Menu Plan for the week of 3/21/11

It's spring! Something about these first few weeks of spring makes me want to eat Vietnamese, Thai, and Greek food. This week it's going to be spring rolls and basil fried rice. Next week it'll probably be souvlaki. Mmm, souvlaki.... But first we have to eat the roast I bought back when it was still cold here down here. :-)

Monday - roast beef, carrots, and potatoes with onions; roasted brussels sprouts
Tuesday - roast beef and vegetables
Wednesday - Vietnamese fresh spring rolls
Thursday - Vietnamese fresh spring rolls
Friday - basil fried rice + coconut soup
Saturday - basil fried rice + coconut soup
Sunday - kimchi fried rice

Lunches for JunkMale will be leftovers or kimbap. Lunches for me and Pearl will be sandwiches. Breakfasts for JunkMale will be egg and cheese sandwiches. Breakfasts for me and Pearl will be oatmeal and eggs.

My shopping list for the week:
cucumber
basil
cilantro
onions
bean sprouts
Thai chili peppers
laver (seaweed for kimbap)
dill pickles
tofu
hoisin sauce
imitation crab leg meat
chicken broth
lime juice (or limes, depending on price)
boneless pork chops
bacon or ham for kimchi fried rice
juice
Korean red pepper paste (if the new Asian store near our house carries it - it's run by a Filipino woman)
fruit, if it's on sale
potato chips (don't judge, lol)
peanut butter crackers
granola bars
crispy rice cereal
something for dessert

With some smart shopping, this should come in right at budget. If I have to cut my shopping short to just two stores it'll probably go over, but no more than $10.

Weeds in my backyard

I like to think that I have a rule about weed in my backyard. The rule is that if the weed is pretty, it gets to stay. If it's ugly, it must go. The rule is firmly enforced every year until about May, when days get hotter, mosquitoes start swarming, and vegetable gardening starts taking off.

But now, in March, it's fine to have nice ideals like that.

I don't understand why some plants are considered weeds. Take violets, for example. Do you see that lovely plant in the picture below? Pretty purple flowers, deep green leaves. It's a lovely plant. Why would someone want to tear it up? I certainly don't want to... which is, of course, why four years after moving into this house, there are large areas of our backyard which are carpeted with violets. They get big and weedy later on in the season, of course, but by that time they've already re-seeded the yard and a weedwacker won't do them any harm.



Another lovely "weed" is wood sorrel. The leaves look like tiny little clover leaves, and the flowers are a very cheery yellow. It's a low-growing plant, and it would fit in quite well in a flower bed. So why bother uprooting it? Just let it grow and enjoy it.



Of course, not every weed is as pretty as wood sorrel or violet. There are plenty of ugly weeds out there, and I do my fair share of weeding. But even among the eyesores of the plant world, every now and then I am surprised.

I am not very fond of henbit. It grows too tall and spindly, its flowers are too small, and fuchsia really isn't my favorite color anyway. But today, Pearl made a bouquet of flowering henbit that she had picked, and it was actually very pretty.



So even some of the lesser eyesores in the yard can be pretty in the right light. But despite the fact that the weeds in my back yard are pretty, I get the idea that most people prefer their yards to be neatly covered in grass.

Why grass?? If we are talking about invasive, impossible-to-kill plants, grass would be right at the top of the list. It's unattractive, it makes you sneeze, it's itchy, and it can sprout from nothing.

I have to conclude that our society chose grass as a cover plant for one simple reason: if you can't beat it, join it. Grass is the ultimate survivor. I was watching the Planet Earth episode on grasses, and they're indestructible. You can burn them, drown them, have a plague of locusts descend on them, or a hoard of wildebeests, and they will grow. They survive the arctic, deserts, and even pesticides. We cannot win. But, aha! If we pretend like growing grass is an art form, then we have won.

Or so I assume the thought process must have gone. Because I can see no other logical reason for having a lawn full of grass.

But honestly, if you had your choice, wouldn't you rather have a pretty carpet of wild flowers? Or am I the weird one?

Being Content with Little

Recently, we had a missionary preacher at our church to speak about his experiences and stir up interest for a Vacation Bible School that would be happening in Jamaica in July. Among other things, he had a long set of Powerpoint slides detailing pictures and experiences while doing foreign missionary work.

A couple of items stood out most to me, and those would be mentions of droves of people being baptized at once or coming from afar to attend services; and mentions of people living in sub-poverty conditions (by American standards) yet being content with what they had. After thinking about it for a bit, I do not think these two items (enthusiasm for the Gospel + contentment despite poverty) are independent.

