Cinnamon Rolls

School was supposed to start yesterday but to our pleasant surprise, the Dean's office had some scheduling problems so our classes got cancelled! GOOD. I was so not ready for school to start, one last day of 混ing was all i needed before i reactivated my brain. But I guess my extra day didn't do much since my cellphone alarm didn't go off and I had only 10 minutes to get ready for class... yup, this 笨蛋 's cellphone was still in the UK time and she had 1 week to figure that out but didn't. Sighhhhh... I guess God noticed how unprepared i still was for school so He graciously cancelled my evening class and i got myself the rest of the day off, AMEN! So with my afternoon free, I thought I'd bake Irene, the birthday girl, something special. I remember her telling me yesterday that she loved the taste of cinnamon and missed the Cinnabons she used to have in Canada, so I went through my reciple folder and found the recipe I saved up for cinnamon rolls! It was pretty easy to make and most importantly, they came out prettttty! I just thought the sour-cream icing made it a bit too sweet but JLo said all cinnamon rolls are exceedingly sweet anyway. Hmmm, i just hope Irene agrees with him O_O. AHHH WELL, it's the heart that matters... so

<3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IRENE :D

Cinnamon Rolls
from allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
  
  
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
  
  
• 1 (3 ounce / 85 gram) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (i used 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs [picture 1].
2. Add flour and mix well [picture 2].
   
3. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour [picture 3].
   
4. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in size [picture 4].
5. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
7. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture [picture 5].
8. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan [picture 6, 7].
9. Cover the baking pan and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes [picture 8].
   
10. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes [picture 10].
11. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt [picture 9]. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Cinnamon Rolls

Espresso Cupcakes

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I'm back from my awesome trip to Turkey and London! Though it has been an exhausting 12-day trip, JLo and I have fell absolutely in love with Turkey and we're definitely going back again someday. I can't believe such a beautiful country is still under the tourist radar. If it wasn't for JLo, i would have never thought to go there. Our original plan was to visit Greece; Turkey would be a bonus. But after much research, we came to an unanimous decision that Turkey deserved our full attention... and we were right. Aiyaaaaa... I don't want to go into detail about the trip or else I'm gonna start feeling sorry for myself; sitting here in my room, keeping warm and having no interest in the -8 degrees Celsius Poznanian world outside. Sigh, I wanna go backkkkkkkkk!!! The only time i left this building was probably on new years eve, when i went grocery shopping for the new years eve dinner we were going to have at Jack's apartment. It was a last minute idea, really, so this wasn't going to be another 5 dish Christmas dinner. I made a Caesar salad, lasagna (updated later), and brought over some Chinese dumplings (updated later) JLo and I made the day before. No celebration is complete without a dessert so I wanted to make something simple yet pleasing to the eyes. And there's nothing prettier / easier to make than... CUPCAKES!! Yup, i made Espresso Cupcakes ( JLo only likes coffee desserts) with a mascarpone filling and chocolate ganache top. I wanted to make them with a chocolate icing swirl but I don't think JLo's health savvy friends would be too happy about that... 討厭, 下次吧... So anyways, here's the 1st of many cupcake recipes to come, enjoy!

Espresso Cupcakes
from betty crocker & cupcakeproject
makes 12 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS:

• CUPCAKES:
  
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder (more if using regular coffee)
  
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• FILLING:
• 1/2 container (4 oz, 125 g) of mascarpone cheese
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder (more if using regular coffee)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

• CHOCOLATE GANACHE
• 100 g (3.5 oz) of dark chocolate broken into small pieces
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
  
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
   
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.
   
3. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and instant espresso into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine.
   
4. Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine.
   
5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine.
   
6. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine.
   
7. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
8. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 1/2 full.
   
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
10. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes [picture 1].
    
    
11. In medium bowl, beat mascarpone cheese, milk, 2 teaspoons espresso powder and the powdered sugar on medium speed until smooth [picture 2].
    
12. Spoon mixture into decorating bag fitted with 1/4-inch writing tip.
13. To fill each cupcake, insert tip of bag into center of cooled cupcake; gently squeeze bag until cupcake expands slightly but does not burst (each cupcake should be filled with about 1 tablespoon filling) [picture 3].
    
    
14. Heat the cream in a double boiler until it just starts to boil [picture 4].
    
15. Pour in the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is melted and integrated with the cream [picture 5, 6].
    
16. While it is still warm, spread a thin layer of it over the cupcakes. It will harden when it cools.
17. Decorate with white chocolate shavings.

Espresso Cupcakes

5 Dishes, 5 Roses, and an Early Christmas

UWAGA: very long entry.

