Pork Chop Paradise

"Pan-seared/ grilled or broiled, this easy-making pork chop tastes simply great! And, learn some tips on how to cook perfectly-sautéed button mushroom here."

My girl was on vacation with her grandparent (yes, my parents), left only two of us (yes, hubby and I). Of course, I had to make some candle-lit dinner plans for just-two-of-us even in the weekdays, my pleasure to do so. And no doubt, my candle-lit dinner was prepared by me, at home (smile). I really find it more relax, convenient and very comfortable that way to have good meals at home, especially after work. Candle-lit inner at home, our own place, and we didn't even need to care for dressing up (or it's better if to be able to dressed in more sensual and sexier way.. haha.. winking smile). Well, need not to headache about which restaurant to go.. I could even control the preparation, cooking, amount and flavour of each dish in our candle-lit dinner, each dish to be decided by me, all by myself (chuckling).

Anyway, this well-seasoned pork chop with is easy to prepare. So, plan to have dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes. Serve with side dishes of vegetables and mashed potato or raisin rice for a comforting and well-rounded western meal, or to prepare it for your outdoor barbeque party. Another good way to enjoy this juicy delicious chop is simply have it with steamed rice, just like what my hubby had in his lunch box which I've prepared for him.

See recipe of pork chop:

Chicken Mayo Sandwich

"Great and easy sandwiches for your breakfast, lunch and even light dinner choices."

Easy and flavorful. I did this for my girl for her recess, and for hubby and myself as packed breakfast. This is also great on a picnic or for an impromptu luncheon.

This sandwich I've made was the usual chicken Mayo with thick white bread. However, you may wish to make it more healthy to eat and lighter in calorie so that you will feel free to eat even during dieting period, use a low-fat/ light Mayonnaise which may be found off the shelves, at Cold Storage or NTUC Fairprice Finest (at Japanese product cell).

And of course, use whole wheat bread instead of plain white bread, if desired. You may get the whole wheat bread from Four Leaves. It's cottony soft, tasty and less raw wheaty taste in the palate. Choose whole wheat instead of low-fat white bread even though whole wheat has similar calorie count as normal white bread. In fact, some whole wheat bread has slightly higher calorie than the usual white bread. However, I still think it is wise to eat more wheat bread than plain white, especially for woman.

Whole wheat is healthier, better in term of health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, regulating blood sugar, and also balancing female hormone in woman's body.

Well, to make it lighter, we can also omit the butter spread. Why not, if you are health and weight conscious?! Smile...

See recipe:

Stir Fried Cauliflower, Sweet Bean and Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms

"Simple but delicious stir-fried mixed vegetables well liked by anyone in the family."

I've posted a stir-fried assorted veggies with mushroom and fish ball recipe in my blog. This is similar with some adaptions from this previous recipe. But it's less elements on the plate, yet more colourful, and cleaner looking now. Had the flower-shaped carrot slices to the mix for added texture and colour.

And, I did not use snow pea but the sweet bean, this time. In fact, I liked sweet bean. It does not taste sweet though. Sweet bean tastes and looks similar as snow pea, but it appears fuller in shape and its texture is crunchier than snow pea.

This dish can be seen as vegetarian dish, if change the condiments to vegetarian types by replacing chicken granule with mushroom/vegetable granule, from oyster sauce changes to vegetarian oyster-flavored mushroom sauce. Of course, omit the garlic, for strict vegetarian dieter.



Anyway, this dish was prepared for dinner upon request of hubby the other night. And I have also prepared and cooked it again  (with addition of broccoli) the next morning for hubby's lunch box. Balance diet with colourful and alluring presentation. This is also one of the hubby's favourite dishes (smile).

Well, serve these aromatic stir fried mixed veggies as lunch or dinner, and spoon them over steamed rice makes your meal even greater and moister to be indulged in.

See recipe:

Nutritious Lunch Idea, the Lunch Box Gourmet

"Ai Xin Bian Dang (爱心便当) Lunch Bento that filled with Love. Making a packed lunch rather than buying one saves an astonishing amount of money. Yet, having a healthier and better lunch meal. Tell you more on how I prepare my lunch box for hubby."

