… and these Thy gifts …

1. To start with: Get yourself cheap patterns. When patterns go for 99cents at the local Joann’s or Hancock Fabricks or wherever, I buy several. Patterns are regularly priced $3.95 and up, I’ve only gotten them once at 50% off. Check the size before you buy the pattern!
2. Get yourself cheap material, but something you’d wear. That way, if the first try is successful, you can use it, and if not, you didn’t blow the bank.
3. After you get home: Cut the pattern apart, but not to the perimeter lines. Leave the extra paper there. You’ll need it to pin pattern down on the fabric, etc. Iron the pattern so it lays flat, unless you’re too excited to do that.
4. Lay your fabric out on a flat surface, according to the layout drawn on the pattern for the garment you are making (patterns may have several garment styles on it). Pin the pattern onto the fabric so that every piece you need is there. Transfer markings onto the fabric. This can be done with pins, or pencils, a marking wheel with some fabric marking paper, etc. Make sure you transfer ALL markings, incluing triangles (usually where two pieces are supposed to be sewn together) , circles (usually marking bustline, waistline, hipline, etc.). I’d love to use pencils or a wheel but I’ve always messed it up, so these days I use pins. Take off the patterns (if you used pins, then pull off the pattern carefully so the pins are left sticking to the fabric — there WILL be holes in the pattern after you do this, so if you don’t like that, choose a different way of marking). Cut the fabric CAREFULLY.
5. Start sewing! Just follow the steps, making sure you understand which side you should be attaching, how long your stitches should be, if you’re basting, or sewing for real:).

More:

• Be prepared to make lots of mistakes and to chuck some experiments.
• As with anything, it’s practice, practice, practice that makes perfect.
• Borrow/buy sewing books, basic ones like those from Singer, or other sewing books. I personally don’t like subscriptions to magazines because I hate fads, and if I sewed the items that come in mags, by the time I get done with a garment, the look would already be passe.
• When you’re ready for more advanced stuff, consider the following:
  1. You can use several patterns to make one garment! Like I bought 3 patterns to make one dress, because I liked the square collar on one, the skirt hem on the other, the back drape on another, the sleeves on another, etc., etc. You get the picture.
  2. Determine what type of clothing looks good on you. Do you look good in double-breasted jackets, or single-breasted ones? Do you like them buttoned, or left open? How will that affect the look? Do you look better in a square collar than a round one (usually, if you have a round face, and you want to de-emphasize that, choose a geometric/square collar). Are there things you want to emphasize/de-emphasize? For example, if you think you have a fat middle, choosing a pattern with a line or separation or change of color where you are thickest will emphasize that. If you’d like to appear more busty, consider adding more fabric bulk in that area, like pleats, or ruffles, or layers. If you’ve got fat arms, don’t pick a sheer fabric for sleeves.

     Things to consider when emphasizing/de-emphasizing:

     • Light emphasizes , dark de-emphasizes; e.g., wide hips? Consider wearing a dark skirt and a lighter-colored top.
     • Lines tend to attract the eye. Don’t put lines or separations or color changes where you don’t want people’s eyes to be drawn. The opposite is true as well.

The most important thing is to have fun with it. If it’s too much work for you, and you still want to save money, then don’t sew. Wait for the 75% off sale and go shopping.

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Naku, sens’ya na Stel and everyone super-late ‘to. Nag-b-break from mga batang may sakit — Bong took Migi to the hospital this morning kasi asthma attack — first time, dati hanggang bronchitis lang s’ya — eh for some reason hindi nag-wo-work ang nebulizer namin. So anyway, I’m here at home waiting for them at tulog pa ‘yong iba so I thought I’d post.

Exciting ang EB! Stel and I talked several times before kami nagkita, so feeling ko matagal ko na s’ya kilala when we finally met. Dami pang advice ni Stel like where to park, where to eat, etc., etc.

‘Yun nga lang, super-traffic pala talaga sa Cambridge! Tapos nakakalito with meandering streets, etc. So kahit de-mapa (ako ang navigator) nagkaligaw-ligaw pa rin kami. Although on the plus side naman naligaw na agad kami sa Harvard area right when we arrived, so nagka-idea na kami if we wanted to brave the traffic again on Monday or not.

First stop namin was sa MIT Museum — the kids had a blast playing with the robots, etc. Galing. Pero kumain muna pala kami sa Mary Chung’s — Boston institution na ‘to and s’yempre recommended ni Stel. I forgot to tell them to tone down the heat kaya ‘yung Dun Dun Noodles

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Gotta sew my dress for baby brother’s wedding, and start packing for the trip. Two weeks in Cincinnati for hubby’s job too. Will be back around the 15th. If I haven’t responded to e-mail/comments, I’m not ignoring you — just hectic, that’s all. I promise to answer the Childhood Food Memories meme when I get back.

