Scenes from Dinner

With my sister visiting, we went out for sushi.

We walked into the restaurant and we were transported out of the midwest. We faced an industrial scene with waves of neon and pulsating music. Oh, and the obligatory fish tank in every Asian restaurant, sans the koi:


The wasabi is so pretty, piped into flowers:


The arrival of the sushi:


Lychee Martini:


And since it is a "fusion" type of restaurant, I ordered a very non-Asian duck dish.


A great time out.

Read more...

Making Stuff - Bookmarks

Each year, the fifth graders hold an event called the Trader's Faire, where they barter and exchange hand made goods. Since this is my second go-around with a fifth grade child, I had a game plan already formulated - making bookmarks.

Brian and I worked on these two nights last week - he picked out the paper, the stamps and made up a design. Then we assembly-line produced 25 stamped, heat embossed book marks:



And truthfully, Brian did a lot of the work himself (like all the embossing - give the boy any kind of gun and he'll use it). I was really proud of him.

Read more...

Dumpling Time

Yes, I know - a week has passed since my last post.
We are super busy here - making things, running around, the usual stuff of life.

Last Sunday I spent most of the day making and cooking Chinese Dumplings:



This includes making and rolling out the wrapper / dough by hand.


The finished product (shot with my iPhone):


I even had left over dough for green onion pies.


Added yumminess!

This sort of thing only happens once a year, so we enjoyed the dumplings while they lasted.....

Read more...

Sunrise and Sunset

The sunrise is from this morning:


Sunset from Thursday evening:


Looking forward to that snow starting to melt over the next several days.

Read more...

Team Up Thursday - Signs

This week's "signs" are quite subtle -



A sleepyhead in the morning and frost on the window. What does it all mean?

Lee writes: Caden snuck into my bed at some point during the night. This is usually a sign that he is coming down with something or he needs to talk. This particular morning my little boy simply wanted a bit of mama time. Thank goodness it wasn't followed up with a cold!

Thank goodness, indeed!

My sign - frost on the inside of the windows definitely signals that it is cold as the dickens outside. When I took the picture, it was 0 degF or -18 degC.
That was on Monday and it hasn't warmed up much since.
But I took away a "good sign" from the picture - it's no longer dark when I get downstairs to the kitchen at 6:45. The days are getting longer, so warmer days will be here soon.

What signs do you see outside your window today? I hope they are positive ones.

On Thursday, Lee Curie and I create a diptych based on a theme. You can view the other great diptychs at the Team Up Thursday Flickr group.

Read more...

Celebrations

What celebration doesn't include food?

Last week, we ushered in the 2nd New Year - the Lunar New Year, aka Chinese New Year. That celebration usually includes lots of food - particularly Chinese dumplings or Pot stickers.

Making dumplings by hand is time consuming, manual work, so much so that I only make them (at the most) once a year. And with Chinese New Year's timing matching closely to the Superbowl, this weekend was this year's chosen time.

Wrapped:


Fried:

The above images taken with my iPhone and the Instagram app.

The exception to the "only make dumplings once a year" rule is overturned during extended family gatherings, when I join forces with my sister(s) and my parents. Then the task isn't as time consuming when the assembly line gets going. [Although adding in the dynamic of several strong personalities can make things just as stressful]

A photo from my archives - the family spread my mother put on to celebrate my little sister's wedding in 2007 - several plates of dumplings (and other traditional Chinese foods) were made and consumed.

Read more...

Low on Candy

My co-worker, Pieter, has this very dangerous candy dispenser in his office. I guess it wouldn't be so dangerous if he didn't fill it with m&m's and leave it unlocked.

That's probably why it is low on candy.



Don't tell him I often sneak in and grab a handful. You know, the afternoon chocolate fix.....

Read more...