Apple Dumplings

This past weekend was pretty phenomenal. It was so nice to have uninterrupted time with Mike. We had meals with friends, got started on season nine of The Office, and even took a nap together! It was the perfect balance of fun plans and quiet alone time. Here's a picture we snapped before heading to Finch's for dinner!

On Saturday we headed to Apple Works for some famous apple dumplings and pumpkin picking. I just read Janssen's post today that includes a recipe for double chocolate pumpkin cookies (I'll be making those this week!), and had to laugh at her comment that "admitting to not loving pumpkin in probably blog suicide." I, myself, enjoy pumpkin, but do you know what I do not enjoy? Apple desserts. I am sure you either just gasped or yelled "whuaaat?!" in the way that I do when I hear something that is completely incomprehensible. Don't get me wrong,  I love the gooey texture of baked apples and the spice added by cinnamon and clove, but I do not like the crust that seems to accompany most apple desserts. It's the crust! I don't like the crust! So now you're really going to be shocked. I don't like pie. I'll have you know, however, that I have never once turned down a piece of cake. I love cake. Love it. Need an extra bridesmaid? Invite me along to your cake tasting and I'm in! I'm now thinking about Cate's wedding cake. It was so delicious. Best. cake. ever. Which is why it makes me sad that so many people think pie is superior to cake. My wedding will be all about the cake. And the love that Mike and I share, of course. (But the cake will be the star!)

So back to these famous apple dumplings. I wanted to like them, but they were encased in crust and swimming in some sort of thin sugary sauce. I knew I wouldn't love it. I tried a bit of Mike's and the apple filling was good. I just wished that it was tender, soft dough wrapped around the apple instead of that gluey crust. For those of you who know exactly what I'm talking about, who love the way yeast donuts and fritters compress when you sink your teeth in them and can't get enough of that chewiness each divine bite brings, these are apple dumplings made for you. They are light and fluffy and tender. And although no cake, they are an ideal dessert for a crisp fall day. 

Country Apple Dumplings
(slightly adapted from Allrecipes.com)

4  Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
2 packages of crescent roll dough
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 (12 oz) can of Mountain Dew

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Cut each apple into quarters and set aside (the original recipe suggests cutting them into 8 wedges, but I like having extra apple in my dumplings). Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end and then tuck the sides around. It may not seal completely, but make sure you have pinched as much of the dough together as possible. 

Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour evenly over the apple dumpling. Pour Mountain Dew over the dumplings. 

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in preheated oven until golden brown. 

Serve with vanilla ice cream and homemade whipped cream. 

Best Week of My Life and Chicken 'n Dumplings

My friends on Facebook and my carpool crew know that I have already deemed this week the best week of my life! It's been a crazy, exciting, joyous week, and although I'm running low on sleep, I can't complain. Even this past weekend was especially good.

I started off Saturday morning by picking up Mike's anniversary present and then heading to Starbucks for my first pumpkin spice latte of the season and some serious grading. Having made a good amount of headway with my grading and feeling elated by the beautiful Saturday we were having, I pulled out my laptop to type up the post about my amazing students. I was feeling really good, happy about my job and all of the the things that I had to look forward to this week. I headed to the animal shelter to play with the kitties and pups, and met a very handsome pitbull/hound mix named Farley. He had the best snout ever and was super calm and loving. Lucky for me, my apartment in the size of a shoebox and I have a cat that has made it very clear that he prefers being the sole receiver of human attention, so I'm never really tempted to bring home other animals. But I do like to stop by and give them all a little love.

Back at home I continued with my grading, and then, something amazing happened! I took a cleaning break! I cleaned my apartment on a Saturday night. FIVE whole days before Mike's visit! And I did laundry! It felt splendid! The next morning I took a little walk over to Sweet Claire's for a delicious breakfast with Andrea and Dimitar, got a bit more work done, snuck in an afternoon nap, and even did some data collecting. I was just getting ready to call it a night when Grant called me to say Trisha would be having her baby in about an hour! And since I had another hour to kill, I washed dishes! You guys, it was a SUPER productive weekend!

I arrived at the hospital around midnight, where I stayed for the next 3 hours until Trisha gave birth to her darling baby boy, Jackson. I actually ended up staying in the room for the delivery and it was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced. Trisha was such a trooper and I just couldn't wait to meet her little one. Trish and Grant opted to keep the gender a surprise, so when the nurse yelled, "It's a boy!" we all just burst into tears. It was such a joyous moment. Jackson arrived with the fullest head of hair you've ever seen and his mommy and daddy just love him to pieces. And now I'm Aunt Nicki!

