Everyday Food & Drinks

Lemon Drop Tomato

2012-01-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

These are adorable lemon drop tomatoes that my sister brought over. They are not extremely sour as their name may suggest, but slightly tart. My local grocery store usually offers the equally small cherry tomato. However, I will be sure to look for lemon drop tomatoes now that I am aware of their existance. They would add a lovely color to any salad!

Peach Crumble

2011-12-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

Peach crumble is one of my favorite easy to make desserts. During the summer, I had purchased 25 pounds of peaches! I made peach crumble, peach pie, peach muffins and just plain ate the peaches, but I still had some left. So.......I peeled, pitted and froze them. Now that it is winter and I haven't had a peach in months, I decided to make some peach crumble with the peaches that I had froze.

It is a bit watery as you can see, but still tastes just as good as the peach crumble I made during the summer. Of course, I could have dehydrated the peaches a bit, but these days, I opt for anything simple and quick.

To make the peach crumble, I simply placed 3 layers of peach slices in a 3 to 4 inch deep, oven safe baking dish. Then in a separate bowl, I mixed together 1 1/4 cup of oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup of butter and 1 tsp cinnamon and then sprinkled the mix over the peaches.
Next, I baked it at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes and let it cool for about 10 minutes before enjoying!

Recipe for Pesto

2011-11-30T17:45:00.000-08:00

There are so many recipes for pesto, but my favorite one is quite simple and includes olive oil, basil, parmesan, garlic and pinenuts. The ingredients for pesto are so versatile and easy to find!

Using a food processor, I pulse together 2 cups of fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of pine nuts (walnuts work well too!), 3 large cloves of garlic and 1/2 cup of olive oil. I add some salt and pepper to taste and I'm all set!

I usually serve the pesto with spaghetti since it is my favorite pasta noodle, but this time I decided to spread it on some flatbread and top it off with some fresh aged parmesan.

Aged Parmesan

2011-10-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

I really love all sorts of cheese, mainly because they are so versatile and can add such a nice flavor to any dish. Parmesan is one of my favorites so when the aged parmesan went on sale at our local grocery store, I had to stop in and pick some up. I made some spaghetti bolognese and finely grated some parmesan cheese on top. It was absolutely delicious. Adding parmesan cheese shavings to soups is another one of my favorite ways to enjoy it.

Pumpkins

2011-10-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

We went to visit a farm on the weekend and there were so many pumpkins! Of course, they had a huge pumpkin patch where we got to explore and pick out a pumkin. We ended up with four pumpkins, a mini one, a small one. a regular sized one and a large one. I wanted a really HUGE pumpkin, but my husband thought it would be too heavy to carry across the farm and back out to the car.

I am not one for carving pumpkins so I figured I would take the seeds out and roast them in the oven. Roasted pumpkin seeds have always been a favorite of mine. Once I take the seeds out of the pumpkin, I am sure to pick them out of their pulp right away. Then I rinse them in a colander under cold running water. I take a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and spread the seeds out in a single layer, sprinkle them with salt and roast them at 325 degrees F for about 25 minutes. Be sure to stir them around about half way through. Finally, let them cool and enjoy!

Making a pumpkin pie with the actual pumpkin is a great option, but this month has been really busy for me so I figured that having my husband carve the pumpkins would be a better idea. We are going to put them out on the front porch for Halloween!

Dill Potato Salad

2011-09-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

I love potato salad and usually make one which includes sauteed onions and bacon. However, I had some redskin potatoes and some fresh dill from the garden so I decided to try something different. I thought, why not make a dill potato salad. It was really easy, because all I did was boil some potatoes, then strained them and let them cool a bit, while I went out to the garden to get some dill and wash it up. Once the potatoes were cooled off, I cut them into 3/4 inch chunks and mixed them with the fresh chopped dill, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.

So simple and delicious. It really is a a flexible recipe and the amount of mayonnaise, dill, salt and pepper you add really depends on your liking. I like to put a bit of extra mayonnaise in my potato salad if I am refrigerating it over night since I find that some of it seems to disappear after being refrigerated.

Thousand Year Old Eggs

2011-09-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

The thought of eating an egg that is a thousand years old is enough to make most people lose their appetite. To me, thousand year old eggs remind me of rice porridge, because that is usually what I eat them with. I don't eat them often, but when I do, I can usually eat only one egg at most. Above is a picture of the thousand year old egg in it's shell, and the picture below shows the inner part of the egg along with it's jelly like outer part.

They are often referred to as 1000 year old eggs or 100 year old eggs, but are not nearly that old. They are in actual fact, simply preserved duck eggs. The inner yolk part is firm and rich in texture and the outside is similar to jelly.
Sometimes, the inner part is somewhat runny and I always thought it was because some preserved duck egg yolks were meant to be that way. However, I discovered that if the egg is boiled for 8 minutes or so, then the egg would firm up, both on the outside and the inside, similar to a hardboiled egg.

Not So Sweet Frosting! My Favorite Buttercream Frosting Recipe

2011-08-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is my absolute favorite buttercream frosting recipe. It is a bit more time consuming to make than most other butter cream frostings, but it is well worth the time. I originally learned of this italian meringue buttercream, from Cake Journal. It is the not so sweet frosting that I have been searching for. It does not contain any icing sugar at all, unlike most buttercream icing recipes I have tried. I tried the Cake Journal recipe the first time, but had to halve it since then. My mixing bowl and mixer didn't seem to be big enough to be able to handle the full recipe and overflowed a bit when I tried to make the full recipe.

Sugar and Water Mixture

To make it, simply start by bringing to a boil together and dissolve 1 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water.

Beaten Egg Whites

In the meantime, whip up 6 egg whites until stiff peaks form.*It is recommended that you use only pasteurized egg whites for food safety reasons.

I cannot easily find pasteurized egg whites so I instead use meringue powder. I beat together 6 Tbsp. Meringue powder, plus 3/4 cup room temperature water until stiff peaks form. (Instead of egg whites)

Then, Slowly and CAREFULLY add the sugar and water mixture to the stiffened egg whites and beat on low for about 10 minutes.

Curdled Mess!

Next add 1 1/2 cups of butter. Cut the butter into one inch cubes and add one cube at time.

Once all of the butter is added, mix on high until it is smooth and creamy.

It may go through a curdled looking stage, but keep beating and you will end up with some amazing frosting!

*Louise's from Cake Journal didn't seem to curdle this way, but maybe it was because I used the meringue powder instead.

Amazing buttercream!

This is how my buttercream frosting turned out. It seems a bit thicker and not quite as fluffy as Louise's, but again, maybe it was the meringue powder. One of these days, I will find some pasteurized egg whites and see what happens! :)

Color the frosting if you so desire and then pipe or spread onto your favorite cake or cupcakes. Enjoy!

T.G.I Friday's Dinner Deals!!

2011-08-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

T.G.I Friday's has some amazing new value offers that you definitely shouldn't miss if you live in or are visiting, the Baltimore, Indianapolis, Chicago or West Palm Beach areas. With these deals and great value, you don't have to wait until Friday for a night out. Check out the value offers for each different area below! :)

Attention Indianapolis area Friday's® fans! Head on over to your local Friday's® for a great offer of a Dinner and a Cold One for only $10.
Enjoy some of Friday's® delicious entrees including a drink of choice:

Indulgent Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Jack Daniels Pulled Pork Sandwich
Balsamic Glazed Chicken Caesar
Mouth-watering Black Angus cheeseburger

This offer is available every night of the week! For the full menus being offered, please visit:

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Attention Chicago area Friday's fans! Head on over to your local Friday's now to pick 2 items for only $10!
Enjoy some of Friday's® delicious specials (including appetizers, entrees, and desserts):

Spinach Florentine Flatbread
Savory Dragonfire Chicken
Pan-Seared Parmesan Flounder
Delicious Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

This offer is available every night of the week! For the full menu being offered, please visit:
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Attention Baltimore area Friday's fans! Head on over to your local Friday's for a great offer of a Dinner and a Cold One for only $10.

Enjoy some of Friday's® delicious entrees including a drink of choice:

Indulgent Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Jack Daniels Pulled Pork Sandwich
Balsamic Glazed Chicken Caesar
Mouth-watering Black Angus cheeseburger

This offer is available Sunday –Thursday only. For the full menus being offered, please visit:

http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;244940026;55575682;n?http://www.tgifridays.com/menus/dinnerColdOne.aspx

Attention West Palm Beach area Friday's fans! Head on over to your local Friday's now to pick 2 items for only $10!
Enjoy some of Friday's® delicious specials (including appetizers, entrees, and desserts):

Spinach Florentine Flatbread
Savory Dragonfire Chicken
Pan-Seared Parmesan Flounder
Delicious Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

This offer is available every night of the week! For the full menu being offered, please visit:

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This sponsorship is brought to you by Friday's® who we have partnered with for this promotion.

Wedding Cake

2011-07-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is the lovely wedding cake that was made for my sister's wedding. It was beautifully decorated with handmade sugar calla lillies. Inside was lemon flavored pound cake with cream cheese frosting. It was delicious!

