oven lovin'

#56: Chocolate Waffles for the Holidays

2012-01-09T21:46:00.000-08:00

For some of you, these chocolate waffle cookies may look quite familiar - that's because I made them for 2 different cookie exchanges! They were such a big hit the first time that I decided to replicate for my second exchange. The recipe was adapted from a Martha Stewart cookie magazine and super simple. After making the batter (filled with eggs, flour, sugar, chocolate, milk, etc.), I took a spoonful and set it in the waffle iron. A set of 2 took about 3 minutes to cook. I made my waffle cookies pretty large and it made about 30 cookies. After letting them cool, I dipped one side into a chocolate/powdered sugar/milk mixture and then dusted with powdered sugar. This is a fun twist on the waffle - good for any time of day!

#55: Chicken & Waffle for Cupcake Camp

2011-11-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

After 2 years being absent, SF Cupcake Camp returned this year! I had a hard time deciding what to bake because I was eager to come up with something creative, unique, and most importantly, delicious! I brainstormed a few ideas including chocolate potato chip cupcakes, chinese 5 spice cupcakes, green tea and chai...and ultimately I decided on a Chicken & waffle cupcake. I had no idea how I would pull this off but I was ready to commit. After a week of researching recipes and prototyping, I came up with my Chicken & waffle game plan.

The cupcake itself was a pancake cupcake that I "seared" under a waffle iron to get the waffle marks. I then made a maple buttercream to fill, sweeten, and moisten the inside of the cupcake. After days of contemplation, I ultimately decided to use crispy chicken skin and stay away from the chicken meat. I bought some raw chicken, peeled the skin, and cut into small pieces to deep fry. Think of it as chicken cracklings...or pork rinds. After assembling the cupcake with the crispy skin garnish, I decided to add some cayenne pepper for color.

I was really happy with this cupcake and I got a lot of great feedback from people. I didn't win this year, but I had a lot of fun creating this cupcake. Sometimes I get so caught up in baking that I forget to really get involved in the creative process - which is sometimes the best part :)

Special thanks to Fred and Sarah for helping ideate and sous chef. Thanks to all my friends who joined at cupcake camp: Sarah, Vic, Ashleigh, Annaliese, Karen, Kim, Grace, and Dru.

#54: Birthday Cupcakes for my Big Sis

2011-10-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Of course I had to bake some cupcakes to celebrate my big sister's 29th birthday. She is a big fruit fan so I searched for a recipe that featured summer berries. I stumbled upon some beautiful cupcake photos and I decided to take a stab at recreating the cupcakes. I started off with sugarcoating the fresh raspberries, blackberries, and organic mint leaves. The blackberries had a slight bitter taste so the sugar helped to balance out the tartness. I chose my go-to magnolia bakery vanilla cupcakes recipe and then made a simple vanilla buttercream for the topping. I was incredibly happy with how the cupcakes turned out. Sugared berries can really be a work of art. Happy Birthday Sarah!

#53: 2-Layer Cake

2011-08-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

i decided to make a cake for elaine's birthday a week ago. when i heard she liked chocolate, i decided to go with a flourless chocolate cake - the same one i made for fred's birthday last year. this cake is dense and rich. after i made the flourless chocolate cake, i was suddenly inspired to make a layered cake. i had the afternoon free so i decided to go for it. i found a regular chocolate cake recipe and made one cake layer. I then whipped up some heavy whipping cream and spread the cream on top of the flourless chocolate cake base. i added the second chocolate cake layer on top and then spread the remaining cream on top and around the side of the cake. the cake looked a little sparse so i grabbed some sliced almonds and set them along the side of the cake. to finish off, i added some homemade raspberry sauce and chocolate on top.

this is the final cake. it was certainly rich and heavy with the flourless chocolate cake as the base. next time i'll probably stick with layers of regular cake but now i'm inspired to try my luck with making cakes!

#52: Blueberry Mochi Cake

2011-08-09T20:15:00.001-07:00

i absolutely loooove mochi. so when fred sent me a blueberry mochi cake recipe i knew i had to try it out. since i only seem to bake for special occasions these days, it seemed natural to try out this recipe for my friend kim's birthday. i was really happy with how these turned out - they were soft yet chewy and the blueberries added great flavor to the cake. here's the recipe in case you want to check it out! the mochi texture seems to be a bit polarizing for people...but if you like mochi...then i think you'll really enjoy this cake.

#51: Oreo Rice Krispie Treats

2011-08-07T16:48:00.001-07:00

i had some leftover s'mores stuff from my yosemite trip so i decided to repurpose the ingredients for another dessert. what could i do with chocolate and marshmallows? how about rice krispie treats with chocolate bits! well, i did some research and decided to jazz up the treats a bit. i found a good looking recipe for oreo rice krispie treats. what else could be better than marshmallow treats? well, marshmallow treats covered with oreo cookie crumbs! this recipe was incredibly easy and requires no baking at all. here's the recipe in case you feel inspired to try it yourself...the results are quite tasty!

#50: Throwdown Sticky Buns

2011-06-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

after nearly 4 months, i finally made it to #50! to commemorate the occasion, i baked something that has been on my list for a few months now...Sticky Buns! during a Borders clearance sale, i was eager to spend my $20 gift card on a cookbook before all of the stores shut down. i lucked out and found a baking book from Joanne Chang. i recognized her from an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. i flipped through the pages and i was really impressed with the book (plus i love how it has so many photos & stories).

the sticky buns looked so amazing on Throwdown so I decided to give it a shot. it was a random sunday and i didn't have much to do so i decided to make the sticky buns (which took about 10 hours total including rise time). you can't see in the photo, but below the buns is a pool of "goo" which is comprised of sugar, butter, cream, and pecans. i was really happy with how the sticky buns turned out. this one is a keeper but i will probably only make these for very special occasions or on a rainy day.

#49: Shanghai Soup Dumplings

2011-02-27T20:10:00.001-08:00

after 2 weeks of delicious shanghai soup dumplings (first from dumpling kitchen in SF, and second from hung's kitchen in San Ramon), i started craving more and more dumplings. i don't often eat soup dumplings, but these two visits revived my love of soup dumplings. Enough so, that I decided to try to make some myself. I heard they were quite difficult to make - but i was ready to take on the challenge (note: now that i've made them...i realized that people are right - these dumplings are quite challenging to make!). the recipe comes from epicurious.

i managed to take photos throughout the process so i figured i would share them this time around. let me say first - this was a 2 day process.

Day 1, 8:00pm-12:00am. Fred and I went to Ranch 99 and picked up the essential ingredients to make the soup base. I returned home and immediately started on the soup. I combined chicken wings & drumsticks, pork bones, green onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and water. i let the broth simmer for about 3 hours and then boiled the broth to reduce. after the broth reduced i added knox gelatin and poured into a pan.

Day 2, 8:00am. i removed the refrigerated broth which had now gelatinized into aspic. i cut the aspic into small chunks. i then made the pork/shrimp mixture and added the aspic.

Day 2, 4:00pm. Fred came over and we got ready to assemble the soup dumplings. the recipe yielded 75 dumplings. i thought that was a bit too much, but we could always freeze them. after all was said and done we ended up with nearly 180 dumplings! needless to say, the majority of them are still in the freezer. we steamed the dumplings on top of some cabbage and then gobbled them up!

here's a few comments on the dumplings:

i think we overcooked the dumplings and waited too long to eat them. the tops of the dumplings were dry and doughy
the dumpling wrappers may have been too thin because the soup leaked out of some of the dumplings
do not add shrimp to the pork mixture. my taste buds are more familiar with the pork mixture. adding shrimp was not as tasty for me

#48: Tartine's Chocolate Pudding

2011-02-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I was in San Francisco visiting a friend in the mission district. she conveniently lives 2 blocks away from tartine, so of course, we had to stop by for a late afternoon snack. i picked up a huckleberry tart to take home but ordered the chocolate pudding to dine in. i really like pudding and mousse so i was eager to try a tartine style pudding. the pudding was absolutely delicious - not too sweet - but still rich and indulgent enough for me.

i found an online recipe for the pudding from the tartine cookbook so i decided to try it out. i had never made pudding before so this was definitely something new to me. the recipe is pretty simple to follow but the most important step to the pudding is to whisk the pudding like crazy to make it smooth and creamy (beware of chocolate pudding curds). after chilling the pudding, i served it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings. i'll definitely try out this recipe again soon...absolutely delicious and easy to make :)

#47: Savory Mac 'n Cheese Cupcakes

2011-01-30T18:41:00.001-08:00

This isn't literally a cupcake with mac 'n cheese inside...but mac 'n cheese baked in cupcake tins. I saw Giada make this recipe on one of her shows and I decided to make this as an hors doeuvre for a new years eve party. these were definitely best hot out of the oven. i think i could have used more gooey cheese but i liked the crispiness of the cupcake crust and the panko breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. i also added some broccoli for color and added some cut up bacon as well. this is a really fun idea and a great canvas to be creative with different ingredients in this cupcake.

