Spaghetti Alle Vongole .. en Beurre Rouge.

A new find at the supermarket were these frozen clams in butter garlic sauce. I thought what a great idea to use the juice from those clams to make a butter based sauce for pasta. I don't have white wine. Red wine it is!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup red wine (mine was already opened, Chilean)
1lb clams in shell
handful of spaghetti
3 ripe roma tomatoes (canned has more flavor)
1-2 cloves of garlic
 EVOO

Take a handful of spaghetti!

Salt your boiling water!













Put the spaghetti in.

Drain your noodles. Then using the same pot, refill water and back onto the heat.

This is what the clams look like, approx 20. You can use 2 packages.











When water boils, drop your vacuumed bag of clams in.

Cover with lid and steam until the bag expands and the clams have opened up.

 When clams are ready, take bag out of water. Separate the clams from the liquid, reserve both.

In the same pot on medium high heat, drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil and sauteed tomatoes and garlic.











Pour in the clam juice and red wine. I found I wanted a little more body so I dropped about a tbsp of butter in. Add in about 1 tsp black pepper, toss in clams and stir until everything is well combined, the tomatoes will be soft and the clams get coated in pink.

..et Voila!

Taste Something Different

This is the chicken and squash hot pot @ Golden Phoenix in Vancouver, one of my favorite dim sum restaurants. I went in for dinner, and was the only table there! It was the first time I tried something off the dim sum menu and this dish appealed to me. Pieces of yellow squash and chicken in a thickened cream sauce served on top of an on going flame, hence hot pot. Not bad, I had it as a side on my dish of chow mein.

Chicka-whaaa?

Just thought I'd share with you my deformed chicken mcnugget, it was tasty.

Affordable Birthdays

I made this yummy cake for a friend's birthday. Just a 9inch chocolate cake. Chocolate cake mix, homemade butter cream frosting (margarine whipped with icing sugar a tbsp of water- free!), some oreos, colorful candles and sparklers =)

Savor This!

Oyster Motoyaki @ Akasaka in Surrey. It came to the table in flaming galore. Oysters with sauteed onions and mushrooms in an oyster shell, topped with cheesy mayonnaise, broiled to perfection. A bite of this creamy mother-load will put your taste buds in ecstasy. You feel your arteries hurt from wanting more..

Bean Thread & Seafood

Everytime I open the fridge there is a bit of this, that, everything. Leftovers combined make an awesome dish for one. Chinese bean thread noodle, salmon, octopus tentacles, prawns, some broccoli tossed in a frying pan with a tiny tiny bit of soy, sesame oil, chili flakes, garlic.. just whatever is lying around.

After a long hiatus..

This year by far, has been the best year for me. Perhaps it is because the XXI Winter Olympics took place in Vancouver (I live in GVRD). It could also be my newly found positive outlook on time and age. Or the everyday joys in my youth. Maybe it's everything that ever happens. But we cannot keep waiting for change to happen, we cannot feel sorry for ourselves and act lazy while the world outside is moving. Nothing moves itself.

The Best Sushi Restaurant... in my hood at least.

This is the Fusion Combo at Tobiko Sushi in Surrey, B.C. The things that make this restaurant the best for me is the price, quality and originality! With sushi it is never about quantity, but Tobiko always leaves me full at around $15! I just love their array of special rolls. I am no fan of the pseudo-Japanese California Rolls, but Tobiko gives the California a little fun northwest twist. You can find fresh sashimi, smoked salmon, soft shelled crabs, green roe, fiery torched fish, and a lot of spiciness on their menu. It's not just fun to look at, I can assure you it does not lack in taste and texture.