why did I not like "rhubarb" before???

Over the weekend - I was wowed by the rhubarb preserves used to top off our roasted pork meal.... I was in heaven... it was the right touch of sweetness and sourness all combined... I loved it..... and all I could think of is "why did I not try anything with "rhubarb" before? am thinking it has to be the name itself... does not sound too good.... the vegetable itself is pretty -- especially the reddish stems.... but all that green (the actual leaves) are not appetizing looking.... so I look them over all the time for more safer known veggies....

I must say though, after having it for the first time last SUNDAY - I find that I have been missing something really good all this time..... and to WET and APPEASE my appetite some more - David baked a Rhubarb Pie last Sunday, from scratch - DOUGH INCLUDED.... boy was that devoured FAST!!!! Who knew that an ugly sounding vegetable can actually be one of the best and tastiest filling for pies.... and there is so much more one can make with of rhubarbs...

so that is one of the advantages of living with a foodie - you do get to try to eat things you would have normally skipped...

...top of the morning....

Normally, am not really a breakfast kind of person.... this is a LUXURY that I used to associate only to weekend brunches or buffet breakfast whee traveling and staying in hotels... for the most part, a cup of fresh brewed Java is enough to get me going in the morning.... preferably, from the beans I had just grounded myself.... the sound and the smell it omits is also part of the morning/waking up ritual... and usually that would have sufficed...

Lately though, I have been finding myself getting more and more into having more than just coffee to start my day with correctly... I actually now, wondering, what kind of goodies will I be waking up to.... yes, each morning I am being spoiled with being served a different kind of breakfast.... from just plain "hot off the oven bread - to pancakes - to omelette - and my personal favorite, waffles topped with fresh fruit or jam....

I know, I know, this is not good for the diet but heck, it is morning after all... and one has to get some good food in the tummy to get energized and start the day off right.... besides, I will have the whole day to either swim, run or go to the GYM and burn the extra, delicious calories off... I HOPE!!!

the cure for WEDNESDAY BLUES!!!

yes, nothing like a filling sandwich to cure one's frustration blues....

after a long day waiting, and waiting, and waiting -- and basically just being frustrated it was very nice to come home to a FAT & JUICY sandwich waiting for me to be devoured... and DEVOUR it I did -- in less than 20 minutes..... hahahahahaha

Today's sandwich was prepared for me earlier today.... it is made of freshly baked bread - all done from scratch - and was filled with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, CRISPY BACON & TORTA type egg with seasoning.... boy it was it YUMMY...YUMMY with a capital Y-U-M-M-Y!!! I do not even know how to describe it or what to call it... the bread was just the right thickness, not tough and yet, not weak that it falls apart.... it was juicy but not runny or soggy attributed to fresh veggies.... and adding just the right amount of French Mustard and VOILA - one satisfyingly GREAT sandwich to make one forget all the morning's frustrations.....

a little bit of the US of A!!!

Now and again, I get this craving for a big, fat, juicy & hearty, good 'ole American cheeseburger.... yes there is McDonald's, Burger King and even, Wendy's.... but if you want a sit down din din where they seem to know what they are doing - you MUST go to either TGIF (Fridays) or Chilli's....

Both places, for me, are pretty much interchangeable.... both serves all sorts of American burgers.... topped with different kinds of cheeses.... with your choices of accompanying veggies..... and prepared just the way you want them to be.... and they are even priced just as outrageously high as the ones in the US!!!!

If you are LUCKY - the burgers are not BAD at all... they are tender, fresh and juicy... but more often than not, they are dry and not soooo appetizing at all... so you must appease yourself with the APPETIZER Platters... usually much more fresh as they seem to sell more so they are always making them..... not forgetting my FAVE part, the DESSERTS... gooey, thick, and rich sundaes and other sorts of cakes.... (the latter alone could make me forgive the restos if the burgers are dry...)

So if I have to choose between the two - I would say I pick TGIF.... mostly because they have a much more fun decor... a lot of stuff or memorabilia adorn the walls and ceilings - movie and television stills, sports crap (jerseys, baseballs, etc) & photos of different popular US sites and destinations.... so you are reminded of all the things you see growing up back in the US.... and the BEST part of all, the waiters and waitresses are dressed in some really funky, funny, and even downright humiliating outfits.... especially the hats..... and they are trained to chuck it all in and be as chirpy as they could.... this alone is worth the trip to a TGIF, now and again....

