Monthly Archives: March 2010

Broccoli in Oyster Sauce

Posted on by

Back to the daily grind! My husband and I went away for a little “stay-cation” in the city. It was really nice not having a schedule, but we did miss our kids. I’ll be sharing some foodie moments from the weekend another time… haven’t downloaded the pics, yet.

When I was little, I actually liked vegetables. Maybe it was because my mom cooked them in and with delicious sauces or gravy which was really good with a bowlful of sticky white rice. My kids aren’t like that, and it’s a little disheartening that they don’t like veggies as much as I did at their age. I’m hoping they grow out of it, sooner than later. What is promising is that they enjoy vegetables if they are prepared Chinese-style or somehow Asian. Actually, when I feel the kids aren’t eating well at all, I pull out all the Chinese-Filipino recipes and they magically start eating again. Here’s my recipe for a nice side dish that the three-year old ate with rice. He passed up the chicken main course and ate only this.

  • 3 cups of broccoli – mostly florets
  • 1/4 c. water
  • 2 tbsp. oyster sauce (can get in most groceries)
  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • dash cooking wine
  • 1-1/2 tsp. light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 tbsp. minced ginger
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp. water
  • dash of sesame oil

Combine water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar in small bowl. Mix well, set aside.

Prep the broccoli by blanching – fill pot with enough water to cover broccoli. Get water to boiling first, then place broccoli in pot, cook until bright green, about 1-2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, set aside.

In a wok or pan, heat vegetable oil. Add garlic and ginger and toss until fragrant, but not brown. Next, add the sauce you mixed before, and heat.  Return broccoli to pan and mix in sauce well. Cook for one minute, then add cornstarch mixture to thicken. Add a splash of sesame oil at the end if you’d like, only optional. Stir around, and plate…

Some Birthday Card crafting

Posted on by

I’ve been hard at work 1) finishing up a product review, my second one, for Craft Critique, 2) trying to schedule a speaker for the NAWIC Chicago chapter, 3) getting Communion invitations together.

In the meantime, we had a few special birthdays to celebrate. It was really fun experimenting with my Copic markers on the cupcake card (shown above). I don’t even have a full blown set, but enough where I can mess around with the shading. Then I felt compelled to pull out my Lumiere paint and start this:

which turned into this… a sort of Griffin and Sabine-Nick Bantock feel. Perfect for the recipient. It wasn’t intentional, either. I so love my Nick Bantock stamps. Two of them are on the card; the archaeological glyph-ish stamp and compass rose.

And what a difference with the details when I used VersaFine ink! Tried the Copic markers again, and then went over the image with a gloss.

Other updates:

  • I was recommended for appointment to the Historic Preservation Commission. I really need to get started on some reading now.
  • Compost container is almost done. I didn’t finish it in class, but all the pieces and parts are here. Wait until you see it!
  • Exercising took a small setback with Daylight Savings. Seriously, I am having such a hard time getting up in the morning, but I got back on the bike yesterday and today.
  • A HUGE thank you to everyone who answered the survey. I used a name randomizer on www.annabet.com for the Midwest Living magazine subscription winners: Elmin Pittges and Sally Chalex.

And, I’d like to introduce a new interactive scrapbooking community, Club Creating Keepsakes! Please check out this link at Craft Critique to learn more and win giveaways!

Happy Spring with a gift

Posted on by

Signs of Spring! Last fall, we planted garlic bulbs. They started coming up with the little warmup we’ve had in the weather. So exciting! Have to get the chicken wire on the fence soon. The three shrubs in the back seem to have survived the winter, too. I’m a little concerned about one of them, but time will tell.

It was in the low to mid 60s around here, then the bottom fell out and we had snow (again) over the weekend. Saturday morning I woke up to, “Mom, it’s snowing! You have to shovel!” (I actually didn’t. No snow on the driveway or walks.) Yesterday, we had to get out of the house for a little and ended up having noodles and sushi at one of our favorite Japanese spots.

Elsewhere in the STiJ world:

  • Last week, I interviewed for a volunteer position at our city hall. They’re forming a historic preservation commission. We’ll see how this goes.
  • This week is Spring Break for Abby and next week will be Eastman’s. I might not be on top of my blogging game.
  • To further my gardening skills, I’ll be attending a “Make Your Own Composter” class later this week at a local nature center.
  • I have my first Craft Critique article coming out soon, too, and I’m finishing my second article this week. Let’s say I hope it “sticks”!
  • Been making more cards lately. Will post tutorials soon.
  • Lastly, I’m hoping some readers can help. I’ve made a very casual survey about handcrafted gifts. Hopefully it will help me organize some thoughts on opening an online shop. The survey can be forwarded to other people – so please feel free to do so. Go to the link below, answer the questions and participants can win one of two free subscriptions to Midwest Living. Survey is open until this Wednesday, 3-24-10.