#46: Bi-Rite Inspired Salted Caramel Cupcakes

2011-01-01T19:49:00.001-08:00

ever since the 7x7 top 100 foods to eat list was published, i've been wanting to go to bi-rite to try their oh so popular ice cream. i hadn't managed to make it to bi-rite until November. i'll admit, i was a bit underwhelmed by the casual store front...but perhaps that adds to the appeal of the neighborhood friendly ice cream shop. i tried the salted caramel and the seasonal pumpkin ice cream in a cup...absolutely delicious and a surprisingly good flavor combination. i finally understood the hype of the salted caramel ice cream.

since my trip to bi-rite, i've been eager to make a salted caramel cupcake. i stumbled upon a blog with a great looking recipe. i decided to take a stab at making the cupcake with a couple birthdays coming up (annaliese & loan). these cupcakes were quite time intensive but definitely worth it. caramel is pretty difficult to work with...but worth it. i made the candied caramel garnish the night before and let them cool overnight. the next day i baked the cupcakes (pretty standard cupcake, but used brown sugar). i also made a creamy salted caramel filling to spoon inside the cupcakes. lastly, i made a salted caramel buttercream to top off the cupcakes. many components to this cupcake...but a great recipe.

#45: Rudolph and Frosty on a Stick!

2010-12-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

and here they are...this year's christmas gifts for the family. unfortunately i deleted the higher quality photos from my camera without uploading them onto my computer...so my iphone 3g photos will have to do (this is a disclaimer for the poor quality of photos). sarah and i made a rudolph, frosty the snowman, and assorted green and red ornaments. although i've made cake pops before, these ones were much easier to make for a few reasons. 1. we used candy melts i purchased from michaels 2. used a thicker frosting for the cake and 3. dipped the lollipop stick in the candy melts before attaching the cake to the top. for rudolph, we used pretzels for the antlers, cinnamon candies for the nose, white sprinkles and a black edible ink for the eyes. for frosty, we used regular size and mini oreos for the hat, black sprinkle eyes, orange tic tac noses, and black edible ink for the mouth.

after we let the cake pops set we wrapped them in lollipop bags, tied a ribbon around the pops and gave them away as bouquets. i look forward to my next batch of cake pops!

#44: Mini Holiday Cupcake Treats!

2010-12-23T21:24:00.000-08:00

For our annual Christmas cookie exchange I decided to make some mini iced cupcakes. My inspiration was some lemon blossom cupcakes I made a week ago. I decided to go with some seasonal flavors. I decided on egg nog, vanilla bean, and peppermint chocolate. The spiked egg nog cupcake has some rum flavoring. I really like the small cakes with the icing - it is reminiscent of donut holes. the pan i used had designs of stars, hearts, flowers, bundt shapes, and more. the designs added a nice touch, but the pan was a nightmare to clean! all in all i did enjoy these tasty little treats and was excited to give them away as gifts this year. Merry Christmas Eve!

Below is a nice picture that my co-worker bryan took of my little package.

#43: Mini Buche de Noels

2010-12-18T00:03:00.000-08:00

you might recall last christmas i made a full size buche de noel. i planned a cookie exchange at work this year and started brainstorming ideas of what kind of baked goods i could make. i decided to make mini yule logs - though i'll admit i was a little nervous they would end up looking like ho ho's. i made the meringue mushrooms on the first night and let them dry out. i then made the cake and chocolate cream the next night. i hadn't realized the first time around, but my buche de noel is gluten free! it's kind of bewildering how the cake has no flour in it - but it's true! it's mostly just eggs and sugar. after i rolled up the log, i added a little stump and then frosted the outside of the log. i then took a fork and made some grains along the log. with more time, i would have loved to add some more color (like red and green holly). maybe next time.

#42: Happy Thanksgiving Pumpkin Tartlets

2010-11-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

At work we celebrate Thanksgiving with a big potluck filled with turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, and of course dessert! One of my favorite savory dishes this year was a crispy bacon wrapped water chestnut...very unique and tasty. But I must say...anything covered with bacon is generally pretty good. Anyways, last Thanksgiving I made sweet potato cupcakes. Here's a picture as a reminder:

This year, I decided to use the frozen pie dough I had left over from summer's strawberry pie. Of course, for Thanksgiving it seemed most appropriate to make pumpkin pie. I prefer small desserts, so I decided to make pumpkin pie tartlets. I had never made a pumpkin pie before...but it is seriously the easiest pie to make (that is, if you already have pie crust dough prepared). I used canned pumpkin because I've heard making pumpkin puree from scratch is definitely not worth it. I used this recipe here for the pie filling. As for the cook time for the tartlets, I decided to just watch them through the oven window and estimate cook time. I also added a leaf garnish to the top (just leaf-shaped pie dough). I let the tartlets cook for about 10 minutes until the filling was stable enough for me to place the leaf on top. I then let the tartlets finish cooking for about 15 more minutes.

Lastly, I made a batch of vanilla bean whipped cream to serve with the tartlets. It was basically just whipped cream infused with vanilla beans and sugar. I think this was a perfect creamy supplement to the tartlets.

Happy Thanksgiving! Eat up :)

#41: Chewy Chocolate Toffee Cookies

2010-11-13T07:36:00.000-08:00

i was looking around for a tasty sweet dessert to gift for my friend's birthday. after browsing around smitten kitchen's website, i stumbled upon this recipe: Chocolate Toffee Cookies. I love the combination of toffee and chocolate. It's actually reminiscent of those See's candy milk chocolate toffee bars that people used to sell for fundraisers in school. Anyways, I decided to try this recipe out. I was pretty amazed with how much chocolate the recipe calls for (1 lb). I realized quickly it's mostly chocolate with a bit of flour to keep the cookie intact. The recipe yielded a pretty large batch of cookies so I was able to share with many people. Lots of people said it was like a brownie cookies, which I would agree with. The cookie also has toffee bits and walnuts which add a nice bite. So for all you chocaholics out there...this one's for you.

#40: An Excuse to Eat Cupcakes for Breakfast

2010-11-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

As I was brainstorming ideas of a sweet treat to make for my friend's birthday, I remembered that she loves bacon. I know it's trendy these days to use bacon in desserts so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to try something out. I decided to make Maple French Toast & Bacon cupcakes. I used the cupcake recipe from here and the frosting recipe from here. The french toast flavors really come through from the nutmeg and cinnamon paired alongside a sweet maple buttercream frosting. I used bacon as a garnish on top of the cupcake. The bacon added a nice smoky, savory contrast to the sweet cupcake. The beauty is that you can eat these cupcakes for dessert OR breakfast...and not even feel guilty about it! ;)

#39: Snow Cones for Adults

2010-11-01T20:27:00.001-07:00

After a hot weather week, I was trying to choose a dessert to make for a dinner party. I've seen tv chefs make granitas on food network and I've always been curious about them. i found this recipe online from smitten kitchen and it looked easy enough to replicate. i bought some organic lemons and mint leaves from the grocery store and gathered some sugar from home. i juiced the lemons and scraped out the insides to make a little lemon cup to be frozen later. i then used our super high tech JJ blenders to blend the lemon juice and mint leaves. after letting the lemon mixture set and infuse with the mint, i added some sugar and water and poured everything into a glass pan. i put the pan into the freezer and after an hour, i used a fork and scraped the mixture across the pan to form little ice crystals. i then repeated the process 2 more times until the ice crystals were snow cone-like. to make the presentation a little more fun, i scooped the granita into the frozen lemon cups to serve. this is a great dessert for a nice hot day...though as luck would have it, the night was cold. if i were to revisit this recipe, i would probably cut down on the mint so the flavor is more subtle on the mint, and stronger on the lemon. perhaps raspberry lemon granitas next time?

