Happy 2008!!!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish my friends a fabulous and safe New Year! As we say good-bye to 2007, I would like to thank you for all your warm friendships and love. Knowing you have truly enriched my life. May 2008 be the best year ever for all of you!

Work has been keeping me busy as usual, and I'm always up to something as far a personal projects go. I apologize for not having been around your pages much. However, my goal is to get back on track, come this new year, and blog like I've never blogged before! I really have no excuse to not stick with this goal as I have been showered with new gadgets like a pocket camcorder (watch for hilarious recorded impromptu moments!), a new MacBook with an integrated webcam (chat, anyone??) and the all-important new recipe books to experiment with new dishes, which I will no doubt share with you.

As far as bringing in the New Year, my husband and I are having a quiet night and going out for some sushi. Total debauchery is not our thing anymore. Besides, we have to be fully functional tomorrow for the big bowl game the Wolverines are playing tomorrow against the Gators. Tebow who??? Bring it on!

Be safe, take good care and shoot for the stars!

Better Songs for TV Commercials

I thought this was pretty cute and funny!

Catfish Steaks Topped with Panang Curry

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 Catfish steaks
2-3 tbsp panang curry paste
2 cans coconut milk
fish sauce
ground red pepper to taste
kaffir lime leaves
flour
2 eggs, beaten
cooking oil

METHOD:

Coat fish steaks w/eggs and coat with flour. Pan-fry in 2-3 tbsp cooking oil until golden in color. Transfer onto plate.

In the same pan, fry the panang curry paste with a few tbsps. of coconut milk until you see some of its oils released. Add the rest of the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.

Transfer the fish steaks back into the pan, add fish sauce to taste and cook until the curry and fish are well-blended.

Serve with jasmine rice, topped with shredded kaffir lime leaves.

The Little Brown Jug

The Little Brown Jug - Minnesota vs. Michigan

The University of Michigan Football program has many traditions, including the one taking place today, at the Minnesota v. UM football showdown. This year, Minnesota visits the Big House to compete for the coveted but often elusive Little Brown Jug. Here's a bit of history on the famous jug that is neither brown nor little:

The story of “The Little Brown Jug,” neither little nor brown, began at the turn of the century. The fabled “point-a-minute” Michigan football squads, coached by Fielding Yost, were destroying everyone in the nation, and had won 28 straight games heading into Minneapolis in 1903.

The pregame revelry pulsed through the campus. Minnesota had one of its best teams in school history and expected to give Yost’s squad a run for their money. Before the game, students paraded across the field with various painted livestock, while fans filtered into the stadium from a constant stream of arriving streetcars. The 20,000 fans, positioned in bleachers, as well as atop trees and telephone poles, remained civil until the Gophers scored a second-half touchdown that tied the score at 6-6. At this point, fans stormed the field in celebration, causing pandemonium so great that the game had to be called with two minutes remaining on the clock.

On the morning following the contest, Minnesota custodian Oscar Munson carried an earthenware water jug to the office of L. J. Cooke, head of the athletics department. Munson pronounced in a heavy Scandinavian accent, “Jost left his yug.” Still giddy from the tie, they decided to keep the prize, and painted on its side “Michigan Jug - Captured by Oscar, October 31, 1903,” and the score, “Minnesota 6, Michigan 6.” The Minnesota score appeared comically “as big as a house,” dwarfing the Michigan score beside it. Yost sent a letter asking Minnesota to return the jug. Cooke wrote back “if you want it, you’ll have to win it.”

The two teams didn’t play again until 1909. Michigan won the game that year, and Minnesota dutifully returned the jug. In 1910, Michigan left the conference, and Minnesota didn’t have a chance to win it back until 1919. That year the Gophers, led by their star Arnie Oss, stormed into Ann Arbor and pounded the Wolverines 34-7 on their own Ferry Field. When Minnesota asked for the symbolic trophy at the end of the game, their rivals couldn’t find it. But the Gopher players persisted, and Wolverine equipment man Henry Hatch came up with it after a short time, saying that he found it “overgrown behind a clump of shrubbery near the gym.” Later, Minnesota historians said, “...but most likely it was found in a trophy case inside the gymnasium, easily dusted off and proudly brought back to Minnesota.”

Cooke took out his paint brush again to paint that year’s result. In the end, his two artistic attempts had taken up the whole surface of the five gallon jug, so when Michigan took it back the next year, the two schools decided to give the entire jug a colorful gloss. Now, the results of 86 games — including two in one season (1926) are embossed on on its sides: 63 won by Michigan, 22 by Minnesota, and three ties. Due to the Big Ten’s unbalanced schedule, Minnesota and Michigan did not face each other in either 1999 or 2000, breaking a consecutive streak of annual contests that dated back to the 1929 season.

After a 20-year absence, Minnesota returned the jug to its original home with a last-second victory over Michigan last year in Ann Arbor. Set up by a 61-yard run from Gary Russell with just over a minute remaining, Jason Giannini hit a 30-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Gophers the 23-20 victory. In jubilation of their first win over the Wolverines since 1986, the Gopher players stormed the Michigan sideline to secure the prodigious prize.

Cooke once mused on the strange power within the stonewear crock, “I sometimes think that the jug has been filled with spirits, not alcoholic, but the disembodied spirits of the countless players who have fought for it on the gridiron...”

In many ways, the jug represents the history of college football. It overflows with historic battles for national and conference championships, and may indeed be filled with the spirits of gridiron men who went on to win Heisman Trophies and Hall of Fame honors. It is the most famous of all college rivalry trophies, and no other inanimate object comes close to the aura of tradition like the Little Brown Jug.

Minnesota (22)
1919
1927
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1953
1956
1960
1961
1962
1963
1965
1967
1977
1986
2005

Michigan (64)
1909
1910
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1926
1929
1930
1931
1932
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1951
1952
1954
1955
1957
1958
1959
1964
1966
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
2001
2002
2003
2004
2006

Ties (3)
1903
1933
1950

Keema

My husband told me to write his statement in this particular blog: "This is one of the best dishes Joy has ever made."

Does that get your attention? I make a lot of Thai dishes, but I dabble in Indian fare from time to time.

Keema is a combination of Indian-spiced ground veal and beef with peas. For this blog, I used only ground beef, and I certainly did not miss the veal.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
1 lb. ground lean beef
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 firm, ripe tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon minced gingerroot, or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon Garam Masala (order at www.penzies.com if you don't have an Indian grocer)
1 teaspoon minced fresh hot green chilies, or to taste
3 cups frozen peas
1 lemon, juiced, or to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, or to taste
Indian flatbreads (rotis), Naan or tortillas, as an accompaniment

PREPARATION:

In a nonstick skillet set over moderately high heat, warm the oil until hot. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

Add the beef, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink. Add the garlic, tomatoes, gingerroot, Garam Masala, and chilies, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Add the peas and continue to cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes more, or until flavors blend. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro and correct seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Either transfer to a bowl and serve with warm rotis or tortillas or spoon Keema down center of bread and roll up like a burrito. Of course, I like mine with rice. I made Basmati rice and sprinkled it with a tangy-lemony spice called Sumac. Wow! Delicious!

Realistic Sculptures

Don Mueck is a London-based photo-realist artist. Born in Melbourne,Australia, to parents who were toy makers, he labored on children's television shows for 15 years before working in special effects for such films as Labyrinth, a 1986 fantasy epic starring David Bowie.

Eventually Mueck concluded that photography pretty much destroys the physical presence of the original object, and so he turned to fine art and sculpture. In the early 1990's, still in his advertising days, Mueck was commissioned to make something highly realistic, and was wondering what material would do the trick. Latex was the usual, but he wanted something harder, more precise. Luckily, he saw a little architectural decor on the wall of a boutique and inquired as to the nice, pink stuff's nature. Fiberglass resin was the answer, and Mueck has made it his bronze and marble ever since.



His work is lifelike but not life size, and being face to face with the tiny, gossiping Two Women (2005) or the monumental woman In Bed (2005) is an unforgettable experience.

Ann Arbor 2007

After over 8 years, we went back to Ann Arbor, MI last week! Our main agenda was to watch the Wolverines beat the Notre Dame Irish, and boy, did my team deliver! We started with two really devastating losses at the beginning of the season, but hopefully, the team is back on track, especially with this past weekend's win over Penn State.

In addition to seeing the game, we also wanted to visit our beloved campus because, after all, that's where my husband and I met during our Freshman year. Albeit, our romance did not blossom until the summer after my sophomore year, what better way to look back into our past and be thankful for each other than to stroll the beautiful campus and dine at the many delightful restaurants we used to frequent. On one occasion, I took a walk by myself on Saturday morning before the game started and quickly blended in with the university students becaused I had donned that day's omnipresent garb: a UM football jersey, blue jeans and sneakers. I even joined a few happily buzzed fraternity crowd, as I joined them in the chant, "Go Blue!" They weren't any wiser to the fact that I am over a decade older than they.

It was as if I had never left what I call my "ole stompin' grounds." I zig-zagged through the crowds, visited the student union and treated myself to a cup of coffee at my favorite coffee shop. I have lived in many places in my life, but Ann Arbor felt like my "hometown" to me. It is such a quaint town, full of culture, great food and intelligence. Just being there made me want to learn more, just for the sake of my love of learning.

It was great to reunite with some of our closest friends. We've managed to somehow still feel close to each other, despite only seeing one another every few years or so. One of my friends kidded and said that our group doesn't get together in one place, "...unless Joy blows in through town!" It warmed my heart that my friends are doing so well and moving ahead in their lives.