I didn't get home until around 3:30 and I knew I'd have to be up by around 6:15, but witnessing such a special moment made the severe lack of sleep totally worth it. And that afternoon I got a letter from the university approving my second class for next semester! Which made the day even better! But between driving carpool, teaching two classes, holding individual conferences with students, and data collection, I was exhausted. I made dinner (I'll get to the recipe in a bit), cleaned up (had to keep my kitchen clean after the weekend's cleaning escapades), and went to bed.

Yesterday was another busy day filled with a teaching evaluation from a fellow colleague, more conferences, and grading. I walked to a local Chinese restaurant for dinner to get my veggie fix and the owner gifted me with a package of mooncakes! I thought it was super sweet because when I looked into buying them for my students, they were about $20 for a package of 4! I brought them to class today and most of the students were brave enough to try them. Although many of my students asked if there was a chocolate option (no, no there is not), I was happy that they were willing to try it; before I left for China, one of my professors wrote me a note saying "remember, try everything once," and those words always stuck with me.

Today is my long day on campus since we have Chinese Table on Wednesdays. But once I'm home, I have the rest of the evening and all day Thursday off. And tomorrow is an especially momentous occasion, because Mike is coming to visit! It's been over a month since we last saw each other, and it's not been easy. I didn't realize how much I'd miss the little things, and it took me a while to adjust. Things have been looking up though, and I've been focusing on staying positive and happy. Our one-year anniversary was September 12, so we've got fancy plans to celebrate. Friday evening we're having dinner with friends and then on Saturday it's off to Apple Works for what, I have heard, are the best apply dumplings ever! Saturday also marks the start of their u-pick pumpkin season, so it should be a perfect day (although it may be in the 80s, and that is not my idea of fall). We'll end the day at Finch's, a local farm to table restaurant with a very romantic ambiance. We went there to celebrate Mike's dissertation defense, so it holds happy memories for us too. And there will be gifts! I love gifts! I'm the kind of person that likes to tell people I'm giving them a gift so that they can be excited for as long as possible. An anticipated surprise, if you will. I'm super excited about the gift I got Mike, and I really hope he likes it! I'll post a picture later, but since he reads my posts (he's the best!), I can't ruin the surprise!

AND on top of all that, tomorrow I have a play date with Trisha and baby Jackson! I'm sure we won't be doing much playing, but there will be elephant ear bread, and maybe some movie watching, and lots of cuteness! And Grey's Anatomy is back tomorrow! It's almost too much (almost!).

So in honor of the best week ever, I'm sharing with you one of my favorite recipes! I made this Monday night when it was 8:30 and I was starving, because it takes less than 30 minutes and you get four generous helpings out of it! Also, I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand except the chicken, so a quick run to the grocery store and a $5 for a rotisserie chicken is all I need for one of the most comforting meals I've ever tasted.

Chicken 'n Dumplings
From Tasty Kitchen Blog

2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cold butter
about 1 cup of milk (you will probably use a little less)
a pinch of salt
2 qt chicken broth
1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
black pepper to taste

Combine all of the dry ingredients and cut in the butter to the mixture using a pastry cutter or two forks. Add the milk until the dough forms a cohesive ball. Meanwhile, place broth in a large pot and bring to a boil. Generously flour your worktop and roll out the dough to about 1/8" thickness. Cut dumplings into 2x2 inch squares and drop a few at a time into the boiling broth, stirring after each addition. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until dumplings have puffed up and the broth has thickened into a gravy (add a bit of the extra flour for thicker gravy). Stir in the chicken and add black pepper to taste. Lick the bowl. Have seconds. I do.

My Rockstar Students

I began my position as a lecturer at DePauw University this past August. It's the first time I've had a class all to myself, and it's both very exciting and an awesome responsibility. For many students, I'm the first Chinese instructor they've had. For others, I'm the first instructor who has required them to mind their tones and pay attention to stroke order. The great thing about these students? They are so eager! They have lots of questions and they absorb cultural knowledge like sponges. We're still working on the language basics, but it takes time, and already they've made a ton of progress! They even self correct!

This past Thursday was Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. In many ways it is much like our Thanksgiving -- families gather together and enjoy moon cakes and fruit while gazing at the moon, which symbolizes togetherness. It's a difficult time for those who can't reunite with their families, but there's still some comfort to be sought in knowing that wherever you and your loved ones are, the harvest moon shines bright and full for all of us.

I taught my students about the holiday on Wednesday since we don't have class on Thursday, and on Friday, the ASIA club hosted a celebration in honor of the holiday, which is also celebrated around various countries in southeast Asia. The news of the celebration didn't reach me until a week before the festival, when I was informed that they'd like to have our students participate. I was skeptical that my students would want to organize a performance on such short notice, but when I presented the idea to them on Monday, their overall reaction was "yeah, let's sing a song! It'll be awesome!" I suggested the classic song "The Moon Represents My Heart" since it was very fitting for this particular event, but I soon realized that if we were going to do this, it would have to be something that the students felt comfortable with and were excited about. So what did they choose? 對不起，我的中文不好 or "Sorry, My Chinese Isn't So Good". 

