Happy New Year – Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!!! For 2012, Tết lands on January 23 -

T’is the year of the dragon.

What does the dragon mean? Is this a lucky year? It could be if you believe in luck. I do. There was an inflated number of Asian babies being born in the year 2000. My son was one of the many dragon babies. If interested to know more about the dragon year, you can visit http://www.chinesezodiac.com/dragon.php or http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2012ChineseHoroscope.htm for more fun trivia.

Clean out the old and welcome the new. It is customary for Vietnamese to spend several weeks up to a month to clean out the homes and get ready for the New Year. For the first three days of the year, we celebrate the New Year heartily. It is bad luck to clean the house on the first three days. It is believed that if you start your year with cleaning then you will end up cleaning all year long. I just learned this new tidbit from my mom. =)

It’s time to bring in the New Year with lots of yummy Vietnamese food! A traditional must taste Vietnamese food is “bánh chưng” or sticky rice cake. It is made of sticky rice, pork meat, mung beans, and seasonings wrapped in banana and/or bamboo leaves. Yes, there is a vegetarian version of “bánh chưng”.

There is a legendary story associated to “bánh chưng.” Here is a link that shares this legend: http://www.chaobannewsletter.com/article-tetstory.html.

You can purchase “banh chung” at a local Vietnamese market. There are limited amount available so hurry and get one before they run out.

If you are curious and would like to make a “bánh chưng” of your own, visit http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/01/banh-chung-recipe-lunar-new-years-rice-cakes-vietnamese.html for a recipe and instructions. 

Making “bánh chưng” is a lengthy process but quite worth while once you know how. I have not attempted to make one yet. I usually buy them from a Vietnamese market. Perhaps, there will be a time when I will make my own. =)

To view an html of this article, please visit http://www.icontact-archive.com/nfoXEgvjRWamodr9u9hs4KwK4qLomK06?w=3

Note: If you missed my last newsletters, please visit

www.PhoQueenCooking.com/weblog.html for past newsletters.

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 “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh

ingredients.”  – Julia Child

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-         Demonstration of Honey Comb Cake - Dessert: February 19 at 3pm -- Maitland Library. Visit www.maitlandpubliclibrary.org for more information and many more wonderful programs.

Love to hear your feedback on your cooking adventure. You can post your

questions / comments on facebook under discussion board:

http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=176331282403610

Looking for a special gift for birthdays or any special occasion? Why not the gift

of cooking Vietnamese food? Visit http://haroda.com/store/index.html for your

gifts today.

Pho Queen supports local education. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/education.html to find

out more how you can support your local schools.

Would you like to submit questions, comments, feedbacks, etc to Pho Queen?

We would love to hear from you. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/contact.html.

For more tips and instructional videos on Vietnamese cooking, click on http://PhoQueenCooking.com and http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

Hà…

Have fun eating healthy!

http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

Looking for a new chicken recipe? I found a yummy recipe that I would like to share. It’s not a Vietnamese recipe and contains no fish sauce. =)

Instead of using recipes from my cookbook, I tried something different today. I love Italian food so I found a chicken recipe for an Italian dish called “Chicken Scarpariello” on the internet. To my surprise, the dish turned out very well. Even my kids loved it.

I modified the ingredients a little bit to fit the available ingredients in my kitchen. For example, I used vegetable oil instead of olive oil. I used cilantro instead of rosemary. Oops, I just realized I took away two important aspects of an Italian dish. It’s the silly Vietnamese in me. If you use the proper ingredients, you will make a superb Italian cuisine. Have fun!!!

Here is the link to Chicken Scarpariello: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-scarpariello/detail.aspx

To view an html of this article, please visit http://www.icontact-archive.com/nfoXEgvjRWamodr9u9hs4Nz0Pmq-V-O-?w=3

Note: If you missed my last newsletters, please visit

www.PhoQueenCooking.com/weblog.html for past newsletters.

------------- *** ------------

 “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh

ingredients.”  – Julia Child

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-         Demonstration of Eggplant Chowder: January 15 at 3pm -- Maitland Library. Visit www.maitlandpubliclibrary.org for more information and many more wonderful programs.

