Pumpkin Carving and Happy Halloween!

Boo!!!  Happy Halloween!!!  Do you carve pumpkins with your kids?  If not, you might want to give it a try next time.  I think it’s a really fun activity to do with the kids when the pumpkins are so bountiful around this time of the year.  Of course, I left this job for Daddy, as I’m not quite a crafty person.  See, they did a wonderful job, didn't they?

Look at those serious faces in the picture below.  Seemed like they were expecting something unusual, weird, scary, creepy or even horrifying inside that pumpkin!  Guess what they found inside……pumpkin seeds, of course! hahahaha….




I love it when the carved pumpkins were lit.  So festive.  Maybe a little creepy? Cute? Beautiful? I’ll let you decide.  Wish you all a fun and safe Halloween!  

Spicy Italian Infinity (symbol: ∞) Buns with Shaping Pictorial

Hi friends, I hope you're enjoying the cooler weather of Fall.  I guess Southern California is kind of messed up.  We still get low 80s temperature during the days, along with slightly chilly and foggy mornings.  I love the cooler breeze that made me crave for some heartier food, such as these Spicy Italian Infinity (symbol: ∞) Buns.



Why "infinity" shape? Because that way, the filling ingredients are distributed evenly throughout the buns.  Plus, you can see the gorgeous “fillings” on the buns even before you bite into one.  I love them on a pretty spicy level, but you can put less red pepper flakes for milder spiciness to suit your own taste.




What made them Italian?  Of course the ingredients of the fillings.  I added my homemade pesto, sun dried tomato, and mozzarella cheese.  They made the best texture and flavor combination for these buns.  Want to see how I made them, please check out the shaping pictorial below.





After the dough is kneaded and proofed, here's how you shape them.

1) On a lightly floured board, work with one portion of dough at a time.

2) Gently knead the dough a few times. Form it into a smooth round ball.

3) With a floured rolling pin, roll each portion of dough into an 3 by 6-inch rectangle.

4) With a spoon, spread a tablespoon of pesto on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.

5-6) Sprinkle sun dried tomato evenly on the pesto, followed by red pepper flakes.





7) Evenly sprinkle the cheese as well.

8) Starting with the long edge, roll the dough up into a log and leave the seam-side down.

9) Using a small kitchen shears, starting 1/2-inch from one end, cut the log lengthwise down the middle, about 1/2-inch deep to within 1/2-inch of the other end.

10) This is how the filled dough looks after cutting.

11) Keeping the cut side up and form an "S"/infinity shape.  Gently tuck both ends under the center of the "S" to form a figure 8. Pinch the ends together to seal. 

12) Place the filled dough on the silpat, cover and let rise in a warm place for another 50 to 60 minutes, or until doubled in size before baking.




Pretty easy, isn't it?  These infinity buns certainly look more complicated than they are.  :)  I hope you enjoy today's recipe and pictorial.  Stay tuned for more yummy recipes.

Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini—Easy Entertaining Recipe

Stepping into the last quarter of the year, it usually means lots of gathering and parties going on for different occasions.  Whether it’s Game Days, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year, we love to have our family and friends gathered to spend those special times together.  And of course, we got to share lots of food when we have companies around.  But I love easy entertaining recipes that I can prepare ahead of time, or something that my guests can help themselves at the serving table, such as t his Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini!  That way, I can enjoy the party with my guests, instead of “disappearing” into the kitchen.



Crostini, means "little toast" in Italian.  It’s simply an Italian appetizer consisting of small slices of toasted bread with toppings. The topping usually include a variety of different cheeses, meats, and/or vegetables.  With the wide selection of toppings available, crostini is pretty much a blank canvas craving for your imagination to make it looks beautiful and tastes scrumptious.  This crostini would be a wonderful appetizer for any party.  Simply toast up your baguettes and have the toppings arranged on a big platter and have your guests help themselves to create their own crostini.  



This “self-serve” Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini was inspired by my Baby Girl.  It has all her favorite ingredients in one little toast.  I love using French or Italian baguettes for my little toasts because they toasted up nicely with a golden crust and the inside stays nice and soft.  These toppings are my Baby Girl’s favorite ingredients, that’s why I have them in my kitchen all the time.  Creamy goat cheese that I jazzed up with some fresh herbs, green and black olive for a salty and briny bite, and sweet and juicy heirloom cherry tomatoes to balance out the flavors.  You can put the kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes on the side so your guests can sprinkle on as much or as little as they preferred.  



I know, who would have guessed that a 4 year old girl would love goat cheese, olives and tomatoes, right?  I certainly didn’t appreciate these flavors until I was a grown up!  I’m always surprised by my kids’ sophisticated palates!   Are your kids like mine too, with a “grown up” taste?  Or do they prefer kids friendly ingredients?  I’m curious to know.



I hope you enjoy today’s Easy Entertaining Appetizer Recipe.  I’ll share more recipes for entertaining guests in the near future, so you can get some ideas and inspirations when the parties roll around.  Until next time, please take care.  

