The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends Latest Posts ... (03.31.16)

I have a new post up over on The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends.
It's about my best friend in the kitchen: my bench scraper.


Come learn why you need one, too....and, oh yeah...there's a recipe for peanut butter cup brownies that you DO. NOT. WANT. TO. MISS. (really.)

Visit me over at Ree's! See ya on the ranch!

seafood stew in pumpkin

I learned this 'Seafood stew in a pumpkin' dish from a Korean cooking show recently. It is like serving seafood stew in a steamed pumpkin instead of a serving plate.

The dish is quite straight forward to prepare and I am confident that both my children would like it...even though one loves pumpkin and the other wouldn't even want to take a tiny bite. Initially I had planned to cook this dish just for one of them, but, like the Chinese saying, 计划赶不上变化 (literally translated as plans always fall behind changes), I ended up serving this for the whole family. Well, I thought, the elder one could enjoy the entire dish while the younger one could just eat everything, except the pumpkin ;)

There are two ways to prepare the pumpkin to use as a 'serving bowl'. The lid can be first carved out and the pulp removed before it is steamed. The other method is to steam the pumpkin first to make it easier to cut out the lid. Either way is fine as long as the pumpkin is cooked and has softened (fork tender) but can still retain its shape. Do not overcook till it becomes too soft otherwise it may not be able to hold the fillings.

The cooked pumpkin is then filled with the seafood stew and topped with grated cheese before sending it into the oven to bake. The baking is only meant for the cheese to melt as the fillings is already cooked.

This Korean dish is normally prepared with a spicy seafood stew that is seasoned with gochujang (Korean chili paste) and gochugaru (Korean chili powder). However, the cooking show("What shall we eat today?") demonstrates a non-spicy version, replacing the chili paste and chili powder with ready made pasta sauce. To make it even more palatable to suit children's taste buds, the pumpkin is brushed with honey before filling it with the stew. Besides the seafood, another key ingredients of the dish is Korean rice cakes. I replaced the rice cakes with cooked macaroni as I thought the it should go well with the pasta sauce, and it would be like pasta seafood marinara in a pumpkin. The dish was very appetising and I really like the nice presentation...something I would serve if I have guests coming over for dinner. I will also try the spicy version soon before my pack of gochugaru expires!



Seafood Stew in Pumpkin

Ingredients:

1 medium size pumpkin
2 gloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper, cut into bite size
2 sausages, slice diagonally into bite size
1 small to medium size squid, cleaned, skinned, cut into rings
6~10 prawns, removed shells and devein
1/2 cup cooked macaroni or fusilli
2~3 tablespoons pasta sauce (I used canned tomato sauce)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper for seasoning
a few tablespoons water
some honey
grated mozzarella cheese

Method:

• Wash the pumpkin. Cut a lid from the top of the pumpkin. Carve out the flash in the centre with a sharp knife carefully. Remove the pulp and seeds with a spoon. Scrape the inside of the pumpkin clean with the spoon. Discard the lid
  

• Steam the pumpkin for 15 mins until it has cooked and softened but still retains its shape. Drain the water that may have welled inside the pumpkin. (Note: alternatively, to make it easier to cut out the lid, steam the whole pumpkin for 15 mins before cutting the lid. Test the doneness and if necessary steam the pumpkin for another few more minutes.)
• In a frying pan on medium heat, heat the cooking oil and saute the garlic, onions, bell pepper and sausages. 
• Add in the butter followed by the squid, prawn and macaroni. Add in the pasta sauce and stir fry quickly for about 30 seconds. Do not over cook the seafood. Add a few tablespoons of water if the mixture is dry.
• Season with pepper and salt to taste. Remove from heat.
• Brush the inside of the cooked pumpkin with some honey. 
• Fill the pumpkin with the seafood mixture. Top with grated cheese and bake in preheated oven at 200 degC for about 10 mins or until the cheese has melted. (Note: depending on the size of the pumpkin, there could be some leftover seafood mixture.)
• Remove pumpkin from oven and place it on a large serving plate. Cut the pumpkin into wedges but do not cut through so that the wedges form a flower shape around the seafood. Serve immediately.

