Caramelized Seabass in claypot (Ca seabass kho to)

It's been a long hiatus since my last post and to be honest I almost forgot how to do the posting on my own blog. My disappearance partly has to do with being a busy mom with kids and their activities as always and also guilty as charged for my laziness as well. Okay, enough of the excuses. Let's us get to the point. I think this recipe would be a perfect start  for my coming back since it's absolutely delicious but yet so easy that will take no time and effort to prepare. Unlike the traditional catfish in claypot, the texture and buttery taste of the seabass will satisfy the pickiest eater's taste bud. Another advantage with seabass is that you will never run into the problem of muddy smell or taste as occasionally seen in catfish. Trust me on this and your family will love you forever .... okay maybe until the next quarrel:)
It can be served along with other side dishes such as blanched vegetables (bok choi, okra, cabagge...) or vegetable soup for a nice but breezy family meal or just accompanied with a bowl of steamed rice for a quick lunch. Regardless of how you choose to serve it, your tummy is in for a delectable treat. 

Flossy pork buns (Banh mi ngot cha bong)

Hello again everyone! Summer is almost over for most of us. My boys are actually back to school for two weeks now. It just seems too short of a summer for us all, but I'm also glad that they are back to school so we all can get back to our own routine again.  

That means I also have to get back to my baking routine to get breakfast ready for the boys every morning. Breads and buns are the staples for breakfast in our house second to the quick-and-easy cereals.  This flossy pork bun recipe is quite easy to make and very tasty as well. If you don't have floss pork on hand, you can substitute with ham or bacon and cheese. I am sure they will taste just as delicious. Give it a try for your loved ones at home.

Steamed Pork Bun (Banh Bao Thit)

 

The origin of steamed buns is rooted from China. With thousands of years of history, steamed bun has been a staple diet in many Chinese families. They usually come in a variety of sizes and stuffed with different types of filling such as pork, chicken, cabbages, mushrooms, tofu, spinach, etc. 

Steamed buns have migrated overtime to many different countries and took on different versions. In Vietnam, the most traditional version is stuffed with ground pork that is mixed with wood-ear mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs or quail eggs and Vietnamese sausage (lap xuong). While steamed buns can be eaten at any meals, they are commonly eaten as breakfast. One of the best feature about these buns is that they can be made in large batches and stored in freezer for later consumption. All you have to do is re-steam them and in a short few minutes, you can enjoy a scrumptious steamed bun just as good as the freshly made one.

Hasselback Garlic Cheesy Bread

Summer is here! Well, at least for us since my boys were already off school a couple weeks ago. They started summer camp last week and I wish to myself that I could also take the summer off to spend more time with them. 
I saw the picture of this garlic cheesy bread recipe a while back on Facebook and I was practically drooling while staring intensely at the screen. I said to myself that I have to make this very very soon. But until recently, when I stopped by a Chinese bakery to pick up some breads for my boys, my oldest told me he wanted some garlic breads. Only then I thought of this garlic cheese bread that I saw on Facebook, so I told him "Mommy will make some for you soon". And so I did keep my promise to him.
I love how easy this recipe turned out. All the ingredients can be easily found from your pantry and fridge. Give it a try next time you are planning some spaghetti or pasta dishes for dinner. These breads will be a great addition to your meal and greatly appreciated by your family.

Banh xeo (Vietnamese savory crepes)

Hello Spring!!! What a gorgeous and lively season! I love it when everything rejuvenates after the long cold winter. My unattended little garden surprised me yesterday when I came out for the first time to clean up the backyard after several winter months. All my mints and herbs that I planted last year are now full of life and competing with each other to show their vibrant green leaves under the shining sun.  And that was how I came up with the idea to have this Vietnamese savory crapes for dinner tonight. 

Wait a minute, you may ask, how does that have anything to do with the mints and herbs? Well, if you look closely to my pictures you will see how they are related. Unlike the French crepes which usually served alone by itself, the Vietnamese crepes are usually accompanied by a lot of green vegetables such as lettuces, mustard greens, and a varieties of Vietnamese mints and herbs along side with the fish sauce dressing. It has been a long while since I last made this and I have certainly enjoyed it very much especially with my freshly grown green vegetables.

Crispy roasted pork belly (Heo quay) with vermicelli

It's Fat Tuesday, so why not getting fat together! And why not eating roasted pork belly before the Lent season starts. To me I can only afford to enjoy this dish a few times in a year unless I'm ready for a new larger pant size. That why whenever I prepare this dish, I always savor every single bite especially the most high prize part of the dish, the crunchy, crispy skin that tastes so divine. 
In my opinion, homemade roast pork is much more flavorful than the store bought one. Since the pork is prepared in a much smaller portion than the whole pig at the BBQ joint, you can easily control the marinade and able to let the meat mingle and absorb the flavorful marinade. The most important part to make this dish a success lies in the crispiness of the skin (of course without burning it). Once you can achieve this crucial step, you are more than half way being successful. To tell you the truth, if I could just eat all I want, I would definitely go for the skin. Tonight dinner, I serve it with mixed herb salad and vermicelli noodles, but you can also serve it with rice and it would make a wonderful entree.

Herb sea salt soft pretzels with Cheese sauce

This is my second time trying my luck with soft pretzels. I don't even want to be reminded of my first attempt at making homemade pretzels. If I could throw a rock to hurt somebody, those pretzels would do a very fine job. It has been years since I even thought about making pretzels again until recently when I saw a post on my Facebook page about homemade soft pretzels from a food blogger. The pretzel picture looked so delightful and enticing that I almost wanted to reach into the screen and grab that pretzel. So forget about my first painful experience with pretzels, I immediately looked up the recipe and made my plan for the second attempt without hesitation. 
I have to say, the result is beyond my expectation. The fresh hot, crusty-on-the-outside and soft-in-the-inside pretzels taste heavenly. Especially when it is accompanied with the creamy, savory cheese sauce, you can forget about the world around you. The recipe is such a breeze to make and with just a couple hours in the kitchen, you will be rewarded with some fantastic homemade good eat. These soft pretzels are best when they are fresh hot out of the oven, but I don't think you will have to worry about left-over, stale pretzels because there won't be any.