5 Useful Household Tips

As much as I love to stay in the kitchen to cook and bake, cleaning probably is on the bottom of my favorite-things-to-do list.  Raise your hands if you’re the same.  Today, I want to share with you 5 useful household tips that can save you time, money and headache while doing these household chores.  I know, as much as we dislike it, someone got to do it, right?  So here we go…

Tip #1:  Easy way to clean those hard water stains:



Sorry, I know this is not a pretty picture.  The only good thing about it is that I know my kids had been drinking a lot of water!  Unfortunately, they don’t wipe dry or clean up after using the water dispenser.  No fret!  I've got an easy and safe method for you to clean those hard water stains out!  And my secret weapon is: vinegar!  Just plain old white vinegar will do the trick.  Simply remove the tray from the water dispenser and soak it with white vinegar for 3 to 5 minutes before rinsing.  It also works on your coffee maker or tea kettle as well.  For the parts that you can not remove to soak, simply damp a kitchen towel with the vinegar and wipe those stains off.  See picture below after the cleaning.  Much better, right?   Phew….I’m glad that we've got this taken care of.





Tip #2: How to clean those stubborn tea/coffee stains:




I drink coffee every morning and hot tea throughout the day.  So, it’s not a surprise that my mugs are easily stained with coffee/tea.  My tips and trick for easy cleaning?  A toothbrush and some toothpaste are the answers!



Gently brush the toothpaste on the stains in your mugs and it works like magic.  It will leave your mugs and cups sparkly clean in no time.  Plus, the long handle of the tooth brush is perfect for reaching the bottom of the tall mugs, making it a lot easier to clean than a kitchen sponge.  I always keep a toothbrush around the sink for this job.   I love too see that my favorite mug is as good as new again!




Tip #3: Organizing and storing the baking supplies

You all know I love to bake for my kids.  I buy and collect all kinds of cupcake liners, but not necessarily using them all at once.  If they are not store properly, they won’t hold their shapes too well when you are ready for baking.  These “recycled” coffee jars really come in handy in storing my cupcake liners and other baking supplies.  So, next time before you throw away a container, see if you can recycle it for storage use.




Tip #4: How to Remove odor from the refrigerator and the sink:

My fridge is always filled with different kinds of food and ingredients for cooking.  Besides my trusted Sriracha hot sauce, I love keeping an open box of baking soda in my fridge.  This is one simple way to keep funky odors out of my fridge and my food.  Just remember to write down the date that it needs to be changed out.  The box recommended 30 days,  but I sometimes keep it longer in there.  How long before you need to change a new box really depends on how full and what kind of food you keep in the fridge.  So, I would say, changing a new box every 30 to 45 days works out well for me.



When it’s time to change a new box of baking soda for your fridge, don’t just throw away the old box.  Simply pour it into your sink while running warm tap water down the drain will eliminate the odor in your sink as well!  See, nothing goes to waste.  And you’re very welcome!




Tip #5: Safe and easy way to clean Stainless Steel appliances/sink:

I don’t like using commercial cleaners or heavy chemical stuffs around the house.  Here, I have this homemade stainless steel cleanser that you’re going to love.  Not only it’s easy to make, it also saves you money and it works really well.




I got this spray bottle for just 79 cents, add 1 tablespoons of baking soda, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and 1 cup warm water.  If you don’t like the smell of the vinegar, you can add 1 drop or 2 of lemon essential oil (such as this one) into the mix.  Put the cap on and spray on stainless steel surface, then wipe clean & dry with lint-free cloth.   See how pretty my oven door is after cleaning?



It' also works on your other stainless steel appliances such as microwave oven or your fridge surface, and even your sink.  Anything stainless steel would love this spray, and so do I. 




I hope you enjoy today’s post with these helpful household tips!  Happy cleaning.

Chinese Scallion (Green Onion) Pancakes With Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce (蔥油餅配姜汁醬油)

Chinese Scallion (Green Onion) Pancake (蔥油餅) is a savory, non-leavened flatbread dough folded with oil and chopped scallions; then, pan fry to golden brown perfection.  It was originated in China, a very popular snack often sold as street food or in restaurants as appetizers.  It’s definitely one of my favorite Chinese savory snacks to enjoy since I was a little kid.   



The Chinese Scallion Pancake is similar to paratha in Indian cuisine or pajeon in the Korean version.  I love savory pancakes, and they are truly comfort food to me.  Back in my college years, I often gather with good friends on the weekends in one of those tiny Chinese cafés specialized in these pancakes along with other popular street foods from Asia.  I would munch on these crispy and flavorful scallion pancakes along with a cup of hot soy milk as breakfast when catching up (a.k.a. gossiping) with my good friends, as we planned out the activities for the rest of our weekends.  Those were the good old memories.



I don’t live closed by to those cafes anymore and many of my good old friends moved away/back home after college.  But the great news is, these pancakes are quite simple to prepare and they store really well.   On the other hand, although I don’t see my good old friends often, we can always keep in touch with emails, phone calls, or with Facebook these days!  That is much more convenience than the time when I was in college, relying on pagers and landlines (ha…that made me sounded like I was from another era!)   



