Fudgey Banana Brownies

I recently learned about freezing ripened bananas for later use. So whenever we end up with bananas that we don't eat up, they end up in my freezer. With that said, I have a lot of browned bananas stocked up in my freezer already. So when I noticed that I had 2 more bananas browning up, I had to think of something to do with them quickly. So I wouldn't have to add to my collection of frozen ones.

Luckily, Beantown Baker, one of my favorite blogs, has dedicated this whole week to banana recipes. Her recipe the other day for Fudgey Banana Brownies caught my eye. I once had a banana flavored chocolate cake at a friend's baby shower and I remembered how much I loved it. So I thought this recipe would be a nice duplicate to that cake.

I'm not sure if I did something wrong. Maybe its due to the fact that this recipe doesn't require eggs. But the brownie was rather dry. Not the soft and chewy brownie I'm accustomed to. The flavor was great, but I just wasn't happy with the texture. Not sure if I'll be making this one again.

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 medium bananas, mashed

2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 35o deg F. Lightly grease a 8 x 8 baking pan.

2) In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

3) In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, shortening, sugar, brown sugar on medium speed until light and creamy. Add bananas and vanilla and beat until well combined. Set the speed to low and add dry ingredients. Continue beating until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

4) Press batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick test comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

Giada's Balsamic Chicken Drumettes

I guess the Neapolitan Layer Cake I made for my daughter's Easter/birthday (that took me two days to make) had wore me out. I've been sick with a cold since then. And I've only been at work for one day. So I've been home most of the week nursing this cold. Its been around 80 degrees here in the San Fernando Valley, but I've been walking around the house bundled up in sweats. This cold has hit me kind of hard. Therefore, not much has happened in my kitchen. Today, I'm feeling a little better that I managed to take my daughter out for a bike ride around the neighborhood in this warm weather. Then the idea of what to make for lunch popped in my head.

I was watching one of Giada de Laurentiis' cooking show on the Food Network over the weekend and she made these delicious looking Balsamic Chicken Drumettes. I've seen this recipe circle around the blogosphere as well. I had all the ingredients it needed, so I decided to make this our quick lunch for today and it came out pretty good. Since this recipe called for honey and sugar, the marinade turned black when it cooked in the oven. So I would probably reduce the temperature a bit so that it doesn't burn. But the flavors blended really well. I think I'll be making this again with some modifications.

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp. dried rosemary

5 cloves garlic, crushed

10-12 chicken drumettes

2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1) Preheat oven to 450 deg F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2) Combine balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary, and garlic in a freezer bag and blend well. Add chicken and massage the marinade into chicken. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

3) Place chicken on baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, until skin is caramelized and dark in some spots.

4) Simmer the remaining marinade in a saucepan over medium heat until it thickens like syrup. Brush syrup on cooked chicken. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and top with fresh parsley.

Neapolitan Layer Cake

Happy Easter!!! And of course, Happy 3rd birthday to my sweet baby girl! I can't believe how time flies. Because today is Easter, we decided to celebrate my daughter's birthday next weekend. So we'll be taking her to the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland. However, we still wanted to commemorate her special day. So aside from the festivities of Easter and the Easter Egg Hunt, I wanted to make something special for her. I came across this Neapolitan Layer Cake from Annie's Eats about 2 months ago. The first thing I thought when I saw this was how beautiful the cake looked and how my daughter would love it because its pink! I had to make it a point to make it for her birthday.

This was quite a complicated recipe that consisted of 5 components: the chocolate cake, the vanilla cake, the strawberry cake, the vanilla buttercream that went in between the layers, and finally the strawberry buttercream that topped off the cake. When I studied the recipe, I started to get intimidated. So I wanted to do some sort of practice run by making the strawberry portion of this cake and made them into Strawberry Cupcakes. When the cupcakes turned out well, I became relieved and even more excited to make the cake.

