D-Day Invasion- "Strange"-ly Imminent!! TRIP REPORT IS UP!!

[All7OfUs]

That's awesome that you got your cooking lesson! As you know, I've tried to arrange something similar for Judy (only Indian food) on two occasions, only to have it fall through.

The pictures look like everyone is having a great time cooking, and the results look delicious.

For some reason, it's so hard to get them to work out!! But very worth the effort and wait! I'd love to do Indian someday!!

We had a wonderful day- but man, am I tired!

 

[that's nice]

SO uhhhhh been off for a few days... What I miss?


Love your cooking pics! That food looks awesome!

 

[marvali]

Then unless it's the tomato flavor you don't like, you'd probably like this!! It's really good over the rice.

That would be it! That's why I said something about doing that to scrambled eggs. It's funny; I actually eat tomatoes cooked in sauces (ala spaghetti) and love ketchup on burgers and fries, but don't do them fresh. Then again, I'm rather particular about breakfast food and keeping it "sterile" from "rest of the day" food. I don't like western omelets for the same reason (peppers, onions, mushrooms are for other meal times to me).

You are VERY right. We spent the majority of the time slicing and dicing. They kept telling me that I really didn't have the right kind of pot to cook in; you HAVE to have a thin wok and a high flame to make it come out right they say.

Had an electric wok to start with (is that even legal???) and then got one that sat on a ring that could be used over an electric stove burner. I liked that one the best, but I'm sure a larger wok used over an open flame probably makes the best food.

Eggrolls are so tasty homemade. It's the rolling them and frying that takes F.O.R.E.V.E.R!!!

The egg rolls and the wonton soup all turned out pretty good I thought, but it took about 4 hours to prepare them both.

They told me that they typically eat MANY, MANY kinds of veggies almost always flash fried with garlic, a TINY bit of soy, sometimes a tiny bit of sugar and of course a bit of oil- either sesame or other.

Sounds like my cookbook was pretty authentic. Never used quite that much garlic as you guys did though! After a while I would just find the ingredients I wanted (lots of different veggies, just never zucchini for some reason), pick either chicken or beef for the meat, and use the cookbook for the sauce or marinate to cook it in.

 

[Native NYer]

I'm here to catch up, yet AGAIN
It's been such a busy summer! I've been spending time with my older nephew, since camp is out and my brother and SIL have to work.
Your trip is SO CLOSE! You must be beyond excited. Are you planning on doing FB updates? I think I'm going to and then decide if a TR is in my future. If you're going to update via FB, let me know and I'll send you a friend request

The food looks delicious! YUM!

 

[pooh'smate]

That food looks so yummy. Glad to hear that you had a great time. Praying for you and yours as you start your journey back to the states.

 

[yinyanggirls]

YUM! I love learning a couple of authentic dishes. Growing up in So CA I always loved Mexican but could not figure out how to cook it the way the restaurants did. Then a coworker ("I'm Mexican, not 'hispanic'!" she said) showed me the tricks. It's all about oil! Lots of oil! So anyway, it's great that they showed you how to make some great Chinese food.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

You can sure tell the competitive one around here!

hey glenn is the one who is competitive, me i would say im just lazy to go back and look, so i just guess, and hope i get someone elses points.

I invited them over to share a meal with us, and to give me some lessons at the same time.

Let's see, I learned how to make eggplant, spicy beef with peppers, cashew chicken, chicken wing soup with potatoes (VERY spicy!), scrambled eggs and tomatoes, and of course rice. It was amazing!!

so lets see, you tease us with the pictures and the yummy food, but then you dont tell us how you made them. did you write down the recieps and how to cook them, i love chinese food and wouldlove to see how some of those are made, mostly the beef with peppers and the cashew chicken please.

 

[tinkgurl]

Liesa! I'm catching up! That food looks good.

I hope you have safe travels!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Mmmmmmmmmm tasty! I'll expect to see those dishes at the BBQ.

 

[carissanboys]

Hey Liesa! I know you're getting ready to leave soon (I think) and wanted to wish you all safe travels. Hope everything goes smoothly for you guys.

And what a lovely gift to have those dishes prepared for you! Looked awesome!

 

[All7OfUs]

RED ALERT!!!

8 year old is throwing up!!!

NO time to post, just letting you know.

 

[KatMark]

When they showed up they were prepared to make 9 DISHES!!!! They shopped from 9:00 til 11:00 with Mikki, then they cooked from 11:00 til 2:00 and we devoured almost every single bite!!! They just now left at 3:30!! Let's see, I learned how to make eggplant, spicy beef with peppers, cashew chicken, chicken wing soup with potatoes (VERY spicy!), scrambled eggs and tomatoes, and of course rice. It was amazing!!

