"Gingerbread" Cookie Tree

This year I was quite busy with work, too busy in fact to make the traditional gingerbread houses and sleighs with my sisters. That made me sad... and my sisters really wanted to decorate some cookies this holiday. My mom doesn't really enjoy the baking scene, and didn't have time herself to sit down and bake with my sisters... so I managed to scrounge up some time to make a simple molassess cookie recipe. This recipe is not a gingerbread cookie recipe, but it does have that wonderful gingerbread-molasses taste that I love. The dough is much softer and easier to work with than gingerbread and you end up with a more fluffy, less dense cookie.

My sisters and I decorated some of the "gingerbread" men and snowflakes, and then I remembered that I had seen a very cute way of arranging the cookies on Kuiadore. The cookie tree looked so elegant that I just had to make them this Christmas. Albeit they don't look as fancy as the one on that other blog, but it was my first time and I only had 3 different-sized star-shaped cookie cutters... I seriously had to improvise. I think they turned out quite nicely for my first attempt. Maybe I'll make them again next year... if time permits :P

Caramel Shortbread Squares

I have been busy in the kitchen this holiday season... just in case you were wondering where I was :P I just have been too swamped with work to post anything online. But now I've finally gotten the time, so here goes.

I decided to try out a new recipe this Christmas but wasn't sure if I wanted to make cookies, chocolate or candy. Then I was searching through allrecipes.com and stumbled across this recipe for Caramel-Shortbread Squares. Pictured above, are the cute little squares I created using my 8x8 square baking pan, but since the recipe called for a 9x9 pan I ended up with some leftover ingredients. What did this mean? Well, it was time to tweak a recipe and make it my own.

My mom is always commenting on how I have so many baking utensils, pans and accessories that I don't use... actually, it's more like she complains about it :P So I decided to use some of thos individual tart molds (the ones I used for my mini pumpkin pies) to make mini caramel shortbread tartelettes. I divided the extra ingredients between 5 tart pans and layered them the same way I layered the squares. But for a little added flare, I swirled in some white chocolate... how elegant. Sorry about the picture, you can't really see the swirls very well... but you get the picture.

The white chocolate added such a nice touch that I decided to try making one tart with a white chocolate layer. It actually turned out beautifully as the layers were more contrasted than when I had used mere milk chocolate.
It's a guarantee that if you make these tarts/squares for a party you will get many oooo's and aaaaahhs. My friends loved the layering affect and would have gobbled them all up, had they not been uber-rich and crazy-sweet.

Snickerdoodles

Kind of a Christmas-y cookie... I made 2 versions of this delightful cookie. One batch for my family and the other for my puppy! You may be saying to yourself "this girl is crazy" and truly I am... but these cookies turned out wonderfully and both my family and my dog gobbled them up.

Snickerdoodles (yields 36 cookies)

Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup cornmeal + 1 tsp cinnamon (for doggy version)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon (for human version)

Method:
1. Mix vegetable oil, butter and honey together until smooth. Add eggs and beat well.

2. Blend in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.

3. Knead dough until mixed well. Shape dough by rounded teaspoons into balls.

4. Mix the cornmeal and cinnamon together in a bowl and roll half of the balls in mixture (for doggy version). Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and roll the remainig balls in this mixture (for human version).

5. Place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with a nonstick spray. Press the balls down with a fork twice going in 2 different directions or press with your favorite stamp.

6. Bake 8 minutes at 400. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a rack.










My dog seemed to like these cookies. At first he was a bit warry, but when he realized I made him fresh biscuits he dug right in. My sisters really liked the honey taste, it makes a much more flavorful cookie than mere sugar.

