Chicken Barley Soup

Now that there's a baby in the house, I have to be more strategic when it comes to meal planning. She's 12 months old but not quite eating what we're eating. I usually have to make her food separately from our dinner. I bought a whole fryer yesterday since it was on sale. I saved the dark meat for another meal and used the breast meat for her. Like many one year-olds, she has now become a very picky eater. Mealtimes can sometimes be tricky trying to figure out what she would eat.

I ended up making chicken barley soup for her tonight. It was a simple one-pot meal, perfect for a baby who likes the soft texture. She happily slurped the soup down tonight. What a relief!



Chicken Barley Soup

1 skinless split chicken breast
5 cups water
1 carrot, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 cup uncooked pearled barley

1. Poach the split breast in 5 cups of water. Boil for 5 minutes, then cover and let the chicken rest for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken, place in container with a loose cover on until cooler to handle. This will also help retain its moisture. Remove chicken breast from bone. Coarsely chop into bite-size.

2. Using the poaching liquid, boil carrots, celery, and barley for 2 minutes. Simmer on low heat for 40 minutes or until barley is soft.

3. Add chopped chicken breasts to soup. Serve! (I usually don't add salt to food for my baby.

For the leftover, I usually divide into smaller portions and freeze. It makes things easier when I don't have time to make her meals.

Wake-Up Call

I'm back.

I've been gone for awhile. It started with nausea from my pregnancy awhile back. The thought of keeping up with this blog made me nauseous. After she arrived, it was all about transitioning my life with her. I am happy to report that she has recently turned one. The first year was quite hectic as I learned how to juggle being home with her and everything else in my life. Things are much calmer now that we're more used to each other. Hence, this blog is resurrected.

Breadsticks

I had some yeasts in the cupboard that was about to expire. I decided to make some breadsticks since I'm always looking for something to snack on. They're made from a pizza dough recipe, brushed with olive oil. I sprinkled some thyme and red pepper flakes. This is not intended for carb-conscious people. I don't think I can ever go on a low-carb diet.

Cupcakes Happiness

I'm not sure why, but just looking at cupcakes makes me feel so happy... kind of like daisies. We stopped by Matty Cakes today and picked up two cupcakes: a banana caramel cupcake and a tiramisu cupcake. Two ginormous cupcakes for $2.50 each. What a deal! I usually don't care to eat cupcakes (they just look good). They're usually too heavy and buttery. These were delicious!

My Favorite Cantonese Restaurant

Chu Kong Seafood Restaurant
1661 El Camino Real
Millbrae, California

Everytime I'm in the Bay Area, I try to go back to my favorite Cantonese restaurant from growing up. It's a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. They have the same restaurant staff for years. The interior is not the greatest. It's a tiny restaurant and they don't really bother with their decor. They don't advertise either. But yet, I think they make the best Cantonese food I've ever had. Yes, it's that good. They have specialties that are not on the menu. You'd only know if you go with someone who knows about their specialties. The place can be packed on weekends even though it doesn't look very appealing from the outside.

Now onto a few of my favorite dishes...

Shrimp Ball Soup ( 蝦 丸 湯)
They make these shrimp balls from scratch. Cooked in a clear broth with tofu and spinach.




Typhoon Shelter Crab (避風塘 螃蟹)
Fresh spicy dungeness crab



Chu Kong Chicken ( 珠 江 鹽 水 雞)
Incredibly tender and juicy.



Fried Pork Chops ( 椒 鹽 排骨)




Stir-fried Pea Sprouts ( 清 炒 豆苗)