use real butter

Can’t think. I’m tired and there were so many pictures and observations from today that I wouldn’t know where to begin. So I won’t just yet.

But there is a recipe…. because it is my dad’s birthday today. I think most people associate birthdays with cake, but I associate birthdays with noodles per the Chinese tradition.

My dad is the CEO of the house and my mom is the CFO. Dad likes management speak, because he was a manager as well as an engineer. When I was in college, they sent me a check for my birthday one year. My father told me, “I have authorized Mommy to release some funds for your birthday present.” What a hoot.

goofing off with dad at kris’ wedding

at my college graduation

When I was growing up, Dad insisted that the family eat dinner together at the table, no TV. There were many evenings when Mom, Kris, and I would wind up buckled over laughing at my dad. He would smile and inform us, “You know, I manage a division of a couple hundred people and they all do what I say. But you three have no respect for me!” The last part would be drowned out by the deafening roar of our laughter. He was usually a good sport about it. Because he was outnumbered 3 women to 1 man in the house, Dad was always the butt of our jokes.

dry chinese noodles

an assortment of vegetables

We eat long noodles on birthdays for long life, but we always told Dad that he would live a loooooong time because he’s mean. It’s a joke. In my family, we laugh a lot and we yell a lot (even when we’re happy). We love each other very much and we also drive one another insane. If you can’t laugh at yourself, best not to venture into our family’s brand of Crazy.

slicing flank steak

green onions and garlic

Despite the prediction that Dad’s longevity is proportional to his disposition, I made some noodles this evening to celebrate his birthday. I want him to live many more healthy and happy years so he can continue to dispense priceless advice. For instance, when I was boarding the plane to go to college he told me, “Don’t touch boys.”

adding sesame oil to the beef

the pan fried noodles

Dad and I live our lives very differently. We have different priorities, politics, interests… but he stood behind me when I decided to quit my job at Clusterfucks R Us over the highly unethical behavior there, he never questioned me about why it took so long to defend my PhD, and he has always called me his little girl - even today.

sautéed vegetables

mixed with the beef

When my parents visited last month, I was recovering from my appendectomy. After a couple of days watching me barely able to amble about the house, my dad told me that he felt bad about my past year. He said he knows that I, like him, am very (hyper)active. He told me that he couldn’t imagine how frustrating it must have been for me to be sick so often and for so long. Dad isn’t the most empathetic guy in the world and so his words nearly brought me to tears. We are so different and yet, I am so obviously his daughter.

He told me this evening that he had a very nice birthday and that he can’t wait for me to visit in the spring so we can go fishing and sailing together. Yes, we’ll go sailing and fishing and we’ll cook together. Happy birthday, Baba.

birthday noodles for dad

Stir-fried Beef Noodles

8 oz dried Chinese egg noodles
vegetable oil (a few tbsps to 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 head broccoli, florets of
1/2 cup straw mushrooms or shitakes
1/2 cup baby corn
1/2 cup bamboo shoot strips
salt to taste

1/2 lb flank steak
2 stalks green onions, trimmed and sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
4 tbsps soy sauce (or more if you want more sauce)
2-3 tbsps sesame oil
1-2 tbsps corn starch

Boil the Chinese noodles according to the package instructions. Drain the noodles and set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok. If you want slightly fried noodles, then just use a few tablespoons of oil. If you want crispy fried noodles, use up to 1/2 cup. Add the noodles to the hot oil and let fry until golden or just crisp. Flip the noodles over to fry the other side to desired doneness. Remove noodles from the pan and set on plate. Slice the flank steak against the grain at an angle. Mix the flank steak slices with soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Set aside. In the frying pan, heat remaining oil (you want about 1-2 tablespoons) and sauté the snow peas and broccoli until they turn a rich green color. Add the mushrooms, corn, and bamboo shoots and continue to sauté, seasoning with a little salt to taste. Remove the vegetables to bowl and set aside. In the same pan, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil and add the garlic and green onions. Sauté until fragrant and add the beef. Stir-fry until the meat is pink and add the vegetables. When the meat is just done, pour the mixture over the noodles and serve hot.

Did you know that this here blog, Use Real Butter (urb?), was born of surgery? I had a blog I started back in 2004 by the same name and it had everything in it: personal, rants, cooking, more rants, politics, life, more rants, work, funnies, rants, photography, relationships, and rants. Use Real Butter was more a directive on how to live life rather than how to cook - but it works for both. When I found myself wanting to participate in the food blogging world, I couldn’t. I didn’t want all of my personal baggage dumped into the public arena (I still don’t). I split my blog into Siamese twins, so to speak, and this is how you are reading the public twin which retained the original name.

When I met up with Cindy (Katie and I call her Figs, and I discovered that they call me Butter, and now I wish I had named my blog Lady Deathstrike or Badass Ripchick…) we talked about blogs that suck. I mean popular blogs that we think are *yawn* boring. My own biased deduction is that the readers have no life, which would also explain why so many crappy movies and television shows have so many viewers. Then again, those readers could accuse me of having no taste.

So what makes a blog interesting enough to keep *me* coming back?

Content
I like reading insightful, informative, witty, and sincere blogs. Very few people cover all of those bases, but when someone does - it is usually a winner. This is the most important part of a blog for me.

Writing
Good writing is more than just mechanics, it is style. When skillfully-executed, it is a transparent vehicle to deliver the Content I refer to above. Writing is an art and this is the most commonly neglected aspect of a blog.

Images
Yes, it is true. I am a visual being. Good pictures are quite a draw. However, good pictures and crappy writing don’t keep my attention for long. I’ll be a devoted subscriber of a well-written all-text blog before I will waste my time on pictures with no real narrative (unless of course, it is a photography blog).

What is good photography? Well, that is subjective. I personally enjoy creative photographers who vary their shots. I even love snapshots that capture a story, an action, an emotion. It’s the content of the image, not the frakking camera. It’s the vision of the photographer, not the stupid lens. It’s about the photography and not how much bloody money was spent on the shot.

[Sorry about that. People just don’t shut up about photography. Folks obsess over purchasing *really expensive* cameras and lenses and equipment and software and props and… for blogging?!! Like good writing, good photography is not something you purchase and suddenly have. There is innate talent, but more importantly, there is practice - lots of it.]

Regularity
I’m not talking about Metamucil. Inactivity on a blog is much like a relationship where the other person isn’t holding up his/her end of the bargain. I’ve had relationships like that before. No more!

Mechanics
I love going to a blog and not even noticing the mechanics, because well-designed functionality should be invisible. More often than not, I go to a blog and cuss because navigation is buried under heaps of garbage.

Friends
I’ll overlook all of the above if you are a personal friend (even the posting once a month thing - ahem… you know who you are).

Horror
There are just some people who don’t function on This Plane of Reality, and yet they blog. Fascinating and terrifying at the same time, like a good (or bad) horror flick.

today’s recipe features: slivered almonds

California has caught up and smacked me on the back of the head, much the way a full pack does when you face plant on skis in the backcountry, with a small time delay. *thwack!* I’ve been passing out in the evenings when my intention was to blog. Zonked out, as my dad would say. Not sure how much longer the fatigue from radiation is supposed to last, but my oncologist just emailed me and suggested I try and chill out. *sheepish grin*

…and salad greens

I was so wiped the other day I didn’t hear Kaweah asking to be let out in the middle of the night (forget about Jeremy, he sleeps like the dead). Her GI tract is sorting itself after Camp Crazy and apparently she decided to let it sort right onto the guest room floor… Guess I have a date with a steam cleaner this weekend. We have a marathon string of house guests marching through soon.

oooooh! and oranges

After ten days of dining out or eating camp food, I have had nothing but fresh produce on my mind. Well, we did try to eat freshies on our backpacks, but I’m talking about salads. I suppose I am still on a salad kick since I couldn’t eat them during chemo (stupid chemo). This here is one of our favorite salads to eat and to serve to guests. The ingredients list is short and the prep can be done ahead of time. Just mix it all together prior to serving. This is one of my go-to salads. Only freaks dislike it.

sectioning the orange

I typically cut the peel off (not peel!) the oranges and then slice out the segments into a separate bowl. I like to use Valencia juice oranges, but navels will do as well. It just gets to be a pain when you segment the oranges if there are baby segments to slice through at the top. I will reserve one orange solely for juicing, which goes into the dressing.

everyone can get along here

The greens and orange segments go into a large serving bowl. Top that with toasted almond slivers. You really have to keep an eye on the toasting because the almond slivers go from Not Toasted to Scorched in no time. Once they have cooled, I sprinkle those over the bowl.

whisking the dressing

For the dressing, I combine the fresh squozen juice, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, and a little bit of red wine vinegar in a large bowl. I whisk in a thin and steady drizzle of oil (vegetable or olive - depends on how I feel) until I have a satisfactory dressing consistency. Usually anywhere between a quarter to a half cup, but I tend to prefer watery dressings over oily dressings.

a light and bright salad

Citrus Almond Salad

4 oranges (preferrably Valencia juice oranges)
8 oz mixed greens (don’t you dare use ice berg)
1/4 cup almond slivers
salt
pepper
sugar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup flavorless vegetable oil (or olive oil)

Juice one orange, set aside. Lop the ends off the remaining oranges. Cut the peel away so that no outer membrane remains on the oranges. Carefully slice out the orange segments from the membranes. Toast the almond slivers until fragrant (350F oven for about 2 minutes or less). Place the salad greens, orange segments, and almond slivers in large bowl. In a mixing bowl, combine orange juice, salt and pepper to taste, a pinch of sugar, and red wine vinegar. Whisk the liquid and while continuing to whisk, pour the oil into the bowl in a thin, steady stream. The dressing should be emulsified. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss before serving.

With the exception of our dysfunctional ghetto neighbors to the east, the rest of our neighbors are truly wonderful people. One day as I was walking Kaweah past Marcus’ house, I asked him how their vacation was. He replied from their deck, “It was great! But it’s also nice to be home. I think that’s what a good vacation is: feels good to get away, feels great to come back home.” I would have to agree with Marcus 100%.

familiar fountains at denver international welcome us back

And it *is* good to be home because a cold spell has barreled through our region and it was down right chilly last night - near freezing. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me, to think of crisp fall days and then… TELE SEASON! But I am getting ahead of myself here. It was chilly enough that we used warm water to wash Kaweah after picking her up from Camp Crazy (doggy camp). Yes, this dog who dives paws first into freezing ice cold alpine lakes slinks away from us when we use warm water for her bath.

not everyone was thrilled to get home

The final days of our trip were spent with my grandma in the bay area. We ate fantastic Chinese food and enjoyed QT with a spry 87-year old who puts the rest of us to shame. Her spunk, her mental acuity, her positive attitude and independence are a true inspiration.

awesome lobster e-mien

You can peruse photos from the trip on my photo blog. There are just too many to post here. Oh, and the Perseids were not a failure per se, but I wouldn’t call them a success. I managed to capture 4 shooting stars out of 150 exposures and they are small ones, not the gorgeous streakers I happened to witness in quadrants that my camera wasn’t pointed at.

the huntington gardens
todd and diane (white on rice couple), the kielys
piute pass (first backpack)
mono lake
thousand island lake (second backpack)
reno, tahoe, bay area

After we washed the dog and all of our incredibly stinky backpacking clothes, after unpacking, after getting ourselves situated back into “normal” mode, we crashed - exhausted. Vacation isn’t vacation for me unless I’m totally spent. Jeremy sweetly asked me if I had a good vacation. Before I could answer he rephrased the question, “Did you meet all of your intended goals?” Yes. No snafus, no serious issues - it was mostly good.

and the oscar goes to…
I want to thank everyone for writing in to share your idea of the perfect vacation. I was totally entertained reading what different people enjoy doing. I have to say my favorite was Peabody’s cage diving among Great White sharks because it was so original and because it suits her snarky personality! So Sunday night, Jeremy generated three random numbers in Python from 1 to 139 (sorry Liz, you didn’t quite make it in time): 40 (Manggy), 35 (Mrs. Ergul), and 73 (Cindy in Canada). Then Monday morning…

three dog treats to choose from

Each number was assigned a dog biscuit color: Manggy was red (pink), Mrs. Ergul was green, and Cindy was brown. Then we let the pup decide.

a beeline for green!

Congratulations Mrs. Ergul! You have won a photo! Send me an email with your choice of photo and color of mat along with your mailing address. I will ship it out to you this week! Thanks to all of you for participating. More than anything, it was wonderful to get to know some of you through your candid replies. I hope you all get to experience your ideal vacation over and over again.

funny, as in ha ha?
Curiously enough, my dad informed me that he has begun to read this blog. While some people’s parents are an intimate part of their lives, much of what I do passes under my dad’s radar. It’s nothing personal, he is busy doing his own thing and I really don’t need someone following my every move as if they don’t have a life of their own. I like that my parents have their own lives. I like that they don’t dote on me or else I might become some self-obsessed, delusional ninny in constant need of reassurance and praise. If there is one thing I am grateful for that my dad has given me, it is learning to suck it up and deal with whatever life throws at you. He is one tough SOB and so am I. Okay, but here is the funny thing. He told me not to use the “f-word” in my writing. I laughed. I *like* the f-word, but I don’t use it excessively, do I? Well, I’m still going to use it when I feel I need that extra special emphasis.

It looks as if that wonderous cold spell is leaving us. So perhaps another month of barbecue and salads before I can sink my hands into soups, stews, crock pot dishes, braises, and enjoy the beauty of slow-cooking a cheap cut of meat on a cold day - transforming it into the most tender of dishes. Right. I still have salads in my archives and on the brain! Nothing beats the fresh produce of summer.

main ingredients: yukon gold potatoes, bacon, parsley, and shallots

A while ago I had to alter a barbecue menu because one of my guests was allergic to soy, dairy, and chicken. I searched around and came upon a recipe for German Potato Salad. I tend to prefer vinegary salads over creamy salads, so I decided to give it a try.

mix potatoes and shallots with oil, pepper, and salt before roasting

Instead of boiling the potatoes, I decided to roast them. One of the best salads I ever had was a roasted potato salad that my pal, Carrie, had brought over to our place many years ago. That was before I understood what the heck roasting was.

mmmm, bacon and parsley

Of course, you can’t go wrong with bacon. It makes a dish. It makes up for any flaws that may exist because of other ingredients. Bacon is like duct tape. Bacon is all powerful.

mix with roasted potatoes

The salad went over well, although I probably could have roasted it longer (when juggling 6 dishes to serve together for dinner, I sometimes forget to check the doneness of things in the oven). It is best served warm.

mayonnaiseless goodness

German Roasted Potato Salad
based on Authentic German Potato Salad

3 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, washed and cut into medium chunks
6 shallots, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsps water
3 tbsps white sugar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss the potatoes with shallots, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour the potatoes into a baking pan and roast the potatoes for 40 minutes (turn the potatoes every 12 minutes or so). Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, sugar, water, salt, and pepper in a pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the potatoes. Add the bacon and parsley. Mix together and serve warm.