How to Make Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with your family and friends yesterday!  Did you have a chance to check out my previous post to discover the 3 secrets to making tender and fluffy pancakes?  If not, simply click here before you read on!   Yes, those tips are important and will guarantee you to tender and fluffy pancakes, every single time!



See how light and fluffy these Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes turn out?  Every bite is heavenly!  The lemon zest in this recipe really brightens up these pancakes and compliment beautifully with the blueberries.  Make sure you serve these pancakes with some warm maple syrup.  A must!  I love a little dab of butter as well, but that’s truly optional. 



Ready to see how I made these Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes?  Simply click on the YouTube video below for the step-by-step tutorial!





I hope you enjoy today’s video tutorial and recipe.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my YouTube channel here.  You’ll be the first to know when I have new video tutorials published.





These pancakes are my absolute all time favorites.  They have the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.  Quite refreshing with the lemon zest, yet decadent with the buttermilk richness.  What do you usually like in your pancakes?  Chocolate chips and strawberry?  Bananas and walnuts?  Or just simple plain ones?  Leave a comment below to let me know.  I can’t wait to hear from you!


Ingredients and Tools used:

Crepe Pan (Click here for more information)
Maple Syrup (Click here for more information)
Mikasa Something Borrowed Salad/Desert Plates (Click here for more information)
Large Spatula (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)



Don't forget to enter the current Giveaways:

$100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway (Open to U.S. only, ending 12/31/2015)

Ultimate Paper Airplanes for Kids (Open Worldwide, ending 12/6/2015)

3 Secrets to Making Tender and Fluffy Pancakes!

What is your family’s favorite breakfast?  Lately, we’ve been devouring our fair share of pancakes.  From simple plain ones, to banana walnut chocolate chip loaded ones; all wonderfully fluffy and scrumptious!  I have to say, my personal favorite are these flavorful and fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes.  Before I post the the video tutorial and recipe, I wanted to share with you the 3 secrets to making super tender and fluffy pancakes first!  The secrets are quite simple, and if you follow them, I guaranteed that you’re going to fall in love with your homemade pancakes all over again!  They are even better than those at the pancake house.  No exaggeration!     




Secret #1:  Use room temperature ingredients!                
With room temperature ingredients (especially the wet ingredients), your batter will combine smoothly without big lumps.  Imagine if you add melted butter into icy cold buttermilk and egg, the butter will seized up into lumps and it’ll be a mess when you add the liquid into the flour mixture!  Please don’t let that happen!

 



Secret #2: Use buttermilk!
What is buttermilk?  Buttermilk is simply the liquid left behind after cream was churned into butter.  Lactic-acid bacteria is usually reintroduced into pasteurized buttermilk, hence the tangy flavor.   When you use buttermilk in baked goods and pancakes, it adds a subtle tang and increases the rise when it interacts with baking soda!  That’s what makes your pancakes more fluffy! 




Secret #3: Do NOT over mix the batter!
After adding the wet ingredients to the flour mixture.  Only mix the batter until just combined, about 20 seconds or so.  When you over mix the better, the gluten will start to develop in the flour and that will make the pancakes tough and chewy!  I guess no one would appreciate cardboard texture pancakes, right?  So, please do NOT over mix.  It’s okay if you still see some lumps in the batter! 




Now, the 3 secrets to making tender and fluffy pancakes are not secrets anymore!  I promise to post the video tutorial and recipe of these Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes soon.  Stay tuned and have a beautiful weekend!

Ultimate Paper Airplanes for Kids Review and Worldwide Giveaway

Over the weekend, my kids and I checked out the Ultimate Paper Airplanes for Kids book.  This book is the ultimate collection of easy-to-fold, high-performance planes for kids who are fascinated by paper or origami airplanes.  Can you imagine how much fun we had?  I remember I love folding paper airplanes with my brothers when I was a little kid myself.  We would fold up our favorite paper planes and see who can fly them the furthest!  This book sure brings back lots of fun memories!



