salad update

1 head of cabbage, sliced into shreds
1 jicama, cut into matchsticks
2 carrots, shredded
juice of 2 lemons
1-2 T sesame oil
2-4 T olive oil
salt & pepper
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1 delicious salad

that explains it

I can't believe I left the eggs out of the spicy fried rice! I have so many eggs, and I like them in fried rice . . . just wasn't paying attention, I guess.

I called my mom so she could talk me out of buying this coat, but we ended up deciding I should get it. I really just wanted a second opinion. An unbiased expert that could see through coat lust and tell me whether it was a good idea or not. It was a good idea! Yay! It's going to come in the mail in a couple of days.

Now I'm going to try to copy a citrus-sesame "cole slaw" that Strawberry Fields had once. It was delicious! They had the usual shredded cabbage and carrots, and I think there was some jicama in there. No mayonnaise, though; the dressing was lemon-sesame or something. We'll see how close I can get.

these days

There are some new things in my house, including this big brown couch. I'm not sure why the picture turned out the way it did, but I kind of like the uneven lighting. It makes the picture look old, like the couch.

I eat a lot of dumplings, and some people ask me what kind of dumplings they are or how I make them. Here you go - these are the dumplings (they're vegetarian):

I make them by adding about a half inch of water and a couple tablespoons of sesame oil to a frying pan. I put the lid on until they're hot through, then take the lid off and let them get brown and crispy once the water boils off. They stick to the pan until they're crispy, so I wait until they are ready and then I flip them to let them crispify on the other side. Then I eat them with Chinese black vinegar (镇江醋).

I also lost two buttons from my coat and only had one replacement button. So I got a bunch of new red flower-shaped ones. People have been asking me if I got a new coat. They look really pink in this picture, but they are actually maroon and match the coat's lining.
Here's a picture that shows the flower shape better.

I added some links. Some people (hi Mom) will probably really enjoy the cooking blogs that I have been digging recently. 101 Cookbooks and Mahanandi are both vegetarian, but don't let that stop you, omnivores. The recipes are delicious and often inspiring, and the photos are great.