Sweet and sour chicken pineapple

If you are in the mood for something mild and sweet, here's a perfect chicken dish I cooked today. Lots of juicy pineapple make it taste like a main course combined with a dessert. I actually changed the proportions of the original recipe, which called for more chicken, to the below, in which veggies and fruit prevail. You can see all the ingredients I used in the picture. I skipped the chestnuts, bean sprouts and MSG. I also used less sugar because last time I made this dish it came out much too sweet. Today's, however, was just right.

Ready to serve over rice. The tiny black bits you might have noticed is the seasoning of my wok peeling off. I need to scrub and reseason it. They won't be there in your dish.

Below is my recipe.

Sweet and sour chicken pineapple

1 whole chicken breast, without bones, cut up into thin strips
3 T vegetable oil (preferably peanut)
1 green bell pepper and 1 red bell pepper, cut up into bite size pieces
1 sm. onion, sliced
2 c diced celery
1 (5 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained (optional)
1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/2 c water
1 t salt, 3 T apple cider vinegar, 3/4 c brown sugar and, optionally, 1 t MSG

1 can chunk pineapple, undrained
1 (1 lb.) can bean sprouts, drained (optional)

2 T cornstarch, 2 T water

Pre-cook the meat:
heat wok, then heat oil in wok. Add chicken and cook at medium heat, stirring, until meat turns white, about 5 mins.

Add the veggies, seasonings and fruit:
add bell peppers, onion, celery, chestnuts, bouillon, MSG, salt, vinegar and brown sugar. Cover and simmer for 10-15 mins. Stir often.
Add pineapple and bean sprouts, stir.

Thicken the sauce:
mix cornstarch with water and stir into mixture. Simmer for 3 mins.

... read more

Five spice spareribs

are what I cooked today. For some reason they are tough, even though I cooked them for twice as long as the recipe required. I had no patience to cook them any longer, they're edible as they are. It must be the meat because last time I made them they came out perfect, juicy and practically falling apart. Below is the recipe.

Five spice spareribs

3 lb pork spareribs

4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper, ground
1/2 t five spice powder
1 T honey
1 T sesame oil
3 T light soy sauce

1-2 T peanut oil
1/2 cup hot water

Cut up the ribs. Combine the spices and rub well into the meat.

Heat peanut oil in a large heavy wok or frying pan and brown the ribs. Add hot water, cover and simmer for 30 mins or until tender.

Serve hot with rice and plum sauce. ... read more

Martha bans unapproved supplies on employees' desks

As leaked by Gawker: "Martha and Co. have a few new rules for staffers in the new offices. Bring nothing! (...) Kevin Sharkey and Martha have decided that their new design scheme will be marred by any of the following: ink colors other than red or black, desks that are not completely clear at the end of the day, except for one metal basket of approved office supplies, and anything that could be construed as being personal, such as photos or coffee mugs".

Look at those pens. So Martha. I hate this minimalist color scheme.



And the cubicle makes me think of a death row cell. I wonder if it's her creative staff who have to work there.

She is just about the bossiest woman I've seen, and even though I like to think I've seen her laugh about it on several of her shows, I also think she might have gone a bit too far with this one.

Full text of the linked Gawker article follows:

Martha Stewart Surprisingly Anal About New Offices
By Hamilton Nolan, 1:13 PM on Mon Jan 26 2009, 48,037 views

A tipster at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia tells us Martha and Co. have a few new rules for staffers in the new offices. Bring nothing! Visual proof included below:

Kevin Sharkey and Martha have decided that their new design scheme will be marred by any of the following: ink colors other than red or black, desks that are not completely clear at the end of the day, except for one metal basket of approved office supplies, and anything that could be construed as being personal, such as photos or coffee mugs (I guess drinking fluids slows down the proletariat). Perhaps they are figuring the last part makes it that much easier to lay people off quickly, because they won't have to waste everyone's time by clearing out their desks.

Well you know Kevin Sharkey himself believes that "a truly beautiful room is one that hasn't been 'decorated' at all, but rather 'considered.'" So this would seem to fit. Consider this, employees: spill one drop of Diet Coke in here and you're fucking toast. ... read more

The hunk bares it

I might just be retarded but I've never been able to find an archive function at Alan Ilagan's blog. It's a pity because I like many of his photographs and would like to be able to see them again, as well as see what he'd published before I started reading him a year ago. He looks particularly well in a horizontal position, see pic. And he's had many better ones, too, facing up and down alike.

