Chicken Eggrolls (Cha Gio Recipe)

We're only a week away from Tết, the Asian New Year. And of course, food is what makes the festivities so much fun. Eggrolls (chả giò) are Maman's must-have dish for the celebration. My favorite version is chicken eggrolls. I usually use dark meat (chicken thighs and legs), which make the dish more moist and flavorful. I also mix in fried jicama and carrots for added crunch.

Preparing them isn't that complicated; they're labor-intensive, but if you have a large crew of little helpers as I do, rolling them is a piece of cake. All you need to do next is deep-fry them and enjoy them wrapped in lettuce along with rice noodles.

Hot and Sour Thai Soup Recipe

Tom Yum Thai soup has a unique taste. It's both spicy and sour and loaded with amazing flavors such as lemongrass, galangal, fresh kaffir limes leaves and coconut milk. For this version, I combined fresh water chestnuts, sugar snap peas, tamarind, red chili powder, baby squid and mackerel. You could also add shrimp or chicken. And of course, the soup is easy to make vegetarian as well.

Baileys and Hot Chocolate Tiramisu

Please welcome Jacklyn, of A BitterSweet Wife, a delicious food blog I discovered a few months ago. Jacklyn is a NYC fashion designer turned food writer with an incredible sense of design and very creative recipes. I'm especially fond of Jacklyn's desserts. Tiramisu is our family’s favorite dessert, so it’s a special treat to be sharing Jacklyn’s Baileys hot cocoa tiramisu recipe. Please visit Jacklyn's A Bitter Sweet Wife for more delicious dessert recipes!

This year is turning out just as wonderfully as I had predicted. I know it's a little soon to judge the entire year, but three weeks in, I'm very satisfied with the outlook. One of the very exciting opportunities that has presented itself to me this year is that I was asked by Jackie of PhamFatale.com to create a guest post for her blog! Seeing as though my blog is still a baby at six months old this month, it was an unexpected but great surprise that she reached out to me a few weeks ago asking me if I would be interested in creating a dessert post for her blog. Of course I said yes and began brainstorming for something that would be unique, but easy and delicious for my recipe. I am beyond pleased with my decision and the outcome of the dessert. It is a for sure crowd pleaser in anyone's kitchen.

It's a twist on a timeless classic that will have you dreaming of nights in front of the fireplace as you watch the snow fall outside your window.

Who doesn’t like to cuddle up with a nice mug of hot cocoa on a cold winters night? Add a little splash of Baileys and your sitting pretty. Well I decided that for my first attempt at tiramisu I was going to mix things up a little bit and do my own take on this Italian classic. (Hence were my opening statement about the Baileys spiked hot chocolate comes in to play.) I decided to swap out the coffee and brandy liquor for hot chocolate and Baileys, hoping that the taste would be reminiscent of the popular winters night beverage. And I have to say I think I was extremely successful. The taste of Baileys soaked cake hits you first, and then you get the sweetness from the chocolate powder mixed with the creamy tartness of the mascarpone mixture. It’s quite a divine combination.

Pumpkin Fritter Recipe

I've been feeding my husband Lulu very healthy food since the beginning of the year. I was thinking he couldn’t take much anymore, so when he came home I decided to give him a reprieve of sorts. I had already steamed some pumpkin that I intended to add to a low cal, healthy canh (Vietnamese soup). As a treat, I took some of the extra diced pumpkin and created dumplings that I deep-fried.

My trick for making fluffy fritters is to replace the standard combination of ice water, flour and baking powder with just cold beer and flour. It gives a nice aroma to the appetizer and pairs well with pumpkin. I also garnished the dish with slices of fried chiles for color.

Quinoa with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Quinoa is a great side dish. By itself it can be pretty bland, so I seasoned it using vegetable stock and added asparagus spears and beech mushrooms. The dish pairs wonderfully with chicken or tofu. I could eat several plates of it without worrying about calories!



It's a great, healthy alternative to pasta or rice. Quinoa is incredibly versatile, and you can pair it with pretty much any combination of protein and vegetables. Plus, it's gluten free!