TrucVy-Zoe's Zone

Happy New Year

2012-01-23T07:18:00.006-05:00

2012 is the year of the dragon, and it's finally here. Yesterday we were so busy visiting families and had a little gathering as well. It's always great to see everyone on such a festive occasion. I handed out all my ba'nh te't (Vietnamese sticky rice cakes).

Vietnamese/Chinese families usually have a family altar, to show their respect to their ancestors. We have the alta at our home as well. We have a tray of five different fruits on our family altar called "Ngũ Quả" (five fruits type).

During Tết the altar is thoroughly cleaned and we placed our offerings there.

Afterward, we played bo` cua ca' cop. Bo Cua Ca Cop is a Vietnamese game usually played on Vietnamese new year using 3 dice.

Chinese/Vietnamese Lunar New Year

2012-01-22T08:58:00.019-05:00

Couldn't believe it but tomorrow is Tết (Vietnamese/Chinese Lunar New Year). I have been preparing food for the the New Year each day since last week. This year I made two types of ba'nh te't(Vietnamese sticky rice steamed cakes with mung bean and pork filling and banana filling) and Dưa Chua (Pickled Vegetables in Vinegar, sugar and water) and Dưa Món (Pickled Vegetables in Fish Sauce). Not sure what it is but when Tết is approaching, I am excited and happy. I like to take this opportunity, and wish all my readers...

The best of everything that you so well deserved and may all your wish come true.

May good luck and good fortune always be will you.

Mến chúc ca'c ba.n và Gia Đình một mùa xuân thật đẹp, an khang thịnh vượng, hạnh phúc và Vạn sự Như Ý!!!

Gong Hei Fat Choi!!!

ba'nh te't
Dưa Món (Pickled Vegetables in Fish Sauce)

ba'nh te't with mung bean and pork filling

Happy New Year!

Holidays Parties

2012-01-01T13:27:00.026-05:00

Happy New Year!

All I have been doing is going to party and eat, eat, and eat. I think I gained at least 5 pounds in the last few weeks. My new year resolution? Well, I like to go on a diet or at least eat small portion and more veggies than meats. What is your new year resolution? Do you even make them since it's so hard to keep?

X'mas fruit cake with pecans and almonds

banh da lon - dessert

roasted duck

roasted chicken
cranberry meatballs

head cheese
pizza
whole table
Thai curry with snails

papaya shrimp salad

banh cuon
deep fried shrimps
Savory crepe

banh bo hap and banh tam khoai mi - desserts

banh dda^u. xanh - mung bean cake

banh dduc
Another whole table

More food
grilled salmon with orange

Payapa with beef jerky

banh da lon
banh tam khoai mi

Happy Holidays!!!

2011-12-25T08:34:00.005-05:00

Couldn't believe it, but another year has gone by just like that. I just want to take this occasion to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Express Christmas Fruitcakes

2011-12-24T07:06:00.010-05:00

I never had fruit cake before. Therefore, I did not even think that one day that I would make them. But this year, thanks for Maritza, she made it so easy. Below are the result of my hard labor.

Not only they looks good, but tasted awesome as well. I got great feedbacks! Definitely, this recipe is a keeper.

I added some almond flakes on top to make them look more interesting.

All set and ready to wrap up and deliver to my team at work.

Voila`. Check out the finished product.

Ingredients : From Maritza

2 box Duncan Hines cake mix - Golden butter brand
7 eggs Large or 6 Jumbo
1cup and a half of water
2 1/2 sticks salted butter
1/2 lbs nuts (Walnuts or Pecan or mixed )
1lb 1/2 fruit mixed ( i added rum and leave it overnight)
2 cups All Purpose flour

Notes:

peach jam (use to brush on top of cake)

Rum - use to brush all over cake. If you like less rum, then use the rum syrup recipe below.

Rum Syrup:

1 cup of Rum

1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

Method:

1. In a standing mixer, use the paddle and beat the eggs, butter, cake mix and flour (2 min).

2. Add in the fruit mixed and then nuts

3. Spray your moulds with oil and fill in the batter (each mould filled up to 6.7 oz)

4. Bake 300 degree F for an hour

5. Immediately brush rum all over the cake

6 Brush peach jam on top of the fruitcake

7. Add green/red cherries and pecan on top of the cake

Note: if you filled the batter up to 6.7 oz per mould, this recipe will give you about 16 fruitcakes.

Roasted Duck

2011-12-19T20:02:00.005-05:00

Quack Quack!!!! Want some ducks? Check out my roasted duck. It was sooooooo good.

My Rotisserie Oven.

Ba'nh Da Lon - Pig Skin Cake

2011-12-11T09:31:00.008-05:00

Since Christmas is approaching soon, you probably get invited to a lot of parties. Usually, we would bring a dish to a party, and some people have no idea what to make. I made this and brought it to a party yesterday and it was a hit.

This whole tray of ba'nh da lon was all gone before even the party was over.

The aroma of pandan flavor and coconut milk just made this a wonderful dessert.

I added a little Christmas decoration to it in the spirit of Christmas. Pretty huh?

Coconut Macaroons with Sliced Almonds

2011-12-08T20:25:00.006-05:00

Since Christmas is two weeks away, I made a batch of Coconut Macaroons and brought it in for my team. This time I added the sliced almonds, and drizzled some chocolate on top. I used two bags of coconut flakes, and they were gone in minute.

recipe:

http://trucvy-zoe.blogspot.com/2011/12/coconut-macaroons.html

Enjoy baking!

8th Years Anniversary

2011-12-06T07:48:00.016-05:00

We went to Mannequin Pis restaurant and celebrated our 8th years anniversary yesterday. One of my colleages recommended this restaurant. Since we never had Belgian cuisine before and also the restaurant was so close to my parents' house we decided to give it it a try. To our surpise, the food was awsome. We loved it.

http://www.mannequinpis.com/

For starter, they brought out crunchy bread and butter.

For appertizers, hubby had the warm salad with smoke trout. We love the smoke flavor!

I had the Grilled duck pate’ in Red Wine Reduction sauce. It was so yummy!

Hubby also ordered a Belgian Biers (beer) since they specialzing in beer and Mussles. It was a little pricey, but good!

Main Course:

Pan seared seafood with creamy Saffon Risotto. The squids just melt in your mouth.

Mussels Mariniere – 1 kilo of Mussles in Sauce of White wine, Oinion, Celery, herbs and white wine served with Pommes Friets.

I can eat the whole pot of mussles :-) LOL.

