Le Menton Qui Cuit (The Baking Chin)

Hello all!

2011-12-27T17:20:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

It has indeed been a while since I have posted anything on this blog. I would just like to mention that the recipes on this blog are from my sophomore year of college/university and I have grown a bit since then. For instance, my blog on stock can be simplified a lot... among other things. I feel like my cooking/baking has gotten a lot simpler, but a bit more mature, if that makes sense... Either way, I am probably not going to update this blog anymore... Currently, if you are wondering what I am doing, I am trying to get my pastry diploma from Le Cordon Bleu's pastry program. Also, I am making a youtube cooking show called "The Baking Chin." I think it's pretty okay!

So thanks for reading!

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/bakingchin

Best of luck, all! And best wishes!

Warmly,
Ian

Sinful DARK CHOCOLATE Ganache Tart! :D

2010-09-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, y'all!

I'm all settled into my new apartment, and my new KITCHEN. It's great. It's a really homey kitchen. We have most of the pots and pans mounted on the wall for easy use and drying... we have nice, copper bowls, that are perfect for egg whites... and decorative purposes... :P

I have brought a lot of vintage appliances, like my 1960's stand mixer - which actually WORKS! I have my 1980's Cuisinart Food Processor... and lots of other fun gadgets! OH-- and quarry tiles, for bread making!!! But, I will discuss the virtues of quarry tiles in another blog post!!

So, something else that I have... is a NEW CAMERA! Hoo-ray! :3 It's great. Before this, I was just using my Macbook's camera - which is awkward to carry around. It's nothing special... just a plain 'ole digital camera... BUT... I totally made a TART for the occasion!!!

What tart, do you ask? Why, a plain old DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE TART.

It's great. :9 It's rich, and sinful, and dark, and just a perfect kind of dessert. Now, I am not a big chocolate fan, but I do have somewhat of a dark chocolate fetish. I like the intense chocolate taste! This tart has that wonderful intensely chocolately taste, but I added some sea salt on top, which makes it even more decadent. It really brings out the rich sweetness of the dark chocolate. It's perfect with a glass of whole milk or strong iced tea, and some orange slices, to give the dessert some acid. Yum!

Also, I made a cookie crust for it -- however, a regular pastry crust would be fine, or even a philodough crust. (We had a lot of animal crackers around, so I used the animal crackers to make the crust.) THOUGH, I do love a good cookie crust. It's crumbly and buttery -- and above all that, easy to make! It's just dry cookies, like animal crackers, or graham crackers, food processed with a little sugar, salt, and butter. If one does not have time of make a full blown pastry crust, a cookie crust is a marvelous way to encase a tart filling. PLUS, you can make a cookie crust in advance, and just freeze it.

ALSO, ALSO -- this tart sounds challenging, but it's really easy to make. It's just a pre-baked crust, homemade, or otherwise (I always home-make my crusts, but you don't have to), filled with chocolate ganache, which is basically chocolate, butter, and cream. You let it set/harden up over night and then you have a marvelous dessert of character that everyone will think took you hours and hours of labor, but only you and I shall know how easy it was! Woof!

So, as usual, here is the recipe:

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SINFUL DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE TART

(NOTE: this tart is a make-the-day-before tart, so plan accordingly)

Ingredients:

(For the crust... if you are using a premade crust, ignore this...)

4 1/2 to 5 cups animal crackers

1 tablespoon sugar

1 pinch salt

1 1/2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces

(For the filling...)

3 3/4 cups dark or semi sweet chocolate chips (or you can put some chocolate bars in the food processor, but that might be more expensive!)

1 tablespoon honey

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup hot cream or half and half

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 pinches of freshly ground sea salt for topping (later)

Optional: 1/4 cup grated orange zest

Instructions:

(For the crust...)

Put the animal crackers, sugar, and the pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse until the crumbs are about the size of round sprinkle. (One uses pulse because it helps move everything around better.)

Now, put the food processor function on and process the cold butter pieces in gradually.

When it is all processed together, put the mixture in a tart/pie pan. (I use a spring form tart pan for easy unmolding, but you can use whatever you like!)

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the butter hardens a little, or freeze for later!

When you take it out, put it in the oven at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes. Take it out and cool... Reserve for later THEN -->

(Now, for the filling...)

Heat up your cream/half and half until it is just about to boil. Then, pour it into a mixing bowl filled with the chocolate chips/processed chocolate bars. Mix in the room temperature butter, honey, vanilla, and orange vest (orange vest is optional).

Now, keep stirring the mixture until it is smooth. If it does not mix, just heat up a pan of water on medium heat, and put your mixing bowl over it. Keep mixing until everything is nicely melted and shiny, but not burnt. There should be no specs of chocolate. It should all be smooth and attractive.

Now, pour it into the cooled, prebaked crust and smooth it out. (I used a rubber spatula, but you can certainly use a knife, dipped in warm water!)

After it the top is smoothed out, cover very lightly (the foil should not touch the actual filling) and refrigerate for atleast 6 hours, or overnight, until it is hardened/set.

After it has hardened/set, top some sea salt - just about 2 pinches or so. Enough to bring out the sweetness of the chocolate without making the tart actually salty!

You can also add things like...

Dark chocolate shavings (that's what I did, but I just used a little)!

or...

Cocoa powder!

or...

Powdered sugar (I did that too)!

Or whatever you think looks attractive!! :9

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So, if you need a dessert for a special occasion, or any occasion, this is a lovely dessert to make! It is complicated, decadent, and pretty darn easy to prepare!

LOVE and BAKING and CHOCOLATE GANACHE!!! <3

--Ian

The TART in my new KITCHEN! :3

Closeup!!

The tart, with a slice of tart, served with ripe oranges.

Another view!

SLICE! <3

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HAND-MADE ICE CREAM!

2010-06-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!

I LOVE flea markets. I like flea markets because I can buy cooking supplies and cookbooks for good prices - and I can even bargain if I do not like the prices! I got a huge 250 dollar copper bowl for 10 bucks! I got a good quality 1980's cuisineart food processor for 20 bucks!! It's the same one that Julia Child used on her programs! Also, I got a cool 1960's stand mixer for 12 dollars!!! The best part is that THEY ALL WORK!!!!! :D

Another thing I get a lot of at flea markets are cookbooks, old ones in particular. Old cookbooks have really wonderful recipes that are not afraid of loading up a frying pan with butter and suet and lard and kidney fat! Crazy deliciousness! The only setback is that the earlier the cookbook, the less pictures it has. The prices, if you bargain or look right can range from 1 to 15 dollars! It saves so much on books - especially at chain bookstores! One cookbook in particular, a 1938 Watkins grocery cookbook has a great ice cream recipe - WITHOUT USING AN ICE CREAM MAKER!!!

On a separate, but not unrelated note, I often cook with my good friends Becky and Erica. They are wonderful home cooks and are very passionate about food. However, like any good home cook, they are passionate about their methods and set in their time-tested methods! We have a lot of disagreements about food - but that is good. It is good to disagree about food, so there are new methods and ideas put on the culinary table.

One argument in particular we have had is about ice cream. Erica and Becky think that the only ways to make proper ice cream is in an ice cream maker or with a method using coffee cans and salt and ice.

Needless to say, with this new ice cream recipe... I totally proved them wrong! :D

As I have blogged about before, I have tried making ice cream in the food processor. It is fine, but the texture is not as good as proper ice cream. This ice cream method yields great, creamy, luxurious results. The ice crystals are small, so it makes a very smooth result.

The method is interesting - you start with a creme anglais base (heavy cream, sugar, egg yolks, and flavoring.) Then, after chilling the custard base, you just put it in the freezer and whip it with a whisk every half an hour, and so on. It is surprisingly simple.

In my opinion, it makes just about perfect ice cream. I made honey flavored ice cream, but you can make whatever you want. A burnt caramel flavor, sea salt, candied ginger, fresh raspberry, or a even nice, American cookies and cream would be perfectly wonderful combinations! The ice cream possibilities are endless when you make your own ice cream! It's great for the summer!

Your friends will be amazed when you serve homemade ice cream for dessert or for an afternoon snack, paired with fresh fruit or waffles! It tastes so professional, yet hand-made and personal. Certainly, it tastes better than a generic ice cream from a generic brand company. Also, you know exactly what is in your own ice cream and you can control its flavor and sweetness!

As usual, here is the recipe I used (I do not have the 1938 cookbook with me, but here is an internet recipe that is almost identical, except it does not have terms like "hand freezer"):http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/07/making_ice_crea_1.html

SO, make some ice cream! It is a little time consuming, but it is worth it!

ALSO, if you all are reading, Becky/Erica... try this recipe - I totally proved you all wrong! :D I look forward to having more exhilarating culinary arguments/discussions with y'all! : ) Jersey-style! :D

ALSO, ALSO -- YOU (the reader) should totally make this recipe! See how easy it is to make ice cream, without buying an expensive ice cream machine, or wasting all that salt and ice you could be using for other recipes!

Icey excitement!! :D

LOVE and BAKING and ICE CREAM! <3

--Ian

Arial view! (It looks a little watery because it had been out for a little while.)

Closeup! :9

On the cutting board.

Look at that texture! Near perfect! :D

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ASPARAGUS SOUP with an IMMERSION BLENDER!

2010-06-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!

So, yesterday I was with my good friend, the wonderful Russian-American home cook, Karina Rubin (or "Krubin" as she is known by one and all). We went to Sur La Table, which is a wonderful store, by the way. It really has many wonderful cooking supplies for "not horrible" prices, though I like a good flee market myself. ANY WAY, like I was saying, I was with Karina in Sur La Table and and I bought myself... AN IMMERSION BLENDER!! :D

What is an immersion blender (also known as a hand blender), you ask? It is like an electric stick with a blender on the end! It is a great device. It makes pureed soups and sauces into child's play! Just stick it into your cooking pot and mix and blend! It's an amazing bit of technology. The immersion blender is much, much more convenient and less messy than putting a chunky sauce or soup into a blender or food processor. With the blender/food processor, one must work in batches and sometimes the liquid splatters everywhere or one accidentally pours it on the newly mopped kitchen floor! Not very fun!

So, I suggest you buy one of these! Online and in Sur La Table, it goes for about 30 dollars at the cheapeset. It really is a big help. It's great for a homecook or anyone who makes a lot of things that need to be quickly pureed, or even a self-proclaimed gadget freak such as myself! Also, the blender part comes off, so it is very easy to clean! Amazingly exciting! 8D

OKAY, so I needed to test this immersion blender. SO, I made myself a little soup - an ASPARAGUS and POTATO soup.

This is a great soup, just for starters. It is easy to make and tastes amazing! What you get is a creamy and thick soup that has a lovely subtle asparagus taste and a vibrant, light green color. The added lemon juice really brightens up the soup and makes it fresher and less heavy.

Asparagus soup is perfect for a first course chilled and garnished with panfried, chopped asparagus - the panfried asparagus chunks being a surprising texture and a great burst of asparagus flavor. Naturally, it could also be a suitable, hearty main course, served hot or cold with a sizable herb side salad and garnished with asparagus tops and crispy bacon and baguette croutons! (If it's cold, it's kind of like an asparagus vichyssoise! A vichyssoise is cold leek and potato soup, by the way.) :D

The immersion blender makes this seemingly complicated-sounding soup very easy to make! No longer does one have to pour the messy and hot soup base into a blender/food processor. Now, it is blended and pureed in the very bowl it was boiled in! Amazing, yes?!

SO, as usual, here is the recipe I used:

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ASPARAGUS SOUP!

(This recipe makes about a quart or so. If you

want more, just double the recipe and etc.! :D

Also, how well everything is chopped is not

very important. It will be pureed anyhow.)

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch of asparagus (About 1 1/2 cups, chopped up.)

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons sugar (optional. this is used to help brown the onions.)

3 stalks of scallion, roughly chopped

2 large potatoes

1 can butter beans, or another white bean (about 1 1/2 cups canned butter beans)

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

5-6 cups chicken stock

The juice from 3/4 of a lemon

Salt and Pepper to taste

OPTIONAL, but RECOMMENDED: 1/4 cup heavy cream, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Start by boiling the potatoes until they are done, (until they can be pierced through by a fork with ease.) While this is happening, start cooking the onions.

Melt the butter and oil in a frying pan until it is bubbling, but not browned. Put the chopped onions in cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes with the pan lid on. Then, take the lid off and add in the two teaspoons of sugar, if desired. Cook until slightly browned.

Now, chop up the asparagus, but save the tops for garnishing. Add the chopped asparagus into the frying pan with the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Then, set aside.

In a large sauce pan or small pot, pour in the stock, scallions, potatoes, beans, and onions and asparagus. Bring to a boil. While waiting for this to boil, lightly sautee the asparagus heads until just cooked, about 2 minutes or so.

When the soup is boiling, turn off the heat. Then, with your immersion blender, blend until everything is completely pureed. If you do not own an immersion blender, just pour the soup into a food processor/blender in safe batches.

Add in Lemon Juice.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Now, it is basically done. If you want the soup a little smoother, as I tend to like it, pour the soup into a strainer and strain it into another pot until most of the liquid is gone from the strainer. This leaves you with a slightly silkier soup. Otherwise, it is fine the way it is. After straining, add optional cream. If you do not strain, but still want cream, just add it when you are done blending.

Serve hot or cold, garnished with the panfried asparagus head, or whatever garnishes you like! :D

ENJOY!!!! :3

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This was a great experiment with my new immersion blender! I look forward to using it many more times in the future!

So, if you have an immersion blender, this soup is perfect for it! If not, this is a fine soup anyway!

SO, SO, SO -- try the recipe and try your hands at an immersion blender! It is a not too costly way to make beautiful soups and sauces and mixed drinks and just about anything one would use a regular blender for!

LOVE and BAKING and ASPARAGUS! <3

--Ian

The soup, served with a small herb salad and garnished with asparagus heads. :9

Closer...

An arial view! :D

Last picture! What a beautiful soup!! :3

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New Pizza Recipe!

2010-05-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!

Exciting news -- my folks have not been around for the past week.... so I think you know what that means!!! LATE NIGHT COOKING!

Yes, I have been cooking at all hours of the night and etc. (Actually, I only stay up until 12am... I need to get up to feed my cat.) BUT YES! I have been doing a lot of cooking - healthy cooking! :D That means a whole bunch of salads and other things of that nature.

One thing I made that I am pretty proud of is my new THIN CRUST PIZZA! Yes! Pizza with a delightful chewy, yet thin crust!

What I have been doing is experimenting with my dough recipe and seeing how much dough a pizza really needs. What I found out is that for a nice, thin crusted pizza, all one really needs is about 3/4 to 1 cup or so of flour - which is 1/4 the dough I usually use. It's great! BUT that's not the biggest trick!!

The big trick is to cook the pizza on the bottom rack of the oven, and that gives it the chewy texture, and then finishing it off in the broiler! The broiler portion only takes about 1 minute and thirty seconds... and it gives the pizza a nice bubbly, cheesy crust and a pizzaria-type, "burnt" finish. It's really lovely. The pizza turns out great.

The past two days, I've also been in the possession of some HUGE fresh basil from a local farmers market here in NYC. It's awesome. The first pizza I made this week, I just put the basil leaves on top of my pizza. Then, because basil does NOT keep forever, I decided to make pesto out of it!

THEN, I made myself a thin crust pesto pizza, topped with sweet grape tomatoes and some swiss, parmesan, and shredded mozzarella cheese (not too much, just enough to add flavor. The pesto was so savory and fresh... and that went well with the sweetness of the grape tomatoes. The cheese was nice and crispy - the way I like it. I feel it has a nutty kind of flavor to it. You may very well like your pizza with gobs of runny cheese, but I perfer a more restrained amount of cheese! :9

SO, as usual, here are the recipes I used:

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THE BAKING CHIN'S PIZZA DOUGH

(This is enough for one thin crust pizza. If you want more pizza or a thicker pizza, just double this recipe.)

Ingredients:

1) 1 cup flour

2) 1/2 cup warm water

3) 1/2 tablespoon yeast

4) 3/4 tablespoon sugar

5) 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Instructions:

Follow the instructions for your yeast. (Some yeasts require one to dissolve and proof in 3 tablespoons warm water. Fleishman's yeast is usually this kind. I use SAF dry instant yeast, from Canada. One just mixes it up with the dry ingredients with SAF dry instant yeast. SAF is a lovely smelling yeast - sort of a nutty aroma - and I think it works well.)

Regardless of your yeast, Mix the dry ingredients!

Then, add the warm water (and yeast, if you use the kind of yeast that you mix in water.)

Flour a kneading surface. Now, knead the dough, working the yeast by folding it over and kneading with the palms of your hands. This fully mixes everything. Be sure to add any extra flour needed until the flour is springy, but not stiff.

Cover with a damp towel or a sheet of plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes or so. Then, punch it down and let rise for an hour or so.

Now, flour a rolling surface and put your dough on it. Take a rolling pin and roll it out until it is very thin and large - about as thin as your baking pan. It is worth it!

It should be very thin. Make sure to lightly flour the top of the pizza and also make sure that the pizza does not stick to the floured surface. SO, now fold it into fours, and put it on your generously cornmealed baking pan on one corner. Unfold it onto the baking pan. (This way of transporting insures that the dough will not tear.

Cover with the same plastic wrap and let rise for another 20 to 30 minutes. Then, take a fork and make holes all around the pizza, except where the crust will be.

Spread the pizza with olive oil.

From this point, you may add any sauce or topping you wish. Remember not to put too much! This is a nice, light pizza!

Bake on the bottom rack of a preheated 500 degrees oven for seven or so minutes.

Then, take it out and add any cheese that you wish.

Now, put it in the broiler for 1 1/2 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned and the crust is golden and slightly charred.

You should have a nice, light, perfectly chewy, charred, and crisp pizza!

Enjoy!! :9

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This recipe may seem hard, by the length of the recipe, but it is not. The recipe is long because I like to explain things in detail. Also, the method of making this style of pizza is important, so details are necessary! One you get the hang of it, it's really easy sailing! The hard part is waiting!

SOOOO, try this one. It's super easy and surprisingly satisfying!

And by the way (btw), do not fret if your own homemade thin crust pizza does not work out the first time! My first attempts at pizza certainly did not turn out like I hoped they would. Just keep experimenting and cooking/baking! ;D

LOVE and BAKING! <3

--IAN!

This is how the pizza idea started - the biggest fresh basil I have ever seen! (I got it from a local farmers market!)

Here's the first pizza I made with the crust method! (Homemade tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella and the HUGE fresh basil)!! :9

The second pizza... Homemade pesto with sliced tomatoes, scallions and swiss cheese! :D

Closeup!

Check out that BOTTOM!

CHECK OUT HOW THIN THAT IS!

Served with a mixed salad. Yum. (And heathy!) 8D

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Homemade BUTTER! :D

2010-05-08T15:33:00.001-07:00

Hey y'all!

I like cream a lot. Unfortunately, I cannot eat too much cream at one time (it's really deliciously bad for you! and me! :P) So, I overbought. I bought a whole large container of cream. Naturally, cream will not last forever, so I thought of a way to keep the cream for longer - MAKING HOMEMADE BUTTER.

When most people think of making butter they think of churning butter for hours, like in the musical "Oklahoma!" It is either that, or butting cream in a bottle and shaking it until it separates. This can take an hour or so. Thankfully, there is a much easier, faster way to make butter than both of those ways - OVERWHISKING.

The fastest way to make a small amount of butter in a short time is the whisking method. I tried it and it worked like a charm.

Homemade butter tastes slightly different than regular, store-bought butter. It is slightly lighter and slightly fresher tasting. The buttery flavor is also a little more subtle. However, it is just a s rich and lovely as any store-bought butter you can think of! Also, it will automatically taste better, because you have made the butter yourself and you know how it was made, and the quality! :9

A WORD TO THE WISE, though! Homemade butter does not have salt, so if you are making a butter for spreading on bread, or you just like salted butter, you need to add salt to the cream beforehand.

