Shanghai Photo Restoration

Well, I undertook a project recently that is interesting but VERY time consuming! Several weeks ago I printed a nice collage of pictures of us (mostly Natalie!) with our Ayi. I framed it and gave it to her. She loved it so much she brought in pictures from her home of her family for us to look at together. I volunteered to scan some of them. I will write more later about these pictures as there are usually some great story that goes with them. Today, I am just showing the first one I started with, a picture of Ayi's mother and her two of older sisters. Ayi also a brother, but he is not in this picture. The picture was taken in 1955. It was not clear if this taken in Shanghai or near the "work farm" were the Ayi's family was relocated to in Jiansu province.

Original - 1955

I took it and started to edit it in Adobe Elements. It took some trial and error! My favorite part is being able to pull out the green dragon that was on the wall behind them. I put about 3 hours total into the restoration of this and it is not a great result. But I learned a lot about cloning and blurring.

Mostly Restored

 The Ayi was thrilled with the results. I am now going to get it printed for her. Her older sister in the picture, on the right, is 80 years old. Her younger sister, on the left, died not too long after this picture was taken. Ayi was born after her sister died. I will put the pics into a story starting in the next few weeks. Lots more pictures to clean up before I can tell it!

Daily Picture Project - Day 64

Third grade is starting to wear Natalie down. Yesterday, she forgot ALL of her homework at school. We had to go get it. She didn't do well on her math test. We had to review. She forgot to do her Mandarin homework after we brought it home. We wrote an explanation. She forget one extra page of Math last night. We did it this morning. Everyone needs a vacation in this house...

"What's the range again?"

Daily Picture Project - Day 63

Thanksgiving over. On to Christmas. We got our "Charlie Brown" tree up. Looking better each year as we add ornaments. Though you can't touch it or it will fall over. Plus we have 30 candy canes on the tree which Natalie checks each hour. If one of them acquires a "crack" she places it in the "Natalie Eats" pile. Little does she know that I dropped a whole package so there are at least 10 broken ones on the tree right now!

"I ams candy cane"

Daily Picture Project - Day 62

Today is character day at school. Natalie chose Ramona Quimby as her character. She did a great job on the t-shirt. Today I cheated and combined two pictures to see the back and the front.

"I am Ramona Quimby, the only girl in the world with ears and whiskers on my last initial!"

Daily Picture Project - Day 61

"Egg? Check. Peanut butter? Check. Orange? Check. Milk? Check. Ping Pong paddle? Check."

Daily Picture Project - Day 60

Again, Tom was filling in and posted already to his FaceBook. Again, his comments, NOT MINE!  Good thing it was a quick trip...
Since Shelly is out of town (day 2), I have been asked to continue the "picture of the day" activity that Shelly and Natalie are doing each school day. Today (and lasy night) I was left alone with a child of the ill health. Fortunately it is only a sore throat. I told Natalie to "suck it up! If you think it is sore today wait until 2 more days then it gets bad!" Again, I am such a good parent.

"I REALLY miss mom..."

Daily Picture Project - Day 59

I was out of town so Tom filled in. He posted to Facebook, but thought I would repost here for "continuity" sake. (yes, I am anal retentive) Please note these are his comments, not mine. But I added the quotes!
Since Shelly is out of town, I have been asked to continue the "picture of the day" activity that Shelly and Natalie are doing each school day. Shelly told me repeatedly not to forget to pack a snack for Natalie's lunch. In order not to forget, I made Natalie pack it herself. I am such a good parent.

"I miss mom..."

Daily Picture Project - Day 58

Ok, this idea required a lot more time to pull off than we had available. Oh well...

"Mom, I don't get why I have these sticks in my arms? How is this funny?"

Daily Picture Project - Day 57

"Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, how lovely are your branches"

Daily Picture Project - Day 56

American Girl makes a nice book called "The Care and Keeping of You". Natalie was researching a topic this morning...

"What chapter has shaving legs in it?"

Fresh Veggies in November

One of what I consider a major benefit of living in China is access to fresh vegetables. Yes, you read right. Access to fresh vegetables. We eat a large variety of veggies here than we did in the U.S. Eggplant, full size carrots (when is the last time you ate a non "baby" carrot???), bok choy, daikon, sweet potatoes (best on the street!), green beans as long as my leg, and all sorts of yummy greens.  I have been buying most of my veggies from the Vizcaya Market each Wednesday, or a small local grocery a block away. And I buy organic about half the time. Not so much that I am a "green" freak, but because a lot of the organic items are really fresh or seem to be anyway. This week I decided to order some items from an organic place here in Shanghai, Fields. You have been able to buy their items in a few places in town. They have been pusing their online ordering, so thought I would give it a try.

The ordering process was simple once I had registered. And I find the prices for most items about the same as the organics I buy elsewhere. And maybe a bit cheaper than City Shop for some items. I ordered the kinds of stuff I usually buy each week. Thought I would order, cook, eat, assess.  Here was my order.

IELDS Order

Item No. Name(EN) Name(CH) Price Qty Total V-001-0062 Baby Swiss Chard CNY15 1 CNY15 V-001-0034 Organic Avocados 牛油果 CNY36 1 CNY36 V-001-0036 Broccoli 西兰花 CNY15 1 CNY15 V-001-0013 Large Carrot 大胡萝卜 CNY18 2 CNY36 V-001-0043 Shiitake Mushrooms 香菇 CNY12 1 CNY12 V-002-0002 Cilantro (Coriander) 香菜 CNY10 1 CNY10 F-021-0007 Lemons 柠檬 CNY10 1 CNY10 F-022-0011 Australian Mango 芒果 CNY50 1 CNY50 F-021-0027 Limes 绿柠檬 CNY15 1 CNY15 F-021-0030 Clementines 砂糖桔 CNY10 1 CNY10 D-062-0002 Free Range Eggs 鸡蛋 CNY25 1 CNY25       Shipping and Handling Fee : CNY0    Cash On Delivery Total: CNY234

Not sure why I ordered an Australian Mango for 50RMB. Who pays $8 for a single piece of fruit? So the total was about $36. Not bad, not great. By the way, the quantities are not necessarily individual items, meaning the order was not 2 carrots, it was 2 500 gram units. About 4 big carrots. Placed the order for a scheduled time. Received confirmation. So, now wait...

The order arrived right on time in a cool cardboard box (we get excited like children with good boxes!).

All of the food was individually wrapped and clearly identified. Some were in pre-measured containers, but most were individually measured, probably right before they went into the box.

Below is the picture of all my stuff out of the box. Does it look like 234RMB of stuff???

Now came the fun part. Unwrapping. Smelling. Tasting. Clocwise from noon position, oranges, broccoli, lemons, limes, Australian Mango, avacodos, baby Swiss Chard, eggs, carrots, mushrooms, cilantro. All 11 items accounted for!

First taste was the Clementine orange. They promised seedless. And they were!!! Next, I snipped a bite of cilantro. Wow, tasted like cilantro. And the bunch was big, not the limp stuff we have been getting at other markets. Ok, now a nibble of carrot. Yum. And let;s try the baby Swiss Chard. Wow. This might be the best green I have eaten in a long time. Hard to explain the taste, but maybe a bit nutty? Definitely not going to cook them like I thought I would. This is going into a salad tomorrow! 

So, I give Fields a great big A. Convenient, good, not too badly priced. And I can make out a menu the night before and have the delivery the afternoon I want to cook.  Now I gotta check go check out the pine sprouts (what the ...?) and fresh spinach!

Daily Picture Project - Day 55

My littlest reindeer is growing her antlers. Though they smelled like ginger. Wonder if that is normal.

"Hope it is not the start of Deer Season yet!"

