Portobello Mushroom and Avocado Oven Fries—Easy, Fun and Healthy Entertaining Recipe

Cheesecake Factory is one of my favorite restaurants to dine out.  If you haven’t check out my Brown Wheat Bread (Cheesecake Factory Style) recipe, you’re missing out.  (Simply click here for the recipe)  A while ago, I tried one of their appetizers and fell in love right the way.  Yup, they have these Portobello Mushrooms and Avocado Fries on the menu.  Who would think of turning mushrooms and avocados into fries, right?  I think they are genius!   



But you might already know, I don’t like deep frying in my kitchen.  Not only that uses lots of oil, but also means lots of left over oil.  I hate to see ingredients go to waste. Plus, I’m sure all of you would appreciate some healthier snack options around the holidays, right?  These oven fries are also much easier to prepare than heating up a pot of oil to deep fry.  Most importantly, you’ll feel much better after enjoying these fries.  They are so addictive that you won’t be able to stop at just one.




These oven fries has a super crispy crust, which contrast really well with the meaty and creamy textures of the mushroom and avocado.  What gives these oven fries that super crispy and crunchy crust?  The Panko bread crumbs!  Panko bread crumbs are the Japanese version of bread crumbs that are super flaky.  You can see through from the package in the picture below that the crumbs are much bigger in size than the regular bread crumbs.  The panko is light and crunchy, perfect for oven-fries in my opinion.  I combine the panko with some parmesan cheese to make the coating more flavorful with a hint of nuttiness.  That compliment well with the earthy flavor from the Portobello mushrooms and mild, yet creamy avocado as well.




Still remember my Homemade Ketchup recipe?  Oh yeah, the Homemade Ketchup is perfect for these Portobello and avocado fries!



You can hear the crunch when you bite into the fries.  The Portobello mushroom is so meaty and juicy at the same time.  So good, and so addictive.



The avocado fries are equally good. Imagine slightly cheesy crust, along with the mild and creamy avocado inside. 



Oh my…these are simply divine.  With the Roasted Garlic Mayo as a dipping sauce, I can definitely make these fries a meal!  If you find yourself finishing the whole batch without sharing, you’ll then remember I’ve already warned you in this post.  Did I mention addictive?  



Are you ready to see how they are prepared?  Please, follow me to the kitchen.

1) Cut the Portobello mushrooms and avocado into 1/2-inch strips.
2) In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper.  
3) Gently  toss the mushrooms and avocado in the flour mixture.  Coat evenly and shake off any excess flour (work on a few pieces at a time). 
4) In another shallow dish, lightly beat the eggs.  Then, dip the floured fries into the eggs, drip of any excess eggs.
5) In the third shallow dish, combine the panko and the Parmesan together.  Then, place the fries into the panko mixture.  Gently press the panko mixture onto the mushrooms and avocados. 
6) Place the fries onto the wire rack, leaving an 1/8-inch space between each fry.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  Serve with Homemade Ketchup and Roasted Garlic Mayo.



Pretty simple, right?  If you want to get your Kids to eat more veggies, these fries certainly will do the trick.  Your Kids will be happy to devour these Portobello Mushroom and Avocado Oven Fries in no time!   These fries are great as appetizers for any party or celebration.  You can even make them ahead and reheat them in a 350 F degree oven for a few minutes before the guests arrive.  I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and pictorial.  Stay tuned for more easy entertaining recipes.





P.S.  I love these Wire Cone Baskets for the fries.  They are fun and festive.   Not only they are good for fries but also wonderful for serving bread sticks and onions rings.  If you’re interested to check out the product, please click here.  Have fun baking.

Homemade Ketchup and Roasted Garlic Mayo--Two Must-Have Sauces

My Kids love Ketchup.  Well, in fact, I haven't met a kid who doesn't like Ketchup, period.  Have you?  I know many parents concern about the High Fructose Corn Syrup as an ingredient in most of the store bought brands.  What's the solution?  Of course I created my own.  Not only this Homemade Ketchup version contains only natural ingredients (those that you can pronounce), it’s also super easy to make.  Another bonus is that it tastes way better than the bottled ones.  For me, I'm not always a Ketchup person, so, for dipping options, I also created this Roasted Garlic Mayo.  Guess what?  I'm sharing both recipes with you today.




This Homemade Ketchup and Roasted Garlic Mayo are two must-have sauces that you want to have in your fridge at all times.  They are versatile sauces that compliment well with so many ingredients. 



Want to check out how I made them?  Follow me to the kitchen.

Here’s are the steps to prepare the Homemade Ketchup:

1) Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan.
2) Sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant. 
3) Then add the red pepper flakes.
4) Followed by the apple cider vinegar.
5) Then, add the tomato paste, salt, brown sugar, bay leave, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.  Let it simmer uncover for 30 minutes. 
6) The sauce will thicken and it’s ready.  You can puree it in a blender for a smoother texture or leave it as is.  I love it a little chunky like this.





Super simple, right?  Store it well in the fridge and the ketchup shall last for 7 to 10 days….that is, if you don’t finish it sooner.  You can also portion it out and freeze part of it so a batch lasts longer.

