Baked Pear Dessert

Last week I wrote a guest post on the Multicultural Kids Blog where I shared one of my favorite fall recipes. After writing that post, I decided that I wanted to share a fall recipe on my own blog as well. I love fall and all the delicious warm treats that come with the season. Growing up, I was not a big fan of dessert in general and would usually turn down dessert when offered (I'm not sure why I was such a strange kid), but I was always up for any kind of fruit dessert. Although (unfortunately for my waist line) I have grown to enjoy dessert, I'm still a sucker for sweet fruity desserts. Baked pears is one of my favorite treats and its such a quick and easy recipe. Seriously, you can prep these in about five minutes and will be ready after baking for 30 minutes.

Baked Pear Dessert

1. All you need for this super easy and delicious treat are:

          - Pears (each pear make 2 servings)

          - Butter

          - Honey

          - Ground cinnamon

          - Ground nutmeg 

2. Wash your pears and cut them in half. Then simply remove the stem and scoop the cores out with a small spoon. I put them in a pan that is covered with foil because baked honey can be really tough to wash later, so I just save myself the headache.

3. Spread some butter over the pear halves and then drizzle honey over them.

4. Next, simply sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the pear halves and cover them up with foil.

Here is the final product. I drizzled a little more honey on top before serving. This also tastes really good with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream (or you could put a some greek yogurt on top for a healthier treat). Enjoy!

Crockpot Stew

I think that Autumn might be my favorite season. I love watching the leaves on the trees change colors, wrapping up in warm sweaters, drinking seasonal lattes, and eating warm, comforting foods. Sadly I haven't ever really lived anywhere that I can actually see Autumn in its full glory, so maybe I like the idea more than anything else. But seriously, I think there is something exciting and romantic about this season. So, even though the temperatures are still in the nineties here in LA, I have really been craving a good stew or bowl of chili. Then, yesterday, out of the blue, my husband asked me to make my special stew. I gladly did that for him and thought I would share it with you too.

I'm not sure why my husband thinks that my stew is special, because the truth is I almost never make the exact same stew twice. The reason for this is because I really just throw whatever I happen to have in the fridge in the crockpot. This is actually something I learned from my mom. While growing up, my family often had "clean out the fridge soup" and it was usually awesome. Today I had beef short ribs, potatoes, and a lot of vegetables that needed to be eaten. So I just threw it all together and let it simmer for eight hours. 

Crockpot Stew:

1. What I have here are:   - Short Ribs

                                     - Half a bag of baby spinach

                                     - 2 Stalks of celery

                                     - 1 Tomato

                                     - 1/2 Zucchini 

                                     - 1 White onion

                                     - 1 1/2 Cup baby carrots

                                     - 2 Potatoes

                                     - 1 Red Pepper

                                     - 1 1/4 Cup sliced mushrooms

2. I put everything in the crockpot. The meat was put on the bottom and I left the meat on the bones to add more flavor to the stew. I left the spinach out until the last hour because I have learned that it will completely disintegrate if cooked too long.

3. Now for the spices. First I put two cups of water in the crockpot. Then I got another two cups of water, beef bullion cubes, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, rosemary, basil, cumin, and cayenne pepper.

4. Add four cubes of beef bullion (or 1 cube for every cup of water) to two cups of boiling water. Stir it until the cubes are totally dissolved. After that, add and stir together:

          - 2 tsp. Salt

          - 1/2 tsp. Black pepper

          - 1 Tbs. Garlic

          - 1 tsp. Cumin

          - 1 tsp. Rosemary

          - 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper

           - 1 tsp. Parsley

5. Just put one bay leaf in the crockpot and pour your spice mixture over everything. Set the pot to low and allow it to simmer for about eight hours. 

