Merry Christmas and Blessed 2009

Las Vegas - 27 Nov to 30 Nov 2008

Breakfast at Waffle House

Grilled Texas Bacon Egg & Cheese Melt Plate

Cheeseburger

Lunch @ Satay Malaysian Grille
3755 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Prawn Mee

Char Kuay Teow


Dinner @ Penang Malaysian Cuisine
5115 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89146
Oyster Omelette

Char Kuay Teow

Hor Fun

The next day was Black Friday, so we headed for the stores instead of the makan. Haha.

Breakfast was this yummy Jalapeno & Cheese Bread that I bought from Safeway the day before.

Lunch was eaten at Makino Seafood & Sushi Buffet located in the Las Vegas Premium Outlet.

Dinner was McDonald's located in our hotel's foodcourt @ Luxor.

Day 3 : Shopping + Dim Sum

Breakfast again was the Jalapeno & Cheese Bread.

Lunch was Dim Sum at Cathay House Dim Sum Restaurant
(5300 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89146)

The Chow Mein, Roast Duck and especially, the Calamari made the trip worthwhile. (^_^)

Day 4 : Return Trip

Breakfast was some cookies we bought during our shopping trip.

Lunch was in Phoenix @ Taiwan Food Express

(66 S. Dobsin Road, Mesa, AZ 85202)

Oyster Omelette
Zha Jiang Mien

Chicken Cutlet Rice

A Satisfying Lunch

Hello there,

Thanksgiving is over. I'm now trying to pack our guest bedroom cause my bro and sis-in-law will be visiting next week. We had been using the room as a dumping ground for almost everything. Now it's mainly myself who is gonna feel the impact of it cause Ken is working nights this week. He'll be waking up late and coming back in wee hours of the morning.

Anyways, back to the topic. Yesterday on the way back from Vegas, we stopped over in Phoenix to pick up some groceries. We had Laksa for lunch and it was good! Ken commented that just the "hum" was missing. I dun fancy that so it did not affect me. Alas! I forgot to take a picture of the yummy laksa, so you will have to wait till I cook it again, which will be a long time away. Haha!

Today's Menu

Getting lazy to blog...

Anyways, today is my turn to cook for the guys. Here's the menu.

1. Cai Xin with Oyster Sauce
2. Non-Bake Char Siew
3. 三杯鸡
4. Hot and Sour Seafood Soup

It's repeating as I am running out of ideas as to what to cook.

Chocolate Chip and Pecan Pie

Ingredients

1 9" ready-to-use crust

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1 cup sugar (I used 3/4)

1/4 cup unbleached flour

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

cool whip

Method

1. Prepare the pie crust. Since I prefer a crispier crust, I brushed beaten egg white on the pre-filled crust and baked it at 375 for 5 mins.

2. Line the crust with chocolate chips.

3. Mix all the ingredients except for the cool whip.

4. Fill the pie crust with the well-mixed ingredients.

5. Use foil to cover the edge of the pie crust.

6. Bake at 350 for 45 mins.

7. Serve warm with a dollop of cool whip.

Notes

1. The pie is yummy. (^_^)

2. I make the crust crispy, hence it was hard to slice without making fall apart.

3. Try it, it's pretty easy to make.

Fish You Like and the Alternative

Saw this in a magazine I borrowed from the library... If you are not able to get a certain type of fish that you like, you might wanna try an alternative.

Substitute...
Chilean Sea Bass with Black Cod
Swordfish with Wahoo
Atlantic Cod with Alaskan Pollack
Snapper n Grouper with Tilapia

Cheesy Bread (using Bread Machine)

Cheesy Bread

Ingredients

1 cup + 1 T water

3 T olive oil

1 T sugar

2 T dry milk powder

1 T kosher salt

2 t vital wheat gluten flour

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup grated sharp cheddar

1/3 cup grated swiss cheese

3 cups unbleached bread flour

2 t bread machine yeast

Instructions

1. Following the sequence of the above list, place the ingredients in the bread pan.

2. Press MENU and select BASIC

3. Press SIZE and select LARGE

4. Press COLOR and select MEDIUM

5. Press START

6. Total machine time is 3h.

Notes:

(I) This is so easy, just dump everything inside and wait. Haha!

(II) The bread is very tasty, prob due to the various cheeses.

(III) The texture is very heavy and 1 slice on its own is enough for breakfast.

New Gadgets have Arrived

The bread machine and the bakeware set have both arrived. I have yet to test them out as I was a tad busy with things. However, I made pumpkin cake and banana fritters this week.

I will be trying out the gadgets next week. Stay tuned!

