Pay It Forward - Who's Getting a Package from Redondo Beach?

Thank you all so much for the kind comments you left on the Pay It Forward post, I really appreciate your time! I finally put the names of everyone who said "I'm in" in the drawing this afternoon. As soon as my son got home from school, I asked him to draw the name of the lucky recipient for me. And...the winner is:

Mary of Mitten Machen Blog! CONGRATULATIONS, Mary!!! Please email me your address and a package from Redondo Beach, California will head your way early next week.

Remember, the idea is that once you receive the package, you should find someone to 'Pay It Forward' to!

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I would like to share with you some photos from my garden as I haven't had anything much to share lately. Hope you will enjoy them:)

My roses are so big and healthy, my husband has been taking very good care of them.

I forgot the name of these beautiful flowers, I have a lot of them this spring.

The only one cherry tomato I have left from last summer! Can you see the yellow buds?

All my herb plants died from the rain storm last month, this is the only one that survived.

This is my "Owari Satsuma Mandarin" tree. It's looking great, isn't it? The flowers are blooming and they smell so sweet and wonderful!

Hopefully, I will be back with more photos of my garden very soon:)

Pay It Forward!

Last Thursday night, I was SO so happy to see a package from Scotland waiting for me when I came home from work. It was a Pay It Forward gift from Mangocheeks of Allotment 2 Kitchen, one of my most favorite blogger friends who has been sharing such amazing vegetarian recipes which most of veggies come right from her very own garden!



Thank you SO very much, Mangocheeks! It was very kind of you, I'm really really grateful for all the lovely gifts you sent me!

Mangocheeks sent me a beautiful Scottish Stirring Utensil made of beechwood and not one but two lovely tea towels made of 100% cotton for my kitchen. The first one has Scotland map and the second one has traditional Scottish Recipes on it. How wonderful! I loved my gifts so much and so did my family, we will enjoy them forever!

As told by Mangocheeks, "Pay It Forward" was started by fellow bloggers in the U.S.A. The idea is to send the lucky recipient something local. The recipient then has to Pay a gift as well.

Now it's my turn to pay it forward. Please leave a comment on this post and say "I'm in", if you'd like to receive a package from Redondo Beach, California. I will come up with a way to choose the recipient on Sunday, March 28, 2010.

Let's have fun!

479 Degree Popcorn

Hello Everyone!

Yay!!! I'm back blogging again! You have no idea how much I missed all of you, my dear blogger friends! I just needed some time off from blogging to get organized in the past month.

Last month, my blog was selected as the winner for the Foodie Blogroll "comment to win a 479 Popcorn-organic popcorn sampler" contest. Thank you so much, The Foodie Blogroll!

I was super excited when I received these wonderful organic popcorn samplers from 479 Degree Popcorn. To be honest with you, I am not a great fan of popcorn but my son really is! I was very happy to win this contest because I thought my son would enjoy them.

The first night, my son picked the "Black Truffle + White Cheddar" as he is a big cheese eater and he loved it so much. My husband tried some and he said it was GOOD. I tried a little and it wasn't calling my name!

The next day, I opened up the "Chipotle Caramel + Almonds". Oh My Goodness! It was delicious or what! I loved the rich flavor of organic caramel with chipotle chili, the yummiest and crunchiest toasted almonds that I wished I could have more, YUM! My son and I were fighting over this bowl... "Mom! you said this is for me only... you said you don't like popcorn... you said you wanted to try just a little....." Oops!

Later on, I started to feel greedy over these flavorful popcorn and I announced that I loved them and they were MINE! I didn't remember when I opened the third and the fourth ones which were "Madras Coconut Curry + Cashews" and "Ginger Sesame Caramel". We ate them so fast and I forgot all about taking photos, the only thing I remembered that I got to eat most of the coconut curry one because my son didn't like it that much. I think they should have put more cashews in that bag, it would have been perfect!

