Coffee Flavored Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons of 2 in 1 coffee mix
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream butter, sugar, salt and coffee powder together with a hand mixer for a minute. 
3. Then use a fork to incorporate flour into the butter mixture.
4. Using a measuring tablespoon, scoop it out onto the cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

 

Another Earl Grey Tea recipe! I used the basic cookie recipe but added Earl Grey Tea into the dough. The taste was amazing, buttery flowery goodness.

Ingredients

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Earl Grey Teabag
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and salt together with a hand mixer for a minute. 
3. Then use a fork to incorporate flour and Earl Grey Tea leaves into the butter mixture.
4. Use a measuring tablespoon to scoop out dough and place on top of cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.

Roasted Italian Seasoning Chicken

For me one Cornish hen will serve as dinner and lunch the next day.  They usually come two in one package so I would make two at once but would flavor them differently.  Or sometimes I would roast one and make soup out of the other. When I make soup, I cut out most of the excess skin and fat so that the soup is not too greasy.

Ingredients

• 1 Cornish hen
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks 
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and pat dry the chicken.
3. Season the chicken with liberally with salt and pepper  both inside and outside.
4. Season the chicken with Italian seasoning both inside and out.
5. Cut the carrots and celery to one inch then place them around the chicken. I also stuff the chicken with some celery and carrots.
6. Rub the oil over the whole chicken.
7. Bake the chicken for about 45 minutes until the juices run clear or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F.
8. Base the chicken after 25 minutes so that the skin do not burn.
9. Let it stand for 20 minutes before cutting into it.

Roasted Lime Chicken

I love Cornish hens, the size is just right for lunch and dinner. Since lime is 3 for $1, I had left over lime for another recipe.  For this recipe, I stuffed 3/4 of a lime, onion and garlic into the cavity of the chicken.  

Ingredients

• 1 Cornish hen
• 1 lime, quartered 
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 slices of onion
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and pat dry the chicken.
3. Season the chicken with liberally with salt and pepper  both inside and outside.
4. Squeeze the lime into the chicken cavity before stuffing.
5. Stuff it with onion and garlic.
6. Rub oil over the whole f chicken.
7. Roast for 45 minutes until the juices runs clear or the internal temperature is 180 degrees F. Base the chicken after 20 minutes with the chicken dripping so that the skin do not burn.
8. Squeeze the remaining quarter lime juice over the chicken and let it stand for 20 minutes before cutting into the chicken.

There is a hint of lime, not overpowering.  Sometimes I like to add more lime juice to intensify the lime flavor.  You need fresh lime for this, concentrated lime juice will not do for this recipe.

Fried Egg & Ham

 

Back to the basics, fried egg with ham over rice, the Asian way.

Tomato "Cobbler"

I absolutely love this tomato cobbler recipe.I changed it enough that it is no longer a cobbler but I love this as a side dish so much.  I got this recipe from SeriousEats.com, so if you want the original recipe, you can look at the site. The first thing was definitely the amount of butter.  I am not Paula Deen and do not love butter the way she does. The recipe asked for 1 stick of butter, I only used 2 tablespoons which was more than I like. I also used one garlic clove and 1 tablespoon of chopped jalapeno pepper. I also cut back on the cumin because the flavor is really strong, so I used 1/8 teaspoon. If I have a fresh lime or lemon, I would definitely use it but I usually only have the lemon concentrate and it works for me.

Last change would be the tomato part, I used one big plum tomato or 4 Campari tomatoes. I love the Campari tomatoes because they are sweet, juicy and the acidity is low. I guess after all the changes, this is no longer a cobbler, so here is my recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe plum tomato or 4 Campari tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 tablespoon diced jalepeno 
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon lemon concentrate
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup whole milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine tomatoes, jalepeno, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and lemon juice. Sprinkle salt and pepper and toss together.
3. In a bowl, mix flour, cornmeal and baking powder together. Add milk and mix into a smooth batter.
4. Melt butter in cast iron pan, and coat evenly so that the "cobbler" will slide out in one piece.
5. Then pour the batter into the pan and let it stand for couple minutes.
6. Pour the tomato mixture into the batter and spread evenly.
7. Bake for 35 minutes or until the middle is set.

If you compare my recipe to the original recipe, I do not use canned tomatoes because that would make it too wet. I suppose that is the reason why my recipe is not a cobbler. I also changed the proportion of flour and cornmeal because the first time I made it with 50/50 cornmeal and flour, I like the cornmeal part better.


I absolutely love this recipe and I am so happy that I came across the original recipe!

Oven Fried Lamb Chop

I like this oven bake lamb chops because it is so crunchy without having to use any oil to fry it. 

Ingredients

• 2 lamb chop
• half cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup Kraft Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 egg, beaten
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and Italian seasoning in a plate.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chops in egg and then into bread crumbs mixture.
4. Bake the chops for 25 minutes and then turn, bake for another 20 minutes.