One particular anecdote stood out to me. He recounted his experience with a Jamaican women with 6 children, 2 of whom she had not given birth to. He showed a picture of her hut, which consisted of scrap lumber, plywood, and sheet metal, probably scavenged from wherever she could find it. Obviously there were no utilities / luxuries such as running water, electricity, climate control. Yet he also showed a picture of a handwritten sign she had in her house, which said something along the lines of "Thank You God for providing for all my needs."

At this point, it's quite appropriate to mention Proverbs 30:7-9, one of my favorites. Usually when I am asked to say the prayer before the offering/contribution, I make some mention of the principle(s) in this passage:

7Two things I asked of You,
Do not refuse me before I die:
8Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
9That I not be full and deny You and say, "Who is the LORD?"
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

That particular Sunday, on the way home, we had a conversation about why we seemed to hear such stories (foreign/third world people flocking to hear the message) from missionaries but never as much from people living in industrialized countries. We theorized a couple of reasons. People in such countries: 1) have grown up exposed to less-than-optimal representations of what they think is Christianity, thus growing calloused to the true Gospel, 2) have the "riches" spoken of in verse 8, thus not really feeling a need to add piety on top of their shopping list. After all, we are all too busy making money to go to church and think a few spiritual thoughts every now and then. And let's not forget Matthew 19:23-24:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

We are no doubt "rich" here in America. Our grocery stores are always stocked, our pantries just as much, gas prices are reasonable even if they have risen recently, we have nice cars, and our houses are comparatively gigantic. Most of us, fully including me, have no idea what it is like to be truly poor. Thus, as Christians, we must be careful to be content with what we have (or much less) and not covet more and more that we don't truly need. There are more important things in life than stuff.

An Important Moment in Pearl's Life

Today, we decided that we would introduce Pearl to the world of Star Wars. Since it's such a monumental occasion, we thought it would be fun to take notes during the watching, to record her reactions. So consider this a live blogging the first watching of Episode IV. Will be updated as we watch.

DVD menu - she says she's afraid of the music.

The opening scene where the Star Destroyer flies overhead - "Ohhh...it's a big!!"

People running aboard the Tantive IV - "running"

Stormtroopers board the ship shooting lots of people - "he fall down," whimpering a bit.

At this time I noted that this is going to be difficult if I record everything she says. So maybe I will just note the notable stuff.

6:01 PM
Darth Vader interrogating the Rebel soldier - "Darth Vader," clap clap clap. Uh yeah, I guess so. Clap for the Darth Vader, not necessarily the demise of the poor Rebel.

6:05 PM
R2-D2 and C-3PO go their separate ways. Pearl says "This way, that way."

6:07 PM
Jawas picking up a stunned R2-D2 - "Picking up, that. Hug you." Later when they are loading R2 onto the sandcrawler, "he's okay, that."

6:18 PM
Luke's family eating dinner - "I need that...I need that." It IS dinner time, after all.

6:32 PM
Starts losing interest during the meeting of the Imperial leaders. But Darth Vader brings her attention back.

6:42 PM
Chewbacca attracts her attention. "Pearl, what sound does a wookie make?"

6:44 PM
Upon seeing Greedo: "Oh, mouse! I like mouse!"

7:00 PM
We are pleased to know that she recognizes Chewbacca and Darth Vader on sight.

7:04 PM
Just inside the Death Star - "Chewie! Chewie right there. I like Chewie."

7:09 PM
During the "weapons malfunction", in a distressed voice: "Chewie! Chewie!"

7:13 PM
In the garbage chute: "Chewie, bye-bye."

7:19 PM
At the end of the garbage chute scene, when 3PO thinks they're dying: "Don't like it. Don't like it."

7:23 PM
When Obiwan meets up with Darth Vader: "Oh! Oh-BEE-wan. Oh-BEE-wan." (Repeated ad infinitim in a few minutes upon his death)

7:31 PM
"Drink it," as she offers Han and Leia some of her tea. (And more refrains of "Oh-BEE-wan")

7:34 PM
"Chewie here. Chewie here." (Her new refrain, after realizing that Obiwan is not going to reappear.)

7:37 PM
"Obiwan!" OK, so maybe she hasn't given up on Obiwan....

7:41 PM
"Obiwan, he... dies."

7:45 PM
Inexplicably, she breaks into song: "Trust, obey, no other way; Happy, Jesus... trust, obey."

7:55 PM
Harmony, at movie's end: "So what do you think? Do you like Star Wars?"
Pearl: *nods* Where's Chewie?

Why Parents Think Their Children Are So Smart

I would guess that it has something to do with the fact that when they first met their children, the ability to support one's own head was considered a milestone far off in the future. The child came into the world being able to do basically 2 or 3 things. Think of it as being that any positive number is infinitely greater than 0.

