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The Vagrants
by Yiyun Li
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Drink with Daniel
Friday, Jul 3, 2009 9:00PM / Members only
There was this one holiday season I thought I'd send a special gift to a few AnD friends. For the gift I had in mind, I wondered if I could set it up so the gift itself would be the punchline I wanted it to be.
To set things up,
These were the various responses:Anita Luong: are you serious?? no way. you mean sit down, have a drink with him in our dreams?
DanielsGirl: you must be dreaming or sleeping as you typed that.The ladies really didn't think I had any sense from that email. :D They probably thought it was just another one of those wild conversation topics we sometimes (often!) went off on. I didn't respond to any of these emails, instead letting the girls to freely banter about something so inconceivable. The less said by me, the better the surprise was going to be.
At some point prior to or after sending that curious note, I inquired as to which was their favorite image of Daniel Wu. ;)
I think all the gals were pleasantly surprised when they opened their boxes. I believe my pun worked.
I sent a mug with Daniel's image because he was the one thing we all first had in common and brought us together on AnD. I wanted us all to share something that commemorated this link.
Original blog is here. Even the elusive Daniel Wu himself was compelled to leave a comment. ;)
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Recipe
Wednesday, Jul 1, 2009 9:00PM / Members only
Flagday asked about my apple pie recipe. I'm sharing in the event one of you should feel adventurous in the kitchen. ;) I've learned it's not a bit daunting.
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
6 TB butter
6 TB shortening
5 - 6 TB ice water
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add butter and shortening. Mix with pastry blender. Add water and mix until dough is formed.
Split dough into 2 halves. Place dough in between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Use rolling pin and form a flat circle, about 1/8" thick. Place plastic and dough into a pie pan. Do same for 2nd half. Place on top of other dough half in pan. Chill.The above is something I conjured up from my practice making tarte tartin. Dealing with chilled dough can be a hassle - it can tend to stick to the rolling pin, to the granite counter... and then the dough warms up which makes it even trickier to manage. It's easier working with it in between plastic wraps.
Filling:
3 Granny Smith apples
2 large Fuji apples
2 TB all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
Pare, core and cut apples into thin slices. I cut into small pieces but you don't have to. In large bowl, add apples to flour, sugar and cinnamon. Mix well.
Optional: Cook apples in a large skillet or pot until tender. (I usually do the mixing in the same skillet I'm cooking in.)Set aside one of the dough halves in its plastic wrap. Carefully remove the plastic from the dough that's shaped like the pan. Re-insert dough into the pan. Use a knife to trim extra dough off the sides. Use fork to poke lots of holes in the bottom crust. Pour in cooked apples. Move more apples toward the center.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Remove the plastic from the remaining half of chilled dough. Place on top of apple and pan. Trim excess from sides. Flute the edges with your fingers or with the blunt end of a knife. You may decorate the pie using the left-over dough. Use a knife and poke holes around the top.
Wrap foil around the edge of the pie to keep the edge from overbrowning. Place a cookie sheet on the rack under the pie's rack to catch any drippings. Bake for 55 - 60 minutes in the center rack. With 15 minutes left to bake, remove foil. At this time, beat an egg and brush onto pie to give it a glossy, brown color.
To check if the pie is cooked to your satisfaction, insert a knife into one of the holes you made at the top. If it goes easily through the apples, the pie is done.
Happy baking!
Easy as(s) pie.
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Mahjong playa
Monday, Jun 29, 2009 9:00PM / Members only
I should have been already familiar with the clack-clacking of mahjong tiles from my earliest days of life while still in mom's womb. She was an MJ fiend. It apparently was a sticking point between her and her husband, although I've heard a story that it was due to one person's suspicion of a wholly different type of extracurricular activity. Men and their insecurities - oh bother!
If you know how to play mahjong, how did you learn? I had ample opportunity to learn but it seems the patience required was not to be found. Every week, one parent or the other seemed to be involved in a game either at home or at a relative's house. Watching the adults play, it bored me to tears. I'd try to follow the example of my cousin, trying to engross myself in learning the game and willing myself to understand what she saw when she watched the adults. I coudn't find a clue.
Actually, I did figure out a tiny bit like stacking the tiles (that was probably the only skill I enjoyed practicing), peng and shang. I also realized I could derive much pleasure from building things with the tiles not related to mahjong at all (e.g. floorplan of a dream house).
A few times, my older cousins and I would play together but being the youngest and others concentrating on their own tiles, I'd invariably lose... and get sore. They used to call me names, "sorehead" being one of their favorites (bc I had that kind of temperament? bc I got fed up at being often jerked around?). I'm sure people have tried to explain the game to me. I was probably just too thick-headed.
Mr. P plays. At least he can teach the little ones the game if they have the inclination to learn.
My mom's got this very pretty set of MJ tiles - bright, glittery gold (which she at one time complained that under the glare of her game lamp would blind her friends). She gave sent over her spare set of pink tiles. I'll probably inherit her MJ table.
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No more pie
Friday, Jun 26, 2009 9:00PM / Members only
Final pics of any more of my apple pies. I promise.
For now, indulge me by admiring the fine crust I created. A perfect crust - flaky but not crumbly on the top, "sturdy" but not overly-doughy on the bottom.
The perfect crust.
I figured out my error on the first homemade crust. Something to do with the quantity of water.
I made only one modification to the filling. I started them off with using a spiffy apple corer/slicer. For best results with one of these gizmos, you should position the device at the right spot and firmly press it into the fruit before actually slicing it through. Kinda like a 2-step process. My apple slices were cut into small pieces before softening in a pot.
Ideally, it would be wooonderful to be able to recreate the apple pies that were sold at a place that used to be known as Sun Wah Kue on Washington Street in SF's Chinatown. The crust was soft, thin and just the right texture. The filling was a tiny bit tart, not too sweet and I recall the apples cut into tiny pieces. $6 of such goodness. Such a shame the shop no longer exists.
My in-laws had a taste of the pie pictured above. They don't usually comment on my baking, only offering a rather dull 'ho sik" ("tastes good") when prodded. This latest project was a crowd-pleaser.
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I like tubes
Thursday, Jun 25, 2009 9:00PM / Members only
I recently tried the new L'oreal Double Extend® Beauty Tubes™ Technology Mascara. This is my first time trying a "tube" mascara and I would have to say it is one of the best mascaras I've used. And so affordable.
The reason I put on my Beauty Tubes on that particular day was because I wanted to wear a product that would easily wash off with water. No worries about removing using eye makeup remover or the required rubbing. I've found when I think I've done a good job removing all the waterproof mascara, the next day I still have a bit of raccoon eyes in the morning. Yuck.
Another problem with my other long-lasting mascaras (Maybelline Great Lash and Max Factor 2000 Calorie) are they can smudge throughout the day should one accidentally rub one's eyes - or not. Double-Extend does not smudge.
The Double-Extend mascara has 2 formulas - one that nourishes (primer) and the other colors. They both go on smoothly and effortlessly - swish, swish - and seemed to dry instantly.
The result? Double-Extend really lengthened my lashes as if they'd been enhanced with fake lashes. One thing I'm blessed with are plentiful upper lashes and this mascara made them quite fabulous, even without the aid of a lash curler. Made me wanna flutter and bat my eyes all day long and at no one in particular.
The only thing with L'Oreal Double-Extend is that although you may achieve incredible lengths (and spikiness), incredible volume isn't part of the package. I'm totally fine with that.
It took me a few seconds to figure out how to wash the mascara off. I used a wash cloth wet with warm water placed over my eyes to soften up and break down the tubes, followed by gently taking off the flakes with my fingers. No rubbing.
Good stuff. A good cosmetic makes me happy for a little while (last time was with Prescriptives Multi-Finish Compact Foundation). Does this happen to you too? ;)
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