Another Sponge Cake

I found this recipe in an old recipe book published from a church. It seems like grandma's baked pie and cake that was brought to the church on Sundays for social events. Even with modern equipment, I have to admit that Grandma knew best. This cake comes out so moist and fluffy. Maybe the boiling water is the key?

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs separated
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup boiling water
1 cup coconut(optional)
Directions:
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt three times.
Divide sugar equally into two portions.
Separate egg yolks from the egg white and put in two bowls.
Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites while adding sugar until thick. The egg white can stand peaked when you lift the beater. Add vanilla.

Use the same mixer to beat the egg yolks while adding sugar until pale yellow and thick. Add a thin stream of boiling water into egg yolks while slowly and constantly stirring so that the yolk will not cook. Sift the flour into the egg yolks mixture. Mix until combined. Make sure there is no lump left at the bottom.

Fold the egg yolks mixture into egg white mixture making sure all the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overmix. Pour the batter into an ungreased baking pan and bake at 350 ° for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and dry.

Minestrone Soup

This soup is so full of bean  and vegetables, addition with pasta or rice. There is no real set of minestrone soup recipe because when it come to what  vegetable that we can find in season . The stock base will be your choice: vegetable stock, water or chicken stock. Minestrone is one of the Italian meal as comon as their pasta. Depending on different regions in Italy, chef will make this soup really thick as stew or with thinner broth. Keep this in mind, so there is no right or wrong way when making this soup. Just explore all the recipes to see what is good or come up with your own recipe. I like to use thin spaghetti for my soup , but almost any pasta will do. Use olive oil instead of bacon fat to reduce the calories intake.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 /2 cup chopped cabbages
1/2  cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup can chickpea rinsed and drained(garbanso bean)or any kind of beans
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tomato roughly chopped
3 cup chicken broth
1 tbs fresh oregano*
1 tbs fresh basil
2 tbs fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup spaghetti broken in small pieces.
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In medium sauce pan, heat olive oil. Add onions, celery, garlic. Cook and stir until the celery and onions are tender.
Add the stock, cabbages, carrots, chickpea, tomatoes, oregano,basil, parsley. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add spaghetti and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Ladle soup in each bowl and serve .
* Reduce to1 tsp if using dried herbs

Brioche

Brioche is basic French yeast dough made with eggs and butter. This wonderful dough can be used to make rolls, regular bread loaves, and even doughnuts. Although this dough requires some assistance, it is well worth making.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs lightly beaten
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 stick of butter divided into 3 equal portions
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 3 tbs more, if needed)
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Egg wash:
1 large egg
1 tsp water

Directions:
Lightly butter 12 cups of medium-sized muffin tins. Set aside.

All the ingredients must be at room temperature.
Place all the ingredients as listed above, except one portion of butter, in a bread machine. Press the start dough button. While the dough is mixing, add a second portion of the butter. Before the dough is completely mixed, add the last portion of the butter. Add additional flour, one tablespoon at a time. The dough is very sticky. Let the dough rise in the machine for 60 minutes or until it is double in size.
Remove dough from the bread machine. Use your fist to punch down dough. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Lightly flour work surface. Divide dough into twelve equal portions. Pinch off a small piece from each portion, thus making an additional 12 smaller pieces. Shape each of the 24 pieces into balls. Place the bigger balls into the muffin tin. Use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of the larger balls. Lightly brush the tops with egg wash, and place the smaller balls on top until all 12 are finished.

Brush the tops again with egg wash. Cover and let rise for another 40 minutes or until double in size. Bake in preheated oven at 375° for 20 minutes.

Quick Sticky Rice with Chicken

There are many ways to prepare this dish. The recipe below is so simple. The roasted chicken form leftovers changes the taste from Western to Asian with a few ingredients.
Ingredients:
2 cups sticky rice soaked overnight, drained
2 cups shredded roasted chicken
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 green onions
1 tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Garnish:
Fried shallots*
2 tbs canola oil

Directions:
Place rice into steamer and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or until rice is done.
In a small pan, add oil, garlic, and shallot. Saute' for a few minutes or until fragrant. Add chicken, soy sauce, salt and black pepper. Cook for a few minutes. Throw in the green onions at the last minute.
Serving the rice:
Divide portions of rice equally onto plates. Top with chicken mixture and sprinkle with fried shallots.

*Thinly-sliced shallots fried in hot oil until crispy

Spicy Tuna Rolls

After making sushi rice, it is time to explore the world of sushi.

