On this side of the pond, creative cooking rules the day. I find a sick delight in finding a recipe that is laced with things I can't find here and changing them up so that they are "China-friendly."
Note to self: I don't measure things. I just dump and hope. If you take sugar and stick it in a good blender, turn it on, beat it to a pulp for 2 minutes or so, then you'll get powdered sugar. That's the end of it. I usually pick up the blender and shake it with much vigor. I usually make powdered sugar after being in a train station and 57 people cut in line in front of me. This is a safer form of aggression than what I come up with in my brain.
As a fun side note, when you blend sugar, it starts smoking and you feel like a real chef. Until you realize that your 6-year old could do this. And so you look for other reasons to feel good about yourself for the day. Like "Hey, I was only 2 weeks late on paying rent this week!" Or "I'm not washing my jeans again because it makes me feel like I've lost weight!"
And then your self-elation can begin again.
You'll want to mash your hands around in it after blending the sugar to make sure it doesn't feel like you'd flossing your teeth with sand.
And then you can make things like these cinnamon rolls. You can also find the irony in telling your children, "No, you can't have cookies for breakfast! We are having cinnamon rolls."
Then you'll add color to said powdered sugar that will make your 4-year old son believe you have grown a cape and turned into a super hero overnight.
