I’d never made egg rolls at home before—-it was too intimidating.  But I was wrong.  They couldn’t be easier. If I had deep fried them, they may have cooked more evenly on the sides, yet the last thing I wanted to do in the heat of the summer was heat up a large pot of oil to 350 degrees.  I ended up cooking them in 1/4 cup oil in a non-stick pan. They were fantastic.

Just a word of reassurance: Asian food tends to have a lot of ingredients, but don’t let that discourage you. If you use the basic flavors—soy sauce, ginger, and garlic—then all you really need is to throw in what you have on hand and what sounds good.  If what you have in the fridge is something you once had in take-out, then throw it in and it’ll probably be great.

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We bribed our son, not too long ago, to read for a certain number of minutes in exchange for a new book. For his reward, I bought the coolest looking novel I have ever seen. Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic Press, 2007) opens with a black and white sketch of the moon set against a black background. More sketches follow as you turn the pages, and you feel almost as though you were watching a film instead of reading a book. An intriguing mix of drawings and text uncover the story of an orphan boy living in Paris in 1935 and the mystery he encounters.

After reading the book, my son has been fascinated by Georges Melies, a magician filmmaker from the turn of the last century, who plays a starring role in the story. Selznick includes a list of resources for learning more about Melies and the films mentioned in the book.

Ever since I had my first baby, I have envisioned taking my family to great heights–I’d love for my son to go to Oxford, or for my daughter to sing opera. I, however, do not have a degree from Oxford and can’t sing. But that won’t hinder me from helping my children achieve those things, or any of their other lofty pursuits. My plan is to read classic literature to them, travel with them, teach them good manners and foreign languages, and try — try – to get them to eat great food. This blog will document my attempts. Thanks for visiting.