Un album de toamna.. asa imi place sa cred.

Tänään vietimme koirien kanssa ihanan aamulenkin metsässä ja pelloilla. Kerrankin taivas oli edes jotenkin valoisa, niin tuli kuviakin otettua. Tänään ottamiani kuvia tulee varmaankin näkymään joissakin seuraavissa blogimerkinnöissä, kun en viitsi nyt niitä kaikkia tähän tunkea. Eilen koirat pestiin ja föönailtiin putipuhtaiksi, mutta ehtivät jo tänään sotkeentua täysin No eipä mitään muutakaan voinut kuvitella, kun nuo kaksi päästetään mihin tahansa vapaaksi. Oli todella mukavaa huomata, miten rennosti Nori kulkee ihmisten ohi, vapaana. Siis ettei yritäkkään käydä moikkaamassa ketään. Tosin eri tilanne jos tulisi koira vastaan. Nytkin lenkillä Nori oli vapaana ja ihan parin metrin päästä juoksi lenkkeilijä ja Nori piti kontaktia minuun. On jotenkin tottunut Nastan kanssa olemaan niin varovainen kun se on vapaana. Ei kyllä yhtään tunnu siltä että parin päivän päästä olisi jo joulukuu, taivas ihan harmaa ja vettä sataa. Ikävää siinä mielessä, ettei viitsi sitten koulusta tultua hirveästi lähteä pimeään metsään tai muuallekkaan. Ei viitsi koiriakaan tuolla pimeydessä vapaaksi päästä, kuin satunnaisesti. Kotiin tultaessa koirilla olikin kolmasosa metsää mukana ja molemmat ihan reporankoina. Eikun tassupesun kautta nukkumaan ja luita syömään.

Ei ole meiltä tullut hetkeen merkintöjä blogiin. Tällä hetkellä ei ole kyllä oikein mitään tehtykkään. Ainoastaan kotona treenailtu vähän ja sen semmoista normaalia arkea. Nori käväisi pari päivää sitten eläinlääkärillä kontrollikäynnillä, tarkistuttamassa, onko pissatulehdus jo mennyt ohi. Kaikki oli hyvin, eikä enää siis ole pissatulehdus ole ongelmanamme.

Nastan kanssa olemme joka päivä harjoitelleet kapulan pitoa. Se on ollut kuningattaren mielestä aina ällöä ja koko kapula on ollut ihan hyihyi. Nyt kuitenkin Nasta pitää kapulaa todella hienosti suussa. Kun laitan kapulan sen eteen ja sanon “ota”, pitää tyttö sitä niin kauan, kunnes pyydän irroittamaan otteen. Okei, katsoohan se minua ilmeellä “onko ihan pakko, mua ällöttää”, mutta pitää silti (: Noutamista emme tosiaankaan vielä ole harjoitelleet, se on sitten joskus myöhemmin. Norin kanssa kapulaa on myös harjoiteltu, tosin vähemmin kuin Nastan. Nori ottaa kapulan suuhun ihan hyvin, mutta ongelmana on, että se on nyt keksinyt kapulan nakertelun. Tai siis yrittää massuttaa sitä suussaan. Mikäköhän tuohon auttaisi?

Nici un incendiu, Doamne fereşte! (poate doar în creierul meu panicat ).

Este o clipă, sau poate mai degrabă câteva momente, în fiecare zi, când Bucureştiul arde. E momentul acela, dintre zi şi seară, dinainte şi după răsărit, când întreg cerul arde şi o dată cu el, întreg Bucureştiul. Podul de la Grozăveşti, Universitatea, oamenii din metrou, Plaza, autobuzele, norii, străzile, Dâmboviţa, păsările, întreaga răsuflare.

Ar trebui să fie un moment magic, ca în reclame, când toată lumea se opreşte din tot ce face  pentru a privi cerul. Ca pe o minune, cu un zâmbet mare de mulţumire. Când cerul arde, însă, noi mergem cu capul plecat, obosiţi de la muncă, facultate sau alte locuri. Pământul nu arde, doar usucă uneori.

There was a little mix up with the ribs that were supposed to come in for us at school so we could cook kalua pork.  I was a little frustrated because I really wanted some pork! So I asked my chef instructor if I could do a musubi instead since the pork wasn’t available.  He looked at me a little weird and said, “for $48,000 (tuition) I’ll get you a  can of Spam”.

I was stoked! So today I made musubi in class with a little spam, sticky rice, and nori.  The sauce to rule them all consists of a lemongrass, pineapple, and coconut milk reduction with a little sriracha and lime juice finisher. I took that same sauce and worked it into a buerre blanc for steamed clams and mussels that I made later on.  The true compliment for these two dishes I made from “the sauce to rule them all” was that my chef instructor told me to give it to another chef instructor for their dinner…..that’s how you know you’re making great stuff…..but two dishes in one night? Yeah, feeling pretty great right now.

Spam Musubi with the sauce to rule them all!!! I’m keeping the sauce recipe for myself though…sorry

I went a little MacGyver to make the mold for it.

Ingredients

• Spam sliced 1/4 inch thick
• White sticky rice
• Nori seaweed, cut 1 inch thick and about 8-10 inches long
• Sauce to rule them all

Procedure

1. Place the nori on board and wet the ends
2. Place your fancy new mold on top of nori, right in the middle
3. Push a cooked piece of spam through the mold and then some rice
4. Remove mold then wrap with nori
5. Serve with sauce and eat!

Enjoy,

Eric

Eric

Today…has been an infuriatingly unproductive day. Usually, that would get me all stressed out. But you know what? Screw my numerous impending research essays. Screw my upcoming finals! This week…it’s all about Thanksgiving, and I refuse to let my spirits be badgered down by schoolwork.

That was long. I wish I could go on and on, but the food is running cold, and I’m sure your eyes are starting to glaze over. Well, stick a ruler up your eyelids, because you want them to be wide open for this freaking amazing dish I’m going to share with you.

It’s my own rendition of the ultimate Japanese comfort food, Ochazuke, by going tropical-style. Ochazuke is a dish in which hot tea is poured over cooked rice topped with a few simple ingredients such as pickles and leftover fish. It’s supposed to be made with leftovers, but hey, I’m a poor college student and I don’t get many meals with good fish. So here is my tropical version of the Ochazuke:

Tropical Ochazuke

Basic Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked brown rice, mixed with kidney beans
• salmon fillet
• 2 sheets nori, shredded
• 1 packet bonito flakes
• brewed green tea

After a lot of if, but and maybe it is now a fact… tomorrow I leave for India, a brand new adventure that I will experience just because of my football freestyle skills.

It will be an adventure including myself(Palle), Daniel Rooseboom, Nam The Man, Nori, Gomez and Petike.

I’m not sure what to expect but it will be a great experience… I’ve heard many stories but it will be great to shape my own opinion.

I will keep all of you who are following my blog updated on what will happen in India!

Nyt tälläinen ihan pieni päivitys meidän tokohyppy tilanteesta. Tänään taas treenailimme Norin kanssa kyseistä ongelmakohtaa. Tänään kuitenkaan mitään ongelmaa ei enää ollutkaan! Nori teki kaiken aivan loistavasti ja mamma katseli tyytyväisenä. En kyllä enää taida tähän sitä alustaa sotkea, sillä se on aina sekoittanut Norin. Tyttö on joka kerta etsinyt jotain lisänameja, eikä ole käskystä kääntynyt minua kohti. On oikeastaan unohtanut kokonaan mitä oltiinkaan tekemässä. Tänään kuitenkin a) irtosi hyppyyn aivan mahtavasti ( myös parin metrin päästä) sekä b) kääntyi heti hypättyään ja seisoi, kunnes toisin pyydettiin. Taitaa tämä tästä alkaa nyt lutviintua. Jotenkin hauskaa, kun on tuotakin ihan vain kotioloissa yritetty treenata, mutta aina on ollut suurempiakin ongelmia. Ja nyt vain tadaa – onnistuu!

Zilele trecute mi-a explicat un coleg de muncă, puţintel mai în vârstă că marea problemă a românilor este că

Nu vedem pădurea din cauza copacilor.

Eu, bineînţeles nu am rămas la părerea lui şi consider cu destul de multă siguranţă că nu vedem groapa de gunoi din cauza gunoaielor. Am încercat o vreme să încerc să dau la o parte “copacii” şi să văd “pădurea”, dar am descoperit că, la noi, în spatele copacilor sunt alţi copaci. Mi-am dat seama însă de anumite valori nevalorificate de pe plaiurile româneşti şi am tras concluziile. Astfel după părerea mea umilă:

• Adrian Copilul Minune (sau de Aur, că nu sunt la curent cu titulaturile) l-a învăţat pe Joe Satriani să cânte la chitară
• Traian Băsescu a inventat barca de salvare
• Ninel Potârcă nu are cum să fie ales preşedinte că este deja preşedinte al statului…degeaba
• Monica Columbeanu a inventat picioroangele, iar Irinel – nanismul
• Românii au inventat apa plată şi şmirghelul
• Dan Diaconescu a construit Marele Canion şi împreună cu Elodia l-a trasportat în USA.
• Gigi Becali a scris Coranul pentru nevăzători
• Elodia este amanta lui Adrian Videanu
• Praful de puşcă a fost inventat şi brevetat de Maia Morgenstein
• Furculiţa este un produs 100% românesc
• La Tecuci există cea mai mare fabrică invizibilă din Sud-Estul Europei
• Spitalul românesc este cel mai bine dotat dintr-o serie de 2 spitale. Unul este în Bucureşti, cel de-al doilea în Mozambic
• Fructele de pădure se găsesc doar în pădurile din România
• Denumirea de minge este dată mingiilor cu acordul Guvernului României
• Când plouă, plouă dacă vor românii

Asta cel puţin după părerea mea. Singurul deficit în această problemă este că toate aceste lucruri le-au fost refuzate poporului nostru, împreună cu descoperirea focului şi a roţii şi tocmai din acest motiv nu ne aflăm printre puterile lumii. Dacă ţi se pare că mai sunt şi alte realităţi atât de evidente dar nemenţionate de subsemnatul te rog să ne aduci la cunoştinţă. Nu pentru a ne da mari, ci pentru a nu fi mici.

Poate sună ciudat titlul, dar momente dintre nori e un lucru real. E frântura aceea de cer care tace, care respiră, între furtuni, între apusuri, între zile senine. E frântura aceea de cer naivă, care pluteşte între aer şi lumină, între soare şi furtună, între anotimpuri, între oameni.

Devin frântura de cer. Nu pot să mai merg, mă opresc, respir, cât pot, apoi încerc iar să dau contur norilor mei, să îmi găsesc furtuna sau primăvara, momentul de echilibu între ele, liniştea.

Toate prostiile pe care le-am făcut în ultima vreme – alimentaţie necorespunzătoare, somn puţin, alergat, agitat – s-au răzbunat pe mine. Marţi mi-a fost rău- am plecat mai devreme de la muncă, am făcut febră, am stat toată ziua în pat, m-a durut stomacul îngrozitor. E drept că miercuri eram mai bine – am fost la bal (cronică de bal, data viitoare), dar azi m-a “lovit” din nou, ceea ce m-a determinat să merg la cabinetul doctorului de familie şi să îmi fac programare.

În seara asta, văzând statistica blogului, am rămas puţin surprinsă. Încă mai sunt citită… şi bine… oare de ce? Nu mai scriu la fel de des, nu mai aduc mare lucru ca atmosferă or informaţii, nu mai desenez litere…

Sunt doar un moment dintre nori. Îmi găsesc echilibrul şi dansez iar. Într-o zi.

]]> http://burpandslurp.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/killing-you-softlywith-my-words/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:47:30 +0000 burpexcuzme http://burpandslurp.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/killing-you-softlywith-my-words/

As a writer, I should already know too well the power of words. Oh my word. Words: they blurt out so quickly from our mouths, they type out so nonchalantly from our fingers. Sometimes they have the miraculous power to heal and uplift a person, but at other times…every single of the same word can be like a silent dagger…killing someone softly.

I know I’ll never become one of those gentle, placid, sweet souls…but with a touch of wisdom, guidance, and prudence from God, all that remains is a complex dish, but very well-rounded so that it doesn’t sting.

Gnocchi-bokki
(a variation of the traditional Korean tteokbokki)

• 2 cups commercial spinach gnocchi, uncooked
• 2 heaping spoonfuls gochujang
• 2 heaping spoonfuls soy sauce
• 1/4 cup kabocha puree (or pumpkin)
• 1 tsp honey (or sugar)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• pinch red pepper flakes
• chicken broth
• 2 links sausages, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped radicchio (red cabbage)
• 1/2 large zucchini, julienned
• 1 carrot, shaved into strips
• handful raisins
• 2 sheets nori, shredded
• handful sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 poached eggs

Emme ole koirien kanssa tehneet hetkeen mitään, sillä omistaja on ainoastaan maannut sängyssä kuumeen kourissa. Tänään kuitenkin päätin ottaa sisällä vähän tokojuttuja. Nastan kanssa tein niin, että laitoin maahan alustalle namin ja pyysin Nastaa seuraamaan. Neiti oli niin intona, en ole sitä sellaisena useasti nähnyt. En sitten tiedä johtuiko tämä siitä, että kuningatar oli toiminut viimeiset pari päivää omistajansa elävänä patterina, vaiko ihanasta namista, joka vieressä odotti. Ehkä kummastakin. Neiti tosiaan seuratessa tanssahteli ja oli kuin kokoajan valmiina räjähtämään suuntaan jos toiseen. Meni siis todella hyvin. Myös liikkestä maahanmeno sujui niin näpsäkästi että tosi tyytyväisiä ollaan. Harjoittelimme alustan avulla myös hyppyä. Este tosin oli ihan tuoleista ja sen semmoisesta kyhätty. Halusin tähänkin innokkuutta ja sehän tosiaan sellaista oli. Tyttö hyppäsi käskyn kuultua salamana, nappasi herkun alustalta. Sanoin “seiso” ja Nasta kääntyi heti seisomaan oikeaoppisesti. Kävin vielä palkkaamassa ihan sivulle.