- more photos of one of my special times at a TGIF (Siemending location) .

seems easy enough.... but not!!!

okay, first and foremost, I have to say that I plated my dinner as best I could tonite - in order to take a nice photo and redeem myself from the previous entry's photo.... am sure you will all agree that this is, albeit far from being professionally plated, not a bad looking presentation....

So another long day at the office, another quick meal to prepare.... what seemed like a quite easy noodle and veggies dinner turned out to be a laborious task after all.... but a task that ended up being worth all the trouble - as it just turned out better than I had expected....

Making pasta or noodle meals have always been some of the easiest and fastest way to satisfy one's hunger... but if you really think about it - it is not that simple... yes, boiling anything is easy but one must know that it is all in the timing.... over boiling would make the noodle/pasta too soft and soggy.... under cooking would make it turn crunchy and lets face it, no matter what kind of sauce you have to go with it - it will still taste uncooked! so it has to be boiled just right...

Then comes the sauce or the side dishes to go with it -- to make it more appetizing... For tonite we opted for blanched Batchoy and sauteed mushroom, onions, garlic & cherry tomatoes... throw in some canned tuna for added flavour.... Simple Enough you say.... WRONG! First up, for cooking novices like me, you must know that, according to wikipaedia: "Blanching is a cooking term that describes a process of food preparation wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process." So as you can see, this part alone is laborious already!!! It is really all in the art of how you do things to make all the flavors and texture work together.... and timing plays a key role. Then we are already a step closer to a $50 cuisine meal... hehehehehe

While boiling the pasta/noodle; the onions, garlic and mushroom are sauteing in the oil from the canned tuna.... adding a splash of olive oil adds just the right amount of extra flavour... A few minutes before it is all done, the cherry tomatoes are added..... canned tuna goes in last.... Once the noodles/pasta are done, you can then blanch the batchoy in the same boiling water you just used for the noodles... this adds flavor to the batchoy. So all these should be finsihed pretty much the same time... and VOILA - dinner is served.

who knew???

...last nite, after our run, we were trying to whip up something fast..... basically, the idea was to just cook something simple and fast.... and use whatever is in the fridge... it meant basically carrots, potatoes, onions, pumpkin & garlic.... so what the hell -- slice them... dice them.... saute them.....

and it all would have been great 'cept we forgot to take into consideration that the potatoes takes longer to cook that everything else..... so we gave up, set it aside and instead went out to eat.... hahahahaha

-but that is not the end of the story for that dish... today during lunchtime, i got the remnants of last nite's supposedly meal.... added some seaweed paper from KOREA.... put it in the steamer for 10 mins and VOILA!!! INSTANT DELICACY!!! aaah, the WONDERS of STEAMING!!!! it was truly tasty and flavorful, if I may say so myself.... it was a blend of rich flavors from the garlic, onions, pumpkin & seaweed... the carrots and potatoes were just right... cooked but not mushy..... and the pumpkin almost just melts in your mouth..... no meat even added to this dish.... and was still good and filling enough....

so LESSON learned is that - NEVER GIVE UP... there is always HOPE!!! and BTW, the old saying "Do Not Judge A Book By It's Cover" applies here.... it really tastes much better than it looks.... an you are just going have to take my words for it!!!

why "xiao chow"????

a few friends I have given this link to have emailed and asked: "why is it called "Xiao Chow?" "what does it mean?" "...and where did I get it from?"

well first of all, "xiao" means small and most of us already know that "chow" can stand for eat... hence, Little Eat.

There are two reasons why I chose this to be the name of my blog:
1: Over the years I have heard Taiwanese use "Xiao" as an endearing expression to just about anything - pets, friends, kids, etc.... ; and as precursor to someone's name - making it sound cuter - for example Xiao Mei (Little Sister), Xiao Bai (Little White) or even Xiao Xiao (Little Little).

2: From my very first year in Taiwan, I have also come to know of "Xiao Chi" - literally translated to little eat... they refer to food stalls/stands as little eats/eatery.... must be due to the fact that everything is served in smaller portions and it's like a hit and run place... you sit order..eat fast... and go your own merry way... and one will never go hungry as there is Xiao Chi(s) just about every town, every district, or every street of Taipei. And this is also true for the rest of Taiwan.

So you see, there really is not fitting name for this blog as, Xiao Chow. It represents what I will be writing about most of the time.... endearingly. Hope to see you again soon in my area of the Xiao Lu (little street).