Cajun Pork Chops

This blog is so long overdue. And my apologies.

The rush of the holiday season has absolutely whipped me around like a spinning top there was hardly any time left to sit around and write.

The entire month I was busy mostly spending time with my children. You see something happened this month that I must share.

My kids and I were out eating lunch at a popular fast food. It is a once a week thing we do, just me and my first two children, where I take them out to eat and I let them pick the place.

So we were seated and eating spaghetti and hotdog and fried chicken, when I noticed this young lady on another table stealing glances our way. She was with her colleagues, and they seemed like they were having a good time. But once in a while this particular young lady would turn to look at us. I ignored her the first few times, but that was difficult to do. I was getting very self-conscious and frankly, just plain irritated. Why does she keep looking at us???

Finally, towards the end of our meal, I caught her glance, and gave her a look that said "please stop staring." She looked away very quickly.

Just when we were about to leave, she looked at me again, wearing a sorry look on her face. And this young lady said to me, "Ma'am, I am so sorry I keep staring. It's just that your daughter reminds me so much of my daughter. And I miss her so much this Christmas."

The nuisance that I felt left as quickly as it came. I am suddenly sorry, and unquestionably guilty for being upset at this woman. I could feel the pain and envy she must be feeling, a mother away from her child during the holidays.

So I am reminded that Christmas isn't all about gift-giving, but instead about togetherness. And I am so lucky that my children are here with me. And so I tell myself this Christmas I will not ask for anything. Because I've got everything I need.

I made this dish early this month and I will be making this again and again. One, because it is so easy that the preparation only takes 10 minutes, max. Two, because pork is affordable, this a perfect dish to make when you have guests over or when you're headed to a potluck event. Three, because it is impressively delicious.

I have here about six pieces of 3/4 inch thick pork chops.

I rub these babies liberally with mayonnaise so that all the pork is covered throughout.

Hmm... I realize just now that I don't have a picture of that because I must have deleted it in my phone. And I guess because its no longer in my phone it's also no longer in the "Cloud." Which doesn't make sense because I uploaded my photo up in the Cloud therefore if I delete it in my phone it should still be in the Cloud. Whatever.

Where in the world is the Cloud anyway???

After the mayo layer I rub the pork chops with  just a little bit of Dijon mustard. Just until it turns a tad bit yellow.

Here's the picture of the mustard I used:

Then finally I sprinkle a scant amount of Cajun spice on both sides of the chops.

This is the Cajun spice I use. McCormick Perfect Pinch Cajun. Natural. No MSG.

If you don't have that in your spice rack just mix equal amount of cayenne and paprika. It works just as fine.

Slide the chops in your oven and bake at 150 degees celsius for an hour. They should be fork tender.

Let cool and serve.

Spinach in Coconut Milk

I'm all about being healthy tonight.

And why is that, you might ask?

Because... I couldn't resist the Christmas sale at the mall and bought myself a pair of skinny jeans for 995. Not so very good deal I must say. The last skinny jeans I bought was early this year and it was only 600.

I convinced myself by saying it's must be inflation...

LOL.

Over 30% inflation in less than a year? Who am I kidding? Besides myself...

So tomorrow my skinny jeans will go into the washing machine. In a couple of days it will be pressed, folded, and will be sitting nicely in my closet waiting to be worn. I am anticipating that day by cooking up something healthy tonight.

I mean I've got to look good in those jeans!!

I have tried it on and it fits fine but you know how skinny jeans tend to be the stretchy kind too? And fitting room mirrors are made in such a way that you'll look like a Victoria's Secret model? All I'm saying is I don't want my legs to end up looking like Spanish chorizos...

Just because it fits doesn't mean it looks nice.

So here I am making a veggie dish. Not that one dinner will magically make me look like a Victoria's Secret model in skinny jeans.

But who knows???

I start by chopping sword peppers, about 2 teaspoons worth. You can go up to 1 tablespoon if you like spicy.

I also chop up about 2 cups worth of string beans in to 1 inch lengths. And about 3 cups worth of washed spinach.

I turn the heat up on a wok, and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When it's hot I throw in 2 tablespoons of garlic.

And about the same amount of chopped white onions.

Excuse the green beans that popped out of nowhere.

Actually my son had a lot to do with that. But it's all good...

I put in the sliced sword peppers.

And 1 cube of pork bouillon. But we are not making bouillon.

Just sort of crumble the bouillon cube with your laddle and stir for a bit.

If you don't want to use a bouillon cube you can throw in small slices of bacon instead. I usually do that when I make this dish but this time I use a bouillon cube because:

a) it taste just as good,

b) I wasn't able to slice any bacon tonight

and,

the most deciding factor,

c) I need to look good in those skinny jeans. Bacon and skinny jeans just don't click like that.

Dump in your string beans and let them cook until they are soft, about three minutes.

I let my kids do this step.

Look at my little girl. Isn't she cute??? She likes princesses and the color purple.

She also likes to do a high-pitch scream if she doesn't get what she wants. If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!

While waiting, grab a cup of coconut milk. I use the powder kind. Just add about a cup of water and stir to dissolve. It makes life a lot easier.

This is the packet I used:

To your wok, throw in the chopped spinach leaves and stir.

Immediately pour in your coconut milk and let simmer until the spinach wilts.

And until the milk has reduced to half its original volume like this:

Transfer to a plate and serve on top of white rice! Skinny jeans, here I come baby!!!

P.s.


I was decided on serving ONLY this for dinner... really. Until I saw a few slices of pork chops on the kitchen sink that I had my kitchen help take out and defrost, hours before I fell upon those skinny jeans. So... I decided to cook those chops and serve them alongside my veggie dish. Nevermind looking like a Victoria's Secret model. Perhaps in another life time...

Recipe for the pork chops on my next blog! 20 days to go before Christmas my friends!!! Happy Holidays!!!!

Gyudon (Beef Bowl)

So... I haven't been blogging for a while. Blame the parties and the parties and, did I mention, the parties?

It's crazy this time of the year...

Next month will be crazier.

Oh, and am I the only one who didn't like Skyfall? Most are saying it's the best Bond movie ever.

Ever? Really? I thought it dragged on for a while. I found myself shifting in the movie seat for sometime there. Boy was I glad it was over, when it finally was!

I did like Breaking Dawn 2, however. Big surprise there.

Skyfall? No surprise there.

Besides Breaking Dawn 2, I also like Japanese food.

Here's how I make gyudon, or thin slices of beef served over rice.

You will need:

Sukiyaki (thinly sliced beef)
Black mushrooms, soaked
White onions
chopped garlic
Cornstarch
Kikkoman
Brown sugar
Mirin

I grab a pack of sukiyaki, about 300 grams. I pull the thin slices of beef one by one because they are stuck together in the pack.

I prepare my sauce first, about 4 tablespoons brown sugar, half a cup of Kikkoman soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons of mirin. I set that aside for later.

Oh and I don't know what mirin is. I just find it and buy it in the grocery, Asian section. Could it be vinegar? Rice wine? I don't know. It could be anything really. Lol. Just trust me on this. You need mirin.

In a medium size saucepan, saute a tablespoon of chopped garlic in cooking oil.

Then I throw in sliced onions, 1 whole. Slice them in such a way so that they are quite long. Like onion rings sliced in half.

Once the onions are nice and golden brown, transfer the whole thing to a plate.

In the same sauce pan, I add a cup of water and 1 beef bouillon cube. Then I throw in some black mushrooms, soaked, stems removed, and sliced. Let boil.

To the boiling broth, I put in my thin slices of beef one by one. I let the beef cook very quickly just until they change color.

Then I put the cooked beef aside and mushrooms aside with the onions. Turn off heat.

Make a cornstarch mixture: 2 tablespoons cornstarch in about 4 tablespoons of water. Mix until cornstarch is dissolved. Put this in your saucepan and mix with the broth. Remember I said turn off heat? Make sure you don't dump the cornstarch mixture in until you turn OFF heat.

If you don't you'll end up with Jello in your soup. Trust me.

Turn the heat back up again and let boil until broth is slightly thicker.

When it is, put back your beef, mushrooms, onions in the saucepan. I also add in some sliced green onions. I let this simmer. Then I crack 3 eggs on top. Some Japanese restaurants don't bother putting in the egg whites. But I put my egg whites. Because what will I do with egg whites? That's something I don't want to have to think about.

Who wants to think about what to do with egg whites, anyway???

I can begin to imagine myself thinking.... should I make omelette tomorrow morning? Should I make fish cakes with the egg whites? Make a meringue? Uh uh... I'm not going there. No.

I'm putting the egg whites in.

I let my eggs cook very close to well done because I am serving this dish to the kids. If you are serving this to adults, overeasy would be alright and more delicious.

I prepare some rice on my serving plate. Then I top the rice with my cooked beef.

Yummeh!!!!

Hot Shrimp Salad

Now I know what you're thinking... That it's not hot shrimp salad. It's hot PRAWN salad.

