Strawberry Filled Whipped Cream

Strawberries are so pleasant to eat on a hot summer day. They're even enjoyable and prettier to look at when filled with a simple creamy whipped cream. This dessert is very easy to make and can be eaten in one bite.  

Ingredients:

• 10 large fresh strawberries 
• 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons of granulated white sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract cup 

Directions:

1. To make the whip cream, freeze medium mixing bowl in the freezer for 2-3 minutes. Add heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract into the cold mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.
2. Wash the strawberries and using a sharp knife, cut an "X" into each strawberry without cutting it all the way down. Then spread the "X" apart with your fingertips.
3. Fill the whipping cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Starting at the bottom of the strawberry, pipe the cream into the center of each strawberry with a swirling motion from the bottom to the top of each strawberry.
4. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top of each strawberries if desired.

Strawberry And Cream Cheese Crepes

After seeing many places with their crepe pan and spreader, I thought I wouldn't be able to made crepes without these necessary kitchenware. There is a way around it and I couldn't be any more happier with the outcome. The crepe batter is one of the easiest recipe to find in the house and I made about 10 5-inch crepes (typically, crepes are approx. 10-inches) that were stuffed with a sweet strawberry cream-cheese filling.

 

Serves 4

Crepe Ingredients:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Crepe Directions: 

1. Combine all crepe ingredients into a large mixing bowl. After mixing in the milk and water, gradually add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a non-stick small skillet over medium heat. 
3. Pour about 2 tablespoon of batter into skillet and tilt skillet in a circular motion to spread batter thinly and evenly. 
4. Cook only a minute or so on one side (until it is lightly browned) and loosen with spatula to flip to cook other side.
   

(Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling Directions Below)

Crepe Batter Ingredients

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients

Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:

• 4 ounce of cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 tablespoon of milk 

Filling Directions:

1. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and milk in a bowl. Blend with a mixer on low gradually increasing speed until smooth. 
2. Fill a ziplock bag with the filling. Set aside and cool the cream cheese filling in the fridge before using.
3. When crepes are ready to serve, place a crepe on a plate and snip off corner tip of ziplock.
4. Pipe the cream cheese filling onto the crepe and add 1 tablespoon of sliced strawberries.
5. Roll the filled crepe and sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve. 

Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 bag of popped popcorn

Directions

1. To make the caramel sauce, heat a saucepan over medium heat to melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat.
2. Place coated popcorn in a baking dish and bake in 250 degrees F oven stirring after 2 minutes, for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

Enjoy these crispy and crunchy bites! You'll be done before the movie starts.

Mini Wedge Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

I first discovered a wedge salad at a fine-dining restaurant where my boyfriend and I celebrated our two-year anniversary. I recalled the first thought that crossed my mind was that it was a lazy way out of making a "real" salad however reality sunk in as soon as I took a bite. The crunchiness of the iceberg lettuce and condiments with creamy dressing sealed the deal for me. I now could say that I appreciate the imagination and creativity of turning a salad into something unrecognizable and simply delectable to make. 

 

Serves 2

 Ingredients: 

• 1 head of iceberg lettuce
• 1 roma tomato
• 2-3 slices bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled 
• ranch dressing (recipe below) 

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 cup of milk and 2 tbsp. of vinegar)
• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic (pressed) 
• 1 tbsp. of honey
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:

Slice the head of lettuce in half. Remove the core by cutting diagonally around it and cut each half into three wedges.  Drizzle with ranch dressing and sprinkle with bacon bits, diced tomatoes, and more dressing if desired.

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

French Toast Bites

 This mini french toast version came out a little more yellow than I expected, but it had the same  scrumptious soft and sweet taste with a slight spice flavor. I added a generous dusting of powdered sugar and ate them warm, dipped in maple syrup. This breakfast treat can be enjoyed with fresh fruits, hash browns, bacon, and a cold glass of OJ. Did I make your mouth water yet?

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2  loaf of artisan-style bread
• 2 eggs 
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg 

Directions: 

1. Slice and cut bread into one-inch cubes without the crusts. In a bowl, mix eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Add the bread cubs in the egg mixture to saturate.
2. Butter a pan before transferring the cubes of bread. Shake off excess liquid from the egg mixture, and add cubes on the pan over the medium-high heat and cook, turning as needed, until golden brown on both sides for about 5 minutes. 
3. Serve warm with powdered sugar and a side of maple syrup.

