Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops by Rachel

Growing up in an asian household, I had pork often.  Now that I'm making food choices for myself, I try not to indulge in too much pork just to keep my meals low fat and to give myself room for the desserts and baked goods that I love so much, but every now and then, I just want a nice pork chop.  Pork chops aren't always my first choice because if not cooked right, pork chops can be very dry.  I'm not the kind of girl that eats apple sauce with my pork chops so I need my pork chops to be sweet and juicy on their own.  What's the secret?

BRINING.  Brining means that you're marinating the meat in a salty solution overnight.  It traps in flavors into the pork chop and keeps the meat moist.  Know that if you want to make this recipe you will need at least a day because the pork needs to brine OVERNIGHT.

Ingredients for the Brine- Per Pork Chop (I bought two bone-in pork chops that were about 1/2 lb each)

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1/2  teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
canola oil for cooking

My Favorite Pizza by Rachel

With all the snow that's hit New York, I haven't been able to get to my favorite pizza joint in NY- Paulie Gee's.  They are a great pizza joint in Greenpoint and they make wonderful neapolitan style pizzas.  Feeling the cabin fever come on, I decided to do some research about how to get that pizza at home.

I've always kind of stayed away from making breads because of the long wait times needed for bread doughs to rise properly.  Pizza dough research will tell you that the wait time is necessary.  And they're right.  You have to let it ferment overnight.  While there are quick-fix recipes out there, I found that almost all recipes called for overnight fermentation.  So I did that.

I don't have a pizza stone either so I was a little worried that I might not get that crust that I wanted, but I have a solution for you!  Let me take you on my pizza journey, starting with the ingredients:

Really, this is all you need.

Ingredients
For the pizza dough (makes two 12 inch pizzas)
2 cups bread flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup water

For toppings
1 can crushed tomatoes (you can buy whole peeled tomatoes, but you'll just end up crushing them yourself)
mozzarella, however much you want!  8 oz is probably enough, but if you want more, do it up!
fresh basil
any other toppings your heart desires!  My recommendations would be prosciutto, pepperoni, anchovies, or broccoli rabe.  All great choices- you can't go wrong.

Cinnassant Buns by Rachel

One of my favorite smells during the holiday season is that warm cinnamon baked-good smell.  I've made cinnamon buns many times, but this time, I wanted to change it up a little.

With all the fuss that's been made about cronuts over the last year, I've spent a lot of time perfecting my croissant dough recipe and I thought that pairing my croissant dough with my cinnamon bun know-how would make a delicious treat.  I was right!

Some of these instructions will look repetitive because it's about the same as making the dough for my fauxnut recipe, but I have posted the instructions here again for your convenience:

Croissant Dough Ingredients
1/2 cup cold milk (I used whole milk)
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tbsp active dry yeast
3 tbsp sugar
3 cup all purpose flour, extra for dusting your surface to roll out the dough
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, very cold and diced into small bits
1 tbsp all purpose flour for the butter

Cinnamon Bun Filling Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
lemon zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp melted butter

Butternut Squash and Yam Gnocchi in Sage Brown Butter by Rachel

Hey guys!  I'm back!  It's been a while since I updated the blog, but I've been busy getting things ready for my wedding (I'm getting married in Thailand)!  Now that most of those things are finally settled, here I am!

This recipe was really born out of my needing to use up ingredients around my kitchen, but sometimes the best things happen when you're least expecting it!  Butternut squash is clearly a star ingredient when it comes to making fall favorites, so hopefully this recipe will become a favorite of yours.

Ingredients
1 small butternut squash
1 large yam
1 egg
scant 2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp of nutmeg
olive oil for roasting

3 tbsp unsalted butter
4-5 leaves of fresh sage, diced finely
salt and pepper for taste
parmesan cheese to finish

Coconut Bundt Cake by Rachel

Summer is here!  Hooray!!

One of my favorite types of desserts for the summer is anything with coconut.  I recently bought a brand-spanking-new bundt pan and I was so eager to test it out.  So I combined my love for coconut desserts with the bundt cake pan and decided to make a coconut bundt!  It was delicious.

