How to Revive and Use Dried Vanilla Beans

Let’s talk about Vanilla Beans.  Do you use whole vanilla beans in your recipes?  I personally love and adore vanilla beans.  They have this unique, sweet, floral, and earthy (depending on the regions) aromas that you don’t get from any other ingredient.  They certainly make any baked goods and desserts tasted gourmet.  Ever since the shortage of vanilla beans a few year ago, the price of them had been sky-rocketed.  (That is totally a different topic so I’m not going to go in-depth today).

My point is, since vanilla beans are so expensive, you do want to utilize them the best you could so that nothing goes to waste.  If you live in an area that has a dry climate (such as Southern California), you might have experienced that your vanilla bean dried out before you use it.  No need to panic!  I’m here for the rescue today.  Watch my video below on how to revive a dried vanilla bean and many different ways you can use them. 



If you’ve missed my previous video, click below to watch the tutorial on how to split and seed a vanilla bean and other usage ideas.




If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave me a comment below.  

For more product information and vanilla recipes, please visit www://SingingDogVanilla.com



Vanilla Simple Syrup

Ingredients:
1 vanilla bean
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

1) Place all ingredient in a medium pot.  Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes, stir occasionally.  Let cool completely before use.

2) The simple syrup is wonderful to mix into teas, cocktails, and fruit punches.

Vanilla Spice Poached Pears

Ingredients:
2 Semi-Ripe Pears, peeled
3 Cups water
1 cup Sugar
1 lemon, peel off rind and juiced
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 star anise
1 vanilla bean

1) Place all ingredient, except the pears, in a medium pot. Heat mixture over high heat until it comes to a boil.

2) Lower the heat to a simmer and add in the pears.  Simmer for 20 minutes or until fork tender.

3) Let pears cool slightly and enjoy them warm or at room temperature!  Accompany poached pears with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate sauce, or fresh berries.

Vanilla Lavender Bath Salt

Ingredients:

1 cup of lavender Epsom Salt
1/2 cup sea salt
1 tablespoon dried lavender buds
A few drops of purple soap colorant (Optional)
1 dried vanilla bean, break into thirds

Stir all ingredients together until well incorporated.  Transfer to an air tight container until ready to use (preferably after a week to let the vanilla bean infused into the bath salt). 

To Use:
Scoop 1/2 a cup of the bath salt mixture and add into a tub of bath water.  Soak, relax, and enjoy!  















Thank you Singing Dog Vanilla for sponsoring these videos.

How to Make Popovers with Herb Butter (Foolproof Recipe)

Are you ready for the holidays?  My kids are almost out of school for their Winter Break and we’re already getting excited for the time off.   I personally can’t wait to hang out and spend time with the family.  We’ll have relatives visiting from overseas and everyone in the family is looking forward to that as well.  How about you?  What are your plans for the holidays?  Leave me a comment below and let me know.



For our holiday meals, my family prefer Prime Ribs over poultry or pork.  This past Thanksgiving, I even spared Mr. Turkey and made a Prime Rib Roast instead.  Besides all sorts of roasted vegetables, I also made these Popovers with Herb Butter as a side dish.  Everyone enjoyed them so much.  They are quite similar to Yorkshire pudding, which its batter consists of  eggs, flour, milk, etc.  I guess you can call these individual Yorkshire puddings?  But the traditional Yorkshire pudding often consists the roast beef’s dripping in the batter while these Popovers don’t.  However, these Popovers still packed with wonderful flavors and aromas from herbs and butter in the batter (and on the side).



These Popovers are simply amazing.  The crust is golden brown and crispy while the inside is fluffy and airy.  It’s heavenly when you serve them warm with a dab of Herb Butter.  Check out my video tutorial for tips and tricks on how to prepare both!  These popovers are pretty much fail proof if you follow my tips.  Your family will definitely love them and be prepare that they’ll ask for seconds.  My recipe makes exactly 12 popovers.  I’ll list the popover pans and other tools that I used at the end of the post for your convenience.  



When I made these popovers again to take pictures and videos, my Kids were so excited and couldn’t wait any longer (see the little hand in the picture above)?!  Yes, these Popovers are truly irresistible!  




Instead of making the traditional dinner rolls, I highly recommend that you try out this Popover with Herb Butter recipe.  You and your tummy will be glad that you did!  Thank you so much for stopping by today.  Stay tuned for more holiday recipe next week!

