Favorite New Tool & Other Cool Finds

Summer isn’t over yet. So we’re closing our eyes and ears to anything that’s remotely related to pumpkins and Halloween costumes. We’re still squeezing out more tomatoes from the garden and we’re not likely to be giving up Summer at least until next month. And so far, we’ve had a blast this Summer with the pups road trip and best of all, finding some new kitchen tools that we’ll be sharing over the next few weeks. Well the pups road trip was actually the best of all, but the new kitchen tools are pretty cool too.

Todd’s find: To start, we’ve been collecting some these fantastic kitchen beakers in so many different shapes and sizes. I don’t know what it is, but we love beakers. Funny thing is, we love, love, love using them in certain situations, like juicing or making cocktails. However when cooking, we still keep reaching for our ole measuring cups. Although I think its mostly due to only have metric measurements on most of the beakers and some day’s my head doesn’t want to do the conversions. We need to find a well made set with both measurements and we’ll be totally happy. Until then, at least we’re stocked up for Halloween parties! Oh wait, we aren’t letting go of summer yet. Pause that thought for another month. You can purchase the beakers here and here for the flasks.

We’ve also made some time to browse the web and came across so many cool and delicious finds on Pinterest:

- Crazy amazing loaded nachos that fill a whole sheet pan. The video leaves you screaming for a few beers too.

- Make homemade ravioli. It’s so easy. And baked? Pronto.

- Healthy can still be delicious without the carbs. These Zucchini noodles are brilliant.

- Vegetarian tacos all the way. With spicy crema!

- Can’t believe we never made this before. Marinated mushrooms are so fabulous!

Have a great weekend everyone,

diane and todd

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Hot Stove Top Artichoke Spinach Dip & Other Dip Favorites

I’m clinging on to the last few days of 2012 so that I can indulge in my buffet of cheese dips and margaritas before 2013 hits. Starting next week, I’ll focus on being a good girl and sticking to my new years health “goals”. It’ll probably be a few weeks before I break those goals or at least swerve off to the dark side again.

But with only a few days left, let’s discuss the topic of cheese dips and how wonderful they make us feel. I honestly believe a warm batch of cheese dips made with my favorite parmesan cheese, cream cheese and spinach is chicken soup for the soul.

There’s just something inherently pleasing, warming and soul satisfying in a bowl of cheese dips. So to end the year with a bang, I’ve added another recipe to my collection, a simple stove top artichoke spinach dip recipe to wow your friends.

This is an adaptation of my old stove top spinach dip, which had plenty of onions and water chestnuts. But then I realized that I was making this artichoke version all along and never posted it.

So here it is, my favorite artichoke spinach dip that takes just a few minutes to make, but brings in loads of joy to the party.

I’ve also included my other favorite dip recipes that have been serious crowd pleasers over the last five years.

 

Hot Chorizo Dip: My younger brother adapted this chorizo dip from one of my recipes and adding the flavorful and salty sausage in it. His version took me by surprise because I didn’t even think of adding chorizo in a dip.

Not only is his version a great recipe, he’s also become popular amongst his own friends for this dip. As you can tell, big sister me is super proud of him. But I often wonder if he ever credits the original recipe to me when he’s with his friends? hmmm….

Hot Crab Dip: This is another one of those dips that took me by surprise because I used to never add crab to a hot dip. I had heard from so many friends how they love a hot crab dip, so that got my mind churning on how I could adapt one of my existing dips to the addition of crab.

A few years ago I started to experiment and came up with this flavorful dip for crab lovers. It has plenty of texture from the onions with a nice balance of crab flavor that comes through in all the cheese.

Stove Stop Spinach Dip: This is my original stove top dip that inspired me to create dip recipes outside the oven. On sweltering hot summer days when we’re having an outdoor party, spinach dip is always on the menu, but I get so exhausted just thinking about turning on the hot oven.

So I took my basic oven baked spinach dip and made it on the stove top. The results were equally fabulous, if not better because I was able to brown the onions and garlic for extra flavor.

Baked Brie & Sun Dried Tomato, Thyme Dip: Back in 2008 we were at a holiday party and a friend brought this incredible baked brie dip. I was already a fan of both brie and sun dried tomatoes, so the first bite was an exciting love affair for me. I was completely smitten with the flavor and texture of this incredible dip.

One of Todd’s old co-workers, Jason, shared the recipe and I immediately shared it on the blog, with the added addition of fresh thyme.  This brie dip has been in my collection of dip recipes over all these years and it’s always a top favorite too.

 Sriracha Beach Dip Recipe: On occasion, I’ve been known to make healthy dips too, ones with no cheese but still, with plenty of flavor and texture. This sriracha bean dip recipe was made on a whim when I was craving some light protein. With a can of white beans in my pantry combined with my love for spicy sriracha hot sauce, i made this super simple dip that has gotten raves from all around.

Add some fresh raw vegetables to dip and what you have is a guilt free party appetizer that even your cheese loving friends (like me!) can still appreciate.

 Mango Salsa Recipe: This is probably the healthiest “dip” in my collection, but some consider this more of a side dish than maybe a dip. Either way, it can be enjoyed with a bag of potato chips or as a side salad.

