I love the idea of tea. It's so comforting to have a hot cup of tea when it's been raining for a full week and the temperature is miserably low. Nothing beats an afternoon in a cafe with a book and your cup of tea.
Being Chinese, I have always felt comfortable with tea. As a child, I was very familiar with tea served during dim sum, usually Pu Erh. It's a bit intense, especially when the leaves continue to steep in the pot, but it clears off your taste buds. For a long time, that was all I knew about tea. I didn't know about milk and sugar, bubbles in my tea, fruit teas, herbal teas or anything.
It's almost akin to my learning of the world. As I expanded my social circle beyond family and Chinese friends, I found that milk and sugar in Earl Grey was pretty satisfying. I almost didn't need to eat after a cup of Earl Grey. The milk solved hunger and the sugar fulfilled a mental need for sweets. Bubble Tea became hugely popular while I was in college and traveling in Taiwan. It was a novelty and most definitely a meal in itself. Fruit teas I discovered while spending a week with friends in Turkey. Dried apple bits with honey in hot water, I wasn't sure if I ever fell in love with it but it was worth trying. As a mom, looking for alternative juice options, I found that herbal teas are good for toddlers. Apparently, tea can be matched to milestones in my life. How interesting. And yet, I'm pretty sure it's cliche.
But honestly, I wouldn't mind going out to the world and drinking tea.
3.03.2013
Our Time in Bali
 |
| Warung Murah- Seminyak |
 |
| Plataran Resort |
 |
| Seminyak Beachside Food |
 |
| Chili Crab |
 |
| Fried Fish with Chilis |
 |
| View from Metis- Seminyak |
 |
| Sardine- Seminyak |
 |
| Metis- Seminyak |
 |
| Plataran Resort |
 |
| Metis-Seminyak |
 |
| Plataran Resort |
 |
| Plataran Resort |
 |
| Beachside Food- Spring Rolls |
2.20.2013
My Romance with Trader Joe
I love Trader Joe. My toddler really loves Trader Joe. Whoever he is, we love him. When we step into the store, T drags me to the 'yummy' area for a sample of their daily product tasting. He has his own grocery list when I visit Trader Joe's.
Pretzel Stick Bread, which is eat on premises
Freeze Dried Strawberries, eat in car on way home
Blueberries and Cream Yogurt, eat first thing when we get home
Ground Turkey (for meatballs or burgers) and Frozen Petite Peas, used for dinner that night
Mini Pancakes with fruit and agave, breakfast the next day
Edamame Hummus, for sandwiches the next day
Guilt-Free Pita Chips, to finish off the hummus by the evening
I can actually keep going just on snacks alone (honey wheat pretzel sticks, kettle popcorn, peanut butter filled pretzels, etc.). We love Trader Joe. Whoever he is...
Pretzel Stick Bread, which is eat on premises
Freeze Dried Strawberries, eat in car on way home
Blueberries and Cream Yogurt, eat first thing when we get home
Ground Turkey (for meatballs or burgers) and Frozen Petite Peas, used for dinner that night
Mini Pancakes with fruit and agave, breakfast the next day
Edamame Hummus, for sandwiches the next day
Guilt-Free Pita Chips, to finish off the hummus by the evening
I can actually keep going just on snacks alone (honey wheat pretzel sticks, kettle popcorn, peanut butter filled pretzels, etc.). We love Trader Joe. Whoever he is...
T in the Far East
16 hours from JFK to HKG. A week later, 4.5 hours from HKG to Denpasar, Indonesia. At the risk of malaria and Bali Belly, we touted our 2 and a half year old T on a 3 week trek through Hong Kong, Bali and Macau. I think T is made for travel- the many times that he's flown, he never had problems with air pressure and motion sickness, and though we worried about upset stomachs and mosquitoes, the biggest problem we had to deal with was T getting too comfortable sleeping on our bed.
I'm almost ashamed to admit the amount of Hong Kong street food that he had, the curry fish balls, the mini cakes, the waffles, the bowls of noodles and steamed rice crepes. Add to that, all the freshly made juice that we bought in street stalls, whose equipment and ingredients lay open and accessible to dirt, people and gaseous fumes. But he had the time of his life! I have to say, I'm pretty proud of him.
T even got to see the fancier side of Hong Kong food. He loved it just the same. It was just more painful for us when he decided that he'd eaten enough and wanted to run around instead. I'm really ashamed to admit that we pulled out the electronics all too often. But there was no way anyone was letting him loose around Lei Gardens or the Four Seasons. So, iPhone it was.
I'm almost ashamed to admit the amount of Hong Kong street food that he had, the curry fish balls, the mini cakes, the waffles, the bowls of noodles and steamed rice crepes. Add to that, all the freshly made juice that we bought in street stalls, whose equipment and ingredients lay open and accessible to dirt, people and gaseous fumes. But he had the time of his life! I have to say, I'm pretty proud of him.