#38: Would you like a biscotti with that?

2010-09-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

i decided to make biscottis for a colleagues birthday to go along with a coffee plant i bought from trader joe's. after browsing through allrecipes.com, i landed on a this recipe. the photo looked tasty and the idea of a brownie biscotti sounded delicious. i'm not a huge biscotti fan but i was hoping for a sweet, chocolately biscuit cookie to pair along with the "coffee". for my first time making biscotti, i was pleasantly surprised at the simpleness of the recipe. combine all dough ingredients and then form 2 rectangular loaves on a baking sheet and throw into the oven. after the loaves bake, let them cool and then slice into small biscottis. place the sliced biscottis onto the baking sheet again flat side down, and cook in the oven until they harden. i decided to garnish with semi-sweet and white chocolate drizzling. the extra chocolate drizzle made this a more indulgent treat. surprisingly, it was firm but not teeth-breaking hard like most biscottis. i don't drink coffee so i can't say if this biscotti goes well with coffee...but it's good enough on its own so that's good enough for me.

#37: Bread for Monkeys (Monkey Bread)

2010-08-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

my dad sent me a link to a monkey bread recipe on a blog and it looked absolutely scrumptious. i decided that if i woke up early enough in the morning, then i would try to take the 4 required hours to make this monkey bread. low and behold i woke up at 7:30...perfect timing for making monkey bread (before I had to be somewhere by 11). i didn't have yeast at home so i decided to run over to safeway (yes, literally run) to buy some - this delayed my start time a bit. i assembled the dough and let it rest so the yeast could do its work. after 1 hour of wait time, i cut the dough into 64 pieces and rolled them into balls. i then dipped each ball into melted butter and rolled in a cinnamon/brown sugar mixture. i layered the balls into a bundt pan and then let the 'cake' rest for another hour to rise. after the balls expanded, i put the pan into the oven for about 30 minutes. after cooling for about 5 minutes, i used a whisk to dress the cake with icing.

you might be thinking, what the heck does monkey bread mean anyways?? well, according to wikipedia, the origin of 'monkey bread' is uncertain. the name could be from 1. resembling a monkey puzzle tree (? not sure what this is) or 2. people picking from it is reminiscent of monkey behavior.

after bringing some monkey bread to my friends this morning - i'd say the latter might be the more appropriate reason behind the name. i was very happy with how the bread turned out. it reminded me of little donut holes (but baked, not fried). some people thought it was similar to cinnabons. whatever it's like...it's absolutely delicious and i will definitely keep this recipe in my collection.

#36: Fresh From the Vine Strawberry Pie

2010-07-26T22:26:00.001-07:00

now that berry season is upon us, i decided to plan a berry picking trip with fchang. with 'berries' and 'organic' being the two main criteria for the location, there were only so many places to choose from that were in a 1-2 hour radius. after finding out that the palo alto farm that i was planning to go to had closed early due to a july 4th weekend rush, i chose Swanton Berry Farm, an organic strawberry farm in Davenport (near Santa Cruz). this was my first time picking fruit at a farm, so i was quite excited. strawberries were everywhere! i considered everything i could do with my fresh picked strawberries as i walked up and down the rows, tasting the juicy, plump, red berries. (yes, of course i had to taste them!).

after picking about 4-5 lbs worth of strawberries for myself (@ $2.50/lb), i loaded them up in a cooler to transport home. i snacked on the strawberries when i got home, but ultimately decided that the fate of the majority of the berries would be to be baked in my first attempt ever at a homemade pie. we made the crust (with shortening and butter) and then popped the dough balls in the fridge. 3 days later i took the dough out and rolled out the bottom crust. I then took about 3 cups of strawberries and tossed them in a sugar, cinnamon, flour mixture and poured it into the bottom crust. i then rolled out the top crust and cut strips to create the lattice top. i baked the pie for about 30 minutes in a 425 degree oven. i was very happy with this pie and i look forward to making another fruit pie some time soon with leftover dough i have in the freezer (or perhaps a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving). there's almost nothing better than a fresh fruit pie, warm from the oven...made from seasonal hand picked organic strawberries.

#35: Navy Blue and Yellow

2010-07-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

i was asked to make cupcakes for a bridal shower last weekend and i wanted to use the wedding theme colors: navy blue and yellow. after brainstorming, i considered both lemon and banana as my 'yellow', but ultimately decided on lemon. i tested out the cupcakes the weekend before to decide on the final concept. i chose a lemon mini cupcake (from Martha Stewart cupcake book) and vanilla buttercream frosting. i decided to make some candied lemon slices as garnish, and then added on some fresh blueberries. figured lemon and blueberry would be a nice combination of flavors while simultaneously fulfilling the navy/yellow theme. funny thing...my test batch was much more dense...and i realized when i made the final cupcakes that my test batch lacked baking powder! i did enjoy the denser version, but i think people also appreciated the lighter, fluffier version. now i know the effect of adding or removing baking powder!

#34: The Magic Factor

2010-06-20T00:10:00.000-07:00

i made these cupcakes for k.lu's birthday. i caught an episode of barefoot contessa and watched her make these chocolate ganache cupcakes. the episode title was "the magic factor", in which she tested a single recipe out, one with the magic ingredient and one without. she had a few people taste test and choose which one they preferred...and in each case the group chose the item that included the magic ingredient. the cupcake recipe had great reviews so i was eager to try out the recipe. the cake is very easy to make...just throw the ingredients into a mixer and then pop into the oven. the topping was a chocolate ganache - not quite a frosting, not quite icing. it was ooey and gooey on top of the cupcake. now, what was the magic ingredient you might ask? coffee. apparently the coffee brings out the chocolate flavor so it is richer and stronger to the taste buds. i managed to find a small sample packet of starbucks via - the perfect amount i needed for the cupcakes. not much coffee, only about 1.5 teaspoons for the cake/ganache. when i tasted the cupcakes i was surprised because i was a little distracted by the coffee flavor. perhaps it's because i don't drink coffee so i am more sensitive to the flavor. after the taste test, i decided to refer to the cupcakes as more of a mocha flavor rather than purely chocolate. good recipe, but i think the coffee was a bit overpowering...but maybe that's just me.

#33: Cupcake on a Stick

2010-05-31T21:45:00.001-07:00

another birthday (for c. wong this time), so alas another baked good. i started looking through my cupcake book and web sources and nothing was inspiring me. somehow i thought of the cupcake lollipop idea and decided to search for a recipe in how to construct it. after seeing this helpful blog i started right away. the blog post made it seem fairly straight forward, but as it turns out it's quite tricky to make cupcake lollipops. i started with making a Magnolia Bakery vanilla cake in a square pan. after the cake cooled, i chopped it up and ground the pieces in a food processor. meanwhile, i made a Magnolia Bakery vanilla buttercream frosting. i then mixed the frosting into the crumbled cake and then formed into cake balls. after freezing the balls, i melted some semi sweet chocolate in a double boiler and then coated the balls in the chocolate and stuck a lollipop stick on the bottom (from Richards in Alamo) and then chilled in the refrigerator. after the lollipops were completely cooled and the chocolate was solid i packaged them in small cellophane treat bags and tied a yellow ribbon on them (both also from Richards).

i was happy with how the lollipops turned out (tasty and rich), but they look nothing like the blog post i was using. i think i'll definitely keep these in mind for the future and hopefully next time i can decorate them with more color and sprinkles.

