Satish Palace - Montclair, NJ

It was really cold out a couple of weekends back and we didn't really feel like going out for dinner. So, we just decided to order in. Now, the million dollar question. What to eat? What to eat? What to eat? :P We were kinda sick of the usual Chinese, BBQ, pizza or wings that we would usually order and felt like trying something new. I went online to see if there are any other type of restaurants (apart from the ones that I have just mentioned) nearby and was pleasantly surprised when I found an Indian restaurant that would deliver to us. Not only would they deliver, but they also offered free delivery for orders above $25! Yay!
Everything on the menu looked good, so we figured we should just order one of the combination dinners. That way, we can try a little of everything. There are three types of different combination dinners (House Special, Mixed Grill & Vegetarian) available on their menu and we went with the House Special ($16.95). All combinations come with a huge serving of rice, papadums and raita. The mint and onion chutney in the foreground is part of the appetizer that we also ordered. When I say that the rice serving is huge, I am not kidding. You might not be able to see the amount, since it's all compacted into the container. Once you fluff it out, there is enough rice in there to feed at least 4 people!
Apart from rice, raita and papadums, the House Special also comes with two pieces of tandoori chicken, lamb rogan josh and vegetable korma. I must say that the tandoori chicken was really really good. Moist and tender, it's definitely one of the better tandoori chickens that I have tried around here. The lamb rogan josh was awesome too! Mild and creamy, with a tiny hint of spiciness...exactly how I like it. Again, the portions are rather generous. I cannot believe that this combination dinner is meant for ONE!
Oh, I forgot to mention that the House Special also comes with one free naan. We added on another piece of naan for $2.95. When our food was delivered to us, the naan was still nice and warm. Mmmm mmm yuummmmy.
We didn't really know how large the portions were when we first ordered (now we know!), so we added on a portion of Assorted Tandoori Appetizers ($7.95). Two piece of sheek kebab, 4 pieces of tandoori shrimp and a whole lot of chicken tikka. Like I mentioned earlier, this appetizer comes with a small tub of onion and mint chutney. The chicken tikka was really tender and oh so flavorful. In fact, all of the tandoori items that we ordered tasted awesome!
Kevin wanted to try their Indian Chai Tea ($1.75), so we ordered one serving of that. I must say that it definitely didn't taste like the nonsense Chai Latte that we would usually order from Starbucks. This tasted really authentic. It came with milk (but without sugar, you have to add that in yourself) and you can really taste the cinnamon, cloves and cardamon in the tea. Really wonderful, especially on a cold winters night.
Look at the amount of leftover food! This was after the both of us ate as much as we could and we still had enough leftover for lunch the following day. I must say that I'm really glad we found this place, the food is just so goooood! Not only that, the service is amazing too. It only took them about half an hour to deliver the food to our door, from the time we placed the order online. We know that Montclair is at least 15 minutes or so away, so yeah, very impressive. Delicious food, huge portions and fast delivery - what more could a person ask for? :D

Satish Palace - Montclair, NJ
397 Bloomfield Ave
Montclair, NJ 07042
Tel: (973) 746 4477
Fax: (973) 746 4488
Web: www.jyotirestaurant.com

