Blackberries & Sour Cream Cake

During summer, my friend Pamela and I picked so many blackberries. Besides making sauce and jam, I like to make cakes, muffins, or other desserts that can include blackberries that I always have available. Today, I will introduce a simple recipe but still has an excellent result. The cake is moist but not too sweet. This cake can be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup chia seeds gel
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups blackberries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan and set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.

In a KitchenAid or other stand mixer, beat the cream, butter, chia seeds gel, and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and continue beating for a couple additional minutes. Add vanilla. Alternatively add flour and sour cream –starting with flour and ending with flour.

Pour half of the batter onto the cake pan, and then add half of the blueberries.

Pour the remainder of the batter onto the cake pan and top with the remainder of the blueberries.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool and then serve.

 

Sweet Potato & Raisins Muffins

 

 

Sweet potato muffins are so perfect for breakfast. Especially, the Japanese sweet potato has special color and texture. I add a small amount of fresh ginger to have a little kick. When I have muffins in the morning, they have to be sweet potato muffins.

Ingredients:
2 cups cake mix (homemade or store-bought)
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup chia seeds gel
2/3 cup skim milk
1 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line the 12-muffin tin with muffin tin liners and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, nutmeg, and cinnamon and set aside.

Beat sugar, eggs, coconut oil, and chia seed gel until fluffy. Add vanilla, ginger, and milk and mix well.

 Stir in flour, just until it combines (do not overmix the batter).

 Stir in potato and raisins.

 Fill the muffin liners 2/3 cup full and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve as is or make some powdered sugar glaze to pour on top.
Sugar glaze ingredients:
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbs or more skim milk 
2 tsp butter melted
1 tsp vanilla

 Combine all the ingredients and mix well.

Egg Foo Young II

This is the second recipe for Egg Foo Young that I love to have among my recipe collections. I found this recipe on a Chinese cookbook that I have in my library. I like the egg sauce to serve on top of the Egg Foo Young. The rest of the recipe is the vegetables or meat that is available on hand. For a quick dinner, I suggest using the roasted chicken sold on the market. I have created so many recipes using roasted chicken. Naturally, people might wonder how roasted chicken can become the Asian Egg Foo Young, but with a few ingredient changes, a wonderful mouthwatering Chinese dish can be created.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, beaten until foamy
1/2 cup cooked chicken, chopped
2 tbs chopped white onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup bean sprouts
Green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
Salt and pepper

Egg Foo Young sauce:
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch

Directions:
To make sauce:
Bring the chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt to boil; simmer.  Blend the cornstarch with a little hot broth into a paste, and add it to the broth. Simmer for 1 minute and set aside.
To make Egg Foo Young:
Combine the beaten eggs with all the ingredients in a bowl.

In a medium nonstick sauté pan, add a little peanut oil and spoon half of the egg mixture into the pan.

Fry until the underside of the egg mixture is lightly brown. Turn egg mixture over and cook until brown.

 Remove from the pan and place on a serving plate and top with egg sauce.

Scallion & Egg Pancakes

In Asia, the special pancakes are often served at the family breakfast with rice porridge. These thin, crisp, and aromatic with scallion, pancakes also make a good snack. I love pancakes for breakfast. This pancake mix is sold at Korean stores and makes a perfect batter. However, this recipe can be made with all-purpose flour without adding any baking powder or baking soda. I use the Korean pancake mix because it is quick and simple to put together in the morning.

Ingredients:
1 cup Korean pancake mix
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup water
3 large scallions, finely chopped

2 tbs peanut oil

Directions:
Combine pancake mix with salt in a bowl.

Beat the egg lightly and combine with water.

Add the egg-water liquid to the flour gradually – stirring the mixture until it is no longer lumpy.

 Stir in chopped scallions and mix well.
Heat a 7” or 8” nonstick skillet over high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl (heat for 20 seconds). Pour this oil into a small dish, leaving a little oil on the bottom of the skillet. Turn the heat to medium low and pour about 1/4 cup of the batter with one hand and tilt the skillet with the other hand, forming a thin pancake that covers the entire surface of skillet.

 Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly brown at the bottom. Flip the pancake over and cook for about another minute.

Remove and serve
Cook the rest of the pancakes in the same way. Using the rest of the oil for each of the pancake (about 1/2 tsp for each).

Chicken & Vegetables Chow Mein

Chow Mein is a Chinese stir-fried noodles dish. This dish is very popular for takeout restaurants. Since the climate of China is more suitable for growing wheat than rice, especially in the northern part, the Chinese people depend on wheat for their daily staple of starch. Chinese menus have a variety of noodles, buns, and dumplings on them. Also in China, noodles, symbolic of longevity, are frequently eaten as the main dish. Chinese noodles have several shapes and sizes. Because they are symbolic of longevity, Chinese noodles are always made long. Although all Chinese cooks prefer freshly made noodles, very few bother to make them at home. Seemingly basically simple, noodle making is a demanding art for Chinese people. It requires a deep knowledge, born out of experience, the proper ratio of water, eggs, and flour. I like stir-fried noodles with seafood, meat, or just plain vegetables. The Vietnamese use rice noodles instead of egg noodles. I like to make this dish because it is a "one pot meal" for me. I get all the protein from the chicken, the fiber from vegetables, and enough starch from the egg noodles.

