Reverb10 (28) and Home Cook Comfort Foods

December 28 – Achieve
What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.

I want to finish the project I'm working on in lab. I will feel relief and then stressed because I don't know what to do next. I will think, "Finally, this part is done." I will be happy that my data looks good.

I don't think I can feel relieved and stressed at the same time today. Today is a restful day. I will see friends and run around being happy. I will not be thinking about work or anything that may give me stress. I don't think it's something I want to think about today.


Last night for dinner, my parents made yummy but simple foods. I think this is one of those really simple and ordinary pleasures I have.

The first dish is simply stir fried veggies from our back yard picked fresh just before cooking. I love fresh stir fried greens because they smell so green and sometimes have subtle flavors and undertones that are overlooked in less fresh veggies.

This is pork with garlic sauce. I think my dad cut up a zucchini to go with it. I really like the texture and the flavors of this dish. I like how it's just a little spicy, rather savory, and just a tiny bit sweet to give it depth. I don't really notice the garlic here, but it really helps define the dish. I think some Sichuan bean sauce and ginger was also involved and maybe a dash of vinegar for acidity (dark Chinese vinegar, not white western vinegar).

 Mom bought goat recently. This was the first time I had goat. We usually get lamb. I like this because it's got more flavor. She stewed the meat in a crock pot for about a day. We then took out the broth and added winter melon. Since goat can get a bit gamy, we added cilantro to tone it down. I like how green onions and cilantro can do that to meat. It also added a nice crunch to the soup. The winter melon took up a lot of broth and was mushy and nicely melts in my mouth. I really love how simple the seasonings were -- mostly salt and a touch of pepper -- but how well developed the flavors became (probably due to the over night stewing):

Mmmmm comfort foods.

<3
Hao