25.12.10

A Christmas tutorial

A few years ago my friend Jen taught me how to make baked brie (because along with being a great baker she is also a super cook).   Anyways, since then I have been bringing this to most of the parties we get invited to.  In fact, I think the only reason we get invited is because we bring the brie.  Everyone is so impressed that I am so super skilled.

Well prepare to be impressed again.  I thought in time for the holiday parties I would do a little tutorial.  If I really wanted to be in time for the parties this would have gone up a week ago, but whatever.  Don't say I never give you anything.

1.  You need:  puff pastry sheets (you can buy the stuff you have to roll out too, but this is so much easier), a brie wheel (this size is 400g), and any topping you like (I like hot red pepper jelly, but you can use any kind of jam/chutney you feel goes with brie)

Yes, I think President's Choice should be paying me for advertising too.
2.  Defrost your puff pastry and roll it out and place your brie in the middle of the sheet


3.  Put a generous amount of your chosen topping on the brie


4.  Wrap the pastry around the brie and topping


There's no exact science to this but avoid any gaps, your topping and melted cheese will ooze out while baking.
5.  Bake according to the instructions of your chosen pastry

Ta-Daaaaah!

I know, rocket science.  Y'all are like "THAT'S IT?  We've been inviting her to all these parties for the brie and that's ALL we had to do to make it ourselves?"

Yes.  You've been inviting me for nothing.

Merry Christmas, suckers.

21.12.10

Fuck You Cancer

Dear Cancer,

I'd like to start off by saying fuck you.  This isn't an episode of Glee, so yeah, call me Cee Lo and FUCK YOU.  Thanks for ruining my Christmas and actually my whole year now that I think of it.  You've wrecked a lot of peoples lives, many of our friends and family have been affected by you, and now you're picking on my dad.

Dude, my dad is 77 years old.  And in a few weeks, right after his 78th birthday, he has to have his bladder removed because of you.  He never smoked, drank or did anything but work, fish and hike on the weekends.  I'm not saying anyone deserves to have you in their lives, but really?  My dad?  All he ever wanted was to live out his last days, growing vegetables in his backyard, reading the paper and watching those Korean soap opera dramas all day long in the winter.

Now all he does is worry about the surgery and worry about how he will be a burden to my mom and his family during his recovery.  And life after the surgery with the bag.  My mother and I can't sleep at night worrying about the pain following the surgery and the weeks and weeks after.  And I can't help thinking at his age the surgery will be too much.

I see a smoker on the street and I want to punch him in the face.  You know that smoking causes cancer, don't you?  Why should my dad have cancer and not you?  Go enjoy your god damn health! is what I want to scream in his face.  I'm not saying it's logical or its the random smoker's fault, or that I think smokers should get cancer.  I don't think any of those things.  I'm just saying I want to punch him in the face.  Really hard.  Like maybe more than once.

I see people racing around buying all sorts of stupid gifts, and I want to yell, who cares?  No one wants that stupid scarf or that stupid basket full of smelly crap, or anything else that you're buying.  Well, except for maybe the people shopping in LuluLemon or the Apple store.  Everyone wants that stuff.  My point is, Christmas is pissing me right off this year with its stupid songs and people eating too much junk and buying too much junk, and being all festive when my dad is sick.

Cancer, you have turned me in to a stark raving crazy bitter bitch.

But guess what.

I'm not going to be crazy forever.  It's going to suck  but my dad is going to have this surgery and we're going to get through the recovery.  My mom used to be a nurse, did you know that Cancer?  She's going help fix up my dad after the surgery--she is like post surgery Cancer Kryptonite.  And my dad's going to get used to the bag and he's going to do all the things he loves doing once he's all healed up.  And I'm going to see my parents happy and free of YOU and I'm not going to be bitter any more.  And I'm going to sleep through the night again one of these days.   And I'm not going to have the urge to punch random people on the street.  And next Christmas, maybe I'll feel like singing a few carols and eating a mountain of cookies and chocolates.  I'll be the best bitch in town.

SO FUCK YOU CANCER.

IT'S ON.

Regards,
Sue Jean

17.12.10

The cake of my kindergarten dreams

Okay, so as if to prove that I reaaaallly am deficient in the area of talent, like an hour after my last post I see THIS on Facebook:

Mena's birthday cake
If you were turning 3 (or 30), wouldn't you just think you died and went to heaven if this was your birthday cake???  My friend Amy in Chicago spent some serious man hours rolling out a truckload of fondant to build this castle dream cake for her daughter Mena's 3rd birthday.  Some kids who's birthdays are close to Christmas kind of get ripped off or lost in the shuffle of such a busy time of year (just ask Dave who's birthday is the 22nd which, now that I think of it, also happens to be the birthday of Mena's dad Nick), but it looks like Christmas takes a back seat to Mena around this castle.



Mena was wearing the same dress as this cake topper Mini Mena at her party.  Could this cake be any more perfect?

I have to find me some talent.  Or maybe I just need less talented friends so that I don't seem so lame.

14.12.10

Yum Yum

I wish I had a talent.   You know, like to be super amazing at something.  I'm not fishing for compliments here, I don't need you, my friends, to post comments like "Well remember when you got 98% in ninth grade typing" or "Remember you scored Perfect for Viva La Vida at karaoke" (both true).  But the truth is, I'm generally just "okay" at a lot of things, "good" at some things, and "really good" at one or two things (ie Viva la Vida at Karaoke and typing) and its gotten me through life okay so far.

Now my friend Jen is an AMAZING baker.  You might remember her from such hits as "My Wedding Cake":

Both beautiful and tasty, you know how you're supposed to save the top layer for a year?
Dave and I ate it the next week....but really who wants a year old, freezer burnt cake?
And "My Wedding cookie Favours"

Don't get me started on my wedding photographers
Yes, so artsy--cookies by a dirty window

When I asked for cookies for my niece who really likes princesses:



And when I asked her for cookies as a thank you for people who sponsored me in a run (okay for me it was more like a walk) for cancer that I did for my dad:

I was just kind of thinking round cookies with thank you written on them.
See what I mean about talented?

Anyways, she's is doing a little Xmas giveaway on her blog here for six of these bad boys:

Yummy gingerbread snowflakes

I thought I would dilute my chances of winning by letting everyone in on it.  Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition.  I've already distributed my winnings in my head, "one for Dave, five for me!"  See, its probably better if I don't win.  

While you're there, check out her other cakes and cookies.  And then take solace in the fact that you were the fastest, most error free typist in your ninth grade class.

12.12.10

Finally...

Thank goodness, it came, because it's getting effing cold and I was getting really tired of picking up all our junk mail every day.  I probably won't check the mail again until April.

9.12.10

Cup noodle Museum!

What's convenient, cheap and yummy?  Staple for all poor university students around the world (I used to buy it at the gas station down the street when I went to University in the UK--believe me I was Poor with a capital P then).  Instant Noodles!!!

Tomo and Shu took us to the Cup Noodle Museum.  To be honest I don't even know where it was,  we just got in the car and got driven.....I think it took us an hour to get there.  It was a small museum, a tribute to Momofuko Ando, the inventor of instant noodles and cup noodles.  

The best part of the museum is that you get to make your own cup noodles.  First you decorate your cup, then you pick 5 ingredients to put in it, pick your soup stock and then they seal it up and off you go with your very own flavour.  

Me, Dave and Momofuko

Wall of Cup Noodle

Yes, I know, so original.  I cracked under the pressure.

We're so proud

My invention, tofu, garlic, corn, kimchi and egg.  Curry soup base.
Yummy!

As close as Dave gets to cooking

After the Museum, Tomo and Shu took us somewhere else pretty cool.  It kind of looked like the middle of no where, but it was a patch of land just before the airport.  And when you stand there and a plane comes in, it looks like its coming right at you.  It was really pretty amazing.

Me and Tomo waiting


About as close as you can get to a moving airplane!!!

Thanks Tomo, thanks Shu for a really special day.

5.12.10

Our trip to Japan - Osaka

 Osaka was our next stop, an easy 30 minutes on the train from Kyoto.  We were very lucky that a friend of Dave's from a Contiki tour he took in Europe many years ago, Tomo, lives in Osaka and was kind enough to take us around.  Nothing beats having a local guide to show you the city!

Osaka Castle

Me and Tomo

Tomo and Dave at the top of the castle
After the castle Tomo took us for some Okonomiyaki.  This was my first time trying these Japanese pancake type things and they are delicious.

The chefs

DeeeLish
The restaurant was right by this observatory (I can't remember what it was called).  But the night view of the city was amazing.


Osaka at night
Our hotel wasn't far from the city hotspot called Shin Sai Bashi.  Lights, bars, shops, restaurants, and lots and lots of people.

Look at dude's crazy hair on the left
Shopping arcade, see what I mean about lots of people?  As far as the eye can see...

Died and gone to Asahi heaven

Thanks to Tomo and her husband we got to try something that wasn't in our guidebook.  More on that next post.

30.11.10

Our Trip to Japan - Kyoto

From Tokyo, we took the 3 hour shinkansen train to Kyoto, using our Japan Rail Pass pictured below.  Like the Eurail pass, it is good for unlimited rides on the JR rail lines (except for the super express Nozomi trains).  Everything you have heard about the trains in Japan is true.   They are clean, fast, and on time.  The pass we got was $307Cad and was for regular class for 7 days.  There is also a "green car" pass for a premium (like a first class car I guess), but the regular cars are so nice I don't know that it would be worth the extra money.  Like the Eurail pass, you purchase an exchange order in your home country and then exchange it for the Rail pass once you get to Japan.

Japan rail pass and train ticket, sorry not the best photo

We only alloted 2 days to Kyoto, and given jetlag and the fact that we kept getting lost, I would definitely have changed that to 3 if it were possible.  But it wasn't (we booked all our hotels in advance), so we made the best of it.  Kyoto is beautiful and a definite must see in my books.


Kinkaku-ji - The Golden Pavilion


Everywhere we went there were huge groups of students

Kiyomizu-dera

We ran into these lovely ladies in the Gion District on one of the many occasions we were lost.
Note it was 33 degrees (celcius) that day.
And we ran into this little Kitty too
We were only in Kyoto long enough to hit a few of the main sites, but it's a great walking city and if you find a well situated hotel, you can walk around to many sites.  The temples, however you would have to get to by bus or taxi.

27.11.10

Our trip to Japan -Tsukiji Fish Market

Ever since I discovered Hello Kitty at age 8, I dreamed of going to Japan.  Back then I imagined it to be a sea of pink Sanrio stickers and dolls and notebooks and smelly erasers and all that crap that makes an 8 year old asian kid's heart beat faster.  But as an adult I just became fascinated by the culture and history of the country, and it stayed at the top of the list of places I wanted to visit.

In September, it finally happened!  We took a 2 week trip to Japan visiting the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, and of course Tokyo.  And it did not disappoint.  Thought I would just do a couple of posts about our trip.

If you were planning a similar itinerary to ours, my first tip would be to fly into either Tokyo or Osaka and then fly out of the other if the flights are available out of your city.  We flew in and out of Tokyo, which meant there was an extra 3 hour train ride that we had to make which could have been avoided had we booked into Osaka and out of Tokyo.  Not a huge deal but when time is of the essence, the less moving around the better.


We got to the airport 4 hours before our flight, a bit ahead of the recommended 2.5 hours for international flights but SO worth it as we got the emergency exit row.  I don't know who was happier, me or Dave.  For the 13 hour flight, it was a real luxury to have the extra leg room.  I'm not saying I need extra leg room, but when your husband is 6 foot 2, you always get the middle seat and there is always a big leg in front of you.


I'm sure you've heard stories of how clean Japan is.  This is at the train station at the Narita Airport where you catch the train that takes you into Tokyo (about $30 for a 45 minute ride, my understanding is that a cab ride can cost up to $200 or more).  LOOK AT THE FLOOR (not at Dave).  This is a TRAIN STATION.  Clearly the 3 second rule for food that falls on the ground doesn't apply here.  You can just park it next to what you've dropped and eat it off the floor.

Our first morning in Tokyo, we woke up at 5am (jetlag I love you) and as that gave us some time to kill before our 12pm train ride to Kyoto, it was the perfect time to go to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market.  I would recommend doing this on one of your earlier days of arriving since you will undoubtable be up early due to the time difference and the early morning is when the market is hopping with action.  Ships start arriving at 3am and the tuna auction (now closed the the public), is at 5am.

Action in front of one of the many big fish market hangars



Dave's new friend


Apparently they are not concerned that styrofoam is not biodegradable

Dave had a sushi breakfast there (not that day but later in the trip) and said it was incredible.

Tips for the fish market:
  • Go early in your trip when you'll be waking up early from jet lag
  • No open toed shoes (seriously the ground is wet with fish goo and fish juice)
  • Long pants/jeans not recommended (for the same reason as above) unless you roll them WAY up
  • You will see things so gross you won't even want to take pictures for fear of nightmares later in life.

24.11.10

Checking the mailbox

Our mail does not get delivered to our door.  It gets delivered to a communal mailbox for our building which is about half a block away from our door.  Which means we check the mail about once a week.   It's usually all flyers and junk so its not really worth the trip in most cases.

But I have been checking the mail everyday for a week now because last week I ordered this magazine.


And I am dying to get it.  I must know how to make that quilt on the front.  Regardless of the fact that I have only made one tiny quilt with only straight lines before.  And regardless of the fact that said quilt is still not finished.  And regardless of the fact that I will probably never make this amazing hexagon quilt.

I just have to know.

I'm obsessed with the idea of quilting and have been hoarding all sorts of fabrics to start quilting.  I have  imposed a rule that I can't buy any more fabric until I make at least one quilt.  I hate rules.

Those little owls in the corner are pretty cute too.

Want. Magazine. Now.

21.11.10

The Squirrel's Workshop

I have a confession to make.

I am a hoarder.

I can't throw anything away for fear that I will need it one day.  Like those size 26 jeans that I can't even get a toe in any more.  I'm like "Well you never know!"  As an aside, in my twenties, all I had to do to lose 5 lbs was skip lunch.  Now I gain 5 lbs from looking at a slice of cheesecake.  Ah youth.

Anyways, back to my problem.  I am precariously close to being featured on one of those hoarding shows on TV.  The problem is made worse by the fact that I have a bunch of different hobbies I've picked up in the last few years (when I was unemployed, a different story altogether), like are sewing and knitting.  Both require a lot of supplies, and nothing brings more joy to the hoarder than the word "supplies".

n. pl. sup·plies
1. The act of supplying.
2. Something that is or can be supplied.
3. An amount available or sufficient for a given use; stock.
4. Materials or provisions stored and dispensed when needed. Often used in the plural.


We're only interested in definition 4, which means I STORE it because I NEED it.

Now that we have that straight, on to my work area.  I use that term loosely because it is such a disaster that I can't actually do any work there.  My mom recently came over and as my work area also doubles as our guest room, she was treated to a lovely sight.  I apologized for the mess and she just laughed and said that's what a squirrel's workshop looks like.  Because squirrels are hoarders too.

This weekend I hit the point where I couldn't deal with the squirrel's workshop any longer.  It took me all day yesterday but I made it a workable space again.

BEFORE (so embarrassing):




AFTER:




It's not perfect, but I feel like I can breathe again.