#32: Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes

2010-05-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

i made some peppermint chocolate cupcakes for m.lyons birthday yesterday, adopted from my Martha Stewart cupcake book. first step: i started making the mint chocolate leaf (the garnish on top). the leaves were surprisingly very easy to make and almost fail proof! i bought some organic mint leaves from Trader Joe's and then washed and dried some of the smaller leaves. i then melted some semi sweet chocolate and then "painted" one side of the leaf with chocolate using a spoon. i then rested the leaves on a wooden skewer on top of parchment paper, and then let them chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. after the leaves were cool, i peeled the mint leaf off and then the leaf imprint was leftover on the chocolate. kind of like fossils! i then placed the chocolate back into the fridge to prevent them from softening. second step: i then made the cake with cocoa powder and some of the extra melted semi sweet chocolate. i also added peppermint extract into the batter. third step: lastly, i made the buttercream frosting and used peppermint extract as a substitute for the vanilla. to decorate, i piped the peppermint frosting onto the cupcakes, drizzled some melted some more semi sweet chocolate, and then placed a chocolate mint leaf on top. ta da! here is the finished product.

#31: A Springy Dinner

2010-05-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

a couple weeks ago i planned to make dinner for my parents and decided to opt for making a light spring dinner. i had some leftover carnitas in the freezer that i slow cooked a couple weeks before, so i tried to think about what i could do with the meat. i decided to make paninis (with our very cool panini press). I spread a cranberry chutney (wich craft jar - tom collichio) on the bread and added carnitas, caramelized onions, and pepper jack cheese to get the melted ooey gooeyness. For the bread, I bought a multigrain bread from Trader Joe's. I also bought some small red/golden/purple potatoes and roasted them in the oven with salt, pepper, and dried rosemary (not as good as fresh rosemary but still tasty). The potatoes took about an hour total to cut, boil, dress, and roast. Then to finish off the plate I tossed some salad greens with a housemade balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing (with salt/pepper). The meal took me about an hour to prepare and serve...better multi-tasking and timing than i expected. I'll definitely try this out in different variations again for a nice spring/summery meal.

#30: For All You Mothers Out There

2010-05-14T21:06:00.001-07:00

for mother's day breakfast this year i made beignets dusted with powdered sugar, with a strawberry compote. in case you don't know what beignets are, they are fried donuts. cafe du monde is probably the most famous place to get fresh beignets - in new orleans. i should also admit that i made the beignets from a boxed mix. i made the strawberry compote from fresh strawberries with sugar and some water. the beignets were a nice little sweet breakfast treat for mommy.

#29: Not Just For the Gluten Free

2010-05-09T15:19:00.001-07:00

for f.chang's birthday this year, i decided to bake a cake. since he's opting for the gluten-free diet, i searched for some potential gluten-free cake recipes. i've been checking out a lot of recipes on allrecipes.com, and landed on this one, a Flourless Chocolate Cake - highly rated and a good number of reviews with modification suggestions. i preferred baking a cake that lacked flour completely, rather than substituting with brown rice flour or something like that.

The cake called for chocolate, sugar, water, pinch of salt, butter and eggs - pretty simple. i bought an 18oz bar of dark chocolate from Trader Joe's for the occasion. The cake was dense, rich, and delicious! it was reminiscent of fudge. for garnish i added some powdered sugar and sectioned an orange to make a flower for the top. the cake was enough to share with at least 15 people. great recipe and a big hit!

#28: Churritos!

2010-04-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

my friends and i planned for a taco party today and this morning i spontaneously decided that i wanted to make some churros. i tried a food network recipe in the magazine about a year ago - but did not have much luck with it. the churros were more like old fashioned doughnuts thick and doughy - not crispy and light. i browsed around allrecipes.com and found a highly rated recipe. i read through the reviews and decided to modify the recipe a bit based on people's feedback. the recipe itself is quite easy, but you have to be good at multi-tasking. after making the dough (sugar, water, salt, oil, and flour), i put the dough into a piping bag with a wide flower tip. i heated up the pan of oil and then started piping the dough into the hot oil. after waiting for the churros to turn golden brown, i set them on a paper towel and then later coated with cinnamon sugar mixture by shaking them in a paper lunch bag. i'm calling them churritos because they were much smaller than the average churro (or at least the ones i've had from disneyland or costco). i made mine about 4 inches long.

overall i thought this recipe was great. you just have to be prepared to work quickly. i doubled the recipe because the reviews said one recipe would only be enough for 2-3 people. 1 recipe probably makes 20 churros...so if that's only enough for 2-3 people, they must be eating quite a few. however, the deep fried goodness is so delicious, that it might actually be believable. great recipe, and i have officially bookmarked it for future use!

oh, and for your viewing pleasure, here is a peek at our taco party spread (including korean bbq tacos, carne asada tacos, ground turkey tacos, homemade guac, mexican rice, dulce de leche cookies, and all the fixings!) thanks k.lu for hosting us!

#27: Lemon Curd on Cupcakes

2010-04-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

i was asked to make some cupcakes for a brunch last weekend so i flipped through my Martha Stewart cupcake book to see what caught my eye. Lemon always seems like a good choice, especially in the spring (even though supposedly they are a winter fruit - seems counter-intuitive, i know), and it's always nice to use some of the lemons from the tree in the backyard. I chose a lemon curd cupcake recipe. I made the lemon curd the night before to chill over night. Lemon curd seems intimidating to make, but it was actually pretty easy and turned out well. The next morning I made the cupcakes; they were more dense than your typical cupcake. I think this was due to adding cream cheese into the cupcake batter (which I have never done before). I topped the cupcakes with powdered sugar and then piped the lemon curd on top. The cupcake resembles an egg (with yolk and white), which seemed kind of fitting for a brunch. However, the decadent and rich cupcake was definitely a dessert.

#26: Croquemb-what?

2010-04-14T22:07:00.001-07:00

I met up with a couple of my girlfriends, C.Lee and K.Wong, for a baking day. After brainstorming potential recipes, we decided to try out the Martha Stewart Croquembouche. I've seen croquembouches in pictures and on television - but i've never attempted one myself. If you've never seen one before, click on the link - it's basically a giant Christmas tree tower of cream puffs. We started off making the caramel cream (to be filled inside the puffs). After one failed attempt, the second time we managed to get a tasty caramel mixture. We then made the puffs and piped them onto a parchment-lined pan and popped them in the oven. After waiting 25 minutes, there was no "puff" to the puffs. We figured that maybe they would puff up after we filled with the cream. We took some whipping cream and whipped it until stiff peaks formed. We then took the caramel cream from earlier and folded it into the whipped cream. Unfortunately, the mixture kind of fell apart and became liquidy - not quite fluffy. After experimenting and trying to make the cream more stiff, we decided to try filling the puffs. This picture was the result. The puffs did not puff up enough so it was very difficult to fill. We even started making cream puff sandwiches (like oreos!). Needless to say, we didn't manage to assemble our tree. This recipe was quite hard, even though it felt like we followed the recipe.

Although the cream puffs didn't really work out, the puff and the cream both tasted good. If you ever try out this recipe, and it doesn't turn out...try freezing them...that's what we did!

#25: It Don't Matter if You're (Black & White)

2010-04-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

i decided to make some black & white cupcakes in celebration of my manager's upcoming wedding. i've been wanting to make b&w cupcakes for awhile now (since being reminded of the creamy delectable treat from sprinkles). i figured this would be the right occasion to try it out. i photocopied some cupcake recipes from a Magnolia Bakery cookbook I borrowed from a colleague awhile back. i've tried the vanilla cupcake recipe from the book before, and i was quite pleased, so i decided to try out the chocolate cupcake recipe. i also used the vanilla buttercream frosting recipe from the same cookbook...amazingly delicious! to decorate the cupcake i melted some semi-sweet chocolate chips and scooped it into a home-made parchment paper cornet. i played around with a few designs, and decided on this one.

i overcooked the cupcake slightly because i neglected to reduce the time due to the smaller cupcake size. (these were mini cupcakes). the frosting definitely compensated for the dryness of the cake, so together, it was perfect.