Norilaisen kanssa teimme samoja juttuja kuin Nastan. Testasin aluksi myös namialustaa, muttei ainakaan nyt toiminut. Koira kyttäsi kokoajan sitä, eikä lähtenyt seuraamaan. Päätin sitten jättää alustat sikseen ja tehdä niinkuin on aiemminkin tehty. Eli siis omistajalle nami kouraan ja menoksi. Liikkestä maahanmenot ja seisomiset sujuivat hienosti myös. Hyvä Nori! Tein hypyn samalla tavalla kuin Nastan kanssa, Nori kylläkin jäi hiukan jumittamaan kun oli hypännyt. Etsi nimittäin taas lisää namia maasta, kun oli syönyt jo alustalla olleen namin…Meille saa antaa vinkkejä tuohon juttuun. Eli siis, että miten saada Nori kääntymään minua kohti, kun on hypännyt esteen.

S U S H I

I made sushi on the weekend with Andrew. Now I won’t go into all the fancy schmancy details on how to make them, because there are a million other blogs that will explain this better than me! But my favourite combination that I concocted on saturday was an inside out roll filled with king prawns in a tempura batter, with strips of vegetables, a tiny bit of mayo (I want to try wasabi mayo with this next time), and finally, rolled in sesame seeds! The crunch of the tempura batter was delightful. YUM!

We were on a cheap budget, but wanted to make some sushi that didn’t consist of just carrot sticks… So instead of yummy but expensive sashimi grade tuna and salmon, we opted for some cheaper (but still very yummy!) fillings. Crab sticks, smoked salmon (it was on offer ok!), a couple of king prawns, chives, avocado, carrot, cucumber, japanese rolled omelette, sesame seeds, mayonnaise, and capsicum. Obviously not all in the same roll, divide them up into combinations that take your fancy!

Always serve with soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger, and a MASSIVE bowl of steamed edamame beans sprinkled with maldon sea salt to snack on.

Here’s a list of the ingredients in each bottle of Body Balance…

Alaria esculenta

The brown alga name Maria esculenta is translated to mean “edible wings.” Alaria sea vegetables have a nice flavor, and they are popular as a food item in some cultures. Like other brown sea vegetation, Alaria esculenta contains fucans—carbohydrate-related nutrients that are often described as the “slimy stuff” found on the outside of the skin of the plant.

Alaria esculenta is made up of 42 percent alginate. In addition, it contains fucoidan, and a number of amino acids (or protein building blocks) . Lastly, Alaria escuienta is relatively high in potassium  which helps promotes a healthy nervous system.

Aloe Vera A Sumerian clay tablet, found in the city of Nippu written around 2200 BC, is the first document to include Aloe vera among plants of great healing power. Egyptian writings record Aloe as being used medicinally 1,500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. The Hebrews in the Bible’s Old Testament carried Aloe with them in the wilderness for 40 years to be sure they would have it in their new land. Greek physician Dioscorides wrote of using Aloe for constipation, burns, and kidney ailments.

Life Force’s aloe plant is grown in fertile fields at the base of a volcanic mountain in Mexico near the equator.  This is significant for several reasons. Fields are fed with water rich in volcanic trace minerals.  Sunlight and rain is ideal for aloe, and even the wind plays a part.  Certified “organic” under the protocols set by QAI (Quality Assurance International). Aloe is hand-farmed from preparing the soil, to planting, to cultivating, to artfully cutting the leaves.

Ascophyllum nodosum Ascophyllum nodosum is a slow growing sea vegetable found in the northern Atlantic ocean. It grows by attaching itself to rocks and boulders and can live to be several decades old.

It contains high amounts of fucoidan—a specialized polysaccharide. Fucoidan molecules tend to bond with sulphate groups. While this may not say much to the rest of us, scientists know that the higher the sulphate group count in a plant, the higher the plant’s medicinal potential.

It is believed its high fucoidan count may be why in studies an extract from the sea plant helped prevent blood coagulation.  This could be beneficial for those at risk for heart disease and stroke. Additionally, fuicoidan has been shown to have significant cancer-fighting properties.

Black Cherry Body Balance is a tastier drink because it has black cherry flavoring, all natural and of course being a botanical, it also contributes its share of phytonutrients.  Black cherry contributes to supporting healthy uric acids
levels, which supports health

Chondus cripus

Chondus cripus grows in thick patches and has leaf tips that are iridescent. Once the sea plant is removed from the water, however, it loses its color. This plant is rich in iodine, which is known to promote a healthy thyroid. Chondus cripus is a powerful antioxidant that has a unique genetic structure.

Scientific literature reports that one single gene isolated from Chondus cripus contained a polypeptide of 825 amino acids.  The role of antioxidants is important to health. Sickness, particularly chronic illness, has been attributed to the high presence of free radicals in our modern society.

Fucus vesiculosus The common name for Fucus vesiculosus is bladder wrack. It is grown on the coastline of colder regions including the northwestern United States and northern Europe. The plant has receptacles that are usually swollen at the ends, which has everything the plant needs to reproduce (both eggs and sperms).  When it’s about to die, the seaweed’s swollen ends will burst.  This way the plant manages to reproduce itself.

The plant has a thick skin that secretes a sticky substance that helps keep it moist. It contains fucoidan and myostatin, which have been reported to have varying health benefits such as being an anti-coagulant (blood thinning and anti-clotting), anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral. There will be more about fucoidan and it benefits in the section about the brown sea plant Ascophyllum nodosum.

Fucus vesicuiosus also contains alginate. Besides helping to excrete toxins from the body, alginate may also positively affect the immune system T-cells and support the endocrine system (or hormonesystem) in the body. Lastly, alginate from Fucus has been used to help control gastroesophageal reflux disease (also known as GERD). GERD is a type of chronic heartburn. Statistics show that more than 60 million Americans experience heartburn once a month. The alginate from Eucus may help control the reflux problem and reduce the acidity content of the stomach.

Gigartina chamissoi Gigartina chamissoi is a leafy, red seaweed. There has been quite a bit of research done on the natural carrageenans found within Gigartina. arrageenans are a special kind of polysaccharide. Originally, carrageenans from red seaweed were extracted and used for gelling and thickening agents in the food industry. Then it was discovered that some of these carrageenans worked well in skin products and cosmetics.

Within the last few years, scientists have discovered that the carrageenans in Gigartina also possess some unique medicinal properties. Among other things, they have found them to be antibacterial as well as antiviral. In fact, one study showed that an extract of Gigartina could kill the bacteria Streptococcus. In addition, in 1997 scientists from Argentina found carrageenans in Gigartina to be anti-herpetic (able to kill the herpes viruses) and anti-coagulant (able to prevent blood from clotting).

Honey The types of flowers the bees pollinate determine flavor and color of honey.  The darker shades of honey are believed to have more antioxidants.  The study showed no weight gain in participants for the month they were consuming honey.  And, some claimed that eating honey for breakfast actually made them feel full and satisfied.

Eating honey along with supplemental calcium appeared to enhance calcium absorption in rats, according to a study from Purdue University.  In addition, the researches suggested that the absorption of calcium increased as the amount of honey taken was upped.  Sugar is a crystalline carbohydrate extracted from sugar cane and sugar beets. It is a non-nutritive empty calorie that robs the body of vitamins and minerals. Sugar is addicting. The biggest culprit?  Soft drinks, which account for one-third of our total sugar intake.  Honey contains vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, and is a wonderful beauty aid that nourishes the skin and the hair.  Honey acts as an antibacterial and antifungal agent and helps disinfect and speed the healing process in wounds, scrapes and burns.

Laminaria Laminaria is a perennial type of sea plant, meaning that it grows back year after year. As with the some of the other brown sea vegetables, Laminaria digitata contains potassium, iodine, and calcium, which may promote health of the nervous system, thyroid gland, and bone structure. There has been quite a bit of research done on Laminaria digitata because of its apparent health benefits. We will discuss just a few studies.

A couple of recent studies (in 2003 and 2004), demonstrated that in a laboratory setting Laminaria digitata displayed strong anti-cancer properties. For example, in the first study a solution extracted from Laminaria digitata had a strong inhibitory activity against the spreading of human leukemia cells. The second study looked specifically at tumor cells. In this experiment the extract from Laminaria digitata killed tumor cells in both in vitro and invivo tests.  In vivo means the extract was able to kill the tumor cells within a living biological organism (such as rats), whereas in vitro means the experiment was done in a test tube or some similar medium.