Love to hear your feedback on your cooking adventure. You can post your

questions / comments on facebook under discussion board:

http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=176331282403610

Looking for a special gift for birthdays or any special occasion? Why not the gift

of cooking Vietnamese food? Visit http://haroda.com/store/index.html for your

gifts today.

Pho Queen supports local education. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/education.html to find

out more how you can support your local schools.

Would you like to submit questions, comments, feedbacks, etc to Pho Queen?

We would love to hear from you. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/contact.html.

For more tips and instructional videos on Vietnamese cooking, click on http://PhoQueenCooking.com and http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

Hà…

Have fun eating healthy!

http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

Have Christmas 2011 gone and passed already? I just now finally gotten used to writing 2011 dates. 2012 is here! Time does not stop for anyone. I hope everyone has a great head start and best wishes for a prosperous New Year. The New Year is treating me very well so far so good.  =)

I missed a few Pho Queen Newsletters. My computer wanted to have a Holiday vacation. It won’t boot up. It’ll probably cost me more to fix than to get a new computer. Alas, no budget for a new computer, yet.

I decided to give my computer a little tune up and TLC (Tender Loving Care). I took the whole computer apart, blew out the dusty cobwebs, and reconnected the hard drive wires. Wow, a little TLC went a long way! It’s a live!!! What a great start for the New Year of 2012!  How many of you have a similar experience not only computers but other aspects of your life?

Did you create a New Year resolution this year? With my recent computer glitch, I came up with one for me.  For 2012, I would like to take on completing as many uncompleted and lingering tasks that I started and forgot as possible. Blow out the dusty cobwebs and re-initiate with TLC.

I believe 2012 is a great year to re-connect, re-kindle, or re-vitalize your friendships, kinship, assets, talents, projects, etc…

“Sometimes, there is no need to search for a perfect or a magical solution when it is right beneath your nose.” – Ha Roda

Is eating healthy or tasting new Asian cuisine one of your 2012 New Year resolutions?  Visit our http://phoqueencooking.com/phoqueenstore.html for a yummy Vietnamese Cookbook full of easy step by step recipes. Nominated for James Beard Foundation awards, the book contains simple and quick recipes for our busy cooks with many fun cultural tidbits about Vietnam.

New Year demonstration is on January 15, 2012 at Maitland Libraries. Please visit http://phoqueencooking.com/demonstration.html for more info.

Note: If you missed my last newsletters, please visit

www.PhoQueenCooking.com/weblog.html for past newsletters.

------------- *** ------------

 “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh

ingredients.”  – Julia Child

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-         Demonstration of Eggplant Chowder: January 15 at 3pm -- Maitland Library. Visit www.maitlandpubliclibrary.org for more information and many more wonderful programs.

Love to hear your feedback on your cooking adventure. You can post your

questions / comments on facebook under discussion board:

http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=176331282403610

Looking for a special gift for birthdays or any special occasion? Why not the gift

of cooking Vietnamese food? Visit http://haroda.com/store/index.html for your

gifts today.

Pho Queen supports local education. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/education.html to find

out more how you can support your local schools.

Would you like to submit questions, comments, feedbacks, etc to Pho Queen?

We would love to hear from you. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/contact.html.

For more tips and instructional videos on Vietnamese cooking, click on http://PhoQueenCooking.com and http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

Hà…

Have fun eating healthy!

http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

http://PhoQueenCooking.com

After Thanksgiving, celebration of Holidays arrive lightning fast. Looking for a special gift this holiday? A Vietnamese Kitchen: Family Treasure Recipes is on sale at $15.95 (36% discount) for limited time only. The retail price is $24.95. Please visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/phoqueenstore.html to order now or you can purchase a copy at my next demonstration on December 18, 2011.

Remember about my share on canker sores a few newsletters ago? Well I got a new canker sore formed from drinking a hot drink a week ago. Since the canker sore posting, I changed my Crest toothpaste to organic toothpaste called “Toms” based on a suggestion from a friend.

I am glad I changed to organic toothpaste. The stinging twinge of my canker sore subsided every time I brushed my teeth. I am taking extra precaution and continuing to drink a combination of fresh squeezed grapefruit and orange juice. The juice is refreshing. The orange sweetness overrides the bitterness of grapefruit flavor. Also, keep in mind stevia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia) is a great additive to reduce the bitterness tang.

Not only the canker sore is healing nicely with minimal pain, my immune system battles colds and flu around me. Wahoo!!!

In short, I invite you to take on having an amazing immune system this winter so you can enjoy your family over the Holidays with minimal flu or colds lingering in your body. Perhaps, drink more fresh squeezed grapefruit and/or orange juice, or take whatever works for you and your body. You know best!

Note: If you missed my last newsletters, please visit

www.PhoQueenCooking.com/weblog.html for past newsletters.

------------- *** ------------

 “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh

ingredients.”  – Julia Child

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-         Demonstration of Cinnamon Chicken Patty: December 18 at 3pm -- Maitland Library. Visit www.maitlandpubliclibrary.org for more information and many more wonderful programs.

Love to hear your feedback on your cooking adventure. You can post your

questions / comments on facebook under discussion board:

http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=176331282403610

Looking for a special gift for birthdays or any special occasion? Why not the gift

of cooking Vietnamese food? Visit http://haroda.com/store/index.html for your

gifts today.

Pho Queen supports local education. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/education.html to find

out more how you can support your local schools.

Would you like to submit questions, comments, feedbacks, etc to Pho Queen?

We would love to hear from you. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/contact.html.

For more tips and instructional videos on Vietnamese cooking, click on http://PhoQueenCooking.com and http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

Hà…

Have fun eating healthy!

http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

http://PhoQueenCooking.com

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Growing up in a Vietnamese household, my family made many attempts to have an American traditional Thanksgiving dinner. However, our attempts were modified often by the overwhelming votes of “No Turkey!” among the sibling rivalry. My family was not very fond of turkey. To keep peace, we ended up having roasted chicken or some other Vietnamese dish with corn and gravy.

Now as an adult with my own little family, we are creating a new tradition with my mom, my aunt, my sister and her family. However, the battle of the food followed us. Yearning for the American traditional Thanksgiving turkey experience, we came up with a Vietnamese/American feast compromise.

For the past few years, we had two Thanksgiving feasts consecutively. On Thursday, we celebrated with a traditional turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, corn, and the works with a hint of Vietnamese spices. On Friday, we feast heartily on “Thit Bo Nhung Dam” or Beef Vinegar Hot Pot and other Vietnamese cuisine delights. We ate, ate, and ate all day long. Yum!!!

The compromised feast was a success. Everyone came home satisfied and fulfilled. We will be doing the same feasts again this year.

What are your challenges and successes for your Thanksgiving feast? Love to hear them.

Looking for a change to your Thanksgiving dinner? Please visit http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=ad8f719de99bf900b0db866feee8d54f#!/profile.php?id=100000670768196&sk=wall for the latest recipe & pictures of  “Thit Bo Nhung Dam” or Beef Vinegar Hot Pot recipe to add to your Holiday feast.

Note: If you missed my last newsletters, please visit

www.PhoQueenCooking.com/weblog.html for past newsletters.

------------- *** ------------

 “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh

ingredients.”  – Julia Child

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-         Demonstration of Chicken: December 18 at 3pm -- Maitland Library. Visit www.maitlandpubliclibrary.org for more information and many more wonderful programs.

Love to hear your feedback on your cooking adventure. You can post your

questions / comments on facebook under discussion board:

http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=176331282403610

Looking for a special gift for birthdays or any special occasion? Why not the gift

of cooking Vietnamese food? Visit http://haroda.com/store/index.html for your

gifts today.

Pho Queen supports local education. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/education.html to find

out more how you can support your local schools.

Would you like to submit questions, comments, feedbacks, etc to Pho Queen?

We would love to hear from you. Visit http://PhoQueenCooking.com/contact.html.

For more tips and instructional videos on Vietnamese cooking, click on http://PhoQueenCooking.com and http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

Hà…

Have fun eating healthy!

http://EasyVietnameseRecipes.com

http://PhoQueenCooking.com