Field of Dreams

And here I am walking you to the field of dreams

One by one in a singular line

Your little feet make barely any noise

Above the rustling of your white gowns

Some of you looked at me with concerns

Some with confusion

Some held on to my dress tightly

Some need to be carried

Yet some are full of laughter

Some are looking forward to the warm light

"Will it be better?" One of you asks

"Will we see our mom and dad? Our puppies and cats and our goldfish?"

Some burst into tears because they know what is the place 

And what it meant to be there

Someone asked me once, "If God was real why bone cancer in children?"

I don't know the answer to that question

Nor why they are there with me in the field of dreams

I do know I stay there until they are calm

Promising to deliver notes and love and kisses to the one they left behind

Holding each one until I feel they are ready

Watching them as they roam and explore the field of dreams

Only then do I turned around

My tears falling and filling the river Styx

My grief and anguish crumbles and humbles me

They are safe now, but not others

Those who suffer and life in fear

Those who forever maimed with trauma

Those who are forgotten and set aside

Those who are victims because we fail them then and we fail them still.

My work is not done.

~ in the memory of Robb Elementary. Rest in peace, little ones. ~

Magic The Gathering "Chef's Surprise"

I found this when looking for MTG recipes, which to my dismay there are barely any.

The original recipes and methods is as follow, but I beg you to not use the seasoning in the recipe. When followed to a T, the flavor and texture are a disaster.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kotaku.com.au/2021/06/chefs-surprise-magic-the-gathering-cookbook-recipe/amp/

Lips:

instead prep and season the chicken thighs with salt pepper and paprika, before giving it a quick sear. Chicken thighs is crucial since it will give the lips-like appearance and because it can withstand the extended cooking time. 

Flesh:

I use meatloaf mix and meatloaf recipe, using GF ketchup and GF bread crumbs.

https://wildforkfoods.com/products/meatball-meatloaf-mix-of-ground-beef-pork-veal?variant=9385175318564

https://natashaskitchen.com/meatloaf-recipe/

Teeth:

Anything that can withstand long cooking time like daikon or apple is good to go. The point is to create a dent that you can fill with new sets of teeth. I ended up not substituting them with fresh teeth because I am out of time. 

Pincher:

Get cheap crab from Asian store. You just need 1, maybe 2 legs. I found a box of frozen crab for $8.99 at a Korean supermarket and was happy with it. No need to invest in expensive crab legs unless you will eat the rest, plus you don't want the pincher size to be disproportionate with your roasted beast. Cook the leg(s) and attached separately.

Decor:

- Rockit/mini snack apples

- seedless grapes

- lettuce

Cooking pro tip:

When shaping, put enough meat mix to the thighs to keep them attached to the main 'loaf'. Tie the whole thing with twine if needed. Toothpick/skewer does not work.

I baked it in a foil-lined rectangular pyrex. Loosely wrapped foil will help maintaining the shape. I drained the juice twice: once when I basted it with sauce and once after cooking. The foil makes it easy to slide to the serving station.

Good luck!

Copycat Endorian Tip Yip + Tattoine Sunset

Here's another one that I prepare for the party, along with Tattoine Sunset. This dish can be made GF and vegan.

Score: 7/10

The buttermilk chicken is good. The mashed potatoes are good. The hassle is meh. Compared to Ronto Wrap this is definitely more hands-on. Unlike the wrap that can be made and left alone in the oven, you have to babysit the fried chicken and the mashed potatoes. It's a well-worth labor of love if you are so inclined.

Buttermilk Chicken:

Cut chicken breast into 4-5 equal chunks per breast, marinade with buttermilk and your chosen spices. I took out the chicken the next day, shake off the marinade from the chicken as much as I can, and just dump some Mochiko flour to achieve the crispy outer layer while keeping them GF. 

Make sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly. If you are unsure, cut a thick piece open. If you still have doubt, pop them in the oven (350 F) and stick an instant read thermometer until the thickest piece read 160 F.

Mashed potatoes:

I am using potatoes mixed with parsnips for the chokeroot, instead of full parsnips like in the cookbook. Tbh you can get away with just potatoes since the parsnip doesn't really add to the taste. 1 batch can easily feed 6+ people if this is not the only entree. 

To make it vegan, use soymilk to braise the root vegetables and add cashew cream after. Add Nutritional Yeast for the cheese substitute.

