Rice Pot Wonder #1

This has to be the fastest REAL dinner e-v-e-r.
No, cooking instant noodles or nuking leftover doesn't count.

Thanks to Hippo Grande's Chef Fafa,
I've grown accustomed to the fabulous
Microwavable Rice Cooker years ago.
















A lot of people have doubted,
but if you've come over and tasted our RICE,
your doubt shall cease.

Now, to take that to another level,
I decided to mess around with cooking a 1-pot dinner,
Chinese style with a hei twist ; )

Marinate the beef with sugar, cornstarch, yada yada...
You know, the usual suspects.

Then i bought a pack of spicy pickled veggie,
we call it 柞菜 (zha choy) --
It's got a crisp texture, with a slight spicy/salty taste.

Marinated with sugar & sesame oil as pictured.














Cooked some rice till the water is bubbling,
but the rice not quite done.
Stir and mix both ingredients in,
put it back to the microwave to cook some more : )

Taa Daaaaaa!
There's no going back after trying this : )

I'm now contemplating a future cookbook, written by H-E-i...
Freshly titled: Rice Pot Wonders : b

Well, until then, I gotta explore & experiment more!

Adornments

Ever since moving into our new home,
I've been increasingly fascinated by any
(read: all) stores that provide cute/pretty/classy
food related items, esp. those that represent my personal tastes.

You have seen quite a few of my collection of
CB dishes here @ STF,
so I'm not going to display them all over again.
But here are some fabulous new finds,
that I totally adore ; )

If you & i have similar tastes,
maybe you'll appreciate them
(or just be nice enough to get them for me : b).

Pinocchio Mug @ Three Potato Four

(http://threepotatofourshop.com/
specials.php?osCsid=661fdcf0c30c945c29e87d88b0533775)

Bubbles Dinnerware @ CB2

(http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=222&f=4377)

Blossom Appetizer Plate @ CB2

(http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=222&f=3653)

Mediterranean Blue Set @ Target

(http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/
ref=sc_qi_collection_item/602-7633651-
9865458?ie=UTF8&asin=B000EFMNYM)

Blue Blossom 2 Tier Plate Stand @ Target

(http://www.target.com/Blue-Blossom-
2-Tier-Plate-Stand/dp/B000WUYAAE/
sr=1-6/qid=1199742273/ref=sr_1_6/602-
7633651-9865458?ie=UTF8&index=target&
field-browse=1038576&rh=k%3Aplate&page=9)

Oh, i'm getting dizzy,
gazing at all these beauties!!

0_o One day, you'll all be mine...
muahahaha... >: D

Meaty Pasta

Goh goh loves pasta --
hence his nickname... P-A-S-T-A.

I tried numerous time... cooking pasta,
but i just couldn't get it right : (
Therefore, he took up the role as our home's
Master Pasta!

Let's take a peek at the Pasta Kitchen:

















































































































































YUM! : D

Homebound Brunch

When you're hungry and stuck at home,
(well, or just lazy & don't wanna go out)
you gotta make something to eat with whatever you have!
& i think Chef Fafa taught me that doesn't mean
the meal has to be bad!

Goh goh totally demonstrated this spirit:
Yay! Super duper brunch!













Cinnamon brown sugar apples,
made from scratch pancakes,
bite-size potatoes with mushrooms & onions ; )

Instant Tart... no more!

A few years ago,
when i was vaguely interested in making desserts,
but very interested in bringing something homemade,
something special for people's birthdays,
(wow, that part of me has not changed a bit!)
I decided to make an easy birthday 'pie.'

i used something that every baker would be shameful about:

Keebler Ready Crust Graham...
I remember decorating the pie with colorful M&Ms,
while mumbling to myself,
"Wow! That looks... cheap & disgusting."

I love my friends, and that was the end of those pies.

Fast forward to 2 days ago,
seeing 2 tubs of sour cream +
finding 1 sour cream tart recipe while flipping through
the beautiful book: Desserts by the Yard (Thx Jules!) --
I took it as a sign *_*

I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE A TART!

Although... I'll be honest.
I still took a semi-cheat route 0_o"
I used betty Crocker's Pie crust mix...

But hey! At least i tried rolling a dough
with a wooden pin for the very first time.
I decided to add some cocoa powder also,
just to see if i can incorporate any chocolate flavor --
but i couldn't taste it at all after the crust came out...
so that was a waste -_-"



























Yard's recipe called for fresh raspberry
or red currents - neither of which i had at hand
nor was able to get coz EVERYTHING is closed on 1/1
(or so i was told).

So, hei's creativity came in and covered the tart
filled with dainty marshmallow instead! : D














Ohhhhhh...
I found myself smiling at the tart
as i took it out of the oven...
*_* Creamy, slightly brown dessert heaven!
Best paired with ice-cream / fresh fruits! : D

New Year's Intimate Dinner

We had a quiet, relaxing New year's eve --
then we got lovely company for a dinner gathering
on our first day in 2008 : )














We love company of all sorts,
but not all parties have to be big ; )
Since Fishcake & Jules both love Food Network
as much as we do (high-5!!),
we spent the late afternoon watching:
The Next Iron Chef Marathon : D
It was a capturing show -- very inspiring too!

Then, goh goh made an appetizer
that hit a home-run, according to our opinions:
Bacon wrapped Jumbo shrimps
with BBQ & honey sauce *____*














An hour later,
i forced goh goh to make another of my favorite:

















GUACAMOLE!!!!! : D
[So sad, Fishcake's allergic to it : /]













Can't you see how happy i am? : D
muahahaha...













For dinner, I made:
Chicken soup with Chinese mushrooms --
learned from Chef Homer aka Fafa : )
































-Cauliflower with spicy soy sauce/oyster sauce;
- Pork chop bites & sauteed onions with garlic black bean sauce;
- Pan-fried Chicken thighs with sweet & sour peanut dip.
While goh goh made white rice with garlic & chicken broth : )













I think it's true that cooking is easier than baking,
in the sense that you don't have to be as precise & neat.
However, i'm seeing how there's plenty of room
to be creative in both arears.
Yes, I aspire to master higher culinary skills! ; D














Obviously, I won't let them leave
without sending them off with desserts.
They were excited (& probably watched too much TV)
as they exclaimed: Wow you plated it like an iron chef!
I made a marshmallow sour cream tart
(more about that in the next post),
served it with coconut sorbet & toasted peanut sauce.

Thanks for coming by, sis!
I look forward to cooking over @ your home! ; D

Happy Anniversary!

2 years ago, we said a little prayer together,
asking God to help us serve Him & bless others:
May Jesus be the Center of our lives : )

2 years later, we're newly-wed, with our humble home.
We continue to be amazed at how blessed we are,
by the loving people surrounding us,
as well as the various opportunies we get to learn,
grow, be free, change for the better...
as individuals & as a family : D













To commemorate this special day,
i made what goh goh really enjoyed:
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins : )










































Nothing fancy here,
just like our story.
But that doesn't mean it can't be good ; )