We saved the best for last, it was "Pimenton de la Vera" which has a wonderful aroma of smoky Spanish Paprika, organic tomatoes and onion, YUM! I still remembered the taste of smoky, sweet and salty all at once. Mmm...Mmm!!!

Believe me, you don't need to be a big fan of popcorn to enjoy this gourmet treat!

Awards And Surprise!!!

I am truly honored that I was the winner of Healthy Cooking Challenge-Family Favorites co-hosted by Alicia at Vegan Epicurean and Rose at Dandelion for my submission of Brown Rice and Kale Soup with Tofu and Ginger.


I would like to express my sincere thanks to Alicia and Rose for giving me this opportunity to create healthy cooking recipes which helps maintain healthy lifestyle for me and my family. I had so much fun and I am really touched by your kindness and hard work to make this great challenge happen.

All the wonderful healthy recipes that were submitted for this challenge can be found on this post. For those who are interested in submitting your healthy cooking recipes for the next challenge, please go to Vegan Epicurean Blog-Healthy Cooking Challenge-Fast Food. The deadline is February 28, midnight your time.



I am so happy to receive this Happy 101-Sweet Friends Award from Rachana Kothari at Veggi Fare. Thank you very much, Rachana for sharing this award with me, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!


I would like to pass this award onto all my sweet blogger friends. Please display this award on your blogs and I would really love to know what are 10 things that make each of you happy:)

Here are 10 things that make me happy:)


1) Being with my family no matter where I am:)
2) Being productive at work or at home:)
3) Taking a nap or having a good quality sleep:)
4) Flowers (especially roses and orchids) and gardening:)
5) When I read my son's progress reports:)
6) When my family enjoys the food that I cook for them:)
7) Talking on the phone with my mom, my siblings and my girl friends:)
8) Thai food, Mmm:)
9) When I don't have a Migraine headache or skin rash:)
10) Reading lovely comments about my food blog:)



I also received this Beautiful Blogger Award from Collaborative Curry Blog, one of my favorite food blogs that always shares such beautiful photos and fantastic recipes and great tips. I am so flattered that you bestowed my humble blog with this amazing award, thank you very much indeed:)

SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

These 12 bloggers who participated in Easy Veggie Recipes and continued to leave their comments on this post will receive Kitchen Collage Sticky Notes as participation prizes from me. Please email me your address by Sunday, February 14, 2010 and I will send these lovely gifts to you right away!

1) Authentic Food Delights
2) Roses r Red
3) Padhu's Kitchen
4) Nandini's Recipes
5) Veggi Fare
6) a2z Vegetarian Cuisine
7) Sara's Corner
8) My Culinary World
9) Nithu Bala Recipes
10) Vegan Epicurean
11) Ruchikacooks
12) Collaborative Curry

Thank you all once again for participating. By the way, I have been still working on experimenting with each Easy Veggie recipe. It is really tough to decide which recipe I like the best because they are all fantastic! I would love to hear what my readers think whose recipe is the best??? I would appreciate your input.

Food Blog Challenge 3-in-1

I really really wanted to participate in these 3 food blog events which already ended. Unfortunately, my life has been super hectic in the past couple weeks, I have been way too behind in almost everything, so I missed the chance to win each event (which I could have won, ha ha!!!). Since I have all the photos ready to be posted so I will go ahead blogging about them my Easy Veggie way!


1) Healthy Cooking Challenge at Vegan Epicurean

Ginger Rice Soup with Tofu and Kale

I made this soup when I was sick with a bad cough and cold a couple weeks ago and

I recalled that my mom always made it for me when I wasn't feeling well. She just added cooked rice in a pot with boiling water and put whatever meat and vegetables she had on hand, then seasoned it with some soy sauce and black pepper. Wait a second!!!, the magic ingredient that I will never ever forget is... "finely chopped fresh ginger"!!!. Yes, it really is such an amazing comfort food for us all in the family and it has given us a quick recovery from illness!

