The gift that keeps on giving

So, food has been on the brain lately. Who am I trying to kid...it is always on the brain. I thought that I would give a little tribute to my mother-in-law by singing her praise for a wonderful gift she gave to us.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you...

The Cuckoo Rice Cooker

I cannot convey how much I love this rice cooker. I put the rice in and add water, press the cook button and twenty minutes later, chirp chirp chirp...I've got perfect rice every time.

Our favorite brand of rice is called Kokuho Rose rice. I always went with Uncle Ben's or Minute, now I'm hooked on Kokuho Rose. We eat quite a bit of rice. In fact, we buy the 25 pound bag of rice (I always thought it was for restaurant owners!).

Back to the rice cooker...this baby is amazing. Not only does it cook rice perfectly, but (here's the kicker!) it keeps it warm and just right for three days. Rice anytime?? Sign me up!

MMM mmm good

I'm not sure if it's genetics, but my culinary taste seems to always gravitate to the Far East. Sure, I could eat a family portion of my mom's hamburger stroganoff or her beef roast dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy. MMm mmm. However, when my mother isn't available to make these foods and I'm on my own...somehow garlic, sesame seed oil and soy sauce start dancing in my mind.

It's 1:30 very early on Saturday morning. My husband is at work...and I'm hungry. At this point, I could go for anything. However, the Weight Watcher and Nutri-System commercials are so kindly reminding me that going for Taco Bell right now, is just one step closer to shopping for clothes at Omar's Tent Shop. I check the refrigerator to find a mish mash of nothing and a whole door full of condiments. Something light, but filling and delicious...GOT IT!

Pivoting to my left and taking two steps, I open my cupboard to reveal a very plain looking box. One of my favorites...egg drop soup. My husband discovered this little gem in the Kosher section of our grocery store for about a buck. He makes it about once every couple of weeks for dinner. It's delicious.

The box contains two packets, with 5 servings in each packet. Each serving of this quick and delicious soup has only 30 calories. So, if I polish the whole thing off (which probably won't happen...probably) it will only be 150 calories. PERFECT!

I mix 4 cups of cold water with one packet and bring it to a boil. Then, I dump in a well beaten egg and I typically add a little red pepper oil (because I like it spicy!) Voila...yummy egg drop soup.

The Secret

My friend Erin is reading the book "The Secret". She said that throughout the book, the words The Secret appear almost every other sentence. They are in italic and every time she reads those words, she imagines the words being whispered. It cracks me up!

Apparently, Oprah suggested reading "The Secret" and has done a few shows on the book. From what I understand from Erin, "The Secret" is basically believing in the power of positive thinking.

Tonight, we had my parents over for dinner...for the first time.
Yeah, I know it's long overdue, but I've never been known for my timeliness. Song Min actually made the entire dinner. Yup, he was a real sport. While I went to the spa and lunch with my friends, Song Min made a beautiful turkey dinner (complete with cornbread stuffing, herb buttered parsnips, gravy AND a no flour chocolate cake with handmade whipped cream). Song Min is really such a great cook.

My parents showed up with some lovely red tulips. We had dinner and cake...mmmmm. Then we cleared the table for the card game 3-13. I learned this game from a friend and it has been a game that my husband and I have really enjoyed playing together. Tonight, with the help of my positive thinking, I won the first game. The second game was won by my mom. However, at the beginning of the game, I announced that I was going to use my positive thinking to help my mom win the game. So, though I came in second...I feel partially responsible for my mom's victory! Ha ha!

After, Song Min and I whipped out the Rock Band gear and showed my parents our skills. They just weren't nearly as impressed as my brother or our other friends. I think that if the game was called Country Band...they would have been our number one fans!

Friday night with the boys

Song Min, Robert and I went out to the Mall of America this evening. We hit Bubba Gump Shrimp and the movie theater. While waiting for our movie to start, we played some of the arcade games in the main lobby. Song Min and Robert played Buck Hunter. It was the first time Robert held a rifle (real OR fake). For Robert, the deer all continued to live long healthy virtual lives. Song Min managed to hit a couple. I tried one game and hit one and managed to go onto the bonus rabbit round where I hit twelve rabbits. It was a pretty lame game. I would have preferred to have "hunted" on the old PC game Oregon Trail.



Song Min and I are very competitive when it comes to racing games. We hopped onto a couple of machines that raced against one another. Our cars were all over the road...I lost. Here's a picture of Robert watching Song Min.



At the end of the night, we were the last people on the entire level of the parking ramp. I snapped some pictures, but it seemed that no one really wanted their picture taken at that time but me.




All in all, we had a great time. We always enjoy a night hanging with The Boy.