August 7, 2008

• Sundays are usually soup days for me.   I usually start making the stock before lunch so that I can get it all done in time for dinner at my dad's place.  Even if we eat out, I always try to bring
  some home made soup for him so he has something during the week.  My mom used to make soup almost every
  day.  Sometimes she would make a big
  batch of soup and freeze them for those very busy days. 

  I have a few standard soups that I make and I rotate them so that dad doesn't get bored. Whenever I need new ideas or suggestion, my
  bf will provide them. He’s a strong
  believer in soup as a tonic.  When he
  shops, sometimes he’ll buy certain things for his soups that will aid and / or
  address certain ailments.  My mom was
  like that too.  One of the soups she made
  was from the silkie (silken?) chicken (that black skin chicken).  She would put some “wai san” (a type of yam), “gai jee”
  (dried goji berries - note:  I seen them also referred to as wolfberries, I don't know if there is a difference), dried longan and few other things.  The soup has a sweet taste and it’s very
  different than other soups.  

  Here’s a soup that I made recently.  The stock is from pork bones, chicken legs, dried scallops and ginger.  This was the first time I've tried making the soup with dried bak choy.  It wasn't that great though.  My dad
  couldn’t chew the bak choy even after they have been soaked in water and then simmered
  in the stock for a couple of hours. 
  There was also still a bit of sand which was irritating.  I had washed and washed those things until they
  were crumbling.  Now I remember why mom
  didn’t like making this soup.   

  The remnants of the pork bones, chicken feet, dried scallop and ginger that went into the stock.

   

  The soup - anyone tried this before?  This is made with dried bak choy.  What's your favorite soup?
                                                                                                        
  

  I also try to hit the local farmers market on Sundays.  It's a small one - about a dozen stalls.  They even have cheese, meats, buffalo meats, eggs and honey too.   This was one of the cherry muffins I picked up - it's packed with cherries.
                                                                                                        
  

  This was part of a recent purchase from the market.  I'm going to try and eat more fruits and veggies this summer.
                                                                                                          
  

  They usually have entertainers and sometimes free massage.

  

  

  Some of the stalls...

  

                                                                                                        

  

                                                                                                         

  

                                                                                                         

  

                                                                                                       
  

                                                                                                           
                                                                                                         
  

     This stall also sells several types of tomatoes.                              
  

  I picked up some sheep cheese here.  It's soft, white, unripened and comes in several flavors.
                                                                                                       
  

  They also sell flowers too.                                                              
  

  • 1:31 AM
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