God save the Queen...

I hadn't planned on posting this picture but my cousin Diana begged me to do it. It has been cropped to remove my cousin Sooky and her "Sailor Moon" costume. (She doesn't want any evidence of her dressed in her costume on the web...Apparently, I have no shame.)

A couple of days before I left for Vegas, Sooky's friend Trish emails to let me know their plans for Sooky's birthday dinner, on the Saturday night during Comic-Con. Dress up as your favourite comic book character... Yikes! I had only 2 days to think of and get a costume. I spoke to Jhanine about it and she knew of a couple of costume places in Las Vegas. We planned on going there to find something, anything that would work. Dressing up in costume is totally not my thing. I stopped going out for Halloween at the age of 8, deciding I was too old to do it. I gave away candy instead.

After the craziness of the Tea party was finished, Jhanine and I went to one costume place where they rent them out. Sounded perfect. I tried on quite a few, hating everything. I tried on a Queen Amidala costume that seemed to fit, but the problem was they didn't have the matching headpiece. They called around to some of the other places but no one had one.

I went to one more place to look for a costume. This place just sold them, no rental. Unfortunately nothing I could live with. So, Wednesday, I went online and ordered the Queen Amidala costume I had previously tried on. A store in Los Angeles. I called them directly to speed up the process. I arranged for them to send it directly to the hotel, expedited. It arrived the next day. I debated whether I would bring it home. I had to carry on the bloody headpiece on the plane both ways, back to Las Vegas, then on to Toronto. (To prevent it from getting crushed)

So now I am the proud owner of a Queen Amidala halloween costume...Enjoy my pain...

Home Sweet Home...and a little Twilight.

So, I'm finally home.
Unlike my previous trips, I feel like I've been gone forever. When I got back to Jhanine's place on Monday, I felt like it had been weeks instead of 4 days since I had left for San Diego.
It feels like I hadn't been home in months instead of 11 days. I guess it means my vacation was chocked full of stuff. The red-eye was fine. I slept a few hours. My brother John picked me up.
We had the funniest (in my opinion) conversation in the car, on the way home.
J-Have you seen the Twilight movies?
C-Yeah...(hesitantly) Why?
J- I saw them on TMN. The second one wasn't as good as the first one. I even taped the second one...what a waste.
C-I liked the first one better too. The second one was terrible. The third one just came out, but I'm hesitating watching it after the second one. I didn't like it at all.
J-Yeah...the first one was way better. I taped that one too. Really good.
C-(LOL) I don't know if I would say it was a "really good" movie.
J-I've only seen a bunch of horrible movies lately.
C-You know I have the first one on DVD.
J-Sweet.

Hysterical!
As I was getting ready for a nap, my brother was watching theVHS taped version of Twilight.
My brother is a poker player, typical guy fan of Adam Sandler comedies and action flicks, but apparently he has the romantic sensibility of a teenage girl. Just between us...

Back from Comic-con

So I just got back to Las Vegas from my 4 days in San Diego and Comic-Con. The weather in Southern California was not what I would have expected. It was cold in the morning and in the evening. Dreary. Sunny during the middle of the day when the sun burned off the clouds. But it was still not warm. High of 67F. I was prepared for it but the other ladies were not. It was amazing how the whole city embraces Comic-Con. The references are everywhere.





As for Comic-Con, it was awesome! It was full of some of the longest lines I have ever experienced and I didn't get a chance to see everything, like the big movie stuff. But I did see all the TV panels I had listed on my wishlist. The Big Bang Theory, The Vampire Diaries, Castle, Chuck, Family Guy, Joss Whedon, V, Fringe, Bones, Glee...Some others too. I took hundreds of pictures I need to upload when I get home. I didn't get any autographs myself but my cousin did get me a personalized copy of one of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood books. I had a few celebrity sightings at the hotel. Penny from Big Bang (she's so tiny) Morgan from Chuck, Scott Wolf, Joel McHale from Community.








