Sometime ago, I was catching up with a college friend and he asked me, "So, what do you like to do other than Grandma activities?"

It's fun having friends tease you in a lighthearted manner, but I get that there's always a little bit of truth to a joke. I do really like time consuming activities. Slowly perusing huge antique malls and carefully approaching each booth to see what the dealers have displayed (really, whether they found Pyrex for me) and learning all about "mid century modern" and guessing at items I don't know much about when the LTE signal is too weak inside the huge building for me to confirm anything. I also like touching yarn and trying my hand at crochet patterns. There's something about working on a DIY project and being able to see the finished product. Whether it's a cute baby dress or a pot holder!

Maybe there's something fun about loving an activity that should not be "stereotypically" what someone like me should be doing (whatever someone like me even means!). Like people who meet me and think if I'm Chinese I love cooking and eating Chinese food all the time. When I do, I do love it. But that's not all that's me. My brother and I love spaghetti, hot dogs and hamburgers. We grew up eating that at school. Now we also like eating shoyu chicken, poke and sushi. Maybe part of that is influenced by our love of Hawaii...but mostly because we like to eat good food and why wouldn't anyone want to eat shoyu chicken every day? All this to say that we are the sum of all our experiences. I can love things older than me. I can be Chinese and American.

Recently, I saw some photos of broken Pyrex on one of my facebook groups. There's something about Pyrex and granite counter tops. If you don't set it gently on the counter top the Pyrex will explode into shards. I decided I'd make more potholders because of this. I came across this beautiful crochet pattern called Little Spring Mandela and decided to make some for my turquoise Pyrex I picked up over 4th of July weekend.

For now, when my Pyrex 024 is on the counter...it will safely rest on one of my crocheted potholders. Maybe I'll sell my extra potholders to buy more Pyrex or maybe I'll just keep crocheting for the safety of my Pyrex. Either way...I win!

Venora's Twist on the Little Spring Mandela

Follow the Little Spring Mandela pattern up to Row 7.

8th Round (new color): work sc into every space, join with a slip stitch to first sc, finish off

9th Round (new color): work sc into every space, join with a slip stitch to first sc, finish off

Make two of these! Place the wrong sides together and match them up as best you can.

9th Round (same color and join both pieces): sc , work *(1sc, skip one stitch, 5dc, skip one). Repeat * around, join with a slip stitch to first sc, finish off

A few months ago, I really wanted to buy something Pyrex in Houston. I have the worst luck here. I have only found one other item in a thrift store - the Snowflake Garland #403 Mixing Bowl (and a Dish Water Damaged (DWD) Blue 502 which totally doesn't count) and really wanted something more out of this city.

Then, one day, while Yelping, I found out about Thompson's Antiques and drove there immediately. I started hunting and zeroing in on anything that resembled Pyrex. Then suddenly something appeared. On the bottom shelf, of a vendor who didn't sell much Pyrex, I saw this odd turquoise colored 024 casserole dish. It has a design with white leaves drifting in the wind. I had never seen it before, and being the novice that I am, turned it around and around with my hands to inspect it more carefully. Nope, never heard of this design or seen it. Maybe it's one of those "promo" items people keep writing about. I even carried it around the store for a few rounds of deep contemplation. Should I buy this? Is it worth it? Do I have too much Pyrex? Finally, it was nearing time to leave. So, I made a split second decision (ok, it wasn't) to adopt this strange Pyrex and give it a home.

Later, I find out this promotional Pyrex pattern is called "Blowing Leaves" and it had fetched over $300 on an eBay auction. I was so happy to know that my gut instinct to purchase this item was so spot on. :)

I got over my fear of ruining such an expensive and sought after piece of Pyrex and decided to make a salad with it. For now, I'm not going to risk using this piece in the oven!

I made Musakhan to go with this and originally wanted to use one of my oblong Pyrex casseroles to have a complete Pyrex in Action (PIA) dinner, but a simple google search advised against using Pyrex when using the broil function.

What do you make in your 024s? I have one more of these at home that I will write about someday but I think I've only used them for salads.

I put all the ingredients directly into my Blowing Leaves Pyrex casserole. You should too! Any 024 will do!

Blowing Leaves Salad

2 large roma tomatoes, diced
1 small cucumber, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 cloves garlic, mashed
3 sprigs of green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 of a jalapeno (should be the size of a small pinky), REMOVE the inside seeds!! and diced
1 medium lime
1/2 medium lemon
2 TBSP olive oil, or a bit more according to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all items. Squeeze the lemon and lime into the salad. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

You can't just make a salad without serving it with some food. As one of my brother's friends once said, "You don't make friends with salads!" And it's kinda true. So here's the recipe for the chicken dish I served with the Blowing Leaves Salad. Don't use Pyrex for this next dish because it requires broiling. It's better to use a metal pan when you're exercising that function of your oven! This is the "healthy" version...I tried not to drench it with olive oil though it probably tastes way better the "Palestinian" way. I modified Sawsan's recipe from Chef in Disguise.

Healthy, but tasty Musakhan - Palestinian Sumac Chicken with Sauteed Onions

4 chicken leg quarters

3 medium onions, chopped
1/4 cup sumac, or more according to taste
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup olive oil

pita bread
salt and pepper to taste

wedges of lemon, optional
chopped parlsey, optional
1/4 cup sauteed slivers of almonds, optional

Preheat oven to 375. Line a metal pan with foil and place the chicken legs on it. Generously add salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat a large pan, add a bit of the oil into the pan and when it heats up, add the onions. After it starts sizzling, add the sumac, rest of the oil and salt and pepper. Cook until translucent about 10-15 minutes depending on how crowded the onion is in your pan.

In a small pan, heat up a bit of olive oil, add 1/4 cup of slivered almonds. When it starts sizzling, turn off the heat. Immediately transfer onto a dish with a paper towel to absorb all the oil. Be careful! Remove almonds here with slotted utensil so that the oil drains before you put it onto the dish.

On a plate, place one whole pita bread, scoop some of the sumac onion mixture onto it. Add a chicken leg and then scoop some more of the sumac onion mixture on it. Squeeze on a splash of lemon juice. For garnishments, add some chopped parlsey and sauteed almond slivers.

Crocheting for Pyrex

Blowing Leaves on a Spring Day