With that being said, here comes a mega-update with enough recipes to last for the rest of the year. So consider this the last 2008 update as I will be gone for the next few weeks for Christmas break, yayyyy. So to what do I owe this extreme pleasure of laboring 4 hours on a Saturday night? You've guessed it: Christmas dinner! Last year JLo and I spent Christmas eve roaming the streets Madrid looking for an underground Chinese restaurant recommended by my aunt. This year, we'll probably be end up in a long cue outside a kebab store in some hidden corner of Istanbul. I'm not saying that it's gonna suck, but who wouldn't want to spend Christmas at home and enjoy a hearty home-cooked meal followed by long movies and an endless supply of Christmas cookies? Mmmhmm, that's when i decided to surprise JLo with a Christmas dinner that I have been preparing in my mind for the past few days:

1. Roast Chicken
2. Potatoes Au Gratin
3. Caesar Salad
4. Salmon risotto
5. Simple corn sautee
   
   

Yea i know, these 5 dishes sounds simple enough but let me tell you, the preparation was freakin' hard work especially when you're doing it alone! To think that I thought I'd have some time in the middle to whip up some cookies or dessert AND pick out a nice romantic movie, HA! Yea, right. I'm just glad there was actually food on the table. So even though my dinner didn't turn out exactly as planned, at least I still got to spend some quality, fattening, weight-gaining time with JLo while watching the 2008 Victoria Secret's Fashion Show. Mmmhmm, great combination, i tell you. So enough with the blabber, here are 3 recipes of my Christmas dinner (salmon risotto and corn sautee aren't special enough to share) :

P.S Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Caesar Salad
from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cloves garlic
  (3 cloves for the salad dressing, 3 cloves for the croutons)
  
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated and divided
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cups day-old bread, cubed
• 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mince 3 cloves of garlic, and combine in a small bowl with mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cut the remaining 3 cloves into quarters, and add to hot oil. Cook and stir until brown, then remove garlic from pan. Add bread cubes to the hot oil. Cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned. Remove bread cubes from oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place lettuce in a large bowl. Toss with dressing, remaining Parmesan cheese, and seasoned bread cubes.
   

Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken
from foodwishes (youtube), about.com
INGREDIENTS:

• - 1 whole chicken
• - 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• - 1/2 cup of butter, at room temperature
• - 3 teaspoons of dried thyme, divided
  
• - 1 lemon, zested and sliced
• - salt and pepper
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. COMPOUND BUTTER= Combine the butter, garlic, 2 teaspoons thyme, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl and mash until completely mixed [picture 1].
   
2. Rinse the chicken and remove any giblets from the cavity. Cut off the chicken neck if they haven't done so.
3. Position the turkey so that the cavity is facing you and you are working forward towards the neck. Using a long, thin flexible rubber or silicon spatula, slowly slide the tool between the skin and the flesh of the breasts on both side of the breastbone [picture 2].
4. The skin is fairly tough and won't tear if you go slowly and carefully. You can pretty much separate the skin all the way from the cavity, where you started, to the front of the breast, and down toward the wing joint. Do this on both side of the breast, but leave the skin attached along the center of breastbone itself.
5. Then simply divide the butter mixture in half and stuff it under the skin on both sides and massage it down toward the front of the bird. Spread as evenly as possible, but don't worry about getting it perfect, as it will melt and spread out as the chicken roasts [picture 3, 4].
6. Season the chicken cavity with 1 teaspoon of thyme, salt, and pepper. Then stuff it with the sliced lemon [picture 5].
   
7. Truss the chicken by using kitchen twine to tie up the legs (or you can just criss-cross and stuff the legs into the cavity to close it). Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird [picture 6].
8. Place the chicken on a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil, 1 teaspoon of thyme, and season with salt and pepper [picture 7].
9. Bake for 60 minutes and check for doneness by inserting a thermometer into the thigh meat; it should read 75 C (165 F). Cover the breasts with a piece of foil if it's getting too brown towards the end of the cooking time [picture 8].

Potatoes Au Gratin
from harvesteating.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs thinly sliced potatoes
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  
• 1 cup of onions, chopped
  
• 2 cups infused milk and cream
  
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
  
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Using a Mandoline, slice the potatoes as thin as you can. If you don't have a Mandoline, just slice it as think as possible with a normal knife.
   
2. Put the sliced potatoes in water if you're not ready to make this, keeps it from oxidizing.
3. Layer in the order of potatoes (dried), cheese, onions, milk mixture, salt and pepper. Repeat until your heavy bottomed baking dish is full.
   
