Passport Party Activity with International Foods

We celebrated another birthday this month, and I added another twist at the last minute.  One might even call it a theme.  But I'm not usually a theme kind of party thrower, so bear with me.

Since we like to eat Asian foods around here, I thought I would serve some of our favorite internationally inspired dishes.  Plus, since we were expecting a dozen children, we would serve hot dogs frankfurters.

So here was what I came up with for our global tour dinner:

1.  Frankfurters (Germany)
2.  French Bread (France)
3.  Steamed Sticky Rice (Vietnam)
4.  Potstickers / "Jiaozi" (China)
5.  Dried Mango and Pineapple Slices (Thailand)


Not having any veggies was regrettable, but I was trying to keep things simple.

Of course, making a pinata and passports on the same day as the party does not qualify as keeping things simple.  Anyway, here are the passports:

Guests were instructed to eat and sample the different dishes first and then come back to collect "stamps" for their passports.  The stamps we used were obtained from free resources at the LCMS website.  My daughter cut them out.   We provided glue sticks and school glue for the adhesive, though printing the images on sticker paper would be a great time saving option.

Time constraints limited us to six country stamps, which turned out to be plenty.  However, for more stamp opportunities I thought of adding:

• a pinata for Mexico
• some origami shapes for Japan
  
• some South African rooibos tea

This passport activity could be used at a variety of occasions, from an educational meal with family and friends, to a potluck event, or even as part of a geography lesson.

Have you ever sampled cuisines from multiple countries in one meal?  

What was the occasion?

October Origami: A Fun Treat That's Not Sweet

These fish were made from squares cut from magazine ads.

Anticipating that my girls and I would enjoy trying some simple origami, I checked out a video from the library to teach us some origami folds.  The pace was a bit much for my five-year-old, but my seven-year-old and a visiting friend were riveted.  So was I.

I thought that various origami fish we made this month would work well for two purposes:

1. To fill a pinata at my daughter's party.
2. To be our treats at an upcoming Trunk or Treat event at our church.

I prefer to avoid giving out candy to my children and to others.  Last year for Halloween, we handed out microwave popcorn.  In years past, we've passed out party favors and other non-candy items.

This year at the Trunk or Treat event, I am planning to add a coin and paper clip to each fish, so that kids can fish for their treats.  It will be a dry variation on the magnetic fishing game I made this summer.   Also, the coins inside the fish are a reminder of the story in Matthew 17.  A kid-friendly lesson is available here.

These simple fish were made from extra wrapping paper.

I'm linking this up to Try New Adventures Thursday at Alicia's Homemaking,
 Company Girl Coffee at Home Sanctuary,
  the Weekend Wrap-Up Party, and Craft Schooling Sunday.

How to Steam Sticky Rice in a Rice Cooker

After returning to the U.S. several years ago, my hankerings for Thai sticky rice with mango or Vietnamese "xoi" usually ended in despair.  Making steamed sticky rice just seemed too complicated, as it involved specialized bamboo steaming baskets or cheesecloth.  This meant I was not getting my sweet rice fix.  And that was sad, since I love sticky rice so.

But now I have found an easier way to make it!  All you need is a rice cooker with a steaming basket and a few other simple supplies.  You could also try this steaming method on the stove top with a stainless steel steaming basket; I think it would work just as well.  The one drawback to using a coffee filter is that it can affect the taste of the rice, which is why I recommend using unbleached filters and bamboo for best better results.

*UPDATE* (10/29/2010): For best results, try layering sweet corn husks in the steaming basket instead of a coffee filter. The husks let the pure sweetness of the rice radiate, untainted by paper flavors.                                         
            

Supplies Needed:

• Corn husks (recommended) or coffee filter (preferably unbleached)
• A rice cooker with a steaming basket insert
• An empty mason jar or medium mixing bowl
• 1 and 1/2 cups raw "sweet rice" from Thailand or Vietnam (not sushi rice)
• Bamboo skewers, optional

Steps:

Dry sweet rice

1.  Measure 1 and 1/2 cups of raw sweet rice and pour into a jar or bowl.  Add enough water to cover the rice, plus three inches on top.  Let soak for 3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Wet sweet rice before soaking

After hours of soaking, grains have expanded.