Gurreck Gravy:

I use the same exact recipe as the cookbook. My recommendation is make just 1 batch, then add if you want more. It makes A LOT. It will be drizzled like olive oil so you don't use a lot of it. Sub the chicken stock with Vegetable soup base to make it vegan. Here's a GF Vegan soup base that I recommend:

https://www.fodyfoods.com/products/low-fodmap-vegetable-soup-base?variant=29900287433

Tattoine Sunset:

I am using this recipe but the proportion is changed based on a reviewers note. You can play around as needed:

https://www.diznify.com/tatooine-sunset-copycat-recipe/

The adjusted proportion:

8 oz unsweetened black tea

2 oz lemonade

0.5 oz Monin rock melon syrup

0.5 oz Monin blueberry syrup

To make a whole bunch of it:

I use 1 gallon pitcher to make a total of 11 portion (about 12oz each). Then I dump:

- 89 oz (1 jug) of Gold Peak unsweetened black tea

- 2.75 cups of Simply Lemonade

- 2/3 cups of rock melon syrup

- 2/3 cups of blueberry syrup

Stir with a long ladle, adjust taste as needed, and keep in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy!

Copycat Ronto Wrap

On my previous post, I made some Star Wars-inspired dishes which are copycats of what you can get in Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge. Here's the breakdown on how to recreate the Ronto Wrap for your own party. 

Everything can be made Gluten Free and Vegan.

Verdict: 9/10

It's an easy meal to recreate and the components can be eaten separately as well.

Basic recipe:

https://wildernessprincess.net/2021/06/27/the-real-ronto-wrap-recipe-is-out-of-this-world/

GF Sambal Oelek recipe:

https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/sichuan-all-purpose-chili-garlic-sauce/

GF Sausage:

https://wildforkfoods.com/products/spanish-style-chistorra?variant=9557504458788

Vegan sausage:

Impossible burger (to keep it GF) using the below seasoning mix and shaped like hot dogs. Pan fried or grill or oven baked accordingly. I use (less amount of) Chipotle chili powder to substitute Ancho.

https://www.isabeleats.com/chorizo-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-18677

Pork Roast:

Ignore the gravy. Make sure you use meat thermometer.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019254-pork-roast-with-roasted-jalapeno-gravy

https://wildforkfoods.com/products/boneless-pork-new-york-roast?variant=9195440144420

Pro Tip:

This is the amount I use for 15 people as one of the two entrees. We have so much leftover still, so judge accordingly.

- Slaw: I use 1 regular bag of coleslaw and 1/2 regular bag of broccoli slaw and just eyeball the flavoring.

- Roast: I use NY roast that makes it sliceable. 4lbs roast is big enough for everyone and more.

- Peppercorns sauce: 2 batches is good enough for everyone. Use Best Foods (or Hellmann's if you are in the East Coast) vegan spread for vegan version.

Have fun!!

Star Wars x MTG x Florida

My boyfriend wanted to have a small gathering for his birthday. Nothing special. We picked two meals from Star Wars cook book: Endorian Tip-Yip and Ronto Wrap. Those are the meals we always get when we go to Galaxy's Edge.

Did I say he said nothing special? Of course I get extra.

1 set of Endorian Tip-Yip (Buttermilk chicken with mashed potatoes and herb/olive oil dressing)

1 set of Vegan Endorian Tip Yip 

1 set of Ronto Wrap (pita with sliced roast pork, sausage, spicy slaw, and mayo peppercorn sauce)

1 set of Vegan Ronto Wrap

2 pitchers of Tattoine Sunset 

1 Key Lime Pie (non gluten free)

1 GF key lime pie

1 vegan key lime pie

1 MTG Roasted Beast (meatloaf with chicken thighs)

Homemade salsa

Mini corndogs 

In total I made 19 different things including the condiments. 22 if we calculate the spam musubi+tofu musubi I made for our lunch and the dutch baby I made for our breakfast the day of. All the party dishes, in exception to 1 pie, is gluten free.

I was in the kitchen from 10 am to 2.30 am with mini breaks in between, and pretty much from 7 to 1 the next day. My feet hurt so much from standing. But the faces I saw when I dramatically (of course) unveiled the meal was so worth it. 

His face alone made it all worth it. The feet massages I got later that night made it all worth it. How people brought home the leftovers because they really liked it made it all worth it. The way everyone offered to help clean up and how I got sternly told to sit down and not do anything made it all worth it.

I know I am bragging right now. I know I am flexing hard. I also know I needed this win. I need to know the extent I can go when receiving the right support and encouragement. It apparently really is "to infinity and beyond". 

As a famous captain once said: "I can do this all day". I can and I will. Down to the meticulous planning weeks ahead. Down to hunting servingwares and designing little name stands. Down to researching recipes in the corner of the internet. Down to battle plans including staggering deliveries and playing Tetris with space in the refrigerator, the dishwasher, and the counter space.

Because it's worth it. Their happiness and appreciation made it worth it. In return, it gives me pride and joy to know just how far I can go. And damn did I go all the way.

Thank you for trusting me, love. Thank you for letting me use the blender until 11+ at night even though you are dead tired. Thank you for understanding that I needed this and giving me a chance to prove myself. Thank you for believing in me. It has been a joy.