Spring is coming!

One of the hardest things about living in China is the Winter. Even here, in the relative south, the winters can be brutal! It is really hard to explain why it is so hard. If I tell folks how cold it gets here, it doesn't really sound that bad, but let me tell you, it sure seems like it. I have already written about how cold it can feel here, so I won't do that now. Instead I will announce that it is almost SPRING!

We will have some cold days, but I am nearly positive the bitter cold is gone for the year! All around us we are seeing signs that Spring is really here (or coming). Soon we will be packing our thermals away. It won't be long until we will sweat every where we go, but for now, I will rejoice that it is another day that I do not have long johns on my legs!

Hangzhou is a beautiful place. Spring is one of the best times to live (or visit) here. Soon I will post about many of the gorgeous blooms here. For now, I will leave you some pics of the signs of spring.

Banana Pudding

If you were to list typical Southern desserts I am sure that banana pudding will be at the top of the list.  Seldom do you have a church fellowship meal (in the South) without at least one bowl of banana pudding.  I LOVE banana pudding, but I am a banana pudding snob.  In my mind, real banana pudding can not be made with instant pudding!  If you make that kind, I am sorry. 

When I was real young (5-9 yrs old) we lived in Key West, FL.  The church was a small and close-knit  group.  Whenever we had a fellowship meal, my mom would make a double batch of banana pudding.  She always put it in the same orange Tupperware bowl. And there was NEVER any leftovers.  I think they thought they could not have a meal without "Debbie's banana pudding". 

I remember helping my mom make it.  She did not have a recipe written down.  It was kind of a joke that it was a secret family recipe.  My Nanny used to make banana pudding too.  The first time I ever tasted it still warm was at my Nanny;s.  Mmmmmm....I thought it was good cold, but when it is warm...it is like heaven.

My mother only used Nilla Wafers to make banana pudding.  No other brand would do. 

After Jon and I married, I made banana pudding for a fellowship meal at the small country church we attended.  In my mind that is what you made for fellowship meals. 

Basically our banana pudding is a vanilla custard poured over the layered vanilla wafers and sliced bananas.  It takes time and patience to make the custard.  I won't give  the exact recipe here, but it has lots of sugar, eggs, butter, and milk.  When I was a kid, I would stir this mixture for what seemed like forever.  It is important to keep stirring so that it does not stick and scotch.  My mom would have me stir (and stir, and stir) until it started to get thick.  I remember stirring and thinking that it must be getting thick, but really my arm was just getting tired.

They sell these little tiny cookies here that look a lot like vanilla wafers.  They taste a little like them too. You can buy them by the jin (about a pound). Ever since I discovered these, I have been wanting to try my hand at banana pudding.  I have not made banana pudding in years and years.

My mom always used evaporated milk when she made this.  I actually had a can of evaporated milk.  However, when I started to open the can I notice that it was really expired and the inside REALLY did not look right.  So I made it with regular milk instead.

I have discovered that I can use my wok to make sauces easier than my thin sauce pan.  I can control the temperature easier with the wok.

Yesterday afternoon, Eryn and I made banana pudding.  She helped me layer the cookies and bananas.  She watched me while I cooked the custard.  When the pudding started to thicken, I got so excited.  It was almost like magic.

 My Nanny died a little over a year ago, and my mom died 9 years ago next week, but the tradition of this "secret recipe" lives on.

I know they would both be "tickled" that I cooked it in a wok.  It was delicious!

Soda bread

I thought I would share a staple recipe that is in purple mouse.

First you take a cup of milk and add 1 teaspoon of vinegar.  You let them sit a while (10 min, at most) and the milk will start to curdle.  Cool, Science!! The milk in China is different, and I wondered if this will work here.  It does.  You will probably have larger curds if you do this in the US, but I am not sure.  I will try it out this summer.  You could probably use Chinese vinegar too, but I just use this since I have it.

You mix together 2 cups of flour,  1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  In China, baking soda is called Su da fen (second tone, second tone).  We bought our at a market.  We bought a jin (500g) it has lasted for more than a year.  I have seen some arm & Hammer baking soda at our market near our place.

Sometimes I use bread flour (high glutton) and sometimes I use regular flour.

 Then you add the milk mixture to the flour and stir it up, after it is mostly stirred, I scrape the bowl out onto the counter, or in this case a clean tray with flour.  I knead it some to incorporate all the flour.  Many times I add some herbs at this point.  I like to add rosemary or Italian seasoning.   I don't usually measure it, but I guess it is about 2 teaspoons of herbs.

