LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES

April 20, 2013

These were inspired by my favorite local breakfast eatery, Café Aquarius. These thin, light pancakes practically melted in my mouth. I had to recreate them. I found this decent recipe, but it wasn't lemon and it was low-fat/low-sugar. Luckily, one of the comments had the real substitutes. For the batter, I mixed together 3 tbsp whole wheat flour, 2 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp baking powder, then added zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 1 lemon, 2 eggs, and 1/2 c ricotta cheese.

KIMCHI STIR-FRY NOODLES

April 7, 2013

My craving for Korean food while grocery shopping turned into this meal. I ended up buying kimchi, noodles, and bean sprouts. I stir-fried the bean sprouts, then added the cooked noodles and kimchi. I flavored with soy sauce and chili garlic sauce. I served with an egg and potatoes, topped with green onions. This meal hit the spot!

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

April 2, 2013

I tried to remake this amazing casserole dish I made with my friends many years ago at our Mexican friend Keith's place. I don't think it turned out quite the same without Keith's magic touch, but I recreated the dish by cooking ground beef with cumin, garlic powder, and salt and layering with noodles, beans, and cheese. I then baked until the cheese was nice and bubbly.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

March 25, 2013

This is another great rotisserie chicken leftover meal. I doubled this recipe with a 15-oz can of tomato sauce and a 1-pint carton of heavy cream. I omitted the ginger, jalapeño pepper, and cilantro. It was a tasty many meals.

SNICKERS CHEESECAKE

March 1, 2013

I melt for cheesecakes. And when Brendan mentioned Snickers cheesecake for Valentine's dessert, I jumped at the challenge. And with a belated Valentine's, I was able to buy clearance Valentine's Snickers. I made a chocolatey Snickers crust by mixing one pack of graham crackers, 5 mini Snickers bars, and 1/4 cup peanuts in the food processor. I then melted 3/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup butter and mixed with the dry ingredients. For the filling, I added 6 chopped fun-sized Snickers to this cheesecake (strawberries omitted) and substituted 3/4 cup sugar for the condensed milk. I found the secret to a smooth cheesecake: let the eggs sit out for a while so they aren't too cold. After the cake was baked and chilled, I topped with this dulce de leche. The cheesecakes were silky smooth and creamy, with just enough added crunch from the chocolate covered nougat and peanuts.

STEAK, EGG, AND POTATO BURRITO

February 28, 2013

I love being creative with leftovers. I made a burrito out of our Valentine's steak dinner leftovers by wrapping up steak, egg, mashed potato, and cheese and grilling it. I ate it with chimichurri salsa for one tasty lunch.

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA MUFFIN TOPS

February 20, 2013

I wanted to make something a little different than my usual banana bread. So I turned the banana bread into muffin tops by spooning the batter on a cookie sheet. I brought some to a meeting, and they were rapidly devoured. Brendan was upset that there weren't any left for him.

MACAROONS

February 18, 2013

These were our dessert for the Super Bowl. All you need are (sweetened) shredded coconut, an egg white, and vanilla (modified from this recipe). I added enough coconut to the egg white and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla until the liquid was absorbed. I scooped spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Once cooled, I dipped in melted chocolate chips.

DEVILED EGGS

February 16, 2013

For the Super Bowl, I prepared some easy deviled eggs. I removed the yolk from hard-boiled eggs, mixed with mayonnaise, chopped onions, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper (all to taste). After placing back into the egg white halves, I garnished with paprika, dill, and green onions.

STUFFED AVOCADO

February 9, 2013

In Peru, I had a delicious appetizer called palta rellena, or stuffed avocado. I used one of my many avocados to make palta rellena stuffed with chicken salad and tomatoes.

HOMEMADE FUNFETTI CAKE

January 23, 2013

For Brendan's birthday, I made a homemade version of his favorite cake, the Funfetti cake. I used this recipe for the cake and this recipe for a buttercream frosting. I used almond milk instead of regular milk in the cake and egg yolks for the frosting, which was probably why it was a little yellow. But it was still delicious.

GRILLED CHEESE

January 18, 2013

Brendan had been wanting to make this supposedly "best cheese/bread combo for a grilled cheese" from reddit, so I took the opportunity of Brendan's birthday (back in November) to make the sandwich. I slapped muenster and mozzarella cheese between two slices of the Tomato Basil bread from Panera and grilled. I heated up some tomato soup for some awesome grilled cheese dipping and sipping. Scrumptious!

SPICY BAKED FRIES

January 11, 2013

I am back from my winter hibernation. I still haven't had time to cook anything special, but luckily I have a backlog of foods not yet posted. These are some yummy fries I baked that had just the right amount of kick. I sliced up potato, mixed with olive oil, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. I lined them on a baking sheet and stirred every 10 minutes until done.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

December 8, 2012

I got up on a cool autumn morning and was determined to make a warming breakfast. I served up hot pumpkin pancakes with the letter B for Brendan, just like his dad would do. To make the letter, first pour the batter into the desired shape on the heated pan (remember that it'll be inverted!), then pour the batter normally over the shape. I substituted the buttermilk with almond milk and vinegar and added chocolate chips to the cooking pancake.

BEER BATTERED KALE

December 7, 2012

I used some leftover beer batter to make beer battered kale. I figured kale chips (baked kale) was good, so why not? These were delicious! I dipped the kale in the beer batter and fried until the batter was golden, and I sprinkled with some parmesan cheese.

JARRAHDALE PUMPKIN

November 20, 2012

We finally made it out to the Half Moon Bay pumpkin patches to get our pumpkin for this year. A few years ago, this nice farmer lady at the pumpkin patch told us the best pumpkin for cooking was the Jarrahdale pumpkin. Since then, we've been getting the Jarrahdale pumpkin, and one gives A LOT of beautiful orange meat, probably at least 10 cans worth ... a pretty good deal for only $5. We halve and bake until the meat is soft, then scoop and puree, and store for the season!

PUMPKIN GINGER MUFFINS

November 18, 2012

I've been holding off on making anything pumpkin until we got a real pumpkin, but I wanted to make a pumpkin goodie for my friend Diane's qualifying exam. So I went to my emergency canned pumpkin reserve. I used this recipe to make delicious muffins (i.e. cupcakes without frosting) with candied ginger from Trader Joe's (substituting the crystallized ginger) and vanilla pudding (couldn't find butterscotch pudding at TJ's). I also substituted about half the white flour with wheat and roughly halved the sugar.

PBBC CREPE

November 13, 2012

My idea of a good weekend breakfast includes some homemade goodies. A few weekends ago, I made crepes. I used this crepe recipe, substituting the white flour with wheat flour. My love for the peanut butter, banana, and chocolate combo (see my PBBC sandwich) produced a PBBC crepe with melty chocolate, creamy chunky peanut butter, and sweet cool banana wrapped up in a delicate and just-enough-crispy crepe.

