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What I'm writing in YEAR OF THE DOG

I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
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Shrimp tempura with Grandma

Captain's Log, Stardate 05.25.2009

For my dad’s 70th birthday party, my grandma made shrimp tempura. She makes the BEST tempura! She knows just how long to cook it so the shrimp is tender and the outside golden crispy.

Here is her setup. She uses a combination of the tempura batter, dry flour, and panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs.

I'm not sure why, but she always fries it on the propane cooker. Maybe for easier cleanup, or faster cooking than the gas stove.

Yup! She uses chopsticks to fry!

Don't they look delish??? They tasted good, too!

And, of course, Kuro haunted the kitchen to gaze longingly at the good smells coming from the countertop, hoping for some random droppage.

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Comments

Edwina said…
Yum-O! Looks delicious and I'm sure it tasted great.

Aren't grandmothers wonderful?! I have such grand memories of both my grandmothers.

Blessings,
Edwina
Mon May 25, 01:47:00 AM 2009
Camy Tang said…
Aw, thanks, Edwina! Yes, my grandmas are both great!
Camy
Mon May 25, 01:50:00 AM 2009
Jennifer Crosswhite said…
Oh yum. I love shrimp tempura. Man, you're making me hungry!
Tue May 26, 04:38:00 AM 2009
kalea_kane said…
Oh this looks YUMMY!!!!
Wed May 27, 04:31:00 PM 2009
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