Made Resse's bottom cheesecake!

ohbiteit.com/2012/11/reeses-bottom-cheesecake.html

I garnished the cheesecake differently as I work along the recipe with the ingredients I had. I didn't want to go and buy a box of Graham Cracker and use it once. So I had some chips ahoy - chunky chocolate chunk and just crushed some cookies. I also had bar of chocolate so I shave it with a grater. I also bought mini reese cups and hide some cheesecake with mini reeses in the center.


There were different sizes in the stores so I bought party size bag, big cup and mini reeses. The party and big cup were small, didn't fit perfectly on the bottom of cupcake pan. There was also a super size one that I didn't buy, might have fit.

Also I made my own no bake cheese cake.

Cheesecake filling:
pack of cream cheese, soften
1 cup (or 1/2 pint) heavy whipped cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar (the reeses was sweet enough, didn't want it to de sweeter, could add less)

Electric mixture, in bowl, smooth the cream cheese then add sugar, till creamy and add vanilla, keep mixing.

The filling wasn't liquidly so it was hard spreading and filling the paper cups.

While I my friend was crushing the cookie, I can use a cookie as the "bottom crust."

My friend froze his batch and he said it taste like ice cream and the reese was too sweet.

baked potatoes and creamy potato soup

We are almost out of fresh food, but we do have a bag of potatoes. Remembering some of the food pins I pinned on pinterst. I had these baked potatoes at a restaurant and they tasted fabulous. I looked up how to make the roasted/bake potato and I was feeling for some creamy soup. This is my first time ever making something like this and I say it turned out great!! The soup was thick and had that potato flour taste, it was good, what I was looking for. The baked good was a bit dry; next time I think I would cover it with aluminum.

I followed theses recipes, but I was limited in ingredients so I had it improvise a bit.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cheesy-chicken-chowder
I only used 2 rib of celery, 4 potatoes, handful of broccoli, I had string cheese but other than that I had all the other items for sauce (flour) mixture. I had this for lunch and off i go to class. When I came home it became really thick as it cooled. My mum told just add more liquid to thin it out. I reheat it and slowly add some water and stirred until it's the consistency I wanted. I also added a bit of salt too because the taste would have diluted.

http://www.marthastewart.com/332662/roasted-red-potatoes
I only had Russet potatoes and didn't have dill so used italian seasoning.

Creamy Pasta Chowder

I don't know what's the deal with me this week but I began studying and then I side track into cooking food. It happen this monday too, where I made the bake potato and creamy potato chowder.

Early this morning 8:30am, class start at 9, so I went on pintrest and looked at my pins. This one pin caught my attention because it was similar to what I made on monday but with pasta. So I had an idea what I want to make

http://chefrecipesmagazine.com/broccoli-shells-n-cheese/

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cheesy-chicken-chowder

I start following the first recipe on butter, onion, flour and milk, cheese but I didn't like doing it this way, made my hand tired, but then again I was using a wooden spoon. Next time I make this kind of step again, I will be using a whisk on the butter, flour and milk. And how, I went to the grocery today, so this time I have most of the ingredients. and I also roughly measured my amounts.

one medium onion, diced
1 carrot roundly sliced
1 rib of celery
handful of broccoli
1-2 potato, diced
over 3 cups of water
1 or more cheese string, sliced (I only had cheese strings)
1 tsp salt
over 1/2 tsp chicken bullion granules
1 tsp black pepper
scoop of butter (I had margarine)
1/2 cup flour
over 1 cup milk/cream
pasta, cooked as instructed and set aside

In a pot, bring water to boil add the potato, celery, carrot, onion, salt and pepper
let it cook until potato tender (I had it on high heat). Have a taste if need more seasoning.

While thats cooking make the flour mixture. In another pot, on high, melt the butter than whisk together the flour (looks clumpy) and stir around a few minutes, don't want to burn can turn on medium heat. Then add milk little bit at a time, whisk, milk, whisk... until the flour mixture looks smooth with no clumps. Then add the cheese. and mix until melted.

When the veggies are tender add the flour mixture into the veggie pot, and stir around until dissolves. Then I add the broccoli and cook a few minute and then add the pasta into pot. Fold it for pasta to be coated with sauce. Have a taste if need more seasoning.

