Pepper Steak

It's colorful bell pepper season! I love bell peppers of all colors and especially love that red and yellow peppers are so cheap and affordable right now so I've been buying them left and right and cooking them in all kinds of stir fry's. Tonight, I made pepper steak for dinner. It's a quick and easy stir fry that is great for a weeknight meal.

Patty Melt Night

With my parents on their weeklong Mexican cruise, we're back to being on our own for dinner again. When asked what they wanted for dinner, the kids said they wanted something "non-Asian" since, as my son put it, "when Grandma gets back, we'll be eating lots of Chinese food again." He felt that we had better get our fill of American food because once my parents get back from their cruise, it'll be Chinese food for another two weeks straight until their departure. He had a point, so I obliged.

Homecooked Chinese Dinner: Steamed Fish with Ginger, Sauteed Pea Tips & Radish Soup

My parents are visiting and that means I get a break from cooking! My stepmom loves to cook dinner for us when she's here and she whipped up this simple yet lovely Chinese home cooked meal in a jiffy tonight. I hadn't expected her to cook because they're headed for a 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise tomorrow and she had said that we would be going out for dinner tonight but sometime mid-afternoon, I started hearing clanking noises coming from the kitchen and before I knew it, she had started simmering soup for dinner.

Churros con Chocolate

I recently served this delicious dessert during Superbowl Sunday.  Since we were having Mexican food, with Mexican rice, re-fried beans, carne asada, and other trimmings, I thought I'd take it to the end zone with churros.  However, I did it with a slight twist.

Savory Green Onion (Scallion) Pancakes

Scallion pancake fever has kinda hit my household of late. It all started last month when my Uncle and Aunt invited us to dinner at a Taiwanese restaurant and ordered a few plates of these savory, flaky pancakes. Then a week later, Mr. VG took us out to dinner at another Taiwanese noodle house where we ordered more tasty pancakes. Left with wanting more, the kids begged me to try making them at home and so I did.

Mexican Rice

As a continuation of my super bowl post, another item I cooked that day was Mexican rice.  Now, this may not be an authentic version but I believed it came out decent.  More importantly, the boys liked it.

Super Bowl Sunday SoCal Style

With zero on the clock, final score is 21-17, and the NY Giants win this year's super bowl.  But regardless of who won, for me, super bowl Sunday is a time to gather with your closest friends and enjoy some good food.  There's always a reason to have a party.  And while the boys are glued to the TV, I get cooking in the kitchen.

Game Day Grub Ideas

Mr. VG's parents came to visit us sometime last November and, being from Wisconsin, are huuuuuge Green Bay Packers fans. Of course, we now know that it isn't in the Packers' cards to win the 2012 Super Bowl but during their unstoppable regular season, GBP fans were treated to many a great football game. It's no wonder that every time a GBP game day rolled around, Mr. VG and his parents would deck out in their Packers shirts, jerseys, hats and necklaces (made of plastic cheese and football pieces) and go into full game mode with big plates of game time grub. Loud cheers and shouting at the TV would ensue for a good three hours. Not being a fan of football myself, it was kind of fun and amusing for me to sit back and observe while I munched on the food.