Asian-Inspired Cuisine

Saturday we had some dear friends over to catch up, congratulate the recent graduate, and talk about gardening (they are the pros, we are the wannabes - posts to come!). Aaron and I pulled together a quick Asian-inspired meal that was pretty delicious and very easy.

Asian Dumpling Soup

• 2 boxes (32 Oz. each) Asian-flavored Chicken Broth (couldn't seem to find this so we added lots of curry and shredded coconut to regular chicken broth)
• 4-5 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced Thinly On The Diagonal
• 1-2 bags Frozen Chinese Or Thai Dumplings (we found some veggie dumplings at Whole Foods, but these can be Pork, Chicken, Shrimp, Veggie)
• 1/2-1 cup Mushrooms, Sliced Thinly
• 4 thin green onions, Chopped
• 1-1 1/2 cups Fresh Spinach Leaves

Pour the broth into a pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Add the carrots. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the dumplings and mushrooms and simmer for about 8 minutes. (Do not cook the dumplings at a rapid boil or they will break open.) Add the scallion and spinach leaves and continue to simmer for about two minutes longer, or until the dumplings are heated through and the vegetables are tender enough. We didn't have enough dumplings (used only one bag), so I added in a nice helping of whole wheat couscous. Super fast and easy! (recipe from TastyKitchen and pic from Epicurious.com)


Crab Rangoons (yummy!)

• 1 package wonton skins (small works best, but you could also use large and improvise)
• 1 package cream cheese (we used low fat)
• 1 - 1 1/2 packages flaked imitation crab
• 1 - 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 t. grated fresh ginger (you could likely used dried in a pinch)
• vegetable oil for frying

Mix cream cheese, garlic, ginger, and crab together. Place a small spoonful of crab filling into a wonton. Brush water onto the edge of the wonton (to make more pliable and sticky) and pull up point of wontons to surround filling. Close edges. You can form the wonton into a triangle, flower shape, or little wrapped oval (we did the ovals). Fry in oil over medium - mediumlow until golden brown. These cook pretty fast, so watch them. This recipe makes a ton of wontons, maybe 25-35. We served them with a Thai sweet chili sauce - AWESOME. Don't worry, I triple checked about eating imitation crab during pregnancy - it's cool. (recipe from babycenter.com and pic from recipetips.com)


Last, we mixied together a quick green salad with leftover spinach, carrots, and mushrooms. We threw on a ginger dressing to finish it.

Peaceful Moments

There is just nothing like going on a long run and then plopping down somewhere outside to let your body absorb all the work it just did and your senses absorb all the scenery and smells. I find these moments to be some of the most peaceful and calming. My mind slows down. I can pray. I can be thankful.

My dear friend Paul taught me how to do this in college. We would run around Lake Johnson (near NCSU) and stop on the long walking bridge at the end of the run - standing there without talking, just looking out over the water for about 10 minutes. It was the reward. From that point on, I grew to love those 10 minutes after my runs. I can find sanctuary in most outdoor places.

As you might have guessed, I had the opportunity to do just this today. I have a little meditation spot right off UNC campus that I love running back to. Just the baby and me. Maybe the baby will learn to love running just because I've been running while pregnant (albeit slower and with breaks).

Do you have a peaceful place? What brings peace to your heart?

The Belly, Part Deux

(from Cartoonstock)

Yesterday, I got my first comments about my pregnancy belly, three comments to be exact. It's finally here. It popped right about 3.5 months. I am excited but also have that pre-pregnancy-weight-consciousness thing still going. I will learn to love this new body that our baby is taking over. Aaron was out of town for a total of four days, and when he came back, I looked pregnant!

Now, I'm in a desperate rush to wear everything that I know I won't be able to pull over the belly soon. Thank goodness for BeBands!

In other news, I felt our baby move for the first time Sunday (right at 16 wks). There have been some false alarms, but this short series of patterings made my heart race with excitement.

Mormonism 101

As a Latter-Day Saint, I am always trying to keep up with the "mormon buzz". Whether the buzz is LDS in the news, information from the church, or thoughts from friends and colleagues, I'm interested. On one of my weekly "mormon" searches on Google News, I ran across a speech that Elder Dallin H. Oaks, one of the 12 current apostles of the LDS church, gave at Harvard University in an annual Mormonism 101 series.



In his talk, he outlines the major doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints eloquently and succinctly. If only I could express myself so well! Often, I get questions from friends and family about the Church, our beliefs, and our practices. I must admit, I love those conversations. The LDS faith is an integral part of my life now - its precepts underlie many of my personal decisions, how I treat others, how I approach situations, and how I view the purpose of this life and my own personal calling here. I am always happy to share this with others. In addition, I think any dialogue among non-Mormons and Mormons is great. There seems to be much misunderstanding on both sides - so, please, if you ever have a question, just ask me!

Here is the transcript for Oaks' talk. It is worth the read! By the way, the LDS Newsroom (where this transcript is posted) is a great resource if you ever want to read the Church's offical public comments (e.g., same-sex marriage, church news around the world, etc).

Pregnancy Talk over Brunch

Yes please!

A sizable number (around 10) of my friends are pregnant right now; I figure it must be the economy or some other outside factor. I thought, "Why not get together for an estrogen-charged monthly meeting to talk about concerns/delights/fears?" We had the first get-together last Saturday.

There were 6 of us there - all at different stages of pregnancy, different birth plans, different stories. Aaron was a bit outnumbered, so he managed to lay low. We had a scrumptious brunch lined up for the group. My sister-in-law Lauren's Egg and Sausage Bake saved me again (see below for recipe) and a few others brought delicious homemade treats. The experience was so fun and enlightening! It was hit with everyone. I am so lucky to have these friends, learn from them, and share experiences. Until next month...

Egg and Sausage Bake
(photo courtesy of Lauren Towers)

1 lb. of ground pork sausage
1 can of refrigerated biscuits
2 cups shredded cheese
6 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups of milk
dash of oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
Bell pepper, tomato, or other veggies (optional)

1. Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Chop up veggies while sausage cooks.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Cut up each biscuit into quarters and lay evenly in one layer on bottom of your pan. (there may be gaps in between dough). Combine cooked sausage, cheese, eggs, milk, oregano, salt, pepper, and chopped veggies. Pour over biscuit dough. Bake until bubbly and rolls are baked, 20-30 minutes.