Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope you guys are having a great holiday right now. Mine was very quiet, we just stayed home all day but I did prepare a nice dinner.

#1.  Do you prefer cooking with electric or gas?
Most often, gas.

#2.  How many times a month do you order out?
We don’t, simply because order outs are not available here except for a few fast food places doing deliveries now. But we eat out 2-3 times a week usually on the weekend when we’re out on errands or groceries.

#3.  How do you like your ice - cubed or crushed?
I like ice, period. The weather’s so hot there’s nothing like an iced drink. I always have ice cubes in my freezer.

#4.  Share a Christmas recipe.
You know technically we don’t celebrate Christmas but we just want to join in the fun and have another excuse to pig out, that’s all  .
I didn’t roast a turkey this year.  Instead I roasted a chicken and 3 drumsticks. You can check out my recipe for a very simple roast chicken here.

So here it is, roast chicken drumstick (skin removed) with roasted baby carrots, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and garden salad with ham and 1001 island dressing! Forgot to drizzle on the brown gravy before I took this photo, never mind, just pretend you see it .

If you’d like to Four Foods on Friday, head on over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

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Is it Friday again - so soon? December always seems to fly for me. Quick, let me get to this week’s questions. I’m late!

#1.  What’s your favorite crunchy food?
Who doesn’t love unhealthy food? Go crunchies. I love ‘em all especially nachos and fried wontons and muruku which is a spicy Indian snack. They come in different shapes (two shapes shown below) and flavors. I like them spicy . You knew I was going to say that, right?

#2.  How often do you try new recipes?
Not as often as I’d like to unless it’s something that looks absolutely delicious or it’s something we’re craving. I do improvise a lot though and tend not to stick to one cooking method or the same ingredients every time. I like to play around with different options.

#3.  Name a food that you almost always have in the house.
Being Asian, rice is a mealtime staple and a must-have though we’re not big fans. Instead we tend to do more bread and pasta so I always make sure I have plenty of those around.

#4.  What kind of food do you leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve?
I don’t celebrate Christmas though I love the spirit and excitement of all things Christmas. Still I think Santa needs to lose some weight so I’d probably leave him something healthy like carrots maybe .

With that, I’d like to wish everyone, especially my FFOF friends, a safe and Merry Christmas and the Fantastic New Year in 2009!

Want to play Four Foods on Friday along with us? Head on over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

This week, I’ve been eating more than I’ve been cooking. I can’t even think about food right now but here I am anyhow…

#1. What’s your favorite kind of roll?
It would have to be apple cinnamon roll. I also enjoy the occasional Swiss roll (provided it’s not too sweet) with hot coffee.

#2. Got a tip for keeping your cabinets or pantry organized?
I group the frequently used stuff at the front of the cabinet where they’re easiest (for the kids) to reach. In my pantry, I group like items together so I can easily stock check and make a mental list of what I have to top up.

I have two fridges, one for cooked and ready-to-eat stuff like chocolates, jams, fruits and drinks, the other nearer the stove and sink for fresh, raw items and leftover food for reheating.

#3. What’s your favorite kind of pastry?
I like flaky puff pastry but I’ve given up trying to make them myself. Much easier to just buy ‘em pre-made, then I only need to make the filling .

#4.Share any original recipe. (Why not submit it into my contest too?)
I have here a recipe for Crispy Stuffed Tofu Pockets, or Taupok which is a refreshingly different, not-so-common appetizer or hor d’oeuvres you can serve your holiday guests.

They’re really easy to make and it’ll be something different for a change from the usual Fried Wontons or Spring Rolls. You should be able to find tofu pockets at any Asian grocery store.

Want to play Four Foods on Friday along with us? Head on over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

Oh, by the way, valmg’s running a recipe contest on her blog right now where you can win free membership to EMealsForYou. Just click on the link in Question 4 above to enter.