Tools and Ingredients Used:Popover Pan (Click here for more information)
Baking Sheets (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Kitchen Scissors (Click here for more information)
Measuring Cups with Beaker (Click here for more information)
Whisk (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)


Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

How to create a 3D Winter Wonderland - Classic Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Are you ready for the holiday baking season?  Traditionally, I have always been busy baking goodies for friends and family during the holidays!  What are your favorite things to share around the holidays?  This year, I have created these whimsical 3D Winter Wonderland Sugar Cookies.  Be sure to check out the tutorial above on how I make them.



These 3D cookies are made out of Classic Sugar Cookies and decorated with Royal Icing.  Not only these cookies are crispy (with a hint of butter and vanilla), they are also more sturdy and can hold up to the decorations better than other kind of cookies.   According to my Little Girl, these cookies are perfect for dunking in a cup of hot cocoa! Does she talk like a foodie or what?!  In addition to these Classic Sugar Cookies, I also made a variation of a chocolate flavored ones.




In this 3D Winter Wonderland, you will find Christmas Tree, Snowman, Reindeer and Santa’s Sleigh that are all made of cookies.  As shown in the video above, they are cut from from a 3D cookie cutter set that I bought online from awhile ago. 







In addition to Snowman and Christmas Trees, I also created a few gift box/present cookies to place in front of the Christmas Tree!  We’ve got to have some presents for the holidays, right?  The great news is that you don’t need a cookie cutter to make these gift boxes.  Check out my video tutorial and I’ll show you step by step on how to make them.  They are easier to make than they look, and they are super delicious with a layer of chocolate sugar cookie stacked in the middle! 










So, which one is your favorite?  I personally love the present/gift box and the Santa’s Sleigh cookies the best.  Best of all, just a few simple sprinkles and icing can transform these ordinary sugar cookies into something so amazing!  I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and make them for your family and loved ones.  My kids and I had so much fun decorating these cookies together.  They could be a fun holiday activities with your kiddos as well.  Stay tuned for more fun and festive holiday recipes!




Tools and Ingredients Used:
3D Christmas Cookie Cutter Set (Click here for more information)
Natural Food Coloring (Click here for more information)
Meringue Powder (Click here for more information)
Valrhona Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Click here for more information)
Silver Dragee (Click here for more information)
Fall Color Sprinkle Pearls (Click here for more information)
Christmas Sprinkle (Click here for more information)
Star Shape Sprinkle (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
Organic All-Purpose Flour (Click here for more information)
Rolling Pin with Adjustable rings (Click here for more information)
Pizza Roller (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Rolling Mat (Click here for more information)
Food Decorating Tongs/Tweezers (Click here for more information)
Measuring Cup Set (Click here for more information)
Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Silpat (Click here for more information)
Baking Sheets (Click here for more information)



Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

How to Make Vanilla Dream Mille Crêpe Cake (香草千層可麗餅蛋糕)

Holidays are fast approaching!  How do you celebrate?  I truly enjoy spending time with friends and family around the dinner table to create more memories. 




This gorgeous and scrumptious Vanilla Dream Mille Crêpe Cake would be the perfect sweet ending to your holiday meals!  It consists layers and layers of French Crêpes, alternate with a layer of Vanilla Mascarpone Cream Filling.  It’s decadent, yet not too sweet. 




The cake itself is truly delicious.  This recipe featured Singing Dog Vanilla’s Organic Vanilla Extract in both the Crêpe batter and the Raspberry Sauce.  I used Singing Dog Vanilla’s Vanilla Bean Paste in the Mascarpone Cream fillings in between the Crêpe layers.  This cake is packed with floral and sweet vanilla aromas and you can see the vanilla specks throughout the cream fillings.  The texture is silky soft and tender.  I like to drizzle a little bit of homemade raspberry sauce on top for a festive and refreshing taste.



If you’re still searching for a dessert to share with your loved ones, look no further!  I’m sure your friends and family will love this cake!







Click here for the recipe: https://goo.gl/ww9PYa


Tools and Ingredients Used:
Singing Dog Vanilla's Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)Singing Dog Vanilla's Vanilla Bean Paste (Click here for more information)
Crêpe Pan (Click here for more information)
Crêpe Spreader (Click here for more information)
Electric Crêpe Maker (with spreader) (Click here for more information)
Lazy Susan (Click here for more information)
Ninja Blender (Click here for more information)
Irish Salted Butter (Click here for more information)
Pastry Bag and Star Tip set (Click here for more information)
Offset Spatula (Click here for more information)
Heat Proof Egg Turner (Click here for more information)








Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Disclaimer: This video is brought to you by Singing Dog Vanilla.  All messages and opinions are 100% my own. 

