BAKING MOOD

I'm not good in baking, by baking here I mean cookies, cakes, pies and more, but once in a while I'd do it, mostly because of I felt challenged, sometime it turned good, but other time I failed, even I used the same recipe and the same way. Lately because of winter, cold and rains, I warmed up my house by baking a lot,  some Christmas cookies, breads ( I tried out the water roux method for the first time, it's a bit complicated, but the breads turned out so good, so soft and so full), and some cheesecakes.

My husband loves cheesecake, we rarely eat it, because it's so fattening and a bit too pricey for our wallet, but when my good neighbor lent me a cook book by Pillsbury, I fell in love with their Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe, and it was around Thanksgiving's day, pumpkin season, everybody has pumpkin on their dinner tables, so I decided to give it a try, I was worried because it'd be the first time I used my spring foam pan, and from my experiences baking cheesecake before, it always cracked on the surface.
http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/pumpkin-cheesecake-with-praline-sauce/101e0703-2fa3-429d-87a2-9355112becef/

So I determined to make it, followed every steps by the book, using the water bath method really helps for a smooth cheesecake, and tada..  we had a very yummy pumpkin cheesecake, I brought it as a dessert (instead of the old pumpkin pie) for our Thanksgiving Dinner at my parents in law's house, I got lots compliments for it, so today I baked cheesecake again, this time I used bananas, I followed the recipe from:

http://gracekitchencorner.blogspot.com/2009/01/baked-banana-cheesecake.html with some modification because I was using the store bought pie crust.

First I was confused because it does not have  any flour in the recipe, but I decided to follow it, and I was glad I did it, because my Banana Cheesecake turned out perfect, though a bit too sweet for me, but my husband loves it (he has sweet tooth :))

Here is what I did:
- 9 inches graham cracker pie crust + 8 small pie crust
- 110 gram sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 ripe bananas, smash
- 4 eggs

I followed most steps of the method on the recipe, except for the water bath, I put a pan of boil water on the lowest rack of my oven, my cheesecake pans on the middle rack, it worked well

Tomorrow I'll bring it to my parents in law's house, as a dessert for our Christmas Eve's dinner, I know they will love it..

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

BAKED SALMON STEAK W COCONUT TOPPINGS

We love to eat salmon, though the price is a bit too pricey for us, once in a while we would buy and cook it in our kitchen, so many ways to cook it, all are good... this time I want to share a new found recipe that we like very much, usually I used mixed cheese or parmesan cheese, now I put sweeten coconut instead of cheese and it turns out so good, the sweetness of coconut really gives a real kick in it

Ingredients:
- 2 salmon steaks or fillet, wash & pat it dry, season with lemon juice, salt and peppers
- for toppings: mix well: 2 tbsp of mayonnaise + 1 tbsp of mustard + 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs + 1 tbsp of tomato ketchup + 2 tbsp of sweeten coconut flakes 

Method:
- put the salmon on a greased oven proof pan
- top with coconut mixture
- bake in a preheated oven 350 'F for 20 minutes
- add a bit more coconut flakes, set the oven to broil, broil it for a couple of minutes
Serve with fresh salad and mashed potatoes or couscous

HAPPY COOKING 

BAKED EGGS

Another quick recipe for weekend breakfast or lunch.. I was inspired by my friend's food pictures on her FB, I tried it today for our brunch, I have leftover pizza topping, we can add anything we like on it


BAKED EGGS

What we need:
- sliced breads, cut to fit bowls or muffin pan
- for topping.. brown Italian sausage, bacon or ham, sautee with favorite vegetables (spinach, onion, peas)
- shredded cheese such as, Mexican cheese, mozzarella
- eggs
- cilantro or green onion for garnish


Method:
- grease the bowls
- flatten a sliced bread on the bottom
- add sauteed sausage and vegetables
- add some cheese
- add 1 or 2 eggs
- bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven on 350'F (or depends on how you like your eggs done)
- top with more cheese, let it bake to melt
- garnish with cilantro or chopped green onion

Happy cooking

STUFFED BELL PEPPER

Here is a quick recipe I create for my husband brunch or light supper... I don't like bell pepper, but I like cooking it for him, he likes it very much, as he likes almost every kind of veggies, well..except baby corn, maybe..

What we need:
- 2 big and nice bell peppers, wash, drain and dig out the stem and seeds
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs, a pinch of salt and pepper, 1 tbsp of finely chopped onion, green onion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper (optional), 2 tbsp of mix cheese (mozzarella + Mexican cheese and parmesan)

What to do:
- mix well all the ingredients and stuff into the bell pepper
- spray cooking oil around the bell pepper, put them on a greased pan
- bake on 400 'F for 20 minutes, add some more cheese on top and broil for a couple minutes
Happy cooking

WALNUT SHRIMPS

Since I'm in my writing mood, today I'm going to share this recipe, another favorite of mine ( I know... I have so many favorite foods hihi). The first time I ate it was at a fine dining Chinese Restaurant, a few days after I got married, my father in law took us there, my mom was there too as she stayed a couple of weeks with us after attending our wedding reception. I fell in love with it, and every time we dined there I would order it, there were so many ways to cook it, every restaurants have their own ways, some are good some are not so good.


After browsing the recipes on the net, I found an easy way to cook it, my way and I like how it turns out.


WALNUT SHRIMPS

WALNUT SHRIMPS

-          1 cup of shopped roasted walnut

-          ½ cup sugar, boil in 1 cup of water until caramelized

-          16 (1lbs) large shrimps, peeled and deveined

-          2 egg whites, slightly beaten

-          1 cup of corn starch mix with 1 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of salt

for mayonnaise sauce:

-          ½  cup of mayo + 1 tbsp honey + 1 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tbsp condensed milk (optional) + 3 tbsp of milk, mix well

Method:

-          toss roasted walnut in the caramelized sugar, let it dry on a parchment paper, then roast it again for a few minutes only

-          dip shrimps in egg whites, then coat them with corn starch mixture, fry them in hot oil for a couple minutes, place them on a paper towel

-          toss the shrimps in the mayo mixture

To serve: arrange lettuce on a plate, add the shrimps and  sprinkle with roasted walnut 

Selamat makan 

Orange chickens

I hate deep frying, but love eating deep fried foods... I got a small deep fryer as my birthday gift this year, it's so convenient to fry a small batch of food. Next thing I know I fall in love with it.. ooops.. should not put it on my wish list :) I used it for frying krupuks, tempe and tahu bacem and more.


Today I used it to deep fry chickens, I cooked orange chicken, I remember there was a period of time I loved eating it, I liked to go to Panda Express to get it or ordered it in a sit down Chinese restaurant, now as I live far from a good Chinese restaurants I have to cook it myself, I thought about eating it for awhile and finally today I managed to cook it for us 

All we need are:
- 3 chicken thigh meat, boneless and skinless, cut in a mouth bite side
- 1 egg, slightly beaten + 1 tsp of salt
- 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of corn starch or rice flour
Dip chickens in the egg mixture, coat with the flour mixture, then rest them on a rack for 10 minutes. Heat 2 inches of oil, deep fry the floured coated chickens until golden brown, drain them in a strainer

for the sauce:
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp of chili sauce
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- half lemon juice or 2 tbsp of tomato ketchup 
Heat a non stick pan, add butter, let it melt, add the rest of the remaining ingredients, bring it to boil, lower the heat, and simmer it until the sauce reduce and thicken 

Toss the fried chickens into the sauce, mix well 

Serve with warm steamed rice and salad

Happy cooking