My favorite cookbooks- Part 1

I must admit that I am a cookbook junkie. I love to look through them for new ideas, to salivate over the pictures, and to find some inspiration when I get in a culinary rut. However, of all the cookbooks I have (there must be more than 50), there are relatively few that I go back to again and again. Whether you are just setting up a household and want to know what to look for or you are an experienced cook just looking for something new to cook for your family, I can give you a few tips I go by.

The Joy of Cooking is a great first cookbook that includes the basics of cooking techniques, simple and more complex recipes. It is a cookbook that is appropriate for home cooks at almost any level and can grow as you become more and more experienced and more and more adventurous. The copy I got when my children were young (and there were fewer of them) was from our neighbors (and great friends) Pat and Kathy Micken who had an extra copy. When I got it, it had a light blue cloth cover that has since fallen off, but you can easily tell that there are great recipes inside just by looking at the pages. It violates one of my cardinal rules about not liking any cookbooks without pictures, but as you can see from this picture of my well-used copy, that has not been an obstacle!

The first cookbook I got as a gift was when I was first married was A Treasury of Great Recipes by Vincent and Mary Price (for you Generation X-ers, you will remember Vincent Price as the narrator of Michael Jackson's Thriller video!) It is a great cookbook and I often use recipes from it since it includes recipes from great restaurants in Vincent and his wife's travels around the world. It also has a lot of sentimental value since it was a gift from my in-laws.

One of the cookbooks that really encouraged me to play with food was a cookbook by a chef at a restaurant in New England that we visited many years ago when my sister-in-law's husband was stationed there. The restaurant was called The Blue Strawberry and the chef, James Haller, did not believe in conventional recipes, and encouraged you to cook by combining and experimenting flavors. We ate in his restaurant once (we were young marrieds with a baby and had to save every penny to pay for our dinner) and it was incredible. I checked on James Haller to prep for this post and while I could not tell if the Blue Strawberry Restaurant was still operating, I see that James Haller is a prostate cancer survivor and has written several more cookbooks including two that are geared toward helping seriously ill patients eat well (What to Eat When You Don't Feel Like Eating and What To Eat ) Looks to me like Chef Haller is still breaking new ground! To tell the truth, my copy of this cookbook was loaned to someone (if only I could remember who?) and I never got it back, but I am including it here because it imparted a fun philosophy of food to me that I have made a part of my everyday culinary life.

As I said, I don't normally use cookbooks without pictures, but the America's Best Recipes cookbooks are an exception, mainly because the recipes have all been tested and are the "best of the best" of the cookbooks from Junior Leagues and church groups around the country. I have never made a recipe from here that wasn't great. It is a great resource fow when you have to make something for a pot-luck. If I took a picture of the inside of these books you could see the spots and stuck pages that tell you they are well-used.

This is by no means my full collection, but I did want to give a picture of some of the cookbooks that I use everyday and that help me whenever I want to play with food. Let me know some of your favorites and I will be sharing more in future posts.

Restoran Asia, Seremban

I went to Seremban a couple weeks ago to accompany SF to get her sari.. Desmond, a Serembanite (or is it Serembanian?) brought us to this shop that sells gorgeous saris. After SF did her purchase, Desmond decided to bring us to eat this famous curry noodles (supposely the locals would know this place) in Senawang.

Restoran Asia is more like a coffee shop, but only sell curry noodles and chap fan (another stall). You would know that the main attraction is the curry noodles as every table would have at least a bowl of the goodie :).

I must confess that I am never a fan of curry noodles. I find curry noodles too rich and heavy for lunch.. Anyways, since this is reputedly good, of coz die die I must try! We can have the basic curry noodles with our choice of noodles. Most of the patrons would add curry chicken to their noodles as it's more filling. Very quickly we got our steaming hot curry noodles and man, it does looks really good!

Even me, whose knowledge and interest on curry noodles are limited, can see that this is one yummy looking dish. The curry was thick, but not too santanish and very flavourful. The usual ingredients were there, the taupok (beancurd), cockles, lots of taugeh, curry chicken etc (their version is without char siew)..Everything just complements the other so well. And eat it with their shrimp chilli really completes the meal. I dont even feel jelak to the last mouthful of the noodles. I must say that this curry noodles is truly lipsmacking :). SF did point out that this is not the Penang version of curry noodles.. so if you only like the PG version, this may not be your cup-of-tea.. or shall I say, bowl of noodles? kekekeke

What Julianne thinks?

Delicious and satisfying

Restoran Asia is located at 341, Taman Senawang Jaya, Seremban. Sorry I cant provide more details, as I am rather lost at that area.. The proprietor said the shop is in the Senawang Industry, very near this huge factory called "Onn" (some Motorola factory). Tel: 06- 6770667.

Ho Weng Kee, SS2

Hah, yes, SS2, where it's famed for food galore to satisfy anyone's craving..

But is that true? No doubt, there's lots of eateries around, but to find some above average food in SS2 may be a tad difficult at times.. :(

Anyways, I came to know about Ho Weng Kee just early this year as my boss was telling me about this very famous wantan mee in SS2 that has been in biz for decades. Why dont you try it since you are staying near there? Betul juga, why dont I try it? Guess coz its opened for breakfast and lunch? And I usually go to SS2 during dinners? Nonetheless, I went with Amy (who absolutely loves wantan mee) and I have return to Ho Weng Kee a few times after that.

Ho Weng Kee serves the basic wantan noodles, ie, with wantan and char siew. You get to choose for it to be served as dry or noodle soup. I ordered the usual wantan mee while amy always have pure char siew with noodles. Although it's full house, our food came in ok time...

HWK's wantan mee has just the right texture, springy to the bite. I guess they did a good job in the "go lang hor" section, ie, boiling and soaking the noodles in cold water to get the right noodles texture. As for the dry noodle sauce base, its really fragrant.. at a closer inspection, I could see that the noodles was drizzled with lard/chicken fat stock.. You give the noodles a toss and wahlah, it tastes wonderful :). The charsiew was ok, maybe slightly above average, the wantan filling was tasty but too little :p. But I would say that the star attraction is the noodles itself.. Just yummy.

You get to choose different toppings for the wantan mee, such as braised mushrooms with chicken feet, beef brisket, shredded chicken, curry chicken etc..

What Julianne thinks?

Uncomplicated yet delectable

Ho Weng Kee is located at Jalan SS2/66. I've forgotten to jot down the shop number though.. sorry mates..Its at the SS2 square, faces outside road. Same row as Ampang Yong Tow Foo and the row where theres lots of dimsum shops.

The Dowds Give Thanks

After all the shopping (about ten trips to about 5 stores), the preparing ( about 6 hours even before I put the turkey in the oven), the cleaning, and the planning, Thanksgiving is finally here. This is the time I really wish there was such a thing as smell-o-vision because then you could smell the roast turkey and stuffing that is permeating my entire house. I spoke in my last post about Thanksgiving menu so here is ours:

Roast Turkey (brined and cooked a la Alton Brown's Romancing the Bird)
Virginia Dowd's Sausage Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes (in all their carbohydrate laden glory) and Gravy
Traditional Green Bean Casserole
Sheila's Corn Pudding
No-Knead Light Rolls (from a very old copy of the Joy of Cooking)
Homemade (for me) and Canned(for my husband) cranberry sauce
Pumpkin Bourbon Pie (I use this recipe but add 1/2 tsp extra pumpkin pie spice, 3 tablespoons good bourbon, and my secret ingredient- a couple of shakes, to taste, of chipotle chili powder)
Pecan Pie
Libby's Pumpkin Roll

Virginia Dowd's Sausage Stuffing

This recipe was handed down from my mother-in-law, and is a treasured family recipe. So now I guess you are part of the family, too.

1 pound pork sausage
1 stick butter
4 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
2-4 tbsp chopped parsley
3-4 cups chicken stock (I take the turkey neck, gizzard,onion, celery and carrots and begin boiling stock for the stuffing and gravy, but you could use boxed or canned if you'd rather)
1 bag of herb seasoned stuffing
2 eggs, beaten
Poultry seasoning
Ground sage
Salt (start with 2 teaspoons and add till it tastes right)
Pepper to taste
Giblets from turkey (liver and heart) - If you don't like giblets don't use them but you miss an extra layer of flavor in your stuffing.
2 heels of white bread

Melt butter in pan and begin browning sausage, breaking up as you work. Add onions and celery and giblets and saute slowly until vegetables are translucent, giblets are browned and all pink is gone from sausage. Put stuffing mix in a large bowl. Pour sauteed veggies and meat in bowl with stuffing mix and stir together. Add two cups of stock and stir, then add beaten eggs. Add salt, pepper,and other seasonings. I start with a teaspoon each of poultry seasoning and sage (but I really love sage!). Add chopped parsley. Add more stock until stuffing is moist but not soggy. Adjust seasonings to taste (make sure to use a clean fork each time you (or anyone else) tastes). I stuff my stuffing into the bird and cover the large cavity with two white bread heels (Once the turkey is done, this "turkey bread" is a prized morsel in our house!) Follow Alton Brown's instructions for cooking the turkey - it works for me!

Sheila's Corn Pudding

This recipe is a slight revision of one of two fabulous recipes(I'll provide the other in a future post!) I got from Sheila who used to work with me at Jefferson Lab, a nuclear physics lab, with an international workforce. It was published in our Recipes of Jefferson Lab cookbook, and is now part of our Thanksgiving. It is so sweet, it could almost be a dessert and is great as a side with barbecued pork too.

1 can creamed corn
1 pint heavy cream
2 cups defrosted frozen corn or fresh corn kernels(I love lots of corn in mine)
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 stick butter cut into pats
fresh or grated nutmeg

Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. In a bowl mix creamed corn, beaten eggs, sugar, corn kernels, and vanilla. Dissolve cornstarch in heavy cream and mix into other ingredients. Grate fresh nutmeg on the top and put pats of butter on the top. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45-60 minute until center is set and stir at least twice during baking for a smoother result.

It's all over now except the clean up (at least two dishwashers full!). The turkey stock is simmering on the stove, with that fabulous turkey smell spreading throughout the house. One by one the kids have left for the evening, and I have a minute to stop and take a long, deep breath (and get off my feet for the first time today!) I miss the noise, the back and forth banter at the dinner table, the funny (and in some cases, embarrassing) stories the kids exchanged at the evening table, the laughter, the love. And I am truly thankful.

Lo Wong, Sunway Mas

Yes, yes, you would be thinking of the Lo Wong taugeh chicken in Ipoh.. I was told that this is their branch in PJ.. nonetheless, I did not check with the proprietor, so I shall not confirm on this info :p. I have been to Lo Wong for a couple of times already as its very near my home..

Elaine, Alicia, Jon and SL joined me for lunch after helping me clean up my condo (thanks all!). Lo Wong had make it easy to order with their "set meal" of taugeh, chicken and choice of side dish (of fish balls, porkballs, chicken parts, braised chicken feet with mushroom and sometimes, curry chicken/braised pork). So without fretting too much, we ordered meal for 5, with porkballs and curry chicken for side dish.

Elaine and me decided to have these with rice while the rest ordered kuay teow (dry/soup)....

The food was served promptly....The taugeh looks juicy and plump, so very tempting! I took a mouthful and yes, it is that juicy and plump :). I liked the way Lo Wong cook the taugeh, just rite, not too raw (with those 'green' taste) nor too cooked (till its soggy). Nice.

Their version of chicken aka bak cham is pretty good too, the skin smooth, the meat tender and the sweet salty soy sauce complements the chicken well. You mix in your own chilli, garlic (or like my Klang frens, with dark soy sauce) and in no time you'll be gobbling down the food :p. I thot this is as good, or maybe better, than Jalan Gasing's taugeh chicken.

