The Family Kusina

My Husband, My Reason to Relay

2010-04-09T18:48:00.001-05:00

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is more than just an event to me. It is my personal opportunity to help save lives from cancer by supporting the American Cancer Society.
It's amazing to think that millions of people will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Last year, my husband was one of them. What appeared to be a blemish on his cheek was diagnosed as melanoma. We were one of the lucky ones, we had caught it early. After numerous CT scans, ultrasounds, blood tests, and lymphoscintigraphies to determine if the cancer had spread, the doctors determined it had not. They excised the melanoma on his cheek, along with a pretty large margin around the melanoma to be certain the entire cancerous area was removed. They also removed 3 lymph nodes along his jawline, the lymph nodes where the cancer would have spread firstly if it had metastasized. After a few anxiety-filled days of waiting, pathology tests confirmed the cancer had not yet spread. From finding out about his cancer, to finding the right doctor, to understanding the diagnosis and treatment, to him undergoing surgery, and to finally confirming that the cancer was no longer on his body, I couldn't fight the tears when I heard the doctor say that he was cancer-free. Throughout that entire journey, we had to think positively and take it one step at a time. To think of the worst case scenario would have been paralyzing. And so there weren't many tears, since we knew we had to do our homework and act, or perhaps we both just wanted to be strong for each other.
Since the surgery to remove the melanoma, my husband has had two reconstructive surgeries to reconstruct his cheek. He has a 10-inch scar around his right cheek, a very public testimony to his strength and resilience in his battle against cancer. I know at times his scar bothers him, that sometimes he thinks it has changed him. But when I look at him, I KNOW and I SEE the same handsome and compassionate person I fell in love with 7 years ago.
By taking part in Relay, I am helping the American Cancer Society save lives by:
Helping people stay well by helping them take steps to prevent cancer or detect it early, when it’s most treatable
Helping people get well by being in their corner around the clock to guide them through every step of their cancer experience
Finding cures by funding groundbreaking research that helps us understand cancer’s causes, determine how best to prevent it and discover new ways to cure it
Fighting back by working with lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and rally communities worldwide to join the fight
Please support my efforts by making a donation or by joining my Relay For Life team. Together, we have the power to help create a world where cancer can no longer claim another year of anyone’s life.
Visit my Relay for Life homepage link below.
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10PL?px=14335700&pg=personal&fr_id=24003

Another Day Another Excuse

2010-02-27T07:40:00.004-06:00

Wondering about the lack of new recipes lately? Well you see, I've been detoxing as of late, which means my opportunities for experimenting in the kitchen have been limited. I guess it's a different sort of experimentation, "I wonder how this celery would taste with some lettuce in my juice this morning?". It's only a 21-day detox, and today is day 8, so no worries. It's not the end of my adventures in the kitchen.

Ever since starting the detox, my pantry has been filled with lots of yummy healthy things like quinoa, brown rice, different kinds of legumes, raw nuts, and almond butter; while our fridge has been jam-packed with fresh fruits and vegetables, almond milk, coconut milk, and lunches I prepared in advance. I've really enjoyed this detox program so far. It's called Clean, by Dr. Alejandro Junger. What I like about his detox program is the balance of resting the digestive system, by having 2 liquid meals and 1 solid meal a day, but also ensuring your body still gets the fuel and nutrition it needs. The solid meal has to be a 'clean' meal though, meaning nothing with gluten, lactose, highly-acidic foods, sugar, and no shellfish or high-fat meats (or in my case, no meat at all). These are all on the no-no list since the detox is trying to eliminate those foods which are known to be common allergens for a lot of people and that are known to be difficult for our body to digest. I'm really learning a lot about my own body and learning how to listen to it and care for it properly. It's been such a great experience so far, I'm thinking this could be the start of a transition into a more natural and organic way of eating and living.

A 3-Month Fast

2010-01-27T20:58:00.003-06:00

No, I haven't REALLY been fasting for the last 3 months. But I did take a 3-week hiatus from my kitchen in the month of December. Being thousands of miles away from your kitchen will force you to do that you know.

My husband and I took a nice long 18-day trip to the Philippines in December, during which I cooked nothing, yet ate EVERYthing. Be thankful I didn't take pictures of everything I ate while I was there, or this post would be pages and pages long. Here are a few mouth-watering snapshots of our [food] vacation in the Philippines.

The Philippine mangoes that are like no other mango in this world

Savory garlic rice, sweet Filipino sausages, and sweet pork cutlets... and that's just breakfast!

Breakfast meats to-order

Yummy carbohydrate goodness!

Pear Almond Tart

2009-11-15T10:34:00.005-06:00

Pear Almond Tart, not yet removed from the pan or sprinkled with the final touch of confectioner's sugar

I bought a new baking pan, a tart pan actually, one that I did not yet have in my baking supplies repertoire. Well there's no reason to add a new pan to my stock of baking supplies unless I use it. So what do I do? I start scavenging the Internet for great tart recipes. I've made a couple things in my mighty fine tart pan, but this is the only one I've taken a picture of and also captured the recipe to post in this blog. It's adapted pretty loosely from another blog called Living Tastefully, mostly due to the fact that I like to create (i.e. take risks on) new recipes from what I already have in my pantry and I don't happen to carry cherries, heavy cream, blanched almonds, or kirsch in my everyday pantry (what's wrong with me, right?).

Pear Almond Tart (serves 6)
Ingredients:
For the pastry crust:
8 tbsp butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for preparing tart pan
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup flour

For the filling:
1 egg, beaten
5 tbsp nonfat milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 large can pears, sliced lengthwise about 1/2" thick

Topping:
Confectioner's sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare round tart pan by buttering the pan surface.
2. To make the pastry crust, combine butter, sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl. Add flour gradually until a ball of pastry dough develops.
3. Place dough in prepared tart pan and spread evenly on the bottom surface and up the sides of the tart pan. You can do this by hand, flattening and spreading the dough with your palms and fingers. To keep your hands from being a greasy mess, cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap first and then spread the dough with your hands over the plastic wrap.
4. Pre-bake the pastry crust in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, until the crust turns a light golden color.
5. To make the filling, beat all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and put aside.
6. When the pastry crust has finished baking. Remove from oven and arrange sliced pears in a circular pattern over the pastry crust, covering the entire surface of the crust. Pour filling onto arranged pears.
7. Continue to bake for another 45 minutes, or until the custard is set and the pastry crust turns a darker golden brown color.
8. Allow to cool in room temperature. When cooled, refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar just before serving.

Equipment Tip: The tart pan helps make this dessert look so good. There's just something so French and so elegant about a variegated crust edge. Ahhhh yes. Most tart pans will come with a removable bottom so you can easily remove the prepared tart from the pan (and witness those beautiful edges, hehe). It's not necessary of course, but it IS pretty. You could use a regular straight edged cake pan, you just won't be able to remove it from the pan without it falling apart.

Sauteed Butternut Squash and Green Beans

2009-10-31T16:14:00.006-05:00

Butternut squash makes for the perfect fall dish

Sauteed Butternut Squash (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups frozen green beans

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pan, preheat vegetable oil over medium heat.

2. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and butternut squash. Cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add vegetable broth and continue to cook until squash is fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.

4. Add green beans, fish sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes, just until green beans are warmed through, and serve.

Bruschetta

2009-08-25T12:31:00.002-05:00

I served this tasty bruschetta during our last get-together with family and friends and it was a hit. It's easy to prepare and has few ingredients, make it a staple at your next get-together.

Bruschetta (serves about 15 people as light hors d’oeuvres)

2 french baguettes, sliced on a bias into 3/4" inch thick pieces

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

8 roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

1/4 cup basil, cut into thin strips

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spread a single layer of baguette slices on 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Toast in oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and place in serving basket.

4. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in serving bowl.

Cheese Enchiladas with Verde Sauce

2009-08-20T18:44:00.000-05:00

Another one of my pantry staples is whole wheat tortillas and enchilada sauce. Red enchilada sauce is what you’ll see used most often in Mexican restaurants, but you have to try the green enchilada sauce. When it comes to the ready-to-use, canned enchilada sauces, green is the way to go. The red seems to always have an overpowering taste to it that dominates the rest of the dish, that you might as well be sipping the red sauce straight from the can. Ugh!

Try this quick recipe for cheese enchiladas with verde sauce. It’s yummy and super simple!

Cheese Enchiladas with Verde Sauce (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 large can of green enchilada sauce

4 whole wheat tortillas

1 small can of black olives, sliced

Block of sharp cheddar cheese, sliced into 1/4" thick slices (8 total slices needed)

1 can of white northern beans, rinsed

1 cup muenster cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pour 1/2 cup of green enchilada sauce into a square baking dish and spread evenly on the bottom of the pan.

3. Pour 1 cup of green enchilada sauce on a pie plate. Take a tortilla and dip both sides into enchilada sauce. In the center of the dipped tortilla, add 2 slices of cheddar cheese, 1 tsp of black olives, and 2 tbsp of northern beans. Roll tortilla from one edge to the other, in the shape of a burrito and place edge-side down in the square baking dish. Repeat this step for the remaining tortillas.

4. Pour remaining green enchilada sauce on top of the rolled tortillas. Make sure you pour the sauce on the ends of the tortillas as well, or the edges will get crunchy in the oven. Sprinkle muenster cheese evenly over the tortillas.

5. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese topping is melted completely.

Serving Tip:

For a healthier and super easy side dish alternative to the usual refried beans and Mexican rice, place some frozen corn in a bowl, season with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, and microwave until corn is just heated through.

Vegetable Couscous

2009-08-16T12:09:00.009-05:00

I'm a huge fan of quick, easy cooking. That's why I always have couscous in my pantry. Nothing is better than a dinner that cooks in less than 10 minutes including prep. You could easily make couscous into a full meal by adding your protein of choice, maybe some diced leftover chicken, mini-meatballs, or some shrimp.

Couscous is pretty easy to find in any grocery store's rice/grains aisle. And you'll actually often find them already prepared with flavor packets. Those are good options too, but it's just as easy to flavor regular whole wheat couscous, which is often cheaper than the pre-mixed boxes. Try this couscous recipe as a side dish to any protein.

Vegetable Couscous (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup yellow squash, roughly diced

1 cup frozen chopped broccoli

1 cup roasted sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2" pieces

1 1/3 cup whole wheat couscous

1 1/2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add vegetable broth, butter, onion, yellow squash, and broccoli. Bring broth mixture to a boil.

2. Stir in couscous, curry powder, and salt. Remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes.

3. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Preparation Tip: I cheated slightly to make this recipe a 10-minute recipe. I actually had some leftover diced sweet potatoes from the other night that I re-purposed in this recipe. A quick substitute for the roasted sweet potatoes is zapped sweet potatoes. Just pop a sweet potato in the microwave for about 3-5 minutes, just long enough to soften them. Allow to cool, then dice.

Lemon-y Fresh Hummus

2009-08-12T11:21:00.002-05:00

I’ve become a huge fan of all sorts of dips and sauces. Traditional basil pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, hummus, olive tapenade; they’re all sooooo good. It’s easy enough to buy them prepared at our local specialty food store, but it’s also really easy to make at home too. What’s easier than putting all of the ingredients in a food processor, no slicing or dicing required whatsoever, and pressing a button?

This recipe is technically not hummus I suppose, since there’s no tahini paste in it, but it’s my lighter version of hummus. The parsley and lemon juice add freshness to the dip and the bold taste of garlic is to die for.

Lemon-y Fresh Hummus (serves 6)
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans/chickpeas, rinsed
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth.
2. Serve room temperature or chilled, with some toasted pita chips or tortilla chips.

Currant Scones

2009-08-02T13:06:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I last baked, and I felt a slight baking itch today, so I decided I'd make some scones. I enjoyed an excellent blueberry scone at one of Chicago's farmer's markets last weekend, and a blueberry scone sounded really good, but then I didn't have any blueberries. Hmmph... so I made currant scones instead.

I used a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens which, judging from the perfectly-firm-exterior-and-pillowy-doughy-center outcome on my first attempt at the recipe, will be my go-to scone recipe from now on anytime I want to create my own new twist and variation to the usual scone. You have to try it!

