A paw full of spice makes everything nice
Koreans love to drink. I remember reading about their high level of alcohol consumption while I was in Poland and I thought, ‘No way could anyone drink MORE than Polish people or Eastern Europeans in general’. BUT, then I got there and discovered that where there’s a will, there’s a way and the Korean people…
For me, nothing puts me in a more ‘vacation relaxed’ frame of mine than sipping on a Mojito. Doesn’t matter if I’m on vacation or in some local bar after work. One taste of it and I’m transported back to my single carefree twenties! What’s beautiful about this cocktail is that beautiful…
In my experience, homemade is best made. I make what I can from scratch – pasta sauces, soups, salad dressings and even sausage meat, bread and pasta if and when I had the time. If I could do subsistence farming and produce my own fruit, vegetable, meat and dairy then I…
What is the secret to a Brit’s heart? Wrap something meaty in pastry and that Brit will love you forever. I should know because I have been buying people’s love with meaty pastries for a while now. For instance, when I first met my husband, I…
Ever watch the Great British Bake Off? Contestants of all ages and backgrounds compete over who can make the best cake, tart , biscuit and/or pastry. Using their best efforts and a small child’s weight in butter, they create stunning baked goods only to be told in critical detail that it’s just not right. …
For me, a meal isn’t complete without a big heaping pile of vegetables. However, I’m married to a man who thinks potatoes are the only vegetable he will ever need. Don’t get me wrong, potatoes are a great vegetable but I like a little color and variety on my plate. Recently, I’ve been…
When I was a child, my favorite food was Chicken Cordon Bleu. In my opinion, there was nothing to dislike. Someone somewhere in Switzerland had come up with a sinfully perfect combination of fried chicken with a salty ham and molten cheese center. As someone who LOVES fried chicken, I can’t think of anything better….
I don’t know about you but I sometimes go through food phases where I get an idea in my head and become obsessed with finding the perfect recipe for it. I’ve gone through biscuit phases, salsa phases, brownie phases, Mac n’ cheese phases, and the list goes on. …
One of my favorite dishes in one of my favorite restaurants in Kuala Lumpur is Masala Cheese Balls at the Gem Restaurant in Little India. I just can’t get enough of them and having to share a serving of these delicious morsels with my dining partners is just devastating to me. So, you…
One of the best things to eat here in Malaysia is banana leaf curry. Nothing hits the spot like a big pile of rice with curry on top, crispy papadums on the side, and a plethora of vegetable curries; all eaten off a huge banana leaf. For someone like me who likes to taste a little…
For years I stopped cooking with mushrooms altogether after my husband had a bad experience. At the time, he was living in rural China when it all went down. The mushrooms were bought from the local supermarket, cleaned properly and cooked thoroughly. Everything seemed OK but little did he know that some mushrooms were…
I like my fish the same way I like my diet: sustainable. I’m a big fan of buying less desirable but highly sustainable cuts of meat and fish. Not only is it better for the environment, but also it is economical and forces one to be a bit more adventurous in…
There will always be a place in my heart for you, chicken nugget. Does anything epitomize kid food more than a chicken nugget? I doubt it. Chicken nuggets and mac n’ cheese were some of my favorite foods when growing up. In fact, they still remain some of my favorite foods to…
The process of making sushi rolls always seemed mysterious to me. For someone who has a difficult time hanging a picture straight, how the hell was I going to put together a nice tight sushi roll? Like the little dude from Karate Kid, the true mastery of this skill eluded me for some time. Naturally…
I was never really a big fan of onion rings. I know looking at these pictures, one could think that was ridiculous. I mean-look at them. Golden brown and crisp with a sheen of grease that just tempts you like a sea siren’s call. Meh…just not for me. I always…
One of the things I admire most about Chinese food culture is its love of snacks. Chinese people love snacks and it shows. No long travel journey in China would be complete without a plastic bag full of dried noodles, fruit, pickled chicken feet, peanuts, sunflower seeds or processed sausage tubes for eating along with…
Without dumplings, is it really Chinese New Year? Could it be celebrated without an onslaught of fireworks, red envelopes filled with cash and a big steaming plate of dumplings? No…它不能!!!! So, after 5 years or so of living in China, I finally asked a friend’s mother to come and teach me how…
Ah, smashed Chinese cucumber salad. In China, no plate of dumplings would be complete without a side of this vegetable dish to go with it. Not to mention how refreshing it is to start off a summer meal with little plate of this cool cucumber before the Kung Pao Chicken arrives. However, most of all…