Ingredients:
1 tuna fillet 8oz
1 tsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups sushi rice
1/2 cup spinach or about 12 leaves
1/4 cup thinly-sliced red onions
1 avocado thinly cut
4 Nori sheets
2 tbs of Japanese Seven Spice (Shichimi Togarashi) – store bought
oil for grilling
Garnish:
Soy sauce
Wasabi paste (Japanese radishes)
Pickled ginger
Sushi mat for rolling
Directions:
Sprinkle Japanese Seven Spice on both sides of tuna. Brush tuna with some oil. In sauté pan on medium heat, put the tuna  and cook for few minutes on each side or until fish turns a pale color. Use a fork to break the fish into small pieces. Add mayonnaise. Divide the rice into 4 equal portions.
Assembling the Sushi rolls:
Place Nori sheets shiny-side down on the sushi mat lengthwise.

 Using wet hands, spread 1 portion of rice evenly onto a Nori sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch of the Nori sheet visible at the end farthest away.

 Don't make the layer too thick – the Nori sheet should still be visible through the layer of rice.
 At the nearest and, lay a few spinach leaves. Top with a layer of cucumber, red onions and tuna next to it. It should look like one straight line from right to left.

To roll the sushi, fold the mat over. Start at the end where the ingredients are and tuck the end of the Nori sheet and begin rolling. Keep rolling and lifting up on the mat while keeping even pressure until finishing the roll. At the end of the roll, use water to seal the sushi roll to close.

Remove sushi roll from the mat and cut it into 6 even-size pieces with a very sharp knife. Serve with dipping sauce, pickled ginger and Wasabi.

Dipping sauce:
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar or lemon juice
2 tbs sugar

Sushi Rice

Sushi is a Japanese dish with a variety of small cold rice cakes traditionally filled with fish or vegetables, wrapped with Nori seaweed,. The taste of this little rice cake is sweet and sour because after the rice is cooked, it is then flavored with vinegar solutions, which is called sushi-zu in Japan. Sushi is gaining in popularity around the world. Surprisingly, very lillte equipment is needed to make sushi – a bamboo mixing bowl, a wooden spatula and the sushi mat is really essential – and these can be found in any Asian grocery. Sushi is made with both raw and cooked fish. If using raw fish, it is important to know where the fish is supplied because raw fish has more bacteria and parasites than cooked fish. Leave this kind of sushi for the professionals. Instead buying sushi in the grocery store, I have a few simple sushi recipes that require very little effort to make at home. The recipe below will guarantee to make you happy and proud to serve to guests.
Sushi rice is the most important ingredient for making sushi. There are several brands of sushi rice identified as sushi rice; however, if these brands are not available, the short-grain glutinous white rice can be substituted.

Sushi rice ingredients:
2 cups of short-grain rice or sushi rice (it sells in most grocery stores)
2 cups water or Kombu stock*
Pot with cover or Electric cooker (using an electric rice cooker is easier)

Vinegar seasoning ingredients:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Wash rice under cold running water until the water is completely clear.

 Drain rice in a colander for at least 1 hour. Place the rice and water in an electric rice cooker. Press start.

Prepare the vinegar seasoning while the sushi rice is cooking. In a small saucepan, heat the rice vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt. Just as the solution begins to boil, turn the heat off.
When the rice is done, remove it from the rice cooker. Place the hot cooked rice in a mixing bowl and pour the sushi seasoning evenly over the rice. Using each hand separately, pour the vinegar seasoning and select fan the sushi rice to cool it down as quickly as you can. Lightly mix the vinegar in carefully, trying not to break a single rice grain.
The sushi rice should look shiny and be at room temperature when ready to use.

*Kombu is a type of kelp or seaweed comes in long sheets or strips. Only a small piece of Kombu is needed to make stock any time a recipe requires mi so soup or flavored rice.
1 piece Kombu about 4-inch length
5 cups of water
1/2 tsp soy sauce
Clean Kombu with a wet paper towel. Place in stock pot with 5 cups of water. Soak this Kombu for 30 minutes. Turn the stove on low heat. Bring stock to a boil, then turn the heat off. Remove Kombu, and drain the stock. Add soy sauce.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

The sweetness in the blueberries makes the blueberry cake most everyone's favorite. If the taste isn't enough reason to eat, blueberries are also a rich in antioxidants, high in fiber and potassium and low in sodium. Blueberries usually are the most expensive in the berry family, but for those who live in the Pacific Northwest, blueberries are available for picking in the parks or wetlands. The blueberry/ coffee cake will both please the palate and keep the doctor away. It is a win-win situation.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
4 oz apple sauce
1/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries rinsed and drained

Strudel topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cold butter cut up
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Add butter or spray oil into an 8 x 8 baking cake pan. Set aside.
Strudel topping:
In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter. Cut into butter with a folk or pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer or hand-held mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy . Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. Add flour and apple sauce until combined (do not overmix). Spread half of batter onto the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Add one layer of blueberries.

Pour the remaining batter and add another layer of blueberries. Top with strudel and bake in oven for 40 minutes or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean.