Feed My World

Orange Chicken with Fried Rice

2011-01-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Hello! Hello!

This is pretty darn good.
Better than the ones in most of
the Chinese restaurants across America.
Have you ever wonder why Chinese restaurants here
seem to serve the same stuff?
I mean, you go to one Chinese restaurant here,
you've been to the rest.
Even the photos in the menu is the same!
Having lived in Asia 3/4 of my life,
real Chinese cuisine is nothing like its American cousins.

Anyway,
back to this orange chicken.
I found the recipe off the Tasty Kitchen website.
Orange Chicken with Fried Rice
I followed the recipe to a T,
except that I made my own fried rice,
using sweet soy sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Enjoy!!

No Knead Bread

2010-02-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

I've been dying to bake bread
but it seems like a daunting task.
I have no patience, for one.
And I'm by no means is a great baker.
I can do the simple stuff
but anything too complicated,
I'll check out.

Anyway, this recipe is from
Jim Lahey's No Work No Knead Cookbook.
I bought the book last week
and had been DYING to give it a shot.
It looks so easy.
And it was.
A quick google on the internet and found
that the recipe had been tried
by many food bloggers.

The original recipe can be found here.
And here's the video.

By the way,
you don't need a fancy
Le Creuset pot to bake this bread.
I used a Lodge 5.5 quart cast iron pot,
which cost me only about USD25-29.
I can't remember how much I pay for it
but I know it's under 30 bucks.

And oh,
I've been on Facebook
and that thing is just pure evil.
LOL..
It sucks out a lot of my time.

Chicken Korma

2010-02-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

I know.
Not the prettiest photo
but let me assure you
this is so delicious.
Even my 2 year old loves it.
GASP.
To my utter surprise
and delight,
my little Lily
asked for some
when she saw me eating
the korma.
I said okay.
Gave her a bite
and watched.
She ate it
and asked for more.
WOW!

It's not spicy at all.
This could be because of
the Korma paste I used.
It's called
Tiger Tiger (brand) Mild Korma simmering sauce,
which I got from Harris Teeter.
I did add a bit of cayenne pepper to
give a little kick
(but not much).
The Korma sauce already
had coconut milk in it,
so I didn't add any.
If you are using
a korma PASTE,
please add coconut milk.

If you are using green chile,
choose one that you like.
I used poblano chile here.
And don't forget to season
accordingly.

And oh Jamie likes to add yogurt
when he serves the curry,
I don't find the need to.

Recipe adapted from Jamie's Food Revolution
Jamie's Chicken Korma

1 3/4 lbs skinless berasts
2 medium onions
1 fresh green chile * optional
Thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger
Small bunch of cilantro
1 15oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
peanut or vegetable oil
a pat of butter

1/2 cup korma paste
1 14oz can of coconut milk *read my post above
cayenne pepper *optional
a small handful of sliced almonds, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut * can be found in the frozen section
Sea salt and ground pepper

Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces.
Peel, halve and finely slice your onions.
Halve, seed and finely slice the chile if you are using.
Peel and finely chop the ginger.
Pick the cilantro leaves and finely chop the stalks.
Drain the garbanzo beans.

Put a large pan on high heat and add a couple lugs of oil.
Add the onions, chile, ginger and cilantro stalks with the butter.
Keep stirring it enough so it doesn't catch and burn but turns
evenly golden.
Cook for around 10 minutes.
Add the curry paste, coconut milk, half your sliced almonds,
the drained garbanzo beans, shredded coconut and sliced chicken breasts.
Remember, if you are using a Korma Sauce...omit the coconut milk.
Half fill the empty can (from the garbanzo beans) with water,
pour into the pan and stir again.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes
with the lid on.
Check the curry regularly to make sure it's not drying out.
Add more water if necessary.
When the chicken is tender and cooked, taste and season with salt and pepper.
You can add cayenne pepper if you want more heat.

Happy New Year!!!!

2010-01-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
I just realised I didn't update
my blog for a long time.
Sorry folks.
Computer problems,
been sick
and not to mention,
busy over the holidays.
My New Year's Resolution
is to update this blog
at least
twice a week.
Wish me luck!
It's winter...
the lighting sucks.
By the time I finish cooking,
there are no natural light
whatsoever
to take photos of my food.
Sucks.
Did I mention
I hate winter?
I'm down with a cold..
yet again...
it's freaking cold outside,
and all I want to do
is snuggle under
a warm blanket
in bed,
watching
my trashy VH1 reality TV shows.
Oh yes.
I'm not ashamed.
I love Tough Love,
Sex Rehab..
and that Ray J dating show.
Good TV.
Should be Emmy nominated.
*snigger*

Anyway,
Happy 2010!!!

New Year's meal..
Mac and Cheese, Green beans and black eye peas.
Recipe for mac and cheese and green beans can be found
on the blog.

Garlic Butter Noodles

2009-11-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-05T20:32:00.001-08:00

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)

2009-10-25T06:28:00.002-07:00

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

2009-10-25T06:28:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-25T06:27:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-19T21:48:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-08T17:29:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-08T17:27:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Fried Pickles with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

2009-08-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

Fried Pickles.
Who would've thought?
This came about when
I asked my husband
what he ordered at Hooters,
one day.
He said
"Fried Pickles.
Delicious!"
And I said,
"You went to Hooters
to get fried pickles?
I could make that!!"
And so I did.

Now,
I'm not a pickle eater.
I always take out the pickles
that came
with my burgers.
I pooh-poohed the idea of eating
fried pickles.
Seriously.
But boy, oh boy..
I take my words back.
Fried pickles
are divine.
Delicious...
And dipped in this
honey mustard sauce...
I'm in pickle
heaven.

Recipe taken from Deen Brothers Y'all Can Cook.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tablespoon honey

Mix the ingredients above well.

For the fried pickles
1 16oz jar bread and butter pickle chips
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying.

Heat a pan with 2 inch of vegetable oil.
Put each ingredients separately in 3 bowls.
Season the flour and cornmeal with salt and pepper.
Dip the pickles in the flour first,
followed by the eggs,
and lastly,
toss it in the cornmeal.
Fry till it gets golden brown.

Marshmallow Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

2009-07-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Oh.
This is simply divine.
Delicious.
I'm loving the Martha Stewart Cupcake
book.
If you haven't bought it,
you should.
This is the second recipe I tried
from the book
and I made it with success.
My kids love it without the filling.
I ate them,
not only with the filling,
but with a side of marshmallow
creme dollop
on the side.
Disgusting, I know.
But they are so good..
I just want to dip the whole thing
in creme!
Ha...

And oh,
did I mention that I accidentally
grabbed cornstarch instead of baking soda
for these?
Thank goodness I discovered it early
(no wonder the box looked different)
and managed to scoop it out.
Phew.

Anyway,
Martha made it into 12 jumbo cupcakes.
I got 24 out of the batter.
Have fun trying.
This is delish.
I swear.

I'm not typing the recipe as it could
be found in her website.
Go here.

Lemon Custard Cakes

2009-07-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

This is so easy to make
and
most importantly,
you probably have all the ingredients
in your pantry.

It's light and airy.
So light and airy
that I ate 3 bowls of these
suckers in one sitting.
I made mine with 3 teaspoons of lemon zest
as I like
the tartness.
Make it with less if you
want to.

Recipe taken from Great Food Fast.
Recipe yields 6 cups.

Unsalted butter, at room temperature for custard cups
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2-3 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 1 LARGE lemon)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Set a kettle of water to boil.
Butter six 6oz custard cups and place them in a roasting pan
or baking dish lined with a kitchen towel.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks
and granulated sugar until the mixture is light.
Whisk in the flour.
Gradually whisk in the lemon zest and juice.
Then whisk in the milk.

3. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites
and salt until soft peaks form.
Add to the lemon mixture, and gently fold in with a whisk.
The batter will be thin.

4. Divide the batter among the prepared cups.
Place the pan in the oven and fill it with boiling water to reach
halfway up the sides of the cups.
Bake until the puddings are puffed and lightly browned,
about 20-25 minutes.
SErve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioner's sugar.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

2009-07-22T14:47:00.000-07:00

So,
I bought the new Martha Stewart Cupcakes
book.
And boy,
was I pleased with it.
What I love about this book
is that
it contains tons of recipes
of different cupcakes...
not just how to decorate them,
like many cupcakes books have.
That's what I need.

And so,
my first cupcake off the book
is the
cookies and cream cupcakes.
Why?
Because I love Oreos.
Simple as that.

It's really easy to make
and delicious too,
with a dollop of whip cream.
What Martha didn't say in the book
is that it has to be kept
refrigerated or else
it'll become mushy
after a few hours.

Recipe taken from Martha Stewart Cupcakes.
*I halved the recipe to make 12 cupcakes*

18 Oreo cookies - 12 left whole and 6 coarsely chopped
1 lb cream cheese - room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275F.
Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

With an electric mixer on medium high speed,
beat cream cheese till smooth, scraping down sides of bowl.
Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined.
Beat in vanilla.

Drizzle in the eggs, a bit at a time,
beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Beat in sour cream and salt.
Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Divide batter evenly among cookie filled cups,
filling each almost to the top.
Bake, rotating tin halfway through,
until filling is set about 22-25 minutes.
Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Refrigerate in tins, at least 4 hours or overnite.
Remove from tins before serving.

BBQ Chicken & Grilled Peaches

2009-07-19T15:52:00.001-07:00

On Friday,
I was determined to grill outdoors.
I already had the chicken
out to defrost.
And the
recipe out for
BBQ chicken.
God forbid..
At around 4pm,
it started to rain.
HEAVY.
Thunderstorms.
Lightning.
Strong Winds.
I was PISSED.
I did not want
to take out my George Foreman.
I
WILL.
Grill.
Outdoors.

So,
I waited.
And finally,
Lo and behold...
by 6:30pm,
it stopped.
And I hurried...
literally,
almost tripping over my
feet...
outside
to grill.

The chicken turned out fabulous.
Though I did burnt some..
which is fine..
I love the "burnt" parts..
It didnt took long to grill.
Especially
on a gas grill.
And if you haven't try grilling
fruits,
you should.
I LOVE grilled pineapples
but
this time,
I did peaches instead.
It's really simple,
just brushed a bit of melted butter
and grilled about
4-5 minutes per side.

Enjoy!!

Recipe for BBQ CHicken.
Recipe taken from Great Food Fast.
1 tsp hot sauce
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsp Dijon Mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cut up chicken (3 pounds)
1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for grates
Coarse salt
and fresh ground pepper

1. Heat a grill to medium.
Simmer the hote sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, mustard,
garlic and ketchup in a small saucepan over medium heat
until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups ..about 5-7 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the vegetable
oil. Season well with salt and pepper.

3. Lightly oil the grates.
Place the chicken on the grill.
Cover the grill; cook,
turning frequently until the chicken registers to 165F (160F for breasts)
on an instant read thermometer.
Uncover the grill, continue cooking,
basting frequently with the sauce, until the chicken
is glazed thoroughly about 3-4 minutes more.
Serve with remaining sauce (optional).

Corn Salad

2009-07-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

I finally get to really cook
in my new kitchen.
Dang..
I miss cooking.
It's not the same
when you cook in someone
else's kitchen
(like at my in-laws in North Carolina).
Or
when I had to cook with only
1 skillet.
Not fun.

But anyway,
today
I made spaghetti with meatballs,
garlic bread
and corn salad
for dinner.
And we down it
with dark cherry lemonade.

It's corn season.
And for corn going for 20 cents
per ear
at the Navy commisary,
you'll be seeing a lot of corn
dishes
from moi.
This is so easy to make.
And very light too.

Recipe taken from Great Food Fast.
6 ears corn, husks and silk removed
3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise (1/2cup)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and
fresh ground pepper

To remove the kernels,
cut off the tip of each cob; stand the cob in a wide shallow bowl.
With a sharp knife, slice downward to remove the kernels.
To the bowl, add the scallions, vinegar and oil.
Season generously with salt and pepper.
Toss to combine.
Serve or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.

Kitchen is finally open!

2009-07-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

My kitchen is
finally
in service.
Our furniture
came in on Wednesday,
and
the first thing I did,
was to open
the boxes to my pots and pans
and
my kitchen gadgets.
Let me tell you,
it's tough to cook
with only 1 skillet
and paper plates
and cups.
What I did for
the first week,
was to grill
on our gas grill
(we bought a gas grill
the day before the 4th).
Hooray for the grill!
I made chicken and steak fajitas
one afternoon
and we ate
that for
2 days.

