Guest Post For Chef Dennis - Bliny With Créme Fraiche & Smoked Salmon

Bliny With Créme Fraiche & Smoked Salmon

I could hardly contain my happiness when I received an email from Chef Dennis of More Than A Mount Full- A Culinary Journey ,  inviting me to do a guest post for him .  Of course , it is a great honor to do a guest post for him ! He is an executive chef  who has 35 years of cooking experience . And he heads a culinary program at Mount St. Joseph’s Academy, a girl’s school in Pennsylvania. I have been reading his blog for the past one year and am an ardent fan of his writings, for he tells the most beautiful and interesting stories with his amazing food photos. He has just started  a column on his blog “ Ask Chef Dennis “ and he has provided so much invaluable culinary know- how for all home cooks like myself.  " Thank You ,Chef Dennis, for giving me this privilege to guest post for you "

Have a great weekened!

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Baby Kailan With Braised Taro/Yam

This is the dish I was talking about in my previous post on HK Baby Kailan that I would love to try cooking this. Ate them at the restaurant and fell in love with it and since then it has been on my mind. I let the CNY reunion dishes take the spotlight first and now I can proudly showcase my dish  - Baby Kailan With Braised Taro/Yam to you :)  It turned out fantastically delicious and I can have the whole dish all to myself. I am so going to cook this again but with dried shrimps this time for a change  :) so that I can review and tell you which is better ! With dried shrimps or dried cuttlefish ?  Those served at the restaurant uses dried shrimps !

Yee Sang /鱼生 - Raw Fish Salad For Increase In Abundance & Prosperity !

Yee Sang/鱼生 is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. It consists of slices of raw fish ( slices of salmon or snakehead/ikan haruan ) mixed with shredded vegetables , crunchies  and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Yee Sang means increase in abundance.  Therefore the tossing of this raw fish salad during the Chinese New Year is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.  You can have this dish through out the 15 days CNY  celebration.  We had this on the 1st day and I didn't make this dish myself, I bought the ready packed ones from the nearby restaurant but I hope to make my own Yee Sang next CNY !

Reunion Feast For The Piggies

I had been huffing and puffing in the kitchen the whole of the Chinese New Year Eve , cooking these reunion dishes for the Piggies clan.  Sorry for not being able to post this up earlier , I was too tired and my brain just refuse to function the normal way....data hanged and today the data center has decided not to malfunction thus this post showing you what I cooked for our  reunion dinner. A five course dinner plus one dessert....mmmmm I would say homecooked food taste much better coz it was cooked with so much love and laced with so much passion in these traditional dishes.

Read on to see what each dish signifies.......

Happy Rabbit Year 2011 To All

恭喜发财,

万事如意,

主里蒙恩!

Wishing all my readers and friends

celebrating the Chinese New Year ,

A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Rabbit Year !

 'Gong Xi Fa Cai '

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Pita Bread With Sauteed Leftovers Mixed

What do you do with leftovers in the fridge?  For me, I will gather them together and see what I can do with them. Turned them into a dish everyone loves...that was what I did with a little of everything I found in the fridge. Reason was I have to clear the fridge for the coming festive season - I need space for storing my reunion dinner stuff and I found these in the veggie compartment.  A half of each red and yellow capsicum,  a pkt of  enoki and one fresh fat looking King Oyster mushroom  and one miserable , almost shrivel looking aubergine.  Don't worry, with the thinking cap on, I turned these leftovers into a delightful dish to eat with the wholemeal pita bread that I bought for our Sunday brunch .