Need to Learn Camera Settings

I don't know a single thing about photography.
While I appreciate the art, I'm not that interested in it. There are plenty of others around me who can take great pictures, so I don't have to be that good.

Then... I've been taking lots of photos at these parent meetup group events. And I post them to the site, but now I'm a bit embarrassed at my lack of skills.

One thing I really need to learn is how to adjust the settings on the camera. Since I don't have thousands to spend on better lenses, I should make the most out of camera settings. But I know NOTHING about 'em.

Is there a good site or book for beginners?
Something that can explain to a non-enthusiast?

Shiz Can't Cook Series: Steamed Bread

I've read on Japanese blogs that steamed bread (mushi pan) is really easy to make & it's a great snack for little critters.

The easiest recipes are with pancake mix & microwave, I decided to go w/ the more challenging flour, baking powder & steamer.

But it's still pretty easy.

1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
50g milk (or soy milk)

And add 1-3 Tablespoons of any flavor you want.

So attempt 1:
Kinako for Popo. Hot cocoa mix for us.

I think it came out good, but Sat & Ichigo said it doesn't have enough flavor. Well, it's for infants... can't make it that sweet, right?

Attempt 2 (no photo):
Carrots & edamame for Popo. Raspberry jam for us.
Popo seems to like the carrot-edamame one. It's easier to carry around than porridge, so it'll be our outdoor snack.
And the raspberry jam was pretty good. I could have put a bit more jam in, or maybe chunks of actual fruit?

Attempt 3 (no photo):
Peanut butter. And chocolate (hot cocoa) and peanut butter.
I added more sugar to these, and it was pretty good. Peanut butter one was a bit dense, though. For the choco-peanut butter, I accidentally dumped a LOT of cocoa... and it came out real yum!

Probably more to come!

Shiz Can't Cook Series: Chicken Satay

So remember all that trouble I went through to get the ATK beef satay recipe?

The potluck was on MLK Jr Day, so I did my test run w/ じゅるる the night before.

Things we had in the kitchen:
- Chicken
- Garlic
- Scallions (green onions)
- Soy sauce
- Siracha sauce
- Brown sugar

Things we had to go buy:
- Cilantro
- Creamy peanut butter
- Flank steak
- Lime
- Skewers

But I think that's all the ingredients you need.
For both the marinade & the peanut sauce. Pretty simple, eh? That's why I love ATK.

Anyhoo, first the marinade.
It's everything but the peanut butter & lime. Those go into the peanut sauce.

Soy sauce & brown sugar, we went by the recipe.

For garlic & cilantro, I'm a fan of the frozen cubes they sell at Trader Joe's. They're not fresh, but they're pre-measured, pre-mashed & easy to store. I think I put in 3 cubes of garlic, 2 cubes of cilantro.

The recipe calls for 4 scallions, so I just put 3 fist fulls of chopped up green onions (we have them chopped & in the freezer).

For Siracha, they suggest 2 tablespoons...!? That's friggin' hot! So I went w/ 1 tablespoon. Smells pretty spicy already.

I mixed the marinade in a cube-shaped Tupperware. Tall sides make it easier to mix all the ingredients... but I should have used something even taller, cuz dipping the skewers is tricky. I had to tilt the container at a 45 degree angle to get most of the meat dipped, and I still couldn't do a good job w/ the bottom (of the skewer) pieces. I guess flat & narrow would work too.

Meat + marinade go into the fridge for an hour.

While they do their work, time for the peanut sauce.
Same ingredients + peanut butter and lime. I tried using chunky peanut butter before (the only kind I eat!), but the chunks got in the way during actual dipping. So we got creamy peanut butter for a nice smooth sauce.

It's 2 tablespoons of lime, which is about 1 whole lime. I never really knew that, so that's good to know.

And again, they suggested 2 tablespoons of Siracha...! I went w/ 1 tablespoon. It was plenty spicy.

At this point, we realize じゅるる only got one lime. And this is a trial run for the next day... how do I make more peanut sauce!? Instead of going out to get another lime, we decided to split the peanut sauce for today use & potluck use. 80% went to the potluck. It ended up being enough, whew.

For the actual grilling, ATK recipe uses the broiler. Unfortunately, our apartment's oven was missing the broiler pan. We made do w/ a baking sheet & wire rack that fits in it. The baking sheet doesn't fit nice & snug in the broiler, so it was a bit uncomfortable getting it in & out of the broiler drawer.

So this is how it came out:

Success!!

I ended up cutting the skewers to 8-inch lengths to fit in the Tupperware. ATK said to get 6-inch ones, but I've only seen 12-inch ones. I also realized the skewers are easier to cut w/ scissors when they've been soaked. FYI.

