Buena Noche feast :)

Not to shatter my family's expectations from last Christmas menu, I am again in the search for food to make the list of Ong family's favorite meal, the most requested food at home :) With the pantry full from my panic buying grocery shopping with my dear friend Marie, New Year's dinner menu planning was not as stressful as it was for Noche Buena.



Fruits and vegetables with vibrant colors, firm flesh and fresh scents!




Tiger prawns! I have never seen prawns as big! :)



The tiger prawns went into this:
Thai red curry tiger prawns with fresh oyster mushrooms
Another hit at home, same as the Thai green curry last Christmas.
The whole family loved it :) The new addition to holiday menu staples!
Paired with Nasi Lemak Rice.


Ong family holiday menu staple 1: My verion of Mango Kani Salad


Ong family holiday menu staples:
Taco Salad, Thai Curry in Nasi Lemak Rice; Mango Kani Salad, Bolognese, Carbonara :)

a big kiss! :)

Look at what i got :) I got this from an office raffle.
I don't know if its a joke..as how the chances are that i would have this :)
I so love chocolates! But this, I find it so funny!

When I showed this at home, their first question was how do we get to eat that? :P


Bite the top off, scrape it, break into pieces, sliced in half.. I doesn't matter! :)
I still have several months supply of chocolates!

Dishes that didn't make it to Noche Buena

These dishes didn't make it to Noche Buena feast:

1. Parmesan chicken with quick salsa verde
- deep fried Parmesan crusted Chicken breast fillet
- Salsa Verde is olive oil based; made from basil, capers, mustard and Parmesan.

Why it didn't make the cut?
Fried foods should be served right away and I will have difficulty keeping them.

2. Coquilles Saint Jacques (Baked Scallops)
- Scallops topped with melted butter, garlic and breadcrumb mixture.

Why it didn't make the cut?
- No fresh scallops available in the market.

a new kikay notebook

New year. new notebook.
What adventures, learning and dreams to fulfill.

A new year. A brand new start of peace, hope and laughter.
A new year. Of goals to achieve, trips to make, and pictures to take.
A new year of being a better me. A brand new chapter of my life unfolds as I turn the pages of my new notebook filled with new experiences, musing and creative thoughts.

A new year, A new notebook- waiting to be filled again.

Noche Buena 2009 :)

Holidays came so fast that everyone was rushing about to buy their gifts and get work done. I am no exempt to this mad rush, of course.

Days before Christmas Eve, I am already stressing of what to cook for my family this Christmas Eve. Pulling out all my collection of cookbooks from the book shelf, I lost my beauty sleep looking at each cookbook deciding what to cook at home.
(Special Mention: Thank you to my friend, Marie, for helping me decide on what dishes to make). I got confused after seeing all those yummy pictures in cookbooks!
i even bought my books to the office to look through at my spare time.

I am really running out of time! I managed to put together this menu and handed the market list to my Mom on the night of 23rd.

My Mom was surprised to find a rather short list. But I am planning to surprise my family with a new dish. My Mom and Brother is a not a fan of spicy food, nor are they a big fan of curries!

I plan to change their mind and their appetites this Christmas! :)

(Please pardon my level 0 food photography skills. I am just a cook.)

I proudly introduce the following dishes and their names at the table:


1. Prawn and Grape Salad in my version of Cocktail Sauce.
- The recipe called for a thousand island like dressing, but I decided to "experiment" on this one. Am I glad, I did. :)
My food critic father loves this dish so much, I never get to taste it after serving it at the table. After several yums, I now believe that this salad is delicious, not just a praise from a supportive Dad.


2. Thai Rice Salad to go with my curry dish.
- Stir fried rice with capsicum and a hint of curry; Served piping hot.
The rice earned several wow's after opening the rice cooker lid.


3. Thai Green Chicken Curry
- Yes, this dish earns a standing ovation. (Just kidding!)
Of course, everybody loved the green curry. They got second and third servings.
They even had it for breakfast. Enough said.


4. Creamy tomato and prawn pasta
- I also decided to cook a new dish for pasta. I always did white sauce alla carbonara and bolognese.

5. Taco Salad (no pictures available. As I myself, already dig in by this time)


6. For dessert, Oriental Mocha Frappucino
- Iced Coffee, Vanilla ice cream and guess what? Grass Jelly!
You have to try it for yourself! My brother is still asking for it until now :)





Merry Christmas Everyone!:)

Credits: I would like to thank the following sponsors:
Marie, for the yummy and beautiful Christmas cake. It was so difficult to get the knife through the cake. :P
Kathrine, for bringing me back a taste of Thailand curry paste :)
Mamu, for buying the freshest things in the market.
Conrad, for vanilla ice cream :)