Cookies for Joanne : Baby Shower for Sweet Baby James

We're throwing a little internet baby shower today and you're all invited! I hope you brought a gift.
(Just kidding.)


Please tell me that you all know Joanne of Fifteen Spatulas. Joanne's recipes are SO, SO good. Take a peek at her blog and videos and you'll want to make them all....like these handheld chicken pot pies, and skillet baked pepperoni garlic knots. Dessert? How about her black & white cookies or these peanut butter sandwich cookies?


Here's the deal, though...Joanne more than a great cook; she is a lovely person. Always with a radiant smile, always with something encouraging to say, she is just the type of person you want to be around. (Side note: she's kind of a crazy awesome packer. Like, she should really have a show on the travel channel.)

Anyhoo! Joanne and her husband Pete just had a baby!!! A boy! James! 
Sweet baby James!

Well, I couldn't be more excited for Joanne and Pete! And for James!!! Lucky little guy!
(You can read more about James coming into the world here. It is QUITE the story! Wow.)


Big surprise, I made cookies for this little shindig. I've always wanted to make some ombre cookies in shades of the same color, so that's what I did here.

Mini ombre heart cookies, all in shades of baby blue. Those lightest ones look a little white in the photos, but I promise you, they have just the lightest tint of blue.

For the cookies, I used this recipe...and this one for the icing. 
The icing was tinted with AmeriColor Sky Blue.

I thinned the icing a bit with water, and since these were small, I didn't even outline them. I used a piping bag with the tip snipped and covered the cookies with icing.


After letting the cookies dry overnight, I loved seeing them all together as a group...but thought maybe they needed a little more.


So, I broke out my bottle of vodka from the freezer (I hate to admit that this vodka really only ever gets used for cookies), and some Rolkem gold luster dust.

I don't ever measure my luster dust and vodka mix. I just stir together a little of both and test it.




On a few of the cookies, I painted on a little "j" for James.
(Can you tell from my testing plate that I thought I would be able to fit "sweet baby james" on those tiny cookies? Not gonna happen. I need a teeny tiny paintbrush.)

I love the way the gold catches the light. You can see it more in person, but you can get the idea.

Welcome to the world, baby James! ♥

*amazon links are affiliate links...thank you. 

Here are more treats from the baby shower: 

Appetizers
Italian Sub Sandwich Roll-ups from Michael of Inspired by Charm
Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Sun Dried Tomato Hummus from Jeanette of Jeanette's Healthy Living Creamy Sweet Potato Soup from Sadie of Dairy Good Life
Whipped Goat Cheese & Blueberry Balsamic Crostini from Meseidy of The Noshery
Rosemary Flatbread with Baked Goat Cheese from Heidi of FoodieCrush
Spring Herb Cream Cheese Appetizer Cups from Rachel of Rachel Cooks
Crostini with Almond Ricotta and spicy olive tapenade from Heather of HeatherChristo

Drinks
Fruit Freeze from Deborah of Taste and Tell
Mint Lemonade from Trish of Mom On Timeout
Ginger Lemonade from Kathy of Panini Happy

Desserts
Chocolate-Covered Rice Krispies Treats from Julie of The Little Kitchen
Orange Fluff from Jamie of My Baking Addiction
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies from Susannah of Feast + West
Mini Ombre Heart Cookies from Bridget of Bake at 350
Mini Coconut Pound Cakes from Mary of Barefeet In The Kitchen
Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting from Jennifer of Savory Simple
Unicorn Shaped Cookies from Jessie of CakeSpy
Oreo Cheesecake Bites from Brenda of a farmgirl's dabbles
Lemon Blueberry Bread from Glory of Glorious Treats
Blintz with Blackberry Sauce from Sommer of A Spicy Perspective
Pastel Rainbow Cake from Bree of Baked Bree
Individual Chocolate Souffles from Andie of Andie Mitchell

BM milk loaf

Ever since I received a preloved Zojirushi bread machine, I have been baking homemade bread regularly. The bread machine is very compact and as it doesn't take up too much space I have left it permanently at the corner of the kitchen counter. With it so visibly in sight, I am constantly reminded to bake a loaf of bread every other day.