I finally cook
a "real meal"
on my stove
yesterday.
I made beef stew
and even make
dirt cake for dessert.
Today,
I made baked mac and cheese
with green beans on the side.
It felt good to cook.
Again.

In Virginia at last!

2009-06-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

We are here in Virginia
and
will be moving into
our new house
tomorrow.
Long story short,
we found a nice house
in Chesapeake.
Hopefully,
our internet will be
set up
by Friday
but
our furniture will only
get here on the 8th.

Will post photos...
later.

Off to Virginia

2009-06-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

Everything is packed
and we are ready to move
to
Virginia.
Our 5 year stint in South Florida
has ended
and now,
we are looking forward to
making a new life in
Virginia.
This is the life of
a military family.
We move,
we get settled in,
make friends
and then,
poof,
time to move again.
Sigh..

Oh well.
We are hoping to get our
stuff on July 1st..
so hopefully
my kitchen will be up and running
by the first week of July.
We'll see.

Adios!!

#33. Lemon Yogurt Cake

2009-05-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

I have been busy lately,
clearing stuff from my pantry...
baking
and cooking
as much as I could
to get rid of our food items.
The movers are coming in 8 days
to pack up our stuff.
And I still have so many food stuff
to clear.
I'm so not ready to move to
Virginia.

Anyway,
I have been dying to bake
this cake
after reading many rave reviews
about it.
It's really simple to make
and
that's what I like about Ina Garten's
recipes.
They are well written, delicious
and easy to follow.
The cake is pretty good.
It's lighter than a pound cake.
I like that.
Ina never disappoints.
I do find the icing a bit sweet -
and I have a sweet tooth.
The icing recipe yields A LOT.
I didnt use all of it
for my cake.
It does taste better the next day though.

Recipe taken from the Food Network.

#32. BBQ Meatloaf Muffins

2009-05-25T11:10:00.001-07:00

Remember me saying
that
I really don't like meatloaf much?
I really don't.
It's all too "beefy"
for me.
However,
there is only 1 meatloaf
that I truly love.
Really truly.
So much so,
that this is the only meatloaf
recipe
that I would ask for seconds.
Even thirds.
And I had to mention
it here.

I've been making this
meatloaf muffin
for a couple of years
now
but it was forgotten
for a long while
eversince
I started testing out different
recipes.
After I made Nigella's mini meatloaves
and wasn't
too happy about its taste,
I knew I had to share
this recipe.
This is not a traditional
meatloaf recipe
especially with its barbeque sauce
but
you gotta try it.
I like my meatloaf with
tons of
flavors.
And this recipe,
yes,
by Rachael Ray,
doesn't disappoint.
Even my hubby
and kids
love it.
That means something, right?
Enjoy!

You can find the recipe
here.
With 504 reviews,
5 star ratings,
you know this is a good thing!

Is it weird to eat meatloaf with rice?
I dunno.
I'm Asian
so to me,
rice goes with everything.
Heh!

#31. Pineapple Ice Cream

2009-05-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day,
my hubby...
darling hubby...
got me an ice cream maker.
I had been bugging him for
months for one.
And he always said
"Why? Haagen Daaz made
good ice cream!"
Well,
as you can tell,
he relented
and bought me one.
I am tireless
when I want something.
Heh!

Anyway,
this is my first ice cream
and let me tell you,
it's so simple to make.
The ice cream maker does all the work
anyway.

I chose a recipe
that requires the eggs to be cooked
instead
of making it with raw eggs.
Reason being,
I have young kids and
I'm not comfortable with
them eating
raw eggs.
It turned out pefect.
Creamy, delicious
and refreshing.
My only complaint with this recipe
is that
there isn't enough pineapple flavor
even though
I pulsed the pineapple in a food processor.
Next time,
I'll add a bit more pineapple.

And oh,
do not attempt to make this with
fresh pineapples.
Fresh pineapples contained enzymes
that might cause the milk to curdle.
Use canned pineapples instead.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Recipe taken and adapted from Allrecipes.com
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups whipping cream
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
*I pulse it a few rounds in the food processor
to intensify the flavors.*

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, cook the eggs and milk over medium heat for 8 minutes
or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F and mixture coats a metal spoon.
Stir in sugar until dissolved.
Cool. Stir in the cream and pineapple.
Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full;
freeze according to manufacturer's directions.
Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze.
Allow ice cream to ripen in refrigerator freezer for 2-4 hours before serving.
May be frozen for up to 2 months.

#30. Dark Cherry Lemonade

2009-05-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

It's been so HOT
in South Florida.
You can tell summer is here
because
of the thunderstorms.
Oh yeah..
Hurricane season is around the
corner.
Somehow,
we skipped spring
and
went right into summer.

When I think of
summer,
lemonade came to mind.
I used to work in a hotel
that
serves lemonade and cookies
at 3pm
for snacks.
And every time
I make lemonades,
I think of my days slaving..
I mean, working...
in the hotel industry.
Oh, I LOVE working there
but I dont miss the
long hours.
Oh no!
The hotel industry is
definately not
family friendly in that terms.

Anyway,
make this lemonade!
You can use water
but I suggest making
it with club soda..
It is so refreshing!!

P.S. I couldnt find frozen cherries,
so I made mine with frozen dark cherries.
Delish!

Recipe taken and adapted from
The Deen Family Cookbook.

1 10oz package frozen pitted sweet cherries, thawed
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar
5 cups chilled club soda

In a blender puree the cherries, lemon juice
and sugar.
If you like, strain the mixture with a sieve. *optional*
Pour the mixture into a pitcher.
Add the club soda and stir gently.
Serve.

#29. Beef Stew

2009-05-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

My first recollection
of beef stew
was
actually at my cousin's house.
Growing up,
I NEVER had beef stew.
Mom cooks well enough
to have food
that's edible
(and some pretty good)
on the table for dinner.
She worked full time
so she really didnt have the time
to sweat in the kitchen.
She's better at sewing though..
Anyway,
she only cooks Asian food
and
beef stew is out of her
comfort zone.

I remembered going to my cousin's
house one day,
to drop off something -
we were neighbors -
and I saw my aunt serving
beef stew for lunch.
I was AMAZED.
Maybe a bit jealous.
Wow.
They had beef stew?
Lucky them.
Of course, my aunt offered
but
I politely refused.
And to this day,
I remembered that beef stew.
With regret.

Recipe taken from Katie Lee Joel's The Comfort Table.

2 pounds lean beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
Kosher Salt
Black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium yellow onions, quartered
4 large carrots, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 quart low-sodium beef broth
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley.

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the beef with 2 tablespoons of the flour and toss to evenly coat all sides.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef in a single layer (do in two batches if necessary) and cook until just browned on all sides. Remove the beef from the pan, and set aside in a bowl. Pour the vinegar into the pot. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and let reduce by half. Return beef to the pot. Add the potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer, covered until the beef is very tender, about 2 hours.

In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of the stew liquid with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour until smooth. Stir into the beef stew. Continue to simmer over low heat and allow the broth to thicken, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Add the parsley. Ladle into individual bowls and serve.

#28. Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-05-07T19:16:00.001-07:00

Growing up in Singapore,
I didnt eat much soup.
Mom never made them.
If she did,
it's usually eaten with rice,
sort of like
a gravy.
I do eat noodle bowls,
but they are not "soups"...
not where I'm from.
They are merely noodle dishes...
just like pasta.
With gravy.
Confusing?

Anyway,
I've been making this chicken noodle
soup
for so many years now.
It's my kids' favorite.
And mine.
They are constantly asking me
for noodle soup,
and I will happily obliged to make it.
Even though it's
time consuming.
Or
heat up the frozen containers of soup
I kept
in the freezer.
The recipe is from Paula Deen
and I did tweaked it a bit
to my liking.
To make a good soup,
you need good homemade stock.
Yeah.
From scratch.
No shortcuts.
If you haven't had soup with parmesan cheese
and
cream,
you should start now.
It's divine.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen.

1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken, cut up
3 1/2 quarts water
1 onion, peeled
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage. Set chicken aside.

For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken and parsley. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding salt and pepper.

#27. Parmesan Popovers

2009-05-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to make this
popovers
because it looked good
on paper.
Well,
let me tell you this...
I just wasted 3 good eggs on this
recipe.
I dont like it.
Sure, it came out
light and airy
but it tasted
too "eggy" for me.
Not too thrilled about that.
Maybe it's just me
but
it seemed a lot of people
agreed online.
Again,
I should've read
the reviews online
before making it.
I didn't.
I opened up my cookbook,
thought it looked good
and went from there.
Not smart.

Anyway,
try it if you like
but I won't waste my time.
Sorry Giada.
This is not a winner.

You can find recipe here.

#26. Lemon Curry Chicken & Almond Raisin Couscous

2009-04-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

I made this
last Sunday.
It's absolutely delicious.
My Tyler...
Tyler Florence that is,
did it again.
The lemon curry chicken
is his recipe.
Who would've thought that lemon
and curry makes a great baste
for chicken?
The lemon adds a bit tanginess
-is that a word??-
to the dish.
Even my kids,
who are totally anti-curry,
love it.
Surprise!!!

As for the couscous,
it was inspired by Ina Garten's
Morrocan Couscous recipe.
I didnt have much of the ingredients needed
to make hers,
so I switch it up a bit
and ran with it.
I'm not a raisin kinda girl -
I pick raisins off my cookies-
but somehow,
golden raisins and couscous
go together like bread and butter.

Lemon Curry Chicken
Recipe by Tyler Florence, Tyler's Ultimate.

1 3-4lb chicken, cut into 10 pieces
2 cups plain yogurt
2 tbsp curry powder
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels.
Stir together the yogurt, curry powder, lemon zest and juice,
sesame oil, and salt and pepper in a big bowl.
Add the chicken and toss gently to coat with the yogurt marinade.
Put the chicken on a baking sheet and roast,
using the remaining marinade to baste twice as it cooks,
until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 45 minutes total.

Recipe for Almond and Raisin Couscous.

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
1/4 cup golden raisins

Directions
Melt the butter in a large saute pan, add the onion and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper, raise the heat to high and bring the stock to a boil. Off the heat and add the couscous. Cover the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Add the almonds and golden raisins to the couscous, stir and serve.

#25. Mini Meatloaves

2009-04-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have a confession.
I really dont like meatloaf.
I can eat just a little bit
and
that's enough.
It's just too "beefy"
and "meaty" for me.
I rather eat chicken.
However,
I make them
because of my hubby.
He LOVES meatloaf.
He eats them with a huge dollop
of
ketchup.
I know.
Weird.

But that doesnt mean
I can't appreciate
a good meatloaf.
I do..
I just dont eat a big portion,
know what I mean?

When I found this recipe
from Nigella's Express,
I have got to try it.
I thought it's a good idea..
individual servings of meatloaf.
Why didnt I think of that?
Well,
the meatloaf turned out fine.
I did glaze the top with ketchup
and baked it 5 minutes longer.
Was it the best meatloaf I ever tried?
No.
I've tasted better.
It's easy enough though.
And I really do like the idea.
It cuts down the cooking time quite a bit.
Next time,
I will amped it up a bit.

Recipe taken and adapted from Nigella Express

1 lb sausage meat
1 lb ground beef
1 cup quick cooking oats (not instant oatmeal)
1/3 cup A.1. Steak Sauce
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt

Ketchup for glazing, optional

Preheat the oven at 400F.
Combine all of the above in a bowl, mixing really well with your
hands.
Divide the mixture into 12 balls, and then shape them into mini meat loaves.
Sit the mini meat loaves on a baking sheet with space between them
and cook for 30 minutes.
*optional - glaze the top with ketchup and bake 5 minutes longer.

#24. Chicken Pot Pie

2009-04-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm only at my 24th tried and tested recipe
this year.
Bummer...
1 recipe a day aint working out,
is it??
LOL...

Anyway,
what's more comforting
than eating chicken pot pie?
I have several chicken pot pie
recipes
and
I will test which one is the best.
You know me.
I'm anal about stuff like that.

