God's Pharmacy

The above certainly gives me more motivation to eat a well balanced diet. I’ve been mainly a meat eater ever since I was a little kid, and it’s slowly catching up to me. I’m a host to a variety of health conditions: nearsightedness, allergies, skin problems, acid reflux, sensitive stomach issues, migraines, backaches, and frequent sore throats. Of course, being a health care professional, the foods above are not intended to prevent, treat, or cure any disease.

Hot Pot Menu

I have to say the hot pot that I prepared this past weekend was much better than expected. Normally, Sherry goes with a chicken broth soup base while my mom uses just regular water. This time, I went with the Lee Kum Kee Satay Soup Base for Hot Pot that I found from the asian grocery store, and as a result, the food turned out really flavorful!

In the past, I found it cumbersome to use chopsticks, ladles, and even the small metal strainers to pick up food from the hot pot. This time, I decided to go with a long slotted spoon, which turned out to be actually quite efficient. It is now my utensil of choice to use for hot pot.

Without further ado...

fish fillet (a staple of hot pot imho)
fried fish cake (something new that Sherry discovered)
fish balls (rubbery taste as some would say, but tolerable)
oysters (distinct taste which I like)
tofu (a needed balance)
nappa (our new favorite vege for satay hot pot)

dipping sauce mixture: ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, ½ tablespoon soy sauce

My mom makes a pretty good dipping sauce, which I’m in the process of figuring out how to make...

Cooking

I have not been cooking much after Valerie was born. It's a lot of work to work full-time, take care of her and juggle everything else around the house. Cooking is the only thing I don't do on a regular basis. Take-out or fast foods are not healthy as home- cooked meals. However, I have been cooking more after Valerie started going to school. It's healthier and it's less expensive. I still have to find more recipes.

Guilty Pleasure

Mmmmmm, So delicious......

yummy...

I like to have soup with dinner, especially in the winter. I found this recipe in one of our Chinese cook books for corn soup. I made it last week and it actually turned out pretty good. The whole cooking process take less than an hour and it's very simple to cook. Here's the recipe~Sherry

Ingredients:6 servings
1 slice of chicken breast chopped fine
2 cans of chicken broth
1 egg white
1 tablespoon of dry sherry
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 can of creamed corn
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper and adjust according to taste
1 egg,beaten
2 tablespoon corn starched dissolved in 2 tablespoon water
green onions,chopped
chopped ham(optional)

How to make:
1.combine chopped chicken breast,egg white,wine and cornstarch. set aside
2.combine chicken broth,creamed corn,salt and black pepper. bring to boil,adding chicken mixture,stir to break up chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes
3. add beaten egg in low heat and stir slowly in one direction. then thicken with cornstarch and water mixture.
4. add green onions and ham if desired

Lethal Combination

I thought my head was gonna explode. Fully aware of my beef allergy diagnosis but not entirely convinced of it, I had teriyaki beef for lunch with my honey, a LOT of teriyaki beef. Within 30 minutes, my head started hurting and I thought it was from the MSG in the beef. Progressively, my headache became one of the worst I ever experienced that it couldn't have been just the MSG causing it. Thinking back, I remembered one of my coworkers telling me that when she had the worst headache ever, the doctor from the emergency room told her she was experiencing an allergic reaction, most likely to some seeds in the Indian food she had eaten earlier. Great, this must be what I'm experiencing due to the beef. I discussed with my honey about getting some ipecac syrup from the pharmacy but it may be too late by the time we get it. Well, we thought of an alternative and needless to say, it worked like a charm. I'm all better now :-)