 Then you shape the bread into a squished ball.
If you want to be traditional, you can cut a cross (or x) on the top of the bread.

 I have started spraying the pan with a little Pam, you could butter or oil it a  little.  When I don't grease the pan, the bread sticks a little.

Put it in a 400 degree oven, or if you are in China about 200 degrees C.

 The recipe calls for it to be cooked for 15 minutes.  I usually just watch it, and smell to see when it is done.  For a while it stays pretty flat.  Then it puffs up!

 I did not notice at first, but someone had turned off the top element in our oven, so the top did not get done when it should.  I switched on the top element and got the top browned. 

Yummy, yummy fresh bread!
This bread makes fantastic toast!  I have been experimenting with adding raisin, and dried cranberries.  I like the way it  smells when I add cinnamon, but when I add sugar, to the bread, I have trouble getting it to cook all the way through.  The kids love this and I never really have any leftovers.

Try it, what works for you?

A journey and a Map

We have recently discovered a really great place here in Hangzhou.  It is a mall, called the MixC mall.  It is huge.  It is beautiful.  There are many, many nice stores here. They even have an ice skating ring.   Most of the stores are too expensive for us, but we do enjoy window shopping here.  They do have a Toys R Us and a Best Buy.  More importantly, they also have an awesome foreign super market.  They even had some Dr Pepper (it is all gone now, and has sadly not been restocked). 

The mall is way on the North side of town.  It takes a good while to get there.  It is a journey, but it worth the hassle. 

We went to the mall last Friday.  We had plans to meet Jon there.  Jon was subbing at the international school that day.  I had been told that it was easy to get to the mall from the school.  Just take the B6 bus a few stops after the #3 bridge and then walk about 10 minutes.  I had the name of the bus stop and even the address of the mall.  I gave Jon all this info and told him I would meet him there. 

As Jon and I were traveling to the mall, I kept thinking about how the situation is like our journey through life.

The kids and I took different buses because we were on different roads.  We used to take a 502 bus and then a 156. (the numbers aren't that important to you).  However, the 502 bus is no longer running.  So we have to take a B2 bus.  This bus is really uncomfortable.  It is extremely crowded!
After a little bit, I really felt that we should get off the bus.  The kids were getting squished and it was a little hot, no one was happy.  I told the kids that if we got off the bus we would have to walk, and I did not know how long it would be until we reached the place where we could catch the next bus.  They were OK with that.  We got off the bus and started walking.  We walked for about 30 minutes before we reached the bus stop.
We did find our stop and got seats on the next bus and just rode it until the end.

Sometimes in life, we make great plans, but our plans are not always God's plans.  We planned to take a 502, but could not.  Even the B2 was not the bus for us.  But in the end, it all worked out.

Jon's journey was not as easy.  He really did not know the way to go.  Someone told him the way to go, but he only partly understood the directions.  He took the right bus...he started out good.  However when he got off the bus, he was really lost.  He was not even sure he was on the correct road.  No one around him seemed to even know about that road.  His problem?  He did not have map.  If he had a map, or looked at a map, then maybe he could have gotten on the right road.  He walked around for about an hour.  He felt lost the whole time.  Eventually he did get a taxi, and he made it to the mall.  Of course his journey was more expensive than mine.
In life, sometimes we listen to people who do not really know what they are talking about.  We do not check the map for ourselves (the Bible).  When we end up on the wrong road, there are consequences (paying a taxi fare).  However, there is still hope and if we do correct our ways and get back on the right road, we can reach our destination. 
Then we can join our loved ones and have a nice time together. 

Jon did make it to the mall in time for us to eat dinner together.  We were happy to see him.

How is your journey?  Are you trying to do it all by yourself, or are you checking the map and making sure you are on the right road?

Hospitality

A friend of mine, Becky,  is teaching a lesson on hospitality and asked for some stories, recipes or thoughts on the subject.  This is really something I have thought a lot about.  Hospitality is one of those things that I CAN do.  I am not a great leader, I don't sing well, and I am not even a great conversation starter.  However, I can be hospitable. 

I think that being hospitable could also be defined as being welcoming.  Some of the details are different, but it is the same in most cultures. It is often the small things that really matter.  The small things are the details that are different in other cultures.  We pay attention to what has been done to us, and keep an open mind. 

I have actually gone to a different Bible class in the past because no one said anything to me when I came to the class.  I am not blaming anyone, because I could have been more out going and I was not exactly a new face...but if I was a new person or if I were visiting, I would not have felt welcome. 

I remember Valerie Watrous introducing herself to someone, and she saying, " I don't think I have met you yet".  That way she  even the person was not new...no biggie.  She had not met them before!  I have used that line many times, now.