This recipe is by
Katie Lee Joel..
yeah,
the wife of the famous
you know who..
Billy Joel.
The recipes in her book,
The Comfort Table,
are ideal
for beginners to cooking.
Or new to western cooking.
They are super simple to follow.
The recipes are mainly of
comfort foods,
like Beef Stew,
Spaghetti,
Mashed Potatoes
etc.
But dont be fooled..
Even though it's super simple,
they are absolutely DELICIOUS.
Her
mashed potatoes recipe is
one of my favourites.

Anyway,
her chicken pot pie
is delicious.
I made it into individual bowl servings...
perfect for the kids.
They have their own "pie"
to dig in.
I did make several changes to the
recipe,
using items available
in my pantry.
For instance,
I used 1 yellow onion
instead of pearl onions
and
omit the mushrooms.
My kids are not into mushrooms.
Enjoy!

Recipe taken and adapted from The Comfort Table.
You can find the recipe here.

#23. Mellow Meatballs

2009-04-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have tons of recipes
and food photos
from weeks ago
taken
during my blog
"hiatus".
I will try to post
as many
of them,
as I could.

One of them,
is the meatball recipe
by Nigella Lawson.
I know.
I've been posting a lot
of her recipes
lately.
Can't help it.
I LOVE, LOVE
her book,
Nigella Express.
So many ideas.
So many easy cooking.
Fast.

I have NEVER eaten meatballs
with curry before.
And when I saw this recipe
of hers,
I was intrigued.
I definately wanted to give
it a shot.
Why didn't I think of that!!!!
I love meatballs.
I love curry.
So,
this recipe
is really up my ally.

Do I like it?
I LOVE it.
It's delicious.
I couldnt find
the canned squash and sweet potatoes
(it could be a British thing)
so,
I used fresh ones instead
and diced them.

And no,
I dont use cilantro either.
I just dont like the taste of it.

Enjoy!!

Recipe adapted and taken from
Nigella Express.
It could be found here.

Back from Orlando!

2009-04-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

We are back from Orlando
and
let me tell you,
I'm tired of eating
dried burgers,
rotisserie chicken,
did I mention
dried burgers?
Pizzas...
Caesar salads...
Damn..
I'm sick of it.
It's time to start
cooking.
Again.

On our last day,
we went to the
T-Rex restaurant
at Downtown Disney
for lunch.
It's something similar to
the Rainforest Cafe
but with Dinosaurs instead.
The cuisine is
American
and in my opinion,
overpriced.
Sure...
you pay for the ambience,
the "cool" dinosaur theme..
but food wise,
it's just okay.
Nothing special.
I could get the same food
down at Chilli's...
cheaper too.

What I do love,
and my girls enjoy,
is their Build a Dino workshop store.
It's stomething like Build A Bear
but with dinosaurs instead.
You get to stuff them,
and dress them.
Really cool.

My advice...
dont eat there
(go to the Rainforest Cafe instead!)
but
go to the store
and get you a dinosaur!

Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Mushrooms

2009-04-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

We are leaving for Orlando
for a week!!!
Spring BReAK!!!

Anyway,
I'm gonna make this quick
as we are leaving in a few minutes
and my hubby is glaring at
me right now.
*I get the hint.*

HEre's something from Nigella.
Love it.
I love eating pasta like this.

Enjoy!
It's delicious.

Recipe found in Nigella Express cookbook.
Or check here.

#21. Sesame Peanut Noodles

2009-03-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

GASP!!!!
Oh gosh!!
The last time I posted was on
March 7th.
Goodness!
I have been a bad girl.
What's the excuse this time?
No good excuse actually.
But we were all sick
AGAIN
for 2 weeks,
this time with the cold.
Don't you hate when the seasons change?

But, I'm BACK!
I have been cooking...
but not as much.
Been really tired lately.
I'm really looking forward for our
spring break vacation
next week.
We are going to Disney!!
Whoo-hooo!!!

In the meantime,
enjoy this recipe,
courtesy of Nigella Lawson.
Did I mention that I LOVE, LOVE her Nigella Express
cookbook?
So many ideas!
And delicious recipes too.
This is one of them.
One thing about this recipe is that
you could substitute or omit
whatever veggies you like.
I happen to HATE bean sprouts,
so I didnt use it.
And oh,
I was just too lazy to run to the store to
get snow peas.
And I added shrimps!

Enjoy!!

Recipe taken and adapted from Nigella Express.

For the dressing:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon garlic-infused oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons swee chilli sauce
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons lime juice

For the Salad:
1 1/4lb cooked egg noodles
2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed * I omitted
1 1/2cup snow peas * I omitted
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into small strips
2 scallions, finely sliced
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup cilantro

I added 1lb shrimps - stir fried till pink.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Put the noodles, bean sprouts, snow peas, sliced red pepper and sliced
scallions into a bowl. Toss in the shrimps, if you are using.

Pour over the dressing and mix thoroughly to coat everything well.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro.

#20. Swedish Meatballs

2009-03-07T05:25:00.000-08:00

Things had finally calmed down
and
we are back into the groove
of our routine.
Being sick for 2 weeks
(all 3 kiddos, Jeff and I)
had totally
thrown us off.
It took us another week,
just
to settle down.

Anyway,
say what you like about Rachael Ray,
but
sometimes her recipes
work.
And it tastes good.
I made this weeks ago,
before we all fell sick,
and
it's delicious.
I was intrigued by the ingredients
in the recipe
that made me wanna
give this a shot.
Gingersnaps?
Really?
Jelly?
Hmmm...

But
it turned out delicious!
Have a go!!

Taken and adapted from Rachael Ray Big Orange Book.
*You can use ground beef, veal and pork mix for the meatballs.
Since I dont eat pork, I just use ground beef.

4 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup beef stock
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper
2 slices of white bread, torn
1.5 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 tsp ground allspice
1 lb egg noodles
5 gingersnap cookies, ground up in the food processor
2 tbsp currant or grape jelly
2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup (2 handfuls) fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring it to a boil.

Place a large pan over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter.
Add the onions to the pan and cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes.
Sprinkle flour over the pan, stirring to incorporate,
and cook for about 1 minute.
Whisk the beef and chicken stocks into the pan and bring the liquid
to a bubble to thicken it slightly.
It wont get too thick; you want a thinner gravy for this dish.

Once the gravy comes up to a bubble, season with salt and pepper,
turn the heat down to low and simmer while you prepare the meatballs.

In a small bowl, combine the bread and milk.
Soak the bread briefly, then squeeze out the excess liquid.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the beef, egg, milk soaked bread,
and ground allspice.
Season with salt and epper and mix everything up with your hands
to combine evenly.
Using a spoon, a small ice cream scoop or your hands, portion the meat
mixture into walnute size balls.
As you shape them, drop the meatballs into the pan of simmering gravy,
stirring occassionally, until cooked through...about 10 minutes.

Salt the boiling water, add the egg noodles and cook al dente.

Stir the ground gingersnaps into the gravy with the meatballs and cook
for about 1 minute to thicken.
Stir jelly and sour cream into the gravy and keep warm over low heat
until the noodles are done.

Drain the noodles and return them to the pot they were cooked in.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the parsley to the pot
and stir to melt the butter and evenly coat the noodles.

Serve together.

I'm Coming Back....

2009-03-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

I have not forgotten
about my blog.
In fact,
it's at the back of my mind
daily.

Okay..
we are finally back into
the daily routines
of our lives.
Damn stomach flu.
I haven't cooked much
the past week.
For one,
I was feeling sick.
And secondly,
everyone was too sick to eat!!
No one had the appetite to eat.
Nor could swallow down much
food.

So,
it's frozen foods,
fresh fruits,
water,
juice
and bread.
That's what we survived
on the past week.

Anyway,
I'll be back tomorrow
to post some recipes
that I had
before we got sick.

Will be back..

2009-02-27T07:04:00.000-08:00

Hey..
just dropping a short note.
The family
and I
had been sick this whole week.
Stomach flu.
Not fun.
Will be back to post.

#19. Tofu & Vegetable Lomein

2009-02-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

I love tofu.
I love tofu before
it was in.
I love tofu before
it became a fad.

Growing up in an Asian country,
like Singapore,
I eat tofu or soy products
almost every day.
Whilst my sister prefers to eat tempeh-
I prefer tofu.
I love them fried -
dipped in soy sauce.
I love them in soups.
I especially love them in
sambal goreng...
a local, Malay dish.

So,
when I have kids,
of course I tried
to shove tofu down their throats.
I tried at 9 months old.
I tried making them with spaghetti,
instead of meat.
To no avail.
All 3 kids wouldnt eat tofu!
The minute it's in their mouths,
they spat it out!
Geez.
Even with deep fried tofu,
they just wouldnt eat it!
I felt like such a letdown
to the Asian
race.
I can't even make my half asian kids
like tofu!
What the hell???
LOL...

Anyway,
enough of my ramblings.
Back to this dish.
What's there not to hate?
This is absolutely divine.
Ahhh...tofu at it's best,
eaten with noodles!!
Love it!!!

P.S. Yes, I did tried to hide
small pieces of tofu in between the noodles
and gave it to my
18 mth old.
She spat it right out!!

And oh,
my 7 and 5 year olds
look at me with puppy eyes,
that said..
"Do we have to eat this??"
Brrrrr.....

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers in 20 minutes.

1 9oz package fresh linguine
1/4 cup reduced sodium vegetable broth
3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 teaspoons sesame oil
1 14oz container firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup matchstick cut carrots
6 scallions cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
3 garlic cloves, minced

Cook the linguine according to the package directions,
drained and keep warm.
Meanwhile, stir together the broth, soy sauce, honey
and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth, set aside.
Heat a nonstick wok or large deep nonstick skillet
over high heat.
When a drop of water sizzles in it,
add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, and then the tofu.
Stir fry until lightly golden, about 4 minutes.
Add the tofu to the noodles.
Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the wok/pan.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir fry until crisp tender,
about 4 minutes.
Stir the broth mixture and add to the wok;
stir fry until the sauce thickens and bubbles, about 1 minute.
Add the linguine and tofu,
simmer until heated through, about 1 minute longer.

#18. Pancakes

2009-02-14T07:24:00.000-08:00

One of my readers,
asked me for a pancake recipe.
Honestly,
I'm not a breakfast kinda girl.
I'm not a pancake, oatmeal, waffles
kinda girl either.
If I ever do breakfast,
I love omelets.
Or sunny side up eggs, with potatoes
and baked beans.
I love nasi lemak (coconut rice)
eaten with an egg, fried fish
and sambal,
wrapped in a banana leaf.

Having said all that,
I usually dont eat breakfast.
Usually, I'll grab a cookie
or an energy bar,
with a glass of water..
and I'm ready for the day.

However,
for my girls,
I do prepare breakfast during the weekends.
During the weekdays,
they get cereal.
The weekends,
it's usually scrambled eggs
with either waffles or pancakes.
That's their fave.
And I'm ashamed to admit
that I used a pancake box mix.
Yeah..yeah...

So,
to get a good pancake recipe,
I turned to Nigella.
I am loving Nigella Lawson's Express
cookbook.
I read it like any other book,
from front to end.
Sponging every word she said.
And I will try
many, many recipes from this book.

So, here's her recipe for
pancakes.
I learned that to make it fluffy,
I used a small pan and
pour about 1/4 cup of batter at a time.
My pancakes are bigger in size,
than hers.
And because it's bigger,
I managed to get 4 pancakes per
1 cup of the pancake mix.

And do you know what I like about her pancake
recipe?
I could mix all the dry ingredients
and keep it in a jar,
and voila!
Whenever I want pancakes now,
all I have to do is scoop a cup
of this pancake mix.
No more instant pancake box!

#17. Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-02-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

I am invited to be
a guest contributor
at
MotherWorld.
Since Valentine's is around the corner,
I decided
to blog about
Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Honestly,
if you are a chocolate lover,
you gotta try this cookies.
Seriously.
You have to!!
Make it for your loved ones
for Valentine's.
Enjoy the recipe.

16. Oreo Cupcakes

2009-02-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

Made these cupcakes a few weeks back.
Oreos and cupcakes?
What is there not to like?
I have said earlier that
desserts are my downfall.
I'm not a potato chip kinda girl.
I dont like to snack,
really.
I dont like candy.
Mildly interested in ice cream -
unless it's on a brownie
or
a cobbler.
Cookies are fine..
but it has to be homemade.
To me,
the best cookies are the ones
just out of the oven.
Heavenly!

