Simple America

I mentioned that part of Thanksgiving at my home is the congee made with turkey bones. I just had to share a picture of my first bowl of congee. It was so good. Wish it would have had some of those jellied duck eggs, but it tasted wonderful just the same.

I wanted to get pictures of the missus preparing this, but she moved too quick for me to follow. Well, actually she woke up early and I slept while the missus cooked. Next year perhaps. I recall promising Zara’s Mom to find out how my missus prepares congee. Sorry my friend. I dropped the ball again.

Okay. No more waiting. Have been too slow posting lately and must not hold off any longer. First Thanksgiving dinner requires a table with plates, silverware, napkins, and hot pot covers. Glasses are nice too of course.

While grabbing plates in the kitchen I stole a peek at today’s special guest.

But to warm up our tummies we had some shrimp and cocktail sauce. Always stretch first before taking on any streneous activity, like Thanksgiving dinner.

Then we bring in the dishes that remind us that we are having American Thanksgiving dinner. One of my favorites is cornbread dressing.

And then sweet potatoes.

Penne pasta is always nice.

Spanikopita was a new visitor to our Thanksgiving table.

Pumkin scones were good enough to make one faint.

I insist on having my cranberry sauce. Tradition demands this dish.

And because I am half Chinese (and everybody else present is 50% to 100%) we mush have bok choy.

This year the missus sliced the bird up. I just realized I was fired. Huh?

The pumpkin pie and fruit tart vanished before I could catch them with the camera. Or was it because we ran out of glasses and I claimed this bottle as my own!

This post is over due. But I want to thank Angeleyes for thinking of me. Well I did thank her online already, but I like to thank bloggers for their gifts here too.

Look at those food packs. Assam Laksa. Prawn Noodles. I’m so ready to try these out. Yummy! Yummy!

I read Nyonya on this package. I keep seeing that term. Can I request a translation please?

I have been passing this restaurant for the longest time and finally last week I popped in. It is located in a home that is converted to a restaurant. I recall this location has been a Chinese restaurant and then a Vietnamese restaurant previously. I never visited this location before.

Really nice that after I order my food they gave me some red bean soup to occupy my time while waiting for my take out order. What did I order?

Roti canai. It looks nicer than what I ordered from Malay Bistro and I get three pieces instead of one. Only cost a dollar more at $2.95.

My main course is nasi lamak. Also cheaper than Malay Bistro. I paid just under ten bucks for all of this food (including roti canai). And it tastes so good. And they served a really big helping. I cannot eat it all, so I saved the rest for my lunch. Yum.

Went back for a second round this week and had beef rendang. (Did I spell that right?) Was really good. I think I prefer the K L Malaysian restaurant. I also like the people there. I think these are Chinese ethnic Malaysians. The waitress said they are cooking food in the Kay El style. They also had a lot of Tour Malaysia 2007 posters on the walls. Reminded me of some of my blog friends’ posts.

I looked for some of the names of dishes that folks mentioned on Facebook. You know I wonder if they use different names on the menu here for those items. Must take the time to write them down so next time I visit they can help me with some new choices.

A couple weeks ago I came home after chaffeuring kids hither and thither. As soon as I opened my car door the smell of curry and coconut filled the air. I walked over to the kitchen vent and hugged the wall so I could get a better snif at this wonderful smell. The kids rolled their eyes and went into the house. Then I realized that if I went inside I could get an even better smell.

I kicked off my shoes and headed for the stove. This is what I saw! Chicken, carrots, and potatoes were singing and dancing in a bath of curry and cocunut. I could only join them. Not in the pot silly. I mean dancing around the kitchen with the missus, her stirring spoon slopping curry gravy here and there. We danced to the sound of children fleeing upstairs before they were forced to join the dance as well. In short order I was expelled from the kitchen and sent upstairs where I placed my nose low to the floor to get as much of the odor inhaled as possible.

Finally, the dinner bell rang (okay the missus shouted aloud for dinner time) and I we ran to the table for our Singapore Curry. Thanks again Pei Yun. The dish tasted so wonderful, bringing tears to my eyes from the heat. Perfection! 

My phone’s camera has made me dangerous. Why do I suggest that?

See what happens to my passengers. Fall asleep and you too can be a star on my blog.

Now when I get bored at work. *snap*

Even I am not safe from me. What to do?

Even other drivers are subject to this camera. Though I am trying to show my readers a real low rider. Got to figure out how to use the zoom feature. Can you tell that truck’s undercarriage is only a short distance above the ground.

After a tough day of taking pictures I go home and my missus says there is no food in the ice box. So she just thossed something together.

See how I suffer on these kind of days?

The next day I returned to the Malay Bistro. My son had Boy Scouts, so I took advantage to visit this restaurant for the third time in as many weeks. This time I ordered asam laksa, roti canai, and teh tarik.

I had tried asam laksa twice before at another Malaysian restaurant and it was prepared a lot different there. I remember the other restaurant used a glutinous noodle and the broth had a yellowish tint. This laksa has rice flour noodles chopped to a very short length. It included some small fish akin to mackeral and a pair of nice sized shrimp. They had chopped up bitter gourd, purple onion, and cilantro into very fine thin strips. And the broth looked to be brown and I am uncertain what they used for a base. There was some chili hiding in the bottom of the bowl, which gave it a nice bite. But overall I did not like this laksa and shall not order it here. I do not like how they prepare the asam laksa at all. My tummy rumbled the rest of the evening, and it takes a lot to make me feel this kind of discomfort.

Also I noted the dhal sauce was not as spicey this time. My eyes did not tear once while eating my roti canai. Very dissappointing.

I had my first teh tarik during this meal. They served it in a tall teacup and it was sweet, but just right for my taste. I expected the tea to be bitter and was delighted that it was not. The menu says that the tea is pulled. I do not know what that means.

I need a Malaysian to come visit me so I can get some idea on the quality of these foods. Who wants to volunteer? If you get here I have a guest room with internet access. Even has a PC if you don’t bring a laptop.

On Tuesday my son had Boy Scouts. I went to pick him up after work and the time was around eight o’clock. Being hungry and knowing his meeting should run thirty more minutes, I decided to go to the Malay Bistro again. On the way there I passed another restaurant, called K. L. Malaysian Restaurant. It is newly opened and I recall a Vietnamese restaurant previously at that location. That must be the establishment SIL#4 told me about though we missed it last Thursday.

Nevertheless I went on to Malay Bistro. I ordered nasi lemak and roti canai to go. The Chinese lady that took my order does not know her menu. I asked for these items quite clearly and I know how to say them from the other Malay restaurant I have visited. I had to tell her the numbers from off the menu. Kind of pathetic, as I think, waitstaff should memorize their menus. Pathetic.

There were three tables of diners at eight o’clock on a Tuesday. Glad they have business as I want them to be successful. I listened to the diners there and I heard English (American accent) and Cantonese being spoken. All of the wait staff speaks Cantonese I noticed.

A man I suspect is the owner brought out my order. I asked him if he is from Malaysia and he perked up. He said in good English that he comes from Kuala Lumpur. He asked if I have been there. Once I said I had not he seemed a little less enthused. Oh well. I got my food and drove to the Scout House to eat.

I ate the roti canai first. Forgot to take a picture. Dang it. It had a yellow colored sauce with touches of red in it. I dipped my roti canai in there and devoured it. Now this has to be some good stuff. I swear it opened up every pore in my head. My tongue was on fire. My eyes teared. My ears cleared. The taste was wonderful. I may go back Friday and just order roti canai.

I took a bite of my rice before I remembered that I need to take a photo. The nasi lamak was quite nice. Usually, I do not eat white rice but this tasted different, then rice my wife buys. This rice is a little drier smaller grain, and I liked it. The chicken tasted lovely too. Has to use curry in the flavoring but not so saturated that it changed the color as when my missus makes a chicken curry.

Extra treats with this dish was a hard boiled egg, some dried fish, green beans, and cucumber. The cucumbers were a mouth saver, when spiciness escalated. Nice dish that I would order again. Next time I go, I intend to try the assam laksa.

While at the Scout House I saw this one dad I prefer to avoid. A regular long nose busy body. I am eating my food and he walks over to shake my hand. *long series of expletives deleted* So I have to stop eating. Truly, I am pathetic. I had no hand sanitizer and I refuse to eat without clean hands. I don’t like him so I am not going to trust his hands. I’m strange that way.

The meeting broke up at this time, so I rushed my son so I can go home and finish eating. Once there my missus stole half of my egg. She acts like she is the mother of my children or something. LOL!

Last Thursday after we met my son’s teacher, my missus wanted to dine before returning home. Both kids were with us, so it seemed like a good idea. There was supposed to be a new Malaysian restaurant nearby. While driving my missus noticed a sign for a Malaysian restaurant, but it is not the one we sought. I drove on and we failed to find the one SIL#4 told us about. Well if you cannot locate the one you seek, then visit the one you found. Right.

We turned back to the restaurant we noticed earlier. There was a grand opening sign, but I must admit I would have missed this establishment entirely without the missus. Why? Their sign uses Chinese writing, though the windows display the name in English. Much too far and small to be seen from the road. We entered an empty dining room as it is not yet five o’clock.

The lady that waited on us was Chinese, but I don’t think she is Malaysian. I asked her a couple of questions about Malaysia and she was totally blur. We decided to order the seafood dinner for four with a side order of chicken satay. The food arrived quite quickly. Want to see?

Chicken Satay. This dish was quite yummy and the sauce was a nice complement.  