4 cups water

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 package firm tofu, cut into small pieces

1 small bunch of fresh kale, chopped (or any kind of veggies you prefer)

1 small fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1) Put water in a pot and bring to a boil.

2) Add cooked brown rice, tofu, and kale; stir gently.

3) Cook for 5-8 minutes, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.

4) Lower the heat, and simmer until kale is tender, about 10 minutes.

5) Garnish with fresh finely chopped ginger and freshly ground black pepper.

6) Enjoy!

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2) Home Remedies Event at A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine

Raw Garlic

"Know what you eat"... as often said by A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine, I now know what to eat when I have a bad cough and cold. When I was sick a couple weeks ago, Alicia at Vegan Epicurean told me that other than drinking hot tea with lemon and honey, she also takes garlic when she is sick. This is what she suggested:

1) Smash and peel raw garlic and then cut into tiny pieces that you can swallow whole.

2) Allow the garlic to sit for 10 minutes so the allicin can develop.

3) Swallow the garlic with a big glass of water with each meal.

4) Do not try it on an empty stomach as it can give you an upset stomach.

Alicia and her husband have been doing it for over 10 years and it seems to work in a day, they always feel better. For me, after I tried raw garlic with each meal, I was feeling better in a few days. I have to say I pretty much believe in this home remedy because it usually takes me at least a week or so to get over the cough and cold but this time it was gone so fast! Believe it or not, why don't you give it a try when you feel a cold coming on!!!

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3) Kitchen Mishaps at Kitchen Tantra

Oh! Well! I have to confess that this event did really make me laugh like crazy when I read about it. I laughed even more when I saw the Event Round Up because all those stories and photos look and sound similar to what normally happen in my very own kitchen. This is just one out of countless mishaps from my kitchen, lol!

Topless Chocolate Cake

I have wanted to make chocolate cake with a bundt pan for the longest time. I finally did make it last December. I remembered how my old neighbor, Allison showed me how to put chocolate chips in the pan first before pouring in the cake batter.

Oh! No! I forgot to spray the bundt!!! Oopsy!!! I did it again!!!!

Easy Veggie Recipes!

I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank you SO much to all who participated in "Easy Veggie Recipes" during My 50th Post Giveaway!!!

I hope you will forgive me for taking so much time to come back with the fun that I promised from my last post. Please don't give up on me, I will certainly be back with some good news very soon!

Don't you just love SURPRISES???

Here are the links to all the wonderful recipes that I received for my Easy Veggie Recipes, as promised:

Easy Vegetable Seekh Kebabs by Ruchikacook

Easy Veggie Lasagna by Renu's Kitchen

Easy Veggie Spagehetti Squash Mexicana by Gluten Free Gidget

Easy Veggie Tava Paneer&Mushroom by Authentic Food Delights

Easy Veggie Pies by Allotment 2 Kitchen

Easy Veggie Pasta Soup by Priya Easy N Tasty Recipes

Easy Veggie Stuffed Long Capsicums by Simply Food

Easy Veggie Mediterranean Multigrain Wrap by A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine

Easy Veggie Okra Curry by Sara's Corner

Easy Veggie Wraps by Veggi Fare

Easy Veggie Stir Fry by Asankhana

Easy Veggie Broccoli Quiche by New Veginnings

Easy Veggie Cream of Tomato Soup/Raw by Vegan Epicurean

Easy Veggie Sweet Potato Curry by Nithu's Kitchen

Easy Veggie Poriyal by Usha Nandini's Recipes

Easy Veggie Asparagus Stir Fry Indian by Spice Buds

Easy Veggie Dal Recipe by Padhu's Kitchen

Easy Veggie Cabbage Pizza by Roses r Red

Easy Veggie Stew by My Culinary World

Easy Veggie Masala with Cauliflower by Collaborative Curry

Enjoy and have a great week!!!

Giveaway Winners!

ATTENTION, PLEASE!!!