Pork Vermicelli

2011-07-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Pork vermicelli is one of my favorite asian style noodle dishes. It has a creamy coconut flavor and fresh herbs such as mint, thai basil, cilantro or green onions can be added to give it a fresh taste. Usually one regular sized bowl of pork vermicelli is enough for me since it is quite filling.

Barbecued Chicken

2011-06-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we barbecued chicken for lunch and it seemed to take forever before the chicken was cooked thoroughly. I have always known that chicken takes a bit longer to cook than beef or seafood, but it seemed to take even longer on the barbecue. I thought that cooking the chicken in the oven first and then putting it on the barbecue would be a great idea, but we decided to just use the barbecue alone. My mother mentioned that a friend of hers would boil the chicken before putting it on the barbecue and it turned out really well.

This weekend, we decided to try both methods. I marinated my chicken then night before, as usual, then cooked it in the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes before putting it on the barbecue.

For the other batch, I simply boiled the chicken for 12 minutes, then barbecued on low heat. When the chicken was almost fully cooked, I brushed on some Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce

Both types of chicken turned out better than they did last weekend. The boiled version was juicier and a bit more tender, but the marinated chicken had the flavor that I most prefer.

Glutinous Rice Flour Dumplings

2011-06-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

These are a sticky and fun snack that my mom sometimes makes. I'm not sure what exactly they are called so I call them glutinous rice flour dumplings. :) The shell is made of glutinous rice flour (also known as sticky rice flour), tapioca starch, water and a little bit of salt. The glutinous rice flour makes it a bit sticky and chewy. The inside is just a mixture of pork, shrimp and black fungus mushrooms. They are steamed up and served with sweet and sour fish sauce.

If they are not being eaten immediately, then we usually wrap them up in banana leaves before steaming them so that they can be stored more easily.

Strawberry Eclair

2011-05-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Eclairs are so delicious especially when they are freshly made. Usually the eclairs I find are chocolate coated, but at this one particular bakery, they had strawberry eclairs as well! Instead of chocolate on the pastry, it was sprinkled with powdered sugar and the fresh whipped cream was garnished with a strawberry. It was hard to choose between the chocolate eclair and the strawberry eclair, but this time I was glad I chose the strawberry one for a change.

Chicken Cannelloni

2011-05-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

My sister gave me a few servings of chicken cannelloni made from scratch and it was so delicious! It is a really good make ahead and freeze meal. When you bring it out, it is still just as good after you bake it.

It was filled with chicken and topped off with bechamel sauce. I served it with salad and it made a really nice quick meal.

Fresh Egg Noodles

2011-05-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy fresh egg noodles even though they take an effort to make and it may sometimes seem easier to purchase them from the store. I made some over the weekend and took some photos so I can share a how to make fresh egg noodles post here. I'm working on the instructions and will post them soon.

Shark Fin Soup

2011-05-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the shark fin soup I had at a wedding I went to. Shark fin soup or shark fins soup (as some call it) is sometimes served at Chinese weddings or special occasions. It is often on the menu at nice Chinese restaurants, but I hear that sometimes the actual shark fins in them are not real and in fact are imitation shark fins. This is a relief because I don't think it would be a nice idea to eat real shark fins, as sharks should not be endangered just so that their fins can be consumed.
I like the overall taste of the soup, but I don't think I will try to make it at home, since I don't have a shark fins soup recipe.

Apple Pie

2011-05-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

Apple pie is one of my family's favorite desserts, because it is simple and delicious. I don't often make apple pies from scratch, because I find that some of the storebought ones are really good. If I do make my own pie, I will usually buy the pie crust and just make my own apple pie filling since the crust is quite time consuming to make. The filling on the other hand is really simple and quick to make, provided I have a lot of apples on hand. I'm not sure which are the best apples for apple pie, so I simply use whichever is on sale at the grocery store.

I have also heard of fried apple pies and even an apple pie drink, but have yet to try either of them. I love anything fried so I definitely will have to try a fried apple pie soon.

If you have any easy apple pie recipes, feel free to share them in the comments section. :)

Guacamole Recipe

2011-05-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

Guacamole is one of my favorite dips, and I love serving it as an appetizer or snack when I am having a party or get together. Making guacamole is quite easy, and from what I understand, guacamole is quite healthy too!

I don't use a specific guacamole recipe, but try to add the same ingredients each time. The quantity of each item does vary from time to time, because depending on taste, some may like more of this and less of that.

I generally will take 2 avocados and pit them, then put them in a bowl with half of a medium to large sized chopped tomato, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of minced onion, 5 springs of minced cilantro, the juice of one lime and salt and pepper to taste.

I take a fork and mash it all together since I like my guacamole chunky. Some of my friends don't do any chopping or mincing and just put all of the ingredients into a food processor. That method is a lot faster, and also yields a smoother guacamole.

I then serve the guacamole with both yellow corn chips and blue corn chips for variety.

If I make the guacamole and don't serve it right away or happen to have leftovers, I store it in a bowl in the fridge and cover it by gently pressing plastic wrap right on top of the guacamole so that it doesn't turn brown. Sometimes I don't do the best job with covering it up and end up with some air bubbles where the guacamole will turn brown, but I just give it a little stir before serving and it is fine.

Enjoy!

Frozen Pizza

2011-05-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

We like to make fresh homemade pizza at home, but sometimes there just isn't enough time for it. That's why I usually keep a frozen pizza in the freezer for when we have really busy days. I haven't quite found one that I really enjoy yet, but I am going to keep trying different ones, and maybe one of these days I will find an amazing one. I find that most of the storebought freezer pizzas are salty and the crust is usually terrible. I imagine it's quite difficult to make a good quality frozen pizza, but maybe one of the food companies will come up with one soon. (Or maybe, the best frozen pizzas already exist and I just have yet to discover them) Lol. I'm sure the worst frozen pizza exists too. Hopefully I don't discover one of those.

Maybe I should try making homemade frozen pizza and see how that turns out.

I'd love to hear of the best tasting frozen pizza you've had or perhaps a good frozen pizza dough recipe if you have one. Feel free to comment!

Stuffed Peppers Recipe

2011-05-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

Stuffed peppers are a colorful side dish to add to a meal or to serve as a meal. The above is an orange stuffed pepper that one of my sister's made and below are yellow and green stuffed bell peppers that my other sister made.

I ate these as a snack one afternoon and was quite surprised as they are different from other stuffed peppers that I have eaten. The peppers were not as soft and the stuffing was not quite as moist as what I am used to, but they were still delicious.

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers (any color you like)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped carrot
1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. turmeric
2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper
1 egg

1 pound lean ground beef or chicken

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, cooked (or cooked quinoa)

Instructions:

Cut off the top of each pepper

Remove the seeds and membranes

Chop up edible part of the tops and put aside.

Rinse peppers under cold water. Put them aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pan.

Sauté chopped pepper tops, onion, celery and carrot for about 3 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Add garlic, oregano, basil, cumin, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Mix well, then remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg.

Mix in ground beef and cooked rice. Then mix in vegetable mixture.

Stuff peppers with the mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350° F for 30-40 minutes.

Strawberry Cake Mix Recipe

2011-04-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

I made this easy strawberry cake on the weekend and turned out pretty well. I didn't feel like baking from scratch so I used a box of vanilla cake mix and added fresh sliced strawberries to the batter before baking it. I used storebought strawberry icing and covered the cake in it.

I suppose I can't really call this a cake mix recipe since all I did was add fresh sliced strawberries to it, but it did change the flavor enough to make people think it was made from scratch. I sometimes add fresh lemon zest to lemon cake mix and that really freshens up the cake too.

Do you have any favorite cake mix recipes? Please feel free to share them in the comments below.

Spring Rolls

2011-04-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

These are mini spring rolls or two bite spring rolls as some may like to call them. My nephew calls them egg rolls, but in my opinion, it doesn't really matter what they are called as long as they are fresh and taste great!

The egg roll filling contains ground chicken instead of ground pork (so I guess you can even call them chicken egg rolls) and also a bit of shredded carrot. I usually add chopped shrimp to the filling when I make pork spring rolls (or pork egg rolls), but in chicken spring rolls, shrimp doesn't seem to be a good fit.

Here is a simple chicken egg roll recipe that I usually make. It can also be substituted with pork if you would like to make pork egg rolls.

For the filling:

In a large bowl, combine, 1 pound of ground chicken (substitute with ground pork if you prefer pork spring rolls) with 1 egg, 1.5 tbsp. soy sauce, 1/2 tsp.salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 2 tsp. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. sesame oil, 1 shredded carrot.
Mix well.

Scoop a tablespoonful of the mixture onto an egg roll wrapper, spreading it out lengthwise (left to right), but leaving 2 cm of empty space on the left and right sides.

Fold the right and left sides of the wrapper over the filling, then roll the spring roll away from you to form the spring roll.

Have a small bowl of water ready. Dip your fingers in the water and wet the end of the roll to seal it closed.

Deep fry them in some vegetable oil until they are light or medium golden brown and let them cool a bit before eating.

