香芹炒豆干

每次做这道菜，都很受欢迎，一定是全部吃光。但我却不常做，其中一个原因是我觉得味道太香浓，常吃容易生厌。

材料：西芹，五香豆干
调味料：素食蚝油 ，酱油

做法:

1. 西芹除去老筋，豆干和西芹切成丝，我喜欢切得薄一些，细一些，好看也好吃。
2. 炒锅放少量油，下豆干丝，煎炒至表面有些金黄色，加入1大勺素食蚝油，翻炒上色
3. 加入芹菜丝，翻炒几下，倒入1小勺 酱油，关火，用余热翻炒均匀，盛盘。

细节：

1. 要保持芹菜丝的色泽和口感鲜嫩，不要炒太过。

酸辣土豆丝

这是我有史以来切的最细的土豆丝了。 实际上，我们家基本上只炒土豆片的，图省劲嘛。 今天来了兴致，练一下刀工。我们回家的时候吃过先生的姐姐做的，记得我们当时夸了好一阵切得那么细。我想，应该没什么难的，就是需要耐心一些。结果还不错，吃起来脆生生，酸溜溜，看起来也讨人喜欢。这工夫化得还真值得。

我这次只放了一个小干红辣椒，所以吃起来不怎么辣。反正三个人都很喜欢。

材料：土豆（红皮 或 白皮），干辣椒， 花椒
调味料：盐，糖，米醋（ 或陈醋）

做法：

1. 土豆削皮，切成长的细丝。事先在一个大碗里装足够多的水，滴几滴醋，将切好的土豆丝放进水里，以保持其脆感和色泽。
2. 土豆沥干水待用，炒锅里放油，七成热，放辣椒和花椒，出香味后，关火并将花椒捞出丢掉。（今天我做的时候忘记了这一步。）
3. 放土豆丝，翻炒，如果太干，可淋少量水，加盐和糖，要起锅前加醋，关火，再翻炒几下，盛盘。

另: 可用新鲜的青辣椒或红辣椒代替干辣椒。

爸爸的小猪

我们在家吃饭时，天天有时只要吃米饭，为了督促他多吃菜，我们总是尽量用形象的看得见的语言跟他说不吃菜会如何如何。

今天，在sunflower 餐馆吃晚饭，也碰到这个状况，天天要求只吃米饭，爸爸便象通常一样尽职尽责地，严肃认真地，自然流畅并且很大声地说到，“不行，你不吃菜会长得像小猪一样。” 我听了，抬头看看周围满座的客人，又看看仍然一脸义正言辞的爸爸，哎，真是习惯成自然哪。幸好讲得是中文，没人听得懂。

剃了一半的头

下午在车上，老公说到，“明天我们得割草了，今天邻居割了旁边的草，结果整个草地象剃了一半的头，难看死了。”

哎，每次都是这样等到这种时候不得已才去做，我们（其实是我）真是比较懒。

于是，我说，“等我给我们邻居写封信，抗议一下，要么不割，要么帮我们都割掉，别搞得这个样子，用中文写。” 老公听了，就乐得大笑，还起劲地说，“旁边再画幅画，一个人剃了阴阳头的样子，然后写上'do you like this style'”. 这么一起添油加醋一番，我们已经笑得很满意了。

谢谢我们有个比我们勤快的邻居，明早起早割草吧。

清爽豆腐羹

材料：滑豆腐一块， 冷冻小豌豆和玉米粒，枸杞子15粒， 香菇
调味料：素食清高汤 （罐装），生粉

做法:

1. 豆腐切小块，枸杞子洗净，香菇泡发切小片
2. 取一杯高汤，加水调到咸淡适中，烧开，放香菇，再放入所有其他材料，小火煮大约5 分钟
   
3. 生粉勾芡，即可
   

清蒸豆腐盒子

原料：豆腐300克，香菇3只，枸杞子10粒（泡软，榨菜，淀粉适量
调味料：酱油、糖、香油

作法：

1. 将豆腐切成四方小块，中心挖空；
2. 将洗净泡软的香菇剁碎，榨菜剁碎，加入调味料及淀粉拌匀即为馅料；
3. 将馅料酿入豆腐中心，放一颗枸杞子在上面， 摆在碟上蒸熟；
4. 淋上香油、酱油，放一点绿叶装饰，即可食用。
   

功效：香菇可降低胆固醇，豆腐有利减肥。

佛手黄瓜

从网上看到这个好听的名字，其实做法是多年前在上海时就知道的。

材料：嫩黄瓜2支
调味料：盐，白糖，麻油，米醋
做法:

1. 将黄瓜切成所谓佛手状，就是前面四刀下去不要切断，第五刀再切到底部，这样就有五个薄片连在一起，吃时好看也好夹。
2. 将切好的黄瓜与适量盐拌一下，放置大约20分钟， 这是为了使之更入味，并除去一些水分。
3. 将腌过的黄瓜在流水下冲掉多余的盐分， 加入所有调味料，便匀即可。
   

新的：

1. 且黄瓜是要切薄一些，易入味也好看。

toasted chestnut

One day I was browsing the frozen food isle in Trade Joe's while I spotted a package of chestnuts. From the instruction, it seemed that those chestnuts were from Italy and ware already roasted. The only thing need to do is to reheat 15 minutes and then they are ready to serve. I am always curious to try something new. So that is it, toast-oven-heated-frozen-Italy-style chestnut. It looked a little over-burned, but that make it easier to peel off. It doesn't taste quite like those fresh-roasted, still it is a hit for a sunday morning snack. It is very joyful to see Jun and Forrest so eager on picking and eating them.

脆皮豆腐

材料

嫩豆腐1块 ,地瓜粉半杯，淀粉半杯

调味料

番茄酱2大匙、酱油1大匙、白糖半大匙、麻油2小匙

作法

1.豆腐先用盐水浸泡20分钟。

2.将地瓜粉和淀粉混合，将豆腐切成1cm厚的长方块，每块沾一层干粉，放置2分钟使干粉固定在豆腐上。

3.锅内放油， 大约一寸高，要没过豆腐，烧热，放入豆腐炸酥，捞出沥油，摆放盘内。

4．将上述调味料放入小碟内，调匀，作蘸料吃

心得

1.浸过盐水的豆腐不易散，拿放豆腐也要小心轻柔，以保持豆腐较好的形状。

2．先将混合好的粉放入一个大碗内，粉量要充足，以方便将豆腐放入沾裹。

2.也可将调味料加适量水烧热，放入一小把小豌豆，在用生粉勾芡，淋在豆腐上，红中嵌绿，也很惹眼。照片中的就是这种吃法。

1杯 = 240 c.c.
1大匙 = 1 Tablespoon = 15 c.c.
1小匙 = 1 Teaspoon = 5 c.c.

fresh corn muffin

I made these muffin using 6 fresh corn cones and muffin powder. It tastes very good with the flavor of fresh corn, except I feel too sweet. Maybe it is because there contains suger in the muffin powder, next time I will try to find the recipe of muffin powder and make less-sweet muffin from scrach.

The recipe is from yeqiang.com

豆花汤

在美国，早餐的花样很少，无外乎面包，牛奶一类， 经常想起国内五花八门，方便实惠的早餐大排挡。 总是特别喜欢喝一碗豆腐脑，白嫩嫩，热腾腾，看着诱人，吃着舒服。"there is a will, there is a way". 我在韩国超市看到一种特别嫩的豆腐，可以拿来充当豆腐脑，没有那末正宗，也足以调剂肠胃，慰思乡之情。

材料1：特嫩豆腐一盒，切小块备用
材料2：榨菜切碎， 紫菜撕小片，香菜切细
调味料：酱油， 麻油

做法：

1. 水烧开， 放入豆腐块，煮5分钟
2. 将材料2 放入准备好的碗里，待豆腐煮好后，将豆腐和汤一起盛入碗中，即可。

雪菜毛豆百页

问了金山超市的师傅,才知道他们是用新鲜的大芥菜来做所谓"雪菜豆干". 我也买了一包回来尝试.

