Tofu Noodle (Tofu Shirataki)

 While hubby and I were shopping for food at H-Mart, we came across many food sample stands. One of them was giving out tofu noodle samples called “Tofu Shirataki”. We’re at first reluctant to try it as it did not look quite appetizing but it sure sounded different that we decided to give it a try.And we got sucked in and got 2 packets of the noodles for $0.99 each packet. I’ve actually seen these noodles being sold at many Asian stores but have never thought to try it.

Tofu noodle is made from tofu (obviously), yam starch and water. It apparently is vegan, low carb, no cholesterol, no sugar and is gluten free. This noodle would be a great pasta/noodle substitute and it comes in 3 different sizes; angel hair, fettuccini and spaghetti (which is what we got).

Each packet of noodle (already cooked) is packed in water and serves 1-2 people (I cooked 2 packets for hubby and I). The noodles when drained somehow looked like cooked ramen noodles. I made cooked some soup (with vegetables, dumplings and fish cake) to go with the tofu noodles. All I did was drained the noodles, quickly reheat it in the microwave and pour hot soup over it. And serve it immediately!! The noodles has a little bite to it, not those al-dente kind of bite though. It’s got this springy bite that ordinary noodles or pasta does not have. The noodles itself is quite flavorless, but when eaten with hot soup it’s actually pretty good. The instruction on the back also suggest to stir fry the noodles. Maybe next time, I’ll try a stir fry tofu noodles! Look for the tofu noodles at the refrigerated aisle (where they sell noodles or tofu) at your local Asian grocery store. The noodles are not supposed to be frozen, so when you get some..just keep it in your refrigerator!

Around & About ROMA (Rome)

Here comes the last and the best part of our Europe Trip. ROME!!!! We sort of left the best for last, traveling from Barcelona to Venice to Florence to Rome. Some tourists we met along the way (and people we know who’ve done similar trip) usually do the route the other way around….Rome to Florence to Venice and so forth. Whenever people ask us why we did our Euro route like we did….there wasn’t any reasoning……just the masterminds behind planning this trip thought that it would be nice to leave Rome last!

We took the train from Florence to Rome which took about 2 or 2.5 hours and cost us Euro 168 for 4 people. The train was again comfy and definitely very fast. Before I had a chance to doze off, we were already in Rome! We arrived at Tremini Station where we figured out what we needed to do to get to our Bed & Breakfast.

Everything in Rome (and Vatican City) is so spectacular, so breathtaking, so unreal!! Rome is definitely not built in one day! The architectures never fail to impress me. I never got tired of looking at the impressive buildings, monuments and remains of once very grand architecture built hundreds and thousands of years ago! Oh, not to mentioned those intricate and gorgeous artworks / masterpieces.

We spent 4 days, 3 nights in Rome and stayed at St. Peter’s Vacancy / Bed and Breakfast which we booked in advance through Expedia.com. After our experience in Florence, we were quite worried with what we’ll be getting ourselves into when we check in at the B&B. For a start, the address that Expedia.com provided was not accurate and that caused us to walk with heavy backpacks uphill, down hill, lost and confused!. We finally arrived at the B&B which was situated in a more residential area. Price was what we were quoted on Expedia. The place was also exactly like what we saw in the pictures and was quite tastefully decorated. The place is only 15 minutes walk from the Vatican City, 5 minutes walk from the San Pietro train station and there was even a convenient store right below it.

We initially planned to take the metro around the city, but ended up walking all around Rome when we figured out that it’s quite manageable to travel on foot. We spent about 12 hours a day walking…sometimes more, sometimes a little less. We are out by 9am, and get back to the B&B at about 9-10pm every night. Our legs were so sore and tired after each night but we had a great time, took tons of pictures and of course ate lots of yummy gelato. Attractions in Rome were surprisingly very affordable and many were FREE!! Food was also quite affordable as we were able to find delicious sandwiches and on the go food. I’ll post pictures and let them tell the story of my trip to Rome! =)

Too bad I did not throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain. It is believed that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you will be ensured to return to ROME! We sure left Rome with a heavy heart……our 10 day vacation came to an end too quickly!

Eating in Florence, Italy

In Europe, we found out that carbonated drinks are pricey…hence making wine and beer cheap. Take this menu for instance. One liter of Draught Cola is Euro 8..and you can get a liter of beer for the same amount! While in Italy…wine (and beer) was what we drank!

We walked around Florence, looking at menus and compared prices before settling into Pizzeria Il Giardino di Barbano located at Piazza Indipendenza….coz everyone was getting cranky hungry. The wait staff was pretty friendly and there were quite a lot of patrons in the joint. Here’s what we ordered besides a bottle of Chianti.

Pizza with capers and anchovies @ Euro 8-9 (Bottom Left). It was my first time eating capers and anchovies on a pizza. Surprisingly, it was pretty tasty. We ordered it to share since we suspect the pasta would definitely not be enough for us!