The recipe is a little more complicated and requires ingredients to be combined in separate bowls, but I promise you that the result is a fluffy and moist coconut cake that is a real crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients
Bowl 1:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Bowl Two
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 can of un sweetened coconut milk
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bowl 3:
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Toasted coconut topping:
1/2 cup of sweetened coconut
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp water

Apricot Upside Down Olive Oil Cake by Rachel

My parents are in town and when they came to visit my apartment they brought over some beautiful smelling apricots with them.  I'm not a big fan of eating plain apricots- I personally prefer peaches when it comes to eating straight fruit, but apricots are great for baking.  They become a little more tart and tangy after some time in the oven which makes them great for cakes and pies!

I've never made an upside down cake before, but I love how moist fresh fruit can be on top of those cakes so that's what brought me here!

The story with the olive oil is an interesting one.  Recently a little bakery opened near my apartment and the lady that owns the bakery had lived in Italy for some time.  She's imported the olive oil from that little town into her bakery and my fiance brought a liter home.  It smells amazing and has a slight spicy flavor. I thought it would be great with my apricots.  I hope you do, too!  See the recipe below.

Ingredients

Topping
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2-3 fresh apricots, washed, dried and cut into wedges
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Cake
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
3 tbsp good, strong olive oil
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

White Bean and Feta Dip by Rachel

Another dip from me!  I know I've been lagging behind in the recipes, but Heather is about to embark on a journey to Japan for the next couple weeks so I'll be taking that time to catch up! :)  In the meantime, enjoy!

Ingredients

1 can of cannellini beans
2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Special Ingredient: Sweet Pea and Roasted Garlic Dip by Rachel

I'm so behind!

I've been doing a lot of cooking, but I've been bad about sharing them with you.  Sorry!

So I had some friends over for dinner this weekend and in thinking about what to make with the bag of peas that I had, I thought to make a dip.  It was a hit!

Ingredients:
10oz of good, frozen peas
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
salt, to taste

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes by Rachel

It's been a while since I baked because I've been sick, but now that I'm feeling much better I had to break out some chocolate and make something.

Cupcakes!  Of course!

For Christmas, my future mother-in-law bought me a frosting set, so it was time to break that out and practice.

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 salt
1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder
4 oz. strong espresso, room temperature
1 tbsp whole milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, not melted
dark chocolate to taste (I used 1/2 a bar, crushed)

Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp whole milk

Shrimp Cakes by Rachel

I was inspired to make Thai food the other night and one thing that I love at Thai restaurants are the fish cakes, or "tod mun pla."  I didn't have fish, but I did have shrimp so I ad libbed and they dish came out great.  My shrimp cakes were gone in a matter of minutes.  They were really easy to make, too!

Ingredients (makes about 10-12 small cakes)
10 medium to large size shrimp, raw
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
2 pinches of salt (you can add an extra pinch if you're skipping the Sriracha sauce)
1/2 tsp white pepper
Oil, for frying

Cauliflower Risotto Cakes by Rachel

Having ordered too many vegetables all at once, rather than letting them go bad, I had to find creative ways to make use of them.  Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies, but, unfortunately, my fiancé isn't crazy about it, so I had to find a way to work it into a dish that would be more appealing to him.

One thing that we both really love is risotto, which is where my idea started.  Inspired by polenta cakes, I thought that adding cauliflower to some risotto and shaping it into cakes would make hold together like polenta does and I was right!

While I love to fry things, I wanted to make a healthier dish, so I baked them and they were delicious and crispy.  With some fresh tomato sauce on the top, they were perfect.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup risotto
2 tbsp cornmeal
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups cauliflower, chopped finely
salt and pepper to taste

To batter:
1 egg
1 cup italian bread crumbs

Chicken Pot Pie by Rachel

While I can appreciate a person size pot pie, I think pot pie is a great thing to make family style.  You can really put anything you want in a pot pie, but the most common ingredients that most people would use are probably chicken and veggies.  

Chicken pot pie is a crowd pleaser and really easy to make (don't be intimidated by pie crust)!  If you have a potluck coming up, I would recommend making a pot pie- it's just the kind of food that gives your tummy a nice, warm hug in this cold winter weather.

so crispy and delicious!

I like to make my crust from scratch, but you can use store bought pie crust if you want. 

Crust

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp cold water

Egg wash

1 egg

1 tbsp water

Soy Ginger Scallion Fish by Rachel

One of the easiest things to make is steamed fish with soy sauce, ginger, and scallions.  Growing up, I used to watch my mom make this all the time, but for some reason, I never really took note of how she did it.  Well now I know and it couldn't be easier.  It's really just a few steps!

