Prawn mee@Yon Len, TTDI

What you wanna eat? What you wanna eat? the ever bubbly lily kept asking..
Anything that i've not tried, I replied groggily, still recovering from my lack of sleep, thanks to my druken friends who left my place at 3 am

With that as a prompter, lily launched into a tirade of potential brunch places, while I tried my utter best to concentrate. Vaguely, I heard something about Taman Tun and prawn mee.. I nodded sleepily and the next thing I know, we were walking towards Yon Len.

Sweet lily did all the ordering while I stared blankly into space, my mind did not want to work at all. The weird tasting teh peng (iced tea) did it though, I was wide awake after a sip..hehe

We waited for quite a while as many ordered prawn mee too. Finally, 2 piping hot bowls of prawn mee were served.. Nicely laden with sliced pork, small prawns, kang kung and bean sprouts, I quickly stirred in the chilli paste and took a mouthful..Like I've said before, I'm not a big fan of prawn mee (except for a particular stall in Penang) but Yon Len's prawn mee is actually good. It's the soup that won me over, very sweet yet subtle in flavour, nicely done. In fact, I like this better than San Peng's, the only time I tried San Peng, the soup was a tad salty. Yon Len's was just nice.

Yon Len is also famous for the Char Kuey Teow, which I have tried before. Pretty good (but not fantastic), the wait is rather long though.

What Julianne thinks?

Fuss free and pleasing

Restoran Yon Len (boolicious pointed out that this place is actually called Yong Len..maybe the letter G fell off frm the signboard..hehe..thanks boo!) is located at Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1, Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Corner shop. Opposite KFC.

Waiter, There's something in my .... Easter Basket!

I know it is not good to take advantage of the misfortune of others but since the host of the WTISIM... Easter Basket! event is taking advantage of her children's illness to extend the deadline over at the Passionate Cook, I was inspired to take advantage to share a recipe I was already planning on posting. This is a family recipe for coconut cream Easter eggs that came from my mother-in-law, Virginia. When I was newly married she showed me how to make these, and over the years I think I am the last child or in-law to still make them. I usually make a huge batch because I give them to friends, family and coworkers. When my mother-in-law made them she would make the cream and knead it for 15 minute every night for a week to get the creamy coconut flavor, but now, with mixers with dough hooks you can make short work of the kneading and still have a rich and creamy outcome. This recipe makes about 8 large multi-serving eggs an about 30 2-inch "bite-size" eggs. You could easily cut this recipe in half, if you like. I know a lot of people buy their eggs from church groups, but at least once you should try making them yourself.... they put the commercial ones to shame. I have always wanted to color part of the fondant yellow to make "yolks" in my eggs, but I am either in a hurry or forget until the eggs are formed. I dip mine in a mixture of bittersweet chocolate and paraffin which make the chocolate easier to handle and the finished product smooth and shiny. You could use semisweet, but I prefer the darker chocolate as a counter to the sweet richness of the coconut cream. Believe me, once you try these you will want the waiter to leave these in your Easter basket!

Dowd Family Coconut Cream Eggs

2 sticks butter softened

1/2 15 ounce can of cream of coconut

10 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 tablespoon coconut extract

1 1/2 14 ounce bags of flaked coconut

For dipping:

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/2 of one sheet of paraffin (used for canning)

Begin with mixer using mixing blade to cream butter, cream of coconut and coconut extract. Add sugar 2 cups at a time, mixing after each addition. Once you have mixed in all ten cups of sugar, the mixture should look a lot like bread dough(it should pull cleanly away fro the sides of the bowl and form large ball) Take off blade and mix coconut in by hand. Then, using dough hook attachment,knead fondant until it is smooth, shiny and doesn't stick to your hands. If you don't have a mixer with dough hook attachment you can knead by hand for 3 10-minute periods (great for pecs and upper arms!- if you can do all 30 minutes at one time you should be on a body-building blog!).

Once the fondant is ready you can form the eggs. The larger size are great for giving, and these eggs freeze very well and so can be frozen and eaten a bit at a time (several of our friends and neighbors would eat theirs slice by slice). Line a cookie sheet with either waxed paper or parchment and once all eggs are formed, place eggs in freezer to firm. You will know you have done a great job if, when you are done this part, your kitchen and the front of your clothes or apron are covered with powdered sugar!

The final step is to dip the eggs in chocolate . Melt the chocolate and paraffin together in a pan over boiling water (my kitchen equipment doesn't include a double boiler!). Do not leave this mixture unattended! Once the chocolate and paraffin are melted and mixed together, take the eggs from the freezer for dipping. You will need a couple of cold cookie sheets with parchment for this process, which is the most time-consuming (for me, at least!) I use a two-prong meat fork and stick it into the side of the eggs , dipping them, and then placing them on the sheet, using the back of a spoon to remove the fork, then quickly use a little melted chocolate to cover the fork holes. Those of you who are more experienced candy-makers may have a better and prettier technique (and if you do, please share it!) The smaller eggs are a lot quicker and easier . Once all are dipped, set in freezer again until chocolate is set. If you like you can use frosting and personalize eggs, drizzle with white chocolate, whatever suits you. The eggs then need to be refrigerated until ready to eat. They are best if you take them out an hour before you want to eat them to allow them to come to room temperature.

So thanks to Passionate Cook for this great event (and thank her for the extra pounds you see on your scale and the temporary spike in your cholesterol!- but hey, Easter is only once a year!)

Restoran Bah Kut Teh Shun Heng, Sunway Mas

No I did not spell BKT wrongly, just following their sign board.. Having BKT at Shun Heng was rather unplanned for as redv as looking at going somewhere further like serdang for food.. anyways, change of plans, decided to eat somewhere near instead. Dragon joined us too since she was around that area..

We reached there slightly after 12noon, and only 2 tables were occupied. Hmm, maybe not such a good choice for lunch? The reason for us to pop over to Shun Heng was due to the fact that it serves dry BKT and since redv and dragon have never tried dry BKT before, might as well try here (rather than driving to Klang)..

