Blueberry Muffins

Everyone agrees that Monday morning blues are the worst. So to start off the week on a great note I made blueberry muffins this morning and sure to say this is a morning staple that simply is too good to resist!

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 3/4 cups blueberries

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter the muffin tins, and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2.In the bowl stir butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, egg yolks, and vanilla; mix until well combined. Reduce speed to low; alternate adding reserved flour mixture and milk to mixer, beginning and ending with flour. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter among muffin tins. Bake until light golden, about 45 minutes for large muffins, about 30 minutes for small muffins. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Enjoy with a steaming cup of coffee and you are good to go for the rest of the week!

Vegetable Chowmein, Cabbage and Potato Cakes with Chicken Satay

This was last night's dinner and made from all the stuff that had been sitting inside the fridge for a while now. Some extra celery, cabbage, carrots and woala some vegetable chowmein! Another vegetable staple is potatoes---I know, I know it's not a vegetable but sometimes it reduces the guilt of consuming carbs. Better still, I mixed it up with some stir-fried cabbage into Latke style potato cake and it turned out to be a perfect side for the dinner entree. Plus I used the whole-wheat spaghetti for the noddles instead of the more starchy Asian noodles and it was good for a weeknight meal. Spruce it up if you will for a weekend dinner.

So here are the recipes:

Ingredients

* 2 large carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into matchstick-size pieces
* 8 ounces Spaghetti pasta/noodles
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 3 sticks of celery thinly chopped
* 1 red bell pepper sliced/ chopped
* 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 6 large shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
* 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
* 1/2 cup hot sauce
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons honey
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 green onions, thinly sliced


Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until the onions are lightly browned. Add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, red bell pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the broth, hot sauce, soy sauce, and honey. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until slightly reduced and thick, about 2 minutes. Add the noodles and mix it all in. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the chowmein to a large bowl and garnish with the green onions before serving.

Potato and Cabbage Cakes:
Ingredients:

1/2 cup boiled and smashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

PREPARATION:

1. Mix potatoes, cabbage, salt and pepper in medium bowl.
2. Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high.
3. Scoop and roll the batter into a ball and dip it gently into a bowl of whicked egg and then roll on some breadcrumbs till its fully covered. Gently place in skillet. Repeat with second pancake.
4. When batter begins to sizzle, gently press down with spatula to flatten into pancakes that are 1/2 inch thick and about 4 inches in diameter. Cook until pancake browns on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn pancakes. Cook on second side until pancake browns, 4 to 5 minutes.
These go nicely with some hot sauce!

Now for the Chicken Satay:

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons curry powder
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, curry powder, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and refrigerate. Let the chicken marinate at least 2 hours, overnight is best.
2. Preheat a grill to high heat.
3. Weave the chicken onto skewers, then grill for 5 minutes per side.
4. Serve the chicken satay with peanut sauce (made with peanut butter, soy sauce and hot pepper sauce).

Raspberry Cheesecake

CRUST:
• 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

• FILLING:
• 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon raspberry jelly
• 1 cup raspberries, preferably fresh
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine Graham cracker crumbs and butter well.
Press onto bottom and slightly up sides of a 9" springform pan.
Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and frothy.
Add the flour and then add the eggs one at a time while gently mixing the batter.
Pour in the vanilla essence.
Pour batter into crust.
Bake for 32-40 minutes till the sides are golden brown but the center is still a bit shaky.
Keep the cake on a cooling stand and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Stir the raspberry jelly on low flame till it’s smooth and all the lumps are melted. Gently add in the fresh raspberries
Pour gently atop the cheesecake or layer them out in a single layer around the edges of the cake.

Dali Chicken (courtesy P.F Chang's)

I just loved this dish at Chang's but unfortunately they took it off the menu. It was really hot and spicy and I decided to try and make my version of it at home. I found this recipe online from another fan of the dish.I tweaked the recipe for my taste a bit but the results were great---try this dish--it's hot, yummy and oh so easy to make.

Ingredients:
2 yukon gold potatoes
3 chicken breast fillets
6-8 dry red chillies
1tsp of corn starch
3 tbsp of hot sauce
3 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste.