So, as usual, here is the recipe.

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WHISKED BUTTER.
This is totally not my recipe. A lot of people do it this way, but this is how I did it! :D

This makes about the equivalent of 3 sticks of butter or so.

INGREDIENTS:

1) 1 quart cream

2) OPTIONAL: 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons of good quality salt (sea salt is preferable.)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put the cream in a large bowl, with pretty large sides. If you do not own a large bowl, make this recipe in small batches, so you do not splatter cream all over your kitchen counter!

Start whisking. You can use either a normal, wire whisk, or an electric mixer. (I rather like the conventional wire whisk. It takes a little longer, but I feel like you have more control over the whisking and it has a smaller splatter rate.)

Whisk, whisk, whisk! --> Whisk until the butter and the water start to separate. The butter will look like clumps. You are done whisking when most of the water is whisked out of the butter and the butter is solid-eque, in clumps.

Now, form the butter in one big ball and squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can.

After this, take two layers of cheese cloth and wrap it around the butter, as you would cheese, and squeeze even more liquid out. If you do not own cheese cloth, do not despair! You may use regular paper towels for this. Do not, however, use a cloth towel. The linens will get into your butter and your butter will have little strands and fibers in it. It will be edible, but not very attractive.

At this point, you can eat it as it, refrigerate, or add things to it. You could add some herbs, spices, garlic, sundried tomatoes... anything! Butter is very versatile

Remember to store it in an airtight container to allow for maximum storage age!

Annnnd, ENJOY! <3

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So, as you can see, it is THAT easy! : ) So, if you have overbought cream, and you are not going to use it right away, make some butter!

You can eat butter, use it to cook, use it to thicken stews/gravies/sauces, get your finger out of a ring that is too small for you... The possibilities are endless with butter! :9

SO, SO, SO --> Do it! You will not regret it!

LOVE and BAKING and BUTTER! <3

--Ian

The Cream State! You could totally forsake the butter at this step and just dip in some strawberries... BUT DON'T! :P

It's getting there...

It's getting firmer...

BUTTER! :9

The homemade butter, spread on some fresh-baked peasant bread! Yummers! :3

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Homemade Fromage Blanc! :D

2010-04-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!

I dont know about you, but I really like Boursin cheese (pronounced Bore-Son) - or as a person in a Connecticut cheese store pronounced it, "Boor-Siin." However you pronounce it, it is a tasty cheese! Very easy to like! I began wondering what kind of cheese it was exactly. I wikipedia-ed it and I found out that is a kind of Fromage Blanc!

WHAT is fromage blanc? It means, "white cheese" in french. It's a kind of soft and creamy cheese that goes well with just about anything.

SOOOO, I decided to make it myself.

It is actually a pretty easy process. Unfortunately, I decided to use a Food Network recipe.... NOTHING AGAINST FOOD NETWORK, mind you! I just do not trust them usually for recipes. I feel like they are not tested enough. And guess what? I was right.

You see, I do not have a thermometer. A thermometer necessary in this recipe, but even if it's close to the right temp, it won't work exactly the right way. It felt like 175 degrees to me, but the cheese did not exactly separate... at all. I needed to go back to my knowledge of cheese. This recipe does not keep in consideration people that do not have thermometers.

If you do not have a thermometer, and it is not exactly the right temperature, just add about a cup or so of lemon juice and it will separate right away! Fool proof curd and whey separation! :) Take THAT, food network!

SOOOO, here is the recipe I used. Keep in mind what I said about the lemon juice.

RECIPE: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/homemade-fromage-blanc-recipe/index.html !

It's not a bad recipe, though! Just not properly tested, I think.

Okay, so the cheese I made turned out wonderful! The extra lemon juice gave it some nice freshness. I added fresh chives, chopped garlic, sea salt, and coarse ground pepper. It was heavenly!!

BUT, one could add just about anything to this... rasins... walnuts... fresh fruit... herbs... It's a really easy-to-like, versatile kind of cheese. It's a lovely kind of appetizer for friends/family and etc. It's also great for a snack, spread on freshly make baguettes and good-quality, cut-it-yourself salami. (That's what I did!)

AND, if you make it yourself, all your friends will certainly be impressed! Mine were!

So do it! Try your hand at making your own lovely, fromage blanc! And do not be frightened! Even if it does not work, the ingredients are not entirely expensive... and you could use the liquid for other things... like baking powder biscuits!

Excitement! :9

SO, as always, LOVE and BAKING and HOMEMADE CHEESE! <3

--Ian

The cheese, freshly mixed.

Closeup! :D

The spread!

Concentrating on Hor D'ouevres! :9

IAN: "This cheese is so intense, I have to awkwardly duck to the side! Go DAWWWGS!"

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SNAZZY CHEESE BREAD! :9

2010-03-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

Studying sucks. I am busy, busy, busy, so I decided to take a baking break and make some cheese bread!

This bread is was pretty good. I made it with some leftover cheese and flour.

The cheeses I used were some freshly grated parmesan and gruyere (that's just fancy french swiss cheese. You can use any swiss cheese!)

Real parmesan is perfered for this recipe - and for any recipe! The stuff that comes in the green container that you put on cafeteria pasta won't do it! It does not have the body and the nuttiness and the slight creaminess that real parmesan has. Fake parmesan just taste like salt with a dash of cheese, to me, which is not good for any real recipe - in my opinion!

BUT YES - cheese bread. It's nice. Very versalite. It is nutty and rich and has just a hint of onion (from the onion salt I used). It is neutral tasting, like many breads, but has a slight flavor. It is important for breads not to have too much added flavor, or they will not go with anything! This sort of bread you can eat with sweat cream butter, fresh mozarella, or a thin slice of procuitto! Yum! Also, this bread would be perfect for making stuffing from! Great!

You could form it into small rolls, or a baguette, or even, perhaps even a pizza dough! Lovely!

Okay, so as usual, here is the recipe I used:

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SNAZZY CHEESE BREAD!

Ingredients:

1) 3 1/2 cups flour

2) 1 packet active dry yeast

3) 1 to 1 1/2 cups warm water, and about 3 tablespoons warm water for the yeast

4) 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature. Unsalted, of course!

5) 3/4 cup parmesan cheese

6) 1/2 cup swiss/gruyere cheese

7) 2 1/2 teaspoons onion salt

8) 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

Instructions:

Dissolve the yeast in 3 teaspoons warm water. Let sit until for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until frothy.

Meanwhile, prepare the dry ingredients - mix together the flour, onion salt, and sugar.

When the yeast is frothy, add it to the dry ingredients, along with 1 to 1 1/2 cups warm water and 1 cup room temperature butter. Mix well.

Flour your kneading area. Kneed the dough for about 5 minutes, flouring as much as you need to along the way. Then, kneed in the cheeses, gradually. Kneed again for about 5 more minutes, or until the dough is elastic, but slightly sticky when you pinch it.

Let rise in a warm area for 1 hour. Then, punch down, and let it rise for another hour in a warm area.

Now, cut the dough in half (unless you want a long loaf), because this makes about 2 loafs. Make them into spheres and place them on a floured or cornmeal coated baking tray. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or so.

Now uncover and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes on 450 degrees.

--> ENJOY! :D

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go study some more/cook!

I'll see you later!

LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

LOAF.

LOOOOAF.

LOAAAAAF! : D

TEAR.

CLOSEUP! :9

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Newspaper 'n' Bread! :D

2010-02-25T17:24:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

Short blog - sorry I haven't been blogging -- I'm been really busy with projects and interviews!!

SOOO? Guess what?? I got into the school Paper!!! I am very excited! Here is the link: http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2010/02/24/Feature/Julie.Julia.Ian-3877968.shtml!

It's a neat article. I am very thankful to the Daily Orange and Jada Wong, who wrote the piece on me, and had to listen to be ramble about food (pasionately!!!) :D

Also, thank you all for reading my blog! Your support has helped me keep cooking and also, most undoubtably, helped me get into the paper! SO, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!

One thing that dissapointed me was that they did not use the recipe I gave them!!! I guess there was not enough room.

Anyway, 'since they did not put my recipe in the paper, here's what you all were missing:

---------------------------------------------------------

BAKING CHIN’S EASY-PEASY, NO-KNEAD BREAD!

This bread is very easy to make, and it produces a lovely sort of European peasant-type bread. It should be golden brown on the outside, and creamy and porous on the inside. It is a nice bread to slop up the last couple of drops of soup at dinner time, or just to consume with sweat cream butter!

Ingredients:

1) 3 to 3 ½ cups flour

2) 1 packet active dry yeast

3) 3 tablespoons warm water (for the yeast)

4) 1 cup warm water

5) 1 ½ teaspoons of salt

6) 2-3 tablespoons sugar

7) cornmeal

Instructions:

Dissolve the yeast in 3 tablespoons of warm water. Let sit for about 10 minutes, or until frothy.

Meanwhile, Mix your flour, salt, and sugar together.

Then, add in your fully dissolved yeast and your warm water.

Mix very well and cover with either plastic wrap or a damp towl. Let rise for about an hour or so, at room temperature, or until it has doubled in size.

After it is done rising, mold the dough into a ball and put on top of a tray that has been dusted with cornmeal. Cover again and let rise for about another hour.

When the dough has risen for a second time, cover the dough ball with a dusting of flour. Cut a rather large “X” on the bread and bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, on 450 degrees.

NOTE: For the right crust, remember to have a little metal bowl of water on the bottom rack of the oven, for steam purposes.