Steamed Pumpkin Cake

Steamed Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:
800g Pumpkin Flesh

Batter mix:
500 g rice flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
6 cups hot water

Fried Ingredients:
80 g dried shrimps(soften with water, minced or use mini ones)
2 chinese sausages(diced)
15 chinese preserved mushrooms(soaked, sliced thinly)
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Method:
1. Steam pumpkin slices over high heat. Mashed while its still hot. Set aside.
2. In a pan, stir fry mini dried shrimps till fragrant.
3. Add the sliced mushrooms, chinese sausage and seasonings.
4. Stir fry for 3 mins. Set aside.
5. In a cool wok, add hot water slowly into batter mix flour and stir constantly. Stir till flour dissolves.

6. Pour in hot water slowly and stir to ensure that the rice flour do not become sticky and lumpy
7. Add mashed pumpkin and mix.
8. Add Fried ingredients.
9. Stir to mix everything.
10. Put the wok over low heat, stiring continously until batter is dry and sticky
11. Line pan with glass paper and pour contents into it.
12. Steam over high heat for 60 minutes.
13. Leave to cool in room temperature for 1 hour.
14. Cut into slices.

Note: I find this recipe slightly too salty for my liking.

New Gadget on the Way.

I bought a new gadget - a bread maker, which is due to arrive 21 Oct.

Here's a picture of the Wolfgang Puck Programmable Dual-Blade Bread Maker.

Product Features: (taken from product description on webby)

• Dual kneading blades - provides a more thorough kneading job even with large loaves
• 11 digital pre-programmed modes - automatically adjusts the cycle times to match your specific baking needs: basic, whole wheat, French, quick, sweet, cake, jam, dough, rapid bake, bake, gluten-free and custom settings
• Custom setting allows you to set the machine to cater to your family's preference
• Large LCD display with clock timer - gives you easy-to-read controls and allows you to monitor your time and settings as you bake
• 24-hour delay bake programmable timer - works around your schedule and does nearly everything for you
• Produces 2 and 2.5 lb. loaf - sensational capacity for family-size baking
• Dual kneading blades - provides a more thorough kneading job even with large loaves
• Keep-warm feature at end of cycle - sustains the temperature of the bread so you get fresh, warm results, ready when you are
• Adjustable crust control - easily obtain the exact crust that fits your preference - light, medium or dark
• Dishwasher safe nonstick bread pan and kneading blades
• Large viewing window - allows you to view the process without interrupting any of the cycles
• Cool-touch housing - helps prevent burns and allows for easy access

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats (ground finely or use quick oats)

2-1/4 cups all purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

1 cup/2 sticks butter (I used unsalted)

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar (originally to use 3/4 cup)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon juice

2 eggs

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1-1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method :

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF / 177ºC.

2. Combine ground oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon powder in a mixing bowl.

3. Cream butter, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice in mixer. Add eggs and beat till fluffy.

4. Stir in flour mixture, mixing well. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts to the dough and mix well.

5. Scoop and shape the dough to your liking onto lined baking sheets.

6. Bake 14 to 16 mins or till lightly browned.

7. Cool completely before storing.

三杯鸡

三杯鸡 (Three cups chicken)

(Recipe taken from http://www.bakingmum.blogspot.com/)

Ingredients:
1 chicken (I bought no growth hormone added type)
10 slices ginger
15 cloves garlic
2 red chilli (cut into big pieces)
2 stalks green onions (cut into 2 inch pieces)
2 stalk basil

Seasonings:
1/4 cup sesame oil
¼ cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine
2 tsp sugar
3 cinnamon stick
pepper
chilli powder (I used Cayenne Pepper)
1/4 tsp five spice powder
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp black vinegar
1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Methods:
1. Clean chicken well and cut up into smaller pieces.
2. In a claypot/corning ware, put the ginger, garlic, chilli, green onions at the bottom.
3. Place the chicken pieces on top the ingredients.
4. Add all the seasonings.
4. Use high heat to cook the chicken uncovered for about 15 mins.
5. Add in basil, cover and continue to cook until the sauce thickens to your liking.

Cook and Cook

As mentioned in an earlier post, I now cook once a week for Ken to bring makan to work. The group of 6 men now take turns to cook everyday, which is a nice break for me. :p

Today Ken is working night shift, meaning I cook in the morning and he bring it as dinner for the guys. As I ran out of ideas what to cook, I was looking around on some blogs for inspiration and found a recipe for a 三杯鸡. It seemed easy to cook and it was, the result was not bad too - just that the chicken a bit tough.

Here's what the guys are having for dinner today... (sorry about the blur pics, my editing skills sucks)

Seems like a lot? Actually I prepared 4 portion of fried rice to go with the chicken. I wanted all of them to try the Xin Hua Noodles thingy that my MIL will cook every 1st day of CNY. All you have to do is put some Xin Hua Noodles in a bowl and add in the Mixed Vegetables. The Fried Omelette Strips, Fried Shallots, Peanuts and Hei Cai are toppings to enhance the flavour. Suppose to add Hua Diao Wine before eating but I dunno how to pack that. Haha.