Recipe - Applesauce Cake

Next week Natalie's 3/4 Grade classes are hosting a Giving Thanks lunch carry-in. Mer. Gerlach's class drew dessert at their dish to carry-in. Definitely not my best cooking area! So I decided to find a few recipes to try out so I might be able to produce something other than the Betty Crocker Brownie Mix standby dish.


I ran across a recipe for apple cake, but I am not a big fan of cooked apples. Then I found another which called for applesauce rather than apples. That seemed like a better option in terms of texture. Plus the recipe compared it to Zucchini Bread, which I have not posted, but is my favorite dessert. It just has a lot of sugar in it. So I decided to try to produce a similar taste, but with less sugar.  I am not really much of a baker, as anything that requires you to, well, follow the recipe, is usually a challenge for me! I started with a basic recipe, I think from allrecipes.com, but modified slightly. I changed to the applesauce to a version without added sugar. And I eliminated the 1/4 white sugar as I was already adding 1 cup of brown sugar and that seemed like plenty. I also slightly reduced the ground ginger as I was not really wanting to make a cake that tasted like gingerbread. If I wanted that, I would use a gingerbread recipe.

Result? Very good! Almost as moist as the Zucchini bread. Healthy enough to eat a slice for breakfast. After I made the frosting, I had husband and kid taste as it tasted a bit  strong (sour?) to me. I decided I could serve it on the side if needed! But, it turned out to really complement the cake well. It cut down the sweetness even more. But, it is basically sugar and butter, so we sort of undo the healthiness. So I only put 2/3 of the frosting I made on the cake. Seemed to be a happy compromise.  So I will try this again next Thursday. And will make it the way I wrote it below. I promise.

ingredients:

For cake

2 cups (8 3/4 ounces or 250 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda

1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt

3/4 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup (7 3/4 ounces or 218 grams) packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (about 13 ounces or 365 grams) unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces or 50 grams) walnuts (optional), toasted, cooled, and chopped

For frosting

5 ounces (142 grams) cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces or 42 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (4 ounces or 120 grams) confectioners sugar

1/2 (1 teaspoon) teaspoon cinnamon

preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan. I lined the bottom with parchment paper and buttered that too. But my pan is not great!

Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts (if using). The batter will look a little curdly and uneven but don’t worry, it will all bake up perfectly in the end.

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely. You can speed this up, as I always do, in the fridge.

Make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

Daily Picture Project - Day 54

Cold Monday mornings don't make for a very creative daily picture... Natalie insists that the Kazoo music she is practicing with is the same as the piano music for these Christmas songs. I don't beleive it. These are painful versions of Jingle Bells, Up on the Housetop, and Nutcracker March!

"I'll have this Kazoo music mastered on the piano in no time!"

Daily Picture Project - Day 53

Today is International Day at Concordia. So free dress if you dress in support of your home country or whatever country you want to support! Thanks to my U.S. BFF's for sending me a whole box of USA stuff our first year we lived here. It will come in real handy today. Plus realized Natalie didn't know the Pledge of Allegiance. So we practiced that this morning.

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America"

My baby is growing up. Yes, I know that happens. However, I prefer the maturation that is subtle and invisible. Not when it all happens in one week! It is only Thursday, but every day Natalie, my 8 year old, has thrown some "I'm growing up faster than you can adjust" thing at me. And they have hit me hard. Maybe because of the weather. Wait, the weather is good. Maybe because I am not feeling my best so her actions exaggerate the gap.