Ingredients

1 whole fish about 1lb, cleaned with head and tail on (make sure its scales are removed also)- I used branzino

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp fresh ginger, diced

2 tbsp fresh scallions, shredded

1/4 cup oil, canola or olive

1/4 tsp white pepper

4 tbsp soy sauce

Fish Nuggets by Rachel

Fish is always an easy weeknight dish.  It cooks quickly and is really easy to season.  To spice things up, I thought I'd give our friendly tilapia a little frying and they came out great.  The thing I like most about doing tilapia this way is that it keeps a flaky, white fish very moist because all the juices get contained in the shell.

Ingredients
about 1 lb of tilapia, filleted
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 - 1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of paprika
1 egg
1 tsbp water
canola oil for frying

Lemon Cheese Crumb Cake by Rachel

Well, I made a mistake and ordered way too many lemons from Fresh Direct.  So, with all those lemons staring me in the face and the snow keeping me inside, I decided to do something about them.  I wanted a moist cake with plenty of lemony punch and this crumb cake did the trick.

Ingredients

For the Cheese filling

8 oz of Cream Cheese, softened

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

For the Cake

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 egg

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

For the Crumble

2/3 cup flour

2 tbsp butter, softened, not melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

zest of half a lemon

Olive oil for your pan

Chocobites by Rachel

I've developed this terrible habit of really wanting to have something sweet after every meal so, naturally, I needed to find something healthier to have for dessert rather than cookies and cakes all the time.  Well, I think I've found just the thing!

Dark chocolate has just enough sweetness and fruit and nuts have just the right texture.  Combining the two make a delicious dessert!

Ingredients
100 grams of dark chocolate (1 bar of Lindt)
1/4 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of golden raisins
1/4 cup of almonds
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/4 cup halved peanuts
1/4 cup dried apricots, diced

Fluffy White Bread by Rachel

Bread always seems like such a daunting recipe to tackle, but really most of it is just waiting time.  I'll admit that it took me two tries to get this bread right, but the recipe is actually really simple and the first time I tried it, I added too much salt.  Before making bread, there are a few things that you should know:

1) Don't oversalt- this will kill the yeast and your dough won't rise.
2) Don't use boiling water- this will kill the yeast and your dough won't rise.
3) Wait.  Don't get anxious.  Give you bread the appropriate amount of time to rise.

Now, to start your journey...!

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp dry active yeast
- 1 1/2 cup warm water (must not be over 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 2 cups all purpose flour, then another 2 cups all purpose flour (total 4 cups)
- olive oil to oil your bowl and loaf pan

That's it!  Those are all the ingredients!

Baked Potato Chips by Rachel

Yes, potato chips are generally not the healthiest snack choice, but I think that if you make them at home and control the amount of salt you use, they are definitely a lot healthier than store-bought ones!  My version of potato chips are made from real potatoes that I hand-cut, baked in the oven (not fried!) and lightly salted.  Real potato chips actually don't need much seasoning because fresh potatoes have more flavor, in my opinion.

Anyway, here's the very easy recipe!

Ingredients

Russet Potatoes, as many as you want, but it only takes about 1 potato per person 

Olive Oil

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Classic Gingerbread by Rachel

Cookies have taken over the blog!  What's a holiday cookie care package without your classic gingerbread. I've always love gingerbread, but had never tried to make it.  After making it, I've definitely learned to appreciate it a lot more.  The work and time it takes to cut out each little man perfectly is something I had severely underestimated!

And you know what else?  The dough is REALLY sticky.  BUT!  Despite these nit-picky little things, gingerbread is, indeed, delicious and is a must-have for a holiday cookie melange!

Ingredients

1 stick of butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup of molasses
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour (plus extra when you are ready to roll out your dough)
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp of salt

makes about 3 dozen thin gingerbread men

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Trees by Rachel

'Tis the season!!  Having a cookie exchange?  Need to make some cookies for friends?  Well, have I got the cookie for you!

I'm putting together a cookie care package for some of my nearest and dearest friends and I knew I had to include a shortbread, but I wanted something that wouldn't be too sweet to balance out the other cookies that I plan to include.  I had lemons and rosemary in the fridge and thought, "why not?"

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tbsp fresh, chopped rosemary

1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups flour

makes about 30 cookies