frying

I went to a post-Thanksgiving potluck tonight. The host fried a 10-lb turkey. This time I witnessed the play by play.




it takes roughly 3 mins/pound to fry a turkey


it took over 3 gallons of peanut oil


you must sloooooowly lower the turkey into the oil so the water can evaporate. otherwise, it may boil over. it sounded like a pellet gun was going off in the frier


voila!


we had other food too, like this prime rib


and lots of desserts

eating sweets

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I enjoyed my day off, one of the six paid holidays I get off from work. Too bad I still have to work on Friday and Saturday. I had turkey with my family and was so sad that I couldn't partake in the Dutch apple pie. It is probably the most tempted I've been since I started cutting down on sweets (I've decided on 12/31/05 as the end date).

The night was still young, so I went to my friends' house for Mongolian hot pot. It is like Chinese hot pot, but with more spices. A couple of people brought dessert--deep fried sweet potato dumplings and creme puffs. This falls into my exception for home-made goodies, so I was able to indulge. This year, I'm thankful for people who make things from scratch.


Mongolian hot pot, spicy version


deep fried dumplings with sweet potato pie filling. crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. dip these in condensed milk for a decadent treat


creme puffs. i'll post the recipe once i get it

the "shark tank"

With all the things going on in LA, it seemed like the wrong weekend to go out of town, but everything worked out for the best. I had plenty of activities waiting for me in the bay area. On Saturday, I played tennis and then went shooting. After a hot pot dinner, my cousin and I went to a Sharks vs. Coyotes game at HP Pavilion in San Jose. I love the energy at hockey games, all the "oohs" and "ahhs" of the crowd. That night the stadium was full. It was an exciting game and we were only two rows away from the ice. This year, the NHL enacted a new rule so that games can not end in a tie. I got to see this rule in action. The score was 3-3 at the end of regulation, so they went into a 5:00 overtime, but neither team scored, so they went to a shoot-out. Each team took three shots, but that ended in a tie as well, so they went to sudden death in the shoot-out. The Sharks lost 1-2 in the shoot-out, but they still get one point for losing in overtime rather than zero points for losing in regulation.

I had big plans for Sunday, but my body didn't allow it. I came down with food poisoning or something equally terrible, with abdominal pains and full body muscle aches. Maybe that was a reminder for me to slow down. I went to my old church and hung out with friends over ramen and gelato. It was fun catching up. I spent the remainder of my time resting and had an El Amigo burrito for dinner, yum yum. I did everything on my list and am feeling much better today :).


target shooting at 15 yards


wayne "the great one" gretzky is the head coach of the phoenix coyotes


shoot-out


banana pancakes at the original pancake house


ramen at maru ichi noodle house

falling on my ass

Last night, the gym where my church had its volleyball league was available, so the organizer invited everyone to come out and play. I played with some people I had never met before. That was a mistake. They were league players and I was the weakest link. They were nice and tried to get me involved, but I was out of my element. I ran into two people. How did that happen? I never run into people! and now twice in one night.

Well, during the first game with this group, one guy says he's setting 5-1. I had no idea what that meant. I thought he was going to set the ball 5' high and 1' off the net. During the church league, we had been playing center set, meaning the person in the front middle sets the ball, so everyone gets a chance to set. So when I rotate to the front center, I go to set the ball and run into this guy as he goes to set the ball. What the? He says we're playing 5-1, meaning there is one all-time setter who stands to the right and everyone else hits (spikes). This opens up the front to build a stronger offense. It makes sense, but center set is all I've ever played and I feel awkward in this new format.

In our second game, we're back to center set. The ball comes straight toward me and the setter calls out my name. I assume he wants me to set the ball, so I go to set and run into him as he goes to set the ball. He's a lot bigger than I am, so I bounce off of him and fall on my butt. Apparently, he called out my name to tell me he was setting to me. Ahhhhh!! I was okay, but a little sore today. It could have been worse. I could have landed on my wrists.

After these games, I sat on the bench minding my own business when a bunch of people called out my name. They needed a sub for this girl who got injured. I looked around and there was no one else on the bench. Oh great, I have to play with these people again? Everyone was nice, but it was discouraging all the same. I hate volleyball.

slowing down

I had a pretty mellow weekend. I went to two parties, but didn't feel busy because I didn't have to organize or prepare anything. All I had to do was show up. The first one was a housecooling (opposite of housewarming) to celebrate my friend moving out of his apartment. No, we didn't trash the place. The second one was a birthday party. I did pick up a gift card from Starbucks, but that was easy. We had chips and salsa, carrots, tater tots, curly fries, bbq ribs, chicken, meatball/tomato soup, salad, rice, and rolls. Very impressive, especially since it wasn't a potluck. I've decided to cut down on sweets, so I refrained from eating cake (one calpico, one tiramisu), almond jello, and cream puffs.