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Celia Kusinera hosts this month’s Lasang Pinoy with the theme Cooking Up a Storm.

A timely theme for sure so I hope you don’t mind if I do a bit of public service here:

As some of you know, we are a family of homeschoolers. We have a homeschooling friend who lost their home due to the hurricane. They have 3 little girls who miss their books terribly. They are currently in New York with their grandma, waiting to have their home rebuilt. A fellow homeschooling mom has registered them for gift books at amazon. If you are so inclined, click on the link here. You can be sure Jennifer’s family will be VERY grateful, especially the girls, who reportedly have exclaimed “Our books have come home!” after receiving the first books.

Or, of course, you can donate through your local charities.

Bagyo is a given if you live in a tropical country, and unless you experience a major catastrophe, it’s no biggie, just something that happens several times a year. So no exciting stories here, just a bunch of bits and pieces:

• Typhoon season, when I was a kid, meant only one thing: there will be days when you don’t have to go to school! So we get all excited when a storm is designated “Signal Number Three”. We’d shower and play in the streets. The only time we weren’t allowed to do this was when the rainfall was particularly heavy or when there was a lot of lightning. These days as long as the temps aren’t too low, I let my kids play in the rain every now and then. It is an experience not to be missed regardless of which part of the world you’re in.
• In college, we were required to wear a dress in Speech class when it was our turn to deliver our speech. So I did (a rarity since I hated wearing dresses back then), and promptly got soaked in the rain after class. I was walking with a friend to wait for the bus when the heavy wind and rain hit us and flipped my umbrella backwards! The ride home was 1 1/2 hours, so you can just imagine how it felt sitting in that warm bus (musky smell all over, ewwww!), my hair still dripping a bit. I used to hate (actually, still do) those plastic things that jeepneys have — you know, those thingies that you roll down to shield yourselves from the rain? Ugh! Wet plastic and people who forgot to use deodorant just make for an unbearable ride.
• My favorite thing about storms may be staying in bed and sleeping, but I also love the Filipino music that rainstorms have inspired. Here’s a sampling of some “oldies but goodies”: (You can click on the APO and Navarro titles to hear the songs. — if you’re a crybaby like me, be forewarned! The APO Songs almost brought me to tears.)
  

  Pumapatak na naman ang ulan sa bubong ng bahay
  Di maiwasang gumawa ng di inaasahang bagay
  Laklak ng laklak ng beer nang magdamagan
  May kahirapan at di maiwasan

  - Pumapatak ang Ulan, Apo Hiking Society

  Masdan mo ang ulan
  Unti-unting pumapatak
  Sa mga halama’t mga bulaklak
  Masdan mo ang dilim
  Unti-unting bumabalot
  Sa buong paligid tuwing umuulan

  - Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka, Basil Valdez

  N’ong Martes ng umaga sa may Cubao
  May isang babaeng nagpapayong
  Ang naisip ko o heto na ang hinihintay mo
  Narinig mo yatang sabi ko
  At biglang sabi mo, “Mukhang uulan
  May lugar pa rito, sige, sukob na”

  - Suwerte-Suwerte Lang, Joel Navarro - I remember a rumor going around in UP in those days that the song was composed by Joel Navarro for our Psych teacher, Amy Navarro — and that it was “their story”…. but I never found out if there was any truth to that.

Okay, time to get back to food! Canned goods are indispensable for Filipinos because they’re what we end up eating when the storms come and you can’t leave the house to shop. (Does this perhaps explain our love for processed food?)

Ginisang Sardinas at Misua

This is a simple Filipino preparation, the main ingredients being canned sardines in tomato sauce and misua, which can be found in Asian stores as “Chinese vermicelli” in the Filipino food section (it’s manufactured in the Philippines). Cappellini or angel hair pasta is a good substitute, or if you have a pasta machine, just mix some flour and water together until kneadable, then run through the pasta machine and cut into the thinnest possible noodles.

Saute some garlic, onions and tomatoes in a little oil. Add the sardines. Season to taste with salt and pepper and or a little fish sauce. Add misua and cook (if you want it “saucy”, add a bit of water).

If you come across patola (Sc. name Luffa acutangula, aka Chinese okra, more info on this particular plant’s name here), it’s a great addition to the dish. Peel and slice thinly and add it to the dish at the same time as the misua. My mom cooked this last time we were there. Serve hot. Ooh, and if you like spicy food, use “hot” sardines, or several dashes of Tabasco.

