Bangkok Hangover Hat Part Deux

One of my favorite places to go to is Bangkok, particularly if there's a Hat tournament. Another one-day tourney lined up in October. I wasn't in the first one but knowing how the Soidawgz party, this one will be a blast. Boat races, delicious Thai buffet on the field, and of course, free-flowing Singha beer!

When: October 17, 2010

Where: Ror Neung Phan Neung Field (aka TorBor) Click for map

Registration: 8:30pm

Games: 9am to 5pm

Fee: 500 Baht for on time players, 600 Baht for late players

RSVP: svenvnhanoi@mac.com

Visit the Facebook page for more details.

Simple Beef Taco Recipe

"Stop, Taco time! Dun dun dun dun..." (to the tune of MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This")

My homemade taco! 

I've been craving tacos for the longest time. Instead of paying $2 for one small taco at Pancake House, I decided to make some at home. The online recipes I found were not simple enough so I came up with my version.
This recipe takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. 


Ingredients:
1/2 kilo ground beef 
2 tsps. oil
1 pack McCormick's taco seasoning (follow instructions on pack)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small head of lettuce, shredded 
shredded/grated cheese (depends how much you want)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pack taco shells


Heat oil in medium-sized sauce pan. Add the ground beef and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes and make sure the beef is completely combined with the seasoning. Drain to get rid of any excess water. 


Scoop meat mixture into taco shell and top with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and cheese. Really easy, right?


If you decide to follow this recipe, let me know if you like it. Or, if you have a better taco recipe that I can try myself,  feel free to send me the link. 

Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Once you've tasted homemade mashed potatoes, you'd never want to eat those instant ones you buy at the supermarket. I know that some of you don't want to be bothered with all the prep, however, this recipe is really really simple.




Choose your potatoes wisely. A few tips:

• make sure the potatoes you buy are solid and firm
• it's better if you select from the potato bin rather than buy those that are pre-packed
• avoid potatoes with bruises, cracks or wrinkles

Recipe below is good for 2 servings.

Ingredients:
4 medium-sized potatoes
2 tbsps butter (approx. 3-4 small cubes)
1/2 cup milk
salt
pepper
a dash/pinch of nutmeg

Boil water in a pot enough to cover potatoes. Peel potatoes and cut them in half (quarters for big ones) so they cook faster. Throw them in boiling water and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. How do you know they're done? Stick a fork or a small knife into a potato--if it's soft, then it's done. Drain and put in a bowl.

Add butter while it's hot and roughly mash the potatoes. You may use a wire masher or even a fork like I do. Add milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mash some more until your desired smoothness. Don't forget to taste so you can adjust the amount of salt and pepper.

The nice thing with mashed potatoes is that it goes with just about anything. For a simple dinner, you can eat it with fried chicken and lettuce drizzled with olive oil and balsamico.

Insalata Caprese

I am seriously craving for this antipasto. It is a really simple salad made of freshly sliced buffalo mozzarella, basil, tomatoes and seasoned with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. We'd usually make this at home as we could buy large fresh tomatoes and the mozzarella from S&R. Unfortunately, a few months ago, the distributor stopped supplying S&R with said cheese. Now, the only other place I know of that we could get it from is Santi's which, as we all know, is not that cheap.

As this is a ridiculously simple recipe, it's important that fresh, top-quality ingredients are used.

Easy Pork Sinigang Recipe

Here's my version of pork sinigang. I like it sour and with a lot of veggies. Since I haven't cooked this in a long time, I kinda forgot what some of the ingredients were as I was in the supermarket. Good thing the lady weighing the veggies was there to help me out.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo pork, cut into chunk cubes
1 medium onion, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
2 eggplants, sliced
1 bunch of kangkong (I usually cut off the thick stalks)
1 bunch of string beans, cut into 2" long
1 small radish, cut into thin round slices
1 liter of water
1 packet of sinigang mix (I used almost 2 packets since I like it sour)
2 tbsps patis (fish sauce)


In a pot, add water, pork, onions and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until meat is tender. Add sinigang mix, fish sauce, string beans, radish and eggplant and simmer for another 10 minutes. Throw in the kangkong and simmer for another 2 minutes.