Dessert: Cream puff with ice ceam. Yum!

Over all, we enjoyed it very much! We highly recommended this restaurant for special occasion.

Chicken Pate' with Cognac

2011-12-04T08:51:00.007-05:00

A few years back when I was in Paris with my girl friend. We stayed at a Hotel near one of the French bakeries. Every morning, we would come down and get fresh french baggett with pate'. I love the taste of pate', smooth and just melt in your mouth.

I just made it yesterday thanks to Ms. MOKA again.

Two pounds of liver chicken can make up to 8 small containers of pate'.

I added Cognac to the ingredients. It tasted so good with French Bread.

Recipe : Stay tune!

Coconut Macaroons

2011-12-02T14:12:00.013-05:00

I have been searching for a non-sweet version of Coconut Macaroons eversince I came back from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. All the recipes I found have condense milk and ton of sugar in it. Therefore, i stopped searching for a while and was going to give up the idea of ever making this snack altogether. Costco has it, but it way too sweet for me. Two weeks ago, I was surfing some food blogs and found a great recipe from Tanya. She made some conconut macaroons and brought them to a Thanksgiving party. I asked if they were super-sweet, and she said not at all. I tested the recipe out today and they were awesome! Thank you Tayna for making this possible.

http://tanya-sweethome.blogspot.com/

They are delicious.

Check out the coconut mixture

Scoop them out and line them up like below.

This recipe has white chococolates and egg whites.

Oven : 350 degree for 15 minutes

Let them cool for a few minutes

Ingredients:
-3 egg whites
-2/3 cup of sugar
-1 (14 oz) sweetened flaked coconut
-2/3 cup white chocolate morsels
-2 teaspoon lime/orange zest

Method:
1. Use a standing mixer in high speed and beat the egg whites (stiffly beaten).
2. Add the sugar slowly.
3. Fold in the coconut, chocolate morsel, and the lime/orange zest.
4. Drops by teaspoonful on the cookies sheet (2 inches apart).
5. Bake for 15 minutes or edges are lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Cake Pops

2011-11-26T09:36:00.016-05:00

I have seen many folks making cake pops, and I always wanted to make them. The only thing I am missing is the mould. Last week, I finally got it from Bed Bath & Beyond. I told my nieces and nephews about it, and they were so excited. Yesterday, we got together and they had ton of fun putting these suckers together.

Not only it's fun to have the kids make them , but it's also a bonding momments you will have together with your kids.

This will give them an opportunity to be creative as well.

Check out some of the creations that they put together!

Plain cake pops came just came out from the oven.

Aren't they adorable? :-)

We decided to make cup cakes too.

Here you go. All of them.

Yeah!!! Check them out!

All wrapped up and divided evenly among the kids. Look like we need to make some more. All gone!

This was super fun .

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:51:00.004-05:00

I just like to take a moment to wish all my readers a wonderful Thanksgiving with their friends and families. Come and enjoy a Thanksgiving Feast with us!

Vietnamese Egg Rolls

Two types of chicken

The whole table

Vietnamese dessert - che` dda^u. (white bean with sticky rice - serve with coconut milk)

Vietnamese papaya & beef jerky salad - serve with soy & hot sauce

Ham

Korean Cucumber Kimchi

Sweet & Spicy shrimp kabobs

Xoi Ma(n - Sticky rice with Chinese sausage, chicken and shimps

Chao Tom - Vietnmaese Shrimp paste on sugar cane

Roasted Pork

Che xoi nu*o*'c - Mochi Dumplings with ginger sauce

Mung Bean cake - Ba'nh dda^u. Xanh

And last but not least, our whole table of food for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Enjoy! Happy Holidays Everyone.

Coffee Macarons

2011-11-23T19:44:00.014-05:00

Today is my niece, Andrea's birthday. I made some coffee macarons for her. They came out perfectly.

One taste of these suckers, and you will be soooo awake. The filling is quite strong with coffee flavor.

Check out the perfect shells.

I added a few black sesame seeds to make them look for interesting.

I just can't stop eating them. Help me!!!!

For the shell, I used the same ingredients below.

http://trucvy-zoe.blogspot.com/2011/11/pandan-macarons-with-coconut-filling.html

FOR THE COFFEE FILLING:

4 oz of coffee mascarpone cheese (the one used especially for tiramisu)

2 tablespoons instant coffee

Let mascarpone cheese cool to room temperature. Then, mix the 2 ingredients together with a spoon until they totally combine into a smooth mixture. Transfer the filling to a piping bag and pipe onto the macaron shells. Then sandwich the macaron with the other shells

Vietnamese Snacks

2011-11-21T14:20:00.006-05:00

I just worked the weekend, and I should be resting right now. Instead of sleeping until noon, I woke up at 6 AM this morning. I made myself a nice breakfast and start watching TV. Orignally, I plan to be a couch potato the whole day, but instead I went into my kitchen. And Voila`, this is what I made today.

Ba'nh bo` ha^'p - Steamed HoneyComb Cake

Ba'nh chuo^i' ha^'p - Steamed Banana cake

Served them with coconut milk and sesame seeds

Yummy!

Want a platter? I can make you one. :-)

Enjoy!

Pandan Macarons with Coconut Filling

2011-11-18T16:09:00.014-05:00

This was the first time I make French Macarons. I have been researching it for a week now, and finally I have a chance to make them. My Macarons turned out great. :-) I am sooo happy. Check them out!!!

But I think I am in so much trouble. I can't stop eating them :-(

Don't they look irresistable?

I think I better put them away before I eat them all. Then I really am in big trouble for real.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: for plain shells (for chocolate shells, add 10 g cocoa powder)

140 g egg whites
180 g sugar
5 g dry egg white powder (optional)
160 g almond flour
160 g icing sugar

1 TB of pandan paste (or until you get the color you like)

Filling:

1/3 cup (75 g) egg whites

1/2 cup (100 gram) granulated sugar (or less depending on how sweet you want it)

1/2 stick of butter (room temp)

2 teaspoon of pandan paste

1 cup of whipped cream

1/2 cup of coconut flake

Method for the shell:

1. Separate your eggs and store the whites at room temperature in a covered container. I leave it in room temperature for at least 24 hours.

2. In a stand mixer, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you get a smooth, glossy appearance.

3. Combine the almonds, powdered sugar in a food processor.

4. Pass through a sieve.

5. Incorporate the dry ingredients so the egg whites don't deflate and start folding it carefully.

6. Mix it well and test to see if the batter has the thickness and body (as long as it's not so liquidly then you're good to go.)