Pizza Village Cafe II - Belleville, NJ

This is a really backdated post. I have been meaning to blog about this place for the longest time (I believe we first tried the food here back in Dec) but never really got around to it. Since the first visit, we have returned many times. Therefore, the food featured in this review is not merely from one visit, but over a space of time (I think we have been back like 4 times since the first?).
Pizza Village Cafe II is located in a strip mall, just next to the huge State Fair Superstore. We found out about this place when we were visiting the Christmas decorations outlet at the State Fair. From the moment we walked in, we knew that this pizza place is different from the rest. Not only was it super clean, but the staff working there were really polite and helpful. Definitely not your typical hole in the wall pizza place. We noticed lots of families dining in and it's really kid friendly too. We have always ordered out whenever we go there but I wouldn't mind dining in, in the future. Another good thing about this place is the availability parking spots. There are ample free parking lots located right in front of the restaurant. No need to drive around just for a parking spot.
So, what's good there? Well, the menu is quite extensive. Apart from pizza, they also have pasta, sandwiches, calzones, stromboli, wraps, wings, salads, Italian style dinners as well as a host of appetizers. During our first visit, we tried their Garlic Knots (6 pieces for $1.50). It was really good! Warm dough knots with lots of garlic butter, herbs and huge chunks of garlic. Mmmm mmm good! It is so good that we would make it a point to order that every time we get food from Pizza Village. It's like our 'must order' item on the menu.
Their wings ($7.75 for 10 pieces) are rather good too. You have a choice of two flavors, BBQ or Buffalo. We tried the Buffalo wings and it was not too bad. I am not a big fan of coated wings (I'd rather have them naked) but this is really not too bad at all. The wings also comes with free celery and bleu cheese.
I hate to admit this but although this is a pizza place, we have never really tried their pizzas. The nearest we got was when I ordered their Sausage Calzone ($6.25). From the taste of the calzone, I can tell that their pizzas should be really good too. The calzone dough was really good and it was stuffed with a whole lot of sausage, ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Really really good. The marinara sauce wasn't the greatest but it wasn't bad either. I'm not really bothered about that though, since I would usually eat my calzones without sauce anyways.
Now, what we really really like from Pizza Village are their sandwiches. Seriously, they make awesome sandwiches. I don't know if they bake their Italian breads in house or they buy it from somewhere else but either ways, it's yummy! Kevin tried their Ham & Cheese Sub ($6.50) and he said that it was really good. All cold subs are served with lettuce, onions tomatoes, oil, vinegar, mayo and spices, in a huge Italian roll. Yummy stuff!
Their Hot Italian Sandwiches are really good too. Kevin (and myself) is in love with their Italian Meatball Sandwich ($5.50). The meatballs are really really good and it's served with just the right amount of home made sauce and topped with loads of cheese. Delicious meatballs, home made sauce and melted cheese, all stuffed into a huge Italian roll = SUPER AWESOME MEATBALL SANDWICH!
Since we loved the Meatball Sandwich so much, I decided to try another of their Hot Italian Sandwiches. The Home Made Eggplant Parmigiana Sandwich ($5.50). Don't get me wrong, it was good but not quite as great as the Meatball Sandwich. If we were to compare the eggplant parm sandwich with other eggplant parm sandwiches that we have tried, I must say that it ranks pretty much up there. However, if we were to compare the meatball sandwich to the eggplant parm, then the meatball sandwich reigns supreme! :P
Another one of their sandwiches that I totally love is their Philly Cheese Steak. They have regular Cheesesteak ($6.00), Cheesesteak with Mushrooms or Peppers ($6.50), Pizza Cheesesteak ($6.50), Cheesesteak with Pepperoni ($6.50) or Cheesesteak Hoagie ($6.50). I tried the Special Steak ($6.75), which is pretty much Cheesesteak with everything :P The Special Steak comes with Mushrooms, Sweet Peppers, Fried Onions and their delicious Cheese Sauce (remember to ask for it, it's by request only). This is really an awesome sandwich, you should totally try it. Overall, I must say that Pizza Village Cafe II is a great place to go to if you are looking for some quick, affordable and uber delicious food. Two thumbs up. Oh btw, they deliver too!

Pizza Village Cafe II - Belleville, NJ
229 Main St
Belleville, NJ 07109
Tel: (973) 450 1818
Fax: (973) 450 3000
Web: http://pizzavillagecafe2nj.webs.com/

Celebrate Being Together at Branson,MO this Valentine's Day!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm sure all of you know by now that my parents and kid sister were visiting us from Malaysia over the Christmas and New Year holidays. They were here for almost a month and our days were just filled with non stop action, be it showing them around NYC or traveling around the Northeast. Now that they have left, things have quieten down a little. Kevin and I are now talking about maybe going away for a quiet and relaxing vacation somewhere, just the two of us. With Valentine's Day (as well as our 3^rd anniversary) just around the corner, it would be perfect reason to go for a special romantic getaway. The question is, where to go? After doing some research online, we found THE place. Tucked away in the in Ozark Mountains, Branson, MO looks like the perfect place to spend Valentine's Day with that special someone, far away from the rest of the world.

If you are looking for a place to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, there is no better place than Branson, Missouri and there is no better place to stay than the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. You should totally check out their Romance Package (which is available for the whole month of February). Early check-in,late check out and pre-registration upon request, sparkling wine or cider in your room upon arrival as well as access to the to hotel health club, pool and whirlpool spa. Not only that, you can also enjoy a full American breakfast for two in your room or in the hotel's designated restaurant. Also, on stays beyond one night, you can buy one entrée and get a second one of equal or lesser value at no additional cost (chose from either lunch or dinner) at the hotel's restaurant.

Talking about food, you should also check out the Valentine's Day Dinner Menu at Hiltons Level 2 Steakhouse. The Hawaiian Ahi Tuna Tartar starter looks so delicious and am I pretty sure that the Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with Seared Foie Gras is too. For only $146 for two, it's definitely a deal not to be missed. So, if you are looking to toast an anniversary, spoil that special someone or celebrate being together on Valentine's Day, Branson is the perfect place to be. Head over to the Hilton website for more information and book your package today.

Check Out the Guac Rocks Sweepstakes by Avocados from Mexico!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait for Sunday to come around. Our jerseys are all laid out, the Terrible Towel is flying high and we are oh so pumped up. That's right, the Steelers have made it to the AFC Championship Game! What's even better is that they will be playing the Jets! For those of you who don't know, both Kevin and I are super huge Steeler fans and since we live in Jersey, almost everyone else is rooting for the Jets. Boy, I can't wait to see their faces when the Steelers win and head down south to Texas for the SUPERBOWL!

Whenever we think of big games like this, we would also think of party food. After all, what fun is it to watch the game without snacks and yummy party food. One of our all time favorite party food during football games (or any party actually!) is guacamole. Mmmm mmm mmmm, nothing taste better than dipping your snacks into fresh guacamole. Now, here at the Podany household, we take our guacamole seriously. We only use good quality avocados whenever we make guacamole. That is why we totally love .Avocados from Mexico In my opinion, I feel that they have the best avocados in the market.

Talking about Avocados from Mexico, I'd like to give all you sweepstake lovers out there a little heads up. Avocados from Mexico is running their Guac Rock Sweepstakes from December 28, 2010 til January 28, 2011.All you need to do is head over to the Avocados from Mexico Facebook page  to enter and you will stand a chance to win 2 “Fly Away” tickets or one of over 80 prizes! How do you enter? Well, it's really easy. Just fill out the entry form and tell them the secret ingredient that makes ur Guac Rock! Remember, all entries must be submitted by February 6, 2011. Among some of the awesome prizes are two “Fly Away” tickets for a special rocking getaway (valued at $1500), $100 in free groceries and $20 coupons for Avocados from Mexico!

  

While you are at the Avocados from Mexico's Facebook page, you should also check out the fun Guac Star Quiz! Did you know that the way you make your guac can reveal your true personality? Oh yea, it does. Are you a Guac Rebel, Guac Geek, Guac Gamer or a Guac Snob? Try the Guac Star Quiz to find out what your Guac Star personality is. I did the quiz and it think the results is a homerun. I'm a Guac Gamer! If you think that the the Avocados from Mexico Facebook page is fun, you should totally follow them on Twitter too(@guacgrl)! So, what are you waiting for? Head over to the Avocados from Mexico Facebook page to join the sweepstakes as well as to take the quiz today!

German Style Sauerkraut Pork Chops

I tried this recipe out quite a while ago but I never got around to posting it up. Really nice and thick pork chops were on sale at our local grocery store, so we bought a huge pack. I tried making some Hainanese Pork Chops (blogged about it a while back) with about half of the pack and I had three large pieces left over from it. I googled for some pork chop recipes and found this delicious recipe. Since Kevin totally loves sauerkraut (I'm guessing cos he is half German? :P), I decided to try this recipe out. It turned out to be really good, so I'm gonna share it with all of you.

Start off by arranging some apple slices on a large baking dish. Just core some apples and slice them into thin slices. It doesn't really have to be perfect, just make sure that it covers the whole bottom of the pan.
Then, brown your pork chops in a large pan. You can sprinkle on some seasoned salt to give it some taste. You do not have to fully cook the pork chops, just make sure that they are nice and brown. The purpose of this is to give those pork chops some color.
Once they are nicely browned, place them on top of the sliced apples and set them aside.
Now it's time to work on the sauerkraut. Start of by sauteing some onions in a pan.
Next, add in some sauerkraut. You can pretty much buy sauerkraut from any grocery store (usually at the deli section). Then, crack in some black pepper and add in some caraway seeds.
After mixing all of the ingredients together, pour in some apple juice. At this point, some people would add in some applesauce and/or apple slices too. It's totally up to you. Stir everything together and allow it to cook for a bit. Turn off the heat and your sauerkraut topping is done.
Pour the sauerkraut topping over the pork chops. Make sure that you fully cover the chops.
Cover the top of the baking dish with some aluminum foil and pop it into a 350F oven for about an hour. After an hour or so, your pork chops are ready to be served! It's so easy to make, yet so yummy to eat. The pork chops turned out to be really tender and the flavor was just out of this world! This recipe is definitely a keeper. I served the pork chops up with some of the sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. You should try it. Wash that down with a pint of beer and it will feel like Oktoberfest, right in your own dining room!

Bright Beginnings is now available at Diapers.com!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Today, I would like to talk to all our readers who have babies or little children. We do not have any kids yet but from our conversations with friends who do, we realize that they spend a lot of time going out just to shop for basic stuff like infant formulas and diapers. I myself am surprised at the amount of diapers and infant formula a tiny baby can go through in a week! I'm sure many of you can identify with that. Head out to the mall or grocery store, battle traffic, drive around for ages to look for a parking spot and after all that, the size of diapers that you want or the type of formula is not in stock. Then, you have to drive to another store and go through all that again. Once you have found the products that you want, you have to lug it to the cashier to pay and then out to our car. We all know that diapers and infant formulas are huge and heavy. All of that, couple with your baby (and maybe a few other kids) in tow, boy, it can be quite a task.

Guess what? You do not have to do that anymore. Shopping for diapers and infant formulas have just become easier! Remember me talking about Bright Beginnings a while back? That's right, the brand that offers affordable infant formulas comes along with all the nutrition of premium branded formula. Well, Bright Beginnings are now being sold on diapers.com! Yup, you heard me right. No more driving out in traffic to the shops, no more driving around just to look for a parking spot, no more out of stock signs to deal with and no more lugging of heavy formulas with crying baby in tow! All you need to do is go online from the comforts of your own home, select the type of product that you like and just  buy on diapers.com !How easy is that? Also, since it's an online merchant, you do not have to worry about closing hours or running out of stock. You can purchase your items in the middle of the day or even in the middle of the night, after you have tucked baby in bed. How convenient is that?

You can find all type of Bright Beginnings formula on diapers.com, from their Premium Formula, Gentle Fourmula, Soy Based Formula to their Milk Based Organic infant Formula. Also, you could get it in various sizes as well as a six pack. Oh, before I forget, Bright Beginnings is also on Facebook. You can check out Bright Beginnings on Facebook to get their latest updates as well as get more information about their products.

Right now, diapers.com is having some awesome promotions for new customers. All you need to do is enter the code GET30BACK to receive 30% back on all your diapers and GET10PCT for 10% off everything else! Also, 1-2 day shipping is always free with orders over $49. Afraid that you might not like a particular item that you purchased? Fear not, diapers.com has free 365 day returns and you can call them anytime at 1-800-Diapers if you have any questions or concerns. Go ahead and check out Bright Beginnings at Diapers.com today!

We're back!!!

Hey! It's great to be back! How is everyone doing? Enjoying 2011 so far? Once again, we would like to apologize for the long silence. With my parents visiting and all the traveling we have been doing, we really didn't have time to be on the computer much (let alone blog :P). My parents left for Malaysia a couple of days ago, so we are still in the process of getting back into the swing of things. Our apartment suddenly feels so quiet and empty. Ahhh well, I guess it will take us a while to get use to this once again. The good news is....we are now back! We hope to resume to our regular "programming" real soon. Til then, take care and stay tuned for further updates!

Switch to Parent's Choice Infant Formula Today!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know that quite a number of our readers are new mommies and daddies or families that have young children. Today, I would like to talk to you guys about infant formulas. I don’t know if you have noticed, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to find Similac® Advance® Infant Formula at our local retailer. From what I hear, it’s not just at our local retailer but at a whole of other retailers nationwide. I believe it might be due to the recent recall of certain lots of Similac formula. The reason of the recall was that it may contain beetles or their larvae.

That’s just horrible! I’m sure that all of you know that Similac and other brand name formulas cost twice as much as their generic equivalent. It cost about $27 for a 24 oz. can of Similac Advance at a local pharmacy here in New York City and the store brand version was only less than $16. After paying so much for so called premium formulas, you would expect to get better quality products with a higher nutrition value, right? Well, I’ve got news for you. The answer is no! Did you know that all according to the Infant Formula Act of 1980, all baby formulas sold in this country must meet the minimum nutrient requirements and FDA regulations? That’s right. This means all baby formulas are pretty much the same!

Hold on a sec, if all baby formulas are pretty much the same, why are branded formulas more expensive compared to store brand formula? Well, the answer is simple. Parents are paying for all the advertising and marketing campaigns of the branded formulas. They advertise more, hence charging the end consumer more. If that’s the case, why don’t parents just switch to generic formula instead? Well, guess what? You should!

Consider trying a store brand infant formula alternative sold at retailers including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS and Babies “R” Us. Store brand formulas are nutritionally equivalent to Enfamil® and Similac® brand-name formulas but cost up to 50% less. This means, a savings of $600 a year per baby! Let me give you an example. Just compare the nutrition of Parent’s Choice Advantage™ Infant Formula (available in 23.2 oz and 12.4 oz sizes) to Similac Advance and you can see that these formulas are nutritionally equivalent and offer the same benefits as the branded ones. It contains milk-based nutrition containing all nutrients, vitamins and minerals for growth and development as well as DHA & ARA, which may support brain and eye development. Not only that, it also has prebiotics to help support baby’s immune system.

Why pay more for branded formulas if you are basically getting the same thing? Make that switch to generic formula and save yourself a whole lot of money today!

Have An Awesome 2011!!

Hey! How is everybody doing? Hope that all of you had an awesome holiday season. Sorry for the lack of updates for the longest time. My parents and sister are visiting from Malaysia and will be here until the 16th of Jan. Kevin's mom and aunt were also in town over the New Year holidays, so yeah, we have lots going on at this moment. It's just been a whirlwind of activities since they arrived but hey, I'm not complaining. We are really enjoying their company and do not look forward to their departure in about two weeks time. Here's a quick update of what we have been up to since their arrival. I will blog more about the stuff that we did, places that we visited and various food that we tried during our trips (of course!) in a couple of weeks time.
We spent Christmas here in Jersey and both Kevin and I cooked up the usual Christmas dinner at our apartment. Our Christmas dinner menu was Roast Turkey, Sage Sausage & Cranberry Stuffing, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, Baked Mashed Potatoes with Maple Syrup & Pecans, Green Bean Casserole and Waldorf Salad. Phewwww, that's a LOT of food for five people! :P We had a whole lot of leftovers for the days to come. We also had a great time exchanging gift and just spending quality time together.
After Christmas, we took a short road trip to Washington D.C. Had a great time visiting all the tourist sites (will blog more about this later on) and we even managed to find some time to squeeze in a short visit to the American History Museum. I think that the highlight of the trip was our visit to the Pentagon! We actually applied in advance (about 3 months ago) for us to go on a tour inside the Pentagon. After some security clearance and background checks, we managed to get the invitation letter for a guided tour of the Pentagon. It was really quite trilling, since I'm pretty sure that not many civilians can actually say that they have stepped foot into the Pentagon. :D
After we got back from D.C, Kevin's mom and aunt came to visit over the New Years weekend. It was great to have the whole big family together. We took them all over NYC to look at the Christmas decorations (Macys, Times Square, Rockerfeller Center, Central Park, The Plaza, FAO Schwartz, along 5th Ave...). We had a whole lot of fun but I think that maybe it was a little bit too much for the older folks. There was lots of walking involved and maybe it was a little taxing on the legs. Oh well, still, everybody had a great time! We also managed to go on a New Year's Eve Lunch Cruise of the New York Harbor. The food was good and views of the NYC skyline from the Hudson and East River was just totally awesome!
A couple of days ago, we took a day trip up north to Hudson Valley to visit Brotherhood Winery (the oldest winery in America!). We managed to go on a tour of the winery (even got to go down to the cellars!) as well as join one of the wine tasting sessions. While waiting for the tour to begin, we had time to check out Vinum Cafe, the award winning restaurant that occupies the ground floor of the original winery building. The food was just amazing! I will definitely blog more about that restaurant later on. We later found out that the chef is actually Christian Pierre, a well known Zagat rated gourmet chef in the Hudson Valley. After the winery, we headed out to Woodbury Commons Prime Outlets for some shopping!!! All kinds of branded products for a fraction of it's retail price! Woohoooo! :D
We will be heading out on another road trip to Vermont and Boston soon. Can't wait! I probably won't have time to update this blog til we get home. So, til then, have an awesome 2011 and we'll catch you later!!