Thanksgiving Feast

As promised, I took pictures of the Thanksgiving feast and here they are.  If you’re interested in getting the recipe of anything you see below, please leave me a comment and I’ll try to get the recipe for you.

                                   

“Self Serve” California Rolls—These are so much fun to eat, and delicious.  Take a piece of nori (seaweed) and wrap the sushi rice, crab meat, avocado, sesame seed filling to create your own individual roll.  Not to mention, it’s great idea for parties because there’s minimal prep work and the nori stays crispy.



Egg Rolls—Filled with vegetables and glass noodles.  Crispy and delicious!



Mixed Salad—which is, to mix your own vegetable with the store bought dressings next to it!  Hahaha…



Honey Glazed Ham—Nothing represent holiday food better than a leg of honey glazed ham…oh, maybe besides the turkey!  Almost forgot about the turkey :P



Glutinous Rice with Chinese Sausage and Shitake Mushroom—This is one of my favorites!  Sprinkle with a little bit chopped green onions on top and I can eat just that as my Thanksgiving dinner!  :D



Cheesy Penne Pasta with Broccoli and Cauliflower—Cheesy and delicious.



Korean Spicy Stir Fried Pork—This dish demonstrates the well balanced of the sweet and spicy!  I want to get the recipe to make it again at home!



Cream Corn—A holiday staple side-dish.



Orange Juice and Spices Brined Turkey—Juicy, flavorful and delicious.  I believe it looked beautiful too before it was carved.  :P



Creamy Mashed Potato—Smooth and creamy.



Roasted Beef—Great BBQ flavor and beefy.




Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow—Another holiday staple side-dish in our family.



Garlic Knots—Check out the recipe from my last post here.



Rice Cake with Red Bean Paste and Walnut—Not too sweet, the edges are crunchy and the center is chewy, very yummy.


I bet you don’t believe we only have one type of dessert for the Thanksgiving feast, right?  I need to confess that I totally forgot to take pictures when we started to eat the desserts!  :P  This particular picture was taken before dinner was served.  The rest of the goodness were all in our tummies and memories.  We had custard tarts, pumpkin pies, smoked almond turtles, taro cakes, flan, etc.  They were all sweet and delicious.  Oh well, I’ll make it up to you by posting something sweet on my next blog post.  ;)

Smoked Almond Turtles and Garlic Knots

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. I have many to be thankful for this year and I’ll continue to count my blessings every day.

I’m thankful for this lovely place called home, because it’s not just a house. It’s called home because it’s filled with love, and people I love.

I’m thankful for having many good friends in my life. Although we don’t see each other very often, but they’re like stars, I know they are always there. So, I keep them closed to my heart.




We should give without remembering and receive without forgetting. No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. I’m thankful that I have the abilities to give and have great friends and family that help and support me to become who I am today. 

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.

It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart. I believe the greatest things in life are free. The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.


 
I’m thankful for all of you.  Who read and support my blog, weeks after weeks.  Left me comments and words of encouragement from time to time.  Thank you for all that you have given me. I hope that I can give it back... tenfold and more.  I will work my hardest to keep doing so.

I hope all of you have something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. And let’s not forget those who are less fortunate around us.

This Thanksgiving, my family is going to have a gathering at my cousin’s house. We always have a big family gathering every year. I’m going to bring these Garlic Knots and Smoked Almond Turtles to share with them. Of course, I’m sharing my recipes with you all. For the rest of the feast, I’ll take pictures and post them up later on. Hope you all have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving.




 

Zero Cleaning (Afterwards) Barbequed Baby Back Ribs with Roasted Vegetables

We’re in the packing stage of the move, which means chaos in the house!  That also means we’ve got the house we like! Yay….While I'm busy with packing, I don’t have too much time to cook these days.  So, I love this easy recipe that doesn’t dirty any pots and pans.  Yes, you heard me right, ZERO dirty pots and pans!!!   Isn’t it amazing?  Well, I guess all of us love an easy and convenience recipe like this one every now and then.  These baby back ribs and vegetables are roasted in the oven.  They are already delicious!  I couldn’t wait to cook them on a grill (after I get an outdoor grill at my new place, hehehe).  I bet grilling will add some smoky flavors to them, which means more deliciousness!  But until then, I’m happy with these scrumptious ribs as is.



As I started packing, I couldn’t believe the volume of junks we’ve accumulated over the past few years.  I found so many “surprises” in the storage areas that I don’t even remember we had them.  If something stay in the storage for so many years without being used or noticed, I strongly believe they belong to the trash.  Why move them to the new house and use up the storage space?  Well, this is the chance for the major clean up!           
 