Tagged with: Lasang Pinoy #2

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It’s funny what these foodie events will do. My kids have been waiting for these brownies for a long time. As some of you know, my kids suffer from various allergies, eggs and dairy included. They’ve been clamoring for brownies and I promised I’d make them some but I just haven’t had the time to sit down and find/figure out a recipe, though I bought the tofu that I meant to use for it a couple of weeks ago. Well, since I did the eggplant post today for IMBB, I thought I may as well do the brownies. After scrounging around on the Internet and in my pantry, I came up with this recipe that’s actually a mix of what I found online and what I know has worked in my favorite brownie recipes. But, in my haste, it turned into something else:

Vegan Brownies Almost-Flourless Chocolate Cake

cooking spray
cocoa powder for coating baking pan
1 19-oz package silken tofu (I used one manufactured by House, no GMOs)
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder
a handful of vegan chocolate or carob chips
a handful of raisins if you like (I decided against it at the last minute — though I LOVE raisin-and-chocolate combinations — because I wasn’t sure my raisins were unsulphured)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan by spraying with oil and sprinkling with cocoa powder. Shake off excess cocoa and set aside. Puree the tofu, flour and salt in the food processor until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and heat for a few minutes, until just beginning to steam but still cool enough to touch with a finger without burning yourself:). Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly. At this point, you could swirl in soy cream cheese if you want. I would have, except that the soy cream cheese we bought 2 weeks ago had died on me. At least 9-yo Paco had enjoyed more than half of it on his bread for several days. Both recipes I found called for vanilla extract, but since I was out and forgot it again on my last trip to the store, I left it out. I did keep on tasting the batter while I was mixing it to see if it needed adjusting. I like mine on the not-too-sweet side, so you can do as one of the recipes suggests and use a couple of cups of sugar (yikes) instead.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 1 hour, the pan set over a rack, and slice into 16 squares. Sooo yummy!

Epilogue:

These were supposed to be brownies! I meant to add 1 cup more flour, but forgot. I had tasted the batter and the thickness looked okay to me, so the cup of flour was left on the counter, and I saw it after the “brownies” had been baking in the oven for a while. The texture came out very similar to my fragile Boca Negra instead, though not as smooth. My kids said it reminded them of sticky toffee pudding. I’ll try this again sometime with the additional flour and see if my 6-year-old likes that better. It wasn’t the roaring success I was anticipating, but it wasn’t bad at all. At least I’ve proven to myself that tofu can be used successfully in my family’s favorite desserts. I bet it will taste even better after an overnight stay in the ref.

Tagged with: IMBB # 19 + Vegan

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Wow, I haven’t joined the IMBB in a couple of months — life has been hectic here! Luckily, we’ve been very “vegan” these days as we gather the fruits of the garden and prepare for more out-of-town trips, which more often than not involve days of eating out depending on how heavy hubby’s work schedule is.

Sam of Beck’s Posh Nosh is hosting this month’s event and has challenged us to prepare something vegan and try to trick people to eat it. This used to work at our house but my children have grown astute so I no longer try to trick them. Besides I’ve learned that actually telling them what things are beforehand AND requiring them to take a few bites of whatever’s on the table works better for our family — they find that they do like some things regardless of whether they associate the name with “something yucky”, as in today’s “Eggplant With Garlic Sauce”. This is a Chinese preparation many will recognize from restaurants all over, but I have deviated from the normal recipe of deep-frying the eggplant cubes before saucing them.

My recipe is quite simple: cube your eggplants, then cook them in a large skillet filmed with a couple of tablespoons of oil. Heat them over medium heat, turning every few minutes or so, until edges are browned and eggplant pieces are softened. I like mine soft but with a bit of body left in them. Eggplant is funny in that it absorbs all the oil that you cook it in, then re-releases it. So you can keep on tossing/turning the eggplant and that oil will eventually become evenly distributed. At the point of doneness you desire, take the eggplant out. Add to the skillet some vegetable/mushroom broth, some rice wine if you like, soy sauce, half a handful of minced garlic, a bit of sugar or Sucanat, and a tablespoon or two of cornstarch. It would help to mix all of that ahead of time in a bowl, then cook it briefly over high heat in the skillet, just until the cornstarch loses its raw flavor and begins to thicken the sauce. Return the eggplant to the skillet and fold gently so the sauce envelops the cubed vegetable. The way I choose to do this, the garlic still remains quite raw, so it has that characteristic strong garlic bite. If you prefer your garlic a bit more done, simply cook it in the skillet with a bit of chicken stock until half-cooked, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients (stirred well before adding), then the eggplant cubes. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with a tablespoon or so of sesame oil. Serve hot over rice.

