Creating a TripBook with Microsoft OneNote 2010!

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

I am generally a person who doesn’t like change. As long as something works, I’d rather just stick to it instead of trying something new. That explains why I rarely try out new or updated versions of various softwares that I currently use. I guess it is also because I’m not exactly the most computer savvy person around and I am just too lazy to put in extra time and effort to learn the ins and outs of a new software. When Microsoft approached me to create a TripBook using their Microsoft OneNote 2010 software, I was initially quite hesitant. I had no idea what that software is all about, how to use it, let alone create a TripBook with it! After reading up about Microsoft OneNote, I found out that it was pretty neat software. So, I decided to give it a go.

First things first. You must be thinking to yourself, what exactly is Microsoft OneNote 2010? What does it do? Well, Microsoft OneNote 2010 is a digital notebook that provides a single place where you can gather all of your notes and information, with the added benefits of powerful search capabilities to find what you are looking for quickly. Also, it has easy-to-use shared notebooks, so you can manage information overload and work together with others more effectively. Unlike paper-based systems, word processing programs, e-mail systems, or other productivity programs, OneNote delivers the flexibility to gather and organize text, pictures, web links/pages, and more — all in one digital notebook on your computer! OneNote can also help you become more productive by keeping the information you need at your fingertips and reducing time spent searching for information across e-mail messages, paper notebooks, file folders, and printouts. Isn't Microsoft OneNote awesome? The best thing about this software is…it’s so user friendly. It took me only less than an hour to figure out how to use it. Mind you, let me remind you that I am not exactly the most computer savvy person around, so I when I say it’s easy to use, it’s really easy to use!

Now that we know what Microsoft OneNote is all about, and established that it’s really easy to use, you must be thinking to yourself. So, what did you use it for? Well, I’m sure many of you know by now that both Kevin and I enjoy traveling. Before we take off on a trip, be it a short weekend getaway or a 3 week long overseas trip, we would do a lot of research on our destination. We don’t really like surprises, therefore, we really like to plan ahead whenever we travel. Planning would mean a whole lot of emailing back and forth between the both of us, reading up reviews and recommendations of other travelers online, bookmarking travel websites as well as jotting down notes on tiny pieces of paper manually (which we would usually end up losing even before we leave on that trip!). That’s all good, but usually, we would end up with a whole bunch of information from various sources and that can be rather overwhelming. By using Microsoft OneNote, it helps us consolidate all those information into one place. All we need to do is open up our TripBook and everything is there.

Just to show you how easy it is to work with Microsoft OneNote, I have created a TripBook for Phuket, Thailand. What I really love about this TripBook is how everything is so organized and how all of the information is right at your fingertips. If you were to look at the top of the TripBook, you would notice that there are tabs. I am able to separate all my information into ‘folders’. For example, there are tabs for things like places to stay, things to do, what to eat and so on. This way, I can just click on the tab when I want certain locate information, instead of having to go through the entire document.

Another that I like about this software is the ability to gather and consolidate information with ease. If you noticed, my entire TripBook is filled with all kinds of data and photos. You might be thinking, wow, that sure sounds like a lot of work. Well, I’ll let you in on a secret. It’s really not that hard. With Microsoft OneNote, all you need to do is highlight the information that you want from your browser and click on “Send to OneNote”. Everything that you have highlighted will automatically be sent to your TripBook. This makes information gathering so much easier. If you want to add photos to your TripBook, you can either click on Insert and then add in Picture or you can use the Screen Clipping feature. I totally love that that feature! Here's how it works. If you are on a website and you like a particular picture, just click on "Screen Clipping" on your OneNote software and select the area you want to clip on your browser. Once you have done that, everything will then just appear on your OneNote document. Yup, it’s that easy!

When I was coming up with my 24 Hours in Phuket itinerary, I found that the ability to link pages (be it internally within my TripBook, or externally) really helpful. As you can see from the screenshot, once you have created a link, all you need to do is click on that particular link. It will then bring you to another page that has more information about that particular activity.

Finally, my favorite feature in Microsoft OneNote is the ability to highlight, draw and write on your TripBook, just like how you would do in a regular notebook. This is really important, especially if you want to add in more notes later on or if you would like to highlight certain things in your TripBook. A very neat feature indeed!