6. After eight hours we had a delicious, warm stew. Enjoy!

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Banana Protein Pancakes

The past few months I have been hitting the gym pretty hard. Then yesterday I had my first truly difficult workout. I don't know what was wrong with me, its not like my muscles were unusually sore, but I just couldn't seem to get my limbs to move like I wanted them to. Yet, I pushed through (it took me twice as long to get through my workout then it should have). This morning I woke up feeling frustrated with yesterday's workout and feeling like I had been hit by a train. So, I got online to see what workout forums had to say to get me back to feeling human again. Here is what I found (though its not like I didn't know this already, I just hadn't been paying attention):

 1. When you work out you need to eat so that you have the fuel to keep you going (I realized I hadn't eaten much yesterday)
2. Protein, protein, protein. Seriously, it helps with muscle recovery
3. Its important to consume vitamins when working out because your body needs them for the best performance.

Even though I had already heard this before, I decided it was time to actually follow the advice. Which led me to the whole reason for this post: I decided to try making the banana pancakes that one of my paleo diet friends keeps raving about. My friend has said on multiple occasions that these pancakes taste just like the real thing and that she doesn't even think about the high carb pancakes anymore. I seriously doubted that a recipe that requires just two ingredients (eggs and a banana) could possibly taste the same as a real pancake, but I decided I would go ahead and try it.  Because I am very sore today, I decided to add a few more ingredients to increase the protein in take, but I still kept it low carb. Here's what I discovered, it doesn't really taste just like a real pancake (as I expected), but it did taste really good. And it's really easy and quick to make. Here I am sharing my first attempt at making these very healthy, high protein, delicious pancakes. Below the recipe I have added the nutritional information for you to take a gander at too. Enjoy! ;)

Banana Protein Pancakes

1. If you want to make the original recipe, all you need are two eggs and a banana (this will make four pancakes)

2. Yes, eggs are an excellent source of protein, but to get an extra protein boost, I decided to add a scoop of protein powder and a tablespoon of powdered peanut butter.

Isopure is a great protein in you are looking to trim down instead of bulk up as it has only 6g of carbs in a serving (2 scoops).

The powdered peanut butter can be found in Target, health stores, and possibly select grocery stores. It's awesome because it has all of the nutrients of peanut butter without the oil.

3. Just put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend it all together. You could mash it and mix it with a fork, but it needs to be REALLY well mashed and mixed or you're going to end up lumpy with dry spots in your pancakes. Just a heads up, the mixture will end up very liquidy, it won't look like pancake batter (and that's how it's supposed to be).

4. Preheat your pan on medium heat and spray it with non-stick spray.

5. Pour your batter in your pan. You need to keep an eye on it, because you won't get those little bubbles in your batter telling you when it's time to flip it. I burned my first pancake a little because I had waited too long.

6. Here is the finished product. They are really thin and have a bit more of a crepe like texture to them.

7. For my meal I put black raspberry jam on the pancake, ate a few strawberries, and had a cup of orange juice. I also took two fish oil pills as well. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. I think it will probably become one of my staples from now on.








Nutrition info:

                                                    Pancakes (2):          Strawberries (5):          Orange Juice (8 oz):
Calories                                         194                          48                                 112
Carbohydrates                               288 g                       117 g                            26 g
Total fats                                       2.1 g                        0.5 g                               -
Protein                                          21.7 g                       1 g                                 2 g
Cholesterol                                   225.8 g                       -                                    -
Sodium                                         179.9 mg                  1.5 mg                           2.5 mg
Vitamin A                                     11%                           -                                   10%
Vitamin C                                     23%                          149%                            207%
Vitamin E                                     8%                             2%                                 -
Vitamin K                                     6%                            4%                                  -
Vitamin B6                                   27%                          4%                                  -
Vitamin B12                                 7%                              -                                     -
Calcium                                        14%                           2%                                3%
Iron                                               7%                             3%                                3%
Phosphorus                                  14%                           4%                                4%
Potassium                                    16%                            7%                               14%
Magnesium                                  18%                           5%                                7%

* Percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Chinese Tea Eggs

My husband doesn't often voice how much he misses his mother's Taiwanese cooking or ask for specific food to be prepared, so when he does, I am more than happy to fulfill his request.  This week he was asking for tea eggs.  These yummy eggs make a great snack and are very popular in most Chinese communities.  They are also known as marble eggs because the cracks in the eggs produce a marble-like effect after they are fully cooked.  Tea eggs are the traditional Chinese fast food and are found all over the place in Chinese communities, sold at street vendors and night markets.  In Taiwan, tea eggs are a fixture in convenient stores and you can always count on walking up to the counter of a seven-eleven and find warm tea-eggs waiting for you to eat on the go.  I just recently learned that in recent years Taiwan's version of tea eggs has branched out to other flavors including fruit flavors.  I may have to try making some raspberry or blueberry tea eggs some time soon (sounds intriguing to me).

The recipe I am sharing with you is one of the recipes that my mother-in-law handed down to me.  Most tea eggs are traditionally made with soy sauce (and I do have a recipe for that as well), but the recipe my husband and I prefer is made without it.  It is very easy to make and really only takes a few minutes of your time (however, you do need to stick around for a few hours while the eggs simmer). Some of the ingredients (star anise and five spice powder) I bought at my local asian market, though you might be able to find them in your grocery store's international isle.

Chinese Tea Eggs

Ingredients:

• 8 Eggs
• 3 Tablespoons salt
• 2 Tablespoons Five Spice Powder
• 1 Star Anise (or 1/2 teaspoon Star Anise Powder)
• 2 Black tea bags

Directions:

1.  Start by filling a pot with enough water to cover all of your eggs and get the water boiling.  Once it has reached the boiling point, turn your heat down to low and allow the eggs to simmer for 4-5 minutes. Don't let the water boil too long, but do make sure that the water has reached a good rolling boil before turning the heat down. 
   
   
   
2. Remove the pot from the stove, drain the water, and rinse with cool water.  Wait for the eggs to cool off before handling them.  (I used ice to help quicken the process up). 
   
   
   
3. Crack the eggs with your fingers or the back of a spoon, being careful not to remove the shell completely.  Don't be afraid to really crack the eggs well though, the more they are cracked, the better the flavor and color of the eggs will be.  
   
   
4. Once again make sure that the pot has enough water to cover the eggs and bring it to a boil again. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot.  Once the water has begun boiling, turn the heat back down and allow the eggs to simmer for at least 1 hour (I like to leave mine simmering for a good 1 1/2 - 2 hours).  The longer you let them simmer, the stronger the taste will be. 
   
   
   
5. Once they are finished simmering, you can remove them from the water and allow them to cool. We like them best when they are still warm.  They store well in the fridge if you aren't planning on eating them right away.  Enjoy!
   
   
   
   

Milk Tart

As a kid, I did not have much of a sweet tooth.  I didn't really like ice-cream or cake and I often passed on desserts.  When I was ten years old my family moved to South Africa, and within our first week there we were invited to a braai by some new friends.  For those unfamiliar with this word, a 'braai' is pretty much the equivalent of an American grill out.  Each family provides their own meat and the salads, drinks, and deserts are brought pot-luck style.  It was at this, first of many, braai that I discovered the South African milk tart, a dessert dish that I absolutely loved.  This dessert is similar to a custard tart, and is lighter and creamier than many other desserts.  It is traditionally sprinkled with cinnamon and tastes great with a cup of coffee after a meal.  My recipe was given to me by a very dear South African friend and therefore using metric measurements.  I have added the conversion to the side for my American friends.

Melktert (milk tart)

serves 8

200 g. of ready rolled puff pastry (7 oz.)

375 ml. milk (1 1/2 c.)

1 tsp. butter

pinch of salt

1 cinnamon stick

1 green cardamom pod

1 tsp. custard powder

1 1/2 tsp. cornflour (corn starch)

1 1/2 tsp. cake flour

15 ml. cold milk (1 Tbsp.)

50 g. sugar (1/4 c.)

2 eggs, separated

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).  Line a 20 cm. (8 in.) pie dish with the puff pastry.

Bring the mild to a slow boil in a medium saucepan, then add the butter, salt, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pod.  Combine the custard powder, cornflour and cake flour in a separate bowl.  Add the cold milk and make a paste. Stir a little of the hot milk into the paste to thin it, then stir the custard paste into the hot milk in the saucepan.  While stirring, add 2 Tbls of sugar. Continue to stir vigorously and make sure that there are no lumps in the custard.

Once the custard has thickened, remove it from the heat and discard the cinnamon stick and cardamom pod.  Beat the egg whites until stiff, then beat in the remaining sugar gradually and set it aside.  Beat the yolks slightly and add 2 Tbsp. of the warm custard mix. Mix well.

Stir the yolk mix into the custard saucepan (feel free to add a drop of almond extract if you would like for extra flavor).  Gently fold in the egg whites.  Pour into the prepared pie dish, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 200 degrees C (400 degrees F) for 10 minutes.  Turn the heat down to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until it looks puffed up and golden.

Allow to cool and serve with a cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy! 

Sochi Themed Sugar Cookies

It may seem silly, but every two years TCK's go through the 'struggle' of trying to figure out which country they want to cheer for during the Olympics.  I know this struggle is not usually a huge issue, but the question, "which country are you cheering for?" has been asked of me a few times these past couple of weeks.  My answer? I'm not picking one country, I'm cheering for all of 'my countries'.  Since South Africa did not make it to Sochi this year, that's one less country at least.  So the countries I have been cheering on are the United States, Belgium, Paraguay, and Taiwan.

Then other night I decided to make sugar cookies and I thought, "what better way to represent the countries I am supporting than in the form of sugar cookies?"  Here are the results of my night of baking with my mother's sugar cookie recipe that I used (I have converted all the measurements into metrics as well, for my my international friends).

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

1/3 c. butter, softener (76 g.)
1/3 c. shortening (76 g.)
3/4 c. sugar (150 g.)
1 tsp. baking powder (5 ml.)
dash of salt
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract (5 ml.)
2 c. all-purpose flour (250 g.)

In a medium bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder and salt.  Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Cover; chill for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  On a lightly floured surface roll a portion of the dough at a time until dough is 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick.  Cut dough using cookie cutters.  Place cutouts on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned.  Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute.  Transfer cookies to wire racks. Cool

Icing

For the icing I simply added a little bit of water to powdered sugar until I got a think icing and added food coloring to it.

United States

Belgium

Taiwan

Paraguay

Final Result

Other than the taste (yummy), the thing I really like about sugar cookies is that you can get pretty much as creative and artistic as your heart desires.  Feel free to comment and share pictures of your own sugar cookies. Enjoy! :)

Yummy Steamed Buns

Hello again!

Today I woke up and decided that I wanted to make some steamed buns.  I've made them a couple of times before and  although they tasted ok, neither my husband or I were too crazy about them.  This time, I decided to try and make my buns better.  Steamed buns are something that my husband grew up eating all the time, mostly for breakfast or as a snack.  Because he is accustomed to his mother's bread, I hated to disappoint again.

All that to say, this time I was quite pleased with my changes and even my husband thought they tasted good.  Store bought frozen steamed buns do still taste a little better and sweeter, but I would rather make them myself for cheaper.  Although I do not intend to make this a food blog, I thought that I would share my recipe and some pictures with you all.

So, here you go.

Steamed Buns

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour 
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 1/2 tsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cup water (use room-temperature, not cold)

* For these buns, I used all purpose flour and they came out pretty good. But talking to my mother-in-law today, she says that using Hong Kong flour (you can find it at asian grocery stores) makes the color and texture better.

Instructions:

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  
2. Slowly add water and stir contents until the mixture thickens into chunks.
3. Next use your hands to knead the chunks into smooth dough.
4. Set dough in large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to sit until it doubles in size.
5. Remove dough from bowl and cut into about 10 pieces (or according to your preference).
6. I place my buns on wax paper to prevent the bottom of the buns from getting soggy. 
7. Boil water and steam the buns for about 15 minutes over high heat (or steam them in the rice cooker like I did).
8. Take the buns out, and enjoy either warm or cold.

Just a few ingredients are needed

My dough after it rose

My dough separated into buns, I didn't divide them very equally so I only got 9 this time

Finished product. They were yummy too. We ate them with dried pork.

Enjoy!