World of miniME

It's New Year's Eve, instead of attending parties or friends and family gathering, I decided to stay home, make myself a good meal and call it a day. After all, this holiday been busy, filled with much packing and cleaning, friends and family visits and much more still need to be done.

Couples years back, I wrote down this Chipotle Lamb Chops recipe. I must have forgot about it all these years and I never had a chance to try it.



Chipotle Lamb Chops

Ingredients

2 chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce
plus 2 tablespoons sauce from the can
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bone-in lamb shoulder chops (about 2 pounds)
Sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped white onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

Directions

1. Mince and mash the chiles into a paste with a large knife, then mix with the adobo sauce, cumin and thyme in a small bowl. Season the lamb chops with salt and coat with the chile mixture.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the lamb chops and cook until browned on both sides and a crust starts to form, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cilantro, bay leaves and cinnamon, and cook until the garlic is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices; use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. The chops should be barely submerged in liquid; add up to 1/2 cup water, if needed. Cook until the meat is tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Serve the chops with the sauce.

Review
The flavor was great however if I am going to try this again, I would season it and let it sits for at least a day ahead and slow cook it.

I have been knitting the Henry scarf for my dad since August and it finally all knitted up and blocked and ready to gift away.

 

I wanted to knit this pattern ever since it came out, it is a slip stitch herringbone pattern with a clean cut classic look. However it does require A LOT of knitting with thin fingering yarn. The long knit combined with my full time work and study schedule made this a five month long process. Although it was kind of a boring knit, I have to say the result is quit lovely.  I don’t rule out knitting it again, however it will for sure for someone who’s close to my heart, due to the amount of work it is required.

My attempt in saving the habanero through winter had proven fatal. I repotted the habanero into smaller pot and brought them indoor in November, attempted to save it through the cold winter. However this attempt had introduced aphids and meanly bug to my indoor plants. I now found them all over my orchids and couple other houseplants.

I usually don't care about aphids much, when they are outside they tend to be easily controlled and quickly taken care of by the ladybugs. It is rather hard and silly to get a bag of ladybugs and release them indoor. With a perfect temperature and no natural predator, it’s like a natural incubator for them.

 

I guess my task in the afternoon is the spray and kill. Maybe I can do a trail on rubbing alcohol spray V.S. warm soapy water spray and report on the result on my next post.

Nope, I won't be at the Work Less party.
Nope, you won't be able to find me at Parade of Lost Souls. 
Nope, not the skytrain party.
Nope, no Rascals, no house parties either... 

If I am lucky I will finish my assignments before 23:00 Sunday, maybe I will get to watch some TV before going to bed.

Well, the up side? I will be at school Saturday so I am excused for the board & staff retreat this weekend, which allows one hour dinner, Saturday breakfast starts at 7:30 and meeting till 5:00pm on a Halloween Saturday.

God aren't I lucky. YAAAAA !!!!!!!!!

IT's almost DONE!! Well... other then cutting the trimming out the threads, turning in the hem, finishing off the cuff, maybe add a button around the collar, ... It would be nice if I gather up the band above the chest, and add some lace along the band as well. ... I guess I could take it in two inches each side, it seems a bit big on me... EVERYTHING seems a bit big on me. Other then all of the above, IT's DONE!!. :)

I have sew my very first cardigan, I make lot of skirts but never tops, as some of you may have notice. That is a result of my small-ish waist and chest, I always end up with much bigger item with lots of alteration. Alteration for skirt is rather easy, just cut back on the waist band and you are done, but top is always harder.

So this is what I did this evening. I picked up 2 yard of this fabric last winter from textile clearance house for $2/yd. It is a lovely teal bush furry unknown fiber (not gray like the photo), my guess is it's poly-blend, super soft and super warm. :)

I think I will make another one with this pattern, but in a more dressy fabric, and I think I will alter the pattern smaller so there won't be so much ease underarm.

So it is final… The little townhouse is sold.  

I can’t really put a word to what my feeling is just yet.  Maybe in time, when the chaos is gone, the move is done, the house is clear, the dust settles, IF the dust ever settles, feeling will finally sink in.  Maybe in time I will drop a tear, say good bye to the little house and mourn what it was or what it could have been. 

“What it was or what it could have been”, such a vague statement.  I guess it sounds better then mourn the end of a relationship. Truth be told, there’s not a lot of sadness around the separation, it is almost a foreseeable inevitable. The sadness is more towards putting things in the past and a sudden realization of age and achievement.  

Wow, it must be the longest silent I have ever had.  It's been more then a year since my last entry.  A busy year is the least to descript it; work, relationship/s, community obligation was overwhelming my life to a drowning point.  With some reflections and small decluttering, I started to find my ground again.  One day at a time, I determine to learn to focus on myself again.  

Maybe it’s the re bounce energy, or the resentment energy, now I just want to work on all these projects that I always wanted to do, but never had the time and energy for. So here I am, started knitting a jacket for mom, a vest for my brother, another mini purple jacket for myself, a pair of glove for a friend (well that’s done already), an ivory stain/lace skirt, and a bright blue Thai silk skirt for myself.

I am just riding this wave of energy now, have no idea where is it going to bring me, but it can’t be too bad of a place. (Finger crossed)

Not that I would take the job offer if they present me one, but the fact that I am yet once again over qualify for the job is just kind of suck.

According to the president at Suite101.com, the position might not give me the room for growth I need.  Both in terms of background and especially ambitions.  :(  I wonder if I would ever find a job.

Start dreaming of the playa already... :( but don't think we can go this year... why is the burn so addictive?