Recipe for Instant Pot Rice Congee, Rice Porridge using Frozen Chicken Breasts

World’s Easiest Instant Pot Cháo Ga Recipe (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Chicken)

I absolutely love my 6QT Instant Pot. I use it all the time, especially on days when I’m feeling super lazy and I have to make dinner quickly and easily. I’ve made all kinds of food using it, from Mexican shredded chicken to chicken pho and even beef pho. I’ve also made Vietnamese yogurt and stews and soups. It’s one of my favorite kitchen appliances. If you don’t have one, you should go out and buy one! Since it’s December and naturally cold and flu season, my husband came home the other day with a man cold. Since our 6… Read More »World’s Easiest Instant Pot Cháo Ga Recipe (Vietnamese Rice Porridge with Chicken)

Garlic Sautéed Kale with Carrot Greens Recipe

Sautéed Kale with Garlic and Carrot Greens

I can’t believe it’s been half a year since I last posted. I haven’t disappeared – I promise. I’ve been swamped with work (and my wedding photography business has blossomed in the last year). But I’m back and I’ll try my best to be better about blogging. I love my food, so here we go. This is what I had for dinner tonight – garlicky kale with carrot greens (also called carrot tops). I was recently in Madison, Wisconsin and I picked up some Amish butter, and man is it good. You don’t know what butter tastes like until you have homemade butter.… Read More »Sautéed Kale with Garlic and Carrot Greens

Healthy Vegetarian Super, Summer Yellow Squash Saute recipe

Garlic Summer Squash Saute with Mushrooms, and Cherry Tomatoes

To kick off the start of summer, I planted my own container vegetable garden on my patio. I have two yellow squash plants growing wildly, and I’m hoping to be able to harvest some soon. My tomato plants, as one might expect, are taking over the garden, filled to the brim with fresh fruit and flowers. I have so many ripe cherry tomatoes that I just have no idea what to do with. But I figured, why not saute the yellow summer squash with my cherry tomatoes for a healthy side dish? Simple, easy and so delicious. I will definitely be making… Read More »Garlic Summer Squash Saute with Mushrooms, and Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe for Tres Leche Cake

Tres Leches Cake Recipe (Three Milks Cake)

I made the most delicious Tres Leches cake tonight. It was moist, sweet, and topped with homemade whipped cream and fresh organic strawberries. Delicious, and so simple to make. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry – flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and of course, the berries to top it off. What a delightful treat on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I had all the ingredients in my fridge – I keep condensed milk for my Vietnamese coffee (and heavy cream is always in my roommates’ parents flat, underneath ours). You can top… Read More »Tres Leches Cake Recipe (Three Milks Cake)

Flan Recipe, Caramel Flan on a Plate

Simple and Easy Flan

Delicious, glorious flan. My absolutely favorite dessert. It’s a Vietnamese favorite, and I grew up eating flan out of little plastic cartons. When I was growing up, my mom made flan all the time. And now I live on my own, I crave it from time to time. Creme caramel was introduced to Vietnam by the French. We call it “banh flan” or “kem flan.” No matter what it’s called, it’s just amazing deliciousness, and it’s best served cool, especially when it’s been sitting in your fridge for 24 hours. Nice and cold. So, what’s the secret of making the… Read More »Simple and Easy Flan

Authentic Bun Rieu Recipe

Bun Rieu – Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup

Bun Rieu is one of my favorite soups to make, because it is so simple and easy to whip up. I’ve made this on a weeknight before, but it’s usually a weekend recipe since it does take a little bit of prep work. Getting all of the ingredients can be a challenge, and a bit on the pricey side – because the cost of getting real crab can be high. You MUST go to the Asian supermarket in order to make this recipe. There’s no substitute for the Minced Crab in Spices (the Lee brand is my favorite) and I also… Read More »Bun Rieu – Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup

Chicken, Microgreens, and Sauteed Mushroom Sandwich

Leftover Roast Chicken Sandwich with Microgreens and Mushrooms

Leftover-Chicken-Sandwich-with-Sauteed-Mushrooms

I love roasted chicken, and I especially love that it’s cheaper to buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery than it is to buy a raw chicken and roast it yourself in the oven. Whole uncooked chicken is getting more expensive to buy – it can be up to $8 dollars or more at my local grocery store, but a rotisserie chicken is only around $5 or $6. I always opt for saving money when it comes to food, because I’d prefer to spend the savings on traveling.