The hotel was beautiful. It was white and spacious, right on the water. Close to the venue but just far enough away not to be crazy. I knew I was somewhere different the moment I stepped onto the elevator and saw the mural on the walls...The whole interior of the elevator was covered in one big mural of True Blood. The promo image of all the characters in the woods. The first time I saw it I gasped. Later on in a crowded elevator, I wondered aloud, how difficult it would be to get this wallpaper for my room...(I heard a few bursts of laughter, then agreement from the crowd)



Saturday night, all my efforts in Las Vegas to get a costume for Sooky's birthday dinner paid off. I had ordered the costume to be sent to the hotel. Queen Amidala. 7 ladies went out for dinner. Three of us, myself and Melina and Sooky, in their Sailor Moon costumes were the only ones dressed up. Sooky appreciated the effort I made, since she knows that is totally not my thing. I did look pretty good. But, to be honest, it was like dressing up for Halloween. Nobody bats an eye at it. You see so many people dressed up, wearing crazy, elaborate, or just plain weird costumes at Comic-Con...people could care less. People look, but nobody stares. This guy at the restaurant wanted to take our picture but we wouldn't let him. (Sooky does not like her picture posted anywhere)
Now that I know what Comic-Con is about and how it works, I'll know for next time. After the ordeal of trying to get tickets this time I already bought a ticket for next year. I have until next June to decide if I want to go. Otherwise I can get a full refund. If anyone wants to go next year, let me know. I can give you the inside scoop.

Las Vegas update

The tea party was a great success. Everything turned out really well. It was a lovely afternoon. I had planned on going to the Bellagio to play poker but was so exhausted I fell asleep on the couch while watching tv. The next morning I met Jhanine's new friend Heather, also a South African, when we had morning tea with Heather, Lisa and Karen. Just the girls sitting at the table eating and gabbing. It was a nice, relaxed way to spend the morning.
I went to the Bellagio last night, the atmosphere was a lot more subdued compared to the last time I was here in June. With the World Series of Poker over and the WPT event also finished, the poker room was pretty quiet (about 70% capacity). A relaxed night and a small win is a great way to start things off.

Arrived in Las Vegas

So, it's hot.
When I got off the plane, it was 110F at 6pm. The air off the gangplank was a furnace.
The flight arrived 20 min early. Jhanine, Diamond and Phyllis (Jhanine's friend and 2nd mother) came to pick me up at the airport. I was starving. I ate lunch at 1pm est and hadn't eaten real food until 6pm pst (9pm est) when I bought a blueberry muffin at the Starbucks at the airport.
We went straight to Jhanine and Yale's place. After settling in, eating, checking out all my purchases I had sent to her place :P, we started baking. We made the carrot cakes, brownies, lemon bars, prepped an asparagus casserole and I was exhausted. Finally at 12:30am, 21 hours after I had woken up this morning, I crashed in my bed.
Round two began when I woke up at 7:30 am. The tea party is at 3:30 this afternoon. Gotta go and make sandwiches and scones.

Being under the weather Sucks! and Comic-Con!

Last weekend I thought I was going to die. It all started last friday night. I felt a headache, my stomach felt like it was going to explode, I was waking up multiple times to go to the bathroom...not a good way to start the weekend. I woke up horribly dizzy, head was pounding, nauseated, my stomach seriously upset. Yet I still had to go to work. I spent most of the time suffering in the office. Somehow I drove myself home, I immediately went to bed. After a bad night, I woke up early to open the store for Larraine. I asked her to come in earlier to take over for me so I could go home. Again, after somehow making my way home I went straight to bed. Monday I was supposed to go to work, but I couldn't do it. It literally took until today, Wednesday to feel like myself again. Brutal. At least it is all over before I leave on vacation.