My second time trying dry BKT since my first trying in Klang. The orders took some time to come, though not extremely slow..

The BKT was served first. The soup was fine, quite herby, though not sufficiently bitter (foo kum in cantonese) for me. The meat (of lean, ribs and mixed fatty types) were tender and does not 'stick in your teeth' as redv pointed out. Although it was not as good as those in Klang, dragon do find Shun Heng's better than some BKT shops in PJ.

We were served with white rice mixed with fried shallots. Looks pretty that I had to take a picture of it..Texture was just right.

And finally, the dry BKT..Ok la, ada standard (there's a level of quality) compared to the one I had in Klang (which I dont know where I went, an uncle brought me to a kampung which I was totally lost). The meat (lean and short ribs) were tender, heavily infused with the intense flavour of sliced cuttlefish, dried chillies, okra and onions. Stir fry with dark soy sauce and sugar, you hardly get any gravy, but just a coat of sticky, caramelised, fragrant sauce enveloping the meat..I was told that the meat used were the same as those served for soup BKT, hence it was so tender. For those who are not willing to drive to Klang to have dry BKT, I think Shun Heng's dry BKT does a pretty fine version of it.

Finish the meal with a hot pot of chinese tea on a rainy afternoon..ahhh, wonderful. hehe. Total bill was RM34 (BKT for 3 ppl, 4 plates of rice and pot of chinese tea).

What Julianne thinks?

Tasty and filling

Restaurant Bak Kut Teh Shun Heng is located at No. 9-1, Jalan PJU 1/3C, Sunway Mas Commercial Centre, PJ.Tel: 012-392 3082. Drive towards Aman Suria, it's the business center next to it. At Jin Shan Cheng (your landmark, corner, on your right), turn right. Drive on, turn right again. Shun Heng is on your left, facing a kopitiam.

What's in (on) my refrigerator?

It has been awhile since Michael of Chicken-Fried Gourmet tagged me with a meme to show what is in my refrigerator. Okay, Michael, I am a working mother who blogs. When I saw that you tagged me, I wanted to do all of the following: 1) buy a new refrigerator (my preference pictured right), 2) take the day off and clean my existing refrigerator, 3) Go to Trader Joe's and fill my fridge with triple cream brie and beluga caviar. However, reality (and finances) prevailed and so I waited for a weekend when I had time, tidied up and took inventory so Michael would not think I had forgotten or worse, was ignoring him. Besides, I started this blog to make cooking approachable, and what could be more approachable than a fridge whose contents go from Velveeta to venison?!

First of all, because this blog centers on cooking for a family, what is on the outside of my fridge is as important as what is inside. To the left you see my fridge from the outside, plastered with appointment reminders, papers with good grades, certificates, a picture of us all at Katie's college graduation party, the operating calendar for Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and phone numbers of whomever the kids were with last. You know, when it was brand new in the showroom, its stark white double doors looked so neat...

but our house is not a showroom but a home, and so...



I am putting off showing you the inside, but part of blogging is opening up, even if it is your refrigerator! So ta-da! Here it is to the right with the fridge and freezer open (you can see I spent less time on the freezer!)



So what is in there? Here is a partial list:



Meat: Some chorizo, turkey bacon, Jamestown Sausage (you caught me, it's my husband's addiction), a defrosting flank steak I am stuffing with blue cheese for dinner and a defrosting whole turkey for tomorrow's dinner



Cheese: Cambia artisan blue, Land O Lakes White American slices from the deli (my sister in law loves this cheese and turned us on to it), Kraft American, Manchego, neufchatel, Dubliner, and some Emmenthaler, Feta



Staples: Sundried tomatoes, Artichoke hearts, chipotle peppers in adobo, capers, chili and garlic sauce, butter(for cooking) and Smart Balance (for eating), anchovies,



Condiments: Mayo, 5 kinds of mustard including Trader Joe's Sweet and Hot, Honeycup (my favorite), French's and Dijon, and jalapeno dijon, Ketchup, Alfredo Sauce, pesto,



Miscellaneous: Buttermilk (remainder used from a recipe for soda bread, skim milk, Perrier (bought for a dinner guest who had wine instead), Diet Pepsi, Ruby Red grapefruit juice, Kirkland bottled water (where would we be without Costco?), eggs (real and Eggbeaters), yogurt (I love the Trader Joe's Mediterranean); Sliced roast beef and baby swiss cheese for sandwiches.



Produce: Asparagus, Celery, Romaine, Lemons, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Onions, scallions, radishes



Leftovers: Feta-stuffed chicken breasts (from a recipe I got from Elizabeth at Mommy Cooks), Homemade barbecue pulled pork



Okay, so now I feel so much better- I responded to a meme and cleaned out my fridge and posted all in the same day. Now, I have to tag someone. If you have been tagged previously, I apologize, but if not, open up those fridge doors and bare your (filet of) sole!



I tag: Shelley of S'kat and the Food (she will probably be glad to feature a kitchen appliance that works), Shauna at Gluten Free Girl (I know her fridge will be interesting), and Anne of Cooking with Anne (she probably has two fridges!)

On the Same List as Ruhlman?!

There are two types of validation for writers (even if they are food bloggers)- internal, when you are satisfied about how something you wrote turns out , and external, when someone other than you (or your friends and family) recognizes what you do. This week brought both to me and Play with Food. First of all, in my visits around the blogosphere, I saw a food blogging event over at Ellie's Kitchen Wench that spoke to me. She was hosting a one-off event to write about a recipe that had some nostalgic story attached, that brought back some significant memories (and you know how I feel about food and memories). I knew exactly what recipe and its story was waiting to be told. The post virtually wrote itself and when it was done, I felt really good about how it turned out. My feelings were confirmed when my husband read the post about his father and said (in a broken voice) "You really captured what may father was like". You can check my previous post and decide for yourself (but frankly, your opinion won't change how I feel about it!)