T even got to see the fancier side of Hong Kong food. He loved it just the same. It was just more painful for us when he decided that he'd eaten enough and wanted to run around instead. I'm really ashamed to admit that we pulled out the electronics all too often. But there was no way anyone was letting him loose around Lei Gardens or the Four Seasons. So, iPhone it was.
 |
| Salt Cooked Chicken and Quail Eggs- Street Stall in Tai O |
 |
| Baked Portuguese Chicken and Rice- Mei Do Cafe |
 |
| Smoked Duck Egg- Ningbo Restaurant |
 |
| Stinky Tofu & Shrimp with Egg Yolks- Ningbo Restaurant |
 |
| Satay Beef with Tomato Broth Rice Noodles- Star Cafe |
 |
| Shrimp Caviar on Noodles- Six Cafe in Macau |
 |
| Street Stall- Tai O |
 |
| Beef Chow Fun- Mei Do Cafe |
1.09.2013
Breakfast with T
In our household, breakfast never posed much importance until the arrival of our toddler. Waking at dawn on most days, T is hungry by 7am EST. My groggy self usually whips up a suitable breakfast in automaton mode. Here are some ideas:
French Toast- Super easy with store bought bread, especially if you're close to a Chinese bakery, the high-gluten flour that they use for sliced bread gives your toast great texture. Give your slice of bread an egg bath, toss it on the fry pan with a teeny bit of oil, some cinnamon and maple or agave syrup, good to go!
Omelets- Pop an extra ingredient to make it more filling or nutritious.
Frozen Pancakes- Serve with fruit/nuts/granola and yogurt on top.
Steel Cut Oatmeal- Make enough for a couple days and store in fridge. When ready to use, heat up a little milk and pour in oatmeal to warm. Add your mix-ins.
Growing up Chinese, we have a whole other menu of breakfast items. Some to share are:
Macaroni in Soup- Use any kind of broth (chicken, usually), add cooked macaroni, cubed carrots, peas and chicken, variations aplenty, tailor to taste.
Frozen Waffles- Use for pb&j's, nutella and pb. For really special mornings, condensed milk with peanut butter.
Chow Mein- Great to heat up in nuker for a quick breakfast. Don't use the typical American-Chinese oily noodles, instead, grab the thin or wide egg noodles. Stir fry the noodles with chives, a little soy sauce and sesame oil. If that's too plain, mix with an omelet cut into strips and add some chopped up veg.
Savory Oatmeal- use a savory broth to cook the oatmeal, add chicken or pork, peas and carrots, same idea as Macaroni in Soup
Happy Brekkie!
French Toast- Super easy with store bought bread, especially if you're close to a Chinese bakery, the high-gluten flour that they use for sliced bread gives your toast great texture. Give your slice of bread an egg bath, toss it on the fry pan with a teeny bit of oil, some cinnamon and maple or agave syrup, good to go!
Omelets- Pop an extra ingredient to make it more filling or nutritious.
Frozen Pancakes- Serve with fruit/nuts/granola and yogurt on top.
Steel Cut Oatmeal- Make enough for a couple days and store in fridge. When ready to use, heat up a little milk and pour in oatmeal to warm. Add your mix-ins.
Growing up Chinese, we have a whole other menu of breakfast items. Some to share are:
Macaroni in Soup- Use any kind of broth (chicken, usually), add cooked macaroni, cubed carrots, peas and chicken, variations aplenty, tailor to taste.
Frozen Waffles- Use for pb&j's, nutella and pb. For really special mornings, condensed milk with peanut butter.
Chow Mein- Great to heat up in nuker for a quick breakfast. Don't use the typical American-Chinese oily noodles, instead, grab the thin or wide egg noodles. Stir fry the noodles with chives, a little soy sauce and sesame oil. If that's too plain, mix with an omelet cut into strips and add some chopped up veg.
Savory Oatmeal- use a savory broth to cook the oatmeal, add chicken or pork, peas and carrots, same idea as Macaroni in Soup
Happy Brekkie!
1.08.2013
Medicine
Is medicine 'good eats'? Perhaps not. But when faced with a fevering toddler, medicine cannot be avoided. Modern parents have a menu of options in their arsenal. Pharmacies can flavor liquids with their child's favorite syrupy concoction. There are quick dissolve tablets that actually taste decent. You can drown the 5ml of Acetaminophen in a 118ml suspension of cocoa and milk. So much available and yet, nothing worked.
Here's the trick that totally got my 2 year-old blindsided- dissolve a quick dissolve tablet in a small amount of juice. It's that simple! The tablets are much more pleasant in flavor and lacks that icky, fakey sweetness of syrup meds. Pass it on.