7. Fill a pastry bag with a plan tip.

8. Pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) into the silicone liner.

9. Let the macarons sit out for 30 min to harden their shells. If the top has dried and not stick to your finger, then they are ready.

10. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

11. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

12. Cool completely and pipe your chosen filling.

Method for the filling:

1. Whip the egg whites in the standing mixer.

2. Add the sugar.

3. Continue whipping on high and add the butter.

4. Add in the pandan paste

5. Put in another bowl.

6. Whip the heavy cream in the standing mixer.

7. Fold the whipped cream with the egg white filling

Early Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-13T08:53:00.020-05:00

My in-law decided to have an early Thanksgiving this year. Since we had Turkey the previous year, we decided to avoid all the meat and have seafood instead. Then I came up with Thai's hotpot. And they agreed. Not only hot pot are much healthier, but they will warm up your soul as well especially the weather is getting a bit chilly lately.

The whole table of seafood and veggies.

Dipping Sauce

Conchs, shrimps, squids, and baby clams

vermicelli noodles

Mussels and calamari

Talapia and salmon

Baha, tomatoes, pineapples, and silky tofu

I love fish tofu. They are super yummy.

veggies

Ready to eat

It's chow time, baby! Care to join us? :-)

And last but not least, mocha cake.

See if you dare to try Durian!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!! Wishing you and your family have a great Thanksgiving!

Tandoori Chicken Puffs

2011-11-13T08:27:00.009-05:00

Recently, I noticed a lot of the folks in the food forum start making a lot of Indian dishes. It makes me want to make something really bad, but I don't have any Indian seasoning in my cupboard. Last week, I was at the grocery and noticed a jar of Tandoori seasoning stared at me straight in the face as if it was trying to tell me, "Take me home with you!" And Ta ta....that was how I came up with Tandoori Chicken Puff.

The golden brown color is so pretty, and they are simply delicious.

One can of flaky biscuit, I can make 16 of the chicken puffs.

Not only they are great for breakfast, but lunch and snack as well. I took the whole batch over to my in-law yesterday, and they loved it. This morning, I ended up making a new batch for my parents.

Ingredients:

1 can of flaky biscuits

a little bit of All Purpouse flour (use this to roll out your dough so it won't be sticky)

1 egg (use the yolk only for egg wash)

Seasonings:

2 Tbsp. yogurt

1/2 -1 Tbsp. Tandoori Seasoning

1/2 tsp. grated ginger

1 clove garlic, minced
1 TB of oyster sauce

Filling:

1 lb of ground chicken

1 onion (minced)

2-3 green onion (chopped)

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar

pinch of pepper

-Add Seasoning and filling together

Method:

1) Divide one piece of biscuit dough into half and roll it out in circle

2) Add in 1 TB of the filling and put in the middle of the dough

3) Fold it in half and press the edge together with your fingers

4) Brush the pastry with the egg wash using a pastry brush

5) Prehead the oven to 375F degress, bake for 15 minutes

6) Turn the oven down to 300 F degrees, and bake until golden brown.

7) Serve with a cup of coffee for breaksfast :-)

Weekend Cooking first week of November

2011-11-05T18:25:00.010-04:00

Che` khoai mo^n - Taro pudding

Chap Chae - Korean glass Noodles with Beef

Vietnamese fried squid

Fried Chicken

Lobsters - Thai's flavors

Steamed lobsters

Vietnamese sticky corn - bap nhao

exotic herbs

Banh hoi

grilled salmon

grilled Shrimps

Roasted pork

Dinner

Dessert - Flan

Want a slice? :-)

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Sticky Corn

2011-10-30T08:52:00.008-04:00

Today, I made Vietnamese Sticky Corn (bap nhao). I remembered eating this for breakfast every morning when I was in Vietnam. White corn blended with coconut milk and garnished with sesame seed, peanuts, salt, and sugar. And last but not least, you can garnished withshredded coconut.

I found a really easy recipe from the net credited to Ms. Apple. According to her recipe, all you have to do is put everything in the slow cooker. And the next morning, you will have a wonderful breakfast waiting for you.

Check out the sticky corn in the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

1 bag of dried corn

1 can of coconut milk (if you want less fat, then only put half can.)

1/2 tsp of salt

2tps of tapioca flour

shredded coconut

sesame seeds

peanuts

sugar

Method:

-pour the dried corn into a bowl and add water.

-let the corn sit in the water for an hour or so.

-pour the water out and put the corn in the slow cooker.

-add the following to the slow cooker: 5 & 1/2 cup of water, coconut milk, tapioca flour, salt, and mix well. And close lid.

-turn "low" on the slow cooker

The next morning, your sticky corn will be ready. All you have to do is scoop some out and put on a plate. Then add some sesame seeds, peanut, sugar, and some shredded coconut. And your breakfast is served.

I made two bags of dried corn yesterday, but I only used one can of coconut.

Vietnamese Crepes

2011-10-23T11:51:00.006-04:00

I missed eating banh xe`o (Vietnamese Crepes). I don't make it as often as I should is because I hate deveining shrimps. It takes a lot of time and effort. Since Safeway's was having a sale in shrimps, and not just any shrimps, but deveined shrimps. I bought five pounds :-)

And Voila`, Vietnamese Crepe is served for lunch.

It's mucho crunchy.

I love this non-stick pan. My crepes always turned out perfect.

Yummy!

Weekend Cooking

2011-10-16T15:06:00.009-04:00

I always look forward to the weekend. You know why? It' s a chance for me to relax and make some yummy food. Check out what I made today.

Vietnamese meatball - Xi'u Mai.

Chinese sausage spring rolls with peanut sauce - Bo Bia'

Home made Shrimp pizza

Love the super thin crust - Yummy!

Grilled sweet rice wrapped bananas - Chuoi Nep Nuong (dessert)

-garnished with peanut and sesame seeds and coconut milk.

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon

2011-10-09T19:41:00.004-04:00

Sunday Breakfast

2011-10-09T09:35:00.006-04:00

Weekend cooking for October

2011-10-03T08:20:00.006-04:00

Hoisin sauce and hot sauce

Vietnamese Chicken Pho (Pho ga`)

Fish Sauce chicken

Fresh Squid Stir-fry

Lemongrass pork

Vietnamese Crab Soup

It's been so cold for the past few days. I made a pot of Thai chicken curry Saturday. This would definitely warm up the body. It's a great time to have soup. This would be awesome if pair with crunchy French toast. YUM!