It actually took me 2 days to make this cake. One day was used to bake the cakes and layer the cakes with the vanilla buttercream. The other day was used to frost the whole thing. I tackled the cakes by baking them all at the same time because the temperature and amount of time it required to bake were the same. And then I used a lot of butter for both buttercreams. So this cake is, by no means, for the diet-conscious. Like me and hubby. But it was for our daughter. So a few more calories won't hurt.

I was very pleased with the way the cake turned out. It looked so pretty with all the different layers of cake. I'm not a cake decorator, so the cake did have a few rough edges as far as the exterior appearance, but it was still delicious. It was well received by everyone who had it. The birthday girl didn't have much of the cake. She was busy with the Easter Egg Hunt and all the gifts she received today. But I hope someday she'll appreciate all the little things I do for her. Happy Birthday, my little munchkin! I love you ♥

Chocolate Cake

3/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

6 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 large egg

1/2 cup black coffee

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1) Grease and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of round parchment/wax paper.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, oil and egg. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated. Blend in coffee, buttermilk, and vanilla extract just until smooth. Add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Pour into prepared baking pan and set aside while making the other cakes.

White Cake

2 large egg whites

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup very cold water

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1) Grease and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of round parchment/wax paper.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to medium high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer eggs into another bowl and set aside.

3) In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine sugar and butter and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Lower the mixer to low speed and beat in dry ingredients just until incorporated. Blend in water, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients just until incorporated. With a silicone spatula, stir in about a quarter of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until the batter is smooth and no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and set aside.

Strawberry Cake

1 1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 packet of strawberry gelatin

1 stick butter at room temperature

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup sweetened strawberry puree (fresh or frozen strawberry that is pureed and sweetened with a little sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of round parchment/wax paper.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, butter and strawberry gelatin. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat eggs into the sugar mixture, one at a time , mixing well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Blend in the milk and vanilla extract. Add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Blend in the strawberry puree.

3) Pour batter into prepared pan. Place pans with chocolate, white and strawberry cake batter in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cakes are done when toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen from the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack to cook completely. Once cakes have completely cooled cut the cake horizontally into 2 thin layers. Set aside.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

pinch of salt

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1) In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter on medium-high until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add vanilla extract and continue beating for another 15 seconds. Lower the speed to medium-low and slowly add confectioner's sugar and salt until most of the sugar is moistened. Add cream and beat on medium-high until it becomes light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically as needed.

1) Combine egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently , until mixture reaches 160 deg F and sugar has dissolved.

2) Transfer mixture into bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes (mixing bowl should be cool to touch).

3) Reduce speed to medium and add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer. It will eventually come together). Blend in strawberry puree until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

To assemble cake

1) Place one of the cake layers on the bottom of a cake board or cake platter. Top with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream. Place a layer of strawberry cake on top and top with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream. Place a layer of white cake on top and top with another thin layer of vanilla buttercream. Repeat the process with the remaining strawberry and then chocolate cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the strawberry buttercream. Transfer the remaining strawberry buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip for detailing as desired.

Tuna Casserole

Its the last Lenten Friday of the year and I ran out of ideas on what to make for dinner that didn't require any meat. We already had pasta with Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce for lunch today. I love spaghetti, but not much to want to eat it everyday. We've had this pasta dish twice this week. So the only option left to make is another tuna dish. As you may remember, I wasn't too happy with the last Tuna Noodle Casserole I made last week. A co-worker of mine emailed me and told me how seeing my casserole reminded her of her mom's. So she gave me a similar recipe that uses potato chips as the topping. I was intrigued with the potato chips. So it gave me the idea to use it on my next attempt at a Tuna Casserole. Thanks for the idea, Bonnie!

I remember a recipe I came across that used Alfredo sauce in the Tuna Casserole. I thought this was finally the recipe that would replicate the Tuna Helper I loved to eat when I was kid. So I decided to modify that recipe and incorporate some of the elements from my co-worker's recipe to make my own version of Tuna Casserole. This recipe would've been awesome if I had used a better quality Alfredo sauce. Maybe even a homemade Alfredo Sauce. That's why I never like using bottled Alfredo sauce. Other than that, this was a great recipe that hubby loved. So I'll be making this one again with better Alfredo sauce.

1/2 lb. shell pasta (cooked al dente)

1 jar prepared Alfredo Sauce

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

salt to taste

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup canned corn

5 oz canned tuna

crushed potato chips for topping

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a casserole dish.

2) In a medium saucepan, heat Alfredo sauce to boiling. Add seasoning and continue boiling for another minute. Stir in pasta, peas corn and tuna until well incorporated. Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with crushed potato chips. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Oreo Cupcakes

I've volunteered myself to take on 3 baking projects all within a 3 week time span. The first is this Neapolitan Layer Cake for my daughter's Easter/Birthday weekend next week. The next are 2 dozen cupcakes to serve at hubby's presentation at the hospital he's interning at, which is in about 2 weeks. And finally, about 200 mini cupcakes for hubby's pinning ceremony in about 3 weeks. Yeah, I think I've got my work cut out for me. So in order for me to tackle these projects, I plan on doing test runs beforehand.

I started with the Strawberry Cupcakes I made yesterday to test the strawberry cake portion of the Neapolitan Cake. For hubby's presentation at the hospital, he requested I make banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. So I'm planning on making my Bananas Foster Cupcake. But I also wanted to make another type of cupcake. Hubby said they always have Red Velvet Cupcakes at the hospital. So that idea is out. But I know that I wanted to do some type of a chocolate cupcake and found this Oreo Cupcake recipe from Beantown Baker. There were a lot of Cookies & Cream cupcake recipes that I came across but decided on this particular one because of the cream cheese frosting. Hubby's favorite. And the idea went well with hubby. So I decided to test this recipe out today. The cupcakes turned out delicious. The original recipe called for sprinkling crushed Oreos on top of the frosting, but I decided to mix it in the frosting. However, you have to be careful and crush all the cookies because large chunks will get stuck in the frosting tip. Overall, I think these cupcakes will do well at his presentation. Now as for the 200 mini cupcakes for the pinning ceremony? I'm still thinking about that one.

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour, plus 2 Tbsp. for Oreo chunks

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 2/3 cup sugar

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 package Oreo cookies

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line muffin tin with 24 cupcake liners. Twist apart 24 Oreo cookies. Place the side of the wafer the with filling on it in each cupcake liner (filling side up). Crush the other half of wafer and set aside.

Cut the remaining Oreo cookies into 1/8th pieces. Toss the cookie pieces in 2 tablespoon of flour. Set aside.

2) In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another large bowl, cream butter until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add milk and vanilla and mix to combine.

3) Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until well combined. Add sugar. Continue mixing on low speed for about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add egg whites and beat for another 2 minutes. Fold in Oreo chunks.

4) Pour batter into prepared cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Cookies & Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

3-4 cups confectioner's sugar (or more depending on consistency)

crushed Oreo cookies

1) Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, slowly add confectioner's sugar until you reach the desired consistency. Fold in crushed Oreos. Frost completely cooked cupcake and garnish with more crushed Oreos on top (optional).

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

I found this great Neapolitan Layer Cake from Annie's Eats that I thought would be a great Easter/Birthday cake for my daughter's birthday next weekend. The layer cake had different components in it with the vanilla white, chocolate, and strawberry cakes. I wanted to test out one of the cake recipes before diving into the huge task of baking the 3 different cakes. I decided to test out the strawberry cake and make them into cupcakes. And besides, I had a huge bag of frozen strawberries in the fridge that I wanted to use.

This cupcake tasted super yummy. Especially if you're a huge fan of strawberries and the color pink, like my daughter. She loved decorating this cupcake with me. I'm so looking forward to making the Neapolitan Layer cake next week and combine all the yummy flavors of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

1 1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 oz strawberry gelatin

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup sweetened strawberry puree

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. (Note: If making a round cake, grease and flour a 9-inch round pan. Place a round piece of wax paper on the bottom of the pan)

2) In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to blend and set aside.

