Chicken "Sate"..and Happy New Year!

I end my post of the year
with this recipe for
Chicken "Sate".
That's right.
Not Satay.
But "sate".

One of my new year's resolution
is to lose
weight.
All 30 pounds of bouncing blubber
sitting on my
hips, thighs and other areas
that shouldnt be mentioned.
So,
as I was flipping through
Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave,
(highly recommended "diet" book)
I came across a recipe
for Chicken Sate.


Ahh... Satay.
The dish itself reminds
me of growing up in Singapore.
Eating satay was a treat back then.
It's only eaten for special occasions.
I still could remember
my parents bringing us to the Padang,
which was well known for their satays.
The best in Singapore!
We always ordered satay at the Padang.
It's the thing to do.
Back in the day, each satay stick
cost only 10 cent
and my parents would let
my sister and I have 10 sticks each.
Mind you,
it's not huge
but just thin slices of mutton (my fave)
or chicken meat
served on bamboo sticks.
And it'll be served with shallots,
sticky rice called ketupat
or lontong
along with cucumber.
And of course,
the infamous peanut sauce.
Ahhh...

So,
when I come across this light satay
version by Elli Krieger,
I was intrigued.
I have not come across
a satay dish...
yes,
even those served in Thai restaurants
here (in Florida),
that came close to the ones
back home.
Nobody has come close in preparing
the peanut sauce
the way I remembered it back home.
Not Rachael Ray.
Not Tyler Florence.
And sadly,
not Ina Garten either.
*gasp*

This satay by Ellie Krieger
reminded me of the ones
served in the Thai restaurants here.
Probably because of the coconut milk used
to marinate the chicken.
It's pretty good.
And even though, the peanut sauce
is nothing like back home,
it's really delicious.
I'm pretty impress!
Recipe is a keeper.

It can be found here.

And I'm still on the search for the best satay peanut sauce.
Happy New Year!

Spinach and Artichoke Pastry

I have a thing for
spinach and artichokes.
LOVE them.
They go together so well,
like bread and butter.
I think they are my fave
vegetables,
next to arugula.

Anyway,
I made these pastries
a few weeks back
but forgot to post
them here.
They are delicious little
snacks.
Even my 18 month old loves it.
Well,
not my older 2 girls though.
They cringed at the sight
of spinach!
:D

Recipe taken and adapted from Southern Living 40 years of Best Recipes.

Yields 2 rolls.

1 (10oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained/squeezed water out
1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

1 (17.3oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets

Thaw puff pastry at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Stir together all the ingredients (except for the puff pastries, of course).

Unfold pastry shets, and place on a lightly foured surface.
Spread 1/2 spinach mixture evenly over pastry sheet, leaving a 1/2 inch border.
Roll up pastry, jelly roll fashion, pressing to seal seam.
Wrap in heavy duty plastic wrap.
Repeat procedure with the other pastry sheet and remaining spinach mixture.
Freeze for 30 minutes.
Cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices (rolls can be frozen up to 3 months).
Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Addition to my Cookbook Collection

I don't have a lot of
cookbooks...
although my hubby would like to differ.
I would say,
I have between 45-50 cookbooks.
Not a lot...
comparing to other home cooks
I know who have HUNDREDS.
Repeat.
HUNDREDS.
So,
45-50 cookbooks
ain't much.

Now,
is probably the time
you would say...
"Sri, get your recipes online.
Stop wasting your money.
You don't need cookbooks."
You are right.
There are thousands of recipes
online
at my disposal.
BUT
nothing brings me more satisfaction
and comfort
than reading a good cookbook
in bed
or on my couch...
with a blankie covering my
short, pudgy legs.
Ahhh....
heaven.
And yes,
when I read a cookbook,
I not only drool at the pictures,
but fantasize
at the ingredients...
imagining how they would taste.
Weird?
Yeah,
I'm quite a freak.

Anyway,
I bought 2 cookbooks
this past week.
The first was Giada's Everyday Pasta.

Now,
this is not my first book of hers.
I also have her latest
book, Giada's Kitchen
and Giada's Family Dinner.

Say what you may about Giada.
Yeah..
I know she has a big, lollipop head.
And she can be
quite annoying at times
on TV
but her recipes work.
It's simple, accessible
and I love
her pasta dishes.
LOVE it.
I might have to get her 1st book...
Everyday Italian.

My second book
that I purchased is
from Tyler Florence.
Just because
I have a HUGE crush on him.
Heh!
Dont you think he looks simply delicious?
The first recipe I tried
from him,
was his Ultimate Cheesecake.
It was simply divine.
And eversince then,
I try to catch Tyler's Ultimate regularly.
Just for the eye-candy.
:D

I bought his book,
Stirring the Pot.
Wonderful tips.
Wonderful photos.
Easy recipes.
My only gripe is
I wish it was a hardcover.
Other than that,
I'm happy with my Tyler.

My hubby has banned me
from buying anymore cookbooks.
He swears I have every recipe
on hand
of every food in the world
now.
Yeah right!
He knows he can't
stop me.

I have a problem.
My name is Sri
and
I am a cookbook addict.

:D

Potato Chip Cookies

I swear this is the last
cookie
recipe
you'll see for the year.
I'm totally cookie-ed out.
Had enough of cookies.
Not to mention,
I smelt like butter
for the past 5 days.

Potato chips in a cookie?
You may asked
I wondered the same thing too
when I saw these cookies
in several
magazines.
It intrigued me
so much so
that I couldnt keep them
out of my mind.
What kind of potato chips should I use?
My fave baked potato chips?
Or the sour cream and onion variety?
Will they make the cookie
tastes funky?

Anyway,
I settled for Pringles
original potato chips.
Made them,
and they tasted wonderful.
It's another pecan sandies cookie,
with a twist.
The potato chips gave it a nice crunch.
The taste is mild,
not overpowering at all.
Love it.

Recipe taken from Fine Cooking Cookies Magazine.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature,
more needed for shaping.
1/2 cup granulated sugar, more for shaping
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2lb (a scant 2 cups) all purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 finely crushed potato chips

Heat the oven at 350F and position rack in the middle of the oven.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until
creamy and well blended, about 4 minutes, scraping the bowl
as needed.
Add the vanilla and beat until blended.
Add the flour, pecans and potato chips and mix on low speed
until just blended.

Shape heaping of teaspoons of dough into 1 inch balls.
Arrange them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Put some sugar on a shallow dish.
Lightly grease the bottom of a drinking glass with soft butter.
Dip the glass into the sugar and press the glass down on a dough ball
until it's about 1/4 inch thick.
Repeat.

Bake until the cookies look dry on top and the edges are golden,
10-12 minutes, rotating them half way.
Let the cookies cool on the sheets on the racks for 5 minutes
before transferring them to racks to cool immediately.

Happy Holidays... Dark Chocolate Crackles

Happy Holidays from my kitchen
to yours!!!

Whilst you are reading this post,
I will
probably be laboring
in the kitchen,
fixing a quick Xmas lunch
for the family.
I am not cooking much this year,
as we are invited
to a couple of parties
(THANK GOD for nice friends...).
And because of
this thing called
"schedule posting",
I could type this post
earlier
on
and have it
posted on a certain day.
AWESOME!

Anyway,
here's a cookie I made
for my friends and family.
It's called Dark Chocolate Crackles.
Delicious.
It has a cakey texture
and the hint of orange zest makes
these cookies a knockout.
Enjoy!

Recipe taken from Fine Cooking Cookies.

11 1/4oz (2cups) unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
1/2lb (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 oz (2/3 cup) natural unsweetened cocoa, sifted if lumpy
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/2lb bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
until barely warm
3/4 cup (1/4lb) chopped chocolate * I used semi sweet. You can also use white or bittersweet.
1/3 cup granulated sugar; more as needed

Heat the oven at 350F and position a rack in the center of the oven.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or non stick baking liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, cocoa, orange zest and vanilla
on medium speed until well combined, about 4 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating briefly between additions.
Add the melted chocolate and mix until blended, about 1 minute.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until almost completely blended, about 1 minute.
Add the chopped chocolate and mix until blended, about 15 seconds.
Shape the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls with a small
ice cream scoup or 2 tablespoons.
*I find using tablespoons so much easier as the dough is
pretty sticky.*
Pour the granulated sugar in a shallow dish.
Dip the top of each ball in the sugar and set the balls, sugar side up,
about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake cookies until they are puffed and cracked on top,
11-12 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring
to a rack.

Butter Pecan Sandies

These are so easy to make!
It's also called the Mexican Wedding Cookies.

I made these for Jeff's grandma,
who doesnt like anything too sweet,
nor does she likes chocolates.
She loves pecans
and butter cookies.
So,
there you go.
These cookies are pefect for her.
It's buttery,
melt in your mouth
and very light and flavorful.
You do not wanna know
how many of these
suckers
I popped in my mouth.
:D

Enjoy!


Recipe by Paula Deen.

Yields about 2.5 dozen.

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
1 cup pecans, chopped into very small pieces


Directions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until it is smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.

Potato Latkes

These latkes caused me
so much
anguish
a few days ago.

I had to make 2 dozen latkes
for Jules' Hanukkah class party
at her pre-school,
last Wednesday.
Well,
I didnt want to make
it the nite before,
because
I didnt want it to be soggy
on the day of the party.
Nor do I want to
prep it
too early,
for the fear that the
potatoes will turned brown.
I pooh-poohed at the idea
of using frozen latkes..
or using one of those instant mixes.
Oh please!
Me?
Never!
So, there I was,
rushing...
with only 45 minutes to spare
to make 2 dozen of these suckers
whilst keeping
one eye on my 18 month old baby,
who was constantly
trying to climb onto my
dining chair.
Not fun.

However,
they turned out pretty good.
I kept them pretty traditional,
using only potatoes, onions, eggs
and matzo meal.
Although I would like
to add spring onions,
I feared that the kids wouldnt
like it.
You know how 4 year olds are.
They see green things
in their food,
they freak out!
:D

Anyway,
I like my latkes with chilli sauce.
I know.
I can't hide the Asian in me.
:D

Enjoy!
And Happy Holidays!

Recipe taken from the Food Network.

5 large russet potatoes, peeled
1 medium onion
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup matzo meal
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup canola oil, for frying
Directions
Grate potatoes and onion into a bowl or pulse in food processor. Drain any excess liquid, then add the eggs, matzo meal, salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon the mixture into hot oil forming small pancakes. Cook until underside is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until other side is golden and potatoes are cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce.

I'm Back...and Chocolate Walnut Cookies

I'm baaaaack!!
Gosh..
the past couple of weeks
had been so
busy,
my head started spinning.

If you read my other blog,
you would know that
my hubby was out of town.
And
it had been just crazy
and chaos
taking care of 3 girls
and managing
the home front.
I didnt cook for a week!
I just didnt have the time
nor the energy.
Thank God for
pizza and frozen leftovers!!!

And oh,
my potato latkes turned out
perfect!!!
I'll share my recipe in the next few
days.

Anyway,
Jeff will be home in a few minutes.
Whoo-hoo!
Today, I started
on my Christmas baking.
All to be given away as
pressies.
My legs felt like they were about
to fall off.
I wish there's a way to bake
sitting down.

One of the cookies I made is
Chocolate Walnut Cookies.
These cookies have a fudgy texture
and is not overwhelmingly
sweet.

Happy Holidays!!

Recipe taken from The Best of Fine Cooking Cookies Edition

4 1/2oz (1 cup) all purpose flour
1/2 cup natural or Dutch processed cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp table salt
3 oz (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 oz (2 tbsp) vegetable shortening
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, sifted free of lumps
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
About 1/4lbs (3/4 cup) chopped walnuts

Heat the oven at 350F.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder
and salt.
Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter
and shortening on medium speed until creamy.
Add both sugars, beating until well combined.
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Turn the mixer to low speed and mix in the flour mixture just until
incorporated. Mix in the nuts.

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter about 1.5 inches apart
on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes (after 5 minutes, rotate pans).
The cookies will puff up and settle down slightly when done.
Let cool on the baking sheets on a rack for a few minutes.
With a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Recipe Needed for Potato Latkes!!!!

Help!
I need a good recipe,
tried and tested,
for potato latkes.
I've made latkes before
and it's ok.
Nothing spectacular.

Anyway,
I need it by Dec 16th!!
So help me!!
Anyone??
Yours truly,
yes,
me...
is the class parent
for my daughter's preschool class.
Somehow,
somewhat...
I'm kinda forced
to make
potato latkes...
about 40 of them,
for her class,
for the upcoming
Hanukkah show.
Sometimes,
I wonder why I get myself
into
situations like this.
We are not even Jewish,
but
I send my kid
to a Jewish school.
:D
Why?
Coz it's close by
and it's a very good school.
I'm all about the education
and
academics,
people!
LOL..

Anyway,
I'm looking forward
to their Hanukkah show,
so
please
if you have a good latke
recipe,
send me over.

Thanks!

Cheesecake Bars

I had a HUGE sugar craving this past
weekend.
Sadly, I ran out of
cookies, muffins, cupcakes...
ARRRGHHH!
Now,
I'm not a snacker.
Nor do I like potato chips
or any salty stuff.
My vice..
yes, my vice..
is sweets.
Not candy.
But desserts, chocolates, cookies..
you get the drift.
So,
I scrambled through my pantry
and fridge
to see what I got in hand.
And
found that I have enough to make
a cheesecake bar.
Not a cheesecake..
as I only have 3 miserable eggs left.
but a bar.

I LOVE cheesecakes,
by the way.
I love my cheesecakes plain.
No fruity sauce.
No extra topping.
Just plain ol' cheese.

When I found this recipe by
Paula Deen,
I know I have to try it.

Now,
I wouldnt call this a cheesecake cookie.
It's more of a bar, actually.
I did make several changes to the recipe.
Since
I didnt have enough pecans,
for the crust,
I made a basic cheesecake crust..
using graham crackers.
I also added the zest of 1 lemon,
to give it a bit of
tartness.
You can add more lemon,
if you like it more tart.
Omit it,
if you like it plain.

Enjoy!



Ingredients
Crust:
1.5 cup graham cookie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted or softened


Filling:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Fresh berries and mint leaves, for garnish *I used pecans instead.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine graham cookie crumbs, sugar and butter well. Greased a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan and pressed the crust mixture to the bottom of the pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

For filling, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together in a bowl until smooth, using a handheld electric mixer; add eggs and extract; beat well. Add the lemon zest. Pour over crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely. Cut into squares before serving. Garnish.