I tweaked the lyrics a bit so they better described my students. The song is originally performed by the British band Transition as they travel around the streets of Taiwan poking fun at their own Chinese skills. They joke about the stereotype that all foreigners are assumed to be American and identify themselves as "English gentleman". My students are certainly not English gentleman, so we changed it to say that they are DePauw students. And in the last verse, the band sings about how their Chinese ability has improved. Well, we're only in week 5 of the semester and we've got a long way to go, so I had them sing:

no worries, my Chinese will improve

no worries, no worries

 I'm taking Chinese class now

no worries, my Chinese will improve

no worries, no worries,

Deng Laoshi will teach us how to speak Chinese!

They loved this. One of my students volunteered to learn the song on the guitar in just two days and after only 20 minutes of practice in class on Wednesday, we were ready to take the stage. We were told to arrive at 7, although the performances didn't end up starting until 8:45, but they were troopers, laughing and chatting with their fellow classmates (I teach two sections of first-year Chinese). They almost had a heart attack when the emcees announced a surprise performance by the second-year students and wrongly announced that they would be singing our song. They all turned around and looked at me yell-whispering "Deng Laoshi (Teacher Deng), they stole our song!" I told them just to remain calm, we'd figure it out, but my stomach dropped as well; I knew how excited they were to perform the song. Thankfully, the emcee had just made a mistake, and the second-year students were actually performing "The Moon Represents My Heart"! Phew!

Backstage, the kids were abuzz with excitement. They made their own little chant "一二三，非常好!" (1, 2, 3, excellent!). It was so heartwarming to see them come up with this on their own; it comes from something I say in class often. I always give feedback to students after they respond to a question, and they know that there's a scale. First comes 好 (good). Then 很好 ( very good). And if they really blow me away with their response, they get a 非常好 (excellent). Many students answer me very deliberately and carefully in hopes of getting a 非常好.

We took the stage and set up our guitarist and the mics. We started singing and things were going very smoothly until our guitarist got a little excited and skipped the second verse. There was a bit of a fumble, but we recovered acapella and he came back in a couple of bars later. We finished strong! The crowd went wild! It was 9:30 when we got off stage and the kids were so excited about how much fun it had been. The group disbanded quickly as they ran off to go meet parents and friends for dinner (it's parents' weekend at DePauw), but not before receiving praise from the other language teachers. They were rockstars!

"Can You Make a Pinata?"

Mike and I were at my family's home in Maryland, sitting around the table after a delicious meal of blackened chicken and pesto pasta with roasted tomatoes and eggplant, chatting and drinking some wine, when I received this message from Amanda. Since I had had a bit of wine and wasn't wearing my glasses, I held my phone away and squinted at it to confirm that she had, in fact, asked me to make a pinata. Now, I'm the first to volunteer to help with a project, and as a bridesmaid, it was my duty, but a pinata? I was a little intimidated. I took a look at the pictures that Amanda had sent from pinatas that she found and fell in love with on Pinterest but were just too expensive to purchase.

Crystal Pinata-Gold, Confetti System

geometric pinata, of paper and things

And as beautiful as these babies are, $150 does seem like a lot to pay for something that will only make a brief appearance before being smashed to pieces. I loved the shape and shine of the gold diamond pinata from Confetti System pictured above, so I wanted to use that as my inspiration. Mer and I had made a dodecahedron in our freshman geometry class -- we spent the whole weekend stamping paper for the 20 faces we thought it had (only to find out that we only needed 12 of them) before heading to the HFStival with Papi (Mer's dad, we were totally cool)-- so I actually felt pretty good about being able to assemble a geometric shape. 

So I headed to Michael's and started looking for supplies. Since Amanda's wedding colors were cherry red and turquoise blue, I had my heart set on using a combination of reds and metallics, and Amanda had requested that the pinata be filled with confetti and glitter. I did find silver and gold tissue paper, as well as a wonderful package of ombre tissue paper that included shades of yellow, orange, pink, and red. I also came across some origami paper that contained pops of gold and silver along with some really cool floral patterns, so I picked up two packages of those. Those turned out to be a bit of a splurge; each pack contained only five small square sheets and was about four dollars. I purchased two bags of crinkle colored paper, one in pink and one in white. I also purchased 8 or so small packages of various wedding-themed and colorful confetti. These were also a bit more expensive, so I purchased what I hoped would be enough and began brainstorming how I might be able to fill any remaining space. I had asked one of the employees about metallic paper, and she was very patient and helpful, so I thought it was worth asking if they had any scrap cardboard I could use to create the shell of the pinata. I scored two medium-sized cardboard boxes and checked out with all of my other purchases that totaled around $60. Amanda had offered to cover all of the costs of the pinata but I had still wanted to keep it reasonably priced. $60 seemed like a lot for what I had purchased, but by the time it had all come together, I was impressed that I had cut the cost by over half and still managed to create a totally gorgeous pinata.  

