Pan Seared Tilapia with Almond Brown Butter and Snow Peas

For some reason seafood intimidates me a bit, so this year I really wanted to get to the point that I felt confident cooking with seafood. This dish was a great way to start. Tilapia is fairly inexpensive, so you don't feel as much pressure to make it perfect, plus I think it's a fairly forgiving meat, not difficult to cook. It's also very delicious and healthy. My whole family wolfed this meal down with not a single leftover to show for it!

Pan-Seared Tilapia with Almond Browned Butter and Snow Peas

From Favorite Family Dinners

Ingredients

3 cups pea pods, trimmed

4 4-5 oz skinless fresh tilapia fillets

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tsp all purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup coarse chopped almonds

1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a large saucepan bring lightly salted water to boiling. Add pea pods. Cook for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, season one side of fish with salt and pepper; sprinkle with flour. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot (a drop of water should sizzle or roll) remove from heat and add olive oil, tilting pan to coat with oil. Return pan to heat and add fish, floured side up (if necessary cook fish a half at a time). Cook fish for 4 to 5 minutes, or until easy to remove with spatula.. gently turn fish and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Arrange peas on a serving platter, arrange fish on top of peas.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to skillet. When butter begins to melt, stir in almonds. Cook for 30-60 seconds or until butter is melted and nuts are lightly toasted (do not let butter burn). Spoon butter mixture over fish fillets. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 266 cal, 15g total fat, 71 mg chol, 210 mg sod, 7g carbs, 3 g fiber, 24g prot.

Points per serving: 6

No Bake Cookies

I have no idea why blogger is posting this sideways, arrgh!

My husband and I enjoy these cookies as a late night indulgence, usually after we've both thrown our never-ending diets out the window! Sometimes we got as far as to not even shape them into cookies, just a bowl and a spoon! They are warm, easy to make and delicious: aka, a great way to cheat on your diet!

No Bake Cookies

Borrowed from Irma Green's family recipe book (mom-in-law!)

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup margarine

3 tbsp cocoa

3 cups oatmeal

1 cup coconut, if desired (I do, Glenn doesn't-sigh)

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Directions

Combine sugar, milk, butter, cocoa, and salt in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cook about 2 minutes or to softball stage. Remove from heat adn add remaining ingredients. Drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper. Cool and serve.

Orange Chicken

I love a good stir-fry. They're typically really simple to make, and are nice and healthy with the fresh veggies and steamed rice. This was a really good stir-fry that my whole family loved, my favorite part was the fresh green beans. I will admit, I don't think that this will ever replace the mouth watering Orange Chicken that they serve in the food courts. You know, the kind that is breaded, deep fried, and then drenched in gooey, sweet orange sauce (Homer Simpson drool). But, if you are looking for a substitute that isn't 1,000 calories, I think you will really like this version!

Orange Chicken
Adapted from Favorite Family Dinners

Ingredients

8 oz fresh green beans, halved crosswise
2 tsp sesame seeds (I didn't use these)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 TB reduced sodium soy sauce
1 TB toasted sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp finely shredded orange peel
nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup bias sliced green onions
1 TB grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cooking oil
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 cups hot cooked rice
2 oranges peeled and sectioned, or thinly sliced, crosswise

Directions

1. In a covered medium saucepan, cook green beans in a small amount of boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet cook sesame seeds over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Set aside.

3. For sauce, in a small bowl combine orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and orange peel; set aside.

4. Coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic to hot skillet; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the precooked green beans; stir-fry for two minutes. Remove vegetables from skillet.

