Jun 29, 2010

Two Tips to Save You Lots of Time in LA

Here are a couple of tips that you won’t use frequently, but could save you hours when you need them. The links are specific to Los Angeles and California, but you should look for similar opportunities in your area if you’re not local.

Tip #1: Make an appointment when you have to go to the DMV. I have done this twice now, and it just amazes me to see the people standing in a line that goes out the door and around the building when I can just walk in and be done with my business in fifteen minutes because I had an appointment. It’s easy to make an appointment online here.

Tip #2: Do your juror orientation online. This is a relatively new development, but if you are called into jury duty in Los Angeles County, you should be given the option of completing the orientation by watching online videos. It can delay the time you need to report to the courthouse by two hours or so (e.g., from 7:15 to 9:30). The training video did crash once and had to be restarted from the beginning. You’ll have to answer some questions during the training, but it’ll tell you the correct answer if you get one wrong. The certificate that you have to print is multiple pages, but you should only need the first page for proof of completion. You can learn more about online orientation here (click on the orientation link on the left).

I thought about adding a Tip #3: Check traffic maps before you leave for your destination. But in all honesty, the maps have never been particularly useful. I have found Sigalert.com to be far more accurate than Google Maps, but still takes some time to update. Unfortunately, the best advice when it comes to dealing with LA traffic is still: "Leave early."

Jun 28, 2010

Recipe: Gluten-Free Tempura Batter & Tempura Sauce

A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of watching my friend R. stare down our friend Z. until Z. ate her sweet potato tempura. R. has celiac disease, meaning gluten does nasty things to her digestive tract, so she hadn't had tempura in over three years. And that day, Z. kept talking instead of eating until R. finally demanded, "Can you please eat that sweet potato?!"

So, knowing that rice flour is often used in tempura batter, I offered to make R. lots of gluten-free sweet-potato tempura. The batter is fairly thin, but I prefer it that way. It was marvelously crunchy, and R. was thrilled.


Gluten-Free Tempura Batter (adapted from Cooking Light)

2 cups rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold carbonated water

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl. Add the carbonated water and whisk until smooth.

The batter was the right amount to make tempura for six people. Use whatever vegetable or protein you like. I've had steak tempura before (the meat was about a 1-inch cube), as well as banana tempura with chocolate sauce for dessert. For this meal, I cooked sweet potato, red pepper, zucchini, broccoli and eggplant.

I made the following sauce following a recipe in a Japanese cookbook my mom got me:

Tempura Sauce

1 cup dashi (bonito flake stock)
3 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
4 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat through.

If you use gluten-free dashi and gluten-free soy sauce, your entire meal will be gluten-free.

A word about cooking temperature: my Japanese cookbook recommended a lower temp for the vegetables, about 320 degrees. Cooking Light recommends 380. I found 360-ish to work well for this batter, and after draining the tempura on paper towels, it wasn't greasy at all.

Jun 25, 2010

Review: Sea World San Diego

We went to Sea World in San Diego for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The boys had a great time, and the animal performances are truly amazing. Everyone’s favorite part was the Sea Lions Live show, in which two sea lions and an otter do scenes from popular TV shows. I left wanting a small otter to take home as a pet. The host of that show was the most entertaining part of the day, and before the show began, it was fun trying to identify the TV theme song before he acted it out.

We saw three other shows, Shamu Live, Blue Horizons, and Pets Rule. Predictably, Shamu Live has killer whales – and it just blows my mind that these enormous creatures can lift their bodies out of the water the way they do. Unfortunately, the "story" element of the show – involving some unclear theme of "believe" – detracts, rather than adds, to the enjoyment. And since the story involved a carved wooden whale tail, as we left the stadium, there was someone hawking whale tail necklaces to hit us over the head with the commercialism.

Blue Horizons primarily features dolphins but also has pilot whales and beautiful birds. However, here too, there’s a ridiculous story that just gets in the way of the entertainment. In fact, they needed an emcee to describe the premise before the show started: a "young girl" dreams of interacting with dolphins and birds, and her dreams come true when she meets the dolphin god Delphis and the bird goddess Aurora. The "young" girl looked to be at least 30, so that was disconcerting. Delphis turned out to be a trainer whose gray wetsuit had the outline of a dolphin tail. Aurora and her bird trainers were not-quite-spectacular Cirque de Soleis style performers. There were also high divers looked like they’d reached their pinnacle in college - they were good, but not great, and one of them hit the water face first, causing me to cringe.

You are allowed to enter the stadiums 30 minutes before showtimes, but for the most part, you’re then stuck sitting there with the kids with nothing to do. It’s not that big a deal for adults or older kids, but I recommend being prepared with a distraction with younger kids. We had snacks while waiting, which worked out because of the time between shows.

