RECIPE: Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

This is one of my favorite dishes to make. I've made it for several dinner parties and I've always received rave reviews. It's quite simple and very filling. I usually serve this dish with a side of jasmine or brown rice and a veggie dish - like sauteed baby bok choy or garlicky green beans. Enjoy!

Servings: 4 (about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp (I always use medium-sized shrimp)

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 cup fresh orange juice (or if you're lazy like me, I use regular OJ from a carton - no pulp though)

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek) - I've always used chile garlic sauce, when I used the paste once, it was so spicy and hot; so, use paste or sauce, either way it'll be good

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with corn starch; toss well to coat. Set aside.

2. Combine orange juice, honey, vinegar, and chile paste (sauce), stirring with whisk; set aside.

3. Heat canola oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add juice mixture and onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Serve immediately.

Rain, Rain Go Away....

So for the past 3 days, it's been raining in the Bay Area. It started on Sunday and it wasn't too bad, a little drizzle here, a little drizzle there, but it was manageable. Yesterday it was raining a little harder but still manageable. It was a good rain and it was enough to make people drive cautiously but not get in accidents. This morning, not only was it raining, but it came down hard. I grew up in Minnesota and even I have to admit that this rain storm is comparable to the likes of the Midwest. I left around 6:40 to give myself some time to get to work this morning because I knew everyone would be driving a little safer than normal (for the most part, we were all going 50-60 mph). Not only was it raining hard but it was still dark out so I'll admit, I was a little scared and nervous. But here I am, safe and sound.

When J and I leave for work, we pull the blinds in the window half-way up for our cat Bailey, who loves to watch cars and people go by outside (and get the occasional visit from the neighborhood cats). As the rain hit the window this morning, she was definitely intrigued by the noise. She would look at me and meow. I think the rain was freaking her out a bit. She could hear water falling into the gutters by the front door and she was sniffing around that area as well.

I wonder what our driveway will look like when I get home later. We have this huge palm tree sitting out at the end of our drive and because of the wind, I suspect pieces of bark, branches, twigs will be all over the driveway. When I opened the garage door this morning, I had to move some pieces out of the way so I could back out easily. Truth be told, I don't mind the rain (in fact, I love it) but these kind of storms in CA bring strong winds and we could do without it. Apparently today's storm isn't even as bad as what's to come....I just hope that everyone stay safe out there on the road.

Recipe: PHO - Quick & Easy

Last night I made pho for dinner. It rained yesterday and nothing makes me feel better than some warm homemade food. Pho is a traditional Vietnamese beef and noodle soup dish, but growing up my mother used pork, and since my husband and I are planning not to eat a lot of red meat or pork, I use chicken. Traditionally, you're supposed to let the broth simmer for hours, but the following recipe is a quick version that anyone can whip up for dinner after working all day.

Here's my quick recipe:

For broth:

1. In a big pot, fill it with water (3/4 full) and put it on high heat

2. add your choice of meat and let it boil for 30-45 minutes, until done
    a. if you use chicken – 1 lb of drumsticks and 1 1b of boneless chicken thighs is a preferred choice, the 
        meat is much tender and tastier

    b. if you use pork – 1-2 lbs of pork shoulder or small pork roast chopped into 3-4 inch pieces

3. after meat is done cooking, take out and let it cool in a bowl

4. add a quartered white onion to broth and 3 beef bouillon cubes and 2 chicken bouillons cubes and let it cook, stir so that the cubes dissolve – feel free to add more water so that your pot is 3/4 full

5. let onion cook for 10 min. at the most then take it out of the pot

6. continue to let broth simmer, turn down heat to low

For meat:

1. after it cools down, you can slice the pork into thin slices/pieces or tear the chicken thighs and drumsticks to pieces, discard bones

For noodles (you can buy from any Asian store - look for packaging that read BANH PHO)

1. soak your pho noodles in very hot water until limp (I do this at least 3 times, draining in between and adding more hot water)

For quartered onion:

1. tear onion into 1-2 inch pieces and set aside

For condiments:

the following is used to flavor the pho – you can add as much as you want for your tastes

• salt
• black pepper
• chopped Thai chili peppers (I have like 2 big bags full at home - from my mom's garden)
• soy sauce
• fish sauce
• oyster sauce
• sriracha sauce
• hoisin sauce

For your bowl of pho:

1. add a good amount of noodles to fill the bowl (once the broth is added, it’ll condense)

2. add a handful of meat (to your liking)

3. add a handful of onions (to your liking)

