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.”

Swine Flu - Keep Informed, Stay Well

As Operations Director at Taipei American School during the SARS outbreak in 2003 I was instrumental in developing a SARS Protocol for keeping our students, faculty, and staff safe and well during this period. I acted as laision between the school and the CDC office as well as local government health agencies. I was under quarantine for 10 days during this outbreak. You can read about my work to maintain a safe environment at the school at this website: http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article/Overseas-SARS-%E2%80%98Journal%E2%80%99--829

Based on this experience I have decided to gather relevant information from the WHO and U. S. CDC websites and present it here so you can understand what is happening and act in a calm responsible manner rather than one of fear and panic. I will update this material regularly.

Today, Wednesday, April 29, The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert to 5, its second-highest level, indicating the outbreak of swine flu that originated in Mexico is nearing widespread human infection. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports additional confirmed human infections, hospitalizations and the nation’s first fatality from this outbreak. The more recent illnesses and the reported death suggest that a pattern of more severe illness associated with this virus may be emerging in the U.S. Most people will not have immunity to this new virus and, as it continues to spread, more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths can be expected in the coming days and weeks.

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze or are out in a public place.
• Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. A spray bottle of 75% alcohol works as well as commercial hand cleaners.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Practice good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and keeping physically active.
• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• If you get sick, it’s recommended that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
• In areas where transmission of swine influenza virus has been confirmed, rather than relying on the use of facemasks or respirators, close contact with people who might be ill and being in crowded settings should be avoided.
• Facemasks should be considered for use by individuals who enter crowded settings, both to protect their nose and mouth from other people's coughs and to reduce the wearers' likelihood of coughing on others; the time spent in crowded settings should be as short as possible.

Keep informed, stay well.

Homeless - but not Hopeless

We live in Washington County, Oregon. Washington County and the Portland metropolitan area are nationally recognized as one of the most livable areas in the country. The population is ethnically diverse with approximately 500,600 citizens. Washington County is 727 square miles and includes a portion of the City of Portland and eleven incorporated cities including Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard and Tualatin.

Intel, IBM and Tektronix, and world headquarters for both Nike and Columbia Sportswear are located here. Intel’s investment in Washington County exceeds that of any Intel site worldwide. Outside the Urban Growth Boundary, the county transitions to nurseries, wineries and other farm and forest enterprises. Washington County ranks first in manufacturing and third in agriculture production in Oregon. However, nearly one-in-ten residents, live below the Federal Poverty Level, and 122,267 Washington County residents are low-income. In Washington County more than 34% of our neighbors are one catastrophic illness or lost job away from becoming homeless. An estimated 1200 people are homeless in Washington County at any one time; approximately one-third of these are children and 67% of those are in families. The Oregon State Department of Education recently published statistics for Washington County showing last year there were 1,422 homeless children in Grades K-12 based upon one full year of data gathering.

According to a recent Associated Press report Oregon has recorded the steepest year-over-year rise in unemployment rates among the states and now its jobless rate ranks second among them. The Oregon unemployment rate jumped to 12.1 percent in March, putting the state second to Michigan; the national rate is 8.5 percent. Many people are a paycheck or two away from being homeless. In reality, you or I probably have a caring supportive community of family and friends who would not let us be homeless. But most of the families facing homelessness are young adults who have not yet cultivated a community that stands by them in hard times.

Families often avoid calling a shelter because they are afraid of being discriminated against, judged by people who have not experienced poverty and hopelessness on such a deep personal level. No one wants to be homeless. People in desperate situations need a supportive community. It is important to bring families into shelter programs where they receive more than charity. Often we hear the homeless family tell about how ashamed, how embarrassed, and how desperate they are because they are homeless. They think people don’t care.

Our church participates in a program called Family Bridge which assists young homeless families. Their goal is to give them back their dignity and heal their pain – the loneliness they suffer because they are in need of community. This is not a religious organization and they place no religious restrictions on families seeking shelter. A central shelter screens homeless families with children for eligibility. They provide them with shelter for a six week period. They must pass drug screening and actively partake in plans to assist in securing income and housing. Children must be enrolled in and attend public school or Head Start during their stay. They have a family-style evening meal at participating churches and spend the night in church-provided rooms. Church members prepare the meals and eat with the families to provide a cordial and caring atmosphere. A church member also stays at the church overnight to provide any assistance needed. We have prepared meals and shared them with these families several times at our church.

The first time we volunteered to prepare a meal and eat with the "homeless people" I was a bit apprehensive. I didn't know a lot about the program or what to expect. I was all prepared to find a bunch of bag ladies and old men pushing grocery carts filled with all their worldly possessions. We were intrduced to three families, all with children. They were just like the "folks next door" except they had fallen on hard times and were homeless. One husband had lost his job then their house and finally packed the car and drove to Oregon looking for work and were introduced to the shelter. Another family had a catastrophic illness that wiped out their finances and the wage earner was no longer able to work. They were asking the shelter for temporary housing and assistance in finding employment. Last year the program assisted 34 families secure housing and employment. The following is one story taken from the Family Bridge Newsletter.

It was midsummer, 5 pm Sunday, I arrived at the church to unlock the doors. Two families arrived and we all settled in for our week together. Monday morning the director of Family Bridge phoned to say I was to expect another family that evening. This family would include a father and mother, a first grade boy and a third grade girl.

No additional people arrived Monday evening, or Tuesday evening. Wednesday morning I phoned the director and found him puzzled. He didn’t know why they hadn’t arrived. Wednesday at 5 pm I arrived at the church to unlock the door. A van was parked in the church parking lot and the family introduced themselves and apologized for not being there Monday and Tuesday. The children were delightful, full of conversation as we settled in and shared dinner. After dinner the mother came to me and said “We drove into the parking lot each night, but I just couldn’t get out of the van. As long as we were sleeping in the van, I could call it an adventure, but if we came into the church I would have to accept that we are homeless.”

So what can you do? Drop some coins in the hat sitting in front of the guitar player on the sidewalk downtown? Put a bill in the bag held by the woman standing by the side of the freeway on-ramp? Or something more personal and more lasting? Why not seek out an organization or group in your area that is trying to help the homeless get back on their own feet, not just giving them a hot meal and a clean bed for the night? Get personal with them and let them know you recognize them as a person of worth. Invest some of your time and energy, it won't be wasted and you will feel a lot better for it; believe me, I've tried it.