I'm in coding mode I can't pry my fingers off the keyboard...)

Anyway, it was a very good day.

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Random Japanese sentence: 彼女はネコをこわがる。 She is afraid of cats. Kanojo wa neko o kowagaru.

]]> I was planning to meet Calum for dinner, but I figured it would be a good day to try out the grill again, so I headed to the supermarket to stock up on meat. I ran into James, Mike and Mike on my way out, so I invited them to a barbecue at 7. I met Keynyn on the way back from the supermarket, so I invited her too.

It turned out to be a terrific potluck. I prepared vegetable kebabs and Caesar salad (store-bought dressing, but I made the bacon bits and croutons myself!). Keynyn brought mashed potatoes and cookies. James brought lots and lots of chicken legs. Mike and Calum helped with cooking and washing up. (Don't worry, they'll host some other time...)

The chicken legs were slightly dodgy as parts weren't completely cooked, so I think we'll do beef next time. At least, until we get the hang of this. Note to self: figure out how to properly grill vegetables so that they're nice and juicy. Also, buy a basting brush. Hmm, next Wednesday or Thursday seems like a good time to have another potluck party. (Psst! Kathy! I need tips!)

_And_ we even got to study afterwards! I much prefer studying with other people around. Today proved an interesting point. I'm a fraud of a computer person, really. I'm definitely not as geeky as Calum and Mike are. I find myself less into writing code than I'm into explaining things to other people, and sometimes I really do have to explain things to either people, stuffed toys, or my blog in order to get things straight in my head. Aiyah. How embarrassing.

(I say that now, sure, but when I'm in coding mode I can't pry my fingers off the keyboard...)

Anyway, it was a very good day.

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Random Japanese sentence: 彼女はネコをこわがる。 She is afraid of cats. Kanojo wa neko o kowagaru.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/06/backlog-grilled-again/feed/ Grill time! http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/04/grill-time/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/04/grill-time/#comments Wed, 05 Apr 2006 04:51:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.05.php#anchor-2 Toastmasters from 6 to 8 means I usually can't meet anyone for dinner on Tuesdays, which is why I was surprised to get a call from Trevor at 8:30 or so. He invited me to a barbecue with Brian. The Kensington market I usually go to for meat had closed already and I didn't feel like chancing Chinatown. I also didn't want to walk to Dominion and being even _more_ late. Fortunately, I had some hamburger patties in the freezer. Hooray for the well-stocked pantry!

Although the weather was a bit cold (it snowed a little bit today! argh!), standing around in a coat and chatting with friends was worth it. I defrosted the patties in a microwave, put one away, and grilled the other patty under the guidance of Brian and Trevor. The potatoes I wrapped in foil and started grilling were nowhere near done by the time the burgers, porkchop and steak were done, so I took the potatoes off the grill. Brian thoughtfully anticipated that and included me in his calculations for rice. Awwww. =) (The man cooks rice with a pot! _Proper_ rice, too, not instant rice! Coolness. =) )

Keynan dropped by with a platter of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. She found the cookie recipe on the Net. I wonder if I can share Kathy's Top Secret Cookie Recipe with her - but then it wouldn't be Top Secret, would it?

I washed a number of their dishes to thank them for hosting me and teaching me how to grill, following the strange rules of my dinner-party etiquette. Also, it's kinda fun. Eventually Trevor took the sponge away from me and put it on the other side of the room. Spoilsport.

Keynan brought a DVD of Terminator. I finally got to watch the thing. =)

After the movie, Brian pulled a scary face to stop me from finishing the rest of their dishes. I couldn't help but laugh, which made him laugh, and then no amount of coaxing could get him to do the scary face again.

It's nice to have friends.

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Random Japanese sentence: ネコが車の下から出てきた。 A cat got out from under the car.

]]> Toastmasters from 6 to 8 means I usually can't meet anyone for dinner on Tuesdays, which is why I was surprised to get a call from Trevor at 8:30 or so. He invited me to a barbecue with Brian. The Kensington market I usually go to for meat had closed already and I didn't feel like chancing Chinatown. I also didn't want to walk to Dominion and being even _more_ late. Fortunately, I had some hamburger patties in the freezer. Hooray for the well-stocked pantry!

Although the weather was a bit cold (it snowed a little bit today! argh!), standing around in a coat and chatting with friends was worth it. I defrosted the patties in a microwave, put one away, and grilled the other patty under the guidance of Brian and Trevor. The potatoes I wrapped in foil and started grilling were nowhere near done by the time the burgers, porkchop and steak were done, so I took the potatoes off the grill. Brian thoughtfully anticipated that and included me in his calculations for rice. Awwww. =) (The man cooks rice with a pot! _Proper_ rice, too, not instant rice! Coolness. =) )

Keynan dropped by with a platter of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. She found the cookie recipe on the Net. I wonder if I can share Kathy's Top Secret Cookie Recipe with her - but then it wouldn't be Top Secret, would it?