My kids (ages 14, 9, 6 and 3) eat this dish with gusto! But shhhh, they can handle the word “eggplant”…. just don’t use the word vegan around them:)

Tagged with: IMBB # 19 + Vegan

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Off to Boston for the weekend and Monday….

Visiting museums with the kids. We’ve been here in the Northeast 4 years and have yet to set foot in Boston.

And wahoo! We get to meet Baby Rambutan and family! How cool is that? My first bloggers’ EB, albeit a mini-one. Will be sure to post (food) stories here when we get back.

Did you know….
that September is

All-American Breakfast Month
Mom & Apple Pie Month
National Biscuit Month
National Chicken Month
National Cholesterol Awareness Month
National Honey Month
National Mushroom Month
National Organic Harvest Month
National Papaya Month
National Potato Month
National Rice Month

Who came up with these?

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A few years ago (before I had this blog), I started compiling some recipes, thinking I was going to put it into a binder by month, so I could have something to refer to yearly. I found the September folder while I was cleaning up, so I’m putting everything here. No pics though (except for one), unless I do a repeat-performance this year.

a Chocolate Gelato made with cornstarch instead of eggs - not authentic, but I was looking for an eggless recipe for my boy who’s allergic to eggs — this fit the bill and was quite good.

Here’s a recipe for a one-pot Jambalaya — I kept a copy of the recipe because the family enjoyed it, but unfortunately I didn’t take note of the source. Tried to find it online so I can give proper credit, but didn’t find it. If you happen to know, please drop me a line so I can edit this post. Thanks.

Jambalaya

� cup olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
5 green onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 jalape�o chili, chopped
1 tablespoon creole seasoning ()
� teaspoon ground cayenne peppers
� teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound andouille sausage
� pound ham or shrimp or chicken
2 14 �-ounce cans chicken broth
1 16-ounce can plum tomatoes, diced, with liquid
3 cups long grain rice

Put everything in pot and bring to boil. Stir, lower heat, and stir occasionally until meats are cooked and rice is tender.

A recipe for baked apples. Again, no credits — I must have rewritten this one, seeing as I’ve got “expeller-pressed canola oil” on it, which is what I put down on my recipes — for my kids’ reference. Might have come from The Best Recipe or one of my other cookbooks (sigh).

Baked Apples

6 baking apples such as Gala, Golden Delicious or Granny Smith
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
6 tablespoons apricot jam, or apple jelly, or other fruit preserve that will go with apple flavors
4 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
� teaspoon allspice
� teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut apples in half lengthwise, remove core and slice apples crosswice thinly, keeping slices together. Place apples in baking dish, fitting apple slices snugly. Combine the rest of the ingredients, and pour evenly over apples. Bake for 30 minutes, basting occasionally.

I must have been looking for something to do with my green olives when I made this recipe: (VERMICELLI WITH SAUCE ALLA SOFIA).

Sorry, can’t find the source for this one either. I’m sure I got it *somewhere*, as I couldn’t have come up with a Cuban recipe on my own, but… here you go.

Cuban Home-Style Red Beans with Pork

7 cups cold water
3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 bay leaves
3 medium onions, coarsely chopped (1 � cups)
1 pound dried red kidney beans, picked over and rinsed
� cup canola oil
2 pounds meaty spareribs or pork chops, or a combination, trimmed of all visible fat, spareribs cut into individual ribs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce (1 cup)
� cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
� teaspoon miced rosemary
Hot sauce, for serving

1.In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, combine the water, carrots, bay leaves, half of the chopped onions and the beans and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the casserole and simmer the beans gently until they are just tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the spareribs and/or pork chops, season generously with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Add the remaining � cup of chopped onions to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic and rosemary to the skillet and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
3. When the beans are tender, add the spareribs and their sauce to the casserole and stir gently to mix well. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 50 minutes.
4. Discard the bay leaves. Using a large fork or tongs, remove the meat from the casserole and discard all of the bones. Return the meat to the casserole and stir it into the beans. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls, with hot sauce for sprinkling.
5.Serve with rice.