The second came this morning when, after checking my "staple" blogs, I went to Technorati to check my ranking and links (okay, I know I'm a sucker) and saw that there was a new link on Epicurious (which I had just checked). I went back to find that in the list of Tanya Wenman Steele's list of "Food Blogs I Like", there was Play With Food, right above Ruhlman (albeit the listings are alphabetical)!!! I'm not kidding myself, I am no Michael Ruhlman, nor do I want to be (sorry, Michael), but to be on the same list with bloggers like him and Cooking with Amy, Becks & Posh,Chocolate and Zucchini, and 101 Cookbooks, is a bit overwhelming. These, along with Tanya's blog, are ideals to which I aspire, and frankly makes me feel like a "marching band girl" who has become a varsity cheerleader!

How do I explain this? I can't possibly. I know it is not my beautiful food photos, since I am the rankest of amateurs. It is not the beautiful layout of my page, since I am still on a Blogger template. I hope it is because readers want to visit me like they would a friend, or a favorite aunt or cousin, or a close neighbor in a small town. They know I am here to listen and to share a laugh, a recipe, a memory or even a tear. And with it, a recipe or idea that they can take back to their own kitchens. If that is the reason Tanya listed me, then whether my pictures are fuzzy, or my layout is clumsy, or even if my writing is not always what it could be, I will consider this blog a success.

If you are here for the first time, please come back, the door's always open and there is always room at the cyber-kitchen table for new friends, and their comments. If you are already a regular reader, thanks for supporting this blog and its purpose and don't be shy, speak up, share. More than talking or preaching or teaching, I want to listen!

The Greatest Chicken Salad I Will Never Make Again

This post is in response to Kitchen Wench's one-off event challenging bloggers to share a recipe attached to some event in your past in a substantial, yet bittersweet way. When I read this challenge, I knew immediately the recipe and its story that I wanted to share even though I cannot include a picture (you will see why!). It is the story of the greatest chicken salad I will never make again.

I can't even remember now where I got this recipe, it must've been from a person, because it is neatly copied on one of my beautiful 4x6 recipe cards for a set that included a recipe box with matching cards that I received as a gift back when I and my family was young. Most of my recipes are torn from magazines, cut from a newspaper, scribbled on random bits of paper, or typed by friends or acquaintances, printed out from Food Network or Epicurious. A recipe had to be really special in order for me to use one of the 50 cards that came with my set, and it had to be something that I was sure would be a permanent addition to my culinary reperatoire.

This recipe is everything a recipe should be - delicious, light, healthy, easy to make, filled with complex, swett-hot flavors and very portable! In fact, I made this Szechwan Chicken Salad several times when I needed to take something to a pot luck and there were never leftovers. Everyone in my family loved it and were always suggesting it, particularly during the dog days of Tidewater summer!

There was nothing unusual on a day, so long ago, when I made a big double batch of this salad. The weather was going to be warm, lending itself to a light salad, and I was planning to take any leftovers for lunch at work in the next week. I had just placed the covered bowl of salad in the fridge when we got a call from the hospital that my husband's father was near death. The Colonel, as he was affectionately (and respectfully) called by all, was an incredible man, with a sharp memory and a knowledge for world history that would have shamed any history professor 4 decades his junior. He had served in three branches of the service during his military career, had served in the esteemed 1st City Troop, and danced with Lucy Mercer in the Roosevelt White House as a young officer. He was full of stories for anyone who would listen, and since most of his family had heard them all (multiple times) , as the newest daughter-in-law, I was a welcome audience. As our family grew, he was a doting grandfather with all of the grandchildren, bouncing them on his knee to the tune of "Gary Owen". The older Dowd grandchildren remember to this day their "Grandpapa" blowing the bugle. He was always an ally to a grandchild who wanted an extra dessert or to stay up past bedtime. A man who was sometimes remembered as stern by his own children, was a marshmallow to his grandchildren.

I will never forget the first time that I met him. It wasn't long after the movie Patton had come out. My father-in-law, who was at that time the Superintendent of the Winchester National Cemetary, was strolling among the headstones and when he turned around, I thought I was dating the son of George C. Scott!! He had the bearing and demeanor (and the posture) of a career military officer. You could imagine that he cut a dashing figure in his younger years (and he delighted in telling you so!).

As young newlyweds, my husband and I moved in with my in-laws in order to save money to buy a house, and allowing our mother-in-law to travel to wherever my sisters-in-law were having their children (and for awhile there was a steady stream). In the years that we lived there I never saw my father-in-law in any state other than either fully dressed (to the nines I might add) or in his pajamas, robe and slippers. When I had my own first child, my mother-in-law was away, so I brought my daughter home to a house run by the Colonel and my husband, who had gone to the commissary to get all manner of food for a new mom... and Guinness stout because he was sure that would help with my nursing!

His pet peeves- Cheap suits or shoes, runs in a lady's stockings, adults or children who were disrespectful, lazy or dishonest people. When he was told by his doctor (he was a Type 2 diabetic) that if he was good, he could have a half-cup of ice cream a night, he picked the largest mug in the cabinet and then used about about 600 psi to spoon in as much Breyer's chocolate ice cream as could be accomodated by the laws of physics!

My mother-in-law told me about his one cooking experience, when she came home from the hospital after the birth of one of their children. She said that he was determined to make her a meal and serve her (despite the fact that, to my knowledge he could only cook hot dogs and toast!). This was when TV dinners were brand new and he said he would make her one. Despite her offers to help (and her strong conviction that he had no idea how to use the oven!), he insisted that he could do it. She ate her words when he marched proudly up the stairs with the foil plate with a turkey dinner golden brown and steaming, smelling delicious and inviting. As he ran to get her a drink, she stuck her fork to take the first bite... and found that beneath the golden brown steaming surface, the food was still frozen in the middle!

The days leading up to his funeral, we put the Szechwan Chicken Salad that I had made what seemed like an eternity ago out with the other food brought by family and friends, and as always, it disappeared. My husband has, since then, associated that chicken salad with his father's death and even though I and my children have tried to convince him otherwise, I have not ever made it again.