If it’s a summer gathering or for a picnic, this mango salsa is something I’ll reach for first. The super fresh flavors make this salsa really exciting on salads, seafood or tacos. It’s bright, juicy, sweet and full of flavor. Add a margarita along side and you have a perfect celebration for Cinco de Mayo.

Whew. Now I feel my dip recipe collection is much more complete now that I’ve included the artichoke spinach version. And I do hope you treat yourself to something warm and cheesy before the year ends because I truly believe that we all deserve a heaping spoonful of decadent joy.

Enjoy!

diane

Cooking Method for Artichoke Spinach Dip on the Stove Top:

cook onions, garlic, artichoke hearts and spinach

Add milk, cream cheese, mayo and parmesan cheese. Combine till bubbly.

Serve hot immediately or (optional) you can bake in oven at 350 degrees after it’s made to re-warm it for guests. But make sure you use a larger baking vessel and not overload the dip. Like I did.

Yield: Serves 4-6

Total Time: 30 min

This artichoke spinach dip recipe is adapted from my older stove stop spinach dip. The other spinach dip has water chestnuts instead of artichoke hearts. You can also try baking this dip recipe in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. If you do decide to bake this dip, eliminate the vegetable oil and only use 1/4 cup of milk. And make sure to soften the cream cheese first to make mixing the ingredients together much easier.

Pre-make: The night before a party, I've also pre-made large batches of this dip and placed them in baking dishes and chilled them in the fridge. When the party day arrives, I'll take out the dip and allow it to come to room temperature, then bake it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until all the cheese is completely melted and hot.

1 can of artichoke hearts (14 oz), drained and chopped1 package of chopped frozen spinach (thawed & drained of excess water)1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese1 Tablespoon vegetable oil1 medium onion, minced1 large clove of garlic, minced1 cup of parmesan cheese, grated3/4 cup of milk1/4 cup of mayoplenty of fresh cracked black pepper1 teaspoon of kosher or sea saltchips or crackers for dippingIn large heated saucepan, add oil. When oil is hot, add the minced garlic and onions. Cook the onions and garlic till they are light brown, but not burnt.Add chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, salt and black pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes until ingredients are combined well.In this order: Add milk first, the stir. Then add cream cheese, mayo and parmesan cheese. When cream cheese begins to melt, turn heat to low.Slowly stir and simmer ingredients till all cheese is completely melted and dip becomes creamy and well combined. Cook for about another 2-3 minutes to blend flavors together.Serve immediately when it's warm with bread, crackers or tortilla chips.

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Dad’s Other Holy Trinity: Tiger Balm, Eucalyptus Oil, and Toothpicks

Dad’s Other Holy Trinity: Tiger Balm, Eucalyptus Oil, and Toothpicks - Viet World Kitchenwindow.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init( { apiKey: 'a279adbe87e2b3c505e777af99a5260d', xfbml: true } );};( function() { var e = document.createElement( 'script' ); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById( 'fb-root' ).appendChild( e );} )();Viet World KitchenHomeAsian Dumpling TipsRecipe IndexClasses + EventsFavorite SitesAbout MePermission + 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!

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December 16, 2011Dad’s Other Holy Trinity: Tiger Balm, Eucalyptus Oil, and Toothpicks

My father’s birthday is this coming Sunday. He’ll be 81 years old. Bo Gia (“Boe Zaah,” Old Daddy in Vietnamese) has been through much in his life, having been forced to migrate repeatedly and weather Vietnam’s turbulent history through the 20th century.

As a young man, he pondered becoming a priest but went into the military instead, taking on the role of provincial governor by the time he was in his late 20s. After the Diem assassination in 1963, Bo Gia switched careers to become a business development consultant (today’s equivalent of a start-up pro). My dad had always wanted to study and live in the United States; in his youth, he even applied for a scholarship abroad. In the end, it was the Fall of Saigon in 1975 that brought him and our family here.

If you asked Bo Gia about his eventual good fortune of living in America, he’d respond that it was mostly because of his religious conviction. My dad attends mass every morning at his local Catholic church. He can lead a rosary in Vietnamese – which resembles a light chant – like no one else can in our clan. Religious statues are displayed in various prominent spots at my parents’ home.

My dad’s devotion to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is combined with his belief in three material things that have helped him get out of many tough jams: tiger balm, eucalyptus oil, and toothpicks.  Those are his fix-it tools. Seriously.

We couldn’t take much with us when we fled Vietnam but he tucked small containers of tiger balm and eucalyptus oil into our hand-held luggage. He figured that if any of us got sick, the ointment and oil would save us. Got a cold or other afflictions caused by too much wind in your system? Dad brought out a silver dollar and the tiger balm to cao gio – scrape the wind out of our bodies.

A traditional Chinese medicine technique that’s popular in Southeast Asia, the Tiger Balm coining was done more or less to follow the rib bones. The result was a post-modern pattern of slanted red lines on our backs. It was painful but healing. (Physiological details on cao gio are at this site.)

The eucalyptus oil was Dad’s go-to remedy. He inhaled it from the bottle to relieve congestion, soaked a paper towel with it and made me wear it to school if I had a cold, rubbed it on his temples to alleviate headaches. I once suffered a seizure and he revived me with eucalyptus oil. He believed in the power of eucalyptus oil to cure us many (if not all) ills.

After we arrived in the US, he was delighted to find eucalyptus oil at the pharmacy; he wanted our family to run a pharmacy at one point too. To this day, dad keeps a sizeable 16-ounce bottle of the oil on hand (the 2-ounce one in the photo is mine). His house has a pleasant spa-like aroma from it. Eucalyptus oil is Dad’s aromatherapy.

In a MacGyver-like manner, Bo Gia often reached for toothpicks. I remember him using one to fix a pair of glasses. He employed toothpicks to apply minute bits of glue to things. When our family decorated Christmas Yule logs (Buche de Noel), my dad used toothpicks to carve out extra real, barklike details on the frosting. The delicate air vents in my mom’s moon cakes asre made with toothpicks. Bo Gia prefers cheap flat toothpicks for their great versatility and over pricier round ones, which are harder to manipulate.

My father has navigated a life full of uncertainties. While his religious beliefs serve as a ballast, so do several old school tools. The 81-year-old lesson here that maintaining your convictions is important. Happy Birthday, Bo Gia!

P.S. Novelist Monique Truong told me on Facebook that her holy trinity of Vietnamese condiments included fish sauce, soy sauce, and Maggi. I suppose that my holy trinity of ingredients is fish sauce, rice, and salt. What 3 ingredients or things do you rely on?

More posts on my dad:

My Dad’s 80th Birthday Party From My Father: Wisdom and WackinessDad’s Tips on Pairing Beer with Vietnamese FoodPosted in Vietnamese Culture, Vietnamese Family Stories | Permalink

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Please convey my best birthday wishes to your dad and I admire his devotion to the Virgin Mary. What a lovely post, Andrea.

I had to laugh when you mention about "cao gio"... I suppose this must be a common remedy throughout South East Asia. In Indonesia, it is called KEROK which translates as scraping. We treasure those smooth edge coins because the ones with the ridges can be used as a torture device ;-) Did you have a rub down with eucalyptus oil after the "cao gio"?

Posted by:Tuty |December 16, 2011 at 04:24 PM

Lovely post! Many happy returns to your Dad.

Posted by:Diane |December 16, 2011 at 08:03 PM

Happy birthday to your wonderful papa.

Our family trinity is: garlic, ginger and chilies.

Posted by:Biki Honko |December 17, 2011 at 02:11 AM

Tuty: Glad you got a kick out of the cao gio. Yep, Indonesian kerok and Viet cao gio are the same! Both are based on Chinese gua sha.

No, we didn't get a post-scraping rub down with eucalyptus oil. The Tiger Balm was enough...

Posted by:Andrea Nguyen |December 17, 2011 at 10:12 AM

Thanks, Diane and Biki! My dad reads the posts on VWK and will appreciate your warm wishes.

Posted by:Andrea Nguyen |December 17, 2011 at 10:13 AM

Happy Birthday Andrea's Dad.

I came on to say you have 'saved' me this evening. I was doing a practise run making a Christmas tree from star shaped gingerbread. All the layers are glued with icing, but the final star is placed vertically. In the photo it appears to be held up by the icing and there are no special instructions in the method. But no way was it going to stand upright, I need it to be supported til the icing dried. Suddenly I thought of your answer to such a problem - toothpick to the rescue. It worked, thank you.

Hope you have a very happy day, celebrating the passage of another year.

Robyn

Posted by:RobynNZ |December 18, 2011 at 03:16 AM

RobynNZ: OMG -- toothpicks saved you! LOVE it. Welcome to the toothpick club. Happy holidays. :-)

Posted by:Andrea Nguyen |December 18, 2011 at 11:01 AM

Hi Andrea:

Please convey my belated best wishes to your dad on his birthday. Tiger Balm...we too have it in our medicine cabinet. I still like the yellow one over the white one even though the yellow one can leave some stain on your skin. Roasted rice powder, rock sugar and Maggi (fish sauce is now abundantly available in Korea)

Cheers!

Posted by:Yun Ho Rhee |December 19, 2011 at 05:16 AM

i must be the old fat whiteboy version of your dad. i buy the tigerbalm in the large tin. it really makes my arthiritus vanish. i also like the eucalptis oil in a hot bath tub and in a sinus steam with a towel over my head on the stove. as for tooth picks , i use them for making screws fit back into holes on my old 1930's house when i fix something. most of the time when i replace something in the old wood it's been done many times before. breaking a wooden toothpick and putting a few pieces in the hole before putting it back together makes the screw go in snug and tight.

living in new orleans i allways thought of the holy trinity in the kitchen as onion, celery, and bell pepper. cool to see other takes on the same idea i.e. the holy trinity meaning something else outside of the church. thank you for this post.

Posted by:rick tippie |December 20, 2011 at 09:42 PM

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Easy Holiday Gifts: Mini Vietnamese fruitcakes and other ideas

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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!

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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

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