March is the best time to cook this corned beef stew when we find a lot of corned beef in the markets. The stores put it on sale as low as $1.60/lb. so it’s really affordable. Cabbage and potatoes are also on sale so why not? It’s a very satisfying meal for the family especially on a cold day. The…
Continue readingLately I’m having fun trying new flavorings and ingredients to cook with. One of my new obsession is Ponzu. Ponzu is a Japanese sauce/marinade made from lemon or lime juice and soy sauce. It is so versatile that you can use it in so many ways. Ponzu is great in a dipping sauce for sushi or potstickers. I have tried…
Continue readingIf you lack ground space vertical gardening is a good option to plant edibles. You can plant small plant varieties like herbs, salad greens and strawberries. Using a vertical wall garden planter makes it easy to move it to a sunny location and attach it to a fence or wall. It also protects it from animals that can nimble on…
Continue readingQuinoa is one healthy ingredient I like to mix in not only in salads but for breakfast too. Here I bake it sort of like a breakfast casserole with eggs, vegetables, cheese, ham or bacon (optional). This is also similar to a vegetable frittata. It’s something you can make ahead to feed a crowd. Cooking quinoa is not hard at…
Continue readingI found beautiful fresh broccoli at the market recently and I wondered what I would do with it. I needed something different from steamed or stir fried broccoli. Something that will involve cheese! I thought why not roast it? Roasted broccoli is one of the easiest and quickest side dishes to make. It’s a good thing to add to your…
Continue readingAs an avid cook and baker I get to use a lot of great pantry items. Some of them I’ve used over and over again. Some I’ve tried and liked and kept it with my essentials. So many of them are useful for making soups, stews, sauces, pasta dishes, appetizers, and dressings. Here are some of the ones I have…
Continue readingI thought of making Lemon Blueberry Scones when I saw all the Meyer lemons from my tree. What a great way to use the bountiful fruit the tree gives. So this morning I went out to the garden and picked some Meyer lemons. It was so foggy but my dog Bandit didn’t seem to mind. He likes to tag along…
Continue readingMaking a fruit crisp with apples. pears and cranberries is a great way to use winter fruit. It’s so easy because you don’t have to worry about making a pie crust. All you need to do here is mix and dump. The sweet aroma when it’s baking fills up the house. When it’s done, the result is so delicious. Different…
Continue readingI decided to make a succulent bowl garden this winter for my coffee table and dining table. Instead of buying flowers, I thought it would be more practical because it will last longer as it grows. It looks great as a centerpiece on a table. You can even make two of these for a bigger impact. Combining different succulents that…
Continue readingOne of my favorite Christmas classic cookies are the Ginger Molasses Cookies. There’s just something about them that is so endearing and comforting. Maybe it’s the spices in it or the chewy texture when you bite into it. To me, Christmas won’t be complete without baking these delicious cookies. When I bake these cookies, I do it five different ways…
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