paper materials (purchased at Michael's)

Simple pinatas can be constructed by paper macheing around a large blown-up balloon; when the paper mache is dry, you simply pop the balloon and the structure remains intact. But since I wanted a geometric pinata, I had to start by creating the structure. I had originally thought that I would construct two pyramids and then attach them, but the triangle faces I cut were actually large enough that I only needed three for each half. I left about a 1-in edge on each side as a means to connect the faces. I used packaging tape to connect the faces, but I think I could have used fewer, smaller pieces. Once all but one of the faces had been connected, I began layering the shredded paper and confetti in the pinata. This was important to ensure that all of the confetti wouldn't simply just drop to the bottom. It looked like I would need a bit more filler, so I took some colored scrapbooking paper and ran in through my shredder. I only had a few sheets on hand, so I supplemented that with shredded documents I had in my waste basket. The bits of black type on the paper actually looked really cool, and it was mixed with enough color that it managed to add a nice visual element without looking cheap. I sealed up my last face and then recruited Andrea for help with paper macheing!

Paper mache paste is just flour mixed with water to create a think, soup-like liquid that hardens when it dries. We discovered that it was best to have the liquid a bit runnier than we originally thought; this helps eliminate clumps of flour and ensures that the layers dry quickly. Newspaper is traditionally used as the vehicle for the paste, but it can get messy as the print begins to run. I didn't have access to large stack of newspapers anyway, so Andrea and I called around and discovered that The Herald Times sells the leftover reams of unprinted newspaper for super cheap! I purchased a large roll for four dollars, and Mike was able to use what was leftover to pack up his dishes and things for the move! I cut 1-2 inch thick strips of the paper and we got to work dipping them in the paste, running them between two fingers to get off any excess paste, and gradually layering them on the structure, overlapping them where we could. It's really important that you place the pinata in a well-ventilated area where it will be able to dry quickly. Wet, warm flour paste = mold! 

It took a few days for the paper mache to fully dry, and then we began decorating. I cut the tissue paper into 1.5 inch strips and added fringe to the ends, making sure there was enough of an edge to stick to the surface. We applied a small amount of Mod Podge using sponge brushes and then laid the edge of the tissue paper on top. We chose the colors as we went and integrated a few of the origami strips after every few rows. We discovered that it was key to apply the Mod Podge to the area just above the last strip of tissue paper to ensure that the fringes would not stick. We cut the strips long enough so that we could overlap the edges and tidy up the seams of the pinata. 

The end result was this:

  

   

I was pretty happy with how it all turned out. In order to hang it, we simply drilled a whole through two of the top sides and then looped a fairly heavy wire,which we then attached to the tree, through it. Kyle did have a heck of a time busting it open (guess I went a little heavy on the packaging tape!). It actually looked really pretty when it finally did come open, and if nothing else, it made for some great photo opportunities! Amanda and Kyle's wedding was such a wonderful representation of who they are as a couple and I can't wait to share more of their wedding with you all. For now, their wonderful photographer Nick Goodin  has provided a sneak peek of their wedding photos! 

Thai Shrimp Curry (and a super cute baby!)

My good friends Dave and Kathy just welcomed their first little one into the world a few weeks ago, and boy, is that that little girl precious! I had the joy of meeting her last night when I stopped by with dinner for her parents. I love little kids, but infants make me nervous. They just look so squishy and breakable. Irene came three weeks ahead of schedule, so she's especially tiny, weighing in last week at just 6 lbs, 1 oz. She has her dad's cheeks, her mom's nose, and big grey-blue eyes that are uniquely her own. I was a bit nervous to hold something so precious, but after a few hours of watching how her parents interact with her, I felt ready. She wasn't fussy at all, although she is a very vocal baby, and the girl loves to stretch! She is still learning to control her eye movement and her eyesight isn't completely developed, so I'm really glad that I had my glasses on; the dark frames seemed to make it easier for her to focus on my face. We enjoyed some nice time together, her sort of reaching around for my necklace and hair, and then...she pooped! She's still cute though....I've got proof!

Now that I've talked about how cute baby Irene is, I can tell you about the delicious curry I brought her parents for dinner. I'm a big fan of MealBaby, by the way. It's a website that allows you to register your due date and recruit friends to make/deliver dinners once your baby has arrived. I noticed a lot of chicken on the menu, so I opted for Thai curry with shrimp. It's one of those meals that turns out better than expected and leaves your whole house smelling like your favorite Thai restaurant. Since you make the curry paste from scratch, it takes a bit of time, but the good news is that you can make the paste anytime you'd like and store it in the refrigeration in an air-tight container for up to a month! I knew I'd be pressed for time yesterday, so I made the paste on Sunday and spent only about 30 minutes putting together the meal last night. Let's start with the paste!