As for the egg roll sauce, I usually dip mine in sweet chilli sauce which can sometimes be found in the international aisle at the supermarket. Plum sauce works well too if you don't like spicy sauces.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Sundried Tomato Fettucine

2011-04-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is a really easy and quick pasta that I enjoy. I just cook some fettuccine noodles and top it with chicken (pan fried and then sliced) and storebought sundried tomato alfredo sauce with added frozen spinach. I simply add the sauce and spinach together in a saucepan and heat it up. I then pan fry fresh, washed asparagus in a pan and add it to the side. The asparagus is not necessary, but sometimes I just happen to have some in the fridge so I add it on the side.

Fresh Homemade Bread

2011-04-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

On the weekend we made a couple loaves of fresh bread. Everyone seems to love fresh bread so it doesn't last much longer than a day or two. It probably wouldn't taste as good after the first or second day anyways so I guess it's a good thing it gets eaten up quickly.

The bread is nice soft on the inside and crispy on the outside when it first comes out of the oven. After a few hours, it is still soft and moist on the inside, but the outside softens a bit as well and is not quite as crispy.

My parents got the bread recipe from a neighbor of theirs after he had given them a loaf of bread that he had made. They liked it so much and loved the fact that they didn't need a bread machine to make it.

Here is the simple, yet delicous bread recipe:

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons yeast

2 cups of warm water

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

10 cups flour

We used a KitchenAid Mixerwith the dough hook attachment to mix the bread dough and started off by putting the first 3 ingredients (1 cup warm water, 1 tsp. sugar and 2 tbsp. yeast) in the KitchenAid Mixing Bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Then add the next 3 ingredients (2 cups warm water, 1 tbsp. salt and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Mix well.

Add 1 cup of flour and mix until smooth.

Gradually mix in 9 cups of flour. The dough should still be a bit wet and elastic.

Cover the bowl with a clothand let the dough rise for 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and cut it into 3 even pieces. Place each piece of dough in separate Bread Pans, cover them with a clothand let them sit for 1 hour longer.

Bake them at 400 F for 20 minutes.

That's it, fresh homemade bread!

My favorite way to have the bread is with butter on it, but sometimes I have it plain with a bowl of nice hot soup.

Enjoy!

Potlucks and Food Exchanges

2011-04-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

I used to love cooking a variety of different recipes in a single day, including appetizers, entrees, desserts and everything in between. Cooking many different foods takes a lot of time and effort, so lately I have been thinking of having a potluck or some sort of food exchange. In my opinion, it is much easier to cook one single item, but in a large quantity rather than several different items in smaller quantities.

Having a potluck is always a fun way to get together with friends and to learn about different foods that you may not have otherwise heard of or tried. Everyone would bring one dish of their choice, but would get to enjoy a bit of several different dishes.

A food exchange is also a nice way to visit with friends and perhaps get some new recipes. My favorite type of food exchange is when everyone brings enough entrees (that can be frozen) for each person attending the event. For instance, If I choose to make lasagna and there were 8 other people bringing food as well, then I would bring 8 portions of lasagna. Each portion would serve 4 to 6 people and can be frozen for a future meal. This works out well, because there are so many frozen meals that can be made in advance such as sheppard's pie, lasagna, dumplings/potstickers, pasta sauce, soup, chicken, beef or turkey pot pies and so many other dishes as well. You only have to make a large quantity of one item to bring to the food exchange and get to go home with 8 different meals!

5 Tips for Being Successful When Trying a New Recipe

2011-04-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

Whenever I try a new recipe, it doesn't always turn out well. Sometimes it turns out really great and sometimes, no one even wants to eat it! I would like to share a few tips on how to increase the chances of being successful when trying a new recipe, and should really remember to follow them myself.

1. Make sure your workspace (ie. kitchen counter) is clean and tidy - This tip is important even when preparing a recipe that you've made several times, because it can help keep you organized.

2. Read the entire recipe a few times before starting - This is important, because I don't know how many times I thought I knew what I was supposed to do, only to miss a step in the instructions. Reading the entire recipe a few times before starting to cook will help you to be prepared and not miss any crucial instructions.

3. Make sure you have all of the ingredients needed - This helps to ensure that you are not missing any key ingredients that may alter the taste of the recipe.

4. Make sure you have all the cooking tools needed - Without the necessary tools or cooking equipment, you may not be able to complete the recipe. I learned this the hard way a few times and had to turn the desired dish into a totally different one altogether.

5. Relax and have fun! - Things usually turn out better when you are relaxed and having fun, so I had to add in this casual tip.

If you have any good cooking tips, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Happy Cooking!

My Favorite Comfort Food........ A Turkey Dinner

2011-04-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

There aren't many meals that are better than a good old turkey dinner. Usually we have turkey for special occasions such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, but nowadays they sell turkey legs or turkey meat in smaller portions at the grocery store. It makes it easy to just pick up whichever I prefer and roast it for a bit in the the oven.

The corn and beans are always easy to prepare especially when purchased frozen or canned. For the gravy, I usually freeze some from the holidays and can use that, but canned gravy or gravy mix are good options as well.

Stuffing can be of the instant variety too, since my thoughts are comfort food shouldn't require too much work. I almost always make the mashed potatoes from scratch though since they are easy to make.

There it is. An easy, comforting meal on just any regular weeknight. What is your favorite comfort food? Feel free to comment below.

Coconut & Rice Flour Dumplings

2011-04-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

These aren't really dumplings, but I'm not quite sure exactly what they are called. They are made with rice flour and coconut milk and filled with ground pork and bean sprouts. They taste really good when they are fresh and are great as an appetizer. Some people like to eat them as a meal, but for me, I would have to add a salad or some sort of vegetable on the side.

I rarely make them (probably only once a year) because it is so time consuming to cook them and I'm not good at making them. Sometimes they end up burnt or don't turn out right! Lol.

Strawberry Shortcake

2011-04-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

My favorite cake is strawberry shortcake and my family really likes it as well. I don't have a lot of time to bake these days, but I still try to whenever I get the chance. If there is a birthday or special occasion coming up and I know I won't be able to bake a cake, I will almost always go out and buy a strawberry shortcake.

I can make the cake part of the cake and it is quite easy to go out and purchase some strawberries to put on top. However, the cream part of it really is a mystery to me. I sometimes buy a carton of heavy cream and whip it up, but it never seems to be as rich and delicious as the cream on the cakes that I buy. I really wonder if there is a secret ingredient or special way of making it.

Please leave a comment below if you have any tips on this. I would love to know!

Have a sweet day!

Strawberries with Milk and Sugar

2011-04-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

Strawberries are so delicious on their own, but when I want a special treat, I top them off with condensed milk and turbanado sugar. It adds that extra sweetness and creamy flavor that goes so well with strawberries.

It is a really quick and easy dessert to make as well if you don't have too much time to bake and need something to serve after dinner.

You just hull some fresh strawberries and wash them. Then you cut them into slices and put them into individual bowls an top with a spoonful of condensed milk and turbanado sugar which adds a nice sweet crunch.

Instead of turbanado sugar, you can just use a bit of regular white sugar or skip the sugar all together since the condensed milk is already quite sweet. I just like the texture and crunch it adds to each bite.

Pretty Papaya

2011-04-05T05:59:00.000-07:00

Papaya is one of my favorite fruits because of the smooth texture, juiciness and great flavor. It is usually available all year round here, however, it is not necessarily delicious every time. It is imported here from different countries that have a more tropical climate than we have here so I try to avoid buying it during the winter months as I noticed they don't ripen as well or taste as flavorful as they do in the summer. Spring has just begun so I figure it would be okay to try one now. The papaya probably made it's way here while it was still winter, but I really couldn't wait. This papaya ended up tasting okay. It was a bit bland, but the texture was good and there was some sweetness to it.

Papayas are also really easy to prepare. You just peel them, cut them in half and scoop the seeds out with a spoon.

Then you slice them into long pieces or into smaller cubes and you're all set. Enjoy!

Hot and Sour Soup

2011-04-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

I went to a birthday party this past weekend and the hosts served different types of international food. This hot and sour soup was one of the appetizers. I have tried hot and sour soup before, but didn't really care for it. Probably because one of the ingredients in hot and sour soup is bamboo and I don't like bamboo. However, this hot and sour soup was actually quite good. It had bamboo in it, but I couldn't taste or smell a the bamboo as much as I had in previous hot and sour soups that I have had before. My guess is that they boiled or cooked the bamboo before adding it to the soup and in other soups I have had, maybe they just added it in and cooked it right into the soup. Either way, this was one of the better hot and sour soups I have tasted and I actually finished by portion of it.

Pretty Delicious Cupcakes

2011-04-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

We went out to dinner for my friend's birthday and brought these delicious cupcakes from a local cupcake shop. There were lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting, vanilla cupcakes with strawberry icing, and double chocolate! I usually like to bake my own cupcakes, but didn't have time since we went out on a weeknight. It was a nice treat to have a few different flavors, because if I had baked them, we only would have had one flavor...........vanilla with vanilla buttercream!

Really Simple, Yummy Spaghetti!

2011-03-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

This is a really quick and easy spaghetti that I make sometimes when I crave pasta. It is so simple and effortless to make, yet so delicious!