How to Make Baked Apple Hand Pies 蘋果批 (餡餅)

Are you enjoying the cooler temperature and the scenery of fallen red and golden Maple leaves?  I sure love them both.  But what I love even more are all the warm and hearty recipes that fit for Fall!  There should be no surprise that dessert always makes the top of my list!  These adorable and heart-warming Apple Hand Pies are definitely my favorite Fall dessert.  They are also both of my kids' favorite!  What a surprise!?  It’s seldom that they both love the same item or a dish!  So, I’m happy to bake up these cuties more often!



Many hand pie recipes are deep fried.  However, I don’t like to deep fry for obvious reasons.   To me, deep fry usually involved absorbing too much unnecessary oil and calories!  Besides, I don’t want to deal with a large pot of left-over oil and greasy smell in the kitchen as well.  So, I opt for a baked version!  These baked Apple Hand Pies are just as scrumptious and decadent, if not better, than the deep fried version!



The crust of these Apple Hand Pies is buttery and flaky, the apple filling is slightly sweet and tart, and very juicy.  The combination of earthy cinnamon and refreshing apples is simply heavenly!  These hand pies are fun to eat and very portable.  You can easily pack them for picnic or bring them to parties for sharing.  I shared them with some friends and they all loved them!



If you haven’t check out the video tutorial, please do so as I shared more tips and tricks in the video and you don’t want to miss them.   I hope you enjoy today’s post and recipe.  Please subscribe to my Youtube channel here.  That way, you won’t miss out on any future videos and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new tutorial published.  And remember, Eat, Drink, and Be Happy!  Stay tuned for more Fall and Holiday baking next week!




Ingredients and Tools Used:
Apple Shape Pocket Pie Mold (Click here for more information)
4-icnh Round Cookie Cutter (Click here for more information)
Mini Cookie Cutter Set (Click here for more information)
Organic Ground Cinnamon (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Rolling Mat (Click here for more information)
Rolling Pin (Click here for more information)
Measuring Spoons Set (Click here for more information)
Baking Sheets (Click here for more information)
Microplane Zester (Click here for more information)
Whole Nutmeg (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
Organic All-Purpose Flour (Click here for more information)




Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

How to Make Creepy Eyeballs Halloween Brew – Kids Friendly Party Recipe 鬼異眼球萬聖節特飲

Will you be hosting a Halloween party this year?  If you do, you’ve got to check out this Creepy Eyeballs Halloween Brew Recipe 鬼異眼球萬聖節特飲!  When I tested out this recipe with my kids, they were so excited and had so much fun with it!  Yes, this is a kids friendly recipe.  But if you want to turn it into a cocktail for the grown ups, you can add 1/2 a cup of liqueur of your choice, such as vodka, tequila, or gin.  Or, simply substitute the club soda with some sparkling wine.  It’ll be just as delicious!



This recipe is so easy to prepare!  If you haven’t watch the tutorial yet, you’ve got to check it out now.  Not only you’ll see how simple this recipe is, but you'll also get to check out the special guest who demonstrated the tutorial for us.  Since I made this recipe just for my family, I kept it to a rather small portion.  If you are serving this at a party, you might want to multiply the recipe to accommodate the number of guests that you have. 



In today’s recipe, I added some dry ice for the smoky and spooky effect.  It’s so much fun to use and it’s simply amazing.  It totally transformed the drink and took it to a whole new level.  The dry ice is actually easier to obtain and more affordable than I thought.  I was wondering and googling where to buy the dry ice.  Turned out, it was available in several local supermarkets near me.   If you plan on using dry ice in your drinks, I suggest that you call your local markets to make sure they have it in stock before driving there.



I kept the dry ice in an insulated ice chest as suggested by the packaging (do not keep in the freezer or a closed environment as the dry ice will release carbon dioxide when it “melts”.)  I highly recommend that you get it right before or a couple of hours before the party if you plan to use it.   And make sure you follow the safety instructions on the package.



Ever wonder what dry ice is made out of?  Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide.  It sublimates at –109.3F.  With its extremely cold temperature, we need to handle it with cautions and never touch the dry ice with your bare hands as you might get frostbite!  I was wearing gloves and using tongs when I had to add the dry ice to my drinks.  Don’t worry, the dry ice is totally safe!  Because of its heavier weight, the dry ice immediately dropped to the bottom of the glass/punch bowl.  Just make sure to sip your drink slowly so the dry ice is all melted by the time you finish your drink.  And it mostly will.  And please refrain yourself from getting the dry ice inside your mouth because it can burn your skin/mouth! 
 