Lunch-time Delight: Mushroom-Rice Bake

I honestly just threw together this recipe after my final day of exams. It was beginning to snow outside and I really just wanted to eat some warm, comfort food. YEAH! I'm finished exams! I can't believe that I've completed what is, supposedly, the hardest semester of nursing! My kitchen has been missing me and calling my name... an finally I can answer the call :P

Mushroom-Rice Bake

yields one 9x3 casserole dish

Ingredients:

- 1/2 medium onion, sliced

- 1 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 can cream of mushroom soup, condensed

- 1 soup can of water

- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

- 1/2 cup canned mushrooms

- 1 cooked hot dog, sliced

- 2 1/2 cups leftover rice

- Pepper to taste

- 1/2 cup shredded cheese

- Sprinkle of panko

Method:

1. Fry the onion with oil in a deep-sided frying pan, until transluscent.

2. Add in cream of mushroom soup, followed by a can of water. Bring to a boil and add in frozen vegetables. Continue to boil over medium heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add in mushrooms and hot dog slices. Continue to cook over medium heat.

4. Mix in the rice, adding more in order to make a very thick mixture. Add pepper to taste.

5. Pour half the mixture into a 9x3 casserole dish and sprinkle on half of the cheese. Finish filling the casserole dish and top the bake with the remaining cheese; add a generous handful of panko.

6. Place the rice-bake in a 350F oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until cheese gets melty and bubbly.

7. Switch oven to "broil" and bake your casserole until the cheese begins to brown and get crispy.

My sister, who doesn't like mushrooms, was turned off by my mention of the fungus :P But my other sister didn't care. When I mentioned melty-cheese, she dug into the dish right away. I love making comfort food and sharing it with family, it's the only way prepare dishes from the kitchen. I will definitely be making this recipe again.

Lunch-time Delight: Brocolli Soup

On a wintry day in December I decided to cozy up to the fireplace with a steamy bowl of brocolli soup... Albeit, it wasn't snowing like it was on Sunday, but it was still quite chilly. And now the recipe.

Brocolli & Cheddar Cheese Soup

Yields 6 servings (1 cup each)

Ingredients

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 tbsp Kraft Italian Dressing

- 1 can (284ml) chicken broth

- 2 broth cans of water

- 4 cups brocolli, chopped

- 1 cup skim milk

- 1/2 cup white rice, cooked (I used left overs)

- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, cook the onions in dressing until tender.

2. Add broth, water and brocolli. Boil the mixture for 8 minutes, or until brocolli is tender. Stir in the milk and rice. Lower heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Pour soup (in batches) into the blender and pulse until smooth. Return soup to saucepan and reheat.

4. Spoon soup into bowls and top with shredded cheese.

I couldn't finish all the soup by my lonesome, so I let my family have a taste. My sister commented that it didn't taste the same as "regular" brocolli soup, but that it was good none-the-less. I guess that's what the world of prepared food has done to our society; when given the old-fashioned, homemade soup our tastebuds just don't understand!

Mom and Dad's Anniversary... dining out!

***1/2 out of *****

Mmm... what to do for your 22nd Anniversary? Dine out of course. That way you don't have to do any dishes and you don't have to feel bad about it. We decided to try out Akasaka, this Japanese restaurant in Guildford. It's located next to, and almost hidden by, the Oriental buffet. This place is pretty pricey if you only plan to go for sushi, but they do have a wide variety to choose from. Along with sushi, they have a wonderful menu full of traditional Japanese cuisine.

One of my favorites, takoyaki. They give you 5 pieces for $6.95. For the price it's not really worth it, but I was craving it. I actually think the takoyaki I bought at the Richmond Nightmarket was tastier and for a better price (6 for $3.00)

Of course, my sisters wanted tempura. This one actually came with my sister's udon meal. She got a large bowl of udon plus green bean, pumpkin, brocolli and shrimp tempura for only $7.95

Of the many specialty rolls Akasaka offers, we decided to try the Volcano Roll. It is essentially a california roll, filled with asparagus, crabmeat, and scallops. The roll is then topped with snapper, cheese sauce and black sesame seeds. They served it on a flaming dish, which was very entertaining. If you feel like paying $13.95 for a sushi roll, go ahead and try it.

The loving couple decided to split the Tonkatsu dinner box. Nothing to rave about, but it sure was tasty (although I wouldn't pay $15.95)

And of course, you can't enjoy a Japanese dinner without a bottle of warm sake ($7.95). Much to strong for my taste, but I recommend you try it at least once in a lifetime.

Overall, the service was excellent. Actually, my family takes a long time to decide on what to order. The waiter had to ask us for our order at least 5 times before we came to a decision. Still, he was patient and very helpful. The rest of the staff was very pleasant; you could feel the Christmas spirit all around. That, and they wore the cutest little Christmas head-pieces ... santa hats, reindeer antlers and elf ears. Now that exams are almost over, I must start my Christmas baking!

Finishing up those cranberries...

Wahoo! I'm coming back to cooking. Man, it seems like it's been way too long. I've finished off my last week of lecture and am ready to roll... roll out the dough that is :P I know, I know... very corny. All I have to complete are three exams and one Fine Arts Presentation, and once that's over I'm heading to my safe-house, my kitchen. In order to get myself back into the mood of cooking I decided to go back to my roots, baking. I flipped through my copy of Williams-Sonoma Baking and my attention was caught by a beautifully arrainged bunch of white-chocolate, cherry bars. I decided that this would be the perfect recipe for me to finish up the cranberries I had left-over from making biscotti. And it was...

Cranberry-Butterscotch Squares

Ingredients:

- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup butterscotch chips

Method:

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, combine butter and both sugars; mixing until fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla, mixing well.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until it just comes together.
4. Pour batter into greased 9x13 inch pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees, for 35-40 minutes.
6. Cool completely and then cut into 16 bars.

So I exchanged the cherries for cranberries, so I used butterscotch instead of white-chocolate... no big difference. My sisters loved them. Even the the youngest one, who hates fruits ate an entire square (and a half). My mom was glad that I had made something that wasn't overly sweet; and my dad was enjoying the treat while taunting out dog (don't worry, we gave him a doggy treat and he was pleased). Safe to say that I will be using this recipe again.

Cranberry-Coconut Biscotti

The last clinical of the first semester has come and what better to treat the nurses on the floor with than a little "good-bye" gift. From what I gathered, spending a two months on the acute hospital floor, nurses really love their hot beverages. Coffee, tea and hot-chocolate are staples for the busy health care professional. But of course, you cannot have a complete hot-beverage meal without the accompanying tid bits. I ponder for a week to find the perfect recipe... what goes with coffee? Another member of my clinical group was making cookies, and I don't like being a copy-cat so I settled on the italian classic... BISCOTTIS! (Forgive me for the aweful pics, it's a new camera and really glitchy)

Cranberry-Coconut Biscotti

Ingredients:

- 2 cups all-purpose flour

- 3/4 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 large eggs

- 1/4 cup vegetable oil

- 1/2 cup dried cranberries

- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut, sweetened

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and nutmeg; mix thoroughly.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs until well combined.

4. Add flour mixture, coconut and cranberries to the liquid ingredients. Stir until combined.

5. Turn dough onto a heavily floured surface and knead approximately 7 times. Shape the dough into a 15 x 3 inch roll. Place roll on parchement-lined baking sheet and pat down to 1-inch thickness.

6. Bake roll for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.

7. Cut roll into 25 (1/2 inch) slices. Place slices, upright, on baking sheet and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

NOTE: Center of cookies will seem soft when warm, but will harden when cooled.

The nurses really enjoyed their basket of goodies. It's sad to say good-bye, but we're still greatful for all the encouragement and support they gave us. We definitely needed it... and now we're on our way to becoming great nurses.

Potato-Onion Tart

In desperate need of making something, and a long-harboured "want" to use my 13x4 inch tart pan I set out on a quest to find the perfect brunch recipe. And where better to search than the lovely Williams-Sonoma website? I found this wonderful recipe here and thought it would be the perfect dish for a wintery morning breakfast. Yup, winter is a coming... well, I guess technically it's already here. But this morning I woke up to a beautiful dusting of snow and thought to myself "boy I can't wait until Christmas!"