5. Carefully add oil to the hot skillet. Add chicken; stir-fry until cooked completely through. Remove from skillet.

6. Stir sauce, add to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Return meat and vegetables to skillet. Heat through, stirring to coat all ingredients with sauce. Serve over hot cooked rice. Top with orange sections and with sesame seeds.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 348 cal, 10g fat, 52mg chol, 341 mg sod, 41g carbs, 6g fiber, 24g prot

Points per Serving: 7

大たこ ootako takoyaki .......... Osaka, Japan

Takoyaki, grilled octopus balls, is one of Osaka's favourite street food. A batter is poured into the multiple "scoops" made in this special hotplate. A piece of octopus tentacle, tako, is placed inside each "scoop". The takoyaki is then cooked with a sharp metal pick with which the chef will pick at the cooked batter to make sure that the balls of batter are uniformly grilled till golden brown. A sauce is poured over the tako balls and with fish flakes sprinkled all over. Ootako is one of the best takoyaki specialist along the Dotonburi food street. They have many years of history in cooking takoyaki and is recommended in many Osaka guide books.

It's located near to the ryokan that I was staying. So, everytime I pass by the stall I'll just order a 6 piece set (300 yen). I think I had 24 balls of takoyaki during my stay in Osaka. Ootako's takoyaki is a little crispy on the outside and the batter is soft on the inside. Most importantly, they give big pieces of fresh octopus tentacle, tako. Ootako insist on using fresh tako when many other takoyaki stall already use the frozen tako. At Ootako, the takoyai is served in a boatshaped container which makesit handy while you eat on the move. 

Address : 1-5-10 Dotonburi, Chuo-ku, Osaka

Tel : 06-6211-5223

Openeing hours : 10:00am ~ 11:00pm (close as soon as takoyaki is sold out)

Website : http://okiraku.cside.com/ootako.htm

Country : Osaka, Japan

Round Cheese Bread

Call me a lazy cook, but there is no better recipe than the ones that require all the things you already have in your cupboard, and only take ten minutes (if that) to prepare. This is definitely one of those recipes. It's easy, it's tasty, and your family looks at you like a hero for having fresh, hot bread on the table for dinner. Everyone wins!

Round Cheese Bread

Taste of Home, Baking Book

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix

1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 cup milk

1 egg beaten

2 TB butter

additional Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the biscuit mix, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano, milk and egg (batter will be thick). Spoon into a greased 9-inch round baking pan. Drizzle with butter; sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

2. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges, serve warm.

Food Tip: To store a quick bread like this, either wrap in foil or put in a plastic bag and keep it in the fridge because of the cheese (if it doesn't have cheese, you can just keep it at room temperature). Typically it should last about three days, but can be frozen for up to three months.

同心居 Tong Xin Ju ........ Good Fried Dumplings 锅贴

Tong Xin Ju's may look a little the desolate when you walk up the stairs of the food centre and look at the stall front (see the photo I've captured below). There's no long queue but wait a minute ...... I hear the phone ring ....... "Huh..... 50 pieces of the Fried Dumplings" comes the voice of the uncle repeating the orders from a patron over the phone.

I came with my friends a bit earlier than 12 noon hust to avoid the crowd and managed to order a set of 10 fried dumplings, 10 steamed dumplings and a large plate of Peking fried noodle. Do call to order before coming to the stall, you may not be as lucky as us you know. After we're almost done with our fod we saw streams of people pouring into the 2nd floor and Tong Xin Ju has their orders all ready.

Most of the people will order the fried dumpling. After eating the few dishes that we ordered, I think their fried dumpling really is several levels ahead of their own other dishes. It's no wonder people can just sit around a table with only one heap of fried dumpling for lunch!

A close up of the fried dumpling. The meat is fresh and tasty .........

Cost : S$4 for 8 pieces of fried dumplings.

Address : 40A Commonwealth Avenue, #02-480 Commonwealth Ave Cooked Food Centre

Telephone : +65 6474 4803 or 9662 3501

Opening hours : 12:30 ~ 8:30pm Tuesday ~ Sunday (Closed on Monday)

Country : Singapore

Wow Wow West ........ Budget Western Food with big portions

Wow Wow West Western Food is in ABC Food Center was where I had my dinner last night. I'm finally here after hearing so much from my friend about the Wow wow West western food in ABC Food Center. I was standing right in front of the stall, looking at their food selection and not knowing what to order. The lady boss, Eric's wife, told me jokingly that they served ostrich meat too. I said OK and Eric immediately told me that they ran out but try their chicken chop instead. I liked their jovial and friendly way of doing business such that I ordered an extra cheese pork sausage. 