Moving on to anther ingredient of this drink, the creepy eyeballs!  They are made out of canned lychees filled with fresh blueberries.  Lychee is one of my favorite tropical fruit to enjoy (check out this lychee martini recipe that I shared in the past and see how they look when they're fresh).  With a little bit of grenadine syrup added to the lychees, they sure looked like bloody eyeballs!  I’ll list the ingredients used at the end of the post for your convenience.



I hope you enjoyed today’s fun and easy recipe!  Leave me a comment if you have questions or if you’ve tried the recipe.  I would love to hear from you.  Remember, Eat, Drink, and Be Happy!  Stay tuned for more fun recipe next week!  Wish you all a happy and safe Halloween! 

Ingredients and Tools Used:
Grenadine Syrup (Click here for more information)
Cranberry Juice (Click here for more information)
Club Soda (Click here for more information)
Halloween Beaker Glasses (Click here for more information)
Halloween Glass Flask (Click here for more information)
Large Slant Cut Glass Bowl (Click here for more information)
Stainless-Steel Tongs (Click here for more information)
Insulated Foam Box (Click here for more information)


Disclaimers
Please follow manufacturer and safety instructions when handling dry ice.


Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Kid’s Bento Lunch Boxes Ideas

One of my favorite activities of the day is packing cute bento lunch boxes for my Kiddos.  As soon as October started, I’ve been making the lunch boxes with Halloween theme.  These lunch boxes are fun and festive.  It’s a way for me to send some love for the kiddos while they are at school.  The picture above is a spaghetti lunch box with Hello Kitty wearing a witch’s hat.  Kitty is made out of a slice of Muenster cheese.  The decorations are seaweed and soy wrappers.  The little pumpkin is a slice of carrot decorated with cut out seaweed. 



I love the Frankenstein bento as well.  It’s made out of a slice of Muenster cheese topped with a piece of green soy wrapper.  Click here to check out the package of soy wrapper that I used.  (I’ll list the tools and other ingredients at the end of this post for your reference as well.)   I absolutely love the soy wrappers as they are so colorful and easy to use.  Best of all, they are made with natural ingredients such as spinach, turmeric, and paprika to obtain those gorgeous bright colors. 




Here’s a simple one with ghosts and a broom stick.  Click here to check out the video tutorial on how to make the witch’s broom and the little ghosts were made out of mozzarella cheese balls decorated with cut out seaweeds.







The picture above is a bowl of Miso Noodle Soup that I made for my Hubby.  I’m sure we can all use some sunshine.  I feel happy just by looking at the cute face on the egg.



Have you heard of Gudetama?  It’s a Japanese cartoon character of an lazy egg (see picture above).  Click here to check out their Facebook page for some funny videos.  My kids and I always enjoy watching them together!



This little girl with spaghetti hair is one of my favorite.  It’s simple and adorable!






The little chick above is made with smoked salmon filled egg, check out this video for the tutorial and recipe.







My kids’ all time favorite got to be these piggy ham and cheese sandwiches along with Minions (see picture below)!  These lunch boxes are inspired by The Despicable Me 3 movie that we watched over the summer. The Minions are hard boiled eggs soaked in water and turmeric for the yellow color.  The decorations are cut out seaweeds.  I hope you enjoy today’s bento compilations and lunch box ideas!  If you have any questions, suggestions, or recipe requests, feel free to leave me a comment below. 

.

Tools and Ingredients Used for Bento Boxes:
Bento Box 1 (Click here for more information)
Bento Box 2 (Click here for more information)
Hello Kitty Shape Cutter (Click here for more information)
Sandwich Cutters (Click here for more information)
Seaweed (Click here for more information)
Soy Wrappers (Click here for more information)
Bento Picks 1 (Click here for more information)
Bento Picks 2 (Click here for more information)
Bento Picks 3 (Click here for more information)
Food Decorating Tweezers (Click here for more information)
Kitchen Scissors (Click here for more information)
Turmeric (Click here for more information)

How to Make Witch's Fingers Shortbread Cookies - Halloween Recipe 女巫手指餅乾 - 萬聖節食譜

Do you like Halloween?  To be honest, it’s not my favorite holiday of the year.  However, I do enjoy creating fun treats and scary snacks for friends and family.   It’s one of the occasions where I can let my creativity runs wild!