As the weather get colder, it's always good to make a pot of chicken with ginseng. Hubby has been quite stressed out lately at work. Ginseng is good for the immune system, relieving stress and make you have a better focus in whatever you are doing.

Enjoy!

Weekend cooking

2011-09-21T17:58:00.015-04:00

Roasted Pork - Siew Yuk (烧肉)

2011-09-17T14:14:00.007-04:00

Recently, I saw many roasted pork recipes floating around the internet. I am not sure why people want to make them at home especially you can get them easily at the Chinese grocery. Therefore, I never care to make it. Last week, I went to the market and found a few really nice pieces of pork belly. Since I was still on vacation and have time to cook, I decided to try out the recipe.

Growing up, roasted Pork, aka known as "siew yuk" in Cantonese was one of my all time favorite dishes . Just one bite into that crispy skin pork belly, and you are in heaven. It's awesome!

This was my first time making it. It turned out perfectly, crispy on the skin and tender on the meat.

Want to try a piece? Delish!

Just check them out.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of pork with skin on

Vietnamese Coffee - Cafe sua da

2011-09-15T08:03:00.012-04:00

Vietnamese coffee is also known as cafe su da . It's a type of dark coffee roast with chicory. It's often drank sweetended with condensed milk. And it tastes much better with ice. Whenever I go to a Vietnamese restaurant, I always order Cafe Sua Da. I am addicted to it; yet, i never make it at home because it takes time to do it. And I just don't have the patience to wait for the coffee to drip slowly.

A few years back, my sister gave me the metal coffee filter she bought from Vietnam. I was cleaning the kitchen yesterday and found it. Since I have time this week, i decided to brew myself a cup of Vietnamese coffee this morning. It was fantastic!!!

Added condense milk to my cup, and waiting for the coffee to drip slowly into it.

After 10 minutes, it's done.

It can be served hot or cold.

I added ice to mine. After a cup of this baby, I have ton of energy.

Vietnamese Doughnut - Ba'nh Tie^u

2011-09-14T17:31:00.016-04:00

Ba'nh tie^u was one of my favorite snacks in the morning when I was in Vietnam. My MOM always bought them for breakfast along with soy milk when she went to the food market in the morning. I would wake up early and go with her because I knew she would buy Ba'nh tie^u for me. A few months back I saw the recipe for this, and I want to make them right away. However, I just never have the time to do it until now.

Ingredients: (recipe from Mrs. Apple and Ms. Ma)
2 cups of All Purpose flour
1/4 cup of self rising flour
1 tsp of yeast
1/2 tsp of salt
sesame seeds
oil (for frying)
1 cup of lukewarm water (microwave cold water for 15 second)
1/2 cup of sugar

Method:
1. In a small bowl, add 1 tsp of yeast along with 1 tsp of luke warm water. Let the yeast bubble up.
2. In the standing mixer, add the all purpose flour, self rising flour, salt, sugar, and add the lukewarm water slowly while turning the stir level # 4.
3. Let it mix for at least 20 mintues into a soft dough.
4. Take the dough out and put in a clean bowl to prove.
5. Cover and let the dough rest for at least a couple hours in the oven with the oven light on or until the dough is double in size.
6.Take dough out and knead about 6 or 7 times and divide them into 12 portions.
7. Shape each portion into a ball shape and dip them in the sesame seeds on both sides.
8. Coat them with a little extra flour and roll them into flat circles.
9. Pour Canola oil a little bit more than half of the skillet, and turn the skillet to 370 degree.
10. Add the flat dough into the hot oil and it will start to float.
11. Gently use your chopstick and flip them and they will should puff up.
12. Flip them and fry on the other side until golden brown.

Prove the dough for two hours or so in the oven with the oven light on, the dough will look like this.

Divide the dough into smaller portions and roll them into a flat circles.

Dip the sesame seeds on both sides, and roll them into flat circles.

Fry them in the skillet at 375 degree.

They will float and start to puff up like above. Once they turned golden brown, they can be removed from the skillet.

Voila`, See finished product below.

Hubby had four of them after he came home from work, and had two this morning for breakfast.

Dominican Republic, Punta Cana

2011-09-13T09:03:00.025-04:00

Bruchetta

seafood casserol

Chocolate mouse

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

2011-09-12T16:29:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to wish everyone have a happy Mid-Autumn. Have some moon cakes !!! :-)

Ham Fajitas

2011-07-03T08:23:00.004-04:00

Shrimp Noodles

2011-07-03T08:18:00.007-04:00

I made this and brought it over to a party last week. Chicken and Shrimp noodles is an easy dish to make. All you need is egg noodles, chicken, shrimps, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, pepper, garlic, and scallions.

Check out my new wok. It was so easy to use. I love it.

It's done.

No Bake Mango Mouse Cake

2011-07-03T07:48:00.015-04:00

Summer is here!!! What's more refreshing than have a piece of tropical mango mouse for dessert? Honestly, I never thought I could make such a cake until I found the recipe from Tanya's blog. Her recipe is so easy to follow.

Yummy!

Cut your favorite fruits into different shapes and pout them around the mould.

Pour the cream cheese, with mango puree in.

Cover with food wrap

Pour another layer of mango puree on top

Take it out

Decorate it

Check out the result

Enjoy!!!

Father's Day Celebration

2011-06-24T12:20:00.021-04:00

Last week we had a gathering on Father's Day. I was so busy that I did not post the pictures until today. Well, it's still within the month of June right? :-) Check out my orchids!!! I like this white orchids with light purple color in the middle. Pretty huh?

Of course my favorite is still the purple orchids.

Food we had on Father's Day.

My brother-in-law fried the egg rolls :-)

Roasted Duck

Pork kidneys stir fried with veggies.

Vietnamese seafood noodles - bu'n rie^u cua

Veggies, beansproutes, and herbs

Roasted Pork

Ba'nh hoi?

Roasted Chickens

Shrimp paste in sugar cane - chao. to^m

Chinese shrimps noodles - Thank you Chi. MA :-)

This was a big hit at the party.

Mango Mouse

Flan

Enjoy!

Richard's birthday

2011-05-24T18:51:00.015-04:00

It has been a while since I updated my food blog. I really feel bad, but I don't get a chance to cook as much as I like to anymore. Usually, I get home earlier and have time to cook. But lately, I always stayed late at work. Life has been quite hectic. Well enough with all the excuses and my busy life. Since it was my nephew's birthday yesterday, I took the opportunity and cooked some dishes. The food was delicious. Everyone enjoyed it at the party.

