I used to have lunch at a chicken rice restaurant in Sunway Pyramid years ago. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, only that they had some seriously delicious char siew (barbecued pork) and siew yoke (roast pork) dishes.

Strangely I haven’t been able to find that restaurant until a couple of weeks back. Well, this time I was determined to find it because I’ve been craving their roast pork noodles for such a long time . So I dragged my kids from floor to floor looking for familiar stores that would lead me to this place.

At this point, it should be noted that I’m not the sort of person who’d go out of my way to track down good food, no matter how highly recommended. But this restaurant has left such yummy memories with me that I just had to find it!!!

And I did. It’s on the ground floor near the skating rink. It’s called Yip’s Kitchen now with an upgraded look and even a guitar-playing waiter singing out front to entertain and tempt shoppers to step inside.

If there was any doubt in my mind about whether this was the right restaurant, the siew yoke noodles confirmed it for me! Its crispy, crackling skin is all too familiar and brought back a rush of lunchtime memories. Yes, it’s still as yummy as I remember it.

My younger daughter had the char siew rice. Still good.

My older daughter had the curry chicken rice, which I presume is a new menu item as I don’t remember them having this back then.

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I made a very simple Thanksgiving lunch, with a difference, since I couldn’t find any frozen turkeys selling at my regular grocery stores. I see that they’ve only just started selling turkeys today, yes, two days after Thanksgiving. Really considerate of you guys .

I bought 9 slices of frozen Australian lamb chops and decided to grill them. I marinated them with salt, pepper, half a cup of ginger juice and 1+ cup of barbecue sauce for about an hour. That’s it.

My oven has 3 built-in functions - microwave, grill and bake. I chucked the whole pan in and grilled the chops, sliced parboiled potatoes and sliced onion rings for an hour.

Meantime, I prepared the tropical salsa. I diced one onion, one tomato and a few sprigs of parsley. I opened a can of cubed pineapples and added that to my bowl with a few tablespoons of the syrup. A quick squeeze of lemon and I’m done .

This simple grilled lamb chop is a nice change from the black pepper lamb chops which I sometimes buy pre-marinated from the store. This is non-spicy and even younger kids

Happy Thanksgiving, hope you guys are having tons of food-filled fun. Nope, I didn’t find that turkey but I made something else (I’ll post about it later) and I’m thankful it turned out good and the kids and I had a great dinner and some great laughs.

Well, here’s my take on another set of brilliant questions from valmg this week.

#1. What’s your favorite carbonated beverage?
Coke, the full-blown version, not diet, not sugar-free or whatever-free. I don’t drink it every day but I have to have a fix once in a while.

#2. What’s your favorite spicy food?
I love anything spicy. It’s kinda hard to pinpoint just one or two things because I like them all . Curry, tom yam, spicy salsa…

#3. How do you handle hot dishes? Oven mitt, pot holder, towel?
I use an oven mitt when using my oven, and a towel when I’m cooking over the stove.

#4. Ice cream. How do you like yours?
I usually have my ice cream plain without the toppings and stuff. I don’t eat it out of the tub, I always spoon it into a bowl. My latest craze is Friday’s cookies and cream. If I have to jostle my kids out of the way, I will… for this !

Want to play Four Foods on Friday? Head over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

Do you remember what candy you were eating or who you were fighting with to get your hands on that piece of candy around Christmas when you were a kid? Wouldn’t it be really something if you could be holding those same candies and eating them again this Christmas?

I love this whole idea of going back to the good old days of Mary Janes, Chiclets, Zagnut, Chunky, Abba-Zaba, BB Bats, Sen Sen, Chick-O-Sticks, Teaberry Gum, Kits, Sugar Babies, and so many other candies we enjoyed back in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Yes, indeed these candies are still available today at the Old Time Candy Company. What better time to spring a surprise on your loved ones or your guests with those Wax Lips, Fizzies, Slo Pokes, Wax Bottles with flavored syrup, Candy Cigarettes, Necco Wafers, Candy Buttons on paper tape and Sugar Daddies!

In this month of November, you can save 5% off all candy from the Old Time Candy Company by using this coupon code - 05556. Expect squeals of excitement and lots of fun and laughter this Christmas. Everyone’s gonna love your gift.

In my early working years, there were times when I had to work and couldn’t make it back for the holidays. Then there were the years when my kids were young and the pressure of cooking a halfway decent meal for the extended family was the last thing I needed.

In those days, we didn’t have the luxury of meals that we could order in or have sent to someone far away who couldn’t make it home for the holidays.

I mean, where were we going to have a hickory-smoked turkey breast, lobster scampi puffs, French baguette with rosemary peppercorn dip, butternut squash, green beans almondine and a decadant pecan pie without slaving for hours in the kitchen?

Or have a spiral sliced ham, spicy lamb skewers, spanakopita (traditional Greek appetizer), scalloped potatoes, ratatouille and a cranberry pear tart appear from thin air, for that matter, huh?

But now we can order a gourmet feast online from ArtikoChef.com and have it delivered to your door. From now through November 30, 2008, click here and use the coupon code - OCT08DISC10FEAST - to enjoy 10% off gourmet 3-course dinner feasts.

If you’re planning a romantic Thanksgiving Dinner for 2, your order will come with free truffles and candles during this same period from now through November 30, 2008. Just click here and use the coupon code - freetruffles_candles.

I don’t know about you but with the busy days just before the holiday season, I get really stressed up having to cook dinner whether it’s just a few of us or if we’re having the in-laws or outlaws .

Quite frankly, I’d really rather order a meal to be delivered than cook up a storm myself. I think sometimes spending a bit of money is well worth the stress we put ourselves through.

