Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tart

If it weren't for the ridiculous studying the week before finals and then the actual finals week, I would have gotten this up earlier; so I apologize in advance.  I had actually made this for another AACF event, the joint freshwomen and women's small groups potluck and our small group were assigned appetizers.  I wanted to do something that was different, something a little fancier but no funny tasting things so this is what I came up with.  This dish isn't exactly the fastest dish to make, but it is easy to make and easy to impress others :]. Please Enjoy, Cook.Eat.Love.Smile. 

12.19.11: Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tart
Photo Credit: Jenny Wu

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tart

1 Standard box of White Button Mushrooms

2 medium white onions

4 sheets of puff pastry (or two boxes)

½ Cup of shredded Gruyere cheese (or Swiss of some sort)

½ stick of unsalted Butter

3 cloves of garlic

1 egg

1 tablespoon of water

1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

1 Flower cookie cutter

Dried Parsley

Prep-work:

1.     Thinly slice the onions and button mushrooms

2.     Finely mince the garlic and rosemary

3.     Make the egg wash by beating an egg and water together. 

4.     Use the cookie cutter to cut out flowers from the puff pastry

5.     Take a sharp paring knife and cut a small 1.5in x 1.5in square in the middle of the flower

6.     Take a fork and poke many holes in the square to prevent from puffing. 

Procedure

1.     Melt the butter in a nonstick pan and caramelize the onions until very soft

2.     When the onions are soft, add the mushrooms and cook until soft

3.     After onions and mushrooms are cooked well, add the garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant. 

4.     When the filling is done set aside to cool. 

5.     Set the cut puff pastry pieces on a nonstick cookie sheet

6.     Brush the egg wash over the cut pieces to create a golden brown finish

7.     Fill the cut pieces with about 2 teaspoons of the onion and mushroom mixture within the small square with the holes. 

8.     Top the onion and mushroom mixture with a pinch of gruyere cheese. 

9.     Bake the pastries in the oven with the instructions given on the box of the pastry sheets. 

10. Top the tarts with a sprinkle of dried parsley.  

Hainan Chicken Rice

It was Monday of week 9, two more days until Thanksgiving break and i was running out of food to make.  I mean, I had food to make for the various potlucks to come (another story for another time) but as for food for myself, I wasn't sure what I wanted to make except I wanted some chinese home cookin' (perhaps it was my subconscious that was slightly homesick not being able to wait till I get to go home to family).  So inspired by a friend of mine who actually lives only a few minutes away, I decided to take a stab at making Hainan chicken rice, one of the main comfort foods I was so lucky to grow up with.  Just as a disclaimer, this is by no means the traditional way to make it. I cant tell you how much I respect and value the traditional way and would love to learn how to make it traditionally but I just dont know how.  So, I came up with this recipe with a college student mentality in mind who wants home food that's easy and tastes good. For those of you who dont mind the lack of tradition, I think this will suffice.  Approval from several apartment-mates, and foodies so I hope you can all agree with me that this isn't bad for the first try :].  Please enjoy,  Cook Eat.Love.Smile. 

11.21.11: Hainan Chicken Rice

Hainan Chicken Rice

1 lb or so of frozen chicken thighs or ¾ lbs of fresh chicken thighs

2 cups of rice

¼ cup of vegetable oil

4 stalks of green onion

2 large cloves of garlic

2 table spoons of fish sauce

¾ tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of grated ginger root (peeled)

Prep-work for Chicken:

1.     Take the chicken thighs and thaw them in the refrigerator in a gallon Ziploc bag

2.     When thawed, pour the fish sauce and honey into the bag for at least 4 hours and marinate over night

Prep-work for Green onion-ginger sauce

1.     Finely chop all the green onion and set aside

2.     Finely mince the garlic and set aside

3.     Grate the ginger root if you haven’t done so already. 

Procedure

1.     Heat a large nonstick pan that has a good lid on medium high heat

2.     Meanwhile, start cooking the white rice in the rice cooker

3.     Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a small sauce pan on medium high heat

4.     When the pan for the chicken is heated through, pour a little vegetable oil (not the one in the sauce pan) to lightly coat the pan and pan fry the chicken. 

