Dim sum was the order of the day.  Ran out of time last night due to rehearsals, etc, so I knocked up the har gow and sui mai in the morning. Pulled the sticky rice, beef meatballs, and baos from the freezer. I started the jook (congee) before I had my breakfast: a cupful of rice, slices of ginger, and lots of fresh chicken neck bones and backs. The necks give the best flavour, and the bits of meat works all through the congee. As my family doesn’t like watery jook, I silkened thinly sliced chicken breast and added it just before serving.

 
The beef balls were steamed for 20 minutes. They still had that pink tinge inside. This came up in the China and Chinese cuisine before: Why do the meatballs stay pink no matter how long they are steamed!?

Jo-mel thought maybe the cilantro was the culprit. I liked cilantro A LOT, so it got to stay  ;-) The meatballs were bouncy and chewy, as dim sum meatballs should be. Kept these warm in the oven while the har gow and sui mai were steaming. I zapped the already steamed baos and sticky rice in the microwave.

Hubby picked up the wrong gauge strings last night. This is what happens when you try to find the "freshest" from the back of the rack  ;-)  While downtown, he picked up "deep fried devils," Chinese long donuts, yow tieu? for the congee. I really appreciate the Real Canadian Superstore for carrying this item. Now, if they'd just bring back the egg custard tarts!

 
Drank pots of Oolong tea with lunch.  One of my Taiwanese student's family is in the tea business. He gave me a gift when he returned home. His last words were "Anytime, Teacher, you need tea, e-mail me"!

The whole band was here now, so it was "going over the song list" once more. China-Li was trying to keep her harp in tune. High humidity plays havoc with her strings. Then it was: I need a new 9-volt battery for my electronic bagpipes! Scramble, scramble through a multitude of drawers . . . At the end of the session, Adrenolin was pumping and we headed off to the fair grounds, where the festival was held.

Our show was titled "A Folk Odyssey" . . . Celtic, Canadian folk and cowboy songs, Appalachian, blues to gospel . . . as mixed up as some of my cooking!

 
Supper was in the performers hospitality tent. I didn't need to cook for the first time this week! There were BBQ burgers, hot dogs, vegetarian items that I didn't get to, trays of fresh vegetables and dip, fruit, a huge tray of apple crisp, various cakes and cookies, coffee, tea, etc. My camera was already filled with pictures, so no pictures of the food here

The festival ended shortly after midnight. China was volunteering with the St. John's Ambulance First Aid Brigade until midnight, and then she dropped me off and headed for her midnight to 8 a.m. shift as an attendant in a group home. I crashed. The guys went to an after-show bonfire at a country home.

They are still in bed, so breakfast will be brunch before heading out for our 2nd show at 1 p.m.  Bill and I are on stage with two other couples. It's a workshop, Musical Partners, Musical Friends. Bill and I will have been partners for 38 years this August 29th

What's for supper? Ummmmm. . .  Let me think about that. I DO know that two cakes need to be baked and decorated by tomorrow.  One is for my school's Administrative Assistant's birthday, and one for the little boy next door.