Yes! You can find Yee Sang here in NYC!!!

As many of you know, we didn't go home to Malaysia for Chinese New Year this year. It always suxs to spend Chinese New Year in a foreign land, away from the family. Not only does one miss out on all the family reunions and festivities, but we also miss out on all the FOOD! I was talking to some of my family and friends who also missed out on celebrating Chinese New Year back home this year and everybody says that of all the things that they miss most, it would have to be the Chinese New Year goodies. Sure, you can bake your own Chinese New Year cookies or buy some at the Asian grocery store, but certain things are a tiny bit harder to find. One of them is the Yee Sang.

As far as I can remember, we've always associated eating Yee Sang as part of celebrating Chinese New Year. I've always thought that Yee Sang is a Chinese dish and that Chinese from all over the world eat it during Chinese New Year. I guess it was due to the fact that you can pretty much find it at any Chinese restaurant in Malaysia during the Chinese New Year period. Not only that, boxes of prepacked Yee Sang are readily available at all major supermarkets and grocery stores. It wasn't til I moved to US did I find out that the Yee Sang is actually a Malaysian/Singaporean dish. Therefore, it's almost impossible to find a Chinese restaurant here in the States that would serve Yee Sang during Chinese New Year. Well, guess what? I found out that you CAN find Yee Sang here in the greater NYC area! As far as I know, there are three Malaysian restaurants in Chinatown and one in Edison, NJ that serves that for the entire month of February.

On the first day of Chinese New Year, Kevin and I dropped by New Malaysia Restaurant (located in the tunnel between Bowery & Elizabeth St in Chinatown) to take out a small serving of Yee Sang. In New Malaysia, the servings come in two sizes, small ($26.88) and large ($36.88). As you can see from the picture, the small serving is large enough to feed about 6-7 people. Even though the Yee Sang from New Malaysia might seem a little pricey compared to the other restaurants, I must say that New Malaysia's Yee Sang totally rocks! Really yummy and authentic tasting. Apart from the usual dried ingredients and thinly sliced vegetables, it also comes with salmon, jellyfish, plum sauce as well as pepper and five spice powder in the angpow (red packet).

So far, we have only tried the Yee Sang from New Malaysia Restaurant and Penang Restaurant (the branch in Edison, NJ). I know that there are many Penang branches all over the greater NYC region but I believe that Yee Sang is only served in the Chinatown as well as the Edison branch. For those of you who are thinking of getting some Yee Sang during this Chinese New Year period, here is a list of restaurants that serves them (there might be more but so far, these are the only places that I know of that sells them).

New Malaysia Restaurant
48 Bowery St,
New York, NY 10013
(212) 964-0284
Price: $26.88 (small), $36.88 (large)

Nyonya Restaurant
199 Grand Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 334-3669
Price: $23.88 (small), $28.88 (medium)

Jaya Restaurant
90 Baxter Street,
New York, NY 10013
(212) 219-3331 ‎
Price: $18.88 (small), $28.88 (large)

Penang Restaurant
505 Old Post Road
Edison, NJ 08817-4625
(732) 287-3038
Price: $14.85 (small), $20.20 (med), $25.55 (large)

Heart Shaped "Valentine's Special" Pizza from Papa Johns!

Kevin and I never really believed in going all out to celebrate Valentine's Day. Sure, it's nice to receive some flowers or celebrate by having a 'nicer than normal' meal but no way would we join the crowds by going out on the day itself and paying double (sometimes even triple!) just for a meal. This year, we went out for some Filipino food the day before, so we were not really planning to do anything on Vday itself. Just as I was cracking my head, thinking of what I should make for dinner that day, I saw an ad from Papa Johns. They were having some Valentine's Special going on and I thought that the heart pizzas looked kinda cute. So, I figured, why not? Let's just have this for dinner tonight! :P

I believe Papa Johns had this promotion last year and since it was such a hit, they decided to bring it back again this year. For $14.99, you get a one topping thin crust heart shaped pizza and a Cinnapie. We have never tried Papa John's thin crust (we've always gone with the hand tossed original) pizza before and we were pleasantly surprised. It was actually not too bad. However, you have to keep in mind that the thin crust pizza doesn't really fill you up. Usually, the most we could eat would be about 2 slices (each!) of the original crust pizza but we managed to gobble up almost the entire heart shape pie (we had one slice left over) without any problems! Also, the pizza was rather greasy. I guess it must be due to the pepperoni topping. Ahh well, it was still yummy though.

Like I said earlier, the Valentine's Special also included a free Cinnapie. When we ordered our pizza online, we were actually given a choice. We could either opt for the Cinnapie or the Applepie. We went with the Applepie. I think that was an awesome choice. Really really yummy! Freshly baked original hand tossed dough topped with sweet apple filling, brown sugar streusel and drizzled with white icing. Mmmm mmm mmmm, good stuff!

Check out our yummy Valentine's Day dinner. The red roses is in the middle was my Valentine's day present from Kevin (thanks baby!! :D). Apart from the Valentine's Day special, we also ordered a 10 pcs side of Honey Chipotle Wings ($7.50). We would usually order either the BBQ wings or the Buffulo wings but we decided to try something new this time around. Another good choice. It tasted rather sweet in the beginning but then the spiciness from the chipotle hits you after a few bites. A good combination of sweet and spiciness. iLike! Overall, it was a good Valentine's Day dinner. The best part of it all was that we didn't even have to leave our apartment! A yummy Vday dinner, minus all the traffic, crowds and over priced food!

Modern, Stylish & Contemporary Furniture from AllModern.Com!

Kevin and I have been talking about buying new furniture, since like, forever. In fact, I've even blogged about it a couple times. However, we've never really gotten around to actually getting them. I guess we always saw it as something we would like to do, but it wasn't top of our priority list. I'm sure many of you know that we live in a one bedroom apartment. So, when my parents were visiting us over the holidays, we gave them our room and we slept out in the living room, on the futon. At that point, we KNEW we HAD to buy new furniture. Not only was the futon really old (we had since we were in college!) and dated, it was really uncomfortable too! So, I went online to check out what are all the latest trends and if there any any good furniture deals out there. What we are looking for is stylish, contemporary and modern furniture that not only looks good but also doesn't burn a huge hole in our pockets. Guess what? I found a website that offers all that and more!
When we were in Vermont for our winter vacation, the apartment that we stayed in had a really nice fireplace. Since then, we have been thinking of maybe getting an electric indoor fireplace for our living room. Apart from that, we are also looking to get a brand new TV stand/entertainment center. The one that we currently have now is really crappy and yes, we had it since our college days too! While browsing through AllModern.com, I found the most awesome thing ever! An electric fireplace cum media console! I didn't even know that such a thing exist! What a great idea. Not only is it a great idea, it looks really modern and stylish too. I then checked out the other living room furniture and found some really cool looking futons, sofas and sectionals as well. Those futons looked so plush and comfortable, not to mention slick and stylish too. Definitely something I will consider for our living room.
Apart from having furniture for every room in your home, AllModern.com also carries a huge selection of accents. There, you can find all types of lighting, rugs, wallpaper, vases, wall art, magazine racks and even throw pillows! I am totally in love with the Blow-Up Bamboo Magazine Rack by Fratelli Campana. Doesn't it look cool? In my opinion, it's not just a magazine rack, it's also a piece of art. As I continue to browse through AllModern.com, my list of 'wants' is growing longer and longer by the minute. Everything looks so good! Looks like we've finally found the place to get our furniture. Now, our only problem is, how do we fit all these stuff into our 800sqft one bedroom apartment?

Chinatown Walkabout - 1st Day of CNY

Is everybody having a good Chinese New Year so far? I know that we are! Of course, it's never the same when you have to spend Chinese New Year in a foreign country, away from all your family, friends and not to mention, yummy home cooked food! However, I'm really grateful that we live in a city that has a relatively large Asian population. That's right, celebrating Chinese New Year in Chinatown is kinda fun, actually. With loud Chinese New Year music playing in the background, red and gold decorations in almost every shop and the smell of Chinese New Year goodies whiffing thru the air....ahhh, for a moment, one would even forget that you are right in the heart of NYC.
Kevin took the day off (since he is now Chinese, he always takes the 1st day of CNY off :P) from work and we headed down to Chinatown for the Annual Firecracker Ceremony at Sara D Roosevelt Park. It was really cold that day, around 22F (-5C) degrees and the ground was all slippery and icy. That didn't stop us (and a whole bunch of other ppl) from heading out to enjoy the festivities. The firecracker ceremony was scheduled to start at 11am but I knew from experience that they NEVER start on time. So, I thought that I was being smart by showing up at around 11:45am. The timing should be just right (and we do not have to stand out the the cold for too long). Well, looks like I was wrong. At noon, they we STILL setting up! :P
After standing out in the cold for what seemed like forever, the firecracker ceremony finally began. There were a few lion dances followed by the singing of the Chinese as well as American national anthem. With that, the countdown began and the firecrackers were lit! We were standing really close to the firecrackers..so yeah, it was LOUD!! :P We even felt a few stray firecrackers being flung our way. A very good show, like always. By the time the ceremony ended, it was way past lunchtime. So, we join the rest of the crowd and headed out to the main part of Chinatown, in search of food and to do a little CNY shopping.
It was so cold out, we were literally frozen, from head to toe. Not only we were super cold, we were super hungry too. We needed something to warm ourselves up and we needed it quick! I remember reading some great reviews about a hot pot (steamboat) restaurant on Canal St, so I suggested that we head there for lunch. Best decision of the day! The hot pot at Grand Sichuan was really really yummy! The ingredients were fresh and the chicken soup was superb. It's so good, I'll have to write a whole separate post, just on that!
After lunch, we were feeling all recharged and warmed up, once again. So, it's time to bundle up and head out to do some CNY shopping. Our first stop was Malaysia Beef Jerky Inc on Elizabeth St. We wanted to buy some bak kwa (pork jerky) and the only place that sells Malaysian/Singaporean style bak kwa is Malaysia Beef Jerky. Kevin loves their bak kwa and I kinda like it too. Of course, it doesn't taste as good as the bak kwa that we can get back home in Malaysia, but in my honest opinion, I think it's as good as it can get. If it wasn't so expensive, I swear Kevin could even finish a 1lb packet in one sitting! :P We initially wanted to buy some CNY cookies from another shop but we saw that Malaysia Beef Jerky sells them too. So, we picked up a few boxes of bee pang siew (bee's nest), pineapple tarts as well as peanut cookies.
Since we have already bought our CNY cookies, we only have one more thing on our shopping list. Yee Sang! We wanted to eat some Yee Sang for dinner that night, so we figured we would buy some home. Since Yee Sang is a Malaysian/Singaporean dish, it's not widely available, even in Chinatown. As far as I know, you can only get it in Nyonya, Penang Restaurant, Jaya, Singapore Cafe and New Malaysia. We tried the Yee Sang from Penang Restaurant two years ago (since we were in Malaysia last CNY, we didnt get a chance to buy any) and it was rather good. We decided to try the Yee Sang from New Malaysia this year. The Yee Sang from New Malaysia is a little bit more expensive but it taste awesome! Will blog more about that later on.
After getting our Yee Sang, we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the narrow streets of Chinatown. As usual, there were a whole lot of lion dance troupes making their rounds to various shops and businesses. Also, the kids were having a whale of time shooting out confetti cannons as well as throwing those tiny snap rocks. The whole atmosphere around Chinatown was certainly festive. After a long day out in Chinatown, we headed back home to Jersey, with lots of CNY goodies in tow and a big smile plastered on our faces. We returned to Chinatown a couple of days later, for the Annual Lunar New Year Parade...but I will save it for the next post. Stay tuned.

TABASCO® Original Red - So Much More Than Hot!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

Boy, we are so pumped up. 4 more days to the Superbowl! We are literally counting down the minutes til kick off time. What makes it even better is that our beloved Super Steelers will be playing the Packers. I dare say that there cannot be a better match up. Now, what makes the Superbowl even more super? Yummy game day food, of course! Apart from the game, game day food plays a really big role in our year Superbowl parties. Pizza, hot wings, sandwiches, deviled eggs, chips&dips...mmm mmmm mmmm, makes my mouth water, just thinking of all that food.

If you were to ask me, what is the one thing that we cannot do without, come game day, the answer would be really simple. Both Kevin and I cannot live without our favorite TABASCO® Original Red ! That's really a no brainer. We use it on almost anything! Just a few drops of TABASCO® Original Red does miracles on your food. Sure, it's hot but it's so much more than that. It just unlocks and enhances the flavor of food, so you can get the best of every bite. TABASCO® Original Red was the first sauce introduced by the McIlhenny family back in 1868. The simple combination of salt, red pepper and vinegar are perfected in a 3-year aging process that produces a hot sauce with the uncanny ability to bring the most out of your food. Other hot sauces add their own specific flavor to food but TABASCO® Original Red simply enhances the flavor of food. Not surprisingly, it continues to be their most popular sauce of 6 total sauces, after all these years.

So, how and when do we use TABASCO® Original Red? Well, on almost anything and anytime! In the morning, we would just sprinkle on a few drops into our scramble eggs (it's awesome, trust me!) and hash browns. For lunch, try adding some of that into your Mac & Cheese. It just brings the entire dish to a whole new level. TABASCO® Original Red also works well with all kinds of snacks. Use it in your dips, make hot wings with it or even add some onto your potato skins....it's awesome! Come dinner time, you can just add a few drops to your salads, all kinds of soups, chicken dinners or even your steaks! Thinking of some Asian food for dinner? Add some to your fried noodles or fried rice! There are just so many things you can do with TABASCO® Original Red, it's crazy. Don't believe me? Go check out the  Game-Day Party Menu  page for some simple ideas & recipes for food everyone loves! Not only that, you should also visit the  Pizza Perfected  page for all kinds of fast and easy pizza recipes. Go ahead and check it out. Remember, TABASCO® Original Red is "So Much More Than Hot”!

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!!