5.     When the chicken is almost cooked through, add about a ¼ cup of water into the pan and put the lid on it to steam the chicken until it’s done. 

6.     By now the oil should be very hot.  To test this, place a wooden chopstick into the oil and if small bubbles immediately appear and the oil has ripples it is hot enough.  Then place the ginger in the oil to cook through

7.     Then add the garlic and salt and continue to stir so both the garlic and ginger are mixed well and saturated in oil

8.     Lastly add the green onion and cook briefly for only 4 minutes or so. 

9.     Take the sauce off the heat and place into a bowl for later use. 

10. When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and leave the chicken on the pan to remain warm, don’t throw out the juices. 

11. When the rice is ready, take out the chicken from the pan and scoop the rice into it to coat all the rice with the chicken juices. 

12. Once thoroughly mixed, place the rice onto a place. 

13. Take the chicken, chop into strips, and place it next to the rice. 

14. Then, pour the green onion-ginger mixture on the chicken and rice or dip on the side.  

Chilly Weather Chili

It's Veterans Day today, which means a day of remembrance of what our armed forces do for us, and also a much-needed day off of school for the college and non-college students out there.  The week before this, I was looking forward to some chilly weather with chances of shower and what not, so I planned on making chili for the rest of the first half of the week.  I have an o-chem midterm and a philosophy paper due within days of each other, so cooking in bulk was the way to go.  However, I woke up this morning and the weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL: chilly but not too cold with gorgeous clouds and sunshine and I thought, heck it doesn't have to be dreary to make chili, it's comfort food for all the bipolar weather of socal (plus I already defrosted XD).  So after getting a lovely visit from a friend and watching Lion King, I went about to make my super simple chili, have a hearty dinner, pack some for that same friend for bible study, and knowing that I have at least 3 more meals of filling tasty goodness as my busy week approaches.  Please Enjoy.  Cook.Eat.Love.Smile. 

11.11.11: Chilly Weather Chili

Chilly Weather Chili

~1lbs of 85/15 ground beef

1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 8oz can of tomato paste

1 16 oz can of black beans

2 cups of frozen corn

1 medium onion

3 large cloves of garlic

2 stalks of green onion

1 packet of McCormick Original Chili Packet

2 tablespoons of ketchup

1 tablespoon of cream cheese

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Optional: black pepper/chili flakes to taste

Prep-work:

1.     Dice the entire medium onion

2.     Mince the garlic

3.     Finely chop the green onion stalks (green and white)

Procedure:

1.     Sauté the onions in a little vegetable oil until translucent in a medium to large pot. 

2.     Add the garlic and cook until fragrant

3.      Add the ground beef and packet of chili mix and cook the ground beef thoroughly.

4.     Add the diced tomatoes (with the juices) and tomato paste and mix until evenly incorporated

5.     Add the beans (drained from juices) and mix until warmed through

6.     Add the frozen corn and cream cheese and cook until warmed and melted through

7.     Add the ketchup, Worcestershire, honey, brown sugar, and black pepper (optional) and mix thoroughly. 

8.     Add the green onion last to keep the color

9.     Serve in a bowl that retains heat.

Almond Pecan Craisin Granola

On a cold friday afternoon, me and a few of my sisters from my old freshman small group at aacf decided to try making granola to eat as a snack as well as spend some time of catching up.  Since none of us have ever made homemade granola, I looked at some random recipes online to get a feel for what should be in it and the ratios between oats to nuts to sweet etc.  and while I was at the super market one of my friends and I decided that almonds, pecans, craisins, and white chocolate would go well together :D.  So as we gathered at my apartment on that rainy afternoon, we quickly made this treat and had a good time of quality chitter chatter and fun.  By the time we had to split, there was so much granola that we each at a good sized bowl, and had plenty of leftovers to share, or keep for ourselves I guess ;].  This recipe is so easy to make, and honestly there's not that many things that go better with studying than granola, to make the time pass or keep you awake.  I hope that this good study snack or hearty breakfast helps those who are in the midsts of exams and papers.  Good Luck to you all :] Please Enjoy.  Cook.Eat.Love.Smile.  

