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Chicken feet. Can you imagine every eating such a thing? I used to be appalled at people eating and sucking on chicken feet served in Chinese restaurants. However, after some pressure from my husband during our dating days, I managed to finally give dim sum chicken feet a try…with my eyes closed of course. And guess what? They are freakin’ delicious. So the lesson here? Don’t knock it before you try it.

What You Will Need:
1 lb chicken feet, toe nails removed
2 quarts oil
2 quarts water
1 large piece of fresh ginger, unpeeled and sliced
3 pieces star anise

Marinade:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon black bean sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil

The secret to a great-tasting dim-sum-style chicken feet is to deep fry it first. This technique not only gives the chicken feet its golden brown color, but causes the skin to puff away from the bone to allow the marinade to seep through all its nooks and crannies. Also, it allows for easy eating.

After cleaning the chicken feet and removing the toe nails, make sure to paper towel them dry! Otherwise, you will end like me, suffering from third-degree burns from oil splatter.

Heat up the two quarts of oil, and drop in the chicken feet. Remove and drain on paper towels.

The next step is to tenderize the chicken feet by simmering. Bring the water to a boil, and toss in the ginger slices, star anise, and the golden brown chicken feet. Let it simmer for approximately one and a half hours.  At this point, your simmered pot should smell very close to the dim sum chicken feet found in Chinese restaurants and to think, you have yet to add the marinade!

After simmering, drain the chicken feet and combine it with the marinade. Allow it to sit for at least one hour. The longer, the better. Overnight is best.

When you are ready to serve, simply steam the marinaded chicken feet. If you are too lazy to steam, popping it in the microwave would do as well.

And there you have it. Dim-sum-style chicken feet! Simple and de-lish!

To end this post, here is my son…flipping out for chicken feet!

It goes without saying I love Starbuck drinks, particularly the mocha frap on a sunny afternoon. Offer me a Starbuck drink and I’ll be your friend for life. Back in simpler times when my paychecks were used solely to indulge myself in material things and dining, I would very often hit up my local Starbuck shop a few times a week and just splurge on myself to pure caffeine intoxication. Now with a family and financial responsibilities, I have cut back on these self indulgences, especially when one small cup of mocha frap runs about $4 dollars and you get mostly crushed ice and whip cream after a few sips.

I began exploring other options and after many attempts to replicate a Starbuck drink, I recently found a great substitute for a mocha frap that I can make at home and best of all, for a fraction of the cost!

In previous posts, Vicky’s Money Saving Tips Part I and Vicky’s Money Saving Tips Part II, I raved on and on about Costco and  how if it was a human being, I would certainly marry it. Well, at a recent trip to Costco, I stumbled upon a 4 lbs can of Caffe D’Vita Mocha Cappuccino instant mix for $9.99. This particular brand is, for the lack of a better word, freaking awesome. It tastes exactly like my favorite Starbuck mocha frap drink. And for $9.99, I can make at least 15 servings!

The label suggests you to mix the drink with water or milk. For me, I like mixing it with Kirkland Signature Organic Vanilla soymilk, which you can also purchase at Costco. The extra sweetness from the vanilla makes a killer combination with the mocha mix. Lastly, I top it off with some whip cream and you got yourself a great looking drink! In the picture, I topped it off with some crumbled graham crackers and a maraschino cherry just because I had those laying around the house, and honestly, the graham crackers and cherry just ruined the drink. Avoid what I did and then you got yourself  a great drink.

What’s also so great about the Caffe D’Vita Mocha Cappuccino instant mix  is that, like most items sold at Costco, it is a pretty healthy alternative to the Starbuck drinks. No trans fat, no hydrogenated oils, zero cholesterol, low sodium, and 99.9% caffeine free! Quite frankly, I don’t know half of what that means, but it sounds healthy. Now you can feel great saving money and downing a healthier version of a Starbuck mocha frap.

To end this post, here is my son, now 15 months, throwing a tantrum.

Sometimes I like to pick up a rake and put on garden gloves and just work in the yard. It’s a great way to get some exercise while getting work done around the house. Now that Edison is able to walk on his own, it’s also a great activity to do together. Mommy puts dead leaves into the trash and he empties it out again. Sometimes he also helps me pull up my healthy plants by the roots. I guess he doesn’t want to procrastinate on next year’s pruning. The other day as I was raking up the dead weeds and leaves in the backyard, I came across a weed that I wasn’t able to pull. It also didn’t help that I only had one garden glove. Whatever didn’t get pulled by the strength of one arm was left to grow freely. Within a few weeks, I the weed has grown to practically to my height and still growing. I still have not gotten around to purchasing a new pair of garden gloves so the weed will be left alone until then. I wonder how long it will take for it to fruit into a tree? Only time will tell. I’m watching anxiously. Yes, this post is about a weed.