Anyways, back to the recipe. I followed it to a "T" when it came to the filling, but made my own "secret recipe" pastry. My family really enjoyed this treat, but I think they were impressed by the tart pan more than me :P I love this contraption, it has a beautiful rectangular shape and a removable bottom. This makes for easy baking, cutting and serving. I just love things that make life a little more simple.

Sui Sha Ya at Metrotown

Rating: **1/2 out of *****

I think that all the best sushi restaurants are downtown. But, that's a little far for me to drive, so I always settle for going as far as Metrotown. I know, I shouldn't sacrifice quality for... distance, but gas prices are crazy high, transit is expensive and parking is next to impossible downtown. But excuses aside, I decided that Sui Sha Ya would be the perfect place to go for Metrotown sushi. We heard about their all-you-can-eat menu after 9pm, and thought that this sounded good considering my family can eat a lot of sushi.
Not the best decision, to stuff your face with sushi or go to Sui Sha Ya. The food was decent, not the best, but the service was subpar. I couldn't believe how grumpy the waitresses were; I mean, they were serving paying customers! They could have at least had smiles on their faces. Our waitress forgot one of our dishes, and was very impatient when we asked for more wasabi. Aside from the crumby service here's what we got...

The ever popular, agedashi tofu and vegetable tempura.

My crab-veggie maki roll

Oyster Motoyaki

Barbequed Salmon cheek, they're really large portions. But who cares? It's all you can eat!

Teriyaki Beef

These soba noodles were really fresh

Fried, battered smelt fish

Okay, so I guess I need to stop eating out and start cooking more at home. I really need to get my busy hands working in the kitchen again. I'm thinking of using my rectangular tart pan for something, not sure what thought. Hmm... but I will make it soon, I promise.

Beef No. 1 Revisited

Rating **** out of *****

Woot! I had an awesome long, rememberance day weekend. And what did my family and I do for rememberance day? What any normal asian family does... go to metrotown. But first, we went out for lunch at a little place called Beef No. 1. The first time we ever had the pleasure of eating at this restaurant was the day we came back from our camping trip. I had never heard of this little Taiwanese noodle and Bubble Tea house before our family friends suggested that we try it out. We did... and we loved it. So here's our return to the fine dining establishment.

My dad ordered the Noodle+Soup bowl combo with deep-fried short ribs. They were really good, not too much fat and very flavorful. Only $7.95

My mom decided to have the rice combo, it came with two small dishes of veggies and the spicy shrimp with peanuts. We all had to try some, it looked so good... and it tasted even better.

Here's the spicy peanut shrimp up-close, the combo was also $7.95

My sister loves bubble tea, and she decided to order their vanilla bean one. I wouldn't have ordered it, but it turned out to be pretty good (I still prefer taro). It's pretty pricey at $4.95

Here's my Noodle+Soup combo with pickled ginger and diced pork. I love my pickled ginger, but this version was a little less sour than I like to have it. At $6.95, it was a good deal and I wasn't even able to finish the whole thing. Both of my sisters also ordered the the Noodle+Soup bowls, but they decided on wonton for the add-in.

Lastly, the pot-stickers. These were really good, and the black vinegar that came with it truly made the dish.

Overall, Beef No. 1 was a really fun place to hang out and just relax. It can get pretty crowded once it hits noon, but it's well worth the wait. The portions are huge and were well priced. We will definitely be coming back for more... and hopefully it'll be sometime soon.

Yeah! A long weekend!