Overall, I am really glad that I was given a chance to review this software. Not only was it really easy and fun to use, but I found it to be really handy and practical too. I’ll definitely be using Microsoft OneNote when we start planning for our next vacation soon! If you found this interesting, you should totally go visit onenotetravel.com to check out our awesome OneNote TripBook of Phuket, Thailand! Not only will you find our TripBook there, but you will also have the opportunity to check out the TripBooks of 39 other travel bloggers, featuring cities from all over the world. Go on, what are you waiting for? Go check out our TripBook and learn more about Microsoft OneNote 2010 today!

Store Brand Baby Formula Wins a Final Round in Court

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

Today, I’ve got some very interesting news that I’d like to share with all of our mommy and daddy readers out there. Actually, come to think about it, this is really good information for everyone, not just for parents out there. Remember me blogging me in the past about how store brand infant formula manufacturer (PBM Products Inc) took industry giant Mead Johnson to court over false advertisement claims? Well, they won but Mead Johnson went ahead to appeal the verdict.

Now, here is the good news. A few weeks ago, store brand infant formulas won a major victory when a U.S. Circuit Court upheld the $13.5 million false advertising claim against Enfamil maker Mead Johnson. Isn’t that great news? This goes to show that the truth always prevails! Here’s what went down. The case was centered on the successful argument by PBM Products, Perrigo’s store brand infant formula business, that Enfamil’s advertisements of superiority to store brand formulas were false and misleading because store brand formulas offer the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil. “As the litigation history of the parties demonstrates, despite having twice been restrained from disseminating misleading advertising, Mead Johnson continued to do so,” Circuit Judge Andre Davis wrote. “PBM cannot fairly compete with Mead Johnson unless and until Mead Johnson stops infecting the marketplace with misleading advertising.”

In response to that, Perrigo Chairman and CEO Joseph C. Papa said in a statement that "The Court has made it clear that national brand and store brand suppliers are entitled to fairly compete and advertising abuses will not be tolerated," as well as "We also appreciate the Court's recognition that PBM could lawfully compare its products to national brand products." Christopher Perille, a Mead Johnson spokesman, said in an e-mail that the company will comply with the court’s ruling.

For more information, you can read up more about this in Business Week’s website at http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-04-20/mead-johnson-loses-bid-to-cancel-13-5-million-jury-verdict.html. You could also get more information about store brand formulas as well as coupons from storebrandformula.com

Futbol v. Football Fun Facts

Woohoo! Man Utd has beaten Schalke and they are on going to Wembley for the Champions League finals! No doubt, it's gonna be tough to beat Barcelona, but I have faith that the boys in red will win the Champions League this year. Not only that, but we will also be playing Chelsea this weekend in the English Premier League and a win here would put us a step closer to the title! What a busy and exciting week for us Manchester United fans. I love soccer, if you haven't figured it out by now. However, there is one thing I love more than soccer. FOOTBALL!! That's right, if you are long time readers of this blog, you would know that the both of us bleed black and gold. We are die hard Pittsburgh Steelers fans. I came across some fun facts about futbol (soccer to the Americans) v. football that I found to be pretty interesting. Thought that I would share it with all of you too. Check it out.

Source:Sports

Management Colleges

Interesting Travel & Vacation Facts

Before I say anything else, I would like to apologize for the long silence. I have been really busy working on some new projects and I guess, I have unintentionally neglected this blog for a bit. However, the good news is that we're back! Now that I'm done with the projects, I have a little time on my hands. I was reading up on some stuff the other day and found some of these interesting facts. I'm sure many of you know that both Kevin and I enjoy traveling and we have shared quite a lot of our travel adventures with you on this blog over the years. Check out some of this travel and vacation facts, they are pretty interesting and might even come in handy as conversational starters in the next party or social event you might be attending ;)

This graphic was designed by Lorena O'Neal, you can check out more of
her work here.

Source:Onlineclasses.net

NMEDA helps you get back onto the road of independence!

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

You wake up, jump out of bed, rush to shower and get ready for work. You then scoot downstairs for a quick cup of coffee, maybe take out the trash from last night's dinner and pick up the morning paper. Without missing a beat, you hopped into you car and you're off to work. All that in less than half an hour or so. Sounds familiar? It's just routine for many of us and many don't even think twice about it. However, for a person with disabilities, this can be a very a very daunting task. That's right, living with disabilities is hard. Not only is it hard for the person, but it can be sometimes tough for their caregiver as well. Something as simple as getting ready in the morning and heading off to work can be a big task. Thankfully, these days, there are a lot of wheelchairs, wheelchair vehicles and other aides to help people with disability regain more freedom and mobility in life. However, there are just so many out there, how do we know which is good and which one is the right fit for you? You see ads for them everywhere, on TV, in the newspapers and on the Internet. How do you know which is good for you? Sometimes buying something that doesn't fit does more harm than good.