Almond Pecan Craisin Granola
Photo Credit: Jenny Wu

Almond Pecan Craisin Granola

6 cups of Quaker’s Original Rolled Oats

2 cups of sliced almonds

2 cups of crushed pecans

1 ½ cups of Craisin

1 cup of white chocolate chips
1/2 cup of vegetable oil

½ cup of light brown sugar

3 tablespoons of honey

1 teaspoon of salt

Prep-work:

1.     Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees F. 

Procedure:

1.     Combine in a large bowl, the oats, almonds, pecans, and Craisins

2.     In the same bowl, combine the Craisins, brown sugar, honey, and salt until they are well mixed

3.     Pour out the mixture onto two sheet trays, or make two batches. 

4.     Bake the mixture for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes for even cooking of the granola

5.     After an hour, let the granola cool and right before it becomes room temp, distribute and add the white chocolate chips  to the baked mixture. 

Kimchi Fried Rice

This week for small group, we had a mini potluck and for awhile I couldn't decide on what to make because time was of the essence.  Thursdays are already tough for me, I usually have class then go straight to volunteering at UCIMC and then race back to rest/do hw/eat before I have to go to small groups.  So I wondered, should I just buy something quick and easy at the Albertson's near by and not have to worry???  but I knew in my head that I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.  For one, I love to cook but two, the whole point of this blog was to make good home cookin' quick and easy for the busy college student.  So I challenged myself to try one of my more well-known recipes to make sure that it could be done by an exhausted, brain-cooked (pun intended :P), hungry student who wanted something quick yet tasty and incredible satisfying.  Thankfully, it was a successful endeavor and I made it to small group on time with piping hot Kimchi Fried Rice.  Please enjoy.  Cook.Eat.Love.Smile 

11.03.11: Kimchi Fried Rice
Photo Credit: Jenny Wu

Kimchi Fried Rice

3 cups (the one that comes with the rice cooker) of uncooked rice

2/3 - 1 lbs favorite kimchi with its juices

1/3 white onion

1 stalk of green onion

1 large glove of garlic

2 eggs

¼ cup of ketchup

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons of Siracha (optional)

Prepwork:

1.     Cook the 3 cups of rice

2.     Finely dice the white onion. 

3.     Finely chop the entire green onion stalk

4.     Mince the garlic

5.     Cut the kimchi into small pieces (keep the juices) and place it back into the juices until cooking time. 

Procedure

1.     Sauté onions until translucent and soft. 

2.     Add garlic and cook until fragrant

3.     Add the kimchi (without the juices) and cook with the onions and garlic until kimchi is warmed through. 

4.     Add the freshly 3 cups of cooked rice and combine so that the onions, garlic, and kimchi run through the mixture evenly.

5.     Add ketchup, honey, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and the kimchi juices and incorporate evenly

6.     Add both eggs in its entirety (do not scramble before hand) and incorporate into the rice. 

7.     Add the chopped green onion and Siracha (optional and to preference) and mix evenly.  

Pasta Carbonara

The first time I made this dish for someone outside my family was for a AACF event; senior banquet to be more exact.  Although I got many compliments for this dish, I knew the product they tasted was not as good as it could be; cooking in bulk (at least 60 servings) tends to make the quality of the dish much harder to achieve.  So after the event, I promised a friend that I'd make the dish the way it was supposed to be made, with a few servings at a time and lots of love and care.  Finally after almost 5 months, I was able to make this hearty comforting dish for that friend with a night of good cooking and good memories.  Please enjoy.  Cook.Eat.Love.Smile. 