I have lost count of the number of times I have baked this milk loaf. As long as there is fresh milk in the fridge, this is the bread to make. The recipe is from a bread machine cookbook by a Japanese author (荻山和也╳cuoca用麵包機烘焙專業級麵包) and I will be trying out a few other recipes soon.

This milk loaf recipe uses the most basic ingredients: bread flour, milk, sugar, butter, salt and yeast. It has a very high liquid to flour ratio, at 80%. That is, for 500g of flour, it will need 400g of milk. The usual liquid to flour ratio for most handmade bread ranges from 60% to 70%. The dough is quite wet and at first I thought it may not even come together to form a dough. After the kneading cycle which is about 20mins for my bread machine, the ingredients came together and a slack and sticky dough was formed. Nevertheless, it survived the next three cycles of rising with two auto stir down (or the common term 'punch down' by the kneading blade) in between. The dough became smooth and rose well before the machine went into the baking cycle.

After 3.30 hours, I was rewarded with a beautiful and tall loaf of bread. The crust was thin and evenly browned.

The texture of this bread is very soft and fluffy. The bread stays soft for 2 days (kept in air tight container) but I am not sure whether it would remain soft for 3 days as my family finishes the loaf within 2 days. The texture is slightly different from bread loaf made with tangzhong method. This one using straight dough method doesn't have the slight chewy texture as compared to the tangzhong method.

I have also tried using the bread machine's "dough function" to just knead and proof the dough but used the oven to bake the bread. With the exact same amount of ingredients, the dough was able to fill up my pullman tin. With only 20 mins of kneading by the bread maker, the dough was not able to reach the window pane stage. However, to my delight, the texture of the finished pullman loaf was just as good!

The bread tastes good with just the right sweetness. It can be eaten plain on its own especially when freshly baked. Besides the bread machine wholemeal loaf, this is another regular everyday bread which we won't get tired of having it for breakfast everyday!




Bread Machine Milk Loaf

Ingredients:
(makes 450g/1 lb loaf)

200g milk (I used full cream fresh milk)
250g bread flour (I used Prima brand unbleached bread flour)
20g caster sugar
20g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3g salt
3g instant yeast

Method:

• Place milk, bread flour, sugar, salt, butter in the pan of the bread machine (according to the sequence as stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine). Make an indentation on the flour with your finger and add in the instant yeast. Select the Basic or Regular function of the bread machine. Select Light crust function and press start.  (Note: due to our hot weather, I use cold milk from the fridge.)
• When the cycle completes, lift the pan out of the machine and carefully shake the loaf out of the pan. Leave the loaf to cool for at least an hour before cutting and remove the blade/paddle, if necessary. Store in airtight container.

Recipe source: 荻山和也╳cuoca用麵包機烘焙專業級麵包

Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Five Seed Almond Bars

I hope you all are having a lovely Easter weekend! We actually intended to review these for you last week, and time got away from us. Forgive us?


Today we're reviewing Trader Joe's Five Seed Almond Bars. You'll find them in a package of 8 for $3.99.


