When I reflect on it, what stood out the most this Easter was something I had heard over Christian radio - that we worship the God who has the power of resurrection, able to take what is utterly devastating the ugly and raise it up to something glorious and beautiful. Also, my Pastor sang a duet with one of the worship team soloists and it was really good.
As for dinner with my family, I tried some new dishes and am pleased that they turned out fairly well:
- Lamb Stew - I used lamb shoulder. Roasted the meat with tomato sauce, onion, and garlic. Then boiled it with bay leaves and other seasonings, until the meat fell off the bones. The next day, I stewed the broth mainly with root vegetables (carrots, turnip, and daikon radish) and tomatoes. Then, adjusted the flavor with wine, raisin, cinnamon, herbs, salt, pepper, seasoning, etc. It was very flavorful.
- Chow Mein Noodles - This time, it was the right kind of noodles (fully cooked egg noodles) and pan fried, gave the right kind of crispiness; and for flavor, just added sesame oil and soy sauce. There was not enough topping though; but, the flavor was fine - mock abalone, baby corn, bok choy, and mushrooms. Because I cooked it earlier and left it in the oven to stay warm, the sauce dried up; so, when I served it, I quickly boiled some broth with corn starch and poured it over. I put a little too much corn starch, so it was lumpy but, if it were the right consistency, it could work well next time
- Seafood Hot Pot - Heated broth with shrimp balls, imitation crab meat, soft tofu, and asparagus. When cooked, ladling out some of the broth and adding corn starch did help thicken it; but, the imitation crab meat was overcooked and came apart. So next time, it needs to be added later.
- Fish with Garlic Black Bean Sauce - Pan fried fish (marinated with black bean sauce and soy sauce) with lots of garlic. Then pan fried bell peppers with black bean and soy sauce; and added the fish back in. This turned out quite well; though, using the fresh full fish, the fillet pieces were smaller. Next time, I would prefer to just buy the fillet.
- Vegetables - Roasted broccoli and sauteed spinach. The dish presentation was too "green", so I had to added some shredded carrot. It's probably better with just one kind of vegetable, and then to add in some tofu or chicken.
- Soup - With the fish bones, I made a broth; then, added black bean, mushrooms, and tofu. I really needed to add a lot of sherry to balance the fishy taste; and the smell took some time to clear from the house. It was not bad; but, probably not a soup I would make often (and another reason to buy fillets rather than the whole fish)
- Rice and Bread - I served the food with brown basmatti rice and a flat bread. The flat bread is quite good when warmed in the oven
- Dessert - My brother made brownies with sea salt and caramel. Typically, I like the contrast of the sweet and salty; but, in this case, I wasn't so fond of it. I also bought an Italian Creme Cake as the birthday cake. It was not bad, and I always like a cream cheese frosting. Also, I got some Nazook with cinammon and walnuts. It was not too sweet, and was okay. My dad thought it was a little too hard, though. I did buy Baklava also; but, that only stayed fresh for that one day. Even overnight, it was no longer fresh - though, it was okay refridgerating and then baking it to warm it back up.
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