What I love most about this book is that it opens with a fascinating primer to the principles of flight.  My kids read and learned about the forces that enable a plane to fly and affect the performance of their planes.  They had so much fun testing out the planes they made by coaxing the planes through their paces: doing loops, barrel rolls, glides and dives.



This paper airplanes kit contains detailed instructions for each paper plane(12 designs in total), 48 pre-cut paper airplane models printed with colorful and realistic designs, over special durable lightweight cardstock.  The instructions were easy to follow and the marked lines on the paper really make it easy to fold the perfect lines where they should be.



And what makes this book the ultimate?  It has to be the pull-out airport runway for landing maneuvers!  We were testing out the paper airplanes that we made and competing who can get the planes closest to the landing spot!  It was such an educational and fun weekend for us.   Yes, yours truly was included when I said “we” and “us”!  I guess I’m just a big kid, after all!  As you know, the holiday is fast approaching, this Ultimate Paper Airplanes for Kids book would be the perfect gift for the little ones.  The best part is that you can create some new and fun memories with your kids because of this book! 



You can order your own copy of Ultimate Paper Airplanes for Kids book by clicking here.   Or, try your luck to win one because I’m giving  away a copy of Ultimate Paper Airplanes for Kids to one lucky uTry.it reader, courtesy of Tuttle Publishing.

Here are the details on how to enter.
One lucky uTry.it reader (open to my worldwide readers) will win a copy of “Ultimate Paper Airplanes for Kids”.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me if you have made paper airplanes when you were a kid.  Please also leave your email address along with your comment so that I can contact you if you're the lucky winner!  Deadline to enter is December 6th, 2015 by mid-night PST.  Winner will be selected through Random.org and announce shortly after the giveaway is closed.

For extra entries, do any or all of the following (leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

1)  Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, click here.
2)  Follow me on Instagram, click here.
3) "Like" uTry.it's Facebook Page, click here.
4) Pin a picture from this post onto Pinterest.
5) Share this giveaway on Facebook (with a link back to this post please)
6) Share this giveaway on Twitter (with a link back to this post please)

That’s all and Good Luck everyone!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of “Ultimate Paper Airplanes for Kids” for the purpose of this review and I was not compensated in any way to write this post.  All comments and opinions are 100% my own.





Please click on the link below if you're interested to read more information about the authors of this book.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts is one of my family’s favorite vegetable to enjoy.  I cooked them in many different ways, such as putting them on the grill, or boiling and tossing them in a garlic butter sauce, etc.  But lately, my family loves these sprouts even more when I simply roasted them in the oven!  The roasting really concentrate the nutty and earthy flavors of these sprouts.  Also, the roasting method retains the natural bright green color of the sprouts, way better than boiling does.  The slight golden brown and charred edges add a whole lot more flavors as well.



Often, Brussel Sprouts come already being picked off their stalks and packaged into bags.  But if you do see them still on the stalks (see picture above and in the video), by all means grab these and take them home!  They are probably the freshest ones you can get your hands on.  The texture is a lot more tender and you can taste the freshness. 



In this recipe, I tossed the Brussels sprouts with some lemon infused olive oil (please see the bottom of the post for more information).  Also, I added some fresh lemon zest right on top after roasting.  The citrus really brightens up this dish and makes it quite delightful.  I also used smoked salt instead of regular kosher salt for some smoky aroma (please see the bottom of the post for more information as well).  You can use kosher salt if you don’t have the smoked salt on hand.  Also, for a hint of spiciness, I added a pinch of red pepper flakes.  But if you’re making this for the kids or someone who doesn’t like anything spicy, you can skip the red pepper flakes.     



This Roasted Brussels Sprouts is such an easy side dish to make for any occasion.  You can easily double the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd.  Just make sure the roasting pan is big enough so the sprouts will be roasting and not “steaming”, which is possible if the pan gets too crowded. 



This is a naturally gluten-free and vegan friendly healthy dish that anyone can enjoy.  If you’re cooking for the upcoming gathering, by all means give this recipe a try.  I’m sure all your guests will love it!



Stay tuned for more easy recipes and fun giveaway!

Current Giveaway on the blog:
$100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway (Open to U.S. only, ending 12/31/2015)

Ingredients and Tools used:
Lemon Olive Oil (Click here for more information)
Smoked Salt (Click here for more information)
Red Pepper Flakes (Click here for more information)
Calphalon Nonstick 2-Piece Baking Sheet Set (Click her for more information)
Core Bamboo 3-Piece Cutlery Set  (Click here to see product information)

The Best Homemade Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk (Chip) Cookies

We all need some classic recipes under our sleeves just in case of emergency, don’t you agree?  In this case, the emergency is the craving for the good old Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip/Chunk Cookies!  If you have a gathering or school party that you need to bring some goodies, these cookies are simply perfect as well.  Tell me who doesn’t like a perfectly sinful and satisfying chocolate chip cookie?  So far, I haven’t met anyone yet. 



I’m sure you’ve heard me said this for the 3,258,726 times of how important it is to use the good quality ingredients for baking and cooking!  But I feel that I need to say it one more time here, just in case.  My philosophy is simple, you put good quality ingredients in, and you'll get good quality products out.  The same motto can be applied to many situations in life or in relationships, and not just for baking and cooking.  



For this recipe, I used dark chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips.  I highly recommend that you use dark chocolate chunks for these cookies.  That way, you can use the best chocolate bars that you love and chop them up into the perfect size (I used 72% dark chocolate).  Honestly, I have yet to find a super good quality chocolate chips out there yet.  But if you have your favorites, by all means go for it.  Also, I prefer chocolate chunks in these cookies because they melt so beautifully, as you can see from my video tutorial at the top of the post.




The edges of these cookies are slightly crisp and the center is soft and chewy.  The difference in textures complement each other perfectly in every single bite.  When you bite into one, the melted chocolate chunks start oozing out.  I’m telling you, just one bite of these cookies will make you forget all the stress you have, well, at least for that moment!  And you’re officially warned, these Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies are addictive!!!  I bet no one can simply stop at just one!  After you’ve tried one, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that these are the best Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies you’ve ever had! 





As the holidays approach, don’t forget to add this recipe to your to-bake list!  Your friends and family will love you for sharing these cookies with them! 



Props and Ingredients Used:

Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (Click here for more information)
Brown Sugar (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter (Click here for more information)
KitchenAid Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Calphalon Nonstick 2-Piece Baking Sheet Set (Click her for more information)
Silpat Baking Mat (Click here for more information)

Organic Cane Sugar (Click here for more information)
Dark Chocolate (Click here for more information)
One ounce Ice Cream/Cookie Scoop (Click here for more information)

Apple Harvest Cocktail

Are you ready for Fall yet?  I guess I’ve been ready since last winter!  However, the nature is not quite cooperating as we’re still having pretty warm temperature.  The good news is, this Apple Harvest Cocktail will sure put you in the mood for Fall, or at least help makes me feel Fall has arrived!



This is a delightful and crisp cocktail that you can enjoy any time of the year.  But the apple cider and cinnamon really helps set the tone for Autumn. 




I’ve also added some bourbon, which harmonized wonderfully with apple and cinnamon.  The maple syrup slightly sweetened the drink and gives a depth of flavor as well.



Of course, the dash of ground cinnamon on top isn’t just for garnish.  It adds the earthy and warmth to this drink which complement the apple cider perfectly. 



I top this cocktail with a little bit of ginger ale for the evanescent and the little carbonation really makes this drink crisp and refreshing.



Last but not least, this cocktail also serves as a small snack with the thin apple slice on top!  I hope you really enjoy today’s video tutorial and recipe.  Give this recipe a try on your next gathering, or simply because, it’s 5 o’clock!  Cheers!

Props and Ingredients used:

9 ounce Old Fashion Glasses (click here for more information)
Ground Cinnamon (click here for more information)
Cinnamon Sticks (Click here for more information)
Hard wood coasters (Click here for more information)




Please drink responsibly.  Health and General Disclaimers.