Comic-Con. I can't wait. Like the true geek that I am, I have checked out the schedule for the 4 days. I've created my own personal schedule online, picking the events I want to check out. I've made lists of restaurants to check out. I've printed out every scrap of paper, I think I'm going to need, maps, directions, suggestions. I've even ordered a tiny little lightweight knapsack, the kind for groceries, on the off chance I may pick something up at Comic-con that needs carrying. (It was just delivered to Jhanine's place in Vegas...) I can literally feel bashful little butterflies of excitement. Hopefully good stories and photos to follow.

Dinner with Mark, Mer and Cutie Pie Samara

It's been too long since I've had a chance to hang out with the Dearbourne gang. It was nice to catch up with Mark and Mer and play with Samara. She is too cute. Chatty and full of energy.

I brought some of my freshly made mandu and some of the best baklava in the city. Mer made a chicken casserole in the slow cooker.

Mer is about 5 months along now and looked positively radiant. Obviously motherhood agrees with her.

Chicken Mandu

The mixture looks like this.

My tray of beauties. The recipe made 54 total.

Unlike traditional potstickers, I like to flip them and brown on both sides

Out of the pan and ready to eat.

Delicious!

I was checking out some food blogs last week and found one with a mandu (korean dumpling) recipe. I was dying to try it ever since. Last night, on my way home, I went to Metro at 10:30 at night to buy my necessary ingredients. I had the recipe written all out. I was buying a few other things too. As I was heading to the frozen vegetable section to buy my frozen spinach I got distracted by Haagen-Dazs on sale...(It was $3.99 for pints and bars!) Anyway, my detour made me forget all about the spinach...Damn!
After a lazy day, doing nothing in particular except lamenting the fact that I couldn't make the mandu recipe without the spinach, I showered (I was not leaving the house in that condition) and headed to Loblaws. A couple of hours later...I am so full. The mandu was delicious. I was very pleasantly surprised. Definitely a go to recipe.


Daisy's Mandu
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp fresh crushed garlic (I finely minced then mashed with the edge of my knife)
1 tsp ground black pepper (It sounds like a lot but it was just right)
1/2 tsp fresh ginger juice ( I couldn't squeeze much juice so I zested a little less)
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/5 cup (scant) soy sauce
1 extra large egg, separated

1/2 cup finely minced scallions, sauteed until bright and fragrant, cooled to room temp.
5oz (140grams) frozen spinach leaves, thawed, lightly drained (don't squeeze it so much that all you have left is fiber)
plain, fine white breadcrumbs
1 lb ground chicken
1 pkg wonton or gyoza wrappers
canola oil
water
In a medium bowl, I mixed the first 6 ingredients together, then the scallions, spinach leaves and chicken. Add the egg yolk to bind, and mix (reserve the egg white in a separate bowl). Add a little breadcrumbs until moisture is something you can only sense (and hear) but can't see.

The wonton wrapper will have one side that looks more floured than the other, gently drape half of the wonton wrapper across the top of the egg white so that only half of the floured side is moistened. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of the wonton wrapper on the moistened side. Fold wrapper in half over the mixture. Seal the edges and gently flatten the filling to press out air bubbles and allow for more even cooking. Place the assembled mandu on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat until filling mixture is gone. This makes about 50.

Tip #1 While assembling, to keep the pile of (yet to be used) wrappers from drying out, I cover them with a couple layers of paper towel, slightly damp on the top. If the towel dries out I just sprinkle with a little more water.

Tip #2 You can freeze them on a lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Make sure they are not touching each other and the skins are not too damp. (Damp ones, sprinkle cornstarch on the paper) After they are frozen solid, you can store them in a large zippered freezer bag until ready to cook. Never defrost.

To make yaki mandu, heat about 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a frypan. Place fresh or frozen mandu in frypan leaving a little space around them (so they don't stick). When the mandu starts to sizzle add a few tablespoons to 1/4 cup water to the pan and cover until the top of the mandu are steamed through, slightly translucent and wrinkly. The filling should feel firm to the touch. Bottoms should be golden brown. I flip them for a couple minutes more. Transfer to a plate and enjoy the dipping sauce of your choice. I used a soy sauce/ white vinegar dip. Traditionally a 2:1 ratio.