EGGPLANT LASAGNA

November 11, 2012

When I first made eggplant parmesan, I thought that it was a good no-carb substitute for lasagna. So this time I made my mom's lasagna using eggplant slices as the lasagna noodles, layering the raw slices with cheese, tomato sauce, grilled onions, and stir-fried ground beef. I baked until the cheese was melted and slightly browned on top.

TIRAMISU CHEESECAKE TARTS

October 15, 2012

My simultaneous craving for tiramisu and cheesecake meant I was making tiramisu cheesecake. I was thinking of just making tiramisu and topping with cheesecake filling, but other people have had this same craving so I easily found a highly reviewed recipe that was similar to my idea. I increased the coffee liqueur as suggested to 4 tbsp for the crust and 5 tbsp for the filling. I also used half chocolate ladyfingers for the crust (I saw them at the store and had to get them!). The tarts were baked for about 20 minutes, and I sprinkled with cocoa powder, coffee grounds, and chocolate shavings after refrigeration. Decadent bliss.

CHILI STUFFED POTATO

October 12, 2012

Cooking for one means I'm going to be lazy. So, I used the microwave to cook a potato, then fried the halves on the stove. I carved out some of the potato meat, filled with chili, and sprinkled with cheddar cheese and green onions. Yum! I was stuffed.

BEEF BULGOGI

October 5, 2012

Brendan really likes meat. It's one of the few things he'll really take ownership of in the kitchen. He made this awesome Korean beef with just a few ingredients and grilled it on our little Foreman Grill. We ate it with rice, stir-fried zucchini, and a fried egg. The beef was tender and bursting with flavor.

CHIMICHURRI SALSA VERDE

September 25, 2012

The Brazil Cafe in Berkeley has this amazing green sauce on their delicious tri-tip sandwiches. I never knew what it was called, but I knew it consisted of cilantro and garlic. I actually meant to make pesto the other night, but for some reason couldn't find basil at either Berkeley Bowl or Trader Joe's, so I made this Brazilian green sauce. I threw in parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper into the food processor, processed it, and it was done. I tossed it over pasta, sausage, and sun-dried tomatoes, and have since then topped it on sandwiches and rice bowls. So amazing.

FRIED CHOW MEIN PANCAKES

September 16, 2012

I bought fresh Taiwanese noodles from 99 Ranch, but accidentally (or lazily) overstuffed the pot and overcooked the noodles. I was making chow mein with the same veggies from the spring rolls, but decided to turn the mistake into a twist. I mixed batches of the chow mein with egg to cohere for a batter, and fried them in pancake form. The noodles are similar to potsticker wrappers, so frying gave it the nice potsticker crunch.

SPRING ROLLS

August 22, 2012

On our boat expedition with Tao Philippines, our cook Ann made these lovely spring rolls. They were light and crispy, and dipped in a tangy vinegar sauce, they absolutely satisfied our aching stomachs after a day of swimming and snorkeling. I tried to recreate the spring rolls, but they weren't quite the same (but still pretty good). I tasted cabbage, carrots, vinegar, and pepper as the main ingredients in Ann's rolls, so I used these as my filling, also adding green onions, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and egg. I skimped on the vinegar because I couldn't taste them in my rolls. Next time, I won't hold back.

BROCCOLI GORGONZOLA PIE

August 17, 2012

Here is a great recipe from Brendan's dad. The veggies in this pie can be easily varied. To make, cut and boil one head of broccoli. Fry 3-4 finely chopped leeks in butter, then add 2/3 c heavy cream, 1/3 c water, 1/3 c chopped chives, 1/3 c chopped taragon, 3 tbsp grainy mustard, salt, and pepper. I used pie crust instead of the called-for pastry puff; place the bottom shell in the pie pan. Then layer in the leek mixture, broccoli, and 7 oz of chopped gorgonzola. Finally, cover with the top crust and bake at 400 F until browned (about 30 minutes).

HUMMINGBIRD CUPCAKES

August 5, 2012

Right before vacation, I had leftover pineapple and banana to consume. I also coincidentally came across this recipe for hummingbird cake. Perfect! I had never heard of it before, but pineapple and banana in a cake sounded amazing and cream cheese frosting is just awesome. I made cupcake versions, and as they came out of the oven, Brendan said it smelled like a mixed drink. The tart and sweet of the pineapple and banana came through for a nutty, tropical, and moist cake.

CARROT CAKE COOKIES

July 29, 2012

I made this for dessert when we invited our friends Evan, Kay, and their baby Kenta for dinner. Little Kenta couldn't keep his hands off the cookies and stole a few before dinner. Here's the recipe. For the frosting, I just added the sugar to taste, and for the cookies, I used walnuts instead of raisins, slightly less sugar, half wheat flour, and more carrots than the recipe called for (just to use up carrots). Super hearty and totally decadent with the cream cheese frosting.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN

July 28, 2012

This Moroccan chicken recipe is courtesy of my good friend, Kristina. For the chicken, coat 1 1/2 lb of 1-inch pieces in 1 cup flour and 1 tbsp Moroccan rub (paprika, curry powder, cumin, ground ginger, sugar, chili powder). Cook in a skillet, remove, and set aside. Then cook sliced onion, red bell pepper, 1 tbsp rub, 6 oz tomato paste, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper in the skillet. Add 14.5 oz chicken broth and simmer until broth is halved. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup sour cream, then add the chicken and 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and cook until heated through. Serve over rice and sprinkle with parsley!

CHICKEN SALAD, APPLE, PEPPER JACK PANINI

July 27, 2012

Time to catch up on my food after vacationing for three weeks... I didn't finish updating before I left, so here come some posts on foods from over a month ago. This sandwich was the result of the remaining apples from the bargain bin. It combines the savoriness, tartness, and spiciness of the chicken salad, green apple slices, and pepper jack cheese through crunch, coolness, and warmth. Yum!

APPLE PIE

June 22, 2012

I bought a bag of apples from the bargain produce at Berkeley Bowl and couldn't eat it all, so I had to make something with apples. This is the apple pie recipe I use, which is extremely highly rated. Its ingredients are simple; only two are non-pantry staples: apples and pie crust (unless you make your own). Alton Brown shows how to make a lattice pie crust on Good Eats, but this was the only video I could find. Alton just makes the lattice directly on the pie with the same method.

CINNAMON MESSY BREAD

June 21, 2012

My messy bread didn't turn out quite as pretty as the original recipe. It was messy! My loaf fell apart when I tried to take it out of the pan, probably because I didn't wait for it to cool since I was running late to a potluck. For the dough, I used two bags of Trader Joe's pizza dough. Next time, I would halve the butter because you don't need quite that much, and I actually had to increase the cinnamon sugar mixture because I ran out. Regardless, it still turned out delicious because you can't go wrong with cinnamon and sugar; the broken pieces turned out like mini fried cinnamon sugar doughnuts. Easy and simple.