Another study, completed as recently as 2005, showed that a preparation made from Laminaria digitata acted as an effective vaccine against several disease-causing fungi in the human body such as Candida albicans, which is involved in various gastrointestinal as well as vaginal infections.

Palmaria palmate High in potassium and calcium, the red sea plant Palmaria palmata is named for its resemblance to the palm of the human hand. Like other red sea vegetables, it is also known for its high levels of healthy antioxidants.  One scientific journal reports that Palmaria palmate has anti-cancer properties.  Extracts from the sea plant were tested on human cervical cancer cells.  It was found that chemicals in the sea plant stopped the cells from reproducing and spreading.

Another health benefit of Palmaria palmate may be to those with irregular blood sugar and even those with diabetes. Scientists found that the polysaccharides in Palmaria palmate affect the intestinal absorption of glucose and insulin response.

Porphyra yezoensis Nori, a sea plant known to scientists as Porphyrayezoensis, is one of the most widely used sea vegetables in Japan. It has been grown in Japan as a food source for hundreds of years. As a plant, it is highly nutritious. It contains minerals such as zinc and copper, as well as various vitamins and provitamins.

As of late, Porphyra yezoensis has also become the subject of a number of health-related studies. It has been shown to help healthy liver activity, prevent the occurrence of gallstone disease, and control blood cholesterol levels. It also contains sulfated polysaccharides, which may inhibit the growth of certain tumors and help prevent ulcer activity in shay ulcers.

Porphyra yezoensis is a potent source of vitamin B. Diseases aggravated by low levels of vitamin B in the body are dermatitis (skin inflammation), depression, and anemia (low iron). One recent study, published in 2001, showed that Porphyra yezoensis has high amounts of bioavailable vitamin B

Stevia Stevia is a genus of about 150 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America.  As a sweetener, stevia’s sweet taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or liquorice-like after taste at high concentrations.

With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives.  Stevia also has shown promise in medical research for treating such conditions as obesity and high blood pressure. Stevia has negligible effect on blood glucose, therefore it is attractive as a natural sweetener to diabetics and others on carbohydrate controlled diets.

Ulva Iactuca Ulva Iactuca is often called sea lettuce. It grows in many areas around the world but especially in the northern hemisphere. Ulva Iactuca has a long history of being used in different cultures medicinally. In Cuba, sea lettuce was boiled and then drunk as a juice to kill intestinal worms. In Bretagne, the plant was applied directly on wounds to help stop infection.

The main elements within Ulva lactuca are bioactive substances as well as fiber, iron, calcium, and magnesium. It contains polysaccharide fibers that cannot be dissolved or degraded by digestive enzymes.

This aids in digestion.  One particular polysaccharide within Ulva iactuca is called ulvan. Ulvan is asulfated polysaccharide that has been shown to kill cancerous colon cells. Researchers from France reported ulvan proved to be useful in killing various human cancer cells.  The iron content in sea lettuce is high, 15 times higher than the iron found in an egg yolk or spinach.  Iron is known to stimulate the immune system and improve overall strength and physical performance.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.   These products are not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease.

…meidän Nori ainakin.

Tytöllä on alkanut ilmeentyä ns. mörköiän tunnelmia. Ei nyt niin vahvasti, mutta kuitenkin on koira hiukan muuttunut. Eilen kun Nori kohtasi erään collien, oli Nori ihan peloissaan, häntä koipien välissä ja peruutteli. Tänään taas murisi näkemälleen koiralle. Ulkona kuullessaan kolahduksen, hypähti hiukan sivuun ja jännittyi…

Nyt viikonloppuna yritin käydä tuossa lähellä tokoilemassa. Ei mennyt ihan nappiin yritys. Koirat olivat ihan “jäätyneitä”, tuijottelivat ja laahustelivat. Ajatukset olivat todellakin jossain muualla kuin omistajassa. Kyllähän nyt joitakin ihan ookoo-pätkiä tuli esimerkiksi seuraamisessa. Ainakin siinä oli edistymistä, että Nori oli melkeinpä koko ajan hipihiljaa kun tein Nastan kanssa tokojuttuja. Taidetaan nyt pitää Norin kanssa juoksujen ajan tokotaukoa. Neiti on nimittäin ollut aika höpsönä ja toko ei kiinnosta. Eilen ekaa kertaa astui Nastaa, haluaa myös hirveästi nuolla Nastan korvia, sekä maata ihan Nastan kyljessä.

just a quick and simple little kyaraben tonight, it’s been a long weekend and it’s going to be an even longer week getting a brief out the door by friday…

veggie section:  kiwi slices (with a pinwheel food pick), snow peas, strawberry slices, tamagoyaki slice, red grape tomato, reddish-purple grape, broccoli, purple cauliflower, yellow wax beans, and baby carrots.

main section: more leftover indian food (spinach and mushroom with basmati rice layered over it), with two soy chicken nugget “bears” (nori and cheese eyes/nose, umeboshi ears).

There are few things I’m really good at in life, and naturally, I feed those and try to improve on them.  Now I know making sushi is NOT one of them.  How do I know this?  Maybe because I ended up with a mess of fillings, rice and disintegrated nori at every attempt.  I overfilled, under filled, rolled perfectly, only to find that my border was taken over by globs of filling, leading to gaping holes in my nori, and the inability to seal the damn rolls.  I actually had some success with with my California roll, only to find that they looked like little lumps of ‘What the %#&* are those?’ when it came time to take photos.

            Dragon roll with yellowfin tuna and California roll

As you already know, this months Daring Cooks challenge is sushi.  Along with making proper sushi rice, we were challenged to make three rolls;  One, a Dragon roll, which is inside-out sushi (the rice is on the outside, the nori on the inside) made to look like a dragon,  some with faces, some not (My Dragon’s face was hit by a Mack Truck), with a tasty surprise filling.  Two, Decorative sushi, a nori-coated rice roll which reveals a decorative pattern when cut…and Three, nigiri sushi, which is slices of raw or cooked fish, OR whatever suits your fancy, draped over tightly formed little mounds of rice.  Before I continue..you know the drill..

The November 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was brought to you by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen. They chose sushi as the challenge.  Thanks for a great challenge, guys!

      ”ROAR!  My head is made of pickled ginger and I have no face!”

Sushi is much appreciated for its delicate taste and exquisite appearance. Sushi actually means vinegared rice, which is the essential ingredient in every sushi recipe. Sushi is simple and cheap to make at home, needs no special equipment and is an excellent way to use left overs.

Although sushi in various forms has been around for fourteen centuries, the modern version was invented in Japan in the 1800’s where a ‘hand-formed’ sliced fresh fish and vinegared rice ball was eaten as a snack food. Nowadays, sushi is made with various seafood, meats and vegetables, raw and cooked.

                        Left to Right: Egg {Tamago), Shrimp (Ebi), Smoked Salmon

Now that you have a little background on sushi, I’ll get to my near disaster.  I admit it, I cheated a little, but not completely.  After many attempts to turn out pretty sushi, I finally waved the white flag and went to a local sushi joint to pick up some sushi grade tuna (NO WAY was I going to purchase sushi grade fish from a supermarket.  With my luck, little wormies and gut eating bacteria would inundate my beautiful fish and everyone who tried it would die).  When I was there, I got down on my hands and knees and begged the sushi chef to SHOW ME THE LIGHT!  I cried, bowed at his feet, offered up my firstborn, and pleaded for sushi mercy..OK, cease and desist on the dramatics.  (Disclaimer: the aforementioned pathetic groveling is purely for entertainment purposes only and completely fictional).  I asked him nicely if he could show me how to make these three rolls properly, and I would pay for every roll he made and I made.  Fortunately, he was nice enough to only charge me for the rolls he made, which kind of makes sense, since I think he would be utterly embarrassed to charge me for my inadequate, lumpy sushi.  Nice guy.  This little lesson took all of 10 minutes for all three sushi preps, and let me tell you, with his ingredients and equipment, especially the rolling mat (mine is akin to glued toothpicks), I was able to turn out some decent looking sushi. 

               This was supposed to be a spiral roll  Didn’t quite work out that way.

Unfortunately, since this was a last minute, pathetically desperate plea, I didn’t have my camera with me, but mark my words, I made every single bit of sushi pictured in this entry.  It was my hands that filled, rolled and sealed…my hands that carefully draped paper-thin slices of avocado over my wimpy, steam spewing dragon (no fire there), MY HANDS that proudly held pretty containers of what looked pretty close to sushi, as I exited.

A few years ago, I received a book called Sushi, American Style, by Tracy Griffith – the half sister of Melanie, minus the silicone lip injections.  This book is awesome, and every few months I would swear I was going to attempt to make these cool creative ‘raw fishless’ sushi rolls she came up with, one of them being a club sandwich roll –  layers of cold cuts, lettuce, tomato, mayo, rolled with the nori and sticky rice.  After my little lesson in sushi making, I felt confident I could pull it off.  I made another batch of sticky rice (What a drawn out preparation, and damn, that stuff is like glue to the skin if you don’t wet your hands prior to touching it.  Some construction dude could easily hang from a beam, 100 stories up, using sticky rice to to glue his construction helmet to it…for as long as need be, unscathed), did exactly what Mr. Master Sushi Chef instructed me to do, and VOILA..filling all over the place, unable to seal them, ripped nori.  WTFFFF???  Ok, breathe deep..I will do this..and I finally did, after wasting  a ton of turkey, ham, tomato, cheese, and my own wasabi mayo.  These were supposed to be spiral rolls, but I’m pretty sure the nori disintegrated underneath all the moist cold cuts prior to rolling, because my spiral looks more like a broken kaleidescope.  Regardless, it still turned out pretty nice aesthetically  I served those with a sour pickle and potato chips.  This is the kind of roll that your jockish, sushi hating ‘HE MAN’ would eat.

