Bacon and Rice: The Ultimate Comfort Food

My uncle who lives in Astoria, Oregon, used to live in Saudi Arabia for ten years between the mid-1970s to 80s. I don’t know what he was doing there at the time, but when he came to visit us, he had some exciting tales and some pretty interesting gifts. He brought my brother an old sword, which appeared to have some dried blood on it. For my sister, he had a camel skin bag, which smelled horribly, but the etching and design on it were exquisite. He gave me a gold necklace with a pendant of a Sagittarius, which I thought was odd because no one in our household was that sign, but the design was pretty so I didn’t complain.

He’d ask my mother to make him some bacon, which was something he was not allowed to eat in the Muslim country. Nothing pleased him more than to have some bacon and rice, and of course, some good old American beer (alcohol was another forbidden item). Unfortunately, half of the beer would be out of the can before he would be able to drink it. My brother used to shake the can while he’d bring it upstairs from the basement fridge, and Uncle would have a welcome-home surprise.

How To Make the Best Hash Browns

The Princess loves hash browns. In fact, for breakfast today I ended up shredding 4 medium-sized russet potatoes in my Cuisinart and somehow they all disappeared between the bellies of myself and the Princess. (Let me tell you, I was pacing myself so that I would have one bite to every three that she had, so my 50-pound, 6-year-old must have eaten three potatoes.)

She’s a chip off the ol’ block. According to family folklore, my first favorite American food was the potato chip. I consider hash browns a close relative.

How would I define the “best” hash browns? They are crispy and tender, not mushy or greasy. Ideally they should be able to stand on their own—ketchup optional.

Although in theory they should be simple to make, the only thing easy about them is making them mushy/greasy. In the spirit of America’s Test Kitchen, I decided to experiment.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

Green Tea to Whittle the Belly

I think I may have to switch over from iced coffee to green tea. According to a Health.com article:

• Five cups of green tea every day could help you shed twice as much weight—most of it around your middle, according to a Journal of Nutrition study. Researchers also found that people who had sports drinks with green tea for 12 weeks lowered their levels of triglycerides, a blood fat linked to heart disease.
• Catechins (the antioxidants in the tea) are thought to boost energy and enhance fat-burning, and they may influence body composition in other ways.

What’s not stated in the article is that one needs to watch the sugar that’s added in the sports drinks. Also, the other downside is that green tea does have caffeine, so people who are sensitive to caffeine shouldn’t drink it.

I like to have my green tea with a little bit of honey or with a splash of Minute Maid Lemonade Lite. Speaking of which—I should probably go brew some right now.

Dutch Uncles and Korean Mamas

“Dutch uncle” is one of my new favorite terms. I got it from The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. He was referring to his mentor at Brown, Andy van Dam, who did him a great service by telling him nicely, “Stop being a jerk and you’ll get farther in this world.” Of course, he learned other things from his Dutch uncle. A “Dutch uncle” is someone who tells you how it is for your best interest. It’s not unlike a Korean mama, but I think Dutch uncles are a lot nicer about how they say things.

Bring on the Meal Dictator

Last week, HB gently reminded me that I ought not ask the Princess what she’d like to eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner, but serve whatever I feel is right. If she’s hungry, she’ll eat whatever is in front of her. If not, well, there’s always the next meal.

No More Excuses—Let’s Try the 30 Day Shred

I am making slow progress in the battle against the bulge. The numbers on the scale barely budge downwards, and sometimes they even creep upwards, but I do feel stronger and more energetic. The other day I noticed some muscle definition on my upper arms. Or maybe, as HB would say, it’s only wishful thinking.

I ought to give myself some credit for even having at least 3 hours of exercise each week. (Last year, I was only doing yoga about three times a month.) But I am getting restless. I don’t want to do the next logical thing, which is to change my eating habits—avoid processed foods, eat small, controlled portions, while focusing on whole grains, protein, vegetables, and a bit of fruit (though some might argue that fruit should be eaten only with protein/good fat). Instead, I’ve decided I’ll just add on another cardio activity or so to boost the ol’ metabolism.

Today in the mail I got the Jillian Michaels’s 30 Day Shred, which a classmate from Zumba recommended. (I also got Michaels’ other DVDs—No More Trouble Zones and Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism—since it was offered as part of a special bundle through Amazon.)

This classmate has the quintessential dancer’s body and looks as though she’s never had to worry about gaining weight her whole life. Needless to say, when she said she worked on her “trouble spots” with Michaels’s DVD, she got my attention. “I get bored easily,” she said. “This DVD keeps my attention, and boy, do I feel it. It goes by really fast.”

Self-flagellation at 2 a.m.

I find myself wide awake at 2 a.m. Why? Being busy beating myself up for not being a better parent. So rather than disturbing those I know with a jarring phone call at the buttcrack of dawn, I’ve decided to channel Dr. Leigh Lee (my alter ego, a nonpracticing self-help guru-in-training).

Cheapskate’s Guide to Making Iced Coffee

Now that the weather’s been warming up, I’ve found myself drawn to those iced coffee ads that have been playing on TV. I’d love to have a more extraordinary day ala McDonald’s McCafé, or be able to build phenomenal sand castles like Dunkin Donuts iced coffee drinkers. But lately I’ve been feeling a bit cash poor, so I’m left to my own devices—my 5+ year-old automatic drip coffeemaker, coffee grinder, and espresso beans that I’d bought on sale at World Market.

My way of making ice coffee is pretty simple.

Public Bathrooms Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

Ever since I was little, I hated public bathrooms. I remember in grade school I would hold it in the whole day—sometimes it was downright painful—but oh, what a relief it was when I came home.

In college, I accepted the fact that necessity trumps fear of catching any communicable diseases, so I managed to get myself to use the public bathrooms—artfully standing or hovering to pee, and/or dressing the seat with toilet paper to minimize skin contact for #2, especially if I knew I couldn’t wait for home. Pregnancy was another story. There was just no time to be fussy. I went when I had to go. End of story.

Today I was reminded of another reason why public bathrooms are dangerous.

Mama Sophia’s Broiled Red Snapper with Yang-Nyum-Jjahng (Korean Sauce)

Yesterday when I asked the Princess what she wanted for dinner, she answered her usual, “Chicken noodle soup, green beans, and mashed potatoes with sesame seeds, please.” Now, there’s nothing wrong with that. She even included a vegetable, which is more than I could say for myself. But then again, she has the same thing almost every night. Isn’t she bored yet?

I decided to take a risk and change the meal plan a little. I served up her usual, but also presented something new—red snapper with yang-nyum-jjang. She eyed it suspiciously.

“Try some. It’s very good,” I said.
“No.”
“How about one bite? I promise I’ll give you a maraschino cherry after dinner.”
“Well, OK.” The Princess took a bite, chewed it carefully, and swallowed. It was as though she was waiting for something to happen.
“Would you like another bite?”
“OK.”

The “another bite” turned out to be my portion of the fish, which I was more than happy to share.