So, a couple of days ago, I learned that the first day of Chinese New Year this year will fall on January 23rd. My first thought was “Oh, another year of not celebrating it with my family (back in Malaysia)” which immediately made me feel homesick. My next thought was “But I haven’t recovered from the […]
What’s Cooking
Chicken & Tortilla Soup
Can you believe I had this recipe since 2003 and I never tried it until last year? It is now a family favorite! The original recipe, which I’ve adapted slightly for a simpler prep (not that it was complicated to begin with) can be found in The Best of Fine Cooking: 101 Quick Delicious Recipes […]
Pineapple Tarts (Success!)
With Chinese New Year fast approaching (February 3rd), reality finally sets in. I will never be able to make all the CNY treats I have planned unless there are five of me…er…make that ten. :-D At least, I managed to accomplish one thing so far – I finally finished making Pineapple Tarts…successfully! (Hurray!) An essential […]
Louisa’s Spaghetti Sauce
Happy New Year!! You guys are in for a real treat! This recipe is named after one of my best friends – Louisa because it originally came from her family. I first tasted this sauce way back in high school but I didn’t officially get hooked on it until a few years later while I […]
Chicken Mushroom Soup
Note: Photos of the final dish were updated on December 25, 2017. With everyone at home (including myself) feeling under the weather, I decided to make the ultimate comfort food – chicken soup! In my family, this particular version is always eaten with mee suah (a thin, delicate noodle made from wheat flour which signifies […]
Pandan Chiffon Cake
Pandan Chiffon Cake used to be my all-time favorite dessert growing up. I love the fragrant yet oh so subtle pairing of pandan and coconut, and the light-as-air texture with just the right amount of sweetness. Although I’m not as crazy about it as I used to be (due to an increased appreciation of other desserts), I […]
Chicken Curry
This is the kind of curry my mom made when I was growing up, which is more along the line of Chinese-Malaysian curries as compared to the Malay or Indian version. As with most of my mom’s recipes, the dish comes without any actual measurement of the ingredients – everything was just “agak-agak”, meaning “more […]
Pandan Pound Cake
Yay!! I finally managed to coincide a post with a celebration before the actual day, not after. :) Something green for St. Patrick’s Day, anyone? This pound cake is flavored with pandan, a flavoring as widely used in Southeast Asia as vanilla extract is used here (for more info on it, check out an old […]
Whole Grain Pandan Butter Cupcakes
Last Sunday was a baking day as well, although I was still feeling tired from lack of sleep two nights in a row now. However, I did promise Alex that we would bake together that day. Alex just loves to bake. He has yet to try his hands on cooking (maybe when he’s a little […]
Raisin and Cranberry Scones
I woke up early Saturday morning while it was still dark out. After tossing around in bed for who knows how long without any success in falling back to sleep, I finally gave up and decided to surprise hubby with fresh-baked scones instead. I had been thinking about making scones for a while now anyway […]