November Expenses

Life in Taipei has been a lot of fun but it can get expensive very fast if we're not careful...

Review of Christmasland in New Taipei City 2018

If you're a foreigner living in Asia, then Christmas can be a bit different. But there are festivities here...

The Cost of Moving to Taiwan: The First Month

How much does it cost to move a family overseas? One important question to consider when moving abroad is: How much will this international move cost?

How to compare cost of living between countries

Will I spend more money in Taiwan compared to my home country? Less money?

Toy bank - aka the Taipei City Parenting Resource Center

Those of you who are parents probably know that kids tire of toys very quickly. So the Taipei city government has this great resource for parents with kids ages 0-6 years old, the toy rental bank!

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Zuppa Thai Taipei - soup with Thai and Taiwanese flavors

Previously, when we lived in America, I had the recipe for Zuppa Toscana that was delicious. So after we moved here I had to re-invent the soup with my own recipe and it turned into a soup with Thai and Taiwanese flavors:

Ingredients:

1-2 sausage - for this we bought the Taiwanese ones that you can get off the streets or in grocery stores
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt - (just a pinch)
Black pepper (or whatever spice you like)
6 cups of broth (I used the broth from our hot pot mix)
4 large potatoes, diced
1 bunch of whatever vegetables you like, chopped fine
3/4 c. coconut cream
4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
Herbs for seasoning

Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat, cook bacon, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to drain the fat.
Add onion to the pot and let cook until soft/caramelized, 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute or less. Add in the sausages. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir in your vegetable of choice and let cook until leaves are tender and still green, 1-2 minutes, then stir in coconut cream, and bacon and simmer around 5 minutes.
Season with pepper, whatever herb you like, and serve.



Here's the final product, and it was delicious and very different from the original zuppa toscana!