It comes out crunchy, while the meat stays tender. Even though the I used seasoned bread crumbs, I added more Italian seasoning. I added the cheese to helps crisp up the chops but it is not necessary. 

NY Style Pizza

This is one of the best thing in the world for me. There have been a battle between the Chicago and NY over whose pizza reign supreme.  I have tried deep dish pizza, maybe it was not a true Chicago pizza, but I must say the NY style pizza is what I will always crave for.  I know New Yorkers who have moved away would stop to get a NY slice when they visit NY. 

Italian Herbs Pork Ribs

 

This recipe is so easy and tasty, it is hard to mess it up unless you overcook it. When I tried to look up recipes for ribs on the internet, all I find are barbeque recipes.  I had another recipe in mind when I bought the ribs but of course I forgot the second most important ingredient.  So I decided to rub some Italian seasoning on it before I bake it.

Ingredients

• 6 pork ribs
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning 
• salt & pepper 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Season the ribs with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
3. Bake for 25 minutes then turn, bake for another 20 minutes.

Pork Cutlets Sandwich

I was out all day and did not make it in time for the store. There were frozen thinly sliced pork cutlets so I decided to make some pork cutlet sandwich.  I submerged the  frozen chops in room temperature and changed the water every 5 minutes.  It thawed in about 15 minutes! Since this thawed so quickly, I will always have frozen pork cutlets in the freezer, along with my emergency frozen lamb chops. I served this on Ciabatta bread with some romaine lettuce and some honey mustard sauce.

Ingredients

• 6 thin slice pork cutlets
• 3/4 cup season bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Directions

1. Combine the bread crumbs, cheese and seasoning on a plate.
2. Dry the cutlets with a paper towel and coat it with the cornstarch.
3. Dip it into the eggs and then the bread crumbs mixture.
4. Fry the pork cutlets for 5 minutes on each side in oil.

 I wanted to make sure that bread crumbs mixture stick to the cutlets so I added a coating of cornstarch. 

Green Tea Pancakes

The first batch of batter I made for the pancakes had to be thrown out because I added too much the the green tea matcha powder.  The batter was dark green and smelled really strong of green tea. I made one pancake and it tasted bitter. So I had to make it again and added just a small amount of powder.  For 1/2 of cup of pancake powder, I added 1/2 a teaspoon. Instead of a dark green batter, it was light green.

Tacos

This is a really fun but very messy dinner.  I love Taco Bell but if you ever been to one in any of the NYC location, you will understand why it is much better to make your own tacos at home.

You will also need lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. 

Saute ground beef with taco seasoning.

 

 After everything is laid out, start building your perfect taco!

Seared Fresh Tuna Salad

I have packed on a few pounds and is trying to lose that extra weight. I am not at the age when I can easily lose the weight. So I am trying to eat healthier and is replacing at least a few meals with low carb meals.  I love carb in the form of rice, I can eat rice twice a day everyday of the week and I have been doing so for a long time.  It seem that this is no longer an option.

Tuna is a very lean fish so I cook it until the middle is slightly pink.   Most people like to cook it just for a few minutes on both sides and the middle is still raw. 

Milo

Milo is a drink I grew up drinking in Malaysia.  Even though Malaysia is hot all year round, we still drink it hot in the morning. I remember my grandfather took me to breakfast one hot morning.  The server brought hot Milo in a cup and saucer.  Since I was only 5 and could not blow on the beverage properly, he would pour some of it on the saucer so it would cool faster for me to drink with a straw from a saucer.  So the smell of this drink, hot or cold, brings back some of my fondest memories of Malaysia. Now that I am an adult, I do not understand why we simply order a cold one...

It is very chocolatey and very fattening.  To make one glass, I need at least 3 tablespoon of Milo powder.  I am sure it contains ton of sugar in one single drink.

Beef & Celery

Whenever I have left over celery, it usually end up being saute with ground beef.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 5 stalks of celery, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

 

Direction

• Saute onion until it is translucent, then add the garlic and saute for 5 more minutes.
• Add beef and saute until it is no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add celery and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how well done you like the celery. Season the beef and celery mix with more salt and pepper as you are cooking.

 

I like my celery with a crunch so, I only cook it for about 5 minutes.  I always serve it with Jasmine rice. This is also a very quick tasty meal. It takes about 25 minutes to cook this meal and not much cleaning after too. My kind of meal, tasty, quick, and not much cleaning.

Beef & Tomato

I live in an Italian neighborhood and sometimes the quality of the tomatoes are so nice that I end up buying more than I need.  I never like tomatoes when I was growing up.  The tomatoes that I have come across in salad or food were the slicing tomatoes and did not have much taste. So when I moved out of my Dad's place and had to food shop myself, I started seeing all the variety of tomatoes as well as all the other food in the supermarket.  When plum tomatoes are in season, they are as sweet as the vine tomatoes! 

Ingredients

• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/5 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic,  diced
• salt and pepper 

Direction

• Saute onion until it is translucent, add garlic and saute for another 5 minutes.
• Add beef and saute until it is no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper.
• Then add tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

Do not over cook the tomatoes because tomatoes are mostly water and it will lose its texture.  I like the freshness the tomatoes bring to this dish.

