Archive for the ‘Cooking and Baking’ Category

Strawberry Crepes

Thursday, May 24th, 2012

strawberry-crepes

These heavenly strawberry crepes taste delicious. They just melt in your mouth. I made them for the first time last summer, after my children picked fresh strawberries at a local farm.

First mix 8 oz. Mascarpone cheese, 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon of dried basil, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Fold in 1 ½ cups of sliced strawberries. Put it in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Meanwhile, get the topping ready. Mix 2 cups of sliced strawberries, ½ cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Now make the thin pancakes, which are called crepes. Mix together 3 eggs, slightly less than 1 cup of milk, ¾ cup of flour, 5 teaspoons of melted butter, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon of salt.

Heat up two 8-inch frying pans over medium heat. Put a tablespoon of oil into each of them. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each pan. Flip when lightly browned. Brown both sides.

Place the crepe on a plate. Put the Mascarpone mixture inside the middle and fold the two sides over. Pour the topping over it. Enjoy your strawberry crepes.

The Best Banana Bread in the World

Friday, April 13th, 2012

best-banana-breadMy husband’s boss asks for my banana bread every year for the annual brunch, but when I arrive with two loaves, he whisks both of them off the table and hides them. When I start laughing, he says, “Oh, we have too much food anyway.” He says this every year. Because he wants it all to himself; that’s why.

This is the very first recipe I ever baked when I was a young girl, and I’ve continued to make it all these years. My mother gave me the recipe on a card, and I laminated it because I use the recipe so much.

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two small loaf pans. Mash 3 very ripe bananas. In another larger bowl, cream together ½ cup of margarine (softened), ¾ cup of sugar, and 1 egg. Dump the banana mush into the larger bowl. Now add 3 tablespoons of milk, 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir. Divide equally into the two small loaf pans. Bake for half an hour.

If your bananas are small, you might need to add a little bit of milk to compensate. If your bananas are enormous, you might need to add some flour. If it’s your first time to make banana bread, just buy normal-sized bananas.

Don’t try to bake the two small loaves in one loaf pan. My best friend keeps asking me, “What is your secret to your yummy banana bread? Mine doesn’t taste the same, and furthermore, it doesn’t bake in half an hour. It takes way longer.” And I answer every time, “Use two small loaf pans instead of one big one.” And she says, “Oh, I don’t want to do that. I don’t have enough space in my cupboard.” The next year, like clockwork, we have the same conversation…

Some day I will buy two small loaf pans and mail them to her. When she opens the package, she will probably laugh.

Mahogany Wings

Monday, March 19th, 2012

mahogany-wingsOne of my family’s favorite dinners is mahogany wings. They are absolutely delicious, and I serve them with homemade potato chips and raw veggies.

Get about 3 pounds of chicken wings, already cut. If you have to cut them yourself with a pair of kitchen shears, you might as well not do it because of the pain in your fingers, the extra time, and the ridiculous amount of effort. So make sure that the chicken wings are already cut into “drumettes.”

I cut the skin off the chicken wings with the shears. I do this while listening to an audio to make the time pass faster. I don’t want my family to swallow all that nasty skin, after all.

Okay, now you’re ready to marinade the de-skinned drumettes. Mix together:

  • ½ cup of soy sauce
  • ½ cup of honey
  • ¼ cup of molasses
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic

Pour it over the chicken wings and let it marinade overnight.

Line your broiler pan with aluminum foil, and heat your oven to 375 degrees. Place the chicken wings on the broiler pan and bake uncovered in the oven for 25 minutes, occasionally brushing with marinade. Flip them over for 10 more minutes. Yum.

For the homemade potato chips, heat oil deep enough to throw in some thinly sliced potatoes. I use a wok because I don’t have a deep fryer, and even if someone gave me a deep fryer, I would get rid of it because I don’t want to store it. I don’t like clutter, you know. When the potato slices are golden brown, take them out with a slotted spoon or tongs, whichever you feel like. Set on a plate with a paper towel to absorb excess oil, and press another paper towel on top, being careful not to burn your hand. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you.) Sprinkle with a generous helping of salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what else is in the picture, I made barbequed ribs, but I cheated by buying one of those that you just had to heat up. That’s because I realized I only had half the chicken wings that I needed to feed my family. My husband probably went to the store to buy the wings, and not knowing how much to buy, bought a ridiculously small amount. Yes, I’ll blame my sweet husband for the fact that we had barbequed ribs the day I snapped this picture. (If you click on the picture, it will enlarge enough for you to see the mahogany wings, which is the whole point of this article.)

And one more thing: you might want a stool to sit on while you are flipping the potatoes. Otherwise you’re standing there for ages, and you can’t pawn the task off to your children because they’re so short (at least mine are for a couple more years) that they’ll be hit in the eye with hot oil. So be forewarned of that as well. You should be amply rewarded by their squeals of joy at dinnertime, though, which will make all the standing around flipping potatoes and brushing mahogany wings worth it.

The Melting Pot (Fondue)

Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

the-melting-pot

My family enjoyed eating fondue at The Melting Pot. I filmed our fun experience. One of these days I’m going to write down the ingredients that went into each of these fondues, because they were so delicious! (Warning: the meal costs a lot of money, so make sure you have a tax refund or bonus before you go, unless you’re rich. A less expensive option would be to make the fondue at home.)