Garlic Butter Noodles

I first discovered this noodles
about a year ago,
on a blog called Steamy Kitchen by Jaden Hair.
Now,
if you are not familiar with the blog,
go now.
Take a look.
Even better buy her book
Steamy Kitchen.
I promise you won't regret it.
This book has become a permanent fixture
on my kitchen counter.
The recipes are so easy to make
not to mention,
the ingredients are easy to find
in my local grocery stores.
Oooo... Awesome!!
Finally, an asian cookbook
that did not make me go all over Virginia
looking for that ONE obscure ingredient!
Whoo-hoo!!!

Anyway,
back to the noodles.
What can I say?
Divine.
Sinful.
Oh.
So sinful.
Delicious.
If I don't have any self restraint,
I could eat this
over my pot
in one standing.
Alright.
Who am I lying to?
I have NO self restraint.
I HAVE ate this over my pot.
In one sitting..
I mean, whilst standing.

Anyway,
the recipe could be found on her blog.
And there are many others who had try it
including two of my other favorite sites,
White on Rice Couple
and
The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook.
The only changes I made is to add chilli flakes
for some heat.
I didn't use any fishsauce.
Or Maggi.
Instead,
I use soy sauce.
And oh,
I use fresh linguine.
Yes, the ones found in the refrigerated section
in your grocery store.
Somehow, fresh pasta...
yes, fresh pasta
goes very well with Asian dishes.

Make this noodles.
I promise you'll love it.

Caramel Apple Quesadillas

I could eat this all day long.
That's how much I love it.
I've been sick all week last week,
down with a nasty cold...
and I made a few batches of this,
kept it in the fridge,
and just munch on it all day.
-My poor kids "suffered" through eating frozen leftovers
and chicken nuggets
(doubt they are complaining about THAT).
Hey.
Don't judge me please.
:D

This would be awesome with vanilla ice cream,
but since I didn't have any
and
was too lazy and sick to go to the grocery store,
I make do with a drizzle of caramel.
Still delicious.

Try it.
It's easy
and simple to make.

Recipe taken from Southern Living.
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp butter, divided

1/2 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 burrito size flour tortillas

1/2 cup bottled caramel sauce
vanilla ice cream *optional

1. Toss together first 4 ingredients

2. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium
high heat.
Add apple mixture and saute 5-8 minutes or until apples are tender.
Remove apple mixture from skillet.
Wipe skillet clean.

3. Stir together cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.
Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on 1 side of each tortilla.
On the other side, add a few tablespoon of the apple mixture.
Fold tortillas in half.

4. Melt 1 tbsp butter in skillet over medium heat.
Cook 2 quesadillas 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tbsp butter and
remaining 2 quesadillas.
Drizzle with caramel sauce.
And if using vanilla ice cream, top with it.
Serve immediately.

Telur Masak Kicap (Eggs in Soy Sauce)

Mom used to make this dish all the time
when we were little.
It's fast.
And it's cheap to make.
Sometimes, she would fry the eggs.
Other times, she would serve it with
hard boiled eggs.
The fried potatoes are optional.
I guess she include that to make it more filling.

When I first got married,
I would make this dish a few times
from the dozens of Habhal sweet soy sauce
I had brought over from Singapore.
Unfortunately,
the bottles of Habhal goodness were long gone..
and much to my dismay,
I couldn't find it at my local Asian grocery stores.
And oh, I have yet to find the ABC brand either.
Bummer.

Anyway,
I have finally found a recipe that I'm satisfied with.
It's close enough.


Serves 4.

4 eggs, fried with a bit of vegetable oil
1 potato, peeled and sliced into strips - fry until golden brown

1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 small onion, cut into rings

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (Tamari sauce)
2 tablespoons honey (adjust sweetness)
1 teaspoon sambal oelek (more if you like spicier..I usually put around 2 teaspoons)

Garnish:
1 spring onion (scallions) - sliced thinly

Mix the soy sauce, honey and sambal oelek.
Fry the onions till it gets soft.
Add the minced garlic and fry about 30 seconds longer. Then add the soy sauce mixture and fry a minute longer. Add fried eggs and the fried potatoes and garnish with the spring onions.

Chicken Wings with Curry Lime Butter

I have a thing for Tyler Florence.
Damn.
That man can cook.
And the best thing is,
his recipes work and are easy to follow.
Of course I wish my hubby could be more like Tyler.
But that ain't gonna happen soon.
He couldn't fry an egg to save his life.
LOL..
Sorry honey.

Anyway,
this is one of Tyler's chicken wings recipe.
It's good but I wish it was more spicy.
Next time,
and there will be a next time,
I'll put some chilli flakes for a bit more heat.


Recipe taken from Food Network Tyler Florence.
Here.

Chips Galore Cookies

Who would've thought that
Facebook
will take a lot of your time?
That thing is addictive!!!

Anyway,
I made these cookies weeks ago.
The original recipe called for almond extract.
I made a small batch of it,
and my kids were totally revolted by the almond smell
and taste.
Not for them.

So,
the second time round,
I made it with vanilla extract
and it's so much better.
These cookies had tons of chips-
great for the chocolate lover.
I also substituted the semisweet chocolate
with bittersweet...
just because I love my chocolate a bit more bitter.
You could interchange them, of course.

Recipe taken and adapted from Taste of Home Cookies.

Yields 9 dozen.

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup EACH bittersweet chocolate chips,
milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in vanilla extract.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
And gradually add to the creamed mixture.
Combine chips and nuts; stir into dough.
Cover and regrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Drop by tablespoons 2 inch apart onto greased baking sheets.
Bake at 325F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove to racks to cool completely.

Chicken Fried Steak

I could still remember the first time
I had Chicken Fried Steak.
It was in Hard Rock Cafe.
Singapore.
I was probably 19
or even 20.
You see,
where I come from,
Chicken Fried Steak
is not in our daily meal
consumption.
I tried it not only because
I love food...
all kinds of food...
it's also because
I was in Hard Rock Cafe
so many times during my late teens
and early 20s
that
I think I've tried almost everything
on their menu.
Well,
except for their pork
of course.
I don't eat pork.


Anyway,
that was the first time
I sink my teeth on a Chicken Fried Steak
and eversince then,
I will order it
every time I see it on a menu.
Ask my hubby.


I am on a mission to
find the perfect
Chicken Fried Steak.
This is good.
But not great.
The crust is a bit soggy
and not as crispy as I would like.
However,
the gravy is fabulous.

This is not the first
chicken fried steak recipe I had tried.
Nor the last.
I tried a few other recipes
and wasn't as pleased either.
I was pretty satisfied with this one.
But not enough to proclaim
"This is IT!!"

Taken from Southern Living Cookbook.

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb cubed beef steaks

1 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp milk
1 cup saltine cracker crumbs

Vegetable oil

3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot sauce

1. Combine first 3 ingredients, sprinkle on both sides of steaks.
2. Combine egg and 2 tbsp milk in a shallow dish.
Dip steaks in egg mixture, dredge in cracker crumbs.
3. Pour oil to depth of 1/2 inch into a large, heavy skillet.
Fry steaks in hot oil over medium heat until browned, turning once.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer, turning occasionally 15 minutes or
until tender.
4. Remove steaks, and drain on paper towels. Keep warm.
Drain off drippings, reserving 3 tbsp in skillet.
5. Add 3 tbsp flour to drippings in skillet, stirring until smooth.
Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Gradually add broth and 1/2 cup milk; cook over medium heat,
stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.
Stir in a dash of Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.
Serve gravy with steaks.

Quick and Simple

These are so simple to make
that
there's no need to type the recipes.
Usually, when I make these "snacks"
as I called it,
I just wing it.
No calculations...
No measurements...
just throw in the ingredients.

Alright.
I have a confession.
I am an egg whore.
I love eggs.
In all forms.
If I have to just eat eggs
for the rest of my life,
I'm a happy camper.

This is my egg salad sandwich.
I LOVE, LOVE egg salad.
To make this,
I boiled 4 eggs...
Now,
This will make about 2 servings
or 2 sandwiches.
You could share it with someone,
or if you are an egg whore
like me,
this is just nice fot 1 person.

Once the eggs are cooked,
I mashed them with some mayonnaise.
Then, add a dash of yellow mustard,
sweet relish, a pinch of cayenne...
for a little oomph...
and
seasoned with salt and pepper.
Put in between toasted breads
and lettuce...
voila!!

Now..
this quick and simple snack...
is my version of "churros".
My kids love churros, by the way...
especially the ones in
Disney World.
I found this idea on a blog..
and forgive me for I can't remember which one..
(Do let me know and I'll mention it here)
Anyway,
they are not exactly churros....
but my kids don't know it.
They will eat anything that is drizzled with sugar!!

This is so simple and quick.
I use ready made Pillsbury breadsticks
and bake it in the oven according to the instructions.
Melt about 4 tablespoons of butter.
Set aside.
On a plate, put 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and mix
it with about 4 tablespoons of sugar.

Once the breadsticks are ready ,
take them out of the oven...
and whilst still hot,
brush the melted butter on them.
And roll them on the cinnamon sugar mix.
VOila!
Easy peasy!!

3 Cheese Baked Ziti

This is rich.
Really rich in flavor.
So,
if you are watching your weight,
and arteries...
dont make it.
Or be like me,
and take a small portion.
Or use fat free sour cream
and skimmed mozzarella cheese,
which I did.
*very proud of myself*

Recipe taken from Southern Living 40 Years of our Best Recipes

Ingredients:
1 16oz package ziti pasta
2 10oz jars of Alfredo sauce
1 8oz container sour cream

1 15oz container ricotta cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cook ziti according to package directions; drain and
return to pot.
Stir together Alfredo sauce and sour cream;
toss with ziti until evenly coated.
Spoon half of ziti mixture into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish.
Stir together ricotta cheese and next 3 ingredients.
Spread evenly over pasta mixture.
Spoon remaining pasta mixture evenly over ricotta cheese layer; sprinkle
with mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Chocolate Chunkers

Soooooo sorry for not
updating
this blog, guys!
It's summer.
The traveling.
The family coming over.
Not to mention,
the laziness that comes over me
when the temperature is 90 degrees outside.
All I wanna do
is be in bed,
watching VH1's trashy reality TV.
Shhhhh......
I LOVE, LOVE My Antonio
and Real Chance of Love.
Tool Academy?
Good television.
You get the drift.

So, anyway...
I made these cookies
a few weeks ago.
It was gone fast.
This recipe is adapted from
Dorie Greenspan's book
From My Home to Yours..
and I changed the recipe a bit.
Why?
Because I didnt have all the ingredients
needed to make this cookie.
So I made do with what I had..
and they are delicious!!

Beware...
these cookies dont spread,
so
what you put on your baking sheet,
will stay that way.

I am posting the changes I made with the recipe.
Love it.
These are chocolate divine.

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's From My Home to Yours.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it at 350F.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder.
Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
Add the butter, bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate and heat,
stirring occasionally just until melted - the chocolate and
butter should be smooth and shiny but not so hot that the butter
separates.
Remove the bowl from the heat and set it on the counter to cool.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment,
beat the eggs and sugar together on medium high speed for about 2 minutes,
until they are pale and foamy.
Beat in the vanilla extract, then scrape down the bowl.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted butter
and chocolate, mixing only until incorporated.
With a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, then on low speed,
add the dry ingredients.
Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick,
smooth and shiny.
Scrape down the bowl and mix in the rest of the chocolate chips/chunks and nuts -
you'll have more crunchies than dough at this point.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving about
an inch of space between them.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes.
The tops of the cookies will look a little dry but the interiors should still be
soft.
Remove the cookie sheet, and using a metal spatula, lift the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
Repeat.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

If I have to tell you
what's
my sin...
it's probably gluttony.
Gluttony according to the
dictionary is
eating too much.
Oh yeah.
That describes me well.
I eat too much.
And if you haven't notice yet,
I have a sweet tooth.
A big sweet tooth.
I love my desserts too much.
That probably explained
why I'm not a size 2.
Or a size 6.
(In case you are interested,
I'm a size 10.
On good days,
I could squeeze my fat ass
into a size 8.
That's pretty rare though.)
I'm not into candy.
Not into chips.
But give me a slice
of cheesecake
and
I could probably down it
faster than you can say,
"Jack Robinson".

And
I love my cookies too.

I made these for my kids.
For real.
(ok..who am I kidding??
I admit..
I'm part of the reason too.)
I love to make homemade
cookies or snacks
for the girls.
Somehow,
because it's homemade,
I dont feel as guilty
giving all that sugar
to them.
It's made with love.
So,
that's ok right?
*snigger*

Anyway,
my girls love it.
In their eyes,
anything with M&Ms
are good.
And they are
right.


Recipe adapted from Y'all come eat.

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (at least 60& cacao), coarsely chopped
1 cup candy coated milk chocolate candies

1. Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet;
toast on the top rack of the oven for 7-10 minutes or
until fragrant and golden, shaking the pan once to ensure even toasting.
Transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Increase the oven temperature to 375F.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, bakiing soda and salt.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed
with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes or until pale and fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
and scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary.
Beat in the flour mixture until incorporated.
Stir in the walnuts, chocolate and candies.

4. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto
2 ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake on separate racks in the oven for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown,
switching pan positions halfway through the baking.
Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 minutes.
Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.