Simple Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi fried rice was unexpectedly yummy. Like fried rice and to what I have in hand. Frozen peas, handful of kimchi, egg and half a bowl of rice.

Beforehand, boil/thaw the frozen peas. In a hot pan, add oil let it heat up then add sliced kimchi with some of its sauce, stir a bit then add rice and peas and let the kimchi color distributed. and your seasoning ( salt and chicken bouillon ) to your taste. Then finally add the beaten eggs, stir around until egg cooked.

I'm taking international cooking class.

I'm excited in taking international cuisine/cooking class! Had our first session and we cooked classic american food. We made few different recipes: shrimp and grits, potato salad, Caesar salad, and chocolate chip cookies and bratwurst sliders. We paired up and each group picked which recipe they want to make. My partner and I made choco chip cookies and grilled the chicken breast and bratwurst. The chef circle around and gave mini demonstration and facts.

I learned for any cookie making first always mix the sugar and butter together. then add all the other ingredients except the choco chip and fold with spatula. Our dough looked a bit dry so the chef added a bit of olive oil in. then add the choco chip. cookie dough complete. He suggested bake at 350F but he likes to bake at low temperature like 325F which would bake at a longer duration. He also said while baking and almost done, he suggest to turn the baking pan around.

For grilling the chef demo seasoning the chicken breast with plenty of olive oil, pepper and salt. Mix them around and let it sit so the salt would dissolve and be soak up my the meat. For the brat, he showed us to cut it in half not all the way through hotdog-wise and then cut it in half which you would get 2 square-ish brats. when done grilling he also instructed to bake them in the oven so its cooked through well.

I wanted to learn how the other groups made croutons, they tasted fabulous. and wanted to learn how to caramelized onions. I saw bits and pieces of what the others were doing but not completely observing.

I found few recipes we used and followed or seems similar. next time I would take picture of how the chef plated the foods.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/caesar_salad/ -- I remember hearing the chef said substituting anchovy with something else or just omit it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/shrimp-and-grits-recipe.html

Brunch: Egg fillet sandwich

There is no fresh veggies in the fridge to cook with for a few days now. Need to go grocery shopping sometime soon. But I did have avocado, eggs and frozen fillet in the fridge and few slice of bread left. I whipped up something pleasing to eat. It taste not half bad.

NEED:
beat 1 egg with pinch of pepper and salt
1 thawed fillet with spices: italian seasoning, pepper, salt, white pepper, wine/lemon,
some avocado
mayos
slice of bread
any oil

HOWTO:
I first cooked the beated egg like a pancake and put it aside. then I cooked the fillet, using the same pan, I added some olive oil and let it heat up and added the fillet then pour a bit of cooking wine on fillet, then sprinkle the spices on. cook it on one side for a minute and then flip it over. I cooked it until when I use my spatula gently to see if the meat can easily separate along the striated lines. Turn off heat and set aside

Then I spread mayo on one slice of bread and put slice pieces of avocado on the other slice and use the knife to mash it up a bit while spreading it. I folded the pancake like egg in half, put on top of slice then put fillet on top.

Sandwich with Rou Song, asian style.

Hello readers,

I had this carving for rou song this weekend. I had was wondering what recipes there are for rou song. I don't usually eat/buy this but when I do it's usually with rice porridge. I only found a few recipes, not as many as I was hoping for.

Well my cousin bought this slice of bread called....and it taste amazing. The bread was moist, chewy and more compact. I usually buy those cheap and long bread at the grocery store, the ones that are loose. I don't eat bread much because the ones I buy aren't that tasty. I was missing out on good bread.

I scrapped up the ingredients I had in the fridge to make a sandwich. No lettuce or tomato or cucumber or avocado. But I do have sliced ham, mayo, rou song, and a carrot. I used a peeler to "peel" the carrots thin strips.

curry chicken

This evening after I help color my mums hair. I sat down and smelled curry out of no where. Then I was craving for some curry chicken! I also was craving for some ramen the other day but we didn't have any. So today we went to the asian store and bought different ramen flavors and bought chicken thighs from Walmart. Now I'm cooking the curry chicken I so wanted to eat.