I’m still recovering from last weekend’s episode of my kitchen faucet turning into a fountain. To cut a long story short, I swear the plumber and the traffic cop were both out to get me! You can read about it here if you’re interested.

Thankfully working on this week’s questions has helped take my mind off what happened.

#1.  Does your family usually eat meals in the kitchen or somewhere else?
We eat in the kitchen. It’s easier.

#2.  Who usually does the dishes in your house?
Someone else, anyone else but me. I’m allergic to dishes.

#3.  What’s your favorite small appliance or tool in the kitchen?
If you’re talking about an electric appliance, it would have to be my oven toaster. I can dunk anything inside and get it heated up quick and turns it crispy and crunchy too.

If it’s a multipurpose kitchen tool, it would be my chopsticks. It does the job of a fork and spoon, a pair of thongs, a whisk, a kitchen prop and more. Can’t live without it.

#4. This one’s for my son. Share a recipe for chili.
I’ve never made chili before but I do love these chili fries from Carl’s Jr.

Here’s a recipe for Spicy Beef Chili that I saved long ago but never got around to trying. If anyone tries this, please let me know if it’s good .

• 1/4 pound bacon, coarsely chopped
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 28-ounce can Italian-style tomatoes, tomatoes chopped, juices reserved
• 2 15+ounce cans hot chili beans
• 1 1.48-ounce pack chili seasoning mix
• Cheddar cheese, grated
• Onions, chopped
• Sour cream

Sauté bacon in heavy pot over medium-high heat until brown. Drain fat and discard. Add beef and sauté until brown. Add tomatoes with juices, beans and chili seasoning mix. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and stir until thickened. Season salt and pepper. Serve with cheese, onions and sour cream.

Been dying to play Four Foods on Friday? Head on over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

Happy Thanksgiving, hope you guys are having tons of food-filled fun. Nope, I didn’t find that turkey but I made something else (I’ll post about it later) and I’m thankful it turned out good and the kids and I had a great dinner and some great laughs.

Well, here’s my take on another set of brilliant questions from valmg this week.

#1. What’s your favorite carbonated beverage?
Coke, the full-blown version, not diet, not sugar-free or whatever-free. I don’t drink it every day but I have to have a fix once in a while.

#2. What’s your favorite spicy food?
I love anything spicy. It’s kinda hard to pinpoint just one or two things because I like them all . Curry, tom yam, spicy salsa…

#3. How do you handle hot dishes? Oven mitt, pot holder, towel?
I use an oven mitt when using my oven, and a towel when I’m cooking over the stove.

#4. Ice cream. How do you like yours?
I usually have my ice cream plain without the toppings and stuff. I don’t eat it out of the tub, I always spoon it into a bowl. My latest craze is Friday’s cookies and cream. If I have to jostle my kids out of the way, I will… for this !

Want to play Four Foods on Friday? Head over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

I love this week’s questions. Needs quite a bit of thinking though. I’ve had a very busy week and I’m sorta mentally drained so I’m muddling through this post.

#1. What’s the worst tasting food you’ve ever eaten?
Innards are not only unappetizing to eat but also to look at. We have a kind of pork porridge here that comes with pig liver and all the other unspeakables. The porridge tastes really good but I hate the innards suspended in there. So I’ll order it without the ‘goodies’, which makes people think I’m nuts but I really don’t care !

#2. Share a funny or embarrassing story about a meal you’ve made.
I can’t think of any off the top of my head. But if I’m making something for company and it turns out bad, I’ll just hide it and won’t serve it.

#3. What food do you burn or have problems cooking most often?
I tend to think I’m a better multitasker than I really am. I’m very impatient and sometimes I will start saute-ing the chopped garlic before I’m quite ready to start cooking. Garlic sizzles and burns in a blink of an eye, and then I have to kick myself !

