But things are getting better ~

But things are getting better. Despite the sadness that hovers above me like a little gray cloud ready to rain at any given moment, I still find reason to smile, because I’m blessed and my life is good. The sun still shines. I have everything I could possibly need and what I want for nothing. I have my God, my family and friends and etc. I life filled with abundance.

Things are changing around here an I won’t apologizes for that

Sweet Potato and Haupia pie

I made sweet potato and haupia pie for a friend's housewarming party last night, and it was so popular with everyone that the hostess asked me to share the recipe with her. Seriously, people were threatening each other over this pie; completely bypassing the main dinner to make sure they got a piece. I had no idea people would get so crazy over a pie. I'll share the recipe with you, but use it wisely and only under adult supervision.
Notes:
→ Okinawan sweet potatoes are a deep purple color when cooked and fairly dense. There is no adequate substitute. The dark potato layer stands in distinctive contrast to the creamy white of the haupia on top. (This pie is as almost as much fun to look at as it is to eat! By the time I realized I might want a photo it was already too late; the carnage was over and the pie gone.
→ Between the cooking and chilling, it takes several hours to make the recipe, and then a couple more to cool the pie at the end. Allow yourself plenty of time, otherwise you'll find yourself like me, trying to accelerate the cooling phases in the freezer.
Crust
• 3/4 c. cold, unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 2 T sugar
• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 1 c macadamia nuts, well chopped
The very first thing you need to do isn't a "crust" step, but you'll be glad you got it out of the way. Peel your sweet potatoes (from the Sweet Potato Layer section just below). Okinawan sweet potatoes come in wildly different sizes, so I can't easily tell you how many potatoes you'll need to make 2 cups. Just use your best judgment, and if anything, make a little extra. Boil the potatoes until a fork slides easily into them. Drain and mash them, then set them aside to cool while you make the crust. Isn't that purple color amazing? How thoroughly you mash them depends on the final texture you want. I don't mind little chunks in my pie, but other people prefer a creamy texture.
Oh yeah, now would be a good time to preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Now we can get started on our crust. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Add the chopped nuts and the butter. Cut the mixture with two butter knives, pulling them across each other in a scissors motion, until the crust mixture is crumbly and no large butter chunks remain. Press the crust mix into the bottom of a pie pan, continuing it up the sides of the pan. You don't need to create a substantial or fancy lip to the crust. Place the crust in the refrigerator.

Sweet Potato Layer
• 1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened (1 stick)
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 c. Okinawan sweet potatoes, mashed
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 t. salt
Wash your medium size bowl that you used to mix the crust. Cream the butter and sugar together in it until smooth and... Creamy. Add one egg at a time, mixing them each until completely incorporated. Add half the sweet potatoes, mixing thoroughly. Add the other half and mix again. Finally, mix in the evaporated milk, vanilla and salt.
Spread the sweet potato layer into the pie crust, making sure not to add too much. The potato layer should fill the pie no higher than 1/2 inch from the top edge of the crust, so that we still have room for the haupia layer. Bake the pie at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the edge of the crust is golden and the potato filling is lightly browning in spots.
Cool the pie completely in the refrigerator.
Haupia Layer
• 1 can coconut milk (usually 13.5 oz)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
When the cooked pie has cooled, begin preparing the haupia layer. You do not want to prepare the haupia early or it may solidify into an unwieldy block of coconut goo.
Place the coconut milk and water in a saucepan, but don't turn on the heat just yet. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl then add them to the liquids. Heat at medium, stirring constantly, until thickened. You can tell it's thick enough when you lift your spoon out, and the bits that glop off the spoon back into the saucepan basically hold their shape.
Immediately pour the haupia mixture over the pie and return to the refrigerator to chill for several more hours. Serve when cooled, making sure to step back so that you don't get trampled!

Spicy food...