I just cook some spaghetti and toss it in a pan with storebought pesto sauce, a bit of olive oil and pre-cooked bacon pieces. There is minimal cooking involved if I purchase the pre-cooked bacon (which I just love!). However, I sometimes cook a whole pack of regular bacon and then blot it with a papertowel and let it cool. I then put it in a ziploc freezer bag and store it in the freezer until I want to eat it. I just take out the strips of bacon that I need for each meal. That way I don't have to make a mess and the whole house doesn't smell like bacon every time I get a bacon craving. All I have to do is re-heat it and I'm all set!

Pretty Pancake Breakfast

2011-03-25T04:54:00.000-07:00

These were some delicious pancakes I made for breakfast the other day. I added fruit skewers, melted chocolate and whipped cream to make them more like a treat. :)

I just used the fruit I had in my refridgerator which were kiwis, strawberries and pineapples. Bananas, other berries, and exotic fruits such as mangos and papayas would be great as well!

I cut some of the pancakes into flower shapes and made mini skewers (I used long toothpicks instead of the long skewer sticks for these) and served it with vanilla yogurt for a kid friendly, healthier variety of the same breakfast. *Remember to be careful with the toothpicks if the kids are really young! I took them off of the toothpicks when the kids were ready to eat.

I just love to make pancakes and actually used this amazing waffle recipe I found at Joy of Baking. I sometimes like to make waffles, but thought I would keep it simple this time. Pancakes seem faster to make and are a little less messy, because I tend to make a mess of my Belgian Waffle Makerwhen I use it. I have used that same recipe for waffles before and they turned out fluffy and really delicious.

Curry Chicken

2011-03-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

This is a quick and easy curry chicken dish I made. I would have to say that the curry chicken recipe I use is one of the easiest and most versatile recipes that I know of. I can make yellow, red or green curry for this recipe and also substitute the sauce to turn it into a sweet and sour dish too!

For this dish:

- I simply prepared 2 onions and 1 pound of chicken by slicing them and cooking them together in a pan with some heated oil.

- I then added a package of frozen asian vegetable mix and stirred it for about 30 seconds before adding one can (400ml) of coconut milk and 3 tablespoons of yellow curry powder.

-I mixed it all up and added salt and pepper to taste, served it over rice and that's it! Pretty easy.

To make red or green curry, you simply substiute 2 tbsp. of red or green curry paste in place of the yellow curry powder.

If you would like to make sweet and sour chicken instead, you can substitute the coconut milk and curry with the sauce from this recipe.

You can also chop up fresh vegetables such as carrots, red peppers, green peppers, orange peppers, yellow peppers, broccoli, green beans, yellow beans, asparagus, cauliflower or any other vegetables you may like. If I am using fresh vegetables, I usually add a can of baby corn as well. For this meal, I used a package of asian vegetable mix just to make it quick and easy since I had such a busy day.

The amount of vegetables is up to you. For a pound of chicken, I usually would use about 4 to 6 cups worth of vegetables. It all depends on if you like a lot of vegetables or a moderate amount.

Going out to Eat on a Budget

2011-03-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I am too busy to cook, but want a nice meal I either go out or order take-out. It's sometimes hard to know if I will like the food and if it will be worth the actual cost of the meal, so it is nice to know that there are so many deals out there now for dining out. For instance WagJag is a popular site where there are deals of at least half price off at many restaurants.

Last week was my first time purchasing a deal from their site and will use the certificate to go out for dinner one night this week!

Roasted Eggplant Dip

2011-03-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is a roasted eggplant dip that my sister made and served as one of the many appetizers before dinner. I am usually not a big fan of eggplants and have never thought to make a dip out of them! I didn't ask for the recipe, though in hindsight, I probably should have so I can post it here.

I don't ever buy eggplant, because I just don't know what to do with them. I am not used to eating them and haven't cooked with them before, but it is probably something I should try sometime. They are quite healthy and should be versatile in any meal.

Udon Soup

2011-02-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

Udon soup can be a meal or a snack as you can put a variety of vegetables, meat or seafood in it. This time, I included sliced mushrooms, julienned carrots, sliced red peppers, greens, corn and chayote as my vegetables. I just used whatever I had in the fridge.

I boiled the udon noodles, as well as some pre-made chicken broth in a separate pot. I added some leftover turkey and a couple of storebought fishballs, along with the veggies to the broth, then boiled it all together for a few minutes. The noodles were drained, placed into a bowl, then topped off with the broth mixture.

The udon soup was quite filling and very easy to make.

Calamari

2011-02-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

This is a delicious calamari I had as an appetizer when we went out for dinner. I really enjoy calamari and order it almost every time I go out. The sauce was not as good as many others I have tried, because it was a bit runny. I like my tzatziki to be on the thicker side.

Mini Quiche

2011-02-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

Mini quiche are one of my favorite appetizers for any get together. I also enjoy them as a snack or part of breakfast sometimes.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 1/2 tbsp. butter

1/2 of a small onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 of a small green pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of cheddar cheese

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

For the pastry dough (shell):

In a Food Processor,pulse together:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
and 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (cut into cubes)

Pulse until the mixture is crumbly.

Add one lightly beaten egg and pulse 3 times.

Sprinkle 2 tbsp. of icy cold water into the mixture and pulse until the dough is formed.

If the dough is too dry, add more cold water, one teaspoon at a time.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and form it into a ball.

Divide the dough in half and roll out the first half to 1/8 of an inch thick. Add more flour to your work surface as needed.

Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut little rounds out of the dough.

Line a mini muffin pan with the dough rounds.

Re-roll the scraps as well as the second ball of dough and cut out more dough rounds, lining the mini muffin pans as the rounds are formed.

There should be 48 dough rounds all together.

*I used two, 24 cup mini muffin pans. If you have the 12 cup mini muffin pans, you will need 4 of them. If you only have enough for 24 cups, feel free to leave the second ball of dough to cut out while the first set of mini quiche are baking.

Instructions:
Melt the butter in a small pan and sautee the onions and garlic until tender.

Combine the onions, garlic, cheeses and green pepper in a bowl.

In a seperate bowl, whisk the eggs until blended, then whisk in the cream, salt and pepper.

Add the cheese mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.

Pour one tablespoon of the filling into each pastry shell.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes. (Until golden brown)

Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then remove the quiches from the muffin pan.

Coconut Cream Pie

2011-02-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

This is a coconut cream pie I made. I did not have any whipping cream so I used the leftover egg whites from the filling recipe to make a meringue topping instead. I guess in this case, you can call it a coconut meringue pie! It was pretty good, and perfect for those who love meringue. As for me, I still prefer fresh whipped cream on top.

Fried Chicken with Taro Tempura

2011-01-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

This was a crunchy fried chicken dish that I had for dinner the other night. I simply took a
chicken breast and dipped it in whisked egg, then dipped in bread crumbs, and fried it until golden.
I used a storebought bernaise sauce to keep things simple and also used storebought tempura batter for the taro.

Fresh Beet Fettucine

2010-12-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

Above are the flour covered beet fettucine noodles before they were cooked.

Here they are after they have been cooked and topped with alfredo sauce. They are a lighter shade after they are boiled and taste just like plain fettucine noodles. The beet taste was not noticable at all which was great for me, because I have not yet acquired a favorable taste towards beets.

My sister had given me a bag of organic beets as she purchases a weekly basket of tasty vegetables from Moondance Organic Gardens. She always tells me how great beets are for your health, so I thought I would give them a try.

I happened to be making fresh noodles so I thought, why not juice some beets and replace the water in the recipe with beet juice. I am so glad I did, because now I don't have to feel guilty about not having a side of vegetables with my fettucine alfredo!

Here is the recipe for beet noodles:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup beet juice (approximately 3 medium sized beets)

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

1.Mix all of the ingredients together and then knead until it becomes a nice dough.

*I put all of the ingredients into a KitchenAid Stand Mixer,then mixed it on low with the dough hook attachment until it formed into a ball. So if you happen to have a stand mixer, this would be the easiest way.

2. Cover the dough for about an hour.

3. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, then flatten it to 1/8" thick.
4. Cut the flattened dough into noodles, then boil them for 7 minutes.

5. Serve with alfredo sauce, tomato sauce, pesto, butter, or any sauce you prefer.

*I rolled the dough oblong, then cut it into 4 pieces. I then put each piece through the Pasta Roller Attachment of the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. After that, I put the sheet of pasta through the fettucine cutter attachment. Once I had my fettucine, I dusted the noodles with flour so that they would not stick together. Once again, if you have a pasta roller or cutter, it would be much easier to form the noodles this way.

Stir Fried Greens in Oyster Sauce

2010-08-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Greens are a very healthy choice when it comes to cooking. This is why I try to find several different ways to serve greens in order to include them regularly in my diet. Stir fried greens are one of my favorites.

Here is a simple way to flavorfully serve greens:

1 pound of greens (broccoli, chinese broccoli, bok choy, mustard greens, green beans)
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced

Wash and trim the greens.
In large pan or wok, heat vegetable oil, then add minced garlic.
Next, add the greens, then the salt. (Make sure the heat is on high)
Stir the greens around along with the garlic so that the garlic does get too crisp.
Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce.
Stir again so that the sauces are mixed thoroughly with the greens.

Put the stir fried greens on a plate and serve immediately on their own (as a side dish), with rice or with noodles.

And the Winner of Bobby Flay's new book IS...........

2009-05-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

Marlene!! I will be contacting you shortly so I can send you the book, Burgers, Fries, and Shakes by Bobby Flay. I am sure you will be using it quite a bit as the warm weather is finally here!

Congratulations Marlene, and thanks to everyone who participated in the draw. The results of the draw can be seen here. I entered each person's name as per their comment.

It seems a lot of you like to have cheese on your burger. Yummy! There were some interesting toppings as well, such as avocado. I love avocado, but have never had it on a burger before. I will definitely have to try it soon!

Stay tuned, as I have some more recipes to share and surely another giveaway.

Burgers, Fries & Shakes Giveaway

2009-05-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hamburgers are fabulous all year round, but they are especially great in the summer when you can get the barbecue out and grill them easily. I am always looking for different toppings to create different burger combinations.

I was at a burger place called the South St. Burger Co. last week and decided to try a burger with wasabi mayonnaise, gourmet relish, and the typical lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and banana peppers. The wasabi mayonnaise gave it a great kick and a different flavor. The bonus was that they serve New York Fries there too!

Speaking of delicous hamburgers and fabulous french fries, Bobby Flay has a new book out called, Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes. It is full of pictures and offers 33 hamburger recipes as well as french fry, onion ring and shake recipes! There are great tips in the book to make your homemade hamburger adventure even better.

I like the book so much that I got an extra copy to give away! To enter the draw, all you have to do is:

Leave a comment on this post of your favorite hamburger topping.

Remember to leave your contact information (e-mail address) or a blog link so I can contact you if you win. Feel free to subscribe to the blog as well. That way you won't forget to check to see if you are the winner, and you will be updated on future giveaways.

*If you prefer not to leave your e-mail address here, feel free to e-mail it to me after you leave your comment. (This is to confirm that you are actually the person who left the comment) My e-mail address is foodaholic8@yahoo.ca I promise to only use your email address to contact you if you win.

Deadline to enter is Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. (recorded by the comment time stamp) (Contest is now closed)

The winner will be chosen at http://www.random.org/ and announced the day after the contest closing.

Here are some toppings to get started. Enjoy~

Ketchup
Relish
Mustard
Hot Sauce

Wasabi Mayonnaise
Garlic Mayonnaise
Cajun Spice Mayonnaise

Lettuce
Tomato
Banana Peppers
Onions
Sliced Garlic
Pickles

Pasta Salad Recipe

2009-04-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

Pasta salad is one of my favorite foods to make. It is very simple to make and can be eaten as a side dish, snack or meal. There are so many variations making it fun and different each time.
Ingredients:

2 cups pasta (fusili, macaroni or penne)

1 1/2 cups fresh julienned vegetables of your choice (peppers, carrots, cucumber, chopped celery)

1/4 cup minced onion

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup of your favorite salad dressing

1 tbsp. mustard

1 tbsp. vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 can of tuna (optional)

Instructions:
Boil and drain pasta.

Allow the pasta to cool while preparing the vegetables.

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Mango & Almond Jelly

2009-03-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

Mango and almond jelly is one of my favorite after dinner treats. It is not too filling and is just the right sweetness. I have not made it from scratch before, but maybe one day I will. I just buy almond jello powder and mango jello powder from the supermarket and layer them.

Pomegranate

2009-03-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Pomegranates are one of my favorite fruits. This pomegranate has seeds in it and was quite tart, but I have been fortunate enough to have also tried seedless pomegranates. They are very sweet and easy to eat. The seedless pomegranate that I had was pink and yellow on the outside and inside as well.

Clams in Olive Oil and Wine

2009-03-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

These are delicious clams cooked in olive oil, white wine and garlic. They were served as an appetizer at my sister's place. I only had a few as they were consumed very quickly by the other guests!

E-Fu Noodles with Scallops and Mushroom

2009-03-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

E-Fu noodles are a very common dish served as one of the last courses in a Chinese banquet meal. They are my favorite noodles and usually only include mushrooms when served during dinner. I added scallops this time to change it up, and it was very delicious. It reminds me of fried rice noodles, because you can add anything you would like to this basic recipe for noodles.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. cooking oil
3/4 pound of scallops
1 pkg. of E-fu noodles (cooked and drained)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite mushrooms (sliced)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
sliced green onions (optional)

Instructions:
Heat the oil in a wok, then add the scallops and mushrooms.
Once scallops and mushrooms are cooked, add the noodles, then the soy sauce.
Mix together and add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with sliced green onions. (optional)
Serve the E-fu noodles as an appetizer or a main course.

Mussels with Garlic Aioli

2009-03-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

These are cooked mussels topped with a garlic aioli sauce. My sister in law's mother made them and they were so delicious I could not resist eating several of them just before dinner. We had them as an appetizer with some fresh sliced bread.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp

2009-03-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Sweet and sour shrimp is one of my favorite dishes. I like to make it every few weeks as it is a quick one dish meal. Sometimes I replace the shrimp with chicken or fried pork.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. cooking oil (vegetable oil, grapeseed oil etc.)

1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 medium onion, sliced into wedges

1 green or red pepper, julienned or cut into 1 inch chunks

1 large carrot, julienned

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

For the sauce, combine the following in a bowl and stir until mixed together.

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tbsp. orange juice

1 tbsp. pineapple juice

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large pan, and cook the shrimp and onions.

Add the pepper, carrot, and pineapple. Stir to mix, then add the sauce.

Stir to mix, then turn off the heat.

Serve with rice or as a side dish.

Dragon Fruit

2009-03-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

I recently tried dragon fruit for the first time. The inside has seeds similar to the seeds of a kiwi fruit and the texture of the flesh is soft with a slight crunch. Some are sweet and some are tart. The one I had was sweet, but the flavor was somewhat bland. My mom says that is how they taste and she loves them. It was nice to get to try them, as I don't think I would have considered buying them on my own.

Tea Biscuits

2009-03-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

Newly baked tea biscuits are a great addition to any breakfast. I like to eat mine with some jam, butter and fresh berries on the side.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour, plus extra for kneading
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup chilled buttermilk
7 tbsp. chilled, unsalted butter

Instructions:

Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix.

Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.

Add the buttermilk and pulse until dough is just moistened.

Sprinkle some cake flour onto a clean countertop or board.

Turn the dough out onto your work surface. (It is very soft, and not easy to work with, but will be very nice once baked)

Sprinkle some cake flour onto the dough, flour your hands and gently knead the dough a for about 1 minute.

Press the dough into a 1.5 inch thick rectangle.

Using a large rubber spatula, fold the rectangle in half, then fold it in half again.

Sprinkle a little more cake flour under and on top of the dough, then roll it out into a 1 inch thick rectangle.

Cut out the biscuits using a flour dipped biscuit cutter.

Reroll the scraps to cut out more biscuits.

Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake until golden, about 16 minutes.

Flowering Tea

2009-03-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

This is a lovely clear glass teapot that a friend gave to my sister along with some flowering tea. On the left is a little ball of tea that turns into a flower once it is immersed in hot water. The teapot is great for this type of tea as it displays the flower very well.

The tea had a mild taste and was nice to drink on its own. It is the type of tea that does not require any sugar or milk.

Mussels in a Tomato Wine Sauce

2009-02-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

Mussels in a tomato wine sauce make a simple appetizer or side dish anytime. I like to serve them with fresh bread before a meal or as a snack.

Ingredients:

2 pounds mussels (cleaned and debearded)
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 400 ml (about 14 oz.) can of chopped tomatoes or 3 large fresh chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Saute the garlic in olive oil for about 1 minute

Add the wine, tomatoes, salt and pepper

Bring to a boil and then add the mussels

Reduce the heat and simmer covered for about five minutes (or until shells are open)

Throw away any shells that do not open

Serve the mussels with bread, rice, noodles, or even on their own!

Prosciutto with Olives and Crackers {Appetizer}

2009-02-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

This was a simple appetizer served at my sister's place before dinner. The saltiness of the prosciutto together with olives and crackers was a great combination. Some cheese would have been great with it too. I will definitely add this to my list of appetizers when I throw my next party.

Roasted Red Pork

2009-02-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

Roasted red pork is tender and has a nice sweet flavor. It is great served with rice and vegetables for a nice meal or eaten on its own as a snack.

Ingredients:

1 pound of pork tenderloin
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. five spice powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
A few drops of red food coloring (optional)

Instructions:

Prepare the pork by removing any skin or fat.

Cut the pork lengthwise, then cut each half into 5" pieces.

Mix together the remaining ingredients, with exception of the water in a mixing bowl. The red food coloring is only necessary if you would like the pork to have a red hue.

Dip each pork strip into the mixture, turning to coat evenly.

Lay the pork strips in a single layer in flat dish.

Pour the remaining liquid mixture on top of the pork strips.

Cover and refrigerate the pork for at least two hours to overnight. Turn the pork occasionally to even out the marinating process.

Roast the pork in a 400 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Turn the pork, then roast for another 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Fried Pork Dumplings

2009-02-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

These fried pork dumplings are one of my favorite snacks. They can be found at most Chinese bakeries and at some restaurants that serve Dim Sum. I wish I knew how to make them as they are not always easy to find in my area. The outer shell is very crispy and the inside usually has just the right amount of flavor. They are quite greasy as they are fried, but they taste so good!

Chicken Samosa

2009-01-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

My sister brought over some chicken samosas as an appetizer for a potluck at my place. It was so different from the vegetable samosas that I am used to eating. It wasn't quite as filling as it did not have as much stuffing inside. It was filled with a scant amount of ground chicken and some spices.

The shell was very similar to the pastry I use to wrap my eggrolls and the dip was the traditional sweet tamarind sauce.

Apple Beet Muffins

2009-01-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of leftover beets so I juiced them and made a variety of foods with them. The apple beet muffins are one of the items I decided to make. The beet juice gave the muffins a pretty red color, without the taste of beets.

If you do not have any beets or do not want to use them, simply replace the beet juice in the recipe with milk.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease one muffin tin or line with muffin cups. (recipe makes 12 muffins)

In a large mixing bowl, beat together:
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup beet juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup apple sauce

Mix the following together, then Stir it into the above mixture:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Then stir in:
1 finely chopped or grated apple
1/2 cup raisins

Fill the muffin tin/cups with the batter to 2/3 full. Bake for approximately 20 minutes depending on if you are using a light or dark colored pan. If you are baking the muffins in a dark colored pan, it will probably take the full 20 min. depending on your oven.

Remove the muffins from the tin and allow them to cool on a rack.

Shrimp Chips

2009-01-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Shrimp Chips are one of my favorite snacks from when I was a child. They are light, airy and melt in your mouth. It is quite fun to eat them as they are colorful and quite different from potato chips.

Coconut Corn Dessert, Corn Pudding Recipe

2009-01-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

Coconut corn dessert (corn pudding) is something that I enjoy when corn on the cob is in season. It is so refreshing when served cold, and comforting when served hot.

This delicious corn pudding is one of many coconut milk recipes that my mother makes.

Ingredients:
1 uncooked corn on the cob
1/2 cup small tapioca
1/2 cup coconut milk/coconut cream
2/3 cup sugar (1/2 cup is fine if you do not like your dessert too sweet)
2 cups water

Slice the corn kernels off the the cob and put them aside.

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then add the tapioca and sugar.

Simmer on low heat until the tapioca is translucent. (this should take about 15-20 minutes) Be sure to stir frequently as the tapioca tends to get sticky. Gradually add small amounts of water if the mixture gets too thick.

Add the corn and coconut milk and simmer for 5 more minutes.

The corn pudding can be served either hot or cold. Enjoy!

*I usually refrigerate the leftovers, if there are any.

Shrimp and Greens

2009-01-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

Shrimp and greens are a great combination. This is a very simple dish that can be served as a meal with some rice or noodles. I sometimes mix in squid, mussels, crab, scallops, lobster or chicken along with the shrimp, depending on what I have in the fridge.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 pound of greens, blanched (baby bok choy, mustard greens, broccoli or any other green of your choice)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp. of water
1 tbsp. oyster sauce

In a wok or large pan, heat the vegetable oil and salt, then cook the shrimp in it on high heat.

Add the greens, soy sauce and water. Mix together.

Next add the cornstarch mixture and oyster sauce. Mix well and then turn the heat off.

Serve with rice or noodles.

Candied Orange Peels

2008-11-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

To make candied orange peels, cut the ends off of each orange. You will need 1.5 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water for 2 oranges.

Make four slits in the orange peel, then peel the skin off into four pieces.

Slice each quarter peel into four strips.

Boil strips of orange peels in plain water for 2 minutes. Then drain. Rinse under cold water, then boil again for 1 minute. Drain, then rinse under cold water.

Add the sugar and the water to the orange peels and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, remove the orange peels to a piece of parchment paper. Allow them to dry for at least 1 hour.

Melt your favorite chocolate (approximately 1 cup of chocolate per 2 oranges), and dip the candied orange peels until they are covered 3/4's of the way in chocolate. Line a large plate or baking sheet with a fresh piece of parchment paper and place the dipped orange peels on it. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. The chocolate should now be set and the candied orange peels are ready to be enjoyed!

Wonton Soup

2008-08-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Wonton Filling

Wrapped wontons befor they are cooked.

Chicken Stock

Wonton soup is one of my favorite soups. It is warming and perfectly tasty, especially in the winter months. It is quite simple to make and can either be a meal starter or an actual meal .

Ingredients:
150 grams of ground pork, ground chicken or ground turkey

1 green onion, chopped

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 small egg

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 package of wonton wrappers (usually about 24)

6 cups chicken stock

Instructions:

1.To make the wonton filling, mix the first 7 ingredients together a bowl.

2.Using 1 wonton wrapper at a time, moisten any two edges with cold water. Place 2-3 teaspoons of the filling in the centre of the wrapper, and fold over into a triangle.
Firmly press the edges together to seal them. Join the two outer points together and squeeze until they are stuck together.

3. Repeat step 2 until all the wonton wrappers are filled.

4. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and place the wontons into the boiling water. Reduce the heat and let the wontons simmer until they float to the surface. This should take approximately 3-4 minutes.

5. In another pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil, then turn off the heat.

6. Carefully remove the wontons, dividing them into individual bowls.

7. Ladle the chicken stock into each bowl to cover the wontons.

I like to garnish mine with finely chopped green onions and cilantro. I also add a little bit of garlic chili oil for some spice and extra flavor.

Scalloped Potatoes

2008-08-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

Scalloped potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods. I usually make them to serve alongside steak and shrimp.

When I first made them, I noticed that the potatoes were not tender no matter how long I kept them in the oven. That is why I started to boil the potatoes first. It also cuts down on the baking time.

Ingredients:
6 potatoes (peeled and sliced)
1 small chopped onion
2.5 tbsp. flour
2.5 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1.5 cups shredded cheese (I used mozzarella and cheddar)
1.5 cups milk

1. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Put aside.
2. Boil the sliced potatoes for 3 minutes. Drain and layer half of the potatoes into an ovensafe dish. (9"x12")
3. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture, half of the onion, 1/2 cup of cheese and 1 tbsp. of the butter over the layered potatoes.
4. Layer the remaining potatoes on top, then sprinkle with the rest of the flour mixture, onion, and butter. Pour the milk on top, then lastly sprinkle the cheese on top to cover.

Bake in a 375 F oven for 25-30 minutes. Then broil for a few minutes if you would like the top of the scalloped potatoes to be crispy.

Roasted Vegetables

2008-08-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Roasted vegetables are one of my favorite side dishes. They are so simple to make and taste absolutely delicious.
To make these roasted vegetables, I simply peeled and sliced a few carrots and zucchini, then tossed them in olive oil. I also sprinkled a dash of salt, basil and oregano on them before putting them in the oven at 375 F for 15 minutes.
The roasted carrots were so sweet and the zucchini was the perfect crispness.

Honeydew Dessert

2008-08-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

This honeydew dessert is very refreshing and easy to make. I first tried it during dim sum one afternoon. It was so sweet and tasty that I had to start making it at home.

I had to guess what was in it, so it may not be exactly the same as at the restaurant, but it was definitely close enough for me.

1 honeydew

1/3 cup of sago (small tapioca)

1/2 cup of sugar

4 cups of water

1/3 cup coconut milk

1.Soak the sago (tapioca) in 1 cup of water for at least 30 minutes.
2.Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Drain the sago and put it into the boiling water.
3.Simmer until the sago is transparent.
4.Drain the sago and run cold water over it. Put it aside.
5.Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the 1/2 cup of sugar and stir until dissolved.
6.Peel and cut half of the honeydew into small chunks. Cut the other half of the honeydew into chunks and puree them.
7.Mix the sago, honeydew puree, honeydew chunks, coconut milk and sugar water together.

The honeydew dessert is best served cold, and can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Sticky Rice Wrap

2008-08-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

1.5 cups glutinous rice soaked in cold water for at least one hour

5 lotus leaves, soaked in cold water for 1 hour

2 chinese sausages, steamed (for 5 minutes)

1/4 cup yellow mung beans soaked for 2 hours

1/2 cup pork cut into small cubes

1/3 cup dried shrimp (blanched)

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

Drain the water from the rice and the yellow beans, then transfer both to a heatproof bowl. Pour one litre of boiling hot water over the rice and beans. Let stand until cool.

Slice the sausages, then put aside.

Drain the rice and beans, then add the remaining ingredients (except for the lotus leaves). Stir the ingredients until they are well mixed.

Remove the lotus leaves from the water, and pat them dry. They should be soft and flexible. Fold each leaf in half, ensuring that the ribs are facing inward. The central stem and ribs should be cut from the leaves to make them easier to work with.

On a flat surface, lay the leaves with the cut stem side facing you. Divide the rice mixture evenly between the five leaves, piling it into the centre of each leaf. Take one leaf at a time and fold the two outer edges over the rice mixture. Next fold the bottom, then the top over to completely enclose the filling.

Steam the wraps, seam side down for 40 minutes.

Serve on individual plates.

Lotus Balls

2008-08-05T05:09:00.000-07:00

2 cups glutinous rice flour

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 cup of sweetened lotus seed paste

vegetable oil for deep frying

Combine flour, sugar and water in a large bowl and stir until well mixed. Knead the dough until it is soft and smooth.

Place the dough onto a lightly oiled surface and roll the dough into a 16 inch log.

Cut the dough into 1" pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Roll out each ball into a flat circle. It should end up being about 5cm in diameter.

Divide and roll out the lotus paste into 16 balls.

Place each lotus paste ball in the centre of each round piece of dough. Then draw the dough up, pinching the edges together to form a ball.

With lightly greased hands, roll each ball into a smooth round circle.

Deep fry the balls in 325 F vegetable oil until golden. (About 2-2.5 minutes)

Fried Chinese Doughnut Sticks

2008-08-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

Fried Chinese Doughnut Sticks are not your typical doughnut. They are in the form of sticks rather than round, and they are slightly salty. Not at all sweet. The one thing that they do have in common with the traditional doughnut is that they are fried. These doughnut sticks are one of my favorite snacks, especially when they are fresh. I hope you enjoy them too!

Ingredients:
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup warm water
vegetable oil for deep-frying

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together into a bowl. Form a dip in the centre of the flour mixture and pour the cup of water into it. Mix well with a wooden spoon, and add a teaspoon of water at a time if mixture is too dry. Gently knead the dough in the bowl for half a minute to form it into a soft ball. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for about one minute, then divide it into two balls. Roll out each ball into a 4" by 16" rectangle. Cut the dough into 1" by 4" strips. You should get 16 strips from each ball. Press one pair of strips together at a time. Then, gently stretch the dough lengthwise to 10 inches long.

Fry 2-3 doughnut sticks at a time in 350 F vegetable oil for 1-2 minutes. (Until they are golden)

The fried chinese doughnut sticks are perfect alone as a snack or served with Congee.

Shrimp Sushi

2008-08-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

I usually just buy a shrimp ring and serve shrimp cocktail as well as dips and sandwiches for appetizers. However, for a recent birthday celebration I decided to change things up a bit and make shrimp sushi. It definitely took more time to make than shrimp cocktail, but was well worth it. The sushi was delicious and I also got to try making a new sauce.

I mixed equal parts of soy sauce, wasabi and cocktail sauce to dip the shrimp sushi into. The sauce did not look very appetizing, but tasted good.

Sweet and Sour Fish Sauce

2008-07-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Below is a simple recipe that I use to make sweet and sour fish sauce.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup boiled water
3 cloves minced garlice
2 sliced chili peppers (optional)

Mix the sugar and water in a bowl until the sugar is melted. Let the mixture cool, then add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Pour into small, individual bowls for dipping.

The chili peppers can be added if you like a spicy sauce. I usually divide the sauce in two and add chili peppers to half of the sauce so that there is a spicy sauce and a mild sauce.

I keep unused portions of this sauce in a jar in the fridge for about a week.

This sweet and sour fish sauce is wonderful for dipping spring rolls, poured over vermicelli noodles or other items as well.

Rice Flour Pancakes

2008-07-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Pancake Shell:
1 pkg. (400 grams) rice flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. turmeric powder
3 cups coconut milk

Mix rice flour, salt and turmeric powder together. Stir in coconut milk.

Pancake Filling:
400 grams of ground pork
400 grams of peeled and deveined shrimp
1 cup of bean sprouts
1/2 cup of cooked green beans
1 onion, minced
1 green onion, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Cook the pancake filling ingredients together in a pan, then remove from heat.

Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a pan, and pour a ladle full of pancake mix into the pan. Spread it to cover the base of the pan, then sprinkle a layer of pancake filling on top of the mix. Cover the pan for one minute or until the pancake is cooked. Then fold the pancake in half using a spatula. Slide the pancake onto a plate and serve with lettuce, basil and cilantro.
Pieces of the pancake can be wrapped in lettuce leaves with basil and cilantro, then dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce.

Maki Rolls

2008-07-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

These are some delicious smoked salmon and avocado maki rolls that I made when some friends came over. I don't often make maki rolls and they are best served fresh and that is not often easy to do when making everything from scratch.

All I needed to make them was:

1 sushi mat
1 package of seaweed paper
4 cups of cooked sushi (japanese) rice
1 ripe avocado, pitted and sliced
5 slices of smoked salmon

To make each roll, I placed one piece of seaweed paper onto the sushi mat and spread a layer of sushi rice onto it. Remember to leave an inch of the top of the seaweed paper uncovered.

I then placed smoked salmon and slices of avocado in a horizontal line across the middle of the rice.

I rolled the sushi, removed it from the mat, then cut the sushi into 1" rolls.

The salmon and avocado maki rolls were delicious served with soy sauce and wasabi.

Bruschetta Bites

2008-06-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Bruschetta bites make a great appetizer for any party. You simply mix together:

1 medium fresh chopped tomato
1 tbsp. of olive oil
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. minced red onion
1 tbsp. crumbled feta (optional)

Put the mix on fresh french bread slices or your favorite crackers and serve. If your guests are helping themselves, then it may be best to serve the crackers on the side so that the crackers stay crisp.

Seafood and Bacon Penne

2008-06-16T02:29:00.000-07:00

Seafood and Bacon Penne

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pasta
16 raw, peeled, deveined shrimp
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup of frozen corn and/or peas
4 slices of cooked bacon chopped
3/4 cup of alfredo or tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pan. Add shrimp and cook thoroughly. Add the remaining ingredients and mix in pan for a few minutes. Put pasta onto plates and serve with bread if preferred.
Makes 2-3 servings. bn

Icing Cookies

2008-06-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

This flower shaped cookie cutter cookie, was decorated with Betty Crocker icing that I usually use to decorate cupcakes when there isn't any time to make homemade icing. My neice and nephew wanted to decorate cookies, so I baked the cookies, found some jelly belly beans, icing and sprinkles and helped them decorate! It was a lot of fun.
The icing comes in different colors and flavors. We happened to have the vanilla, chocolate and strawberry frostings on hand so we were able to decorate using three different colors. The frosting saved us time and was easy for the kids to use and it is soft and creamy. It dried nicely as well, so the cookies were actually stackable afterwards. We kept the cookies in the fridge to keep the frosting from softening too much.

Simple Spaghetti

2008-06-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 lb spaghetti (uncooked)
1 can of whole tomatoes (approximately 500ml)
1 head of garlic, peeled
3 tbsp. basil
2 tbsp. oregano
3 tbsp. olive oil

Boil spaghetti noodles to your liking.

Put the remaining ingredients into a blender. Pulse until the sauce is as chunky or as smooth as you want it to be.

Pour the sauce into a pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes.

Mix pasta and sauce together.

Top the pasta with cooked shrimp or chicken if desired.

*You can add more or less of each ingredient depending on the amount of each flavor you prefer.

*Also, if you want the garlic to be less chunky, blend everything except tomatoes in the blender first. Then add tomatoes and pulse.

Stir-Fried Lobster

2008-06-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

Peel and slice a 2 inch piece of fresh ginger. Slice 2 green onions into 1.5 inch pieces. Cut a medium sized onion into quarters. Put these items aside for now.

Cut edible parts of lobster into pieces.
Put lobster pieces into a mixing bowl and add:

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Mix well.

Fry lobster in a large wok containing 2 cups of vegetable oil until lobster shells are orange/red in color and the flesh is white.

Lift pieces of lobster out using a wok strainer (we did not use a wok strainer, but it would have been much easier if we did) and place onto a plate. Put the oil in a heatproof container.
Place 2 tbsp. of the oil back into the wok, and add the green onion, ginger and onion. Stir fry for a couple minutes. Place lobster back into the wok and add:

(Pre-mixing the following ingredients in a bowl and adding them all at once is a good idea)

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. cornstarch,

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp. oyster sauce (replace with soy sauce if you don't have oyster sauce)

Mix well and stir fry for a few minutes.

Serve on a plate on its own, with rice or another side dish of choice.

Coconut Pecan Squares

2008-05-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

I usually use a shortbread cookie recipe as a lemon meringue pie crust, but this time I used it to make these coconut pecan squares instead. They turned out very well, and were much easier to make, because all I had to do was push the crumbled cookie mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan to create the crust.

Crust:
2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
¾ cup margarine

Or use a shortbread cookie recipe as the crust

Topping:
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
¼ cup melted margarine
1 ¼ cups coconut flakes
1 ¼ cups coarsely chopped pecans

Crust: Combine all ingredients, mixing until crumbly. Press firmly into 13”x9” greased cake pan. Bake at 350 F for 15-18 minutes or until light golden.

Topping: Beat eggs, sugar, corn syrup, and margarine together until blended. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour evenly over crust. Bake about 30 minutes longer, or until set and golden. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Note: Pecans can be replaced with walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts.

Mushroom Salad

2008-05-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is a mushroom salad that my Dad made as an appetizer. It contains mushrooms, shrimp, cilantro, shallots and a very light dressing. I am not sure what kind of mushrooms they are exactly, but they have a texture that is very similar to wood ear mushrooms.

How To Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

2008-05-16T02:23:00.000-07:00

We didn't know what to have for dessert so I made these homemade chocolate dipped strawberries as a quick and easy dessert for Mother's day. To make easy chocolate covered strawberries, all that is needed is fresh, wash and dried strawberries and some of your favorite chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate and usually use a quality brand such as Lindt chocolate.

How to make chocolate covered strawberries:

Line a plate or cookie sheet with some parchment paper (depending on how many you would like to make)

Melt some chocolate in a fondue pot or double boiler.

Dip clean and dry strawberries in the chocolate and place each dipped strawberry on the parchment paper lined plate or cookie sheet to dry.

*If the weather is warm and I need to speed up the drying process, I usually put the chocolate covered strawberries in the fridge to dry.
Once the chocolate dipped strawberries are dry, remove them from the parchment paper and serve on a nice plate or gift them placed in paper cupcake liners and a box.

Enjoy!

Fried Shrimp in Honey Mayonnaise Sauce

2008-05-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite dish my sister made as part of Mother's Day dinner. It is lightly fried battered shrimp, surrounded by steamed broccoli and topped with a honey mayonnaise sauce. It is delicious on its own or accompanied by rice.

Vermicelli Noodles with Spring Rolls

2008-05-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Vermicelli noodles mixed with shredded carrots, lettuce, cucumber, cilantro and mint, topped with spring rolls is one of my favorite meals. I usually use a fish sauce recipe for the "dressing", but lately I have been mixing in some sweet chili sauce as well.

Crab Rangoon

2008-05-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Crab rangoon is a good snack or appetizer that I like to make when having friends over. It is a wonton shell with a cream cheese and crab mixture inside. It is deep fried to make it crispy and served with a sweet and sour dip.

Quick and Easy Pasta Salad

2008-05-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

If you don't have much time or don't have a lot of ingredients on hand, this is an easy pasta salad to make. The cucumber dressing is a little different from others because it is refreshing and makes it unneccessary to add vegetables.

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked pasta (macaroni,penne or fusili are good choices)

3/4 cup of cucumber salad dressing

1 cup frozen vegetables of any kind (optional)

How to:

Cook, drain and cool pasta
Add salad dressing and vegetables
Mix well
Refrigerate until ready to serve

Fried Rice with Egg and Sausage

2008-05-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

If you are wondering how to cook fried rice, this is a really easy fried rice recipe to follow. This is a basic recipe for Chinese fried rice and you can easily make it into vegetarian fried rice, chicken fried rice, pork fried rice, shrimp fried rice and the list goes on, simply by adding your own choice of vegetables, chicken, pork, shrimp or a combination of everything. I chose to keep it really simple by just making fried rice with egg and a bit of sausage.

Lightly fry some minced onion and garlic in oil. Add chicken, beef, pork, sausage or seafood as well as frozen or fresh vegetables. Cook through.

Add cooked rice.
Add soy sauce, and a dash of sesame oil.
Add an egg, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
Serve as part of a meal or on its own.

Egg Rolls (Spring Rolls)

2008-05-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

My sister made these egg rolls (spring rolls) as an appetizer for a dinner at her place. They are filled with pork and cabbage. We wrapped them in lettuce and dipped them in sweet chili sauce. They were delicious!

Creamy Salsa Dip

2008-05-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a delicous appetizer that takes only minutes to make, this is the one to choose.

1 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream (or 1 cup sour cream, no cream cheese)
1/2 cup cream cheese (or 1 cup cream cheese, no sour cream)

Mix together and serve with chips, bread, pita triangles

Avocado Milkshake

2008-05-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
3/4 cup of milk
1tbsp. sugar
1tbsp. condensed milk (optional)

How to:

Blend all of the ingredients together
Pour into two glasses and serve

Dumplings

2008-05-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

I made a large batch of dumplings (a.k.a potstickers) so I could freeze them for a quick snack or meal on days when I don't feel like cooking. I usually serve them with mixed baby greens, drizzled with homemade sesame dressing and use hoisin and hot srirachi sauce to dip them in.

There are two versions of dumpling/potsticker dough that my parents have always used. I prefer the one that contains eggs, but I will post both for those who cannot eat eggs or perhaps do not have eggs on hand.

Dough #1 (with egg):
5 cups flour
1/2 cup oil
2 cups warm water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg

Dough #2 (without egg):
5 cups flour
1 cup cornstarch or tapioca starch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. oil
2 cups warm water

For both variations, mix all ingredients together with a mixer using the dough attachment. If mixing by hand, stir all ingredients together and knead dough until it is formed. Leave dough covered for 20 minutes. This is the perfect time to make the filling.

Dumpling/Potsticker Filling:
1 pound ground pork or ground chicken
1 tbsp. pepper
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups shredded nappa cabbage
1 tbsp. salt

Mix salt with shredded nappa cabbage. (This will draw the liquid out of the cabbage so that the dumplings are not watery inside) Let the mixture sit while mixing the remaining ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Now, squeeze the liquid out of the cabbage and mix it into the pork mixture.

The dough should be ready to be rolled out now. Roll the dough to 1/8" and cut 3.5" circles out of it. Work with a large handful of dough at a time to make it easier. I also use my kitchen aid sheet pasta attachment (setting #3) instead of rolling it out by hand. This part is your preference.

Place a heaping teaspoonful of pork mixture onto the centre of each circle. Fold the circle in half and press the edges closed. You can use a little water around the edges before closing them to help the dough stick better.

To cook the dumplings, boil them in a pot of water containing 1 tsp. of oil for 10 minutes. Then lightly panfry each side of the dumplings if you like them crispy.

Serve with hoisin sauce, srirachi hot sauce, sweet chili sauce, plum sauce, or another sauce of your choice.

Popcorn

2008-05-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

I love popcorn completely covered in butter, but usually don't feel so great after eating a large amount of it. After all, once I get started, I can't stop eating it until I have reached the bottom of the bowl. I haven't had buttered popcorn in a long time, because i have been coating my popcorn in olive oil instead. Tossing popcorn in olive oil and sour cream & chive powder makes the popcorn so tasty and yet I still feel great after eating a lot of it.

Congee Recipe (Rice Porridge)

2008-05-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

Congee (rice porridge) is a very popular Asian soup. Although it can be eaten as any meal, it is often eaten for breakfast in different parts of Asia.

It is very easy to make and there are endless variations to it.
1. Bring rice to a boil in any kind of stock or water then simmer for 1 hour. (rice to liquid ratio is 1 part rice to 4 parts liquid) To make the soup thicker or thinner just add more or less water/stock.
2. Add chicken, seafood, pork, or beef (or just minced vegetables for a vegetarian congee)
3. Add some thinly sliced nappa cabbage, chopped green onions, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and a dash of sesame oil.
Once the meat you have added is cooked and the vegetables are soft, your congee is ready.
Scoop the congee into bowls and top with chopped cilantro and garlic chili oil if desired.
The congee pictured above is a seafood & chicken congee containing, rice, water, shrimp, scallops, chicken and thinly sliced nappa cabbage. It is topped with cilantro, green onions and garlic chili oil.

Soy Milk

2008-04-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

I usually purchase soy milk from the grocery store but sometimes when I want plain old fashioned soy milk without anything added to it, I make my own.

It is quite simple and contains only 2 ingredients:

1 pound of plain soy beans (rinsed, then soaked overnight)
4 litres of water

Instructions:

1. Drain soaked beans

2. Add a small amount of the soybeans into a blender with water and puree

Ex. 1 cup of soy beans with 2-3 cups water

3. Pour puree into a straining bag and strain twice to ensure no pulp

4. Pour strained soy milk into a rice cooker

5. Repeat steps 2-4 until beans and water are all gone

6. Cook the liquid in the rice cooker for 30 minutes or until it comes to a boil

7. Add sugar to taste if desired

If you do not have a rice cooker, bring the soy milk to a boil and simmer in a pot for 15 min.
The soy milk can be served cold or warm. Enjoy!

Rice Flour Layer Cake

2008-04-28T08:33:00.001-07:00

The Steamer (Above)
The Pan of Steamed Layer Cake (Below)

The Final Product!
My mother often makes Rice Flour Layer Cake for me when I visit her as it is one of my favorite dishes. The recipe is as follows:

Rice Flour Mixture:
1 bag rice flour (400 grams)
1 can coconut milk (398 ml)
1 3/4 cans of water (using the coconut milk can)
3 tbsp. tapioca flour
salt to taste
Mix together with a whisk

Ground Pork Mixture:
3/4 pound of ground pork
1 1/2 cups minced mouse ear mushrooms
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. black pepper
1/4 cup of minced shallots
2 stalks chopped green onion
Cook these ingredients together in a pan

1. Mix the two mixtures together
2. Make sure the mixture runs off of the ladle easily to ensure mixture is not too thick
3. Place a pan used for steaming into the steamer
4. Scoop the a 1/4" layer of the mixture into the pan
5. Steam it covered on high heat for approximately 8-10 minutes (this will vary depending on the thickness of the pan you use)
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until the pan is almost full

Be sure to steam the first and last layers for 2 extra minutes.
You make need more than one pan depending on the size of pan you use.