Warm Lentil and Asparagus Soup

2009-07-27T13:34:00.005-05:00

This recipe was inspired by a Tomato Lentil Masala soup I ate at an eatery that specialized in soups in Chicago. Their recipe probably calls for some tikka masala paste, but since I didn't have any on hand in my pantry, I introduced warmth and spice to my version with some cumin and cayenne pepper. It turned out quite nice and soooo good. And like most broth-based soups, it tastes even better the day after.

For a completely vegetarian option, omit the bacon.

Warm Lentil and Asparagus Soup (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 bacon slices, sliced into 1" pieces
1 bunch asparagus, sliced into 1/2" pieces on a bias
1 large tomato, diced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups dried lentils, rinsed and drained
3 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. In a large soup pot, preheat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add bacon and garlic. Continue to cook until bacon pieces are browned, about 5 minutes or so.
3. Add asparagus and tomatoes, and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add vegetable broth, lentils, cumin, cayenne pepper, basil, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high or high to bring soup to a boil.
5. When soup comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cook soup, covered with a lid, for another 15-20 minutes to fully cook the lentils.

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

2009-07-20T13:04:00.003-05:00

I rarely make cream-based soups, mostly because I don't often have heavy cream handy in my fridge (or I'd be whipping it and shoving it in my mouth by the serving spoonful). But I decided to make some butternut squash soup the other night to go with my feta, cheddar, and roasted pepper pesto paninis. And man was it good. Enjoy!

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

16 oz vegetable broth

1 can pureed butternut squash

1 cup heavy cream

1 apple, diced

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Add onions, carrots, and vegetable broth to a soup pot over medium heat. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked and softened.

2. Add pureed butternut squash, heavy cream, apple, cinnamon, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes.

3. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, blend soup until smooth. Or if you prefer a chunkier soup, skip this step altogether.

Serving Tip: Serve with toasted rosemary bread accompanied with a pesto spread.

Mozzarella and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2009-07-04T17:02:00.004-05:00

Mozzarella and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breasts (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten

4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

8 slices bacon, cooked

4 chicken breasts

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 toothpicks

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Butterfly chicken breasts.

3. In a bowl, add mozzarella to egg and combine. Inside the chicken breast, add 1/4 of the cheese mixture and 2 slices of bacon on top. Close the chicken breast and secure with a toothpick. Repeat for other chicken breasts.

3. Cook in broiler for 10 minutes. Turn each chicken breast, drizzle with olive oil, and cook for another 10 minutes.

Ina Garten's Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

2009-06-27T13:19:00.004-05:00

Just how much fat and sugar can one squeeze into a single cupcake? Better yet, an 8-inch round pan with excess cupcake batter and frosting to boot? Well, let's see. This sinfully good cupcake recipe from Ina Garten manages to use every form of 'butter' there is; good old fashioned unsalted butter, peanut butter, and buttermilk. And don't forget the sugars of course; there's granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and confectioner's sugar. And to top it all of, forget the predictable milk in the icing and use heavy cream instead.

This chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting is not for the faint of heart (literally). Now, how about a glass of whole milk with that?

Note: Although the recipe says it makes 14-15 cupcakes, I think it's more like 20+. I made 12 individual cupcakes and still had enough batter left for an 8-inch round. Also, for those who like to generously portion their cupcakes (ahem, I'm not one of them of course)... be warned, these cupcakes are overachieving risers.

Rotini with Artichoke, Tomato, and Peas

2009-06-22T20:50:00.006-05:00

Quick and easy pastas are a great go-to for a lazy dinner. Frozen peas, canned diced tomatoes, and canned artichokes are some of my kitchen staples that happen to marry nicely into the perfect pasta. I intended to take a photo of it to post with this recipe, but there's none left... which should give you an idea of just how good it is! :-)

Rotini with Artichoke, Tomato, and Peas (serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

8 1 oz slices of goat cheese

1 lb whole wheat rotini

Water

Salt

Directions:

1. Cook rotini in salted boiling water for 10 minutes, just until the pasta is slightly shy of al dente. Remove from heat and drain. Put prepared rotini aside.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

3. Add artichokes, tomatoes, and frozen peas. Cook until peas are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

4. Add prepared rotini to sauce. Mix well and drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil into the pasta.

5. Serve by topping each serving of pasta with 2 1 oz slices of goat cheese.

Orange Maple Syrup French Toast

2009-06-14T11:08:00.004-05:00

Start a weekend off on the right foot. Forget the cold cereal. Helloooo french toast.

Orange Maple Syrup French Toast (serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup nonfat milk
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp orange extract
8 slices rustic multi-grain bread, cut into 3/4" slices
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
1. Heat griddle over low-medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, maple syrup, sugar, and orange extract. Soak a couple pieces of bread into mixture at a time, until bread is fully moistened and absorbed some of the mixture.
3. Place soaked bread onto griddle. Turning after 4-5 minutes, or until desired shade of brown. The other side will take much less time, about 2 minutes. Remove french toast from heat.
4. Repeat steps until all of the bread slices are cooked.
5. Serve with softened butter and maple syrup.

Orange and Chocolate Chip Shortcake

2009-06-12T18:21:00.005-05:00

Orange and chocolate chips... it's the perfect combination. Add in some shortcake dough and you've got a guaranteed winner. Is it breakfast, is it dessert? Does it matter? Eat it whenever!

This recipe was adapted from Betty Crocker's shortcake recipe.

Orange and Chocolate Chip Shortcake (serves 8)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup milk

3 tsp orange extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with a silpat or other liner that will keep the shortcakes from sticking to the baking surface.

2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a fork.

3. When shortening is combined into dry ingredients (texture will be mealy), add milk and orange extract. Stir until combined. It should start to come together much like dough.

4. Add chocolate chips and knead into dough until evenly distributed. Divide into 8 balls and space evenly on prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on baking sheet.

A Better Grilled Cheese Panini

2009-06-07T13:01:00.006-05:00

Who can resist the classic grilled cheese? However, the white bread with the slice of processed Kraft cheddar stuck in between just isn't cutting it anymore. This adult version of the classic grilled cheese is more like it.

A Better Grilled Cheese Panini (serves 2)
Ingredients:
4 slices tuscan bread
Block of sharp cheddar cheese, sliced into desired thickness
1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
1 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Dried oregano to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened

Directions:

1. Preheat panini grill to the appropriate setting for making paninis.

2. To make one sandwich, spread butter or margarine on the outer side of two bread slices. Layer cheddar cheese, tomato, and feta on top of one slice. Sprinkle oregano, salt, and pepper to taste.
Place the other slice of bread on top of the sandwich.

3. Make the second sandwich the same way.

4. Place sandwiches in panini press, close, and cook for about 5 minutes or until desired shade of brown is reached.

5. Remove from panini press and slice each panini in half.

Pineapple Ginger Bread

2009-06-07T12:45:00.003-05:00

I'm a fan of homemade breads, muffins, and all things full of carbohydrates. There's just something about enjoying a warm, moist, melt-in-your-mouth piece of bread-y goodness, in all assortments of fruits, nuts, and and even vegetables.

This is my latest variation on a fruit-based quickbread, this time with pineapple, a hint of cinnamon spice, and a subtle taste of ginger. If you want a more pronounced ginger flavor, double the amount of fresh ginger used and mince the ginger instead of grating it.

Pineapple Ginger Bread (serves 16)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans and put aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together vegetable oil, vanilla extract, eggs, and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes or until well combined.
3. In a separate large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture just until combined. Add pineapple and ginger, stirring to combine.
4. Pour batter evenly into two prepared loaf pans.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in loaf pans.

Potato and Garbanzo Tikka Masala

2009-05-28T08:55:00.002-05:00

Indian food can be overwhelming to prepare... a complete spice pantry is critical, clarified butter is usually a must, and forget about having a tandoor handy in your arsenal of pots and pans. But fear not, today's everyday grocery store offers up convenient, prepared indian sauces and pastes with the perfect combination of a gazillion spices that makes preparing indian food a snap in your own home.

Try this easy recipe for a vegetarian Tikka Masala. Any brand of tikka masala sauce should do for this recipe.

Potato and Garbanzo Tikka Masala (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar Archer Farms Tikka Masala sauce
1/3 cup water
½ tsp salt
½ cup cilantro, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2” cubes
Water
½ cup plain yogurt

Directions:
1. In a large pot, cook potatoes in water until potatoes can be easily pricked with a fork. Drain and put aside.
2. In the same pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions appear translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, potatoes, tikka masala sauce, water, and salt. Stir until combined and lower heat to low-medium heat. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Add cilantro, stir, and remove from heat.

Serving Tip: Serve over a bed of brown rice and a dollop of plain yogurt on top.

Chocolate Orange Cake with Lemon Glaze

2009-05-17T16:59:00.008-05:00

I don't know why I do this when I invite a whole bunch of people over for a party, but I always end up testing out a few new recipes. Especially risky was trying a new cake recipe for Brian's birthday party last weekend... the CAKE of all things... the centerpiece of a BIRTHDAY party. This had the potential to be a very messy culinary miss. To minimize the risk of a complete failure, of course I select recipes that have gotten consistently good reviews online. But because I'm a rebel, I don't follow the recipe exactly, but put my own twist on the recipe instead.

Good news is it was a success. People raved and the angelic choirs sang with joy! Okay, maybe not, but it was good. Here's the recipe, adapted from Giada de Laurentiis' Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with Limoncello Frosting recipe. If you love the combination of chocolate and orange, you'll love this cake.

Chocolate Orange Cake with Lemon Glaze (serves 8)

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 box Pillsbury dark chocolate cake mix

1 1/4 cup orange juice

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp orange zest

2 tsp orange extract

3/4 cup chocolate-coated toffee, crushed

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp orange juice

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp nonfat milk

Directions:

For the Cake,

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch round baking pan by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray and lightly coating with flour.

2. In a large bowl, mix cake mix, orange juice, eggs, vegetable oil, orange zest, and orange extract. When all of the ingredients are combined, continue to beat on medium speed for another 2 minutes.

3. Stir in toffee with batter. When combined, pour into prepared baking pan. Smooth the surface of the poured batter with a spatula and tap the pan lightly onto your work surface to ensure there are no bubbles in the batter.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 39-45 minutes. Remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out with just crumbs, and not raw batter.

5. Allow to cool completely in the baking pan.

For the Icing,

1. In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, and nonfat milk until combined.

2. Put cooled cake on serving plate. Drizzle prepared icing in the middle of the cooled cake and push some of the icing toward the edge of the cake to allow it to drip down the sides of the cake.

Icing Tip: Pools of excess icing or rogue icing on the serving plate isn't exactly the prettiest sight, so here's a trick. Cut 4 2-inch-wide strips of parchment paper or wax paper. Before placing the cake on your serving platter, arrange the strips into a square border on the edges of the serving plate. Place the cake on the parchment/wax paper border. Ice the cake and let the icing settle. And voila!!!! The excess icing should land on the border instead of your pretty plate. This is a great trick for more traditional icings too.

Fruit Cocktail Upside Down Cake

2009-04-24T19:59:00.003-05:00

I adapted the Betty Crocker Bridal Edition cookbook's recipe for pineapple upside down cake into this... an upside down cake that, instead of having very-bad-for-you-sweetened-canned-pineapples, has very-bad-for-you-sweetened-canned-assortment-of-fruits. It turned out quite yummy, except I would probably have used less brown sugar on the fruit topping... perhaps it was just too much of a good thing.

Potato and Vegetable Chowder

2009-04-24T19:21:00.003-05:00

Cream-based soups are, more often than not, way tastier than any broth-based soup. It's that darn heavy cream that makes it soooo good. This chowder is a trick to your taste buds. You THINK there's cream in it, but there isn't, which means you can have double the servings! The starchiness of the potatoes is enough to give the soup a natural creaminess, minus all that heavy cream fat.

Enjoy!

Potato and Vegetable Chowder (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

5 medium Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

2 cups carrots, cut into 1" cubes

2 stalks celery, cut into 1" slices

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pan over medium heat, add vegetable oil, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables start to turn a golden brown.

2. Add vegetable broth, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Adjust heat to low-medium heat and cook for about 45 minutes, until the broth has reduced and the potatoes are a soft-mushy consistency.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit. Puree in a blender, to a smooth consistency.

