Jade Cookies

When your mom told you to eat your peas, she knew what she was talking about. With green peas, it's true that good things come in a small package and the good things are that they are  packed with fantastic health benefits. High in protein, but low in calories, green peas keep your energy levels up, immune system strong and heart healthy. Overall, green peas are an economical, easy, healthy vegetable to add to almost any meal and an excellent vegetable to eat on a regular basis.

Continue for recipe HERE

Spiku/Kue Lapis Surabaya

It is good to know the fact that the name of this cake 'Kue Lapis Surabaya' is unknown to the citizens of the city of Surabaya, Indonesia.  So, don't go around asking about Kue Lapis Surabaya if you meet anyone from Surabaya, they will be just as blank as you are.  Ask them about 'Spiku' and there will be a conversation until the cows come home  I have seen many types of 'Spiku' and they all look great but since this is the first for me have to have a go for the original which consists of three layers of very moist and dense sponge type cake with the chocolate layer cake in the middle, sandwiched between two golden sponge cake.  Every layer require 10 egg yolks!!!!!!!.  Shocking but yes, without any egg whites, the texture of the cake is soft, moist and rich.  Good european butter added extra richness and i should say, it's a requisite.


Continue to read and for recipe HERE

Fragrant Hup Toh SouI/Walnut Cookie

I have made Hup Tou Sou several times and i hope you all are not fed-up of seeing another walnut cookie. Luckily nuts are beneficial to our health as i am going nut looking at nuts everyday.  The first recipe i made last year was of a crunchy texture and these Walnut Cookies were delicious but they were flat.  Then  this recipe had the crunch and melted in the mouth but lack the nuttiness.


So, the fourth recipe came into being and it is HERE

Almond Tuiles

It was the year 2000 that i was in Paris and it was there and then that i was introduced to authentic french cuisine. Thien, our dear family friend was home in Paris and we decided to join him. His Papa and Maman graciously took us in and not only did we get boarded, we had most of our meals catered for by Papa and Maman.

Papa would get up early every morning and go to the best bakery to get the freshest baguette available. Manan would get up earlier and she would start baking. We did not need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning.  Her bakings smelled so good and the fragrance of her baking was our morning call. I had wanted so much to learn baking from her but unfortunately she could not wait for me to wake up and every morning, perfect pastries were laid out all ready for breakfast.



Almond Tuiles recipe is HERE

Almond London Cookies

What's behind that name of this cookie? For the Almond, it is self explanatory but London????? Could this be a signature dessert for the Londoners? Whatever, these cookies are very popular in Malaysia, more so for the Hari Raya Celebration than the Chinese New Year.


Continue for recipe HERE

Hup Toh Sou II/Chinese Walnut Cookie

I am always concern about nutrition and want to find easy ways to be healthier, one of the best things you could do is eat nuts because they're loaded with vitamins and minerals. Nuts are super healthy! My favorite of all the nuts is walnuts and not only do they taste great, they are a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and an excellent source of those hard to find omega-3 fatty acids. Like most nuts, you can snack or add to your favorite salad, vegetable dish, fruit, dessert or bakings. You can never go wrong when you pair Walnuts with your baking and Walnut cookies is one of them.



The recipe is HERE

Walnut Cookies

When a friend wrote on my wall on Facebook and asked if i have Hup Toh Sou, this reminded me that this Hup Tou Sou recipe is very crunchy and crispy. I like it to be more "SOU". "SOU" in chinese means and if i am not wrong, a kind of cookie which has a bite and yet melts in the mouth. So, i went looking for new recipes and in my search among my cookbooks, i found this by Martin Yan.


Continue for recipe HERE

Palmiers Again And Again

The name Palmier means “palm leaves” in French. These cookies are also known as “Elephant Ear.” In Germany they’re called “Schweineohren”.


These French Palmiers are fantastic, traditionally, the recipe is time consuming and labor intensive, but it can be so easy-to-make, especially if you follow Quickest Puff Pastry Nick Malgieri

The Palmiers Again And Again recipe is HERE

Squirrel Fish (松鼠鱖魚)

The most important date in the lunar calendar is Chinese New Year - it’s a traditional time for feasting with family and friends that dates back thousands of years


Fish has symbolic significance to the chinese because the Chinese word for fish, yu, sounds like the word for riches or abundance, and it is believed that eating fish will help your wishes come true in the year to come. So, by cooking this fish dish - The Squirrel Fish" and serving it on Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner. I hope that all your wishes will come true in the Rabbit Year. The fish is never eaten completely since leaving some behind hints at the family's ability to 'always have enough'.


The recipe is HERE

Gong Xi Fa Cai Cookie

The Chinese New Year 2011, The year of the Rabbit, is not far away, only 27 days more to 3rd February, 2011.  Join me in The Cooking and Baking Bandwagon to bake cookies/biscuits and cook auspicious dishes to usher in the New Year.  The first to jump into the Bandwagon is this Gong Xi Fa Cai Cookie which is actually Linzer Cookie.  I found a rabbit design among my grandchildren's play dough set and i used it to cut the design for the top cookie.