Method:

Cut the 2 yukon gold potatoes cut up in thin slices then cut in half (so they looked like half moons.)
Saute them in a pan with some sesame oil and vegetable oil and some dried red chillies. Cook them in two batches and until they are somewhat browned. Drain them on paper towels and salt to taste.
Cut up 3 chicken breasts into cubes and season with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste.
Saute the chicken quickly on high heat until just cooked. Lower heat to medium and add the chili paste mixture (recipe below) or the Sriracha hot sauce if you can find it at the store. Add the soy sauce and a tsp of corn starch mixed into it. Throw the potatoes back in the pan and toss the mixture until nicely coated.Take it off when the potatoes and the chicken are done, approx. 6-8minutes.

Recipe for Red Hot Chili sauce:
* 1 3/4 pounds red jalapeño peppers, stems removed and halved lengthwise
* 3 cloves garlic
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder, plus more as needed
* 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more as needed
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
* 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
* 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar, plus more as needed
* Water, as needed

Procedure:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the peppers, garlic, garlic powder, granulated sugar, salt, and brown sugar. Pulse until a coarse puree forms. Transfer to a glass jar, seal, and store at room temperature for 7 days, stirring daily.
After 1 week, pour the chili mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the vinegar and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool, then puree in a food processor for 2 to 3 minutes, until a smooth, uniform paste forms. If the mixture is too thick to blend properly, feel free to adjust the consistency with a small amount of water.
Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Press on the solids with the back of a spoon to squeeze out every last bit of goodness you’ve been waiting a week to get. Adjust the seasoning and consistency of the final sauce, adding additional vinegar, water, salt, granulated sugar, or garlic powder to suit your taste. Transfer to a glass jar, seal, and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Toasted Sesame Bread Sticks

Ingredients

1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water (105 F to 115 F)
1 envelope active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups bread flour
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons dark Asian sesame seeds


Topping:
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted


Method:
1. Stir honey into 1/4 cup warm water in small bowl. Sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Combine bread and all-purpose flours, sugar, salt and 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds in large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture, remaining 3/4 cup warm water and sesame oil. Stir until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place until doubled in volume, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Punch dough down. Let rest 5 minutes. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into 16 x 9-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife and beginning at a long side, cut dough into sixteen 1-inch-wide strips. Dust 2 baking sheets with cornmeal. Transfer breadsticks to pans.
5. Topping: Brush sticks with egg white. Sprinkle with salt and sesame seeds. Cover with clean dish towel. Let rise until doubled in volume, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake breadsticks for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and hard on outside. Serve warm.

Spicy Chicken and Shrimp Noodles

Ingredients

* 1 packet of Chinese egg noodles(cooked and drained)
* 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons peanut/sesame oil
* 2 tsp Kosher salt
* 3 tbsp oyster sauce
* 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
* 2 tsp cornstarch
* 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 6 ounces), cut into thin 2-inch-long strips
* 1/2 lb 30-41 ct shrimp
* 1 teaspoon dark Asian sesame oil
* 1 heaping tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 scallion, white and green minced
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
* 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
* 10 dried shittake mushrooms, rehydrated, drained, and thinly sliced
* 1/3 cup thinly sliced canned water chestnuts
* 6 ounces fresh mung bean sprouts
* 3 cups cooked white rice, hot

Method:

Heat 1/4 cup of the peanut oil in a large seasoned or non-stick skillet over high heat. Stir fry the shrimp and season with salt to taste. Set aside. Discard any excess oil and wipe out the pan.

Whisk together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a small bowl, and set aside. Stir fry the chicken with the dark sesame oil, salt, and pepper, and set aside.

Heat the skillet over high heat. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil until very hot. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallion and stir-fry, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onion, celery, and mushrooms and stir-fry, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the water chestnuts and spread the ingredients to the outside of the pan to form a well in the center. Stir in the shrimp, chicken,bean sprouts and finally the noodles. Make sure all the ingredients are blended well. Remove from the heat. Serve hot.

Table Settings

Whether it's a laid-back picnic or lively dinner party, forget about setting a serious table. After all, it's summer and that's the perfect excuse to dish out a table that's drenched with color and wild with pattern. Since we have only a few months of reliable warm weather each year, why not make the most of them and create a special place in your kitchen for summertime dining and entertaining? With a little imagination, even the daily mundane stuff can make an interesting table setting. A plate of green artichokes as the centerpiece; three colored jars filled with water and floating tea-candles; a antique lamp/lantern; some twigs from a tree on a nice tablecloth---all add the touch of the unexpected. Bon Appetit!