Serving Tip: This is great served with some toasted ciabatta or french bread.

Cinnamon Raisin Granola Squares

2009-04-11T13:28:00.003-05:00

I enjoy a good granola. I like to make it in all sorts of varieties, using different nuts, dried fruits, and spices. I found a new granola recipe I wanted to try out, one that comes in a bar or square form as opposed to loose granola which is what I usually make. I found the only difference to be the addition of little bit of flour and an egg. Easy enough. So here is the tasty outcome; a little crunchy on the outside, perfectly chewy on the inside, and with a balanced combination of fruit and spice. It'll make for a yummy snack or even as an accompaniment to your breakfast yogurt.

The only recipe improvement I would make? Substitute chocolate chips for the raisins!

Cheese, Chocolate, and Pretzels...

2009-03-20T11:41:00.004-05:00

... and perhaps some beer. We'll be in Germany after all. The countdown begins, then we'll finally get to sample some authentic German fare!

Baking Fun

2009-03-15T20:54:00.003-05:00

Camera-shy pastry chefs Massaran and Mariam

The pastry chefs, Massaran, Mariam, and Matela, and their creations

Lovely decorated cakes in springtime colors

Pretty little cupcakes

Today I spent a few hours baking sweet, yummy treats with Mariam, Massaran, and Matela. They seemed to enjoy the whole baking experience, reading each ingredient aloud, checking off each step of the recipe as we completed them, tasting our yummy creations, and most of all, decorating! I think we have some pastry chefs-in-training.

We used the old fashioned Betty Crocker cookbook for white cake and buttercream frosting recipes.

Kiwi Strawberry Pavlova

2009-03-07T12:27:00.005-06:00

This is my first attempt at a pavlova, a light and fluffy dessert made of meringue, cream, and fresh fruits. It's quite easy to make, yet it looks like a professional pastry chef created it. The meringue has a beautiful light golden tint, and a perfect combination of textures, with a crunchy crisp exterior and a soft gooey center. Topped with cream that has just the tiniest hint of orange and sweetness, and some fresh berries, it's the perfect dessert.

Kiwi Strawberry Pavlova (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

Meringue

4 egg whites, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp cornstarch

Cream

12 oz heavy whipping cream, cold

1/2 cup confectioner sugar

1/8 tsp orange extract

Fruit Topping

1 pint of strawberries, sliced

3 kiwis, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. For the meringue, beat egg whites for about 8-10 minutes, or until soft peaks form, adding sugar 1/4 cup at a time in the process. Fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Pour onto the center of the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Spread into about an 8-inch wide circle, making the center of the circle a little bit thinner than the edges, to form a shallow bowl of sorts. Bake in preheated oven for about 55-60 minutes. Remove from oven. Leave the meringue on the parchment paper and transfer on a cooling rack to until it cools to room temperature.

2. For the cream, pour chilled heavy whipping cream into a large bowl. Beat on medium-high setting for about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup confectioner sugar and orange extract. Beat until combined. Add the remaining 1/4 cup confectioner sugar. Beat for another 5 minutes until it turns into a thick, airy texture.

3. Now it's time to assemble the pavlova. Create a layer of cream on top of the cooled meringue. Arrange strawberries and kiwi on top of the cream, as desired.

Ingredient Tip: If you're not a big fan of strawberries or kiwi, you can always substitute your favorite fruit. Any kind of fresh berries would be great for this. Also a note on whipped cream... the cream must be kept chilled before and after whipping. It's also important to make sure the meringue is cooled to room temperature, or you'll have a layer of watery cream on top.

Sweet Potato Spice Muffins

2009-03-06T20:10:00.002-06:00

Sweet Potato Muffins (makes 18 muffins)

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp clove

1 tsp allspice

3 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 can pureed sweet potatoes (not the sweetened yam kind)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, clove, and allspice.

3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, vegetable oil, and sweet potatoes.

3. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture and continue to stir just until combined.

4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Turkey Provolone Panini

2009-02-28T17:33:00.003-06:00

We love our panini press. It turns an ordinary sandwich into something a bit more exciting. The beautiful grill marks, the crunchy crust and the soft, warm center, the gooey cheese, the thick layer of warm turkey, and the color added by those yummy vegetables. Doesn't that sound better than a plain, cold turkey on wheat?

If you don't have a panini press, you could easily create a similarly yummy sandwich (sans grill marks) in a non-stick frying pan over the stove. This method may require buttering the pan-side slice of bread in order to brown the bread. And to thin the sandwich like a panini, you can place a pan over the sandwich to weigh it down.

Turkey Provolone Panini (serves 2)

Ingredients:

4 slices multigrain wheat boule

2 tbsp roasted red pepper pesto

8 thin slices turkey meat

4 thin slices tomato

1 cup spring mix salad greens

2 slices provolone

Directions:

1. Preheat panini grill to the appropriate setting for making paninis.

2. To make one sandwich, spread 1/2 tbsp of pesto evenly on a slice of bread. Layer 4 slices of turkey, 2 slices of tomato, 1/2 cup of salad greens, and 1 slice of provolone. Spread another 1/2 tbsp of pesto on another slice of bread and place on top of the sandwich.

3. Make the second sandwich the exact same way.

4. Place sandwiches in panini press, close, and cook for about 5 minutes or until desired shade of brown is reached.

5. Remove from panini press and slice each panini in half.

Ingredient Tip: You can substitute your favorite kind of bread in this recipe. I personally like the texture and crunch of multigrain bread for this panini.

Thai Fried Rice

2009-02-18T12:32:00.001-06:00

Thai Fried Rice (serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut into thin 1” strips
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups leftover white rice
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups frozen sugar snap peas, thawed
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
1. In a large saute pan, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over low-medium heat.
2. Add eggs, continuing to stir to make scrambled eggs, until completely cooked (about 4-5 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to the same pan and over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, red bell peppers, and mushrooms. Continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes or until bell peppers have softened a bit.
4. Add rice, breaking it down to make sure there aren’t any clumps. Add turmeric, salt, and pepper, combining well.
5. Add sugar snap peas and cilantro. Cook just until snap peas are warmed through, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Add egg and remove from heat.

Ingredient Tip: When making fried rice, it’s best to use leftover, day-old rice, for the same reason you use stale, day-old bread for bread puddings. Day-old rice grains have had a chance to dry, which allows it to absorb those spices and ingredients to return the rice to their ‘newly-cooked’ texture. If you were to use freshly cooked rice, perfectly plumped with water or broth, you’d end up with a mushy, porridge-y mess. That’s why fried rice is my quick solution for leftover rice that has toughened and hardened in the fridge.

Lychee Sorbet

2009-02-13T21:33:00.005-06:00

Many of my childhood memories seem to involve food. One of these foods happens to be ice cream... whether it was a much anticipated trip to the Magnolia ice cream parlor to get my 'choo choo train' banana split, a trip to yet another ice cream parlor that specialized in the traditional Filipino 'halo halo', or a jeepney ride to the neighborhood distributor of Selecta ice cream which oddly enough at the time you couldn't get from just any grocery store. It was always about the simple pleasures and memories that food seemed to create, especially when shared with family. And with the temperate Philippine climate, ice cream was part of many [many, many] childhood memories. My partner-in-[ice cream]-crime was grandfather. He had the ultimate sweet tooth and he LOVED ice cream.

One of my family's favorite ice cream flavors was actually a lychee sorbet. And so I sought out to re-create this yummy sorbet. With a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, you can make just about any frozen treat, including this lychee sorbet. And it's so easy! So if you don't have one, go get one. I promise you'll find it as useful as your KitchenAid mixer.

Lychee Sorbet (serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 can lychee in syrup

2 cups water

1 3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Puree lychee, including syrup, in a blender. It's okay to leave it a bit chunky if you prefer a bit more texture to the sorbet. Chill in refrigerator.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add water and sugar. Stir and continue to cook until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture nears a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

3. Combine pureed lychee and sugar mixture in chilled ice cream maker bowl and process in ice cream maker for about 25 minutes.

4. Remove ice cream bowl from machine, cover, and chill in freezer for at least 4 hours.

Bean Sprouts with Snap Peas

2009-02-09T20:16:00.002-06:00

This is a super easy, super fast vegetarian side dish. I served this with some lemon-y couscous with fresh thyme and great northern beans.

Bean Sprouts with Snap Peas

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups fresh mung bean sprouts

2 cups frozen snap peas

1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.

2. Add garlic and saute for just a minute before adding bean sprouts. Cook sprouts for about 4 minutes.

3. Add soy sauce and snap peas and continue to cook for another 3 minutes, just until the snap peas are warmed through.

4. Remove from heat and serve.

Rustic Spinach Quiche

2009-01-28T18:29:00.005-06:00

I had always been a fan of the pre-made rolled pie crust from the dairy section…. until I made my first homemade pie crust. It’s actually quite easy to make your own pie crust, particularly when you have the help of a nifty food processor. A mini 4-cup food processor will have the capacity to make one [buttery and flaky] pie crust. I found it quite easy to make a couple pie crusts at a time, then just wrap each one in plastic wrap and store them in my refrigerator until I needed them. Just note that if the pie crust is refrigerated for longer than an hour, it’ll need some time to soften a bit before you’ll be able to roll it out.

I made half of Martha Stewart’s Pate Brisee recipe to make a single perfect pie crust. I had my pie crust refrigerated for a couple days before I actually used it in this quiche recipe, so I took it out of the refrigerator and allowed it to rest on the kitchen counter for a couple hours before even trying to roll it out. To roll it out, I generously floured my kitchen surface, my hands, and my rolling pin. I rolled the crust into a [generally] circular shape, adding more flour to the crust, lifting the crust up and dusting the surface beneath it, to make sure it didn’t stick. When the crust is rolled to your desired thickness and size (mine was about a 1/4cm thick and just a tad bit larger than my pie plate), place in the center of a pie plate. Roll the hanging edges of the crust inward, then refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes.

Rustic Spinach Quiche (serves 6)
Ingredients:
Rolled out Pate Brisee
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/4 tsp salt, plus 1/2 tsp
1/4 tsp pepper, plus 1/4 tsp

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or until onions appear translucent.
3. Add spinach and continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, and stir. Remove from heat.
4. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Mix well.
5. Remove rolled out pie crust from the refrigerator and dock the crust (i.e. make a few ‘breathing’ holes on the bottom surface and sides of the pie crust). Place cooked spinach on top of the docked pie crust, add an even layer of mozzarella and parmesan, and pour egg mixture over everything.
6. Place pie plate on a baking sheet (to avoid messy oven spills if the quiche overflows as it cooks) and bake for 50-55 minutes. The center of the quiche should be set (i.e. not jiggling). Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Zucchini and Egg Sandwich

2009-01-18T20:18:00.005-06:00

I've had to be a bit more creative with my sandwiches now that I'm vegetarian. This was one of my recent creations, which Brian really enjoyed as well. The eggs give it a meatiness and the feta adds a wonderful tanginess. It's not something you can eat daily... all those eggs aren't ideal, but it's a nice lunchtime treat perhaps once a week.

Zucchini and Egg Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 slices french bread

2 eggs

2 oz feta cheese

1/4 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Spray a small frying pan with non-stick cooking spray over medium heat. Add zucchini and garlic. Saute until zucchini slices are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and put aside.

2. Toast french bread slices to desired color and put aside.

3. Re-spray the same small frying pan with more non-stick cooking spray. Fry egg on one side. When cooked, turn the egg over and break the yolk to allow the yolk to cook. When cooked, remove from heat and put aside. Repeat with the other egg.

4. Layer the sandwich, starting with a bottom layer of french bread, the eggs, the feta cheese, zucchini, and finally the other slice of french bread.

Rounded Handles, The Best Idea Ever

2009-01-11T07:00:00.004-06:00

I've upgraded a few items in my cooking repertoire lately, and this is my most recent one. Yes, it's a simple spatula. What's upgraded about it you ask? The super-comfortable, thick, rounded wooden handles... in place of the literally stick thin, flat wooden handles they had before. It's the smallest change, yet it makes the biggest difference. Those thin, flat handles always used to dig into my palm and didn't provide the best gripping surface. But this! This! It provides lots of ouchless hours of stable spatula-handling, so you can scrape your dough and batter to your heart's content. I highly recommend it! Upgrade yours now!