#24: Daan Tat (Egg Tart)

2010-03-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

it's been awhile since my last post, so i figured i better come up with something to make ASAP. i'm not sure how i came up with egg tart...but i researched some recipes and chose one from allrecipes.com. since i didn't have the traditional egg tart foil cups, i used a mini muffin tin. i started with the crust first. i used the 1 cup measuring cup to cut circles of dough to put in the muffin tin. after all the cups were filled, i made the custard - very easy - and then popped the tarts in the oven. luckily i read some of the comments to the recipe because i found out that the baking instructions on the recipe were no good. the recipe said to bake at 450 for 20 minutes (too hot for too long). instead, i baked the tarts at 425 for 10 minutes, then 295 for 7 minutes. a couple of the tarts browned a little too much, but the rest turned out golden brown.

i'm glad i decided to make mini tarts. they are nice and bite size, perfect to pop in your mouth.

#23: When given lemons, make...Lemon Cupcakes!

2010-02-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

i was feeling inspired to bake some cupcakes before heading to a brunch to meet up with some college friends. this ambition actually caused me to be late to my brunch...but at least i had some yummy cupcakes in hand. these are lemon cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. I used fresh lemons from the lemon tree in my backyard. the first batch of frosting was actually a swiss meringue strawberry frosting that went incredibly wrong (too chunky). i was pretty embarrassed of the frosting so i made another batch of vanilla buttercream (an easy, and reliable recipe to execute).

i tried out the kitchen aid mixer for the first time which was a lot of fun. also, i had better luck with the silicon cupcake molds after using some non-stick baking spray. i have been trying to push myself to try new frosting recipes - but i seem to always mess them up and waste a lot of butter/sugar. next time i'll need to pay closer attention to the recipes. at least i can always count on buttercream frosting...easy to make...and tasty to eat.

#22: Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is a great holiday excuse to bake! I looked for inspiration from my Martha Stewart cupcake book, and then blended a few recipes together to come up with these Valentine's Day cupcakes. Vanilla cupcake (Magnolia bakery recipe), with strawberry frosting (adaptation from Ms. Stewart), and a truffle brownie on top (from my own personal collection of recipes). I used frozen strawberries - pureed, and added to a buttercream frosting. The consistency of the frosting turned out kind of strange with the addition of the strawberries...I'll need to work on that. However, the cupcakes came out nice and moist, and the truffle brownies always seem to taste great. Overall, tasty cupcake.

I also tried out my new cupcake stand for display :)

#21: Chocolate Wrapped Bacon

2010-02-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

bacon? chocolate? chocolate wrapped bacon...bacon wrapped chocolate.

i was chatting with a few co-workers during lunch and somehow bacon came up in conversation...which led to chocolate covered bacon. i had never actually tried it before, but i'd heard about it. apparently you can buy them in those chocolate novelty shops but i've never managed to track them down. i decided i would try making some chocolate covered bacon at home. i grabbed some microwavable bacon from the fridge (not ideal - but hey, it was convenient). after the bacon cooled, i melted some chocolate chips in the microwave and then dipped the bacon into the ooey gooey chocolate. after the chocolate cooled a bit, i managed to melt some white chocolate (with a bit of buttermilk to make it smoother) and attempted to drizzle it on top of the bacon. threw it in the refrigerator to cool overnight.

i tried the bacon the next day, and it wasn't quite what i expected. i think next time i'll try using a higher quality, thicker cut of bacon. but...definitely worth trying once in your life...and easy to make!

#20: Just Lunch

2010-02-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

thought i'd share a little bit of my lunch with you. i bring my lunch to work the majority of the week, and usually manage to find extra leftovers in the fridge. on the off chance that there's nothing extra to bring with me, i'll sometimes bring the sandwich ingredients and then assemble during lunch (with the intent of the sandwich tasting as fresh as it can possibly taste). this open faced sandwich turned out quite tasty. 1/2 of a ciabatta roll, melted pepper jack cheese, grilled chicken breast strips (packaged from TJs), mixed greens, topped with a fried egg.

i do have to say...this particular sandwich was quite tricky to eat. Although the bread was heated and toasted, it was very hard to cut through. i guess that's what happens when you eat an open faced sandwich.

#19: Sunday Brunch

2010-01-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

Sunday brunch with some of the girls. MChiu, KLu, and I met up for a sunday breakfast...which soon became a brunch (since we didn't really get around to eating until 10:30am probably). For the first time ever, I made Belgian waffle batter from scratch using an Allrecipes.com recipe. The recipe called for self rising flour (instead of yeast), so I let the batter rest for 40 minutes after making it. I also brought some chocolate chips to throw into the batter before starting up the waffle iron. KLu got the ingredients to make a delicious berry compote...basically add sugar and simmer to caramelize the sugars and bind with the fruit. We resorted to frozen berries since the fresh ones were on the more expensive side and not very seasonally relevant. MChiu did made-to-order egg scrambles with: egg, mushroom, pepper, onion, tomato, and cheese. the waffles and eggs made a sweet and savory combination. The meal was delicious! and hopefully the start of a new tradition.

#18: Two-Bite Potato Skins and Brussle Sprouts 'n Bacon on a Stick

2010-01-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

While browsing the aisle of TJs with FChang, I picked up a bag of blue, gold, red potatoes, brussel sprouts, and bacon. The idea was to make mini bite-sized potato skins and brussel sprouts with bacon. Everything just seems to taste better with bacon, right? We carved out the inside of the potato (ended up making potato pancakes with the insides) and coated with an olive oil, cayenne mixture, and popped them in the oven to crisp up. Added cheese, bacon, and green onion and baked in the oven for a few more minutes. The potato skins turned out pretty much how i expected...but the brussel sprouts and bacon morphed conceptually. we cooked the bacon and saved the bacon fat to cook the brussel sprouts. after realizing it might be difficult to eat brussel sprouts off of a plate during a casual party - we decided to use toothpicks for ease of eating. bacon and brussel sprouts is a tasty combination and perfect party food on a toothpick!

#17: Christmasy Cookies, Cupcakes, and Cardboard Boxes

2009-12-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

for our annual christmas gifts to the relatives, my sister and i will usually bake something sweet. this year we decided to make an assortment of cookies. i was inspired by some pages i saw in a martha stewart cookie magazine in how to use plain old boxes to present the cookies. the article said to use corrugated paper to line the edges of the boxes and to split the box into different compartments. i went on a search for corrugated paper in at least 3 stores, and still couldn't find any. i ended up using martha as just inspiration and made my own boxes with colored card stock and tissue paper. i was pretty happy with the results.

i made 4 different baked treats for the boxes. (1) louisiana pecan balls (2) praline squares, (3) brown buttercrunch cookies (a variation on the last ones i did because they turned out differently for some reason), and (4) double vanilla cupcakes.

plenty of leftovers for now. let me know if you're interested. i probably won't deliver to you personally...but you can always stop by and pick some up! :)

#16: Sweet and Sticky Brown Buttercrunch Cookies

2009-12-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

For the annual Christmas Cookie Exchange this year, I decided to try out a brand spanking new recipe. I seem to have this habit recently of precariously trying out new recipes for outside consumption. I found this recipe from an old Mrs. Fields cookie cookbook. After a couple fairly disastrous batches (the cookies wouldn't come off of the wax paper, and one batch got burnt), I had barely enough cookies to bring to the exchange - 2 per person. Out of the oven, these cookies came out super thin and flat. To effectively make these cookies, you have to work quickly and be willing to burn your finger tips a bit because you roll them around a wooden spoon to get the cylindrical shape. After the cookies completely cool and harden, you can dip them in a chocolate ganache and let the chocolate harden. Although it was nearly a nightmare to make, I was pretty happy with the result. I'm going to make these cookies again for Christmas - but this time i will be armed and ready.

Stay tuned...more holiday baking to come...

#15: Tis the Season to be Yule-y

2009-12-20T08:57:00.001-08:00

(photo credit to s. lock)

Christmas time is here, and what does that mean? Baking! My family had a Christmas party and I was asked to make a dessert. I've been wanting to make a Buche de Noel (a.k.a. Yule Log) for a few years now - and I finally had the confidence to try it out. There were some skeptics about my ambitions (trying out a brand new recipe on guests), but I think i proved them wrong. I have to admit, this dessert was semi-homemade. My full intentions were to make the entire cake from scratch, but i hit a road block when I discovered my local Safeway did not carry pasteurized shelled eggs.

