Sambal Prawns

Its been a while since i last had this dish. I was craving for something spicy and sourish ,so i decided to cook this particular dish. So off to the market i went . i bought some medium-sized fresh prawns along with other stuff from the wet market.

This dish is good to go with Nasi Lemak, especially when the gravy is thicker and spicier. Yummy.. just by describing it makes me wanna have some of that spicy prawns with Nasi Lemak!

INGREDIENTS
* garlic
* shallots
* sugar
* salt
* chili paste
* sliced onions
* tamarind juice
* pepper
* chicken broth
* shrimp paste (Belacan)
* prawns ( deveined and shelled, leavin tail intact)

Method:
1) Season the prawns with sugar, salt and pepper, leave it aside for an hour or so.
2) Heat oil in wok and stir fry till prawns turn pink, set aside for later use.
3) Pound/blend shallots and garlic and stir-fry it until fragrant.
4) Add in the chilli paste and stir further.
5) Add in some sugar and stir until it dissolved and add in the shrimp paste and let it simmer for a while before adding the tamarind juice.
6) Stir until it has perfectly combined before adding in the sliced onions to the wok/non-stick and stir until onions has soften.
7) Add chicken broth and let it simmer. Season with salt and sugar.
8) When the gravy is almost done, stir in the prawns and let it simmer for a short while before serving.

Roasted shrimp paste is recommended for this dish. The roasted version of shrimp paste is more flavorful than the non-roasted ones. You can also replace this with shrimp paste powder if the roasted piece of paste isn't available.

For those who love a more sourish note to this dish, feel free to adjust the amount of tamarind juice used. You can also omit the sliced onions if you're not a big onion fan. But the sliced onions in this dish sure give it the perfect kick. The whole combination's like a match- made in heaven!

Baked Spicy Tuna Stuffed Portobello

I have 2 more huge portobello mushrooms left in my fridge and i didn't want those meaty mushrooms to be beggin me to cook them! i was in some kinda desperation state when i saw the two round looking yummylicious thing lookin back at me. So i thought, it sure sounds like the right time to transform them into somethin pretty lookin edible grub on my plate! i didnt wanna make the usual easy Sauteed Portobello with short pasta. I remember i came across a recipe on tuna and portobello so i thought why not give it a try.

INGREDIENTS
* tuna in brine
* sour cream
* olive oil
* thyme leaves
* salt
* lemon juice
* garlic powder
* cayenne pepper powder
* finely chopped tomatoes
* finely chopped onions
* coarse black pepper

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
2) Season portobello with salt and pepper and bake it in the preheated oven for bout 10mins. Grease the bakeware with a lil bit of butter and drizzle some olive oil over the mushrooms.
3) Combine the tuna, onions, black pepper, cayenne pepper powder, garlic powder and a little bit of thicken light sour cream and a squeeze of lemon juice from a wedge.
4) Spread the tuna mixture over the portobello and topped it up with finely chopped tomatoes and some coarse black pepper and bake it for another 5-10 mins.

After i took it out from the oven, i added some freshly chopped thyme and cheese powder on it. I had it with some Romaine lettuce and some cherry tomatoes. I'm gonna minus the light sour cream i added to the tuna mix the next time i try this experimental creation again. The sour cream somewhat made it too creamy.

I'm not so much of a cream kinda person so it was a lil too much for the i'm-not-into-creamy-stuff taste buds, perhaps butter might be a better substitute . It was definitely peppery n spicy enough for my liking. Bro isnt a big tuna fan, so he had a miserable 1/4 of one of the portobello.

Thyme-y Sweet Potato Wedges

Today i've this exceptional craving for some sweet potatoes. I remember i came across a lot of sweet potatoes bake recipes given /avail over the internet,so instead of tryin out any of the recipes i decided to experiment it with fresh thyme leaves. I'm currently in this phase of experimenting with fresh herbs so i thought why not make use of the packet of thyme leaves i bought previously. Wht i like bout thyme leaves is that it has it pungent minty with a hint of light-lemon aroma to it.

INGREDIENTS
* sweet potatoes
* thyme leaves
* salt
* brown sugar
* olive oil
* cayenne pepper powder
* coarse black pepper

Method:
1) Wash the sweet potatoes and cut it into wedges. I used a tablespoon to the scrap the skin instead of a peeler.
2) Combine the olive oil, cayenne pepper powder , salt, pepper, sugar and fresh thyme leaves together.
3) Pour the olive mixture to the potato wedges and coat it evenly.
4) Transfers the wedges to a bakeware and bake each side for bout 30mins in a preheated 200 degrees C oven or until tender and golden brown . The size of wedges will affect the cooking time need for the potatoes.
5) When its done, you can serve this as an appetiser or as a side dish.

I personally love the combination of spices on the potatoes! The thyme leaves give an excellent flavour and aroma to the wedges. I ate it plain like that for its already so good to eat it on its on. No dips needed.

Pineapple & Prawns Fried Rice

Despite me being a pineapple lover, i'm pretty picky and will only devour those that are sweet and juicy. Too bad for me the pineapple i bought earlier isnt that juicy and sweet so instead of whipping up the same thing again (Prawns with Pineapple in Sweet Sour Sauce) i cooked it together with the left over rice from the night before.

INGREDIENTS
* rice
* finely chopped garlic
* sliced onions
* shredded carrots
* chopped coriander
* prawns (shelled & deveined)
* pinapples (cubes)
* light soy sauce
* egg
* salt
* pepper
* brown sugar

Method
1) Saute the garlic and onions
2) Add the shredded carrots and pineapples
3) Next, add the prawns. I seasoned the prawns with salt and pepper 30mins ahead.
4) Add the rice and season with light soy sauce.
5) Make a well in the middle and break the egg into in and add in pepper and light soy sauce and stir till its cooked and fold the rice over it
6) Salt and sugar to taste
7) Add the chopped coriander before you serve.

Leftover rice from the night before is ideal for fried rice. The freshly cooked rice will somewhat make the fried rice rather soggy. I'm not sure bout others but i know i dont fancy soggy fried rice. If there's no leftover then cook the rice for fried rice with a lil less water than the usual, that should do the tricks

Portobello & Bacon in Cheese and Herbs Sauce Fettuccine

I believe that preparing food that people crave for or wanna try out something new or simply just wanna eat might just unleash some hidden creativity there. I was giving my bro a few suggestions and he wanted carbonara but too bad the usual place where i shop for my grocery do not have any cream and without that i dont think i can make the basic carbonara.

Since no carbonara for my bro, i opted somethin close to it.

INGREDIENTS
* fettuccine
* sliced bacon
* butter
* sliced onions
* finely chopped garlic
* coarse black pepper
* extra virgin olive oil
* water/chicken broth
* portobello mushrooms
*chopped parsley
* Prego - Cheese & Herbs

Method:
1) Boil fettuccine until al dente and drain
2) Fry the bacon with a lil butter until crispy and set aside
3) Saute the garlic and onions in olive oil
4) Add the sliced portobello musrhooms and chopped parsley
5) Add the can of prego sauce and in some water or chicken broth
6) Next add the bacon and the fettuccine and simmer until the sauce thickens
7) Dish out and garnish with parsley and black pepper and some cheese powder if you like

This dish was too creamy for me and my mom and granny dont fancy it much as well. As for my bro, he didnt say much but kept diggin his plate. He definitely added more cheese powder and coarse black pepper to his pasta.

Baked Dory with Garlicky Breadcrumbs

Today i was feeling a lil particular bout wht to have for dinner. I didnt wanna have wht i had for lunch. Besides i was looking for an excuse to use my oven :). I remember i still have some dory fillets in the freezer and some potatoes and breadcrumbs so i thought why not put all this together and whip a meal outta it.

This is an easy, quick and simple recipe. I had the dory fillet as the main course with mashed potatoes, sauteed button mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and blanched broccoli as the side dishes.

I made 3 sets, one for myself, my mom n bro. Granny isnt much of a western food person. She likes soupy stuff and there's nothin soupy bout this dish.

INGREDIENTS
* dory fillet
* butter (melted)
* breadcrumbs
* salt
* coarse black pepper
* lemon wedge
* finely chopped garlic
* finely chopped parsley

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Brush an ovenproof dish or bake ware with olive oil or butter and line the fillet(s)
2) Season the fillet(s) with salt and coarse black pepper
3) Mix the breadcrumbs and finely chopped parsley together and spread it over the seasoned fillet(s)
4) Mix the butter and chopped garlic in a bowl and drizzle it over the breadcrumbs covered fillet(s)
5) Bake for bout 25-30mins.
6) Now its ready to be served with ur choice of side dishes!

As for the fillet, feel free to use any type of white fish you fancy. You can even opt for cod fish, but with that you can thicken the layer of breadcrumbs spread over it or you can prepare a creamy buttery sauce with some fresh thyme.

Portobello Mushrooms Fusilli

Previously i used up 3 huge portobello mushrooms as a side dish and i've 5 more left. I didnt wanna keep those lovely mushrooms for too long so i combine both the meaty mushrooms and the tricolour fusilli i have in the cabinet. Since I was in the mood to pick out and separate the tricolour fusilli, i used the orange coloured ones instead of the green and the yellow ones.

Supposedly this orange coloured ones are made outta tomatoes, some source stated that its made outta beet juice. Not sure which is of a more accurate information but i love all colours, and somehow it all tasted the same.

For this simple dish, i made it vegetarian, perhaps not totally cuz i've got butter in it but the rest its al vegie.

INGREDIENTS:
* fusilli
* sliced onions ( one medium size)
* finely chopped garlic ( 3 medium cloves)
* olive oil ( i used extra virgin olive oil)
* butter
* coarsely ground black pepper
* salt
* chopped parsley
* roughly sliced portobello mushrooms

Method:
1) Boil the fusilli until al dente and drain
2) Heat olive oil and butter and saute the garlic and onions
3) Add in the sliced portobello
4) Season with salt and black pepper
5) Add in the fusilli, chopped parsley and toss
6) Serve while its hot

Feel free to add in some grated parmesan. As for me , i didnt feel like adding any cheese for the sauce from the portobello mushrooms is creamy and buttery enough for me.

Bread Muffin

Its been a while now that my granny has been sayin and asking when am i gonna bake bread for her. I finally did , a few days back but it was a failure. The outer layer was all soft and crunchy at the same time but it wasnt thoroughly cooked when it comes to the inside part. I was thinkin and tryin to figure out where i went wrong. As i was tryin to figure it out, i was hopin i've got a bread machine at home so that i dont have to worry bout the dough n the kneadin part.

Then i was comfortin myself by telling myself that, come on girl..Back then those bakers still manage to make soft, fluffy , beautiful lookin bread without the bread machine! Its a matter of practice, not just practice but perfect practice makes perfect bread!

I knew it was all bout my kneadin technique that caused the failure. I was pretty disappointed but that disappointment made me more determined in giving the bread recipe another shot.

Today after lunch, i tried my hands on bread making again. This time instead of poppin the bread batter into the bread loaf pan, i used the 12's muffin pan instead, therefore the name Bread muffin!

This time the bread turns out soft and beautiful with a layer of butter on it!

INGREDIENTS:
* 500gm bread flour
* 320ml water
* 20gm butter
* 60gm sugar
* 2 tsps instant yeast
* 6 X 1/4 tsp salt
* 2 X 1/4 tsp bread softener
* 6 X 1/4 tsp bread improver

Method:
1) Mix the bread flour and salt
2) Make a well in the flour, add the yeast, butter & water
3) Draw the flour into the liquid & work the mixture into a dough, add a little more flour or liquid as necessary
4) The dough should leave the table and sides cleanly. Knead until smooth, about 15-20mins
5) Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise under the sun for bout 45mins - 1 hour.
6) Bring the batter in and punch it a few times and shape into design you fancy and let it rise for another 20-30mins
7) Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C
8) Bake for bout 15-20 mins. (Note : You can brush the surface of the bread with butter before poppin it in the oven)
9) Take it out and let it cool
10) You can brush the bread with a lil butter on the surface and serve

I was really glad to see that smiling face of my granny when she saw the Bread Muffin when i took it out from the oven. At least now she can have some home made bread with my recent home made jam ( Coconut Egg Jam) ; instead of white sugar, i used soft brown sugar.

Corned Beef Fusilli Casserole

I've been doin a lot of food research, be it American dishes or cuisine of Argentina. I was very much intrigued by all the foods i came across. I've been meaning to try my hands on some casserole dish and finally today's the day. Since i've a new packet of rainbow fusilli in the kitchen cabinet so pasta casserole it is then.

I'm not so much of a cheese person but i couldnt help but prepare this dish for the family. I'd wanna know how it really tasted like though. From all the reading and the research of recipes i finally wanted to try out my version of casserole. Being part of my family means lab rat indirectly :P

I was feelin happy when i was preparing this dish. Perhaps its somethin new to me and i was like a lil girl, eagerly anticipatin for the final outcome of the dish.

I wanted to use some mince meat but too bad i couldnt get my hands on any, so i replaced it with corned beef. By preparing this dish im somewht breakin one of the household rules. My granny believes that those who practices Buddhism shouldnt be consuming beef. Me being the "black sheep" in the family, i decided that corned beef isnt as bad as the whole chunk of beef. Besides i dont really believe in what can we or can we not eat. Food is all the same to me.

INGREDIENTS:
* corned beef
* chopped onion
* finely chopped garlic
* butter
* Prego Sauce - (Tomato with Basil and Garlic)
* fresh chopped parsley
* shredded carrot
* chopped tomatoes
* freshly ground black pepper
* salt
* mozzarella cheese ( I used low-fat mozzarella cheese)
* cheddar cheese
* water/chicken broth
* rainbow fusilli
* virgin olive oil

Method:
1) Boil the pasta according to the packet instructions, 8-10 mins or until al dente and drain
2) Heat olive oil on a non-stick and add a bit of butter, saute the finely chopped garlic and onions
3) Add in the shredded carrot and corned beef
4) Add in some water/chicken broth and simmer it
5) Add in the can of Prego Sauce, chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper
6) Let it simmer, add in some butter if you like
7) Lastly season with salt to taste
8) Pour the drained fusilli into the non-stick and coat it with the sauce
9) Grease your bakeware according to the instructions and transfer the pasta into in it
10) Top it up with any choices of cheese ( I used mozzarella & cheddar)
11) Bake bout 20mins in the preheated oven, and you're ready to serve

I served this with some crunchy Romaine lettuce and chopped tomatoes.

Khai Yat Sai - Omelette

It is also spelled as Kai Yat Sai, its a square stuffed eggs; a type of Thai Omelette. This simple egg dish is one of my best friend's fav!

You can basically stuff your eggs with any type of filling you want. Be as creative as you want. You can even decorate your omelette with strips of tomato sauce if you like.

Ingredients:

Filling
* finely chopped onions
* finely chopped garlic
* chopped tomatoes
* prawns ( shelled and deveined)
* mince meat ( i used lean pork)
* finely chopped carrot ( i substituted with long beans)
* freshly ground black pepper
* sugar to taste
* tomato sauce
* dark soy sauce ( a drop or two)
* chopped coriander

Method :
1) Season the mince meat with sugar, black pepper and fish sauce
2) Season the prawns with pepper and fish sauce
3) Saute the garlic and onions
4) Add in the the minced meat , long beans and prawns
5) Next, add in the chopped fresh tomatoes and stir
6) Add water/chicken broth, let it simmer before adding tomato sauce and dark soy sauce
7) Lastly , add in the chopped coriander. Sugar to taste
8) Set aside

Omelette
* eggs
* fish sauce

Method:
1) Break the eggs in a bowl, add a few dashes of fish sauce and whisk it
2) Glaze the non-stick pan with butter or oil
3) Pour just enough of egg into the pan to form a thin sheet
4) Once the mixture has cooked, spoon the filling and place it in the center of the egg and fold the sides so that it looks like a square
5) Switch off the gas
6) Use an average size of plate to cover the squared omelette and turn your non-stick pan up side down.
7) There you have it, your Khai Yat Sai is ready to be served.

For those that dont quite fancy the distinctive taste of ketchup, you can add in a lil chilli sauce or some chopped bird eye's chilli or dried chilli to give it the "heat". Freshly ground black pepper would be just as good. I gotta admit i'm not so much of a ketchup fan but when it comes to this dish, i simply love it!

Dory Fillet and Soft Tofu Soup

This mornin when i got up, i've got this craving for some clear soup. I didnt wanna make the usual potatoes, carrots and chicken soup. So i thought why not jst use the two tubes of soft tofu i have in the fridge and the remainin dory fillet i've got up in the fridge. 

So for this easy clear soup, here are the ingredients you need.

INGREDIENTS:

* chicken broth
* soft tofu/beancurd (cut into cubes)
* spring onion ( cut into 2cms or so)
* shredded ginger
* few sprigs of coriander
* white fish fillet ( i used Dory since i've some left in the fridge)
* Chinese rice wine ( Shao Hsing Hua Tiau)
* ginger juice
* salt
* pepper

Dory
* cut into bite size or slightly bigger
* season with Chinese rice wine, ginger juice & salt for 5-10mins

Method:

1) Pour chicken broth into pot and bring it to simmer
2) Add ginger, fish fillet and beancurd
3) Bring it to boil over high heat
4) Reduce heat to medium and cook until flavourful
5) Just before turning off the heat, add some Chinese rice wine, pepper and salt to taste
6) Add in spring onions 
7) Sprinkle with coriander and serve immediately

So in my own personal bowl, i added more pepper to it :) and my mom was teasin me bout how much i love pepper and when i'm running my own kitchen in the future it'd be all pepper and more pepper for the customers! 

Prawns with Pineapples in Sweet Sour Sauce

I'm a citrus person. I love anythin citrusy. I'm constantly thinking of how do i infuse citrusy fruits into my food. Today i decided i should add in some pineapples to my food. I know that i can use it anytime in my salad but today isnt so much of a salad day but more of a somethin under the water - prawns!

Ingredients:

Prawns
* shelled and deveined 
* marinate with salt and pepper ( i used freshly ground black pepper)

Method:
1) Heat butter over low heat and saute prawns until it turns pink
2) Dish out and set aside

Sauce
* finely chopped onions
* finely chopped garlic
* sliced ginger
* tomato sauce
* chilli sauce
* water
* salt and sugar to taste
* cubed fresh pineapples
* sprigs of coriander for garnishing

Method:
1) Heat butter and saute the chopped garlic, ginger and onions.
2) Add in tomato and chilli sauce
3) Add in a little bit of water and let it simmer
4) Next, add in the pineapples
5) Let it simmer for a lil while more before adding the prawns
6) You can toss in some chopped coriander and spring onions, otherwise use it for garnishing.

It would be superb if you serve this dish while its hot with a plate/bowl of steamed white rice. This particular dish definitely got my bro goin for second serving of rice despite him wanting to cut down on food portion! Perhaps the next time around, i can add in some chopped bird eye's chilli to give this dish the spicy kick!

Penne con Polpettine

Polpettine is Italian for tiny meatballs. As i was goin through my kitchen cabinet, i found bout 1/4 packet of penne left layin around. So i checked for the expiry date and i have till the end of the year, so i thought i might as well cook before i forget bout it. Its been a good few months since i last cooked pasta. And i thought, wht a perfect timing to do it now!

I dont have much ingredients at home so for this dish its more like do with wht i have in the kitchen cabinet and the fridge.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
* lean pork mince
* paprika
* breadcrumbs
* finely chopped onions
* finely chopped garlic
* salt
* black pepper
* egg,beaten
* all- purpose seasoned flour

Method:
1) Combine the first 8 ingredients together
2) Roll tablespoonsful of mixture into balls
3)  Then roll the balls in the seasoned flour

Sauce
* chopped onions
* finely chopped garlic
* finely shredded carrot
* chopped fresh tomatoes
* butter
* salt
* sugar
* chicken stock
* black pepper
* tomato puree
* tomato paste

Method:
1) Saute the garlic and onions with butter
2) Next, add the shredded carrot followed by chopped tomatoes
3) Pour the chicken stock in and bring to boil
4) Add tomato puree and paste
5) Season with salt and sugar 
6) Add in more butter if you like
7) Lastly add in black pepper.

As for the meatballs, you can either drop all the balls into the sauce and let it simmer or you can coat it only when you're bout to dig into your food. Also do add in some freshly grated Parmesan cheese on your pasta, if you have any at home. Parmesan will do good in the meatballs mixture as well. Since i dont have parmesan at home, i substituted it for paprika in the meatballs and freshly ground black pepper on my pasta.
 

Glass-Noodles Salad

Glass noodles also known as Cellophane noodles, Chinese Vermicelli or Bean Thread Noodles are a type of transparent Asian noodles made from starch. This is one of my fav type of noodle and I'd pick it anytime as compared to other Asian/chinese noodles.  

