I now pronouce you husband and wife...

Six months ago today (May 17,2008), Joe and I were married! On a day with lots of sun and tulips blooming everywhere, we got married at Blessed Sacrament Church. With Father Joe's blessings, we became husband and wife!

The last six months had gone by fast. We went through two surgeries, deaths of a dear friend (Joe's side) and a family member (my side). On the positive side, Joe had a well-deserved promotion at work, and my bond with my mother-in-law, Sandy has strengthened throughout time.

We are often asked by friends if married life is any different. Yes, it is different. Joe and I have learned more about each other. Everyday is an opportunity for us to learn something new about each other. Now that the wedding planning was behind us, we finally have time, once again to do fun stuff. We went to Merrickville for a day in October, and spent a day in Perth a few weeks ago. Joe has become a Venturer Advisor and a Recorder with the Knights of Columbus. For me, I have picked up knitting once again and will be joining the church choir in the new year.

Last night, I went through all the wedding cards and wishes we received from friends and families on our wedding day. The one I like the most is from my parents. My parents worte,

" A Special Blessing for both of you with wishes that you will stay happy and as much in love as on your wedding day!"

I thank my husband, Joe, for making me laugh all the time, for loving my dog Bee Bee as much as I do, for taking good care of me when I had the surgery in July, and for putting up with my meticulous house-cleaning habits.

I thank my parents for making a fairy-tale wedding come true, for accepting Joe and loving him as a son, for providing guidance, support and love to both of us, for rendering their patience when I need to speak Cantonese for hours, and for just being there when I need the mother-daughter bond or father-daughter bond!

I thank my in-laws, Carl and Sandy for welcoming and accepting me into their family with open arms. I thank them for their words of encouragement and comfort when my grandmother passed away in August.

Will you be my friend?

About 10 days ago, I got a friend's request on Facebook. I clicked on the friend's request link, and waited patiently, wondered which of my long lost friends had finally found me. Then a name and the picture of this person appeared on my screen. I was surprised and bewildered. My bewilderment soon turned into anger.

For the longest time in my life, I have this un-shakable resentment toward this person. Every time, when her name gets mentioned in any sort of conversation, my heart twitches, I pull back and become awfully silent. All sorts of bad memories buried deep down once again, resurface. Often time, I feel horrible and mortified. It takes a few days to ease away the invisible dent in my heart. In the beginning, Joe tried to talk me through the incident and make me understand I need closure. Throughout time, Joe understands he is in a catch-22 position and whichever side he picks, he will regret one day. I feel bad for my husband, and I have no intention to put him in that position.

So, why would she add me as a friend on Facebook? I wonder if it is a sign of peace-offering. When I was in kindergarden, a boy pulled my hair. I cried and the teacher put this boy in "time-out". The next day, he brought me a piece of candy and we were friends again. This piece of candy, for sure, is a sign of peace-offering. I guess in modern days, by adding a person you wronged badly in the past on Facebook, it is a sign of peace-offering, which translates into, "I am truly, terribly sorry of what I had said and done. I know I had crossed the line. Can you please forgive me and be my friend again?"

Today, 21 months later. The thought of her makes me angry and sad. I am angry at her. I am angry at what she had said. I am angry at her skillful manipulation. I am angry at the way how she does not need to be responsible for her own actions. Most important of all, I am angry at myself. I am angry at myself, for falling into her trap. I am angry at myself, for letting her ruining my faith in others.

As I logged myself out of Facebook, I clicked "ignore" on the friend's request. I can't help but wonder, will I ever forgive her and bring closure for my own well being?

Diary of a Cooking Challenged... Part VI

Beef Stroganoff is a comfort food for Joe when he was growing up. I came across a recipe of Beef Stroganoff on the weekend. Confession... I bought two brand new cookbooks on saturday. I have tons of cookbooks at home, some are mine, and some are Joe. My favourite are: Crazy Plates, LoonySpoons and Eat Shrink and Be Merry. Last saturday, I picked up BHG's Anyone Can Cook, and BHG's Celebrating the Promise. Needless to say, I spent the entire saturday afternoon exploring the world of culinary.