I am very pleased to announce the two winners of My 50th Post Giveaway as generated by Random.org.

And...

The first winner is:

comment number 42

Alicia of Vegan Epicurean

has won this Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen Cookbook!

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The next winner is:

comment number 17

Mangocheeks of Allotment 2 Kitchen



has won this Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen Cookbook!


Big congratulations to both winners, please email me your address and I will send your cookbooks right to your door.

Thank you all very much for entering my giveaway, I had so much fun reading your comments and your recipes. I will be posting links to all Easy Veggie dish recipes next week with the announcement of the winners of "Best Easy Veggie Dish" and "Participation Prizes"!

So the fun has not ended yet.

Please stay tuned:)


Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Happy Birthday To Nathan!

Our son, Nathan turns 12 today! No BIG birthday party for big boy this year, he understands and just requested that mom makes vanilla birthday cake with funfetti frosting. I woke up so early this morning and baked the cake for him. You may be disappointed to hear that I just used store-bought cake mix because I had to be at work by 9:30 a.m. So I asked my husband to help me out with the frosting and this is what he did!!! I am so proud of him:)

Nathan with his birthday cake decorated by proud daddy!

Nathan and I, who wanted to show off my new scarf real bad. Sorry for all these blurry photos because my new camera ran out of battery so I had to use my old camera tonight!

Nathan also requested to go out to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen so we went there just only three of us. I ordered grilled vegetable salad without looking at the menu. I know I have never had enough of this tasty salad. There were romaine lettuce, corn, eggplants, zucchini, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, and avocado. YUM!

Nathan kept asking me how I made the heart scones so I secretly made this heart shape cake to surprise him but my husband just decorated it without flipping it over, Oops!!!

Today is one of the best day in my life to remind me that 12 years ago, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy who always continues to be such a wonderful son to his parents and makes us proud. Nathan, dad and mom wanted to wish you the happiest of birthdays and we love you SO very much. We love you infinitely!!!


I will be back tomorrow night to announce the winners of My 50th Post Giveaway!

Have a good night, everyone!

Happy New Year 2010!

Happy 2010, Everyone!
I hope it's not too late to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2010! I have so many wonderful things to share with you today. Let's start with this yummy heart scone, Mmm, Mmm GOOD!!!


I made this heart scone for my husband to celebrate our 13th Wedding Anniversary last month. I used the recipe from Vegweb but I added half a bag of frozen blueberries, dried cranberries and almond. It was really yummy! (Hope you can see the heart shape).

Good Morning, Green Smoothie!
I'm back on track with my delicious green smoothie, refreshing and delicious!

I've been using this So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk instead of almond milk and coconut water, I'm loving it!


Easy Veggie Noodle Soup

This is my veggie noodle soup with tofu I made last night without using any cookbook, I just used whatever kind of veggies I had in my fridge which were onion, carrots, celery, daikon and broccoli. It was very tasty and satisfying!

Soba Noodle with kale

Tonight, I used the same veggie soup I had leftover from last night. My family had the noodle with green beans and turkey meatballs. For me, I had the same flavourful tofu from last night and all the veggies plus the delicious kale.

Oh! So delicious!


Lovely Pink and Purple Scarf from Rose

The last wonderful thing I wanted to share with you is this lovely scarf I received from Rose of Roses r Red from her 50th post giveaway event. It goes so well with my pink jacket, doesn't it? Thank you so much, Rose! I can't tell you enough how much I love my new scarf!

As you all may know that My 50th Post Giveaway ended last night. I will announce the winners on January 15, 2010. Oh! So exciting!!!

I've still been VERY busy working 5 days a week but I will try to visit everyone of you as soon as I can. I will also be trying my very best to participate in these 3 wonderful events.

Kitchen Mishaps at Kitchen Tantra

Home Remedies Event at A 2 Z Vegetarian Cuisine

Healthy Cooking Challenge at Vegan Epicurean

Hope you all have a lovely week!!!