Besides all the junks that I have found, there are also some useful things that I’ve forgotten.  I found a few old cookbooks in the kitchen and they’re definitely moving to the new house with me.  :)  Guess I’ll have to cook up a few dishes from these cook books after we settled down at the new place.  Maybe bake up a couple dozen of cookies to make the new place feel more like home.    



Meanwhile, I’m afraid we might have to enjoy a few more nights of baby back ribs before the move.  They are juicy and flavorful.  Don’t think anyone would mind having these more often.  And yes, I prefer a home cook meal any day over take outs, even during the packing and moving.  Oh well, maybe until I pack up the very last baking sheet in the kitchen, I guess! 

Black Sesame Seed Mochi

The other day when I was rolling out dough to make a loaf of bread.  Out of nowhere, my son asked me if I’m making Black Sesame Seed Mochi (he calls them “Gee-Mah”, means sesame in Chinese).  I guess rolling out dough for bread/buns reminds him the similar process in making Mochi!  Isn’t he smart?  :)  Since that day, he’s been asking me to make him some “Gee-Mah, everyday!!!  A few times a day!!!  It’s not that I don’t want to make the Mochi for him.  But let me explain to you all, a batch of Mochi makes 36 mini ones, and they CAN’T be refrigerated because cold temperature would harden the rice cake.  The Mochi usually only last for around 3 days, more or less depending on the weather, at room temperature.  I hesitated to make them just for his and my enjoyment for 3 days and waste whatever we couldn’t finished (yeah, my hubby doesn’t eat anything too sticky!)  I’m pretty sure that my son (not even 3 year old) and I can’t finish all 36 Mochi in 3 days, doesn’t matter how much we love them.  So, I promised my son I would make Mochi when Grandma and Grandpa visit.  Hence, they can take some home.  So, when my Mom called the other day and informed us they’ll visit the day after for lunch, my son was overjoyed!  Of course, he was very excited because he got to spend time with his Grandparents!  :D 



As usual, my parents bought Dim Sum over to our place and we all had lunch together.  After lunch, my Dad went for a walk with my son at the community playground.  I was chatting with Mom and I mentioned how my son has been asking me to make Mochi for him.  Coincidently, my Dad had been requesting Mom to make the same thing for him!  :)  And for the same reason, my Mom didn’t make them!  LOL…  Didn’t people say great minds think alike!?  Oh well, I guess the sweet tooth runs in the family.  So, here we go, I was getting the bento cups and mini muffin cups ready for the Mochi.  Aren’t they cute?






Besides black sesame seed fillings, you can also fill these Mochi with red bean paste.  They are available in most Asian markets, fresh or canned, very convenience.  However, I personally don’t like red beans, so, I only fill them with black sesame seeds paste.  These Black Sesame Seed Mochi are soft, chewy, fragrant, and flavorful!  Those coated with toasted sesame seeds outside got an extra crunch and toasted flavor.  Yum…

Earl Grey Pots de Crème and Honey Lace Cookies

There are so many things that are meant to be with one another and compliment each other’s existence.  For example, salt and pepper, bread and butter, sugar and cream, my hubby and BMW me, of course!  (Sorry Honey, I can’t resist not to put BMW here.)  Whoever knows my hubby well would agree with me, heheheh…Recently, I’ve found another pair!  Earl Grey Pots de Crème and Honey Lace Cookies.



Both of the treats are made with simple ingredients and yet, they are out of this world delicious.  I love their simplicity with a sophisticated twist.  Just like lives, I enjoy the most simple things in life.  Such as a cup of hot coffee to wake me up in the morning, oh wait, I think it’s the crying of my baby girl that wakes me up every morning;  A big hug and a kiss from my 3 year old son;  A thank you from my hubby after dinner to show his appreciation; A phone call from my best friend in Canada just called to say hello; Or, my parents and in-laws visit us to play with their grandkids.  I cherish and treasure every moment.                



If you are familiar with, or love, Earl Grey Tea, you have to give this recipe a try.  The texture is smooth, creamy and silky. The lemon zest elevates the tea flavor and bring out the best of it.  The tea flavor really comes through in this recipe.  It’s sweet, it’s fragrant and it’s unforgettable.      

The Honey Lace Cookies are crunchy, flavorful and melt in your mouth goodness.  Please try to refrain yourself from eating the whole batch without waiting on the Earl Grey Pots de Crème!  Oh well, they’re so easy to make, maybe you can consider making an extra batch to enjoy while you wait for the Pots de Crème to set.  Because that is exactly what I did!  :P





By the way, I've submitted the Honey Lace Cookies recipe for the Los Angeles Time Holiday Cookie Bake-Off.  Please vote for me by clicking on the picture below!  Thank you!