Speaking of food, we ate lunch at the Calypso Bay Smokehouse, which was about what you’d expect from an amusement park restaurant: marginally edible and overpriced. Exercise caution if you order a large soda, because they don’t provide lids unless you spring for a souvenir cup – I ended up with soda on my plate, though it fortunately landed in an unoccupied compartment.

Although the signs outside the park say no outside food or water, we clearly had bottled water and snacks in our backpacks when they were inspected at the gate and were allowed to bring them in. That helped keep costs down, since of course, everything is outrageously expensive inside the park. I was particularly shocked by the cold soda in reusable plastic bottles that were being sold before the shows for $8.75.

There are a few rides at Sea World, but my boys didn’t meet the height requirement for most of them. For younger kids, the Sesame Street-themed rides in the Sesame Street Bay of Play area are great. Active kids of all ages will enjoy the climbing structure that’s in the same area.

Right now, Sea World has a deal where you get a child’s ticket for just $5 when you buy an adult’s ticket. Regular admission is $69 for ages 10 and up and $59 for ages 3 through 9 (ages 2 and under get in free), so the $5 deal is awesome.

Parking note: We arrived shortly after the park opened and declined the upgrade to VIP parking for an additional $5. After we parked, we were surprised by how close we were to the park (a world of difference from Disneyland), so I think you would want to pay for preferred parking only in very exceptional circumstances.

Jun 22, 2010

Recipe: Whole Wheat Milk Bread

This was one of the recipes I made when I had to use up that gallon of milk. I’ve been making this bread almost weekly for a couple of months now. It’s my go-to sandwich bread, as it’s much lighter than the artisan bread. I still keep artisan bread dough in my fridge, and I’ve discovered that working with the artisan bread dough has made me a better bread baker in general. I’d made this milk bread before discovering Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,but it never came out as light and delicious as it does now, and I think that’s because I’ve become more comfortable and familiar with dough.

I mix my dough in a 4 1/2-quart stand mixerusing the dough hook, so the recipe below is for a stand mixer. But I’m sure you could also mix the dough by hand or maybe even in a food processor. You may also be able to mix the dough in a bread machine, but unless your machine is quite large, I wouldn’t recommend baking in it because you’re looking for a large, high loaf.

Whole Wheat Milk Bread - adapted from The 1997 Joy of Cooking
makes 1 large loaf

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 1/4 cups milk, warmed to 105° to 115° F
5 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white whole wheat or whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
2 1/2 cups bread flour

1. Place the yeast in the bottom of the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. In a medium bowl (or Pyrex measuring cup, which is what I use), combine the milk, butter, sugar, egg and salt. Pour the milk mixture over the yeast and mix to combine.

2. Add the whole wheat flour, vital wheat gluten, and bread flour to the bowl, and mix on low. When the flour is incorporated, increase speed to medium and knead the dough for 10 minutes. Dough should be slightly sticky but mostly smooth when kneading is done.

3. Form the dough into a ball and place in a large, oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4. Punch the dough down and knead a few times, then cover again with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a nonstick 8 or 9-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in volume again, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.

6. Preheat oven to 375°. Brush the top of the loaf with milk. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing.

Some notes:
1. You can omit the whole wheat flour and vital wheat gluten and use 3 1/2 cups of bread flour for a soft, slightly sweet white sandwich bread. I started with the all-white version, but I like the added fiber that whole wheat flour provides - and white whole wheat flour is so mild that my kids haven’t noticed or complained. The whole wheat version is also a little sturdier and easier to slice.

2. I keep sliced loaves in the freezer in zip-top bags with the air squeezed out. We go through the bread quickly enough that freezer burn isn’t an issue. But if I were going to keep the bread longer than say, two weeks, I would wrap it well in plastic wrap before freezing.

3. The loaf will be quite large, which I find perfectly suited to sandwiches, especially since I slice the bread quite thin. Also, my kids don’t eat crust, so the larger size means I’m not wasting filling at the edges unless I over-fill the sandwich.

Jun 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day!

I feel so blessed to have a spouse who's truly an equal in parenting - actually, he probably does more parenting than I do! And the boys will someday know understand lucky they are to have a dad like him.

So to all the wonderful dads out there (including mine!), I wish you a very Happy Father's Day!

Jun 17, 2010

Recipe: Rice Pudding

It was surprisingly difficult to find a rice pudding recipe that called for cooked rice - I finally used this one and this one to establish proportions, then improvised. I'll definitely be making this again - the boys loved it.

Rice Pudding
makes . . . a lot - at least 10 servings

4 cups plain cooked rice
4 cups milk
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine all of the ingredients in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring well to break up any large clumps of rice. Cook for 20 minutes, or until mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 10 minutes, or until mixture is the desired consistency.