3) In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, butter, and strawberry gelatin. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat the eggs into the sugar mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4) Set the mixer on low and add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until incorporated. Add milk and vanilla extract. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Blend in the strawberry puree.

5) Pour batter into prepared pan (about 2/3 full in the muffin pan). Bake 20-25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through bake time, until toothpick test comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

4 large egg whites

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup strawberry puree

1) Combine egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently , until mixture reaches 160 deg F and sugar has dissolved.

2) Transfer mixture into bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes (mixing bowl should be cool to touch).

3) Reduce speed to medium and add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer. It will eventually come together). Blend in strawberry puree until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Frost cooled cake.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I've had this recipe bookmarked from the Betty Crocker website for a few months and had planned on making it for a Friday Lent. Tuna casserole is one of those comfort foods that everyone seemed to reminisce about when they were kids, but its something I've never really had. Unless you count Hamburger Helper/Tuna Helper, which I had often when I was a kid. So I've been dying to make something similar to flavors of the Tuna Helper I've grown to love.

I've had the ingredients ready for about a week and I've finally got around to making it tonight. The original recipe required leek soup mix, but I replaced it with onion soup mix. This version came out okay. But nothing to write home about. It was rather bland, in my opinion. The scent of onion from the onion soup mix was rather strong, which didn't seem appealing at first. But after having the first bite, it wasn't as bad as I thought. However, this wasn't the tuna noodle casserole recipe I was looking for. I guess my quest will continue.

8 oz uncooked linguine or spaghetti

1 cup frozen broccoli florets

1 package onion soup mix

1 1/2 cups milk

black pepper to taste

1 (5 oz) can tuna, drained

2 Tbsp. chopped drained roasted bell peppers

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 plain bread crumbs

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a 8-inch square (2 quart) pan. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Add frozen broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cook time. Drain.

2) In a saucepan, mix together milk and onion soup mix. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Season with black pepper.

3) Add pasta, broccoli, tuna, and roasted peppers to soup mixture. Gently stir to mix well. Spoon into prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Crockpot Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

Pho (pronounced fuh) is a Vietnamese Noodle Soup. The first time I had Pho was a few years ago when a couple of co-workers of mine suggested we have it for lunch. It never really appealed to me before, but I was always up for trying something new. So I went along and I have to admit that I was a bit intimidated. Then my co-workers recommended I try the beef brisket Pho. They showed me which condiments to use and how to eat it and I was hooked. It was the perfect meal for that chilly day and it totally hit the spot.

I don't have Pho often because soup, as per hubby, isn't filling for him. But Pho restaurants are popping up all over the area with clever names like Good Pho You and Pho King (yeah, I got a laugh outta that one too). I once attempted to make Pho a few years ago. The original recipe required me to leave the broth to boil over low heat overnight. But fearing that I may burn the house down, I decided to slow cook it in the Crock Pot instead. It came out okay, but not pho-bulous (lol). So I never tried to make it again because I figured I should leave pho-making to the experts. Then I recently came across this Crock Pot Pho recipe from Steamy Kitchen that inspired me to make it again. And plus, I've been craving it for a while.

The Crock Pot Pho came out pretty well. However, it was hard to season the broth after cooking because it was really too hot to taste. So I had to play with the fish sauce and guess the taste. Overall, the dish was okay. I even got my daughter to eat it (minus the raw meat in it, of course).

Broth

4 lbs. beef bones

1/2 onion

4 inch section of ginger, sliced

2 cinnamon sticks

2 tsp. whole coriander seeds

1 tsp. fennel

3 whole star anise

3 whole cloves

1 cardamom pod

9 cups water

2 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce, or to taste

1 tsp. sugar

16 oz dried noodles, cooked according to package directions

1/2 lb. flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round steak, sliced as thinly as possible

lime wedges

cilantro, Thai basil, mint

2 hand fulls of bean sprouts

hoisin sauce

Sriracha chili sauce

1) Bring a large stock pot with water to boil over high heat. When it comes to a rolling boil, add beef bones and boil vigorously for 10 minutes.

