Cereal Stash Going to the Trash
Emptied out the cereal boxes today from the top cupboard after the Cinnamon Toast Crunch incident and finding a big ant trail. They all must go!!!!
Millie’s 80th Birthday
Millie is celebrating her 80th birthday this year and Jeff and I got invited to the party which was held at a Dynasty Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Cupertino tonight. Paul, Carol and Spencer flew in from Hawaii, Kendall came down from Portland, and Taylor and Sofia flew in from Chicago. Millie’s other children, Grace, Kim, and John were all there as well along with a bunch of her friends and family… some i know were from Canada.
I think Taylor was in charge of the decorations and favors which were so adorable. The color scheme was pink and red. The favors were folded money origami in the shape of a horse (assuming, she was born in year of the horse), a couple of mints, and $1 coin. The coin was a last minute addition because they found out from Grandma that giving only $1 would be “bad luck” so they needed to make it $2. HAH! Figures.. something like that always happens with Asian culture.
Kendall made a slideshow of old photos and video footage accompanied with some music. Not sure who made the poster but being a graphic designer i think it is very well design and so fun!!!
Sofia is so adorable. I love her. Look at how pretty she is in this dress and headband that her Mommy made for her. While Taylor was running an errand i watched her and let her play with my digital camera. She took some cute photos of Jeff and I.
After she took a picture this picture of Jeff, she said “OK, I did you!”.
Its been a long time since i’ve been to a multi-course Chinese banquet such as this, and i believe it was Jeff’s first time. There was a lot of seafood and a couple of dishes we both passed on (Braised Dry Scallops with Black Moss anyone?) but mostly tried everything and it was all very delicious. My favorite was Smoked Seabass with Honey Butter Glaze, and Jeff liked the Minced Duck Lettuce Wrap. I regret not taking photos of all the food! There was SO MUCH leftovers.
It was so nice to see and catch up with Taylor and everyone. They really do feel like a part of our family.
Lots of Bears in the Black Bear Diner
Been lazy this week and decided to go out for dinner to the Black Bear Diner instead of cooking. This is a chain that has 40+ restaurants throughout the western US. We were seated in a spot we haven’t sat in before which happened to be right next to their big collection of bear merchandise. It felt like we were eating in a store instead of a restaurant.
I had the Volcano pancake breakfast (…a name for which i can’t figure out because it does not resemble a volcano at all) and Jeff had… yes a burger.
I could only finish 1 of the 3 pancakes. Took the rest home but didn’t end up eating it. The plates are the cutest though, bear tracks underneath! This place is much more fun to eat at then Denny’s or iHOP and their food is yummy.
An unexpected “crunch” in my Cinnamon Toast Crunch
I knew there was a possibility of ants in my cereal but i poured myself a bowl and ate it anyway. Though midway through i found an ant crawling on my bowl, and then i found one in my spoonful, so that is when i decided maybe i should have another breakfast.
Lara’s Birthday
Lara – the new part-time graphic/web designer at Schipper Design+ is celebrating her birthday on Saturday. She started working for us back in January when we had some overflow work we needed help with. She actually lives in the upstairs apartments with her husband so it is very convenient for her. Lara is originally from Russia. As you can see she got to wear the traditional Schipper birthday girl crown.
For her birthday celebration we decided to surprise her with a Greek Lunch Potluck! I brought Falafel, Tzatziki and pita pockets (thanks to Costco!), Theresa made Tabouli, Angie made some skewers, Rita brought a Greek Salad, Corby brought olives, and Kathy brought Spanokopita. Lara brought down some tiramisu cake which was so delicious (not Greek but the party was a surprise so she didn’t know).
I baked some lovely yellow cupcakes with chocolate swirl frosting but we were all too full to eat them today and decided to save them for later (i didn’t take the photo till a few days later….so that is why it looks a little “melted”).
Crab Rangoons
For dinner tonight: Cream Cheese & Crab Won Tons… or sometimes referred to as Crab Rangoons. I usually try to not have fried things for dinner, but this is one of those exceptions. The recipe is very flexible – you can change the ratios to your liking. (See this article for more in-depth information)
Crab RangoonsYield: 44 – 48 Crab Rangoon
Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces imitation crab meat, flaked
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, to taste
2 green onions, finely sliced
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 can of water chestnuts
1 package wonton wrappers
1 small bowl filled with water for wetting wontons
Oil for deep-frying
Sauce:
Mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and sriracha sauce.
Directions:
- Combine the crab and the cream cheese. Mix in the remaining filling ingredients one at a time.
- On a flat surface, lay out a wonton wrapper in front of you so that it forms a diamond shape. Wet the edges of the wonton. Add a heaping teaspoon of filling to the middle, and spread it out toward the left and right points of the diamond so that it forms a log or rectangular shape (otherwise the wrapper may break in the middle during deep-frying).
- Fold over the edges of the wrapper so that it forms a triangle shape. Seal the edges, adding more water if needed.
- Cover the completed Crab Rangoon with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out while preparing the rest.
- Heat wok and add oil for deep-frying. When oil is ready (the temperature should be between 360 – 375 degrees), carefully slide in the Crab Rangoon, taking care not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning once. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Cool and serve.
Inside My Purse
My tokidoki purse is over a year old. Its tired. But i love it because i don’t need a separate wallet to put into my purse because its all the same! Though at times i do kinda hate that its so small and i can barely fit my essentials in it. I should probably get a new one soon, but … i probably won’t. Haha! Usually I’m all about the purse shoppin’ but just being lazy i guess.
New Collar, New Scratchy
Butters got a giant sized super scratchy from Petsmart today! Also, a pretty blue collar because his last one was broken.
Hail Storm
This season has been really rainy for California… or at least it seems that way. My perception of rain is really skewed though because the past few years we’ve been in serious droughts. Well its rained more times than i can count on one hand, so i consider that a lot for this state!
Today it actually started hailing. And not just for a few seconds but like for 5 minutes. And the hail stuck around on the ground for a bit instead of melting. It was fun to go around and take photos when it finally stopped. I’d say they were smaller than the size of peas… so not too big but definitely something for this Hawaiian girl to talk about.
Bowling Alley
Jeff and I went to a mixer at the bowling alley put on by Monterey County Young Professionals group. I think Jeff might have got the best score of the night? And out of two games i think i was only the lowest score only once. Surprise!