Beef and Broccoli Stroganoff (adapted from BHG's Anyone Can Cook)

3 cups dried wide egg noodles
2 cups broccoli
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp horseradish
1/2 tsp fresh dill (I used 1 tbsp as I love dill)
1lb top sirloin steak (I used stewing beef)
1 small onion, cut into thin slices
1 clove garlic (I used 3 cloves as I love love love garlic)
4 tsp all purpose flour
1 14-ounce can beef broth (I used 1 cup low fat chicken broth)
3 tbsp tomato paste (I ran out of tomato paste, so I used pasta sauce)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 cup dried white wine (Half a bottle of white wine had been sitting in the fridge for I do not know how long... time to get rid of it :-)... I had a glass and poured the rest in the frying pan with the beef)

From Food Diary

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Add broccoli the last 5 mins of cooking. Drain, keep warm.

From Food Diary

2. Stir together source cream, horseradish and dill, cover and chill.

3. Cut stewing beef into bite size. Saute onions and garlic in a skillet with 1 tbsp EVOO, add beef and cook until beef is slight pink in the center. Pour in white wine. Add flour, 1/2 tsp black pepper over meat, stir to coat.

4. Stir in broth, pasta sauce, worcestershire sauce. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for one more min. Divide noodle-broccoli mixture among 4 serving bowls. Spoon beef mixture over noodles. Top with sour cream mixture. Make 4 servings.

From Food Diary

.... Joe was not too crazy about it as the "beef stroganoff" he had when he was a kid was Hamburger Helper's Beef Stroganoff! Seriously???? Hamburger Helper???? Even now, when I thought about it...I still do not know how I should react to his comment. Who would prefer Hamburger Helper's Beef Stroganoff over home-made Beef Stroganoff, made from scratch, from the heart with love?

Diary of a Cooking Challenged... Part V

This past sunday... after church and grocery shopping, as I was putting stuff away in the pantry and fridge, I noticed a pack of almost forgotten wonton wrappers. I went through my recipes database and decided to make Wonton Appetizers...

Wonton Appetizers

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/2 cup dill ranch dressing
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped red pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F, spray 24 muffin cups with PAM, place one wonton wrapper in each cup, bake for 5 min.

From Food Diary

2. mix all ingredients together, fill wonton cups evenly with cheese mixture

From Food Diary

3. back for 6-8 min until cheese is melted

From Food Diary

It makes 24 wontons

It is a quick, easy and yummy appetizer which I think it will be a crowd pleaser.

God's Catalogue

God’s Catalogue
John 17:20-26

Jesus Prays for All Believers
20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. —John 13:35
Tis the season to receive catalogs in the mail. Every trip to the mailbox ends with an armload of slick holiday catalogs. Each one claims to offer me something I need—immediately. “Don’t wait!” “Limited offer!” “Order now!”

The lure works. I open the pages to discover what I didn’t know I needed. Sure enough, I see things that suddenly seem essential, even though a few minutes earlier I didn’t know they existed. Manufacturers use catalog illustrations to create desire for their products.

In a way, Christians are God’s catalogs. We are His illustration to the world of what He has to offer. His work in our lives makes us a picture of qualities that people may not know they need or want until they see them at work in us.

Jesus prayed that His followers would be unified so the world would know that God sent Him and loved them as God loved Him (John 17:23). When Christ is alive in us, we become examples of God’s love. We can’t manufacture love. God is the manufacturer, and we are His workmanship.

As you browse holiday catalogs, consider what the “catalog” of your life says about God. Do people see qualities in you that make them long for God? — Julie Ackerman Link

What does the world see in us
That they can’t live without?
Do they see winsome qualities
And love that reaches out? —Sper
As a Christian, you are “God’s advertisement.” Do people want what they see in you?

