use real butter

The university is on spring break this week which means very little to Jeremy other than the fact that he gets a reprieve from teaching relativity (special and general) and cosmology. His trusty graduate students are still in town and working on their research (I’m going to send them some cookies because they are such sweet, hilarious, and conscientious students), and he still has unbelievable amounts of work to do… But since he doesn’t have to teach and his students are quite smart and self-motivated, he has opted to spend this week with me! What a champ he is. Our intention was to ski on Monday, but the winds were ridiculously insane. So he worked at home while I baked and baked. Then we planned to ski Tuesday, and the National Weather Service LIED about high winds and then decided to update and reduce the winds after it was too late to drive out to the big mountains. Again - more work for Jeremy and I can’t recall what the hell I did yesterday (more baking and cooking, I suppose and then we had dinner with Beth in Boulder).

But today, I said screw the National Weather Service and we’re going skiing. Which we did. We chose Breckenridge because Vail charges $20 for parking and A-basin doesn’t have express lifts and we like Breck (well, we like them ALL). It wasn’t crazy busy, but it was busy for a Wednesday because everyone else was also on Spring Break or Rich Person’s Vacay or whatever. No new snow, but lots of nice groomers and damn it if it wasn’t a roasting hot day (40s?!? that is insane!). See here… some of the nearby hills are melting out.

heartbreaking for some, like me

Jeremy let me instruct him on some drills I learned from my women’s tele program today. This is a rare thing, seeing as he likes to hot dog it and blow off things like Good Form or Proper Technique. In the afternoon I said we could play, which we did. The upper mountain called to us.

ahhh, an express lift to the top

it’s still skiable

At one point Jeremy said, “Let’s see what’s over here.” So we skied over to the edge and what I saw made me salivate.

nice terrain behind the ropes

let’s go!

And we crossed over to Peak 7 where there were some double blacks that I had never checked out before. Of course, it was mixed hard pack and tracked up powder - complete hard pack on the faces. While I was skiing down Art’s Bowl I heard Jeremy above me making strange scraping sounds and the next thing I knew he flew past me on his back and there was no way for him to stop as it was slick and steep. I skied down after him as he slid for a good 15 seconds over a lip trying to get his skis under him and his edges in - but to no avail. He finally slowed down as the face leveled a little. Scared the bejeezus out of me, but he immediately signaled that he was okay. Then we saw another dude yard sale it next to us and slide even further down the mountain since his alpine skis popped off about a hundred feet above where he stopped.

I dare say this may be my last tele day of the season seeing as my next round of chemo is tomorrow and by the time I’m feeling strong again, the ski hills will be closing shop for the season! But then we can switch to spring mountaineering and then summer hiking and oh, the possibilities are endless for a Colorado girl. Life is always Good if you make it so.

Once home, we were pooped, but in the good way. And I had already planned a super quick and easy meal in anticipation of our poopedness. Teriyaki pork chops - GRILLED! Even though it was 35F on the deck and a cold wind chilled our bones, we had a spring inauguration with the first grilling of the year.

fresh green onions, garlic, ginger

pork chops

I got this recipe in college from one of my apartment mates - a 5th generation Japanese from Seattle. Andy was like a goofy, sweet, and brilliant brother to me. He and Alex had just moved off campus and the first time they went grocery shopping they came home with bags and bags of junk food: chips, cookies, soda, ice cream. They gorged that evening while I ate some homestyle Chinese food I had made for my dinner. As they lay on the couches moaning and holding their tummies they declared, “That wasn’t a good idea.” So they started cooking for real and making some pretty nice meals (we agreed to cook separately for some reason, I can’t recall why - it may have had something to do with my sports practices). One day, Andy was on the phone with his dad for a teriyaki recipe and I asked if I could get a copy because it smelled terrific.

adding sugar to the marinade

placing the chops

It’s great to dump everything in a ziploc bag. Green onions, ginger, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and the pork chops. I also love to buy skinless, boneless chicken thighs and chop them up to skewer on the grill - delish. Andy’s recipe said to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. I go 24 hours. The doneness is up to you, but you should be aware of the dangers of undercooked pork. Still, I like my pork to be juicy and not leathery, so we typically shoot for an internal temperature of 160F and then off the grill we tent it and let the pork chops rest for 5 minutes. While we don’t *really* know what we’re doing, this is our general guideline and if you have better advice, then please hit me with it!

grill to a proper internal temperature

Because I have to be careful about certain raw foods - particularly leafy vegetables and knobbly berries and because vegetables wreak havoc on me for a good amount of time during my treatment, I have been craving salads and veggies like nobody’s business. But today, today I am in tiptop shape (which is why they hit me with the treatment tomorrow), and we grilled asparagus and had Japanese cucumber salad with the chops.

spring IS beautiful

I know folks think skinny asparagus is all the rage, and I used to prefer skinny to fat asparagus spears… until I had fat spears picked not more than an hour earlier from a professor’s garden in graduate school. Heavenly. I mean, sweet beyond compare and crisp and juicy and I was sold! I’d like to point out that skinny isn’t always good. Some of them are stuck up, stupid, and they have no muscles. Oh wait, I was talking about asparagus, right? ;)

a great topper to the day

Teriyaki Pork Chops
from a college apartment mate

4 pork chops (or a pound of chicken thigh meat - boneless, skinless and chopped into pieces)
1 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar (or more if you like)
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks green onion, minced
2 tbsp ginger root, minced

Mix all of this into a ziploc bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes, but I prefer overnight with occasional flipping for even marinate. Grill to appropriate internal temperature (we do 160F and then off the grill we tent the chops with foil and rest fo 5 minutes). To grill the chicken, we skewer the pieces and grill on medium high for 5 minutes and flip and grill for another 5 minutes. Take remaining marinade and boil in a pan. Strain the sauce and thicken with cornstarch to serve with pork chops or chicken skewers. * I like to use chicken thigh meat because I think it has better flavor and is juicier than breast meat.

While I am in between X-ray and heart scan, I’m making good use of the wireless network in this part of the hospital. Oooh, someone in medical imaging just gave me a meal voucher! I love this hospital, people are so friendly and upbeat. Unfortunately I can’t eat anything for the next 3 hours, but hopefully I won’t be feeling nauseous when I’m done so I might get myself a sammy.

This blog revolves around food and so does my life. I’m sure I think about food and what I’m going to prepare and eat much more than the average bear. Probably not too much more than the average food blogger :) One thing I wasn’t expecting over the next several months is that I would have to make a few adjustments to my diet. The main kicker: no sushi. *gasp* Honestly, I can forgo anything if necessary. I am not so inflexible.

What better reason to go and enjoy a nice sushi lunch with my sweetheart? There are a lot of places in Boulder to have sushi considering the landlocked status of the state. I haven’t lived here long enough to accept the prices for the quality compared to what I got in So Cal. Okay, but there is one place that has excellent quality and a price tag to match: Sushi Tora.

best sushi bet in boulder

We hadn’t eaten anything all day. We spent the morning taking our house apart and moving that brick of a treadmill upstairs. By 2 pm, we were famished. Let’s start with something from the kitchen:

seaweed salad

agedashi tofu

It’s a nice way to whet your appetite while perusing the menu. We sort of went nuts on the ordering because we were hungry and we knew it would be a while before we could enjoy this together (well, Jeremy is free to sushi on his own, but knowing him, he won’t).

sashimi assortment

toro (fatty tuna): gdddddgdgdgdgdgdg

I was satisfied after the toro. It was sooooooo good. One of those foods that transports you to Someplace Else. I think it’s on par with sex. I mean on par with good sex, not just any old sex. It’s the kind of toro you think about several times a day, for a couple of days after the meal. That kind of toro. I said I was satisfied, but… maki is so fun to eat.

spider roll

toro no maki: salmon, avocado, tobiko, unagi

The rolls were good. In hindsight I might have preferred ordering more toro sashimi instead, but I do love the subtle combination of sushi rice and seaweed and all of those lovely fishy things. And to top it all off - what I call dessert:

wasabi tobiko with quail egg

I think my love of tobiko with quail egg is based on 25% flavor and 75% texture. The creamy, buttery smoothness of the yolk oozing all over my mouth while the little tobiko crunch and pop their salty flavor pairs with the slight acidity of the seasoned sushi rice and the refreshing flavor of the nori. The rice lends a hefty chew and I won’t even get into the punch of the wasabi. I know most sushi chefs are mortified when Chinese come to dine on their fine creations, dousing them in wasabi as thick as paste and requesting, “more spicy” versions. We are, in their eyes, barbarians. Well, I’ve never been known for my subtlety.

After the meal, Jeremy had to roll me out the door. No worries though. That treadmill is in place and it rocks! The treadmill (when it’s running) scares the hell out of the poor dog. Check it.

to make up for those extra maki

While I was pondering a non-trad Thanksgiving menu, HolyBasil reminded me of a favorite dish from my childhood: Chinese hot pot. Call it what you want, huo guo, shabu shabu, fondue… it’s delicious and fun. My mom prepared this on cold nights and it was perfect for someone as picky as my sister. I distinctly recall the steam rising from the broth in the electric wok, fogging the insides of every window in the kitchen. The wok was the centerpiece of the table, surrounded by plates and bowls of colorful vegetables, meats, noodles, and tofu - ready to be picked and cooked. My mother hand sliced everything with such precision and laid out all of the ingredients in beautiful fans.

a modest spread

Typically I like to serve beef (flank steak), chicken (breast), shrimp, tofu, cuttlefish balls, tempura fish cake, bean thread noodles, spinach, napa cabbage, preserved mustard green, and green onions. Wash, peel, chop, slice everything in advance. To slice the meats thin, I freeze them for an hour or more until they are firm, but not rock solid. I soak the noodles in cold water for 30 minutes and then drain. In the electric wok, I usually pour a carton of chicken broth (I happened to have homemade broth this time - woohoo!) and dilute it with some water. Cover the wok and let the liquid come to a boil, once boiling add half of the noodles, some tofu, some fish balls, and some of the greens. When the broth returns to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

bean thread or cellophane noodles are a staple in my version of hot pot

love the greens

The key ingredient that goes into your own bowl is a spoonful (or two) of sa tsa jian - barbecue sauce. The only brand we ever get is Bullhead. I include the picture because like most of you, I can’t read Chinese *hangs head in shame*. Good thing I have such a visual memory because that is how I shop in Asian markets - labels. The ingredients aren’t anything scary, just ground up dried shrimp, brill fish, chili, garlic, oil, salt…

chinese barbecue sauce: it makes the meal

Good stuff. We add the green onions and preserved mustard green to our bowls and in my case, some wonderful chili garlic paste for kick.

awaiting soy sauce

Pour in as much soy sauce and sesame oil as you desire. The bowl will be fantastically salty at this stage, but you are supposed to dilute it with ladles of broth, noodles, and vegetables from the hot pot. As the liquid level lowers during the meal, replenish with hot water (we have a kettle of hot water at the ready).

Shrimp is something I only include when we have guests or if I am feeling particularly indulgent. Fresh is best. I peel and devein my shrimp and then I butterfly them open. It helps them cook more evenly - in the hot pot, they cook in less than a minute - and they curl up into a beautiful shape, like a blossom.

lovely shrimpies, i cannae resist ye

Chinese hot pot is a veritable mini buffet. People get their bowls ready with the spices and seasonings they want, then select what to eat, place it in the hot pot and let it cook. As food becomes ready to eat, they place it in their own bowl. You can graze (eat as it comes) or feast (fill your bowl and chow down). Whenever I serve this dish to my non-Asian friends, they go nuts over it. Beautiful in its simplicity, I just prep the food and they cook it to their liking - everyone is happy. The whole meal is remarkably fresh and healthy.

cooking a slice of flank steak

In my family, some things are communal - like the bean thread noodles, spinach, fish balls… Other items are personal: chicken, shrimp, beef. Let me rephrase that, Kris and I considered the meat personal and we would cook them in our own little “corner” of the pot. My parents seemed to regard the whole thing as communal and we would have to be vigilant for The Stir. That is when one of my parents, deep in conversation, would take their chopsticks and give the entire pot a huge stir while our cries of lost shrimp or beef would go unheeded. You see, Kris and I liked to cook our beef pink, not gray and the difference was literally seconds.

Of course, you can get as simple or as elaborate as you like. My parents have included scallop, grouper, pork, fried tofu, chinese mushrooms, snow peas, pork meatballs (similar to the filling in dumplings)… and Jeremy and I have prepared it with what I consider the bare essentials: beef, spinach, noodles, fish balls. I just want to warn folks that if you don’t have a trusted electric wok or electric cook pot, be sure to get one that is well made and safe. Our old one had a frayed cord, so we bought a new one two years ago on sale for $40. It has horrible temperature regulation and we have to use a heavy duty extension cord because it will melt a standard extension cord due to its 1500W draw. Don’t want your hot pot to turn into a house fire, okay?

a delicious party in my bowl

Chinese Hot Pot - Huo Guo
to serve 6

3/4 lb flank steak, sliced thin
3/4 lb chicken breast, sliced thin
1 lb fresh medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied
1 pkg fishcake tempura, sliced
1 pkg cuttlefish balls
16 oz tofu, sliced
16 oz bean thread noodles (aka cellophane noodles), rehydrated in cold water and drained
8 oz baby spinach leaves, washed
12 leaves napa cabbage, washed, trimmed, cut
1 quart chicken broth
1 quart water
extra hot water on reserve

sauce
Chinese barbecue sauce (Bullhead brand)
soy sauce
sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
1 bunch green onions, washed, trimmed and minced
6 oz preserved mustard green, minced

special equipment
electric wok or electric cook pot

Pour broth and water into wok and turn temperature to high. When liquid begins to boil, add half of the noodles, half of the tofu, half of the fish balls, handfuls of spinach and napa cabbage. Cover and let return to boil. Prepare individual bowls with sauce ingredients. When soup is boiling, remove the lid and reduce heat to an active simmer. Select various meats or other ingredients to place in wok and cook. When items are cooked, retrieve them from the wok and place in your own bowl. Ladle a few spoonfuls of soup, noodles, and vegetables into your bowl. Continue to add hot water to the wok as the level decreases. Enjoy!