Umami Beef & Potatoes

You guys didn't think this blog would die did you? I did. GG and I have gotten so busy that food blogging became a thing of the past. But tonight, I thought, why not refresh this old blog of ours, even if it's with a recipe of a simple dish that I concocted over 10 years ago. And so, The Red Gingham lives on!

Salmon Ochazuke + Quick Japanese Cucumber Salad

 

I recently bought a new kettle/teapot and I've been in tea heaven! I love tea and I used to have an old metal kettle which started rusting, believe it or not, so I went shopping on Amazon and saw an awesome glass kettle. It now doubles as both my kettle and teapot (since I prefer loose tea) and I've been sipping tea all day long on a daily basis this week.

Veggie & Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Hello again! This blog has officially made a come back. The last time we had a post here was sometime towards the end of last year and it's hard to believe several months have already gone by and we're now in the new year! Well, seeing as how it's a new year, what better time to tackle our resolutions than now? A big one of mine is to lose some weight and drop some pounds which I've accumulated over the years. Apparently GG also has the same goal so we're planning to refocus the content on this blog on healthy eating and weight loss management.

Asian Style Rib Eye Salad

Hello again everyone!  Between trick or treating and yesterday's presidential election, Veggie Girl and I have been busy all week.  But here I am again, and I am glad I was able to snap some pictures I can share with you all.

Slow Cooker Braised Garlic Spareribs

I recently had a hankering for some tender pork ribs and by that, I don't mean American style ribs with a sweet BBQ sauce. No, what I wanted was an Asian version with a salty, garlicky sauce perfect for drizzling over steamed white rice. I bought some spareribs over the weekend and today, was finally able to quell my craving. Best of all, these ribs cooked up in my slow cooker while I went about my day. I did spend about 20 minutes in the morning prepping the meat and putting the sauce together but after that, it was all on auto pilot. These ribs made for a fantastic dinner along with some sauteed green beans and steamed rice. Easy peasy.

Pork Meatballs and Pumpkin Soup (Chinese style)

Here's more pumpkin love. I made this soup over the weekend and I just couldn't stop eating it. Although it's a simple soup, it is packed with lots of flavor from the meatballs and a touch of sweetness from the corn and pumpkin. The key is to a) brown the meatballs, and b) allow the soup to sit for a couple hours after it's been simmered so that the flavors can really come together. If you're planning to make it for dinner, make it a few hours in advance. If you love pumpkin, this recipe is a must try.

Yakiniku Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing

Here's a quick and easy meal that is easy to prepare.  It's for those days when you want to have some greens but you also want to balance it with a little bit of meat.

Mangoes with Thai Sticky Rice

Wow, it's amazing how we're already in June and half the year has already flown by. The school year is winding down for my kids and would you believe they'll be out on summer break in just a couple of weeks? Now that their end of the year exams are out of the way, their schedule at school is much more laid back with lots of parties and celebrations going on. 

Fried Rice Noodle with Ground Pork

OK, I'll admit it. I'm a little bit addicted to sewing at the moment. Although I don't always have the time to sew something, I'm constantly thinking about my next project. As you can tell, this blog has become somewhat of a "show and tell" stage for both mine and GG's sewing projects and if this keeps up, I'm going to have to add SEWING to the blog header somewhere. But for now, food still remains as its primary focus.

Korean Shrimp Rice Porridge (Saewoojuk)

I recently jumped on the internet TV bandwagon and finally bought a Roku after having considered it for months. This has enabled me to stream lots of shows from Hulu and one of the first shows I watched was the Korean drama, Boys Over Flowers. 

Beef Sukiyaki (Japanese hot pot)

Sometimes I'm amazed at just how much comfort one simple dish can bring to me. Tonight's dinner, Sukiyaki, did just that.

Asian Pot Roast

With the arrival of fall and cooler weather, I find myself craving lots of warm comfort foods such as pot roast. The last time I made pot roast was probably several months ago so when my son came grocery shopping with me last week and saw chuck roast on sale, he asked me to make it for one of our "meat night" dinners. I granted his request but instead of the usual, traditional American version, I gave this one an Asian twist. 

Vegetable Sesame Noodle Stir Fry

Have you ever seen a person change right before your eyes? I have and I'm still seeing metamorphosis in this person today but not quite as rapidly. It's more of a steady change these days, for the better I would say. The person I'm referring to is Mr. VG. 

Five-spice Pork Chops

Whew, this has been a week of tight work deadlines for me, all in preparation for an expo that my company puts together in Indonesia every year. This year's show is in two weeks so I'll be working pretty much non-stop up to that point. That coupled with the kids' first week back at school has made for very hectic, short days, so much so that some most household chores have had to be put off. Yes, I'm living in a pigsty at the moment, folks. I've got dusty floors and massive laundry piles. Guess what I'll be doing all of this weekend?

Clams with Black Bean Sauce

Put me in a Chinese restaurant in the company of seafood eaters, and more than likely I will suggest to order this dish.  This is one of my favorite seafood dishes.  There is just something about the combination of shellfish and black beans that make it so tasty.

Korean BBQ Burgers with Kimchi Mayonnaise

Today was another scorcher and when the temps are in the triple digits, I absolutely can't stand going out. I'm just super intolerant of sweltering hot weather...always have been, always will be. But I had a very bare refrigerator and pantry to contend with and I really needed to go grocery shopping. My daughter happily offered to tag along so we drove to two different stores (Asian and American) just to be able to get all the ingredients I need for the week.

Rice cooker chicken rice to the rescue!

So back-to-school fever hit our household today as we scrambled around shopping for last minute school supplies, uniforms and acceptable, "cool enough" clothing for my middle schooler. Throw 100 degree weather into the mix and you've got one very reluctant cook (yours truly) in the kitchen. I could have very easily picked up something quick for lunch but I was determined to stick to my pre-planned menu for the week which listed "chicken fried rice" as today's lunch. With some improvisation and a lot of help from my good ole' trusty rice cooker, I got out of slaving over a hot stove and was instead, able to focus on my to-do list.

"Srirachup" Tofu and Eggplant Sauté

Is it me or does time go by faster now? This summer has literally just zipped by me, so quickly that it hardly feels like I've experienced even a portion of it. It might be because I didn't do much this summer, as opposed to last year where I went back to Singapore with the kids for a relaxing holiday.

Sesame Wings + Gallivanting About in Chinatown

Sesame wings can be really addictive. How so? Well, my kids beg me to make it for dinner every time they peek into the freezer and notice the gigantic bag of frozen chicken wings staring back at them. Even though I made these wings for our 4th of July party and made them again the week after, the words "sesame chicken" came back to haunt me the following week. Mind you, it was a 10 lb. bag that I had bought so I suppose I was asking for it. I know, I KNOW. That's alot of wings. That means I'll probably be making these wings about once a week until they're all gone. Yikes. When I serve them for dinner, my daughter will sit there and polish off 15 wings on her own and won't even look at the other dishes. I don't blame her though. These wings do rock.

Soboro Donburi (Ground Pork w/Scrambled Egg)

Hello once again!  I’ve been away from the blog world for a few days.  Just got busy with other things…life….haha.  To be honest, I haven’t been cooking much lately.  It’s just one of those days when you need a break from the kitchen.  I’m thinking, room service, a massage and not getting up from bed all day….dream on GG.