Still Nocturnal...

     Yeah...  I had gotten my sleep schedule almost back on track, when I quite suddenly caught a headcold, and then I was awake for two days straight.  This is an unpleasant experience; I don't recommend it. 

     The day before yesterday, I only managed to sleep for about three hours, so I fell asleep again at about two o'clock in the morning, which is when I usually go to sleep when my schedule is normal.  When I woke up, I looked at my clock, and it said 5:30.  I thought "Oh good, it's morning.  My sleep schedule is fixed."  And then it suddenly occured to me that it might be evening, not morning.  Everything was dark and quiet, so I assumed it was morning, but somehow it didn't feel like morning.  I was so confused...  I checked my phone, and it said P.M.  No fixed sleep schedule for me...

     So, for the meantime, it seems that I shall continue spending my nights watching Asian dramas, and drinking exorbitant amounts of tea.

Manga Shakespeare

     Shakespeare plays meets Japanese manga.  An interesting combination, what?  I certainly thought so when I stumbled upon the series when browsing on Amazon.com. 

     A fellow named Richard Appignanesi has teamed up with various talented mangaka to create these, using Shakespeare's original text.  The dialogue is perforce abridged, somewhat, but not enough to take away from the plot, and the illustrations are both amusing, and pretty to look at.

     So far, I've purchased Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It.
 

 

 

Cranberry Sauce and Muffins

     Greetings, viewers.
    
     A few days ago, my mum decided that she wanted to try making homemade cranberry sauce.  She hunted in vain for a recipe, but then finally found one on a package of cranberries, and surprisingly enough, it is gobsmackingly easy to make.

     Here's how you do it -

• 1 package whole cranberries (located seasonally in the produce section)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

     Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the cranberries, and simmer for 5 more minutes, until the skins burst.  Squish them a bit with a potato-masher, and voila.  The pectin in the cranberries does the rest; as it cools, it becomes thick, and cranberry sauce-like, no corn starch or corn syrup required.

     I found a recipe for strawberry muffins, and decided to use a batch of my mum's cranberry sauce to make cranberry-walnut muffins instead.

     Here's my recipe -

• 1 2/3 cups cranberry sauce
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (more or less) walnuts, chopped

     Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Grease bottoms of cups in a twelve-count muffin tin, or line with paper baking cups.  In a large bowl, add the cranberry sauce, stir in sugar, oil, and eggs until mixed.  Stir in other ingredients until moistened.  Spoon batter into muffin cups.  Bake about 15 minutes, or until light golden-brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes, and remove from muffin tin.

     It occurs to me, viewers, that many of my posts are about food.  You all must think I do nothing but eat.  Haha.  This is not at all the case.  I like trying new foods, but I eat very little.  I prefer making food, and feeding it to other people.  The neighbors have absolutely no problem with this.  They quite enjoy receiving various baked goods from their little apron-clad neighbor lady. ^_^

Green Tea Pots de Crème

     Today, on a whim, I decided to make green tea pots de crème (pronounced poh-deh-crehm).
    
     For those that aren't familiar, pots de crème is French custard, similar to crème brûlée, but without the crust of broiled sugar.  It's a very basic dessert, with an almost endless array of flavour-possibilites.

     Here's my recipe -

• 3/4 cup heavy cream 
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 (green) tea-bags
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• Pinch fine sea salt

     Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

     In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, milk, and tea bags over medium-low heat until warm, about 4 minutes.

     In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, maple syrup, and salt until smooth. Slowly whisk in the milk mixture.  Using a ladle, divide the mixture between 4 ramekins. Place the ramekins in an 8 by 8-inch baking pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes until the custard is almost set. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool while still in the water, about 1 hour. Remove the ramekins from the water and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until set.

     As I was working on this, my mum made a pomegranate sauce to pour over them.

     Here's her recipe -

• The seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 1/2 cup water
• Splash cranberry juice
• Pinch fine sea salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest

      In a small saucepan, add pomegranate seeds and water.  Bring to a boil, and simmer until the seeds lose their colour.  Strain the seeds from the juice, and return the juice to the pan.

     Add the rest of the ingredients, bring back to a boil, and simmer until the mixture reduces by half.  Remove from heat.  Allow to cool completely.  Mixture will thicken somewhat as it cools.

     Pour a small amount over each pots de crème, after they have chilled.

Il a l'air délicieux, n'est-ce pas?

    
    

Currently Nocturnal

     Greetings, viewers.
     Have you ever stayed up all night, so you sleep the next day, and so you're awake again all night, etc, etc, etc...?  This happens to me quite often.  This time, it's lasted for about a week so far.

     It's actually quite an interesting lifestyle.  I wake up early enough in the evening for a bit of human interaction, but it's pretty quiet.  There's lots of time for reading, watching movies and long Asian dramas, picking up foreign languages from watching all of those dramas, drinking many, many caffeinated beverages...  Not that I don't do all of that on a regular basis anyways.