Well, I got something to share with you today. Have you heard of NMEDA? Well, NMEDA (National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association) is a non-profit trade association that advocates providing safe, reliable vehicles and modifications to enhance accessibility for all people. Not only that, they are also the only association that promotes safe driving and equipment for disabled people. Yes, they are non-profit and their members are required to adhere to the safety standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In short, they do not sell anything. NMEDA dealers (members) are the ones who sell handicap vans and vehicle modifications for disabled people.

Why buy from a NMEDA qualified dealer? Well, one of the biggest advantage you get when you buy from a NMEDA qualified dealer is that they conduct on-site evaluations to custom fit vehicles to your specific needs. You see, no two people with a disability is exactly the same, right? So why should their wheelchair vehicles be exactly the same? That is one of the main reasons why you should be careful of adapted wheelchair vehicles sold over the Internet or through catalogs. Why waste your money on something that might not be right for you? When you buy from a NMEDA dealer, you give a personalized “in-person” evaluation, so you can be sure that you are getting the right driving solution customized to your specific lifestyle and needs. If you need additional training or product refinements, your NMEDA dealer will always be there to help you.

Apart from having just dealers, NMEDA also has Quality Assurance Program (QAP) dealers. The Quality Assurance Program (QAP) is the only nationally recognized accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry. It is based on the principle that in order to satisfy customers consistently, companies must have a systematic and documented approach to quality. What this means is, that in order to be a QAP dealer, your company must not only have high quality and safe equipment but you must also meet the satisfaction of your customers.

So, with the help NMEDA dealers, the elderly or disabled can get back onto the road of independence. Life doesn't really have to be this tough. After hearing about NMEDA, I went to nmeda.org to read up more about them. On their homepage, you can hit the dealers locator, type in your zip code and see if there is a qualified dealer near you. I did just that and found that there are quite a few in my area. I know I do not need a wheelchair now, but it's always assuring to know that if me or any of my loves ones ever needs one, NMEDA is always there to help. You should do the same. Just enter your zip code to find your closest qualified dealer. There are at least 8 dealers in less than 40 miles from me, now many are there near you? Tell me, I'm curious to know!

Southern Fried Chicken & Biscuits

If you are regular readers of this blog, you would know that both Kevin and I love fried chicken. We love all kinds of fried chicken, especially Southern Fried Chicken. I've never attempted to make any at home, cos it was so easy to just go to our favorite fried chicken place and pick up a bucket! However, it's been a while since we ate any (since we started our little "try to eat healthier' quest :P). Chicken thighs and drumsticks were on sale at our local grocery store not too long ago and I figured, why not? Let me try to make some Southern Fried Chicken at home. A few pieces of yummy fried chicken won't kill us. So, I googled Southern Fried Chicken recipes and found quite a few. I really like Paula Deen and The Neely Family's (I regard them both as gurus of Southern cooking!) recipe, so I took bits and pieces from each of that and came up with my own. Check it out!

