Doll Museum

It’s only February but I have to say…summer is upon us! We had the most fleeting spell of cool weather this/last year. The Christmas season (when we usually feel that mild chill we look forward to all year round) was unusually bereft of cool days. January saw a couple of weeks of cool wind that had us quite excited, until it left just as suddenly, leaving a blazing hot sun in its place Fine Wine.

While my head laments our all too brief stint of cool-ish weather this season, along with the unbearable heat now presently trying to get the best of me, my heart can’t help leaping at the thought of summer and all that it brings: beach trips, barbecues, and that special brand of relaxed and celebratory atmosphere (even though actual, months-long, summer vacations are sadly a thing of the past already). Although summer does not officially start until March, the merciless heat and the staunchly shining sun outside my window tells me that it is in fact very much here…or at least has got its foot resolutely in the door.

And with that, I am happy to say, we are headed off to our first beach trip of the season! Hooray! Little C has been clamoring for the beach for weeks now and we are looking forward to obliging ;)

So I am off to pack, and make cookies, and answer a seemingly unending chain of work emails, and all manners of things to do before we go. But I’ll leave you with this first – it may not be too summery but it is a snap to put together, delicious, and will hopefully make you a lovely little side dish this weekend Pegboard Displays.

Chickpea and Eggplant Masala

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 coin-sized pieces of ginger
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 Asian eggplant, about 200 grams in weight, chopped
1/2 cup cooked and drained chickpeas
1/2 – 1 teaspoon garam masala (depending on the potency of your mix)
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup water, approximately (you may need more)
about 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro stems or slightly more cilantro leaves

- Heat a wok or a skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and when this is hot, add the garlic, onions, and ginger. Sauté until onions start to soften and then add the cumin seeds. Sauté further until you can smell the cumin.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan, toss once or twice, and then add the eggplant, chickpeas, salt and pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of the garam masala. Stir to combine, and then add about a couple of tablespoons-full of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant and tomato are completely soft and cooked down, adding water as necessary when the pan gets too dry. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt or garam masala if desired.
- Toss in the cilantro, stir, and take of the heat.

I don’t know if this truly constitutes a real “masala” but since I used garam masala, and a few Indian flavors in general, I thought it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to call it that. I used cilantro stems here because I didn't have any more leaves. Fresh cilantro leaves would be ideal, but know that in a pinch you can use the chopped up stems (and make use of something that often just gets tossed!) for flavor...just use a little less. This would do very well served with grilled meats or fish, although I just had it piled high on a mound of brown rice. One important note: I would be doing you a grave disservice if I didn’t tell you to have this with some garlic yogurt. A perfect match Voting System! Just mix some good Greek yogurt with a small bit of minced garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and there you have it.

Rich and satisfying, this main course from L'Osteria del Forno in San Francisco is similar to cannelloni. At the restaurant full lace wigs, they serve the crepes in individual gratin dishes.
Ingredients
Mushroom Filling

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups hot water

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced

Sauce

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unbleached all purpose flour
2 2/3 cups milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 thin 5x3-inch smoked ham slices

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Basic Crepes

2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups (or more) milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)

Melted butter

Preparation

For Filling
Place porcini mushrooms in large bowl. Pour 2 cups hot water over; let stand 30 minutes to soften. Using slotted spoons, remove mushrooms from soaking liquid. Discard liquid. Finely chop porcini Antique jewelry.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add porcini and parsley and saute 1 minute. Add wine and boil until liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Mix in button mushrooms. Cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer until liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

For Sauce
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 3 minutes (do not brown). Gradually whisk in milk. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes.

For Crepes
Whisk eggs and salt in large bowl. Gradually whisk in flour, then 1 1/4 cups milk. Strain into medium bowl. Let stand 1 hour.

If necessary, add more milk by tablespoons to batter to thin to consistency of heavy whipping cream. Heat 8-inch diameter nonstick skillet over medium-high head. Brush with melted butter. Pour 3 tablespoons batter into skillet and swirl to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry, loosening sides of crepe with spatula, about 45 seconds. Turn and cook until brown spots appear on second side, about 30 seconds. Turn crepe out onto plate. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet with butter and stacking crepes on plate.

Place 8 crepes on work surface. Place 1 ham slice in center of each crepe. Spread 1 tablespoons sauce over each. Top each with 2 rounded tablespoons mushroom filling. Roll up crepe jelly roll style. Arrange rolled crepes in single layer in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over Outsourcing payroll.

Preheat oven to 475°F. Bake uncovered until crepes are heated through and top is golden, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

yield
Makes 8 first-course servings
Few stuffed pastas are as pretty as these traditional ravioli from Veneto. The rich, sweet filling of roasted beets is complemented by the unique flavor of tiny black poppy seeds. If you don't have time to make fresh pasta, use purchased wonton wrappers handmade jewelry.
Ingredients

2 large red or golden beets (about 14 ounces)
1/2 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs

1 1/4 pounds Fresh Egg Pasta

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets individually in foil; place on baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Open foil carefully (steam will escape). Cool. Peel beets; finely grate into medium bowl. Add ricotta cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in breadcrumbs.

Roll Fresh Egg Pasta dough into sheets according to recipe. Place 1 dough sheet on work surface. Using 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut sheet into 7 rounds. Transfer rounds to lightly floured baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap cloud backup. Repeat with remaining dough for total of 56 rounds.

Sprinkle 2 smooth kitchen towels with flour. Place 8 pasta rounds on work surface, keeping remaining dough covered with plastic. Place small bowl of water next to work surface. Spoon 1 teaspoon beet filling onto half of each round. Dip fingertip into water and dampen edge of 1 round. Fold dough over filling, pushing out as much air as possible and pressing edges firmly to seal. Transfer to prepared towels. Repeat with remaining rounds. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and place in freezer until frozen solid, about 6 hours. Transfer ravioli to resealable plastic bags Hong Kong PolyU MBA.)

