Alexandre happy in his perfect cobra pose! Posted by Hello

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Our Last Night With Dad...

Friday, May 13th ... the night my father died, was a shock to all of us. I'm only able to write about it more clearly now... Though we were expecting him to pass soon, we didn't expect that it would happen less than two hours after my brother Tang, his son Jeremy, my son Alexandre and I arrived to see him. Alexandre and I had just flown in that afternoon to Chicago, on a flight from Hong Kong. We all drove to my sister Ying Ying's house in Champaign, where Dad had just been transferred from Rush Hospital earlier that day. The 3 of us were planning to take care of him in the comfort of home, during his last days of life. When I did see him, it was heart wrenching. I barely recognized the person lying there in bed – his eyes, red-rimmed and teary, were rolling up into their sockets, tubes were coming out of everywhere helping him to breathe and take care of other bodily functions. He was breathing noisily like a fish out of water, his temples had sunken in, and he could bare...
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Cooking Mamas Assignment: Moroccan Royal Couscous

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This time it was my turn to choose a dish, and my co-cooking mamas asked me to find a Moroccan recipe--knowing that my mother-in-law is half Moroccan. Having experienced my mother-in-law's authentic homestyle cooking, it was pretty clear to me what dish I had to choose for this challenge. A Tagine would be too simple... It had to be something we wouldn't cook just any day. So I chose the ultimate special occasion dish: a Moroccan couscous. But I didn't ask for my mother in law's recipe. It's a rule of mine never to compete with her cooking. In French/Moroccan hubby's eyes (or tummy) his mother's couscous is the best -- full stop. And I must say, no restaurants we've tried together have ever served a better couscous than hubby's mummy-- ma belle mère. I cook by starting with a basic recipe, and then adjusting the elements for my preferred taste, texture, appearance and smell. So, I researched many recipes to find one that seemed to resemble the ...
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Fruity crumble

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Homemade fruit crumble is always a favorite in our household. Over the years, I've tried and adapted different recipes. But the basic recipe I use for the crumble topping (below) is a combination of a crisp/crumble topping and it gives a crispy/crunchy texture. For the fruit filling, I change it depending on what type of fruit I have. Mixed Red Fruit and Pear Crumble INGREDIENTS:  CRUMBLE TOPPING: 1 cup oatmeal (not instant) 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar (vergoise) 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (adjust to your taste) 1 teaspoon nutmeg (adjust to your taste) 125 grams cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces A teaspoon of orange flower water (optional) FILLING: - About 6 cups of fruit in small pieces. - Variations: Pear/Apple/Dried Cherry: you can use 4 very ripe pears and about 3 tart apples (granny smith) and add a handful of dried cherries. You can also add raisins or dried cranberries. Instead of apples, ...
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