2.  Fill the bowl of the rice cooker with 1 and 1/2 inches of water. Then spread corn husks or a coffee filter out inside the steaming basket insert, making sure all of the holes are covered.  Place the steaming basket into the rice cooker.  Add some broken bamboo skewers if available (they will add a slight essence of bamboo to the steamed rice).
                                                                                   

3.  Dump the soaked rice onto the middle of the filter in the basket.  Pat the mound down a little if necessary, so that the lid of the rice cooker does not touch it when closed.

Using corn husks instead of a paper filter gives rice a better flavor.

4. Turn on the rice cooker to the "Cook" setting.  Allow to steam for about 30 minutes.  Serve sticky rice hot or at room temperature.  Keep rice covered until ready to serve.

Sticky rice becomes slightly translucent after cooking.

  

As for toppings, we often add peanuts and/or sesame seeds and coconut.   In Vietnam, we often ate it with shredded cooked chicken and soy sauce.  If you'd like some other authentic recipes for Thai sticky rice or Vietnamese "xoi," I recommend these:

• Sticky Rice with Coconut
• Black Rice
• Mango on Sticky Rice

Sticky Rice with Flaked Coconut and Sesame Seeds

Menu Plan for the Week of 10/18

Today my seven-year-old daughter is requesting "Chinese food" for her birthday meal.  I will attempt to make Won Ton Soup (but am buying extra frozen wontons just in case mine don't turn out!).  It's funny that despite having lived in Asia for over seven years, I'm still a very intimidated novice when it comes to cooking Asian food. I am an expert at eating it however, especially if it's authentic!

Meanwhile, having dinner on the table by 6 o'clock each night has remained an elusive goal, but I'll be trying again this week.

-Monday-

* Won Ton Noodle Soup
* Baby Bok Choy
* Sticky Rice Balls
* Birthday Cupcakes

-Tuesday-

* Lamb
* Zucchini
* Rice

-Wednesday-

* Chicken Pot Pie
* Rice

-Thursday-

* Turkey Burgers
* Tossed Salad

-Friday-

* Cashew Noodle Stir Fry

-Saturday-

* Hot Dogs
* Fresh Fruit


See many more menu plans at Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura.

Cookies, Contests, and Chaos

The kitchen is my "thoughtful spot" where I ponder, create, and procrastinate.  This week was especially full of cooking and baking projects, giving me time to stand at the sink and think.  One by one, I washed and rinsed the aftermath of dishes, pots, and pans, my mind a-swirl with how I've been spending my time and what I'd like to change (at many levels).

To make cookies twice in one week is a rare feat for me, since I try not to bake when the kitchen is a mess.  Therefore I seldom bake.  But chaotic or not, my husband's birthday was on Monday, and I was signed up to bring cookies for a school event on Thursday.  Snickerdoodles are my husband's favorite cookie, but when one is still buying groceries at 5:00 p.m. for that night's dinner, shortcuts are in order.  I grabbed a Betty Crocker mix and didn't confess how they were made...until days later, as my husband was still gushing about how delicious they were!

I felt guilty that I'd cheated and used a mix for my husband's birthday, especially since I made the second round of cookies from scratch.  It seemed to take forever to get the dough prepared and the cookies baked (25 minutes per batch!).  But they did turn out well.  The recipe I used is here.

Besides cookies, I busied myself with figuring out what to do with all the kale in my refrigerator.  Though I had seen my mother-in-law juice it, I had never tried cooking it before.  It's an intimidating vegetable.  After experimenting with it, I finally found a way to prepare it that the whole family like.  Look here for the winning recipe.

Perhaps owing to my background in science, I love to experiment and develop new recipes in my kitchen.  My long-suffering husband and children get to test the results.  I've entered a few recipe contests in the past (sample recipes here and here), and I would love to keep trying, both for the fun and profit involved.

As much I enjoy trying new recipes though, I need to make sure my creative endeavors don't get in the way of more important things, like having dinner ready on time.  It's quite a challenge for me to get dinner on the table by 6:00 p.m.  I'm hoping to reach that goal every night next week!

Do you have any similar goals for meals?

Perhaps we can encourage one another toward our desired ends.

Cooking with Kale

Announcing the first ever "Cooking with Kale" competition, hosted in our simple home.  The challenge?  Find appetizing ways to incorporate nutrient-rich kale into recipes for the family.  Winning recipe gets the honor of joining the regular menu rotation.  Let's take a look at the entrants vying for that coveted spot.