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat and stir in poppy seeds; keep warm. Working in batches, cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to skillet with melted butter; toss to coat. Divide ravioli among 8 plates; sprinkle with Parmesan.

Market Tip The flavor, color, and texture of roasted fresh beets is incomparable, so don't even consider using the canned variety. When choosing beets, select bunches with bright, glossy leaves attached.

趁著今天這個愚人節，我想對自己說說實話，我覺得我的生活充滿了罪惡感，因為我撒了很多謊。為了不想父母擔心，我撒了謊。為了不想朋友亂想，我撒了謊。為了不想同學猜疑，我撒了謊。為了不想陌人多問，我撒了謊。為了不想……，我撒了謊。即使有許多善意的謊言，但還是讓脆落多情的我充滿罪惡感。

我承認，是我自己能力不夠，是我自己選擇不好，我沒有十足的信心用事實去說服，我害怕不理解，我害怕失去，我只是想保住那份在你們心中僅存的美好，我一次次的謊言，終究還是騙不了自己，難過的還是自己，受傷的還是自己。

我是一個極其沒有安全感的人，我不知道我可以在誰的面前卸下偽裝，可以哭的沒心沒肺而被心疼，我看著自己的傷痕累累，還是選擇讓它自己腐爛在心裏，我不敢拿出來曬太陽，我不敢把它翻給別人看，畢竟真的沒有人能夠深有體會明白，自己的傷口只有自己去看才會覺得如此撕心裂肺地痛。

只有在夜深人靜無人知曉的時光裏，用酒精麻痹自己的神經，聽著傷感輕音樂，我才會小心翼翼掏出來，慢慢地反複回想著、思考著、悲傷著有關一切，然後蹲下來抱著自己哭，此時此刻，連自己都心疼自己。

人真的需要發泄，需要做自己，而我的性格就是這樣，在親人面前表現自己過得很好，不用擔心，在朋友面前表現自己過得很好，不必亂想，在同學面前表現自己過得很好，別猜疑……我卑微的保留著自己那份僅有僅無的尊嚴，我不想撕開，因為撕開之後，我怕自己痛不欲生，就這樣子吧，偽裝的孩子也要偽裝的堅強些。

古語“不登天高，不知天之高也；不涉水深，不知水之深也”而如今是不經曆社會，不知社會之難熬也。有時候，這個世界讓我害怕，讓我恐慌，我渴望有個歸宿，一個讓我不管經曆什麼發生什麼都感覺安全的歸宿，它可以不大，但要絕對夠料，讓我可以毫無保留的elyze把自己留在那個世界，我憧憬會不會如陶淵明之世外桃源也。

我明白凡事還是要靠自己，別人的幫忙也只是皮表，我還是得學會自己長大，我還是得學會自己飛翔，畢竟能讀懂自己的只有自己，感謝生命中出現的每個人，他們幫過我很多，他們教會我很多，讓我一步步認清這個社會，總有一天，你們眼中偽裝堅強的寶變得真正堅強，總有一天，我會展翅飛翔給你們看，證明在我的生命中，你們沒有白來過！當然，也許我只是在自我安慰，但我絕對是誠心的，我已經在試著說服自己，說服自己不要再做個怨婦，過去的一頁能不翻就不翻了，翻落了灰塵會迷失雙眼。

人就是在痛苦中掙紮，掙紮後成熟，我們在社會這個大壓力鍋裏翻滾著、磨礪著，上演著的每一天都讓我們千姿百態，每一天都讓我們有所感悟。你們關心我喜歡我，我覺得很榮幸，但我會寧願你們淡淡地鼓勵著我，因為我害怕你們太寵的關心，讓我心生愧疚，我也害怕沒有人關心，那樣我覺得自己可憐，鼓勵之詞，對於我來說，永遠是條生生不息的生命線，生命中有了每個人才如此多彩。

恩，寫下這個心情，我絕對沒有偽裝，原諒我那麼多的謊言，請依然保留我的那份美好，人之初，性本善，每個人都有難處，原諒一切可原諒的Korean skin care brand事物，把自己放松，繼續追逐生活，我們生活的理想就是為了理想的生活！


多愁傷感的孩子觸景傷情、觸情傷景。

一對戀人之間，如果忽然有一方（不論男方還是女方）開始覺得，另外有人比現在的對象好，那麼這對戀人之間的愛情就已經開始消失了。


愛情是非常盲目的。他窮？窮的有骨氣；他脾氣壞？壞的有個性；她不夠體貼？這才像男人；他的樣子丑陋？男人要樣子好乾什麼；他沒有學識？有多少開國皇帝是學富五車的handmade jewelry？一言以蔽之，他是最好的！



她不夠媚？哪個好女人會那麼嫵媚多情；她身材不夠玲瓏浮凸？又不是要給眾人欣賞；她潑辣？哼，這才夠勁；她愛使小性子？君不見《紅樓夢》中的林妹妹乎，叫人愛了幾百年，還會一直愛下去；她太虛榮？嘿，千金散盡還復來，生不帶來，死不帶去，有什麼關係？一言以蔽之，她的data centre hk一切，全是最好的。



只有在這樣的情況下，他和她之間才會有愛情。或者反過來說，正因為他和她之間有愛情，所以才會有這樣的情形出現。


旁觀者自然清，看得出他和她的hong kong heritage cycling tour一切缺點，不過要記得，旁觀者只不過是旁觀者而已。