It started with a LIE on Tuesday. I am not naive, I know she has fibbed before and I have not caught it. But I myself was a terrific liar as a child (just ask my mother) and so I generally catch it. I learned that catching the child in the lie is almost as bad as knowing the child lied! And of course it revolved around the TAKING OF A BATH. Which was also the primary focus of my lying as a child. I truly think it might be genetic! I was downstairs cleaning up dinner, so sent her up to get in the bath. When I headed up after about 20 minutes, thinking she would be ready to rinse her hair one final time, I caught her on the bed, reading a book and her PJ's on. Actually she had thrown her book to the side and was struggling out of her PJ's and muttered "Oh, sorry Mom, I forgot!".  "Natalie Rochelle Bramer, get in this bathroom right now!" was my response. I felt I added just the right amount of exasperation in my voice to express, well, my exasperation.  We hustled her into the tub, and I asked if she wanted to wash her hair now or in a bit. "In a bit" was her reply.  Daughter safely enveloped by L'Occitane Verbena Bubbles, I headed back downstairs to finish picking up. When I headed back up in another 20 minutes (man, I did a lot of cleaning that night!), she was laying in my bed, PJ's on, hair dryed and perfectly parted. My immediate observation was that she did NOT take a bath. But I had put her in, so I knew she had! I quickly took a closer look at her hair and said "DID YOU WASH YOUR HAIR?"


So this was the moment. I hope in her little mind there was a struggle between angel and devil, between truth and consequence. But I think it came down to choosing between having to give up the book she was reading and getting back into the shower with me taking away all privileges and generally overreacting. The book won.  "Yes, I washed my hair" Spoken to me while looking me right in the eye. I hesitated as she definitely was confident I would accept this explanation even though her hair was 90% dry and PERFECTLY parted. So there it was. A lie. And the lie mutated into the truth for her. She insisted, adamantly, that she did wash her hair. We continued to argue back into the bathroom. I quickly checked the bottle of shampoo to be sure. Yup, dry as a bone. No 8-year old can wash their hair without getting the shampoo bottle wet. Instead of explaining that, she vigorously stuck with the "But I did wash my hair". No clarification given for whether that was with shampoo or not. The immediate parent response was to take away her DS for the weekend. That got her bawling so we had a wonderful evening washing hair and body (the bar of soap was dry too, so clearly she just laid in water) while crying.  


The thing that made this the LIE rather than the FIB was that she totally stuck to her guns. Even after losing privileges, she was trying to convince me she was not guilty. While I am sure this skill will come in handy if she is ever accused of a capital crime, it was not appreciated by me at all. It was a major indication that the little girl who could be snapped out of a FIB by just the threat of a loss of privilege, had matured on to the determination that a LIE was a better option. I am not whining about the lying. I can deal with that (note my earlier reference to the experience I have with lying). I recognize that this is just the first of many adult behaviors that will need to be encountered and conquered. It was not the best finish of what was already a crappy day.


Wednesday night, getting ready for bed. I was closely monitoring the situation making sure that no hand touched a book before PJ's were on and teeth were brushed. She was pulling on PJ bottoms when she stood up, looked in the mirror, checked out her naked torso, and said "Do you think I am fully developed?".  I looked in the mirror to see what she could see. I should add that recently she and I discussed that she now had small "bumps". I mean really little things, but they are there. It was maybe a week before this night. So, the "bumps" were pretty obvious in the bathroom mirror. "No honey, I think you have some more development to go. If my genetics are any indication, you have a lot to go!" This made her laugh and she finished pulling on her top and grabbed the toothbrush to brush the four front teeth she has left in her mouth.  So, she suspects what's coming. And she is not nervous about it. She is growing up. 


Today she dressed in a skort, white shirt, and knee socks. Even though I pressed for an indication as to why, no real answer. Just "'Cause I wanted to". No explanation for contrariness in her behavior. Another sign of her maturation process. To further the ache in my heart at these signs, she begged to walk by herself from our house to the front gate to her bus. She asked when I would let her walk by herself. "Mom, I am responsible enough to get to my bus by myself" she snorted. "PUHHHHLEEEAAASE?". A quick recap of the week so far played like an M.C. Hammer video in my head. "OK, If you really want to, I will let you walk from the Bell Tower." Resignation. "Awesome. Thanks Mom". Relief.  We walked together half-way, the Bell Tower. I kissed her and then sent her on her way...


Now I sit here typing. Listening to Simply Red (yes, you know which song). Hoping 3:40 comes fast today. Very fast.