His blog is also calculated. He writes his posts ahead of time and has never actually revealed much about himself. He's been hiding behind his creations. Therefore, I was very surprised to read that he got "sucked into doing the ‘25 Random Things About Me" at Facebook, and actually published them in his blog.

Not that I was dying to know these things but since they're there but will not remain for long, while I tend to forget, I captured screenshots for memory's and curiosity's sake. Here goes Alan without a mask.



... read more

84 things about me

This is my 100th post. I intended to list 100 things about me in it because those lists seem to be popular with blog readers. I tend to read them myself. But I couldn't possibly bring myself to complete the task. I got seriously bored before I even reached 50. Since that list seemed much too short, with great effort, I lasted up to number 84 where I completely lost interest. I guess number 85 should say that I am not terribly introspective.

1. I'm an introvert and I tend to speak little.
2. I like having a lot of space for just myself.
3. I get tired around hyperactive people.
4. And around loud people.
5. I am absent minded.
6. I used to read a lot but these days I hardly read anything.
7. I hate newspapers.
8. I like eating well but cannot afford to do it very often.
9. I like cooking to eat well.
10. I hate being pressured into cooking.
11. I naturally gravitate towards healthy food.
12. I especially like Asian food. But I also like most foods except greasy and vinegary. I will gladly try almost anything.

13. I like gentle wines, liqueurs and tequila. I dislike strong, dry alcohols such as vodka, gin, whisky, brandy, cognacs.. Sometimes I will drink a light beer.
14. Corona beer with lemon makes me throw up.
15. I am not terribly fond of cocktails but I do like margarita and bloody mary.
16. I can drink little and burn alcohol with difficulty so I tend to avoid drinking.
17. I am not fond of sweets. My favorite tastes are hot and sour.
18. But I do like chocolate and punch-soaked, cherry-topped chocolate cakes.
19. I do not like peanuts.
20. My favorite ice-cream is fruit sherbets, particularly lemon and apricot.
21. I am thin.
22. I am fair skinned, blue-eyed, medium blond haired. I have one little scar on my body and I am slightly shortsighted.
23. I like to wear suede shoes.
24. I am currently single.
25. I am drawn to artistically inclined people.
26. I'm drawn to people who are my polar opposites. This combination doesn't always work out in the long term, though.
27. I used to laugh at the Zodiac but have observed that I don't get along well with most Aries and Scorpios.
28. I find personality and high intellectual capacity as alluring as good looks.
29. Size matters. It has to be right.
30. Obesity is not my cup of tea.
31. My best holidays were in Florida, driving from Miami to Key West to visit Hemingway's house. I loved the sea, wild palm trees viewed through house windows and the rainy weather.
32. My second best holidays were in the Canary Islands.
33. I am a sun lover.
34. I hate fall because when I don't get enough light my energy levels drop unbelievably.
35. I'd love to live in the mild climate of the Mediterranean, such as the Canary Islands or the south of Spain. The latter not being too mild but very sunny.
36. When on holidays, I like to sightsee. I don't like hanging around hotel pools.
37. My closest dream destination is Morocco. I'd also love to visit Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan..
38. The farthest I've been to Asia is Istanbul.
39. I am a good driver.
40. I do not like the radio on while driving. But I like conversation.
41. I do not speed unreasonably. But since the limits are set low, in fact I do speed.
42. I am always the last one on the road to notice a police patrol (see # 5).
43. I hate road rage and will take care to make other drivers comfortable. I accomplish this by staying away from them as much as possible.
44. I once considered working as a truck driver.
45. I am a late riser and an owl.
46. I always watch TV in bed and often fall asleep in the process, to find the TV still on in the morning.
47. I delude myself often.
48. Both my parents are alive and, although not very healthy, they are quite well.
49. I have a younger sister.
50. I have had one pet and it was a black stray cat He remained very independent throughout his life, i.e. refused to be locked in and would only come home to eat. That suited me perfectly.
51. I've never had any other pets because I didn't want the responsibility.
52. Sometimes I think I'd like a large parrot for a pet.
53. I don't like talking to people who are on drugs. Their misperception of reality makes me feel I am wasting time.
54. A performer's drug habit usually doesn't stop me from enjoying his/her performance.
55. I don't do drugs.
56. I used to smoke but quit at the turn of the century, i.e. on January 1st, 2000. My capacity was up to 10 cigarettes a day.
57. I am a fan of the New York subway.
58. I enjoyed watching the show Parco P.I.
59. Long artificial nails fascinate me.
60. I don't like tattoos and heavy piercings.
61. I have been told my psychological territory seems a tad too large.
62. I do have unsolved problems that affect my daily life that I should take care of.
63. One of my problems is inability to control clutter.
64. I also procrastinate much too much.
65. I am obsessive-compulsive.
66. I hate dust but I hate dusting even more. Unless I have a central vacuum.
67. I don't clean as often as it is required.
68. I like garden work.
69. I am better at cutting hair than some hairdressers.
70. I like working with my hands.
71. I like DIY projects.
72. I love tulips.
73. The most beautiful countryside I've seen was Tuscany.
74. I usually don't like big parties.
75. I don't like crowded places.
76. I dislike having smells imposed on me. This includes perfume.
77. Some perfumes give me an instant sinus-splitting headache.
78. But I like dim lit places filled with the smell of incense.
79. I used to almost never be at home. These days I am at home almost all the time.
80. I can turn 180 degrees with behaviors and predilections for things.
81. I no longer have a stationary phone number.
82. I do not like the sound of German and despite attempts never learned that language.
83. I used to speak very decent Russian.
84. I think ayurveda makes a lot of sense. ... read more

