Playing Chef

Leek & Gruyere Pastries

2012-01-30T23:32:00.000-08:00

I made these pastries twice this week. I made it twice because it was delicious. J really liked it and sent me this email while he was at work today:

Subject: Thinking about...
Message: ..my breakfast pastry w/ bacon thingy. Can't wait to eat it tonight. Haha.. ;)

Yeah. He already had breakfast with his mom when I pulled these out of the oven this morning. Needless to say he had two after work today.

This recipe is also from Food & Wine Fast. Which, I love - because the recipes really are fast and don't take much effort and will turn out delicious.

Ingredients:
Frozen Puff Pastry (thawed)
1 Leek
Shredded Gruyere cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto (in my case, cubed ham - it's what I had in the fridge)
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry puff. Cut into 4 equal squares. Fold the corners and edges.
2. In a skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the leeks and thyme, season with salt & pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring until softened (about 5 minutes).
3. Sprinkle half the gruyere cheese over the pastry, spread the leeks over the cheese. Cover with proscuitto (or ham, whatever); sprinkle the remaining cheese. Season with s&p.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden or bubbling. Blot any excess fat with a paper towel. Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Salad

2012-01-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

I've been eating lots of salad for lunch. My favorite and it's so easy:

Baby Spinach
Heart of Palm
Roasted Beets
Sweet Corn Kernals
Cherry Tomatoes
Blackberries
Almonds

I just throw what I have on top of a handful of spinach in a bowl. I love beets so I usually roast 2-3 beets slice them up and keep them in the fridge.

Fully Loaded Bloody Mary

2012-01-30T23:06:00.001-08:00

I had a craving for a Bloody Mary this weekend. So, I made one and it was delicious.

Ingredients:
Tomato Juice
Vodka
Celery Stalk
Beef Jerky (spicy)
Olives
Tabasco Sauce
Worcheshire Sauce
Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Freshly grounded pepper
Ice

Chicken & Bulgur Salad With Avocado

2012-01-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

This salad is healthy, filling and easy. You can pretty much use any veggies you have on hand/like to eat.
Ingredients:
1 cup bulgar
1 cup boiling water
2 pieces of boneless chicken breasts (I used thighs) with skin removed
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
Salt & freshly grounded pepper
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup shredded basil
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 avocados
1 fennel bulb
1 cup cherry tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Cook bulgur. In a heatproof bowl, cover the bulgur with boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate and let stand until the water has been absorbed and the bulgur is tender (about 30 minutes).
3. Roast the chicken. Coat the chicken with the grapeseed oil. Season with salt & pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, until golden; let cool. Slice the chicken into 1/4 inch thick pieces.
4. Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk the orange juice with the basil, lemon juice, scallions and the remaining grapeseed oil season the vinaigrette with salt & pepper.
5. Toss it all up. In a bowl, toss the bulgur, chicken, avocados, fennel and tomatoes in the vinagrette. Season with with salt & pepper. Plate it up and serve.

From Food & Wine Fast

Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Stuffed Chicken

2012-01-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

This was a cheaper version of the stuffed beef tenderloin dinner I made for Christmas (sorry, no photos). Stuffing is caramelized onion & mushrooms cooked in a sweet red wine. Let the stuffing cool down to room temperature and lay on a butterflied piece of chicken and top with spinach. Roll it up and tie everything together with butcher's twine. The sauce was a dijon herbed butter sauce.

Mango Chicken Curry

2012-01-06T19:11:00.000-08:00

I had some chicken thawed in the fridge, but I really didn't know what to make. I had some coconut milk and mango, so I made mango chicken curry. It's a basic recipe I found online. I added more pepper to it because we like things spicy around here. It was a satisfying meal :)

Quick & Easy Shrimp Scampi

2012-01-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

My Oversized Whoopie Pies

2012-01-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

I made these red velvet whoopie pies to ring in the new year. J and I went out to a nice NYE dinner and then celebrated the new year by stuffing our face with these.

Christmas Eve Dinner @ Lazy Bear

2011-12-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

Lazy Bear is an underground restaurant. They do dinners every so often at an undisclosed location. Seats are limited so we were thrilled when we landed Christmas Eve reservations. We found out about Lazy Bear from another underground foodie event we attended in October, called 25SF. Dinner this evening was held at Chez Poulet in the Mission, which was an old warehouse (location is revealed after you confirm your reservations by making your online payment for dinner). I loved the setting - it was basically a large loft, like ours :) Chef David Barzaley did a great job explaining each dish and the preferred method to eat it. (Sorry the photos are dark - they were taken with my phone)

I forget to bring my bottle of wine, so we ended up grabbing a bottle from the liquor store around the corner. Fat Cat at Lazy Bear, hehee.

Smoked Beets - we licked our plates (literally).

Swordfish Belly

Dungeness Crab

Steelhead Roe

Steelhead

Goose Confit

Potato Puree

Goose Breast

Grapes

Pastry

Treats

...which included Spiced Rum

Holiday Gifts

2011-12-21T18:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't have time to make holiday cookies like I did last year. So, I decided to make and send drink mixes in mason jars to my friends and family. I ended up making at least 15 jars of Mexican Cocoa, Peppermint Stick Cocoa, Mocha Hot Cocoa and Orange Creamsicle.

I also made Peppermint Marshmallow Sticks:

You would be AMAZED at how simple and easy these were to make. Just melt chocolate chips in the microwave (for 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir - until completely melted). Then dip marshmallows in melted chocolate and then in crushed peppermints.

This isn't food related, but I'm really proud of myself because I MADE ALL THIS for all the babies born in 2011/late 2010. Thanks to Chez Beeper Bebe for the tutorials! What's extra cool about the bunnies is that they were re-purposed from old t-shirts (except the polka-dot bunny - I used leftover fabric from E's dress). Cool, right?

for babies M, E, E, and A.

A First: Cake Pops (+ J's Bday Dinner)

2011-12-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

Party for two!

It was J's birthday a couple weeks ago and I wanted to do something special. I made a steak dinner and those cake pops/cupcakes for dessert! It was my first time making cake pops, and you know how ambitious I am...I decided to go all out and borrowed Bakerella's Cake Pops book from my friend Robin With An I.

Here's a closer look at the cake pops:

They turned out well, for my first attempt. I have to say, it was pretty frustrating to get the technique down. I did lose five cake pops due to my FAILS:

Overall, I was happy with the seven I was able to make. (I planned to make a dozen). The lions were my favorite and way easier to do than the pandas. Birthday boy was super impressed with my work. He didn't want to eat them (but he did). So, that was dessert!

Here's what I made for dinner: Rosemary Rubbed Filet Mignon served with roasted brussel sprouts & bacon and garlic primavera risotto

My little jar of minced garlic always comes in handy. I do this to save time and it really does save a lot of time! I basically mince 2 heads of garlic and combine with oil. Store this jar in the fridge and use it for almost anything. One of the best tips I picked up from TV.

Brussel sprouts! Before and after:

Our Thanksgiving Menu 2011

2011-11-23T13:05:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Menu 2011

ENTRÉES

POMEGRANATE-GLAZEDROAST TURKEY

12-hour brined Organic Free-Range Turkey(me)

HAM (my cousin)

ACCOMPANIMENTS

COLLARD GREENS

(SIL #3)

CASSEROLES Green Bean, Potato Cheese & Sweet Potato(SIL #1)

MASHED POTATO & GRAVY

SALAD (SIL #2)

CORNBREAD with Whipped Honey Butter

7-CHEESE MAC &CHEESE featuring SharpYellow Cheddar, Extra-Sharp White Cheddar, Mozzarella, Asiago, Gruyere,Monterey Jack, Muenster

CRANBERRY-ORANGE SAUCE

(me)

DESSERTS

PUMPKIN CAKE (my cousin)

PIES: APPLE, PUMPKIN (SIL #2)

Ancho-Marinated Skirt Steak With Warm Black Bean Salad

2011-11-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

I made this delicious dish from Sunset's October 2011 issue. And enjoyed it with the rest of the bottle of Syrah used in the marinade. It was really, really, yummy! You can find the recipe from Sunset here. But I've also included it here (in case).

Ingredients

1/2 cup Syrah or other dry red wine

1/2 cup red wine vinegar, divided

About 6 tbsp. olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided

1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp. pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves

1 tablespoon ground dried ancho chiles or chili powder

1 skirt steak (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

2 fresh poblano chiles (sometimes labeled pasilla)

1 large sweet onion, chopped

3 cans black beans (15 oz. each), drained and rinsed

1 large red pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-in. chunks

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

About 3 green onions, sliced (including green tops)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Combine wine, 1/4 cup each vinegar and oil, 1 tbsp. each garlic and pepper, 1 tsp. each salt and cumin, the oregano, and ground chiles in a large, plastic food bag. If steak is in 1 long piece, cut in half crosswise; rinse, add to bag, seal, and turn to coat. Chill at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

2. Preheat broiler. Halve, stem, and seed the poblanos. Lay skin side up on a baking sheet and broil 4 inches from heat until well charred, 6 to 7 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then peel and coarsely chop.

3. Heat grill to high (450° to 550°). In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, sauté onion and remaining 1 tbsp. garlic in 2 tbsp. oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans and remaining 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 tsp. each pepper, salt, and cumin; turn heat to low.

4. Oil cooking grate well. Lift steak from marinade (discard marinade) and grill, turning once, until browned on both sides but still pink in the center (cut to test), 7 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a board and let rest at least 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, add poblanos, red pepper, tomatoes, 3 green onions, and cilantro to bean mixture, and stir occasionally until warm. Slice steak on the diagonal across the grain and serve on warm bean salad. Garnish with more green onions if you like.

Poblanos:

Bean Salad (I used golden cherry tomatoes instead of red ones. I like the colors)

And here's dinner for two:

I thought the flavors in the dish were really good and actually had a lot of the bean salad left over, which I loved. I added the bean salad the next day for breakfast in an omelet and as a salad for lunch. Success!

Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream

2011-11-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Who knew Tuesday would be such a culinary delight-ful day!

Again, this recipe is from the October 2011 Sunset issue. You can find the recipe here.

Do you see those little speckles? They are speckles of goodness (gingersnap cookies).

Ingredients
1 pt. whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup Homemade Pumpkin Purée
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely crushed gingersnaps
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)

Preparation
1. Whisk all ingredients except gingersnaps and bourbon in a bowl to blend. Strain into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. (I actually skipped this part...oops. Hey, working from home and cooking at the same time can be distracting...but luckily it wasn't too much of an error. I'll be sure to strain it next time I make this, and I *will* make this again)
2. Scrape ice cream into a bowl and stir in gingersnaps and bourbon. Freeze, covered, until scoopable, 2 1/2 hours and up to 1 week (gingersnaps soften somewhat after 1 day).

Ingredients:

Added to the milk & cream:

All blended together:

The ice cream maker does it's magic, and into the freezer for a couple hours:

And then, this goodness can be enjoyed!

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Dates w/ Balsamic Reduction

2011-10-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, J & I attended an underground foodie event called 25SF. It was a lot of fun and one of the items served was bacon wrapped dates. It was good, and so I decided to make some tonight. I used turkey bacon because 1. it's what I have 2. it's healthier. I try to be as healthy as I can regularly, so I can splurge when I'm out and not feel bad about it when I do.

Ingredients
Pitted dates
Turkey bacon, or bacon bacon (cut into thirds)
Toothpicks
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar

Make the Balsamic Reduction
1. Boil the balsamic vinegar. Simmer until reduced to half.
2. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Continue stirring until sticky and thick.
3. Let cool.

Cook the Bacon Wrapped Dates
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Wrap the dates in the bacon and seal with a toothpick (edges on the bottom)
3. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes (until crisp and edges are brown)
5. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes and serve

Plate the dates and drizzle the balsamic reduction over to taste. Enjoy!

This is a great appetizer and I'll be making this for my bestie's baby shower in January!

Pumpkin Soup with Pumkin Seed-Mint Pesto

2011-10-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

It's fall and the weather has turned. It's cold -- actually, let me take that back. I grew up on the East Coast, so it actually doesn't get as cold here in California. But, it's chilly. I've acclimated to the weather here, so I won't be able to stand the frigid temperatures when I go home for the holidays.

Anyway, enough about the weather. Let's get to the soup I made earlier this week. You would think now that I work at home, I would have more time to cook -- not the case. I actually haven't been cooking as much as I used to, but I'd like to change that. Over the weekend, I had time to read my magazines (I had a lot to go through).

On the cover of October's Sunset Magazine was a lovely photo of pumpkin soup and I decided I wanted to make this pumpkin soup. Because I love to cook stuff I've never cooked before. And I did! And you know what? It was pretty darn good. I wanted to serve it in a small pumpkin bowl just like the picture, but...let's just say I didn't read the instructions thoroughly enough and it didn't happen. You can find the recipe here.

SOUP INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
4 1/2 cups peeled, 1-in. chunks pumpkin or other orange-fleshed squash (from a 2 1/2-lb. squash)
4 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
PESTO INGREDIENTS
1 small garlic clove
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, plus slivered leaves
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds

Here are all my ingredients for the soup:

1. Sauté onion and ginger in oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until golden, 5 minutes. Add garlic and coriander and cook until softened.

2. Add pumpkin, broth, salt, and pepper. Simmer, covered, until pumpkin tender.

3. Puree in batches.

PESTO (so good!)

It's really simple. Just pound the mint leave, salt, garlic and 1 tablespoon of oil together. Then add the remaining oil and pumpkin seeds and pound again. Until you get something like this:

That's it! Pour your soup into the pumpkin bowl that you made correctly, or just a regular old white soup bowl like I did. Either way, it will be delicious. And dollops of pesto and slivers of sliced mint leaves and enjoy!

Roasted Chicken Salad

2011-10-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

I traveled to DC and when I got back, I caught some kind of cold. I have been sick all week and have been eating nothing but pho for a whole week. I love pho, but like everything else, too much of it is not good. I finally had some energy to make a meal. I was really craving some produce and this roasted chicken salad was the tastiest, least effort dish I could pull off. Chopped some lettuce, tomato and avocado tossed in some vinaigrette and topped with a piece of garlic roasted chicken.

An Unconventional Feast

2011-09-30T14:23:00.001-07:00

Hey SF Foodies! Interested in an Unconventional Feast, Oct. 22? This underground event brings local chefs and winemakers together. The first 50 people to use the code "MERRY LAMB" gets 25% off the event price. If you're not the first 50, you'll still get priority access! Check it out here http://25sf.info and follow them on Twitter @25sf for updates.

Scallops for lunch

2011-09-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I posted. I just haven't had time to cook anything blog-worthy. But, this past Monday, I decided I needed to use up the scallops I had and made myself a really nice scallop dish for lunch. It was REALLY good. And it was a nice treat 1. to have scallops for lunch (with a glass of wine) - in the middle of the day on a MONDAY and 2. to get back in the kitchen and make something nice and well, blog-worthy.

So, here it is! Monday scallops for lunch. I subscribe to Tasting Table and get recipes emailed to me on the daily, or weekly, I don't know. When I saw this one, I was inspired - it was super easy and I had all the ingredients - well, I used a white peach instead of a nectarine, but whatevs... Click here for the recipe.

This year's July 4th Cake

2011-07-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those cakes from the Asian pastry shops with the fruits on top? They're similar to a sponge cake, but super moist and not very sweet. In Korean, it's called seeang cream cake, but you can find them in Chinese or Vietnamese bakeries as well.We used to get one of these for every one's birthdays growing up. They're pretty pricey at the bakery these days, and I love to learn new things....so this weekend, I made one! I used strawberries and blueberries to form the American flag. It was pretty close to the ones at the bakery. I used the recipe from Honey and Butter's blog.

I'm not sure why I always take photos of the ingredients, but I do and here are the ingredients for this cake...

And the whipped cream:

I started running out of time for the BBQ we were going to, so I was in a hurry, plus it got messy once the whipped cream came into play. Here's a photo of the center filling, I added chopped strawberries to the cream:

Oh yeah, one very useful trick I picked up was to line your cake circle with several pieces of seran wrap, place the cake on top, frost your cake. When you're finished frosting the cake, pull the seran wrap off. It catches all the stray frosting so that you don't have to worry about transferring the frosted cake to the cake circle. It also saves time.

Here is both layers of cake frosted and ready for the fruit decoration:

The cake:

Make a Flag Cake, Make a Flag Cake!

2011-06-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

I can not believe it's almost the end of June. AND the July 4th weekend is next week! Last year, I made this totally awesome flag cake. Trust me, it's awesome. You should make one too! Seriously! It was a lot of fun to assemble AND everyone at your party will LOVE it. I promise! Click here for the HOW TO. Have fun :)

Peach & Cheese Danish

2011-06-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

It's summertime, and I get a lot of free fruits from people. I love it! But, a (good) problem I have is that I get so many that I can't finish. So, I make fun things like this danish. It was so good and easy for a Friday night. Easier because I used store-bought puff pastry.

Caramelize the peaches:
2 peaches sliced (I had white peaches)
3 tablespoons butter
1.5 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter over low heat. Add sugar and peaches. Turn up heat slightly and cook peaches about 5 minutes or until caramelized.

Make cream cheese filling:
4 oz. light cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
sugar (I don't remember how much I used, maybe 2 tablespoons)

Thaw the puff pastry according to the instructions on the box. Dunno why, but I had some problems separating the sheet (first time ever). So, I threw some flour on it and rolled it out. I cut them into 6 pieces (2 large pastries and 4 smaller pastries).

I formed the pastry shapes by pulling the edges up for the filling.

Top with the caramelized peaches:

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Let cool and enjoy with your favorite beverage.

Too Many Oranges!

2011-06-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

What do you do with lots and lots of free oranges? I've been given more oranges than I can eat or drink by myself. Luckily it's been warm here in the Bay, so I made some juice bars and orange sorbet.

For the juice bars, simply squeeze the juice and pour into your popsicle molds. Easy like nothing else.

Even after I made the juice bars, I still had a basketful of oranges left. I made orange sherbet. This too is very simple.

Recipe from the FoodNetwork.com here

Let your ice-cream maker do the work:

Transfer to a container, cover and freeze for a couple hours.

And, yes, I STILL have some oranges left...

Japantown Farmers Market Veggies

2011-06-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

Asparagus, zucchini and peas. Stir fried in garlic. So simple, so delicious!

Lemon Baked Salmon Salad

2011-06-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Dinner Friday was a baked salmon salad. It was so easy.

Preheat over to 350 degrees
Line small baking pan with foil. Place salmon filet in pan.
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Loosely wrap the salmon in foil.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until flakey.
That's it!

For the salad, I made a very simple, but delicious vinaigrette:

Lemon Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

lemon juice of 1/2 a lemon
extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 clove minced garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything.

Cube Dog

2011-06-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

Meet my virtual dog, Green. I know he's yellow, but I named him Green. Isn't he cute! The Cube Dog is available on iTunes (FREE!). It's similar to the Tamagotchi's back in the early ninety's, but it's so much better because it's on your iPhone or iTouch. Cube Dog is really easy to use. Just download the app, and start creating your pet by body parts. I don't like dogs with pointy ears, so my Cube Dog, Green, has floppy ears. I love it when his eyes turn into hearts when I pet him.

And he even gets along with my cat, Angus. See them napping together on a cardboard box!

The animation and graphics are high quality and you can even rotate him to see different angles. Pret.ty cool. I've already recommended my brother and SIL get it for their kids - they have a 2 year old and a 5 year old. It'll be the perfect thing to occupy them, for whenever they get, you know, cranky or restless.

Watch this video for more info on the Cube Dog. Not only is he uber cute, I don't have to walk him, he doesn't smell and I can cuddle all day with my cats and play with him at the same time. Win!

There's a fun contest running this week, June 13-17, so be sure to visit Cube Dog on Facebook: facebook.com/cubedog. And go download the Cube Dog app and have fun!

This is a sponsored post by Cube Dog, but the opinions stated here are my own.

Hazelnut & Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-06-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

Recipe and instructions from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

3/4 + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 scant 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
1 egg
1/2 hazelnut and chocolate spread (aka Nutella)
shelled hazelnuts (optional for decorating)

hazelnut & chocolate frosting
2 cups confectioner's sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/3 cup hazelnut and chocolate spread (aka Nutella)

Make batter:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and butter in mixer and beat on slow until you get a sandy consistency.

2. Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture, beating well until the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well (scrap any unmixed ingredients from the side of bowl).

3. Spoon the batter into lined cupcake pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when touched. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before placing on wire rack to cool completely.

4. When the cupcakes are cold, hollow out a small section in the center of each one and fill with a dollop of hazelnut and chocolate spread.

For the hazelnut and chocolate frosting:

1. Beat the confectioner's sugar and butter together in a mixer on med-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed. Slowly pour in the milk, then when it is all incorporated, turn the mixer up to a high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy (at least 5 minutes). The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

2. Stir in the hazelnut and chocolate spread by hand until evenly mixed into the frosting.

3. Spoon frosting on top of cupcakes and decorate with hazelnuts (I used a piping bag and pink sprinkles).

Bison Burger, Anyone?

2011-06-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been THREE months since I last blogged. I've been busy. AND I also lost the USB cable so I wasn't able to import photos from the camera. I still haven't found the cable, but I managed to import the photos because I am savvy... or rather found another USB from some other equipment we have...

I made bison burger awhile ago. Don't remember when, but J really liked it and it's supposed to be healthier than beef. We're always game to try healthy things as long as they don't taste bad. And the bison meat was a win.

I used the bison the same way I would any turkey or beef burger. I did add caramelized onions. It was cooked in marsala wine (I was trying to finish up my bottle of marsala wine). It was pretty delicious and really the only other thing different was the bison instead of beef.

The Easiest, Most Simple and Tastiest Chicken. Really.

2011-06-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

My go-to roasted chicken recipe. It's so simple. So easy. And yes, so delicious. I'll marinate this around 5pm and it's ready to eat by dinnertime. All you need is about an hour to marinate it and an another hour to roast it. Ingredients are staples you most likely already have:

- Juice of 1 lemon
- Sprigs of rosemary
- Salt & Pepper
- Minced garlic

- Drizzle of Olive Oil

When you're ready to roast it, place everything into roasting pan. Roast in oven at 475 degrees (covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to roast for another 30 minutes. The chicken will be brown, with crispy skin, and tender with juiciness inside. You don't even need ketchup!

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

2011-06-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

What do you do with lots of oranges? Make orange juice...

I promise! It's one of the best things

Easiest and Most Delicious Salad

2011-06-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

I can eat this every day. And I pretty much do. Just a few simple ingredients and you can have this delicious salad:

- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt
- Pepper
- Tomatoes (your favorite)
- Basil

Thomas Keller's The French Laundry & Autograph

2011-06-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

J & I landed a reservation at The French Laundry (after 3 years of trying). It was a last minute surprise for us because we found out we had the Sat. night reservation on the Tuesday night. We ended up spending beaucoup bucks, but hello, it's one of the top restaurants in the country, so we had to experience it. All the photos were taken on my phone, in dim restaurant lighting, so the quality isn't so great. But, at least you can see what you get from The French Laundry (we actually supplemented our dinner with additions because we wanted to try all Keller had to offer). Here are some photos of our meal:

They sent us home with shortbread cookies. We enjoyed these at home, after our 1.5 hour drive from Yountville.

While waiting to be seated one of the restaurant guests requested Chef Keller sign her menu. I was like, that's a great idea! So I did the same before I left. I didn't really expect anything, but 2 weeks later, I received the autographed menu from that night. Nice touch, French Laundry!

Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta

2011-03-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

I finally had some time to play with the Pasta Maker I got for my birthday. I decided to make some wheat pasta for the first time. It was so much fun!

Dry ingredients:

Wet ingredients:

Mixed into dough:

Cover and let rest for 10 minutes:

My set up (you like my Ugly Doll cookie jar, don't you?):

Dough formed into walnut size pieces. I know some are larger than others, I started second-guessing myself so this is what I ended up with:

The first batch of rigatoni (so fun!):

In action:

Here we have fusili, large macaroni and rigatoni shaped pastas:

I should have laid them out in layers to keep their shape. But, it was all good. What did I do with this pasta? I made some minestrone soup, perfect for the cold rainy Friday night.

Soy & Honey Glazed Salmon

2011-03-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Monday Night Dinner:

Today I visited the Fresh & Easy that opened up in SJ last week. It's a subsidiary of Tesco, a chain grocery store from the UK - crossing over to the states. It's already in AZ, NV and SoCal and finally making it's way to NorCal. I had read great things about it and decided to check it out for myself today. It really is a cute place; had great fresh produce items, it's own branded specialty items as well as major brands you'd find elsewhere. I'm sure to be back! I found some great looking salmon there and picked some up. I broiled the salmon in the oven and served it with rice and a medley of vegetables.

The best thing about the meat products from Fresh & Easy is that they are in nice, sturdy plastic containers with a sealed plastic cover instead of the styrofoam piece with saran wrapped around it like you would find at other stores:

Here's the recipe for the glazed salmon:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey (you can use less if you like it to be less sweet)
1.5 tablespoons mustard (I used whole grain mustard)
1 tablespoon water

Whisk all these ingredients and heat to a simmer.
Broil the salmon filet, flipping over halfway. Once the filet is cooked, I drizzled a spoonful of the glaze and let it broil for a little. I served it with some rice and vegetables, and drizzled another spoonful of the glaze. Pretty yummy!

Birthday Eats

2011-03-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

Brunch, movie, pizza, Pinkberry, molecular gastronomy and Mom's banh xeo.

GASTRONOME also happened to be the word of the day. So fitting! Here are some of the foods I enjoyed on my birthday (all taken with my camera phone):

Mimosa at brunch (double the cava)

Dinner at Baumé (very cute restaurant in Palo Alto). We had the 12-course découverte tasting menu. It was a lot of fun!

My mom is in town, so on Sunday she made one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes - banh xeo - which is a crepe with pork and shrimp inside. Delish!

There were other deliciousness I ate to celebrate my birthday, like pizza, Pinkberry, a great coffee/chocolate ice cream cake and a vietnamese jelly dessert. - no photos though.

Fried Rice

2011-03-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
2 cups day old rice
4 sausages (I used the chinese pork sausages)
2 scrambled eggs
1.5 cups frozen vegetables
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons butter

1. Slice and cook sausage. Drain fat in a separate bowl lined with paper towels.

2. Scramble eggs (slightly undercooked)

3. Add the butter and rice. Fry until rice is crispy and turns color.

4. Add soy sauce. Continue to fry.

5. Add eggs to rice. This is where the eggs will continue to cook.

6. Add cooked sausage

7. Add vegetables. If frozen, it should already be heated in the microwave at this point and ready to go.

8. Mix everything up, plate and enjoy!

I really like using my panda-pan. It makes cooking so much more fun!

Aztec Chicken Soup

2011-03-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

This is some really healthy and tasty soup. Great for the cold weather we've been going through in NorCal. Everything from scratch! I got this recipe from DailyCandy, which they got from SF's Tacolicious:

Ingredients

For soup
2 yellow onions, peeled and chopped
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
½ tbsp. whole black peppercorns
1 whole chicken, cut into quarters
2 dried pasilla chiles
8 Roma tomatoes
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

For garnish
Fried corn tortilla strips
Avocado, diced
Cotija cheese, crumbled
Onion, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Lime, cut into wedges

1. In a large stockpot, place half of the onions, 2 garlic cloves, the carrots, bay leaves, whole peppercorns, and chicken. Fill with enough cold water to cover the chicken by two inches. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.

2. Skim off any foam that forms at the top. Once the chicken is fully cooked (about 45 minutes), remove it from the liquid and set aside to cool. Into another pot, strain the stock through a fine strainer and set aside. Discard the vegetables and aromatics. (The first two steps can be skipped by using 4 cans of store-bought stock and a cooked roast chicken, meat removed from the bones.)

3. Preheat the oven to broil and place the whole tomatoes, remaining chopped onion, and remaining whole garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Place on the top rack of the oven and broil until the tomatoes are slightly charred and the onions and garlic are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

4. Put the dried pasilla chiles on a cookie sheet and place them under the broiler until they are slightly toasted (be careful not to let them burn). Remove them from the oven and soak them in warm water 5-10 minutes.

5. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins from the tomatoes. Remove the chiles from the soaking water. Place the peeled tomatoes in a blender along with the roasted onion, garlic, and chiles. Puree until smooth.

6. In a thick-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Slowly add the tomato-chile puree and “fry” it in the oil until it thickens and darkens, 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add 4 quarts of the chicken stock (reserved cooking liquid) to the puree. Let it simmer 10-15 minutes.

7. In the meantime, remove all the meat from the chicken; discard skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat and add to the soup along with the salt. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes and serve.

8. Garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Cookies for J's Big 30!

2011-03-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the gingerbread cookies I made for my sis-in-law for her big 30th birthday.

Sugar Cookies for Baby

2011-03-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

I had planned to have a small dinner party for my sis-in-law and made these cookies for her. We didn't know the sex of the baby, so everything is green and yellow. However, that dinner party never happened because baby girl was born that day! We had the dinner party when they came home from the hospital with baby :)

Roast Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Stuffing

2011-02-24T22:22:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's dinner, I made a delicious beef tenderloin served with a side of asparagus. I stayed at work late, came home and cooked dinner. It took a long time to prepare so we didn't eat until about 9pm, but it sure was tasty. I was really tired so I didn't take as many photos as I would have, but J took some for me.

The center-cut tenderloin was pretty pricey at $13 a pound, but it was worth it. Totally melts in your mouth. It was my first time butterflying, making a stuffed roast and trussing the beef. I think it did a pretty darn good job :)

After butterflying the beef, I layered the caramelized onion and mushroom mixture and a layer of spinach.

I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and learned how to truss a roast. It was actually pretty easy.

Retro

2010-12-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

Check out this totally retro cake decorating kit my bf pulled from his mom's storage unit...

Kick Ass Ninja-Bread Cookies

2010-12-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

I have never made gingerbread cookies - ever. But, I am ambitious, so when I saw these on a blog I HAD to make them. I was taking my team of interns out to dinner on Friday night, and I HAD to have these made for them - as a thank you - and because they would like it. I bought the cookie cutters online and baked the cookies early in the week since the dough had to be refrigerated overnight before I could bake them.

My first attempt = FAIL

I didn't have the right tools, and thought that I would attempt to just do it and see what comes of it. Yeah, it was a fail. I was pretty bummed out because I had already baked like 3 dozen of these cookies. (they taste really good, by the way). So, I perused the internet and found this awesome site full of great tips on how to decorate cookies. It gave me a burst of energy, so the bf and I trekked out to Michael's to get all the supplies I needed.

On Thursday night, I spent 4 hours piping 10 cookies. I was so tired, but I was taking my interns out to dinner on Friday night, and REALLY wanted to give these to them. I stayed up past midnight piping and then cutting stars out of marshmallows. I was so tired, so I decided only 3 of them would get the stars with their ninjas. I thought that I would have a hard time with the black food coloring, but the black wasn't the problem, the red was. I used half a container of the gel food coloring, which is typically brighter than the liquid AND about 2 tablespoons of the red liquid food coloring. I decided to make my ninjas pink since it was a nice retro 80's-type color and gave my ninja's some flair. Here's my icing setup:

Ninjas for my team of interns:

Black Ninja for the only boy on my team who made it to dinner:

I let my bf eat the white one:

And I also let my bf eat this pair:

After this, I went to bed. I was TIRED! On Friday, I took the interns to a great dinner and gave each of them a ninja. They all liked it, so I was happy.

On Saturday morning, I decided I had it down, and I did. Practice really does make perfect, boys and girls. I decorated a total of 24 ginger bread cookies in 2 hours. Yep, I had it down. I gave a dozen to my coworker and sent the others to my family.

Here's my Saturday morning batch:

My cat, Angus, was so interested in what I was doing. He kept trying to get to the cookies. I blocked off the side with some fruit baskets, and he's still trying to get to it from behind. So cute...

Holiday Cookies

2010-12-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

Work has started to get stressful for me and it's sure to get only worse. So, to keep sane and destress, I go into the kitchen after work and make stuff. This past week, I have baked LOTS of cookies. More cookies than I have ever baked in my life. I had fun because I knew I was going to share them with the people I love. I made 7.5 dozen snicker doodle cookies, 3 dozen rosemary pine nut cookies and another 4 dozen gingerbread cookies. I used ninja shaped cookie cutters, and so they were ninja-bread cookies. So awesome! I will give them their own post.

Here are some pictures of my snicker doodle and rosemary pine nut cookies. They were really tasty and hopefully are still tasty when they arrive to the homes of my loved ones.

Snicker Doodles:

Rosemary Pine Nut Cookies:

Packed and all ready to ship:

So much more fun

2010-12-11T19:01:00.000-08:00

I got my panda pan! It's so cute and makes me happy when I am cooking up my eggs in the morning for breakfast!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2010-11-27T20:17:00.000-08:00

I made a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving dessert! It was a WIN, despite the fact that I forgot to serve it with the brown-butter pears! I used the recipe from Food & Wine's November 2010 issue. Can I say that the hardest part of making this cheesecake had nothing to do with the ingredients or making of the cheesecake, but in creating a watertight seal for the spring form pan. Man, I was so proud of myself when after 4 tests, I finally succeeded in creating a watertight seal for that pan.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

The crust (crushed gingersnap cookies):

The spring form pan seal:

The water bath:

Pomegranate Glazed Organic Roasted Heritage Turkey

2010-11-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

This year, I shelled out the bucks for an organic heritage turkey. It cost 3x more, but we had a pregnant woman in the family and what the pregnant woman wants, she gets. Like in years pass, I followed Alton's Brown no-fail roasted turkey method. It include brining the turkey in salted vegetable stock overnight, roasting at 500 degrees and then 350 until the meat reaches temperature. It's much quicker and juicier than the traditional 6-8hr slow roast.

Same as last year, I used the pomegranate glaze to baste the turkey. It helps the nice color, crispiness and glaze of the turkey.

After sitting in the brine overnight, the turkey rinsed and dried:

The herb rub and aromatics (I stuff the turkey with the aromatics along with a bunch of sage and rosemary):

The herb-rubbed turkey:

After 30 minutes:

As you can see, the turkey is nice and brown. After lowering the heat, I removed the foil to cook the breast to temperature:

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

We had another successful Thanksgiving meal :) The key is in the prep. I started food prep on Tuesday and thanks to all the planning, everything turned out delicious, especially the pumpkin cheesecake (everyone loved it). We also had organic turkey this year and I tackled the cornbread and sweet potato casserole for the first time. I tried to replicate Boston Market's and my brother said I made it better than them :) Yay for another great Thanksgiving meal!

I cooked the food, and transported it to my brother's place. His gf took care of the turkey ham, mashed potato & gravy, pies, and veggies. The photos here were taken with my phone, so sorry for them not being as great as the photos I took at home with the D-SLR...

The Menu:

MEATS
Pomegranate Glazed Organic Heirloom Turkey
Turkey Ham (not picured)

SIDES
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Sweet Potato topped with Oats Casserole
Cornbread
Cranberry Sauce
Corn
Green Beans
7 Cheeses Mac & Cheese

DESSERT
Apple Pie ala Mode
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Mochi

The table:

(the covered dish is a crab plate my aunt made. It's covered because we had a seafood allergic person in the family)

Carving the turkey:

My first plate of food:

Food prep schedule:
Tuesday night I started by making the turkey brine and began grating 3 kinds of cheeses. Wednesday I made the pumpkin cheesecake, continued grating more cheeses, and made the cranberry sauce. Before hitting the bed on Wednesday night, I dropped the turkey into the brine in the fridge overnight. Thursday morning, I rinsed the turkey from the brine, made the sweet potato casserole, mac & cheese, cornbread, and of course roasted the turkey. Yay for planning!

7 Cheeses Mac & Cheese (A family favorite)

2010-11-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

Everyone really loves this dish, and although it takes a lot of effort and trips to 3 different stores to gather all the cheeses together, it is so worth it. The recipe can be found here. I only make this for Thanksgiving, hehe. It tastes even better as leftovers, yummy in everyone's tummy!

All the cheeses (minus the mozzarella) ready to shred. I started shredding as early as Tuesday, continued shredding on Wednesday, and finished the last of the shredding on Thursday morning:

All the cheeses shredded:

All mixed up:

Ready for the oven:

Cooking in the oven (we were running about 30 minutes behind schedule because of this dish):

Cranberry Sauce

2010-11-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

I used the same (no-fail) recipe. I made it on Wednesday and heated it up before the meal.

10 oz. cranberries (washed and picked through)
1/2 cup water boiled
Zest and juice of one orange
Sugar

1. Bring water, zest, juice, and sugar to boil - stirring until sugar is dissolved
2. Add cranberries into the boiling water until they explode
3. Lower heat and simmer

Sweet Potato Casserole

2010-11-27T13:18:00.000-08:00

I soured the web for a recipe to replicate the Boston Market's sweet potato casserole. And I found one - the secret in addition to the crumb oat topping - is a secret, haha. It turned out really, really good.
Sweet potatoes scrubbed and washed:

Bake in oven for 60 minutes until tender:

Prepare the oat crumb topping:

Add ingredients to sweet potatoes:

Ready for the pan:

Place in dish and ready to bake (a layer of a little something special added between the sweet potatoes and crumb topping).

Bake for about 65 minutes. Remove from oven. Add mini marshmallows and let melt.

Meet My Marshmallow Zombies

2010-11-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

I saw these on a blog, and decided to create my own. How cute are they?

Welcome to the World, JW!

2010-09-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

I made this tomato basil pasta and red velvet cupcakes for a baby welcoming party for some friends.

Chicken Soup

2010-09-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Duty called. My boyfriend was sick. I made him chicken soup. But, this was the only pic I took because I was also making a Tomato Basil Pasta and cupcakes for a baby welcoming party (next post). It was a busy morning in the kitchen on Sunday. Basically, chop the veggies and simmer in broth. Brown the chicken and simmer with veggies. Good for the soul. I also make what I call my witch's brew to help ease his sore throat. It seems to be working...

Seared Scallops over Saffron Rice & Veggies

2010-09-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a year since our trip to Spain. While in Spain, I bought some (very expensive) saffron. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Here's a photo I pulled from the archives of me in La Boqueria buying saffron from the spice lady:

I decided to pull my precious bottle out and make some saffron rice. But, then I had to figure out what to eat with the saffron rice. And I thought scallops! So, I pulled the saffron out of it's dark, hiding place:

I got this bottle at La Boqueria in Barcelona. The spice lady wrapped it up really nice for me. This little bottle cost me a pretty penny (or should I say pennies). It's sealed with candlewax, as you can see here:

So, to make the saffron rice, I started by soaking a few strands of saffron in hot water for about 15 minutes.

Saffron Rice:
A few strands of saffron
1 cup rice
1.5 cups of stock (I used chicken stock)
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves of minced garlic

1. Melt the butter. Add garlic and cook until brown. Add rice and cook in garlic butter for about 5 minutes.

2. Add stock and saffron water. Let it come to a boil. Cover. Lower heat, and cook for about 30 minutes.

While rice is cooking, prepare scallops and veggies. Wash and rinse scallops. Dry scallops in paper towels to absorb water. Wash, cut and dry veggies. I used bok choy, green beans, snow peas and red bell peppers.

When rice is ready, saute veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper. Plate veggies and rice.

Sear scallops. Heat pan (supposedly a stainless steel pan will result in better coloring than a nonstick pan). Melt butter and place scallops in pan for about 3 minutes. Do not move the scallops once they've been placed on the pan. Also, make sure to leave space between scallops in the pan.

Flip over and sear the other side for another 3 minutes or so.

That's it! Plate the scallops over the saffron rice and you're ready to eat. The saffron rice brought me back to Spain and the scallops and veggies were just really good. I ate a total of 5 scallops because I'm a pig, but it was so good :)

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2010-09-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Do you know what the secret to making a good grilled cheese sandwich is? Other than good bread and good cheese, that is...

Low heat. That's right. The low heat allows the cheese to melt and the bread to toast at the same time, so you are not burning the bread. Make your next grilled cheese sandwich this way, and you'll have a perfectly toasted, perfectly melted grilled cheese sandwich.

Ingredients:
Bread, butter, shredded cheese

1. Heat pan in low heat. When pan is hot
2. Butter the outside of first slice of bread (I eat whole grain wheat bread, so you'll get a different golden color if you use white bread). Place the buttered side of bread on pan and then
3. Sprinkle shredded cheese onto bread (non buttered side).

4. Butter second slice of bread, place buttered side on top. Cover. The cover allows the heat to melt the cheese while the low heat is toasting the bread.
5. When bottom side of first slice of bread has turned golden, flip sandwich. When the second side of bread is toasted, your sandwich is ready.

"Indian" Night - Chicken Tikka Masala, Chana Masala with Basmati Rice and Naan

2010-09-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

I put "Indian" in quotations because Chicken Tikka Masala is not an authentic dish. I believe the British or British Indians conceivedthe dish.

Dinner for two:
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chana Masala
Basmati rice
Naan

I also had to throw in the veggies I got at the farmer's market that morning, too! I love veggies.

I had all the spices needed to make the Chicken Tikka Masala except the garam masala. So, I went to the Indian market, and it was there that I found a pre-mixed spice box. So, I decided to get that (it's kinda like using Mama Sita's to make Chicken Adobo).

A few simple ingredients: chicken thighs (can use breast, but I like dark meat better), a few tablespoons crushed canned tomatoes, half a chopped onion, and the spice mix.

1. Brown the onions and add chicken and spices.
2. Cook chicken.
3. Once chicken is cooked, add tomato sauce and 2 cups of water, lower heat, cover and let simmer until liquid reduces.

Once the juices have reduced, your Chicken Tikka Masala is ready!

At the same time I was making the chicken, I was also making the Chana Masala (chickpeas). The ingredients are essentially the same. I picked up a mix for the Chana Masala and they were spicier than the Chicken Tikka Masala blend.

Ingredients: 1 can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) - washed and rinsed, a few tablespoons of tomato sauce, half a chopped onion, and the Chana Masala spice blend.

The steps are essentially the same as well:
1. Brown onions

2. Add tomato sauce to pan of browned onions:

3. Add the beans and spice:

4. Mix well. Once mixed, add 1.5 cups of water. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer until water has reduced significantly (approx. 30-45 minutes)

After both the chicken and the beans were ready, I made the naan bread. The Indian market had the frozen naan bread, and all I had to do was heat them and brown them in a pan. The meal was served with a side of basmati rice.

All in all, this was a great meal. Easy to prepare, and relatively inexpensive. We would have spent around $15-20 a plate at our local Indian restaurant. My bf said "the chickpeas are badass." He really liked the heat from the spices. The chicken was nice and tender as well. Yay for happy tummies :)

The World is a Mean Place. Let's Bake!

2010-09-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Over the last two days, I've encountered some shitty people. Shitty enough to bring me down. So, in order to keep my mind off the world's ugly people, I decided to bake some cupcakes. I used the recipes from The Hummingbird Bakery book I got for my birthday. I don't know who's going to eat all these cupcakes (these are about half of what I baked). I certainly won't be able to, and my bf is "trying to stay away from goodness." But, they were fun to make and occupied my mind for a bit.

Apple Pastries

2010-09-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

I decided I wanted something sweet. I had these apples my brother gave me from his yard that I've had for awhile and I needed to do something with them. It was pretty late in the evening, and I didn't have time to make the dough, but good thing I had some frozen puff pastries in the freezer. I had bought them once with the intention of making a baked brie (that never happened). So, it's a good thing I had the frozen puff pastries in the freezer. I let it thaw and made me some apple pastries using apples from my brother's backyard.

I know there's a peach in that picture. I was going to use it too, but decided not to.

Just a couple of ingredients (brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg).

Combined with thinly sliced apples.

Add a few cubes of butter and bake.

Quick and easy dessert for a weeknight.

Labor Day Goodness, Part II: Buttermilk Fried Chicken ala Ad Hoc at Home

2010-09-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

It was a Monday evening and I was really wanting to visit Ad Hoc in Napa for their bi-weekly Buttermilk Fried Chicken. I had no idea whether it was even Fried Chicken Monday...but, I did know that I wouldn't be able to make it to Napa that evening. So, I did the next best thing and decided to bust out my Ad Hoc at Home book and tackle the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. It took a lot of prep work (the night prior) and I ran into some unanticipated road blocks (smokey house), but I always prevail! Anyway, I prepared the chicken brine and let it sit for exactly 9 hours (the recipe said to brine for no longer than 11 hours).

The brine:

Below are some shots of the batter as well as the dipping station I set up. As you can see there was a variety of herbs used.

I heated up the oil, and noticed how the entire house got smokey - uh oh. I really don't like the smell of oil or frying anything, but I figured Thomas Keller's chicken is worth it. I decided to resurrect our deep fryer (which have not been used in about 6 years). All in all, the chicken was super juicy and tender and was a good meal. I'm sure the chefs at Ad Hoc make it a thousand times better than I, but that's because they are professionals. Me, I'm just an amateur. I served the fried chicken with the mac & cheese I made earlier in the day for lunch.

* I made a total of 6 pieces of thighs, but we ate 3 of them (the reason why there's only 3 pieces of chicken in the first photo)

Labor Day Goodness: Mac & Cheese w/ Corn on the Cob

2010-09-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

I have been craving mac & cheese for a few days, so I went to the grocery store last night to get the ingredients. It was a little strange grocery shopping at night because I usually do it during the day. I made the mac & cheese today for lunch and will have it again for dinner along with some Buttermilk Fried Chicken from Ad Hoc at Home (the chicken is currently brine-ing in the fridge).

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 oz.) pkg. macaroni (whole wheat)
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup swiss cheese, grated
1 cup monterey jack cheese, grated
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
2 tsp. onion salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup flour
Panko crumbs (enough to cover)
*original recipe found here

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
I started by shredding the 3 types of cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey Jack). You can also buy the pre-shredded cheeses, but I actually like to do the prep work myself (plus, it's cheaper if you buy the block).

Cook pasta for about 5-6 minutes. Drain.
Here are the ingredients:

Combine milk, chicken broth with pasta. Stir.
Combine the rest of the ingredients.

Pour in a baking pan. I also used two ramekins (for lunch).

Place in oven. Cook for approximately 35 minutes.

For the last few minutes, turn oven to broil and sprinkle a layer of Panko crumbs and cook until crumbs are golden.

Let cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

Pack a Picnic Lunch. Enjoy it at the park or beach.

2010-08-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

The weather was nice, so I packed a simple lunch to enjoy at the park with my friend and her son. The lunch was a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, corn on the cob, and a pasta salad with bell peppers, asparagus, and corn.

I sauteed the veggies individually and then combined it with the pasta, added salt, pepper and some olive oil. I packed a side of Italian dressing to add a little more flavor.

Yakisoba Noodles w/ Shrimp & Veggies

2010-08-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
Veggies of choice (Snow peas & red bell peppers)
Shrimp
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Canola
1/4 cup water or more if needed

Cook shrimp in oyster sauce. When cooked, remove from pan. Saute veggies and remove from pan. Add oil in pan, add yakisoba noodles and then add the water. Let sit in pan until noodles become soft. Once noodles are soft, continue to sautee them them and add soy sauce. Once noodles are ready, add veggies and cooked shrimp to pan.

Peach Tartlets

2010-08-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

I've been getting so much free fruit this summer that it's becoming a challenge for me to eat them all. In this case, it would be some super ripe peaches (I used 2 for this recipe). I try my best not to waste good food, so I decide to make some peach tartlets.

They turned out really good, like something you'd pick up at a bakery - yum. The boyfriend-wouldn't-even-share-his-last-bite-with-me good.

Start out making the dough for the pastry crust.

Pastry Dough:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter

5 Tbsp. cold water

Instructions:

Combine flour, sugar and salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is size of fine crumbs. Stir in water until dough forms with wooden spoon. Knead dough just until it forms a ball with some flour. Shape into flat circle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate (I left it in the fridge overnight).

Peach Filling:
2 large ripe peaches (I don't like peach peel, so I got rid of it, but it's perfectly fine if you want to leave the peel on your peaches)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1 Tbsp butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat butter. When it foams, add sliced peaches and sugar. cook until peaches are soft, flipping once. Set aside.

Roll out dough and cut into small circles. Using your fingers, fold up the edges of the dough.

Place the peaches into the dough along with a couple spoonfuls of liquid.

* brush with eggwash (I forgot to do this) and sprinkle with a little sugar (optional)

Bake in oven until crust is brown, about 35 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!

It's HOT out!

2010-08-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

We're experiencing record breaking heat in the Bay Area. What's better than some sweet and juicy watermelon chilled in the fridge overnight?

Cantaloupe Sorbet

2010-08-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

My aunt gave me this cantaloupe over a week ago. Can you believe she paid (only) 50 cents for it at the local farmers market? I completely forgot it's been hanging out in the fridge so when I saw it, I had to do something with it fast before it goes to waste. I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat the entire cantaloupe by myself, so I thought I'd use it to make a sorbet. Because I love sorbets and it's so fun using my stand mixer!

Ingredients:
Simple Syrup (Sugar, water, and some light corn syrup), 2 tablespoons of lime juice and a cantaloupe. The one I had was pretty large, so I used a little over half of it.

Process:
- Make simple syrup (combine water, sugar, corn syrup over med heat until sugar is dissolved)
- Let syrup cool down
- In the meantime, clean and cube cantaloupe (the sweeter, the better)
- Puree the cantaloupe (I used about 4 cups of puree)
- Combine simple syrup mixture and add lime juice
- Put batter in a covered container and refrigerate overnight

This is what the batter looks like in the morning:

- Mix it up real quick and put batter in your ice cream maker following manufacturer's instructions

- Freeze for a couple hours. Serve and enjoy on a hot day.

Crispy Sweet Potato Chips

2010-08-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

I decided to use the slicer attachment today. I had 2 sweet potatoes hanging around in the kitchen, so I decided to make sweet potato chips. It's really simple. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Slice as thin as possible. Lay them out on baking sheet, spray with olive oil, lightly salt them (using sea salt). You could also sprinkled some paprika on them (instead), but I decided not to do that. Pop in oven for 20 minutes. You can flip over if you like, but they were fine either way. I had to do 3 batches because I only have one baking sheet.

Cinnamon Rolls for Breakfast

2010-08-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

Since I couldn't have eggs for breakfast like I usually do, I made cinnamon rolls.

Sunday Night Pistachio Ice Cream Success

2010-08-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Goodness. I feel like I can make anything at this point. The pistachio ice cream I made last night (and will eat more of later) was so good. I think it's just as good or even better than B&R's. Hehe. I used the recipe posted on epicurious.com, but I think that was taken from Bon Appetit - regardless, the recipe can be found here.

I used less almond extract than the recipe called for (used 1/4 teaspoon instead of 1/2 teaspoon) and I think it was the right call. I've had good experiences in the kitchen this past weekend, and it makes me very happy :)

The ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup shelled pistachios grinded with 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

After cooking the milk and pistachio & sugar until the sugar dissolved, I added it to the egg yolk and 1/2 cup of sugar and then drained it. Looks like this:

This is the liquid:

After it chilled, I added the whipping cream and tada...the batter:

I added the roughly chopped pistachios (and a handful of roasted chopped almonds) into the ice cream maker while it was churning. The result was some delicious ice cream. Yay me!

Homemade Pizza Night: Success

2010-08-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

I was so proud of myself that my first homemade pizza turned out good last night. My bf was still thinking about it this morning, telling me it was really good. Smile.

Anyway, I was focused on getting the thin crust dough perfect and opted to use canned sauce instead of making from scratch. I already know I can make tomato sauce from scratch another time. I really wanted to get the dough right. I used the dough recipe from The Spinning Plate's Pizza Margherita recipe. I decided to make half Hawaiian and half sausage & veggies (was a little too heavy for the thin crust, but still really good). Now I want one of those outdoor brick ovens, if only...

Chocolate Macarons: Success

2010-08-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

I was excited and a bit nervous about making chocolate macarons because all the blogs I read told me it would take many tries to get them right. But, I decided to follow David Lebovitz's recipe, and am very happy with the result :) of the macarons. The macarons taste great with the texture I was hoping to achieve, so overall this recipe was a success. The chocolate filling also came out great, but it took a while to thicken up. So delicious!

I wasn't sure how they would turn out when I piped them onto the baking sheet (I wasn't very confident about the placement):

I only have one baking sheet (need to buy more), so I used some thin cake pans for the rest of the batter and they ran into one another:

I ate one of the "bad" ones and it was delish, hehe. Today was a good baking day!

Sticky, Juicy & Tender Wings

2010-08-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white wine
chili pepper to taste
- marinate wings overnight
- drizzle honey when ready to bake
- bake at 375 (about 15 minutes on each side)
- drizzle more honey/baste with marinade when you flip over

I'm going to use more chili peppers next time (I used one red chili pepper). It turned out really tender and juicy, but lacked the kick I wanted. Next time, it should be perfect...

Green Tea Ice Cream: Fail

2010-08-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

I made green tea ice cream for the first time (using my new KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment). I was happy with the consistancy of the ice cream. I wasn't happy with the taste. It tasted really bitter to me. The recipe I followed called for a lot of matcha (green tea powder). I will try again, using less and I think it should be ok.

The ingredients:

The batter:

Ice cream maker at work:

Woot!

2010-08-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

Lucky (and admittedly a tad spoiled) me! I was surprised today with a delivery of not only a stand mixer, but the attachment set and ice cream maker! I've been wanting a stand mixer for many years, but couldn't get myself to shell out the money for one. But, someone thought I deserved it :)

Stay tuned to see what I whip up with my new tools!

Corn, Bell Peppers & Tomato Salad

2010-08-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Using ingredients I had on hand, I made a corn salad. It's the perfect summer side dish using seasonal items.

2 ears of corn
baby bell peppers
1 tomato or a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes
basil
lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

Mango Salad

2010-08-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

Perfectly refreshing dish for a hot summer day:

1 green mango
shrimp
basil
fish sauce

Stuffed Mushrooms

2010-07-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

I didn't know what to cook for dinner, so I made stuffed mushrooms last night out of things I had on hand. It turned out really tasty.

Ingredients:
7 Large mushrooms (stems removed)
2 Spicy Italian turkey sausages (casings removed)
3 Baby Bell Pepe rs (+ other veggies if you like)
Some panko
Olive oil

Cook sausages and crumble as you cook them. Add the chopped bell peppers and mushroom stems. Cook. And panko.

Sprinkle olive oil on mushrooms. Top with turkey filling. Top with cheese. Bake 25 minutes. The cheese got hard when it was cooked, but it added some texture to the dish. I had leftover turkey filling, so I used it this morning to make an omelet.

Happy Independence Day: Flag Cake

2010-07-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

I found this neat cake online at 17andbaking and decided to make it for the July 4th holiday. You can read the creator's blog here.

Start with any simple white cake recipe. Split into 3 parts and dye 2 parts of the batter with food coloring (red & blue). I used the gel kind of coloring since the color is really vibrant without having to use much.

Bake the 3 cakes. Once the cakes have cooled off, use a cake leveler to level off the top of the cakes and then split the red and white cakes in half (resulting in a total of 5 cakes).

Starting with a white cake, top with a thin layer of icing:

Place one of the red cakes on top of the iced white cake:

And top red cake with a layer of icing:

Here comes the trickiest part of assembling the flag cake. Cut a circle in the middle of the blue cake. Place the remaining red cake on top of the remaining white cake, and cut a circle in the middle. I used a ramekin as a stencil:

Place the outer ring of the blue cake on top of the assembled layers. Ice the inside ring and place the white and red inner circle in the middle of the blue cake.

Ice the top and sides.

And there you have a flag cake! The cake is plain on the outside because once you cut into it, you'll have a big impact!

Thanks to 17 and Baking's Elissa for sharing this with us on the food blogs out there. It was pretty fun making this cake. Though, I had to drive around to 4 different stores to get a cake leveler. Oh, and the left over cake parts are not waste. You can eat them plain, or make another cake out of them ;)

I had enough batter leftover to make 6 cupcakes (I didn't want to waste the batter).

Curious about Rhubarb

2010-04-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

What do you say? Not too shabby or kinda crappy? Considering it was my first pie ever - from scratch - AND - my first time buying/cooking/tasting rhubarb, I'd say not too shabby. My bf would agree :)

I've been curious about this rhubarb for some time now. And hoping to be inspired to get back into the kitchen, I scoured the internet for some recipes for rhubarb. I decided on a strawberry-rhubarb pie because it seemed to be a hit. So, I ventured to the grocery store to buy my strawberry and rhubarb (+ flour, vegetable shortening) and to my local supply store for a pie pan and rolling pin. After I got all my ingredients and supplies together, I set out to make the crust. FYI - pie crust is harder to make/work with than you'd think. Well, harder than I thought it would be, at least. It took a lot of muscle to roll this bad boy out (2 of them - one for the pan and the other for the top), but I did it:

For those of you who don't know, rhubarb looks like a red celery:

Here are the strawberries:

Sliced:

Filling ingredients combined and into pan:

My first pie weave:

Brushed and sprinkled with sugar in the raw:

And of course, I have to throw in pictures of my cat. He's too cute:

This is blurry, but funny - the pie is in the oven, and he's licking his lips:

Time to pull the pie out of the oven:

There you go, my first pie:

Valentine's Day Dinner

2010-02-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

The Menu

Shrimp Salad with Tarragon-Citrus Dressing
Filet Mignon with Herb-and-Cheese Potatoes
Rice Pilaf with Chicken & Pine Nuts
Grilled Asparagus
Molten Mocha Cakes

Recipes from Martha Stewart, I didn't have time to plan the meal because of work. But, I have to say, everything turned out perfect! It was delicious :)

Obligatory Heart Pancakes

2010-02-15T19:30:00.001-08:00

(and toast)

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Shepards Pie

2009-12-02T20:16:00.000-08:00

After a day and a half of eating the same Thanksgiving meal, I decided to make a Shepard's pie with the leftovers.

Cranberry Pancakes

2009-12-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

Cranberry Sauce Leftovers = Cranberry Pancake

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

There was a trip to Spain and starting a new job, hence the lack of blogging. I'm overdue for a post, and what better time to post a cooking entry than Thanksgiving? This year, I decided to tackle all the cooking (mostly) on my own. I also decided to cook healthy (where possible) using recipes from Clean Eating and Real Simple Magazines.

The spread (my brothers dug in before I got a chance to take good pics). Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, cornbread, salad:

Sweet potato casserole (picked up from BM)

Baked macaroni & cheese:

Green Beans with roasted chestnuts:

Garlicky Mashed Potatoes:

Behind the scenes fact: I got tired from mashing the potatoes by hand, so I threw a batch in the blender. I broke the blender. Oh well...

Here was the menu:

Main Course
Pomegranate Glazed Turkey

Sides
Garlicky Mashed Potatoes with Thyme
Stuffing with Sausage and Raisins
Cranberry Sauce with Apple and Ginger
Green Beans with Roasted Chestnuts
Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Organic Salad with Baby Bell Peppers, Grapes & Almonds
Sweet Potato Casserole
Cornbread

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie

This year, I brined the turkey and it turned out to be the star of the show as it should (whew!) DELICIOUS - moist, tender and juicy!

Lost a shelf in the fridge to store the turkey:

The brine:

The cooler I brined the turkey in overnight (in the fridge, of course):

The turkey, clean of brine and dried off:

My herb rub:

My herb-rubbed turkey:

The aromatics (apple, onion, cinnamon stick cooked in the microwave and inserted in the turkey while it roasts):

After 30 minutes at 500 degrees, this is when I turned the temp down until it hit the correct temperature (another 1.5 hours):

Cooking the leeks & carrots for stuffing:

Turkey Sausage & Bread Crumb mixture for the stuffing:

I was running low on time, so I didn't take pics making the cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

All in all, the meal was a hit and I wasn't even worried about the turkey or cooking all that food alone! The cooking was actually a stress reliever for me.

Hog Island Oysters

2009-09-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Day trip to Tomales Bay for a feast of fresh oysters. It was devine!

If you're considering a trip to Hog Island for fresh oysters, I highly recommend it. Although I have to warn you the road to get there is extremely curvy with dips and it can cause nausea. So, take Dramamine if you get motion sickness. However, the views on Highway 1 are gorgeous, so it's worth the drive out there.

I made reservations about a month in advance. I heard reservations were required months in advance, but we lucked out and was able to get a spot during Labor Day weekend. However, the traffic getting out of SF was horrible, and we arrived an hour late. When we arrived, they had given our table to another party. We tried calling them to let them know that we were late, but no one answered. Anyway, we ended up setting up at the bar, and then a group left so we settled at their table.

I planned our menu a few days prior to the picnic. I made skewers of beef & vegetables, as well as shrimp and I also brought some giant prawns to grill. I also made hogwash, which was a hit with everyone. You must bring the condiments (horseradish, hot sauce, cocktail sauce, salt, pepper) for the oysters. Note: although the site says they will give you lemon with the oysters, they didn't. I'm glad I brought some "in case" so we were covered with the lemons. Also, don't forget ice! They sell ice up there, but it's a good idea to pack ice in your cooler to keep your food cold during the trek out to the farm. And of course you should bring cheese, crackers/bread and wine.

It's also a good idea to pack a table cover, plates, napkins, water, and wine glasses, tongs, charcoal, and a lighter. We had everything we needed. (They were sold out of water when we were there, so I'm glad I brought water).

Also, make sure at least one person in the group can/is willing to shuck the oysters. I had no prior experience and neither did my bf. Luckily my brother and his girlfriend were both good shuckers. I can imagine the experience would be a sour one if no one in the group is able to shuck any of the oysters.

All in all, it was a great day trip and quite relaxing. There really is nothing better than eating fresh oysters from the source. The key is to plan ahead and make sure you have everything you need.

Breakfast of Champions

2009-09-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

Beef Ribs

2009-08-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

I marinated these in a dry rub overnight and roasted in the oven for 2.5 hours, basting with the sauce every half hour. It was juicy and tender (the meat falling off the bone). I could have roasted it longer, but I was really hungry.

Organic Baby Romain Salad with Roasted Garden Veggies & Almonds

2009-08-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

I scored some organic grown vegetables, so I roasted them and made a simple salad:

Lunch at The Counter

2009-08-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

Gourmet burgers for lunch. Turkey for me, beef for him. Complimented with a side of fries and onion strings.

Loco Moco

2009-08-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

I was lazy, so I whipped up a fast and easy meal for dinner. This was a staple meal back in the college days.

Rice, eggs, and spam. I like my spam crispy and brown.

Rotini alla Caprese

2009-08-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

I've been uninspired lately, so there wasn't much cooking this week. However, today I scored lots of fruits and some veggies from my sweet auntie. In this bounty were some ripe tomatoes. So, I searched for a recipe and I found it in Giada's Kitchen.

Giada's recipe calls for fusilli, but I only had tri-colored rotini. I have to say, it turned out pretty good, and I could have eaten a second bowl. But, I didn't want to over eat.

What do you think? Looks the same?

Tacos 4 for $5

2009-08-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

From the taqueria down the street...delish!

Today's Lunch

2009-08-14T15:16:00.001-07:00

Ham & egg sandwich on toasted asiago cheese bread

Caprese Salad

2009-08-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

Nothing special about my caprese salad. EXCEPT, the basil I used here is from my basil plant I've been growing in my kitchen! (I took this pic with my camera phone, so quality is bad)

Roasted Sweet Potato

2009-07-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

1 Sweet Potato
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
1 Dash of Salt
* You can add nutmeg if you wish

Baked in oven for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Bruschetta & Chicken Parmesan

2009-07-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

Brushcetta

2 Tomatoes Diced
2 Cloves of minced garlic
Salt
Fresh Basil Chopped
Balsamic Vinegar
Bread Sliced Diagonally
Olive Oil

Toast bread with drizzled olive oil in oven for about 8 minutes (longer depending on how you like your toast. I don't like mine too dark). Combine tomatoes, 1 clove of garlic, basil, salt, and balsamic vinegar. Place the other clove of minced garlic on top of the toasted bread and add the tomato mixture. Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
seasoned bread crumbs
mozzarella cheese
1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese

Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Brown the chicken in hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish.

Place mozzarella cheese on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with spaghetti, garlic bread and a nice green salad.

A Favorite & A First

2009-07-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've been out of town for 3 weeks, and my cooking has been limited. I was happy to get back in my kitchen and cook again.

Shakey Beef (Favorite)

Cheesecake (First)

I love all things personalized/miniature, so I made the perfect size cheesecakes using my cupcake pan. They turned out pretty good for a first attempt. I like my cheesecake plain, so I didn't add any toppings.

Filling:
8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
1 egg
Sugar
Tablespoon Vanilla (I'm going to use a bit less the next time I make this)

Crust:
Crushed Cinnamon Graham Crackers (I used Teddy Grahams because they're so cute)
3 tablespoons melted butter

In a blender, pulse the graham crackers and add melted butter until the texture resembles wet sand. Lightly grease the pan with butter. Add the graham cracker mixture and pack in the bottom of the pan.

Filling:
Mix the softened cream cheese and egg and blend until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla until thoroughly mixed. Fill the cream cheese mixture into the pan. Bake for about 30 minutes (or until top is no longer shiny). Remove the baking pan from oven, and allow the cakes to set and cool. Remove the cheesecake from pan and refrigerate for an hour. Top with fruits if you like. Enjoy!

Pineapple Fried Rice

2009-06-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

(Round 2 from yesterday's shrimp kabobs)

Rice, pineapple, bell peppers, raisins, egg, soy sauce, curry, almonds (I didn't have any cashews), zucchini, shrimp

Shrimp Kabob

2009-06-17T19:28:00.001-07:00

Cherries

2009-06-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

I love cherries. And the best thing about these is that they were free (from my Aunt)!

Stuffed Roasted Pepper

2009-06-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

I was initially going to make enchiladas, but I was kinda lazy to go out to buy some tortillas. So, I used what I had and it turned out to be a beautiful bell pepper. Love it!

I couldn't decide between top on or top off, so I'm showcasing both. This is the first time I made this and it was really good. It's just ground beef, rice and some enchilada sauce.