For as long as I can remember, I only had one wish. I wished my parents would simply get along. I did not want toys or any other materials thing. As a little girl, I only wished that my parents would behave more like the parents of the kids around me.

Now at 27 years old, nothing has changed much. Even though I no longer live with my parents, I hear their battle everyday and it pangs me every time. I have tried my best to be a mediator and an ear, but when things just don’t improve, I cannot participate in the madness anymore. I want out.

Maybe I should forfeit my house in Vallejo and seek refuge somewhere far, far away. Cut all ties with my parents, and let them see how their ways are affecting the people around them. The idea of moving far away is getting more and more appealing everyday.

Have you ever gone to the check-out stand and wonder what the cashier would say or think about your purchase?

My local Raley’s store is filled with wonderful and kind workers. I’m always greeted when I enter and be reminded to have a great day when I leave. I’m always  offered help with my one bag of a few ounces, and I’m constantly asked if I need help while shopping throughout the store. It’s a great feeling and I appreciate their hospitality. 

However, the hospitality extends all the way to the check-out process and they feel like they need to make conversation on my purchase. For the most part, I don’t care and I like the small talk. Yes, my purchase of canned tomatoes, spaghetti, ground beef, and mushrooms would indicate that I’m making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and I don’t mind confirming that. And yes, my poppy seed  salad dressing will not go well with the s’mores that I’m purchasing. Haha. You are one funny cashier.

But what if their comments cross the line? What if they start asking you questions that are none of their business or making comments that are a bit rude? Do you shrug it off and back away or do you take them by the collar, violently shake them around and belligerently shout in their face to mind their own business?

I wonder what they would say if you bought ropes, rat poison, baby food, and duct tape.

I often make stir-fry at home because it’s not only simple, but it’s also a healthy way to get a colorful mix of vegetables into my diet. Stir-fry is easy. You pretty much just cut up a bunch of vegetables and toss it altogether in a wok. The only challenging thing is making the stir-fry sauce. I have tried many store-bought stir-fry sauces and all have disappoint. First of all, the already made stir-fry sauce never taste authentic enough for me. It’s probably because they are all made by American companies. Second, I can make my own stir-fry sauce for a fraction of  the cost of those bottled ones. And third, it’s not at all that hard. I want to give credit to my mother-in-law who has taught me many things in the kitchen. Here’s my her recipe for a stir-fry sauce:

A very simple yet delicious stir-fry sauce recipe:

• 3 tablespoons flour (I use Tapioca flour but any flour would do)

• 1/2 cup cold water or stock (stock preferred)

• 1/2 cup oyster sauce

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon MSG (optional)

Dissolve the flour in the cold water or stock. I prefer to use chicken stock as it adds a good hearty flavor to the stir-fry. Mix in the oyster sauce, sugar and MSG. And ta-daaa, you got yourself a delicious and simple stir-fry sauce! Now, wasn’t that simple?

Now, for the vegetables. You can use any starchy or thick vegetables. Here are a few ideas and some of my favorites:

• Mushrooms (shitakes..yum)

• Bamboo shoots

• Baby corn

• Bell peppers

• Asparagus

• Broccoli

• Cauliflower

• Cabbage

• Carrots

Best way to evenly cook your vegetables is to blanch them for a few minutes with a little bit of salt and oil.

Then heat up a wok with a little bit of oil. Minced up some garlic and fry until fragrant. Pour in your stir-fry mixture. Mix until it gets thick, which will only take a few seconds. Do not worry if it clumps up. It can be thinned out later.

Toss in your blanched vegetables into the mixture until evenly coated. If you find that your mixture clumps together, add a bit more water or stock. Your sauce should be thick enough that it sticks onto the vegetable without any clumps.

For a beautiful finish, top it off with scallions (cut at a diagonal in 1/2 inches).

Of course, to make any stir-fry into a full meal, feel free to add in any  meat: pork, beef, chicken…the options are endless. Marinate first with a little bit of salt, pepper and oil. Cook the meat first in the wok before adding in the blanched vegetables.

Happy and healthy eating!

Now that Edison is active and walking without much assistance, I wish I was a chameleon. One eye will be on him and the other eye will allow me to continue with my everyday life. As of right now, it is a full time job just making sure he doesn’t hurt himself.

Just the other day, as he was doing his peeping-Tom routine, peering through the window curtains while standing on top of the couch, he spotted a neighbor and jumped with joy at the presence of another human being. In his excitement, he jumped so high that he bounced forward and hit his jaw in the window sill. Poor guy.

