Photo Journal of Holiday Cooking Adventure

Homemade UME SHU - 4 years in the making.

Beautiful taste.

Home grown Avocado.  It last so much longer than the store bought Avocado.

This is not the best thing to do, but just to prove that Tajin with lime flakes can really preserver the half cut avocado wrapped in plastic for a few days without turning dark.  (This one is sadly 1 week old - no, I didn't eat it.)

Even though the skin looks quite shrivelled, the home grown avocado's meat is fresh.

Home grown Limes left on the tree to use as needed turns yellow by late winter.  To save them, make zest, then, squeeze them into ice cube tray.  Make simple syrup (water + sugar), then, drop 4 or 5 cubes into the cup to make Limeaid.

 

HOLIDAY TAMALES ADVENTURE

 Thank goodness for the pressure cooker.  A time saver.

Steam in Chinese stainless steel steamer for an hour and half.  Rotating the trays at 35 min interval.

 Time for delivery!

Testing  TAKOYAKI

 

My brother's Green Onion Pancakes - Thick and Thin types

 

FURIKAKE CHEX MIX  - very creative!

 

Mexican wedding cookies

 Chocolate Chip cookies

 Christmas party menu:  TAKOYAKI, YAKISOBA, CHIRASHI SUSHI, BRAISED CHICKEN, OKONOMIYAKI, 7 LAYER SUSHI...maybe 5 layers.

 TAKOYAKI without toppings

 Braised chicken

 7 Layer Sushi

 

CHIRASHI ZUSHI

 OKONOMIYAKI ( better job next time.)

TAKOYAKI Making Style - IMPORTANT - start with well season'd iron TAKOYAKI skillet.

 

Try a few times and get the hang of rolling the dough over.

 Making Holiday Biscotti

 Wow, this time, this portable Convection oven is for real.  It's fast.  I don't know why my red one (same brand by Oster) with the convection does not work since I purchased it.

 Time to tan the other side.

 Time for chocolate dip (glacage)

 Try with Chili Flakes.  Yum!   delicious.

 Didn't have the time to bake the 2018 Holiday Yule log because of the sink and garbage disposer fiasco, but had a great times with family.

The Story of Two Single Bowl Sink (Garbage Disposer Replacement Part 2)

After three months of attempt to replace garbage disposer, two bowl sinks to single bowl sink, and trying the new disposer for the fourth time, I finally got it all fixed.
It took a long time to fix the problem.
First, the beautiful RUVATI single bowl sink with drain hole in the back center and with four faucet holes looked very promising.  It took a long and difficult maneuver to remove the old garbage disposer off its mounting ring.  Once it was removed, I had to deal with the terrible workmanship of counter frames completed by the Lenar home builder.  Never thought of checking under the sink during the inspection, did I? nope.  But now I know.  I ordered the same Granger Badger 1 model  after finding out that Costco's beautiful 1 HP garbage disposer was too long to fit under..  Then, the new beautiful sink was put in place; only to find out that the new garbage disposer's size does not fit well in the new sink under.  Various types of pipings were purchased to see if things will work out.  Day after day of testing this pipe and that; visiting hardware stores, trying to find a way to complete this without cutting the main wall drain pipe. The ultimate solution is to find a new sink with drain holes to one side with four faucet holes pre-drilled.  
Sorry to see my RUVATI sink removed.  Can't return it either because it's past 30 days.

 Here is my new sink.

 Refitting the sink in.

  Got enough clearance away from the pipings to install garbage disposer.

 

But, the new Badger 1 disposer had a defect that won't allow the mounting ring to mount up evenly.  Then, another model is ordered - the WasteKing 1/2 HP garbage disposer.  It was not easy to mount it up either.  It's design is different from the Badger 1.  So I thought it must be easier to mount.  It took six eyes' effort to get it done.  Happy!  I got a working sink a day before Christmas Eve.  I didn't care to test the garbage disposer, but a new sink to allow me to wash dishes to prepare Holiday goodies.  I caulked around the edges of the sink and sealed it and was very excited to use the new sink; until a week after I returned from holiday, I decided to turn on the garbage disposer.  Water jetted itself out of the neck under the sink each time I dump a bowlful of water down the drain or when I turn on the garbage disposer.  I tried to reseat it, etc, but hopeless.
The WasteKing's mounting ring seems to be a reasonable design and looks easier than Badger 1's mounting ring.

 

 Even after a couple of adjustment of the mounting ring to assure tightness all around, the water leaked out from one side of the ring in the back.

 

Time to get another one.  I don't understand why they keep on shipping a defective item purchased online.  This time, reluctantly I visited the local hardware store Home Depot.  It's not that I don't like the place, but the choice on the shelf and price seems limited.  But this time, I purchased a new arrival by MOEN.  Well, I figured all my Moen faucets are working great, and I heard from my co-worker that MOEN's parts are guaranteed lifetime. 
The MOEN disposer has a shape like a Urn, I thought.  It has a Nifty gadget remover design.  Cool! it's light weight.  

 So I purchased the MOEN EX Series 1/2 HP continuous feed garbage disposer.   What a surprise! It is light weight, and it has a plastic snap ring tool to keep mounting ring snap ring open so you don't have to try to ply and hold it open to snap it on or off.  You just pull the plastic snap ring away once the ring is in position.  What a "smart" designer.  My sink was fully functional after the new year. 
I noticed it has the same design mounting ring as the Badger 1 had.  "A headache", I thought.

 I examined all parts.  Took them apart and tried assembling them without actually mounting them.

 Interesting tool is found in the pieces.  I was really excited.  It gave me a new hope and lightened my heart! Is it a woman designer? or a man designer?  I really don't care, but that designer is a 'life and time saver.'

 

It has a nasty tight ring.  It's easy to get it off and on while it is not installed, but from under the sink, with your body in a distorted position, it is no fun.

 Let's see how this tool works.

 It kept the ring open larger than the mounting neck.

 After getting it into its position, just pull snap out the plastic tool.   I can do this.

 

After following the instruction to install the sink's drain flange in, it's time to install the garbage disposer's mounting unit.  I duck taped the drain flange down at the top and placed the old broken garbage disposer to weigh down on it so I can work from underneath.

To lock in the mounting rings in place, I need to place that snap ring in place.  And it took me less than 30 seconds to snap that ring in place to hold the rest of the mounting ring hardware up.  Yes!  I was so happy.  I didn't have to fight and fidget with it for 30 min with frustration and sore fingers.  That was really cool.

This time, I decided to rub some WD40 around the mounting ring rails and ears just to make it easier to slide.  Not too much that it will cause the mounting ring to slide down from the vibration, etc.

Once again, I am doing this on my own.  Just two eyes.  I used the car tire jack and a broken frypan's bottom as a flat surface to hold the garbage disposer up evenly up close to the mounting ring.   I think it is a key to have all mounting ears evenly at the three sides of the mounting rails before turning to lock it in at the first try.  (I tried to do it without rubbing the WD40, and it was really resisting the turn.)

 It's time to turn counter-clockwise up the rail to lock.

  Insert screw driver into the ear or the loop and twist/slide it up the rail counter-clockwise.

 Ta, Daaaa!  The even lifting of garbage disposer supported by the tire jack really helped.

Now time to connect all the pipes.  Wrapped plumber's pipe thread or re-applied putty to a couple of connector pipes.

 So far, so good.  No leak and working.

What a fiasco. Hire a professional plumber the next time.

Rice Vermicelli Fried Noodle - FUJIAN GAN TSAO MIFEN

If I remembered it correctly, the waitress said it is called FUJIAN GAN TSAO MIFEN - FUJIAN is a province of China.  We never been there, but we came across this interesting very simple and tasty dish at Hong Kong Islander restaurant located in Sacramento.  Office friends were looking for this interesting Dim Sum that he said he really enjoyed - crispy shrimp wrapped in white soft rice.  We all thought is shrimp CHEONG FUN, but he said it is not.  When we described it to the waitress, she was so sure what we are talking about and then, this got delivered.
We all looked at each other for this burnt looking rice vermicelli dish

 We dug in, nevertheless.  Scallop, chicken, asparagus or fennel stems, woodear ... It tasted so good.

 So, I decided to try making it myself at home.  Yes, I know, my kitchen sink is not fixed.  I am improvising one of other sink in the meantime.  (It's a mess in the kitchen because of it.)
After hydrating two packages of rice vermicelli and two Chinese mushroom or SHIITAKE in hot water/after boiling, using Scissors, cut the rice vermicelli at both end. 
The dry vermicelli comes rolled up into rectangular shape. 
When you add it to a bowl of hot water, it hydrates into soft noodle, yet still need more heat to be cooked. 
Before lifting them up with chop sticks or strainer to drain the water off, while it is still in the bowl, scissor them at both end. Slice and chop the hydrated mushroom. 
The mushroom might need hotter water to hydrate than the vermicelli.  You should not see "white" dry stem, but moist mushroom. Otherwise, it will be challenging to slice them and chop.
Add three tablespoon of avocado oil to the frypan.
RESERVE the water that mushroom and vermicelli got hydrated in. 
Strain the vermicelli out of the bowl by lifting them up using chop stick or strainer - Add to the frying pan.
The vermicelli do not need to be totally strained.  It needs some liquid to cook in the fry pan. Let it cook covered at medium heat.  Keep your 'ears' open and listen to the sound while you prepare the meat. What you want to achieve is cooked rice vermicelli with browned on one side.

 Chop up half of chicken breast and thaw shrimp or fish or whatever you got.  I used four shrimps and chopped them up after deveining them.  1/2 Cup chopped green onions, 2 stalks of celery sliced.
Add chicken first into fry pan.  Stir fry for 40 seconds.  Add shrimp.  Stir fry for 30 seconds.  Add celery and green onions.  Stir fry and add mushroom.
Turn to low. 

 Mix 1 TBsp of soy sauce (low sodium) with 1 tsp of Chinese hot chili paste (LA JIAO JAN), 2 tsp of TONKATSU sauce, 1 TBsp of KATAKURIKO - potato starch.  Mix in 1/4 C reserved liquid from hydrating mushroom and vermicelli.  Add more liquid - at least to 1/2 C.  Add to the meat mixture in frypan. 
Turn heat to medium high. 
Quickly add the rest of liquid - 1/3 to 1/2 Cup more and quickly stir before it start to congeal.  As it thickens, cook for 1 minute.  Turn off heat.

 Check on vermicelli often.  When one side is browned, turn off the heat.  Get a serving plate ready.

 Transfer the meat to a dish and flip transfer the vermicelli to the top.  Sprinkle with green onions and serve.   To serve, portion the noodle into section and or break it apart and mix with meat and serve.

It turned out delicious.