Porkballs were springy and flavoursome, with chopped cuttlefish mixed in it which enhances the porkballs flavour. One of the girls commented that the size of the porkballs were smaller here compared to Jalan Gasing's.. but hey, I'm quality over quantity anytime, so still think this is good :)

Sadly, the side dish of curry chicken was nothing to shout about. Rather plain curry actually, you may want to opt for other side dishes instead...

What Julianne thinks?

Value for money, filling and good

I did not manage to get the address, sorry mates.. Just drive towards Aman Suria (near Tropicana), at the Sunway Mas area. Same area as Restoran Chan Kee, after passing Jin Shan Cheng, turn right, drive straight, Lo Wong is on your left side, corner shop.

Thanksgiving menu and other dilemmas

Each year there comes the time when each of us (those cooking, not those who are going to be guests of other cooks) has to buckle down and decide what to have for Thanksgiving dinner. What we decide has to do not only with what we remember as children but the memories we want to create for our family and friends. Shall we do the same things we remember form our childhood? Our grandmother's pumpkin pie? Our mother-in-law's stuffing? Green bean casserole? The sweet potatoes covered with toasted marshmallows? Or do we want to Martha Stewart-ize our holiday with honey-roasted chipotle-smoked turkey(not a real recipe), sweet potato souffle and fennel with sauteed cabbage. Not that I don't admire Martha Stewart. I give her props for building an empire after her divorce and giving new meaning to "Don't get mad, get even." She has great ideas and has encouraged a whole generation to gentility in entertaining. I often look to her books, magazine or shows for inspiration. My challenge (and yours) is to take our inspiration not only from culinary mavens like Martha, Julia Child, and the Barefoot Contessa, but to look to your own heritage and family history to build a menu that will arouse fond memories of the past and make new memories and establish traditions for the future.

There are some things that you family has to have for Thanksgiving - it might be the roast turkey, or the ham with pineapple rings and cloves, Aunt Edna's sweet potatoes or your Mom's apple pie. Our nation and families are changing. You could have a vegetarian at your Thanksgiving table. Your new son-in-law could be from Korea, or your daughter's friend from college could come from from Cuba, or Ethiopia, or Spain. You might have adopted children from Russia or Guatemala or China or have foster children from the black community. I think you get my point. Just as the first Thanksgiving was a melding of the Pilgrim's English culture and the Native Americans who were here, our own family Thanksgiving should model the heritage of our families, it members and the members of our extended families. Your menu is you family' s chance to celebrate all that is good about it, and to be thankful for the heritage and the food that you share at your Thanksgiving table. And isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about?

Note: The family pictured is not my own. How should you know? There is no music playing, or a football game on television. No one is arguing or sulking, or yelling. There is no dancing, or loud belches, or spilled anything in this picture. And would I have it any other way? Absolutely not.

6 to 10 Grill and Nasi Lemak, Sek 17

It was another wet day... has been raining every evening

We were restless, could not make up our mind on where and what to eat.. :(.

Finally, we decided to makan at 6 to 10 since we wanted to try it for sometime already. Always passed by the place when we are going to Food Foundry but somehow never got around to it....

Though it was a wet evening, 6 to 10 was pretty pack when we reach. We quickly settled for a seat and browsed through the menu.. 6 to 10 serves mainly western food, but nasi lemak seems to be a rather popular dish too as many were happily tucking in to their nasi lemak.. SF, P and I decided to have nasi lemak with dishes of curry chicken, sambal sotong and beef rendang respectively. SL decided to have the gargantuan red wine grilled pork ribs..

I was hungry and I thought ordering nasi lemak would be the fastest, but I was wrong! Guess loads of people ordered nasi lemak too and we waited for a while before we got ours.. The nasi lemak looked ok...the usual nasi, ikan bilis and peanuts, a dollop of sambal and half a hard boiled egg.. I took a mouthful and....it was not as good as I thot :(. The beef rendang was slightly tough and sambal did not have enough 'kick'.P's sambal sotong was so so, she said she tasted better. SF was also ok with the curry chicken. What SF said was rite, this is a 'chinese' nasi lemak, not as much oommpphh compared to the malay's. Hope you get what I meant.. :p

Finally, SL's huge pork ribs came and I must say that it's better than the nasi lemak.The ribs were smothered with this red-wine-pineapple sauce, served with chips, corn and some salad.. I stole a bite (thanks SL!) of the pork ribs and it was pretty good. You could taste the subtle taste of wine in the sauce, the pork ribs had this springy texture and its sweet yet tender at the same time. Like those served in Meaty House in Uptown. I guess their forte should be western grill rather than nasi lemak. I saw quite a lot of newspaper articles around the restaurant, all framed up since the 90's. If I didnt recalled wrongly (from what I read in one of the articles), 6 to 10 has been in the business since 17 years ago....Yup, that many years :p

What Julianne thinks?
Reasonably priced but mediocre

6 to 10 Grill and Nasi Lemak is located at Happy Mansion, Jln 17/13 Petaling Jaya. Tel: 7955 4993

The White House Eggnog

I woke up this morning and realized that it is Thanksgiving week. I started this blog to encourage people to make memories with food and then I drop out of my blog for 3 of the most critical days. I have been fighting a flu and so even thinking about food has not been high on my list (toast, Coke, crackers... not exactly culinary highlights) However, as I have said previously, any occasion at the Dowd house is cause for a party and so you can imagine the countdown to Thanksgiving is a veritable festival.

For us, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season and certain things must be done. First, the cornucopia must come out and be filled with gourds, little pumpkins and other fruits and vegetables. We started with a wicker one years ago but as it got a bit grody, we found a wire decorative one and so that is now the official cornucopia. It represents the plenty that comes with harvest time (even if now our harvest comes from the Kroger or Harris Teeter) and I highly recommend it to get into the Thanksgiving mood. If you don't have a cornucopia, you can just use a nice basket. Of course, the house needs to be cleaned... including the oven, in preparation for the orgy of cooking to come. Then there is the selection of the bird. We always have to go to at least two stores to find the best bird,and then determine where we can get the best buy on the best bird. My husband says its the closest he gets to being the hunter-gatherer therefore it is part of our tradition. The other thing we have to do each year is buy the cotton string to truss the bird. Each year we buy a new roll of cotton string, but the week before Thanksgiving we can never find it. It has found its way out to the garage, into a crabbing bucket, or God knows where, so off we go to the Ace Hardware to get a new ball of cotton string, and you know what? Next year we won't be able to find this one either!

The real kick-off to the holiday season that has to happen this week, and that I am now going to share with you is the making of the "White House" eggnog. I warned you that many of my recipes have their own story and to get the recipe you have to listen to the story, so here goes. For years and years, my only experience with eggnog came from a cardboard carton, and I was no fan. My sister in law had a party and served a homemade eggnog that she said was from the White House recipe (at the time she had connections that made this believable) and it was incredible. They should not even allow the stuff in the cartons to be called eggnog when compared to this concoction. She would not give away the recipe, but I worked with several recipes and techniques until I got the desired result. I guarantee you that this is absolutely the best eggnog ever, and if you make it for your Christmas party or open house, it will be a hit. Then you can send your friends to this blog to get the recipe themselves. I know it sounds complicated, but don't skip steps or take shortcuts or it won't turn out as well. Some things are worth the trouble. And the calories.

Dowd "White House" Eggnog

12 eggs, separated (I use pasteurized eggs so I don't have to worry about the dangers of raw eggs)

1 lb confectioner's sugar

2 cups bourbon (nothing from the cheap bottom shelf of the ABC store)

2 cups rum (See above tip)

1 quart heavy cream

1 quart half and half

Freshly grated nutmeg

Beat egg yolks until light in color and slowly beat in the confectioner's sugar. Very slowly, beat in one cup of bourbon and 1 cup of rum. Once liquors are incorporated, let this mixture to stand at least an hour before continuing. This will help get rid of the "eggy" taste.

Next beat in the remainder of the liquor and one quart of half and half, and then refrigerate for at least three hours.

Next beat the egg whites until stiff and beat the whipping cream to soft peaks (This will take longer with the pateurized eggs, but add 1/4 tsp cream of tarter and keep whipping-it will happen ). Fold egg whites into egg yolk-sugar and liquor mixture until incorporated fully, then fold in whipped cream thoroughly. Grate nutmeg over the top.

I store mine in large plastic pitchers with lids so that each time, you can shake up the eggnog to make sure everything is well incorporated. Makes about 1 gallon eggnog.

O&S Restaurant (hawker), Seapark

I think most of the folks staying in and around Seapark would know O&S.. heck, I even know some from Klang and Cheras who travel all the way here to makan..
The few of us think that O&S is the only place that serves decent hawker food in PJ. I mean, lets not compare to Penang.. But in PJ, susah betul nak cari hawker yang satisfying...(..do let me know if theres any other good hawker in PJ, thanks!)
Anyways, SL, P and I went over to O&S for brunch on a recent saturday. We were prepared to wait for a table as O&S is usually extremely pack and it's a norm to dap toi (share table) with other people. SL and I ordered our usual kuay teow th'ng while P ordered chee cheong fun and yong tau foo..
I always have a soft spot for the kuay teow th'ng here as its the yummiest I can find in PJ. I always wanted to try other stuff, but my craving for this is so strong, everytime I'll end up eating this :p. This ktt's kuay teow is very smooth, the soup is sweet and flavoursome.. filled with tender shredded chicken, fish cakes and fish balls, this is one satisfying bowl of yum :) (p/s- there's 2 stalls that serves kuay teow soup, I prefer this one.. the other stall serves with shelled prawns..)
Pariza went for the yong tau foo, which is self serve. You go and choose what you want, wait for them to cook it and bring over to your table. The YTF stall's biz is brisk coz loads of customer buy this as 'appetizer' while waiting for their 'mains' to come. The norm of YTF is served here, most of it tastes good...
The chee cheong fun is the Penang style ccf, with har gou (aka prawn paste) as the sauce base.The ccf is smooth, practically glides down the throat. So if you miss the PG version, am sure that O&S's ccf can satisfy that craving ;p
Other hawker fare they are famous for would be the assam laksa (I have a friend who claims that this is the best assam laksa after those in PG), curry mee, prawn mee and char koay teow (long wait though)..

What Julianne thinks?
Superb and gratifying

O&S Restaurant is located at Jalan 20/14, Paramount Garden (Seapark), 46300 Petaling Jaya. Corner shop opposite Caltex station. Drive from SS2 to Seapark, at KFC crossjunction, turn left. Drive straight till next traffic light. Turn right. You'll see O&S on the right. Opens for breakfast and lunch. At nite it's taichow (hokkien mee quite famous)

The foodies on Food Network

Food Network has made cooking fashionable even for men. It is like a lesson and entertainment in one and there is something for everyone. My husband, for whom cooking is more of a spectator sport loves to watch and often calls me to tell me what shows and recipes to look up (remind me to tell you why I would never make a recipe he gave me without looking it up.) The following is a collection of our favorite foodies and observations.

Alton Brown and Good Eats is my husbands absolute favorite. He is a nerdy guy who gives you the science behind cooking well, but you are as much entertained as educated. I sometimes get a bit frustrated because when I am looking for a good recipe, I just want to know the recipe not the why of how it works, but it is a very interesting show. His Romancing the Bird episode is great for making your Thanksgiving turkey. Everything he cooks is really good eats!

Rachael Ray is one of my favorites, although I am worried that she may be approaching over exposure ( fate that overcame FN's Emeril LaGasse). She is perky and her 30 Minute Meals is a blessing to working women everywhere. The premise of her show is that in the time you could go to KFC, you can make a real meal from scratch. I use her recipes all the time and they always turn out.