The spongey cake is rolled up with raspberry flavored chocolate mousse (from a powder). I was nervous to use un-pasteurized eggs to make the mousse so i resorted to a store-bought powder blended with milk. I used a ganache icing on the outside and added sprinkles to the outside of the log as embellishment. I also tried making meringue for the first time ever. The mushrooms are made out of a candied sugar/water mixture, egg white, and cocoa powder. I didn't have a candy thermometer (supposed to get up to 248 degrees), but I experimented with a meat thermometer and it actually worked! I attached the mushroom tops and stems with melted semi-sweet chocolate. They turned out quite well - i thought they were very tasty and looked really good. If I make another Buche de Noel (which to venture a guess, i will), i might try out another recipe. I used a combination of recipes, including an Allrecipes flourless cake and Martha Stuart's buche de noel recipe. Although I enjoyed eating the cake, I think the textures were different from a standard Buche de Noel. i'll probably keep experimenting with some other recipes to find the perfect Buche de Noel.

#14: Fries, Sweet!

2009-12-06T17:43:00.000-08:00

Potato fries, heavy on the sweet. with garlic lemon mayo on the side. I made this for a Sunday-after-Thanksgiving potluck. I figured I would do a little twist on the traditional Thanksgiving sweet potato, plus I was pretty tired of Thanksgiving food. I peeled 5 sweet potatoes and cut them into thin strips. I then tossed the fries in olive oil and put them in the oven for almost an hour. The dip was non-fat mayo with finely cut garlic and some fresh lemon juice (from a lemon from my backyard tree!). The mayo recipe came from Giada De Laurentis and the sweet potato recipe was a combo of recipes I found on AllRecipes.com . A nice tasty non-fried snack and not too hard on the waste line.

#13: Sweet (Sweet Potato) Cupcakes

2009-11-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

(photo credit to fred chang)

if the sweet potato intimidates you, or turns you off...think of these as pumpkin cupcakes! i made these for a thanksgiving potluck at work and they were an absolute hit! i found this recipe in my Martha Stewart cupcake book. Really, the only modification I made to the recipe was adding a dollop of cream cheese frosting. These mini cupcakes contain freshly roasted, caramelized sweet potatoes, with nutmeg and all your other standard cupcake ingredients. They were topped with cream cheese frosting, mini marshmallows, and candied pecans (also home made). My helper (Fred) also had some fun with a butane torch, lightly toasting the tops of the cupcakes (Karen, Madi, and Sarah - I finally used the torch from the creme brulee set!). I think the cream cheese was a good call to act as more of a binder - without it, I think there would have been something missing from the cupcake. What a tasty treat for Thanksgiving!

#12: Breakfast Crostini

2009-11-22T08:14:00.001-08:00

i was getting hungry in the AM and started to cook an egg. my creative juices started flowing and i went a little crazy. i cut a few slices of a french roll, brushed some olive oil on it, and put them in the toaster oven. i then finished my egg omelet seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked some white button mushrooms, and crisped up some green onion strips. one little crostini for each person in my family. what a way to start out a day, with a tiny bite of breakfast!

#11: Mac 'n Cheese Made Over with Brussel Sprouts

2009-11-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

the weather has been a little more dreary, so it seemed fitting to break out the cold weather, comfort food recipes. i had some brussel sprouts to cook and needed to come up with something to eat with them. i knew i wanted to make some type of pasta, so when i looked in the fridge and the pantry, i decided on macaroni and cheese. i remembered a recipe i saw in the October edition of the Food Network Magazine for a "lightened up" version of Mac 'n Cheese. The unique part of this recipe was the pureed cauliflower used to thicken up the creamy cheesy sauce. I also added small pieces of Hickoy Farms turkey lil' smokies. Instead of broiling the mac 'n cheese in the oven, I decided to pan fry it on the stove. The noodles came out crispy, browned, and delicious!

As for the brussel sprouts: I browned them in a pan and cooked them down in chicken broth...a great accompaniment to the mac 'n cheese!

#10: Cupcake Mania

2009-11-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

This week was filled with cupcakes upon cupcakes. For my birthday, my sister gave me a Martha Stewart cupcake book. i tested out the red velvet and cream cheese recipes a couple weeks ago as a practice round - and then made the cupcakes for real this week.

after sharing my baked goods and cupcake camp news with my manager at work, he asked me to make cupcakes for our colleague's baby shower. he requested they be pink and blue (because she is having twins - a boy and girl). i decided to take the colors to the extreme. i made pink and blue - mini red velvet cupcakes with pink and blue cream cheese frosting. i then topped the cupcakes with some white sprinkles and a plastic toy pacifier (probably should've written out a warning that the pacifiers were not edible). i made 40 cupcakes for the shower and they were a hit! i also got to practice with my new pastry bags/tips.

The friday before halloween, my office had a Halloween dessert contest. I figured I would try out my Pumpkin Spice cupcakes that I entered at Cupcake Camp. However, this time I used a mini bundt cake tin rather than a regular cupcake tin. The cakes turned out a little different. i think the cupcakes were better than these bundt cakes (the cupcakes had a higher frosting/sprinkles to cake ratio). As it turns out - my bundt cakes did not win the competition this time around....so maybe next time i should stick with the cupcake tin.

i made these monster cupcakes for a halloween/birthday party for a friend. these were also red velvet cupcakes with green cream cheese frosting. i used my martha stewart cupcake book again as inspiration for the decorations: marshmallows (with milk chocolate pupils), twizzlers, gum drops, and airheads.

#9: The Cupcakes that made it to camp!

2009-10-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

If you've been following my blog, you were well aware from my last post, that i missed the deadline to submit cupcakes for cupcake camp. Well...it's pretty amazing how the internet works, because the organizer of Cupcake Camp saw my blog post, commented, and said that she could squeeze me into cupcake camp!

Later in the week, they sent out a schedule of all the cupcakes, and i was so intimidated. i was still thinking through ideas of what kind of cupcakes to make/how to decorate them, so i realized i needed to step up my game. fred got pretty into it too, and really helped with the conceptual piece and execution.

For the competition, I went with a Pumpkin Spice cupcake (modified from Martha Stewart) and a Cookies 'n Cream cupcake (modified from AllRecipes.com). I entered the Pumpkin Spice into 2 categories: Best Halloween and Best Decorated, and I entered the Cookies 'n Cream into Best Decorated. When they announced the winners of the competition, I was announced as the winner for Best Halloween (Pumpkin Spice), and the runner-up for Best Decorated (Cookies 'n Cream). I was so surprised, and very appreciative. It was nice to be acknowledged for all the hard work.

I was really happy with how they turned out. All the time spent thinking about cupcakes, and actually making and decorating the cupcakes really paid off. This is one of the first times in awhile that I've really done something for myself...just because I wanted to. It really feels good.

Visit cupcakecamp.org to see the announcement of the winners for the competition!

#8: The Cupcake that Didn't Make it to Camp

2009-09-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

so maybe you've heard of cupcake camp. it's an annual cupcake festival, if you will, in san francisco. http://www.sfstation.com/cupcake-camp-e336721 my colleague mentioned it to me and i was really excited to check it out! i figured i'd experiment and come up with something to make for the event. i'd been wanting to try out some chai cupcake recipes (http://dessertfirst.typepad.com/dessert_first/). i finally found one from pastry girl and tested it out last night. it's a chai vanilla cupcake with a cinnamon/sugar topping. i modified it slightly from her recipe. i tried out a buttercream frosting that didn't quite turn out, so i opted for the cinnamon/sugar mixture instead. i think it worked out pretty well. it's more like a breakfast cupcake now.

anyways, i wasn't completely satisfied with submitting this cupcake so all day today i was trying to brainstorm cupcakes that i could make for cupcake camp. after a long day of thinking about cupcake flavors - i thought of one that i thought would be pretty interesting. Oreo cupcake. Chocolate cake with vanilla, buttercream frosting mixed with oreo cookie crumbs, and an oreo half sticking out on top. i was very eager to go home and register, as today (sunday) was the last day. when i got home around 9:00pm, i was very disappointed to find out that registration closed at 12pm today! bah. after all of my investment in cupcakes these last couple weeks...now i cannot be a part of cupcake camp. sigh...maybe next year...