Today, I’m sharing these creepy Witch’s Fingers Shortbread Cookies with you.  This recipe is my classic go-to shortbread recipe, as I've shared here in the past.   It’s actually quite easy to shape them into “fingers” form.  The details and decorations couldn’t be any easier to add on as well.  Be sure to watch the video tutorial on my YouTube channel for all the details and tips.



When I serve these Witch’s Fingers, my Little Boy likes to dip them in strawberry preserves for a bloody effect!  My Baby Girl is a bit less graphic, she chose a mud puddle, a.k.a chocolate sauce as her dipping option!  Either way, these cookies are super fun to eat and just as finger licking good as-is.



These Witch’s Fingers are perfect for Halloween Party.  Last year, I packed them up to share with some school friends and they were a big hit!  You can make them a day or two in advance and store them in an air-tight container.  They stay fresh for at least 5 to 6 days if you store them well without direct sunlight.



How’s your Halloween planning so far?  Do you or your kids dress up?  It’s was such a surprised that my Kiddos have decided so early on what/who they want to be this Halloween.  It’s even more surprising to me that I’ve their costumes already prepared!  They only need a few final touches here and there and that’s it.  Yes, this year's costumes are partially handmade.  But luckily, nothing too complicated.  Phew…. just a side note, I’m just happy that the kiddos are not into scary costumes, at least not yet! 



I hope you enjoyed today's recipe and tutorial.  Stay tuned for another fun and easy Halloween treat next week!  BOO!




Tools and Ingredients Used:
Valrhona Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Click here for more information)
Sliced Almonds (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Salted Butter (Click here for more information)
Measuring Spoons Set (Click here for more information)
Silicone Pastry Brush (Click here for more information)
Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Rolling Mat (Click here for more information)
Baking Sheets (Click here for more information)



Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

How to Make Salted Egg Yolk Lava Custard Mooncakes 流心奶黃月餅:

This year, October 4th marks the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival!  Are you ready to celebrate?  Traditionally, family and friends would gather and enjoy the evening together.  After dinner, it’s the time to head outside the back yard (or the roof of a high-rise building when we were living in Hong Kong) and enjoy desserts, fruit, hot tea, and some mooncakes together!  Of course, and we enjoy each other’s company as well.



I meant to share this post and recipe with you sooner.  But it took me quite a while to fine tune this recipe.   I just wanted to make sure that you’ll be successful in making these in your own kitchen as well.  This way, I do all the leg work in testing recipes so that you don’t have to.  Or, maybe secretly, I’m a perfectionist!



Did you know that some bakeries in Asia had long lines for this particular flavor of mooncake? They are called the infamous Salted Egg Yolk Lava Custard Mooncakes 流心奶黃月餅!  Quite often, customers went empty handed after the long wait because the mooncakes were all sold out by the time the customers got to the counter!  No need to get upset!  Be like me and make your own at home!  Not only there’s no line to wait, you know exactly what ingredients go into your mooncake.  This week’s motto:  Keep Calm, and Bake Your Own Mooncakes!



Oh, but you do have to wait a day after baking these mooncakes before you can enjoy them though.  As do all mooncakes recipes, you need to wait for a day for the mooncake skin to soften and to allow the flavors to get aquatint with each other.  It’s call “回油” in Chinese mooncake baking term.  Afterwards, the skin of the mooncakes will becomes soft, slightly darker in color, and more shiny.  It’s totally worth the wait as the fragrant will be more complex as well!



There are mainly 3 components to this moon cake, the outer layer is the mooncake skin, the second layer is the traditional custard filling, and finally the center, which is the star of this mooncake:  a salted egg yolk lava filling!  It’s so yummy when the lava filling is still warm and it oozes out as you bit into one.  Since you need to wait a day to enjoy them, you’ll need to slightly reheat your mooncake for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave before serving if you want the floating lava!



This mooncake sounds decadent, but the salty egg yolk balanced well with the sweetness of the custard.  Therefore, this mooncake is not overly sweet, unlike most traditional mooncake fillings.  I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and tutorial!  Thank you so much for stopping by and stay tuned for some Halloween fun recipes in the next few weeks!





Ingredients and Tools Used:
Mooncake Mold (Click here for more information)Mini Silicone Sphere Mold (Click here for more information)
Custard Powder (Click here for more information)
Dry Milk Powder (Click here for more information)
Kitchen Scale (Click here for more information)
Strainers Set (Click here for more information)
Organic Coconut Milk (Click here for more information)
Large Measuring Cup (Click here for more information)
Measuring Spoons Set (Click here for more information)



Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.