The noodles is very precious, brought from Singapore and I still have some in the fridge. I am keeping it for CNY. :) As you noticed, it's somewhat a vegetarian meal, it's pretty nice if served hot. Hope they will enjoy it.

The Impossible Thing Happened

Oh gosh! I have done it! I bought something I saw on the TV Shopping Channels. Urgh! What have I done?!?!

This was what made me sink to a new low.

This is a 10-pc. Silicone Collapsible Bake & Carry Bakeware Set. Includes two 9" round pans, 8-1/2" brownie pan, six-cup Texas muffin pan, loaf pan with meatloaf insert, 15" x 11" baking mat, 12" x 8" toaster mat, 15" x 11" baking board, and plastic lid.

I bought the mocha (brown) colored set. Haiz. I hope that it is as good as it seems on the TV. Oh man! I am such a sucker! Everything is supposed to be collaspsible and can be packed into the container, which could be used to carry any baked goods as well. I was thinking of replacing quite a bit of what I had due to stubborn stains, etc. I shall try baking something once I get my hands on it. Suppose to receive it on Oct 22nd, will post my experiment here.

Recalled Products

1. Dutch Lady Banana Flavoured Milk;
2. Dutch Lady Honeydew Flavoured Milk;
3. Silang - House of Steamed Potato - Potato Cracker;
4. 徐福记 Puffed Rice Rolls - Butter Corn Flavour; and
5. 徐福记 Puffed Rice Rolls - Cheese Flavour
6. Yi Li Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection;
7. Dutch Lady Strawberry Flavoured Milk; and
8. White Rabbit Creamy Candy
9. Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
10. Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
11. Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
12. Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
13. Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
14. Mr. Brown Mandhling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1)
15. Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)
16. Heinz Intelligence Many Many Vegetable Cereal
17. Yuchang F.C.’s coffee creamer
18. Misarang Custard
19. Milk Rusk
20. Gratin Crepe Corn ready meals
21. Cream Panda
22. Matcha Azuki Milk Man sweet buns
23. Cream Panda buns
24. Heinz DHA+AA Vegetable Formula Cereal
25. Silang House of Steamed Potato Wasabi Cracker
26. Kurimu Panda,
27. Guratan Kurepu Kon,
28. Matcha Azuki Mirukuman
29. Kurimu Panda

I thought I saw a longer list somewhere... hmm... must go find out.

My Recent Vacation Overview

Thought I would post this up first. (^_^)

I would probably blog on the makan I had on the way, with the pics.

Vacation

Dear Friends,

I will be away from 02 - 13 Sep. Will probably update the week when I am back.

I'll be going to Niagara Falls, Toronto, Penslyvannia, Virginia and Maryland, so be prepared for tons of pics.

Enjoy your week ahead!

Alvina

Healthy Living

Since I turned 34, I have decided to eat healthier. This could not come at a better time. Ken has joined his colleagues for a makan arrangement where each person will bring all the food per week. Currently there are 6 people in this plan, so I have to cook once a week for his makan only. When he is home from work, we will eat something simple and not be concerned that he has to be bringing the food to work and hence have to avoid some food cause they taste sucky when re-heat.

So the pics are some meals that we have at home. We can have porridge or noodle soup or seafood! Haha.

Birthday Weekend

I Love Coupons!

Ken was on guard duty on Sunday and hence got Monday off in lieu. We went off to grab a bite before we go n wash his celica. And we went to McDonald's since we have not been there for a really long time. The best part is that we got this coupon which gives us a burger for free if we order one from the regular menu. Woohoo! So we got one southern chicken club sandwich n a southern chicken BLT sandwich + drinks + fries for only $6 plus. Cheap meal! The sandwich v big, I only managed to finish half of it - tapao the balance for tea-time.

After we wash the car, we went to Tucson Mall to Sears, hoping to get a deal on screwdrivers. Lo and behold, we got 8 pieces for $10.99. Haha. Cheapo me very happy!

So happy that we decided to go for dessert! Cold Stone Creamery! We used a coupon that lets us buy 2 Love-It size for $6.

Mine : Mint with Twix

His : Cotton Candy with White Chocolate Chips

The Fate of the KrispyKreme Donuts

Eh, we bought a boxful of KrispyKreme Donuts on Saturday (a dozen) @ $7++.
Ken ate 3 and I ate 2, so 7 were left in the box.
We intended to eat it for breakfast on the drive home on Sunday.
Halfway, we realised it was missing. :(
Turns out while packing the bags in the car, Ken left it on the roof of the car.
Boohoohoo!

Adventures in the Kitchen - July 2008

I have been feeling adventurous the past few days...