4. add all condiments (NOTE: at most Pho restaurants, they bring the broth with noodles and meat out to you and you can add all the condiments after – I prefer to add it before pouring the broth on)

5. pour broth over to fill bowl completely

6. add garnishes like bean sprouts, lime, and herbs (scallions, mint, Thai basil, cilantro, culantro – scallions can be sliced or slivered, mint, basil, and cilantro leaves can be used whole) – as you desire

Getting on the 24 Bandwagon

So, for the past 2.5 years, my hubby and I decided to rid of cable all together. The number one reason was due to the problematic service of Comcast (which at the time was the featured package for our apartment complex). We don't even get basic TV or anything. We have a DVD and a VCR (I know, old school!) and an account with Netflix. So, in the last two years we've been able to watch a lot of great TV shows because of Netflix - for instance Deadwood, Dexter, Entourage, Wire in the Blood, and MI-5.

Our new current show to watch is 24. We just started Season 1 Sunday night and have watched 4 "hours" since. I got hooked right away after Mia Kirshner's character Mandy blew herself off the airplane and then another bomb went off exploding the airplane altogether. I didn't expect that and it was reminiscent of other great spy shows like Alias and MI-5.

I'm especially excited that Season 8 is about to start in a few days, so we have at least 7 seasons to watch on Netflix. This show will keep us occupied for a while as we wait for some of our other favorite shows to come out on DVD in the spring and summer.

99 Ranch Market - Why Haven't I Gone Here Sooner???

Yesterday, my oldest sister P came down to visit me and J. We haven't seen her since the week of Christmas. So the plan was we wanted to make fried rice, salmon spring rolls, and bacon-wrapped persimmons with blue cheese (we had to use mango instead since we couldn't find persimmons). Anyway, we needed to get some Asian ingredients and didn't want to drive all the way to the South Bay for it. Then I remembered friends telling me about 99 Ranch Market (a Chinese supermarket chain), so I asked J to look up 99 Ranch and luckily there are two within where I live. So P and I ventured out and we were amazed at how busy it was and how nice their produce section is. They had exactly everything we wanted and then some. From now on, I will drive the extra 5 miles to 99 Ranch to get my produce and meat products and other Asian items I need. The pic here is my receipt. I bought 28 items and my total was $27.84! If I had gone to Lucky's or Safeway, who knows how much it would've been - double that probably. All I know is that for the past few years I end up spending $150-$250 on groceries every other week. It's insane! From now on, I have a new store to go to and it'll save me money.

New Year's Resolution #2

Keeping up with my resolutions....

RESOLUTION #2: Communicate more often with family and friends

I vow to keep more in touch with people that I genuinely care about. Sometimes an email here and there is nice, but I want to make a better effort and actually call people on the phone and hear what they're up to. Being on Facebook, I've reconnected with a lot of people from my past, but I would say for the most part, there's only a small handful of people that I'd actually like to talk to on the phone with. Well, let's just hope that if I'm going to put an effort, the other parties do as well. When it comes to communication, we all know it's a two-way street.

One of my really good friends from college, C and I have managed to maintain a strong bond since we both graduated 5-6 years ago from our alma mater. I know this didn't just happen by chance but we both put the same amount of effort into our friendship. It's great that we have FB as a medium to constantly check on each other, but it means so much more when I get these long novellas of an email from her, plus we manage to make phone dates every month so we can talk in depth. I really appreciate her friendship over the years and I thank her for always making an effort. Like I tell her, she's my Carrie Bradshaw with all of her dating stories and the nicknames we give the guys.

I come from a large family and have 9 siblings. I have 3 younger sisters in college and 1 living in Chicago. This is the time of their lives and I want to be more involved and check in with them more often. I want to be there and give them advice about dating, school, life, work, etc. I should really make the time. My mother amazes me because she is probably one of the busiest women in the world - she's constantly on-the-go and rarely does she ever take time to relax and make time for herself; however, she manages to call my sisters, my brother and his wife, me and my hubby, and my oldest sister on a weekly basis to check in on us and see how we're doing. It's these little things that make me appreciate and love my mother just that much more.

So, don't be surprised if you get a phone call from me in the near future. I really just want to hear how you're doing.

NEWS ALERT: Parents Camp Out to Enroll Their Kids at Elementary School

I just came across an article that kind of threw me for a loop. According to the Merc, parents in Santa Clara camped outside Don Callejon School in order to enroll their child for kindergarten for the fall of 2010.