Chocolates are ok
but a chocolate cake?
Oh gosh...
the right chocolate cake
can
give me an orgasm.
I'm KIDDING!
But you get the drift.

I like my desserts.
Cheesecakes,
cupcakes,
puddings..
you name it.

So,
when I saw this oreo cupcake
fom Annie's Eats,
I gotta try it.
The cake is delicious and moist.
And even though I love the whipped frosting,
I would prefer a cream cheese one.
That's just my personal preferrance.

P.S. My cupcake doesn't look as good as hers.
I lack the diligence! :D

#14 & 15. 1 Sauce, 2 Dishes

2009-02-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

This is a simple tomato based sauce.
Add in some fresh pasta,
and some cheese...
voila!!
You have dinner ready.

Change it up a bit.
Add the same sauce,
top it with some cheese
and bake it in the oven.
And voila!
A different dish
for dinner.

You can do so many different
variations.
Toss in some vegetables,
and you'll have something different.

This is what I did
for 2 consecutive weeks.
I have leftover ricotta cheese
from the first time I did this dish,
so for the next week,
I did the same sauce
but change it up a bit.
Enjoy!

For the first dish, I made Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Recipe adapted from Giada's Family Dinner.

Salt
1 1/2lb fresh or frzoen, thawed spinach ravioli (you can use other fillings)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup marinara sauce *made your own, or store bought*
1/2 cup ricotta cheese *whole milk or part skimmed*
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil * I didnt add any coz I ran out.*

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the ravioli and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender but
still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes.
Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water,
and toss the ravioli with the oil in a large bowl to coat.

Meanwhile, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a
medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisking often.
Whisk in the ricotta and enough reserved cooking water to thin the
sauce to the desired consistency.
Return the sauce to a smmer and season with salt and pepper,
according to your taste.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of sauce over the bottom of each bowls.
Arrange the ravioli over the sauce, then drizzle
the remaining sauce over the ravioli.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil, and serve.

The next dish is, Cheesy Baked Tortellini.

I got the idea from Giada's Everyday Pasta book,
but was too lazy to run to the store,
so I use ingredients in my fridge and pantry.

Olive Oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
1 cup shredded mozarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Lightly oil an 8x8x2 inch baking dish or 4 individual gratin dish.

Whisk the marinara sauce and the ricotta cheese in a large bowl
to blend.
Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water
until just tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the tortellini to the sauce and coat.

Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared dish/dishes.
Top with the cheeses and bake for 20 minutes, covered with a foil.
Remove the foil and bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the
cheeses melted, about 10 minutes longer.

#13. Sweet and Sour Pineapple Chicken

2009-02-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

After the high caloried,
sugar overdose,
butter laden foods
I presented the past couple of postings,
it's time to blog about
something healthy.
Something light.
Something that wont clog
my arteries.

So, here it is...

Sweet and Sour Pineapple chicken,
adapted (slightly) from the Weight Watchers in 20 minutes.
Seriously,
I love this book.
The foods that I've tried
are delicious...
and even though I dont make it in under 20 minutes...
my knife skills are pretty slow,
I still thought it's a pretty good book.
My hubby,
who is super finnicky about his chicken...
it has to be cut in small pieces,
no shredded, no fried chicken,
no big chicken chunks,
no bones...
love this dish.

And my daughters had to eat it,
whether they like it or not.
Yeah...
I know...
I'm cruel,
But I can't have my kids
survive on peanut butter jelly sandwiches,
and
chicken nuggets only.

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers in 20 minutes

1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed
1 8oz can pineapple chunks in juice, drained

1. Stir together the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar,
and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a nonstick wok or skillet over medium high heat.
When a drop of water sizzles in it, add the chicken and stir fry
until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl, set aside.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the wok/skillet;
stir fry until the bell pepper is crisp tender, about 3 minutes.
Return chicken to the wok along with the ketchup mixture.
Stir fry until the sauce thickens and bubbles about 1 minute.

#12.Coconut Cupcakes

2009-02-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

I've been DYING....
literally...
dying to try out this
recipe
for coconut cupcakes
from Ina Garten,
the minute I saw Ina made
her coconut cake last year
on the Food Network channel.
She said on the show
that the coconut cake
was inspired by
her famous coconut cupcakes.
And after I heard that,
I've been dying to
try out those cupcakes.

And so here it is...

Was it as good as it looks like?
Hell yeah!!!
Simple to make also.
I have absolutely no patience
to decorate my cupcakes.
Seriously...
that's why I dont make cakes,
coz I'm terrible at making it look nice.
But I will learn one day.
For now,
enjoy the cupcakes!

#11. Chocolate Strawberry Panini

2009-01-31T15:34:00.000-08:00

When I saw Giada did
this
one day on TV,
I knew I have to try it.
This is so simple to make,
no written recipe is needed.
But if you insist,
you can find it
on the Food Network website.
I did change it up a bit..
by using butter instead of a butter cooking spray
-I'm too lazy to get one..
and of course,
powdered sugar is always welcome
on a dessert.

I started off with 2 slices
of pound cake.
You can make your own...
like the honey vanilla pound cake recipe
I posted,
or use ready made ones...
like Sara Lee.
Spread some hazelnut chocolate spread...
Nutella is the best!!!
And add on the thinly sliced strawberries.
If you dont have a panini maker,
dont sweat.
You can use a grill pan
or even a regular ol' pan.

Spread a bit of room temperature butter
on the grill side of the pound cake.
Grill the panini
and sprinkle some powdered sugar on it
when you are done.
Voila!!
Delicious!

#10. Szechuan Chicken & Bok Choy Stir Fry

2009-01-29T18:37:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned earlier,
one of my New Year's resolutions
is to cook healthier
as I'm trying to lose some weight.
And be healthy
of course.
As you can tell from
my honey vanilla pound cake,
that's not the case so far.
But I tried.
That counts, right?

So,
in attempt to be healthier,
I bought 2 cookbooks.
Weight Watchers in 20 minutes,
and the New Complete Weight Watchers book.
In my opinion,
the later is the better book.
But who can resist cooking in 20 minutes?

The first recipe
I tried from
Weight watchers in 20 minutes
is their Szechuan chicken and bok choy stir fry.
I love chicken.
Love bok choy.
Stir fry?
I'm there.
In 20 minutes?
Where's the recipe?

The first thing I noticed
from the recipe is there's no salt and pepper.
Whaaaat!!!!
No garlic??
Whaaaat!!!!
So, I added them.
And no,
it didnt take me 20 minutes to get
this recipe done.
Trimming the fats off the chicken thighs,
took me a good 10 minutes!!!

The dish is a bit spicy,
and good.
It doesnt wow me though.
But hey,
no complaints.
For 394 calories per serving,
(including 1/2 cup of rice)
I shouldnt complain much.

Recipe taken and adapted from Weight Watchers in 20 mintues

1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed
and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 pound baby bok choy
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 scallions, cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Szechuan stir fry
1/3 cup orange juice
Salt
Pepper

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a nonstick wok or
large deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
When the oil is hot, add in the chicken and stir fry
until just cooked through, about 6 minutes.
Transfer to a plate, set aside.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the wok
and set over high heat.
Add the bok choy, garlic, bell pepper and scallions;
stir fry until the boy choy is crisp tender,
4-5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan, and add the stir fry sauce
and orange juice;
stir fry until heated through, about 1 minute.
Serve with rice.

Failed Recipes

2009-01-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

I started this blog to record
and share recipes that
I tried.
Most turned out pretty good
and
were successful.
Some,
not many,
failed me.
And
I will try to "fix" it
as best as I could.
But as you all know,
a bad recipe
sometimes,
can't be fixed.

One of the recipes that failed
was
Rachael Ray's Oven Baked Corn Dogs.
I should've read the reviews online
before attempting them.
Unfortunately,
I have her cookbook
and wanted to give the recipe a go,
without doing any online research.

On paper,
oven baked sounds fabulous.
I should've known better
that it won't work.
The batter literally slips off the dogs.
I even dip them in flour first,
but alas,
FLUKE!
It's delicious but a corn dog is not a corn dog
without a crisp batter around it.
Sorry.

The next one,
I tried...again from Rachael Ray,
is her Sloppy Hot Wing Joes.
Now,
I love Sloppy Joes.
I love Hot Wings.
I love blue cheese.
That's why I thought I gave this recipe a shot.
Now,
the sauce is delicious
and some people might find this awesome.
But I can't get over
the taste of ground chicken,
with hot sauce and blue cheese.
It's not for me.
It probably be better if ground chicken
is substitute it with skinless chicken breasts,
breaded in bread crumbs.
Maybe.
I have to experiment and try that instead.

And lastly,
samosas.
I know.
I know.
It doesnt look like one.
That's where I failed.
The filling is DELICIOUS
but I didnt understand Rachael's instructions
on how to fold the samosas.
I should've done it my way
but since I didnt want to waste an otherwise great recipe,
I turned my samosas
into some sort of empanadas/epok-epok.
It works.
And they are divine.
Not to mention, healthier than the fried ones.

In Rachael Ray's defense,
most of her recipes are simple, fast,
casual, delicious
and great for the home cooks.
But some,
needs some fine tuning.

Here's the recipe for the samosas...
Maybe you understand her instructions better.

Recipe taken and adapted from The Big Orange Book.

Ingredients
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
Salt
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 - 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and stem removed, finely chopped
1/2 inch peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds or ground coriander
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Black Pepper
1 plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable stock
All purpose flour, for rolling dough
1 package (2 9 inch rounds) refrigerated ready made pie dough
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender,
about 5-7 minutes.
Drain and reserve in the same pot you cooked them in.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
Then add the jalapeno, ginger, garlic, coriander, curry powder, cumin,
allspice, cinnamon, and salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes longer.
Stir in the drained potatoes, tomato and peas and cook for another minute.
Stir in enough of the stock to moisten the mixture, then remove it from the heat
and let cool.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll the pie dough.
Cut each dough round into 8 equal wedges, like a pizza.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the potato filling onto the middle of each wedge.
Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash, and fold up,
bringing the 3 points together over the filling, then pinching at
the seams to form a small pyramid.
Transfer to a baking sheet and brush the samosas with the egg wash.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Restaurant Review: Bali Cafe

2009-01-25T05:28:00.000-08:00

My friend, Shelly
and I
went to an Indonesian restaurant
down in Miami
on Friday nite.
This restaurant was recommended by
another friend of mine,
Zee,
and as far as we know,
it's the only Indonesian food
available in South Florida.

Now,
growing up in a Malay home (from Singapore),
our cuisine
is almost similar to Indonesian cuisine.
We might call it by different
names
by it's almost the same.
The restaurant that we went to
was called
Bali Cafe.
It' a small restaurant,
something like a little hole
in a corner,
and sits only about 30 people.

Shelly had never tasted Indonesian cuisine,
so I thought
for our night out,
we went to this restaurant.
It's easy to find,
for those living in South Florida.
Surprisingly,
the restaurant wasn't crowded at all,
considering
it's a Friday night.
I was expecting more people
and had made reservations.

Anyway,
we ordered the
rijsttafel,
which for US$17.95 per person was a pretty
good price
for loads of food for 2 people.
We started off with miso soup.
Why miso soup in an Indonesian restaurant?
I dont know.
I dont like it.
Shelly did.
Then, followed by a superb salad,
comprises of shredded lettuce, beets, carrots, tofu
all tossed in a sesame dressing
and topped with peanuts.
YUMMY!
The vegetables are so fresh.
I usually dont eat salads in restaurants
(I dived straight into my entrees).
BUT, their salad is to die for.
After we had our salad,
the waitress brought us
chicken spring rolls and steamed shrimp cakes,
dipped in satay peanut sauce and sweet soy sauce.
HEAVENLY!

For our entrees,
we had beef rendang,
fish (looks like snapper) in some coconut milk gravy (lemak),
ayam opok (I think that's what it's called),
chap chye,
sambal ikan bilis (chilli anchovies) with peanuts,
pickled vegetables
and shrimp crackers (keropok).
It was DELICIOUS.
Now, the fish was kinda bland,
but the coconut milk gravy helps the dish.
Having not eaten beef rendang
since the last time I went back to Singapore (2007),
it was pretty good.
I wish that it's spicier
but overall, really good.
We were happy with our foods.
It was a lot of food
and we had to unbutton our pants,
but gosh...
divine.
Reminds me of home.