Spaghetti Cabonara @ Euro 7-8. Hubby and Rob ordered this dish. As you can see, there weren’t much ingredient in it. The pasta was pretty tasty, but very al-dente. The little balsamic reduction they drizzled on the side was good!

Seyda ordered a Spaghetti Pomodoro @ Euro 7-8 (Bottom Left). This is just basically pasta in tomato sauce and perhaps some fresh basil. Again, very al-dente pasta.

I ordered a Meat Tortellini with Creamy Ham & Mushroom Sauce @ $7-8 (Bottom Right). Portion was definitely small, but good. I suspect the meat filling is wild boar, a common meat in Florence.

After dinner…. we were off to hunt for some gelato (Bottom Left). We found this gelateria called “Il Triangolo Delle Bermude” which actually translates to “Bermuda Triangle” I think! The flavors were not bad, the texture were very grainy/icy. Nothing too special to shout about this place…it was a random place we stumbled upon on our way back to the apartment.

And here comes one of the best meal we’ve had during the entire trip. At least the best meal Euro 5 can buy you!! I think my travelling companions would agree with me on this. For just Euro 4 – 4.50, we got ourselves a delicious Doner (Turkish) Chicken Kebab in a pita wrap (Bottom Left) !! Freshly made to order!! Great food on the go! The spicy sauce was so good. The chicken was so flavorful and tender and GENEROUS!! They also have falafel wraps for those who prefer vegetarian meal. It was SO GOOD we went back there 2-3 times for their yummy kebabs!! So, if you’re ever in Florence and want good yummy (and did I mention Halal?) food……stop by Star Kebab on Via Faenza (there are many internet cafes and Indian grocery shops on this street).

The most disappointing Gelato was perhaps from Vivoli (Bottom Left). I read in my travel book that it’s one of the best gelato in Florence (or the world?). The place was a little further from the city center. It took us a while to walk there. When we got there, the shop was empty and cramp. Perhaps it was coz it’s later at night? They do have a variety of different and interesting gelato flavors. Their gelato is costlier than most places. The gelato flavors were intense but the texture wasn’t the best. I thought it was very disappointing coz it seemed so hyped up in the travel guide and it wasn’t anything spectacular. I don’t think it was worth the trouble to walk through dark alleys to get there! =P

Now since we have an apartment with cooking facilities to ourselves…we decided to COOK! Especially since we had to fork out more than Euro 200 to the apartment agency and that was on top of the USD300 we paid in advance for the apartment to Hotels.com. There were many convenient stores below the apartment….and that was where we shopped for spaghetti, tuna, sauce, etc and of course WINE!! We made two kinds of pasta …….the first was Mushroom & Tuna Spaghetti in White Sauce(Bottom Right).

Tuna in Tomato Sauce Spaghetti (Bottom Left) was the other kind of pasta we made that night. Everyone was pleased. There were so much pasta for everyone! And we had 4 bottles wines to drink with our dinner the last night we were in Florence! =) Some of the wines only cost us about Euro 2 per bottle. The ones we got from the winery costs us between Euro 6 to 10.

Eating Like There’s No Tomorrow….

….on Thanksgiving…..

So, I’ve mentioned that hubby and I was having a little Thanksgiving party…. I was the main chef making some stuff the day before and making some on the day itself. My brother and Qi offered to make cookies. Seyda offered to bring Buffalo Shrimp and Su Boregi (a yummy Turkish dish) and hubby’s friend from work brought Rice Pilau and some Cheesecake. There was so much food, we had even had leftovers! I don’t mind slaving in the kitchen for hours preparing food on holidays. I love entertaining…love having friends over and definitely love feeding making dinner for them! =)

Here’re some pictures of what were served on my Thanksgiving. We served everything on the kitchen counter (Bottom Left) and ate thanksgiving buffet style with guests sitting where ever they find a seat. Yes, it was a non-traditional thanksgiving dinner……. no big roasted turkey and no large table with everyone sitting around the table in one room! =p

I made some Savory Palmiers (Bottom Right) using store bought puff pastry and filled it with chopped olives, chopped sundried tomatoes, mozzarella & parmesan cheeses and salt & pepper! It turned out very well! =)

 

Crab Salad in Phyllo Cups (Bottom Left). The phyllo cups were so petite, it was so cute. You could make your own phyllo cups, but I bought it ready made from the store. It came in a box of 15 for about $2-$2.50. It was even baked; all I did was make the crab salad by mixing lump crab, chopped celery, chopped cilantro, mayo, salt and pepper! This was another delicious appetizer! It was cleaned very quickly!

Korean Shrimp & Scallion Pancake (Bottom Right). I will post the recipe soon! In the past, I have made this using store bought Korean pancake mix from the store. A friend told me it was easy to make it from scratch. After Googling and trying a few different kind of recipes….I found one I like the best! The pancake is definitely best served immediately after cooking. As I made mine a few hours in advance, I thought they weren’t as tasty as the fresh off the pan ones.