So funny that I can live "next door" for 10 years, and not ever meet one single Chinese person. Their own border control told them to just turn around and go back home, as this country could offer them nothing, there was NOTHING to see or do, etc.... They left here by telling us that the beauty of this place is in the people, and their firm faith in VERY difficult circumstances.

People--- can I tell you now that I can leave this place with a full heart, hope for their future, and having been touched in deep places. Today was a good day! [/SIZE][/COLOR]

The food sounds yummy. And what a GREAT day and it makes it all worthwhile for you to have that hope.

RED ALERT!!!

8 year old is throwing up!!!

NO time to post, just letting you know.

Oh, oh. Please keep us posted. Hope 8 year old is okay.

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

Hope everything is okay.

 

[All7OfUs]

She is sleeping now, the yacking seems to have let up. This IS NOT WHAT WE NEED NOW!!

 

[KatMark]

She is sleeping now, the yacking seems to have let up. This IS NOT WHAT WE NEED NOW!!

Poor baby. I hope she feels better real soon.

 

[Flossbolna]

She is sleeping now, the yacking seems to have let up. This IS NOT WHAT WE NEED NOW!!

Oh, I hope she will feel better soon!

 

[marvali]

She is sleeping now, the yacking seems to have let up. This IS NOT WHAT WE NEED NOW!!

Glad she's sleeping. Praying it was just an upset stomach and not something more, and she will be completely better when she gets up after a full and restful nights sleep!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Would it be too much to just make it a day trip??

Not too much money, but too much time. It's 4.5 hours each way. I'd be a zombie.

What a WONDERFUL memory to take with you as one of your last in Blankastan! The food looks incredible...yummmmmm. What a precious time.

So funny that I can live "next door" for 10 years, and not ever meet one single Chinese person. Their own border control told them to just turn around and go back home, as this country could offer them nothing, there was NOTHING to see or do, etc.... They left here by telling us that the beauty of this place is in the people, and their firm faith in VERY difficult circumstances.

Beautiful.

RED ALERT!!!

8 year old is throwing up!!!

NO time to post, just letting you know.

EEK! I hope it passes quickly.

 

[All7OfUs]

SO uhhhhh been off for a few days... What I miss?


Love your cooking pics! That food looks awesome!

Oh, just a few dozen updates....

WHere've you been?? Working, I suppose. Or was that boat of yours getting some workout?

That would be it! That's why I said something about doing that to scrambled eggs. It's funny; I actually eat tomatoes cooked in sauces (ala spaghetti) and love ketchup on burgers and fries, but don't do them fresh. Then again, I'm rather particular about breakfast food and keeping it "sterile" from "rest of the day" food. I don't like western omelets for the same reason (peppers, onions, mushrooms are for other meal times to me).

My daughter hates them too. Will eat said "vile" things cooked, but gags on them fresh; hmmm... I wonder where she got that from?

I don't really like breakfast in general- and almost never eat it. BUT give me a dish of leftover lasange, and man watch out!! I'm in heaven at 9:00 Seriously, I would rather not eat, if it's not savory- hash browns, cheese toast, or last night's leftovers. Eggs are another gag inducing food.

Had an electric wok to start with (is that even legal???) and then got one that sat on a ring that could be used over an electric stove burner. I liked that one the best, but I'm sure a larger wok used over an open flame probably makes the best food.

Yes!! Open flame is almost a requirement! The woks are pretty thin so they need that instant adjustment of temp. I assume you cook with electric. I'd do Chinese on a small 2 burner gas jobbie if all I had was electric. Camping supply store?

The egg rolls and the wonton soup all turned out pretty good I thought, but it took about 4 hours to prepare them both.

That's about right. 4 hours. Enlist the aid of small children. Pay them 3 cents per fold. Amazing how fast they get done!

Sounds like my cookbook was pretty authentic. Never used quite that much garlic as you guys did though! After a while I would just find the ingredients I wanted (lots of different veggies, just never zucchini for some reason), pick either chicken or beef for the meat, and use the cookbook for the sauce or marinate to cook it in.

YOu know, I thought I'd see a lot of thick gloppy sauces- NOT EVEN ONE. American Chinese places seem to have a lot of these that use corn starch, but they didn't ever use any. Instead, I saw a bit more vinegar, MSG, (yes, I use it, and I'm not afraid of it either), TONS of ginger, and LawMa- a kind of pepper that leaves the mouth kind of numb.