2) In the meantime, heat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add spices and toast until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Dump the spices into the crock pot. Return frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add ginger slices and half of an onion. Cook until the ginger is browned on both sides and the onion half is nicely browned and softened. Add ginger and onion to the crock pot.

3) When the bones have pre-boiled, discard the bones and rinse briefly to clean. Add the bones to the crock pot and fill with water to just 1 1/2 inch below the surface of the bones. Add the fish sauce and sugar. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Taste and season with more fish sauce if needed. Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the solids.

4) To assemble the bowls, distribute noodles and thin steak among 4 bowls. Ladle hot pho broth in the bowls (the hot broth will cook the thin steak). Serve with lime wedges, cilantro/Thai basil/mint, and bean sprouts. Season with hoisin sauce and Sriracha chili sauce to taste.

White Chocolate Coconut Brownies

This recipe popped up on Food Buzz one day from Brown Eyed Baker and I immediately had to make it. I love anything that's white chocolate and coconut. It reminds of the flavors of the islands. And anytime it reminds me of Hawaii, it means its going to be a good recipe. This recipe almost became a disaster when I accidentally put 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar instead of just 1/2 cup. It became very sweet and the consistency of the brownie was soft. But I baked it a little longer to firm up and it became a moist and chewy brownie. I've posted the original recipe without my improvisation because I intend on making this again the way its supposed to be made. But the flavors were just what I had expected. Delicious. This made me an instant fan of the Brown Eyed Baker. However, this is not for the diet-conscious. It uses 2 sticks of butter, but it was so worth it.

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

11 ounces white chocolate chips

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

5 eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup shredded coconut

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment/wax paper.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Set aside.

3) Place white chocolate and butter in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan with simmering water, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and butter are melted and completely smooth. Turn off the heat but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined then remove the bowl from the pan. Let mixture cool to room temperature.

4) Add 3 eggs to the white chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this point or the brownies will be cakey.

5) Sprinkle flour and coconut over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold flour and coconut into the chocolate until just until a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

6) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely then lift out of the pan with the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Baked Chicken Kiev

I've been running out of ideas of what to make lately. I figured out that every time I go on a hiatus, it takes me a while to get back in the groove of cooking again. So I searched through a few of my favorite blogs and came across this recipe from What's Cookin' Chicago? The first and last time I had Chicken Kiev was a few years ago at my company Christmas party. The party was held at a Mediterranean banquet hall and they served a lot of food. But what stood out for me was the Chicken Kiev. And when I found this recipe, I was stoked. It brought back memories of that yummy chicken meal.

This recipe was originally adapted from Alton Brown's of The Food Network. This version, in my opinion, was better and healthier because it's baked as opposed to fried the way Alton Brown did. You have to pay close attention to the internal temperature of the chicken though. Mine came out slightly undercooked, so I cooked it longer than the original recipe. It also depends on how thick you pound the chicken to. I served this with some rice pilaf and a side of strawberry preserves the way it was served to me at the Christmas party. You can also use cranberry sauce. This came out so delicious and had burst of so much flavor from the melted herb butter in the middle. A friend surprised me with a visit this evening and I served her this meal and she was quite impressed with it. This recipe will definitely make it to my rotation.

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled for the coating

1 tsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp. fresh tarragon, finely chopped

1 tsp. garlic powder, plus more for seasoning

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1/4 tsp. black pepper, plus more for seasoning

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 eggs, beaten with 1 tsp. water

2 cups Panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) Combine the 1 stick of butter, parsley, tarragon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl of a stand mixer and whip together. Place mixture on a plastic wrap or wax paper and roll into a small log. Place in the freezer.