My Birthday

Friends who know me well enough know that I am not a big fan of birthday celebrations. People come up with all sorts of birthday celebrations. Honestly and seriously, I think some of those celebrations are just too over-rated. Imagine this... an extravagant birthday party with invitations, DJ, catering, dance floor, centerpiece for each table... It sounds more like a wedding reception to me! Funny enough, I know a person got seriously upset just because she did not get a birthday card which she "assumed" she would be getting in the mail.

I think that people nowadays do not really understand the true meanings of birthdays. To them, birthdays mean "It is all ME and ME and ME!" They expect the world to be revolved around them.

I look at birthdays from a different perspective. Every year on my birthday, I thank my parents. I thank them for bringing me to this world. I thank them for raising me in a safe and harmonious environment. I thank them for staying up late, teaching me math when I was struggling at elementary school. I thank them for bringing me to church where I have created a close relationship with God. I thank them for giving me my very first puppy when I was 10. I thank them for giving me my second puppy when I was 20. I thank them for giving me two lovely and supportive sisters. I thank them for providing me with an education. I thank them for teaching me to distinguish right from wrong. I thank them for passing me all the family values which make me become a responsible citizen. I thank them for their understanding and support when I decided to move to Ottawa in 2001. I thank them for their endless patience when I fell for the wrong guy whom at that time, I thought he was the one. I thank them for lending me their strong arms and shoulders to cry on when the guy broke my heart in my mid 20's. I thank them for telling me the truth, even the truth sometimes hurts. I thank them for their contiunous support, daily guidance and unconditional love. Most important of all, I thank them for accepting Joe and loving Joe as their son!

Baba and Mama... I can't thank you enough for what you have sacraficed and done for me all these years to make me become who I am today. It is my hope that one day when I become a mom, I will be able to follow your footsteps and provide nothing but the best for my child.

From Baby pics

From Dow's Lake Pics

Diary of a Cooking Challenged... Part IV

One of the challenges when it comes to meal planning is Joe's meetings tuesday and thursday nights. We usually get home around 5:30pm and he is usually out the door, on his way to the meetings around 6:45pm. It does not really give me time to let the creativity juice flow.

Tonight his monthly scouts' meeting started at 7pm, and my challenge was to put together something quick but not "so-boring" in less than an hour.

Chicken-Fajita Fettuccine
recipe from Chatelaine... but I made a few modifications :-)

1/2 pkg fettuccine
1 large onion, cut into thin slices
4 bnls skls chicken thighs
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 portobello mushroom, cut into thin strips
a handful of baby carrots, cut into thin strips
2 tsp each chili powder and cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup salsa
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp lime juice
1 cup chopped cilantro
grated cheese

1. bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Cooking pasta according to instructions on the package

2. Coat a large wide frying pan with oil on medium heat, add chicken, cook for about 3 mins. Add onions and saute until it begins to soften.

3. add red pepper, carrots, portobello mushrooms into the pan, sprinkle with seasonings. Stir fry until chicken is cooked through.

4. drain pasta but leave in pan. Add chicken mixture along with remaining ingredients, except cheese. Toss to mix. Sprinkle with cheese

From Drop Box

Diary of a Cooking Challenged... Part III

I usually do my meal planning for the week on sundays... usually morning, over a pot of steamy Starbucks Coffee. After the hike at Gatineau Park, Joe and I went to LOEB and picked up a few ingredients, and we are set for this week's dinners.

For some reason, I do not really feel like cooking tonight. I then decided to do a bit of "fridge cleaning" and hence, tonight's dinner.

Ginger Teriyaki Fried Rice (adapted from Inelastic Kitchen Collisions)

From Food Oct 19,08

2 tbsp oil
1 cup pork tenderloin, chopped
1 thumb size ginger, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3 eggs
3 cups cooked jasmine rice
3 cups veggies (water chestnuts, carrots, snow peas, napa cabbage)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp chinese chili sauce (I used Maggi's Chili Garlic Sauce)
1 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro (I wonder what is the difference between cilantro and coriander...)

