Strawberry cheesecake

Strawberry cheesecake

First time making cheesecake on my own, although I bought the crusts because I don't have a springform pan. Turned out delicious and very pretty.  Modified from this site.

Recipe below:

Strawberry cheesecake

• 2 store-bought graham cracker crusts
• 1 16 oz box of fresh strawberries (frozen will do too)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon water 

In a blender or food processor, combine strawberries and cornstarch and a little water; cover and process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan; bring to a boil.  Boil and stir for 2 minutes. 

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in milk. Add lemon juice; mix well. Add eggs, beat on low just until combined. Pour half of the cream cheese mixture over crusts. Drop strawberry mixture by 1/2 teaspoonfuls onto cream cheese layer.  You can save some for serving or use it all up now like I did.  Carefully spoon remaining cream cheese mixture over sauce. Drop remaining strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on top. With a knife, cut through top layer only to swirl strawberry sauce. 

Place a pan filled with ~1 inch of hot water in the oven.  This is to increase oven humidity to prevent cracks.  Bake at 300 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. . Refrigerate overnight. Thin chilled strawberry sauce with water if desired; serve with cheesecake. Store in the refrigerator. 

Chocolate cake!

My first attempt at making a chocolate cake was a bona fide success!  I modified this chocolate bundt cake recipe from Joy the Baker and oh my gosh, I've already eaten a quarter of the cake.

Because I lacked Dutch process cocoa, I used non-Dutch instead and used baking soda only.  I also reduced the sugar to a little under 2 cups and skipped the glaze part, instead dusting with a little powdered sugar.  The result was a moist, light, and not too sweet chocolate snack cake.  Next time, I think I'll add mini chocolate chips!

Homemade yogurt

Homemade yogurt with honey. Delicious.

Best. Project. Ever. I have always wanted to try making homemade yogurt. I am so delighted that it worked.  I followed the instructions from this site exactly.  At 6 am (yes, I am an early riser but not by choice!) I sidled down to the kitchen and carefully extracted my bowl from the oven. My fingers were crossed the whole way. And yes, success!

The only caveat was that this was not actually cheaper than store-bought yogurt.  I know all the websites rave about how DIY yogurt saves $$$, but I paid $3.69 for a half-gallon of organic milk + $0.50 for a yogurt starter. This made about 3 cups of strained yogurt, not even as thick as Greek yogurt.  At Trader Joe's here, I can buy 32 oz. or 4 cups of Greek yogurt for $4.99.  I guess it'll be cheaper if I buy bulk quantities of milk? But you know what? This was worth the expense and time. I had so much fun and the yogurt was really delicious - smooth, mild, and creamy.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Made this as a quick Thanksgiving side dish. It looks simple (and it is) but you can't stop eating it.

Modified from the Pioneer Woman's recipe.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Ingredients:
- several boiling potatoes (I used the kind with red skin about the size of my fist and cut them in half)
- salt and pepper
- chives, rosemary, or herbs of your choice
- olive oil

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender
2. Place potatoes on baking dish and using potato mashed or bottom of glass, smash potato
3. Drizzle or paint with olive oil
4. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs to taste
5. Pop onto top rack of oven set at 400 F
6. Bake about 10-15 minutes or until tops of potatoes look crispy and slightly browned
7. Serve hot

Salty Chocolate Nutella Thumbprints

Salty Nutella Thumbprint Cookies

I made these in our kitchen last week. In the course of wielding the hand mixer, forming the balls, and spooning the Nutella, I involved (unintentionally) no fewer than half a dozen hallmates. Everyone loves cookie-making, apparently!  Thus, I have no pretty picture of these cookies arranged on a plate, because they were gone before I could get to it.

These cookies, from this year's Washington Post Holiday Guide, are definitely a crowd pleaser. Who doesn't like soft, chewy, chocolate cookies with Nutella? The only change I made to the recipe was reducing the salt to 1 teaspoon and reducing the sugar to about 1 cup.  They were plenty sweet enough and you could definitely appreciate the salty undertones.

From the Washington Post: 

Salty Nutella Thumbprint Cookies

These salty, sweet cookies are a go-to party recipe for Jenna Huntsberger and Stephanie Willis of Whisked! Guests find the Nutella centers irresistible. To get the butter to the right consistency, Huntsberger leaves it on the counter the night before she makes these cookies.