The plumber's gone again

I am not crazy about this guy, for two reasons. One, when he doesn't know how to do something he keeps experimenting, at the expense of at least my time. Two, when he cannot show up, he doesn't call, he just doesn't show up. For two weeks. Even after I call him to make another appointment, he also ignores that one. Then he gives me a one day notice that he will show up between noon and 1 p.m. on the following day, and shows up one to two hours late.

That has been our story this month.

When he finally showed up today, I was already mad because he was late, so I didn't talk to him much. He didn't like that because he likes company. I also did not help him drain water from the system so he had to run upstairs from the basement with buckets of water and back all by himself. He took four hours to complete the job that he's left to complete over a month ago.

He insisted on installing an additional pipe at the entry to the safety tank to prevent the effect of draining most of the system when the tank overflows. It didn't help. So he called some engineer acquaintance of his, only to learn that overflowing was caused by the general very large diameter of pipes leading to radiators, and no matter how much additional piping he installed around the safety tank, the system would drain through it if too much water was added too fast. Which was what I told him to begin with but he wouldn't listen. (See after he was gone last time I did my own experiment and added water to the system slowly, cup by cup, and it only overflowed by a controlled couple of drops instead of draining itself through the tank.) So now I have a safety tank with a redundant pipe on the system which functions exactly as it did, i.e. has to be filled slowly. (In the pic, the silver pipe below the tank is not required - the white pipe should be connected directly to the tank, preferably - to keep it looking neat - to its bottom right side.)

Luckily, he has restored the safety tank to its correct placement within the system, i.e. right next to the boiler and attached to the pipe through which hot water enters the system.

I decided to ignore the redundant pipe on the tank for today because I still wasn't feeling well and I wanted him to leave. It's not very big and I'll have to build a drywall cover around the tank anyway. If I can't live with it, I'll call him in a couple of days to come back and straighten it up.

To end on a positive note, he also changed two malfunctioning release valves on the radiators in my apartment so now all they are all air-free and fully operative. Nothing more is waiting to be fixed - I am fully prepared for the winter. ... read more

Fixing central heating...

I am trying to fix the central heating before winter arrives. Unfortunately, I had to change the boiler because the old one started seriously leaking last winter. Now I am having problems getting the whole system functioning. That is, the new boiler works all right but I cannot seem to force water into a majority of the radiators. Apparently, the system somehow drained itself through the holes in the old boiler and the radiators are now full of air. It isn't being properly released - hopefully due to their malfunctioning relief valves and not something more serious, such as obstructed pipes - which stops water from entering them.