Thai-Style Miniature Eggrolls

When my mom first introduced me to her eggrolls, I always had to request it to be made for a school potluck or birthday party. Everyone yearned for her eggrolls and indeed she makes the best thai-style egg rolls out there. The sauce is a perfect sweet and savory complement to the eggrolls. I must say, as soon as she made miniature ones, it inspired me to start  making ethnic-inspired appetizers or desserts. Although, it's a much slower learning process, I soon hope to get there starting with my mom's recipes.

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 pound clear dried bean thread noodle (soak in room temperature water until soft, drain, and cut in half) 
• 1/2 pound ground pork 
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot 
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage 
• 1/2 cup shredded jicama
• 1/4 cup diced white onion
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 package frozen egg roll wrappers/spring roll pastry (20-50 sheets per package)
• Mozola Oil for deep-frying 

How to Make: 

1. To make the filling, combine cooked ground pork (or ground chicken/shrimp), bean thread noodles, cabbage, carrot, onion, cilantro, black pepper, and salt in a bowl. 
2. To make the rolls, lay out one egg roll wrap with a corner pointed toward you. Place about a 1/4 cup of the filling on the wrap and fold corner up over the filling. Tuck the folded corner in the filling and roll until reaching center of the wrap. Fold left and right corners toward the center and continue to tuck and roll. Dab on a drop of egg yolk on the final corner to help seal the egg roll.
3. Pre-heat oil in a deep fryer or wok until sizzling hot. Carefully slide eggrolls in and leave for 3-5 minutes while constantly turning eggs rolls to cook the filling inside. Until the eggrolls are crisp and golden brown, use a frying spatula to drain oil then place the eggrolls on a paper towel over a plate to absorb the extra oil. 
4. Serve while it hot with Thai sweet chili sauce.

 

 

Mini Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders

Labor Day concludes the end of summer and supermarkets were quickly being emptied of french fries, ground beef and hamburger buns. This recipe accomplished the feat making delicious mini bacon cheeseburger sliders and a side of baked french fries!

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 bag of  hamburger buns
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 stick of butter
• 1 pound ground beef
• a single clove of shallot
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Ketchup, mayonnaise or other condiments
• 2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 head lettuce, torn to fit buns
• 1 package American cheese, 12 ounces, thinly sliced and cut to fit buns
• 2 strips of bacon

Directions

1. Use round shaped cookie cutter to make a total of 6 mini buns. Cut around the edges of the cookie cutter for a more precise circle. Thinly slice the excess of the inner, soft crumb of the bread.
   
2. For oven toasting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the seseame seeds out on a baking sheet. Bake until the seeds brown and become fragrant. For stovetop toasting, use a wide frying pan. Brush butter over the surface of the hamburger bun; sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Bake for 2-4 minutes to warm buns. 
   
3. In bowl, mix ground beef, salt, pepper, and finely chopped shallot. Shape 1/4 ounce at a time into 1 1/2-inch patties. Broil or grill 1 minute per side.
   
4. Top each beef patty with a slice of cheese and cook on grill until cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes.
5.  At serving time, place beef patty on buns, layer ketchup, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise and bacon on each bottom half then serve.
   

 

It's National Marshmallow Toasting Day!

In celebration of National Marshmallow Toasting Day, I've put together marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate otherwise known as S'mores! I wanted to reinvent the classic American treats  while delivering the same chocolaty taste everyone grew up loving. 

 

 To make the batter, use a stand mixer to  beat 1 egg, and combine 20 oz of sweet cream butter, 1/4 cup of yogurt, 1 tsp of sugar, 3 chocolate bars (melted), and 2 tbs of unsweetened cocoa. 

To make the crust, you will need to grind about 9 whole graham crackers and 1 tbs of brown sugar in a food processor. Using a blender was inefficient, so I had to manually smash it in a plastic bag and blend the rest.

 

Use 1/2 a stick of melted butter and mold the crumbs with your hands or pulse it in a food processor until it looks like wet sand.

 

Using a mini cupcake pan, spoon one tablespoon of crumb mixture in each cup. Press crumbs with spoon or fingers to form shallow cups. Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter to top the crust then spread the mixture finely over it.

 

Top the smores cup with a couple of mini marshmallows. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 4-5 minutes. Allow for them to cool then  run a butter knife around the edges of the crust to loosen them up. 

If you want to have the campfire-charred marshmallows, I used a wooden skewer to slightly torch them for a few minutes.