Ingredients:
Two 6 oz. packages of egg noodles
1 chicken breast, sliced (about 1/2 lb.)
1 tbs cooking wine
1 tbs cornstarch
1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp five spice
1 tsp chili sauce
Black pepper

Sauce ingredients:
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Vegetables:
2 cups mixed frozen vegetables (Costco brand)
1 cup bean sprouts
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white onions, sliced

Garnishes:
4 green onions (green part cut into 3 inch lengths)
Chopped cilantro

Directions:
In a bowl, combine cooking wine, cornstarch, five spice, soy sauce, chili sauce, and chicken breasts. Mix well and let chicken marinade for a few hours.
In another bowl, l combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles until al dante' (about 3 minutes or as per the instructions on the package). Drain under cold running water, and then drain again. Drizzle noodles with 2 tsp sesame oil.

Bring another pot of water to boil. Blanch the vegetables (except the bean sprouts) and then drain under cold running water and set aside.

Heat wok with 1 tbs of peanut oil. Stir in white onions and garlic.

 Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add chicken, stir, and cook until chicken are no longer pink (about 5 minutes).

 

 Add sauce and vegetables. Season with more soy sauce or salt, if needed.

Add noodles, stir, and add bean sprouts. Mix them well. Throw in the green onions and cilantro. Remove from heat and serve.

Tequila Baked Tuna

This is another dish that is served on the Princess Cruise ship in a formal dining setting. The original dish was called Tequila Prawns. I like the Mexican taste of this recipe, so I created my own recipe using tuna instead. Tequila gets its name from its origin in Tequila, Mexico. It is made from the fermented and distilled sap of the blue agave. It has a uniquely pungent flavor that varies greatly by producer due to the addition of colors, flavoring, and natural aging. Tequila is always a popular addition to recipes from seafood to poultry. This dish is wonderful as it is, or it can be served with Mexican rice.

Ingredients:
Two 6 oz tuna fillets
Tequila Sauce ingredients:
2 tbs tequila sauce
2 tbs half and half
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs white wine
1 tsp honey
1 tbs chipotle chili, chopped
1 tbs lime juice
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup tomato sauce

Mexican rice ingredients:
1 tbs butter
1 cup basmati rice, washed and drained
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato sauce
Salt and pepper

Directions for making rice:
In a sauté pan, melt butter.

Stir in garlic and onions and cook until fragrant.

Add rice and sauté for 2 minutes.

Pour entire mixture into the rice cooker. Add the rest of the Mexican rice into the rice cooker.

Close the lid and turn the on cooker.

Direction to make tequila sauce:
Place all the tequila sauce ingredients into the jar and shake well.

Directions to make tuna:
In a baking dish, place tuna and pour the tequila sauce on top.

 Preheat oven to 400° and bake fish for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with fresh cilantro on top and with Mexican rice.

Rhubarb Pie

I have finally grown my own rhubarb many years after settling into my home. Last week, I with my family returned from an Alaskan cruise aboard a Princess cruise ship. One dessert on the ship, which I especially liked, was a rhubarb tart. All the food was fantastic; therefore, I gave my compliments to the chef, and I bought his cookbook. I also had a few recipes for making rhubarb pie from my friends, but I will combine some of techniques I learned from the Princess chef’s cookbook to create this recipe. This is the first rhubarb pie recipe that I want to share on my blog because it is simple. With only a few simple steps and ingredients, the result is a pie that is just as delicious as the rhubarb tart that was served on the Princess cruise.

Ingredients:
4 or 5 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup water
1 cup sugar (divided in half)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 drops red food coloring
1/4 tsp agar or gelatin
1 tbs butter
One double recipe pie dough or store-bought

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.
In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Bring the water and the remaining sugar  to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Place rhubarb into the syrup and add agar powder (simmer for 5 minutes).

Add the cooked rhubarb into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Add red food coloring.

Roll dough into a 9 inch round pie tin for a thick crust or a 10 inch round glass pie plate for a thinner crust.

Spoon the rhubarb mixture onto the pie crust. Level the rhubarb mixture and dot with butter.

Roll out dough for the top crust. Place onto filled pie container.

Trim dough 1/2-inch beyond container edge. Fold top crust under bottom crust edge to seal. Crimp and flute edges. Cut slits in top crust or prick with fork to allow steam to escape.  Sprinkle one more tablespoon of sugar if desire over the top and dot with more butter.
Place the pie container onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 350° and bake for another 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling in the center is bubbly. Cool to room temperature before serving.