While it may seem strange, this blog event gives me the opportunity to share not only my fond memories of the Colonel, and his incredible life, but to share with anyone who reads this a great recipe that you and our family can enjoy. I hope that you will make it and enjoy ...and also remember, in a fond way, a man you never met except through my words.

Szechwan Chicken Salad

Dressing:
1/4 cup peanut or sesame oil (I used sesame)

4-5 tbsp red wine vingar

1-2 tbsp honey

2 tsp sesame seeds

2 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce, adjust to taste

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients above until well mixed and then toss with the following:

1/2 lb bow tie pasta, cooked and drained

3 cups broccoli florets

2 cups cooked chicken cut in chunks

1 cup fresh or frozen snow peas

2 green onions, cut up

Once combined, salad is best if it sits for 4-8 hours or overnight.

Hot Stove Cafe, Damansara Jaya

I was at Atria shopping centre last sunday as Bigbook Shop was having its warehouse sale at 1st floor. For those who are looking at getting some really cheap books (and other knick knacks), you may want to pop over this weekend, the sales ends on 25th this month. I do feel that we get better deals in Bigbook shop sale compared to MPH & Times.

We were there during lunch time and we didnt want to eat in any restaurants in Atria. Once we were out, we noticed Hot Stove, a rather new restaurant that took over the what-use-to-be Soo Kee spot. Though it was already 2pm when we walked in, it was still pretty crowded.

Hot Stove serves chinese dishes and ala carte meals. As BQ dont take pork, we ordered marmite chicken, spicy bean paste fish head and stir fry mix veg (sei tai tin wong aka four heavenly kings)..(their taufoo & omelette dishes were with pork too).

The dishes came quite promptly, first served was the fish head(RM18)..It was quite a large claypot, with large pieces of fish meat and fish head parts. It smells wonderful and we could not wait to dig in. The fish chunks was sweet, some parts were kinda fishy, but I'm ok with it. Though the taste of bean paste was nearly smothered by the mince ginger, this dish was quite good. BQ likes it as she loves ginger..

The veg(RM10), a mix of long beans, okra, four angled beans and brunjal; was just mediocre, big plate, but i felt that they did not stir fry the belacan with good wok hei before adding the veg.

Marmite chicken (RM15) was served last.. Another large portion, it's a pity that they used quite a lot of chicken breast meat. The meat was a tad hard (due to over frying and did not tenderise the meat I presume) and I'd prefer the marmite sauce to be thicker.Their's was rather runny. Just an average dish.

Total bill was RM54 (including rice and drinks). 3 of us shared the meal, but the portion is good enough to feed 4 (or 5, for small eaters) people.

What Julianne thinks?

Average but value for money

Hot Stove Cafe is located at 21, Jalan SS22/23, Damansara Jaya. Facing Atria shopping centre, just across KFC.

Santai, TTDI

Bollywood Queen's friend introduced this place to her, said to be quite popular amongst the malays for lunch, tea and dinner..

We were there around 8+, was rather crowded, but not that pack yet. Santai serves individual one dish meal and ala carte dishes. I ordered Nasi Goreng Praprik Daging (praprik fried rice with beef)recommended by BQ, whilst she had mee bandung, and we shared a bowl of tomyam campur (mixed tomyam) and sotong goreng tepung (deep fried squids).

My nasi goreng praprik was quite tasty, though the fried rice don't really looked like it was fried. A bite into it though, confirms the cook did fry it, his method was light frying, with lil bit of egg and mix veg. Guess he was doing this to complement the beef and fresh veg. It does complement well, the spiciness of the sauce, the crunchiness of the veg.. but the beef was a lil bit hard..

BQ's mee bandung looks so red I thought she was having tomato soup. The base was truly tomatoes, I presumed they used pureed tomatoes (Dragon tried this dish a week later and said that it's more like ketchup and tomato soup) They added lots of red chillies and bird eyes chillies for that extra kick.Add in some prawns, meat, veg and topped with a fried egg, I could see that BQ enjoyed this dish, slurping up the noodles jovially. I tried half a spoon of it, not the type of noodles I would order, but taste wise, it was good. Those who likes tomato soup/ ketchup would like this dish.

I guess I was dreaming when BQ ordered the tomyam, I actually didn't know that she ordered a tomyam campur. Quite a large bowl for the 2 of us, it had lots of chicken, beef, prawns and squids. The chili and tomatoes serves a great balance of hot and sour at the same time. Appetising, though it did get fiery hot by the time we reached the bottom of the bowl..*wipes forehead*

The fried squids were served finally and I thought BQ ordered wrongly..Looks more like fried prawns. Instead of the crunchy batter we were expecting, we got cucur sotong (squid in flour puff) instead. Not exactly what I asked for, we tried nonetheless. And I was nicely surprise :). The cucur was light and fluffy, unlike the norm which is compact and doughy. The exterior had a slight crunch, just the right texture. Goes really well with their sweet sour chili sauce. Very small squids (and not many) though.

Worth a mention is the Jus Durian Belanda (soursop juice) which I did not take a photo as it look quite bad. This was a refreshing drink which both of us enjoyed. It was not the blended, thick juice drink, instead, we got some clear juice with soursop pulps at the base. yum..Our total bill was RM30.

What Julianne thinks?

Simple and authentic

Santai is located at 10, Persiaran Zaaba, Taman Tun Dr Ismail. At the TTDI square, the row of shop behind KFC. Simple looking shop, with wooden decor.

Fear of Fish

One thing that a lot of budding cooks are afraid of cooking is fish and seafood. I have met people who have only eaten fish by Mrs. Paul or the cute Gorton's Fisherman. While there is a time and place for "freezer fish", there are so many quick and easy dishes you can do with fresh fish and seafood that is a shame to let your fear get the better of you, especially now when we know how good fish, particularly cold water fish is for you. Even if you are not that adventurous, there is lots you can do with a can of chunk white tuna or some smoked salmon and you can work your way up to a whole fish as you gain confidence!

