If you can roast a chicken, you’ll never go hungry. That’s what I always say. Once you learn to roast a chicken, you just can’t go wrong even if you lose your Mom’s precious recipe or marinate with the ‘wrong’ ingredients because here, just about anything goes .

Here’s what I do when I make roast chicken. For the seasoning, I use salt and pepper.

I grab a few sprigs of Chinese parsley and a few cloves of garlic and pound them to a paste with my mortar and pestle (just like Jamie Oliver, so there ) .

I love the pungent smell of Chinese parsley but you can pretty much use rosemary, thyme or any other herbs you fancy.

Then I plop a generous dollop of butter into the paste to make a rub. Rub the mixture evenly all over the chicken, including under the skin.

Be gentle otherwise you will tear the skin like I did here. I did this in a rush so I ended up with a not-so-pretty roast chicken . Leave to marinade for 3-4 hours or overnight in the fridge.

When I’m ready to roast the chicken, I preheat the oven to 180 degrees F. Stuff a few stalks of Chinese parsley and a few cloves of garlic into the cavity of the chicken before placing into well-greased roasting pan.

Roast for about an hour or until chicken is sufficiently browned without being burnt. You can test for doneness by sticking a knife into the parts with the thickest meat. If the meat is soft and white, it’s done.

I’ve used estimates of ingredients and roasting time here because the actual amounts you use will depend on the size of the chicken you’re preparing. If you’re thinking of roasting a turkey for Christmas, this recipe works great too. Simply adjust the ingredients and time accordingly and you’re all set! Burp!!

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Okay, if you’ve been drooling in your sleep about the McDonald’s Prosperity Burger you had last Chinese New Year, well, it’s ba-ack!

With a vengence, I might add!

The girls and I innocently stepped into McD’s this afternoon and woot, there’s the Beef Prosperity Burger, and then there’s the Double Beef Prosperity Burger for doubly good luck in riding out this economic crisis.

To be on the safe side, go for that Double Beef Prosperity Burger for double the pimples wealth, double the zits money, double the acne good fortune .

Yes, we’re officially one month (give or take) away from Chinese New Year so if you start eating ‘em prosperity burgers now, you’ll be looking nice and fat prosperous by Chinese New Year!

Okay and you can stop wondering now. McDonald’s isn’t paying me in Prosperity Burgers to write this post, okay?

In my early working years, there were times when I had to work and couldn’t make it back for the holidays. Then there were the years when my kids were young and the pressure of cooking a halfway decent meal for the extended family was the last thing I needed.

In those days, we didn’t have the luxury of meals that we could order in or have sent to someone far away who couldn’t make it home for the holidays.

I mean, where were we going to have a hickory-smoked turkey breast, lobster scampi puffs, French baguette with rosemary peppercorn dip, butternut squash, green beans almondine and a decadant pecan pie without slaving for hours in the kitchen?

Or have a spiral sliced ham, spicy lamb skewers, spanakopita (traditional Greek appetizer), scalloped potatoes, ratatouille and a cranberry pear tart appear from thin air, for that matter, huh?

But now we can order a gourmet feast online from ArtikoChef.com and have it delivered to your door. From now through November 30, 2008, click here and use the coupon code - OCT08DISC10FEAST - to enjoy 10% off gourmet 3-course dinner feasts.

If you’re planning a romantic Thanksgiving Dinner for 2, your order will come with free truffles and candles during this same period from now through November 30, 2008. Just click here and use the coupon code - freetruffles_candles.

I don’t know about you but with the busy days just before the holiday season, I get really stressed up having to cook dinner whether it’s just a few of us or if we’re having the in-laws or outlaws .

Quite frankly, I’d really rather order a meal to be delivered than cook up a storm myself. I think sometimes spending a bit of money is well worth the stress we put ourselves through.

Gazing at the food Gourmet Station offers to deliver has me drooling. I’m surprised at how inexpensive their feasts of mouth-watering ribs and steaks, soups, desserts and even a Cajun 4-course meal are.

