China: the food

While I'm on a food theme, I'll share some of the myriad food photos I took in China. The cuisine was one of the things I was most excited about. And toward the end of the trip, the cuisine was the thing I was most excited to be done with. My body felt pretty weird. But I certainly enjoyed trying most things!

My adventurous friends didn't quite ease me into it. For dinner on my first full day, we went to the Wangfujing Night Market, as seen on Travel Channel Bizarre Foods. There is a long row of street food vendors selling things like scorpion, snake, octopus and starfish. (I'm not sure how you eat a starfish.) 

Sorry, vegetarian friends.

I tried to be brave and embrace the cultural experience, but I was pretty queasy. We found some nice, familiar dumplings for dinner. And I ate a fried cricket because I wanted to eat something weird and it seemed the least likely to gag me out of the other offerings. Not too bad.

Apprehension.

Perhaps Nate, Sam and Leslie felt they needed to go easy on me for breakfast the next day, so we stopped at McDonalds before going to the pearl market. I couldn't remember the last time I had an Egg McMuffin, but it tasted great. And it was hilarious watching Leslie order for us.

My very favorite dish of the trip was at the pearl market food court. Cold noodles. I am going to make this some day. And if I can make it as perfectly as this, I will share the recipe here. I'm guessing rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and peanut oil...plus noodles and cucumbers and cilantro. I want some right now.

Most meals we ate were served family style, so I was able to try a lot of dishes. They eat lots of chicken, pork, fish and tofu. The meat dishes were good, but I would be perfectly happy eating Szechuan green beans all day (seen in the photo below covered in sesame seeds). Cold noodles and spicy green beans. I am easy to please.

I especially appreciated the vegetable dishes when things like chicken feet popped up in a dish. Supposedly this is the piece everyone fights for, but I don't think this one got eaten.

I did get to try the legendary Peking (now Beijing) Duck when these sweet boys made dinner for us. I feel like that completed my China food experience without having to eat chicken feet or donkey burger.

I can't talk about food without mentioning the grocery store. I love going to the grocery store anyway and was delighted to find one that appeared so similar to the ones I'm used to yet sold such different things.

Wasabi peas!

There wasn't much focus on dessert, which was new for me. I had to break the habit of eating something sweet after every meal. (You'll recall the mashed potatoes.) There was great fruit, and one sweet ingredient I particularly enjoyed was taro root. It is bright purple and usually found in a super sugary fried dessert. The one pictured below is really crunchy when they bring it to the table and you dip the little taro donut in water before eating it.

And when I was really missing 3 Spoons frozen yogurt, these little ice cream bars were easy to find. I think this may have had grape flavor in there somewhere.

Now that my digestive system is back to normal, I can better appreciate the things I got to eat there. The food was delicious and quite different than the Chinese food I am used to. I saw nary a fortune cookie or crab rangoon. But I was thankful for the chopstick practice I've gotten eating Thai and sushi in Lawrence. My new Chinese friends were very impressed.



With love.

Wedding bliss and macaroni

Have I told you I love weddings? Great! Moving on...

Sarah and Tyler are precious friends. They love me well, have taken great care of me and will take great care of each other. I cannot think of Beth Moore or Kristen Wiig without thinking of Sarah. I am so excited to see what the next years have for these two.

Kelsey and I got to spend quality time with the bride and her maids before the wedding. And the talented Rusty Wright took photos. Please take a look at his work...he captured the day splendidly.

The wedding was beautiful and spiritual and personal. And emotional. Sarah's grandfather performed the ceremony, need I say more.

It also helped that Tyler brewed his own beer for the reception and there were wonderful people in attendance.

So thankful for this friend....

Then Sarah and Tyler left for Santa Barbara and I got to spend the rest of the weekend with my sisters! On Saturday, Kels had the brilliant idea to make Grandma Jane's homemade macaroni and cheese.

Doesn't she look like Aunt KK in this photo?

Grandma made this dish for us all the time growing up. It is one of the many reasons I loved going to Grandma and Grandpa's house -- along with golf cart rides and the freezing cold neighborhood pool and the dress-up clothes. I don't seem to have any of the more recent golf cart photos that I know are out there, but I found a couple gems on my computer from those days.

Golf outing, pre-macaroni-eating years.

Definitely had macaroni this day.

And now look at us! We're making the mac and cheese ourselves. Time sure does fly.

Grandma uses no recipe, of course, but I had watched her and helped stir so often that I got the feel for it. Velveeta is the prime ingredient in this one.

It was just as delicious as I remember. Right up there with Spaghettios and cottage cheese.

Katelyn stayed too and got a taste of tradition.