After it is done, brush off the extra flour and serve!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If it does not turn out the best, remember, that bread takes a while to perfect. Even if your bread does not turn out to your liking, you should feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment that your have made your own bread – rather than buying the bread from the store! Also, if your bread does not turn out the best, you can use it for other things, like bread pudding, or stuffing! The possibilities are endless.

~~~~~~~~~~

ENJOY!

---------------------------------------------------------

So, enjoy the article! And stay tuned! More cooking and baking to go! :9

Thanks for reading! I appreciate it, and you! If you have any suggestions on techniques I should use, or RECIPES, or ingredients, or whatever, feel free to comment! I don't bite! Annnnnd -- I'll probably use the suggestions!

Thank you again.

LOVE and BAKING and THE NEWSPAPER! <3

--Ian

P.S. You're awesome, Jada. Thanks for waking me up. :3

Here's a meal that I served the bread with. (The bread is in the upper left hand corner!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEARTY TRIPE AU VIN! -- TRIPE WINE STEW!!! :9 Tripe Heaven!!

2010-02-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all,

WHaaaa! I have been cooking up a storm!! However, I have not been able to take pictures of everything... BUT, something I did take photos of and I thought was quite the triumph, was my TRIPES AU VIN (I made up the name), or TRIPE STEW made with WINE!

Why tripe? Well, I was going to a new, less mainstream kind of supermarket in my school area, and I happened upon an aisle where they were selling tripe. Being an avid fan of hispanic and chinese style tripe, I decided to try it myself!

Now, as you may or may not know, TRIPE, is usually beef stomach. It is not always for everyone. I, personally am quite the fan of tripe! I am ALWAYS up for new tastes and flavors and foods and textures! If you want something like that, I suggest tripe! Though it is the beef stomach, I think it is evocative of morel mushrooms, but a bit meatier. It tastes sort of like a meaty sponge - in the best possible way. Like a sponge, in this stew, the tripe sucked up all the wine and beef and was heavenly rich! Yum!

I also bought a pigs foot, for flavor, and a little beef, to relieve some of the gaminess of the tripe. What is nice about tripe and pigs feet is that it is very inexpensive. I think the cost of both of them combined way only about 9 dollars or so -- and you get a lot of tripe!

Another thing I used was an entire bottle of wine. I bought a nice, but cheap red cabernet for this stew. I think, for cooking, the price of wine does not matter very much. A cheap, but good wine suffices for such cooking. The good wines, or at least the more expensive wines, should be reserved for drinking!

The bottle of wine in this stew was wonderful! It really adds a nice, rich, yet sweet aroma and taste to the stew, with just a slight tang. Deliciousness and excitement! :D

I finished the stew with just a little cream on top, and some chives. I think the cream helps to soften the stew's tangy, strong taste, and adds some much needed creaminess to it -- just a little. The chives give it small extra oniony taste, and add a nice green color to the presentation of the dish! :9

SO, as usual, here is the recipe I used:

-----------------------------------------------------------------

THE BAKING CHIN'S TRIPES AU VIN!

or, Tripe and Wine Stew

Ingredients:

NOTE: By "blanched", I mean put in boiling water and waiting until the water starts to bubble again

1) 1-2 pounds of tripe

2) 1 to 1 1/2 cups beef chunks

3) 2 1/2 cups onion, diced

4) 1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into "coins"

5) 1 1/2 cups celery, cut into about 1 inch pieces

6) 1 entire pigs foot, blanched

7) 1/2 cup bacon, blanched and cut into strips

8) 3-4 cloves garlic, diced

9) 1 bottle of red wine

10) Beef stock

11) 3 sprigs fresh thyme

12) 1-2 springs fresh rosemary

13) 1 large bayleaf

14) 1 cup shiitake mushrooms

15) Salt, Pepper, and Sugar, to taste

16) Butter

17) Flour

18) OPTIONAL: Cream and Chives, to top

Instructions:

Brown the beef chunks in a buttered frying pan, searing them slightly on all sides. Make sure the beef has been slightly dried with paper towels, otherwise they will not brown correctly. Do this, and set it aside for later.

Sautee about 1 1/2 cups of your onions, along with all of your garlic, in your stewing pot, in oil or butter. After the onions have turned a little clear, add in the carrots, blanched bacon, and the celery. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Add in the blanched pigs food and the browned beef. Then, place the tripe on top of this.

Pour in about 4/5 of the bottle of wine. If this does not cover all your ingredients, add in some beef stock until it just covers the tripe. Place the fresh herbs and the bayleaf on top.

Wait until this comes to a boil, and then cover and place in a 325 degrees oven. Let this stew for about 2-3 hours.

While this is cooking, brown your extra onions and your mushrooms in butter, until slightly tender.

After it is done stewing, skim off the excess fat, over moderate heat. Putting it over moderate heat, or letting it boil slightly, lets the fat go to the sides, so it is easier to skim.

Now, add in your salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Also, add in the extra onions and mushrooms.

To thicken the stew, we are using a classic, Beurre Manie, or a butter and flour paste. It thickens the stew and adds some more butter flavor. Use about 3-4 tablespoons of butter and 3-4 tablespoons of flour. Combine the flour and butter until it resembles a paste, or a dough, and then add to the boiling stew. Mix this up well.

Add in the rest of the wine now. This adds a nice, dark color and a little more wine flavor that got cooked out in the stewing process.

Serve over white, buttered rice, or with fresh, french bread. Add just a little splash of heavy cream and top with chives.

ENJOY! :D

-----------------------------------------------------------------

SO, that's it! I was very proud of this recipe!

It is true that tripe is an acquired taste, but this recipe, I feel, is a great way to taste tripe for the first time!

So, as always, LOVE and BAKING and TRIPE!! <3

--Ian

Steeeeew! Just finished! :D

Things I used to make stew. : )

Closeup on the Tripe Stew! Ohhh! Doesn't the tripe sort of resemble morel mushrooms??

It was topped with cream and chives! Oh my! :0

RA: I liked the stew, but I didn't care for the tripe, because tripe is an acquired taste. I'm so suntanned right now, BTW!!! :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

APPLE CIDER BUTTERCREAM CAKE with a FONDANT COVER!!! :D

2010-01-31T12:52:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

Guess what I made??? FONDANNNNTT!!!!!!

What is fondant? It's the covering you put on things like wedding cakes, etc. It makes a nice, smooth covering. If you've ever watched Ace of Cakes, they always use fondant.

So, I made it... well sort of. I didn't make it from scratch, exactly. I used marshmellows... BUT, it's almost the same thing. It's also, much easier to make with marshmellows -- and cheaper. I also believe that it is just as good. Coming from someone who likes to make things from scratch, I think it is okay to do this one with marshmellows. What really matters is the taste, right? So, therefore, the cake should be the star, and not the fondant. BUT, fondant is always a lovely touch. :D

The cake itself was a normal, white cake that I flavored with vanilla and a little lemon.

The icing was a buttercream icing that was flavored with a some apple cider mix, I got from my friend. Of course, you can make your own syrup, to add to the buttercream, but I did not have enough time! I do suggest using a syrup or extract, though. The cider mix I added gave it a slight grainy texture. However, the taste was certainly there.

The whole cake was really good! Great, fresh tasting cake, rich, buttercream frosting, and a smooth fondant finish! What's not to like?? :9

Okay, so here are the recipes I used...

WHITE CAKE:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Simple-White-cake/Detail.aspx

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/quick-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-recipe/index.html

(Btw, instead of cream, I used whole milk and it worked just as well!)

FONDANT:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm

So, now, go out and make a cake with fondant covering! It's great and all your friends will be impressed!

Keep in mind, you can make any cake and cover it with fondant. Also, you can make decorations with fondant. ALSO, ALSO, you can color fondant. Believe me, it will make a lovely cake! :D

LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

CAKE.

Pointing at the Cake. (Very important! :P)

Close up of some of the decorations I made with the fondant. You can certainly make something more detailed if you like!

I'm a hungry camper. You would be too if you had such a cake in your possesion!! :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Creme Anglaise w/ Raspberries, Bananas, and Caramelized Brioche

2010-01-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all,

I failed at making brioche bread yesterday. Yeah. I did.

What happened?

I took the bread out of the oven, after 25 minutes. I stuck my skewer in the bread. It seemed done. Then, I unmolded it. It was done -- BUT NOT IN THE MIDDLE. D: The top fell off. The inside de-flated. I immediately put it back in the oven for 15 more minutes. It was done, but it was a FAILURE.

It was craaazy -- because I actually do know how to make brioche!!! (Butter, light, crispy french bread. It almost tastes like a croissant, but without the layers.)

Well, that got me down for a bit. I was depressed. Believe me, deflated bread is worse than spilled milk. At you have half the quart of milk left when you spill milk!! :P The only thing that could get me feel'in happy was to take my daily prozac and cook until I had a SUCCESS!!!!

SO, after crying (not really) and lying down on my bed, watching hulu, and I decided to use brioche bread to make a dessert.

I ripped apart some of the bread, and I tossed it with sugar and melted butter and put it in the oven. It caramelized slightly. BUT THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. :P

I wanted to make some whipped cream, but all I had was half and half. I decided to make Creme Anglaise to top it. Creme Anglaise is a french light, almost pudding-like sort of custard. It is very good. I flavored it with some vanilla extract. However, I think one can most likely use a vanilla bean, or even a lovely orange liquer - like grand manier. It's very nice, I must say! :9

After everything cooled down, I took some incredibly ripe raspberries and some bananas out of the fridge. I caramelized the bananas and set around the sides. I put the raspberries in the middle.

It tasted pretty good -- like a nice light pudding custard. It's creamy, yes, but not too heavy. It goes well with the crust I made out of failure brioche. The brioche got caramelized in places, so there was a occasional crunchy, sugary surprise in every other bite. Good times! :D

Okay, here is the recipe.

-------------------------------------------------

CREME ANGLAISE with RASPBERRIES, BANANAS, and CARAMELIZED BRIOCHE!

(a sort of loose custard tart.)

Crust Ingredients:

1) Large Brioche Bread Crumbs (If you do not have any Brioche bread lying around, use something like raisin bread.)

2) 1/2 stick butter, melted

3) 1/2 cup sugar

4) 1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping Ingredients:

1)Enough raspberries to cover the middle of a tarte (about a cup)

2) 2 Bananas

3)Sugar

NOTE: I suggest you also add some fresh acidic fruit as well, perhaps in place of the bananas. I suggest strawberries, kiwis, etc. Also, a nice honey glaze would be nice, on top of the fruit, which is just some honey with a little water.

Creme Anglaise Recipe:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/classic-creme-anglaise

Instructions:

Take your large brioche bread crumbs and toss them with the sugar and the butter. Make sure it is all coated. Line this mixture in a pie or cake pan and pat down. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Put in a 500 degrees oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the top is caramelized. Then, set in your refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until it is cooled.

While this is cooling, prepare your creme anglaise, par the instructions in this site: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/classic-creme-anglaise. Let the creme anglaise cool as well, until it is fully chilled.

Then, pour the creme anglaise into the crust. Place back in the refrigerator.

Take your bananas and cut them in half. Coat them thoroughly with sugar. Cook in a frying pan over medium high heat, on both sides, until both sides are caramelized.

Take out the creme anglaise and crust out of the refrigerator and place your fruit on top, in whatever fashion you think looks appealing.

Serve and Enjoy! :D

-------------------------------------------------

This was a good end to a day that had a failure recipe. It shows that one can always take lemons and make lemonade... or creme anglaise, in this case.

ALSO, when you have it in the sauce pan on medium, remember NOT to leave it alone. If you do, the eggs will scramble. DON'T DO IT!!! xD

LOVE and BAKING!! <3

--Ian

What it looks like. I suggest you make it more attractive than this. :P

The first cut. It's not the most glamorous, because I had to use my hands to get it out!!

Close up! It looks messy, but it's delish! :3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TURDUCKEN

2010-01-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

So, because I am a good sport, I decided to auction myself off on a date for one of the student organizations I am in. SOOOO, my friend and her friend actually won me. My date was that we were going to cook a meal together. My friend, the crazy person she is (she's actually sane and a psych major) said, "You have to make us Turducken!"

What is Turducken you ask? It's a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken - thus - TURDUCKEN.

Now, I have been dreading doing this, not because it would be expensive (it was), but because I have to debone a bird -- and not just ONE bird, or even TWO birds, but THREE birds. (I sound like Julie Powell from Julie and Julia right now, huh?? xD)

So, yeah. Deboning a bird.... NOT COOL. xD It was okay. It was better than I thought. I actually asked my dad how to debone a bird. He showed me how, and so I used his technique on it. (My dad went to restaurant school, so he knows his stuff.)

I decided to do the turkey first. I did that because it was the biggest, so therefore I could make more mistakes. All in all, it was a 1 1/2 hour experience - the three birds. After the first two, I got a lot better, though!

ACTUALLY, the worst thing about the experience was getting the smell of raw meat stuck on my hands. Let me tell you, it's gross!!!! I actually felt a little queasy when I smelled my hands. THEREFORE, it's always nice to have a bottle of perfume or fabreeze or scent to spray on your hands and shirt when you are done. That way, when you finish, you don't throw up from the smell! :D (I didn't).

OKAY, so the taste was actually very nice. I don't really care for turkey, but it is really nice, with the chicken and the duck. They sort of melt together and make this really savory, rich smell and taste. I actually fell asleep to the smell of turducken, which is almost like a pot pie sort of scent. Also, surprisingly, it was pretty moist. It felt really hard, but actually, it was very moist.

I made three sides - stuffing, butter vinegar broccoli, and scallion mashed potatoes.

They were all delicious - especially the butter vinegar broccoli. I got the idea to do that fromMastering the Art of French Cooking - and I adapted it for broccoli and for fast cooking, so therefore, I won't take full credit for it. It was, however very good. Everything was very rich, so the acidity in the broccoli, mixed with the rich meat and rich mashed potatoes was a very nice pairing.

Dessert was simply fruit (strawberries and sliced apples) and homemade whipped cream. It's simple and fresh, which is good. It's a nice, light end to a super heavy turducken meal. I made it so people could take the fruit and dip it into the whipped cream or spoon it onto the fruit. I think it's more fun that way, don't you? Or rather, it's more interactive.

SO YES - here is a turducken recipe:
http://southerncuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/southern_turducken___directions

Actually, this is not the recipe I used -- I WINGED IT. However, this is a good recipe. It had the boning directions and the trussing directions, which are difficult to put into words.

ALSO, this might help you with the whole deboning a bird thing. It has pictures and is very explanatory: http://www.annamariavolpi.com/butterfly_chicken.html

One trick I used was putting seasoning and herbs and some pads of butter in between the layers of birds. That makes sure that it all has flavor and it is moist inside. ALSO, I gave the outside bird, a "butter massage," as Julia Child calls it. What that is, is room temperature butter, smeared and massaged into the skin of the whole bird. It gives the bird a nice taste and an equally nice skin.

Here is the recipe I used for the butter vinegar broccoli and the stuffing:

---------------------------------------------------

BUTTER VINEGAR BROCCOLI...!

Ingredients:

1) 1 1/2 pounds of fresh broccoli

2) 1 cup red wine vinegar (regular white vinegar works fine as well)

3) 1/2 cup sugar

4) 1 teaspoon salt

5) 1/2 stick of butter

6) Water, for blanching

7) 1/3 cup dill

8) 1/2 cup chopped scallions

9) Extra salt/pepper for taste

Insructions:

First, cup up the broccoli into long sticks, almost like thick french fries. Then, blanch them, throwing them into boiling water for 3-4 minutes and then quickly draining them, and running cold water over them until they have fully cooled.

Then, mix your sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and vinegar in a large bowl. Add the blanched broccoli into this for about 1 -2 hours. Then, drain it.

Cut your half a stick of butter in half. Heat it up in a frying pan until bubbling, then add in your broccoli, dill, and scallions. After they have cooked for about 2 minutes, add in the other half of the butter and cook for about 3 more minutes, or until the broccoli tastes less acidy and, but still contains that vinegary kick!

Serve and enjoy! :D

THE STUFFING:

NOTE: The giblets aspect of this might be a little out of ordinary for some. This does not actually taste of giblets at all! However, if you, or the person(s) you are cooking for are very much against giblets, then I suggest swapping out giblets for finely chopped mushrooms and chorizo (mexican sausage) or even mushrooms and regular breakfast sausage.

Ingredients:

1) 1/2 cup giblets from the birds (liver, hearts, gizzards, etc.)

2) 1/4 cup diced apples

3) 1/2 cup sliced, diced, or crushed almonds

4) 3/4 cup cream cheese

5) 1 tablespoon butter

6) 1/2 - 1 cup prociutto bread cubes (or even sourdough would be nice here)

7) 1/3 cup chicken stock

8) 1/4 cup grated, fresh, parmesian cheese

9) 1 shallot, minced

10) 1 teaspoon thyme, oregano, and tarragon

Instructions:

Chop up the giblets very finely, and then sautee them in butter until they are cooked through. Then, add the minced shallots and sautee until the shallots are semi-clear. Then, chill this until it is at least room temperature.

Then, add in all the other ingredients, starting with the cream cheese.

Stuff into the chicken of the the turducken and then, when the turducken is finished, take it out and put it into a serving bowl.

Enjoy! :D

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SO, yeah... Turducken. It's challenging and time consuming. (Mine took about 9 hours alone to cook.) It's still a lovely thing to have, especially for the holidays or a large get-together.

If you do do it, prepare to spend at least 14 hours on it!

Good luck!

LOVE AND BAKING AND TURDUCKEN!! <3

--Ian

TURDUCKEN!!! Right out of the oven. May I remind you that if you want to see a close up, just click on the images!

Straight out of the oven, it had a really nice color and a super -cripsy skin! Delish! :9

Frontal View!

"I'm all cut up, whoa ho ho...!"

Side dishes.

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Ginger Ale Braised Beef! :9

2010-01-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!!

Okay, so I'm back in school. I am tired, so I will be briiiiieeffff --> I had a bottle of ginger ale and I wanted to use it. SO, I braised beef in it. (Braising is cooking something slowly in liquid, like wine, stock, beer, etc., and on a low temperature.)

I also added some asian spices, etc... scallions, fresh ginger... etc.

Suprisingly, it was REALLY GOOD. Like, REALLY GOOD. It was just on a whim! And it turned out really nice. Sweet, savory, and gingery. Simple, and nice. For veggies, just some green beans. I added some yellow bell pepper slices for color.

One of the best feelings in cooking is making something great that you have experimented with -- something that you put thought into actually working!

It's also really easy! You just let it cook for two hours and you're basically done! Also, you KNOW you have some leftover ginger ale! So, this is a tasty way to use it. :9

As usual, here is the recipe:

------------------------------------------------

THE BAKING CHIN'S GINGER ALE BRAISED BEEF!

Ingredients:

1) Ginger Ale

2) 2 pounds beef, cut into large pieces

3) 2 tablespoons sliced fresh ginger

4) 1 tablespoon cayene pepper

5) 1 tablespoon mustard powder

6) Soy Sauce

7) Sesame Oil

8) 1 tablespoon cooking oil

9) 1/3 cup scallions

10) 1 clove garlic, minced

11) 1/2 onion, sliced

12) 1/2 cup sugar

13) 1 bell pepper, sliced.

14) Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Marinate the beef in pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce, for about 30 minutes, to an hour.

Then, heat the cooking oil in a pot until it sizzles when you add a drip of water to it. Then, brown the beef, sauteeing it on all sides, but not cooking it inside. (This seals in the juices.)

Take the meat out of the pot. Add in the onions, scallions, and the spices. Sautee for about a minute or two. Add in the ginger ale. Add in the sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and add in the beef.

Then, put the pot in a 325 degree oven for about two hours.

After two hours, take the pot out of the oven. Remove the meat.

Put the braising liquid in a strainer, to take out any onions, scallions, residue, etc. Then, set on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce about half, skimming for any fat that is in the sauce.

Add in the peppers, and let sit for about 5 more minutes. Add the beef back in.

Serve with some extra scallions on top, for presentation, on a bed of rice, or with, perhaps, some buttery mashed potatoes or grits/polenta.

Enjoy! :D

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Not much more to say. It was a nice day of new classes, and I made a nice meal and a new recipe.

As always, LOVE and BAKING, and GINGER ALE! <3

--Ian

My plate!

Close up!

Closer up! Look how juicy and savory it looks! :D

RA: This is great. I totally have the mouth opens for you.

COMMON BAKING CHIN TASTE TESTER IN A RED LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT: Thanks... RA.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLANCHED GREEN BEANS and HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING!

2010-01-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