2) Place chicken breast, one at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Squirt chicken lightly with water and squirt the top of the plastic wrap as well. Pound chicken to no less than 1/8 inch thickness. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.

3) Lay flattened chicken breast on a new piece of plastic wrap. Place 1/5 of the compound butter and 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs on the center of the chicken breast. Using the plastic wrap to assist, fold in the ends of the breast and tightly roll the breast into a log, completely enclosing the butter. Repeat with each chicken breast. Refrigerate prepared chicken for 2 2 hours or overnight. Wrap up the remaining 1/5 of the compound butter to use for the breading.

4) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 deg F.

5) Place egg and water mixture into a dish. Melt the remaining 1/5 compound butter and add it to the 2 cups breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese into another dish. Stir the melted butter to the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese mixture to fully combine.

6) Dip chicken into egg mixture and then roll into buttered breadcrumb mixture. Gently place each chicken on a baking sheet, sealed side down. Bake until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 deg F. Serve hot with strawberry preserves of cranberry sauce.

*Note: You can freeze chicken for later use by placing them in a freezer bag or baking dish after coating. When ready to prepare, bake from frozen in a preheated oven at 350 deg F for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 deg F.

Marble Roll

I haven't posted anything new since last week. I got called on an emergency project at work that has me reporting to far away place every morning for 2 weeks. Baldwin Park, California. Its a 40 mile drive one way, as opposed to my 8 mile drive to my office. So yeah, that's far away. And because its so far away, I really don't have much time to plan for what to make for dinner. So I've resorted to leftovers and repeat recipes.

I woke up this morning itching to bake something new. I thought I would take a gander at making french macarons, which I've been dying to make. A little too complex for today. Then I remembered there was something in my dessert cookbook that I wanted to make - a Marble Roll. It looked pretty simple and I thought it would be a good recipe to get me out of this week-long hiatus. Well, it was pretty simple, and the concept was great. Unfortunately the end product didn't turn out as good as I expected. I was pretty disappointed with the way this cake turned out, so please excuse the photo. It doesn't look much like a roll. I tried my best to accentuate the best part of the cake, and it was hard to do that because there was no "best part." The cake was pretty dense and didn't have much flavor. I've perfected rolling my Pumpkin Roll, but rolling this marble roll was pretty difficult. The original instructions indicated to cool the cake before rolling. To make my pumpkin roll, I had to roll it before it cools to make for easy rolling. If I ever attempt to make this Marble roll again, I'll be sure to roll it the way I did for my pumpkin roll.

Cake

1 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 oz. semisweet chocolate, grated

1 oz. white chocolate, grated

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

Filling

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, plus more for garnish

1 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

1) Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Grease a 12 x 8 inch jelly roll pan, then line it with waxed paper.

2) Sift 1/2 cup of the flour with the cocoa into a bowl. Stir in grated semisweet chocolate. Sift the remaining 1/2 cup into another bowl. Stir in the grated white chocolate. Set aside.

3) With a hand mixer, beat eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a saucepan of boiling hot water. Continue beating mixture with the hand mixer until it holds its shape when the mixer is lifted, about 5-7 minutes.

4) Remove the bowl from the heat and transfer half of the mixture into a separate mixing bowl. Fold the white chocolate mixture into one portion of the egg mixture. Fold the semisweet chocolate mixture into the other egg mixture. Stir 1 tablespoon boiling water into each bowl to soften the mixtures.

5) Place alternate spoonfuls of the mixture in the prepared pan and swirl lightly together for a marbled effect. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until firm. Invert cake onto a sheet of wax paper. Cover with a damp dish towel and cool completely.

6) For the filling, beat butter, confectioner's sugar, cocoa and vanilla extract together in a bowl until smooth, then mix in the walnuts.

7) Uncover the cake, lift off the wax paper and spread the surface with the buttercream. Roll up carefully form the long side and place on a serving platter. Dust with confectioner's sugar or chocolate curls