Now, I have no explanation for why parents think their own children are the most beautiful children in the world, because I have seen some pretty not-beautiful babies and children. Such a thing can only be explained as a feeling/thought that is divinely placed ;)

Does anyone have better theories?

How we like our cruciferous vegetables

Cabbage. Collard Greens. Broccoli. Brussels Sprouts. You know they're good for you, but can you hold your nose long enough to choke them down?

We used to feel that way too. But somehow, we in the JunkHouse have found ourselves not only tolerating cruciferous vegetables, but enjoying them. JunkMale now really enjoys both broccoli and brussels sprouts. I am fond of collards, broccoli, and brussels sprouts, and Pearl loves cabbage, collards, and broccoli. Luna will eat them all. :-)

So how did we come to change our minds? I think it was because I learned new ways of cooking them that appealed to our palate. I realize not everyone enjoys the same foods as we do, but hopefully this list of recipes will help you, too, learn to enjoy the many health benefits of cruciferous vegetables.

Cabbage

We mostly eat napa cabbage, which I used to make kimchi. Kimchi isn't for everyone, so I'm willing to let that one slide. :-) But before we discovered Pearl's dairy problems, JuneMale and I used to really enjoy making colcannon. Mashed potatoes with bacon (and cabbage). What's not to like? :-D

Collard Greens

I'll admit that I used to hate these. But this recipe has changed my mind. I add 1 Tbs of brown sugar to them and leave out the red pepper flakes. Oh, and I double the bacon. :-D

Broccoli

Broccoli noodles. What else can I say? This has been a staple in our house ever since I saw the recipe posted at The Common Room. We've tweaked it in the years since then, and it continues to be a consistent performer on our menus.

But if you don't like broccoli noodles or have a peanut allergy in your family, you could always try drowning your broccoli in a cheese sauce. This was my favorite way to eat broccoli growing up. Yum, yum yum! It works well on cauliflower, too, but JunkMale hasn't gotten up the nerve to let me serve him cauliflower yet. ;-)

Brussels Sprouts

I used to hate these. JunkMale used to hate these. So why are they a favorite of ours now? I credit the Barefoot Contessa, who first turned me on to the idea of oven roasted brussels sprouts. They taste a bit like sweet, green oven fries, and they are absolutely wonderful. Caveat: the smaller the brussels sprouts, the better they taste. Large brussels sprouts tend to be bitter and not-so-tasty. Brussels sprouts from your backyard garden are To. Die. For. If you've never tried brussels sprouts this way, you owe it to yourself to try it at least once.

2010 in 12 Pictures

January:

February:


March:


April:


May:


June:


July:


August:


September:


October:


November:


December:

Let the Randomnimity Begin Anew

Way back when this blog was alive and thriving, every now and then I'd post some randomnimity. This consisted of several random unrelated blurbs which by themselves I considered too short to be a blog post. Let them begin again!

• I am thankfully still employed and work for the same company, but for a completely different program. It is nice because my work building now has windows, albeit only at the north and south ends of the building, which is actually just a glorified production hangar. It is not so nice because the bathrooms are not as nice as those belonging to snazzy fighter jet program buildings. It is nice because I can telecommute. It is not nice because I can telecommute. Overall, I think the positives of being able to telecommute outweigh the negatives. It is nice because I work on the 4th floor, so I get a little bit of extra exercise every day. It is not so nice because I work on the 4th floor.



• I have a new nephew who was born yesterday, so that means we share a birthday. Mid-January is allegedly a nice time to be born. This is one birthday I won't have trouble remembering, unless I start forgetting my own, which I did for about an hour yesterday morning.



• I have completed my master's degree in systems engineering. In time, you will learn to call me "Master."



• It annoys me when people mix up "your / you're." "Your welcome." My welcome what? Perhaps you referring to my overdue and welcome rant that your grammar is awful. If I were looking at your McDonald's job application, I would reject it outright.



• When you're a teenager, you know everything. When you get older, you know better. The more I observe teenagers and other children (mostly the teenagers), the more I realize that, indeed, folly is bound up on the heart of a child. I used to be much more dogmatic about various things. Since I have proven wrong more than a few times in my life (my grades in some of my physics classes will verify this), and since I have been there and done that, I think I have lightened up considerably.



• Speaking of low grades in physics classes, my lowest grade ever was a 10 on an electrodynamics test. That's 10 out of 100. My previous low was an 18/100 on a stellar astrophysics test (I did not really expect that I would have to memorize large portions of the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram). Can you beat that? You have to have actually tried to do well on the test instead of throwing it on purpose, and it is not limited to physics tests. There will be no prizes involved, because, wow, really? You got less than or equal to a 9?