Cleaning Day

じゅるる and Popo were supposed to go to OC today, but じゅるる's hand still hurt so he couldn't drive. Darn, I was planning on getting some work done.

So instead, I spent the day cleaning the house.
I can't do a lot of cleaning unless they're both out of the house or they hang out together at home.

A self-congratulatory list:
1. Swept the dining, kitchen & front entrance.
I'd also like to wash the kitchen, entrance & bathroom rugs, but shaking them outside will have to do for now. Maybe next week.

2. Vacuumed up the sweepings.

3. Mopped the kitchen & dining room floor.
Popo drops a ton of food on the floor, so I try to mop every week... but it's more like every 2-3 weeks. Sigh.

4. Wiped kitchen cabinet doors & fridge door.

5. Cleaned 1st floor bathroom sink.
This isn't that big of a deal since I do it regularly.

6. Vacuumed the staircase.
Cuz I feel like we haven't done it since we moved in. Which would make it 18 months. It wouldn't have bothered me too much, but Popo's been climbing up the stairs lately & she picks up a lot of dust on her clothes. So time to vacuum!!

7. Cleaned the shower door in 2nd floor bathroom.
There was a lot of hard water stains on the door & you couldn't see through. I tried lots of different cleaning things in the past, but it really has to be the lime remover.

8. Cleaned 2nd floor bathroom floor.
Esp near the back of the toilet. I just didn't feel like reaching down there before. If I used this bathroom more, I might... Sometimes I think this bathroom stinks.

9. Cleaned the 2nd floor bathroom sink.
Just to finish up the cleaning.

10. Cleaned the master bedroom window.
I was shocked to see all the mold! So I spent a good hour scrubbing down the window.

11. Did じゅるる's laundry.
I usually don't do this, but since he can't use his right hand... I'm glad no one was using the washer/dryer went, so I got both loads done at once. Otherwise, I would have been pissed off that the laundry request didn't come on a weekday.

Oh, I also vacuumed the living room & bedroom too.

I think I'll take the rest of the day off.

じゅるる Hand Surgery

じゅるる had an out-patient surgery on his right hand today.

He's been having a lot of pain in his forearm, esp when he's carrying heavy things (ie. Popo) or twisting his hand (ie. opening a jar).

I heard it was tendonitis.

Then, someone at a parent group told me she has "mommy's thumb" and the description sounded just like じゅるる's pain. So he'll have surgery to fix his "mommy's thumb."

Anyhoo, the surgery was real short. Most of the time was spent waiting, he said.

And he came out w/ a cast-like thing around his hand & forearm.
It's a lot bigger than the "bandage" he was expecting.

He can't get it wet until it gets removed next Tues.
Which means I'll have to bathe Popo for the next 6 days. And I can't push it onto Ichigo, cuz she's out w/ a cold. Hafu.

PS. じゅるる has an arrow & "YES" printed on his forearm. It's to indicate which arm to operate on. I had that on my belly before *laugh*

Signed Up for ATK

I had a potluck coming up and wanted to make the chicken/beef satay from America's Test Kitchen. Finger foods are easier to serve at potlucks, right?

Of course I can't find the ATK DVD when I need it... and I gave the cookbook away... and I didn't keep the Complete 2001-2010 Cookbook they sent me last year b/c I hadn't ordered it.

So the only other way to get the recipe was to go online.

ATK membership is $30/year.
And I believe in paying for online content... but it was so hard to commit to spending the $30/year. Maybe it's cuz I'm not working. Maybe because I own the damn DVD!

But I decided I need to get used to paying for content online, and signed up.

I do have 14 days to change my mind... but I'll probably forget to cancel. I hope I find other uses for the ATK membership.

I should order the Complete 2001-2010 book w/ DVD. Then I'd have all the recipes on hand & won't have to renew next year. But look, I'll just forget next year.

R-jin at BookOff

I bumped into former co-worker R-jin at BookOff today.

Today was my day off, so I went w/ Sat to sell books & buy new ones.

R-jin said he was in the area for a job interview. He mentioned that there are a lot of job postings, but a LOT of people apply to them... so it's hard to land a job.

Wow.
I figured it wouldn't be too hard to find a job, but maybe I should get working on it too, huh?

Start of 2011

Ichigo, Sat & Ards came over for New Year's Eve.
Yipee! All girls! Plus じゅるる. Tee hee.

Yakiniku, Kohaku & Ards Papa flan (yum!) & pumpkin pie (yum!) & chocolate torte (yum!)...

We switched to Chan 7 for the countdown... and being non-drinkers, じゅるる got pear cider/soda. Yum!