Daily Picture Project - Day 52

For the first time since mid-semester 2nd grade. Natalie wore a skirt! And a white shirt? And knee socks? Hardly recognize her! Plus, we hadn't washed the skort, it needs hemmed, and her socks were too small. Guess I fell into Natalie's clothing rut too!

"An alien took me over today!"

Daily Picture Project - Day 51

"Tea for two, and two for tea..."

Daily Picture Project - Day 50

"We're on time! We're on time! We're on time! Not gonna miss the bus today!"

Daily Picture Project - Day 49

It became clear this morning that I had to get rid of the Halloween candy...

"It is NOT chocolate, it's from my plum!"

New Lens - AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm

I am so excited! It is Christmas in November for me. I picked out and ordered a new lens for my camera (Nikon D40x) and Tom brought it back from the US yesterday. The lens is a AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm. I waited until this morning to open and explore. I thought I would capture some thought here about the new lens. Please keep in mind that these comments are from a total AMATUER. I only know a little about lenses, but maybe this will be helpful to someone who find the professional reviews of lenses a bit too technical.

So why this lens? I have three lenses already, but this is what photography does to you! Tom bought the camera for me several years ago, and it came with a Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm and a Nikkor AF-S 55-200. Then I bought a AF-S FX Nikkor 70-300mm that I took to New Zealand which was awesome for the kind of "big and far" travel shots I was taking. However, the vast majority of my picture taking is during our walks/shopping/site seeing trips here in Shanghai. Which means my shots vary between the 10-20 feet shots that happen when I walk by something that attracts my eye (have you SEEN all the laundry and broom shots I have?) and shots where I am trying to capture a person or item which is farther away and I am trying to be unobtrusive.  Since I lack the pro photographer ability to go right up and take pictures of interesting people/things without feeling self-conscience, I require 30-60 feet between myself and my photo subject. Initially, I just carried both smaller lenses and changed when I needed to. Truth be told, the vast majority of my favorite shots I have taken were taken with the Nikkor AF-S 55-200. I checked.  The problem with these two lenses was that the Nikkor AF-S 55-200 just didn't get wide enough so I couldn't use it easily on my local walks. If I got closer than 20 feet, I had was stuck with more of a "micro" shot on something specific. That lens took (still takes) awesome pictures and it was my preference if going to a known location where people shooting was to be the focus.  But after awhile I got tired of 1) carrying the extra weight and 2) stopping and changing the lenss.  So after some thought (lots in this case) I decided to attempt to replace my two lenses with a single one. My plan is to sell the Nikkor AF-S 55-200 if the new lens works out.

That being said, I researched and found that the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm was the way to go. Many pros recommend it as a great option for a "single lens" outing. I ordered mine from Amazon. This lens has the Nikon Built in Vibration Reduction (VR) that I also have on my larger Nikkor 70-300mm. That is nice when trying to shoot at night or when you are trying to get a shot off quickly. This is not a light lens, it weighs 19.9 oz. Compare that to the weight of the AF-S 18-55mm which is only 7.4 oz! This weight is what initially made me hesitate. But my desire to be able to capture better shots pushed me into this lens.

And better shots they are. I opened the box this morning and after many ews and ahs, I took the first picture.

ISO 400  1/40  f/3.50 FL 18.00mm

Natalie volunteered for my first pics, but she was not much for hanging around. Initial feeling was that the weight, though obviously more, was not too bad. Good sign. I was lucky in that today there is actual sun to use for some photo comparisons. Didn't spend much time as I was getting ready to head out in less than an hour. But did get a feel for the zoom, the aperture, and exposure.

Zoom
I wanted to get a sense for the zoom capabilities. So you can see the the changes in the zoom below. I was using the Programmed setting (which I use 90% of the time when shooting) with Auto ISO. I really like the way 200 mm shots as this is the type of picture I loved taking with my AF-S 55-200. Note that I was standing about 4 feet away from the flower pot.