I realised that they served value for money portions after I saw my chicken chop (S$5) dished out to me. The black pepper gravy was nicely spread over the big piece of chicken chop.

This is the extra cheese pork sausage (S$3) that I've ordered. Although it's S$3, the sausage is big. It taste really nice with the cheese oozing out as you bite on it .....

A close up of the cheese sausage ..........

I recalled having eaten Wow Wow West Westen Food at Henderson Food Center and hence I was confused when my friend told me about a Wow Wow West western food in ABC. Right after I was back home and was trying to throw unwanted magazines away to clear up for the Chinese New Year, I saw a write up in a HDB's news letter. Wow Wow West was one of the stalls that was featured in the magazine.  It's only  after reading the article that I I realised what a nice person Eric is. He used to own the stall in Henderson Food Center which I had patronised before. At the Henderson stall, Eric trained ex-convicts in cooking and running the stall. After some years there, he decided to give his old cooking equipment and the let the workers that he trained take over the stall. That's how he ended up setting up his new stall in ABC food center. While I was waiting for my order, I still see him sternly instruct his workers, who are ex-convicts too,  how to cook my chicken chop properly.

If he's such a kind hearted and good natured person, I'm such he makes good food too!

Address : ABC Brickworks Food Center, #01-133

Opening Hours : 10:30am ~ 9pm. Closed on Sunday.

Country : Singapore

Fancy Food Show Winter 2009 American Products

Last week I shared some of my favorite international products from the Fancy Food Show and now it's time for the American ones. Most of these products are brand new so keep your eyes open for them. A few of them I had tasted before but never mentioned here, they are noteworthy rather than new. To be honest, I haven't even tried all the samples I brought home, so I may be posting even more soon...


I am very late to the party when it comes to Lillie Belle Farms chocolate. They are rightfully famous for their blue cheese truffle rolled in almonds, which combines Rogue Creamery's Smokey Blue cheese with chocolate. I know. It sounds awful, but you just have to try it to believe how good it is. It's creamy, rich, with a bit of a smoky bite. Divine. Honest. I wouldn't lead you astray about something as serious as chocolate.


Another beverage I liked was Ooba. It's made from hibiscus and being marketed for its health properties. For me, as always, it's really more about the taste. It reminded me of the sweet hibiscus drinks from Mexico. It uses a special hibiscus extract and would be terrific in mixed drinks. I am not a soda drinker, but this appealed to me. Go figure.


We get a lot of good goat cheese in the Bay Area, and frankly, I never met a goat cheese I didn't like. But the triple cream version from Coach Farm was something new for me. It tasted much more like the aged goat cheeses I tend to smuggle home from France. Sometimes triple creme cheeses can have a bitter edge but this was like pure butter, sweet and creamy with a firm chalky texture on the edge and softer in the middle.



I can't believe it, but looking back in my archives I have never actually mentioned Nueske's bacon before. Nueske's is a bit like the Platonic ideal when it comes to bacon. Slow smoked over applewood it tends not to shrink as much as conventional bacon. It has won tons of awards and was chosen best of the best at the Fancy Food Show in 2001. You don't have to be a bacon lover like me to adore this bacon. You can order it online if you can't find it in stores near you.


Based in the Central Valley, here in California, Nunes Farms sells almonds from their family ranch. They make the perfect healthy on-the-go snack. My favorite flavor is the Honey Cinnamon version. Always fresh, crisp and wonderfully satisfying it's packaged in convenient little 1.5 ounce packs. They now sell other newer flavors like Imperial Citrus too.