Thai Red Curry Paste

From Emeril Lagasse

12 dry chili peppers, seeded and soaked in warm water for 30 minutes (use only the liquid)

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

1/2 cup shallots, chopped

14 cup garlic, chopped

3 lemongrass stalks (discard tough outer leaves, chop only tender center)

3 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 tsp lime zest

1 tsp shrimp paste (I used tom yum paste, which contains shrimp)

Begin by soaking the peppers. Toast the coriander seeds and black peppercorns over medium heat for about 3 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat, cool, and grind. Place the chopped shallot and garlic in a pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes or so until beginning to brown. Remove and cool. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor along with 1/4 cup of liquid from the chilies and blend until smooth. 

Thai Shrimp Curry

From Emeril Lagasse

1 lb of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 

1/2 cup shallots, chopped

2 tsp garlic, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

2 medium carrots, julienned 

3 tbsp of Thai Red Curry Paste (recipe above)

1 can of bamboo shoots, drained (this is my personal touch!) 

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 can coconut milk

3 tbsp Thai basil leaves, chopped

Add 2 tbsp of canola oil to a hot wok or large sautee pan. Add shallots, garlic, pepper, and carrots and stir fry until tender (2-3 minutes). Add 3 tbsp of Thai Curry Paste and stir until fragrant (30sec-1min). Add brown sugar and fish sauce, stirring constantly, and then add coconut milk. (I hate fish sauce. Hate it! It smells awful, but you actually need its potency and flavor in the dish. It's balanced out by the sugar and coconut milk, I promise!). Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 minutes until thickened. Add the bamboo shoots and shrimp, and cook until shrimp are just pink (only a few minutes). Remove from heat, add the basil and serve over rice. 

I am planning to make a "vegetarian" version (keeping in mind that there's fish sauce in the curry paste) this week for myself just to up my veggie consumption this week. I love bamboo shoots for their texture, so I've always thrown them in; I think water chestnuts would be equally great. This week I found my very favorite enoki mushrooms (which are aptly called 金針菇 or "golden needle mushrooms" in Chinese because are a creamy off-white yellow and are also very thin) and some fresh pea pods as well as some extra firm tofu at the Asian market, so I'll be subbing those things for the shrimp. And since I made a double batch of the curry paste on Sunday, all I'll need to do is whip up some rice and throw all the veggies together. I'll even have enough for another pot or two of curry later this month! I'm sure Mike and I will have it for dinner when he visits next week! Only nine days left (you know, in case you were wondering)!

Fall in Bloomington

Three years ago I moved to Bloomington to begin my grad school career. I had just returned from Taiwan, where I had lived for two years, so I was feeling a bit homesick. But then the fall came and I felt revitalized-- as much as I had loved living in Taiwan, I had longed for crisp falls and changing leaves. I strolled to campus and took pictures along the way, amazed at how beautiful the area was. 

And Bloomington didn't just deliver on quintessential fall weather, it also introduced me to some of my best friends. Through searching for a potential roommate I found Andrea, a fellow Marylander who had also studied Chinese and was studying Chinese politics and my first friend in Bloomington. At orientation I clicked with Jess, who happened to be studying Chinese linguistics just like me and is probably the only person who can tell me exactly how it is and I'll listen without getting upset, knowing she's right. I couldn't wait to see who would take the apartment next to mine, and in a few days I would meet Amanda, a cute little red head with bangs, and her puppy Finnegan who would get so excited every time he saw me that he'd tinkle on my shoes (I would eventually learn how to great him with a wide stance). Amanda would only live next door for a semester, but her move across town couldn't stop us from nights filled with homemade dinners, cocktails, horrible movies, and baked goods. Amanda was speedy and finished her degree in a year and a half, I've been without her company for the past few years, but this past August I had the honor of being a bridesmaid in her wedding. I was happy to discover the Finnegan still couldn't hide his excitement upon seeing me, and, even after a long stint apart, peed on my foot. And three years ago I took my first Zumba class and met Trisha, the tiniest, bounciest girl ever. Last spring, after three studios and a year and half of causal chatting, we were designing programs for her wedding in her living room. Trisha and her husband Grant included me in their very small and intimate wedding weekend in St. John last May, and the friendship really took off from there. With Trisha in med school and Grant working long hours as an emergency RN, I began going over to their place to cook once a week. We'd all have dinner together and then Trisha and I would continue to study while Grant did the dishes. We'd watch football, they'd hear about all of my (disastrous) dating adventures, and finally, when I sure I had found a good one, they met Mike. The four of us had a Christmas celebration before winter break began, and a few months later, Trisha would tell me (first!) that she and Grant had their first baby on the way! We have plans later today to make our favorite chicken and dumplings recipe while watching football in our usual fashion. 