MEXICAN STYLE SPRING ROLLS

June 20, 2012

This is another spin on the spring roll. Instead of Italian style, I made Mexican style rolls by filling with cheese and my special bean dip: black beans, salsa, and cheese heated up in a sauce pan. I topped off the rolls with some cheddar cheese, salsa, avocado, and cilantro.

STRAWBERRY COOKIES

June 8, 2012

I love feeding the people around me, and Brendan's around me most of the time. He loves sugar cookies and strawberries, so I adapted this simple recipe for sugar cookies by adding chopped strawberries. What turned out were some soft strawberry cookies. I also made a strawberry frosting by mixing together chopped strawberries, cream cheese, and sugar. Nom nom delightful.

JAMBALAYA

June 5, 2012

Jambalaya is full of flavor and fills you up, plus it's an awesome dish for lots of leftovers. After my qualifying exam, we had no food because of my hiatus from everyday life. So when I finished my exam, I craved a dish that would make me so full it hurt and that would give us leftovers to hold us over while I figured out other goodies to make. Here's the recipe. I use brown rice instead of white, and just use the amount of vegetables and meat that I have.

AVOCADO TUNA TARTARE

May 28, 2012

This dish was inspired by a tuna tartare I had at Yoshi's Japanese restaurant. I ate it and thought, I can make this! I minced raw tuna and mixed it with avocado, minced onions and green onions, and some chili garlic sauce. It's very much like the spicy tuna roll filling, but with avocado instead of mayonnaise. Refreshing!

LEMON BARS

May 14, 2012

Here's another yummy lemon dessert inspired by both Brendan's mom (the sweetly tart lemon filling) and my friend Sarah (the buttery, crumbly crust). Sarah shared with me her blood orange curd shortbread bars, and the crust just melted into my mouth. Here are Sarah's shortbread bars and the crust I used. I first made the crust, and while it was baking, I made Brendan's mom's lemon filling by combining 1 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, 1 1/2 tsp lemon rind, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 3 egg whites, and 1 egg. I then stirred in 7 Tbsp lemon juice and poured the mixture onto the crust and baked at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. After cooling, I sifted 2 Tbsp powdered sugar over the bars. I'll definitely be making these again!

BEEF STEW

May 13, 2012

This classic dish makes for hearty leftovers that get better with time. To make, I coated 2 lb cubed beef with flour, salt, and pepper, then cooked it in a pot with garlic until browned. I added chicken stock (I used what I had, though I think beef broth may be better) and rosemary to the beef, bringing to a boil and then simmering for about an hour. Finally, I stirred in chopped tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, and onions, adding water as needed, and simmered for another hour. After an hour, I added in cornstarch to thicken and seasoned with salt and pepper.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

May 4, 2012

This is another great recipe from Mama Till's kitchen. It totally satisfied my cheesy cheese craving and Brendan said it tasted just like what his mom makes (always a compliment)! To make the cheese sauce, melt 1 stick butter in a saucepan and stir in 1/2 cup flour. Then add 2 cups milk and bring to simmer, stirring often. Add 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cayenne, and 1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard (I omitted this since we didn't have it). Mix in 1/2 cup cheddar, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack, and 1/2 cup Asiago cheese until melted. Finally, add in chopped bacon. Toss the sauce with cooked pasta (13-16 oz), pour it into a casserole dish, sprinkle with chili powder and seasoned breadcrumbs, and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

CARAMELIZED PORK WITH EGGS AND DAIKON

April 24, 2012

This meal was inspired by a dish at UC Berkeley's dining commons. Who knew they would have something delicious enough that I would try to recreate? I decided to slow cook it and tossed in pork, daikon, hard-boiled eggs, and bean sprouts with chicken stock, water, soy sauce, star anise, diced green onions, minced onions, and garlic.

POTATO AND CAULIFLOWER CURRY

April 15, 2012

This curry is a very hearty dish that satisfied my Indian food craving. The recipe made a lot, so we had plenty of leftovers! The curry would also be good for freezing and saving for an easy no-cook weeknight dinner.

CELERY AND TOFU STIR FRY

April 14, 2012

This is a quick and light dish inspired by my mom. I sliced the celery into thin strips and stir fried with tofu, seasoning with a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil. The celery gives a lovely crunch and freshness to the dish.

GRASSHOPPER MAGIC COOKIE BARS

April 5, 2012

Because St. Patrick's Day (yes, I'm far behind on my posts) is all about being green, I "greened" the easy-to-make magic cookie bars by adding in mint chips for a St. Patty's potluck. I love the beautiful green glow from the mint chips!

VANILLA CHAI AND CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM

March 28, 2012

My friend Diane got an ice cream maker as a gift, and we made the first batches of ice cream in it! For the vanilla chai ice cream, we modified the ice cream maker's recipe for vanilla. We heated up 1 cup of whole milk with chai spices, then strained the mixture to remove the spices. We then mixed it with 3/4 cup sugar and a pinch of salt until dissolved, and added 2 cups heavy cream and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. After refrigerating for at least a few hours (compensating for the heated milk), the mixture was ready for churning. The chocolate peppermint ice cream was modified from this chocolate ice cream recipe; we added 2 tsp peppermint extract to the mixture, though I think the peppermint flavor was on the lighter side so next time I'll add more peppermint. The vanilla chai was a little too sweet for me, but delicious, and the chocolate peppermint was delightful. Plus, with the chopped chocolate chips, the chocolate peppermint turned out like malted chocolate peppermint!

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

March 26, 2012

I had buttermilk left over, so what do I make? Buttermilk fried chicken! The recipe is from Pioneer Woman. However, instead of using fryer chicken, I used boneless chicken thighs cut into strips. I also accidentally used up all the buttermilk in the soaking mixture without reserving some for the breading, but I just used soy milk that I had on hand — I think any liquid will really do for the breading lumps. We ate the chicken with Bakesale Betty inspired coleslaw, this time adding cilantro to the slaw as Betty does.

BARBACOA BEEF

March 22, 2012

This is an awesome recipe providing lots of yummy Chipotle-inspired barbacoa beef for days to come. Pairing the beef with fresh avocado, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro adds lovely creaminess, crunch, juiciness, and coolness to balance the spicy, tender meat. The leftovers stay savory and taste just as good with the refreshing sides. We made a few changes: we halved the amount of meat (5-7 pounds is a lot!), used a yellow onion instead of red, substituted vinegar for cider vinegar, and added the whole 4 oz can of chipotle peppers (so we wouldn't have to deal with leftover peppers).

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH AVOCADO

March 20, 2012

This is another easy and simple dish: spaghetti squash + garlic + olive oil + salt + pepper + avocado + parmesan cheese. I got my inspiration from this recipe. What a great and refreshing idea to add avocado!

