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.

Take a Cake Break

Imagine you are working hard all day, I mean physical labor, where you have to go up and down a ladder, work with hot steam and remove wallpaper.  But you're not done.....there's still clean up to do, furniture to move back, and tools to put away....wait....I need  a break!

"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.

Steamed Spareribs with Black Beans

I've been craving steamed spareribs for a while now, in fact I have the ribs in the freezer but not really had the time to experiment on this dish.  This is a popular item on most dimsum carts, and since I haven't had dimsum in about two years (or has it been three?), I think it's time for me to experiment.

Teppanyaki Fried Rice with Pork

Thursday lunch: Ham sandwiches.

That was what I had jotted down on Saturday when I had decided to try my hand at planning a whole week's menu in advance. OK, I'll admit it. I'm an impromptu grocery shopper and I can be over eager at the store, often buying more than what I can use (especially vegetables). Then I'll end up feeling guilty when I have to throw out mushy, rotting produce a week or two down the road. No longer! I'm proud to report that I've stuck to my menu like wallpaper glue (GG will appreciate this analogy - inside joke, sorry) and have so far, cooked every dish specified for that day...that is, until today.

Sauteed Ground Pork Omelette

What do you do when you made too much food?  Yes, I know eat them as leftovers, but is there a way to freshen it up a bit to give it new life, or a new twist to your leftover perhaps?

The Stuffed Tomato

The tomato ranks as one of my top 5 favorite vegetables -- yes, I know it's technically a fruit but I think of it as a vegetable -- so when I saw some jumbo beefsteak tomatoes at Fresh & Easy priced at just $1.99 for a 4-pack, I had to buy some so that I could stuff 'em!

Balsamic Pork Chops

Back in the 90’s when Veggie Girl and I were still working for the same company, our lady boss, one day decided to take her employees to dinner.  What the occasion was, I can no longer remember. The restaurant was Il Fornaio in Old Town Pasadena.  While the exact name of the dish I ordered escapes me, I know it was  tender slices of beef cooked in balsamic vinegar.

Sauteed Ground Pork (Giniling)

Ever since I started my DIY projects, I’ve only been making quick and lazy meals, that is if I decide to cook at all instead of going to the closest fast food drive thru.  Well here’s another one in my bag of easy, breezy, lazy comfort food.

A Palatable Tour of Malaysia

Photo imported from Yelp

Penang Malaysian Cuisine.  That’s where the three of us girls went for lunch today.  Our good friend Ms. E treated Veggie Girl and I to a casual lunch, and since I have never tried Malaysian food before, I was so excited to educate my palate once again.

Rainier Cherry Crumble

I love love love cherry season! Rainier cherries are my favorite because in addition to tasting good, they are also gorgeous to look at with their hues of yellows, orange and red. The Costco where I shop at were selling 3 lb. boxes of Rainier cherries for about $8 (a steal!) so of course I had to get some. While I've enjoyed handfuls of them as a quick snack or for dessert over the last week, I wanted to try them in a crumble.

Southern Fried Okra (Lady's Fingers)

Isn't it interesting how our food preferences develop with age? I used to hate tomatoes when I was a wee lass and would not eat anything with tomatoes in it. Then all of sudden, while I was in college, I started to like tomatoes. Then I began to love them and would eat them like how people eat apples -- whole and plain. How does this story relate to this post? It doesn't, actually. I love okra and have always loved okra, ha!

Mock Paella

Most of us have had the feeling when days are just zipping by us.  Well this week was such.  I don’t know where the days had gone…I guess I was busy getting creative….hahaha.  In my previous post I mentioned that I had a small DIY (Do It Yourself) project in the house.  Well, I got inspired and moved on to the other area of the house.  The area where I am sitting right now typing this blog.  The area I call the office.

Fried Bass with Tomato & Bell Pepper Relish + How to Fillet a Fish

I had a victorious moment on Sunday when I was finally able to get Mr. Veggie Girl into an Asian grocery store. I've been asking him for years to come grocery shopping with me at one and he's turned me down each time. You see, Mr. VG is a small town guy from Wisconsin (think 3,000 people small) so he's still adjusting to life in a vast, multi-national, multi-cultural metropolitan like Los Angeles. He can be a little narrow-minded in going to new places and eating new foods so every time I'm able to get him to try something new, something that's out of his comfort zone, I claim victory. And this past Sunday, victory was mine!