A mom's (my) take: These bars are one of my favorite Trader Joe's buys. The texture of these is spot on, soft yet chewy, with a little crunch from the seeds and almonds. These are chock full of seeds: poppy, flax, sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin, but the bar eats more like a cookie than a granola bar. They're very lightly spiced and not too sweet. I love these for breakfast or for a snack. They feel substantial for just 110 calories.
Overall rating: 5 of 5 stars


A teenager's (Jack's) take: I love these primarily because they're not too nutty. Sometimes you'll find those bars that are composed entirely of nuts... well, I'm not a huge fan of those. The base dough of the bar itself is sweet, and reminds me somewhat of pumpkins(I know it's like 7 months until fall, but...). The variety of seeds is very noticeable, but doesn't hold an absolute dictatorship over your taste buds like some of those bars I mentioned earlier. The only thing I could possibly think to critique is that the bars sometimes tend to break up a bit if you're handling them a lot... but hey, it's food!
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Five Seed Almond Bars: another double 5-star rating!

[note: We have no affiliation with Trader Joe's. I'm sure they have never read this blog and have no idea who we are. Hey, we like being incognito, although we never wear sunglasses indoors. ;)]

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews! 

Here's what else we're loving this week:

• Justin's vanilla almond butter...I just cannot stop eating it. Maybe next year, I should give it up for Lent? 
• this week I made both a Neiman Marcus Cake and a Coconut Cream Bundt Cake. I love them both, and you will, too! 
• this 3-ingredient asparagus tart...it went right on my must make list! 
• I'm absolutely stocking up on half-price Peeps next week to make these. It's really the only way to enjoy a Peep. ;) 

Happy, happy Easter from our little family to yours! ♥ 

Cookbook Crush: March 2016 + Neiman Marcus CAKE!

We're new Costco members. That explains the 7 pounds of Nutella in my pantry. (That's what I'm telling myself anyway.)


Well, of course we must go up and down every aisle of Costco on each visit now...wouldn't want to miss a deal on something we didn't know we needed. That's when I spied The United Tastes of Texas by Jessica Dupuy. I stopped in my tracks...pretty much knowing it had to be mine. I didn't want to be hasty, though, so I opened to a random page. Yep. Sealed the deal. I needed it.


Texas is a BIG place. Did you know? We cook more than steak and tacos around here, and this book covers every corner of the state. I'm IN LOVE with this book. LOVE.

So far, I've made Amigo Pie (like a Tamale Pie, yum), Banana Pudding (hello, comfort food), King Ranch Chicken (and this recipe doesn't call for any condensed soup mixes...it's FABULOUS), and Neiman Marcus Cake.


(When Spike isn't napping, he likes to supervise what's happening in the kitchen.)

Now, I'd heard of the Neiman Marcus cookies, I've even made them on the blog, but cake?!? This, I needed to try.


The cake is two layers, chocolate and cream cheese. The chocolate layer rises up around the edges creating a crust of sorts that is perfection. The chocolate cake itself looks like a brownie, but it's not. It's lighter and fluffy. The cream cheese layer is rich, but not too thick, like Goldilocks would say, "just right."

In the book, the recipe is baked in a 9 x 13" pan. I decided to make them in 9" round pans, making 2 cakes. Since I was giving one away, I baked them in these foil take-away pans, which I love. They're high-sided, so make sure you bake them in a 9" pan with tall sides, at least 3 inches.




Neiman Marcus Cake
{adapted from The United Tastes of Texas, makes two 9" round cakes}

2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, divided
1/2 cup milk
3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9" round cake pans with tall sides. Stir the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.

In a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and whisk in the granulated sugar. Whisk in 2 of the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Whisk in the milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whisk the flour mixture into the chocolate in three additions.


Divide evenly between the two pans.

Beat the cream cheese and remaining vanilla until smooth. On low speed, beat in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until combined. Beat in the remaining 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.


Pour the mixture evenly over the chocolate batter, gently spreading with an offset spatula.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pans on a wire rack.

*this post contains affiliate links, thank you! 

The United Tastes of Texas and Neiman Marcus Cake...you can't go wrong with either!

The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends Latest Posts ... (03.22.16)

I have two posts from The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends to share with you today.