     On a random side note, do you recall my post entitled Asian Dramas in which I mentioned a Taiwanese actor named Vic Chou (the one with the eyebrows)?  Well, I just recently discovered that he's a singer as well as an actor, and a pretty good one at that.  I like most of his songs, but the ones that seem to get stuck in my head the most are Ài Zài Ài Nǐ (Love Loves You), Jì Dé Wǒ Ài Nǐ (Remember, I Love You), and Bai (White).

Turandot

     I went back to World Market the other day, and bought myself another opera-poster tin of chocolate truffles. 
 
     This time, I got the one that's printed with the poster for Puccini's Turandot.  I've not seen that one yet, but it contains one of the best-known tenor arias in all the world of opera, Nessun Dorma.  Probably most people would recognize the melody if they heard it.

    Having bought the tin, and listened once again to its ever-famous aria, I of course felt compelled to look up the plot, and lo and behold, I have discovered an opera that ends happily.  I was astonished. 

Here's the tin.  A rather lugubrious-looking face, what?  I enjoy it.

Almond Blossom Branches

 

     Vincent Van Gogh - Almond Blossom Branches

 



     I have been studying fine art, and, more particularly, impressionism since I was four years old.  Since then, I have never seen a painting that I love as much as this one; not only for its stunning aesthetics, but for what it represents.

 

     In 1890, while in the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, Vincent received a letter from his beloved brother Theo, announcing the birth of his son.  Theo gave the boy Vincent's name, and wrote -- "I wish that he will be as perservering and courageous as you."  Overjoyed, Vincent painted this picture, and sent it as a gift to be hung in his nephew's bedroom.

 

     To me, this painting represents hope.  Light coming out of darkness.  Looking at it, I think he felt hope that joy, and love, and life, even his name would go on, even if he could not, and hope that his namesake's world would be brighter than his.

 

     As I was pondering over these things this evening, I suddenly remembered that in the language of flowers, almond blossoms mean hope.  I had quite forgotten that until tonight.  I wonder if he knew that, or if it's just a wonderful coincidence.  In any case, I'm glad to know it, and to feel that I was right.

Stranded!

     Good evening, viewers.  My evening was quite interesting.  Shall I tell you about it?  Here goes.

     The evening started out quite normally, with me watching Taiwanese dramas, and reading to my mum.  And then, we went to the local grocery store.  Dun dun dun!  Well, no, that wasn't the dramatic part.  The dramatic part happened after we finished shopping, and we got into the car to go home, and the car randomly decided that it didn't feel like starting.  Dun dun dun!

     So, I went back into the store and asked my neighbor who works there if he had any suggestions.  He sent another employee-fellow out with me, and while my mum steered, the employee-fellow and I pushed the car across the parking lot, so that he could attempt to jump-start the battery.

     The jump-start, however, proved ineffectual, and since the lights would come on when my mum turned the key, we concluded that the problem was not the battery, but was in fact the starter.

     So, while my mum called for a tow, I dashed across the parking lot to my favourite cafe, which happened to still be open (convenient, what?), and got myself a soy chai latte.

     And then we waited.  And waited.  And waited...  But, on the bright side, even though it was a little chilly, it wasn't raining, and with a delicious beverage and a Charlotte Bronte novel (I always carry a novel in my purse), being stranded in a parking lot for an hour and a half really isn't all that bad.  And we were under a street lamp, which provided very nice light for reading.

     Eventually, the tow truck showed up, and we explained the situation to the fellow, who proceeded to jack up the car, and hit the starter with a rubber mallet.  Believe it or not, that did the trick; the car started, proving once again, that hitting fixes everything.
    

Tea Time

     For tea today, I made cream muffins.  In taste and texture, they're rather more like drop-biscuits, slightly crispy on the outside, and light and fluffy in the middle.  Since they're not particularly sweet or salty, they're very good with butter and jam, or just as they come.

     Here's the recipe.

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

     Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin.  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Drizzle the cream on top; stir gently with a rubber spatula until the dough barely comes together.  Spoon the dough into the muffin cups.  Using a pastry brush, dab the butter on top.  Bake until golden-brown, about 20 minutes.

A Spot of Sunshine

     Here's a nice bright and cheerful picture to dispel the winter gloom.

     Incidentally, in the language of flowers, tulips are a declaration of love.  Yellow tulips in particular, mean "Hopelessly in love", or "There is sunshine in your smile."

Much Too Cold

     I just checked the weather report, and it is currently 28 degrees F.   For California, this is very cold indeed.  We may even get snow tomorrow, which is a pretty rare occurance for this time of the year.
    
     I'm sure that where some of you viewers live, it is much colder, so here's hoping that you're all keeping warm and dry.
    
     I'm doing my level best to keep warm, with three blankets, a hot-water bottle, a cat (cats make excellent foot-warmers), and a cup of hot chocolate spiced with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and dash of cayenne pepper.  It sounds a bit odd perhaps, but it's effective, and is actually quite delicious.
    

French Onion Soup

     Today, I decided to make classic French onion soup.  This soup, which dates back to Ancient times, is simple, delicious, and remarkably inexpensive.
    
     I do not recommend eating French onion soup from a can, or carton; salt is the prominent flavour.  From scratch, it has the true taste of France.  It takes a little while, but it's definitely worth it.
    
     As I savoured its rich flavours, I pictured myself in a quaint Provincal dining room, warm from the fire in the hearth, with bay windows over-looking a small vinyard and fields of lavender.

     Here's the recipe I used.

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 4 large red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 (more or less) cups beef broth
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• sliced French bread
• 1/2 cup shredded or grated Swiss cheese

     In a soup pot, slowly melt butter and add onions.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes, or until the onions are soft, and lightly browned.

     Stir in sugar and balsamic vinegar.  Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the broth.  Raise the heat, and bring to a boil.  Add red wine, salt and pepper, and lower the heat.  Simmer for 15-30 minutes.

     Cut the bread in slices, about 2" thick.  Drizzle with olive oil, and spread with a little butter.  Sprinkle lightly with garlic.  Put them under the broiler until golden-brown.

      Ladle the soup into ramekins, or oven-safe bowls, and place them on a baking sheet.  Float a slice of toasted bread in each one, and top with cheese.  Place them under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

    

Asian Dramas

     Lately, I've been on and Asian drama kick.  In this instance, Youtube has been very obliging.  I've watched several Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese dramas this week.  It's been very time-consuming, but since I have an exorbitant amount of time on my hands, that's not really an issue for me.
    
     One of my favourites so far, has been Love You Ten Thousand Years starring Vic Chou.  It was sweet, poignant, and slightly sad, but ended nicely.
    
     I'm currently watching another Vic Chou drama called Sweet Relationship, based on a Japanese manga I once read called Oiishi Kankei.  It's extremely long, and tends to make a person want expensive food, but it's a very nice, well-acted story.
    
    Patty Hou, who plays the leading actress, is good at playing a big-eyed innocent type, and Vic Chou and his eyebrows are good at being angsty (google him; you'll see what I mean).
 
    I'm not sure how long this phase is going to last, but since there are still several on my "to watch" list, I'm guessing it'll be a while.  In the meantime, I'm learning new languages~
    

A New Adventure

     Today, I got the next book in The Scarlet Pimpernel series, The Way of the Scarlet Pimpernel.  My mum and I are looking forward to more daring escapades with our favourite hero.
   
     Louise de Croissy's royalist husband has been killed--her child is ill--they must get out of Paris--can they escape???  Louise's friend Josette thinks they can, with a little help from that ever-elusive hero, The Scarlet Pimpernel.  Can he once again foil his fiendish foe Chauvelin and save everyones' lives, in his own uniquely awesome way?  Who knows?  I do!  Thanks to Wikipedia, and my own unconquerable curiosity, I'm already familiar with the entire plot.  Huzzah~

    

Writing with My Cat

     Here's a picture of me doing some late-night writing, with my cat... Misa. 
     I hesitate, because his name changes with my mood.  Sometimes he's Kyo, sometimes Bijou, it all depends.  But for now, we'll just call him Misa.  Isn't he adorable?

 

   
     In case any of my dear viewers are wondering why I never show my face on my blog, it's because I want to maintain a certain level of anonymity.  By doing so, I leave my viewers (except for the few of you who know who I am) free to imagine me as they please.  How do you picture me...?

College Dance Production

     I went to a dance production at the local college tonight.  I always find student performances interesting.  Naturally, some of the dancers are at a higher level than others, and I like to pick out the ones that have the most body strength, the most graceful lines, etc.

 

     One of the dances was a pas de trois, an excerpt from Swan Lake.  The dancers weren't exactly Baryshnikov, Pavlovna, and Spesivtseva, but I thought they did very well.  One of the young ladies in particular danced it beautifully.

 

     It's amusing to me; I'm not easily affected, but when I watch classical ballet, there's generally at least one part of the dance that gives me chills.  The same thing happens when I watch an opera.  I suppose I'm just a sucker for the arts.

Three Wandering Men

     Here's a poem I wrote one day at about 2:00 in the morning.  It seems to be symbolic of some of the various struggles encountered throughout the journey of Life, and the hope of rising above them.
     I've always enjoyed writing in the middle of the night; I get to wake up the next day and see what on earth I wrote the night before, and see if it makes any sense.  Like these blog posts, for instance.

 

Three wandering men on the path of life

Look forth with earnest eyes.

Footsteps sure walk toward the light

Wherein lies Life's greatest prize.

The first man stumbles off the path

And in the dust he lays.

No longer does he trust the light,

So in the dust he stays.

A wayside flower with sweet breath

Whispers the promise of an easier prize

And thus the wandering man remains,

No longer lifting up his eyes.

The second man with determined heart

Walks boldly toward the light.

The burning flame that guides his way

With constancy burns bright.

A stone fells the noble man,

Extinguishing his flame.

His eyes once sure no longer see,

The darkness blights;

His aspect forever remains the same.

The third man, an eager youth

Continues toward the promised goal.

A lovely vision steals his heart,

Then leaves it as she continues on.

Thus, the young man's hope is gone,

The ray of light no longer shines  

To cheat the darkness in his soul.

Three wandering men in darkness lost

Lay where they fell, caring not the cost.

And yet, in their weary hearts a spark remains,

And that with earnest fervor longs to burst forth bright

And lead the blighted wandering men

Forevermore into the Light.