My main highlight was the Roasted Duck (Bottom Left). Instead of roasting a whole big fat turkey, I decided to roast a whole duck. I forgot to take a picture of the duck before I cut them up in pieces (yes I did let the duck rest for about 20-30 minutes). I have never bought an uncooked duck before and found out that they cost MUCH more than the 2 other poultries; chicken and turkey. I paid about $2.50/lb for the duck and that duck was about 6-1/2lbs. Chicken was about $1.20/lb and turkey was about $0.49 - $0.99/lb. I cooked the duck for about 2-1/2 hours and I served it with some Cranberry Pomegranate Orange Sauce. I thought the duck was ok…perhaps a little on the dry side? Yikes!!!!

Although the Thanksgiving dinner was not quite a traditional one….I decided to sort of stay within the tradition and still serve turkey. Turkey Meatballs seasoned with some cumin. I thought they were delicious and perhaps will share that recipe next time I make it again.

Hubby invited some of his Indian friends from work and I thought roasted chicken would be a good alternative in case they don’t eat duck or turkey (Bottom Left). I was right, they don’t eat duck. Not wanting to roast 2 whole uncut poultry, I decided to cut the chicken up into pieces. I marinated the chicken in some honey mustard for 2 days. My brother and Qi loved the chicken dish.

Seyda brought over some Buffalo Shrimp (Bottom Right). Simply yummy. Who would say no to shrimp and buffalo sauce, right? =) Thanks for making this, Seyda! I know Kelvin had plenty!! =P

Su Boregi, a Turkish pastry (Bottom Left) which reminds me of lasagna…but not quite. Seyda made this dish (well..per my request). She’s made it many times before when we go over to her place for dinner and I love it every time! She made this with some spinach and feta cheese filling. YUMSS!!Here’s a little explanation adapted from Wikipedia; “Su böreği ("water börek") is one of the most common type of Borek. Layers of dough are boiled briefly in large pans, then a mixture of feta cheese, parsley and oil is scattered between the layers. The whole thing is then brushed with butter and laid in a masonry oven to cook.”

Garlic Green Beans (Bottom Right). This is pretty self explanatory; Garlic + Green Beans + Oil + Salt. Did not want to do green bean casserole which would be far richer since I made it for last year’s Thanksgiving!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Bottom Left). Again, another self explanatory dish; Sweet Potatoes + Olive Oil + Salt. I wanted to do Candied Yam/Sweet Potatoes (my favorite) but thought I left it simple since the sweet potatoes were pretty delicious and sweet just like that!

Mashed Potatoes (Bottom Right). Boring stuff, I know!!! But I wanted some kind of easy to make starch for dinner. Sad to say, I either over-estimated the potatoes or there were more other yummy stuff that guests did not want plain old mashed potatoes or it was simply just not great. I would like to think that there were other yummy food, my guests decided to skip the mashed potatoes! I have quite a bit left…………….about half that casserole bowl to be exact. =(.

 

Cookie platter for dessert (Bottom Left). My brother and Qi made some delicious butter cookies with strawberry jam (Left in picture). I will request the recipe from Qi next time and post it here. The cookies are best piped into super mini cupcake liners. They should be petite and are supposed to be a one-bite size. I only have mini cupcake liners at home, hence a slightly large cookie which also took a little longer to cook. It was still very addictive nevertheless. One is not enough!!

I made some Sweet Cinnamon Palmiers (Right in Picture) by using puff pastry. A box of the frozen Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry came with 2 large sheets of puff pastry. I used one to make savory palmiers, and the other, the sweet ones. These were simple to make and was definitely a hit among my guests. I was (definitely) surprised; something so simple would be so well liked! I will remake this and share the easy recipe next time! =)

Jackfruit Cheesecake / Tart (Bottom Right) which I made the day before. Glad to say, my guests loved this. Yay! I’m super pleased as this is my own recipe!! =)

We ended up eating leftovers and turning them into a new dishes the next couple days. As my brother and his gf were in town the whole week………..I ate so much. Too much to tell you the truth! I think I would definitely break the scale if I hop on it now! I’m gonna give myself a few days before weighing my damage and see what Thanksgiving have done to my weight and waistline. Not to mention, all of a sudden…..I’m having a pimples breakout……Must be too much food and wine last whole week!!!! Arghhhh!!! Food intoxication!!!!!!!!

December…my favorite time of the year!

Coz it’s all about X’mas! I love shopping for gifts and I love getting gifts too! I love the festive lights and the holiday tunes! And don’t forget the yummy cookies and food during this time of the year where friends and family reunite!! I do however cringe when I think of the shopping part when the mall is crowded with holiday shoppers. For that reason, I usually try to shop early!

My X’mas tree is now up! I put it up the day after thanksgiving and will soon pile the nicely wrapped presents under the tree. I love X’mas so much I hum X’mas songs in July and drive my poor husband up the wall! Haha! Welcome December….my favorite month of all!