SOPAPILLA CHEESECAKE

March 19, 2012

A couple weeks ago, my friend Stephen held one of his many taco nights. At the last taco night, I made this sopapilla and people devoured it. They were mostly a bunch of cyclists, so they do eat a lot. But this time, I doubled the recipe and made two batches of it. And they still ate it all. What is sopapilla? We (the sopapilla lovers) describe it as Mexican Pop-Tarts, since it's pretty much churro on the outside and sweetened cream cheese filling on the inside. The recipe uses simple ingredients and is easy to make, so it's great for feeding a crowd. The only change I make is halving the butter for the topping because there's just too much of it.

ZUCCHINI PATTIES

March 18, 2012

For part of a quick weeknight dinner, I made zucchini patties by mixing together shredded zucchini, eggs, salt, and pepper. I spooned the patties onto a frying pan and fried them like pancakes! It came out a little eggier than I would've liked, so next time I'll use 1-2 eggs for about 3 medium-sized zucchinis.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE AND GANACHE

March 9, 2012

It was my old roommate Krysia's birthday last last weekend. Because she has a wheat allergy, this was my perfect chance to try out a delicious flourless chocolate cake! I used this recipe for the chocolate cake and this ganache on top. There was a lot of ganache for the cake, so next time I'll halve the amount of ganache. The cake is extremely rich and chocolatey; it's pretty much a velvety slice of pure chocolate truffle. Mmmmm. Chocolate lovers, indulge!

AVOCADO BREAKFAST PUDDING

March 8, 2012

I made this easy avocado breakfast pudding from almond milk, avocado, and honey. I just poured in the milk and honey in the blending mixture until I got the consistency and taste I wanted! This is a lovely and refreshing yogurt substitute.

LEMON BLACKBERRY SWIRL POUND CAKE

February 27, 2012

This recipe had been on my to-make list since before I got all those lemons. The pound cake is my childhood favorite. I finally got to make the cake last weekend and it is divine!! The blackberry sauce puts it over the top. I substituted half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour and halved the sugar. I was also lazy and didn't core the blackberries; I personally like the crunch and homemade touch it gives.

PEANUT BUTTER AND COFFEE TRUFFLE BLOSSOMS

February 21, 2012

I loooove blossom cookies, and I'd never actually made them before. So when this recipe appeared on my radar, I had to try them out. I did make a few substitutions based on what I had — fresh coffee grounds instead of espresso powder and buttermilk with butter instead of heavy cream. The chocolate came out a little funky looking, possibly because of the heavy cream substitution (not recommended) and also probably because I didn't temper the chocolate properly. But the chocolate still tasted delicious! The coffee grounds actually turned out well as it gave a nice crunch to the chocolate and I could distinctly taste the coffee, almost like chocolate covered coffee beans. And I used my fancy kitchen tool to create the chocolates: a Ziploc bag with a small hole cut out of the corner. As for the cookies, I substituted half the flour with whole wheat flour and halved the sugar as usual. The whole wheat flour actually gave the cookies a more crumbly and buttery texture. I've made myself hungry and will now go and grab a cookie!

ARTICHOKE BISCUITS AND OVEN STEAK

February 20, 2012

For our belated Valentine's dinner (no time to buy food and cook dinner on a Tuesday), Brendan and I made artichoke biscuits with asiago cheese, artichoke, mashed potatoes, and steak. I used this recipe for the artichoke biscuits, omitting the olives and using asiago cheese with rosemary — I couldn't pass up this delicious cheese sample at Berkeley Bowl. Meanwhile, Brendan used this recipe for cooking steak in the oven, searing on a pan and transferring to a heated cookie sheet. Who needs fancy skillets or grills? Soooo savory.

BITE-SIZED LEMON TURNOVERS

February 19, 2012

This was an easy snack I made last week with the leftover lemon curd. I defrosted and cut Trader Joe's frozen pastry puff into small squares, brushing each piece with egg. I spooned lemon curd into each square, folded in half, and egg-washed the outside. These turnovers were baked in a 400 degree preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.

STRAWBERRY MUFFINS WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE SWIRL

February 11, 2012

For today's breakfast, I decided to experiment and create a new muffin. I wanted to make strawberry muffins and decided to add a cream cheese swirl. And because we have lots of lemons, I made the cream cheese filling lemon-flavored to contrast with the strawberries. I used my normal recipe for the strawberry muffins. For my experiment, half of my batch (6 muffins) were swirled with lemon cream cheese. To make the lemon cream cheese, I beat together 4 ounces of cream cheese with about 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of lemon rind, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I spooned the cream cheese mix on top of the strawberry muffin batter in the muffin pan and swirled it with the back of a spoon. I baked for about 25 minutes. They turned out surprisingly good!

LEMON TARTS WITH MACAROON SHELLS

February 6, 2012

I had several lemons from my parents' lemon tree and was given even more lemons from a friend whose family tree was also overflowing with lemons, so I needed to make a lemon something! I remembered a great trick from Oprah for juicing citrus fruits: bite them! (her demonstration begins at 1:20 in the video). And, Brendan's mom sent us several recipes, as she was also looking for things to make with her lemons. I was now well-equipped and chose to start with her recipe for macaroon shells filled with lemon curd. I first made the shells by combining 2 cups of sweetened flaked coconut, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 egg whites. I scooped the mixture into muffin cups, pressing into shells, and baked for about 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven. While baking, I made the curd. I first combined 1 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1/8 tsp salt in a saucepan. I then whisked in 1 cup of lemon juice and 3 eggs and brought the mixture to a boil, constantly stirring. I let the mixture simmer while continuing to stir for about a minute. I removed the mixture from the heat and mixed in 2 Tbsp butter and 1 tsp lemon rind. After cooling, I spooned the curd into the macaroon shells. Yum!

KOREAN SPICY SOFT TOFU STEW

February 2, 2012

Ever since my friend Diane introduced me to this Korean soft tofu dish, Soon Dubu Chigae, I have not been able to stop thinking about how delicious it is. I decided to look up a recipe and saw that it's pretty easy to make. There are many recipes out there, so I looked at several and made my own with what I had and what I wanted. I first cooked ground pork in a pot with some oil, then added freshly minced garlic. I then separately caramelized chopped onion and shiitake mushrooms. I combined the pork and vegetables, then added chicken stock to make the soup. For flavor, I added miso paste, Sriracha, and chili powder. Once boiling, I added the soft tofu and let it cook some more to heat the tofu. Finally, right before I was ready to serve, I cracked the traditional egg in the stew (it's usually cracked in the bowl as it's served, but that's when the stew is cooked and served in a special earthenware pot). I garnished with green onions and sesame seeds. Spicy and "heart"-warming.

PUMPKIN MOCHI PANCAKES

February 1, 2012

I saw this recipe for using pumpkin leftovers from Thanksgiving, but I think it's appropriate for the Chinese New Year (don't worry — my Thanksgiving pumpkin was frozen)! All you need are mochi (glutinous rice) flour, sugar, pumpkin, and sesame seeds, and you can easily make these in 10 minutes. You could even substitute other flavors for pumpkin and omit sesame seeds. I love the aroma and crunch of sesame seeds, so I would never leave them out.

