Penny-Pincher's Pal: Shop Gifts For Your Valentine At <b>Asian Food</b> <b>...</b>

AsianFoodGrocer.com is a wholesaler, specializing in Asian food products and has a long, established history of customer satisfaction with competitive prices, quality, and customer service. They strive to excel in customer service. AsianFoodGrocer.com provides quality Asian foods at great prices! From miso to pocky, Japanese candy, seasonings and more, there are thousands of products to shop from.  They are best source for quality Asian food.Like Sushi?  No you don't have to eat raw fish to have great tasting Sushi.  Technically it's not Sushi if it's not raw fish, but trust me you'll love all the cooked seafood and veggie alternatives.  I like a fresh cucumber roll with Mayo and Avocado.And please do not worry about MSG.  If you don't want it as an ingredient then you can buy plenty of products that are MSG free.  Another concern of many is that even though Soy Sauce is known to have health benefits it is also very salty.  First you don't drink it, you sprinkle it on your food, but there is a low salt version that is every bit as healthy and tasty.My wife is Asian  and is an excellent cook so if you have any questions or concerns about Asian food feel free to let me know and I will be happy to address them for you. Oh and yes I am a retired food inspector so that pretty much makes me an expert!Use one of the shopping portals listed below so you can get up to a 3% Cash Back bonus.  You must go thru one of the shopping portals in order to be eligible for the Cash Back bonus.  Please read the FAQs for each shopping portal regarding exclusions for the Cash Back offer. Remember if you plan on shopping on-line then use one of the shopping portals that pay you Cash Back such as Ebates or ShopAtHome or MrRebates.  You can click on these links and sign up now so you'll have an account when you're ready to shop.   To shop just sign up/in on either site and type the name of the store in the search bar and click on their link.And if you are new to any of them they will give you a $5 bonus for joining!  If you are already a member you could get someone else to open a new account and they could get the bonus money as a gift.Credit - the company names and logos are trademarked and the property of the respective companies.Disclaimer - this article contains affiliate links.

View the original article here

Easy Holiday Gifts: Mini Vietnamese fruitcakes and other ideas

Easy Holiday Gifts: Mini Vietnamese fruitcakes and other ideas - Viet World KitchenViet World KitchenHomeArchivesRecipe IndexVWK StoreClasses + EventsFavorite SitesAbout MePermission and CreditWelcome to Viet World Kitchen where I explore the culinary traditions of Vietnam and the rest of Asia. Join me to learn, create, and contribute!

Andrea Nguyen
Author & Teacher

Send a messageMy Books

One of Cooking Light's 2010
Favorite Cookbooks!

Asian Dumplings
(Ten Speed Press, 2009)
Reviews & Press Release

Into the Vietnamese Kitchen
(Ten Speed Press, 2006)
Reviews & Press Release

Recent PostsMail Call: Lynn's Vietnamese Cookbook GiftsMy Dad’s 80th Birthday BashEasy Holiday Gifts: Mini Vietnamese fruitcakes and other ideasHow to Cook and Eat Well in a Power OutagePandan and Coconut Tapioca Cake (Banh Bo Nuong) Recipe ChallengeMarine Fights Vietnam's Dog-Meat Tradition: LA Times article2010 Cookbook Picks and Food Book FindsBrussels Sprouts with Cracklings and Fish Sauce RecipeThanksgiving Leftovers with Asian Flair: Turkey Pho, Banh Mi, Bun, and More!Videos Fight the Faux Pho PhenomenaRecipesAppetizer and Snack RecipesBanh (Crepes, dumplings, cakes, bread) RecipesBanh Mi Sandwich RecipesBasic Sauces, Stocks and Garnishes RecipesChile Sauce RecipesClaypot (Kho) RecipesDeep-Fried RecipesDessert and Sweets RecipesDipping Sauces RecipesDrink and Beverage RecipesGluten-Free RecipesGrilled RecipesMain Course RecipesMeat RecipesNoodles RecipesOne-Dish Meals RecipesPho RecipesPoultry and Egg RecipesRice RecipesSalad RecipesSeafood RecipesSoup RecipesStir-Fry RecipesStreet Food RecipesVegan RecipesVegetable Sides and Pickles RecipesVegetarian Recipes Vietnamese RecipesNon-Vietnamese RecipesHandy InfoAsian IngredientsAsian MarketsBasic Vietnamese KitchenBook Reviews + moreCooking Tips and ToolsEssentials: Fish SauceEssentials: NoodlesEssentials: Pho Noodle SoupEssentials: RiceEssentials: Rice PaperGardeningHow to Find Asian Markets & IngredientsMama SaysTet New Year CelebrationTravelAwards + Praise
James Beard Foundation
Award Finalist
2007 Best Asian Cookbook