Fairly new to FN, this show is very good with great ideas, focused on easy foods that are great for casual entertaining. This is another one of my husband's favorites.

Crank up Sweet Home Alabama, pour yourself some sweet tea and you will be ready for Paula Deen. Watching her show is like getting a cooking lesson from your Grandma, only way more fun. Her manner and style are just great (she reminds me of my neighbor Renee, whom I love!) Her recipes are not for dieters, they focus on contemporary and traditional southern favorites. I hope I can grow to be half as comfortable in my skin as Paula Deen is in hers. You go girl!

Sandra Lee is growing on both my husband and me. She is like a working woman's Martha Stewart , without the prison record. Semi-Homemade shows you how to make a great occasion using shortcuts (mixes, etc.) that make it easier to do something fabulous given most of us don't have unlimited time and money. Her meals always feature a "tablescape" in keeping with her theme. A woman after my own heart, Sandra always includes a great cocktail with her menu.. and God knows in our busy world we can always use a great cocktail recipe.

Check out the "foodies" and find your own favorites!

How to pick beef (and I don't mean at a singles bar)

One of the hardest things to do for a beginning cook, especially on a budget, is selecting meat. It is no fun to spend a lot of time planning and making a meal only to have the meat be tough or stringy or chewy. This is your chance to benefit from my years of experience in buying meat, what cuts are good for what dishes and how to save money on meat at the supermarket.

Ground Beef - There are several cuts of beef that are affordable but delicious. Of course one of the most versatile cuts of beef is ground beef. It can form the basis for a great chili or lasagna, a family meatloaf, Sloppy Joes, tacos or make a great hamburger. Usually you will see ground beef, ground chuck or ground round. Ground chuck is good for most recipes that call for ground beef and if you get 80/20 (80% lean to 20% fat) you will have a burger that is moist but not greasy. Here is my recipe for a great hamburger:

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch Burgers
Mix 1 tbsp of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (dry) into each pound of hamburger.
Make into patties , season with pepper and grill or broil.
Serve with mayonnaise mixed crumbled blue cheese. Great either on or without a bun.

Steaks - Steaks are a very popular meal whether it is a ribeye for a backyard barbecue or a filet mignon for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner. Filet mignon or beef tenderloin is the most tender and most expensive cut. I normally buy a whole tenderloin when my local Harris Teeter has it on sale (last time it was featured it was $8.88/lb). Rib eye and New York strip steaks are both very good for grilling or broiling, but can be expensive if you are feeding a crowd. If you are on a budget, a good steak to broil that can feed several people and has a great flavor is a flank steak. When I buy mine at Costco, I take them out of the package, sprinkle both sides with unflavored meat tenderizer, and put in Ziploc freezer bags to freeze for when I need them. That way while they are defrosting the tenderizer has a chance to work.

Easy Workday Flank Steak

1 defrosted pre-tenderized flank steak
Seasoning mix (You can use Montreal steak; Six Pepper Blend, Garlic Pepper blend, or any other blend you like)
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

Put the steak on a broiler pan. Sprinkle with seasoning mix and drizzle with olive oil
Broil 2-3 inches from top of oven, watching closely. After top is brown and sizzling(5-10 minutes), flip over, season and oil other side, and broil till this side is lightly brown. Remove from oven and put on cutting board or platter and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain. Serve with Blue cheese mayonnaise (above) or guacamole.

Roasts

Beef roasts are great whether you are looking for an elegant family meal or a casual dinner that can serve a crowd. For a special meal, a rib roast or tenderloin cannot be beat, but for most of us, it is not an every day dish. You often see eye of round roasts that are inexpensive, but they are really not ideal for roasting since they do not have much fat and can turn out dry and tough. Chuck or pot roast can be very good especially cooked in a crockpot. This is one of my favorite ways to fix pot roast in the crockpot.

Smothered Pot Roast

1 large onion, cut in chunks
1 3-4 lb chuck roast
1 can Contadina tomato paste (I like the one with roasted garlic)
2 beef boullion cubes
2 cups hearty red wine

Place onions on the bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle meat tenderizer on both sides of meat and lay on onions in pot. Spread tomato paste on meat. Dissolve cubes in wine and pour over meat. Cover and cook in crockpot on low for 8-9 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or rice. Serves 4-6

Hopefully this post will help you answer when someone asks ,"Where's the beef?"

Marmalade Kafe, Mont Kiara

SF has been talking about Marmalade since she tried it some time ago, but we did not get to pop over there till recently.

Marmalade Kafe is a warm lil cafe, a family friendly place. In fact, I thot I stepped into a nursery when I went in as Marmalade was decorated with lots of toys, colourful walls, tables and chairs. It even had a children 'play' corner so that the parents could enjoy their meal while keeping an eye on their tots.

It was a nice breezy afternoon and I was famish.. I wanted to makan banyak banyak, hence we ordered the havana salad, beef stew, and mushroom, pesto, pine nuts and cheese sandwich..

Food was served promptly, and we got the havana salad (I hope I recalled the name correctly) first. This is a gorgeuos looking salad, with all the bright colours tempting you to eat it immediately. And yes, I was chomping down the salad the moment I put my camera down. The burst of flavours was wonderful, the havana salad is done beautifully that you do taste the ingredients and it does complement each other. Havana is a toss of chopped capsicums, grilled chicken breast, pineapple, corn, beans, pine nuts and grilled halumi cheese. A bit of alfafa on top and wahlah, you get a great tasting salad. One of the better ones I have tasted.

The beef stew was served next. Piping hot, the stew came with 2 thick grain toast, which tasted great with the stew. The stew was a large portion, with loads of chunky beef, carrots, potatoes and champignons. Warms up my hungry stomach almost immediately :p. Marmalade's stew is the homely type, nothing fancy. I do find the stew a tad salty after a while, some of the beef a lil chewy, but overall, the dish was fine.

SF's sandwich came last. It was a simple looking sandwich, pesto for base, mushroom and pine nuts in the centre, melted cheese on top. Again, it looks homely, like something you can whip out from your kitchen.. Taste was ok, but I think I prefer the sandwiches served at Delicious cafe.

What Julianne thinks?

Happy, cozy and simple

Marmalade Kafe is located at LG-1A, Shoplex at Mont Kiara, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara. Tel: 6201 1743. Its right opposite Plaza Mont Kiara.

265,800 served

Many people have encouraged me over the years to write a cookbook, but in exploring the incredible food blogs out there like Obsession with Food, Amateur Gourmet, and Kitchen Chick, I was beginning to wonder "What am I doing here, writing my own food blog?". That is, until I started to calculate how many people I have cooked for. Discounting all the cooking I did before I left home (which believe me, was all very experimental!), I calculated that over the last 30 years I have served at least 265,800 people meals! Some chefs of small bistros and exclusive restaurants have probably not cooked as much. I have made croissants from scratch (never again, my kitchen looked like a cocaine dealer's, with white powder (flour) covering almost every surface), cooked meals of bison, goat and duckling, have cooked (and eaten) sweetbreads, and know how to cook fish that even non-fish-eaters will devour. I make eggrolls and steamed dumplings from scratch, and can cook (if you can call it that) sashimi. I can make French onion soup, South African Bobotie, Buss-up-shut (a flat bread) from Trinidad, great American hamburgers and the best damn eggnog you've ever tasted.

Maybe even more important than these accomplishments is that I have raised 6 children, one of whom himself has become a chef, who have a healthy and adventurous attitude toward food. All of them enjoy cooking and I count them among my first "play with food" converts. I have cooked countless meals of comfort food from meat loaf to macaroni and cheese that attracted not only my own kids but their friends, their coworkers, my coworkers, and countless neighbors and friends.

I know what I do well. I create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in my home, with food as a central player.
I use food as a celebration, as a way to share time and company with those close to my family. Actually, our friends have often said that we Dowds could make a party out of anything, and actually, I am proud of that.
Unlike most high-profile chefs, I have experience feeding a family of 8 on $50 a week (thank God those days are over!), can stretch a ham or a roast for 3 meals without making my children groan,and I can cook to suit a diabetic, someone on the Atkins diet, or a fussy toddler. Two hundred sixty five thousand eight hundred down and I'm looking forward to my next three or four hundred thousand.

I also know what I am not good at. My mom is a great pie crust maker, but unfortunately I didn't inherit that talent, so I give in to refrigerated dough. My Grandmother McKinney was an incredible bread baker, but my talents there are limited as well. I am a professional chef who just doesn't get paid with money. I get paid in smiles, and hugs, in handshakes, laughter and fellowship, and sometimes even compliments. Hmm...now that I think of it, maybe some of those other food bloggers should be worried.

Fricken' chicken

I had thought I would bring you along slowly, building up a basis for playing with food before I started including recipes, but I was inspired because tonight I had to make Fricken' Chicken for my husband, and I thought what better way to illustrate how food becomes part of our family life (maybe too much!)

This recipe definitely had a nicer name when we saw it on a Food Network special before the Super Bowl. It is like a boneless buffalo wing only, if you can believe it, more habit-forming. I made it for my family and then
the nightmare began. For about the next 6 weeks every time I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner, he would say, "How about that buffalo chicken recipe?" (I then stopped asking!) After about the fifth (or fiftieth) time, I finally had had enough and answered, " I am not making that fricken' chicken again!" Thus the name. I am giving you a recipe that should feed 3 people, but I am telling you, you should be prepared to double or triple this recipe... And I apologize up front because I know a similar moment is coming for you!

Fricken' Chicken

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-2 inch chunks (I use these because they are cheaper and more flavorful, but you could use breasts)
~2/3 cup of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp paprika
2 cups canola oil

1/2 stick of butter
1 cup hot sauce (I use Texas Pete, but you can use whichever is your favorite)

Pour oil into saucepan or deep fry pan and heat till a bread cube sizzles with bubbles around. Mix flour with salt, herbs and spices, and put in a quart size ziploc bag and shake to mix. In batches, shake the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour and set on a plate (I use paper) until they are all done. In batches, fry the chicken pieces
until golden brown turning in the oil as necessary. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, melt the butter in the microwave and stir in hot sauce. Add the drained chicken pieces to the sauce. Set down on the table and get out of the way!!

I serve this with a simple wedge of iceberg lettuce with finely chopped tomato, blue cheese dressing and crumbled bacon. It is a nice alternative to the usual celery sticks.

A shopping list saves time and money!

Shopping. It is a necessary part of playing with food, but is often the first stumbling block for aspiring cooks, whether they are just starting out or have been cooking for years. Shopping for food takes money and time - something many of us have way too little of. I can share some tips that might help make shopping for food less of a chore.

My first bit of advice is to sit down each week and decide what you want to cook for your main meals. I know this sounds like a drag, but it saves stress and money. First, take stock of what you have in your fridge and freezer that you should use in the coming week. Look in your pantry to see what staples you might be running low on. This will help shape what you make in the coming week and identify what you need on your shopping list. Believe me, this will save time and money later. Now for the fun part. I usually sit down with cooking magazines, my favorite cookbooks, and my computer and decide roughly what I want for dinner for the next week. When I say roughly, I mean I decide on whether I am having flank steak, chicken thighs, ground beef, fish fillets, whatever I have in my freezer or intend to get. I don't usually make something new every night -that takes exploring with food and makes it more of a chore. Since I work a full time job and have six children (only 3 are still home), it is nice to come home and make some of the old standards, but try to set aside at least one night a week when you try something new.
It keeps you from getting into a rut (Monday-hamburgers, Tuesday-chicken pot pie, Wednesday-Vegetable soup....).

