Xmas foods

Since I was not feeling very well recently, we did not have a big Xmas like last year. I made a seasonal dinner with:

Fois gras with figues, balsamique vinegar accompanied with a small green bean, malgré de canard, mango, nuts side salad

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Lemon sorbet

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Doe Filet with homemade chesnut purée, raspberry sauce and young vegetables (this one nobody reminded me to take a picture until they all finished it :-))

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Buche de Noel

Of course, we started with some amuse-bouches and the bubbles that I got from work :-). Otherwise, the entry was accompanied with a Chablis, and main dish with a St-Emillions.

Everybody liked the foods except me. In fact, I still feel sick in stomach thinking about them...

Japanese snacks ;-)

The other day I went to the Japanese supermarket because of my sudden appetite for Japanese foods , and the result was that I bought plenty of snacks and sweets. Some sweets are really similar to what we have in VN, especially those related to sticky rice. Love 'em!

Spicy Cabbage

Recently, start using Fox's gift from HK to make a couple of simple (and quick) Chinese dishes. Yesterday, I made Spicy Cabbage. Besides, the cabbage, I added a bit to carrot, and small pieces of chicken filet. The result was it was not only spicy but also almost burned my tongue ;-), a super delight though.

There are many dishes with vegetables, and seafood that can be easy made since I don't often eat meat, also I want to see if I can make those quickly ;-). Reason is I am thinking maybe some people will be able to get a chance on trying Thao's new cuisine on my BD's occasion heheheh. Well...that is only a plan.

I am reading Haruki Murakami's "Hard boiled Wonderland and The end of the World" at the moment, and once again I am blown away by his unsual fiction and philosophy. A great fantasy book for those who live in a fantasy world ;-). BTW, he is my favourite Japanese writer, the one who writes "Kafka on the shore" if you remember.

A part from spending free time in the kitchen this week and being fantasied by Murakami's Wonderland ;-), I am checking some books on Amazon of how to make candles ;-). Yep, want to make some scented candles as a new hobby, although I found some very good books on that, I have not ordered any, I plan to visit Waterstone this weekend to see if they have books on making candles...

A positive mid-life crisis? ;-)

Udon with crab paste and tofu soup

Lats Saturday when we were in Antwerp, went to the Chinese supermarket there. It is much bigger than the one in Brussels, and has separate section of Korean and Japanese foods.

I bought a lot of packages of Udon noodle, Kimchee base to make kimchee (normally we don't need this kimchee but just bought it by curiousity) and Korean red pepper paste. Recently, feel like eating Korean foods...

Belgium Mussels

They still a bit expensive, these "jumpo mussels since it is the beginning of their season, but they are super big and tasty.

Lots of Banh Bao ;-)

Noodle soup

Another starter-beijing duck ;-)

Starters

My most favourite Chinese vegetable and simple fried rice

David's cooking ;-)

This afternoon, after school David insisted that I come to his place, so he could cook something for me to eat, "sister, you are too thin, you should eat", and yeah he really meant that I have to eat ;-).

He probably thought I didn't eat enough at home or something ;-). So, he made a delicious soup, rice-noodle fried with sour kraut, and rice with red-beans. A weird combination for dinner but well I liked it and appreciated his gestures. Especially, when David packed soup and noodle for me to bring home for uncle. People like that you don't find every day here, not even in years.

So I guess I am lucky.

Sam bo luong-supposed to cool your body ;-)

This dessert is served cold, and it helps you to sleep well, very good for your body.

Ga xao xa ot-chicken sautee in lemon grass and chilly

Adding a bit of maple sirup..delicious ;-)

Pork's shank with green jackfruit and wonton

Sticky rice cake wrapped in banana leave- Banh it

Manioc Cake-Banh Khoai Mi

Not in the good mood this evening, got into a stupid argument...Anyway, I decided to bake a cake to keep my mind busy, not to think about it.

Reading Politics at the moment, Brian recently sent this book, apparently it's a good book. So far it has nothing to do with politics ;-), it's not about politics, the first pages are actually about sex ;-P, yeah yeah guys but that does not last long. It gets quite interesting now, and quite funny.

Doing some research on legal aspects of hotel for my business plan at the moment, gets busier and busier with this final work papers, but learnt a lot.

My two arms are so tired after too many push-ups in my boxing class (yeah, I picked this class up again), but it's nice to sweat a lot ;-). You feel sort of healthy hehehe.

There are more and more pages in my off-line book but it still does not goes any where, but I am addicted in writing it now. Why this rush I wonder?

Soja milk

Sunday brunch

Egg and ham on English muffin and pickled seaweed

Saturday kitchen II

Have to study my *ss off this weekend since next week I will have progess tests the whole week.

Got an headache this morning after reading a lot of theories, and all, I decided to give my brain a little break by starting to make bao with the fermented flour that I prepared yesterday night before going to bed. Since uncle mentioned lately that I had not made any sweet for a long time (at my uncle age, it is not good to eat sweets, I am afraid he will get diabetes), I decided to also bake some chocolate muffins for him (he does not like normal muffin without chocolate).

So, voila, the result is that now have 24 muffins, and a lot of bao ;-))