Check out the whole table

Birthday cake

Vietnamese congee - Chao' Lo`ng

Noodles to be eating with other dishes like meat and egg rolls

shrimp egg rolls
Vietnamese grilled meat

My older's sister famous BBQ ribs. I need to get the recipe from her.

Banh' Ddu'c
Chicken wings
Dessert - ba'nh tam
3 color jelly drinks

The whole table taken from the other side

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Salmon

2011-05-14T17:34:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T09:48:00.003-04:00

Blossom Kite Festival in DC

2011-04-10T18:40:00.025-04:00

Today is Kite Festival in DC. We went with our families and had a picnic. We had a blast. Check out all the beautiful kites.

There actually is a kite doctor just in case if you need help with your kite.

Check him out.

My kite , the parrot.

My nephew's kite, the eagle.

Hot and spicy rice cake (ddukbokkie)

2011-04-10T07:33:00.003-04:00

Last month, my friend took hubby and I to a Korean BBQ buffet. We had so much Korean food, they were yummy. I noticed one of the dish was ddukbokie, hot and spicy rice cake. She told me it's really simple to make. Then last week, I went to a Korean grocery and saw some lady gave out sample of ddubokkie. I had a piece and decided to get all the ingredients and make it. Of course I don't know what goes inside the dish. I sort of have an idea, but not sure exactly. Thanks to Maangchi's blog. I was able to make it. Thanks again, Maanchi. I added some baby clams and shrimp balls since I love seafood.

http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/ddukbokkie

Yesterday was a perfect weather for this dish. It was so cloudy, and all I want to do is curl myself up in the blanket and sleep. Anyway, I wanted some comfort food. A bowl of this baby, it will warm you up. It's fun to cook different types of food. You should try it.

Enjoy!

Weekend Cooking for March 2011

2011-03-27T07:30:00.015-04:00

It has been ages since I post anything. Life has been quite hectic and I don't get to cook as much as I would like to. Anyhow, I got a chance do do some cooking and baking yesterday. :-)

New Zealand, Green Mussels with oyster sauce and scallions with olive oil.

Thi.t Nu*o*'ng - Vietnamese grilled pork

Pate Chaud

Red Bean Buns
I got this recipe while surfing on the internet. Below is her recipe.

Recipe

Sweet Buns

Colorful Jelly drinks

Colorful Jelly drink with coconut milk and half and half

Enjoy!

Happy Chinese New Year

2011-02-02T17:27:00.005-05:00

I just want to wish everyone with the best of luck, good health, lot of happiness and prosperity.

Below are some food from my nephew's birthday.

Lau Thai - Thai hot pot

2011-01-09T07:52:00.018-05:00

It was cold yesterday so we decided to have Thai hot pot. We invited our families to enjoy the meal below.

Whole Table

shrimp balls, fish balls, quail eggs, fish tofu, and baby corn. Have you had fish tofu before? They were awesome!!
Seafood platter - mussels, shrimps, squids, clams, and conch
scallops
Different types of fish balls

Veggies platter - king oysters mushroom, pineappe, bac ha, tomatoes
noodles
beef
napa veggies
talapia and steel head fish

banana flower, enorki mushrooms, bean sprouts
Enjoy!!!

Happy New Year 2011

2011-01-01T07:04:00.016-05:00

Happy New Year!!!! Yesterday we had our New Year Eve's party. We had a blast.

Whole food table

Banh Duc Man - Steamed rice cake with dried shrimp

Banh It Tran - Naked Savory cake

Bi cuon - summer rolls with bi cuon

Buffalo wings
Banh Beo

Thi.t Nuong
Egg rolls
Banh Duc khoai mon

Banh Tam Khoa Mi

Happy New Year 2011 All!!!

Cassava/Tapioca Noodles - Bánh Tằm Khoai Mì

2010-12-26T07:04:00.012-05:00

Recently, one of my readers asked if I can post cassava/tapioca noodles recipe, aka Bánh Tằm Khoai Mì. This is one of my favorite Vietnamese desserts. It has been a while since I had it. Yesterday, we had a party at my sister-in-law's house and I made this dessert. It was a hit. My hubby helped me with the food coloring. My favorite color is a combination of blue and red which will give you a beautiful purple color. Check out the presentation, pretty huh?

Divide the mixture into different bowls, and play with your food color. You can use pink, green, purple, or white. Spread the mixture (about 1 inch thick) into the pie pan after you grease it with olive oil so it won't stick.
Steam it for about 10 minutes and let it cool completely.

Once it's cooled, cut the cassava cake into strips of noodle.

Pour one bag of grated coconut into a bowl, and roll them into the grated coconut one by one so they won't stick together.

Continue to steam and cut the dessert until you are done.

I have white, purple, green and pink. For the green color, you can use pandan paste.

Ingredients:
a. 5 lbs of grated cavassa
b. 1 + 1/4 cup of tapioca flour
c. 3/4 cup of corn starch
d. 2 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt
e. 2 can of coconut milk
f. 2 bag of grated coconut
g. 1 bag of long strip of coconut (for decoration/garnish)
h. sesame seeds (for garnish)

Method:
1. Pour out the grated cassava in a big bowl
2. Add some cold water
3. Use a piece of fabric and scoop some of the cassava into it
4. Squeeze out all the water from the cassava
5. Put the cassava into a big bowl
6. Add tapioca flour, corn starch, sugar, coconut milk, and pinch of salt into the bowl (ingredients from b-e)
7. Divide the mixture into 4 bowls
8. Add different colors to each bowl (note: red + blue = purple)
9. Grease your pie mold and spread the mixture about one inch into the mold
10. Steam it for 10 minutes or until done
11. Cool the cake completely before cutting
12. Roll them in grated coconuts one at a time to prevent them from sticking
13. Mix all of the strip of noodles together and garnish with long strips of coconut
14. Use for garnish : in a bowl, add sesame seeds, a little bit of sugar, and salt

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-25T07:29:00.004-05:00

Wishing you and your families have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Bouncy Beef Balls For Soup

2010-12-14T12:10:00.014-05:00

Winter is approaching, and what is better to have than a bowl of soup? I usually like to make Vietnamese beef soup, Thai's hot hot, and so on. Bouncing beef balls is crunchy in texture, firm and truly delicious. Below is Mrs. Apple's recipe.

Beef balls soup with cilantro and scallion and black pepper.

Use the food processor and ground the meat. After 3 hours in the freezer, put the meat paste in the standing mixer and add the rest of the ingredients and beat for 15 minutes.

Place the meat paste in the fridge overnight.

Boiled a pot of water, add some garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Then start making beef balls.

Press the beef paste out through the thumb and index fingers into a pot of boiling water.

Remove them as soon as they are cooked, and put them in the ice water.

Final product : Firm, Springy, and crunchy bouncy beef balls.

Put them in the fridge and use later on for hot pots or any kinds of soup.

Ingredients:
2 lbs lean beef
4 TBS fish sauce
6 clove of minced garlic
1 TBS sugar
2 TBS oil
4 TBS corn starch
2 TBS baking powder
8 TBS water
1 tsp white pepper freshly grind

Method:
1. Mince the beef in a food processor until a paste is form.
2. Put in the fridge for 3 hours or more
3. Transfer the beef paste to the standing mixer, and add the rest of the ingredients
4. Use the paddle, and choose # 4 and beat for 15 minutes
5. Put the meat paste back in the fridge and leave it overnight.
6. Boil a pot of water. Scoop the paste onto your wet hand. Push the paste through your thumb and 2nd finger by making a fist. Use a wet spoon to scoop and drop it into the hot water.
7. When the balls start to float, let them cook for 2 more minutes.
8. Remove and let them cool in cold water.
9. Bring the water back to the boil and repeat with the remaining meat
10. Freeze the rest of the beef balls once they are cooled.

Weekend Cooking for December

2010-12-14T08:04:00.006-05:00

Dinner from New Fortune Restaurant

2010-12-05T07:48:00.009-05:00

Che` Khoai Mo^n la' du*'a - Taro and rice pudding with coconut milk and pandan flavor

2010-12-04T10:46:00.005-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-25T06:26:00.006-05:00

Honey Ham, Turkey

Fried Shrimps

Banh dda^u. xanh (green bean cake)
shrimp egg rolls
ham

Vietnamese beef stew (bo` kho)

banh cam
pecan cookies

Cute Puppies

2010-11-22T16:53:00.004-05:00

Deep-fried glutinous rice ball with sweet mung bean and coconut filling

2010-11-22T16:38:00.020-05:00

This is another Asian snack that I love. Finally, I know how to make it. I have to say this was my second attempt. The first attempt was a year ago, and it did not turn out well. While frying the rice balls, they kept exploding in the oil. It freaked me out so bad so I told myself never to make this snack ever again. But I just love this snack so much. To satisfy my craving, I kept searching for the recipe. This recipe belongs to Chi. Xuân Hồng. It would not explode when you fry them. They are perfect, crunchy on the outside and yummy on the inside. I think I will make another batch soon.

By the way, if you understand Vietnamese this is her video.

http://thangmomedia.com/videos.php?vfile=BanhCam&vtype=nau_an&vid=5814

Recipe:

Shell - In the standing mixture, add all the ingredients and let it mix for about 15-20 min.
-1 bag (16oz) of glutinous rice flour (bo^.t ne^'p)
- 3/4 cup + 1 TB of rice flour (bo^.t ga.o)
-100 gram of sweet potato (already steamed & mashed)
-water mixture: In another bowl add the following:
1 cup of sugar
1+1/2 cup of water + additional 1/3 cup of water
put in microwave for 40 sec and mix well
-Add the water mixture
-2 teaspoon of baking powder
-1 soup spoon of canola oil
-Incorporate everything
-Take the dough out and put in the bowl, and let it sit for 1 hour

Filling:
1 bag of Peeled and split mung bean
1 cup of sugar + 1/2 cup of water
1/2 bag of grated coconut
1 small bag of vanilla or 1 teaspoon of mali flavor
1 soup spoon of canola oil
Put on the stove and mix well
Let it cool and divide them into ball shape
Method:
1) Soak the mung bean in water until soft
2) Steam the mung bean and mash
3) In a non-stick pan, Add the rest of the filling ingredients
4) Stir fry over medium heat until thickened.
6) Take the fillings out and let it cool and divide them into small golf balls.

Making banh cam:
1) Wet hand with some water
2) Take some dough and add the filling
3) Put filling in the middle of dough and roll them into ball shape
4) Roll it in sesame seeds and they are ready to be fried.
5) Fry them for 15-20 minutes

Fry pan and oil level:
1) In a stainless steel pan, Add some canola oil
2) Turn heat to medium for 5 min
3) Change it to low
4) Add the banh cam into pan
5) Fry them for 5 min
6) Change heat to medium
7) Fry them until golden

Weekend Cooking for October

2010-11-06T07:38:00.008-04:00

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Vietnamese meatballs

Stir-fried string bean with onion and black bean sauce

baked mussels garnish with peanut and scallions & oyster sauce

seafood noodles

chocolate cake

Banana cake

Chicken Congee soup with Chinese bread sticks

Braised quails

Stir-fried chicken with brown sauce

Stir-fried Shrimp with green and red bell peppers

Weekend Cooking

2010-10-19T08:47:00.010-04:00

Salmon with special sauce

2010-10-15T07:51:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I went to grocery store, and saw some fresh salmon. I want to make a fish dish with some sauce in it. However, I am not sure what kind of sauce? I have tons of organic cherry tomatoes at home, and need to get rid of them. After getting some instructions from one of the iron chef (MS. MA). She told me some of the ingredients needed to put this sauce together. I was so happy to hear that I can use my cherry tomatoes.

It was so yummy. My hubby loves it.

Ingredients:
3 pieces of Salmon
-marinade the salmon with salt & pepper
-fry the fish and pat dry with paper towels.

For the sauce:
-1 TB of olive oil
-1 cup of cherry tomatoes (slice in half)
-1 TB of sugar (you can add more to suite your taste)
-1 tsp of pepper
-1 TB of ketchup
-1 TB of oyster sauce
-1 TB of fish sauce
-some water
-1 onion, cut into wedges
-1 red onion, cut into wedges
-Scallions/cilantro for garnish.
-taramind soup base powder, lemon/lime juice or vinegar.
-pineapple, green pepper, yellow or red pepper (optional)

Method:

1. In the wok, Fry the Salmon and put aside.
2. In the same wok, add olive oil and throw in the cherry tomatoes.
3. Add sugar, pepper, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and ketchup
4. If the sauce is not sour enough, you can add some lemon juice, vinegar or taramind soup base.
5. Add the fried salmon back to the wok.
6. Let the sauce simmer on both sides of the salmon
7. Add the pineapple, green pepper in.
8. Throw in the white onion and red onion wedges
9. Garnish with cilantro or scallion

This would go well with rice.