Rotini with Chicken and Ricotta

2009-01-04T21:24:00.006-06:00

Today was the first time I'd cooked any form of meat in almost a month and a half. It wasn't at all awkward, handling the meat I mean. But I was surprised by how unappetizing it was for me. I thought I would experience an urge to eat the meat, but it wasn't the least bit appealing to me. I suppose that's a good thing (although I have to admit that last night, I was craving one of those shamefully greasy Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches for just a brief moment).

Tonight, we had some friends over for dinner. And I thought it rude to impose vegetarianism upon them. So I prepared an easy pasta dish that I could just add some animal protein to in the end of the preparation and be able to carve out a vegetarian serving for myself while I'm at it. This is what I came up with. With some borrowed ideas from Giada de Laurentiis (indeed lemon juice and lemon zest is a yummy addition to this dish), this was one delicious bowl of pasta.

Rotini with Chicken and Ricotta

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb rotini

Salted water for cooking pasta

olive oil non-stick spray or 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied

1 large can diced tomatoes, undrained

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 container mushrooms, sliced

Zest of one lemon

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped

3/4 cup whole milk ricotta, room temperature

Directions:

1. Cook rotini to al dente in boiling water as specified by directions. Drain and put aside.

2. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken breasts on each side, about 8 minutes on the first side and another 4 minutes on the other side. Put aside to rest.

3. In the same saucepan, add tomatoes and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes to allow the tomato juice to reduce a bit.

4. Add mushrooms, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add parsley and remove the sauce from the heat.

5. Add ricotta and cooked rotini to prepared sauce. Slice rested chicken breasts into strips and add to the mixture. Toss well to combine ricotta and coat rotini with the sauce.

A [Despicably Shameful] Chocolate Frosting Shortcut

2009-01-03T17:25:00.004-06:00

I'm not a huge fan of prepared icing-in-a-can. I think they're high fructose corn syrup bombs that should only be used on occasion or in desperation. Sure, in essence, icing in itself is a sugar bomb. But my thought is, if you can get away from all the other unpronounceable ingredients (i.e. preservatives and chemicals) snuck into icing-in-a-can, then you're still better off.

Well I had to make a birthday cake in a pinch the other day and making chocolate buttercream from scratch just wasn't going to happen. I didn't want to slather icing-in-a-can just by itself on the cake since it just tastes awful that way, so I doctored it up and came up with this. This is a less sweet form of icing-in-a-can, accomplished by combining chocolate pudding with vanilla icing-in-a-can. This recipe is enough to make a thick filling between a 2-layer 9-inch round cake and ice the entire cake.

[Despicably Shameful] Chocolate Frosting Shortcut

Ingredients:

2 packages Jello chocolate pudding mix (instant or non-instant)

4 cups nonfat milk

2 cans vanilla frosting

Directions:

1. Prepare chocolate pudding by combining chocolate pudding mix and milk. If your chocolate pudding mix directions or ingredients differ from this, follow the directions and ingredients provided on the box.

2. Put prepared pudding in a large bowl. If your pudding required boiling or heating, allow it to cool until the bowl is just warm to the touch. Add vanilla frosting and stir well.

3. Cool frosting mixture completely before icing your cake.

Ingredient Tip: Substitute chocolate frosting for a stronger chocolate-y taste.

Sopas

2008-12-28T17:01:00.003-06:00

I remember sitting down to a big bowl of this soup as a child. My mom would make a huge pot of it, enough for days worth of leftovers and I would be content meal after meal after meal of this soup. It's a broth-based soup, not creamy at all. But the addition of milk gives it a less water-y sort of consistency. Trust me, it's good.

Sopas (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup carrots, diced

2 stalks celery including celery leaves, sliced

2 cans vegetable broth

1/2 lb rotini

1 1/2 cup nonfat milk

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, and celery. Continue to cook for 10 minutes.

2. Add vegetable broth and rotini. Cook for 9-11 minutes or until rotini is just shy of al dente.

3. Add milk, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

Oooooh, Aaaaaaaah

2008-12-27T20:23:00.005-06:00

Check out what Santa (i.e. my mom and mother-in-law) gave me this Christmas.

Petite All Clad stainless steel braiser

Heavy duty professional grade 10-piece Calphalon set

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

2008-12-20T15:48:00.004-06:00

My newest discovery and baking obsession? Brown Butter Icing... Yummmmmmmmm. I'm not usually one to put icing on cookies. They're usually sinfully delicious just as they are, without an additional dollop of confectioners sugar on top. But this, this is something completely different. In fact, it is so good that it's become my new goal to add this delectable icing on top of all things baked in my kitchen. Okay, so maybe that's a bit much, but it's THAT good!

So I tried a Martha Stewart recipe for Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing for the first time today and man, have I been missing out on this cookie treat for years! All this time, the ripped recipe page out of the Martha Stewart magazine has been sitting in my recipe box, untouched. But no longer! Make sure to print a copy of the recipe here. I'd describe it as more of a pumpkin whoopie pie than a cookie. And that icing, mmmmmm. It's the perfect balance of buttery, nutty goodness, instead of the usual pure, sugar-shocked royal icing used on most cookies.

This one has definitely made it to my annual holiday cookie line-up.

Pillows of pumpkin and brown butter icing goodness

Baking Tip: By the way, the recipe is a bit nit-picky with the preparation and directions. Trust me, you can make it simpler for yourself and not affect the outcome at all.

First, you can skip using the paddle mixer attachment. A regular whisk will do if that's all you have.
Second, the recipe tells you to use a piping bag when forming the cookies on the cookie sheet. This helps make perfectly rounded cookies (especially since the batter is pretty runny, much like a cake batter), but if you're not into perfection, just use a ladle. Or better yet, use a mixing bowl with one of those pouring spouts (and there'll be less dishes to wash later).
Third, forget about sifting the confectioners sugar when you make the brown butter icing. Pouring the hot brown butter on it makes all the lumps melt away anyway.
Fourth, make sure you make the whole recipe. Don't even mess with halving the recipe just because the recipe says it makes 6 dozen. It says it makes 6 dozen, but it doesn't... at least not in 'Kristine servings'. I made a half batch and was still only able to stretch my batter to make about 18 cookies.

Healthier Twist on Cheesy Broccoli and Cauliflower

2008-12-17T12:56:00.002-06:00

This would be great served as a side dish. Or you can make this into a main dish by adding large chunks of ham or turkey.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb cauliflower, fresh or frozen
1 lb broccoli, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp salt
Water
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup nonfat milk
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1 cup northern white beans, drained
1 1/2 cups 2% cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a medium-sized casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp salt, cauliflower, and broccoli. Cook until tender and drain well. Pour in prepared casserole dish.
3. Return the pot to the stove. Over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour, stirring well and ensuring there are no lumps, for about 2-3 minutes. Flour mixture will thicken to a paste-y consistency.
4. Add milk and vegetable broth. Stir well and cook for about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Add salt, pepper, oregano, beans, and cheese. Stir and cook until cheese has just melted.
5. Pour mixture over cauliflower and broccoli.
6. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle evenly over cauliflower and broccoli mixture.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until breadcrumbs are browned. Serve right out of the oven.

Coconut Meringue Macaroons

2008-12-07T13:42:00.005-06:00

There are cake-y macaroons (which are delicious in their own right) and then there is the light airy meringue-y kind of macaroon (which is also delicious, but as a plus, you can eat more of this type for the same amount of shameful calories because it doesn't have all that flour and additional sugar). This recipe is the latter. It's a favorite of my women's church group for Christmas cookie gifts.

Coconut Meringue Macaroons (makes about 28 meringues)

Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray

2 egg whites, room temperature

Dash of salt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup sugar

1 3/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 325 degrees. Prepare 2 cookie pans with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites, salt, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.

3. Add sugar to the egg white mixture and continue to mix until combined. Fold in coconut.

4. Drop by teaspoonful on prepared cookie sheets, about 1 1/2" apart.

5. Bake for 16 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown in color. Allow to cool on cookie sheets.

Mushroom and Broccoli Scrambled Eggs

2008-12-04T20:43:00.003-06:00

I've recently decided to become a lacto-ovo-vegetarian (which means I don't eat beef, poultry, or fish, but I will drink milk and eat eggs), and so you might notice that the sort of recipes I post on my food blog might change a bit from now on. But no worries, I'll be suggesting ways to incorporate meat, poultry, or fish to my vegetarian recipes so you can enjoy a 'meat-y' version of my recipes.

Since becoming a veggie, I've had to be more resourceful about getting enough protein in my diet. I could no longer consume a large slab of steak to account for my daily protein allowance and the freezer section Boca burgers were a good go-to at first, but I can't eat Boca burgers 3x a day. After some vegetarian food pyramid research, good veggie protein sources are whole grains, beans, soy, and [if you're the lacto-ovo kind of veggie] eggs. So I decided I would make a meal out of scrambled eggs... both yummy AND full of protein (also bad for cholesterol, but I'm not having this everyday).

Mushrooms are a natural alternative for meat, even in the ultimate meaty sandwich, the burger. Often you'll find a big meaty mushroom cap as the veggie option in a burger joint. The mushrooms add a 'meaty-ness' to this scrambled egg recipe. A good protein addition to this scrambled egg recipe is some bulk spicy sausage.

Mushroom and Broccoli Scrambled Eggs (serves 3)

Ingredients:

6 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup nonfat milk

1/8 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups quartered mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups broccoli, frozen

1/2 cup northern white beans, canned

1 cup finely shredded 2% cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

2. Preheat oil in a large saute pan over low-medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add broccoli and beans. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Add egg mixture and continuously push eggs to the center of the saute pan, until the eggs are completely scrambled and no longer runny.

5. Serve on a plate and add shredded cheese on top.

No Thanksgiving for Two This Year

2008-11-19T19:52:00.003-06:00

This year, instead of a cozy Thanksgiving for two, we're celebrating Thanksgiving with some of Brian's family in Wichita Falls. It's guaranteed to be a full and festive Thanksgiving meal with Brian's Aunt Vicki planning the occasion. The last couple times we've shared the holiday with them, we contributed Brian's popular fried turkey to Thanksgiving dinner. But I think this year, we may bring something else... oh the possibilities.

The options? Tried and tested brown sugar cornbread (thanks Martha Stewart), cranberry walnut relish (thanks Ina Garten)... or perhaps I'll test out a couple new recipes to see if they're Thanksgiving-meal-worthy; no-knead rolls (courtesy of Ree of PWC), or a sweet and savory bread pudding (courtesy of Giada). Hmmmm... yummy.

Lemon Herb Chicken Couscous

2008-11-13T20:05:00.004-06:00

Couscous is one of my favorite side dishes. It's quick, it's good, and it inherits the flavors of whatever you add to it. Fresh tomatoes and freshly squeezed lemon juice bring some lightness to this couscous.

Lemon Herb Chicken Couscous (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into strips

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp butter

4 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp parsley, dried

1/8 tsp oregano, dried

1/8 tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cup couscous

3/4 cup tomatoes, diced

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Brown chicken breast strips, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pot and put aside.

2. Add chicken broth, butter, lemon juice, parsley, oregano, poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the same pot. Bring to a boil.

3. Add couscous, tomatoes, and chicken. Stir quickly and cover for 5-7 minutes.

4. Fluff couscous and serve.

Serving Tip: This is great to serve as is, just by itself, or as a side dish. To make it a bit more nutritious, you could even add some frozen spinach.

Pasta e Fagioli with Chicken

2008-11-08T09:08:00.003-06:00

I love soups that can serve as a whole meal; a soup with the perfect combination of vegetables, proteins, and carbohydrates. This is one of those. This could easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth and removing the chicken from the recipe.

Pasta e Fagioli with Chicken (serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6 chicken drumsticks

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced into 1/2" pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium tomato, roughly chopped

1 can northern beans, rinsed

2 cups frozen spinach

8 cups chicken broth

1/2 lb whole wheat penne pasta, uncooked

1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Lightly brown chicken on all sides, about 10 minutes altogether. Remove chicken from the pot and put aside.

2. To the soup pot, add onions and carrots. Cook for 7 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, and northern beans. Continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes.