Maybe it's my midwest upbringing or our school systems there, but I never realized how competitive schools (pre-school-high school) were until I moved out to this area. I've heard of parents researching for the best pre-schools for their toddlers. I've also heard of families moving to certain school districts so that their children are eligible to attend. I understand parents wanting the best for their children, but to camp out at an elementary school seems a bit much.

I'm not here to judge, I just found it interesting. I'm not a parent yet, so I wouldn't understand where they are coming from, I guess. Good luck to those parents - hopefully your child will be among the 120 kindergartners admitted. Parents will find out after Feb. 5th.

Starbucks? No. Peets? No. Hannah Coffee? Yes, please.

This morning on my way to work, I decided to stop by Hannah Coffee located on Almaden going towards HP Pavillion near downtown. It's a small cafe that serves hot drinks and a variety of sweets. Whenever I take Almaden towards work, I've always driven past it. But on Christmas Eve, I decided to stop in and get some breakfast and coffee. My first experience was quite nice. The service was great. Inside the coffee shop, it's quaint and cute. Orchids decorate the counters and they have a small seating area, but I gather customers like the small atmosphere and quietness of the place.

For my second visit to Hannah Coffee, I ordered a medium house coffee (was really good, very smooth and not overly bitter like some coffee from other places). I also ordered a croissant breakfast sandwich and it was delish. The thing I like most about croissants is their flakiness. Most places I go to, they just don't make it right. But at Hannah's, the croissants are crisp and flaky. I love it.

So, if you're near downtown San Jose and need a break from chain coffee shops, go ahead and visit Hannah's. It's worth it.

WHOA! It was a 4.1

Just as I was sitting down at my desk about to send someone an email, I heard a loud "BOOM!" At first I thought it was something in the loading dock (I sit on the 1st floor of my office building) and then I felt myself shaking and the floors trembling. Since I've been in the Bay Area for the past 3 years, this must be the longest earthquake I've experienced (I've felt at least 5). To be honest, didn't like it too much. It may have lasted about 20-30 seconds. It definitely shook me up.

When I checked my handy dandy earthquake reporting website, it listed the quake at a 4.1 magnitude. Let's just hope the tremors that follow are small. I really really hope so.

New Year's Resolution #1

So, we are 5 days into the year 2010. My hubby and I started discussing our new year's resolutions about a month ago. I thought I'd share my resolutions in my blog. Every day, I will talk about each resolution and see how it's going.

RESOLUTION #1: I want to be more zen when it comes to driving.

It's true, I'd like to be more zen, but sometimes I can't help if people annoy me on the road. Living in beautiful C-A, you get all kinds of drivers. We have the 'cell-phone-plastered-to-my-ear' drivers, the 'i-don't-give-a-beep' drivers, the 'drive-under-the-speed-limit' drivers, the newbie drivers, the timid g-mas, and g-pas, and you name it, we have it here in the Bay Area.

I'll admit I like to drive in the fast lane. I have about a 40-mile round-trip commute every day so I drive as responsibly as I can and try to stay in my lane, which is usually the fast lane. I love to just go. I love driving and keeping up with everyone in my lane. Usually we are going about 70-74 over the 65 mph. And then sometimes someone will get in front and barely go the speed limit and that's a BIG problem. When I can see that there are about 10-car lengths ahead of you, it means get out of my lane and into one of the slower ones.

When I lived in MN, people get it. If they know they are being slow, they move over to allow the car behind them to get by. In CA, people are either too stubborn to move or they just don't get it! So, yes, often times (er, most) I'll be swearing like a sailor. It's a good thing I drive by myself a lot, I'd be scared for the passenger that has to listen to me. Don't worry, my windows are rolled up - it's not like I am swearing at the other driver. I don't flash my lights at people, nor do I give anyone the bird. The swearing really is for me to vent.

So for 2010, I've vowed to be more zen. No more swearing. I'll just sing along to my music and drive peacefully.....

.....right. It's a lot harder than you think. It's two days back on the road and I've managed to curse (but not too much). I know I will get there at some point.

It is sad if a Tri-Tip Wrap makes my day....

For the past few weeks, I've been picking lunch up from the cafe that is inside my office building. Lately, I haven't been too thrilled about the menu items. Yesterday I ordered a grilled vegetable panini and I took a few bites and tossed it. Same goes for the caesar salad I had a few days ago. I should be bringing in my own lunch but I just haven't had time to pack one and we haven't had leftovers because I've finally managed to cook proportional servings.