#7: Pizza My Heart

2009-09-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

no, no, not the pizza chain...semi-homemade pizza. the pizza dough was courtesy of trader joe's. i've had the whole wheat and garlic herb doughs, but this was the first time i used the "regular" dough. i was pretty impressed with it - but i probably could have made the crust a little thinner because it bubbled up a lot. i started out roasting some garlic in the oven and caramelizing red onion in a pan while i waited for my pizza dough to rest (20 minutes). The finished pizza had marinara sauce, mozzarella sprinkled cheese, white button mushrooms, sliced turkey sausage, caramelized red onion, and oven roasted garlic. also, before sliding it in the oven, i brushed some olive oil on the crust and sprinkled some dry oregano along the edge. the pizza baked for about 10 minutes and then wah-la! freshly made pizza out of the oven. try it out...it's super easy and delicious. my favorite part was the caramelized onions - enough char to really bring out the onion flavor.

#6: A Granola Lover's Treat

2009-09-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

i was trying to think of "healthier option" recipes so i decided to try out a homemade granola bar recipe. as it turns out, the highest rated and most appealing was not the healthiest - but i went with it anyways. these homemade granola bars remind me of dessert bars. it's also pretty versatile because you can sub in - sub out anything you're craving, or anything you dislike. i followed the recipe pretty closely so mine were chocolate chip, dried cranberry, almond, and coconut. i brought them to share at work and they were definitely a crowd pleaser. however, if you're trying to "sell them" to a sweet tooth, make sure you mention that they have chocolate =)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Granola-Bars/Detail.aspx

note: like some of the comments say, i baked the bars a little longer than the recipe calls for. also, let them sit out for awhile before cutting them so they can harden.

#5: Whoopty Doo: Whoopie Pies!

2009-09-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

while browsing through tastespotting one day, i came across a whole assortment of whoopie pie pictures. i had never heard of them before, but they sure looked yummy so i thought i'd try it out.

i found a recipe on allrecipes.com. you make the "buns" out of devils food cake mix (yes, from the box...easy!). i also added chocolate chips to the mix at the end. i used a muffin top pan so it was a lot easier to have consistent sized tops and bottoms. while you're letting the cakes cool down, go ahead and make the creamy filling. i didn't follow the original instructions for the cream, but i tried out another user's recommendation. 2 egg whites, 1C butter, 1 lb box of confectioners sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla, 4 tbs flour and 4 tbs whole milk.

the end product reminds me of oreo cakesters. they are much better after being refrigerated and eaten the next day. i wonder how it would taste frozen...ice cream sandwich anyone?

#4: Sliders with all the Fixins

2009-08-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

Lunch on a sunday afternoon. I love eating mini so I jumped at the opportunity to make a mini lunch..and now I feel like having an hors d'oeuvres party! Today I made 2 kinds of sliders cooked on a panini grill.

1. Beef Sliders. Mini buns and mini beef patties with pepper jack cheese slices.
2. Chicken Sliders. Hawaiian style buns with chicken patties and pepper jack cheese slices.

Fixins': sauteed onions/mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole.

The panini grill really makes a huge difference. It's easy to use, and it makes the bread nice and crispy. 3 of these little burgers is probably enough for a meal. Otherwise, try them out as snacks.

#3: Magic French Toast 3 Ways

2009-08-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

I think the magic of this french toast really comes from the light coating of cinnamon/sugar on top of the crisp bread. i've made several variations of this french toast both with whole pieces of bread, and chopped up french toast sticks. this time, it's essentially the same recipe, but with 3 different types of bread.

it all starts out with a mixture of egg beaters, milk, and vanilla. coat the bread, and then drop on a warm oiled pan. flip the bread over once one side is crispy and then try this...flattening the bread - take a piece of foil and a heavy pot, then set the pot on top of the foil on top of the bread. i've seen great results with this cooking method, so i definitely recommend trying it out. after the french toast is off the pan, coat with a cinnamon/sugar mixture.

1st way:
Bread: 2 slices of whole wheat
Topped with cinnamon/sugar coated blueberries, and stuffed with banana custard pudding

2nd way:
Bread: Peasant bread (i.e. ciabatta bread)
Topped with blueberry compote, stuffed with banana custard pudding

(camera photo credit: fred chang)

3rd way:
Bread: leftover rolls from Sunrise Bistro (Walnut Creek)
Topped with blueberry compote

#2: Croissant Embellished with Banana Custard and Chocolate

2009-08-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

this one should probably be on a show like 'semi home-made'. my friend scavenged a free croissant from work and brought it home, so we thought to ourselves, how can we jazz this up into something more exciting? while i'm sure the croissant by itself it tasty enough, there's nothing better than a stuffed croissant (either sweet or savory). we thought we'd fill it with some fruit, and the most promising we could find in my house was a banana. how about banana custard? with....chocolate!! banana and chocolate tend to make an excellent pair, so why not stuff it into a croissant.

we found a recipe on allrecipes.com for a banana custard pudding (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Banana-Custard-Pudding/Detail.aspx).

step 1. make custard. for the most part we followed the directions of the recipe, but then mashed up some banana and added it to the mixture (which in the end was a good call). we had with 3 full dishes of banana custard pudding, and then put the remaining inside our croissant. we then microwaved some semi-sweet chocolate and added a bit of milk to loosen the mixture. we probably overheated the chocolate because it was not smooth enough to drizzle. we ended up with clumpy chocolate on the top. but alas, chocolate is still chocolate, and chocolate is delicious.

we stuck the croissant into the fridge to cool and eat the next morning. baked in a toaster oven at 350˚ for about 5 minutes. the custard was warm and gooey, oozing out of the croissant. it was pure deliciousness, but pretty rich for the morning. warning: you may get food coma after eating this for breakfast.

i think next time we should try stuffing some ham and cheese inside for a more savory version. yum!

#1 Homemade Pop Tarts

2009-08-13T22:38:00.001-07:00

it's about time. slight delay on the posting. but alas, here's the moment we've all been waiting for...the unveiling of homemade Pop Tarts!

In case you're unfamiliar with the 'real thing' (i suppose referring to Pop Tarts as 'real' can certainly be up for debate), here's what we're talking about (please see left).

so as a reminder, it all started off with a challenge to make my own pop tarts. after looking at a few recipes, and shying away from the one that called for 13 oz butter (i.e. more than 3 sticks...nearly 1 lb), i decided to go with this recipe: http://bakememore.com/2009/02/15/sorry-kelloggs-these-pop-tarts-will-make-you-crumble/ the picture looked good enough to me, and it seemed easy to do on a sunday night.

i got a chance to bring out the food processor to make the dough. after rolling out the dough, i decided to be a little more creative and make mostly circular pop tarts (i also made 1 normal shaped pop tart for good measure, and 1 triangle with the remaining dough). While I would have preferred a raspberry jam inside, I went with the Strawberry and Boysenberry in the fridge. After I sealed those suckers up with the fancy fork crimping, I put them into the oven to bake. The Pop Tarts came out nice and toasty. My advice: if you do let them cool completely, you should pop them back into the microwave for 10-15 seconds. They also seem to do okay after freezing them. it's also an option to put a glaze/frosting and sprinkles on top. However, if you happen to not be younger than 10 years old, i think the unfrosted Pop Tart will suffice, and maybe even impress.

