Spent the night at Children's Hospital with DH and mui-mui. The poor little girl has another chest infection. She's only 2 1/2 years old but has had 3 bouts of chest infection (pneumonia). It's becoming an annoying seasonal occurrence. :(
Today I spend with the sick little girl. A part of me feels fortunate she'll be better very soon. The other part of me is guilt because I'm not spending as much time with my boy-boy and DH. So, I'm sporting the new school of thought - that Valentine's day is not just one day to show your love. We'll have our own V-day...when mui-mui gets better.
xoxo to all of you.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Monday, September 6, 2010
cream o' mushroom soup on a rainy day
It's barely into September and it feels just like fall. The pitter and patter of rain is quite soothing, while the cool, wet weather makes me feel like cooking. So, I finally took the opportunity to make a dish that I've wanted to make for a long time: cream of mushroom soup.
My kids love the soup and only knows it comes from a can. The canned stuff, while passable for taste, contains lots of sodium and the dreaded MSG. Yes, I feel guilty every time I make it for them and vow that "one day" I'd make it from scratch. Today was the day.
The recipe is from UrbanMommies.com. I read through the recipe and saw nothing that would offend the little one's tastebuds i.e. no herbs. What I should mention is that I'm used to making Chinese soups or broths so making Western soup is something new to me. I guess as an Asian, I see western soups as almost a 2-step process - broth/stock and then the soup. Chinese soups are all-in-one meaning the stock's built in. :)
Here's a picture of the Fall Mushroom Soup:
Here's how I made it. First, I sauteed the onion with butter until soft and golden. Meanwhile, heat half-and-half cream in another small saucepan. Then, to the sauteed onions, add the mushroms. I used a blend of white and crimini. You can probably use whatever you fancy.
Then add the flour and cook for 1/2 a minute so that it's incorporated into the mushrooms and onions. Pour in the beef stock and stir constantly to avoid lumps. Finally, stir in the heated half-and-half, bay leaf, ground nutmeg, salt and ground black pepper. Let simmer (do not boil) for about 10 minutes to let flavours combine. Before serving, remove bay leaf.
For a first time, it was a charm. ;) It was almost as simple as making Chinese soup.
My kids love the soup and only knows it comes from a can. The canned stuff, while passable for taste, contains lots of sodium and the dreaded MSG. Yes, I feel guilty every time I make it for them and vow that "one day" I'd make it from scratch. Today was the day.
The recipe is from UrbanMommies.com. I read through the recipe and saw nothing that would offend the little one's tastebuds i.e. no herbs. What I should mention is that I'm used to making Chinese soups or broths so making Western soup is something new to me. I guess as an Asian, I see western soups as almost a 2-step process - broth/stock and then the soup. Chinese soups are all-in-one meaning the stock's built in. :)
Here's a picture of the Fall Mushroom Soup:
 |
| Final product: cream of mushroom soup. |
Then add the flour and cook for 1/2 a minute so that it's incorporated into the mushrooms and onions. Pour in the beef stock and stir constantly to avoid lumps. Finally, stir in the heated half-and-half, bay leaf, ground nutmeg, salt and ground black pepper. Let simmer (do not boil) for about 10 minutes to let flavours combine. Before serving, remove bay leaf.
For a first time, it was a charm. ;) It was almost as simple as making Chinese soup.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
yellowstone and foodie tour vancouver
It's been quite the week for me and I do have to start off with a venting. If you want to read the foodie part, scroll down a bit.
Me and ds were on a 5-day bus Supervacation (Chinese-language) tour to Yellowstone National Park (Montana/Wyoming). Let's just say it wasn't our choice and I'll probably never go on a bus tour/trip again. IMHO, the tour is a complete joke - it doesn't do justice to the historic and monumental site when you are only allowed 30 minutes to appreciate its beauty.
How do I dislike it? Let me count the ways. Aside from feeling like we were sheep being herded day-in and day-out by mister-keep-up-the-good-mood tour guide, the smells on the bus and attitude of fellow tour patrons left nothing to be desired. Besides, traveling with a kid and trapped on bus is never a good thing. Worse yet is the terrible food we had. Fortunately, the thought of coming back to good food in Vancouver was a saving grace.