Hubby changed job location to town area recently. It's more hectic work as new, and for one who will be swearing for having lunch in the crowed area at peak lunch hours there, he might end up skipping lunch or having just fast food than eating proper meal. Hence, I made effort to wake up earlier (1 hour earlier than usual during my kid's holiday period), to make a lunch box for hubby to bring it to work. So that he could avoid the crowd at lunch, and still enjoy a fulfiling, healthy and homey lunch box diet. Anyway, cooking for hubby, it's also my favourite thing to do.

I have already prepared the ingredients the night before. Cut and washed the vegetables as well as marinated the pork chop and stored in refrigerator. Woke up at 7am this morning, I quickly cooked rice. Then, cooked mixed vegetables and pan fried pork chop. Filled the lunch container with rice and topped it with the dishes. Ok.. My heart warming Pork Chop Paradise lunch box is ready to go!

Of course, hubby was happy and touched by my love (winking smile).

Things to note for preparation of lunch box:

Family-Oriented Resort in Bali

"Fun-filled Bali Dynasty Resort in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia"

Just to share some personal photos of the resort I've stayed over for my week-long holiday in Bali, as promised to some readers who are interested to explore further and consider for their future stays in Bali.

Let me show you the Deluxe room which suitable for 2 -3 sharings. It's spacious and well maintained. The wing we stayed was just completed renovation days ago. Guess we were lucky enough for enjoying the brand new room. *There are many other choices of room and suite types for bigger family/ group.

Bathroom and toilet. it's spacious to me, but without bath tub, just the large shower head there, unless you choose family room types which good for a family of 4 - 8 sharings.

I liked the fact that there is a large LCD screen with many TV channels in the room.

The main lobby and reception hall.

Hotel block with pool view.

Besides the children's pool next to the large adult swimming pool, there is another larger children's pool with water slides located separately from the common area.

This larger children's pool is also attached with a small baby pool by the side. Across the bridge over the pool, there is a children club with care takers and daily pre-scheduled children's programme, from early morning till late afternoon. Second floor on the left is a clean, safe (guest has to enter with room card key) and well-equiped gym room. I went in for regular exercise twice and the gym was empty most of the time.

As for adult guests, there is also an exclusive area restristed to only adults use. This No-Kid zone is facilitated with a nice lazy pool. Kids are not supposed to play in the lazy pool and around this area.

Beautiful weather, nice environment and delicious meal and beverages at Tropical Cafe at the poolside.

House Specialty beverage, the Love Bucket cocktail with extensive choice of flavours. There was a 50% off during the twice a day 1-hour Happy Hour session. Food was good, too. For more food and drinks photos viewing, please log on to my FaceBook FanClub.

**Deluxe room @ ~USD150/night. Price varies online.

Crispy Cornflake Prawn Fritters

"Creates the real flavour out of its simplicity"

Using cornflakes to coat prawn fritters makes the dish special and imaginably delicious. The cornflakes crust created a much more crispy texture and aromatic flavor in the palate than the flour or bread crumbs coating.

I learned this delicious cornflake prawn fritters dish from an adaption of recipe in a small fast food recipe book complimentary with the purchase of a lifestyle magazine.

My girl and hubby loved this version of deep fried prawn fritters so much. This recipe was indeed sugaring our meal last evening. The whole dish with servings for 4 was mopped up by just 3 of us in the end of the dinner.

Quick Japanese Sesame Sauce Noodle Dish

"Japanese sesame sauce noodle dish, simply top with your favourite ingredients to make a good additions to the dish, as desired."

This recipe came to me from one of my office buddies, Joyce. She loved this noodles dish for its effortless cooking method and the delicious taste of the Japanese sesame sauce, likeable by the family. So, I took her recommendation and got a bottle of the sesame sauce off the shelves. Tried it and I liked it. Most importantly, it’s so easy and quick to prepare as a simple lunch or dinner. A great recipe to busy working class.

The choice of toppings in this noodle dish is variable, as your wish. I thought there were too many elements on my plate as I tried making it a more balance diet by assembling many different kinds of greens and meat ingredients which added up a large chunk altogether. Well, reduce or modify the additions, if necessary, as there is no hard and fuss rule in this recipe.

Simply get a bottle of this delicious Japanese sesame sauce at Japanese products shelf in major supermarkets. This noodles dish can be prepared in a flash!

Find out here how easy it is to prepare this:

Hearty Soup Recipe

"Meat, root vegetables, cereal grains and (lotus) seeds make this soup dish a perfectly hearty & healthy one dish meal."

