Random - Big Orange, T&T & Rice Noodle

Was at Coquitlam Centre Mall & thirsty so went to Big Orange for some bubble tea. Mama Gen ordered strawberry watermelon with pearls and I ordered the watermelon with coconut jelly. There watermelon bubble tea is OK, it is very hit & miss depending if they have good watermelons or not. This time it was good. The price is regular not cheap but not expensive either.

       Food: 4/5             Service: 4/5            Ambiance: 3/5             Price: 4/5

Did some grocery shopping at T&T. I like the T&T at Coquitlam Centre because they have a area where you can scoop your own assorted fish balls. They brought back the Korean one (^_^) They are good for putting into soup. Also ginger was on sale 3 packs for $1.99...ginger is soo yummy. Also got a bag of instant cereal for work.

Random pic of miffy & ralphie...cute cute (^_^) also my breakfast scrambled egg with spinach & green onion with side of strawberries, baby tomato's, baby carrots & avocado.

My third attempt at making Rice Noodle with Beef using thin sliced beef this time. It does taste a lot better then the bigger chucks of beef but still not the right taste.

Cooking - Rice Noodle Soup 2

So I called my mom & she told me how she makes Rice Noodle with Beef. I tried it, it was ok but it still doesn’t taste the same (>_<) don’t know what I am doing wrong. I think I will have to wait to see my mom make it in front of me to get what I am doing wrong but that wouldn’t be for awhile (>_<) Will have to settle for this for now.

What you will need:

-Rice Noodles

-Beef (thinly sliced works best but I don’t know how to slice Beef thin >_<)

-green onion

-cilantro

-water

-chicken bouillon powder

-white pepper

-sugar

-salt

-light & dark soya sauce

1. Soak the rice noodles over night in cold water.

2. boil water add noodles and cook until tender then drain in strainer and place under cold water and set aside

3. on high heat in a saucepan  bring to a boil water, chicken bouillon powder, white pepper, sugar, salt, light & dark soya sauce to taste.

4. when soup is to your taste add in the beef, cook until done

5. add green onion cook for a bit then turn off stove and add in the cilantro and stir it in

6. place the amount of noodles you want in a bowl then pour soup on top

Cooking - Rice Noodle with Beef Soup, Salmon with Mixed Vegetables & Other Food

My first attempt at making Rice Noodle with Beef Soup was only ok but didn't taste the same like how my mom makes it. When she makes it I can't stop eating it...it's sooo GOOD. Will need to call her and attempt to make it again. But the soup was still ok, here is the recipe for this version

What you need:
-1 cube of Pho soup seasoning (I got this from my mom but I saw it at my local Asian supermarket)
-rice noodles
-beef cut into cubes
-green onion

1. cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and place in bowl.
2. following instructions on package for the pho soup seasoning but also add the beef with the soup base to cook.
3. pour the soup into the noodle bowl & add green onions.

Salmon with mixed Vegetables

I was really lazy last week to make anything the night before for lunch, so I came up with something quick that I can make in the morning, Salmon with Vegetables. Very easy to make

What you need:
-Salmon
-mushroom
-red & yellow pepper
-avocado
-baby tomatoes
-black pepper
-olive oil

1. Heat a pan with some olive oil & add some black pepper then add the salmon. Flip salmon over after a few mins & add some more black pepper to the other side of salmon.
2. add avocado, baby tomatoes, red & yellow pepper. Add black pepper to taste.
3. cook until veg's & salmon are cooked

Was really craving Vietnamese sub for awhile and I finally got one yesterday at Pho 99. Was disappointed with it, doesn't taste as good as it did before (>_<) will need to find a good place that has good subs. I got to try some more Persian food today, my second time having Persian food. This one I liked a lot better then the last one, the beef & rice was soo good. I hope I will get to try more Persian food in the future, since my BFF is Persian after all. Also was craving the mixed cooked vegetable dish I made so made some more today (^_^)

Cooking - Penne With Chicken Marengo

Another recipe from "Prevention Guide 30-Minute Chicken Dinner" this time Penne With Chicken Marengo

what you need:
-8 oz penne
-1/2 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
-1 tbsp all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp dried thyme
-1/4 tsp ground black pepper
-1 tbsp olive oil
-3 cups sliced mushrooms
-1/2 cup chicken broth
-1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes in puree
-1/2 cup orange juice
-1 tsp grated orange zest
-1 tsp brown sugar
-1/8 tsp salt



1. in a bowl of boiling water soak the sun-dried tomatoes for 5 to 10 mins. When softened, drain & chop coarsely. Set aside.
2. cook pasta according to package directions. Drain & transfer to serving bowl.
3. place chicken with flour, thyme & pepper into a ziplock bag & toss.
4. Heat oil in skillet over high heat until hot. Add chicken & cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
5. Add mushrooms & 2 tbsp of broth. cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are soften & begin to release their water.
6. add tomatoes with puree, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, salt, sun-dried tomatoes & remaining broth.
7. bring to a boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to release browned bits. Reduce heat to med-low & simmer until sauce is thickened & flavors are blended. Pour mixture over penne & toss to coat.