11.06.2012
Capital Crushers- Washington DC with a Toddler
On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I was shocked. I still can't believe that we had so much fun. "We" being my 2 year old toddler and I! It felt like I was touring the city with a friend. The weather did not cooperate, it was raining softly the whole day. T hates his rain cover and I hate umbrellas. As a result, we arrived slightly damp at each stop.
Our day began at the National Building Museum, I was very excited about this one. They have a space created especially for toddlers called the Building Zone which promised kid-sized Bob the Builder equipment for kiddies to experiment and explore. It was educational for me and awesome fun for T. Despite the lightly falling rain, I made the trek from our parking garage to the somewhat out of the way museum. We made it just as the museum was opening. On the walk over, I had repeatedly touted the fun we would have to my tour group of one. He was hyped, I was beyond excited for him to run off and leave me be for an hour. When we walked in, we oohed and ahhed the giant marble columns that faced us from the entrance. I quickly located the information booth, saw a list of exhibits that required additional payment and thought, "So D.C. museums aren't REALLY free!," then I stopped dead. There was an information sign with a huge picture of Bob the Builder. It read, "Exhibit closed for renovations 10/15-10/20." What date is it today? DARNATION!!!
We heaved a great sigh and walked out.
Quick contemplation about where we were, where we should go and how to get there led us to the National Mall where everything else was located. Our first stop, National Air and Space Museum, was an immediate hit the moment we stepped past security. The airplanes, rockets and vehicles locked in T's attention and we quickly ran from plane to plane to exhibit. There is a large children's area with exhibits that explain the science of flight. Preschoolers will love fiddling with gauges, buttons and wheels. Older kids can learn about gravity, atmosphere, torque and etc. Within the children's area, a small stage area is set up for short talks and presentations. We walked in while a boy stood center stage being fitted for an astronaut suit and a guide explaining why the suit was necessary (environmental concerns) and what it was made of (Kevlar was in there). There is also a gift shop with freeze-dried ice cream, memorabilia, astronaut costumes, etc.
After 2 hours running around Air and Space, we went next door to the Museum of the American Indian. This time we were in search of food at Cafe Mitsitam, a very child-friendly food court with interesting food choices plus wine and beer. They feature food that Native Americans really would've eaten prior to modern conveniences and much of it is very familiar, roast salmon, pumpkin soup, roast vegetables. We had the fried bread, duck sausage soup, a quinoa salad and a wild mushroom salad. I enjoyed it. T gobbled up most of the fried bread dipped in soup. Very satisfying. They also have chicken fingers, fries and buffalo burgers. We said our good-byes after lunch, vowing to return in the future for a more thorough visit, and headed to the Museum of Natural History.
Our day began at the National Building Museum, I was very excited about this one. They have a space created especially for toddlers called the Building Zone which promised kid-sized Bob the Builder equipment for kiddies to experiment and explore. It was educational for me and awesome fun for T. Despite the lightly falling rain, I made the trek from our parking garage to the somewhat out of the way museum. We made it just as the museum was opening. On the walk over, I had repeatedly touted the fun we would have to my tour group of one. He was hyped, I was beyond excited for him to run off and leave me be for an hour. When we walked in, we oohed and ahhed the giant marble columns that faced us from the entrance. I quickly located the information booth, saw a list of exhibits that required additional payment and thought, "So D.C. museums aren't REALLY free!," then I stopped dead. There was an information sign with a huge picture of Bob the Builder. It read, "Exhibit closed for renovations 10/15-10/20." What date is it today? DARNATION!!!
We heaved a great sigh and walked out.
Quick contemplation about where we were, where we should go and how to get there led us to the National Mall where everything else was located. Our first stop, National Air and Space Museum, was an immediate hit the moment we stepped past security. The airplanes, rockets and vehicles locked in T's attention and we quickly ran from plane to plane to exhibit. There is a large children's area with exhibits that explain the science of flight. Preschoolers will love fiddling with gauges, buttons and wheels. Older kids can learn about gravity, atmosphere, torque and etc. Within the children's area, a small stage area is set up for short talks and presentations. We walked in while a boy stood center stage being fitted for an astronaut suit and a guide explaining why the suit was necessary (environmental concerns) and what it was made of (Kevlar was in there). There is also a gift shop with freeze-dried ice cream, memorabilia, astronaut costumes, etc.
After 2 hours running around Air and Space, we went next door to the Museum of the American Indian. This time we were in search of food at Cafe Mitsitam, a very child-friendly food court with interesting food choices plus wine and beer. They feature food that Native Americans really would've eaten prior to modern conveniences and much of it is very familiar, roast salmon, pumpkin soup, roast vegetables. We had the fried bread, duck sausage soup, a quinoa salad and a wild mushroom salad. I enjoyed it. T gobbled up most of the fried bread dipped in soup. Very satisfying. They also have chicken fingers, fries and buffalo burgers. We said our good-byes after lunch, vowing to return in the future for a more thorough visit, and headed to the Museum of Natural History.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)