Chocolate Frosting

It's my brother's birthday today. The other day when I was picking up my daughter from my parents' house after work, I guess my brother was hinting to my daughter by asking her what cupcake she would make for his birthday (because everyone knows that my she always bakes with me). I guess he wants us to make him some cupcakes. So she asked him what kind of cupcake he wanted and he said to surprise her. On our way home that afternoon, I asked my daughter what kind of cupcake she wanted to make for her Ninong, and she said chocolate. Perfect! I have been wanting to try out this new recipe for a basic Chocolate Frosting from Annie's Eats. And keeping with the tradition of making chocolate cake for my brother on his birthdays, it was perfect timing.

I used my go-to Chocolate Cake recipe to pair with this frosting and I think this combination fared better than the frosting I normally make with the chocolate cake. It was creamier and more indulgent. I think I'll be using this frosting more often.

9.5 oz chocolate chips (bittersweet, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate chips)
6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
pinch of sat
2/3 cup sour cream

1) Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over pot of simmering water (double boiler). Set aside to cool until just barely warm.

2) In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter over medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Gradually add in confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Beat in melted and cooled chocolate and then sour cream. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and well blended. Frost cupcakes immediately before chocolate hardens and frosting sets.

Baked Korean (Fried) Chicken

As promised, I finally tackled the task of making my favorite Korean Fried Chicken. However, this recipe isn't technically fried. I used my recipe for Baked Crispy Chicken Wings instead of double frying the chicken to obtain the extra crunchy texture I love about Korean Fried Chicken, but a little healthier. And I used the Roasted Garlic Soy Glaze recipe I found from Food Republic as the glaze for the chicken. The result is this crunchy, garlicky, finger-lickin' goodness. This recipe uses a ton of garlic. So if you don't like garlic, or are worried about kissing someone after this meal, this isn't for you. But if you really want to ward off some vampires and love Korean Fried Chicken, you have to give this a try. This makes a lot of sauce, so you can use whatever you need for your chicken and save the rest in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for use whenever you want to feed your Korean Fried Chicken craving.

prepared Baked Crispy Chicken wings, keep warm
1 cup pureed roasted garlic (see note below)
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
2 cups chicken broth
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1) Dissolve sugar in white wine. Pour wine mixture, soy sauce and chicken broth in a medium saucepan. Whisk in pureed roasted garlic. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Once it begins to simmer, lower heat to medium-low. Continue simmering until the sauce has reduced to about half and has thickened a bit, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

2)  Take about 1/4 cup of the sauce and toss with the prepared chicken wings to coat. Let sit for about 2 minutes for the chicken to absorb the sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds for garnish and serve immediately. Store remaining sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

**Note: To make roasted garlic, cut off about a quarter of the top of the bulb of garlic. Drizzle oil on exposed garlic cloves and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Wrap garlic bulb loosely in foil and roast in the oven, preheated at 400 deg F, for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then squeeze the cloves out of its casings. 


This recipe requires about 10-12 bulbs of garlic. 

Snickerdoodle

"I'm Debbie Dooley. How ya doooen?"

If you're like me and my daughter, you'll know that that line came from the Disney show,  Good Luck Charlie.  My daughter will even recite that whole scene to a T for you. That line came out of an episode where the mom, Amy Duncan, was imitating her neighbor, Debbie Dooley, while making Snickerdoodles. My daughter and I (and secretly, so does hubby) love that show. But I don't think I've ever had a snickerdoodle before.

On our way home from a trip to Palm Springs this weekend, my daughter asked if we could bake cookies. First she asked for Chocolate Chip Cookies, then she asked for sugar cookies. But I kind of wanted to try out a new cookie recipe. So I agreed with sugar cookies. With a twist. Why not make a Snickerdoodle like Debbie Dooley did?

A quick search to my go-to blogs lead me to this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker. Snickerdoodle is a supped-up version of a sugar cookie with a cinnamon flavor. And it is delicious, especially right out of the oven. Its also a great cookie to use for ice cream sandwiches. Soft and chewy, just the way I like my cookies. Mmmmmm!!!!

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. sugar

1) Line baking sheets with parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3) Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add in the flour mixture, beating on low speed just until the flour is blended. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

4) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

5) Using a small ice cream/cookie scoop, scoop chilled dough and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture to coat. Place on cookie sheet, spacing the dough balls about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. (Chill cookie dough and baking sheets between batches). Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. Transfer on a cooling rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Tangerine Beef Stir Fry

I'll just get right to the point. This dish was so awesome and so flavorful. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised how well this dish came out because it came out of Spark Recipes, which means diet food, which means bland, right? No way! This was soooo good! Who knew that Asian food would taste this good using only a few ingredients? It literally only took a few ingredients and you can use practically any vegetable to stir-fry with. And the end product is this orangey-delicious dish that tastes just as good as any other take-out Chinese food.

2-3 tangerines
1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 lb beef, cut into thin strips
5 Tbsp. oil
1 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. grated ginger

1) Zest 1 tangerine and set aside. Juice tangerine to equal 1/2 cup of juice. Stir in sherry/wine and hoisin sauce and set aside. Place beef strips in a medium bowl. Add soy sauce and sprinkle cornstarch. Massage the meat so the that it is well coated with the soy sauce and cornstarch. Set aside.

2) Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, ginger, and orange zest. Cook, stirring frequently until vegetables are tender-crisp. Transfer to a large bowl.

3) Heat an additional 2 tablespoon to the skillet. Add half of the beef and stir fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the vegetables. Repeat with the remaining beef.

4) Add juice mixture to the skillet and cook until boiling, about 1 minute. Return vegetables and beef to the skillet and continue cooking until heated through. Serve with steamed rice.

Juicy Lucy Burger

Happy Memorial Day! Let's not forget those who have lost their lives for this great country of ours. But did you know that its also National Hamburger Day? I didn't either. It just happened to pop up on my Facebook page from Betty Crocker (yeah, I'm fan of Betty Crocker on Facebook. Wut of it?). I had planned on making burgers today anyway. But what a great reason to make them.

I was looking for hamburger ideas to make for this weekend from What's Cookin' Chicago? and found this recipe for a Juicy Lucy. I've heard of a stuffed burger being called a Juicy Lucy before on the Food Network. I haven't made my Stuffed Burger in a while. And even then, I used ready-made hamburger patties. I've always wanted to make the burgers from scratch. So this recipe was perfect. This burger was dangerously delicious. Nice and juicy, with a surprise in the center. I've definitely found a new way to make stuffed burgers. So in honor of Memorial Day and National Hamburger Day, I now introduce you to the Juicy Lucy!

1 lb. ground beef (the more fat, the better)
1 large egg
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 cup shredded cheese
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Hamburger buns
sliced red onions
lettuce
sliced tomatoes

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, and all the seasonings. Mix well using your hands to thoroughly combine. Divide and shape into 4 patties. Set aside.

2) Take one patty and create a large well in the center. Fill the well with about 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese. Top with 1/4 Tbsp. of the butter. Fold the meat over the cheese to completely cover the cheese. Re-shape into a patty. Repeat with the other patties.

3) Grill burgers to desired doneness. Try not to work the meat too much. Don't worry, some cheese may leak out. Place on hamburger buns and top with your favorite toppings.

Banana Crumb Cake

I've bookmarked this recipe for almost a year from Southern Plate. I've also saved up a bunch of frozen bananas in the hopes of finally making it. Well, I looked at my freezer full of bananas and I figured I better start using them.

I usually have my go-to Banana Bread recipe. But I felt that it was missing some "umph." I've always loved any loaf cakes with a crumb topping on it. And so when I found this recipe, I wanted to give it a try. Its a pretty straightforward recipe and the end product has become my new go-to recipe for a banana bread fix. This was delicious with that the extra flair of crunchy crumb topping.

Cake
2 cups sugar
3 ripe bananas
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Crumb topping
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup flour
1 cup (light or dark) brown sugar, lightly packed

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease 2 loaf or 8x8 pans. Set aside

2) Place peeled bananas in a bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar. Beat on low-medium speed until bananas are liquefied, about 1-2 minutes.

3) Add butter and continue beating until creamed together with the banana mixture, about 2 minutes. (Note: there will be small lumps of butter in the mixture).

4) Add remaining ingredients and continue beating until well combined. Set aside.

5) In a medium bowl, place all ingredients for the crumb topping. Cut together using a fork or 2 knives until you get a crumbly mixture.

6) Pour 1/4 of the mixture to each of the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1/4 of the crumb topping on top of each pan with the batter. Pour remaining batter on top of each pan, and sprinkle the remaining crumb topping . Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until toothpick test comes out clean.

Chex Mix

I've been eating packaged Chex Mix for as long as I can remember. Its a great snack with lots of flavor. I also remember hearing that it was just as easy to open a bag of Chex Mix as it was to make it. But I don't know why I've never made it before. I've made other Chex snacks from Chex cereal, like Monkey Munch (aka Puppy Chow), and recently, Chex Lemon Buddies (which the recipe I got from the back of the box). The traditional Chex Mix recipe was also on the back of the box, and I had some cereal left over from so I decided to make some today. I can honestly say that these were totally better than the packaged stuff. Its nice and buttery and crunchy and fresh.

3 cups Corn Chex cereal
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup bite-size pretzels
1 cup garlic flavor bite size bagel chips, broken in to small pieces
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder

1) Preheat oven to 250 deg F.

2) In a large bowl, mix together the cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Pour sauce over the cereal mixture and stir until evenly coated.

3) Spread prepared cereal mix on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread Chex mix on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

Mongolian Chicken

I've been doing pretty good as far as making healthy recipes lately from Spark recipes. So far, I think this is my favorite recipe that came out of that website. Its a very easy recipe that only required about 10 ingredients and approximately less than 20 minutes to cook. Who could use a quick recipe like this? Me, of course. Along with many other busy and working moms out there. I was a little skeptical about the flavor of this dish because it only required very few ingredients. I figured it might end up bland again, but it is so far from that. This dish had a sweet and savory flavor that reminds me of many take-out meals. One good tip in making this dish is to make sure the chicken is still slightly frozen for easy slicing of the chicken. You'll end up with nice, thinly sliced chicken. Hubby really enjoyed this one, so I'm definitely making this quick and easy meal again.

2 boneless, skinless chicken, still slightly frozen
2-3 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar, slightly packed
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. water
chopped green onions for garnish

1) Cut chicken into thin slices. Heat a skillet to medium low and add chicken. Cook chicken until no longer pink.

2) While chicken is cooking, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add grated ginger and crushed garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Stir in soy sauce, water and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

3) In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water  and whisk together to make a slurry. Whisk slurry into sauce. Add sauce mixture into the skillet with the chicken. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens. Top with green onions (or broccoli would also go well) and serve with steamed white rice.