1. 雪菜 :芥菜洗静切碎,撒盐, 不要太咸,腌一天, 挤干水,备用
2. "豆百页": 因家中没有百页,因地制宜,我用了豆包. 用温水加1tea spoon baking powder, 浸泡大约1/2 小时, 切小片
3. 毛豆:解冻
4. 炒: 油热后, 加姜丝, 下雪菜炒,入毛豆, 最后放百页
5. 稍加翻炒, 熄火
6. 可即时吃,也可存入冰箱作冷菜. 和其他生菜搭配一起吃

心得：腌制雪菜时， 所用盐量和时间需要再研究，以保持雪菜的翠绿和鲜嫩

红烧腐竹

其实我是用卤菜的方法做的，
材料：干腐竹一包，压缩干木耳一块
调料：酱油(1/2 杯)，冰糖(1/4 杯)，olive oil ( 1/4 杯)
香料:八角2颗 , 花椒 10

1. 用凉水浸泡腐竹,用热水泡发木耳, 发至饱满后, 撕成小块备用
2. 将发好后的腐竹, 木耳,上述调料和香料, 放入锅内,加少量水, 水量不要没过腐竹
3. 大火煮开后转小火, 煮至入味,腐竹口感软硬合口即可停火.
4. 我个人喜欢将腐竹留在锅中,第二天再取出, 这样,腐竹更软嫩可口
   
5. 将腐竹连带汤汁一起放入冰箱,随吃随取,是不错的冷菜

注:调料用量仅作参考.

picnic in a sunny day-June 18, 2006

Today is Father's day. It is a nice sunny day but a little hot. We dicided to go to Lawrence park for a picnic this afternoon. Lawrence park is pretty close where we live and there are lot of big trees giving cool shade from the sun.With the trees and meadow, the picnic area looks very neat in a green world. Forrest loves to look for some fish in the water lily pond, pick some small rock and throw into the water.

For the picnic, I prepared as the following,

• for Forrest, soy nuggets,of course with ketchup
• salad: soy bean thread with celery and carrot(凉拌干丝)
• rice roll(with chinese cabbage, soy bean sprout, basil) and peanut sauce(越南春卷)
• drinks: apple cider sprinkle, water
• fruits mix: peach & pear

After lunch, I laid down on the grass and almost dozed off while Jun was playing with Forrest around. That is a very beautiful afternoon.

daily menu

June,12,2006 Monday

Dinner menu:

• good-wife Tofu soup (recipe from Chaihai vegi food)

• fresh cucumber and carrots
• french bread
• dried-tomato sauce served with bread(from Trade Joe's)

----Evaluation: easy to make. All of us like it. Tian ate almost the soup given to him and half of bread.

June,13,2006 Tuesday

Jun's lunch box:

• Two vegi-burger (frozen vegi-pattie from Trade Joe's, )
• cut tomato and fresh carrots

Rubing&Tian 's lunch (ar Kim Sam)--four small cool dishes:

• 红烧腐竹(with mushroom,taste good)
• 雪菜毛豆(with bamboo shoot)
• 凉拌干丝(with a little bit shredded carrot & celery,look good)
• 芽菜海带

-----Those dishes taste good especially in summer. I will try make some of them and store in frige. There are two important points to get best taste : proper cooking time to have the soy protein taste not too soft or too hard; the source mixture.

Dinner:

• deep-fry green bean seasoned with vegi-seasoning powder
• extra-soft tofu salad(with picked vegitable, seasoned seaweed, soybean sauce,seasame oil, chinese parsley)
• chinese bread(ManTou) and rice soup
• picked radish

-----I forgot to take picture. The green-bean is really a seccess which looked and tasted nice. The rice soup is also yum, because this time I mixed right quatity water and rice. The rice soup tasted really good with the picked radish.

