The Countdown is ON!

I (we) can’t believe there are only a mere 4 months left before our wedding day. It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating the news of our engagement and enjoying beautiful summer sunshine with our friends and family. I’m thankful that we have been able to pace ourselves with our wedding planning, and feeling blessed that we both still have the patience to remind each other to ‘keep calm, and carry on’. Luckily, both B and I are DIY kinds of people, and so our mini projects here and there for the wedding has helped to calm the nerves a bit (because we enjoy the creation process).

To some, it may seem stressful to do planning on your own and I won’t lie, it isn’t a breeze. But we figured we’d try to save some money, and the time we spend telling our planner the things we want/need, we might as well do it ourselves. We think it’s helpful to have someone coordinate many aspects of the wedding day though, especially the day of. I can’t imagine having to worry about when the caterer is supposed to arrive or if the cutlery is placed properly while doing my hair and makeup. :/ We decided to hire a day of coordinator (which is significantly cheaper than hiring a wedding planner for the whole thing, she even works specifically at our venue so she knows all the ins and outs), to relieve some of the day of stress.

Thankful for Fam and Frds

As the year 2012 comes to an end, and the start of 2013 is soon going to begin, I have finally found some time to update this blog with all the things that have happened since. In September, I started my full time teaching job at the local public school, which unfortunately I am currently not working at because of my recent diagnosis of PE (blood clots in my lungs). I have been at home and resting for the past couple months and the plan is to return back to work at the beginning of February and hopefully by then, signs of improvement will be clearly seen on the CT scans that I will undergo after I’ve been on medication for about 4 months or so. Going into emergency, I was feeling okay (I think my parents were more worried, understandably) but after the diagnosis, I guess everyone was feeling more shocked and made sure I was resting as much as possible. Since then, I have just tried to be more aware of my body to make sure the condition doesn’t get worse.

From this whole ordeal however, both my family and Ben’s family have been beyond supportive in helping me adjust to life with the condition. Stuff like, making sure what they cook for me does not contain mega amounts of Vitamin K (which produces more blood than I can handle right now since I’m on blood thinning meds), researching causes/effects of the medication, driving me to check ups and to run errands when I needed, staying with me at the hospital when I was admitted, cooking for me, following up with school stuff for me while I was transitioning the new teacher taking over my class for the time being and a million other things that I can hardly remember. I am so grateful for their care and love. Especially to my soon to be husband, I couldn’t have asked for a better best friend. He consistently reassures me and has been doing everything in his power to make sure I am okay. To my beautiful and thoughtful friends far and wide for their positive vibes, follow ups and visits. I was telling Ben that though my condition if worse, could possibly be fatal, I was happy with all the wonderful blessings that I have in my life and SO happy with how things have turned out. BUT, thank goodness I’m getting better now it seems, so nothing to worry about.

On Cloud 9

The last four months brought many wonderful blessings, which I will forever be grateful for. Who would have thought that last August when I was all set to leave and teach in Korea for a year, that I would be back in one month’s time, supply teach at the school board of my choice, land a short 4 month 1/2 day job teaching at the school board with the same class everyday (LTO), and then a full day LTO (which lasted me until the end of the school year).

As if that rush of opportunity wasn’t enough, I also had an interview with York Region District School Board for a full time permanent job towards the end of June, and was later offered the job at a school close by that will start in Sept 2012 (the bonus is that it’s a school that I have worked at before, and teach a grade 3/4 class with a little French ). For those of you familiar with the teaching industry, over the last several years, it has been tough finding permanent work in the field due to a surplus of teachers and declining enrolment. Lucky for me, I was able to secure something shortly after finishing teacher’s college which looking back was quite a risk, quitting my corporate job.

Then came mid July, and after 6.5 years of dating, Ben decided to propose and I said yes! (The exact date was on July 20th in case anyone was wondering ). I have to admit the recent ride has been pretty nice. My goals from the past year have been achieved, and my wishes for the year 2012 have so far been granted. I could not be happier with how my 27th year has unfolded.

My Own Class!

