How to Make Your Chili 'Lightning' Hot

This is the recipe I used for our Family Halloween party/chili cook-off last night; it is also how you make your chili really, really hot--

Cook together:

1. a little olive oil, cubed chicken, chicken broth, white beans, garlic, onion, cumin, some corn starch, a squeeze of lime juice,

2. and lots and lots of jalapenos.

It is good.

Mmm, 好吃

The other day, I was taken out to lunch by a Taiwanese friend, and this is what I ate:

Almost. I didn't have my camera with me, of course, but this is a close picture to what we ordered. Doesn't it just look authentic?? It smelt good, looked good, and tasted great!! I felt like I had returned home to Taiwan (although, I was told by my friend that this food has more of a Cantonese flare than Taiwanese.) I walked into the restaurant and I was probably one of two Caucasians in the place; everyone else was Chinese. A very good sign that this is some seriously good food. We got shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, spring rolls, and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves. It was divine and the most authentic Chinese food I have found in the city.

我很想念臺灣的食物.

And where might this wonder of wonders be?

It is the Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant in Salt Lake City on Main street and 1300 South. Not only is it nearby, it is also moderately priced: only $4.95 for their lunch specials. Check out the link and look up the menu. I would love to take you there. In fact, I told the owner that next time I was going to bring friends, it was THAT good. Anyone want to go? I'll even think about buying. :)

Art

I call it...."Spaghetti".

Alvin!!

Do you remember the Chipmunks? This (the above) is the cartoon that I remember watching Saturday mornings as a kid, (and loved it) but I know there have been other versions. My niece and nephew, Colette and Jamison, love the newest Chipmunk movie. They constantly quote the movie and sing the songs. The other night they were over and were singing the Witch Doctor song. I got a brilliant idea: why not watch the song on YouTube? We ran to the computer and looked it up. We found the original 1961 version of the song. The kids loved it! Colette loved the part where their mouths turned into words and then the very end when the neighbors come to the door. In retelling the frightening end, she laughed so hard that she couldn't get the words out. Watch the video here. I had fun walking down memory lane as we watched other songs and videos. If you loved the Chipmunks, you can love them still. Check it out!

Zzzzz's

I found it incredibly difficult to wake up this morning. Somehow, I found enough "umph" to roll out of bed. I slept through my prayer, I slept in the shower, and here I am.

Aren't they Cute?!

Coleman Daniel and William Cannon Hinckley

Blessing Day,

October 12, 2008.

The Great Garden Adventure

This year in the garden I decided to be a little adventurous. I talked my mom into letting me plant three new vegetables, such as our garden had never seen before: eggplant, soybeans, and leeks.

I choose the “Japanese” variety of eggplant. They are long and skinny compared to regular eggplant. I’m not sure if it was the seeds, soil, or just confusion, but our eggplants did not grow long and skinny. They grew short and fat, with the rounded bottom like the eggplant you buy in the supermarket. Unfortunately, I never got around to stir-frying it up in soy sauce like they do in Taiwan because I never got around the pasty and bland taste of it. I only tried seasoning, breading, and topping it with spaghetti sauce and that was enough to loss my motivation for eggplant.

The soybeans were good and I was even able to convince my mom to try them and to acquire a liking for them. (Any of you who know my mom, know that she isn’t very adventuresome when it comes to trying new things). Here is how I prepared my soybeans:

Soybeans
Water
Coarse sea salt

Wash the soybean pods well. Do not cut or open the pods. Steam the pods in a pan with water until the pods are soft and you can poke them with a fork. Drain the pods well. Lightly cover the beans with salt, not so much that there is excess salt, but enough that you can see it sticking to the pods. Stick a pod between your teeth and pull the seeds/beans out. Do not eat the pod, but lick the salt off your lips.

As for the leeks, I did not plant them early enough. They take over 140 days to mature, so plant them early. I had very few leeks survive and those that did grew small and slightly, not having enough time to mature. By the time we harvested our garden (due to frost) most of them were no bigger than a green onion. However, they were still edible. I made soup with my leeks. Here’s how I made it (FYI: I don’t measure anything):

Potatoes
Onion
Leeks
Celery
Chicken broth
Canned milk (or half and half or cream)
Cornstarch
Black pepper
Parsley
Bacon bits

Peel and dice potatoes. Begin boiling them in broth. When then are slightly soft, add onion leeks, and celery, all chopped. Add canned milk. Add enough liquid (A combination of canned milk, water, chicken broth, regular milk, half and half, or whatever you have) to make as big a pot as you wish. Add black pepper, parsley, and whatever seasonings you wish. Add bacon bits for a meaty flavor. Boil until soupy. Add cornstarch to thicken. Enjoy.

It was a fun summer season with lots of fun new foods. What should I plant next year? Any suggestions?

Tag! "I" Am It

We all like tags. This one is all about me!