3. Add northern beans, spinach, chicken broth, pasta, all of the spices, 1/2 cup of parmesan, and the browned chicken.

4. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or for as long as your pasta cooking directions requires.

5. Add the rest of the parmesan and continue to simmer the soup for another 5 minutes, then serve.

Serving Tip:

Serve with warm breadsticks to make the perfectly light Italian meal.

Southwest Skillet Potatoes

2008-10-30T18:16:00.003-05:00

I am a huge fan of one-pot dishes. The less dirty dishes, the better! This is one of those. You can serve these for breakfast (add scrambled eggs and you've got a hearty breakfast burrito), lunch (add some diced ham to get your protein in), or dinner (as a zesty side dish).

Southwest Skillet Potatoes (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 medium red potatoes, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 small onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup red enchilada sauce

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4-6 whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add potatoes, red bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Do not mix it up initially. This will allow the potatoes to brown and cook for a bit longer and brown at the bottom of the pan while the other vegetables are just layered on top. After 8 minutes, mix everything together and continue to cook for another 6-8 minutes.

3. Add enchilada sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes longer and remove from heat. Serve on a warm tortilla.

Pumpkin Risotto

2008-10-25T19:22:00.005-05:00

Autumn is a season I've gotten to love over the years. It's not a season Filipinos tend to grow up with, so it's only recently that I've really enjoyed the season; mostly because of the richer, spicier foods that follow the lighter, simpler foods of the summer season. When cold weather arrives, out comes the chili, the stews, and of course, pumpkin-everything.

Well it's autumn once again... the time when pumpkin, sweet potato, and yams make their way into a lot of the dishes I cook. I had some leftover pumpkin puree from a batch of pumpkin muffins I had baked, so I had to find a use for it in some other dish. This is that other dish, a pumpkin risotto for the fall season.

If you're not a fan of pumpkin, no worries. The pumpkin gives this risotto a creamier texture and a beautiful color, as opposed to a strong pumpkin flavor. I guarantee even the pumpkin-averse will enjoy this fantastic risotto.

Pumpkin Risotto (serves 4)

Ingredients:

Risotto Rice:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup onions, chopped
4 strips less sodium bacon, sliced into 1/2" pieces

1 1/4 cup risotto arborio rice, uncooked

2/3 cup pumpkin puree
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tbsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to a large saucepan over low-medium heat. Saute onions in the pan for 2 minutes. Add bacon and continue to cook for 4 minutes.
2. Add arborio rice and cook for 3 minutes. Add pumpkin puree and stir.

3. Add broth 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Add the next cup of broth when the previous cup of broth is completely absorbed into the rice. Continue until all of the broth is incorporated.

4. Add basil, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.

Because risotto is a rice-based dish, it dries and clumps quickly as the rice continues to absorb all that extra liquid. That's why I suggest serving it right away. But what if you have leftovers or your guests just aren't ready to eat? It's easy to get that creamy texture back just by adding more broth and continuing to cook it over low heat.

Cooking Tip: It's best to use warm broth with each cup of broth you add to the risotto to help maintain the cooking temperature. It will also be easier to incorporate the broth into the risotto that way and your risotto won't congeal like it would if you add a cup of refrigerated chicken broth.

Hearty Chili with Vegetables Snuck In

2008-10-16T16:09:00.003-05:00

Aaaaah, the weather is turning cooler, those overcast skies are above us, and it’s feeling a bit soggy outside from the on-again, off-again drizzle. The fall season is finally upon us. The second it starts to feel like fall around here, I start feeling the urge to make some hearty stews. So with yesterday’s cloudy skies and crisp temperatures, I had to make some chili. And so I did. This was the chili recipe that resulted.

Hearty Chili with Vegetables Snuck In (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup radish, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
2 lbs 93% lean ground beef
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 can tomato sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, green bell pepper, and radish. Saute for about 7 minutes, until onions appear translucent and the peppers have softened. Add garlic and tomatoes. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 10-15 minutes. Add tomato paste and combine well. Once combined, add chili powder, cumin, and salt. Stir well.
4. Add tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Cook uncovered over low-medium heat for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and serve in a bowl.

Serving Tip: Serve with a perfectly warmed yeast roll on the side. And if you’re a cheese fan, add some shredded 2% cheddar cheese on top.

Ingredient Tip: You could easily substitute lean ground chicken or ground turkey in this recipe if you want to reduce your intake of red meat.

Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

2008-10-08T19:38:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe this is the first cookie recipe I've posted since I started this food blog. I love cookies (my faves are chocolate krinkles, chocolate chip walnut cookie, white chocolate macadamia, and this oatmeal walnut cookie). I have to say that I served this oatmeal walnut cookie to a few famous opera singers last weekend, and received great compliments on it. All along I thought I was sharing these cookies with family, and then before I knew it, I was sharing them with the talented performers I had just enjoyed watching at the opera. I thought that was pretty cool.

I'm not a huge fan of raisins in sweet yummy desserts (except maybe in scones), so I tend to substitute something else for them in these sorts of recipes. That's exactly what I did to this recipe that I adapted from the Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook's recipe for Daddy's Oatmeal Cookies.

Just a heads-up on the equipment required for this cookie recipe, you'll need:

- 3 cookie sheets (you can work with less than 3 cookie sheets, but you'll have to wait for the cookie sheet to cool before you put the next batch of cookies on it)

- a mixer with a paddle attachment

- parchment paper or silpat (optional, although clean-up is so much faster when you use these to line your cookie sheets)

- wire racks for cooling cookies

Oatmeal Walnut Cookies (makes 36 cookies)

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper or spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Put flour mixture aside.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, add butter and brown sugar and mix at medium speed with the mixer's paddle attachment. Mix for 2 minutes or until the butter and brown sugar are well combined and creamed.

4. In a separate small bowl, beat eggs and add vanilla extract. Combine gradually with the butter mixture, mixing at medium speed until incorporated.

5. Add flour mixture gradually, mixing at low speed until just combined. Fold in rolled oats and walnuts.

6. Portion a generous tablespoon of cookie mix on your cookie sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. I can usually fit about a dozen in each cookie sheet, resulting in the baked cookies touching each other slightly, which I'm alright with (the point isn't making perfectly round cookies, just yummy ones after all).

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies appear golden around the edges. The center may still appear soft, but that's okay. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet to cool slightly for 3 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire racks.

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

2008-09-27T17:52:00.006-05:00

So I lied... about this whole baking sabbatical thing. I couldn't do it. I tried, I really did. Not really. I didn't go out and buy sugar to make any sugar-y goodness desserts, but I did look up baking recipes that don't require sugar. So I found a good no-sugar banana nut bread recipe on AllRecipes.com and adapted it to my tastes. I must say that it turned out soooooo good. Despite using all whole wheat flour, the bread turned out completely moist, without that very dense texture that some whole wheat breads have. Using well-ripened, super-sweet bananas (and of course the fat in the vegetable oil) really gives it that fluffy, airy banana bread texture. So good!

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread (serves 10-12)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

3 medium bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cup)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup hot water

1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a bread loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, beat oil, honey, and eggs. Add bananas and vanilla, and combine with a spatula. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon, stirring until combined.

3. Add baking soda to hot water until dissolved, then add to batter and stir. Add walnuts and fold.

4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Not One Spoonful of Sugar

2008-09-26T19:52:00.006-05:00

My pantry stock is usually pretty reliable. You always want to be on the ready in case you find yourself with unexpected visitors or for going to last-minute get-togethers where showing up empty-handed just isn't proper. So I usually have the usual cast of baking ingredients on the ready since desserts and breads are always pretty popular with people and they're easy go-to's. The only problem is that they're just as easy go-to's even when there aren't any guests around or friends to visit. That's a problem indeed.

Sure there may not be any junk food in our pantry but just a quick whip here, a few minutes in the oven there, and voila! A moist and yummy banana bread, a perfectly chewy chocolate chip cookie, an irresistible coconut pie. All these baked goods for my household of two. I might as well have bought every item on that junk food aisle and then some!

The solution? Buh-bye oh-so-critical-ingredient-to-any-baking granulated white sugar. I'm now officially out of granulated sugar. I'm on a baking sabbatical. I hate to admit that just the thought of a baking sabbatical is slightly depressing to me. So until the time comes when I have a no-baking meltdown, I'll be working on non-baking recipes. Ba humbug.

Coconut Meringue Pie

2008-09-21T14:31:00.007-05:00

I was never much of a pie person until I discovered the goodness of Thanksgiving holiday pies a few years ago. Apple, pumpkin, pecan, rhubarb, custard, blueberry... I like them all. Brian's favorite pie happens to be coconut. I've only ever made this pie once before and when I thought of making it today, I couldn't remember exactly which recipe I used. The Better Homes and Garden cookbook seemed to have a few versions of coconut pies but it seemed like neither one was the one I used before. Well I did remember eventually... after I had already started with half of the wrong version of the recipe, hence the birth of Kristine's coconut meringue pie hodgepodge recipe which actually turned out quite yummy.

So here it is, my own take on coconut meringue pie, a recipe derived from the integration of 3 separate pie recipes provided in the Better Homes and Garden cookbook.

Coconut Meringue Pie (serves 8)

Ingredients:

Ready made pie crust from grocery freezer section, thawed

Pie Filling:

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tbsp all purpose flour

3 tbsp cornstarch

Pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups nonfat milk

4 eggs, room temperature and beaten

1 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup shredded coconut flakes

Meringue:

4 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

6 tbsp sugar

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Form pie crust in a round pie pan, crimping the pie edges. Bake for 10 minutes until the crust is a light golden brown.

3. For filling, add sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, adding milk gradually. Continue to cook until filling starts to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for another 2 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of the filling mixture to the eggs and stir to temper the eggs. Add egg mixture to the filling and cook over medium-high heat until filling starts to boil.

5. Remove the filling from heat and add butter, vanilla, and coconut flakes. Stir until combined.

6. For meringue, beat egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute, or until stiff peaks form when you remove the mixer beater. Add sugar 1 tbsp at a time, continuing to mix at medium speed between each addition and beating for about 4 minutes altogether.

7. Now to put the pie together, first lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Fill the pre-baked pie crust with the filling and smooth the top. Add meringue on top of the filling and spread to the edge of the filling. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until meringue turns a light brown color and there's no 'jiggle' to the pie.

8. Allow pie to cool at room temperature before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

The Easiest Basic Muffin

2008-09-13T10:32:00.004-05:00

I love finding an easy basic recipe to use as a foundation for all sorts of other variations of it. I found a basic muffin recipe on AllRecipes.com, tweaked it just a bit and it has turned out to be a perfect canvas for making 'insert-your-favorite-muffin-mix-in' muffins. I've tried a couple different mix-ins so far, strawberries and blueberries, and both have come out delicious! I'm going to try lemon poppy seed next.

Basic Muffin (serves 12)

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar plus 2 tbsp separated

1 cup nonfat milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

1 cup of your desired muffin mix-in, such as raisins, currants, fresh berries, or better yet, chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-muffin pan with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 3/4 cup sugar. Stir together.

3. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil, and egg. Stir together.

4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour wet ingredients into the bowl. Combine altogether with a spatula. You don't want to use a mixer in this case because it'll make for a denser muffin as more gluten develops in the batter the more you mix it.

5. Add desired mix-in and combine. Pour batter evenly into each lined muffin mold. Sprinkle the tops of each with the reserved 2 tbsp sugar.

6. Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Mix-In Tip: The thing with fresh berries is that sometimes you get a tart batch here and there. Especially with berries like strawberries and blackberries, you can macerate them in about a tablespoon of sugar for about 10-15 minutes before mixing them into the batter. Macerating basically means leaving the berries in sugar to allow the berries to sweeten a bit and release some of their natural juices. You'll also end up with a more colorful berry-tinted batter this way.

Berry Smoothie

2008-08-31T19:38:00.004-05:00

Try this refreshing and healthy smoothie as a breakfast treat. So easy and so good!

Berry Smoothie (serves 1)

Ingredients:

1 6 oz container of your favorite berry fat free yogurt

1/2 ripe banana

3/4 cup frozen unsweetened mixed fruit

6 oz light apple juice

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve in a tall glass.

What Is it?

2008-08-30T15:35:00.004-05:00

I baked a cake brownie recipe in my new Baker's Edge brownie pan and it resulted in this funny-looking meandering brownie. Pretty cool huh?

Is it a snake?

Nah, it's the U of M logo! Go Blue!

Asparagus Risotto

2008-08-30T08:25:00.006-05:00

This was my first ever attempt at this classic Italian dish. I love all kinds of rice, but risotto is especially decadent because it has a naturally creamy, rich texture that's different from most other forms of rice. It's also a meal on its own. Adding your favorite seafood to the dish rounds it out perfectly. You can pretty much make your own variation of risotto by changing up the mix-ins... change up the broth, the vegetable, the protein, the herbs, and you've got yourself your own original take on the classic risotto.

This is my first take on risotto. Because it's just so darn easy, expect to see a few more varieties of risotto recipes in the future.

Asparagus Risotto (serves 4)

Ingredients:

Risotto Rice:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 cup onions, chopped

1 cup risotto arborio rice, uncooked

3-3 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 tbsp dried parsley

1/4 cup parmesan, grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Asparagus:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 bundle thin asparagus, with the tough part of the stalks cut off

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Evenly spread asparagus stalks in a 13x9 dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 8-10 minutes or until the asparagus is tender but still a little crunchy. Roasting time will depend on the thickness of your asparagus. When asparagus has cooled, slice into 1/2" pieces.

2. Add olive oil and butter to a large saucepan over low-medium heat. Saute onions in the pan for 3 minutes, until onions appear translucent. Add arborio rice and cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add broth 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Add the next cup of broth when the previous cup of broth is completely absorbed into the rice. Continue until all of the broth is incorporated.

4. Add asparagus, parsley, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Stir just until the parmesan is completely melted in the rice. Serve immediately.

Expanding the Baking Pan Horizon

2008-08-26T21:48:00.003-05:00

I had seen this cool new baking pan on Rachael Ray before and thought it was pretty cool back then. Now it's the newest addition to my baking arsenal... the Baker's Edge Brownie Pan, a pan made for those people that can't get enough of those chewy brownie edges (which I happen to be one of those people).

I actually just got the pan as a birthday gift from my mother-in-law (she knows me so well), and I cannot wait to try it out. I will let you know how it turns out and post the brownie recipe I use if it goes well. I'm also going to experiment with other baked goods you could make using this pan... perhaps other dessert bars that have yummy, chewy edges. Oooohh the possibilities!

Vegetable Pot Pie

2008-08-16T15:07:00.007-05:00

I always have a pretty good assortment of vegetables in my refrigerator and a variety of frozen vegetables in the freezer. So I'll usually make an easy vegetable stirfry with it when I'm looking for a quick weekday dinner. But I wanted to do something different this time. So why not a vegetarian pot pie? This could actually still be a quick weekday dinner go-to since you can always make the pot pie filling ahead of time, refrigerate it, then just pop it in the oven when you're ready to make the pot pie. This recipe doesn't use the traditional milk/cream that pot pies call for, so it's a healthier twist to the classic pot pie.

Vegetable Pot Pie (serves 6)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup onions, chopped

1/2 cup green bell pepper, sliced into 1/2" pieces

1 1/2 cups carrots, diced into 1/2" pieces

2 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2" pieces

1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli

1/2 cup flour

2 cups vegetable stock

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large pot over medium heat, saute onions, green bell peppers, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in vegetable oil. Continue to cook for 7 minutes. Add peas and broccoli and cook for another 3 minutes.

3. Add flour and incorporate well with the vegetables. Once incorporated, add stock and stir. The stock will begin to thicken. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened completely and not at all runny.

4. Transfer vegetable mixture to a large casserole dish. Place puff pastry on top of the vegetables. If you're using a 13x9 dish, you can roll out the puff pastry to make it a little thinner in order to be able to spread it over the entire area of the dish. Another option (and the one that I prefer) is to use a second puff pastry sheet so you don't skimp on that puff pastry goodness. Just ensure all of the filling is concealed under a layer of the puff pastry. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the puff pastry is a deep golden brown.

Serving Tip: This is best served right out of the oven since the puff pastry will be at its puffiest and flakiest.

Banana Muffins

2008-08-09T08:53:00.006-05:00

I like my bananas on the light green side and when they start to get those freckles, forget it.

They're destined for banana bread. I had a few bananas in the black-and-extremely-freckled state, so I decided to make some banana muffins.

This is my relatively healthier take on banana muffins, using mostly applesauce in place of oil and mostly whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

Wet Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup applesauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 medium ripe bananas, mashed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and sift together with a hand beater.

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until incorporated.

4. Line a 12-muffin pan with paper liners. Evenly distribute muffin batter. Bake for 19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

5. Let muffins cool before removing from pan.

Filipino Chicken Afritada

2008-08-07T20:13:00.003-05:00

Chicken afritada is one of those Filipino dishes I grew up eating as a kid. I remember it being the dish my mom would cook to sneakily feed me vegetables. It worked, without fail, since it's so yummy. This recipe is a result of my Filipino kitchen adventures since I had never really been taught what should go into afritada, so I just made it based on my own recollection of what it should taste like. And honestly, my own spin on Chicken Afritada ain't bad at all.

Another good thing about this dish is that it's one of those one-pot suppers. What's easier than piling a whole bunch of ingredients all at once in a large pot and turning it into the perfect meal? This is one of those recipes; those dump and leave kind of recipes that's effortless and fool-proof.

Chicken Afritada (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp canola oil

8 chicken thighs, bone-in and with skin

1 can tomato sauce

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

2 cups baby carrots

1 cup celery, cut into 1/2" pieces

1/2 cup tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chicken to the pot and brown both sides, about 4 minutes on each side.

2. Add tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, soy sauce, water, and pepper. Continue to cook over low-medium heat for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked.

Serving Tip: Serve with white rice.

Ingredient Tip: You can easily substitute pork, cut into 1" stew-size pieces, for the chicken in this recipe.

Black Bean and Cheese Quesadilla

2008-08-01T12:57:00.003-05:00

The food options in the refrigerator were once again sparse and I wanted to make a quick and easy dinner. This was my solution... a dinner that took literally less than 5 minutes to make from prep to plate. This was my dinner, but it should really be more of like an appetizer. I love that it's quick and simple to make, and uses so few ingredients.

Black Bean and Cheese Quesadillas (serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 whole wheat tortillas

2 cups Mexican-style finely shredded cheese

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Coat a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and place over medium heat.

2. Place one tortilla on the skillet. Spread 1/2 cup portion of shredded cheese over tortilla. Evenly drizzle 1/4 cup portion of black beans over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally, evenly drizzle 1/8 cup portion of cilantro.

3. Fold tortilla in half and press down firmly to form a half moon shape. Remove tortilla from the skillet when it turns deep golden brown in color and feels crisp to the touch, which should be just a couple minutes.

4. Do the same for the rest of the remaining tortillas. Slice each half moon into desired serving pieces.

Serving Tip: Serve the tortillas alongside bowls of sour cream, guacamole, or a variety of salsas.

Asian Rice Pudding with Jackfruit

2008-07-26T08:22:00.007-05:00

Our neighborhood Indian restaurant serves this delicious rice pudding, a great palate-cleansing follow-up to a spicy Indian curry dinner. They use Indian basmati rice and some combination of spices that I haven't yet figured out. So I thought I'd try to create my own version of rice pudding with an Asian flair.

Asian Rice Pudding with Jackfruit (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked Jasmine rice or any variation of white long grain rice

2 cups half and half

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup shredded jackfruit, drained of juices (jarred or canned in syrup, not fresh)

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan.

2. Simmer for 45 minutes or until mixture has thickened to desired consistency. It's best to turn the heat off after 45 minutes and leave the pudding a little watery. The rice will continue to absorb some of the liquid as it cools. Serve the pudding once it has cooled to room temperature.

Cooking Options: You can purchase jarred or canned jackfruit at an asian food market. If you can't find jackfruit in your area, you could easily substitute more accessible add-ins like raisins or currants for the jackfruit. I would just recommend staying away from using fresh fruits since their flavor tends to be drowned out by the coconut milk.

Roasted Rosemary Garlic Potatoes

2008-07-17T21:18:00.003-05:00

This is the easiest side dish to pop into the oven and just leave to roast. Enjoy it with your favorite protein dish.

Roasted Rosemary Garlic Potatoes (serves 6)

Ingredients:

6 medium Russet potatoes, cut into 1" pieces

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Prepare a 13x9 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Add potatoes, rosemary, garlic powder, sea salt, pepper, and olive oil to the prepared pan. Toss well.

3. Roast in the oven for 50 minutes, tossing the potatoes halfway through the cooking time in order to lightly brown all sides.

Cooking Tip: I actually like to cook the potatoes a little bit longer than I specified above to really brown the potatoes, since I like that browned potato taste. So depending on your own preferences, you may also want to extend the cooking time. The 50 minutes I mentioned above will be enough time to tenderize the potatoes and give them a nice lightly browned color.

Vegetable Stirfry

2008-07-04T07:57:00.004-05:00

This recipe was a result of surveying what I had in the refrigerator and putting what I found altogether. And voila, instant dinner! And boy is it good and healthy too!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 cups frozen peas

1/2 head napa cabbage, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 tbsp oyster sauce

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion for 3 minutes or until onions appear translucent. Add garlic, celery, and peas. Continue to cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add napa cabbage, salt, pepper, and oyster sauce. Cook for 8 minutes or until cabbage appears slightly wilted. Serve.

Ingredient Alternatives: Add ground turkey, chicken, or pork to incorporate a protein into the dish.

Filipino Chicken Adobo

2008-06-14T11:44:00.003-05:00

Chicken Adobo (serves 4)

Ingredients:

8 pcs boneless chicken thighs

2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup water

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 bay leaf

1/2 tsp peppercorns

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients a large pot and allow to marinade in refrigerator for a couple hours.

2. Place covered pot over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. Simmer covered for another 10 minutes.

3. Uncover and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes, reducing the soy sauce mixture slightly.

Serving Tip: Serve over a bed of white rice.

Coconut Squash

2008-06-12T10:06:00.006-05:00

I love squash, with its subtle sweetness, especially when prepared in a salty and savory coconut milk sauce. This can easily be converted into a vegetarian recipe by using vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.

Coconut Squash (serves 6)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large butternut squash, seeds removed and sliced into 1” pieces
2 cups green beans, sliced into 1” long pieces
1 14 oz can coconut milk
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
5 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add squash and green beans, and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Add coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until both squash and green beans are fork tender.

Ingredient Alternatives: You can replace the green beans with any complementary vegetable that you have on hand, like peas, cauliflower, or carrots. And feel free to use frozen veggies!

Serving Tip: This is great as a side dish for any protein, served with a side of brown or white rice.

Coffee Cake Streusel

2008-06-01T18:51:00.006-05:00

A new oven calls for new adventures in the kitchen. After my new range was delivered and installed, I immediately scrambled for things to cook, bake, roast, you name it. So in the short time I've had the range, I've roasted some rosemary and garlic potatoes, baked banana bread, cooked a few chicken breasts with corn and peas on the side, made some chicken biryani curry with brown rice, and baked this yummy coffee cake streusel.

This coffee cake streusel is so simple and so deliciously moist. It's great for breakfast or as an afternoon snack, served with some coffee or tea. This recipe was adapted from a recipe on AllRecipes.com.

Coffee Cake Streusel (serves about 16)

Ingredients:

Streusel:

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into 1 tbsp portions

Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into 1 tbsp portions

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 pan.

2. Make the streusel topping by combining all the streusel ingredients in a medium bowl, cutting the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture develops into coarse crumbs with small pebble-sized pieces of butter. Set streusel aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in butter until mixture develops into fine crumbs with a texture like sand. Combine egg, milk, and vanilla in a measuring cup. Mix with flour mixture until just combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with streusel topping.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool and serve.

Baking Tip: Cutting chilled butter into 1 tablespoon portions before cutting or mixing it into dried ingredients helps to get it incorporated more easily.

A Shiny New Toy

2008-05-30T12:06:00.006-05:00

Is it ridiculous to be so excited and thrilled about a new cooking range? I'm like a child on Christmas morning with a shiny new bicycle under the tree, except my shiny new bicycle is in the form of a kitchen appliance. I know, it's just silly. But look at how much nicer my kitchen looks with this snazzy, stainless steel range.