CHILI CHEESE FRIES

January 30, 2012

Another great American childhood classic: chili cheese fries. These are also a perfect snack for the coming Super Bowl! Brendan hand-cut the potatoes and we sprayed them with olive oil and baked until done. We heated up the leftover chili on the stove and poured it over the fries, adding cheddar cheese and green onions. We baked the whole concoction for a few more minutes. Yummy!!

PBBC SANDWICH

January 26, 2012

I created this sandwich for my after-school snack today. And I'll never be too old for it. One of my favorite sandwiches is the peanut butter and banana sandwich, but this takes it to another level: PBBC (inspired by Cafe Fernando) stands for ... peanut butter, banana, and chocolate! Slather on some peanut butter, slice up some bananas, sprinkle on some chocolate chips, and grill.

CHILI

January 25, 2012

A big pot of chili has been sitting on my to-make list. I finally got around to this when my friends Shannon and Ivan stayed over, with help from Shannon (a future cook!). I figured it would be a great way to feed lots of people and still have leftovers. Well, Ivan actually just ended up eating dinner with the computer science club at some fancy schmancy restaurant in Berkeley. But, Brendan, Shannon, and I still enjoyed the chili. I used this recipe to get an idea of the spices to use. We caramelized onions and a bell pepper with garlic, stir-fried ground beef, and diced tomato, chili peppers, and celery, adding these to our new big slow cooker. We then added kidney beans, tomato sauce, chicken stock, Tapatío hot sauce, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, basil, onion powder, and garlic powder. We filled our bellies with big bowls of chili, topped with cheddar cheese and green onions.

EGG MCMUFFIN CASSEROLE

January 14, 2012

I've been seeing breakfast casseroles in food blogs and got the brilliant idea to take the Egg McMuffin and turn it into a casserole! I placed torn up pieces of bread in the bottom of a greased casserole dish, cracked two eggs on top, sprinkled on bacon bits, and baked in a 400 degree oven for around 30 minutes (though I think that was too long for me — I like my eggs a little runny). I then topped it off with some cheese right out of the oven. We paired it with some potatoes stir fried with caramelized onions. A deliciously hearty breakfast.

TORTILLA SOUP

January 14, 2012

I love getting rotisserie chickens because I can make so many meals out of them (in addition to just eating them alone fresh and hot), and they're so flavorful and juicy. We've already had two meals of fajitas and chicken pot pies. I decided to use most of the rest of the meat for a big pot of tortilla soup. I heated the shredded chicken in a pot of water, added chopped celery, and cooked for a bit. Then I added a large can of diced tomatoes (undrained) and a can of black beans (drained). I caramelized onions with garlic and tossed it in with the rest of the soup. For seasoning, I spiced it up with cayenne pepper, paprika, pepper, and cumin. I had the chicken stock and salt prepared, but didn't need it since the chicken really boosted the flavor in the soup. Add some fresh cilantro, lime juice, cheese, and tortilla chips before eating. Absolutely savory.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

January 8, 2012

I had gotten so much pumpkin back in October that I'm still making my way through it. So, I made pumpkin cheesecake! I used this recipe, though the sour cream topping was a little excessive for me (it adds a tang) and the filling was a little bland in terms of pumpkin spice flavor (but still deliciously creamy). I remember heeding the changes in the second review of the recipe last time I made this, halving the sour cream topping and adding more cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger to the filling, so I'll do that again next time to make it even yummier. I also added 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the crust. I made this two days ago, and the cheesecake is almost gone!

CHICKEN POT PIE TOPPED WITH SWEET POTATO BISCUIT

January 7, 2012

I usually make pot pie using Trader Joe's delicious pie crust, but when I saw this recipe topped with sweet potato biscuit, I had to try it out. I just got these super cute personal casserole dishes from Brendan's mom, so it was perfect for the pot pies! I used my usual recipe for the pot pie filling, varying the veggies with what I had. I put some biscuit on top of each and baked. The biscuits were very tender and fluffy and went so well with the pot pie filling! I was able to share this wonderful meal with Brendan and my friends Sarah and Lucas. It was perfect to warm us up on a chilly winter night.

MEDITERRANEAN LAMB WITH CAULIFLOWER

January 6, 2012

Our refrigerator decided to malfunction on Sunday, and things started melting in our freezer before we realized there was something wrong. We had frozen lamb loin chops that were mostly defrosted, so we had lamb for dinner! We made a Mediterranean style tomato sauce with tomato paste, mini heirloom tomatoes, sautéed onions and garlic, and with oregano, mint, thyme, basil, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper. I browned the lamb in the pan, then put it in a Pyrex pan and covered it with the sauce. I also broiled cauliflower and added it to the lamb. I then covered and baked until the lamb was done.

PESTO STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

January 6, 2012

A couple weeks ago, I wanted to make an easy and healthy meal, so I decided to make stuffed bell peppers. I threw together what I had in the refrigerator since I had just come back from vacation and only made a quick stop at the store. I sautéed some onions, tossed in sautéed zucchini and mushrooms from the night before, added bits of falafel for filling, and mixed in pesto I had frozen earlier. I stuffed the peppers with the mix and baked in the oven at 400 until soft. Very flavorful!

DRIED MANGOES

December 14, 2011

I've been busy with school, but here is a quick update with some food I've made! Brendan and I are in Hawaii right now, and in trying to eat up all our food before we left, I decided to convert our mangoes into dried mangoes for a travel snack. I baked in our oven at the lowest temperature (which was 170 degrees) for about 5 hours, leaving the oven door cracked open. I didn't add anything, and they still turned out yummy!

DARK CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN TRUFFLES

November 19, 2011

I have a weak spot for dark chocolate and for pumpkin, so together they are lethal. I saw this recipe on Gojee and had to make them. Truffles are very easy to make. You just mix the filling, refrigerate, roll into balls, refrigerate, coat in chocolate, and refrigerate. What took the most time was the refrigeration. For the chocolate coating, I melted 1 cup chocolate liquor (unsweetened baking chocolate) and 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. I was also lazy with the cookie crumbs and just crushed them in my hands, but that didn't make a difference with the filling as the bigger pieces softened in the mixture. When the truffles were done the next morning, I took a bite of one, and it was so heavenly I almost ate it all before taking photos of it. These dark chocolate pumpkin truffles are absolutely delectable.

PUMPKIN TARTS

November 19, 2011

I made these bite-sized versions of pumpkin pie using the same Libby's recipe as the pumpkin pie that Brendan makes. I created the tarts in muffin pans and baked them for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees. It turned out a little crusty, so next time I would thin the crust a little. Mmm, they were still delicious little bites of pumpkin creaminess.