Still busy! Going back to college soon!

OKAY, so here's a small snack I made during the break... I made... BLANCHED GREEN BEANS and HOMEMADE BUTTER MILK RANCH!

This is actually pretty easy to do. It's a lovely snack any time of the day - and semi healthy!

The green beans are blanched, which means, boiled until just cooked and then shocked in cold water to stop the cooking process. This lets it keep its lovely color and and slight crunch. It's almost reminiscent of french fries! With dinner, it's lovely to do this, and then lightly sautee it in butter and salt and pepper. But, for a snack, it is nice just as is -- blanched, with no flavor.

The green beans have a great, fresh taste. Almost sweet, even! It's nice, believe me.

ALSO, I recently found out that ranch dressing is basically just buttermilk, mayonaise, and herbs! Crazy, right? xD It's super easy and super tasty -- and if you are a baker, like me, it's a nice way to get rid of that unused half a carton of buttermilk leftover from cakes and breads.

It's nice for salads, dips (especially buffalo wings), etc. For me, I dipped my green beans in it! Wonderful and simple! Also, it's cheaper than buying it from the store -- because most likely you have these things in your pantry! You know you doooo! :P

So, as usual, here are the recipes:

---------------------------------------------------

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BLANCHING

Fill a pot with water, about half way up. Set stove to medium high, and wait until it boils.

Put in your vegetables, and let boil for about 3-4 minutes.

Immediately, drain the vegetables and pour very cold ice water over them, to stop the cooking process.

They should have a subtle crunch.

BUTTERMILK RANCH RECIPE!

Ingredients:

1) 1/2 cup buttermilk

2) 1/3 - 1/2 cup mayonaise (or unflavored yogurt, if you are health concious!)

3) 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions

4) 1 teaspoon dill

5) 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

6) 1/2 teaspoon paprika

7) 1 teaspoon lemon juice

8) salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

Instructions:

Mix together the buttermilk and the mayonaise. If you wish for a thicker sauce, add more mayonaise!

Add in all the herbs/spices. Then, add in salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.

NOTE: You can add just about anything to this dressing/dip. Blue cheese, thyme, rosemary, cayenne pepper, thai peppers, etc.! It's all up to your tastes! These are just my suggestions for flavorings.

---------------------------------------------------

OKAY! So, I have a lot more to blog about. I made a lot of stuff this break. Some of it is just sorta complicated. :'0

So, LOVE and BAKING and BUTTERMILK RANCH! <3

--Ian

"French Fries" and Ranch Dressing

Ranch Dressing

Dip!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS! <3

2010-01-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

Hey, y'all!

BUSY BUSY BUSY – baking and cooking up a storm here at home during winter break! Sorry I have not been updating! I don’t have much of an internet connection here! D:

SO -- As you might or might not know, I went to highschool in the south – Georgia to be precise. (I’m not from there. I just went to boarding military school there!) SOOO – as any person who has lived in the south for any period of time, I LOVE southern biscuits.

One of my favorite breakfasts would have to be a southern breakfast. You can have all the regular northern breakfast foods – i.e. eggs, bacon, etc., but then you have the SOUTHERN FARE! It’s great. Grits, cheese grits, fried chicken patties, chicken fried steak patties, so many types of PORK… Ohhhh, man… One time, I was at this great place in Gainesville, the Long Street Café (If you are in Gainesville, GA, GO TO THIS PLACE. It’es great. Really! Not for vegetarians, though! xD) and they had this stuff on the counter. I didn’t know what it was. It certainly was not bacon… SO, I asked the man at the counter and he said it was like, fried leftover pork fat. It was really fatty and salty, but good. Oh MAN!

BUT—the one thing I miss very much is a good, old fashioned, SOUTHERN BISCUIT. A good southern biscuit is buttery, rich, yet light, salty, and has a great crusty top to it. You bite into it and feel the crunch, then you taste the buttery inside and believe me, it is heart attack heaven!! YUM!!

Southerners even put fried chicken patties in it to make it more unhealthy!!! But it’s great!!!! Some things, you do not eat very often, so a good biscuit or a chicken biscuit is okay to splurge on. It’s a heavy way to start the day, but it is just fan-freaking-tastic!!!

SO, I have been trying to replicate this for a while, ever since I left the south. I finally found a recipe that come very close.

The trick is to use SHORTENING. It’s crazy. I’ve been trying to use butter, but shortening actually works better. It makes it lighter. Then, what you do is you give it a little butter topping on top, to give it more buttery taste. It’s odd, but it works. Sorta like pie crust! The best pie crust I’ve ever made has half butter and half shortening. It just gives it a nice sort of flake.

It was delicious. I had it with some old ham I had lying in the fridge. I fried up the ham and added some grape juice for a little tang and sweetness. De-licious, I must say!

SO, SO, SO, as usual, here is the recipe I used:http://www.andreasrecipes.com/2006/04/18/southern-pinch-biscuits-aka-squeeze-biscuits/

Not much more to say. Just try this out. It’s great. It’s the perfect sort of breakfast thing. It’s light, but rich – and it does not have TOO much butter in it. (The recipe does not say to add butter, but I suggest to brush it with some melted butter before baking. It helps a lot!)

DO-IT-DO-IT-DO-IT!!!! :D Y’all. There, I said y’all. Yeah, that’s right, I went to highschool in Georgia. Lolz. Try it.

LOVE AND BAKING! <3

--Ian

Uncooked beauties.

LOOK AT THAT COLOR!! As you can see, I had already tried one. xD

Pull'in it apart.

Southern Biscuits 'n' Ham! :'D

Me, dancing for joy that I finally made a good southern biscuit... with what looks like a baguette? Good times, good times. :9

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THAI GREEN CURRY... Happy Holidays! :'D

2009-12-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

It's almost Chirssstttmassssssss! :D I just thought I would mention that. I do love Christmas/the Holidays. Especially Rankin/Bass specials, you know, with the wooden stop motion puppets! SNOWMISER! HEATMISER! ETC.! :D WHITE CHRISTMAS! GREEN CHRISTMAS!!

So, yes, this does not exactly have to do with food... but, speaking of a Green Christmas, I made THAI GREEN CURRY!!!!! (This actually is an old blog. I just did not have enough time to blog about it.

Okay, let me start out by saying that I adore Thai Curry. It's pretty great! It is very aromatic. The aromas just emminate from the curry This experience showed me just how MANY spices, herbs, etc., that go into this curry. It's amazing and the combination of flavorings gel so well together. Thai Green curry is nice because it is spicy and meaty and savory, but still palatable due to the creamy, slightly sweet coconut milk. It cuts the hotness of the thai green curries and adds depth to the actual curry.

Something I did that did not work out the best was the lemon grass. I put it in too long. The pieces were not fine enough. (My slices I put in the food processor were about one to two inches long. This is not good! xD) I suggest that you cut it up finely before adding it to the food processor -- about maybe a half an inch think would do. : )

OH, OH, OH! What was really cool was that I got it to taste like the restaurant! :'D I was so surprised how green and lovely this worked out! The only problem was that....

...IT COST ME A SMALL FORTUNE FOR ALL THE INGREDIENTS. xD

Yes, readers, if you do not have a very stocked kitchen, and your only shopping option is a chain grocery store (those are quite expensive, I must say), then this can cost you a pretty penny. I will not divulge just how much it costed me, because my parents read this blog (hey Mom and Pops!), but it was expensive.

The thing that was really expensive to make was the base - the Green Curry base. It has many ingredients. Now, you all probably have a more stocked fridge then I do, because you all do not cook in a dorm. Therefore you probably have cumin, brown sugar, corriander, etc. I did not! It would probably cost you much less because you have a real pantry.

Another thing I suggest you do is to buy your things from an Asian market where actual Asian people shop. I am within walking distance from Chinatown in Manhattan, here in NYC, and let me tell you -- the PRICES ARE INSANE. Really, they have all those lovely, fresh produce - including basic western fare and normal Asian fare! You can get a something awkward like a bitter melon, or a durian, or something normal to western palates, like a bell pepper, or spinach! ALSO, ALSO, the prices are good. In my local college grocery 1 bundle of scallions is $1.29 and in my local Chinatown, it's one dollar for THREE bundles of scallions! Really, it is much cheaper. 8D

Even though it was expensive, it still was nice. It was very fresh too. Also, I think there is something to be said for something you put a lot of time and effort and heart (as in love, not the organ :P) into, rather than something that is bought or something one takes shortcuts on. NOW, you can buy a pre-made base for this Green Curry, but it really is NOT the same. There is no heart in it. The pre-made base is something you can put together in all of two seconds. Where is the effort in that? It has no soul. It becomes something you just eat and not savor.

SO, in other words, I suggest for this recipe that you make your own Green Curry paste. It's better, trust me. Also, you can save the leftover paste and use it for more curry later. You could even make it ahead of time! Very useful, I would say.

OKAY, so as usual here are the recipes I used:

----------------------------------------------------

THAI GREEN CURRY PASTE: http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicurrypasterecipes/r/greencurrypaste.htm

THAI GREEN CURRY: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/THAI-GREEN-CHICKEN-CURRY-240684

(Keep in mind that you can tweek these recipes to your taste. If you like it more creamy, add more coconut milk... if you like it more spice, add more thai peppers, etc.!)

----------------------------------------------------

OKAY, so make this recipe. If you haven't experienced Thai cuisine, than this is a great introduction to it. Really. Also, it keeps well in the fridge! It makes great, great leftovers! :D

It's also adaptable. I used chicken as my protein. You could use beef, shrimp, pork, etc.! Any leftover meat you have just lying around your freezer that you have meant to use, but just have not had the time to! ; ) (Though, I suggest a blander meat -- not something like wild boar, perhaps, which is quite gamey. It would taste good, but I feel that it would stand up too much to the curry paste and not gel as well.)

So..... LOVE and BAKING and GREEN CURRY! <3

~Happy Holidays!~

--Ian

The Green Curry Paste (That's My 'Lil Food Processor! :D)

Everything, cook'in up...

My lovely sous chef, Steph, cutting the Chicken Thighs. :9

~My Plate of Green Curry!~

FLOORMATE OF AMERIAN BRITISH EXTRACTON: Best pose ever.

K-GWILT: "This is why, this is why, this is why I'm hot!"

Close up on the Green Curry. Look how GREEN it is! :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THREE SISTERS' FRYBREAD!

2009-12-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hey, yall!

So, I am leaving for home tomorrow from college. And aPARENTLY I have to empty my fridge. So, I needed to get rid of some flower and an onion. What did I make?? FRYBREAD and and a V-8 dipping sauce! :D

Okay, so I believe that what I made is a Native American frybread recipe. It's from a site with lots of Native American recipes. (Exciting! :D) There are lots of differenciations in this site. I tried the one with yeast because I also needed to get rid of yeast.

So, yes! Frybread! It's deepfried bread! :D Almost like Chinese Yoo-Tiao. :3 The difference is that it's sweeter and it has some corn meal in it.

It's a lovely bread. It's a bit sweet, a little nutty from the corn meal, and it has a great crispy crust from the oil poaching. Also, it's oily, but you know, in a good way. Oily like potato chips, not like drinking pure oil, or eating Papa John's garlic butter sauce.

It would be perfect for eating as a dessert (with a little dusting of powdered sugar or some acidic raspberry sauce). It would also be good as a sandwich bread, because it is flat. For a sandwich, I would add some swiss or gruyere cheese and a nice, lean piece of ham. (Make sure the cheese gets melted, of course!) Or, it is nice as a side dish or by itself, as a snack!

I don't have any ham or cheese, but I DID have a onion. What I did was I got a V-8 from the vending machine, and I added it to sauteed onions and lemon juice (for added acidity.) It needs something like an acidic tomato sauce because it is oily. The contrast is quite nice. : )

So, as usual, here is the recipe I used for the frybread: http://www.manataka.org/page180.html#Traditional

There are lots of different recipes on this site. Use whatever you would like!

Here is the V-8 sauce I made:

----------------------------------------------------

CHIN'S COLLEGE DORM V-8 TOMATO SAUCE! :D

(This is a great recipe for dorm dwellers. It's simple and great for pasta, frybread, pizza, etc. Also, it is very cheap and the ingredients are easy to get for a dorm dwelller such as me. :9)

Ingredients:

1) 1 can V-8 juice

2) 1 small onion, minced

3) 1 tablespoon butter

4) 3 tablespoons lemon juice

5) 1 tablespoon sugar

6) Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Sautee the onions in the butter, until the onions are semi-clear.

Add in the V-8 sauce, and wait until it boils. Mix in the lemon juice and sugar.

Add in salt and pepper, to taste.

Reduce until slightly thicker and...

Enjoy! :D <3

----------------------------------------------------

So, make this. It's really nice and very easy. :3

LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

P.S. Happy Holidays!!!!!~

~The Bread and Sauce~

Closeup on the bread. LOOK at that lovely color!!!

The sauce... This is not the best picture, but it was lovely. :3

The bread! This is what the inside looks like! So GOOD! :D

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CHICKEN ADOBO SOUP w/ GERMAN POTATO NOODLES!

2009-12-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

Sorry I have not updated in a while! LOTS and LOTS of exams/projects/papers. Really. It's NOT fun. xD But that does not mean that I have not been cooking/baking! <3

Here's something I made a little while a go. It's a nice soup and relatively fast meal.

The soup is made with chicken and adobo and sason flavorings. I actually mentioned these seasonings before. They are lovely hispanic flavorings that add great flavor to poultry, fish, and etc. They are very meaty and savory. ALSO, a good thing about them is that they are nice on a budget because they are relatively - about 3 dollars together. Pretty good, huh? And you get a lot of it too! :9

I also had a lot of leftover potatoes... So, I decided to make some German Potato Noodles - or Badische Schupfnudeln. These are not really like noodles - there are more like potato dumplings or gnocchi. Really nice, though! Soft, like pillows, but buttery and rich. The soup itself is a little acidic and chickeny. The potato noodles are good with it because they add a little richness and fat to the dish.

ALSO -- this is the first time I used leeks! :D They're interesting. Sorta like big scallions, but they taste more subtle. Also, also, they are surprisingly SANDY. You really need to clean these. But they add some nice flavor and color to the soup. :3

Okay, so as usual, here are the recipes I used.

For the noodles, here is the recipe: http://germanfood.about.com/od/potatoesandnoodles/r/badischeschupfn.htm

Here is the soup recipe:

----------------------------------------------------------------

CHICKEN ADOBO SOUP! :9

Ingredients:

1) 2 cups chicken, cubed and uncooked

2) 1 large onion, chopped up

3) 1-2 leeks, chopped up.

4) Adobo

5) 1 packet Sason

6) 1 cup celery, chopped

7) 1 cup carrots, chopped

8) 1 tablespoon sugar

9) oil

10) 4-5 cups chicken stock

11) Salt, to taste.

12) Cilantro

Instructions:

In a pot, sautee the onions in vegetable oil (or whatever oil you like) until they are semi-clear. Then, add the chicken cubes and start cooking. When the chicken is browned, add adobo and sason seasonings to it (As much adobo as you deem necessary.)

When that is done, add in the carrots and celery and carrots. Sautee for about 2-3 minutes. Then, add in the chicken stock.

Add in the leeks. Then, add in the sugar and then the salt, to taste.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour.

Pour in a bowl, and add in some of the potato noodles. Then, top with Cilantro for some freshness anddddd...

ENJOY! :D

----------------------------------------------------------------

So, yeah, this is pretty easy. I made it up on a whim, due to hunger. Also, I made this because I went to my neighborhood organic supermarket and got whatever looked good. And it was pretty inexpensive too!

SOOOO, I will try to update more often. I just have been so SWAMPED with work, you know? xD

TRY it! :D

LOVE AND BAKING and SOUUUUP! <3

--Ian

The Soup.

The "noodles"

~SOUP and NOODLES~

Closeup! Doesn't that look yummyyyy?? :9

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A CHIN FAMILY THANKSGIVING

2009-11-30T21:13:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I don't have much to say, but here are some pictures from my thanksgiving. Here was the menu:

-------------------------------

APPETIZERS

Chinese Gizzards (slowly stewed, to make it tender)

Shrimp Chips

Cashews

DINNER

Turkey (Roasted like Chinese Duck!!)

Shrimp Chop Suey

Beef Dumplings

Fried Rice Stuffing

DESSERT

Durian Custard Pie

French Macaroons (Much Different than their American cousin!)

Wine Sorbet

-------------------------------

It was a nice dinner. Different, though! The Durian Custard pie was interesting... just because it's Durian, I guess. (Durian is a southeastasian fruit, that smells oniony, but tastes like, and has the consistency of custard.) Strange, right? Also, it has a very prickly skin, so it can be used as a weapon!!! xD

The pie was nice, though. I used shortening in the crust, so it was a little lighter and flakier. I suggest it. I used half shortening and half butter. Butter, for taste.

The turkey was INTERESTING. It didn't taste like turkey!!! It tasted like a combo of Chinese Duck and Chinese roasted chicken. It was nice, but we didn't serve it warm. (We got it from the Chinese Super Market, already cooked.) It was still lovely though and INCREDIBLY moist, Like, it was the most moist turkey I've ever had. Crazy, no?

So, it was a nice thanksgiving.

LOVE AND BAKING and THANKSGIVING DINNER! <3

--Ian

Pops cook'in up the Chop Suey!

The dumplings Mom and I made. She's so good at it! And it was a lot faster with two people! :D

~Shrimp Chop Suey.~

~The Turkey.~

~The Dinner.~

~The Dinner Again.~

Happy Holidays, y'all! :3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SYNONYM BUNS

2009-11-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all,

I just saw my teacher's production of "The Phantom Tollbooth". It was pretty okay! BUUUT - I felt bad for going to her play without her knowinnnggg -- sooooo -- I made her some SYNONYM BUNS!!! xD (In the play, they have buns called synonym buns, you know, instead of cinnamon buns. Clever, no?)

What I did, was that I made the cinnamon buns, and then wrote things on them with royal icing. To do this, I just put the royal icing I made into a ketchup container and wrote things on it by squirting -- you know, like a magic marker. Smart, huh? xD The icing will stay in place and harden.

This is a pretty fast recipe and it tastes good. There's not much to say about this. I didn't think of any new innovations or anything. I just made cinnamon buns...

OH - but one thing I used that I don't suggest you use is condensed milk. As you know, I am a big condensed milk fan... So I used it instead of hot milk in this recipe. That's a BIG mistake. It makes the dough a little too heavy and for these, you want a very light dough.

It turned out good, though.

The recipe for the buns is HERE.

The recipe for the royal icing is HERE.

(I suggest you cut the recipe in half. It really does make a lot of royal icing and you only need a little. Also, you can't save royal icing in the fridge. It has raw egg whites -- which does NOT keep.)

So, as usual, LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

~SYNONYM BUNS!~

MORE VIEWS! I don't think you can actually read the synonyms I wrote, though... :P

You can sorta make out... "Hello, Hi"... I think... xD (It's the bottom left bun)

Everyone enjoyed the buns so much they closed their eyes! : D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~HEALTH WEEK!~

2009-11-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all,

I TRIED last week to be a little more healthy. It didn't... uh... work out the best... I got a calzone on friday... Not uh... good... Especially because I could probably make a better calzone.

But, yes! xD I tried to eat a little more healthy because I was eating a Papa John's pizza and I realized something -- I was dipping pizza in BUTTER and GARLIC. (Papa John's garlic sauce). It tasted good, but I realized that I probably was eating 5,000 calories or so. Not good, right? Seriously, when you eat a Papa John's pizza with their garlic sauce, I think you can HEAR your arteries clogging. :P

BUT anyhoos, I tried to eat healthier last week. I decided to lump together all the recipes together, because they are all connected - they are all based on one thing - a nice, hearty, flavorful soup. :9

I started the week making a spiced carrot-corn-potato soup. It's very filling and healthy and hearty! Really! Carrot and corn make it nice and sweet and the potatoes give it heaviness that you need to fill you up.

Also, the spices I used were cumin, allspice, and cinnamon. The cumin and allspice give it a earthy taste, and the cinnamon helps highten the sweetness of the carrots. It helps bring out the carrot taste.

I also added some simple croutons on top that add a nice crunch. Make sure that they're whole wheat though, for extra health.

It's a nice soup for winter. It is chock full of flavor and it is very filling. It's rich without too much added butter or other fats. : )

Here is the recipe:

--------------------------------------------------------------

HEARTY CARROT-CORN-POTATO SOUP!

Ingredients:

1) 1-2 tablespoon olive oil

2) 1 cup shallots/onions, diced

3) 2-3 cups carrots, cut up

4) 1 1/2 to 2 cups sweet corn

5) 4 cups potatoes, diced

6) 2-3 cups chicken

7) 1 teaspoon allspice

8) 1-2 tablespoons cumin

9) 1 whole cinnamon stick or 2-3 tablespoons cinnamon

10) salt and pepper to taste

11) 2 tablespoons lemon juice

12) 3/4 cup skim milk

13) OPTIONAL: 2-3 tablespoons light brown sugar/or white sugar

14) OPTIONAL: Whole wheat croutons

Instructions:

Cook the shallots/onions in a pan with the olive oil, until they are clear and have changed color a little. Add in the chicken stock, and simmer for about five minutes. Add in the carrots and corn. Wait until it boils and add in potatoes. Boil for about 10 minutes.

Then, in small batches, food process the soup until it is all smooth.

Add in all the spices. Simmer for about 1-2 hours, then add in salt and pepper, to taste. If you want, add in some brown sugar/white sugar, to taste.

To finish it off, add in the milk and stir.

