Tepee

Gosh...no...don't peel off the skin.....just give it a good scrub. Pls scroll down for soaking instructions.

Great! Now, we're on the map as EXOTIC! Thanks for such a ticklish read, Ya-Roo! Happy Hunting 2006!

Whatever their taste, they are truly a sight for sore eyes! Such exquisite and impeccable finishing... Thank you! However, no matter how pretty a pastry/cake is, if I'm not blown over by the taste, I won't get it a second time.

This is really going to be an education (hanukkah ) for me...starting at zero base here! Thanks for dropping in Jewish words and phrases as well as bringing us to places rich with Jewish food and culture. May your candles shine bright this Hanukkah....

I got 8 out of 11, but I got the first one wrong too, despite being Chinese! There's another story about that, about it giving you pockmarks. ← Erm...you'll get that right only if you belong to my generation. ...showing my age here. When we were young, we did leave some food on our plates....for posterity.

I've never had a bad Jello experience until, recently, at a Las Vegas buffet breakfast. It looked so innocently tempting. Took a green and a red one for those at our table. One mouthful and...YUCKS!...I had to spit it out...discreetly, of course. It's so wrong and so unlike anything I'm used to, which is usually a sweet/sour/tangy wobbly ending to a good meal.

*Wildly waving hands* Me! Me! I LOVE moist fruitcake, most versions...traditional fruit cake, fruit cake made with figs and whisky, fruit cake with chocolate/coffee in them. My favoritest, is my family's fruit cake, which has semolina in it. Yum! I know people who'd fight tooth and nail for a piece of this....yes, all cut into tiny pieces. Since a lot of homes serve fruit cake for christmas, we skip serving it till chinese new year which comes around the corner. Confession: I hoard this in a secret corner in the fridge and savour them as and when I hear it calling me.... *hic!*

Swiped Nick Sandler and Johnny Acton's Preserved from under the christmas tree, and have ever since been dreaming of the wonderful time I'm going to have with drying, salting, smoking, pickling, preserving in sugar and alcohol, and etc... High on my 2006 to do list are Corned Beef, Luncheon Meat, Beef Jerky, Sausages. I spied 2 other books (by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall) under the tree.....oh my! 2006 is going to be a BUSY year! And, that doesn't even include Baking yet!

Mmmm......Sourdough Bread. The fascination. Then, the science explained. Birth of natural leavened breads in my kitchen. Indeed, the starter sent by Jack across half the world is happily thriving.

Alas.......I live in Malaysia. But, hoping against hope, you think they'd consider opening an overseas branch?

LOL, if you've seen this thread, you'll see that hawker food can also be communal when you go in a group . So, make sure you don't go solo in Penang.

Had Eggnog Latte at Bernardo Winery in Southern California last week. YUM! Almost went for a second cup.

Got my copy today. Imagine, they even send it to Malaysia! Drooooolllll!!!! Thanks, Wendy, for the heads up.

Just went to the Bellagio's buffet 10 days ago. Didn't have a reservation; waited in line. My kids are 4, 7 and 11. The servers were very nice to them and us, good-naturedly picking up dropped napkins and making sure that they had their fill of juice and milk. Food was great. Wished their dessert came in smaller servings because I would have loved to sample a wider range. It was too too difficult to make a choice.

While on vacation in Southern California recently, we ate a spinach and mushroom quiche at a winery cafe. We saw the proprietress popping it into a microwave out of a box so we had doubts that it'll be any good. On the contrary, it turned out quite delicious that we asked what product it was. It was Trader Joe's. Not being from these parts, I thought TJ was a brand you can find in a supermart. It was such a disappointment not finding it before we left for home. Having just read this thread, I'm hitting myself on the head for not having the presence of mind to surf on the net, because we were that close to one....we went to the Michael's at Vista Way, Oceanside. Duh.

I read this post with great interest and thought a thread should be started (a site search didn't come up with any) on communal dining; I wasn't aware of the concept of bread-sharing. As a chinese Malaysian, meals have almost always been communal and sometimes the preparation too (especially during festivities). For instance, serving a large whole fish communally makes sense...you will always find someone with a penchant for a different part, for example, some may prefer the meaty body, whereas others may like the smooth cheek or suck at the gelatinous and bony fins. The eye balls are for you, Pan. Having a few dishes placed in the center as an accompaniment to rice, means you can choose a different dish with every mouthful...makes for an interesting meal. Less clutter at the table too. And, also no need for interim visits to the kitchen for different courses since all the dishes are usually placed at the onset of the meal. Having a serving implement for each dish would banish any hygiene issue. Please post your thoughts.

Ah Leung Gaw....I need to gate-crash your dinners (have only 2 more days to do that) because so far during my 10 days in CA, we have only come across chinese food which do not pass the authenticity test. I hear your shrimp dish calling me............

Thanks to this inspiring thread and, especially, Mitch.......here's my first attempt at making a wreath. This measures only 14-inches in diameter. Poinsettia at 11 o'clock and christmas roses, holly and mistletoe at the bottom. It tooked forever to dry, so I increased the oven temperature. Big mistake...cracks started to appear. I'd like to try making a full-sized one (20-inch plus?)...if only I can find a box big enough to fit the big mama.

Ben-sook...my advice is mainly stick to a chinese/malaysian cuisine, and you don't have to worry about diets....poooh! To help you, I've posted more food ideas in another thread.

That's dollar for dollar for you. On one of my 'greedier' days, one packet really full of goodies would cost RM4 at the most.

After running some errands this morning, I visited my fav chap fun/mixed rice shop in Bandar Puteri Puchong (pix here and here). The last time I was there,I estimated they had 40 dishes. Today, I made a more careful count and it looks 50 easily. The proprietor was so thrilled with me snapping his dishes (note his wide grin), he undercharged me for my 2 packets.

Noted. Ah Leung Gaw....really yummy-looking lemon chicken. I always make lots of extra sauce to put in a gravy boat. The kids love flooding their chicken with tanginess.

Before I forget Yetty's request...here' a pic of a hawker centre. This particular one, called Asia Cafe (in USJ) is humongous, with over 100 stalls. There are dozens of stalls dedicated to drinks and desserts alone. Of course, hawker food is not confined to centres alone, you can find them in 'coffee shops' or they come as stand-alone stalls on streets. And, yes, Ah Leung Gaw, it's available all year round.

Hawker centres offer a very wide range of refreshment. Here's Fruit Juice and ABC or Ais Kacang. ABC: A = air (water) B = batu (stone) AB = air batu (ice) C = campur (mix) -------> mixed (shaved) ice Ais Kacang: ais, air batu = ice kacang = beans, nuts ABC is a shaved ice dessert which has lots of goodies in them. The fineness of the shaved ice varies from stall to stall. I like this over-the-top one which has a generous helping of cincau /leong fun/black grass jelly, cendol/green bean strings, agar-agar jelly, creamed corn, red beans, atap chee and coco de nato (both palm fruit derivatives), and a dollop of vanilla ice-cream. The only thing missing in this version is palm sugar syrup. This one is only drizzled with rose syrup and evaporated milk...but what a treat!

Au contraire, Ben Sook! The fact that you live at the source is making ME salivate! I quite remember Sue-On mentioning in a past thread that you gave her a few lobsters. Envy, envy. Thanks, for the info on the true identity of ze lobster.