Crab Salad, my grandma's way

 In case you are wondering why this picture (actually, all of them) are kinda bad, it's because I was to impatient to stay still and snap sharp, detailed pictures. I was trying to hurry up so I could shove some of these yummy things into my mouth.

Originally, I was going to make chicken salad, but I couldn't find a can of chicken in the pantry. Instead, I found some crab. So crab salad it was! (What a expensive substitute! - but oh well!)

It's fuss free, and I made it using my grandma's method. My grandma taught me this a few years ago. Basically, you need a few ingredients. Five, to be exact.

Mayo, relish, crab meat, salt and pepper.

 

First, open the can of crab and drain the water. Drain every last drop. Remember to take out the paper too. I almost didn't! (If you forget, that's okay. Just say that the crab salad has a very special secret ingredient in there.)

Orange Strawberry Flavored Water

Oh summer. I always can't wait for it to arrive. When spring rolls around, I am anxious for this season. I can barely contain my excitement. I start asking again and again, "When is summer?" like how a small child, who is on a long car ride, would ask his parents endlessly if they are there yet. I start counting the days, hours, minutes, and even seconds left until the final bell rings on the last day of school. I make to-do lists of fun things to do - the things that I wasn't able to do during the school year. It becomes hard to focus in school, especially when the weather on the other side of the classroom wall is so warm, filled with natural, golden-yellow sunlight. It starkly contrasts the chilly, overly air-conditioned classroom, lit up with man-made light bulbs. Who can focus when they could be frolicking carelessly outside?

When summer arrives, I start to sleep late and wake up late. I can go to sleep at 2 a.m., when the whole neighborhood is pitch dark. I can wake up at noon time, right when my grandmother is just finished with cooking lunch. I can care less about my sleeping habits. I can sleep whenever and rise whenever without worrying about being late to school, nodding off in first period, and having enough time to finish an almost endless pile of homework. I can take a nap in the mid-afternoon if I wanted to. I am free in the summer, not tied up with time constraints and a rigid schedule. Summer is also the time for me to cook. The time for me to tackle complicated recipes. I can dream up flavor combinations and make them a reality. Compared to the school year, I am practically without commitments and stress.

And when summer's about to end, I treasure every second of it even more. In just 10 days, I'll have to kiss it good bye and wait for another school year to pass before I can feel the warm sun on my skin, see seasonal, summer fruits at the farmer's market, and not be weighed down with schoolwork, projects, and essays.

I will miss summer.

Lingonberry Soda

My fascination and addiction with lingonberries (only the ones from Ikea though) is still going on strong! Today, I have made a lingonberry soda. It's actually quite simple. Instead of using water to make juice, I used seltzer water to give it some fizziness. Best of all, I just eyeballed ingredients (no extra things to wash!).

Personally, I didn't think it was as fizzy as a coke, but it still gave some nice fizz on your tongue. (Keep in mind that I tried it after taking pictures, hosing a table down, and etc., so yours might be more fizzy than mine)

Watermelon Lingonberry Drink

Recently, my mom and I went to Ikea. It's one of my favorite places. Ask my friends - they all know that I am quite a fanatic of that blue and yellow building. Their furniture is so modern-looking. Such simple design with clean lines. You can't find old-fashioned things in there. You can't get your great grandmother's china cabinet from there. You get something more contemporary.

Their furniture is always nice to look at, but I love their cafe even more. I always get their Swedish meatballs. Always. There's just something about them. Hearty. Full of flavor. And with the mashed potatoes, gravy, and lingonberry preserves on the side, it's just amazing. Every time we go, I must stockpile some meatballs and lingonberry syrup and preserves. Funny how I go grocery shopping at a furniture store, eh? (Personally, I think it's a great marketing strategy.) And maybe, it's because those meatballs just make me feel better. I only go to Ikea several times a year (because it's far away), and it's mostly after piano competitions. (The competition place is really close to Ikea.) Eating meatballs and drinking lingonberry juice calms me down from the competition. It makes my fingers stop sweating. It also makes me feel better when I get honorable mention, and not first, second, or third place at the competition (which happens a lot more than you think it possibly could).

Zucchini Bread

An Ode to Zucchini Bread

sung to the tune of "Ode to Joy"

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum,

Zu-ucchini bread is good.

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum,

It is de-e-lee-e-ciioouuusss.

Copyrighted 2011. Do not plagiarize my lyrics. I lost sleep over this song. Okay? Respect this bee-yoo-ti-ful song of mine.

Zucchini bread is such an easy bread to throw together! Flour, spices, sugar, oil, eggs, and ta-da! You've got zucchini bread! Whoops... I forgot the main ingredient - zucchini. How could I? Okay, let's try again: Flour, spices, sugar, oil, eggs, and grated zucchini, and you've got zucchini bread. Oopsie daisies! Well, it's unbaked zucchini bread, but I'm not going to type the whole list of ingredients for the third time. You get the idea.