One of my fish memories growing up was a fish called butterfish that my mom used to make. They were really bony but they had this great buttery taste, that I will never forget. I have never made butterfish as an adult because my husband inherited from his father a fear of fish bones. In all fairness. if you had a beautiful filet of fish, my father-in-law could find the one tiny bone in the whole platter! Somehow my husband has inherited this and so there are only some fishes that he will eat.

In our area, stripers and bluefish are very popular, but even if you don't live near the coast you can get flash frozen salmon or mahi-mahi filets. So you have a chunk of fresh fish and now what do you do with it? Well, the simplest thing I do that almost anyone likes is to put the fish in a greased pan, slather the top with mayo (light is fine) and then sprinkle with a seasoning mix like jerk seasoning, Season-all, lemon pepper, or any of the great combinations you can buy from Penzey's Spices. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or broil until the fish flakes easily. Believe me, the mistake that most people make in cooking fish, or any seafood, is cooking too long. If you take your fish out too soon you can always put it back under the broiler to finish it off, but if you cook it too long... well, that's the reason that many people have bad feelings about fish to begin with.

What else can a beginner do with fish that will impress even their mother-in-law? I am including a couple of simple dishes that look great, and taste even better, as well as a surprising tuna surprise recipe that is light, low carb and delicious!

Smoked Salmon Appetizer

1/2 cup of smoked salmon pieces (you can sometimes buy them this way or if you get the Costco fillet, cut it in bite-sized pieces)

Juice of 1/2 -whole lemon (depending on how much lemon flavor you like)

2-3 tablespoons of capers

1/4-1/2 tsp dill weed

Gently stir all ingredients together and chill. Serve with crackers or belgian endive.

Thai Sweet Hot Salmon

1 pound of fresh salmon, cut into 4-6 ounce portions

1/2 cup Thai sweet red pepper sauce

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray and place fish portions on sheet. Brush fish with Thai sauce. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until fish is moist but flaky.

Jim's "Even My Kids Will Eat It" Salmon

This is a recipe that Jim, a friend from work, gave me for salmon. Every time I make it, people ooh and ahh (after they eat up every bit!)

1 lb salmon filets or salmon steaks

1 large sweet onion (Vidalia or Maya)

Your favorite BBQ sauce
Havarti-dill cheese in thin slices (or other mild white cheese)

1/4-1/2 tsp brown sugar (I use brown Splenda)

4 tbsp butter

Slice onions. Spray large skillet with PAM (not non-stick- read my post on Good David's PAM warning). Prepare the salmon by coating with your favorite BBQ sauce. Saute onions in 2 tbsp of the butter with brown sugar until translucent and onions are caramelized and set aside. Put other 2 tbsp of butter in pan and add salmon. Cook over medium heat, turning once, allowing about 2 minutes each side. When salmon is done, top with onions and then cheese slices until cheese melts. Serve over long grain and wild rice and collect the compliments!

Grilled Whole Fish with Herbs

It took me awhile before I was ready to buy a whole fish, but it is a dramatic meal that tastes great and good for you. Look for a fish without a strong smell and eyes that have not sunken. I usually have it gutted (what a lovely word) and the head taken off.

1 whole fish (3-4 lbs) - I like bluefish, spanish mackeral, trout.

1 lemon sliced (or any other citrus or combination

A handful of herbs of any combination of the following (dill, chives, lemon balm, rosemary, celery tops, fennel tops, fresh basil... or any others you like)

1-2 tablespoon olive oil

Coarse sea salt and pepper

Spray large piece of aluminum foil with PAM (large enough to wrap the fish) and lay fish at middle of it and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle inside and out with coarse sea salt and pepper. Stuff citrus and herbs in the fish cavity and wrap fish tightly. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or cook on preheated grill over indirect heat) until fish flakes with a fork.

Surprising Tuna Surprise

This was a recipe I made up when we were on the Atkins diet, but we continue to prefer this over traditional tuna casserole. It is easy light and delicious, not to mention healthy. You won't miss the noodles at all!

1 large can of chunk white tuna (picture of Jessica Simpson's favorite, left)

2 1/2 pounds of zucchini

1/3 -1/2 jar of prepared alfredo pasta sauce

1/2 - 1 can french fried onions

1-1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbsp butter or olive oil

Wash zucchini off and, using a vegetable peeler, make ribbons of the zucchini into a colander working your way around the zucchini until you reach the seeds (discard the seeds). Do this for all the zucchini and salt lightly and let stand for about 15 minutes. Rinse off zucchini and drain well. Melt 2 tbsp butter or olive oil in saucepan and add zucchini ribbons, and saute lightly (1-2 minutes) until just cooked. Add sauce and stir in tuna. Put mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish or 9x9 pan and top with onions and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is melted (about 20 minutes). Enjoy.

Seafood Station, Aman Suria

Eric recommended this place for our lou sang before the CNY ends..Since the dishes we ordered are still available in their norm menu, no harm for me writing about this. We had lou sang to start off the dinner. Not sure if it's due to the fact that our table was very near the kitchen, the owner kept coming to our table and fussing over us. In fact, he was the one saying all the auspcious stuff for us while we toss the lou sang..*scratches head*

We ordered some other recommended dishes such as the Tong Poh pork and kailan stir fried with mui choy (preserved veg). We also ordered the salted egg crabs, prawn in cream sauce and special taufoo.

The kailan was quite fragrant, although I could not taste any mui choy, I could see plenty of it. A tad oily.

Taufoo was plain and boring. Dont be deceived by the pretty colours.The Tong Poh pork was served in a claypot, whole slab of fatty pork look pretty sitting there..hehe. Guess this dish was braised for a few hours, the inside was tender yet moist. Pork was sweet, slathered with the thick gravy, this dish goes well with white rice. The sides of the pork was slightly chewy/ coarse though..Next, we had the prawns in cream sauce. The waitress recommended this, and when I see the dish, it's actually nai yau (butter&milk) sauce. Seafood station's version paled in comparison to Wong Poh's (just down the road) version and the fish pond restaurant's(cant remember the restaurant's name). Something was just missing from this dish, cant pinpoint it. The gravy was rather diluted, may be due to the tomatoes they added..