Start off my cleaning the chicken pieces (I used thighs and drumsticks but you can pretty much use anything you like) and patting them dry with a paper towel. Season them with some freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder and seasoned salt. Make sure that you season both sides of the chicken. Then, set it aside.
Next, pour in a quart of buttermilk into a large bowl.
Then, add in some hot sauce. It doesn't matter what kind of hot sauce you use but if you are Paula Deen fans, you would know that she swears by Texas Pete. I personally like Texas Pete too, but it's entirely up to you. You can put in as much or as little as you like. The Neelys used about 2 tablespoons where else Paula Deen used half a small bottle!
After mixing the hot sauce into the buttermilk, add in 1 tablespoon of crushed cayenne pepper. You gotta be careful with this, cos it really packs a punch. If you don't like it to be so spicy, you should just use half a tablespoon.
Now, place the chicken pieces into a deep casserole dish. Then, pour the buttermilk mixture over it. You should allow your chicken pieces to sit for at least 15 mins after you season them before soaking them in the buttermilk mixture. If you do it any sooner, the seasoning will just wash off. Soaking the chicken pieces in buttermilk is really important, cos not only does it give it flavor, but it also really tenderizes the chicken. Cover the dish with an air tight lid and allowed it to soak for at least 2 hours. I allowed mine to soak overnight, it's better that way.
Once you are ready to fry the chicken, you can start preparing the flour mixture to dredge the chicken pieces. Combine some all purpose flour with some black pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. You can also add in some corn starch if you like. The corn starch actually helps make your fried chicken really crispy! Mix it all together and you are all set to go.
Gently remove a piece of chicken from the buttermilk mixture and allow all access buttermilk to drip off. Then, slow dredge it in the flour mixture. Make sure you coat the entire piece of chicken well.
Then, place the chicken pieces in hot peanut oil. Make sure that it is hot enough before you place the chicken in. It should be around 350F. Also, do not over crowd the pan. If you put in too many pieces, it would lower the temperature of the pan and the chicken would not turn out right. Unless you have a really big pan or a deep fryer, stick to a few pieces for each batch.
Once the chicken turns golden and crisp, it's done! It should take around 8 to 10 minutes for white meat and 13 to 15 minutes for dark meat to fully cook through. Allow the oil to drain and then place the chicken pieces on some paper towels before serving.
While I was frying up the chicken, I also popped in some instant biscuits (yes, I know...it's cheating!) in the oven. It should be nice and ready by the time we are done with the chicken. How did this recipe turn out? Well, I think it turned out awesome! Nothing beats some spicy southern fried chicken and freshly baked biscuits. I would have to say that this recipe is a keeper. Try it....I think you will like I too!

File your taxes, the easy way!

For those of you who have yet to file your taxes, April 18th is just around the corner. Eight more days to be exact! Boy, time sure creeps up on you. It's pretty much the same every year. It's January and you think you still have a whole lot of time to do your taxes, and then BAM! It's already April. I don't know about you but I used to really dislike preparing our tax returns. There are just so many numbers, different columns and boxes to fill. I am usually not even sure what refunds we qualify for and I am pretty sure that we have never gotten the maximum refund, ever. Sure, it's easy to just bring it all to tax experts and let them do the work but their services sure don't come cheap. Also, it's a hassle to have to bring all our documents to their office and so on.

This year, things are a little bit different for us. By early February, we were all done with our taxes! No more last minute rush for us. If you have yet to get around to filling your taxes, I'll let you in on something. It really isn't all that difficult to file your taxes! In fact, I dare say that it's really easy. You can do it yourself, in the comforts of your own home. All you need is TurboTax! Seriously, that's like a god sent to us. What's TurboTax? Well, it's a tax software that helps and guides you through the whole process, from the start right til the very end. It offers step by step instructions and even calculates everything for you! Not only that, but they even guarantee that all calculations are 100% correct. If not, they will pay all IRS penalties plus interest. They also guarantee that you will receive the maximum refund that is due to you. So, goodbye guessing game. You can be sure that you will be getting all refunds that you qualify for. No wonder TurboTax is rated #1 and is the best selling tax software.

You might be thinking, wow, this is great but I only have 8 more days to get all my documents and act together. I really don't think I have enough time to do it all. I know I can file for an extension but how do I go about it? Well, TurboTax has the answer for you too. If you file your extension by April 18th, you will have til October 17th to finish your taxes! With TurboTax, all you need is about 5 minutes and that gets you an extra 6 months to get it done. They would guide you throughout the whole process of filling up the IRS extension form 2009. Not only that, you would even get an email from the IRS once your tax extension is granted. Really, it cannot get easier than that. So, to all of you who have yet to do your taxes, don't procrastinate any longer. It's not as difficult as you think it is. With TurboTax, filing your taxes just got a whole lot easier!

It’s fun to stay at the Hil-ton Ho-tel!

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

Remember the time when words like “funky” and “groovy” were to in things to say? When dressing up for a night out in town means putting on your favorite polyester leisure suit, complete with an open chested shirt? How about the time when it was fashionable for guys to sport an afro and wear a neck scarf? Ahhh yes, don't we all miss the 70s? A time when wars are out and disco was in! Well, guess what? It's time to wipe of the dust from your platforms shoes cos it's time to boogie once again. That's right, the 70s is back, baby! On May 13^th, for one night only, the 70s will come alive, before your very eyes. The Village People are coming to Branson, Missouri!!!