I am having a plumber over tomorrow first thing in the morning to work on this. It's going to be his third visit.. During the first two visits he installed the boiler and made two attempts to fill the system with water, without any success. The water kept overflowing through the safety tank before the system was less than a half full. Initially, he thought the placement of the safety tank was causing this, so he experimented changing it. To an incorrect one, by the way, luckily it didn't make any difference, so tomorrow he's putting it back where it should be, i.e. where the hot water enters the system - instead of where the cooled water returns to the boiler, as he has it installed now. Then he's going to release the air from the radiators and try to fill the system up again. I sincerely hope he's finished around noon. In fact, he certainly will be because he's attending a wedding in the afternoon. No way he can miss that.. not his own wedding but he's truly a family man and will always put such social occasions before work.

I am wishing myself luck before his visit.
... read more

Expandable post summaries installed

All right, so I successfully installed a hack allowing for creating expandable post summaries (from coderstalk). It didn't take me more than an hour, so don't be shy. You won't regret trying it. And it works. I don't seem to have a problem uploading images into such posts, and it can be applied retrospectively (manually, you'll need to briefly edit old posts). I think I will slightly modify the font style and the placement of the link "...Read more" within posts but otherwise I will be happy with it least for a while.

I'd also like to have that cool hack where you click on a post title to reveal hidden content without the words "...Read more" but I haven't found one yet. I'll continue looking.

Update: you'll have to reinstall the hack once you select a new template. Now I have to test if all the abbreviated posts will have to be modified again, or if they will pick up on the hack introduced to the new template.
... read more

Chainsaw care tips

At one point this afternoon my chainsaw totally lost its bite. The chain was dull and not lubricated properly which caused it to heat. I took it to a service shop for quick sharpening. Here's what the service guy told me about taking proper care of this handsome tool.

Lubricate. Check and add lubricant more frequently than you add fuel. This means very, very often. Ideally, the lube compartment should never be found empty. Then, make sure lubricant is actually injected onto the chain. This can be checked as follows: start the saw and hold it with the tip of the blade pointing sligtly down over any surface on which you will be able to see dripping oil, e.g. low over bare ground. Press and hold down the trigger - make sure the chain is rotating at high speed. Almost immediately, a short line should appear on that surface, formed by the lubricant dripping from the rotating chain. If no such line appears, your chain is too dry.

To see why, check the screw which controls the amount of lubricant applied to the chain. Unscrew it and remove completely, than start the saw. After a brief while, you should see a drop of lubricant oozing from the opening where the screw used to be. This is good, it means the lubricant is being transferred from its compartment to the chain. Simply put the screw back in its place and regulate. If you leave it too loose, too much lubricant will be released. Screw it in a bit but not so far as to suppress lubrication.

Bad news is when no drop appears. This means lubricant is not being transferred towards the chain. You (or preferably the service guy) need to look under the saw's cover and see if the parts responsible for lube injection are all right. The most common find is a broken lube pump, or, in older models, which are not equipped with a lube pump but instead use subpressure lube injection, the rubber part which injects lube (or conducts it, I didn't quite get it) is found dried out and hardened and needs to be replaced. Fixing the lube pump is costly, the rubber thing comes quite cheaply.

Sharpen. The chain needs to be sharpened every fourth time you add fuel. This means very often. Use a proper file, which should come with your saw, and gently file the edge of each tooth on the underside (not the top side!) three times only, horizontally, in the direction away from you. From time to time let the service guy professionally sharpen the chain for you, so that the teeth wear evenly.

Important note: make sure not to put the chain on the blade backwards (i.e. with cutting edges facing backwards). You will seriously damage the saw if you attempt to cut with the dull side of the teeth.


I love the feeling of a sharp chain biting into wood, folks. All you need to do is hold the saw and gently guide it. This tool is currently my favorite toy.
... read more

Tuesday at the farm

Piles upon arrival

Today the weather turned sunny and warm - as promised - and I managed to get down to the farm to continue the cleanup we are doing this year.

I cut down around 15 plum trees and I dragged them to the other side of the house where we have bonfires. Two large piles of branches, built earlier this month, were already there, and I added two even bigger piles to them. Basically the lawn is now surrounded with stacked tree branches waiting to be burnt. I'll still have to cut all that wood into smaller pieces so that the piles become more manageable, and hopefully even burn some, if weather allows. Some more trees also need to be cut down along the eastern and northern fence, so I'm planning to go there several more times before snow falls.

... read more

Bright blue geranium

I don't know the name of this lovely blue and pink geranium. It very much resembles the variety Orion, which I've seen in bloom at a nursery. But I bought it without a label.

A couple of weeks ago, the plant in the picture was transplanted to its new home - a newly dug flowerbed not far from my house. That's why you can see bare soil around it. In the rainy weather that followed in September it quickly took root and even produced some flowers.

It is a faithful bloomer, one of the earliest in the spring, and repeats throughout the summer and fall. The spring flush is most spectacular. The plant is quite modest but the luminous flowers shine from yards away. Flower color is definitely its most attractive feature - it is my favorite among the geraniums I've collected so far. The flowers are not small, either, but medium sized, if not large - for a geranium. It is best planted in dappled shade because the hot spring sun makes the leaves curl and the flowers drop petals.

... read more

Blogging is time consuming

I am just discovering this. I thought I'd simply be writing a post or two and hitting enter but then there's posting images. Should I keep them small for transfer's sake or large for clarity's sake. How do I keep them small and clear. Why doesn't my Picasa web album load properly but instead keeps reloading constantly and I have to catch the images with my mouse to edit them. Why doesn't the fourth image I uploaded today to my Wednesday's post October roses open larger when clicked, while the first three images do. Is it Picasa malfunctioning, the post too large, my alternative browser or perhaps applications running in the background? I am helpless and, in truth, not excited at the prospect of testing this. Any advice will be greatly appreciated :-)

Update: I did some testing and I don't think images won't open because a post is too large. There seems to be some kind of transmission or browser error.

I also spammed whoever is following this blog by deleting and reposting the same post three times. I am sorry - I'll try to refrain from doing so as much as I can. I understand only editing posts is safe in that respect. But is it possible to fix image opening errors by editing posts?

Update: Apparently, yes (while another hour has passed). I reset the PC. I changed the image name and reuploaded to the same post. It worked, the renamed image opened. Then I cut and pasted that image to place it correctly within the body of the post, and it got stuck again. I renamed and reuploaded again and this time cut and pasted text without touching the image. It opens. Phew! So it's either a question of some internal links and file names or it may have to do with the image being selected within the post - I wasn't sure if it was or wasn't selected. Perhaps I should work with the html code rather than the image displayed in the "compose mode" tab. Research to follow.

Also, apparently the Picasa web album only stores copies of blog images, as I deleted some from there (by mistake - it mixed up the numbers of displayed images) and I still have them, both small and larger versions, on my blog. Hooray. I feel like getting rid of Picasa should be my next step.

P.S. I noticed I had my background application off after resetting the PC.. but I doubt it affected test results. ... read more

Eating dangerously: pork belly stew Tung Po Rou

I made some pork belly stew Tung Po Rou according to the recipe enclosed below, only skipping the spinach. The dangerous part is that the pork belly was five days past its expiration date. It smelled very little so I decided to give it a try. I made sure the recipe called for prolonged cooking in order to kill whatever might already be living in the pork. I recall reading that before refrigerators eating unfresh meat was a normal practice and that spices were used not so much to add flavor but rather to cover the unfresh smell. So I am now eating it. It doesn't taste off, in fact it's quite good, and I hope to still be around tomorrow.

Pork belly stew Tung Po Rou

1 1/3 lb pork belly
2 scallions, crushed
1 inch piece fresh ginger, crushed
6 T soy sauce
1 cup Chinese rice wine or sherry (substitute with apple juice)
4 T rock sugar (I used brown sugar)

1 bunch of spinach, washed and drained
1 T oil
1/3 t salt
a pinch of MSG, optional

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan and put in the pork. When the water returns to a boil, remove the pork. Cut into pieces 2 inch long and 1/2 inch thick.
Put the scallions, ginger and wine in a pan. Add the sliced pork, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat and pour in the soy sauce. Cover and simmer until the meat becomes tender. If the juice evaporates too much, you may add a little water.
Stir in the sugar. When the sugar has completely melted and the pork is glossy, remove from the heat.

Heat the oil, add the salt and spinach, and stir-fry quickly over high heat. Just before removing from the stove, season with MSG. Put the meat and the sauce on a serving dish and place the spinach along one side.

(recipe from chinesefood-recipes.com)
... read more