Cheesecakes

peppermint cheesecake for Christmas time

Post bake--out of oven

spring-form ring off to reveal the entire cake

plain NY cheesecake without topping

blueberry glaze topping

Taro Cake

I have never seen taro cake in an American bakery. Taro cake is popular among asian, specifically Chinese bakeries. The lightly sweetened whipped cream surrounds the mildly sweetened cake.Fresh fruits make this dessert a healthier choice for the health-conscious.

Dragon Fruit

 Derived from the species of cactus, and aka pitayas, dragon fruits carry different names according to their regions of origin--China, Vietnam, Indonesia, or Malaysia. Whether you call it dragon fruit, fire dragon fruit, dragon pearl fruit, sweet dragon, or even strawberry pear, this fruit is originally native to Mexico and Central and South Americas, but many other far east countries and even Australia are not new to the cultivation of pitayas.

Dragon fruits come in few varieties, ranging from sour to sweet. The most commonly seen type is the one shown in the photos above. It is the red pitaya, with red skin and white flesh. It's fleshy texture is similar to that of a kiwi. The seeds are eaten together with the flesh of the fruit. Its taste is mildly sweet and the nutrients to this fruit is astounding, especially high in antioxidants. It is also known to help people who experience hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and high metal toxicity level, among other health ailments.

Vitasoy 70th Year

Happy birthday Vitasoy with your new look to celebrate your 70th year anniversary! I grew up with Vitasoy soy milk with their other variety drinks.

Ruffles Loaded Chili & Cheese

A new twist on flavor.

Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of the most versatile dishes. I prefer a combination of everything--meat, vegetables, spices, roots, etc. So when there is left-over rice, do not waste it. Store it in the refrigerator over night to make fried rice the next day. Left-over rice can stay in the refrigerator for several days. So there is no rush to cook this dish until you are ready. For a twist in this Cantonese style dish, add minced ginger and/or five spice powder to the rice. For more than a twist, add miso or diced preserved fish or even spicy bean curd.

Infested Peaches

Every spring, I have an abundant amount of peaches in my yard. They look pretty from afar, but they are infested with insects (unknown species).

Lasagna

I like using oven-ready pasta for lasagnas. The trick to soft pasta is to add more liquid to the sauce so that the uncooked pasta can absorb the liquid to soften during baking time.The main ingredients to my lasagna are fresh meat, fresh tomatoes and fresh mushrooms. You could make your own home made tomato sauce but here I used store bought tomato sauce for convenience. Choose to make a variety of different types of lasagna with extra or different ingredients such as spinach, chicken, alfredo sauce, etc. Begin stacking!

Home made coconut ice cream

Soft-served coconut ice cream in less than 1/2 hour of slow churn. I have tasted home made coconut ice cream at Thai restaurants and they are delicious. Here, I used imported canned creamy coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla to create something very similar to the restaurant competition.

Lunch at CoCos Crepes & Coffee shop

This is Coco Crepes' (in Houston's Vintage Park area) creme brulee crepe with strawberries and chocolate sauce and a light coat of confectioner sugar.  The fresh strawberries are wrapped inside with the creme brulee sauce. I'm not sure why the photo looks split, but not too surprised since it was taken from a phone.

Tapas Night at Andalucia Tapas & Tavern

Andalucia, a Spanish tavern that served tapas, nestles in a busy downtown shopping/dining strip called Houston Pavillions downtown. Live Spanish music played by a couple of musicians with their drums and stringed instruments on a mini stage created a lively and culturally inviting atmosphere. Our waiter memorized our entire order of tapas.

Complimentary bread with seasoned olive oil dip was served before the tapas. Nothing spectacular, but it temporarily satisfied our hunger. Our first tapa arrived soon after, with the other tapas following.

The beef tenderloin empanadillas were flavorful with a hint of spice. So far so good. It reminded me of the spectacular "fried meat pocket" from the street cart we ate in Culebra. I really miss it!

Our second tapa was octopus, sautéed to perfection. It was tender cooked just right. No rubbery texture and quite delicious. Great job!

Braised oxtail was our third tapa. Yummy!  I wanted to pair with it was a bowl of rice, but no rice tonight.  It was very tender, as expected. The oxtails were plated on a bed of oxtail au jus (pardon the French) with sprinkles of whole chickpeas. This can be my new comfort food.

Baked goat cheese with some kind of a lightly toasted delicious bread was served next. Personally, I do not enjoy eating anything that has a "gamey" taste, but this was different. The goat cheese came on a bed of pear chutney with a some kind of mild chili sauce. It was such a power combo in flavor that I did not mind the gamey goat cheese. Another great job!