Nope, you didn't hear me wrong. I said, young man, are you listening to me? The Village People will be coming to the Branson Tri-Lakes Center on May 13^th! They will be performing 2 hours of their pop culture hits, songs like “YMCA,” “In the Navy,” “Macho Man,” and “Boogie Oogie Oogie”. Not only that, Maxine Nightingale & Janice-Marie will also be there! What's better than boogieing the night away at a 70s concert? Meeting your favorite performers after that! Yup, after the curtain falls, you will get a chance to meet your favorite performers cos they will be staying back to sign autographs and take pictures with the fans! How awesome is that?

 After you’ve grooved the night away with your favorite 70’s icons, you would what to head back to your comfortable room, to just kick back and relax. There is no better place to do that than at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. Located on Lake Taneycomo, the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing Hotel is situated within the vibrant Branson Landing, a waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment district featuring over 100 specialty stores. This full service hotel with indoor pool is also directly across from the Branson Convention Center and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel. Not only that, it is located in the heart of Historic Downtown, just minutes from the 49 live theatres, Branson golf courses, Table Rock Lake, Silver Dollar City, Titanic Museums and many more attractions.

Imagine this. At the Hilton Promenade, you can recover from a long night of working the dance floor, in your plush Hilton Serenity collection bed. It includes a pillowed topped mattress, down comforter and luxurious 250 thread count triple sheets. You can also kick up your feet and upload the pictures of your wild time-traveling night with the Hilton’s high speed Internet access. This makes the Hilton Promenade the only place to stay! To sweeten it even more, they are also offering exclusive ticket and rooming packages, from as low as $219.00 for two people.

To get into the 70s mood, tell me, what's your favorite Village People song? Don't be shy, I know you have one. Apart from the YMCA, I also love Macho Men (Oh yeah, I love macho men ;P). What about you? Are you excited about this coming concert? Head over to the Hilton website and book your package today! Oh yeah, everybody now. It's fun to stay at the Hil-ton Ho-tel!

Home Made Indian Food for less than $3 in 20 mins!!

Both Kevin and I really enjoy Indian food. Not the real spicy Southern Indian style but more the creamy and mild Northern Indian. Therefore, we have always been big fans of Indian buffets as well as take out/delivery Indian food. You might be asking, why don't you try making some at home? Well, truthfully, I never really tried due to the fact that I've always thought that Indian food requires a lot of prep time and also uses tons of ingredients (it does!). That is of course, if you make it from scratch. I was walking through the "Ethnic Food" aisle at our local grocery store a while ago and saw some stuff on sale that changed my preconceived ideas about making Indian food at home. I realized that by just getting this three items, I am able to 'cheat' my way into making a really quick and affordable Indian meal at home.
Alritey, here are the three items that I picked up from the grocery store. The first is Patak's Original Tikka Masala Curry Cooking Sauce. There is a whole range of different sauces, from Butter Chicken to Rogan Josh to Korma. We like the Tikka Masala cos it's creamy and has a little hint of spiciness (just a little :P). That bottle set us back $2.99. Next is a packet of microwaveable Palak Paneer. It's already pre cooked and all you need to do is heat it up. That pack cost us only $1.99. Lastly, we picked up a pack of Tandoori Naan from the bakery section for $2.99 (two pieces in the pack). All that came up to just below $8. Oh, we also picked up a lb of chicken breast meat to make the Tikka Masala ($1.99 per lbs)...so the grand total comes up to a little less than $10. This is enough to feed about 3-4 people, so actually, the whole meals comes up to be less than $3 per person!
Now, let me show you how simple and fast it will be to whip up the entire meal. Just start off by heating some oil and browning 1 lbs of cubed chicken breast in a large pan. It doesn't really have to be chicken, you can pretty much use any type of meat that you like. Since Patak's Cooking Sauce is free from artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and is gluten free, you could also replace the chicken with vegetables and make this a vegetarian dish too.
After your chicken has been cooked through (it takes about 10 mins or so), pour in the cooking sauce and stir it in with the chicken.
Allow it to heat up and simmer for another 10 mins and you are done!
While the chicken is simmering on the stove, take out your naan bread and place them on a baking sheet. Brush on some melted butter and pop it into a preheated 400F oven for about 10 mins. It should be nicely warmed up and ready to eat by the time your chicken tikka is done.
After you have popped the naan bread into the oven, pour out the Palak Paneer into a microwaveable bowl. Microwave it on high for about 2-3 mins and that's all ready to go too! How easy is that?
There you go! A piping hot Indian meal, straight from your kitchen! Chicken Tikka Masala, Palak Paneer and some Naan bread. I made all that in about 20 mins and it cost me just a little less than $3 per serving! It's it awesome? Where else can you get a yummy Indian meal for about $3 per person? And all that in 20 mins? It would even take longer for your local Indian take out place to deliver that too you. Granted, its not made from scratch, but for $3 per person and getting to eat all that in just about 20 mins, I'll take it anyday! :P