These ladies have all played important roles in my life and have been the source of so many wonderful memories. The past month has been a bit difficult as Mike moved to Pennsylvania and I started my career while trying to finish my degree, but it's hard to not to feel thankful on a beautiful fall day when you realize that exactly every experience you have had in a place has led you to meet wonderful people who have shaped your life in more ways than you sometimes realize. 

And in honor of these girls and the fall, here are a few of my favorite pictures. 

    My first trip to the farmers market with Andrea. We split breakfast from the little French restaurant.

 This abandoned building has since been demolished and replaced with a Bloomingfoods, but I kind of liked the way its colors popped with the blue sky and the yellow leaves. 

 Woodburn Hall where I spent two years teaching Chinese. 

 Trip to Nashville, IN with Trisha and Grant last fall when my aunt came to visit. 

Presenting at the East Asian Psycholinguistics Conference last fall at Ohio State University. Jess (on my left) and I made a little weekend out of it and shared a hotel and an excellent dinner both nights.

Amanda and me celebrating her birthday. We sacheted into Buffalo Wild Wings in our cute outfits completely unaware that there was some huge March Madness game on. We stopped to get gourmet chocolates and then headed to the grocery store to pick up a movie and a birthday cake!

Mexican Food: I Don't Hate It!

For most of my life, I've been convinced that I just don't like Mexican food. I was always perplexed by why I didn't like it, considering 98.2% of Americans love it, even picky eaters! I knew that I hated cilantro. If there's a speck of it in anything it's all I can taste. But cilantro isn't in taco meat or most burritos. But you know what is? Cumin! Mike has a number of dishes he rotates through for his weekly meals, and I knew I wasn't going to like many of his bean dishes. So I started sniffing around and we put our heads together. "Maybe it's the cumin," he said. So I pulled out the tin of cumin, took a whiff, and yelled, "That's it!" I was relieved! It's not that I don't like Mexican food -- I just don't like cumin. And a few great experiences with Mexican food in social settings here and there made me realize there a quite a few dishes that don't have cumin. But I always make sure to ask first. You know the Sex & the City episode where Carrie's out to dinner with the girls and Berger, and she tells the waiter, politely, but very clearly, that she can't have any parsley on the dish because she's allergic? And Berger gives her grief because he knows she doesn't have an allergy, she just doesn't like it (he was a bad guy, that Berger)? I say I'm allergic to cumin... I do. Anyway, you can imagine how delighted I was when I realized that there are lots of great options on the menu at Mexican restaurants! Mike and I had a romantic dinner at El Serrano when we were apartment hunting in Lancaster, and we liked it so much that I declared we had to go back when I visited. Cool architecture? Check. Skylights? Check. Fountain? Check. Delicious sangria? Check, check! The first time we went I ordered a flour tortilla wrap (oh, I also hate corn tortillas) stuffed with blackened chicken and topped with queso blanco. The second time I ordered something that was more similar to an enchilada. I do believe there was a bit of cumin in the chicken seasoning, but it was pretty light, and topped with pico de gallo and guacamole, it was absolutely delectable! So, inspired by our Mexican date-night dinners, I've declared this week Mexican week! What's on the menu? Chicken and black bean enchiladas and dinner nachos. Up first, chicken and black bean enchiladas!

I narrowed down all of my pinned recipes to two: these cream cheese chicken enchiladas and these skinny sour cream enchiladas. I had planned to sort of combine to the two and did so accordingly based on what I could find at the store. What I made is very close to the first recipe for the cream cheese chicken enchiladas (except I added chiles and didn't add rice). I actually thought the sauce for the second recipe sounded delicious, but the filling for that one called for Ro-Tel, and having heard a very passionate speech this past week from a friend who insists that Ro-Tel is a superior product in a league of its own, and apparently unobtainable in Bloomington, I didn't want to use just any picante sauce. I opted for the cream cheese filling instead, and while it is certainly delicious, it seemed a very bad idea to pile more cream and diary on top. So, I went with the suggested simple enchilada sauce. But given my love for tomatoes and a bit of acidity in a dish, I think that I'd rather have a lighter filling and a heavier sauce. For now, I'll just use some salsa for dipping.

Creamy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
(makes 5 enchiladas)

2 chicken breasts
1 small can of green chiles
1 8 oz can of green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 8 oz can of black beans
1 package of tortillas
1 package of shredded Mexican cheese

Start by cooking cooking your chicken breasts. I like to make blackened chicken, which can be done by seasoning both sides generously (I use Emeril's Essence) and blackening the chicken in a cast-iron skillet with a bit of olive oil to create a crust. When both sides are sufficiently blackened, transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until chicken breasts are cooked through (you can tell they're done when they're firm to the touch). Let the chicken cool a bit before shredding it.