3 chicken thighs, diced into bite size

about 4 cups potato, diced chunky

ginger, 5 slices

about 1 tbsp of cooking wine, any kind

1 tsp of ground white pepper

about 2 tbsp curry powder, add more if want stronger curry flavor

about 2-3 tbsp of sugar

about 2 tbsp of salt

about 1 tbsp of chicken granule bouillon 

water, enough to cover the chicken and potatoes

My mum told me that this process is similar in cooking red belly pork, just different ingredients.

In a wok or pot, let the oil heat up then add ginger and stir for a second and add the chicken. While stirring add the wine. When most of the chicken's surface is cooked, add the potatoes and water and all the other ingredients. When starts to boils for a few minutes there would be brown foam just spoon out the foam when you see it. Cover it and let it cook until you can see that the sauce has lessen, check on it a few times. Then have a taste of the sauce to see if you need to add more curry powder, salt, sugar, or chicken bouillon. If the potato is tender than your done.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

http://www.marthastewart.com/333938/old-fashioned-sugar-cookies

I made Lemon Sugar Cookies, it's fresh out of the oven cooling and they smell lovely. I didn't have a lemon but I did have lime. I have a cheese grater and they don't grate zest very well, so I only got a teaspoon overfull of lime zest from 2 limes, but I did get a tablespoon of juice from half of a lime. I didn't know what to do with the other half so I just squeeze some extra juice into the butter/sugar mixture. I had no idea what was sanding sugar so I just used brown sugar to sprinkle on some of the cookies.

These taste pretty good. A buttery flavor with zesty tang. My cookies were moist, soft, and not too sweet. I'm also happy that they're not bitter!

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened

2 large eggs

Sanding sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.

Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop;  space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.

Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Pesto Sauce recipes

Made this at volunteering in kitchen. Its actually very simple if you have the ingredients and a food processor. All we used is:
4 cup fresh basil leaves, don't need to chop
1 cups grated Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1/4 -1/2 cup oil

Add basil, salt, and garlic into the processor and process it a bit then steadily pour the cheese in and then the oil. The consistency looked like the first picture below. 


I found a few different pesto recipe. I wasn't instructed to add salt and pepper so I didn't add any. And I just peeled the garlic and pulsed it in blender to chop it up.

The pesto I made looked like the 2nd picture. It was a bit chunky and I think it looked unpleasant but the chef said it's ready, done.


Pesto sauce with pine nuts:
2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

To make pesto sauce, put basil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan cheese in a food process. Pulse them together as you drizzle the olive oil through a tube until well blended.Season with salt and pepper

Pesto sauce with walnuts:
3 cups fresh basil leaves
 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
 4 cloves garlic, peeled
 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 1 cup olive oil
 salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper.

Cilantro Pesto:
2 cups, packed, of cilantro, large stems removed
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon chopped and seeded serrano chile
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil

In a food processor, pulse the cilantro, almonds, onion, chile, and salt until well blended. With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream. Add more oil as needed for your use.

"Cheesecake in teacup"

I followed this LINK: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/cheesecake-in-a-jar-recipe/

First of all I was going to make this individual cheesecake but I didn't have baking cups and it was 4.99 at Shopko, too expensive, I'm not willing to pay that much. So I decided to make cheesecake squares. I don't know but I totally ruin making the crust. It was too buttery oily. I think its because I used too much butter or I used the butter in the tubs. Anyways that didn't work. Good thing that I found and post a lot of cheesecake variations. I made cheesecake with no crust.

Now that I'm reflecting back, for the individual cheesecake you don't need paper cups. You can use individual small bowls or cups instead.

I didn't have jars but I do have glass cups. So I used those cups. I only had 8oz cream cheese and another 4oz of cream cheese. So I halved the recipe and added a bit more of each except the eggs.

I was totally confused with her saying begin with boiling hot water, I boiled the water in my wok. Then I placed the cream cheese and sugar into the bowl then the bowl into the warmed water, I turned the heat down, and used the hand mixer to mix. When I was almost done with adding all the stuff in, I notice I read it wrong and doing this wrong.

baked half the time

gooey center

Because my container is smaller than her jars, I thought it was logic to shorten the baking time too. I did that and I didn't know how to tell if it was done. It didn't really help by say the edges will appear firm and the center a bit wobbly. My cheesecake did seem have firm edges and a wobbly center. In the end, it wasn't done yet, the whole lot of center was not firm enough, it looked like the batter consistency. So right now I'm re-bake it. I suggest to bake it as instructed
P.S. I didn't have any berry fruits. I still had some vanilla wafers--my gosh they taste so yummy, and some wheat crackers, I dipped them in the cups, like the cheesecake became a dipping sauce for wafers or crackers. It taste sweet and creamy good.

remixed and baked again

firm center

LIST:
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 packages of 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 large eggs, room temperature
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

HOW TO (I adjusted it):
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath when baking.

3. In the bowl, add the sugar and cream cheese together until smooth, then add egg. Make sure to scrape down the bowl. Finally add heavy cream and vanilla and mix until smooth.

4. Pour batter into canning jars or glass cups until about ¾ of the way full. Place jars/cup into a larger pan. Pour the boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the sides of the jars.

5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have a little jiggle to it.

6. Carefully remove the cheesecake jars from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cheesecakes are completely cooled, place them into the refrigerator for at least 5 hours. Top will fresh berries and serve.

Pasta noodle + spinach filling

LINK: http://dragonflydrama.blogspot.com/2013/06/spinach-filling-recipes.html

Fufufu...I had both of the pasta so I boiled both of them. After boiling the pasta, the cylinder one most if it have ripped. Now that I look at the 3rd picture pasta, I notice that Recipegirl used uncooked pasta to fill in the filling.

I didn't have package spinach but I did have fresh spinach in fridge. I rinsed them and then boiled them until tender. I also put salt in the boiling water. Then I drain it, rinse with cold water, squeezed most of the water out, and then chop it.

I chopped it vertically and it was too chunky, I suggest to chop it small if using fresh spinach.

It was a bit tasteless. I would have added more pasta sauce if I had any left so I sprinkle some salt and pepper.

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Made this in where I'm volunteering. I didn't take photos so I used photos online that were similar to my results.

LIST and HOWTO:

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberry
2 tbsp strawberrry jam

If using frozen berries then microwave it 2 minutes. Then use blender to blend jam and berry. You want to chop/pulse them up. You don't want pink foam to form. Want the consistency be almost like the photo above. Pour into a large/medium bowl.

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 pear vinegar
3 cup oil
1 tsp dijon mustard

Blend the 5 things together to emulsify. After the blend it looks like mocha chocolate color firm peak of egg whites texture. Then pour the mixture into the berry bowl and mix well. I tasted the end product and I could taste the strawberry flavor and the sourness.The end result looked like something like the photo below.

French Dressing Recipe

I also made French Dressing for the first time at the Agrace's Kitchen. I added everything in a large bowl and used a spatula to mix. The oil wasn't mixing well. I worried if I added to much, but then told myself I followed the recipe. Then I thought I needed a better tool, which I found a whisk to mix. It was much efficient in mixing the oil and sauces together.

LIST:
3 cup ketchup
1 cup Dijion mustard
1 cup Cider vinegar
2 cup oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbs worcestershire
1 tsp tabasco

Mix everything in a bowl very well.

Basil Green Goddess Dressing

LINK: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/bibb-salad-with-basil-green-goddess-dressing-recipe/index.html

I made the dressing without the little fish paste at Agrace's Kitchen. It gave a pretty lemon green color.

LIST:
1 cup good mayonnaise
1 cup chopped scallions(spring onion), white and green parts (6 to 7 scallions)
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream

HOWTO:
Place the mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the sour cream and process just until blended. (If not using immediately, refrigerate the dressing until ready to serve.)

Okra with black fungus

List:

okra

dried black fungus

water

oil

salt and pepper

1. hydrate the fungus and wash/rinse okra

2. then want to clean the fungus by checking if each piece still have part of the stem/bark. You want to pluck it off. And slice the bigger fungus.

3. slice the okra. I sliced and threw away the top part.

4. In a frying pan or wok add oil. let the oil heat up then add the okra in. Stir fry for a few minute. then add water and then fungus and then salt and pepper. stir.

chicken soup with cabbage and tofu

My parents bought this new ceramic pot from China. It awesome. Great for cooking soups but its a bit small. Dad boiled some chicken and we still had some of the water it was cooked in. So I used the broth and made this soup.

For the amount, I just used how much I wanted for my soup. I'm a veggie person so I overfill it with cabbage.

List:
water or chicken broth
cut the cabbage
black fungus, cleaned and sliced
dice cooked chicken
largely cubed tofu
frozen edamame beans without its shell
salt and chicken granule bullion or pepper

Direction:

Add water, tofu and edamame bean. Let it boil for a few minutes, maybe 5. Then I add salt and cgb. tastes the soup if enough flavor. Then I add the cabbage in and let it cook then top it off with the chicken and black fungus. I cover the pot for a few sec.

Simple Red Cooked Pork Belly

This dish was a bit sweet and not that salty. if you don't like your food sweet than add about 1 or 1.5 tablespoon of sugar. You can add more to your taste after the 30 minutes. Adding sugar makes the liquid a sticky-like consistency so less sugar would make it less sticky-like.

There is also an alternative were its the same direction, you just add vinegar and more sugar. You would add the vinegar when the liquid is about half it was before. Adding vinegar and sugar the taste would be sour and sweet, which is also pretty good. 

List:

3 tablespoon kikkoman soy sauce (or any light soy sauce)

1 tablespoon mushroom flavored superior dark soy sauce (or any dark soy sauce)

small spatula scoop of Hoisin sauce (optional)

1.5lb side pork belly cut into less than 1 inch cubes or rectangle

6 slices of ginger

roughly 2 tablespoon sugar

rice wine or any kind of cooking wine 

chicken granule bullion

water

Direction: 

boil the cubed pork in water for a few sec than drain and rinse away the foam.

In fry pan or wok add oil. Let the oil heat up. Add the ginger and hoisin sauce. Stir fry few second and add the rinsed pork. Stir it around while adding both soy sauces, sugar, and wine. Then add water until it covers the pork. Let it come to a boil for 2 minutes and turn the heat from high to medium heat with the cover on let it cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes check that the liquid thicken and sticky-like. Taste it if its sweet, salty enough. If not add a bit more sugar or salt or kikkemen soy sauce. This step is also were I add chicken granule bullion. 

If there is still a bit more liquid than you like and not thicken yet after 30 minuets, turn the heat back to high to quicken the process. It should take a few minutes, so keep your eye on it or it will dry out. 

Simple Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Eggs Recipe

My parents are going to China for 2 months so my mother came to campus, she came to get the suitcase I had and she come with food!!

Need:
hard boiled eggs
water
soy sauce - add the amount of flavor you want. I would add a bit more than usual. If you have dark soy sauce it will add to the color, dark soy sauce isn't that salty.

Crack all your boiled egg one or 2 times but don't peel the shell. In a pot add the cracked eggs and cover it with water and soy sauce. Let it boil then simmer for few hours for the flavor to soak in. You can also cook this in a crock pot if you want. You can eat it plain like that or add it to some noodles like I did.

Chinese Mustard Fish Soup Recipe

Hey y'all, I was craving my mums cooking but she is at home–1.5 hours away and going to China tomorrow. Anyways last time I was home she bought a fish head the size of my hand and cook fish soup. She added mustard veggies which she doesn't usually do but it was nevertheless yummy. I had mustard fish soup before when I was in China and it can't be compared with.

I had leftovers of the mustard veggie, I ate it with rice porridge, and I was think what I should do with it and thought of my mums soup. She also semi taught me how to cook it but the fish soup was already cooked, I just need to stir fry the musards veggie and then add the soup.

I made a simple, easy and quick mustard fish soup. I didn't have tofu but I had some fried tofu my father made in the freezer so I used those.

Need:
Fillet - diagonally sliced
Chinese mustard veggie - buy in asian store
soft tofu - random slices
cilantro (optional)
oil
seasoning - mine is salt and chicken granule bullion and ground white pepper

How to:
First add oil to your pot or wok, let it heat at high and add your mustard veggie. Stir fry it. Then add water or broth to a boil then add your tofu and let it boil for a few minutes and then add your fillet slices. Oh, and don't forget to season your soup to your taste. If you add mustard and broth it would already be salty so you don't need much. When you serve you can chop some cilantro and garnish it.

Here's a video