Follow me to the kitchen and I’ll show you how to make these scrumptious pancakes.

1) In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
2) With a wooden spoon, make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the water in a steady stream while continue stirring.
3) Knead the dough a few times and form into a ball.  Cover with a clean towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4) This would be the good time to chop up those green onions and prepare the dipping sauce. 



5) After 30 minutes of resting, transfer the dough onto a slightly floured board.  Gently press it to form a round disk.
6) With a pastry cutter or a knife, divide the dough into 6 equal portions.
7) With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a thin disk, about 1/8-inch thick.  With the back of a spoon, spread 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.
8) Sprinkle the chopped scallions on top in an even layer.  Roll up the filled dough from one end to the other into a log, leaving the seam side down.



9) Pinch the end of the log and roll it into a circle.  Pinch the other end of the log and tuck it underneath the dough.
10) Roll the filled dough with a floured rolling pin into 1/4-inch thick disk.
11) I like to divide each pancake with a piece of parchment paper and stack them all up.
12)  In a large non-stick skillet, heat up 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Pan fry the pancakes until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.  Add more oil as needed in the pan frying process.  Transfer cooked pancakes onto a cooling rack and cut into wedges. Enjoy with the soy-ginger dipping sauce.



Remember step #11 from above?  After rolling out all the dough and separate them with a piece of parchment, you can store them in an air tight container or in a freezer safe ziploc bag until you need them, simply defrost them in the fridge overnight before pan frying.  It’ll be wonderful to double the recipe and keep the extras in the freezer for later. 



For the Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce, I simply grated some fresh ginger and stir with the rest of the ingredients.  The picture below shows you the grater that I use.  It’s one of my favorite kitchen tool because it works wonderfully.  Somehow, the tough fibers from the ginger would mysterious disappear after grating with this grater.  You can find similar products here.



To serve these Scallion Pancakes, I like to cut them into wedges, about 6-8 triangles from each cake.  Your kitchen scissors would do a great job with these.  Stack them up and serve.  They would be a wonderful appetizer in parties or afternoon snacks.



Here we go….



Don’t forget the dipping sauce!



The Soy-Ginger Dipping sauce is very earthy and slightly spicy from the ginger.  Yet, a little tangy and sweet at the same time with the rice wine vinegar and sugar.  The complex yet refreshing flavors from the sauce compliment perfectly with these crispy and savory pancakes. 



It’s really impossible to stop eating at just 1, or 10.  And my hubby would agree on that 100%! 

“Sprinkles!” Giveaway Winner Announcement

Thank you everyone who participated in the "Sprinkles!" cookbook giveaway.  And the winner is…..






M.J. who said “My favorite is orange….”

Congratulations, M.J.!  Woohoo….I’ll be sending you an email soon. 

Also, many thanks to Quirk Books for sponsoring this giveaway.  Please stay tuned for more fun recipes and giveaways in the near future.

Meatballs Tomato Soup with Toast Soldiers

My Kids always amaze me with the things they say and the things they do. I always think that I have the wisest Kids. Don’t believe me? This is what happened the other day.....
 

During one of those usual evenings, I was exhausted from running errands and doing chores during the day.  Still in my comfortable, old, and torn pair of jeans, my Kids and I sat down on the sofa to read one of their favorite story books.  My legs were sore so I have them up on a little stool.  My Little Boy (5 1/2 year old) stared at my knee, where the jeans was torn.  He ran his little fingers on my knee with a serious look and said, "Mom, when I grow up and start earning money, I'll buy you a pair of new jeans without holes."  Then my Baby Girl (4 year old) added, "Yes, a purple pair!" (Since purple is my favorite color.)  That was definitely the wisest and most touching thing I've heard from my Kids.  

I know I’m one lucky Mom that my kids love vegetables, most of the time. But, they are also picky eaters. They go through different “picky” phases all the time. They could love certain vegetables all along, but wouldn't even touch them the next week. Sounds familiar to you? You’re in luck! Picky eaters have finally met their match! With the help of The Wisest Kid in the Whole World™, Campbell’s soup is offering delicious recipes that your kids, or any picky eaters, won’t be able to refuse: Click here to check them out. 


 
Through their recipe session, www.campbellskitchen.com, Campbell’s gives you a fresh way to delight your family, such as Mini Chicken Pot Pies, and fun ways to eat tomato soup or chicken noodle soup, etc. I was delighted to see all of the soup varieties featuring kids’ favorite characters like Super Mario and Phineas & Ferb.



I was inspired to jazz up the tomato soup with some Italian meatballs, topped with cheddar cheese, diced avocado (my Kids favorite green food at the moment), and serve with a couple toast soldiers. I let the kids add the toppings on their own and they had so much fun dunking the toasts into the soup.



Don’t be surprised if your kids want to lick the bowl clean and ask for seconds! 

Do you have the wisest kid at home?  You can visit Campbell's site here to share or type at the widget below.  Don’t forget to check out all the wonderful recipes here.