Still feeling the dishes were average, I started wondering why Eric recommended this place.. Could it be the VIP discount card he had? And, I finally know why, when the crabs were serve..This must be one of the better salted egg crab I have tasted. Sooo, sooo fragrant, I really want to go to the kitchen and give the cook a pat on his back ;p. Crunchy fragrant salted egg clinging to the shells, fresh sweet flesh.. time to get my fingers dirty! I truly enjoyed this dish.

Once we have finished every single morsel of crabs, the waiters promptly cleared the table and served us fresh fruits and some fried taiwanese dessert, which was on the house. The owner claimed that it costs SGD1 per 'nugget', but it's on the house here. He explained that inside this 'golden nugget' is the ling kok (water caltrop or horned water chestnut if i'm not wrong), a nut/fruit offered during chinese prayers, though hardly seen in Msia anymore. Jo found this too sweet for her liking. I, on the other hand, thought it was quite nice( you must eat it while it's hot), coated with bread crumbs and nuts, it's fried till golden brown. Inside, it's creamy and rich, from the custard & taro (i think) paste that wraps the ling kok. Interesting stuff, though the owner said this can be easily found in Taiwan..Total bill was RM193, slightly expensive since it was CNY. Guess it'll be cheaper now?

What Julianne thinks?

Top notch for the crabs, average for the rest.

Seafood Station (previously know as Ocean Palace) is located at H-G-18 Ground Floor, Jalan PJU 1/45, Aman Suria, PJ. It's at Aman Suria area (you can come from Tropicana or if with LDP, turn in at the road where Loong Foong is), turn in from Kayu Nasi Kandar, it's next to Maroon Cafe.

Note: I have also tried their Chilli Crab (should be renamed Sambal actually) which was really good with mantau. Spicy too. I also tried the black pepper&salted egg crabs, which was lip smacking, but I prefer the plain salted egg crabs.

Of bulbous eye and woozy head

Was not that well over the weekend.. in fact, I was on MC yesterday :-(

My eye had an allergy reaction to some facial wipes I was using and the next day, I could not open my left eye properly and it was tearing uncontrollably.

I had a look at myself and my goodness! I sure gave myself a shocker!

My left eye was swollen, the white of my eye was yellow, jellied looking, swelling out from my sockets, whilst my iris, which was spared from the swelling, looked as though it had sunken into my socket..The combination? Freaking scary s**t! I've seen some eye infection pictures before but I must say, mine seems to be the scariest of the lot! eeewwwww

I was soon grasped with fear of losing my eye sight (yeah, when i panic i tend to think incoherently) and rushed to see a doctor. Most unfortunately, it was a Sunday, most of the clinics were not open. Finally, I found one clinic which was open and since it was still early in the morning, I was the only patient. The doctor took a look and proclaimed that my eye had an allergy reaction. It was quite a bad allergy actually, but doc was certain that it will be good by end of the day.

So was back home soon after, had brunch and took my medication. I didn't know that my med causes drowsiness too. Hence, with my left eye swollen, half of my face numb and puffy, and now with a woozy head..I drifted to sleep hoping that I'll be out of this nightmare soon..

St. Patrick's Week

I guess it shouldn't be a surprise to you that a family with the last name Dowd would celebrate St. Patrick's Day... for a week. As I have said before, in our house any excuse for a party is good for us and celebrating the patron saint of Ireland is an excuse to watch The Commitments(one of my very favorite movies), make Irish coffee, and pull out all manner of things green. I have to say that my father-in-law, The Colonel, used to say that the shortest book ever written was "Great Irish Recipes", but how can cuisine with potatoes as a cornerstone be bad?

Several years ago I was looking for some ideas beyond the traditional corned beef and cabbage, and I was surprised to find a wide variety of foods, so during the week around St. Paddy's Day we incorporate some dishes like salmon, soda bread, and bangers (Irish sausages) into our diet. A couple of years ago I found a recipe for what we call Irish Grilled Cheese that make a great meatless meal (remembering Lent, of course) with a nice side salad. Shepherd's pie, lamb chops, and Irish stew are also great options to celebrate the contributions that Ireland has made to our lives (Irish whiskey...Enya...Bono...Waterford crystal (my pattern, Colleen, to the right!))

Sources like Food Network and Epicurious are great for finding not only traditional Irish foods, but new twists using traditional ingredients in new ways (I can't wait to try the recipe for a Stout Float that I saw on Party Line with the Hearty Boys- anything that sounds so weird has got to be good!)

For us, while we enjoy corned beef and cabbage, our favorite meal is the next day when we have corned beef hash topped with eggs and grated Irish Cheddar. There is no higher calling for leftover corned beef and potatoes, believe me.

Don't you have to love a nation that has foods with names like boxty, bangers, "bubble and squeak" and blood pudding? So put on the Chieftains or Enya or even Flogging Molly (my daughter Molly doesn't like this much, once she found out what flogging was!), get out your Jameson's, and Bailey's, and put a shamrock in your lapel and take your own culinary journey to the Emerald Isle. Irish food... it's more than green beer (and it is not true that a 7-course Irish meal is a six-pack of Guinness and a bag of potato chips!)

Day After Corned Beef Hash

2-3 cups leftover corned beef cut in small cubes

4 cups leftover cooked potatoes (if you cooked carrots with your CB&C, you can use these, too)

2 tbsp butter

1 egg for each person being served

1 1/2 cups Grated Irish Cheddar (Blarney or Dubliner is best, but you can use regular Cheddar if that's all you have)

Melt butter in large lidded frying pan. Mix potatoes and meat together thoroughly and put in pan over medium heat. Stir a couple of times until heated through and then pat lightly down into the pan to let the hash get crispy. Using a spoon make a well in the top of the hash for each egg and break egg into well. Lightly salt and pepper the eggs and cover pan with lid, checking frequently to see when whites are set, then top with cheese and put lid on till egg white are fuly set and cheese is melted. Serve hash with the egg on top for each serving.

