Movie Making Fun

 

Recently I made two silly little movies and got at least 3 benefits from it
1) It makes me laugh when I watch it
2) I learned how to use windows movie maker
3)Developed a habit: whenever I watch a MTV,  imagine my own version of the song in my mind
4)Makes me want to make more in the future!

Cooking Diary - Cheesy Rice Series

Chinese people eat rice, fried vegetables and meat every day and I am also a big fan of cheese and baked stuff. Well, why not combine all these together? Here it is - my cheesy rice series.
Basic principle:
1 stir-fry vegetables, fry meat, cook rice
2 put rice in a pan first, put some cheese on the rice, than put on the vegitables and meat, last, put on another layer of cheese
3 bake everything at 400F for 15 minutes
You can be creative on the selection of vegetables and meat. For example, I had beans and mushrooms mixed with canned salmon once and it turns out like this:

I think the canned salmon tasted better after the baking and mixing with the cheese. This is the creative part of the dish but there are several things that I thought I could improve next time: 1) The color is not very exciting 2) too much cheese on top so you can barely see what is inside 3) the taste of the vegetables are too plain, they need more salt or other seasoning 4)the rice is too plain, I hope it has a cheesy taste as well.

Tonight,when I looked for what's left in the refrigerator, I found a package of snow beans, a can of red beans, mushrooms, shrimps, pork sausage, etc. I decided these are perfect for another cheesy rice dish.
Preparation:
1) cook rice with rice cooker.
2)stir-fry every vegetables and meat separately with seasoning. I just put salt but you can put pretty much whatever you like in it.
3) put rice on the bottom of a baking pan, than a layer of cheese, than the vegetables and meat, last, another layer of cheese
4) bake at 400F for 10-15 minuts
and it turns out like this:

 

I think it is better than last time- look better, and taste better and  it deserves to eat with a fancy drink - cranberry juice : )  

 

Cheers! 

Cooking Diary - Healthy Lunch Inspiration

Yesterday in relief society , Vera was teaching a wonderful lesson on The Lord’s Law of Health. I really liked the discussions and thought about improving my dining habits. Though Emma was a little bit fussy and I had to go out a couple of times, I did catch and remember this message very well: a healthy/ideal meal is a combination of 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 meat and 1/4 grains. Well, I decide to practice this principle today for lunch. Here is my presentation:
1/4 stir-fried bok choy
1/4 stir-fried snow beans
1/4 cheesy shrimp
1/4 mix of brown rice and white rice
a cup of milkshake (Breyers - Rocky Road & milk)

For me, a prefect meal also needs to include a little self-indulgence, something like this

 (Choco pie cut into half  + cherry vanilla ice cream in the middle + Strawberry droppings for decoration)
My formula:
2/5 vegetables + 1/5 meat + 1/5 grains or rice + 1/5 dessert = a perfect meal

Cooking Diary - Triple Berry Muffin

I like having muffin as snacks between meals. I've tried chocolate muffins, corn muffins and today it is turn for triple berry muffin. Secret recipe?!

Disappointed? OK, I am not that creative this time, or I've never been :(
But this saves a lot of time and energy than cooking from scratch and it turns out tasty and beautiful.

(Maybe I deserve some credits for the presentation...)

Cooking Diary - Homemade Kung Pao Chicken

I always love Kung Pao chicken. Its flavor can vary from sweet to spicy but both are very delicious. Today I made a very simple version of spicy Kung Pao Chicken. This is the recipe I followed:
http://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-kung-pao-chicken/?pid=2437#image-206

Movie Diary - Miss Porter

Wow! Wow! That is all I can say to this lovely movie. I love, love it! It is touching, warm, inspiring, charming... It is cute but not cheesy, witty but not affected, cartoonish but very classic. Though have not known her or her books at all, I fell in love with this lady and her drawing immediately. Her remarkable talent, persistence, courage along with her up-and-down life story just won my heart completely. She is my role model and I must let my daughter read her book when she grows up.
It is a beautiful, profound yet entertaining movie. It is a must-see!

Cooking Diary - Roast Chicken Kebabs and Shrimp Celery

Yesterday I went to Market Basket for grocery shopping and saw some bamboo sticks. Thinking that I can make kebab with those sticks, I bought a package for $1.49. At dinner I made some chicken kebabs. It it fairly simple. Cut children into small pieces, put them on a stick, put on salt, garlic powder, black pepper and I also used a little bit butter for the flavor. Preheat oven at 400F and bake for 15 minutes. Done! Delicious roast chicken kebabs, yum...
Anyway, I also attempted to make two layer lemon pie but failed. The reason is that I put in too much milk so the pudding is never solid enough. Sad : (
Good news- I stir-fry celery with shrimp for lunch today and it turned out really good. Do you know that dried lily bulb is eatable? Yes! I also put some of those in. What an interesting dish!

Cooking Diary - Pasta Night

We love Chinese food and there are times we are bored of it- like tonight. I decide to cook pasta tonight since my mother-in-law has not had it before. I bought a box of spaghetti for $1, Alfredo sauce for $2.50, a package of chicken meat for $6.13(we used a third of the package for a three people dinner). I boiled the spaghetti, fried chicken with mushrooms and poured Alfredo sauce on it. For decoration and nutrition purpose, I also put some boiled broccoli and canned coin on top of the pasta. Done! A dinner for three at a cost of about $6 (we have mushroom, broccoli and canned corns already) and we totally enjoyed it!

Celebrating International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day and we are "celebrating" it with sister missionaries for dinner. It is a girl's night- Sister Lynn,Sister Meier, my mother-in-law, Emma and I. We had curry beef, tofu, fried beans and chocolate cheesecake ( my first attempt to make it!). I enjoyed the food and conversation and my mother-in-law began to talk to sister missionaries in English already (great progress!). Today I am thinking what kind of woman I want to become and read this great talk by President Gordon B. Hinckley "How Can I Become the Woman of Whom I Dream?". Several years ago, I came to this country seeking for advanced education and academic success. Now besides the education I desired, I also found other amazing things: a faith for a lifetime, a family I could ever dream of. I had too many dreams like other girls and now I feel more grounded as a mom. I still feel I have all the potential to fulfill whatever I want to accomplish and am excited for all my dreams.
At last, I want to share the the ending of this wonderful talk and hope it inspires you as it did for me:
"For you, my dear friends, the sky is the limit. You can be excellent in every way. You can be first class....
Never forget that you came to earth as a child of the divine Father, with something of divinity in your very makeup. The Lord did not send you here to fail. He did not give you life to waste it. He bestowed upon you the gift of mortality that you might gain experience—positive, wonderful, purposeful experience—that will lead to life eternal. He has given you this glorious Church, His Church, to guide you and direct you, to give you opportunity for growth and experience, to teach you and lead you and encourage you, to bless you with eternal marriage, to seal upon you a covenant between you and Him that will make of you His chosen daughter, one upon whom He may look with love and with a desire to help. May God bless you richly and abundantly, my dear young friends, His wonderful daughters."