Life didn't slow down the minute I came home. I went to an email marketing seminar which was pretty much a 101 class on common sense tips & tricks. It was really aimed at business owners who use the Constant Contact email service and needed some refresher or tips on how best to maximize the tool. For someone who is certified internet marketing business strategist and Facebooks plus Twitters daily, it was like a preschool course. The best part of the day was my first trip to Lin's Chinese Cuisine on West Broadway @ Granville. Delicious Beijing meat pasty and soup noodles in a comfortable homey setting. Needless to say, I'll be back to try more!
From there, the good food theme continues. Today was the Granville Foodie Tour by Michelle Ng's Vancouver Foodie Tour. It's a 2-hour tour of 4 restaurants where you get to know the restaurant a little bit and taste some of their food. Today's restaurants were Taf's Cafe, ShuRaku, AI's Vancouver Culinaria and Creme de la Crumb. We learned a few things about the Granville "entertainment" district and discovered some really fantastic restaurants. We ate some fabulous food! The highlights for me were:
Living in Vancouver where we get to enjoy spectacular food is something to be proud of. I hope my kids know how fortunate they are.
Me and ds were on a 5-day bus Supervacation (Chinese-language) tour to Yellowstone National Park (Montana/Wyoming). Let's just say it wasn't our choice and I'll probably never go on a bus tour/trip again. IMHO, the tour is a complete joke - it doesn't do justice to the historic and monumental site when you are only allowed 30 minutes to appreciate its beauty.
How do I dislike it? Let me count the ways. Aside from feeling like we were sheep being herded day-in and day-out by mister-keep-up-the-good-mood tour guide, the smells on the bus and attitude of fellow tour patrons left nothing to be desired. Besides, traveling with a kid and trapped on bus is never a good thing. Worse yet is the terrible food we had. Fortunately, the thought of coming back to good food in Vancouver was a saving grace.
Life didn't slow down the minute I came home. I went to an email marketing seminar which was pretty much a 101 class on common sense tips & tricks. It was really aimed at business owners who use the Constant Contact email service and needed some refresher or tips on how best to maximize the tool. For someone who is certified internet marketing business strategist and Facebooks plus Twitters daily, it was like a preschool course. The best part of the day was my first trip to Lin's Chinese Cuisine on West Broadway @ Granville. Delicious Beijing meat pasty and soup noodles in a comfortable homey setting. Needless to say, I'll be back to try more!
From there, the good food theme continues. Today was the Granville Foodie Tour by Michelle Ng's Vancouver Foodie Tour. It's a 2-hour tour of 4 restaurants where you get to know the restaurant a little bit and taste some of their food. Today's restaurants were Taf's Cafe, ShuRaku, AI's Vancouver Culinaria and Creme de la Crumb. We learned a few things about the Granville "entertainment" district and discovered some really fantastic restaurants. We ate some fabulous food! The highlights for me were:
- traditional Japanese marinated tuna - soy, mirin marinade - lightly seared (ShuRaku)
- grilled veggie quiche (Taf's Cafe)
- egg ebi mayo - the presentation was incredible! (ShuRaku)
- seared scallop with confit golden beet drizzled with crab bisque and topped with lobster foam and caviar (Culinaria)
- nougat glacee - I'm normally a chocolate dessert lover but this blew me away. (Culinaria)
- apple cheddar scones - so moist and flavourful! (Creme de la Crumb)
Living in Vancouver where we get to enjoy spectacular food is something to be proud of. I hope my kids know how fortunate they are.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
summer camp love
Okay, maybe the title is a bit misleading. What I mean is that I've discovered a new love this summer and it's the summer camp where I've registered DS. It's not only an awesome deal but it's great all around. He's having so much fun and they're still teaching him all sorts of things.
I've looked into many other different camps - bike, gymnastics, theatre, etc. but Spare Time Society's Summer Camps at their Challenge Clubhouse for 5-12 is all-round the best. Why? Because it offers so many different activities.
So, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
a) the camp leaders are caring and knowledgeable. They even have a chef who makes all their healthy meals (am snack, lunch and pm snack) on location in their commercial kitchen
b) they have a craft project that the kids complete during the week (Fridays are a treat when he brings home his creation/art) and they're pretty good
c) field trips at least 3 days of the week where they go to different parts of the city or venues
d)they have everything from library to gym, to puppet theatre, games, you name it.
e) it's VERY affordable
f) best of all, it's located right inside the school that ds is attending (can we say "familiar"?)
I really can't say enough about Spare Time Society and what they do. You just have to check them out. Hope to see you there next year!
I've looked into many other different camps - bike, gymnastics, theatre, etc. but Spare Time Society's Summer Camps at their Challenge Clubhouse for 5-12 is all-round the best. Why? Because it offers so many different activities.
So, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
a) the camp leaders are caring and knowledgeable. They even have a chef who makes all their healthy meals (am snack, lunch and pm snack) on location in their commercial kitchen
b) they have a craft project that the kids complete during the week (Fridays are a treat when he brings home his creation/art) and they're pretty good
c) field trips at least 3 days of the week where they go to different parts of the city or venues
d)they have everything from library to gym, to puppet theatre, games, you name it.
e) it's VERY affordable
f) best of all, it's located right inside the school that ds is attending (can we say "familiar"?)
I really can't say enough about Spare Time Society and what they do. You just have to check them out. Hope to see you there next year!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
summer fun
Here's to more summer fun as this is only the first day of the long weekend. Hope you're enjoying yours. :)
talking to myself
Tonight my friend came over on the spur of the moment and I realized how much I missed talking to a friend without any interruptions. Yes, the kids were in bed and hubby was out for the night plus the dishes were done. Hallelujah! :)
I discovered after talking to her for an hour that the real reason why I'm motivated to start this blog is because I like to talk. Yes, I talk a lot at work, at home but it's not the leisurely kind of talk where you can share information in a relaxed manner. Being a working mom with obligations, I can't always find time or energy to talk. Or when I do, my friends are busy or not in the mood. With a blog, I'm free to talk when I feel like it, provided I have access to the blogger. I've found my raison d'etre for blogging.
The "dusting" session (for explanation of dusting, see first post) became a sharing of stories from the past. Specifically, my family's past. I shared pieces of my family's history. She remarked how fascinating it was to hear about my genealogy and suggested that I record the history. That's what I'm going to try and do. Maybe once a week I'll try to share one story or chapter from my family's history. I hope you will find it every bit as interesting as my friend did.
I discovered after talking to her for an hour that the real reason why I'm motivated to start this blog is because I like to talk. Yes, I talk a lot at work, at home but it's not the leisurely kind of talk where you can share information in a relaxed manner. Being a working mom with obligations, I can't always find time or energy to talk. Or when I do, my friends are busy or not in the mood. With a blog, I'm free to talk when I feel like it, provided I have access to the blogger. I've found my raison d'etre for blogging.
The "dusting" session (for explanation of dusting, see first post) became a sharing of stories from the past. Specifically, my family's past. I shared pieces of my family's history. She remarked how fascinating it was to hear about my genealogy and suggested that I record the history. That's what I'm going to try and do. Maybe once a week I'll try to share one story or chapter from my family's history. I hope you will find it every bit as interesting as my friend did.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
what's dusting? who's babaloo?
Hello. I'm an Asian mom living on the West Coast raising two kids. I started this blog because I like to dust. Dust is a literal translation (from Chinese term "sigh chun") and really just means to catch up (talk) with someone...usually over a meal or drinks. So, in that sense, I'm dusting but online.
Then there's babaloo. This is what I like to affectionately call others like a pronoun. My kids are babaloos, my hubby is a babaloo. Etc. Etc.
Therein lies my blog title.
What you will read about is my life as an Asian woman, mom, sister, daughter, friend,... living, eating and shopping in Vancouver. There will be lots of dust I promise...probably more interesting than my introduction but you be the judge, eh?
Then there's babaloo. This is what I like to affectionately call others like a pronoun. My kids are babaloos, my hubby is a babaloo. Etc. Etc.
Therein lies my blog title.
What you will read about is my life as an Asian woman, mom, sister, daughter, friend,... living, eating and shopping in Vancouver. There will be lots of dust I promise...probably more interesting than my introduction but you be the judge, eh?
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