He also gets hurt while asleep. I left him napping on our bed and went into a different room to get some work down. The next thing I heard was a loud thud. If it wasn’t for the cry that immediately followed it, I would have thought someone threw a sack of potato on the floor. What interested me was how he moved so quickly from the middle of the bed to the edge of the bed, and it’s a big bed, too. Anywho,  poor guy.

I think I need to fasten a helmet on him at all times. Remember what happened to Natasha Richardson? We wouldn’t want that, would we?

Ever since we had the baby, I noticed that we are not spending as much money on leisure activities anymore, which has been great on our wallet. We gradually and unnoticeably cut these activities out of our lives so we don’t even miss it as much. Here are activities that we have given up or cut back ever since baby arrived:

1. No more movie nights at the theatre.

I get annoyed when parents would bring their little ones into the theatre and cannot control them. Worst, when the parents would refuse to take their little ones out of the theatres to calm them because they are too engaged in the movie. It disrupts the movie and ruins the fun for everyone who paid money to watch and enjoy the movie. To prevent myself from being in the same situation, we simply stop going to the theatres. Instead, we opted for NetFlix. We now pay only a fraction of the cost by avoiding those increased ticket prices and the lure of the overpriced concession stand. Plus, with NetFlix, we are able to watch multiple movies in the comfort of our own home. NetFlix also has instant viewing for some movies so if we don’t get any DVDs on time, we simply just watch the movies that are available for instant streaming.

2. We eat out less.

The above also applies here. I simply do not want to go to restaurants and have him cry over people’s meal so we don’t go out to eat as much. We used to eat out every weekend, but now we simply buy the groceries and make our “take-out meals” at home. For the same cost of going out to a restaurant, I make twice or triple the portion size that I can freeze and enjoy later. I also find that making food at home is not only friendly on our wallets, but a lot healthier since can control everything that goes into the dish.

3. We plan free activities.

We planned activities that both our baby and I would enjoy, and most of which happen to be free. Right now our baby just loves to look at things. He loves staring at trees, plants, and animals. What better place for him to visit is a nice park? The visually stimulating environment keeps him entertained and occupied, and the outdoors is simply great for me and my husband to stroll together to get some fresh air and exercise. These activities cost us nothing, and we get to spend quality time with the family. Another place that I’m planning to visit is the beach, which also happens to be free. I’m sure he will enjoy the sand between his toes and splashing in the water.

4. No more Starbuck drinks.

Packing the baby is a lot of work. Fastening and unfastening him in the car seat, loading and unloading the diaper and bottle bags, and stroller discourage us from making too many pit stops, one of which is a quick visit to Starbuck. Avoiding these sort of pit stops not only saves us money, but we are cutting back on those unnecessary calories from our diet. That nice frappuccino with whip cream? That’s almost equivalent to a full meal!

I understand that when the baby gets older, I will have to spend a lot more money so I’m soaking up whatever I can in the meantime.

I used to complain about not having anything to do. That’s no longer the case.

Back in the good ole days, I would come home from work, cook dinner, and then sit back and relax on the couch for most of the night. The only drama was when my favorite TV programming was interrupted by breaking NEWS or worst, when I couldn’t locate the remote control. There was no baby, no mortgage, no passion, no responsibility. It was simply go to work and pay the bills. Life was simple and then all of a sudden, BAM! Baby, husband, house, homeowners insurance, property tax, sleep deprivation, diapers, spit-up, dividing time evenly with husband’s family and my family, and in the midst of it all, starting my own business.

Sometimes I do reminisce about the good ole days of no responsibility and jokingly threaten to leave my husband and baby for a more simple life. But would I go back to that if I have a choice? Everyday was just another day of the same routine. It was mind-numbingly boring. I had very little to say when asked, “How was your day” and I’m certain that I would put people to sleep if they really wanted to hear about it.

These days, it’s different. There are multiple roles to juggle—mom, wife, daughter, sister, worker, superhero, and entrepreneur. Long gone are the days when I simply plop myself on the couch after a day of work. It’s dinner preparation. It’s cleaning up. It’s grocery shopping. It’s feeding baby. It’s cleaning baby. It’s paying the bills. It’s working on the business. There’s always something to do and sometimes it feels like there’s just not enough time in the day.

But at the end of the day, although exhausted and beat, there is always a feeling of accomplishment. It may not be anything major, but it’s a small accomplishment towards a bigger goal. When I work on my business, it’s a small step towards opening my own business and finally being my own boss. When I put my baby to sleep, it’s a small step towards raising the first Vietnamese-American President or mad scientist who finally conquers time travel.

So as much as I whine and complain about how busy life is lately, I always end the day with a feeling of accomplishment and that is something I would not trade.