This weeknight wonder is packed with plenty of minerals, protein, vitamin-rich and well balancing ingredients. Perfect comforting soup dish for a busy week night.

A small handful of tiny dried scallops was added to intensify the flavor of this soup, while barley (cereal grain) and lotus seeds in the soup create familar texture and refreshing flavor to the taste bud. These elements added not just the cooling effect to the body system, also brighten its flavour.

Of course, cut the sweet corn and carrots into small chunks to yield heartier texture and colourful appearance.

Anyway, such good combination imparts a hearty flavour to this rich and refreshing soup.

Iced Chrysanthemum and Ginseng Herbal Tea (洋参菊花茶)

“Warm aromatic Chrysanthemum tea to warm your hands and heart in the cold days, or a chilled glass to quench your thirst in the summer. Either way, this herbal tea is always the best drink to be enjoyed, anytime.”

Light, aromatic, and very simple, this herbal beverage makes a great accompaniment to any food, e.g. Chinese Dim Sum, stir fry, and even deep fry!

Its delicate floral aroma makes it easy to drink regularly. Chinese believes its benefits in reducing body heat as well as its contribution to clear vision. An addition of tiny ginseng root (洋参须) to Chrysanthemum tea not only doubles the cooling effect to our body system and many more nutritional values, it adds extra fragrance and flavor resulting in a herbal-inspired taste in the palate.

Nice yellow colour will be presented in the beverage after boiled/ steeped which adds visual pleasure, by just looking at it.

Well, making Chrysanthemum and ginseng root tea from scratch is not a difficult chore at all. It’s way easier than you might think, in fact. So, keep a large pot on hand to slowly enjoy it in the summer days! Delicious hot or iced.

Serves 10 – 12 glass
Ingredients
60 grams of dried Chrysanthemum
30 grams of tiny ginseng roots (洋参须)
100 – 150 grams of honey rock sugar or brown rock sugar (about 2 large lumps, amount adjustable to your desire sweetness)
2000ml of water, 80% filled in a large pot

Method
1) Place dried Chrysanthemum and ginseng roots in a large disposable tea/ soup bag. Rinse the bag and set aside. (*If you do not have large enough tea bag, simply place the ingredients in the pot. Filter it only when you transfer the beverage into a separate jar.)

2) Bring water to a boil on high heat. Dissolve rock sugar in the boiling water. Bring it a boil again. Add the filled tea bag into the pot.

3) Reduce heat to low fire to simmer for 10 minutes. Heat off and cover pot with lid to allow standing time of 5 – 10 minutes, before removing the tea bag. Serve warm or iced. Alternatively, let it cool and keep in the refrigerator to chill before serve. Chrysanthemum herbal tea can be stored in the fridge up to a week.

A large glass of this herbal tea counts about 100kcal.

Dried Chrysanthemum and ginseng roots sold in packets are available in major Asian supermarkets or Chinese medical hall. S$3 – 5 per packet each.

Tips: Do not over boil as the nutrients and medical effects will be destroyed.
*Use honey or brown rock sugar is healthier than using the white processed type. You may even omit the sugar adding, if desired.
*The flavor of tiny ginseng roots might taste too over-whelming for some people, reduce the amount, if necessary.

Stir Fried Cabbage and Fresh Shiitake Mushroom

"Light in calorie, big in flavour. Healthy and tasty vegetable and fungi homecooked dish"

Just came back from week-breakaway in Bali last late night (Also learned a new dish from the resort there. Shall cook and post in due). Too many things to catch up, and updating my blog is one of my priority tasks to be done!

Well, I will be cooking at home for dinner tonight. Must cook and eat home, after a week of dined-out foreign cuisine! Smile.. But I couldn't wait till tonight to post the latest dishes I will be cooking, please allow me to share this vegetable dish I cooked for the last vegetarian day about two weeks back.

This vegetarian recipe of mine had been adapted to accomodate both vegetarian and non-vegetarian cooking. When I cooked this as vegetarian meal, garlic and dried shrimps were not added to the dish. Otherwise, these additions are recommended, for better aromas and more enhanced flavours.

Eat more cabbage, too, if you are a diet watcher. This low-calorie vegetable has always been included in weight loss programs as some substances in it claims on this impressive benefit. Besides the dieting benefit, cabbage is high in nutritional values. Similarly, the Shiitake mushsrooms also claims its high nutritional value as well as cancer-fighting properties.

See recipe: