Baileys Cream Puffs

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Cream puffs, they're delicious.

Baileys cream puffs, they're out of this world.

Baileys cream puffs for breakfast, I've died and gone to pastry heaven!

Ok, I am not starting the trend of having cream puffs for breakfast. It just happened that I was staring into my refrigerator in the early morning and got the idea of making some cream puffs for breakfast. 

I have been bad.

But my 2 boys did not complain a bit. Would they?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons Baileys Irish cream
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Over medium heat, cook water and butter until boiling. Remove from the heat, add flour and whisk until well blended. Return to the heat and continue whisking vigorously until the dough is pulling from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Transfer dough into a mixing bowl and cool down for about 5 minutes.
• Using the mixer's lowest speed, add one egg at a time, mix until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer dough into a piping bag fitted with a round/flower tip. Pipe the dough onto the lined baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, 2 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F, continue baking for another 10 mints, or until the choux pastry turns golden brown. Remove from the oven and prick each one with a small sharp knife or a skewer to let out steam. Cool completely.
• Place whipping cream, Baileys and sugar in a mixing bowl. Using a mixer, beat the cream until the cream becomes stiff. Transfer cream into a piping bag with small round tip. Make small slit on each of choux pastry, pipe some cream filling into each shell. 

*Makes about 24 cream puffs

Cinnamon Sugar Cronuts

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I owe someone this recipe. Sorry it took me a while to post it, Mr. C.

Please let me know who they turn out :)

Ingredients for the detempre (dough):

• 1 1/4 cup warm milk, about 105-110F
• 1 package active dry yeast, about 2 teaspoons
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Ingredients for the beurrage (butter block):

• 1 cup (2 stick) unsalted butter, preferably European style like Plugra or Kerrygold
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Other ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• Oil for frying

Directions:

• To make the detrempe: Sprinkle yeast and sugar onto warm milk, give a little stir with a spoon, and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour and salt, then add yeast mixture and egg into the bowl. Mix all of the ingredients together with your hand until well mixed. Please do not over handling the dough, just give it enough mixing until all of the ingredients are well blended. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, knead a little bit more and shape it into a ball. The dough will be sticky and spread out a little bit. Place the dough ball on a floured parchment paper, and refrigerate while you're making the barrage. 
• To make the beurrage: Using a mixer, mix butter and flour until smooth. Transfer butter mixture onto a plastic wrap, shaping it into a flat square. Wrap the butter and refrigerate until the butter is firmer, about 20 minutes.

• On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin circle. Place the butter block in the center of the dough. Stretching the dough with your hand, pull the top part of the dough, and fold it to cover the butter. Repeat the process with the bottom, left and right part of the dough, until you get a square envelope. Flip the square over, so that the flaps are facing down.
• Using a rolling pin, flatten and roll out the dough into a large rectangle, sprinkle more flour if necessary. Fold the dough into thirds, by folding left and right side to the center. Transfer dough onto a lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
• Repeat the process of rolling the dough into rectangle, letter fold, and refrigerate for 20 minutes in between foldings. In total, do 3 letter folds before final rolling and cutting.

• Roll out the dough into a thin large rectangle, about 1/2-inch in thickness. Using a 4-inch donut cutter (or cookie cutter), cut out the dough into donut rounds, and transfer them onto a lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1-inch apart. You should be able to get approximately 24 donut rounds from one batch. 

• Place the baking sheets in a warm spot in the kitchen. Let the cronuts to rise (but don't let them double in size), for about 1 hour.

• Mix sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl until well combined. In a frying skillet, heat up oil over medium heat. When the oil temperature reaches 350 F, fry 2 or 3 cronuts until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to baking sheet lined with paper towel to absorb excess grease. Continue frying the remaining cronuts. Dip each cronut in cinnamon-sugar mixture, cool down a little bit and serve.