Citrus-Flavored Broiled Chicken

2/3 cup soy sauce
� cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 boneless chicken breast halves, pounded gently until evenly flattened to about � inch thick

Whisk soy sauce, orange and lime juices and garlic in a bowl large enough to accommodate chicken breast halves. Marinate in refrigerator for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to broil. Transfer chicken breasts skin side down into shallow roasting pan, pouring marinade on top. Broil 5 inches from heat source for about 8 minutes. Turn over and roast for 6 minutes more. Transfer to serving dish and let stand 5 minutes. Slice diagonally and pour sauce over. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Oven-Fried Chicken

1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 � teaspoon salt, divided
� teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 fryer chicken, cut up into 8 pieces, skin discarded if desired

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 450 degrees F. Mix bread crumbs with 1 tsp salt and � tsp pepper. Stir together oil, mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry powder, and remaining � teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Brush mixture all over chicken, then transfer chicken to bowl of crumbs to coat evenly on both sides, pressing crumbs to help adhere. Bake chicken (if using chicken with skin, put them skin sides up), in baking pan, until well browned and cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Let chicken stand 5 to 10 minutes (do not cover).

Well, this one I had to rewrite as I’m posting, as I found that I typed “exposing clothes” instead of “exposing cloves”. That would have been funny on a food blog! Must have come up with this recipe to get “dairy-free”. Ha! I remember my kids loving this because the orangey color from the sweet potato made them think “cheese”.

Garlic Mashed “Cheesy” Po-tah-toes

1 head garlic, left whole with skin
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 large Yukon Gold potatoes
1 large sweet potato
� cup chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Butter, cream, half-and-half, or milk, to taste, if you’re not allergic to dairy

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 450 degrees F. Cut off and discard top � inch of head of garlic, exposing cloves. Rub garlic all over with 1 teaspoon oil and season with salt and pepper, then wrap in foil. Roast garlic until tender when center of clove is pierced with tip of a paring knife, about 40 minutes. Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces, then cover with cold salted water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes. Pour off water, then add remaining olive oil and peeled roasted garlic cloves. Mash with a potato masher together with chicken stock (and milk/cream/butter if using) to desired consistency and season with salt and pepper.

This must have been inspired by a trip to the farmer’s market. I remember the aroma in the kitchen as the tomatoes were roasting in the oven. Pasta with Spicy Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

2 � pounds ripe tomatoes, really ripe heirlooms if you can find them, sliced thinly
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil or other fresh herb to go with tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced garlic
� cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons full-bodied red wine
� teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 pound dried pasta, cooked to al dente stage
freshly grated cheese if desired

Toss everything except pasta and cheese in a large bowl. Transfer to a roasting pan and roast in 400 degree F oven until tomatoes are cooked to desired doneness. Cook pasta while tomatoes are roasting. Toss tomatoes with pasta (and cheese if using) and serve hot.

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July 11. Start out with organic heavy cream:

Whirl in the mixer

until the solid and liquid separate

Pour out the liquid (this is now BUTTERMILK, which you can use in other recipes like pancakes and scones, etc.)
Mix the solids with some organic expeller-pressed canola oil (to the consistency you desire) and a bit of salt (just the teeniest bit!)

There you have it: yummy golden butter from your mixer, no preservatives, no artificial coloring, nice and spreadable, perfect on toast and everything else, half the cholesterol of regular butter! (You can also use this mixture, sans the salt, in cooking.)

For a fun activity for the kids, nix the mixer and use a large jar with a lid instead — the only thing you need to do is SHAKE-SHAKE-SHAKE (smaller hands may need help, and a soft surface for the jar to land on in case they drop the jar LOL). Patience is the key if you choose this route — sometimes it takes a while to get those solids and liquid to separate, but their excitement when it happens is priceless!

It’s a nice history lesson too on “butter churning”. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s mom colored their butter using carrots.

More information here

Edited: You could also make cultured butter — a bit more involved but satisfying nonetheless — by following the instructions here, from Jonathan White.

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4 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 whole dried red peppers or 1 teaspoon (or to taste) red pepper flakes
2 bone-in chicken breasts, chopped into 1-inch pieces, skin optional
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons shiaohxing wine or sherry
2 scallions/green onions, chpped
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
4 ribs celery, trimmed and sliced diagonally

Heat canola oil in large wok or skillet over high heat. When hot and just beginning to smoke, add ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds (although, Kirk, with your POWERFUL wok burner you might have to decrease the time). Add red peppers/flakes and stir-fry 15-20 seconds more. Add chicken pieces and salt and continue to stir-fry, about 1-2 minutes. Add wine and stir fry 30 more seconds. Add scallions and 1/4 cup water, give everything a good stir, then cover, continuing to cook over high heat a few minutes more or just until chicken is almost cooked through. Add sugar, stir another minute, then add cornstarch-water mixture and celery. Stir-fry just until lightly thickened. Serve hot.

July 10. Cross-posted at Aboutweblogs.com.

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