I…like to go bargain shopping.
I am…AWESOME!
I think…dating is overrated.
I know…approximately 6 phrases in Taiwanese, 1 phrase in Indonesian, and enough French and Italian to feed me.
I want…to go for a bike ride.
I wish…I had a million dollars.
I hate…having to make decisions. I am probably one of the most indecisive people I know. Why is it so hard for me to make up my mind? Fear of the unknown? Wanting the best? Lack of confirmation? I don’t know! I can’t decide! Like Hamlet, “To be or not to be?” is the question perpetually on my mind.
I miss…Taiwan and the people there, my grandpa, my Aunt Sherri, and yes, I admit it, I even miss school a little bit. But just a little.
I fear…failure.
I feel…sleepy.
I hear…Michael Buble and trains.
I smell…peanut butter. Yum!
I crave…authentic Taiwanese food. I miss it. And no matter how hard I try, it never turns out the same when I try to make it at home. I could go for a biandang right about now, even the boxed kind, though I prefer the ‘zijizhu’. And some dongxis. No good meal is complete without 2 or 3 chocolate filled dongxis (otherwise known as a variant of hongdoubing).
I search…for something more satisfying.
I wonder…what I’m going to do on Saturday night. I’m free (hint, hint!).
I regret…not doing more when I had the chance.
I love…my family. They are pretty darn neat.
I care…for my car. Everyone keeps telling me it is time to get a new one, but I’m too attached. I always…eat the crust first when eating a sandwich. I like to leave the best part (the middle) for last. However, when I eat pizza, I eat the crust last, as any self-respecting-pizza-eater should.
I am not…very good at setting goals and following through on them. I do much better with spontaneity.
I believe…in ‘Happily Ever After’ endings.
I dance…with my nieces and nephews in a most silly and exuberant manner. Arms are flailing, feet are kicking, and bodies are twirling. Really, it is very unbecoming and undignified, but it is really, really fun.
I sing…at the top of my lungs when alone in my car. I might not sound very good, but it is a good stress relief and helps to keep me awake late at night. I sing alto, sing in harmonization, sing in the shower, sing in the rain, sing in church, sing at work, sing while I cook, sing along to the radio, sing along to my favorite musicals, etc. I sing a lot.
I don’t always…like to do the things that I have to.
I write…in my journal, sometimes. I wrote a 9-page entry yesterday; I had a lot to catch up on. I should take counsel from the Brethren and write more often. Every day would be really good. Maybe I should set a goal… I’m also trying my hand a creative writing. To tell you the truth, it’s not going so well right now. Some days I think its fun and that I am an awesome writer, and then the next day I am stumped and think that my writing is atrocious. I guess perseverance is the key to writing well. Good luck to me!
I win…everything, unless I’m playing against Ryan.
I lose…things in my bedroom. They just seem to disappear. Perhaps if I cleaned up once in a while….
I never…do things that I know I’ll regret or be ashamed of later.
I never listen…to rap music. It just doesn’t have a good feeling to it.
I can usually be found…with a book near or about my person. I never leave home without one. You just never know when you are going to be stuck or bored for hours.
I am scared of…growing up, you know, like having to get a real job and work all the time and actually provide for myself. Crazy, I know, since I’m almost 25; I should be grown up by now. But I really like the idea of eternal youth. Is it too late for me to join Peter Pan and his crew?
I need…to take a vacation. Anyone what to go to Taiwan? How about San Francisco? I’m game.
I am happy about…being a college graduate.
I have…seen a lot of miracles.
I tag…Jill J., Crystal, my family, and anyone else who reads this (few, though you be.)

Proclaiming the Gospel

Yesterday, I had an awesome missionary opportunity. We have a consultant for work here from Chicago. The other day she asked me what there was to see in Salt Lake City, this being her first time to Utah. I lost no time in telling her that she should visit Temple Square. I even quickly explained that we had temples all over the world and even had one in Chicago. She thought that was pretty cool, but then really didn’t say much more about it. Yesterday, one of my coworkers decided that it was time for a tour of the Square and asked me to play guide. I was only too happy and excited to comply. We spent two and a half hours touring the grounds and buildings. We first took the Temple Square tour hosted by the Temple Square missionaries and then hopped over to the Conference Center and took a tour there. Can I just say that this consultant, Nikki, is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!! She listened to everything she was told with an open mind and heart and seemed to soak it all in and understand it all, all at the same time. She had a ton of questions about the Church and the “Mormon” culture. When talking of the Temple, Nikki explained to me that her family was from Nigeria. I thought a moment and said, “Oh, I think we have a temple there.” She said, “Yeah, you do. I looked it up.” When explaining about the difference between the Bible and the Book of Mormon and how they are the records of the prophets and people in Jerusalem and the Americas, she asked, “What about the people in Africa and Asia? Did they have prophets too?” As I described Lehi’s dream (very difficult to do, by the way, with all that symbolism. Hey, she asked!), she astounded my by saying, “Oh, I get it!” As we were walking back to work, she said, “Really it is so easy. The more I learn about your church the simpler it gets.” The Gospel is simple!!! She surmised that Gordon B. Hinckley preceded Thomas S. Monson as president, said she loved the feeling and peacefulness of the Square, questioned the Word of Wisdom, wondered about missionaries and mission work, queried the succession of prophets, pondered the Christus, inquired about polygamy, temple marriage and divorce, the number of kids we have, and asked me to define ‘Zion’. I cannot tell you how excited I was when Nikki filled out an information card that the missionaries gave her! To tell the truth, though I am exceedingly glad that I got to share this experience with Nikki, I am a little envious of the missionaries that are going to get to teach her. She is a Miracle waiting to happen.


I love sharing the Gospel and being a missionary. The Spirit testifies to me of the truthfulness of the Gospel each time I open my mouth. Like the stone in King Nebuchadnezzar’ dream, this work is unstoppable and will continue to roll until it fills the whole earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's Church on earth today. Christ lives, God loves us, and the Gospel is true!

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy." --Alma 29:9

FYI

Just so you know, I have a really AWESOME family.

(Family photo taken Thanksgiving Day, 2007)