Click here to take survey

Cheers,

Julie

Durian candy from the Philippines

Posted on by

Durian. Ever have it? Heard that it’s an acquired taste. It scares me. I’ve seen it at the Asian grocery stores, and I’ve only seen it being eaten on Food Network. While durian might be a great fruit, the unfortunate part might be its smell, which then I would think affects its taste. Let’s say it smells like feet… at the end of the day… after wearing socks made from synthetic material that doesn’t let your skin breathe. Yeah, right? What would possess someone to try this fruit? But, there are people who eat it. If you can get past the interesting aroma, you are rewarded with a smooth and creamy fruit – I wonder if it’s like avocado in that sense? In Asian cuisine, it’s used in milkshakes, ice cream, cakes and candy. So… hiding the fruit in food masks the smell? Maybe.

I’m not opposed to trying things once, so when my husband’s parents came home with some durian CANDY, I thought, okay, it’s been sugared up and I’m not eating it straight off the tree. It’s a little less scary. Great. I took a small bite out of the already small bite-size piece and let the flavor melt in my mouth a little. Disappointment. Sweetened condensed milk and sugar with durian could not convince me. I could still taste feet-iness. I wanted to like it, really. I even wanted to fake liking it so my husband would try it. Could you imagine, “Hey, honey, this is sooooo delicious. Try it!”

Found some takers for our two bags – My mom, dad and aunt were happy to have a taste of home.

Birthday Favor Ideas

Posted on by

Birthday parties have always been a fun and memorable event growing up. When we were really young, opening presents and goody/loot bags were the best things ever… I remember getting dot candy on paper strips, the fortune fish you’d hold in your hand that curls up, stickers, tattoos and the plastic trinkets and jewelry that my parents hated so. What a treasure it was to us but was so easily forgotten.

After last year’s Webkinz party at home, we went the other way and hosted a few friends outside and went simple on a take-home gift: One of Abby’s favorite things to eat, dark chocolate. She prefers Scharffen Berger (she’s such a foodie already), but also loves Trader Joe’s dark chocolate. So, we bought a few bars and to dress it up, I took some scrapbook paper and die-cut shapes that coordinated with her favor colors and wrapped the bars. Very simple and cute, just like my kid.

Other thoughtful ideas:

  • Giant, decorated sugar cookie that ties into the party theme (i.e. Butterfly cookies from a local bakery for an outdoor or spring themed party or these cookies)
  • Small cellophane bag of a favorite candy (M&M’s), tied with curling ribbon
  • Thank you cards with a picture of the guest of honor along with friends.
  • Picture CD’s of the party
  • Small bud vases with seasonal flowers

Craft Product Review: Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel

Posted on by

Been looking at my craft stash lately. Been buying more stamping supplies, too. What fun! Here’s a look at what I’ll be doing for Craft Critique in the next few months.

Update: This article is posting on April 5, 2010 at www.craftcritique.com

Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel (gel medium)

Gel medium is one of the most versatile products you can have in your arsenal of craft tools. It can turn any piece of fabric into a primed canvas for painting. It can also be a great glue for collages or protect pictures and paintings. Mix it with your acrylic paint and you’ve extended its life. I’m sure there are more uses, but being an intermediate non-professional crafter, I like to use it for my painted fabric silhouettes.

I’m comparing the Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel to the Matte Gel, which has been my preferred substrate. Both have the consistency of a smooth, non-sticky, lightweight batter, but Matte Gel (on left) is translucent while the Ultra Matte (on right) is semi-opaque. For my purposes, I needed to thin the Ultra Matte Gel so my printed fabric would show through. However, when the gel medium was fully dry, you could tell that the original color was slightly altered (see fuschia butterfly wing). If keeping the original vibrancy is an issue, I would stick with translucent or transparent gel medium.

For lengthening the life of a mixed color, Ultra Matte Gel is fantastic. Just don’t use too much, otherwise your color will lighten. Remember to do a test spot in any application.

Retails anywhere between $10-$12. Store coupons are useful since these products hardly ever seem to go on sale. I was fortunate to find this in the clearance rack for under $4.00.

Pros:
A little goes a long way
Slow drying and does not yellow
Nice matte finish
Can be thinned with a little water
Easy clean up

Cons:
May be cost prohibitive
Slow drying
May dull or lighten colors

Update: This article will also be posting on the Craft Critique site in the near future.

Disclaimer: I was not paid by Liquitex or Craft Critique for my opinion.

Related Posts with Thumbnails