Steamed Chilean Sea Bass with Soy Sauce, Hot Ginger, Scallion & Sesame Oil

2010-09-12T18:26:00.006-04:00

Have you ever had Chilean Sea Bass before? If you have not, you got to try it. This fish would melt in your mouth. The rich buttery flavor and the delicate flaky meat are just so delicious. Hubby and I had a fried version in a Malaysian restaurant last week, and it was good. Then we decided to make a steam version of it.

Check it out. This would be awesome with steamed rice.

Ingredients:
1 piece of Sea Bass (you can use different fish if you like.)
1 piece of ginger (cut thin slices of ginger)
a bunch of scallion
a bunch of cilantro
garlic
sesame oil
olive oil
chicken broth or water

Method:
1) Clean and wash the sea bass
2) Use the paper towel and pat dry
3) Marinade both sides of the fish with olive oil
4) Add a few slices of ginger to the fish
5) Steam for about 10-15 minutes

Sauce:
1) In a sauce pan, add some olive oil.
2) Add some minced garlic, and take out of the sauce pan.
3) In the same sauce pan, add 4 TB of chicken broth (or you can use water)
4) Add 4 TB of soy sauce
5) Add 1 TB of sugar
6) Add the rest of slices of ginger
7) Let it boil and add a tiny bit of sesame oil in

Decorate the plate
1) Put the plate on the table
2) Transfer the seabass to the plate
3) Garnish with scallions and cilantro
4) Pour the sauce over the sea bass
5) Serve with Jasmine rice.

Cha Ca Thang Long (HaNoi Style Sizzling Tumeric Fish with Dill)

2010-08-22T07:35:00.016-04:00

As you know I have not been cooking for a while. Not sure what it is, but I have not been in the mood to cook. These days, I just try to put something easy together and call it "dinner". I know it's time for me to go back to real cooking when I saw this dish. Cha Ca Thang Long is one of my favorite, aka, Hainoi style turmeric fish with dill. I made this dish before but I used monk fish instead which i did not like that much.

As you can see below, this dish is accompany with a plate of noodles, banh da (vietnamese sesame rice cake), a platter of herbs, a bowl of garlic lemony fish sauce, roasted peanuts and of course slices of sweet onion, scallions, and dill.

The turmeric gives this fish a nice bright yellow color.

I used George Forman grill to cook the fish.

The olive oil, dill, onion, scallion, and turmeric gave this dish a wonderful flavor.

Here is a platter for hubby and I . He loved it so much and had three bowls for dinner. :-)

Yummy!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 lbs of fish (cod, halibut or talapia)
bunch of dill
bunch of scallion
2 sweet onion
peanuts
banh da (Vietnamese sesame rice cake)

Marinade sauce:
2 Tb of fish sauce
pinch of salt & pepper
3 tsp of turmeric powder
3 tsp of minced garlic (minced some more for frying the scallion, onion, and dill)
3 tsp of white portion of scallion
3 tsp of galangal
3 tsp of ginger
3 tps of sugar
3 tsp of mam ruoc (vietnamese fermented shrimp paste)
generous amount of olive oil

Herbs:
-Vietnamese mints
-Lettuce
-Vietnamese coriander (rau ram)
-Vietnamese perilla (tia to)
-pickled carrots.

Method:
1) Marinade the fish and the sauce for 1-2 hours.
2) Grill the fish in george forman grill, and put aside.
3) In another pan, add olive oil and minced garlic.
4) Add in the slices of onion, scallion, and dill (veggies dish)
5) Pour over the veggies dish over the grilled fish.
6) Serve with noodles, herbs platters, peanuts, and lemony fish sauce.

Yum!

Lau Vit Nau Chao (Duck and Soybean Paste Soup)

2010-08-03T08:52:00.027-04:00

It's funny how I ended up making this soup. It's all started when hubby called me on the weekend and he told me that he has bought five pounds of water spinach (aka morning glory). What am I going to do with it? Five pounds ...my god!

I have made crab soup last week (bun rieu), and stir-fried water spinach recently as well. Therefore, I don't want to make the same dishes again. Then some of my net friends suggested me to make Duck and SoyBean Paste Soup. To add more fun while eating, I turned the dish into a pot hot.

What is Duck and Soybean Paste Soup you might ask? Well, literally the name said it all. It's duck meat and soybean paste. The dish has soy bean paste (chao). This spice is just perfect to stew with duck meat. The dish has become popular across Southern Vietnam.

After the soup is cooked, I put it in the hot pot.

Here is my bowl.

The cooked soup is accompanied with rice vermicelli and morning glory veggies.

The duck meat was so tender and yummy!

Morning Glory (aka water spinach)

Taro - I cut them into small chunks and fried them. This way its would not fall apart when you add them to the soup.

Rice vermicelli

I love lime so i added some to my duck soup along with some organic chilli peppers.

Stir occasionally to make sure everything is incorporated.

This soup turned out perfect. The soybean paste is not overpower the flavor of the duck meat.

Put the duck meat into the pot.

Marinade the meat with all the ingredients

Add all the ingredients together and get ready to marinade (shallots, ginger, onion, dried chilli peppers, sugar and salt)

T0 make Vit Nau Chao for four to six people, I bought 6-7 duck legs instead of the whole duck. The whole duck has ton of FAT.

The recipe below is a combination of a few recipes I found on the internet and put them together.

Ingredients:
7 duck legs
1 red onion and white onion
2 TB of garlic (minced)
2 TB of shallot (optional)
2 TB of ginger (minced)
1 jar of white soybean paste
sugar, salt, pepper (1 teaspoon)
1 taro (big or small it's up to you)
2 cups of chicken broth
5 cups of coconut soda
1 can of coconut milk
some water

Method:
1) Soak the duck legs in rice wine or vodka and rub it with smashed ginger to remove the smell of its feathers.
2) Chop the duck into big pieces.
3) In a bowl, marinade the duck meat with soybean paste, sugar, salt, pepper, shallot, sugar, salt, pepper and red onion.
4) Marinade the meat in the mixture for an hour or two.
5) Fry taro for a few minutes but make sure it doesn’t break. Fry it quickly so that it maintains its natural flavor.
6) In a pot, stew the seasoned meat and fried taro in chicken broth.
7) Add the coconut soda for sweetness.
8) Add 1 can of coconut milk to make the dish tastier.
9) Cook the broth until it is thick and ensure the duck meat is tender.
10) Add the fried taro.
11) Done

This duck and soybean paste soup is accompanied with bun (rice vermicelli),and vegetables, especially morning glory. You can add extra soybean paste or some chili and lime and use for dipping.

