Jasmine in My Mind

Mommy and Daddy are going to China!!!!

They got the word late today, and they had already decided that since it was late that no good news would be coming.

Boy, were they wrong!

It's been three weeks to the day since they got their LOA in to the CCAA. Daddy said he aint eating anything but double-cheeseburgers and fries until they go, because two weeks of Tete de Poulet is a tough haul!

There are three other families going with them. One from Texas, One from North Carolina, and one from Virginia.

Keep checking back here for updates since I intend to let you know what they're doing every day!

Daddy's Birthday -- Happy Birthday!!!!

Yesterday was Daddy's birthday. Me and Mommy made him brownies instead of a cake, and they WERE THE BEST!!!

Everytime we have brownies it reminds me of a story.

A long time ago when I was really little and Amanda and Jaden were not born yet there was this movie that came out on DVD. Andy and Jonathan really wanted to see the movie in the worst way because they said ALL their friends had seen it, and they said it was the best movie ever! The problem was that the movie was rated PG-13 and Mommy and Daddy said they were too young to see a movie with a PG-13 rating. The boys disagreed and begged for weeks to see the movie. They kept saying it was only a little bad part. Just a few bad words and some violence, but no sex or anythin THAT bad. Mommy and Daddy still said no.

The boys just couldn't accept No. They kept on begging to see this movie since it was only a little bit of bad stuff.

Well, one Friday night Daddy comes home, and he's got the movie on DVD. He says we're all going to get to watch it, since it's only a little bit of bad stuff. The boys are really excited. Daddy says we'll watch the movie after dinner.

So we have dinner, and after dinner, Daddy makes a batch of brownies for us to have while the movie is on. He puts the movie in and turns it on, and we're watching the previews before the movie starts.

Andy asks if he can have a brownie now. Daddy says, "Sure, but I have to tell you something. You see, I had a little problem with the mix, and somehow, I dont know how, but it got a little bit of Doggy Poo in the mix. I got as much out as I could, but there is still just a little bit in the brownies. It should be okay, though, because it's just a little bit of bad stuff."

Andy thinks it's a joke, and gets a brownie, but Jonathan's not so sure. He asks Daddy, "Are you fooling us?" and Daddy says, "No, but dont worry about it. It's just a little bad stuff. I'm sure it will be okay."

Andy realises it's true and asks, "What are you trying to do? Kill us? I dont care how little bit it is, if there's any at all, it makes the whole brownie bad!!!"

Everybody is looking at Daddy to see what he can say to such an accusation.Then Daddy asks them, "Do you suppose the same thing is true about the movie?"

We didn't watch the movie, and haven't to this day even though it was one of the biggest movies of the year. We did get to see this one.

Nobody ate any brownies either...Happy Birthday Daddy, and the brownies are family friendly and Rated G for GREAT!

Oh, I almost forgot. Do you remember this scary Easter Bunny?

Well, he's for real, because I saw him here and here!

Aint nobody like....

Poulet Frit! (FRIED CHICKEN!)

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Today, I want to tell you about Fried Chicken!

Fried Chicken has got to be one of the most best meals ever. We dont have it much, because Daddy says it's too messy, and it takes too long.
Mommy brought home a whole fryer from the grocery store on Friday, so Daddy said we could have Fried Chicken on Saturday night!

This is the best ever, but you have to set aside your coronary aversion to animal fats. It's okay...It's not like we cook like this for every meal.


This recipe comes from one of Daddy's favourite cookbooks, and he has plenty of them! Grand-Mommy gave him this book. It's the Rumford Complete Cookbook, from the Rumford Chemical Works in Providence, Rhode Island, 1908.






Now take a deep breath, because this next part will sound really alien to our ever so fat averse ears, but if you can make it past this, you are well on your way to fried chicken bliss.
Quothe the chicken, "Fry some more."

The recipe says to take a couple of pounds of bacon and render the fat. It doesn't say what to do with the bacon, probably because they figure you will know what to do with the bacon. What you want is the bacon fat. That's right, the fat. Why? Because "pork fat rules, baby" as Emeril would say. You should end up with about two to three cups. This is what we're going to use to fry the chicken!

If you're still with me to this point, good, but you may be thinking that it's an awful lot of bacon, and that just doesn't fit our diet. Ours either. As a matter of fact, we rarely have bacon, however, when we do, Daddy saves the fat. After a considerable time, he will have collected enough to fry a chicken. As providence would have it, we just happen to be at that point.



Bacon Fat. That's where it's at!

Now take your chicken...

and cut it up.


Then get a big bowl and put 1 cup of big salt and one cup of sugar in it.
Add just enough cold water to dissolve the salt and sugar. SUGAR? Yes! Remember sugar is hygroscopic, which means it will grab and hold onto moisture from where ever it can.
This is a good thing when you're cooking a lean protein such as chicken or pork or shrimp, etc...
I cant think of brining any red meats such as beef except for corned beef. Put the chicken in the brine and add enough ice cold water to cover it completely and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours, or about an hour per pound.

A little science: Brining works by utilising two principles known as diffusion and osmosis.

The idea is sort of like Ying and Yang in that everything seeks a balance, equilibrium, or a unity of opposites, as the Taoist Chinese would say.

When you put the chicken in the brine, there is a greater concentration of salt and sugar outside the chicken (the brine) than there is inside the chicken (the cells).
So, the law of diffusion states that the salt and sugar will naturally flow from the area of greater concentration to the area of lower concentration.
Likewise, there is more water outside than in, so it too will flow from the greater area of concentration to the lower.
Additionally, any flavourful things that are dissolved in the water will be carried into the cells as well!