IACP Awards Finalist
2010 Best Single Subject Cookbook
2007 Best First Book
2007 Best Int'l Cookbook

National Public Radio
Best 10 Cookbooks of 2009

Cooking Light Magazine
Oct. 2009 "Editors' Dozen" Top Picks
2010 Editors' Favorite Cookbooks

CHOW.com
Winter 2009 Gift Guide

« How to Cook and Eat Well in a Power Outage |Main| My Dad’s 80th Birthday Bash »

December 23, 2010Easy Holiday Gifts: Mini Vietnamese fruitcakes and other ideas

I love to bake holiday sweets but this year, I unfortunately have little time to do it. I used to stay up late baking up to a dozen different kinds of cookies to gift friends and family. Given my current schedule and obligations, late-night baking sessions were not possible for 2010. I decided to revisit an old friend, the fruitcake, and scale it down.

You may not like fruitcakes but give them a second look. They’re great for the holidays because they keep well for a long time. Actually, they get better with age as the dried and preserved fruit soften and develop a slight boozy quality. Plus, fruitcakes allow you to use up bits of ingredients in the cupboard. I had dried fruit from the past 18 months and nuts in the freezer. I supplemented those things with a bag of mixed dried fruit (the one with blueberries, cherries, cranberries, etc.) at Trader Joe’s. 

The other thing that’s great about fruitcakes is the use of liquor to infuse the cake with flavor throughout. I chopped up all the solid ingredients and marinated them in Slivovitz, East European plum brandy that my dad gave me years ago.

My original Vietnamese fruitcake recipe called for 1 cup of mei kwei lu chiu (Chinese sorghum and rose petal liquot) or orange-flavored liquor, but I was out. The Slivovitz I used was made by Hungarian producer Zwack, which is widely available in the U.S. It tasted quite nice, like a lighter version of the Chinese liquor but not as aromatic. I could have gotten zwacked on it but had to keep chopping up my nuts and fruit!


From one recipe I got 9 minis – that’s roughly 8 gifts with 1 leftover for you. After aging, wrap each cake in plastic wrap and then parchment paper to ensure that it stays moist. Tie a ribbon around each one and you’ve got a great present. For extra sturdy protection, put the wrapped and ribboned fruitcake into the original disposable baking tin (we washed ours after removing the cakes). That’s what I did before sliding one into the mailbox for Karen, our letter carrier.

Loaf cakes like fruitcakes are perfect for scaling down into minis. They are cute, satisfying, and make a nice statement. You’ve still got time to bake a batch for the weekend gift giving opportunities. 

If you’re crammed for time, here are some more easy homemade holiday gifts:

Tangerine Meringue KissesChile Garlic Sauce – no canning, just put it into a jar and tell the recipient to refrigerate itThai Sweet Chile Sauce – same as aboveSriracha Chile Sauce - ditto but will take a few days so gift it for January 1 or Lunar New Year (Tet)

Got last-minute homemade holiday gift ideas? Don't keep them to yourself. Share them below!

Posted in Cooking Tips & Tools, Recipes: All, Recipes: Dessert and Sweets | Permalink

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Cranberry-orange port conserve (or Cranberry Cabernet/Shiraz/whatever wine I had on hand at the time) is what I used to make if I didn't have time to do anything else! Bag of cranberries, some sugar, one segmented orange, peel and all, and the wine. I remember lugging four jars of it to California for gifts one year not long after I graduated...

If I can't manage even that though - I'll write a short story or poem for each individual I plan on giving a present to (but that's not actually food...even if I write about it!)

Posted by:Shuku |December 25, 2010 at 07:12 AM

Your fruitcakes look yummy!

This year, I made jars of Chili Garlic Sauce for friends and family on Thanksgiving day.

http://vietspices.blogspot.com/2010/11/tuong-ot-toi-vietnamese-chili-garlic.html

As for Christmas gifts, I made frosted cranberries, candied orange peels and candied grapefruits peels.

http://vietspices.blogspot.com/2010/12/mut-vo-buoi-boc-chocolate-candied.html

http://vietspices.blogspot.com/2010/12/mut-cam-candied-orangeu.html

Posted by:Annette |December 26, 2010 at 11:36 PM

Shuku: The recipients of your gifts are surely quite fortunate!

Annette: Thanks for sharing your homemade gifts.

Posted by:Andrea Nguyen |December 28, 2010 at 09:21 PM

Verify your Comment Previewing your CommentPosted by:  | 

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Your comment could not be posted. Error type: Your comment has been posted. Post another comment The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Post a comment Comment below or sign in with TypePad Facebook Twitter and more... You are currently signed in as (nobody). Sign Out (URLs automatically linked.)

Your Information

(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)

Name is required to post a comment

Please enter a valid email address

Invalid URL

Be Connected Get news via RSS or email
 Get updates in Facebook
 Follow me on Twitter
 Receive newsletterSearch VWK

Share Shots#flickr_badge_source_txt {padding:0; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif; color:#666666;}#flickr_badge_icon {display:block !important; margin:0 !important; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0) !important;}#flickr_icon_td {padding:0 5px 0 0 !important;}.flickr_badge_image {text-align:center !important;}.flickr_badge_image img {border: 0px solid black !important;}#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper {width:150px;}#flickr_www {display:block; text-align:center; padding:0 10px 0 10px !important; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif !important; color:#3993ff !important;}#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:hover,#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:link,#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:active,#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:visited {text-decoration:none !important; background:inherit !important;color:#3993ff;}#flickr_badge_wrapper {background-color:#ffffff;border: solid 1px #000000}#flickr_badge_source {padding:0 !important; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif !important; color:#666666 !important;}www.flickr.comMore in Viet World Kitchen pool. Add yours!popular recipes

Viet World Kitchen | Copyright 2002-2010 by Andrea Nguyen | Privacy Policy document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js'%3E%3C/script%3E"));COMSCORE.beacon({ c1: 2, c2: "6035669", c3: "", c4: "http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2010/12/easy-holiday-gifts-mini-vietnamese-fruitcakes.html", c5: "", c6: "", c15: ""});

View the original article here

Mail Call: Lynn's Vietnamese Cookbook Gifts

Mail Call: Lynn's Vietnamese Cookbook Gifts - Viet World KitchenViet World KitchenHomeArchivesRecipe IndexVWK StoreClasses + EventsFavorite SitesAbout MePermission and CreditWelcome to Viet World Kitchen where I explore the culinary traditions of Vietnam and the rest of Asia. Join me to learn, create, and contribute!

Andrea Nguyen
Author & Teacher

Send a messageMy Books

One of Cooking Light's 2010
Favorite Cookbooks!

