Giveaway: asian flavors

Few weeks ago people from House of Tsang contacted me to review their products.

Founded by contemporary and well-known chef David Tsang, House of Tsang® products draw on the flavors and spices of his childhood in Hong Kong; spicy ginger, bright citrus, classic teriyaki. 

They have a large variety of products to create numerous asian dishes.

They sent me six of them and a set of chopsticks that I forgot to take pic

Kobe Steak—Kobe steak is known around the world for its amazing flavor. This complicated combination of flavors will make eating steaks a whole new culinary experience. It would be great to used as marinate for steak or chicken.soup

Pure sesame seed oil- I like add 1-2 tsp of sesame oil to soups. It enhances the flavor immediately.

Ginger Soy Sauce—Real ginger extract and naturally brewed soy sauce. I think it would be great for simple stir-fries as I usually like to add minced ginger to any stir-fries.

General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce— Named after a ruthless Chinese general from the 1800s, this sauce has roots in Hunan, China. The cuisine of this region is known for a slow-building spiciness that can be just as ruthless as General Tsao himself. But don’t worry, this sauce will not wage war on your mouth. The fiery spices have been tempered with sweetness to bring a unique flavor that has become a favorite in many Chinese restaurants. I’m intrigued by this one. Sweet and spicy? interesting! 😉

Bangkok Padang® Peanut Sauce—This country style Thai peanut sauce has the exotic Thai herbs and spices you’re looking for to make your stir-fry stand out with extra spiciness. Or try it mixed with mayonnaise as a cold veggie dip. I love any Thai sauce, it’s the simplest way to add a boring stir-fry into life!

Sweet & Sour—This blend of rice vinegar, sugar, tomato paste and Asian spices is pleasantly tangy with a hint of sweetness. Great for any sweet and sour dish, or for a dipping sauce for egg rolls or a general condiment for all your Asian cooking. This one would be great to make chicken stir-fry with bell peppers. I had it once at my BFF’s house in Germany and loved it!

Do you want to try these asian flavors too? Here’s how you can enter

• Tell me one dish you would create with any of these sauces (one recipe per entry)
• “Like” HOUSE of TSANG® on Facebook  and let me know you’ve done it in the comment section

One winner will be announced on Feb 19th. Good luck! 🙂

Workout: home gym and new routine

I haven’t post about my workout routine for a while, although I post them here, I still want to write about it when I start something new.

As you know, I moved to a new house, therefore I had to say goodbye to my beloved gym. For the two weeks that I was gymless, I was feeling tired and less energetic, two weeks seemed eternity. I know.. I know, for those who take workout as an item in the to-do list, you can’t understand this feeling. I don’t workout just to keep fit, I mainly workout because it makes me feel positive and energetic. Without a gym that I can and want to go everyday, I needed something else. Well…. I build up a mini gym in our basement.

I got an elliptical (Sole E35) and a treadmill (Sole F80). They are both in high range price for home equipment but since we will use it everyday I think it’s a good investment.

You can see from this how many people in this house workout! 🙂 (Me, Star and Mom)

although it’s in the basement, we do get day light when working out! 🙂

other equipments: yoga mat and a set of 2-lb weight.

and my newest obsession: Trady Anderson Metamorphosis Method!!!!!!

from the website: In the newly released Metamorphosis by Tracy, you will transform your body, defy your genetics, and create the body that you never thought possible.  Prepare to be challenged throughout this 90-day program that includes 9 discs of transforming muscular structure work, designed for your specific body types,  a cardio component, and a dynamic eating plan. Experience this total transformation through your own Metamorphosis!

I’m not new to Tracy Anderson’s method, I tried and reviews her mat workout before and I really like it. I didn’t use it in a daily basis because I had access to a gym and also because I got bored to do the same 60 min workout every single day. But it does work! When I go on vacation, I would do the DVD 2-3 times a week and it keeps me pretty happy in term of how it shapes my body.

But now I wanted something that entertains me, challenges me and shorter because I like working out first thing in the morning and I can’t workout more than an hour if I don’t want to get to work too late. So I ordered this metamorphosis method. I have the omnicentric because I don’t have any part of the body that I specially dislike so I got the one that workout the whole body.

Let me tell you, it’s ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!! I just finished the first 10-days set and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s workout. I would alternate between elliptical and treadmill for 30 min followed by her workout. The set comes with a cardio workout (30 min), I tried it once. It’s quite challenging because she keeps you jumping all the 30 min but I didn’t like it much because it does hurt the knees and also I think if you do it everyday you get bored pretty quickly.

Why I love it so much? Because:

• It’s challenging! I consider myself hard core in the sense that I don’t get challenged easily by a new workout. But this one does challenges me, EVERY SINGLE TIME, specially the leg and glut part… everyday I barely finish it!
• It’s efficient. In 30 min, you workout arms/shoulders, abs and legs/glut.
• It works!!! Within days I noticed my body more toned, my arms/shoulders are more defined and my abs is pretty defined. Maybe I post a pic later, anyone interested?
• It works toward the body type that I like. Lean, long and defined muscles. To me, Maggie Q has the most perfect body for a woman.

Last but not the least, for other members of the family and friends, we have a ping-pong table. Few nights a week Star and Mom would play.

Q1: What’s your ideal body type?

Q2: What’s your current workout routine?

I got

Food: Review and Giveaway

First, let me thank you for your kind words about the sad news in my family. I really appreciate that! I talked to my parents several times, they are feeling better.

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Last weekend I got a package from Rudi’s Bakery. They kindly sent two new loafs for me to try.

their breads have No High-Fructose Corn Syrup

understandable ingredient list!

I love sourdough so I tried firs the Rocky Mountain Sourdough. Ingredients: Organic wheat flour, water, sea salt, organic vinegar, organic oat flour, organic barley malt, organic high oleic sunflower/safflower oil, yeast, organic wheat gluten, cultured organic wheat starch, organic whole wheat flour, ascorbic acid, natural enzymes

it looks like a standard white bread

I toasted it slightly with my hello kitty toaster! So cute, right?

add two microwaved egg whites with S+P and LC.

a perfect before-dinner snack for a hungry girl!!!  I dunno… I always get very hungry when I get home at night! I wish I had the dinner served… but no! Hungry but no ready food…. so a quick and delicious snack is MANDATORY!

How do I like the bread?  A LOT! Although it looks like an ordinary white bread, but its taste is definitely sourdough. Texture wise, it’s between normal bread and sourdough, which is perfect for me. I love the taste of sourdough, but sometimes the texture is a bit too sticky (even plastic) for me.

The second loaf is Nut and Oat. Ingredients: Organic wheat flour, water, organic rolled oats, organic brown sugar, organic hazelnuts, organic wheat gluten, yeast, organic high oleic sunflower/safflower oil, sea salt, organic oat flour, organic vinegar, cultured organic wheat starch, organic whole wheat flour, ascorbic acid, natural enzymes. Contains Tree nuts, Wheat.

Like it a lot too! 🙂

GIVEAWAY

Do you want to try Rudi’s bakery? Here’s your chance. Win 2 sandwich boxes and 2 free loaf coupon by telling me what’s your favorite way to eat bread. For an additional entry, link this post and leave a separate comment. A winner will be announced on Wednesday, October 12.