‘Club’ sushi roll.  Wasabi mayo, romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, ham, tomato and turkey.

All in all, this was a great experience, as I never thought I’d ever be rolling ‘real’ sushi.  A new notch on the old culinary belt for sure.  For sushi making instructions and the recipe(s), go HERE. 

Be sure to check out the other Daring Cook’s sushi creations by going to the Daring Cooks Blogroll and clicking on the links to their blogs!

When I say an accident, I mean it.

I had a salad the other day, and I felt like making something other than the dressing I used in the Apple and Breaded Chicken Salad, so I thought I’d come up with the “brilliant” idea of making a miso-based dressing. Honestly, it wasn’t too bad…I guess. Separately, the dressing and the salad probably would have tasted better. So it might not be unsurprising that I had a lot of this murky dark dressing leftover.

As I was doing the dishes, I was trying to figure out what to do with all this leftover dressing. I didn’t have enough vegetables leftover for a salad, and I just couldn’t figure out what the taste and texture reminded me of.  And then it hit me! I had jajang myun for the first time a few weeks ago, and I figured by adjusting the flavor a little would give me the same type of taste (if not the color). I then added glops of peanut butter to thicken the mixture and poured it all on top of a bed of rice noodles before topping it with some cooked slices of pork shoulder butt, shallots, and nori.

It. Was. Delicious.

I then made some for a roommate, who’s Korean, telling her that I had accidentally made some jajang myun, and she might like it. When she came back, I whipped some up and topped hers with garlic shrimp instead of pork. She seemed to like it but told me it reminded her of Pad Thai because of the peanut-buttery flavor, so I came up with the name “Jajang myun x Pad Thai Hybrid”. I know. Originality isn’t my forte.

Recipe

Ingredients (everything is approximate because, as I said, everything was accidental)

~1.5 heaping tablespoons of akamiso (red miso)

~2 tablespoons of ketchup

~1 tablespoon of honey

~3.5 tablespoons of peanut butter

1 clove of garlic (diced)

enough rice noodles for two people

-five cooked shrimp or 2 slices of pork shoulder butt

-quarter sheet of nori

-sliced green onions

-vinegar

Instructions

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan and add some oil to grease the pan. When the oil heats, add the garlic and fry until golden. Lower the temperature to low heat before adding the miso. Cook until warm and add ketchup. Mix throughly.

2. Shut off then transfer to a bowl before adding hot water, honey, and peanut butter. Add a splash of vinegar. Stir until smooth.

3. Pour onto noodles and top with cooked shrimp or cooked pork. Cut the nori into thin strips and add with green onions to top.

4. Eat!!

For people who like it sweeter, add more honey. For people who like it more savory, add less honey. If you don’t have honey, sugar is always an option! When it comes to food, it’s really “to each their own.”

And, now, I actually have to find out how to make real jajang myun…

De cativa ani imi doream sa fac fotografia asta.. astazi am avut si ocazia.. este exact asa cum mi-am imaginat ca o sa iasa prima data cand am vazut biserica asta.. va pare cunoscuta?

Azi împlinesc un an de blogging!! Primul a fost pe blogspot, iar de prin ianuarie l-am mutat pe wordpress. Îmi sunt foarte dragi toate cuvintele adunate în arhiva sufletului meu, am strâns toate zâmbetele, toate tristeţile, toate trăirile mele, toate proiectele, toate imaginile. Bogdan, acasă, prieteni, scrieri, Bucureşti, cărţi, cafea, asid, anotimpuri, Dâmboviţa, trenuri, vise, amici de blog, Grozăveşti, poze, nori, cântece, flori, stele, zâmbete.

Mulţumesc celor care îmi dăruiesc o clipă de atenţie în fiecare zi/săptămână, celor care îmi comentează scrierile, celor care mă încurajează, celor care mă critică, celor care cred că într-o zi vor putea ţine în palme o carte semnată de Simone du Ciel .

Happy Blog-day !!