Before...

... After

A New Range to the Rescue - Coming Soon

2008-05-25T08:01:00.003-05:00

I mentioned in my previous post that my cooking range was broken, although this time for good. No worries though, a replacement has been ordered... for a new and highly improved, high-tech gas range with not 4 burners, but 5, and not 1 oven, but 2! I'm going to be a cooking and baking machine! My new monster range gets delivered on Friday. I can't wait!

Dramatic before and after pictures coming soon.

No Bake Cheesecake

2008-05-24T07:31:00.006-05:00

Our oven is once again broken, but this time it's for good. The oven's gas valve seems to fail to close when the oven is turned off. Hence, gas continues to be emitted into the oven even when the oven is shut off. Definitely a bad thing! So we've turned off the main valve to the cooking range to stop the leak. The only problem is that anytime you wish to cook or bake anything, it requires pulling the heavy range a few feet away from the wall in order to reach the main valve and turn it on and then, once the range has cooled from cooking so we can safely pull the range without burning ourselves, turn the main valve off again. What an ordeal!

We had a family party this evening, to which I was assigned to bring dessert. And so I started to think of desserts I could make that don't require the use of an oven, to avoid the whole oven ordeal altogether. I immediately thought of a no bake cheesecake, the go-to cheesecake recipe for people who don't like to bother with bain-maries and springform pans, and for people who are having oven troubles like me. So here it is, a very simple recipe for a Basic No Bake Cheesecake.

A cherry-topped no bake cheesecake

Basic No Bake Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 8-oz packages of Neufchatel cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

4 oz fat free whipped topping, defrosted

Directions:

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a large bowl. Press mixture into a 9-inch glass pie plate, pressing it evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Cool in refrigerator or freezer until the crust is firm to the touch.

2. In a large bowl, mix together Neufchatel cheese and sugar until combined well. Carefully fold in whipped topping.

3. Spread mixture evenly on top of cooled graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Serving Tip: Set up a topping bar along with your Basic No Bake Cheesecake. Just assemble your favorite fruit toppings like macerated cherries, blueberries, and strawberries in small bowls and let your guests get creative with their slice. Feel free to use the canned pie toppings as a quick and easy shortcut.

Our New Favorite Kitchen Appliance

2008-05-21T19:49:00.006-05:00

For awhile, our favorite 'fun' kitchen appliance (excluding the usual coffee maker, KitchenAid mixer, toaster and such) was our ice cream maker. Who wouldn't appreciate freshly homemade cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, 'insert-your-favorite-flavor' ice cream after all?

But now we've found another cool new kitchen toy... the Nespresso Concept automatic espresso maker [cue the heavenly revelation background music].

It uses ground espresso beans individually sealed in pods to make the perfect 3 ounce espresso, complete with that rich layer of crema on top, all with a touch of a button. And in less than 5 seconds... voila, you have a satisfying espresso ready for your enjoyment. It's also capable of making cafe latte and cappuccino, also with just a few button pushes. Because all the grounds are stored in a pod, clean-up is easy. Just throw the pod away. The pods come in different mixes of espresso grounds and intensities, so you can choose appropriately based on your own preference. And each pod costs about 52 cents each from the Nespresso website.

This was my gift to Brian for his birthday and for our anniversary. And so far, it's been a hit! I would recommend this to anyone who appreciates a good, quality espresso, latte, or cappuccino. Get yours now!

Paula Deen's Baked French Toast Casserole

2008-05-14T21:40:00.002-05:00

For anything sinfully delectable (i.e. full-fat, high-sugar, high-carb) indulgences, I turn to Paula Deen's recipes which are guaranteed to deliver.

I prepared a Mother's Day brunch for my mom, with a menu of baked praline french toast with strawberry syrup, fresh fruit salad with lime juice, my successful experimental spiced pumpkin oat muffins, an egg, sausage, and asparagus casserole, and some [store-bought] chocolate mousse cake. The brunch favorite was, by far, the yummy french toast.

You have to make it to taste its yummy goodness for yourself. Find the recipe here.

Six Layer Magic Bars

2008-05-04T11:10:00.006-05:00

I was asked to make a dessert for our last youth group Sunday school gathering this evening. And I knew instantly what to make for the group... a decadent combination of all things chocolatey, gooey, and sweet; the Magic Bar. I don't know why the dessert is called Magic Bar, but it's delicious. Just disregard the odd name.

Six Layer Magic Bars (serves 18-24)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

3/4 cup butterscotch chips

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup coconut flakes

1 14 oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk

Non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray sides of a 13x9 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Combine butter and graham cracker crumbs in the 13x9 pan. Form a crust with the graham cracker crumb mixture by evenly distributing the mixture in the pan and compacting the mixture onto the pan with a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup.

3. Layer the walnuts, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and coconut flakes over the crust.

4. Evenly drizzle the condensed milk over the layers.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until coconut appears golden brown. Let cool for at least 15 minutes and cut into squares.

Food TV

2008-05-03T17:31:00.007-05:00

We have this nifty little Digital Video Recorder (DVR) that allows us to record our favorite shows so we can watch them whenever we like and even fast-forward through all the commercials which allows for more 'efficient' TV-watching (perhaps an oxymoron). I'm the primary user of the DVR which results in a DVR whose list of recorded shows consists mostly of food shows. Here's a list of the regulars on my DVR. Check them out sometime.

Rachael Ray - I watch Rachael Ray mostly for the talk-show segment, and not so much for the recipes. I haven't tried too many of her recipes just yet.

America's Test Kitchen - They do thorough experimentation and recipe testing for you so you can make the best you-name-it. They also share some great culinary techniques. Their product testing is informative too (a $10 pan could indeed cook better than a $50 pan).

Martha - I can't admit to being a huge Martha Stewart fan (even though I once had a subscription to her magazine and presently DVR her show). I like watching her show because she often has the nation's best chefs as guests, to share their popular offerings at their 4-star restaurants and share their personal culinary techniques. I do enjoy some of the crafting segments too.

Giada's Weekend Getaway - I love food and I love to travel, which is why I like this show. Giada visits different travel destinations and experiences it through its food culture. She provides great tips for places to eat next time you find yourself in the area.

Everyday Food - This show offers exactly what its name says; everyday food you can prepare any day and easily too.

Everyday Baking - I love pastries and sweets. This show offers 30 minutes full of exactly that.

My Daily Plate

2008-04-29T20:28:00.004-05:00

Although I do enjoy imparting my recipes on this blog, I also wanted to share anything and everything related to food, whether it be nifty kitchen tools, new and yummy grocery finds, or in this case, a useful website for helping you eat smarter.

If you're like me, you find yourself eating mindlessly every now and then. You eat a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and without knowing it, you've ended up eating more than you should because of little nibbles here and there. I find that keeping a daily log of what I eat helps me be aware of just what I'm feeding my body.

I found a great website called The Daily Plate that allows you to keep a food journal, a calorie counter, and a fitness log all in one place. It contains a huge database of everyday foods and even restaurant menu items, and their nutritional values so you know exactly how healthy [or unhealthy] the foods you eat are. It provides the foods' caloric, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fiber, sugar, and protein contents so you can better gauge what food is good for you and what's not so good for you.

Brian and I have joked around about how we've devised the most effective diet of all the fad diets out there and write a book about it too. It's called the 'Burn More Than You Consume' diet. The mantra is eat more healthily and be more active. That's easier said than done of course, but at least The Daily Plate can serve as an aid for helping us discover just what goes in our mouths everyday and provide an awareness of just what we might have to change.

Roasted Curry Chicken

2008-04-28T20:24:00.004-05:00

Here's a really easy, pop-it-in-the-oven-and-leave-it chicken dish that's great as part of any meal. It takes just a few spice pantry staples for seasoning, and that's it!

Roasted Curry Chicken (serves 6)

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts, with skin and bone-in

2 tsp curry

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Place chicken breasts in a 13x9 baking dish and season with spice mix.

3. Roast in the oven for 45-55 minutes.

Serving Tip: This is great served with the Roasted Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing on the side.

Roasted Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing

2008-04-20T16:09:00.002-05:00

I adapted this recipe from one featured in an issue of Cooking Light magazine. It's very yummy and a nice twist on the traditional potato salad. The potatoes are roasted instead of boiled, adding a bit more flavor to the salad. I changed the recipe up a bit by roasting the potatoes for a bit longer, until they were crunchy on the outside and tender inside (almost like french fries). To add a bit more texture, I used coarse ground dijon mustard instead of plain dijon mustard. And of course I used whatever ingredients I had on hand instead of following the recipe to the T. According to Brian, "it's really good". Try this recipe for your next gathering with friends and family, it's so easy!

Roasted Potato Salad with Mustard Dressing (serves 4)

Ingredients:

3 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 1" pieces

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

3 bacon slices, chopped

2 cups red onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp coarse ground dijon mustard

2 tbsp olive oil-based mayonnaise

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tbsp salad vinegar

1/8 tsp oregano

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine first 4 ingredients and toss on a baking pan. Roast in oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes appear golden brown. Set aside in a large bowl.

2. Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside over paper towel to absorb bacon fat. Reserve 1 tbsp of bacon fat in the skillet. Add onions and cook for 8 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for 3 minutes.

3. Add onion and garlic mixture to roasted potatoes and toss. Let cool for 10 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, combine mustard, mayonnaise, honey, and vinegar, and mix well. Add mustard mixture and oregano to potato mixture and toss well.

Basic Pink Pasta Sauce

2008-04-15T12:16:00.004-05:00

Rachael Ray has a segment on her show where she finds a use for that tiny bit of stuff left over in the bottle so that it isn't wasted. It's a pretty logical segment for normal, everyday cooks who watch her show since we don't have those fully-stocked kitchens like the professional chefs do (who use brand new bottles every time they use an ingredient which I find so wasteful) and oftentimes we end up with bottles that have just a bit of mustard, jam, relish, or whatever else left.

I find that I could probably tape that same Rachael Ray segment with a lot of my cooking. Since I personally hate to waste anything, I'll find a way to use that tiniest bit of sour cream left in the container or that little bit of jam left in the bottle. This recipe is one such 'segment'. With open bottles of crushed tomatoes and evaporated milk in my refrigerator, what could I make? My own version of pink sauce of course! This is great for a quick dinner since the sauce takes less than 10 minutes to cook.

Basic Pink Sauce (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
21 oz canned crushed tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (garnish)

Directions:
1. In a medium pot, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Cook for 4 minutes.
2. Add flour and mix until all flour is combined. Add remaining ingredients, except parsley. Continue to cook covered for 5 minutes.
3. Serve with your choice of pasta and garnish with parsley just before serving.

Serving Tip: Because pink sauce is quite savory and rich on its own, I think it's best served with a plain pasta like spaghetti. But since we all know that cheese makes everything better, if you're in the mood for an extra rich plate of pasta, pink sauce would also be nice with a ricotta-filled pasta like tortellini or ravioli. Served alongside some grilled chicken breast, this would make a great meal.

Cooking Tip: This recipe can be used as a base for different variations of pink sauce. Feel free to add your favorite italian sauce ingredients, like mushrooms, roasted red peppers, or artichoke.

Whole Wheat Spice Muffins

2008-04-13T19:34:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to use more wheat flour in my baking in an effort to make my favorite baked goodies a bit healthier. Doing so is tougher than it seems since using wheat flour results in denser and coarser baked goods, which isn't very popular when it comes to cakes and pastries. And no one likes to eat a brick of a cake.

A good place to start my whole wheat baking endeavors was with muffins. I found a basic whole wheat muffin recipe on AllRecipes.com and used it as a basis for an improved recipe.

Whole Wheat Spice Muffins (makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 egg

2 tbsp honey

Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Grease muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, combine milk, vegetable oil, egg, and honey.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine with a rubber spatula. Batter will be thick and lumpy.

5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately remove muffins from pan.

Super Simple Salmon

2008-04-12T13:50:00.011-05:00

I got some amazingly fresh salmon from Central Market this morning and couldn't bear to put perfectly fresh salmon in the freezer for later use. It was a beautiful bright orange color and had no fishy smell whatsoever. And so the salmon turned into our nice Saturday lunch, prepared very simply with dried spices, and served with white rice and leftover munggo (see my previous post).