I washed a number of their dishes to thank them for hosting me and teaching me how to grill, following the strange rules of my dinner-party etiquette. Also, it's kinda fun. Eventually Trevor took the sponge away from me and put it on the other side of the room. Spoilsport.

Keynan brought a DVD of Terminator. I finally got to watch the thing. =)

After the movie, Brian pulled a scary face to stop me from finishing the rest of their dishes. I couldn't help but laugh, which made him laugh, and then no amount of coaxing could get him to do the scary face again.

It's nice to have friends.

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Random Japanese sentence: ネコが車の下から出てきた。 A cat got out from under the car.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/04/grill-time/feed/ Backlog - 2006.04.01: Breakfast: Bacon and eggs http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/02/backlog-20060401-breakfast-bacon-and-eggs/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/02/backlog-20060401-breakfast-bacon-and-eggs/#comments Sun, 02 Apr 2006 06:18:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.02.php#anchor-1 Steve deserved a break from all the hospital food, so I decided to cook him breakfast. It always takes him a while to get up, so I walked to Dominion and bought bacon and eggs. Trent let me into their suite and showed me where to get all the things I needed. I discovered the joys of having a proper crepe pan. =)

I fried bacon, prepared eggs, and toasted bread. Steve was touched that I had prepared both sunny-side-up and scrambled eggs for him, and kept praising my cooking. We had chai latte (well, just milk for me) with Trent and Keri. Apparently, Trent's quite the chai latte master. =)

It was fun chatting with Trent and Keri as well, although some aspects of that were just a little bit odd, like that singing in the shower thing... <laugh> It was good having breakfast with friends, though - it gave me something for which I should wake up early. Might do it again sometime. Heck, might even do it tomorrow...

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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. Teiboru ni neko no sokuseki tsuite iru.

]]> Steve deserved a break from all the hospital food, so I decided to cook him breakfast. It always takes him a while to get up, so I walked to Dominion and bought bacon and eggs. Trent let me into their suite and showed me where to get all the things I needed. I discovered the joys of having a proper crepe pan. =)

I fried bacon, prepared eggs, and toasted bread. Steve was touched that I had prepared both sunny-side-up and scrambled eggs for him, and kept praising my cooking. We had chai latte (well, just milk for me) with Trent and Keri. Apparently, Trent's quite the chai latte master. =)

It was fun chatting with Trent and Keri as well, although some aspects of that were just a little bit odd, like that singing in the shower thing... <laugh> It was good having breakfast with friends, though - it gave me something for which I should wake up early. Might do it again sometime. Heck, might even do it tomorrow...

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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. Teiboru ni neko no sokuseki tsuite iru.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/02/backlog-20060401-breakfast-bacon-and-eggs/feed/ Salmon and mashed potatoes with Steve and Mike http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/01/salmon-and-mashed-potatoes-with-steve-and-mike/ http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/01/salmon-and-mashed-potatoes-with-steve-and-mike/#comments Sat, 01 Apr 2006 05:03:00 +0000 Sacha Chua http://sachachua.com/notebook/wiki/2006.04.01.php#anchor-1 Steve's out on a weekend pass, so we celebrated with an impromptu cooking party. I defrosted and panfried some salmon steak. I microwaved and mashed potatoes with a bit of butter, sprinkling rosemary on top. It wasn't a perfect combination, but it wasn't bad for something I just threw together. =) CookOrDie to the rescue!

Mike brought some of the stuff from his Good Food Box, so we used up half the cabbage in that soy sauce and onion cabbage thing. We also used totally random vegetables in soup, which turned out quite well.

We had tons of fun cooking and catching up with each other. =)

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Random Japanese sentence: 猫がネズミを追いかけた。 A cat ran after a mouse. Neko ga nezumi o oikaketa.

]]> Steve's out on a weekend pass, so we celebrated with an impromptu cooking party. I defrosted and panfried some salmon steak. I microwaved and mashed potatoes with a bit of butter, sprinkling rosemary on top. It wasn't a perfect combination, but it wasn't bad for something I just threw together. =) CookOrDie to the rescue!

Mike brought some of the stuff from his Good Food Box, so we used up half the cabbage in that soy sauce and onion cabbage thing. We also used totally random vegetables in soup, which turned out quite well.

We had tons of fun cooking and catching up with each other. =)

On Technorati: , , , ,

Random Japanese sentence: 猫がネズミを追いかけた。 A cat ran after a mouse. Neko ga nezumi o oikaketa.

]]> http://sachachua.com/wp/2006/04/01/salmon-and-mashed-potatoes-with-steve-and-mike/feed/