Steamed Bread - a special treat

A traditional Chinese kitchen doesn't have an oven, so no bread or cinnamon rolls, but a lot of delicious bread-like items are made using a steamer. Most wheat flour based items are originally from Northern China whereas most rice based items are from Southern China. One of the most common bread-like items is mantou 饅頭. It is commonly eaten as a breakfast item or to accompany a meal like rice in Southern China or pasta in the West.

There are several versions of the basic mantou recipe, mainly differing in the leavening agent. The traditional method uses a sourdough starter held over from a previous batch, some cooks now use yeast and/or baking powder.

Start with:
1T yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 C warm water
mix and allow to sit until the yeast is dissolved and mixture begins to bubble

Mix together:
6 C flour
1 3/4 C milk
1/4 C sugar
2T vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder

Add the yeast mixture and form into a ball. Place on a floured surface and knead until the mass is uniform and glossy.
Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Put in a warm place and allow to rise until double in size

Divide into workable portions and roll out approximately 3/4" thick. Roll up jelly-roll fashion and cut into 2" long pieces. Place on parchment paper and arrange in a steamer basket.

Place steamer basket over a pot of room temperature water and turn on heat; do not place over already steaming water. After water reaches boiling and steam is seen escaping from the top of the steamer, steam for 12 minutes.

Remove from steamer and enjoy. Especially delicious with any dish that has a lot of juice that the mantou can be dipped in.

How To Make A Fashion Statement and Fight Influenza A(H1N1) [Swine Flu]

First: WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

The symptoms for H1N1 flu are just like the symptoms of any season flu - a fever of 100.4 degrees or more, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and runny nose. Additional possible symptoms include gastrointestinal disturbances such as vomiting or diarrhea.

If you have flu symptoms and have traveled within the past month to Austria, Canada, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, or have come in contact with someone with a confirmed case of H1N1 flu in the last month you should call your doctor.

Then: WHAT CAN I DO TO MINIMIZE SPREAD OF THE FLU?

Learn to sneeze "fashionably" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao7eyqoiIYs


And Finally: MAKE A FASHION STATEMENT
or be creative as some did during the SARS epidemic

Homemade Pizza - YES you can

We had home-style pizza at a restaurant last Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sandra said, "I can do that". So we did for lunch today. First step was to make a yeast dough, let it rise, then punch down and form the crust. (don't know why I can't get the picture to load horizontally as I took it)
Then you decide what you want on it. We lightly coated the dough with oil and put down a THIN layer of sauce (actually some of Sandra's spaghetti sauce from the freezer). We decided to make two pizzas, one salami and one Italian sausage.

The meat was followed by a layer of thinly sliced tomato; we wanted some fresh basil but that will have to wait for the plants to grow a bit more before picking it.

Sprinkle on some Italian seasoning instead of the basil and then some mozarella cheese.

Pop into a 475 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Perfect, especially when served with a Clendenen 2008 vintage Marionberry wine cooler.

Now, you try and let me see what you can do!

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm - Holland in Oregon

Thursday we took a break from gardening and household chores and visited a tulip farm about a 30-minute drive away. The family operation began in 1983 with 15 acres and has expanded to over 40 acres growing 150+ varieties of tulips. It is now known as the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. Every spring they hold a tulip festival where the farm is open to the public. http://www.woodenshoe.com/index.html
We liked the fact that there was no commercialization or hard-sell trying to get you to buy bulbs to take home to plant.
Sandra took all these pictures using our digital camera while I experimented with my film camera to get some close-ups. She did an outstanding job of capturing the realism of the farm.

The view from a distance was like an impressionist painting.

But the close-ups were spectacular.

Influenza A(H1N1) - formerly known as Swine Flu [update and additional information]

Our church observes communion the first Sunday of each month. Our congregation has several elderly members, at least two pregnant mothers, and many young children. We are now considering a review of our practice to determine if we should modify it in any way to alleviate the celebrant’s possible anxiety so they can concentrate on the actual meaning of the communion sacrament.

The World Health Organization has issued an update today May 1, summarizing the rapidly changing world-wide situation.

“As of 06:00 GMT, 1 May 2009, 11 countries have officially reported 331 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection. Laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths have been reported in - Austria (1), Canada (34), Germany (3), Israel (2), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (3), Spain (13), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (8).”

At this time WHO is not advising restriction of regular travel or closure of borders; although people who are ill would be wise to delay international travel and people developing symptoms following international travel should seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.

They also stated that there is also no risk of from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.

Oregon's first probable case of Influenza A(H1N1) was identified late Wednesday, April 29 following testing by the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory. A specimen from this case was sent to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for characterization. The individual, who had been in contact with family members who had visited Mexico, began experiencing symptoms on Sunday but was not hospitalized and is recovering. Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski said, “This suspected case is being investigated by health officials, but in the meantime, Oregonians should remain calm and follow the recommended actions for protecting yourselves and your family: Wash your hands frequently and make sure to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Also, if you are feeling sick, please do not go to work or school; contact your health care provider. Lastly, try to avoid people who are ill.”