Sufganiyot - Israeli Jelly Donuts

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One does not need to be Jewish, Israeli, or even celebrate Hanukkah to enjoy Sufganiyot. This Israeli version of jelly donuts is easy to make, light, fluffy, and most importantly, delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (2 teaspoons) dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm milk, about 105-110 F
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups cooking oil
• 1 cup seedless strawberry/blueberry jelly
• Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, combine warm milk, 2 teaspoons of sugar and yeast. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture turns foamy. Add flour, salt, eggs, and the rest of the sugar into the bowl. Using your hands, mix the dough until well combined but still sticky to the touch. Add butter into the dough, continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape dough into a ball, transfer to a greased bowl, turn to coat. Cover the bowl with kitchen towel, store in a warm place in the kitchen and let rise until almost double in size. It should take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Punch down and then roll out the dough using a rolling pin, until it reaches 1/2-inch in thickness. Cut out holes using 3-inch biscuit/cookie cutter, place rounds on a line cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. You should be able to get about 24 rounds. Cover the cookie sheet with kitchen towel, and let rise for another hour.
• Place the oil in a frying skillet. Heat over medium heat until the temperature reaches 350 F. Fry 2-3 rounds in hot oil, about 1 minute each side, until golden brown. Transfer donuts to a cookie sheet lined with paper towel to absorb excess grease. Repeat the process with the remaining rounds.
• Place the jelly in a piping bag with 1/4-inch round tip. Poke a hole in the center of the donut using a sharp knife, squeeze the jelly into the donut through the hole. Repeat with the remaining donuts. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Sichuan Pork Wontons in Chili Oil Sauce (Hong You Chao Shou)

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I've been told that 'chao shou' in Shicuan dialect means 'folded arms', this refers to square wonton wrapper folded into 2 points, one crossed over the other.

Any way you fold the wontons, this xiao chi (little dish) packs a lot of flavors. Savory pork filled dumpling are boiled, then mixed with spicy tangy sauce.

Serve as appetizer or snack in small portions, about 4-5 wontons per plate. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork (with about 20% fat. Do not use lean pork)
• 1 egg
• 1 inch fresh ginger, finely minced
• 8 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons chinese rice wine, or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (optional)
• Salt and white pepper
• 40 wonton wrappers (3 1/2-inch or 4-inch square)
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Sichuan chili oil (Hong You)
• 4 tablespoons chinese black rice vinegar (also called Chinkiang/Zenjiang vinegar)
• 2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix pork, egg, ginger, half of minced garlic, rice wine, sesame oil, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper until well blended. Lay out one wonton wrapper on a plate, place one heaping teaspoon of pork filling in the center of the wrapper. Brush the edges with water, fold the wrapper diagonally so it forms a triangle. Take 2 opposite corner and overlap each other, using a little bit of water to help them adhere. Place wonton on a lightly floured cookie sheet, repeat the process with the remaining wrappers and pork filling. 
• In a mixing bowl, combine chili oil, soy sauce, black vinegar, and the remaining of minced garlic. Set aside.
• Bring salted water to boil in a large pot. Working in batch, boil wontons for about 5 minutes, or until the wontons are cooked through and start floating to the surface. Transfer wontons to a large strainer to drain. Add wontons to chili sauce and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with chopped onion and serve immediately.

Chocolate on Chocolate Raspberry Tartlets (Gluten-Free)

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So finally, after about a week of raining, today the sun came up and shone brightly for a good part of the day. 

The ground is still wet and muddy, and the streets are still littered with fallen tree branches and dried leaves, but the smell of cool clean air is wonderful. It's so fresh and intoxicating, I just can't get enough of it.

This is the kind of day that sparks some creativity in me. A tub of organic raspberries stared at me in the kitchen, waiting to be transformed into something good and a bar of semi-sweet chocolate said, "Me too!"

At the same time, I was craving for something sweet and indulgent. A break from our savory soup days.

Come on mini pie pans, rolling pin, and pastry bag! Let's get busy and make delicious things happen!

Ingredients for the tart shell:

• 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour*
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons cold milk (if needed)

Ingredients for chocolate custard:

• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:

• To make the shell: Pulse flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Scatter butter pieces in the bowl of food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about the size of  a pea. Add egg into the mixture, continue processing until the dough comes together. Add milk if necessary. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before using.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large disk with 1/8-inch in thickness. Use a large round cookie cutter, or a sharp knife to cut a circle about 1/2-1 inch larger than the diameter of your mini tartlet pan. Press the dough firmly and evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Cut the excess dough from the top sides of the pan using a sharp knife. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and tartlet pans. Usually you can get about 20-24 mini tartlets from one batch. Using the tines of a fork, poke some holes on the bottom of the tartlets. Freeze the dough for about 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake tartlet shells in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely, remove shells from the pans. Set aside.
• To make the chocolate custard: In a medium saucepan, bring milk and vanilla into a boil. Turn off the heat and cool down slightly, about 10-15 minutes. 
• In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar, salt, and corn starch until creamy. Gradually stir in warm milk into egg mixture and continue beating until well incorporated. Return milk and egg mixture into the saucepan. Cook mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens. Add chocolate pieces, continue whisking until the chocolate melted completely. Remove saucepan from the heat, add butter and mix to blend.
• Transfer custard to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure that the wrap sits directly on the surface of the custard. This will prevent 'the skin' to form. Chill in the refrigerator. 
• When ready to serve, fill each tartlet shell with chocolate custard. Arrange fresh raspberries over the custard and sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.

* For non gluten-free version, simply substitute with regular all-purpose flour

Makes 20-24 mini tartlets

Purple Potato Balls

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Bola-bola ubi (sweet potato balls) is one of the popular mid-afternoon snacks in Jakarta. And surprisingly it's also very easy to make.

Last Monday, I was craving for these sweet balls and thinking about whipping up a batch when I realized that I didn't have sweet potatoes. But I had some purple potatoes that J acquired from Berkeley Bowl last weekend. 

So I figured I'd give it try. And the result did not disappoint me. And, oh, it's totally gluten free!

Ingredients:

• 500 grams cooked and mashed purple potato
• 6 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk (if necessary)
• Oil for frying

Directions:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, tapioca flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until well mixed. If the dough is a little too hard, add a little bit of milk.
• Take a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it into a small ball (about 1 1/2-inch in diameter). Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients. You should be able to get 20-24 balls.
• Place oil in a frying skillet, enough to cover at least 1-inch from the bottom of the skillet. Heat oil over medium heat until it reaches about 350 F. Fry potato balls in batches, 6-7 at a time, until well cooked and turn golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil. 
• Place 1/3 cup of sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll potato balls in sugar until well covered. Transfer potato balls to serving plate and serve warm.

Baked Chicken Flautas

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (your leftover rotisserie chicken works wonderfully in this recipe)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar/Monterey Jack
• 20 corn tortillas
• Cilantro sprigs
• Lime wedges
• Salsa, Guacamole, sour cream, and hot sauce for serving (optional)

Directions:

• In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook, stirring occasionally until onion turns translucent and fragrant. Add shredded chicken into the skillet, season with cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and remove the skillet from the stove and cool down
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place some very warm water in a large bowl. Dip one corn tortilla into warm water a few second until it turns pliable (don't skip this step as your tortilla will be brittle and will crack when you roll it). Transfer the tortilla to a work plate, place about one heaping tablespoon of chicken on the lower half of the tortilla. Sprinkle about 1/2 tablespoon of cheese on top of the chicken, and roll the tortilla all the way up. Place rolled tortilla on a lined baking sheet, seam-side down. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.
• Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until brown and crispy. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. Serve warm with condiment of your choice (salsa, Guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce).

Cardamom Sugared Pumpkin Drop Donuts with Orange Caramel Dipping Sauce

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Our Thanksgiving dinner was great, despite of the fact that we just got back from San Diego on Wednesday night, and had to stop at the grocery store to pick up some last minutes ingredients on the way home. But we made it.

Big C got overzealous last week when I took him to Whole Foods to pick up our turkey. He choose a 16 pounder (it's for 4 people) and was very adamant that we couldn't possibly having smaller turkey than that.

As we guessed it, we did not even finish a quarter of the bird, leaving us with plenty of leftover.

So, after Thai red curry turkey, Indonesian style chicken turkey noodle soup, turkey and Andouille gumbo, and turkey fried rice, I can say it with gusto, I'm done with turkey and will not have any of it anymore, until next Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin, however, I still can take. 

I ended up with about one cup left of canned pumpkin, and was thinking about a way to utilize it. 

This is what I managed to make last Saturday, and turned out to be a great afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

For the donuts:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• Oil for frying
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder

For the dipping sauce:

• 2 cups orange juice, preferably unsweetened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Brandy (optional)

Directions:

• To make the dipping sauce (this, you might want to do first, because it takes time to cook and to cool down): Cook orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat, until it's reduced to about 1 cup. Add salt, brown sugar and heavy cream, stir and continue cooking until the sugar dissolved and the sauce is thick enough to coat the spoon. Remove from heat. Add Brandy to the sauce, if using, mix to combine. Let the sauce rest to cool down.
• To make the donuts: Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, and butter until creamy. Using a rubber spatula, add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, fold and mix until well blended. 
• Heat the oil in a frying pan to 375 F. Make sure it has enough oil to cover the donuts while frying. While waiting for the oil to heat up, mix sugar and cardamom powder in a large bowl; set aside.
• Take about a spoonful of donut dough and drop it into hot oil. Continue frying in batches, make sure to fry only a few at a time to prevent overcrowding. The donuts are done when they turn golden brown. Transfer donuts to the sugar mixture, cover completely with sugar, shake the excess sugar off, and place then on serving plate. Serve donuts with the dipping sauce and enjoy!

Persimmon Cookies

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I don't have Hachiya persimmon tree in my yard, but one of my neighbors does. Every year, around this time, that tree produces tons of fruits. So many of them, it looks like a big giant flaming orange blob from the distance.

And the owner(s) of the tree, I imagine, are getting really tired of persimmons, so they filled a big card board box with persimmons and placed the box outside of their house, right on the driveway, free for anybody who wants them.

And then there was me.

Who certainly can't pass on the opportunity to bake some persimmon bread and cookies. So I took about 8 persimmons, kept them for about a week until they're ripe and ready to use.

Now I have cookies. Lots of yummy cookies.

Ingredients:

• Pulp from 2 medium Hachiya persimmons (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachio

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Sift all of the dry ingredients and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add persimmon pulp and egg, mix until well blended.
• Add dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix. Fold dried cranberries and pistachio into the batter. 
• Drop a tablespoon of batter onto a greased cookie sheet, place them about 2-inches apart from each other. Bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet and transfer to wire rack to cool down. Store in airtight container if not consumed immediately.

Recipe is adapted from White on Rice Couple's lovely persimmon cookie recipe.

What's Left From Last Halloween

No recipe this time.

Just some cute delicious cake pops.

Because Halloween is not complete, without monsters on a stick!

Strawberry Cherry Fruit Leather

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So now here I am, forcing myself to sit down in front of the computer and start typing.

I know I have not been diligent in keeping up with my recipe blog lately. But hey, all I can say is that the last few weeks before school ends were borderline crazy.

Big C was immersing himself in track and field program at school for almost 3 months, that involved daily practice after school, and track meets in various locations near and far. 

That being said, 14-year-old boy can't (legally) drive himself to and from practices and meets, plus the other 14-year-old team mates also need transportation from time to time, leaving me with lots of driving and carpooling. 

And many hours of sitting around on the bleacher, obliviously roasting myself in hot pre-summer Bay Area sun, cheering and 'whoo-hoo''-ing appropriately when necessary.

He did wonderfully well, though. Having done very well in 100 meters and high jump. This mom could not be more proud!

Little C had memorable 3-day camping trip with his class, in which I decided to go along with.

We went to Malakoff Diggins State Park, did gold panning (we got zilch!), hiked many miles, learned a lot of California gold rush history, and did all kinds of camping stuff.

While the trip was fun, I was so glad to come home and sleep on my bed again. After all this years, flimsy air mattress and I don't like each other very much, still.

So, those busy days are over, for now.

Last day of school was happening last Friday.

Today, the boys and the dog have already been complaining about boredom, after only 3 days off school. And I'm thinking that I can't wait until their summer camps start.

For the time being, I will enjoy my free time this week. I'll even try to cook, photograph and post new recipes, because next week the word 'busy' will come back into my vocabulary.