I know this seems like a pain to do all this work before shopping but remember we are saving time and money in the week ahead. There is nothing worse for someone who has worked all day than to come home and have to decide, "What's for dinner?" If your family is anything like mine-in this situation they only know what they don't want, which is whatever I suggest. It takes time when you would really rather decompress at the end of the day. Then once you decide on something, do you have everything you need. An even worse, you will have to get back in your car and go get something...now it's 7 o'clock before you even get started with dinner! That is what having a menu and a shopping list does for you. It removes some of that stress. And if you get home and decide you don't want the chili that you planned for this evening, you have a week's worth of meals to choose from... and if you used your shopping list, you already have all the ingredients!

Since you are obviously computer-savvy, there are lots of computer programs that help with meal planning and then generate a shopping list for you. MasterCook, http://www.valusoft.com/products/mastercook.html is one that I have used that has its own electronic cookbook, allows you to save your own recipes, allows you to change the proportions of your recipes to suit your family size and generates a shopping list from your menus. There are also a number of grocery stores that provide a shopping list option. Harris Teeter http://www.harristeeter.com/ and Kroger http://www.kroger.com/homepage/index.htm, also allow you to create a shopping list.

So take inventory, grab your cookbooks and make a list. A little time spent now will definitely save time and stress during your work week.

A mom encouraging you to play with food!

I am starting this blog because I see that, in general, people are afraid of food. Food is seen as bad- it makes you fat, it has carcinogens, it makes you break out, it clogs your arteries, it gives you gas. Good food is expensive, it is hard to cook, cooking causes anxiety, recipes are rigid, it takes too much time... All of these things are just not true!

This blog is dedicated to encouraging the young, the old, the experienced cook and the novice, even those who rely on Pizza Hut and Hamburger Helper to make it through the week to get out of their comfort zone. Don't be afraid. Stretch your culinary muscles, even if you don't think you have any. Playing with food is fun and it should be fun for not only those who eat it but those who cook it.

Don't believe me? Close your eyes. Think back. So many of your best memories are associated with food. The smell of a Thanksgiving turkey, your first candy apple, the taste of a bowl of chili on a winter evening. For me, it is the memory of my grandmother's applesauce cake baking in big heavy cast-iron bundt pans. Food is a way to make memories, to bond with friends or people you want to be friends with. As a nation we have gotten away from the family table and the fun that it brings. Cooking a meal is a chore, not an adventure. It's time for a change, and that is what I hope to do.

I will start by pointing to two of the most useful places for anyone who wants to explore food, Epicurious at http://www.epicurious.com/ , and Food Network at http://www.foodnetwork.com/. Epicurious has an incredible searchable recipe file that you can search by name, by ingredient, or other keywords. Recipes there are rated by forks with 1 the lowest and 4 the highest. But the best thing for cooks that want to have fun with food is that there is a place at the end of each recipe for comments. You can hear from people who have made the dish if it is good, if it is difficult and time-consuming, and even what substitutions can be made. I use this site all the time. Can't think of another thing to do with chicken? Search by ingredient and you will get a wealth of ideas to choose from. It is a great resource for novice or experienced cooks. Food Network also has a recipe index searchable by the cooking show, or by title or ingredient. These recipes are also rated, but there are no comments and reviews.
Check them out and you will take the first step to really having fun with food.

Restoran Fuzhou, JB

This would be my last food posting for my short trip to JB..
As the title states very clearly, Restoran Fuzhou serves, yes, what else, but Fuzhou (aka Fook Chow) dishes. This was a last minute thing as we were suppose to eat at this shop that serves bittergourd chicken soup but it was not open..hence a quick detour and here we are!
Most of the customers were having steamboat, a few other tables (including us) ordered dishes instead. With my very shallow knowledge of fook chow food ( the only fook chow food i know is the fook chow fishball ), I relied on uncle to order :p.
Uncle ordered fook chow noodles, fried tanghoon, red wine chicken, ribs with yam and veg. The first dish served was the fook chow noodles..

The noodles was piping hot and we quickly tucked in.. Yes, the fook chow noodles does look similar to hokkien noodles. But when you take a bite, you would know the difference..The noodles texture is softer, smoother and slightly chewy. The sauce base is with eggs, which makes it aromatic. And some of the customers (such as uncle) added vinegar to their noodles, so it taste a lil like lam mee too. Interesting...
Next we had the ribs with yam and red wine chicken.
The ribs with yam is fantastic, I really enjoyed it. Heck, I think it's even better than Restaurant Friendship Herbal Soup ! (which I think serves smacking good ribs+yam in Klang Valley). Restoran Fuzhou's version comes in some thick 'porridge looking' gravy. I took a sip and OMG, this is pratically blended, mush up yam paste. Its very very good, they added salted fish and cuttlefish to enhance the yam's flavour. The ribs, tender and well marinated, just melts in the mouth. Perfecto.The red wine chicken did not disappoint either, the gravy was thick and aromatic, the chicken tender and had absord the wine flavour well. This is a rather unique dish, its a tad harder to find this dish in restaurants. The last time I had this was homecooked by an aunt.. Still, the ribs+yam remains my favourite. The vegs were normal, the fried tanghoon was ok, nothing to shout about compared to Restoran Ah Kaw's 'frying' skills..

What Julianne thinks? Authentic and nostalgic.

Restoran Fuzhou is located at No 1&3, Jalan Ros Merah 2/1, Taman Johor Jaya, 81100 Johor Bahru. Tel:07-3555225.

The Great balancing act

There are 2 types of toilet, the seating type and the squatting type. Obviously, you seat for the seating type and squat for the squatting type...
But somehow, someone, would try her acrobatic stunts in the toilet...
And I get freaking piss. WTF would someone squat on the seated toilet bowl?
How do I know? The freaking shoe prints are on the toilet bowl! (yes, most fortunately the toilet bowl is white and I could see the marks clearly). I get utterly amaze sometimes when I see heels/stilettos prints on the seat. How do they manage to do it and doing it at the same time?? Dont they know theres a risk of

• falling
• getting their ankle sprained
• get stuck in the toilet bowl?