I'm here to catch up, yet AGAIN
It's been such a busy summer! I've been spending time with my older nephew, since camp is out and my brother and SIL have to work.
Your trip is SO CLOSE! You must be beyond excited. Are you planning on doing FB updates? I think I'm going to and then decide if a TR is in my future. If you're going to update via FB, let me know and I'll send you a friend request

The food looks delicious! YUM!

Summer seems to be busy for everyone this year. I guess with the extra snow over the winter, people are taking advantage of the weather.

I am VERY excited. For things like someone automatically bringing me water with my meal, WITH ICE!!!, a napkin that hasn't been cut into 4 pieces to economize, fries served HOT... WITH my meal, and a pillow that is deep and big.

I'd love to be FB Friends anyway. PM me your info. Mary is the one with the phone, so she's the one that will have to decide that. I hear she's going to bring her laptop though, so it could very well be you may get some live(ly) upates along the way.

That food looks so yummy. Glad to hear that you had a great time. Praying for you and yours as you start your journey back to the states.

THANKS!!!! It was a fabulous time!! But now, my computer is all packed up, and until you see me on US Soil, there will be very few updates.

 

[All7OfUs]

YUM! I love learning a couple of authentic dishes. Growing up in So CA I always loved Mexican but could not figure out how to cook it the way the restaurants did. Then a coworker ("I'm Mexican, not 'hispanic'!" she said) showed me the tricks. It's all about oil! Lots of oil! So anyway, it's great that they showed you how to make some great Chinese food.

I imagined the secret of good Mexican was oil. And lard. I think that's why a good stiff margharita helps everything get through a little more smoothly.

That's hilarious she said that- and here we are all trying to be PC and all that.

hey glenn is the one who is competitive, me i would say im just lazy to go back and look, so i just guess, and hope i get someone elses points.



so lets see, you tease us with the pictures and the yummy food, but then you dont tell us how you made them. did you write down the recieps and how to cook them, i love chinese food and wouldlove to see how some of those are made, mostly the beef with peppers and the cashew chicken please.

Rosie's always giving out free ones.

I can- really!! But not until after I get back- you'll have to be paitient for another week. Right now, I'm flying by the seat of my pants. hopefully I can keep them clean with all the chaos. The Beef with (HOT) peppers was soooooooo good!! The cashew chicken was rather bland I thought, but still very good. Maybe needed a bit more soy.

Liesa! I'm catching up! That food looks good.

I hope you have safe travels!

HEY! Welcome back!!

THANKS!

Mmmmmmmmmm tasty! I'll expect to see those dishes at the BBQ.

To add to the impended digestive distress??

Hey Liesa! I know you're getting ready to leave soon (I think) and wanted to wish you all safe travels. Hope everything goes smoothly for you guys.

And what a lovely gift to have those dishes prepared for you! Looked awesome!

WOW!! Hi there!! I've been patiently waiting to hear from you lately! How has Chuck been settling in?? I'll bet it's wonderful to have him back again.

It WAS awesome!!! And they were so gracious and friendly!

The food sounds yummy. And what a GREAT day and it makes it all worthwhile for you to have that hope.



Oh, oh. Please keep us posted. Hope 8 year old is okay.

I think she's turned the corner- last night she went to sleep with a fever, and am thinking it was from eating at her friend's house. THey often don't refridgerate food for 24 hours. I am going to have to enforce a moratorium on eating with friends now- we just can't risk sickness this late in the game. BArfing kids on a place is NO fun!!! Been there- done that.

Hope everything is okay.

I'll know after she gets up in several hours. but so far she's only heaved a few times during the night.

Poor baby. I hope she feels better real soon.

Thanks, Kathy!!!

Oh, I hope she will feel better soon!

ME TOO!!!

Glad she's sleeping. Praying it was just an upset stomach and not something more, and she will be completely better when she gets up after a full and restful nights sleep!

THANKS, Marv!!! I think is was good (bad) old bad food. and not a virus. So that's good; it may not make the rounds.

Not too much money, but too much time. It's 4.5 hours each way. I'd be a zombie.

What a WONDERFUL memory to take with you as one of your last in Blankastan! The food looks incredible...yummmmmm. What a precious time.

Yes, you'd be wiped!! DANG! I wish I could just invite you to my sisters!!

It was amazing!! And really pretty healthy too!!! Not a lot of oil, not a lot of meat, mostly a lot of good veggies and rice with some amazing spices and flavorings.