We received sad news before we left for Ann Arbor, however. One of my husband's closest friends passed away due to an undiagnosed heart condition. We were beside ourselves when we heard the news: he was only 33 years old and was our best man at our wedding. We visited his gravesite while we were there, and we paid our respects to his family and friends. My husband helped with moving his friend's belongings out of his apartment. I wish that we could've at least left for Ann Arbor sooner in order to see him one last time.

We took a short road trip to visit my grandmother as well. After my grandfather passed away a couple of years ago, things have been difficult for her, especially having to live in a big house all by herself. After much encouragement from our family members, she agreed to try out an assisted living situation. While she misses her home that she lived in for over 30 years, I believe she is in a better environment after seeing her apartment. They have various activities throughout the day, gourmet meals and people around her to keep her company.

So, we were able to accomplish many things during our trip back. I've created a slideshow from some of the pictures we took while we were there. If you have read this far down in the blog, thank you! Not too many people have long enough attention span these days!

Tomato Steak With Breaded Goat Cheese and Herb Salad

One of my favorite pasttimes is watching the Food Network and picking up cooking tips and tricks to integrate in my own cooking. I made this goat cheese appetizer last night to accompany Cy's always delicious grilled rib steaks. It takes 5 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to prepare!

[Recipe courtesy of Michael Chiarello from the show "Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello," and edited according to my own experience making the dish.]

This salad looks best when the tomato slice and the goat cheese slice are about the same size. So if you can only find goat cheese in small logs, you may want to serve 2 goat cheese rounds to each diner and perch them on slices from small tomatoes. Be sure you take all the stems off the herbs carefully so your guests can enjoy just the soft leaves.

1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon water (I didn't use water, as I wanted to make the bread crumb extra crunchy)

1 egg

4 rounds fresh goat cheese, about 2 ounces each

4 thick, ripe beefsteak tomato slices (or cut thicker slices for smaller tomatoes)

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the herb salad

2 cups lightly packed mixed tender fresh herb leaves such as basil, chervil, tarragon, Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chives (1-inch lengths), or young cress (here, I used sweet basil, cilantro, parsley and diced red onion)

Red wine vinegar

In a small, shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper to taste. Add the water and work it in with your fingers to moisten the crumbs lightly. In another small, shallow bowl, beat the egg just until blended.

Dip one flat surface of each goat cheese round in the egg, and then in breadcrumbs, patting the crumbs in place. Repeat on the other flat surface, leaving the sides of the rounds uncoated. Refrigerate the coated cheese rounds for about 15 minutes.

Center the tomato slices on 4 salad plates. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is almost smoking, add the cheese rounds, one coated side down. Cook until lightly browned, about 45 seconds (more like 25 seconds for me), then turn and cook on the second side until the cheese just feels quivery, depending on the thickness of the rounds. Place a cheese round on each tomato slice.

In a bowl, toss the herbs with a splash of red wine vinegar, a light drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mound the herbs on top of the cheese, dividing them evenly. Serve immediately. You want the goat cheese to ooze out of its sides - great presentation! And very yummy too.

San Diego Zoo 2007

Here are photos from our little trip to the San Diego Zoo back in early August. My family had a great time! We had a couple of good shows, watching the gorillas and the chimps. Especially the chimps. One teenage chimp climbed up on the high beams (pictured), and kamikazed onto a group of chimps below. They were trying to take their late morning naps, but this playful chimp wasn't going to allow any of that! Finally, after a few leaps, what appeared to be the matron chimp of the group got really angry, sat up from her repose, and clapped her hands (paws??) loudly and shook her head at the prankster. She was reprimanding the clown! I could've watched them all day, but dang, it was hot that day... and it wasn't even noon yet.

Houston 2007

I'll begin at somewhat the beginning. Lots to catch up on...

Here, I start with our trip to Houston, TX in June 2007, for Cyrus's dad's 60th Birthday. It was my first trip to Houston, and I was a bit overwhelmed by the massive amount of concrete walls, highways and buildings. And strip malls. Lots of strip malls. I mean, it seems like that was all I noticed! Things were cheaper there too. It is amazing how, having lived in San Diego for years, I have become desensitized to the higher cost of living. It took a trip to a place like Houston to realize how different the rest of the world is from Southern California.
For example, Cy and I were given a tour of the neighborhood where his parents live. We saw what would qualify as mansions valued substantially less than our small abode here in Del Mar. But would I give up living in our little paradise by the sea? HECK, NO! The hills, the ocean and the valleys and all of our beautiful foliage in San Diego County will keep me here as long as circumstances allow me to stay here!

Anyway, here are some pictures taken in Houston. We went to a museum, saw a tall wall flowing with a waterfall, and caught an IMAX 3-D show. The 3D effect was another first for me - I loved it! We got a goofy picture of ourselves in our 3D goggles as well.