Pour in bowl and add croutons on top. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

ENJOY! :D

The Soup, garnished with croutons and parsley. :9

--------------------------------------------------------------

HEALTHY(ER) PIZZA!

(Well, healthier than Papa John's. :P)

After you make the soup, you can make this recipe the next day, with the left over soup. (You use the soup as the sauce for the pizza. It's lovely and suprising healthy. Very rich too! :D You can add whatever vegetables/toppings you want. I just used whatever was left over in my fridge.

Crust:

Use my FOCCACIA recipe, but use half and half whole wheat flour and add in 2 tablespoons onion powder.

My toppings:

1) 1 bell pepper, cut up

2) 1 cup washed nappa cabbage

3) 1 - 2 cups pepper jack cheese, reduced fat, of course!

4) 1 1/2 cups shrimp, sauteed and cut up

Instructions:

Pre-bake the crust, halfway through. (10 minutes, on 450 degrees). Now, add the sauce on, lightly. Don't add too much! Then, add the cheese and then, the toppings. Bake until done. (About another 10 minutes.)

ENJOY! <3

~The Pizza~

FRIEND 1: GREAT! POSE!!!!

FRIENDS 1 and 2: ...We're actually... penguins...? Good pizza. :D

--------------------------------------------------------------

PASTA and SOUP SAUCE! LEFTOVER STYLE! :D

This was my Sunday night dinner. It was easy and fast. Not the MOST refined, but still enjoyable. The velveta cheese adds the extra richness you want, without adding butter to the noodles. It's 1/3 the fat of regular cheddar cheese! :D

Ingredients:

1) Whole wheat pasta (I used store bought. You can make your own if you like)

2) 1 1/2 cups leftover carrot-corn-potato soup

3) 1 tablespoon velveta cheese

4) OPTIONAL: Parmesian cheese, to top

Instuctions:

Cook the pasta, as per the instructions on the packaging.

While this is cooking, put your soup in a microwavable bowl, with the velveta cheese, until hot and the cheese has melted into the soup. This is your sauce.

Add the sauce on top of the pasta. If you want, you can add parmesian cheese on top.

Then, ENJOY! <3

(I used chop sticks 'cause I did not have a fork. You can use whatever.)

~PASTA and SOUP SAUCE~ :3

--------------------------------------------------------------

SO! Try these recipes. They're fairly easy to make and it's amazing that with one basic recipe you can plan out an entire week of healthy, flavorful meals! :D

SO, SO, SO -- LOVE and BAKING and HEALTH~! <3

--Ian

CONGEE AND YOU TIAO! :3

2009-11-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all!

I am sorry for not posting very often as of these past two weeks. I have not stopped cooking/baking, I just don't always have the time to document. I have been eating lots of spam! xD It's suprisingly not bad!! It's like really tender, fatty ham/pork. It's great with eggs/omlettes... also, ramen! : ) It's a great thing to add some meat/richness to a already made meal, like ramen, etc. Also, it adds a little salt. :3

So, yes! Something I made this week, was JOOK/CONGEE! And you tiao! :D That's Jook (Chinese rice gruel) and you tiao (Chinese cruelers). Why am I so excited about rice gruel?? Well, it may not sound exciting, but it's actually one my favorite chinese comfort foods. If you're really Chinese, you know congee!

It's creamy, like risotto, but more liquidy - like a nice, hearty rice soup. Very rich and very satisfying. What cool is that it's rich and creamy without ANY milk product! :3 That's right! It's just water, rice, ginger, salt, and a little oil! It's a perfect meal for breakfast (that's when Chinese eat it traditionally) or any time of the day! It's a really easy dinner dish.

You can even add some lean meat and thousand year old eggs (eggs preserved in soy sauce)! It's so good! Add a little scallions of color and added taste. You can add peanuts, hot sauce... etc. It's very versatile!

I also made some Chinese cruelers. They are just fried dough... you can add sugar or not. They're nice plain. People like to eat it with their jook (unsweetened). Personally, I like to cut it up into slices and add it to the congee/jook for a nice oily crunch -- almost like a deep fried crouton.

So, as usual, here are the recipes I used:

------------------------------------------------------

CONGEE/JOOK!

Ingredients:

1) 1 cup rice

2) 9 cups water

3) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4) 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil

5) Salt, to taste

6) Scallions, for garnish

7) OPTIONAL: lean meats and paedon (thousand year old eggs)

Instructions:

1) Add the rice and water and oils into a large pot.

2) Set it to boil, covering it with the pot lid.

3) Then, when boiling, set to simmer for 1 hr and 30 minutes.

4) After that, take off the pot lid and start stirring, until it thickens up some and is nice and creamy (About 10-20 minutes.)

5) Add in salt to taste.

6) Top with scallions, as your garnish. If you want to add meats and paedon, add it now! :3

So, that's it! Perfect jook! Easy and satisfying! :D

ENJOY!~

If you want to add some soy sauce, get good quality sweet soy sauce and add just a little to your congee bowl (not the whole pot.)

Btw, here's the YOU TIAO recipe I used: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/you-tiao-deep-fried-bread-sticks-49766.html! It's pretty great and very easy! Just remember to get a thermometer for your oil if you're not using a commercial deep fryer! 350 degrees is the customary heat level. If you don't deep fry it correctly, it will either end up too soggy or too dry. BUT YEAH! YOU TIAO :9

------------------------------------------------------

SO YES! Do this. It's a perfect breakfast/any day meal. So simple, but so great! As for the you tiao, you can even add some sugar on top and eat it as a dessert treat. You can add anything to this gruel, pretty much. If you add hot sauce, I suggest either saracha (red rooster) hot sauce or Chinese chili sauce (but that's a little oily. Then again, if you add you tiao to the gruel, you might as well add this sauce! xD)

Do it! It's great! Trust me!!!!

So, as usual, LOVE AND BAKING AND CHINESE COMFORT FOOD!!!~ :D

--Ian

Fry'in up you tiao!

Look at those beautiful hollow areasssss!!! :9

My plate. Looks delicious, right?!? :D

FLOORMATE from MALAYSIA: Great! This is totally my real hair color, bee-tee-dubbs! xD

RA MAN: This is my greatest pose. EVER.

:'D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :D ...and apple pie.

2009-11-01T10:42:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all,

I'm sorry I have not updated in a while! I have been SUPER busy! I have not stopped baking/cooking, but I have not had the time to blog about it...

ALSO, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I know it's the day after, but you know, I wasn't about to blog on Halloween.... BTW, on halloween I was.... JULIA CHILD!!!!! :D Apparently, many people do not know who she is... Everyone was like, "are you Mrs. Doubtfire" or... "you were on that movie Julie/Juilia"! No one knows that you know, she was a REAL PERSON! xD Oh, well. Julia Child is still pretty awesome and those who got who I was, loved it. :3

Also, ALSO I made apple pie. It was good. I made it with an applesauce base. It's pretty simple. Also, I made a whole wheat crust. I added brown sugar to it, so I was a little richer than usual! The apple sauce had some added butter and caramel. Almost like a caramel apple pie. :3 It was pretty great. :3

Okay, so as usual, here is the recipe:

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THE BAKING CHIN'S APPLE SAUCE APPLE PIE RECIPE!

[I will give out the recipe later! :D Sorryyyyy -- SO SWAMPED!!!! D:]

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So, try out this recipe. It's a nice variation of a classic apple pie recipe. It's a great item for your thanksgiving dessert spread!

SOOOOO, LOVE and BAKING!

--Ian

APPLE PIE! :D

ZOOM OUT!

CLOSE UP! :9

JULIA CHILD: BON APETIT!

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MAC and CHEESE and BACON!!

2009-10-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!

So, I actually made this last week, but I have not gotten to writing about it.

SOOOO, SOOOOOO, I made MAC 'n' CHEESE!!! :D I did. It was really tasty. I usually find Mac and Cheese a little bland. I love it, but it can get a little boring. I tried to jazz it up a little.

This recipe actually is pretty much a normal recipe for Macaroni and Cheese. I just added some herbs (very minimal on that) and some onions and bacon. I think that it really added something. Keep in mind that if you make something too flavorful it is hard to eat. If something is overly flavorful, for me, even if it is good, I can only eat a little. Good, clean flavors are always good. I'm not saying something with big flavors is not good! I am saying that too many flavors, too many things going on is not always good... there is something wonderful about something simple. : )

So, yeah, this is only a small variation on this recipe, but it definatley adds something. You get the natural creaminess from the normal cheese sauce, and then you also get a great savory, oniony taste from the onions... and then a salty smoky hint from the bacon. :9 Very yummy!

Also, this was the first time I made a roux! (A roux is a french thickening agent that is made of equal parts butter and flour.) It really does thicken up a sauce really well! I am suprised! It's not as hard as I thought. I just requires attention, so that you do not burn the bottom.

OHHH, ALSO ALSO, For this recipe, I did not have any actual macaroni pasta, so I used penne. (My school is very inconvenient. Especially for foodies. :'/) I do not think it made a very big difference. However, I would perfer macaroni pasta. It allows for smaller bites. It's more delicate that way. Though, any pasta would be fine. Bowtie pasta would be lovely, I think.

As usual, here is the recipe:

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MACARONI and CHEESE and BACON!

Ingredients:

1) 3/4 pound macaroni pasta

2) Water, for boiling

3) 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

4) 1 cup swiss cheese

5) 1/2 cup butter

6) 1/2 cup flour

7) 1 cup onions, chopped up into mirepoix sized chunks.

8) 1/2 to 1 cup bacon. Just enough to add flavor to the sauce.

9) 3 cups whole milk.

10) 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary and 1 tablespoon fresh chives.

11) Salt, to taste.

12) Breadcrumbs. (I made my own, but you can just use store bought.)

13) A couple pads of butter, to add on top.

Instructions:

1) Start boiling water in a large pot. Add pasta and wait until al dente. Strain and set aside.

2) Start sauteeing the onions in about a tablespoon of olive oil or butter. Wait until translucent and then set aside.

3) Cook the bacon in a frying pan with a just a little oil. Wait until crispy and cooked and then set aside.

4) In large pot, put in your butter. Wait until bubbling.

5) Then, add in your flour, little by little, mixing constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Make sure that the bottom does not get burnt! Keep mixing until everything is absorbed. It should look a little lumpy.

6) Add in your milk, stirring until everything is mixed.

7) Add in the the cheese and herbs, stirring until it is all dissolved. Save a little of the cheddar cheese for the top of the dish.

8) Now, add in the onions and bacon and stir. Also, now is when you would add some salt, to taste. The sauce should be a little thick, but still pourable.

9) Place the pasta in a greased casserole dish.

10) Add in cheese sauce, spreading it equally, until it is covers all the ends.

11) Sprinkle the extra cheddar cheese on top.

12) Now, sprinkle the bread crumbs on top - just enough to cover the whole cassarole.

13) Place some pads of butter on top.

14) Put in oven on 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and crunchy.

15) Enjoy! :3

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This makes a lovely family meal and serves up to at least about 6, comfortably. It's a great side dish, or even a great dish on its own. Macaroni and Cheese is, by its nature, a little heavy, so I suggest you have a nice, acidic salad, or a fresh, tasteful vegetable with this.

Macaroni and Cheese is such a comforting dish, and perfect for the colder weather! (It's getting cold, huh? xD) So, this is a great thing to make. It is down to earth and very satisfying. :3

LOVE and BAKING and MACARONI 'n' CHEESE 'n' BACON! <3

--Ian

~In the oven!~

DONE! With garnish!

Another angle! :3

Tak'in some out.

~MY PLATE!~

CLOSEUPPPPP!~

ROOMMATE WHO IS DATING PEOPLEZ!: Yummm. I hate Mac 'n' Cheese. : )

ROOMMATE FROM THE BRONX: Yeahhh. It's good. No buttermilk?

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Graham Crackers.

2009-10-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

I made graham crackers! They're really good.

It's suprisingly easy to make graham crackers... I'm a drained from studying and getting yelled at today... so I don't have much to say... :'/

BUT, let me say this --> The graham cracker batter tastes GREAT. I could just eat the dough. ALSO, it does not have any egg in it, so you CAN eat it. :D

As usual, here's the recipe I used: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000126.html.

They're perfect to make s'mores or graham cracker crust, or just by themselves with a nice, tall glass of milk. Do it. : )

LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

~Dough.~

~Graham crackerssss.~

Look at that golden brown color!!~ : D

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FRENCH ONION DIP 'n' CRACKERS 'n' UGLY BETTY

2009-10-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! :D

I... LOVE... "UGLY BETTY"!!!! I'm, like, totally obsessed with it!!

But yes, so it was saturday night and my friend Steph came to help clean my room (thanks Steph~!!!!) and watch the two part season premiere of Ugly Betty! :D

In the spirit of Ugly Betty, I made some awkward shaped Crackers and Fatty French Onion Dip... Yeah... No, I just made some crackers and dip. Wouldn't it have been cool if I did coordinate it? xD

So, yes! These recipes are so easy to make and are perfect for a get together! I made just plain crackers, with a little sprinkling of sesame seeds and salt. It's very simple, but very good too. SO easy!

French onion dip is a real crowd pleaser - it is not challenging and has a great caramelized onion-y and creamy taste. Sorta like French Onion Soup, but with cream.

As usual, here's the recipes I used:

CRACKERS: http://appetizers-finger-food.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_make_crackers

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SIMPLE FRENCH ONION DIP

Ingredients:

1) 3 cups sour cream.

2) 1-2 large onions, chopped up.

3) 2-3 tablespoons olive oil.

4) Salt, to taste.

5) 1 teaspoon pepper.

6) Optional: 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

1) Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan, until hot enough so that you can flick water into the oil and it sizzles.

2) Add in onions, and sautee until they are a golden brown, and sweet.

3) Add in sour cream, and pepper and salt and optional sugar.

4) Enjoy! :D

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SO, the next time you have people coming over, this is a great recipe. You don't need to make your own crackers. Store bought are okay. I just think homemade tastes better because it comes from the heart. : )

And also, if you have not watched Ugly Betty, do it. DO IT!!!

LOVE and BAKING and UGLY BETTYYYY! <3

~CRACKERS~

~FRENCH ONION DIP~

Crackers!~ Look how awkward they are shaped! :D Just like Ugly Betty! xD Loves it!!! <3

~CRACKERS + DIP~

UGLY BETTY: Loves it, dawg, Loves it!!!! I'm so charmingly awkwarddd.

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HOMEMADE ICE CREAM!~

2009-10-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!

What does everyone like? That's right! Ice cream! And guess what I maaade? That's right! HOMEMADE ICE CREAM!!!!

It was actually really easy. The only thing you really need that might be hard to obtain is a food processor, but I am sure a really good blender will do. : )

The ice cream I made was not as creamy as I would like, but the taste was good. It was not as creamy because I used half and half instead of cream. Use cream. It's better.

SO, I made a cinnamon apple ice cream, with some salted almonds! :9 It was really good. The apples I used were fresh, from a farmer's market. It tasted like a really nice apple crisp. Really! The almonds added a slight buttery, slightly salty finish, and added some good texture.

THOUGH, you can make whatever flavor you like. : )

Instead of waffle cones (I don't have a waffle press! :'/) I made some delightful basil and chives mini pie cups. They smell savory, but they go very well with the sweet apple cinnamon ice cream. The savoriness is only slight, and it adds a little meatiness and heartiness to the ice cream, without taking away from the dessert quality of the icecream. Very Good! :D

As usual, here's the recipe I used, from the blog, Not Without Salt: http://notwithoutsalt.com/2009/05/18/ice-cream-and-sorbet-without-a-machine/. They make raspberry ice cream, but you can make whatever you like! Really! All they do is make a cream base, then food process it with some frozen fruit! It's a really good idea. Kudos to the blog, Not Without Salt. You should visit them, They have some great recipes and also, the pictures are not notch and very appetizing! (I'm stuck with my macbook camera. xD)

Also, here's the pie cup recipe I made up:

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SAVORY PIE CUP RECIPE! :D

Ingredients:

1) 1 1/2 cups flour

2) 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

3) 1 teaspoon salt

4) 1/2 cup cold salted butter

5) 1/2 cup fresh basil

6) 1/2 cup fresh chives

7) 1 egg

8) 2-3 tablespoons water

Instructions:

1) Mix the flour and butter, cutting the butter into the flour until it resembles course meal.

2) Mix in salt and sugar.

3) Separate the egg yolk from the egg white, adding the yolk into the flour and butter mixture, and setting the white aside, for later.

4) Food process or blend together the basil, chives, and water, and mix them into the mixture.

5) Mix everything together well.

6) Refrigerate for an hour.

7) Take out of refrigerator and then, form the dough into cups, by putting them in a buttered muffin mold. Make sure that they are thin, but not too thick enough to hold ice cream or custard in!

8) Brush lightly with egg whites.

9) Bake for 15-17 minutes on 375 degrees.

10) Pop out and add in your filling or ice cream and enjoy! <3>

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SO, make this recipe. It's very easy and very adaptable! Everyone will be so suprised that you made your own ice cream! :D

LOVE AND BAKING AND ICE CREAM! :3

--Ian

Ice Cream!~

ICE cream!~

ice CREAM!~

Me, with ICE CREAM!~

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JULIA CHILD's OMELETTE! :9

2009-10-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

Not much to say... I was hungry. It was 2 am. I started watching Julia Child's the French Chef.

So, I made a... odd-kward hash, witch is just Corned Beef Hash, but I used leftover Boeuf Bourguignon (It was stuck in my freezer.) I used a little too much horse radish... so I won't publish it here...

BUT, also, I MADE JULIA CHILD'S OMELETTE!!!! :D

It was so good. Oh... my gosh... It is like, the best omelette have ever tasted. It's so quick too! Only about like, 20-40 seconds to make this omelette.

It's plain, btw, but I added some fresh Chives and fresh Cilantro, for some added flavor and freshness. Don't add cheese; Don't add onions; Don't add ham; Don't mess it up!!!! It's perfect, just as it is, plain.

This omelette is light, fluffy, a little textured (if you cook it for a little more time), buttery, rich, lovely folded mess of coagulated eggs. It's amazing. It really is like, a perfect omelette.

Julia's omelette would make just a lovely meal or lunch with a nice, acidic salad, and perhaps a couple fresh, cut up fruit, to the side, naturally. Also, maybe pair this with a nice, light, iced white tea.

Really, this omelette is SO perfect, and SO fast. I love it. It was the perfect late night snack/meal.

As usual, here is the recipe I used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWmvfUKwBrg!

Do it! It's so simple and so easy and so just, GOOD!!!

(Btw, did you know that Julia loved omelettes? She has like 8-10 pages in her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, on the proper preparation of omelettes. It's outrageous. :3)

SO, as always, LOVE and BAKING... and OMELETTES!! <3

--Ian

~The Ingredients.~

~The Ingredients, Chopped Up.~

My plate -- an Omelette, with some Boeuf Hash and naturally, Parsley.

~An-other Angle!~

This is my RA. Make your own assumptions. (He's excited about the Onadoga Community Players production of Oklahoma.) :D

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IRISH SODA BREAD

2009-10-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

As you might know, but probably do not, my grandfather was Irish-American. Not biologically, though!!! My grandmother remarried. After my father was already out of the house, etc. :P But yes, so one St. Patricks Day I would have Corned Beef and Cabbage and Potatoes. So Irish, right?!?! xD

So, I appreciate Irish-ness.

SOOO, my friend, Nina, is abroad in England. She said that, "English food is not stellar," but what is really good is Irish Soda Bread...

And then I looked it up online, to see how to make it and weirdly enough, I had ALL the stuff you need to make it in my pantry!!! Crazy, no? I even had fresh rosemary!! (I love my fresh herb plants... I just got fresh chives, btw! Exciting!!!)

I mixed it up, baked it up... (It was really simple...) ...And it was really interesting!

Soda bread's main leavening agent is of course baking soda, not yeast. It's interesting how well it turned out, even though it didn't have yeast.

The difference is that the bread texture is very different. It's more dense than yeast bread... more hearty... more... muffiny.

You know, it's like a big muffin, or even like a big biscuit, but the outside looks and tastes like normal bread crust. It's nice... it is a little buttery, a little rich, a little sweet and it's just lovely.

This bread would be perfect for breakfast with a light spread of butter and some jam or preserves. Also, perhaps even with a nice fried chicken drumstick.

I used a liiiitle too much pepper, because I do not have measuring spoons.

Also, one thing I did NOT have was BUTTERMILK. You know what I used? I just took some milk and mixed it with a little white vinegar! I go the idea from: http://frugalliving.about.com/od/condimentsandspices/r/Buttermilk_Sub.htm. It worked preeetttyyy well. I think I still perfer real buttermilk. There's almost no place to get that here, in my college town/city, though. Because my college town/city is very inconvenient! :'/

As usual, here is the recipe I used for the Soda Bread: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/stpatricks/sodabread/recipes/food/views/Brown-Butter-Soda-Bread-233910.

It's really fast and easy! I suggest this one, as usual. My friend, Nina said that it is nice with traditional english stews. I have not made one yet, but I might just make an Irish Stew to pair with this Soda Bread... Hmmmm. We'll see, friends! :'D

So, as always, LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

RAW DOUGH!!!! Sounds like a monster, right? xD

~Totally Baked.~

Cut open... For youuuurrr convenience. : )

Closeup. With some butter. :D

ROOMATE IN A STANDUP COMEDY GROUP THAT NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT: It's good. It looks like I have a mohawk in this picture!

Close uuupppp. Look at that nice, shiny crust with all those LOVELY BUBBLES!!! Ahhh, it's a nice looking bread. :9

