Mango & Almond Jelly

Mango and almond jelly is one of my favorite after dinner treats. It is not too filling and is just the right sweetness. I have not made it from scratch before, but maybe one day I will. I just buy almond jello powder and mango jello powder from the supermarket and layer them.

Pomegranate

Pomegranates are one of my favorite fruits. This pomegranate has seeds in it and was quite tart, but I have been fortunate enough to have also tried seedless pomegranates. They are very sweet and easy to eat. The seedless pomegranate that I had was pink and yellow on the outside and inside as well.

Clams in Olive Oil and Wine

These are delicious clams cooked in olive oil, white wine and garlic. They were served as an appetizer at my sister's place. I only had a few as they were consumed very quickly by the other guests!

E-Fu Noodles with Scallops and Mushroom

E-Fu noodles are a very common dish served as one of the last courses in a Chinese banquet meal. They are my favorite noodles and usually only include mushrooms when served during dinner. I added scallops this time to change it up, and it was very delicious.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. cooking oil

3/4 pound of scallops

1 pkg. of E-fu noodles (cooked and drained)

1 1/2 cups of your favorite mushrooms (sliced)

2 tbsp. soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

sliced green onions (optional)

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a wok, then add the scallops and mushrooms.

Once scallops and mushrooms are cooked, add the noodles, then the soy sauce.

Mix together and add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with sliced green onions. (optional)

Serve the E-fu noodles as an appetizer or a main course.

Mussels with Garlic Aioli

These are cooked mussels topped with a garlic aioli sauce. My sister in law's mother made them and they were so delicious I could not resist eating several of them just before dinner. We had them as an appetizer with some fresh sliced bread.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp

Sweet and sour shrimp is one of my favorite dishes. I like to make it every few weeks as it is a quick one dish meal. Sometimes I replace the shrimp with chicken or fried pork.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. cooking oil (vegetable oil, grapeseed oil etc.)

1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 medium onion, sliced into wedges

1 green or red pepper, julienned or cut into 1 inch chunks

1 large carrot, julienned

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

For the sauce, combine the following in a bowl and stir until mixed together.

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tbsp. orange juice

1 tbsp. pineapple juice

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large pan, and cook the shrimp and onions.

Add the pepper, carrot, and pineapple. Stir to mix, then add the sauce.

Stir to mix, then turn off the heat.

Serve with rice or as a side dish.

Dragon Fruit

I recently tried dragon fruit for the first time. The inside has seeds similar to the seeds of a kiwi fruit and the texture of the flesh is soft with a slight crunch. Some are sweet and some are tart. The one I had was sweet, but the flavor was somewhat bland. My mom says that is how they taste and she loves them. It was nice to get to try them, as I don't think I would have considered buying them on my own.

Coconut Cream Pie

This is a coconut cream pie I made. I did not have any whipping cream so I used the leftover egg whites from the filling recipe to make a meringue topping instead. It was pretty good, and perfect for those who love meringue. As for me, I still prefer the fresh whipped cream on top.

Tea Biscuits

Newly baked tea biscuits are a great addition to any breakfast. I like to eat mine with some jam, butter and fresh berries on the side.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour, plus extra for kneading
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup chilled buttermilk
7 tbsp. chilled, unsalted butter

Instructions:

Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix.

Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.

Add the buttermilk and pulse until dough is just moistened.

Sprinkle some cake flour onto a clean countertop or board.

Turn the dough out onto your work surface. (It is very soft, and not easy to work with, but will be very nice once baked)

Sprinkle some cake flour onto the dough, flour your hands and gently knead the dough a for about 1 minute.

Press the dough into a 1.5 inch thick rectangle.

Using a large rubber spatula, fold the rectangle in half, then fold it in half again.

Sprinkle a little more cake flour under and on top of the dough, then roll it out into a 1 inch thick rectangle.

Cut out the biscuits using a flour dipped biscuit cutter.

Reroll the scraps to cut out more biscuits.

Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Bake until golden, about 16 minutes.

Flowering Tea

This is a lovely clear glass teapot that a friend gave to my sister along with some flowering tea. On the left is a little ball of tea that turns into a flower once it is immersed in hot water. The teapot is great for this type of tea as it displays the flower very well.

The tea had a mild taste and was nice to drink on its own. It is the type of tea that does not require any sugar or milk.