I'm not sure who steered my attention towards the Impressions Fine Foods booth, but thank you! Chocolate Mochi Krunch is another product that sounds like a mistake. It's tamari brown rice crackers covered in a thin layer of chocolate. But this Asian inspired snack is very high quality and positively addictive. If there is a better flavor combination than crunchy, sweet and salty I don't know what it is. You will just have to try this confection when you get the chance. Somehow they not only came up with a unique combination but got the balance just right. They also make a spicy ginger dark chocolate version but I liked the milk chocolate best.


I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I love the flavor of coffee in confections. I've always enjoyed munching on chocolate covered coffee beans. Javaz chocolate coffee beans are the best I've ever had, covered in a crunchy shell with a chocolate filling and tasty bits of Arabica coffee beans. If chocolate covered coffee beans are your thing, you'll love these.

In all likelihood you have noticed the frozen yogurt frenzy. Yes, frozen yogurt is back. This time around it's a tangy plain version that might or might not get some fruit added to it. I tried both the soft version at Straus Family Creamery and the gelato style version at Ciao Bella Gelato and wholeheartedly recommend them. The Straus product is very new but look for it soon. The Ciao Bella version combines labne yogurt from Lebanon and Sicilian lemon juice, it's a bit high in fat but a luscious indulgence. Neither are very sweet and retain that distinctive sour dairy tang you associate with yogurt.

Can't get enough round ups and recaps? Here are even more blog posts about the show:

Bunrabs

Italy in SF

Neococoa

Chomple

Blog Appetit

Joy the Baker

Well Fed

My good ideas post on Bay Area Bites

Michael Procopio's recap on Bay Area Bites

Is it EDible?

Regional Best

Like My Spoon-Chocolate Edition

If I've missed your blog post on the Fancy Food Show, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

Peppery Beef with Cremini Mushrooms

This dinner was so delicious, and so easy! I used an extra thin steak because I like the concentrated flavors, and it saves a bit on calories!

My word of caution: when using steak seasoning, only use a little bit (like the recipe says, you'd think I'd have caught on!). For some reason I felt the need to coat the steak with it, as if it were breading or something. The steaks came out fine, but a little spicy, especially for the kids.

Peppery Beef with Crimini Mushrooms

From Favorite Family Dinners

Ingredients

2-3 tsp steak seasoning blend or cracked black pepper

4 beef tenderloin steaks, or 2 beef top loin steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 1 pound)

2 TB butter or margarine

8 oz sliced cremini, shiitake, or portobello mushrooms

1 large leek, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp thyme or oregano, crushed

1 51/2-6oz can tomato juice

Directions

1. Use your fingers to press the steak seasoning onto both sides of the steaks. If using top loin steaks, cut each steak in half crosswise. In a large skillet, cook steaks in hot butter over medium heat to desired doneness, turning once. For tenderloin steaks, allow 10-13 minutes for medium-rare to medium. Transfer steaks to a warm serving platter, reserving the drippings in the skillet. Keep meat warm.

2. Add oil to drippings in skillet. Add mushrooms, leek and thyme. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato juice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes more or until leek is tender. Spoon mushroom mixture over the meat.

Serves 4

Per serving: 296 cal, 20g fat, 86mg chol, 419 mg sod, 5g carbs, 1g fiber, 26g prot.

Points per serving: 7 points

Highlights from the Winter Fancy Food Show

This year I tried so many delicious things at the Winter Fancy Food Show, it's hard to know where to begin. Let me take you on a brief tour of highlights. Today I'm sharing some delicious international offerings and next week come on back for some of my favorite domestic bites and sips.


Sometimes it's the color of something that catches my eye. I don't think I've ever seen a strawberry jam quite so vibrant as the one at the show from Tunisia. Even though I was trying to limit myself to tasting savory things, I took a spoonful of Stifen's Strawberry Orange Blossom jam and was transported to a field of fruit and flowers. The bright color was matched by the bright flavors. I don't know exactly how they process fruit, I only know they are able to retain the freshest color and flavor.


It was both the color of these conserves and pestos plus the unusual flavors and combinations like asparagus and almond or squash blossom flower that attracted me to Tesori of Siciliy. Each one I tried was stunning. Incredible intense flavors, the essence of saffron, eggplant, almonds and more. The caponata was white, with no tomato, but I have never had a better or more sophisticated version. It was refined and delicate without the heavy sweet sour flavor I'm used to tasting. These sauces to use on bread or pasta are nothing short of spectacular.


Bottarga is Italian salted and dried grey mullet roe, and I appreciate it's briny, salty sea flavor. But I'd never had Greek Trikalinos bottarga, known as avgotaraho before. Imported by the The Rogers Collection, it's soft, less salty, bright apricot in color and rich with flavor. I loved it. I can imagine using it with pasta, salad, on bread. It's flavor is concentrated but has a sweetness as well that tempers the salt. Imagine a chewy thin slice of the clean sweet essence of the sea. It's a luxury product to be sure, but filled with nutrients and so dense that a little goes a long way.


I'm fascinated by the fact that guava can taste so different from one place to another. The color changes too, sometimes it is greenish, then pale or bright pink. This Mexican guava from Guayeco & Co was a dark golden raisin color. But the flavor was not like guava I've tried before. Sweet but with an almost citrus tang with tropical notes. It is available in paste, jam and marmalade and I could see using it on pastries, in sauces, glazes for fish or meat. It was like discovering a new fruit, I'm not even sure I would have realized it was guava. A really excellent product, easily the best guava marmalade I have ever tasted. Needless to say, I will seek out in the future.


There was so much rich luscious cheese at the show, it's hard to single out just one, but I'm going to anyway. The marinated feta from the Yarra Valley Dairy in Australia was one of the mildest, sweetest feta cheeses I have tasted in a long time. Scented with a thyme and garlic infused olive oil, it was creamy and fresh and left a lasting impression. Sometimes something simple and pure is even more impressive than a pungent, blue, triple creme, whatever.


I'm not generally speaking a soda drinker and even the supposedly "dry" styles have disappointed me, but I really liked Bionade, an organic drink from Germany. Made with malt, it is fermented and not very sweet. The malt sugar is not converted to alcohol, but into gluconic acid, which is also found in honey. It's lower in calories than other soft drinks and quite refreshing. The ginger and orange flavor in particular was my favorite. I could see pairing these with food. Flavors included herbs, lychee and elderberry. A very sophisticated and uniquely flavored drink, well worth seeking out if you want something non-alcoholic that is dry enough to enjoy with food.

Over at Bay Area Bites you'll find the products I hope indicate potential trends in the future.

mom's country apple pie

MOM's COUNTRY APPLE PIE...

pure edible gold...glowing in the afternoon sun....

Change in Command

What a treat it was to be asked what the "Change in Command" means to me in terms of food. Check out my featured response and leave a comment on what you think the change means, if you like.

Happy Inauguration Day! and a very Happy Birthday to my father-in-law as well!

Chicken with Broccoli and Garlic

This was so much fun to prepare, and very delicious. I rarely fry anything, and even though this is a very shallow fry, it was still so delicious. I also loved the broccoli slaw and found it a really fun way to mix up the veggies!

Ingredients

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 small skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 TB olive oil

1 bulb garlic, separated into cloves, peeled, and sliced (about ten cloves)

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

3 TB white wine vinegar

2 TB honey

1 16 oz bag broccoli slaw

2 TB coarsely chopped pecans

Directions

1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Add chicken, seal bag. Shake to coat.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook for 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning once. Transfer chicken to a serving plate, cover and keep cool.

3. Add garlic to skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, vinegar and honey. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for five minutes. Stir in broccoli, return to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes more or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Stir in pecans. Serve the broccoli mixture with the chicken.

Serves 4

Per serving: 307 cal, 10g fat, 90mg chol, 401mg sod, 25g carb, 3g fiber, 28g prot.

Points per serving: 6 points

Franks & Beans: Recipe

Last week it was so cold I was desperate for recipes that would warm the kitchen and the house, so I made baked beans. It was a long slow recipe that took 7 hours of baking. I used salt pork, onions, molasses, brown sugar and spices. The beans were good, but I got tired of eating them plain, so I made my version of franks and beans.

I hesitate to post this recipe because, it is pure white trash cooking, not exactly my specialty. But the truth is, it's delicious! I've seen this recipe called something like "Hawaiian Beans" which is kind of interesting because of course pineapple comes from Hawaii, and beans are very popular in Hawaii, especially in Portuguese Bean Soup. But also because this recipe has frankfurters in it. All kinds of processed meat--specifically Spam and hot dogs are very common in Hawaii and make their way into fusion food like Spam musubi and hot dog maki sushi.

While my parents have very sophisticated tastes, I credit them with this very budget friendly recipe. They made it with Heinz vegetarian beans, probably kosher hot dogs and French's prepared mustard. But what I've discovered is that it works well with baked beans, any kind of sausage and any kind of mustard you like. It's really less of a recipe than a formula. Please, don't hate me for posting it! I promise I will get back to regular programming shortly!

Franks & Beans, "Hawaiian Style"
makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

4 cups canned or homemade beans, about 2 cans
4 hot dogs or sausages, any kind you like, sliced into bite sized chunks
1 cup canned pineapple chunks
3 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon mustard, any kind you like

Instructions

Dump all of the ingredients into a large saucepan or dutch oven and gently heat through. Season to taste with additional mustard, ketchup, etc. Enjoy!

Shunjuu ........ A good place for sumiyaki

Shunjuu is popular for their Sumiyaki. Sumiyaki, in Japanese, means charcoal grilled food. Most of the food are skewered onto wooden sticks and then grilled over charcoal fire. Shunjuu serves one of the best Sumiyaki in Singapore and it's no wonder that they've won several food accolades throughout the years.

In Sumiyaki, the meats are usually fresh selections, grilled with sparingly sprinkled sea salt or with light marinating. Shunjuu's grilling skills makes them one of the best in this type of Japanese food. This type of food is good to go with beer, sake or shochu. This is why the restaurant has a good selection of sake and shochu. Sumiyaki is mostly eten directly off the wooden skewers, hence it is more like a casual food. This makes a good Japanese cuisine for a gathering of friends.

As a start you'll be served with fresh, crispy cabbage with miso paste for a dipping sauce.

The following are some of what I've eaten and would recommend.

Grilled Foie Gras. This is the dish that all my munching buddies and I agreed that its the best of all. The foie gras is tasty to the core.

Scallop wrapped with pork.

Pork Belly. This is tasty for people who likes pork belly. When grilled the fragrance of the pork lard will make this dish tastier.

Black Pork Neck. This is what I came for. The pork neck meat is one of the most tender portion of the pig. It is grilled lighty peppered and salted. Good stuff.

Chicken Wings. The chicken wings are grilled just right and not too greasy.

Chicken Balls. This chicken ball is made of minced chicken meat with a very good sauce to go with it.

Grilled Butterfish

Just in case that the skewered food cannot feel your stomach, there's also a stable of staple food like udon, soba, and onigiri.

If you'll like to visit Shunjuu, try to get a reservation especially for the weekends. I'll prefer to sit outside the restaurant, without the air conditioning so as not to get smell of grilled food stuck on you after you leave. The evening breeze along the Singapore river makes dinner a very friendly and casual ambience.