Final Product:

interesting

2009-08-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

After watching Julie and Julia yesterday...and reflecting on a conversation from Friday, I have been inspired to cook and bake. Let me give you the reader's digest version of my conversation. it went something like this.

me: i'm jealous of you. i have no hobbies. no interesting hobbies. i want to be more interesting. i'm boring.

we started brainstorming of how i could be more interesting.

what do you like to do?

me: i like looking at food. looking at pictures of food. walking around the grocery store and looking at food. taking pictures of food.

we decided that cooking and taking pictures of the food, would be my new hobby. it was quite timely that we watched julie and julia 2 days later. it made me want to copy julie and pick out a cookbook from the shelf, and set a deadline to make every recipe. i wondered, how many people were going to go start a blog and cook from a cookbook. i don't want to be a follower. but, i guess i kind of am. in any case, i'm taking my own twist on it. maybe.

here's what i'm envisioning. let me start with a story. yesterday i was at safeway, and i saw a box of Pop Tarts. oh boy, i haven't had pop tarts in ages. Instead of succumbing to my sweet craving, I was challenged to make my own homemade pop tarts. So how about making homemade versions of all these commercialized products? Oreos? Gummy fruit snacks?

i expect this venture won't last long. but in any case, i'm hoping to cook more...and share it with whomever is reading this. do you think i'll ever get enough readers to attract enough attention to inspire a movie? i guess probably not. it's already been done...

to officially kick off my new hobby, i made Pop Tarts tonight. I will share with you soon...

(food in the news)

2009-07-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

Brown Rice in a Bottle

Welcome Odwalla's Wholly Grain! made from whole grain brown rice. Arriving to stores (like Whole Foods) across the nation this month. Each bottle includes 32g of whole grains. Haven't tried it, so I can't endorse it yet. But, I wonder if it'll be similar to wheat beers (with a bread-like after taste). Does this appeal to you?

Drink up!

(real food)

2009-06-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

Lazy, so I'll just be posting pictures this week...

(food in the news)

2009-06-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Bacon Tempura.
I think Steph will truly appreciate this if she sees it. Last night I was watching an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" - a new show on Food Network. The theme of this episode was: Totally Fried. One segment especially caught my attention, featuring the Red Cat in NYC. Bacon Tempura. Ted Allen introduces his fried favorite, stressing what a treat it is, but only to be eaten on special occasions so the cholesterol doesn't kill you. Can you imagine? Bacon tempura. Frankly, the thought of it makes me want to cough up oil and fat...though I'm sure one innocent little bite would be pretty satisfying, and hopefully not filled with too much guilt and regret.
(notice the dish in the bottom left corner of the picture...those two long brown things are the bacon tempura)

In case you're interested in making your very own bacon tempura, here's the recipe featured in this article:

4 egg whites

3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/3 cups cold club soda

½ gallon canola oil

12 pieces thick-sliced apple wood bacon

Salt to taste

In a large bowl whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold into egg whites the flour and the club soda. In a 4-qt. Pot heat oil to 425 degrees. Batter the bacon slices and carefully drop into hot oil a few slices at a time. Do not overcrowd oil as it will overflow and bacon will cook unevenly. Once the bacon is golden brown, remove from oil using a slotted spoon, lightly salt.

Serve 2 slices fried bacon onto of about 2 oz of grilled corn or other seasonal salad garnished with chipotle aioli and 2 lime wedges.

http://www.redcatrestaurants.com/reviews.php?pub=79&t=article&rest=redcat

(food in the news)

2009-06-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

This post is inspired by a recent Spam commercial I saw on tv. We see a macaroni noodle and a block of cheese dining together, acknowledging what a boring duo they make. Enter Spam. What a combination: Spam and Mac 'n Cheese! I get a sense that we have traveled back to the World War II era, when spam was especially popular. As we wade through these harsh economic times, there seems to be a renewed focus on the 'eating on a budget' concept. And although spam prices are up (avg. $2.62 for a 12oz can, 17 cents higher than last year), sales are up too!

As I watched the ad on tv, I found myself lost in a time warp filled with processed meat and fake cheese...(though not to say that spam & mac 'n cheese isn't delicious...)

On another note, who knew there were so many different Spam products?

Spam with Cheese, anyone?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/28/business/main4133539.shtml

(food in the news)

2009-06-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Bear Naked. for Breakfast.

When you think Bear Naked, you probably think granola, trail mix. Well...now Bear Naked has come out with cold cereal. (P.S. Did you know they also produce Hot Cereal (Oatmeal)?)

Just so you know, SRP @ $4.49

(food in the news)

2009-06-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

Pasta in a Bread Bowl

If you're like me, you probably like to pair your pasta with a slice of good bread. Looks like Domino's has taken this idea to the extreme with their new offer: Breadbowl Pasta.

At $5.99 you can ingest a total of almost 1500 calories. Yum...

http://www.thatsfit.com

(simple food)

2009-05-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Let me do a little bit of free advertising here, featuring Sprinkles.

The first time I saw a Sprinkles cupcake, I knew I was in for a great surprise. This indulgent treat sends sparks to my taste buds and satisfies my sweet tooth. About 6 months ago, Sprinkles shared its secrets with the world and launched canned cupcake mixes of 3 flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Red Velvet.

While Sprinkles cupcakes are normally $3.25 each. You can make your very own homemade cupcakes for around $1.50 per cupcake (including the mix, butter, milk, eggs, powdered sugar, vanilla). With these savings, the quality of the cupcake is comparable and much more affordable.

I tried it myself this weekend and I was pretty satisfied with the results. I especially love refrigerating the cupcakes because the frosting hardens and the texture is more pleasing when you bite into the cupcake.

Just be careful you don't eat too many. Between you and me, the recipe (for 12 cupcakes) calls for 3 sticks of butter total. So take it easy.

(fancy food)

2009-05-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

Food
(Las Vegas style)

(food in the news)

2009-05-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Edible Cocktails

Have you ever taken a jello shot at a college house party? You probably downed them in those oversized mini dixie cups. Now that we're older and more "mature" and "sophisticated," why not glamor it up a bit? The idea of edible cocktails reminds me of a cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's 3-course dinner gumballs and the glass art Chihuly exhibit at the De Young. Think fashion jello shots.

It looks like it's the next big thing at trendy restaurants in LA and Paris. Maybe the next time you have a house party, turn your pad into an LA hot spot and serve these edible cocktails on a fancy silver platter.

(Photo from LA TImes)

(simple food)

2009-05-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Seis de Mayo!

Tacos - Ground Turkey
Ingredients:
Onions
Ground Turkey
Taco Seasoning
Taco Shells
Mexican Cheese Blend

1. Saute onions in a pan
2. Add ground turkey and cook through
3. Scoop turkey mixture into taco shells, add cheese
4. Bake in oven until cheese is melted

Mexican Rice
Ingredients:
Brown Rice
Onions
Red/Green Pepper
Taco Seasoning
Canned tomatoes (drained)
Chicken Broth
Chicken Pieces

1. Cook brown rice (rice cooker)
2. Saute Onions and Peppers
3. Add cooked rice to the onion/pepper mixture and stir
4. Add taco seasoning
5. Add canned tomatoes and a bit of chicken broth
6. Add chicken pieces
7. Stir fry until slightly crispy

(food in the news)

2009-05-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Cold Stone Creamery - Cupcakes
Did you know Cold Stone launched cupcakes? I've been trying to do some research, but there are not too many legitimate articles about this. Originally, the cupcakes launched around Valentines Day @ 9.99 for a 6-pack, up until March 31. It looks like the cupcakes are still available (or they are at least still featured on their website), but I'm unsure of the current price point. In any case, these little ice cream cupcakes look delicious. And according to foodbusiness.net, they contributed to the company's double digit sales increase...winners!

Next up for Cold Stone? Ice blended coffees, ice cream sandwiches?

(fancy food)

2009-05-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

Pear Bread Pudding

Esin. Danville, CA

Soft, moist, with a slight crunch on the outer layer. Hint of pear flavor (very subtle). Beautiful presentation. Simple, light dessert.

(simple food)

2009-05-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

French Toast - cinnamon/sugar dusted
Ingredients:
Multi-grain toast
Egg
Non-fat Milk
Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture

1. stir egg/milk mixture
2. soak bread in mixture
3. cook in pan until crispy
4. slice into thin strips
5. coat/toss in cinnamon/sugar mixture