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WHITE PIZZA, made with REAL WHITE WINE!!! :D

2009-10-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

So, I ran into my friend, Steph, who is awesome, btw, in the library. As usual, she tricked me into staying with her... with CONVERSATION!!! xD Loves ya, Stephhhh! And so, we started talking about pizza and I told her if I went to her house, I could make a pizza for her! She said that she had some chicken in her fridge, and I went from there! :D

This pizza turned out so good! Like, really! (Man, have you noticed how enthousiastic I am in all my blog entries??!?! xD)

Yes, well, to start out -- since we were using chicken, I didn't want to do a simple tomato sauce pizza, right? So, I thought a white pizza would be really nice with chicken.

Steph, who is awesome, naturally, cooked the chicken. She used some Adobo and Sazon in the chicken. It was really nice. It adds some really savory flavor to the chicken we used. It almost smells like the chicken I get on the halal stands in NYC (where I live.) Alsoooo, if you have not been to a Halal stand in NYC, do it. It's like, a great lunch food. They make killer gyros and slouvakis.

But yes! Adobo and Sazon! Also, it adds a great yellowish orange to the chicken, which gives some contrast. We used dark meat, which is nice because it doesn't dry out as much, but you are free to use white meat chicken if you perfer. Also, dark meat is a little richer in taste. It's really your choice, I guess. : )

The sauce for the pizza was a white wine cream sauce. It had some nice, clear onions, for taste in it... and some more sazon and adobo, because they are awesome... Oh! I added fresh basil and butter too! Cream, as well, of course.

Suprisingly, it worked well with the adobo sazon chicken. I did not know if it would gel with those particular flavorings. I believe that the fresh basil I added to the sauce gave it just the right amount of savoriness to gel with the adobo sazon chicken.

For some color and added sweetness, I topped it with some fresh, farmers market red and green bell peppers.

Really nice pizza! Not a diet dish, but hey, you don't have to eat a lot of it at one time, right? It's hard to eat just one slice, though!!! :9

As usual, here is the recipe I used:

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THE BAKING CHIN'S WHITE PIZZA!

CRUST: Use my FOCACCIA recipe, except, when the dough has risen, cut in two balls. It will make two pies and it will bake for 15-ish minutes.

MAKING the CHICKEN: Get yourself...

1) 2 cups shreded chicken

2) 1 teaspoon Sazon seasoning.

3) 2-3 teaspoons Adobo seasoning.

Then, put some olive oil in a large frying pan. Wait untill sufficiently hot, then add in your chicken. Add in the Sazon and Adobo seasonings. Mix and cook until cooked through. Set aside for later.

ALSO, Chop up an entire bell pepper. Preferably one with two colors. Set aside fro later.

ALSO, ALSO, shred about 2-3 cups mozzarella cheese. Set aside for later.

MAKING THE SAUCE: You will need...

1) 1 cup fresh onion, chopped

2) 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

3) 1/4 cup butter

4) 1/2 - 3/4 cup white wine

5) 1 cup heavy cream

6) 1 cup fresh basil

7) 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

8) 1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning

9) 1 teaspoon Sazon seasoning

10) 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 - 1/2 cup water.

Okay, so first you heat the olive oil until sufficiently hot and then, add in the onions and the Sazon and Adobo Seasonings. Wait until they are clear, mixing occasionally. Then, add the butter, waiting until it has completely melted and changed color slightly. Add in your wine. Sautee for about 4 minutes, mixing occasionally. Now, add in the heavy cream, and basil. Wait for the basil smell to be eminating out of the sauce. Then, add the cilantro and 1 cornstarch dissolved in water.

Stir until it has thickened up, which, with the cornstarch will not be very long.

NOW, spoon on top of your two crusts, distributing evenly. Then, add the mozzarella cheese, distributing evenly as well... then add the chicken and peppers.

THEN, bake for about 15 minutes on 450 degrees.

THEN, THEN ---> ENJOY!!!! <3

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So, try this. It's fairly simple and it is a great party food! We ate almost all of it! And we could have, too! (We had already eaten some dinner before this pizza, so we were a little full.)

It is so rich and creamy, but it still retains some nice savory elements. The bell peppers on top add a great freshness to this dish, which is a little heavy otherwise.

Also, shout out to Karina! Thank you for the yeast tips! Oy, without them, I would be schvitzing like a pig! xD YOU know what that means, Karina. YOU KNOW!!! Also, you are great... and so is your kitchen!!! Thanks for the extra ingredients, friend!!! See, I remembered your name, facts, etc.! : )

OKAY, so until next tiiiimmme, LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

Uncooked!

Dooonnne! ~ Look at that wonderful, brown color!!!

Another shot! The Peppers add a great color to this, I think. :3

PIZZA EAT'IN FRIENDS: It's good. You just caught us off guard. We get caught off guard a lot. :D

LAPTOP-LADEN-LAD-LASS: Pizza is really suprising!!!!!!

It was really good. this was my third piece, I believe...

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FAILURE GNOCCHI!~

2009-10-11T00:51:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

SOOOOO -- guess what? I am out of money. Wanna know why? Because someone tried to STEAL 3,000 dollars from me. I know, weird, right? So, I am going to get a new debit card... but until then I cannot buy anything... Sooooooo.... I'm going to try to make stuff from things I already have and things I get from the dining halls.

I TRIED to make gnocchi.... But I did not have any potatoes... xD So, I tried using just flour and whole wheat flour. It did not work out very well.... They were too lumpy and hard.

Real gnocchi is light and pillowy. It is like, eating Italian pillow dumplings... Ahhh, very heavenly!!! But these were... not... :P

The sauce was nice, though, as you can see from the pictures. It's a onion-herb sauce with some chives for color and added flavor. :9

I ACTUALLY made something else this weekend with a similar sauce. I will share it later! :'D It was actually a successful recipe... unlike this one.

I will not bother to show y'all the recipe. When I actually make noteworthy gnocchi, I will share the recipe I used.

If you anyone has a good gnocchi recipe, I would love to try it! Anyone who can actually make wonderful gnocchi has my envy!!! :3

'Till thennnn, LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

~The Sauce~

Here's my plate. It looks good... but it's a FAILURE. :P

Close up! It actually was not that bad, but the problem is that you couldn't tell it was gnocchi, so I consider a failure... :P Someday!

SOMEDAY I WILL MAKE NOTEWORTHY GNOCCHI!!! xD

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HOMEMADE PIZZA!! w/ Homemade MOZZARELLA CHEESE and Homemade TOMATO SAUCE!!!!

2009-10-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

So, I'm sorry I haven't been blogging as much this week! I was really, realllllyyy BUSY. Like, think exams and papers.

I DID make some mozzarella cheese! :D It's really suprisingly easy. USE whole milk. Just do it. It works the best and gives you that great fresh mozzarella cheese taste... which is great. It's just like... really fresh, you know, for a cheese... it's creamy, but not too creamy... it's like a light creaminess. It's really good. SO, I reiterate -- use whole milk. Really.

ACTUALLY, I did try to use skim milk, the first time. Let me tell, you -- it did NOT work out that well. The consistency was off and it was very bland. The second time, I could not actually find any whole milk, because my school is inconvenient. SO, I used about 3/4 gallon 2% milk and 1/4 gallon half and half/cream. It worked well... but whole milk would be better. Trust me.

If you doooo make your own mozzarellaaaa -- there are many uses your mozzarella cheese! Once you make it, you can use it in casseroles, brushetta, cheese breads, etc.! ORRRR -- you can use it to make what I diddddd.... PIZZA!

OKAY so here's the story. It was 7 am. I just finished my paper for history... I was like, wired from writing the paper you know? So, I had some homemade tomato sauce left from another occasion and I had the fresh mozzarella... So, I made a quick pizza dough, let it rise, topped it and popped it in the oven...

It was really good! I did not get any candid photos because you know -- it was 8 am. No respectable college student is coherent at 8 am!!! :P

So, it served as breakfast and lunch to me. I made two pies. The recipe makes two great pies.

You can use whatever topping you want! Personally, my favorite topping is tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. It's a classic, simple combo. The tomato sauce is tangy and slightly sour, and that blends well with the lightly creamy fresh mozzarella... and then it finishes off with a slight freshness from the fresh basil. It's just about a perfect pizza combo -- for me, at least. Simple and satisfying, which is very Italian, yes! :D

As usual, here is the recipe:

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PIZZA!

For the crust, use my FOCACCIA recipe, except use 1 tbsp sugar, instead of 2.

After you make the dough, you can literally top it with almost anything. Really.

ALSO, when the dough has risen, cut it in half and spread it out on two buttered trays or you can sprinkle your trays with a light dusting of corn meal. I think I perfer the corn meal for this recipe. You can use butter if you wish, though.

Also, ALSO, ALSOOOO, unlike the focaccia, you bake the pizzas for 15-16 minutes. This is because they are stretched thinner than the focaccia.

It makes two pizzas! :'9

MY FAVORITE TOPPING (SUGGESTED) -->

My favorite topping for a pizza is: Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, and Fresh Basil. I used this topping for the pizza I made the other day.

As for the tomato sauce I used, just follow the CHIN TOMATO SAUCE recipe!

NOW, for homemade fresh, mozzarella, use this recipe:http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/21.html

It's very good. Very detailed too. It has step by step pictures too! :D If you want to learn how to make good cheese from the internet, this is a marvelous site for it!! :'D

If you do not make the cheese, fresh mozzarella from the store is fine. Most grocery stores nowadays have fresh mozzarella too!

Do NOT use packaged, pre-shreded mozzarella that most pizza joints use!!! It has a much different taste. Too artificial! Well, at least for this recipe.

Also, for the topping, use some fresh basil leaves, lightly tossed in some olive oil. This crisps them a little in the oven.

Thennn bake annnd... ENJOY! <3

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SO, try this recipe. It's really nice and really fresh tasting. It's perfect for a light lunch outside on the patio. Perhaps, paired with a mixed salad with oil and balsamic vinegar dressing and a nice glass of iced seltzer with a lemon and mint.

Or, just make it if you want great pizza. Really!

LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

Homemade Mozzarella, coming out if it's ice bath! It looks a little rustic, but it's only my second attempt!!!

The cheese, cut. Looks sorta like califlour, huuuhhh? :P

~The Pizzas, Ready to Bake.~

Me, tasting the cheese, with a little tomato sauce and basil! Heavennn! Geez, I look so tireeddd!

~The Finished Pie.~

After I got through with it. Well, one of the pies!

It was really GOOD! Especially at 8 am in the morning after a night of paper-writing. Try this one, friends!!! :3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PEACH MUFFIN CAKE!

2009-10-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

Okay y'all,

No new baking/cooking, but here's something else I made while I made the Boeuf Bourguignon! I made my RA a PEACH MUFFIN CAKE! :9

It was his friend's birthday... so he asked me if I could make her something... So I said, "yes! As long as you buy me the ingredients!" Annnnddddd -- he did. I decided to make a cake that has peaches in it because there are a lot of nice, fresh peaches in the dining hall.

Sooooo, I packed up my bag with about 20 or so peaches and started baking!

What's great about this cake is that it tastes good, and is simple, and it's also REALLY, REALLY fast. Like, think 30-40 minutes. The thing that took the longest for me was actually icing the cake.

There's not much to say about it. It's just good. The peaches in the white cake add a certain nice tanginess to the cake, which you miss in a plain white cake. It really brings the cake up a notch.

WELL, one thing is that... it seems a little bit like store bought cake or cake mix. Still, it is a lovely cake. Nothing too complicated or anything. Nothing too hard to make. Nothing too challenging. It's a crowd pleaser, I would say.

As usual, here is the recipe:

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PEACH MUFFIN CAKE!

NOTE: This cake does not have to necessarily be a peach cake. You can use any dried fruits!

To make the actual white cake mix, just use this recipe here: http://southernfood.about.com/od/yellowandwhitecakes/r/bl30610s.htm.

Mix it with either a wooden mixing spoon or for even faster baking, use an electric mixer.

Add about 1-2 cups dried peaches to the mix.

(To make your own dried peaches, just cut the peaches into threes and stick in the oven for 3 hours on 150 to 200 degrees. Turn the peaches once, halfway through the drying process. After this, just sprinkle with some sugar and cut into small pieces. Add to mix.)

Bake for 40-45 minutes on 350 degrees. It takes a little longer than in the actual white cake recipe because it has some peaches in it.

While you are waiting, make the icing!

For the icing, you will need:

2 cups cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Mix it up with an electric mixture and refrigerate, to get it a little more stiff.\

After the cake is done baking (you can tell it's done when a skewer goes through it and comes out clear), take it out, and let it cool for about 10 minutes or so. Cut the tops off.

First, ice the top of the first layer (this will be the in between part), using a good sized knife. Then, put the second layer on tope and ice the top of that, then the sides, rotating to make sure all the sides are completely iced!

Cover sides with walnuts or almonds. Put some uncut dried peaches on top in a nice pattern and sprinkle with more nuts.

THENNNNN....

Enjoooyyyyy! <3

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So, if you need a quick dessert for a family dinner or a pot luck, I suggest you try this cake!

It's also, I think, a nice cake for beginners in the baking field. The cake is not too difficult to make, and it's not something boring, like plain white cake. :'D

~TRY IT!!~

Love and Baking! <3

--Ian

Mixing cake! :D

Baaaak'in!

One layer!

Two layers!

Finished cake! Doesn't that look great??

Another angle. There's a puppet in the background. Yes, I make puppets. Really. :D

And what was left of the cake! It was goooooooood. I was going to get some pictures of people eating it. My RA can't send me pictures from the birthday potluck from his cell phone. :'/

Still good, though! :' )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JULIA CHILD'S BOEUF BOURGUIGNON! :D I made it!!!

2009-10-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

As you know, I just got Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking... and I also recently saw Julia and Julia... SO what's the next step?? Why, making JULIA CHILD'S BOEUF BOURGUIGNON!!!! :D

I made it... and it was ready at 3am in the morning... the usuals stayed awake until 3! Lolz. It's great. EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T WASH THE DISHES WHEN I ASKED THEM TO HELP... It was still a good meal. :P

Oh, if you don't know what Boeuf Bourguignon is, it's basically a glorified French beef stew. It's really good. Better than the normal beef stew by a lot! Really.

Julia's recipe was very delicious and satisfying, BUT, it's really a lot of steps. The finished product is lovely, though. Really savory... Really beefy... Slightly sweet from the pearl onions... And rich... If the beef is done right, it's juicy and tender and has great flavor. The sauce is unbelieveable. So good! It takes a lot of time to make though. I suggest you start it out earlier than I did. It's about a 4 hour process I would say. What's nice, is that you can leave it alone for 3 hours.

I thought it was worth it. You know, it tasted a lot like my father's Boeuf Bourguignon... but you know, it is a lot more satisfying when you do it yourself. Now I know how much work he puts into it!!!

Julia's recipe itself, is written very well. Very easy to understand. I suggest it!

OHHH, something I LOVED was that Julia says to brown the pearl onions and mushrooms (separately) in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Like, ISN'T THAT A LOT OF BUTTER?!?!? Oh myyyy... the smell from those pearl onions, browning in that butter was amazing. I am telling you, there is nothing like onions, sauteeing or browning in butter. It's really, just a heavenly aroma.

Also, my father, who is a great cook (he cooks for the family), gave me a great tip about how to skin pearl onions. (I used fresh pearl onions, which still have the skin on them. The frozen ones do not have the skin on them, but I suggest you only use frozen for a last resort. The fresh ones are a lot better. Trust me.) So, what he told me to do was to blanch them. What you do is you throw them in a pot of boiling water for about 1-2 minutes. No more than that. Really. THEN, you drain them and instantly throw them in a bowl of ice cold water. Then just cut off the ends and they pop right out, as if they were greased. Really good idea! Thank you, Pops! : )

One thing I do not suggest you use, by the way, is COOKING WINE. DON'T use it. It has waaaaaay too much salt and not as much soul as real wine. Just use some real wine with this recipe. Trust me.

Sooooooooooo, as usual, here is the recipe for Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon! This site has the actual scans from her cookbook, so you KNOW you're getting the real recipe. Don't settle for a short cut! Go HERE: http://cooking.knopfdoubleday.com/2009/07/13/julia-childs-boeuf-bourguignon-recipe/

Also, here's the rice recipe I used to pair with the pungent, savory stew:

--------------------------------------------------

MUSHROOM BUTTER RICE

This recipe gives you a nice, rich tasting rice, which is good for this particular stew. It has a buttery taste and a slight mushroomy aroma.

Ingredients:

1) 2 cups rice (preferably, regular, long grain rice. Also, basmati would be lovely!)

2) 4 cups water

3)2 tablespoons butter (salted, preferably)

4) 3/4 to 1 cup mushrooms

5) A couple fresh basil leaves

Instructions:

1) Put your butter in a large pot on high heat. Wait for it to start bubbling up.

2) Add in mushrooms. Sautee.

3) Add in basil leaves. Wait until the butter changes color a little...

4) Then, add the rice (cleaned, of course), and the water.

5) Cover and wait until the water boils.

6) Then, turn it down to simmer and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

7) Mix up and serve!

If you feel like it needs a just little more butter, feel free to add a little more butter... for a more buttery rice.

--------------------------------------------------

So, even though it takes a lot time, I actually suggest you do this one. It's really satisfying... it's definately a crowd pleaser... and what's more, it tastes fantastic! I guess it IS from Julia Child, so it HAS to be good! :D Right!!!

I love Julia Child! :3

LOVE AND BOEUF BOURGUIGNON!!! <3

Or, as Julia would say... "BON APPETIT!"

--Ian

The kitchen, with all the ingredients.

~The Browned Vegetables~

Look at all this BUTTER! Thank goodness for Julia!! :D

~Finished Boeuf Bourguignon and Buttered Rice~

Ready to serve! <3

FLOOR PEOPLE: We stayed up 'till 3! Yeah, we went there.

My plate! Yummy and rich, finished with a classic Julia garnish -- Fresh Parsley.

The Boeuf Bourguignon leftovers. It's going to last me all week. :9 It's really good the second day too! :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mushroom-Feta Focaccia and PEACH JUICE! :D

2009-10-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

I actually made this a two days ago. I just have been kinda busy!

Not much to say... because I'm actually cooking something right now.... and it's consuming things....

But the focaccia was nice. The mushrooms have a nice earthiness, the onions add sweetness, and the feta cheese rounds it out with a little salty tanginess. Also, I added some fresh rosemary -- because it IS fresh herb week! :D It was nice.

ANNNNDDD -- the peach juice was really wonderful!!!! It's really easy and a good thing to make if you have lots of extra peaches around. It's sweet, it's tangy, it's peachy... it's great. If it's warm, it's almost like an apple cider. If you want to serve it warm, I suggest you add some fresh, whipped cream (not canned. Made from scratch.) Very hearty.

If served cold, just serve it in a cup that's half full of ice. It's really refreshing! :9

Well... I've got to get on my recipe.... soooo..... Here's the recipes, as usual:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

MUSHROOM FETA FOCACCIA

To make this, follow the basic CHIN FOCACCIA RECIPE, except...

1) Add 1/2 cup pureed mushrooms.

2) Add 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, instead.

THEN, top with...

1) 1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves.

2) 1 cup sauteed red onions and 1 cup sauteed mushrooms, chopped.

3) 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumpled.

THEN, THEN, just follow the basic recipe from there.

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THE BAKING CHIN'S VERY OWN PEACH JUICE!! :D

Ingredients:

1) 15-20 peaches, halved

2) 3/4 cup sugar

3) The Juice of 2 Oranges

4) The Juice of 1 Lemon

5) Water

Instructions:

1) Fill a large pot with water until about half.

2) Add peaches, sugar, orange juice, and lemon juice.

3) Bring to boil, then set to simmer and let simmer for about 2-3 hours.

4) Enjoy! <3

You can put the peaches with ice cream, etc.

Leave it hot and add whipped cream on top for a peach cider!

Fill a cup half way with ice and add peach juice for a refreshing peach cocktail! :3

---------------------------------------------------------------------

So, try it! It's pretty easy. I strongly suggest the peach juice. It's a great drink and very satisfying.

NOW, I've got some other goods to bake/cook!

LOVE AND BAKING AND PEACH JUICE! <3

--Ian

Sauteeing some red onions and mushrooms.

Uncooked. :0

Dooooone! ~

Here's the finished peach cider. It was delicious!

FLOORMATE WHO'S ONLY WEARING A FLEECE JACKET: I'm in a lot of pictures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STRAWBERRY CUSTARD PIE, made with JULIA CHILD'S CUSTARD RECIPE!

2009-09-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

So, I was in the mess hall and nothing looked good, right? Everything in the mess hall feels a little too boiled/fried. :'/ The only thing that seemed good was the STRAWBERRIES. They looked so fresh! :D Usually, the strawberries in the mess hall look kind of brown colored... but today they looked really fresh, so I took about 3 large bowls.

What can you make with fresh strawberries? Why, strawberry custard pie! :D

Btw, I used Julia Child's custard recipe for the filling! It's amazing. (I just got Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It's just about my new favorite book!) It's a really nice custard. Really simple and actually really light! Really. it's nice. Usually, custard can get a little heavy (creme brulee, etc.) This custard is very simple and light. It's basically milk/cream, sugar, flavoring, and eggs.

