Aimee's Blog: September 2008

Saturday, September 27, 2008

UNDOKAI

Well, it was that time of year again where the kids have a school sports event. I managed to go the whole summer without getting burnt but today we were forced to sit in the sun. Here is Carole & her class doing a hoolahoop dance.

Here is Kiki sitting in the hot sun with her class. Luckily the kids had hats. We didn't get any shots of her dance because we were sitting so far away & couldn't see her or find her. She looks like all the other kids with her hair short.

Carole getting ready for some sort of race.

Lina getting dirty & trying to get everyone's shoes.

Kiki's "carry the big block" race.

In the end, the red team that both of the girls were on, lost. So that was disappointing.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

"Don't turn away

I pray you've heard

The words I've spoken

Dare to believe

For one last time

Then I'll let the

Darkness cover me

Deny everything

Slowly walk away

To breathe again

On my own

Carry me away

I need your strength

To get me through this

Dare to believe

For one last time

Then I'll let the

Darkness cover me

Deny everything

Slowly walk away

To breathe again

On my own"

--- By Disturbed

Friday, September 19, 2008

I feel so powerful

I don't know if it's just me but I always feel so powerful when I learn to make something that people usually buy. Here's my first attempt at making bread. I wanted it to rise a little more & be a little softer but it was pretty yummy. Perhaps I wasn't patient enough to wait for rising. Anyway, the kids really liked it so that's good.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Making Mochi part two

Or you make a ball with or without sweet beans inside

And if you want to go for a real Japanese taste get some of this KINAKO (soybean flour)

Roll your mochi in the kinako & you have some delicious mochi.

Or here's Kiki making dango san kyodai (3 mochi ball brothers)

Anyway, it's supereasy, but now we are ready for:

STEP 3) Cleanup: Now that your kids have rice gew all over thier hands, cornstarch & bean flour all over the floor etc, it's time for clean up.

Making Mochi part one

Ok, So Angie, pay attention so you can make this for Mom when she's better. It's really easy & should be no prob getting the ingredients at the Japanese food store. Actually any Asian store would have these things because they have mochi in Taiwan, Korea & China.

STEP1 ) Ingredients: Water ( 1 cup), Ask the store guy for Mochi-ko or Dango-ko(glutinous Rice flour), it has to be this kind of flour.(1 cup), Sugar (about 1/2 cup depending on how sweet you like it), dash of vanilla. (Some people use some coconut milk in place of some of the water)

STEP 2) Preparation: Ok So you mix the mochi flour, the sugar & the water in a microwaveable dish until well mixed (no clumps.) If U want the mochi to be pink or green put food coloring in too. This mixture sorta has the consistency of pancake batter.

Cover the dish with saran-wrap & put in the microwave for a few minutes. When you take it out it shouldn't be drippy or move around but be firmly set. (My microwave is strong so only 3 minutes did the trick.) Remove the saran wrap carefully as soon as you take it out but don't burn your finger like I did. This is what it should look like. I'm not sure how long you should cool it down but we were so eager that we just started making balls as soon as we could hold it without burning our hands & it turned out fine.

Next you get a tray ready with some potato starch or cornstarch on it & put some starch on your hands too so it wont be sticky. Take a spoonful of the cooked rice gew & roll it on some starch then take it in your hands to make balls or disks. Work quickly & gently with plenty of starch & don't smash it or your hands will get sticky you'll get a big gewy mess. The cooked mochi when in your hands should feel soft like an earlobe, if it's too rubbery or hard perhaps there wasn't enough water to begin with. One book suggests using water after you cook it, during the kneading process if it's too dry, but it might get really messy.

This is a disk & you can fill it with chunky sweet bean paste rolled into a ball coated with cornstarch, or a strawberry & whip cream, or ice cream once the disk cools down, whatever you like. Then pinch the edges closed.