Here in China, we meet on Sundays in our home.  Sometimes folks come for the first time.  It is important to make people feel welcome and a part of the "family" here.  The culture does not really support what we do, so we have to make them feel a part of a family.  If they do not feel comfortable in my home, I might not be able to develop a relationship with them, and then I will not have a chance to share Greater things with them.

We don't wear our shoes in the house, so we have slippers available for our guests. On Sunday mornings we lay all the slippers out near the door, so friends can just slip into a pair.

I make sure there is extra toilet paper out where folks can see it in the bathroom.  (no one wants to dig around looking for toilet paper).

I make sure there are a couple of boxes of tissues available in the living room. Someone always has to blow or wipe their nose.


We always make tea and sometimes coffee on Sunday morning.  Jon will actually pour cups of tea for our guests even if they have turned down our initial offer for tea.  (This is a Chinese thing).  Sometimes he does not even ask if they want tea, he just hands them a cup.  
 
A few weeks ago we had a new sister over for dinner.  I made pot roast with vegetables, it was not what we would call Chinese food.  We ate with forks, but I asked her if she would prefer chopsticks.  She did.  I made her feel more comfortable. 
 
I don't think hospitality is difficult.  A simple smile or hello can go a long way.  The biggest part of hospitality is to be thoughtful of others.

I really hope this works.  Instead of just writing and showing you a few pictures, I put together a short video describing some of the things we see around here at this time of the year.  Enjoy!

This song is played everywhere!  We catch our selves singing it at random times too.  It is very catchy....

Now you can sing it with us:

gong xi, gong xi, gong xi ni....

Not a good day

We were going to have Chili tonight, and I wanted some cheese to go on top of it.  The main and closest store that I buy that kind of cheese at, did not have any last time I was there.  I decided to go further downtown to Carefore.  I don't know a good way to take a bus down there, so I usually take a taxi. 

I decided to take Liam with me.  It is his week (each kid has 1 week a month that is "their week).  I really don't  get to spend one-on-one time with Liam that often.  I sometimes worry about him being the "middle child". 

Liam gets carsick sometimes.  He has since he was just a toddler.  Usually we can calm him down and help him feel better....but not always.  Today was a - not always day. 

Yep! He threw up in a taxi.  Not good.  The driver was not happy at all.  He wanted to know why he didn't throw up out the window.  He fussed at me and a Liam.  Seriously!? He is 7. 

I wanted to get out of the cab right then, but I could not think of how to tell the driver.  He just kept driving us to the store. When we got there,  I let Liam out and the guy started to yell at me.  I tried to pay him extra money.  The fare was 25, and I gave him 55.  But he kept yelling at me.  I did not know what he wanted.  I tried to say sorry.  At one point he said something that I did not understand... I guess most of what he said, I did not understand.  I asked him,"what" in Chinese, he just mumbled, I said what again, and then he just stared at me.  It was a little scary. 

 There happened to be a young guy standing by, and I asked him if he understood.  Thankfully, he could speak a little English.  He said that the driver wanted me to clean it up. 
So I took out the mat and dumped it ,and then wiped it off the best I could with tissues.  I also wiped down the seat cover.

All taxis have a white seat cover covering all the seats.  It can be taken off and washed easily.  I wonder who decided to make it white!
There were a few people starting to gather around at this point.  The guy started to fuss at me again.  The guy translating said something about him not being able to do business.  He wanted me to pay him more.  He wanted 44 more on top of the charge for the fare.   I paid it gladly and went into the building as quickly as I could.  I sat down in McDonald's to try to compose myself.  I called Jon and cried and told him the story.  (When I mentioned that to Liam later, he did not know that I had cried.  Liam and Eryn have said that they have never seen me cry.)

I understand the driver being upset.  And I really wanted to make things right, but  he was really ugly about it.  While I was wiping the seat, I heard the translator guy ask Liam something.  Liam answered, We are from America and Tennessee.  I threw up in the taxi and now that guy keeps fussing at my mamma.  That just broke my heart. 

It was frustrating because we could not understand each other.  I was embarrassed and worried for Liam.  Did I mention that it was cold and spitting rain?

I have been studying Chinese all semester, but it doesn't seem to stick in high stress situations.

We had to take a taxi home, and Liam started to feel sick again.  It was really warm in that cab.  We got the driver to roll down the window, and then Liam stuck his head out the window.  When he started feeling really bad, I got him to stop.  We stopped about 3 blocks from home and walked the rest of the way.  I really did not want to have a repeat performance.