What i have over here is what you called Yam Woon Sen - the Thai Glass noodles with Prawns. Again whatever dish/recipes you see over here isnt the auntentic ones, rather the altered version of whatever my fav dishes are.

Ingredients:

Glass noodles
* soak in water for about 10 mins or until soft dependin on brands and blanch it

Prawns 
* marinade with salt & pepper
* simmer in soft brown sugar+ water until the prawns turn pink
* dish out and keep the extra gravy aside to be used as part of the dressing

Mince meat (pork)
* marinade with salt, black pepper and fish sauce
* saute the mince with finely chopped onions until it loses its pink colour
* break the mince into small morsels.

Vegetables /Greens
* slices of tomatoes
* chopped cilantro
* chopped mint leaves
* slices of onions
* chopped bird eye's chilli
* finely shredded carrot

Dressing
* lime juice
* fish sauce
* brown sugar
Note: i mixed the 3 items together and transfer it into a sauce pan n double boil it until the sugar has dissolves and added the gravy from simmering the prawns. 

Methods: 
1) Put the blanched glass noodles in a large bowl
2) Put in the the list of greens
3) Toss in the cooked prawns and the minced meat
4) Pour over noodles and mix thoroughly

For those that prefer a spicier and tangy note to this dish, add in more bird eye's chilli and adjust the taste of the dressing to your liking.

 

Orange Chocolate Marble Cake

I would say chocolate and orange is the perfect combination if anyone were to ask me. Before this, i experimented on a simple orange cake recipe and i find that the recipe i used lack the flavourful and zesty note i was looking for. So me being in the state of dissatisfaction, i started fine-tuning the original orange cake recipe to suit my tastebuds. 

I scribbled down notes and jotted down the approximation of measurements i thought appropriate to create that kick i was looking for. I wanted to bake with the revised recipe but i thought why waste the time when i can embark on somethin new.

So instead of just a plain orange cake again, i decided to bake a marble cake with orange cake as the base of it with chocolate instead of the normal butter marbled cake.

I'm pretty proud of myself with my first attempt in tryin out this own recipe of mine. I've also increased the servings from 12 to bout 20 or more.

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
* 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 cup sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 tbsp vanilla essence
* A whole cup of plain yogurt ( Dutch Lady- 140g)
* 1/3 cup corn oil
* 3 tbsps Sunquick Orange
* 2/3 + 1/4 cup milk
* 100gm cooking chocolate (double boil)

METHODS:
1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees C for bout 10mins. Grease the bakeware with butter or margerin.
2) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3) Combine eggs, vanilla essence, yogurt, corn oil, Sunquick Orange and the milk in a separate bowl.
4) Pour the egg ingredients into the flour mixture and mix thorougly. 
5) Double boil the chocolate and set it aside to cool. Add a tablespoon of Sunquick Orange into the melted chocolate.
6) Alternately spoon the orange and the chocolate batters into a greased bakeware.
7) Swirl through the two batters with a knife to create a marbled effect on the batter.
8) Bake at 180 degrees C for 50 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean.
9) As soon as the cake is done remove from the oven, let the cake finish cooling on a rack before serving.  
10) You can use the remainin melted chocolate as the topping or you can eat it just like that.

Braised Shiitake Mushrooms with Broccoli

Both the broccoli and mushrooms are my favourite. And when i say mushrooms its all types of mushrooms ranging from the button mushrooms to golden lilies. 

Speakin of golden lilies, its been a while since i have them! Oh oh..and boy! Portobello's really really good! I saw some nice lookin ones today and i thought i might as well get it when im gonna cook it. No point buyin it and then chuck it in the fridge and let it rot!

For the mushrooms, i jst braised it with some sesame oil, soft brown sugar, oyster sauce and light soy sauce. I think i took bout 3+ hours or so, with a low heat to get the mushrooms done. It turned out good; was definitely juicy enough for me but i would definitely love for it to be more tender. 

Those that love the really really soft, tender and flavourful mushrooms, i would suggest the slow cooker. You can leave it over night in the cooker and have it for lunch the next day.

As for the broccoli, i just blanched it with a lil salt. I'd love the florets to be bigger than how the restaurants would serve it. I suppose the big portion floret gives a mouthful satisfaction.