When water moves in this fashion it is called osmosis.

But that's not all....Inside the cells, the salt and sugar cause the cell proteins to unravel, or denature. As the individual proteins unravel, they are more likely to interact with each other. This creates a sticky matrix that captures and holds moisture. When exposed to heat, the matrix gels and forms a sort of barrier that prevents the water from escaping as the chicken cooks.
So what you get is a more flavourful and juicy chicken!

If you leave the skin on your chicken, brining tends to keep the skin from getting crisp. To adjust for this, allow the skin to air dry in your refrigerator for a few minutes.

Thanks to Julia Collin of America's Test Kitchen for this science lesson!

Let's start cooking!

Heat the bacon fat to about 300 degrees in your big black skillet.
Starting with the legs and thighs, dredge the chicken in seasoned flour and place skin side down in the skillet.

Cook for about five minutes before turning. After turning, reduce the heat and cover.
Continue cooking until the internal temperature is about 180.

Remove the cover, and increase the heat. Turn the chicken once more to crisp up the side that was exposed
during the covered time, and then remove to a dish to drain and cool. Repeat for the other parts.






If Daddy's not looking, you can sneak a bite or two...





So, here is the finished dish!




Watch for forks going for that second piece!



Jaden pronounced it, Hou Mei**!


Dont plan on any leftovers!


**Mandarin -- Delicious!

Caint nobody cook it like...

Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring!

Peach Blossoms at the Springs Farm Peach Orchard

It's a glorious day!

I know it's been a while since I posted, but I have had the flu!

Daddy says we get it at church.

At our church, everybody wants to shake your hand. By the time you get home, you have about 400 people's hand germs on your hand. And when you shake someone's hand, you exchange germs with them. Before long, you have the entire assemblage of germs.

THEN....you touch your eyes or nose or mouth before you get a chance to wash, and BAM! you got the flu.

But wait...that's not all...

On Wednesday, when you go back, and you're starting to feel better, BAM! It's handshaking time again.

It's a never-ending cycle of germ collection.
Daddy says from now on he's just gonna do the fist thing. I guess he figures you cant get too many germs from giving someone the fist. The problem with the fist thing is that only younger cats are hip to it even though it started out in the 70's. Older cats dont know what it is.

It's a bit awkward to offer the fist thing when they're holding out their germ covered hand.
Check This out.

Oh, I almost forgot...Just to ensure a thorough germ exchange, the church stations people they call 'greeters' at EVERY entrance to the church facility. You cant get in if you dont shake their hand! And remember, they've already been shaking germy hands before you got there! So they 'greet' you with germs!


Required Reading

Okay, enough of that. Here's another picture of the peach blossoms.



Tomorrow is Good Friday, and Sunday is Easter!

This is a real ad I found on the internet...

HAVE THE EASTER BUNNY SURPRISE YOUR CHILDREN THIS EASTER WITH OUR ANNUAL "EASTER BUNNY" DELIVERY EASTER BASKETS WILL BE LOADED WITH CHOCOLATE, CANDY AND AN AGE AND GENDER RELATED TOY. THE BASKETS ARE $15.00 EACH AND THE EASTER BUNNY DELIVERY IS $10.00 PER HOUSE. CALL LENA @ 763-8300 FOR MORE INFO.LIMITED NUMBER OF DELIVERIES AVAILABLE SO BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!!!

Surprise?

That's an understatement!

My heavens! Look at that face! He's terrifying! I dont know about you, but if this evil rabbit showed up at our house we'd all be running for cover. I cant imagine a child anywhere on the face of the planet that would get excited about having this thing standing on their front door stoop! I dont care what he's bringing!

I hope you all have a beautiful Easter and please remember it's not really about a bunny or eggs, or any of that other stuff!

Jaden Ann Shuguo

Today is Gotcha! day, or Forever Family Day in the Cross home.

Three years ago today, Jaden Ann Shuguo came to us as a tiny, frightened little girl.
Today she is a beautiful, precious, lively and loving child!



This is Jaden Ann when they handed her, asleep, to Mommy in Wuhan.



This is what she looked like when she woke up.


This is what she looked like the majority of the time when we were in our room.


It was a VERY LONG time......

This is me with the Wuhan Baby at breakfast the next day...


This is me and the Wuhan Baby ready for sleep...


These are all the children from our travel group on the famous Red Couch...


These are all the people trying to get a photo of those children!

This is Jaden Ann today!


Our travel group is having a reunion on Saturday.

We all cant wait!

Bacon, Cheese, and Beer Dogs

I've had many requests for another recipe, so here is one of my favourites.
This one is a little work-intensive, so be ready to buckle down.

BACON, CHEESE AND BEER DOG



1 hot dog1 slice of thick-cut bacon
1 can of spray cheese
1 can beer (It doesn't matter what kind)
1 cup flour
Oil for frying

First take the center out of the hot dog with an apple corer, if you have access to one. If not, just cut out the middle with a knife.



Fill the cavity with the spray cheese and use the hot dog you removed from the middle as a cap to keep the cheese in.





Wrap the bacon around the hot dog...





Cook for two to four minutes or until bacon is cooked.





Drain and Dab them dry with a paper towel (so the batter will stick).
Mix the beer with the flour until it reaches a thick, but lump-free consistency.
Dip the dogs in the batter, coating the dog completely.



Deep-fry on high heat for two to three minutes or until golden brown and deadly.

NOTE: Don't fry them too long or all of the cheese will explode out into the oil. That's very bad.





Now, enjoy with your favourite condiment!

Caint nobody cook like....