Why? why? Sigh.... Why cant they understand that if they wanna squat, then use the squatting toilet. Man, why are there weird ladies in my office? :(
I wonder how's the men's toilet...

Pork parts noodles, JB

This is a very non halal post.. (obviously from the title ;p)
The above title is actually not the name of the stall, but it dont seem to have any name at all..so..

I was told that this is one special dish that you cant find in other states. Heck, I cant even find it in Kluang! This is a family favourite for SF and SL, they have been eating this for years and after hearing about this for the past few days, I want to try it too :p The concept is simple, all the pork parts are braised in a huge pot. I bet they simmered it for hours, all the parts came out tender and lovely to eat..

Clockwise from top left: Braised eggs and pig's ears(hidden at bottom), pork slices, pork belly and pig's tongue.

Aaahh, I know, you must be thinking, "I've taken this wat. All the pork parts with chilli..".. Yes yes, I thot the same too. Then I got my bowl of kuay teow.. The broth is the braised pork broth. Nope, you dont eat it with rice, this is a noodles dish and all the pork parts are supposed to go with it ;). We ordered pork slices, pig's tongue, pig's ears, pork belly, braised egg and beancurd. I must say that everything is good (but i didnt try the ears though..), all tender and tasty, smothered with loads of lard and oil. The sauce base differs a lil from the norm too, not the usual dark soy sauce mix, but a lighter, salty-sweet version which enhances the pork parts sweetness..Dipped in their homemade chilli, it strikes a perfect balance with the meat.

Nonetheless, I do find the soup base too overpowering, a tad strong on the 'porky' smell (i call it "jum pan sou" in canton) which may put some people off...

What Julianne thinks?

Sinful, yummy but freaking unhealthy.

For pork and pork parts lovers, this is a must (and if you are in JB la..). The stall is located opposite Sekolah Taman Tun Aminah 2. Is in some makeshift zinc/ open food court joined with a row of shops. If you see Restoran Hai Lu, the stall is in front of it. Along Jalan Hulubalang 10 (Honda/Suzuki shop at junction).

Restoran Ah Kaw (aka Sam Lau), JB

This is one of SF and SL's recommended food joint as it serves tasty fried bee hoon...

We were there early as the early bird catches the worm! Well, in our case, getting a seat..:p

Uncle ordered the dishes, ie, the famed fried beehoon, deep fried sa zhim fish, curry fish head and veg. The wait was not too long, we got the sa zhim fish soon after..

Eating the sa zhim fish sure makes me nostalgic as my mum use to cook this fish when I was a lil tot. The sa zhim fish is delicious and great for lazy people ;p and those who dont eat fish because of fish bones.. Why? Coz the fish is fried to such a crunchy texture that you can eat the whole fish, head, bones and all! Dipped with chilli sauce, this is sure appetizing. Next served were the veg and fried bee hoon.

Yes, the fried beehoon does taste good, dry in texture, non oily and fragrant. It does taste different though, I cant pinpoint the 'secret' ingredient.. but I believed they added black bean paste to fry the bee hoon. Restoran Ah Kaw serves this with their special homemade chilli sauce and it does complement the beehoon well. In fact, we ordered a second plate of fried beehoon as we swipe clean the first plate in a blink of an eye. The last dish was the curry fish head and it sure does look appetising :). Glad that Restoran Ah Kaw serves the whole fish head instead of chopping it up as I feel this version retains the sweetness of the flesh much better compared to chopping it to chunks.. True enough, the fish was sweet and tender. The curry was ok, thick gravy, loads of veg..Not too impressive, but ok. The beehoon is still the star :)

What Julianne thinks?

Scrumptious, no frills but delightful.

Restoran Ah Kaw (aka Sam Lau) is located at 33, Jalan Perang, Taman Pelangi, JB. Tel: 07-3340589

Restoran Khong Kee, JB

More on yummies in JB :)

Restoran Khong Kee is famed for its fook chow fishballs and many varieties of other meatballs and yong tau foo to feed hungry patrons. We reached there around brunch time and it was already packed with customers, all busy slurping up the noodles or choosing the ingredients to go with their noodles at the entrance.

And the noodles.. man, Khong Kee definitely have a good range of noodles for you to choose from.. wantan noodles, mee pok, yellow noodles, sang mee, koay teow.. I think there's at least 10 types to choose from :). You can also choose different flavours to go with the noodles, ie, dry, clear soup, curry(suppose to be famous for this) and tomyam.

After quite a long wait, we finally got our food and it sure looks appetising ;p

Uncle, SF and SL chose some of the more popular choices and I happily tucked in... The first I tried was the fook chow fishball. I have tried a couple in Klang Valley (some famous one, cant remember the shop name), but I must say that Khong Kee's version is by far, the best.

The hall of fame: Frm L-R, fried fishball, "siew mai", fook chow fishball and "karipap"

The fishball was springy and fresh and the filling was superb. Rather than just pure pork filling, Khong Kee added extra ingredients (which I cant fully figure out what's in there.. onions, ma tai?) which were minced finely and added into the meat. The result? Extremely sweet filling, tender to the bite and fragrant. Pure yums man...

The other stuff to try would be the "karipap"..uuhmm, well, at least that's what the girls called it as it's shaped like a currypuff. This 'karipap" is mince pork ( i suspect its the same one used for the fook chow fishball) wrapped in beancurd skin and fried. Dipped in dry shrimp chilli, it's good...

Another favourite is the siew mai lookalike. Again with pork filling, the skin is doughy, something like siew mai, but instead of steamed, this one gets boiled. I thot its ok only though...

What Julianne thinks?

Tasty, simple and fulfilling

Restoran Khong Kee is located at 70, Jalan Badik, Tmn Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru. Tel: 07-3318867. I noted that they have a branch in KL, at No. 30, Jalan Yew. But the name of the shop is different though. Maybe can check it out too...