4. Top with remaining cheese and seasoned bread crumbs.
   
5. Bake at 375F until bubbly and starting to brown.

J&A's Pseudo-Christmas Dinner 2008

Sausage & Pepper Calzone

I'm on a roll!! Updating the next day? Yea, i must be really bored. After the 4 pharmacology quizzes i had on Monday and Tuesday (that's right, 4 in 2 days), i immersed myself into a night of brainless Animal Crossing on NDS (which currently ranks #1 in my guilty pleasure list). I don't know if it was my burning heater or what, but i had a hard time sleeping last night. My conscience then woke me up before my alarm this morning, urging me to go to General Surgery. So I took the god-forsaken A bus to M1 only to find out only 2 other people showed up. SIGHHH... second time this happened! But ah well, at least i unexpectedly won over a scrub-in surgery from Patrica in a game of rock-paper-scissors, wahahaha. So i came home at noon with the entire day ahead of me and with absolutely NOTHING to do (or nothing i wanted to do). Aiii... so after a few hours of 混-ing around, I decided I'd sublimate my apathy/pms into some rigorous dough kneading which turned out to be quite therapeutic and gratifying. Mmhmm, i'm talking about the Calzone pictured above, isn't it lovely! Oozing globs of mozzarella points the way to my <3 heart <3.

Sausage & Pepper Calzone
from Keith Snow (youtube)
INGREDIENTS:

• Prepared pizza dough (see recipe here)
  
• Green peppers, chopped
  
• Red onions, chopped
  
• Button mushrooms, sliced
  
• Meat medley (sausages, ham, salami, chicken, ground meat... etc)
  
• Basil & Oregano (to taste)
• Mozzarella cheese, sliced
  
• Salt & pepper (to taste)
  
• 1 egg (for egg wash)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pizza dough instructions can be found here, click me! Separate the dough into 6 balls and let it rise for 1 hour [picture 1].
2. While dough is rising, prepare all the ingredients and set aside [picture 2].
3. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-heat. Stir in onions, green peppers and mushrooms, saute for 2 minutes [picture 3].
4. Stir in the sausages or anything uncooked (ham and salami can be left out). Season with basil, oregano, salt, and pepper [picture 4]. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Roll the dough out into an oval shape, and spoon the prepared filling (and any other topping) onto the dough. (place the mozzarella slices on top last) [pictures 5, 6].
6. Fold the dough in half and seal the edges [picture 7].
7. Place the calzones in a baking sheet and use a knife to make 3 slits on the calzone (helps steam escape). Brush the top with egg wash [picture 8].
8. Bake at 190 degrees C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Serve hot with Marinara sauce (recipe here).

Sausage & Pepper Calzone
served with Marinara Sauce

JLo's Hybrid 油飯 (Fried Glutinous Rice)

I haven't updated in a while and there's a good explanation for that. I've been extreeeeemly busy spending 8-11 hours at the hospital everyday for the past few weeks. Though i still get some time for myself after school, cooking would be the last thing on my mind. I rather sit in front of my computer for 3 hours munching on stale bread than to leave my toasty room for a 15 step excursion to the kitchen. Mmmhmm... a 2 hour minimum (or more) of 混-ing is required to keep me sane. Sigh... COME, CHRISTMAS, COME! May Santa grant me a blow torch this year to set my schedule aflame. Sheeeesh. So anyways, after a month, I'm finally updating on JLo's 油飯. I was gonna make him write this entry instead but then I thought, 算了... I think I'll pass on having my boyfriend write about his Ex's mom, cuz that's where this recipe came from.... AWK-WARD. wa.ha.ha... 好吃就好, 好吃就好了嘛! I'm just glad he cooked for me :) and made something other than chicken and rice...

JLo's 油飯 Fried Glutinous Rice
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 steamer cups glutinous rice (long grain)
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 5 shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced
  
• 1/2 cup fried shallots
• 1 hand full dried shrimps, soaked.
  
• 1-2 tablespoons rice wine [or as needed]
• 1 cup Cha-Shao
  
• 2-3 tablespoons [or as needed] Lee Kum Kee's seasoned soy sauce for seafood (蒸魚醬油)
• 1-2 tablespoons XO sauce (optional)
  
• 1.5 steamer cups water
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for 2 hours. Drain well and set aside. [picture 1]
   
2. Heat a wok or frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil.
   
3. When the oil is hot, add in the mushrooms, shrimps, and dried shallots. Stir-fry until fragrant, adding rice wine when it gets too dry. [picture 2]
   
4. Next, add the Cha-Shao, XO sauce, and soy sauce. Continue to stir-fry, adding rice wine if it gets too dry. [picture 3]
   
5. Add in the glutinous rice and stir-fry briefly until the rice is coated in a light brown color, adding more soy sauce if needed. [picture 4, 5]
   
6. Scoop everything into your steamer pot and add 1.5 steamer cups of water.
7. Pour 2 steamer cups of water in the outer layer of your steamer. Cover and steam. [picture 6]
   
8. If your rice is undercooked, don't worry! Just add more water to the rice and continue steaming.
   

JLo's Hybrid 油飯 (Fried Glutinous Rice)