Irish Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

10 slices of whole grain oat bread (I like Oatnut best for this)

8 ounces cream or Neufchatel cheese, softened

4 scallions chopped (green and white parts)

2 cups grated Dubliner cheese

1 beaten egg with 2 tbsp milk beaten in.

1-2 tbsp melted butter for toasting sandwiches

Mix cream cheese, Dubliner, and scallions together until all ingredients are incorporated. For each sandwich, spread cheese mixture thickly on bread, top with another bread slice. Brush both sides generously with egg mixture and toast in pan like conventional grilled cheese in melted butter on griddle or frying pan. Cook until sandwich is brown and crusty and the cheese is melted. Cut in quarters and serve.

Restaurant Loong Foong, Tmn Mayang

Jem left for HK yesterday to start his new working life there.. wonder how many years he'll be in HK. Or would it be for good? Irregardless of your choice, wish you all the best and have a great time there mate!

So, before he left, a group of us wanted to buy him farewell dinner. He wanted steamboat in PJ, and A.lee suggested Loong Foong (not to be mistaken with the yummy roasted duck shop at Tmn Paramount, also named Loong Foong) at Taman Mayang area. We ordered mixed steamboat (of tomyam and clear soup base) and some extra dishes.

As it was near CNY then, we had yee sang first..

Nothing to shout about, the yee sang was just average.. Next, we had stir fried noodles wrapped in eggs. A.lee did the ordering and I did not noticed what he ordered, so when this dish was served, I thought he ordered nasi pattaya..After we broke the egg 'parcel', the wonderful aroma enamates from the piping hot noodles. Alas, the noodles tastes rather bland and not very exciting at all :(

While the waiters started heating the steamboat, pouring in the soup and bringing out the raw ingredients, the marmite pork ribs was served..This was pretty good (sorry for the sad looking photo), the meat was tender, while the exterior had a nice coat of sticky marmite and a sprinkling of bird's eye chilli which added an extra punch to the else plain marmite ribs.

Finally, the soup was boiling and we dunk a whole load of raw ingredients into the soup.And we wait..

I was actually quite disappointed with the steamboat as I had higher expectations. I was told by a friend that Loong Foong was one of the pioneer of yin-yang steam boat, hence I thot I would get some wonderful, rich broth, delectable steamboat. But nah, the clear soup was way too clear for my liking.. was like boiled water :(. Tomyum soup was so-so. Ingredients were ok, I dont find anything unique about it either.

What Julianne thinks?

Average and forgettable

Restaurant Loong Foong is located at Taman Mayang. Faces the LDP (some 1.5km frm Kelana Jaya LRT), just next to the St Ignatius Church. Corner shop. The same turning you take to go to Kg Chempaka.

Restaurant Brother Yat, Subang Light Industrial Park

I would never know about this place if it's not for my brother.. His fishing kaki has a factory there and my brother decided to meet him for dinner. With me being thick face and all, tagging along, we went to Restaurant Brother Yat, hidden in Subang Light Industrial Park..It was rather amazing that amidst rows of factories, there's this lone restuarant sprouted out of nowhere. And more surprisingly, it was full house! Where the heck did all these people come from? Unc Terence ordered for us, so I waited patiently for the food.

First dish was the yu piew kang (fish maw soup), which looks pretty awesome. I had to take the picture from me tiny bowl as unc terence don't understand the fuss about taking food picture and he started serving even before I could say cheese! hehehe. The soup was thick, flavourful, tastes very much like sharkfins soup. The cook was generous with the fish maw, I had lots of it :). In fact, I think this soup may be better than quite a number of sharkfins soup I've tried at expensive chinese restaurants. My bro and unc terence thought the soup was not as good as usual though, maybe it was nearing CNY and the cook was too busy?

They did not managed to order their 'usual' dishes as most of the food was sold out (we went there rather late) and we settled for salted egg mantis prawn.This was alright, the mantis prawns had a light salted egg layer enveloping it. And the batter was not too thick, at least we could still see the prawn meat when we bite into it :p.

The fooyoong egg was mediocre.Unc terence said this was not as good as usual days as it was a rather oily dish. Still, I like eggs slightly burnt from the 'heat of the wok', so this was ok as a fried omellete of sorts.

My bro particularly requested for their stir fried brinjal and I know this would be a yummy dish :). Rather than the usual gravy-ish brinjal, the cook stir fried the brinjal strips till dry and crispy on the outer layer. The crush dried shrimp, bird eyes chillies, garlic and a dash of sugar brings out a wonderful array of flavours frm such a simple dish. It was delicious, but if it was a little lighter on the sugar, this dish would be perfect. I dont really know the price of each dish as Unc Terence bought us dinner. He also packed curry fish head and 2 other dishes (for his staff) and the total bill (including ours) was RM89 which I thought was reasonable. Since my bro said I came at a 'not so good day', I think I will return to try other dishes next time :)

What Julianne thinks?

Reasonable and tasty

Restaurant Bro Yat ( Yat kor) is located at Jalan Subang 4, Subang Light Industrial Park, Subang Jaya. Drive pass Summit USJ, turn left. Drive on until you reach traffic lights (you can see Mydin at the far end frm this traffic lights), turn right. Drive on (there will be rows of factories), till the 3rd road and take a left turn. You'll see a corner factory looking building converted to restaurant. That's Brother Yat.

Murder and Sardines

Trying to find something to do with older kids is always a challenge....it is much easier to entertain a group of preschoolers, or toddlers than it is to entertain sullen teenager or eye-rolling pre-teen. Food is one thing you can count on to bring your kids (and sometimes their friends) to the house. Another thing we have recently found is a big hit is...parlor games. We were introduced by our neighbors and friends Renee and Calvert. Since we moved to our neighborhood, they have been like surrogate grandparents to our kids and great friends to us. They are retired, but I mean only from work- they are some of the most fun and active people we know, and Renee is the game queen. She loves board games and every chance we get we play together. We usually tend toward games that border on hilarity or have the potential for double entendres that kids miss but break up the adults - Pictionary, Mad Gab, Apples to Apples (one of our new favorites), and Cranium are a few of our favorites (Renee once screamed out "Johnny Appleseed's nuts!" in response to a drawing I did in a round of Pictionary we played on vacation two years ago, a line we have never let her forget!) We have popcorn or cheese and crackers, dip and pita chips, or if we are at Renee's on her big screened porch we have something like lemon bars, or some other delicious baked good. But here the food is a more of a complement to the activity, not the star - it only provides the fuel for the peals of laughter and straining of the brain trying to win.

