Crowded Kitchen

I am so fortunate my siblings can cook and I love that everyone has their own style.

Phuong - She's willing to step out of the box when it comes to anything, cooking as well. She makes all sorts of banhs and dishes that I have yet to attempt- like Chao Banh Canh or Swedish Meatballs. She has even stepped into the baker's world. A few nights ago, she cooked semi-homemade Super-ghetti with Turkey Meatballs. I've always wonder why our parents and other Vietnamese call spaghetti SUPERghetti. What-ever the reason - I like it ^_^


All these bottles combined to create the sauce - along with ground turkey, diced onions, and minced garlic.


Baked turkey meatballs.


Parmesan and Parsley breadsticks ready for the oven


Gorgeous!


Dig In!

Jimmy - he cooks when he feels like it. Pretty good stuff this kid dishes up. Jimmy made these Spicy Sweet Chicken Wings last Saturday. Pictures taken by the chef himself.


Par-boiled wings


Baked with a spicy and sweet glaze in a little chicken broth.


I ate about 5 of these when I came home from work.

Cuong - He never really cooked until a few years ago. He takes on big dishes that requires a little bit of time. I notice he makes a lot of American dishes such as meatloaf and lasagna, which is good because we need something different once in a while. Not too long ago, he made the ribs below (pictures by the brother).


The marinade. Not sure what's in it exactly - only that it's asian flavoring.


Marinating.


After 4 hours in the oven, the meat was almost to the point of falling off the bone. Very delicious!

Lien - She was the oldest girl in the house and the first in the kitchen. She cooks our traditional dishes like soups and stir-fry. Busy with Pharmacy school,work, and being away from home, she stopped cooking as much. Now that she's living on her own, I'm not sure what the sister is cooking up these days. She did make a delicious pot of Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Hue-Style Beef Noodle Soup) when she visited for Thanksgiving.


Chili Mix for flavor and color


Broth flavored with a seeping bundle of lemongrass and onion


Boiled and rinsed pigs feet


Sliced hanging tender slightly boiled to remove residue and foam from the meat before it goes into the soup.


Oil infused with more chili mix and minced lemongrass.


The beef, pigs feet, and oil goes into the broth. Cook and served over rice vermicelli noodles. Add purple cabbage, bean sprouts, raw lettuce mix, thinly sliced onions, parsley, lime, sriracha, and soy sauce/fish sauce to taste.

Khanh - He's all about simple and ready to eat foods like sandwiches and instant noodle stir-fry.


I finally caught the finale of this season's Top Chef on YouTube last night. The final 3, in my opinion were the best and most passionate. I've been rooting for Kevin from the start, it was kind of sad to see him not win. Came down to the two Voltaggio brothers, Michael won and he deserved it. Great Season!



Amazing Race ended last Sunday. Even though my team was eliminated far too early in the race, I was happy with the results. Just as long as those mean brothers did not win. If only my team did not misplace their passports, I know they could have made it through to the end. Not so great season.

I'm currently reading "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. It's started off slow, but it's getting more interesting. Gives me something to do since there nothing for me on T.V. anymore.