MEDITERRANEAN LENTIL SOUP

November 18, 2011

Earlier this week, I made a big stock of lentil soup, inspired by our local Mediterranean and Lebanese restaurant, Wally's Cafe (their food is absolutely delicious — any order comes with lentil soup and baklava). Here's what I did: I boiled the lentils in some chicken broth, then added more water, shredded carrots, spinach, onions sautéed with garlic, chopped tomatoes, shredded chicken (optional, we had leftover chicken), cumin, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, salt, and fresh cilantro. I didn't add lime initially, but I'll squeeze some in for the leftovers.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS WITH OATMEAL CRUMBLE

November 10, 2011

Still working my way through the pumpkin, my next creation was these pumpkin muffins and pumpkin bread. I used the suggested portions from the first comment in this recipe, substituting about half of the white flour with wheat flour and cutting the sugar in half. Brendan has been begging for those blueberry muffins with crumble, so I appeased him by making the crumble from the muffins, adding ginger, nutmeg, and cloves for more pumpkin spice flavor!

EGG PANCAKE WITH PUMPKIN SKIN

November 10, 2011

I created this spin on the traditional Chinese green onion egg pancake — dan bing — by adding pumpkin skin. I stir fried pieces of pumpkin skin (from the pumpkin baked for the flesh) with soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, vinegar, and Sriracha sauce. The pumpkin skin with a little bit of starchy flesh worked really well with the savory sauces. I then made a quick and dirty version of the green onion pancake by briefly frying a tortilla and adding egg. I rolled up the pumpkin skin stir fry inside the pancake. Mmm... easy and quick.

PUMPKIN PIE

November 5, 2011

Brendan, the Pumpkin King, made this delicious pie. He's been making the pumpkin pie for his family's Thanksgivings since he was a kid. For this pie, we used the tried and true Libby's famous pumpkin pie recipe with fresh pumpkin and Trader Joe's deliciously buttery unbaked pie crust.

BEER BATTERED SALMON

November 4, 2011

I had made beer battered tilapia a couple weeks ago, and it turned out great! I decided to use the same recipe to try out beer battered salmon. I heeded one of the comments to cover the mixture (sans egg — I kept the spices in the mixture) and leave for 3 hours for the flour and beer to react. Since I didn't have a deep fryer and pan fried these, I double-battered the fish. Yum!

PUMPKIN CHIP COOKIES

October 31, 2011

Soft, chewy, pumpkiny, spicy, and chocolaty. I made a huge batch and froze the leftover dough for cookie nights. Here's the recipe from my friend Jenny (I added chocolate chips and used butter instead of shortening): Cream 1 cup butter and 1 cup granulated sugar. Add 1 ½ cups pumpkin and 1 egg. Combine 2 cups flour (1 cup white and 1 cup whole wheat), 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 ½ tsp. salt. Mix butter mixture and flour mixture together. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

PUMPKIN ROLLS

October 22, 2011

It's pumpkin season!! My favorite food season! We've already gotten two large pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, and when I saw this recipe for pumpkin rolls, I knew it was the first thing those pumpkins were becoming. I halved the sugar in the dough and filling recipe, and used about 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour for the white flour in the dough. I also only made half the glaze, since we had some cream cheese frosting leftover. I prepped the rolls yesterday and refrigerated them overnight. Then, this morning, I let them rise at room temperature for an hour before baking them. Delicious! I would even suggest adding more spice to the dough and filling to boost the pumpkin spice flavor. Now I can go finish eating my second roll.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS WITH OATMEAL CRUMBLE

October 15, 2011

I wanted to make a nice (but quick) breakfast for our anniversary. I love making muffins because they're easy and don't usually require any extra odd ingredients. I had blueberries, so that meant blueberry muffins! I searched All Recipes and found this recipe, which I can confirm is aptly named "To Die For Blueberry Muffins." I substituted the white sugar in the crumble with brown sugar, as suggested in a comment, and I decided to use oatmeal instead of flour for the crumble. I also substituted 1/2 cup of the white flour in the batter with whole wheat flour. Wow. They were still amazingly light and fluffy! Brendan claims these are the best muffins I've made. I think they might be better than Costco muffins! I'll definitely be making these for future overnight guests.

CHICKEN MEATBALL STUFFED MUSHROOMS

October 11, 2011

Brendan's gone for the night, which means I can make food with mushrooms! As I was washing the mushrooms, I noticed their large size and decided to stuff them with some meat. I found the overly salted chicken meatballs in the freezer (that I'm never buying again) to complement the milder mushroom. I took the stem out of the mushrooms and placed a small piece of pepper jack cheese and half a meatball into each. I baked for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Yum!

POTSTICKERS

October 5, 2011

It's about time I put potstickers on here. I almost always have a frozen stock of dumplings from a dumpling making party (with myself, usually). My mom taught me this yummy recipe. All you need to do to make the filling is mix up some ground pork, egg, green onions (chopped), boiled cabbage (diced), soy sauce, sesame oil, and oyster sauce. I just use pre-made dumpling skin from 99 Ranch and wrap the filling up in those. Then, boil, fry, or steam them for your craving. I usually make a few hundred and then freeze them for easy future meals. My next task is to make my own dumpling skin!

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

September 23, 2011

Gingerbread cookies for Oktoberfest! I used this recipe but used butter instead of margarine. My cookies came out more cake-like and lighter than what I expected from the picture on the recipe.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN STEW AND COUSCOUS

September 21, 2011

I wanted to remake some leftover rotisserie chicken, and saw this recipe on the Kitchn. A quick weeknight meal! Perfect! It was easy, though I had to make some modifications with what I had. I didn't have crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, olives, lemon juice, raisins, or orange juice. I used fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, and water instead, omitting the other ingredients. Delicious!

BREAD PUDDING

September 20, 2011

Leftover bread? Time for bread pudding. I never realized that it was just baked french toast. I mixed 2 eggs, almond milk, cinnamon, and some sugar and poured it over torn pieces of the bread. I let it soak for a while, then sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top and baked for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree preheated oven. Drizzle some maple syrup over for an added earthy sweetness.

PEACH COBBLER

September 18, 2011

Brendan has been bugging me to make peach cobbler. Apparently it's one of his favorite dishes. We made this dish together with Brendan doing most of the mixing and while I sliced up the peaches (which were so ripe and delicious I wanted to eat them alone!). Here's the simple recipe.

OATMEAL WHEAT CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

September 17, 2011

One of my all-time favorite muffins are chocolate chip muffins. Not chocolate chocolate chip muffins, but white muffins with chocolate chips, which are surprisingly hard to find! But, they're always better when they're homemade, so I make my own. I use this recipe, and do my usual of substituting half of the all-purpose flour with wheat flour and also halving the sugar. I don't use pecans and only use the chocolate chips. This time, I didn't have quick oats, so I substituted oatmeal I cooked with almond milk in a rice cooker, and the muffins turned out moist and flavorful! Almond milk is a great substitute for milk in baked goods, as it adds the subtle but sweet almond aroma.