1. Bunny Cupcakes! 

Hop (ha!) over and see how easy they are to make...I promise, they're every bit as delicious as they are cute!

2. Candy Coatings 101 + Birthday Cake Pretzels.

If you've ever wondered about candy melts, candy wafers, or almond bark, this post is for you. And, the birthday cake pretzels? Well, we couldn't stop eating them around here. Totally addicting!

Thanks for popping over to Ree's! See you there!

Stitch Fix SHOES!!!

No cookies, no sugar, no Trader Joe's review today, just a Public Service Announcement...

Stitch Fix is now shipping SHOES!!!

I know, right?!?

Stitchfix.comis where you can go to have a personal stylist do your shopping for you. I've talked about Stitch Fix before on the blog and have gotten some really cool pieces. (As a matter of fact, I'm wearing my Stitch Fix grey & white striped cardigan WITH elbow patches right this very moment.)

I'd put my fixes on hold for a while I'm trying to shed a few *ahem* extra pounds I put on over the winter (fall, summer, spring...you get the idea.) ANYHOO. I read about Stitch Fix shoes and promptly scheduled my next fix.

I'm personally hoping for those yellow wedges. And the orange-y fringe sandals. And, well...the navy ankle tie little numbers. Ohmygosh. Shoes delivered to my house. In my size. That I can try on while wearing pajamas. Sold.

Anyway, I just thought if you'd been on the fence about taking the plunge with Stitch Fix, now might just be the perfect time to dive in!

Yay, shoes!

*links are affiliate links. thank you!

Chinese style Mee Goreng

Pardon the less than satisfactory image quality in this post as the pictures were taken with my mobile phone. I have no plans to blog about this dish, but since it turned out really good, I thought I should capture my moment of glory and leave a trace in this humble blog ;)

During this one week school holidays, I decided to try my hands at preparing this tze-char style or Chinese style Mee Goreng as it is one of my children's favourite. Although I can prepare stir fried bee hoon (rice vermicelli) with ease, I have big problems when it comes to stir frying noodles...be it egg noodles or those thick yellow noodles. My stir fried noodles usually end up tasting very dry and over cooked.

Thanks to the video from makansutra, I am able to pin down the mistake I made when I cooked yellow noodles. The trick is to add splashes of stock or water while tossing and stir frying the noodles. In the past, I would stir fry the ingredients first then add the noodles followed by lots of water to prevent the noodles from getting dry. Allowing the noodles to 'boil' in the liquid and also the longer cooking time for the liquid to dry up could probably be the reasons why the noodles became too soft and over cooked.

This is the first time I could prepare a nice plate of mee goreng which is not dry and tastes so delicious. The noodles is not too soft and doesn't clump or stick together in lumps. I have included the recipe below for my own reference. If you feel like giving this a try do note that it may not suit everyone's taste buds, do adjust the ingredients especially the seasoning sauce according to individual preference.



Chinese style Mee Goreng

Ingredients:
(serves 3~4)

300g prawns
1 small yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6~8 leaves of cabbage, chopped
300g yellow noodles
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups bean sprouts
1 big fish cake, sliced
1 tomato, cut into wedges
1 cup prawn stock or water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
a few calamansi lime for garnish

seasoning sauce:
5 tablespoons tomato ketchup sauce
2 teaspoons sambal chili or chili sauce (I used Huy Fong brand Sambal Oelek )
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soya sauce
1 teaspoon dark soya sauce
1 teaspoon sugar


Method:

• Remove heads, shells and devein the prawns. Rinse and set aside.
• Rinse the prawn heads and shells. Place in a saucepan and add enough water to just cover the shells. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer for about 15 mins. Strain and reserve 1 cup of the stock, set aside.
• Mix all ingredients of the seasoning sauce in a bowl, set aside.
• In a wok on medium-high heat, sauté the sliced onions and chopped garlic with 1 tablespoon of oil till fragrant. Add the cabbage and stir fry till softened. Dish up and set aside.
• Add 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok and add in the noodles. Toss and stir, then add a few tablespoons of the prawn stocks at a time to the noodles and continue to toss and stir over medium-high heat. (Note: I used about 1/2 cup of the stock)
• Push noodles to the side of the wok and add the eggs, scramble the eggs and toss with the noodles.
• Add in the bean sprouts, toss well.
• Add in the the cooked cabbage, fish cake slices, prawns and tomato wedges.
• Add the seasoning sauce, stir fry till the prawns are cooked through. Add more stock, a few tablespoons at a time, if the noodles dry up. 
• Dish up and garnish with lime or calamansi.

Beribboned Easter Egg Cookies

Easter just simply can't happen without ribbons. Ribbons on Easter baskets, ribbons on dresses, ribbons on hats, ribbons in little girls' hair...ribbons on cookies.


I'm so, so, SO excited to show you this cookie tutorial. It's actually over on the Imperial Sugar blog, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek of a few of the cookies.


RicRac! I love ricrac....or rick rack....or ric rac. However you spell it, I love it.


And OH! I love these, too. Satin ribbon is so pretty...and the grosgrain *sigh*...I love grosgrain.

Beribboned Easter Egg Cookies. Don't let your Easter happen without them.

Hop on over to Sweetalk, the Imperial Sugar blog, for the full tutorial.

The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends Latest Post ... (03.15.16)

This week, over on The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends, I'm talking egg washes. When, where, and how to use them...along with lots of options for making one.

{Hint: you really can't make a mistake.}


Also, what do egg washes have to do with Taco Bell? Well, you'll just have to click over and see. I love a Taco Bell teaser.


Happy Tuesday!

Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Gourmet Jelly Beans

Spring! It's springing!!! Yay!


Today, Jack and I bring you a review of Trader Joe's Gourmet Jelly Beans. Eighteen flavors are in each bag...and the jelly beans are colored using fruits and vegetables.


Fun fact: these are made in Ireland! On the back of the bag, Trader Joe's says, "From a tiny little candy factory nestled in the Irish countryside, we present our assortment of Gourmet Jelly Beans." (My mom loved all things Irish and was very proud of our Irish heritage. I know that if she were here, she'd be buying all the bags for that reason alone.)

A 15-ounce bag costs $3.99.


A mom's (my) take: To be fair, I'm not a jelly bean fan. In my book, they're Easter basket filler. (Bring on the peanut butter eggs.) These are good, though....and pretty. I love the natural colors. Some flavors I liked more than others, but they were all quite flavorful. My favorites are lemon, lemon/lime, and tangerine...unlike typical jelly beans where my favorite flavor is "white." Warning, the liquorice (licorice?) ones are NOT dark black, but deep purple/red, so pay attention!
Overall rating: 4 of 5 stars

A teenager's (Jack's) take: I love these! Of course, I am a bit biased when it comes to jelly beans... I could each pretty much any kind. Especially these, though; they seem to have more of a kick in terms of flavor as opposed to the overused, artificial flavor one seems to find in many other jelly beans. The lemon, strawberry, and tangerine flavors were especially noticeable. Also, even though this has absolutely nothing to do with the flavor, it helps a lot to have a color key on the package... :)
Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Gourmet Jelly Beans: Easter bunny approved! 

[note: We have no affiliation with Trader Joe's. I'm sure they have never read this blog and have no idea who we are. Hey, we like being incognito, although we never wear sunglasses indoors. ;)]

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews! 

Here's what else we're loving this week:

• OK...who else is watching The People vs. OJ Simpson??? Obviously we know the outcome, but the back stories are riveting! 
• In the "a girl can dream category"....shoes for spring and summer: these and these. 
• Bunny cookies for Easter. Polka dot and double-decker. 
• I'm thinking these Bailey's Cookies and Cream parfaits from Homemade Hooplah need to happen for St. Patrick's Day.