But I didn't use any prawns for this. I used medium sized shrimps because that's all I had.

I love making this dish. Or, err, I love EATING this dish. In the United States they call this Shrimp with Candied Walnuts, and it is very popular at P.F. Chang's.

Though I've never been to P.F. Chang's...

Come to think it, I've never even seen P.F. Chang's. Not in the four years that I've lived and roamed that country.

It's sad.

So sad.

How did that happen???

How can I miss P.F. Chang's when I love Chinese food so much?

Who doesn't love Chinese food!

It's the greatest thing China's ever come up with! And perhaps the only thing original from that country. Lol. I'm kidding.

Not really.

Here are the ingredients for this dish:

1/2 kilo shrimp
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 medium sized eggs
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp condensed milk


Start by cleaning your shrimp. Remove its soft shell and head. Then devein. The easiest way to devein is to run a sharp knife on the shrimp's back and slowly take out the black stringy substance that is the gut of the shrimp.

Rinse your shrimp a couple of times in cold water.

Then, prepare your batter. Make this by mixing 3/4 cup of flour to 1/4 cup of corn starch.

In another bowl, break 2 medium sized eggs and beat.

Beat them real fast because you're mad about never having been to P.F. Chang's.

Heat up a saucepan filled halfway with oil. I use soybean oil. It makes me feel a little healthier.

Just a little.

Submerge all your shrimp in the beaten egg. Because submerging them one at a time takes way too much time. Why not just throw all the babies in?

One by one, dredge your shrimp in the flour and cornstarch mixture. This one you can't cheat on. Don't dump all your shrimp here at once or you'll have one big mess. Trust me.

Deep fry your shrimp for no longer than five minutes. You want the shrimp nice and soft, not overcooked and chewy.

Let drain. Note that the batter is really light. You want just a tad bit of crisp.

For your candied walnuts, put 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water on a separate saucepan and heat until the sugar has melted. Don't keep stirring this mixture otherwise the sugar won't melt.

Once all the sugar granules has become invisible, throw in a half a cup of walnuts. Toss the walnuts around the syrup to coat.

Strain, then transfer to paper towel.

For the sauce, you will need a cup of mayonnaise, and two tablespoons of condensed milk, a little less if you're not very much on the sweet side. Mix the two together and stick in a microwave for a minute. Stir again.

Whew. I'm tired.

I want my husband to come to the kitchen and finish this for me.

One more thing I added, because this is good with it. And this is lettuce. Fresh, green, crisp lettuce. Just wash it, and chop if you like. Pat dry with a towel, and lay them nicely on a serving plate.

You may mix the shrimp and the sauce together. But this time I don't. Instead, I put the shrimp on top of my bed of lettuce, sprinkle the candied walnuts, and just spoon the sauce on top like a salad.

But you should mix the shrimp and sauce together. It is more delicious like that.

You can put this on a sandwich too.

I totally forgot to include my mangoes when I put this dish together. So I just served my mangoes on the side. You can add and kind of fruit you have. Diced mangoes or melon really go well with this dish. Some people I know even throw in a can of fruit cocktail, drained. But I don't like the taste of canned fruit of any kind. Fresh or frozen tastes better.

Eat and be happy!

Fish Fillet with Garlic and Tomatoes

When I started cooking fish I messed up a lot. And I mean, A LOT. I tried almost everything in the fish section and I failed.

I remember one time I was newly married and I bought sole fish because I love sole fish. My grandmother use to fry them up really nice and crispy. When I got home I fried mine up too. Except when I ate it, it was really bitter and nasty.

Because... because I forgot to clean and gut the darn things. Gross. Disgusting. Blech!

I decided I was a lot safer off buying a jar of Montano sardines and heating them up in a microwave. Back in the time, that was a winner!

Then I discovered packed fish fillet in the frozen food section and alleluia!

Life became a lot easier.

No need to clean, gut, scale, or skin the swimmers. Just defrost and slice away.

This packed fish fillet is called cream dory, also known as white river cobbler. It is so easy to cook. You can't fail.

Begin by heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick pan.

Put 1 cup of flour and 1 tablespoon paprika in a shallow bowl. To this add just a pinch of chicken powder and mix together.

Dredge your cut up fish fillets in the flour mixture.

Fry in skillet for about ten minutes per side.

Don't worry. Unlike salmon or sea bass, you can't overcook these. If you undercook them (and you can tell because the inside is still pink), just throw them back in the pan. You can't fail with cream dory.

When the fish is nice and golden brown in color, transfer to a serving plate.

In the same skillet, add 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic. Let cook for a bit until the garlic browns.

Next throw in 3/4 cup of diced tomatoes and sliced basil leaves. I use fresh ones because my son grows two pots of this plant in the yard.

Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. But only because I ran out of red wine vinegar. Stir together for a minute then turn off heat.

Top your fish with the tomato and garlic. Serve and enjoy!

My kids love everything fish fillet, including this one!

Oysters and Spinach

Oysters and Spinach
by Cress Sia

I heart seafood.

All of them...

I heart shrimp.
I heart fish, eel included.
I heart crabs.
I heart lobsters.
I heart scallops.
I heart roe.
I heart seaweed.
I heart clams.
I heart muscles and legs.

Oops...!

I mean, mussels, and the crab kind. Gee what was I thinking!

And... I especially love oysters. I think nothing in this world can taste quite like oysters. It's sooo singularly can't-get-enough-of-it good.

I manage to get 3 kilos of oysters today. I'm so excited! (Rubbing my hands together!)

First, oyster shells have to be cleaned. I run warm water on the oysters and scrub their shells lightly with a dish sponge. Make sure every one of the shells are closed shut.

If it isn't, throw it away.

Now, now don't give me the "Oh what a waste!" reaction... Because it's not going to be a waste. It's going to be lethal. So away with it.

Fortunately mine are all fresh and nicely closed shut!

The reason why I scrub them is because their outside shells are mucky and icky, smells like crap and looks like crap kindda thing. Although frozen imported oysters don't have this mucky-ness on their outside shells. But why oh why does one choose to pay a fortune for frozen imported oysters when you can get fresh ones around the corner and just wash them clean? Boggles me.

So once they're all scrubbed and much less crappier (hahahaha!) than when you got them, lay them on a single layer on a baking sheet or roasting pan.

I know some people can eat this uncooked with a little lemon and vinegar. But not me. Uh-uh. I don't even like them cold like how fancy restaurants like to serve them. I prefer mine cooked and warm.

Now oysters aren't really for those with a weak stomach... or for the pregnant. If you think, suspect, or know you're one of them, find something else to cook. No joke.

I preheat my oven to 200 degrees celsius. Then I slide my oysters on the middle rack. It's going to bake for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, I get started on my topping.

Actually to be honest I don't like any topping on my oysters. I like them best straight out of the oven, with their distinctive taste of the sea and all. But that kind is way too easy for this blog.

So instead, I'm writing on the second best way I like them served.

To make the topping, I melt 2 tablespoons of butter on a saucepan over medium heat.

Then I throw in a tablespoon of flour. And a teaspoon of garlic salt.

Let the flour cook for two minutes.

Then add in a cup of milk. Let this boil.

Then I throw in a cup of shredded cheese. I'm feeling a little broke today so I use Quickmelt. If you're feeling quite the opposite use shredded parmesan. And I'm in a hurry too so I don't even bother shredding my Quickmelt. I chop it in to cubes.

It's going to melt anyway, right? Absolutely.

Once the cheese has melted and the mixture and has thickened, I throw in the fresh green spinach leaves. I have prewashed these in cold water. But I didn't bother to chop them. You should. Though I'm not one to mind chewing on big pieces of spinach leaves...

Let the spinach wilt and keep stirring for about 3 minutes more, then turn off heat.

At about this time take a peek inside your oven. Your oyster shells should have opened at least a quarter to a half an inch wide. If it is only just slightly open, add another 5 minutes to your baking time.

If at that time it still hasn't opened, it could be saying:

a) I'm lethal.
b) Don't eat me because something's wrong with me.
c) Throw me away.
d) All of the above.

That's it. That's all it could be saying. You can pick whatever answer you like. Depending on how gruesome you like to think.

Once they are opened, take them out of the open and let cool. Your oven will be very hot, take extra care when taking them out.

Look how beautiful the oysters are! Just begging to be shucked!

Pull apart the shell and lay the shell with the oyster on a nice serving plate.

Oh and stop praying you'll find a pearl. You won't. Pearls don't grow in the kind of oysters that is edible to us earthlings. It grows in a different kind of shell that is commonly called a pearl oyster. But even that is incorrect because it's not biologically an oyster but a different class of mollusk altogether. And it can be as big a dinner plate!

Now that we have established the fact that there is more chance of you finding an alien is in your bedroom than finding a pearl in your oyster, let's get back to business.

Spoon your still warm spinach mixture on top of each of the oyster. You can sprinkle this with toasted bread crumbs. But I ran out of bread crumbs.

Happy shucking!!