Diana Chows Down on Life

Wholewheat Buttermilk Waffles

2011-12-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

During my apartment's great clean out, we found an old Belgian waffle iron tucked away in a cabinet. FREE KITCHEN APPLIANCE!? What a dream come true. I wasn't sure if it could even turn on, but this simple old thing worked perfectly. Which proves to me that a no frill iron from the 90's can still make great waffles.

This waffle recipe makes waffles that are great heated in the toaster later or freeze and reheat in the toaster for a quick snack.

1 C whole wheat flour
1 C all purpose flour
2 T fine ground cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt (or less)

2 large eggs
4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 C buttermilk
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Heat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, then buttermilk.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and whisk very gently until the buttermilk is incorporated (a few lumps should remain). What you're looking for is a thick, lumpy batter.

Following the manufacturer's instructions, spread the appropriate amount of batter onto the iron and cook until golden brown, about 3 1/2 minutes. My belgian waffle iron took about 1/3 C of batter and cooked for about 3-4 minutes.

Makes 4 belgian waffles

The Law

2011-09-10T20:45:00.001-07:00

"Sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14) The trouble is that we do not yet know deliverance from law. What, then, is the meaning of Law?

Grace means that God does something for me; law means that I do something for God. God has certain holy and righteous demands which He places upon me: that is law.

"The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good" (Rom. 7:12). No, there is nothing wrong with the Law, but there is something decidedly wrong with me. The demands of the Law are righteous, but the person upon whom the demands are made is unrighteous.

We are all sinners by nature. If God asks nothing of us, all seems to go well, but as soon as He demands something of us, the occasion is provided for a grand display of our sinfulness.

He knows that I am weakness incarnate; that I can do nothing. The trouble is that I do not know it. God has to do something to convince us of the fact. Romans 7:7 "I had not known sin, except through the law..."

The law was given in the full knowledge that we would break it; and when we have broken it so completely as to be convinced of our utter need, then the Law has served its purpose. It has been our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that in us He may Himself fulfill it (Gal. 3:24).

Praise God, He is the Lawgiver on the Throne, and He is the Lawkeeper in my heart. He who gave the Law, Himself keeps it. He makes the demands, but He also meets them.

Bits and pieces from The Normal Christian Life, chapter 9 by Watchman Nee

Muddy Buddies Chex Mix

2011-09-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

I used 1/2 C less powdered sugar than the recipe, but to get that powdery look, you can add it to the 1 C listed below. So simple to make yet looks nice bagged up as a little gift.

9 cups Rice Chex, Corn Chex or Chocolate Chex cereal (or combination)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Pour cereal into a large bowl.In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Cookie Swap's Blondies

2011-09-08T23:19:00.000-07:00

The very center still turned out a bit raw but I think that was also my oven's fault. Not quite chewy except for the edges. Proper cooling times will make sure it's not squishy.

2 C all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 C firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13" baking pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, making sure that the foil is tucked into all the corners and that there is at least 1" overhanging the top of the pan on all sides.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove it from the heat and stir in the brown sugar until it is dissolved. Transfer the butter mixture to a large bowl and stir in the eggs and vanilla until just incorporated. Stir in the walnuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake the blondies until they are just set in te center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let them cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Grasping the overhanging foil on either side of the pan, lifet out the blondies and place them on a cutting board. Cut them into 36 pieces andpeel them from the foil.

They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

36 bars, from Cookie Swap!

Vegan Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream

2011-09-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

I heard you can use reduced fat coconut milk for this recipe and it still comes out good. The coconut flavor is still pretty strong, but it gives it a fresh, fruity, tropical feel.

2 C coconut milk or coconut cream (see below) = lots of creamy fattiness! Make sure it's refrigerated
3/4 cup sugar (maybe even a little less?)
Handful of frozen strawberries

I used Cuisinart's Ice Cream Maker. Follow those directions, which include freezing inside bowl overnight.

Pour coconut milk, sugar, and strawberries into a blender, and blend until a pleasant pink. Pour into ice cream bowl and let the machine take care of it for 20 minutes, or as directed.

Makes: Approximately 2 pints

Bisquick Egg Casserole with Ham and Cheese

2011-09-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

For IYP team trip breakfast! We improvised and used only 3 C milk.Tasted a little more like bread but I liked it like that.

The recipe below that has 4 C of milk turns out more like a crust-less quiche.

7eggs
4C milk (used unsweetened soy milk and it still worked)
2C bisquick
1 Tbsp garlic powder
3C chopped ham
4 C of a Mexican blend of cheeses (or your own combo of cheddar and jack cheeses)
½C onion

Stir the liquid ingredients in a large bowl. Then add thebisquick. Stir in the rest. Pour into 2 lightly greased 9x13x2" pans and bake at 425 degrees for 10-15minutes. Switch pans on the shelves and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Serves 10-12, from Judy Wang

Skillet Lasagna

2011-09-03T23:52:00.000-07:00

Reminds me of a home cooked gourmet Hamburger Helper. I used to love that stuff as a kid. Cleanup is pretty simple since it only uses one pan (a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid) on the stove so you don't even need to turn on the oven during those hot summer days. The cheese doesn't get nice and bubbly like when you bake it, but the pasta comes out tender and the sauce is rich and sweet. It's really pretty good and overall much easier than baked lasagna.

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 C chopped spinach
Salt
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 oz Italian sausage, casing removed (can also buy sausage not in casings)
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 C mozarella
Grated Parmesan to taste (optional)
Ground black pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Pour tomatoes with their juices into 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until mixture measures 1 quart.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach.

Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Scatter pasta evenly over meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally (which really means pressing the pasta back into the sauce and kind of poking around), until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes. (The sauce should look watery after 15 minutes of cooking.)

Remove skillet from heat and stir in the mozarella. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons ricotta, cover, and let stand off heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Serve.

Serves 4 to 6, from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Doughnut Muffins

2011-09-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

"This basic muffin is not your stir-it-gently, dense, fruit-and-nut-filled health muffin. Instead, it's a beat-it-up, cake-type muffin, high-crowned and very "vanilla-looking." This is a great muffin for kids (young or old) who don't want a lot of "stuff" in their muffins. With its basic sugar-cinnamon-nutmeg flavor, it's more reminiscent of a plain doughnut (without the deep-fat frying) than anything else." I couldn't have said it better.

If you have time, check out the link at the bottom of this entry. It has step by step photos of this recipe as well as a little history on the company.

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 cup milk

3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar Plus or cinnamon sugar (1 tsp cinnamon + 1/3 C sugar...something like that)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth. Add the eggs, beating to combine. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.

Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping (this is easily done in the microwave).

Use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with the butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Or simply dip the tops of muffins into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar.

Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature.

Yield: 12 medium muffins, King Arthur Flour blog

Pan-Seared Steaks

2011-09-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

You can prepare a sauce with the browned bits in the pan but this recipe is amazing in all its glorious simplicity.

In general, you can facilitate a well-caramelized exterior and crust by doing the following:

1. Pat the steaks dry

2. Get the pan really hot (you can tell it is hot by the smoking oil)

3. Use a pan that is big enough so the steaks have enough room to sear

Boneless beef steak (8 ounces) 1 to 1 1/4" thick, trimmed--I used a rib eye steak
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Pat and dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the steaks on the first side, about 4 minutes.

Flip the steaks over and continue to cook to desired doneness, 4-6 minutes. Transfer the steaks to a clean plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

Serves 1, from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Playing with food

Emergency Chocolate Cake

2011-09-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

What you see here is the bottom of a cupcake silicone mold from Fred and Friends. Genius, I tell you; not only do you get to eat delicious cake, but you get that sense of accomplishment that only discovering dinosaur bones can give!

2 C all purpose flour
1 1/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 C dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/4 C water
1 C mayo
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar (for serving; optional)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8" square cake pan with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk the flour, sugar, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the cocoa and water together until smooth. Whisk in the mayo and vanilla. Stir the mayo mixture into the flour mixture until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, 1 to 2 hours. Cut into squares and serve straight from the pan.

Serves 9, from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

The Foundation of the Living of a Proper Christian

2011-09-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

"A proper Christian, one who is up to the standard, does not adjust his behavior; rather, he turns from outward things to fellowship and contact God, that is, to touch God, His feeling, and His presence and to take Him as life."

The Sufficiency, Pursuit, and Learning of the Lord's Serving Ones by Witness Lee

Penguin Cupcakes

2011-08-24T23:27:00.000-07:00

"The imperfections give the penguins character." Hahahaha! :)

Cupcake
1 18.25 oz of cake
1 C buttermilk
4 large eggs

Decorations
3 plain mini donuts, cut in half length wise
1 16oz tub of vanilla frosting (I used the oreo filling rather than buying another frosting)
6 plain donut holes (went to a donut shop because it was much cheaper than a grocery store)
1 16oz tub of dark chocolate frosting (it looks almost black, so no need for food coloring)
3 marshmallows, the ends cut off 1/8” from the edge
6 Famous chocolate wafers (I used oreos and scraped off the filling), cut ¼” from the circumference of the cookie
6 yellow fruit chews (or dried mangoes cut into triangles and little feet)
12 mini chocolate chips
6-10 Swedish fish

Bake the cupcakes according to the box directions. Let cool on wire racks completely. This should take at least an hour. I baked the cupcakes the night before to ensure that they’d be completely cool for frosting.

Spoon 2 Tbsp frosting (vanilla, if you have any) into a Ziploc bag. Spread on 6 cupcakes. Top with half of a mini donut. Spread more frosting on top of the donut and then place a donut hole on top of that to make the head. Frost the crack between the donut hole and the donut till it’s smooth. This is the body of the penguin. Then place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. The frosting should be solid and the cupcake shouldn’t be too squishy.

Spoon the chocolate frosting into a microwavable mug or bowl, wide enough to fit the width of your penguins. Microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring and checking the consistency. It should be thick yet smooth and when you pick the spoon up out of it, it should run off the back of the spoon like elmer’s glue.

Dip the cupcake head first into the frosting and pull out, letting the excess drip off. Flip back up right and place on a dish that can be used to freeze your penguins. Continue for all 6 and freeze while you work on the decorations.

Penguin cupcakes in their natural habitat

Here was my work station:

Wings = oreos
Beak and feet = dried mangoes (use a paring knife)
Eyes = oreo fillings with mini chocolate chips inserted point side in
Penguin tummy = marshmallow ends
Penguin food = Swedish fish

Use additional chocolate frosting to adhere the rest of the decorations and freeze again. Be creative with the decorations. You can use candies like starbursts, or white frosting for the eyes!

Makes about 6 penguins

Best friends!

Philippians 3:1-16

2011-08-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

For Christ to be our goal means that He is the highest enjoyment.

I am a True Tourist (Updated)

2011-08-18T23:24:00.000-07:00

I realized that I have a strange fascination with those painted wooden boards you stick your head through...It's like dressing up without having to take off any of your clothes. It's great!! Here is a collection of a few of them:

Lake Tahoe, CA 7.11

Talkeetna, AK 7.09

Japan Center: San Francisco, CA 2.09

Trail Dust Town: Tucson, AZ 11.07

Avenue Q: San Diego, CA 7.07

Key West, FL 6.07

Del Mar Fair: San Diego, CA 6.07

San Diego Zoo: San Diego, CA 1.07

Del Mar Fair: SD, CA 6.06

San Diego Zoo: San Diego, CA 6.05

San Diego Zoo: SD, CA 6.05

Ground Pork Steamed Rice Cake

2011-08-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

I like the idea of using actual rice instead of that boxed rice flour to make...rice cake. Hm. Why does this seem like a novel idea? The spices are ok, but not the combination I was looking for. Maybe it was because I didn't add MSG.

Of course, MSG is optional but it's also the best tasting thing on earth. I didn't use it because I couldn't convince myself that it's worth putting myself through horrible migraines and blacking out. I gotta work on my persuasion skills.

1/2 tsp oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed
150g ground pork

¼ C dried deep fried chopped garlic
¼ C dried deep fried chopped shallots
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp licorice powder
½ tsp five spices powder
1 tsp white pepper powder
(1 tsp msg)

300 g white rice
300 ml water

450ml water
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T salt
1 ½ T msg

Additional dried garlic and shallots to taste

Heat oil in a pan and sauté garlic. Brown the pork. Add the dried garlic and shallots and cook for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the rest of the seasoning to white pepper powder and sauté for 5 minutes, turn off heat.

Combine rice and 300 ml water in a blender and blend until grains are broken down and the liquid looks milky. Try to break up all the little pieces to make sort of a paste. This took my blender a while to do. In the book, it looked like they were using some intense grinding machine to make it look like a pasty horchata. I couldn’t get it quite like that.

Bring 450 ml of water to a boil, dissolve the sugar and salt in the boiling water. Then, pour rice mixture into the pot, whisk until thickened. Use every bit, even the little grains that were hiding on the bottom.

Pour into a metal pot without handles. I used a metal pot that could fit inside my bamboo steamer. Equally wonderful alternatives include, a big pot with a little bowl turned upside down to make a stand in water, or a steamer. Sprinkle the rice with ground pork and add dried garlic and shallots on surface.

Bring water to a boil in a steam pot and depending on thickness of the mixture, steam about 40-120 minutes. I steamed it for about an hour and it still looked wobbly. It does firm up once removed from the steamer.

S'mores Crumb Bars

2011-07-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

S'mores in a pan. I couldn't press the graham cracker crumbs into the pan enough for them to form a crust, but still tasty when equipped with a spoon.

3 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup sugar

3 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Combine the crumbs, butter and sugar; press half into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan.

Sprinkle with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Top with remaining crumb mixture; press firmly.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately press top firmly with spatula. Cool completely to cut into bars. Seriously. They're good to eat straight out of the pan, but don't expect bars.

Faith is Christ Himself - Hebrews 12:2

2011-07-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

"Faith is the substantiation of things hoped for" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith makes the real things to become real in my experience.

Normal Christian Life, Watchman Nee

My Travel Map

2011-07-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

A little blurry, but I thought it'd be fun to add:

Falling Into a Cactus Garden

2011-07-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

Sunset Magazine Garden, Menlo Park, CA. 7.13.11

I Love You, Whole Foods Chocolate Cupcake

2011-07-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods' cupcakes are sold in packs of 6 and come in a variety of flavors but Vicky thinks the chocolate one is best. Oh my goodness. Looking at this photo reminds me of how delicious they are. My heart is racing. My mouth is salivating. I can almost taste it now--moist, fluffy and full of flavor. The frosting is smooth like silk, melts on your tongue light, and creamy (it tastes like real cream!) unlike the greasy, heavy, sugar packed paste most cupcakes have. Come to me, cupcake!

Baked Kale Chips

2011-05-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

When baked, kale is light, crisp and tastes like roasted seaweed! Go easy on the salt because you can always add more later.

1 bunch kale
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp oil

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.

With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Crepes

2011-05-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

Do not be intimidated by the fancy French crepe. He is easier than you think. Plan ahead because the batter needs at least 30 minutes resting time in order to be tender before you can cook him; the crepe needs his beauty nap!

2 C flour
2 pinches of salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 C milk
2 oz butter
sugar, lemon juice, cream, nutella, fresh fruit, etc.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Combine milk and eggs and gradually whisk until the batter is smooth and free of lumps. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat a small frying pan and brush lightly with melted butter. Using a 1/4 C measuring cup, pour the batter into the center of the pan, swirling to thinly cover the base of the pan. If there is too much, add a little less batter next time. If you need more batter to cover up the holes spoon a little bit to fill the gaps.

Cook for 20 seconds or until the edges just begin to curl, then toss or turn over and lightly brown the other side. Just like pancakes, the first one will always turn out bad. Transfer to a plate and cover with a tea towel while cooking the remaining batter. Greasing the pan when necessary.

When serving, sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice, fold into quarters or fill with fruit and fold in half.

Makes 28

Chinese Green Onion Pancake

2011-05-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to try this on my own after watching Emmelyn Acosta teach the Irvine YP team how to do it. Still learning how to roll it out thin enough and get enough layers in there and how much oil to fry it with too, but it wasn't too bad! My goal is to learn how to make it better than the Sara approved restaurant in Hacienda.

300 g of flour
1 Tbsp oil
150 ml of boiling water
60 ml cold water

3-4 stalks of green onions, washed, dried and chopped
1/2 tsp of salt

oil for brushing and frying

Sift flour and combine with oil and boiling water. Stir with chopsticks until lumps form. Add cold water and knead by hands until smooth and it's no longer sticking to your hands. Cover with a dampened towel and set aside for 10 minutes until round and springs back when poked.

While waiting, mix the green onion with the salt. Spread it out on a paper towel and allow to get dried a little and softer.

When dough is ready, cut into fourths. Knead and roll out one of the fourths into a circle until 1/3 cm thick or so. Brush with oil (not to the edges) and sprinkle green onions evenly across surface of dough. Roll up into a log, brush on water to help adhere and roll up into a spiral shape. Brush with more oil.

Press on the ball slightly with the palm of your hand. Make the other 3 pancakes. Let rest for 15-20 minutes covered with saran wrap.

Roll it out to desired thickness. Heat up a pan with oil and fry each one until golden brown on both sides.

Makes 4 pancakes

Chocolate Red Wine Bundt Cake

2011-05-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

Robust wine flavor balances the sweetness. Yes, use as much sugar as indicated. Moist, fine crumb. Warn your friends that there's wine in the cake; they might think the whipped cream went south.

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar (a liiiiittle less than 3/4 is ok)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups red wine (I used Castle Rock's Cabernet Savignon)
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
Whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes longer. Working in two batches, alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes (in the Hall Apt oven, it was 40 min), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack; let cool completely. Dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar and serve with whipped cream.

Will get about 20-24 slices

Quickie "Carbonara"

2011-05-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I never thought carbonara sounded appetizing enough to try before. What was I thinking!? I love starch and cholesterol combos! Mmm...the ol' American sunny side egg with toast, the Korean egg-rice bibimbap, the Chinese egg-y noodle. And now I've experienced the yolky egg as pasta sauce! Geniuses, those Italians* are.

It took my laziness + Karen Chen + a long day of...the beach? Watching Snoopy cartoons? Hmm...what were we doing?? = the need for a tasty dinner that would require minimal effort. As in, I could even make it with my left foot without spraining my toes if I wanted to. She assured me that it was easy, and it really was!**

Spaghetti, prepared al dente according to package for 1
Olive Oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 egg
cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil and over medium low heat, cook the onions until brown and soft. Add the cooked noodles and after heating a few minutes, crack the egg into the pan. Stir quickly to coat the noodles in the egg and allow to cook slightly. Remove from heat and sprinkle cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. You can also prepare the egg sunny side up and then serve on top of the noodles, breaking up the egg directly on your plate, which would reduce the amount of pan cleanup.

Serves 1

*Disclaimer: this recipe is not authentic Italian by any means.
**Please do not attempt to make with left foot.

Brie & Basil Panini w/TJ's Tomato Soup

2011-04-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

One day in a Trader Joe's far, far away, two spry lasses found themselves frolicking amongst artisan loaves when suddenly, the cute one turned to the crazy one. Before she could utter a word it was clear. Each one knew what the other was thinking. But of course! That was normal for cute and crazy because they were in the process of being attuned in the same mind and opinion. They knew that in 1 Corinthians, the word attuned means to repair, to restore, to adjust, to mend, making a broken thing thoroughly complete, joined perfectly together. That's right! The Lord was completing them by joining their little hearts and minds together and also by adjusting and restoring them to His big heart and mind. It was a work in progress but cute and crazy enjoyed every bit of the process together.

AH! What were they sinking about?!!?, you screech impatiently. Well, they were setting their one little mind and heart on their handsome Lord Jesus Whose one desire on this earth is to gain His corporate lover by romantically joining Himself to them in spirit. And grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup for lunch, of course!

4 slices of potato bread, lightly brushed with olive oil
Brie, thinly sliced
Basil, chiffoned
Thinly sliced onion
Salt & Pepper
TJ's Roasted Tomato and Bell Pepper Soup, warmed up

Heat a pan. Place 2 slices bread on one side until a little warmed, before it browns. Then flip over one and arrange the brie, basil, onion and a little salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the other slice and heat up, flipping when browned. Serve with a bowl of the soup. Dash a little salt and pepper on the soup and serve immediately. Repeat for the second sandwich.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Reduced Fat Macaroni and Cheese

2011-04-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

My attempt at comfort food for my dear Phoebe. Not milk fat creamy, but definitely cheesy. It has a nice flavor without all the cheese and heavy cream which I attribute to all the garlic and onion. I enjoyed it thoroughly although it's not for those who are expecting Kraft mac and cheese.

1 lb elbow macaroni
½ tsp oil
½ onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp white flour
2 ½ C low fat milk
2 ¼ C grated extra sharp Cheddar, divided (about 5 oz)

3” of sausage, sliced (optional)
¼ C chopped tomatoes (optional)
¼ C chopped green onions (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook macaroni according to directions until al dente. Drain

If cooking with sausage, heat up the pan and cook the sliced sausage until browned and then remove from pan.

In the same pan, heat up the oil. Add onions and cook until softened, and browned. Then add garlic. Cook until softened. Add the butter and melt. Then flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add the milk, cook for 6 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly. Don’t wait until it thickens too much. It’ll continue to cook in the oven and thicken there too. I think I waited too long and it got a little dry.

Using a hand blender, blend until all onion and garlic bits are pureed into the sauce. Remove from heat; stir in 1 ½ C cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over noodles, combine with sausage and tomatoes and green onions.

Transfer to a 9x13” baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 45 minutes or until top is crisp and beginning to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Neepa's Lemon Bars

2011-03-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

UCSD. White love seats. Dinner parties. Charades. Lobster. Care Bear. Board games. Anna, Alice, Sabrina, Neepa. Ah, Neepa. What I like about her lemon bars is that the lemon filling is more like a lemon curd on shortbread than a square lemon meringue pie.

1 1/2 C flour
2/3 C confectioners' sugar
3/4 C butter, softened

3 eggs
1 C sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1/3 C lemon juice
Confectioners' sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x13" pan.

Combine flour, confectioners' sugar and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan.

Bake 20 minutes in preheated oven until slightly golden. While crust is baking, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Pour lemon mixture over hot crust.

Return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Dust top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.

Makes enough bars for one 9x13" pan

Butter-free Gingersnaps

2011-03-03T00:21:00.000-08:00

These babies over bake quickly so be careful. If baked to a crisp, expect thin, crumbly hockey pucks. If you get it right, expect delightfully crisp edges with chewy centers and a good bite. I was pleased with the way they turned out! No butter?! No way. Yes. Yes way.

1/2 C canola oil
1 scant C sugar (somewhere between 3/4 - 1 C)
1 egg
1/4 C molasses

1 3/4 C flour
2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 C sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat canola oil with sugar. Whisk in egg and molasses.

In separate bowl, whisk the flour - salt ingredients. Add to the oil mixture and stir until the dough is moist.

Using 1 tsp/cookie, shape dough into a ball. They'll look tiny, but come out into nice coins later. Roll in sugar. Bake on a parchment sheet lined cookie sheet for 5-7 minutes. In the oven at my apartment, 6 is good on the middle rack. Let cool on racks.

Makes 4 dozen

Green Tea, Red Bean, Mochi Pancakes

2011-02-28T00:04:00.000-08:00

It's a "just add water" kind of mix but it's one of the best mixes (better than Bisquick's!). Sure, it has a slight boxed mix aftertaste but the texture is awesome (fluffier than Walmart's extreme fluffy one!). It's also a convenient base for all sorts of other creative combinations.

Follow the directions on Walmart's Buttermilk Pancakes. Add 2 tsp green tea powder and chunks of mochi/rice cakes. Pour 1/4 C of batter onto a heated skillet. While it's heating up on one side, dollop little spoonfuls of red bean. Cook till the batter bubbles, then flip.

Cinnamon Crunch Pancakes with Bananas

2011-01-30T00:07:00.002-08:00

This came about during the same era I was addicted to Panera's Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. That thing is out of this world. (Don't go to the Paneras in Irvine...they do it all wrong...)

Use the Fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake Recipe. Omit the blueberries but slice up a banana. Stir together 4:1, sugar to cinnamon ratio. Heat a pan and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly into the pan in the shape of a 4" circle. Let it melt a little, then add the batter. Arrange the bananas after the pancake bubbles and then flip.

Wei-I Fish Fu

2011-01-30T00:07:00.001-08:00

Just like that fluffy beef stuff! Except...fluffy fish.
The real selling point? It's made without preservatives or MSG!

Pumpkin Scones w/Berry Butter

2011-01-30T00:06:00.001-08:00

These were some of the best scones I've had. Not your typical dense brick but a moist, almost layered scone. It's not too sweet, so the berry butter (recipe below) or your standard scone spreads (preserves, clotted cream, lemon curd, etc.) are a must.

Berry Butter

2 Tbsp dried cranberries
½ C boiling water
½ C butter, softened
3 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Place cranberries in a small bowl, add boiling water. Let stand for 5 minutes; drain and chop. In a small mixing bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add confectioner’s sugar and cranberries, mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Makes about ½ C butter which was more than enough for 16 scones. Consider adding a little salt when using unsalted butter.

Pumpkin Scone

2 ¼ C flour
¼ C packed brown sugar
¼ C sugar (optional, especially with the berry butter)
2 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ C cold butter
1 egg
½ C canned pumpkin
1/3 C milk
1 Tbsp chopped pecans (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pie spice, salt and baking soda. Sift. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with few pieces the size of peas. Place in refrigerator. Meanwhile, Whisk in a small bowl the egg, pumpkin and milk; add to crumb mixture until moistened. Stir in pecans if desired and stir until dough comes together.

Turn dough out onto a floured piece of plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate or freeze for about 10 minutes (I refrigerated overnight). Roll out into an 8” circle. Cut into 8 wedges, separate wedges and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with berry butter, dusted with confectioner’s sugar.

Yield 8 scones

Pizza Bagel Snack

2011-01-29T23:57:00.000-08:00

For a quick snack: spread tomato paste onto a toasted bagel. Sprinkle garlic powder and mozzarella cheese. Microwave just until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle dried basil on top.

I prefer this brand because it's not too acidic.

Brownie Thins

2011-01-29T23:46:00.000-08:00

Not too impressive without the pistachios...

6 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
½ C sugar
1 large egg
3 Tbsp plus 1 tsp all purpose flour
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract
pinch of coarse kosher salt

nonstick spray
¼ c choppsed pistachios

Position rack in the lowest third of oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line with parchment two baking sheets. Place butter and chocolate in medium microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium high power until almost completely melted, about 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Add sugar and egg; whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Add flour, both extracts, and salt; stir just to blend. Let batter stand 10 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoonfuls batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing apart (12 per sheet). Spray sheet of plastic wrap lightly with nonstick spray. Place, sprayed side down, over cookies. Using fingers, press each mound into 2 1/2 inch rounds. Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle pistachios over rounds. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until slightly darker at edges and firm in center, about 7 minutes. Cool on sheet 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack; cool completely.

Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Supposedly makes 24 (I think I got 13), from Epicurious.com

Training Flu Chicken & Rice Soup

2011-01-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

Everything in my 4th term was 7-fold intensified, even my flu. This chicken soup was something simple and therapeutic I could whip up in my feverish, dizzy, hallucinating state.

1/4 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic
kosher salt
1/2 bag of baby carrots, chopped (1/4 C)
1/3? C (a handful) of jasmine rice
Cooked chicken breast (pre-cooked slices from F&E)

Heat up a pan with a little oil on high heat. Then saute the onion and carrots until the onion is softened, then the rice and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and the chicken. Then add enough water to cover it all and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste.

Easy Sickie Soup

2011-01-29T23:08:00.000-08:00

Boil up 3+ thin slices of ginger, 2 talks of green onion, and lots and lots of garlic. My housemates said it smells funny but it's loaded with potent superhero-like powers that can knock out your cold with a one punch pot!...Besides, I think it tastes good.

TJ’s Pumpkin Bread + Buttermilk

2011-01-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Trader Joe,
Why, oh why do you make such delicious food? Just look at this pumpkin bread made from a box! Buttermilk (instead of milk), eggs, and oil make it so delicately moist, so full of flavor, so perfect...I should just throw in the apron now.

I hate you.
And I love you.
Diana

Mexican Rice

2011-01-09T22:57:00.000-08:00

Good texture. Nice enough flavor without taking center stage. Easy to make.

1 1/2 Tbsp oil
1 C uncooked long grain rice
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 C chopped onion
1/2 C tomato sauce
2 C chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.

Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Serves 4

Chicken & Green Chili Enchiladas a la Gallarda

2011-01-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

This was the dish that impressed Anna's dad. WHAT A FEAT! I adapted this recipe from Jen Gallarda's enchiladas recipe. I miss that family.

If buying a roasted chicken, discard skin. If you choose to cook your own chicken, you can either boil it (not that tasty, but a lot simpler) or pan fry it. To pan fry, cut the whole breasts into pieces the size of a deck of cards, season the outside with a little salt, then cook on medium heat with a little oil. When I made it this past weekend, the chicken wasn't fully cooked, but I shredded it and heated it a little more in the pan until no longer pink but not until it was overcooked and dry.

Great with a side of beans, corn, and Mexican rice.

1 roasted chicken, shredded or 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can of minced green chilies (4 or 6 oz?)
1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 C milk
1/4 C chopped onions
10-12 flour tortillas (diameter should be about 9")

8 oz shredded cheese
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3 stalks of green onions, chopped
Sliced olives (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix 2/3 can of soup, onions, chilies, about 2 Tbsp of milk and the chicken.

Mix the remaining 1/3 C of soup and a little bit of milk until it resembles a creamy sauce. Spoon a little into the bottom of a 13x9x2" Pyrex pan, enough to coat the bottom.

Spoon two spoons of chicken mixture into the center of each tortilla and roll up from one side to the other. They can be a little thin. They shouldn't be like burritos but not as thin as flautas. Place the enchilada seam side down into the pan.

Top with remaining sauce, cheese, tomatoes, green onions and olives. Bake about 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and melted.

Serves 8

Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

2011-01-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

The amount of each ingredient is flexible. You can always add a little bit at a time. I like mine chock full of the vegetables with little creaminess. This isn't the most appetizing photo, but I always forget to snap a shot before we all dive in.

3 Tbsp mayo
1 C sour cream
1/2 - 2/3 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 - 2/3 C mozzarella
2 15 oz. cans of artichoke, coarsely chopped (Costco marinated or TJ's canned)
4-5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2/3 of a 16 oz. bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 T lemon juice

Paprika, salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In an 8x8" dish, mix all of the ingredients together except for the salt, pepper and paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until surface is lightly browned and bubbly.

Top with a dash paprika, salt and black pepper before serving.

Serve warm with tortilla chips, crusty bread, pita, etc.

Serves 8-12

Fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2011-01-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

1 C all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 c buttermilk
1 Tbsp melted unsalted butter, plus some for frying
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the eggs with the buttermilk and melted butter. Combine the dry and the wet ingredients into a lumpy batter, being careful not to over mix, see Cook's Note*.

Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet and sprinkle the top with some of the blueberries. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and maple syrup.

*Cook's Note: Over mixed batter will result in flat, heavy pancakes.

Adapted from Foodnetwork.com

SO FLUFFY!!!!

Crabby Enoki Mushrooms

2010-08-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

You like seafood? You vegan? Wanna try something interesting? When enoki mushrooms are baked in a toaster oven or regular oven for 30 minutes with olive oil drizzled on it in a little aluminum foil "pan" they magically transform into crab/seafood! It's weird. I don't get it. Vicky says that you usually keep the mushrooms in a bunch with the stalks parallel to each other for good looks. I like.

Fresh Mint Tea

2010-08-13T19:43:00.001-07:00

Laugh all you want but the idea of sticking fresh mint into a cup of hot water was absolutely novel to me! Que triste I'm so used to the old, dry stuff that I would never connect vibrant green foliage with tea.

Sprigs of fresh mint of your choice
A wedge of lemon
Hot water

I didn't muddle the mint leaves or bruise them at all and it was still pretty good but it's possible to milk them for more flavor.

Caramel Sauce w/Summer Fruit

2010-08-13T19:36:00.001-07:00

Originally for Tartine's Bread Pudding, but hey...it'd be awesome warmed up a little and then served on ice cream or any dessert, really.

1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 of one vanilla bean
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs cup water
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Pour the cream into a small, heavy saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the seeds from the pod halves into the cream. Place over medium-high heat and bring to just under a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low to keep the cream warm.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, salt and corn syrup. Use a good-sized pan because the caramel will boil vigorously and the volume will increase dramatically as soon as the hot cream is added. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then let the mixture boil, without stirring, until the mixture is amber colored. Watch the sugar mixture carefully as it cooks to avoid burning the sugar. From the time the mixture started to boil, it took over 15 minutes to reach an amber color. Remove from the heat.

The mixture will continue to cook off the heat and become darker, so make sure to have the cream close by. Carefully and slowly add the cream to the sugar syrup. The mixture will boil vigorously at first. Let the mixture simmer down, and then whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Cut the butter into 1-inch chunks and add them to the caramel one at a time, whisking constantly after each addition. Then whisk the caramel periodically as it continues to cool.
Pour the caramel sauce in an airtight container such as a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. This will keep for up to a month.

Makes about 1 C

Playing Hide & Seek with God

2010-08-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

He is working outwardly as well as inwardly--in your home, in your business, in all your circumstances. He is creating many situations and is active in many directions, though He lets you sense nothing of it, until you imagine these things have just come about naturally; but both the inner and outer conditions of your life are under His control.

When we are most conscious of impotence, God is often most powerfully present. Don't look for greater things. Don't look for things other than they are. Don't set your expectations on some great vision or on some great experience. And don't expect anything outward, for the God who hides Himself is at work within your life, and He is working mightily. Your responsibility is to cooperate with Him by responding to His voice within--that "still small voice," that voice that seems so much a part of your own feelings that you scarcely recognize it as a voice at all. To that voice, registered in the deepest depths of your being, you must say, "Amen," for there, secretly and ceaselessly, the God who hides Himself is working.

A God Who Hides Himself

I love Rancho Gordo Beans

2010-08-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

This may seem like a paid advertisement for Rancho Gordo, but I love everything about Rancho Gordo--their vintage graphics, Steve Sando's genuine story behind the bean, and especially the adorable beans themselves! I am no bean expert, but BAHH!!! So cute!!! Just look:

Vaquero Beans
Little cow beans! What more do I have to say?!

Firm interior and holds shape even after cooked. Cooked up a little red onion, carrots and garlic and boiled with the presoaked beans for a light soup. Ok. Now I don't have anything more to say about these beans.

Good Mother Stallard Beans
Beautiful mottled burgundy and cream. A creamier, sweeter bean and still oh so lovely in its cooked brownish pink stage.

I first used these in making a fakey feijoiada. I think better on its own without the sausage. I also made a bean salad out of them too!

Betty Crocker's Snickerdoodles

2010-08-10T10:17:00.001-07:00

Vicky and I used these for ice cream sandwiches after an unprofitable run to Diddy Riese. Not the same, but not bad! Especially when you're mindlessly eating them while watching "Glee" on Hulu. It's been a good summer.

3/4 C sugar
1/4 C butter
1/4 C shortening
1 egg
1 1/3 C flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar (I increased this in the recipe than what's in the photo b/c as you can see it's a little heavy on the cinnamon)
1 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 400ºF.

Mix sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls or use a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Makes about 15 cookies

Kettle Corn at Home

2010-08-09T13:37:00.003-07:00

This recipe pops up to be a looooot so use a big pot and also don't be too alarmed because it's easy to finish the whole batch. Still trying to work this out so the sugar doesn't burn, the popcorn is all equally salty and sweet and it's not oily...The proportions below might help.

2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 C popcorn kernels
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot that has a tight fitting lid over medium heat. Mix together the salt, sugar and kernels in a bowl. Once hot, stir in the mixture. Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning.

Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.

Makes about 3-5 servings

Tartine's Bread Pudding (w/Challah)

2010-08-09T13:37:00.001-07:00

Don't be intimidated by the loooong recipe. This recipe is super duper easy and the results are rewarding. The recipe calls for Brioche but I used Challah--you just have to make sure the braided Challah fills the pan as much as a square loaf slice would, but don't squeeze any bread in otherwise the pudding will end up dry.

If you notice in the above recipe, the bread didn't soak up all the egg mixture so it baked on the bottom into a custard. Gross. No no no. Wrong. Maybe I needed to toast the bread a bit more to dry it out till the center to absorb the custard before baking. It was ok though. Just scooped and plated it without the custard dregs. Serve it with this caramel sauce. So good.

If you have leftovers, you can fry up the pieces with a little oil and it turns into a beautiful french toast. (Except serve it with caramel sauce instead of maple syrup, which I didn't do...) Look:

6 brioche slices, cut 1-inch thick
8 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
4 cups whole milk
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9×5-inch glass loaf pan (or an 8x8-inch glass baking pan). Arrange the brioche slices on a baking sheet. Place in the oven until lightly toasted, keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn yet dries out. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Really, let it cool.

Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Add the sugar and whisk until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla and salt and whisk until completely blended. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve.

Place the toasted bread slices in the prepared loaf pan, cutting the slices to fit as needed. Pour the custard evenly over the bread, filling the dish to the top. You may not be able to add all of the custard at this point. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, so that the bread can absorb the custard. (Supposedly, it's going to soak up all of it.)

Just before baking, top off the dish with more of custard if the previous addition has been completely absorbed. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, place in the oven, and bake the pudding for about 1 hour. To test for doneness, uncover the dish, slip a knife into the center, and push the bread aside. If the custard is still very liquid, re-cover the dish and return the pudding to the oven for another 10 minutes. If only a little liquid remains, the pudding is ready to come out of the oven. The custard will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven and it will set up as it cools.

Let the pudding cool for about 10 minutes before serving. You can serve the bread pudding by slicing it and removing each slice with an offset spatula, or by scooping it out with a serving spoon.

While the bread pudding is cooling, peel and slice a couple of stone fruits (peaches, plums) or berries (blueberries, raspberries). In a medium pan, warm the fruit in the caramel. Top the bread pudding with the warm fruit-caramel mixture before serving.

Serves 8, from Tartine and this beautiful blog

Creamy Tomato Cardamom Chicken

2010-08-09T11:51:00.001-07:00

Super cardamom-y. But it's nice in a floral, spicy way. Like, Indian but not. I liked it a lot. I used a George Foreman grill, which I actually don't know how to use (haven't used it since like...2002?) But I think it could have been really moist if I watched the cooking time.

1 lb. chicken cut into pieces
1/2 can condensed tomato soup (OR 6 oz. tomato paste+2 Tbsp sugar+1/2 tsp salt)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ginger, microplaned or 3 Tbsp ginger juice
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 C buttermilk

In a 8x8 pyrex pan combine the tomato, garlic powder, ginger juice, cardamom, curry powder, salt, brown sugar and lemon juice. Mix well. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-5 hours.

The next day, mix in the buttermilk, then grill the chicken until cooked through. No need to reserve the marinade since it will be flavorful enough...But check after it's been grilled. If you want more sauce, you can heat it up on the stove in a sauce pan, but I didn't think it was necessary since I probably put too much salt and ginger in it.

Serves 3-4

Taro Tapioca Dessert

2010-08-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

I remember first having this super chilled, sweet soup when I was a kid at Kirin in Mountain View, CA.; the perfect place for late night dining, turtle soup, and their chow fun. You don't always get dessert there, and I could never figure out how the waiters decided to give it to us or not, but whoo! What a pleasant surprise when we did!

There are a two variations of this dessert here that can be served hot or cold:

Condensed Milk Way
1/2 lb of taro, skin removed, cut into 1" cubes
1/4 C dried tapioca
1 can of condensed milk

Fill pot with taro and enough water to cover. Boil until fork tender. Mash up the taro with a fork, or you can use an immersion blender.

Add the tapioca to the same pot, turn down the heat to a simmer. Stir frequently to prevent the starch from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You may want to add water as the tapioca absorbs it. When tapioca is all transparent, add condensed milk to taste. You can also thin out the soup with more water or milk.

8.8.10
Used coconut cream instead of milk because that's all I had in my cupboard, but realized that coconut cream is good for mango sticky rice and not here because it's way too thick. I had to thin it out a lot with the taro water.

Coconut Milk Way
1/2 lb of taro, skin removed cut into 1" cubes
1/4 C dried tapioca
1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
1-2+ large blocks of rock sugar, or about 1/4+ C granulated sugar

Boil taro until tender, do not drain.

Boil tapioca in a different pot according to package directions until translucent and drain.

Bring to a simmer the coconut milk in another pot and dissolve the sugar in it (to taste), finally add taro and tapioca. Once again in this recipe, you may want to add more water (using the taro boiling water), or milk to thin out the soup, but if the tapioca is drained well enough, the starch from it may not thicken the soup.

Serves 8

Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars

2010-08-08T23:22:00.001-07:00

Recipe from Sue Huang who got it from another sister. So tasty, moist, hearty! Let it cool completely if you don't want to eat it with a spoon. It will harden up. Almost like an apple pie bar or crumble (depending on how much it falls apart on you when you serve it). But not that sweet yet sweet enough. Priscilla Yap said they were some of the best granola bar thingies she's had! YAY!

2 eggs
1 C brown sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
3 C rolled oats
1/4 C oat bran
1/4 C wheat germ or wheat bran
1/4 C flax seed
1 1/2 apples (granny smith, preferred)
1/4 C pecans, chopped
1 C milk
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C oil
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease up a 9x13" pan. Mix all the ingredients together and bake at 375 degrees for the first 30 minutes, then 350 for last 10-15 minutes. It will give it a less gray color yet still cook it without drying it out too much.

About 7-10 servings

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

2010-08-05T10:59:00.001-07:00

Half the butter of most almond poppy seed muffins but still lacking that oomph in buttery taste. And they get really dense and heavy after they've cooled down. Hmm...maybe it's the whole wheat pastry flour...or maybe I over baked them. I've seen some recipes where they don't use butter at all. I'll have to try those. If it's going to taste like it doesn't have butter in it, you might as well not use butter at all.

1 C flour
1 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds

1 egg
1/2 C sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter
1 1/4 C buttermilk
1 tsp of almond extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 muffin cup tin with paper liners.

Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and poppy seeds in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Whisk egg, sugar, and almond extract together until combined, then whisk in the buttermilk and melted butter (I used the big measuring cup to measure out the buttermilk, then add the other ingredients in to save some time cleaning up.)

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour and fold to combine. There should be not large pockets of flour but small streaks may remain. Do not over mix. The batter will be fairly thick.

Divide the batter evenly into the tin. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

Makes 12 muffins

Tomato Bean Salad

2010-08-05T10:55:00.001-07:00

Something I made up, thinking it would resemble something like Bi-Rite's bean salad. It was pretty close, I think...I'm sure their dressing is a little different. You can play with the lemon and oil, but the avocado can add quite a bit of tasty fattiness too.

1/3 C beans, soaked and cooked (for ideas, you can check out Rancho Gordo's site)
4-5 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 thinly sliced onion
1/2 avocado, cubed
4" cucumber, cubed
1 tsp lemon juice, fresh
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together and refrigerate to let the flavors come together. Or consume immediately.

TJ's Whole Wheat Pancake: Bananabread

2010-07-24T21:53:00.001-07:00

Just an idea to add a little something to your pancake mixes. We used Trader Joe's because it's been reliably tasty! (And because Vicky had it in her cupboard.)

Half the ingredients needed on the box--it will make 6 4" pancakes. (I can't remember something like 1 egg...something something)

1/2 blackie ripe banana
1/4 C chopped walnuts
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Make the mix according to instructions on the box and mix in all the ingredients. Cook in the stove top the way you would normally and voila! Banana pancakes.

Quick Mushroom & White Wine Pasta

2010-07-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

Quickie meal Vicky and I made using shitake mushrooms (which give it a more Asian twist) we bought from the Milk Pail and ingredients from our pantry.

Olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
5 medium sized mushrooms of your choice
Dry white wine (used a Sauvignon Blanc)
Angel Hair pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

Place a pot on the stove on medium heat and with water according to directions on the package. As it's working its way to boiling, heat about 1 tsp olive oil in a pan and then the garlic. When it softens a bit, add mushrooms. (Is the water boiling yet? Add the pasta and set the timer!)

Cook the mushrooms until softened, then push to the side of the pan. Add about 2 Tbsp of wine. Wait till it's heated then push back the garlic and mushrooms.

When pasta is ready, using a slotted spoon, spoon out the pasta into the pan and toss with more olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2

Sushi Eggs

2010-07-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Growing up, we used a square pan so you wouldn't get those random round scraps. The technique to making these is a cross between an omelet and a pancake.

1 tsp Mirin (if there's none around, you can also use a little rice vinegar and sugar)
3 eggs
1-2 tsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Sesame Seed oil
1 tsp water

Lightly oil a non stick pan and heat on medium heat. When warmed, add enough egg to cover the pan, plus maybe 0.5 cm thick. Let it cook until the tops of the egg layer is almost cooked, then carefully flip with a spatula.

The eggs should be solidly done. Be careful because while hot, it'll break easily. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to cool. Then, gently roll from one edge. Cut.

Charmoula Pork Chops

2010-07-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

Lamb is not universally accepted so I opted to use pork. Still worked really well! Heard you can also use shrimp, salmon or chicken. Whatever meat you choose, you can also cook in a hot, lightly oiled, seasoned grill pan or a cast iron skillet over moderate heat.

Definitely needs salt. Try out the marinade before adding the pork to make sure it's salty enough for you.

Serve with couscous and grilled veggies or a light salad. The salad in the photo is a failed attempt at a Wheat Berry Salad with Goat Cheese.

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
6 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper to taste (at least 1 tsp salt)

2 (1 1/4-inch-thick) loin lamb chops (10 oz total), trimmed (or pork)

Blend all ingredients except chops in a blender (or food processor) until smooth, about 1 minute. Pat chops dry and transfer to a plate, then rub chops all over with 2 tablespoons charmoula and marinate, covered, at room temperature 30 minutes.

While chops marinate, prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate.

Grill chops, covered only if using a gas grill, on lightly oiled grill rack, turning over once, until medium-rare, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and let stand, loosely covered, 10 minutes.

Charmoula keeps, its surface covered with plastic wrap, 1 week. It will lose its bright green color after a couple of days.

Adapted from Epicurious.com

FAILED: Wheat Berry Salad with Goat Cheese and Golden Raisins

2010-07-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Served with the Charmoula Pork Chops (click to see a photo of it). I felt like this salad was lacking in that oomph flavor, but that's probably because I didn't use fennel or olives...

Wheat Berry Salad
1 cup wheat berries
1 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 small bulbs fennel, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) (I omitted but thinking this might have made a difference in flavor)
1/2 cup golden raisins
4 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
16 pitted large green olives, coarsely chopped (I also omitted but need to try with it)
1 5-oz. bag arugula or baby spinach (about 6 cups)
3 oz. aged goat cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped

Honey-Balsamic Dressing
3 1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
3 1/2 Tbs. honey
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs olive oil

To make Wheat Berry Salad
Bring 4 cups water to a boil in saucepan. Add wheat berries, reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, 1 hour, or until grains are tender, adding more water as necessary. Cool in covered pan, then drain if necessary.

Toss together wheat berries, chickpeas, fennel, raisins, green onions and olives. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Honey-Balsamic Dressing
Place balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey and salt in small plastic container with lid, cover, and shake to combine.

To serve
Toss arugula with 3 Tbs. Honey-Balsamic Dressing in bowl. Toss wheat berry mixture with goat cheese, pistachios and remaining dressing. Divide arugula among eight plates. Top with Wheat Berry Salad, and serve.

Serves 10-12, from Vegetarian Times July/August 2009

Glazed Sesame Almonds

2010-07-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Used a toaster oven--it's summer time and the thought of heating an oven for a little pile of almonds seemed a bit excessive. Just a note: eating it straight out of the oven is not a good idea. You'll burn your mouth, it won't taste very sweet, AND it will be chewy. Yuck! Wait that extra 5-10 minutes and you will be rewarded for your patience. Great to snack on or try using walnuts to top that salad.

1/4 C sugar
1/4 C water
1 1/2 C roasted, unsalted almonds

1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 C sesame seeds (I used black but white are good too)
1 tsp cinnamon

Line rimmed baking sheet with foil; grease and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In saucepan, bring sugar and water to boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in almonds; let stand, stirring often, for 5 minutes. (After boiling, I put the almonds in, tossed to coat and then removed them. I think this makes it just a touch sweet. Not sure what it would be like if you soaked them.)

Meanwhile, in bowl, stir together sesame seeds, salt, cayenne pepper and ginger. Using slotted spoon, spoon almonds into bowl; toss to coat. Discard sugar mixture.

Spread on prepared pan; roast in 350°F (180°C) oven, stirring once, until caramel color, about 20 minutes. Let cool on pan on rack.

(Make-ahead: Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 1 month.)

Rice Cake Curry Soup

2010-07-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

A quickie home cooked idea. Everything depends on you. How many rice cake thingies do you want to eat? How salty do you want it? Saltier? Add more curry.

A handful of Rice Cakes (see below)
1 can of chicken broth
Japanese Golden Curry (less than a block)
Green leafy veggies (like bok choy or spinach)

Boil the chicken broth in a pot, when boiling, add the rice cakes. Meanwhile, soften half a block of the curry with 1/2 tsp of water and form into a paste. Right before it hits boiling, (make sure the rice cakes start floating and taste test to see if they're almost done) throw in the veggies and cook for 1 minute for the bok choy, a couple seconds for spinach and then pour in your curry paste.

Don't stir too much...for some reason, it tastes better when it's floating around in only a part of the broth. By the way, if you don't want to use these rice cakes, you can also use udon noodles or any noodles. Just boil them separately till al dente and add them in after the veggies.

Of course, you can always add more to this soup like green onions and cilantro to garnish or some kind of meat, but this one's meant to be super quick and easy.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

2010-07-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

After you test it and it comes out clean it may look wet as it's cooling. Do not be fooled. It is done, it's just super duper moist. The chocolate cake is vegan! (The cream cheese filling is not.)

Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 C (65 grams) white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Cupcakes
1 1/2 C (195 grams) flour
1 C (200 grams) sugar
1/3 C (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C water
1/3 C canola oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Cream Cheese Filling: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and smooth. Set aside while you make the Chocolate Cupcake batter.

Chocolate Cupcakes: In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until nice and smooth. Evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Then spoon a few tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake. (You probably won't use it all.)

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cream cheese filling is a little brown and the cupcakes feel springy to the touch (a toothpick inserted into the chocolate part of the cupcake will come out clean). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

The cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 - 4 days.

Makes 12 large cupcakes

Sweet Cornbread

2010-07-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

Can be doubled and baked in a 9x13" pan. Baked in a cast iron pan with corn molds. Ah! So adorable. Got the pan on sale at World Market for $3.99. Super moist right out of the oven and when it's kept warm. One of the best cornbread recipes I've tried.

3/4 C cornmeal
1 1/4 C milk
1 C flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
1/4 C vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Grease your pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Optional: brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Makes 1 8x8 pan, or about 24 corns

Filipino Garlic Rice

2010-07-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Mmm!!! Great with those little Filipino sausages. First tasted this at Lumpia Palace (a.k.a. Gemmae Bake Shop). Sooooo flavorful and garlicky! Haleen showed Anna this summer, and Anna showed me. What a treat! I can't believe it's so simple. I can't believe I don't eat garlic rice at every meal. Or even instead of a meal! Thanks, Haleen.

If using regular Asian rice, you can cook it straight out of the rice cooker. If using jasmine or basmati, it's better if you allow it to get cold or if you use it a day old. Maybe it's because they're thinner grains and pan frying would overcook them?

Oil
One whole head of garlic, or 3/4 of it, minced (the more, the better I say)
Cooked rice
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp fish sauce (I haven't tried this but I read it in another recipe)

You basically heat up the oil (a couple of tablespoons at first) and cook the garlic until softened and a little golden. Season with a little salt and fish sauce. Then add the rice. Heat up until the garlic is golden, but not dark brown otherwise you've burned it. But that's ok, it's still good. A little bitter and a little carcinogenic, but still good.

That's right, girl. More garlic.

Chewy Crumbly Granola Bars

2010-07-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

Does not look anything like the magazine's photo. It was ok, not like a chewy granola bar from the store, but still hearty and sweet, too sweet for my taste. Maybe it would be different if I used almond butter instead of peanut. Could be good for a quick breakfast if I can cut down on the sugar.

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4-1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or sliced almonds)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup almond butter (or PB)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine oats, flour, baking soda and 1/4 tsp. salt in bowl. Stir in apricots, chocolate chips and walnuts.

Beat brown sugar, maple syrup, almond butter, oil and egg whites with electric beater until smooth. Stir in oat mixture.

Spread mixture in prepared baking dish, and pat down firmly. Sprinkle top with remaining salt. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until firm. Cool 20 minutes before slicing into bars.

Unmold, and store in airtight container.

Makes 25 bars, adapted from Vegetarian Times, July/August 2007.

Pao de Queijo

2010-07-12T00:52:00.000-07:00

My favorite Brasilian breakfast food! Perfectly chewy, crusty, cheesy, and warm (usually). Oh, even when it's cold it's divinely delicious as long as it's not day old. Then, it's disgusting. Universally liked as my Jaru team can testify--Russia, Puerto Rico, Texas and California were represented in an unofficial pao de queijo study and the results were unanimous--yum.

If mochi and cheesy biscuits could have a baby, this would be him. I like to bake them at 350 degrees for the last 10 minutes so they're more biscuity on the outside. You know, for that contrast of textures I love so much.

The recipe below is adapted from a recipe from a sister in Uberlandia. All measurements are according to what it looks likes and how it feels, as is the norm with home cookin'. Joanna Yang did her best to quantify the recipe. I only adjusted it a liiiitle bit since I wasn't actually there to watch the sister make it.

Look! Joanna made them soooo perfect.

1 C water
1 C milk (whole is preferred but I used 1%)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C canola oil (she said about 80% of 1 C which made my first batch oily)
2 C mandioca flour
2-4 large eggs (depending on consistency)
1/2 C parmesan cheese
1/2 C powdered Mexican Cotija cheese

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Boil the water, milk and salt and remove from heat. Add the oil and whisk together. Remove from the heat and pour in the Mandioca flour. When cool enough to touch, mix in the eggs. This is what it looks like when it is a little too wet:

Stir in each egg and check it out. It should resemble mash potatoes, but not be super greasy. Add in the cheeses.

Oil hands and roll into 1" balls with less than 1" apart. Bake for 30 minutes. Be patient. They're hot. Let them cool on the tray.

This makes a full cookie sheet of more than 2 dozen

Rachel's Beefy Tatertot Casserole

2010-07-11T16:16:00.004-07:00

A college favorite of Vicky's...although she doesn't remember eating it. Great the next day for breakfast served with eggs and toast. OR When everyone's eaten the tatertots off of it, you can pan fry the meat and toss in some cooked rice (day old is best too) and then crack an egg over it. Garnish with some green onions or cilantro and voila! You've got fried rice.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 C chopped onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1-2 C of frozen peas
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
1 bag of frozen tater-tots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute the onions until soft, add garlic. Brown beef in the same pan and then add the mushrooms. Add Worcestershire sauce, and mushroom soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a 13x9 pan.

Heat the peas in the pan and then mix into the meat mixture. Top with tatertots and bake uncovered for about 40 minutes.

Serves 6-8

Russian Dark Chocolate

2010-07-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what this says, but this chocolate is really good. Dark, floral and flavorful without the overwhelming richness and bite. I like! Thank you, Choigana!

Nestle Nescau 2.0 do Brasil

2010-07-10T00:53:00.003-07:00

I didn't get a chance to buy souvenirs from Brazil, BUT! I did find a grocery store in Anaheim that sells South American groceries for all my gift giving needs. The selection is limited, but for a small place it had most of what I was looking for: Mandioca flour, South American sausages, guava, coffee (outrageously priced in the states, by the way), chocolate bon bons, and something I wasn't looking for but was surprised to see...Nestle's Nescau 2.0.

I drank this occasionally with coffee as my morning "mocha", but frequently saw it in homes in NW Brazil, in restaurants and hotels. I thought I'd re-create my breakfast drink sans coffee, but with milk as it's suggested. Pronouncedly and heavily sweet like condensed milk (nothing new as far as Brazilian sweets go) with a slight lingering vitamin aftertaste. Like a Brazilian Ovaltine. Not something I would buy again for the taste, but definitely for the memories. Ahh...Brazil.

Meinong Dried Flat Noodle

2010-07-10T00:53:00.001-07:00

Does not look like the packaging at all--mushrooms, garlic and beefy bits are nowhere to be found inside. BUT when you cook up your own minced onion, garlic and mushrooms with the sauce mix, it magically transforms into a tasty meal!

All Veggie Quiche with Avocado Crema

2010-07-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

Next time, I'll try adding 1/2 C chopped tomatoes.

1 (9 inch) baked pastry shell

1 cup chopped onion (half of a large one)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C poblano chile (or 1 medium green bell pepper), seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
3/4 C baby spinach

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Paprika sprinkled on top for color

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute the onion until soft and translucent, add garlic. Add all the spices, then add all the vegetables and cook well until all water has been cooked out.

In a bowl, beat eggs. Add the milk and 3/4 of the cheese; mix well. Carefully pour over vegetables. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and paprika. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve on a bed of mixed greens and serve with...

Avocado Crema
1/2 of avocado, mashed
dash of powder garlic
1 Tbsp sour cream or yogurt
dash of salt and pepper
a little bit of minced cilantro (to taste)

Serves 4-5

Blueberry Yogurt Muffins

2010-07-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

5.28.08
I didn't use the recipe below, but it was a nice guideline (I made my own baking powder and altered a few other things). Sometimes I like to carelessly throw things together in a bowl, crouch beside it in fetal position a la elementary school earthquake drill and wait to see what happens.

7.2010
I can't remember how they turned out in 2008. This time, these turned out almost like vegan cupcakes in an almost bland sort of way, but the crumb was moist and the fresh blueberries, a good touch. Just sweet enough. Good for a snack or a breakfast for myself, but probably wouldn't make them for company.

Dry
2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Liquid
2 T oil
1/2 t vanilla
8 oz vanilla yogurt (6 0z. yogurt, 2 oz. sour cream)
1/4 C milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 C fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine the dry ingredients, make a well in the center.

Combine the liquid ingredients, add to the dry and gently mix until there are still a lot of dry lumps (folding in blueberries will moisten it).

Fold in blueberries. Pour into 12 muffin cups, bake 15-18 minutes. Remove immediately to cool.

Makes 12 muffins

Dutch Baby Pancake

2010-07-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

I am impressed with this recipe--light, airy, raised sides that function as a bowl, and so fancy like in a restaurant! Even easier than making pancakes for 3 people. Originally, I followed the recipe which tells you to bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes and then 350 for 8-10 minutes but that made it a little too dark around the edges. Below is the suggested cooking times by others online.

3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup unbleached flour
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced fresh fruit, of choice (peaches, nectarines, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, mangoes, etc.)

Fifteen minutes before baking preheat the oven to 425°; have a 9" pie plate or oven-proof skillet ready (I used a 10" cast iron skillet).

Whisk together the milk, flour, eggs, sugar and vanilla; put the butter in the pie plate or skillet and place the pan in the oven just until the butter is melted; with a brush coat the rim and entire inside of the pan.

Slowly pour batter into hot pan; bake for 15-20 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake another 5-8 minutes, until pancake is well-browned; remove from oven and sieve confectioners' sugar over the top; serve immediately with fruit spooned into the center of the pancake.

Makes 1 large pancake, Serves 2-3

Maple Almond Apricot Cereal

2010-07-06T23:28:00.000-07:00

Reminds me of a simpler Honey Bunches of Oats.

2 c rolled oats

½ C bran flakes
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp brown sugar
2-3 Tbsp golden roasted flax seeds (very important!)
1 Tbsp canola oil

1/3 C dried fruit (chopped dried apricots, dried cherries)
1/4 C almond slices

Bake at 250 degrees on a jelly roll pan sprayed with oil about 25 minutes, stirring after the first 15 minutes. Add the almonds and bake for remaining 10 minutes. Cool completely and mix with fruit.

Serves 4-5

Olive Oil Cake

2010-07-06T22:59:00.001-07:00

This delicious cake has a hint of orange and a slightly crunchy texture from cornmeal, is moist without being greasy, and is strongly flavored with olive oil. Try it with this tasty fruit compote, made with spiced Rioja wine. We tried it with cooked spiced apples.

Total Time: 50 mins

Active Time: 10 mins

3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar (yes, all of it…unless the amaretto is really sweet, then less)
1 1/2 cups whole milk (used soy milk)
1 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur, such as Disaronno (I used ½ tsp almond extract, but next time a little more ¾?)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (full Tbsp, used lemon instead)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarse-ground cornmeal (COARSE!!!)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Powdered sugar, for garnish

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in middle. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with olive oil and flour; tap out the excess.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until well blended and light in color. Add milk, olive oil, amaretto, and orange zest and mix well.

In another bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just blended (the batter will be slightly lumpy; do not overmix).

Pour batter into the prepared baking dish or pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only a few crumbs, about 40 to 50 minutes (closer to 37 min). Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cake has cooled, run a knife around the perimeter of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into 12 pieces, and serve.

Makes 12 servings

Fresh Berry Sauce

2010-07-06T22:57:00.001-07:00

This makes more than enough for a pancake breakfast for 12. Surprisingly, and sadly, most people only drizzle like 2 tablespoons on their breakfast! Still worth making for that special breakfast/brunch. If you wanna makes sure people eat it (because it's really quite good) plate it on the pancakes before you serve it. I can also imagine this would be great with pound cake or any even a chocolate cake.

2 C fresh berries

1/2 C water
1 C orange juice
½ C sugar
¼ C ice cold water
3 T cornstarch
¼ tsp almond extract
¼ tsp cinnamon

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.

In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.

Simple Baby Broccoli

2010-02-10T01:19:00.000-08:00

Trader Joe's sells this for about $2.69 for 1/2 a pound but of course you can get this stuff dirt cheap at any Asian Supermarket, including Ranch 99.

8 oz baby broccoli
1 clove of garlic, minced or pureed is best
Soy sauce
Sesame oil

Rinse the broccoli, steam for 5 minutes or until bright green, tender, but still with a crunch. Alternatively, you can boil 1" of water and put the greens directly in the pot and cover for the same amount of time. Plate the broccoli, then drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. Sprinkle the fresh garlic on top.

Serves 2

Callison's Seasoned Skewers

2010-02-10T01:01:00.000-08:00

First tried Seasoned Skewers at the 2008 Fancy Food Show in San Diego. Apparently, it's the same "technology" they use to flavor dental floss. It's pretty exciting stuff. All you do is thread the skewers into your meat, wait 15 minutes and flavor is imparted! It can be pretty subtle, but a dash of coarse salt and some dipping sauce completes it.

Here, I threaded chicken thigh cubes and pan fried them without oil in a cast iron skillet then served them with a yellow curry sauce you can buy at Trader Joe's. I liked the Garlic Herb but the Ginger Mango tasted artificial.

A-Cup-A-Cup-A-Cup Dip

2010-02-10T00:52:00.000-08:00

Anna and I can devour this rich, creamy dip in hours. Yes, this kind of eating is the stuff legends are made of.

1 C mayo (Best Foods, please)
1 C sour cream
1 C chopped green pepper (bell pepper? Anna adds 1 serrano chile pepper, minced)
1 Tbsp instant minced onion
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried dill

Combine all the ingredients by hand and place in a 3 or 4 C bowl suitable for serving. If possible, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours for the flavors to blend or serve immediately.

Place in the center of a tray and surround with sturdy chips, crackers, and vegetables for dipping.

Makes about 3 cups

Coconut Sticky Rice in a Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker

2010-02-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

Had sweet/sticky/short grain rice in my cupboard and thought I should attempt this again. Most recipes call for steaming the rice rather than cooking it in a rice cooker or over the stove. I always wondered why, but now I can kind of see it--when I made it this way, it felt a little overcooked yet not that sticky. Maybe the rice was old? It did have a funny banana-ey aftertaste. I want to figure out how to make this stuff! This method is okay. I will try it again to make sure it's acceptable to post without a disclaimer.

2 Tbsp sugar
1 C sweet rice
1 15 oz can of Coconut milk
Serve with tropical fruit: mango, pineapple, banana, kiwi, durian... (so people have suggested...)

In the pot, directly pour 1 C of sweet rice and rinse a little with water. Drain, then add sugar and enough coconut milk to meet the 1 C mark (of course, this only works in the Neuro Fuzzy). Select the "sweet rice" cook function and in the meantime, reduce the remaining coconut milk with 2 Tbsp of sugar until thicker and serve on top of the cooked rice and the fruit.

Taco Snack Mix

2010-02-08T09:45:00.001-08:00

Try to reduce as much salt on the ingredients as you can because the seasoning packet is already pretty salty. Reminds me of a similar flavoring for the "Spicy" chips at Trader Joe's. Anna no like, but I do!

1/2 Taco Seasoning Mix Packet
a little less than 1/4 C Butter
2 C Pretzels
2 C Unsalted tortilla chips
2 C Chex (wheat is pictured here, but corn is my favorite)

Melt butter, stir in the seasoning and toss all in the seasoning.

FAILED: Buttermilk Banana Bread

2010-02-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

The original recipe called for 1 1/2 C white sugar, and oil instead of apple sauce. Yuck! Apple sauce made it chewy...Or was it the disposable container I baked it in? You know, the kind that says you can bake and serve it directly in this deceivingly pretty paper "pan"? When it cooled, it was a little better yet still too sweet even with 3/4 C sugar.

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium or a little less than 2 large)
1/2 C sugar brown or white
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray coating.

Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.

Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir in pecans. Mix well.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 1 9x5" loaf

Mrs. Cowper's Buttermilk Pie

2010-02-06T22:58:00.000-08:00

Interesting top of filling turns out to be crunchy, caramelized crust like a creme brulee, but with a more eggy portion on the bottom much like an egg tart. TOO SWEET. The ingredients on the left is what I used today, but I put suggestions (in the parentheses) for improvements. Definitely an easy way to use leftover buttermilk.

1 C sugar (but I suggest cutting it down to 3/4 C)
1/4 C butter, melted
3 large eggs, lightly beaten (4 eggs to make it less sweet)
1 Tbsp flour (I'll try 2 Tbsp next time)
1/2 C buttermilk (also try 1 C buttermilk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 unbaked 9" pastry shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs slightly and add sugar and flour. Then add melted butter and mix well. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix.

Dust the unbaked pie shell with a little bit of flour. Pour batter into shell, and then sprinkle a little more flour on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then decrease temperature to 325 and bake until the custard is set, approximately 1 hour.

Serve at room temperature. When it's straight out of the oven, the crust is soggy and soft but as it cools, I guess the shortening/crisco solidifies?

Makes 1 9" pie

Basic Pie Crust from the Pie Class

2010-02-06T22:42:00.000-08:00

Remember: stir less, knead less, basically less touching leads to more tender crusts. This is the recipe from the pie class Anna and I took together one summer in 2007. This is also the crust that Anna uses for her famous Blueberry Peach Pie.

1 C sifted all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C shortening
6 Tbsp ice water

Sift flour with salt into medium bowl.

With pastry blender, using a short, cutting motion, or with two knives, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. (Although she also said the size of peas is good too.)

Quickly sprinkle ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, over all of pastry mixture, tossing lightly with fork after each addition and pushing dampened portion to side of bowl; sprinkle only dry portion remaining. Pastry should be just moist enough to hold together, not sticky. How much water you use will depend on the humidity of the room, so check after it looks like the dough is coming together by pinching a part of it. If it stays together, it's good. If it crumbles, add a little more water.

Shape pastry into a ball; wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate until ready to use. This refrigeration makes the fat solid again before you add the filling, which will give you a flakier crust. Flatten with palm of hand.

Enough pastry for an 8" or 9" pie shell or top of 1.5 quart casserole

Dolmades with Priscilla Yap

2010-02-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

How authentic this is, is beyond my judgment. We just wanted to make something different (something a little impressive) using ingredients I have at home. I like them. Better at room temperature or cold even. Next time, I'll try it with ground beef or lamb!

3 C of any combination of cooked rice: brown sticky rice, white rice, brown rice, old rice
2 medium lemons, juice of
4 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks of green onions, diced
4 Tbsp cilantro, chopped (or parsley and/or mint)
1/2 C of walnuts, chopped (usually it's pine nuts, slightly toasted, not minced)
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Jar of grape leaves (32 oz? jar will provide for about two batches of this recipe)
1/4 C chicken broth or water

Heat the pan, then oil then onion. When softened, add garlic. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, mix the rice with the green oinon, cilantro or herb(s) of your choice with the nuts and season with salt and pepper and oil. Start with 4 Tbsp of lemon juice and add more salt and lemon juice to taste, keeping in mind that the leaves will add acidity and saltiness.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. After draining the leaves, remove the stem from one leaf and lay flat on a cutting board or flat working surface. Spoon a rounded tablespoon in the middle of the leaf and roll up (like an egg roll), tucking in the sides as you roll up. Place seam side down into a 13x9x2" pan. Keep going until all the rice is used up. Add the 1/4 C of water or broth to the pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Makes about 24-28 dolmades

Two happy cooks.

Passion Sunrise

2010-01-31T17:13:00.000-08:00

Basically a 1:3 (pino to juice) ratio, but alterable depending on how much flavor (Pinot) or sweetness (juice) you want. I honestly do not drink anything but water, but there 1/4" of pinot in the bottle and I was inspired by wedding reception talk with Terrel and Hong. Light, refreshing, sweet with a slight tang.

Barefoot's Pinot Grigio
Passion Fruit (Welch's)
Ice

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-01-29T23:52:00.000-08:00

I thought the amount of red food coloring was enough--a nice muted dark red (darker than in this photo) but not as intense as I would like. A little disturbed how much food coloring is needed for one cake. Very disturbed by the price of it at $3.59 per ounce. (!!!!!) Is beet juice cheaper? Maybe, baby. One day I'll try. Until then, at least now I know that only Von's (and not Fresh&Easy or Target) sells just the red food coloring by itself rather than a set of colors.

I really couldn't get this cake to look beautiful in the photos. In life the contrast is shocking and so delightful but this was the best I could do for now. This recipe has a wonderful flavor--tangy, not too sweet, just a little chocolate-y. Super moist. No vegetable oil aftertaste (canola makes a difference, I guess). Frosting good too!

Hope Alice enjoyed it! Happy Birthday!

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1.25 oz red food coloring+ enough water to make 6 Tbsp of liquid (or more food coloring, up to 3 oz if you want it to look like Smitten Kitchen's)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place teaspoon of butter in each of 3 round 9-inch layer cake pans and place pans in oven for a few minutes until butter melts. Remove pans from oven, brush interior bottom and sides of each with butter and line bottoms with parchment.

Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.

Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. (Take care: it may splash.) Make sure it's really mixed in--scrape down the sides and get the bottoms otherwise you may get a retro tie dye look later. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.

Divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 45 minutes. Let cool in pans 20 minutes. Then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment. Cool completely before frosting.

Cupcake variation: Yield is approximately 35 cupcakes, with the liners filled only 3/4 of the way, and the baking time should be between 20 to 25 minutes, but check in on them 2/3 of the way through in case your oven gets the job done faster.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. With a handheld electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat, on low speed to combine. If too soft, chill until slightly stiff, about 10 minutes, before using. Makes 6 cups.

I've always heard that there always needs to be two layers of frosting when you decorate a cake...

a crumb layer: a thin spreading of frosting over the entire cake.
the final finishing layer. What I didn't know is that you need to chill the crumb layer (in the freezer for a couple minutes or longer in the fridge) so it solidly holds the crumbs in there while you spread the last layer. Ah, yeah. Makes sense now.

Yields 3 9" cake layers or 2 10" cake layers = 12-14 servings, adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Quick Pastrami Sandwiches

2010-01-29T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is nothing special, but I always forget that I can eat this as a quick meal at home. I also forget that instead of butter, you can use mayo on the bread when you grill/panini it.

2 slices of bread
Mayo
Pastrami (from TJ's)
Sauerkraut

Lightly spread mayo on one side of each slice of bread. Put the bread mayo side down onto a heated pan. Place pastrami and sauerkraut on one slice. Place together and heat until sides are browned.

Chewy! Peanut Butter & M&Ms/Hershey Kisses Cookies

2010-01-29T00:11:00.000-08:00

After a run in with maggots who burrowed into my Hershey Kisses, I was forced to use my M&Ms that JuAn had given to me from Las Vegas. Colorful! I added them onto the cookies the same way you do with the Hershey Kisses. You can see a part of an M&M on the top left corner...I ran out, so I pressed my last batch down like regular peanut butter cookies.

These are by far, the best peanut butter cookies I've ever made. I can officially say my quest is over. My first batch turned out a little hard--the recipe said to bake for 10-12 minutes, but I disagree. 8 minutes is perfect in my oven. They do not turn out golden brown, sometimes more pasty pale, but that's ok! When they cool down completely, they will be so chewy. Ah, finally...victory is mine.

1/2 cup Butter Shortening (I used the plain)
1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter (I used all natural, crunchy)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
48 foil-wrapped milk chocolate pieces, unwrapped or M&Ms (optional)

Heat oven to 375°F.

Cream together shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until stiff dough forms.

Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 minutes or until still pale and unbaked looking on top and golden on the bottom.

Top each cookie immediately with an unwrapped chocolate piece (or M&Ms), pressing down firmly so that cookie cracks around edge. Remove from cookie sheets to cool.

Makes about 3 dozen if using a 1.5 Tbsp scooper

Larger than Life Food

2010-01-26T22:19:00.000-08:00

The only thing better than edible food is either adorable miniature food or:

Vicky: "Oh I want to be an Oscar Meyer wiener, then everyone would be in love with me!
...Oh, that's really sad." Gilroy, CA 1.2010

Notice the crowd of people behind my mom--they're lining up to eat at a food truck in the shape of a giant metal pig wearing sunglasses in Seattle, WA 7.2009

California Adventure, 3.2007

That's an Easter egg made entirely of white chocolate from Chuao Chocolatier, 4.2007

World's largest "asparagus" in Tucson, AZ 11.2007

Look at the size of that vegetable we saw in Taiwan! 2.2006

Breakfast of pancakes in the sky with Susan Mun, 11.2007

Del Mar Fair, 7.2006

Record Catch at California Adventure, 4.2008

I like to think that Daphne is a younger, brighter, lovelier version of me yet with similar interests in life. Can you tell? 12.2009

Golden Vanilla Cupcakes (Vegan)

2010-01-25T22:04:00.000-08:00

They say that "canola oil makes never-fail cupcakes with a light texture. Margarine can be a little trickier to work with, but the buttery flavor, golden color and delicate texture it gives the cupcakes are worth the effort." I tried it with the canola oil and it turned out wonderful! Very moist, spongy, fluffy and airy, indeed. So far, the best vegan vanilla cupcake recipe I've ever made! I'm inspired to do all the recipes from the book!

1 C soy milk, unsweetened
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch (potato starch, OK)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (increase salt to 1/2 teaspoon if you're using oil instead of margarine)
1/3 cup canola oil or 1/2 C margarine
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I should do it short of 3/4 but not quite 1/2...a little too sweet with frosting on it)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup, set aside a few minutes to get good and curdled.

If using margarine: sift flour, cornstarch, bp, bs, and salt into a large bowl and mix and in a separate large bowl, cream butter and sugar for 2 minutes until light and fluffy, but don't beat past 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and other extract then alternate beating the soy mixture and dry ingredients, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times.

If using oil: beat together the the soy milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until no large lumps remain.

Fill cupcake liners two-third full and bake for 20-22 minutes until done. (20 min for me)

Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

Makes 1 dozen, from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

FAILURE: Chocolate Bread with Cherries and Cocoa Nibs

2010-01-20T23:27:00.000-08:00

Where did I go wrong?? Once I get a new battery for my scale, I need to try this recipe again. Very dense, chocolatey to the point of being earthy and bitter. Uhh...I don't think this is right, but willing to give it another shot.

1/4 C (60 g) orange juice
1/3 C (50 g) dried cherries

1 1/4 C (300 g) warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1 Tbsp (10 g) active dry yeast
3 1/4 C (400 g) bread flour
1/3 C and 2 Tbsp (40 g) dutch processed cocoa powder
2 tsp (9 g) salt
1/3 C (45 g) cocoa nibs
vegetable cooking spray for the pans
1/4 C (45 g) chocolate chips
all purpose flour for dusting

Steep the cherries
Place the orange juice in a small saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the dried cherries to the pan. Cover and let the fruit steep in the juice for 30 minutes.

Make the dough
Dampen a clean kitchen towel with water and set aside.

Pour the water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand for 10 minutes, until the yeast begins to foam.

Add the flour and cocoa powder to the bowl and mix on low speed for about 3 minutes, until the dough begins to come together. Add the salt, increase the speed to medium, and mix for an additional 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the cherries and their liquid and the cocoa nibs. Mix until the ingredients are just incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the top of the bowl with the damp towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place until it almost doubles in volume, about 1 hour.

Spray a baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray. With your fist, punch down the dough and divide it into 2 pieces of equal size. Slightly flatten each piece of dough and fold its corners toward the center to create rounded edges. Invert the dough on your work surface so that the seams are down.

This is the part I totally don't understand: Cup the dough in your hands. Keep your fingers close together, your thumb resting on your forefinger, to form a rounded shape. Make a slight back and forth movement with your wrists so that the dough rotates in between your fingers. Use your fingers to make the dough roll around in the tight cradle that they form. Your hands should never left from the table as you perform this circular motion. The dough will shape into a tight ball. Repeat with the other piece of dough, then transfer the balls onto the prepared baking sheet, cover with the damp towel, and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Spray the sides and bottom of two 9x5x3" loaf pans with vegetable cooking spray. With your fingers, stretch each ball into a rectangle about 9" wide and 10" long (they should be as wide as the loaf pans are long). Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the rectangles of dough. With the width of the dough parallel to your work surface, roll each rectangle over itself lengthwise, to form a cylinder. Shape the dough into a loaf by rolling its bottom edge toward the top. The ends of each loaf should be tapered when the proper shape is achieved. Roll the dough over so that its seam is at the bottom, and slightly taper the dough further on both ends if necessary.

Place the loaves in the prepared pans, seam side down and lightly dust them with a little bit of flour. Place the pans in a warm place and let the dough rise until it fills 3/4 of the pans, about 1 hour.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. To be sure, pull the breads out of their molds and tap the bottoms: if they sound hollow, they are done. Unmold the loaves and let cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2 9" loaves, from Chocolate Epiphany

Marinated Bean Salad from TJ's

2010-01-20T18:42:00.000-08:00

Not too shabby at all...gooey "marinade" that definitely needs to be drained. But after that, the flavor is quite light. Add a few sprigs of minced mint, 1/4 C minced onion (red), and 1 medium bell pepper diced, toss with salt and pepper and you've got a quick, tasty 3 bean salad. If you want, you can also add 1 tsp vinegar and sugar to taste.

PS: yes, that's Vicky in the background grabbing some raisins.

Exciting Goodies from the 35th Winter Fancy Food Show

2010-01-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

Golden Star Tea Co.
White Jasmine Sparkling Tea. I was shocked because the flavor was so unique--cool, light, refreshing, barely sweet, complex flavors, bright, hints of flowers. Basically awesome. Reminiscent of champagne, but virtually non-alcoholic. Its packaging is classy and clean. Beautiful for a nice dinner party or as a gift for someone.

GreeNoodle
Instant noodles that aren't deep fried but steamed and then dried. Made with Moroheiya, a super vegetable. Pretty tasty. Connected to a cafe/restaurant called Eon Coffee that's around the area. I want to go sometime.

Black Garlic
So unique. Still leaves the garlic breath in you, but is fermented to produce a mellow, round flavor a lot like what roasting would do, but with a dramatic blackness, a molasses flavor and a little more bite to it than roasting. Very interesting. They gave us samples of their black garlic in liquid form that they say is great for marinating. I'm going to try it!

TCHO
John Kehoe--I will definitely remember you and TCHO when I start my business. This man was so kind, warm and approachable. My first impressions were uplifted even higher after going to their site and learning more about their goals to develop technology for the perfect cacao bean by starting with the source of the beans with the local farmers. There was so much behind this company beyond their super cool techie themed graphics and designs. Two chocolate covered thumbs up to you all.

Pearl River Pastry and Chocolate
2" chocolate truffle cake was velvety smooth and rich and the 6" Florentine Tart, chewy and caramel-y with hearty whole walnuts and a chocolate drizzle. So good, no wonder they were on the Fancy Food Show's segment on Organic foods. Their website is not very inviting, but their products are excellent, at least the two that I tried.

East & West Gourmet Afghan Food
Bolani, kind of like a thin wheat lavosh bread sandwiching spinach. Much, much better when heated on the pan. Mmm...I've never had Afghan food, but now I want to eat much much more of it. The gentlemen were very nice and generous. I hope they do well in the future.

Brix
Chocolate paired with wine is no new thing, but this company makes it so easy for beginners to experience it on their own! Little descriptions, wine suggestions, even a lovely gift set with a chocolate cutting board (much like for cheeses). Also very wonderful and kind people here.

J&D's Bacon Flavored Everything
HAHAHA They had everything in bacon, from their mayo, salt, popcorn, ranch, to envelopes! Vegetarian and Kosher...Bacon flavor? Love it.

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

2010-01-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Slightly crunchy exterior and a soft, almost brownie-like interior. Instead of dutch processed cocoa powder (Droste, Lindt, Valrhona, Poulain and Pernigotti), I used natural unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey's, Ghirardelli, Scharffen Berger). Natural cocoa powder apparently is very bitter (maybe because it hasn't been treated to neutralize its acids) and does not have as deep of a reddish brown color. Dutch processed is good for delicate baked goods whereas unsweetened cocoa powder is good for brownies and cookies, so they say. I wonder if that's why my cookies turned out so pale...

1/2 C + 3 Tbsp (68 grams) dutch processed cocoa powder
3 C (350 grams) confectioner's sugar
pinch of salt
2 3/4 C (272 grams) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract (15 grams)

Place a rack each in the upper and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Combine the cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar, salt and walnuts in a bowl (if using a mixer, with a paddle attachment). Mix on low for 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly add the egg whites and vanilla. Mix on medium for 3 minutes, until the mixture has slightly thickened. Do not overmix it, or the egg whites will thicken too much.

With a 2 oz scoop or a generous tablespoon, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, to make cookies that are 4" in diameter. Scoop 5 cookies on each pan, about 3" apart so that they don't stick when they spread.

Put the cookies in the oven, and immediately lower the temperature to 320 degrees. Bake for 14 minutes or until small thin cracks appear on the surface of the cookies. Switch the pans halfway through baking. Pull the parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely before removing the cookies from the paper. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Makes 1 dozen 4" cookies

Grandma's Dill

2010-01-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

This is a great recipe for those times when I only need 1 T of dill for a sauce or garnish and am left with a whole bunch of it. Who would have thought dill could be so tasty on its own?? Ah, Grandma...

"Inside is more fresh."

From Vicky's Facebook:

Dill promotes good digestion and sleep. It is also prescribed for reducing flatulence and in cases of nausea. A tea made of the dill infusion can benefit little babies for lessening gases and improving digestion. Some people believe that the smell of dill will cure hiccups.

Due to several unique qualities of the dill, it is very beneficial to our health. The benefits of dill are the flavonoids, which includes vicenin and kaempferol; and the monoterpenes, which includes anethofuran, limonene and carvone.

The oils found in the dill plant have a beneficial quality that is described as a "chemoprotective" herb. This quality can benefit most cigarette smokers. It is a proven fact that it can neutralize certain parts of not only cigarette smoke, but also charcoal smoke, and the smoke produced by burning trash which are harmful to our health.

In conclusion, she says, "Well, it's just tasty. Enjoy dill today =)". Ok, Dr. Chang!

1 T Black Sesame oil
1/2" ginger, sliced or julienned
1 bunch of dill
1 T rice wine
1 T soy sauce

After washing the dill, cut into 2" segments down through the whole stem of the bunch. Heat a pan with the oil until hot then add the ginger. After 1-2 minutes, add the dill and cook until tender. Near the end, make a well in the pan and pour in the wine, cook a little longer and then add the soy sauce.

Serves 1-2

Artichoke Crostini

2010-01-14T22:20:00.001-08:00

I thought this turned out kind of bland and boring, but everyone liked it because it was fresh and light.

1 baguette (from Von's, produced a light crunchy toast), sliced 1/4" thick
2 Tbsp olive oil (not needed if using marinated hearts in oil)
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can of artichoke hearts (recipe called for jars of marinated hearts, which would make a big difference on flavor, save the oil in the jar but drain the water in the can)
1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves finely minced garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make crostini: brush baguette slices on both sides with a total of 1 Tbsp of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking shet and bake, turning over once, until golden 10-12 minutes. Cool.

Meanwhile, make topping. Finely chop artichokes without oil and combine in a bowl with the cheese, parsley, garlic and a little of the reserved artichoke oil.

Dividing evenly, spoon topping onto crostini, and garnish with additional parmesan if desired.

If using a can of artichokes, it makes 20. If using a jar of artichokes, it makes 8.

Tea Smoked Chicken in Lettuce Cups

2010-01-14T10:17:00.000-08:00


My first time smoking anything! Used jasmine rice in a metal tiered steamer like in the photo below. It was quite an experience. A little on the scary side, but really exciting seeing what it really means to smoke something. I never thought of it, but over the stove it's like dry steaming something.

Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: 4 hr 30 min
Cook Time: 16 min

1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup white rice
3 tablespoon Chinese black tea
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Shao-sing wine or medium-dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably dark (See Cook's Note)
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 T brown sugar

5 scallions (white and green), thinly sliced
mint leaves, chiffoned (optional)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 head iceberg lettuce
Sriracha sauce or other Asian chili sauce, to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime

Toast the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Cool slightly, and then crush in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle with the salt and five-spice powder until very fine. Rub seasoned salt all over the chicken thighs. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Bring the chicken to room temperature about 30 minutes before cooking.

Line the bottom of a wok, skillet or heavy pot with a double layer of aluminum foil. Mix the rice, tea and brown sugar together and mound on the foil. Set a steamer on top, and evenly space the chicken on the rack. Cover and cook over high heat. Hot smoke the chicken until smokey-brown colored and cooked through, about 12 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, whisk the Shao-sing wine or sherry, soy, ginger, and sesame together in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes. Brush over cooked chicken.

To serve: Dice the chicken into very small pieces. Toss with the scallions and peanuts in a medium bowl. Cut the lettuce leaves into 40 squares or triangular scoops. Place a drop of Sriracha on top of each lettuce cup, and top with about 2 teaspoons of the diced chicken. Squeeze lime juice over the top, and drizzle the remaining soy-ginger sauce over the chicken. Serve.

Makes about 40 cups, from Foodnetwork.com

Can't tell, but the smoke under the lid was curling and churning in dark, threatening waves. SO FUN!

Mango-Curry Shrimp Salad in Wonton Cups

2010-01-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

48 wonton wrappers in a package about 3x3"
Vegetable oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
5 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons mango chutney (mango, ginger from Trader Joe's)
3/4 teaspoon Thai green curry paste, not sauce or curry but paste.
12 ounces peeled cooked medium shrimp, coarsely chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, minced
Fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place wonton squares on work surface; brush both sides lightly with oil. (Or with a can of oil, spray both sides.) Press each into miniature muffin cup, oiled side down. Bake until wonton cups are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely in tins. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Remove cups from tins and store airtight at room temperature.)

Whisk mayonnaise, chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice, chutney, celery and curry paste in medium bowl to blend. Stir in shrimp. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. (Salad can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Place wonton cups on serving platter. Spoon 1 teaspoon shrimp salad into each cup. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Makes 48 cups, from Epicurious.com