Asian Dumplings
(Ten Speed Press, 2009)
Reviews & Press Release

Into the Vietnamese Kitchen
(Ten Speed Press, 2006)
Reviews & Press Release

Recent PostsMail Call: Lynn's Vietnamese Cookbook GiftsMy Dad’s 80th Birthday BashEasy Holiday Gifts: Mini Vietnamese fruitcakes and other ideasHow to Cook and Eat Well in a Power OutagePandan and Coconut Tapioca Cake (Banh Bo Nuong) Recipe ChallengeMarine Fights Vietnam's Dog-Meat Tradition: LA Times article2010 Cookbook Picks and Food Book FindsBrussels Sprouts with Cracklings and Fish Sauce RecipeThanksgiving Leftovers with Asian Flair: Turkey Pho, Banh Mi, Bun, and More!Videos Fight the Faux Pho PhenomenaRecipesAppetizer and Snack RecipesBanh (Crepes, dumplings, cakes, bread) RecipesBanh Mi Sandwich RecipesBasic Sauces, Stocks and Garnishes RecipesChile Sauce RecipesClaypot (Kho) RecipesDeep-Fried RecipesDessert and Sweets RecipesDipping Sauces RecipesDrink and Beverage RecipesGluten-Free RecipesGrilled RecipesMain Course RecipesMeat RecipesNoodles RecipesOne-Dish Meals RecipesPho RecipesPoultry and Egg RecipesRice RecipesSalad RecipesSeafood RecipesSoup RecipesStir-Fry RecipesStreet Food RecipesVegan RecipesVegetable Sides and Pickles RecipesVegetarian Recipes Vietnamese RecipesNon-Vietnamese RecipesHandy InfoAsian IngredientsAsian MarketsBasic Vietnamese KitchenBook Reviews + moreCooking Tips and ToolsEssentials: Fish SauceEssentials: NoodlesEssentials: Pho Noodle SoupEssentials: RiceEssentials: Rice PaperGardeningHow to Find Asian Markets & IngredientsMama SaysTet New Year CelebrationTravelAwards + Praise
James Beard Foundation
Award Finalist
2007 Best Asian Cookbook

IACP Awards Finalist
2010 Best Single Subject Cookbook
2007 Best First Book
2007 Best Int'l Cookbook

National Public Radio
Best 10 Cookbooks of 2009

Cooking Light Magazine
Oct. 2009 "Editors' Dozen" Top Picks
2010 Editors' Favorite Cookbooks

CHOW.com
Winter 2009 Gift Guide

« My Dad’s 80th Birthday Bash |Main

December 28, 2010Mail Call: Lynn's Vietnamese Cookbook Gifts

A number of weeks ago Lynn Y. emailed me asking for a recipe from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. She was on her way to her mom's house and had forgotten the proportions for the pickled bean sprouts (dua gia). It is one of her favorite recipes from the cookbook and her copy of the book was at home. I obliged with her emergency info request. 

This evening, Lynn sent the photo below and I had to share it with you: 


She wrote:

Happy Holidays!  I wanted to share with you that I purchased your cookbook as a Christmas gift for all four of my cousins and sister.  I couldn’t be there myself (spent the holiday with my boyfriend’s family in Nantucket); but thought it was the perfect gift for five lovely young Vietnamese-Americans.  According to my mom (who is not in the picture), all our aunties ooh’d and ahh’d.  Maybe they will get copies next year.

Thank you again for such a wonderful book.

Whoa, that's a great gift to an author. Thanks, Lynn!

Posted in Books | Permalink

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us |

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Verify your Comment Previewing your CommentPosted by:  | 

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Your comment could not be posted. Error type: Your comment has been posted. Post another comment The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Post a comment Comment below or sign in with TypePad Facebook Twitter and more... You are currently signed in as (nobody). Sign Out (URLs automatically linked.)

Your Information

(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)

Name is required to post a comment

Please enter a valid email address

Invalid URL

Be Connected Get news via RSS or email
 Get updates in Facebook
 Follow me on Twitter
 Receive newsletterSearch VWK

Share Shots#flickr_badge_source_txt {padding:0; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif; color:#666666;}#flickr_badge_icon {display:block !important; margin:0 !important; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0) !important;}#flickr_icon_td {padding:0 5px 0 0 !important;}.flickr_badge_image {text-align:center !important;}.flickr_badge_image img {border: 0px solid black !important;}#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper {width:150px;}#flickr_www {display:block; text-align:center; padding:0 10px 0 10px !important; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif !important; color:#3993ff !important;}#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:hover,#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:link,#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:active,#flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:visited {text-decoration:none !important; background:inherit !important;color:#3993ff;}#flickr_badge_wrapper {background-color:#ffffff;border: solid 1px #000000}#flickr_badge_source {padding:0 !important; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif !important; color:#666666 !important;}www.flickr.comMore in Viet World Kitchen pool. Add yours!popular recipes

Viet World Kitchen | Copyright 2002-2010 by Andrea Nguyen | Privacy Policy document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js'%3E%3C/script%3E"));COMSCORE.beacon({ c1: 2, c2: "6035669", c3: "", c4: "http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2010/12/mail-call-lynns-vietnamese-cookbook-gifts.html", c5: "", c6: "", c15: ""});

View the original article here