Contestant #1 Kale and Quinoa Soup           Contestant #2 Kale-Topped Pizza

Contestant #3 Butternut Squash Farfalle with Bacon and Kale

The Results:

Runner up in this taste test was entry #2, which was cheese pizza topped with kale, sweet peppers, and uncured salami.

First place in the contest went to contestant #3, Butternut Squash Farfalle Pasta with Bacon and Kale.  For those who would like to duplicate the winning recipe, here it is:

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 12 to 16 oz. farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
• 6 slices bacon (preferably uncured)
• 10 ounces fresh kale, rinsed and chopped (or cooked baby bok choy)
• Parmesan, Italian blend or mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
• chopped fresh parsley
• sea salt

Instructions:

1. Boil pasta in salted water for 6 to 7 minutes.  Reserve 2.5 cups of the hot water (a Mason jar or large graduated measuring cup works well for this), and drain the pasta.
2. Cook bacon until crisp, remove from skillet, and reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in the skillet.  Crumble bacon into bits after cooling.
3. Saute squash cubes with 1 Tbsp. bacon drippings and 2 Tbsp. oil.  After 7 to 8 minutes, add garlic, hot water from pasta, and the partially-cooked pasta.  Continue to cook and stir until pasta and squash are tender and liquid is mostly absorbed.
4. Turn down heat to low and add chopped kale and parsley to pasta and squash mixture, stirring until leaves are wilted.  Remove from heat and stir in crisp bacon.
5. Top individually plated servings of pasta with grated cheese.

And now, let's find out more about the selection process.  First, most judges who tasted the kale and quinoa soup reacted with with mild or obvious disapproval.  Next, the kale-topped pizza was greeted with skepticism, but then given an overall thumbs up.   

And the final contestant, the savory pasta dish, was eaten with approving smiles.  However, one sensitive taster objected to the odor of the Parmesan cheese.  When her plate was sent back to the kitchen and the pasta returned topped with mild mozzarella instead, the verdict was positive, leading to a unanimous vote.

Sharing this at Pennywise Platter Thursday and...

Cookbooks: One Thing I Still Collect

My growing up years can be broken down into a series of interests and resulting collections.  I amassed a rock collection, a stamp collection, a coin collection, and even a fishing tackle collection (to accompany my fishing obsession).  My girls are fascinated to learn about and, if possible, see what I used to collect.  However, those have been set aside or sold in garage sales over the years.   After moving nine times in the last 13 years, I see little point now in accumulating things I happen to fancy.  Except cookbooks.

Though I have given away several to people I know, a doting mother and mother-in-law continue to supply me with more recipe books.  And last year, on a trip to Chicago (for our anniversary), I couldn't resist buying two more cookbooks.  They were the only "souvenirs" I brought home.

Of my current collection, 10 of my favorite cookbooks are:

1. The Anderson Family Cookbook (family recipes compiled by my aunt)
2. Betty Crocker's New Choices Cookbook
3. Cambridge Cookbook (a church cookbook)
4. Cooking with Kilby (a collection of recipes from 11 college housemates)
5. Family Circle Cookbook: New Tastes for New Times
6. Paris Bistro Cooking
7. More with Less
8. Taste of Home Quick Cooking 2001
9. Taste of Home Quick Cooking 2003
10. Taste of Home Quick Cooking 2008

Sometimes I dream of adding the Joy of Cooking and a few other classic titles to the mix.  But in truth, I possess an abundance of books, magazines, and websites from which to draw inspiration and advice.  So I am learning to be content with what I already have.

Where do you draw your favorite recipes from?  
The internet, magazines, or certain cookbooks?

 

Contemplating Clean

Apparently, a thorough cleaning of the bathroom or kitchen floor is an irresistable invitation for someone to make a huge mess there. It usually happens within the first 24 hours of me finally getting it clean. This week was no exception.

Such a phenomenon is akin to spiritual house cleaning. According to Matthew 12:44-45, order and empty space can attract chaos and evil influences to a person’s heart. When it comes to the physical house where I live, I wish things could stay clean for a while. But grime just keeps accumulating by the hour.

When I fill my time with too many activities (which I tend to do), the conditions inside my house and within my heart worsen. Actually taking time to tidy my house gives me mental space to reflect and meditate on what God is saying to me. But alas, cleaning does not come naturally to me (and Erin's words remind me I am not alone in this).