See what my adventurous mood has led to :

Oreo Non-Bake Cheesecake on Sunday

Candy Making on Monday Afternoon

Candy Hearts with Message

Almond Baskets

Heart Lollipops

This has been a fun n productive few days...
Hope more such days come my way...

Noodles for Saturday Nite

Decided to try this out.

End Product.
Noodles.
Shredded Cucumber.
Chopped Jalapenos.
Green Onions.
Minced Pork.
Chopped Red Onions.

The noodle I used was the same as that used for the Vietnamese Pho.

Verdict :
Nice n simple n fast to prepare.
Can add more water for more sauce.
Will do it again.

Banana Fritters Again

Forgot to eat the bananas so it was left till too ripe.
Made the banana fritters again....
Only 3 bananas but so many fritters, cannot finish....
Still left half of it.
Maybe for tomorrow's breakfast.

Chipotle For Friday Nite

It was about 8.30pm when I took this pic...
so it was kinda dark and hence turn out not so clear.
Anyways, we went to Chipotle Mexican Grill for dinner.

See what we got?

-All Natural Nantucket Nectars Promegranate Cherry
-Tortilla Chips with Guacamole
-Soft Taco with Chicken, Sour Cream n Mild Salsa
-Fajita Burrito with Steak, Rice, Sour Cream n Medium Salsa

This is mine - The Soft Taco with Chicken n whatnot.

Dear dear's Fajita Burrito (Spelt Correctly?)

Verdict :
Overall very good n not oily at all.
Portion a bit big, half the burrito was left for this morning's breakfast.
The chips still left half a bag, still cannot finish.
Will definitely go again but for brunch or lunch so that can finish all the food in one day.
Yummy!

Banana Fritters

Ingredients:

3 bananas (very ripe)

3/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp light brown sugar

2 tbsp sugar (if the banana is not sweet)

pinch of salt

Method:

1. Mash the bananas. Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar.
2. Taste the mixture, if not sweet enough, add the sugar.
3. Mix well. The mixture might be a little runny.
4. Heat oil. Use a tablespoon to drop dollops of the mixture into the hot oil.
5. When the fritters turn brown, spoon up on kitchen towel to drain excess oil.
6. If you want it even sweeter, you might sprinkle powdered sugar on it sparingly.

Enjoy!

Food Diary - 19th June 08

Dinner @ SFO International Airport

That last day in San Francisco, we had a really late dinner (10 plus) at the SFO International Airport with the in-laws, before they flew back home. We were delayed as we had to wait for the SQ counters to open before they could check-in their luggages. One of their luggage was also overweight and hence need to take out some-stuff to put into another empty hand-carry (we checked that in, too). The airlines are really strict now with the weight of each piece of luggage. If you are travelling, I would advise against those hard luggage as they weigh quite a bit on their own, which translate to less shopping. :)

Because their flight was at 1am, after dinner, they send us off to the car park instead.... hee hee... cause we needed to drive another 45 mins to the hotel. Also we had to leave the hotel at 4.30am latest to catch our 7am flight back. I think we reached the hotel at mid-night. After re-packing, we managed to sleep for 2 hours or so before driving back to SFO.

To Go Or Not To Go...... ORGANIC...

One of the main activity that we do on Saturdays is grocery shopping. We’ve noticed labels that read “Hormone Free”, “Natural” or “Organic” getting really common. In fact, we have also gone along with the hype to buy organic stuff when possible. With the prices of food going up, we are noticing the great jump in the monthly grocery bill and hence re-thinking the natural-organic-hormone free way. While looking for some info, I came across this article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16035031/

In summary, GO ORGANIC FOR THESE:

Fruits
1. Apples
2. Cherries
3. Grapes
4. Imported Nectarines)
5. Peaches
6. Pears
7. Raspberries
8. Strawberries

Vegetables
1. Bell Peppers
2. Celery
3. Potatoes
4. Spinach

If Possible, Include
1. Milk
2. Beef
3. Poultry

GO REGULAR FOR THESE:

Fruits
1. Bananas
2. Kiwi
3. Mangoes
4. Papaya
5. Pineapples

Vegetables
1. Asparugas
2. Avocado
3. Broccoli
4. Cauliflower
5. Corn
6. Onions
7. Peas

Kaya

Ingredients
10 eggs
380g sugar
450ml coconut milk
80ml pandan juice
green colouring

Method
1. Mix eggs and sugar together till sugar dissolves.
2. Add all other ingredients and stir till well mixed.
3. Strain mixture into small pot.
4. Using double boil method, bring the water below to a boil.
5. Continuously stir the kaya till thick n sticky.
*Pandan juice = blend 4 piece of pandan leaves with water, strain.

I made half of the portion on Monday and we ate it with bread n waffles. Pretty good but the texture of my kaya was not so smooth.