Our fifth tapa was mussels. The size of the mussel meat was disappointing. I could honestly say that that was the smallest size mussels I have ever eaten. It compared to a very tiny clam. The sauce over-powered the flavor of the mussel. Although the sauce was good tasting but it masked the mussels.

The last tapa arrived and we were sad to near the end of our dinner. The lamb loin chops on a bed of couscous, were tender and not very gamey in taste.

Lastly, we shared two perfectly created creme brûlée and tiramisu. Both desserts appeared rich and heavy but were surprisingly very creamy smooth and not mildly sweet. This is MY kind of dessert! No miserable feeling afterwards.

Overall, this meal ranks an "A" on my list!

Fried Rice

2nd of the 2 fried rice dishes posted here...

TIPS:
1. Pre-cook the rice and chill overnight in the refrigerator. This will give the rice separation and not stick to each other when you stir-fry the rice together with the other ingredients.
2. Instead of adding extra oil to fry the rice during the cooking process (when you see that the rice is dry or it is starting to burn), use broth or water to moisten the rice.

Tofu Patties

Do not fear tofu. Tofu is versatile, and can be included in many dishes. The flavor is bland to mild, so it is easy to accommodate into a variety of flavored dishes.

For a quick tofu dish that is high in protein and low in fat, make tofu patties seasoned with salt and pepper and whatever spice you desire. Saute in a bit of oil on both sides until golden brown, and serve.

For an asian taste, season with soy sauce instead of salt and add drops of sesame oil to marinade. You could also try for an Italian version and sprinkle Italian seasoning and pair it with tomato sauce at the end. If you like the taste of India, use curry powder to enhance the flavor of India. As you can see, tofu is not as difficult as you may think.

Labne - Kefir Cheese

I purchased a 16 ounce tub of homemade labne, aka kefir cheese, at the local international supermarket. It resembles mascarpone, only sour. The soft and creamy consistency is mild and its texture is soft and smooth.

You can serve it alone as a light snack or an accompaniment to anything else. It pairs well with bagels or veggie sticks.

I have made home made kefir cheese by over-fermenting kefir until the separation occurs into curds and whey. It does not look this smooth, but resembles more of a cottage cheese consistency.

Japanese cuisine

Fresh seafood and meat at a good Japanese restaurant ranks high on my list of favorite foods. Above photos show an assortment of fresh sushi, fried whole soft shelled crab, and lime juiced raw beef.

Mochi - Rice Cake

Glutinous rice cakes with sweet fillings inside. Any type of sweet filling can make mochi unique. You can coat the outside of the cake (to prevent sticking) with either some type of flour/starch or coconut shreds or sesame seeds.  The photos above show versions of peanut candy powder and melted chocolate.

Diner food

I choose diner food before fast food. Food is fast but doesn't look as fast as fast food. Sometimes I just crave milkshake, burger, and fries.

Jellyfish

I grew up eating jellyfish. In Hong Kong, I remember eating jellyfish at every wedding.

I found a package of cooked and prepared jellyfish at my local Chinese grocery store. I was excited to try it. It came packaged separately with a seasoning and chili sauce packets. As simple as opening each bag and combining the ingredients, the jellyfish dish was ready to devour. It is as I remember--a bit rubbery, but not tough, with a distinct indescribable taste. Flavor is mild and fresh, not fishy. Jellyfish is best eaten fresh so that it has that "crunch" of a cartilage-like texture.

Did you know that jellyfish does not have a brain, heart, or lungs? It is an entire nervous system, providing calcium binding proteins for nutritional benefits.

Stir Fry - Pork & Bok Choy

Meat and veggies over rice is my comfort food. I never feel miserable even after a large meal like this.

Substitute any type of meat or vegetable to this dish. White rice is the best staple to this dish, without over-powering or competing with the flavors of the other ingredients.

Salt and pepper it, satay it, garlic it, or five-spice it up, etc. It is MY fast food health food.

Curry Chicken with Potatoes

The more spicy you prefer, the more curry powder you add. I like it mild to medium spicy, but I mainly cook it mild for the entire family. I sear and saute everything separately starting with the onions, potatoes, and chicken drumsticks. You do not have to cook those ingredients thoroughly since they'll be cooked further--simmered altogether in chicken broth. I like to brown the outside to give the dish more flavor. This type of stew can be made ahead of time and left overnight for a higher intensity of flavor. The sauce will automatically thicken from the starch of the potatoes. Add salt accordingly and you could leave out the pepper since the curry is spicy enough. This dish is great to add on top of rice and eaten as a comfort food on a cold day.