Welcoming the Year Of The Tiger RAWR!

lCNY is all about the reunion, the "hong bao" $$$, the candy, the flowers, the atmosphere, the firecrackers but most important of all, Chinese New Year is all about the FOOD. It is one week of the year when you can eat whatever you want, as much as you want and it's all for good luck! I invited some good friends over and had our own mini CNY feast in the middle of Richmond. For 2 hrs, it kinda felt like home :)

Spicy Beef Tendon (麻辣牛筋)

Turnip Cake 

Scallop Blossoms 花開富貴

 

 Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables (梅菜扣肉)

 

Braised Mushrooms with Vegetables 

Taiwanese Style Clams

Wishing you all a Happy New Year of Good Health, Prosperity and Happiness :)

L-O-V-E: Happy V-Day :)

Happy Valentine's Day! It's been an awesome and LOVE-ly weekend. My birthday celebration at Bistro Bouchon with great company, homecooked romantic dinner with someone special--- man I feel like a princess :)

Favorite appetizer: Caprese

Perfect Medium Rare Round Eye Steak w/ Mashed Potatoes

Homemade shortbread cookies

Sweet P's Chocolate Truffles

You make me smile.....

Tiramisu Cake My Way

What do you do when you need to satisfy chocolate, coffee and alcohol cravings at the same time?

Tiramisu Cake saves the day! 

I wanted to originally use Doris Greenspan's Tiramisu Cake recipe, which can be found here. Somehow I find myself failing terribly at making a normal yellow cake. I can, however, make the perfect chiffon cake so I altered the recipe and used a normal chiffon cake recipe instead. 

 

 The rich mascarporne cream was perfectly balanced against the lighter fluffy chiffon cake, making it a lighter version of the normal food-coma inducing Tiramisu. The birthday girl had a big smile on her face and I am happy as well. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Happy Birthday Min!

Just for Dor: Giant Stuffed Crab Mushrooms

My sister Kar, my cousin Dor and I have been calling ourselves the Three Musketeers ever since we could talk..well, almost. We have been through thick and thin together; we have seen each other in our best, our worst, fat days (maybe just me), bad haircuts, good moods, lousy tempers...You name it I've seen it. So here's a big shout out to my two bestest friends in the entire universe ---without you guys, I wouldn't be here and I can't imagine a life without you two!

So here's to Dor and her love for these Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms courtesy of Paula Deen from Food Network. It's no surprise why they're such a huge hit. Who can say no to fresh crab meat and creamed cheese awesomeness?!?!?!

Don't worry Kar, I will make something special just for you too :) JUST YOU WAIT!!!!!


<3 GO 3 MUSKETEERS!

Chef Beau or Chef Ann? Ginger Soy Cream Chilean Seabass （銀雪魚）

After showcasing Chef Ann's Pork Milanese recipe, I decided I had to be fair and give Chef Beau a chance. The entree he showed in the finale was "Codfish in Ginger Soy Cream". I noticed Chef Beau always tries to infuse a little Thai/Asian flavors in his dishes and this one is no different.

The smooth and creamy codfish is pan-fried and sits on top of a flavorful ginger and garlic buttery cream sauce. I omitted the mussels and added some shrimp instead to the dish. I must admit the flavors tingled my senses and I drizzled the sauce over a bowl of steamy jasmine rice.

Recipe can be found here. I felt like the recipe called for too much sauce so I would suggest using less than 1/2 cup for all liquids. I also substituted the codfish with Chilean Sea bass which can be found in any Asian Market.

All hail yummy creaminess. :)

Are you as excited about the next season of Worst Cooks in America as  I am????

Worst Cooks in America : Pork Milanese w/ Warm Autumn Salad & Poached Eggs

Imagine being voted as one of the worst cooks by your friends and having to go through a 10 day boot camp with renowned chefs and representing them in a panel of food critics.. The thought can let anyone weak in the knees. After a grudging 2 weeks, I was fully impressed with the new skills and knowledge the two finalists had come to master. I mean, I consider myself a pretty good cook and even I haven't had the guts to make fresh pasta!

In the finale, Rachel's main course was Pork Milanese served with a Warm Autumn Salad and Poached egg on top. The dish stood out to me (I'm a big fan of runny eggs) and I was intrigued. What is Pork Milanese??? After some research it turns out Pork Milanese is the American version of the Japanese Katsu (Panko-covered pork chops fried in hot oil). I decided to make it for dinner.

 

Truth is, it is a simple recipe with a fancy name. Then again, who can resist runny yolks over a deep fried savory piece of pork chops? The salad was warm and easy to make. The combination of oyster mushrooms, apples and red onions over a red vinegar dressing balanced out the richness of the pork. Overall, definitely something I will remake on a cold snowy day.

I can't wait for the next season of Worst Cooks in America to come!!! Do you have anyone to nominate????

The Perfect Match: Orange Chocolate Chiffon Cake

The best foods always come in pairs.

Burger and Fries. Steak and Wine. Strawberries and Cream. Green Tea & Red Bean.

Orange and Chocolate is possibly one of the most unique but constantly undermined flavor pairings. With a day free of school because of snow (yay) I decided to whip up something light and tasty to battle the cold. Chocolate is a definite must when it comes to bringing anyone out of the winter blues.

I've tried making an Orange Chiffon cake before. This time, I decided to give it a twist by taking two cups of batter and adding it to a rich chocolate mixture (1/3 cup cocoa, 2 tbsp of corn oil, 2 tbsp of hot water, 3 tbsp of sugar). Then I created a marble effect by dolloping alternating batter into the tube pan.

The result was a light airy sponge cake with a slightly crunchy exterior  With the sweet tangy orange flavor juxtaposing against the rich dark chocolate, it was a match made in heaven. A cup of hot bubbling cocoa completed my afternoon as I curled up on the couch and watched Food Network TV.