Speaking of nostalgia, I am down to 10 more days in Lawrence. And I intend to soak it up.

Grandma Jane's Macaroni and Cheese

12 oz. rotini

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 c. milk

1 lb. Velveeta, cut into pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta until al dente, drain and set aside. Now the roux! Melt butter in a deep pot over medium heat, then whisk in the flour. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Add Velveeta a little at a time, stirring continuously. Toss in the cooked pasta and stir carefully to combine. Should serve five full-grown people.

With love.

Risk baker

Har har! 

But really -- in the same way that I have become more comfortable with spontaneity in my life plans, I also have come to love experimenting with cooking. This from a girl whose favorite food growing up was Spaghettios mixed with cottage cheese (don't knock it 'til you try it...it's an Eriksen sister favorite). 

When I started this food blog venture, my friend Kelsey gifted me with this great (and hilarious) spice blend called Grains of Desire. She insisted that she did not purchase it because the label says "In the mood food"...rather, it was a challenge: to find a good use for this eclectic combination of spices.

Black peppercorn, nutmeg, cloves, orange rind, red rose petals, grains of paradise, ginseng.

I'm still not sure what grains of paradise or ginseng tastes like on their own, but the flavor of these spices together is really complex and delicious. I started with basic scrambled eggs and rice dishes, substituting it in when I would use black pepper (which I tend to use to excess). 

When I really went out on a limb with this stuff, I didn't put much forethought into it at all. Last Saturday was miserably hot so we resolved to spending most of the afternoon at home. The boys of Studio Angeletti invited us to a party that night and since we were stuck inside, I decided to make cookies to take. (Come to think of it, I baked cookies when a blizzard kept us inside one day in February...a nice habit, I think.) I want to try to get rid of a lot of food in the next couple of weeks anyway, and I didn't even have to go to the store for these.

There was a big tin of hot cocoa mix in the cabinet, so I found a recipe for cookies that would help get rid of it. We didn't have butter, but we did have shortening. I was a bit nervous about that substitution, but I couldn't tell a difference at all. I used up the end of a bag of toffee bits and a bag of flour. So gratifying. 

I liked the idea of Mexican hot cocoa cookies with cinnamon so I opened the spice drawer and that's when the grains of desire caught my eye. In that moment of inspiration, I ground a good couple teaspoons into the dry ingredients.

I couldn't help but be a little nervous about the cookies, since I was taking them to a party where there was the potential for clear criticism -- what if no one wanted to eat any of them?! I would have been left with 28 weird spice cookies. 

But they were delicious! And people ate them and enjoyed them! It even prompted a party game trying to guess what all was in them. I told them I used the rose petals from Sarah and Tyler's wedding the night before. I crack myself up.

I will admit, my cookies paled in comparison to the real highlight of the party, which was Jono's magic show. The talent in that room! Quite unbelievable.

I have another recipe to share from the weekend with my sisters. And I would love to talk more about Sarah's beautiful wedding too. But for now, grab some grains of paradise and rose petals, enjoy a few cookies and stay out of the heat.

Spicy Hot Cocoa Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (or 1 c. shortening, if that's all you have)

3/4 c. white sugar

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

3 1/4 c. flour

6 oz. hot cocoa mix

1 t. salt

1 1/4 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

2 t. Grains of Desire -- haha! (or whatever spices you can come up with...don't hold back)

2 c. chocolate chips (or sub toffee bits for half, like I did)

Cream butter and sugars, then stir in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet mixture in parts, mixing well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for about an hour.

Scoop into rounded tablespoons and bake at 350 degrees for 9 or 10 minutes. Let them set for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will be fluffy and chewy and spicy and yummy.

With love.

Spontaneity

I have some more China photos to share, but life has continued on after my trip and I don't want to lose sight of all the present things. Time goes fast. Two weeks from now I will be packing my Lawrence home into boxes.... But let's cross that weepy bridge when we come to it. 

For now I'd like to talk about planning.

I have always loved calendars. It brings me great joy to add something to a calendar, so I can see what is coming and look forward to things. The organizational side of me relishes fitting in meals and gatherings and laying out a perfectly planned week. 

I still love those things, but this year has taught me a lot about maintaining joy when things don't go as I planned them. My summer of spontaneity was a tribute to this newfound freedom to live and let live. It is preparation for my uncertain future in Philly, where I trust things will fall into place concerning employment and friends. 

Last week, a subtle urge intensified and within hours I had made an appointment to cut 10 inches off my hair. No regrets about that spontaneous move.

Then I rallied my friends for a last-minute breakfast-for-dinner party (hence the orange juice). We have to get as many of those in as we can.