Cooking - Pad Thai

Made Pad Thai over the weekend. I followed this recipe on AllRecipes.com not sure if this is how authentic Pad Thai is suppose to taste like but I like it. I have only had good Pad Thai once at a restaurant & that was back in Winnipeg, so far no luck in finding anything good in Vancouver.

Cooking & FOod: Pasta, Soup, Stir-Fry & Taco Rice

My BFF made me her AWESOME pasta...love it but can't eat it too often soo fattening but soo GOOD

My 2 simple go-to-foods during the week...soup & stir-fry

To make the soup you will need:
-water
-chicken bouillon powder
-oyster sauce
-sesame oil
-salt, sugar & ground pepper
-any vegetable that you want I usually add shanghai bok choy & green onions
-kimchi (optional)

1. put water, chicken bouillon powder, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar & ground pepper into a pot and let it boil on high heat. (there is no set amount to put in, just to your taste)
2. when it is boiled, test the broth to see if you like it. If not just add more of any of the ingredients until it is the way you like it. Then add vegetables & let it cook for a few minutes. I usually add green onions after turning off the stove. For the kimchi I place it at the bottom of the bowl & pour the soup in.

 For the stir-fry you will need:
-beef or any type of meat you want
-sesame seeds
-2 tbsp vegetable oil
-2 garlic cloves
-2 cm piece ginger
-any vegetables that you want
-2 tbsp oyster sauce
-2 tbsp fish sauce
-3 tsp sugar
-kimchi (optional)

1. combine beef & sesame in a bowl, toss to coat.
2. heat wok over medium heat & add 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil & then add the beef. Stir fry until brown & remove to a plate.
3. add the remaining vegetable oil, garlic & ginger to wok and stir until aromatic.
4. add the vegetables and stir fry until tender.
5. combine the oyster sauce, fish sauce & sugar together in a bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then add to wok.
6. return the beef to wok and stir fry until beef is heated through
7. serve it with rice or/with some kimchi on top or/with a sprinkle of sesame seeds

I got this recipe for Taco Rice from Nana site NANARABU. It was ok, something very simple & easy to make & you get all 4 food groups...grain - rice, vegetables, dairy - cheese & meat - ground beef.

can't have all that fOod without some dessert...so some random pictures of some sugar goodness (mostly)  (^_^)

from left to right top to bottom: sugar heart cookies I made last year,  mini cupcake,

piggy shaped bun (didn't taste good at all but soo cute), egg tart,

gummy bears, chocolate ice cream bar 

Cooking - Chicken Stir-Fry with Salsa

Tried out a new recipe on the weekend again from the "Prevention Guide 30-Minute Chicken Dinner" This time Chicken Stir-Fry with Salsa. It was ok, a very light & healthy meal.

here is what you will need:
-1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into thin strips
-1/2 onion, thinly sliced
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
-1 cup broccoli
-1 cup of salsa or more depending on your taste I put in more because it didn't have enough taste to it

1. coat large pan with cooking spray or oil and set over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently until no longer pink. Remove to plate.
2. cook onion, garlic, bell pepper & broccoli in the same pan until crisp-tender  about 5 mins. Return chicken to pan and add salsa and stir to coat. Cook for 1 to 2 mins. Then add salt & pepper to taste.

Cooking - Chicken Wrap & Japanese Curry

Yesterday I did a bit of cooking, I don't cook everyday especially not often during the week because after work I'm hungry so I usually just wipe up something  quickly which most of the time would be soup with vegetables. Yesterday I was feeling a little down so I cooked. For lunch I made chicken wrap which I got the recipe from "Prevention Guide Magazine 30-Minute Chicken Dinners" but I modified it a little

here is what you will need:
-2 tbsp butter or margarine
-4 tbsp of chili sauce or more depending on hot you like it
-2 chicken breast cut into strips
-spinach
-tomato
-avocado
-whole grain tortillas
-salsa

1. melt the butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat add the chile sauce then add the chicken. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Let it simmer, stirring it occasionally until chicken is no longer pink.
2.  since I don't like raw spinach I boiled it. so boil some water and add the spinach, then drain and pour a little bit of sesame oil on it if you like
3. cut the tomato and avocado
4. wrap into tortillas

A good health light lunch. I ate 4 of them and had some left over for lunch today.

for dinner I made Japanese curry
-any type of meat you want I prefer beef
-any type of vegetables you want this time I used cauliflower, tomato, onion, potato, zucchini & carrots
-Japanese curry pack
-water (will tell you on package how much you need to add in)

I following these instructions on youtube for making the curry

I good hardy dinner...I love Japanese curry ^_^ funny that my friend was craving this too. I don't consider myself a excellent cook because I definitely am not..I follow recipes but cooking can be fun and yummy in the end.