Strawberry Cherry Fruit Leather

Ingredients:

Almost any kind of fruit can be used to make fruit leather, but for this particular one, I used strawberries and cherries.

• 1/2 pound strawberries, hulled
• 1/2 pound cherries, pitted
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar (depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

• Quarter strawberries, place in the food processor together with pitted cherries, and pulse until a smooth puree forms. This should yield about 2 cups of puree. Transfer fruit puree to a Dutch pan, add sugar and lemon juice.
• Cook fruit puree over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until the puree thickens.
• Pre-heat oven to 140 degree F or use dehydrate feature if your oven support it. 
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat, spray with cooking spray. Divide fruit puree into 2 baking sheets, spread evenly to form rectangle using rubber spatula. 
• Place the baking sheets in the oven, leave the door slightly open to let the moisture out. Dehydrate the puree in the oven for 5-8 hours, until the surface is no longer sticky. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Cut into 2 inch strips and roll them up (you can use wax paper to roll them up, if you choose to). Store in airtight container for up to one week.

Pics below are from Malakoff Diggins trip.

Sriracha Caramel Corn

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Jackie from domesticfits.com was absolutely right!

This caramel corn is twice as good as she said it was, and it's has perfect balance between sweet and spicy (I'm a sucker for anything spicy!).

About 7 cups of popcorn.

Roughly 1 hour to prepare.

Less than 10 minutes for 4 people to eat the entire bowl of corn.

Yeah, it's that good.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup corn kernels (7 cups popped)
• 1 brown paper lunch bag
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• Pinch of Cayenne

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Place the corn kernels in a brown paper bag. Place in the microwave (long side down), microwave on high for 4 minutes. When the popping starts to slow to about one pop per second, remove the bag from microwave. Measure out 7 cups of popcorn (if there's less than 7 cups, pop additional kernels in the same manner, if there's more than 7 cups, reserve the remaining popped corn for another use).
• Spray a large baking pan with butter flavored cooking spray. 
• Add the popped corn to the baking sheet in an even layer, place in the oven until the caramel sauce is ready.
• Add the brown sugar, butter, light corn syrup and salt into a saucepan over high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, stop stirring. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, without stirring, or until dark amber color is reached. Remove from heat, immediately add Sriracha and cayenne.
• Spray a silicon spatula with cooking spray.
• Gently pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn, stirring to coat.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 250 degrees, stir and bake for another 20 minutes.
• Remove form the oven and spread evenly on a piece of wax paper. Allow to cool, break apart, store in air-tight container.

If you can wait that long.........

Low(er) Carb Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

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Maybe it's my new thing, but after realizing that I have gained substantial amount of weight, I am attempting to introduce low(er) carb diet into my daily life.
Blame it on my age, blame it on my cigarette-free life (smoked my last one almost 3 years ago), blame it on my increasing food intake, no matter how I put it, jiggly parts don't make me feel exuberant.

And low carb diet is hard. At least for me, being an Asian, life without rice (or very limited amount of it) is deeply challenging.
But at least, I can have these delicious cookies without breaking my carb quota for the day.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chocolate peanut butter (I got mine freshly ground from Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (can be substituted with Splenda, if desired. I personally, do not care much for the taste of it)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1-2 tablespoons flax meals (only if needed)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, mix the first 6 the until well combined. If the dough is too runny, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flax meals and mix.
• Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Place dough balls on the lined baking sheet, about 1-inch apart. Press down each ball with the tines of the fork, to make criss-cross pattern. 
• Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Eat Your Cake...and Your Vegetables, Too!

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Vegetables in my cupcakes? Why, yes!

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
• 12 parmesan chips for topping

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda until well blended. In a mixing bowl, beat egg, butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add half of the cream and half of the flour mixture into the mixing bowl, beat until combined. Add the remaining cream and flour, continue mixing for another 2-3 minutes. 
• Add chopped broccoli, fold into the batter using rubber spatula until well combined. 
• Divide the batter into 12 lined muffin cups. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire rack to cool. Top with a dollop of cream cheese and one piece of parmesan chip before serving.

Makes 12 regular size cupcakes