Add the cream cheese, chiles, and chicken to a bowl and mix together. Spoon down the center of your tortilla, top with a few spoons of blackbeans, and fold so both sides overlap in the middle. Layer a bit of enchilada sauce on bottom of your baking dish and then add your filled tortillas seam-side down. Layer the top of your enchiladas with the rest of the enchilada sauce and then sprinkle with cheese (approximately 2 cups). Cover with foil and bake in a 350 oven for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for a minute or two until cheese is bubbly.

Nicki's Lasagna!

Gaah! Something amazing happened last night. I went home and thought about what I could make from just the ingredients I had at home. Now, I'm normally the kind of gal who reads recipes, dreams about how delicious they'll be, and then makes a grocery list to purchase whatever I need to make it happen. But, having recently been inspired by other bloggers who recreate delicious food and think up their own recipes, I've wanted to feel out my cooking.

So remember that delicious pizza I had at Cate's wedding? The one I wanted to recreate? Well I decided to give it a shot the other night. Only I was starving and not really in the mood to wait very long for dinner, so I was a bit rushed and the balsamic reduction totally slipped my mind. I'm a saucy kind of girl though, so I had to make sauce! I'd done a little research over the weekend and decided that a simple tomato sauce would be the best way to make sure the fresh tomatoes and basil would be the star, so I settled on tomato sauce with onion and butter. I'd never made this sauce before, because I have given my heart to an oven-roasted tomato sauce (which I'll have to write about separately), but after reading about the simplicity of this one on Smitten Kitchen, and knowing that butter makes everything taste better, I decided it would certainly be delicious. I sliced my leftover Italian bread in half horizontally, layered a bit of sauce on each side, and sprinkled a light amount of mozzarella over that. I cut a bunch of beautiful cherry tomatoes that I had gotten at the farmer's market in half, dressed them with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then mixed in chopped fresh basil. I laid that over the mozarella and then added a bit more cheese for a bubbly finish. The result? A really delicious french bread pizza base, but there was something amiss with the tomatoes. They were pretty sweet to begin with, so I think a bit more salt and plenty of additional herbs would have really helped enhance their flavor. I was satisfied with the outcome, nevertheless, but I was left with a batch of tomato sauce and a lot of remaining basil and cheese. SO I MADE LASAGNA! (In case you're wondering, lasagna in Chinese is 千層麵, literally "thousand-layer noodles".)

I just happened to have a box of lasagna noodles in my cupboard and about 8 oz. of ground chicken left over from that Chinese recipe I made over the weekend. So I diced half of a white onion and put that in a hot pan with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and the ground chicken. I added a sprinkling of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Meanwhile, I cooked my lasagna noodles according to the package for about 12 minutes. I let the meat brown and the onions cook down, and then I added in the tomato sauce. I let the sauce warm through and then got ready to prepare my lasagna. Mer gave me two beautiful Le Creuset baking dishes last year for my birthday in cobalt (which, I sadly discovered, has been discontinued -- I feel lucky to have gotten these two beauties!), so I used the 1-qt. rectangular baking dish for this, and it was the perfect size! I layered a small amount of  just tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan and then put down three lasagna noodles, making sure to overlap them a bit. I then spread some of the meat and sauce mixture on top along with a scattering of chopped basil and a sprinkling of cheese. I layered three more noodles on top of that and followed with the sauce, basil, and cheese. After adding the last layer of noodles, I added the rest of the sauce and basil followed by a more generous amount of cheese. I then baked it at 350 degrees for about half an hour. I allowed it to cool for another 15 minutes or so just to let everything solidify a bit. And I couldn't believe how delicious it was! The sauce really shines through and the basil provides a brightness and freshness to the dish. The ground chicken was seasoned well and provided a hearty component to the dish without making it seem heavy. I just finished the helping I brought with me for lunch today, and it was just as tasty, if not more so, today. Not bad for my first recipe, not bad at all!

Nicki's Lasagna 

1-qt. baking dish

1 tbsp of oil

1 half of a white onion, diced

8 oz. ground chicken

salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian season to taste

*tomato, onion, butter sauce 

a bunch of fresh basil, chopped

16 oz. bag of shredded Mozarella cheese

12 lasagna noodles

*The tomato, onion, butter sauce can be made ahead of time. Simply pour a 28-oz can of San Marzano whole tomatoes into a sauce pan and add 5 tablespoons of butter, and a yellow onion peeled and halved. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. Discard the onion and be sure to break up large chunks of tomatoes. Season with salt to taste. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Bring a large pot of water seasoned with salt to a boil and add lasagna noodles one at a time until they soften into the water. Add a bit of oil to prevent sticking and cooking until tender, about 12 minutes. 