Since I’m single, I am usually cooking for one; sometimes two, if my roomate, Nicole hasn’t eaten. Sandwiches are often an easy and simple meal that I can whip up quickly. I’m not a huge fan of sandwiches, but when they are well-made, I will gobble them up. Correction – I will inhale them.

Tonight, I made the most fabulous sandwich ever, using leftover roast chicken. It was so, so good.

I toasted sourdough bread with the roast chicken until the bread was crispy and brown to my liking. Meanwhile, I sautéed whole cloves of garlic and sliced organic mushrooms in butter with a little, salt, pepper and herbs de provence. Read More »Leftover Roast Chicken Sandwich with Microgreens and Mushrooms

Cucumber Salad with Feta, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives Recipe

Cucumber, Feta and Tomato Salad

There’s nothing more refreshing and delicious on a hot summer day than a cool, healthy salad. This cucumber salad is simple to assemble and makes a wonderful appetizer or side salad at dinner. I love the distinctive taste of feta cheese, combined with the unique flavor of dill. The olive oil and lemon juice adds a lovely dimension to the crisp, coolness of the cucumber. Use grape or cherry tomatoes to offer pretty color. I used Spanish green olives, simple because I didn’t have any Kalamata olives on hand. They brought a touch of saltiness that made this salad even better.  PrintCucumber, Feta and Tomato Salad… Read More »Cucumber, Feta and Tomato Salad

How to Boil Blue Crab

How to Cook Live Crab – Blue Crab Boil

Whenever I go to the ocean or the coast, I’m always craving crab. Usually, this means ordering crab legs. But crab legs, though delicious, aren’t enough to satisfy my seafood craving. I need more – more than just the legs. The Vietnamese girl in me craves a good old-fashioned crab boil. I grew up eating boiled crab . When I was little, after my family had moved to the United States, my mom would go to the Asian supermarket and bring home live blue crab. She’d boil it in the traditional way – with just salt and water. The family would feast, digging our fingers… Read More »How to Cook Live Crab – Blue Crab Boil

Leftover Chicken Recipe with Lemon Garlic Sauce

Leftover Chicken Recipe: Lemon Chicken Pasta with Artichoke Hearts, Mushrooms and Sun Dried Tomatoes

It’s been a crazy few months for me. With moving to a new apartment, starting a new business (Preggie Baby Boutique – check it out!), and my best friend moving to another state – across the country, it’s been hectic. I haven’t had much time for cooking. I’ve mostly eaten out or picked up ready-made food at our local grocery store. Tonight was a different story, however. I was itching to cook. Since I wasn’t in the mood to go to the grocery store, I used what I had in my fridge – left over rotisserie chicken, a jar of artichoke… Read More »Leftover Chicken Recipe: Lemon Chicken Pasta with Artichoke Hearts, Mushrooms and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Cantonese Style Lobster Recipe

Easy & Simple Cantonese Style Lobster

Cantonese Style Lobster is my go-to New Year’s dish that I make every single year. I usually buy live lobster at the Asian supermarket in town, because it is cheaper, but you can use frozen lobster for this dish as well. This year for my friends, I bought two pound lobsters to the tune of $75. It was more than I usually spend on food, but this dish is so very worth it. Large chunks of lobster, still in its beautiful red shell, are stir-fried with ginger, scallions (green onions), garlic and a light sauce. The end result is amazing.… Read More »Easy & Simple Cantonese Style Lobster

Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa

Pork chops are one of the easiest and quickest week night dinner options, not to mention one of the most inexpensive meats on the market. I used to avoid eating pork, except for bacon (because I’m a bacon addict), just for the sheer fact that pigs will eat anything (and I mean anything) you feed them. However, I have come to terms with the fact that I love pork, and it can provide an inexpensive way to get more protein in your diet. And since I’m on a budget, pork was on my grocery list this week. My best friend… Read More »Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa