China Mountain Restaurant

We ran out of idea of what to have for dinner, so we decided to try out the Chinese restaurant nearby for some take out. It was Game 7 of the first round playoff; Boston Celtics VS Chicago Bulls to determine who would be able to move forward to Round 2, and who would have to take the back sit and see who would eventually win the championship. Hubby and I couldn’t miss this game, and just had to eat dinner in front of the telly. =) 

China Mountain Restaurant is in a stand alone building, with large parking area! =) I think this place caters more to take out orders although they do have seating for dine-in patrons. They have a good range of Chinese food catered for American taste. Prices are somewhat quite reasonable.

 

Hubby and I went for combination dinner which ranges from $8.25 - $9.00, where prices differ depending on the kind of entree you choose. Each entree comes with a complimentary Pork Fried Rice (or white rice) which tasted alright. There were quite a good amount of roast pork pieces in the fried rice. It is different from other Chinese food joint as they usually give you Vege Fried Rice. The combination dinner comes with 1 appetizer (you can choose from a list of 10 different appetizers) and you could purchase additional appetizers for an additional $2. They are flexible with substitution of the rice for noodles or other fried rice, of course with an extra charge!

Hubby ordered the Twice Cooked Pork Entree with Teriyaki Chicken (2 pcs) for appetizer @ $8.25. I ordered the Hunan Chicken Entree with Crab Rangoon (4 pcs) for appetizer @ $8.50. We took the option to get additional Chicken Wings (4 pcs) $2 with the purchase of our entree. Hubby’s Twice cooked Pork tasted better than my Hunan Chicken. His pork although may not be the best Twice Cooked Pork we’ve eaten, was tender and the sauce was pretty flavorful. My Hunan Chicken on the other hand was kind of bland. I did not enjoy my entree as much. The appetizers we ordered were wonderful. The Crab Rangoon was one of the tastiest one I’ve had, with perfect amount of filling, and fried till crisp. The Chicken Wings were also good (although slightly on the tiny side); crispy, moist and flavorful at the same time. As for the Teriyaki Chicken, that one was ok….it could definitely use more teriyaki flavor in it. =P

Overall, we paid about $20 for the meal and it could easily feed 3. We may return to try other stuff and definitely return for their Crab Rangoon!! Yums!!!

Get your Chinese take-out here: 39 Tyngsboro Rd, North Chelmsford, MA 01863, P: (978) 251-8812

Oh by the way, Boston Celtics emerged as the stronger team in Game 7. With home court advantage, the roaring home crowd, supportive home viewers like me, and the ever determined Celtics players to seal the game and bounce one step closer to the championship; Boston Celtics eventually stole Chicago Bulls’ dream and won 109-99. Go Celtics!

And We Walk…And Walk…And Walk..

With Brady, we now take 30 minutes walk every week day evening. On weekends, we are also the servants to Brady but we now also lead a healthier lifestyle! Mom and hubby will be so proud of me! I hate exercising (except playing tennis) and I hate talking walks (except when I shop), but Brady now gives me a reason to walk regularly. =). And I’m happy to do it!

We no longer sleep in till noon during the weekends and are up by 9 am latest on Saturday and 7.30 am on Sunday. All because we either need to give Brady breakfast, take him out to ease himself or on Sunday, his fun time in the dog park. And through out the day, we may bring Brady for random walks in the woods, around the neighborhood or by the river.

Today was no different…with the wonderful weather outside, hubby and I decided to take an evening walk in the the state forest nearby…… It did not last too long, as we soon realized we were providing free flow of fresh blood supply vampires mosquitoes. 5-10 minutes into the walk, we decided to head back as hundreds of mosquitoes were charging at us relentlessly. No wonder there weren’t many people at the forest reserve. =P.

 

We then drove off and headed to the river nearby. More peaceful walk without having to shoo away those hungry little rascals. There are more furry friends for Brady to meet and greet by the river too. After about an hour’s worth of walking along the river, we headed back to get some dinner and catch the basketball game playoff!

 

It’s definitely a blessing to live so close to the forest reserve, river and lake; and to be able to soak in the luxurious wonders of mother nature! And the readily available outdoor (free) tennis courts are also a huge plus!!

First Friday Dinner

I made a little surf and turf for dinner to welcome May 1st..haha! It would have been perfect if we have frozen margaritas to go with it….except we ran out of Triple Sec and was low on Tequila….. Time to visit the liquor store!! So, we settled for some of my favorite beer instead; Stella Artois.

Here’s what I made : Pan Fried Tiger Prawns and Black Pepper Pork with Sautéed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus…..

Celery Stir-Fry

Celery is one of my favorite vegetables and contains nutrients that promotes good health. Read more HERE. Celery is delicious raw, but I do like to stir fry it a little and still keep the crunch of the celery. 

Here is a yummy and appetizing way to stir fry vegetables. You can use green beans or asparagus instead of celery here. Cooking time might be different with the use of different vegetables though.

 

CELERY STIR-FRY RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 Cups Celery, Sliced 1/3” Diagonally
• 100g Ground Pork
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Preserved/Salted Radish
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Tsp Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Tsp Dark Soy Sauce
• White Pepper

Method:

Heat pan and add oil. Meanwhile quickly rinse the radish and give it another rough chop. When oil is hot, add radish and garlic. Sauté over medium high heat till garlic and radish are slightly brown and fragrant. This should take about 5 minutes.

Then add ground pork, soy sauce, dark soy sauce and a dash (or two) of white pepper. Stir fry and break ground pork small pieces over high heat. This should take about 2-3 minutes to completely cook the meat.

Finally, add celery and coat celery with meat mixture. Continue stir-frying for about 1 minute. I like my celery crunchy; sauté longer if you want your celery softer. Transfer onto serving plate and serve immediately with warm rice. This should serve 2-3.

Hello May!

April flew by so quickly and before I realized it, May is already here! In a couple days, my parents will be on a outbound flight from Malaysia to Buffalo. They will be arriving on May 6th, where yours truly will be driving 7 hours from Boston to Buffalo; greeting them at the Buffalo Airport with my brother. Well, hopefully the H1N1 Flu pandemic can be contained, and not interfere with my parent’s travel plans.**Prays**

The highlight of my parents’ trip is my dear brother’s graduation. My baby brother who is 5 years younger than I am, is no longer that little bubbly brat brother I grew up loving. He’s now a mature young man (still love him to bits), on his way to explore the working world that awaits him.

Anyway, I’ll be joining my family on a “family vacation” where the first week of the vacation covers, Buffalo, Toronto, and Niagara Falls. The second week of the vacation will be spent in majority in and around Boston with plans to other major cities in the East/Mid Atlantic. I’m so looking forward to this family vacation…. the last time we had a family vacation was almost 3 yrs ago…. All other family vacation minus ME does not count! =p