Super Simple Salmon (serves 4-5)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs salmon fillet, whole

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp celery seed

1 1/2 tsp thyme

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a 13x9 oven-safe pan with foil. Place salmon in pan and season with remaining ingredients.

3. Cook salmon in oven for 20 minutes uncovered. Remove salmon from oven, cover with foil, and return to oven to cook for an additional 8 minutes.

Cooking Tip: You can tell when salmon is cooked when the bright translucent orange color of the fillet is replaced by a lighter opaque orange. Since fillets often have a thicker middle, the whole fillet may not cook evenly, with the ends of the fillet cooking sooner than the middle. Since you never want to overcook seafood (or you'll get a tough and rubbery piece of meat), you can remove the fillet from the oven when the ends of the fillet are cooked and just let the fillet rest, covered with foil, for 10-15 minutes. It will continue to cook and steam underneath the foil, and you'll get a tender salmon fillet.

Munggo with Vegetarian or Meat-Eaters' Options

2008-04-06T18:41:00.014-05:00

Mung beans, referred to as munggo in Filipino, is the seed of the Vigna Radiata plant which is native to India. I would compare them to the more popular black-eyed peas, which I think it is similar to in size, taste, and texture. The only difference is the mung bean is green. Mung beans are used in Filipino cooking, both in hearty, savory dishes and sweet desserts. It's quite versatile and yummy!

So if you're in the mood to try something new, try this recipe. It's superb paired with any savory meat and white rice. Heads up: So far, I've only been able to find mung beans in the asian food store. As for the fish sauce, I've seen this in stock at the local grocery store. If you can't find it at yours, it's guaranteed in stock at the asian food store.

Munggo (serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups mung beans

7 cups water

1/4 lb bacon, sliced in 1" pieces

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 cups water

1/3 cup fish sauce

2 cups fresh spinach

2 tbsp pepper

Directions:

1. Combine mung beans and 7 cups of water in a large pot. Cook over medium-high heat for about 45 minutes, partially covered. The beans will start to absorb the water. When they have absorbed nearly all of the water and softened properly, the beans will look like they have split open and you should be able to mash the beans easily with a fork. This step can be done ahead of time and refrigerated up to a day in advance.

2. In another large pot, brown bacon. When bacon is browned, remove from heat and place bacon over paper towels to de-grease. Remove bacon grease from pan. After removing bacon grease from pan, add extra virgin olive oil to the same pan. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes. Continue to cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add cooked mung beans, 2 cups of water, fish sauce, spinach, and pepper. Continue to cook covered, over low heat for 5 minutes, or until spinach cooks completely.

Recipe Options: Make this a vegetarian dish by eliminating the bacon.

Chicken Curry

2008-04-06T18:27:00.006-05:00

This is one of the recipes I originally posted on my Joie de Vivre blog. I've re-posted it here.

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I love just about every kind of curry under the sun. You'd be surprised how easy it is to make curry dishes, even the Thai and Indian sort, since all of the spices you need often already come mixed together as a curry spice blend or as a paste. The curry dish I'm most familiar with is one made with curry spice, found in your grocery store's spice aisle. I've made this type of curry several times over the years, each time resulting in a variation of the dish since I don't use measuring tools and I've also experimented a bit with lightening up the dish. But after all that experimentation, I've found that nothing compares with the original. Lessons learned: Don't dilute the curry with chicken stock or attempt to use light coconut milk. Both result in watery, bland curry. Well I thought my most recent curry dish was such a success that I resolved to document exactly what I did this time around.

So here it is, my notably yummy chicken curry recipe.

Chicken Curry (serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup onions, roughly chopped
2 lbs potatoes, cut into 1" pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
2 cans coconut milk
3 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 stalks green onions, cut into 1" pieces

Instructions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and potatoes, and continue to cook until onions appear translucent. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and chicken breast.
2. When the chicken turns opaque, add coconut milk, curry powder, cumin, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, and fish sauce. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes or until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
3. Remove pot from heat and add green onions.

Serving Tip: Serve the curry over a bed of white rice.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2008-04-06T18:26:00.003-05:00

This is one of the recipes I originally posted on my Joie de Vivre blog. I've re-posted it here.

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Most recipes for Sweet and Sour Meatballs call for pineapple juice, which we don't usually stock in our pantry. But I had every other ingredient to make yummy Hawaiian, sweet and sour style meatballs. So I had to get a little creative with the sweet and sour sauce. Here's my take on the traditional sweet and sour meatball recipe.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
1/3 cup onions, chopped
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the sauce:
3 cups orange juice
1 1/2 cups water
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup red bell peppers, sliced into 1-inch strips
1/2 cup green onions, sliced into 1-inch long pieces
1 cup carrots, sliced into 1-inch strips
1/2 cup pineapple chunks (optional)

Instructions:
1. Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a bowl. Over medium heat, heat olive oil in a large pan. Shape meat into 1-inch diameter meatballs and cook in olive oil until browned.
2. In another bowl, combine all sauce ingredients, making sure all cornstarch and brown sugar lumps are dissolved.
3. Remove excess oil from the pan. Return the pan to the stove over low-medium heat and add the sauce to the meatballs. Add red bell peppers, green onions, and carrots. Place the lid over the pan and allow the sauce to thicken and vegetables to cook for about 5 minutes. Add the pineapple chunks.

Mustard Pork Chops

2008-04-06T18:24:00.003-05:00

This is one of the recipes I originally posted on my Joie de Vivre blog. I've re-posted it here.

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When I have pork chops in the freezer, I tend to make a common Filipino dish called Bistek, a dish with an onion, lemon juice, and soy-based sauce. It's quick, it's easy, and it's delicious served with rice. But I wanted to do something different with my pork chops the other night. So I surveyed the contents of my refrigerator and spice rack, and came up with the following marinade.

Mustard Pork Chops (serves 6)
Ingredients:
6 bone-in pork chops
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning (pre-mixed seasoning containing marjoram, sage, thyme, rosemary, pepper, and nutmeg)
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper
Cooking spray

Instructions:
1. Slather pork chops in yellow mustard.
2. Combine thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Thoroughly season each pork chop with combined spices.
3. Cover and let pork chops marinade overnight.
4. Coat pan generously with cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook pork chops for 7-10 minutes or until it reaches a deep brown color on one side. Flip the pork chops to brown the other side.

Cooking Tip: Just like other meats, overcooking pork will toughen it and strip it of its natural juices. And tough meat is never a good thing. You can see if the pork is done by cutting a small slit in the middle or the thickest part of the meat. If it's adequately cooked, the meat will be a white-ish color. Otherwise, it will be a pink-ish color.

Mediterranean Chicken

2008-04-06T18:20:00.005-05:00

This is one of the recipes I originally posted on my Joie de Vivre blog. I've re-posted it here.

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I've collected quite a few cookbooks over the years, visited countless foodie websites many times over, and have enjoyed browsing their pages to discover all the wonderful, delectable food possibilities. However there are days when the fridge is just about empty, the pantry selections are few, and satisfying a laundry list of recipe ingredients just isn't possible. Logically so, most people would go straight to the grocery store to buy every one of those necessary ingredients. But no, not me.

I usually decide to formulate my own original [and at times, unsuccessful] recipes, using whatever I have available in the kitchen. It's quite fun actually and it's a great way to exercise my creativity. And so I thought I would use the blog to share at least my successful attempts at experimental cooking. You can try them if you like, and let me know what you think.

You can cook just about anything with chicken, which is why I tend to have them on hand in the freezer. And so be warned, a lot of my experimental recipes may have chicken in it. I've also tried to be a bit more conscious of all the sources of fat, salt, and all things bad-for-your-body when I cook; so these recipes should be fairly heart-healthy.

I call this recipe Mediterranean Chicken mostly because of the use of olives and fresh tomatoes in the dish. But I suppose all of my recipes might be more appropriately named Kristine's [Insert Meat Here] Surprise. Around our home, "Kristine's [Insert Meat Here] Surprise" has become a common answer to the question "What's for dinner?".

Mediterranean Chicken (serves 4)
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced
¼ cup whole pitted black olives
6 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Instructions:
1. Spray a large pan generously with cooking spray. Over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, and celery in the pan. Continue cooking until onions are nearly translucent. Add tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until slightly browned on one side. Flip the chicken to brown the other side.
3. Add chicken broth and reduce heat to low-medium setting. Add salt and pepper. Cook with the pan uncovered for 10-15 minutes to allow chicken broth to reduce and the chicken to cook fully.

Cooking Tip: Before adding any meat (chicken, pork, beef, fish) called for in a recipe, always make sure you lightly season the meat with a dash of salt and pepper. Have you ever had a dish that had the most delicious sauce yet the meat in it was a bit lacking in taste? That’s usually when you start slathering the meat with sauce. But by seasoning the meat beforehand, you’ll always have a well-seasoned piece of meat. You can compensate for the added salt and pepper by reducing the amount called for in the recipe.

Semi-Healthy Homemade Pancakes

2008-04-05T12:46:00.009-05:00

We're the cold cereal and quick-cooking oatmeal type of people when it comes to breakfasts, particularly on weekdays when we're on the go first thing in the morning. But on weekends, I usually like to enjoy a slower morning and stray from the usual. Our weekend breakfast favorite is the pancake.

My recipe is a twist on the usual pancake recipe. The addition of cinnamon and maple syrup to the batter adds a subtle spice and sweetness, and the use of wheat flour adds some texture to the pancake.

Semi-Healthy Homemade Pancakes (makes 8 5-inch round pancakes)

Ingredients:

For the pancake batter:

1 large egg

3/4 cup nonfat milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp maple syrup

Non-stick cooking spray

Butter, as condiment

Maple syrup, as condiment

Directions:

1. Beat egg in a medium bowl until fluffy. Add remaining pancake batter ingredients and beat until smooth. This batter will produce a thick and fluffy pancake. If you want thin pancakes, add 1-2 tbsp additional milk.

2. Heat griddle over low-medium heat. Grease with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Turn the pancake when the top starts to bubble, and the pancake appears puffed and dry around the edges. Cook on the other side until golden brown.

4. Re-grease griddle with non-stick cooking spray before cooking another batch.

Serving Tip: Keep the pancakes warm by putting them in an oven set to the lowest heat. Aside from the traditional butter and maple syrup pancake condiments, serve some fruit on the side. Peaches or apples warmed over the stove with some butter and brown sugar would be yummy. Some macerated strawberries would be another good option.

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook, Bridal Edition

The Root of it All

2008-04-02T18:32:00.004-05:00

I admit it… I am one of those Food Network junkies who will happily watch Food Network on the weekends for hours on end, to the chagrin of my husband. But I can’t help it, I love food! I love to cook it, bake it, smell it, and watch the pros prepare it so I can learn more about it. My love of food can be attributed to my family. I think it’s in the genes, but science hasn’t backed that theory just yet. As a kid, I remember walking to the nearby 'palengke' (a huge and bustling wet market) in the Philippines with my grandmother, shopping for fresh meats, seafood, and produce. And after filling our baskets to the brim with food we had purchased, having to take a tricycle (a three-wheeled passenger motorcycle) home since our baskets were too heavy to carry home. And I always looked forward to a treat of 'banana-q' (fried sugar-coated ripe plantain bananas on bamboo skewers); usually our last stop at the market before returning home.

The kitchen was always where the action was in our home. Every weekend, my grandfather would cook traditional Filipino fiesta fare in large overflowing pots, the kind commercial restaurants might use. In this case, all that food fed our extended family of grandparents, aunts and uncles, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cousins, great aunts and uncles, and neighbors who, over the years, had become family. My childhood was full of memories of food and family. The two seemed inextricably tied. Perhaps that’s why now as an adult, I love to cook… it brings me back to those days of joyful gatherings, when the simple experience of sharing a meal with family and friends was pure delight.

And so comes the birth of this food blog, an outlet for sharing my love of food and my adventures in the kitchen as a wanna-be chef. The blog title pays homage to where it all began, the root of it all... the family 'kusina', the Filipino word for 'kitchen'. Hopefully I can impart some great dish ideas and nifty little tidbits of cooking wisdom that you can use as you embark on your own adventures in the kitchen.

So welcome and happy eats!