Typical Breakfast & Lunch

This is fried sweet dough with sweet sticky rice in the middle. The taste is amazing, I have not seen this anywhere else besides Malaysia.

This soup noodles is absolutely delicious! It is served in a clear tasty broth with fried tofu.  They do have this in NYC's Chinatown but the taste is incomparable to the ones I had in Malaysia.

This is my absolute favorite breakfast in Malaysia.  This is wonton noodles with brown sauce and a side of wontons in broth.  Out of the 18 days that I spent in Malaysia, I think I ate this about 10 times for breakfast because you simply can not get that kind of wonton noodles in NYC.

Mom's cooking was simply the best! The green is Chinese broccoli with fresh shrimps, which I requested of mom to cook several times.  Mom thought this request strange because most people in Malaysia do not like Chinese broccoli so the market seldom sells them.  Mom told me that the lady told her that no one likes them so she rarely have them when mom asked for it.  Bottom left is ginger scramble egg; they are very tasty and spicy.  I am not sure what the bottom right is; I did not care much for it anyway. The top right and left dishes are the same; they are sauté cauliflower, carrots and fried tofu.  The very top dish is fried fish with tomatoes. Yum!

Like other lunch and dinner, there are always multiple dishes served with rice. There is always a variety of fish, meat and vegetable dishes. Top left is steam fish with tomatoes, top right is fried hot dogs for my nieces, the middle dish is a sour vinegar pork which I loved, bottom left is fried stuffed tofu with soy bean paste, bottom middle is sauté green vegetable, and bottom right is pickled vegetable with pork.

Malaysia's Market

The vendor is making one of my favorite breakfast, rice with sweet bbq pork and peanut. Chinese breakfast is unlike American breakfast, people consume a lot of calories because many are labor workers and burn way more calories.  Especially in this climate, you sweat a lot of your calories away. While I was in Malaysia, I did nothing but eat and relax.  I ate 3 full meals and snacks in between but did not gain any weight. 

This is called the Year Long Cake (in Chinese is Nian Gao). This is made from glutinous rice and is very sweet. When it is fresh, it is soft and very sticky, as it age it hardened.  This is very popular over Chinese New Year and can be found in every household. When it is hardened, it is cut into half-inch strips, get coated in flour and then fried in oil.  The outside becomes very crispy and the inside soft and gooey. It is heaven when it is warm!

Chinese sausages and waxed duck.  The ducks are preserved and need to be steamed because at this stage it is very tough.  the Chinese sausage is a favorite of many Chinese but I do not care for the taste of it.  It is too salty and waxy for my liking.

Chinese New Years means lots of sweet bread.  These are all bread in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes.

Next to food stands, there are stands where you can purchase incense and papers that you burn at the temple and home alters.

You can also buy toys..

Clothes...

Jeans...

At the end of one street, 2 men are selling shrimps out of a bucket. Note that both men have cigarettes in their mouth.  FDA will certainly disapprove!

Everywhere I looked, there was a mountain.

Durian

The highway consist of many stands that sells anything from fruits to fried food. This is a durian stand where you can either buy durian to go or as you can see someone had the fruits there.  Durian is considered a vile smelly fruit that most hotels banned.  I can not tell you that it smells bad because I grew up loving the taste and smell of it.  I always looked forward to them when they were in season.  Andrew Zimmern compared this fruit to rotten custard while Anthony Bourdain loves it.

When I was about 6, my father brought my sister and I to a friends place to visit.  He was working in the jungle, about 15 minutes off the trail. Trees of more than 100 feet surrounded us and I kept hearing thumping sounds every few minutes, sound of something hard dropping onto the floor. I remember I asked my father what that sound was and he said that it was durian falling to the ground. I was terrified of one falling on my head that I stuck close to him for the duration of the visit.

When it is durian season, durian sellers like this one collect the fruits daily and sell it within 24 hours of picking them. So the smell of this fruit is amazingly strong.  Since this was the first trip back to Malaysia in about 15 years, my brother-in-law knew that I have not eaten durian for that long.  So he made sure that he got a few for me to have.  We could smell the un-open durian while it was in the trunk of the car. NYC do sell durian but they are not the same, they have been frozen and thawed.  Some things are meant to be eaten fresh or not have at all. To me this is one of those things.

This fruit has a very spiky hard shell that grows on very tall trees.  If you are unlucky to be under it while it drop, you are a goner!

The seller expertly opening a durian, some customers eat it right there.  I guess if you are driving by and wanted some durian, you can have it then and there. If you want something fried, go to the next stand, drink? Next stand too.  This is what so great about driving through Malaysia.  They may not be as sanitary as the FDA deem safe but if you grow up eating there, you will have the immune system to fight off bacteria or for instance the rusty cleaver the guy is using to open the durian.  These are all standard in Malaysia and I grew up just fine in these condition.

 

This is a fruit you either hate or love, there is really no in between.