The recipe is HERE

Classic Twisted Pastry Straws

As promised, i have made these Classic Twisted Pastry Straws and they are the best Straws i have ever made.  They were all gone as soon as they came out of the oven and cool enough to eat.

Continue for recipe HERE

Quickest Puff Pastry Nick Malgieri

Let it snow, let it snow and it was snowing hard up in the mountains. The calling to ski at the slopes was there and up the mountains we went. The family hit the slopes before we checked in to the condo. As soon as I checked in, i started to cook lunch which was an easy one, just sprinkle the chicken legs with seasoned salt and basil,(i found these seasonings in the cabinet of the condo), and put them to broil. There was nothing to do but to wait for them to cook, so, in the meantime i had to watch tv. There was no cable and the only channel that excited me was Hallmark - Martha Stewart was making cookies. The show was interesting and i was so engrossed, especially the cookie which was made of meringue, then added roasted hazelnuts and poured the mixture into a large saucepan. The commercials came on at the same time with the smoke alarm. I was ALARMED!!!!! Lily, you are in trouble, quick, locate the smoke alarm. Good, found it, grapped a chair and stood on it, luckily i was able to reach and turn off the alarm. I came down from the chair and turned to look at the tv, Martha Stewart was eating the crunchy meringue cookie. Oh no, I missed the part of what was done with the meringue in the saucepan. Trying to find the recipe, of which i am still trying to, instead, while i was looking, i found this clip The teacher show and Nick Malgieri was teaching how to make this quickest puff pastry. After watching and seeing how easy it was, i had to make it.

The How to is HERE

Chistmas Jello

The Importance of Color -

Colors have a significant impact on people’s emotional state. They also have been shown to impact people’s ability to concentrate and learn. They have a wide variety of specific mental associations. Colors also have a functional impact on readability, eye-strain, ability to attract attention, ability to be seen at night, etc.People respond to color in various ways Each color would most likely evoke different feelings in the onlooker.

Ever wonder the origins of how red and green became the colors of Christmas?



Read about it from Here


MERRY CHRISTMAS

These Christmas Jello are made with these moulds which are available online from Browncookie.com and the recipe is HERE

Step-By-Step Easy Christmas Fruitcake

IF a picture is worth a thousand words, then i would like to share my pictures on HOW To bake this Easy Christmas Cake and also this song which is titled "IF" by David Gates 1971. 

The Step-By-Step Pictures are HERE

Easy Christmas Fruitcake

The weather has turned colder and looking west, i can see that snow dusts the tops of the mountains, reminding me to start baking, so go and get out the fruitcake recipe.

Recipe for Easy Christmas Fruitcake is HERE

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes, it is Santa's new favorite, so i better make some and make Santa happy so that he will bring me what i wished for. My grandson, Alexander has been asking me - what i want for Christmas and i told him that i have only 1 thing i wanted - I wanted him to be 'kwai-kwai' and he said that there is no 'kwai-kwai' at the store and went away grumbling about Popo being crazy.

The recipe is HERE

Chiffon Sweet Potato Tartlets

What could be more enticing than a tart or a pie with smooth sweet potatoes filling. The color and texture is so appealing and so light, it is pure indulgence. Sweet potatoes/yams are in abundance this time of the year and to keep up with the Holiday Spirit, add Holiday Spices to the tarts/pies and kick up a notch.

The recipe is HERE

Bacon Wraps

When you have a potluck dinner to attend and don't feel like messing up the kitchen with so many pots and pans to clean after the cooking.  Think of bringing these Bacon Wraps - there is not much cleaning to do except washing the baking rack and the baking sheet does not need cleaning as it has been foil lined, so just throw away the greasy foil.  Oops,  there is still the knife that is used to cut the bacon in half and a plate to be cleaned, the plate that is used to microwave the bacon . The best part in this recipe is that you do not need a grocery list - just 3 ingredients.

The recipe is HERE

Turkey Prep on Day 2

It's already day two since we started brining the turkey and time to think of preparing the gravy. With so many other dishes to get on the table, sometimes the turkey gravy can be a mealtime anxiety-inducer. Fear not!

We are preparing it today, Wednesday, ahead and guess what? No stress and there is plenty of time to prepare The Sausage Dressing, leaving the sides for tomorrow.

 Hey, don't forget me, the turkey that has been brined for 8 hours!!!. 

Sorry, i got carried away, I know you need to be trussed and then send you off for vacation to the cooler

Continue for recipe HERE

A Special Birthday Cake

Ngoc, is a child with 'special needs' and she is so lucky to be in the United States where so much attention and care are given to children like Ngoc. Unlike my nephew, Eugene, who is in Malaysia - my brother could not find any special attention even when he is willing to pay for it. Preparing for the future is important but so is enjoying the pressent. Guessed my brother would have to 'focus on today and not tomorrow.

I found this Article so well written and meaningful and to all parents who have a kid with special need, please do spend a moment to read this and also to enjoy your child's speciality. I salute all you parents who are doing all the best you can and you are doing a really great job.  All of us could learn a thing or two as they are so special, actually at times, we are the handicapped ones.

Continue for recipe HERE