Nummies!

   To start, I will say, knowing me, some days I'll have post after post, and some days-weeks-months... okay, probably just days, I'll have nothing. It's what I do. Part of why I am doing this is to help me remember important events, part is so I can learn from myself, part so others can learn from me, and part just for the novelty. It also helps when I get those long winded things that I don't want to blow up my FacieBook with. ;-)


   This blog is totally public, so I will not be posting pictures of my kids, family, or friends on here. I will also not be using full names. And if I slip and miss one, let me know so I can edit it out ASAP please.

   Okay, so off to the good stuff. Have you ever bought stuff that came with extras that you don't know what to do with but seems a shame to waste? Go ahead, say it with me, "What the Hell are you talking about Becky?" Okay, well, I get big bags of potstickers at Costco. In the bag are these nifty packets of sauce. The stuff isn't bad, but having spent time in Japan, there is a particular dipping sauce I like to make myself, so I don't wind up using the packaged stuff. Being the packrat that I am, though, I wind up with it piled up in my freezer.

   Well, I'm pretty well known for just going through my kitchen and throwing together stuff and making something tasty. I match flavors in the same way some people, like my Mother who makes incredible quilts, match colors. Last night was one of those nights.

   We are huge on salmon in my family. I determined we'd have salmon for dinner last night, but didn't know what I felt like topping it with this time. So, as usual, I started digging. There, in the freezer, staring at me with that "I double dog dare you." sneer was this packet of premade potsticker dipping sauce. I said to myself, "Self," because some comedian somewhere told me that's what you say when you are talking to yourself, "Self, " I said, "you can do this. Salmon and Asian flavors mix. This ugly, mean, snide little package is begging to be used and quit uglying up my freezer." And so, I took on the challenge.

   So, out of the freezer came the rude and insulting little package, and then it was off to the fridge. Navigating through my refrigerator is like trying to get through WalMart on Black Friday. Good luck. I find these amazing sauces at various farms, festivals and events, and I use them for crazy things they may or may not have been meant for. They add up very quickly. Then there is the abundance of produce, half of which winds up going bad because I get inspired, and then forget they are there. Two gallons of milk at any given time, because the babies drink one kind and Eldest Son another. Costco sized bottles of juice. Leftovers in various packages. There's always some other stuff playing hide and seek in there, and I'm afraid often I fail miserably in finding them in time. On days like this, I start with one ingredient, and then hit the random "stations" in my kitchen and figure what else in there is going to make something so offending into something so tasty. When I open the fridge, everything stares back at me and laughs. "Sure, there are goodies in here," it seems to say, "but good luck getting to it."

   I rolled up my sleeves and laugh right back. "No worries" I said, "Everything I want is right up front". Out came the garlic, ginger, and low sodium soy sauce. I could almost feel the frustration from the fridge as the other things sighed. "Damn. Why didn't we think to hide those guys? She always goes for the garlic! DUH!"

   Then it's out to the spice rack. That thing is every bit as much as cluttered as the fridge, but it plays much nicer. It's a nice pull out three shelf hideaway rack. When I open it, the smells jump out and say, "Hi there! Oh we missed you! Let us give you hugs." Ahhhh. They all sit patiently in their shelves with their labeled tops, crossing their... grains I guess, hoping I might find some use for them. I picked through to see what might just work. "Not many of you guys this time. Sorry guys. Toasted Sesame Oil, come on out here. Hot Pepper Oil, front and center. The rest of you, better luck tomorrow."

   Last, but not least, it's to the Lazy Susan. The ingredients in here, they don't even pay me attention. They just sleep and couldn't care less what I say or do. I'll pull them out for use, they open an eye, portion out what I need, and then roll over and go back to sleep. I selected some ginger syrup, who yawned and grumbled a little, and I closed the cupboard to let the others continue slumber.

   In the bowl went the contents of that snippy little packet, some garlic, chopped ginger, soy, and ginger syrup. I noticed this looked too runny to stick to a fish though, so I tried to microwave it, hoping that it'd thicken with heat. It just laughed at my failure as I pulled it back out of the microwave, boiling, and still thin. But I refused to fail. The lazy ingredients in the lazy Susan objected to my disturbing them again, but I needed the corn starch. I stirred the cornstarch into the sauce and heated it again. Finally, I accomplished the right consistency. For flavor I added the sesame and hot chili oil, and some fresh ground pepper, and it was finally done.

   On to the fish it went, and it was off to the grill. I have to tell you, that stupid little mouthy packet of sauce... makes an awesome sauce! What a beautiful little sauce, using stuff that I already have, making a restaurant quality slab o' fish that the whole family loved.

   To me, there is no pride like knowing I am serving to my family something we'd pay $18-23 bucks in a restaurant for, and I made it at home, with stuff I already had, and they all love it.

Testing, Testing, One Two Three.

  I find myself at a huge turning point in my life.  In October of 2009 I ended my 14 year career as an Aviation Electrician in the Navy, and am now working on adjusting to civilian life.  I have a hyper six year old boy and twin 16 month old twins; one boy and one girl.  We're building life in a tiny little house in the beautiful Pacific North West.  So, faced with a drastic career change, I chose to go the direction of Medical Assistant, so now I'm a full time student.  I'm still not sure I'll be doing that when I grow up...
  
   Three times in my life, I have been diagnosed as ADHD.  I believe I have outgrown a lot of the hyperactivity, but the ADD still runs my life for me.  I just started a journey of learning to handle this condition.  I find it sad that the phraze ADD has been so over used, because those of us that need help and understanding have trouble finding it.  My eldest son, however, is definately ADHD, and I have determined that I can't help him if I can't help myself.

   Sometime in the future, the dream I have is to build my own local small business based around the many local businesses this area is rich in.  Not quite the direction I'm going to school for, but hopefully someday....

   I have many hobbies, and many things I pick up as hobbies and, thank you ADD, drop again quickly but learn so much from.  As I start this, I carry a lifelong passion of cooking, and have picked up gardening.  I also enjoy hiking, biking, and recently geocaching.  Somewhere in there we also throw in beer and wine making.  Mostly beer.

   So, with this blog, I hereby invite the world in to learn with me, and listen to my random BS because I'm an opinionated little twit.  Join me on my adventure of learning who I am, learning who my family is, learning who my friends are, and learning what this world is all about.  Laughs are very likely, many at my expense.  But you might just learn something new...