While board games can be a family occasion, what Renee and Calvert introduced us to was parlor games like Charades. My kids' favorites are Murder and Sardines (two different games, not one). In Murder, you shuffle the Ace, King and Jack and enough number cards equal to the number of players, and have each player select a card and not show it to anyone. The Ace is the murderer, the King is the investigator, and the Jack is the back-up investigator (in case the investigator is murdered). The rest are the potential victims. Once the draw is complete, you turn out all the lights and wander around a pre-agreed area (at our house it's the downstairs) and the murderer looks for an opportunity to select and kill a victim (by putting his hands gently around the neck of the "victim"(for younger or shorter people you can squeeze an arm to convey the crime!). The "victim" then counts to ten silently then screams and falls to the ground wherever they are and the lights are turned on and the person who drew the King begins the investigation (unless he/she was the one murdered, in which case the back up investigator takes over). The investigator can ask only yes or no questions, and everyone except the murderer must answer honestly. When the investigator thinks he knows who the murderer he/she can make a guess and he/she gets three guesses, and once the investigator starts guessing he can't ask anymore questions. My kids love this game ( and they love having their parents or siblings as victims!)

The other game that Renee taught us, we learned when they invited us to stay a night when they were at the beach in Nags Head. I had a migraine that night but Renee had talked so much about this game I had to try. It was called sardines. In this game, one person is chosen to be the hider. The area you are playing in should be darkand the rest of the players should count to 50 and let the hider find a hiding place. At the end of the count, the rest of the players start searching for the "sardine". The person who finds them joins them in their hiding place and one by one the players join the other "sardines" until the last person finds them. This game is hilarious and once you get two or three people crammed into a closet or shower, you cannot keep from laughing. Even though I had a wicked headache, I could not help but enjoy it. Just something about grownups playing this version of hide and seek is just too much. Try it sometime - you won't be sorry.

Parlor games and game night lend themselves to either a dessert and coffee venue or finger foods that can be grabbed in between rounds or turns. Some of our favorites are veggies and dip, hummus and pita chips, assorted cookies and/or brownies and flavored coffees. So invite your neighbors, some friends or your kids friends, pull out your card table (we often during the winter put a round table in front of the fireplace and play board games there on winter evenings) and close the doors on your entertainment center - you're in for an evening you won't forget and it is playing with food at its best!

Play with Beans Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (or other white beans) rinsed and drained

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2-4 cloves garlic mashed

1-2 tablespoons of tahini (sesame paste) or peanut butter if you prefer

1/4-1/3 cup good olive oil

Toasted pita chips ( I like to make my own from pitas that I get at the bread outlet store)

Mix beans, garlic, lemon juice, tahini in a food processor and blend. Then add the olive oil by tablespoons until the dip is a smooth consistency. Add salt to taste or a dash of tabasco , and serve with chips at room temperature.

Easy Mexican Dip

8 oz cream or neufchatel cheese, softened

1 cup of your favorite salsa

1 cup guacamole or 1 chopped avocado

2 cups shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese

Sliced black olives

Sour cream

Corn or tortilla chips

Spread softened cheese in a thin layer in a 9-inch pie plate or equivalent. Spread salsa on top of cheese, then place a layer of chopped avocado or guacamole, and top with grated cheese. Spinkle top with olives, and dollops of sour cream if desired and serve with corn or tortilla chips.

Cream Cheese with Pepper Jelly

Place softened cream cheese on a plate and slice in two lenghtwise to create two layers. Spread red or green hot pepper jelly between layers ond on top generously. Serve with water crackers. Note: This a great appetizer when you don't know whether you want something sweet or savory.

Gerai Seri Melaka, Jalan Bellamy

Ah, yes, the famous ikan bakar (grilled fish) at Jalan Bellamy which some sworn that it's the best in Klang Valley. That right?

Some said it's over hype, while others find it sedap giler..Whatever it is, since I was there recently, decided to write about this place for the benefit of those who have not heard/ tried the ikan bakar. There's a row of ikan bakar stalls there and I'll go to the one in the middle, called Gerai Seri Melaka...

We had ikan keli (catfish), ikan pari (stingray) and sotong (squid). Each of us took our own rice, extra dishes (the stall owner cooked many dishes to go with the grilled fish) and the hot grilled fish was served almost immediately..

Ikan pari came in beautifully, nicely marinated, crispy on the outside, but juicy, sweet and tender on the inside. Still yumz after not eating for a couple of years :)

And nothing, absolutely nothing can stop me from ordering my favourite ikan keli..hehehehe.I was first introduced to ikan keli at this stall and years later, I am still a big fan of ikan keli. Although there's lots of grilled fish stalls that serves ikan keli, I still find thatGerai Seri Melaka serves the most yummy kelis..slurp! The marination is fantastic, crispy skin, fatty, oily, juicy flesh that practically glides down your throat and leave you (well at least for me) begging for more! Have it with their homemade chilli sauce, the combination sure is a killer!

The piping hot sotong was served with jejangut (tentacles) which was quite a large plate for 1 sotong.The texture was springy, but not chewy. Fresh and sweet, this dish was 'cleared' pretty fast. We paid approximately RM39 for the grilled food, rice, extra dishes of a few types of veg and drinks for four people.

What Julianne thinks?

Fuss free and delicious

Gerai Seri Melaka is located at Jalan Bellamy ( behind Istana Negara). Drive pass Alice International School (on your left), for about 5 mins, you'll see the stalls on your left. Operating hours: 10am-3 pm, 6pm- 12 midnight. Close on Sundays. Tel: 019-2892501