Carey Family

Archives for December 2008

More reading in 2009

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montgomeryI saw this mini-challenge today and I couldn’t resist joining because it will push me to read some of the 11 non-Anne books on my shelf that I’ve never read.  I know I’ve racked up a large share of challenges already, but I’m starting to feel like my friend, alisonwonderland-there are so many interesting challenges, I just want to join them all!  Even with the several I’ve joined, it’s not as many as the host of this challenge.  She has a list of all her completed 2008 Challenges and there were 46!  Anyway, the rules and my list:

By November 30th, 2009 (her would-be 135th birthday) read at least 4 books by Lucy Maud Montgomery that aren’t part of the Anne series.

  • Jane of Lantern Hill
  • Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side
  • Along the Shore
  • The Doctor’s Sweetheart and Other Stories

Carey Family Recipes

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Partly to help us gather our favorite recipes into one place (instead of a growing number of cookbooks that we are unable to find room for) and to provide recipes to others that may be interested, we have started storing our most commonly used or favorite recipes on a website.  Please visit Carey Family Recipes if you would like the recipe to one of our favorite dishes!

Christmas Eve PulKogi

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A tradition in our home is having PulKogi (a traditional Korean dish) on Christmas Eve.  I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Korea and we enjoy having this dish each year.  I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp sesame seed oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 1 lb. beef, sliced very thin

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet.  If they get too hot, they will begin to pop, so keep a lid handy.  After toasting, grind or mash the seeds.  Or you can put them in a food processor and process them to a powder.  Combine all the ingredients except the meat.  Add the mixture to the meat and use your hands to thorougly mix together.  Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag and let set for at least two hours.  I like to do it for 5-6 hours.  Cook in a frypan and serve with rice.  I like to eat it with leaf lettuce leaves, like lettuce wraps.

In addition to PulKogi, our traditional Christmas Eve dinner includes fresh broccoli and cheese sauce, rolls, raspberry jello with cream cheese balls, and Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Cider.

2009 Reading Challenges

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Today is December 20 and I can proudy say that I have accomplished my first reading challenge with 11 days to spare.  Waa-hoo!  I am going to attempt some reading challenges next year and here are my goals.  I will be continuing the Book Awards II Challenge begun in 2008 and finishing 1 June 2009, and then starting 5 new ones.  I think I can do it.  Once again, these are books I currently own in my to-be-read pile, because that pile is large and I have so many books in it that I’ve been wanting to read for ages.

Numbers Challenge runs 1 Jan-1 Aug 2009

5 books whose titles have a number in them

Themed Reading Challenge runs 1 Feb-31 July 2009

4 books with the same theme; from your TBR pile; my theme is books with a musical instrument as a major plot device

 War Through the Generations runs 1 Jan-31 Dec 2009WWII Challenge (2009)

at least 5 books about WWII, fiction or non-fiction

What’s in a Name-2? runs 1 Jan-31 Dec 2009

6 books that require something specific in the title

  • profession: Captain’s Glory, William Shatner
  • time of day: Night of Many Dreams, Gail Tsukiyama
  • relative: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Kim Edwards
  • body part: Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
  • building: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Anne Tyler
  • medical condition: Born in Fire, Nora Roberts

Read Your Name Challenge runs 1 Jan-31 Dec 2009

Using your name or any name you like, read books with first title letters that spell out your name; I’m using SCOTT so I can read some fun books that I want to be sure and get to this year.

  • Snakewater Affair, Liz Adair
  • Captain’s Blood, William Shatner
  • Onion John, John Krumgold (Newbery Award)
  • The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith
  • The Quilter’s Apprentice, Jennifer Chiaverini

Becky Anderson’s Caramels

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I love caramels and a good friend gave us her recipe.  We made them last year to give with our neighborhood gifts.  Here is the recipe:

  • 2 pts. corn syrup – Bring to boil
  • Add 4 cups sugar – Keep boiling
  • Add 1 lb butter – Keep boiling
  • Slowly add 1 pt. heavy cream
  • Carmelize 3 Tbsp sugar in another pan
  • Slowly add 1 can evaporated milk
  • Slowly add carmelized sugar

Cook to soft ball stage (240-245 degrees). Add 1 tsp vanilla.

Pour into buttered pyrex dish or other cookie sheet to cool.

Cool 6 hours and then cut into pieces.

A couple of important tips:

  1. Make sure that the pan you have is big enough.  As the caramel cooks, it will eventually expand to about twice the original size of the ingredients.  You DON’T want it to boil over.  Take it from personal experience!  It will cause massive amounts of smoke in your house and stink up the place, causing you to open the windows in the dead of winter, freezing you out, and giving your wife an asthma attack.   It can also catch on fire as you try and scrape up the burnt remains on your stove, particulary if you left the burner on.  Just start with a bigger pan than you think you need.  The advantage of having it spill over, is that you get a real check to see if your smoke alarms are working.  We found out that ours work just fine.  All of them.
  2. Make sure that you check the accuracy of your candy thermometer before you start.  If it isn’t registering high enough, you’ll end up with delicious candy that is a bit harder than you might expect for caramel.  I don’t know about you, but I like my caramel soft.  You can check your thermometer by boiling some water, inserting the thermometer and make sure it registers 212 degrees.  If it doesn’t, you need to account for the difference when you are cooking the candy.  The caramel should be just barely to soft ball stage, so when it is getting close, drizzle some into a cup of cold water, take it out and see if you can mold it into a soft ball.  If you can, it’s done.  It doesn’t matter what your thermometer says!  Don’t cook it anymore!