Add about 1 tbsp of oil to a heated pan, and once hot, add diced onion and ground chicken. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning (I didn't measure the amounts, but I just sort of sprinkled each spice over the mixture until everything was covered). When chicken has browned and onions are tender, add the tomato, onion, butter sauce. Warm through while preparing noodles.

Add a bit of the plain tomato sauce to the bottom of your baking dish. Line the pan with three noodles, making sure to overlap them slightly. Add about 1/3 of the meat and sauce mixture on top, then top with some of the fresh basil and a sprinkling of cheese. Repeat twice. The top layer should have a bit less sauce a larger amount of cheese. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly. 

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving. 

In Honor of Mer

Almost 19 years ago, as a little 8 year-old girl in the third grade, I met my very best friend. There's a pin going around on Pinterest that says something like friendship is really just about choosing a human being and saying "yeah, I like that one," and that's pretty much how it happened for Meredith and me. At the end of the school year, Mer sent me a letter through our Wee Deliver in-school mailing system. I was shocked and delighted that she had written to me. I didn't know why I was the lucky chosen one (I just had a flashback to Toy Story and The Aliens), but I knew it was a big deal. Today is Meredith's birthday, and in honor of our her and our 19 years of friendship, I wanted to share with everyone how very special my best friend is.

In its early stages, our friendship consisted of play dates, class field trips, and birthday parties. By middle school I would often go over to her house after school, either when I "missed my bus" or when I really did miss the bus. We would have a snack, do an art project if we had some free time, or get straight to homework. I remember going on errands with her mom (mainly to the dump) going out for international cuisine with her family (believe it or not, Mer and her dad first taught me how to use chopsticks), sleep overs on the weekends, and lots of other adventures. Her parents treated me as one of their own, but in the beginning I was convinced I needed to prove myself, so when Mer's mom taught us how to make prints from etched plexiglass, I decided to give my finished product to Mer's dad, who seemed to be the toughest nut to crack. He loves me now though. Probably because I eat odd food with him when no one else will. And because I gave him that print of my cat Snowball. But I digress.... In middle school we started keeping a journal. We'd write in it back and forth, trading off when we wanted to.

In high school we continued writing in that journal (we're now on our fifth journal), played field hockey together, worked on the literary arts magazine together, did girl scouts together, took classes together, watched Gilmore Girls together, and drooled over Ben Affleck together. (Just as a reference point, I used a picture of Ben Affleck in one of my Chinese drill sections last year and no one, NO ONE, knew who he was. Sigh. In our day, he was a total hottie!) There were various cliques in high school, but we didn't really belong to any of them, we were just Nicki and Mer. When I left to spend my first summer working in Minnesota, Mer and I stood in the doorway balling our eyes out. I remember her mom saying how silly it was-- if we couldn't stand to be apart, why didn't I just stay?

When college came, Mer stayed in Maryland and I ended up in Wisconsin. But there were still phone calls and letters, packages and tons of quality time spent together whenever I was home for the holidays. No matter what we did for my birthday, it always ended in a sleepover with Mer.

For as long as I can remember, I've looked up to Mer. All of those high school activities? She was the one who got me involved. I was the Robin to her Batman. When we applied to college she wrote a personal recommendation letter on my behalf, and it was so touching that I've kept the printed out version all these years. I always felt like she had the edge over me, and it meant so much to realize that my friendship meant just as much to her.

That has only become more apparent in the years beyond college. We both sort of came into our own and gained a tremendous amount of respect for one another because we each just found our own path and kept walking. We're unique individuals but our shared experiences have created a bond that is incredibly strong. In my experience, it's rare that friendships grow stronger over the years, and I'm so thankful that ours has.

So, want to know more about the fabulous lady that is Mer? Well you can learn more at harvest-spoon.com where she combines her knowledge of sustainable farming practices and nutrition with her love for creating delicious meals. She's also one of the most artistic people I know (her mom passed on some excellent genes), which is evident in all of the font work and illustrations on her blog, and a master of multitasking. She loves all things small and cute, most likely because she feels a strong kinship with such things, and she is quietly hilarious and sassy (I like to think I help bring out that sass). She has excellent musical tastes, many of which have been imparted to me in numerous volumes of  The Nicki and Mer CD,  and she is the most excellent giver of gifts...EVER! She will be my maid of honor when I get married, although I suppose by then she'll be my matron of honor since she's getting married next fall (!), and you'll want to stay tuned for that, because she and I will be designing all of the floral arrangements! She is the strawberry shortcake to this snapping turtle and the marinade to this enickma; she is... my very best friend.

Happy Birthday, Mer!