I am not sure when I will get in a taxi with Liam again!  I am very thankful that the young guy was standing by the road when we pulled up.  I am also very thankful that Liam is not really sick.

A chilly morning

Last Sunday evening, we were relaxing in the living room. It was about 9:30 and the kids were already in bed. Our American friend Benjamin was staying the night. We decided to watch a video and then the lights went out. We have plenty of windows and light outside so it was not too dark. We checked around and the electricity was not out in the building, just in our apartment. Jon looked at the breaker box and the breaker was pretty warm, but it was not thrown. After trying to get the electricity to come back on for a few minutes we realized that we were going to be out of power all night. It was too late to call anyone. The bedroom heaters and bed heaters had been on for a little while, so it was not as bad as it could have been. We gave Benjamin some extra blankets for the couch and went to bed. Our bed was not toasty warm, but it was not freezing either. We snuggled down in the covers and went to sleep. The kids did not even notice anything was wrong until the next morning. We had hot tea and oatmeal for breakfast (we have a gas stove). It was quite chilly. We could even see our breath inside! We called Margaret (a Chinese sister) and she called someone to come look at it for us.

 

"Right here is the problem" Jon is on the phone with Margaret who was our translator. This guy left to go buy the part and I took pics of what was wrong.

ooooh, I don't think that is supposed to look like that! The electrician said that the breaker was really too small. He bought one a little bigger and replaced it for us.

Including going to buy the part, he was probably finished in about an hour. The cost for this repair, parts and labor? 80 yuan! That is about $15.

We were very thankful to have electricity that evening!

Apple Butter

I promised that I would share one of our "Purple mouse" recipes.  We made this Saturday night.  We made Apple butter.  First we peeled, cored and sliced the apples.  We bought this contraption last year when we were planning on making applesauce.  We have not made any apple sauce this year.  It makes things go much faster. 

 Each of the kids got a chance to help.

We had a crock pot full of apples.  Then I added the sugar and spices and mixed it all up. 

You cook the apples on high for an hour. 

This is the apples after about an hour.  Then you let them cook on low for 9-11 hours.  I guess most people do this overnight.  We started the apples in the late afternoon, so they had been cooking several hours by bed time.  I was afraid to let them cook overnight, so I turned my crock pot to the "keep warm" setting.

In the morning they looked like this.  They are a little wet, so you should let them cook with the top off the crock pot for about an hour. 

We run our apple butter through the blender to make it all smooth.

Viola! Apple butter.  We ate some for breakfast (while it was still warm) on some toasted cranberry bread I baked.  Yum yum!

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com:

Apple Butter

5 1/2 lbs apples peeled, cored and chopped

4 Cups of sugar (this is way too much! 

 I used about 1/2 cup of white sugar and a little less than one cup of brown sugar, you could use even less)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Cook  in crock pot on high for 1 hour.  Reduce to lo for 9-11 hours.  Uncover and cook 1 hr longer.  Mix to smooth.

Purple mouse

This is Purple mouse.  In case you can't remember, the words "purple mouse" are on the cover of this photo album three times!  It is pretty common to find totally random English words or phrases on notebooks and photo albums ( and lots of other things). This Purple mouse is a very important item in our house.  Really it is just a small photo album, but we use it for our recipe book. 

It is filled with recipes that I use nearly every week. 

Cooking in China can be very tricky.  There are many ingredients we do not have and some things we just can't do here.  I do have an oven, but it is really just a large toaster oven.  We have learned to make lots of things from scratch and sometimes we just have to be creative.  I do get a feeling of satisfaction when I make things that are tasty for my family, 

When we moved to China two and a half years ago (can you believe it has been that long?) we had very limited space to bring all we would need.  I did not bring a recipe book.  I did however, copy some of my favorite recipes on some 3 x 5 index cards and tuck them in my suitcase.  Over the years I have added to my stash with recipes I have found online or other places.  I love allrecipes.com.  I can look up specific recipes or recipes that use certain ingredients.  Other people review the recipes and add comments and from that, I can get ideas of substitutions that work for the recipe.  I found a great recipe for some cookies that don't use butter, or shortening.  I made 4 batches of them this holiday season. 
(I'll share the recipe another time).  Some of the recipes in Purple Mouse are cornbread, dinner rolls, pizza crust, different kinds of cookies, banana bread, boiled custard, apple butter, pancake syrup, dressing,potato soup, and muffins.
When we find a recipe, we try it out and if it meets our approval, it goes into Purple mouse. 

I guess we could call this book our recipe book, but it is more fun to call it Purple mouse.  Next blog, I will share a recipe we have in Purple mouse.