Now I finally have time away from my busy schedule to whip up something good. I haven't made breakfast in a long time, so I offered to cook for my family! My dad, who usually cooks us Saturday morning breakfast was all for it. Now all I had to do was figure out what to make. I settled on the good ol' fashioned crepes. I had never tried my hand at this before, and hearing from a lot of people that crepes were difficult to pull off I was ready for the challenge. I really hoped that this recipe worked, because if it didn't... I didn't have a back-up plan for breakfast! I can't let my family starve :O So I'd better get it right. I used the recipe found here and rummaged through the freezer to find a back of frozen fruits. *Gasp* I know... using frozen fruits is a sin, but it's autumn and all the good fruits are out of season :( I would have loved to use apples with cinnamon, brown sugar and caramel but we didn't have any apples... oh well, maybe next time. The alcohol I used was bacardi rum, I was planning on using the richer Captain Morgan's but alas, we had run out.

Anywho, the crepes turned out wonderfully. My family hadn't had crepes in a long time, I think the last time we ate them was in las vegas about 2 years ago! That's embarassing. We all had a great breakfast of relaxation and were ready for the long weekend to get underway.

Halloween!!!

Don't ya just love the annual "stuffing of the face with candy?" I sure do. My favourite is the O' Henry... mmmm I'm a chocolate and peanut kinda gal. Anywho, this year I would be whipping up a batch of yummy cookies. Last year I made those Martha Stewart Cat Paw Cookies and the year before that I made Candy Corn Cookies... so in keeping with the cookie tradition I decided to make another festive snack. Ginger Molasses Cookies and for the Halloween touch I used Martha Stewart's Stencils to create cool images out of icing sugar. You can find them here; I also printed out cool fonts from my computer to use as templates... pretty cool. Hmmm, I wonder what I'll do next year?

Lunch-time Delight: The Simplest Samosa

I will not lie, I love to make things quick and easy whenever I can (that's why I'm a sad case when it comes to bread :O) So anyways, I was raiding my fridge this afternoon and wondered what to eat. I was really craving some indian-inspired spice, but wasn't about to drive down to grab it (I guess I'm lazy that way). I remembered that we had eaten mashed potatoes the other night and thought about eating it... but man, mashed potatoes are pretty bland. I through some spices and veggies into it and it smelled just like a samosa. Hmmmm.... this got my creative juices flowing. Let's whip up some healthy, easy samosas!

Simple Samosa

Ingredients:

- 2 cups mashed potatoes

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup frozen veggies, thawed and microwaved for 1 minute

- 2 tsp cumin

- 1/2 tsp coriander

- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

- a sprinkle of fennel flakes and some pepper ( I use cayenne, because I love the heat!)

- Four 10" flour tortillas, warmed and cut in half

Method:

1. Mix together all the ingredients except for the tortillas

2. Take one tortilla-half and roll/shape it into a cone. Fill it with your potato mixture (don't go overboard :P)

3. Seal the edges of your samosa by dabbing your fingers in water and pressing the tortilla-edge. Prepare the other samosas the same way.

4. Deep-fry in hot oil, until golden-brown; or for a healthier treat, bake in a 325˚C oven until the outside is crisp.

5. Serve with chutney, curry, tikka masala... or just eat by itself... Yum!

My sister's don't really enjoy samosas, but my mom really liked it. She and I are in this "eat healthy" stage, well... we try anyways. But my dad still prefers the real thing :P (You can't blame him)

Akari

Rating *** out of *****

Wahoo! Finally getting out of the house and going somewhere... I know, I'm surprised too :P I've been so super busy that I have hardly gotten to see the outside world? (well, aside from walking from class to class... but that doesn't count). I took a trip down to Coquitlam with the family and we were ready to try out a new restaurant.

So this time we let my younger sister pick where to eat out. She's in a real "Japanese phase" right now... watching a ton of anime on youtube, crunchyroll and veoh (to name a few). I was psyched to go to Akari because I've only heard good things about Japanese cuisine. This was the real stuff, not just sushi and tempura like at the westernized "all-you-can-eat" sushi restaurants.

Wow! Okonomiyaki... it was so good! I wanted to eat the whole thing, but sadly my stomach was too small :P

Okay, so we did order sushi... we couldn't resist

Their seafood tsunomono (It was good, but small and cost $6.95)

The Queen's dinner set, came with a ton of tasty treats.