MAKE AHEAD: Unbaked, scooped cookies stored in an airtight container will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. Baked and filled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes 30 to 35 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (10 ounces) flour
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3.2 ounces) natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (reduced to 1 teaspoon)
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at a very soft room temperature (see headnote)
• 1 1/3 cups (9.3 ounces) sugar (reduced to 1 cup), plus 1 cup for finishing the cookies (you need less than 1 cup)
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a small bowl.

Combine the butter and 1 1/3 cups of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat for about 2 minutes on low speed, until fluffy, then add the egg yolks, cream and vanilla extract; beat on low speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated.

Place the remaining cup of sugar in a shallow bowl.

Scoop 30 to 35 heaping tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets. Shape each mound of dough into a ball, then roll it in the remaining sugar to coat evenly. Space the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets, then use your thumb to make an indentation in the top of each cookie, gently flattening the cookies a bit as you work.

Bake one sheet at a time for 10 minutes or until the edges are just set; the tops of the cookies will be soft. (If the indentations have lost definition, press the centers again immediately after you remove the cookies from the oven.) Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. 

Pipe or spoon the Nutella into the center of each cookie while the cookies are still slightly warm. 

Serve or store once the Nutella centers have slightly set.

Grilled asparagus

I make oven-grilled asparagus a lot.  It is both foolproof and so tasty that I can eat an entire bunch in one sitting!  I walked into the kitchen the other the day while one of my hallmates was preparing broccoli.  Our hall has this inside joke that asparagus is a "rich man's vegetable." Apparently, according to this hallmate, broccoli is the poor man's asparagus.  Okay, so pound for pound asparagus is pricey, even on sale at $1.99/lb.  But as a treat, it is sooo good.  I eat it spear by spear with my fingers...the best way :)

The rich man's vegetable :)

Spears with olive oil, salt, and pepper - ready to toss in the oven!

Oven-grilled asparagus

Ingredients
1 bunch of asparagus
Salt (kosher, if you're fancy, but I have none of that stuff in my "pantry")
Pepper
Olive oil

1. Wash asparagus and trim off the tough ends, about an inch.
2. Pat the asparagus dry. This is important! Otherwise, your asparagus will come out limp (but it still tastes good, believe me) and arrange evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil.  You need less than you think - just enough to evenly coat the spears.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Use you hands and mix it all up.
6. Bake on the top rack at 425 F until spears are soft.
 

Halloween goodies

Halloween cupcakes

Look what I made for our hall for Halloween!  I'm especially proud of the spider web decoration. Simply pipe chocolate icing (I put some frosting in a ziplock bag and cut off a corner) in two concentric circles on a white-frosted cupcake and then use a knife to drag the chocolate icing outward, like spokes on a wheel.

Super Easy Apple-Pear or "Any-Fruit" Cobbler

Apple-Pear Cobbler

 
Again, my kind of recipe here - inexact measurements, flexible ingredient list, and still a delicious success! We served this warm along with vanilla ice cream and it was hit!

Super Easy Fruit Cobbler

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup white granulated sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon, if using apples
2 cups fruit, diced (apples, pears, berries, peaches, etc) (I added around 3 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Melt butter in a 9 x 9 inch baking dish.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, white sugar, milk, and vanilla to make batter.
3. Add fruit to baking dish on top of the melted butter.
4. Pour batter in baking dish over butter and mix gently. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of brown sugar on top.
5. Bake at 325 F for 1 hour, or until golden brown.

This makes a cakey type cobbler. The original recipe suggested pouring the batter on top of the butter first and then adding the fruit on top, with no stirring, but I like this approach better.  The fruit doesn't get quite as dry, although that may be an issue only with apples. I imagine with juicy peaches or berries it would be less of an issue. Still, this is virtually fail-proof.

Whole Wheat Strawberry Yogurt Muffins

I'm on a mission to savor the last bits of summer. As such, for our study break, I whipped up a batch of these guys (er, or gals, or muffins - why am I anthropomorphizing?).  They were deliciously moist and wholesome.  And don't tell me you don't love the heart shapes.