From Food Oct 19,08

1. Heat oil in pan, cook meat, season with sesame oil, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is no longer pink, set aside.

2. whisk eggs in a small bowl with salt and pepper, green onions

3. heat 1 tbsp oil, add eggs, wait for eggs to set. Once set, break into pieces and set aside.

From Food Oct 19,08

4. add veggies into the pan, saute for 2 - 3 mins. set aside.

From Food Oct 19,08

5. pour in soy sauce, chili sauce and teriyaki sauce, bring to boil over medium heat

6. add rice, mix with veggies and cooked eggs and cilantro

From Food Oct 19,08

Gatineau Park

With the extra hour we gained today, Joe and I went to Gatineau Park this morning, hoping to grasp the last bit of the vibrant color of the fall leaves. When we drove to the vistor center's parking, we noticed that the road going uphill was closed. We parked at the parking lot, and began to hike up. We were at least three weeks late and we missed the magnificient fall leaves. Most of the leaves have fallen off the trees.

We hiked for about an hour and a half, and did not even make it to Lac Pink. We then turned around and headed to Chinatown for dim sum.

Though we did not see the vibrant color of the fall leaves, we were surrounded by the nature. It was quiet, peaceful and tranquil. The air was fresh, and it definitely brings forth the signs of winter.

It makes me wonder.... am I ready for the winter?

From Gatineau Park Nov 2 2008

Diary of a Cooking Challenged... Part II

When I woke up this morning... I knew today is a good day to try out a new recipe.

Vegetarian Calzone (LooneySpoons' Luciano's Panzerotti)

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup warm sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp EVOO
1 clover garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
1 cup sliced cucumber
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp curry powder
2 1/2 cups low fat pasta sauce
1 cup shredded part skim mozzaerlla

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in warm water. Let stand 10 mins.

In a small bowl, combine flours, 2 tsp of sugar and salt. Set aside.

Stir olive oil in yeast mixture. Add 1 3/4 cups of flour mixture and stir until a soft ball forms. Turn dough out onto a slight floured surface and knead for 3-4 mins. Add some of the remaining flour mixture if dough is too sticky.

Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray and place dough inside. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

From Drop Box

Just before dough has finished rising, prepare filling. Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray. Add garlic, mushrooms, cucumber, red and green peppers, onions, oregano and curry powder. Cook and stir over medium heat until veggies are tender, about 6-7 mins. Remove from heat and set aside.

From Drop Box

Punch down dough, form a ball, and place on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece to a 6-inch diameter circle. Work one at a time, place crust on a large non-stick baking sheet. Spread 2 tbsp pasta sauce over one half of crust, top with 1/4 veggies mixture and 1/4 cheese. Fold opposite half over toppings and pinch seam closed. Repeat with remaining crusts.

Bake at 425 for 15 mins, until dough is golden brown. Meanwhile, heat remaining pasta sauce over medium heat. Remove calzone from oven and transfer to serving plates. Pour 1/2 cup pasta sauce over each and serve immediately.

From Drop Box

House Cleaning

Today, two days before my birthday... I decided to do a major house-cleaning. By major, I mean "serious" house cleaning. I dusted, scrubbed, mopped and vaccumed the entire house. Ok, it might sound a bit weird, but I enjoy cleaning. My mom always says, "A clean house is a happy house." I am very meticulous when it comes to cleaning, and this drives Joe nuts. On the other hand, Joe's idea of cleaning is "surface cleaning" which also drives me nuts. When we moved into our new home last year, Joe and I made an agreement that cleaning and cooking is my department(s), while laundry, ironing, lawning mowing and snow shovelling is his department(s).

This afternoon, I was standing on top of the kitchen counter, attempting to wipe down the top of the kitchen cabinets. Joe walked into the kitchen and he saw me, he said," What are you doing? If you are doing all these, why do we still need a house cleaning lady?" While I was still standing on top of the kitchen counter, I thought about the question. Seriously, why do I need someone to clean my house when I am doing it myself?