Bah Kut Teh. The soup tasted quite nice, though a bit sweet. This is my first time to experience this soup so I have no expectation or understanding of what the flavor should taste like.

Hainan Chicken. This reminded me of Fantasy Flier. He sent me spices so I could make this dish at home. I liked the chicken especially since it was throughly cooked. Sometimes when I have had this dish at other restaurants (and at home, eh hmm) there is red (blood) that can be seen. So I worry about salmonela. Not here.

Kang-Kung Vegetables. These were nice. I like the seasoning they added, though I wish it could have been a tad spicier.

Beef Rendang. This is my third time to eat this dish. My womenfolk thought it was a tad spicey, but I wish it could have been a little more so. Will order this again.

Belican Tilapia Fish. The fish was cooked in a lot of oil. Wish they would have drained it a bit more. But I loved the crispy texture of the skin. Inside the meat had a flaky and juicy texture that was scrumptious.

Pearled Wheat Soup. For desert they served us this sweet broth. A nice way to finish a lovely meal. I would give it a 7 on a scale of 10.

I am pleased to have found this restaurant. The location is close to both of my kids’ school. Looking forward to going back so I can try their assam laksa and nasi lamak. Folks in Houston can find this restaurant on Bellaire in that mall that intersects at Mary Bates street. The address is 8282 Bellaire Blvd Ste 138 on the north side of the street.

Saturday morning turned out to be busy. Went to the bank and opened up CDs for the kids. Good. Now they can have a better interest rate. Then I went to the gym. My kids and I had a good time exercising together. It is fun to hang out with them like this. Hope it can be a happy memory for them in the future.

After the gym I took the boy to his school. The annual school supply sale was on and he needed some items. Most school supplies we buy ourselves, as we can get them cheaper. But I needed to pay tuition and purchase new gym clothes for him. After that we went to cut our hair. I made all of the ladies laugh in the hair salon when I called my son a leng chai (handsome guy) after he got his hair cut. The hair dresser said I am too, but I corrected her and said I am fei chai (fat guy) and they laughed about that. So here is the new hair cut. How is it?

After the hair cut I went to look for some movies. The missus wanted Vanity Fair, but I could not find that flick. However, I did find Aeon Flux and Firewall. Since the price is so cheap and I have not seen these flicks I picked ‘em up.

Got home and my daughter was excited because she had a new pack for school. The girl did not want her picture taken for some reason.

You see why I have this gray hair now?

My wife then made a nice salad and chopped up some leftover t-bone steaks. She gave the big dawg the bone. And those grape tomatoes are so sweet now.

Since my missus friend visited us, we brewed some coffee after lunch. I served the ladies, which really tickled her chum.

Care to join us?

The rest of the weekend is boring. Paying bills. Writing. Staring at the computer wanting to write. Nodding off in the chair in front of the computer. Wipe off drool. Watch movies. Restful. But never enough rest.

Living in Houston, Texas I get exposed to many different cuisines. The variety might be surprising. But what do I eat when I want to feel like home.

Most uber cravings lead me to cheese enchiladas. This is a Mexican dish, but thats allowed in Texas since we used to be part of Mexico. Texas defeated Santa Anna and kept the tortillas after we gave him the boot. I like the above picture as it shows the proper way to serve a cheese enchilada. For the full experience you must include rice and refried beans. Of course when I ear cheese enchiladas I usually can devour three in one serving. Really fills me up good. But definitely not that healthy when eating out, so I must limit my consumption.

How is it made? Take a large tortilla and sprinkle heaps of cheese over it. Most use cheddar, but monterrey jack or any other sharp cheese is nice inside. Chop up some tomatoes until they are teeny tiny cubes and mix them with kernels of corn. Cover the tortilla with the corn and tomatoes. Get some salsa to spice things up. You can even chop up some chili peppers if your tongue can handle it. Once you have laid all of the ingredients on the tortilla, roll the tortillas and place them on a cookie sheet or pan. Stick in the oven and bake until the tortilla starts to brown. Take them out and smother the tortillas in cheese and put back in the oven for a couple of minutes. Does not take a long time.

I like it that I can purchase whole wheat tortillas. Thus I can make a healthier enchilda. They are nice served with tacos as shown in the above picture too. And guacamole is a winner with any Mexican dish.

**Start Copy**

Proposition: What is your favorite food in your state or country?

Requirements: Find some info about the food and show delicious pictures of it?

Quantity: FIVE PEOPLE.

Tag Mode: You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below.

So now for the tagging. Would like the following folks to write about their favorite dish.

Giddy Tiger Sorry I am so slow. Scared if I did not post soon you would go ahead without me. 

Oceanskies You like so much food. I want to know what you like the best. 

Nicole I remember you are interested in food. So what do you like best of Ozzie fare?

That is enough tagging to satisfy my craving.