CHICKPEA BURGER

September 8, 2011

These chickpea burgers are an easy vegetarian dish that was surprisingly tasty and quick to make! I adapted the patties in this recipe from Martha Stewart, substituting the white bread with sprouted wheat bread and omitting the ginger. We ate these open face with a slice of pepper jack cheese.

STRAWBERRY SCONES

September 5, 2011

I made strawberry scones (loosely based on this recipe) for a warm Labor day breakfast. Yes, it's already cold here in the mornings/nights. I didn't have strawberry yogurt, and only had fresh strawberries, so I mixed the strawberries with brown sugar and honey. I also added sour cream with plain greek yogurt instead of the strawberry yogurt. And, as I usually do, I used 3/4 wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose white flour instead of 1 3/4 cup white flour. This made 6 gigantic scones... perfect for a lazy morning.

BAKESALE BETTY INSPIRED CHICKEN COLESLAW BOWL

September 3, 2011

In the East Bay, Bakesale Betty creates the most delicious fried chicken sandwich with an amazingly awesome coleslaw. There's a kick to this special coleslaw, and the secret is jalapeños! I made some myself using coleslaw mix, jarred jalapeños, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar (all to taste). Brendan then made yummy fried chicken nuggets using Panko breadcrumbs, and we paired the two together bowl-style. Mmmmm, so good that my brother said it was the best meal I've made.

BANANA BREAD WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND WALNUTS

August 30, 2011

It's been a while since I made the classic banana bread. I took a recipe from my old roommate Krysia's mom, which we used to make all the time, and modified it a bit. I use 4 mashed bananas, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup canola oil, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar (reduced), 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup wheat flour, and then I usually add chocolate chips. This time I added walnuts for some extra crunch.

SPICY TUNA ROLL

August 29, 2011

I craved some spicy tuna roll, since I had recently had some delicious spicy tuna roll my aunt made with fresh tuna. And, because we had fresh tuna that Brendan's dad caught, that's all I could think about all day before I got home. So I immediately made some spicy tuna roll when I got home. I mixed a sauce of mayonnaise, Sriracha hot chili sauce, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce, all mixed to taste. I then added the diced raw tuna. We didn't have the nice large sheets of roasted seaweed, so I improvised by laying together the smaller sheets. I laid some brown rice (doesn't work too well compared to white sticky rice, but it's healthier) on the seaweed and then put the tuna mixture on top. I topped off with some roasted sesame seeds. Super easy and quick to make. This definitely satisfied my craving.

SEARED TUNA AND MANDARIN SALAD

August 28, 2011

We had a second chance to make seared tuna with some fresh tuna caught by Brendan's dad. This time, Brendan did a great job and didn't overcook it, searing the tuna steaks for about a minute and a half on each side. He pre-seasoned with cayenne, salt, and pepper. I made a quick salad with mandarin orange slices, raspberries, and tomatoes topped with a soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seed dressing.

HEARTY SALAD WITH MEAT, TOMATOES, AVOCADO, EDAMAME, AND BERRIES

August 26, 2011

Still trying to use up that beef, my brother and I made a delicious salad (as we always do). We just threw in tri-tip beef, canned chicken, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, avocado, and edamame into a spring salad mix. We added no dressing because the juices from the cooked tri-tip and from the canned chicken were already super flavorful.

MEXICAN STYLE STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

August 21, 2011

I've been wanting to make stuffed bell peppers, and we had a bunch of beef that needed to be used, so I decided to make it Mexican style, adding beef, tomatoes, onions, salsa, couscous (for some texture) and sprinkling with some cheese. I baked until the cheese was golden brown.

BEEF NOODLES

August 20, 2011

Brendan and I made a quick dinner: some beef noodles with onions and bell peppers. We seasoned it with soy sauce and garlic hot sauce.

RHUBARB CRUMBLE AND RHUBARB RASPBERRY PIE

August 13, 2011

Jenny and I had long planned to make a rhubarb dessert when she returned from Taiwan. We not only made a rhubarb dessert, we made TWO rhubarb desserts: rhubarb crumble and rhubarb raspberry pie. Mmmm, double the tart, double the deliciousness. The crumble was loosely based off of this recipe. We omitted the ginger and substituted apple cinnamon instant oatmeal for the oats. We made the pie in honor of Jenny's Oma, who used to make rhubarb raspberry pie with fresh rhubarb and raspberries from her yard. We used this recipe and used 2 cups raspberries instead of 1 cup blackberries and 1 cup raspberries. TOO GOOD!!

ITALIAN STYLE SPRING ROLLS

August 13, 2011

These are my specialty that I invented when I was ... 13? My mom used to make spring rolls, and one day, I decided it would be delicious to make it Italian style with chicken, marinara sauce, and cheese. And they are AWESOME! Jenny reminded me how awesome they are so we made them for dinner. There are some easy variations on those ingredients, too.

CALZONE

July 29, 2011

We wanted to make an easy, fun meal since Brendan's sister was visiting, so we made some yummy XXXL calzones. We used one whole pack of dough (from Berkeley Bowl) for each of our calzones, and I ate only about 1/4 of my calzone because it was so large (it filled a 9"x9" pan). It's easy to make: just roll out the dough until it's thin (about 1/8"), add your ingredients (we used pre-cooked cauliflower, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers; raw tomatoes and spinach; marinara sauce; and cheese), fold over, seal, and bake.

LIME ICE

July 28, 2011

I had about 2 cups of lime juice leftover from those watermelon JELL-O shots and I had about 1 cup of coconut milk leftover from the chickpea curry, so I decided to make an ice slush dessert with it. I mixed the lime juice with water and sugar to taste, whisked in the coconut milk, then froze it (easier when frozen in parts, like ice cubes). I then used my amazing food processor to blend it all up! Very refreshing and tart for a sweet summer pool day.

VEGETABLE AND CHICKPEA CURRY

July 25, 2011

An easy slow-cooker recipe I found on the Kitchn, this chickpea curry makes for an easy weeknight meal. I was at work for more than 4 hours, so I just put my slow-cooker on LOW for the whole day. The coconut milk adds a subtle sweetness.

BLACK-EYED PEAS AND BROILED EGGPLANT

July 24, 2011

This recipe has been on my to-make list for a quite a while, and I've finally gotten around to it! The original recipe is actually with lentils instead of black-eyed peas, but when I started prepping the eggplant, I realized I didn't have lentils so I substituted for black-eyed peas. Turned out to be delicious and extremely hearty! I loooooove eggplant, and it is absolutely amazing broiled! I could've just eaten the broiled eggplant whole.

WATERMELON JELL-O SHOTS

July 23, 2011

I saw these cute shots on the Kitchn from Erica and had to find a reason to make them. My friend's birthday was today so I made them for her and friends! Everyone loved them!! Be warned though that the limes are REALLY hard to core and I spent a good hour and a half taking out the innards. It definitely helps to use a paring knife to get around the edges first.

MAGIC COOKIE BARS

July 23, 2011

This magical dessert wins my heart over every time. The recipe comes from my boyfriend's mom and sister, who would always make these delicious bars for him. It's super easy: press a graham cracker crust (1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs mixed with 1/2 cup melted butter) into a 13x9 pan. Pour 1 can sweetened condensed milk over the crust, then top evenly with flaked coconut, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts (I use pecans), and press firmly into the pan. Bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned in a 350 degree preheated oven.

SALMOREJO

July 23, 2011

For a barbecue, I made this easy summer dish, which originates from Córdoba, Spain, where I studied abroad a few years ago. My host mom taught me lots of Spanish dishes, and this is one of my favorites. It's a garlic tomato dip typically eaten with bread or as a dish with hard-boiled eggs, jamón, tomatoes, and anything else you want to add. Salmorejo tastes even better when it's been cooled in the fridge. And it's super simple to make: blend together garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, and bread (not too stale that the processor won't blend) in a food processor or blender and you're done!

ARUGULA PLUOT SALAD

July 11, 2011

A few weeks ago, I had some arugula I needed to eat before my trip. Arugula is delicious, but when eaten alone, it can be overwhelmingly bitter. When you pair arugula with something savory or sweet, the arugula really brings out the taste of the savory or sweet thing. So I added a pluot that also needed to be eaten, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and salt to taste. A very refreshing summer salad with some juicy pluot!

BROWN (RED) VELVET CUPCAKES

July 8, 2011

Red velvet cupcakes have become popular with this new trend of southern food in the area. And just because they're red, those red chocolate cupcakes topped by delicious cream cheese frosting taste so much better than chocolate cupcakes (though I found out you have to add A LOT of red food coloring to get them red, so mine are brown). I used this recipe for the cake part, substituted 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with wheat flour and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk with 1/2 cup of almond milk and 2 tsp vinegar (since I didn't have milk or buttermilk). I also only used about 1 cup of sugar (I always halve the sugar and it tastes better because it's still sweet, but not too sweet!). The cream cheese frosting comes from my boyfriend's mom: mix about 8 oz softened cream cheese, 1-2 cups powdered sugar, 5 Tbsp butter, and 1 tsp lemon extract.

CHEESECAKE

June 22, 2011

Cheesecake!!! I made this for a potluck so I couldn't get a nice photo of a slice, but here it is in the springform pan! I used this highly reviewed recipe, but omitted the strawberry sauce.

COLD NOODLES

June 19, 2011

Cold noodles, or liang mian, are perfect for a hot day (temperatures finally broke 75 degrees!). My mom taught me this extremely refreshing and tasty dish from Taiwan. All you need are some cooked Chinese noodles (you can buy them cooked or cook them yourself), shredded cucumber, shredded chicken, and sauce. The sauce is made from 2 oz sesame sauce, 2 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vinegar, and 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Add hot water to the sauce as necessary to thin. Then, just mix the noodles, cucumber, chicken, and sauce, and you have the perfect summer dish! If you like it cold cold, then you can refrigerate before serving.

RICOTTA DUMPLINGS

May 12, 2011

Simple recipe for dumplings I made for a quick meal. No need for a food processor to knead the dough. I substituted parmesan cheese for the goat cheese.

FISH TACOS WITH AÏOLI AND ARUGULA

May 11, 2011

Leftover aïoli and leftover tilapia? I make delicious fish tacos with arugula. The best combination of taste and texture: fish, arugula, and garlic aïoli.

GOURMET CAMPING BREAKFAST SANDWICH

May 6, 2011

Last weekend, I went camping in beautiful Big Sur (a must-see if you haven't been there!). However, I still made sure we ate well with only a campfire and a small stove. For breakfast, we ate delicious egg sandwiches with breakfast chicken sausages and pepper jack cheese!

JALAPEÑO POPPERS

April 27, 2011

Yes, still on my spicy craving, I saw this delicious and simple jalapeño poppers recipe. Super easy to make. I made sure to make it extra spicy with extra Tapatio. I also modified by baking them instead of frying and they still came out great, though the breading was a little delicate as it didn't stick too well to the poppers. Next time I'll be sure to dry the jalapeños thoroughly before breading.

MA PO TOFU

April 26, 2011

For some reason, I just kept craving spicy. I remembered this delicious spicy ground pork tofu dish my aunt made, and I was determined to find it. And I did after some Google searching and chose this AllRecipes recipe. Really yummy with some chewy brown rice.

DAN DAN NOODLES

April 18, 2011

Browsing The Kitchn on my Google Reader, I came across this delicious and nostalgic meal. Craving some spicy food, this was perfect. So I went to the recipe, saw how simple it was, and made my own. Satisfied my spicy food craving. And, I had lots of leftover chili garlic oil to stir fry vegetables and other goodies.

CRISPY SALMON SKIN FRIED RICE

April 12, 2011

I had some leftover salmon skin that I didn't want to throw out, so I decided to fry it up for some crispy salmon skin. Then, scrounging in my fridge, I gathered some leftover brown rice and green beans to eat with it. Suddenly remembering this delicious eel kamameshi I had at Kappo Hana in Laguna Hills, I decided to make a fried rice similar to the kamameshi. So after frying up the salmon skin, I fried up some eggs, added the rice, skin, the need-to-be-eaten green beans and bean sprouts, and tossed in soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, siracha, and chili garlic sauce. YUM.

OREO STUFFED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

April 1, 2011

These oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies are exactly what they sound like.

Easy, simple, delicious.

PIZZA CUPS

March 31, 2011

Pizza cups? Marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese = always good. And they taste even better in little bite-sized cups. The 5-ingredient pizza cups are so easy to make and rival the Bagel Bites that you secretly eat even though you know you shouldn't. But you don't have to feel as guilty eating these pizza cups.

VERY BERRY SMOOTHIE

March 31, 2011

Long, long ago, I had much too many fruits and berries to finish eating before they went bad, so I decided to throw them in the freezer to use later for a smoothie. Several months after an entire summer of cold weather, it was finally hot enough in the Bay Area for a smoothie! Frozen strawberries + frozen blueberries + frozen raspberries + vanilla yogurt + soymilk + a blender. A little taste test told me it was delicious, and I added half a Thin Mint (yay Girl Scout Cookies) to each for garnish.

MIMI'S GIANT WHOLE-WHEAT BANANA-STRAWBERRY MUFFINS

March 23, 2011

Finally, I begin documenting my food cooking adventures. I've always loved cooking and learned all my skills from my mom, who's a wonderful cook. I begin with my specialty: muffins. This recipe has been saved in my "to make" list, so I decided to try it out since it was my brother's birthday, we had bananas and lots of strawberries, and I wanted to avoid white flour and dairy. Mimi's giant whole-wheat banana-strawberry muffins were a hit, but always remember to use RIPE bananas! I topped off the muffins with oatmeal before sticking them in the oven.