Up next, let me show you how to roast the garlic to make the decadent Roasted Garlic Mayo.
1) Cut the whole head of garlic side way.
2) Place it on a foil and drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt on top.
3) Wrap it up and bake in the 400 degree F oven for 45 minutes.
4) The garlic will be super soft and fragrant.  You won’t be able to trace any pungent garlic flavor at all.  They turned into these sweet, tender and irresistible jewels after roasting.  When it’s cool enough to handle, simply squeeze the flash out from the skin.  Smash them with a fork and whisk in Japanese Mayo, lemon juice, chopped parsley, salt and pepper and your Roasted Garlic Mayo Sauce is ready.




I hope you like the two homemade sauces that I’m sharing with you today.  Stay tuned for the next blog post to find out what I serve these sauces with.  You definitely don’t want to miss it.  I promise they will be easy to prepare, healthy, fun and wonderful for entertaining guests. 

Decorated Coffee Swiss Roll with Step-by-Step Pictorial (彩繪咖啡瑞士卷)

Many of you have requested a Coffee Swiss Roll recipe in comments and emails ever since I posted the Chocolate Yule Log (recipe here) and the Strawberry & Cream Swiss Roll (recipe here).  So, finally, here is my Coffee Swiss Roll recipe.  Sorry for the delay, my dear Friends and Readers.  But I'm telling you, it's worth the wait!  As you can see from my pictures, this is not just any Coffee Swiss Roll, it’s a Decorated Coffee Swiss Roll, that’s entertaining and gift-giving worthy!  I would be totally impressed and touched if I receive this cake as a gift.  What do you think? 



It’s probably the 98,349,766 times that I've mentioned here on the blog that I’m NOT a crafty person, at all.  So, if I can make this cake, so can you.  I’ll hold your hand and show you the step-by-step pictorial on the process so you feel more comfortable when you make your own.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so, I’m sure a pictorial really helps with this recipe.



The basic Coffee Swiss Roll recipe I’m sharing today is one that I’ve tested and developed several years ago, except that I have never published it before.  I've been using this same recipe every time my Chubby Hubby family requests a Coffee Swiss Roll for afternoon tea.  If you wish, you can totally skip the decoration part and simply make the Coffee Swiss Roll.  I promise it’ll taste just as good, just not as glamorous and elegant, that’s all.  But if you plan on preparing this Swiss Roll for entertaining guests, special occasion or as a gift, you should totally give this decorated version a try.  



Ready to come into the kitchen with me?  Come on in….

1) First, get the decoration tools ready.  I drew the patterns I wanted for the decoration, free-hand, on a piece of paper that fits my baking pan.  Simply making curls and movement here and there, that's all.  I started with a pencil and then trace it with a marker so the lines are thicker and can show through the parchment paper easily.

2) Line the baking pan with a piece of parchment paper.  Make sure the parchment paper is large enough to have at least 2-inch excess on all sides for easy removal when the cake is done.

3) Pick your piping tip and fit it into a small pastry bag.  I’m using a Wilton #2 here (click here for a closer look), which is a tiny tip because my patterns are on the thin side.  You can choose a wider tip, depending on the patterns that you want to draw.

4) Twist the piping bag near the tip and tuck the piping bag into a mug or a glass.  It’ll make filling the batter much easier.



5) Next, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until frothy.

6) Then slowly add in around 1/2 of the sugar and beat until stiff peak forms.

7) In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until light and pale yellow. Then add the vanilla, coffee mixture, melted butter and heavy cream until incorporated.

8) Sift the cake flour into the egg yolk mixture.  Fold until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined.




9) In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoon of the egg yolk mixture, 6 tablespoon of the meringue, and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

10) Gently fold until the ingredients are incorporated.

11) Fill this chocolate mixture into the prepared piping bag.  Gently squeeze the piping bag to release batter and trace the patterns on your prepared baking sheet.

12)  Here’s how it looks when piping is done.  Remove the paper/drawing under the parchment.  Bake for 5 minutes or until your decorative patterns are set, depending the thickness of your decoration batter.




13) Gently fold the remaining meringue into the egg yolk mixture, 1/3 at a time.  Be careful not to deflate the egg whites too much.

14) Make sure there's no big chucks of meringue in the batter.  This is how the batter looks when it's done.

15)  When the patterns are done baking, pour the cake batter on top and gently spread the batter into one even layer.  Bake at 375 degree F for 10 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the cake and comes out clean.

16) While the cake is still warm, roll the cake with the parchment from one end to the other, starting from the shorter end.  This will help the cake hold its shape and prevent cracking.  Unroll the cake and let it cool completely.

17) When the cake is completely cooled, gently spread the freshly whipped cream on top in an even layer.  Roll the cake up, from the shorter end without the parchment.  Wrap the filled cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour, or until ready to serve.

18) Admire the cake for a few seconds, cut it up and enjoy!




It really is easier to make this cake than it looks.  There might be a few more steps compared to regular Swiss Roll but all simple steps and totally worth it, in my opinion.  I hope you'll love today's recipe, pictorial and is inspired to make your own Decorated Coffee Swiss Roll soon.

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.