ISO 400 1/400 sec f/11 FL 44.00 mm

ISO 400 1/800 sec f/7.1 FL 120.00 mm

ISO 400 1/1250 sec f/5.60 FL 200.00 mm

Aperture
So, aperture is something I have only been playing with for 2-3 months. May sound like a long time, but I am definitely not an expert. For those of you not that familiar, here is the official definition:
Aperture is how wide the lens' iris opens. The wider it opens the more light gets in. It's exactly the same thing as the iris of your eye which opens as the light gets darker. The wider it opens for the same subject the shorter the shutter speed will be to get the correct exposure. This is because the camera chooses shutter speed based on how much light gets into the camera. A brighter subject or wider aperture lets in more light. Big apertures have smaller numbers, like f/4. Smaller apertures have bigger numbers like f/16. These are fractions, so 1/16 is smaller than 1/4. Big apertures like f/4 will tend to have just one thing in focus. A smaller aperture like f/16 will tend to have everything in focus. How much is in focus is called depth of field.
But I do know that for certain shots, I want to control the aperture. I struggle a bit with this on my smaller lens, so was interested to see the impact if it felt different. It did not feel different. In the two shots below you can see the different settings and how the lens reacted. I didn't post them here, but can tell you I achieved similar results with both other lenses.In the first picture, which is the smaller f-stop, the bigger aperture shows more focus on Mao and less on the bushes behind him. The second picture, the smaller aperture of 10, widens and shows more detail behind the statue. The colors are slightly different, with the larger f-stop showing a bit more warmth. This is primarily due to the combo of the aperture size and the exposure length. Frankly, this is where the whole camera thing gets harder and using the automatic settings available on almost all cameras is much easier! I recommend taking a picture and then looking at it in the camera and adjust only if the automated settings cannot get it right.

ISO 400 1/500 sec f/5.60 FL 38.00 mm

ISO 400 1/160 sec f/10 FL 38.00 mm

Exposure
Speaking of exposure, this was also fun to play with on the new lens. Not the general exposure length, but the bias that I use with the programmed setting. In the programmed setting, I use a -.3 or -.7 (one or two steps) Exposure Compensation to reduce the automatic exposure that the Nikon D40x generally calculates. The Nikon D-series are known for their overexposure and I generally found that to be true.  Please do NOT confuse my comments as expertise related to The Zone System developed by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer. I am not nearly that smart nor do I want to be. This compensation is just something that easily reduces the amount of exposure. To test whether or not this lens made in any difference in this exposure and if I still required some level of reduction, I took more pictures with the compensation adjusted or off. You can see why I keep it two stops reduced. The 2nd picture, with no compensation, looks almost too bright. So, this lens will still require the under exposure setting in most situations.

ISO 400 1/250 sec f/8 FL 46.00 mm   Exp Comp: -.7

ISO 400 1/250 sec f/8 FL 46.00 mm   Exp Comp: 0

Summary
Well, I am very pleased after playing a whole day with it. It is heavier than either of my two, but I think the weight is worth it. I can now completely ditch the idea of taking a camera bag with me. And even on vacation, I can get by with this one lens. So much easier for carry-on trips!!!  The focal length and the vibration Reduction are well worth the investment. I didn't do any comparisons to show how much better the shots are with the VR technology since my little Mao statue is not very active, but it really makes a huge difference with the longer lens length and also in dim light. I can keep a longer exposure time (we are talking hundreths of seconds, not whole seconds here!) which helps in Shanghai a lot.  I plan on selling at least one of my other lenses, so the net cost will be a little less than $400. Oh, and I had considered a macro lens as I love close shots of things (who doesn't need 247 pictures of a green caterpillar on a red maple leaf???). Now, no need. I can get as close as 8 inches to items! I couldn't do that with the Nikkor AF-S 55-200. So think of the extra money I saved not buying yet another lens. I figure I only have to take 2-3 great pictures and then print myself to save the money of buying professional photos. Ok enough justification. Back outside to take some pictures...

THANKS TOM! YOU ARE A SWEETIE!