The last two weeks have been a blessing. Actually, life is a blessing and the last two weeks were a great blessing. To make a long story short, I finally have the chance to teach in my own classroom!!!!! Who gets excited for work?!?! I DO! So, until the end of the school year, I will be teaching Grade 3 in an amazing school (yeah I already know this, because the first impressions of it were simply so wonderful!), and although I am crazy nervous that I will be finally the lone person in front of the class teaching these kiddies, I am really excited for the new learning experience (for both me and my kids)! Thank you to my wonderful family, b and friends for their endless support during my journey since leaving the corporate world back in 2009. I can’t believe it already has been so many years since then. Seems like just yesterday…

Tiramisu

It’s been a while since the last time I’ve made/had tiramisu so here is another simple recipe sans alcohol (since I didn’t have any on hand) that you can try. It took less than 30 mins to whip up (with all the ingredients on hand) and basically if you can resist, let it sit in the fridge overnight for maximum deliciousness. I found this time I didn’t soak the ladyfingers as long in the coffee because I prefer a bit of a ‘bite’ to my cake instead of it being so soggy. Anyway, just a personal preference, you can soak for longer if you wish!

Beer Can Duck

Over the holidays (I know this post is SO delayed.. lol), there are always many dinners and parties to attend to. This past year, I wanted to try something different. Since the bf loves beer, and I’ve heard before about using it in cooking, I decided to make Beer Can Chicken, then Beer Can Duck. Though most recipes online feature Beer Can Chicken, after making it, I felt the same procedures and principles would apply if I were to cook duck instead. The end result was equally delicious (or maybe even better! But I could be biased, since I like duck more anyway )! The purpose of the beer really was to give meat that slight ‘beer taste’ but essentially to keep the meat moist while roasting. Served with some cranberry sauce and gravy… yum!

Pistachio Dacquoise with Strawberries and Mango Whipped Cream

Crunchy. Sweet. Light. That’s how I would describe dacquoise. It sounds so fancy but it’s actually really easy to make! Today, the bf was craving something sweet, and I just happen to have bookmarked a recipe that I’ve been wanting to try. Needless to say, I was very excited to make this yumminess, especially since he loves the chewy/crunchy texture of macaron shells (he always picks at it when I make it!) and this is very similar to that taste/texture. I decided instead of almonds, to use pistachios (since I love them) and see if the results would be similar. Tasted great to me! I then layered and topped the dacquoise with some strawberries and mango whipped cream filling. Delicious! (as my friend Eugene would say) haha.

Egg White Pasta with Cream and Porcini Mushroom Balsamic Glaze

My friends all know I love to cook/bake and eat. haha. So a dear friend gave me this Porcini Mushroom Balsamic Glaze as one of my birthday presents (along with many other goodies from PC’s black label line of products) because she wants me to make her dinner! haha She had first tasted it when another one of my dear friends recommended it when they enjoyed risotto made with it. These girls definitely did not lead me astray. Though my friend didn’t get to taste it this time, I’m excited to make this dish for her using this glaze next time when she’s over!

Paper Wrapped Chinese Sponge Cakes

You can find Chinese paper wrapped sponge cakes in many local chinese bakeries. They are light and fluffy with a gentle ‘crust’ on the top. Encased within parchment paper and ‘taller’ than a typical cupcake, they are a nice afternoon treat.

Over the holidays I received these red cupcake liners from a friend, which are not meant for your regular cupcake pans as they are much ‘taller’ than average and require a separate cupcake pan as indicated on the packaging. However, I wanted to experiment and see if they would work with my mini-cupcake pan along with a Chinese sponge cake recipe. After all, these taller cupcake liners would be perfect for the taller Chinese paper wrapped sponge cakes anyway!

Chinese New Year ‘Nian Gao’ (年 糕)

Happy, happy year of the Dragon to all my Chinese friends and family. Chinese New Year (CNY) usually falls in between the months of January and February according to the Lunar Chinese Calendar. Other than the good cheer, festive decorations and friendly gatherings, my FAVOURITE part of celebrating CNY is the delicious food that my parents prepare to welcome the beginning of a new year!

My favourite CNY dessert (or snack) is definitely Nian Gao (or Sticky Brown Sugar Cake). We have always bought the cakes at the local grocery store or restaurant, but this year, we decided to make our own! The chewy, sweet and yummy in your tummy cakes are usually pan fried with egg in my household. I love the crisp crust that forms when you pan fry it, and the savoury egg that it is dipped in beforehand. A super easy recipe that comes from my 婆婆 (Grandma on my mother’s side), that you definitely should try out (even if it’s not CNY!).