11.01.11: Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara (Serves 6)

1lb of Spaghetti or Linguine (which ever is your favorite)

8 strips of bacon

8oz of heavy whipping cream (1 half-pint carton)

1 large shallot

5 cloves of garlic

2 cups of fresh spinach

3 eggs (separated)

Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoon of sugar (optional)

Prep-work:

1.    Very finely dice the large shallot

2.    Finely mince the garlic cloves

3.    Cut the bacon into small strips (width-wise)

Procedure

1.    Boil enough water to cook the pasta and salt the water generously

2.    While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon on medium high to render most of the fat, or until the bacon is very crisp and bubbling

3.    When pasta is al dente, strain in a colander (do not wash the pasta) and set aside

4.    Optional: when the bacon is almost done, sprinkle the two teaspoons of sugar

5.    Add the shallot and cook in the bacon fat

6.    Then when the shallots become translucent, add the garlic. 

7.    Lower the heat to medium-low and take the pan off the heat

8.    Add the 8 oz of whipping cream and scrape off the bits from the bottom

9.    Add the pasta into the cream mixture and toss

10. Add the egg whites and careful to toss continuously or there will be scrambled eggs

11. Then add the fresh spinach and parmesan cheese and continue to toss until wilted

12. Right before serving, add the egg yolks and let the heat from the pasta cook the yolks to make a rich and decadent dish.  

Gnocchi in Tomato Cream Sauce

After two long weeks of midterms, I finally had a chance to try and cook something new.  Since I love noodles of all sorts, I decided to rely on an easy to please type of dish, pasta.  Yet, even as a pasta lover, I have never took the time to make my own from scratch.  Now, in my apartment, there is a very intimidating sack of potatoes, that one of my room mates desperately needed us to finish.  So as I thought about what to make on my free friday afternoon, I decided to use the free ingredient I had and made gnocchi.  Now pastas, let alone gnocchi, are not usually extraordinarily tasty by itself, but it's the sauce that helps pull together dish and make it shine.  So I asked myself, how can i make a nice sauce to go with these tasty potato pillows.  I figured a quick and easy spin on a cheap college student's favorite: creamy cheese with a favorite tomato sauce. The tangy sauce with the hearty gnocchi make it a wonderful filling and budget friendly dish.  Please Enjoy, Cook.Eat.Love.Smile

10.28.11: Gnocchi in Tomato Cream Sauce
Photo credit: Christine Be

Gnocchi in Tomato Cream Sauce (Serves 5)

Gnocchi

5 medium russet potatoes

3.5 - 4.5 cups of all-purpose flour

2 eggs

¼ cup of parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of olive oil

½ tablespoon of garlic powder

½  tablespoon of salt. 

Tomato Cream Sauce

1 Jar of your favorite tomato sauce (Prego, Ragu, etc.)

2 tablespoons of cream cheese

1 tablespoon of honey or sugar

Prep-work:

1.     Peel and boil potatoes until able to be mashed

2.     Let the potatoes cool until able to be handled

3.     Mash the potatoes as fine as possible

Procedure:

1.     Take the potatoes that have been cooled/mashed and add the 3 eggs and incorporate evenly

2.     Add the 3.5 cups of all-purpose flour, ¼ cup of parmesan, 2 table spoons of olive oil, ½ tablespoon of garlic powder, and ½ tablespoon of salt

3.     Mix all the ingredients by kneading the mixture into a sticky dough

4.     Then add flour accordingly so that the dough does not stick to the bottom of the bowl 

5.     Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes

6.     Take a 4 oz chunk of dough and roll out into about a 1in diameter snake

7.     Cut into 1inch pieces to create small “pillow” shapes

8.     Either freeze the gnocchi on a sheet tray for later use, or boil for about 5 minutes until they float to the top

9.     Drain the gnocchi in a strainer and let all the excess water drain out

10.  While the gnocchi drain, prepare a non-stick pan medium high with a very thin layer of oil to cover the bottom and a medium sauce pan

11.  Place the gnocchi into the hot pan and pan fry until golden brown and pour the jar of tomato sauce into the sauce pan

12.  Place 2 tablespoons of cream cheese into the tomato sauce and stir until fully incorporated

13.  Pour tomato cream sauce over the crispy and soft gnocci and enjoy.