Eggplant Salad Toasts

We invited one of the Student Ambassadors from the US Pavilion to dinner last night. The Ambassadors are all finished with the work at the Expo and are preparing to go home. Jane, who's family is from Shanghai, lives in Pennsylvania. I gave her the option of lunch at the IFC Mall or a home-cooked meal. She quickly chose the home-cooked meal! She has been living in the dorm for more than three months now and was really looking for something that was not ordered off of a menu. 

I had already promised Natalie that we would have spaghetti. So then I promised the Ayi we would make the spaghetti sauce together. We had made together one other time, but she felt she needed to practice together once more before she tried it on her own. Western spices like oregano and basil throw her way off! As we browned the meat, started the tomatoes, and added the spices, I realized that cooking for me is definitely not a science. She commented that I was NOT following the exact instructions I had given her the first time. For example, instead of two large cans of whole tomatoes, I used one small whole can, one small can chopped, and a jar of tomato pulp. I had not been able to buy the large cans so had to improvise. I tried to explain that the type was not as important as the total VOLUME. That explanation did not go well. Apparently there is a not specific Mandarin character(s) for volume!

Since I had just a consulting role in making the main dish, I decided to try out a new recipe for Eggplant Salad. I did not like eggplant before moving here to China. I am amazed at the different types and tastes that the different eggplants have. This week I was able to get some round eggplant for use in this recipe. The original recipe originally called this a salad, but I thought it would better to serve as a bruschetta-like dish since I already planned to saute spinach as a side dish. 

The dish turned out awesome, and I will make again! Though I did burn two of my toasts as I was gabbing while cooking. Other than that, this was a simple dish to turn out. I could definitely see this as a cold dish, though I served warm on the toasts. I ate the extra two toasts after cleaning up and they tasted great at room temp! I think this would also make a nice side dish, served warm. I would double or triple the recipe though to ensure you have more than enough.

ingredients:

1 medium eggplant, about 3/4 pound, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil plus additional for oiling baking sheet
1/4 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup crumbled crumbled feta
1 scallion, thinly sliced
8 1/2-inch slices of baguette, brushed with olive oil (too think might not be good in this dish!)
1 small clove garlic, peeled and halved

preparation:

Broil or toast baguette slices first if you are going to serve this warm. It makes it easier to finish once you have prepared the eggplant salad. Rub the toasts with the sliced garlic after toasting.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet or roasting pan. Toss eggplant, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and a generous amount of black pepper together in a medium bowl until evenly coated. Spread on prepared baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, moving pieces around occasional so they evenly brown. For a warm salad where the feta glues itself to the eggplant a bit, toss the vinegar, feta and scallion together when the eggplant just comes out of the oven. You’ll want to eat the warm salad quickly. For a cold salad, let the eggplant cool a bit before mixing it with red wine vinegar, feta and scallion. You can assemble the cooled/refrigerated ingredients before serving.

Makes about 8 toasts; double the recipe if you’d like to eat the salad straight.

Daily Picture Project - Day 48

"Looking at the world through yellow-colored glasses just makes me blind"

Daily Picture Project - Day 47

OK, I will admit it. We sort of cheated on this picture. Natalie really wanted to do this one so we took it yesterday. Had to since the pile o'candy no longer exists (gave 2/3 away!).

"Behind the scenes at the 'Daily Picture Project' photo shoot"

Daily Picture Project - Day 45

Halloween was fun. I posted all of the picture I took (I took none, so don't go looking for them!). Found about 20 candy wrappers on Natalie's bedroom floor. And she ate a Reese's for breakfast. Today this pile o' candy will be reduced by 2/3! We'll get rid of the corn flavored candy, milk chews, and seaweed crackers. Favorites included Reese's (gone) and one Chinese candy, JoFuKuKi. Jelly candies rolled in sugar. Hey, they are made with cane sugar so doesn't that make them healthier than some made with corn syrup???

"Candy Candy Candy Candy Candy..."