Yes, mother, it's red.

Red like Manhattan clam chowder, that is. Only it's not, not quite. I used canned oysters instead of the fresh clams called for in Epi's Manhattan Clam Chowder. But whatever you want to call it, it's certainly not a creamy chowder. And it's so tasty, really. I also substituted red bell pepper for the green (not a big fan of green peppers; green chiles, though, are an entirely different story).

Just look at those big, rich, juicy oysters floating around in there. Mmmm. It's a very good recipe, and I suggest anyone who likes fishy soups try it (that goes for you as well, mom). Plenty of black pepper kicks the zesty factor up a notch, and some really good sea salt enhances the briny flavor of the shellfish. Excellent as a hearty lunch, or good as a starter with dinner (provided the members of your family will eat it). I increased the amounts by about 50% to make two big bowls for myself. This summer I'm going to try it with mussels and fresh yellow beefsteak tomatoes from my garden.

Hand Spinning

None of my hobbies is quite as enjoyable these days as spinning. I can think of nothing as satisfying (or cost-effective) as turning a pile of sheep hair into delicate, knittable, delicious yarns. I'm completely hopeless with my spinning wheel, but a homemade drop spindle has turned out to be a really amazing and easy thing to use. Hubby and I took a large hollow plastic knitting needle, a small brass ceiling hook, and a few blank CDs and turned them into something magical. After a skein of worsted for practice (and I learned a lot; it's been about 10 years since I last spun anything), I was ready to move on to a laceweight, and I learned a lot more there, like how NOT to spin the yarn too tightly, and how to work out icky slubs in the spinning. I'm still going with the laceweight, and I have no idea what I'll do with the worsted. I could spin some more of it and then actually use it for something, I suppose. For now, I'm just going to enjoy the laceweight. And did I mention it's the softest merino you ever touched? Maybe I'll have enough of it for a yummy little spring/summer baby sweater. Elbow length bell sleeves, a pretty lace edging, and maybe a dainty eyelet stitch all over. Oooh. Must go spin more.

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Cookies

I have never been fond of oatmeal cookies - not because I don't like the cookie part, but because they invariably contain raisins. And it's not that I don't like raisins, because I do find them delicious. No - the problem is that I don't like raisins cooked into things. There is nothing worse than happily chewing away on a sweet, moist cookie (or anything else, for that matter) and suddenly biting into a dried grape. The flavor of raisins is really not at all harmonious with any of the things people stick them in. Raisins are sweet and light, and simply do not blend well with cinnamony things, puddings, and especially not oliebollen and oatmeal cookies.

But back to the cookies. I like to bake my daughter sweet but not too unhealthy treats for her lunchbox. This week I decided on oatmeal cookies, but what to do about the raisins? I was prepared to simply bite the bullet and run the risk of producing another generation of oatmeal cookie-haters, when I thought of other dried fruits. Dates, in particular, sprung to mind. And walnuts might be good with that, I mused. So without further ado I whipped up some tasty, not too bad for you oatmeal cookies that any mother could be proud of and any kid could easily help make. We'll see if daddy likes them as well.

Kiki's Oatmeal Date Cookies

1/3 cup sunflower oil
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cloves (freshly ground is best)
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 cups quick oats

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
Blend oil, applesauce, sugar, egg, water, vanilla, flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves together in a large mixing bowl. Then stir in dates and walnuts, followed by oats. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a nonstick baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until almost no impression remains when cookies are touched. Remove from baking sheet immediately (and gently) and cool on wire racks.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Let me preface by saying that I am NOT Chinese. Lunar New Year, called Chinese New Year in most Western countries, is significant as a Buddhist holiday, not specifically as a Chinese one. That being said, most people don't know or recognize this and therefore think it's only for the Chinese to celebrate. I disagree, and celebrate it for the important religious holiday it is.

I won't get into the symbolism of the various traditions that are carried on around the world; I'm just here to talk about the food, which is really the only reason most Westerners care about today. Tonight I'm making pork and shrimp potstickers, sweet and sour pork, and steamed sponge cake. I'm not going to post these recipes - they can be found all over the Internet and in most Asian cookbooks. What I want to share is a secret for making quick and easy potsticker wrappers, as they are something that is much tastier homemade.

You can buy the little frozen sheets of round dough in any Asian supermarket, but why would you when making them is (contrary to popular belief) so simple? All you need is a double recipe of the dough (4 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and about 1 cup boiling water), an old-fashioned stainless steel pasta maker, and a tin can. Just roll out the dough in the pasta maker the way you normally would for pasta. When it reaches the desired thickness, leave it in a flat sheet. Dip the open end of the can in flour and use it to cut rounds from the dough. There will be some scraps left over, but that's why you double the recipe. Quick (relatively; you still ahve to let the dough rest for an hour after adding the boiling water), and much less work than rolling out each individual wrapper by hand, but with the same tasty, fresh-made results.