Using an electric mixer, beat 32 oz cream cheese (or, to reduce fat, 16 oz cream cheese and 16 oz Neufchâtel cheese) until fluffy, then add 2 tsp pure vanilla extract and 2 cups sugar (here, I used homemade vanilla-infused sugar). Slowly mix in 4 eggs, one at a time. Separately, place 24 cupcake liners… Continue reading Cheesecake tarts
Chocolate-almond butter haystacks
Combine 2 cups Kashi 7-grain puffs, ½ cup each cashews and pecans, and 1 cup chow mein noodles (the crispy, twiggy, bad for you kind, not the Whole Foods flat noodle version). Separately, melt 10 oz chocolate chips in 30 second intervals (Mika, note that I increased from 10-15 seconds), stirring between heatings. When chocolate… Continue reading Chocolate-almond butter haystacks
Candied ginger
I had not planned to make ginger candy; rather, this sprung out of my attempts to salvage sugar water from a failed attempt to make Vietnamese bittersweet caramel sauce. First, boil 1 part sugar and 1part water. When the mixture gets viscous, add 1 part peeled, sliced ginger. Let simmer for about 30 minutes to… Continue reading Candied ginger
Chinese golden egg dumplings
This dish, which I learned from my friend Amy, involves three components. First, the filling: mix ¼ lb minced pork with 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine, 1 ½ Tbsp water, 1 ½ tsp cornstarch, 1-2 cloves garlic (minced), ½ tsp microplaned ginger, ¼ small onion (minced), and a dash of salt. Second, the egg mixture:… Continue reading Chinese golden egg dumplings
Tuna noodle casserole
When I made this dish, I thought of the time my friend Sarah made this for me many years ago in Chicago. Preheat oven to 425. Cook ½ lb egg noodles, then drain. While still hot, stir in about ½ cupshredded cheddar cheese and set aside. Separately, in a large skillet, saute 1 chopped onion,… Continue reading Tuna noodle casserole
Mixed berries with limoncello
Toss berries (here, about 2 cups sliced strawberries and blueberries) with 2 Tbsp each julienned spearmint, julienned basil, and limoncello. Let flavors meld for a few mins, then serve. This recipe is by Giada de Laurentiis and available on Food Network. (May 2014)
Korean steamed ginger infused grouper with zucchini ribbon salad
I saw this on Judy Joo’s new Cooking Channel program, Korean Food Made Simple, and found it on her blog. We couldn’t find sea bass, so we tried grouper (but I had to remove the skin due to scales). The recipe is here: http://www.judyjoo.com/2014/05/06/korean-food-made-simple-weekly-chew-steamed-ginger-infused-sea-bass-with-zucchini (May 2014)
Sweet corn flapjacks
I have been on a cornmeal kick for the past few days, so we decided to try out this recipe. Mix ½ cup cornmeal with 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, then set aside. Separately, puree 2 cups corn kernels in a food processor, then add 2 eggs and 2 Tbsp butter (melted but not hot) and mix well. Add the… Continue reading Sweet corn flapjacks
Pan-fried cod fillets
Wash fillets in cold water, pat dry, and then lightly season with salt and black pepper. Separately, heat 2 Tbsp each butter and vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan (preferably non-stick). Lightly dredge each fillet in flour, then place, one at a time, in the pan. Cook until browned on each side. When you finish cooking the… Continue reading Pan-fried cod fillets
Tapas Plate (photo only)
Spanish tortilla, Seville marinated carrots, and spiced marinated tomatoes. (May 2014). Recipes for each of these are available as separate blogposts.
Cooking Adventures 