Check Out The Express Spring 2011 Swim Collection Today!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Woohoo! Today is already the last day in March. I'm so glad that the weather is getting nicer and warmer each day. Isn't it great that spring is already here? I'm so done with all the heavy coats, thick chunky boots and scarfs! Can't wait to go around in my shorts and t shirts once again! Another thing that I can't wait to do is to spend more time out in the sun. I don't know about you guy, but here in Jersey, when the weather gets warm, we all head down to the shore! It's just the thing to do. Young people, older people, families...everybody goes to the shore. Apart from the awesome beaches, great food and non stop entertainment, another thing that I love about the shore is the people. I love looking at all the different types of swim wear that people would wear. From bright and bold colors to all kinds of cuts and styles. It's like walking into a real life fashion show!

Talking about swimwear and fashion, have you heard of the new spring swinwear collection at Express? If you haven't, you really gotta check it out! I just love it. I love how it's not just any basic  women's swimwear but a collection of bright solids, on-trend graphic prints, nautical-inspired stripes, sleek metallic and essential reversible styles. The swim suits  can be found in all types from styles, from their always popular monokini, to two piece swimwear  like the sexiest string bikini, strapless and halter bikinis. Not only that, they also come with designer details that include flirty ruffles, sexy self-tie sides, glam beaded embellishments and polished metal hardware. Other features include removable padding in tops as well as the bottoms fit smaller to size, for moderate back coverage. My personal favorite is actually the monokini. It's just perfect for the shore. I feel that it's not overly revealing but due to the cut and body loving style, it has just the right balance of style and sexiness! Just perfect!

I'm sure by now, you would all know that I always love giving you guys a heads up when it comes to awesome contest and sweepstakes. Guess what? Express is currently running their Express Yourself This Spring with Express Spring Fashion! Contest. It's really easy to join. All you need to do is sign up for Express e-mail and you will stand a chance to win one of ten $200 Express gift cards! How cool is that? You better hurry though, cos the sweepstakes ends on the April 30th, 2011 at 11:59pm, EST. More information regarding the contest as well as  sweepstakes rules can be found on their website. So, what are you waiting for? Head over to their website to check out their new spring swimwear collection as well as to sign up for Express emails today!

