Egg White Crab Broccoli, Chinese Steamed Meatloaf

So I'm back for the weekend from Munich. Been eating out for 2 weeks now and I just had to eat some homemade food. The shops were closed so made two little dishes with things I found in the kitchen.

The broccoli. Steam or saute the broccoli. In a bowl beat egg whites, mix with some cream and canned crab meat. Fry in a pan quickly, season with salt. Serve over broccoli.

The meatloaf. A childhood favorite of mine. Mix minced pork with water, light and dark soy sauce, Chinese wine, sugar, sesame oil, corn starch and vegetable oil. Marinate for 20 mins and steam in a bowl for 15 mins.

After a two week break my cooking skills are becoming rusty. Hopefully I'll get back on track soon after the course is over.

06242007

I really missed you, still three more weeks to go. You on the other hand seem to be okay without me. The last weekend I was back I thought you'd greet me with a big hug or a kiss on the cheek, but you took one look at me and walked away. I haven't felt heartache like that since I was a teenage. Yes I probably set myself up for it but still... This weekend was better, we had a good time, went to the park, took a bath together, had cake, etc. Hopefully the rest of the course will fly by and we'd be back in our normal routine in no time. I really didn't think I'd miss you so much but now I know how your grandpa felt all these years being away from his family.

06102007

Today was a hot one. When I came home from the gym I found you in your little tub on the balcony. It was a nice idea of your mother's, you really had a good time splashing around. To be honest I would've done the same if we had a big enough tub.

红油抄手, 涼 拌 茄 子, 涼 拌 青 瓜

Two nights without the family was tougher than I thought. Anyhow I got through it and am back for the weekend before heading off again on Sunday. So for dinner I thought I'd make something special.

A few cold dishes. The cucumbers simply peel, chop, and smash with the back of the knife. Marinate with vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic. Chill for 30 mins. The eggplant was halved, steamed, then shredded with forks. Chill and before serving top with cilantro, chillies, and dressing consisting of vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic.

The main dish was wontons in red (chili oil). I still had some filling left from the wontons I made a couple of days ago. But this time I simply folded the wrappers in half. Boil them for 5 mins until they float. In the meantime prepare the chili oil by warming some oil in a pan. When heated turn off heat and add sz peppers, chillies, and let sit for a while. Afterwards remove the peppers and chillies with a strainer. Mix with the wontons and serve.

I was a bit worried that the food might be a bit spicy for the boy, but to my surprise he really liked everything.

Gazpacho

My wife can't really eat because of a sore tongue, that and the hot weather are the reasons why I made this cold soup for lunch today.

Gazpacho is one of my favorite soups, it's simply too refreshing. Here's my version, it takes less than 15 mins.

I didn't have any fresh tomatoes so I used the canned stuff. Puree the tomatoes, peeled cucumber, sweet pepper, onion with olive oil. Add water, season with salt, sugar, balsamic vinegar. Mix well and chill. Serve with a few ice cubes, croutons, some more diced vegetables, and parsley.

Shrimp and Pork Wontons

Since I'll be away for a while I decided to make a nice breakfast for the three of us this morning.
The wrappers I bought frozen, the filling I made fresh.

In a mixing bowl put together chopped Chinese wood ears, minced pork, roughly chopped shrimps, grated ginger. Season with sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, corn starch. Combine everything well and fill the wrappers with one teaspoon of the filling. As I didn't really know how to close them properly I just twisted the tops like a drawstring bag. If anybody knows how to do it correctly please enlighten me.

Serve the wontons over noodles in soup. It was a very filling breakfast, sure beats bread and cheese all the time.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Made these for the boy and the kids at the daycare yesterday. Came across a good and reliable recipe from Wikipedia. The only thing that I omitted were the nuts, just in case the kids would be allergic.

Oatmeal raisins cookies were my favorites from Tim Horton's. Best with chocolate milk.

06072007

We bought this for you a few weeks back, so that you can stand on your own when we're washing your hands. You understood pretty quickly for it's for. I was trying to teach you that you can use it to get other things that are out of reach too, but your mother reminded that if I teach you this then nothing will be safe anymore. She's right, but I think it's too late. The damage has been done.

Lemon Ginger Chicken

Another recipe from the Stifftung Warentest cookbook, although I changed it up a bit. Still very simple and quick. All you need is chicken breasts, lemon, ginger, sour cream/yogurt.

Wash and dice the chicken, marinate with lemon juice, grated lemon peel, and grated ginger. Brown the chicken with the marinate in a pan, then add the sour cream/yogurt. Simmer for a few minutes, serve with rice/noodles and sauteed vegetables.

I wasn't around when my wife and the boy ate, but apparently he loved it.

06052007

I have been bringing you to the daycare for a couple of weeks now so that you will get used to it. When I go to Munich for 5 weeks hopefully it won't be too much of a shock for you. I have to say that you're adjusting well, maybe too well. You don't seem to miss me when I go. Today the ladies took you kids to the Aromagarten. It was your first field trip, I packed your drink, snack and toys in the new backpack you got from Grandma Chan. After I dropped you off and said goodbye there were suddenly tears in my eyes accompanied by a slight heartache. I hope it gets easier in the future for me to see you off on your own. You're really growing up too fast.

Egg White, Conpoy Fried Rice

Last time I went home to my mother's she gave me some conpoy ( dried scallop ) to take back. I hesitated for bit as I thought I'd never use it. Luckily she insisted otherwise I wouldn't have made this breakfast for the boy and I today.

Very simple fried rice. Soak the conpoy overnight, drain and fry with the day old rice and egg whites. I added some peas for color. Season well with salt.

06042007

Grandma Gote came for a visit on Sunday. She brought you a very cool toy. As with all baby toys it makes all kinds of noises. You were really playing with it quite nicely, but you were more interested in Grandma's dog. Chasing and screaming at the poor thing. He was really scared of you I think. I hope you don't do the same with girls. We want grandkids.

06032007

So uncle Harry and Anthony came from Berlin for a visit. You and your mother stayed home while the three of us went to the Bergkirchweih. At the festival I picked up this balloon for you. It was worth all 4 euros to see you so excited. It kept you entertained for a lot longer than we thought it would.

Sanfter Nudeltopf

Stiftung Warentest is like the consumers' report in Germany. For some reason they published a cook book called Familie In Form which means roughly Family In Shape. Now, you'd expect it to be filled with recipes that requires you to use low fat ingredients, cooking spray, sweet n' low, etc. But it doesn't! It's still cheeses and deserts galore, quite different to the North American diet books. Call me a wanna-be European but I just appreciate the general life style here a lot more than the North American way of life.

Anyhow, so I decided to try out one of the recipes.

Dice the chicken breasts, kohlrabi, carrots, onions. Brown in a pot with olive oil, add cream, broth, and carrot juice. Bring to a boil and simmer with noodles. A few minutes before the noodles are done add the peas. Season well with salt and pepper. Garnish with sprouts and serve.