As I’m cleaning up spills or picking up dirty socks over and over, perhaps I can ponder deeper truths instead of just being annoyed. One is that I need to come and let God cleanse my sin-stained heart each time I make a mess of it. And since I continue to err, I must keep seeking forgiveness. My reluctance to humble myself gets in the way of this however.

Delving into the book of Isaiah, I see that continuing to ignore the need to make things right leads to very grave consequences. As I wrestle with applying the principles that come from studying Isaiah, it’s helpful to be part of a group of women doing the same thing. Sometimes I think I shouldn’t be relying on a method or structure for my spiritual growth; yet God is currently using the BSF approach to speak to me. I am thankful that He patiently persists.

How is He speaking to you?

Recycled Coin Sorter: A Simple Way to Count Pennies

Playing with coins is something my children just love to do. So what I saw as just a disposable razor cartridge holder destined for the trash, my daughter thought would be a useful device for sorting and arranging her coins. I introduced my three-year-old son to his sister's invention recently. He had great fun inserting coins into the slots too. We washed, dried, counted and sorted coins together many times.

I'm adding this to Steady Mom's 30-Minute Blog Challenge , and WFMW at We Are That Family. 

Cheering My Children on in Their Passions

My oldest daughter loves to run; I do not.  In May, my three children and I ran a one-mile fun run together.  The experience reminded me more completely why I dislike running--the constant pounding of limbs and joints, the uncomfortable rise in body temperature, and at my age, too many jiggling parts.  Give me a smooth bike ride over a jog any day.

This fall, along came another opportunity for my first grader to run; we knew we had to make sure she could participate.  Unlike the last fun run though, my middle daughter and son stayed with me on the sidelines to cheer their older sister on to the finish line.  I took pictures.  In all the excitement I forgot to check her time when she crossed the finish line.  However, speed was not the point.  She finished the one-mile cross-country run and enjoyed it.  We celebrated and came home with a pumpkin to boot!

My challenge to figure out how to encourage each of my children in their passions remains.  Some talents and interests lie undiscovered.  Other passions, like my middle daughter's enthusiasm for storytelling, have been obvious from a young age, and are easy for her to practice on a daily basis. 

Since my kids are all currently under the age of seven, many years of discovery and growth are still to come.  Where their interests do not overlap with mine (as in running), I know I will be stretched as a parent.  Yet it is also fun to see how our inclinations diverge; I can enjoy learning how to support and encourage them in their differing strengths.  We might participate together as a team or, like last weekend's Pumpkin Run, I may step aside to watch my child beam with satisfaction when her goal is reached.  Either way, we win.

Do any of your passions overlap with your children's?  

How do you decide which interests to let them pursue?

Versatility is a Good Thing

Perhaps because of the seasons of life or because we have lived in multiple places, my roles and identities keep changing.   So I have chosen not to include an "about me" feature on my sidebar because labeling myself feels too confining. Often I consider who I am to be random or fragmented.  But versatile is a term I can accept with a smile.  Thanks, Jhona, for encouraging me with this:

Part of the award involves sharing 7 things.  So here is a list that sprang to mind:

1.  Gazing up at starlit skies refreshes me; hence I enjoy going out in the yard after dark to take down the laundry I left on the clothesline.
2.  I once dreamed of being a freshwater ecologist; I still love to explore shorelines.
3.  I have a difficult time accomplishing things without a hard deadline.  I attribute that to the phlegmatic part of my personality.
4.  I gave birth to my children in three different countries.
5.  I never owned a car until I was 23 years old.
6.  My BSF study of the book of Isaiah this fall has been very convicting.
7.  My grandparents have been so influential in my life that I thought of them when naming this blog.

And now it's my turn to pass on the award to 7 intriguing women whose blogs I regularly enjoy:

Erin at Home With the Boys
Amy at New Nostalgia
Alicia's Homemaking
Megan at Sorta Crunchy
Val at Collecting the Moments...One by One
Tiffany at Simply Modern Mom
Quirky Momma

These blogs feature authors who post on a range of topics.  I appreciate the fact that they don't conform to the standard blog dogma of limiting themselves to a narrow niche.  Life is so much broader, and it's fun to revel in the variety and mix things up now and again.  At least I think so!