Pandan Asian Cuisine - Bloomfield, NJ

Boy, this is another long overdue post. I really gotta stop slacking so much and update this blog more regularly. I'll try my best, okay? :P Anyways, since Valentine's Day fell on a Monday this year, we decided to go out for an early Valentine's Day dinner the day before. Truthfully, both Kevin and I are not really big on celebrating Valentine's Day but it's kinda nice to go out for a nice dinner once in a while. We decided to go check out this little South East Asian restaurant located at the corner of Broad and Baldwin Street in Bloomfield. Even though it's name says "Pandan Asian Cuisine", most of their specialties are mainly Filipino dishes. However, they do have some Thai and Vietnamese dishes in their menu too.
From the moment we walked in, we could tell that it would be a very pleasant night. With warm orange walls and fairy lights all over, it was a very cozy and nice restaurant. The servers were really helpful and friendly too. To start off, Kevin ordered a glass of Thai Iced Tea ($2.50) and I just went with iced water. I had a sip of his tea and I must say, it tasted really good. Very fragrant and creamy.
Since it was a rather cold night, we wanted some soup to warm up. Now, Kevin is a big fan of Tom Yum, so we tried their Spicy Shrimp Tom Yum Soup ($5). The soup wasn't really all that spicy but it was so flavorful. Really good! They were also quite generous with their large shrimp and mushrooms. It was a big portion and it was definitely enough to share. The bowl in the picture is my share and that's like only 1/4 of the amount served.
Apart from the soup, we also wanted to try another dish from the appetizer menu. There were really quite a lot of yummy sounding appetizers to choose from and we finally decided on the Lumpiang Shanghai ($5.50). Very good choice, I must say. It's basically Filipino style deep fried spring rolls, stuffed with pork. It tasted somewhat like a merge between the Vietnamese Cha Gio and our Malaysian Popiah. The best about it is that it was really crispy and not oily at all. Yummy yummy stuff.
For our mains, we decided to share a noodle dish and a meat dish. Since it was predominantly a Filipino restaurant, we thought that we should try one of the Filipino noodle dishes. So, we went with the Pancit Bihon ($9). Stir fried rice vermicelli with slices of chicken and mixed vegetables, topped with scallions and roasted garlic. Even though Pancit Bihon is pretty much a staple in Filipino cooking, I've never tried it before. Guess what? I liked what I tried. It reminded me of the fried rice vermicelli that my grandmother would fry up during birthday parties and other special occasions while I was growing up, back home in Malaysia. Really authentic and good (not to mention that the portion was huge too!).
Ahhhh now for the main event. I knew we just had to order this when we saw it on the menu. Crispy Pata ($16)!!! It's deep fried pork leg, served with sawsawan (some type of soy vinegar sauce) and a side of som tom salad (shredded green papaya, carrots and mango with lime juice, and ground peanuts). I cannot even begin to describe how good this is! The skin was just oh so crispy and yummy. Granted, its not the healthiest dish in the world but it sure tasted great!! Oh, if only I could eat this everyday....droooooools :P
By the time we were done with our meal, we were just too stuffed to even look at the dessert menu. Our server told us to just take a look at it anyways and boy, were we glad that we did. They were all kinds of delicious sounding Filipino desserts, we just couldn't help it but order one to share :P We ordered a portion of Turon with Ube Ice Cream ($6). For those of you who don't know, Turon is a Filipino deep fried snack that is made of thinly sliced bananas and jackfruit, wrapped in spring roll paper. It came with some yam/taro ice cream by the side. I've never really tried Filipino food before but I am fast becoming a fan! I love this too! Also, look at what the kitchen did with the food presentation. Since it was the eve of Valentine's Day, they even took the trouble to draw out those hearts on the plate. Nice ya? :D
Overall, it was a great dinner. Not only was the food really good, but the prices were rather affordable. Not only that, the portions are huge too (we had enough food left over for lunch the next day!). That, coupled with some really friendly staff, made our dining experience in Pandan Asian Cuisine a really wonderful one. Two thumbs up, we will definitely return soon!

Pandan Asian Cuisine - Bloomfield, NJ
406 Broad Street
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
Tel: (973)748 9997
Web: http://www.pandanasiancuisine.com

Spring Outdoor Furniture from Pier 1

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Boy, two more days til winter is officially over! Yup, March 20^th is the day that we have all been waiting for. Hello spring! With all the horrible snow storms and blizzards that we had this winter, I'm more than ready for spring to come. When I woke up this morning, I was greeted with lovely 50 degree weather and the forecast predicts that we will hit a high of 74 degrees today! I even heard the ice cream truck pass by a while ago. For me, the first sighting of the ice cream truck in our neighborhood is equivalent to the first robin of spring. Yes folks, spring is here indeed!

With the weather warming up, it's time to clear out the deck and lay out all of the outdoor furniture once again. Out of all the spaces in a house, I would have to say that I love the deck and patio best of all. I just feel that it's an extension of your living room but a million times better. You get all the comforts of your living room while enjoying the crisp fresh air outdoors. Whenever spring comes around, one of the first places that I would go checkout for outdoor furniture would be Pier 1. Seriously, Pier 1 is like my one stop shop for all my outdoor entertaining need. Not only do they offer great bargains for outdoor furniture but they also have really beautiful accents too.

The one thing that I really like about Pier 1's outdoor furniture is that you can use it outdoors as well as indoors! This way, it's not a seasonal thing. All you need to do is move your outdoor furniture and decorations indoors when it starts to get cold again and you are all set for winter! How nice is that! I was browsing through Pier 1's website earlier today and I totally feel in love with the Taza Square Outdoor Table. It is crafted in wrought iron and each individual tile is hand crafted using a special screen printing technique. To me, it's more than a piece of furniture...it's a work of art! It would look so great outdoors in the patio during the warmer months and it would also look beautiful indoors in the winter. That would definitely look great with Pier 1's Whimsical Garden Cushion Collection too. And yes, those cushions would work beautifully indoors AND outdoors! Another thing that Pier 1 is really famous more is their Papasans. Boy, have they evolved! You should check out the outdoor Papasan and even the double outdoor Papasan. You know what is my favorite one? The Mocha Swingasan Chair! Not only does it look great, it's incredibly fun to sit in.