Cost : about S$60 per person

Address : 30 Robertson Quay #01-15 Riverside View Singapore 238251

Country : Singapore

Website : http://www.shunjuu.com/contact.htm

low fat blueberry oatmeal almond muffins

LO-FAT BLUEBERRY OATMEAL ALMOND MUFFINS...

1st try...i will probably expirement with this a little...they might be a bit prettier with fresh rather than frozen blueberries...these are really moist and dense. so good for you and will keep you going 'till lunch.

i found the recipe here thanks to stephchow...http://stephchows.blogspot.com/2009/01/blueberry-oat-muffins.html

Buttermilk Syrup

I would probably have no idea that this stuff even exists had it not been for a neighbor of my mom's dropping it off for Christmas. I was only able to try it on the bread pudding, but I can imagine that it would taste incredible on just about anything, including waffles and ice cream.

Ingredients

1 Cup Butter
2 Cups buttermilk
2 Cups Sugar
2 Tbs light Karo Syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Use a Large Saucepan and bring the first four ingredients to a boil while stirring constantly. Boil for 7 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and add soda and vanilla, the syrup will rise again.

Bread Pudding

Okay, I have never liked bread pudding. I always thought that it was one of the most boring and flavorless desserts ever. But, over Christmas my mom whipped together some of her grandma's famous bread pudding, drizzled buttermilk syrup over it, and you have ecstasy in a bowl, it made an instant believer out of me! The great thing about this treat is that it calls for everything most people already have in their pantry. It's also a great way to use up your old and stale bread. It's delicious with buttermilk syrup (which I'll post tomorrow), caramel, with a side of ice cream, or just on it's own. Talk about comfort food! You've got to try this recipe, even if you don't like bread pudding, you won't regret it.



Bread Pudding
Great Grandma Ross' recipe

Ingredients

4 C bread cubes (a good, dense bread is best, i.e., not Wonderbread! Some recipes specify slightly slightly stale bread)
2 Cups Milk
1/4 Cups butter
1/2 Cup sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 raisins

Scald milk and butter

Mix sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon and raisins.
Add this mixture to scalded milk mixture.
Mix in bread cubes, making sure they all get a good soaking.
Pour all into baking dish. Place baking dish in a larger baking dish that has about 1" of hot water. (This helps "steam" the pudding.) Bake for 40-45 min @ 350*

A Little Food History for You

Okay, call me a book nerd, but I happen to think that the history of food is incredibly interesting. It's amazing how many delicacies there are out there, that were once dishes created out of scarcity, necessity and for the purpose of survival. Bread pudding definitely falls into one of those categories and has been dated back to medieval times as being a rare treat, sweet or savory. It actually wasn't made much differently then it is today. Here is a little excerpt I found about how bread pudding played it's role during the civil war times...

"Desserts existed almost solely in the imagination, especially with the scarcity of sugar. "If we wanted something extra, we pounded our crackers into fine pieces, mixed it up with sugar, raisins and water, and boiled it in our tin cups,"..."This we called pudding." Some Yankees bought meal at a local meal and made flapjacks and puddings in what Fisk said was "a style of simplicity such as only soldiers would think of adopting." For Confederates, a final "course" could be even less appetizing. Fruit and berries were often baked into pies that for want of sugar and proper flour, could be fearsome to the taste and digestion. Some Kentucky Confederates made a sugarless fried pie, "this having all the tough elasticity of a rubber suspender." Once in a while, when there was a little sugar, soldiers with Lee made blackberry pies. Often the only sweetener available was watermelon juice, not easy to obtain when by 1863 a single watermelon sold for $40.00 in the camps." ---A Taste for War: The Culinary History of the Blue and the Gray, William C. Davis [Stackpole Books:Mechanisburg PA] 2003 (p. 26)

Cake Mix Cookies

I know that this completely contradicts my last post about being healthy, but you all know that you have to have sweets every once and a while!

A few weeks ago I went completely dilusional and bought a ton of cake mixes. I don't know why. I rarely bake cake, and if I do, I even rarely-er (rarely-er is a word, don't worry about it) use a cake mix. So I was pretty excited to find this recipe. It honestly took me longer to pull out my mixer then it did to whip these up, and they were so good! I loved the cake flavor, with the cookie consistency. It was like two treats in one.

Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients

1 Yellow cake mix (you could probably use what cake mix you want, this was just the one I chose)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Mix all ingredients together, place walnut sized pieces of dough on cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes at 350. Cool on cookie sheet.

BBQ chicken linguine with roasted asparagus

Hello food friends and Happy New Year! I'm sorry that it's been so long since my last post. I ended up flying home for two weeks and took advantage of my mom's amazing platters. Fortunately, now that I know how she executes some of the best food I have ever tasted, I can pass them on to you!


Well, with the new year come new resolutions, and just like 75% of the rest of the country, I'm resolving to eat healthier and be healthier. My waistline definitely got a little swollen during Christmas, which strengthened my resolve to lose weight even more. So my hope is to find and perfect as many delicious and healthy recipes as possible. The very worse thing about a diet is finding yourself bored with the same tasteless low fat food.





This recipe was a lot of fun. It's pasta, which everyone loves, with a rich and familiar twist. The next time I make it, I'm definitely going to play around with it some more. I would suggest using a rich and tangy bbq sauce, I even added a little on top after serving it. And the roasted asparagus is a fantastic side veggie to this yummy dish!


bbq chicken linguine
(Slightly adapted from G. Garvin's Dining In)


Ingredients


1 lb dried linguine pasta
1 TB olive oil
1 Tb diced shallots (I just diced a red onion very small it was just as good)
1 tsp diced jalapeno chili pepper
12 oz boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
3/4 cup homemade or store bought BBQ sauce


Directions


1. Cook pasta according to directions

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add shallots and jalapeno pepper; saute for two minutes. Add the chicken; saute for 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

3. Add the drained cooked pasta, the stock, and half of the bbq sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes then add the remaining bbq sauce. Serve with roasted asparagus.

Roasted Asparagus: Break off stems of asparagus at their natural breaking point. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until fork tender.
Serves 4

I'm sorry, I don't have the nutritional info for this recipe. However, bbq sauce is not high in fat, but if it's sweet, it may be a little higher in calories. Make sure to check the bottle. Just be sure to keep your portion size reasonable, (1 cup per person), load on veggies, and this will be a delicious and healthy meal.

かに道樂 Douraku .......... A popular Crab chain in the Kansai region

Everytime HY and I walked past Doraku, the mechanised crab above the entrance will start waving its legs at us, beckoning for us to walk in. Doraku has 3 outlets along the Dotomburi food street. All of them has at least a 30minutes to 1 hour wait. The restaurant do not have a common dining area where you eat with the rest of the patrons. We were ushered into a private Japanese room with tatami. A dedicated kimono clad waitress served us throughout our crab feast. 

In Japan, snow crab can be prepared in 3 ways; grilled,  sashimi and boiled in a hotpot. We've chosen a set that prepares the snow crab in all 3 ways.

The snow crab sashimi. The meat is sweet.

An extra serving of the sashimi crab ........

This is the other way that I like the snow crab prepared. By grilling .......... Add a little bit of lemon and the taste is already heavenly!

This is the plate of raw ingredients including the snow crab that is ready to be dunked into the suki hot pot to be boiled.

I'm so obsessed with eating this feast and totally enjoying that I forgot to take shots of the hot pot and the setting of the room. Any way, the service is tip top. there is even a intercom in the rom for you to get the waitress attention.

Douraku is a chain for snow crab feast. they are also in Tokyo. I saw one outlet in Shinjuku San chome.

Cost : about 12000 yen for 2 person

Address : Namba Osaka, At the junction of Doutomburi and Shi sai bashi.

Country : Osaka, Japan

Website : http://www.douraku.co.jp/kansai/shop/honten.html