So, just a few minutes ago I made the walk over to the cafe and to my surprise, the Beef Tri-Tip wrap was on the menu. Seriously, this is probably one of the better sandwiches they make. It totally made my day. I know it's just a sandwich, but hey, what more do you want? It's sliced beef tri-tip with cilantro, rice, black beans, and roasted tomatoes.

Why go out for Thai? Recipe: Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

Last night I made one of the most delicious dishes I've experimented with in a long time. My kitchen smelled marvelous afterwards. The best part of this dish is the spice rub for the chicken pieces.

Makes 4 servings

Spice rub ingredients:

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon of the following spices:
ground coriander
cumin
ground cloves
cinnamon
ground cardamom
freshly ground black pepper
ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon of the following spices:
chili powder
turmeric

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (you can use chicken breasts, but thighs are more flavorful)

1 cup chopped red onion
5 gloves of garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

2 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (minus 2 tablespoons)

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together dry spices (salt to turmeric) and set aside.

2. Rinse chicken, pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Put into a bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over all the pieces. Coat well and let sit for 30 minutes at room temp or in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium-high (M-H) heat. Add the onions and jalapenos and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more. Remove this mixture from the pan into a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Use the same skiller for next step.

4. Add 1 tbsp olive oil into skillet on M-H heat. Add half of the the chicken pieces, spreading them out on the pan so they are not crowded. Brown on sides until cooked through. Remove from pan and add the chicken to the bowl with the onion mixture. Repeat this step with second half of the chicken.

5. In same skillet, add the coconut milk (minus a couple tablespoons). In a small bowl, mix two teaspoons of corn starch with 2 tbsp of reserved coconut milk to dissolve the corn starch. Add the corn starch mixture to the skillet with coconut milk. Cook on M-H heat and stir till thick and bubbly. Mix in worcestershire sauce. Add chicken mixture and basil. Cook 2 minutes more to cook through.

6. Serve over jasmine rice and enjoy!

Bon Apetit! That's what I'll be saying when I enjoy my leftovers for dinner tonight!

Recipe: Creme Brulee

Since Thanksgiving I've been baking A LOT! So, my hubby asked me if I could stop baking for a short period of time as part of his new year's resolutions. We are very opposite when it comes to sweets - he has the biggest sweet tooth so he'll keep eating and eating because he can't control himself. The stuff I bake could sit there for days and at the most, I'd eat a few here and there. So, to help him out, I vowed that I'd put off baking for a while.

Yesterday was my last day to bake, so I decided to make creme brulee. The recipe was so easy and the result was fabulous. Here are the easy-to-follow directions:

Ingredients:

1 quart heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

10 egg yolks

1 pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Use 6-7 oz. ramekins and place them in a 13x9 baking pan

2. Heat the over to 325 degrees

3. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until scalded (you'll see small bubbles on the sides of the pan). Turn off heat and set aside. (TANGENT - I walked away for a two seconds and my cream boiled over, oops! No worries, still usable. So make sure to watch it as you heat it up.

4. In a medium bowl, slowly whisk the sugar and salt into the egg yolks.

5. Slowly temper the hot cream into the sugar/yolk mixture. (TIP: I poured the hot cream in batches and slowly stirred each time)

6. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a pitcher or measuring cup (I used a a tiny strainer and it worked perfectly)

7. Stir in vanilla extract.

8. Pour the mixture into the ramekins. Fill the baking dish with water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and cover the dish with foil.

9. Bake until just set, 25-50 mins. (about 50 mins for me, using a 7 oz. ramekin cup). You should check early; baking time will differ depending on thickness and depth of your ramekins and baking dish.

10. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and let ramekins cool in the water bath

11. Remove ramekins and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

12. For the topping: sprinkle a layer of sugar over each cold creme brulee just before serving.

13. Caramelize by using a propane torch by passing over the sugar or putting under the broiler (I used the broiler and it worked out just fine)

ENJOY!

A New Start...

I've attempted to maintain and update a blog for the past two years - and I've never been able to keep up with it. Well, this year I'm going to change that. The purpose of my blog is to introduce my friends, family, and strangers out there to my daily experiences.

Maybe I should consider changing the title of my blog (to be honest, I doubt I will really update on a daily basis), but I will frequently update my blog as I come across something worth writing about. Another purpose of maintaining a blog is to get me writing as often as possible. One of my new year's resolutions is to start writing my novel. I've been plotting for the past few years and I'd like to really write it now. I won't go into details about my novel, but I will keep you updated on my progress.

So, here a toast to the new year and wish me luck as I embark on this writing challenge.