Gazing at the food Gourmet Station offers to deliver has me drooling. I’m surprised at how inexpensive their feasts of mouth-watering ribs and steaks, soups, desserts and even a Cajun 4-course meal are.

How heavenly to have someone else do the cooking, deliver the meal to my house and I don’t have a lift a finger!

Whether it’s a deluxe gourmet meal for your family, or a gift certificate for someone who can’t make it to dinner, or simply a presentable corporate gift, go see if you can pick something out at Gourmet Station.

From November 27 - December 2, 2008, you can enjoy 20% off all their products. Click here and use the coupon code - BLACKFRIDAY - to enjoy the offer.

I had two cans of mushroom carbonara sauce sitting around. They came free when I bought two bottles of Prego pasta sauce.

The last time I used sauce from a can, my kids didn’t care for the taste. So what was I supposed to do with these two cans? Cook ‘em, of course .

I used:

• 2 cans of Prego mushroom carbonara sauce
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6 slices of back bacon, sliced long
• spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• dried parsley

Boil the spaghetti till al dente. In a non-stick pan, lightly fry the bacon in olive oil for about two minutes. Then add the onions and saute till they become translucent.

Pour in the carbonara sauce. Use a little water to rinse out the cans and pour that in as well. Bring to a simmer and add the spaghetti to the sauce. Mix well. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley.

I prefer mixing the spaghetti in the sauce while it’s still in the pan to spooning the sauce over the spaghetti because I find the sauce is more evenly distributed and sticks better.

Linguine or fettucine would’ve gone better with this sauce but I was fresh out of those so I used spaghetti instead. You can be really flexi with this and use any pasta you like or happen to have sitting around. Enjoy!

I love this week’s questions. Needs quite a bit of thinking though. I’ve had a very busy week and I’m sorta mentally drained so I’m muddling through this post.

#1. What’s the worst tasting food you’ve ever eaten?
Innards are not only unappetizing to eat but also to look at. We have a kind of pork porridge here that comes with pig liver and all the other unspeakables. The porridge tastes really good but I hate the innards suspended in there. So I’ll order it without the ‘goodies’, which makes people think I’m nuts but I really don’t care !

#2. Share a funny or embarrassing story about a meal you’ve made.
I can’t think of any off the top of my head. But if I’m making something for company and it turns out bad, I’ll just hide it and won’t serve it.

#3. What food do you burn or have problems cooking most often?
I tend to think I’m a better multitasker than I really am. I’m very impatient and sometimes I will start saute-ing the chopped garlic before I’m quite ready to start cooking. Garlic sizzles and burns in a blink of an eye, and then I have to kick myself !

#4. Name two foods you’ll be eating on this Thanksgiving.
I hope to be eating roast turkey and mashed potatoes. I’m still looking for that turkey! If I don’t find it, I’ll be drooling all next week *sobs*. Happy Thanksgiving, you guys, think of me when you’re enjoying that scrumptuous turkey dinner!

Want to play Four Foods on Friday? Head over to valmg’s blog at Fun, Crafts and Recipes for details.

Some friends of ours went absolutely nuts when we were on holiday in Phuket, Thailand. No, not because of the beaches or the shopping, though Phuket is a beautiful beach resort with great shopping to boot.

They couldn’t wait to taste the fresh oysters! The oysters are served on their shells. You squeeze some lemon/lime juice all over and just gulp them down RAW!! I didn’t try it, it freaked me out.

But I like oysters in egg omelette which is the only kind I’ve tried. This recipe of holiday oysters with cocktail sauce sounds like something I might like though.

You need:

• 1 pint shucked oysters (30 to 48 per pint)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup cracker meal (or crushed crackers)
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• CrabPlace.com cocktail sauce
• Lemon wedges

Prepare the oysters. Combine the flour and cracker meal and dredge the oysters in the mixture. Let the oysters sit, refrigerated, for 20 minutes.

Heat the oil to about 350 degrees on medium heat. Add in the optional butter. Fry the oysters until crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. The oysters are done when they’re golden brown and crispy.

Transfer the fried oysters to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle sea salt to taste and serve hot with spicy cocktail sauce and lemon wedges. This makes 6 to 8 servings.

How to clean fresh oysters:

Scrub the oysters and place them in a large bowl. Make sure to discard all broken shells or oysters that won’t close. Fill the bowl with enough cold water to cover the oysters.

Shake in the cornmeal and stir. Let the oysters sit for 3 to 6 hours, to let them purge any sand. Remove the oysters from the water and rinse thoroughly.

I used to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with my gal pal in California. That’s where I had my first taste of roast turkey and I’ve gotten hooked ever since.

Since Thanksgiving and Christmas is only a month away from each other, she would try not to have roast turkey twice. Actually I wouldn’t have minded having turkey twice in a month but well, I wasn’t calling the shots.

So she would either have ham or a pork roast for Christmas. It’s nice to have something completely different to look forward to, like some plump scallops, for example.

Or lobster tails? I rarely see lobsters sold anywhere, only served at fancy restaurants.

But if you live in the continental United States, you can shop The Crab Place for award-winning Maryland seafood and have it delivered fresh to the your doorstep. They offer discounted weekday shipping to different parts of the US so you should definitely check that out.

On the Black Friday weekend from November 28 thru December 1, 2008, you can use this link to save 25% off their award-winning Maryland Lump Crab Cakes.

I love crab cakes dipped in chili sauce. I don’t think they ship internationally but I’m definitely checking out the free seafood recipes on their site for some ideas of what to cook for Thanksgiving in case I really can’t find that turkey .