I dont have a lot of gripes or
critics about this place.
I dont enjoy the miso soup.
They could go away with that.
And the dessert too,
which was es campur...
lychee and some green gel-o.
Not my fave.
And I wish they have unlimited rice.
Our dinner came with a bowl of rice each.
Now,
for 2 greedy Asian girls,
this is not enough.
We had to ask for extra bowls
and that cost us about US$3 each.

And the other thing I'm not pleased about,
but I understand they did it
to attract more customers who may not be familiar with their cuisine,
is they serve sushi.
Seriously!
Sushi in an Indonesian restaurant?
It's quite sad that they had to do
that to attract customers.
And yeah,
the American customers sitting next to our table,
ordered sushi.
Bali Cafe might have the best sushi
around,
but you dont go to an Indonesian restaurant
to experience sushi.
You go there to experience
Indonesian cuisine.
There are a lot of sushi places here in South Florida
and only
1 Indonesian restaurant.
Go figure.
I wish more Americans are adventurous enough
and step out of their comfort zones
and try this little restaurant,
which received a lot of good reviews.

We will definately go there again.
Have to.
To satisfy my Beef Rendang cravings.
:D

#7. Honey Vanilla Pound Cake

2009-01-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

I LOVE pound cakes.
I think it reminds me of
growing up
in Singapore.
My parents used to buy
Sara Lee's pound cakes
for us to eat
as desserts or snacks.
We love the chocolate one,
the swirl
and of course,
the plain ol' pound cake.
There's always a foil pan of
Sara Lee's cakes in our refrigerator.
And mom would always
sliced them in the pan,
so that we could get it
ourselves
when we want one.

Now
that I'm all grown up,
I made my own pound cake.
Trust me,
homemade pound cake
always taste better than Sara Lee's.
I've always used
Paula Deen's
Grandma Paul's Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe
for years.
It's divine.
However,
that all changed.
I discovered Ina Garten's
Honey Vanilla Pound Cake recipe.
Which one reigns supreme?
Well,
I love these 2 ladies
but I have to say,
Ina's is so much better.
It doesnt taste as rich as Paula's.
And I think the lemon zest
just perk the flavors of the pound cake
up.
Delicious!
I almost lick the batter off the bowl.
Sickening, eh?

I will still make Paula's pound cake now and again.
But I'm happy with Ina's now.

A few notes:
Ina loves to use extra large eggs in her baking recipes.
Extra large eggs weigh about 27oz per dozen.
Read this
if you want to know how many large eggs are needed
to substitute for extra large eggs.
In this case, it's 5 large eggs.

Cool room temperature butter -
sit the butter out at room temperature
for one hour to achieve
cool room temperature.

My pound cake didnt set
at the required baking time.
So, at the 55th minute
I put foil on top of my pan,
and bake it for 15 minutes longer.
In total, it took my cake 70 minutes
to be ready and done.

And if your cake cracks,
dont panic.
It's ok.
Ina's pound cake cracks too (from her cookbook pictures).

Recipe taken from Back to Basics.

1/2 pound(2 sticks) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 extra large eggs; at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease the bottom of an 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inch loaf pan.
Line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
cream the btuter and sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light.
Meanwhile, put the eggs, honey, vanilla and lemon zest in a glass
measuring cup but do not combine.
With the mixer on medium low speed, add the egg mixture,
one egg at a time, scraping down the bowl and allowing each egg to
become incorporated before adding the next egg.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
With the mixer on low speed, add it slowly to the batter
until just combined.
Finish mixing the batter with a rubber spatula and pour it into the
prepared pan. Smooth the top.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes, turn out onto a baking rack,
and cool completely.

#6. Aglio Olio

2009-01-20T18:07:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Aglio Olio.
I can eat this dish
for months,
as is.
However,
most restaurants that
I've been to
always make it too bland.
Not enough garlic.
Not enough seasoning.
Just some pasta
toss in olive oil,
with very little garlic or seasoning..
if any.
Uhmm...
Yikes!

I love my aglio olio
with tons of garlic.
Lots of chilli flakes,
although at times,
I have to tone that down
so that my kids wont burn their tongues
from the heat.
And the secret ingredient?
Anchovies.
Yum!
Anchovy fillets gave the dish
the saltiness it needed.
It's divine.
That's the only way I'll eat my
Aglio Olio now.
Without it,
it just tastes like pasta
toss in
olive oil.

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray.

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more...according to your taste)
1/4 - 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 anchovy fillets
A handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cook pasta until it's al dente. Drain.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.
Cook garlic and pepper in until it speaks.
Add anchovies and stir them in oil with a wooden spoon until it disappears.
Toss drained pasta into the pan.
Coat the pasta evenly with the garlic, oil and anchovies.
Add parsley and black pepper.
Toss and taste.
Adjust salt and pepper, according to your taste.

#5. Honey Mustard Chicken Pockets

2009-01-17T20:38:00.000-08:00

This recipe came about
one day,
when I was trying to figure out
what to cook.
Initially,
I wanted to make taco pockets
but
I ran out of ground beef
and was too lazy
to run to the store.

So,
I took a look in my fridge
to see what I got
and
voila!

For this recipe,
I used leftover roasted chicken.
You can use grilled chicken breast,
rotisserie chicken...
whatever you got in hand.

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into cubes
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1.5 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt
Pepper

2 lettuce leaves shredded
4 Tortilla Wraps

Combine the chicken, cranberries and pecans. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, honey, mustard and lemon juice. Whisk them together.
Toss the dressing with the chicken mixture until evenly combined.
Season with salt and pepper.

Warm up your tortilla wraps in the microwave for about 20-25 seconds.
Put some of the lettuce leaves in the middle of the tortilla,
followed by about 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken.
Fold the bottom part of the tortilla wrap around the chicken,
followed by the left and right sides of the tortilla.
Finish it off by folding the tortilla towards the upper part.
You'll now have a somewhat "square pocket".
Using a knife, cut the pocket diagonally,
creating 2 triangle pockets.

Recipe #4: Popiah Kentang (Potato Spring Roll)

2009-01-14T17:11:00.000-08:00

I dedicate this recipe
to my high school friends
from Singapore,
Crescent Girls' School.
For
because of them,
I'd made close to 800 of
these spring rolls
during my 4 years
there.
Yes.
800.
I'm not kidding.
I rolled everyone of these
suckers.

Every year,
at my school,
we had class parties
for Teachers' Day
and Children's Day.
And every time,
I was the designated spring roll
maker.
What food can Sri bring to the parties?
Popiah kentang, of course!
100 of them each time.
So much so that,
I can be called the Popiah girl.

Now,
I dont know how this popiah came about.
I remembered the first year we
had a class party,
I asked my mom what she could make
for me to take to class.
And she suggested making these spring rolls.
I never had them before.
Nor seen my mom made it.
But I trusted her.
And boy,
was it a success!
It was really good.
Where she got the recipe,
I didnt know.
Like I said earlier,
I hadn't had it anywhere else.
This could be one of her concoctions.

I remembered waking up at 5 in the morning,
to make these for school.
Growing up,
I didn't cook AT ALL.
But I dutily wake up at 5
to help her peel the spring roll wrappers
and roll them.
I became really good at it.
The first couple of times,
mom was enthusiastic.
But after that,
she got quite annoyed.
"WHAT!!! Spring rolls AGAIN???
Is there nothing else we can do??"
*nag, nag, grumble, grumble*
But she still did it.

After I graduated from Crescent,
I never made these EVER AGAIN.
Neither did my mom.
I think 800 of these are enough to last
a lifetime.

So,
to my friends,
thanks for the memories.

This makes about 24 pieces.

Ingredients:
2.5-3 pounds Russet or Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves, grated
3/4 cup fried onions *I used French's. Mom used fried shallots.*
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
Salt
Pepper

1 egg, beaten
A 50 sheets pack of 4-5 inch spring roll wrappers.
(If you could only find the big sheets, you could use them,
but you'll yield lesser spring rolls.)

Canola oil, for frying.

Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water,
and boil them till fork tender.
Drained water and return the potatoes to the hot pot.

Now, you can mashed the potatoes with a masher but
I use a food processor instead.
Add in the garlic, the fried onions and parsley.
And season it with salt and pepper, according to your taste.

Let the potato mix cool a bit before rolling it
in the spring roll wrappers.
Put about a teaspoon (more if you are using the big spring roll wrappers)
onto the wrapper and roll it according to the package.
Brush a bit of the egg at the ends of the wrapper to seal it.

Fry the spring rolls for about 2-3 minutes.

Recipe #3: Beef Ghoulash

2009-01-13T15:30:00.001-08:00

I've made beef ghoulash several
times before.
Mostly with a tomato sauce based.
Beef ghoulash to me,
is basically beef
tossed with different kinds of veggies
and pasta or noodles.
In Singapore,
we just call it
beef macaroni.
Or something like that.
It's the same thing actually.

This recipe uses sour cream instead.
And since I'm curious on how
it tasted like,
I gave it a shot.

It's smoky
because of the cumin
in the recipe.
Creamy
but still delicious.
I like it.
So did my family.
Recipe taken and adapted from Rachel Ray's 365 No Repeats.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground sirloin beef
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
black pepper
salt
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 celery, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound macaroni, cooked al dente

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the extra virgin olive oil, then add the ground sirloin
and break it up with a wooden spoon.
Season the beef with paprika, cumin, salt, pepper and thyme.
When the beef is browned, add the onions, carrots and celery.
Season the veggies with a bit of salt and pepper.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the red bell peppers
and cook for another 2 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the stock and combine.
Stir in the sour cream and simmer mixture over low heat.

Toss together with the macaroni.

Recipe #2. Chicken Shepherd's Pie

2009-01-10T05:25:00.000-08:00

Brrr...
What's the use of doing
365 recipes
when I can't even update my
blog regularly.
365 recipes means
365 days of blogging.
Eeeek...

Anyway,
my second recipe is
Chicken Shepherd's Pie.
Now,
this is a twist of Shepherd's Pie
and I honestly,
like this one better.

This is also the first time
I'm using boursin cheese,
and it's absolutely
delicious.
If you can't find boursin cheese,
season the mashed potatoes
with garlic and herbs.
And probably add some
cream cheese or sour cream.
Enjoy!
This is absolutely delicious.

*I substitute the white wine in the recipe
with extra chicken stock.
I also didnt add any tarragon leaves coz
I couldnt find any at the store.
I also added mozarella cheese on top of the
potatoes.

Recipe taken from Rachael Ray's Orange Book.

2 1/2 to 3 pounds Idaho potatoes,
peeled and cut into chunks
Salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch dice
Black Pepper
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1 small bunch scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup white whine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
6 sprigs tarragon leaves, removed and chopped,
about 2 tablespoons
1 5oz package soft and garlic herb cheese, such as Boursin
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup milk or chicken stock, enough to loosen the potatoes
Paprika for garnish

Preheat the broiler, place an oven rack at the center of the oven.

Place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water.
Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender; 12-15 minutes
While the potatoes are cooking, place a skillet over medium high heat
with about 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
Add the chicken, season it with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown
and cooked through, about 6-7 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan to a casserole dish,
add a drizzle of oil to the pan, then add the carrots, peas and scallions.
Season the veggies with salt and pepper and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.
Scoot the vegetables over one side and melt in the butter.
Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook for about 1 minute, stirring.
Whisk in the white wine, cook 1 minute, then whisk in the chicken stock
and cook for 1 minute to thicken.
Season the sauce with mustard and tarragon the salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the sauce and vegetables over the chicken in the casserole and
combine.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot, then mash with the herb
and cheese, egg yolks, parsley,milk or chicken stock; salt and epper.
Spread the potatoes over the chicken in the casserole dish.

Put the dish under your broiler until the top is golden brown, 3-5 minutes.
Garnish with paprika.

Recipe #1: Falafel

2009-01-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

I promised to try out
1 recipe a day.
And as expected,
I'm already behind.
No worries.
I'll try to catch up.
*yeah right!*

I made these a few days ago.
Never made them before
in my life
but hey,
this recipe by Guy Fieri,
seems easy enough.
And boy,
was it good.
I did make a few mistakes.
Instead of grinding the ingredients
coarsley,
I accidentally grind them too fine,
and it became mushy.
However,
I added a bit more flour,
and chilled the mixture overnite
and it improved slightly.
Next time,
I know better!

It was still awesome though.
The outside was crusty and crunchy,
and the inside of the falafel,
is soft and melts right in my mouth.
Yum!

Anyway,
I did make a few changes
to the recipe.
I omitted the cilantro
in the falafel and yogurt sauce
as I'm not
too fond of cilantro.
And added about 1 tablespoon of honey
to the yogurt sauce,
to make it sweeter.
Hey,
dont question me.
That's how I roll!

Enjoy!!

The Best of 2008

2009-01-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

As you all know,
I'm always trying to find
the perfect recipe.
Well,
not anymore
for foods
like macaroni and cheese
and
green beans.
I've tried many different
recipes
and I think
I find the best one
suited for my liking.

For macaroni and cheese,
I LOVE chef Joe's
Baked Macaroni and Cheese.
I dont know why it doesnt make the cut
on the Food Network top recipes
for the year
coz it's definately better than
Paula's Macaroni and Cheese
or Giada's.
I have to admit that I haven't try
Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni and Cheese,
voted the best recipe for the year.
I'm not too sure about the onions in that recipe.
Hmmm..
I might have to try it one day!!

And since the hubby loves
green beans,
let me assure you that I have tried
many, many different kinds of beans
and they always fall short
to his liking.
Except for
Rachael Ray's Green beans with fried onions
and almonds.
That's our favorite.
THE BEST!
However,
it has to be eaten fresh
coz it'll turn soggy and all messy.
Not good.

And if you are looking for the best
carrot salad,
look no further than
Ina Garten's Carrot Salad.
Hers is so good.
I dont like to eat my carrots raw
however,
this is the only dish
that I actually eat them raw.
Delicious!

Anyway,
my challenge for 2009
is to try 365 new recipes.
Possible you think?
I'm gonna give a shot.
Wish me luck!

Chicken "Sate"..and Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T17:52:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-30T05:50:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-27T17:14:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-26T19:46:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-23T19:17:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2008-12-04T19:14:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Martha Vs Paula

2008-11-30T05:25:00.000-08:00

Martha Stewart Vs Paula Deen.
Who has the better
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe?

I'm always on the lookout for
good recipes,
even though I might already have
one on hand.
You never know.
There might be a better recipe out there.

SO,
when I saw this peanut butter cookie recipe
from
Martha Stewart,
I just had to try it.
Now,
I have a good peanut butter cookie recipe
from Paula Deen.
Her Magical Peanut Butter Cookies
are divine.
So simple to make.
Yet so delicious.
But I thought,
let's try Martha's.
Maybe hers is better.

Well,
I followed her recipe to a T.
No changes made.
Martha's Peanut Butter Crisps,
is very crispy and crunchy.
Whereas Paula's is chewy.
There are more ingredients in Martha's
cookies
whereas Paula's is so much simpler.
Taste wise,
Paula's is richer and a bit sweeter.

So who has the better recipe?
Hands down,
I think Paula Deen takes this one.
Not only is it simpler to make,
her Peanut Butter Cookies tasted SO MUCH BETTER.
It's rich and has so much
peanut butter flavor.
Yum.
Martha's cookies,
even though it's quite good,
is not good enough.
It became a bit hard after a day,
in an airtight container.
Paula's cookies retain their texture.

Not to mention,
when I made Paula's Magical Peanut Butter Cookies,
my kids devour them within 2 days.
With Martha's
it took about a week to finish.
So, there.
That's the verdict.

In case you are interested,
this is the recipe for Martha's
Peanut Butter Crisps.

Recipe taken from Martha Stewart Cookie Book.

1 cup all purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup salted whole peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
Stir together flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl.

2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment;
mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low.
Gradually add flour mixture; mix until combined. Stir in peanuts.

3. Drop 2 teaspoons of dough on baking sheets lined with parchment paper,
spacing about 3 inches apart.
Lightly flattened to 1 1/2 inch in diameter.
Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through,
until edges are just golden, about 13 minutes.
Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
Cookies can be stored in airtight containers in room temperature up
to 1 week.

Texas Chilli Cheese Fries

2008-11-26T21:00:00.001-08:00

I haven't had this
in the longest time!
When I saw Rachael Ray's
recipe
in her
Big, Orange Book..
I just have to try it.

The only thing I'm not too happy about,
is that the cheese sauce
ain't thick enough.
I didnt cook long enough,
I think.
Too much in a hurry to put
this on the table!

Recipe taken from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book.
Serves 4.

4 Big Idaho potatoes, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle the fries
2 - 2 1/4 pounds ground sirloin or Turkey
1 large onion, chopped
3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and Pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups beef or chicken stock, or 1 bottle dark beer
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 to 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle them with
the grill seasoning and give a good drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil;
toss to coat.
Roast the potatoes until crispy golden brown, about 40 minutes,
turning them once halfway through the cooking time.

While the potatoes are roasting, place a large heavy bottomed pot
over medium high heat with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the ground meat to the pan and cook until brown, about 6-7 minutes,
using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to break it up
into small pieces as it cooks.

Push the meat to one side of the pan and add the onion, garlic,
jalapeno, chilli powder and cumin to the pot.
COok until all the veggies are soft, 5-6 minutes, and season
with salt and pepper.

Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook for about 1 minute,
until it smells sweet and has caramelized slightly.
Add hot sauce to taste, the Worcestershire and the stock/beer.
Bring everything up to a bubble, then reduce the heat
and simmer the chilli until thickened, about 10 minutes.

While the chilli is simmering,
melt the butter in a medium pot over medium high heat.
Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter
and cook it for a minute, stirring.
Stir the mustard into the roux, then whisk in
the milk and chicken stock.
Continue whisking the sauce until it has thickened up,
then remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheese,
in a figure 8 motion, until it melts.
Season the cheese sauce with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide the fries up and top each serving with
some chilli and some cheese.

Mocha Crackle Cookies

2008-11-24T22:54:00.001-08:00

This is almost similar to my
Double Chocolate Espresso cookies,
except that these cookies
are more cakey in texture.
Almost like
Brownie Bites.

The coffee takes centerstage here.
To me,
I would prefer it to be a bit more
chocolatey.
The next time I made this,
I'll put some semi-sweet chocolates.
Enjoy!

Recipe taken from Taste of Home Magazine:

Recipe yields about 5 dozen.

1/2 cup butter (no substitute)
5 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
4 eggs
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar

In a microwave or saucepan, heat butter, chocolate and coffee granules
until chocolate melted; cool slightly.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and salt.
Add sugars.
Stir in chocolate mixture; mix well.
Combine flour and baking powder;
gradually add to egg mixture to form a soft dough.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until
easy to handle.

Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls.
Roll into confectioner's sugar;
place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 F for 12 minutes until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Corn Bread Casserole with Fresh Corn and Green Onions

2008-11-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone in the South knows
what corn bread is.
I was introduced to cornbread
back in Hawaii in 1998,
whilst eating at Anna Miller's
with my boyfriend (now hubby).
At first,
when I saw it,
I thought
"Who would eat cake as a side dish?"
Cornbread to me looks like a cake.
And when I saw
Jeff dipping his cornbread
into his spaghetti sauce,
I almost gagged in horror!
Cake and spaghetti sauce?
Eeek...

Anyway,
I got past that
and over the next few years,
have learnt
that cornbread is a staple side dish
in the South.
I have also learnt to enjoy
and LOVE eating it.
Yes,
alongside my meals.

There are so many different variations to
cornbread.
Some people like it saltier
but I like mine a bit sweet.
My absolute favorite is corn casserole.
I have made several variations with it
but this one,
is my fave.

P.S. You can substitute the fresh corn
with canned corn, if you like.

Recipe taken from the Deen Bros. Y'all Come Eat.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for coating pan
1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn)
1 15oz can cream style corn
1 cup sour cream
1 8oz package corn muffin mix
6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9 inch square baking pan: set aside.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup melted butter, the fresh corn,
cream style corn, sour cream, muffin mix, green onions, pepper and salt.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Two Sauce Lasagna Bowls

2008-11-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

I LOVE lasagna
but
it's so tedious
to make
that I dont make it
often.
Too time consuming
especially
when I have 3 kids screaming
for attention.

This recipe by
Rachael Ray,
is a quick version of a lasagna dish.
The pasta is tossed
with a white sauce (besciamella)
and top with a light meat sauce.
No baking is needed,
unless you want to add
mozarella on top of it.
It's good without it.
Even my hubby,
who doesnt like any sort of white sauce,
is impressed
and love it.

I did tweak the recipe a bit
to suit my liking.
In the original recipe,
Rachel used pork, beef and veal
in her meat sauce
and she
also used pancetta.
Since I dont eat pork,
I omit it in the recipe.

Recipe taken from Rachel Ray's Big Orange book -
with a bit of tweaking.

Ingredients:
Salt
1 pound curly short cut pasta
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 pound ground beef
1/2 carrot peeled and grated
1 small to medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, 2 chopped or grated
and 1 peeled
1/2 tsp ground allspice
Black Pepper
1 Bay leaf
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine * I used 1/2 cup beef stock.
2 cups beef stock
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated parmesan reggiano

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
Salt the water, add the pasta and cool al dente.

While the pasta water comes to a boil,
heat 2 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil in a medium sauce pot
over medium high heat.
Add the ground beef and break it up as it browns.
When the meat has begun to caramelize and develops a nice brown color,
4 to 5 minutes, add the carrots, onions, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, allspice,
salt and pepper and the bay leaf.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes more to soften the onions and carrots,
then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the wine (or 1/2 cup beef stock) and cook for 1 minute.
Then stir in 2 cups of beef stock and reduce the heat to simmer.

While the red sauce cooks,
cut the peeled whole garlic clove in half and rub the inside
of a medium sauce pot with it.
Add the butter and melt over medium heat.
Add the flour and whisk together for a minute or so,
then whisk in the milk and bring to a bubble.
Reduce the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes to thicken.

Toss the pasta with the white sauce and the grated cheese.
Serve the pasta in individual bowls and top each serving
with a ladle of meat sauce for mixing in.

Egg Salad in Cups

2008-11-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

I saw this idea from
The Deen Bros. Y'all Come Eat
cookbook.
They used white bread and
toasted it in muffin cups.
And I thought,
wow...
that's a great idea
but I'm too lazy to cut
my bread.
So, since I have
a tin of Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescents,
I substitute it for that.
And boy,
did it turned out DELICIOUS.
I usually make an egg salad sandwich
with either white or wheat bread.
but now,
I'm gonna start eating it with the Crescent dough.
It takes the egg salad sandwich
into another level.

For this recipe,
you can use your own egg salad recipe.
Here's mine:

1 refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent dough
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp sweet pickle relish * You can use less or more, depending on your taste
1/2 tsp Kosher salt or Onion salt *

1. Preheat oven according to crescent package.
Unroll the crescent dough and using a circular cookie cutter (about 3 inch in diameter), cut the dough into a circular shape.
Put it in a muffin tin and mold the dough to the sides of the muffin cup.
Brush a bit of the melted butter.
Bake accordingly to the package or until golden. Transfer cups to a wire rack.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients.
Divide the egg mixture evenly among the toast cups. Serve immediately.

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

2008-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is my cookies #2 that I tested
to make for my in-laws.
If you love chocolate and coffee,
this is the cookie for you.
It has a bit of a chewy texture (instead of crispy).
The coffee isn't overwhelmingly bitter.
Even my girls love it.
They said it tasted like brownies.
And it does!
I put coffee granules in my brownies to bring out
the chocolate flavor.
The first dozen that came out of my oven,
were gone within the hour!
Yum!

Most important,
it is so easy to make.
Idiot proof.
The next time I'll do this,
I think some kind of nuts added like pecans and walnuts,
will be good too.

Recipe taken from Tastes of Home Magazine.

Yields: 3 dozen

3 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) butter, cubed
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules ( I used Nescafe)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a small heavy saucepan, melt the unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup chocolate chips,
and butter with coffee granules;
stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; Set aside to cool.

2. In a small mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs for 3 minutes
or until thick and lemon-colored.
Beat in the chocolate mixture.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the chocolate mixture.
Stir in remaining chips.

3. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inch apart onto greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and tops cracked.
COol for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Pasta with Chicken Meatballs

2008-11-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

This is a great recipe to make with
your kids.
I have Juliana mixed and rolled
the meatballs.
She loves it.