How heavenly to have someone else do the cooking, deliver the meal to my house and I don’t have a lift a finger!

Whether it’s a deluxe gourmet meal for your family, or a gift certificate for someone who can’t make it to dinner, or simply a presentable corporate gift, go see if you can pick something out at Gourmet Station.

From November 27 - December 2, 2008, you can enjoy 20% off all their products. Click here and use the coupon code - BLACKFRIDAY - to enjoy the offer.

I don’t know why but I’m invariably drawn to the the mushroom section at the grocery store. Each time I walk by those shelves, it’s as if the mushrooms are calling out to me .

Well, I was innocently walking by the mushroom section again last week and suddenly I heard someone or something going ‘psst pssst’. I glanced over and saw these huge gray oyster mushrooms staring at me.

It only requires a few ingredients:

• 100 grams gray oyster mushrooms, washed and sliced thickly
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon mixed herb powder
• dash of parsley
• salt and black pepper to taste

First I saute the garlic in butter over medium heat till the garlic browns and I can smell the fragrance.

Then I add the mushrooms and mixed herb powder and saute for another few minutes. Season to taste, sprinkle on the parsley and I’m done .

That was quick. It took me barely 10 minutes to whip up. I serve them as an accompaniment to my pasta. This time, I had them with spaghetti olio.

We were walking past Secret Recipe and noticed they had a poster up about their rm10 set lunch, apparently meant to bring a smile to those whose wallets are still reeling from the ridiculous price of eating out these days.

So we thought we’d step inside since our tummies were growling and the poster was beckoning to us.

There are 3 choices of set lunch each with a different style of chicken, rice and salad and an ice lemon tea. The girls and I had the Mushroom Chicken…

… while my son had the Black Pepper Chicken. Between the two, I should’ve chosen this instead of the Mushroom Chicken. At least it had a slightly spicy kick to it instead of gooey blandness.

To wash it all down, the kids went to pick out a couple of cakes. We only ordered two slices since I’m quite adverse to eating cake that’s 70% cream. I prefer cakes with more cake and way, way less cream. The very creamy Chocolate Fudge Cake…

… and Chocolate Strawberry Cake!

Now I’ve never seen cakes served lying down on their side before. Maybe this is a new presentation style, I don’t know, but I almost needed a compass to get my bearings on which is the top of the cake and which is the bottom.

Call me fussy but it does matter to me being able to distinguish the top of the cake from the bottom. So yes, I want my slice of cake served upright so I can get a visual taste of it first before my taste buds do. What do you think?

I’ve been cooking lunch this entire school week. No kiddin’! I used to cheat by buying the kids’ lunch like once or twice a week. But you know the thing with gas prices these days so hell, we gotta try and cut cost.

I made my kids’ favorite pan-fried fish fillet today and paired it with rice simply because we haven’t had rice for lunch all week! Wha-at, no rice and we call ourselves Asians? Shame on us !

I’m using dory fillets here. If you’ve ever eaten fish at a restaurant, you know it’s darned expensive and you walk out still hungry because the servings are so small. Well, that’s me anyways .

The fillets I buy come frozen in packs of 4 or 5 pieces each and cost less than 10 bucks. I heat up some olive oil in a pan and chuck in a handful of chopped garlic and fresh chillies to flavor the oil.

The fillets go in next to be pan-fried till they’re cooked through on both sides. If the fish is flaky when you cut through it, then it’s cooked. A sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste, and we’re done.

Meantime, my rice is in the rice cooker bubbling away. I blanch 1 carrot and a handful of French beans, both finely cubed, to soften them up a bit. I melt some butter in my pan and add the carrot, French beans and 1 tomato, also finely cubed. Fry them for a minute.

The rice goes in last. Give it a good toss with the veggies in there. Add salt and pepper to taste. And we’ve got a healthy lunch with veggies, fish, carb and a spicy kick to boot.