It's really fantastic with the slightly heavier, slightly tart, fresh strawberries.

I added some fresh pineapple sage and mint to the custard in place of vanilla. It adds this great subtle citrusy flavor.

As for the crust, I just used the Galette Recipe crust I made a few weeks ago.

This dish is a perfect dish to bring as a present for a dinner party, or even a potluck dinner. You could even just serve it to the family as desert. It is really lovely and light and fresh -- as far as custard pie goes.

So, as usual, here is the recipe:

-----------------------------------------------------

STRAWBERRY CUSTARD PIE!

For the crust, use this CRUST RECIPE (usually for gallettes).

Spread it out on a buttered eight to ten inch cake pan or pie pan.

For the custard, you will need (This is basically Julia's recipe)

1) 3 eggs

2) 3 egg yolks

3) 1/2 cup sugar

4) 2 1/2 cups whole milk or cream

5) She uses a vanilla bean/vanilla extract, but I used... 1/2 cup fresh pineapple sage leaves and 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves.

Then, to make the custard, you need to heat the milk/cream until simmering, then add pineapple sage leaves and mint leaves and cover. Then, either whisk with a whisk or electronically (I perfer and suggest an electric mixer) the eggs and the sugar, until bubbly and light. After this, whisk in the hot milk/cream, little by little in streaming driplets, always whisking while you do this.

Wait for it to the bubbles to subside for about a minute and pour into the pie crust. Bake for 5 minutes on 350 degrees and then turn it down to 325 degrees and bake for 40 minutes. Check if it is set, by poking with a toothpick or skewer, and if it runs through without custard coming off, it is set. (It's almost like a cake.)

Then, let it cool for about 5 minutes.

For the strawberry topping, you will need about 2 cups fresh strawberries. Cut them on their side, in slices, and top the pie with them, in an attractive pattern. Do not use the ends. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Garish with a couple fresh mint leaves...

THEN, ENJOY, and thank Julia for the custard filling recipe! :3

-----------------------------------------------------

So try it out for yourself! :D You'll be suprised how easy this is.

LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

Strawberries, being cut.

~ The baked custard! ~

~ Topped with the fresh strawberries and a little mint garnish! ~

Finished pie! :9 Doesn't this look GOOD?!?!

PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN A TRIPLE: We live next to the kitchen. Our room is a triple.

FREELOAD'IN DAVE: It's good, Ian. Too bad I have the crab shoes! D:

ROOMATE WITH GLASSES: It's GOOOOD! I'm a VAMPIIIRRE!!!

Try iiiit!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Really, REALLY Tasty BASIL INFUSED FOCACCIA!! :D

2009-09-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

Okay y'all,

It's another great day in the life of the Baking Chin! Except of course that my LAUNDRY got stolen... yeahhh. Dirty laundry too. I mean, I leave it alone for like a minute and someone steals it... Wow.

Anyway, who needs clothes when you haaaveeeee... BASIL INFUSED FOCACCIA!!! :D (But really, I need clothes. If my stealer reads my blog, please give me back my clothes. Thank you. :'/)

So, yes! Basil infused focaccia! I made this because I wanted to find something to use my fresh herbs in. Yes, I have fresh herbs! :D I'm growing them on my window sill! (I have fresh rosemary, basil, and pineapple sage.) Fresh herbs are wonderful! They look lovely and they coat your room with a wonderful herby aroma. It's very nice. Also, having fresh herbs handy all the time really is handy. You always have a renewable source of herbs!

Man, this week is going to be a fresh herb week! I can feel it! :9

Naturally, having fresh basil handy, I thought about putting it on a pizza or focaccia (my favorite pizza topping is fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh basil.) I did not want to make something too normal, so I decided to food process some basil leaves with the olive oil I put in the focaccia and mix it up. Let me tell you...

...It was fantastic.

You get this nice, buttery, herby, basil taste throughout the focaccia. (I love fresh basil, by the way. Really, there is nothing like fresh basil. It has this wonderful rich, but fresh smell... and it adds so much to dishes... Oh my, I love it! Also, it adds a nice color to a dish!)

To top the focaccia, I added some food processed caramelized onions, which give it a lovely sweet, oniony kick! Then, I put some pieces of oiled basil leaves on top. The oiled basil leaves are crispy when they are done baking. The basil leaf on top is almost like a basil potato chip, but far lighter and delicate. It adds another dimension of basil and crunch to the dish. It looks lovely also! Superb!

So, try this, if you have an herb garden at home, or if you just have some good old store bought basil leaves around. Believe me, it's worth it! :D

Okay, so as usual, here is the recipe:

------------------------------------------------------------

The BAKING CHIN'S BASIL INFUSED FOCACCIA! <3

To make this, refer to my normal FOCACCIA RECIPE.

But, instead of olive oil, use this:

1) 3-4 tablespoons olive oil

2) 3/4 to 1 cup fresh basil leaves

Then, food process the mixture until it is nice and pesto-y (small, about the consistency of hole puncher holes when you take them out of the hole puncher.) And then, you just add this to the dough, in place of the olive oil.

ALSO, as for the caramelized onions, you will need:

1) 2 medium to large onions, preferably large.

2) About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3) 1/2 cup vegetable oil

For this, you just food process the onions until chopped small, but not invisible and NOT liquidy. Then, you take a frying pan, add the olive oil and wait for it to get hot. You can tell when it is hot, when you can flick a little water onto it and it sizzles. Then, you add your onions to it and add a little salt and sugar to taste and then wait for it to caramelize, stirring occasionally. You will know when it is done, when the onions are brown in color (not black or burnt) and have a slight sweet and oniony taste to them.

Then add them into the vegetable oil and stir, until a sauce is formed. Then you just add it to the top of the focaccia, like any normal focaccia recipe.

TOP with about 1/2 cup fresh, washed, and slightly oiled basil leaves. I cut them in half to spread it out more. You can just add as is, if you would like! Add a little salt to the basil leaves if you would like.

And that's it! :D ENJOY!

------------------------------------------------------------

So, I highly suggest you make this dish. It sounds complicated, but it is not; It looks complicated, but it is not; and most of all, it tastes fantastic! Great for pot lucks or casual "sophisticated" snacking.

LOVE and BAKING! <3

--Ian

Here is the olive oil and basic mixture, in the food processor.

The dough. A lovely shade of BASIL GREEN! :D

Here are my fresh herbs. They really are quite the lifesaver!

Caramelizing onions. Smells divine.

Uncooked, but still pleasing to look at, no?

~The finished product.~

MISS B-6: This is wonderful. What would be more wonderful is if I were a hamster. Obviously. :3

Trying focaccia is apparently a very avant garde and serious thing. Really. :P

Close up of the focaccia. :9 (That was my piece.)

And in the end, there are only a few pieces left... :D Excitement.

So, try it!!! <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Simple, but GREAT Peanut Brittle!~

2009-09-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

So, I got back from my FY-retreat and I was really sleepy. I took a 3 hour nap. Like, straight. It's pretty crazy. SOOO, what is good after sleeping for 3 hours? PEANUT BRITTLE.

I looked online and found some really simple recipes. I found one with cayenne pepper too! But I didn't have any. :'/ Yeahhh, so I just used a combo of two recipes.

It turned out really really good. Rich, buttery, sugary, salty, peanutty, caramelly - it's just really nice. Also, it is suprisingly easy. It takes about a half an hour to make and it is a perfect gift, or at least a great afternoon snack.

My penguin friends (It's a comedy group, not a bunch of penguins, unfortunately :P) loved it. Except Matt. Because he is vegan. It's so hard to be a vegannnn. hahaha... Oh, Matt. You and you're drugssss (tylenol pm). :D

ALSO -- a tip -- do NOT use a glass tray for this. Use a metal tray. Really. I used a metal tray for one of my peanut brittle and it would just NOT come off. So, don't do it. Really.

SOOOOO, try it. Everyone will be impressed!!

As usual, here are the recipes I used... I used a combo of these two. Some of the techniques are harder... like, I do NOT have a candy thermometer. xD I just winged it.

RECIPE 1: http://www.joyofbaking.com/candy/PeanutBrittle.html

RECIPE 2: http://www.grouprecipes.com/75008/southern-peanut-brittle.html

Just experiment with it. I feel like, as long as you do not burn the sugar, it will turn out just lovely! :D

So, LOVE and BAKING and CANNNNDDDYY!! <3

--Ian Chin

Me, licking the spoon. It was really cool. It's almost like a peanut brittle lollipop!!

The finished brittle, wrapped in parchment paper! :9

The peanut brittle that got stuck in my glass tray. Do NOT do it! :P

BLACK HOODIED MAN WHO HAS HANDS LIKE BEN FRANKLIN: Its... good. I'm... a Penguin...

MATT: MATT MATT VEGAN MATT MATT!

THOROUGHLY MODERN AILLY: I am so astounded by peanut brittle! Feed me, SEYMOUR!!!! : )

Try iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttt. <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DUCK DUMPLING - REALLY TASTY, REALLY DIFFICULT! :9

2009-09-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

I apologize for not posting when I actually made these. I was busy on my FYP weekend! :D WE'RE DOING SEUSSICAL! :D (jk, jk, KIM! xD)

Ohhh, the thinks you can thiiink.

So, anyways! I made DUCK dumplings and some Fried Rice. They tasted good but they are like, SOOOO difficult to make. Like, I ask my mom to make dumplings and now I never will again. :P It's really hard... well... not hard, but time consuming, you know?

The turn out is lovely, though. The dumplings I made were potstickers, because I did not have a steamer. Potstickers taste a little better, I think. One side is steamed and one side is pan fried, with this great, rich, crispy fried skin! :D Though, if you DO have a steamer, it's healthier... technically.

One thing I thought that was interesting was that it tasted a little better when it was cold. I was afraid it didn't have enough duck flavor, but when when it cooled a little, you could taste the duck a little better. Weird, no?

I made some fried rice too. I fried up some duck skin real crispy and put it on top, for some crispiness! It didn't last, though. :'/ After you leave it out for a while, the crispiness of the skin dimishes a little. I suggest you deepfry it. Perhaps the crispsiness will last a little longer that way.

Also, I added a little vinegar + sugar mixture to the rice for a contrasting tartness. I think it paired well with the oily potsticker dumplings! Also, I added a little toasted sesame seeds on top, for some nuttiness. Not bad.

I had to use butter instead of oil, but I do NOT suggest it. Use peanut oil or vegetable oil. You lose a lot of the Chinese flavor if you used butter! :0

Another thing I STRONGLY suggest, is to use a non-stick frying pan. The dumplings come RIGHT off. When my mom makes them, they are prone to stick to the bottom of the pan. A simple non-stick frying pan saves you a lot of trouble. :3

Okay, so, as usual, here's the recipes:

--------------------------------------------------------------

THE BAKING CHIN'S DUCK DUMPLING RECIPE -- AN ADAPTED FAMILY RECIPE! <3

This recipe takes a lot of time. Do it at your own risk! :P

Stock Ingredients:

1) 1 duck carcass + bones

2) 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

3) 2 garlic cloves

4) 2 celery stalks, chopped (You do not need to chop them very finely, just enough to fit in pot.)

5) 1 large carrot, chopped

6) 1 half onion, chopped

7) Soy Sauce, for taste

Filling Marinade:

1) 1 cup vegetable oil

2) 1/2 cup sugar

3) 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

4) 3 tablespoons soy sauce

5) 3 garlic gloves, diced

6) 1-2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

Filling:

1) the meat off a duck, marinated

2) 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

3) 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

4) 2 tablespoons soy sauce

5) 1 cup chopped cilantro

6) 1 cup chopped scallions

Dumpling Skin:

1) 3 cups boiling water

2) 6 cups flour

Stock Instructions:

1) Add all ingredients in pot. Wait until boiling, then set to simmer.

2) Let sit overnight, or at least 10 hours.

3) Strain and done!

Marinating Instructions:

1) Mix all ingredients of the marinade together, starting with the oil.

2) Separate most of the meat from the duck. Make sure to leave a little of the skin on.

3) Place the duck pieces into the marinade. Marinate overnight.

Filling Instructions:

1) Take pieces of duck out of marinade and place in food processor. Chop/Grind until they are in little pieces.

2) Take out of food processor and into a large bowl.

3) Add in hoisin sauce, garlic chili sauce, soy sauce, cilantro, and scallions.

Dumpling Skin Instructions:

1) Boil 3 cups water. Make sure top is on, so no extra water escapes.

2) Take off heat and add in flour. Mix rigorously, until a dough forms.

3) Kneed dough until smooth.

4) Cut dough into 6 parts.

5) Roll out dough with rolling pin. Make sure the top and bottom is floured.

6) Take a large cup and cookie cut out 3-inch circles.

7) Continue to cut out 3-inch circles until there is no dough left over. Make sure they are floured just enough so they are not sticking to eachother.

Making the Dumplings:

1) Take a dough circle and lightly cover one side with water. (This is the side you’re going to put the filling into.)

2) Scoop out filling into the center of a dough circle. Make sure that you do not put too much filling in the center.

3) Fold over, then start pinching the dumpling closed, at the ends of the dumpling, ending at the top.

Cook’in the Dumplings:

1) Put oil in frying pan. Wait until the oil is hot enough – the oil is hot enough when you can flick a little water from your hands into the pan and it sizzles.

2) Place about 10 dumplings in pot, on their sides. Fry for about 2-3 minutes.

3) Add in just a little broth.

4) Cover with lid and wait until the broth has evaporated, or until it is steamed. This makes sure the dumpling’s inside is fully cooked.

5) Place in platter and enjoy! :D

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THE BAKING CHIN'S CRISPY DUCK SKIN FRIED RICE RECIPE!

Ingredients:

1) 2 cups water

2) 4 cups rice (regular long grain)

3) The skin off a duck, sliced very small

4) 3-4 tablespoons oil

5) 5-6 eggs

6) 1/2 cup soy sauce

7) 1 onion, diced

8) 1/3 cup vinegar

9) 2 tablespoons sugar

10) 2-3 tablespoons hoisin sauce or oyster sauce

11) 3/4 cup - 1 cup scallions

Rice Without a Rice Cooker:

1) Add 4 cups rice and 2 cups water into a large pot. Cover with lid.

2) Wait until it boils, then put on simmer or low and wait 20 minutes.

3) Perfect rice, without a rice cooker!

4) Now, either put it in the refrigerator overnight or just wait until it is cold and slightly drier.

Instructions:

1) Put oil into large pot and wait until hot enough.

2) Add in diced onion. Fry until slightly carmelized.

3) Add in eggs and cook, breaking it up, so it is “scrambled.”

4) Add in rice, then soy sauce, hoisin/oyster sauce, and scallions. Mix well.

5) Leave alone, for about a minute. Then mix. Repeat this until all the rice is nicely fried.

6) Place in large tray/pan/serving item.

7) Mix sugar and vinegar together. Then, add it, evenly to the fried rice.

8) Fry up some of the duck skin, until very crispy. Add on top. This gives it a nice crunch. You can use a frying pan, or even a deep fryer, if you have a deep fryer and a lot of oil.

9) Top with toasted sesame seeds and duck skin and enjoy!

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Sooooo, there’s the recipe. Long, no? Don’t try this recipe unless you have a lot of time on your hands. As for the fried rice, it’s a little easier. The duck skin is option, I feel. You can put in other meats, or just leave it vegetarian. Whatever you like! :D

Love and Dumplings! <3

--Ian

~ The Marinade! ~

The duck marinating and the stock on the stove!

DUMPLINGS!!!!

FRIED RICE!!!!

Here's the platters I made! Looks all profession 'n' all! :P

FLOORMATE FROM ENGLAND BUT DOES NOT HAVE AN ACCENT: It's good.

JILLYBEAN and COMPANY: Two thumbs up and a Jillybean FIST! :D

After it's all done...

A dumpling and rice plate! :'D (This was my plate! Notice the extra hot sauces! Yummers!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Condensed Milk + Tea = AWESOME.

2009-09-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

I'm taking a little break from baking/cooking... actually, I'll be making something tomorrow -- but... It's marinating. Soooooo, I took a break... while the meat is marinating... :9

The marinade is really good! But you will find out about tomorrow... or rather, later today! :D

Okay, so today, I'll tell you about another great late night/anytime of the day/year drink! You know what it isssssss??? CONDENSED MILK + TEA!!!... Or coffee. It's really a great drink. I love it. The Thai people like to make this drink and it is pretty awesome and easy to make. Every time I go to a Thai restaurant I order this drink. Well, pretty much every time. It's awesome!!!!

Sweetened, condensed milk is a lovely, rich substance and it pairs wonderfully with bitter, dark tea or coffee. Personally, I perfer tea. (I don't like coffee!!! xD) It's easy.

Here's a simple recipe. I won't lay claim to it because SO many people make this and it's too simple. :P

------------------------------------------

CONDENSED MILK ICED TEA

Ingredients:

1) Fresh Brewed Black Tea or Coffee

2) Water

3) Sweetened, Condensed Milk

4) Ice.

Instructions:

1) Fill a cup with about 1-2 tablespoons sweetened, condensed milk.

2) Now, fill to top with ice.

3) Fill the rest of the cup with the black tea/coffee, to the top.

4) Add a straw or not... and ENJOY! <3

------------------------------------------

Okay, so try it. Really simple, really satisfying, really refreshing!

Love and Condensed Milk! <3

--Ian

Here are some of the ingredients I used. I used jasmine tea, which is a green tea, but I suggest you use black tea! : )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP -- From Scratch.

2009-09-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Okay y'all,

So there are lots of sick people on my floor now...? Swine flu maybe...? I don't know. I don't get sick very often! :P

Annnnnd, what's good for sickness? That's right -- Chicken Noodle Soup! Made from scratch. With looooove! :D

What's great about this recipe is that you can leave it alone for like, 10 hours and it will still taste and turn out amazinnnggg!! Also, you can make it from leftovers from the fridge. Really.

I used the leftover chicken carcass and chicken pieces from monday's roast chicken to make the stock. You, if you have a stocked refrigerator, probably have a bunch of leftover carrots, celery, etc., that you want to use, but you keep forgetting about! Don't let them go waste or even worse, go BAD! Make some soup! It's super easy and super tasty! You will not be dissapointed.

I made most of the things in this soup - even the noodles. You, personally, do not have to make everything from scratch. For instance, instead of making your own stock, you can just used store bought stock. Or, instead of homemade noodles, you can use regular, 'ole store bought dry noodles. You can make this recipe as easy or as hard as you want it. You can even add potatoes or sweet potatoes to it (though, I do not like potatoes in my chicken soup.) It's really very adaptable. A really great 'fridge cleaner!

Btw, thanks to my pops (my father, dad, etc.) for the good stock making idea! :D He actually saves the carcasses of chickens and etc., and use them to make stock. It's a really good idea. I feel like there is something lost when you use packaged stock. The stock you make with the carcass is very lovely. Not only does it have a more "chicken-y" flavor, but you also get all the added marrow, calcium, tendons, etc., from the bones. This is great for colds! Really good health properties in the bones. :D

Also, thanks to Stephanie O'dea, for the great idea of adding basalmic vinegar to the soup. It adds something I think. A subtle sweetness, a slighty saltiness, and a good soup balance... also, it adds great color! Kudos to Miss O'dea! Visit her blog! She's very passionate about food, which is nice, and she has like, thousands of pressure cooker recipes on her blog. Do it! : )

Okay, so the soup was lovely. The soup itself was very hearty. The chicken was more brothy than chunky. I like it! You get a little more chicken in every spoonful - mostly because the chicken is more infused in the soup itself. You can add more chicken if you want. I just used what came off the bones!

One thing I did NOT like was that the green veggies weren't as vibrant colored as I would have liked. I suggest adding them a little later in the process. I just garnished with fresh scallions. It have it a fresher look. :3

Okay, so as usual, here is the recipe:

-----------------------------------------------------

THE BAKING CHIN'S HEARTY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP RECIPE!

NOTE: Feel free to add anything else you want, like potatoes, etc. It's very adaptable!

Stock Ingredients (if you use packaged stock, ignore this):

1) 1 whole chicken carcass, including wing and leg bones.

2) 1 large carrot, diced.

3) 2 large celery stalks, diced.

4) 1/2 - 1 cup onions.

5) 1 scallion, diced.

6) Salt, to taste. (Don't put too much in this part).

7) About 1-2 tablespoons white vinegar.

8) Water

Soup Ingredients:

1) Chicken stock (Filled up to about 3/4 of the pot)

2) 3 cups carrots, diced

3) 3 cups celery, diced.

4) 2 cups onions, chopped.

5) 2-3 cups asparagus, chopped in large pieces.

6) 1 cup scallions.

7) 1-2 tablespoons Balsamic vineggar

8) Salt, to taste, if needed.

9) Sugar, to taste.

10) Extra COOKED chicken, if desired

11) Extra water, if the soup has reduced too much.

12) Egg noodles (You can make your own noodles, or dried! Either one, really.)

Stock Instructions (if you are using packaged stock, ignore this):

1) Fill water in large pot to about 3/4 full. Wait until it boils.

2) Add in chicken carcass and leftover chicken pieces.

3) Add in carrots, scallions, onions, celery, and white vinegar.

4) Boil for about 10 minutes, then set stove to simmer.

5) Cook stock overnight, or about 7-10 hours.

6) Strain into new pot, but save the chicken from this. Now it's ready to make into soup!

Soup Instructions:

1) Add in some extra water to the stock, to make sure the pot about 3/4 full. Wait until it boils.

2) Pick through the leftover chicken from the stock and put it in the pot, making sure there are no bones. If you want to add extra cooked chicken, shred it up and put it in the pot.

3) Add in scallions, onions, carrots, and asparagus.

4) Mix in balsamic vinegar.

5) Mix in sugar and salt, to your taste.

6) Boil for about 10 minutes, then put to simmer and cook about 2 hours.

7) After the cooking, bring the soup to a boil again and add in egg noodles. Boil for about 10-15 minutes, until al dente.