Whole Wheat Strawberry Yogurt Muffins
Yields 12 muffins
adapted from http://alidaskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/strawberry-yogurt-muffins.html

1.5 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1.5 cups strawberries, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease 12 muffin cups.
2. In large bowel, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowel, combine eggs, yogurt, oil, and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture and gently mix until combined. Avoid overmixing.  Gently fold in strawberries.
4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Serve with even more strawberries.

Heart shaped muffins. It's a silicone baking dish.

My poor attempt at food photography. With an smartphone camera. At least I tried.

Ann's Banana Bread

Banana bread. Look at that crackly crust!

This is the best banana bread I have ever had.  Last year, Ann baked it for an event. I promptly scarfed down 3 slices, and then I begged her for the recipe. It is definitely a treat (just look at the ingredient list, and that's after I modified it a bit to make it slightly healthier).  Nevertheless, it's worth the indulgence.

Ann's Banana Bread (the best!)

Ingredients

½ c. butter (1 stick)

1 cup sugar, plus a bunch extra for sprinkling. (Can use less if you want)

2 eggs

¼ c. sour milk or buttermilk*

1½ c. flour (I used 1 cup all-purpose and 0.5 cups white whole wheat)

¾ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 c. mashed bananas (about 2 large)

1 c. pecan pieces (optional)

2 T. vanilla extract

 

1.  Cream butter and sugar together.

2.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3.  Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together.

4.  Add dry mixture alternately with sour milk and bananas.

5.  Mix butter/sugar/egg/vanilla mixture.

6.  Sprinkle a heavy layer of sugar on the top of the loaf.  This will make a crackly crust.

Use a larger loaf pan—this recipe makes too much batter for a small loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour.  Makes one generous loaf.  Use a thin knife in the center of the loaf to test for doneness.  This bread can stay in the fridge for months without getting spoiled, and it freezes beautifully.

*If you do not have sour milk or buttermilk, add about a tablespoon of lemon juice to plain milk and let it curdle for a few minutes before adding the milk to the mixture. 

Hollow Chinese Watercress

Hollow Chinese Watercress aka "Hollow Heart Vegetable"

This is, hands down, my favorite vegetable. It touched my lips, or so I first remember, when I was eight at my grandparent's home. I couldn't get it enough of it, leaving my grandparents bemused yet obliging to my obsession. Apparently, this vegetable grows everywhere and is considered a weed. Back then, it cost the equivalent of 2-3 cents/pound. If it were only so cheap in the U.S.

I never know what to call this vegetable in English. The direct translation is "hollow heart vegetable. " I have dubbed it "hollow Chinese watercress" because I think it sounds more elegant.  The watercress part is not quite accurate, because it doesn't have the same peppery flavor. It's a mild-tasting leafy green vegetable with the perfect mix of crunch (stems) and tenderness (leaves). A quick Google search told all! According to Wikipedia, this is "Ipomoea aquatica." And indeed, it has been officially designated a "noxious weed" by the USDA.  Another interesting fact: according to Chinese culture, individuals, especially the elderly, should consume the vegetable in minimal quantities, lest the person become hollow and empty inside. If that were the case, I'd be as hollow as the inside of a bamboo stalk.

The recipe...easy peasy:

Sauteed Hollow Chinese Watercress with Garlic

Ingredients
- Big bunch of hollow Chinese watercress.
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped into 0.5 cm slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt to taste

1. Wash watercress well. Chop off about 1 inch from the stem ends and discard. Cut the stem portion into 1 inch pieces and the leafy portion into 2-3 inch pieces.
2. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil and the chopped garlic into a large non-stick pan. Then turn the heat to high. The trick is to add garlic to cold oil, allowing time for the oil to absorb all the garlicky flavor.
3. Once the pan is hot, add the watercress stems. Stir around for a minute.
4. Now add the watercress leaves. Continue sauteing until the leaves are wilted and the stems soft but still slightly crisp. This takes about 5-7 minutes, depending on how much heat your stovetop can produce. Mine is really weak, so I often have to add a bit of water and cover the veggies to get them soft. Salt to taste.

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what it looks like throughout the cooking process:

Garlic. Yum.

Right after the leaves were added

Voila!