Category Archives: Uncategorized

How I Got My Love of Cooking – My Mom

May 8, 2016 10:46 am , Leave a Comment , Winnie N

My mom is a great cook and I have to thank her for passing her love of cooking to me. She always let me help her in the kitchen – washing vegetables, rice and cutting small things. She never told me to get out of her way when she was trying to cook. Nor did she pressure me to learn to cook because I was a girl and needed to learn that sort of thing. She just let me observe and absorb. Although she wasn’t too crazy about my non-stop questioning, she never made me leave the kitchen. I was always a very curious child asking question after question. There is actually a Cantonese phrase for that which roughly translates to “breaking a sand bin with non-stop questions”. I know it sounds a bit weird in English, it makes more sense in Cantonese and it even has a ring to it.

I remember learning to cook by watching my mom, asking questions and her letting me help. I learned how to gut a fish and clean squids at quite a young age. Even today, one of my favourite things to do is cleaning squids. Yes I know it sounds gross but it’s somehow very therapeutic to me.

I am lucky to have a mother who is very adventurous in the food realm. She often experiments with different things she’s seen or read. I have to say because of my mom’s love and adventure for food, my brothers and I love to eat and are always in search of new culinary delights! I think my kiddies already possess a bit of food obsession like my brothers and I. Practically every day the boys ask, “What are we eating for dinner?” My baby girl makes “ummm” noises when she eats something she likes and actually requests specific foods. I am hoping to pass on the love of food to my children the same way my mom passed it on to me 🙂 . How I Got My Love of Cooking - My Mom

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: cooking, love of food, mothers

Hawaiian Food Trip: Maui: Part 2

March 28, 2016 9:29 am , Leave a Comment , Winnie N

Buffet Plate: Roasted Pork, Ahi Poke, Crab Salad, Fried Rice, Fish, Poi

Maui is so beautiful. You honestly don’t have to go anywhere special to enjoy the scenery. I kept telling the kids to look out the window while driving to absorb the sights because no pictures could capture these moments.

Iao Valley State Park

This is one of my favourite places to visit in Maui. Once you park at the Iao Valley State Park, make your way up to the top. We were able to take the stroller to a certain point and then it was an easy hike up the stairs to the top. It’s breathtaking once you’re up there—I didn’t want to come down. I also read reviews where people tell you to bring bathing suits. If I didn’t have the kids with me, I would’ve gone for a quick dip. However, with young children, it can be tricky. The rocks are a bit slippery and if I fall down, I’d probably take the kids down with me. Plus, they are not strong swimmers yet. I did see a man with his two older sons in the water. So if you decide to go for a swim, definitely bring water shoes. There are signs everywhere telling you not to go into the water because of flash floods so if you decide to swim, go at your own discretion.

Iao Valley State Park

Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens

After visiting the Iao Valley State Park, we made our way to Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens. They are a 3 minute drive away from each other and it’s a perfect place to have a picnic lunch there. I packed a simple lunch of sandwiches and snacks for our family. We could’ve even barbequed there because there were plenty of picnic pavilions we could use. Each pavilion comes with picnic tables, a barbeque, a faucet and sink to fill up water bottles or wash dishes. While we were hanging around there, we noticed lots of people bringing tons of empty water cooler bottles and glass bottles. Apparently, the “best” water in Maui is from here and people bring bottles to fill them. (I think people were just getting free water from these faucets 😉 .) Admission is free and the restrooms there are very clean. It’s a perfect place for the kids to hang out and people to fill water bottles!

Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens

Old Lahaina Luau

The next day we headed to the Old Lahaina Luau for an evening full of food and fun. After talking to some friends and doing a bit of research, I found out that this is one of the best luaus in Maui. It is recommended to book your luau as soon as you book your trip because the spots get filled up fast. The sooner you book, the better spot you get. Having said that, the place’s layout is very good and you get a good vantage point no matter where you sit.

Old Lahaina Luau

As soon as we arrived they served us with a delightful alcoholic beverage. The kids also get non-alcoholic versions as well. We were also given leis to put around our necks and as we entered the premise, we truly got into the aloha spirit. Everything was set up beautifully and we were facing the ocean. As the sun set, the festivities began. We got to see them take out the roasted pig from their underground oven which was pretty cool. Everything was so well organized—they announced, in an orderly fashion, when each table could go up to the buffet table. Check out the buffet menu if you want to know what is served. Everything was delicious. Our boys absolutely LOVED the pork! They went back for seconds and all of us were thoroughly stuffed.

Buffet Plate: Roasted Pork, Ahi Poke, Crab Salad, Fried Rice, Fish, Poi

Left: Roasted Pork from the Ground Oven
Right: Assorted Island Desserts (Passion Fruit Cake, Upcountry Lavender Lemon Shortbread Cookies, Hawaiian Chocolate Chili Pepper Brownie, and Haupia)

Not only did we taste all the Memorable Dishes at the luau, it was truly a memorable night for the whole family. The last day of Maui is coming as Hawaiian Food Trip: Maui: Part 3 continues.

Posted in: Uncategorized

Kawartha Settlers’ Village – Cooking in the Olden Days

August 10, 2015 7:48 am , Leave a Comment , Winnie N

Kawartha Settler's Village Entrance Sign

A couple of weeks ago, our family stayed at a cottage for a week in the Kawartha’s area. You’d think it would be a pretty relaxing and low-key trip. However, with three young children and meals to plan and prepare for the whole week, it was a semi-relaxed vacation 😉 Luckily, we went with another family so the duties were shared. I love cooking but am not too crazy about cleaning. My friends didn’t care for cooking and didn’t mind cleaning so it was a good match.

One of the things we did besides playing at the beach, swimming, and fishing, was going to Kawartha Settlers’ Village. To me, that was the highlight of our trip. It was great exploring the village because we got an up close and personal look at how the settlers lived. Some of the buildings were already there, some were brought in from other areas, and some were built on premise. What I found most interesting was, you guessed it, the kitchen. It’s not how you would picture a modern kitchen to be. It’s basically a big room on the ground floor with the stove in the middle. The cooking area is on one side and the sitting area on the other. The stove is situated in a practical place where you are able to cook and warm up the house at the same time.

Kawartha Settlers’ Village Entrance Sign

I’ve always been fascinated at how people cook from the olden times. I remember visiting my father’s ancestral village and my great aunt showed me the stone stove that my grandmother built for cooking. I was enthralled that she was able to cook with such a basic stove. Now with our fancy kitchens and special equipment for our cooking needs, we are totally spoiled!

Fancy Stove (left) | Not-so-fancy Stove (right)

After visiting settler’s village, my husband and I couldn’t stop talking about it. I said to him, I wanted to go back without the kids and really spend extra time to learn and explore on how the settlers lived. I really had an amazing time and couldn’t believe how entertaining it was to visit there. Oh yeah, I think the kids had lots of fun too!

Butter Worker (left) | Cream Separator (right)

Cheese Press (left) | Cheese Box (right)

Giant Frying Pan

Posted in: Places Visited, Uncategorized , Tagged: cottage, Kawarthas, vacation

Inspiration for Writing Memorable Dishes

February 13, 2015 8:33 pm , Leave a Comment , Winnie N

After having my second child, I quit my full-time job as a multimedia/web graphics/design person to take care of my family. When I started taking culinary classes at George Brown College and posting food pictures on Facebook, people suggested that I write a blog. At that time, I wasn’t too keen on the idea. Part of the reason I pursued cooking was to do something that I was passionate about. But also to do something more social rather than sitting in front of the computer all day.

Nevertheless, my view on writing a blog has since changed. On one particular day, I was browsing through the food section of the library. I usually look through that section to see which cookbooks interest me. Not only were there recipe-oriented books, but there were also food-related books that were not cookbooks. The first book I picked up was Sweet Mandarin: The Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West by Helen Tse. It is a very heart-warming story about three generations of women and their journeys through life that are somehow, intertwined by food. I was very touched by their story. Reading Tse’s book inspired me to write a blog that is connected by food but meaningful as well. The idea of Memorable Dishes was conceived!

I have combined my passion for cooking, my experience in graphics (and being a fairly tech-savvy person) to create this blog. In between taking care of my family, culinary classes, working part-time from home, volunteering at my kids’ school, and having our third child, it has been a year since the idea came into fruition. Finally, I am ready to launch my blog. Hope you enjoy reading it and that you recollect your own Memorable Dishes you’ve eaten or created!