On Saturday morning, I headed south for a dear friend's wedding at Westminster Woods. I had been planning for and looking forward to this wedding since they got engaged in March. On that beautiful drive, something happened that changed the plans that day. 

It caused this...

And (thankfully) these...

Words cannot describe how delicious...and how much I love my friends.

It was not the kind of spontaneity I had in mind. But I was well taken care of and I know God's ultimate plan for me will not be thwarted...thank you, Pastor Godsey, for that comforting reassurance.

Perhaps I'll write more about the incident after I put some distance between us.

For now, I will bask in the sunshine that is the love of Sarah and Tyler. These two hilarious, compassionate, loving people are getting married tomorrow. All is right in the world, and I am blessed to be a witness. (God willing.)

With love.

China: the people

When I first went to Westminster Woods as a scared third grader, little did I know that years later I would: a) be able to leave home without getting homesick and b) fly across the world to see my camp friends. I met Leslie that first summer and eventually worked with her as counselors during college. That camp is where I also met Nate and his bride, Sam. The value of those friendships is hard to define, but I will say I am thankful they are in my life. And thankful for the invitation to their home abroad.

Planning this trip and getting on the plane was a piece of cake knowing that they would pick me up at the Beijing airport. It was easy to spot them in the crowds there. And they treated me to ice cream at the KFC....that made for a smooth transition.

On our cab ride to the hostel, they gave me the itinerary. First thing: 7 a.m. pick-up with the van that would take us to the Great Wall. My jetlag came in handy that time, since it would feel like evening for me. Plus, I was pumped to be there. I had plenty of energy for our 3.5-hour hike. And I was glad Leslie and I got a photo on the chairlift before I started sweating too bad.

Of course it was great to see my friends, but I also was really excited to meet the people who had grown up in this different culture. (And take a few sneaky photos of those precious ones who had just begun their lives there...)

This adorable child, we learned, had performed drums on a Chinese variety show that week.
Nate enjoyed seeing the video and sharing drummer banter on the train from Beijing to Baoding.

In Baoding, I was fully immersed in the lives of foreign teachers. Nate, Sam and Leslie had meals and gatherings lined up for the next week so they could say a proper goodbye to their students. I was honored to join, and every student (mostly English majors, so it was easy to communicate) was interested in what I did and how I liked China and if I was married. I felt so loved. 

Nate had taught a group of boys how to play American football and baseball. The last game took place on a beautiful morning, and my team lost badly, but it was great to see how much they loved the sport and I couldn't get over how they all yell, "Wow!" every time someone gets a hit.

This also was my first taste of the Chinese students' true love of taking pictures (not just a stereotype). We spent an hour after the game ended taking and posing for photos and trying to leave. The first Mandarin phrase I learned was, "yi, er, san" (one, two three) and a word that sounds like, "Chedza!" (translates to eggplant) that they say like our "Cheese!" When the five of us Westerners lined up for a post-baseball photo, this was our view: 

Staying with Leslie at the Financial College was a completely different experience. The Electrical College campus, where Nate and Sam teach, is in the center of Baoding and Leslie's is on the outskirts of the city. Her students didn't seem to be as comfortable with English, but they were just as charming. As were her fellow teachers.

Two of their students cooked dinner for us one night -- a feast featuring Peking Duck and Baoding bread, which was quite a treat. 

Getting to know these students was such a great part of my trip. They were so friendly and interesting and hilarious. One night we played telephone pictionary (which happens to be my favorite game), and Gao Shwan (shoot, I don't know how to spell it!) found my borrowed neck pillow (thanks, Susan!) and wore it like a collar, prompting Nate to dub him Shwanspeare.

Shwanspeare photo shoot

Giving gifts is a big custom, so students would come to the apartment all the time to say farewell and give their teacher something to remember them by. I even started getting gifts after awhile. I know Nate and Sam had some separation anxiety leaving their friends, and I'm sure the ones they left in China feel it too.

Getting to know this small community of college students gave me a great affection for the people I passed but did not talk to. I know their lives have been very different than mine, and I always wonder what their story is. 

Making jiaozi (dumplings)

When Sam took me to her favorite restaurant, they seated us in a private room upstairs and made sure it was cool enough. That sweet man rigged up an extra fan while a very powerful woman barked orders at him in Chinese. After the waitress (fu yuan) took our order, she came back up to ask if we could be friends. Sam did say that this happens sometimes, but I was really touched. I told her I would only be there another few days, and she seemed happy enough just to take a photo together.

And I would be remiss if I did not give credit to the blessed soul who picked us up at 3 a.m. to drive us the two hours to the Beijing airport.

These lovely people made the unusual setting a lot more comfortable.

With love.