The plain udon in soup... although plain, my sisters found it very tasty. Careful, the pot is hot!

Overall the service was really good. The food was fresh and really quickly served; and they had a wide variety of foods to choose from. My okonomiyaki did take 20mins to cook, but the server told us outright that this would be the case. I admire their honesty. The atmosphere was very quaint, it had the feel of being in a Japanese garden. There was a rock pond, bamboo fronds, and very aesthetically pleasing dining booths. The only tiff I have is with the pricing; but I guess that all fancy Japanese restaurants are pretty pricey. We'll definitely be going back again! I hope it's sometime soon :)

Pulut Inti

Okay, so here's the recipe for my Pulut Inti. It's pretty basic and doesn't use any palm sugar, instead I substituted brown sugar. I know it doesn't taste the same, but I find palm sugar a tad too sweet.

Pulut Inti

Ingredients For Rice:
- 3 cups of glutinous rice, soaked overnight and drained
- 300mL of coconut milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt (or more, to taste)

Ingredients For Filling:

- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut

- 1 tbsp of water (add more if necessary)

Assembly:

-Banana leaves, washed, dried and cut into 3.5 x 3.5 inch squares

Method:
1. Steam the glutinous rice for 10 minutes, or until cooked.

2. Add in coconut milk, sugar and salt. Mix until well combined, steam for another 15 minutes. When done, set aside for assembly.

3. Mix filling ingredients together, adding enough water to make the filling "come together" but not turn into a liquified paste.

4. Take a handful of cooled glutinous rice and mold it into a "cube-like" shape. It doesn't have to be perfect.

5. Place a dollop of the filling mixture on top of the "rice cube". Then place your Pulut Inti in the center of a banana leaf.

6. Fold two sides of the banana leaf up, not completely covering the "peak" of the Pulut Inti. Then fold the remaining two sides underneath, to form a pyramid shape.

More Nonya Goodies

Seems like I've been admiring a lot of other peoples nonya cooking but have yet to venture into the depths of this culinary landscape myself... I was simple browsing Lily's website and came across her recipe for Rempah Udang. I thought I test out this recipe (but also vary it a little, because I enjoy the intense flavour of belachan). So here goes...

Rempah Udang

Ingredients For Rice:

- 3 cups of glutinous rice, soaked overnight and drained

- 300mL of coconut milk

- 2 tbsp sugar

- 2 tsp salt (or more, to taste)

Ingredients for Shrimp Filling:

- 1 large onion (or use shallots if you wish)

- 3 cloves of garlic

- 1 lemon grass stalk

- 1 tbsp oil

- 1 cup of cooked frozen shrimp, thawed and chopped into fine pieces

- 2 tsp tumeric

- 2 tsp coriander

- salt to taste

- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut

- 2 tbsp belachan paste

For Assembly:

- Banana leaves (7" by 5", washed and greased)

- Wooden skewers (for easier assembly use staples)

Method:

1. Steam the glutinous rice for 10 minutes, or until cooked.

2. Add in coconut milk, sugar and salt. Mix until well combined, steam for another 15 minutes. When done, set aside for assembly.

3. Meanwhile, dry-toast the desiccated coconut in a frying pan over medium heat, until the coconut looks light brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Place onion, lemongrass and garlic in a food processor (or manually grind) until it forms a fine paste. Add in tumeric and coriander.

5. Heat oil in at frying pan, add your fine paste and fry over medium heat until aromatic. Add in the chopped shrimp and salt to taste.

6. Continue frying until the mixture dries up; then add in the toasted coconut. Add in the belachan paste and mix well. Remove from heat and prepare for assembly.

7. Take a banana leaf and spoon rice onto one end. Make a crater in the middle and fill it with the shrimp filling. Cover the crater with more rice and tightly roll up the leaf. Secure the leaf with skewer or stapler and prepare the rest of them in the same fashion.