So, what are you waiting for? Head over to www.pier1.com/outdoor to sign up for the Pier 1 Outdoor newsletter and check out all the special in-store offers for this March 18^th -20^th weekend. Also, to all our readers in the Dallas, Atlanta and NYC areas, boy, I got news for you. A Pier 1 Tweetups is coming to your town! Make plans to come mingle and meet with some of your areas bloggers as well as Tweeters. The upcoming Pier 1 Tweetups in Dallas will be on March 22^nd, April 5^th in Atlanta and April 20^th in NYC. We are planning to be there for the NYC Tweetup, so hey, maybe we can see you there! For more information about dates, times and locations, visit http://izea.com/a-pier-1-tweetup-coming-to-your-area/ today!

Simple & Hearty Guinness Beef Stew

Since it's St Patrick's Day today, I wanted to make something Irish (or at least with something with some Irish influence) for dinner last night. Initially, I thought of making some traditional Irish corned beef and cabbage. So, I went online to look for a good recipe. While browsing through some recipes of Irish dishes, I came across an awesome recipe for Guinness Beef Stew. I thought to myself, "Hey, why not try this instead?" Well, I did and it turned out to be great! Not only was it rather easy to make but it was super yummy too. Let me share this recipe with you guys.

Start off by marinating about two and a half lbs of cubed stew beef (I used chuck) with some freshly crushed black pepper and garlic powder. When you pick your meat, make sure that it has some nice marbling. We do not want to get something that is too lean.
Next, coat the beef cubes in flour that has been seasoned with some salt.
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and throw in a bay leaf or two. Then, saute the beef in batches, just til it turns brown. Remember not to over crowd the pan. It took me about three batches to get it all done. Remove the beef from the pan and set it aside.
Alritey, time to cut up the vegetables. Quarter about 6-7 small red potatoes (leave the skin on) and drop them into the crockpot. Six to seven potatoes is just an estimate. It really depends on how big your potatoes are. Since the red potatoes that I have are really huge, I only used four and cubed them into smaller chunks. Then, add in a couple handfuls of baby carrots. You could also use regular carrots. Just cut them into cubes. If you like, you could also add in some celery. Now, I am not really a big fan of celery, so I decided to leave that out. Top all of that with a couple of bay leaves.
Next, slice up a medium onion and mince a few cloves of garlic. Then, throw them into the pan that you used to brown the meat earlier. Saute over medium heat for a few minutes and then add in about 1/4 can of beef broth (14 oz can) to deglaze the pan. Make sure that you scrap up all the yummy leftover bits from the beef at the bottom of the pan. Those tiny bits are just packed with flavor!
Once you are done with the onions and garlic, add in the beef that you have browned earlier into the crockpot and top that up with the onions and garlic.
After that, place some sliced fresh mushrooms on top of the onions and garlic. I used white mushrooms but you could also use portobellos if you like.
Now, we can start working on the stock. Pour the remaining beef broth into the pan that you used earlier to saute the onions and garlic. Then, add in two 8 oz cans of tomato sauce followed by an envelope of onion soup mix (approx 13g). Mix it all together.
Pour the mixture carefully into the crockpot. Finally, top everything up with a large can (14.9 oz) of Guinness. It really depends on how much space you have in your crockpot. Just crack open a bottle/can of Guinness and fill it to the top. For me, I used the entire large can. Cover your crockpot, set it on HIGH and allow it to cook for about 7 hours. Done! Now, wasn't that easy? I made this early in the day and we had a huge pot of piping hot stew waiting for us by dinner time. The best part of it all was the delicious smell that filled our whole apartment throughout the entire day. Mmmm mmmm mmmmm! I served this Guinness Beef Stew up with mashed potatoes and a some Irish Soda Bread that we had bought earlier from our local grocery store. Go ahead, try this recipe and let me know how it turned out. I bet you will enjoy it as much as we did!

Happy St Patrick's Day Everyone!!