Super Simple Salmon

Fish and I have always had a bad relationship. It stems from early childhood when, from the time I was a toddler, I was fed fish porridge/congee for lunch (and possibly dinner) EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I absolutely detested it because it had a very fishy flavor and being toddler food, probably had no salt in it. Flavorless and fishy. Oh, it was vile. Don't do this to your kids, folks. It'll scar them for all or part of their life. I'm living proof.

Steamed Tofu with Ground Pork

While browsing other food blogs the other day, I chanced upon a great blog from Malaysia.  I happened to find a tofu dish in his blog, and being the typical me, I just read it quickly and did not write down his recipe. A day later I found myself cooking tofu inspired by deliciousasianfood.com. So here's my own take on it.

Garden Cafe (Arcadia) Chow Down

The kids and I met up with my cousin, Jetts for lunch and a movie today. She wanted to chow down at Garden Cafe in Arcadia so that's where we went.

THE REVIEW:

Garden Cafe is a Hong Kong style cafe with a wide array of both Eastern and Western dishes. The decor is simple and modern with booth and table seating as well as a bar area. We arrived at about 12:15 p.m. and were seated immediately since they weren't too busy. I was relieved for a couple of reasons. 1) I've been there before around dinnertime on a weekend and have had to wait (something I have no patience for these days!) 2) Their noise level is awful when it's a "full house". Something about that place makes the sounds of many boisterous patrons + bustling wait staff almost deafening for me. Today, it was actually quite peaceful -- not too dead and not too crowded.

Sauteed Bitter Melon

Is it deliciously bitter or bitterly delicious? How can a bitter vegetable be so delicious? Bitter melon is a gourd commonly grown in Asia. You can easily find these in any Asian market. Believed to be high in iron and as an aid to control diabetes, this vegetable is highly nutritious as well.

I have a very simple saute recipe for this wonderful tasting vegetable.

Shrimp Salad with Asian Lime Dressing

Strange as it may sound, I enjoy folding laundry. I try to think of it as relaxation time where I can plop myself down on the couch with my baskets of laundry, turn on the TV, put on a good show and...relax (yes, I know my hands are still working but folding laundry is so mindless to me, it's as if I'm not even doing it).

Sugared Pillsbury Donut Balls

Yesterday, while browsing food blogs online like a typical foodie, I chanced upon a post by Rasa Malaysia on making "cheater donuts" using refrigerated Pillsbury dough. I could not have found it at a better time because for the last week or so, I'd been craving donuts and never seemed to have the time to stop by a donut shop. I don't eat donuts very often. In fact, I can't remember the last time I had a donut. Since this recipe sounded so easy, I thought I'd try it today.

Summer Tofu

This dish is so simple and it doesn't really have a name. But because it's so refreshing (since you eat the tofu cold) and bursting with flavor, I thought I'd call it Summer Tofu. While it's not even warm yet, I just had a craving for this today. It's a quick and healthy lunch.

Swedish Breakfast

I woke up to the sound of water dripping outside. As forecasted, we will be experiencing rainy weather this week. It's April showers I guess. With this gloomy cold weather, how can I wake up to an exciting breakfast? But first, what do I already have in the fridge? Ah-ha! Ikea pancakes!...and coffee!...I'm up!!!

Cooking With Stainless Steel

The two most common concerns I hear about cooking with stainless steel is that the food sticks, and that it's hard to clean. I have a few good tips here I would like to share with you on how to cook with stainless steel cookware and I hope you find them useful:

Sassy Cellophane Noodle Salad

My uncle celebrated his 65th birthday last Friday (yes, on April Fool's Day!) and invited me to dinner with his clan at the very popular Palm Thai Restaurant in Hollywood. One of the dishes they ordered was Yum Woon Sen, which is a spicy cellophane noodle salad with ground pork, shrimp, various herbs, shallots and wood ear mushrooms drenched in a delicious dressing that was bursting with flavor. Since dinner that night, I've been craving Yum Woon Sen and decided to recreate my own version.