8. Grill Rempah Udang for about 3 minutes, serve hot.

My parents loved it, but my sisters on the other hand would not touch them. Jacqeuline doesn't like shrimp and Janessa is allergic (*sniff*). So I used some of my leftover glutinous rice to make them some pulut inti. I'm always thinking :) I'll post my recipe for that later, it's so simple but soo delicious!

Almost Bubble World

Today, I decided that since it was raining like crazy I would not brave the great outdoors. But for some strange reason I was really craving eggplant, and not just any eggplant the kind served at the bubble tea houses (like Bubble World and No. 1 Beef Noodle House). I did have an eggplant just sitting in my fridge waiting... no crying to be used and with a little extra time on my hands decided that I didn't need a bubble tea house to make food for me! I could do it on my own, after all I am a big girl :) I whipped out my copy of Savouring China: by Williams-Sonoma (an amazing book, I must say) and found just the recipe I was looking for. Sichuan-Style Braised Eggplant... the recipe can also be found here.

Looks almost like the real thing eh? I was quite impressed with myself. I served this to my parents for lunch... my sisters aren't to keen of the eggplant, I think they just won't eat any vegetable that is purple :P My parents loved it and wanted me to make it again, maybe I will when I have more time... and when eggplants go on sale (they are expensive little bugger aren't they?).

And for Thanksgiving...

Drum roll everyone. This year, I sadly did not have a chance to aid my pops in preparing the turkey... but I am determined that it will happen sometime before I graduate :P Perhaps I'll help with the Christmas turkey! But anyways, I did get to prepare the best part of a Thanksgiving meal (besides the turkey... ooh and the stuffing) the dessert. And what says Thanksgiving more than PUMPKIN PIE!?!? Why, individual pumpkin tarts of coarse! I got the recipe from http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeId=36597, and the only variation I made was to use butter instead of shortening. I divided the pie crust amongst five mini-tart pans for each member of my family, and with the leftovers I decided to just make one regular 9-inch pie (and one small ramekin of pumpkin pudding).

OMG it's been too long!

I know, it's been almost an entire month... and I've had nothing to show for it, except a cramped writing hand and two very tired feet. Nursing is a task, I'll tell you that much. I love the occupation to pieces, but I just haven't gotten the hang of balancing school with good ol' kitchen hang-time. Funny thing is, I spend almost all my time in the kitchen. I do my work on the kitchen table and eat my meals there too (duh!), but I haven't gotten my hands dirty and I truly miss that. My parents had gone away for the long weekend (to Las Vegas) and they left me and my two sisters to fend for ourselves. So, I finally dusted off my kitchen gear and busted out the big guns... hehehe, I wish. I was kind of lazy after my 12hr shift at the hospital, so I decided to whip up something pretty simple for our dinner. Shepherd's Pie!

Shepherd's Pie (For 3)

Ingredients

- 3 Russet Potatoes

- 1 tbsp butter

- 1/4 cup milk

- 1 lb ground beef/pork

- 1 tbsp Wosterchire sauce

- 1 cup chopped onions

- 1/2 cup frozen mixed-vegetables, thawed

- 1 tbsp flour

- 1/3 cup chicken/beef stock

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F

2. Prepare the potatoes by boiling them until soft. Mash, adding the butter and milk until the mixture is a creamy consistency. Set aside.

3. Cook beef/pork in a non-stick frying pan until meat begins to brown.
4. Add onions and thawed veggies.

5. Add Worcestershire sauce, flour and chicken/beef stock; mix until well combined. Let simmer covered for 15minutes.

6. Place meat mixture into a casserole dish, cover the meat with mashed potato mixture and spread until evenly distributed.

7. Bake dish for 30minutes, or until the potatoes begin to brown.

My sisters, love this dish. My parents hadn't made this in a long time, so I thought I give it a whirl. That way, if it wasn't as good as my parent's recipe my sisters would never know :P I'm so sneaky that way. They gobbled it down, but not before adding a butt-load of gravy... boy do they love their gravy (especially the KFC kind!)