June 14,2006 Wedesday

Jun's lunch box

• extra green bean
  
• smoked bean curd soaked in sauce
• ManTou

小菜：红烧腐竹（I would store it in fridge for several days. We can eat it as appetitzer of some meal,or as a substitute when there is no enough dish ）

June 15,2006 Thuresday

Picnic-- Today we (Forrest and I) packed a very simple picnic and went to Lawrence park.

• two small bagels, baked bean curd, water

With very nice breeze and lots of greens, we had fun although our food was very simple.

Dinner

• 红烧豆腐（酱油，花椒粉，糖，tomato sauce, 九层塔.)
• stir-fry cabbage
• steamed rice
• steamed sweet corn
  

June 16 Friday

Dinner


凉面：（modified northern-china style ）

• 腌香椿, 酸甜胡萝卜,黄瓜丝
• 豆腐百页

光阴的故事

光阴的故事

词 曲:罗大佑
--------
春天的花开秋天的风
以及冬天的落阳
忧郁的青春年少的我
曾经无知的这么想

风车在四季轮回的歌里
它天天的流转
风花雪月的诗句里
我在年年的成长
流水它带走光阴的故事
改变了一个人
就在那多愁善感而初次
等待的青春

发黄的相片古老的信
以及褪色的圣诞卡
年轻时为你写的歌
恐怕你早已忘了吧
过去的誓言
就像那课本里缤纷的书签
刻划着多少美丽的诗
可是终究是一阵烟
流水它带走光阴的故事
改变了两个人
就在那多愁善感而初次
流泪的青春
----
遥远的路程昨日的梦
以及远去的笑声
再次的见面我们
又历经了多少的路程
不再是旧日熟悉的我
有着旧日狂热的梦
也不是旧日熟悉的你
有着依然的笑容
流水它带走光阴的故事
改变了我们
就在那多愁善感而初次
回忆的青春

明天会更好

明天会更好 - 群星

轻轻敲醒沉睡的心灵
慢慢张开你的眼睛
看看忙碌的世界
是否依然孤独的转个不停
春风不解风情
吹动少年的心
让昨日脸上的泪痕
随记忆风干了

抬头寻找天空的翅膀
候鸟出现它的影迹
带来远处的饥荒
无情的战火依然存在的消息
玉山白雪飘零
燃烧少年的心
使真情溶化成音符
倾诉遥远的祝福

唱出你的热情
伸出你的双手
让我拥抱着你的梦
让我拥有你真心的面孔
让我们的笑容
充满着青春的骄傲
为明天献出虔诚的祈祷

谁能不顾自己的家园
抛开记忆中的童年
谁能忍心看那昨日的忧愁
带走我们的笑容
青春不解红尘
胭脂沾染了灰
让久违不见的泪水
滋润了你的面容

唱出你的热情
伸出你的双手
让我拥抱着你的梦
让我拥有你真心的面孔
让我们的笑容
充满着青春的骄傲
为明天献出虔诚的祈祷

轻轻敲醒沉睡的心灵
慢慢张开你的眼睛
看看忙碌的世界
是否依然孤独的转个不停
日出唤醒清晨
大地光彩重生
让和风拂出的音响
谱成生命的乐章

唱出你的热情
伸出你的双手
让我拥抱着你的梦
让我拥有你真心的面孔
让我们的笑容
充满着青春的骄傲
让我们期待着明天会更好

the bad mood

sometimes I just have a bad mood which makes me lose my self-control and sanity. I will do and talk the bad things while I am totally aware of it. It just feels like some vicious energy clotted together in my stomach, making me furious like a black witch, abject like a slave, helpless like an abandoned infant

My prayer for my parents

Tonight I called my parents. It's my mom answer the phone and she said my father went outside. I asked about whether my father got well, asked Tian to talk with her for a while. Then I told her briefly about our everyday life. She still sounded flat and negative, but we talked more than before. I let her know more things about my life. That is already a very big progress. I will keep working on it.

Now I can say I have no bitterness to my parents. And I am trying to put myself in their shoes. I try to see them at the same level with me as a human being. They are not happy or they always complain, because they don't know what can satisfy the longing inside. I wish I could do something to help them feel peaceful and blissful.

The mother's day is coming, what kind of gift could I give to her? I pray for the wisdom and courage to show my love to her.

Dear God, I ask you help my mother and my father have peace in heart, I ask you show me how I can give them what they really need. I ask you make all of us to open heart to one another. May you bless all of us.

the rule of communication

1. Don't just talk about what you like to talk, instead,share what is valuable of others' time and attention.------ That is necessary to keep people focused and the conversation meaningful.
Remember, nobody has time for your blah.


2. Try to find the other's language.
Sometimes, you try very hard but you still cannot go through the conversation smoothly. You should think about to speak their language(not literally). For example, when you speak with youg child, you should find a way to make them listen to you. Then you should use the word and logic that they can understand. I think I have made a lot progress on how to talk with my son.

However, I never try to understand my parents' language. What they want to listen, what they want to talk about, what make them happy and satisfactory, what worry them most. I never try to adjust myself to their level or put myself in their shoes. I will definitely need work this out.

The flying moment

Have you ever experienced a moment of flying in your heart? That is beautiful. At that moment, I just feel I can fly. The feeling is so clear I can even see two beautiful and strong wings are flipping.
At that moment, I was totally relieved from the pain and struggle through all the way. At that moment I understood why I had a heavy heart almost everyday. I was just like a bird with a wing broken falling down to the dirt. He looked up and saw his team flying away to their destiny. He tried uselessly to flip his wings wounded wing was so heavy that he could hardly hop. Looking up,he saw the spacious blue sky, he saw the white clouds and the singing birds. But he himself didn't belong to there anymore. That was me.

I wish I would experience the flying moment again and again.

The first step

Imagine there is a destination you want to go to. Through the journey, a stark black wall stood in front of you, which seemed topless and endless. Feeling overwhelmed, you never tried to push it, because you believed it was not movable. You never tried to climb it, because there was even not any dent for your nails and toes. So you decided to take another way. You turned your back. While your feet barely touched the ground, you felt a deadly sharp pain in your nose. Through the tears, you fumbled and looked up. What you knocked into was just that exactly same wall.Since then you tried countless times and various direction, however, the wall was always there waiting for you wherever you wentl. For the time being, it has become like your shadow. The wall is called "fear".

Then you gave up. You tried to follow others' steps on their journey didn't make you feel relieved, however. There was a deep longing inside floating through each breath of your life. You wandered day after day carrying the pain of a tearing heart. Finally you acknowledged you could never escape. For the first time you truthfully took your deep desire as your destiny. It is the only path to ease the pain and to find the answer for your life .

But whatabout that wall? You went and found it. You sat down. This time you looked at it in a new way. You wanted to know well about it. Gradually, you saw the wall was not a simple whole. On it you saw the exhaustion , you saw failure and failure, you saw loneliness and desperation, you saw others' scoff and attack, you saw a heavy doubt, and more. And your destiny is behind all of those. That is just the way it is. You were thinking, "I don't know what to do with them, I cannot escape, I cannot push them away. But I know, from the bottom of my heart, that I must go for my destiny. So the only thing that I can do is to accept them and dedicate myself ." Thinking this,you felt your heart lifted from the burden, even a little excited, because you realized you have a purpose in your life to live and die for. Suddenly,you heard a voice from above,"welcome, you have already accomplished the first step. From now on, your life will be full of challenges and tests you need for your eternal destiny. That is the honor given to you. Congratulations on your fruitful journey. " With the voice gone, the big wall in front of you were falling apart. Through the debris, you saw an endless rugged road reaching to an unclear world. There is a light somewhere in that world, small but bright. You took the light in your heart and stepped out.

At that moment, your heart was flying.

the chosen

"What kind of person you will become is not decided by you ability, but your choice."

-----------Yang, Lan

I quite agree with this. I need think about how I should choose for my future.

Tonight I searched internet and read some about YangLan and Cui Yongyuan. I think I learned something worth the time althoulg I had to stay late.

Now I have some dream which is long term. I will try my best. However, I am not the power to decide its track and its end. I need think about the part that I can decide and get it. Being happy and enjoyable with it and meanwhile working toward the rest part of my dream. So which part is what I must get and what I am designed to do?

about feeling sick

Do you feel that there is always some pain in your body? Yesterday it was the backpain, today it is the headach, tomorrow maybe neckpain or stiff shoulder, who knows? That is how I feel about my body. That may be the sign of aging. And the problem is I don't know which kind of doctor I should see or trust. I had struggled and felt unhopeful sometimes and doubted what I could afford to do with this weak body. However,With the experience, I have become more released with those pain. Just like you cannot avoid trouble in your life, you cannot avoid pain or other problem with your body as long as this body is still working. Just learn to coop with it, live with it and still do as much as I can do. The illness cannot stop me from doing what I need and I want to do.

I believe today is a turning point in my life

For such a long time that I can even barely remember since when, I didn't have a dream in my life. But today I am begining to reveal it. In fact, pieces of the dream have been in my heart and soul through my life, scattering here or there. Through a journey of searching, I fumbled,tasted,sobbed,but something there in my soul could not let me give up. Through the searching, I found back my gratitude to what I have, I found my confidence, I found my passion and desire, I have learned how to be truthful to myself, I also got ready for falling down and getting up everyday. Because I know all of these are what I need for my dreamsearching and dreammaking.

Now I have got those pieces for my deam and started to put them together. That is not easy. I need lots of patience, learning, modifying. I will be enjoying this process and I feel happy that I am in my dream-making business. That is so romantic and beautiful.

Next, I will find out a way to visulize my dream and to work hard making it closer and clearer everyday.

You can give yourself a beautiful day

In the morning, I packed all the books, crafts,snacks and drinks into two bags. Tian was also excited about going to Sean's house. The traffic was not good as usual. After 45 mintes, finally we got there. However,they were not home. The housecleaner told me that the whole family wouldn't be back until Tuesday. And she introduced me to her daughter as Sean's babysitter. "I am not a babysitter", I said in my head.

Not very happily, I took Tian back inside the car. Then I saw a voice message left in my cell phone. That was Stepheny's message from last Saturday. Sean will not have class until Wedesday. I will lose two days to make money, which is not very encouraging.

But I got more time for me and Tian. I brought Tian to the big playground. It's a very nice sunny day. There were lots of kids there that parking was not very easy. I supposed Tian would be excited about being here. You never know. He inclined to climbe that big blue tube slide eventhough I kept encouraging him. He just malingered somewhere and didn't seem have fun. I need do something. Half pushing,half coaxing, I went up there with him, then I insisted on him to slide with me together. Unwillingly he did this with me. He still seemed no happy and refused to do that again, but at least he had one experience. So, after some observing and thinking, when I told him I would wait for him at the end of the slide, he agreed to try once by himself. I wish I could show you what he looked like when he reached out of the slide. Still a little uneasy, he was obviousely proud of his accomplishment. Then he did it another time, again and again. he jumped, laughted, lifted his hands and exclaimed,"I did it. I did it." We hugged,laughed. Both of us had the feeling of big achievment. Of course, for me, as his mom, I am proud of being there with him, encouraging,giving a little push, and sharing his pride and joy. That worths much more than what I can earn. So, in my heart, I gave a thanks for this no-class day.
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