8) Garnish with scallions, when served, to add some extra color and ENJOY! <3

-----------------------------------------------------

Okay, so try this. It's easier than it looks from the length of the directions. It's really a lot of waiting, if anything. In that time you can see a movie, do a puzzle, walk the dog, etc. Anything you want! Then when you get back from your activities, you can enjoy a nice, hearty bowl of The Baking Chin's Chicken Noodle Soup! :D

Chicken Noodle Soup is perfect for a cold, winter day, or if you, or a loved one have the flu, or really, anytime of the year, for me, at least. Pair it with some salad, or a half a sandwich and it makes a lovely meal.

Try this one. It's really good! My RA said he cried, it was so good! xD (I assume he was exaggerating.) :P

OKAY! ENOUGH TALKING!

LOVE and SOUP! <3

--Ian

Here are ALL the ingredients I used. It looks like a lot, but it gets smaller when they're stewed. :P

Here's the sign I put in the kitchen when my soup was stewing. xD

The stock is cooking!!!

And stock turns intooo.... FINISHED SOUP! :9

SICK ARCHITECTURE FLOORMATE: I am sooo sick. I neeed soouuuupppp... and love.... and a couple good chaiiiirrrs.

Okay, here's the soup in a bowl, garnished with scallions. Look at the color of the broth! :D It's the balsamic vinegar. Really. It's good. The whole recipe is good, I think :3

TRY. IT.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JULIA CHILD'S ROAST CHICKEN -- ROASTED at 1:30 AM!!!! :9

2009-09-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

Okay y'all,

You may know this, or you may not, but I am a HUGE Julia Child fan. I have watched all the online shows of hers available online!!! She's really great. I love her mannerisms and her voice, and her humor, and just, everything about her! YES!

SOOO, my roommates where like, "hey, Ian, let's go to Wegmans today!" (Wegmans is a grocery store.) I have wanted to go for a while, so I can make some NEW recipes. Of course, I consented, BUT, I didn't know that they meant at like... 9pm.

SOOOOOOO, what do I buy? Chicken! A real, as Julia would sayyy, "A real ROWSTERRR!" (Roaster. :P) So, I bought one. Lolz. I decided that, "Hey! I'm going to make Julia Child's Roasted Chicken!" :D At 1 in the morning, no less!!! xD

You know, I have actually NEVER roasted a chicken before, BUT I think that a simple roasted chicken is a wonderful dish. It's simple, hearty, and just a lovely meal. It's something that is so simple, but has so much heart, and I think the fact that it is so simple really makes it a great dish. One can make a complicated dish and it can be very challenging and lovely, but a simple, rustic roasted chicken is JUST as good, I think. When we get trapped in all this talk of molecular gastronomy and food foams and cooking with liquid nitrogen, I think that we lose something, that a simple dish, cooked well, can offer. A simple dish, like a roasted chicken, is the backbone of cooking. It's the original comfort food and I love it. BUT ANYWAYYYY --

So, yeah, this is like, my second time cooking ALL BY MYSELF. And let me tell you, it was suprisingly easy. I think ANYONE can make this dish. It is so simple and so fool proof and soooo tasty. Like, everyone on my floor liked it.

A mistake I made, was that I put too much stuff (i.e. Onions, veggies, and olive oil) on the bottom of the pan I used to roast it in. When that happens when you do this, is there is too much juice and it not enough room for things to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. The caramelization, I think, is the backbone of a good gravy for this particular recipe.

Also, I forgot to buy garlic. :'/

Also, I didn't have any twine/string/butcher's string, so I used some sewing thread, and let me tell you, it actually held pretty well! I don't suggest you use something like rubber bands, because rubber bands can give off a rubbery taste. Use the right stuff, or perhaps improvise, like me, with a thread, or even, thin wire...? It depends, I guess.

ALSO, ALSO, something I did, that the recipe didn't call for, is to put butter in between the skin and meat of the bird. I think I got this idea from some issue of "Saveur" or something I read. Anyway, I used about a stick of butter, in between the skin and meat, with a little herbs, mixed in the butter. LET ME TELL YOU -- this makes the breast (which is hard to keep from drying out) and the rest of the bird, VERY VERY moist. :D Like, when I was taking the bird out, juice was literally spewing out of the bird -- not blood or anything!!! -- just, like natural, clear chicken juices, and butter... mixed together. Very heavenly and very, very moist, which is super important. So, I suggest you try this! : )

For my side dish, I made some scallion mashed potatoes. I just, made it up on the spot, and like, all my floormates loved it. It's very simple to make. Very butter, rich, and the scallions add, just a little extra flavor. Sometimes, with mashed potatoes, I think they can get somewhat boring and bland. Sometimes people don't even season them. Also, SOMETIMES, people use instant, dried mashed potatoes. THIS is NOT the same thing. Really. Homemade mashed potatoes are MUCH better. The potatoes are fresher AND, with instant mashed potatoes, there is a certain, almost artificial texture to it. It's too perfect, I think. Good, rustic mashed potatoes are king for me. The scallions also add a fresh, green color. Very lovely!! <3

OKAY, so as usual, here is the recipe for the roasted chicken, I used:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wk2cYarjOI! It's from a youtube program called, "Food Wishes," with Youtube chef, Chef John. I suggest you watch some of the videos. The recipes are simple and usually, very approachable.

ALSO, ALSO, ALSO, here is the mashed potato recipe I came up with:

-------------------------------------------------------

THE BAKING CHIN'S VERY OWN, GENUINE, SCALION MASHED POTATOES!

Ingredients:

1) 5, Large, Russet Potatoes

2) Water, to boil

3) Salt, for taste

4) 3 tablespoons Butter

5) About 3/4 cup Scallions, diced

Suggested Equipment:

1) Food Processor (Or, you can use a Potato Masher, Fork, Strong Hands, etc.)

2) Large Pot, to boil

Instructions:

1) Boil the potatoes for about 2o-25 minutes in a Large Pot, or until cooked, and the skin is slightly peeling off.

2) Strain out the water. If using a Food Processor, cut the potatoes into smaller pieces before putting them in. Blend until smooth, or however you like your mashed potatoes. I actually enjoy them with a little bit of small chunks. It's more homey! If using a Potato Masher, Fork, etc., Mash until desired consistency.

3) Add in butter and stir until it is all dissolved in the mashed potatoes, and evenly spread out.

4) Add in diced Scallions, mixing until evenly spread.

5) Add in salt, to however salty you like them.

6) Place in a attractive bowl, and add a serving spoon and ENJOY! :D

-------------------------------------------------------

Okay, so try this meal! I suggest you add some roasted veggies, or stir fry broccoli, etc. Whatever you like! Either way, it is suprisingly easy, approachable, and it will definitely impress your friends -- and it's SO SIMPLE!

Also, you can use the leftover chicken for chicken salad, ingredients in casseroles, chicken soup, etc. The possibilities are endless, I am telling you!!!

So, LOVE and BA - well, it's Julia's recipe, so I guess I should be saying... BON APPETIT! :D

--Ian

Uncooked Chicken, buttered, oiled, and ready for the oven!!

DONE! :D Look at that COLOR!!!

Floormates, lined up to taste. Even at like, 1:30 in the morning. Really. :9

FLOORMATE WHO HAS CLASSES WITH SIERRA: The mashed potatoes were so good, that I licked the spoon! Outrageousnes!!

JILLYBEAN'S ARM: Oh, this is SOOOO GOooood! I... ENJOY IT and books. Siiingg'in in the raiiiiiinnnnn....

Carving the bird!

SUPER SERIOUS FLOORMATE: I'm SUPER SERIOUS about ROASTED CHICKEN.

MISS BOOTH 6 RA: ME. TOO. ARRRRRRRRR! I'M A PIRATE! Thumbs up!!!

They actually helped me clean up, btw! I was so touched! :D

And fiiiiinally, I get to try some!! I had some left over breast meat and wing meat, with a little Saracha hot sauce. Very tasty, very moist! :3

--------->SO, WHAT ARE YOU WATING FOR?!?! TRY IT!!!!!!!<---------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FOCACCIA and ORANGE JASMINE TEA! :'D

2009-09-21T00:34:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!

Okay, so now it's time for a SUCCESSFUL recipe! It's good too!

I made homemade TOMATO FOCACCIA!!!

And also, an ORANGE JASMINE TEA! :9

After yesterday's crraaaazzzyyy failure tarts, it was nice to have a mostly successful recipe.

The focaccia was nice and crunchy and not too salty, not too sweet. The tomato sauce I used was just the leftover tomato sauce from the other day. (Scroll down for the sauce recipe!)

Anyway, what's nice about focaccia, is that it's easy and very versatile. One can top it with tomato sauce, a little cheese, or even just some olive oil and rosemary. Very tasty, and suprisingly fast! :D

The orange jasmine tea was also good. :D I made some tapioca pearls to put in it (like in Taiwanese Bubble Tea), but it didn't work out! I have NO idea how to make tapioca pearls. The outside was fine, but the inside was powdery. (I made it out of tapioca flour I purchased on a whim.) Yeah, so my advise is to just buy the dried instant tapioca pearls. It's much easier and better. Annnd, this is coming from someone who usually tries to make everything from scatchhhh. Hahahaha... So, yeah, just go to any Chinese/Asian food store or buy them online or etc., and just buy them. It's better. Really.

The tea itself was wonderful. Jasmine, especially dragon pearl jasmine is a very lovely tea. It's subtle and slightly tart. The fragrance is unnnn-believable -- like flowers, but not overly flowery, like camomile tea. Pairing it with orange gives it a nice sweetness, and takes some of the subtle bitterness away. Try it. It's really good. : )

Okay, so, as usual, here are the recipes --------->

----------------------------------------------------------------

THE BAKING CHIN'S VERY OWN FOCACCIA RECIPE!

Ingredients:

1) 3 - 3 1/2 cups flour

2) 1 cup warm water

3) 1 tablespoon or 1 packet yeast

4) 1 teaspoon salt

5) 2 tablespoons sugar

6) 3 tablespoons olive oil

7) OPTIONAL: tomato sauce, store bought or otherwise. Also, scallions are lovely with it! Whatever you want! :D

Instructions:

1) Mix warm water and yeast. Wait until frothy.

2) Add salt, sugar, olive oil, and flour. Mix until a dough forms.

3) Oil the dough. Cover with moist towel and place in warm area and wait for the dough to double in size. About 1-2 hours.

4) Spread dough on a buttered pan or a pan sprinkled with corn meal.

5) Sprinkle a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle also with a little salt and sugar.

6) Poke holes with forks on dough.

7) If you want to put tomato sauce on it, add it now. Spread evenly. You can put whatever topping you wish! : ) After you put on a sauce, I suggest you sprinkle it with a little more olive oil. It helps. :D

8) Put in oven on 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

----------------------------------------------------------------

THE BAKING CHIN'S ORANGE JASMINE TEA RECIPE!

Ingredients:

1) Water

2) About 2-3 tablespoons jasmine tea.

3) 4-5 oranges, cut into slices.

4) 2-3 lemon wedges.

5) 1-2 cups sugar. (It depends on how sweet you want it!)

Needed Equipment:

1) 2 Large Pots.

2) Strainer/Pasta strainer/Siv

Instructions:

1) Fill first pot up to about 3/4 full with water. Put on stove on high and wait until it boils.

2) Add jasmine tea. Wait until the tea gets about medium strong.

3) Add sugar, oranges, and lemons. Stir, them cover. Boil for about 20 minutes, or until all the essence of orange is drained from the oranges and into the tea.

4) Then, set the the stove on low and reduce for about 5-1o minutes.

5) Drain tea through siv/strainer into second pot.

6) Serve immediatley or chill and serve cold. Either way it is lovely! Enjoy! <3

---------------------------------------------------------------

So what are you waiting for??? try these recipes out!

Love and Baking! <3

--Ian

FOCACCIA DOUGH!

Faiiiled tapioca pearls. Failed, failed, faiiiiled. Just buy the instant ones!

Into the oven! The smell was incredible!

Mix'in the tea.

Finished!!~

IAN'S RA: Loves it. I take good pictures, btw. Also, I hail from Connecticut! Go Huskies!

JILLYBEAN: Ohhh, Iaannnnn. It's SOOOOO goooddd. Ohhhh, You're such an apple saucer... OHHHHHH!!! I'm SOOOOO full of life!!!!

FLOORMATE OF AUSTRIAN DESCENT: Great stuff, Ian!

JILLYBEAN: Shadduuuppp! YOU'RE a good samaratin! Let's sing showtuuunessss!!

As you can see, everything was pretty popular! :3

MISS BOOTH SIX RA: This tea be mighty good! I enjoy tea. And buying cake pans. :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FAILURE TARTS! D:

2009-09-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, y'all...

Not much to say... except... I FAILED... Well, my project didn't exactly work out! Hahahaha....

The story is... well... I tried to make these blue cheese and strawberry tarts. Like, I had some leftover blue cheese from the dining hall (I wanted mozzarella, but they gave me blue cheese. It's the same, right? NO. :P) Anyway, so I tried it with some strawberries I also tried. It's not a bad combination. The meaty, pungent blue cheese works well with the fresh, slightly sweet, tangy strawberries. It's nice, but perhaps works better on a salad... with... uh... walnuts maybe? :D

SO yeah, it didn't work with this tart. I started with a cream cheese and sugar base, then I mixed in the blue cheese. BIG mistake. The strawberries actually absorbed ALL the salt in the blue cheese and the blue cheese gets saltier when it's baked.

Not cool... not cool... The flavors weren't horrible, you know, but I used way too much salt in the crust and way too much blue cheese. Next time I make it, if there is a next time.... I'll use much less blue cheese... or none at all... SO yeah.

DON'T try this one. Not until I perfect it, atleast... Hahahaha....

So, Love and Baking! :D

--Ian

It LOOKED good, right??

They take really good pictures, right? Ugggh! Too bad they were WAY too salty.

My friend tried it. She said it wasn't too bad. Hahaha. Bless her heart! :D

SO, I'll post a blog about a SUCCESSFUL recipe soon. SOON.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DRINK MORE TEA! :P

2009-09-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

Not much to say today. I made an unsuccessful tart today. I... I'm a little ashamed. lolz. BUT, I'll post a post about it tomorrow... There weren't that bad, but you know! I'll post it tomrrooowwww...

Okay, so today, I'll just tell you about a drink I like - GREEN TEA and BROWN SUGAR.

Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it's actually really good, I think! Green tea was a great earthy flavor. The brown tea doesn't take away from it, but it adds a nice sweetness and a slight richness. It's lovely, late at night. : )

So, try it. Just brew some green tea and add a little brown sugar. You know, as much sweetness as you want. It's a suprisingly good combo! Do it!

Love and... Tea Drinking! <3

--Ian

This is my desk. As you can see, I was studying. What's a good study drink? Green Tea and Brown Sugar! Do it! :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quick-As-Heck Salted Chocolate Cookies! :D

2009-09-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Okay y'all.

Quick recipe today -- Salted Chocolate cookies!

I actually made them for a friend, but she wasn't there! SO'S, it's your fault for not being there, MISS CHIN!!!!!! xD Hahaha. Miss Chin, you better be glad you are so cool!! :P

So anyways, very tasty, easy to make, and butter!. The salt really brings out the sugar in the cookies themselves. Good stuff! I just made it up! :D So enjoy!

As usual, here is the recipe:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The BAKING CHIN'S SALTED CHOCOLATE COOKIES! <3

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (salted, preferably)

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

6 ounces chocolate chips (about half a bag)

1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt. (Just enough to bring out the sugar. Taste the dough to make sure.)

Instructions:

1) Put chocolate chips in a food processor and grind until powdery. If not, you can put it in a plastic ziplock bag and crush with blunt object! :P

2) Mix all ingredients in a big bowl, with your hands. If you use a spoon, soften the butter a little.

3) Flatten out on an ungreased baking tray until it is about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch thick. Poke holes in the cookies with a fork.

4) Put in oven on 350 degrees for about 15-17 minutes.

5) Cut cookies into two inch squares, or however long you want it. Sprinkle with a little sugar.

6) Let cool and enjoy! You can TRY to give some to your friend, Miss CHIN, but she totally won't be there! :P

---------------------------------------------------------------------

So, try it, y'all!

As always, Love and Baking!

--Ian

Here are the cookies. Done and lovely! <3

Another angle!! 8D

TASTY!!! :D You don't need a fork for this, but I like holding forks!! :P

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Homemade Noodles 'n' Tomato Sauce! :D

2009-09-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

Okay y'all,

So, I know this isn't BAKING persay, but It is a great recipe and it turned out even greater! :D

Today, 'since I don't have any homework today, I decided to make something a little more complicated! I made HOMEMADE egg noodles (yes, I made them myself) and HOMEMADE tomato sauce!

They turned out good.

The egg noodles were a little chunkier than usual because I rolled them with a can, instead of using a pasta machine. I used a baking spray can. YOU can use a beer can, or even a soup can. Just make sure whatever you use is long. Or... even simpler... I guess you could use a rolling pin. But... well... I didn't haaaave a rolling pin.

So, yeah, they were good. I actually liked the SLIGHT chunkiness. It makes it feel a bit more rustic and a bit more special, I think! :D

Also, the sauce was pretty good! My friend, WHITNEY, told me to start out with a mirepoix, or a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery. (Yeah, Miss Brooks! I totally made a shout out to you! :D) Whitney is awesome. She's an awesome cook and gives me AWESOME tips.

LIKE, for instance, did you know, when you're whisking eggs, you should wipe your whisk and bowl with a little VINEGAR, to get rid of any oil residue? I mean, HOW does Whitney know this?? xD She is so cool, guys. Really. She knows EVERYTHING about cooking. That is an awesome tip! Thank you soooo much, Whitney! You are so much awesomeness!! <3

But I digress. A mirepoix, like I said is a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery. The ratio is about 2 parts onions, 1 part carrots, and 1 part celery. Mix it with a little olive oil and it really sings.

Then, I added CHERRY tomatoes. Why? Because I can't get regular ones.

ALSO, Whitney gave me the awesome tip that, if you want to add extra sweetness and not add sugar, just add some more carrots. I mean, isn't she awesome? I would never have thought of that!!! <3

But I digress. The saucy was tangy, a little sweet, and a little chunky. Very nice. It was a wonderful pairing with the noodles. It made a great dinner. Try it! :D

As usual, here's the egg noodle recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/Homemade-Noodles-27344

As for the sauce recipe, I just winged it. Here's the recipe I made... juuust about...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE BAKING CHIN'S VERY OWN... TOMATO SAUCE! <3

--------->Ingredients:

2 cups onions, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

2-4 tablespoons olive oil (Depends on how oily you want it.)

2 cloves garlic, or, like me, if you don't have garlic, you can use Garlic powder.

1 cup mushrooms

1 tablespoon hot sauce or pepper flakes.

About 5 cups cherry tomatoes

OPTIONAL: Add an additional cup of diced carrots, if you wish it to be sweeter. You can add a little sugar too, but it's less "good for you," I guess. :P

OPTIONAL: a few fresh basil leaves.

Some salt, for taste.

--------->Instructions:

1) Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pot, on high.

2) Add the carrots, onions, and celery. Reduce it to medium heat. Cover and let alone for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3) While this is happening, saute the garlic cloves with a little olive oil, until a little brown. Then, after the 20 min, add the garlic. OR, if you use garlic powder, just add it, when the 15-20 minutes are up. Let the garlic soak in, for about 2 minutes.

4) Add cherry tomatoes and hot sauce/pepper flakes. If you decided to use the basil, or extra carrots/sugar, this when you put them in. Cover. Let cook for about 30-35 minutes.

5) After this, take off the over, and set the stove on low, and let it reduce for about 10 minutes.

6) Pour on noodles, and enjoy! :D

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, so try it! It's very satisfying to eat a meal you made ENTIRELY out of scratch. Well, almost entirely. I suggest the homemade noodles, but I GUESS it's not necessary. It's just better!

Love and Bak... Cooking, today, I guess! <3

--Ian

Roll'in out the noodles... That sounds like a song! :D

Here's the finished noodles, all boiled 'n' such! :D

Finished sauce! YUMMz! :9

Everything, when it was done! <3

My dinner. I ate like, 3 bowls. It was good.

BLOND FLOORMATE: I loves BLOODDDDD! BLOOOOOD!!! Jay-kay, Jay-kay. Great pasta 'n' sauce, Ian!

FLOORMATES who LIVE in a TRIPLE: Great pasta 'n' sauce, Ian! Even in a cup it is good! : ) Too bad our other roommate couldn't be here. We live in a triple, btw. :D

So don't just stand there! Make some homemade pasta 'n' sauce! It's mighty tasty and makes a good meal!

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Le Menton Qui Cuit (The Baking Chin)

Hello all!

Sinful DARK CHOCOLATE Ganache Tart! :D

HAND-MADE ICE CREAM!

ASPARAGUS SOUP with an IMMERSION BLENDER!

New Pizza Recipe!

Homemade BUTTER! :D

Homemade Fromage Blanc! :D

SNAZZY CHEESE BREAD! :9

Newspaper 'n' Bread! :D

HEARTY TRIPE AU VIN! -- TRIPE WINE STEW!!! :9 Tripe Heaven!!

APPLE CIDER BUTTERCREAM CAKE with a FONDANT COVER!!! :D

Creme Anglaise w/ Raspberries, Bananas, and Caramelized Brioche

TURDUCKEN

Ginger Ale Braised Beef! :9

BLANCHED GREEN BEANS and HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING!

SOUTHERN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS! <3

THAI GREEN CURRY... Happy Holidays! :'D

THREE SISTERS' FRYBREAD!

CHICKEN ADOBO SOUP w/ GERMAN POTATO NOODLES!

A CHIN FAMILY THANKSGIVING

SYNONYM BUNS

~HEALTH WEEK!~

CONGEE AND YOU TIAO! :3

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :D ...and apple pie.

MAC and CHEESE and BACON!!

Graham Crackers.

FRENCH ONION DIP 'n' CRACKERS 'n' UGLY BETTY

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM!~

JULIA CHILD's OMELETTE! :9

~~IRISH SODA BREAD~~

WHITE PIZZA, made with REAL WHITE WINE!!! :D

FAILURE GNOCCHI!~

HOMEMADE PIZZA!! w/ Homemade MOZZARELLA CHEESE and Homemade TOMATO SAUCE!!!!

PEACH MUFFIN CAKE!

JULIA CHILD'S BOEUF BOURGUIGNON! :D I made it!!!

Mushroom-Feta Focaccia and PEACH JUICE! :D

STRAWBERRY CUSTARD PIE, made with JULIA CHILD'S CUSTARD RECIPE!

Really, REALLY Tasty BASIL INFUSED FOCACCIA!! :D

~Simple, but GREAT Peanut Brittle!~

DUCK DUMPLING - REALLY TASTY, REALLY DIFFICULT! :9

Condensed Milk + Tea = AWESOME.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP -- From Scratch.

JULIA CHILD'S ROAST CHICKEN -- ROASTED at 1:30 AM!!!! :9

FOCACCIA and ORANGE JASMINE TEA! :'D

FAILURE TARTS! D:

DRINK MORE TEA! :P

Quick-As-Heck Salted Chocolate Cookies! :D

Homemade Noodles 'n' Tomato Sauce! :D

IRISH SODA BREAD