#4. Name two foods you’ll be eating on this Thanksgiving.
I hope to be eating roast turkey and mashed potatoes. I’m still looking for that turkey! If I don’t find it, I’ll be drooling all next week *sobs*. Happy Thanksgiving, you guys, think of me when you’re enjoying that scrumptuous turkey dinner!

Want to play Four Foods on Friday? Head over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

I’m probably one of the few folks celebrating Thanksgiving in Asia, apart from the expats, of course. I fell in love with this tradition and the yummy turkey feast (of course) while living in California and Thanksgiving has since become a ‘tradition’ in my family.

We’ve had roast turkey every Thanksgiving since until last year when I couldn’t find a turkey until very close to the date and it was so exorbitantly-priced! that I decided to break tradition. I’m already on the lookout for that turkey now.

#1. Stuffing. Boxed or from scratch?
I’ve never tried boxed stuffing. I always make mine from scratch.

#2. If you were served the perfect Thanksgiving dinner what would it be?
A roast turkey and salad and potatoes. I’d love cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie as well but they’re expensive and hard to find.

#3. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving leftover?
Hands down, turkey sandwich.

#4. Share a recipe using turkey.
This is an easy-peasy turkey pot pie. Shred leftover turkey meat. Heat up the meat with leftover brown sauce. Add cubed potato, carrots and frozen green peas. Simmer till cooked through. Scoop filling into greased pie dish and top with ready-made pie pastry. Bake at 180C (350F) till crust is golden brown.

Interested in playing Four Foods on Friday? Head over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

Another Friday so soon? I’m craving Cantonese fried noodles all of a sudden so you know what I’ll be eating this weekend. Anyhow, val’s got a really interesting theme this week…

#1. Name a food you like that uses a red sauce or anything red in it.
Nasi lemak, or coconut rice with spicy condiments is a local breakfast/lunch favorite and it happens to be mine too.

The rice is cooked in coconut milk and the meal served on a banana leaf, complete with a sunnyside up, cucumber slices, crisp anchovies and peanuts with the skin on (bottom left), sambal or red chili paste (top left) and chicken rendang which is a heavily-spiced, dry curried chicken.

#2. Name a food you like with whipped cream in it or on it.
I use it in my linguine alfredo and it’s oishii desu ne, that would be Japanese for delish. Edited: My eyes must’ve been playing tricks on me. I read that as whipping cream. What was I thinking ?

#3. Name a food you like with blueberry in it.
Without a doubt, it would be my blueberry cheesecake. I also like cereal with dried blueberries in it, Blueberry Morning, I think it’s called.

#4. Share a recipe for pasta or dessert or a beverage.
When I go for breakfast with my friends, I usually have a hot cappuccino with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. That combination is to die for!

Interested in playing Four Foods on Friday? Head over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

Anele of True Aloha gave me the I Love Your Blog award a while ago and I’ve just gotten around to writing this up.

This award came as such a pleasant surprise. I am thrilled, flattered, bowled over and it really made my day week.

There are so many great food blogs out there that I love reading that I’m having a hard time deciding which ones to pass this award to.

I love ‘em all and I’ve learnt lots from them all especially all you guys from FFOF. Consider yourselves awarded Enjoy.

It’s been a super-busy week but fun. Now I just want to have a quiet weekend and next week, I’ll have to get going on the stuff I’ve been putting off.

#1. What kind of pretzels are your favorite?
Cinnamon sugar.

#2. What’s your favorite way to eat pancakes?
With maple syrup and a huge, big blob of butter. I don’t care if it’s fattening, I must have lots of butter. I’ll work out later to make up for it if I have to .

#3. Do you make garlic bread from scratch or buy frozen?
I make them from scratch and only enough for one meal.

#4. Share a recipe that calls for mozzarella cheese.
The most recent thing I made with mozzarella was mac and cheese. I was trying to get the kids to like macaroni but I don’t think I got very far with the girls. They like all the other types of pasta, so I have no idea what’s with the macaroni .

Wanna play Four Foods on Friday? Come join us. Head over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.