Note: The next time I'll use brown sugar instead of white sugar - I think it will give it a richer taste with more depth. The white sugar was kind of one-dimensional. I also think you could probably reduce the eggs to 3 or even 2 without any loss in texture.

Note 2: I highly recommend a flat whisk like this one*by Oxo (which is my favorite brand because almost everything they make can go in the dishwasher, including this flat whisk). Because of their shape, flat whisks can get into the edges of a pan, which is key when you're making something like pudding or cheese sauce that's thick and wants to stick to the pan.


*affiliate link

Emergency Cooking Project Results

As I mentioned on Sunday, I had an unopened gallon of milk I needed to use up. I got through about two-thirds of it by cooking:

a double batch of pudding (chocolate & banana)
two loaves of Milk Bread
a double batch of rice pudding

I simply ran out of steam and time, but I'm adding mac & cheese and potato soup to my plan next time, thanks to ras and juau4. (I think maybe the boys are drinking less, because I'm not buying more than before and the supply used to match the demand.)

I'll post recipes for the pudding, bread and rice pudding. I'd never made either of the puddings before, but they turned out well.

Here are the other things I wish I'd had time to make:

waffles
biscuits (cut and flash frozen for the future)
shortcake (to go with the strawberries I've been buying)
vanilla custard + sponge cake = trifle (also for the strawberries)

Maybe next time :)

I know milk can be frozen too, though I don't really care to drink it. But it's perfectly fine for cooking.

Jun 13, 2010

Emergency Cooking Challenge: Use up 1 gallon of milk

I just discovered an unopened gallon of milk that expired on Friday that I want to use up today. I have to take the boys to a birthday party in a few minutes, but when I get home, I plan to cook up a storm. On my list so far are:

2 loaves of Whole Wheat Milk Bread (our favorite homemade sandwich bread - recipe to come later)
double recipe of Waffles
pudding (chocolate and vanilla)

I'm probably going to need one more recipe. Any suggestions?

Jun 12, 2010

Buying Quality Food: Beyond certifications

Last year, I read this article by Russ Parsons, a food writer for the LA Times. The idea that just because a food doesn't have the "organic" label doesn't mean it was grown with chemicals, hormones and/or antibiotics was novel to me, but gradually over the last year, it's taken hold in me.

I've discovered that especially at farmer's markets, a lot of the produce that's not certified organic is still grown without chemical fertilizer and pesticides. The farmer I've been buying strawberries from for the past few weeks said that he uses garlic and ladybugs to protect his crop. (And I found a tiny ladybug in the last batch of strawberries that I bought.)

When I first started shopping regularly at farmer's markets, my initial impression was that the produce was more expensive than the supermarket. But compared to the price of organic produce, it's actually cheaper. So I've been buying almost all of my produce at the farmer's market for the last month or so.

And I love it.

The strawberries don't last as long. They're super ripe when I buy them, so they're extra sweet but they need to be eaten quickly. Which is not a problem with the boys and me around. I pay $5 for 3 full pints, a little less than the price of $2.69 for 16 ounces of not-so-sweet organic strawberries at Trader Joe's.

Occasionally, supermarkets will have small avocados on sale for 50 cents, but the usual sale price is 99 cents or $1. Well, the regular price at the farmer's market is $1, and they keep for two or three times as long.

Peaches grown organically but without the official certification are just $2 per pound, a price that's comparable to Trader Joe's if memory serves. Even if they're a bit more expensive, the higher quality and the fact that I'm supporting a local farmer make them worthwhile.

This article at Mark Bittman's blog suggests that I'm on the right track. The article mentions some pig farmers who aren't interested in obtaining the organic certification in part because it would double the price of their pork. But the lack of certification doesn't mean their product isn't high quality.

It's important to me to feed my family - especially my children - organic or at least hormone and antibiotic-free dairy, meat and produce. But now I know not to be so hung up on labels.

Jun 8, 2010

Ways to Make & Save Money #15: Pinecone Research

You can read the rest of the Ways to Make & Save Money series here.

I realize it's Tuesday, but I got an email from Pinecone Research yesterday saying that they're accepting new members, so I wanted to mention them now. They are my favorite survey company, because they pay $3 for each product survey completed. It's not a lot of money for 5 to 20 minutes of my time, but it's a great diversion, can be done while multitasking, and there's always the chance that I'll end up getting a free product to test.

As with all reputable survey companies, you have to agree to a rather strict confidentiality clause when you sign up with Pinecone, and restate your agreement with each survey. Pinecone seems to work primarily with major, well-established companies, who are looking for input on products they are developing, so you'll get a sneak peek at quite a few products that eventually make it to the market.

It's been my experience that Pinecone pays very reliably, by paper check or Paypal. There is no minimum cash out threshold, so you'll receive payment after each survey - you don't even have to ask.

I used to get very few surveys, but lately I've been getting more. I don't know if that's because my demographic has become more desirable, or because the manufacturers are giving them more business. It's great, though - I've already done a dozen surveys this year, and the experience of taking them has been so unremarkable that I would have said I'd done half that number. (I mean "unremarkable" in a good way, because I'd probably only remember taking a survey if it was a bad experience.)

If you want to sign up for Pinecone, now's your chance. You can sign up here, hopefully the link will still be active when you click through. You can learn more about Pinecone here, and read their privacy policy here.

Note: Pinecone is notorious for leaving their sign up links up for a very short time, so you may have noticed that I posted the registration link yesterday right after I got the email. If the original sign up link above becomes inactive, I'll update this post when there is a new link and give you a heads up on Twitter.

Jun 7, 2010

Pinecone Research Open Registration

I'll be posting more about Pinecone Research tomorrow, but if you know who they are and have been wanting to sign up, now's your chance because they are looking for new members. Here's the link.

I don't usually post random links like this, but since Pinecone usually leaves their sign up links up for a short time only, I wanted to share it right away. More info on them to come tomorrow . . .

Ways to Make & Save Money #14: Adjust As You Go

You can read the rest of the Ways to Make & Save Money series here.

For almost ten years now, I’ve had a budget or spending plan of some kind. It was stricter at first, meaning I was quite diligent about tracking our income and expenses. And then it became more of a guide to make sure we were staying on track with our goals – I stopped logging every expenditure, but I knew about how much we were spending and whether it was in line with our budget.

Last month, I mentioned that I've made one adjustment to how I manage our money that’s made a big difference, and Gina from Moneywise Moms said she really wanted to know what it was. Well, I’m a little embarrassed because it’s not really a big thing, but it did make it a lot easier for me to keep track of what should be going into savings.

Every month, we get a check from our flexible spending account to reimburse us for our daycare costs, as well as any medical expenses that have come up. And prior to this year, I used to direct that money where it was needed – so if I needed to pay a bill, it went into checking, and if there were no bills due, I deposited it into savings. In a way, I saw these checks as “extra” money to be snowflaked whenever possible.

But this year, I started depositing all reimbursement checks into our checking account. I decided that since they are reimbursement for expenses we’ve already paid for, it would balance out our budget by allowing me to keep savings in our savings account. I was a little worried at first that my new system would cause me to save less than I could. But that hasn’t happened. I have only needed to raid our savings account once this year, and that was for a medical expense incurred last year that wasn’t covered by our flexible spending account because we’d already exhausted it. I wish I’d made this change years ago, because I think it would have simplified my tracking a lot!

So that's this week's tip: Don't be afraid to make changes. If you don't like how it goes, you can always make another change, and you just may discover that change is a beautiful thing!

Jun 2, 2010

Preparing for Kindergarten Part One: Lunches

I have no idea how many parts this series will be, and I certainly have no concrete plans for when posts will go up. But I do know that preparing for kindergarten is always on my mind - it's our biggest milestone yet, and so I'm more than a little anxious about it. (My son, on the other hand, is quite blasé about it - of course.)

One of the things I've been thinking about is lunch. I know public school lunches are cheap, but I'd rather pack my children their own lunch, with higher quality ingredients.

I pack lunch for preschool every day, so the actual act of packing isn't a big deal at all. I'm more concerned about what will go in it, because with preschool, I have the option of putting in food that needs to be warmed up. I won't have that option when the boys are in kindergarten.

Fortunately, in the last month or so, both boys have started eating cold cuts. So cold cut sandwiches are now an option that I am grateful to have. I would have loved the PB&J option, but we don't keep any nut products in the house because of food allergies. I've thought about buying Uncrustables when they're on sale and keeping them in the freezer, but I have this fear that they'll end up being given to the wrong child in an absentminded moment.

I've got Price Protectr tracking the price of a Ms. Bento thermal lunch jar*for me (see Lunch in a Box for more info on thermal jars). I'm intrigued by these because they keep food warm, and it would be a way for me to pack pasta, pizza rolls or chicken nuggets for lunch.

But that brings to another concern - whether little hands can open the containers I pack the food in. I have a variety of bento boxes that I currently use, but at preschool, the teachers transfer all of the food onto a paper plate, which the children must throw away when they are done. But starting in August, I plan to practice packing kindergarten-appropriate lunches and asking the teachers to serve them as is, without transferring the food to a paper plate. It'll be a trial and error experiment to see which bento boxes work best for us as we transition to a whole new phase of life.

*affiliate link