Ah, spicy food. Is there anything better than a spicy meal, especially when it's homemade? There is no one around to tell you that it's too hot, no overly-cautious cook afraid to add too much piquant, and no one to watch as you sweat bullets and gulp down your molten concoction just the way you like it.

One can experience stomach problems and other conditions if a meal is a bit too zesty. Furthermore, constantly eating hot food can have permanent negative effects on the body. Here's what you need to know about the negative impact spicy food can have.

PEPPER THIS, PEPPER THAT
A little bit of pepper here and there won't hurt you; most of us add it to our meals not for the sake of making food hotter, but for the aroma. Having said that, let us establish what I mean by spicy food. Here is a small sample list of foods and ingredients that can be too spicy for our own good.

Garlic
Granted, garlic is amazing. Eating one or two cloves of garlic might turn a few heads, but it won't make you see talking coyotes. It is one of the healthiest foods out there, but some people just can't get enough of this good thing. Consuming more than three cloves in one sitting can make one feel a little something brewing in the belly.

Hot chili (jalapeno) peppers
The epitome of hot food, chili peppers have long been used in spicy meals. Indian, Creole and Cajun cuisine rely heavily on jalapenos for chili sauce. Eat one of those little things raw (notice how the smaller they are, the hotter they get) and you'll feel the burn all the way to your ears, literally.

The simple fact that hot peppers are so potent makes me wonder if humans were ever meant to eat them raw. They make a great ingredient, but in my opinion, they shouldn't be eaten on a regular basis.

Horseradish
A popular ingredient in Asian cuisine, this little beige or green root (depending in which part of the world you are in) can pack a wallop and is often overused. Japanese horseradish, or wasabi, is green and used as dip for sushi.

The funny thing about grated horseradish is that it always seems to catch people off-guard. We all know it burns and know it will unclog sinuses for what seems like a million years, but people still always take that extra ounce that puts them over the edge. Some cultures, like the Japanese, enjoy its punch, but horseradish is another spicy culprit to watch out for.

Ginger
Despite its pleasant name, ginger is often misused. Most recipes do not use it enough to make the ingredient harmful, but dried sweet ginger, especially when it's eaten like candy, falls in the category of harmful spicy foods.

Hmm love rainy day more and MORE!!!

The History of Doenjang

Let’s find out some of the facts about soybeans, the primary ingredient of soybean paste. Soybeans originated from the southern part of Manchuria. The birthplace of the Maek tribe, this area belonged to Goguryo, one of the three Kingdoms in ancient Korea. This history tells as that the original place of soybeans is Korea. Wild and hybrid varieties of beans are found not only in Manchuria, but also in all parts of the Korean peninsula. This reconfirms that soybeans originated from Korea. Soybean farming started 4,000 years ago, according to literature, archeological specimens, and research on genetics

Korea, the cradle of bean culture, began making soybean paste a long time ago by boiling soybeans, shaping them into lumps, and fermenting the lumps. Soybean paste in the early days was a thick mixture of soybean sauce and soybean paste. It is presumed that many kinds of soybean pastes were made with fermented soybeans, and the liquid was separated from the mixture of fermented soybeans and brine during the Three-Kingdom period.

The technique of making soybean paste was introduced to China, a neighbor of Korea. Chinese people recognized Korean (Goguryo) people’s skill in making fermented food, and called the smell of soybean paste the “Smell of Korea.” As Korean meju (a fermented soybean product) was introduced to China, Chinese people began to make completely different soybean pastes from the traditional ones. Ways of making soybean paste during the Yi Dynasty are found in literature. According to Guhwangboyubang (1660, a book about hardy crops), meju was made by using soybeans and wheat, and greatly different from those used today. Ways of making meju were first introduced in Jeungbosallib-gyeongje (a book about farming), and they still form the base of today’s soybean paste manufacturing method.

Korea, as the cradle of bean culture, developed meju, a processed soybean food, and introduced it to neighboring countries, changing their diets greatly.