What makes this dish is the Bocconcini
(small Mozarella balls).
If you can't find it,
just get some fresh mozarella
and chopped it up roughly
and toss it with the pasta.

Recipe taken from Giada's Kitchen.

1 pound pasta (small pasta preferably) - 1 cup of pasta water reserved
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp whole milk
1 tbsp ketchup
3/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground chicken

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
8 oz Broncconcini (small mozarella balls) halved
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite,
stirring occasionally, 8 to 12 minutes.
Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water.

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley,
eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, salt and pepper.
Add the chicken and combine well.
Using a teaspoon for measure,
scoop up a bit of the mixture, roll the seasoned chicken
into 3/4 inch mini meatballs.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until
brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes.
Turn the meatballs and brown the tops, about 2 minutes longer.
Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil,
using a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom
of the pan.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the tomatoes are soft and
the meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl and add 1/2 cup of the
Parmesan.
Toss to coat the pasta lightly,
adding some of the reserved pasta water to make a sauce.
Add the meatball mixture, bocconcini,
and 1/2 cup of the basil and combine.
Garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan and the remaining basil.

Butter Crunch Cookies

2008-10-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

I am trying out different cookie recipes
to give to my in-laws
for Xmas.
That'll be their Xmas gifts from me.

This butter crunch cookies
are simple to make
and delicious!
It's so easy...
almost idiot proof.
Your kids could do this by themselves!

I'm not a butter cookie person myself
coz when I eat too many of them,
it makes me sick.
But these do not.
The cornflakes and pecans
give it a good crunch.

Recipe taken from Tastes of Home magazine.

Yields : 4 dozen

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt;
gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
Stir in the cornflakes and pecans.

Roll into 1 inch balls.
Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Giada's Carbonara

2008-10-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

When I saw this recipe on
Giada's new cookbook,
Giada's Kitchen,
I knew I had to try it.
Firstly, because it doesn't
contain any bacon or ham.
Secondly, because it looks simple to make.
And it's absolutely delicious!
Top it with a sunny side up egg,
or half cooked egg...
Yummy!!

This recipe contains raw egg yolks,
which are not recommended for children,
elderly or those with compromised
immune system.

Recipe taken from Giada's Kitchen.

1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed, rubber band left on

Basil Aioli
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 pound linguine (or spaghetti)
1 cup shaved Pecorino Romano Cheese - abt 4 ounces
* I couldnt find this in my grocery store, so I used Shredded Romano.
Salt and ground black pepper
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 to 6 large eggs

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Add the asparagus bundle and cook for 3 minutes.
Use tongs to transfer the asparagus to a bowl of ice water
and let sit until cool, about 5 minutes.
Drain the asparagus, remove the rubber band,
and cut into 1 inch pieces.

Make the basil aioli.
While the asparagus cooks, combine the garlic, egg yolks,
mustard, lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper and cayenne in a
food processor and run the machine to mix.
With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the vegetable
and olive oils.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the same pot of salted water
used to cook the asparagus and cook until tender but
still firm to bite, stirring occasionally about 8-10 minutes.
Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl.
Add 1 cup basil aioli, the asparagus, the cheese, 1/2 tsp salt
and 1/2 tsp pepper and combine.
Turn out into serving platter.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the eggs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fry to your liking.
Place eggs atop the pasta and serve.

Cornflakes Cookies

2008-10-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is a classic
back in Singapore.
I remembered my mom making these
cookies during the month of
Ramadan,
in celebration of the upcoming
Eid festivities.
I love it a lot.
Even till now.
I could pop just one,
and 20 minutes later,
I've eaten 20 of this suckers.
Yummy!

Yields about 3 dozen.

4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp honey
3 cups cornflakes, crushed lightly
1 cup peanuts *or other nuts

Heat oven at 355F.
Melt butter over low heat in a saucepan.
Add sugar and honey.
Stir until they dissolves.
Add the cornflakes and peanuts
and stir until all are evenly coated.

Lined the mini muffin cups with cupcake liners
and fill each cups with the cornflakes mix.
Bake it at 9-10 mins.
Let cool on rack.

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

2008-10-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

I am a dip girl.
I like to dip.
Ahem.
I like to eat dips,
I mean.
Chips and dips.
Bread and dips.
Crackers and dips.
Love them all.

I made this a few weeks back,
one day.
And let me tell you,
that's all I ate for the whole
day...
all by myself.
Yum!!

Recipe taken from Katie Lee Joel.

1 8oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 9oz package frozen artichoke hearts
(drained jarred or canned, cooked fresh or frozen but not marinated)
1 cup steamed spinach (1 pound raw or 1 10oz package frozen
chopped spinach, thawed) well drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
6 large fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded mozarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.
Grease a 2 quart baking dish.
In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, artichoke hearts,
spinach, mayo, Parmesan, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.
Spoon into the baking dish.
Top with the mozarella.
Bake until bubbling and the top is golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

2008-10-16T19:01:00.001-07:00

I am always on the look out for a
banana bread recipe.
I'm totally obsessed with banana breads.
Always in search
for the best recipe.
The banana nut bread I tried
earlier,
was good and nutty.
This one is definately creamier
and is a bit more moist.
I like it too.

Recipe taken from Southern Living.

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
(about 4 medium bananas)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an
electric mixer until creamy.
Gradually addsugar, beating until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended
after each addition.

2. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually
add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.
Stir in bananas, pecans and vanilla.
Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8x4inch loaf pans.

3. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in
center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan,
shielding with aluminium foil during last 15 minutes to prevent
browning, if necessary.
Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.
Remove from pans and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2008-10-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

This is my new fave cookie.
Even Shorty,
the pet Giraffe,
loves it too.
It's crunchy and nutty.

The recipe is taken from
Martha Stewart's Cookies book.
I HIGHLY recommend this book,
if you are into cookies
and bars.
What I love about it
is that every recipe comes with a photo.
And the recipes range from easy
to intermediate (not a lot on this).
I have tried a few of the recipes
and so far
I have loved what I made.

Recipe taken from Martha Stewart's Cookie Book.

3 cups old fashioned roll oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups salted whole peanuts
2 cups (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Stir together oats, flour, baking soda,
baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

2. Put sugars, butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric
mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Mix in eggs and vanilla.

3. Reduce speed to low. Add oat mixture and mix until just
combined. Mix in peanuts and chocolates.

4. Using a 1.5 inch ice cream scoop,
drop balls of dough 2 inches apart on baking
sheets lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through,
until golden brown and just set, 13 to 15 minutes.
Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes.
Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room
temperature up to 2 days.

Yield: 6 dozen

Mexican Corn Mufins

2008-10-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

The first time I had corn bread
or a corn muffin
was when Jeff and I
started dating.
We went down to Anna Miller's
in Hawaii
and they served
corn bread
with their meals.
I was surprised to see him
eat it with his spaghetti.
I mean,
who eats cake with spaghetti?
Isn't that for dessert?
I thought
cornbread is cake.
It looks like a cake.
He assured me in the
South,
it's a side dish.
That was my first encounter
with cornbread.

Now,
10 years later,
I eat cornbread, corn muffins,
corn casserole
as a side dish
to my dinner entree.
I LOVE them.
I dont think it's weird now
to eat them
as a side.

I made these Mexican
Corn Muffins as a side
to my spaghetti
a few days ago.

1 Package (8.5oz) corn bread/muffin mix
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 ca (4oz) chopped jalapenos or green chiles, drained
1 15oz can sweet corn, drained

In a bowl, combine the corn bread mix, egg and milk just blened.
Stir in cheese, corn and chillies.

Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 3/4s full.
Bake at 400F for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out
clean.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan
to a wire rack.
Serve warm.

Yield about 8 muffins.

Lemon Basil Potato Salad

2008-10-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

I love spinach.
Ahh..
I'll eat it raw,
I'll eat it steamed
and
I'll eat it with just about anything.
So,
when I find this recipe
with roasted potatoes
and spinach,
I'm in heaven!
2 of my fave things.
What could go wrong?

It's divine.
My hubby,
on the other hand,
doesnt like it.
Well, duh!
He doesnt like spinach,
or
raw red onions..
Not to mention
the salad dressing.
The only salad dressing he loves
is the one
that looks like diluted ketchup.
Geez.
I can't remember what it's called.
But
I love this dish.
I thought the lemon vinaigrette
gives the dish
a fresh taste.
And I'm eating my spinach!!
That's healthy right??
:D

This recipe makes a lot.
I would half it if you are eating for 2.

Recipe found in Southern Living 40 years of Our Best Recipes.

Makes 6 servings.

2.5 lb small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into wedges

1/4 cup lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1oz) package chopped fresh basil (about 1/3 cup)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 medium sized red onion, sliced

1 (10oz) package fresh spinach, cut into thin strips if desired
10 thick bacon slices, cooked and crumbled *You can use turkey bacon too. I used fried onions.*

1. Arrange potato wedges in an even layer on a lightly greased broiler pan;
coat wedges with vegetable cooking spray.

2. Bake at 475F for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender and golden.

3. Whisk together lemon juice and next 5 ingredients;
whisk in the oil in a slow, steady stream.
Gently toss the potatoes, onion and 1/2 cup lemon mixture.

4. Wash spinach thoroughly; pat dry with paper towels.
Arrange spinach evenly on a platter or in 6 bowls.
Drizzle with remaining lemon juice mixture.
Top with potato mixture and sprinkle with bacon.

Southwestern Pizza

2008-10-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Oh boy!
Where had the time gone to?
Almost 2 weeks of not updating
this blog.
Bad me.
Sometimes I wonder
why I have 2 blogs.
I blame it on my compulsive,
anal
nature.
I need everything to be organised.
:D

Anyway,
I made this southwestern pizza
last week for my hubby.
He saw this recipe in a book
and told me
that looks delicious.
I wasn't convince.
I thought how could
a pizza with salsa on it
be delicious?

But I was wrong.
It was good.
Really good.
Who would've thought?

Recipe from Southern Living 40 years of recipes.

Makes 4 servings

8 (10inch) flour tortillas
1 8oz packaeg shredded Mexican four-cheese blend

1 cup chunky salsa
Black Bean Salsa (recipe below)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
Garnishes: Sour Cream, chopped avocado

Place 4 flour tortillas on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Top tortillas evenly with 1 cup cheese; cover with remaining tortillas.

Divide chunky salsa, Black Bean salsa, chicken and remaining 1 cup cheese
over flour tortillas. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly.
Garnish, if desired.
Cut into wedges.

Black Bean Salsa Recipe
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp creole seasoning

Stir together all ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Honey Chicken Salad

2008-09-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

This is absolutely divine!
Simply delicious.
One of the best chicken salad
I had ever tried.
It's really that good!

I found the recipe in
Southern Living-40 years of our best recipebook,
and I highly recommend this book.
I've tried a few recipes
and
hadn't made anything bad.
This chicken salad can be eaten on its own,
but I prefer to eat it with these mini
phyllo dough.
Somewhat,
the crispiness of the dough
goes very well with the salad.
The recipe asks
to use frozen tart shells.
You could use that too.
Or use wonton cups as seen
here.

This recipe is for 4 servings.
I halved the recipe
as I made it for myself.
:D

Recipe:

1/2 (10oz) package frozen tart shells
or phyllo dough or wonton cups

4 cups chopped cooked chicken
3 celery ribs, diced
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Garnish: Chopped toasted pecans

1. Bake tart shells according to manufacturer's instructions.
Set aside.

2. Combine chicken and next 3 ingredients.

3. Whisk together mayonnaise and next 3 ingredients.
Add to chicken mixture, stirring gently until combined.

4. Spoon chicken salad evenly into baked tart shells.
Garnish, if desired.

Update on My Nachos

2008-09-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

Farina asked me about the
recipe I used
for the beef in my nachos.
Totally
forgot to mention that.

There are 2 ways in doing it.
The lazy way...
and
the non-lazy way.
When I'm feeling lazy,
I'll buy pre-made beef tacos
"filling" or just the seasoned
beef
from Chi-Chi's.
It comes in either ground beef
or ground chicken.
Personally, I prefer the beef.
It's usually located
in the meat section
at the grocery store,
in a yellow container.

If I'm not lazy,
I'll made it using Emeril Lagasse's
taco recipe
found
here.

Enjoy!

Chicken Curry

2008-09-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm...
I'm mad for curry.
Green curry.
Red curry.
Fish curry.
Beef curry.
Chicken curry.
Love 'em all.
I haven't meet a curry
I didnt like.
Wait.
I did.
The ones on the menus
of almost all the Chinese Restaurants here.
You know which one.
I can't stand those.
It's bland.
Too watery.
And way too many onions.
That's not curry.
That's something-that-look-like-curry
soup.

I couldnt find the A-1 curry powder
that everyone seems to be raving about.
The guy at the indian grocery store
told me Shan curry powder
is the best.
So,
I took his words
for it
and it's pretty good.
8.5 out of 10 good.

Recipe:
Vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1.5-2 lbs of chicken *I used boned chicken breasts
4-6 teaspoons of Shan curry powder mix
1 cup coconut milk or yogurt
4 tomatoes, sliced
4-5 potatoes, cut in chunks
1-2 glasses of water

Heat the oil and sauteed the onions till they become soft.
Add the chicken and fry them till they are no longer pink.
Add the curry powder and coconut milk/yogurt.
Stir.
Add the tomatoes and potatoes. Cook for a few minutes.
Add in the water.
Bring it to a boil.
Cover the pot and bring the heat down to low.
Cook until chicken is tender.

Award season

2008-09-12T12:01:00.001-07:00

Thank you
PSM for the award.
Whoo-hoo!!!

Now,
I will pass it on to
Farina for her many,
many Malay recipes...
that I LOVE, LOVE
and will
try..
one day.
Heh!

My Nachos Grande

2008-09-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

You know how when you are
craving for something,
you really, really need to eat it..
no matter what.

I was craving for some nachos
the other day.
So bad.
To make it worse,
I was fasting.
Initially,
I thought of popping into Taco Bell
and buy their Nacho Grande
and have that for Iftar.
Then
I figured,
I might as well made one myself.

So here it is,
my nacho grande..
loaded with refried beans,
ground beef, salsa, sour cream,
cheese
and jalapenos.
And dang...
that jalapenos was actually quite HOT!

And you know what's the
best thing about this?
I can make 2,3 or even 4 bowls
and eat it all!
Heh!

Fusilli with Shrimp and Orange

2008-09-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

I made this sometime ago
but didn't put it on my blog.

I LOVE the combination of
pasta and shrimps.
Any kind.
And I will eat it.

I found this recipe at
the Food Network
and adjusted it a bit
according to my taste...
and what's available in my fridge.
It turns out yummy!
Who would've thought that shrimps,oranges,
spinach and pasta will go together?
But it does!
Here's the recipe:

Recipe by Giada Delaurentiis.

Pasta:
1 pound fusilli pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad
2 large oranges - I used a can of mandarin oranges.
5 ounces arugula - I used spinach.
15 (5 ounces) large pitted green olives, halved
*didnt use any, coz I HATE olives.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, Add the shrimp. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.

For the Vinaigrette:

Combine the lemon zest and lemon juice in a small bowl. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth, Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For the Salad:

Using a paring knife, remove the peel and white pith from the oranges. Over a large serving bowl, cut between the membranes of the oranges to form segments. Allow the juice from the oranges to drip into the serving bowl. Add the arugula and olives to the serving bowl. Toss lightly to combine.
Add the hot pasta and the vinaigrette to the serving bowl and toss until arugula(or spinach) is wilted and all the ingredients are combined.

Chicken Tomesto Panini

2008-09-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

My friend, Shelly,
will tell you that I love the
Chicken Tomesto Panini at Panera Bread.
Love, love it so much
that at one point,
that's all I craved
and ate.

So,
this is my version
of that Chicken Tometo Panini.
I used store bought Tomato Pesto-
Love that stuff-
spread it on my French bread,
added some grilled chicken,
sliced red onions,
shredded mozarella cheese
and topped it with arugula.
Put it on my panini maker..
and voila!
All done.
Ready to be eaten.

Beef Burritos

2008-08-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

My husband only likes 3 cuisines..
American, of course...
Italian
and Mexican.
And oh, he also love
Sweet and Sour Chicken..
and that's about the only Asian thing he likes.

A week back,
I made some beef burritos.
I love one dish meal like this.
It's fast and simple to make.
There's really no "real" recipe
as I just tossed whatever I like
in the pan.

I started off with browning the beef,
added some garlic and onions,
with a bit of cumin and chilli powder.
Then, I add some green peppers and
since I have corn,
I added that too. :D
And oh,
a bit of salsa
to give it a bit of flavor.

Then, I top it with cheese
and Mexican rice...
and put it in a wrap.
One dish meal..
in a tortilla!

Green Eggs and Ham

2008-08-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

I feel so bad
neglecting this blog.
I've been cooking,
and taking photos
but haven't updated it here lately.

And now,
I will!!!
Over at Moms4Moms,
the current cooking challenge
was to be inspired by Dr. Seuss..
Green Eggs and Ham.
And here's my interpretation...

I used a bagel as the base
and toasted it.
You could use French bread or even an English muffin.
I also have some leftover grilled chicken.
I used that instead of ham.
I sauteed that with a bit of garlic, spinach
and break 2 eggs
and scrambled them altogether.
Assembled the scrambled egg mixture on
top of the bagel,
added some shredded cheese...
I used mozarella and monterey jack
and put it under the broiler
for a few minutes,
till the cheese melted.
Then, top it off with tomato pesto.
Yum!

Charleston, South Carolina - The Food

2008-08-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

We just came back from Charleston
on Sunday.
It was an awesome trip.
We had fun.
The kids had fun.

Anyway,
we stayed in a hotel
in downtown Charleston,
that has a little kitchen.
Most meals were eaten
at the hotel
but we did ate out
a couple of times.
The first nite,
I made mini pizzas for everyone.
That was yummy and easy.

The second nite,
we ate out
at Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant.
Yup!
It's the one named in
Forrest Gump.
Now,
I didnt take any photos of the food
coz seriously,
when my food is out,
I just want to dive in.
I had the coconut shrimp with
some kind of peach dip.
And it comes with fries
and coleslaw.
It's not mentioned on the menu
on their website,
but that thing is delicious.
A bit pricy...
but still delicious.
I love the dip.
Jeff had the BBQ burger
coz he's picky and doesnt eat anything else.
*roll eyes here*
Jeff's aunt had the "All American out" (I think that's what it's called)
appetizer
and it's HUGE.
It coems with chips with some kind of spinach and artichoke dip,
boiled shrimps, hush puppies which was made up of corn and shrimp,
Chicken fingers and some kind of fried shrimp too.
I tasted her food
and those were good too.
The hush puppies were really good.
Gotta try and make those one day.
The annoying thing about this restaurant
is that
the waiter will quiz you on some Forrest Gump trivia.
Yup.
Annoying.
I kiddingly asked him if I answered all the questions right,
will we get some kind of discount?
Yeah...right.
It ain't happening.

Anyway,
the next day,
we went to the Farmer's Market.
It was really pretty,
with not only vendors selling veggies and fruits,
but there were bounce houses for the kids
and
a band playing.
Really cool.
There are also several vendors
cooking up different kinds of foods
from Gyros to crepes
and even donuts.
Everybody else had the Gyros..
but I had the Chicken Satay with Coconut Rice.
I saw the word satay and
quickly zoom at that stall.
She served it with a cucumber salad,
but I told her to switch it with the grilled tofu.
And like an arrogant,
pompous ass...
I told her I'm from Singapore
and satay is a common food dish.
So,
I told her,
I can't wait to taste her version.
Yup.
I can be annoying too.

Anyway,
it tasted NOTHING like a satay.
It was way too salty...
too much soy sauce on the chicken
and tofu.
And the rice tasted like regular, jasmine rice.
Where's the coconut?
I've made coconut rice before
and she needed to put a bit more coconut milk
on hers.
The peanut sauce is bleh.
I cant taste the peanuts.
Even Rachael Ray's peanut sauce is way
better than this.
So, if you ever go to the Farmer's Market,
have the Gyro instead.

And if you ever see
the Carolina Cider Company
on your drive down,
please go in and take a look.
They had the BEST ciders..
it's all natural and no sugars added.
We bought the apple cider, the cherry cider
and the peach cider.
Delicious!
And I even bought me a jar of Peach Orange Marmalade
and
Peach salsa.
They deliver too.
So check out the website.

BBQ Chicken Pie Pizza?

2008-08-13T23:16:00.001-07:00

Inspired by Zu's Pinwheel Pizza.
I decided to make these for lunch..
Mini pie pizzas!!

My fave pizza is Papa John's
Chicken BBQ Pizza
with onions and pineapple.
I decided to recreate this
using pie crust...
since I dont have any pizza dough in hand.
Nor any
puff pastry dough.
I had Pillsbury Pie Crust.
That's what I did here.
I rolled out the pie crust
and using my circle cookie cutter (about 3 inch in diameter),
I cut circles off the dough.
Spread some BBQ sauce on it,
sprinkle some shallots,
and pineapple tidbits.
Added leftover grilled chicken
and finished it off with
mozarella cheese.
And Voila!
Into the oven
at 450F
for around 10-12 minutes.
And it's done.
Gone within minutes.

Creamy Mashed Potato

2008-08-11T20:42:00.001-07:00

Potato.
I haven't meet a potato I didn't like.
Love them
baked, fried, roasted...
if I could eat them raw,
I would!

This is the second time
I made this dish,
using this recipe.
The first time,
there was a bad thunderstorm
outside,
making it almost impossible
for me to take a photo,
due to the lack of natural light.

The recipe asked for Yukon Gold Potatoes.
I've made it with that,
and with Russet potatoes.
To me,
the Yukon Gold potatoes
tasted better and gave this dish
a creamier consistency.
Not to say that you can't use Russet potatoes.
You could.
And it will still taste great.
Hey...
like I said,
I haven't met a potato I didnt like!

Enjoy!

Recipe from Katie Lee Joel's
The Comfort Table

2.5 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes,
peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 8-oz package of cream cheese, cut into chunks
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons(1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the potatoes in a medium pot.
Cover with cold water and add 1 teaspoon of salt.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are fork tender
about 20 minutes. Drain.

Return the potatoes to the pot and add cream cheese,
milk, butter, 2 teaspoons of salt, and pepper.
Using a handheld electric mixer, whip the potatoes until smooth and creamy
with no lumps.
Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

2008-08-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

I made these delicious cookies
for a cooking/baking challenge over
at M4M.
Got the recipe from Martha Stewart Cookie
Book
and these are delicious!
They are thin and crispy.
I couldnt find any Dutch Process Cocoa
Powder
at my local grocery store.
Even went to Walmart, Super Target
and Albertson's...
NONE!!!
So, I used regular cocoa powder-
Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa
and instead of sanding sugar-
can't find that either-
I used regular granulated sugar.
Enjoy!
These are yummy!

Recipe:

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Sanding sugar, for rolling

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda
and salt into a bowl.
2. In the bowl fo an electric mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed
until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla, and beat to combine.
Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture-
beat to combine.
Form dough into a flattened disk,
wrap with plastic wrap and chill until firm,
about an hour or so.
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls.
Roll each ball in sanding sugar.
Place on baking sheets lined on parchment paper,
about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through.
Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes.
Transfer cookies from baking sheet to a wire rack.
Ccokies can be stored between layers of parchment in an
airtight container at room temperature.

Orange Sesame Chicken

2008-08-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

Americanized Chinese food...
I have only one fave
Orange Chicken.
That's it.
I'm not really keen on
the chinese food here
because for some reason,
it's so heavy
and after eating it,
it makes you feel bleh.
Being from Asia myself,
I find that it has
been "americanized"
so much
that it kinda lose
it's authentic flavor.
I encourage all of you to go to Asia
and try the foods there.
They are so much different
(and better)
in flavor.
I understand that they have
to cater to their
buyers
but seriously,
you go to one chinese restaurant here,
you've been to all!
They all have the same menu!!!
And the pictures are even the same!!!
I dont understand that!!
LOL..

Anyway,
I made orange sesame chicken.
I never heard of Orange Chicken till I came here.
Nor Sesame Chicken.
Never saw it in the chinese restaurants back home
in Singapore.
Nor ate it there.
But,
I do love orange chicken.
And when I saw the recipe here
on
Appetite for China,
I wanna give it a shot.
It came out pretty good.
Not as heavy as the ones in the restaurant.
Definately lighter.
But still as delicious.