My Garden - Part II

2010-07-30T12:51:00.055-04:00

Ever since I came back from vacation, I have been so busy. I know I have been neglecting my garden for a while now. Today, I have a day off so I already made up my mind that I will work on my garden. I really need to add more fertilizer to my fruit trees, and vegetable plants.

It's great to get in touch with nature once in a while. I spotted a bee.

Here is another one.

Mr. Bee landed on one of the white flower in my garden.

Wow! Check out my persimmon.

Water Spinach

Yellow Butterfly
Close up
Black butterfly

I forgot the name of this plant.

I just found out it's called Plectranthus_amboinicus (Cuban oregano, Spanish thyme, Orégano Brujo (Puerto Rico), Indian Borage, Húng chanh (Vietnam), Mexican thyme, or Mexican mint). According to one site on the internet, the leaves have also had many traditional medicinal uses, especially for the treatment of coughs, sore throats and nasal congestion, but also for a range of other problems such as infections, rheumatism and flatulence.

Cucumber
Found another one this morning. This one is ripe.

Bitter melon is growing nicely.

Chilli peppers

cherry tomatoes

I picked some this morning because they are ready to be eaten. Organic baby!!!

Check them out

Some sort of squash ....ba^u` or Bi' . I can't tell :-) LOL.

more of them are coming out.

Cute huh?

My Asian pear tree
This year my pear tree has more fruits compare to last year. Last year it only has 5 pears.

closer look. I can't wait to taste them.

more pears

persimmon tree
Last year, my persimmon tree has no fruit at all.

We have ton this year, and they are organic!!!

Each day some of them will fall on the ground :-(

Cancun Vacation

2010-07-11T15:02:00.047-04:00

Pulled Pork Sandiwch

2010-06-26T14:07:00.011-04:00

Summer time means BBQ. What better dish to have BBQ than pulled pork? I have been wanting to make this dish for the longest time, but I just never got to it. This week I got all the ingredients, and even made my own coleslaw. I just love the color of the red cabbage. I think they should called it purple cabbage instead.

Pulled pork sandwiches.

After I marinaded overnight, I baked in the oven for 6-8 hours. And then I used a pork to pull the meat apart (aka pulled pork). The meat come off so easily, and then I added additional BBQ sauce. If you have a hard time pulling the meat off, this mean you need to continue to cook additional 1-2 hours. :-)

Don't they look delicious? Yummy!

Ingredients:

1 boneless pork butt, about 4 pounds
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons 21 spices from Costco (add more if you like more spices)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 & 1/2 bottle of smoke Barbecue Sauce (I bought from the store)
8 buns
Oil base coleslaw, recipe follows

Direction:

Place the pork in a baking dish. In a bowl, combine the sugar, 21 seasoning, salt paprika, pepper, and cayenne. Rub the seasoning evenly over the pork to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat an oven or smoker to 225 degrees F.

Bring the pork to room temperature and place in a roasting pan, fat side up. Slow cook in the oven, basting with the smoke BBQ sauce every 45 minutes, until tender and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. (The cooking should take about 6 to 7 hours.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

With a knife and fork or two forks, pull the meat apart into small slices or chunks. Toss with the barbecue sauce, to taste, and divide among the hamburger buns. Top with the coleslaw. Serve with the fried pickles and additional Barbecue Sauce on the side.

Oil & Vinegar oil based dressing: -- I don't like mayonnaise Dressing.

1 lb cabbage shredded ( i use 1/2 lb red cabbage and 1/2 lb white cabbage)
1 lb carrots shredded (I used 2 carrots)
1/2 cups onions chopped

2 stalks of celery & 1/4 green pepper (very thin sliced or julienne to add the extra crunch) -- I did have at home so I omit them.

1 can of pineapple (optional. Hubby likes pineapple so I added it in)
3 TB sugar (depend on your taste. If you like sweet, add more sugar) - some people use honey.
1/2 cups apple cider vinegar ( I used 3 lemon juice instead)
1/2 cups canola oil
2 tsp salt

PREPARATION:
Chopped cabbage. In a small saucepan disolve the sugar in the cider vinegar over a medium heat. Add other ingredients except the cabbage and mix well while simmering for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat before the mixture gets thick.

Allow to cool for about 10 more minutes then pour over cabbage. Toss until well mixed. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Salmon Salad

2010-06-19T17:48:00.000-04:00

Hornets net?

2010-06-19T17:34:00.007-04:00

Guess what I discovered in the back of my garden? Oh my Gosh, it freaked me out so bad. In the beginning, I thought it was a bee's net. But now I think it's a hornet's nest. I heard they are very dangerous.

Weekend Cooking

2010-06-14T17:36:00.006-04:00

Shrimp Salad with Balsamic vinegar dressing

Ribs

Lasagna

Flan

Salmon Summer Rolls

2010-06-10T17:59:00.005-04:00

I made this for dinner yesterday. Oh my gosh, it was so good. Do you want a Salmon summer roll? :-) It tasted awesome with garlic lemony fish sauce. And of course you got to have fresh organic herbs.

Here is a closer look at my dinner yesterday.

Yummy in the tummy!

Enjoy!

My Garden

2010-06-08T07:28:00.015-04:00

Every morning I would get up and walk out to my deck and listen to the birds sing. It's just a nice way to get in touch with nature right in your own backyard. And the fresh air in the morning is really good for you. It's just a way for me to have some peacefulness before the day begins. Check out some photos I took of my garden.

Red Rose

White Peach Tree

Water Spinach - rau muong

Kaffir Lime plant - I use the fresh kaffir lime leaves to cook soup, Thai's flavor.

Cherry tomatoes - I just grow them because I love to put them in my salad, and they are organic too.
Asian pear tree - Last year we only had 5 pears. This year the tree has more fruits.

Check then out.

Nice huh? They are very juicy and crunchy. I can't wait to have some.

Persimmon tree - This is the first time the tree bears fruits .

Here is another one.

Enough of a morning break. I am ready to head to work.

Shrimp & Chicken Fajitas

2010-06-07T09:31:00.006-04:00

Last night we had shrimp and chicken fajitas for dinner. It was so good.

After you deveined the shrimps and cut the chicken into thin slices, you stir-fried them together like below. Then add whatever marinade you like.

Add the green and red peppers, and onion.

voila`, it's done. Simple as one, two, three.

Dinner is ready. Fast huh?

Enjoy!